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

[ludomastro]

Friday, March 27th, 2071; 4:58pm; Redmond Barrens, Seattle
Ghost

"I know him by reputation and had a friend vouch for him. That's good enough when it comes to work. You can call me Ghost ... everyone else does."

This guy looks like a pro. Wonder why he is playing the rube? Maybe a case of too much nuyen and not enough sense.

Maybe he's here to kill you?

Shut up!

He stands back and holds his right hand behind his back while his left sits in his pocket.

[Redjack]

Friday, March 27th, 2071; 4:59pm; Redmond Barrens, Seattle
Hawk, Ghost & Val

As Ghost & Val get acquainted, Mary escorts a third person to the room. "Please wait here." she says to the new man, gesturing to the room. The office is small but is large enough for the doctor's desk and three additional chairs, one for each of the team. The walls are bare and the drywall is dirty and fading. The shelves behind the desk are mostly empty and the desk old and equally bare.

@All

[ Spoiler ]

On your next post each, please include a visual description of your character.

Mary no more than closes the door than it opens again. An ancient, scrawny Chinese-Ork is on the other side wearing a white lab coat in strong need of a good wash and stronger need of simply being replaced. He shuffles into the room and moves behind the desk. Despite being an ork, he is under two meters tall and his voice is raspy. "Evening gentlemen. Thank you for coming."

[Saytr]

Friday, March 27th, 2071; 4:59pm; Redmond Barrens, Seattle
Val

Val stands at about 5' 7" white but not quite local white. He stands like a bully most of the time all though he can't seem to remember who he is any visual inspection would tell anyone that his blonde hair and blue eyes and acsent were definatly difinatly from the cold war. he has very broad shoulders for being a elf his frame is looks light but when he walks he is definatly heavier then he looks. not one you want to owe money too thats for sure.

Val greets the Doc Phin as he walks in. "How you doing Doc?" then starts to take a look at the other two making notes of any visible weapons and armor and trying to decern if these guys are friend or foe. Val wondered if he knew the third man that walked in had he ever met this person before. he hated not knowing his past and even worse if he had any enemies or allies he could rely on to help him out.

[LordArcana]

Friday, March 27th, 2071; 4:59pm; Redmond Barrens, Seattle
Hawk

The last man to arrive prior to Doc Phin is an aged man a tad shy of 2 meters appearing in his early 40's with, what was about a week ago, a tight trimmed crew-cut and beard. Dressed in vintage camo military garb a leather duster and mirrored sunglasses, the patch on his chest says Cpl Hawk. As he turns to acknowledge the ork woman asking him to take a seat, it can be seen Hawk has the scars on his head for a datajack and implanted comm.

Taking a seat in a rather relaxed manner its apparent this guy is not trying to hide the fact he is armed. He pulls an odd shaped knife from his left boot and begins to clean out under his nails scraping the gunk on the sole of his boot. "Judging by the firepower and armor in this room i think ole' Doc Phin has something damn serious in mind for us." Hawk blurts out half to the others half to himself. I hope these two have some skill and not just spare yen to buy fancy demral plating.

The door to the office opens and Hawks grip on the knife tightens leaving his knuckles white. Turning to see the aged ork he relaxes his grip on the knife sliding it back into his boot. This has got to be ole' Doc Phin.

"Evening gentlemen. Thank you for coming." Says the Doc

Hawk sits up in the chair both to get more comfortable and to show respect to the one who has asked him here.

[ludomastro]

Friday, March 27th, 2071; 4:59pm; Redmond Barrens, Seattle
Ghost

Slouched into the chair with his long legs crossed in front of himslef, he keeps his head down. His pale face is mostly covered by his long greasy dark hair. The all-purpose boots are clean and the black longcoat moves in a way that suggests it is armored.

He glances at the newcomer and thinks, Blowhard. I hope you are half a good as you think you are.

Are you as 'good' as you think you are?

As Doc enters the room, the long man stands and bows slightly before resuming his slouched posture in the chair.

[Redjack]

The doctor settles back into his chairs and looks at each of the three in turn for a moment before speaking again. He continues to make eye contact as he speaks. "As you already know I run this clinic. I provide care for those without insurance and for most without funds to pay me for their treatment." He pauses a moment, perhaps collecting his thoughts, perhaps for dramatic pause. "This causes an issue in that medicines are expensive. Persons of means like yourselves get priority treatment, free of official reporting.... for a fee. But those funds far from cover the medicines I need for those not of means... and of course controlled substances require forms and permits and licenses."

He again pauses, but only slightly. "This is where you come in." He has a slight smile. "My supplies are depleted. I need you to pull a job on a Doc Wagon clinic." He looks to each of the team for reactions.

