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

[Vegas]

16:33:57 Saturday, 13 January 2063 - 1400 Willow Heights Road #4, Tacoma, Seattle

“You wouldn’t want me any other way.”

Mac laughed richly as she watched Tristan walk away from the monitors and shaking his head. As she turned her attention back to them she called out over her shoulder.

“I’ll be here, let me know if you need a hand. Oh and try not to run into any interns along the way, hmmm?”

It felt good to laugh, and she knew Tristan was right. A life without the brighter moments wasn’t really a life at all. Mac knew when she needed to be serious and she also knew how to let go and have a little (or a lot of) fun. She leaned back in the chair and yawned softly, the day already catching up to her. She was used to staying up and out all night and working odd hours, but she had always had the luxury of being able to sleep in her own bed for as long as she needed afterwards. She could feel the past few days catching up with her a little more than she’d like while she watched the near static screens and waited for Drift and Kovacs to return.

If there was one thing Mac learned she could count on was Kovacs’ reliability when it came to being where he said he would and on time if not early. She smiled as Drift’s Roadmaster came into view of the external drones cameras and she turned her chair around when the doors to the warehouse rumbled open and they rolled in looking no worse for wear and Kovacs stepped out of the vehicle.

“Get what you needed?”

[grendel]

17:08:25 Saturday, 13 January 2063 - 1400 Willow Heights Road #4, Tacoma, Seattle

Kovacs nodded, downloading his information to the network with a flick of his wrist. Drift dropped down from the rigger interface, seating himself in the open door of the Roadmaster. He stretched his legs in front of him, massaging his thighs. Tristan took a step back, allowing the taller street sam the center seat in front of the network console. The AR came alive, a digital construct augmented by the video and still surveillance shots gathered by Drift's drones. The areas still in question were marked by a crosshatched dull gray. Everything else appeared as if Mac and the team stood at the street intersection just north of their target building's parking lot.

"Suda," called Kovacs, his voice pitched to summon the Cat shaman from her circle. A deft gesture of his hands sent the visual spinning past until now the view was of a cul-de-sac in an alley seventy meters distant from their target.

"Yes, my fearless leader?" replied the shaman, leaning casually against the rack of electronics.

"How quickly can you move three of us from this location to the southeast corner of the roof?" Kovacs drew a dashed orange line through space indicating their desired landing zone. Suda pulled a string of beads from her pocket, sliding three up and one down.

"Four seconds," she replied, no trace of her usual kittenish tone.

"That'll work. Based on our recon, we confirmed that the building is constructed with a faraday cage in order to prevent wireless transmissions into or out. We've also confirmed that they use the cage as an intrusion detection measure. The charge measured across the cage cannot change by more than two milliohms for five microseconds or the alarm sounds. This gives us a narrow window of opportunity to open a hole in the cage, yet maintain the resistance of the whole structure to prevent detection."

Kovacs highlighted the current position in the AR view. "The Roadmaster will be parked here. At 0255 Tristan, Mac and myself will depart the vehicle and transit to the southeast corner of the roof via magical means. Once there, we will access this service hatch and penetrate the grid using a non-explosive thermal cut."

The view swept across the intervening streets before orienting on the proposed insertion point. False color icons mimed through the process of accessing the hatch and breaching the integrity of the faraday cage.

"We need three: Tristan will immediately insert, Mac will operate the cut, and I'll remain overwatch. Once we breach, Mac you'll return to the Roadmaster while I follow Tristan in. It will require twenty seconds for us to transit from the southeast corner to the central data area indicated by de Medici, and a further fifteen seconds to extract to this fire door on the southern side of the building. Once we report the target in hand, the Roadmaster departs its staging area for the rendezvous at the perimeter fence line adjacent to the fire door. Mac, we'll rely on you to breach the fence line as well. This will be more straightforward, though, a simple U-cut with the monofilament chainsaw will suffice. From there, it will be a direct shot to the freeway and to the rendezvous point indicated by the Johnson."

Once more the AR view shifted as Kovacs spoke, the icons moving effortlessly through their assigned tasks. Mac knew for certain that nothing about what was proposed would actually be that easy in reality.

[Vegas]

17:13:01 Saturday, 13 January 2063 - 1400 Willow Heights Road #4, Tacoma, Seattle

The smile had quickly disappeared from Mac’s lips, her face growing serious as the plan unfolded and the results of the recon trip were shared with the rest of the group. Her face remained almost unreadable as she listened on, save for her jawline tightening as she thought about Tristan and Kovacs going in on their own without communications if everything went sideways, but she held her tongue for the moment.

Her eyes followed the AR construct as it moved the virtual versions of the team though the plans. She chewed lightly on her thumbnail as she watched, the questions and concerns stacking in her head one after the other. She didn’t love the plan, but it didn’t mean she didn’t trust it.

