13.46 Thur 02 Jan 2070 Bellevue – Quinn Residence
(POV: Mr Jones – Mr Quinn’s assistant PAN: Passive)

# Newsflash – Brackhaven tipped to win the next Seattle governor slot despite Dzhugashvili being the favourite – source KASF #

Jones ran his finger over the non-existent dust on the mantelpiece in the drawing room and turned to admire the dark lustre of the polished woodwork. The room was elegantly understated with a number of fine objet d’art as accents in the alcoves. He felt a proprietary satisfaction in the design and execution of the room; he had outdone himself this time. It was almost funny in comparison with his previous life where his primary concerns had been ensuring the mess hall had sufficient slop for the ungrateful bastards that stamped in day by day and that ammo was available for the live fire exercises.

He turned off the AR overlay temporarily and adjusted the position of one of the scent emitters so that its shadow blended with the perceived reality. Everything needed be just right for the meeting this afternoon. The ambience had been carefully considered to ensure that everyone felt at ease, no matter their background, and Jones felt sure that everything was in place as he’d known it would be.

Prospero’s voice chimed in his ear exactly on schedule
<<Our guests are arriving now>>

13.43 Thur 02 Jan 2070 Bellevue – Quinn Residence Matrix Node
(POV: Prospero – Resident Spider PAN: Passive)

He flew back in to the central node and wrapped his cloak about himself, merging in to the architecture. There had been a problem with one of the gardening drones but a tweak to the programming had prevented it from doing any damage, just one of those little glitches that interrupted the smooth running of his day. Diagnostics hadn’t revealed any tampering and he wasn’t concerned.

The firewalls were intact and the satellite links were in place ready for Mr Quinn to arrive.

09.52 Fri 03 Jan 2070 CTec Aqualogy, Tonga
(POV: Monarch PAN: Passive)

His heels clicked starkly on the metal deck, the sound faintly reverberating off the metal bulkheads. Various AR messages flashed across his view but he brushed them aside, time for all that later. He barely glanced at the luxury of his quarters as the door slid closed behind him. Even the marine life didn’t merit much attention; there was work to be done.

Things had been quiet for the last week and as far as he was aware nobody was running anything at the moment. Even the shadows seemed to have taken a break for the New Year holiday. Now China Doll needed to be introduced to the others as an expansion of the network beyond the Seattle shadow borders.

He settled in to his chair and acknowledged the bio monitors as they picked up the rhythms of his body. He opened his perceptions to the matrix, reached out with his persona and insinuated himself in to the data flow out of the aqualogy. He relished the sensation of freedom as his icon propelled itself to the communications satellite somewhere over Hawaii and then blurred down to his residence in Seattle, his commlink doing the virtual hand shaking with barely a conscious thought on his part.

14.00 Thur 02 Jan 2070 Bellevue – Quinn Residence Matrix Node

His icon stepped in to the virtual foyer of his home in Seattle and he admired himself in the polished chrome floor. The representation was uncannily like himself but subtly altered to give an increased impression of genial good nature. He swept back his greying hair and adjusted the lapel of his Zoe suit so that the weave reflected the ambient lighting to the best effect.

Prospero appeared beside him and bowed, swirling his robes around him in a theatrical manner…
<<Our guests are waiting for you Sir>>

OoC Thread

14.00 Thur 02 Jan 2070 Bellevue - Quinn Residence
China Doll, PAN:Passive

"I'm late for lab!" she'd shouted through the closing delivery door of Jade Tiger Lily. Even her Ducati wasn't quick enough leaving the back alley for China Doll to miss the switch from a stream of anxious queries directed her way to invective from her mother dropped like a stick of dynamite on Sammy Woo, the new waiter. It wasn't his fault. China Doll, had promised to make the late lunch delivery, but she'd taken a bit too long on the last coffee break and now had to rush downtown. She was going to have to make it up to him somehow. Later.

Somewhere, someone had brought two feeder expressways to a grinding halt and her calculated eta had gone from -5 to +24 minutes. Darren Pang's chicken fried rice and half a dozen spring rolls were just going to have to be delivered by someone else. Cutting 24 minutes off of travel time to Bellevue was going to be a challenge, the calculations started flying through her head and AROspace in front of her.

Half a racing slick and a heat warped brake disc later she arrived at the place with 26 seconds to spare. China Doll flicked off the agents eta display while it was still flickering at +3. Her agent still hadn't understood that wherever a pedestrian could go also counted for her Ducati and it was still trying to catch up with the last trip across a pedestrian overpass.

She strapped her helmet to the Ducati and unzipped her leathers as she went through the entrance protocols and introduced herself to the residence.

<<China Doll>>

Thur 02 Jan 2070 - Jared Engels' Itinerary

0500 - First alarm goes off, Joseph Haydn's Piano Sonata in Eb
0505 - Yoga
0520 - Shower; Begin viewing daily news feeds
0525 - Breakfast
0530 - Second alarm goes off (an unnecessary habit)
0535 - Gabriel arrives with the car, concluding viewing daily news feeds during commute
0600 - Arrive at Bellevue office
0610 - Morning coffee (sacrament), begin reading moderate priority messages
0700 - Fellow partners arrive
0730 - Partner's morning brief
0830 - On site client meetings
1000 - Matrix-meeting with DC
1030 - On site client meetings
1230 - Lunch with Hiro Yashimoto, Seastar Restaurant and Raw Bar
1330 - Brief return to office to sync messages
1400 - Off site Meeting

14.00 Thur 02 Jan 2070 Bellevue - Quinn Residence
(PAN: Passive)

Jared Engles', senior partner of a rather prestigious, if new, Bellevue legal consultancy firm, was given to eccentric office hours, but no one would ever question the efficiency with which he went about his working day. While the other partners had yet to awaken and commence their air-commutes, he was putting in hours. While they were whiling away their days in insular meetings and at appointments with benefits only to their own prestige, he was seeing clients. Jared rarely saw the inside of courtroom these days, but there was not a single case passing through the firm he was not intimately aware of the details of, nor an employee he did not know by first name (and SIN, criminal record, vices, as well as working habits). In truth the other partners, and the firm itself, were merely window dressing. They were a way for him to keep a nice legitimate front on a life that was knee deep in the very corruption he had built his reputation fighting.

Life after service to the public and corporate sectors was hardly a form of retirement for the man who, on the short drive to the Quinn residence, underwent the eschewing of his public persona in favor of that of The Suit. It was a ubiquitous name, one used as a term of simultaneous derision and envy in the shadier circles he would wear it in. The anonymity of the name served him well, while the image and his own reputation demanded a level of respect that had not often been crossed.

On only two occasions had parties under his employ tried to re-neg on an agreement with The Suit. The first team had gone missing from both their shadow and public lives suddenly and without a trace thanks to a certain angel of darkness. The second was a young policeman who had thought to take a bribe and then turn information on him in to Internal Affairs. Shortly after his initial contact with the IAD detectives he had committed suicide by way of his service revolver, but not before leaving a detailed confession as to his professional sins, and no evidence of ever having been in contact with a man known as The Suit.

Some would consider him ruthless, he merely saw it as a matter of professional courtesy. One makes a deal, and they are bound by not only their word, but the spirit of contract to follow it. If not, there were ways and means to mete out justice.

At five to the hour a familiar black SUV pulls up to the gate of the residence. Gabriel, the silent driver, provides credentials, and shortly thereafter parks in front of the main doors long enough to disembark The Suit before departing. He knows well that the Fraternity meetings are safe, though he will not linger too far from the residence itself. There is a quiet coffee shop not too far away that he likes to frequent.

The Suit takes a moment to confirm that the disposable commlink he has with him is clean, having placed his headware one in hidden mode during the commute. Every meeting of the Fraternity is a fresh start data-wise for him, a precaution he takes despite having a rather talented, if slightly eccentric, hacker watching his every digital move.

At precisely 14:00, The Suit approaches the door, and activates the old-fashioned chime with a brush of his hand.

