Posten tracked the figure as he fled up the beach and scrambled into the beach hut. The thin fog and the distance made the shot difficult, but not impossible. He'd hit harder targets. "What do you think? Should I put him down? He'll duck back outside any second."

Meli took a long look but said nothing. Posten gritted his teeth. This was one of the many reasons no one liked Meli much. He wasn't right in the head.

The shadowed figure appeared again but Posten let the opportunity pass. "Your lucky day, jerk," he said to the silhouette disappearing up the misty hillside. Posten shouldered his rifle.

Like everyone, Posten hated beach recon the most. It was a two-man gig and you were stuck out in open, completely exposed. Dark figures against white sand made good targets. Having Meli as your partner made it positively unbearable. The changing of the guard happened every two weeks, where a dozen MPD grunts headed south from Mansion Inn while another dozen headed north from Summerland to replace them. The guards scoured the city blocks between, evicting or otherwise eliminating any squatters stupid enough not to see them coming. Guards kept whatever they confiscated, and sweeps were a good way to supplement the monthly stipend—except for the unlucky two bastards who drew beach recon. Nothing along the strand but packs of wild dogs and the occasional rundown junkie. A few months back a sniper up on the ridge cut down two guards from the ridge. That person escaped but whoever it was had a rifle, a grudge, and a damn good aim. Though the fog off the Lake Lawrence was frigid, Posten hoped it would continue to roll in.

The dark lump on the edge of the surf turned out to be a girl's body. Neither man spoke as they looked down. If you look past the gore she might have been cute, Posten thought blackly. "Looks like I should have shot him after all," he said at last.

"Who?"

Posten gritted his teeth. This was what it was like talking with Meli. "The guy who did this."

"But those are dog bites," Meli said. He wasn't joking.

Why do I even try? Posten shook his head. What a waste, killing a perfectly good young woman and throwing her to the dogs. Could be she was withholding something he wanted. Drugs. Food. Sex. Whatever. That's how life worked for scavengers and Posten resented them for it. No code of decency among them, just scraping the streets and nursing their junk habits, never trusting a soul. No thank you. No thank you indeed. The MPD had its flaws—sizable ones—but at least Posten felt he could trust his fellow guards. The sane ones at least.

Meli's hand dropped to his pistol and his eyes grew wide, staring up the beach. Posten dropped to a knee and aimed his rifle at...nothing. Meli's head tilted upwards as if he were following the trajectory of a bird's flight but Posten saw only empty space. Meli exhaled and let his hand hang again at his side.

"You scare the hell out of me every time you do that," Posten snapped.

"Sorry," he said emotionless. "Thought I saw something."

Posten shook his head again, wondering at his bad luck at being paired with this psycho. Word had it that Meli was connected to the Lukowski clan and that's how he kept his job. Posten liked to think it was the top brass's way of tormenting the rank-and-file like Posten.

They started back up the beach and, not for the first time, Posten wished he could skip forward in time a few years. By his calculations, he'd have squirreled away enough to cash in at the Bazaar, where he could lavish gifts on one of the younger whores, one who hadn't been used too much. They could relocate to the Marcus district. Or even the Riverside, as long as he was dreaming. Put in enough time and he'd land a desk job sooner or later. Sit back and get fat.

Still, that future was years off, if ever. But he could always dream.

FROM: Pele's Tears <noreply-transcript@pelestears.net>
SENT: Sunday, April 10, 09:04 PM
TO: Trent Hergenrader
SUBJECT: Your Pele's Tears Transcript

Hello Trent Hergenrader,

DIVINECHAT TRANSCRIPT WITH USERS PS, SM

*** (08:26) GAME TIME! CHAT ROOM

USER GM HAS LOGGED ON

<GM 20:26> Hello hello.
<GM 20:26> I have another session running long so when you log in just read this setup and I'll be with you in a sec.
<GM 20:26> So you two are partnered together heading north to Mansion Inn. You don't know each other very well and you don't like this assignment even though it's pretty routine. Every two weeks the MPD changes guard posts. You two were stationed at Summerland (for a few weeks, maybe longer?) and now you've been drawn to head to the Mansion, where the Reichman clan lives. Your squad of 15 MPD guards (all men, for what that's worth) depart from Summerland at 7:30 AM. Remember to write in CAPS if you're talking to teach other in character.

