The Found Arcana - Chapter 12 [IC] Options

[Gilga]

"I am not that charming anyhow..." I mutter quietly. I remained in the realization and torment of how I managed to say all the wrong things to Andrew in the previous gig. Which is a shame because I like him. Perhaps because of it, I feel too - free and too little polite and subtle. Ghost, culture distances. I pat Mato on the shoulder, "Looks like you are the man of the hour"

Thinking about it, I say to the guys , "I'll spy on you with my mind, so don't do anything you wouldn't want me to watch. I won't hear anything, but sign language would work. Signal something about fishing and I'll know you are in trouble. If they try anything, I'll know in real-time, even if they somehow hack or block us... which we are not going to let them do, of course. "

[Tecumseh]

"but it seems odd that they'll do side jobs while doing a 500k gig."

"This is what I was going to say," Mato agrees. "I highly doubt that they'd jeopardize a big job for the prospect of whatever's next. Maybe they're greedy and they feel the situation is under control, but they're acting like professionals so we should consider them as such.

"I personally think that the odds of anyone getting kidnapped are zero. They're certainly not going to do it in a public setting like a restaurant. And how could they kidnap Bobby anyway? Anyone touches him and" - Mato starts tweaking and freaking, mimicking electrocution - "they smell like burnt hair and bacon."

To Tamarind he says, "Sorry, Beauty, but I would say let's go with Uncle or one of the Aunties in my pocket. If you want, the Harriets can come along as well.

"Now we just have to figure out what we're going to say. I think we lay things out and see how they react. Between the Thermal Mood Reading and the Vocal Tension Lie Detection subscriptions, we should be able to pick up on the unconscious tells. It's going to be awkward one way or another: either they are the kidnappers and things go sideways, or they're not and we might need to cut them in. It's not going to be the six-figure payday that Bobby suggested though."

[Jack_Spade]

Bobby shrugged:

"I've got a lot of experience with awkward talks. And if you remember, I told them the story involves a six figure payday - not that they are in for a six figure payday. But yeah, the best we can hope for is paying a new contact for information on the other team. The worst is having to fight our way back to the car.

So let's go and take a look beforehand at the meeting location."

[Beta]

Trying to hide her relief, Tamarind holds onto Beauty and hands over Uncle instead. "If things get interesting I'll turn on the ultrasound, and that picks up anything I'll lay down a target for you in AR. I doubt it comes to that, but best to know in advance."

Then she heads back into the truck, gets Aunties ready and the window cracked, then settles into comfortable AR semi-focus, listening to the audio feed from Uncle and watching the matrix.

[Gilga]

"Alright then... let's scout the location." I say, it would give me something to do rather than be frustrated.

[Thanee]

<<Tuesday Morning - 11:27 - May 16, 2079 - Rattlesnake Grill, Westminster, Denver>>

After discussing what you want to do with the meet, everyone gets back into the truck and soon you are on your way. A quick look at the map offers three possible routes to get to Westminster, right through the Hub, or around it on the north-side or south-side. Considering, that the Hub likely has the highest security and scrutiny of all places in Denver, you decide not to take that risk. Instead you take the northern route, which at least for the first part is a bit of known territory.

After leaving Lowry back into Stapleton, you cross over to Commerce City on your way to Westminster.

Commerce City is a densely populated blue-collar district just north of the Denver city center. In contrast, Westminster has more of a suburban feel to it, despite being close to the heart of Denver. The business of the Hub spills over near the district border, and you notice an unusually high amount of ZDF forces around that area, so you keep your distance.