14.03 Thur 02 Jan 2070 Bellevue – Quinn Residence
(POV: Prospero PAN: Active)

<<China Doll, please come in, you are expected>>

The faint spectre of his backlit robed figure hovered in her view, his staff spitting brightly coloured fractals and alphanumeric equations from its length. He ensured that his shadows synced with the lighting to provide a proper sense of his presence. He flashed a message to Jones to let him know that there was another arrival and then turned his attention back to the dwarf…

<<Please set your link to accept input from this node and AROs will guide you to the drawing room where the others are waiting. For our security I will block general access to the matrix from 14.10 so please finish any necessary correspondence before that.>>

14.05 Thur 02 Jan 2070 Bellevue – Quinn Residence
(POV: Monarch PAN: Passive)

Despite not physically being present he settled in to his chair, perfectly meshing his image with the surrounds via the best projectors money can buy. He was looking forward to this…even though he was enjoying his retirement in the sun and sea he liked to continue to dabble in the shadows and ensure that his legacy was protected. Hopefully the newcomer will live up to her reputation.

He appraised The Suit as he entered. His natural successor it would seem with the smart corporate image tinged with an awareness of the real world. But the others were interesting too and each brought something to the Fraternity. Hell, Sarah was probably right and he’d never retire, just keel over in the middle of some machination and leave the world wondering what had happened to it…

<<Welcome everyone, let’s get this meeting started…>>

11.14 02 Nov 2069 Bellevue
(POV: Dinah Lane PAN: Active)

# Newsflash – Crash Memorial erected in Bellefield Nature Park, Bellevue – source Belle Vue #

She gently took the holopic from the drawer and turned it over. Tears streaked down her face unnoticed as she brushed her fingers across the worn surface of the pic. It was hard to believe that five years had gone by since everything was taken away from her. It was a quiet grief now but this day above all others always brought it back to the surface.

06.32 12 Dec 2069 PRIMEX Offices, Downtown Seattle
(POV: ‘Uncle’ Wei PAN: Active)

# Newsflash – Bodies snatched from sanatorium morgue – source Seattle Free Enquirer #

<<Target 37 has been confirmed, comms are active and team 6 is currently awaiting the go order. Satellite coverage in 10>>

Wei turned to the others in the room, spinning the tactical overlay so that they could see it. The analysis was promising and the projected outcome looked favourable but there was still an element of risk.

“Are we ready to proceed gentlemen?” The three others in the room nodded their assent.

<<Team 6 are authorised to proceed>>

14.04 Thur 02 Jan 2070 Bellevue – Quinn Residence
(POV: SC PAN: Passive)

'Drekkin' Ancient kiddies... I'm late...' SC grumbles in his mind as he eases his bike up to the location. Slipping off the Mirage, he gives it a careful look-over to make sure that the brats hadn't screwed anything up. Once he was satisfied, he gave himself a once-over, only to grumble as he spots a new hole in his armored jacket where a near-miss clipped the edge. 'Frag! I was hopin' t' look decent this time... Gonna have to go back an' teach the brats a lesson for this...'

Still grumbling to himself, he makes his way to the door and knocks, grunting a greeting to the person who opens the door. He makes his way quickly to the meeting room and slips in, cursing softly to himself when he sees he's one of the last to arrive.

"Sorry I'm late. Fraggin' Ancient kiddies tried t' make a name for themselves. Lose'n 'em took some time. What'd I miss?"

14.04 Thur 02 Jan 2070 Bellevue - Quinn Residence
China Doll, PAN:Passive

She let the house Reality Filter take over her system, providing her with directions as she stripped off her armored bike leathers to reveal her summer print dress decorated with a giant glowing yellow buttercup. China Doll kept her armor toed boots on but unbuckled them with a mental command popping the electromagnetic ties. Without even checking for a hangar, the young dwarf tossed her leathers on the nearest empty seat in the entrance way before following the ARO directions to the meeting room where she climbed into the nearest empty seat and promptly folded her short legs underneath herself for a boost.

Idly she maintained her subscription to the razor and boosted her eccm routines. She was interested to see how effective the matrix cutoff was actually going to be.

China Doll looked around for some cookies.

14.14 02 Jan 2070 Bellevue – Quinn Residence
(POV: Monarch PAN: Passive)

The delicious bitter smell of real coffee permeated the room and matched the steaming cup in his hand several thousand miles away. He’d switched off any external connections to the matrix, he didn’t want to appear to be getting any sort of preferential treatment, after all, the faraday cage in the walls around the drawing room should be blocking the others from any incoming signals apart from his hardwired connection via the satellite dish on the roof. Prospero would be monitoring things but he didn’t want to be distracted at the moment.

<<I’m sure you’ve all had a chance to talk already but I’d just like to take this opportunity once again to welcome China Doll to our little fraternity. All things considered that name no longer really applies but I guess we’ll keep the handle for the moment unless anyone has any better suggestions?

Things have been a little slow over the past couple of weeks and I’m sure you are all eager to pursue your own agendas but I called this meeting to introduce China Doll to the way we do things and to see if there was anything else that we need to deal with at this time. Feel free to chip in if there’s anything anyone wants to add.>>

He turned to China Doll

<<We are a loose organisation of individuals and I want to stress that we don’t want to control your actions in any way. We decided that pooling our available resources made us stronger and more influential than the sum of our parts. I dare say that our agendas have even clashed in the past and will do so again but that doesn’t negate the benefits we get from working together. Your contacts will expand our influence further, hence you being here today.>>

14.04 Thur 02 Jan 2070 Bellevue - Quinn Residence
China Doll, PAN:Passive

She blinked when her susbcription to razor blinked out,but was immediately distrracted by the meeting starting. When it was her turn she responded.

"Hi"<<Hi>>

The double echo gave her pause, then her persona icon continued, render her real time imagery, <<You could call me CD, that's an acronym, not the adjective.

I do specialize delivery and transport, and yes, I do deliver chinese.>>

14.15 02 Jan 2070 Bellevue – Quinn Residence(POV: The Suit PAN: Passive)

Jared remains quiet throughout the time leading to the meeting, well aware that connections to the outside world are gone within the confines of these parallel virtual and real rooms, and rather comforted by that fact. For a man who is immersed from the moment he wakes to the moment he hits the sheets - alone or with a companion - he finds the absolute silence from signal to be meditative. If asked for a reason why he maintained contact with the Fraternity, aside from the obvious benefits of mutually pooled contacts which Monarch espouses to their newest member, the calm would be chief amongst them. The silence, and the coffee. While Jared maintained ties which allowed him exclisive purchase of a blend which had been called by many a guest the best in the city, Monarch was able to command his respect with each cup. The brew was perfection, or as close as could be found in the poisoned environs of the world.

When their host has introduced their newest member, and to her outlined the broadest strokes of what the Fraternity has to offer, Jared offers China Doll a patented smile. The one which saw many a jury eating out of the palm of his hand, and many a runner willing to dive into hell for his money. Not that he intended to manipulate or endanger her. At least, he saw no need quite yet. He takes a measure of the woman before speaking in a calm and pleasant tone.

`Welcome. Though my identity is no secret to those here, I would prefer for the sake of professionalism you call me The Suit. I am a good old fashioned influence peddler, and a negotiator.`

He pays no mind to the AR transfer of his words, a pleasant bi-product of his multi-teired networking days. The interface with their host does not even strike him as alien, let alone uncomfortable. His own persona is mirrored to his movements, and is a painstakingly recreated rendering of him, down to his current attire. The only difference lies in the face, which is blank, rendering him the everyman.

`While you will, as Monarch said, find that our goals will from time to time conflict, there is no greater source of comfort in our line of work than the knowledge that even your enemy can be called upon as a friend.`

14:05 Thur 02 Jan 2070 Bellevue - Harper's Penthouse
(POV: Void PAN: Passive)

Harper yawned loudly, and poured down another cup of coffee, his left eyebrow twitching nervously. Today was the last of his "snore suppression week", the bi-monthly maintenance shutdown of his sleep regulator, which technically only lasted about three and a half days, but sure felt like a whole week worth of energy. His mood sunk even further when he browsed his matrix feeds for the latest headlines. The law might not sleep (a lot), but neither did crime.

<<You sure this is a good idea, Doc?>>

A familiar voice resonated in his cyberears. Most people'd probably describe it as fairly pleasant, if slightly detached, but when you've neglected your desire for sleep for three days, everything sounds about as aesthetically pleasing as an AK-97 on full auto.

