Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 9:31 PM, Ferret's van, Redmond

Professor gaped as the horror transpired before his eyes. Astrally aware, he watched as the life force drained from Amber. The second one in a day I've watched like this.

Cold. Blank. He drew his pistol. He walked towards the twitching thing on the ground. He emptied his magazine into it. It stopped twitching. He looked for more as he loaded another magazine.

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 9:31 PM, Oswald's Rover, Redmond

Jovan was ruminating on the complication they had run into upon discovering that the ID's were disconnected. It was because of this distracted state he was in that he ended up hearing the gunshots and other sounds of the struggle before he actually got a look at what was transpiring. He moved with haste to the window next to him and quickly scanned over the scene, narrowing his eyes at the bleeding dwarf figure on the ground and the two shadowy figures attacking the rest of his team members. Mutants? Ghouls? What are those creatures? One of the things seemed to have been disabled, so that one was not of immediate concern - particularly as he saw the figure of Professor approach and unload an entire magazine into it.

He turned his attention to the remaining attacker. It seemed like the entity was looking to kill another one of his companions - and, in the heat of the moment, his patience wore thin, and his conscience and anger surged into life. Enough was enough. Too many people had been killed or critically injured on this job already. He could have dealt with it easily had their deaths been more spread out over this week-long job. Not like this, not all in less than 24 hours. None of this was necessary.

Jovan's lip curled upward into a snarl, and the pupils of his eyes dilated as he began forcing his way into the attacker's mind, almost mentally shouting at it to be still. He refused to let the thing put anyone else on this team at death's door, and didn't care that that refusal would bring doom upon it from Rusty, Professor, Acme, and Ferret. NO MORE DYING!!

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 9:31 PM, Oswald's Rover, Redmond

"Well this explains a few things." Oswald commented offhand as he kicked the rover's high-beams on, bathing the area in light. "Seems our man Biggs is dead 'n' ate if this is who he's keeping for company. I'm hoping this at least means those traps of his are sprung." He dropped the vehicle into park and began unhooking his harness.

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 9:31 PM, Ferret's van, Redmond

Ferret watches the scene unfold behind him unfold in the AR feeds from the van's cameras. His meat body reacts too slow to even shout a warning as the creature springs from the shadows. He rolls the van to a halt in the narrow passage and lets his head sink onto the steering wheel.

Dear lord, how many more.

He gulps down air, his stomach twisting. He hadn't had a good word for her since she turned up and now she was dead. And he wouldn't get a chance to apologise now. Lightning flashes as Rusty jams his stunrod into one of the creatures. Still Ferret doesn't move. With his forehead pressed against the plastic of the steering wheel and his eyes tightly closed, he watches the scene play out.

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 9:31 PM, Ferret's van, Redmond

The elf walked past Professor as he unloaded into the beast of a man on the ground. It wasn't until he heard Rusty yelling that he noticed the second one closing in. The creature paused for a split second for reasons unknown. It turned its nose to the air like a wild animal. Only Jovan was currently aware how much like a wild animal this guy was. As he tried to calm the man with his magic, he found that this man was working on little more than instinct. Simple, basic needs that would not be swayed by subtle influences. His higher reasoning was gone. this was a starving bear in the woods bearing down on a white rabbit with pointy ears.

...

...

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 9:31 PM, Ferret's van, Redmond

The last magazine was nearly empty from the day's work so far. The new magazine, is in. This one is full. Professor sees the other ... thing. He see's Jovan's magic threading through it's aura. It's aura is disgusting. It was once a man.

He raises his weapon.

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 9:31 PM, Ferret's van, Redmond

Acme frowned, not familiar with the gun in his hands. Dammit, he was used to the weight and kick of a pistol, not a full-blown assault rifle. With his head still cloudy, he looked towards the spectre for a target. Now was as good a time for practice as any.

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 9:31 PM, Rusty's Safehouse, Redmond

Not even sure why he did it, Oswald moved quickly from the safety of his vehicle to draw and fire on the not-so-imposing beast as it mindlessly dragged their newest addition off to some corner to devour her. Unmolested, the brain can survive without oxygen for nearly two minutes before risking permanent damage. Throats aren't always as important as people think they are..

