IC: Bleeding Edge Options

[Large Mike]

Girl looks at the ten-spot, and then back up at Mickey. "You pay me now? You think I gotta be bribed?"

She bristles at the insinuation, but gathers her jacket (she stole it from one of the now-abandoned bunks in the Barracks. It belonged to Trash, and is too large. The bat over her shoulder and the Colt Asp in her pocket used to belong to Trash, too.) She checks to make sure the gun's properly loaded, and mentions, while lacing on her knee-high boots, "My vote is for Nick or Mother, whoever has the most once all the other votes are counted."

There's something strange about this girl.

[JongWK]

Pankiller looks at Nick and Mother.

"Chummers, mind if we talk for a moment? I happen to know some people down there who might give us a hand. If the guy who iced Ghost is teaming up with some organleggers, I'm pretty sure we'll be able to find them pronto. (*)

Of course, some people here might thinkg they are a little... uhm, disturbing."

(*) Spanish for soon.

[last_of_the_grea...]

He gives Girl that half vacant stare and shakes his head, trigger finger twitching. "Girl, I was just making sure you'd have a few nuyen to spend at whatever drinking establishment you went to so you would have time to spread the little tale and not get thrown out for ordering water." His voice is his usual clear and calm voice...he showed no irritation at all at her bristling. She was just establishing herself, which was good. He'd not hold her attitude against her. He slips the spare clips into his pockets, different ammo type in each. He didn't want to mess that up!

He looks at Nick with a slight look of relief on his face when he's "disqualified" from leadership. He didn't doubt he could do it, he just didn't want to. He had his hands full with the girls, Tony's little friend's problem and his personal little battle. "I'll abstain from voting for now and reserve myself as a tie breaker."

He looks over at Yellow and says, "would you be offended if I kept you from the fight for a while so we could get that arm on you and get it working?" He phrases it as a question, but it's fairly obvious he means it as "You're sitting this one out while ya get set up."

Finally, he looks at Mother. "Perhaps you would do the honours of lighting the pyre?" He nods at her change of dress approvingly as he gives this nod to her loyalty.

[last_of_the_grea...]

Mickey turns his attention to Painkiller, listening intently. "I had intended to check with a contact of mine about the organlegging side of things when I took Yellow to see about her cyberarm attatchment surgury. I called him about it earlier, but he's not gotten back to me yet."

[Large Mike]

Mother looks at Mickey for a second, and then moves herself to speech. Her voice is clear and loud, exactly the opposite from how it usually is. "If you like, but you guys knew him better than I did."

She wanders over to the pyre and lights a smoke. She takes a few drags before dropping it on the wood. "We're starting to run out of wood."

Just as she drops the smoke, there comes a crashing sound from the front window. You can hear a particularly loud motorcycle roaring away. There's a piece of paper tied around the brick. 'Dear Burning Bodies, we are the Wild Riders. You have 24 hours to a) disband, b)swear alligiance, or c) scale back your operation to 1 block. We're moving in. Fail to comply at your own risk.'

[last_of_the_grea...]

Mickey calmly picks up the brick and reads the note to himself, then thinks for a moment.

"I think we may need to get ahold of the Hellbringers, folks. This says the Wild Riders are moving in." He reads the message to everyone.


"Now, as we all know, with no set territory, Wild Riders claim no turf. Or, rather, they claim anywhere they are at that exact second to be their turf. They are vicious and take no prisoners, but only if provoked. They usually clear out of wherever they are after a day or so, so they don’t get bothered much. They do have a beef with the Hellbringers, although no one really remembers what it’s about."

"I suspect they may move on after a few days, but I can't guarantee it. If anyone's on good terms with the Hellbringers, now's the time to speak up. I think they'd help out if we had to go up against the Riders."

"If we decide to wait it out, perhaps we can make a deal with Monk's Skull Crushing Bad Boyz. They helped us out against the Losers before. Maybe they'll let us crash on their turf and let us stash our stuff there. That big semi will come in handy for this."

