Previously:

<<To the Political Intern <Dearest Julia, I miss your lovely company. Whenever I catch a glimpse of the moon rising over the Potomac, I think of how the image pales in comparison to you and whenever I receive a message of personal content from thou, the sun begins to rise in thy heart. Dearest Julia, I require a favor. One of great importance. I need a man identified, for he is a foul villain whom schemes and plots. Any insight or classification thou can unearth on his figure and form would only make my passions for thee burn brighter. With best regards. Toreador.>>


<<Hi, I had a look through the system. He was actually here a few weeks ago for an embassy gala. I actually spoke to his assistant would you imagine that? Nice for an elf not from the Tir. Although the the people on the second floor (intelligence secreteriat) was really trying to push me to make a further acquaintance - and as usual no tact. Shame he was married. Not much I can tell you except William Bradley, Admiral. Anyways gotta go. Kisses.>>

<<From a Capulet to a Montague>>
Hi, sorry nothing more about your nemesis than a few images talking with the Ambassador Coialy and Colonel W. Michael Malthus during the party (The foppish station chief. It is a public secret one of his agents is sleeping with his wife. He's known as getting tipsy off a glass of wine. He has been stationed in Washington D.C. for ten years now. Supposedly disgraced by the Tir government for something no-one knows). I have bit of a worry. Anna is a friend of mine from the Embassy, she's the child of Catherine Aldudenie, Prince Aldudenie's sister. This is her first time outside of Tir Taingire, and she's been here for six months now. Anyways she has been on administrative leave for the past two weeks now. I dropped by her place to see if everything was alright and someone had changed the maglock codes. She hasn't answered her commlink for a while now. Could you please find out that everything is alright? Maybe you could take me out for dinner in compensation.
<<End comm message>>


To say this message disturbed Toreador was an understatement. Many things went through his mind about this entire scenario centering around Anna Aldudenie. Of course he would take the mission. There was no doubt about that. He forced the thoughts of the monetary and social rewards which could come of this job down into the deepest chasm of his mind. The first step was to get back to Miss Julia.

<<To a lovely Capulet>>
It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night like a rich jewel in an Ethiope's ear. This is a deed which must be done in utmost haste. I pray that no foul plot is a stew, for their are may enemies who would seek to tarnish our Verona. Nonetheless my fairest Juliet, your ward shall partake in this task. The location of Lady Andudenie's abode would be adored as well as her commlink code. Thus a fine dinner would be exceptional compensation, for thy there is not greater treasure. Toreador.>>


The image of a youthful Anna Andudenie filters into the primary AR display of his commlink. With precision he studied her image and memorized every blemish and hue. He committed to memory the facial dimensions of the noble's appearance. Anna Andudenie was alluring. The smile in the picture permeated an authentic meek gentleness, one which even a pious militant such as he could not scoff at unless he was purposely being abrasive.

The Toreador brought up his dark ebony cane and planted the lower hilt into the ground, making a resounding "Thud" within the safehouse. At that exact moment he tapped into the Power Foci and attempted to summon two watcher spirits.

The Watcher Spirits took the form of two small Tinker Belle Fairies adorned in Steampunk type wear.

"You two stay with me astrally, until I beckon for your services." The two sprites simply nodded before floating into the air in a small spiral motion before disappearing into the astral world. He tempted the idea of summoning an air spirit and then binding it to him for this task. But that would be over preparation his part and would not serve charm the "Cat" within. He would inspect her dossier before jumping to any actions which would inconvenience him. Besides if there were dangers within the living area, he would be able to handle it on a whim.

He adorned himself in a stylish kevlar lined coat which was an illuminated charcoal in color, military boots, and a swank form fitting somber crimson shirt. He finished off the fashion with a classic pair of dusk dark authentic leather pants.

His Suzuki Mirage came to life outside of the Fairfax safehouse. Tapping into his logic, he summoned one of the watcher spirits. "Follow me. When I tell you, survey the appointed area quickly and report back any armed or magical threats in the area."

The pixie followed him all the way to the Crystal Drive in Arlington. The highway was silent, his dark visor helmet filtered out the wind from the sonic boom like threshold one received at driving around 60mph on a bike. He took this time to send a message to the intern.

<<Juliet. Thy presence is requested at the Concord, for we are in enemy land. Your words of prose and song would be able to tell of young Anna's tale and inform this Paris what predators sought to lurk. May I add, that the walls of Crystal City are that of Troy. Thus thou's radiant appearance would serve as the brdige which could save our Princess of Verona, if she is in harms way, which I pray is not true. Toreador.>>

At the end of the message there is an audio recording from him, which is stern and serious in tone. He simply says once again, "For the Tir."

The landscape of DC monuments glowed in the horizon. Inspiring in nature, beautiful in demeanor they (the monuments) were.

Still.

This place is a toxic waste dump compared to the Tir He thought to himself.

***

The Ronald Reagan Airport flashed along Tyler's AR display, a man who symbolized 20th century paranoia. The 21st century one was indicated through the AR display, that the threat level was cerulean and that all arrivals would go through a security cehck. The road had been blocked with concrete barriers and gray cloured APCs. Around the D.C. Metroplex guard swooped helicopter sized vector thrust drones with their missile racks and a distended minigun as if its was a stinger from an angry wasp.

Tyler's commlink licenses were scrutinized with excrutiating detail. This was not some punk who was checking for gang affiliation but a government from a disunited UCAS, with CAS sepratists, humanist policlubers, technomancers, and Tyler's kind threatening its existence every day. A drone followed his movements as he navigated the serpentine road block a sweeping weapons lock before he was allowed to pass.

The Tir was equally aware of its security limitations, but where three security checks in increasing severity. Here it was one with all the severity of all three.

The Concord was across from Ronald Reagan airport. It was a large square building that despite attempts to make it cheery still had that feeling of any square block of the bundled middle class in Portland. However, unlike in Portland the rooms cost over 500 nuyen.

The lobby had a scanner which Tyler was expected to cross through and several serious looking guards in the armor vests and automatic weapons. Compared with the road block this was almost cheery. Tyler's Juliet was according to his AR reading still in traffic and would arrive according to its countdown in five minutes.

Two automated cabs stopped in front of the Concord, one disgorged a group of men in cheap suits and large cowboy hats, marking them as being CAS with their apparent behaviour. It seems from their breath that they have been conducting business over a liquid lunch of kentucky bourbon and the laughter as one threw a thong to the other probably in one of the numerous flesh parlours that lined the CAS side of the border.

The other cab door opened and Juliet came out. She was wearing a trim suit and skirt of greenish pastel. Real wool as well gathered from Tir sheep. Her ears showed prominently from under her brunette braided hair. She grinned a bit showing off her dimples.

"Hi. Should we go in?"

The security guards at the check point, looked at the two of them with a relief. The CAS interlopers being cut of the courser cloth. Handled from a distance, because their money was just good and that in D.C. is what matters.

