The Found Arcana - Chapter 12 [IC] Options

[Gilga]

I have made slower progress with the pizza and a lot of progress with the water. It is nice, but I feel the frustration of not having a plan and just winging it, hoping for Lady Luck to show her pretty face. What can I say? I like it when things are orderly, and this gig just seems so chaotic. Then I realize that the guys are planning to use shape-changing to visit a talismonger in a Redmond-like neighborhood, which seems way too loud for anyone to actually answer their questions truthfully.
I mean, I wouldn't risk my neck giving information about Big Stank to a bunch of loud clowns that clearly do not belong there, and I carry no love for that bully. What are their chances of arriving on a moose?

I text >> Can you not take too much attention? Nobody rides horses, or mooses for that matter. Just take the car.

"I'll run with Mato, or let him carry me... but it would be embarrassing... "
I look at Mato >> Let's just run next to the road and seek cameras, perhaps take a taxi part of the way. It is not Aurora or anything so I bet they'll have service. Heck, I can technically hack the cameras from a diner or anywhere private unless they are under a monster host.

[Jack_Spade]

Bobby shrugged mentally: <<Alright, we take the car and fetch you once you are done.>>

[Tecumseh]

<<Why are we splitting up? Slicing IC takes seconds. We're not optimizing anything by going separately. Let's stay together and we can do the camera work on the way to the Denver Barrens or Warrens or whatever they are.>>

<<On that note, if the Warrens are like the Barrens then maybe we shouldn't be driving all of our baggage and equipment around in the flatbed of a pickup truck.>>

[Gilga]

>> I think it would take a bit to find the cameras because we can't just find them in a drive-by. We need to pay attention. Then again, there is no rush.

"Can't we?" I say quietly while musing about the situation... I mean... perhaps with the proper augmentations... they could do it." I hope our mundane friends will contradict me. Either way, it is time to get working. These cameras will not hack themselves...

I finish about half my Pizza and ask the shirtless cowboy to pack the rest for the road. Still being a bit embarrassed by the entire situation and the aesthetics of the joint.

"Oh, frag it... I'll do it now and we all go together." I return to the car once we finish, where I augment my logic and begin hacking and working my way with the cameras. It really would take me less time then all this discussion.

[Jack_Spade]

Bobby paid for the group after everyone finished their meal and left a nice tip as well.
Now with the contacts in their virtual pockets, he saw at least some trace to follow.

Before starting the car, he waited patiently for AM to finish her matrix excursion.

[Thanee]

Thanks to locating the cameras earlier, it is not hard to find them again in the Matrix. They have some protection, but ultimately stand no chance against AM's hacking attempts.

She can access the video log, which saves 24h of footage, before sending it to a more secure host for storage.

[Gilga]

Once AM sneaks past the firewalls she continues by downloading the recent 24 hours data before it is dumped to the secured server. Mimicking the instructions of a legitimate user.


Edit file: 3#20d6t5 6 6 6

[Thanee]

Retrieving the camera logs is easy enough, and soon AM has a copy of the videos that you can sift through at your leisure.

[Gilga]

"Got it!" I cry triumphally as I open my eyes and disconnect from the Trix. "Last 24 hours of video... Let's see if we can find anything useful during the kidnapping." I say, and I keep browsing the video all the way to the talismonger sharing it with the rest in case they want to help.

[Tecumseh]

Mato realizes that it would be inefficient to return to the Ranch to drop off their gear.

"I'll just stay with the Gopher while you go into the talismonger," he proposes. "I'll discourage anyone from absconding with our gear."

Back at the truck, he digs out his armor jacket. It looks a little too incongruous with his slacks, so he pulls out a pair of rough synth-denim. It's the look of a blue collar thug, but sometimes that's what it took to earn respect in certain parts of town. He gets into the cab to change pants, reasoning that if Bobby can undress anytime and anywhere then Mato can too. When he's done, he folds up his suit jacket and slacks and stows them in his baggage.

He spends a moment wishing he had his AK-97, Ingram Smartgun X, or Walther P118. He didn't need any of them but they had a certain intimidation factor that might be able to persuade someone to step back rather than step up. There's the Mannlicher Marpingen, but that might be too big. And silly. Who pulls a sporting rifle in a street fight? Knives it is, he thinks to himself as he gets his throwing knives arranged for easy access.

AM announces her success.

"Good work!" Mato nods approvingly. "I'll help scan through the footage."

[Jack_Spade]

Bobby was happy with the early success:

"We'll hurry with the talismongers and help you with scanning the footage - shouldn't you already find what you are looking for by the time we are back."