"Or...do we attack those rabid bastards? Maybe set explosives everywhere and kill 'em all by sacrificing our house...then relocating to the Loser's old doss. I don't think I'd be happy letting them keep this place.
Yeah...make the roof collapse on 'em and keep their bikes! That would be cool. We could sell the bikes for huge cash and really get set up..." He rambles on with grandiose ideas for quite a few minutes before someone manages to cut him off.

[Fresno Bob]

Nick holds up his hand, then takes the note from Mickey.

"Er, thats enough talking for now, Mickey. Burning Bodies? Thats a low fucking insult. It's pretty good though."

"Damn. Karma's been fucking us Edgers in the ear lately. When the wheel rolls around to the good side again, we're due for some major fortune, at this rate.", Nick thinks.

Nick lowers the note, and turns to address everyone.

"Listen up. The Wild Riders want to take over our turf. We won our right to this chunk of sprawl last night, so we're fucking keeping it. Now, theres over 50 of them, so we're going to have to be crafty. I say, for now, we swear allegiance, until we can get something big, and..."

Nick suddenly remembers something.

"...I'll carve out a path o' destruction ten miles wide for you guys whenever you want..."

"Jennifer! Singleton Estates! Th-the hooker with a cranial bomb! She could solve all our problems with one go! We just have to get the detonator from her pimp! You remember, don't you Mickey!?", Nick exclaims, a look of wild excitement on his face.

[last_of_the_grea...]

Mickey sighs as he's cut off! He was on a good rant there, dammit! Then Nick mentions Jennifer's promise.

"Yes, I remember, but don't go making her exaggeration into our solution. I have been thinking about how to get that detonater though. I figure I have a good, simple plan, but I don't know if now is the time. We have a lot on our plate right now."

[Fresno Bob]

Nick shakes his head.

"Mickey, I was building on your explosives idea. We lure them all to one area, Kaboom, then pick off any survivors. I know it couldn't possibly be ten miles, or even one mile wide, but we have a very convenient walking bomb. It's as good a plan as any."

Then he looks around.

"Anyway, I guess I'll go guard the hookers now. Girl, Bishop, and Diablo. The three of you come with me. We've got guard detail. And I guess we have to walk, because my bike can't hold four of us. Wait, theres more bikes in garage. Any of you know how to ride? Motorcycles aren't that hard to use. I'll give you a crash course, so to speak...Oh yeah, Mickey, save me his bandana, jacket, and stun baton. I'm gonna ram it up Rusty Nail's ass when I get my hands on him."

[last_of_the_grea...]

Mickey nods and watches them go. A nice explosion would sure send a message. "Does anyone have any explosives? Or can anyone get any?" If they couldn't access the stuff, the point would be moot. He was waiting for Dr. Mallus to call back with an appointment for Yellow, he had to see about his bud Tony's pal's little problem and he still had two more pimps to elimenate...and it all got shoved to the side for dealing with the two newest troubles! Well, he'd have to let Tony know that he had a full plate right now...unless his buddy was willing to weild a weapon and stand with the Edgers.

[Large Mike]

Diablo, Widow's nephew's friend, one of the rookies, raises his hand, gingerly.

"I had to leave most of my stuff when me an' Bishop had ta leave, but I still got some on me. I'm even kinda good at usin' 'em."

He looks around the room for a minute.

"I don't think I got enough to take down the whole house, though."

[last_of_the_grea...]

Mickey nodded to Diablo. "Can you make or get more quickly? We do not need to blow up the whole house...just the things that support it. I'm certain we could have a few surprises to add to the havoc that would cause...like maybe running a tractor-trailer over it. Ah, if only we had some grenades."

[Large Mike]

"Grenades? I got two of those. Okay, so, it's only two, but... anyways. I can probably make more befor tomorrow, but we're gonna have to go hit a grocery store and a drug store. And if anyone can spare some ammo, I have some good uses for gunpowder."

Diablo looks to Nick.

"Uh, maybe I should stay here. I think I'd be a bigger help here."

