Living in the Shadows: IC, Jan 8th-14th Options

[Bastard]

2000 Monday 08 January 2063- Cooper's Condo, Hidden Oaks, Downtown-UCAS

Inside Marquis is hard at work. Semi watching an old movie on the trid, but really occupying his mind with the Ares Predator. Its pretty much stripped apart at the moment, neatly spread across the desk. Marquis has just about everything degrimed and is installing the Smartlink-2 system.

[Ecclesiastes]

11:49:00 Tuesday 09 January 2063 - Miner's Landing, Downtown Seattle, UCAS

Todd is a blue eyed bean pole. His head is covered in a mop of unkempt, shaggy brown curls, and his face is covered with freckles. It looks to be anywhere between fourteen and fifteen years old. He is wearing a set of baggy, kacki green cargo pants with a red "Rage Against the System" t-shirt. There is a black backpack slung over his shoulders with a skateboard sticking out of the top.

The young boy smiles at Tony and shakes his hand, the weakness in his grip shining through. "Hey man, nice ta meet ya too. Sure, they got good burgers here?"

Todd slides his backpack off and swings it under the table, then takes a seat.

[bclements]

11:49:15 Tuesday 09 January 2063 - Miner's Landing, Downtown Seattle, UCAS

Tony releases the dead fish grip of the decker, and looks at the boy seated across from him. Jesus, this young, and already out in the shadows? And not unsuccessful, if he knows Zeyda. I would have been dead at that age if they had turned me loose Tony thinks to himself.

"Not bad at all, that sounds like a good lunch," Tony says, in a Southern accent. Catching the attention of a passing waiter, he says "Two burgers, well done, real. Fries and a water with mine. You want fries with that, and a drink?" Tony asks Todd. To Zeyda he askes, smiling "You going to eat with us? Or better yet, have a drink?"

[Ecclesiastes]

11:49:20 Tuesday 09 January 2063 - Miner's Landing, Downtown Seattle, UCAS

Todd grins, "Wiz. Seasoned salt on those fries and a Hype Cola."

He then turns to Zeyda wondering if he is going to join them or take off and leave the two to their meeting.

[grendel]

11:50:03 Tuesday 09 January 2063 - Miner's Landing, Downtown Seattle, UCAS

Zeyda glances between his two clients, before standing.

"Well, looks like things are going well here. I'll be at the bar if you need me."

The slim man stands and makes his way across to the bar, leaving Todd and Tony alone.

[grendel]

19:51:36 Monday 08 January 2063 - Bluefish, Tacoma, Seattle, UCAS

"Why thank you. It's just a little trinket that went with the outfit. So, is she the only reason you're out tonight?"

The woman leans close to Eyes to make sure she's understood, her breath soft and warm on his cheek. She smells of a vicious blend of leather, latex, honey, and jasmine.

[The_Eyes]

19:51:45 Monday 08 January 2063 - Bluefish, Tacoma, Seattle, UCAS

Eyes resisted the urge to blink in surprise. Huh. Is this going where I think it's going? he pondered, Either nerd-chic is in this season, or I'm just a lucky bastard... or she's after something. Now where'd that last thought come from? Oh well, play it by ear for now. Ask questions, don't give anything important away, see where this is going. And for God's sake stop thinking so damn much!

"Well I suppose you could say she's the main reason I'm here," Eyes answers offhandedly turning a little to face the woman a little better, "though the music's not bad either. Moshing's not generally my thing, really. How about you? Here with anyone, or playing the lone wolf?"

Eyes is easily keeping his side of the ocnversation casual. He's fairly certain nothing's going to happen; first off he couldn't very well ditch Ran here, being her ride and all, leaving aside the whole question of whether she'd be jealous or not, or if that mattered at all. About all he could end up with here is a phone number, and what good would that be? He can't very well be entertaining people with his shoestring budget; his apartment was completely unfit for company, even if it was cleanned up: he didn't even have any furniture beyond two chairs, a desk, a couple workbenches and his "bed" which was more of a Japanese futon than an actual bed (the Japs were all imperialistic bastards--well, maybe not as much anymore--but they did have good ideas on how to conserve space. Regardless, he had nearly zero capacity for dating or even the prospect for dating at the moment, so it was particularly easy to deal with the whole thing haphazardly. Which, ironically, probably made him look better in the first place.

