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

[Always Overkill]

Amy and Overkill, Stuffer Shack, 12:37 PM, July 30th, 2075


"Oh I understand all about troublesome kids," Drave replied with a satisfied smile that he kept unexpressed. He then grew curious about what they had done to the camera, perhaps it was still functional and just not getting the proper connection with the Host. "I could take a look at the camera for you if you would like, see what they fragged up on it."

Drave scanned through the files the manager had given them along with the security footage, and decided to ask for his thoughts on it. "What kind of investigation did Lone Star do on the shooting?"

[Lobo0705]

Amy and Overkill, Stuffer Shack, 12:38 PM, July 30th, 2075


"Lone Star came and asked questions of me the next day," the manager looks a little confused for a moment, and seems unsure of himself, "but certainly that is something for the police to handle yes? I suppose you could go ask them for a copy of their report."

He scratches his head for a moment, and then says, "If you will excuse me, I was in the middle of doing inventory. Have great day." He moves to the back of the store, occasionally throwing a puzzled glance back in their direction.

[Always Overkill]

Amy and Overkill, Stuffer Shack, 12:38 PM, July 30th, 2075

Drave was surprised by the manager's sudden change in demeanor, but quickly realized whatever magic Amy had used on him must have worn off. "Thank you for your help, sir; and good luck with your inventory," was all he said before leading the way out of the Stuffer Shack, careful not to draw too much more scrutiny as the manager tried to figure out what just happened.

Once the two were safely outside the Stuffer Shack, Drave turned to Amy, thoroughly impressed by her handiwork, and said, "I don't know what your spirits did to him, but you need to thank them for me. That was a wunderbar performance, Meine Liebling," he exclaimed, sweeping Amy off her feet and onto the back of his motorcycle.

As he got onto the Falke himself, he turned back towards her and asked "Where to now?"

[DrZaius]

Rita's, UCAS Hub, 1:02 PM, July 30th, 2075

Visibly annoyed at the message from the lawyer, Grease looks up at Jack. "No go on Sanders; she lawyered up." That's odd; I wonder what she knows...

Grease pens a response to the lawyer that leaves open the possibility of Sanders contacting them directly.

<<@Dakak: Mr. Dakak, please inform Ms. Sanders that given the sensitive nature and speed of our investigation, we are unable to go through more formal channels, and would prefer this discussion to take place off the record. Considering your involvement, we are of the opinion that is not likely to be possible in the time frame we are hoping to work this case; any murder investigation goes more stale with each passing hour after the fact. Please let Ms. Sanders know if she wishes to step forward with any information we would appreciate her contacting us directly.>>

"Well, that's a bust. There's no way we can get into CAS and question her directly with a lawyer there; I'm good, but I'm not THAT good. And, all kidding aside, international kidnapping is a bit much for something that's just a hunch of mine right now."

Frowning, Jack nods. "Well, the Lawyer is probably going to call her. Maybe we could trace the call or something, get a fix on her."

Grease nods at Jack's suggestion. "Yeah, it seems fishy to me that she isn't being more helpful; she seemed pretty dismayed at the time. I'll send Overkill a message, see what he can do. In the meantime, do you want to head back and take a run at the Manuel case?" Grease looks up and down at Jack in a fashion that makes him uncomfortable. "What you're wearing is... fine."

<<@Team [Grease]: No go on the girlfriend; she's in CAS and won't come to see us without a lawyer. Overkill; could you put a bug on his phone and figure out Sander's commcode? We could maybe trace her movements that way, and get one of my drones across the border to keep an eye on her, see if she does anything suspicious. Might also be able to sneak it into her apartment while she's at work.>>

[Chrome Head]

Amy and Overkill, Stuffer Shack, 12:38 PM, July 30th, 2075

Before leaving the store, Amy stays just a few more seconds just standing there, staring at nothing in particular, lagging behind Overkill. Actually, she is using a sight that requires no eyes to work, which explains the blank look on her face.

