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

[grendel]

12:54:39 Sunday, 14 January 2063 - Heart of the City Hotel, 140th Ave NE and 40th NE, Bellevue, Seattle

Wrathmore shook his head. "According to my staff, this is the only visual we have of the individual."

He glanced at the young man standing by the display screen, who nodded and then departed the room. The older security chief stood and moved to the screen, manipulating it with silent mental instructions.

"The Hotel jealously protects its position as neutral territory. We show no favor towards any faction, force, or organization. We ensure complete anonymity for our guests, and it is my responsibility to enforce these statutes."

He paused, not looking at either Mac or Frankie, the image on screen rotated and overlaid with a schematic of the hotel floor. Mac measured out the distances and realized that Wrathmore had narrowed down the ambiguity to a series of three rooms on the sixth floor.

"Further, the Hotel allows any business to be conducted on the premises that does not jeopardize the safety of its tenants nor the integrity of the operation."

Wrathmore glanced meaningfully at Mac.

[Vegas]

12:58:33 Sunday, 14 January 2063 - Heart of the City Hotel, 140th Ave NE and 40th NE, Bellevue, Seattle

Mac could hear Frankie's teeth grind with the same frustration she felt yet she couldn't hide the slight smile from her lips as Wrathmore dropped them silent breadcrumbs that Frankie seemed to miss in her restlessness and annoyance.

"Of course. And if one was to find one of your guests was putting that veil of anonymity and safety at risk and the integrity of the business by bringing a lot of potential unwanted attention to the hotel... Would you and your team want to head that off before it got out of hand?"

Mac was hopeful that they would have the support of Wrathmore and or his security team should things go in that direction, but she was already manipulating a plan in her head that Frankie and her could manage on their own.

"Do the elevators require key card access to go to the upper floors Mr. Wrathmore?"

When the older security officer gave a simple nod of his head Mac started to rise to her feet, encouraging Frankie to do the same.

"We appreciate your time and your due diligence."

[grendel]

13:02:21 Sunday, 14 January 2063 - Heart of the City Hotel, 140th Ave NE and 40th NE, Bellevue, Seattle

Wrathmore nodded again. "Good luck. And remember: we are impartial when it comes to applying the rules. Regardless of who is responsible for the initial breach. I have extended to you all the courtesy due for someone my friend Isomer recommends. From here on out, you're on your own."

Mac inclined her head, indicating her understanding and hauled Frankie out of the room behind her. The younger girl was spitting mad, her fists clenched at her side.

"Who the frag does he think he is?" she snarled, eyes wild.

"Frankie, goddammit! Calm your tits!" hissed Mac glancing around them. She guided the other girl further down the hall and around the corner for some semblance of privacy so she could brief her plan.

[Vegas]

13:12:16 Sunday, 14 January 2063 - Heart of the City Hotel, 140th Ave NE and 40th NE, Bellevue, Seattle

Mac half walked, half dragged Frankie back out to the lobby before she shared any part of her plan. Hidden in plain sight, she pulled her friend down to one of the couches and had a little tete a tete and pitched her voice just for Frankie's benefit.

"The hotel's about to get a couple of new guests."

She could see the confusion in the furrows of her friend's face and she obviously had been oblivious to Wrathmore's gift back in the office.

"We're going to check in, grab a room on either the fifth or the seventh floors and we're going to go find Holly." Mac said rather matter-of-factly as if her plan was as clear as glass. To Frankie, it was clear as mud and Mac sighed before she laid the rest of her plan out.

"How much drek do you have in that giant bag of yours? You're at least dressed more for work than I am... We're going to grab a room a floor up or down from where Holly is, and we're going to go knock on a few doors looking for the party and get her out of there and safely back to our room."

Frankie nodded slightly and handed Mac her bag to dig through.

"You know I never travel light. But how do you know Holly's on the sixth floor.?"

Mac smiled as her friend didn't disappoint with the contents of her bag, satisfied that she could make something work towards her intended result, she looked back up and caught her friend's eyes.

"Our new friend narrowed it down for me." She smiled slyly before she dropped the important question, "How much cred do you have on you?" She was mentally tallying what she had left after paying Isomer and she knew she was close to fumes.

