IC: Down in the Barrens II, John Doe's search for his past Options

[Saytr]

Friday, March 27th, 2071; 7:02pm; Good News Apartments, 16400 NE 91st Street, Redmond Barrens, Seattle
Val

<Val@Team"I would not it vorth it. There Must be another we can hit if possible.">

[Redjack]

The team makes their way back towards their own flops.

@Hawk
The benefits of a low lifestyle are few and do not include much budget for bar hopping nor entertaining lovely young ladies. Instead, his current budget affords cheap synthahol and his imagination. Despite being numb before slipping off to sleep. The clock read 4:03 when his awoke, drenched in sweat, visions of death was swooping in from above as he dove across the bedroom of his crappy little apartment. He sat there for several minutes, calming his heart rate before crawling back to the bed, careful to leave his gun across the room so as not to shoot it off in his sleep like last year.

@Ghost
From within the apartment, Ghost heard Mary moving about as he unlocked the door. Slowly opening the door, she was standing off to the side with the beat up old shotgun he'd bought for her, just like he'd taught her. She smiled and immediately lowered the gun as the door opened enough for her to make out who it was. Her natural low-light vision gave her an advantage there. She greeted him with an enthusiastic kiss. Megan and Marsha could be seen watching from the other room. As always, the children were less enthusiastic about his arrival, but the were respectfully quiet in his presence.

Supper was something processed into the shape and flavor of chicken nuggets... again. Mary had a cold beer ready, though as always, it was the cheapest brand available. Bedtime was the most bearable, after Mary got through the talking she had to do before she could de-stress from the day. She rambled on about how happy she was that Ghost had some work and how if this worked out, it would look favorably for her with Doc Phin and how the Warlords would also see her as Ghost's woman so her safety and status in the neighborhood would greatly increase as Ghost's did. Finally, after an unbearably long time rattling through that, she proceeded to show Ghost her appreciation. If nothing else, he was exhausted and satisfied after a workout with Mary.

@Val
After being dropped off at the coffin motel, Val made his way to his tiny room, ignoring the innuendo's from the old woman behind the desk about how she could put him to sleep right for 20 (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nuyen.gif) . Try as he might, he could not remember anything about his past. Despite his exhaustion, it was midnight before he was able to fall asleep. He awoke to the beeping of his com, but a dream stood out in his mind.

A man in his twenties with short, brown hair is talking in Russian, "We are ready to make our move we just-"
Another man barely out of his teens comes rushing into the room. He looks at you harshly as he strides up to the first man before whispering in his ear.
In the next split second both you and the first man pull out your pistols and point them at each other. The second man begins backing away while the first, begins yelling, "Who the hell you are you?!"
The shooting begins almost immediately. While you successfully dodge, the other man takes them in the face. The door across the room explodes inward as you dive through the window behind you. Flying through the air, you know the window was on the second story. Outside, it is dark and a gentle rain is falling. You land, flat on the roof of a car parked on the street. Everything is hazy as you get up and run a ways, turning once or twice before you slip on the rain soaked ground. As your head slams into a trash bin, everything goes black....

Saturday, March 28th, 2071; 07:30am; Redmond Barrens, Seattle

The coms of each of the three team members begins to chirp, chime and otherwise alert them to an incoming priority message. It seems that Athena has overridden the settings, making her incoming messages a priority.
<<@Team [Athena] Good morning! I got a line on a cache. The Grey Dragons appropriated a Knight Errant patrol car last night and are in the process of stripping it down. Big boys and their egos they couldn't keep quiet about it. The car has a riot load out in the trunk: 2 shields, a shotgun with stick-n-shock, some gas and neuro-stun grenades... Anyway... I figured out where they are stripping the car.>>

[Saytr]

Saturday, March 28th, 2071; 07:30am; Redmond Barrens, Seattle
Val

Val looks at the text after jotting down a few notes about his dream in a encrypted text file on his PAN. He would make a note of it in hopes that if he read it enough times he might be able to remember who they were and why the double cross happened. For now the run sounded like a good idea from Athena.