The guards straightened a bit as Tyler showed his electronic hand of a SIN. A standing operative for the Tir. A Paladin in training, but still a novice rank in the military.

They let them pass on through the foyer unmolested to the reception desk.

A woman with a refined, cultured accent, with that professional smile took them both in. "How may we help you sir and madam today?"

His lips gently kissed her right hand upon seeing his Juliet. The pair made their way through the security check point.

Taking the lead, he approached the receptionist with Countess Capulet closely behind.

"How may we help you sir and madam today?" Asked the secretary.

He provided her with his System Identifcation Number, stating he was Tir military personel.

"Hello. My name is Agent Crey of the Tir Military and this is my associate. We have come to inquire about Lady Catherine Aldudenie. It has come to our attention that her maglocks have recently been changed. We are concerned about her saftey and would like to make sure she is free from danger," Toreador began, he chose his words carefully. "I would desire to have an opportunity to visit her dossier, perhaps having a janitor or facility manager accompany us as well if the maglock doors remain locked. Once again our utmost priority is to ensure Princess Aldudenie is unharmed, protected, and guarded from danger."

He permeated a stoic demeanor.

*Edited the charming smile to stoic demeanor. Being sterns reflects the situation more, as he is focusing on the seriousness of the matter. The charming smile was attemting to depict his Cat Shaman Nature.*

The plastic smile disappeared for a moment as she conferred with her invisible counterparts in the hidden recesses of the building. The smile returned "I assume you mean Lady Anna Aldudenie? No trouble, sir and madam. There will be a member of building security there to open up the door. We highly regard our client's security and privacy and we of course wish to make certain that those two principles are upheld during Ms. Aldudenie's visit here in D.C." She escorts you to the elevator which takes you up to the third floor.

A large sports jacketed man with a black clip-on tie, AR glasses and a head the size and shape of a black bowling ball was there to meet you.

"If you will follow me please." He escorted the two of you around the corner to the number supplied in the address given by Juliet. He swiped his key card which withdrew from his jacket's sleeve. It buzzed an angry red.

"That's strange. Hey Pete, look its Mack. Yeah. Trouble getting through the door, could you do an override. Yeah, thanks." The door opened with an audible click. The security guard pushed open the door, but made a point of not looking. "I will be waiting outside if you need me." He took a comfortable wide open stance his hands clasped in front.

The room was a mess. Items were strewn everywhere, the mirror on the entrance way was smashed. There was also a bouquet of dead roses which had been ripped apart lying next to wadded tissues and half eaten boxes of chinese take out.

"Anna?" Juliet called out carefully moving into the apartment. "I haven't seen this place in a mess." Juliet self-consciously picks up a lamp that had fallen on the ground and puts it back in its rightful place. She paces around the living room.

The bedroom was in equal disarray. The curtains were drawn and there was a light sickly smell of sweat in the air.

"I think you had better see this." Juliet said, she turned around and led Tyler to the large bathroom. There was a man in the bathroom. A large shard of mirror was sticking out of his neck at a 45 degree angle. His black silk suit was marred by blood that had sprayed out in an arterial spray all across the shower stall's exterior and the bathroom surfaces. His angular and chiselled features indicated he was an elf. His whole face showed the final act of concentration; his hands slumped on the floor. Between his legs was a black nondescript commlink. He was familiar, if only Tyler could place the face to a name.

There is the faint whiff of decomp in the air.

Juliet whispers to Tyler, "What should we do?"

[OOC: intuition + 2 (for regional knowledge) to recognize the body.]

Toreador goes out into the hallway attempting to look for Mack. He speaks when he find the security guard.

"Go retrieve the mongrel who is in charge of security for this establishment," There was an edge in his voice, but it was tempered. His tone was unruffled, yet firm. "I wish to engage in dialogue with them."

He then renters the disheveled apartment.

He scanned the entire living area, taking pictures with the Fairlight Caliban of the broken mirror, ripped up roses, half eaten take out boxes, the drawn curtains, and of course the homicide of the elf in the bathroom. He payed close attention to the dead elf, noting that he had seen this man somewhere before. He tried to recall from where. Moments later Tyler activated the messaging display on his commlink.

<<To Secretariat>> Operative Crey reporting. Forensic and security squads required at residence of Anna Aldudenie.

C0618
The Concord
2600 Crystal Drive
Arlington, VA 22202

The dossier has been compromised and the vassal in question is unaccounted for. In addition a corpse has been discovered at the scene, a member of the enlightened race. Subject in question requires confirmation on the departed's identity. May the Land of Promise be sustained. -Toreador.

<Attachment:> (Pictures of the dead elf and the destruction of the apartment)
<<End Transmission.>>

After sending the message and pictures, once again looking around at the destruction. Inwardly, he was fuming, angry, and heated at the sight before him. However, he developed the negative emotions into productive action. Remaining calm he turned to Juliet. A pillar of strength she appeared to be.

"Juliet," He said placing a gentle hand underneath her chin, propping her gaze up with a soothing touch. "I need you to disclose all that you know about Anna. Her friends, enemies, former boyfriends, stalkers, unusual conversations, social habits, emotionally dependent behaviors, quirks, addictions, disorders, and her psycho analysis diagnosis. Anything that might be of some use in uncovering this dilemma."

The security guard nods. Any kind of excuse at this point would make only for a poor excuse. "Chief of security will be here in five minutes."

As he took pictures of the place. He spied a half-open case inside was a silver and diamond necklace with a large green diamon in the middle the size of a thumbnail. There was bloody clothes stuck underneath the bed in the bedroom. There was also an empty bottle of antidepressants by the night table.

The bathroom opened up a different world. The dead elf was someone everyone in the Tir looked up to in their childhood, Joe "the Spin" Conrad, all-time champion hurler. That is until he got kicked out of hurling for extensive drug abuse and body modification.

There was an empty syringe on the floor and what looks like a clear ampule of something. The other only had milky traces in it.


Juliet looks back to Tyler, "Anna was an outward, happy, and trusting girl. This was the first time she had been outside the Tir. She was part of the page program, the one where a member of royalty follows around a member of government. She was assigned to be the assistant of the cultural attache. She was always neat and proper. She didn't do drugs, recreational or otherwise. About three weeks ago Ehran the Scribe is in town and the cultural attache with Anna is showing her around. Ehran asked if he could borrow Anna so that she could show her around. Anna was so enthusiastic. He takes her out to all these impressive places and introduces her to some of the movers and shakers in D.C. During her birthday party he comes around 11PM like the king of Sudan and invites her out to a special birthday present. The party goes on even if the person of the hour was missing."

"The next day she phoned in sick. The following few days she had been distracted, on edge. I know she got called in to see the cultural attache a few days afterwards, and was placed on administrative leave. The thing is, I found this." She holds up a pregnancy test kit with two lines. Anna Aldudenie was pregnant.

<<Information secreteriat>>
We will have a group there in fifteen minutes. No-one is allowed into the crime scene.
<<End transmission>>

A man in the corridor coughed. "Sir, the security chief is here to see you."