"Let's get upstairs before we waste any more time."

She rose to her feet and with Frankie bedside her the pair strode to the front desk to get their room.

[grendel]

13:30:08 Sunday, 14 January 2063 - Heart of the City Hotel, 140th Ave NE and 40th NE, Bellevue, Seattle

Mac hummed along to the mindless music tinkling from the speakers as she and Frankie rode the elevator up to the eighth floor.

"Two seventy five seems a lot for a room," grumbled the other girl, her mood only slightly mollified by understanding Mac's plan.

"Don't sweat it, sister," replied Mac, false cheerfulness in her voice. "I'm about to come into some nuyen. I can cover this."

Luckily, Frankie didn't push her beyond a skeptical glance. Mac really wasn't in the mood to tell that story. The elevator chimed, the doors sliding open to reveal the anonymous earth tones of the hotel's hallways. The pair followed the signs to find their room, slotting the keycard and stepping inside. The room was very nearly identical to a thousand other nameless hotel rooms Mac had been in, which was comforting in a way, and disquieting in another. The memories of her recent encounter still made her skin crawl, and the scene of tenderness afterwards, when Kovacs claimed her as his own, was just enough to keep the nightmares at bay.

Taking a deep breath, she refocused her concentration on the task at hand.

[Vegas]

13:56:41 Sunday, 14 January 2063 - Heart of the City Hotel, 140th Ave NE and 40th NE, Bellevue, Seattle

Mac kept her coat on as she steadied herself on the edge of the bed before glancing up towards the door the girls just walked through and ensured it was locked behind them. She forced a bit more sunshine in her voice as Frankie took a seat on the edge of the bed and looked at her expectantly.

“Okay, let’s take a peek at just what all I can borrow from that bag of yours.” She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes as Frankie dumped the contents of her oversized purse onto the bed and let Mac have at it. Snatching up a few beauty products, Mac thought twice about grabbing the little black dress Frankie had balled up and stuffed inside, but decided against it as she wouldn’t have anywhere to carry her weapon.

As she dumped Frankie’s cosmetics out on the counter in the bathroom she continued to share her plan as she started to make herself look the part she was going to play with the tools she had at her disposal.

“We’re going to knock on the doors till we find her, we’re her friends coming to join the party. Typical day in our lives right? If she’s safe and okay, we’ll get called by the service and have to be elsewhere shortly thereafter. If she’s not, we’re going to take her out of there. I didn’t see anyone else on the video that looked like they were attached to this guy, so it should be fairly easy to get her out of there between the two of us.”

With each stroke of a brush she transformed herself from an almost average teenager and into more of the sultry vixen that had stared back at herself from countless bathroom mirrors like this one. The final touch was a swipe of blood red lipstick that had a shine like PVC vinyl. She gave herself one last look in the mirror and felt the automation of skills long and well-practiced fall back into place as if she had hardly missed a beat and she stepped out of the bathroom to find Frankie staring at her nails, the Pulsar sitting beside her.

“If things go sideways, you’re going to get Holly out of there, get her up here and let Wrathmore know things went tits up and I’m still upstairs in whichever room we find her in. Okay?”

“We’re all going to leave together Mac.”

“That’s what I’m hoping for, but if not I need you to be ready to get her out on your own and up here where it’s safe and get Wrathmore to do his job. I don’t want us to have to do it for him.”

She swallowed hard and helped Frankie gather her things back into her bag and her Pulsar tucked back into the girl’s pocket. She started out the door of their room and once they hit the hallway she linked her arms with Frankie’s and gave her a reassuring smile. They rode the elevator down to the sixth floor in relative silence, the music in the elevator did little to calm her nerves. Glancing up at the signage on the wall she encouraged Frankie to take the turn to the left and made their way to the bank of three rooms where Holly was likely still inside. Before she could talk herself out of the plan, Mac let go of her friend and knocked firmly on the first door, room 623.

