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

[Slipshade]

02:10:03 Tuesday 09 January 2063 – Redmond - Touristville - The Respite Soup Kitchen
One by one Max sends the wispy watcher spirits out into the night. When he is done he is exhausted. Max wearily stands and walks over to one of the young gangers that are on watch.

“I have conjured a number of watcher spirits. They are searching the neighborhood for any unwanted visitors. I have given them instructions to report any findings to anyone in the respite that is awake, so do not be alarmed if the form of a ghostly eye pops into the respite tonight to tell you they have or have not found anything. If what they report is anything out of the ordinary you should wake John first and then myself. Understand?”

The young ganger looks a bit mystified by what Max has said to him, but nods his head in understanding.

“Good, let the next group on watch know about them as well. They will only be around for the next 4 hours, after that we are on our own.”

With that said, Max moves to one of the empty cots and lays down. He is asleep within seconds.

[bclements]

11:44:00 Wednesday 10 January 2063-The Sundowner Tavern, 14640 58th Ave S. Seattle, UCAS

Jana scribbles Ivan's order down, whistling at the end of it. "Be back in a few minutes," she says, leaving the area and closing up the partition on her way out.

Ivan finishes his orange juice and is starting in on his water when the waitress returns with his order. Setting the plates down, she calls over her sholder as she exits the bar again, "Yell if you need anything else, hon,". Ivan almost doesn't hear her as he digs into his late breakfast, mearly nodding.

He's almost done eating when he hears the ding from the front door again, followed by Jana's high pitched voice saying "Back this way hon". The partition opens, revealing a couple of humans entering the bar, one taller than the other. Looking around the bar, they notice Ivan, and begin to walk over.

[Shadow]

11:44:00 Wednesday 10 January 2063-The Sundowner Tavern, 14640 58th Ave S. Seattle, UCAS

Ivan smiles at the new comers and waves his hands for them to have a seat. He dabs his mouth with a hand cloth to clean up any mess.

"Good to be meeting you, I am Ivan." He holds out his big paw toward them.

[bclements]

11:44:00 Wednesday 10 January 2063-The Sundowner Tavern, 14640 58th Ave S. Seattle, UCAS

The foremost human holds out his hand in return: normal sized, his entire hand rests neatly in Ivan's palm. "I'm Thayer, this is Dennison," he says, nodding over with his head to indicate the smaller man that came in with him. Although small, his grip carries a considerable amount of strength, and is colder than it should be, even with the weather outside.

"Cross said you'd be giving us a first interview for some work. What's the job look like?" Thayer says, releasing his grasp and settling in to the booth. The other man grabs a chair from a table and pulls it up to the end of the booth. Thayer pours himself a glass of water from the pitcher as Dennison sets a small device on the table and thumbs it on. "White noise generator. Cross told us to bring it," he says.

[Shadow]

11:46:00 Wednesday 10 January 2063-The Sundowner Tavern, 14640 58th Ave S. Seattle, UCAS

Ivan nods at the mans respectable grip.

"The job is in Tacoma, you will be tagging item in secure location. B&E is probable. I have no information on the target itself. Do you have skills to do job?"

[bclements]

12:30:08 Thursday 11 January 2063 - Sea-Tac International Airport, Long Term Parking Terminal, Seattle, UCAS

Covering the distance quickly, Tony makes it to the pillar in one piece. Peering around the large block of concrete, he can make out Marq's prone form, as well as what sounds like two people moveing toward it. Drek! Can't tell. My ears are still ringing. Deciding to try to get the drop on them, if them they are, he walks toward the end of the pillar, the Semopal still held ready in his hands.

[bclements]

11:46:45 Wednesday 10 January 2063-The Sundowner Tavern, 14640 58th Ave S. Seattle, UCAS

"Drek yeah I got the skills omae," Dennison says, leaning up onto the booth's table. "The question really is, how much?"

[Shadow]

11:46:45 Wednesday 10 January 2063-The Sundowner Tavern, 14640 58th Ave S. Seattle, UCAS


Ivan nodded. They seemed relativly professional.

"I can offer you two thousand per person. Since it is tracking job must be quiet."

[bclements]

11:48:33 Wednesday 10 January 2063-The Sundowner Tavern, 14640 58th Ave S. Seattle, UCAS

"Our team can do quiet. I didn't figure that this'ed be a shoot 'em up carnival," Thayer said, sighing and leaning back in the booth. After closing his eyes for a moment, he sits back up. "I guess we're in right now. I've heard of Cross, and I guess you don't know any more than what you've already said. When's the meet?" Thayer asked.

