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

[WinterRat1]

?? : ?? : ?? - Saturday, January 6, 2063 - Someone's Thinking of You

The sun shines down upon her, basking her in its rays and warm glow. She closes her eyes instinctively, bracing herself for pain…pain that never comes. The only thing she feels is its friendly, warming heat that envelops her in its warmth, and despite wearing only a silk robe she’d found waiting for her on a rocking chair in the bedroom, there is no chill. She takes a moment to absorb the sun and its warmth, reveling in the sensation that is so free of pain.

After a moment, but oh, what a moment, she turns her attention to business. First things first, she wants to get a handle on her surroundings. Exiting the master bedroom, she stands at the top of a descending staircase straight in front of her. To her left is a walkway that leads to a sitting area, and three doors that ring the sitting area. Along the walkway is another door, probably a bathroom, she guesses. The floor is plush and carpeted, and she enjoys the sensations of its softness against her feet as she strides to the first door on her left.

Opening the door, she notes with satisfaction that it is, indeed, a bathroom. Glancing around the room, she sees several towels hanging from racks, and various grooming accessories neatly arranged around the sink. But that’s not what stops her cold. For the first time, she looks into a mirror, and sees herself looking back.

My goodness…I’m beautiful. Although she immediately chides herself for her vanity, she can’t help but take some satisfaction in knowing that her appearance is very similar to what she’d always imagined it being. Long silvery platinum hair cascades down her shoulders to her back, a luxury she never would have allowed herself back when she was…that she could never allow herself now, she furiously reminded herself. Her skin is smooth and free of blemish, still that mid-olive skin color that showed hints of a light tan. Her dark blue eyes (deep blue, Sivalius had once described them as, a description she rather liked) held a deep allure of mystery and appeal. Her figure had filled out some, leaving her with a more curvy and sensuous figure as opposed to waifish, although she still was very petite and slender, she noted with satisfaction.

Shaking her head, she questioned, When did I become so vain? How much time has passed? Argh, I better keep moving before I start thinking this is really me. Leaving the bathroom, and more importantly, the mirror, quickly, she heads to the next door.

She’s more or less past any surprises by this point, but still, it’s somewhat of a shock to open the door and see a little boy sitting on the bed cross-legged, holding a stuffed cat, as if he was waiting for her. “Is it time to get up for school?” he asks. Nodding mutely, still taking in the fact that apparently this is her son , judging by his features and how he obviously reflects both her and Sivalius in his appearance.

Rubbing his eyes sleepily, he sort of shuffles over to her, and gives her a hug. With amusement, she notes that his head barely reaches her thigh. Looking up at her with big blue eyes, he says, “I had a bad dream Mommy.”

Talia looks around for his mother, ready to hand the kid off to her as soon as possible, when it really and truly hits home. He’s talking to her ! She looks up at the ceiling, taking it all in, and just thinks Mommy…oh boy what the frag else am I going to find out today? A tug of her robe snaps her out of her thoughts, and she looks down to see that the child, her son, is looking up at her expectantly, as if he’s waiting for her to say something…

[Morgannah]

21:59:06 Tuesday 02 January 2063 - Il Grano Restaurant, Los Angeles, CFS

And so having caught, been caught in return.

Cosmo's smile was no less wicked and just as starved as his, those petal soft lips parted oh so slightly, offering what was forbidden fruit until their challenge was decided. Her point, made so deliciously, was a victory in itself. But if you betray me, I will break. Don't ask for more than I can give?

Watching Byron, rather than the puzzle he's setting up on the table, she analyzes his movements, listens for unconscious stresses as he speaks, still marvelling that such an obviously powerful man saw fit to join her in this Game. There was no deception in his voice, and she believed all the packets were the same. The soft clatter of silverware draws her attention to the table and the pretty presentation spread out before them.

Nine marbles.

She glanced at the table, absently nibbling on her plush lower lip, her head tilted slightly to one side. The sudden smile that spread across her features was no less than dazzling as she deliberately leaned across him to retrieve a small side plate, the softness of her silk-clad chest brushing his abdomen twice before she straightens, setting the plate above the neat row of sugar packets. Cosmo shrugs lightly and suddenly the neckline of her delectable green dress is just a bit lower.