“Any issues with the fenceline outside of the obvious security cameras?”

[grendel]

17:19:43 Saturday, 13 January 2063 - 1400 Willow Heights Road #4, Tacoma, Seattle

"The fence is electrified, don't touch it with anything other than the chainsaw. It will short during the cutting process so make sure you're wearing your respirator and goggles," replied Kovacs.

"Great," muttered Mac. The samurai's face wore a mirthless smile.

"All right, settle into the network people, we're going to run through the op. Full contact." Kovacs lay back, submerging into full VR. Tristan was right behind him. Suda wore a moue of distaste, carefully settling her set of trades over her hair before reclining and closing her eyes. Mac shifted closer to Kovacs before dropping into VR. A momentary vertigo seized her before she oriented herself, the familiar lines of the Roadmaster filling her vision. Kovacs and Tristan knelt by the closed cargo bay door, each of them wearing a pale white voluminous cloak of unfamiliar design. Drift was ensconced in his command couch. Mac realized that the surveillance feeds he was watching were the realtime feeds from the warehouse.

10 seconds said the rigger over the network. Kovacs held out his arm and Mac knelt next to him, his arm sliding around her waist. She felt Tristan grip opposite side. A pale mist descended into the interior of the van, and all of a sudden the three of them were floating several centimeters above floor of the truck.

Go said the network and the door cammed open. They were through the opening immediately, zipping through the air with dizzying speed. Both Kovacs and Tristan had powered on their cloaks, but the cameras were unable to process the scenery at the speed they were moving, resulting in a shapeless blur being displayed on the OLED polymers. That would change once they reached the rooftop, though.

The four seconds felt like an eternity, but they were across the street and onto the roof without anyone raising the alarm. Kovacs kept his cloak pushed out, covering Mac as she knelt in front of him. Tristan unfolded the square frame of the thermal cut before working open the access hatch. Seconds ticked by as he carefully disassembled the maglock casing before hot-wiring its innards. When at last he pulled the hatch open, she let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. The copper wire mesh of the Faraday cage was clearly visible, and Mac oriented the frame to fit through the open hatch. Tristan stepped down into the hatch, then gave her the thumbs up. She took a deep breath, then slammed the cut through the cage mesh. The thermal burning bars pierced the copper bars easily, dropping a half meter square section into the building while welding an equivalent amount of material into the mesh. Tristan disappeared into the building in a controlled fall, followed immediately by Kovacs, the tall samurai simply stepping over Mac and into the dark opening. She blinked in surprise, finding herself alone all of a sudden, and then, equally quickly, flying back through the air towards the Roadmaster.

Gunfire sounded, followed closely by alarms, then the simulation went dark.

Again said Kovacs disembodied voice.

They repeated the drill. Alarms. Gunfire.

Again.

Gunfire. Alarms.

Again.

Gunfire.

Again.

[Vegas]

17:43:19 Saturday, 13 January 2063 - 1400 Willow Heights Road #4, Tacoma, Seattle

Mac lost track of the number of times they had run through the simulation leading up to the point where Tristan and Kovacs emerged from the building with deMedici in tow with no alarms and only necessary gunfire. And it was a few more times beyond that where they worked through breaching the fence line. It was the moments of uncertainty while the pair were inside the building that nearly killed her each time, the simple seconds that ticked by that felt like an eternity.

Deep down she knew it would be a million times worse on the day of the run, when everything would be real. Everything would be lethal.

By the time Kovacs called it and they all came out of VR, Mac felt like she had run a million marathons. Every inch of her felt leaden and heavy from the spikes of adrenaline and the inevitable crash that came as her reserves were tapped out. A chill ran through her that she couldn't shake and she shivered visibly in her chair.

Mac watched as Suda stripped the headband quickly from her head in the first instant she could and the shaman looked like she wanted to retreat to the safety of her circle. Mac drew her knees up and balanced the balls of her feet on the edge of the chair, her chin resting on her knees as she tried to warm up. She closed her eyes and ran through everything one more time in her head as she waited for the next steps from Kovacs.

[grendel]

18:11:32 Saturday, 13 January 2063 - 1400 Willow Heights Road #4, Tacoma, Seattle

Both Kovacs and Tristan surface from VR like veterans, moving with no sign of the lethargy that Mac felt, nor any of the abhorrence that Suda displayed. The slim shaman glanced once at Kovacs, receiving a nod, then disappeared back to her corner of the warehouse.

"Five minutes?" asked Tristan. Kovacs glanced towards the Roadmaster in a gesture that Mac knew indicated he was communicating silently with the rigger, then nodded. Mac glanced up at him, and he reached down to rub her shoulder.

"Tristan and I are going to do some cardio and then we can clean up and go to dinner. You in the mood for anything in particular tonight?"

Mac successfully resisted the urge to say something carnal, replying instead with just a shrug of her shoulders. "Nothing in particular."

