IC: Post or Die, Lifelines, and deadlines Options

[Acme]

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 2:31 PM, Oswald's Warehouse, Merrill Creek Pkwy. Everett

Acme nodded. "It's a plan then, remember, neutral colors."

He looked to Oswald and called "Call us if you need something!"

[Notsoevildm]

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 4:01 PM. 23rd street, "Glow City"

Ferret wasn't kidding when he said he was an old lady driver, although to be fair the big van is not exactly built for speed. He trundles along at the speed limit until they hit the Barrens, then slows down as he picks his way along pot-holed streets and around potential ambush spots. Finally, they arrive at their destination. Ferret pulls up next to Twisters to let Acme and Thirty out.

"Be careful out there, gents. I don't recommend trying anything on with the Stiletto's. As I said earlier, they're an unpredictable bunch of fraggers. Just keep your heads down and your shoulders slumped and you should be okay. Remember, you're just here for a bit of ork pussy. I'll turn the van around and park up the street by that office building over there. I'll see what I can do for matrix overwatch, but the signal here is a bit spotty so I don't promise anything. Keep your comms on in case you hit trouble, but you might want to set them to hidden if you haven't already."

[pbangarth]

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 4:01 PM. 23rd street, "Glow City"

Professor taps Acme on the shoulder before he exits the vehicle. "Got any mojo to make me harder to be seen? I'd like to cruise around a bit and get an astral sense of the place."

[HugeC]

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 2:32 PM, Oswald's Warehouse, Merrill Creek Pkwy. Everett

"Just a sec," Thirty says, and he heads into Oswald's kitchen. He unties his ponytail, letting his dark hair fall down around his shoulders, then puts a little soylive oil into his hands and works it in with his fingers until his hair is a tangled, oily mess. Satisfied that this will make him fit in better with Redmond's denizens, he piles into the van.

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 4:01 PM. 23rd street, "Glow City"

On the trip to Redmond, Thirty has attempted to conceal his sword by placing it upside-down along his spine, with the scabbard's magnetic clasp affixed to a metal nub on his belt that he positioned in the small of his back. His armor jacket barely covers the end of the grip, and his long, now-oily hair conceals the bottom of the scabbard somewhat as it sticks out from his collar behind his head. I hope I don't need to draw it, he thinks as he steps out of the van, I'll probably cut the jacket - or maybe myself. Thirty takes a quick look around before shuffling up the block towards Cheap-Oh's.

[Saint Sithney]

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 4:04 PM, Oswald's Warehouse, Merrill Creek Pkwy. Everett

Oswald lined his old his old hydraulic pallet truck up with the door of the Rover, squeezed the handle, and, with the steady pull of his mechanical arm proceeded to pull down over and over on the lever end. The heavy armored box rose by inches, wobbling slightly as it did.
"Guess I might as well reach out to the others, let them know the heavy ordinance is ready if they need it."

<<@Team: Blimp is ready to once again go skyward. Can be on your location in 10. I could park it closer, but it is now running wireless, so if it stays stationary, it's a target on two fronts. Still have one of my little bombers ready to go should you need to clear the streets. That'll take at least 5 minutes worth of prep and travel to deliver on target. Got another one I could prep with non-lethal means if you just want cover. My advice though, is not to count on restraint to engender you any sympathy from that sort. ...in fact, I should probably just put that air strike on a holding pattern over your location..>>

"Son of a bitch. Danny, help me push- Auuuugh... Yeah.. Guard duty... I'm going to have to recruit old J. Jonah Jameson back there to help me sort this out aren't I?"

"Hey guest, you awake? Talk to the robot and I'll hear you."

[pbangarth]

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 4:02 PM. 23rd street, "Glow City"

Moments after the doors open, and the inside atmosphere is exposed to the toxic waste of Glow City's atmosphere, Professor gets a sinking feeling that turns to a gut anxiety. It's as if some viscous, acidic sludge penetrated his soul. His fear was confirmed as he opened himself to the astral. Waves upon waves of despair, defeat and decay washed through him. He felt his Magic melt before the onslaught, and one ability after another dissipated into Glow City's irradiated miasm.

With difficulty, he held onto the critical abilities for this task. "Drek! Let's get this job done and get the hell out of here!"

[Acme]

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 4:02 PM. 23rd street, "Glow City"


Acme felt the color in his skin start to draw out the moment they even got near the Glow City border. "Ah shit," he wheezed out. "Didn't realize we were going to this part... Forgot what it felt like." He knew Coyote was afraid to tread in this place, for fear of its corrupting touch. As it was, he felt sick, like he drank sour milk and held his stomach. "Prof, I.. uh.. don't think it's a good idea for me to do anything but emergency magic. Shit, even then I'm gonna have to be careful. Toxic spirits.." He shivered. It was always worse for a shaman to be in this area. If anything, he felt, that was the benefit that hermetics had. They were so cut off from the land that it was less likely they'd be corrupted just for putting foot to devastated land.