[LordArcana]

Friday, March 27th, 2071; 5:02pm; Redmond Barrens, Seattle; Doc Phin's Office
Hawk

Looking at the aged ork doc waiting for him to finish his joke with a punchline it hits Hawk, the doc isn't joking. I wonder if this is some sort of hyporitic oath thing. Perhaps we are supposed to offer other possibilities. Hawk turns to glance at the others checking their reactions and then back at Doc Phin. I mean Doc Wagon!? He knows they are out to help people too right? Be it those that can afford outrageous contract prices, but people none-the-less. It is a novel idea though. Take from the rich to give to the poor.

"Out a curiosity, what kind a quantity are we talkin bout? A few duffle-bags or grab the whole wagon? Or are you lookin to clean out a whole clinic?"

Using the brief pause in the ork's narative, Hawk sends a message to Terra

<<@Terra[Hawk] Hey babe, hows the ER tonight? Got a question for ya. What's your opinion on Doc Wagon? I was thinking about getting a contract. Do they work with Seattle General or are they their own seperate entity?>>

[Redjack]

Friday, March 27th, 2071; 5:02pm; Redmond Barrens, Seattle; Doc Phin's Office

"I expect it will take about four of those vary large duffel bags to haul out the supplies. I will provide a priority list to work from. The more you get, the better."

[ludomastro]

Friday, March 27th, 2071; 5:02pm; Redmond Barrens, Seattle; Doc Phin's Office
Ghost

He listens to the old man's words without looking up: his eyes are closed but his brow is furrowed in concentration. Seemingly without warning, he speaks, "Given your status as a doctor, I assume that you would like this handled without a mess?" The accent he places on mess leaves no doubt as to his meaning.

Looking to raise the body count?

No. Trying to keep it low.

Too bad for them, you had a backbone then, heh?

Shut. UP!

[Saytr]

Friday, March 27th, 2071; 5:03pm; Redmond Barrens, Seattle; Doc Phin's Office
Val

Val stands there and listens to the whole spill on a job to rob a hospital "Doc you have a list of the drugs you want? You helped me out yesterday and i appreciate it but i need money too, i need to get information and thats not cheap."

<<@Stump [Val] Who is Doc Wagon? i need to get information on them and their workings if possible. think you could get me some information and what not?>>

Val rubs his chin for being a elf he was lucky otherwise he might look a little rough around the edges like the other two. no facial hair was a plus didn't have to spend a lot of shampoo. val tried to rememeber anything that he might have known about Doc Wagon but came up blank as ususal.

I need to have my head looked at again i think. I hope I can get something jogged before to late. or at least a lead.

[LordArcana]

Friday, March 27th, 2071; 5:02pm; Redmond Barrens, Seattle; Doc Phin's Office
Hawk

Four large bags. That is a lot of material to carry out at one time. Even more of a pain in the ass if we are taking fire while doing it. I just hope these guys aren't afraid to get their hands dirty if the need arises.

Leaning forward a little in his chair and brushing a hand through his short cropped hair, Hawk shows a bit of a smirk. He reaches out and slaps the edge of the doc's desk.

"Ok Doc, you have my attention so far and it seems for a 'good' cause. It certainly beats going into a bug infested city, or shooting at armed children for a corporate government more interested in its bottom line than the people that fight to give the corps their power. Just a few small things to discuss first. Like the man said {gesturing to the man at his side} any qualms if people die? And not to be a materialistic bastard and all, but what about hazard pay?"

With that last question Hawk leans back in his chair, his grin fading a bit into a more serious look.

[ludomastro]

Friday, March 27th, 2071; 5:02pm; Redmond Barrens, Seattle; Doc Phin's Office
Ghost

All right! A man looking to kill a few folks. Be just like old times won't it?
I. am. not. like. that.
Not anymore ...

I should rather not have to kill them. Perhaps Doc Wagon would be more inclined to look the other way if none of their own die? However, I do agree about the hazard pay or at least the pay in question.

He sits up slightly in his chair to regard the rest of this newly formed team.

Perhaps I should pay better attention.
If only to know where the ribs are.

[Saytr]

Friday, March 27th, 2071; 5:02pm; Redmond Barrens, Seattle; Doc Phin's Office
Val


Val hears the other two talking about killing certain people Wait a minute are we talking about robbing a hospital Val didn't understand what was so hard about but understood why Doc Phin would want Meds from them. Not wanting to look like to much of a flake decided to keep quite and let the other two wheel and deal. He would ask the few questions he had once they haggled the prices down and got the basic details of what he guess was a job.