<@Team[Val] "That sounds vetter then pissing off the men we are working for. Vhat do you think guys?">

Val Uncoiled his body out of the Coffin appropraitly named and made his way out to the cornor store to get a quick semi healty eatable breakfast and ponder on who he was and why he kept having flash back of people and trying to think of who there were. it frustrated him so much he would curse outloud.

[ludomastro]

Good ole, Mary.

Thanks for dinner, babe.

After the workout, Ghost says, "That was very nice."

If you're into orks ... maybe. Whatever happen to what's her name? Annie? Amy? Amanda! That was it! Fine piece of elf, she was.

Leave me alone.

Not being able to sleep with the loud mouth voice in the back of his head, Ghost found some measure of solace and quiet in a few extra bottles of beer.

It may be cheap swill, but at least I can't hear you anymore.


Saturday, March 28th, 2071; 07:30am; Redmond Barrens, Seattle
Ghost

Fighting off the worst of the cobwebs, Ghost drowns the cotton feeling in his mouth with some tap water.

<<@Team[Ghost] "I most heartily agree! Uncomplicated is better.">>

Aren't you full of shit. Uncomplicated my ass. You've been tormenting yourself for the past few years about doing what needed to be done to save your own ass. Quit playing both ways!

Leave me alone, I don't have time for this today.

Then go crawl back in the bottle until you grow a pair!

<<@Team[Ghost] "Where are we meeting? Needs to have a hangover cure.">>

[Redjack]

Saturday, March 28th, 2071; 07:45am; Redmond Barrens, Seattle

Fifteen minutes later, the team is meeting in a crappy little hole in the wall diner still bearing the words "Bridal Boutique" on the window. The morning crowd is pretty rough and most of the food is unrecognizable, but surprisingly palatable. As usual, Athena is there only via an AR presence.

<<@Team [Athena] Its a 15 minute drive from here, assuming no sprouting toll roads. Can't give you any specifics on what type of security is there, but I can tell you they were celebrating it last night.>>

[Saytr]

Saturday, March 28th, 2071; 07:45am; Redmond Barrens, Seattle
Val

Val enjoys the visual masterpiece of confusion callled a eatable meal. He was craving something a bit different but devoured the meal while still nursing his headache. He made sure to drinkn pleanty of fluids to help with dehydration and to keep from suferring from fatigue. Val listened to the AR voice with intrest. <@Team[Val]"If they are still recovering from the effects of a long night we could perhaps just sneak in and acquire the items without having to deal with the Rabble, just in case though Athena could you block any wireless signal from calling in reinforcements in case things go south?">

[ludomastro]

Saturday, March 28th, 2071; 07:45am; Redmond Barrens, Seattle
Ghost

Ghost smiles weakly at the food but he shovels it in all the while. He keeps his movements slow to avoid the pounding in his head. He scrapes the toast along the plate to capture the remaining food and downs another glass of water before starting in on his second coffee.

<@Team[Ghost]I might be able to throw an invisibility spell over one of us, maybe more if my head quits trying to leave without permission. I would rather not have to fight this morning.>

What, no sarcastic comments?

unhh, ah, um, oooh

Great! Just when I could use some violence, I drink him into submission. Stupid alcohol.

[Redjack]

Saturday, March 28th, 2071; 07:45am; Redmond Barrens, Seattle

Hawk steps up from the meal, rushes out the door and can be heard evacuating the contents of his stomach before the door closes.

Athena momentarily mutes him out of TeamNet and drops his video feed.
<<@Team [Athena] Invisibility? Cool.>>
She then marks a spot on a map in AR in the Woodinville neighborhood of the Redmond Barrens (North) near 156th Ave NE & NE 191st st .
<<@Team [Athena] The garage is there. Looks like you may be short a team mate though. I can't *block* email signals, I can start hacking coms once you all are close enough.>>

[ludomastro]

Saturday, March 28th, 2071; 07:45am; Redmond Barrens, Seattle
Ghost

Ghost looks on with some degree of feeling for Hawk.

