Seattle, Renton, Christine's appartment, 2103

Christine bites her lower lip.

"Yes, I can... I think. He can't find out it's me, right?"

She takes the commlink Billiam hands here, and starts a few data searches. She is moving slowly, working the unfamiliar interface. After a few minutes, she has the first results - Franklin's adress, and a few notes dating back several decades, detailing his various appearances at social events. He looked older, but not old, thanks to surgery, until 5 years ago, when he must have underwent leonization.

Billiam shakes his head. "Shouldn't, especially since you're looking on mine." He thinks to himself, "If he can, we've got bigger problems."

I lay down on the floor, my hands behind my head. "I'm going to look around a bit."

I remember Christine's description of the local area and inhabitants, and settle myself into a comfortable position. "I'll be back shortly."

Letting my body go, I drift onto the astral plane. With a final feel around the apartment, I leave the building. circling it a few times, I get my bearings, and see what there is to see. I make bigger and bigger concentric circles, just looking around for anything of note, or of interest, and to start getting familiar with the area.

I also take a close look at the Renton's Rest when I come across it.

When i'm ready to return to my body, I take a moment and just enjoy myself, and dart straight up at the speed of thought, high, high, high into the atmosphere. I don't try to leave it or go to a dangerous height, but to a dizzying astral height, with a view of the world below.

Seattle, Renton, Astral Space, 2110

Billiam drifts up, and makes an astral sweep through Renton. Not many buildings are visibly warded, and the astral activity seems low. Not as many astral patrols - spirits and projecting mages - than he is used to from Denver. The local Lone Star HQ sticks out, with higher astral activity, and stronger wards. A number of corp buildings shine with astral wards as well, as do a few clubs - like "Renton's Rest", but nothing truly exceptional. He spots a number of spirits in the distance, flittering around a vehicle. The area gives off a fading background of violence - someone was killed there recently. And at the border to Salish there is a nature spirit patrolling. The astral space is a bit dimmed, not as vivid as other areas.

From up high, the world presents a strange sight in astral space... with life, like the oceans, shining brightly, and areas devoid of life looming in darkness, it does not ressemble the physical pictures.

I zip back down at full speed, and to my body, taking my time to come back to the world. I listen before I open my eyes, in case there's something worth hearing.

Seattle, Renton, Christine's appartment, 2135

The only sound Billiam hears is some muttering by Christine as she uses his commlink. When he opens his eyes he can see the woman is still focused on her task, and doesn't notice him having returned to his body right away. In this moment, Christine looks different. She doesn't look like a deer caught in the headlights of a car then, not like she wants to bolt but can't. The stare she gives the commlink - or what it displays to her - makes her look more competent, more in control, as if giving a child a lecture or lesson. The way she wrinkles her nose, and the slight pout of her lips, makes her look younger too. Billiam can see the teenager that defied her parents there, willing to take on the world.

When she steals a glance at Billiam, their eyes met, and she looses part of her composure again, back to the mundane waitress in awe of the mage in her room.

"Ah... you're awake, I mean, back in your body... I found his adress, and a number of pictures, and an article he wrote for the Renton Newsletter, 10 years ago. Err, do you need something to drink?"

Christine fidgets a bit, and hands over the commlink, then hovers closer, pointing out the data she found on the small tridscreen of hers that she hooked up to the commlink. Judging by the design, it's several years old, pre-crash most likely. She almost puts her hand on his shoulder to steady herself, but then pulls the hand back, and for a second looks torn between apologising for the invasion of his personal space, or acting as if it dod not happen.

The data she pulled together is pretty decent, and portrays a man that appears as a pillar of the local community - when he makes an appearance in public. His age is confirmed - old high school yearbook pictures prove that he would have to be 70 years old by now.

One other thing leaps out at Billiam - according to the data, and the earlier news articles Christine found in an old cache pre-crash - she explained it was where she and her friends used to dig around for dirt on their teachers at her highschool, a backup server of the local matrix that had not been online during the crash, having been replaced shortly before, and had been reused in the time afterward to run the school's lightning system, without wiping the memory cores - Stephen Franklin's money was old money. Trust fund, investments, that kind of thing. The second crash either spared him, or he found a new source of money. And the small bit about his villa being up for sale, after the crash, for a week or two, before the notice was pulled, indicated he had had at least some difficulties after the crash. Yet, he is still listed as "independently wealthy", and even had enough cash to get a leonization treatment a few years ago.

