[07:36 AM, January 2nd, 2072; An Unmarked Warehouse; Redmond]
Copperhead accepts Cutter's hand gracefully, pushing off from her back foot so he doesn't have to take all her weight. The van's suspension doesn't get off so lightly and groans as she adds her mass to the back axle. She stays balanced half-in and half out the rear doors, her head sticking up above the roof as she keeps a watch out for the Beast.
Spirit, you have performed well. I need your assistance only a short while longer and will then release you from my service.
"He's called da Beast and I think he was sent to find you guys. Lucky I bumped into him when I got here. He kinda takes da direct approach and aint much for planning."
She pauses to look into the van and stare accusingly at Cutter, "So what happened here anyway? You never said anything to me about a job."
Full Version: 2072: Game World
Pages: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51
Copperhead
[07:38 AM, January 2nd, 2072; An Unmarked Warehouse; Redmond]
‘If it involves ripping apart more of these worthless meat-sacks, call at any time.’ The Warrior-spirit replied to her. She could feel a comforting sense slip over her as the spirit settled near her.
She pauses to look into the van and stare accusingly at Cutter, "So what happened here anyway? You never said anything to me about a job."
Cutter sighed. “I know, I know. Dipshit here calls me about 4 o’clock this morning, says he just needs a little muscle back up for some surveillance. Only take a few hours, some quick cred; sure, why not? So we hole up in that building across the way,” Cutter stopped to point out the half-collapsed remnants of what might once have been a store, “And genius here decides to get a closer look. Neither of us spot the drone that spotted us until after it buzzed off hard when stupid trips over his damned feet and falls face first into the electric fence. While it was funny, we did get captured after that.”
“You wound me Cutter. It wasn’t my fault man!”
“Oh, I know, Slater. That asphalt just jumped right out in front of you.” Cutter muttered, “Fucking son of a..”
Akecheta
The third Japanese man was a bit of a surprise for the troll. He did not recall Mr. O saying anything about a third Japanese man. But after thinking about it a bit more, he realized that most of the individuals he passed in the warehouse were short with dark hair. Checking some of the corpses on his way out, he realized that they all appeared to be Japanese.
The climb back down the ladder was a little tricky with the wounded man but he managed to make it. A few short bounds and he was at the back of the van, loading the guy in. When the wounded man and the second prisoner that had been chained to the pipes saw each other, they immediately went into a tirade of Japanese; screaming at each other. The man in the back looked extremely pissed and pointed at him, saying in broken English. “Guard! He capture. Torture.”
Akecheta looked down at him and studied him intently, it was then he realized that he did indeed appear to have different uniforms on. He half-shrugged and climbed into the back of the Bulldog, the rear axle straining even further. There really did not appear to be anything very spectacular about the vehicle that would cause one to think a Johnson would pay for its return. But hey, it could have had sentimental value?
The driver of the van kicked it to life and slid out of the warehouse. It was then a divider slid open between the cab and the rear. “Hey! Where we go?!” The driver yelled back into the van.
As Beast leaned forward to answer, he heard two voices from near the very back of the van.
“Oh, you gotta be fucking kidding me.”
“Yeah, I don’t think that’s good.”
“Shut the fuck up Slater.” The orc retorted, clearly in a foul mood.
Akecheta and Copperhead both got a look out the back of the van to see a rotor-craft gliding near-silently over the road behind them. Machine-gun fire from the craft kicked up chunks of asphalt and debris from the road-way. The Japanese prisoner in the back yelled at the one in the front, presumably to hurry the fuck up.
OOC: Once again, a lot going on in this post. If you guys have things you want to do before it gets to the point in the end of the post, that’s fine. I usually just sort of pause the rest of the action until its resolved. Like if Copperhead wants to have a bit of a spat with Cutter, that’s fine. I just want the next action or movement point available so you guys know what we’re building to and can act accordingly. Character development and storyline is about 99% of my focus in games. So don’t feel like you gotta skip over anything.
[07:38 AM, January 2nd, 2072; An Unmarked Warehouse; Redmond]
‘If it involves ripping apart more of these worthless meat-sacks, call at any time.’ The Warrior-spirit replied to her. She could feel a comforting sense slip over her as the spirit settled near her.
She pauses to look into the van and stare accusingly at Cutter, "So what happened here anyway? You never said anything to me about a job."
Cutter sighed. “I know, I know. Dipshit here calls me about 4 o’clock this morning, says he just needs a little muscle back up for some surveillance. Only take a few hours, some quick cred; sure, why not? So we hole up in that building across the way,” Cutter stopped to point out the half-collapsed remnants of what might once have been a store, “And genius here decides to get a closer look. Neither of us spot the drone that spotted us until after it buzzed off hard when stupid trips over his damned feet and falls face first into the electric fence. While it was funny, we did get captured after that.”
“You wound me Cutter. It wasn’t my fault man!”
“Oh, I know, Slater. That asphalt just jumped right out in front of you.” Cutter muttered, “Fucking son of a..”
Akecheta
The third Japanese man was a bit of a surprise for the troll. He did not recall Mr. O saying anything about a third Japanese man. But after thinking about it a bit more, he realized that most of the individuals he passed in the warehouse were short with dark hair. Checking some of the corpses on his way out, he realized that they all appeared to be Japanese.
The climb back down the ladder was a little tricky with the wounded man but he managed to make it. A few short bounds and he was at the back of the van, loading the guy in. When the wounded man and the second prisoner that had been chained to the pipes saw each other, they immediately went into a tirade of Japanese; screaming at each other. The man in the back looked extremely pissed and pointed at him, saying in broken English. “Guard! He capture. Torture.”
Akecheta looked down at him and studied him intently, it was then he realized that he did indeed appear to have different uniforms on. He half-shrugged and climbed into the back of the Bulldog, the rear axle straining even further. There really did not appear to be anything very spectacular about the vehicle that would cause one to think a Johnson would pay for its return. But hey, it could have had sentimental value?
The driver of the van kicked it to life and slid out of the warehouse. It was then a divider slid open between the cab and the rear. “Hey! Where we go?!” The driver yelled back into the van.
As Beast leaned forward to answer, he heard two voices from near the very back of the van.
“Oh, you gotta be fucking kidding me.”
“Yeah, I don’t think that’s good.”
“Shut the fuck up Slater.” The orc retorted, clearly in a foul mood.
Akecheta and Copperhead both got a look out the back of the van to see a rotor-craft gliding near-silently over the road behind them. Machine-gun fire from the craft kicked up chunks of asphalt and debris from the road-way. The Japanese prisoner in the back yelled at the one in the front, presumably to hurry the fuck up.
OOC: Once again, a lot going on in this post. If you guys have things you want to do before it gets to the point in the end of the post, that’s fine. I usually just sort of pause the rest of the action until its resolved. Like if Copperhead wants to have a bit of a spat with Cutter, that’s fine. I just want the next action or movement point available so you guys know what we’re building to and can act accordingly. Character development and storyline is about 99% of my focus in games. So don’t feel like you gotta skip over anything.
[07:38 AM, January 2nd, 2072; An Unmarked Warehouse; Redmond]
Crap! The calvary is here. But not ours...
"Drive faster!" Akecheta screamed towards the japanese man behind the steering wheel. Then he took out his MGL-6 again and switched the clip. He opened the back door a bit and fired a smoke grenade at the ground behind the van to hopefully at least partially obscure their enemies' vision.
Should have bought that damn rocket launcher when I had the chance...
Crap! The calvary is here. But not ours...
"Drive faster!" Akecheta screamed towards the japanese man behind the steering wheel. Then he took out his MGL-6 again and switched the clip. He opened the back door a bit and fired a smoke grenade at the ground behind the van to hopefully at least partially obscure their enemies' vision.
Should have bought that damn rocket launcher when I had the chance...
[07:38 AM, January 2nd, 2072; In the back of a van, being chased by a drone; Redmond]
Copperhead glares at both the ork and the elf. "You men all da fraggin same," she sighs through her tusks. "If you're not thinking with your dicks, you're not thinking at all. I coulda scouted the place astrally, or say called up a spirit like da one floating right next to me to scout around da place." She jerks her thumb at the air next to her to emphasize the latter.
Turning her attention on Cutter, she continues, "But no, you gotta be da man, da big protector. I'm twenty-frakkin-two years old, Cutter. I can look after myself. And you just better remember who pulled your hoop outta dat warehouse the next time you get a call in da middle of da night from some clumsy-ass pixie."
Then realising that all the men in the back of the van are staring at her, she glares around at each of them and hunches down next to Cutter, her face flushed with a mix of anger and embarassment.
While the Beast loads and fires his grenade launcher, Copperhead turns to the injured guard. Her shotgun comes up and she presses it into his chest. "You wanna live. You call it off, breeder."
QUOTE (Grimm @ Sep 18 2010, 05:06 PM) 
“Oh, I know, Slater. That asphalt just jumped right out in front of you.” Cutter muttered, “Fucking son of a..”
Copperhead glares at both the ork and the elf. "You men all da fraggin same," she sighs through her tusks. "If you're not thinking with your dicks, you're not thinking at all. I coulda scouted the place astrally, or say called up a spirit like da one floating right next to me to scout around da place." She jerks her thumb at the air next to her to emphasize the latter.
Turning her attention on Cutter, she continues, "But no, you gotta be da man, da big protector. I'm twenty-frakkin-two years old, Cutter. I can look after myself. And you just better remember who pulled your hoop outta dat warehouse the next time you get a call in da middle of da night from some clumsy-ass pixie."
Then realising that all the men in the back of the van are staring at her, she glares around at each of them and hunches down next to Cutter, her face flushed with a mix of anger and embarassment.
QUOTE (Grimm @ Sep 18 2010, 05:06 PM)
The van kicks to life and slides out of the warehouse. A divider slides open between the cab and the rear. “Hey! Where we go?!” The driver yells back into the van.
As Beast leans forward to answer, he hears two voices from near the very back of the van.
“Oh, you gotta be fucking kidding me.”
“Yeah, I don’t think that’s good.”
“Shut the fuck up Slater.” The orc retorts, clearly in a foul mood.
Akecheta and Copperhead both get a look out the back of the van to see a rotor-craft gliding near-silently over the road behind them. Machine-gun fire from the craft kicks up chunks of asphalt and debris from the road-way. The Japanese prisoner in the back yells at the one in the front, presumably to hurry the fuck up.
As Beast leans forward to answer, he hears two voices from near the very back of the van.
“Oh, you gotta be fucking kidding me.”
“Yeah, I don’t think that’s good.”
“Shut the fuck up Slater.” The orc retorts, clearly in a foul mood.
Akecheta and Copperhead both get a look out the back of the van to see a rotor-craft gliding near-silently over the road behind them. Machine-gun fire from the craft kicks up chunks of asphalt and debris from the road-way. The Japanese prisoner in the back yells at the one in the front, presumably to hurry the fuck up.
While the Beast loads and fires his grenade launcher, Copperhead turns to the injured guard. Her shotgun comes up and she presses it into his chest. "You wanna live. You call it off, breeder."
Copperhead and Akecheta
[07:38 AM, January 2nd, 2072; The Back of the Armored Van; Redmond]
Cutter holds up his hands in mock defeat to Copperhead. “I know, I know! I didn’t think it was going to be anything too serious. Didn’t see a reason to wake you up, babe.” The ork grinned widely at her. “You really should’ve seen the look on his face when he hit that fence though, baby. It almost made the interrogations worth it.”
Slater bites his bottom lip and attempts to keep from snickering at the pair. “Lover’s quarrel, eh Cutter?”
“Didn’t I tell you to shut the fuck up, Slater?” The ork reached over and popped him firmly on the shoulder and shook his head.
* * * * *
[07:43 AM]
The smoke grenade skipped off the ground and puffed a cloud of smoke. The roto-craft gained a couple stories of altitude to clear the remnants of some buildings on either side and subsequently the smoke. The underbelly of the craft featured a rotating orb with a machinegun mounted in it.
