that someone's lookin' out for us, that someone loves us

[slavophile]

( After searching the hunters' phone, decoding barely cryptic cypher, and triangulating what he realizes are coordinates, he brings everyone together. Timing is crucial.

The summer solstice is that evening.

Isaac, Bonnie, Gloria, Mia, Danny, the twins, and Hope are in William's room. )

It's the Astronomical Clock.

( "The abstract art?" Lizzie asks, remembering her meet-whatever with Danny in front of that very landmark.

Hope, Josie and Danny found the same. With the twins' begrudging acceptance of Jo's informative text (and not much more scolding, maybe it's coming), the plan comes together. With the summer equinox being about the incoming nourishment after action, then this is the local yearly ritual. )

Witches will be there in droves. In plain clothes, but there to reaffirm and grow their power. That is the hunters' target. What I don't know, is if this is a blunt assault. I downloaded schematics. This looks on the outside like an act of terrorism.

( So. Bomb. )

Every hunter we find is low on the totem pole. The higher ranked hunters run the ops. There will be civilians and civilian hunters. Low-ranked boy and Girl Scouts. It's dangerous.

( Which is why their answers are few and far between and why Cooper's double agent act only gets him so far. )

What do you think?

Comments

[blackstarred]

[No, vantage point Mia can work with. Her eyes go to the roofs nearby, and she takes Hope's arm, pulling her off into one of the side alleys where they'll be shielded from view. Shifting her grip, she pulls out her grappling hook and gestures for the other girl to come closer.]

C'mon. Let's check it out from the roof.

[And once Hope agrees, Mia will sweep them up to a better viewing angle, where they can settle in. It takes a bit, as the angular shape blocks out certain portions of the ground below, but eventually they'll get a good view (15).]

[havethings]

( We're going over there, then, Hope thinks. Did she just - Hope moves closer, holds tight, and rises with Mia at a staggering speed. )

Cool trick.

( Hope is not tactical and doesn't really know what she's looking for (10), but both she and Mia can see that there is only one entrance to the clocktower.

Mia, however, will notice another presence around her. Three, to be exact. Someone on the balcony of an apartment building with a telescope facing the Clocktower. A window washer and a photographer equidistant to him in a triangular pattern. Her best guess, probably hunter surveillance. Snipers?

Outside of that, people enter and exit the Clocktower as it's a tourist destination.

There is one sewer grate located in an alley in the back and also what looks to be a back door with a label in Czech. Does Mia know Czech? )

[blackstarred]

[Mia rolled a 1 so no, she definitely does not know Czech. But she does take note of all of those things, and when she notices the snipers, she crouches down, placing a hand on Hope's shoulder to take her with her, out of sight.]

One with a telescope, one washing windows and one taking pictures. They're watching the target.

[Maybe she could pull something from her dad's bag of tricks, but she needs longer to formulate the plan.]

[havethings]

( Mia pulls Hope down with her, dropping below the hunter's line of sight, she assumes. )

Makes sense. Keep eyes on whatever it is they're planning. Unless what they're planning is more a now thing and not later. Should we tell the others?

[blackstarred]

[She nods, placing her hand to her ear to activate her earbud.]

Overwatch, we've got hunters watching the target zone. At least three on site, probably more.

[A beat, then she turns to Hope.]

Could you make us invisible?

[That's a witchy thing, right?]

[havethings]

( She grabs Mia's hand. She doesn't have to be asked twice. )

Invisique.

( In their ear, William's voice comes through.

"That's to be expected, with it being their target. Are they armed?" )

[blackstarred]

Not visibly.

[Which doesn't mean they aren't. Weapons can be easy to conceal, especially firearms.]

I'm thinking the bomb itself might be in the sewers. Hope's made us invisible, so we're going to try and get down there without being seen.

[havethings]

( If they weren't already. Hope looks over the ledge, searching for three hunters she was told about. But. Two hunters are no longer at their perches. )

Mia, I only count one.

( She frowns. )

No window washer. No one manning that telescope.

( And the photographer? Zeroed in on the roof they're currently invisible on. )

Mia, I count maybe - ten seconds before we can't say a single thing to one another because I think we were seen.

[blackstarred]

[To William:]

We're going radio silent. Text only until I tell you otherwise.

[Then, she's going to reach for her collapsible baton, glancing to Hope.]

Can you handle yourself without magic?

[They don't want it to be too obvious who they're dealing with, at least not right now.]

[havethings]

( "Copy. Be careful." But, he will nose his way into any secure traffic cameras and crazy views to see if he can get eyes on their situation. )

Not something you have to worry about, Mia.

( The way Mia asks, Hope doesn't do the same into what she can take or do. Fine, then.

It is only a few minutes later, as Hope concentrates on keeping themselves invisible until she can't, everyone can roll initiative, with Hope and Mia at a sneak attack advantage. They know the hunters are coming.

Hope's been itching for a fight, if she's honest, ever since she realized the students were sidelined in favor of a peaceful graduation. While on her best behavior, she's always had her killer instinct, even with parents who are alive. (19)

The window washer (13), and the voyeur (12) arrive, window washer from the door to the roof, the voyeur from the fire escape.

