The Rising Sun Casino, 11:55 AM, July 30th, 2075
Argent chuckles slightly, a slim uptick of his mouth the only indication of his smile.
"Personal vendettas get you killed in this business. He wasn't gunning for me. Now, if you want to pay me to take an interest, that would be a different story."
Full Version: Nothing's Free in the Free Zone (IC)
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Amy and Overkill, Schaefer's Diner, 10:25 AM, July 30th, 2075
Amy and Overkill get off of their bike and approach the diner. An older woman, perhaps in her 50's, stood outside, cleaning the windows. She turned at their approach, and smiled politely, her nametag identifying her as Jill.
"Hello, welcome to Schaefer's. You can go on inside and grab a seat, I'll be inside in a moment to take your order."
Amy and Overkill get off of their bike and approach the diner. An older woman, perhaps in her 50's, stood outside, cleaning the windows. She turned at their approach, and smiled politely, her nametag identifying her as Jill.
"Hello, welcome to Schaefer's. You can go on inside and grab a seat, I'll be inside in a moment to take your order."
Amy and Overkill, Schaefer's Diner, 10:25 AM, July 30th, 2075
Amy smiles at the waitress walking towards the inside, "Thanks Jill, we'll just have some soycaf, but we'd also like to speak with the manager. Can you call for him please?"
Amy smiles at the waitress walking towards the inside, "Thanks Jill, we'll just have some soycaf, but we'd also like to speak with the manager. Can you call for him please?"
The Rising Sun Casino, 11:55 AM, July 30th, 2075
Grease shrugs. "Well, personal vendettas aren't good business, but that doesn't mean they aren't satisfying."
He smirks. "Say, hypothetically, we ran this person or people to ground. It's possible we could share their location with you, if you were willing to nudge a little on your price. Personally, I'm of the opinion that people shooting at me need to understand that's a poor decision, to discourage others from doing the same. I'm not suggesting you couldn't do this on your own if you wanted to; rather that given the opportunity, you might not be opposed to it."
He pauses, nodding at Jack's message.
"Hypothetically."
Grease shrugs. "Well, personal vendettas aren't good business, but that doesn't mean they aren't satisfying."
He smirks. "Say, hypothetically, we ran this person or people to ground. It's possible we could share their location with you, if you were willing to nudge a little on your price. Personally, I'm of the opinion that people shooting at me need to understand that's a poor decision, to discourage others from doing the same. I'm not suggesting you couldn't do this on your own if you wanted to; rather that given the opportunity, you might not be opposed to it."
He pauses, nodding at Jack's message.
"Hypothetically."
Amy and Overkill, Schaefer's Diner, 10:25 AM, July 30th, 2075
"Sure hon, grab a seat, anywhere you want. Give me a sec, I'll be right back." She bustles past the counter, through a swinging door into the back. Amy and Overkill have their pick of seats, and choose to grab a booth near a window.
Across the street they can see Newton's Apartment building. After a minute, Jill is back, and drops off two soykafs at the table. About 30 seconds later a middle aged man comes out of the back, and walks over to the table. Short, balding, dark hair turning grey, he smiles at the two and says, "Hello, I'm the manager, how can I help you?"
"Sure hon, grab a seat, anywhere you want. Give me a sec, I'll be right back." She bustles past the counter, through a swinging door into the back. Amy and Overkill have their pick of seats, and choose to grab a booth near a window.
Across the street they can see Newton's Apartment building. After a minute, Jill is back, and drops off two soykafs at the table. About 30 seconds later a middle aged man comes out of the back, and walks over to the table. Short, balding, dark hair turning grey, he smiles at the two and says, "Hello, I'm the manager, how can I help you?"
The Rising Sun Casino, 11:55 AM, July 30th, 2075
"Thank you for your hypothetical offer, but as I said, biz is biz. You want to pay me to take in an interest in that person or persons, I'm happy to oblige."
He was nearing completion of his crossword. "You want to push down the price of the info, that's understandable. I'm not unreasonable, and I'm curious to see how this little drama plays out. I'll knock it down to 900."
"Thank you for your hypothetical offer, but as I said, biz is biz. You want to pay me to take in an interest in that person or persons, I'm happy to oblige."