"Water would be great, thanks"

I take the comm and review the information.

There's something suspicious about this guy, though there could be an easy explanation. Maybe I'm just hesitant to make a mark of this guy. Still, the path to him will open other opportunities.

I start running through options and possible plans.

"Why do you work at the Rest, as opposed to any other place, or profession?"

Seattle, Renton, Christine's appartment, 2135

Christine's shoulders sag, and she turns to fetch some water - bottled, of course, not the stuff that comes out the tap. Her aura darkens again, and her voice sounds strained when she starts to talk, taking longer to fetch the water than needed - just to avoid looking at him.

"I don't have any degree, left high school when... It's the best paying job I can get. Waitressing elsewhere doesn't pay that much... and they don't push their staff that hard. I just want my son back..."

I nod, confirming what I was already thinking.

I had been thinking of my usual snatch and grab, but I'm seeing a very large opportunity here. As I start mentally moving on that, I ask Christine some other questions that have been in my head.

"Tell me more about the Rest. What does it have ties to? Corporate? Criminal? Privately held?"

Seattle, Renton, Christine's appartment, 2135

Christine gathers some resolve when the topic shifts.

"They are privately owned, from what I know. But some of the owners are... shady I think. We are told not to talk to them. And the gangs leave the club alone. We - that is the girls - suspect the mafia has a share in there. I don't know who owns it officially, maybe that lawyer, Mr. Henderson. He always gets free drinks and all there."

"Have you seen security there other than bouncers? Anything present that would keep gangers away?"

"How many of the owners have you seen there, that you aren't supposed to talk to?"

"Does the lawyer act like he owns the place?"

Seattle, Renton, Christine's appartment, 2135

Christine wrinkles her nose and forehead again, thinking hard.

"I remember half a dozen people that were presented to us as "owners", no names, just first names, and no one looked or acted like a banker or exec, but I wasn't close to them. Too rough though. The lawyer is usually very discrete, and always speaks for some time alone with the manager. He usually leaves the club quickly afterwards."

Christine thinks some more, and gets up to get herself some water.

"There are only bouncers, but they seem though. But I never heard of trouble with gangs."

I smile and nod at all that. Funny how the closer you look at something, the more you see.

I switch topics again. "If and when you get your boy back, where would you -want- to live?" I emphasize the 'want', and wonder what role Christine was put in my path to take.

Seattle, Renton, Christine's appartment, 2140

Christine's aura shows a slight confusion, then a mixture of hope, resignation and suspicion washes over it, replaced by almost defiant stubborness.

"Near the university. Once I have enough money, and my James back, I'll move there, get a job at a cafe, and get into matrix school. James will have good schooling, in an area with no trouble with gangs, or racists. We'll qualify for aid for single mothers as well."

The response sounds almost ingrained - she probably tells it to herself regularily, to keep going.

Speaking straightforwardly into her suspicion, stubbornness, and hope, I say "So......you're interested in finding work that will help that happen, it sounds like."

Seattle, Renton, Christine's appartment, 2140

Christine opens her mouth, then closes it. Her aura shows her indecision, slowly giving way to determination and resolve. When she speaks after a bit, her voice sounds firm.

"Yes. Yes, I want to."

I nod, and put on a more serious, somber look for several long moments, such the the silence is thick with the apprehension of something about to unfold. Then, with an eye for what would make an impactful trid scene, I start to speak to Christine.

"At noon tomorrow, our present agreement ends. Your end of our bargain will be complete and I will ask nothing else of you. That chapter will end. Two paths will then be open to you. The familiar path is that you will go about your life as you have been living it. We both know how that will predictable go, and you will get your boy back....or not."

I pause for that to sink in.

"Another path...." and I look like I'm choosing my words carefully, and I am, "Is for you to walk an unfamiliar direction. No more dangerous than the other, but with the likely possibility of great rewards. Partner with me in my endeavor, and I will commit to helping you get your son back, and safe from ever being taken away from you again."

I mean what I say, and have no intent to use her unfairly.

She will do what she will do.

Seattle, Renton, Christine's appartment, 2141

Christine swallows dryly, then wets her lips with her tongue, her resolve shaken at first by Billiam's words. Then she recovers, and nods, asks "What do I need to do?"

