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

[Mach_Ten]

16:11:33 Monday, 08 January 2063 - Danny's Pawn and Loan, 15710 SE Newport Way, Bellevue, Seattle

Slumping in his chair, the nervous energy drains from Remy's system, leaving him feeling emotionally detatched from the whole situation.
He feels as if he is an intangible spirit going through the motions but numb to all outside stimulus, staring glumly into the distance waiting for inspiration to come.
Barely aware of Joslyn standing next to him repeating the questions, he rests his hands on the edge of the workbench staring at the tech in quiet contemplation.
"She was pretty" the first words are all but a coarse whisper issued from his now dry and parched throat, he reaches over and takes the cup from his earlier lunch,
draining the remnants of an hours old SuperXL soda he turns his head to face his new acquiantance, young eyes inquiring, almost pleading with him for some resolution to this scenario.

Then, he continues with a clearer voice, standing abruptly from the chair and going to his coat to retrieve the calling card
"She left this earlier.." Handing the thin white card to Joslyn he carries on " came in with a Chummer called Noland.. I only found that out after Uncle Danny sent me for help in digging around"
His voice clear but tone low and flat he explains briefly how the situation began "... oh and the thing had some fancy new tracking thing in it too!"
He points up to the shelf where the magnet holds the tracking chip to a metal strut, suddenly recognises he has dropped his street speech pattern and goes on in a more confident tone.

"Ummm I can shows dis' bit where Xade, dat's her name .. came in with him,"

He drags over the museum piece of a Simsense Deck and begins applying the trodes to his body, as the machine whirrs into life he welcomes the feeling of floating as he begins re experience the virtual reality of the meeting with Xade again, the small six inch screen on the side of the box showing Joslyn the relevant feed.

".. dat's Noland right.... dere! dats him!"
Remy waves with his free hand, at the face of Xade and Noland then fast forwards to the close up of the photo that she came bearing.
"And dis is da guys she wuz after, along wiv your chummer dere in the middle and dem four from when you came in, askin' .. only she wuz after alla dem guys not just one, !"
Remy pauses it on the tiny screen and gives Joslyn another of those Well, what now? looks, waiting for some answers from him.
"OH, she mighta bin lyin' likes but sez she wasn't Star!"

Then remembering at least some of the manners that Danny tries to impress on the youngster he says
"Ohh Drek, soz' ... name's Rembrandt ... well my chummers call me Remy, an' I guess as I just saved your ass, you can calls me Remy too!"
He grins now and almost all the innocence is gone, replaced with a manic grin that usually adorns the visage of someone about to embark on some dangerous activity without stopping nor considering the implications.

Looking back at the tabled tech he rubs his fore-arms in mock imitation of old guys rolling up their sleeves before starting work on a new project
"Lessee wot dis bad boy has to offer as well den eh ?"

[grendel]

12:55:09 Monday 08 January 2063 – Inspire, 7044 Northampton Boulevard, Downtown, Seattle

The waitress turns to Kovacs expectantly after jotting down Mac's order on her electronic pad.

"Asiago chicken club, please. Can I get provolone on it instead of swiss?"

"Sure thing," said the young girl, flashing what might have been a flirtatious smile at the older samurai.

"Thanks," Kovacs returned the smile, while the monster inside him whispered Don't attract the predator's attention, little girl. You won't like what happens.

He checked the sight lines again, the combat center of his brain fully engaged. He could feel Mac's eyes on him, could sense the questions she was barely holding back. He nodded absently as his mind plotted death and mayhem.

"I'll tell you later. Right now I'm going to make a quick stop in the bathroom before my food comes."

Sliding out from the booth, he found his way back down the hall towards the men's room. He checked out the exit at the end of the hallway, glancing inside at the kitchen and the rear entrance from the receiving dock in the alleyway. It was laid out just like the blueprints de Medici had supplied. He turned and slipped into the men's room, washing his hands and avoiding looking in the mirror. A minute later and he was back in the booth with Mac.

"You know," he smiled, "apart from your name, I don't know anything about you. What's your favorite color?"

[Vegas]

12:58:28 Monday 08 January 2063 – Inspire, 7044 Northampton Boulevard, Downtown, Seattle

My favorite color? Jesus fraggin' christ, what are we, twelve? Wait. Drek! What name does he know?

Mac shrugged and tried not to let the small red flags rising up in her head show on her face. What did it matter anyway, he fraggin' knew where she lived.

Jesus you're an idiot.Screwed the pooch on this one girl.

