Reflections on Antiquity, IC discussions of shared history Options

[BishopMcQ]

Hey folks--This board is supposed to give the runners in Fenris' Striding the Soul's Edge game a place to post shared history between runners. How they met, jobs shared, et al.

That said, let's have 'em.

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First Run

As Jake walks in the door of Club Extasis, he notices that there are a few bartenders obviously setting up for the night to get started in a few hours. Glancing around at the very plush stoic surroundings, he can tell that Extasis definitely doesn’t serve to the traditional Club hopping audience. In fact, the only thing that seems remotely familiar to Jake’s club sensibilities are the two pool tables, but they’re set up for something other than 8-ball billiards. As Jake stands around waiting in his three hundred dollar suit and power tie, it sure isn’t helping me feel more comfortable, a gentleman somewhere between Fabio and Arnold Schwarzenegger steps out of the side door and crosses the club towards him.

“Call me Fixx. We don’t have much time before we have to pick up Mr. Carvaggio so we are going to go over a few ground rules. First off take a look at me, 6’ 2” and athletic, I can break most people with my bare hands and you probably don’t see the three pistols or 2 knives that I have on me. Now take a look at yourself…we’re going to have to fix a few things. First off Mr. C likes his men with long hair, preferably middle of your back, but you have to keep it well managed and it can’t get in the way of your work. Second, what are you wearing? Let me guess you picked that up at the mall right? It probably helps you blend in with the unwashed masses, but we have higher standards. Hey Tony! Tony will get you cleaned up and into a loaner, we won’t have time to get a suit tailored before the meet.”

Tony, another model/body builder hybrid, pops his head out of the same room and motions Jake in.

Twenty minutes later, Tony has done all he can for Jake and ushers the newbie back out of the dressing room. Fixx, what the hell kinda name is FIXX?!?!?, walks over from his position at the bar, tosses Jake a bottle of water.

“There, much better. At least now Mr. C won’t be ashamed of having you in his service. Let’s go. Now remember, when you meet Mr. C he isn’t the godfather from some cheap movie, but he knows exactly what he wants and he gets it. Follow my lead and stay out of trouble, I don’t want to take any flak until I’ve seen how well you can handle yourself on the street.”

Without looking back to see if Jake is following, Fixx walks out the front door of the club. As Jake walks out, the valet is tossing the keys to Fixx who immediately gets in and guns the engine of the Westwind Turbo.
Pumping the gears up and down, Fixx guides the car smoothly as he barrels through the unincorporated countryside of Snohomisjh. Sliding into traffic, weaving through the congestion with the grace of a NASCAR driver, Fixx finally looks over at Jake and smiles reassuringly. Fixx eases the car into a parking space on the top floor of the parking structure in downtown Seattle. Time to start working. “Walking violence” strides side by side with “nervous energy” as they vault down the stairs. Fixx, confident with the relaxed tension that comes from body guarding, strides across the footbridge connecting the 5th St Garage to Carvaggio’s building. Jake, doing his best to mimic Fixx’s mannerisms, follows a step behind and to the right.

Stephan, Mr. Carvaggio’s personal assistant, welcomes them in the antechamber and invites them to get a cup of coffee on their way in.

“Gentlemen, make yourselves comfortable, and Mr. Carvaggio will be with you momentarily.”

Shortly after Stephan leaves the room Mr. Carvaggio enters, filling the room with his force of personality. Carvaggio has an ageless appearance, that when combined with his classical look creates the appearance of a modernized Victorian gentleman. 6’4” and two hundred twenty pounds, Carvaggio fills the room in both body and mind. Carefully manicured hands and pale skin, the color of paper, are all the cues that Jake needs to remind him that Carvaggio doesn’t do any of the legwork in this operation and never has.

“Ahh, Fixx, how are you? Please sit,”

Carvaggio’s hand runs along the smooth silk of Fixx’s coat as he gestures at a leather chair. Seating himself behind the heavy mahogany desk, Carvaggio pulls up a file on his monitor.

“The run is simple, I need you to collect a few packages from Shiawase Consulting and bring them to Stephan. There is to be no wetwork, keep it clean and dry.”

Handing the disk to Jake it is obvious that Mr. Carvaggio is done with them, so Fixx stands up smoothly and exits the room with Jake a step ahead of him.

“Well my boy, looks like you get to lead on your first time out. Let’s get back to the car and we can make plans over dinner.”

Dinner is a quiet affair of chicken served over pasta at Fixx’s condo, Fixx lays out the blueprints for the Shiawase installation and Jake sets up the plan. They will go in with dart pistols, remove the security at the door, tranquilize any support staff and pick up the packages. With luck they should be in and out in five minutes…worst case twenty if they have to override each lock they come to.

Time passes quickly in Fixx’s apartment, at ten they shower and get suited up in their traditional shadowrun gear, formfitting body armor under a black jumpsuit. Putting their more illicit gear into a duffel bag for transport to the facility they get into the Westwind. Jake grabs the key and slides the car into reverse. With a trunk full of illegal weapons and enough tranq darts to put down a small army, both of them decide to drive casually. Parking about a block away from the facility, Fixx takes one last second to go over all of the gear and pick three radio frequencies to use in case they are compromised. And so it begins…

Seventeen minutes later, Jake is able to get Fixx’s body back in the car. Someone had alerted Shiawase that they were coming and the two runners were ambushed as they picked up the packages. Fixx went down after a short burst of “non-lethal alternatives” hit squarely in his chest, but Jake was able to drag Fixx out safely under cover of a smoke grenade. Driving back to the apartment is a lonely affair, Jake hoping that he had done alright for his first night out. He knew that four of Fixx’s ribs had cracked from the plastic bullets but Jake didn’t have a street doctor he could trust, and going to a hospital would just lead Shiawase straight to their stolen property.
Pretending that Fixx was drunk Jake helped him up to the apartment, stripped the jumpsuit and formfit off. What am I supposed to do next?? Ace Bandages…heroes always have them wrapped around their chests in the movies. Relying on cinema medicine, Jake scrambles under the sink in Fixx’s bathroom and finding three ace bandages large enough, rushes back to the bed. Wrapping bandages around an unconscious body is damned near impossible without someone else to hold the body upright. Struggling through the process, Jake is just snapping the second one in place when Fixx groggily comes to.

“You did good kid. Mr. C will be proud, welcome to the family. Be warned though, Mr. Carvaggio doesn’t share his people well outside of the family. So Tony and I are it for you until you meet a few more boys at the club.”

Jake smiles under the praise, and seeing Fixx conscious starts to get out of his own armor.