Bobby went first for the guy in the Warrens - reasoning that someone like that had to have connections to survive in a place like this.

He also took a peek at his matrix presence, looking for opening times of the store.

[Thanee]

<<Monday Evening - 21:24 - May 15, 2079 - Aurora Warrens, Denver>>

Matrix presence? What Matrix presence!? Nope, there is no Matrix presence at all. Or, at least, Bobby cannot find one.

The team takes a small detour along the Stapleton and Lowry district borders, before actually crossing into the Aurora Warrens, to limit the amount of time spent driving through the lawless area towards their destination. Right at the start of this detour, you spot a pretty large presence of ZDF forces at the northern border between Stapleton and the Aurora Warrens. The Aurora Village Medical Center is nearby and the likely reason for the extra heavy security.

As usual here in Denver, there is an automated scanner array at the district border. Unlike the others you have passed, this one is completely demolished. Four guards are posted at the area, and lazily scan the very little traffic in and out of the Warrens with handheld devices. You can pass without any trouble, maybe a raised eyebrow.

Driving into the Aurora Warrens has a little bit of that "this is almost like home" feeling, considering that SIS has been in Redmond for quite a long time now. High-density, low-income housing, most of it in various states of disrepair, only attracts the most desperate souls. There are refurbished solar panels and even old-fashioned fuel tanks to provide the necessary power for the buildings, if they are lucky enough to be hooked-up to one of the generators. This part of town has been more or less forsaken by the official forces it seems. There is quite a bit of AR graffity all over the place.

Once inside, it doesn't take long for you to get noticed, and you are glad you took the time to find a route that will take you to Paradise Lane fairly quickly. As you get closer, there are even some AR signs pointing the way. Four go-gangers, wearing the colors of the Aurora Angels (the letter A flanked by silver wings, and with your general knowledge of gangs you also notice that there are some additional marks, which pretty much say that they belong to a different, larger gang, like a vassal), pull up behind you and let their engines roar. Typical gang posing, making sure that you stay in line and respect their turf. They also are not too worried about illegal gear, it seems, openly carrying guns as large as shotguns on their bikes.

[Gilga]

I use the time when Mato prepares to get my own gun, not that I'll need it with mojo, but perhaps I don't need to use it. Walter feels stable in my hands, but I keep working on the footage during the drive. When we encounter the gangers, my hand instinctively touches the pistol, and I am too distracted to keep working on the video, my senses are alert, and I hope that there aren't going to be troubles...

Well, my mortal part hopes that Iktomi just wants things to get interesting.

[Jack_Spade]

Bobby kept on driving, steadily down the street toward their target. If need be, he could turn the two lead gangers into newts and see how good those forms could handle their bikes.
This thought - as always - brought a smile to Bobby's face.

[Tecumseh]

Mato sees Bobby smiling. "Uh oh, someone's imagining violence," he says to the others.

Mato wasn't too concerned about gangers - if they were anything like Halloweeners, they would topple like bowling pins - but he is mindful of threats to the Gopher. He's sure Tashunka and Razak will want it back in reasonably good condition.

Mato rolls one of his throwing knives down his knuckles, flipping it from finger to finger. He makes sure to do this by the window so that anyone watching can see his cyber and his comfort with the weapon. He's hoping to send a message of, We're not here to go heavy, but we're not to be taken lightly.

[Thanee]

<<Monday Evening - 21:39 - May 15, 2079 - Paradise Lane, Aurora Warrens, Denver>>

The gangers don't have any interest in causing trouble, it seems, and once you enter Paradise Lane, they scatter. The buildings here are a little better maintained than what you saw along the way. A number of businesses are located on both sides of the street. All of which are heavily barricaded.

Dartguns 2 Smartguns is the first shop, selling weapons of all kinds as well as customization and modification. A small shooting range is attached to the back of the store. On the other side of the street is Trinket's, the talismonger shop. Next to the weapons store is Sam's Gadgets, an electronics supplier. Around this time it is starting to get busy in front of the nightclub Allie Cats XXX, which is located a little further down the street and advertises all kinds of pleasures.

Grunt's Orkish Delights is a restaurant, that specializes in orkish food. It is modeled off of The Big Rhino in Downtown, Seattle. A small street clinic named Hippocrates is located next to it. Across the street from the clinic, Dracula's Coffins is an odd mix of shops. The side that faces the street has two doors, one leads to a coffin hotel, and the other to a garage. The whole building has no windows at all. And finally, there is a bar called Hole in the Wall.

Interestingly enough, you can spot no gangers in the whole area.

[Jack_Spade]

"Right, looks like this is the place." Bobby looked for a parking space and decided to just halt at the curb.