Deft fingers separate the nine packets into neat stacks of three, laying each out with ordered precision. The two outside stacks are lifted, one placed delicately on either end of the balanced butter knife. With all six packets suspended in perfect balance, she laughs throatily and places all six on the side plate. Two of the remaining three packets are then placed on the knife, balancing themselves, and are discarded onto the plate. The last sugar packet flickers between her fingers and is presented to Byron with a little flourish and the deadly serious arch of an eyebrow.

[grendel]

21:59:36 Tuesday 02 January 2063 - Il Grano Restaurant, Los Angeles, CFS

Byron accepts the sugar packet from Cosmo tearing off a corner and pouring the contents into his cup of coffee. His eyes never leave hers.

"A draw, then. Shall we go again? Or, perhaps, a different challenge is called for?"

[Morgannah]

21:59:49 Tuesday 02 January 2063 - Il Grano Restaurant, Los Angeles, CFS

Cosmo nods slowly, very nearly devouring him with her eyes as she reaches down between them.

"A different challenge." Her keychain rattles lightly as she pulls it from her handbag and dangles it just to one side.

"Do you drive?" Choose your destination, Byron.

[banditf50]

16:38:02 Saturday, January 6th, 2063 - Auburn, Jonah's building

Noticing that Doreen is clearly waiting to return to the comfort and percieved safety of her own apartment Virgil notes that she has probably given him about as much information as she has. Perhaps Cindy might have some thoughts upon seeing this picture. I'll have to make sure that we get a copy of it to the clinic. Daedalus will also need a copy if he is going to aid with the search.

"Thank you so very much for all your help ma'am. God bless you and your family. And may He help us to find Jonah with all speed."

With that he indicated to Dragon that they should take their leave, unwilling to discuss any plans for the photo until back in the privacy of Juliette's car.

[grendel]

22:00:18 Tuesday 02 January 2063 - Il Grano Restaurant, Los Angeles, CFS

Again, the question is mostly rhetorical. Byron sets a certified credstick on the table before standing and offering his hand to Cosmo. Wordlessly he leads her outside, handing his claim ticket to the valet. Moments later a sleek black Porsche Winter idles at the curb. Ignoring the valet for a moment, he walks Cosmo to her BMW, handing her into the driver's seat.

"Air Freight Terminal Ten, LAX."

With one last smile, he's gone in a swirl of longcoat. Seconds later, Cosmo hears the Porsche's engine rev.

[Sedna]

16:38:02 Saturday, January 6th, 2063 - Auburn, Jonah's building

Doreen quickly vanishes back into her apartment, which is quickly locked and bolted.

[Sedna]

?? : ?? : ?? - Saturday, January 6, 2063 - Someone's Thinking of You

Reality check. Of course she's good-looking, by design. She'd never really understood what that meant, before, just took it on faith, but it's got some pretty fragging solid logic underlying it. Now, if this mirror -- and she finds herself pulled back to it, as if by a magnet -- were to reflect something other than the physical appearance, then we might get a different story.

Enough staring. Onward. And when I'm through casing these rooms, find an outside door and get out! Into that sunshine. Into full awareness that its distinct feel within her is gone, cast away, leaving her empty, hollow.

Mine hosts are determined to prove that I belong here. I'll just have to play out this charade to its end.

And runs into the kid.

It's obvious he shares her genetic heritage, it's carved into the bones of his face. But ... mommy? I don't even know if I can have children. Is this supposed to make me feel regret over it or something?

"Mommy, I had a bad dream."

Oh, let's hear the symbology behind this one. Can't wait to hear how it fits into this place. "Why don't you tell me about it?" she asks directly.

[banditf50]

16:26:54 Saturday, January 6th, 2063 - Auburn, Jonah's building

Walking down the front stairs Virgil crosses in front of the sedan as Dragon open the driver's side door. Once secure inside the car Virgil voices his previous thoughts.

