The Found Arcana - Chapter 11 [IC] Options

[Jack_Spade]

"No. Once you become our source, you gain protection. I won't force you to do that - it has to be your choice. I'm just warning you, that things are in motion already. Once Corinne is in power, I bet the people behind her will clean house. The next time KE picks you up, you won't be let go. No need for anything dramatic like a vat of acid. Just an officer with a malfunctioning body cam and a report about a violent citizen and gun use in self defense.

Once your daughter wins, it's over for you.

And why should Corinne contact you? You never seem to have taken any steps to get back in contact. I can't blame you - you were constantly harassed by KE, you had no allies. I'm not pretending that we want to help you from the goodness of our heart. We are no charity. You have something to offer that we want. And we have something to offer that you want.

Right now Corrine has to think she was abandoned by you.
If you go now, that's how it will be forever. We are offering you a chance - just a chance - to live and reconnect and make sure she learns about your side of the story."

Bobby stepped aside. "Choose wisely. We'll report our findings either way."

[Gilga]

"What can I get for you, hon?"

I am surprised when they have a waitress. I wondered where the AR menu is, but this feels so classy and old-fashioned. I order the clamp chowder because, well - if I can eat something real, it seems like an opportunity; home gardening has made me a bit of a princess regarding food. To Tamarind, I say, "I trust Bobby with this conversation, man to man. Men have intimacy with each other that we are not part of. Regardless, he is what you say... I say and then sigh.
...but it was a lot worse several months ago. " I frown at the dead end at the university . The university seems like a dead end unless we know what name to look for. She didn't attend with her father's name because she was adopted. If we think the current identity is recent, they must have made a new one.

[Tecumseh]

<<Tuesday Noon - 12:34 - April 11, 2079 - SIS HQ - Redmond>>

"Why would I reach out to her??" Dennis asks, giving Bobby a look like he just doesn't get it. "I gave her up to free her from this." He gestures to your surroundings, which you take to mean Touristville and/or Redmond as a whole.

"Why would I reestablish contact? To drag her back into the crab bucket? No, I made my sacrifice. Now it's my job to make sure it was worthwhile."

He sneers at the suggestion that Corinne would feel abandoned. "She was old enough to understand. She recognized the opportunity. She was smart then; she's smart now."

The only thing that stops him from walking straight out is the mention of protection.

"Protection? What kind of protection? Like witness protection, new life, new identity, all that?" The tone of his voice makes it seem like the possibility is appealing.

[Jack_Spade]

"Get your story straight. Did they take her from you or did you give her away. I'll have to make a call to strike a deal for you. But only if you tell me the whole story - and truth only please. No exaggerations and no self pity. I'll prepare you a fresh cup - try to clean up the mess in the mean time."

With that, Bobby thrust a bunch of napkins at Dennis while he went into the kitchen.

<<I'm going to call our employer - Dennis is interested in a relocation with better living opportunities. I might have over emphasized in how much danger he is. But considering what he represents, there is certainly some danger to his life.

Anyone disagree about that course of action?>>

[Tecumseh]

<<Tuesday Noon - 12:35 - April 11, 2079 - SIS HQ - Redmond>>

Dennis throws the napkins on the ground.

"Clean it up yourself. Until you have a deal to offer, then I'm the only one who has something of value.

"You know where to find me."

He will leave unless physically restrained.

[Jack_Spade]

"No wonder you can't hold a job with that attitude. Sit your hoop down. I already have our conversation recorded. No skin of my nose if you want to be gunned down outside. I'm getting paid either way. But if you play nice I'll go to the effort to make deal in your favor. Piss me off and we'll just hand over what we have so far, without any protection for you.

I have a soft spot for the downtrodden, but not for the willfully stupid."

Bobby had enough with the idiot. Didn't the man understand what source protection was?

[Tecumseh]

Dennis leaves.

[Gilga]

>> I agree, our employer would at least want the opportunity to decide if to provide him protection.

[Jack_Spade]

Bobby composed a message to the mayor while following Dennis with his gaze.

<<Greetings.
We have uncovered evidence about Potter's true heritage - her biological father. The material we have now is enough to dispute her claim that her parents died in the Crash 2.0 - though she could be referring to her adoptive parents, she was 13 when she was taken from her old family.

Would you want the biological father (her biological mother is deceased) to be protected? At the moment there is high risk he might be eradicated as a lose end.
If you value his ability to testify at a later date, we recommend offering him a kind of witness protection.

If informal recordings and database entries are enough for your purposes, we already can deliver what you need.

Please advice on your preferred solution.

Best regards

Robert Walker, Investigator at SIS>>

[Tecumseh]

<<Tuesday Noon - 12:45 - April 11, 2079 - SIS HQ - Redmond>>

It doesn't take too long for Bobby to receive a response, maybe 10 minutes.

