The Found Arcana - Chapter 12 [IC] Options

[Tecumseh]

Mato follows the tracks all the way down to 168th. If it's far, he'll use his skimmers to hasten the process. When the dirt road meets the main road, he looks to see if the tracks curve left (suggesting a turn to the east) or if they curve right (which would imply a turn to the west).

Checking the mapsoft, Mato comms: <<168th has a lot of turnoffs. A lot of little side roads. If I can figure out which direction they went, maybe we can see if they passed a sensor. I'm concerned about false positives, since a 4x4 isn't exactly unique in these parts, but maybe we'll get lucky if we couple that with time of day and driving behaviors. They might be full of adrenaline, and thus have a heavy foot on the accelerator.>>

<<But if we get to a turnoff before we get to a sensor, then we're drek out of luck on this front.>>

[Jack_Spade]

Bobby sniffed around and took another look on the astral - outside in relatively unspoiled nature, he hoped for a better result. Maybe even a free spirit that could act as a witness.
The victim had to have tried to leave a clue, hadn't he?

When Mato started running, he followed in his canine form, enjoying the speed that his wolf guise gave him.

[ Spoiler ]

Perception smell: 17d6t5 4
Asessing: 10d6t5 4

<<We should try the spirit search with a strong watcher and focus on the staff - I still think they had inside knowledge to pull this off, without anyone noticing.>>

[Gilga]

>> Well, guys, the only thing I have is the number of restaurants he calls frequently. but digging through it feels too slow. I can probably call that number from his link and see what happens, but first, if you need a watcher, I'll do a watcher.


I feel that it is different to do the ritual alone without trouble, and I am very much the remainder of the limitations of my talent. I ask for Iktomi's blessing to resist the drain better and reach out to form a watcher, using a bunch of reagents to lower my drain. That baby spirit grew on me. My current creation, a wild dog-shaped watcher spirit, is functional, and I am not bleeding. Not unlike the previous time when I nearly knocked myself unconscious and came out with no watcher. I empty the canteen (a Govi) and let the spirit manifest. I always like watching how a full astral dog comes out of such a a small canteen...

out, "Thanks for coming, now go help Bobby find what he seeks." I say out of courtesy, though I can control it mentally. It feels more respectful to say it out loud.


>> The watcher is on your way and will follow your lead to a search. You will have to narrow the perimeter for the search. As it is far less observant than Raven's spirits.

[ Spoiler ]

First increase charisma:
Increase charisma: 12d6t5 2
Increase charisma drain: 13d6t5 5
Then to the ritual:
Watcher F5: 11d6t5 4
Watcher F5 resist: 10d6t5 2
drain resist: 13d6t5 3
We have an F5 watcher.

Now the watcher searches...
search power: 8d6t5 2
search power: 7d6t5 2
search power: 6d6t5 2
search power: 5d6t5 0
search power: 4d6t5 1

[Beta]

Tamarind feels that they are missing something -- but if she knew what, they wouldn't be missing it. So she keeps aerial watch of Mato and Bobby, as well as having a Kanmushi keep an eye on AM. Meanwhile she thinks, and watches, and hopes that something will come to her.

[ Spoiler ]

I hadn't come up with anything to post all week, but thought I should post something to let you all know I'm still alive and paying attention.

[Thanee]

Following the tracks to the main road isn't hard at all. There are some dirt stains, where the car entered the road, and it clearly turned towards the east. From there, it will be harder to follow, naturally.

Since the 168th is a major road, there are a lot of sensors for GridLink and traffic control. There should be plenty cameras along the way as well.

Bobby is looking around for clues, that the victim might have left, but cannot find anything. Judging from the video footage, it might be, that the target was unconscious, though, and unable to leave clues for that reason.

AM's watcher arrives at the scene as well, notifying Bobby about its presence. It seems unsure what to do beyond that.

[Jack_Spade]

Bobby sighed. It had been to much to hope for the victim to participate in its rescue.

When the Watcher appeared, he told it:
'Start a search for the disappeared man - AM can give you an image of him. Do this until you fail, than move four kilometers up the road and repeat, do this until you are told to stop.'

[Gilga]

Per Bobby's instruction I look at the picture of the mark again, memorize it and provides the most detailed mental image to the watcher. It is a lot of boring tidious work, but I don't think the construct would need any more feedback from me. Having suddenly feeling a bit idle I text.