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 9:31 PM, Rusty's Safe House, Redmond

The Ghoul, sensing he was outnumbered, switched to flight mode. He grabbed his small meal by her limp arm and bolted for the hole he crawled out of. Oswald leveled the laser pistol at him and fired. The first shot burned across the bricks where the beast had been a nanosecond earlier. The second shot zipped across the beast's back straight through the leather jacket and sending up the smell of searing flesh. But the laser isn't known for it's stopping power, and the beast continued on into the rubble from whence it came, trailing Amber's blood behind him.

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 9:31 PM, Rusty's Safe House, Redmond

No fucking way, you piece of shit. No way you get her for lunch.

Professor's aura is darkening into 'red'.

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 9:31 PM, Rusty's Safe House, Redmond

Another magic came lashing out from Jovan, and the Pale, blood crusted ghoul ceased its dash for safety. It stopped outside a gap in the fallen wall next door. It shook and growled, holding onto the dwarf's wrist, and wondering why it couldn't make another step.

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 9:31 PM, Rusty's Safe House, Redmond

That sparkly 'yellow' of joy appears in Professor's aura as he sees Jovan's magic entangling the mind of the assailant. <<@Jovan: Thanks for pinning him down, chummer.>> He stays astrally aware. Harder to shoot, but better to watch the thing die.

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 9:31 PM, Oswald's Rover, Redmond

The failure of Jovan's previous attempt to bend the creature's mind only added to his frustration and anger as his magic lashed out to immobilize it. I said be still!

He glanced at the message in the corner of his vision as the ghoul suddenly found itself unable to move, and paused. The dwarf had called him his chummer. Jovan felt ambivalent about that. One the one hand, no one had dared call him their chummer in years, and hearing it again after becoming used to the fear and hatred of normal metahumans was... strange. Perhaps almost touching. On the other, he felt almost a little insulted. It was almost like a mockery of his trust in the one person in the world that Jovan could truly call his friend; this unInfected dwarf was certainly not that person and never could be.

There will be time enough to think on this later.

<<<@Professor: ...Mmmm. Just go on and shoot it already.>> He turned back to the animalistic creature before him, and, with the quick reflexes of a superior Infected, prepared to lash out again with another of his natural abilities.

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 9:31 PM, Rusty's Safe House, Redmond

Professor's disciplined mind took control of the distracting messages from astral and material planes. Good. Clear shot. But what struck him next was a surprising revelation. The thing's aura. Was that a hint of ... Jovan's disease? No time to be sure, but of course. Yet another victim itself, this thing was once a man. Could'a been me.

Professor's aura changed again. The 'green' of pity. It was not an angry man that took aim, but one bent on releasing a hostage.

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 9:31 PM, Rusty's Safe House, Redmond

I hope this sends you to a better place.

Professor takes two quick shots to the centre of mass.

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 9:31 PM, Rusty's Safe House, Redmond

Ferret watches in horror as the ghoul starts to drag Amber's body away.

His mind cries 'No!' but his body remains locked to the steering wheel, watching the scene play out but unable to act.

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 1:31 PM, Zo's Doss in Touristville, Redmond

Zo groggily stumbled out of bed. Trying to remember which joy troll, dwarf, or orc he came home with from the TDO club last night.
"Ahh Shiela, <subconsciously smacking her in the ass as she lay right next to him>. That was it."

He sent her some 50 nuyen, not that he had to, the club was in Crush territory, just that he got more fun out the joygirls than if they were just Micky’s freebies for his protection.
"Shiela, you should git back to Mickey's, he is probably wonderin' about you now."

He started to grab his gear, and noticed a rat crawling across the floor of his dilapidated apartment. He pondered if he needed target practice. He settled for a virtual draw on the beast. Nailing it, at least that is what the smartlink program told him, in .073 seconds "Not bad" . The rat moved on, oblivious to its virtual death. Shiela, looked at him slightly puzzled.

"Rat ain't worth the bullet." Zo said

As if that explained everything, he grabbed a soy bar from the fridge (the only place the rats didn't go), eating it while watching the dwarf get dressed. They left together, and headed toward Mickey's on his bike.

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 9:31 PM, Rusty's Safe House, Redmond

Professor's Shots land square between the shoulder blades, dropping the man like a sack of dirt on top of Amber's body.

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 9:31 PM, Rusty's Safe House, Redmond

"I know this is going to sound strange, but get a tourniquet around her neck! Tight as you can! Save the blood, and I can save the rest of her! There's some major pathways thereabouts, but they're few in number. If I can splint the big ones and burn the rest, we could still stabilize her."