"Is there a way that you can get a copy of that photo to Daedalus and one over to the clinic? I want Cindy to take a look at it and see if she recognizes the other man. How far away is the drop box that your sister set-up? We don't have much time to make our meeting."

[Morgannah]

22:02:26 Tuesday 02 January 2063 - Il Grano Restaurant, Los Angeles, CFS

Casting a bemused smile over her shoulder as she hurries out of the restaurant, Cosmo waves lightly to her fixer and winks, her fingers tightening around Byron's. Sorry, Tino. She was thankful for the cold night air, more than anything else as it had the same effect on her as the icewater had in the restaurant. Her colour was high, though, as she gazed lustfully at the sinfully black Porsche. Her fingers twitched as she half reached out, aching to caress those curves, to find out whether its body was as slickly smooth as it appeared. The smile she turned toward Byron as he handed her into her own little coupe was potent enough to make a lesser man fall over. With smoldering eyes nearly as dark as his and an assertive nod of her head, she gunned the BMW's engine, keyed into her onboard computer, and cranked up the stereo.

"All right, babe," gloved fingers caress the leather covered steering wheel, "let's do this."

Cosmo waits for a break large enough for only one of their cars in the heavy Santa Monica Blvd traffic, taking off quickly and without warning. She weaves her way through spaces barely long enough for the little coupe, seizing opportunities that would only last for seconds before they vanished completely, using every trick she knew to play the lanes of traffic against the Porsche that never seemed more than two or three lengths away.

Finally, the exit for the Imperial Expressway looms in the distance. Cosmo hugs the far lane, sliding in between a Bison and a Phaeton, the thrilling ride sending her pulse racing as nothing else could.

[Cedric Rolfsson]

22:05:04 Saturday January 6, 2063 - Caveman Kate's

The bar rang with the sounds of people talking, pool games, glasses clinking and a trio of large trideo screens showing various sporting events. Unlike a lot of sports bars Erebus had been in Kate's lacked that ever pervasive bluish smoke haze, a tribute to nuyen well spent on a good ventilation system. The sounds and flashing lights meant that there were plenty of booths with thick shadows, and no one would suspect a runner and his fixer to meet in a place like this. The soyburger hadn't been half bad, and most of the tables he could see had baskets of wings on them which told him those were probably pretty decent too. It seemed to him Kate's was pretty popular for a local beer joint.

The crowd in here all seemed pretty mild mannered and business was brisk, judging by dress and demeanor most of the people were worker bees, just your average Joe out to catch a game and have a drink with their friends. The pool tables were busy, with strangers talking and laughing with each other as they played. The crowds watching the soccer match on one of the screens were loud and boisterous but generally well behaved.

Erebus sipped his Henry Weinhardt's Private Reserve and watched the crowd.

These people are a mystery to me. They go through their lives, pushed and pulled by forces they never even realize are effecting them, without ever really seeing the darker parts of the world that surrounds them. They seem oblivious to the fact that the Sixth World is a dangerous place, as if by simply wanting to be happy and safe they get to be happy and safe.

To Erebus these people were like sheep, idly grazing through the high grass never really aware of the wolves circling around their pasture. The feeling of being a predator among the prey was heady, but it also made him different and he wondered what it might be like to fit in.

I don't want to be a sheep, but sometimes being the wolf wasn't all that wiz either. I wonder what it would be like to be one of the sheep, not to worry about people lurking whenever you leave your home. To not carry a gun with you into the bathroom of your own doss. It must be peaceful.

He couldn't help giving a sarcastic little smile at that thought.

Cattle were pretty calm as they headed into the slaughter house too, it didn't mean that they weren't in danger, just that they were too stupid to see the danger coming.

He sipped his beer and waited for Max this time watching the crowd and not wondering about their families and kids but rather seeing sheep that cried out to be sheered.

[grendel]

22:31:50 Tuesday 02 January 2063 - Imperial Air Cargo Complex, Los Angeles International Airport South Field, Los Angeles, CFS

It was more of a chase than a race in the end, since the Porsche outclassed the BMW in just about every performance aspect. And that was before the modifications were done. Cosmo played to win, though, her maneuvers superbly timed and executed. The traffic was a great levelling factor, confused motorists forming ranks of obstacles that shifted and braked at inopportune moments.

