Nothing's Free in the Free Zone (IC), Adventure 1: Broken Star Options

[Jack VII]

The Bedford Inn, 10:12 AM August 2nd, 2075

"I honestly couldn't tell you, hombre." Jack sighed, as he usually did whenever his past came up. It was frustrating to him to not know who or what he had been. "I certainly seem to have been given the hardware of a soldier, but if I actually ever served, I don't remember when or where... or what I did."

Walking over to the windows, he closed the heavy curtains to block the mid-morning sun. Even though all four metahumans had the ability to see clearly in the dimmest of light, it was the ork's experience that the less light there was, the easier it was for him to get to sleep. Jack looked longingly at the shower but decided to wait until he had cleaner clothes available. Given his large-sized frame and his sense of fairness, he opted to lay down on the floor at the foot of the two beds. He grabbed the duffel bag with the long arms and used it as a fairly uncomfortable pillow.

"As long as we have eyes on our door and the windows outside, I think we'll be okay to grab some sleep."

[Chrome Head]

The Bedford Inn, 10:12 AM August 2nd, 2075

Amy had lived off the street or as a squatter for all of her life. A shower was a luxury she didn't care that much for. Once a week was more than enough.

Now that things had calmed down, in the relative silence of the motel room, she really felt the fatigue from the long night. She made sure that no light came in from behind the blinds, and tried the bed. Wow.. very comfy!

Before lying down, she double checked the orders given to the spirit. "Make sure to wake me up if you see any threat while you watch over us."

"The spirit's keeping watch.. good night.." and she quickly fell asleep.

[Lobo0705]

The Bedford Inn, 6:30 PM August 2nd, 2075

Overkill awoke to the sound of his Agent burbling happily. He "heard" the message through his neural interface, the lines of code representing the Agent's speech fed directly into his cochlear nerve.

Overkill rapidly scans through the data, and then sends it to the rest of the team, along with voice mail on his burner phone. The team views the data through their various image links or DNI's

"My facial recognition software has matched the face of the man in cheaper suit to Lt. Calvin Bradshere at a 95% match." The lieutenant's Lone Star public photo is superimposed next to Stinger's video footage, and it is clear that it is the same man, or if not then his twin brother.

"I've got no matches on the location that Bradshere met with Lynx, the video is shot in an alley that could be anywhere, but at least we know who it is." He allows himself a wolfish grin, "The audio is particularly damning." During the meeting in no uncertain terms Bradshere discusses getting Officer Hawthorne out of the way. Lynx remains silent for most of the time, a quick nod or two but otherwise he is a blank slate. The video file is dated 2 days before Officer Hawthorne's murder. Overkill sends the next bit of information over.

"Here we have the opposite problem. The man in the million-nuyen-suit does not show up on facial recognition at all. I don't have a clue who he is, but look at the background."

Overkill manipulates the image, a parking garage of some sort, and moves to a shot of the exterior as Lynx walks past the outside. "That is Coors Field. The Agent says that judging by the light and the timestamp, this parking garage is somewhere to the east of the stadium." This time the audio is less useful. The suit is extremely vague, talking about how "the job" is progressing and are there any more "obstacles" that need removing. Lynx remains the same as the other vid, business-like, the only thing remotely resembling a human emotion is a wicked smile as he accepts the gold credstick from the suit.

Another mental manipulation of the data, "Lastly, here is the message from Ramirez."


<<@Churchfriends [Blocked] Motel 6, tonight, 21:00 same room.>>

[Jack VII]

The Bedford Inn, 6:30 PM August 2nd, 2075

Stretching from the long rest and happy to find himself still alive, Jack grabbed his helmet and popped it on his head; the trodes contained inside firing up his DNI. Reviewing the footage Overkill had sent and the message from Ramirez, the ork smiled. This should move things along nicely, he thought to himself.

Reaching over to the battered, insulated plastic ice bucket he had filled prior to going to sleep, Jack fished out the plastic bag containing the severed fingers he had acquired from the ambush and tucked them inside the duffel bag. Figuring he would be hospitable, he stood up, walked over to the bathroom, and washed out the bucket before replacing it on the dresser. Grabbing his boots, Jack pulled out the washcloths and dropped them on the floor next to the shower. Assuming his next stop was home, he opted to leave his socks off as he laced up his boots. They were still slightly damp and dirty as drek.

