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

[WinterRat1]

12:30:13 Monday 08 January 2063 - The Respite Soup Kitchen, Touristville, Redmond

After almost an hour of searching the place, John still wasn't entirely sure the people who made the hit were pros. Although they swept Keira's living quarters and office thoroughly, and the rest of the Respite as well, they found absolutely nothing. Either the hit team had been meticulous, going through everything and clearing the place out, or there just wasn't anything to be found in the first place.

Regardless, it still left them with drek. And whether or not the hit team had intended it to be that way, the fact remained that if someone (read: Lone Star) didn't have Twiggy around to help some of the pieces fall into place, they had a pretty fragging small chance of finding Keira again, or Nora, for that matter.

Sprawled out on a tattered old couch in Keira's office, Megan groaned, "Can we stop searching already old man? There's nothing here! We've torn this place apart every which way, and there's just nothing here to be found. Can we please check out the clinic already?"

Standing in the doorway, arms crossed, Tyler nodded. "I don't think there's anything here either man. We would have found it by now, or Max would've. Face it, that clinic's the only thing we got. Max said that they came here only a couple hours ago. If we're really lucky, we might even catch them before they do...well whatever it is they're going to do to her."

[grendel]

14:05:16 Wednesday 10 January 2063 - 5004 Mariner's Island Blvd #8, Downtown Seattle, UCAS

Another half hour of searching turns up nothing of interest, although Jennifer does find her father's scrapbook, which she takes. Eyes, feeling a bit uncomfortable prying, flips through a couple of pages but sees nothing that would provide additional information. With the Enova packed in the box and the scrapbook and 8-Ball in Jennifer's arms, the two take one last look around the apartment before turning off the lights and locking the door. The elevator ride down to the parking garage is silent, as each is lost in his or her own thoughts.

[Scrapheap]

12:34:22 Monday 08 January 2063 - The Respite Soup Kitchen, Touristville, Redmond

John turned from where he'd been fiddling with the Respite's computer. It was a simple system, simple enough that even his very limited skills had been able to determine that there were no answers hidden on its drives. If there had been, he would have taken the whole system to Finn to check out. Powering it off, he looked at the kids and said, "I guess you guys are right. You have to check though. An hour spent now, no matter how boring, could save time later." He stood and pushed the tattered office chair back into place. "Let's go."

As he led his little group back out through the Respite, he pulled his phone from the inside pocket of his SecureTech jacket and dialed. I've put off making this call for long enough. After a few rings the other party answered, " Good afternoon. Stuffer Shak #4952, this is ..."

"Etta? It's John. Can you talk?"

"John! I was so worried! Why haven't you called? Have you found Nora? When you didn't come home last night I..."

"Hey! Calm down. I'm fine, I'm fine, I just crashed at Finn's doss. I haven't found Nora, but I got a good, solid lead. I'm going to check it out now. I'll call again later this afternoon."

"Wait! What lead? Where are you going? John, I'm going crazy here..."

"Etta, I got to go." And with that, he disconnected.

"What was that all about?" Megan had moved to walk next to him, craning her neck to meet his gaze. "You got a girlfriend or something?"

As they exited the building into the haze and light snow, John barked a short laugh. "Ha! Hardly. That was my sister, Nora's mom. Just keepin' her up to date."

They waited while Tyler stopped to say something to one of the kids on lookout near the doors. The kid had found a blanket somewhere and sat with it draped over his shoulders. John took the opportunity to look around, make sure that they weren't being watched, his left hand inside his open jacket resting on the grip of his pistol. When Tyler had finished, and John was convinced they were relatively safe, the group went over to the unmarked van and climbed in.

After everyone one was in and settled, John turned on the ignition and set the heater to 'high' before twisting around in his seat to look at his passengers. "Ok. We're just going to look around. Check out the building, get an idea of the security, that sort of thing. Unless this place looks like a cakewalk, we are NOT going in at this point. Everyone understand? I want to rush in there as bad as you guys, save the day and all that, but we gotta be smart. We get killed, we're not helpin' no one." Looking them each in the eye, he added, "Make sense?"

