IC: The Next African Queen Options

[Redjack]

Wednesday, February 5, 2070. 9:26 pm. Johan Shultz's Chinese Dim Sum and Pizzaria

An Shui stands with his team. "Yes, we have much to do."

[Redjack]

Wednesday, February 5, 2070. 9:26 pm. Johan Shultz's Chinese Dim Sum and Pizzaria

As An Shui walks out of the pizzeria with the team he silently adds more:
<<@Team [An Shui] Jack - Would you please locate the parents? If they are hiring us, they should not mind a meeting tomorrow to provide information to assist in their task. It would also be prudent for us to know more about them.>>

[Jeremiah Legacy]

Wednesday, February 5, 2070. 9:27 pm. Outside Johan Shultz's Chinese Dim Sum and Pizzaria

Still raining cats and dogs, still feels warm and humid. Jack starts walking away, but sends his message to the team.

<<@Team [Jack] Will do. I've got a couple things to do, but I'll get to it tonight and send you what I find. But I'm not so sure we should be calling them. After all, we were told to call the Dr. to set up a meet for us.

When the rest of you leave, the lights turn off and the doors lock. It seems that Johan Shultz's is definitely closed down for the night.

[Redjack]

Wednesday, February 5, 2070. 9:27 pm. Johan Shultz's Chinese Dim Sum and Pizzaria

Stepping out into the falling rain and watching his team mates head out their own ways, An Shui summons forth an ancestor spirit to accompany him on his walk home. At first he attempts to call his grandfather, a wushu instructor. But this is a failure when his grandfather chastises him for disturbing his rest and abruptly leaves.

Dismayed, but not defeated, he next calls his great-great grandmother. The spirit arrives and silently accompanies him in the astral as he makes his way towards his apartment. The long walk gives him plenty of time to contemplate the many unknowns in this run. Where are all the milk runs I always hear about?

[WearzManySkins]

Wednesday, February 5, 2070. 9:27 pm. Johan Shultz's Chinese Dim Sum and Pizzaria

Ruff joins his fellow team mates in going outside. Waits to see who is calling for a taxi and sees if he can split the fare to his home.

[crizh]

Wednesday, February 5, 2070. 9:37 pm, Bunny's Squat.

Bunny toweled her hair dry. The ten minute walk from where she had the cab drop her had drenched her to the skin.

Better safe than dry.

Pulling the toolbox from beneath the cot, she sat down at her workbench and started to lay the tools out on the bench. When everything was just-so she opened the crate and scanned the firearms inside. ARO's played across her visual cortex and she considered them for a moment before pulling a brand new Predator from the packing foam.

She lifts a floor-board to reveal a small pit full of sand. She pushes a single round into the weapons clip, loads it and then chambers it.

Pressing the barrel into the sand to muffle the noise before discharging the weapon. She recovers the casing and places it in a small padded vice before delving into the pit to find the slug and repeating the procedure with another similar vice.

Next the weapon is disassembled and the barrel and receiver placed in vices.


And now while we wait for Jack we shall have another thrilling episode of 'Untraceable Firearms, CapeTown...'

She squints at the slug and gets to work.

[Redjack]

Wednesday, February 5, 2070. 10:59 pm. An Shui's Doss

Finally arriving back to the sizable apartment that An Shui calls home, he sends a watcher ahead to insure that everything is in order before entering. The fact that his wards are intact provide the first assurance that everything is ok followed by the watcher's return and confirmation.

After locking everything down, he quickly settles in to get some rest in anticipation of the hacker's call potentially coming anytime in the night or into the next day.

[Jeremiah Legacy]

Thursday, February 6, 2070. 3:01 am.

What a night! You got some work, been in a nasty storm, and got to see one of the Rain Queen's shamans in action. If you are up now, you may notice that the storm has died off to a light drizzle now and then. You will also get the following text message from Jack right at 3:01.

For those of you who are asleep, you will get it when you wake up.

Hey there chummers. I found the girl's parents, Paris and Mandisa. Turns out Paris works for the local licensing place as a clerk. Don't really know what Mandisa does, though. Got their address and the place where Paris works. Shall we drop by or call them first?