[Ecclesiastes]

11:50:03 Tuesday 09 January 2063 - Miner's Landing, Downtown Seattle, UCAS

While they wait for the food, Todd gets down to business. "I suppose you are wondering what's going on? Well, I need to take a quick trip somewhere. One problem is that I don't drive. Another is that the thing that sent me there warned me to be careful, that there would be dangers where I need to go. I need a ride out to Sacred Heart Cemetery in Redmond."

Todd pauses as the food arrives and watches Tony to see how he reacts.

[Slipshade]

09:15:57 Monday 08 January 2063 – Redmond - Touristville - The Respite Soup Kitchen - Main Dining Hall

The hiss of gas could barely be heard above the cries of fear from The Respite’s occupants. SINless and volunteers were scrambling towards the exits.

‘Panic with this many people in one place could be disastrous. He had to get Keira out of here.’

Max turned to the momentarily stunned, young elven woman.

He knew that every exit was likely covered by who ever it was outside that had instigated the raid.

“Do you have roof access here?”

[grendel]

19:52:05 Monday 08 January 2063 - Bluefish, Tacoma, Seattle, UCAS

The woman chuckles throatily, as if enjoying some private joke.

"I'm just out looking for a good time. Can I buy you a drink?"

She tilts her head towards the nearest staircase leading up to the second floor.

[bclements]

11:50:10 Tuesday 09 January 2063 - Miner's Landing, Downtown Seattle, UCAS

Inclining his head slightly and raising his eyebrows in a look of surprise, Tony thinks to himself This kid is crazy. Graveyard in the Barrens?. "You want me to take you out to a graveyard in the Barrens? What is out there your looking for? And..." Tony pauses while the waiter delivers the drinks "...what kind of danger's did whatever it is say would be out there? I'm not very easliy scared, but I do like knowing what it is I'm getting into."

[The_Eyes]

19:52:12 Monday 08 January 2063 - Bluefish, Tacoma, Seattle, UCAS

Eyes glances at the dance floor, where Ran was still swallowed by the seething crowd. Gotta be something else going on here. Eh, might as well see where this is going, he thought, dismissing that nagging feeling of unease as nothing more than jitters from being around the crowds.

"Sure, why not? Lead on, my dear." Eyes says with a smile and a small wave of the hand.

[Sedna]

1230 Tuesday, January 9, 2063 - Land's End Magic Shop

Just when he was starting to feel completely forgotten -- "This will take longer than I had thought," comes from the front room, and then the fixer moves aside the heavy curtain separating front from back, lighting the back area with a reflected dazzle of snow. "Andie, I am going to have to step out for a bit. The store may as well stay locked up while I am gone, so you will not be disturbed in any way until I return. You have the kettle, if you want to make yourself some tea, but I will have to pick up some more raman noodles on the way." A slight smile. "We seem to have used them all."

"When?" asks Andie practically, and the fixer shrugs -- "I have to be here for this evening. Beyond that ...?"

"All right," says the young mage. The details of the store-to-be are still percolating through his mind: fireplace, reading room, garden?

"What will you name it?" asks Solomon quietly.

[grendel]

19:53:44 Monday 08 January 2063 - Bluefish, Tacoma, Seattle, UCAS

She chuckles again, holding out her hand.

"The name is Reign."

Turning, she leads Eyes upstairs, the bouncers glancing at their wrists before letting them pass. Her hips sway in time to the music, and she glances back over her shoulder at Eyes. A wicked smile plays across her lips before she turns back. Upstairs is much less crowded than the dance floor, but the crowd is older, a dangerous blend of seasoned veterans and aged poseurs. Reign makes room for herself at the bar with a careless gesture, pulling Eyes in close.

"What'll it be, sailor?"

[Ecclesiastes]

11:50:10 Tuesday 09 January 2063 - Miner's Landing, Downtown Seattle, UCAS

Todd nods, acknowledging what Tony says. "I know it sounds crazy. And honestly, if you knew why I needed to get out there, you'd think I was even crazier. But... yeah, I guess you do need to know."

The boy takes a moment to stuff his mouth with fries and let his mind go over the events of the last few days before continuing. How much do I tell him? Will he think I'm crazy? Will he back out if he does? Screw it.