[pbangarth]

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 4:02 PM. 23rd street, "Glow City"

Professor thinks about what Acme said. He couldn't blame the guy for shying from this hell-hole's influence. "No problem, chummer."

Problem is, Professor looks too clean. He jumps into the back of the van and proceeds to collect dust and dirt from the floor and rub it onto his clothes and exposed skin. Dirty, but not polluted. Marginally satisfied with this pathetic attempt at disguise, he takes position outside the van beside the driver, Ferret. From here, he has unobstructed view of the astral.

Not that he really wants to see that nauseating moil.

[Acme]

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 4:02 PM. 23rd street, "Glow City"

Acme rubbed a bit of dirt himself, and shifted things around on his body while they were getting ready. Clipping his worn duster around his body to conceal his clothing, he rubbed his hands through his hair, making it a little greasy and dirty. He'd need a shower after they were done here, probably three or four. "So we're just here to get info from a contact or to grab and go, right?" he asked, hugging himself as they stepped out.

[pbangarth]

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 4:02 PM. 23rd street, "Glow City"

"Grab and go sounds good to me!" Professor says. "I don't want to be here any longer than I have to, either." He maintains his vigilance in both the astral and the physical.

[HugeC]

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 4:02 PM. 23rd street, "Glow City"
PAN Mode: Hidden

Thirty leads the group up to the entrance to Cheap-Oh's, working as he walks on a facial expression that is just the right blend of despondent and determined; the former to make himself fit in, and the latter to keep any would-be opportunists from messing with he or his companions. I hope we look dirty enough, he thinks.

[pbangarth]

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 4:02 PM. 23rd street, "Glow City"

"Come to think of it, Ferret, I'll poke my nose around back to see if there is a back exit he might run through. I'll keep in contact. If he comes out the front, no need to wait for me if you can nab him, or need to keep in contact with him."

Professor shuffles his way around the building, keeping an eye out for dangerous attention being paid to him. This is no place for an academic. He makes sure his pistol is loose in its holster. The alley looks like a good place to start. he works it so the guys at the front door are watching Acme and Thirty when he ducks into the alley.

[Notsoevildm]

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 4:03 PM. 23rd street, "Glow City"

Ferret watches as the Prof shuffles off into the alley. What was that old gamer adage about not splitting the party?

He puts his machine pistol on the seat next to him, within easy reach, just in case things turn nasty. Both the Prof and Acme had been complaining about the magical aura down here. He wondered if it was as bad as the wireless static. He filters out the junk AROs and graffiti tags, slowly narrowing the icons in his vision to just commlinks and nodes in the hope of being able to keep track on the various members of the team and maybe catching a glimpse of Rusty's, if he has it on.

[Red-ROM]

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 4:03 PM. 23rd street, "Glow City"

Thirty and Acme make their way across the street. People glance their way, but not for long. Most seem to be in a daze, or preoccupied with their own matters. The two thugs at the door weren't even particularly interested. They were in mid conversation about a female conquest, and it wasn't clear if they were working the door, or just hanging out. As Thirty and acme approached, the sound of club music grew louder. The Man with the mowhawk gave them a glance as they passed, but said nothing. It was black as night inside. A long bar ran down the center of the place, topped with poles and colored lights. Decor was non-existent. Dirty brown walls, a set of bathrooms, and a door to either side of the stage. Two girls, barely any thicker than the poles danced against each other suggestively. The audience consisted of maybe ten men and four women, including two girls in tight black, plastic looking clothes serving drinks and whispering in ears. In the left corner sat a man, orc, with a black t-shirt and a shotgun in his lap.
Professor broke from the pack and made his way to the alley. There were a handful of lean-to's and some young kids chasing rats with chains. A man sat against the wall in a long coat watching the dwarf approach.His hair was stringy and his face was black with dirt. He spoke in a hoarse whisper when Professor was in earshot,"Oi chummer, you lookin fer somethin?"
Ferret watched the crew disappear into the scene in front of him. Scanning and filtering out nodes was rough. He cut out a lot of the noise and managed to pick up several comms inside and out. There seemed to be an oddly large number of commlinks in the alley

[Acme]

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 4:03 PM. 23rd street, "Glow City"- Inside Cheap-Ohs

Acme still felt sick from being in Glow City, and the raver atmosphere inside only seemed to make him feel sicker. Which probably fit in with half of the radiation-affected residents, so he just trudged on. He looked around for whoever they were looking for, but he hadn't really been given much of a description, and the atmosphere didn't lend itself to anything but casual glances. "Got a good idea of what he looks like?" he asked Thirty, nudging him.