[Redjack]

Thursday, February 6, 2070. 3:09 am

An Shui realizes that the beeping is not the ringing of a gong in the court of Camelot, but instead the dreaded tone from his com alerting him that the team hacker had sent a reply.
<<@Team [An Shui] I'm thinking we just pop in. What do you guys think?>>

[WearzManySkins]

Thursday, February 6, 2070. 3:10 am
Ruff gets out of his bed and acknowledges the comm message

{{begin Encrypted Message<<<@team [Ruff] Sure when and where">>>end Encrypted Message}}

Ruff gets up, makes cup of Red Tea with Mate added.

[Jeremiah Legacy]

Thursday, February 6th, 2070. 3:12 am. Jack's home

{begin encrypted message}<<<@team [Jack] Well, they live in Khayelitsha, and he works at their munincipal office. He work for licensing, mostly marriage and name changes. Boring stuff, really. I think one of us should be dropping by his work. Less likely he'd run when he sees us.

Still have to say I'm not sure we should be going to him. We were told to have the girl before we go and call daddy, but if you guys really wanna do this, I got the addresses right here.

[crizh]

Thursday, February 6th, 2070. 3:13 am. Bunny's squat.


{begin encrypted message}<<<@team [Bunny] I concur, approaching the parents now might be stupid. Perhaps some discrete spying? I don't like surprises. Jack can you tap their comms?>>>{end Encrypted Message}

[Jeremiah Legacy]

Thursday, February 6th, 2070. 3:13 am. Jack's place

{begin encrypted message}<<<@team[Jack] Well, let me get some sleep, then I think I can get into at least his, seeing as I know where to find him. Anything else we need to be doing before I get some sleep?>>>{end encryption}

[Redjack]

Thursday, February 6, 2070. 3:14 am

An Shui looks over the replies. Some of the details of this job are really disturbing. Grab the girl for a meet with the parents. Not only is it weird that they want us to grab her to so that they can 'talk to her', but we aren't supposed to talk to them..?

The indicators on his com show that everyone has their encryption levels up. Since he'd had the program installed, he'd never had it turned off and was glad to see they were using theirs as well.
<<@Team [An Shui] Get some sleep, we can discuss plans in the morning.>>

He sat up a little longer meditating on the predicament with the parents. There was a saying he was fond of: If it looks like dren and smells like dren don't tell me its a chocolate bar and expect me to taste it.

[Jeremiah Legacy]

Thursday, february 6, 2070. 10:34 am. from jack's place
Sunny day, just like the waetherman said it would be. Bright, sunny, muggy, hot, humid, miserable day. But at least it's a day that you're working, and that's better than it is for some of the poorer people in the outlying villages.

Jack sends a message to the others letting you know his plan.
{begin encrypted message}<<<@team(Jack) Going down now to get a license into daddy's commlink. Anything you guys want me to pick up at the license store?>>>

[Redjack]

Thursday, February 6, 2070. 10:34am

An Shui had risen with the sun. After dressing, he made his way to a quaint little noodle shop down the street. Perhaps quaint wasn't the word, but little and noodle both fit. In any case, the noodles are good and the ancient Chinese man running the shop was not only personable but funny.

The first part of the morning was spent considering the various options. He was thinking about what Jack had said. 'Less likely he'd run when he sees us.' Why would he run? Didn't he hire us?

<<@Jack [An Shui] Last night you said 'Less likely he'd run when he sees us.' Why would he run? Didn't he hire us? >>

He couldn't get this out of his head: No contacting the parents.
They are the best equipped to tell the team about the girls habits. What to say and what not to say.

<<@Team [An Shui] Ok. If we can't contact the parents, we need to be having some discussions with the girl's friends.. or former friends.>>

[Jeremiah Legacy]

Thursday, Feb 6, 2070. 10:35 am. Jack's place

<<@An Shui [Jack] Well, if we all just come waltzing up to him when he is expecting us not to, he might be intimidated. But if I go in, it's easier for me to not be noticed hacking into his comm.