Kovacs nodded. "We'll figure it out when we come to it."

He headed off towards the cots to change, reappearing minutes later wearing just a pair of sweat pants and running shoes. Together, he and the swordsman stretched and warmed up before facing opposite directions against the far wall of the warehouse.

"Ready?" asked Tristan.

"Go," said Kovacs, and they took off running in opposite directions. Although the warehouse was odd-shaped, they used the large central room to outline an oval track, but Mac wondered why they didn't run together. The answer came at the first time they crossed paths, the dull thud of flesh against flesh as they traded a flurry of blows before pushing on in their run. The same happened when they came around to their starting point, this time Tristan went high with a flying knee. Kovacs rolled beneath him, coming up at a dead sprint. The pattern continued unabated, the rhythmic pounding of shoes against pavement broken by the periodic impact of flesh and bone, grunts and curses.

Twenty minutes into it, Mac hears a sharper, more distinct crack, followed by a cessation of running. Glancing up, she sees Tristan cradling his arm while Kovacs holds his left arm protectively against his ribs. The two move past her to where Suda sits, cross-legged on the floor. After a moment the slim shaman looks up.

"You boys playing rough again?"

Tristan grins. "Little help if you don't mind?"

With a sigh and a shake of her head, Suda reaches out and lays her hand on the swordsman's arm, concentrating. A minute passes and then she pulls away, running a hand through her hair and turning to Kovacs.

"You too?"

The tall samurai shrugs. "He hit me first."

"Whatever." She repeats her laying on of hands, brows furrowed in concentration for a minute before she once again relaxes.

"All right, want me to kiss it and make it better?"

Kovacs doesn't reply but Tristan thrusts out his hips. Suda gives him a withering glare.

"We're headed to dinner here in a bit," interjected Kovacs, before the game escalated. "Want to join us? Or would you rather we bring you back something?"

"Where are you thinking of going?" she asked. The samurai glanced aside at Tristan, who shrugged.

"Mongolian BBQ?"

"Sure," said Kovacs.

"Count me in!" smiled Suda, "just let me finish up here."

Kovacs and Tristan turned away, heading towards Mac, and by extension the cots. "After you get ready, see what Drift wants," instructed the tall samurai. Tristan nodded.

[Vegas]

18:20:47 Saturday, 13 January 2063 - 1400 Willow Heights Road #4, Tacoma, Seattle

Mac was still perched on the chair with her knees still drawn to her chin, her face turned towards the bank of screens yet her eyes were focused somewhere else as Tristan and Kovacs approached. She cast her eyes in Kovacs' direction for an instant and shot him a look that he answered with a simple slight nod and headed back towards the cots to get cleaned up and leave Mac alone with the flickering screens for company.

Habitually, she reached up and pulled the binder from her hair, shaking it out as it fell. She ran her fingers through it a few times as much for the calming sensation as to smooth it back into waves.

It wasn't long before everyone was ready to go to dinner and Mac realized Drift was staying behind to keep overwatch. She slipped out of her calm and quiet brooding and tried to force a little sunshine into her voice.

"So who picked what for dinner?"

Tristan shot a smile her way and took credit for the choice.

"Mongolian."

She managed a slight smile in acceptance and as the four made their way to the Rover, she gave up her usual front seat to the swordsman, sliding into the back bench behind Kovacs and next to Suda. The conversation in the truck was on anything but work as they left the warehouse and Mac caught about a third of it with little interjection of her own as she spent most of the drive looking out the window. She caught a concerned look from the rear view mirror which she answered with a slight shake of her head and a smile that pulled only at the corners of her mouth.

19:05:35 Saturday, 13 January 2063 - Jasmine Mongolian Grill, 1901 S 72nd St, Tacoma, Seattle

Tristan was headed back to the booth, weaving through the busy restaurant with a second heaping plate of food while Mac was still working on her first plate of veggies and rice which meant mostly pushing it around her plate as she wasn't really hungry. She managed a soft laugh and a smile as he slid back next to Suda who looked at him and shook her head. Mac took the second to gently press her leg against Kovacs' beneath the table.

"So now I understand why you wanted to come here, so you could eat them out of business for one low price."

[grendel]

19:17:57 Saturday, 13 January 2063 - Jasmine Mongolian Grill, 1901 S 72nd St, Tacoma, Seattle

Kovacs gave Mac's thigh a subtle squeeze. "Not my fault they offer an all-you-can-eat option. Besides, it's not like he won't ask to stop for dessert on our way back."

Suda hummed cheerfully to herself, mopping up a bit of sauce with one of the sesame biscuits that came with the meal. "I could go for an espresso or perhaps a digestif."

Tristan slid into the booth, already chewing on the first mouthful of noodles from his plate. Kovacs motioned with his chopsticks to the scattered detritus of the meal.