He was nearing completion of his crossword. "You want to push down the price of the info, that's understandable. I'm not unreasonable, and I'm curious to see how this little drama plays out. I'll knock it down to 900."
Amy and Overkill, Schaefer's Diner, 10:25 AM, July 30th, 2075
"Guten Tag, good sir. My name is Heinrich and we are Private Investigators, looking into the murder of Lone Star Officer Terrance Newton on behalf of his family. We were told that a number of your staff witnessed the event, and we would like the opportunity to talk with any of them who witnessed the events on the 20th of July, 2075." Drave said to the man, very business like.
"Were you working that day, Mr.?" He said inquisitively, and waited for him to respond.
"Guten Tag, good sir. My name is Heinrich and we are Private Investigators, looking into the murder of Lone Star Officer Terrance Newton on behalf of his family. We were told that a number of your staff witnessed the event, and we would like the opportunity to talk with any of them who witnessed the events on the 20th of July, 2075." Drave said to the man, very business like.
"Were you working that day, Mr.?" He said inquisitively, and waited for him to respond.
Amy and Overkill, Schaefer's Diner, 10:25 AM, July 30th, 2075
"Oh, what a terrible thing! He was such a nice man. Came in here every morning for a coffee and doughnut. Such a shame." He extends a hand, and Overkill shakes it. "Mr. Manjourides, I was working that day, yes, but I was in the back. Jill here was outside though, weren't you Jill?"
Jill puts down a broom she had been using to sweep up, and heads over to the table. "Yes, sir. I was outside, and I got a good look." She nods her head for emphasis. "This gray panel van came screaming around the corner there - and cut off someone. Poor lady crashed her car into the wall over there, you can still see the damage." She points out the window to a low wall around the apartment complex where the damage had not yet been fixed.
"I got a good look at the driver, short, broad face, big cheek bones and bushy eyebrows. Short brown hair, shaved around the sides."
"I didn't get a look at the shooter though, he must'a been in the back and opened up the side panel, cause the driver didn't do the shooting. Anyways, it was over in a second - the van barely slowed down, there was a loud bang, and then it was gone, and poor Officer Newton was lying on the ground covered in blood." She shakes her head, her eyes a little misty at the memory.
"Oh, what a terrible thing! He was such a nice man. Came in here every morning for a coffee and doughnut. Such a shame." He extends a hand, and Overkill shakes it. "Mr. Manjourides, I was working that day, yes, but I was in the back. Jill here was outside though, weren't you Jill?"
Jill puts down a broom she had been using to sweep up, and heads over to the table. "Yes, sir. I was outside, and I got a good look." She nods her head for emphasis. "This gray panel van came screaming around the corner there - and cut off someone. Poor lady crashed her car into the wall over there, you can still see the damage." She points out the window to a low wall around the apartment complex where the damage had not yet been fixed.
"I got a good look at the driver, short, broad face, big cheek bones and bushy eyebrows. Short brown hair, shaved around the sides."
"I didn't get a look at the shooter though, he must'a been in the back and opened up the side panel, cause the driver didn't do the shooting. Anyways, it was over in a second - the van barely slowed down, there was a loud bang, and then it was gone, and poor Officer Newton was lying on the ground covered in blood." She shakes her head, her eyes a little misty at the memory.
Amy and Overkill, Schaefer's Diner, 10:30 AM, July 30th, 2075
Amy empathizes with the waitress. "That must have been very tough to watch. Thank you so much for sharing this with us. We're doing our very best to get to the bottom of this terrible crime." She takes a breath to mark a break. "Before we go, I'm sorry but I really have to ask you one or two more questions. You mentioned a loud bang, are you positive that only one shot was fired? Also, was officer Newton alone or with someone else when this happened? Was there anyone nearby that could have seen the face of the shooter?"
Amy empathizes with the waitress. "That must have been very tough to watch. Thank you so much for sharing this with us. We're doing our very best to get to the bottom of this terrible crime." She takes a breath to mark a break. "Before we go, I'm sorry but I really have to ask you one or two more questions. You mentioned a loud bang, are you positive that only one shot was fired? Also, was officer Newton alone or with someone else when this happened? Was there anyone nearby that could have seen the face of the shooter?"