Hope's first action is to roll a saving throw to keep the spell going, and she botches it royally (1) as she recognizes the window washer. And Mia should, too. They confronted him in the hotel room. Twice.

And he recognizes her. )

You should be worse for the wear.

( She runs forward, to land a punch, but it's impulse and not skill (1). She does not make the best first impression in front of Mia. But, something or someone is reviving hunters.

Restoring their memories? )

Uh, Mia, he should not remember us.

[blackstarred]

[Welp. That's not good. Mia glances between the two of them for a moment, before turning towards the opposing hunter. She lands a swing with her baton, trying to catch him under the knees to slam him to the ground.]

Both of them, or just the one?

[There were other hunter interventions when she wasn't around.]

[havethings]

( Hope's opponent dodges Hope's punch and tries to land one of his own, (16). Hope arches under it.

The voyeur meets Mia's baton with his photographer, and the baton sweeps it out of his hands and over the side of the building. The faint crash is heard below.

"My grandmother got me that!"

He tries to grapple, and throw Mia down by the shoulders (20) and being in such close proximity and taking such personal offense to his own defensive action, means he throws her back - but further onto the roof, not over the edge. )

I only recognize the one. ( Hope brings her foot up to kick him back. Though it barely connects, the window washer does stumble backwards a few steps. ) Sorry, your friend's not so memorable.

[blackstarred]

[As much as she is a Slayer, she's still on the small side, and only has so much weight to keep her steady (8). She flies backwards, her back hitting the ground and she rolls to try and come back up to her feet. One foot scrapes as she finally brings herself to a stop, and she feels air beneath it for a moment, but she is her father's daughter.

She doesn't get thrown off roofs that easily.

She grits her teeth, before pushing up and charging back at him again, this time not holding back and throwing a full Slayer punch towards her hunter in question (16).]

Guess you should have thought of that before you picked a fight with it.

[havethings]

( That punch connects, sending him down to the ground, hurting. Between her force and the charge, she's going to leave a nasty bruise. )

Any chance you can give us any insight?

( The hunter does not, now and probably never, want to answer her, and instead tries crouching down and sweeping a leg under Hope's, but she easily hops.

The lost photographer tries to grab at the baton in Mia's hand, to yank her back down. (16)

And Hope sends a punch crashing down to her hunter, critically knocking him out (20). He's unconscious. )

[blackstarred]

[The baton slips from Mia's grip and she does stumble, just managing to get her hands under her before she hits the ground (3). She shifts her weight just enough to try and bounce back up again, swinging a leg up to connect with his face to keep the other hunter down (15).]

I don't think information is what we have to worry about from them right now.

[havethings]

( Hunter 2 is KO'd, Mortal Kombat-style. )

Couldn't have hurt to try.

( "Hands," someone says from behind them, the third hunter now in the doorway, gun drawn. )

[blackstarred]

[Mia does as asked, both her hands coming up to show that she doesn't currently have weapons in them. She will slowly start to turn around, because they deserve to face their attacker, don't they?

She glances to Hope, then to the hunter in question, wanting to see how things play out.]

They started it. We just finished it.

[havethings]

We don't have time for this. Ad somnum.

( And down he goes, the gun crashing to the ground with him, and the door closing with a thud. )

Now that we have a moment to ourselves. How long do you think we have before the hunters know we've taken out their lookouts.

[blackstarred]

Not long. I'm willing to bet that they gave notice as soon as they saw us.

[She glances over the top of the roof again, scanning the exterior of the clock.]

We need to get in the clock tower. Can you make us invisible again until we get in the door?

[She then taps her earpiece to get her brother's attention.]

We're back. The hunters are down, but the rest are going to notice soon. We're going to try and get in the tower to find the bomb.

[havethings]

( "Cooper's trying to slip into the ranks. They might sideline him," William admits, using Cooper's name with his sister, only. Opening the entire channel, he tells the group:

"Mia and Hope took out three lookouts which means the hunters might move up their time table or close in their ranks," he says, before returning to the private channel. )

Yeah, I can keep us invisible as long as we need.

( Barring they don't enter into any combat. )

We should go now, my friends can handle it. Let's defuse a bomb.

[blackstarred]

Let's do it.

[And once they're invisible, they will slide down to the ground and make their way to the back door. Mia still can't read Czech, but she'll check to make sure it isn't locked, and if it is, she'll attempt to pick the lock (6). And if she can't pick the lock, she'll break the lock (15).

She'll try and do it quietly though.]

[havethings]

( Picking the lock does nothing, but the lock breaks in her hand. Nobody notices as the door opens and closes with a small creek and they enter into a back staircase that goes upwards, downwards, as well as a door on this floor leading to who knows where. )

[blackstarred]

[Mia glances both up and down, then to the door ahead, and she tips her chin towards the door first.]

Let's clear this floor, then head down then up?

[havethings]

( They have nothing to go on but their instincts and Hope agrees, following Mia onto the main floor. A hallway is beyond them, with rooms on each side. Offices, bathrooms, and a set of double doors at the end of the hallway. )

[blackstarred]

[The search is quick and perfunctory. She knows what she's looking for, and if she doesn't find it, she moves on. They don't have the time to be super thorough (18). She does try to avoid any of the staff if they can help it.]