04-Apr-2071, 02:16:54, Tacoma, Seattle

On the way to the door Jasper spots the wounded driver half-crawling half-stumbling away. Other than that there are only two persons inside - Stray and Gannings, the latter trying to bring a gun to bear while the smaller adept is pummeling him. The way Gannings is moving he's obviously augmented.

04-Apr-2071, 02:16:54, Tacoma, Seattle

Again? Really?

<<Looking for a way out of here >>

Hoping no one has closed the hole he drilled in the firewall of the GridGuide system, Nuke sets about surveying the traffic jam around the kidnapping, looking for the fastest way out of it, and for any signs of emergency response.

04-Apr-2071, 02:16:55, Tacoma, Seattle

Nuke gets into the grid system easily enough - it seems his faked account is still active. Finding the fastest way - or arranging a priority route - is also no trouble. So far there's no patrol car en route, but in a few seconds the first notices should come in - probably a surveillance drone will be sent in first.

04-Apr-2071, 02:16:58, Tacoma, Seattle

Jasper pulls back to his captain's chair for a fuller perspective. <<Can we drive the limo a few miles to buy us some time Nuke?>>
He orders "Shelly" to start moving slow.

04-Apr-2071, 02:16:58, Tacoma, Seattle

<<Yeah. Driver's out and I've got the run of the place.>>

04-Apr-2071, 02:16:58, Tacoma, Seattle

<<I... almost... have... him.>> Stray communicates through her skinlinked commlink while pummelling the politician. Another shot goes off, the bullet striking the roof of the car.

The car itself can still roll, but it's damaged from the hail of bullets from Jasper, and may attract more attention.

04-Apr-2071, 02:16:58, Tacoma, Seattle

Jasper contemplated taking a shot at Gannings, but Stray looked like she was on top of things so far. The clock was ticking. "Shelly" began crawling back into one lane. they only had a few seconds left. He waited in his virtual rocking chair, waiting for the limo or Stray to start moving.

04-Apr-2071, 02:16:59, Tacoma, Seattle

As soon the opportunity presents itself, Nuke boots his Command program and slams his foot on the digital gas, looking to drive the limit out of the improvised ambush site.

04-Apr-2071, 02:16:59, Tacoma, Seattle

Lynx finally batters the politician into unconsciousness. Staring at the rapidly swelling face she blinks. <<<Ah... he's still alive. And that was him, right?>>> Then the Limousine starts to acceleerate, and she has to exert some effort not to lose her balance, crouched over the beaten body of the mark. "Whoa."

Long-range scanners pick up a KE Blimp that starts turning into their direction.

04-Apr-2071, 02:17:03, Tacoma, Seattle

Nuke takes a moment to add an account into the limo for Jasper and sends him the login credentials, before he begins snooping for the datafeed coming from the blimp.

<<I hope that's him. J, limo is all yours. Checking on the inbound spotter blimp.>>

04-Apr-2071, 02:17:06, Tacoma, Seattle

Jasper pulls up the digital "keys" from Nuke and checks out the Limo's controls. He cranks up Charlene's ECM, throws her into full camo mode and sends her towards some back roads. The next task is to get to a spot where "Shelly" and this here Limo can swap cargo.

04-Apr-2071, 02:17:06, Tacoma, Seattle

Jackpot. Jasper finds the Icon for the Limo's Rigger addaption, He jumps into it like a new pair of pants, then tears off down the road looking for the next coverd location.

04-Apr-2071, 02:17:09, Tacoma, Seattle

The data traffic from the blimp is just starting to show the traffic jam, but then begins to track the limousine when it accelerates away.

Nuke speeds past a swerving small car and around a corner - they need to gain some distance to make the meet unobserved, and/or some cover.

04-Apr-2071, 02:17:09, Tacoma, Seattle

<<I think fast is the name of the game ya'll, we gotta dump this Limo before that blimp gets backup, so hang on in there, sugar.>>

Jasper sends an order to "Shelly" to keep up, And punches the gas. He knows the pickup has the horsepower to keep up so he pushes the limo as hard as it'll handle.

04-Apr-2071, 02:17:13, Tacoma, Seattle

<<Working on buying you some time.>>

Nuke begins scanning the area for a news for traffic survey drone.

04-Apr-2071, 02:17:13, Tacoma, Seattle

There is a traffic surveillance drone up ahead, and a news drone is headed their way as well, alerted by the likely multiple messages from passerys about shots being fired. The traffic surveillance drone Nuke could enter easily through the traffic control system.