[Shadow]

11:49:22 Wednesday 10 January 2063-The Sundowner Tavern, 14640 58th Ave S. Seattle, UCAS


"Good, very good. I will tell Cross you are go. He will contact you with location of meet, it is in two hour, so be ready. Dosvidanya friends."

Ivan stood and smiled at the runners.

"Please feel free to stay, enjoy food, it very good."

Ivan takes his leave exiting out the way he came in. He smiles to the waitress and the cook, "food excellent," he bellows, "just like home cooking mother used to make. Very good."

He drops 50 nuyen on the waitress to cover the food and a tip. Once out side he puts his stetson back on and buttons up his large coat.

They must have killed 20 cows for this jacket.

After he is done brushing the accumulated snow off his bike he calls Cross,

"Da, tovarich, they are... how do you say? Good to go? I told them to expect a message on where to go for the meet. Anything else I can do for you today?"

[bclements]

12:30:09 Thursday 11 January 2063 - Sea-Tac International Airport, Long Term Parking Terminal, Seattle, UCAS

Ducking himself quickly flat against the cold concrete pillar, Tony feels the bullets displace the air in the space he just left. Throwing down the Semopal never did learn to use that thing right anyway, he thinks to himself he seamlessly draws his pistol from the holster under his jacket. With no time to aim, he snaps off a shot down the line of bearing that the incoming rounds came from, continuing to move north on the pillar.

[bclements]

11:50:54 Wednesday 10 January 2063- Outside The Sundowner Tavern, 14640 58th Ave S. Seattle, UCAS

"Good man, good man. You'll be paid by courier later on this afternoon, at 16:30 or so. Where do you want it delivered at?" Cross says.

[Shadow]

11:52:54 Wednesday 10 January 2063- Outside The Sundowner Tavern, 14640 58th Ave S. Seattle, UCAS

"I hope it works for you. Westlake center iz just fine. I will see movie and meet man outside."

[bclements]

11:53:18 Wednesday 10 January 2063- Outside The Sundowner Tavern, 14640 58th Ave S. Seattle, UCAS
"The courier will be at therustling sounds in backgroundsoutheast entrance at 1630, give or take a few minutes. He'll be in a black Workhorse.

Keep your phone by you, I may need you in a day or two. Stay warm, omae," the electronically massaged voice ends the call.

[Scrapheap]

06:30:04 Tuesday 09 January 2063 – Redmond - Touristville - The Respite Soup Kitchen

*beep-beep* *beep-be...*

John quickly cancelled the alarm on his cheap wristwatch and sat up, swinging his feet over the edge of the cot. He rubbed his face and looked around at the others sleeping around him. Though his rest had been troubled, he hadn't had any problems falling asleep. One of the first things he'd learned in the Army was to sleep wherever and whenever possible when on a mission; you never knew when you'd next get the chance.

No, it was his dreams that had caused his sleep to be restless. They'd been filled with images of his niece and sister in some unseen danger. No matter how much he had struggled and fought, he couldn't make it any closer to them.

Standing, John slid on his jacket and grabbed his boots and hat. He then proceeded to pad silently across the cold tile floor. His stocking feet made no sound as he carefully picked his way past sleeping gangers on his way to the kitchen.

Quietly closing the swinging doors behind him, John made his way over to a small desk, sat, and began to put on his boots. When he finished he sat back, pulled out his cigarettes, and lit one. Taking a deep drag, he stared at an item on the desk that caught his eye. Sitting atop a small stack of invoices was an antique paper-weight in the shape of snow-globe. Inside was a miniature version of Seattle's skyline, dominated by a tiny Space Needle. Putting the smoke in his mouth, he reached out to pick up the globe and gave it a shake, watching as the "snow" slowly settled onto the little buildings.

John sat like that until he finished his cigarette. He then made his way over to the large soy-kaf machine. He'd never used such a large version, so it took a few minutes to figure out, but he soon had a batch brewing. As the machine gurgled and hissed, he opened the refrigerator to look for something to eat.

A few minutes later, after a cup of bitter soy-kaf and a couple slices of burnt toast (he was no cook), he poured himself another cup of joe and went to the restroom to clean up. Towling off, he checked his watch, which read 06:52. Going back to the kitchen, he made some more toast and poured a couple of cups of 'kaf. Finding a tray, he carried it all out to the cot where Max slept.