After they had all nodded or voiced their agreement, he turned around and put the van into gear. Pulling away from the curb, he said, "OK, Twiggy. Which way do we go?" Following the young elf's directions, the van rumbled into the Barrens.

[Bastard]

17:56.01 Wednesday, 10 January 2063 – Miner’s Landing, Downtown Seattle, UCAS

Marquis stands with Zeyda, taking his seat after he vacates it.

"Good to meet you Tony. So what are we doing with this truck?"

[WinterRat1]

13:18:19 Monday 08 January 2063 - Research for Practical Applications Clinic, Redmond

About 45 minutes or so later, the van pulled up to the clinic, located on the outskirts of Redmond, near the Redmond-Bellevue border. The clinic appears to be in the middle of a small corporate park, with a main driveway branching off into several smaller roads leading to their respective corporate buildings. Despite being technically in Redmond, it appears safe enough that normal corporate and SIN-possessing types would actually come to it. He also notes that the place sits near several convenient public transportation routes, allowing the SINless easy access as well.

Surprisingly enough, it didn't really seem all that shady, certainly not the type of place an organlegging or worse outfit would operate out of.

Then again, what the hell did you expect, a bright glowing neon sign out front reading 'Organleggers R' Us'? he asked himself.

He had to admit, as he checked it out, that it was the kind of place that seemed legit and respectable, nothing more than what it claimed to be, place to learn how to help others. Of course, that's what the Universal Brotherhood said too, and look at how that all turned out...

[The_Eyes]

14:11:02 Wednesday 10 January 2063 - 5004 Mariner's Island Blvd #8, Downtown Seattle, UCAS

As the two of them got into Jennifer's car, Eyes finally breaks the silence. "At this point," he starts slowly, trying to be delicate and professional--or at least what he thought was professional--at the same time, "it would probably be best if I went on alone, and met up with you later. I intend on checking out the address we found, and it would be easier if I went alone. After all," he adds, "you're paying me to take the risks, right?"

Eyes pressed on, keenly aware that he was coming very close to being pedantic. "We can meet up again at the Landing, or," he paused, a thought suddenly occuring to him, "have you ever heard of Schrodinger's? It's a coffee shop, not all that far from here actually. It might be a little more discreet." And possibly more safe, he did not add; those mysterious benifactors didn't seem to be very encouraging about, well, anything. The antique token seems to gain weight in his pocket, as if reminding him it was there.

[grendel]

14:14:37 Wednesday 10 January 2063 - 5004 Mariner's Island Blvd #8, Downtown Seattle, UCAS

Jennifer nods, pointing the car back towars Miner's Landing.

"I'm familiar with the place. Did you want to set a specific time or just call me when you're finished?"

She fishes through her purse for a moment before withdrawing a business card and passing it over to Eyes

[WinterRat1]

1:19:59 Monday 08 January 2063 - Research for Practical Applications Clinic, Redmond

Slowly, casually taking a drive around the outside of the clinic, John noted every detail he could carefully. Nothing he saw raised any red flags or the unusual. Four exits, one on each side of the building, one being a front door, another a back door, both leading to parking lots on either side of the buidling. Two fire exits on the side totaled up to the four.

The parking lots were about half full, totaling maybe 20 or so vehicles all together, probably staff and some patients in for the day. No visible security equipment or personnel was in sight, prompting John to ask, "Are you sure this is the right place kid? It seems pretty dead out here."

Nodding fearfully, Twiggy replies, "Yeah, I'm sure of it. That's what Nora and I thought when we came out here, seemed totally legit."

"Where'd you see the body getting taken out of?"

Pointing to the western fire escape on the left, Twiggy indicated the pickup point he had seen the truck parked in. "Right there. They just carried the body out.. I swear, this is the place! No way I'd forget it!"

Involuntarily, but punctuating his insistence nonetheless, he looked around nervously, as if he expected trouble to just materialize out of thin air. "OK then, what are we gonna do now?" Tyler asked John, turning to face him from the passenger seat.

[bclements]

17:56.19 Wednesday, 10 January 2063 – Miner’s Landing, Downtown Seattle, UCAS

Tony sits up as best he can in the booth and offers his hand. He looks anywhere from 25 to 30, athletic-, but plain-looking, and is well dressed in a dark brown three piece suit.