"I dunno, black I suppose. Or anything that gets me laid." She threw that latter part on the table just to see how much he was really paying attention. Ever since the phone call back at the house, Kovacs seemed to be slightly distracted for lack of a better way to put it. Something was definitely up and she was clearly in the middle of it.

"So if you've never been here before, not knowing what the food is like, what made you pick this spot for lunch?" She was letting curiosity get the better of her and she didn't really feel like tossing meaningless drek questions back and forth like she would be asking a kid in the second grade.

[grendel]

13:01:49 Monday 08 January 2063 – Inspire, 7044 Northampton Boulevard, Downtown, Seattle

"It was recommended to me by a friend. Although he specifically said I should come check out the club that it hosts. Tonight. Around nine. I just thought I'd get a feel for the place first."

Kovacs sipped from his water, his eyes once again parsing the space around them, soaking in the details.

"What color usually gets you laid?"

[Vegas]

13:02:23 Monday 08 January 2063 – Inspire, 7044 Northampton Boulevard, Downtown, Seattle

"Whatever color I happen to be wearing?" She said matter-of-factly.

Her curiosity was piqued ever further about the opportunity for scouting out a new club and a new feeding ground so to speak. Money was already tight, she was going to have to fork over cred she didn't have already to Wayne to cover why she'd been MIA for an extra day and she was going to owe the Valet Gremlins at Shatter an extra large cred thank you for looking out for her bike. She needed money and she needed it fast.

"So does that mean we're coming back later tonight?"

[grendel]

13:07:32 Monday 08 January 2063 – Inspire, 7044 Northampton Boulevard, Downtown, Seattle

"If you're free, yes. Call it a favor. Call it drinks. Whatever you prefer. It'll help if you wear black, though." Kovacs grinned, his expression filling in the missing description of short and skintight. Mac responded in kind, refreshed to find herself on familiar ground.

The waitress took that moment to arrive with their food, though, interrupting a particularly saucy comeback, and silence once more stretched between them as they sampled the fare. Which, all things considered, was quite good.

[Vegas]

13:09:28 Monday 08 January 2063 – Inspire, 7044 Northampton Boulevard, Downtown, Seattle

Mac returned his smile with a dangerous one of her own. They were playing her favorite game, that of cat and mouse. However sometimes she found herself confused when Kovacs would look at her, just what role she played in the game. Either way she was in it to win it.

"Not that I want to make you my personal car service," she paused to take a delicious bite of perfectly grilled chicken, "But unless we're going shopping on someone else's cred, I'll need to swing back by my place if what I have on isn't going to cut it for you tonight. Besides, I did leave my come-frag-me boots on your living room floor."

She smiled like the Cheshire cat as her eyes never left his.

[grendel]

13:16:04 Monday 08 January 2063 – Inspire, 7044 Northampton Boulevard, Downtown, Seattle

"Shouldn't be a problem," replied Kovacs. "Your place is pretty much on the way back to mine. I can drop you off and pick you up around twenty hundred tonight if you've got things you need to take care of. I don't want to monopolize your entire day."

Again, he eats with methodical speed, the sandwich disappearing at a pace not all due to hunger. He doesn't rush Mac to finish, though, leaning on his elbows on the table as he drank his water down to the point the waitress returned to refill the glass.

[Vegas]

13:18:41 Monday 08 January 2063 – Inspire, 7044 Northampton Boulevard, Downtown, Seattle

"Sure, not monopolizing my day at all. I'm pretty low-key when I'm off the clock. I'll be sure to be ready by the time you swing by. If you bring my boots back."

I'm sure I can entertain myself the rest of the afternoon concocting a viable story to sell to Wayne of why I won't be at work for a few more days.

She truthfully had no desire to deal with Wayne or any desire to go back to her small, cold and empty apartment. She had to admit, she was rather enjoying Kovacs' company and it felt particularly nice to know that someone actually gave a damn.

[DeliciousD]

16:15:33 Monday, 08 January 2063 - Danny's Pawn and Loan, 15710 SE Newport Way, Bellevue, Seattle


Joslyn quickly takes a picture of the offered card and makes some notes on his commlink as Remy talks, jotting down names and taking photos of the small screen as Remy points out the various customers. Afterwards, he extends a hand.

"Joslyn," he returns the introduction "Nice to meet you Remy, nice shop." He flashes the young Ork a genuine seeming smile, though there's something off about it...nothing sinister, but a wistful expression that Remy had seen on Danny's face before when he talked about 'the good old days'

Good kid...looks about as old as Toby would have been.