Wow, that was a big messy trace she was leaving behind in the spiritual world. She had better clean that up before leaving, as Hubert has taught her to do, especially out here in the open. Within a few seconds she has wiped everything clean. This area had such a calm background, it was quite refreshing to work in this environment, as compared to the Warrens. Since she was astrally looking in the direction of the manager, she also inspected his aura before leaving.

She then caught up with Overkill and walked outside. "Yeah it makes things pretty easy, but it never takes very long before the person snaps out of it. It's really subtle too, he has no idea what just happened there." She smiles. "And don't worry, I'll never use this on you," the shaman adds jokingly. "You're already very protective of me as it is."

"For now I'd just drive away from here, then we can start thinking about how to find out more about our ex-military assassin."

[Jack VII]

Rita's, UCAS Hub, 1:02 PM, July 30th, 2075

Jack cocked his head at Grease's last comment. Considering he and the elf were wearing the same brand and cut of suit, if not the same color, he wasn't quite sure what the elf was implying. I wonder if he's on the junk again...

"If Sanders is a bust, we might as well get the frag out of here and catch the Temp. I'd willing to make a go at Manuel. Sounds like the other crew struck out there, so we probably should play this one carefully. Just a head's up, I've got a meet at 1700..."

Jack stood up and waited for Grease to take a last sip of his drink before the two headed out the door.

[Always Overkill]

Amy and Overkill, on I-70, UCAS Zone, 12:42 PM, July 30th, 2075



As they drove down the highway towards the Warrens, Drave turned to Amy and said, "Care to grab a bite to eat?" , having just noticed another Stuffer Shack right next to the off-ramp. "I need to review all this new info and see what our next move should be. Perhaps Jackson's shooter is connected to this Lynx that unsere Freunde learned of from herr Argent."


After they had arrived at the Stuffer Shack and began to eat their prepackaged feasts, Drave noticed a message from Grease pop up in his AR. He read the contents with interest and quickly replied.

<<@Team: "Interesting, I wasn't expecting her to lawyer up. I will track down her and her lawyer's comms and prepare to set up the taps, and will check Ms. Sanders comm-logs when I carry them out to see if there she has made any contact with any unusual suspects of late. We have acquired security footage of the shooting of Officer Jackson, and I will be sending you copies of the vids as soon as I can review them more thoroughly. We will be stopping for lunch momentarily, and we should meet up upon your return from the Hub to decide our next moves. I will also begin the preliminary searches on Lynx and his crew, and see if Officer Jackson's shooter is connected to them.">>

[Always Overkill]

Double post, my mistake

[Chrome Head]

Amy and Overkill, Stuffer Shack, UCAS Zone, 12:50 PM, July 30th, 2075

"Yeah, I'm getting hungry." They stop at the Stuffer Shack and go grab so quick food. Amy opts for a bottle of NutriSoyMeal, which is as nourishing as it is tasteless. The pineapple flavored meal replacement is pretty gross, but it was still better than a lot of what Amy ended up eating on a weekly basis. Soon things would be better, with the money she will make with her new career. And life will be better for Sam as well.

Her thoughts going to her adoptive child, Amy contacts Kevin over the matrix to check in on the teenager and on Sam. <<@Amy [Kevin] You don't have to worry about us, we're doing just fine. Sam's out playing with Ram's kids, so no worries. Btw, water's out over here, think you could bring something to drink with you when you come home?>> is the reply she got from him.

Amy got back into the Stuffer Shack to buy a half-gallon of almond flavored SoyMilk and came back out, making the plastic container fit inside her sling bag. "So how are your searches coming along?" she asks Overkill, as she's taking another sip of the awful liquid that served as her lunch.

[Lobo0705]

Amy and Overkill, Stuffer Shack, UCAS Zone, 12:50 to 1:30 PM, July 30th, 2075

Amy and Overkill passed the time eating, but not much talking got done. Overkill found the process of tracing the numbers too distracting for normal conversation, and Amy understood that the decker needed some time without distraction from the meat world to complete his task.


<<Overkill stepped from grid to grid, from the public grid with its virtual trash of icons, spam, and advertisments, over to the UCAS grid, cleaner, more modern, although with a firm western theme. He realized that it would be difficult to find Dakak and Sanders phones, since they were on the CAS grid. Gritting his teeth against the extra noise, he and his agent sent their probes deep through the Matrix, searching for the icon associated with the commcodes for Dakak and Sanders.>>

Overkill used the time waiting to eat, to make sure he took care of his meat body - without which his virtual one would cease to function.