"Nice to meet you as well Marq. And yes, the problem is with this truck I've recently got my hands on. I really don't want it, or have much use for it. And I'd like to see how we can take it off of my hands." Tony says pleasently, in a southern accent.

"Also, care for anything to eat? I just ordered some food."

[Bastard]

17:56.39 Wednesday, 10 January 2063 – Miner’s Landing, Downtown Seattle, UCAS

Marquis returns Tony's handshake across the table. The two must look like an odd pair to the other patrons. One in a three peice suit, the other holding a leather jacket complete with studs and ripped up blue jeans that have probably seen better days. Not to mention his left forearm has a tatooed chain wrapping around it. Two more tatoos are protruding out from under his shirt, but they are mostly covered. He has a little stubble, and his hair is styled messy, but still comes off as clean cut.

"Oh yes, dinner. I will order when the waiter returns. As for the truck, what make is it, and what condition is it in. Is it hot?"

[The_Eyes]

14:15:05 Wednesday 10 January 2063 - Traveling through Downtown Seattle

Eyes glanced at the card with interest. Assuming the card was legit--and he had no reason to think it wasn't, not yet anyway--he supposed she might indeed have an idea of the hazards of this investigation, as she had put it earlier. Indeed, she might actually know more about what's going on here than Eyes himself did. This might be a useful person to stay in contact with after the job; certainly I can get more than 2,000 creds out of someone this well-connected.

Eyes blinked. Where had that thought come from? I mean, sure, it made a certain amount of sense. Most of the people with his background had a healthy amount of respect for Dunkelzahn; indeed, some of his peers called him "the only useful thing in the fragging UCAS," and were big fans of the Draco Foundation. Someone like Jennifer would be more likely to deal straight with him than anyone else in this city, except maybe Ran. But since when was he ever interested in getting things out of people? It was totally out of character for him, wasn't it?

Shaking off the thought, Eyes worked his brain back to the actual conversation. "Well I have no idea how long this step will take, or if there are more steps in this little scavenger hunt," Eyes replied after a moment, slipping Jennifer's card into a pocket, "so I'll probably have to contact you later. But it might be a bad idea to make plans for, hm, say seven-thirty tonight?" Hopefully this little rat race didn't have too many more steps to it; with any luck he might be free and clear by this evening.

[bclements]

17:57.08 Wednesday, 10 January 2063 – Miner’s Landing, Downtown Seattle, UCAS

Tony replies to Marq's question. "The truck is an newer model Ford Workhorse, seems in good shape, but then again I'm not a car person. It didn't die on me, and it got me thru this little part of the North Pole," he finishes, with a smile.

Radian's crew didn't seem like it spared much expense, but maybe they would have on a throwaway vehicle. Better to guess wrong on this one. Tony thought to himself as he considered how to answer the last question.

Out loud, he said "Is it hot? Good question. If I had to guess, I'd say 'yes', just based on how I got it. I didn't steal it, but I don't know if the prior owners did or not. They didn't seem to be the type to take many chances, but this may have been a throw away for them."

[Slipshade]

20:00:00 Monday 08 January 2063 - 6 Bellevue Way, One Lincoln Tower - 41st Floor – Penthouse

The shrill buzzing of Max’s alarm clock roused him from his slumber. Willing his protesting body to move he gingerly pushes himself up to a sitting position, his feet resting on the floor. His head still hurt, but it was more of a dull throbbing as opposed to the sharp stabbing of earlier. He raised his claw to feel the lump on left side of his head and winced a little. Other than his head and what felt like a couple of bruised ribs he felt much better than he had this morning, that was until he looked out of his bedroom and saw a heavy snow falling over the Seattle skyline. It would have been a beautiful site if not for Max’s growing concern over arriving at the Paradigm Shift on time to meet Mr. Fan. And his growing fear that he would not be able to help Keira. It had been hard to sleep, his thoughts had been racing the entire way home from The Respite.

'Why was she taken? What had she, Nora and Twiggy stumbled onto that would cause someone to kidnap her and if they wanted her silent why not just kill them when they had the chance?'