The Rattlesnake Grill is a family-friendly south-western food restaurant. It is noted in tourist guides and has a good selection of real food, but there is also plenty to choose from for the more cost-conscious guests, though that is not usually why people go there to eat. The restaurant floor is quite open and there is plenty space. There are some boothes, but most tables are out in the open area. Even at this time, things are fairly busy and there are a number of guests at the restaurant, already, including a few families with kids. Outside, there is ample parking in the street, and the area is quite open. The restaurant is located at the western end of W 56th Avenue with only one exit towards the east, so it is easy to keep track of new arrivals, as they all come from the same direction. Just a bit north runs the I-76, which is part of the Heartland Expressway, one of the largest highways into and out of Denver.

[Jack_Spade]

Bobby stopped the truck and spend a moment to look around the parking lot. "I'll scout ahead a bit - feel free to make an entrance of your own."

Before getting out, he put on an illusion to give himself the appearance of an old man in jeans, boots and a flannel shirt.

First he went around the restaurant, checking out exits and hiding places. He added his spatial map to the check to get a feeling for the place. Once he had the sightlines cleared, he went for the door, making sure to look weary and infirm.

Inside, he went for the firs available table to get something to drink and look around at the clientel.

[ Spoiler ]

Body Boost: 11d6t5 5
Physical Mask F3: 18d6t5 5
Drain Resist: 15d6t5 7

Spatial Awareness F3: 18d6t5 7
Drain Resist: 15d6t5 5

Acting (Untrained): 3d6t5 2

[Gilga]

AM locates herself in the van, and provides matrix overwatch.

[Tecumseh]

While Bobby takes the inside of the building, Mato walks the perimeter.

<<Families>> he notes. <<Not the spot for a bar brawl.>>

<<Very open, lots of sightlines. Not sneaking up on anybody here, or vice versa. An apt location for a neutral meet, I suppose.>>

Mato scans the area with his cybereyes, looking for unusual security. He also activates his radar sensors. He might not be able to see all the way through the building but it will at least give him a sense of whether the construction is typical or if there is something unusual about it.

As he circles around the back, he looks for any cooks or busboys who might be taking a cigarette break. If there are any Latinos - which seems likely, given the cuisine - he'll chat them up in Spanish. Or Or'zet, if he runs into any tuskers.

I gotta start carrying cigarettes, he thinks to himself. Or some other ice breaker. Zen? What are the kids into these days?

If he finds someone and manages to strike up a conversation, he'll ask about the restaurant and its regulars, and if Jack McPherson is known to them. If he doesn't find anyone to chat up, he'll just complete his walk around the perimeter.

[Thanee]

Bobby cannot find anything out of the ordinary. This is just a normal restaurant. Of course, someone could find a hiding place here, in the kitchen or storage area, but nothing seems designed for that purpose. Once he enters, a friendly waiter immediately welcomes him to the Rattlesnake Grill and asks, whether he needs assistance with anything. Inside, he cannot see anyone that he would consider fit enough to be a bodyguard. Most of the guests look pretty much like normal people. Of course, they are about half an hour early, so McPherson is likely not there, yet. Table 17 is free and marked as reserved. One young girl at a nearby table stares at him, but when the mother notices, she gets scolded and quickly turns away.

AM keeps an eye on the Matrix side of things, but cannot see anything unusual. Tamarind points out, that there are quite a few drones around, though. Maybe a few more than one would expect. Most of them, you cannot see, but the scanners were able to locate them. And the way some of them are positioned, clearly points towards surveillance.

Meanwhile, Mato also comes to the conclusion, that the building is quite normal. No out-of-the-ordinary security features. There is a back entrance, and when he steps around the corner, he can see three people there chatting while taking a break. One latino, one latina, and an asian guy. All human. They seem to be in a good mood. When he approaches, they greet him and ask what he is looking for. When he asks about the restaurant, they tell him that they serve the best food in all of Denver. Maybe a bit of an exaggeration, but since the restaurant is pretty renowned, actually, they might not even be that far off. When he mentioned the name Jack McPherson all three shrug or shake their heads. The name does not seem to ring any bells.

About fifteen minutes after your arrival, a big van pulls up and parks nearby. Noone is getting out. Communication between the drones is getting more busy around that time. A quick check reveals that all the communication is heavily encrypted.