Setting the tray aside, he squatted next to the sleeping shaman and spoke softly. "Max. It's about 07:00. Time to get up. I'll leave some stuff for you here. I'm gonna go get Iris, then when you're ready I'll be in the kitchen."

Setting a cup and plate of toast near the cot, John stood and silently made his way to the office. He had to knock on the door a few times before he got a muffled groan in reply. "Iris, it's John. I gotta cup of 'kaf and some toast I'll leave here for ya. Me and Max are in the kitchen when you're ready."

Going back to the kitchen, the old runner poured himself another cup of soy-kaf, lit a new smoke, and settled in to wait on the others.

[WinterRat1]

07:10:00 Tuesday 09 January 2063 – Redmond - Touristville - The Respite Soup Kitchen

Exactly 10 minutes after 7, Iris staggered into the kitchen. Her eyes were bloodshot and her face was pale and drawn. "Ugh, chummer, I dunno what you put in that kaf, but it tasted like the absolute best kaf I've ever had."

She took one look at John's face, and laughed softly. "Either that, or I'm more drek-kicked than I've been in a long time." She looked around, sipping the kaf. "Am I really the first one here?"

"Yeah, wonder what's keeping the others."

"What's keeping the others is that it's way too fragging early in the morning to think old man, let alone do anything." Megan's usual form of address to him announced her arrival, as well as Tyler and Twiggy's. All three of the gangers were rubbing their eyes sleepily. Immediately they headed for the food, scrounging up a variety of toast, dried cereal, and soy-cola to round out their nutrious breakfast.

As they were putting together their meal, Max walked in, sipping the kaf in his right hand while balancing the plate of toast in one gray taloned(?) or so it vaguely looked like hand. "Well, it appears that a bit too much soft living has made it difficult to wake up with the crack of dawn these days," he commented.

A cold chill blew through the Respite just then, despite the walls. "Damn storm...it was pretty bad last night but it looks like it ain't letting up," John muttered. The gangers just sat silently, absent-mindedly munching their food, and everyone took a few minutes to wake up and let the kaf hit their systems.

Finally, Iris stirred her kaf with a straw and spoke, "Look, John, I don't really know how to say this, so I'm just going to be straight with you. I didn't get a whole lot. That system was rigged, I've never seen anything like it, something like a...degradeable system almost. The moment I entered the system, less than 10 seconds later, alarms started going off. There were no password prompts, nothing to sleaze my way around, nothing. I'd have to ask Finn what the frag kind of set up it was, but I honestly couldn't begin to even guess."

The old runner and the professor shared a look, each of them feeling the other's heart sinking through the floor at that moment. This was their best lead on Nora and Keira. If they turned up blank here, where would they go next?

"So...you said you didn't get much, what did you get then?" Tyler asked, apparently trying to almost will some good news out of Iris.

She sighed, not much. "I got a name, and a file name. The name was actually the name of a couple, or so it seems. Mr. and Mrs. Robert and Marina Wong. They were part of a fractured file that was labled, 'Client List'. I also got an address and LTG number for them."

Holding out a printout with the name, address, and LTG number, she continued, "I don't know much more than that. Literally, the whole system started to degrade as soon as I jacked in. I know that's not drek, and I'm sorry. I didn't get anything on Nora or Keira, and I sure as frag didn't get anything worth fencing. I don't know where you want to go from here, or even if you still want my help, but honest to Kibo, that was the best I could do."

After her update, Iris looked down, clearly embarassed by her lack of production, at least from her point of view. Still, John knew that if something was really this hot, it shouldn't surprise him that the system designers weren't going to make things easy for anyone. At least the trail was still there. It was faint and thin, but at least it was something.

Without looking up, Iris asked, "Is there anything else you want to know?"

[Scrapheap]

07:21:35 Tuesday 09 January 2063 – Redmond - Touristville - The Respite Soup Kitchen

John had sat silently and listened as Iris delivered the bad news. Occasionally, he would lift the cup of bitter 'kaf to sip. I don't know why I'm fraggin' surprised, but I am. I guess this drek just got a little fraggin' deeper.

When she had finished, he gave one of his half-smiles. "I guess that's why the physical security was so fraggin' light, huh? Don't worry, girl. I know that you did your best. Drek, you were good enough to get out alive, right? Sounds like that was hard enough. And you did get us another clue." At least, I hope it's a clue...