04-Apr-2071, 02:17:16, Tacoma, Seattle

This should piss someone off. I really gotta learn to fly...

Flying back into the GridGuide system, Nuke uses the forged Admin account to take control of a nearby traffic survey rotodrone. After a moment of remember that he has no clue how to fly a helicopter, he abandons his original plan to ram the Knight Errant blimp and settles for instructing the pilot to stay in front of, and as close as possible, the Knight Errant blimp.

04-Apr-2071, 02:17:16, Tacoma, Seattle

The traffic drone starts to try to block the KE drone to the best of its (limited) ability, at the very least gaining the runners a few more seconds to lose their tails.

04-Apr-2071, 02:17:19, Tacoma, Seattle

Come on you bucket o' high falutin bolts! Jasper strains against the drag of the poor suspension and bad oil viscosity. I should have put that driver outa his misery if this is how he treats his rides. Come on girl, I know its our first dance, but I'm gonna show ya some moves.

04-Apr-2071, 02:17:19, Tacoma, Seattle

The limousine seems to listen to Jasper - though the damage done to it by repeated streams of bullets limits the car's performance more than the less than perfect maintenance. Even so the car speeds past a crossing using the sidewalk, and then disappears into an alley, sending two trash cans flying and what looks like the biggest devil rat this side of the island of monsters scampering away.

Not much longer until they reach a bridge where they can swap cars.

04-Apr-2071, 02:19:23, Tacoma, Seattle


Jasper hits the breaks as they approach the overpass. The Limo screeched to a hault on the side of the road.

<<alright folks, Last stop, everybody off>>

As Jasper orders bud to get out of the van, Shelly pulls up along side them. Bud climbs into the Bed of the pick up truck, and jasper jumps from the Limo to Shelly.

04-Apr-2071, 02:19:23, Tacoma, Seattle

Stray gets out of the limousine, dragging the still unconscious politician with her.

<<Any bugs on him?>>

04-Apr-2071, 02:19:27, Tacoma, Seattle
Nuke shoves the van door open and hops out to help manhandle the unconscious lawyer, taking advantage of hte close quarters to thoroughly search him for bugs, tracking tags, and any other wireless nodes.

<<Checking. Ironic that his driver got cut down with a burst of Stick’n’Shock as he got kidnapped, eh?>>

04-Apr-2071, 02:19:35, Tacoma, Seattle

Nuke's scan reveals the man's commlink as well as several chips in his clothes, down to his underwear, but tose do not seem to be trackers. And his implanted commlink.

04-Apr-2071, 02:20:26, Tacoma, Seattle

After the manhandling is done, Nuke slumps back into his VR coma to deal with the implanted link.

<<Leave his clothes. They’re loaded with tags.>>



With the account created, heloads a copy of an agent into the implanted commlink with instructions to turn off the commlink’s wireless radio and attack any user who attempts to turn it on or reboot the node.

04-Apr-2071, 02:20:30, Tacoma, Seattle

Stray strips the unconscious man and dumps the clothes into the stolen car while Nuke finsihes disabling the commlinks.

"Torch it?"

04-Apr-2071, 02:20:33, Tacoma, Seattle

<<You got something to torch it with?>>

04-Apr-2071, 02:20:35, Tacoma, Seattle

"There's fuel in the tank."

04-Apr-2071, 02:20:42, Tacoma, Seattle

<<Sounds good. Torch it. Fuck him if he can’t take a joke.>>

04-Apr-2071, 02:21:30, Tacoma, Seattle

Less than a minute later the van is speeding away from a smoking, then blazing limousine.

04-Apr-2071, 02:21:36, Tacoma, Seattle

<<hehe, I think you kids have been hangin around ol' Jasper for too long now, yer startin to sound like a chip off the ol' block.>>

Jasper squeals tires on the trucks as soon as everyone is loaded. They split up at the next light, Charlene taking the small roads and going for stealth, while Shelly gets some distance with her super sport engine.

