2072: Game World, IC thread for 2072: Recruitment always open! Options

[AppliedCheese]

@ I'm On A Boat
[April 15th 2072; 23:50 SS Henry VIII 4000 meters off shore, Puget Sound]

In amongst the shipping containers, the wind was either completely becalmed, or channeled into a furious tunnel across the alleys. Silk's progress was, none the less, unimpeded. At least until a work party came around the corner at one of the alleys. A combination of her incoming feeds and the little AR indicators being fed to her from the Deck-Ops node made hiding possible, despite the fact they were literally only a few meters beneath her. The party carried on adjusting straps, and checking pintles and pins for an eternity. Maybe they were finished, maybe they weren't, but the rotodrone accompanying them suddenly lifted up and started heading towards the bridge.

"God dammit, Investigating Container 012: Potential Error In load my ass..we just did those...fragging drones. Get worse every trip. Someone call Sparky to see what the hells up. And for the love of god, go run that thing down before it crashes into the sea or something"

With that, the grumbling crew members set off, desperately hoping that this little drone malfunction would not delay shore leave. The captain was generous, but a glitched drone going into the ocean, or worse, someone's cargo, would piss him off to no end. The way was plenty open for Silk to proceed, and hopefully bring her team in behind her.

[April 15th 2072; 23:50 Kunk's Boat 100 meters portside of the Henry, Puget Sound]


At least the rain storm form earlier was hovering over the city now. Undoubtedly some team of runners was thankful for it. Kunk was just as happy it had gone. His inbuilt weather AROs said the barrens were really getting sloshed.

After the last of the team had ascended, Kunk began to put some distance between himself and the Henry. Small boats don't tend to fare well when big ones start moving mere feet away. Kunk didn't ask, but parked the boat about 100m off the side of the Henry, well within range of Khalil's powerful WiFi.

The rotodrone Khalil had commandeered happily sped towards the bridge, tending to a false error he had set up. It got a pretty good visual. It looked like the Captain was on the bridge, as well as a watch officer and one who seemed to have some authority. Khalil couldn't make out what his role was exactly. Tow more techs were bent over consoles.

As he watched, two scantily clad mermaid icons dropped onto deck net, and began draping themselves over the other subscribed icons, looking for something...

[Seth]

@Dysfunctional Family (Doza, Jotamon, Isaac & Ajax)
[April 15th, 2072 11:06am; Moving towards the Renton Safehouse & ShadowSEA Virtual Meeting Room]

Jotamon's natural paranoia exploded in response to the comment 'hadn't expected to see you here this soon', but as one of his favourite books quoted "A beginning is the time for taking the most delicate care that the balances are correct.".

<<Well Alice, may I call you Alice? I am not naturally gifted with words, and am not a great spokesperson. So if in the following I am a little blunt, you have my apologies. You are correct that there are many questions that need asking. I will try and list some of them:

• Who is the boy?
• What is valuable about the boy?
• How many groups want him dead?
• Who are these groups that want him dead?
• What are your intentions towards the boy?
• How much are you willing to tell us about yourself and your goals?

I'd like you to consider your answers in the following light:

• You know who I am
• I am grateful to you for extracting me from an incoming gun ship
• Doza is working for you, and that is a positive mark in your favor
• My death at your hands would cause you problems: you will not be surprised that there are people aware of where I am at the moment.
• My assistance might be of value to you
• In order for my assistance to be forth coming you need to earn my trust

There were a lot of questions there, and I have just scratched the surface, the best way to answer them may well be a historical narrative of what has happened in the affair of the boy to date>>

Jotamon sat back and waited for Doza to have her say, and Alice to respond. While waiting he began to examine the surroundings

[AppliedCheese]

@ Suicide Kings
[April 16th 2072; 00:06:00 Allanby's Warehouse]

Dealer kept the loading bay doors open as the RV approached, hopping in to the back as he slammed the closing button on the way out. The RV was packed with data storage, and it didn't seem like any of the other local options were going to be able to carry that much volume. Which really only left the team one option: bail before the Spikes arrived, preferably with a stop along the south side to grab Ember before speeding into the night.