"Suda recommends drinks after this."

The swordsman cocked an eyebrow, then nodded, mumbling something through his full mouth that sounded like 'frag yeah'. Kovacs chewed thoughtfully.

"Tacoma Style?"

Tristan shook his head. "Overrun with wanna-bes."

He pondered as he munched through his next bite of food, before a slow smile spread across his lips. "I know a place. But we should grab Drift on our way."

Kovacs nodded. "Sounds like a plan."

[Vegas]

19:26:19 Saturday, 13 January 2063 - Jasmine Mongolian Grill, 1901 S 72nd St, Tacoma, Seattle

Mac's curiosity was piqued the moment she caught the look in Tristan's eye and the type of smile he flashed and she returned it with one of her own and a raised brow.

"So it's going to be one of those nights is it?"

All things considered the idea of the entire team letting their hair down and grabbing a couple of drinks in the process sounded divine. She could think of a few places she'd enjoy going, but she doubted they'd be anyone's speed outside of her and Kovacs, so she went along for the ride with whatever Tristan had planned.

She finished just enough food that it would take the edge off anything she drank later and casually leaned back in the booth and watched the rest of the group finish up, stealing a few more seconds of contact, sliding her hand beneath Kovacs' where it rested on her thigh.

"Don't suppose we could stop by a convenience store on the way? I could stand to do a tiny bit of refueling before we head anywhere?"

The fingers of her other hand tapped a light rhythm against the table as she needed something to do with her hands not having her cigarettes or gum to occupy them.

[grendel]

20:51:08 Saturday, 13 January 2063 - 1038B SW 356th St, Seattle

"Sure, shouldn't be a problem," replied Kovacs. He caught the eye of their waitress, who delivered the check along with four fortune cookies a minute later. Tristan and Kovacs coughed up some certified to cover the bill, with the swordsman passing out the fortune cookies. Mac cracked hers open, munching on one half while reading the slip of paper held inside.

"What's your's say?" asked Tristan.

"You first," she grinned.

"'A new friend will help you overcome a problem'," he read aloud, taking a bite out of the other half of the cookie before quirking a smile at Mac. "Look's like you're my lucky charm."

"I'll bet you say that to all the girls," she chuckled. "Mine says 'you're about to embark on a great adventure'." She looked at Kovacs, who shrugged, his mouth full of cookie.

"Mine was defective. It didn't have a fortune in it."

"Mine says 'An important business venture is about to succeed'," said Suda, sharing a smile around the table. "Seems like our little errand next week is destined to end well."

"Let it be so," said Kovacs, standing and gesturing everyone towards the door.

---

They swung by a Stuffer Shack on the way back to the warehouse. Kovacs sent a message ahead to Drift outlining their plans while Mac and Tristan stocked up. She glanced behind her as he queued, waiting for the clerk to retrieve her cigarettes.

"We just ate," she said, eyeing the mountain of snacks in his arms, "how can you be hungry?"

"A guy's gotta eat," he replied, grinning. "But most of this is for later." Mac shook her head and paid for her purchases.

---

Mac leaned back into Kovacs, curling her leg up into the booth. Tristan's place was a speakeasy, there was no other term that fit. A basement somewhere in Tacoma, they'd parked around back before descending an unmarked staircase to a fire door. The swordsman held a hushed conversation with the man behind the view slit before they were allowed through a narrow hallway and into the club. On stage, a decadently handsome black elf alternately wailed on a tenor sax and dragged from a cigarette held between his ring and pinky fingers. His shaven head bore a golden tattoo of a music clef, who's notes glowed and pulsed in time to the snare in the background.

Suda was at the bar, toying with a cosmopolitan with one hand and a well dressed gentleman with the other. Drift was just coming off the dance floor, a giggling blonde leading him towards the bar. The booth that Mac shared with Kovacs was against the other wall, giving them an excellent view over the stage and dance floor. His left arm lay across her, the fingers of their hands intertwined again.

[Vegas]

21:07:35 Saturday, 13 January 2063 - 1038B SW 356th St, Seattle

Nestled against Kovacs, Mac's dark eyes moved over the elite crowd in the club, picking out the rest of the team as a smile played on her lips. In this moment, everything felt light years away from their dry run of the plan earlier at the warehouse. The pack of clove cigarettes discarded on the table in the center of their booth, a few gold-banded black filters crushed out filled an ashtray and mixed drinks half-finished sweated in the warmth of the room, leaving pools of water in lazy patterns on the table.

Mac loved the feeling of being in the middle of everything in the room, the music, the patrons, the drinks, all while having this sense of privacy within the booth that extended to just the two of them. She twisted slightly in the booth pulling him to her, her lips brushing against his and leaving her mark. A mix of smoke, spice and something intoxicatingly sweet. Just as quickly as she kissed him she pulled back slightly and locked her gaze with his as a dangerous smirk turned up the corner of her mouth.