[grendel]

14:00:57 Sunday, 14 January 2063 - Heart of the City Hotel, 140th Ave NE and 40th NE, Bellevue, Seattle

Mac's senses are on overdrive, adrenaline coursing through her veins. The threat of the unknown had her on combat footing, something she would have classified far differently just a week ago. Now, though, with Kovacs' training fresh in her mind, and the weight of the pistol on her hip, she was acutely aware of the dangerous path she was walking. Not to mention that both Frankie and Holly Anne were depending on her. A minute had elapsed since her knock, and as she raised her hand to rap again, a sliver of motion caught her eye.

From beneath the door, a matte gray insect wriggled out into the hallway. At first she thought it was a cockroach, having run across plenty of those in the anonymous hotel rooms she'd frequented. But then it paused, artfully concealed in the corner of the door, and looked at her. Mac froze in place, a sudden realization chilling her. The hotel was frequented by people who were conducting illegal business, people who didn't want to be surveilled, people who were more likely than not to take responsibility for their own security. People like Kovacs and Tristan and Drift! How would they respond to a sudden and unexpected knock on the door?

"Frankie," she hissed, "don't move."

The other girl froze, eyes wide and searching. Another long, agonizing minute passed. Then the deadbolt on the door shot open, and the panel pulled back several centimeters revealing a face shrouded in shadows amidst the dim light of the hotel room.

"What do you want?" The voice was low, raspy and sibilant. Mac could tell the speaker was male, but beyond that, little else.

[Vegas]

14:02:32 Sunday, 14 January 2063 - Heart of the City Hotel, 140th Ave NE and 40th NE, Bellevue, Seattle

Mac slipped into her lies as easily as ever while in the back of her head she was berating herself for jumping in with both feet and not thinking multiple steps ahead of herself.

"We're looking for Sierra," she purred dropping the name Holly used most often when she was off the books. "The agency sent us?"

She brushed a piece of hair from her face and flashed a soft and unassuming smile filed with the same naïveté that Holly often showed and she could feel Frankie soften her stance beside her as she took on the role as well like the pro that she was.

"They sent us to the right room didn't they?"

She stole a quick glance from beneath her lashes up towards the man shrouded in shadows and tried to view anything she could make out past him and into his room itself.

[grendel]

14:08:29 Sunday, 14 January 2063 - Heart of the City Hotel, 140th Ave NE and 40th NE, Bellevue, Seattle

"Wrong room," replied the voice without hesitation. There's no inflection to the tone, nothing that would betray interest or suspicion although Mac is willing to bet there's a healthy dose of the latter. A separate voice reaches out from the shadows of the room in an exaggerated stage whisper.

"Are they hot?"

This, at last, elicits an emotional response from the figure at the door: a glance aside and a long suffering sigh. Mac can almost imagine Kovacs reacting the same way. The figure turns back to her again. "It's the wrong room. But if you're looking for business, it could be the right room."

"We're looking for our friend more," replied Mac, "sorry to bother."

Frankie blew a kiss and the two girls headed down the hall.

[Vegas]

14:10:03 Sunday, 14 January 2063 - Heart of the City Hotel, 140th Ave NE and 40th NE, Bellevue, Seattle

The pair of girls moved further down the hallway, left with two rooms to try to gain access to and find Holly. Mac pulled Frankie to the opposite side of the hallway as she studied the doors and the layout for a few moments before she spoke, keeping her voice soft.

"Two doors left. Left or Right?"

The both watched the doors for a moment more before they turned to one another and spoke in unison.

"Right."

Mac smiled darkly in the hallway's shadows. They were on the same wavelength, but she bet they were reaching their conclusions for different reasons. Frankie was thinking like a whore, seeing the room on the right as one with more privacy, sharing only one common wall. Mac was looking at it through new eyes, seeing not only the privacy angle but the room's proximity to the stairway exits and its distance from the elevators and the flow of guest traffic.

She felt the tension pooling in her neck and shoulders as they approached the door, anticipating that if someone answered the door, the might not be as happy to see them as the men in 623.

Frankie stepped up to the door and rapped firmly and Mac stepped back slightly and listened for someone inside.

[grendel]

14:14:51 Sunday, 14 January 2063 - Heart of the City Hotel, 140th Ave NE and 40th NE, Bellevue, Seattle

"Hey sugar," smiles Frankie as the door cracks open, eyes and smile inviting, her hips canted seductively. "Somebody said there was a party going on?"

