Tokyo in the Shadows, The story of Kambei Options

[Fuchs]

Neo-Tokyo, streets - 04/24/2008 – 0030

Zunigata carried a taser and a tanto, both with concealed holsters, and both look expensive. The taser looks harldy used, contrary to the tanto, who shows signs of wear on the handle. The Yakuza takes some time to recover his senses - the shock glove must have hit him harder than expected. When he finally opens his eyes he looks slightly nauseous. To his credit, despite the effects from the shock glove and the tranqu patch, he doesn't freak out, but stares at Kambei's masked face, jaw muscles tightening.

[Tabula Rasa]

Neo-Tokyo, streets - 04/24/2008 – 0030

Kambei squats down in front of him, but far enough to avoid a surprise attack if Zunigata has any tricks up his sleeve. “I need information you are privy to,� he says matter-of-factly. “You give me what I need and supporting evidence to corroborate it and I’ll let you go. No strings attached.�

I wonder if I can get anything out of him without threats.

“What do you say?�

[Fuchs]

Neo-Tokyo, streets - 04/24/2008 – 0030

Zunigata doesn't react at all, he just stares at Kambei with a stony expression.

[Tabula Rasa]

Neo-Tokyo, streets - 04/24/2008 – 0030

Kambei suppresses his sigh, just what I thought… a straight laced company man who would probably rather die than lose a finger.

“If you prefer to bypass the easy route than I can go with the more difficult one,� he says, “I know you have the information I need and I’m not going to quit till I get it.�

He digs into his pocket and pulls out a chip and holds it up in front of Zunigata’s face, “see this chip, this is a copy of the p-fixes your people have been using a lot lately. This one contains my favorites, ‘slut,’ ‘bimbo,’ and ‘slave.’ I have to admit, ever since I got this chip, I’ve been wondering how it would work if you plug it into an upright, decent man. Specially the slave one, though I imagine the bimbo one would make for some funny trid to pass around the office.�

“So, what do you say,� he says as he closes his hand around the chip and puts his hand back down on his knee, “you want to cooperate or…�

[Fuchs]

Neo-Tokyo, streets - 04/24/2008 – 0031

Zunigata doesn't say anything, but the muscles of his jaw tighten more, and his nostrils widen a bit. He does look like a man ready to die for his family, or his or his family's honor, or what he thinks of as honor. Not that that helps him much in this case. He probably has a weakness, but finding it could take a bit of time.

[Tabula Rasa]

Neo-Tokyo, streets - 04/24/2008 – 0031

Kambei masks his frustration. I really need to get an errand boy I can trust. This would be a lot more convincing if I had the right equipment with me. Maybe I can still try to convince him without pulling out the big guns.

"You think your honor would be worth anything if you turn up dead with a recording of you in a gaijin gay-bar chipped up like one of your girls? Fuck, throw in an orc or a troll and you could be the fucking big boss and people would still talk about you if you were alive. Even if everyone knew you were on a chip, what would they think?

"Zunigata, tripping on his own beetle getting dirty with the dregs of society? You want that to be your legacy?"

[Fuchs]

Neo-Tokyo, streets - 04/24/2008 – 0031

Zunigata's eyes blaze, and Kambei knows he just made himself an enemy for life, but the yakuza presses an answer through his clenched teeth.

"What do you want?"

[Tabula Rasa]

Neo-Tokyo, streets - 04/24/2008 – 0031

I really need to make sure I've got my tracks covered after this. He'd probably carve out my heart with a plastic spoon if given the chance.

"There was a girl you recently arranged to be kidnapped and humiliated. Ahiko Mori," Kambei says as his senses record the conversation, "I need to know who ordered it done and why. You give me that and proof to corroborate it and this unpleasant business is done."

[Fuchs]

Neo-Tokyo, streets - 04/24/2008 – 0031

Zunigata seems to weigh this carefully, despite his state.

"I can tell you who ordered it, but there's no proof to be found on me - we're not amateurs."

After a bit of a pause, he continues.

"It was the Hazuko family."

Kambei runs the search out of reflex, even though he already knows the name - it's the family that, together with the Mori family, has built up the Gensi Corporation.

[Tabula Rasa]

Neo-Tokyo, streets - 04/24/2008 – 0031

Kambei nods, "you give me your word that what you say is the truth and I will keep my word and let you go.