There's a strange sadness in the man's eyes as he seems lost in thought for a moment, it quickly disappears as he seems to come back to himself.

"Listen Remy," he speaks at last "We're dealing with dangerous people here." he pauses again, considering his next words.

"I wasn't being completely straight with you before; my chummer Romano ain't just missing...he turned up dead yesterday, tossed in an alley in Tacoma. I don't know who took him out but I'm guessing they've been in this shop today."

He pauses for a moment, eyes fixed on the tracking device attached to the wall.

"Why would they want to track you?" he muses, mostly to himself

"Well, two things to think about for now," Joslyn counts on his fingers "One : What do Romano's chummers need this cooler for? Are they using old tech or can it be used to cool something else? Two: Where did Noland and Xade think you were going to go? And how would they react if they thought you were going there?"

Joslyn glances around the workshop and his gaze settles on the empty carcass of a drone, he grins.

"I reckon there's a way we could find out about that second one."

[Mach_Ten]

16:16:37 Monday, 08 January 2063 - Danny's Pawn and Loan, 15710 SE Newport Way, Bellevue, Seattle

"You Don't knows dem ?!" Remy looks aghast at Joslyn, the bright glimmer of hope fading in his eyes he slumps back into the chair heavily making it creak under the sudden pressure and rips the trodes from his skin,
Wincing in anticipation of sudden pain but then relaxing as he recalls that this is a different set of trodes, not the devils own set from Mrs Akiras VCR.
"Drek Joslyn, I hoped dat your chummer might has some answers if'n we finds him, but, dead? now we's back at da first square"
He sits forward, placing his elbows on the desk and claws his hair away from his face in exasperation and thought breathing deeply and practicing the centering technique he learned.

Just then Danny bustles in with a toolbox, snow and ice drip from his body as he enters and shakes to relieve himself from the bitter cold outside.
"Don't you mind me fellas, I'm just gonna put this back up in here," He moves past them and into the shop front to repair the torn down bead curtain.

"So lemme get dis straight, you is looking for what's happened to your dead Chummer, Xade is lookin' for alla dem guys an dem guys are tryin dere best to not get found and to find summat tha dead guy ...sold ?"
He draws a long breath over his teeth in another low engineers whistle, "Man dis is like dem Trids from back in tha days!.. ya know .. like gummy shoe detectives!"
Sitting back in the chair he stares upwards at the ceiling trying to picture himself as a star in one of the movies, dodging bullets and bad guys, evading explosions and death and rescuing the girl, always a girl to be rescued doubt it's Xade though, she dun need no rescuin' he smirks to himself

"Hey, you finks dey killed him or summat? you sez dey is dangerous an I's not arguin or nuffink, but if he was dere chummer? takes a lotta creds to gets a guy ta kill his crew man ya scan ?"

[grendel]

13:26:11 Monday 08 January 2063 – Inspire, 7044 Northampton Boulevard, Downtown, Seattle

"Of course. It would be criminal to keep you from wearing them."

Kovacs slides a certified credstick to the waitress as she drops off the bill, keeping a mental tally of the expenses incurred so far. He stretched, pleasantly full from lunch. His mind was already moving ahead, planning the steps that completed all the necessary preparations for tonight's work. He felt alive, his skin crawling with energy. Only two things brought this out in him, and he sighs inwardly. This is the reason why he would never really be able to leave the shadows. It was part of who he was, a fundamental connection with the intrinsic nature of his being. His hand twitched towards the empty holster at his side once before relaxing. There would be time enough for that.

13:38:51 Monday 08 January 2063 – 2356 E. Valley St. Apt 423, Downtown, Seattle

Kovacs braked to a halt outside Mac's apartment, not making a move to unbuckle his seatbelt this time.

"What's your LTG number? I'll drop you a line when I'm on my way."

[DeliciousD]

16:18:37 Monday, 08 January 2063 - Danny's Pawn and Loan, 15710 SE Newport Way, Bellevue, Seattle

"That's pretty much the situation as I scan it, Romano wasn't their chummer though. These guys just flew into town recently and he was helping them pick up some gear, I guess he didn't manage to get the shopping finished in time."

Joslyn sighs and starts to pace as he talks, gesturing widely with his hands as he counts off his thoughts.

"Some folks don't need cred to kill someone kid, even a chummer...life's got a lot cheaper since my day," he smirks "Inflation I guess." Remy frowns at this young man, probably only a few years older than himself now that he thinks about it, talking like he's ancient, the question forming on his lips is cut short by Joslyn's quickening voice
"Maybe he learned too much about their plans, maybe this pretty lady of yours and her friend did him in, maybe there's another group involved that we haven't seen yet...drek, maybe he just looked at some fragger funny and this whole thing's unrelated...we just don't know enough."

