Ace continues to scrunch down to present the smallest target possible, hoping that if someone decides to take a pot shot at him they'll miss his happy hoop.
He scans the surroundings - up to the sky for drones or other aircraft, up at the trees for roosting snipers or other ne'er-do-wells, then at ground level - to make sure nobody's trying to sneak up on their six.
He's so paranoid at this point that he even scans the ether for any hint of activity that seems to be aimed in even remotely their direction.
((Perception: 2, 6, 1, 6, 3, 6, 4, 4, 3.
Electronics Skill Group: 4, 6, 1, 2, 3, 4, 3, 4.
Electronic Warfare: 3, 5, 5, 2, 2, 3, 3, 3.))
For some reason that Ace can't quite put his finger on, that drum beat is puzzling in a "Why is that spider weaving a drunken web?" sort of way.
While the heartbeat rhythm may be soothing & trying to lull him into complacence, the mere fact that it's trying to annoys him somehow.
Like a kid struggling to stay up watching tv even though he's starting to get drowsy, then having a conniption when Mom says to go to bed.
So Ace instructs his EarBuds' Audio Enhancement to filter out the drums & let him know if they stop or change, otherwise he doesn't want to hear them right now.
He mutters something about "Thumper Trucks & their bass head drivers" before going back to scanning for potential problems...
At Mister X's communication, Ace perks up & focuses towards where the trio just vanished into the gloom.
Trying to see past the barrel fire is getting to be a pain in the hoop, but moving to a closer vantage point to counter that effect seems like a Very Bad Idea for some reason.
Instead Ace holds up his decoy ComLink as a sort of shield to block the dancing firelight (like holding a hand over your face to block out the sun) & tries to stare past it.
Grumbling at the stupidity of the act, he lowers his decoy & radios back over the encrypted "Group to All" link: "One. Three. Copy major magic mojo in progress. Switching to Extreme Caution mode. Out."
When Block asks him to check for any events that the park might be hosting tonight, Ace starts to ask why but then stops with his lips slightly parted as his brain engages.
It's a classic finger raised, mouth agape, "Duhhhhh" pose for a heartbeat or two as his brain whispers "Dude, shut up & THINK for a bit, ok?"
It makes sense that if there's something Official happening tonight then whatever Block is concerned about up ahead may be such an event.
Ace whispers aloud "Sure, hold on a tick" then refocuses for a moment to check the Matrix for any information to that effect, setting his internal ComLink to do the search & let him know while his own senses remain trained outward.
((Electronics Skill Group: 1, 5, 4, 4, 3, 2, 6, 3.))
If the search comes up with anything (pertenent or nothing at all), he'll then relay that back to Block via the encrypted direct link.
When Block cautions not to get any closer to the murky bits, Ace snorts & nods emphaticly.
Taking another look around for anything even remotely resembling hard cover (rocks, a stone bench, a conveniently placed fortified machine gun emplacement, etc), he tries to find somewhere behind them (and thus farther away) that might
be a better place to squat.
Shrubbery is nice but tends not to stop bullets, & what Ace wants is something that won't be as useless as breasts on a bull.
((Perception: 6, 3, 1, 6, 3, 4, 3, 5, 1.))
If he finds anything suitable he'll point to it & whisper back to Block to head for it as a way to stay safer...
Ace has just started to stick his neck out again to take another look around when Block suggests searching for a drone to act as eyes in the sky.
Ace spends a moment FacePalming in disgust at himself that he didn't think of it sooner (or at all), then whispers back almost flippantly: "Just a tick. My underwear is crawlin' up my butt..."
He pretends to pull his pants seat out of his buns, shakes a leg, then turns his senses outward to search for the electronic telltales of something close enough to hack.
He sends his gaze upward as if to physicly spot a drone, but mostly it's his internal ComLink sweeping the ether for the signals that
reveal such a target far better than the target's physical presence.
((Electronic Skill Group: 3, 4, 4, 1, 5, 5, 3, 3.
Electronic Warfare: 6, 6, 5, 5, 4, 3, 1, 2.))
As he's busy searching the skies, Ace mutters half to himself something about wanting a big ol' plate of bbq wings & a tankard of beer to wash them down.
"And a MadCat construction mech with the chainsaw arms. Nothin' says ''SURPRISE!'' like a chainsaw to the face...
Hell, I might as well wish for a pony while I'm at it. And a stripper. A stripper on a pony. A stripper on a pony leading in my mech.
Holding the wings & beer..."
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