<<To be honest...>> Harper's coffee machine, which was working on full auto just like the metaphorical assault rifle, delivered another cup of Harper's favorite drink, and he quickly took a large sip <<...I ain't.>> He realized that his coffee was still hot like a shiny Ares prototype in the Barrens and suppressed his urge to swear like a Marine. <<But I'm certain you see my necessity for this...endeavor. Besides...>> he added, certain his partner wouldn't like the next couple of words he was going to send, <<...this'll probably be the least dangerous part of my investigation into *this* case...>>

He could only take an educated guess at Celeste's reaction, but he was pretty sure she sighed. She had a habit of doing so when her partner came up with another crazy plan, especially if it involved breaking at least 4 different laws. But as his plans had a habit of working out, and she knew it, he also expected a resignated "yes".

<<Alright, let's do this. Ready when you are.>>

<<Plug me in.>>





14:05 Thur 02 Jan 2070 Puyallup Barrens - Abandoned Storehouse, Back Room
(POV: - PAN: -)

Somewhere, in a place that'd best be described as standing in direct contrast to Harper's luxurious penthouse suite, a small holo-projector went online. Five pairs of eyes took a simultaneous gaze at the distorted outlines of a faceless, roughly man-shaped figure of pure white light. Through a small speaker box (or a repurposed white-noise-generator, it was difficult to tell), attached to the projector, an electronically masked voice was transmitted.

"Good day. I hope I didn't keep you waiting...?"

21.36 01 Jan 2070 Touristville, Redmond Barrens
(POV: Anonymous PAN: Hidden)

# Newsflash – Corp cover up following police engagement with unknown forces in downtown fire fight – source KASF

The bike struck sparks as he scraped a corner swerving in to the alley. His breath sounded harsh in his ears. The appalling stink of rubbish wafting from the overflowing bins at the back of some seedy restaurant served to mask the rank stench of fear sweat coming off him.

The landscape changed as he left the comparative safety of Touristville and headed out beyond the derelict sky scrapers that are all that is left of the Redmond computer industry. Following Union Hill road east towards the Cascades he wove through miles of monotonous abandoned suburban semis.

It wasn’t even possible to imagine this area as a thriving district anymore. Burnt out shells littered the streets, the wreckage of so many lives scattered about him. Furtive figures, huddling over fires watched him as he passed, wondering if there are enough of them to strip him of anything of value.

A toxic castle leered at him, pumping its fumes into the already thick soup that passes for air around here. Ahead he could just make out the sinister behemoth of the Ares Arms principal weapons plant in the barrens. A VTOL thrust upwards, its turbines churning the smog into lurid forms in the halogen lights blazing from the factory. The Ares corporate logo is not a friendly sight here, the helmet of some ancient titan waiting to call down judgement on any who stray too close to those massive walls. He passed James Lake, its waters stained with effluent from the factory, unnatural vapours caressing the stunted plants along the shore.

He moved briefly onto Carnation Farm road, heading back north, the broad carriageway pitted with decay. On his left was the remains of another major urban centre but only maps recall what its name was, the oldest residents here don’t tend to live long enough to gain very full memories. In front of him, still a long way in the distance are the peaks of Cougar Mountain and Tiger Mountain, pristine when compared with the squalor all around him.

He is forced to dive aside as a vehicle that barely resembles the bus it was cobbled from hurtles out of a side road. It scatters debris as it mounts the pavement and then jolts back onto the road. He expected some of the armour plating strapped to its sides to be left behind in its harebrained race towards where ever it is going.

Somewhere over on his right is Glow City but thankfully he was heading away from it now, stumbling with exhaustion, directly towards the mountains, the only major obstacle now is the Snoqualmie River. This close to the source in the Cascades the river is cleaner, without the oils and toxins that mottle its surface further inside the barrens. The huge packs of distinctive bone white devil rats that plague the Snoqualmie are missing here, only a number of corpses remain, strung up, the skeletons showing damage caused by rifle fire.

Gang sigils began to appear on prominent places along the side of the road as he began to head uphill out of the flat basin that made up the majority of Redmond. A stylised wolf’s head grinned down at him from the remaining vertical walls and twisted lampposts. The buildings around him begin to look more cared for although they are still derelict, he can see signs that they have been shored up to prevent them from collapsing. To his amazement he can see a living tree up ahead, although it is sickening in the poisoned air it is nevertheless green in an otherwise concrete world.

As he rose higher still and left some of the smog behind he saw a child playing in the road, something unheard of in the centre of the barrens. There the children live like animals and don’t have the energy to play apart from the violent games of survival in the gangs. As he crossed the 203, the official end of the barrens and the Seattle Metroplex he became aware of motorbikes shadowing him on each side a block over, perhaps the CyWolves or their elite Wolf Pack.

The houses now were once the homes of computer execs and their ilk, high in the foothills of the Cascades, surrounded by what was once verdant countryside. An effort has been made against the odds and the land is green again, though a far cry from the natural beauty still to be found out of the reaches of the industrial poisons and corporate greed.

The centre of the community is a large spar complex and the holiday homes that surround the lake. Abandoned by the corps when they would have had to travel through the barrens to reach it, it is now home to around a thousand people guarded by the Wolves and the blind eye of the Salish authorities…for him it represented safety of sorts, and possibly a way out of the sprawl.

He realised with a sinking feeling that he hadn’t seen the Wolf Pack in several minutes and then his heart lurched as he felt the pulsing down draft of a helicopter hovering over him. He looked up in to the blinding spot above him but still couldn’t hear any noise beyond the rubbish being blown around his feet…

14.21 02 Jan 2070 Bellevue – Quinn Residence
(POV: Monarch PAN: Passive)

<<We will provide CD with the comm codes and handshake protocols for the various runners that we have contact with. Feel free to talk to them at your discretion, they will know you are connected to us and that should serve to open the negotiations. If you need access to information, goods or services that one of the rest of us can provide then it is expected that we would at least offer preferential rates but I have always believed it’s better if we operate on the ‘I owe you one’ principal rather than trying to keep the score with nuyen. After all, with our resources and contacts a favour will probably be much more valuable in the long run.

We have a communal operating budget that everyone has equal access to; the only thing I ask is that you top up what you take when you have the opportunity. If things don’t seem to be working out then we can discuss this further.>>

He turned to face them all and smiled, mentally accessing the online accounts…

<<We have in the order of five hundred and thirty thousand in ready cash and some additional funds in corporate bonds and physical assets so at the moment we have reasonable funds but there is room for improvement.

I’ll leave you to it for now. If any job opportunities come my way I will pass them along to one of you, after all, I am meant to be retiring and taking it easy. Do give me a shout if there’s anything I can do though as I’ll quickly get bored with too much spare time!>>

He broke the link to Seattle and settled back in to his chair. This year should be interesting.

13:52 02 Jan 2070 Puyallup Barrens - Abandoned Storehouse, Back Room
(POV: Mother PAN: Hidden)

She looked across at the others, frowning slightly at their attire. They were significantly more tooled up than would be usual for an initial meeting but then again you didn’t take any chances in this gods forsaken section of the barrens. She mentally ran an inventory of her own gear and grimaced at the necessity of bringing a gun to what should otherwise have been a civilised occasion. Being able to pick and choose your jobs sadly did not imply that you had control over wherever some Johnson decided would be an appropriate meeting place, that and the fact that there hadn’t been suitable work for a little while and fuel was the least of their expenses.

Dismissing her negative thoughts she assessed the others around the room. She felt a swell of fierce pride as she glanced at Silk, who was crouched loosely on her haunches stretching her senses out through the room and beyond. She had proven her worth to the group above and beyond what was expected of her and Mother constantly wondered at the miracle of her daughter’s Gift and her place in their lives.

Bale was also keeping a wary eye out, peering through one of the boarded up windows, oblivious to the pale dust that wafted across his face. He wore a dour expression and Mother could tell he was as keen on the location as herself. Escapade meanwhile sat quietly, focussed inwards on whatever it was his twisted mind contemplated in moments like these. He must have felt her gaze because he looked up and a warm smile transformed his otherwise bland face.

She rechecked her connection to the retrans drone hovering somewhere above them. Matrix connectivity was patchy at best out here and there had to be a way for Aria to be present at the meet. Getting her here in person would have been nigh on impossible. Judging by the box in the centre of the room Mr J had his own way of getting a connection, not that she was about to trace it back, corp types tended to get twitchy about perceived invasions of privacy. She’d have Aria follow it up if it became necessary.

