When Leeson quips about the lighting situation, Ace sends back over the link a half frustrated grumpy hurrumph of "You can say THAT again, Mister Magic."
The pseudonym he's chosen for Leeson not being one of derrision or insult, but the only thing he can think of off the top of his head to call their new partner that won't "out" him by using his given name.
Like noticing a new friend's main facial feature is a piercing gaze & calling them "HawkEye", or if they're built like a BodyBuilder & calling them "Muscles" as a friendly moniker.
Since he knows Leeson is a magical practitioner but not necessarily in what way ((aka "Street Shaman" but not "Rat Shaman")), he doesn't want to insult his new friend by picking something to call him that will rub him the wrong way.
Thus noticing the darkened area & deciding to scan it just a bit more intently, Ace focuses down there for a moment to see what might solidify out of the gloom...
((Perception: 5, 3, 4, 3, 6, 6, 6, 1, 1.
Real ComLink: 6, 3, 1.
Decoy ComLink: 2.))
Upon noticing the Phaeton doing it's ominous crawl, Ace opens a Search in his head to try & find the data on it, whom it's registered to, anything that might indicate why it's doing what it's doing.
Any weapons or defenses to avoid? Registered to the Mob? Reported stolen? Anything he can find out about it with various inquiries to the DMV, the NYPD, the various Security services, and general scraping of the Matrix.
((Search: 3, 2, 1, 4, 3, 3, 5, 2.))
Once that's done he sends a quick head's up over his internal's encrypted "Group to All" channel: "Primary. Three. Possible Hostile. Phaeton Limo. $Color. $Location. $Heading. $Data_gleened_from_Search. Will continue to watch. Out."
Just to be sure they know exactly what he's seen, he includes the trideo clip of the beast as it prowls below.
Once that's complete he sends over the link Leeson used earlier essentially the same message, just less terse.
"Mister Magic, keep your eyes open for a Phaeton limo prowling around down there. It's $Color with black mirrored windows & makes the hair on the back of my neck prickle. It's at $Location & $Heading. Here's a clip to show you what I can see of it. Keep safe!"
Hopefully the trideo will be sufficient to let Leeson be aware of the potential danger before it can run him over, gun him down, or abduct his butt.
Ace tries to scan everything he possibly can, every nook & cranny, every shadow, and anywhere big enough where someone might hide from another person on the ground.
Hoping that they might not consider hiding from stuff in the sky, he'll use all his senses & sensors to try & get the drop on Reggie specificly or anyone that might be lying in wait.
Better to spot them first & cry a warning to our side BEFORE someone springs an ambush!
((Perception: 5, 3, 5, 4, 3, 4, 1, 5, 6.
Real ComLink: 2, 1, 2.
Decoy ComLink: 5.))
Ace gulps down the massive lump suddenly materializing in his throat at Tiny's news about the Coms Van & it's crew.
He bites off a nervous scream & slams shut his sphincter on the desire to void itself in panick that _another_ rocket launcher might even now have him in it's target lock.
In an effort to calm himself & make sure he's not about to die in a horrible explosion, he scans the ether for any sign that such a tracking signal be locked on either his own or Block's hides.
((Electronic Warfare: 3, 6, 2, 1, 4, 1, 1, 6.))
Taking a very deep breath & getting his urge to gibber under control, Ace sends back over the same encrypted "Group to All" channel: "Primary. Three. Copy Target in play. Copy alternate exit. Out."
When X tells him & Block to keep watching, Ace smiles a little & rolls his eyes as he starts to relax a smidgeon.
He huffs a breath out up past his nose & sends back over the same channel: "One. Three. Copy no sleeping on the job. Out... Zzz... Zzz... Heh."
He's just about to refocus on his downward search when X radios again something about illumination.
Before Ace can send back a request for clarification as to the nature of what X might be planning to do, a bright arctinic light flares into life from the ground & streaks upwards.
Ace's startled scream of terror "ROOOOCKEEEET! EVADE!EVADE!EVADE!" is hopefully loud enough for Block to hear over the other sounds around them.
It's almost certainly loud enough to cover any bodily noises Ace's bowels might make as they shower the ground below in stinky brown rain...
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