Living in the Shadows: IC, your run might be over... Options

[Moirdryd]

16:00 Saturday January 6th, 2063 - Redmond Barrens, Cao Jaan's halfway house

Knight smiles charmingly and accepts the lady's offered hand, he bows a little to kiss the back of it in traditional greeting, both from his homeland and with his alias.

"A pleasure to meet you Jennifer" he riseds from the bow "Mr Jaan speaks true, i shall be here for a while, adding my skills to this valiant effort. " he glances at Cao "harder than any? what is it you do here, Miss Jennifer?" his eyebrow raised in curiosity.

Evidently it must be something of a special talent for Cao to have singled her out amongst all these people. he mused as he awaited her answer. Though I'm guessing it has something to do with playing mother to many

[Cedric Rolfsson]

20:59:07 Saturday January 6, 2063 - VIP parking lot of the Paradigm Shift

Erebus keeps the friendly smile on his face as he nods his head and the departing sec-guard and heads into the parking lot as instructed.

He kept scanning the parking lot for things that seemed out of place or dangerous, but he wasn't terribly worried. This was just how business got done.

Besides if Elan shopped me out then I'm a freaking corpse at this point.

When the headlights of a car flashed on and off two rows over on his left, Erebus altered his course that direction. He carefully threaded his way between the parked cars, careful not to touch any of the cars. He angled towards the target vehicle at an oblique angle, out of the direct line of the vehicle's lights.

He stopped and stood in open space between the cars one parking spot away from the passenger door. If worse came to worse he could drop down between the vehicles and crawl for his life.

[Morgannah]

21:18:45 Tuesday 02 January 2063 - Trade Winds Hotel, Los Angeles, CFS

"Stole? Me?" Cosmo laughs softly and shakes her head, pulling two bottles of nail polish from the canvas duffel beside her. Deft fingers begin to touch up the chipped polish.

"Tino, stealing is bad; I'm simply moving these along for a friend. We'd be doubly grateful if you could help us .. quietly, of course."

Yes, Drago, double your cut and we'll see how well you move these.

[Sedna]

16:13:32 Saturday, January 6th, 2063 - Auburn, Jonah's building

"I hope so too," she says and might have added something more --

"Ma! Tony burned the stew!"

"Did not! I just put it on right like you said. Not my fault that she turned it on high!"

A reek of something burning hits the three of them like a wall. The woman still doesn't look very happy at all about the whole situation, but she's being torn in four different directions at the same time and she's still trying not to take her eyes off Dragon. At least she hasn't hit the Panic Button. "Well, take the stew off the burner," she yells back.

"Tell Tony to take it off the burner. He's the one what burned it!"

"I don't care who burned it," she shouts, "Sandra, take it off the burner. Tony, you clean the burner."

"She did it! Why should I have to clean it?"

From across the street, one of the neighbours calls out: "Need some help, Doreen?"

While the woman's trying to sort out the kids, Virgil walks quietly over to the door he knows to have been Jonah's. Buzzer by the front door, maglock swipe just below it. Between the kids and Dragon, the woman's paying absolutely no attention to him whatsoever.

[WinterRat1]

13:39:00 Saturday, January 6, 2063 - at her Puyallup doss

And exactly on time, the voices return. First, the little girl. "Hi hi! We're here Miss Talia!". Then, the older, male one. "Hello again. Are you ready to continue our discussion?"

Oh boy, here we go again... is the only thing on Alleycat's mind. Well, that and two strangers who seem to be able to pop in and out of her mind at will.

[grendel]

21:19:09 Tuesday 02 January 2063 - Trade Winds Hotel, Los Angeles, CFS

"Oh come now, you know I pass no judgments here. Good and evil, right and wrong, is usually just a matter of perspective. Drop your merchandise off at the restaurant and I'll take care of it for you."

Tino chuckles.

[Morgannah]

21:19:29 Tuesday 02 January 2063 - Trade Winds Hotel, Los Angeles, CFS

Cosmo chuckled throatily and shook her head again, the tiny brush sweeping off her pinky nail with a small flourish.

