Nothing's Free in the Free Zone (IC), Adventure 2: A Dish Best Served Cold Options

[Chrome Head]

Old Pepsi Bottling Plant, CAS Zone, 10:01 AM, September 12, 2075

"And of course I have several non-lethal means of dealing with situations. Let's get going!"

Time for action!

As they are getting in the car, Snap sends a message using her trodes.

<<@Team [Snap] So what do we do once we're there? What is Huiqing going to tell his kid? In person or over 'links?>>

[PraetorGradivus]

Old Pepsi Bottling Plant, CAS Zone, 10:01 AM, September 12, 2075

<<@Team[Sisco] Simple really. We ask the kid to get in the van and when the guys who are watching him start shooting at us, we take them out without killing any kids. And hopefully, we're all richer at the end of this.>>

I'm sure Uncle Morty would have said it with more savoir faire but unfortunately I'm not Uncle Morty.

[Jack VII]

Old Pepsi Bottling Plant, CAS Zone, 10:01 AM, September 12, 2075

Jack frowned and said out loud, "We need to get eyes on the area. Then we can develop something like a plan. Mel, if you can get virtual eyes on both 'links, can you tell if anyone is listening in on them? It would be safest if our client contacts his son via commlink. Then we extract him. Possibly have our client tell his son to meet at a location using language that only they would know? Might help to eliminate some of the opposition if it isn't at the school."

[Chrome Head]

Old Pepsi Bottling Plant, CAS Zone, 10:01 AM, September 12, 2075

"That sounds good," agreed Snap, while painfully imagining how she would feel if she'd heard her own adoptive daughter had been injured -- or worse. I don't want to kill any children if we can help it.

"We wouldn't want to have a firefight at a school, and your idea might actually show us who's following Bai."

[Melpomene]

Old Pepsi Bottling Plant, CAS Zone, 10:01 AM, September 12, 2075

Mel nodded. "To bug a 'link, you need a MARK. If someone's MARKed the kid's 'link, I can Trace them. So yeah...the closer I can get to the 'link, the better."

[Lobo0705]

En route to Vandermay Academy, CAS Zone, 10:25 AM, September 12, 2075

It had been a quiet ride through the countryside. The team felt a little better after their rest, although they were tense about the trials to come. Huiquing had been quiet most of the trip, but as they approached Castle Rock, he spoke quietly to Mel in stilted English.

"Is it your wish I turn on my commlink now? Are you ready in case someone tries to trace it?" As Mel nods, and Huiquing begins to power it on, he continues, "Should I tell Bai that we will pick him up outside his dorm?"

As Mel hesitated a moment, thinking it over, Huiquing continued. "There is a gate and guard post at the entrance to the campus. Although I am not on the visitor list for today, they know me, and so we should not have a problem entering. Although I think we should keep the two women out of sight. You do not look like someone I am normally seen with, and might arouse suspicion."

[Lobo0705]

En route to Vandermay Academy, CAS Zone, 10:35 AM, September 12, 2075

Mel nodded an affirmative to Huiquing, for both the decision to meet Bai at his dorm as well as her staying out of sight. Although perfectly acceptable in the Warrens, Snap and Mel's appearance would be quite a shock in an upper-class boarding school. Pulling the Fly-Spy out of her pocket, she extended the cable from her datajack to the drone, plugging it into the underside of the abdomen. With a few seconds work, she had the icon Marked twice, and let it go, having it sit on her lap.

Snap, meanwhile, reached out for her own assistance, letting her consciousness wing through the Astral until she found what she was looking for, a lithe, willowy form floating along through the ether. At a quick word from her, the spirit turned, following her call back to the CAS, where it took up position floating about the car as it traveled through the town of Castle Rock.

Jack clambered over the back seat, his bulky form barely squeezing through as he began to change. He was focused on the task at hand, and did not blush as he removed his shirt, burn marks and knife and bullet wounds showing against his skin. Soon he was back into his tailored suit, looking every inch the respectable bodyguard.

Just outside Vandermay Academy, CAS Zone, 10:35 AM, September 12, 2075

The van pulled over to the side of the road, and Sisco rolled down the window enough for Mel's Fly Spy to float out and up into the clouds. Soon it began transmitting its signal back to the van, showing a vast campus with a football field, baseball diamond, multiple tennis courts, and buildings that screamed "expensive".

Mel quickly superimposed an ARO showing the location of Bai's commlink, approximately 1/2 mile from the entrance. The road they were heading down entered the campus via a guarded gate, with Knight Errant guards visible both in the guard shack and patrolling the campus.

[Lobo0705]

En route to Vandermay Academy, CAS Zone, 10:36 AM, September 12, 2075

Stepping out of the van, Snap gives a concerned look to Jack, not liking leaving him alone with Huiquing and Sisco. He seems alright, but we just met him. "Stay safe, we'll be here if you need us." The ork winks and adjusts his tie as Sisco wills the door shut with a mental command.