"Not quite The Underworld, but right now it'll do."

The desire was readily apparent in her eyes, the hunger in her lurking just below the surface barely kept in check.

[Vegas]

21:17:03 Saturday, 13 January 2063 - 1038B SW 356th St, Seattle

Kovacs’ hand slipped from around her shoulders to tangle in her hair, pulling her to him so that her lips were just millimeters away from his as he growled against her.

“Incorrigible.”

Mac let him close the distance to her parted lips and a light danced in her eyes as their mouths fused together. She reached up and let her fingers brush against the days old stubble on his cheeks as his grip in her hair tightened and his lips punished hers. When he let go and broke the kiss she sat back slightly an studied his face as she cocked her head slightly and pursed her lips thoughtfully.

“I believe the word you’re looking for is insatiable."

She was about to kiss him again when Tristan flung himself into the booth after a few flirtatious rounds on the dance floor with a leggy redhead.

“Ugh, you two. Get a room.”

[grendel]

22:09:48 Saturday, 13 January 2063 - 1038B SW 356th St, Seattle

Kovacs completed the gesture that Mac started, tasting her lips and tongue for a minute before breaking off the embrace.

"Later," he replied, both to her and to Tristan. The swordsman wasn't paying attention any longer, his arms draped over the rear of his half of the booth as he flirted with the redhead and her blonde companion. Music swirled around them, rising and falling in arhythmic pulses as the band jammed through its set, mixing with the raucous voices, laughter, and shouts of the crowd. Mac lit another cigarette, exhaling a cloud of smoke that joined the haze surrounding the golden lamps above the booths. Tristan climbed out of the booth, disappearing down the short hall that lead to the restrooms with both women, to be replaced by Drift. The ork's face was a little ruddier than Mac remembered, and he silently clinked glasses with Kovacs, a smile on his face.

---

In the end, it was over too soon. When Tristan reappeared, sans company, Kovacs flashed him the high sign and the swordsman nodded, detouring to the bar to collect Suda. Drift was already ambling towards the door, and Mac and Kovacs followed him. It was a quiet ride back to the warehouse, and even quieter once they arrived. Suda disappeared into her usual spot while Drift simply flopped the rigger couch back near horizontal and was snoring in minutes. Tristan rummaged through the supplies he purchased earlier, laying out a late night snack on the plastic counter in front of the network surveillance display. He glanced back at Kovacs and Mac as if to say you're still here?. The tall samurai chuckled, turning and drawing Mac towards the rear of the truck. The thin camping pad with a sleeping bag on top wouldn't be as comfortable as the bed in the safe house, but at least it was private. Kovacs climbed in behind her, closing the doors as he did so.

[Vegas]

22:41:02 Saturday, 13 January 2063 - 1400 Willow Heights Road #4, Tacoma, Seattle

Mac wasted no time once the two of them had the privacy of the back of the truck. Her lips found his almost instantly and while her fingers fumbled with his clothes and then her own she pressed herself against him, tangling her legs with his like she did with their tongues.

As she urged Kovacs to lay back, she climbed on top of him, her hands spread out across his chest for leverage as she leaned down over him, her hair falling around them. She felt his hands move to her hips as she moved in circles against him but neither of them went at each other with the same manic energy as in their previous trysts. She took her time, savoring every sensation of his skin against hers, the way his lips felt against hers, the way his hands traveled her body.

The sensation of her knees pressing into the bed of the truck went unnoticed as she raised herself up as much as she could in the cramped space and she held the gaze of his cool gray eyes and in that moment it pushed her over the edge, the connection she felt with Kovacs far deeper than anything she had shared with anyone before. She buried her face in his neck muffling her moans and murmurs or pleasure as she came above him. His arms crushed her against him as she shuddered beneath his strength.

She lost track of how long he held her against him, how long the sensations of her orgasm ebbed and flowed through her. Eventually Kovacs loosened his hold on her just enough so they could shift positions, Mac curled her body up tightly against him, drawing the sleeping bag around them to ward off the chill that seeped into the truck from the warehouse. The comfort and safety of being in his arms was enough to nearly lull her to sleep, but when he moved next to her to get comfortable, she opened her eyes and looked up at him. With a purr she brushed her lips against his neck before she whispered, her breath warm and moist against his ear.

"Uh huh, I'm not done with you yet..."

[grendel]

23:07:49 Saturday, 13 January 2063 - 1400 Willow Heights Road #4, Tacoma, Seattle

Kovacs chuckled, moving his body against hers instead of replying. His mouth found hers, tongues tangling together as his hands slid over the smooth curves of her skin. She moaned into his mouth as his fingers found the soft damp between her thighs, still tender from earlier. He turned her away from him, pulling the curve of her ass back against his hips. She arched her back, shifting her upper leg over his thighs, gasping as he slid into her from behind. His hands found her breasts, and she reached back to tangle her fingers in his hair, pulling his lips down against hers.