Why is it, she mused, that men don't play with me any more?

"I'll remember you said that, 'Tino. Ciao."

A bit of a frown creased her forehead as she blew impatiently on her nails; something was bothering her that she could not quite place and it had nothing to do with the fact that she'd spend more time dressing for her trip into the city than she would in the actual meeting. Of course, Cosmo wouldn't consider it a full day unless she'd changed clothes several times anyway.

A tall, striking brunette in a short green dress and long, satin-lined coat made her way from the Trade Winds Hotel. She loaded the two large boxes into the trunk of her coupe and tossed her duffel into the front, finally sliding into the comforting embrace of the supple leather seat. Her fingers fly across the screen of her onboard computer for a few moments as she keys in her next destination.

AMI Networking, then.

[grendel]

21:36:07 Tuesday 02 January 2063 - Los Angeles, CFS

AMI Networking is a large, non-descript three story warehouse in an industrial section of North Los Angeles, nestled amidst similar buildings with similar product lines. The structure has a single main entrance, with a pair of large garage door style loading bays. Halogen arc floodlights mounted along the roof keep the area lit to a constant low-light level, and armored lexan half-spheres on the corners of the building house security cameras. The doors appear to be secured with maglocks featuring keypad and biometrics.

[Morgannah]

21:38:24 Tuesday 02 January 2063 - Los Angeles, CFS

Cosmo sighed a bit and went over the blueprints again, applying what she'd seen of the building to the hardcopy in the slim black binder. The coupe was on autonav, destined for Il Grano, but the challenge of the AMI building loomed large in her thoughts. Recon was out of the question for the time being, short of going into the area on foot, since no other passenger vehicles were in evidence. She'd barely slowed to surveil the building before continuing on.

Keypad and cardreader, not bad, but the only way in that isn't a garage door or a fire exit. Cameras are always a problem, along with those lights, but who knows what's inside? Getting in won't be as much of a problem as getting on with it and getting out....

Considering the duffel beside her that was still packed for her earlier job this morning, she looked at the plans more carefully, wondering if she could pull another op tonight. Why not? Cosmo grimaced, unsure of how many more taskings she'd have to go through before she started getting some answers.

She would get answers, of course. One way or another.

The soft glowing lights of Il Grano loomed just ahead as she pulled the sleek car to a halt, touched up her lipstick, and practically glided towards the building. She'd have to see about bringing her 'merchandise' through the kitchen this time, if possible, but none of these thoughts showed on her face as she paused to confer softly with the Maitre D', a soft lilt colouring her accented Italian. It wasn't difficult to find Tino once she'd been ushered in the right direction and as gracefully sank into the chair that was offered her, she wondered if he perhaps had an apartment nearby. Or a bed in the back room, she thought irreverantly, a playful dimple peeking out of one cheek.

This post has been edited by Morgannah: Jul 20 2005, 08:20 PM

[grendel]

21:46:53 Tuesday 02 January 2063 - Il Grano Restaurant, Los Angeles, CFS

If anyone were to look at him, they would instantly understand that he was a man of purpose. They could read that in his piercing gaze, the set of his shoulders, the raw athleticism of a body trained to be a weapon. People instinctively made way for him, staring in awe, or fear, or lust, or any combination thereof. If asked afterwards, though, they would find him vanished from their thoughts, a ghost of an image, indescribable.

His entrance into the restaurant could have been a general in front of a reviewing stand. Instead, the dark intensity of his eyes and the grim set of his face sent a wave of uncertainty and nervousness through those nearest him. He didn't notice, though, his gaze unswerving from his destination at the rear of the building. That is until he heard her laugh.

Turning, he beheld her, the gentle sweep of her cheek, the elegant curl of hair down across her shoulders, the effortless grace with which she carried herself. Her beauty sang to him a primal siren song, and the fractured mirrors of his mind aligned for a breathtaking moment of purity. In that instant, he felt something stir inside him, a long dormant fragment of memory and purpose.