She and Mel quickly head off the road and into the brush, and the decker finding a reasonably comfortable stretch of ground beneath a tree. "I'll need you to watch my back Snap, I'm going in." Snap nods and looks around checking a nearby gully to see if anyone or anything is concealed within it. Settling down for a long wait, she reached out mentally to the spirits she had summoned, deriving a sense of comfort from the response from both of them.

[Lobo0705]

En route to Vandermay Academy, CAS Zone, 10:40 AM, September 12, 2075

As the van approached the gate, Sisco and Jack could hear Huquing speaking with Bai, the conversation almost, but not quite, too quick to follow along. Huiquing's voice never raised above a speaking tone, but they could hear the urgency in it. After a moment, he hung up, and said, "Bai will meet us outside his dorm. I will do the talking at the gate."

The van pulled up outside the gatehouse, a building constructed of stone and marble, the design aesthetic of the 19th century clashing slightly with the security concerns of the 21st. A Knight Errant security guard exited the building, and Sisco rolled the window down. " Good morning sir, who are you here to see please?"

"My son, Chen Bai." With a gesture, he transmitted his SIN to the guard, who looked it over. The seconds ticked by, and it seemed like forever before the guard seemed satisfied.

He looked at Sisco, who gave a friendly smile, and then turned to Huiquing and said, "Ok, Mr. Chen. Do you know the way?" Huiquing nodded, and the officer made a simple gesture to open the gate, "Your son seems very popular, you are the third person to sign in to see him today." With a brief smile, he waved them through, and began to walk back to the gatehouse.

Side of the road, 2 miles from Vandermay Academy, CAS Zone, 10:40 AM, September 12, 2075

<Mel soared through the Matrix, shedding the confines of the public grid and stepping onto the local one. Although unfamiliar, it was still leaps and bounds better, the digital static much more subdued. She quickly located the Vandermay Host, which appeared as a railway station with a single large passenger train in the terminal. She pulled out her viola, and after a surprisingly difficult hack, managed to affiix a single clef note onto the wall of the terminal. Stepping inside, she felt her icon tremble as the sculpted system took hold of her. She looked down at herself and swore violently under her breath. floating along the ground until she found a mirror-like surface, she studied the long, floral dress and bonnet she now wore. Gritting her teeth, she proceeded to look around at the various other personas in the train station, similarly attired. The things I do for money...>

[PraetorGradivus]

Turning to Huiquing, Sisco says "Dàoqiàn. Wǒ yào wèn zūnguì de xiānshēng: Jù nǐ suǒ zhī, nǐ de érzi jiāng bù huì cānyù zhè yī yīnmóu? Tóngyàng, wǒ duì zhège wèntí biǎoshì qiànyì."

[Lobo0705]

Vandermay Academy, CAS Zone, 10:41 AM, September 12, 2075

To his credit, Huiquing does not answer immediately. He takes a moment to consider, then says, "Wǒ bù zhème rènwéi, wǒ rèqiè xīwàng bù huì. Wǒ yīzhí yǔ bái de guānxì hěn hǎo, wǒ bù zhīdào shénme huì dǎozhì tā dǎkāile wǒ. Rúguǒ nǐ zhèngzài xúnzhǎo yīgè dānbǎo suīrán, wǒ bùnéng gěi nǐ."

[PraetorGradivus]

Uncle Morty would say that at least he's an honest crook. Well, good enough for me.

<<@Team[Sisco] Going in now. Mel/Snap, looks like we're heading into a hostage situation>>

Sisco stays in the meat world as he drives through the gate and towards the dorm.

[Lobo0705]

Vandermay Academy, CAS Zone, 10:42 AM, September 12, 2075

Mr. T moved up the stately avenues of the campus slowly, watching as students wandered about, each dressed in clothing that cost as much as most families earned in a month. The vast majority were human, but a couple of elves could be seen, as well as single dwarf. So, we aren't exactly going to be inconspicuous. Great.

<<Mel moved through the train station, the host packed with other personas. The majority were dressed as she was, males and females in traditional 19th century clothing. Others that she assumed were faculty, were dressed in tuxedos, and moved through the area with studied indifference to the milling throng around them. Finally, there were a series of train employees, dressed in uniform. She pulled out her violin, and found that it had been replaced by a pair of knitting needles. Shrugging, she spun one around her fingers, and proceeded to tap out a rhythm on the wall of the station. The data flowed out from her, seeking the commlink she knew to be Bai's. Once she had found it, her rhythm changed, becoming more insistent, and she Marked the teen's 'link so she could keep tabs on it. As a guard passed by, she curtsied, or at least did a passable imitation of one, and then continued to search for anything out of the ordinary.>>

Sisco pulled Mr. T up to the dorm, and Huiquing looked around. "I do not see him. Should I call him again?"