[HugeC]

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 4:04 PM. 23rd street, "Glow City"- Inside Cheap-Ohs

Thirty can barely hear Acme over the thumping bass and digitized moaning that passes for musical accompaniment to the strip show. He holds up a finger and finds a place for them to sit where he can keep an eye on the shotgun-toting ork without being too obvious. Once they are seated, he whispers on the comms, <Red hair going gray and "shaggy" is all we have to go on. He's probably human, since our friend didn't say otherwise. Until we find him, let's enjoy the show, I guess.>

He smiles and claps Acme on the back, then turns his eyes towards the girls on stage, forcing his face into an expression of lust. They aren't his type; he prefers a thicker, more muscular woman. As they gyrate against each other, it seems to him they are trying to take shelter in each other's arms rather than titillate the audience, and he can't help but feel sorry for them, though he doesn't dare show it. He leans back a bit in his chair to help conceal his sword, and lets his eyes flicker to the women working the crowd, but he's actually looking for someone fitting Rusty's description.

[pbangarth]

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 4:03 PM. 23rd street, "Glow City"
(PAN: active)

Professor focuses his astral perception on this inquisitive... too inquisitive... fellow set up in the back alley with the kind of view Professor was looking for. Professor texts the team. <<@team: Keep sharp. Could be the other team is here. Got a too inquisitive street bum, with a coat that can hide a lot of hardware, asking me questions back here in the alley.>>

He assenses the man who questioned him, as he answers, "The Meaning of Life, chummer."

[Notsoevildm]

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 4:03 PM. 23rd street, "Glow City"
PAN: hidden, Programs active: Stealth, Analyze and Browse

Ferret was just starting to feel relaxed at Oswald's warehouse. Now his nerves are back on edge, just like they always were in the Barrens. Well, maybe even more than usuaul, as this is not even one of the parts he thought of as 'safe'.

As he struggles with the crappy wireless signal, he picks up the concentration of commlinks in the alley, That's weird.

<<@team: Prof, I'm picking up a lot of commlinks at your location. Either there's a group of people back there or that bum has got a bunch of active 'links on him. Neither of those options is particularly good. Let me know if you need backup. Main street is quiet for now and I can always keep the van's sensors open in a window.>>

[Sephiroth]

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, Jovan's mind, Oswald's warehouse, Merrill Creek Pkwy. Everett

"Giovanni, I swear to Ghost I am going to take you on a night of good old-fashioned drinking and partying sometime soon. What the hell do you mean you've never been to a bar before?"

A curly brown-haired Jovan looked back at his friend, confused by the question. It was evening, and they were walking near the edge of campus toward their dorms. "Uhhhhh..... I mean I've never been to a bar before?"

The ork Geoff sighed in exasperation, shaking his head. "Bah. You are still like a kart. I should haul you to a pub somewhere and make you drink some hurlg. I cannot believe that you have never been out to a bar before. I have not seen such quaalz and nonsense in months from you, my little stick friend."

Jovan's face twisted in an expression of feigned injury, though truthfully he did not mind his friend's insults or his nickname for Jovan. He had realized long ago that it was just Geoff's way of being friendly through his manly self-image as an ork. "Idiocy and nonsense? What is that supposed to mean? For your information, good sir, I am quite capable of drinking when I feel like it. It's just that I usually prefer other ways of having fun. Like reading, or gaming, or hanging out with you guys." He frowned a bit. "And I would probably be better off avoiding the hurlg, chummer. From what I've heard about it, I think it might be a little too strong for me."

Geoff dismissed his dainty companion's concerns with a wave of his thick, muscular hand. "Nonsense, dear Giovanni. If you do not try new things, how will you ever become learned? If you do not try to do grand deeds, how will you ever stop being an ujnort?"

"Geoff, I don't think being a non-ork has anything to do with-"

Geoff clapped his hand on Jovan's shoulder in a gesture of friendship. "Come, Giovanni. We will have an adventurous night on the town this night, and I will help you open your eyes to new things. Maybe you'll even be lucky enough to get some rohodo, eh?" He winked at Jovan as he turned and set off at a run toward the bright lights of town.

Jovan sighed in resignation as he watched his friend go, and set off at a run to catch up to his friend. "Wait, what do you mean by 'get some rohodo?' What does rohodo mean?"

Geoff laughed as he shouted over his shoulder at Jovan, "What, hasn't your Or'zet professor taught you the word for sex yet?"