"Alright, we need to get the frag out, we need to get Ember, and we really, really, need to get a real hacker to look at this stuff. Also, not sure if this thing is on grid guide or not, but we're definitely going to want to torch the RV somewhere between here and...well, that leads to another issue. Who's got somewhere off the grid we can hide out for a few hours? Preferably with a supplier or two. We all need a change of faces before we show anywhere in public, and I need some clothes that won't scream "stealth commando mook from Karl-Kombatmage" if I wear them in public.

Anyhow, we probably need to jack a van or something between here and there. I'm thinking no witnesses."

As he felt the RV accelerate, turn, and then halt, he waited for Ember to jump in, or at least a confirmation form the others before they plunged onwards.

[JxJxA]

@ Suicide Kings
[April 16th 2072; 00:05:45 Allanby's Warehouse]
[The Pixel Special, ID "Aubert Benoit"]

Demon pulls out the various tubes and hoses hooking the makeshift data hub to the ground. He then hops into the RV and places his sniper rifle and smartpack within reach. He also draws his silenced Savalette Guardian and places it on his lap, just in case he has to "convince" some of the warehouse guards to let them pass. He turns on the ignition and lets out a sigh of relief when the engine sputters and comes to life. It also brings back a few memories as well.

This reminds me of that summer with Jacinthe when we managed to steal that drug lord's trailer and took it for an impromptu vacation... Ah, Jacinthe, the fun we had together. You taught me things that many a woman owes gratitude for...

With thoughts of wine, candles, wax and women taking the edge off of an otherwise terrible night, he drives the lumbering RV through the open doorway. He slows down to let his camarades jump aboard before picking up speed gradually.

"I can assure you I have no intention of driving this monstrosity any farther than I have to," Demon replies to Dealer. "This just appears to be the most expedient way to move the data from point A to point B---with Point B preferably being far, far away from this incendie.

"As for a safe place to hide...hm, nothing comes to mind. I might know a place where we can find another maître of the net, but I do not know of one personally. I can try and get in touch with Nicodeme. He specializes in weaponry, but it is worth a try.

[Seth]

@ Suicide Kings
[April 16th 2072; 00:07:00 Leaving Allanby's Warehouse]

Demon puts the pedal to the metal and leaving Allanby's warehouse in the dust. From Two Toe Tommy's warehouse there is a lot of interest, but no one actually does any thing. The short distance to Interstate 705 feels to take forever, and as Demon drives past the sleeping commuters in their rabbit hutches, he imagines a thousand eyes staring at the back of his neck,

As he turns onto Interstate 705, the fastest way out of Tacoma, he sees a swarm of headlights and hears a little gunfire, as the Crimson Spikes turn off the Interstate at the same time. There is the usual go gang chaos and rivalry as the gang tear towards the now abandoned warehouse.

[AppliedCheese]

@ Suicide Kings
[April 16th 2072; 00:07:00 Leaving Allanby's Warehouse]

As the RV sped towards I-705, Dealer racked his brain for somewhere they might find some help, or at least a safe place to stay.

Hackers..hackers...Burnt Lotus - No, she's all linked in with the Triads, probably burn us just to spite Hansai for being a Yak, Matador 5000 - left town after he pissed off Two Toes, World Build Error would be good if he weren't broke as drek right now, and no one from the zkone is going to touch me if Zhukov is right. Pretty much out of options for hackers.

Not a whole lot of places that would house us. Noble Roman's maybe, got the right mindset, but they'd probably have us killed right there for bringing in famous terrorists...not so much then.

The thoughts of Zhukov's warnings brought Dealer's mind back to Ingelman.

Guy works three years to build himself a "shadow" brokerage. Making good money. Not exactly a drinking buddy, but hey, he was good at what he did, professional, and willing to talk with the shadows. And in three hours he's dead, another casualty to the whims of those who are big enough they feel they can't be hurt. 99% of the time, Mr. Teague you would be absolutely right - he who holds the power writes the rules. Tonight though, you played your last hand, and your holding aces and eights. Believe me, you CAN be hurt. And I'm going to crawl over your bones to a place where people like you need to think twice before FUCKING WITH ME.

Dealer shooks his head free of the thoughts as the RV bounced along, and returned to the moment at. His RF scanner and commlink were sweeping away at the RV, looking for any signature that an interested party might tracking.