Widow speaks up. "I'll come help deal with the girls. Let me pick up Girl, first, though. She'd kill me if she got left out of a chance to spread some havoc."

Bishop speaks "I can ride, yeah. I just don't got a bike."

[last_of_the_grea...]

"Excellent. Painkiller, why don't you take a few Edgers and go collect what Diablo puts on his shopping list. Blitz, Nick, if you have any usefull things to bring to the table, then say so."

He pulls any flares out of his survival kit and takes out one of his spare clips and the clip of EX that Nick gave him, handing them to Diablo. "I'd give you more if I could spare it."

[Large Mike]

Diablo takes the flares and ammo gratefully. "Thanks. I'll be in the kitchen if anyone else needs me."

He quickly jots down a list of stuff, most of it easily obtainable at a grocery store or drug store, and hands it to Painkiller. "If there's anything you can't get, don't worry about it. Everything here can be replaced with something else."

[Fresno Bob]

"Theres a bike in the garage that has no owner, Bishop. It's the one with circuit design. I just did maintenence on it yesterday, its fine.", Nick says to Bishop.

"Let me see if I got anything to give to Diablo.", Nick announces, heading downstairs. He comes back up with 4 Flash-Paks, and 20 shotgun rounds, 10 of them Flechette and 10 of them regular.

"Here you go, kid. Maybe you could jury rig some shrapnel bombs out of the flechette rounds, or something."

Nick heads out, waiting by his bike for the others.

[Digital Heroin]

When Nick's words to his call for vengance cleared his lips, a look that exhuded an aura of lethality washed from the large Trog. He hadn't been facing [/B]Nick's way when he'd made his address, but he turned his icy gaze that way. [B]Blitzkreig was as loyal a Troll as you'd find in the sprawl, but there was one thing that could set him against a chummer.

"stupid wanker..."

The two words echoed in his skull. If there was anything in this world that could turn Jared Kreig from plain violent to outright sociopathic it was someone calling him stupid. He'd spent his childhood being called stupid. He'd been cowed into believing his father held power over him because he was just that: stupid. The day he'd had enough of being stupid was the day he'd broken his father's neck. No one got away with it since then. He wasn't a tactical genius, he wasn't the best of leaders, but he sure as frag wasn't stupid.

As the gathered gangers bowled over the conversation, and talk turned away from Ghost, as if he was just another body on the street, and to this other gang, he remained silent. His gaze leveled right at Nick. The fingers of his chain wrapped hand flexed hard enough to warp the heavy metal, and his breathing was slow, and measured. He doesn't even hear Mikey address him, doesn't even really catch talk of this biker gang. He'd rumbled with enough bikers in the past to know they're drek off their hogs; but instead of focusing on the remaining Loser trash, the biker's had taken over already.

So be it, he'd been the one to drop the ball when they took the Losers down. He should have tracked the scum to their boltholes and forcefed them their own teeth. He'd failed though. He'd failed Promo and he'd failed Ghost. He takes in one last long breath and cracks his neck to the side.

Guess it's up to me to make things right.

He takes a long moment to look over the gathered Edgers once more. Stopping to nod to Yellow and to Mother. At least they were ready for a fight. A nagging part of him, a deep down maleness had to admit Mother looked badass fine in her war gear. Pity she'd be fighting another fight.

He doesn't say a word, he just turns and heads back out the door he'd stormed through. Back to Skags. He was gonna see about picking up a few able bodies, and maybe some info on these Loser cast offs. As he heads out, he does make a grab, and picks up one of the phones someone'd left behind. He'd call his ear in the 'Star while he was walking.

[Fresno Bob]

"Shit, was it something I said? I wonder where he's going. He looks like he wants to kill someone..."

"Hey Blitz!", Nick shouts. "I'm sorry, alright!? But, whatever you need to do, be careful! The gang can't take another hit!"

Nick watches as Blitz silently walks off.

"Man, I almost joined the Wild Riders back when. Now I'm going to help blow them to shit..."