He walks over to the cooling unit and looks it over, not really knowing what he's looking for but needing to do something to keep his body occupied while his mind works.

"What we do know is that those guys want this." he looks over to Remy again "Do you know when the swap meets happen in Redmond? If those four are following the same leads I am, they're gonna be looking there for one of these next, might be a chance to get some info...you could offload this hunk too, I can't imagine you've got much use for it."

[Vegas]

13:41:22 Monday 08 January 2063 – 2356 E. Valley St., Downtown, Seattle
Mac pulled her commlink from her pocket and swiped across the interface and offered to send her contact info to Kovacs.

“Should always be able to reach me 5 ways from Sunday at that one. And thanks for offering to give me a heads up, I’d hate to keep you waiting.”

Impulsively as she leaned over to release her seatbelt, she planted a soft kiss on Kovacs’ cheek before flashing him a brilliant smile and hopping out of the car and dashing up to her apartment.

19:58:03 Monday 08 January 2063 – 2356 E. Valley St., Apartment 423, Downtown, Seattle
Once Mac had climbed the stairs to her apartment and was safely inside with all the locks re-engaged she leaned back against the door and let out a long sigh. She had a feeling a storm was brewing in a plush office inside The Stable, one she was about to get caught up it but had no desire to jump into head on at that very moment. Taking her commlink out of privacy-mode that it had been in since the night at Shatter caused it to almost blow up with a tidal wave of messages in a multitude of formats.

She quickly weeded out the fluff and spam, grouped messages by sender and marked any potential freelance work as high importance. The concerned messages from Holly, and a few polite reminders of upcoming appointments from her booker Naomi. Then she got to the messages specifically left by Wayne, 7 emails ranging from generic concern to full-blown rage, 4 voice messages following the same escalating scale. This was going to get nasty. Tossing her commlink aside, she decided she would get to it later. She had more important things to do, like jumping in the shower and really preparing for tonight.

Stepping out of her small shower into a very steamy bathroom, Mac quickly dried off and pulled the excess moisture from her long hair before carefully twisting various sections up into loose buns and secured them each with a small chopstick like hair pin to let dry. Pulling out a gift from one of her more special private clients, she mixed a few drops of an amber liquid into the expensive lotion and just enough body makeup to cover all the marks on her skin. She took her time working the concoction into every inch of her skin which erased both her bruises and her winter white skin leaving it with a beautiful golden glow.

Seeing her commlink sitting on her coffee table stirred a level of anger in her, knowing she had to take care of the situation with Wayne before he sent out a tracking team to hunt her down. She knew her booker, Naomi wouldn’t be at the desk until 15:00, so she sent a quick warning to the girl’s private comm with the details of the story she was about to spin and try to sell along with a monetary thank you attached . She took an extra moment to center herself before she put the call through to Wayne’s private office. The line barely had time to ring before a familiar icy voice came across.

“It’s about time slitch, where the frag are you?!”

“Wayne baby,” She cooed softening any edge or malice from her voice. “Didn’t Naomi book me off? Referral client from one of my recent on-calls…”

“I don’t give a frag if it’s Jesus Christ himself, you were supposed to be here at Midnight for check-in. I don’t need this drek and headaches from you bitches. This is the last straw Mac. I’m pissed and you don’t like the end result when you push me this far.”

“Hey, hold on before you go apoplectic on me baby, you can call me back to work right now and I’ll come home with a sixth of what you’ll earn if you let me stay the three days with this guy. I’ll make him a repeat client baby. Just think about all the money, certified cred even, in your pockets when I come back on Thursday morning.”

Money would be the only thing that would snap his extra foul mood and give her a chance to stay on the tenuous edge of his good graces. She swore she could hear the steam releasing from his ears across the line as he mentally calculated his 65% cut of what a 3 day tour with her would bring in. Mac mentally watched her financials drop into the red zone as she mentally calculated just what this was about to cost her.

“His name is Eri Takahashi,” she pulled a name together that was non-descript enough to sell the story and since most of her all-day clients were Japanese businessmen, this was hardly a stretch for Wayne to believe without invesigating. “We checked my schedule before I accepted, I don’t know why it’s not on my books, check with Naomi… I miss two on-call days yes, but this is guaranteed money and my regulars on Tuesday are out of town and cancelled our standing appointments.”