<<Eventually, the probes came back, the ones sent to find Dakad with an almost mournful beeping, but the probe sent to find Sander's commlink chirped excitedly. Petting the little sphere on the head, Overkill flew to the icon, and slowly paced around it, looking for weaknesses. When he found one, he extended his hand, manipulating the code into a skeleton key, which he slowly pushed into the commlink's icon. Popping it open, he briefly scanned through the files, selected the one that he needed, and appropriated it for later, his book and quill working quickly and efficiently to copy it to his files. With a quick wave and a wink, he bid goodbye to the virtual world, and pushed his senses back to those around his physical body.>>

"I was able to get Sanders' call log - let's see where Grease and Jack are now."

<<@Team[Overkill] I wasn't able to find Dakak, but I have Sanders' call log. Are you almost here?>>

[Jack VII]

Templeton Air Taxi Terminal, UCAS Hub Sector, 1:30 PM, July 30th, 2075

The New Message icon on Jack's image link blinked red and danced around, denoting he had received a message from one of the other members of the team. Calling up the message, he read Overkill's message. He typed out a quick response while clearing security.

<<@Team [JustJack] Good work, you two. We're about to board and should be wheels down in about 10 to 15. Meet-up at the Rusty?>>

[DrZaius]

Templeton Air Taxi Terminal, UCAS Hub Sector, 1:30 PM, July 30th, 2075

As they fly over the CAS on the way home from the Hub, Grease tells Jack the play. Distractedly staring out the window, he lowers the tint on his glasses to protect against the glare from outside.

"It's pretty simple; we can probably just do a San Francisco Shuffle." Seeing Jack's blank stare back, Grease expands. "We pose as a couple, you and I. You get to be the gruffer of the pair, which I'm sure you'll appreciate. We act like we're interested in buying the house. I will be a sympathetic ear to the widow as I ask why she's interested in selling. In the meantime, you will be "checking the other bedrooms and bathrooms", i.e. snooping around and seeing if there's any other evidence around. I will be able to keep her distracted enough that you should have free reign. Plus, she should spill a decent amount to me if I play it right. This is actually a pretty ideal situation; you can snoop around almost without any interference."

Ideal? Glossing over his insensitive comment, Grease continues. "If you get caught elbow deep in a desk, just ask about "buying the furniture." Any questions?"

[Jack VII]

In the Air, CAS Sector, 1:40 PM, July 30th, 2075

"Oh... we're just going to act like we're gay? Frio. I was thinking the San Francisco Shuffle was going to involve Asians beating the drek out of us," Jack said as he came to terms with the plan. "Honestly, I get a lot of drek from some of the gangers about living with an old, male troll, so nothing new there. I'd normally feel a little strange about pulling this on a widow, but it's for her own good, she just doesn't know it yet. Just watch it with the PDA, I might get all en fuego and lose control. I doubt you want me to pop my handblade through your stomach."

Considering how deadpan Jack's comment was, it was difficult to tell if the ork was joking or not.

[Always Overkill]

Amy and Overkill, Stuffer Shack, UCAS Zone, 1:30 PM, July 30th, 2075


Finally done with his work and back in his meat suit, Drave looked over the message from Jack and responded.

<<@Jack: Very Well, Meine Fruend, we will meet you at the Rusty Barrel in about 15-20 minutes. Land safe.>>

After typing out the short reply, Drave looked over to Amy and said, "Looks like Jack and Grease will be back from the Hub momentarily, Jack wants us to meet them up at the Rusty Barrel in 15-20." Seeing Amy had finished with her NutriSoyMeal shake, he offered her a hand with her trash. "Sorry if that took a bit longer than I had planned, but I didn't figure in that I was hacking across into the CAS grid into my original estimates. It was a bit more complicated than I anticipated. Are you ready to head out and meet our comrades?" He then helped Amy to her feet and onto the back of his motorcycle.

