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

[Jack VII]

Motel 6, 1500 E. Smoky Hill Road, Aurora, 8:55 PM August 2nd, 2075

Returning Ramirez's gaze, Jack grimly smiled and responded, "Don't worry about that, Mr. J... if we find him, he's not going to be in any shape to give them trouble. You answered my questions, I'm good if everyone else is."

[Chrome Head]

Amy just stood there grinning. Not even Falcon's tortured astral soul's gonna be able to recognize Lynx when we're done with him.

[DrZaius]

Motel 6, 1500 E. Smoky Hill Road, Aurora, 8:55 PM August 2nd, 2075

Grease nods curtly at Ramirez. "We will be in contact shortly. Do you mind if we have the room to plan? It'd be better if we weren't seen together leaving, regardless."

[Lobo0705]

Motel 6, 1500 E. Smoky Hill Road, Aurora, 8:56 PM August 2nd, 2075

Ramirez gathers up his belongings and says, "Of course. Keep in touch."

He exits the room, leaving the team on their own.

[DrZaius]

Motel 6, 1500 E. Smoky Hill Road, Aurora, 8:56 PM August 2nd, 2075

"So.." Grease starts. "That went well. What's our plan now? I think that we can track down Lynx, but finding the other party will prove difficult. Plus, we can't assume that Stinger didn't go back to Lynx, hoping to kill us before any information about him is released."

[Jack VII]

Motel 6, 1500 E. Smoky Hill Road, Aurora, 8:56 PM August 2nd, 2075

Jack frowned, "That's definitely a possibility. There really isn't any reason for Stinger to run if he thought he could get to Lynx first. Seems like our only connection to the other party is Lynx, or at least his commlink. If we could manage to get a hold of it, we might be able to pretend to be Lynx and set-up a meeting with his Johnson. No matter what, the first step seems to be figuring out a way to draw Lynx out. So how do we do that?"

[DrZaius]

Motel 6, 1500 E. Smoky Hill Road, Aurora, 8:56 PM August 2nd, 2075

Grease scratches his chin, thinking. "Well.. Lynx is a contract killer. He's very dangerous. Bradshere on the other hand, while a cop, is a civilian. Or at least, not in the game." He starts pacing, trying to put together the pieces. "Overkill- if we managed to get close enough to Bradshere, do you think you could hack his commlink, and spoof a message to Lynx for a meet?"

[Lobo0705]

Motel 6, 1500 E. Smoky Hill Road, Aurora, 8:56 PM August 2nd, 2075

Shaking his head in the affirmative, Overkill says, "It is certainly possible. I think it is a very good idea, the only thing we may need to think about is what are the ramifications if I try and fail? It might tip Bradshere that someone is on to him. I'm not sure that is something that is catastrophic, in that we don't have to get him, Ramirez does, but what if in doing so pushes Lynx to ground?"

He pauses a moment and says, "Why don't we call that Plan A. Does anyone have a Plan B? If not, then we come back to that, and flesh it out a little more. I want to know what exactly I am going to message Lynx before I try and hack Bradshere's 'link."

[Jack VII]

Motel 6, 1500 E. Smoky Hill Road, Aurora, 8:56 PM August 2nd, 2075

"It sounds like a pretty solid Plan A to me. As far as alternatives, the only thing I can really think of is that Lynx probably has an erección for killing us right now. Stinger mentioned that he didn't like people messing around with his biz and we're most certainly doing that. If someone were to tip him about us and our location, we might be able to set a trap for him."

Pausing, Jack finished, "Although Lynx seems a little too savvy for that, from what we've seen so far."

[Chrome Head]

Motel 6, 1500 E. Smoky Hill Road, Aurora, 8:56 PM August 2nd, 2075

Amy is puzzled at Jack's first comment. "He has.. an erection.. for killing people??"

"Anyway, why wouldn't Bradshere use a decoy commlink like Ramirez? How do we even make sure that hacking the cop's commlink will give us Lynx's comm id?"

[DrZaius]

Motel 6, 1500 E. Smoky Hill Road, Aurora, 8:56 PM August 2nd, 2075

Grease nods at Amy. "Well, he probably does. But like us, he probably keeps it near his person, or in his car or home. He wouldn't want to do this kind of business on his Lonestar issued 'link."

He paces some more- clearly he's on something, or WANTS to be on something. "I think using us as bait would likely draw him out, but if we try that he's going to show up loaded for bear. I'd prefer he came to a meet cautious, but not ready for World War 3."

He goes to the burner commlink, and starts reviewing footage. "When he comes to these meets, he appears to be alone. His crew is probably nearby in case something goes wrong, but when he's meeting with his contact it's always him alone. In fact; we almost know they are- Stinger was recording the conversations. that implies he at least was on overwatch." He frowns. "Is there another angle we aren't thinking of? The Los Mags? The mysterious Mr. Johnson? How is he communicating with him?"