[Redjack]

Thursday, February 6, 2070. 10:35am

Sitting in a little park (little definitely being the operative word), An Shui replies to Jack.
<<@Jack [An Shui] Fair enough. Let me know when you have something.>>

[Jeremiah Legacy]

Thursday, February 6th, 2070. 10:36 am. Jack's place

<<@An Shui [Jack] Will do. Gonna get some breakfast, then heading out. I'll be in touch when I find out something interesting.

[Jeremiah Legacy]

Thursday, February 6, 2070. 3:10 pm, wherever Jack is

The heat is really coming down, as the sun is shining bright and the wind that is normally coming off the waters of the harbor aren't as strong as they normally would be. Still, Jack's call is a break from whatever you guys have been doing. He appears to be a little down, but no worse for wear.

Hey guys. I got into daddy's commlink. Stock item, boring as hell, just like his job as the vehicle licenser. Still, tere were a couple interesting things. First, did you know anyone could license a freighter for the docks? Don't need to be a corp or anything. Just pay the 35 thousand nuyen, and you can move your ship in and out of the port. Once I hit the jackpot, I'm buying me a biiig boat and I'll just park it there for a year.

[crizh]

Thursday, February 6, 2070. 3:10 pm, Bunny's squat

And the second was?

[Redjack]

Thursday, February 6, 2070. 3:10 pm; A Park

An Shui sat in the park feeding the pigeons scraps of stale bread, watching an old man practicing Tai Chi off to the side. He saw the group laughing and pointing towards the old man the moment they entered the park. They will prove me wrong. They will let him be.

They didn't. The five of them were making a bee-line straight for the old man. An Shui grunted under his breath and with the slightest of gestures sent one... two... three harassing watcher spirits towards the quintet. The first spirit took the form of a faerie dragon fluttering several feet over their head. "I am Rasputin! I challenge you five to a duel. A duel of wits because you are all too dumb to win!"

The second watcher spirit arrived in the form of a chow, floating several meters behind them, ghostly and menacing. It begin growling and barking at them. The third and final watcher arrived, manifesting in the form of herald. He stood only two feet tall and hovered a full meter off the ground holding a long, thin incorporeal trumpet as long as he was tall. "Here ye, hear ye. You five have been found guilty of stupidity of the first order."

One of the youths jumped towards the ghostly faerie dragon, only to have it flutter out of reach. Others ran at the dog and herald to prove their bravery over the annoying spirits. The eight shouted insults and chased each other around for nearly five minutes before they made their way out of the park, the old man long since forgotten. Once they were not only out of sight, but earshot as well, An Shui dismissed the trio.

Moments later, Jack finally checked in. The shaman wished he could send a watcher through the com, he hated to be kept waiting so long without information. Instead he took a deep breath and remained silent, listening to the update.

Second. Yes, what is the second thing? He thought.

[Jeremiah Legacy]

Thursday, February 6, 2070. 3:11 pm. wherever Jack is

The second thing is that he doesn't use his commlink at all. Not for calling, not for messages, not even to check the time. He's got a few messages, mostly memos from his boring job. There was one that stood out, and it was about a concert tomorrow night at a nightclub. Doesn't mention our girl, but it does talk about happy Afroflash music and pretty girls. Place called Crash 3.0. Charming name, those bastards.

[WearzManySkins]

Thursday, February 6, 2070. 3:12 pm. Ruff's doss

Ruff enjoys his red tea with honeybush, taking in the deep smells steaming from the ceramic mug, gently swirling the tea to bring out more aromas to smell.

Looking out over the view of the city from the south facing tinted window. Making note of the various locations where someone could be set up to snipe or spy into the window.

Sounds like that commlink is a dump comm, nothing of major importance, but more useful as a front, his used real commlink is somewhere else. Any chance of this comm link being a plant or set up?

[Redjack]

Thursday, February 6, 2070. 3:12 pm; A Park

<<@Team [An Shui] Either sounds likely, though if it is a plant for us there are larger concerns to address.>>

Sitting on the bench in the shade the large oak tree, An Shui frowns.

<<@Team [An Shui] The day is over half gone. Do we have more details on the girl's schedule?>>