[Jack_Spade]

Bobby thanked the waitstaff and choose ice tea and some light starters, so he had something to do while he waited.

When the team informed him about the big van he sent:

<<Someone check out the tire profile - maybe it's a match to the ones from the farm. Though be careful not to spook them.>>

[Tecumseh]

<<Good thinking>> Mato responds, <<although I still doubt that they would be sending the van out to drum up new business while they have a hostage somewhere else. That said, let's keep our communications locked down.>>

He sets his commlink to scan for hidden MARKs.

<<I'll see what I can get with vision magnification, but I don't know that I'll be close enough or have the right angle to do a good analysis.>>

Mato has circled the building and is now not far from the front door. He does his best to get a look at the van but he's trying to be subtle about it.

<<Tam, is there rigger etiquette? If we send a drone to get a close-up view, is that a faux pas or is it just considered prudent and even professional?>>

[Gilga]

>> On it! I'll just look with mojo - it's a passive spell, so very discreet... I'll look inside while I am at it, perhaps we'll be surprised.

I say and shift my attention outwards toward the van to look at its tires without really leaving the comforts of my seat, while I am at it - I also take a look inside the van just in case I find our guy chilling out in the back with his new friends. Losing the hot simulation to focus my attention on the slower and less attractive world outside is mentally painful, but I am on the clock, and there is a job to be done - besides, if I find something interesting, I'll feel alive again. It is enjoyable to experience the visual spectrum of a bumblebee with so many colors and being able to just see things more precisely and strangely and be unlimited by anything aside from range and 30 meters go a long way in a parking lot.

[ Spoiler ]

AM has an F3 extended clairvoyance spell, --- [Sense] Cryptesthesia, Extended (Thetrachromatic Vision) to be exact. ( she buys 3 hits for the spellcasting, and 3 hits for the perception check. so I just roll for the drain.
Drain: 11d6t5 2

[Beta]

>>I'm not an actual rigger, of course, but what I know is 'stay in your lane, unless invited otherwise.' A lot of people love to show off their ride or their customized drones, but at most ask about them and see what they say. Out in flight, give others some distance if you aren't trying to provoke them.<<

>>Oh, also one thing that I'm pretty sure all riggers can agree on is that simple users like me can be looked down on. Dabblers, not serious, and so on. Doesn't bother me much, but for sure they'll get their back up if I try to imply that we are peers.<<

[Thanee]

AM checks the tires on Bobby's request, but is quite sure that these are not the tires they are looking for.

Then she moves her magical viewpoint inside the van, where she quickly discovers three individuals.

A human man is sitting on the driver's seat, clearly jacked-in and probably in full VR. He is a pretty typical caucasian with dark brown hair and a short-trimmed beard. He looks reasonably handsome and is in good shape, physically, but not overly buff or anything. AM guesses him to be in his late thirties or early fourties. He is wearing olive-green cargo pants and an armor jacket over a white t-shirt. In the back of the van, the hulking frame of a troll quickly draws her attention. Despite his large size, he has a sophisticated look about him, and wears an Actioneer business suit. And, finally, a human woman with long, red hair (clearly not her natural color). She is wearing jeans and a green shirt, and also an armor jacket on top. The two in the back are chatting. They all look fairly relaxed, likely not expecting any trouble here.

Closer towards noon, a crimson GMC Phoenix rolls into the street and soon finds a parking spot nearby. An imposing brick wall of a man in his mid fourties gets out. He has short cropped, white-blonde hair, and is wearing an Actioneer business suit and a pair of sunglasses. His demeanor marks him as a seasoned veteran. After a quick look-around, he heads inside the restaurant.

