Delacroix fastens the seat belt, and braces for impact.

The sharp scream of impact is cut off abruptly by a gurgle of blood. The right front bumper slams into the fleeing man, crushing him under the impact and then sending hm windmilling into a nearby concrete pillar. The meaty 'thud' that follows the impact leaves no doubt what was hit. The Bison on the other hand handles the impact with little or no reaction.

"Good Job Grendal!!! We need to restrain him quickly, I've seen his kind regenerate very quickly right before my eyes. Do you have anything to tie him up with?" Asks the elf as he quickly looks around from his seat, seeing if he can answer the question himself.

"Third utility locker on the starboard side has plasteel restraints, jackstoppers, skill-twitchers, and headware jammers. Also a roll of duct tape. Let me know if you want him run over again."

Delacroix's eyes glaze over, as Grendel recites everything his the utility locker. "Delacroix grabs the roll of duct tape and plasteel restrints. The elf approaches the window closest to the victim."

Is the body moving or is he motionless?

Tokens body appears to be motionless. There is a great deal of blood and tissue on the pillar. His arms and legs protrude at angles humans don't, and his head is twisted to one side.

Delacroix's eyes fade away the black orbs emerge. Whisps of Purple and Red flow thru his eys like an alien sunset. The mage now astrally perceiveing, looks intently at the Vampire to see if his lifeforce is fadeing away, or if it still lives.

The bright color of life fades from the body as you watch. Replaced with the cold blackness of death.

"Drek! He's dead!" The elf outside of the Bison looks back at Grendel in the Bison and says, "What do we do now?!"

"I thought magic was the only way to kill these fraggers!" explains the mage. Trying to defend his theory he continues, "Our gunbunny unloaded a full clip into the last one I came across, and it had no effect..." The elfs words calm to a mumble as he begins to ponder why this Vampire didn't survive the bisons hit.

"Don't these creatures regenerate to a limited degree? Perhaps if you restrain the body now, we can hang on to it to see if it revives."

"It has no aura. I have yet to come across any being that doesn't have an aura. Well unless he's a mage, he could be hideing it. I guess we should be safe."

The elf begins speaking an incantation and summons a little spirit for a quick service. "Locks these cuffs around his ankles. Lock his wrists behind his back with these cuffs. When you are done I release you."

The imp of a spirit appears, bows and complies. Quickly cuffing the battered body. The vampire gives no signs of life.

"What do you want to do with him? I'm pretty sure he's dead."

"Put him in back and secure him to the floor using some of the tie-downs. If he isn't dead, we'll just wait for him to wake up. If he is dead, we may yet be able to profit from his remains. What are you planning on doing about Samantha's offer?"

At the request of Grendel, the mage calls upon for the dead body to levitate. Guideing it with gestures he takes it into the Bison and straps it to the floor.

The elf gets into the front seat and says, "Well there is this envelope. I haven't looked inside yet." The elf fingering the envelope in his hands and continues, "She gave it to me while we were talking. I think we need to go to San Fancisco and look up this Jonus Quin."

The elf pauses for a moment as if collecting himself, and then opens the envelope examineing its contents.

Printed on the paper, with no other words is:



Jonus Quin
Talismonger
27th Golden Way
San Fransisco China Town

"An address..." the elves words simply fade from his lips. "Well first we must figure out what we want to do with this," says Delacroix as he gestures towards the dead vampire. "Then it looks like we have a road trip ahead of us."

Grendel opens up the file on his most recent trip to Cal Free, shunting it to a side window in his view. On the MFD in front of Delacroix, he pulls up a UCASGS topographical map and overlays it with the borders for Cal Free, the Tir, and the Japanese and Ute occupation zones. At the same time he routes a call to Zoe.

"It's me. You remember when I asked you for info about vampires? Well, I seem to have ended up with the remains of one in the back of my truck. I don't suppose you'd know anyone who'd be interested in purchasing such a unique souvenier? Also, looks like I might be headed to San Fran soon. I need as much info on force dispositions as possible for Tir, Japanese, Ute, and Aztech units. I'll front the money for that myself. As soon as I find out the reality of our operating budget, I'll have supplemental gear requests. Also, what can you arrange transportation wise? I'd be hesitant to go if I can't take the Bison so I'm looking at cargo ship or cargo plane. I don't think we're going to have the money to support an overland trip. If it comes down to that, check and see if anyone has cargo that needs to make the run from Seattle to San Fran. We may be able to use that to defray our operating costs. Thanks."