"Let's see if someone's in."

He got out and headed straight for the talismonger shop, trying to open the door.

[Thanee]

<<Monday Evening - 21:44 - May 15, 2079 - Trinket's, Paradise Lane, Aurora Warrens, Denver>>

The door isn't locked and the store is, indeed, open at this hour.

Inside you are greeted by an absolute cluttered mess. All kinds of alchemical supplies and tools, various types of reagents, fetishes and possibly even foci, many of which look like shiny trinkets and baubles, are haphazardly distributed on various racks, shelves and tables with no discernable system. Some chips and even written pieces of paper are also there.

"Ahh, customers! Come in, come in. What can Trinket do for you?"

The store's owner is a lean and wiry woman, probably in her fourties. She carries herself with the kind of confidence, that immediately tells you that this is not someone to easily mess with.

[Tecumseh]

Mato stays outside to watch over the Gopher.

The absence of gangers is curious. It's notable that they scatter when we entered Paradise Lane, he thinks. They're avoiding something. A larger predator? An aggressive neighborhood watch? A local agency of Awakened private investigators who turn people into sloths?

He was planning on flipping his throwing knife to himself, or using it to clean his tusks, but it appears that the display isn't necessary here, and might even be undesirable. Mato sticks his hands in the pockets of his armor jacket and surveys his surroundings with his cybereyes and cyberears. He keeps an eye on Grunt's Orkish Delights. While Mato is intrigued by what might be on the menu, he knows if it's anything like The Big Rhino that it will be filled with intoxicated orks and trolls. Probably good business for Hippocrates, he thinks to himself.

[Gilga]

I text Mato >>> We're so ordering from Orkish Delight after the job., and then accompany Bobby to the talismonger, and let him (or Tamarind) take the lead.

[Tecumseh]

<<I just ate dinner!>> Mato replies. Maybe AM's new, larger form needed more nutrition. Bobby would probably be ready to eat again, the tiramisu simply being an appetizer for second dinner.

<<Orks prefer strong flavors. Think hurlg. Lots of sauces, lots of spices. It tends to be over-the-top. The Big Rhino used to have snakes on their menu. Might have been for shock value, but I saw plenty of people order them. Maybe it was all posturing, but watching a troll chomp down on a python like it's a piece of jerky is a memorable experience.>>

[Gilga]

I text back, effortlessly by thinking the words through my trodes. >> Not tonight but after this ordeal... To remind you, I survived Hurlg with a straight face... I didn't even have the Detox spell back then... Let's do something memorable if we pull through.

[Tecumseh]

<<Orkish Delights it is. I do have a weakness for curries. Indian, Thai, Japanese, Filipino, Indonesian, any of it.>>

He reminisces for a moment. Neither of his parents cooked, but they often hired a private chef. There were many over the years, but one of Mato's favorites was a Jamaican woman of African and Taíno heritage, a heavy-set ork named Amancia. She was very jolly and maternal, much more so than Mato's cold and corporate mother. Mato wonders if he got more hugs from Amancia in the few years that he knew her than from his own family over his whole life. Almost certainly. She was an excellent cook and made ackee and saltfish, fried breadfruit, goat curry, jerk chicken, and escovitch fish. Sadly, she passed away of coronary artery disease shortly before Mato's parents died. Mato mourned her the more.

<<You should try mannish water>> he tells AM. <<It's a broth-like soup made from a goat’s head and tripe and testicles, along with chopped vegetables and scotch bonnet peppers. Some versions add white rum to punch it up a notch. That will make you sing.>>

He neglects to mention that it's considered an aphrodisiac.

[Jack_Spade]

Bobby nodded to the woman:

"Hello there. You were recommended to me as a good source for ritual gear for shamans. Do you have reagents for shamans following trickster totems like crow or raccoon?"

He put a credstick on the table with 500 Nuyen.
"25 drams of raw reagents would do nicely."

[Thanee]

The woman focuses her gaze on Bobby as he speaks to her. Something in his words seems to resonate with her.
She appears to be slightly irritated for a moment, but then she grins and says: "Crow or racoon? Not quite sure?"

[ Spoiler ]

Wow! Those were some terrible rolls... just rolled her Assensing against your Masking (13 dice, yes?) ... You got a whopping 2 hits! And she got ... 1! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

"Of course, we got shamanic reagents! They are right over here."

She immediately turns to one of the shelves. You have no idea how she could even make them out among all the other stuff lying around, maybe she just has her very own system.

"Those are very basic reagents. 25 drams you say? We also have much more refined ones, but those cost a little more, naturally."