The offramp for Imperial Highway is a parking lot of vehicles headed on to Sepulveda Blvd to the main terminals of LAX. Cosmo's position on the outside gives her a momentary advantage as she screams past the halted traffic on the left shoulder. Only too late does she realize that merging traffic ahead will either force her to slow or to duck to the inside. A narrow gap opens between an airport shuttle and a two ton cargo truck, and her BMW shoots through with centimeters to spare. But the red taillights disappearing down the right shoulder are just out of reach, and not even her desperate, last ditch snake through the open parking lot of a Stuffer Shack can bring her ahead of the sleek black racing machine.

Both vehicles slide to a halt in the parking lot outside hangar ten, tires screaming. Immediately both drivers are out and striding towards one another, even as the dust from their high-speed entrance settles. Adrenaline and arousal sing through Cosmo's veins, and she watches as Byron stalks towards her, raw hunger in each step. His arms snake around her, whip-fast, crushing her against him, and he winds his fingers in her hair, pulling her head back. His face is possessive, his will irresistable.

"To the victor, the spoils," he hisses, eyes afire. As his lips come down on her's, Cosmo remembers:

"The spoils of victory!" Version gloated, the waterfall of crystalline perfection tumbling from his hand onto the black velvet cloth. Next to him, at the table, sat Iris and Stain, both matching their leader's vicious grin.

"Stupid spooks thought they could double-cross me! Ha!" The three of them cackle madly. Cosmo waits, lounging topless on the bed, knowing that the months of preparation and inaction had all led up to this point. Version glanced over his shoulder at her, slate gray cybereyes narrowing in desire.

"C'mere, baby. Wanna see what a million nuyen looks like?"

"Dress me up in diamonds, baby," cooed Cosmo, sliding from the bed and making her way across the floor to the table. Leaning over Version's right shoulder, she smiled down at him, watching the direction of his gaze. Her left hand already held the narrow glass stilleto, and with a smooth, practiced gesture she slid it through his neck at a slight upward angle. She covered the initial wounded jerk of his body by leaning down and kissing him, already tasting the blood on his lips as both ruptured carotid arteries pumped their load into his throat. Her right hand dipped to the Predator III in the holster beneath his left arm. Iris cried out a warning, the bitch had never trusted her, but by then it was too late. Cosmo had the weapon clear for action. The muzzle flashes reflected twice off the glittering carpet of diamonds, both shots center of mass. Iris toppled backwards out of her chair, lips moving soundlessly while the pair of 9mm holes in her chest hissed and gurgled. Stain was rising as she pivoted, his reflexes as fast as hers but hampered by the moment of inattention. The muzzle of the HK227 held in his right hand yawned like the mouth of Hell. The Predator bucked and roared in her hands, adrenaline yanking the trigger. Hollowpoint rounds snapped between them, cratering Stain's face and upper chest. The submachinegun in his hand blew divots from the floor, the smartgun interface obeying the last command the elf's brain had sent even as the hand holding the weapon went slack. Smoke and powder residue curled in the air, and the room stank of cordite, blood, and feces. Cosmo shivered, chill, her pale naked skin speckled with red.

Byron breaks the embrace, eyes widening as he draws back from Cosmo. For a moment the shutters click closed and he is someone, something else, standing in front of her. Then, as if it had never happened, the man she knows, despite having met so recently, is back. He offers his hand.

[Morgannah]

22:32:12 Tuesday 02 January 2063 - Imperial Air Cargo Complex, Los Angeles International Airport South Field, Los Angeles, CFS

She was cold. More than anything else, a chill had seeped into her very bones and while she was softly pale beforehand her skin stood out, ghostly white, against the dark fabric of her long coat. Cosmo was fairly certain that she hadn't stiffened up in his arms and while she trembled (Spirits, how she was trembling), it could have been attributed to the excitement of their race to LAX. Her eyes were wide as well, ringed with black, and her lower lip quivered for a second before she could bring herself back under control.