Amy and Overkill, Schaefer's Diner, 10:30 AM, July 30th, 2075
Jill nods her understanding. "Of course, I want to help as much as I can. It might have been two shots I guess, it all happened so fast. Officer Newton was alone that day, and it was early, around 8:00 in the morning. Not a lot of people on the streets at that time around here, unfortunately."
Amy looks over at where Jill pointed to show where Officer Newton had fallen, and noticed that not only did the camera have a few of the spot, but also that it would have been in view of one of the apartments on the ground floor of Newton's building.
Jill nods her understanding. "Of course, I want to help as much as I can. It might have been two shots I guess, it all happened so fast. Officer Newton was alone that day, and it was early, around 8:00 in the morning. Not a lot of people on the streets at that time around here, unfortunately."
Amy looks over at where Jill pointed to show where Officer Newton had fallen, and noticed that not only did the camera have a few of the spot, but also that it would have been in view of one of the apartments on the ground floor of Newton's building.
Amy and Overkill, Schaefer's Diner, 10:30 AM, July 30th, 2075
"Thank you so much and we're sorry to have bothered you this morning. One last thing, I don't know how much you knew the officer, but since he was a regular you might have overheard something. Do you know of anyone who might have wanted him dead? Did he appear to be distressed or worried in the few days before his murder?" Amy was doing her best to play the part of an investigator. She was very observant, perhaps in another life she could have been a real PI.
"Thank you so much and we're sorry to have bothered you this morning. One last thing, I don't know how much you knew the officer, but since he was a regular you might have overheard something. Do you know of anyone who might have wanted him dead? Did he appear to be distressed or worried in the few days before his murder?" Amy was doing her best to play the part of an investigator. She was very observant, perhaps in another life she could have been a real PI.
The Rising Sun Casino, 11:58 AM, July 30th, 2075
"900 we can do." Grease nods to Jack, who fiddles with his commlink and hands him something. With an exaggerated motion, Grease produces a large sneeze- while at the same time tossing the credstick underhand to Argent. Argent catches it with snake-quick reaction, palming it and placing it into the credstick reader on his commlink, all in a moment. "Bless you." he deadpans.
"Thank you."
"900 we can do." Grease nods to Jack, who fiddles with his commlink and hands him something. With an exaggerated motion, Grease produces a large sneeze- while at the same time tossing the credstick underhand to Argent. Argent catches it with snake-quick reaction, palming it and placing it into the credstick reader on his commlink, all in a moment. "Bless you." he deadpans.
"Thank you."
Amy and Overkill, Schaefer's Diner, 10:30 AM, July 30th, 2075
"No, dear. He came in the day before, not a care in the world. As to who could want him dead, well, I know being a Lone Star officer isn't a safe job, but I don't think he had any enemies." Jill topped off Amy's soykaf, and put the pot back where it belonged.
"No, dear. He came in the day before, not a care in the world. As to who could want him dead, well, I know being a Lone Star officer isn't a safe job, but I don't think he had any enemies." Jill topped off Amy's soykaf, and put the pot back where it belonged.
The Rising Sun Casino, 1201 PM, July 30th, 2075
Argent slots the credstick into his commlink and checks the balance. He then reaches into his pocket and pulls out a data chip, placing it on the bench next to him.
"The name of the shooter is Lynx. He's got a bad rep on the streets - he and I are in the same business, but opposite sides of the spectrum. No honor. Women, kids, doesn't matter, you have the money, you name the target, he'll take it down. The video is on that chip. You'll get a clear visual of him."
Argent is completing the last of the puzzle as he continues. "Usually works with a crew of four others. There's a rigger goes by Gutter, another merc named Stinger, a troll named Truck, and a skinny little mage goes by the name Falcon. I've never met the others myself, so I can't tell you what they look like. They move around alot, not sure where they'd be now."
Argent stands up. "Gentlemen, a pleasure doing business with you. Give 'em hell."
Argent slots the credstick into his commlink and checks the balance. He then reaches into his pocket and pulls out a data chip, placing it on the bench next to him.
"The name of the shooter is Lynx. He's got a bad rep on the streets - he and I are in the same business, but opposite sides of the spectrum. No honor. Women, kids, doesn't matter, you have the money, you name the target, he'll take it down. The video is on that chip. You'll get a clear visual of him."