Triage in general was never Oswald's thing, but this was hardly something any doctor saw. A person would bleed out of such a wound in probably 46 seconds, so people with torn jugulars weren't exactly hospital fare. This was the sort of experimental medicine that overjoyed Oswald's jaded heart.
Bryukhonenko could routinely keep a severed dog's head alive and responsive for 4 hours back in 1928. I'll be damned if I can't do better today.

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 9:31 PM, Rusty's Safe House, Redmond

Acme seems a bit stunned and in shock of the ghouls going around him to act very quickly, as he wasn't even sure what the hell he was thinking to go out into a firezone to go after her in the first place. Seeing the one dragging Amber away, he slowly moves forward to reclaim her, since Oswald was insistent.

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 2:00 PM, TDO Club in Touristville, Redmond

Without saying a word, Zo dropped the Dwarf off. Noting that some of Crush were already hanging out at the club enjoying the show. There were a few wageslaves inside, those that were regulars ignored them, the one or two new faces Zo recognized were nervous. He went over to the Bar to talk to Gore, one of the few trolls in the gang.

"Hey Gore, you coverin' here tonight?"

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 9:31 PM, Rusty's Safe House, Redmond

Oswald's shout cut through Professor's focus on the assailant. He looked around, and saw that he was the closest to her. He rushed to her side, bent, and ... stopped. Ghoul blood spreading everywhere, including on Amber. What was hers? What was its?

<<@team: There's infected blood everywhere. What do I do?>>

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 9:31 PM, Oswald's Rover, Redmond

Jovan grimaced as he realized, now that he had the time to process what had happened, that the wounded creature now laying atop the newcomer Amber must be a feral ghoul. That did not bode well for the female's fate. Not that he felt a great deal of sympathy for either of the two, of course, but even so he lamented this misfortune.

You picked the wrong herd of metahuman cattle to prey on this night, brother. You should have stuck with your smarter brethren to look after you.

<<@Professor: I know this isn't what you want to hear, but that is not a good sign for her. If the ghoul's blood is mingling with hers at the site of her wound, and she survives, there is a high chance that she will reawaken as an Infected, and she won't be one of the more fortunate ones like I was. To live as a ghoul is to live as worse than an exile, to live as a true monster in the eyes of others - even if she restricts her feeding to corpses. A quick and merciful death may be the best choice if this is the case.>>

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 9:31 PM, Rusty's Safe House, Redmond

Seems to be an overdraft on the pity bank tonight.

<<@team: OK. Jovan is right, of course. Bad night all around. Let's get back on the job.>>

Professor backs away from the entwined bodies and looks around, particularly at the hole in the wall from which the ghoul had come.

"Where are we going, Rusty?"

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 2:01 PM, TDO Club in Touristville, Redmond

Gore snorted as he fixed a drink,"It looks that way, Jersey was supposed to do this crap tonight. Me and Arsenio were gonna go shake down a few newcomers in the squats on pine. What have you got goin on?"

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 9:31 PM, Rusty's Safe House, Redmond

Oswald scrambled over to watch as Amber's heart continued to pump pint by pint-sized pint of blood out on the ground. He tried to rip a strip of fabric off his jacket to wrap her neck, but the ballistic cloth wouldn't give. With one last desperate look around, he just gave up and tried to cauterize the wound with his lazer pistol, but the arterial walls were just too far apart for that.

"Well, shit." The blood pumped out onto the floor, far too much blood, mingling with that of the slowly dying ghoul. Another shot to its head put that to rest too. "I'll bag her when we leave. Anyone wanna tell the paymistress? Might want to mention the Viper's business. Might not."

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 2:01 PM, TDO Club in Touristville, Redmond

"Ain't dat bad. You can always pretend your a wageslave take some work home with you." Geturing to the troll dancer working the pole on stage. "Besides, I 'm off to check out a new delivery later on this afternoon at K-P's. See if there in anything new worth picking up. Let me know if you're needin anythin? I'll stop by later. After that, Gotta a go check on a few dealer, a few haven't paid this month's security fee and dey needs a reminder. "

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 9:31 PM, Rusty's Safe House, Redmond

Ferret watches Oswald calmly shoot Amber and then the ghoul, ensuring neither of them will get back up, alive or dead. He then forces his head up from the steering wheel and rests it on the headrest of his chair. His hands still clutch the wheel in a deathgrip he isn't quite ready to release.