Max moves to his walk-in closet where he pulls out a tailored Futura dark grey sport coat and slacks, which he pairs with a cream-colored mock turtle sweater and a pair of comfortable black Kartesh shoes. This time he remembers to pull out a suit of form- fitting body armor made of a poly-nit Kevlar, it breathed well and would be easily concealed under his clothing.

'I'm not making that mistake again. If I am to help Keira, I need to stay alive to do it.'

Max takes a quick shower and hops onto his matrix connection to grab some quick directions to the Paradigm Shift, that he downloads onto his pocket secretary. He also sends a brief message to Antoinette.

[Bastard]

"I somewhat get what you're saying...," the waitress arrives with a glass of water and a menu for Marquis. "Here you are sir, can I get you anything to drink?"

Taking the menu Marquis thanks her and looks away quickly. She is only average looking, but Marq seems to blush anyways. "I will just have an Alaskan Amber, please."

After the waitress takes her leave, Marquis continues, "Well my question to you then is: what do you want to do with it? The sky is the limit."

[bclements]

17:59.57 Wednesday, 10 January 2063 – Miner’s Landing, Downtown Seattle, UCAS

Tony thinks for a second, taking a sip of his bourbon. "Ok, I've got a couple of courses of action. I'd really prefer to sell it, using you as an intermediary with you getting a percentage of the sale price. Alternatively, I guess I could keep it, but I'd need it looked over and a place to store it. If you've got the know-how and the space, I could rent it from you."

[Bastard]

"We can change the vehicle ID. That makes it easier to sell, and a lot easier to keep. Does it need any modifications? Or does run and look fine?"

[bclements]

18:02.04 Wednesday, 10 January 2063 – Miner’s Landing, Downtown Seattle, UCAS

"Seems like it runs fine, no major dents or scratches that I've noticed." Tony said. "Mods? I don't think it needs any, but then again I'm not a car person at all. You wanna take a look at it later on tonight or tomorrow? That way, you can see what it needs better than a guy that can't answer car questions." he finished, smiling again.

[Bastard]

18:02.34 Wednesday, 10 January 2063 – Miner’s Landing, Downtown Seattle, UCAS

"Tomorrow around noon would probably work. Either way, if you want to keep it or sell it, we will re-identify it, and probably paint it to match the identity. Probably keep it in a storage garage for a couple of weeks, too. Let it cool down, just in case."

Marquis returns the smile. His beer arrives with a coster, and some cool condensation clinging to the side of the glass. He takes a large drink, but only after smelling it first. He wants to assure the bar didnt try to slip some soy into his frosty beverage.

[bclements]

18:03.05 Wednesday, 10 January 2063 – Miner’s Landing, Downtown Seattle, UCAS

"Noon tomorrow's great. Got a place for me to bring it?" Tony asks, motioning the waitress over for another bourbon. Jesus, this is getting a little expensive. Hopefully this truck is worth it. Takes money to make money sometimes. Tony thought to himself as the waitress made her way back over to the booth.

"You want to order, Marq? Me, I'll have another double bourbon." he says to the waitress.

[grendel]

14:15:05 Wednesday 10 January 2063 - Parking lot of Miner's Landing, Downtown Seattle, UCAS

Jennifer nods, pulling up at the entrance to the parking lot.

"I'll be at Schrodinger's tonight at seven thirty, or earlier if I get your call. Thanks. And be careful."

She manages a soft smile, brushing several errant strands of hair back from her face.

[Scrapheap]

13:27:29 Monday 08 January 2063 - Research for Practical Applications Clinic, Redmond

What DO I do now?

Casually driving a discrete distance away from the clinic, John pulls the van over and parks. The spot afforded a view of the main entrance to the building and the parking lot, but was far enough away to avoid unwanted attention, or so he hoped. Looking around at the surrounding industrial park, he shifted the van into 'park' and pulled out his phone. As long as no one from one of these other buildings comes out to chase us off, this should be Ok for now. Now, do I really want to call in the cavalry? Do I have a fraggin' choice?