"I agree shooting any place up would be a bad idea seeing as from the looks of it we don't have much when it comes to firepower." he opens his jacket and reveals his Pred."also where is the closest Doc Wagon facilitty around here."

[Redjack]

Friday, March 27th, 2071; 5:03pm; Redmond Barrens, Seattle; Doc Phin's Office

The doc's expression becomes very serious for a moment. "I am a healer. As such, I would prefer non-lethal methods. I am capable of math though and if someone has to die so that dozens may live, then I will make that trade." He leaves the last statement with a pause. This time he seems to measure the weight of his words internally. He then looks at the elven street samurai and a slight smile crosses his lips as he continues. "Pay. Yes. Nuyen makes the world go round." His gaze crosses over all of the team as he continues to speak. "I have some nuyen saved back from providing assistance to those in your line of work. Stump has connections to get gel rounds for your weapons and I have made arrangements with a hacker to provide a window for your work. However, I'm sure the most important part to you is first: Nuyen. I can offer you each one thousand nuyen, free medical services if needed and one last token." He pauses as he looks at the team. The look on his face is like a magician about to pull a rabbit out of his hat. "The Warlords claim this turf. Should you procure the medicines on my list, I will insure that Mad Max is aware of the part you played to insure this clinic stays operational."

He leaves that last bit hanging, for the team to determine the benefits of such a connection.

[ludomastro]

Friday, March 27th, 2071; 5:03pm; Redmond Barrens, Seattle; Doc Phin's Office
Ghost

He folds his arms and thinks for a few moments. "Acceptable." He turns and looks to the other team members.
I wonder if what they are thinking.
They're wondering if you are going to try and kill them since you took such a low paying job.
It'll help pay bills and let's me keep making new friends.
Friends. That's funny. You only have targets.

[Saytr]

Friday, March 27th, 2071; 5:03pm; Redmond Barrens, Seattle; Doc Phin's Office
Val

Val stands there a moment and recites what the Doc said. so if the warlords know the Doc maybe they know what happen to me the other night if they are that big a deal they might know for sure. "I'll do iit. Im sure you will give us the details to the window time frame and exactly what office we are to hit as well if the Hacker could get us a layout of the office that would help considerably."

i hope that if all goes well i can learn some info before this is over.

[LordArcana]

Friday, March 27th, 2071; 5:03pm; Redmond Barrens, Seattle; Doc Phin's Office
Hawk

Now we're getting down to business.

"1000 nuyen sounds fair enough, and the free med support is a very nice bonus. Count me in Doc."

Stump, what a name. I wonder if its a hack on his stature or if he fell victim to a chop-doc.

"Forgive me if i seem ungreatful. I've heard a little about the Warlords and all, but the name Stump isn't ringin any bells. And this hacker you procured for us...he got a name?"

[Redjack]

Friday, March 27th, 2071; 5:04pm; Redmond Barrens, Seattle; Doc Phin's Office

Doc Phin closes his eyes and nods at each in turn as they accept. Following Hawk's question, the doctor begins to respond. "The warlords are the local tuffs who extort- I mean collect protection money in this neighborhood."

As the doc speaks, each of the three receive an ARO in the form of a white owl. It bears an invitation. The invitation comes in the form a an ancient parchment bound with a string that trails off into the distance. Your com translates it to an AR conference invitation. It is signed, Athena.

"They do hold considerable power though. They also are the closest thing to a security force though and deal harshly with crime committed on locals without sanction. They also make sure that this clinic runs unmolested as well as providing some funding to provide education for local kids.." He shakes his head as the team begins accept this. "But make no mistake. They recruit those same kids. They kill, they steal and they lord over their turf as merciless thugs.... You might say they are an unincorporated corporation." He smirks at his own humor.

[LordArcana]

Friday, March 27th, 2071; 5:04pm; Redmond Barrens, Seattle; Doc Phin's Office
Hawk

Hawk accepts the AR invitation from Athena expecting it to be the hacker contact that Doc Phin mentioned moments ago, all the while taking in Doc's explanation of the Warlords. When the doc finishes...

"So essentially they are a tough as nails version of most other gangs in big cities. Good to know I guess. I can't speak for the others but I certainly don't plan on getting on their bad side, so if doing this run is good for them...all the better."

Hawk sits back comfortable in his chair waiting for the AR confrence to load.

Man i hope these Warlords don't have some pansy ass gang colors they want us to wear. Neonsynth pink, or NovaSunfire Yellow.