<<@Mrs Johnson: Your new recruit just got her throat ripped out by a ghoul {gory video clip of Amber's sudden death}. Might explain why BDLL went offline. Looking into it now. With luck will recover the missing goods today before anyone else buys the farm. FYI, the Viper mercs were looking for BDLL regarding some high-end comms gear they had ordered from him. It would be in both our best interests if you could keep them off our backs as we're starting to run out of warm bodies here. Ferret.>>

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 2:01 PM, TDO Club in Touristville, Redmond

"Hey, if you've got some time later, can you swing out to Throgg's Place and remind Arsenio that he owes me some cred and see what he scored off those slots on Pine? Supposedly they're some green, runner want-a-bees, and they probably got some sweet gear on them".
Someone at the bar starts whining for his drink and the troll yells at him,"Shut up before you hurt yourself!"

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 9:32 PM, Rusty's Safe House, Redmond

Rusty scans the area as he speaks,"Let's move on in before something else happens!" He goes over to the chain to wait for the trucks to get through,"The other end opens up around the bend."
He closes the garage door behind them. Headlights light the tunnel of wreckage around a curve and then an open space, big enough to turn a couple of vehicles in. It could have been an office building or a small store. It's original contents are gone except for half an office to the left, the windows covered with scrap metal. In the open area there are a few work benches, a small engine hoist, a generator with cables running to the office. To the left is another garage door that was obviously custom built in this renovation project. Rusty makes his way to the generator when they stop,"You guys want to cool your heels for a minute? That was some crazy shit out there"

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 9:32 PM, Rusty's Safe House, Redmond

So, this is the trog's place? Where's the trucks? What kind of...
<<@Team: Wait a god-damned minute! What is this? I thought we were headed to BDLL's place! I got a seasoned killer sitting on the floor of my vehicle growing ever closer to waking back up. We've got a hostile mage probably watching us, using said unconscious killer. We don't have time for this tourist bullshit.>>

Oz paused for a moment. "Hey, that's an idea. Joe, can you tell if there's someone watching that Viper guy with their hoo-doo? Be a shame to shed one trace for another."

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 2:01 PM, TDO Club in Touristville, Redmond

"Sure. I'll can be out there. You should of known better than to loan Arsenio cred. Runner wannabees? Great--hope their trigger happy. Could use some live fire practice after last weeks raid on the Humanis local 252--my trigger finger is gettin bored. See ya tomorrow Gore."
Zo leaves the club, hops on his bike and takes off K-P's.


Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 9:32 PM, The Loose Cannon, Touristville, Redmond


"Man today was a waste. K-P got some SnS but I got enough of that. The dealers are either dead or gone--not at their usual corner nor bein' polite and retuning my calls. "

<@Edger (Bartender)>One usual.

At seeing Throgg in the back of the bar. "Hey Throgg, is Arsenio here? Gore's lookin for da money he owes em and I'm supposed ta remind the slacker of tusker to pay'em. "

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 9:32 PM, Rusty's Safe House, Redmond

Ferret turns the van back towards the entrance then pulls to a halt. He peels his sweaty, shaking hands from the steering wheel and gives a long sigh. Then he climbs out and joins the others, feeling every bit as old as the sprightly octogenarian astronaut.

He looks around at the motley crew. Mad scientist, crazy shaman, bumbling professor and cowardly decker. His eyes flick to Oswald's Rover. Let's not forget the dying ork, and the paranoid mage or vampire or whatever Jovan was. Frag, we're short on muscle if things go bad.

<<@Throgg: Hey Buddy, I'm into something here that's a little high risk and could use someone to watch my back. You free? Would be just like the old days when we were running cram to the Vory. You got my number, gimme a call.>>

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 9:32 PM, Rusty's Safe House, Redmond

Jovan shook his bald head as his eyes drew in all the details of this little hideaway through the Rover's tinted window. "Unlikely. Their tracking him magically would require either a spirit ordered to Search for him by his aura, or a ritual spell. My watchers haven't seen any astral forms watching the vehicle since we acquired him. As for a ritual casting, that takes a great deal of time; finishing a ritual spell in the short time frame in which he has been in our possession would require enormous magical strength. I also have not felt any growing mana levels around him so far. It may indeed be that they have written him off as lost."