"How did you ..." she trails off with a bit of a hitch in her breathing and twines her fingers with his, squeezing tightly when all she wanted was to be pressed up against him again, to forget what she had just lived through .. again.

[WinterRat1]

?? : ?? : ?? - Saturday, January 6, 2063 - Someone's Thinking of You

"OK Mommy." The little boy takes her hand and pulls her over to the bed, and indicates that she should sit down. Playing along, Talia eases herself onto the bed and repeats, "OK, let's hear it."

Nodding seriously, as if this had all the importance in the world, the boy climbs onto her lap and looks up at her. Almost against her will, she instinctively wraps her arms around him. The boy pulls the stuffed cat close, making a nice collective group, before starting.

"I had a bad dream. In my dream, you told us that you didn't love us anymore, and that you were leaving Daddy and us to go far far away."

"Far far away?"

He nods with the utmost seriousness. "Far far away. And...and you said..." His lips begin trembling, and his eyes fill with big crocodile tears. "And you said you never ever wanted to see us again!"

Oh you've got to be kidding me. What is this, a collective guilt trip or something?

Crocodile tears give way to full fledged sobs, and he throws his arms around her neck and holds her tight. "Say it's not true Mommy! It's not true, right? You're not going to go far far away and never ever see us again!"

Hmm...I wonder if somewhere in my past I was ever trained to deal with a crying...son? Ahem. Well I guess we'll find out. Yeesh, I have no idea how long I'm going to be here. I don't know where 'here' even is. What kind of freaking astral quest or whatever is this anyway?

[grendel]

22:32:49 Tuesday 02 January 2063 - Imperial Air Cargo Complex, Los Angeles International Airport South Field, Los Angeles, CFS

Byron pulls her close again, his right hand sliding around her waist. The music is unheard, but he waltzes with her nonetheless, spinning her effortlessly. His body is warm as he holds her close, his breath soft on her neck.

"It's a kind of magic," he whispers.

[WinterRat1]

16:27:11 Saturday, January 6th, 2063 - Auburn, Jonah's building

"It's set up already at a mall near Sea-Tac. Shouldn't be too hard to get to, but how far is this meet anyway?"

Speaking out loud for Virgil's benefit, Dragon asks, "Daedalus, what would we need to make copies of this for you anyway? Can we transmit this to you electronically or something?"

Turning back to the shaman, he asks, "So how you want to play this? Go for the drop first and then head to the meet or what? Where is the meet anyway?"

[Morgannah]

22:33:17 Tuesday 02 January 2063 - Imperial Air Cargo Complex, Los Angeles International Airport South Field, Los Angeles, CFS

"A kind of ...." Magic?

Cosmo closes her eyes and swallows the lump that seems all but stuck in her throat, twin pinpricks threatening in the corners of her eyes. As much as a part of her wanted to pull back, gather her wits, and regain some semblance of control over the situation, the larger part of her wanted nothing more than to give in to the warm, reassuring strength that Byron offered. She settled, as always, somewhere in the middle and continued dancing, pressed comfortingly close but still holding herself apart as they twirled about the darkened parking lot.

[grendel]

22:33:43 Tuesday 02 January 2063 - Imperial Air Cargo Complex, Los Angeles International Airport South Field, Los Angeles, CFS

Byron chuckles deeply.

"No, not that kind of magic."

He twirls her gently to a halt, dipping her low, before kissing her again.

"That kind of magic."

[Morgannah]

22:33:43 Tuesday 02 January 2063 - Imperial Air Cargo Complex, Los Angeles International Airport South Field, Los Angeles, CFS

If she hadn't been suspended halfway to the ground in the arms of a deliciously handsome man who'd just finished kissing her so thoroughly, Cosmo might have grown fustrated with the fact that although she knew exactly what Byron meant; she had absolutely no clue what he was talking about. Her mind was still swimming with desire, coloured with the sort of desperation that comes from real fear. Her chest heaved, her eyes darkened with longing for something she couldn't quite understand. Her fingers threaded through the short, silky curls at the nape of his neck as she pulled his mouth nearer to her own.