If that damn jammer hadn't been in the van, I'd just drop it right here and call it done. I mean, Emm is probably going to get some hacked grid guide stuff and hunt for the visuals on this anyhow, but we don't need to make the job easy on him.

"Hey, Copperhead , you're a barrens baby right? Where's a parking lot or a carpark we can steal a van from? I'm thinking we go there, steal one, and give this little package to a bum. I gotta get rid of my throwaway link and the Jake SIN anyhow, might as well let it drag the heat with it. Some siphoned gas and this little demo pack in back, and when they try to take it from our unwitting accomplice, kaboom. Witness dies, Teague's pawns die, RV burns, everyone's happy."


Dealer frowned for a moment.

"Of course, we also need to stop just reacting and start punching back. We need to figure out just where the chips are right now. My big question is whether or not Teague and Hansai are in cahoots. " Dealer continued to fiddle with the commlink, brows furrowing "Also, if we find some incriminating evidenc ein there, how do we get it out? It'd be a kick to have it being broadcast during Teague's supposed breakfast."

[AppliedCheese]

@ Suicide Kings
[April 16th 2072; 00:07:05 Leaving Allanby's Warehouse]

"So mages, we have any idea if anything is following us? Copperhead? Ember?...mmm...is Ember up front with you Demon?"

[Aria]

@Dysfunctional Family (Doza, Jotamon, Isaac & Ajax)
[April 15th, 2072 11:06am; ShadowSEA Virtual Meeting Room]

Alice frowns at Jotamon’s tone and momentarily the node darkens and the bizarre flowers whip in an unseen wind. Clouds scud overhead and then they are gone, revealing the gibeous moon once more…

She turns towards Doza and addresses her

<<I will answer what I can, tempered by what you’ll believe…it’s a strange world that we are in and getting progressively stranger so I’m sure it won’t be too much of a leap for you…I see things…events, pivotal moments, people’s intentions expressed through the code and the deep resonance…the boy and your involvement is one such. That is how I knew where to send you. Jotamon was unseen but it proves to me that this event was important, he crops up again with you in the future...a possible future, nothing I see is set in stone, otherwise what would be the point in meddling?

The boy is just a boy, but also a catalyst. Someone wants him dead and as it is likely they want your involvement cleaned up too, isn’t that enough motivation for you to get them off your backs?>>

She turns back to Jotamon with a glint in her eye

<<I need you to find out who wants him dead and why. If self-preservation isn’t enough I’m sure I can arrange some reasonable payment for the information. Truth is a valuable commodity in the shadows after all. Ajax here can probably help you, he has the sorts of skills needed for expert digging…As to the boy he’ll be safe enough for now where he is. As to his future, that is entwined with yours in some way whether you like it or not.

…and yes, you can call me Alice for now. I suggest you go back to where this all began, someone may have seen or heard something. I’d avoid being too conspicuous though, I don’t know if the opposing forces are still watching, although I may be able to divert their attention elsewhere to give you some time.

Do you have any more blunt questions…>> she asks with a raised eyebrow…

[Seth]

@Dysfunctional Family (Doza, Jotamon, Isaac & Ajax)
[April 15th, 2072 11:06am; Through the Looking Glass]

Jotomon laughed in what appeared to be genuine humor. <<Well I didn't expect to meet an Oracle in the Matrix. Still. You didn't actually answer many questions, although your answers were thought provoking. I suspect more questions would lead to more thought provoking responses. You obliquely asked about my motivations. I protected the child because he was a child being hunted by profession killers. Children are important, and I wish to see this one brought up in a loving family rather than exterminated as a witness to something he should not have seen. Self preservation is also important to me. If I can arrange some payment as well that will be good.

However before we part, I'd like to check some specifics with you:

• You also said early that a tracking device was placed upon me. I am normally very alert, but I didn't notice such a thing. Could you show me the device and explain how it was planted so that I may avoid such a thing in the future.
• You said "Go back to where all this began". You obviously don't mean the big bang, but there are many places where we could say "this started". Do you know where the child was running from, as that would be a good place to say "this is where it started?". Failing that, I guess it's back to the shopping street.
• I'm unhappy leaving the child with you, without a means of checking on his well being. What are your plans for him?>>

[JxJxA]

@ Suicide Kings
[April 16th 2072; 00:05:45 Allanby's Warehouse]
[The Pixel Special, ID "Aubert Benoit"]

Demon turns pale when he hears Dealer's question.