[Jack VII]

Vandermay Academy, CAS Zone, 10:42 AM, September 12, 2075

"Hold on..." Jack said from the rear of the van.

<<@Team [JustJack] Mel, can you get a lock on the kid's commlink? We need its location>>

[Melpomene]

Vandermay Academy, CAS Zone, 10:42 AM, September 12, 2075

<<@Team [Melpomene] I do. He's in the dorm. Exloading ARO overlays now. Also, his persona is in the Host as well. If he's here, perhaps that means he hasn't been taken yet. Unless there's an objection, I'm going to try to contact him directly in the Host.>>

<<Mel straightened her dress...

...why do I keep DOING that?...

...and walked forward, following her Trace, looking for Bai's persona.>>

[Lobo0705]

Vandermay Academy, CAS Zone, 10:42 AM, September 12, 2075

<<Mel moved with more purpose now, the notes of music getting stronger as she got closer to Bai's persona. She had to brush uncomfortably close by one of the stewards as she boarded the train, but the soulless eyes of the Patrol IC only glanced over her quickly and moved on. Sighing with relief, she walked down the train cars, wondering how much of the high-class, luxury fittings and amenities were historically accurate, and how many were dreamed up by the designers of the Host. Entering the dining car, she saw a young man in a suit, his young features handsome, sitting at one of the tables alone. The chirpings from her deck confirmed that this was the persona she was tracing.>>

[Melpomene]

Vandermay Academy, CAS Zone, 10:42 AM, September 12, 2075

<<@Team [Melpomene] I have found Bai's persona. He is alone, and seemingly not in peril. I'm going to talk to him, but I need him to trust me. Ask his father if he speaks English, and if so, is there something I can say to identify myself as a friend of his father. It needs to be something very convincing. Oh, and hurry. >>

[Jack VII]

Vandermay Academy, CAS Zone, 10:42 AM, September 12, 2075

Jack nodded as he read Mel's text. Turning to Huiquing, he asked, "We have located your son's commlink. We would like to contact him. Does he speak English? Also, can you think of anything that we could tell him that might get him to trust us?"

[Lobo0705]

Vandermay Academy, CAS Zone, 10:42 AM, September 12, 2075

Huiquing turns to Jack, leaning back over the seat to speak to the ork. "Yes, my son does speak English." He thinks for a moment. "Tell him I have sent you, and should he ask, tell him about the summer of his 10th birthday off of Menjangan Island, and how we swam next to a ray twice as big as he was."

[Jack VII]

Vandermay Academy, CAS Zone, 10:42 AM, September 12, 2075

Jack relayed what Huiquing told him and checked over his weapons, insuring they were only loaded with non-lethal rounds. Last thing I want to do is kill a kid in the crossfire...

[Melpomene]

Vandermay Academy, CAS Zone, 10:43 AM, September 12, 2075

<<Mel checked her surroundings one more time, straightened her dress, and moved across from Bai's table. "May I join you, young sir?">>

[Lobo0705]

Vandermay Academy, CAS Zone, 10:43 AM, September 12, 2075

<<The boy looked up at the sound of Mel's voice, the digital imagery that formed his face difficult to read. It was one of the things that made Matrix communication difficult, unless the person wanted to, their persona exhibited none of the usual micro-expressions you would get from a human face. Still, the boy was polite, actually standing up at the arrival of a woman, "Hello miss, please join me. Forgive me, but I do not recognize you." His politeness and formality were a throwback to a bygone era, one that made Mel feel out of place.>>

[Melpomene]

Vandermay Academy, CAS Zone, 10:43 AM, September 12, 2075

<<Mel did her best to act 'polite', slightly inclining her head at Bai's invitation. "My apologies for seeming abrupt, but we do not have much time. I, along with my compatriots, are currently with your father, and there has been significant trouble. He believes your life may be in danger, and has sent us to help get you away from the Academy."

She clears her throat, and removes her mask.

"Will you come with us?">>

[Lobo0705]

Vandermay Academy, CAS Zone, 10:43 AM, September 12, 2075

<<"I just spoke to my father, he is to meet me on campus in a few minutes. Not to be rude, but how do I know I can trust you?" The placid demeanor of the late 19th century gentleman remains undisturbed, the digital signals bereft of intonation and emotion. Mel glances around the room, wondering if anyone else here could be infiltrating the host as well.>>

[Jack VII]

Vandermay Academy, CAS Zone, 10:43 AM, September 12, 2075

"While Mel's doing her thing, I'm going to start heading to meet up with Bai. Sisco, can you guard Huiquing and keep the motor running?" Jack asked, pausing before opening the door.