@John: The sounds of the ghoul disappearing ahead of you echo through the tunnel, as do those pesky sounds from behind you. Even more noises emanate from a smaller tunnel that feeds into the one you are in. It is hard to get a count, but good noise filters tell you that there might be four or five creatures down that tunnel. Your ultrasound lets you see the contours of the sewer tunnel and outlines the ladders that lead back to the surface at irregular intervals.

The most common, and constant, sound is the water pouring in from the various sewer grates above you and from the feeder tunnels, You leave the feeder tunnel you had originally entered and begin walking along what might be one of the major sewer tunnels. It is much wider at any rate and there are “sidewalks” to each side that would normally be well above the muck coursing past you, but the added water from the rain is causing the level to rise and is just a foot below the surface you are walking on.

The passage is not completely clear, as there are places where you have to step over rubble that has fallen from where the side walls have collapsed a bit. It is clearly apparent that the sprawl has not done any sort of routine maintenance down here for some time. The walkways are a bit slippery due to the moisture in the air and an accumulation of drek left behind when the water level has risen enough to cover them. There is a clear danger of slipping off the walkway into the water below.

@Al: No matter how much you think it will help, cold, windblown rain cannot erase memories of what might have been nor the girl that is part and parcel of those memories.

The rain just refuses to let up and it crosses your mind that it might get even worse. The bars you pass seem to be doing a booming business as people seem content to use them as a shelter from the wind and rain. The handful of people you pass that seem to have other destinations than a bar or brothel barely seem to notice you as they hurry away on their own private business. Your ‘link gives a ping that indicates an incoming text message and you step under a small awning that does not already have someone standing there to access it. >>Al Guthrie. Long time no hear. What have you got yourself mixed up in now? I have been approached by someone representing a certain mercenary outfit. He wants to deposit a rather large sum of money in a sort of escrow. What do you know about this and why didn’t you talk to me beforehand to let me know?<<

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