Ties That Bind, Fragged in Fargo Options

[Trigger]

October 15th, 2070- 6:54:23 PM- University Drive North, Fargo, UCAS

Smoke rises to the southwest as a a sleek Mercury Comet burns rubber up the main north/south thoroughfare of Fargo. A Japaneses sushi bar located in the heart of the West Acres Shopping Center exploded roughly nine minutes ago, the sounds of sirens echo from Lone Star moving through town to get there to save or detain anyone around the scene. You are all crowded in the Belle's sedan although it is currently Dawna in charge of the meat.

*Nine Minutes Ago*
Your team shows up to meet your new Johnson at Shogun Teriyaki, a Japanese Sushi Bar in the West Acres Shopping Center. The Shogun is a well known front for the Yakuza in Fargo, for what small influence they have compared to the local Families and the Vory. All research on your Johnson has revealed him to be one Jonathan Kenworth of NeoNET, a well known and trustworthy Johnson who has a clean track record of paying well and never fragging a group of runners in his employ. You arrive a quarter hour before your meeting time, each of you arriving in your various forms of public transit, only Belle bringing her own ride. You meet outside the bar and confer about a preliminary scouting of the place for any ambush when a violent explosion throws you from your feet. The Shogun just blew sky high, throwing plexiglass and plasticrete every which way. None of you are hurt in any serious way, simple bumps, bruises, and scrapes. Fire consumes the bar and no one runs from its doors trying to escape the building. But Japanese thugs do pour out of some of the surrounding buildings and business', wielding various weapons. Some of them notice you in front of the building and charge your way. Instincts kick in and you pour into Belle, now Dawna's, Mercury Comet and get your hoops of there.

You are now heading down University drive North through central Fargo, driving next to the campus of North Dakota State University headed towards Hector International Airport. LoneStar vehicles rush past you in the opposite way, oblivious of your own speeding as they head to the scene of the explosion.

[Thanee]

Kerrigan checks the data from her biomonitor, conveniently displayed in her field of vision, her pulse is still racing, but other than that, the numbers seem to be within normal parameters. So far, so good. But what now?

“That one was meant for us, wasn't it?”

Everyone knew that, of course, but Kerrigan didn't quite know what to say, and the silence was killing her.

[Marmot]

"Wait, what? We're skipping town?"

Akita looks back at the group, having clambered into a position in the back-seat from which to look out the rear window at the rising smoke fading in the distance.

"Even if that," Akita gestures vaguely in the general direction of the now-exploded restaurant as she turns around to try to sit comfortably in the back, "was for us, shouldn't we at least try to find out who wanted us blown up?"

[amra28]

Halfpast sits quietly in the car but the look on his face could crack a stone. His hands are clenched into fists and occasionally he glances at the others. His ears perk up as the discussion on what they should do finally starts.

"I agree with Akita we need to get more information before we make any long term vacation plans. Although we should be ready to split at a moments notice. We should probably start getting in touch with people to find out what the word on the street is."

[MrMiracle]

Dawna, who is not smoking for a change since Belle never got a chance to pull out her cigarettes, drives as sanely as any mind-altered individual who's personality is driven by anti-social memory engrams.

Which is to say, not at all.

"Which one of you peed in the betuku hot tub?"

Patting her jacket and pants for a familiar bulge, Dawna finally finds where Belle put the cigarettes.

"Anyone else want one? The car is about to stink to high heaven anyway."

Not caring if anyone objects, Dawna lights up.

"I'm picking up my stuff and skipping, and I can take one of you with me. Not enough room in the car to cram all five of us. Draw straws, ro-jam-bo, play russian roulette, decide amongst yourselves the best way to do it."

[Digital Heroin]

Fuck this, why are we running? I mean seriously you know how many people that could have been for? Even Buscemi's AR voice has a nasal quality to it, a perpetual whine. Sure, it was probably for us, but the place is crawling with slants. It could easily have been that the Vory were sending them a message.

He doesn't mind the smoking, in fact he's about to light up a nasty hand rolled cigar himself, right after he takes a nip from his flask.

I say we go to ground, figure this out. We go running for nothing and we're gonna take a serious hit to our reps. In case you all don't know, mine's not exactly sterling as it is.

