((recovered))

Near the border of Crosstown Court, a huddled group of strangers converged in a seemingly random way, bumping into each other entirely by accident. To passersby at this late hour, it appeared as though they didn't even register each others' existence before going their own ways.

An hour later, they met again, huddled together against the cold night air by the aqueduct. What a coincidence. After a moment, during which they exchanged meaningful glances and silent passwords, one of them spoke.

"I got the info," said Polly, in a dark voice. She glared out from under her hood; the others caught a glimpse of her sallow, sunken visage. "Wasn't easy, neither. It's called 'Particle'. You've seen what they did to that dog. Imagine that full-scale, erupting in your chest."

"It takes apart your bits, does it?" said Fix-You Henderson, nervously.

Armand "Nails" Negotie laughed, a short, black sound like a bark.

"In a word, gotcha," said Polly wryly. "We can't let this be finished, and it'll only be a week, according to the Prof. It's incredibly powerful. From my stakeout, I heard that it will be available at the second level of skill."

There was a collective gasp as the rebels realized how widespread that would be.

"So what are we going to do about it?" asked Mad Casey, a nervous-looking little boy, barely older than fifteen.

"We torch the place," said Nails decisively. He pounded his fist into his open palm with a slap. "Did anyone gather the intel on a window of opportunity?"

((resistance members only, please. feel free to jump in))


----




Fion flinched at the thought of being disintegrated. It sounded worse than burning to death. That poor dog... She liked dogs. She stepped forward a little and cleared her throat.

"He spends evenings on the first of every ten at the Paper Tiger." She said, not overly happy at the thought of burning a building down. "After the bar closes he goes downtown and buys himself some company for the night."

She'd followed him to check.

"We've obviously missed tonight but it gives you more time to prepare. I don't think anyone else works there of a night but he's mentioned hired guards before." She wracked her memory for any other details. "I think he might have an assistant, though he's not fond of whoever it is. I gather they're not very bright."


-----






Nannis moved up beside Fion as she spoke, hazel eyes watching the rest of them intently. This was the sort of thing she was designed for.



The black clad tall woman played with the green wristband.

"I could speak to this assistant. Wouldn't take more then ten minutes. We could have as much information as you need."


----



Nora huddled down amidst the others. The sound of running water covered their whispers, but she was still a bit nervous. Being within city limits as a wick was nervewracking. She had lopped off the purple tips to her braids, leaving only her natural strawberry-blond, and gone for simple colors that would blend into the city.

She was shivering. But not at the weather. The new spell her galdori brethren were developing sounded awful. How can they treat magic like it was meant to be gunpowder? The harsh brutality behind such a malevolent spell shook her. Their work tonight could save so many more than it would hurt. She was quickly learning that this was the price the Resistance charged the galdori for their ways.

She placed a hand on the pouch at her hip. It contained several chemicals that might come in handy for... well... for whatever it was they were doing. She kept an eye around the group and an ear within it.


-------


"We can't afford to let on what we're planning," said Nails, shaking his head. "On the eleventh, we'll leave Casey at the Tiger, dressed as a delivery boy. Gamze, give him the signal when you see the bloke. Get him really drunk if you can. Casey slips out, heads to the meeting spot, and we split to meet at the gate to the laboratory."

"We'll need bolt cutters," said Polly, looking around at the gathered cadets. "Nannis, you need to take care of the guards. The old night on the town routine. While they're indisposed, right, we need some help setting the blaze. An' that's going to necessitate a little voo. Lucky, you up for it?"

She glanced at Nora with hooded eyes, and the others grinned at the witch; she was new, but so far she'd been very useful.

Nora nodded, swallowing her reluctance. She was working on getting used to the philosophy of the Resistance. All she was doing was starting a fire. That was all. Burning down one little building. They weren't murdering people in their beds, were they? It wasn't until then that she considered how her actions might effect her relationship with the mona. Do they think I'm using magic inappropriately? her brow creased slightly as her mother's instructions and teachings came back to her. The mona were wise, and might take offense if she was using it wrongly. Up until her attachment to the resistance she had used it for simple, utilitarian purposes. But now... She bit her lip with concern.

"I can do it," she said, as much to herself as the others, rubbing her hands together in what might have been anticipation, but was really to hide her trembling fingertips.

"Good girl," said Fix-you jovially, clapping her on the back. "Nannis, you'll likely need some backup, m'dear. You want me, or Nails?"

He eyed her beadily, almost as though her response would confirm something he'd been suspicious of.

Nannis looked at Nora and nodded once, she liked the new witch, as nervous as she seemed. Looking over at Fix-up for a moment, she wondered about the look on his face. But she knew who she'd take.

"Nails." She said shortly, not giving her reasons. In her mind, Nail's was the stronger and more resolved of the two...amongst other things.

"Right," said Fix-you, a little hotly. He nodded at Nails, who grimly nodded back. "It's to you, then, Old Man."

Polly snorted. "All right. Gamze, I got to make sure you ent in any danger. Ceres' orders. Don't got a clue what's put you on priority, love, but the best of luck to you. If you ever need a strong arm..."

"Don't ask Polly," said Mad Casey, grinning widely. Polly whacked him upside the head.

"We all clear, then?" said Nails, looking at the group and folding his arms.

Fion laughed a little at Casey's joke.

"I have no idea why I'm on priority either." She said truthfully, was it just because she had a kid? She wasn't bringing in that much information.



Fion nodded, looking over at a new member that she didn't recognise. She siddled over.

"Hello, I'm Gamze. How are you doing?" She thought the girl looked nervous. Fion wouldn't have been enthused about potentially causing collateral damage while burning a building down either.

Nora nodded at the exchange. She had come to understand that "priority" meant a person needed to be kept safe.



Nora half smiled at the pleasantry,"Hesta, I'm Lucky." She had recently stopped wincing at the code name. In her experience, the name "Lucky" had always been reserved for pets whose magnetism to danger often left them wounded, bruised, scarred, and usually lacking key pieces. But (un)fortunately,they always lived. "Alright, I guess. Still getting used to this," she tilted her head toward the others, indicating the whole affair of resistance work. "Trying to get comfortable with everything. The How in the day, the city at night," she sighed,"it ent easy yet."

Fion half smiled, lips quirking.

"Nice to meet you, Lucky." She said, rubbing her hands together for warmth. "I don't think it ever gets any easier. Perhaps more usual, there's comfort in that. I don't think they're repealing that law any time soon."

"All right, folks," said Polly, clapping her hands softly. "The eleventh, nightfall. Be in position before the last light is gone. You all know the drill, so no mistakes."

"Oes," Nora sighed,"I'm just glad I wasn't here for the riots and whatnot. Awful lot of people hurt'n killed. It's a sad situation we're in."



She nodded her head sharply,"right."

An old witch walked forward towards Polly as she finished clapping.

"That new girl might benefit from having some back up while she does her work." She said softly. "I have a name I would like to recommend to you. A man by the name of Clove. If she runs into any trouble he would be able to get her out of it. Would that work within the constraints we have?"

"We want to keep this small," said Polly, narrowing her eyes, "but if you think Lucky'll need a helping hand, best send your man in. Clove, eh? Another plebe? I've never heard of him."

Granny nodded in a sagely fashion. "Oes, he's new. Good at what he does though. I'd rather she have some support, she's likely to run into trouble if she's lighting fires. We can't afford to lose more witches than we already have."

Granny shifted slightly, her bones were aching.

"He's so trustworthy, you could lock him in a room with a cake for ten days and he wouldn't eat it."