[Gilga]

"I guess this is their overwatch..." I tell Tamarind human rigger man, jacked in... casual clothes, a male troll in a suit, and a redhead lady in casual clothes. I swap my attention to the Trix, virtual reality, as I like more than I care to admit. My body is at ease with the familiar sensation and the freedom of movement. I look around me and search for the receiver of the message I previously intercepted to confirm if this is their overwatch... If I can't see it right away, I also look carefully for silently running devices - I have time to burn.

[ Spoiler ]

Matrix perception: 15d6t5 5

[Thanee]

It takes a moment, but AM can find the commlink running silent. A quick scan reveals layers of protection (like encryption, and a high-end firewall) that she would expect to see on a corporate black ops team, or military special forces.

[Jack_Spade]

Bobby acknowledged the information and got up, heading for the restroom.

Once there, he made sure he was alone and dropped his disguise. Coming out again, he headed for the mercenary:
"Hi. Crow's the name. Am I correct in the assumption, that I have a meeting with you?"

Bobby indicated towards a booth where they could talk somewhat undisturbed.

[Gilga]

>> There, Trix overwatch is present; guesstimate is the van we're looking at. Very high technical expertise and better Trix security than our own is what you would see in special forces.

"Iktomi... that is naughty." Classic Iktomi to tempt me into a dangerous course of action, to stir things out. Younger me might have taken the bite.

[Thanee]

McPherson indicates a chair at the table and nods. Considering, he is certainly more a man of action, he seems reasonably charming, actually.

"McPherson, Jack McPherson. Please, call me Jack. Nice to meet you, Mr. Crow. What can I do for you?"

[Gilga]

While the guys are inside the meet, I try to make some small talk with Tamarind, finding it ironic that neither Raven nor I are inside talking to the contact. We willingly sent Mato and Bobby to them! This is kind of remarkable; we wouldn't have done that several months ago, but now I feel like they are competent to the point where I choose to provide overwatch in my natural place in the background.

I look at Tamarind, and if I try to get her attention , "You are rigger enough for me... For all of us, really.
Don't feel bad about the lack of control rig. At least for decking, I feel it is more about risk management than equipment. "

[Jack_Spade]

McPherson indicates a chair at the table and nods. Considering, he is certainly more a man of action, he seems reasonably charming, actually.

"McPherson, Jack McPherson. Please, call me Jack. Nice to meet you, Mr. Crow. What can I do for you?"

Call me Robert." Bobby nodded at Mato, who had just entered: "That's my associate, so we can begin.

"Jack, I'll be blunt: Were you and your crew involved in an abduction yesterday night at the Horse Trot Ranch?"

Bobby looked intensely at the man, keeping his third eye trained on him to see what ever reaction this question would garner.

[ Spoiler ]

Assensing: 12d6t5 4

Judge Intentions: 10d6t5 5


Mato has his lie detector software, so he likely can get even more details from Jack

[Thanee]

"Wait... what now? Is that why you messaged me? Wow! For the record, I have never been to that ranch in my life. I guess, we are done here."

McPherson seems truthful, and visibly upset. He pushes his chair back a bit, so he can stand up.

[Jack_Spade]

Bobby held up a hand:
"Not so fast. I can't hire your services if you are the one responsible.
But we need a local consultant, that knows who might be behind such an operation.
Would you be interested to act as such a consultant?"

[Tecumseh]

Mato enters and sits with Bobby and Jack. He knows Bobby's going to take the direct route so he fires up the team's Thermal Mood Reading and Vocal Tension Lie Detection subscriptions. Mato trains his cybereyes on Jack and waits for his response.

Mato doesn't need the subscriptions to see that Jack is visibly upset. Mato, somewhat disconnected from such feelings, thinks an ungenerous thought about Jack's regulation (or lack thereof) of his emotions.

Bobby makes a reasonably good attempt to calm Jack down, and Mato tries to back that play.

"We hear you're a cool operator, Jack," Mato says, trying to both compliment the man while subtly shaming him for an unprofessional reaction. "Is that accurate?" He eyes the man intently, again studying his reaction.