Fifteen minutes. The length of a quarter in a 20th century American football game. An increment of payment for a part time job. A quarter of an hour.

Each additional bit of information provided by his Juliet added another puzzle piece to the mystery. The theories began to formulate in his mind about what exactly occurred over the past few weeks in this apartment and in the life of Anna Aldudenie. At first he thought of it as a simple..

1.) Being influenced by the wrong crowd.
2.) Being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
3.) An innocent girl being taken advantage of.

But two things did not fit into either of those theories. The death of Joe Conrad and the pregnancy.

There was an interruption in the hallway as Mack the security guard returned. A man in the corridor coughed. "Sir, the security chief is here to see you."

"Give me a moment." Tyler responded. With a snap of his finger, Tyler summoned his watcher spirit. He provided it with a simple instruction, "Patrol the area surrounding this room, and the lobby of the complex. Looking for individuals permeating a strong presence of awakened magic and abominations whom pollute astral space." The fairy then disappeared to complete her order

Tapping into his commlink. He sent another message.

<<To Secretariat>> Homicide victim has been identified. Joe Conrad. Former Champion Hurler. Requesting information from the mainframe on the subject.

-Toreador.
<<End Transmission.>>

The Cat Shaman looked over his shoulder at Juliet, "Beloved, be still until your Paladin returns. I long for thou to divulge the alias of this cultural attache. This villain's treatment of Lady Andaduline beckons that of the rage of Caliban. This heinous deed shall not go unpunished. Furthermore if we are somehow able ascertain the social circles Sir Conrad affiliated himself with. Perhaps we can discern a origin point for our inquiry."

He then exited the room and went into the hallway to greet the security chief. He took a moment to study the man or woman before speaking. There was a passion in his heart to explode vocally on the chief and rupture a spleen or two. But before doing that, he wanted to play with this ball of yarn.

"An incident has manifested in these chambers. This is an affair which falls under Tir Taingeire jurisdiction. When my squadron arrives you and your men will cooperate with us to the utmost of your ability. That includes providing us with any security intelligence this establishment provides its consumers, the inclination to question your guards at our convenience, and the right to confiscate any audio or visual surveillance recorded centering around this investigation." He stared at the chief, audacious in tone and flashing a conceited smile, "Do I make myself clear?"

Juliet looks at you with a weird look and says "The cultural attache's name is Celine Pharis. Never seen that elf before. But I can put in a few questions."

It was 14 minutes past and Colonel Malthus came into sight with six other people following him. From the expression on his face Malthus had murder on his mind, not of the dead but of the living. There was that moment of realisation by Tyler of how the most colourful of things in nature are often the most deadliest. Unfortunately it looks like Malthus forget his clown costume at home.

Mathus was dressed in a simple charcoal overcoat with a velvet back collar. He did not need to be carrying any large objects underneath it. His retinue was doing that well enough with the bulges and bags.

The security chief, his salt and pepper mustache and his demeanor of a metropolitan a detective who had weathered many scathing remarks. He decided that shaking hands at the last moment would probably be a bad idea.

"Right, I want you to look through the apartment with a fine tooth comb. Do not take anything for granted. As this being treated as a kidnapping speed is of the essence. You get a clue of what she was wearing and you relay it to me. you get a clue to who took her you relay that to me." The three men and one woman nod as they start donning blue crime scene suits.

Malthus looked at the security chief with a withering gaze "You sir at the moment are so low on my shit list that I won't even bother with any of the usual threats or expletives. You will give my two men all the help they require. You will do it quickly and promptly. I do not want to hear a peep from you. Not a peep."

He turned to the two men. "I want to know everyone who has gone in and out of this apartment since she moved in, I want to know it down to the type of RFID used in their underwear." They turn and pat the chief of security on the shoulder as they guide him forward along the corridor.

The fairy peeked out from behind the hair and pointed at the elf and mouthed the words mage, she winked and disappeared.

He turned to the adjacent apartment and ran a maglock key through the scanner. The security guard who was left standing there had one look at the cool, black suited elf in the corridor and decided that mentioning breaking and entering, might involve him being broken and entered.

He guides the Juliet to the sofa. "This man is going to ask you some questions about the incident, please be as forthcoming as you can."

Malthus in turn directs you into the kitchen. He takes out two cups and pours himself a cup of coffee, "Christ on the crucifix with the virgin Mary, you had better explain what's going on here and you had better do it well."

Malthus' commlink is signaling that it requests you to join his information node.

He was as sure as a Michael Jordan game winning shot the information node he entered with his Fairlight Caliban was encrypted with firewalls and IC the equivalent of Fort Knox. Colonel Malthus, clear cut above the rest, a hero amongst men. Joe Conrad. Malthus. Two legends he had heard about growing up. One deceased. One increased. It had already been a long night. He had a feeling it was just getting started.

For this conversation the Cat went away. So did Romeo. The Tir Paladin persona stood poised.

"Sir." Toreador began. The tattoo of the black dragon figuratively came to life as he spoke, the tint of his bronze skin fading into the background, "I believe Anna Andudenie experienced a psychiatric episode and caused this carnage. The empty bottle of anti-depressants support this theory. The trigger of the stress was her discovering she was pregnant. The victim in the bathroom has been identified as Conrad, Joseph. Former Champion Hurler and star athlete for the Land or Promise. If there was a kidnapper or intruder in the apartment, a man of Conrad's stature and physical prowess would have been able to cause some harm to the attacker. There are no signs of a large scuffle. Whomever killed Conrad had somehow seduced or obtained the man's trust. He died in the bathroom, obviously not expecting the attack. My hypothesis is that Conrad and Princess Andudenie were lovers and she was able to get close enough to him to impale the shard of glass into his neck. I assume the bloody cloths underneath the bed are Lady Andudenie's, stained with Conrad's hemoglobin. In spite of their bungling, the security in this area is not befitting of a group of amateurs, they would have seen or detected anything peculiar entering this room. From the looks of these fools, it appears as if they dumbfounded by what has ensued here."

Standing straight. Posture perfect. He continued and concluded.

"Anna Andudenie is on the run, ashamed, out of her mind, and lost somewhere in the Metroplex. This is my theory Colonel of what has transpired here. Though. If this thesis is proven to be true, then I am prepared to erase this accuracy and create truth from deceit. I am willing to sacrifice myself for the sake of our nobility, and await your command."

<<In the Node>>
The node awoke with a vast stream of information going by. Everything being sorted into their respective virtual folders. Items opening up before being stored.

One of them opened up with a man who reminded you of more mummified penguin than with a slightly dry behaviour as well, in the background you can see the bathroom, "We ran the syringe and ampules. The syringe and the empty ampule had Tetrodotoxin in it. The full ampule's Batrachotoxin. I will need to run further tests to confirm if they came from our missing Umatilla batch."

