Robert curses softly to himself but is reassured to hear Louis curse as well. He enters the building and works himself up toward where the shot would have originated. Hopefully he has outflanked their opponent.

Robert races across the street, noting that at least two people are firing from the windows at Louis and Lucilla. The two women are returning fire, thus keeping the enemy shooters from engaging Robert. He reaches the door, where he hears two women calling to each other over the gunfire.

"We have to get her out of here!"

(From further away:) "We should let her go and run!"

(Closer voice:) "No, I refuse to let them win!"

"I'm not asking, I'm telling. Now, take her and throw her outside."

The conversation fades...

Robert will advance toward the sound of the voices with his pistol drawn. He will try to use the distraction of the gunfire to approach

"Damn!" The male voice to Robert's right front accompanies the sound of breaking glass and a pistol shot from across the street. "The bitch nearly got me!"

"We must leave," another man says. "They are killing us one by one."

Robert will attempt to move into a firing position behind the two men. When he has a clear shot he will take it at both of them.

The warehouse is both dark and cluttered, so Robert has to pick his way through.

"Come on," one man calls to the other as another shot rings out from Louis' presumed location. Robert hears hurried footfalls moving away from him to the northeast inside the building.

"Leave her," the first woman says from further away.

Upon hearing the voice of the woman Robert will move quietly in that direction

Robert hears a muffled cry of pain and a heavy thump from the far northeast end of the warehouse.

Fearing the worst, Robert will move more quickly toward the Northeast end of the warehouse.

Robert arrives to see the northeast side door open, and a crumpled figure huddled on the floor next to the doorway.

Robert will look around for any hidden foes and then hurried to the crumpled figure. He will gently turn her over if needed to identify her.

The young woman, Robert sees as he turns her over, is breathing, but she has a bruise over her left eye where she was struck with either a fist or an objects. He hears a door open and close behind him.

"Robert?" Louis calls softly from somewhere behind him.

Robert sighs with relief as he realizes the woman is okay. He turned back and whispered softly. "Be careful but I think they left. I found Lucinda's friend unconscious here."
This message was last edited by the player at 21:48, Thu 21 Mar.

Lucina and Louis walk up to Robert.

"Yenay!" Lucinda kneels next to the unconscious woman. "She's breathing, so I think she will be fine."

"We should take her to a doctor," Louis says. She begins to reload her pistol, dropping the spent cases on the floor.

Robert takes the opportunity to reload as well. "I can carry her and we can head back to the South and find a reputable area where we can hail a cab."

Robert lifts the woman into his arms, and retraces his steps to where they left the cab. At this hour, there are no cabs, so the trio walks to the Parthoon Canal Bridge, where they find a cab stand. "Where to, folks," the cabbie asks.

Robert lifts the woman into the cab and calls out. "Take us to the nearest reputable hospital. This woman is gravely injured. I will pay a bonus for speed!"

The group piles into the hansom, and the driver starts the horse with alacrity. The horse's shod hooves and the cab's wheels clatter on the roadway as the vehicle bounces along on it's springs.

A moment later, Yenay stirs and opens her eyes.

"Yenay!" Lucinda exclaims. "Are you hurt?"

"My head hurts. Who are these people?" Her underlying accent is definitely Chinese, although her British-accented English is excellent.
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:20, Sun 24 Mar.

Robert introduces himself and his wife. "I am Robert Darlington and this is my wife Louis. We were helping your friend Lucinda recover you from your abductors."
This message was last edited by the player at 02:19, Sun 31 Mar.

OOG: Robert's family name is Darlington ;-)

IG: "Darlington?" Yenay starts and sits upright. "Lucinda!"

"Yenay, it's all right," Lucinda makes a braking gesture with her hands. "Louis is a Wilder, and Robert here is only a distant cousin to our Darlingtons."

The slim woman looks between the three of them for a moment, and then she nods. "All right. I am sorry, Robert and Louis. I am not at my best." She looks at Lucinda more closely. "Here, you are hurt." She lays her hands on Lucinda's arms for a moment, and then sits back. "Your wound will heal before morning." She looks at Robert. "Where are we going?"

Robert watched with interest. "Yes, apparently on one of the good Darlington's. As to where we go that really depends." He looked at Yenay. "Did your captors reveal anything of their plans while you were in their hands?"

"Oh, we know what they want," Yenay says, "and we must stop them." Lucinda nods in agreement, along with Louis. "They want the Shards, and we can't afford to let them take them off Mars."

"They know that the two of you are here and have allies. I still doubt if they know about Louis and Meghan. Things were dark last night and all they saw was a silhouette of the two of us." Robert ponders the situation. "Is there any way to detect or track down these shards?" That would be the easiest way to foil their plot is if we can beat them to the prize."

"We," Yenay indicates herself and Lucy (Lucinda), "can sense a Shard's presence from a fair distance."

"It's similar to a mental itch," Lucy puts in. "That is, according to the accounts we've heard from the women on Earth."

"What does it feel like," Louis asks.

Lucy giggles, while Yenay lowers her eyes and blushes. "It makes one, um, well..." She breaks off and bites her lip.

"Oh, dear," Louis exclaims with a laugh. "That could be embarrassing, indeed."

Robert suddenly senses a heightened arousal emanating from all three women, especially from Louis.

Robert listens intently as Lucinda explains things. He coughs delicately at the mention of the sensation. When things seem to change he glances at his wife and raises his eyebrow. "Now?"