Argent is completing the last of the puzzle as he continues. "Usually works with a crew of four others. There's a rigger goes by Gutter, another merc named Stinger, a troll named Truck, and a skinny little mage goes by the name Falcon. I've never met the others myself, so I can't tell you what they look like. They move around alot, not sure where they'd be now."
Argent stands up. "Gentlemen, a pleasure doing business with you. Give 'em hell."
Amy and Overkill, Schaefer's Diner, 10:30 AM, July 30th, 2075
Amy puts her hand above her cup to indicate she won't have another fill. "Thanks for your help Jill. We'll get going now, but I might come back later for another coffee."
When the two runners are outside, Amy turns to Overkill and points to the opposite side of the street. "Hey, did you notice the camera on that building? Right there? I bet it got a pretty good view of the van and the shooting." She gets closer, puts her hand over her mouth and lowers her voice, "Do you think you could do like yesterday and get us the tape?" She added that with a conspiratorial smile on her face. Shadowrunners are cool.
Amy puts her hand above her cup to indicate she won't have another fill. "Thanks for your help Jill. We'll get going now, but I might come back later for another coffee."
When the two runners are outside, Amy turns to Overkill and points to the opposite side of the street. "Hey, did you notice the camera on that building? Right there? I bet it got a pretty good view of the van and the shooting." She gets closer, puts her hand over her mouth and lowers her voice, "Do you think you could do like yesterday and get us the tape?" She added that with a conspiratorial smile on her face. Shadowrunners are cool.
The Rising Sun Casino, 12:01 PM, July 30th, 2075
Grease's eyes widen, but his expression doesn't change otherwise. He looks at Argent and says quietly in a low voice, "Half a moment, please. You're positive this was a hit? You were right behind him in line, was he anxious at all, aware of what was about to happen? Any idea who could have been involved? Does this Lynx work for a particular syndicate or outfit, or is he completely freelance?"
Grease's eyes widen, but his expression doesn't change otherwise. He looks at Argent and says quietly in a low voice, "Half a moment, please. You're positive this was a hit? You were right behind him in line, was he anxious at all, aware of what was about to happen? Any idea who could have been involved? Does this Lynx work for a particular syndicate or outfit, or is he completely freelance?"
The Rising Sun Casino, 12:02 PM, July 30th, 2075
With the biz done, Jack felt comfortable responding, "Pleasure was ours, hombre. Thanks for the freebie."
With the biz done, Jack felt comfortable responding, "Pleasure was ours, hombre. Thanks for the freebie."
The Rising Sun Casino, 12:01 PM, July 30th, 2075
Argent squats down and makes a show of looking at the fish. "I cannot attribute motive to the shooting. I will say that it probably was a hit, given that it was over so quickly. I don't think Lynx would be so humane should he wish to kill someone out of spite. You have the video there, but the target did not seem to be acting strangely - he was with an attractive young woman going to a club, if anything he seemed in a good mood." He ties his shoe, and says, "Lynx and his crew work for whoever pays them. Completely freelance."
Argent squats down and makes a show of looking at the fish. "I cannot attribute motive to the shooting. I will say that it probably was a hit, given that it was over so quickly. I don't think Lynx would be so humane should he wish to kill someone out of spite. You have the video there, but the target did not seem to be acting strangely - he was with an attractive young woman going to a club, if anything he seemed in a good mood." He ties his shoe, and says, "Lynx and his crew work for whoever pays them. Completely freelance."
UCAS Hub, The Rising Sun Casino, 12:01 PM, July 30th, 2075
Watching Argent walk away, Jack chalked up the 5
certified credstick as a cost of doing business. Sitting with Grease for a few moments until Argent had cleared the area, the ork waited for an opportune time to walk over and grab the chip, kneeling down by the bench as he pretended to pull up his socks.
Handing the chip to Grease, Jack said, "Well, that seems to have been well worth the nuyen. What's our next move?"
Watching Argent walk away, Jack chalked up the 5
certified credstick as a cost of doing business. Sitting with Grease for a few moments until Argent had cleared the area, the ork waited for an opportune time to walk over and grab the chip, kneeling down by the bench as he pretended to pull up his socks.Handing the chip to Grease, Jack said, "Well, that seems to have been well worth the nuyen. What's our next move?"