“Fine. But I expect you here, Midnight, Thursday morning. You have a medical that day anyway and I’m not rescheduling the Doc.” The line went dead as his clipped speech had deescalated from nuclear levels of anger to his general daily unhappiness with Mac.

Exasperated, Mac flung her commlink across the room and into a chair. The sooner she was away from Wayne for good, the better.

She spent time off and on throughout the day getting ready for tonight, pulling items from her limited closet to figure out just what would stand out in the middle of a club full of glass and chrome. When she was almost convinced nothing would be quite right for tonight, her fingers landed on the perfect dress. A little short, tight traditional little black dress. Triangles of illusion mesh were inset along the sides, tapering down to a point just above the hem. This was the kind of dress that you absolutely couldn’t wear anything beneath because of the way it hugged every curve of her body.

No lingerie, no stockings but a gleaming pair of 18cm black stilettos with gold accent heels to match the dangling and glittering amber stones she slipped into her ears. She took her time with her makeup tonight, wanting to get it just right. That look of effortless perfection that caused men’s eyes to follow her from across the room. Bronze smoky eyes, cat liner, nude lips, and sculpted cheeks set off by her now bronzed skin which brought the ethnic mutt from her mystery father to the surface.

Sealing the deal she strategically placed a few drops of one of her favorite perfumes she used only on very special occasions, to her pulse points and instantly she was wrapped in the scents of dark florals and exotic spices

She checked herself over once more, ensuring everything was perfect from head to toe and no small detail was missed. She had an agenda tonight, one that was growing with urgency with each passing moment and hit to her credstick. She was pretty certain Kovacs had an agenda of his own for tonight which he wasn’t sharing so she was ready for anything and to go along for the ride. Besides, she always loved the adrenaline rush of the unknown and having to adapt on the fly.

Having put her contacts back in, all the information from her commlink flashed in her periphery. Without fail, as she was about to wear a permanent pathway in her floors from pacing while she waited, her incoming call notification popped up with Kovacs letting her know he was downstairs. Mac grabbed the last few things she’d possibly need and her coat and headed downstairs as fast as her stilettos would take her. Something told her it wouldn’t be a good idea to leave Kovacs waiting.

[grendel]

19:59:38 Monday 08 January 2063 – 2356 E. Valley St., Apartment 423, Downtown, Seattle

She was prompt. Kovacs liked that in a woman. As she came down the stairs towards the Land Rover, he couldn't help but stare. No longer the rumpled, bruised waif that showed up on his doorstep a night ago. Now she was every centimeter a sultry vixen. The little black dress was skin tight on curves that should come with a warning label, and her stilettos shaped her legs and gave her hips a seductive sway. He smiled.

She's trouble. Trouble with a capital T. Just the way I like.

He popped the locks for her, waiting as she hopped into the cab of the Rover. A moment later, a teasing breath of her exotic perfume swirled past him, and he felt his blood ignite. He successfully suppressed a grin, though, at her look of bewilderment. He'd thrown on a garish canary yellow button down shirt, popping the collar like an urban douche before topping it off with a gloss black faux leather jacket. His pants were the same, no need to change that up, as were his boots. But now he wore oversized sunglasses in a fetching shade of lavender.

"You didn't tell me it was going to be a costume party," giggled Mac, her lip curling at the outlandishness of his ill-fitting garb.

"Thought I didn't have to," replied Kovacs, putting the truck in gear. "Everyone's out tonight wearing some kind of costume, some kind of mask in order to cover who they really are, in order to lure in who they think they want. My costume is just like theirs."

"Oh?"

Kovacs nodded absently, although his concentration wasn't really on the road either. "Ordinarily I'm the wolf in wolf's clothing, and I'm all right with that. It's taken some time, but I've accepted the duality of my nature. But when it comes time to mingle with the herd, sometimes it serves my purpose not to look like the predator I am."

Mac glanced at him, her face losing some of its humor as his voice echoed Linda's warning of two days ago. The rest of the drive to the club passed in silence.

20:23:54 Monday 08 January 2063 – Inspire, 7044 Northampton Boulevard, Downtown, Seattle

Kovacs brought the Land Rover to a stop in an alleyway across the street from the club. His gaze travelled the silent gray facades of the surrounding buildings, hushed and cold beneath their dusting of snow. Mac fidgeted in her seat, restless but not really knowing why. Wordlessly he passed her a certified credstick with a thousand nuyen balance.

"Slip some to the bouncer to get you in past the line. Have a drink at the bar. At twenty one hundred head back to the lady's room, but go left into the kitchen and open the receiving bay door. Act drunk. Then just follow my lead. All right?"