Cutter kicked one side of the back door open and glanced over at Copperhead. “That doesn’t work with Japs, babe. Honor and all that bullshit,” he shouted over the din of machinegun fire. The ork braced himself and unloaded a spray at the roto-craft that was chasing them. “Slater! For fuck’s sake would you do something useful for once in your life!”
“I’m.. working.. on.. it..” the elf mumbled as he slumped against the back of the van.
“If you got anything heavier than smoke grenades I’d suggesting usin’ ‘em Beast ol’ boy.”
OOC: If you want to attempt an intimidation of the Japanese captive you can, but it will take an exceptional success to warrant a reaction out of him. And that’s not even guaranteeing he can do anything about the roto-craft. By the way, with the roto-craft; think small helicopter. Not sure if that came off clearly or not.
Y’all can roll Initiative and your first round actions/rolls.
[07:38 AM, January 2nd, 2072; The Back of the Armored Van; Redmond]
Cutter holds up his hands in mock defeat to Copperhead. “I know, I know! I didn’t think it was going to be anything too serious. Didn’t see a reason to wake you up, babe.” The ork grinned widely at her. “You really should’ve seen the look on his face when he hit that fence though, baby. It almost made the interrogations worth it.”
Slater bites his bottom lip and attempts to keep from snickering at the pair. “Lover’s quarrel, eh Cutter?”
“Didn’t I tell you to shut the fuck up, Slater?” The ork reached over and popped him firmly on the shoulder and shook his head.
* * * * *
[07:43 AM]
The smoke grenade skipped off the ground and puffed a cloud of smoke. The roto-craft gained a couple stories of altitude to clear the remnants of some buildings on either side and subsequently the smoke. The underbelly of the craft featured a rotating orb with a machinegun mounted in it.
Cutter kicked one side of the back door open and glanced over at Copperhead. “That doesn’t work with Japs, babe. Honor and all that bullshit,” he shouted over the din of machinegun fire. The ork braced himself and unloaded a spray at the roto-craft that was chasing them. “Slater! For fuck’s sake would you do something useful for once in your life!”
“I’m.. working.. on.. it..” the elf mumbled as he slumped against the back of the van.
“If you got anything heavier than smoke grenades I’d suggesting usin’ ‘em Beast ol’ boy.”
OOC: If you want to attempt an intimidation of the Japanese captive you can, but it will take an exceptional success to warrant a reaction out of him. And that’s not even guaranteeing he can do anything about the roto-craft. By the way, with the roto-craft; think small helicopter. Not sure if that came off clearly or not.
Y’all can roll Initiative and your first round actions/rolls.
Copperhead and Akecheta
[07:43 AM, January 2nd, 2072; The Back of the Armored Van; Redmond]
The chattering of machinegun fire was almost deafening in the tight confines of the back of the armored van. The driver was slipping through the debris and shit of Redmond far easier than anyone would have expected him to. The rotorcraft behind the van was a bit more of a problem.
Raising his MGL, the Beast fired off a HE grenade at the nose of the rotorcraft. It quickly spiked in altitude attempting to avoid it but was not high enough. The grenade exploded under the vehicle in a shower of shrapnel and chemicals. The bottom of the rotorcraft was shredded, causing it to smoke and start to lose speed. The craft appeared to have been severely crippled by the attack. The machinegun burst it fired came nowhere near the van, instead tearing up the side of a building and hitting a few bystanders; cutting one almost cleanly in half. The rotorcraft slowed and began to turn away, breaking off its attack.
Cutter unloaded another burst at the rotocraft but the bullets did not seem to want to want to pierce the front armor-plates of the vehicle.
After a few moments, Copperhead heard a voice in her mind, ‘No living pilot.’
[07:43 AM, January 2nd, 2072; The Back of the Armored Van; Redmond]
The chattering of machinegun fire was almost deafening in the tight confines of the back of the armored van. The driver was slipping through the debris and shit of Redmond far easier than anyone would have expected him to. The rotorcraft behind the van was a bit more of a problem.
Raising his MGL, the Beast fired off a HE grenade at the nose of the rotorcraft. It quickly spiked in altitude attempting to avoid it but was not high enough. The grenade exploded under the vehicle in a shower of shrapnel and chemicals. The bottom of the rotorcraft was shredded, causing it to smoke and start to lose speed. The craft appeared to have been severely crippled by the attack. The machinegun burst it fired came nowhere near the van, instead tearing up the side of a building and hitting a few bystanders; cutting one almost cleanly in half. The rotorcraft slowed and began to turn away, breaking off its attack.
Cutter unloaded another burst at the rotocraft but the bullets did not seem to want to want to pierce the front armor-plates of the vehicle.
After a few moments, Copperhead heard a voice in her mind, ‘No living pilot.’
[07:43 AM, January 2nd, 2072; The Back of the Armored Van; Redmond]
'Thank you spirit. You have served me well and I release you as I promised.' She feels a brief sense of loss as the spirit's consciousness fades from her own.
She shouts over the ringing in her ears, "Either Beast geeked the pilot or it's a drone. But how did it find us? Do ya think it followed us from da warehouse or are we being tracked somehow? Shit..."
She reaches into her pocket and pulls out the commlink she had picked up earlier. She checks to make sure it is switched off, then deciding that might still not be enough, she crushes it with all the strength in her cybered arm then tosses it out the open rear door just to be certain. Then she turns back to the injured guard and starts patting him down roughly, looking for a commlink or hidden wireless tag.
"Cutter, is Slater a hacker or one of dem techymancers? Can he check the van for bugs?"
QUOTE (Grimm @ Sep 19 2010, 05:13 PM)
After a few moments, Copperhead heard a voice in her mind, ‘No living pilot.’
'Thank you spirit. You have served me well and I release you as I promised.' She feels a brief sense of loss as the spirit's consciousness fades from her own.
She shouts over the ringing in her ears, "Either Beast geeked the pilot or it's a drone. But how did it find us? Do ya think it followed us from da warehouse or are we being tracked somehow? Shit..."
She reaches into her pocket and pulls out the commlink she had picked up earlier. She checks to make sure it is switched off, then deciding that might still not be enough, she crushes it with all the strength in her cybered arm then tosses it out the open rear door just to be certain. Then she turns back to the injured guard and starts patting him down roughly, looking for a commlink or hidden wireless tag.
"Cutter, is Slater a hacker or one of dem techymancers? Can he check the van for bugs?"
[07:43 AM, January 2nd, 2072; The Back of the Armored Van; Redmond]
That's right you bastards! You need more than a fucking heli to bring down The Beast!
He suppressed his urge to fire again and again until the thing was completely wrecked. Gotta save ammo...
"Well that was kinda fun right?" he asked no one in particular and laughed. Then he turned his attention to the driver again and gave him the address of the warehouse where the troll had made his first personal contact with Mr. Okyama.
Leaning back he took out his commlink and sent the Johnson a message.
<<M. O,
got the package. Bringing it to the same place as last time unless you send new instructions.
B>>
"I'm going to get this van to the Johnson. If you wanna get dropped off somewhere on the way, no problem." he then said towards Copperhead and her friends.
That's right you bastards! You need more than a fucking heli to bring down The Beast!
He suppressed his urge to fire again and again until the thing was completely wrecked. Gotta save ammo...
"Well that was kinda fun right?" he asked no one in particular and laughed. Then he turned his attention to the driver again and gave him the address of the warehouse where the troll had made his first personal contact with Mr. Okyama.
Leaning back he took out his commlink and sent the Johnson a message.
<<M. O,
got the package. Bringing it to the same place as last time unless you send new instructions.
B>>
"I'm going to get this van to the Johnson. If you wanna get dropped off somewhere on the way, no problem." he then said towards Copperhead and her friends.
[07:44 AM, January 2nd, 2072; The Back of the Armored Van; Redmond]
Copperhead squints out the back of the van, trying to work out where they are. Should be able to make it home before it gets too bright.
"Take da next right and head a few blocks south. I'll shout where you can let us off. I need to get my boy to a street doc to fix him up. He's got too much metal in his meat for my healing mojo to work on him. A frakkin mechanic would have better luck."
She fiddles with her hair, seating the trode net better and sends her contact info to Beast's commlink.
"Say, you or your Johnson ever need some magic to back you up, you let me know, okay? And thanks for helping me get these two yoyo's outta trouble."
Striking a fair approximation of a provocative pose, given her size and the cramped quarters of the van, she reaches out a scaled, metal hand to shake the Beast's.
Copperhead squints out the back of the van, trying to work out where they are. Should be able to make it home before it gets too bright.
"Take da next right and head a few blocks south. I'll shout where you can let us off. I need to get my boy to a street doc to fix him up. He's got too much metal in his meat for my healing mojo to work on him. A frakkin mechanic would have better luck."
She fiddles with her hair, seating the trode net better and sends her contact info to Beast's commlink.
"Say, you or your Johnson ever need some magic to back you up, you let me know, okay? And thanks for helping me get these two yoyo's outta trouble."
Striking a fair approximation of a provocative pose, given her size and the cramped quarters of the van, she reaches out a scaled, metal hand to shake the Beast's.
[16:18 January 1st, 2072; Common Ground, Downtown Seattle]
Red made her way out of the little cafe and towards her bike. Before putting on her helmet she began a search to find anything and everything about the Security corp in question. She also put in a search on Silk, wanting to know exactly what sort of person she would be working for here. Placing the helmet on over her dreads, Red pulled away from the curb and merged with traffic. She plans on getting back to her apartment and working on this for the next several hours... of course taking a couple breaks to watch more Urban Brawl.
Red made her way out of the little cafe and towards her bike. Before putting on her helmet she began a search to find anything and everything about the Security corp in question. She also put in a search on Silk, wanting to know exactly what sort of person she would be working for here. Placing the helmet on over her dreads, Red pulled away from the curb and merged with traffic. She plans on getting back to her apartment and working on this for the next several hours... of course taking a couple breaks to watch more Urban Brawl.
[January 5th, 2072; Summeroaks Apartments 29C, Renton]
Turning towards The Doctor, Dahlia beamed and declared, "I have absolutely no idea how to do that. But, I’ll see what can be done. Maybe we’ll get lucky and find something with the noisy one,"
The woman folded her arms across her chest and peered at the screen of her comlink, queuing up a search in the dossier she’d been given and throwing a quick glance down the hall of the apartment. It'd be best if they continued work somewhere else while Asim was back home. Hell, she could probably say that everyone needed to complete some tests down at the hospital, and he wouldn't get suspicious.
"How do you want to start the search? I’d suggest we stay away from the typical matrix data-trawl. The team hacker will probably be looking for it. We could always poke around some bars and see if we hear anything,”
Turning towards The Doctor, Dahlia beamed and declared, "I have absolutely no idea how to do that. But, I’ll see what can be done. Maybe we’ll get lucky and find something with the noisy one,"
The woman folded her arms across her chest and peered at the screen of her comlink, queuing up a search in the dossier she’d been given and throwing a quick glance down the hall of the apartment. It'd be best if they continued work somewhere else while Asim was back home. Hell, she could probably say that everyone needed to complete some tests down at the hospital, and he wouldn't get suspicious.
"How do you want to start the search? I’d suggest we stay away from the typical matrix data-trawl. The team hacker will probably be looking for it. We could always poke around some bars and see if we hear anything,”
[January 5th, 2072; Summeroaks Apartments 29C, Renton]
The Doctor asked, "Dahlia, does your dossier have their known associates and hangouts?"
The Doctor asked, "Dahlia, does your dossier have their known associates and hangouts?"
[10:21 January 2nd, 2072; Tradition Lake View, Apartment 6-3, Renton]
Silk brushed the strands of wet hair away from her face, flopping down in to her cocoon chair. The shower had actually been hot this morning for a change and she felt refreshed and ready to face this run. The meet had gone well yesterday and it looked like Red and He-Who-Sees were on board. Hopefully Red was already doing the data searches on the corp…floor layouts would be great but she wasn’t going to bank everything on getting them. One more meet to confirm the details and then she would send He in to recon the place in the astral and make the final preparations for the penetration.
