The Found Arcana - Chapter 11 [IC] Options

[Gilga]

Assassins always know delicate stuff. If I was running a criminal organization I'd be worried when someone else has access to such a person. Given the kind of things we suspect her doing, I'll investigate it in their shoes.

[Jack_Spade]

Bobby shrugged: "We'll have to work flawlessly then. First step is finding her. What we do with that info we can decide afterwards. We could always rat her out to the mayor. We have enough evidence to pin the murder on her after all.
The spirit search is undetectable, let's see if we can find her before we fret about what to do with her."

[Gilga]

I grin "I suspect that the knowledge of who the assassin is, and possibly where she is may be part of our pay-data. While not blackmail material it can be used as leverage against Potter. Depanding on who ordered the job - it might be very big"

[Tecumseh]

<<Sunday Evening - 19:52 - April 9, 2079 - Snohomish Animal Clinic, Snohomish>>

Just after sunset, Raven summons a spirit of air and sends it to the International District to see if it can track down Saiki Kiki. The spirit suggests that it might take longer than usual since Raven hasn't seen Saiki Kiki herself, just an image of her. But it resolves to do its best and to report back.

Tamarind spends the evening studying the differences between Howard Cannon's platform and Corinne Potter's platform. This is a challenge since Corinne has only been the candidate for about four months. Having never held office before, she doesn't have a history of policy positions, or opinions about current events.

Reviewing footage of her campaign events, Tamarind finds that Corinne largely sticks to the Technocratic platform of "lower taxes, limited government, and belief in the individual." In this, she is very much aligned with Howard Cannon, who said all of the same things.

But Tamarind, with her analytical mind and mnemonic enhancer, does notice a difference of omission. Specifically, Howard Cannon was more likely to talk about "Peace Through Strength". Howard was a flag-waving patriot of the UCAS who had big opinions on Seattle's role in the country and in the region and as a global city. Conversely, Corinne rarely talks about that unless asked a direct question from the audience. Instead, she seems more inward-looking, more interested in squeezing out progress locally through technical innovation and social engineering.