"Alright, a few days ago a man was shot outside my apartment. He slipped a chip under the door. I don't know if it was to keep it away from whoever was attacking him or if I was ment to have it, but the fact is... I have it. This chip is crazy man. Encryption algorithms that beat anything I've ever seen before, and I've seen it all man, trust me. Crazy drek. The file inside was another encoded message and after a lot of work, I figured out it was a map. Well, longitude latitude markers actually. The file told me to be careful, that the key would be guarded. Guarded by what, I'm not sure. If its too much, we can bug out. But I am being called to this and I gotta check into at the very least."

Todd stops, takes a sip of his soda and a bite of his burger. Her eyes never leave Tony as he tries to get a feel for what he is thinking.

[bclements]

11:50:30 Tuesday 09 January 2063 - Miner's Landing, Downtown Seattle, UCAS


“Very interesting story kid, very interesting...” Tony murmurs half to himself. This kid is way in over his head. And I’m right down there with him by being here. He's motivated enough to go out there, though, and he'll be dead quickly without me. He may be dead quickly with me out there as well.

“Hmm, anything about what the ‘key’ would be? A physical key, or just another chip?” Tony said around a mouthful of hamburger. “Do you know what’s around there? I’m not too knowledgeable about the Barrens, other than being out there a few times. Gangers and the other usual low level thugs I can handle or scare off pretty easily. Dedicated mechanical or magical security may be more than I can handle, depending on how motivated they are. And they may be pretty motivated, considering that they’ve killed at least one person for this chip. All without even mentioning what can happen in a graveyard in this day and age,”, Tony added, feeling a little more confident in reciting his abilities, tempered by the fact that he had a lot less knowledge about this situation than he wanted.

Taking another sip of water, Tony asks another question “You’ve had this for a couple of days, right? Notice anything strange happing to you in that time? Same face once too often in your peripheral vision, weird calls or emails, anything out of the ordinary since you’ve gotten that chip?”

[Ecclesiastes]

11:51:00 Tuesday 09 January 2063 - Miner's Landing, Downtown Seattle, UCAS

Todd shakes his head. "Naw, nothing like that. I've had to deal with Psycotropics before and this wasn't it. This file was... pure genius. As far as what the key is... I have no idea. If you want, I can check in on the security about the place and maybe look up a bit as far as street info surrounding the place goes too. So... you in then?"

I sure hope so, cause if he's out, I'm up a creek.

[bclements]

11:51:17 Tuesday 09 January 2063 - Miner's Landing, Downtown Seattle, UCAS

"Yep, I'm in, just wanting to know exactly what I'm in, though," Tony said. "However, I'm not in it for the money. I'd like you to do a job for me when we're done with this one, instead of a fee. Just a couple of people found, nothing that should be too taxing."

"Also, I'm pretty strapped for time, so if you want to do this today, now is the time. However, if you want to wait 'till tomorrow or so, then I'm free, assuming I'm still among the living, that is. If you are wanting to check security, then I or both of us can do a little scouting around there."

[Ecclesiastes]

11:51:17 Tuesday 09 January 2063 - Miner's Landing, Downtown Seattle, UCAS

"Wiz man! Lets get started then."

Todd reaches under the table and unzips his backpack. He pulls out a sheet of paper and places it on the table.

"This is a map of the cemetery. We're headed to the red X. The tack is the entry. Want me to jump online and check which Gangs hang out in the area and see if anything weird comes up in the news on the cemetery? I have my SatLink with me."

[The_Eyes]

19:53:47 Monday 08 January 2063 - Bluefish, Tacoma, Seattle, UCAS

Eyes takes Reign's offered hand.

"Call me Eyes. Everyone does," he said in return. Almost feeling the added question, he laughed, "I've had the nickname so long it comes to mind faster than the one on my ID."

As he followed her upstairs Eyes still couldn't quite shake the feeling that something odd was going on. It was almost certainly just crowd jitters, but even so he decided to take it easy on the drinking and do more talking instead. He had work to do tomorow, and from experience no matter what you tried a hangover and hot ASIST just do not mix.

"What'll it be, sailor?"

Eyes nodded briefly to his companion. "Ladies first." After she had ordered, he smiled and made his own, "Snake bite: Guiness and sweet cider, if you have it. Oh, and some ice in the glass too; beer is definately not good warm."