Toggling the mental key to put her commlink in to hidden mode she fired up the AR interface and, whilst keeping one eye on the news feeds, entered the handshake protocols that would access the Balefire stash on the edge of Renton.
In an automated long term parking garage near one of the many commuter hubs in Renton a battered Honda Spirit comes to life after eighteen months. Sucking in power from the gridguide system it cruises smoothly down the ramp and heads towards its programmed destination. A low powered burst of the signal jammer on board hopefully masks any RIFD tags that have drifted its way during its prolonged hibernation.
Silk brushed the strands of wet hair away from her face, flopping down in to her cocoon chair. The shower had actually been hot this morning for a change and she felt refreshed and ready to face this run. The meet had gone well yesterday and it looked like Red and He-Who-Sees were on board. Hopefully Red was already doing the data searches on the corp…floor layouts would be great but she wasn’t going to bank everything on getting them. One more meet to confirm the details and then she would send He in to recon the place in the astral and make the final preparations for the penetration.
Toggling the mental key to put her commlink in to hidden mode she fired up the AR interface and, whilst keeping one eye on the news feeds, entered the handshake protocols that would access the Balefire stash on the edge of Renton.
In an automated long term parking garage near one of the many commuter hubs in Renton a battered Honda Spirit comes to life after eighteen months. Sucking in power from the gridguide system it cruises smoothly down the ramp and heads towards its programmed destination. A low powered burst of the signal jammer on board hopefully masks any RIFD tags that have drifted its way during its prolonged hibernation.
[January 5th, 2072; Summeroaks Apartments 29C, Renton]
Seti looked up. "Something we maybe should consider. These guys aren't real Shadowrunners, per se. They're corp-trained gladiators, crafted to compete in some contest. They probably don't have a lot of experience striking out on their own."
He looked at Dahlia. "Honestly, while we shouldn't do any active searching for them, if we lurk some widely-known 'Runner forums, we might just seem them posting a job ad or something."
Seti looked up. "Something we maybe should consider. These guys aren't real Shadowrunners, per se. They're corp-trained gladiators, crafted to compete in some contest. They probably don't have a lot of experience striking out on their own."
He looked at Dahlia. "Honestly, while we shouldn't do any active searching for them, if we lurk some widely-known 'Runner forums, we might just seem them posting a job ad or something."
[January 5th, 2072; Summeroaks Apartments 29C, Renton]
Dahlia shrugged, "If they were corporate-grown, I'm not sure if they'll have 'usual-haunts' outside of the corporate buildings. I know I certainly wouldn't let anything I grew outside. There are too many uncontrolled variables to account for outside of a set environment,"
The woman appeared to think for a moment before speaking again. "But, I don't doubt that they'll pick one or two places to lurk most of their time. If we keep our ears to the ground, we should be able to gather a few clues to their whereabouts. I can check the forums, and we can all spend some time in popular hang-outs, looking for the noisy one,"
Dahlia shrugged, "If they were corporate-grown, I'm not sure if they'll have 'usual-haunts' outside of the corporate buildings. I know I certainly wouldn't let anything I grew outside. There are too many uncontrolled variables to account for outside of a set environment,"
The woman appeared to think for a moment before speaking again. "But, I don't doubt that they'll pick one or two places to lurk most of their time. If we keep our ears to the ground, we should be able to gather a few clues to their whereabouts. I can check the forums, and we can all spend some time in popular hang-outs, looking for the noisy one,"
[10:33 January 2nd, 2072; Tradition Lake View, Apartment 6-3, Renton]
Silk finished the dregs of the bitter real coffee, the one holdover she hadn’t been able to give up, even on a student budget, and began the ritual of gearing up. She pulled on her form-fitting suit, leaving off only the gloves and shoes. In to the pouches sewn in to the thighs she added the smaller elements of her b and e kit and in the small of her back went the tiny pistol and the electronics kit. After testing the ruthenium circuitry and watching herself blend in to her rather grubby surroundings she pulled on an unarmoured longcoat and some knee length boots and put her taser in to the pocket of the coat.
<<Aria, would you be able to dig up a contact for Canon for me? He was the merc who ran with Mum before she teamed up with Balefire. I know he took over Frank Bishop’s shadow brokerage when he retired and so hopefully he’s still running around the sprawl with a lorry full of tech and the contacts to go with it! I need to do some shopping for this run and it would help if I can keep it off the books. I appreciate all your help, I really do!>>
As she headed out of the door to go out and find the Honda she hoped that everything was still intact after the intervening eighteen months. She engaged the obvious crappy maglock that had come with the apartment and then the one she had installed in the bottom of the door to slow up any more determined intruders. Now that she was re-entering the shadows she spared a wistful thought for her plans to upgrade security further, but that would have to wait now. She would also need to think about moving in to a hotel or something for the duration of the run, a precaution that hadn’t seemed such a stretch on the budget when she was running with Balefire.
From memory she called up the commcode for He-Who-Sees-Within and flashed him a text.
<<Hi. I’m off to pick up some equipment and I was wondering if you would be prepared to keep an eye out from the astral for a couple of blocks to see if there is anyone following me? It may sound paranoid but believe me, I have every reason to watch my back as carefully as I can and I would like to see you again even if it’s not in the flesh!>>
Meanwhile she composed a message to Canon in the hope that Aria would be able to put her in touch with him.
<<Uncle Canon, it’s me, Susanna Waters, Silk now. I’m sure you remember me as a little girl bouncing on your knee and I know it’s been a long time but I’m hoping you can help me out. It’s been a while since you taught me how to field strip a gun and whilst I’ve not forgotten, I’m picking up some old gear and I would appreciate a professional once over – I certainly don’t want to risk myself or my team to untested equipment. I’m also in the market for some tech which I’m sure you can lay your hands on for me…>>
Silk finished the dregs of the bitter real coffee, the one holdover she hadn’t been able to give up, even on a student budget, and began the ritual of gearing up. She pulled on her form-fitting suit, leaving off only the gloves and shoes. In to the pouches sewn in to the thighs she added the smaller elements of her b and e kit and in the small of her back went the tiny pistol and the electronics kit. After testing the ruthenium circuitry and watching herself blend in to her rather grubby surroundings she pulled on an unarmoured longcoat and some knee length boots and put her taser in to the pocket of the coat.
<<Aria, would you be able to dig up a contact for Canon for me? He was the merc who ran with Mum before she teamed up with Balefire. I know he took over Frank Bishop’s shadow brokerage when he retired and so hopefully he’s still running around the sprawl with a lorry full of tech and the contacts to go with it! I need to do some shopping for this run and it would help if I can keep it off the books. I appreciate all your help, I really do!>>
As she headed out of the door to go out and find the Honda she hoped that everything was still intact after the intervening eighteen months. She engaged the obvious crappy maglock that had come with the apartment and then the one she had installed in the bottom of the door to slow up any more determined intruders. Now that she was re-entering the shadows she spared a wistful thought for her plans to upgrade security further, but that would have to wait now. She would also need to think about moving in to a hotel or something for the duration of the run, a precaution that hadn’t seemed such a stretch on the budget when she was running with Balefire.
From memory she called up the commcode for He-Who-Sees-Within and flashed him a text.
<<Hi. I’m off to pick up some equipment and I was wondering if you would be prepared to keep an eye out from the astral for a couple of blocks to see if there is anyone following me? It may sound paranoid but believe me, I have every reason to watch my back as carefully as I can and I would like to see you again even if it’s not in the flesh!>>
Meanwhile she composed a message to Canon in the hope that Aria would be able to put her in touch with him.
<<Uncle Canon, it’s me, Susanna Waters, Silk now. I’m sure you remember me as a little girl bouncing on your knee and I know it’s been a long time but I’m hoping you can help me out. It’s been a while since you taught me how to field strip a gun and whilst I’ve not forgotten, I’m picking up some old gear and I would appreciate a professional once over – I certainly don’t want to risk myself or my team to untested equipment. I’m also in the market for some tech which I’m sure you can lay your hands on for me…>>
[January 5th, 2072; Summeroaks Apartments 29C, Renton]
The Doctor nodded, "If they're corp, it stands to reason that they may be looking for new gear. I doubt the corp would issue them anything that the corp couldn't turn off or use against them if they went rogue. We can check with our contacts for people looking for gear."
The Doctor nodded, "If they're corp, it stands to reason that they may be looking for new gear. I doubt the corp would issue them anything that the corp couldn't turn off or use against them if they went rogue. We can check with our contacts for people looking for gear."
[January 5th, 2072; Summeroaks Apartments 29C, Renton]
The woman paused, cocking her head to first one side and then the other as she eyed The Doctor. "That is very true. They'll want to get rid of anything from their parent corp--since it'll probably be traceable and recognizable, even if their hacker wipes the RFIDs. We may be able to see if any of our contacts have seen an influx of goods from this particular corp." Dahlia nodded. Even if they didn't exactly know where they were going, she had an idea of what to look for. And people could be so very predictable.
The woman paused, cocking her head to first one side and then the other as she eyed The Doctor. "That is very true. They'll want to get rid of anything from their parent corp--since it'll probably be traceable and recognizable, even if their hacker wipes the RFIDs. We may be able to see if any of our contacts have seen an influx of goods from this particular corp." Dahlia nodded. Even if they didn't exactly know where they were going, she had an idea of what to look for. And people could be so very predictable.
[18:36 January 11th, 2072; Oakfarm Estate, North Bellevue]
Ember stepped out of the car and thanked David, his driver. Kei came bounding towards him, clearly ignoring his mother’s admonishment to stay out of the wet, and laughingly splashed through as many of the growing puddles as he could. Ember smiled wryly as he scooped up the delinquent youngster and headed for the house vainly trying to avoid the same muddy water.
Charlotte was waiting for him in the doorway with Aylwen and he kissed them both in welcome, ignoring their protests at the water sloshing off his coat.
“Is everyone at home?”
It was Aylwen who answered him, “No, Gael’s at school still and Gisèle is dancing…”
“Bon, I will come up and see you in a moment but I must have a word with your mother first about some work. I promise it won’t take long…” he watched as the children reluctantly left them to it. “I have found another package for the Stillwater group. Do you think you could ask amongst your contacts to see if there is anyone who might deliver them for me? I’ll post something on ShadowSEA on the off chance that someone reliable may pick up the work…”
He composed the post and set his commlink to upload it to the appropriate server, something that would probably take the antiquated piece of junk several minutes…
<<Courier wanted for a delivery across Redmond. Contact Ember for further information and payment details>>
Finally he could relax for the evening…
Ember stepped out of the car and thanked David, his driver. Kei came bounding towards him, clearly ignoring his mother’s admonishment to stay out of the wet, and laughingly splashed through as many of the growing puddles as he could. Ember smiled wryly as he scooped up the delinquent youngster and headed for the house vainly trying to avoid the same muddy water.
Charlotte was waiting for him in the doorway with Aylwen and he kissed them both in welcome, ignoring their protests at the water sloshing off his coat.
“Is everyone at home?”
It was Aylwen who answered him, “No, Gael’s at school still and Gisèle is dancing…”
“Bon, I will come up and see you in a moment but I must have a word with your mother first about some work. I promise it won’t take long…” he watched as the children reluctantly left them to it. “I have found another package for the Stillwater group. Do you think you could ask amongst your contacts to see if there is anyone who might deliver them for me? I’ll post something on ShadowSEA on the off chance that someone reliable may pick up the work…”
He composed the post and set his commlink to upload it to the appropriate server, something that would probably take the antiquated piece of junk several minutes…
<<Courier wanted for a delivery across Redmond. Contact Ember for further information and payment details>>
Finally he could relax for the evening…
[b][18:36 January 11th, 2072; 7540 124th Avenue Northeast, Kirkland][b/]
Kayden's PAN chirps. The tone tells him it's a message from one of the message boards he had been frequenting lately in his search for Uwe. Picking up his comm, Kayden opens the message and reads:
<<Courier wanted for a delivery across Redmond. Contact Ember for further information and payment details>>
courier...? Seems like an easy job... I can assume that it is legally questionable, though that's to be expected...