The only woman from the team had a message, blue eyes, flaxen permed hair and a facial expression of having placed a lemon in her mouth, but being too much in control to spit. "The antidepressants were issued by Matrix based pharmacy. Looks like something that could be checked up on."

A little sprite of light and information moved information from that highlighting the matrix folder for a second.

"The contents based on samples taken from the bottle and the one I found on the floor differ from the description on the prescription, you've got dopadrine combined with traces of Woad. This stuff would make you increasingly paranoid ans susceptible, possibly angry enough to attack someone if their fight of flight response was triggered, while before the psychotic peiosde of giving all the outward symptoms of being passive. This mix is not the kind of stuff you would find in your local pharmacy."

"There is semen and vaginal fluid on the bed, judging from the twists in the bed sheets this was recent."

"The clothes are ripped from a struggle and show arterial spray consistent with our body in the bathroom, the blood DNA matches it to our man Conrad. There is a TIC marked pink commlink hidden in the clothes, this year's make and model. It looks like someone used considerable force to destroy it. The raw data should be sifted by the Matrix team."

Another little sprite of light and information moved information from that highlighting the matrix folder for a second.

The video closes.

"Matrix team here, looks like they ran a variable door opening program last night at 18:15. Building security's been discreetly re-setting the 124 doors marked as being opened, since its tripped their auto-alarm. This one would have been one of the last apartments checked since there has been a do-not disturb notice on it for the past three days. Saw this same trick last used in Lisbon."

"The security system is good, using keycards which have to be on you at all times they can trace your whereabouts in the building. Our victim, Conrad, had a keycard for room 1204 made out to him yesterday at 18:13. According to the Matrix feed the room has not been entered."

"The internal security cameras for the approach to the apartment have been fiddled with, anyone carrying Conrad's keycard would not be acknowledged by the system. And would also be removed off the video feeds."

"I've updated the Matrix folder with information about apartment cross linked to visitor logs. Several embassy staff and couriers. Have come in."
<<Node remaining open with information constantly being added>>

Colonel Malthus pours another coffee. "Do you still think looking at the data this does not involve any other third parties?"

Joseph "The Spin" Conrad

He had the most runs this century with 100 centennials. Then there was the whole kangaroo court with him being tried for numerous sportsman infractions.

Served in the Free Police Force for 8 years. Removed from the Force for racketeering and misuse of police credentials.

Freelance bodyguard for one year.

Paladin status by the High Prince. Past two years working in the private security detail of Ehran the Scribe.


This is the official story.

The intelligence secretariat also lists his rap sheet which goes back to his hurling days. Mostly aggravated assault, and drugs posession charges. His rap sheet tells he was more thug than sportsman anymore, with a lot of forgiveness for his past glories.

Ehran the Scribe. Joseph Conrad. The doctoring of Anna's prescription.

He needed time to reflect on the information. Something to clear his mind. What he wouldn't do for a deep tissue massage from a 100 pound Geisha or to push a sex craved Human razorgirl across the carpet a few times. A hit of Novacoke would work as well. That would be convenient. But all that he had right now was a cup of coffee and the stress of standing face to face with one of the toughest SOBs the Tir Military had to offer.

"Sir. The evidence uncovered by the forensics team suggests the influence of a third party. I did not rule out this detour in the hypothesis. An inquiry of the pharmaceutical company who provided Lady Audednie with her drugs, might unearth the other conclave." He said.

The evidence pointed to Ehran or members within his faction. If this entire incident was a political move on the behalf of Ehran against Prince Audednie. Then he maybe forced to choose a side in this matter.



And if this correct who did Malthus side with? The entire incident began when Anna became a liason for Ehran. The next thing you know, one of Ehran's Paladins was found dead in this dossier. Perhaps another organization discovered Conrad's notoriety and turned him as a pawn against Ehran, in order to frame him. Or Ehran could have thrown this stray dog under the bus because of previous failures or transgressions.

"I have yet to determine if this is attack brought upon our nation was conducted by an outside enemy. Or if it a political move perpetrated by influential figures within our incorruptible monarchy. Either way I am ready to serve the Land of Promise."

[OOC: This being Tuesday and the middle of the month. *clatter* Ehran is allied with the memory of the elven high-prince, big surprise there. *clatter* Aldudenie is allied with Horizon, but with UCAS interests.]

<<The node>>
A quick video opened up.

The two men at the computer came back without an image. It said: AR is special, but VR is better.
"Matrix team here again. We checked the pharmacy connection. There is no mention of the shipment ever leaving. Either we are dealing with a clever false flag/clever forgery or then someone did an amazing hacking job. We did discover they are running an illegal drugs trade on the side. We decided to shake things up a bit by leavíng a little anonymous note with the DEA. Maybe something will fall out."

"We did break the encryption on the logic bomb. It was inserted yesterday at 14:06 from a disposabe commlink. We did a bit of searching and found out someone using Conrad's keycard left the building from a side entrance."

The woman with the sour demeanor slid open as the Matrix team was giving their report.
"Ros here, we did some searching and found a necklace. It was bought off a Matrix auction using a private account of Ehran's. 250,000 nuyen about two weeks ago. Good thing they place stealthed RFID chips in the case and on the jewellery. Remember that next time boys you buy a girl something with the company credit card."

A card flips through the air informing that the local Medical Examiner had arrived.

<<Information on the node seemed after the initial flood seemed to slow down.>>

Malthus finished his coffee. You see that the information coming to the node seems to be de-escalating.

"Son there are two things you never should do. Never deal with a dragon or one who has one as a boss. There is very little I don't know, so don't pull politician on me. But for the sake of mental exercise let's go there. Aldudenie and Ehran have been at logger heads since we got an orc as high-prince. Oh they were before, what do you think happens when Prince Aldudenie's favourite niece does not come back in less than perfect condition or worse pregnant? Prince Aldudenie is going to request the High Prince for an official inquest. Since we are talking about a minor, that's statutory rape. The inquest will officially not get anywhere but there will be a lot of finger pointing behind closed doors. Someone who is not particularly of political importance will get fingered. Now who could that be?"

Malthus you mother fucker.




"I don't know sir. Who?" He said with a derisive tone. A bit irked, he continued. "Awaiting your orders, Sir. And wondering if I am still apart of this case, since you know where my allegiances lie. For the record. This case has the MO of Ehran's people because of how well it was executed. But I shall believe Ehran's hand in this to be false, until proven otherwise."

Malthus nodded.

"I apologize for the harsh words, but you see I was mostly thinking about myself. Certain factions in the council of princes have been waiting a long time for the chance to get a literal stab at me."

"So far Anna has either been kidnapped or then has escaped. There seems to be some third party involved. The drugs tell us that much. Any ideas how we could start tracking her down? Perhaps if we divide the division of work, we will follow the kidnapping angle and you follow the one of her running away. The node will be up until she is found so if we come up with anything we can share information"

Toreador returned the nod. He took a deep breath, inwardly. He was beginning to understand, why certain Shadowrunners acted the way they did during a mission. Controlling their emotions and filtering out their words kept them alive. Channeling a professional personality instead of letting yourself run rampart prevented them from making mistakes. Because in the unforgiving world of Shadowrun, many don't get more then one miscue.