The box projected the distorted outlines of a faceless, roughly man-shaped figure of pure white light. An electronically masked voice filled the room

<<Good day. I hope I didn't keep you waiting...?>>

“Not at all, we’ve just been admiring the surroundings…” She reigned in her irritation, professionalism is key, “So how can Balefire assist you today? …”

06.45 12 Dec 2069 PRIMEX Offices, Downtown Seattle
(POV: ‘Uncle’ Wei PAN: Active)

The tactical display blinked and shuffled, casting rippling shadows across the intent faces of the men watching it. A side display flickered in to life, projecting the image of one of the overwatch hackers into the air above the granite conference table.

<<Sir, we don’t yet know what is happening but we are having difficulties with communications between the teams in the field.>>

Wei turned to face him, a frown creasing his otherwise serene features,

“Just get it done. And remember, we need him alive!”

Moments ticked by and the display showed the teams converging on the target in a steady combat spread but concealed from the prying eyes of the adjoining properties. No sense in alerting the subject or drawing public attention to themselves. Suddenly the display shuddered in to static leaving the thermal satellite image to show the shocked reactions of the snatch teams.

<<Sir, we’ve lost all contact with the teams and we’ve just intercepted a call to Lone Star. The teams haven’t been spotted as far as we can tell, we don’t know what is happening.>>

“We can’t afford a confrontation with Lone Star. Make sure that call didn’t get through.”

<<We are monitoring all communications nodes in the area, the call didn’t originate there, I’m sure or it! Sir, comms confirm that an HRT team has been routed to the area, this has to have come from outside…>>

Wei frowned again, “Pull the teams out, maintain a spotter on site and keep up satellite coverage…we’ll get him later…”

14.22 Thur 02 Jan 2070 Bellevue - Quinn Residence
China Doll, PAN:Passive

She blinked again. Slowly. "Ah, crap."<<Ah, crap>>Ah, crap

half a m...

China Doll flipped the stacks of encrypted handshakes and account into ready safe storage without thinking. She gathered her thoughts as she shifted mental gears and spoke to the room. <<Reality bites me. I still need to work out the third party protocols with my set. Is there a way to transfer that securely to you between now and the next meeting as they come on board?>>

half a million ready cash account? Shit. and crap, Protocols?

Her brow furrowed deeply as she struggled with converting an evening grinding, sanding, priming and layering smart paint on custom tank trim in exchange for a few hours grid guide admin access into a third party favor handshake protocol. This was going to be worse then Finals week and the Grand reopening during the Moon Bun Festival last spring.

half a mill.. stop it.

14.23 02 Jan 2070 Bellevue - Quinn Residence
(POV: Prospero PAN: Active)

He addressed China Doll,

<<We are quite happy to conduct any business with your contacts through yourself, that way you can maintain autonomy and nobody needs to be aware of your involvement with us unless you want them to. On the whole we share runners as they are a useful group resource but maintain our own contacts outside this loop.>>

He slipped on to a private channel and fired a text message over,

<<As an aside Monarch mentioned that there is a little something you could help us with at the moment… There’s a fixer fence who usually operates in the Renton area called Frank Bishop, you may have heard of him? Anyway, we’d like you to approach him and see if he might be interested in expanding his business interests in line with our own? I had an old comm. contact but no doubt it is woefully out of date so we’ll leave you to track him down. There’s no rush by any means, but do give me a shout if I can be of any assistance.>>

18.46 06 Jan 2070 Elliot’s, Pier 60, Downtown Seattle
(POV: Anonymous PAN: Active)

#Newsflash – Lone Star report increased clashes with the Ancients Go Gang - Source Seattle Observer #

He set down the excellent glass of Bordeaux and focused his attention back to the text he was composing,

<<Smooth Criminal, my sources tell me that you are someone who could assist me in a delicate matter. Politics being the dirty business that it is we feel it is time to shine a light on the activities of certain members of the Dzhugashvili ticket, specifically a senior aide, an elf called Theo Stone. We don’t need to be too specific about the sorts of activity, I leave that to you and your associates.

Please contact me at your earliest convenience at the attached number.

Mr Johnson.>>

He turned back to the dark waters of the Sound, lights glimmering faintly from the busy traffic, only faintly blurred by the rain pattering down on to the picture windows.

14.25 02 Jan 2070 Bellevue - Parnassus Cafe & Art Gallery
(POV: Gabriel PAN: Passive)

Campus life ebbs and flows around the patio of the cafe, with students and faculty walking in pods and packs, or weaving a lone path amongst the sidewalk crowds. It was vital, fresh, and vibrant. One might wonder what Gabriel say in the location, given he had no affiliation with the University of Washington, and he was of a decidedly solitary man.

It was not the people themselves who brought him to the location, but the ability they afforded him to exercise his observational and tactical skills in a setting which was unlike his usual. To place oneself in an environment that was alien to your own, and to observe, catalog, and learn from its residents was one of the keys to keeping on top of one's game.

That, and the coffee was good. They actually served real coffee, in sizes that were not pretentiously named as one might expect from a gallery house, and they did not so much as blink when he asked for it straight black.

Gabriel inventories the passing people, placing them in broad categories, by sex (deceptive, given the transcendence of gender identity, but with there are cues to be picked up on, subtle patterns of body language), body type (plenty of ectomorphs, perhaps an indication that thin was once again in), age (and by extension likely role on campus). From there he moves to harder to quantify categories, those based on fashion (trend type tends to lend itself to personality profiling), wealth, and even field of study or instruction. The people watching is a surface activity, a way to occupy his mind and remove it from concerns over the return and subsequent disappearance from the Seattle shadows of a former colleague.

Shekinah had been one of his cell when he had been in Seraphim, their medic, but far more than a simple hand a first aid. When Cross had been dismantled, she had returned to Quebec, accepting a legitimate research position. He had been unable to adapt back to civilian life, and had decided to remain in Seattle.

He had received a simple message from her a week ago, sent to a long quieted, but maintained, inbox:

<<G,
In town on business, thought you might want to catch up. Call me.
- S>>

There had been a number attached, and he had called, but received no answer or response. Three calls, and he had stopped. Something was not right, but without further information he could only wait.

Working for Jared offered enough distractions, however, that he had been able to shuffle aside any unnecessary concern for Shekinah. She could handle herself, and if there was any danger involved she would have protocols in place to contact help.

Sipping at his pleasantly acrid coffee, Gabriel allows himself a rare moment of peace, simply losing himself in the details of crowd watching. He has time still before he will need to return to the meeting and retrieve Jared, and he intends on taking it easy.

Of course simply because he intends some meditative time does not mean it will be granted to him. As the coffee slowly dwindles, a chime pulses in his earpiece, indicating a message from Engles' and Associates.

14.27 02 Jan 2070 Bellevue - Quinn Residence
(POV: The Suit PAN: Passive)

With the focus of the meeting having been an introduction, rather than the addition of or updates of Fraternity business, The Suit had not expected to be long. In truth, he had another engagement, a more public one, to prepare for. It was not that the Fraternity was secondary amongst his concerns, he simply had plenty of them to balance. With Monarch having made his appearance, and Prospero tying up the meet, he clears his throat.

`I apologize for my haste, but I must retire. I have a function to attend, and the commute at this time of day is rather time-consuming.`

To the gathering he offers a nod, and then he composes a quick back-channel message to China Doll.

<<Welcome. Should you find yourself in need, there are several ways to contact me, though most are by dead-drop. I maintain a regular presence on ShadowSEA, under the moniker of The Suit as might be expected. If you are in need of priority assistance, do not hesitate to contact me there.>>

The Suit stands, and makes his way towards the door. When Mr. Jones offers and escort out, he accepts with a nod. He always had liked Mr. Jones. Efficient and cultured men were a rare breed these days.

With a word of thanks to Mr. Jones, he steps outside and into the back seat of the waiting Range Rover. Gabriel needs no prompting. He knows Jared's schedule perhaps better than the man himself. As he smoothly pulls down the drive, he clears his throat.