They moved slowly against one another, bodies rolling in time, arms curling about one another as they stretched the moment out. Mac's gaze was liquid in the darkness, voiceless energy traveling between them. Having made the decision to let go of her defenses, she found her hunger undeniable. How long had she ached for someone like him, a man who accepted her without question, who cared not for the damage done to her soul, who did nothing but possess her with his own strength, demanding only that she respond to his embrace. She wondered how she had ever lived before.

And, for a moment, she saw behind the armor of his mind, into the dark shadows of a life lived in adherence to the predatory laws of the urban jungle. She could feel the aching emptiness within him as well, and knew that she was one of a rare few to have walked within his walls.

[Vegas]

23:19:35 Saturday, 13 January 2063 - 1400 Willow Heights Road #4, Tacoma, Seattle

Desperately she wanted to fill that void, to bring some kind of light no matter how dim or dark cast, back into his life. It was a need that pulled at her even stronger than what physically drew her to him. With every movement of his hips in counterpoint to hers, their connection grew, the moments drawn out and building up to a point of intimacy that held her on the delicious, maddening edge for what felt like an eternity. The brush of his lips against the back of her neck was the soft nudge that pushed her over. It was his name that she called out softly in the silence of the truck as she pressed hips back tight against him, her back arching as she felt them climax together.

His arms wrapped around her, drawing her back against him as their breathing slowed, matching one another with each draw and release. Mac raised up her arms to cover Kovacs’ as they held her with a level of possession and yet she felt a sense of serenity and security as well. It was thrilling and terrifying at the same moment to feel like she had found someone who just fit her, completed her in a way she never thought was possible. She shivered against him despite the warmth that surrounded them.

She felt raw and vulnerable, and instead of operating on auto pilot and throwing up her walls, she forced herself to live in those feelings. Everything she felt, mind, body and soul nearly overwhelmed her as she clung a bit tighter to the arms wrapped around her. She was taking a huge risk as she kept her walls down, but she believed he was worth it.

“Please…” She whispered in counterpoint to his breathing. “Don’t let go.”

[grendel]

23:31:02 Saturday, 13 January 2063 - 1400 Willow Heights Road #4, Tacoma, Seattle

Again, she felt the brush of his lips against the nape of her neck, the day long growth of stubble on his chin tickling the sensitive flesh, raising goosebumps along her arms, and her heart thrilled to his quiet words.

"I will never let you go. You belong to me, now."

His arms around her grew momentarily tighter, a strength that seemed to diffuse through her, anchoring her in the moment with him. She listened to the slow, steady thunder of his heartbeat, drifting warmly amidst a cloud of slowly evaporating endorphins. Once more she felt sleep stealing closer, her world shrinking to just the gentle caress of skin against skin. Closing her eyes, she let herself slide into the darkness.

[Vegas]

08:21:07 Sunday, 14 January 2063 - 1400 Willow Heights Road #4, Tacoma, Seattle

Mac woke up slowly still wrapped in warmth and as she rubbed the remaining sleep from her eyes and realized she was back on one of the cots. She had a sudden moment of doubt, wondering if she had dreamt the ending to last night. The second she moved beyond rolling over however, her body told her last night was anything but a dream. So did waking up in Kovacs’ t-shirt and a bit of black lace. With a smirk she shimmied out of the sleeping bag with at least some sense of modesty, grabbed her jeans from the neatly folded pile of yesterday’s clothes beside her cot and once she slipped on her boots she headed back towards command central.

Crossing the warehouse floor, she spotted Suda curled up and grabbing a cat nap in her corner, Tristan had been sprawled on a cot with his arm draped over her head and she could have sworn she heard him snoring. Drift was tucked up behind the closed door of the Roadmaster, but his connection to the network was active. She found Kovacs at the network consoles, taking his turn keeping watch and as she approached the scent of Carbon Killer and gun oil filled her nose. She saw the familiar blue mat spread out in front of him, his hands moving with an alacrity borne of countless hours of practice as his eyes watched the screens stretched out before him.

"Impressive."

Mac knew the likelihood if she continued down this path, she’d be able to field strip her weapons with her eyes closed and maybe just as fast. She leaned down over his left shoulder and stole a quick brush of her lips against his cheek before whispering in his ear.

"Thanks for letting me sleep, I feel like a different person."

She smiled softly and parked herself in the chair to his left, stretching her arms overhead and feeling the satisfying pops as her body realigned itself.

"If you toss me your keys I'll go grab breakfast for everyone? Fuel for the rest of the busy day and heavy lifting this afternoon?"

