IC: Working Days, Trapped between the Candle and the Star Options

[HeySparky]

Little physical risk, my ass. Alarms are shrilling in her head. And images. A hauntingly pale young woman in mechanical cocoon. A young man, a troll, bleeding from his ears and nose. Esther sits forward, looking keenly at the Russian woman and waits for her response.

[Vegas]

"Discreet doesn't normally take four employees of varying backgrounds hired on by a security company like Watanabe, if you get my drift."

She watched the woman who was their "face" from where she stood across the room to the left of the door. She leaned back against the wall and kept her posture quite relaxed as she spoke.

"Is the job local? If there is travel or other expenses that arise during our "discreet investigation" is that to come from our 18-kay, or is there an additional expense account available to us if necessary. I'd assume we don't find out specifics about the "certain outfit" until we sign on for the long haul?"

She'd been on the other side of the negotiations so many times before, she was almost certain she could anticipate what the woman's next thoughts could be, or even how she'd answer. Sure it made A'ja a little cocky, but she didn't get paid what she did for being green, or stupid.

[Mister Juan]

Taking another long drag on her cigarette, Ludmila’s cybereyes gave A’ja a long and good once over. She answered John’s question without looking over toward him.

“Time isn’t an issue… but the faster things get done, the faster everyone will be happy.”

She finally lulled her head to the side, looking at the man, as the tip of her cigarette grew fiery red.

“Depending on how things unfold… the worst opposition we might face will be privatized security agents.”

Ludmila took the cigarette out of her mouth, tapping it gently against the edge of the shooter. As she ashes, head slightly down, Ludi looked up toward A’ja.

“Varying backgrounds insure the widest range of operational skills, and inuendos isn’t one that we require at the moment.”

She brought the cigarette back to her lips.

“If the need for travel comes up, things will be taken care of.”

Another cloud of smoke went up to the ceiling.

“Anyone not interested” she leaned a little backwards “the door’s there.”

[krayola red]

Juan watches their prospective employer silently as she tackles the first round of questions. As far as he can tell, she carried herself like someone who's seen combat in the front lines, and seemed to be as professional as any he's ever dealt with. However...

"'We'? You are coming with us, madame?"

[Mister Juan]

The sole of her heavy boot slipped off the table’s side, thudding loudly as it hit the floor. Ludmila turned her attention toward Juan, peering at him thru the smoke that was already starting to fill up the tiny room. Giving him a sly smile, she brushed off a strand of black hair from her forward.

“Is that a problem?”

[krayola red]

"Not at all. I was just curious because it isn't standard operating procedure 'round these parts."

Juan shrugs. "Anyway, you can put my name down for the job. Payment seems fair enough, and the cast promises to be intriguing."

[Penta]

"Same here," Penta replies.

[HeySparky]

As satisfied as she can be with the lack of information, Esther nods. She notes that Juan seems comfortable in this situation and wonders what more about her roommate she doesn't know. She'll take cues from him for a bit. Tension sings along alloyed nerves. She stands up, since the Russian woman started talking she hadn't said more than a few words together at a time. "I need to get my gear. It's close."

[Vegas]

Privatized security agents...and I'm sure none of them moonlight...

A'ja sighed softly as everyone tossed their hat in the ring, still 4500 was 4500 and would go a long way to fleshing out the savings account. And if it meant anything was more on the up and up, their Johnson was accompanying them.

She nodded slowly from the back.

"If we're all on the clock now, can we skip the cloak and dagger shit and get down to specifics?"

[Mister Juan]

Giving a quick once around the small room, Ludmila seemed rather satisfied that things were going her way. Since setting foot in the room, her attitude had been slightly detached, as if she had other things to take care of… other places to be.

Truth be told, Ludmila simply didn’t want to be there. But she was a trooper… and so, she had no choice but to show up and do her job.

“Good good.” she simply said, crushing her smoke in the now pretty much filled shooter.

She picked up her pack, took yet another cigarette out… but didn’t light it. She simply brought it up and slipped it behind her ear, her cheap bright green plastic lighter twirling between her fingers.

“A corporation named Takara Inc believes some of it’s data was either lost or stolen. Until recently, they had simply no idea what had happened with said data… until a certain memo from a rival company, Ikeda Ent, was… brought to their attention.”

The lighter stopped it’s little dance.

“The memo, from a mid-level exec at Ikeda, contained information hinting at the fact that said person was distancing himself from a decision made to secure data from Takara off-line storage units.”

She flicked the flame on and off once.