The Rising Sun Casino, 12:01 PM, July 30th, 2075
Waiting until he's sure Argent is gone, Grease nods. "Yes. I think we have a fairly good argument for conspiracy so far; considering a hit squad was involved." Grease looks down at the Koi, frowning. "I think our immediate move is to watch that video. I can slot it directly into my RCC; hopefully Argent is on the level and I'm not getting some Renraku-Grade ICE instead of the video we wanted."
The fish swim slowly, entrancingly around their pond, oblivious to the outside world. Must be nice..
"After that, I think the straightforward solution is to find one of these hitters and beat it out of them." Hopefully that Amy character isn't too green that she's going to balk at advanced measures..
"What do you think? You've been quiet so far, which works well for the plays I've been running, but Ramirez brought you in on this job as well; it's not just my show. I want to make sure I'm not leaving talents on the table we could be using."
Waiting until he's sure Argent is gone, Grease nods. "Yes. I think we have a fairly good argument for conspiracy so far; considering a hit squad was involved." Grease looks down at the Koi, frowning. "I think our immediate move is to watch that video. I can slot it directly into my RCC; hopefully Argent is on the level and I'm not getting some Renraku-Grade ICE instead of the video we wanted."
The fish swim slowly, entrancingly around their pond, oblivious to the outside world. Must be nice..
"After that, I think the straightforward solution is to find one of these hitters and beat it out of them." Hopefully that Amy character isn't too green that she's going to balk at advanced measures..
"What do you think? You've been quiet so far, which works well for the plays I've been running, but Ramirez brought you in on this job as well; it's not just my show. I want to make sure I'm not leaving talents on the table we could be using."
UCAS Hub, The Rising Sun Casino, 12:01 PM, July 30th, 2075
"Sounds like a plan, hombre," Jack said while nodding his head. "If you can share the feed to my commlink, I can watch it through my image link."
As Grease suggested next steps, Jack thought for a second before responding, "I'm pretty sure I'm on the team because of a few jobs I've done for Chapel; I hadn't met Ramirez before this and I doubt I've got any kind of rep. To be honest, since we're working together, I'm pretty new to the biz. I don't remember anything from my life prior to a helicopter crash a little over a year ago. Before that? Blanco Lienzo, a blank canvas. But I'm an ork and I've got some solid 'ware that was installed at some point prior to that, so my skills tend toward what I've been doing up to this point, being there to convince people that violence is a bad option for them."
Jack further contemplated Grease's specific suggestion. "That could work, I've got certain pieces of 'ware that could probably get someone talking. With that said, Argent was pretty insistent that they're freelancers. If we're going to go for the full payout and bring them to justice, we might need to preserve the team so they don't go to ground. If they're as freelance as Argent claims, we could probably even 'hire' them for a job and just happen to arrange for a ZDF SWAT team to intercept them at the meeting. Let's do a little legwork on these guys first before making a final decision on that. If the others turn up any additional footage or information that ties this crew to their murders, it definitely starts to paint a clearer picture."
Jack looked around at the casino, feeling a little overstimulated by the sights and sounds, both in AR and the real world. Just like you would never find a clock on the gambling floor, Jack knew, intuitively or not, that casinos were designed to distract from the real world and present an illusion of easy money and a top-shelf lifestyle. Feeling a little out of place, he asked, "Do you want to stay here to watch the video or should we find somewhere else in the Hub to check it out? If we have anymore biz here to take care of, I'd rather do that now than have to make another trip. I hate to say it, but my credstick is getting a bit light from all of the viajes." Finishing with a tusky grin, Jack said, "Oh yeah, you owe me 75 and we're square on this Argent deal."
"Sounds like a plan, hombre," Jack said while nodding his head. "If you can share the feed to my commlink, I can watch it through my image link."
As Grease suggested next steps, Jack thought for a second before responding, "I'm pretty sure I'm on the team because of a few jobs I've done for Chapel; I hadn't met Ramirez before this and I doubt I've got any kind of rep. To be honest, since we're working together, I'm pretty new to the biz. I don't remember anything from my life prior to a helicopter crash a little over a year ago. Before that? Blanco Lienzo, a blank canvas. But I'm an ork and I've got some solid 'ware that was installed at some point prior to that, so my skills tend toward what I've been doing up to this point, being there to convince people that violence is a bad option for them."