The young man who shifts forward into the light rubs the day old stubble on his chin, grinning hungrily with cold, calculating eyes. Mac is instantly on guard. She can see another figure in the room behind him, roughly same height and build, with a shock of unruly black hair. It's hard to tell without getting a closer look, but she thinks that he's the same one who was with Holly Anne in the surveillance video.

"Nah, no party here," replied the original, still blocking the doorway. "But if you come back later, say around nine? We can party then."

"Whatever you say, sugar," Frankie snaps her gum, "I'll see you tonight!"

Linking arms with Mac, she saunters away down the hall and around the corner towards the elevators before stopping. "I think that was the same guy in the room!"

[Vegas]

14:27:03 Sunday, 14 January 2063 - Heart of the City Hotel, 140th Ave NE and 40th NE, Bellevue, Seattle

“No drek Sherlock!” Mac hissed, her voice edged with all the frustration that she felt in that moment. While they had likely found the guy they were looking for, they still had no clue if Holly Anne was with them, somewhere else or worse. As Frankie’s eyes widened at her friend’s outburst, Mac softened her frown and ran her hands through her hair.

“Sorry.” She offered in a weak apology, which was the best she could do at the moment. “Yeah, it was probably the same guy, but we’re no closer to knowing if Holly’s with them and if she’s ok. And, we just gave them a seven hour window to disappear since we can’t exactly camp out outside their hotel room and wait to see if they leave and where they go.”

As Mac's words sunk in, Frankie's face fell and her voice cracked as she spoke softly.

"I'm sorry Mac, I wasn't thinking about it like that."

"It's ok, we'll figure something out."

Mac gave her friend's hand what she hoped was a reassuring squeeze before she leaned against the wall next to the bank of elevators and closed her eyes as she tried to think of a way out of waiting around for the next seven hours and skirting her other, just as important responsibilities. She could hear Frankie pacing back and forth in front of her and it sparked an idea. Her eyes popped open as she pushed off the wall, already in motion as she crossed Frankie's path and spun her around to face her. Mac was settling her earbuds into her ears as she gave Frankie a job to do.

"As soon as I get back in front of their door, call Holly's number."

With each stride down the hallway back towards the targeted room, Mac became increasingly more aware of the ambient noises on the floor of the hotel as her earbuds started to amplify sounds exponentially. The sound of the heating system pumping warm dry air through the halls, the sounds of her boots rasping against the generic carpeting and the muffled sounds of illicit and illegal conversations from behind closed doors. She glanced back over her shoulder at Frankie as she tried to focus her attention to the sounds behind a specific door, hoping to hear Holly's ringtone.

[grendel]

14:28:29 Sunday, 14 January 2063 - Heart of the City Hotel, 140th Ave NE and 40th NE, Bellevue, Seattle

Straining her ears, it isn't Holly Anne's ringtone that Mac hears but a pair of quiet voices over the atonal hiss of a white noise generator. She can just barely make out the words as they converse in low tones.

"Although four other teams were sent out to accomplish the same task, we have to assume that at least half of them have been compromised before being able to execute. This diversion that you've planned is a good idea, but do not get complacent. This close to the execution phase we must be doubly vigilant."

"Don't worry, I won't compromise opsec. Kesh and Oskar are watching the girls. They know what to do. I'll leave in a couple of hours to get them some food and check in on things."

A pause.

"Good. You stay there, and send Oskar back."

Footsteps, loud to Mac's amplified hearing, sound close, heading down the hallway towards her.

[Vegas]

14:29:57 Sunday, 14 January 2063 - Heart of the City Hotel, 140th Ave NE and 40th NE, Bellevue, Seattle

A moment of relief with the knowledge of talk of "girls" in the present tense was short lived as the rush of adrenaline surged through her at the sound of approaching footsteps. With a snap assessment of her options and being unsure as to just where the footsteps were coming from, either down the hall away from the elevators or from within the room itself, Mac took the out she saw immediately available to her. Pressing herself firmly up against the lock bar of the fire door, she felt the latch release and she let out a grateful breath as there was no alarm, she put the majority of her body behind the door and thumbed her commlink to dial Frankie's number. As the footsteps were nearly on top of her, she stepped back into the hallway, mid "conversation" with Frankie as she tried to look casual and fluid as she stepped back into the hallway in full view of whomever she might cross paths with.