<<I rekon we need a secure place to take this guy. any thoughts?>>

04-Apr-2071, 02:21:45, Tacoma, Seattle

<<Hole up in a low-enforcement zone?>>

04-Apr-2071, 02:21:49, Tacoma, Seattle

<<I know an old motel turned brothel.I'm sure they wouldn't mind us rentin a room. and Its way out in puyallup. The Matrix coverage is shoddy at best, and the cops haven't been there in ages.>>

04-Apr-2071, 02:21:55, Tacoma, Seattle

<<How do we get him in the room without someone getting suspicious?>>

04-Apr-2071, 02:21:59, Tacoma, Seattle

<<If it's the kind of place I think it is, no one is going to ask questions because they know the answer will be a bullet in the head.>>

04-Apr-2071, 02:21:59, Tacoma, Seattle

<<Is it a place where showing heavy artillery would make people avoid us, or come after us forthe good?>>

Lynx checks her shotgun while she communicates electronically.

04-Apr-2071, 02:22:46, Tacoma, Seattle

<<Its the kind of place where people are cooked out of their brains on BTL's or some crap, and nobody really cares about anything. Real low budget. Small time gangs take turns running it until they get board and move onto somethin more interesting. I used to Strip abandoned cars there for parts when I worked the chop shop>>

04-Apr-2071, 02:22:46, Tacoma, Seattle

<<Stripping cars while others strip?>> Stray has a crazy picture in front of her eyes, sort of a garage strip joint. She shakes her head to clear it.

<<We should be ok there then.>>

04-Apr-2071, 02:22:49, Tacoma, Seattle

<<Talk about whistling while you work...>>

04-Apr-2071, 02:22:49, Tacoma, Seattle

<<yeah, It sounds better than it actually is, most of those gals ain't much to whistle at.>>

Jasper starts moving the trucks towards the motel.

04-Apr-2071, 02:22:49, Tacoma, Seattle

<<If they can't afford cosmetic surgery, then I don't want to know what the budget for hygiene is.>>

Stray shudders while the van speeds toward that hellhole Jasper mentioned, arriving after a short trip. News of the kidnapping are breaking while the runners travel, and Gannings career is being repeated over and over, with rampant speculation about the reasons for the kidnapping. Most assume "the criminals" fear him and want him gone before he gets elected - which could work out to his advantage if he survives this.

04-Apr-2071, 02:27:24, Tacoma, Seattle

The place hadn't changed much. A couple ladies sat against their motel room doors staring off into nowhere. The moan of an old generator told Jasper that the cars out front probably didn't have any gas in them. Some young kids that probably fancied themsleves a "gang" were huddled in what must at one time have been the office watching a Trid of some sort. Jasper pulled up close to one of the rooms with the unoccupied hooker. Dropping from VR, he stretched and loaded "Harry" back into his holster,"well,lets see what the rates are shall we?"

04-Apr-2071, 02:27:24, Tacoma, Seattle

Stray nods, keeping the shotgun ready. She steps out, making sure the kidnapped man inside is not visible from the outside, and looks around.

04-Apr-2071, 02:27:38, Tacoma, Seattle

Nuke adds another set of zip ties to the subdued politician, pulls up his sweatshirt hood and climbs out of the van, following the crowd.

<<Pretty sure I can find us a vacancy if we need one.>>

04-Apr-2071, 02:28:18, Motel Squat, Puyallup

Jasper orderes "Bud" to guard the trucks,in stealth mode. He ambled up to the girl by the door,"Evenin m'am, How much for the room without you in it?No questions, no runnin off. just keep yer seat, and make some cred.Sound good?"
Jasper makes no attempt to hide the hand cannon in his belt.

04-Apr-2071, 02:29:34, Motel Squat, Puyallup

The hooker who has gotten up and is about to force a smile on her face that's as fake as a typical corp ad but not quite as enticing stops before she starts, glances at his gun and nods. The price she quotes - 100 nuyen - is too high for her normal work though.

04-Apr-2071, 02:29:41, Motel Squat, Puyallup

Jasper hits her with his "angry daddy" look that hookers tend to respond to,"I'll give you fifty now, and if you behave, I'll see what I can do"

04-Apr-2071, 02:30:00, Motel Squat, Puyallup

Jasper's angry daddy look is not as impressive, even boosted by his arms and mood, as he hoped, but the haggling is short and the hooker settles for 60 Nuyen.

04-Apr-2071, 02:30:06, Motel Squat, Puyallup

Jasper opened the door to check the inside and make sure it was clear. He drew his gun upon entering, seeing no reason to keep it in his pants.

04-Apr-2071, 02:30:15, Motel Squat, Puyallup

The room is clean - no enemies, that is. Not clean in the literal sense. Even without the need to avoid fingerprints, wearing gloves would be a good idea. Maybe a chemsuit, if you need to use the bathroom.

Stray and Nuke carry the bundled up politician inside, a bag over his head covering his features.