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

[Lobo0705]

Amy and Overkill, Stuffer Shack, East 47th Street, 11:25 AM, July 30th, 2075

Steve looked a little embarrassed as Amy addressed him. "Umm, it was a while ago, let me think. The guy was a human, shaved head, he wore fatigues, combat boots." His brow wrinkled as he tried to remember.

"The gun? That I won't forget. Thing was huge - looked more like a small cannon than a revolver. Apart from that, not much more I can say. He basically walked in, shot Sam, pointed the gun at me and says 'Money'" and then was out the door."

[Chrome Head]

Amy and Overkill, Stuffer Shack, East 47th Street, 11:25 AM, July 30th, 2075

"I see." Amy thought for a second before following up with yet another question. "And how about the Star? They must have investigated this a whole lot. What did they ask you? What did they look for when they were here?"

[Lobo0705]

Amy and Overkill, Stuffer Shack, East 47th Street, 11:30 AM, July 30th, 2075

"Well they did have a car show up when the ambulance came to get Sam. I told them my story, and they recorded it all. I haven't heard any word so far, but I am sure they are all over it."

[Chrome Head]

Amy and Overkill, Stuffer Shack, East 47th Street, 11:30 AM, July 30th, 2075

Amy suspected no real effort had been expended by the police, and it was now confirmed. Yet, it would be interesting to know how little effort they spent on this. "Okay, good! Did they talk to someone else from the store? Did they ask you to look at the footage from the security cameras? Stuff like that?"

[Lobo0705]

Amy and Overkill, Stuffer Shack, East 47th Street, 11:30 AM, July 30th, 2075

"Umm.." Steve scratches his head. "Not sure. I mean, they didn't come back that night, they might have come back the next day and talked to someone during the day shift." He shrugs, "if they saw they video they probably would have had to talk to the manager, he's the only one with access to the footage. He's on his lunch break now - should be back in an hour or so."

[Chrome Head]

Amy and Overkill, Stuffer Shack, East 47th Street, 11:30 AM, July 30th, 2075

"All right, thanks." Amy turns to Overkill to see if he has anything he wants to add before leaving.

[Always Overkill]

Amy and Overkill, Stuffer Shack, East 47th Street, 11:32 AM, July 30th, 2075


Impressed with Amy's thorough questioning, Drave kept his closing brief.

"Thank you for all your help, Steve, we will be back to have a few words with your manager, and I will be sure to pass along how helpful and professional you were in assisting me and my associate." he said with a grin towards his partner.

Drave then led the way out of the Stuffer Shack.

[Always Overkill]

Amy and Overkill, Stuffer Shack, East 47th Street, 11:34 AM, July 30th, 2075

When they had walked out of the Stuffer Shack, Drave looked over to Amy with pride, "Your performance was Wunderbar, Meine Liebling. If the kid had the access, you could probably have gotten him to just show us the footage. Lets hope we have as much luck when the manager returns. In any case, we have an hour to burn until then. Would you like to take a ride over to the Officer Manuel place? We could see if any of his neighbors saw the shooting, or noticed any suspicious figures casing the Officer's home that day."

Drave led the way to his Falke as he waited for Amy's reply.

[Chrome Head]

Amy and Overkill, Stuffer Shack, East 47th Street, 11:34 AM, July 30th, 2075

"Thanks, I'm doing my best. Yeah, I think we should return later too, and why not check out another crime scene in the meantime. I was thinking about how easy it is for us to get those camera feeds after the fact. Wouldn't it be just as easy for someone else to find out about us? Is there a way to avoid that?" Amy was getting the hang of being a runner. Growing up on the street in the very worst part of town amongst the very worst people had prepared her for it.

[Always Overkill]

Amy and Overkill, Stuffer Shack, East 47th Street, 11:34 AM, July 30th, 2075

Drave pulled out his e-cig and took a few puffs while listening to Amy's concerns.