"No luck on a date on the seventh floor either. I'll meet you back at the elevator and we can try the eighth if we're desperate."

She dropped her gaze slightly towards the floor and made her way back towards Frankie and the elevators. If no one bothered her or stopped her, she'd have a chance to regroup in their room and think a little clearer about their next step.

[grendel]

14:32:09 Sunday, 14 January 2063 - Heart of the City Hotel, 140th Ave NE and 40th NE, Bellevue, Seattle

The figure doesn't even stop, moving past Mac at a respectable distance. Out of the corner of her eye she can see that it's a slim, dark-haired woman dressed in a form fitting leather jacket with the hood pulled up. A respirator obscures the lower half of her face, her eyes invisible behind slightly mirrored sunglasses. The woman disappears down the far hallway as Mac rendezvous with Frankie. The other girl pops her gum in an effort to remain casual, but her eyes betray her anxiety. Mac shakes her head to ward off any sudden comments, gesturing towards the stairs, and by extension their rented room.

[Vegas]

14:41:22 Sunday, 14 January 2063 - Heart of the City Hotel, 140th Ave NE and 40th NE, Bellevue, Seattle

Mac shot through the fire door down the hallway opposite of the one she just came as Frankie trailed behind her grudgingly up the two flights to their room as fast as her heels would let them. They had barely entered the room before Frankie started peppering her with questions.

"So, what gives? What did you find out? Was she actually in that room?"

Mac held up her hand to quiet the flow of questions spilling from her friends lips as she paced back and forth in front of the bed, still trying to figure out what they could do next and how best to leverage the situation. It was evident from her voice that her attention was split between bringing Frankie up to speed and plotting their next move.

"It's a good news bad news kind of situation. Good news is it sounded like Holly's alive, the bad news is she's not here and I don't know exactly where she could be. Good news again, one of those guys in the room is heading over to wherever Holly might be, but there are two other guys watching over her and I don't like those odds with just us."

They needed muscle to back them up and as much as she would have loved to reach out and ask for help from Kovacs and Tristan, there was no way she could jeopardize the plans already in motion across town. Mac rubbed at her eyes before she checked the time reflexively. She had a few people she could reach out to who came to mind instantly, but if the drek hit the fan she wanted people she could trust and who could handle themselves. A couple of the bouncers from the clubs sprang it mind right away, but they'd most likely be sleeping off their shifts from the night before. Mac continued to pace and became aware of the fact that Frankie was talking to her.

"...Hello? Are you even listening to me?"

Mac all but ignored whatever her fiend had been saying to continue down the train of thoughts she had been running, pausing her pacing for a moment.

"Sorry, I'm thinking too much. You're still tapped into the network of girls, right? Do you know if anyone else is missing? I figure we have maybe an hour before we need to be out front and watching for one of our mystery men to head out of here and we're going to have to try to follow them to have them lead us to Holly. Only we need more help and I'm drawing a blank on who we can ask. Who else has wheels and is kind of a bad ass?"

Frankie's mouth twisted into a frown as she tried ran through her mental Rolodex of contacts and connections and Mac started pacing again, a black and gold-filtered cigarette finding it's way between her lips as it flared to life.

"Will you sit down already girl while we figure this out, you're going to wear a hole in the carpet if you keep up like that." Frankie chided.

Mac sighed and shrugged out of her coat trying to make herself a bit more comfortable, forgetting that the gun that rested at her hip was now completely visible to Frankie.

[grendel]

14:44:03 Sunday, 14 January 2063 - Heart of the City Hotel, 140th Ave NE and 40th NE, Bellevue, Seattle

"Yeah, I'm still plugged in," replied Frankie, a complex undertone to her voice. "Far as I know, Holly Anne is the only one unaccounted for but I can comb the list again."

Her fingers, dressed in their cheap gold rings, danced over the virtual interface of her commlink.

"Although if it's badass you need, I think I got just the boy for it. You remember Mario, big guy used to bounce at The Fallout? He owes me."