"Colonel Malthus. Your proposal sounds adequate. I'll get on the case right away." He said.

He gripped the shaft of his dark ebony cane, and chanted an incantation. Moments later..



He then goes to search for Juliet.

"I need help finding Anna, if she's run away. Are their any specific places she liked to frequent when she was in a dour mood? Any places where she would feel safe, or liked to go to ease her stress?" He asked.

"You'll find a list of possible places on the node. The question is how far can a child with no commlink run and where to. I will be liasing with the FBI who specialize in such cases. Dismissed."


Juliet is in the next room, with the mage, she looks a bit weak or as if she had been asleep for a long time. "Hey, places she could go to are the gym, coffee shops frequented, restaurants, and two night clubs. Outside of us at the embassy she did not really know anyone. I would expect that she would have contacted us by now. I hope someone hasn't snatched her." She closed her eyes for a while. The mage had a professional neutral expression.

What's the famous street proverb which was coined during the early 20th century Harlem Renaissance movement? Oh yes. To be "Cool as a Cat." The idiom made reference to acting fine when in actuality you are scared or nervous. The meeting with Malthus shook him. He could not deny that. Walking into the next room, he found Juliet with the elf his watcher spirit had identified as a mage.

At first he payed no mind to the mage. Didn't even so much as give him a second glance.

Juliet spoke in response to his question. ""Hey, places she could go to are the gym, coffee shops frequented, restaurants, and two night clubs. Outside of us at the embassy she did not really know anyone. I would expect that she would have contacted us by now. I hope someone hasn't snatched her."

She then closed her eyes. There was very little doubt in his mind that the mage had read her thoughts, probed her mind, or possibly even erased her memories. Military procedures as educated by the Tir high command instructed such practice.

He bent down to one knee, to check on the pulse and heart rate of his contact. "You've done well my dear. Rest now. Let's get you home. Where we go next may not be suited for you."



While he was still checking on the condition of Juliet, he greets the mage. He does not look away from Juliet and his thoughts while he says to the mage. "Telegit thelemsa ('You strictly follow the laws of nature'). Did you find anything interesting?" He makes in reference to the case and the interrogation of Juliet.

Tyler summons a spirit, which looks like a clock work fairy, she takes your mental image of Anna with a camera, which transforms into an image of Anna on a postcard, which the fairy places in her duster's chest pocket. She grins and disappears.

The man with his black curly hair and brown skin looked normal. The neutral expression made him look like 100 other wageslaves which Tyler has walked past without a thought.

"Nothing untoward. I recommend you let her rest. She is simply exhausted with the process of recall." The child's psyche profile will available to you in a few moments." A neutral voice with carefully selected words.

Juliet had a strong pulse, she was not sick or bleeding, nor was she in shock.

"Nothing untoward. I recommend you let her rest. She is simply exhausted with the process of recall." The child's psyche profile will available to you in a few moments." A neutral voice with carefully selected words.

He had some ideas on where to check next. But before doing so, he wanted to view the psyche profile.

"If I wanted your recommendation, I would have asked for it." He responded to the mage. He did not like this flavorless man. To neutral. He was hiding something. He wanted to test the waters. "This profile is taking to long. If it's not produced within the next five seconds, I shall go to Malthus and file a complaint for your incompetence."

The man looked at Tyler with a deadpan expression, "Please understand 'Paladin' that an offensive tone with me will not go far. You are here only under the invitation of the Colonel. Please remember that."

He flexed his fingers in slow movement. "Besides my preliminary findings are already there. I will still need to conduct an evaluation of the apartment for any tell-tale psychic emanations."

He rose up and looked Tyler in the eye. "Please, we have a child in this city who is lost, possibly hungry, and very very scared. Let us find the child and take her alive and well back to her mother."

Anna's profile was on the node. Anna was a person who saw the positive in people, enjoyed being surrounded by people. Trusts authority figures and is enamored by adults and their ways. She has experienced some culture shock on coming to D.C. but nothing that has not been smoothed over. Her behaviour in the preceding weeks before the birthday was increasingly infatuated with Ehran the Scribe and his entourage. The reversal after the Birthday was sudden indicating strongly mental and possible physical trauma. It is entirely possible she was assaulted at that time, most likely sexually.

She most likely confided to a confidant, an immediate superior or someone who is located in her immediate circle. The withdrawal would indicate a person who she has trusted has betrayed her. She would shirk from locations she frequented, but would probably seek their comfort in their periphery. There is also a strong belief that she would contact her mother or then one of her close friends once the state of paranoia would relax.

Recommendations are looking at the airport, shelters, police stations, and streets surrounding the surrounding 20 miles.

A friend of Juliet's came to pick her up from the complex. Toreador made sure his contact was taken care of before resuming with the case.

At the moment he had two spirits in search of Anna, an idea of frequent haunts, a psychological profile, and her commlink display information. At his disposal was a crack team of governmental information gathers, a forensic team with no equal, and a superior of legendary status.

Tyler re-read the forensics’ team profile.

"She would shirk from locations she frequented, but would probably seek their comfort in their periphery. There is also a strong belief that she would contact her mother or then one of her close friends once the state of paranoia would relax. "

Meaning, all he had to do was find her and calm the young woman down until she is able to rationally call her loved ones without sounding like a raving lunatic. He took a step outside of the building as the world of Crystal City opened up before him. Once affluent shopping community in the early 21st century, Crystal City along with Pentagon City was the haven for young governmental types who lived single lives, loved to have a good time, and sought the rewards of the DC night life. The area was once a commercial melting pot of five star hotels and exotic restaurants because of its close proximity to JFK Airport. It was somewhere you would bring your family or a date on a Friday night to simply walk the streets and enjoy a perfect summer evening.

Crystal City was still a hub for hotels and restaurants, but the violence/terrorism of the awakened world had resulted in increased security in the once 'golden' community. Ares Roadmaster's littered the road, military checkpoints from various nations could be seen at every block, and there was a constant tension one had while walking through its streets. The area still glowed with advertisements via AR, but even that could not take one away from the Utilitarian like atmosphere Crystal City displayed.

-There was a good chance she was still wondering the streets. If this was the case, Toreador was hoping his spirits would be able to find her. If she stayed within the Crystal City and surrounding area, she should be fine with the security around. Unless the third party involved was looking for her as well.

-It was unlikely she would be at a police station. He was thinking that she would return to the Tir embassy before turning to Lone Star or Knight Errant for assistance. If she were to stop at local law enforcement headquarters, Malthus and his team would know about the report and send a team to extract her immediately.