The Bison threads its way through traffic, heading towards Tacoma.

"How much money do you have? A trip to San Francisco isn't going to be cheap and I need to know what kind of funds we have to work with."

"Quite a bit, why do you ask?"

"As I said, it's going to require a bit of money to pursue this all the way to the end. I just wanted to know the kind of operating budget we're looking at. Get me a gear list that you think you'll need as soon as possible. Also, do you have any contacts that could help us with transportation?"

It doesn’t take long for the blond fixer to return Grendel’s call. Her tone is even and professional as always. “Cal-free, you coming back?” She says. “First order of biz, I am downloading to you now all the information I could find on Vamps, from ancient myths to the reality of HMHVV, included in the download is the latest maps of the west coast. Second, you have two possibilities for transport to Cal Free. There is a freighter leaving town in two days for San Fran. Her skipper owes me a favor. You can get the Bison and yourselves on for 2k. However, it’s not a nonstop flight. The total journey would take about a week and a half. The other way is overland. It just so happens I have a ‘package’ that needs to be delivered to Sacramento. If your willing I could trade you services. Get all the passes and id’s that you would need if you can get it to Sac ASAP. No need to decide now, but I need an answer soonest.”

"I understand. Expect my call in an hour." Grendel breaks the connection before turning towards Delacroix again.

"All right, here are our options. There's a freighter leaving two days from now that can get us to San Fran for 2k each. It'll be a ten day trip. The good thing is that we'll be reasonably safe and we can take as much gear with us as we want. The downsides are everything that comes from being on a boat.

Or, Zoe does have a package which needs to get to Sacramento soonest. We can pick that up and make some money on our trip down to Cal Free. The pros are that we don't have to rely upon anyone but ourselves, plus we're making money on the trip, and it'll be much quicker, only three or four days. The downsides, though, are numerous. We'd be forced to travel well out of our way to avoid Tir and Sioux patrols, we'd be travelling through difficult terrain during a hostile time of year, and very little infrastructure exists to support us on the trip. If something went wrong, we'd be pretty much on our own.

If we do elect this second option, I strongly recommend we take on additional personnel. At least two more combat savvy individuals and a decker, if available.

What do you think?"

"Hmm I say we go by road. I dont like the idea of going by boat. I dont think Tir will be a problem. I'm legally a Tir resident, as well my brother is a Tir Ghost. He may be able to get us thru the tir. I'll shoot him an e-mail right away, its always hard to get a hold of him via phone, he hates them."

Delacroix quickly writes out an e-mail to his brother on his pocket secretary.


Luthar,
Hey a friend and I were planning on going camping down in California this weekend. I realize its short notice, but is there any chance you could save us a few hours and help us pass thru the Tir on I-5? By the way how are things did you get that promotion yet? Mom was right, Seattle is kind of fun, lots of action.

Btw mom told me you better call her soon or she'll disown you!

Later,
Talik

"He normally answers within a few hours or so." The elf laughs, "He's so odd, hates phones but loves computers. I think he just hates being connected. You know?"

"That concept is completely alien to me. In any case, if your brother is able to help us, please make sure to ask for a pass that covers all of the quasi legal and blatantly illegal weapons and gear we'll be taking with us. Since we've opted for the overland route, did you want to take on additional personnel? We just ditched a team that consisted of capable individuals who might be willing to provide services for a price. If they're still in Seattle, that is."

Grendel opens up his tactical lessons folder and retrieves the file marked 'overland_conucas.doc'. Waiting for Delacroix's reply, he routes a call to Zoe.