USER PS HAS LOGGED ON

<PS 20:29> Hey there.
<PS 20:30> K

USER SYM HAS LOGGED ON
<SM 20:33> Wats up. Sorry im late.
<PS 20:33> Read what Trent wrote.
<SM 20:33> Where
<PS 20:33> "So you two are partnered together heading north to Mansion Inn. You don't know each other very well and you don't like this assignment even though it's pretty routine. Every two weeks the MPD changes guard posts. You two were stationed at Summerland (for a few weeks, maybe longer?) and now you've been drawn to head to the Mansion, where the Reichman clan lives. Your squad of 15 MPD guards (all men, for what that's worth) depart from Summerland at 7:30 AM. Remember to write in CAPS if you're talking to teach other in character."
<GM 20:34> I'm back. You two read the above?. That's where we're starting.
<SM 20:34> Yes.
<GM 20:34> Posten?
<PS 20:34> Here. C;mon, Times ticking.
<SM 20:34> So what do we see?
<SM 20:34> Are we like marching? Or like flanking?
<GM 20:35> Walking cautiously is the norm.
<GM 20:35> Imagine the downtown area burned out and boarded up. Rubble all around. Lots of debris and a mist off the lake.
<GM 20:35> Plenty of places ot hide.
<PS 20:35> I've got my rifle on my shoulder but ready to sling it down.
<SM 20:35> Me too.
<GM 20:36> Symon, you don't have a rifle, you have a sidearm,.
<SM 20:36> Then I've got my hand on that ready to draw.
<GM 20:36> Hold on. Rolling for random encounters.
<SM 20:36> Wait a sec.
<SM 20:37> Nevermind.
<GM 20:37> Okay, so your squad gets a half-mile north of Summerland and ou split into teams. You two get grouped to do the beach patrol.
<GM 20:37> A few weeks back a couple guards got sniped walking this very path of beach. Shot dead.
<PS 20:37> By who?
<GM 20:37> Dunno.
<PS 20:37> Can I roll perception?
<GM 20:38> No need at this point. But you split off and head up the beach. Right?
<PS 20:38> Right >.> I'm keeping my eyes peeled.
<GM 20:39> Okay. Roll perception.
<GM 20:39> We're playing that the first person who calls the action rolls, and no doubling up. So Posten's role counts for both. Anything over a 6 is a success.
<PS 20:39> [ 5 8 10 ]
<GM 20:40> Two successes. So up the beach a couple hundred yards you see what you think is a dark figure moving down by the beach.
<PS 20:40> Think? I rolled a 10!
<GM 20:40> It's misty, remembeR?
<PS 20:40> What's protocal for MPD?
<GM 20:41> None really. BRB.
<PS 20:41> So Meli what should I do? Shoot?
<PS 20:42> I mean MELI WHAT SHOULD I DO? SHOOT?
<PS 20:42> Hello?
<PS 20:43> HELLLLLOOOOOOOOO?
<PS 20:44> RU there?
<GM 20:44> Okay, the figure starts running. What do you want to do?
<PS 20:45> Simon's pissed off somewhere. Not playing.
<GM 20:45> Didn't log off thoug.
<GM 20:45> Forget it. Keep going.
<GM 20:45> What do you want to do? The guy ran into a little beach hut.
<GM 20:46> Lifeguard tower. Now he's coming out.
<PS 20:46> Can I see him through my scope?
<PS 20:46> I train my rifle scope on him.
<GM 20:46> Okay, you have him the cross hairs.
<PS 20:46> Is he in rangE?
<GM 20:47> Yes.
<PS 20:47> I don't know if this is a good idea.
<PS 20:47> Gunfire could draw attention.
<GM 20:47> He's making a dash for the woods across the street.
<PS 20:47> MELI! I NEED SOME HELP HERE! What should I do?
<GM 20:48> Okay, that's over. He disappeared into the mist and trees. BRB again.
<PS 20:48> Well that was anti-climatic.
<GM 20:51> Okay, so that was that. No Meli?
<PS 20:51> No
<PS 20:51> How can we play now?
<GM 20:51> Want to keep playing?
<GM 20:51> See if he comes back?
<PS 20:52> Sure
<GM 20:52> Okay, so the guy is gone but you can see a black shape on the beach where the water breaks.
<PS 20:52> Do we for sure know it was a guy running?
<GM 20:52> No.
<GM 20:52> My bad. "Figure."
<PS 20:53> Okay. We head up the beach. I keep my rifle on my shoulder and keep my eyes on the trees.
<GM 20:53> You get closer and you can see that it's a body. Dead.
<PS 20:53> I inspect it.
<GM 20:53> It's a woman. Her face and neck is all gashed open and torn apart.
<PS 20:54> Does it look like the guy killed her?
<GM 20:54> No, it looks like she was torn open by wild animals.
<PS 20:54> I mean "figure"
<GM 20:54> LOL
<GM 20:54> She ain't lookin real good though, in the surf like that.
<PS 20:55> Would we have time to bury her?
<GM 20:55> No, you're on patrol.
<GM 20:55> Higher ups wouldn't like it.
<PS 20:56> She have anything on her?
<GM 20:55> No.
<PS 20:56> Damn. I should have shot that guy,
<GM 20:56> Meybbe ;)
<PS 20:57> Now what?
<GM 20:57> Want to keep going?
<PS 20:57> Honestly, not really.
<PS 20:57> Not alone.
<GM 20:58> Okay.
<GM 20:58> Understandable
<GM 20:58> We can pick up next time @ Mansion Inn.
<GM 20:58> No encounters btwn here and there.
<PS 20:59> OK. We didn't get much done though.
<GM 20:59> That's fine. A lot might not always happen.
<GM 20:59> Just think about how your character would react to this
<PS 20:59> OK
<PS 21:00> You'll email us with the time?
<PS 21:00> I did the doodle thing.
<GM 21:00> Yeah I will confirm.
<GM 21:00> Tahnks for playing
<PS 21:01> Thanks. See you then.

USER PS HAS LEFT THE CHAT

USER GM HAS LEFT THE CHAT

<SM 21:05> You guys still here?

USER SYM HAS LEFT THE CHAT