She didn't want another challenge and surprisingly enough, she didn't want physical intimacy as much as she wanted .. something else.

"Ahh," she smiled up at him, drawing a shaky breath and nodding slowly. "That kind of magic...."

[banditf50]

16:27:22 Saturday, January 6th, 2063 - Auburn, Jonah's building

"The place is called the Fox and Hound Tavern located on the north side of Riverton. It's a middle-class place so there is no way that you can show up looking like you do, we'll have to stop for the change of clothes first."

Seeing the look of concentration on Dragon's face as he was likely querying his headware GPS Virgil spoke right up, he wouldn't pick a location that he knew nothing about.

"It should be a bit less than 10 minutes north of Sea-Tac allowing for normal traffic, but we are about 20 minutes south of Sea-Tac at the moment. You may have to drop me off at the meeting first and then make your entrance a bit later. That would not be too much of a hassle because it is likely that I'll be asked the most questions."

[grendel]

22:34:02 Tuesday 02 January 2063 - Imperial Air Cargo Complex, Los Angeles International Airport South Field, Los Angeles, CFS

The Porsche's door swings open in response to a silent command, and Byron hands her into the seat before moving around to the driver's side. The engine starts with a purr, and the sleek black vehicle disapppears into the night.

Across the airfield, at the Ares corporate hangar, inside the sleek gray and black Cessna Citation Jet, digital surveillance feeds are being indexed and catalogued. Pattern recognition software, keyed to a specific set of facial features, constantly scans the images. When it locates an image that matches within acceptable parameters, it keys the alarm.

[Morgannah]

22:34:28 Tuesday 02 January 2063 - Imperial Expressway, Los Angeles, CFS

Cosmo settled into the front seat of the sumptuous sports car, her eyes still dreamily half-closed. She breathes deeply and smiles as the inside of the Porsche smells remarkably similar to Byron himself. Again, his presence almost overwhelms her though a tiny voice screams in the back of her mind. Something .. important.

"So what now?" She breathes, half turning in her seat to admire his strong profile, limned by the flickering lights of a world that seemed oddly distant.

[grendel]

22:36:41 Tuesday 02 January 2063 - Los Angeles, CFS

Byron's smile is again half-wicked.

"I told you that no god would save you once I caught you. I am a man of my word."

The trip is short, just fifteen minutes down the 705 interstate. The Porsche brakes to a halt in front of an exclusive condominuim high-rise. Byron tosses his keys to one valet while another opens the door for Cosmo. Offering his hand once more, Byron escorts her inside, opening the doors with a quick scan of his fingerprint. The same pass gets them into the elevator, which rises automatically. Byron uses his body to press Cosmo against the back wall, his fingers brushing across her cheek before his lips claim hers again.

[Morgannah]

22:52:08 Tuesday 02 January 2063 - Los Angeles, CFS

"I told you that no god would save you once I caught you. I am a man of my word."

Her smile had turned sultry at that admission, all thoughts of her abandoned BMW (and its contents) left behind. The silence they shared during the short drive was far from comfortable in the normal sense of the word; both knew what would come and the anticipation of it was very slowly driving her insane. The trip from LAX to this new building was almost surreal and she could have sworn that she floated through its doors.

Wincing slightly as her bruised and scraped back met with the cool, unyielding wall, Cosmo purrs softly as she's brought back into wakefulness by more than six feet of brooding, empassioned male. She molds herself to his larger frame, looping her arms about his neck, staring into wildly intense eyes that continue to draw her deeper and deeper until she finds herself surrendering, in part at least, to his strength. A dimple peeked devilishly out of each cheek as she offered herself to him .. wholeheartedly.

[grendel]

22:54:26 Tuesday 02 January 2063 - Los Angeles, CFS

The elevator stops at the fifth floor, and Byron leads Cosmo out into the hallway, down to the third door on the right. The maglock again opens for his fingerprint, admitting the couple into the well-appointed flat. Byron slides his arms around Cosmo's waist again, dancing her down the hallway, through the dimly lit front room and into the bedroom.