[Jack VII]

Motel 6, 1500 E. Smoky Hill Road, Aurora, 8:56 PM August 2nd, 2075

"... I guess having a hard-on for something isn't part of your slang?" Jack asked, perplexed. Perhaps his use of the vernacular might give him a clue to his past. Putting that aside, he continued, "If Overkill can crack his commlink, we may get lucky with old text messages or call records. If nothing shows up, he's either good at clearing his trail or he's using a burner. Here's the thing, I would bet with all the commotion we've caused, Lynx is going to want to meet with Bradshere very soon, so something is bound to pop up."

Turning to Grease, he responded, "I imagine his Mr. J is just giving him a call on a burner of some sort or relaying through someone else, maybe the Los Mags leadership. I'm not sure if that would do us much good though."

[DrZaius]

Motel 6, 1500 E. Smoky Hill Road, Aurora, 8:56 PM August 2nd, 2075

Grease nods. "Well, it's nearly 9 on a Friday. I doubt Bradshere is still going to be at the office. Finding out where he lives would be tricky- I imagine that's the sort of thing that Lone Star keeps locked up pretty tightly. Anyone have any ideas what our next step should be? I don't want to wait over the weekend to keep moving; I imagine that things are going to start happening very soon, and I'd prefer we were the instigators."

[Chrome Head]

Motel 6, 1500 E. Smoky Hill Road, Aurora, 8:57 PM August 2nd, 2075

Amy felt like she knew just where to start. "We can find where Bradshere or Lynx are right now, by asking a spirit to look for them. It takes a couple hours usually. The thing is, this only works if we can sort of guess where we're likely to find them. The better our guess, the quicker we find our target, and the more likely it is to find it at all."

[Jack VII]

Motel 6, 1500 E. Smoky Hill Road, Aurora, 8:57 PM August 2nd, 2075

Jack raised an eyebrow. "That's useful. We at least know that Lynx apparently frequents Los Mags territory, so we could setup somewhere in the UCAS zone and start our search from there."

Pausing, the ork chews on a fingernail before continuing. "The only thing we can guess about Bradshere is that he works at Lone Star, probably HQ, but he's unlikely to be there at this hour. Anyone know where that is? I would guess somewhere outside of the Warrens and maybe close to the Commerce City area."

"Maybe head over to the Rust after Amy whips up a spirit? It's a public place, maybe Overkill could knock out some hacking while we're there. I know I'm not tired at the moment."

[DrZaius]

Motel 6, 1500 E. Smoky Hill Road, Aurora, 8:57 PM August 2nd, 2075

Grease smiles and adds, "It sounds like we have a plan! Plus, the Bar-rel," (distinctly emphasizing the 'bar' portion; clearly he didn't like Jack coming up with his own nicknames for his favorite watering hole) "Won't mind Amy ducking into the back to conduct some private business. Happens there all the time. Drinks are on me! And by that, I mean the house."

[Jack VII]

Motel 6, 1500 E. Smoky Hill Road, Aurora, 8:57 PM August 2nd, 2075

"Works for me. Before we go, I need to check in on something." Jack said. The ork frowned, he didn't want to outright expose his contact needlessly, particularly considering the danger she had already been in, but also knew that trust was a fleeting commodity with this crew. Splitting the difference, he quickly authorized Overkill three MARKs on his commlink and said, "Hopefully, I've earned enough confianza with all of you that you'll allow me a little privacy here. If not, I just gave Overkill MARKs on my comm, so he can check on me whenever he wants. I'll be back in diez."

Stepping out the door, Jack took the stairs to the second floor and approached the door to Honeypot's temporary quarters. Pulling out his commlink, Jack punched in the number to the burner that he had given Honeypot and sent a quick message.

<<@HP [JustJack]Hey chica, I'm about to knock on your door. Don't shoot me.>>

Arriving at the door, the ork tapped in the same knock code Honeypot had instructed him to use at the Claridge and waited for an answer.

[Lobo0705]

Motel 6, 1500 E. Smoky Hill Road, Aurora, 9:02 PM August 2nd, 2075

His commlink beeps, and Jack looks down to read the message. <<@Jack [Honeypot] Come in.>>

The door cycles, and Jack slowly walks into the room, trying to appear non-threatening, but his wired reflexes on just in case Honeypot was too jumpy.

As he walks into the room, he hears a sigh of relief from the corner and sees Honeypot behind the vanity, slowly putting the safety back onto the pistol she was brandishing in his direction.

Jack closes the door and turns to find Honeypot embracing him, a quick hug, and yet one that causes Jack's blood to heat up a little.

Just as quickly disengaging herself from the larger ork, she moves back to the window and opens a bottle of water. It is clear the air conditioning unit in the room doesn't work, and even this late at night, the room is stifling.

She sees Jack loosen his collar slightly, and she smiles wryly. "You can understand why I didn't want to open the window. What is going on Jack?"

[Chrome Head]

Motel 6, 1500 E. Smoky Hill Road, Aurora, 8:57 PM August 2nd, 2075

"Oh no need for that. You can't see it, but the spirit of a lion is sitting at attention right next to you right now, watching over us." Amy smiles and winks at Grease.

"So we're saying Commerce City would be a good starting point? The sooner we get there, the sooner we might find our target. The thing is, when the search is complete we have to move fast before the target changes location."