[grendel]

08:29:23 Sunday, 14 January 2063 - 1400 Willow Heights Road #4, Tacoma, Seattle

Kovacs tilted his head to receive her kiss without taking his eyes from the network surveillance screens. Mac guessed/knew that he had a separate feed coming in that covered her, allowing him to react to her presence in an almost subconscious way.

"Good morning, sleeping beauty," he replied. The slide of the Colt 2066 snapped forward and back with a slick, sinister sound as he worked the action to ensure the reassembly was correct. Reloading and holstering the weapon, he wiped his hands on a rag before rummaging through his pocket for the keys. He passed them to Mac, along with a certified credstick, then gestured towards one of the display screens. Instead of the remote camera view, this one was a zoomed in map of their location and the surrounding twenty blocks.

"There's a cul-de-sac here about eight blocks down just off the railroad where a half a dozen food trucks usually loiter. Tristan and I are partial to breakfast burritos while Drift likes a soy-chorizo blend. Suda likes danishes, apple or cheese, whichever looks fresher. Juice if they have it, water if not. Either one make sure they're bottled."

Mac eyed the map, orienting herself, before glancing over her shoulder at Kovacs. "It ain't my first rodeo, cowboy. I know how to get street food."

The tall samurai chuckled, letting his hand slide possessively over the curves of her ass.

"Don't be gone long."

[Vegas]

08:35:07 Sunday, 14 January 2063 - 1400 Willow Heights Road #4, Tacoma, Seattle

Mac leaned down and whispered into his ear as his hand ran over her curves, her voice salacious and playful.

"Try not to miss me too much."

As she palmed the keys in her left hand, she rolled the credstick back across the counter, tucking it under the corner of the blue mat with nimble fingers.

"I've got this one covered."

Settling her coat on her shoulders she walked to the truck with an extra sway in her hips and an amused smirk. She wasted no time taking the truck out of the garage, and while she had no intentions of being gone long, her need for real coffee warranted a slight detour and she knew just the place that was only a few extra minutes away.

She slipped on her sunglasses and turned up the music as she drive north along the railroad tracks.

08:49:22 Sunday, 14 January 2063 - Corina Bakery + Cafe, 602 Fawsett Ave, Tacoma, Seattle

As she pulled up outside the bakery that was tucked into an array of warehouses, she enjoyed the crisp blue sky even though it brought an extra chill to the air. Stepping inside she was assaulted with the warm moist air that was filled with the aroma of fresh bread and coffee.

This is what heaven must smell like.

Thankfully she didn't have much of a wait before she placed her order for lattes, chai, double espresso affogato and tea, along with a couple of danishes and croissants. She passed her cred to the girl behind the counter and was handed a pastry box with a bow and drink carrier precariously balancing all five drinks.

As she stepped outside, she glanced up and down the street before she headed back to the truck and settled her purchases in the front seat so the drinks wouldn't spill.

09:03:17 Sunday, 14 January 2063 - 1300 - 1380 E Mission Rd, Tacoma, Seattle

Sunday meant that the food trucks opened a little later with a more limited menu, but Mac stood in line with the few blue-collar workers and waited her turn so the guys could get their breakfast burritos. As the line started to fill in behind her, she remained cautious, her eyes constantly moving behind her sunglasses with a new-found hyper vigilance.

[grendel]

09:16:07 Sunday, 14 January 2063 - 1300 - 1380 E Mission Rd, Tacoma, Seattle

As she joined the queue for the food trucks, Mac slipped into a familiar set of skills to get her through the crowd. With a smile and a laugh she brushed aside the compliments and come-ons, deftly slipping away from the embraces, all the while leaving the impression to the contrary. Before, this might have elicited the darkness within her, a righteous fury boiling through her veins, demanding satisfaction through a late night in the back rooms of Underworld. But now, it was different. Perhaps it was the morning sunlight, bright for the first time in a week, or perhaps the full night of rest, or even the unfamiliar but welcome emotions that bubbled through her mind. Even as she fought to suppress her smile, though, at the turn of events, snippets of conversation reached her from the workers standing in line.

"They say what happened?"

"No, just the usual bulldrek about an industrial accident, chemicals leftover, squatters cooking nova coke, or whatever."

"That's fragged up. Stupid corps probably botched the clean-up job themselves."

"Hey, I saw a hazmat crew working on the East Side just yesterday, probably something to do with this."

[Vegas]

09:24:42 Sunday, 14 January 2063 - 1300 - 1380 E Mission Rd, Tacoma, Seattle

Mac continued to listen to the bits and pieces of conversation that filtered to her in line. It was at least more interesting than the snail's pace that the line queued ahead of her. When she finally got to the front of the line she made sure to order enough food for the guys, knowing if she picked up a bit extra Tristan would eat it without hesitation later. She added a few drinks, making sure they were bottled, before she paid and slid off to the side of the window and waited for her order.