With a new purpose he pivoted sharply on his heel, a warm and irreverant smile teasing across his lips. His stride was less intent now, a little swagger showing through. He ran a hand through his dark tousled locks and settled his coat about his shoulders. For all the change in his outward appearance from one instant to the next, the force of his personality remained as absolutely irresistable as before. The swagger wasn't braggadocio, or egomania, simply put, it was the certainty of a mind that could focus all of its strength into a single laser-like effort to overcome any obstacle in its path.

Cosmo became aware of the presence approaching at the same time Tino did, pivoting slightly in her chair to face the newcomer with a modestly defensive posture. The man, for certainly in her life she had beheld only a handful of individuals that exuded the raw Male power that he did, was dressed in a suit that could only have been tailored for him personally. His face was handsome, without the softness accompanying so many of the 'pretty boys' she'd known. But it was the way he moved as he knelt, and the feel of his hands as he took hers in his. The absolute control he exercised over himself, and the ridges of callous and scars along the knuckles and knife-edges of his hands betrayed his abilities. Cosmo could easily see the whipcord muscles that lay along his arms and coiled across his shoulders, and knew that this was a man who could as easily tear a person a part as one would shred a piece of paper. For all that, though, his touch on her hands was a warm silken caress. His eyes, dark, intense, and longing, pinned her to the chair where she sat, and his voice was pure velvet, the voice of an angel.

"My soul is dark - Oh! quickly string
The harp I yet can brook to hear;
And let thy gentle fingers fling
Its melting murmurs o'er mine ear.
If in this heart a hope be dear,
That sound shall charm it forth again:
If in these eyes there lurk a tear,
'Twill flow, and cease to burn my brain.

But bid the strain be wild and deep,
Nor let thy notes of joy be first:
I tell thee, minstrel, I must weep,
Or else this heavy heart will burst;
For it hath been by sorrow nursed,
And ached in sleepless silence, long;
And now 'tis doomed to know the worst,
And break at once - or yield to song."

As he speaks the last of his request, he glances to the open seat at the next table, an eyebrow raised in a question more formality than anything else.

[Sedna]

13:39:00 Saturday, January 6, 2063 - at her Puyallup doss

I assume this means you have an answer to my question, she replies coolly. This time she's on her own ground; and prepared; and prepared to finish this once and for all.

[WinterRat1]

13:39:10 Saturday, January 6, 2063 - at her Puyallup doss

The man clears his throat, and Alleycat gets the distinct impression of discomfort. “As I recall, you had one question that was essentially four parts. Why are we doing this? Why is it important to us? Why are we doing this to you? And Why—at all? I interpreted that last to be somewhat similar to the first. To answer why we are doing this, it is,”

“Because we love you!”

“Ahem, hush for a moment dear. Yes we love her, but I do not think that will suffice as an answer to her.”

“But we do!”

“I know that, but sometimes saying that is not enough.”

“Does…does she think we’re lying?” Alleycat suddenly had a very strong mental impression of a little girl with a trembling lower lip and big, wide eyes, as if the possibility that her words would be viewed as lies had never even occurred to her.

“Possibly. The world is not designed to make one trusting of strangers so easily.”

“But…if she thinks we’re lying…then she thinks we’re bad! Only bad people lie! I don’t want Miss Talia to think I’m bad!”

*sniff* *sniff* suddenly gave way to full out sobbing, and Alleycat knew, just knew , beyond a shadow of a doubt, that the idea to the little girl that she would be viewed as bad by Alleycat was a simply devastating thought. In her mind, she saw clearly the old man picking up the little girl and hugging her closely, stroking her hair and whispering softly to her, and trying to comfort her. “Oh dear, I’m afraid she’s quite upset now. I think I shall have to turn you over to another. I do apologize. We had all hoped to minimize your confusion, but it appears that will not be so easy. She is easily upset and simply distraught right now. I will speak to you soon, I have no doubts.”