"But understand, if I you tell anyone what happened here or even your suspicions as to why I want this information, or if you do further harm to the Mori family, this entire conversation will get out to whoever needs to know for the most damage.

"And if I find out you lied to me, rest assured I won't have trouble finding you again."

[Fuchs]

Neo-Tokyo, streets - 04/24/2008 – 0031

If looks could kill, then Kambei would be dead. Kambei wonders if Zunigata would kill himself given the chance, to escape this. Probably not - for all their posturing, and their claims of honor, Yakuza are criminals, not samurai. If they see a chance to escape with their face, their appearance of honor, intact, they'll take it. Usually.

Zunigata gives his word that the Hazuko family is behind the kidnapping of Ahiko Mori, and while his face doesn't move much, he is grinding the words out. Kambei can almost feel how the Yakuza's pride getting wounded deeper and deeper.

[Tabula Rasa]

Neo-Tokyo, streets - 04/24/2008 – 0031

"Alright, get up and get in the back passenger side seat," Kambei says as he stands up and picks up Zunigata's blade, commlink and taser.

"I'm gonna drive you in to an accessable area and drop you off. You'll probably get a call about your car in the morning." He closes the Yakuza's door and then climbs into the driver's seat.

"If you want I can rough you up a bit so it looks like you were in a fight," Kambei offers, "might make a heroic getaway more plausible."

[ Spoiler ]

I intend to drop him off somewhere off the grid and then dump out his knife after him. If that goes smoothly the plan was to park the car in a pay-by-the-hour parking lot that accepts cred sticks near a relatively crowded area with public transport, and catch a ride back to where I'd left the bike and go back home after a thorough rfid wand check.

[Fuchs]

Neo-Tokyo, streets - 04/24/2008 – 0031

Zunigata doesn't want to get roughed up. He claims he already has an explanation that will cover him. Most likely he's also thinking of how it would be ideal if he had Kambei's head to present to his fellow Yakuza, but that goes unsaid.

Kambei drops him off somewhere away, then ditches the car and takes a ride to his bike. Even with a thorough check for RFID tags, he'll be home before the sun gets up.

[Tabula Rasa]

Neo-Tokyo, streets - 04/24/2008 – 0425

Kambei immediately strips off his clothes upon getting home and practically flings himself into the shower to furiously scrum the nano-paste of his face.

I'm glad this is over.

Once he is thoroughly scrubbed and clean he puts on a towel robe and drops onto the couch with his commlink and sends a message to Mr. Tanaka, "meet me tonight where we last met at eight o'clock for your results."

He then copies the data on the p-fix chip, to keep one for his personal records just in case, and puts both back into the secure spot.

Fantastic, now I just relax for a bit, deliver the goods and sometime next morning I'll pass out for a long time and get some well deserved sleep. Hopefully without getting assassinated by Yakuza ninja adepts.

Getting a little paranoid, Kambei takes one of the legal Predators out of his locked cabinet and puts it down on the coffee table next to him. He then sends a note to Rattler, "thanks for all your help man. Let me know if you need anything." Following that he sends an email to Aoi and Ayaka, I'm basically done with work for now, so let me know if you two have some free time soon.

[Fuchs]

Neo-Tokyo, streets - 04/24/2008 – 0425

Over the next few hours, nothing more threatening than advertising messages that the spam filters are not yet patched to cope with arrive. Fortunately, the personal "do not let any songs by Ai Nogami through" filter works. Still, relaxing without sleep is a bit odd, after the recent excitement.

Aoi and Ayaka send a mail at 8.00, announcing that they are free this evening, and that they have heard of this new underground club, "The Rathole", but it might be a bit dangerous to attend a rave there...

Mr. Tanaka agrees to the meeting at 8.50, and the Celerity's system sends a "blue coupon" to confirm the appointment.

Rattler, strangely, answers just after 11.00 - was he actually asleep? - and announces that he is glad Kambei asked - there's a little bit of a service Kambei could do for him, in a day or two "once the negotiations are complete". He doesn't mean negotiations with Kambei, that much is clear.

[Tabula Rasa]

Neo-Tokyo, streets - 04/24/2008 – 2050

Kambei smiles as he read’s Aoi and Ayaka’s email, too dangerous… that’s cute.