She pulled her commlink from her pocket first and then her pack of cigarettes, fishing one out and lighting it on the patch on the side of the pack. She feigned interest in a text message conversation on her commlink as she waited and continued to listen to the various slips of the tongue all the local workers continued to indulge her with. Thankfully the guys running the truck were fast and called out her order in a minimal amount of time. Making her way back to the Rover with the bags of breakfast and drinks drew about as much attention as she was used to and she returned the low whistles and lingering stares with an icy gaze of her own before she climbed into the truck and cranked the heat.

09:41:38 Sunday, 14 January 2063 - 1400 Willow Heights Road #4, Tacoma, Seattle

Mac eased the truck into the warehouse after a slightly meandering drive back, watching to make sure no one was following her or the truck in particular. She was glad to see everyone up and around, the doors to the Roadmaster open, Suda up and moving about her corner of the space and Tristan draped over a chair watching the monitors with Kovacs. She made her way around to the passenger side and started to unload her haul, grateful that the drinks were still on the hotter side of lukewarm.

"Hey Suda you hungry? I brought you espresso..." She called back to the shaman before she handed the bag of food truck wares to Tristan and cast a pointed gaze his way.

"Share. That's for everyone."

Mac continued to pass out beverages as Tristan tore into the bag of breakfast burritos, she set the chai beside him, passed a latte to Drift with a smile, left the espresso with cream in the carrier for Suda and placed the tea to the right side of Kovacs. Grabbing the last latte and a fresh croissant from the pastry box she climbed back up to perch on the front of the truck, once again comforted by the warmth that radiated beneath her.

[grendel]

10:09:23 Sunday, 14 January 2063 - 1400 Willow Heights Road #4, Tacoma, Seattle

The cat shaman perked up at the mention of food.

"Oooo, treats? Twice in a weekend? I could get used to this."

Tristan offered her one of the burritos from the bag as well as her choice of baked goods, returning Mac's gaze pointedly, smiling around a mouthful of food already. Kovacs sipped at his tea, lost in thought, while Drift wolfed down half a burrito, chasing it with most of his drink.

"Man, that's good," he burped appreciatively. Pausing to swallow another bite, he turned towards Kovacs. "Got word from the boys at the docks, they said that there's been more than the usual share of traffic through and security's been beefed up on all transit points."

"I ran some questions past my Ancients contact and he said that there's been a rash of drug house raids recently, lots of hazmat trucks moving in on various locations." Tristan flipped his hand through the AR interface, throwing data tags on half a dozen locations in eastern Tacoma, Puyallup, and southern Downtown. Kovacs added a few more, spread out across the metroplex, three of which he highlighted red.

"Target locations of runs going down over the next seventy two hours. Highlighted ones are targeting infrastructure or security response. I'm confident that those are parallel ops being run by de Medici to either clear the way for the extraction or prevent pursuit and recovery."

"Speaking of," said Drift, "what's our exit strategy?"

"Lake Washington," answered Kovacs. Drift nodded.

"To the Canal?" asked Tristan, who then glanced at the rigger. "You still got the rebreathers?"

"I never throw anything away," replied Drift. "But they're out of inspection."

Tristan shrugged. "You want to live forever?"

[Vegas]

10:10:51 Sunday, 14 January 2063 - 1400 Willow Heights Road #4, Tacoma, Seattle

Mac paused mid-sip of her latte when they were discussing updates and the comment about hazmat teams caught her attention, too much of a coincidence with the parallel conversations happening around the food trucks.

"Hazmat teams and drug raids hmm? There were a couple of guys talking about something similar up at the food trucks. Something about hazmat teams at their work, same explanation of their presence. I'd imagine it wasn't far from where we were if they were there for breakfast." She paused to take another sip of her coffee as another thought came into her head.

"You don't think he might be trying to make it more complicated to come back here if necessary?"

[grendel]

10:15:09 Sunday, 14 January 2063 - 1400 Willow Heights Road #4, Tacoma, Seattle

"Not necessarily complicating things for us, just more pieces he's moving around the playing field. Whatever this event is, however it's going to affect the city, it looks like he's going to take maximum advantage," Tristan munched unhappily on one of the pastries Mac had brought, manipulating the AR with desultory gestures.

"Hold up a sec," Drift frowned, his brow furrowed in concentration as he indicated one of the red data tags, a power substation. "If you're right about this target, then something else is going down. Our building isn't even on the grid linked to this substation. I wouldn't have thought of it if you hadn't mentioned Lake Washington, but this station is upstream of the inter-coastal canal. If it goes down, they lose power to the locks and gates on the canal."

Kovacs was moving ahead of Drift, overlaying a Seattle municipal disaster map onto the AR, showing flood predictions for the canal. A vast swath of Northwest Tacoma ended up under a meter of water. Tristan whistled.

"This is kinda bad."