[Jack VII]

Motel 6, 1500 E. Smoky Hill Road, Aurora, 9:02 PM August 2nd, 2075

Sweating from the heat from two sources, Jack paused while he composed himself. "Glad to see that you're holding up okay, chica. I'm going to make it short, because this biz isn't quite over yet, but we're making progress. First, the pendejo who tried to kill you at the Claridge is dead. He and a few chummers were involved in some kind of ritual sacrifice thing up at the Arsenal. We ambushed them and that's that. I personally took care of the burial arrangements, so you don't have to worry about that guy anymore. I'm sorry to have put you in that situation."

Jack leaned against the door, considering what else to tell Honeypot. "For the rest of the crew, they're still out there, although one of them is probably on his way to Seattle right now. I think we've managed to kick the hornet's nest, so I don't know if they're going to bother looking for you anymore. With that said, I'd recommend you laying low for another day or two, whether that's here or elsewhere, before you get back to biz. This thing seems to have been pretty major involving the Los Mags, Lone Star, and probably a Corp."

[Lobo0705]

Motel 6, 1500 E. Smoky Hill Road, Aurora, 9:04 PM August 2nd, 2075

"Lone Star, the Mags, and a Corp. Fantastic." She wipes the sweat from her forehead and says, "Sorry Jack, I don't mean to be ungrateful. I really appreciate what you did there back at the Claridge, and for taking care of that guy."

A quick peck on the cheek, and she says, "I'll try and stay here another day or two - after that, it is going to start affecting my business. I may have to risk getting back out there." She walks to the bathroom door, and says, "Lock it tight on your way out, I have to take another shower - I can't stand it in here."

[Jack VII]

Motel 6, 1500 E. Smoky Hill Road, Aurora, 9:04 PM August 2nd, 2075

"Don't apologize. If I had known the drek was this deep, I wouldn't have involved you. Oh yeah, your matrix pal is still around. He actually helped us out with tracking down the troll who was after you." Jack replied, as Honeypot entered the small bathroom. "If we get this sewn up before then, I'll send you a message."

Exiting the room, Jack checked that the maglock cycled closed and tested the door. Satisfied that the elf is as protected as she'll get in this place, the ork made his way back down to the room Ramirez had provided and said, "Thanks for giving me some time, are we ready to start hunting?"

[Chrome Head]

Motel 6, 1500 E. Smoky Hill Road, Aurora, 9:04 PM August 2nd, 2075

"I guess so!" Amy says.

"We're searching for Lynx first, after all, right? We'll all be a lot safer after that. And Bradshere is less likely to leave the Metroplex and disappear than Lynx is. So where are we heading off to get this started? And do you all have all the equipment you need? We need to be ready for a fight."

[Jack VII]

Motel 6, 1500 E. Smoky Hill Road, Aurora, 9:05 PM August 2nd, 2075

"Well, if we're moving on Lynx tonight, I need to swing by Nic's and get kitted back up before we head out." Jack replied, mentally checking off the gear he would want to bring with him. "Shouldn't take long. As far as where to have the spirit start searching... I guess somewhere close to Los Mags territory? If we need to, we can talk in the car on the way to Nic's."

The ork replaced his SMG in the toolkit and made ready to go, glad to no longer be carrying around the thermos.

Exiting the room with the rest of the team, Jack headed for the exit of the Motel 6, but paused at the front desk. Jim, fully absorbed in whatever music was playing through his commlink, took no notice of the ork. Leaning across the counter, the ork poked the clerk in the chest. "Hey Jim? Yeah, right here, amigo. Your company is advertising air conditioning and free premium trids. You ever heard of breach of contract, Jim? Because Room 264 is missing one of those features and I'd hate to see you lose your job over this deal. Do you think you can see about moving the guest there to another room since you've got a vacancy or maybe fixing that air conditioning issue? That would be great. I'll be back soon to make sure you've met the terms of your contract. Buenos Noches, hombre."

With slack jaw and glazed eye, Jim merely replied, "Uhhhhhh... Kay?"

[Lobo0705]

The Rusty Bar-rel: Gateway Ave between Enid Ct and Fontana Ct, Montbello, Denver, CO, 10:00 PM August 2nd, 2075

After a quick stop off at Nic's for Jack to resupply, Grease pulls his car into the parking lot of the Rusty Bar-rel.

Amy takes a moment and calmly reaches out with her mind to the Astral, seeking to make contact with the spirit that she has in her service.

Within seconds, the lion appears visible to her astral sight, seemingly standing on top of the car, sniffing the air.

Grinning to herself at the apoplectic fit Grease would have if the spirit stood on top of his car in the physical plane, Amy carefully constructed the image of Lynx in her mind, trying not to let her hatred of the elf distort his visage.

"Seek this man out for me, Great One, and return to me once you have found him. Good hunting." With a leap, the lion propels itself off of the roof of the car, and moves swiftly off through the Astral.

Amy opens her eyes and says, "It is done. I'm not sure how long this will take. In the meantime, should we grab something to eat?"

Overkill nods his head, then brushes his long dark hair from his eyes. "Ja liebschen, I could use something to eat, especially if we are going to go after Lynx tonight."