[Lobo0705]

The Rusty Bar-rel, UCAS Zone, 1:55 PM, July 30th, 2075

The group was all together now, Amy and Overkill having arrived first and gotten a table, with Grease and Jack arriving shortly thereafter.

A brief round of catchup had been played, and the group was left to decide on their next move.

[DrZaius]

The Rusty Bar-rel, UCAS Zone, 1:55 PM, July 30th, 2075

Sipping his early afternoon beer, Grease nods to the other members of the group. "Well, we've had some hits and misses today. Being unable to talk to Sanders is a big loss in my opinion; I think she's acting cagey for a reason."

Turning to face Amy and Overkill, he asks, "Striking out on the Manuel widow was also too bad; I'm not sure that's anyone's fault, though. I think me and Jack have a plan to take another run at her, and see if she knows anything."

He takes a longer long pull. "Still, not a total loss by any stretch. We've got Argent's feed with a shot of one of the killers. He also turned us on to Lynx, and his hit crew. Amy and Overkill got that feed of another one of the shooters. It sounds like a number of these jobs may have been done by the same group. We find the group, we may be able to find who was paying them. After that, we're almost as good as paid!"

He gives one of his dumb grins, and finishes his thought. "So, Jack and me split briefly to go after Manuel. Other than that, and possibly following Sanders electronically or with a drone tail, what do we want to pursue next?"

[Jack VII]

The Rusty Bar-rel, UCAS Zone, 1:55 PM, July 30th, 2075

"We probably should give the lady a call first, since she told Amy and OK that viewing the house was appointment only, she might get a little supicious if we show up uninvited," Jack said, his beer momentarily untouched in front of him. He had been working through a few nicknames for Overkill, feeling a little weird calling the decker that in front of polite company, and had tentatively settled on OK. "Might set our timetable back a little, but I don't think we're going to have another shot at her, so we probably don't want to frag this one up."

"Also, I have a meet tonight at 5PM and need to head home and change first. Oh, speaking of... clothes, Amy?" Receiving the shopping bag from the young woman, Jack sifted through the bag and grunted contentedly. "Good work, comprador, sizes are right on the mark."

[DrZaius]

The Rusty Bar-rel, UCAS Zone, 1:55 PM, July 30th, 2075

"Simple enough."

After a quick data search, Grease sends out a commcode to the real estate agent.

<<@FirstChoiceRealty: Hello - I saw your listing (referenced here) and thought I had to take a look! The pictures online look fantastic, and it's priced very competitively. My partner can only get the next few hours off of work, would it be possible for us to stop by sometime soon to check it out in person? Thanks, I look forward to seeing it!>>

"I'm going to have to get some new burner comms, I don't want to kill off this SIN on simple stuff like this.. At any rate, hopefully that will be enticing enough they'll schedule a listing before your meet at 5. We can take my BMW, it will make them think we're wealthier and more likely to be buyers."

"Overkill; is there anyway you can scan the matrix and try to find this Lynx and his team? Maybe the same way we found Argent. It'd be risky to arrange a meet; but maybe we could do it someplace we'd have the upper hand, and snatch them."

[Chrome Head]

The Rusty Bar-rel, UCAS Zone, 1:58 PM, July 30th, 2075

When the leads were being listed, Amy pitches in. "Yeah, those are good. Don't forget also our lead regarding the pills and the Los Mags, too. It's another loose end that we might need to investigate. We've heard that Jackson had busted a guy for possession of pills the day before she was shot in the head at point-blank range."

"Your plan to go see the Manuel house is very good. I think we should all go with you, and stay behind for backup. Actually, yesterday made me realize that we should always stick together when we're on the job if possible, since our skills can really complement each other. While I was with Overkill, it became obvious that it's not clear to him exactly what I can accomplish. Maybe I should tell you more about what I can do with the help of the spirits and mother earth. Perhaps, I don't fully understand the scope of your abilities either," she says looking at all of them.