Kayden walks to the kitchen and grabs a bottle of water. Well, we all have to start somewhere, right? Kayden keys in a response
<<Oi, when and where to discuss the details tomodachi?>>
[19:47 January 11th, 2072; Oakfarm Estate, North Bellevue]
With the muted sounds of the children in the background Ember settled down in the study to go through his emails and prepare for the following days teaching. He was somewhat surprised to see that someone had responded to his ShadowSEA post seconds after he’d made it…hopefully their rep would match the speed of their response.
…interesting, a mage of some sorts but not much rep…it would be prudent to meet in person perhaps to assess his character. He fired an email back to the runner before moving on to other matters…
<<I suggest we meet to discuss the package and your delivery charge. How about the Alabaster Maiden tomorrow afternoon, say 5.30 before the crowds pick up?>>
With the muted sounds of the children in the background Ember settled down in the study to go through his emails and prepare for the following days teaching. He was somewhat surprised to see that someone had responded to his ShadowSEA post seconds after he’d made it…hopefully their rep would match the speed of their response.
…interesting, a mage of some sorts but not much rep…it would be prudent to meet in person perhaps to assess his character. He fired an email back to the runner before moving on to other matters…
<<I suggest we meet to discuss the package and your delivery charge. How about the Alabaster Maiden tomorrow afternoon, say 5.30 before the crowds pick up?>>
[20:01 January 11th, 2072; 7540 124th Avenue Northeast, Kirkland]
Kayden's PAN chirped with a waiting message. Kayden put down the box of NuSoy and picked up the commlink.
<<I suggest we meet to discuss the package and your delivery charge. How about the Alabaster Maiden tomorrow afternoon, say 5.30 before the crowds pick up?>>
Well... this is it... make or break. No turning back from here.
Kayden responded to the message with a sigh...
5.30 ... Alabaster Maiden ... Hope you like onions ...
Message sent, Kayden began looking into the Alabater Maiden. Mage bar... easy enough to fit in. Downtown... a little close to home but that should be easy enough to deal with.
With plenty of time before the meet, Kayden returns to his NuSoy and magical tomes...
1630 January 12, 2072, Alabaster Maiden
Kaneis drove to the Maiden, weavining in and out of traffic, ignoring the stares of those he passed. It wasn't every day one saw a hundred and fifty kilo orc riding a superbike...
After several passes around the bar, Kanies parked in the adjacent lot. After a five minute argument with the 'doorman' that he wasn't 'carrying,' Kaneis walked into the Alabaster Maiden and sat down at the bar nearest the door.
OOC
[ Spoiler ]
[16:14 January 12th, 2072; Alabaster Maiden, Downtown]
Ember relaxed back in to his seat and immersed himself in the atmosphere of the place. With all their frantic energy these Americans had provided an interesting ambiance, an odd mix of positivity and happiness, lust, greed and a thousand other conflicting feelings. The background count was further increased by the heightened levels of mana manipulated by this place’s typical clientele.
He thought back to the limited contact with the man he was about to meet; onions was he being ironic? He decided not to let any implied insult touch him until he had made a more informed judgement. He knew that Lugh often prompted him to flashes of temper and that he had exceedingly high standards but he had vowed to mitigate that in his dealings with others, it remained to be seen if he could of course.
The place was practically deserted at this hour, the patrons wouldn’t really begin arriving for another few hours yet, even on a Tuesday evening. He watched with interest as an orc stepped in to the bar and took up a stool. This may well be his contact but as he was early he saw no need to spoil his casing of the joint.
Ember waved to the server walking past him and ordered another espresso, making sure to tip generously. He caught the eye of the orc and smiled…
OoC
Ember relaxed back in to his seat and immersed himself in the atmosphere of the place. With all their frantic energy these Americans had provided an interesting ambiance, an odd mix of positivity and happiness, lust, greed and a thousand other conflicting feelings. The background count was further increased by the heightened levels of mana manipulated by this place’s typical clientele.
He thought back to the limited contact with the man he was about to meet; onions was he being ironic? He decided not to let any implied insult touch him until he had made a more informed judgement. He knew that Lugh often prompted him to flashes of temper and that he had exceedingly high standards but he had vowed to mitigate that in his dealings with others, it remained to be seen if he could of course.
The place was practically deserted at this hour, the patrons wouldn’t really begin arriving for another few hours yet, even on a Tuesday evening. He watched with interest as an orc stepped in to the bar and took up a stool. This may well be his contact but as he was early he saw no need to spoil his casing of the joint.
Ember waved to the server walking past him and ordered another espresso, making sure to tip generously. He caught the eye of the orc and smiled…
OoC
[ Spoiler ]
[16:25 January 12th, 2072; Alabaster Maiden, Downtown]
That explains why we're here... Kaneis thought, looking at the man in the corner. And I thought 'I' was being paranoid showing up an hour early.
Leaving the empty glass at the bar, Kaneis heads for the bathroom. It is clean, an unexpected but pleasant suprise. To be quite honest, the only knowledge he had of these people were holovids and news; neither of which were terribly reliable. He had expected a dark, smoke filled bar with drugs being bought and sold openly or grubby street dwellers huddled around a dimly lit table discussing how to pull of their next heist. The bathroom is typical of most any public facility. Stalls line the left wall and a bank of sinks and hand dryers line the right. At the end of the room is what holds Kaneis' attention. A high narrow window, not big enough for a portly orc to fit through but plenty for an atheltic elf...
Kaneis tests the window to make certain it actually opened and realizes he'll have to break the window to get through because the pane only opens to a forty-five degree angle. He casts his eyes about and sees a trash can by the sinks. Picking it up, Kaneis puts the can up to the window to see if it will go through... Perfect. He sets the can down just below the window, washes his hands, and leaves the restroom.
1645
Kaneis schools himself to serenity and approaches the table where his contact (at least he hopes this is his contact) sits, a faint smell of onions hearalding his approach. I hear you need a courier...
Standing before Ember is a portly orc dressed in a two-thousand Nuyen suit. At two meters, he is slightly tall for an orc but the truly impressive thing is his girth nearly matches it. He easily looks like he weighs one hundred and fifty kilos. His lower tusks look recently polished and titanium white. A long braid trails between his shoulder blades can be seen in the reflection behind him. His scent is a faint ... onion; as though he just came from a farmer's market. On his lapel is a large onion flower.
Kayden
[16:57 January 12th, 2072; Alabaster Maiden, Downtown]
As you pass through the eavesdropping ward you feel a prickle on your magical senses and then almost immediately an ugly little watcher manifests infront of your face and pulls a surprising grimace. Ember tsks in annoyance and the small spirit slinks off under the table. Another sylph like watcher appears behind his head and sticks its tongue out at you until Ember dismisses them both with a wave.
He speaks with a fairly strong French accent “Monsieur Kaneis, may I get you anoser drink? Non? Then down to business. As you say, I have need of a courier, but perhaps it would be more accurate to say bodyguard as the package in question is a young lady. She needs to get to the oser side of Redmond and it is hardly a trip to be taken lightly! Is sis something that you might be interested in doing?”
[16:57 January 12th, 2072; Alabaster Maiden, Downtown]
As you pass through the eavesdropping ward you feel a prickle on your magical senses and then almost immediately an ugly little watcher manifests infront of your face and pulls a surprising grimace. Ember tsks in annoyance and the small spirit slinks off under the table. Another sylph like watcher appears behind his head and sticks its tongue out at you until Ember dismisses them both with a wave.
He speaks with a fairly strong French accent “Monsieur Kaneis, may I get you anoser drink? Non? Then down to business. As you say, I have need of a courier, but perhaps it would be more accurate to say bodyguard as the package in question is a young lady. She needs to get to the oser side of Redmond and it is hardly a trip to be taken lightly! Is sis something that you might be interested in doing?”
[1705 January 12th, 2072; Alabaster Maiden, Downtown]
Kaneis takes the seat opposite Ember.
[[In French]]
I'm interested... I'm also guessing that because I am here you cannot simply put her in a cab and send her on her way. And because you called me, you need to keep this... under the table. I have to ask; how much ... resitance ... do you expect? No details are required, but I need to know so we can agree on a fair price.
Kaneis laces his fingers and lays them on the table.
[17:07 January 12th, 2072; Alabaster Maiden, Downtown]
Ember responded in French, "I do not think there are many cabs that I would trust to send anyone across Redmond, this is why I'm seeking more professional assistance. Unusually I can say there is nothing really clandestine about this trip, it is just that it represents a considerable risk to the young ladies safety and I want to ensure she gets there in one piece. I should also mention that she is a perfectly willing participant. I don't expect any targetted resistance, but as I said, travelling across this territory is hardly safe!"
Ember responded in French, "I do not think there are many cabs that I would trust to send anyone across Redmond, this is why I'm seeking more professional assistance. Unusually I can say there is nothing really clandestine about this trip, it is just that it represents a considerable risk to the young ladies safety and I want to ensure she gets there in one piece. I should also mention that she is a perfectly willing participant. I don't expect any targetted resistance, but as I said, travelling across this territory is hardly safe!"
[17:10 January 12th, 2072; Alabaster Maiden, Downtown]
Kaneis nods... Fair enough. Standard bodyguard rate is 250 per day. You want this 'off-book' and through Redmond. Point A to point B... everything outside that is your business. I think 900 is a fair price. High end magical bodyguard service through Redmond... Deal?
[17:11 January 12th, 2072; Alabaster Maiden, Downtown]
Ember nodded in turn. “That sounds most fair. Now I can arrange for a transport option for you, with or without a driver, as you see fit. They would operate under your direction but I would understand if you are confident that you can see her safely there by yourself. Either way it would not affect your agreed fee.”
He fiddled with something on an antiquated commlink and then pulled up a crude AR image. “This is Beth. I will arrange for her to meet you at the Common Grounds in the university district on Friday evening if you agree to the job. I want her delivered safely to the Stillwater Community on the eastern border of Redmond that evening. Hopefully if you leave around seven you should be across Redmond before the worst of the night time predators stir from their pits. I estimate that it is some thirty miles from Downtown but I will leave you to plan which ever route you deem best.”
Ember nodded in turn. “That sounds most fair. Now I can arrange for a transport option for you, with or without a driver, as you see fit. They would operate under your direction but I would understand if you are confident that you can see her safely there by yourself. Either way it would not affect your agreed fee.”
He fiddled with something on an antiquated commlink and then pulled up a crude AR image. “This is Beth. I will arrange for her to meet you at the Common Grounds in the university district on Friday evening if you agree to the job. I want her delivered safely to the Stillwater Community on the eastern border of Redmond that evening. Hopefully if you leave around seven you should be across Redmond before the worst of the night time predators stir from their pits. I estimate that it is some thirty miles from Downtown but I will leave you to plan which ever route you deem best.”
[11:47 January 2nd, 2072; Honda Spirit, Driving towards Renton]
Silk flinched as a lorry thundered down the outside lane. Although she knew that the grid guide system and pilot would get her where she was going she regretted not stating that she would prefer to avoid the motorways. The little electric engine purring along was regularly drowned out by the other passing traffic that loomed high above the little subcompact. Gods help her if she met any go gangers, although they were unlikely to challenge something that was so little threat, she never the less checked the Predator once again.
Picking up the stash had been relatively easy and everything seemed to be untouched. Silk hoped that the jammer was masking any tags until she could get to Cannon and run an eraser over the car.
<<Hi Uncle Cannon, I’m on my way. Were you able to get hold of the scanner and eraser combination? The respirator and gecko gloves aren’t so important as I can pick those up legally with no problem…I’ve already scoped some shops that are unlikely to ask awkward questions, but if you have some then I’d appreciate it.>>
Silk flinched as a lorry thundered down the outside lane. Although she knew that the grid guide system and pilot would get her where she was going she regretted not stating that she would prefer to avoid the motorways. The little electric engine purring along was regularly drowned out by the other passing traffic that loomed high above the little subcompact. Gods help her if she met any go gangers, although they were unlikely to challenge something that was so little threat, she never the less checked the Predator once again.