`I got a call from the office while you were dark.` The words are measured. It would seem he has been weighing whether to bring the call up, or to just deal with it on his own. `An associate of yours from Redmond dropped by. He wants a meeting.`

`I trust you can handle the finer points of this negotiation.`

`Your trust, as usual, is well placed.`

15.01 02 Jan 2070 Tacoma - Flemming's Grocery... or close
(POV: Scytale black.Nexus: Active Security: Hot Encryption: Running)

On a little back street in Tacoma, off of the main drag, in the shadows of the Tacoma Dome, there is a small commercial industry block. Most of the street is given over to storage facilities, and to warehouses, but tucked away mid-block is a small storefront with blackened windows and mundane signage that reads Flemming's Grocery. The interior of the store is smaller than expected, and does not offer what is advertised. Instead of a place to buy food, or even a small bodega, lies one of Seattle's quiet little secrets - a spy shop, but one that caters more to the needs of those looking for genuine surveillance gear than toys.

In the small warehouse to the left of Flemming's Grocery - when facing the storefront - in the section where the offices used to be, there is a rather comfortable home. A home which at the moment, despite it being afternoon, is bathed in complete darkness, save for the glow from several holo-projections and the projected image of an old flatscreen movie starring Dame Angelina Jolie about kids mucking about in corporate servers where they don't belong.

The irony of it is that the lone occupant of the converted space is currently mucking about in no less than a dozen nodes - through various meticulously installed backdoors and custom scripted agent programs - at that very moment. With more screens than servers floating about in the air around him, Zach Grotakowski - known to very few outside of a professional capacity as Scytale - is listening to Daft Punk, compiling and reverse engineering code, ordering Chinese delivery, monitoring the performance of the new girl down in the store, and tracking down leads.

While he wasn't quite sure if the new girl was going to work out, or whether to get a combo or order individual items, he was sure something hinkey was going on in the Matrix. Six separate clients, for whom he had performed mainly in his typical online facility as a cryptanalyst and security specialist, had approached him with similar concerns. Someone out there had created sophisticated profiles of their loved ones and were harassing them with false images and appearances of these people. None of the clients had any true commonality - some were corporate researchers looking to test new cryptography, some were lawyers looking to access their client's or other people's hidden data, and others were just people who'd forgotten important encryption keys - but there was one major and unsettling thing that threaded all of their stories together:

Every one of the loved ones who had been appearing of late had died in the Crash.

Not the stock market crash, or the ancient Crash that happened before Zach's parents even met. No, the Crash 2.0. Each and every one of these clients had lost someone in the Crash, and those someones were coming back to haunt them.

Zach had a suspicion that someone with a sick sense of humor had got hold of a corporation's research mining databases, and had been working with them to perpetrate some kind of practical joke. It was the only thing that made sense. What didn't make sense was that he couldn't find a trace of this someone, or these someone's. Nothing. Not even from the appearances of the phantom family members. It was frustrating, and a bit eerie.

Not as frustrating, though, as the new girl's lack of enthusiasm was when an actual customer walks through the door to the Grocery.

Dammit, now he's got to put on pants and go down there to play store owner.

15.15 02 Jan 2070 Bellevue - Engles' Condo
(POV: Jared Engles PAN: Active)

With strains of Schubert in the background, Jared shuts off the flow of water to the shower with a wave, and leans out to retrieve a fresh, warm, towel. As he towels himself dry, he calls up his home nexus, queuing his personal message protocols. He starts to filter through the message precis' as he dries himself and then moves in front of the mirror to assess his appearance. Though he had shaved that morning, he decides that, given the nature of tonight's function, he needs to do so again. As he prepares his brush and straight razor he stops, regarding the message queue with a frown.

Two messages scream out at him, both having been received while he was at lunch with Hiro, and both having been shuffled to his home node for later review. The first is from Officer Wainright - a desperate late morning call seeing if he wanted her to come over tonight, or if he wanted to come to her place. While the young woman was useful to him for her position within Lone Star, and her body could provide him with some manner of stress relief, the indiscretion of the call was troublesome. She needed something from him, and that meant she needed access to his less than savory connections. It would seem she has exhausted her supply already. Pity.

A motion of his hand over the surface in front of the mirror calls up a message from Angel House. The filter would have diverted the message to his home node by virtue of it being from a high class escort agency, but the fact that he had only received the message now was a small point of frustration. The message informs him that Dinah Lane, with regret, must cancel their appointment for that evening due to poor health. Dinah was to be his accompaniment to the fundraiser for the Fred Hutchinson Research Center that evening, and the event is hours away from starting. His arrival without accompaniment would fuel his status as an eligible bachelor, but he was looking forward to having at least some tolerably intelligent conversation with a woman at the event.

As he considers his options, Jared loses himself in the practice and ritual of shaving. With his pores opened already thanks to the heat of the shower, he proceeds to lay on a coat of lather with a brush passed down to him from his father. When the lather has been laid down, he proceeds to shave with the same razor that has groomed the face of three generations of his family.

By the time the calming ritual is done he will have enough time to contact his secretary to have roses sent to Dinah, change into his tuxedo, and to contact a friend of his about her diner arrangements.

15.30 02 Jan 2070 Bellevue - Emerald Prime Realty Offices
(POV: Athena Helms PAN: Active)

The day had been dynamite for Athena. She had closed three deals, and shown a fabulously expensive penthouse to a young industrialist from the Emirates, and had even managed to get in a yoga class at lunchtime. She was only in the office to retrieve her jacket, which thanks to the pristine weather outside that day had not been needed, and she was set to retire for the evening early to treat herself to a night on the town in celebration. As she shuts down her office nexus, a call comes through on her commlink, and she greets Jared with a smile.

`Jared Engles as I live and breathe. Looking to trade up on that condo of yours already?` She had only helped him purchase the property the year prior, and she knew he was quite comfortable there, but a girl could hope. The commission on that place had been enough buy her a Lexus.

`I am afraid not, Athena. I was actually making a social call. Rumor has it you have had quite the season, and I was wondering if you would like to come with me to a little gathering tonight and celebrate.`

The man was looking devilishly handsome as ever, and what was he wearing? A tuxedo. Oh how James Bond of him. `A little gathering? How do I have the feeling I am under dressed? You know I am easily and hour from home Jared.`

`No need to worry, Athena. While I am sure you look lovely, I took the liberty of sending a car and booking you an appointment for a fitting at the Vachon Island boutique on sixth. You should be able to find something suitable in more than enough time to meet me for a pre-diner drink.`

The cheeky devil had probably forwarded her size to them already. However could she say no?

18.30 02 Jan 2070 Downtown - The Sorrento Hotel
(POV: Jared Engles PAN: Passive)

Precisely a half an hour before the scheduled time for diner to begin, Jared's black Range Rover pulls up the drive of the historic Sorrento Hotel. As it glides to a stop a doorman steps forward, resplendent in white livery, and opens the back door to the SUV to allow first Athena - in Vachon Island so bleeding edge it has not even seen a runway yet, and looking as if she was headed to one - and then Jared himself.

Every year since his mother's passing Jared has made a point of attending this annual fundraiser, never once batting an eye at the exorbitant per-plate price, and this year promises to hold the most interesting company yet. Rumor has it that not only one, but all three Gubernatorial candidates will be in attendance - though he puts no stock in rumor, and knows for a fact that Governor Strouthers at least has other commitments that evening - as well as the Mayors of both Bellevue and Downtown, several local celebrities, and even a director straight out of Hollywood. While he cared little for the trappings of celebrity, or the machinations of an industry build entirely upon fantasy and manipulation of weak minded philistines, it paid dividends to be seen in such company in his legitimate professional capacity.

Diner would be in the Hunt Club, and afterward there would be a function in the seventh-floor penthouse. During that time he hoped to steal a few moments away with Cecil Hoades, and to ask after certain rumors involving policing contracts and Ares pet rent-boys.

15.29 11 Jan 2070 Golden Tiger Lilly Restaurant
(POV: Mama Lee PAN: Active, somewhere upstairs, she never can remember to carry her comm…)

The Saturday lunch trade was more or less over and she was looking forward to putting her feet up for a bit. Merrideth was out somewhere but she should be back shortly. The lights flickered briefly and she put it down to one of the power surges that had been prevalent recently but then, sensing a presence, looked up in alarm.