[Jack VII]

The Rusty Bar-rel, UCAS Zone, 1:59 PM, July 30th, 2075

"What you see is what you get. I'm basically here to try to keep you gringos intact when the lead starts flying. I've got a bit of cyber to help out with that and apparently basic military training. The only trick I've got up my sleeve is if we need a certain knowledge, skill, or ability that none of us have, I may be able to learn it if it's available on the open market." Jack said, tapping the skilljack located behind and below his left ear. "I'm wired for skills."

[Always Overkill]

The Rusty Bar-rel, UCAS Zone, 1:59 PM, July 30th, 2075

Drave listened to his crewmates' progress and thoughts on how to proceed. In response to Grease's inquiry Drave replied, "Indeed. I am already preparing to begin running searches on Lynx, his crew, and any possible connections they may have to any gangs or Lone Star. We have some really likely hits with the security footage from Newton and Jackson's murders, I would wager that at least one of the shooters from the vids has a link to Lynx and his crew. These will be some in depth searches, and I will wait until later this evening before I run them."

Drave took a drink before he continued, "I also managed to acquire the comm-logs from Ms. Sanders' comm-link," he said, transferring the files in his AR menu to the rest of the crew, "should let us see if she has made any unusual contacts or had any strange calls since the time of Officer Mitchell's murder. When you are ready to place your drone tail, Grease, I will be able to bring it up again for you. I have not yet had as much luck with the Lawyer, herr Dekak; hacking grids across the border into CAS territory is trickier than it sounds, but I should have more luck tonight when I try again."

Hearing Jack's comment, Drave added, "Nice Skilljack, Jack; is that an ECC model '73? Anyways, in the meantime, there are a couple scenes I would still like to hit for security footage. One, the Officer Hawthorne shooting, was at a Tasty Burger in Commerce City. Should be plenty of cameras on that one. The other, Officer Sylvia Wright, was gunned down while on patrol in the Dupont area, 3-4 shooters. Perhaps some of the street cams there caught something we could use, unlike those in the Warrens, they should be completely functional. Amy and I could check out one of the scenes while you and Grease are having your appointment with Mrs. Manuel. Probably Hawthorne's Tasty Burger first, then we can all meet up and head to Dupont and the scene of Officer Wright's shooting."

[Chrome Head]

The Rusty Bar-rel, UCAS Zone, 2:00 PM, July 30th, 2075

Amy looks disapprovingly at Overkill. "So you don't think that we should keep the team grouped? It seems a lot safer, and it gives more flexibility, more ways to get what we want. That's what you were saying about my going to the Los Mags yesterday, too."

[Jack VII]

The Rusty Bar-rel, UCAS Zone, 2:00 PM, July 30th, 2075

"Maybe?" Jack replied, shrugging noncommittally to Overkill's question.

The ork listened to the debate with some degree of interest. While he didn't think splitting up was necessarily a bad plan for dealing with this phase of the investigation, he did think that staying together as a group would become much more imporant as they got closer to Lynx's crew and uncovering the conspiracy. All he knew was that he hoped none of these plans were going to interfere with his meeting with Honeypot. Not only was it a terrible idea to stand your fence up, but Jack hoped the elf might have some insight into smuggling routes through the UCAS sector. He couldn't help but think that there was something important about many of the murders occurring so close to the Sioux Nations border.

[Always Overkill]

The Rusty Bar-rel, UCAS Zone, 2:00 PM, July 30th, 2075

Drave considered Amy's objections, and responded, "Well Officer Manuel's widow would probably recognize us, I figured we wouldn't want to just hang around outside while Jack and Grease go in. I agree we should stay together more at this point of the investigation, having half our team stuck in the Hub well out of range for back-up certainly put us at a disadvantage. Fortunately no one was able to take the opportunity we presented them with. But I was simply thinking on how we could cover more ground while waiting for Jack and Grease to finish with Mrs. Manuel."

[Chrome Head]

The Rusty Bar-rel, UCAS Zone, 2:00 PM, July 30th, 2075

Amy is hesitant. "Well y'all have more experience than me at this. If you think it's best to split, let's split. I was thinking that if Grease and Jack fail with Mrs. Manuel, I can serve as a back up plan, using my gift to change her mind, just like with the manager of the Stuffer Shack." Turning to the others, "what do you two think?"