The shadows are not generous to the Technocratic platform. They view it as a thinly-disguised policy of corporate support, suggesting that megacorporations will help improve the world if only the public gives them whatever they want. Not surprisingly, the Technocratic party appeals to many corporate managers and execs, and receives hefty donations from the corporate sector.

~~~

It's just about time for the volunteering session at the animal clinic.

Raven sits in the Americar in the parking lot of the animal clinic. She has a clear view of both the clinic and Corinne's apartment building across the street. There are now six spirits on guard: four on the astral and two on the physical plane. There are also two unmarked cars that - to a trained eye - are clearly Knight-Errant.

Tamarind can set up her drones to watch over the scene if she likes.

AM has put on some clean but functional clothes for her volunteering session.

[Jack_Spade]

"Now we do have a problem: If spirits are there to assense everyone, they will notice that AM is a full mage. I'm sure that will trigger some alerts - even if your SIN states the fact."

Bobby stated after seeing the security measures.

[Gilga]

I don't bring much to the animal clinic; I have no deck in case I get searched and no guns. I wear regular clothes in a wide cut that hide more than they reveal, clearly not made for beauty or to impress, and some of them are often considered men's wear though I have eventually modified all of them to be unique to me. They play with two shades of color to create intricate patterns of spiderwebs in some not-so-obvious locations. All of that is covered by a black leather like jacket that I like to wear while riding my bike, though.

I bring my very expensive Fairlight Comlink, which has zero incriminating material on it and displays the SIN of Emma Miller. I also bring my blue Suzuki bike so as not to appear linked to the overwatching colleagues.


My heart is excited by the vulnerability of not having any firearm or my deck with me. Yes, I studied the names of the employees so I could have plausible explanations as to what I was doing there and who scheduled me. I approach the clinic without much ceremony wearing the sad face I get when I think about some other life long ago that Iktomi's grand plan has broken into a thousand pieces. It is a place of healing - so perhaps I'll get healed - or at least if I cannot find peace... I'll have to settle with the next best thing - being rich. Well-rich compared to other SINless. I approach the clinic without a ceremony once I park the bike in a legal spot.

To Bobby, I reply
"Well... I am an aspected sorcerer, but I get your point. I am at peace with what I am."

[Tecumseh]

A few minutes before 20:00 you see a woman crossing the street from the direction of the apartment building. She has two beefy cops flanking her. Both are human and have some significant cyberware. (Muscle replacement from the looks of it, something on their bones, plus something affecting their nervous systems.)

Two of the six spirits from the apartment building also accompany her on the astral. They look like formidable guardian spirits (F7).

The woman looks like Corinne. She's wearing a trench coat that's rather too baggy and not terribly fashionable. It's a tan/khaki number while recent trends have favored darker colors, like hunter green, charcoal grey, or black. (Nikola Taul, Corrinne's opponent, has been pictured in an eye-catching crimson red trench coat. The wagging tongues have been debating whether it is made of leather or synthleather. Nikola, who figures it's good whenever people are talking about her, doesn't answer definitively.)

Corinne's hair is getting blown in the wind and is a bit unruly. She's wearing good-quality running shoes on her feet, but not the top-of-the-line model. Her aura doesn't show any obvious 'ware. She walks a bit ahead of her escort, seemingly uncomfortable by their presence. On the astral is looks like she has a sense of anticipation as she arrives at the clinic. The whole entourage goes inside, at which point you lose sight of them.

One of the spirits from the apartment building flies across the street and takes up overwatch on top of the animal clinic. That makes three spirits still at the apartment, and three at the animal clinic (two inside and one outside on the roof).

[Beta]

Tamarind sticks with one of her favorites, putting a couple of flying eyes in each delivery drone, then letting the delivery drones fly routes in the area, trying to keep one reasonably close by at all times. The plan being that she can open the doors in flight and deploy the Flying Eyes into the area quickly, without either making it obvious they come from her or leaving them out where someone alert might spot them.

When they get the report from Raven, Tamarind asks her to place the spirits on a map. She wants to know if there is a possibility to drop AM from a van, in a way that would block view of all the spirits while she goes into the clinic. Probably the other side are professional and have the angles covered, but it it worth it to check.

[Jack_Spade]

Bobby had decided: "Alright. I won't accompany you directly - to risky for your cover. I'll make my own way in."

The roof was out with the spirit in position there, but since Bobby had scouted out the clinic earlier, he knew about a lose panel where he could weasel his way in - so he did just that, making sure to erase any traces of his magic when he transformed between two dumpsters.

[Tecumseh]

There's only one spirit on the roof, and it can only look one direction at a time, so it seems possible to time it just right so that AM can slip inside without being observed/assensed.

However, presumably the two spirits inside will see her at some point. They will identify her as Awakened, but AM's SIN (which is connected to the volunteer appointment) already announces that. This might earn AM some additional questioning, but being Awakened isn't illegal.

[Gilga]

I figured out that even if I tried, I was not good enough to avoid so many spirits, and volunteering in an animal clinic should not get me arrested. So, push comes to shove; I see if I can help any animals in the clinic. Or clean up or whatnot. If I get past the police and spirits and... Iktomi.

[Tecumseh]

AM heads inside. The spirit on the roof of the clinic either doesn't visibly react. It's unclear whether it doesn't notice AM or doesn't care.

Inside the animal clinic is fairly quiet. The clinic closed to the general public at 18:00, so there's nobody in the lobby except the receptionist and the two beefy Knight-Errant officers. One officer has a bushy black mustache and looks to be of Italian descent. The other has a buzz cut, a ruddy complexion, and looks maybe Irish.

The lobby is a rather depressing waiting area, full of fluorescent lighting, plastic furniture, and floors that can be easily pressure washed. On the astral, there's a general tone of anxiety and despair that lingers uncomfortably about the place.