"I guess we're basically set for the rest of the day." Jack said. Looking over to Grease, he asked, "Do you mind calling your taxi and giving us a lift to the Warrens? I know I could use a shower and some clean clothes before meeting with Johnson."

[DrZaius]

The Bedford Inn, 6:30 PM August 2nd, 2075

Grease still looks fairly worn; he hasn't bounced back like you've known him to over the past couple of days. He taps a few commands into his RCC while adjusting the cuffs of his shirt under his suit. "No problem." Seeing Jack's eyes glance over his suit, he smiles. "The trick is to keep it in the bathroom when you shower; the steam straightens it out." He spends a few minutes scrolling through items via AR, and frowns when he gets to a certain portion. "I'm getting a bad feeling about that meet with the suit we don't recognize. That guy screams Corp Johnson. While we wait, what's our plan for when we take out Bradshere, and some other patsy takes his job over in a month? Lynx is skilled, but it's not like he and the Los Mags aren't completely replaceable. As long as I'm in an altruistic mood, I think we have to find out who the kingpin is before we could really consider this wrapped. That is, if we're taking it that far."

[Jack VII]

The Bedford Inn, 6:30 PM August 2nd, 2075

"While I'd love to take that niño grande down, I don't know if we're really ready for that." Jack frowned, not really liking what we was saying but believing it to be true. "If breaking this thing open causes as many problems as we're hoping it will for all involved, I'd be surprised if Lone Star didn't crack down on this hard, which might make it really difficult for whoever the Johnson is to operate. Seems like Bradshere was a pretty important cog in this machine, as far as targeting and looking the other way."

Jack scratched his chin and continued, "Let's see which way el viento is blowing with our Johnson. If he's fine with taking down just Lynx and Bradshere, I think we stick that landing. Hopefully Johnson can get the Rebuilding Together folks' names cleared and they can get back to work trying to get Crimson Fire off the streets in their own way."

[Chrome Head]

The Bedford Inn, 6:30 PM August 2nd, 2075

Amy nods. "I want to help Chomsky and Rebuilding Together. But I agree that's not our job right now. I also want to put an end to drugs coming in, to cops from being dirty, and for corps, well for corps to exist at all if you ask me. But none of that is going to happen tomorrow or next week. For now, taking Bradshere and Lynx out is a very good start to make things at least a little bit better for us and everyone else in the Warrens."

"... and I'm looking forward to our payday," she adds after a moment.

[Lobo0705]

The Bedford Inn, 6:30 PM August 2nd, 2075

Overkill retrieves his socks and shoes, drier now for being allowed to sit for 8 hours. He slips them on, and says, "I need to go home and change, where should we meet up?"

Amy arranges her belongings in her ever-present knapsack. "I want to go to Hubert's to check on the kids first, if that is okay with the rest of you. If not, I'll get a cab."

Grease sighs and gets up, seeing his rest is over. "It isn't an issue for me. I've got nowhere to be, I'm already changed. Jack?"

Jack double checks the room to make sure no one has left anything and then pipes up, "I want to check in on Nic as well. We'll head to Hubert's first, and then to Nic's. Why don't you meet us there? I'll give him a head's up in case you beat us there. Wouldn't do to have come so far and have Nic mistake you for an intruder." Jack grins, and sends a quick message off to Nic.

<<@Nic [JustJack] Much to catch up on. We'll be heading over there soon, Overkill might be there ahead of us, if you can let him in. See you soon.>>

As they exit the building, Grease and Overkill have their drones return, and Amy's spirit continues its watchful presence over her shoulder. "Auf Wiedersehen, my friends, I will see you at Nic's." Overkill gets on his bike and speeds away.

Hubert's house, E. Hamilton Place, 7:05 PM August 2nd, 2075

Grease's taxi arrives at the cul-de-sac, and the team gets out, a smile coming to Amy's face as she sees Sam outside playing with the other children under the watchful eyes of Hubert and his friends. The children were engaged in fierce game of soccer and Sam's hair flew behind her as she kicked the ball down the street, running after it with abandon. Even Kevin was playing, his large body a little awkward, but laughing as he chased after the others.

On seeing his friend arrive, Hubert began to walk over to the group, his arms extended. "Amy, so happy to see you again. As you can see, the children are well."