>> Alright guys, watcher done. Commlink yields a specific restaurant called Marcel's in Denver. It got me suspicious because he don't just call there to eat. The rest of the stuff is private work stuff which I am unwilling to steal.

>>What is our next step? Do we want to play the hack the camera game on the likely escape route? see how far we can trace their car?

[Jack_Spade]

<<That's pretty much our best option right now. Hopefully, they haven't taken him far.>>

Bobby replied, already moving back to the compound.

[Tecumseh]

<<Agreed>> Mato comms in response to AM and Bobby. <<You want to come pick us up?>>

He sees the same thing - or lack of thing - that Bobby does.

"I still think it's possible that he's not a victim, and that this was a voluntary extraction," Mato says. "Easy to fake a death after kidnapping so that Ares stops looking for their rising star."

<<Let's break down the call log>> Mato suggests. <<See if he's calling during business hours.>>

If Mato gets the call logs he'll check to see if they are when the restaurant is open or not. He also checks to see if the restaurant has a Matrix presence. If so, he'll try to figure out what kind of restaurant it is (upscale, quick service, etc.) and whether they do take-out or delivery. It would be retro to call in an order instead of submitting one online, but maybe there's a host or hostess there that he was friendly with.

[Jack_Spade]

Bobby replied to Mato:
<<Possible, but why did they take him from his room then? Arranging for him to vanish while he was out on a stroll would have made the whole thing a lot safer for them. At the moment, I still think we are dealing with a genuine involuntary extraction. Which increases the chance that there is an insider on the farm that provided intel.
Though, we have to prioritize and try to follow the camera trail, before the data vanishes into the archives.>>

[Tecumseh]

<<Appearances>> Mato theorizes. <<Maybe part of the act is getting spotted.>>

<<I mean, why is this a risk worth taking? If the goal is to embarrass Falcone, why pick a target that antagonizes Ares too? That's just a recipe for drawing heat.>>

<<Maybe someone is settling an old score with Falcone, but I can think of less risky ways to do it. Perhaps the desire for revenge is clouding their thinking... or maybe it's a cover-up for something else.>>

[Thanee]

The watcher zips off and goes to work, it will be a while until there will be any results, though.

In the meantime, Mato takes a closer look at the call log. There are numerous calls to Marcel's. They are during the day, when the restaurant is open. Some are pretty short, some last a few minutes. All of the calls were initiated from Belenkiy's commlink, none from the restaurant. One thing that seems interesting, there are phases with several calls over the period of a few days, and then there are long periods with no calls at all, months even. The most recent calls date a few weeks back.

Like pretty much every business, Marcel's also has a Matrix presence. And not just some off-the-shelves display, but custom-made. It is an italian restaurant. Pretty mainstream from the looks of it. The one thing that is a little curious, there are a few pictures or short clips where you can see some of the waitstaff, not prominently in focus, more in the background, but every one of them seems to have some kind of body mod; heavily tattooed, flashy augmentations, or even more radical stuff that reqires some serious body modding. One waitress looks like a cat-girl - furry ears, tail, and everything. There are men and women on staff. All of them quite attractive in their own way. It is also noteworthy, that they are a little lighter on the clothing than what you would typically see in a normal restaurant. Not like an adult club or anything, but a tendency into that direction.

[Beta]

"Before we start hacking cameras at every turn off, let's look at likely travel speed and destination, given the starting point and all, and move beyond the first major junction and hit cameras there, see if it went through in the right sort of window. If yes, we can jump a ways further along. Only after we lose it does it make sense to start doing the fine steps." Of course, if they kidnappers are good enough to have changed vehicles, have a decoy, or any number of other tricks then the camera search likely won't help. But given the fairly cold trail it is still their best bet. "Speaking of likely destinations, it might seem way too obvious but maybe we should check cameras near that restaurant, in the right time frame for arrival if they drove straight there? Long shot, but, well, sometimes long shots land."

"As for willing, unwilling, or some grey-zone in the middle, it is doubtful that we have enough evidence to decide. Best to keep the whole array in mind."

[Gilga]

">> Perhaps it is a sex thing... Also I am with Tam on this one... can't rule out anything at this time. I can send my flying eye there, and identify anything hackable in the vicinity -and then we'll work on the local junctions."