"You're the volunteer?" the receptionist asks. "Emma Miller?"

She's a dark-skinned human woman, although not the same one Bobby spoke to earlier. She's wearing scrubs and has a nametag on that says "Ifeoma". The woman gestures for AM to step forward.

"I'll need you to sign in here. We have additional security procedures in place tonight. You'll need to press your finger here." She indicates a small scanner.

"The gentlemen may have a few questions for you. I'll get you some scrubs while you speak with them."

[Gilga]

"Yes, I am. " I step forward a bit out of my element Thanks, Ifeoma. I nod to the woman's assertions and then place my finger on the reader. I did not bring the illegal cyberdeck so there is no hacking this badboy. Nothing quite explains the rush of placing that finger on that scanner. Not hot siming, not speeding up in the bike, not the lost control with Ayahuasca. My entire existence is on the line briefly as I place my finger on the scanner. Whatever comes next, to the very least, I am feeling alive.

[Tecumseh]

After thinking it a moment, the scanner gives a strange noise. It's not quite an alarm; more like an error sound that someone might encounter when they do something wrong in a Matrix program.

The two cops perk right up. Ifeoma scowls.

"Something is odd here," Ifeoma says, trying to puzzle out what the machine is saying.

"Why don't you come over here?" says the Italian cop.

"Let's have a little chat," says the Irish cop.

Their requests don't really sound like suggestions. The men are businesslike, bordering on stern.

"My name is Officer Russo; this is Officer Boyle."

"Doyle."

"That's what I said: Officer Doyle.

"For the record, please state your name, birth date, place of birth, and your country or extraterritorial corporation."

AM knows that all of these are encoded in her SIN, so they're effectively quizzing her on her own identity.

Officer Russo is staring intently at AM, his eyes drilling into her. Officer Doyle's vision is focused on something else, likely an AR readout of the scanner results.

[Gilga]

I am a bit nervous, but I am Iktomi the Trickster, and I take comfort in knowing that. It provides me a serene layer in the sea of alertness. I know Emma's biography by heart; "Aham... Nice to meet you officers thanks for keeping us so secure." I answer; I have done that a hundred times in my mind. "My name is Emma Miller, Born on 13.6.2050, in New York city. UCAS citizenship." I say confidently. I am obeying their orders politely and not externalizing my concerns or the Trickster's immense joy.

[Tecumseh]

The officers seem to relax a tiny bit at AM's confident answers.

"Ms. Miller," says Officer Doyle, "there are some ... discrepancies here with your biometrics.

"Your fingerprints... sort of match? The crossover, core, bifurcation, ridge ending, island, delta, and pores all align... but the ones on record look like the fingerprints of a child. Either that or your fingers are currently... swollen?" He looks at AM questioningly, his eyes shifting from whatever he was looking at in AR to AM's real-world reaction.

AM can feel a presence that she identifies as an astral entity passing through her. It gives her a little chill. Even without assensing, she can tell that's she's being observed from the astral.

[Gilga]

Well, I can't hide being a witch. I realize that there is a plausible explanation to the entire situation.


I grin . "Oh, that! I guess they are swollen." I say as if realizing something. "I am normally shorter. I say, feeling a bit vulnerable.
I take a deep breath. "I... do not like my natural body; I felt like a child and many got confused. So I made myself magically taller. I suspect that as fun as it is, it also got me into this uncomfortable situation. I do not feel the need to state that I am an aspected sorcerer; as the SIN says it all and the astral watcher can just plainly sees it. Perhaps Bobby can lie about such things but not me.

[Tecumseh]

Doyle seems to nod at the explanation. Russo has a hard look in his eyes.

"Tell us, how does your Talent express itself?" Russo asks.

"Does it work for weight loss as well as weight gain?" Doyle asks, perhaps a bit hopefully.

"Do you know any combat magic?" Russo adds.

"What's your profession?" Doyle asks, not really waiting for the response to Russo's questions. Perhaps the barrage is meant to expose any cracks in the subject's story.

"Have you ever harmed anyone with magic?" Russo asks, leaning forward as his eyes drill into AM.

[Gilga]

Wow, these are a lot of questions; I try to answer them to the best of my ability, giving only the truth but perhaps not the whole truth. I reason that if I say 90% of the truth, then there are fewer chances of problems within my story. I also aim to appear inconvenienced and friendly instead of intimidated, as if ending the evening in a prison cell is not a genuine concern. This is all a big misunderstanding. So I answer their questions patiently and then tell them mostly true things, which are rather easy to cross-validate given our website and other public records of my activity.


"Well, Officer Russo, I am an aspected sorcerer and mainly use magic to make life a bit easier for people around me—treating hangovers, helping sick people, tailoring clothes, changing hairstyles, or fixing broken objects. I sometimes use it to clear my head and solve puzzles... I look at Officer Doyle and comment I cannot help you lose weight. It would have been amazing if I could." I muse about the implications for a brief moment. I look intently at Russo; his suspicion makes me uneasy, but I do not externalize it much. I speak truthfully, figuring out there is no reason to lie, especially when the man is so alert. I do not know any combat spells and have never used my talent to harm people. ". This is truthful, as while some of my spells can be weaponized in a bind (and I have done so), none of them are combat spells, and each spell has legitimate usages. "As to my profession...I am a secretary at the moment," I answer, which is my formal job title at SIS and is detectable by searching for Emma Miller on the Trix. I am not happy with that title. I do my best to advance, so I do computer stuff and prepare the team for meetings. One of our seniors has recently left, and I wanted to replace him, but they brought in a full mage instead. I say, which is also true and can be verified given Jawsiey's departure and Raven filling in his niche as a magical investigator. However, I selected such a modest title for myself mainly not to attract attention to my fake SIN, putting the real people in the front of the business. Thus, I do not intend to upgrade my title unless I can somehow upgrade my SIN to a proper one. Still, I don't like it.

[Tecumseh]

AM's profession, which was meant to sound innocuous, seems to produce the opposite result.

"A secretary?!" Russo says - almost shouts - incredulously.

"A spellcaster who can heal the sick and you 'do computer stuff and prepare the team for meetings'??" His doubt is fully apparent as he eyeballs AM skeptically.