About how I feel my man.

. . . .


<<@Team [Ghost] Looks that way. Otherwise, are we ready?>>

[Saytr]

Saturday, March 28th, 2071; 07:45am; Redmond Barrens, Seattle
Val

Val has a refulting look on his face as he watches Hawk empty the contents of his stomach. <@Team[Val]"Dah, If we can do a drive by they might still be sleeping off the party.">

[Redjack]

Saturday, March 28th, 2071; 07:46am; Bridal Boutique Diner, Redmond Barrens, Seattle

Hawk stumbles back to the table, very pale. "I think I ate something bad last night." He looks over to Val, barely keeping his head up. "Drive me back to my place man." He passes his bike keys over to the Russian.

<<@Team [Athena] I'll check and see if I can get anything close by, otherwise, I'll take over a node when one of you two are in range.>>

[Saytr]

Saturday, March 28th, 2071; 07:46am; Bridal Boutique Diner, Redmond Barrens, Seattle
Val

Val looks at Hawk and puts his jacket collar up to escape the smell coing from Hawks mouth. What ever he ate wasn't probably eatable in the first place.
When Hawk throws Val the bike keys he tries to remember the last time he had rode a bike or operated any vehicle for that matter. Regardless he wanted to try the bike since he saw it. It beat walking any day. "How about we do a drive by after dropping off Hawk. Ghost and I shoud be able to do whats needed if they are asleep still, That is if you thing your mojo is strong enough." val looks at Ghost and eyebrows lifted. He didn't know a lot about that stuff and to be honost he didn't know if he could trust anything about magic. It was a completely different world unknown to him, you always feared what was unknown in the shadows.

[Redjack]

Saturday, March 28th, 2071; 08:09am; Kingsgate Neighborhood, Redmond Barrens, Seattle

It took Val only a few minutes to get Hawk home. "Take my bike and get this thing done." is the only thing the street sam says before collapsing on his crappy little bed and passing out.

Driving motorcycle is an unfamiliar feeling to Val. He somehow manages, but wonders what would happen if he simply did not have his enhanced reflexes. He meets back up with Ghost and the duo work their way across the Barrens to the Kingsgate neighborhood. The duo pull off two blocks away from their target.

<<@Team [Athena] Gonna take me a bit to work through the number of nodes in the area. The closer you all get, the more I'll be able to narrow in on them.. Or, of course if you get in visible range of node that will save me from scanning for it.>>

Looking around the neighborhood is mostly still. Commuters who actually have day jobs have long since gone. Graveyard shifters are mostly just getting off and have not yet navigated back into the Barrens. Trees are beginning to bloom and grass is growing. The early morning's light fog is beginning to burn off. The houses are slightly better than their neighborhood, but only by a little. The team didn't pass any cop cars, but know that this close to the edge of the Barrens one occasionally ventures in this far. Occasionally and of course we know what happened to this one.

[ludomastro]

Saturday, March 28th, 2071; 08:09am; Kingsgate Neighborhood, Redmond Barrens, Seattle
Ghost

<<@Team[Ghost]Copy that.>>

Ghost opens his sight to the astral trying to get an idea of what might be in the neighborhood.

[Redjack]

Saturday, March 28th, 2071; 08:09am; Kingsgate Neighborhood, Redmond Barrens, Seattle

His eyes opened to the astral, but still chained to his body, Ghost casually looks around the spot where the duo stopped. The growing grass and trees illuminate the astral with the glow of life, but the decaying housing blights the scene like blotches of cancer in an otherwise healthy body. Other than Ghost, there are no astrally active presences in sight and astral space is without the scars of a background count.

[ludomastro]

Saturday, March 28th, 2071; 08:09am; Kingsgate Neighborhood, Redmond Barrens, Seattle
Ghost

Ghost smiled to himself. Not a bad place to use the mojo. No one seems up and about and no spirits patrolling the area. Good for me bad for them.

You tell 'im, Sammy.