Turning to the shaman, John clapped him on the shoulder. "Well, Max, looks like your gonna have to give your Cascade chummer a call after all. Hope he's willing to help." And work cheap, cause I'm fraggin' tapped.

As the shaman nodded, John turned back to the others and sat his now empty cup aside. "A'ight. Guess we got a lead, even if it seems slim now. I got somewhere I gotta go at noon. Alone." A meaningful glance at Megan resulted in a sour look. "Before that though, I'd like to take a look at this. Iris, you feel up to lookin' into the name and address you got? I can't offer ya no more cred right now, but if this ever leads to a payday then you'd be up for a share."

[bclements]

12:30:10 Thursday 11 January 2063 - Sea-Tac International Airport, Long Term Parking Terminal, Seattle, UCAS

Seeing the retreating group, Tony moves south along the pillar, trying to get a good bead on them. He almost gets his pistol up when the high pitched, metallic CLACK-CLACK-CLACK from one of the group's SMG's sounds twice again.

Caught in the open, unable to dodge, the six rounds hit Tony like a train. Staggered, fighting against the pain and damage, Tony finally surrendered to the blackness engulfing his vision and dropped to the floor, out cold.

[Bastard]

12:30:10 Thursday 11 January 2063 - Sea-Tac International Airport, Long Term Parking Terminal, Seattle, UCAS

zzzzzzzzz....

[bclements]

13:00:10 Thursday 11 January 2063 - Sea-Tac International Airport, Long Term Parking Terminal, Seattle, UCAS

He’s sitting at his parent’s breakfast nook, a place he hasn’t been in almost 6 years. Andie and Ricky are sitting there with him, drinking coffee and chatting idly about life. Looking over at Tony as if he just noticed him, Ricky says in a gruff voice “You should have got more armor or more smarts.” “Yeah,” Andie says, pleasant voice obstructed by the magemask she’s wearing “you really aught to know better than that. Fools rush in where angels fear to tread, remember? Isn’t that what Charlie’s class taught?”

Somehow taking a sip of coffee thru the mask, she continues “It would be a good idea to wake up now. Hate for the organleggers to get you before you did.”

“Hehe, not like they’d get much for his liver,” Ricky adds, laughing.

Tony snaps his eyes open suddenly, and wishes he were back arguing with Ricky and Andie. He’s able to will most of pain out, but the spots where the bullets musta been gels. Anything else and I’d be in real trouble. hit hurt bone deep.

Sitting up slowly, he looks around the now non-smoke filled area, trying to find Marquis and the rest of the ambush they walked up upon.

[bclements]

EDIT:Double post, sorry

[grendel]

13:00:15 Thursday 11 January 2063 - Sea-Tac International Airport, Long Term Parking Terminal, Seattle, UCAS

Tony's quick glance around for his partner tells him that moving quickly still isn't a good idea. The nausea fades quickly, though. Marquis lays slumped against the pillar close at hand, a swelling purple bruise on his cheek. The parking lot is surprisingly quiet, with no sign of traffic.

[bclements]

13:01:18 Thursday 11 January 2063 - Sea-Tac International Airport, Long Term Parking Terminal, Seattle, UCAS

Getting to his feet was an effort, but finally the vertigo and nausea relented enough to allow Tony to shuffle toward his car. Time to break out the medkit he thinks tiredly to himself as he shambles toward his bag in a parody of his act eariler.

[Slipshade]

07:26:02 Tuesday 09 January 2063 – Redmond - Touristville - The Respite Soup Kitchen

Max waits for Iris’s answer and then speaks up. “I have a number of people I need to contact as soon as possible for help. I am going to call a cab and have it take me home for a brief time while Iris sees what she can dig up on the Wongs. I will meet you back here as soon as possible with word on whatever help I can get. If anything changes, I will give you a call and I am sure you will do the same. Is there anything else before I leave?”

He waits for the conversation to end before pulling out his pocket secretary and dialing the number for Emerald City cabs. It took him a couple of minutes two haggle with the dispatcher, but he was eventually convinces the man to send one of his cabbies out in the ugly weather for a pickup.

[WinterRat1]

07:23:06 Tuesday 09 January 2063 – Redmond - Touristville - The Respite Soup Kitchen

Iris nods. "It's the least I can do, having screwed up at the clinic. Finding an address shouldn't be too hard. Is there anything specific you want me to dig up or look for on these people?"