[Chrome Head]

Hubert's house, E. Hamilton Place, 7:05 PM August 2nd, 2075

"Hubert!" Amy smiles and hugs her mentor affectionately. The kids are so focused on their game that Hubert has to shout to get their attention. "Saaa-am, your aunt Amy's here!" And the little ball of energy comes running towards her adoptive mother and jumps into her open arms.

"I've missed you so much, my little dragon."

"Is it over now, aunt Amy? Are you here to take us home?"

"Sorry, Sam. I only came to check on you, I know it's been a tough couple of days..."

"No no, aunt Amy, it's okay, I like it here, I made new friends!"

The innocence of a child was a beautiful thing. They always make the best out of any situation. O all the things I would do for that little girl.

"You can go back to playing if you want. Have fun." The shaman turns back to Hubert with a very thankful look on her face. "Than-" "Don't. It's okay, come on inside and tell me what happened over a cup of tea." "Well, alright but only for a few minutes.. we're still on a schedule."

[Lobo0705]

Hubert's house, E. Hamilton Place, 7:10 PM August 2nd, 2075

Hubert smiles at Grease and Jack, introducing himself politely.

"Any friends of Amy's are friends of mine. Come, the children can continue their game."

Hubert leads the three inside his home, the cozy atmosphere enhanced by the decorations. All are clearly hand-made, a series of carvings placed around the room. They depict a mixture of animals and other pastoral settings, and are strategically placed around the room.


As they enter the kitchen, Hubert gestures for them to take a seat, and moves to the cupboard to take out an well-worn wooden box. The surface shows its age, but it has been well cared for. He opens it and lays it on the table. "Please, select whichever pleases you." There is a fairly wide assortment of flavors to choose from, and the three select one that matches their tastes.

Hubert puts the kettle on, and selects a packet marked Dragonfruit Devotion before leaning against the counter. "When last we spoke, you feared for the safety of your friends and family. I hope you are here to tell me that is no longer the case."

[Chrome Head]

Hubert's house, E. Hamilton Place, 7:10 PM August 2nd, 2075

Amy appreciates the offer of herbal tea and it relaxes her. Just being in her mentor's presence often had that effect on her.

"It's not over just yet, but with what I know I don't fear for anyone else than my team and myself anymore. We've clearly taken the fight to them and soon we'll put an end to it all. Oh and you know that magical group from yesterday? I'm glad to say that we were able to stop last night's sacrificial ritual and put an end to their vile and evil practice once and for all. We even saved the poor victim."

[Jack VII]

Hubert's house, E. Hamilton Place, 7:10 PM August 2nd, 2075

Jack entered the kitchen with the rest of the group. When offered a seat, Jack said, "I'd prefer to stay on my feet right now, if that's okay. Just got up from a nap." The ork leaned with his back against the counter after selecting the Aztlan Aromatic flavor for his tea. He was glad that Sam and Kevin were doing fine, but hoped to get moving soon. The thought of a quick shower and clean clothes was very appealing.

[Lobo0705]

Hubert's house, E. Hamilton Place, 7:10 PM August 2nd, 2075

Hubert nods to Jack, "Of course, of course."

Taking a deep sip of his tea, he says "That is wonderful news Amy, both that you will soon be safe and that you were able to put an end to those people. That was very nasty stuff you showed me."

"I would invite you to stay and chat for a while, but your friends look anxious..."

[Chrome Head]

Hubert's house, E. Hamilton Place, 7:10 PM August 2nd, 2075

"Yes, there's still a lot to be done. I'm sorry to drop by like this and not be able to stay longer and chat. With some luck, I'll be back as soon as tomorrow to talk more and take Sam back home."

Amy makes her last sip of tea last for a few more seconds before finding the courage to get back up and leave the peaceful haven that is Hubert's kitchen.

[Jack VII]

Hubert's house, E. Hamilton Place, 7:10 PM August 2nd, 2075

Thanking him for his hospitality, the team departed Hubert's house and Amy took one last opportunity to check in on the kids. Both Sam and Kevin were finishing up the game of soccer that had been raging when the team arrived. Being as large as he was, Kevin had by then been relegated to one of the two goalie positions, his bulk doing far more to keep the ball from crossing the ersatz goal line of chalk than his agility ever would. Sam was still playing her part as striker and having a ball. Catching sight of Amy leaving Hubert's house, Sam quickly lined up a shot and threaded it through the opposing goalie's legs. "Nutmeg!" she shouted as she left the field. Kevin abandoned his post as well.