Picking up the stash had been relatively easy and everything seemed to be untouched. Silk hoped that the jammer was masking any tags until she could get to Cannon and run an eraser over the car.
<<Hi Uncle Cannon, I’m on my way. Were you able to get hold of the scanner and eraser combination? The respirator and gecko gloves aren’t so important as I can pick those up legally with no problem…I’ve already scoped some shops that are unlikely to ask awkward questions, but if you have some then I’d appreciate it.>>
[January 5th, 2072; Loftus's Talismongery]
After the planning session had finished, The Doctor took his leave and went for a little stroll to visit Loftus. He strolled in casually. The little dwarf sat behind his counter polishing an interesting looking object, probably a focus of some sort.
"Hello Loftus. I need some info. That little job you sent me on. I'd like to know if there's been anyone looking for a large amount of foci or other goodies lately?"
After the planning session had finished, The Doctor took his leave and went for a little stroll to visit Loftus. He strolled in casually. The little dwarf sat behind his counter polishing an interesting looking object, probably a focus of some sort.
"Hello Loftus. I need some info. That little job you sent me on. I'd like to know if there's been anyone looking for a large amount of foci or other goodies lately?"
[Whoever the Hell Was at the Meeting at the Apartment]
[January 5th, 2072; Summeroaks Apartments, Renton]
A far share of problems had visited Renton in the past, though most seemed to be behind the sleepy residential district. Not far away, roaming gun battles and gang wars were waged in the territories of Redmond. Though chaos seemed to be at the doorstep of Renton, it never seemed to spill over. The reasons could have been numerous. Largely it was believed that Knight Errant actually gave a shit about the SINner’s in Renton. The residential district made it home to a variety of corp lackeys and wage slaves. While they could certainly be replaced, the megas were not exactly keen on dropping that kind of nuyen on the hired help.
The meeting to discuss the Snatch job passed by fairly smoothly. Most of those in the meeting had gotten along well enough. Even the two gangers that kept eyeing each other refrained from assaulting one another and trashing Dahlia’s apartment. As the two left the apartment they appeared to exchange some modicum of pleasantries before heading to their respective vehicles. The troll watched the ork mount up and take off into the night before busying himself in a saddlebag. He glanced down into the bag and raised his eyes back up, greeted by oncoming headlights.
A series of unmarked white vans slid into position around the street. Two pairs appeared to block off each end of the street. Two vans slid part way down the block and pulled to a stop. The side doors slid open and out poured tactical teams in security armor with Uzi IV’s. The team to the left advanced on Scar as he fired off a quick notification to the rest of those at the meeting. <<We have some visitors.>>
The troll raised his hands as three of the men encircled him, Uzis trained on him.
High above, a pair of navy blue VTOL’s slid into the area, depositing more tactical teams; two in the rear and one on the roof the building. The tell-tale sound of muffled charges indicated a breaching of the building was currently underway.
OOC: See OOC thread.
Silk
[January 5th, 2072; Honda Spirit, Driving through Renton]
The Honda Spirit made its way along the grid towards where Silk’s contact awaited. The various systems she had tweaked and had installed in the Spirit helped ensure it would be one of the most secure vehicles on the road. Though the larger vehicles passing caused it to rock some in place; it puttered along as stalwartly as it ever had.
The woman hefted out a sigh as she shifted in her seat, first noticing the glint of headlights behind her and then ahead of her. She blinked and looked intently ahead at a pair of nondescript white panel vans that blocked the intersection ahead. As she was about to react to this new circumstance, the power in the Honda flickered and died; causing her to coast to a stop next to a trio of gunmen holding Uzi’s on a troll ganger. One of the men turned and pointed the Uzi at her, tapping at the window and beckoning her to get out of the car. “I’m not here to shoot you, but I will,” he said behind a synthesized voice. “Get out of the vehicle.”
The two other gunmen led the troll to the front of the apartment building and had him lay down face first on the ground.
OOC: See OOC thread.
Copperhead
[6:33 PM, January 5th, 2072; Muddy River Bar; Redmond]
Mr. Okayama smiled pleasantly at Copperhead, “I have not been in contact with the Beast since the conclusion of our last business. I also have not looked for him either. So it is hard telling. I certainly agree with your assessment that he can take care of himself though. One can tell these kinds of things by the way a person carries themselves.”
He folded his hands and rested them on the table, studying the pair intently as Copperhead spoke. "So you say you've seen what I can do. Well, apart from da mojo, I learned most of my skills from Cutter here. So you can trust dat he can do it as well or even better than me. He's also got some enhancements, so he's fast too. So what exactly does a business man like yourself want done down here in the barrens dat needs a couple of trogs like us?"
“It really is quite simple. I have vested business interests in Redmond that are important for my future plans. Unfortunately, someone has been interfering with my affairs in a way that I simply can not tolerate. Those men that you assisted the Beast in rescuing; in addition to the elf and Cutter here, were employees of my detail. I do realize that many people see the way those in business carry themselves and treat their employees as expendable assets. I do not agree with this mentality. I do what I can for my employees, and they do what they can for me.”
The Japanese businessman half-smiled, “This is evident in the rough treatment they shared with Cutter and.. Slater was it? They performed their jobs with the utmost earnestness and prevented my opponent from stealing an important piece of technology from me by not breaking under torture and revealing the location. Could I have expected that loyalty out of people that I viewed as commodities? No.”
Mr. Okayama produced a golden cigarette case from a side pocket of his vest and popped it open. With it flat in his hand, he offered it to Copperhead and Cutter. Cutter shrugged and retrieved one. Mr. Okayama leaned over and lit it for him, pausing to light Copperhead’s as well if she accepted before sitting back down and making himself comfortable.
He stared intently into Copperhead’s eyes, his own eyes narrowing a bit further as he thought. “I would like to extend the offer of putting you on my Chicago account for services rendered locally. My opponent is an individual that I simply can not crush out of hand. If my own CorpSec men and operatives were found to be tangled up in this unpleasantness then I would have to answer to the Corporate Court. And I really have neither the time nor patience for that headache.” Mr. Okayama took a drag from the thin cigarette and shifted his gaze between the two trogs.
[January 5th, 2072; Summeroaks Apartments, Renton]
A far share of problems had visited Renton in the past, though most seemed to be behind the sleepy residential district. Not far away, roaming gun battles and gang wars were waged in the territories of Redmond. Though chaos seemed to be at the doorstep of Renton, it never seemed to spill over. The reasons could have been numerous. Largely it was believed that Knight Errant actually gave a shit about the SINner’s in Renton. The residential district made it home to a variety of corp lackeys and wage slaves. While they could certainly be replaced, the megas were not exactly keen on dropping that kind of nuyen on the hired help.
The meeting to discuss the Snatch job passed by fairly smoothly. Most of those in the meeting had gotten along well enough. Even the two gangers that kept eyeing each other refrained from assaulting one another and trashing Dahlia’s apartment. As the two left the apartment they appeared to exchange some modicum of pleasantries before heading to their respective vehicles. The troll watched the ork mount up and take off into the night before busying himself in a saddlebag. He glanced down into the bag and raised his eyes back up, greeted by oncoming headlights.
A series of unmarked white vans slid into position around the street. Two pairs appeared to block off each end of the street. Two vans slid part way down the block and pulled to a stop. The side doors slid open and out poured tactical teams in security armor with Uzi IV’s. The team to the left advanced on Scar as he fired off a quick notification to the rest of those at the meeting. <<We have some visitors.>>
The troll raised his hands as three of the men encircled him, Uzis trained on him.
High above, a pair of navy blue VTOL’s slid into the area, depositing more tactical teams; two in the rear and one on the roof the building. The tell-tale sound of muffled charges indicated a breaching of the building was currently underway.
OOC: See OOC thread.
Silk
[January 5th, 2072; Honda Spirit, Driving through Renton]
The Honda Spirit made its way along the grid towards where Silk’s contact awaited. The various systems she had tweaked and had installed in the Spirit helped ensure it would be one of the most secure vehicles on the road. Though the larger vehicles passing caused it to rock some in place; it puttered along as stalwartly as it ever had.
The woman hefted out a sigh as she shifted in her seat, first noticing the glint of headlights behind her and then ahead of her. She blinked and looked intently ahead at a pair of nondescript white panel vans that blocked the intersection ahead. As she was about to react to this new circumstance, the power in the Honda flickered and died; causing her to coast to a stop next to a trio of gunmen holding Uzi’s on a troll ganger. One of the men turned and pointed the Uzi at her, tapping at the window and beckoning her to get out of the car. “I’m not here to shoot you, but I will,” he said behind a synthesized voice. “Get out of the vehicle.”
The two other gunmen led the troll to the front of the apartment building and had him lay down face first on the ground.
OOC: See OOC thread.
Copperhead
[6:33 PM, January 5th, 2072; Muddy River Bar; Redmond]
Mr. Okayama smiled pleasantly at Copperhead, “I have not been in contact with the Beast since the conclusion of our last business. I also have not looked for him either. So it is hard telling. I certainly agree with your assessment that he can take care of himself though. One can tell these kinds of things by the way a person carries themselves.”
He folded his hands and rested them on the table, studying the pair intently as Copperhead spoke. "So you say you've seen what I can do. Well, apart from da mojo, I learned most of my skills from Cutter here. So you can trust dat he can do it as well or even better than me. He's also got some enhancements, so he's fast too. So what exactly does a business man like yourself want done down here in the barrens dat needs a couple of trogs like us?"
“It really is quite simple. I have vested business interests in Redmond that are important for my future plans. Unfortunately, someone has been interfering with my affairs in a way that I simply can not tolerate. Those men that you assisted the Beast in rescuing; in addition to the elf and Cutter here, were employees of my detail. I do realize that many people see the way those in business carry themselves and treat their employees as expendable assets. I do not agree with this mentality. I do what I can for my employees, and they do what they can for me.”
The Japanese businessman half-smiled, “This is evident in the rough treatment they shared with Cutter and.. Slater was it? They performed their jobs with the utmost earnestness and prevented my opponent from stealing an important piece of technology from me by not breaking under torture and revealing the location. Could I have expected that loyalty out of people that I viewed as commodities? No.”
Mr. Okayama produced a golden cigarette case from a side pocket of his vest and popped it open. With it flat in his hand, he offered it to Copperhead and Cutter. Cutter shrugged and retrieved one. Mr. Okayama leaned over and lit it for him, pausing to light Copperhead’s as well if she accepted before sitting back down and making himself comfortable.
He stared intently into Copperhead’s eyes, his own eyes narrowing a bit further as he thought. “I would like to extend the offer of putting you on my Chicago account for services rendered locally. My opponent is an individual that I simply can not crush out of hand. If my own CorpSec men and operatives were found to be tangled up in this unpleasantness then I would have to answer to the Corporate Court. And I really have neither the time nor patience for that headache.” Mr. Okayama took a drag from the thin cigarette and shifted his gaze between the two trogs.
[January 5th, 2072; Summeroaks Apartments, Renton]
Seti rubbed the bridge of his nose as he talked softly with Dahlia. "Well, that could have gone much worse. I don't think Asim suspects anything, and nobody trashed your apartment, or drank any bee venom. But still--"
The commlinks attached to their belts started chirping, interupting Seti's thought. He brought it up to read.
<<We have some visitors.>> It was from Scar, one of the gangers that had just left. Shit. He locked eyes with Dahlia, before making a break for her gun locker.
Seti rubbed the bridge of his nose as he talked softly with Dahlia. "Well, that could have gone much worse. I don't think Asim suspects anything, and nobody trashed your apartment, or drank any bee venom. But still--"
The commlinks attached to their belts started chirping, interupting Seti's thought. He brought it up to read.