He tapped the phone against the metal and plastic of his left hand, lost in thought, before finally turning to look at his passengers. "What do we do now? That's a good question, Tyler. I'm going to have to go in there at some point, but I can't just go running in there guns-a-blazin'. If they're involved in the shady drek we think, then they're bound to have some security of some sort. I need intel before I move, which means I need to make some calls."

John dialed the number for Finn's secure line and waited for the familiar series of clicks and beeps before leaving his message. "Hey, it's me again. I know that the tab is just getting bigger, but I need another favor and I need it fraggin' fast. I need everything you can find on a place called the Research for Practical Applications Clinic. Hopefully including a floor-plan of the building. Call me as soon as you have something. Oh, uh, the exact address is..." Pausing to zoom-in on the clinic's sign, John read the address aloud and then hung up.

From the back of the van, Megan said, "That's it? What, now we just wait?"

Sighing, the old runner replied, "Relax, I got another call to make." I'm just not looking forward to making it, that's all...

Dialing from memory, he put the cheap cell phone to his ear and listened while it rang...

[The_Eyes]

14:15:32 Wednesday 10 January 2063 - Parking lot of Miner's Landing, Downtown Seattle, UCAS

Eyes nodded, and returned an encouraging smile. "Just doing my job," he replied, his smile turning mischievous.

He hoped the smile didn't look as nervous as he felt. And in truth he had a lot to worry about: he was essentially blindly rushing into an unknown situation, with inadequate tools or preparation, trusting mostly on luck to get him the information he was looking for. In a way it made sense to hurry, as the main danger here was in what may or may not be following him and not so much the trail he was following. The spot he was headed to was just off the freeway in downtown, and so wasn't likely a fortress or a trap. A safehouse, most likely, or maybe a storeroom for Casamir's less-than-legal business assets. It was still dangerous, though.

At the same time another train of thought was keeping him occupied. "Just doing my job"? What was that? Your "job" should have been to jack up the price tenfold at least; she practically begged you do do it. You're getting paid in peanuts for this job and you know it.

Eyes forced the thoughts down again. What kind of a person would take advantage of a vunlerable woman whose father had just died? Hadn't he chosen the path of freedom over the path of amoral backstabbing? Well technically the path had been chosen for him, but still.... He grimaced and started his bike. Shivering not entirely from the cold, he got going, moving slowly so as not to slip on the icy streets.

[Bastard]

18:03.05 Wednesday, 10 January 2063 – Miner’s Landing, Downtown Seattle, UCAS

"Oh yes, I will have the New York Steak, please. No Soy, please no soy, non at all, please."

After the waitress takes the order to the slide, Marquis continues his conversation with Tony. "Just bring it down to my shop, its legit. Its called Cooper's Automotive," he slides him a grey business card across the table. In black letters it gives all the basic information you would find on a business card, corporation name and logo, address, phone number, and a small map on the back.

"After we 'fix' it, you can decide what you want to do with it. You can pay me then, or if you decide to sell it, I can just take a cut from that."

[bclements]

18:04.01 Wednesday, 10 January 2063 – Miner’s Landing, Downtown Seattle, UCAS

Tony seemed visabliy releaved by that last statement. "Thanks, hombre, I appreciate it." Taking out his psec, he puts the appointment in, at the address indicated on the card for noon tomorrow.

"By the way, dinner's on me; I guess I called for this meet, least I can do is to pay for dinner." Tony says, looking up from his gadget as the waitress returned with his drink.

[Scrapheap]

13:30:29 Monday 08 January 2063 - Research for Practical Applications Clinic, Redmond

After a few seconds, John's call was connected. "Good Afternoon! Firebird Mystical Security, this is Janice speaking. How may I direct your call?"

"Hoi, Janice. Uh, is Ms. Olivo in today?"

"Yes she is! Please hold while I see if she is available. Who may I say is calling?"

"Just tell her it's John. Thanks."

He could actually hear her smile as she replied, "Of course! Please hold."

As muzak came across the line, John glanced around at the van's other occupants and idly wondered if Janice ever had a bad day. Never fraggin' sounds like it. If I hadn't met her in person I'd think it was just some sort of smart program or recording. Maybe she's under some sorta spell or mood-altering drugs? Hell, maybe she...

