Dresden Files: Caught in the Undertow

Sanya

Sanya hears a vague explosion in the distance. And at the same time, Murphy gets a ring on her phone.

She listens, then hangs up with a pale face.

"...Something's happening downtown, near the Gold Coast. It's...like 9/11."

Sanya's breath catches. He and Murphy meet each other's eyes.

And then they take off to help.

However they can.

Can I join as Molly?

Sure. I'll see if I can round up the old gang and resume where we left off.

Vlad
The idea that an image of him could be snapped, instantly transmitted and worldwide in moments was beyond him, he was still getting his mind around gunpowder as far as innovation was concerned. Fortunately the massive discharge of magical energy had killed anything more advanced then a pointy stick in about a mile. The massive creature lowers it's big, fearsome head and roars bathing the street in liquid fire, incinerating anyone it touches and melting cars to slag. Sanya, having heard the commotion and made his way over, sees it down the end of the street and swallows. He really wishes Michael was here.

Sartorius

It's not easy but the servant does manage to calm Sartorius down. It was the sense of dread that had erupted in him moments after pounding on the door that helped. Whoever Lara was in there with that was so important that she sent a servant out to get him had to be very powerful. While waiting to be escorted in he smooths out the ruffles in his tux that he had gained from fighting at the party. It was the only good part about it. That man that had actually given him a challenge was excellent club material. Such a shame he wouldn't be able to get him as one of his fighters. As for Vlad, well he would let Lara worry about that. He didn't fully trust his sister but he still loved her and at least trusted her to watch his back, maybe not his money but definitely his back.

Lara Raith
Lara gets up and makes her way down towards her brother. Moments ago, she'd been En Déshabillé with a man who would be extremely useful to her, not to mention that she found him extremely desirable, and needed to recharge her energies. And now her brother was down stares causing trouble.
It was almost enough to make her regret giving him a foot in the door.
Despite the fact that she was close to exploding with anger, she managed to at least present a calm face to him, though given the dark flashing in her eyes he was perceptive enough to realize he'd pushed her about as far as he could without getting into serious trouble
It was at that moment that all the lights in the building, all the electricity and power, failed at exactly the same moment, and the automatic generator failed to kick in. Something was very wrong indeed.

Sanya

"Saint Trotsky help me." Sanya murmurs to himself quietly in Russian.

He inhales, then exhales, turning to Murphy. He reaches into his duffel, then pulls out a Camera, an old style film Camera dating back to the 1950s, and hopefully immune to any hex activities. He carefully snaps a few pictures of the rampaging Dragon, then passes it to Murphy.

"Murphy...you must get the National Guard on this, with lots of tanks and rockets. There's no way people can ignore this. The...Supernatural is not keeping to own world anymore. "

His face hardens. "So there's no reason for us humans to hold back either."

He reaches into his duffel bag and begins suiting up. AK-47 with banana clips in special holsters, it's strap slung about his neck. Grenades, both flashbang and concussion, strung on a bandolier. Flack Jacket (for whatever good that'll do against a dragon). And of course, Esperacchius the Sword of Hope, loosened in it's sheath.

"And as soon as you get that done..." He turns to her with a gentle smile. "Get my ass out of fire, no?"

He turns and dashes forward, pulling the pin from a concussion grenade, sticking to the sides of the buildings until he can get a good blow in at the Dragon.

Vlad
A highway is not a good place for a being with a massive wingspan. It keeps clipping the tips of it's wings on buildings, and wile stone and steel cracks and melts it's refusing to burn. Vlad's toppled a pair of buildings, creating a veritable mountain of rubble in center of the road, and has perched on it. His army is nowhere to be seen.

Sanya

If he's to fight this dragon, he need to choose a good spot for his fight: Tactically cluttered, plenty of outcropping to duck behind, escape routes.

To start the fight and divert the Dragon from crushing any additional civilians, he decides to sneak his way through the rubble getting closer and closer to the giant Dragon.

Then...he steps out from behind a broken length of wall, one hand one his sword, the other holding the concussion grenade, and speaks out loud in a clear voice.

"Hello, Dragon." He booms in a cheerful voice. "I'd like to convince you to surrender yourself right now!"

The longer he can keep this Dragon distracted, the more time there is for helicopters and tanks and stuff to come in and blast it back to hell. And it's the Knightly thing to do.

Cowl
"Name." He demanded of the dying man, and Mortimer Linquist found his lips quite unwilling spelling it out. His bleeding had stopped, though the hooded man had done nothing to staunch the blood. He could even turn his head to the right despite the ripped muscles. And instead of pain there was a terrible coldness. He didn't know what the necromancer had done, but he wasn't grateful. He had a feeling death would be much better.
"Mmm..." He tried to stop it from coming out. Tried harder then anything. But the will of the necromancer would not be denied. "Mmmort. Mortimer Linquist."
The hooded man nodded, rolling a clear marble across his knucles, as strange red gleam lit it from within. Mort had no idea why he felt as he did, but he couldn't shake the unsettling feeling that the hooded man was watching him through the token, rather then his own eyes. "Mortimer." The cowled man said, in his soft, sibilant voice. "A good name for one in our trade. My name is Andre. You may call me master."
He didn't pay any attention to the corpse of Bartholomew Dee at all. It was as though he didn't even care.