As the bartender went about making their drinks, Eyes turned to Reign, "So, what do you do?" he asked curiously, "other than picking up, um, curiously handsome strangers and inviting them to drink?"

[bclements]

11:51:25 Tuesday 09 January 2063 - Miner's Landing, Downtown Seattle, UCAS

"Sure kid, go ahead," Tony said absentmindedly while studying the map and having a few fries. This is bad: most of the way into the cemetary, passing a mausoleum it looks like, across from something that looks like a fountain. A fragging sniper's paradise. Tony thought to himself after a quick look at the map. At least there's one exit seperate from the entrance, if the map is accurate. Hopefully, quick in and quick out

"Kid,"Tony said, thinking of something else before the kid went comatose, "Could you tell how old the file on that chip was? If you could, search for stuff from a little before that time forward. Also, check if that graveyard is warded" Yeah, snowball's chance in Hell of that occuring, but it doesn't hurt to know

[Ecclesiastes]

11:51:55 Tuesday 09 January 2063 - Miner's Landing, Downtown Seattle, UCAS

"Got it."

Reaching back under the table, Todd reaches into the backpack and makes sure the Satlink is facing the right direction. He leaves the Sat under the table, so what he is doing isn't the most obvious thing in the world. He runs the dataline from his backpack up to his temple, pushes his plate aside and activates the uplink.

"I'll be right back."

[grendel]

12:02:23 Tuesday 09 January 2063 - Miner's Landing, Downtown Seattle, UCAS

The interference from the multitude of transmission points in downtown plays havoc with Todd's connection, static washing across the vistas of the matrix at regular intervals. It does not provide any real barrier to his search, though.

Sacred Heart cemetary has been abandoned for five years, its plots untended and forgotten. Those who could afford to, exhumed their loved ones interred there. Those unable or unwilling, abandoned them to the vagaries of time and nature. As far as Todd is able to find out, no gang has claimed the cemetary. Probably due to supersition about the abandoned area, especially in light of the strange events surrounding the arrival of the Comet.

[grendel]

19:54:26 Monday 08 January 2063 - Bluefish, Tacoma, Seattle, UCAS

Reign sipped at her cosmopolitan, smiling at Eyes. Beneath them, Speed Coma rose to the stage, welcomed by a roar that trembled the foundations of the warehouse. They immediately replied with the iconic strains of the title track on their 2060 Dragonbreath album. Opening his astral vision, Eyes is struck by the massive outflow of mana energy, finding himself in a pillar of living energy. The walls of Bluefish glowed with the lambent forces of a thousand beings. It didn't matter that individually they might have been burnouts, or down and out, or street nihilists, or teenagers certain that the angst they felt would never end. Here, in this place, in this music, they felt alive.

Above the screaming mass, hovering on black wings, were the angels of the city streets. Streamers of dark energy eneveloped the vaguely humanoid shapes, concealing their true natures even on the astral plane.

Reign gazes down at the crowd through the steel grating.

"Impressive, aren't they?" She chuckles again, sipping from her drink. "As for myself, artist usually fits me well enough." She glances back over her shoulder at Eyes. "Curiously handsome, eh? Any other qualifications I should know about?"

[The_Eyes]

19:55:10 Monday 08 January 2063 - Bluefish, Tacoma, Seattle, UCAS

Eyes watched the crowd below benignly. From a distance like this, it was easy to see where the theories of a linked subconscious come from. From this level, you could see the crowd moving and flowing to the music, almost like it was a single gigantic entity, composed of hundreds of hands and feet, hearts and minds. Then his eyes refocused, and the crowd once again became just a collection of people, all interacting, all connected, but still separated. The one becomes many, and the many become one. Eyes sips at his drink and smiles... before his brain realised what he just sipped and does a cold reboot.

"Curiously handsome, eh? Any other qualifications I should know about?" Reign asks slyly.

Eyes puts on a thoughtful air. "Well, let's see: charming, dependable, intellectually stimulating..." Eyes grinned widely, "and a horrible despicable liar."

Eyes chuckled a little at his own lame joke, and adds playfully, "No, really I'm pretty boring. 'Usually artist" sounds a lot more interesting than 'IT consultant.' Any chance on squeezing out a few more details, or is that getting a little too personal?"