<<We have some visitors.>> It was from Scar, one of the gangers that had just left. Shit. He locked eyes with Dahlia, before making a break for her gun locker.
[January 5th, 2072; Summeroaks Apartments, Renton]
Dahlia rolled her eyes in Seti's direction, almost saying something about how bee venom wasn't ingested--it was injected, thank you very much. But, the comlink's buzzing and tweeting distracted her. Perhaps a moment after the woman brought the comlink and text from Scar up to read, she was already on the move. Dahlia's eyes met Seti's once, and she nodded. He'd find the gun locker where it always was, neatly labeled in her laboratory. Hopefully the sniper knew well enough to leave the vials in there alone. He probably didn't know what half of it was.
The fact that the sniper probably wouldn't find much to his taste in Dahlia's arsenal wasn't exactly in the forefront of the woman's mind, though.
Asim nearly jumped two feet in the air as his older sister all but kicked in his door, a gas mask in hand. "Asim, put this on. Someone is breaking into the building. Hide, and stay hidden until I come to get you. Or, wait until an hour after the noise dies down, and go to one of your friend's house." The boy's indignant protests and questions were almost completely muffled and distorted as Dahlia practically shoved the gas mask over his face. Over her shoulder, Dahlia shouted "Do as your sister tells you!" before taking off towards the gun locker herself.
Dahlia rolled her eyes in Seti's direction, almost saying something about how bee venom wasn't ingested--it was injected, thank you very much. But, the comlink's buzzing and tweeting distracted her. Perhaps a moment after the woman brought the comlink and text from Scar up to read, she was already on the move. Dahlia's eyes met Seti's once, and she nodded. He'd find the gun locker where it always was, neatly labeled in her laboratory. Hopefully the sniper knew well enough to leave the vials in there alone. He probably didn't know what half of it was.
The fact that the sniper probably wouldn't find much to his taste in Dahlia's arsenal wasn't exactly in the forefront of the woman's mind, though.
Asim nearly jumped two feet in the air as his older sister all but kicked in his door, a gas mask in hand. "Asim, put this on. Someone is breaking into the building. Hide, and stay hidden until I come to get you. Or, wait until an hour after the noise dies down, and go to one of your friend's house." The boy's indignant protests and questions were almost completely muffled and distorted as Dahlia practically shoved the gas mask over his face. Over her shoulder, Dahlia shouted "Do as your sister tells you!" before taking off towards the gun locker herself.
[6:34 PM, January 5th, 2072; Muddy River Bar; Redmond]
Copperhead accepts one of Mr. Okayama's cigarettes and lets him light it for her. She leans back a little in the creaky chair as she inhales its rich flavour.
Frag me, real tobacco.
She lets her breath out slowly, two thin spirals of smoke twirling up from her tusks.
"I like what I'm hearing and you seem like an honourable man. But you wouldn't be da first Johnson to say one thing den do another."
The fingers of her left hand tap restlessly on the table, her razors partly extending then retracting. She takes a short, angry puff on the cigarette, holds it for a long second then blows out the smoke with a sigh.
"Bah, if Cutter and Slater say your on the level, den dat's good enough for me. For now. You look after us and we'll look after you."
She glances to Cutter to see if he's cool with the deal, before continuing.
"Den I guess you can unofficially add us to yer 'Chicago account for services rendered locally'. An' I also guess dat you might have need of some of those rendered services or we wouldn't be sitting here talking with ya."
Copperhead accepts one of Mr. Okayama's cigarettes and lets him light it for her. She leans back a little in the creaky chair as she inhales its rich flavour.
Frag me, real tobacco.
She lets her breath out slowly, two thin spirals of smoke twirling up from her tusks.
"I like what I'm hearing and you seem like an honourable man. But you wouldn't be da first Johnson to say one thing den do another."
The fingers of her left hand tap restlessly on the table, her razors partly extending then retracting. She takes a short, angry puff on the cigarette, holds it for a long second then blows out the smoke with a sigh.
"Bah, if Cutter and Slater say your on the level, den dat's good enough for me. For now. You look after us and we'll look after you."
She glances to Cutter to see if he's cool with the deal, before continuing.
"Den I guess you can unofficially add us to yer 'Chicago account for services rendered locally'. An' I also guess dat you might have need of some of those rendered services or we wouldn't be sitting here talking with ya."
[January 5th, 2072; Outside Summeroaks Apartments, Renton]
Shit! What the hell was this? It certainly didn’t look random but why were they involving her, surely it would have been easier to let her drive on? That meant they either didn’t intend to leave any witnesses or this was something to do with her? Silk just didn’t know and she suspected that the man with the gun would get impatient very soon. Thank the gods for mirrored glass she thought, wriggling out of her trenchcoat and boots and pulling the hooded mask over her head.
Her first inclination was to cut and run, but dammit, she’d only just retrieved this stash and she’d need the capital to get her run off the ground. But a stand up fight was also the last thing she was considering…
<<Aria, I’m in trouble and it looks like it could get messy fast…I might need you to spoof me a DocWagon contract on my other SIN, I don’t think I want to be tied to this…will keep posted as much as I can!>>
She palmed a flash bomb and smoke grenade from their hidden compartments under the dash and, one in each hand, stepped out of the car. She was aware that she made a slightly sinister, faceless figure standing in the uncertain sodium light of the street lamps, her figure hugging suit absorbing the light without the chameleon circuitry engaged.
Poised on the point of flight she spoke to the gunman…
“I don’t want any trouble, wrong place, wrong time, just let me walk away…”
Shit! What the hell was this? It certainly didn’t look random but why were they involving her, surely it would have been easier to let her drive on? That meant they either didn’t intend to leave any witnesses or this was something to do with her? Silk just didn’t know and she suspected that the man with the gun would get impatient very soon. Thank the gods for mirrored glass she thought, wriggling out of her trenchcoat and boots and pulling the hooded mask over her head.
Her first inclination was to cut and run, but dammit, she’d only just retrieved this stash and she’d need the capital to get her run off the ground. But a stand up fight was also the last thing she was considering…
<<Aria, I’m in trouble and it looks like it could get messy fast…I might need you to spoof me a DocWagon contract on my other SIN, I don’t think I want to be tied to this…will keep posted as much as I can!>>
She palmed a flash bomb and smoke grenade from their hidden compartments under the dash and, one in each hand, stepped out of the car. She was aware that she made a slightly sinister, faceless figure standing in the uncertain sodium light of the street lamps, her figure hugging suit absorbing the light without the chameleon circuitry engaged.
Poised on the point of flight she spoke to the gunman…
“I don’t want any trouble, wrong place, wrong time, just let me walk away…”
Silk
[January 5th, 2072; On a Street in Renton]
“I have neither the time nor patience for bullshit,” the synthesized voice came back to Silk. “We are not here to leave collateral damage. Do yourself a favor, walk over to the troll, and lay face down beside him. Once our business is complete, you can be on your way. Not until then.”
<<You’re good to go, I have something on-hand I can arrange for you.>> The message from Aria flashed up into her display.
The gunman did not appear to make any other overly hostile gestures other than the Uzi IV currently in Silk’s face. He spoke plainly, evenly, and matter-of-factly while he waited momentarily for her to make up her mind.
Copperhead
[6:35 PM, January 5th, 2072; Muddy River Bar; Redmond]
Mr. Okayama smiled at Copperhead as he flicks some ash on the table. “Believe me, I understand. I have known many to not do as they say they will do. I appreciate your paranoia. I find it pointless to sit here and try and cast assurance of what may or may not come to pass. Instead, I prefer to let my actions speak for themselves.”
Cutter leaned over and gave Copperhead a light squeeze on the shoulder followed by a gentle pat. “Like the lady says, I think we’re good to start working for you, Mr. Okayama.” The ork took another drag on the cigarette and stopped to look at it for a moment before exhaling. “Been awhile since I’ve had real tobacco.”
The Johnson smiled and snapped his fingers. The attendant that was with him walked forward and sat down a data chip on the table. “That data chip contains a list of five trucks with specific license plates and vehicle identification numbers.”
He opens his briefcase and pulls out a small box that slides open. Pushing it open, he withdraws a small cylindrical device from the interior. It is no longer than a half inch long and a quarter inch wide. “You may or may not recognize this as a tracking beacon. This is a unique style of beacon though. It is a self-weld. You simply press this end to metal and hold it for five seconds; then it fuses itself.”
Mr. Okayama turns it over and points out the patterned edge on the bottom of it. “I need these five tracking beacons put on the five specific trucks mentioned in the document file. The trucks are part of a small fleet of a sub-section Mitsuhama Computer Technologies. They are normally parked in a MCT garage where they are kept under surveillance and light guard.”
He withdrew another cigarette from the case and tapped it lightly on the case to pack the tobacco some before smoking it. Mr. Okayama rested it between his lips and took a draw from the cigarette as he lit it to life.
“There is one major caveat. You can not kill any of the personnel at the garage. You may incapacitate them, but you may not kill them. If any of them die, I will consider this run a failure whether or not you get the implants in place.”
The Japanese business man set his cigarette case open on the table in front of them, should they be interested in another. His eyes shifted back and forth between the two, studying them intently.
[January 5th, 2072; On a Street in Renton]
“I have neither the time nor patience for bullshit,” the synthesized voice came back to Silk. “We are not here to leave collateral damage. Do yourself a favor, walk over to the troll, and lay face down beside him. Once our business is complete, you can be on your way. Not until then.”
<<You’re good to go, I have something on-hand I can arrange for you.>> The message from Aria flashed up into her display.
The gunman did not appear to make any other overly hostile gestures other than the Uzi IV currently in Silk’s face. He spoke plainly, evenly, and matter-of-factly while he waited momentarily for her to make up her mind.
Copperhead
[6:35 PM, January 5th, 2072; Muddy River Bar; Redmond]
Mr. Okayama smiled at Copperhead as he flicks some ash on the table. “Believe me, I understand. I have known many to not do as they say they will do. I appreciate your paranoia. I find it pointless to sit here and try and cast assurance of what may or may not come to pass. Instead, I prefer to let my actions speak for themselves.”
Cutter leaned over and gave Copperhead a light squeeze on the shoulder followed by a gentle pat. “Like the lady says, I think we’re good to start working for you, Mr. Okayama.” The ork took another drag on the cigarette and stopped to look at it for a moment before exhaling. “Been awhile since I’ve had real tobacco.”
The Johnson smiled and snapped his fingers. The attendant that was with him walked forward and sat down a data chip on the table. “That data chip contains a list of five trucks with specific license plates and vehicle identification numbers.”
He opens his briefcase and pulls out a small box that slides open. Pushing it open, he withdraws a small cylindrical device from the interior. It is no longer than a half inch long and a quarter inch wide. “You may or may not recognize this as a tracking beacon. This is a unique style of beacon though. It is a self-weld. You simply press this end to metal and hold it for five seconds; then it fuses itself.”
Mr. Okayama turns it over and points out the patterned edge on the bottom of it. “I need these five tracking beacons put on the five specific trucks mentioned in the document file. The trucks are part of a small fleet of a sub-section Mitsuhama Computer Technologies. They are normally parked in a MCT garage where they are kept under surveillance and light guard.”
He withdrew another cigarette from the case and tapped it lightly on the case to pack the tobacco some before smoking it. Mr. Okayama rested it between his lips and took a draw from the cigarette as he lit it to life.
“There is one major caveat. You can not kill any of the personnel at the garage. You may incapacitate them, but you may not kill them. If any of them die, I will consider this run a failure whether or not you get the implants in place.”
The Japanese business man set his cigarette case open on the table in front of them, should they be interested in another. His eyes shifted back and forth between the two, studying them intently.
[January 5th, 2072; Summeroaks Apartments, Renton]
The Doctor heard the mention of company. Time to see if could actually kill. Drek. He wasn't sure if he was ready for this.
"We need info. I"m going Astral," he said to no one in particular.