He hits up the Matrix real quick looking for some information on the Rathole. Unless the place is dangerous enough to need a gun, or a Yakuza hangout, Kambei replies, �if you too want to go to the Rathole it’s not a problem. I’ll make sure nothing bad happens. I’ve got a quick meeting at 2100 today. After that’s done I’ll give you a call and see what you want to do.�

A bit later he reads Rattler’s response to his email and smirks, I was wondering when he’d finally accept my offer. He sends back a quick response, “No problem, just let me know what you need, so I’ll be waiting on your message.�

He spends the rest of the day relaxing, only interrupted when he goes out to grab a bite to eat. When the time arrives, Kambei cleans up, throws on some clothes and hesitates by the gun cabinet trying to decide whether to bring a piece or not. Not wanting to be rude to his recent source of Nuyen, he decides against his mild paranoia, and heads out to Celerity with just his knife and discreetly armored jacket.

Fifteen minutes later he pulls up near Celerity, parks his bike, takes a quick scan of his surroundings just incase there is an obvious trap, and then quickly heads into the club. Once inside he doesn’t wait before turning in his blue coupon for a gin and tonic and waits to be shown to Mr. Tanaka.

[Fuchs]

Neo-Tokyo, streets - 04/24/2008 – 2050

[ Spoiler ]

The Rathole... an underground club, literally and figuratively. "Shrouded in mystery, it's location only known by a select few"... that's what the rumors like to claim. It's true, in a way - if "a select few" is meant to mean "just about every student with some skill at data search". It doesn't take much to find out its location - it's in an old, abandonned subway station. Abandonned way before the ring of fire, dating back to the 20th century, that is - the club's surroundings are positively ancient, for a town like Neo-Tokyo. The rails are still there, but they lead to nowhere - or to hell, according to a street legend spread over various forums. Apparently, some students disappeared lately, and some claims they were picked up by a ghost train carrying the souls of the recently dead. More likely, they wandered off into the tunnels, and got lost down there, away from the wireless matrix, without access to their GPS.
It looks like a harmless "underground club", at first glance, but Kambei notes a few more things digging in: It hasn't been moving for months, despite the loud anti-establishment propaganda its fliers carry, which means it's either not as underground as it claims, or someone with influence is making sure no bureaucrats bother it. No signs of Yakuza-influence though, and the club's been staffed by masked people of both gender. Not many reported incidents either, apart from the esoteric rumors.

Celerity is packed at this time of the day. There's some man, probably 30, hitting on every pretty woman in the club. Almost every pretty woman - he avoids Maki Masura, and he shrinks away from the tall woman Kambei saw a few days ago. At least the attention the man is drawing on himself with his varied pick-up lines makes for a distraction for other, more professional meetings.

[ Spoiler ]

Perception Check (13d6.hits(5)=3)

The man doesn't look dangerous at first glance, but Kambei notices that he's moving just a bit too balanced, and pays a bit too much attention to the rest of the club, to be a simple lech. And he doesn't cross the line from hitting on women to bothering them - so far.

Then Maki arrives, bowing, and leads Kambei to the VIP area, where he is seated in a private room, the AR node fills it with cedar scent, and the sake is heated just to the right temperature - or will be in about two minutes. The good sake too, not the cheaper stuff sold in the main room.

Two minutes later, at 21.00, Mr. Tanaka arrives, his face smiling, but in a typical politeness, not indicating any real emotion. A few minutes of polite chatting follow, before the meeting gets serious.

[Tabula Rasa]

Neo-Tokyo, streets - 04/24/2008 – 2100

Kambei thanks Maki for her hospitality and waits for Mr. Tanaka.

After greeting Mr. Tanaka and dispensing with the necessary polite conversation he reaches into his inner jacket pocket and pulls out a chip and slides it towards his employer on the table.

“There are special programs on this chip. They are p-fixes that come with their own OS and they provide a personality overlay on the original personality of the person being chipped. Basically, they are like themselves but with the effects of the programming on the chip and for all intents and purposes will seem like themselves in sim recordings.