"I could hack into the building's Host, locate the security footage of our time there, and erase it. But remember, Hacking always comes with risks, whether it is having Lone Star or the GOD squad alerted to your location, or tripping a Databomb like the one I found yesterday that could have blown out my cerebral cortex, essentially leaving me brain-dead, or just dead period. You have a very good point though, it would not be hard for someone to follow our trail. But unfortunately, we need to be exposed to conduct this investigation, and any Shadowrunner worth their salt will be able to trail the two elves, one Jugendlich und schön, and the other 6'3" and German, going around asking questions at the murder scenes of a number of Lone Star Officers."

He helped Amy onto the back of his Falke and prepared to head to Manuel's place before finishing. "But I can go in and delete the footage if it would make you feel more comfortable."

He powered up his motorcycle while waiting to see if Amy had anything else to say.

[Chrome Head]

Amy and Overkill, Stuffer Shack, East 47th Street, 11:36 AM, July 30th, 2075

Amy is attentive to Overkill's explanations and nods understanding. She hops on the bike behind him. "You're right, I'm probably worrying for nothing. I still think we're gonna have to stay really careful when we get closer to the real conspiracy. They've killed a lot of people that were less nosy than we are. For now, I just think they don't know about us. But if we're this easy to track, we better make damn sure we get to them before they get to us."

[Lobo0705]

Amy and Overkill, Manuel residence, Leyden Street, 12:05 PM, July 30th, 2075

Continuing their drive around the UCAS Zone, Amy and Overkill arrive at a quiet neighborhood. Children are playing in the street, and Overkill playfully kicks an errant soccer ball back to one of them. The children smile and wave, and go back to their game.

The home of Officer Manuel is a nice bi-level, the exterior brick and stucco, with a rock garden and a screened in porch on the side. A large sign in the front proclaims "For Sale" by Whitney Real Estate, both in the physical and virtual world.

There is a child's bike in the driveway, and a swingset visible in the back yard. The first thing that catches there attention is the large bay window in the front, a piece of duct tape over a section of the glass.

[Chrome Head]

Amy and Overkill, Manuel residence, Leyden Street, 12:05 PM, July 30th, 2075

Amy takes a good look around in the astral and then comes back to her naturally excellent sight to look for any details that might be of interest. As usual, she looks for any obvious cameras on nearby buildings. "I'm not sure what we'll be able to find out around here. Should we knock on doors and ask if someone witnessed anything on the day of the murder?"

[Always Overkill]

Amy and Overkill, Manuel residence, Leyden Street, 12:05 PM, July 30th, 2075


Drave looked over the house, noticing the bike in the driveway and toys strewn all over the backyard. "We need to be careful. It looks like the widow may be at home, and one of those kids over there could be Manuel's. Questioning the widow of a slain Officer is far different than a regular witness, she knows things about procedure that we probably do not. We can't even use the same cover story; we couldn't have been hired by her family, now could we?"

Drave glanced around towards the kids playing football, or as Americans strangely called it; "Soccer." and sighed. "Sadly we don't have a choice, if that is his kid over there, he has noticed us and would think it strange if we just left now only to come back later. Don't have any doubts, we will have to be at our best, but if you keep your head in the game, I believe your performance will be Ausgezeichnet."


"Your pseudonym will be Ms. Bell when we get inside, I will lead us into the questioning, but don't hesitate to speak up and ask a few yourself. You may think of something I do not inquire about. Just keep your wits about you." And before leading the way towards the door of the Manuel residence, Drave turned and added, "Don't forget, when we are in there, my name is Heinrich. We tell the lady that we are investigating the murder of Officer Samantha Jackson, and turned up a lead that brought us to Manuel's murder."

As Drave led the way up to the he turned and asked Amy, "Any other questions, Ms. Bell?"

[Chrome Head]

Amy and Overkill, Manuel residence, Leyden Street, 12:05 PM, July 30th, 2075

"No I think I'm good, I think I got it. I'll follow your lead, Mr. Heinrich," Amy says with an amused look.

[Lobo0705]

Amy and Overkill, Manuel residence, Leyden Street, 12:05 PM, July 30th, 2075

Amy and Overkill walk up the front walk to the door, and Overkill rings the doorbell.