Despite her admonition to Mac, Frankie stood and wandered over towards the window, popping her gum impatiently while waiting for her call to connect.

[Vegas]

14:47:39 Sunday, 14 January 2063 - Heart of the City Hotel, 140th Ave NE and 40th NE, Bellevue, Seattle

Mac nodded and took the opportunity of Frankie stepping away to make her call to update Kovacs and the network of her situation. She was torn between her loyalty to her friend and making sure she was safe, and her need to pull her weight with Kovacs and the rest of the team.

One step forward, two back. My friend isn't here, but it appears she may still be alive. Waiting to follow a lead literally to find where they're holding her. How are things on that end? Let me know if you need me to come back.

With a sigh she tossed the commlink beside her and laid back against the bed, her eyes closed as she thought about their next move, waiting for Frankie to complete her call or for her commlink to ping with a new message.

[grendel]

14:56:11 Sunday, 14 January 2063 - Heart of the City Hotel, 140th Ave NE and 40th NE, Bellevue, Seattle

Mac struggled to put together the pieces of information they'd collected already, trying to arrange them so she could derive some course of action, some next step to take that didn't involve breaking down the door to a room with unknown consequences on the other side. Kovacs and Tristan had taught her the basics about personal violence, but hadn't touched on anything about how to direct that violence. Her commlink shivered.

Got it covered on this end, just doing some manual labor. Standing by to assist if needed.

She stared at the plain words hanging in AR, feeling the absence of Kovacs presence keenly, if for no other reason than the warmth it brought to her skin. Frankie's tone intruded, turning from its usual sass to one of concern. Mac glanced over, reading the tension in her friend's shoulders, and slid off the bed. Frankie was off the line before she could reach her, though, turning a face pale with worry towards her.

"What is it?" asked Mac, dreading the answer.

"I think it's more than Holly Anne," said Frankie. "That was Jasmine, the tall brunette who works Simon's crew on the south side? She say's they haven't been able to contact a couple of their girls. They're still looking, though, since it's just Sunday afternoon now. They could have been on an all night ride and are sleeping it off somewhere. But I don't like the sound of it. Mario says he can meet us here in about half an hour, though."

[Vegas]

15:12:41 Sunday, 14 January 2063 - Heart of the City Hotel, 140th Ave NE and 40th NE, Bellevue, Seattle

Mac nodded solemnly at Frankie’s news with no trace of surprise on her features as it only managed to solidify some type of truth to what she overheard in the hotel room. Her spirits were buoyed slightly by Kovacs’s offer, even knowing that she could reach out if they needed it lifted a little of the weight off of her shoulders. Coupled with having Mario along for the ride and an additional set of wheels made things feel a little less impossible.

“I figured the more we dug, the more we’d find out there were others missing. Those guys in the room on the 6th floor? They’re planning something, maybe something big and definitely not something legal. They were talking about four other “teams” heading out to pick up girls for some kind of distraction for whatever they’ve got planned, and that it’s close to going down. Two guys watching over wherever Holly and the rest of the girls are, this third that we’re going to hopefully be able to follow to their doorstep and the fourth that is staying here at the hotel.”

Mac paused and chewed on her lip while she processed a few more scenarios in her head before turning a pointed gaze back to Frankie.

“You do realize you can't go anywhere near their room later tonight right?”

Frankie’s eyes flashed annoyance coupled with what Mac thought might be disappointment. She knew the girl was likely strapped for cash as much as she was with Wayne having his mental break.

“No drek Mac, but you’re not my mom, OK?”

Mac held up her hands in surrender while she shook her head.

“No, not your mom. But always your sister. Just looking out for you, like you have for me for so many years. Cut me some slack, OK?” A slight smile turned up the corners of her mouth for a moment before it disappeared when she grew serious again. “Maybe we should put the word out through the network? Everyone keep their guard up because if they’re still looking for additional girls for whatever this is…”

Frankie quickly nodded in agreement and the two girls pulled their commlinks and started to send out rapid-fire messages to their connections, their friends, their sisters. Mac’s final message however went straight to Kovacs.