Jack further contemplated Grease's specific suggestion. "That could work, I've got certain pieces of 'ware that could probably get someone talking. With that said, Argent was pretty insistent that they're freelancers. If we're going to go for the full payout and bring them to justice, we might need to preserve the team so they don't go to ground. If they're as freelance as Argent claims, we could probably even 'hire' them for a job and just happen to arrange for a ZDF SWAT team to intercept them at the meeting. Let's do a little legwork on these guys first before making a final decision on that. If the others turn up any additional footage or information that ties this crew to their murders, it definitely starts to paint a clearer picture."
Jack looked around at the casino, feeling a little overstimulated by the sights and sounds, both in AR and the real world. Just like you would never find a clock on the gambling floor, Jack knew, intuitively or not, that casinos were designed to distract from the real world and present an illusion of easy money and a top-shelf lifestyle. Feeling a little out of place, he asked, "Do you want to stay here to watch the video or should we find somewhere else in the Hub to check it out? If we have anymore biz here to take care of, I'd rather do that now than have to make another trip. I hate to say it, but my credstick is getting a bit light from all of the viajes." Finishing with a tusky grin, Jack said, "Oh yeah, you owe me 75
and we're square on this Argent deal."
Amy and Overkill, Schaefer's Diner, 10:30 AM, July 30th, 2075
Drave looked over at the camera Amy was pointing out, it looked like it had a very good view of the crime scene.
"Good eye," Drave complemented his young friend, "I can indeed get that vid for us. Now I just need to find a place out of the way where I can do this discreetly."
He began searching for a place to go into VR.
<<@Jack, Grease: "Ms. Kelly was not at home, we have moved on to the Newton crime scene. Will keep you informed.">>
Drave looked over at the camera Amy was pointing out, it looked like it had a very good view of the crime scene.
"Good eye," Drave complemented his young friend, "I can indeed get that vid for us. Now I just need to find a place out of the way where I can do this discreetly."
He began searching for a place to go into VR.
<<@Jack, Grease: "Ms. Kelly was not at home, we have moved on to the Newton crime scene. Will keep you informed.">>
UCAS Hub, The Rising Sun Casino, 12:01 PM, July 30th, 2075
Grease nods at Jack, transferring over the 75. "Let's think about what else we could do here in the Hub before we jet; I agree we should knock stuff out while we're still here, and it's getting expensive shuttling back and forth. The video itself is pretty short (I just slotted it), but we could go someplace and try to analyze it a bit more where it's less noisy."
Looking around the Casino, Grease doesn't appear to spot anything that pleases him. "You may be right about the crew; if we snatch one, the rest may go to ground before we can rope them all together. Getting them all at once will be very, very tricky. I can think of a number of cons we could run that would work, but no matter what we do they're going to be dangerous. We're going to earn our cred on this one, that's for sure."
Grease nods at Jack, transferring over the 75
. "Let's think about what else we could do here in the Hub before we jet; I agree we should knock stuff out while we're still here, and it's getting expensive shuttling back and forth. The video itself is pretty short (I just slotted it), but we could go someplace and try to analyze it a bit more where it's less noisy."Looking around the Casino, Grease doesn't appear to spot anything that pleases him. "You may be right about the crew; if we snatch one, the rest may go to ground before we can rope them all together. Getting them all at once will be very, very tricky. I can think of a number of cons we could run that would work, but no matter what we do they're going to be dangerous. We're going to earn our cred on this one, that's for sure."
UCAS Hub, The Rising Sun Casino, 12:03 PM, July 30th, 2075
"Agreed, they sound like a pretty tough crew." Jack replied. "Hopefully we won't have to go head-to-head with them."
Jack contemplated their current situation, "So where are we now? We know who took out Mitchell, but we don't know why. The 'why' may be irrelevant, but it would certainly help build a case. Other than Lynx, the only other person who might have a clue that we know of is Emily Sanders. She's in the CAS sector though and I'm not sure we want to try a border crossing right now. Without anything else to go on, I'm not sure what else we can do here. The only other thing I could think of doing would be to swing by QXT to see if anyone knows Sanders and could get a message to her. But drek, it's noon. I doubt the club is even open for maintenance at this hour."