The way her aura shines with hope, she's been at least unconsciously aware of the fact that her plan, her life was not working out as she hoped. Billiam offers her a chance at her dreams. And he's a mage - he can do magic.

I nod meaningfully, as if indicating that the bargain has been sealed.

"I don't know yet. I won't promise that there will be no risk, but I promise to keep you away from direct danger, and physical conflict.
The extent to which you involve yourself is the extent that you can create a new life for yourself, where you won't have to scrape by, or grovel, ever again.

With the right plan, and the right mark, we can both start fresh, with the funds to live as we wish."

Seattle, Renton, Christine's appartment, 2142

Christine looks intrigued by this. While her main focus clearly is the thought of getting her son back and escaping her current life, there's also an underlining hint that the sheer excitement of this new life Billiam speaks of attracts her. Her smile is meant as much as for herself as for him, as it seems.

Then she looks around her appartment, biting her lower lip, as she takes in her bed and the old couch, most likely not sure how she should ask where Billiam wants to sleep - mages get special treatment, everyone knows that. Judging from Christine's aura, she's still very impressed by meeting a real mage in the flesh, as others would be at meeting their favorite rock star.

"We'll get started tomorrow. Tonight is for restful sleep." I move to a spot on the floor out of the way of foot traffic, and lay down. I'll be plenty comfortable enough. Nobody will be coming through the door, so I'll let myself rest.

Still, before I actually sleep, I will mentally conjure up a watcher spirit to watch over the room and me, while I sleep.

Seattle, Renton, Christine's appartment, 2142

Christine looks aghast at Billiam taking a spot on the floor to rest, but then closes her mouth before saying anything - she may be thinking that sleeping on the floor is needed to work magic, some sort of geas, or whatever the trid portrayed as such. When nothing flashy happens after Billiam sat down, she looks almost disappointed for a second, then asks if he needs a blanket or cushion.

"Thank you, no. I'm comfortable enough. I need to sleep. Do you work tomorrow?"

Seattle, Renton, Christine's appartment, 2142

Christine blinks. When she answers it seems as the reality that she was magically healed, and the changes this bring, is still sinking in.

"Phil said I could take tomorrow off, to recover, so they don't expect me tomorrow."

I close my eyes and relax, and relax, and relax.
Not a bad day, I think. I made it to Seattle, have a roof over my head, and have found an accomplice. A bird is made of many feathers...

I mentally pull together a watcher spirit, with the single command to sentry the room and wake me if any person besides the woman, or any awakened form enters the room.

Depending on what Christine is doing, I wait till she settles down, and long silent moment has passed, keeping my eyes closed.

"Are you looking forward to having an interesting life, Christine?" I ask the question quietly, more of a statement that she's about to start having one, though I'm curious to hear the tone of her response.

Seattle, Renton, Christine's appartment, 2155

Christine, who has taken a shower before heading to bed, takes some time to answer, but when she speaks, it's with a firm voice. She is sure of this.

"Yes, I would like that."

I make no response, to keep an element of mystery for her.

With that, I slip into a meditative state to go to sleep.

And unless something interesting happens in the night, I wake the next morning, to find myself a bit sore from sleeping on the floor. Good thing I'm young.

I softly pad to the bathrrom, then to the fridge.
Then I find a comfy spot and start running through news trids, and start to familiarize myself with a city I've never been too. I could get information I need off the streets, but it will be much safer and easier to get it from Christine.

I start making a plan for the day.
I need to find a decker.
I need to find a fixer.
I need to get some working capital first.

Think I'll take Christine out for a trial run.

Seattle, Renton, Christine's appartment, 0825

The night passes without further events, and morning breaks, thanks to the rain of the night without too much of a smog cover. Christine is still sleeping - last night's events, getting hurt, then meeting a mage and making life-changing decisions, might have taken a toll.

The fridge is stocked with a lot of various soyfood, some nuke-it muffins with apple-flavor (low-calories, no-fat), and soymilk. Cheap stuff, but not unhealthy. The freezer contains a couple of plastic containers whose AR labels indicate they are frozen leftovers from the club. There's an ARO attached to the fridge that automatically tracks calories and essential vitamins. At least the coffeemaker works quickly, even though it's as cheap as the instant soycaf itself.