[Saytr]

Friday, March 27th, 2071; 5:04pm; Redmond Barrens, Seattle; Doc Phin's Office
Val

Val accepts the Owls Invitation with a little hesitation, who and what in the world. " this is all some very useful information, i mean no disrepect but from the sounds of it you dislike what they do a lot. This job going to be a infraction on any agreement you have with them? i mean if they are so involved with this clinic do they know anything about what we are goin to be trying to do?or are they going to give us a little room to do it."

[Redjack]

Friday, March 27th, 2071; 5:05pm; Redmond Barrens, Seattle; Doc Phin's Office

As the invitation is accepted, each finds the AR around them heavily modified. The doctor's desk is overlaid with stone table textures. The walls all take on the veneer of wall sized windows and the corners are stone columns. Beyond the windows, the team sees they are on a virtual mountain in the skies. A pegasus rises out of the clouds and drops back into them.

Amidst this change in scenery, the doctor continues to speak. "They are a necessary evil." He looks at Val, "Quite to the contrary. This will serve them by insuring that I have the supplies to work on their soldiers following conflicts as will a healthy local population."

"He's a socialist you know." comes a female voice from behind them. Looking behind them they see a tall, regal, brown-haired woman in a flowing white robe. On her feet sandals and a well worn, 2m long combat spear is held in her right-hand while resting on the floor. On her head is a large, open-face helm with a greco-roman style plume.

The doc has stopped talking, noticing the team members looking behind them. "Is there something wrong?"

Athena speaks after the doc. "He can't hear me. I didn't invite him to this meeting."

[ludomastro]

Friday, March 27th, 2071; 5:05pm; Redmond Barrens, Seattle; Doc Phin's Office
Ghost

He turns back around and looks at the doctor. "Sorry, Doc, I through I heard something. Please continue."

I wonder what game is afoot here? Perhaps this is our hacker? But why would she not invite the Doc?
Good question.

[Redjack]

Friday, March 27th, 2071; 5:06pm; Redmond Barrens, Seattle; Doc Phin's Office

The doctor continues with Ghost's response, "Probably my receptionist. Any how, what next..? Oh yes, Stump. He is a local fence; An acquirer of goods. He has a small shop several blocks over."

The female voice continues with her commentary, "Strictly small time. Notice the doc said gel rounds and not stick-n-shock or something like narco grenades."

"And your hacker... she goes by the name Athena, but she won't be making a personal appearance. She will make contact after I tell her you've accepted."

"Well, he's half right anyway. But the doc is good at what he does, so I don't fault him for being matrix-impaired." An owl flies through the 'window' and lands on Athena's shoulder. "I'm not much on touchy-feely matrix hopping either. I'm more of a get in, get what I need and get out kind of girl."

<<@Val [Stump] You really are two books short of a trilogy aren't you? Doc Wagon is only one of the top medical companies on the planet, sporting a AA rating to boot. They specialize in high-threat recovery contracts.>>

For Hawk, a response from Terra does not seem to be coming quickly.

[LordArcana]

Friday, March 27th, 2071; 5:06pm; Redmond Barrens, Seattle; Doc Phin's Office
Hawk

Having never been all that gifted with AR or VR apps, Hawk sits back impressed as the AR display nearly fascinates him.

<<@Conference[Hawk] I must say dear Athena, you do have skills and mighty fine taste. I anticipate a pleasure working with you.>>

Snapping out of his visual hypnosis and setting his attention Back to the Doc...

"So Doc, you have a particular DocWagon facility in mind you want unburdened of their surplus or is that left to our discretion? What about when the job is done, do you want a more secure delivery or just bring the goods back here? Most important what time frame are we looking at here for this run?"

You know, i wonder if Terra is still mad about that whole wet shirt ordeal. Its not like i meant to soak her down in sixty year old scotch. Ok so i did do it on purpose, but it was for a good reason. Hell i made fifty nuyen from that highbeam vid of her. I suppose i'll have to make it up to her.

<<@Terra[Hawk] Hey Hotstuff! I appologize again for the other night. Let me make it up to you. Let me take you out to dinner...a REAL dinner. Let me know your schedule. I'll even spring for that fancy wine you like.>>

[ludomastro]

<<@ Conference [Ghost] Why are you telling us this. Why not invite the good Doctor?>>

"I believe I have met Stump before. I believe I have heard what I need to hear to say that I am interested. However, you did not specify if you wanted a particular location hit or not. Are you leaving that to our discretion or Athena's?"

He glances over his shoulder at the AR image as he says Athena.

These are your kind of people aren't they. Always ready to double cross each other.
I wouldn't go with my kind of people, but yes.
So, you going to check everyone out?
Of course.
Take 'em out?
. . .