Nick thinks a minute.

"Hey, why don't we all try to round some people up for this? If each of us can get 3 guys with guns, we'd have a force that could rival the Riders. And with the element of surprise, they'd be fucked. I bet Boris has a bunch of guys who like nothing more than to kill. Or, hey, we could even hire some Shadowrunners...", Nick muses.

OOC: Boris is Nick's fixer contact.

[JongWK]

"Or better..."

Painkiller dials a number in his phone.

"Yo, Mort? How are things going down there? I've got a deal for you. My gang needs some extra muscle to take down some fraggers. If you have some friends who can help us, you can have the deaders for the chop-shop, tax-free. Deal?

By the way, have you heard of an ex-Loser called Rusty? Me and my chummers would be very interested in having one last conversation with him..."

OOC: LM, Mort is the organlegger's name. I think it fits him. 8)

This post has been edited by JongWK: Dec 24 2003, 05:01 PM

[last_of_the_grea...]

Mickey watches all the activity going on. In a lul in the noice, he speaks up. "I am going to go and talk with the Hellbringers. See what I can find out and if they want in on the action." He readies his pistol, then holsters it again. He'd not bring the SMG...he'd put it where he stashed his stuff, that loose board he'd found in the floor. Then he steeled himself some, hoping the "white flag of biz" would keep him safe. Desparate times...

[Large Mike]

Hellbringer territory seems to differ from everyone else's territory in one respect. There are *way* more bikes parked on the street. Mickey rolls into the area cautiously, keeping an eye peeled for Hellbringers who would spot his colors and teach him a new meaning of pain, but there's not a great deal of threat of death today. At least, not yet.

Eventually, he finds a bar that he's heard a bit about. Judging by the number of bikes out front, and their common paint jobs, what he's heard is true.

Two Hellbringers, just coming outside, notice his colors, as he hovers about, trying to decide what to do. The larger of the two, a long-haired, bare-chested guy a leather jacket pipes up. "Can I help you?"

[Digital Heroin]

Blitz flips open his newly acquired phone as he pounds pavement making his way to Skags. Lone Star presence may not be so appreciated around these parts, but they've got their uses. He takes a moment to kickstart his memory, and dials up his inside man.

`Hey pal, long time no chat. Got something might be of interest to you.`

Even if he does recruit some muscle at Skags, he'd need some insurance. Sure, it was sour having to call in the pigs, but you know, he's the type who does what needs doing to get a job done.

[last_of_the_grea...]

Mickey nods at the big guy, his trigger finger twitching. It just felt wrong to be here. He was alone in enemy territory with no plan B.

"We'll have to see.I have come on official biz, Bleeding Edge and Hellbringers. I need to see the big man regarding a territorial issue regarding a third party." He slowly opens his jacket, taking out his pistol, but by the barrel, not by the grip. "I assume there's a weapon's check before I get to see him?" He hands the pistol to the bare chested man, handle facing him. "While one of you goes to inform him that Mickey Finn is here to see him, I'll wait with the other. Be sure to mention that it involves the Wild Riders and that I am hoping to come to an agreement regarding their status."

[Large Mike]

"I like your formality and all, but there's no need to go see the big man. You're lookin' at 'im. So, let's pop us inside and have another round, and see what we can do for each other, shall we?"

(Assuming Mickey agrees)

The man walks back into the bar, with Mickey in tow. He's greeted by the bartender. "Oi, Dave, you forget something?" "Only a pint for my new friend here." THe bartender looks to Mickey, noticing his colors. His gaze lingers for just a second, and then he looks back to Dave "Break out the good stuff?" "Might as well."

The place has about a dozen people showing Hellbringer colors, and about a dozen more who don't, but obviously own a bike out front. "So, Mick," Dave says, sitting down at a booth with a pint, "Ley 'er on me."

[Large Mike]

Blitz's pal, officer Friday, speaks clearly and consisely into the telephone. "Hello again, my friend. What exactly is it that I can do for you?"