As they approached, Amy said, "Alright gang, I've got to go with my friends here to take care of a few more things before work is over and we can hang out like we used to, shouldn't be too long. Are you guys okay here?"

Sam shook her head in the universal sing of everything being okay. "I'm having a lot of fun, Aunt Amy. Don't worry about me, Kevin's having fun too, right Kevin?"

Kevin nodded as well, although he followed up the nod by saying, "I'm having a good time too, but I wouldn't mind going to hang out with Mr. Nic and his toys whenever you're done."

"Alright then," Amy said, "I'll see you guys soon. Be good for Mr. Hubert!"

Nic's Knacks, 3920 S. Genoa Way, Aurora Warrens, 7:20 PM August 2nd, 2075

As the team pulled into view of Nic's Knacks, Jack breathed a sigh of relief. Overkill's BMW was parked in the front of the building and nothing seemed out of sorts. The ork hadn't heard anything back from Nic, so he was a little worried that something was wrong. Seeing the decker's bike set him somewhat at ease. Jack felt a little uncomfortable with how much he had been putting Nic in danger over the past few days. While Jack paid the majority of the bribes associated with keeping the power and water flowing to the shop, his original debt to Nic was far from being paid-off and risking his life wasn't a way to treat a friend. He would have to do better in the future.

Giving the exterior a final appraisal, Jack said, "Alright amigos, let's head inside." Walking to the front door, Jack synched his commlink with the maglock on the front door and entered the access code. Cycling the lock open, he entered the shop, taking note of Nic behind the counter and Overkill sitting in one of the available recliners.

"Buenos Noches, old man, how's it going?" Jack asked, trying to defuse any tension that might exist.

Harrumphing, Nic responded, "Things would be going a bit better if you had bothered to fraggin' tell me that you'd be gone so long. We got biz to take care of here in the shop, Jack. How much longer is this job going to be?" Nic had been around for prior jobs that Jack had done, but they largely lasted only a single night. Looking around the shop, Jack could tell that the old troll had been trying to do a lot of the heavy lifting himself. Given his fairly fragile and cobbled-together health, that wasn't a good thing.

"I'm sorry, amigo, I didn't think this job was going to take up this much of my time. I figured it would either be quick or a job that I would have a little more free time to attend to things here, but it definitely hasn't been either of those. My apologies, Nic, but I'm hoping we'll be done in the next day or two. We're getting pretty close to sealing the deal here. Once we're done, I promise to help you out here more."

Contemplating his mud and blood stained clothing, Jack said, "First thing's first, we've got a meeting in less than an hour and I need to catch a shower and get dressed. If you guys can excuse me, I'd appreciate it." On his way to the shower, Jack stopped by the deep freezer in the back corner and dropped the bag of fingers into it. "I wouldn't eat that if I were you..."

Nic's Knacks, 3920 S. Genoa Way, Aurora Warrens, 7:35 PM August 2nd, 2075

Jack walked back into the front room looking like a new ork. The water had been cold, apparently the hot water heater was on the blink, but refreshing none the less. Cleaning off the mud and blood that had stained his arms and face had revitalized him. Since the ork had other business to attend to after meeting with Ramirez, he had chosen a decent outfit: a polo shirt over his armored vest, a dark synthleather belt, and dark jeans. His combat boots were in his hands along with a brush and cleaning kit. Putting his boots on top of the counter, he pulled out a tin of boot polish and started to shine them. "So what's the gameplan for our meet with Johnson?"

[DrZaius]

Nic's Knacks, 3920 S. Genoa Way, Aurora Warrens, 7:36 PM August 2nd, 2075

Cracking his knuckles, Grease answers first. "We do my favorite part of the job- get paid." He sits on the couch in the middle of the room, inspecting it first to make sure none of it will come off on his suit. Nic frowns, but doesn't say anything. "We show him what we have so far, and ask what he can do to help us complete the job. We then, as a team, make a judgement call if it's worth it. I know I'd feel a lot better about wrapping this thing up if we had some cavalry to count on. My guess is that we're on our own. Either way, I think we have enough proof to at least get some extra cred."