[Tecumseh]

<<Tam, did you have any pulse on the underworld in Denver? Or do either of you know any Matrix spots that might give us some behind-the-scenes info on Marcel's, like Jackpoint or ShadowSea? Ostentatious enhancements and suggestive clothing suggest something of a fetish, and I associate establishments catering to fetishes with organized crime.>>

<<How late are they open? I can go say hello, maybe ask a few questions. If they're into body mods and flashy augmentations, I'm their man.>>

[Jack_Spade]

Once they were back at the complex, Bobby headed back for the room of their victim to change back.

"Alright, since we don't have any better lead right now, how about we go for some pizza. Even if it turns out to be a bust, I could do with some hot pizza in my belly."

[Gilga]

"I can do pizza... and I love body mods... "

[Tecumseh]

"Let's do it," Mato agrees. "Is it the same direction that the extraction team went? Maybe we can ping the cameras along the way."

[Thanee]

<<Monday Evening - 19:57 - May 15, 2079 - Marcel's, Stapleton, Denver>>

Marcel's is pretty much directly to the south from the ranch, but in a neighboring city district (Stapleton), about 20 km away.

Opening hours are fairly normal for a restaurant, from 11 am to 1 am.

It's sitting pretty close to the Aurora Warrens (a bit further south), which is about the equivalent of Redmond Barrens in Denver. Not exactly the best neighborhood.

Getting there is no problem, though. The restaurant itself is not in the best area, but also not the worst.

Inside Marcel's looks decent enough. It certainly is a bit of an odd mix with the waitstaff, but that seems to be what they are going for to stand out a bit. There is a bar and counter, behind it you can see parts of the kitchen, round tables with chairs make up the majority of the interior. Some areas seem to contain more private boothes at the side. There are a bunch of of large mirrors along the walls.

You can see three servers at the moment. Cat-girl is there in all her furry glory; she seems to be less augmented and more changed (from SURGE). She is wearing a cute tank top and very short shorts, and a lot of fur. No shoes, though, more like paws. There is one guy, tall and muscular with short, dark hair, topless wearing just a pair of worn-out jeans and heavy shoes. He has a large eagle with spread-out wings tattoo on his back, and very obvious and very chromed cyberarms. He has this slighty rugged look, and you could totally see him wrangling cows on a ranch. He does look pretty charming all things considered. The last one on wait duty is a cute elf girl with long, silver-blonde hair. She has half her right arm replaced with sleek, black cyberware, that has green lights running over it like little pulses. She also has some tattoos on the left shoulder and arm, as well as on one thigh and around the ankles, most of which give a bit of a technology vibe. Like the rest of them she is not wearing much, tiny plaid skirt and a crop top plus white sneakers.

There are a few patrons around. Pretty normal people, actually. Most look like average wage-slaves, getting some food and excitement before heading home. There is a small group of giggling teenagers, who all look a little bit too well-off for this area. At one table at the side, a heavily chromed and tattooed dwarf sits. He does appear like he is more watching than eating. Perceptive eyes can spot a handgun holstered underneath his black leather vest.

[Jack_Spade]

Bobby, back in human form entered the pizza place, looking around curiously - checking out the astral landscape as well.
Making a beeline for an empty table close to the kitchen, he also examined the armed dwarf, smiling and nodding at him when their eyes met.

<<Charming place. Could be the front for a fixer, with the dwarf acting as troubleshooter.>>

[ Spoiler ]

Perception: 15d6t5 5
Assensing: 12d6t5 2
Security Procedures: 9d6t5 2
Underworld: 9d6t5 2

[Gilga]

I take some time to as sense the crew and get the lay of the land. Being a bit timid, I... Want to go talk to the cowboy (common who wouldn't...) but the man is too topless for that. Not until I gather my courage, instead I try to understand what is the deal, and who answers the phone. I seat with Bobby and wait to see which one approaches us... or at least if there is any opening for a conversation given the serving stuff is working. I also look at the Trix icons present, and compare them with the call log from the hacked link. Perhaps our friend has contacted one of these stuff or servers directly rather than always calling the restaurant.

[ Spoiler ]

Order: Dwarf, cowboy, changeling, elf girl...
Assensing: 4#10d6t5 4 5 2 3


Matrix perception: 13d6t5 4
ahm, lets roll some knowledge skills.

Underworld: 8d6t5 3
Gangs: 8d6t5 4
popular culture: 8d6t5 2
Matrix Security: 11d6t5 2

[Beta]

The crew Tamarind had worked with in the Sioux had occasionally gone out together to places somewhat like this, but in the FRFZ they'd been mostly pretty sequestered, with runs into one of the cities mostly a matter of handling the final leg of deliveries and picking up supplies, if she'd been lucky maybe breakfast somewhere. So over a couple of years of working in the FRFZ she'd not built up much knowledge of it, and certainly this place had not been on her radar.