Billiam settles down in a comfy spot in the living room, and switches the trid to individual AR-mode. He catches some fleeting sunrays through the window, and a glimpse of a dark bird taking off the opposite building, disappearing into the sky. The trid channels show a plethora of news, mostly generic tabloid material. In a way, it's similar to Denver, just with one border instead of sectors - reports about a firefight at the border to Salish-Shidde, and some magical murder case in Renton where a suspected mob made man was found dead in his car. Politics, and corp business news, gossip and glamour reports, and more advertising a sane mind can stand, all combine to give Billiam a growing feeling for Seattle's mainstream.

When Christine wakes up she looks alarmed for a second when she spots Billiam in her room, then relaxes when she remembers the last night.

"Ah... good morning."

Christine looks a bit self-consciously when she disappears into the bathroom. A few minutes later she returns wearing a tank top and shorts, and drags out an old home trainer from under her bed.

"I hope I don't disturb you, I usually do my exercises before breakfast."

Christine applogizes to Billiam when his trid news are drowned out by some home training instructor that has all the charme of a drill sergeant until Christine sets it to personal display only.

"I am usually alone here, so my AROs are not set to user only."

She starts her exercises then, and her expression of nervousness is replaced by determination as she puts herself through what must be her daily routine, smiling when she finishes.

I cruise the news and maps.

I briefly wonder if the spirits and swarming car I saw last night were the same car as the news report. I briefly have the thought I should have gone investigating, and I probably should have. After waiting for the spirits to leave, anyway.

I leave Christine uninterrupted in her workout.

I'm going to need a decker. I look up clubs with technical/matrix accessing listings in a 10 mile square radius, and high end electroncis/matrix shops in the same area. I'll ask Christine later.

Seattle, Renton, Christine's appartment, 0835

Billiam finds a few adresses - most of the spots are matrix-only locations though, so no way to tell who might be a local. And the other clubs seem a bit too mainstream to attract freelance hackers.

The electronic shops seem more promising - there are two in Renton that seem to offer a bit too good quality in areas where the local income is not too high, and which get mentioned quite a bit in some "shadier" nodes where hackers talk biz. The first is "Matrix Mayhem", specializing in "custom matrix solutions for your home", and the second is "Crazy Cody's", a sort of "salvage yard" for computer, selling parts and machines from various sources, from failed companies to second-hand sales and pawn shops.

Christine finishes her workout, and goes to take a shower.

I consider while Christine is in the shower.

I'm out to find a decker and need a spot to utilize a mental spell to gather names and other sundry information.
Around the Rest isn't a good option, as it's likely organized crime, and I"m looking for an independent.
I wouldn't mind top of the line, but would be very happy with a young, motivated up and comer, with the promise of helping him/her grab a top level deck.

I could go for finding a fixer, but I'd have to get some cred first.

In the old days (and I chuckle at that) I would have been desperate to find a fixer and some work. Frag that. I'll make my own work.

Today I should probably walk christine through a snatch and grab, where we find a target, and I manipulate them into handing us some cred.
I wonder if Christine has any empty certified credsticks. If not, I'll have her pick a couple up.

Seattle, Renton, Christine's appartment, 0855

Christine eats her breakfast - a heated muffin, and some juice full of artifial flavor and artifical vitamins - when Billiam asks her about credsticks.

"Yes, I have a few of them - some clients prefer to tip with them. Most just transfer funds from such sticks, but a few like to hand them over."

She goes and digs around in the nightstand's drawer, then presents three credsticks to Billiam.

I take them, and hold them up, splayed in one hand like three playing cards.

"Now.....how much cred can each one of these hold.....?" I ask her, with a calm look and a calm tone.

Seattle, Renton, Christine's appartment, 0855

Christine blinks.

"I think each can hold up to 5'000 Nuyen."

She hesitates a bit.

"Most tipping is done through pure electronic transactions..."

I nod in agreement.

With a motion of his fingers he ends up with just one of the credsticks pointing straight up. "And if you had one of these that was full, what would you do with it?"

Seattle, Renton, Christine's appartment, 0855

Christine's answer comes without an hesitation.

"I'd transfer it to my savings account."

Christine seems not concerned about laundering money - though her regular source of income, often very discrete payments, especially when tipping is concerned, means she doesn't have to care much. If she knows this, or thought about it, Billiam can't tell yet.

I nod, and look like I'm considering that. "A saver, that's good."

"and....." I flip up one more, "what would you do if you had another that was full, what would you do with it?"