Not waiting for her reply, he connected his call to Isomer.

Got your funds and I'm standing by, said the decker before Kovacs got anything out. He smiled.

Good. Start the loopback now. We'll be done and out by 2115.

Out. Isomer killed the connection, and Kovacs put the truck in gear, swinging out to drop Mac off by the club's front door.

[Vegas]

20:29:17 Monday 08 January 2063 – Inspire, 7044 Northampton Boulevard, Downtown, Seattle
 
Mac’s internal radar started setting off alarm bells as soon as Kovacs explained with precision just what he wanted, no, expected her to do. It was becoming increasingly obvious that what he had planned tonight wasn’t just to check out a new club, but something far more nefarious. The strange part was the more primal side of her was feeding off this dark energy, ignoring any warnings her subconscious was trying to feed her.
 
As the Rover came to a stop outside the doors and the line snaked back almost around the block, Mac opened the door and stepped out, leaving her coat behind in the car. She oozed sex and sensuality as she walked with confidence towards the door. If she couldn’t charm her way past the bouncers of her own volition, she had a shiny certified credstick tucked away to open the door. She past the others in line, not slowing down or even looking at those who had been waiting for God knows how long to get inside. She flashed a smile to the guys at the door, flipped her hair and moved her hips in just the right way that for at least an instant everyone’s attention was on her.

"You boys have room in there for one more?"

One of the bouncers was falling for it, hook, line and sinker and went to part the rope for her to pass while the other stopped him and looked Mac up and down a few times expectantly. Not missing a beat she produced the certified credstick from who knew where exactly and thumbed a much smaller amount than she was expecting to pay and offered it to the unwavering bouncer.

With one last look and a nod the bouncer let her inside to the whispers and dirty looks of those left in line.

And now the real fun begins.

[grendel]

21:02:09 Monday 08 January 2063 – Inspire, 7044 Northampton Boulevard, Downtown, Seattle

Mac staggered down the hallway towards the women's restroom, weaving and giggling as she texted on her commlink. Party girls pushed past her, none too steady on their feet either. She turned, bumped into a well dressed man having a heated conversation with one of the busboys before lurching through the twin doors that led to the kitchen. She didn't even stop to check her surroundings, ducking to the right, her arm already reaching for the receiving bay door.

"Hey!" called someone from the kitchen. Mac giggled louder, twisting the handle desperately. Kovacs must have been leaning against the door because he practically fell in against her, reeking of alcohol and a filthy cologne.

"WHOOOOO!" he laughed loudly. "Wrong way, babe! Bathroom's are on the right!" Together they staggered back towards the kitchen door. One of the cooks almost ran into them on the way, his face twisted in disgust.

"You can't be back here!"

"Sorry, chummer!" Kovacs threw back over his shoulder as the two of them barreled into the hallway, laughing maniacally. His left arm was draped over her shoulder, while Mac slipped her right arm around his waist. Her hand found something bulky and hard slung beneath his jacket, and her blood ran ice cold. The drunken smile never slipped from her face, though, and she followed as Kovacs guided her out and into the bar proper. They careened through the tables, heading in a zig zag towards the larger, family sized booths she'd seen earlier during their lunch visit. One of which was full of three men and six women, all being watched over by a pair of bodyguards.

Kovacs' unsteady gait carried them too close to the first body guard, who responded by shoving them away with a bit of a hipcheck. Mac felt Kovacs absorb the momentum of the blow, transferring it to her and sending her stumbling right into the second bodyguard. Her arms flew out as she draped herself drunkenly over him.

"Oooops!" she giggled. To her right, Kovacs twisted, his body suddenly still in the movement of the club. Mac didn't see the weapon come out, only heard the first stuttering string of pops. The first bodyguard who'd struck them folded in on himself, a mist of red hanging in the air behind him. Kovacs turned, suddenly moving dervish fast, a sleek submachinegun cradled against his shoulder. The weapon spat rounds down range, and the mirror behind the booth shattered as one of them blew through the target's flesh. One of the girls screamed.

The second bodyguard disentangled himself from Mac with a violent twist, his weapon coming clear. She opened her mouth to scream a warning, but Kovacs beat her to it, his weapon on target even before she could draw her breath. The weapons fired almost simultaneously, and something wet misted down on Mac. Then Kovacs was hauling her to her feet, his gun once more hidden beneath his jacket. His face was set and terrible. Towing her behind him, he bulldozed his way through the crowd. They found themselves flowing with the traffic, though, once they made the turn towards the bathrooms.