"It looks like we're opting for the overland route, so we'll need delivery instructions for the package. Check the UCASGS matrix site for me to make sure I have the latest updates on their topo maps. I'm going to need fuel, oil, spares, food, water, and ammo. Specifics are in the file that you should be receiving...now. I've got money on hand and am willing to pay 10% additional if I can get what I want before we have to leave. I've got another source working on passes through the Tir, but put your people in Redding on standby. We'll make that our first stop. We'll be at your place in an hour."

He breaks the connection, and for the first time pauses to think about where exactly this path is taking them. The Tir forces used the I-5 corridor to blaze a path south into Cal-Free when hubris demanded they expand their empire. They were stopped, of course, but not before turning the Northern Crescent into a wasteland. Damn them all. It galled him now to think that an elf, no less a Tir Ghost, would help them on this path. Would that he were not Delacroix's brother, would that it were anyone else that he could be used, exploited, and ultimately disposed of. One less elf to trouble the world. He felt his lips curl into a snarl and fought to bring his emotions back under control. Let them come, let them help. He would watch and listen, careful as always. He would try and protect their source, but if he was forced to chose, it would not be a difficult decision.

"Alien I can understand. Seattle is pretty alien to me," Delacroix looks at his friend and smiles. "You know I feel way better knowing that questions are finally going to get answered. Thankyou, for going thru this with me."

The mage pauses, "...as for my brother. He can not under any circumstances know that i'm a shadowrunner, or that we have illegal equipment. The fact that i'm a shadowrunner is a secret to my family. Can't we pose as 2 guys going to Northern California to do some camping in the mountains?"

The elf looks down, "I know that if my brother found out that I was a shadowrunner, he wouldn't approve of my membership into the Tir Ghosts. I'm looking to become one just like my brother, within the next few years."

"This is a uniquely dangerous position you're going to put us in. You, of all people, should realize how security conscious the Tir is. To not have a carte blanche on our passport is to invite an inspection which can only have disastrous results. The amount of work done on this vehicle alone is enough to ensure lengthy prison sentences for us both, not to mention the weapons and cargo we will be carrying. Only the most foolish would believe us to be campers, especially given the unstable political and military situation in Cal Free. At best, we could attempt to be armed couriers of a sort, but that begs the question as to why we don't belong to one of the recognized courier companies. Let's see first what kind of assistance your brother can offer before we begin looking at contingency plans."

"Then I guess we should go around, regardless what my brother can do for us."

"Very well then. As I said before, I recommend taking on additional personnel and giving serious consideration to another vehicle as well. I think the easiest course of action would be to try and reassemble the team we just worked with and utilize their skills. Everyone seemed to get along well and our respective talents balanced out nicely. If you have others in mind, though, we can contact them first."

"I think we may be jumping the gun here. All we are going to do is go seek information. I dont want to kick anyone's door down. If when we get there we see that its going to get hostile, we can use our contacts to assemble a team onsite."

"What do you think?"

"I'm more concerned about the 1500 kilometers of terrain we're about to cross than anything that will develop at our destination. Having additional manpower along will help in case of any extremis situation we find ourselves in. Beyond that, I don't have any reliable contacts in the Los Angeles area, which means that to assemble a team on-site would probably require more funds than if we were to bring them with us from Seattle. We can go it alone, but any delays we encounter may close the window of opportunity that Samantha has opened."

"Would you feel more comfortable going by boat then? You would lose the mobility of the road, but would you feel safer going that way?"

"Honestly I brought you along because I trust you. I didn't ask anyone else because I dont really trust anyone else. You are the only living soul that knows i'm diseased. If others were to find out, there is no telling what could happen."

"I understand your concers and if you feel the trip is too risky for the bison to take, perhaps I should go alone. When I get back we could meet up to discuss the info i've obtained and go from there."

"I said I'd back you and I mean it. The Bison's made the trip before and there's no reason to think that it wouldn't be able to do it again. As for your concern about people finding out about your condition, we are going to be smuggling something for Zoe. That provides a convenient excuse for bringing in extra personnel. If you're dead set against it, though, we can make the trip alone. I'll need between twenty four and forty eight hours to prep."

"I dont want to bring anyone else. If its easier we can take the boat. Feel free to take as much time as you need."

"I understand. Will you require anything special to make the trip?"