He speaks, "You ready?" as he begins drawing on the forces necessary to cast his spell.

Ghost looks at his handiwork trying to decide if it passes inspection.

[Saytr]

Saturday, March 28th, 2071; 08:09am; Kingsgate Neighborhood, Redmond Barrens, Seattle
Val

Val looks at Ghost "Ready, I guess i am not to sure about magic and what not but i hope this works. We could really use those supplies." Val looks at his Pred then chose something a little less noisy. He balled up his fist and got ready to bash some skulls if he needed to while doing the whole invisible thing.

[Redjack]

Saturday, March 28th, 2071; 08:09am; Kingsgate Neighborhood, Redmond Barrens, Seattle

Looking around to insure no obvious prying eyes before casting, Ghost then summons forth mana enveloping his teammate. Val fades from view till he completely disappears. Looking in the astral, Val is now a shining beacon wrapping in a strong blanket of mana. Up and down the block, all is still quiet.

[Saytr]

Saturday, March 28th, 2071; 08:09am; Kingsgate Neighborhood, Redmond Barrens, Seattle
Val

Val looks at where his hand is supposed to be and is uncomfortable with the feeling of being invisible but saw the advantages as well. <@Team[Val]"alright im on the move Athena please unlock the doors when you notice me getting close i will try to sneak in and get what we need, if you can tell wether im close to the node let me know.ghost throw what you have the first sign of trouble i am alone in there.">

[Redjack]

Saturday, March 28th, 2071; 08:09am; Kingsgate Neighborhood, Redmond Barrens, Seattle

<<@Val [Athena] You get in visual of the AR from the node and I'll crack it. Hey! Did you know that Knight Errant has a warrant out for you?>>

[Saytr]

Saturday, March 28th, 2071; 08:09am; Kingsgate Neighborhood, Redmond Barrens, Seattle
Val
Puzzled about the recent news from Athena Val looks around thinking that of the mention of Knight errant a swat team might jump out of the bushes and attempt to arrest him. Reflex took over and he went for cover forgeting that he was invisible. Val thought out he new. Why would Knight errant have a warrent and then he remembered the vision he had and wondered if that wasn't the not so distant past that he was remembering. and not some forgetten memory from years ago.

<@Athena [Val] "No i didn't. Could you pull up everything out there about where why and what? Just get back to me and keep this on Hush hush.">

[ludomastro]

Saturday, March 28th, 2071; 08:09am; Kingsgate Neighborhood, Redmond Barrens, Seattle
Ghost

Damn! Why didn't he wait for me?

Eh? Saves trouble when everything goes pear shaped. He's in there, you're out here. How hard could it be to tell the truth that he died and you couldn't stop it because he's a hot head? It'd have the advantege of being true for once.

I ... you ... oh, hell.

<<@Val[Ghost]Hey, wait for a bit and I'll go with you. Give me a minute to set up another spell.>>

Ghost focuses again and tries to pull the mana around himself just as he had Val. However, something didn't feel quite right this time around. He surveys his work in the Astral for a moment before dropping back to his regular sight.

[Saytr]

Saturday, March 28th, 2071; 08:09am; Kingsgate Neighborhood, Redmond Barrens, Seattle
Val

Val stops short from where he was and crouches next to Ghost and awaits for him to do another spell and then they could both sneak in. Val didn't mind the back up.

[Redjack]

Saturday, March 28th, 2071; 08:11am; Kingsgate Neighborhood, Redmond Barrens, Seattle

The second invisibility spell in place, the duo head out, leaving the bikes along the side of the road. Crossing through a yard and over a fence on the way to their destination, Val notices that something is not quite right with the spell covering Ghost. His shoes are not covered and climbing the fence his belt fades in, then out of sight. Ghost appears oblivious to the inconsistency.

[Saytr]

Saturday, March 28th, 2071; 08:11am; Kingsgate Neighborhood, Redmond Barrens, Seattle
Val

Val notices the glitch in the odd spell <@Ghost[Val]"is your spell stuff supposed to go on and off like that?">