"Hmm... Overkill did get a lock on her workplace and she's probably there at this time of day. Maybe we can just try and give her a call and set something up."
"Agreed, they sound like a pretty tough crew." Jack replied. "Hopefully we won't have to go head-to-head with them."
Jack contemplated their current situation, "So where are we now? We know who took out Mitchell, but we don't know why. The 'why' may be irrelevant, but it would certainly help build a case. Other than Lynx, the only other person who might have a clue that we know of is Emily Sanders. She's in the CAS sector though and I'm not sure we want to try a border crossing right now. Without anything else to go on, I'm not sure what else we can do here. The only other thing I could think of doing would be to swing by QXT to see if anyone knows Sanders and could get a message to her. But drek, it's noon. I doubt the club is even open for maintenance at this hour."
"Hmm... Overkill did get a lock on her workplace and she's probably there at this time of day. Maybe we can just try and give her a call and set something up."
UCAS Hub, The Rising Sun Casino, 12:03 PM, July 30th, 2075
"Well, I'll let you look at the video, but I am not convinced she wasn't in on it, at some level. We should analyze the tape to see if she flinches appropriately, or if she acts like she knows it's coming. If that's the case, I think it'd be better to just drop in on her work rather than setup an appointment. If she wants to duck us it's easier to not show up to a meet than to have us arrive unexpected. There are a number of plays we can run if she doesn't know we're coming. Where does she work?"
"Well, I'll let you look at the video, but I am not convinced she wasn't in on it, at some level. We should analyze the tape to see if she flinches appropriately, or if she acts like she knows it's coming. If that's the case, I think it'd be better to just drop in on her work rather than setup an appointment. If she wants to duck us it's easier to not show up to a meet than to have us arrive unexpected. There are a number of plays we can run if she doesn't know we're coming. Where does she work?"
UCAS Hub, The Rising Sun Casino, 12:05 PM, July 30th, 2075
"Good call," Jack replied, "Lynx was definitely waiting for Mitchell, so its entirely possible Sanders was in on it. Overkill said she was an accountant or something over in the CAS. I imagine we could call him and get the details. I'm sure they have a publicly listed address and commcode. Dropping in would be preferred, just in case."
"Good call," Jack replied, "Lynx was definitely waiting for Mitchell, so its entirely possible Sanders was in on it. Overkill said she was an accountant or something over in the CAS. I imagine we could call him and get the details. I'm sure they have a publicly listed address and commcode. Dropping in would be preferred, just in case."
UCAS Hub, The Rising Sun Casino, 12:05 PM, July 30th, 2075
Grease frowns. "Getting INTO the CAS is going to be the problem. I don't know about you, but I'm not too enthusiastic about trying to get across the border with my current SIN. It may make more sense for us to see if we can get her to come to us. That, or we can put eyes on her, and see if she enters any zones we're able to move more freely in. Maybe Overkill can put a trace on her commlink, and we can track her and see when she leaves the CAS zone. Or we can put a literal camera on her; I bet one of my flies could get across the border."
Grease starts walking out of the Casino lobby as Jack follows. "Before we jump to any conclusions, let's review the video. There's got to be a sandwich place or something nearby we can go grab something to eat and look at the tape where it's more quiet."
Grease frowns. "Getting INTO the CAS is going to be the problem. I don't know about you, but I'm not too enthusiastic about trying to get across the border with my current SIN. It may make more sense for us to see if we can get her to come to us. That, or we can put eyes on her, and see if she enters any zones we're able to move more freely in. Maybe Overkill can put a trace on her commlink, and we can track her and see when she leaves the CAS zone. Or we can put a literal camera on her; I bet one of my flies could get across the border."
Grease starts walking out of the Casino lobby as Jack follows. "Before we jump to any conclusions, let's review the video. There's got to be a sandwich place or something nearby we can go grab something to eat and look at the tape where it's more quiet."
UCAS Hub, The Rising Sun Casino, 12:05 PM, July 30th, 2075
Jack nodded his head in agreement. "Sounds like a plan."
The comment about eating reminded him of something he had meant to do. Pulling out his commlink, the ork sent Honeypot a quick message.
Jack nodded his head in agreement. "Sounds like a plan."
The comment about eating reminded him of something he had meant to do. Pulling out his commlink, the ork sent Honeypot a quick message.