<<Interesting. But perhaps not a scandal. A lie of omission on the candidate's part, but it's unclear whether the omission is nefarious or merely convenient. She has a tidy narrative and I doubt she wishes to disrupt it simply to be comprehensive.>>

<<Bring him in and we'll interview him. If there is a clear and present danger then relocation and protection can be arranged. But if he is in danger then one wonders why the loose end hasn't been tied off yet.>>

[Jack_Spade]

Bobby replied: <<We had to go to great lengths to obtain a DNA sample from Potter. Without it there would have been no connection. Now that we have used public databases, we can't guarantee that we haven't inadvertently tripped some alerts.
We'll ask him to come to a meeting.>>

Bobby sent to the team: <<Can someone come by and pick us up?>>

He then made his way out into rain - after cleaning up the mess - all the while grumbling over Dennis' a-holish behavior.

Heading for the bar, he looked for Dennis again, dropping a card with a handwritten note in front of him, before leaving again.

'Our employers are preparing to offer you witness protection - but first they want to meet you in person. This is a one time offer. Be at the office at 1345h sharp or don't.'

[Tecumseh]

<<Tuesday Noon - 12:45 - April 11, 2079 - Downfall - Redmond>>

Bobby returns to downfall. Steel Rat and Cyclone see him and immediately stand up. Bobby does not immediately see Dennis

Steel Rat is the middle-aged dwarf with a bushy beard and all dressed in denim. "You got a lot of nerve," he growls at Bobby. "Dennis told us what you tried to pull."

Cyclone is the middle-aged human human who has the barrel-chest of a dwarf. He also has a big beard, and a decided blue collar look to him, like a mechanic or a lumberjack. Between the two of them, they make a formidable wall.

Cyclone points at the note. "What are we doing, passing notes now? What is this, middle school? That better be an apology or an offer, sealed with a kiss."

"Dennis can't read," Steel Rat adds. "What's it say?"

[Jack_Spade]

Bobby stared at the two men. Finally he answered:

"I don't remember asking you a goddamn thing. So why do you think you can talk to me?"

He wasn't sure if Dennis couldn't read - possible in the sprawl - but if so, he could ask someone else to tell him.

"Get out of my way before I make you."

[ Spoiler ]

assensing: 12d6t5 3
assensing: 12d6t5 3

Assensing the two guys.
Using another two simple actions to attribute boost:
Body boost: 10d6t5 4
Agi boost: 10d6t5 3

Intimidate: 12d6t5 3

[Beta]

With a sigh Tamarind says to AM "So much for lunch, I'd better go provide wheels to Bobby. Get my lunch packed into a to-go box once it comes, will you? I'll get to eat it sooner or later. Sorry to leave you with the final slogging through things without me, I hope it doesn't take too much longer."


Meanwhile she's sending directions to her van on the closest place to pick her up. Then she'll head back to Touristville as efficiently as she can

[Tecumseh]

Bobby sees Cyclone returning his gaze on the astral.

They are both formidable but not Bobby's level (Magic 6). Cyclone, the taller one, looks like he might be some sort of street shaman. There's a talisman around his neck that glows green when Bobby assenses it. Steel Rat, the shorter one, has ki tattoos that glow bright blue on the astral.

Bobby sees Cyclone take a big gulp, perhaps intimidated by the prospect of going up against a powerful initiate. He's suddenly joined on the astral by a spirit of air (F6) that's clearly one of his summons.

Steel Rat is a dwarf, and like most dwarves he's stubborn. If Cyclone reflexively takes a step back, Steel Rat reflexively takes a step forward.

"Ha, that's rich!" he barks with laughter. "You really are world-class drekhead, just like Dennis said.

"Let me lay the situation out. This is our place, not yours, and we look after our own." This is true, and Bobby is reminded of the low background count that may favor the locals.

He juts his thumb over his shoulder to the troll bartender. "Toothpick there has a shotgun underneath the bar, a brand new Krime Boss that he's itching to use." The troll pulls out a terrifying shotgun custom-made for larger metahumans. It has a drum of extra rounds for extended firing.

"So we're giving you two options: you can leave by the door, or you can leave by the window."

[Gilga]

Not knowing about the drama Bobby is handling, I am surprised that Tamarind drives to pick them up rather than telling the car to go there and pilot it remotely while in Redmond. Maybe it is an age thing or a security thing. Perhaps it is an excuse to get out. I continue eating my dish without hurry, though it feels strange to be in a restaurant with an actual waitress and dine alone. I am suddenly trapped by my chowder, which takes a while to eat, so I take no particular hurry and enjoy my meal and the atmosphere. It is not like I have anything interesting to return to afterwards.

[Jack_Spade]

"And you two would go to war with me about me handing Dennis a hand written note? You are certainly loyal, but not particularly clever.
How unfortunate that you aren't wearing your brown pants today."
Bobby suddenly put back his head and roared like a tiger and a lion combined, making the transpex windows rattle.

[ Spoiler ]

Edge Kiai shout: 13d6h5 9

[Thanee]

"The tea sounds great, thanks!"

After taking a sip, Rachel ponders what to answer for a moment.

"What I do? Oh, a lot of things. A lot of research. Sometimes I get to travel even. Was down in the southern parts of the CAS recently, in fact. It's a lot of odd jobs, basically. But anything that puts food on the table, am I right?"