Grendel opens a call to Zoe.

"We'll take the package to Sacramento. I'm going to need IDs, something that will stand a roadside perusal. I'm developing a route now and I'll download it to your system when we meet up. I'll want to check my maps against the UCASGS database as well. I'll need 200 liters of diesel, 4 liters of Synthetic 10W40, a full set of belts, two meters high pressure hose, graphite servo lube, two rolls of rigging tape, extra battery, 50 meters of 5000kg test winch cable, 75 liters of potable water, two mess kits, two sets of cold-weather gloves and hats, a two person cold weather tent, two cold weather survival kits, three weeks self-heating rations for two people, 20 square meters of both winter and desert camo netting, a case of EdgeRunner Energy bars, and two cases of Elite Rush. That's the go/no-go gear. Nice to have stuff is 3 claymore mines, 60 meters of det cord, 16 IPE offensive HE mini-grenades, 3 Arbelast II MAAWs, 3 Textron Trapdoor smart mines, 2 Sikorsky-Bell Microskimmer IIs, and 2 Ares Sentry IIs. Again, I'll go 10% above street if you can get it to me quickly. Any luck on a buyer for the remains of this vampire?"

Sitting in her lush U-place apartment with her feet tucked under her, Zoe listened to the dead serious elfs words play out in her transducer. Her eyes twitched and her incredible expensive computer flashed through a holographic database displaying each part and the last price Zoe was able to get them for.

"You don't ask for much do you Grendel. I'll need some time even to find out if I can get some of this. No need to go above street on this stuff. I think I can find most of it quickly. I will give you a call in a few hours and let you know the ETA. I also need to put plans in motion to make the trip work. See you soon." The call disconnected, Grendel left with his usual brusk departure: a dead phone line. Boy when he's done with a call, he's done. Using her eye commands she ordered the hi-tech computer to search for available runners. She would have liked to use Warpath but he was working on the SK gig for her. Who else she thought. Another indian's mug shot popped up. Perfect. The phone in her head dialed a drop and she spoke in her icy cold voice. "Hunter, I need you for a job, you need to be ready to go in 24 and it pays twenty-five, call me back in one hour or I will have to go with someone else." She let the line go dead. Eager to move on to the next task, one of many.....

"Zoe has a list of things in work for us. We've got a couple of hours to kill. Do you need anything?"

Grendel listens for Delacroix's answer even as he routes another call to BlackJack.

It's Grendel. Remember when we ran the Salish border with the passes you arranged and that guard hit on you? Any chance you've spoken with him since then? Any chance that you could set us up with another set of passes or, better yet, ensure that the patrols along the cedar river section of the border are running late or not at all. Pay's negotiable, but it starts at 2K. I'm on a timetable and behind the clock as usual. Let me know soonest.

Sharpe scanned a copy of the latest Field & Stream chip through his Image Link while his pocket secretary automatically cycled through each of the dead drop lines that Binary had set up for him. He wasn't really expecting to find anything of note, so upon hearing Zoe's voice, he mentally commanded the message to replay, this time giving the phone his entire attention.

It had been a while since Sharpe last had some excitement, and the thought of the twenty-five large didn't hurt the offer in the least. He hadn't done much work in the past for the glamorous Seattle fixer, but what little experience he had with her had always been professionally handled.

Slotting the cord into the datajack set in his right temple, he mentally commanded the pocsec to dial up her LTG number.

"This is Sharpe. I got your message, and I'm interested in hearing more."

The line double clicks as it relays through Telstar, and then again as the encryption kicks in echoes in. "Hunter, good to hear from you. I need you to escort a package for a ride. You will be working with two other runners. There job will be to get you into CalFree, and take you to Sacramento with the package. Once there you will deliver it and notify me immediatly. If you take the job you leave within 48, do we have a deal?"

"Seems we do indeed."

Sharpe pauses, considering the job at hand before continuing.

"Is there anything in particular I should know about the package? What about any other interested parties? Also, what intel can you give me on the two other runners?"