The night air was shockingly cold on her skin as they burst out through the receiving bay doors amidst a crowd of screaming club goers. The Land Rover idled in the alleyway, its doors opening in response to a silent signal from Kovacs. He didn't even bother waiting for Mac to go around to the passenger side, simply hauling her into the car over his lap and dumping her in the front seat. His foot mashed down on the accelerator, and the SUV snarled off into the night.

He yanked off the sunglasses and pulled off the jacket, followed by the yellow shirt, the front velcro seal tearing free and revealing the charcoal black of his armor beneath. A bright smear of lead decorated the trauma plate over his right pectoral. He wadded the clothing up and stuffed it beneath his seat, his eyes still scanning the road as the Range Rover snarled through the turn to the onramp before settling into a more sedate highway speed.

"Check yourself, make sure you're not wounded," he instructed.

[Vegas]

21:10:32 Monday 08 January 2063 – On the I-5, Downtown, Seattle

Mac pressed herself against the seat and along the door, putting a little extra distance between Kovacs and herself. Her breath came in adrenaline-fueled short gasps. She knew she was only a little worse for wear from being tossed around like a ragdoll in the chaos and thrown to the ground by the second guy Kovacs had taken out.

No, not taken out. Fragging killed damnit!

Still in a state of denial about what happened, she went through the motions of checking over herself for any damage and realized she was wearing someone else’s blood for the second time in less than a weekend. She blanched as images from tonight mixed with more of her memory from Saturday night and she squeezed her eyes tight for a moment to try to block it all out. When she opened her mouth, she practically yelled at this “stranger” beside her.

“What the fraggin’ hell Kovacs!”

[grendel]

21:15:07 Monday 08 January 2063 – On the I-5, Downtown, Seattle

"I'll take that as a no." Kovacs didn't spare a glance for Mac, his attention riveted on the traffic and the skies overhead. Reaching beneath the dashboard, he hit the switch that triggered the vehicle's spoof chip, sending a new VID to grid guide and changing the SUV's own license plate in the process. He dropped a message out to Isomer as well.

Out and clear. Thanks for the help. Rigged for silent running.

That finished, he scanned the area around the vehicle again before switching lanes and preparing to take the off-ramp for Hwy 176. Slowing the vehicle, he called de Medici. A window, inset to his vision at forty percent mask, opened showing the suave corporate axman.

Contract complete.

"You're as efficient as always, Kovacs, that's why I keep coming back to you." de Medici's voice was smooth and urbane. Kovacs always imagined that if a cobra could speak, it would do so with the same tone.

I already told you. Don't call me again. Now, I'll be at the corner of 46th and West Bay Run Ave in Redmond in thirty minutes. I'll see you there with my money.

de Medici frowned. "I can't make thirty. It'll have to be an hour.

You have forty five minutes. Out. Kovacs missed the days when a body was able to slam a phone down to illustrate his disgust. He left the rest of the threat unspoken, satisfying himself with a vicious surge of acceleration as the SUV came out of the turn onto the smaller crosstown highway.

[Vegas]

21:18:07 Monday 08 January 2063 – On Hwy 176, Downtown, Seattle

“No, I’m fine. The blood’s not mine,” She shuddered visably. “Again.”

She wiped at the fine droplets that lingered on her bare shoulder and only succeeded in making it worse and working into a messy, dried smear. She wanted to be almost anywhere but in the front seat of his car at that very instant. Linda had tried to warn her, and she didn’t listen.

Frag me.

“Are you going to tell me anything? Clue me in on the drek you just pulled me neck deep in?!”

His silence was pushing her to the verge of throttling him even though he was driving.

[grendel]

21:21:38 Monday 08 January 2063 – On Hwy 176, Renton, Seattle

"It's better if you don't know too many details," replied Kovacs, his scan still on surrounding traffic and the overcast skies above them. "I was paid tonight to kill a man. Your help was definitely appreciated. I'll cut you in on the overall payment for the work."

Silence descended between them momentarily. Then he spoke again.

"There's paper towels in back if you want to clean up a bit. We're on our way to meet my contact now."

[Mach_Ten]

16:25:07 Monday, 08 January 2063 - Danny's Pawn and Loan, 15710 SE Newport Way, Bellevue, Seattle

There's something peaceful about a shop after hours when the doors are locked and there's nothing but the quiet humm of the various electrical goods dotted around the place, Digital displays showing the time in multiple formats and a non-conformist view of the current hour.
Remy absently checks one and adjusts it up to at least a semblance of similarity with the others and takes the magnet from the shelf, holding it out to Joslyn along with the card that once contained it.
"I got's told dat it's impossible to trace this back wiv tech, so it's gots ta be old fashioned way, dunno about her comm number though? probly routes via Tir na nog for all I knows though!"