"No, he isn't. I thought he jumped into the RV with you and Copperhead..." He looks back in the RV, frantically searching for his friend while he tries to keep the RV from flipping over.

Shit!

"...did we just leave him behind in the fire with the Crimson Spikes?"

[AppliedCheese]

@ Suicide Kings
[April 16th 2072; 00:07:05 Leaving Allanby's Warehouse]

"I prefer to think we left him behind with all the benefits of magic and an easily fakeable death so that he could meet with us later and demonstrate his more annoying qualities."

Dealer saw his joke was falling flat.

"Relax, he's still on the matrix net. Though we probably should see if he wants us to go get him. That said, we cannot afford to risk the data we have here...oh. Drek. His icon just fell off."

[Aria]

@ Suicide Kings
[April 16th 2072; 00:xx:xx Leaving Allanby's Warehouse]

Ember glared at the watcher as it sat impudently watching them.

~Gale, can you send this one back to its home plane? I do not wish to be followed again! Time is disappearing on us and it would seem there is nothing that we can do usefully here. Once you have dispatched it I release you, thank you for your assitance~

So saying he steeled himself to plunge back into the flesh…he opened his eyes to darkness, the electrics had clearly shorted out, except for a worrying deep red tinge following the line of the cocoon’s hatch. His head was constricted by part of the pod that had buckled and he was glad that he had returned when he had, this would be difficult enough without getting entombed first.

He gathered his Will and sent it forth into the ether ~Lugh, Bright One, will you aid me now to escape this trap that my foes have made?~ The blazing warrior that appeared to his astral sight was welcome indeed ~Will you guard me from the force of this fire so that I may live to take the fight back to our foes?~

Although Ember was comparatively weak, with the help of his returned sprites he had the strength to break out of the pod, pushing the hatch out into the tumult. His breath rasped in the super-heated air and only Furnace’s presence kept him alive for those precious seconds. Even then he could feel his armour charring as he struggled out of the cocoon and plunged towards the side of the van that was no longer there. The hairs on his body shrivelled in the blistering heat and he was grateful that his truly valuable equipment was protected to some degree by the enchantments that bound them to him. His borrowed commlink was a thing of the past though and he discarded the lump of melting plastic before it could burn another hole in him.

His coat snagged on the side of the van and as he leapt clear a gust of flames stroked his back, the pain was intense but snarling he pushed himself onwards. Ignoring the smell of cooked flesh he gathered mana to himself and shot into the air like the reverse of a blazing comet.

As he flung himself upwards the warehouse creaked alarmingly and he dodged a descending red hot girder that cut the remains of the van in half like a knife. The cold of the outside air was excruciating on his reddened skin and he desperately sought to maintain the concentration required that kept him aloft. In the distance lights were approaching and that was hardly likely to be a good thing. He forced himself away from the warehouse, keen to find somewhere to land out of sight.

A couple of blocks in the opposite direction from Two Toes’ place he finally allowed himself to collapse to the ground. He couldn’t remain here though…his flight may have been seen and it looked like his compatriots had had the sense to flee…he was on his own for now.

[Aria]

@Dysfunctional Family (Doza, Jotamon, Isaac & Ajax)
[April 15th, 2072 11:06am; Through the Looking Glass]

<<Children are important and I certainly wish him no harm. If you do not trust me, and there is no reason why you should yet, then I am happy that you make your own arrangements for his protection. I have no plans for him, that he is alive and well, or as well as can be expected, is enough for me. Although I can guess at what he saw given recent events I would rather that you confirmed it for me without any bias that I might have.

I strongly suspect he came from an area just north of North East Fortieth Street where you met him. He was wounded so I don’t believe he can have gone that far.