Thanks for the standby support. Planning on tailing this guy to at least hopefully find out where he’s holding the girls, then build a plan from there. Not liking what I overheard at the hotel. More later. –M

Mac slipped her commlink back into her pocket and looked over at Frankie.

“Why don’t we head downstairs, jump in the car and watch the door while we’re waiting on Mario? I won’t forgive myself if that creep leaves and we’re sitting up here and we lose the one lead we’re clinging to.”

[grendel]

15:39:26 Sunday, 14 January 2063 - Heart of the City Hotel, 140th Ave NE and 40th NE, Bellevue, Seattle

Frankie nods in agreement, although Mac is fairly certain that her sister whore just wants to be in motion rather than waiting. Not only was she impatient to find Holly Anne, but she was also likely still chemically wired from her Saturday. Collecting up her stuff, Mac made sure that the room was in the same state as they found it before following Frankie out into the hall. Standing by the elevators, her commlink didn't stop shivering, multiple texts moving back and forth amidst the web of working girls. Word would travel fast through the network of whores. The sisters might compete viciously with one another over real estate and tricks, but nothing got in the way of them covering for each other's safety.

Mac kept them to the side of the lobby, slipping out a side entrance before making their way to where the Shadow lay parked in the late afternoon sunshine. Despite their quick exit, Mac still caught the watchful gaze of Dennis from where he stood by the concierge's desk. She dipper her head to him, receiving nothing but an stony gaze in reply.

Settling in to the driver's seat of the Shadow, she divided her attention between watching the front doors of the hotel and dealing with the multitude of messages on her commlink. The minutes still dragged past, Frankie's incessant fidgeting was contagious, and Mac found herself twisting her fingers together, drumming them restlessly on the steering wheel. With an effort of will she stilled her body, searching for the quiet center that she'd found with Tristan earlier that morning.

[Vegas]

15:44:18 Sunday, 14 January 2063 - Heart of the City Hotel, 140th Ave NE and 40th NE, Bellevue, Seattle

Mac closed her eyes and did her best to tune out Frankie's fidgeting as she stilled her hands on the wheel before she let them slide down into her lap. Deep breaths edged her closer to a level of calm but nothing like where she was this morning. She forced her mind clear, not even letting herself think about Kovacs, while she lost herself in the void.

"He's here."

Frankie's declaration made Mac's eyes snap open and lock onto the rear view mirror expecting to see a now familiar shock of black hair exiting the hotel. Instead she only saw the closed front doors and no one around as Frankie rocketed from the passenger side door. She looked away from the mirror and out the windshield where Frankie was fast approaching a tall, stocky blonde who was exiting a gray SUV a few rows up from them.

She could see why Frankie had called him, and the fact he had a vehicle that was capable of carrying multiple passengers wasn't lost on Mac either. She stepped out of the Shadow and walked up to the pair outside the SUV as they trailed off their conversation at her approach, but she could see the look in Frankie's eyes. Full blown obsession for the man that stood beside her, Mac was all to aware she was dangerously close to that look herself these days. She inclined her head towards the blonde god, and forced a brightness to her tone but made no move to offer her hand as her gaze moved from the blonde, back to the front door of the hotel.

"You must be Mario, I'm betting Frankie brought you up to speed on why you're here?"

[grendel]

15:52:39 Sunday, 14 January 2063 - Heart of the City Hotel, 140th Ave NE and 40th NE, Bellevue, Seattle

The blonde blinks in some surprise. "Naw, I'm Gulfen. That's Mario."

Mac followed Gulfen's gesture towards the other side of the vehicle in time to see a heavily muscled black ork heading towards them.

"Hey." The voice was somewhat at odds with the image, a smooth, urbane tenor. Frankie stepped away from Gulfen long enough to give Mario a hug.

"Thanks for coming, I appreciate the help."

The ork shrugged, lifting the ball cap he wore to run a hand through his short dread locks. "Ain't no thing. I owed you after you helped out with that thing I had a while back."

Mario shifted his gaze to Mac, who under other circumstances might have felt a little embarrassed about the mistake. The days events, though, have left her hollow and tense, with little energy left to spend on a social faux pas. "You'd be Mac, then?"

"Yeah," she replied, "and I appreciate you coming down as well. How much has Frankie told you?"