A tall Hispanic man had come in. He wasn’t physically particularly impressive but he exuded an aura of danger. She had met dangerous men in the past but he was unnerving. The metal detector hadn’t raised any alarm but she had a feeling that that wouldn’t be the measure of this threat. Something about the eyes, perhaps the way they caught the overhead lights…and the way he moved and watched the restaurant that spoke of professional soldier or perhaps shadowrunner…

He settled himself in to a booth where he could watch the floor and seemed content to wait…please, please don’t let Merri come home now, she doesn’t need to be caught up in whatever is going on…

10.37 08 Jan 2070 Downtown travelling along I5
(POV: Archon PAN: Passive)

He winced as Medusa took a particularly sharp swerve around some of their fellow road users, it was always a mistake to let her drive when she was in one of her moods but he hadn’t felt like an argument.

He dialled the code for the dead drop and keyed the words ‘Shekinah’ and the code for an assistance request ‘Hand of God.’ He hoped that Gabriel would pick it up and get in touch. She was one tough lady and if she was sending a help call to him of all people, given his history, then she must be desperate and therefore he needed help. He certainly didn’t intend to drag his team in to this, it was a personal matter.

15.42 15 Jan 2070 Somewhere in Redmond
(POV: Judith Templar PAN: Deactivated)

She paced back and forth across the small, damp, smelly room. Damn him, how long was he going to keep her shut up in here? The window was boarded up but a glimmer of smoggy light filtered through the spider webs and made her even more determined to get out…if only she could speak to Harper…

00.13 04 Jan 2070 Tacoma - Flemming's Grocery... or close
(POV: Scytale black.Nexus: Active Security: Hot Encryption: Running)

Hmmm…now this was interesting. Given these readings he was surprised that nobody else was looking in to this. Or perhaps they were but no one was saying and that was also enough to make him curious. The logs from these nodes was just plain weird, and given the nature of the new matrix protocols that was saying something!

11.04 21 March 2070 Somewhere in Puyallup
(POV: Milo, PAN: Hidden)

The Eurocar blew past Milo like a bullet, barely missing his nose and leaving an echo of an obnoxious honk in its wake. Milo rolled his eyes and crossed the street, after looking both ways to make sure there weren't any more berserker drivers barreling down the road. It's been awhile since he's braved the mean streets of Puyallup, and he had to say he didn't miss it at all. There's something about not expecting to live past thirty-some years that turned people into reckless drivers. Still, the Wicked Slitch ran the best Friday night poker game in town, and he was strapped for cash. Moreso now than before he sat down to play earlier that evening. People with cyberskulls should not be allowed to play poker, it was impossible to read them. Still, he had a house of kings, and he thought that was a hand where you go all in, and it was. Unless the guy with the cyberskull has a house of aces.

Milo sighed. He really needed a job. His cash reserves were running low, and he wasn't good enough at poker to depend on it for a steady income. He kicked a rock, sending it skidding across the concrete and pinging off a fence. From a loft in the heart of downtown to a dingy studio apartment in the slums - he really needed to get better at managing his money. Oh well. He wasn't looking forward to going back to his hole in the wall...maybe he'll wander around the neighborhood for a bit. Dangerous thing to do around these here parts, for a man alone, and especially so at night, but he'd always liked to live on the edge.

He heard an animal's growl and a chorus of hyena-like laughing, and rounded the corner to find a drone surrounded by three razorboys. It took a moment before Milo realized the growl came from the drone...a GM-Nissan, Doberman model if he wasn't mistaken. He'd seen them working security on a few of his jobs, little tank-like robots rolling around, programmed with the instincts of a well-trained guard dog. The gangers were dancing around it and throwing rocks at it. Though the drone had a weapon mount, it seemed to be malfunctioning...one of its tracks was also torn, so all it could do was emit growling noises while the gangers continued to torment it, circling it like a pack of wolves circling a lamb.

"Hey, leave the metal alone," Milo said cheerfully.

The gangers turned, their collective attention suddenly falling upon him. They looked him up and down, and one of them stepped forward. A gangly ork kid, tusks sharpened to a point, tattoos running down both his arms. He drew a switchblade from his pocket, flicked it open, and bared his teeth. "Hey man, you wanna mess?"

Milo scratched his head sheepishly with one hand, and reached inside his long coat to pull his Ruger Thunderbolt out of its holster with the other. He leveled it at the razorboy's head. "Yeah man, let's mess."

"Whoa whoa, hey there, take it easy bro," the ganger said, raising his hands in the air. "We were just playing, no need to get so serious."

"No problem," Milo said. "I'll see you all later then?"

The gangers backed away and disappeared around the corner. Milo holstered his pistol and walked up to the drone. "Hey, you okay there little buddy?"

The Doberman whimpered, rolling back and forth slowly.

"Wow, you look pretty beat up. What are you doing out here anyway? Shouldn't you be guarding some top secret corporate facility somewhere?"

The drone whimpered again.

"Got laid off, huh? Me too. Tough times for us working stiffs."

The Doberman rolled up to him and rubbed against his leg. Milo laughed and patted it on the head...well, the top part of it anyway. The drone barked happily. Milo took a certified credstick out of his pocket and scanned it with his commlink.

"Looks like we've got just enough to get you patched up at a repair shop, assuming I haggle the price down some. Was gonna use this money for groceries, but you look like you need it more."

The drone barked twice in excitement.

"Say, do you understand what I'm saying?"

It barked again.

"Well, you're a smart one, ain'tcha? Got a name?"

It rotated its gun mount around to show him what's stamped along the back.

Milo grinned. "Model T6748-D0293, huh? That's quite a mouthful. How about we call you Dogface for short? 'Cause...well, you know."

The drone barked happily. Milo turned and began to walk, his new robotic friend falling in step behind him.

"Then it's decided. Come on, let's go get you fixed up, and see if we can't find ourselves some work in the Emerald City."

<double post>

18:16 23 Mar 2070 Tacoma - Flemming's Grocery... or close
(POV: Scytale black.Nexus: Active Security: Hot Encryption: Running)

# Newsflash – Is there weird SHIT going on in the matrix? – source Scream! (publication now offline) #

He switched tracks and cranked the volume up another notch whilst watching the fluctuations in the Horizon share price and penning an email to a contact. It had been a while since he started this investigation, and he’d satisfied the first clients with the safeguards he had set up for them, but now there were a couple of important clients who had come to him for his assistance, it was just irritating that other business had kept him from tying up loose ends. Still, he was close to a breakthrough and he just needed some corroboration to satisfy them of his thoroughness…shouldn’t cost him too much and the profit would still be acceptable for the time he had spent on the project.

<<Mr Sinclair, I understand from a mutual acquaintance that you may be able to assist me in a delicate matter. Please contact me on this number if you are in a position to conduct some sensitive investigative work without disturbing the subjects. Your discretion is appreciated.>>

He switched the video feeds over…yep, the new girl was definitely shaping up after her ‘talking to…’

15.57 11 Jan 2070 Golden Tiger Lilly Restaurant
(POV: Mama Lee PAN: Active)

She nodded to Mr Wei as he got up to leave from his late business lunch, she appreciated his custom but more than that, his presence spoke of his confidence in her and her establishment, reputation was everything. His minders rose up smoothly behind and in front of him as he left and she noted with alarm that the dangerous looking man also lifted to his feet, a decidedly predatory look crossing his features.

As he left the restaurant he held his hands out and two enormous pistols dropped in to them out of thin air. Wei’s minders dropped as if pole axed by some equally invisible force and Wei was unceremoniously bundled in to an anonymous looking van that pulled up in front of the confrontation. The whole thing had barely taken ten seconds.

A clatter from the kitchen and a waft of spices brought her back to her senses. She raced around her counter and slammed the discretely placed panic button…nothing…

“Someone call the cops, please…”

18:20 23 Mar 2070 Location unknown...
(POV: Milo PAN: Hidden)

<<Hello mysterious stranger, my schedule is open, I'm ready to work, and discretion is my middle name. Well, actually I don't have a middle name, but if I did, it would be discretion. What are the details of the job, and if I may inquire, who is our mutual acquaintance?>>

14:23 17 March 2070
(POV: Dugmaren, PAN: Hidden)

The garage he'd rented wasn't the best place he'd ever lived in. But it certainly wasn't the worst. Nothing was falling apart (yet) and the neighbors weren't too bad. But the one thing he'd noticed was that Seattle had shit for beer. He'd bought a case of what promised to be real beer at the stuffer shack earlier today, and the only thing that was keeping him from using it for target practice was the fact that the beer he'd bought yesterday was worse.