-The airport could be a possibility. A girl in Anna's state would draw attention there. Eventually the young women may seek purchase an air flight to head back to the Land or Promise. But at the moment she is probably in a state of emotional breakdown, perhaps a psychotic state, in search of refuge and shelter from the harm which was brought down. A girl of Anna's intellect and education would seek refuge before heading to an airport. She would need to gather her wits before explaining the situation to her family.

-That left nearby shelters. Which is where he would start the external investigation. Punching into his Fairlight Caliban Commlink, he sought the address of the nearest shelters in the area, specifically gearing towards social service outlets offering services for those who experienced sexual abuse.

Beforehand, Tyler's AR icon arrow dropped down to his electronic mail box, finding the contact information for "The Secretariat."

Punching in the commlink code, he sent an encrypted message.

<<To: Secretariat, From: The Efficacious Cat, Subject: Andudenie Affair.
Requesting a business meeting with a member of the Scribe’s entourage to discuss the demise of J.Conrad and the state of the Young Andudenie. Tell them an agent would like to converse about the way things used to be.
-For the traditions of our people.>>


Tyler then gets onto his Suzuki Mirage. Reving the engines and snapping down the black visor to his helmet, he makes his way towards the first shelter in search of the query.

The commlink offered only one option - St. Mary's shelter for women.

By vehicle this part of the world was a mass of knots of checkpoints and weapons. However, by foot one could wander around by will. It also made her invisible, for everyone who was not SINless travelled by vehicle.

The shelter was heavy brown stone building, with chain link fence around its nave. There was a steel booth, with a trid display of a tired woman. There was a sign that said "No men beyond this point."

On the astral the building showed itself to crudely warded. For a professional like Tyler it was laughable. Many spaces and gaps for someone of half the skill as him to pass through.

There were women loitering around it, some smoking, some with half hidden body armour and automatic weapons. Everyone though watched the streets.

<<Secreteriat to Operative>>
Your request has been noted and has been placed in queue. Ehran and his entourage are not available at this time for an interview. If one is to be conducted it will have to be by commlink tomorrow. Perhaps you would wish to talk to his press secretary instead?
<<End message>>

Hell Hath no Fury like a Woman Scorned. - William Congreve.

If there was any inkling to the truth of this statement , then the Shadowrunner known as Toreador would be sitting alongside Brutus and Cassius somewhere in the depths of Purgatory. He read the sign which stated.

"NO MEN ALLOWED."

He grinned inwardly. Words like this have never stopped him before. With full bravado he approached the fenced entrance of St. Mary's. He noticed the guarded sentries, hiding their weapons underneath clothing. He punched into his commlink quickly.

<<To Secretariat.

R. Once again this is in inadequate. Perhaps a meeting with a member of the Black Suns would be more suitable in this case. If you can make this happen there is a generous fee awaiting you. Work your magic.

-Toreador.>>

*Edited. See below post.*

Tyler sidesteps into an ally near the women's shelter. Raising his arms, and channeling his mana through his ebony cane. He begins to cast an invisibility spell on himself.



Invisible to the mundane eye and to most security electronic systems. He approaches the shelter under the guise of his spell. In the line of sight of one of the women sentries (One of the important looking one's or security chiefs), he attempts to probe her mind, looking for any images of Anna coming by the shelter in her recent memory.



If he does not find anything about Anna on the sentry, he will attempt to enter the shelter under the improved invisibility spell...

The woman's mind opens up easily enough. Long tracks of boredom make her less aware than she could be. The woman does not remember Anna going into the building, but does remember her coming out.

An image surfaces of her holding the hand of a man who looks gigantic. Though man may not be the correct term, a face that is both feminine and masculine and yet very delicate, he wears his hair braided up into a circlet. He towers over everyone else, making Anna look all the more smaller and childlike. The suit, stylish yet rumpled. He leads her to the waiting cab and spirit her away.

Taking in the information. He snaps into a dash down the block. His black duster billowing behind him like a cape. Time is of the essence. Every moment Anna was missing, was another moment something could happen to her. Finding his motorbike, he got on the bike and then dropped the invisibility spell, slowly appearing before everyone around the area.

Recalling his two air spirits adorned in steampunk wear. He brings forth the mental image of man with the circlet braided hair. When the two spirits appear he beckons them to..

"Find this man."

He then summons three watcher spirits.



When the three watcher spirits emerge. He sends them the same orders. To either find the man, Anna, or the cab. Pointing his fingers towards the DC night, he sends the spirits off.

He places the dark visor helmet over his head. Turning his neck around, he looks behind him and finds the sight of the monolithic Washington Monument towering over him. Spotlights filtered two and from above the landmark, like multiple "Bat Signals" moving to and fro, but without the silly bat icon in the middle. He would find the girl or die trying.

The Watcher spirits report back within ten minutes. The cab is currently in Maryland at a rest point. The man no sign has been seen, although the Watcher spirit seems confused. Anna cannot be found.

"Iiiinnnteresting!"

As much as he tried. He could not get the image of the Professor out of his head, drumming his little fingers and acting like a kid at a candy store. Nonethless, Tyler Crey headed north along I-95 towards Maryland. Like how he does most things in life, Tyler ignored the speed limit the entire trip, thus making great time on the Mirage. With the extra nuyen he earned from the Karkoff job, he was already looking forward to souping up this baby.

Leading the way, Tyler followed his astral spirit as it flew above him. Weaving in and out of traffic, Tyler did not bother to signal as the motorcycle veered left off the exit ramp and entered the rest area.

Fuck stealth. Let's just do this straight up.

Abruptly hitting the handle break, Tyler attempted to come to a complete stop after making a loud, screeching, "U" as if preparing to make a sharp U-turn. He was hoping to pollute the air with the smell of burning rubber and infect the pavement on the street with thick dark tire streaks.



The rest area in Howard County, Maryland, and the abandoned cab commence.

You come across the cab readily enough with the spirit helping you guide you to it.

The cab has been sitting at the taxi stop for some while, condensation had already appeared on the wind shield. A quick look inside revealed it to be vacant, opening up the door only caused the lights to activate and the onboard programs to initiate. Like the majority of the cabs in the D.C. area this one too is automated.

Striding off his bike, approaching the car Toreador discovered the contents of the automobile empty. He took a moment to scan the insides of the cab, and the perimeter area surrounding the rest area.



He also took a moment to astrally perceive to see if there were any watcher spirits or other spirits that were not his own observing the area. After perceiving he took a moment to think about the death of Joseph Conrad, his interest all of a sudden renewed about the sadistic death of the former athlete.

He hesitated jumping into the cab to see if there was a programed destination past or future programmed into the cab. He ended up checking the routing program inside the cab, to see if there was any destination the cab was ready to head towards, and where it came from.

[OOC: Going to find out what is at the scene of this crime before reporting back to Malthus and then planning the appropriate plan of action at the beginning of the next post.]

*Edited* He does check the navagation program inside the automated cab.

There was nothing untoward on the perimeter and nothing even on the astral.