“The specific programs’ effects should be fairly obvious by the labeling of the programs themselves and one of those chips was the one that Ahiko was under the effect of.�

He waits a moment for Mr. Tanaka to digest that but continues before he has a chance to speak, “the ones who ordered the unfortunate even was a member of the Hazuko family.�

Kambei leans back into his chair making it obvious that he is done.

[Fuchs]

Neo-Tokyo, streets - 04/24/2008 – 2100

Mr. Tanaka doesn't seem surprised, he just nods, and loads the data Kambei provided. From his manners, he's absorbed in his internal commlink - either studying the data more closely, or talking with somone. After a while, he opens his eyes again, and looks at Kambei, bowing slightly from his kneeling position. It's not as deep as a man of lower standing would bow, but deeper than he'd be required to bow given their relative social standing - a sign of thank and respect.

The rest is business again - Shin Masura will handle the payment, and Mr. Tanaka's superiours will debate the further proceedings. No word about possible revenge.

[Tabula Rasa]

Neo-Tokyo, streets - 04/24/2008 – 2115

Kambei accepts his thanks humbly – a bit put out of place by his reaction. Once his business with Mr. Tanaka is over he heads outside and looks for Maki to show him to Shin Masura’s office.

[Fuchs]

Neo-Tokyo, streets - 04/24/2008 – 2115

Maki bows, and leads Kambei into Shin's office. The fixer receives Kambei and shows a subtle increase in respect as well - Kambei did gain some important reputation with those two jobs he did. Of course, it also means that the act of getting paid takes longer than before, and is veiled in more conversation. But that's how business is done.

Shin at least reveals that so far, no one is looking for Kambei, or the ones who hired him. About 20 minutes later, Kambei has gotten his payment, and knows he can expect similar jobs.

[Tabula Rasa]

Neo-Tokyo, streets - 04/24/2008 – 2115

He handles himself as politely as he can through the polite conversation. Kambei wasn't the best at this sort of thing - not by far - but he knew how to handle himself well enough to make a good impression. Before he leaves Celerity, Kambei asks, "I wanted to request a favor if I may."

Assuming he Shin Masura does not object, Kambei continues, "I've come to realize that I could use someone to run errands for me once in a while. Someone younger - lunlikely to draw attention - and with an understanding of discretion. If you happen to find a person like that I would appreciate it if you would introduce us."

[Fuchs]

Neo-Tokyo, streets - 04/24/2008 – 2115

Shin nods, his eyes showing the merest hint of amusement - at Kambei subcontracting already, or something else?

"Yes. I will screen a few possible candidates and get back to you."

A little more chatting later, Kambei is on his way out of the club, several thousand nuyen richer. The man he noticed before is chatting up another woman at the bar, who seems to find him charming - though that may be the alcohol from her drink talking. The man is handsome, in an old fashioned way - his clothes, his lines, his manners all are not up to date, especially not in Neo-Tokyo. When Kambei passes him on his way to the door, he also notices signs of age. Not lines in the face, but a certain expression in the man's eyes, speaking of more experiences behind them than his young face would indicate.

[Tabula Rasa]

Neo-Tokyo, streets - 04/24/2008 – 2115

“Thank you,� Kambei says as he stands up to take his leave, “I appreciate your help.� He bows again showing just the right amount of respect – Kambei doesn’t dole out unnecessary respect lightly – and heads out in the club. I’m gonna have to see if Rattler knows about a place I can stash some shit in. A bit more secure than having all my goods in my apartment.

As he walks by the man that stands out of the crowd he thinks to himself, he probably had his face changed to get away from things like me. Seemed a little enhanced too. Somebody should have told him to update his style a bit before he hit the hip clubs…

He nods as he walks past the tall woman who he still hadn’t gotten the name of and heads out into the night air.

Kambei feels much more secure in himself and significantly less paranoid after what Shin told him about the Yakuza. Once home he dials up Aoi and Ayaka to see how they wanted to meet tonight.

[Fuchs]

Neo-Tokyo, streets - 04/24/2008 – 2130

Aoi and Ayaka already have it planned out, as Kambei discovers when he calls them. They will meet him at a subway station, close to an entrance to the Rathole. It's all presented matter of fact.

From the AR feed, Kambei also can tell that the duo is already dressed for the occasion - styled "street punk" this time, fishnet hose with tears holes, choker, mini skirt and matching accessoires. Just like the punks on the trid. They even pose for Kambei.