Of course they all know, things just go wrong around him. Hell, maybe he accidentally tripped the sushi bar's 'go boom' subroutine while ordering his Philly Roll.

[Trigger]

The car continues into the University district of Fargo, where student housing and a lot of the clubs popular with the younger crowd were located. The car is silent as smoke fills the air of the vehicle, a noxious mixture of tobacco, nicotine, synth rat poison, and the sweat of the bodies inside.

beep beep beep

Buscemi's comlink rings, breaking the silence.

Buscemi-

[ Spoiler ]

The ID on the call is one Freddy Newandyke, the undercover cop you are chums with.

[Thanee]

“Just look on the list of people we screwed in the past, and you will have them. It's kinda obvious, really. Problem is, they simply have the leverage here in Fargo. They made quite a point about that, didn't they? Not sure, if it is the best idea to further investigate that now. I for one don't see the point of staying here. It's just too damn hot right now,”? Kerrigan says.

[amra28]

Halfpast shrugs and adds, "Running seems like an easy solution but for some of us it may pose bigger problems. There could have been anyone in that restaurant the bomb was aimed at. It may have been at at the Johnson. Of course you are all free to do what you think best but I am going to lay low and try to find out what the word on the street is regarding us."

After he finishes with his little speech Halfpast takes a quick look out the back window. As he turns back around he thinks, 'I hope that bomb was meant for someone else, I can't run again right now.'

[Digital Heroin]

When the ring pierces the silent coversation's bounds, Buscemi all but drops the cigar he's been fishing for a match for.

`Bloody hell, I thought I had that thing on silent.`

Being his beard commlink, and a rather crappy one at that, the ring was hideously generic. He silences it quickly enough, running the feed to his headware commlink so he can keep the call quiet.

[ Spoiler ]

Freddy, man, your timing is legendary as always. Don't tell me what I think you're going to tell me man.

[Trigger]

Buscemi-

[ Spoiler ]

Freddy's voice is hushed as if he is calling you from a place he ain't supposed to be calling from.

"Buscemi....Frag man! Glad I could get a hold of you...what the frag did you do? I just got word from my contact point in the department that you and a bunch of other drekheads are wanted for murder and arson for that fraggin' explosion in the Acres. Now, I don't think it was you, you wouldn't be that fraggin' troll brained, but the rest of the Star are out for you big time. Not only that, but you seem to be wanted by every drekhead in town right now too. The Yaks, the Star, frag even the Vory have gotten wind of you being in town now too. My suggestion is get your hoop out of here, hop the first sub-orbital and disappear......frag, gotta run.....(his voice speaks up and he eems to be speaking to someone else).....Yes Comrade, right o..."

The line goes dead.

The streets are just startng to get busy as the college students get out of class for the night and start heading back to their dorms to change for a night of trying to find someone drunk and loose enough to take their upcoming test tensions out on.

There are a lot more vehicles on the road now, forcing the car to slow down or run down others.

[Marmot]

"Ah! Watch it!" Akita gripes as the car starts tangoing through traffic.

"So we're going to cut and run, sounds like. I mean, that's fine, that's cool. How're we going to do that? I mean, anyone got ID on them for the plane?" The shaman chuckles nervously and peeks back over her shoulder to make sure nobody was following them - and that they hadn't run anyone over yet.

[Digital Heroin]

`Fuck.` The word is wrought with frustration above and beyond. Freddy was in something thick, and it smelt of Vodka.

Alright folks, time for the bad news, and the worse news. Seems the explosion wasn't meant for us... it was meant to look like we did it. Now we've not only got the bloody fucking Star out for us, but every syndicate in town wants our skin. Even as he speaks in the virtual he's muttering curses to interspice it. His mind is rolling out possibilities, and he grunts.

Forget commercial flights. The airport's going to be swarming with Security, and if the Star have any sense in their heads they'll have transmitted our faces around the city.

Without a second thought he subscribes to the nearest open node and opens a link to the Matrix, running a search for charter flights.

What do you guys prefer, cargo or private jet?