The cab smelled heavily of pine. The seats damp to the touch. The whole cab must have been run through its cleaning cycle as it had sat here for what must have been the day. The cab does not have a drivers seat, but the front two seat can swivel to allow four people to sit as a group or for all to look ahead.

"Do you wish to select a destination of travel?" The cab politely inquired over its speakers, the barely visible camera in the black dome of the cab swiveling to look at Tyler.


[OOC: I was tempted on putting a cabbie in the cab, but the majority of the cabs in the D.C. area are automated as I explained in a previous post in the main thread. The cab has obviously been here for the day. Most likely an end stop. Once it finishes its cycle, it goes to a taxi stand decided by the system and does a shut down for six hours including a cleaning cycle.]

"T'ch." He muttered.

Resisting the urge to fight the camera, he promptly taps into his Caliban and send a message back to his superiors.

"Examination crew requested at I-95 North rest area, Howard Country Maryland.

-Traced the Princess to this location from the St. Mary's Women's Shelter in downtown DeeCee. Attempting to explore future leads. Inquiring about current information gathered on your end.

Agent Crey."

Stepping away from the cab, he attempted once again to view and inspect the area for clues.

You do find an earring stuffed inside the cracks of the backseat. The rest of the cab was quite spotless.

The commlink interrupts Tyler's search.

<<Hi, we had a look at the cab's Matrix side. We did come across a location. Looks like whoever did a nice job of removing every trace that the cab had been moved, but forgot to clear the log when they moved the had the cab do its shutdown routine. Rookie mistake. We have an address. Its 8200 Old Columbia Road
Fulton, its actually only 10 blocks away from where you are currently. We are still clearing some backlog, so report back on the location.>>

[OOC: Old Columbia Road. Grew up around this area like Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn. ]

He pockets the earring, then speaks back to the commlink via subvocal.

"Much appreciated sweetheart. Toreador moving to the location. Will report back in when on site."

He slowly makes his way towards the Mirage. Lighting a cigarette beforehand. He was feeling a little anxious and excited. Growing up he felt as though he suffered from some sort of chemical imbalance or anxiety disorder. Or maybe it was because the elf known as Tyler Crey had been outcasted and picked on by fellow children of the Tir. Or maybe it was because he was emotionally abused by a father or noble blood for not being like his brothers and sisters who were born of an elven women. At times he felt as if was sentimental bulldrek, but he could not escape the feeling of having to prove himself to others and to his own soul. Thus, important missions like this always made him a bit nervous behind the external bravado. Hence why he turned to cigarettes and drugs. They were the X-factor. The neutralizer. When he was high, he felt as though he could do anything. He felt he could take on anyone.

He straddled the sleek dark Suzuki mirage, just before popping a dosage of Novacoke which took the form 2 pink and white medication capsules. The soft engine of the motorcycle came to life, twisting the handle bars the Toreador sped off towards 8200 Old Columbia Road, Maryland in anticipation of what he may find.

Most of the area around this area had been recently built. The corporate drones and the nuveau rich carving up Maryland farmland into small lots to place their houses with white picket fences and 2.5 children.

The polit corner shopping arcades with their brickabrack shops and cafes. The person beyond the singularity of Tyler Crey wondered if behind these whitewashed walls their parents, fought, the father drank, and the mother whored. The place of normality and refuge hiding behind abnormality and factories for the creation of future Shadowrunners.

In amongst the facade of normalcy rose a church, or at least it once was a church, its faded red bricks crusted with salt, the stained glass windows still in place. All that was missing was the cross on the front lawn and the cemetery beside it. It sat ugly among the prestinity of the neighbourhood, brooding.

The small brass sign on the door indicated this to be a private, exclusive clinic and the AR display politely, but strongly urged everyone to not go beyond this point, unless of course invited.

[Astral]

Into marvelous light I'm wandering. Out of darkness. Out of shame. By the cross you are the truth. You are the life. You are the way.

His remembered listening to a song when he was a mere child. Seeing the church jogged his memory.

I once was fatherless. A stranger with no hope. Your kindness wakened me. Awakened me, from my sleep. Your love it beckons deeply. A call to come and die. By grace now I will come And take this life, take your life.

The song is in reference to God. A God that many have thought had forsaken the 6th World. They maybe right. Who knows? But Tyler's mother believed until her last days. And somewhere in the deep recesses in his mind, he believed she is in a better place.

The benefits of the Novacoke were beginning to permeate. Fortunately, Tyler had developed an immunity to some of the more harmful side effects from the narcotic such as increased muscle twitching. Astrally, the clinic said "Go the Fuck Away," a direct contrast to the polite sign via AR> He viewed the area externally with a pair of binoculars.



He contacted Malthus's group via subvocal. Hoping to get the female agent again.

<<Agent Crey on site at the location. 8200 Old Columbia Road. It appears to be a clinic. There are heavy wards surrounding the site through the astral. Which is a good sign that somebody does not want outsiders to have an idea of what is going on inside.

Awaiting orders. Although I must admit. I am anxious to enter at my own discretion, save the damsel in distress, and hoard all of the glory to myself.>>

He smiled.

<<I mean for the Tir.>>

There does not seem to be any visible deterrents. No guards, dogs, however there is quite a few cameras discreetly hidden behind bushes, in trees, and on the building. There is not even a fence to keep stray puppies out.

<<Malthus here. Keep an eye on the clinic. If you feel you can do some reconnaissance of the area, please do. You may use your discretion. I am currently in interrogation, rely on the network. Malthus out.>>

<<Matrix network 1&2 here. We had a look at the place on the Matrix. Whatever the place is, no-one wants you to do any snooping on its insides, at least on the matrix. It has better defenses than some of the Ares R&D facilities. I will be doing some very probative searches, which will take time.>>

<<"Affirmative Colonel Malthus. I shall appraise the condition of this facility to the best of my ability before you arrive.">>

Pressing a function button on his commlink he sent the text message response back to the operating commander. He then opens up his vocal commlink to respond to the matrix team.

<<"Understood Matrix 1&2. Keep me posted on your progress.">>

Having worked with hackers and technomancers in the past, Tyler knew that a careful probe of a target node could take a few hours, if not longer.

The five Ws came to his mind. Who, WHAT, where, when, and WHY? What were they planning to do with Anna? And why? Who did not matter as much as these first two questions. He could give a shit about who was behind all of this, cause in the end they would be dead either way.

Closing his eyes momentarily, he went astral once again. He knew the wards were strong, but he did not underestimate his abilities either and in this scenario the reward out weights the risk.

[Astrally perceiving the wards.]

Tyler looking again on the astral, the ward pulsed briefly as if it was a giant heart, when he tried to figure out its power, as he kept looking the pulses came faster an eye started to form on its surface. The FAB behind the ward becoming increasingly agitated, rippling with its effects. The rhythm slowed down and the eye disappeared back to that of crackling force.

[Astral]

Should he enter the complex on his own. His heart said yes. His head screamed a resounding no. It was clear from the previous messages that it would take time for Malthus's unit to arrive on scene, and maybe even longer for the Matrix team to hack the defense systems.