He took a swill of his beer and scowled, at least it was cold.

Maybe he could have some beer sent to him from Germany. But for that he needed cred. And cred means he needed a job.

Maybe one of his cousins knew of something. Or maybe they knew where to get a decent beer.

Either way, it was too early to start drinking.

Time to make a few calls.

18:21 23 Mar 2070 Tacoma - Flemming's Grocery... or close
(POV: Scytale Nexus: Active Security: Hot Encryption: Running)

He grimaced at the taste of the soykaf and focused part of his attention on the email conversation with Sinclair…

<<My name is Scytale, I work indirectly for Monarch who gave me your contact details. Here is the verification protocol *****. I have been investigating some strange matrix phenomenon for two influential clients who have been personally affected. The incidents seem to be entirely related to matrix use but I would like to rule out magical tampering with memories or some other influence. Without wishing to prejudice your investigation, I do not believe that there is any mystical influence involved; I simply wish to rule it out for my clients’ peace of mind. I will require a written report if that is acceptable although I understand that physical evidence of your findings may be harder to log. One of my clients is a political officer on the Dzhugashvili ticket and the other is a senior Lone Star manager who has chosen to seek private assistance for his own reasons. I would prefer it if the clients were not alerted to your investigation. Please contact me if you require further information that I can provide otherwise here is a brief summary of the clients’ identities *****.>>

18:25 23 Mar 2070 Location unknown...
(POV: Milo PAN: Hidden)

After checking Scytale's verification protocols to make sure they're on the level, Milo synthesized a simple response.

<<What exactly are the incidents you referred to that you wish that I investigate?>>

18:25 23 Mar 2070 Tacoma - Flemming's Grocery... or close
(POV: Scytale Nexus: Active Security: Hot Encryption: Running)

<<The two individuals have both had matrix encounters with people who are confirmed as deceased during the second matrix Crash. Needless to say they were both concerned that they have been compromised in some way or being targeted for some as yet unknown scam. As I said, I believe this to be solely related to the matrix but I would like to include evidence in my report that rules out magical interference.>>

17:46 19 Mar 2070 Back of FB’s Trailer – Somewhere in Renton
(POV: Alexander Goldschmidt PAN: Passive)

He accessed his comm. and sub vocalised in to it whilst still maintaining his attention on the AR displays that floated tantalisingly on the walls around him…damn that piece of kit would set off his private collection exceptionally well…

<<Dug, I know you’re after some work, a contact of mine has mentioned that he might have something that might interest a man with your credentials…man, you gotta see this place, I really wouldn’t expect to be impressed by stuff outside the office but Frank has some serious kit in here…what did you say the spec was on that item…and you’ve got an SK 47a-9? Sorry Dug, what was I saying, Frank Bishop would like to meet you, neutral ground or here in his parlour, your choice, personally I’d come here if I were you but it depends how paranoid you’re feeling today. Here’s the node where you can set a location for a meet ***** and I’ll let Frank fill you in on the rest… an Ares…, heh they haven’t released the specs on those yet, well of course I understand, in your position, yes I can get you that…Dug, give the man a call. And come round for dinner sometime, Ma would love to see you.>>

18:27 23 Mar 2070 Location unknown...
(POV: Milo PAN: Hidden)

<<Mr. Scytale, I can let you know straight off that magic doesn't quite work in the Matrix, so any magical interference would have to be secondary, such as an Alter Memory spell. Nevertheless, I'm just a plain jane mundane with no astral perception capabilities, which may not matter since any astral signature that such a spell would've left would've probably long faded. You can put that in your report, or I can investigate the incident further in a more traditional matter if you feel it's still necessary. >>

17:46 19 Mar 2070 Dugs Garage
(POV: Dugmaren PAN: Passive)

He let out a loud belch having just drained another one of the <i>Beers</i> and then smiled as the blinking light of an incoming call materialized in his heads up display. Mentally keying his connection he listened as his cousin rambled on.

<<Calm Down Kid..... breath....... that's it, spit it out. He in the node now? Okay, I'll talk to you later then, I'll come over for dinner as long as your Mom cooks Spetzel. Thanks again Kid.>>


The kid wasn't one to be flustered by fancy tech, which intrigued him even more.

"Hey lazy, come guard my body while I'm out" His voice resonated with power as it called the spirit from the astral where it had been watching the Garage. The Fiery form shimmered in the damp garage as it seemed to scowl.

"You couldn't have picked a nicer climate could you? Something not quite so damp maybe? I mean really, is that too much too ask?"

"Watch my Ass, I'll get us a job, and we can move in somewhere with better climate control, understand Chummer?" With that he connected the Fiberoptic cable to the jack in his lower back and drifted into full VR. His well coded Avatar flowed through the Matrix on it's way to the node to meet this Bishop.

18:29 23 Mar 2070 Tacoma - Flemming's Grocery... or close
(POV: Scytale Nexus: Active Security: Hot Encryption: Running)

<<My apologies Mr Sinclair, I saw that you were a paranormal investigator and I made an erroneous assumption. Your assertion will bear the necessary weight of authority, however, and I would appreciate it if you would compile a brief report, I will ensure you are suitably remunerated.

As an aside, there are some interesting effects that I have witnessed in the matrix recently that can’t as yet be understood with the conventional wisdoms. Are you entirely convinced that magic can not affect the matrix? Are they not both in essence an altered state of mind? I may have other work along these lines if that would interest you?>>

18:31 23 Mar 2070 Location unknown...
(POV: Milo PAN: Hidden)

<<I do not presume to know everything there is to know about the world of magic, but if it is discovered that magic can indeed affect the Matrix, it would probably be the biggest breakthrough in the awakened world since Ryumyo popped up in Japan. It would be difficult to conduct an investigation without the subjects' knowledge, but I can probably tail 'em for a few days to make sure there's nothing funky going on around them in meatspace. It shouldn't take too much time, and I'm always looking for new work.>>

17:47 19 Mar 2070 FB’s Matrix Meeting Node
(POV: Frank Bishop PAN: Active)

He waited for contact, interested to see what form the runner’s icon would take. They so often told him more about the person than they believed, certainly more than a rep sheet did. He ran a digital hand over an equally digital tusk and smiled.

This was an interesting job and his cut suggested to him that it was personal, although no need to let that one slip. It’d been a while since he’d acted as a fixer rather than a broker of merchandise but he was confident that there would be a good profit to risk ratio on this one…for him at least. Hopefully this runner was up to it solo, he didn’t feel like diluting his income more than he needed to. Business first…

13:15 28 Mar 2070 Thomson’s Downtown
(POV: Tess Archer PAN: Active)

She felt on edge and wary…there was stuff going on that she didn’t understand and that always made her nervous.

<<Milo, Tess here…it’s a bit of a long shot but I’m hoping you’re free for some investigative work. A friend of mine, one of the reporters at Scream! was on to something but I’ve lost touch and they seem to have gone offline and the screamsheet’s node is dead. I think it was something matrix related which I know isn’t exactly your ball game but if anyone can get to the bottom of this it’s you! Call me!>>

17:47 19 Mar 2070 FB’s Matrix Meeting Node
(POV: Dugmaren PAN: Active)

A small hole appears in the reality of the node, slowly expanding and swirling with arcane colors into a portal. Stepping through the portal is an exquisitely crafted icon of a male dwarf dressed medieval armor. He carries a large hammer covered in runes and glowing with power. As he steps through the portal closes and he looks over to the man he's supposed to meet, his eyes glinting with inner light.

<<You rang?>> Even in the matrix his deep voice rings with authority.

17:48 19 Mar 2070 FB’s Matrix Meeting Node
(POV: Frank Bishop PAN: Active)

Hmmm, impressive coding, this one would do.