As to the tracking signal I suggest that the likeliest source is an RFID tag in the bullet lodged in your shoulder. That is how they tracked you before and I suspect that it is how they do things... Shrike has jammed the signal for now but I suggest you remove it before you step outside her protection.>>

[Notsoevildm]

@ Suicide Kings
[April 16th 2072; 00:07:05 Leaving Allanby's Warehouse]

"I tried, honest I did," grumbles the troll, remembering the heat and Snake hissing her own words back at her You are no usse to me dead!

"But it was too hot. All I could do was leave 'Golden Scales' back there to watch out for him." She lowers her head, then looks back up. "I gots worried youz was gonna leave me too so I came back to the RV."

---

A golden serpent hisses as it emerges from the shadows, it's green eyes locked on Ember. "You are not alone, manling. Sshe who commandss me, bade me assisst you. You have my sservice until dawn, no longer."

Without waiting for a response, it coils into itself and with an almost audible 'pop' disappears back into the astral.

[AppliedCheese]

@ Suicide Kings
[April 16th 2072; 00:07:05 Leaving Allanby's Warehouse]

"Oh. So, you can still communicate with the spirit right? Or it would tell you if Ember was dead? Not to be soul-crushingly realistic here, but its not worth dragging this data back into harm's way to pick up a corpse, unless we're planning on joining him in whatever afterlife your deity of choice promises. Now, alive...a live Ember is worth taking a risk for. Though we should probably offload this stuff and ditch the RV. So, all eyes on Copperhead now, yeah?"

At the very least we need to make sure no one is shooting him full of sodium penthol and asking some unwanted questions.

Dealer looks hard at Copperhead, measuring if she's up to the task.

"Hey, Demon, lets look for a parking lot, ditch this RV with the previous "it blows up" plan, grab a van and go back for Ember if he's alive. Sound good? We come in nice and quiet, maybe you even get a chance to shoot a Spike or two after all from way out with that sexy rifle of yours? Watch them and tommy's boys set at each other while we look for Ember."

As the RV reacts to Demon's driving, Dealer rechecks his smartlink and changes in a fresh magazine. Tonight was definitely not going as planned. He glanced at Copperhead one more time.

That one is going to want a social corner to build on after tonight. Hmmm....recruitment...

[Friendbot2000]

@Dysfunctional Family
[April 15th, 2072 11:06am; Through the Looking Glass]

Ajax listened in intently. It appears that his mystery Johnson is a technomancer. He had heard of these types, some technomancers believe they can determine the future by looking at data trends. "Whole lot of rubbish if you ask me" Ajax thought. What is important in this case is the child that seems to be wrapped up in a chess game of violence and that is never a good thing. Ajax had always been partial to children, he and his wife were having a baby before she...died. His paternal heartstrings tugged fiercely, but Ajax suppressed them. This is a job, there is no room for emotional involvement.

Ajax cleared his throat, <<As much as I enjoy listening to battling ideologies, I do wish to be let in on what exactly is going on here. If we are to protect the boy or protect ourselves, an open exchange of information is necessary. I understand that I have been conscripted by...Alice, to assist you in finding out information about the boy, something I have yet to agree to, but I digress. I do however need to know some things about you and your party sir. I assume you speak for these folks here, judging by your forwardness in speech?>>

Ajax cleared his throat again and continued, <<First off it has been said that you must have self preservation and you have mentioned something things that indicate that you have been shot at or worse in defense of this child. Which raises the question of where and when did you get attacked and if knowledgeable, by who? Did they have any distinctive marks, strategies, anything at all? Also what is your involvement in this scenario? I suspect that you sir are involved in some sort of organized crime family (refers to Jotamon), and you (refers to Doza) were the original contact for this job. There are many things that need to be answered and I apologize for hijacking your inquiry of our employer, but answers and truth are worth their weight in nuyen and lies only hinder the situation at hand. I expect you to be truthful as well, Miss Alice>>

<<Miss Alice, as much as I love children and wholeheartedly admire your desire to protect this child, I do have expenses that must be paid. Payment will be a necessity for my involvement in this case I am afraid>>

Ajax pauses and cocks his head to the side for a moment as if he was deep in thought <<Oh, and your names or rather aliases would be appreciated, I like to know who I am dealing with.>>

<<Oh, and one more thing Miss Alice, did you say he lives around NE Fortieth St? Is there anything you can tell me that might be relevant to this investigation about that particular area?>>

Ajax stepped forward some more and leaned up against a mushroom. He had every intention of working this, but he mustn't appear to eager for the job.