Did Anna have enough time? That was the question.

<<To Malthus and the rest of the team.

The clinic is heavily warded with magical defenses, the likes of which I've never seen before. It is as if the magical barriers are alive themselves. Nonetheless. I am attempting to conduct physical scan of the outer perimeter. Will report once the intelligence has been gathered. End Text.>>

He went back to his bike to check the inventory. He was light on gear. His black lined duster provided him with armor. And his four magical foci were all adorned and accounted for. Closing his eyes, he focused on the energy around him as he tapped into the cane he held in his right hand. Slowly he began to dissapear, from the top to bottom, as if he was being erased with a pencil from the mundane world.



Under the guise of improved invisibility Tyler dreads slowly along the grounds of the compound, hoping to make it to inside the entrance of the church/clinic.

Tyer walks through the section which was once a garden and up to the front steps of the clinic.

The large wooden double doors and the smaller door on the side one would expect locked. Instead it opened by simply sliding open.

The foyer of the clinic was white and spotless. The white of every surface seemed to melt into each one. There was a receptionist at the desk, on the desk were the only source of color, violet orchids. There was a pleasant smell to the place. There was also the stylised symbol of Cross Applied Technologies on the wall.

When Tyler walks into the room, the receptionist does not look up. After waiting a bit of time, he realises that she has not moved.

On each side of the desk are two corridors.

Tyler searched for the right word. The facility felt "cold." To mundanes, there is a street rumor which states that magicians can sometimes sense the nature of a location, the emotional equivalent of a radioactive background count. Places where there's been suffering or horror would have an especially high background count and be greatly disturbing to a mage. Tyler could not get a feel for the place, but the lucidity of the foyer structure combined with the high astral and matrix securities employed left him with a slight paranoia. He began to think the smell was masking something...

He studied the receptionist. She had not moved. He began to wonder if she was even real or alive.

The elf made circled around the receptionist desk. He first attempts to see if there is any information regarding what type of clinic this is. He was also actively searching for any maps of the facility.



He then closes his eyes for a moment and attempts to place a gentle touch on her shoulder. Slowly, deliberate, as if the touch felt like a small piece of soft tissue landing on her shoulder.

Casting Mind Probe on the Receptionist. Force 4.

The receptionist once touched does not move. The person is not cold to the touch, but neither is she warm. The mind probe brings nothing out, it was like mind probing a vase. In actuality the flower on her desk probably has a stronger personality.

There desk is uncluttered, a novel sits on the table, and a few discarded pens, there are a few folders containing only empty paper. There is a letter from the fire chief lying on the desk, underneath it is a map of fire-exits for the building. The only other thing on the desk is a commlink with a port on its side. From the commlink a spooled cable snaked its way under her clothes to a datajack at the back of her head.

<<Text to Malthus and Matrix 1&2

The clinic is a Cross Applied Technologies Center. But this may be a front. There is a mannequin receptionist in the lobby along with two corridors to the left and right. Exploring the left corridor. For the Tir.>>

Still under the guise of improved invisibility, Tyler makes his way down the left (or western) ingress. Bringing his staff foci to bear as if it was a weapon, he proceeded with caution. Taking in the details of the area, and attempting to determine what type of 'clinic' this is.

<<This is Matrix 1&2, we did some snooping. The IC is solid. I would rather put my datajack into the electrical mains than start poking this to see what it does. We did a little bit of digging. This clinic is not owned by anyone. Used to be part of Cross Applied Technologies and then during the buyouts, it just disappeared. Welcome to the dark side of the moon.>>


As Tyler progresses past white walled doors, he comes across white doors which are closed. Each one has a maglock pad next to them. None of the doors are marked. As he progresses he comes across a section which does not have doors, a hospital ward of some kind. Behind opaque curtains there are medical machines next to people lying on beds. This has actually been the only place which has shown any kind of activity.

There does not seem to be any nurses or any staff. Actually if there were not people in the beds, you would suspect this whole clinic would be vacant. There is a slow rumble as the air conditioning units turn off for a moment, heating up the place before turning off.

"Roger that Matrix 1&2. Continue to maintain electronic surveillance on the outer perimeter. Will be patching you into my visual and audio feed momentarily."

The magical radioactive background count began to resonate and pulsate at a increased rate, upon entering this ward. He begins to inspect each body, taking pictures of each. All the while, keeping a close eye for anyone even resembling Anna. Taking time, he tries to decipher what type of work is being conducted with these machines at a most basic level. Are they in post-surgery? Do the bodies looked tampered with? Or are they just attempting to maintain life support are some questions that came to mind. Tyler also looks for any hardcopy records of a list of the 'patients' names.



"Patching you through now, Matrix 1&2." He spoke softly, as he looked at the latest body.


The only sound which occurred other then his subvocal conversation was the incremental death of the air conditioner unit. He tensed up the moment it turned off. Eyes darting towards the air conditioner unit, the hospital-esque room began to heat up at a quick pace. He wondered how long his invisibility would hold up in this building. With the astral defenses being as powerful as they were, beyond anything he had seen or studied before. Toreador closed his eyes momentarily to perceive astrally.





Edited: Slight responses changes in the second to last and last paragraphs. Edited some of his actions in the spoiler tags. He is now assessing the patients in addition to the room. He is also looking for any unique patterns or simlar traits all of the patients share.

The medical equipments were measuring lifesigns of the persons in the beds. Some of them you are unsure of what they do. Some had respirators connected to them. IV packs. They people were of all types of metahumans they ages ranged from the teens to the mid forties. Some had missing cyberlimbs, sockets where parts should be.

Some had a hollowness of once being magical, but most were mundane. Some slept fitfully. Others were having feverish nightmares, or were they feverish because of their nightmares? Most of their dreams were connected to the machines that were not monitoring them, but it was giving them input.

After a bit of looking you do find Anna. She has sensors connected to her scalp and an IV drip in her arm. Otherwise she was asleep. Despite the outward restive experience, her dreams were filled with helplessness, defilement and dread.

Tyler when he looked on the astral could see a vortex starting up above him. The eye on the wall was back and it looked directly at you. It blinked. An astral mist was seeping through the walls into the corridor.

<<Matrix 1&2 Here. We're having I/R%¤E&I>>
The transmission ended in dead air.

Toreador dropped to one knee, besides Anna. His cane hovered over her as he attempted to cast a healing spell over the young girl.

Anna, blinked at Tyler in a dream like haze. Her mouth dry she tried to say something. But looked fearfully around her, gripping Tyler's arm in a vice-like grip that left bruises. She looked at Tyler and tried to run away, but could only stagger a few steps before tripping over her feet. She looked at Tyler with drugged, unfocused eyes.

The white mist continued to roil into the corridor. It fell from vents in the ceiling and started to slowly cover the floor. The lights going from an antiseptic white to a harsh red glare. There seems to be someone walking in the corridor.