He picked a comfortable looking spot and began the meditation. Time to see if any mages were running oversight. And who was coming and from where. He'd know soon enough.
[ooc: do a quick look-see outside in Astral while checking for wizardly overwatch]
The Doctor heard the mention of company. Time to see if could actually kill. Drek. He wasn't sure if he was ready for this.
"We need info. I"m going Astral," he said to no one in particular.
He picked a comfortable looking spot and began the meditation. Time to see if any mages were running oversight. And who was coming and from where. He'd know soon enough.
[ooc: do a quick look-see outside in Astral while checking for wizardly overwatch]
[6:35 PM, January 5th, 2072; Muddy River Bar; Redmond]
Copperhead takes a long drag from her cigarette, burning it down fast. She stubs it out on the table then fishes another from the gold case. She waits for Mr. O to light the new one before she continues.
“Snake approves of the no-killing caveat. It is not her style. I also prefer not to kill unless absolutely necessary. However, to ensure da success of dis op I may need some time and some cred* up front to appropriate a couple of new spells. You got a pressing deadline or we got some time in which to do dis?”
*OOC: Factored into weekly payments. I just find it weird not to talk about money with the Johnson.
Copperhead takes a long drag from her cigarette, burning it down fast. She stubs it out on the table then fishes another from the gold case. She waits for Mr. O to light the new one before she continues.
“Snake approves of the no-killing caveat. It is not her style. I also prefer not to kill unless absolutely necessary. However, to ensure da success of dis op I may need some time and some cred* up front to appropriate a couple of new spells. You got a pressing deadline or we got some time in which to do dis?”
*OOC: Factored into weekly payments. I just find it weird not to talk about money with the Johnson.
[January 5th, 2072; Summeroaks Apartments, Renton]
Seti punched Asim's birthday into the keypad on the safe. Gotta remember to tell Dahlia to change this combination, he thought as he pulled open the door and surveyed the options. His eyes rested on an Ares Predator nestled amidst the riot of colorful, unlabeled vials. He yanked it out, leaving the safe open for Dahlia as he raced back to the common rooms. Checking the magazine, he saw the gun was loaded with Stick'n'Shock rounds.
Once in the common room again, he pushed the sofa up against the door as a barricade, and almost tripped over the mage as he began looking for something to block the windows with.
"Do as your sister tells you!" Dahlia was yelling into Asim's room as she raced down to the lab. As she disappeared, Seti yelled down, "Dahlia! I'm borrowing your 'fridge!"
Seti punched Asim's birthday into the keypad on the safe. Gotta remember to tell Dahlia to change this combination, he thought as he pulled open the door and surveyed the options. His eyes rested on an Ares Predator nestled amidst the riot of colorful, unlabeled vials. He yanked it out, leaving the safe open for Dahlia as he raced back to the common rooms. Checking the magazine, he saw the gun was loaded with Stick'n'Shock rounds.
Once in the common room again, he pushed the sofa up against the door as a barricade, and almost tripped over the mage as he began looking for something to block the windows with.
"Do as your sister tells you!" Dahlia was yelling into Asim's room as she raced down to the lab. As she disappeared, Seti yelled down, "Dahlia! I'm borrowing your 'fridge!"
[January 5th, 2072; On a Street in Renton]
Oh fuck this… She set a three second delay on activating her suit
“Ok, ok…” Silk began to move forward and as she did so let the grenades drop to the ground between her and the gunman, simultaneously launching herself down towards the edge of the street, and hopefully out of his firing line. Her suit engaged, disappearing from view as the complex net of sensors merged her with her surroundings as the flashbang and smoke grenade momentarily provided a distraction
let’s hope this works…
Oh fuck this… She set a three second delay on activating her suit
“Ok, ok…” Silk began to move forward and as she did so let the grenades drop to the ground between her and the gunman, simultaneously launching herself down towards the edge of the street, and hopefully out of his firing line. Her suit engaged, disappearing from view as the complex net of sensors merged her with her surroundings as the flashbang and smoke grenade momentarily provided a distraction
let’s hope this works…
[January 5th, 2072; Summeroaks Apartments, Renton]
Dahlia scrambled down to the laboratory. Even as she went through the gun safe--shoving the injection daggers loaded with KE IV and Naga Venom into her pockets and taking hold of the dart pistol loaded with Narcoject--a nagging part of the woman's brain cataloged every breach of safety protocol and sanitation being committed. Another part of Dahlia noted that this was exactly why she should have bought a grenade launcher of her own. Normally she just borrowed someone else's. But, where did that leave her now?
The incubator caught Dahlia's eye for a moment as it quietly hummed, so innocuous in the corner. She licked her lips once or twice as she considered her options. At this stage, the virus wouldn't do any good for a few days. Asim hadn't been inoculated against it, yet either. So that was out. It wasn't even really an option for right now. However--
It didn't take more than a few seconds for her to select a particular culture sample and secure the taped-up petri dish in the inside-pocket of her lab coat. With that, Dahlia closed the incubator and joined Seti in the common area--keeping low to the ground as she moved.
If by some stroke of luck they survived this and needed to get out of a tight spot, there was always room for insurance.
Dahlia scrambled down to the laboratory. Even as she went through the gun safe--shoving the injection daggers loaded with KE IV and Naga Venom into her pockets and taking hold of the dart pistol loaded with Narcoject--a nagging part of the woman's brain cataloged every breach of safety protocol and sanitation being committed. Another part of Dahlia noted that this was exactly why she should have bought a grenade launcher of her own. Normally she just borrowed someone else's. But, where did that leave her now?
The incubator caught Dahlia's eye for a moment as it quietly hummed, so innocuous in the corner. She licked her lips once or twice as she considered her options. At this stage, the virus wouldn't do any good for a few days. Asim hadn't been inoculated against it, yet either. So that was out. It wasn't even really an option for right now. However--
It didn't take more than a few seconds for her to select a particular culture sample and secure the taped-up petri dish in the inside-pocket of her lab coat. With that, Dahlia closed the incubator and joined Seti in the common area--keeping low to the ground as she moved.
If by some stroke of luck they survived this and needed to get out of a tight spot, there was always room for insurance.
Silk
[January 5th, 2072; On a Street in Renton]
Clearly having enough of the events unfolding around her, Silk was not about to get caught up in whatever was going on. The two grenades she palmed dropped between her and the CorpSec operative, one flashing the other beginning to billow smoke out. As she bolted to the corner she heard a single gunshot. The round was not from an Uzi IV but had the tell-tale report of a large caliber rifle from somewhere above her.
“Zulu, hostile contact; likely bystander. Continue.” She heard the guard in the smoke radio out as she moved towards cover.
Copperhead
[6:38 PM, January 5th, 2072; Muddy River Bar; Redmond]
Mr. Okayama nodded slightly to Copperhead as he stood and lit her second cigarette, “But of course. I will provide a partial payment up front and this needs to be completed by January 10th.”
The businessman glanced to his side at an AR display. “Five days, it appears. That should be plenty of time to develop a course of action and accomplish the job. Do you agree?”
The Doctor
[January 5th, 2072; Summeroaks Apartments, Renton]
The Doctor situated himself into a comfortable spot and sighed as he slipped his spirit from his mortal shell. The Astral welcomed him as it always had, providing the freedom and ease of movement that one simply could not acquire in the meat-world. He took a quick look near the entrances and exits until he was able to discern where the teams were coming from. It did not appear as though they had any magical support backing them up. With but a thought, he shifted to the exterior and quickly scanned around the building. Life forces of a couple bunched up groups, one laying prone with a figure over it, and two standing near the road caught his eye.
The entire area around him seemed to be tinged on the Astral. It seemed as though something malevolent or horrific had happened in front of this building at some time in the past.
OOC: I'm going to advance the main plot for the people in the building tomorrow as I had planned to still. So if you didn't get an update today, you'll get one tomorrow.
[January 5th, 2072; On a Street in Renton]
Clearly having enough of the events unfolding around her, Silk was not about to get caught up in whatever was going on. The two grenades she palmed dropped between her and the CorpSec operative, one flashing the other beginning to billow smoke out. As she bolted to the corner she heard a single gunshot. The round was not from an Uzi IV but had the tell-tale report of a large caliber rifle from somewhere above her.
“Zulu, hostile contact; likely bystander. Continue.” She heard the guard in the smoke radio out as she moved towards cover.
[ Spoiler ]
Copperhead
[6:38 PM, January 5th, 2072; Muddy River Bar; Redmond]
Mr. Okayama nodded slightly to Copperhead as he stood and lit her second cigarette, “But of course. I will provide a partial payment up front and this needs to be completed by January 10th.”
The businessman glanced to his side at an AR display. “Five days, it appears. That should be plenty of time to develop a course of action and accomplish the job. Do you agree?”
The Doctor
[January 5th, 2072; Summeroaks Apartments, Renton]
The Doctor situated himself into a comfortable spot and sighed as he slipped his spirit from his mortal shell. The Astral welcomed him as it always had, providing the freedom and ease of movement that one simply could not acquire in the meat-world. He took a quick look near the entrances and exits until he was able to discern where the teams were coming from. It did not appear as though they had any magical support backing them up. With but a thought, he shifted to the exterior and quickly scanned around the building. Life forces of a couple bunched up groups, one laying prone with a figure over it, and two standing near the road caught his eye.
The entire area around him seemed to be tinged on the Astral. It seemed as though something malevolent or horrific had happened in front of this building at some time in the past.
OOC: I'm going to advance the main plot for the people in the building tomorrow as I had planned to still. So if you didn't get an update today, you'll get one tomorrow.
[January 5th, 2072; Summeroaks Apartments, Renton]
The Doctor slipped back into his meatbod.
"Good news, bad news time," he announced.
"Whoever is trying to breach the building has no magical support. You have me."
"Bad news," he continued, "They've coming from above and below. There are some people crowded up down at the entrance; one's on the ground with another standing over him or her. This suggests that they may not be here for us. Obviously, I suggest skepticism on this point."
"And does anyone know about anything bad, big, and horrific going down here relatively recently?" he had to shake the willies from aura around the building.
"I'll go back to overwatch."
The Doctor slipped back into the Astral and started looking for how the various breacher teams were progressing.
The Doctor slipped back into his meatbod.
"Good news, bad news time," he announced.
"Whoever is trying to breach the building has no magical support. You have me."
"Bad news," he continued, "They've coming from above and below. There are some people crowded up down at the entrance; one's on the ground with another standing over him or her. This suggests that they may not be here for us. Obviously, I suggest skepticism on this point."
"And does anyone know about anything bad, big, and horrific going down here relatively recently?" he had to shake the willies from aura around the building.
"I'll go back to overwatch."
The Doctor slipped back into the Astral and started looking for how the various breacher teams were progressing.
[6:38 PM, January 5th, 2072; Muddy River Bar; Redmond]
Copperhead gives a slightly cheeky grin, blowing smoke out the side of her mouth in Cutter's direction.
“Well, dat's more dan I had fer da last run and dat worked out okay. So yeah, five days should be plenty of time to accomplish da job.”
She scoops up the data chip and places her credstick on the table to let Mr. Okayama transfer the upfront money, while she finishes the second cigarette.
"One question. If we do got any questions about da data on dis chip, who do we contact?"
She waits for his answer, then looks over at Cutter. "Anything else we need to know or we good to go?"
She retrieves her credstick, then stands up slowly. She gives a bow to Mr Okayama and a simple nod to his assistant, then heads back out into the bar.
She is grinning like a fool and gives Cutter a hug that would squeeze the life out of a normal man. "We're moving up in the world, baby! A few beers to celebrate, then I need to get a holda Lenny. See if he can come up with some spells for me. You think Slater might be able ta help us on da matrix side? What about gear? Maybe we can pick up a couple of dem stun guns? What do you think?"
Realising she is babbling, she attempts to put on a more street face but her grin throws it off. She strolls over to the bar and gives Wiley the barman a big wink as she orders a couple more beers.