After a minute or so, the door opens a crack, and a young hispanic woman opens the door a crack before saying, "Viewings of the house are by appointment only."

[Always Overkill]

Amy and Overkill, Manuel residence, Leyden Street, 12:05 PM, July 30th, 2075


After the woman answered the door, it took Drave only a second to think Nanny, and quickly responded.

"Actually we are not here to see the house; but is Mrs. Manuel available? We were hoping to have a word with her."

[Lobo0705]

Amy and Overkill, Manuel residence, Leyden Street, 12:07 PM, July 30th, 2075


"I am, Mrs. Manuel.". Her voice turns suspicious. "What do you want?"

[Always Overkill]

Amy and Overkill, Manuel residence, Leyden Street, 12:07 PM, July 30th, 2075



Drave made sure to straighten himself up when he realized this was Mrs. Manuel. "Guten Tag, my apologies for disturbing you, but we were hoping to ask you a few questions about your late husbands death. My name is Heinrich, my associate here is Ms. Bell, and we are Private Investigators looking in to the murder of Officer Samantha Jackson. Our investigation has lead us to Mr. Manuel's shooting and it would be invaluable if we might inquire to you about some of the details surrounding that day's tragic events."

[Lobo0705]

Amy and Overkill, Manuel residence, Leyden Street, 12:07 PM, July 30th, 2075

The woman's face stiffens as she listens to Overkill. "I don't know anything about that. If you aren't here to buy the house, then please leave."

[Always Overkill]

Amy and Overkill, Manuel residence, Leyden Street, 12:07 PM, July 30th, 2075


"Sorry for disturbing you, Mrs. Manuel. If you change your mind, please don't hesitate to call." Drave handed her a card with a commcode on it. "You have our deepest sympathies for your loss."

Looking over at Amy with a disappointed shrug, Drave began walking back towards his motorcycle.

[Chrome Head]

Amy and Overkill, Manuel residence, Leyden Street, 12:07 PM, July 30th, 2075

While Overkill is responding to Mrs. Manuel, Amy decides that she's unhappy with her answer and that she can do something to change her mind. Trying to be subtle about it, she silently reaches a spiritual focus centred on this woman's mind and ... finally decides against intervening in a way that would leave that woman feeling abused. Amy decides to keep that option as a last resort, for their next visit if all else fails.

Walking back towards the bike, Amy whispers to Overkill under her breath "You know, I could have made her talk..."

[Always Overkill]

Amy and Overkill, Manuel residence, Leyden Street, 12:08 PM, July 30th, 2075

Drave nodded to Amy as they began to walk away from the house, "I know, Meine Liebling. But that lady has been through enough already. The last thing she needs is to worry about strange people showing up on her door and using magic to control her mind. And you should know better than I that using magic can pose just as many risks as hacking in the Matrix."

"Besides," Drave put a reassuring hand on Amy's shoulder, "We have other leads we can follow, even in this neighborhood. Some of those kids parents have to be home. And we can always have Jack and Grease make an appointment to see the house when they get back from the Hub."

[Chrome Head]

Amy nods, "that's a good idea. They can come back here this way. I'll see what I can learn from the kids."

She turns her attention to the group of kids playing soccer. Rich kids in a rich neighborhood that wasn't used to this kind of violence. She walks in their direction, smiles, and waits for a natural pause in the game. When she has their attention, she asks "Are your parents home?" In the case that one answers with a positive answer, she further asks "And which house is your house?"

[Lobo0705]

Amy and Overkill, Leyden Street, 12:10 PM, July 30th, 2075

As Amy approaches the kids, they stop their game and look up. One of the older boys, around 14, puts his foot on top of the ball to keep it from rolling, and says "Nah, they're all at work." He looks at the two adults, and motions with his head for some of the smaller kids to get behind him.

"Who are you?" He pulls out a commlink from his pocket, not dialing anything yet, but leaving it in his hand, ready for use.