After what had just happened to Amber, and what had almost happened to Acme, Jovan was no longer willing to take chances. A proactive approach was clearly necessary to safeguard the lot of them from any more deaths. He reached out into the astral plane and summoned three more watchers to replace the ones he had lost. You three, search the building for signs of sentient entities. The three dwarfs, the old human with holes in his aura, and the magician are all with me. I need to know what other metahumans, spirits, or even moving astral shadows are in the building with us. Now, if not sooner. Go.

The nosferatu glanced back for a moment at the unconscious Thirty still hooked up to medical machinery. It was unfortunate that the ork's condition was not looking any better. But they could not wait for Thirty to recover so that they could get their combat specialist back, and Jovan was reluctant to request personal help from Zayne - his friend had already helped him get this job in the first place, so Jovan felt he owed it to his friend to leave him as a last resort - albeit an effective one, no doubt. The team would have to roll with the punches and adjust to their lack of fighting capability, and that meant making sure that they did not fall into a situation where high combat ability was needed. That meant something that the nosferatu side of his personality found enormously appealing, more appealing even than hunting prey: outthinking and outplotting all potential threats to the group, including the 12 Vipers.

<<@Professor: I will need to speak to you in private soon, regarding how we proceed henceforth.>>

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 9:32 PM, Rusty's Safe House, Redmond

Professor nods as he sees three watchers spread out from the other vehicle. <<@Jovan: Yes. The situation is complex, and some analysis would go a long way. I'll be in soon.>>

He wanders over to Rusty. "So, where is Big Daddy's place in relation to your setup here?"

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 9:32 PM, Rusty's Safe House, Redmond

Acme cleared his stunned behavior, walking back to where everyone was centered. He laid the assault rifle down at the floor of the van and rubbed his temple. "So," he replied, taking a flask out of his jacket pocket and taking a long pull. "All this and ghouls too. Who else is up for asking Mizz J for hazard pay?"

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 9:32 PM, Rusty's Safe House, Redmond

Professor laughs at Acme's comment. "It seems as if the jobs always have more hazard than the Johnson can or will tell you about.

"Rusty is about to fill us in on where Big Daddy's place is in relation to where we are now. This seems a good place to hole up for a minute and plan, without anybody raining bullets and claws down on us."

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 9:32 PM, The Loose Cannon, Touristville, Redmond

Throgg was wide eyed and his pupils were tiny. A young ganger chick Zo hadn't seen before was rubbing Throgg's chest and giggling. He responded to Zo with all the enthusiasm that you'd expect from a coked up ork,"Yea yea, Arsenio. He was here like a few minutes ago. I sent him out to take a couple of tourists back to civilization. Hey, you want a bump man?"
Before Zo could respond, Throgg's comm goes off. He holds up a finger to pause the conversation as his companion fishes the commlink out of his shirt pocket.His eyes are still on the screen as he talks,"Hey Z-man, you want to make some serious money? A friend of mine is in desperate need of manpower. I'm not really in the right frame of mind for this kinda work right now, but these guys are pro. We're talkin mad loot. what'cha think?"

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 9:32 PM, Rusty's Safe House, Redmond

Rusty pauses before he pulls the cord on the generator and looks at the second door in thought,"Well, head north through there about three miles. You'll start seeing the signs for CatCo Labs and Phoenix Mall, not to mention all the warning signs about toxins and unstable buildings. I'm not sure exactly which building Big Daddy stays in. I never go past the gas station up the street. Theres a working Matrix terminal in there. Thats how I get ahold of the guy, but like I said, there's been no answer in days."

[quote name='Red-ROM' date='Feb 19 2011, 12:38 AM' post='1043821']
Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 9:32 PM, The Loose Cannon, Touristville, Redmond

"Throog, ya know i don't touch that stuff...messes with my mojo...-Depends, what dey up to and how mad the loot is. I ain't stormin no toxic castle for a hit of novacoke. You wanna patch me through to the friend of yours? "

Runners needin muscle in the barrens, if they think there gonna get it cheap they're short on more than just muscle.

Zo, downs his drink. motioning Edger for another one.

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 9:33 PM, The Loose Cannon, Touristville, Redmond

Throgg got Ferret on the comm while his consort went in search of more nose candy,<<Hey man, It's Throgg, I'm high as the space needle right now, that was some good shit you dropped here, but I got a buddy here that can hang. He's looking for details and pricetags. What'cha got for me?>>

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 9:33 PM, Rusty's Safe House, Redmond

"So what's the contact info you use to get a hold of Big Daddy from the gas station?"