Footsteps…departure…footsteps…arrival… What in the Nine Frags is going on here?!??!?! It’s like the fragging circus has come to town and they’re setting up camp in my head!

“Not quite the circus sweetie.” Alleycat ‘whirls’ in her mind’s eye and comes face to face with another girl, this one in her early twenties or so. And stops cold in her tracks. She’s seen this girl before. She doesn’t know where, and she doesn’t know how she knows, but she’s as sure of this as anything she’s ever been in her life that she knows this girl. Somehow, some way…

“Although it probably seems like that.” The girl smiles, and Alleycat feels…warm…almost…fuzzy inside.

“Let me summarize, since I’m sure by now you’re confused as hell and have many more questions than just that one. First, we’re doing this because it’s extremely important to both you and us. It is important because we cannot exist without you, and you cannot exist without us. Only by helping one another can we come to the end of our respective journeys. Without each other, well, we’ll never make it. Plain and simple. I’m sure you’ve got more questions, so why don’t you go ahead and ask before I go any further?”

[Tiredronin]

16:15:12 Saturday, January 6th, 2063 - Auburn, Jonah's building

Overhearing the conversations through Talo's acute sensors Daedalus remarks:

"'Good Samaritan Act of 2002', Public Law 108-317... hah hah! If I didn't have a computer in front of me, I might have believed you too.

Looks like you two have bitten off quite a chunk out here, good thing I showed up in town early for once eh?

ah, and well since tomrrow was our planned rendezvous ... I'll have to pick up the rest of my gear at the port tonight, but it looks like there may be some complications on that, gotta contact my smuggler and see if there is any trouble."

[Sedna]

13:39:20 Saturday, January 6, 2063 - at her Puyallup doss

"Confused as hell" isn't exactly the way Alleycat would have put it ... although it might have been the most printable alternative.

"You, kid, I don't think you're lying," Alleycat finally says. "Get that straight. You're telling the truth as you think you know it. Whether or not it's relevant or even real doesn't mean it's not true -- to you. If you think good and bad are more than words, more power to you. You" -- to the (man? but she's not committing to that one either) -- "well, we'll get back to that."

Too late. They're already gone.

Shit. Can't they just get their act together so I can figure out what they want and have done?

Arrival.

... since I’m sure by now you’re confused as hell ...

You got that straight, sweetie.

Alleycat listens through the rest of the spiel, seems as good a way as any of untangling what all this is about and getting it solved and gone. But one phrase stops her dead in her tracks: "Hold it, no va, what do you mean, 'I can't exist without you'? I'm existing just fine, thank you very much."

[WinterRat1]

13:39:30 Saturday, January 6, 2063 - at her Puyallup doss

“Are you now? Have you examined the state of your soul lately? So much for kindness, humanity, treating a little girl like that. And a crying one at that, who simply wants you to love her. Huh. Maybe you’re ‘existing’ in the technical sense of the term, but that’s it.”

The woman smirks at Alleycat , and it’s definitely a smirk that she’s doing on purpose. "Then again, maybe not. You want us gone so bad? Fine, we’ll leave for a moment. And while we’re gone, try to cast a spell. Go ahead. After you do, we’ll come back, and then let’s see if you’re so certain you’re ‘existing’.” the woman actually uses her fingers to make little quotation marks, almost taunting Alleycat “We’ll see if that constitutes tangible proof for you.”

[Sedna]

13:39:40 Saturday, January 6, 2063 - at her Puyallup doss

"I'm telling her the truth," Alleycat retorts, shivering a little at the implied power of the woman's next statement. And how can I know that she doesn't have that kind of power? I can't even keep them out of my mind. "Where's the kindness or humanity in setting her up to hope for something that doesn't exist?"

[Scrapheap]

21:14:02 Sunday 07 January 2063 – Near Underground 93

With a final wave to the departing bouncer, who'd been refreshingly open and helpful, John returned his attention the eager young elf.

"Nothing tonight, kid. At least not for you guys." Here's hoping that they all have someplace warm to sleep. "I'm gonna go check with a couple of friends, see if they turned up anything."