As Ajax awaited their response he leapt into another virtual realm flying through data at top speed trying to find out anything he could about the area around NE 40th St. on the Matrix. His brain was going a thousand miles a second as he looked for the information and wracked his own brain for information that he might have gleaned from his years as a PI and reporter. There had to be a clue somewhere.

[Notsoevildm]

@ Suicide Kings
[April 16th 2072; 00:07:10 Leaving Allanby's Warehouse]

Copperhead's eyes roll up in her head for a moment as she leans back against the side of the RV.

"He iss sstill alive!", she hisses exitedly after a moment, her shamanic mask making her seem even more scaly than usual.

"He's a bit cooked and smells like roast pig according to Golden Scales. Just cruise at da speed limit for a bit and he should catch up ta us in a few minutes."

The twist in her stomach begins to ease, even as her heart continues to pound. The guilt she had felt at leaving him behind was somewhat lessened, although she knew she would not be able to rest until he was back with them. She busies herself with checking her gear and thinking about a place for them to dump the RV.

[Friendbot2000]

@Dysfunctional Family
[April 15th, 2072 11:06am; Through the Looking Glass]

Information swirled around Ajax as he picked and chose what files he wanted to save onto his commlink. A wealth of information about the area was now at his fingertips, "Hmm, this is interesting. Well, might as well prove my worth" He thought to himself as he focused back in on the VR chatroom.

Before allowing the others to answer his questions he cleared his throat again, <<If I remember correctly, the main drag of the area around NE 40th St. used to be an old Microsoft campus. There are some food establishments there, talking to the local squatters could give us a clue as to who this boy is. Due to his slight malnourishment he most likely ate out of the garbage of those establishments at least once. It is unlikely that he belongs to a major gang in the area, as the Ork gang Crimson Crush usually don't accept non-ork members. There is one lead we could possibly follow up on with a lesser degree of failure. A hacker group known as "freedom" is supposed to operate in that area. These groups usually keep a close watch on their surrounding area so it could be fruitful to go and track them down and find out if they can help. It will come with a price however. The rest of the area around there is just abandoned apartments and tenements. The only place of note is the old Microsoft campus, if we start there and grease a few palms then we should have a good chance at catching the boys trail.>>


<<Oh, and in case you haven't noticed, I have decided to help you>> Ajax's icon tips his hat and smiles through his mask.

[AppliedCheese]

@ Suicide Kings
[April 16th 2072; 00:09:00 Passing a semi-vacant parking lot]


Dealer continued to observe out the windows after Copperhead's revelation. It seemed like there were no RF beacons or hidden nodes transmitting, but it wasn't exactly a thorough search. Of course, a stealth tag and active RF asset would make tracking the RV easy and finding the tag exceedingly difficult without a a full sterilization. And Allanby was nothing if not a little paranoid from what the others said. Well, he was also dead, but that was beside the point.

As the scenery rolled by and Ember remained conspicuously absent, Dealer spotted what looked like an ideal lot. A failure of a strip mall, occupied by sad little mom and pop shops that were fighting a losing battle against the encroaching neon of Girls-Girls-Girls-And-Liquor! in one direction, and being obstinately walled off from richer pastures by Mega-franchises in the other. Security in a place like that would be minimal; not enough money to buy their own, not enough influence to merit lots of KE or surveillance, and not enough chips and and whores to be brought under the dubious protection of a gang. And best of all, there are at least three utility vans in the lot next to a small collection of vehicles that may belong to the staff, but are just as likely there for free parking. Perfect.

"Demon, see that strip on the right? Looks like our next ride, plus Ember can catch up to us there. "

As he waited for the RV to take the exit, Dealer began to prepare all the tools necessary for a successful car boosting.

[JxJxA]

@ Suicide Kings
[April 16th 2072; 00:05:45 Allanby's Warehouse]
[The Pixel Special, ID "Aubert Benoit"]

Demon shakes his head disapprovingly when he hears Dealer's poor attempt at a joke, but his mind is occupied with something else altogether. He debates whether to turn this damn thing around and drive back to Ember. Copperhead's comment pulls him back into reality.