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 9:33 PM, Rusty's Safe House, Redmond

<<@Throgg: Hold the line a moment, chummer. I need to check with my team and the J.>>

Ferret feels himself calming down as he puts his buddy on hold and opens up a channel to the team while simultaneously composing a message to Mrs Johnshon. The digital realm is where he is most at home, although his run-in with the Viper's hacker has confirmed his fears that his kit is not up to specs needed to play with the big boys.

<<@Team: I've got a line on some muscle to replace Thirty and Amber. He's linked to the Crush and my buddy Throgg vouches for him. I realise that might not carry a lot of weight with you guys but the Crush have solid with me last few years and Throgg has got me out of a couple of grim situations. I'm going to negotiate with the boss-lady but you get the last word on whether we take him on.>>

<<@Mrs Johnson: I've got a line on some muscle to replace Thirty and Amber. Don't know what you offered the dwarf, but can I assume it's the same as what you offered me? And are you okay with me bringing him in. I don't know him personally but one of my contacts in the Barrens vouches for him.>>

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 9:33 PM, Rusty's Safe House, Redmond

<<@Team: Someone who knows his way around a weapon better than I do has got to be an improvement over putting me up front! You have my vote.>>

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 9:33 PM, Rusty's Safe House, Redmond

<<@Team: Yeah, put me into another vote for someone that keeps them from murdering me. I should be pretty better now. So think we're going to have to deal with a Ghoul Long Legs, or maybe we'll just be lucky that we can just find the crate we're looking for and call it a day? Hmm... Think that Viper might have something to do with the ghouls?>>

He was a bit hyper; even with his mild headache from the drain he was starting to get antsy to get this job over with.

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 9:34 PM, Rusty's Safe House, Redmond

<<Johnson@Ferret: I was just watching your home movie. It was a little unnecissary. If you have a line on someone that's fine, just send me any info you get on him. I'd like to check him out some. I'm not negotiating any new deals. It's the same price for everyone so far.>>

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 9:33 PM, Rusty's Safe House, Redmond

<<@Team: I vote no trogs. But he'll be riding with you, so whatever.>>

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 9:35 PM, Rusty's Safe House, Redmond

<<@Johnson: Yeah, sorry about that. I guess I was a little freaked out by it myself and just wanted to make it clear that I was on the level. Especially as we already had a few casualties too many today. Won't happen again. Anyway, the muscle is a member of the Crimson Crush, likely an ork with some experience on a bike and in close up and brutal combat. He won't be no decker, mage or tactical expert but he likely knows how to take names and kick ass. If you want to negotiate directly, I'll link you up or I can just offer him the going rate.>>

<<@Throgg: Sorry about that. Had ta speak to the J. We're going into some chemical wasteland up north looking for some missing trucks. Could run into ghouls or some merc company with a bug up thier collective asses. Offer is 10K nuyen, no negotiation. You want to take a finder's fee outta that is up to you. Your boy got a name and a speciality I can pass onto the J?>>

<<@Oswald: {Random image from troll on dwarf porn}. He's Crush, so it's pretty fraggin' unlikely he's some knife-ear dandelion eater. And yeah, he can ride in the van.>>

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 9:35 PM, Rusty's Safe House, Redmond

Acme rubbed his temple. This was getting to be quite normal, the exchange of severe insults, but he was used to being the one doing it. He smirked, took another pull, and typed.
<<@Oswald, Ferret: What's the matter, Wizard of Oz? Afraid that another non-human makes you feel a bit... inadequate down there? Thinking that the Mizz J would want a wrinkly old septegenarian? And I'll have to be noting this conversation for my latest meeting of the conspiracy. Maybe I can even sell you out to become immortal...>> It was a bit of venting, but he was building up a bit of tension and Coyote was gruffing in his head to throw a spanner in the works.

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 9:35 PM, Rusty's Safe House, Redmond

Jovan frowned disapprovingly at Oswald's racist comment, but held his tongue out of mild respect for the old man's honoring of his desire for privacy.

<<@team: If we proceed with intelligence and caution, a combat role may prove unnecessary. But it would be wise to have some muscle to fall back on, as a precautionary measure.>>