Grease's demeanor changes entirely, and he looks serious for the first time since you've met him. "The Johnson is risking a lot meeting with us. We need to show that we're operating in good faith. I'm personally worried we're leading Lynx right to him. We need to be prepared to defend ourselves, and the Johnson, if things turn sour. I know it seems like he hasn't tracked us down yet, but I'm not convinced. Plus, we're re-treading our old steps; never a good thing."

[Jack VII]

Nic's Knacks, 3920 S. Genoa Way, Aurora Warrens, 7:36 PM August 2nd, 2075

Jack considered Grease's concerns before responding. "Yeah, I'm not a fan of meeting at the same location, but it's Johnson's call; unless we say 'frag the meet' which probably won't win us any points. If we get there early, we can try to set up a perimeter with the drones and one of Amy's spirits. It may not stop any drek from happening, but may give us a head's up if anything is going down."

Sticking his hand in his boot, Jack flipped it over and polished the heel, the vigorous rubbing and selective use of water achieving a nice low shine. "Going back to the other part... how much are we planning on telling him? I think he'll understand us taking Truck out if he sees the video we have of what was going down that night. Hell, he may have already spoken with Mary. We did tell her to get in contact with him and only him. But what about Stinger? I'm not so sure he's going to be bueno with that..."

[DrZaius]

Nic's Knacks, 3920 S. Genoa Way, Aurora Warrens, 7:36 PM August 2nd, 2075

Grease shrugs. "If it comes to it, I'm more than willing to take responsibility. Going after Stinger was my call. Letting him loose was mine as well. No matter what, we're about 100 miles further ahead of where we were before we nabbed him. If you'd like I'm willing to try to chase him down now. We needed that info, and," nodding towards Overkill, "We did it without hurting him." He puts his feet up on the coffee table, and then delicately removes them as Nic's scowl widens to a grimace. "The Johnson hired us to be independent operators. He trusts our judgement, to a certain degree. I'm sure he's traded up dozens of times to get the bigger fish. It's not the best taste in the world, but it's better than the alternatives."

[Jack VII]

Nic's Knacks, 3920 S. Genoa Way, Aurora Warrens, 7:37 PM August 2nd, 2075

Picking up his other boot and a brush, Jack starts to vigorously brush the top and sides of it with a steady scratch-thump sound accompanying it. "I doubt Johnson is going to really care who takes responsibility for anything. If he's like most, the responsibility is going to rest with the team at the end of the day. Either way, like you said, we did get good data from the trade. I guess I'm mainly asking if we play it recto or just neglect to tell him about it. I think the only problem with lying is that we've already shown him surveillance vid of Stinger capping one of the cops. Maybe our best bet is to present all of the evidence we've collected first, then tell him we took down Truck and made a deal with Stinger. It might soften the blow if Johnson's out for blood, so to speak."

[Chrome Head]

Nic's Knacks, 3920 S. Genoa Way, Aurora Warrens, 7:37 PM August 2nd, 2075

Amy finally decides to pitch in. "I'd avoid lying to the Johnson unless we really need to. He'll probably be satisfied if we give him Lynx. Letting Stinger go got us the info we needed to complete half of the job, after all, so he'll understand."

"Now like I said before, whatever help Ramirez gives us or not, I want to keep going after Lynx. No matter what."

[Jack VII]

Nic's Knacks, 3920 S. Genoa Way, Aurora Warrens, 7:37 PM August 2nd, 2075

"Oh, absolutely, that pendajo has a lot of drek to answer for..." Jack said, nodding in agreement with Amy. "So are we settled? Do we have a package put together for Johnson? I kind of figured that's what you've been working on over there, Overkill."

Finishing up with polishing his boots, Jack put them on and laced them up. Crossing the room, he grabs a tool bag and empties it onto the counter, arranging the tools so as not to anger Nic. "Don't worry, I'll put them back when I get back, I just need to borrow the bag to stash some stuff." Crossing to the far side of the room, he roots around in a pile of bric-a-brac and pulls out a thermos. Walking back over to the deep freezer, he pulls out the bag of fingers and drops them in the thermos, sealing it tightly. Returning to the bag, he places the thermos and his SMG inside and zips the bag up, securing the contents inside.

"We ready to go?"

[Lobo0705]

Nic's Knacks, 3920 S. Genoa Way, Aurora Warrens, 7:37 PM August 2nd, 2075

Overkill nods, and Grease heaves himself to his feet. Jack says, "Nic, I'm hoping we will be back tonight, but we are going to have to play it by ear."