"I would say that 'no one gets left behind,' but I suppose I am a bit late and a man short for that motto to hold true."

When he hears about Copperhead's spirit, he keeps driving away from the warehouse for the time being. He gives a sigh of relief after Copperhead confirms that Ember is all right. He returns the bulk of his energies to driving casually in their boosted RV, while allowing a fraction of his imagination to devising painfully nasty ends for the Crimson Spikes.

He nods at Dealer when he points out a place to park. He carefully glides the lumbering behemoth of a vehicle into a parking spot, bringing it to a stop...

[AppliedCheese]

@ Suicide Kings
[April 16th 2072; 00:10:00 Parking Lot]

Dealer waits as Demon pulls the RV into the lot. He peers out the windows, waiting for a moment when no one is looking his way. Given the mostly abandoned nature of the lot, that wait is particularly short. Its more of a "well, lets just make sure all the anti-theft systems are down in the storefronts" sort of wait.

Demon has parked the RV beautifully, allowing the runners to obscure themselves from sight between the RV and a take-out sushi delivery van. Apparently the demand for take out sushi at midnight in this part of town is exceptionally low, because it looks like it hasn't moved in an hour. Between Demon's parking job and the abandoned lot, it looks like the group can get in between the two vehicles relatively unobserved - somewhat vital given Dealer is pretty sure they gear he is wearing would bring the KE.

It won't hurt if no one sees the heavily armored troll with shimmering snake scales either.

He blinks a few times as he modifies his AR to include the Pixel-Tutor-Soft. It still has far too many cupcakes, but at least the wands are starting to make sense. If Pixel was not currently splattered over the insides of the team's last van, undoubtedly she could have made everything much clearer. Then again, if Pixel was still alive, Dealer wouldn't be running this hack. It is mercifully quick, and from there, the hardware part is easy. Dealer looks up to inform the team he is now logged in as the 15 year old son of the sushi place owner (with a surprisingly anglo-saxon name..no wonder its failing), when he realizes they are talking to Ember.

[Seth]

@Dysfunctional Family
[April 15th, 2072 11:06am; Through the Looking Glass]

<<Hi Ajax. Thank you for coming along. Your desire to understand us is acceptable in the current situation. I would appreciate a 'quid pro quo'.

Your surmise about my family is correct. My father is one of the Mareno family, and like all dutiful sons I am following in his line. I try to keep out of the leg breaking side of the business. Mostly I deal in virtual crimes. I think you would find most member's of our family would act the same way in this incident: we keep the streets clean where the law fails to act. Children are very important to us.

Your questions are good. I will try and give a potted history:

• I was shopping in Touristville. There is a good second hand shop for electronic components there
• The child ran into me, chased by two shooters.
• I dealt with the two shooters non lethally as I don't like killing people: It is hard to say 'sorry' if you discover you have killed the wrong person.
• An old friend of mine: Doza, hired by Alice suddenly appeared. You can ask her about why she was here.
• Snipers killed the two shooters that I had disabled, and we got out of there
• I believe that shooters were part of a disorganized 'gang', and the rest of the gang got taken out at the same time as the snipers attacked us.
• I checked for tracers eventually: I should have checked sooner, but there you go, and we had a tag. We eliminated this tag
• Shortly after that a black van and a drone turned up in down town Seattle, and started shooting us under the eyes of a Knight Errant drone
• We disabled the drone, dealt with the shooters, and discovered a 'copter full of mercs was on it's way...to downtown Seattle.
• I was shot by a burst from an assault rifle.
• Alice sent a message via Doza, and we evacuated to here

I have been thinking a bit about the boy, and have rejected most of my theories. They go something like this:

• He's an important person's son: Well he is malnourished and they want him dead. It's not impossible, but I would need to add to the theory a reason for him being in the state he is in
• He saw something he shouldn't have: Dispatching a helicopter full of Mercs into downtown Seattle is probably more trouble / attention grabbing than almost anything the boy could of witnessed.
• He's an escaped test subject: Nothing wrong with this theory at the moment.
• He has something implanted in him which is valuable: I think they would have snatched him, rather than tried to kill him.