[Acme]

(PAN Active)
Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 4:04 PM. 23rd street, "Glow City"- Inside Cheap-Ohs

Acme nodded, flipping on his comm as they walked to the seat so he could hear Thirty. At least it was a distraction from the show. He often liked going into places like this; Coyote was often ruled by his baser instincts after all, but this just looked... Sad. The girls had the air of desperation that sapped any sex drive if you were sympathetic to the human plight at all, he was sure he'd need a Geiger counter to double check if the drinks were safe, and he was sure that the VIP room had a background count all its own. He looked unsettled, considering getting a drink to fit in but he was already feeling sick. So he had to do what Thirty did, scan the area while attempting to look like he was getting some sort of jollies at the girls.

[Red-ROM]

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 4:04 PM, Oswald's Warehouse, Merrill Creek Pkwy. Everett

the man on the gurny tried to sit up when he awoke, straining shortly against the straps before remembering his predicament. he turned to answer via the robot leveling the worlds largest handgun at his face,"So what's the plan man? what else you want from me?"

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 4:08 PM. 23rd street, "Glow City"- Cheap-Ohs

Thirty and Acme scanned the room for their target. No one fit the description; an Asain man with his hand under the coat in his lap and a look of concentration on his face as he watched the show, a thin couple in a booth sharing a beer to wash down pills, two orks in worn cammo talking quietly by the stage, an older man in a long coat sipping a dark drink at a table whispering back to the waitress and pointing at the back room, a woman with mouse brown hair and a dirty sweater and big brown boots waiting to get on stage. Acme noticed the spraypainted stiletto colors on the ork pair's fatigues. Thirty found himself approached by a woman in shiny black, and skimpy top,"Whatcha lookin for baby? "

In the alley, the bum opened his coat with a smile. He had a couple of plastic bags full of random comlinks. Most of them glowed with the light of a running comm, as if he had stolen them, and not even bothered to turn them off. A few other Items were stuffed into these bags as well, including jewelry, sunglasses,and a taser. The kids had circled back around after the rodent on the run, and came careening into the dwarf like a mini football blitz. The man started yelling in his broken voice,"Hey! Piss off you shits!"
Even though Professor's perception seemed dimmed by the twisted magic around him, he managed to catch one of the kids reaching into his pockets.

[pbangarth]

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 4:08 PM. 23rd street, "Glow City"- Cheap-Ohs

Professor grabs a hold of the urchin putting small hands in his pockets. "Waste of time, kid. Nothing there for you to sell or use. But a bunch of sharp kids like you, you could earn some nuyen if you're willing to do something for me."

While the boys think this over he adresses the man with the commlinks. "Where'd those come from, chummer? I might be interested in acquiring them if you are willing to make a deal."

[Saint Sithney]

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 4:06 PM, Oswald's Warehouse, Merrill Creek Pkwy. Everett

"Well, just the doctor here," Oswald started as he walked over to the rack of tools looking for some sort of lever device to help him move the Rigger cocoon into the vehicle. "I'm checking up to see how you were feeling, and to let you know that there is no longer any medical need for you to be immobilized on the gurney. I figured you might want to be free of it." Finding some old steel sheeting and a pry-bar, Oswald turned back to try and move the heavy armored box into the vehicle.

"Way I figure, you were looking to hide out when our friends found you and picked you up. Well, you're pretty well hidden now, so what's the next goal? You going to wait until they bump off those other guys out looking for you, then, once the heat dies down, try and get back to business?" He slipped the steel sheet under the far side of the cocoon by rocking it back and forth a bit. "Or do you just want to make a break for it and hope you can find somewhere new that doesn't wind up making your piss glow in the dark? I mean, you don't need to stay here... unless you want to help find the guys who trashed your club and get your life back. ..Hurrrrg! Son of a bitch get in there!" He wedged the pry-bar under the back end and managed to lift and turn it so that the cocoon inched a little further into the car. "Er, sorry... That is to say, you have options waiting for you here. It's up to you to choose them."

[HugeC]

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 4:08 PM. 23rd street, "Glow City"- Cheap-Ohs

Thirty smiles at the waitress and says, "Nothing too heavy, beautiful, I got some business to take care of in a bit. A beer apiece for my friend and I," he inclines his head towards Acme, "and if you can hold the rads, I'll tip better." He slots the woman five nuyen, and continues his surveillance.

[Sephiroth]

Friday, Sept 11, 2071, 4:10 PM, Oswald's Warehouse, Merrill Creek Pkwy. Everett

Jovan was still as a corpse as time dragged by, with only the slight rhythm of his breathing to give any indication that he was actually alive. As his brain went in and out of its sleep cycles, a small part of him - perhaps his biological clock, perhaps the part of him linked with his astral servant, perhaps something else entirely - intuitively felt that the sun would soon set. The unconscious bloodsucker waited anxiously for the last few hours before sundown to pass, so that he would be free to resume the prowl for his current prey in the night that was his element - though whether that prey was the rigger Big Daddy Long Legs, the cold and professional Mrs. Johnson and her boss, or someone else entirely was something of which not even he was certain.