Which was a shame, because honestly there had been days where coming here and gently filling her eyes with the wait staff would have helped much of the stress melt away. Just because she wasn't looking for another relationship didn't mean that she didn't enjoy some consensual watching of people who were showing off.

Although the dwarf was a different issue. He could just be the bouncer, but his vibe was more trouble than that. Tamarind murmured "I'm going to get eyes on the back door."

She reached out to Auntie 2, currently loaded in the drone rack on the truck, and told it to prepare to fly. Then she asked the truck to launch it. She imagined the sight, the small sphere launching out, starting to fall, then swiveling on its jet to stop its momentum and fight gravity until it was bobbing beside the truck. Then she sent it up, up, up, a good ten metres above the building where it could get a reasonable aerial view. After a quick look at that view Tamarind commanded it to the most likely angle to see a back door to the kitchen, and failing that a side door. Once finding a door she has the drone assume a lower position with better angle to see anyone going in or out of the door, while not hovering in too obvious of a place. If this place is doing business out the back, that could explain the dwarf's presence. And possibly tie into why they are here.

"Sorry that I didn't really build connections when I was here. A little bit that they were too paranoid to let us socialize much, and a fair bit that I was sulking about being sent here by Captain Razak. I wasn't even able to get him all that much information. A couple of wasted years, mostly. But hopefully we'll do more good in a few days."

[Thanee]

The dwarf gives a slow nod back towards Bobby with a fairly serious face.

Astral space does not show anything out of the ordinary. You do not see any active magic. The wait staff seems to enjoy themselves. AM takes a closer look at them. The dwarf is heavily augmented, Essence essentially non-existant. The 'ware is definitely combat-oriented. Souped-up reflexes, muscles, a bit of headware. There is some bioware in the mix as well.

The cowboy has lost about half of his Essence, most of which to the pair of cyberarms, and there is some other bodyware, but that's about it. The changeling is not augmented, but you can see the traces of SURGE in the aura. The elf also has quite a bit of cyberware, mostly headware along with the obvious lower arm replacement.

On the Matrix side, AM can quickly determine that the LTG called from Belenkiy's 'link is the one from the restaurant itself. She also notices, that the Matrix security at this place is exceptionally high. Definitely not what you would normally expect in a restaurant. She also notices, that there is some attention focused on her own commlink. Not an attempt to hack it, but definitely checking it out on the Matrix side.

Tamarind's drone zips around the building to check on the back door. There is one, leading most likely into the kitchen or a storage area connected to it. Not much is going on there at the moment, but the drone keeps a close "eye" on the area.

The menu is mostly italian, pasta, pizza, mediterranean food, but they also have typical mexican dishes. There is fish and meat, some of the food marked as real, which the price tag also heavily reflects. You are pretty sure, that is what the teenagers are having, but you are also fairly sure they are not here mainly for the food. Overall, the prices are pretty reasonable. And what you can see on the other tables does look good.

Looking around, you definitely get the impression that the dwarf belongs to the restaurant. There are the occasional looks and subtle gestures exchanged with the waiter and waitresses. The elf is behind the counter, preparing some drinks, while the cowboy comes to your table with a big smile.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to Marcel's. What can we do for you?"

Despite the distraction, you can see that the elf is exchanging some looks with the dwarf from behind the counter and nods towards your table, making him aware of something there.

[Jack_Spade]

Bobby smiled a hungry smile: "I'll take a quattro stagioni with real cheese, please. And a large water, filtered or spring, whatever you have. And tiramisu afterwards. Haven't had a good one for a long time now."

Waiting for the others to finish ordering, he asked: "Do you delivery too and if so, how far out?"

[Beta]

A quick glance at the AR menu and Tamarind asks for the egg plant parmigiana made with soy cheese. Still expensive enough due to the real vegetables, but much cheaper than something with authentic meat or cheese. She tells the waiter "I had this once a few years ago, somewhere else, and really enjoyed it. Funny name for a vegetable, but it was tasty, so I was happy to see it on your menu. Now that I've ordered, you can tell me, did I make a good choice? I hope I won't be stressing out the cook too much? I haven't actually eaten at real italian restaurants much, I'm sure you can tell."