Murphy
She did the honorable thing. She gave the photos to Thomas, then pulled out her sidearm and covered Sanya. Sure, she could pull rank at make the calls faster then Thomas, but no way was she letting the knight take on a dragon without someone covering his back.

Sartorius

He clicks his tongue as the power goes out and he says, "That's not good." However he did get a good look at his sisters eyes before the power went out. So to save his skin, cause while he had power and resources Lara had power as well and even more resources, he started of speaking politely and even offered and apology.

"Lara, I am sorry to have interrupted your important business but I thought it prudent to inform you of the situation with Vlad. He said that he was he was going to eliminate the final challenge to the supremacy of the old night. He then took his minions and left. As I'm sure I don't need to tell you more power for Vlad equals more trouble for us. The Court may be moving on to greener pastures but that won't happen if Vlad gets enough power to wipe us out first. No offense, but I think that you didn't leave the most favorable impression on him at that party of his."

He manages to say all of this in the calm political tone that his family is known for. Mostly out of fear of that presence that he felt earlier. He knew he shouldn't as Lara could hold this over his head somehow but the needs surpassed the wants right now. Even if it did make him sick to the stomach that he was acting just like the rest of his family now.

Thomas
"I am not an imbecile, what's this look like to you?" He yells, waving the photo like a talisman. The man looked at it. Blurry and unfocused, of course. Even a professional photographer with all the equipment he could ask for couldn't have done much in Sanya's position.

"It looks like you spend too much time playing around with photo shop." The officer says, shaking his head.

"Right. And I suppose the hundreds of people talking about a dragon are all delusional..."

"Symptom of panic. The gasline explodes, the stories grow and all things lose proportion. It's common."

"Gaslines don't demolish two buildings."

"Look, we're trying to get people out of the way in case things get worse, but the last thing we need is a moron like you encouraging them."

Thomas rolled his eyes, trying to figure out the sort of willful ignorance this must take. "Look, fine. Forget the photographs. The bloody thing is over there. Go look. Or am I somehow making your eyes lie to you as well?"

"Yeah, right. Great idea. I'm going to walk into an unstable area where two building just collapsed." He rolls his eyes. "What do you think I am, suicidal?"

Thomas let out a yell of frustration. "You are the most obstinate, moronic,..."

"Yeah, that's enough. Move it along, pretty-boy."

Thomas felt like beating on the man until he got someone's attention, but decided it really wouldn't achieve much. Instead he slouches off. "You're on your own, Sanya."

Sanya
The dragon rumbled, a thick trail of black smoke emerging from it's maw as the deep, bass rumble continued. Stone vibrate, and your ears hurt. At first you think it's some sort of attack, then you realize, with surprise, that the thing is laughing.
"Surrender to you?" He rumbled, deeper then any human voice could hope to be, eyes flashing, though whether with amusement or wroth you couldn't say. The things moods seem tempestuous, one moment destroying all it can reach, the next sitting with you and conversing, if not exactly politely. Unstable, then. It was much worse to fight a madman then a rational being. A rational being could be counted on not to do something like loudly announce it's presence in the middle of a city.
"And then what? Would you keep me as a pet, to parade around behind you and show of to the rest of these trembling mortals to mark your conquest of the mighty? No. I do not think I will."
He lowers his big, spear-like head, more smoke leaking out from between it's jaws. "I have seen that sword before. Lay it down, and back away. Perhaps then I will let you live, to tell others of what you have seen. For I have destroyed this cities defenders, and claimed it. Any who wish to take it from me must face my power."

Marcone
It's a war. His men have a defended position, lots of guns the size of their leg, plenty of experience, and plenty of will to win, as well as nice, tight corridors to funnel the enemy. That should be all the advantage he needs. Unfortunately, it's not. He's lost almost half his men, and most of his complex to the creatures, despite inflicting some truly appalling casualties they show no sign of letting up.
More and more of them were killed as they crossed the grounds, and in the arched corridors, but they died hard, and there always seemed more to throw away.
He was low on ammo, low on time, men and moral. It looked like this was to be his final stand.

Sanya

[Can't Thomas use his White Court wiles to persuade the obstinent cop to take a gander at the big ugly Dragon? I mean, there's only so far a persons weirdness censor will go.]

Sanya gazes up at the Dragon. At the very eloquent, well-spoken, arrogant dragon.

"I wasn't planning on parading you down the street, Dragon fellow." He replies, stroking his chin. "But now that you mention it...no, only kidding! That would be silly."

His laughter suddenly stops. "But you misunderstand. I am trying to be kind: no, I am treating you, whether you understand it or not, as you have chosen to be treated."

He raises his arms. "Look at what you've done! You, a Dragon, have destroyed an entire part of a city: wrecked buildings, killed people...and left people to spread tales of your terror. No matter what you do now, the human world knows that creatures like you exist. And they will panic and shiver."

He lowers his arms. "And then they will hunt you down with drones and missiles and artillery and helicopters and tanks and bombs and such. And that's only if I don't kill you myself for the atrocities you've committed here and now. So surrender now, Dragon. Surrender to those human authorities you scorn and belittle. It's the kinder option."