Seattle, Renton, Christine's appartment, 0855

Christine's answer remains the same for the second, and then the third stick Billiam shows her - she'd save it.

I nod, and appreciate her determination. So many people in the world have no hope, no determination, and most of those that do don't have the willpower to do anything about it.

"And....what are the chances your employers watch your account to make sure you aren't stealing from them?"

Seattle, Renton, Christine's appartment, 0856

Christine looks a bit taken aback by the question.

"I do not think they can watch my account, it's at the bank, and I did not sign any form that gives anyone else access... I learned that after my parents blocked my first account as a teenager. They can't do that, can they?"

The woman looks almost alarmed at the possibility of someone else getting access to her account.

"It wouldn't be hard for them. Whether it's worth if for them or not, I don't know."

"Still, I imagine we should get you a new account. Or just stash your cred in a safe place. I suspect that in the next two weeks, you'll become very aware just how transitory electronic accounts can be."

Seattle, Renton, Christine's appartment, 0856

Christine looks shocked at the relevation that anyone could check out her accounts - and a vulenrable expression runs over her face. The thought that she could lose all her savings must be causing her pain. Then she recovers, and adresses Billiam.

"But wouldn't a new account be as unsafe as my current one?"

I smile. "You're catching on. No account is really safe. But if the Rest is watching your's and you suddenly but a large amount of cred in, they're going to wonder why.

If we create a new account for you, under a new identity, then it'll be about as safe as any other."

I keep feeding her bits of new information, like the new identity. This is so fun to watch what she'll do with the movement away from the life she has known.

Seattle, Renton, Christine's appartment, 0856

Christine digests that.

"Will I have to give up my realidentity, or will this new name just serve to hold the money?"

She doesn't say it, but the "and how do I get my son under a new identity" hangs in the room.

"What about swiss bank accounts? They are secure, aren't they?"

"Secure is a relative term, Christine. And in accounts and identities, as in life, the more options one has, the better." I let that hang with a bit of mystery.

"Get ready. We leave in an hour."

With that I find a comfortable position, close my eyes and take another astral jaunt, just to see what there is to see. I'm looking for a general feel for astral activity in the area, anything that stands out, and what not. If I can find it I'll look at that area where the spirits where swarming the car.

Seattle, Renton, Christine's appartment, 0856

Renton's astral space doesn't look different in the morning. Maybe there are fewer people moving on the streets, but the buildings that are astrally warded remain the same. Billiam has no troubles finding the car again - or, the spot where it was. Now all there is there, physically, seems to be some pastic tape billowing in the wind - the mage can't read the lines on it, but they must say "Police, Do not cross". There's an aura of violence left from the night, but it's fading. There's a stronger aura of magic, fading too though.

Unfortunately, that's all Billiam gets from assensing the area. The rest of Renton offers the usualy suspects, like in the night, but the border shows more spirit activity than expected. Billiam can see two nature spirits covering the astral space on the Salish side of the border - though their attention seems to be directed inward, not towards Seattle.

I zip back down to my body, and again, listen before I open my eyes.

Seattle, Renton, Christine's appartment, 0930

The only sound Billiam hears is some hummed song - Christine must be listening to some music on AR, and humming along. Opening his eyes, he sees her sitting on the couch, seemingly staring at the empty wall, where she must have placed screen she is watching in her augmented reality. She's wearing casual clothes - jeans, sneakers, and a blouse, and a poncho is folded over the backrest of the couch.

WHen Christing notices I'm awake, she says "Uh... where exactly are we going? If we head to a bank then I can dress up some."

Christine pulls out a deux-piece, from her closet, carefully wrapped in plastic, and shows it to me. From the style, it's about 2 years old, and it does not look like it was worn often, nor was very expensive. She probably wore it for job interviews back then.

"First thing's first," I say. "Acquire working capital." I look her over. "That's fine. Today we want you looking poor as possible, like you're in need of money."

I smile. "We're not going into a bank today."

Seattle, Renton, Christine's appartment, 0930

Christine looks a bit lost - she probably thought they were about to fool a bank or such - but then goes and digs out a few older clothes, including literal rags from under her kitchen. It doesn't take her more than 10 minutes to look like a bag lady - although with too clean hair and skin for the genuine article.

She models her outfit for Billiam by turning slowly around herself in front of him.

I smile as I watch her. "Rub a little dirt on face, hair, and hands, and that'll do perfect."