"Not much. She said that you think these guys got one of the girls in a flop somewhere and we're gonna follow 'em there and break her out." Mario's voice remained level, without the trace of braggadocio that a younger, less experienced man would have added. To him, it seemed like a simple fact. This is what will happen because I say it will happen. Both Frankie and Gulfen nodded in agreement.

"In a nutshell, yeah. I think there may be as many as four of them," added Mac, then went on in a cautionary tone. "But these aren't jumped up street punks we're dealing with, they're more like career criminals, professionals who are using the kidnapped girls as part of a plan. We're going to have to be a little more subtle than just kicking in the front door and busting heads."

Mario glances skeptically at Gulfen who shrugs. The ork turns back to Mac. "Well, I suppose we can try and do subtle. It's not our strong suit, though. We're really brick and mortar type guys."

"Mostly brick," amplifies Gulfen, and Mac has to crack a smile.

"Well, we'll work with what we've got," she replied. "You cool riding with me?"

Mario shrugged. "As long as your wheels've got the legroom."

Mac gestured towards the Shadow parked the next row over. Mario whistled in admiration. "I'll make an exception for that."

[Vegas]

15:59:07 Sunday, 14 January 2063 - Heart of the City Hotel, 140th Ave NE and 40th NE, Bellevue, Seattle

Mac cracked a slight smile at Mario's sudden found enthusiasm for the Shadow, she shared it herself and she couldn't wait to get back behind the wheel. She glanced back over at Frankie and Gulfen and broke into whatever moment they were sharing by laying out a bit of her plan.

"I've got others standing by if this gets to be a more delicate operation than the four of us can handle alone. Right now I figure we keep our 'links open and you two can follow our guy as discreetly as possible and we can follow a block over since the Shadow is going to be a bit harder to keep on the subtle side of things. Frankie you're going to have to keep me on route by telling me whatever turns you make and which way our guy heads."

She paused to make sure Frankie was digesting the plan along with everyone else, and bought a little time for her to wrestle with bringing Kovacs into the mix now, or if/when the drek hit the fan.

"Once we know where they've got the girls, and we get a better idea of the situation outside and the surrounding area we can better make a plan as to what we'll do to get the girls out with the least amount of damage to them, or to us. Until then, we wait for him to come out."

[grendel]

16:08:14 Sunday, 14 January 2063 - Heart of the City Hotel, 140th Ave NE and 40th NE, Bellevue, Seattle

"Sounds like a plan," replied Mario. He rummaged through the side pocket of his jacket in pursuit of what Mac assumed would be a cigarette or, worse, a popper. Instead, he came out with a thick pack of chewing gum, which he offered after prying loose a cube for himself. Mac accepted gratefully, thinking it a good omen.

"So how is it that you know Frankie?"

"Street sister," replied Mac after a moment, confused as to why Mario couldn't immediately tell that she was a working girl. The ork gave her a well, duh look.

"Almost literally. We grew up in the same stable." Mac shivered. The wind was picking up. She flicked her head towards the shelter of the Shadow and Mario shrugged, following her lead by opening the passenger door. He slid the seat all the way back before wedging himself in. It was a tight fight, but appeared to be reasonably comfortable. Mac dropped into the driver's seat, and although she put the key in the ignition, she left the engine off for the time being.

"How come I never saw you at the club, then?"

Mac grinned. "My talents would have been wasted. I have skills which are in demand by a certain clientele."

Mario cocked his head back, gazing at her from the corner of his eye. "Izzat so? Must be quite the talent."

You have no idea, whispered the voice in her head, but she held her tongue. Memories bubbled to the surface of her mind, rope wound tight around her skin, her eyes closed, hair wild as Kovacs bent her body to his pleasure, his skin hot against hers. She shivered again, pushing the thoughts away.

"So they say," she muttered quietly, glancing towards the truck where Frankie and Gulfen sat. She couldn't see through the tinted windows, but she trusted her friend.

"This guy we're watching for, he about a meter sixty, athletic, black hair?"

"Yeah, sounds like him, why?" Mac turned back towards Mario, in time to catch his gesture towards the hotel.

"I think that's him."