Megan, never at a loss for words, opened her mouth, but before she could get anything out John looked away and addressed the entire group. "Listen, you guys have been a big help tonight. You're good friends, and Twiggy and Nora are both lucky. But that's it until tomorrow when this soup kitchen opens..."

As he paused for breath, Megan jumped in: "Yeah, but you'll need us tomorrow! Take you to the Respite, introduce you to Keira, you know, help. C'mon!"

"Ok, Ok!" John laughed and held up both hands in mock surrender. "Take it easy! We'll meet there about 09:30, give or take. That should allow time for the morning rush and maybe the staff won't be so busy." He heard a couple of the other kids groan when he mentioned the time. Turning to them he said, "I know, I know, but the sooner the better, right? On the other hand, not everyone has to come. In fact, it might be better if we didn't show up as a small army, but I'll leave that to you guys to figure out. You know the place better than I do."

Reaching out, he gently squeezed Megan's shoulder. She bit her lower lip and looked up at him, but as she opened her mouth John once again cut her off, "Take care, kiddo. See you in the morning." He then quickly tousled her spiky blond hair, and ignoring her indignant "Hey!", turned to young man who had come up to stand next to them. Shaking the kid's hand, he said "Thanks again, Tyler."

"Nul persp, pops. See ya tomorrow."

With a quick wave at the other kids, John then turned and walked off into the snowy night.

[WinterRat1]

13:39:50 Saturday, January 6, 2063 - at her Puyallup doss

She is answered only by silence. Apparently the woman wants Alleycat to try casting a spell as instructed. The absence of the woman, of all their presences, leaves Alleycat feeling surprisingly empty. Well, do I listen to her or not? If she can really mess with me like that, I might want to know about it before I run into a situation where I really can’t afford to have a spell fail on me. But frag…who…what, am I dealing with here?

[Sedna]

13:40:00 Saturday, January 6, 2063 - at her Puyallup doss

Yeah, of all the things I'd like to know about this whole situation, that last would have to be at the top of the list.

"I believe you, you know," Alleycat says, out loud as well: seems stronger somehow. "You're not the kind to tease around power and control over others you're not prepared to demonstrate." I should know. "If you're waiting for me to test it so you can demonstrate it, you're going to be waiting a long time. So are you going to keep jerking me around, or are you going to get to the fragging point?"

[WinterRat1]

13:40:10 Saturday, January 6, 2063 - at her Puyallup doss

The woman ‘reappears’, and shrugs. “We’re not trying to jerk you around, and we don’t feel the need, or even the desire to demonstrate our ‘power’,” and Alleycat picks up a faint sense of ironic amusement from the woman at the word power, “to you.”

“You’re so stubborn, you still don’t get that we’re here to help, do you? Or can you just not accept it? But fair enough, I understand you have no real reasons to trust us, and plenty of reasons not to. Therefore, I propose a demonstration of good faith on both our parts.”

She gestures, drawing a circle in the air with her finger, and a hole appears, which gradually expands to become what is quite obviously a portal. On the other side of the portal is a swirling purple mist, which is at once translucent and yet so thick that Alleycat cannot see through it. “Follow me in faith, and you will in turn, learn what we can do for you.”

The woman steps through the portal, and her presence is again noticeably gone, leaving Alleycat alone, in silence, and with a choice.

[banditf50]

16:01 Saturday January 6th, 2063 - Redmond Barrens, Cao Jaan's halfway house

Between the compliments and the attention from Knight that is almost dead in these times, Jennifer is obviously blushing. "Stop that right now Jaan. All I do is pull my own weight around here."

"Nonsense. Jennifer is wonderful at making people feel comfortable in these surroundings. Many of those that are new off the streets have learned to distrust people by nature, so it can be hard to reach out to them. She is also has a great sense of how to care for the few children that live here."

Knowing that she is blushing Jennifer tries to remedy the situation by just looking down at Knight's hand.

"Jennifer knows the names of everyone here and a bit about each of them. If you ever need to know something and I am not around, she is the person to go to."