"Well. Nice of you to finally check in, John."

"Rosie, I..."

"Don't 'Rosie' me. You know, I waited at that stupid coffee shop for 45 minutes before I decided to check my voice-mail? To think that I actually started to get worried! What was so important that you had to cancel? And why not call me directly? You know I was meeting with clients all day! Well? What do you have to say for yourself?"

Blinking in confusion at the unexpected outburst, John caught Tyler's lopsided smile out of the corner of his eye. The kid had obviously heard the entire exchange. Covering the mouthpiece with his right hand, he turned to look at the others, "I'll be right back." As he opened the door, he heard Megan giggle as Tyler said, "Sure thing, chummer." Stepping out of the van and shutting the door, he quickly stepped around to the rear of the vehicle, carefully keeping the clinic in view.

He placed the cell back up to his ear in time to hear, "...just going to ignore me now? I certainly have better things to do than listen to myself talk!"

Rosa's sudden heat had him off-guard. Contrary to her former street-name and heritage, she usually remained calm and collected; there was nothing of the stereotypical "fiery latina" in either her speech or manner. These traits were a big reason that she had been such a good runner and certainly helped her to run a successful business. Hell, she was even the one who stayed rational when we split. Why's she so mad now? Frag! I mean, I even called to cancel. I knew this was a bad idea!

"All right! That's it, I'm hanging up now."

Taking a quick breath, John cried "Wait!" into the phone a little louder than he'd intended. Glancing sharply around to see if he'd been noticed, he proceeded in a more normal tone. "Rosie, wait."

"I'm listening." In the background, he could hear a faint yet familiar clicking as she tapped the earpiece of her glasses against her teeth. It was a habit that she'd picked-up during their time apart.

"Ok, listen. I'm sorry I didn't call you directly. I was in a hurry and, well..., I didn't want to get you involved. I..."

"Nice. Look, chummer, don't flatter yourself. I have better things to do now than go off running around through some sewer or back alley with you. Maybe get my hoop shot off. I have a business to run now. As a matter of fact, I had to cancel a dinner with a new client, a good client, to meet you last night. Maybe I shouldn't have bothered. Maybe I..."

Sighing, John covered his eyes with his hand. "It's Nora, Rosie. I didn't call you because it's about Nora."

The silence on the other end was deafening. Finally, "Go on."

"Etta woke me up yesterday morning to tell me that Nora'd been gone for a while. Over a week. Not so unusual these days, right? But Et seemed scared, so I poked around the girl's room. Found a note telling us she was leaving. Thing is, the way it was written makes me think that maybe she was in trouble. In the note she'd left a name of someone who knew the story. Long story short, I find the kid and he spills. Says that they ran into trouble at some fraggin' clinic here in the Barrens."

"What kind of trouble? Is she OK?"

"I don't know. I guess that this place was offering money for some sorta testing and while these guys were there they saw something that they shouldn't. They ran, but when the bad guys caught up to them only the friend managed to get away. Nora wasn't so lucky."

"Jesus, Cole. Why didn't you call me? If Nora is in that much trouble you should have known that I'd want to help!" In the background he could hear the sound of a keyboard. "Where are you now? I can shuffle some appointments around and leave within the hour."

"This is why I didn't call, Rosie. This is exactly what I don't want. I know how you feel about Nora, but I can't have you mixed up in this. If it gets out of hand, well..., I couldn't handle it. Not again."

The keyboard stopped. "I see. Well then, what changed? Why call me now?"

John took a deep breath and dropped his hand back down to his side. "I found the clinic; I'm looking at it right now. I know that I'm gonna to have to go in, but I was hoping that I wouldn't have to do it blind. I know it's a lot to fraggin' ask, but I was thinking maybe you could send one of your people out to do an astral scout of the building? Maybe even tell me if Nora's in there? I mean, I don't even know if it's fraggin' possible for someone to find an address while projecting or whatever, but I figured it was worth a shot. So, can you spare someone for a couple of minutes? I'll pay whatever it takes, but it may take me some time to get the cred. What do you say?

"Oh, and Rosie? Call me John."