Nic grunts, and says "Don't take too long. If you don't have those units in the south range repaired by midday, there'll be hell to pay."

The team looks very confused, and the troll sighs, "Never mind, that's long before your time."

Amy looks at Overkill, who shrugs, and they leave the old troll's home and pile into Grease's vehicle.


Motel 6, 1500 E. Smoky Hill Road, Aurora, 8:10 PM, August 2nd, 2075

Twenty minutes later, they pull into the parking lot of the Motel 6. As before, the parking lot is half full, and while the cars there have changed since the previous night, they nonetheless display the same symptoms of neglect and use. Grease's BMW slides into a parking space, its sleek, clean lines standing out among the derelict cars adjacent to it.

The Stuffer Shack is open, and its clientele has not changed since the other night, except in number. Instead of three Japanese men lounging about and drinking, there are six of them looking much more alert. As Grease pulls into the parking lot, an Americar pulls into the parking lot of the Stuffer Shack, and stops as it approaches the men. One of them leans down and has a conversation with the person in the passenger seat, and after a minute or so of conversation, the car rolls off down South Fraser.

The team exits the vehicle and enters the Motel, ducking the sparks coming off of the "A" in the vacancy sign. Jim greets them with his usual laconic attitude. "Hi."

[Jack VII]

Motel 6, 1500 E. Smoky Hill Road, Aurora, 8:10 PM August 2nd, 2075

"Buenos noches, Jim. We're the, uh, Smythes and we have a reservation." Jack said, his mind already on the meeting and a little worried about security. The ork waited silently with the rest of the team for the attendant to give them their access card for the room. Pulling out his commlink, the ork taps out a message to the team.

<<@Team [JustJack] We should probably deploy a drone outside the hotel entrance and one outside of our room. Maybe set up a spirit for guard dog duty to attack anyone who tries to enter the room?>>

GEAR

[ Spoiler ]

Streetline Special [APDS] w/2x Spare Clip [Regular] (W)
HK227 [Regular] w/3x Spare Clips [Regular] (W)
Flash-Pak (W)
Armored Vest
Horn Rim Glasses w/Flare Comp, Image Link, Vision Enhancement (2) (W)
Earbuds w/Audio Enhancement (3) (W)
Hermes Ikon (5) [Browse & Signal Scrub] w/Subvocal Mic
Medkit (3) (W)
4x Standard Credstick
Fake SIN (4) [Diego Sanchez]
Fake License (4) [Augmentations, Concealed Carry, Firearms]

Cyberware
Internal Air Tank (3) [Alpha] (W)
Muscle Replacement (2) [Alpha]
Skilljack (4) [Used] (W)
Skillwires (4) [Used]
Skillsoft: [Automatics (4), Pistols (4), Unarmed Combat (4)]
Smartlink [Alpha] (W)
Handblade [Alpha]
Wired Reflexes (1) [Alpha]

[Lobo0705]

Motel 6, 1500 E. Smoky Hill Road, Aurora, 8:10 PM, July 29th, 2075, 8:10 PM August 2nd, 2075

Jim nods. "You look like a Smythe." With his deadpan delivery it is hard to tell if he is kidding or not. He hands you a keycard and motions lazily down the hallway. "Fifth door on your left. Ice machine is at the end of the hall."

He yawns and goes back to his AR activities.

[Jack VII]

Motel 6, 1500 E. Smoky Hill Road, Aurora, 8:10 PM August 2nd, 2075

Jack frowned and gave a weak retort, "...and you look like a Jim. Short for Jim's-Not-Funny-At-All. Thanks for the keycard." Before departing the lobby, Grease mutters something about locking his car and steps outside briefly. Other than lazily waggling his fingers in the direction of his BMW, causing his suit jacket to flutter a bit, he doesn't really seem to do anything before returning inside.

<<@Team [Grease] We've got eyes outside.>>

The group moved down the hallway, Jack carefully counting off five doors on the left hand side of the hallway before reaching their destination. Slotting the keycard, Jack opened the door to the room, a near mirror of the room the team had met with Ramirez the first time, albeit this time on the first floor.

"Let's make sure there aren't any bed bugs, sounds good?" Jack asked, hoping the team would pick up on the insinuation.