[Morgannah]

21:50:27 Tuesday 02 January 2063 - Il Grano Restaurant, Los Angeles, CFS

There was nothing in her world beyond those dark, fathomless eyes; no sound that reached her but the deep velvet baritone of a voice that was unnerving in its intensity, disturbing the carefully drawn web she kept about herself at all times. She felt as though she could float away since every nerve, every sensation gathered within her small, supple hands, leaving the rest of her hovering dreamily above them, reaching for something .. elusive.

Cosmo sat perfectly still, wholly entranced by words she knew well, felt to her very core but again, defied her in their placement. She'd never desired her lost memories as much as she did in this moment, never cared to know anyone as well as this beautiful male creature might know her, never wished to go back to that forgotten place of blood and blackness .. until now. A soft, expectant hush fell about the cozy dining room. Everything seemed to slow as she could do nothing but meet that longing gaze, staring into eyes she'd happily drown within.

Who are you?

That single pleading thought brought the world back into focus and sent it lurching forward with all its former speed. She drew a ragged breath and nodded, sensing that a question had been asked of her, uncaring of what it might have been. The answer was yes.

Always, yes.

This post has been edited by Morgannah: May 14 2005, 06:43 AM

[banditf50]

21:00:14 Saturday January 6, 2063 - VIP parking lot of the Paradigm Shift

The car is a silver, four-door BMW sedan. Erebus did not spend a lot of time watching the trid, but he recognized this car from several commercials. The front windows of the sedan were not tinted and Erebus could see an elven man of about middle-age behind the wheel. Nobody was in the passenger seat. As his gaze falls upon the approaching runner he removes his mirror shades and flashes Erebus a friendly smile before nodding his head in the direction of the sedan's trunk; which pops open on cue.

Smiling back at the man Erebus strides over to the trunk, quite satisfied that Elans's courier seems content not to bog down the exchange with conversation. Lifting open the unlatched trunk he sees a black backpack in the style that a student might carry, a credstick reader, and a manilla envelope with writing on one face.

Erebus,
I regret that I was unable to attend tonight's meet, you know how things go. You may leave any cash in this envelope or use the cred reader. When you are done just close the trunk and walk out of the lot with the pack. Have a good night.
Elan

[banditf50]

16:14:02 Saturday, January 6th, 2063 - Auburn, Jonah's building

We'll be out of here soon enough . . .Tyr-willing. Dragon just walk back to the car before she becomes any more suspicious.

Hitting the buzzer on Jonah's door he steps back and awaits the inevitable silence of recieving no response. After awaiting a few moments he hits the buzzer again, this time with a more urgency.

"Please Jonah, just be in the bathroom."

Recieving no response Virgil bangs on the door three times. "Jonah are you ok? Cindy and I have been trying to call you all day. Jonah . . . "

Reaching out he checks to see if the door is locked.

[Cedric Rolfsson]

21:01:10 Saturday January 6, 2063 - VIP Parking at Paradigm Shift

Erebus slid :nuyen: 140 in hardcopy notes into the envelope, and picked up the backpack in his left hand. gently shutting the trunk he moved off through the parking lot without a backward glance.

As quickly as he could move without drawing attention to himself he cleared the area. Now that he had two disposable LTG numbers to use he needed to get back on Shadowland and see about contacting Dancer to find out if they were serious about an extraction. That plus the run that Max had popping would significantly help the nuyen balance on Erebus' accounts. He knew he'd need the cred to continue to expand his own network of contacts.

Keeping an eye on his back trail, the Elven runner headed into the night on a roundabout course back to where he'd left his bike. He needed to mount up and get directions off to Caveman Kate's. The night air felt crisp and cool against his skin and Erebus felt the snow through the layers of armor and synthleather he was wearing. He didn't look forward to trying to ride with the weather getting worse but the shadows waited for no one. He still felt uncertain about his timing, he felt like events were moving him rather than him controlling events, but all he could do was play the hand he'd been dealt.