“In short, Ikeda has probably stolen Takara’s data, and we are to retrieve it.”

[Penta]

Penta is quiet, as he calls up as much data as he can find on the two corps on his commlink, to display on his imagelink.

[Penta]

After he does, Penta speaks quietly. "Ouch. It looks like the fight between these corps is half business, half family feud. On the other hand, it looks like Ikeda isn't in the best of shape financially. Do we know anything about what exactly their funding crunch has done to their security operations?" Obviously, it's probably hurt those security forces. But how?

[Mister Juan]

"This is not intel I currently have access to" said Ludmila, her eyes drifting upwards as if she was looking for something "but as you've said, they are in certain financial troubles."

[Penta]

That gets a nod from Penta. "Okay. No more questions from me, then."

[BishopMcQ]

Ludmila
Referencing your data link for the briefing materials, you pull up the barebones information you have about the security forces. Ikeda privatized their security forces shortly after the schism between the two sisters. Their security forces while few in number, were highly loyal and fewer in number than most corporations of the same size. Many had wetware enhancements or were awakened, possibly explaining the smaller number.

[HeySparky]

Esther sets the search parameters for a her Agent. A mission it chooses to accept. This datastream will self-destruct in 3800ms. A bass driven groove replete with brassy horn stabs starts across her soundlink.

"This strikes me as a bad place to discuss particulars." Esther relaxes into a contraposto stance and adjusts the long fawn-colored coat across her broad shoulders, hands smoothing the fabric carefully down her front. She tosses her head at the Russian. "You have a place in mind, drop me a line. I'm gonna get my stuff."

If she hurries, she can avoid re-upping the locker for the next hour.

[HeySparky]

The tall troll woman heads for the door, "I'll be back within a half-hour. Or you can message me if you take off," She drops her commcode on the Russian. She smiles at her roommate on the way out, a look a disbelief registering briefly before the door shuts. In the bar, she stops and retrieves her extendable baton with a murmur of thanks before exiting.

Once out on the street she gets a good ground-eating pace going as she tries to beat the clock to the rental locker.

[BishopMcQ]

Esther
You arrive at the storage locker with a few moments to spare and scoop up your belongings into your gym bag. Slinging the bag over your shoulder, you head back out to the street.

//Incoming Personal Message
//RE: Current Assignment
//Scan this. Something is off.
//Taylor

//Incoming Data Transmission

Paradise O
Following the sudden departure of one of the new hires for this contract, the room returns to the same quiet as before. Individuals exchange glances, check commlinks or nurse their drinks.

[HeySparky]

Esther starts the trek back to the Paradise O.

//Incoming Personal Message
//RE: Current Assignment
//Scan this. Something is off.
//Taylor

//Incoming Data Transmission

Esther's brows furrow. Off. Great. She shakes her head irritably and accepts the file.

// Data Transmission Accepted

[Penta]

Penta nurses his drink, checking his comlink, glancing at Ludi.

"Would we happen to have any leads?" He asks.

[BishopMcQ]

Esther
The file transfers to your commlink and opens at your prodding. Enclosed is footage of a newsfeed from a gang-based attack on a clinic in the industrial sector between Tacoma and Downtown. Halloweeners attacked the clinic using explosives and incendiary devices, all the while screaming for drugs.

Taylor has made several notes in the file and cross-referenced it with fragments of police reports in which on site security was executed with an almost military precision. Several guards suffered broken limbs from non-lethal rounds being fired in tight bursts. The largest glaring example of a cover-up, he notes, is the witness reports of the gangers fleeing the scene from the roof. It appears that with a fifty foot start, the gangers were able to make a forty foot jump with a motorcycle, sacrificing the bike to land safely onto a nearby freeway overpass.

[Mister Juan]

Taking the cigarette off her ear, she turned it a few times around and taped it gently agaisnt the edge of the table.

"Since I believe that trust is a good thing... I will permit you to access all the data I currently posses on this mission." she said in her russian accent.

Without her making any moves of any sorts, all the commlinks in the room chimed in they had received new files.

[Penta]

John looks at the files in his imagelink. "Thank you for this trust," he replies.

Then, he gets to work, scanning the files slowly, with a detail-oriented eye.

[krayola red]

Juan takes a moment to look over the new information as it's uploaded to his commlink. He switches off his display after he's done and turns to the group.

"It appears that our only two leads at this time are the very foolish man who lost his memo and this señor Finn. Which shall we pursue?"

[Penta]

"Which d'you think would be the easier target?" Penta asks.