He shakes his head vigorously. "No, that doesn't scan. There isn't a corp or a megacorp who wouldn't extract you off the street right now and set you up in some gilded cage making six figures a year."

Doyle nods along with Russo's thinking. "Either you've seriously underestimated your market value or..."

"Your story is bulldrek."

[Gilga]

I am unshaken by their suspicion - it is my story, after all . "Well, first of all, I am here to volunteer, so let's agree that I am aware that I do not maximize the monetary value of my time." I sigh You are touching a soft spot... Computer stuff - does not pay the bills out of the right context; I tried, but nobody cares that I can fix commlinks and update websites or do research.

As for being a spell slinger, that is a winning lottery ticket, but I have only developed that talent recently, and when I applied for the job, I was not yet confident of these abilities. I made good progress and received my first job offer as a sorcerer several months ago, so I am painfully aware of what you are saying. It was a very lucrative and flattering offer, and rejecting it was painful. In my mind, I see the gorgeous Urubia and the allure of working for her.

I sigh as if ripping a bandage, take a deep breath, and say what is not easy for me to say. ...I came here after a nasty breakup from an unhealthy relationship. I haven't felt any desire for intimacy with anyone since. I am not mourning; I am not angry. I feel empty, as if something in me has given up. Being here is a step toward healing, as bonding with animals is sometimes easier. How painful is it to admit that I am fundamentally flawed - and the coppers only get the short version? What should I tell them - that I will never get to be truly happy?

If you must ridicule my life decisions... I refused the offer because I have a safe work environment and close relations with my peers to the point where it feels like a family. Their support is more important to me right now than money. I'll have time to make money. My talent is not going anywhere, and elves can live very long lives, so healing takes priority over my career right now. I pause and ponder what I just surfaced briefly;

Is there anything else? " I ask quietly, my voice hollow. That speech was painful, and I feel the same as before the spell on 160 centimeters. Is this the moment where the fantasy ends and everything breaks? I was shooting for some sympathy from Potter, and I end up getting arrested for being a strange fruit and then having my SIN burned. Will I recover from losing everything AGAIN?

[Thanee]

When the team had prepared for the meeting with Andrew, Rachel had commented on AM's dress. "Lovely dress. Just not entirely sure, it is the best choice to wear traditional chinese fashion to a meeting with a japanese guy. Hopefully, he will appreciate the look more than the cultural reference. Anyways, whatever you do: Do not sip four times in a row. That is considered a death threat or something. At least, I think so. I read* about it somewhere..."

[ Spoiler ]

* IIRC, that was actually in one of the Shadowrun novels... the first short story anthology maybe?

* * * * *

As Bobby mentioned the spirits, Rachel agreed: "Just like the nice lady in the park told me. There is an entourage of spirits to protect her. Seems a bit wild, as that is some very expensive protection."

* * * * *

At the scene, Rachel stays in the car, and has her aura masked, only using her astral senses for a short time as necessary. She is far enough away to not pose a direct threat, and tries to keep her presence hidden in general.

She wants to deduce, whether all the spirits come from the same mage, or several different ones. Either way, it must cost a fortune to employ them. And, of course, she wants to get a really good look at Ms. Potter's aura, so she puts some extra effort into that one.

[ Spoiler ]

Assensing Spirit #1 3 hits
Assensing Spirit #2 4 hits
Assensing Spirit #3 5 hits
Assensing Spirit #4 3 hits
Assensing Spirit #5 7 hits
Assensing Spirit #6 3 hits
Assensing Ms. Potter with Edge 6 hits

[Tecumseh]

The two officers listen to AM's speech. They do not appear deeply moved.

"Ms. Miller, may I be direct?" says Officer Russo, although the question seems purely rhetorical. "This is your first time here, and you haven't even asked why you're providing your fingerprint or interviewed by two cops. That suggests to me that you know why."

"There was a security event yesterday," Office Doyle adds euphemistically. His tone is a little warmer; he must be the 'good cop'. "You may have read about it in the news. Precautions are high at the moment."

"So the short answer is that now is not the best time for spellcaster with questionable biometrics to be volunteering. If this is important to you, you should reschedule for a different day."

"Or we can segregate you, keep you in a separate part of the building. You'd be under astral surveillance the entire time. I can understand that may not be appealing."

"Officer?" Ifeoma interrupts. They look to her.

"She could help me up front," Ifeoma suggests. "If she's good with computers then that would be a big help."

The two officers exchange a look. Russo looks annoyed; Doyle's expression seems to suggest that it's viable.

"The alternative is cleaning out the cat cages," Doyle says, looking to AM for a response.

[OOC: Almost midnight here. Will respond to Raven's post in the morning.]

[Gilga]

To myself "Praise the Trickster for keeping my life interesting." I say quietly.


I look at Officer Russo and sayI understand that you don't want a wildcard in here, and that scanner glitch is a good excuse as any—fewer moving parts for your security. I have some theory as to why you are interrogating me, but the two of you are a lot to stomach... For what it's worth, I am sorry for causing all this mess, and I hope I did not distract you from your work for too long. To Doyle, I give an ironic sigh I'll stay with Ifeoma this night. I've caused enough trouble. Keeping me separated from everyone else seems like a lot of effort I really do not want to impose too much.


I put on my big girl smile, took what was left of my pride, and looked at Ifeoma. Thanks for rescuing a damsel in distress; how can I help?

[Tecumseh]

Ifeoma brings AM back behind the counter. The cops go back to what they were doing, although they're still within earshot.

"My agent is on the fritz," Ifeoma tells AM. "I don't know what got into it. It used to be helpful but now it's gone haywire and does its own thing. It messes up the calendar, moves appointments around, corrupts contact information, and generally acts as an obstacle to getting anything done. Can you tell if it got infected, or a sprite is playing a trick on it?"

Once Ifeoma and AM are chatting about work, and the cops lose interest in the conversation, Ifeoma whispers covertly to AM.

"Did you want to meet her?" she asks. "Are you a big fan?" Ifeoma has a warm smile that suggest she's a big fan and would totally understand it if AM is too. "She's sooo nice! A real sweetheart."