<<Welcome Dugmaren. I’ve got a task that might interest you. It’s the infiltration and reporting on a community on the outskirts of the Barrens. My client has reason to believe they are harbouring a criminal element that are detrimental to his interests and he wishes sufficient intelligence gathered before he acts. The community are in the Stillwater region and call themselves transhumanists, they are reportedly a mixture of magic users, scientists, ecologists, hackers and perhaps smugglers. My client wasn’t specific as to what his concerns with the community were but I would like you to provide me with as complete a report on their activities as is possible. As a mage and technologist yourself you should easily fit in to their agenda and be welcomed by them. Although I don’t have any contacts with them myself I may be able to arrange an introduction unless you would rather handle that aspect yourself.>>

He paused to see how his pitch was being received and then continued…

<<Payment is negotiable and dependant on the amount of hard data you retrieve and the time required to get it. I will cover living expenses to the sum of two hundred nuyen a day, capped at six thousand, and an additional ten to twenty thou depending on the data. That figure could be increased if you want to take it as tech rather than nuyen…feel free to browse my catalogue while you are here.

Do you have any questions?>>

13:53 02 Jan 2070 Puyallup Barrens - Abandoned Storehouse, Back Room
(POV: Void PAN: -)

Harper, smirking slightly, had his holographic avatar nod. He appreciated it when his contacts displayed a businesslike, straight-to-the-point attitude - a favor he'd certainly return.

<<It is a quick, clean extraction that I'd like you to perform. There's one problem, though - despite our rather extensive information network, we haven't been able to obtain more than the most basic intel about our target - the man's a ghost in the system, and doesn't seem to be very fond of changing that. We haven't even been able to pin down his exact location - but that's where I'd like you to enter the play.

Through means I shall not elaborate on further, we've managed to obtain the address of a heavily secured Downtown penthouse. We want you to go in, sweep the place for him, or, should he not be present, his whereabouts and, here comes the catch, exfiltrate, all in a clandestine fashion. Neither our target nor his associates must be given anything that could rise their suspicion. One of my associates will link up with you over the matrix and accompany you on your operation. Naturally, a mission like this will yield you a generous monetary compensation, and should you require any special equipment, we might be able to pull some strings for you as well.

Now, is there anything else you'd like to know...?>>

13:56 02 Jan 2070 Puyallup Barrens - Abandoned Storehouse, Back Room
(POV: Mother PAN: Hidden)

She frowned slightly and nodded to Bale after his text message pinged across her vision.

<<This sounds like something we would be able to assist you with, but with all due respect to your associate we know neither them nor yourself and I would be potentially jeopardising my team and our security by allowing a stranger along for a ride. I would like to offer a compromise, however. I will offer you a secure link to our C and C and give you real time video feed of the run. This presents us with the required level of distance and deniability but gives you a chance to see first hand what we do. I trust this is acceptable?

Assuming this isn't a deal breaker, can you give us any further information about the target so that we know what to look for?>>

She paused, looking around at the others, knowing that they would back her play…there was no way she was letting some strange decker screw things up for them during a run, whilst they might be highly professional and competent it shouldn’t be their risk to run…they’d built sufficient rep now for someone to value their discretion and trust they’d get the job done.

13:57 02 Jan 2070 Puyallup Barrens - Abandoned Storehouse, Back Room
(POV: Void PAN: -)

<<That would be...perfectly acceptable, yes. I'd prefer us to stay in contact during the mission, however; we might be able to provide additional intel on the fly, based on your findings within the target's penthouse.

Your second request seems reasonable as well. We will gladly provide you with any information we have that you feel might ease your operation. While, as I believe I've already mentioned, out file on the target is rather small, we will transmit it to you in it's entirety as soon as we come to an agreement. Until then, let me assure you that it is but a man you will be going for; augmented, but not heavily so; should you manage to find him, he should be fairly easy to take into custody for a team like yours, even in case he resists.

Now, while we're already negotiating, let's get to the issue of money as well. My offer would be ten to fifteen kays depending on the amount of information you manage to obtain. Twenty-five to thirty if you manage to locate and extract the target. Do we have a deal?>>

14:00 02 Jan 2070 Puyallup Barrens - Abandoned Storehouse, Back Room
(POV: Mother PAN: Hidden)

<<The money is quite acceptable for an infiltration and possible extraction, provided you mean ten kays each, after all you are paying for the quality of work that we expect to deliver. But we do have one caveat before we finalise this deal. We recognise that the world is a brutal place but we have staked our reputations on not undertaking certain types of runs…can you give us your assurances that whatever happens to this man once we find him that you do not intend to kill him? We will not be party to an assassination and we are happy to walk away now with no further questions asked.>>

She paused to see how her words were taken but it was impossible to read the holographic avatar…

<<We don’t expect you to have this gentleman’s best interests at heart but we will bring him to you alive and kicking and we’d like him to remain that way…>>

17:48 19 Mar 2070 FB’s Matrix Meeting Node
(POV: Dugmaren PAN: Active)

Dugmaren's icon flickered imperceptibly at the mention of being paid in tech, his eyes glowing a bit brighter as he thought of the possibilities.

<<You have a reputation for being a purveyor of fine technology that makes your proposition enticing. However I have a few misgivings. These transhumanists seem to be people I would enjoy sharing a beer with. Now, if there was an element that had infiltrated them and would be causing them trouble in the future..... But for this I'd need more information as to what exactly your benefactor is looking for.>>

His icon reaches out, and unfurls a scroll from thin air.

<<Your catalog contains a few items that interest me. I'm sure we can come to some form of agreement. Payment commensurate with the lack of information of course.>>

17:50 19 Mar 2070 FB’s Matrix Meeting Node
(POV: Frank Bishop PAN: Active)

He considered Dugmaren’s icon with grudging respect, it wasn’t often that runners had qualms about what their actions might lead to…hopefully in this case it wouldn’t get in the way of business.

<<I can’t honestly say what my client wants with the information as he hasn’t seen fit to tell me. It may be that he is looking for an individual within the community or wants information on the group’s activities… Perhaps the best course of action would be for you to approach the group and then pass on any gathered intel that you feel will not damage their interests or clash with your principals? I and the client will then have to judge how much your info is worth and pay accordingly. There doesn’t seem to be a rushed timeframe attached to the job so I leave you to determine what the implications of that might or might not be…

Now, did you have anything in mind techwise? I’ll see what I can dig up that might be of interest…>>

22:17 05 Jan 2070 Downtown Seattle – 300m from Target Apartment Block
(POV: Mother PAN: Hidden)

This was the district edge and security would be tighter if they got any closer. The Roadmaster would be too conspicuous in that sort of upscale neighbourhood so she had stopped them in this service yard of a small tech distribution company.

<<Aria, is the uplink ready for Mr J and his hacker?>>

<<Ready to go, and I’ve uploaded some IC to our node if they try and bypass the firewall. I’m sure everything will be fine though, they just want to see how a real team operate!>>

<<Just keep an eye on them, we don’t want something distracting us during the run. Bale should be back from his astral recon sh…>>

“I’m back. The place is warded as we expected but no sign of spirit patrols or mages on the outside so hopefully that will be the extent of our difficulties. I dare say there’s someone on call but even a joint like this doesn’t keep a permanent mage on site.”

She turned back to her AR displays and traced the progress of Silk and Escapade as they made their approach. Everything looked good and the retrans drone was on station to extend their network coverage. Wind shear was acceptable and they shouldn’t have any trouble making a clean landing.

<<Ok Aria, bring them in, let’s get this show on the road…>>

22:21 05 Jan 2070 Downtown Seattle – 300m from Target Apartment Block
(POV: Mother PAN: Hidden)

<<Ok Mr J, the plan is deceptively simple. Silk and Escapade will approach the penthouse from the air on low signature gliders. There is sufficient drone traffic at that flight ceiling that they shouldn’t draw attention to themselves. Once there they will patch a physical backdoor in to the security system which will allow Aria to take over the building’s node which is isolated from the matrix. Once inside their systems we should be able to determine whether or not the target is on site. If he is then we operate our extraction, if not, Silk and Escapade go inside and sweep the penthouse for a revised location.

We are operating on our own nexus and have no connection to the matrix other than Aria’s signal. This was one of the reasons we were reluctant to allow your hacker to accompany us as it would potentially jeopardise our signal security.

Video feeds are coming through now, enjoy the show!>>