Copperhead gives a slightly cheeky grin, blowing smoke out the side of her mouth in Cutter's direction.
“Well, dat's more dan I had fer da last run and dat worked out okay. So yeah, five days should be plenty of time to accomplish da job.”
She scoops up the data chip and places her credstick on the table to let Mr. Okayama transfer the upfront money, while she finishes the second cigarette.
"One question. If we do got any questions about da data on dis chip, who do we contact?"
She waits for his answer, then looks over at Cutter. "Anything else we need to know or we good to go?"
She retrieves her credstick, then stands up slowly. She gives a bow to Mr Okayama and a simple nod to his assistant, then heads back out into the bar.
She is grinning like a fool and gives Cutter a hug that would squeeze the life out of a normal man. "We're moving up in the world, baby! A few beers to celebrate, then I need to get a holda Lenny. See if he can come up with some spells for me. You think Slater might be able ta help us on da matrix side? What about gear? Maybe we can pick up a couple of dem stun guns? What do you think?"
Realising she is babbling, she attempts to put on a more street face but her grin throws it off. She strolls over to the bar and gives Wiley the barman a big wink as she orders a couple more beers.
Copperhead
[6:45 PM, January 5th, 2072; Muddy River Bar; Redmond]
Mr. Okayama beamed the pair of trogs over commlink information denoting him as a Mr. Tsaki. “That is my contact information, under an alias of course. If you have questions, do not hesitate to contact me. The information on the chip is fairly self-explanatory though.”
With Cutter having no questions, once Mr. Okayama had transferred the funds to her credstick, he stood and saw the two of them out of the meeting room.
Business in the bar had picked up a little bit in the time they had been in the meeting. Cutter chuckles quietly to himself as he listens to Copperhead, joining her to grab his beer. “I would say that if we need to, we should probably get some tools to incapacitate targets. And I’m sure Slater will provide us with Matrix support provided he didn’t bleed to death in a gutter on his way to the clinic.”
Cutter took a drink of the synthahol and squinted his eyes as he thought, “Or get fed to the maid for not being able to pay Dr. Ted.”
The Doctor
[January 5th, 2072; Summeroaks Apartments, Renton]
No one seemed to be able to offer any information to The Doctor about what would have affected the background count of the area. He could definitely feel the difference on the Astral. He closed his eyes and left his meat body behind again, checking on where the breaching teams were currently advancing through the apartment complex. Teams had converged on several entry points of the building and were advancing in rapid fashion up the stairs and elevators in groups of three. The teams converged on the runners’ floor and moved swiftly down the hall. The Doctor could see from their life forces that they were lining up on either side of the hall, preparing for a breach..
Dahlia, Seti
[January 5th, 2072; Summeroaks Apartments, Renton]
Dahlia and Seti made quick work of fetching some insurance and weapons from the locker where they were commonly locked down. Seti had made good use of the time they had by attempting to barricade some of the doors and windows. They could hear the tromping of boots on the other side of the door and then all was silent and still.
A matter of a few seconds passed before an ear-splitting explosion ripped through the hallway outside. It was followed by the charred remains of two of the team members being catapulted through the top half of the door of Dahlia’s apartment. The couch held firm in place and prevented the entire door from coming open. A quick glance outside could see the door across the hall blown completely out as though a shaped explosion had gone off.
“You cocksuckers are so fraggin’ predictable!” A gravelly voice boomed from the room across the hall. With that, a torrent of gunfire was unleashed in the hallway. The barking of automatics coupled with the loud reports of a higher caliber weapon created a cacophony of sound that reverberated through the apartment complex.
OOC: Your next post should include initiative and actions for the first round. You are able to return to your meat body before the exchange if you choose The Doctor.
[6:45 PM, January 5th, 2072; Muddy River Bar; Redmond]
Mr. Okayama beamed the pair of trogs over commlink information denoting him as a Mr. Tsaki. “That is my contact information, under an alias of course. If you have questions, do not hesitate to contact me. The information on the chip is fairly self-explanatory though.”
With Cutter having no questions, once Mr. Okayama had transferred the funds to her credstick, he stood and saw the two of them out of the meeting room.
Business in the bar had picked up a little bit in the time they had been in the meeting. Cutter chuckles quietly to himself as he listens to Copperhead, joining her to grab his beer. “I would say that if we need to, we should probably get some tools to incapacitate targets. And I’m sure Slater will provide us with Matrix support provided he didn’t bleed to death in a gutter on his way to the clinic.”
Cutter took a drink of the synthahol and squinted his eyes as he thought, “Or get fed to the maid for not being able to pay Dr. Ted.”
The Doctor
[January 5th, 2072; Summeroaks Apartments, Renton]
No one seemed to be able to offer any information to The Doctor about what would have affected the background count of the area. He could definitely feel the difference on the Astral. He closed his eyes and left his meat body behind again, checking on where the breaching teams were currently advancing through the apartment complex. Teams had converged on several entry points of the building and were advancing in rapid fashion up the stairs and elevators in groups of three. The teams converged on the runners’ floor and moved swiftly down the hall. The Doctor could see from their life forces that they were lining up on either side of the hall, preparing for a breach..
Dahlia, Seti
[January 5th, 2072; Summeroaks Apartments, Renton]
Dahlia and Seti made quick work of fetching some insurance and weapons from the locker where they were commonly locked down. Seti had made good use of the time they had by attempting to barricade some of the doors and windows. They could hear the tromping of boots on the other side of the door and then all was silent and still.
A matter of a few seconds passed before an ear-splitting explosion ripped through the hallway outside. It was followed by the charred remains of two of the team members being catapulted through the top half of the door of Dahlia’s apartment. The couch held firm in place and prevented the entire door from coming open. A quick glance outside could see the door across the hall blown completely out as though a shaped explosion had gone off.
“You cocksuckers are so fraggin’ predictable!” A gravelly voice boomed from the room across the hall. With that, a torrent of gunfire was unleashed in the hallway. The barking of automatics coupled with the loud reports of a higher caliber weapon created a cacophony of sound that reverberated through the apartment complex.
OOC: Your next post should include initiative and actions for the first round. You are able to return to your meat body before the exchange if you choose The Doctor.
[January 5th, 2072; Summeroaks Apartments, Renton]
In response to The Doctor's question, Dahlia could only offer a vague shrug. She wasn't aware of any major bad news; that sort of thing didn't even register on the woman's radar. But, that certainly explained why rent was so cheap, one part of Dahlia noted as the blood began to hum in her ears. As she and the sniper waited, Dahlia had to wonder what had gone wrong. She hadn't had 'work' in a while, certainly not the kind that would attract this degree of attention. Perhaps it was one of the people gathered for the snatch job?
Dahlia's train of thought was immediately forgotten as two figures--or what was left of them--flew through the top of her apartment door. One of them crashed into a bookshelf, sending it and its contents toppling to the floor with a rapid series of dull thuds. For a moment, Dahlia only peered at the figures that had been thrown into her apartment as she crouched for cover behind an overturned side-table. Automatic fire outside Dahlia's apartment roared, and the teams' presumed target spoke. Dahlia turned to Seti and shrugged.
May as well get a look at who was tearing up the building.
Still trying to keep behind some semblance of cover, Dahlia took in whatever she could see out of what used to be her front door. When she got a good look, the woman steadied her dart pistol and took aim.
In response to The Doctor's question, Dahlia could only offer a vague shrug. She wasn't aware of any major bad news; that sort of thing didn't even register on the woman's radar. But, that certainly explained why rent was so cheap, one part of Dahlia noted as the blood began to hum in her ears. As she and the sniper waited, Dahlia had to wonder what had gone wrong. She hadn't had 'work' in a while, certainly not the kind that would attract this degree of attention. Perhaps it was one of the people gathered for the snatch job?
Dahlia's train of thought was immediately forgotten as two figures--or what was left of them--flew through the top of her apartment door. One of them crashed into a bookshelf, sending it and its contents toppling to the floor with a rapid series of dull thuds. For a moment, Dahlia only peered at the figures that had been thrown into her apartment as she crouched for cover behind an overturned side-table. Automatic fire outside Dahlia's apartment roared, and the teams' presumed target spoke. Dahlia turned to Seti and shrugged.
May as well get a look at who was tearing up the building.
Still trying to keep behind some semblance of cover, Dahlia took in whatever she could see out of what used to be her front door. When she got a good look, the woman steadied her dart pistol and took aim.
[EDIT NOTE: I completely misread the post on who did what...note to self...never have 1.5 year old son on lap while trying to read and reply.]
[ooc: well darn it...I'd erased my initiative too. It was a 9 if that helps]
The Doctor decided to have a little jaunt across the way to the apartment those goons were trying to breach. Whoever the target was clearly was overmatched and trying to compensate for it with heavy gun play. Perhaps it'd be worthwhile to make sure he was not going to do something truly stupid...
The Doctor jaunted across the astral space between Dalhia's apartment and the fragger firing an automatic weapon at the breaching team to take a look around.
[ooc: well darn it...I'd erased my initiative too. It was a 9 if that helps]
The Doctor decided to have a little jaunt across the way to the apartment those goons were trying to breach. Whoever the target was clearly was overmatched and trying to compensate for it with heavy gun play. Perhaps it'd be worthwhile to make sure he was not going to do something truly stupid...
The Doctor jaunted across the astral space between Dalhia's apartment and the fragger firing an automatic weapon at the breaching team to take a look around.
QUOTE (Grimm @ Nov 11 2010, 11:10 PM)
Copperhead
[6:45 PM, January 5th, 2072; Muddy River Bar; Redmond]
Cutter took a drink of the synthahol and squinted his eyes as he thought, “Or get fed to the maid for not being able to pay Dr. Ted.”
[6:45 PM, January 5th, 2072; Muddy River Bar; Redmond]
Cutter took a drink of the synthahol and squinted his eyes as he thought, “Or get fed to the maid for not being able to pay Dr. Ted.”
Copperhead pauses a moment in thought. "Dat reminds me. I need to drop past his place tomorrow. I think I'm close to working out how dat rabbit works."
She clinks glasses with Cutter. "But tonight we celebrate.""
[10:22 AM, January 6th, 2072; Copperhead's squat; Redmond]
Copperhead groans as light filtering between the cracks in the boards pierces her brain. She feels like a troll is jumping up and down on her head. Opening one eye, she squints around their squat. At first it looks like it had been trashed, then she realises it's just her and Cutter's clothes and gear strewn around the room. She smiles as she remembers how the previous evening's celebrations continued well into the night after they got back from the bar. She looks over at Cutter, who is still snoring next to her.
Climbing carefully over him, she shambles into the bathroom. A pee, a wash and two painkillers and she is feeling more like a troll herself. She rustles up some food and that wakes Cutter. He seems to be in at least as bad shape as she is, but he gives her a weak smile and a kiss as he drags his naked ass into the bathroom to freshen up.
Together, they scarf down the bland instasoy meals and bottled water. Somewhat recovered Cutter dresses and heads out to see if he can find some non-lethal weapons while Copperhead puts out a call to Lenny, the rat shaman.
<<@Lenny. Hoi chummer. I'm looking for some gear. Some non-lethal or sneaky style mojo, maybe some stuff fer binding spirits. Whatever ya can put yer hands on at short notice. Gimme a call back an' let me know what ya got. I'll drop by later to pick it up.>>
She then dresses and, after putting on her shades, hustles over to Dr. Ted's. She leans on the buzzer until Sister lets her in. Then she helps out the doctor with an unruly patient, first subduing him and then helping patch him up, before retiring to her regular spot in the corner of his office and settling down with the tatty rabbit in her lap.
The astral glows brightly as she frees herself from her meat body. Her aches and pains fade as she studies the now familiar aura of the rabbit held in her serpentine arms. She relaxes and opens her mind. Pain and joy flow through her in equal parts as she lets herself become one with the rabbit's aura. Snake hisses in anticipation of secrets about to be revealed.
This is a "lo-fi" version of our main content. To view the full version with more information, formatting and images, please click here.