Blackjack was at home watching the trid when the call from Grendel came in. She let her voicemail pick it up because she did not want to be interrupted from the program she was enjoying. She waits a few minutes after the phone stops ringing and then checks for a message. After hearing Grendel's message, she smiles and calls him back.

When Grendel picks up, Blackjack says happily, "HEY, GREN!! How's it going? You have a job for me?"

"Nothing more complex than what I specified in my message, although if you can get me surveillance data of the border patrols it would be worth extra. If you can get us through the checkpoint, that would be best. I need the pass in twenty four hours."

OOC: Double post, sorry.

"Not really," came Zoes reply to Sharpe. "They are both veterans and highly professional. They have their own agenda for going to SoCal though. And it's not that I don't trust them, I just need to make sure there is someone on board who's only goal is to see to the delivery of the package. Anything else?"

Sharpe nods at the expected response, even though he knows that Zoe can't see him. A little more info on the package would have been nice, but would also have been a luxury in his line of work.

"Just the time and location of the meet, and the details of the eventual exchange."

The big warrior pauses slightly and then a grin lights up his face.

"Oh, and of course there's the small matter of my payment."

"Not a problem. Tomorow morning 9 am, I am sending you the address a we speek, don't be late. As for the paymen, I'll give you %10 up front, the rest will be given to you by the contact in Calfree. See you then." The line clicks dead.

Blackjack listens to Grendel's objectives and takes notes. After he finishes speaking, Blackjack says, "Ooooh.. that could be tough. I did talk with Joe.." Blackjack gives Grendel the details, knowing he doesn't really care, but that the information will serve to inform him of the end result.

I won't have anybody to watch me if I get into trouble online... You don't need to go through Tir do you? Getting you a pass through the Ute Nation would be a lot easier probably. Tell you what, make it 5k for the danger and I can do my best to get you a set of border passes. And Tir or Ute? I want extra if you need a pass through Tir. That grid is... scary." Her last sentence ends with the word 'scary', spoken in a little girl's frightened voice.

We need some information filled in here, Shadow. Blackjack called Joe Eagle at the end of Exile's Hope, but I don't know what happened afteward. We left it at that point on the thread.

"It's not that I don't trust you, but the less you know about our trip, the better. We're not going through the Tir. I'll leave it at that. 5k your way..now."

Blackjack replies with a happy and energetic, "Okay! Transfer it to this account..."

Blackjack gives Grendel the number of an account she has set up just for transfers of funds.

"I'll call you when it's done. Bye!"

Mentally disconnecting the pocket secretary, Sharpe leaves it plugged into his datajack while he grabs a large backpack from the hotel's closet, emptying the contents one-by-one out onto the bed. He then carefully checks each piece of equipment before returning it to the pack, at the same time itemizing each on a list stored on the pocsec.

The big warrior then starts pulling an assortment of clothes from the hangers in the closet and the old chest of drawers, neatly folding them and adding them to the backpack's contents.

Satisfied, he places the pack against the wall near the door, then retrieves a medium-sized metallic case from under the bed and sets it on the batterered coffee table. The assorted firearms inside are then all stripped down and thoroughly cleaned, the associated clips emptied and refilled, and the weapons packed away once again ready for transport.

Sharpe pulls another similarly designed case from under the bed, this one matching the last in width, but longer again by half. This he places with the rest of his gear without opening.

Sitting in the ragged chair near the grilled window, Sharpe relaxes as he surveys the small hotel room. He hadn't been living here long, and probably wouldn't be returning, but it had been home for a short time, restricted water and all.

His mind drifts to the upcoming job of it's own accord, just as he knew it would. Now that he had time to contemplate it fully, he thought of various things that he should have mentioned to Zoe. A glance at the Swiss Army watch on his left wrist told him it was later than he thought, and he was hesitant to call the fixer back now.

Shrugging his shoulders, both physically and figuratively, the ex-Wildcat mentally commands the pocsec to redial the fixer's LTG number.

"It's Sharpe! I'm assuming we'll be travelling overland. Will you be taking care of the necessary passes, or are we expecting to border-hop on the sly? As well, I'd still like a brief on any expected opposition to this transfer's completion, if you have access to any information of that sort."