None of my theories explain why there seem to be two or perhaps three groups involved:

• Alice hired Doza, and now us
• The original shooters who I tasered were part of a small group taken out by:
• The snipers who shot the original shooters rather than us

Your and Alice's ideas are interesting, and may well be fruitful. I was planning on talking to the boy, as that could help clarify which of these (or perhaps another) theory is correct. One problem with asking around is that unless we are lucky (and I don't like to rely on luck) we are unlikely to understand the motivations of the attackers.

Just a few more moments of being blunt: If I was paranoid, this whole discussion could just be a way to get me away from the boy. It is dangerous to kill me here: the Mafia's vengeance could be severe. If I am directed back to a killing ground where another organisation kills me....well that's just a win/win from some people's point of view. As it happens I think that this scenario is over the top paranoia, but I would like to talk to the boy before I leave.

Alice do you know when the boy will wake?>>

[Aria]

@ I'm On A Boat
[April 15th 2072; 23:50 SS Henry VIII 4000 meters off shore, Puget Sound]


Silk considered her options carefully, quick and dirty or methodical and less risky, on the face of it an easy choice in normal circumstances but their deadline was rapidly approaching, literally in this case and they really didn’t have any spare minutes for a finessed approach…

<<Ok, this could be messy…I’m going to spray the camera lens long enough for us to make it through the door. Come a bit closer…>> she drew an ARO on the tac data that indicated the camera’s field of view <<somewhere behind the line. Be prepared to move quickly when I give the word. With our spiritual aid we should be able to pass undetected but the chance of raising an alarm is definitely going up with this one…Nine: when we’re through I’ll try and get you access to the security node through the maglock but I’m not promising anything.>>

A heavy dose of spray from the aerosol and Silk slipped forward and crunched the maglock beneath the technological might of the pass key – the inbuilt algorithms should frag with the lock’s diagnostics, hopefully still registering the door as shut.

As the indicator flashed between green and red she urged the others through…

<<Now!>>

[Aria]

@ Suicide Kings
[April 16th 2072; 00:10:00 Parking Lot]

Ember stumbled into the parking lot where the snake spirit had led him and thanked her for her assistance. He was weaving on his feet, barely able to stand now without the spirit’s assistance. The cold night air was a balm on his flaming skin but he was beginning to lose all sense of feeling and in the circumstances that could hardly be said to be a good thing. He didn’t trust himself in his current state to cast the healing spells that he so desperately needed…quite apart from the fact that the drain might well knock him out cold he suspected the stims were running out and he was in for a boat load of more pain shortly…Dr Bob’s, the thought floated to the forefront of his mind, Charlotte and the children…help…

He shook his head to clear it and immediately regretted the action…his vision was beginning to tunnel…

“Mes amis…I…” and he realised that Sirene was still concealing him from view

~Merci gracious one, I am back with friends now…I release you from your service, go back to the great halls and dance for the gods…~

“Dealer…?”

[AppliedCheese]

@ Suicide Kings
[April 16th 2072; 00:10:00 Parking Lot]

"You look like shit. C'mere"

Dealer disappears into the RV and digs through whats left of his equipment. He comes out with his medikit. All the refills are no doubt creating a lovely narcotic filled haze somewhere in Tacoma, but it looks like he has just enough to handle the task at hand.

"The computer says this is topical anesthetic. Some weird steroids are mixed in, I think. We still have some Nu-Skin. The facial burns and hands I can do, but you appear to to have half your clothing melted to you. And I need to get to the skin to apply this stuff/" Dealer reaches into a sheath and pulls out a nasty looking survival knife, which he sprays with antiseptic from the kit. "So, this might hurt. Your probably want to pop this first", he points to a white pill. "Normally I'd slam you with morphine and a patch, but we can't have you crashing for a while yet."

Dealer clears a man size area off of one of the cheap travel tables in the RV. Errr..Copper....you might want to hold him down when I go to work...".

He applies the assorted miracles of modern medicine to the exposed flesh. Then its time for the knife. For a moment legitimate pity actually seems to cross his face. "Sorry". Then he begins to cut away the charred clothing and the layers of skin its melted to. ""Don't scream. Don't scream. Copper, hold him dammit..."