~~~

Outside, Raven gets a good look at all six spirits. She notes that none of the six are bound spirits; the ones that Bobby saw yesterday must have been relieved for dereliction of duty. Since it's just after sunset, all six must have been freshly summoned and assigned to their duty. Raven can tell that all six came from different summoners. It does suggest a very significant dedication of resources. Would Knight-Errant really pony up for this level of security, or are third parties contributing resources as well?

Then there's Ms. Potter. At first the most curious thing about her is that she doesn't have any obvious 'ware, or even not-that-obvious 'ware. It's quite common for professionals to have datajacks or internal commlinks or sleep regulators or mnemonic enhancers or symbionts. The really rich might spring for cerebral boosters or cerebellum boosters or even tailored pheromones. But Ms. Potter doesn't have any of that. Has her rise to fame been to recent? She was a modest campaign manager until recently, although even those could greatly benefit from anything that improves organization.

But then there's a ... glitch. There's a flux in Potter's aura. It only lasts for about two steps - maybe she passed through an odd piece of astral energy - but Raven suddenly has a very different view of Corinne. Instead of a frazzled mundane, she appears to be a hyper-confident adept of some sort. Raven knows some of the techniques of masking and realizes that many of those tricks are currently in play, plus some others that Raven doesn't know. Furthermore, it looks like she's carrying a masking focus to help reinforce the effect. It's a simple pendant that she wears around her neck, a lowkey piece of jewelry that isn't even visible to mundane eyes.

Then the effect fades and Potter goes back to looking like Potter. But Raven is confident that she was able to peek behind the curtain, if only for a couple seconds. There's something there which reinforces Bobby's suspicions based on the arrangement of Corinne's bedroom.