She will steer the conversation more towards harmless smalltalk, until it is time to get back to the archives and finish their task there.

As promised, she will pay for the food, and she won't take no for an answer.

[Tecumseh]

<<Tuesday Noon - 12:45 - April 11, 2079 - Printing Office - University of Washington>>

Stan tries to pay but Raven insists. She wins, because she is very convincing.

They walk back to the office together, where they meet up with AM.

Raven and AM conclude the last hour of their work. Their result: there is absolutely no evidence that Corinne Potter (or McDermott) graduated from the University of Washington between 2050 and 2069. There are some other folks with the surname of Potter and McDermott, but they are easily cross-referenced and confirmed to be different people.

It's possible that Potter attended UW but didn't graduate, but there's no evidence of that either. You've checked all the records that weren't wiped by Crash 2.0 and can't find a trace of her.


<<Tuesday Noon - 12:46 - April 11, 2079 - Downfall - Redmond>>

In the bar, all hell breaks lose.

A couple in the corner overturn their table in their haste to leave. Dishes and AlmostEgg go crashing to the ground. Soykaf spills everywhere.

Toothpick, the bartender, drops the shotgun. He runs through the swinging door to the kitchen so fast the door is knocked off one of its hinges.

Dennis blasts out of the bathroom and runs for the back door at top speed.

Cyclone and Steel Rat both cut and run. They spin and sprint for dear life, following Dennis' path.

Cyclone's spirit bobs on the astral, looking at Bobby curiously and contemplating him silently before turning and following its summoner.

[Jack_Spade]

Calmly, Bobby left the bar through the front. He had hoped, that Dennis wouldn't be in range, but he couldn't say that it hadn't been satisfying on a primal level. He still found it suspicious that Dennis had such high powered friends while being - for all relevant purposes - a waste of space and oxygen.

He went for an alley, got rid of the flats and turned into a crow. Dennis would hopefully have stopped running by now. He flew above looking for the man while making sure that his aura looked and felt like that of a mundane crow.

[Tecumseh]

Bobby turns into a crow and starts to circle the block.

It actually takes him a while to find Dennis, who is much further away than expected. Perhaps one of Cyclone's spirits assisted his escape.

Cyclone and Steel Rat are nowhere to be seen. Dennis is leaning against the corner of a building. At first he's dry heaving, but eventually it becomes wet heaving. He empties his guts into the alley.

Dennis wipes his mouth while he pants for breath. He scans the streets for Bobby in pursuit, but of course doesn't look up (and it wouldn't really matter even if he did).

He tries to run again, but it's clear he has a stitch in his side so it's really more of a fast limp. The cirrhosis probably isn't helping either.

[Jack_Spade]

Bobby closed stealthily, tipping the man's head slightly with his beak and pulling back up again. With the mental link established he sent Dennis his message:

'Relax. No-one's hunting you. Come 1345h to the entrance of the detective agency. A car will bring you to the people who can give you protection. Bobby won't be there. But you should if you know what's good for you.'

[ Spoiler ]

Body Boost: 10d6t5 4
Stealth: 9d6t5 4
Mental Link F2: 17d6t5 8

Drain Resist: 11d6t5 2
No Drain

[Tecumseh]

Dennis is a slow-moving target who is not expecting the contact, so tapping him is trivial.

Dennis yelps in pain or surprise or both. He swings his hands above and around his head like he's trying to ward away a bee or other bothersome insect. He has a look of genuine surprise as he stares up at the crow once it starts 'talking' to him.

Bobby can see the emotions roll through Dennis quickly: fear, confusion, curiosity, concern. He shakes his head rapidly, like a dog shaking off water. Perhaps he is trying to get the intrusive thoughts out of his head. He blinks rapidly, as if the blinking might wipe away the crow.

He starts to walk away, never breaking eye contact with Bobby. He runs into a lamppost, then another pedestrian, all the while looking up and over his shoulder. His aura is a muddled mess, but Bobby can confirm that the message got through.

[Jack_Spade]

Bobby flew back to the office and once inside returned to human form.
After that he went for a hot shower and pulled a new set of flats from the storage cupboard.

<<Slight complication with Dennis - his two friends just tried to stop me from handing him a message. I had to clear the room and inadvertently made Dennis afraid of me. So don't be surprised if I have to wear an illusion for the ride.>>
He them spent the next half hour cleaning up the conference room and securing the recording as well as the other information in a convenient data package.

[Gilga]

Frustrated by the lack of progress, I helped Raven share the findings about the organization's methods and the different databases, did some geek talk, and then apologize . "We need to get going... Thanks for the hospitality; perhaps I'll see you around, guys.". Well, perhaps if I had ever had a formal magical education. I allow myself a brief moment of fantasy and get a silly smile, imagining myself as a graduate student. Still a bit dreamy, I Look at Raven and explain "Tam took the car... but perhaps you want a ride on the Mirai?" I suggest. Riding with another passenger would make the race bike less agile, but I did not exactly expect to pass the speed limit. As cold as it is, riding a bike is just fun.