[Trigger]

[amra28]

"Frag it", Halfpast mutters when Buscemi breaks the news. "Ok I guess I got the confirmation I needed. I need to swing by my place and pick up some gear. Anyone else need to make a stop?"

The as an after thought he looks at Buscemi and says, "I prefer cargo. It should be cheaper."

[Digital Heroin]

Buscemi audibly grunts, even as Halfpast's words roll over his ears.

Payment might not be an issue... the only place I can find is thoroughly Smirnoff. But we can't be too choosy, can we now? Swing by my place last and someone smack me when we get there, I'll see what I can work out with their system.

Even as his voice whispers it in everyone's ears, Buscemi's body goes slack, as he enters the Matrix in full, letting the sweet, sweet virtual wash over him.

[Marmot]

"Hey, I prefer someone let me know if someone in this car called their friends on the bikes back there for backup." Akita says, indicating the two bikes to the rest of the (non-driving) car occupants without pointing.

After a second, Akita blinks. "Those -are- friends of someone's, right? Right?"

[MrMiracle]

Dawna looks around at the local University atmosphere.

"Sure are a lot of hookers in college these days."

She checks for the bikes in her mirrors. If she did want to lose them, it would be tricky doing so with so many passengers in her economy car. She punches up the local region.

"West Acres isn't too far. I can't dodge traffic with this many fatties in the car. Lets split up. I'll drop three of you off and Akita and I can play freeway tag with at least one of the two wheelers.

[Thanee]

“I doubt they look like I would even want to be friends with 'em...”

Kerrigan silently contemplates the information gained over the last couple minutes, then says: “Why should we do that? Bomb that place? Doesn't sound like a very smart idea. But I guess, they believe anything they read in the newspapers these days, so it would be hard to explain...”?

“I, for one, do not mind leaving behind this little gem here. I've always wanted to see one of the big cities.”?

[amra28]

'It starts already', Halfpast thinks as he resists the urge to turn and look at the bikers.

"I didn't call for any friends", Halfpast confirms as he tries to catch a view of the bikers in the mirrors.

When Dawna puts forth her plan the amerindian male just grunts and nods.

[Trigger]

Kerrigan's place is the closest to your current location, actually only a few streets into the college district. The area is relatively cheap with working nodes around enough that your PAN always has something to latch onto.

The bikers also seem to be getting a little restless and are moving slowly closer than their previous four cars back.

[Marmot]

"Wh-what's 'freeway tag'? Akita asks, unsure about the combination of 'freeway', 'tag', and the idea of herself being in the car alone with Dawna.

By now, Akita has given up on pretending she doesn't know the bikers are behind them and stays turned around to keep an eye on the group's pursuers.

[Thanee]

“Just in case,”? Kerrigan says, and it is not immediately apparant, what the shaman means, but she seems to be concentrating.

A faint shimmer with a blueish tint appears next to her in the car.

“Materialize over there, so I can see you, but not too many else,”? Kerrigan points to an alley a bit ahead of them still, while she speaks. “I will turn you invisible. Then scare the bikers away, start with the two drivers. Thank you!”?

The faint shimmer disappears through the side of the car, heading to the appointed place and Kerrigan is concentrating again...

For a mere eye-blink, a sylph-like figure appears in the shadows, where Kerrigan had pointed to earlier. Then it is gone.

[Trigger]

As you continue down the road the bikers come closer, moving with a car behind you at the point where you pass the alleyway containing Kerrigan's well hidden spirit.

As the bikes cross the line of the alleyway the spirit releases its wave of magical fear upon them and disapparates back the metaplanes where it is far more comfortable. The two drivers suddenly screech on their brakes behind you, pulling a quick u-turn in the middle of traffic that nearly throws off the second riders and gets them all ran over in the process. The two bikes take off at full speed, jumping the center divider and gunning it down the road in the opposite direction. The lights of a Lone Star patrol car flare into being as the patrol hidden in another alleyway takes off after them.

[Thanee]

“That should keep them occupied for a while. Glad you aren't driving too fast, or the Star might be after us now,”? Kerrigan says, quite amused by the scene, but then her voice falls back into a more serious tone again.

“So, what now? Get our stuff and then off we go?”?