Remy gives a nervous glance in his Uncles direction, he is obviously torn between maintaining the safety and security of the status quo, but craving the adventure that this investigation is drawing him into. and last but by no means least he craves the approval of the senior influence in his life, despite his regular forays with his crew into teh murky grey areas of the law, he has never operated without the security blanket that Danny offers if the Drek hits the turbine.

"I think there's a meet tomorra, Danny usually lets us know so we can close da shop and get brekky on da way there! can ask him if ya like? I'm sure someone dere will know what the drek this fing is for and yeah I's rather it's not here if dey come back again for it"

He pokes around at the cooler with a handy screwdriver, trying to infer it's purpose by osmosis or divine intervention.

[Vegas]

21:27:09 Monday 08 January 2063 – On Hwy 176, Renton, Seattle

Mac opened her mouth as if to start to say something and then closed it at least three times as the guardrail of the highway flashed by outside. So many thoughts were racing through her head at once as she wrapped her arms around herself to fight off the chill that was radiating from inside of her.

I'm so screwed. He wears body armor and I wore this dress?! I'm going to kill him for this. His contact, where. How the hell do I get away from this. Drek, am I next? Ohmygod, I'm an accessory to murder. And he's going to pay me for it, Jesus.

She turned more in the front seat, pressing her back against the door as she watched Kovacs drive, trying to study him for answer to all the pressing questions in her head. When she did finally speak, the question she asked even surprised her a little.

"So what exactly does a life go for these days?"

A wry, dark smile crossed her lips for an instant as she thought about what it might be like to take out Wayne.

[DeliciousD]

16:30:07 Monday, 08 January 2063 - Danny's Pawn and Loan, 15710 SE Newport Way, Bellevue, Seattle

Joslyn looks over the tracking device as Remy talks, he's seen a lot of trackers in his time but none quite like this. He makes a mental note to look up which corp is doing this kind of work.

He nods as Remy finishes talking, then produces a card of his own from his coat pocket. It's fairly minimal, a spider web logo with 'SSS' appearing in thicker web strands, beneath the logo are two contact numbers and 'Joslyn Whiteland, Security Consultant' he hands it to Remy.

"Sounds like a plan," he glances over at Danny, still reattaching the broken curtain "If you let me know when you're heading out, I'll get you both breakfast before the meet." he flips the tracking device over in his hand then holds it up "I'll get my matrix guy to give this a once over if you don't mind, see if it's hiding anything interesting."

[grendel]

21:38:43 Monday 08 January 2063 – Northeast corner of 46th St and West Bay Run Ave, Redmond, Seattle

"Depends," replied Kovacs. "Depends on the life. Depends on how fast. Depends on the method required. Depends on the security. Depends if there's Awakened involved."

His voice is flat and emotionless, ticking off considerations with metronomic precision. Mac has the uneasy feeling that he's done this several times in the past. Maybe a dozen more than several, in fact. Despite the warmth and comfort of the SUV's cabin, she shivers.

Kovacs kills the vehicle's headlights as they pull off the secondary arteries and into the burnt out, lifeless sections of Redmond. The SUV's instrumentation flipped over to an eerie ambient green, barely visible to the unaided eye but bright enough for someone with augmented vision to drive by. He snakes the vehicle through the deserted streets, filled with mounded snow hiding abandoned cars and piles of refuse.

Mac is certain that they circle their final destination at least three times before he finally parks the vehicle curbside, pointed across the intersection. Kovacs does one last scan of the street, buildings, and skies overhead before reaching into the backseat. He comes out with a plain gray plastic ammo can, stenciled with 7mm SMG on the side. Popping open the lid, he pulls out a cardboard cassette containing ten caseless rounds, setting it on the center console before closing the ammo can and putting it back on the floor of the back seat.

Reaching beneath his coat, he ejects the magazine from the FN P93, replacing it with one drawn from the pouch on his belt before letting the assault sling tug the weapon back into place. Emptying out the cassette, he reloads the magazine, all ten of the pale white slug like rounds disappearing into the flat black plastic. The magazine refills the empty pouch on his left hip and he settles back into the driver's side to wait. The entire operation took less than two minutes, his actions smooth and reflexive as his eyes continue to scan the surrounding terrain.