Amy and Overkill, The King's Inn, 1045 AM, July 30th
Amy and Overkill get off of his bike, and walk into the cheap coffin motel. All the AR is working, but the workmanship, along with the building itself, is very shoddy.
Overkill checks in, transferring his 20 to the desk clerk and moves down the hall past the patrons stacked vertically three on top of one another. He reaches his room, a cubicle marked 275, and opens it. Amy looks skeptical, and remains outside as Overkill lies down on the pallet that has protruded from the wall, and then activates the controls to retract it. Amy remains in the hallway, thinking that once again she gets left out of all the cool stuff. crossing her arms, she puts her back against the wall and slides to the floor to wait for Overkill to appear again.
<<Before the pallet has even fully retracted into the wall, Overkill has jumped completely into the Matrix. Flying past the tiny motte-and-bailey building that represented the coffin motel, he flies across the UCAS, his wings propelling him to the apartment's host within seconds. Pulling out a heavy-looking key, he pushes it into the shimming field that separates the local grid from the public one, and turns, and then slowly pushes through, the virtual "air" around him clearing as he moves to the cleaner signal. He knows he has left signs for someone to see his intrusion, but he hopes to be long gone before GOD comes to investigate.
The host of the apartment building is a copy of itself, only 1/2 the height - with the entrance requiring the same sort of key fob that a normal building resident would use. Cupping his hands, a stream of 1s and 0s begin to flow into them forming his own fob, which he places against the door. It is only due to his natural aptitude that this fake passes, as the software to detect intruders seems remarkably good for such a simple host.
Once inside, he walks through the hallways of the building, passing other residents as they control their trids, or their heating units, or a million other such household devices. Ducking the janitors he can only assume are Patrol IC contstructions, he enters a secluded spot, and puts his hand on the wall, feeling more than looking to find the file that he needs. After 30 seconds or so of moving around, he locates what he needs, he smears his hand across it, the 1's and 0s flowing down the wall like water, washing away the paint and leaving a safe in its place.
He looks carefully at it, and detects something that is out of place, a tiny flickering red light, almost invisible. This is not good, he thought.>>
Amy and Overkill get off of his bike, and walk into the cheap coffin motel. All the AR is working, but the workmanship, along with the building itself, is very shoddy.
Overkill checks in, transferring his 20
to the desk clerk and moves down the hall past the patrons stacked vertically three on top of one another. He reaches his room, a cubicle marked 275, and opens it. Amy looks skeptical, and remains outside as Overkill lies down on the pallet that has protruded from the wall, and then activates the controls to retract it. Amy remains in the hallway, thinking that once again she gets left out of all the cool stuff. crossing her arms, she puts her back against the wall and slides to the floor to wait for Overkill to appear again.<<Before the pallet has even fully retracted into the wall, Overkill has jumped completely into the Matrix. Flying past the tiny motte-and-bailey building that represented the coffin motel, he flies across the UCAS, his wings propelling him to the apartment's host within seconds. Pulling out a heavy-looking key, he pushes it into the shimming field that separates the local grid from the public one, and turns, and then slowly pushes through, the virtual "air" around him clearing as he moves to the cleaner signal. He knows he has left signs for someone to see his intrusion, but he hopes to be long gone before GOD comes to investigate.
The host of the apartment building is a copy of itself, only 1/2 the height - with the entrance requiring the same sort of key fob that a normal building resident would use. Cupping his hands, a stream of 1s and 0s begin to flow into them forming his own fob, which he places against the door. It is only due to his natural aptitude that this fake passes, as the software to detect intruders seems remarkably good for such a simple host.
Once inside, he walks through the hallways of the building, passing other residents as they control their trids, or their heating units, or a million other such household devices. Ducking the janitors he can only assume are Patrol IC contstructions, he enters a secluded spot, and puts his hand on the wall, feeling more than looking to find the file that he needs. After 30 seconds or so of moving around, he locates what he needs, he smears his hand across it, the 1's and 0s flowing down the wall like water, washing away the paint and leaving a safe in its place.
He looks carefully at it, and detects something that is out of place, a tiny flickering red light, almost invisible. This is not good, he thought.>>
UCAS Hub, 12:20 PM, July 30th, 2075
Jack and Grease exit the casino and walk two blocks in the noon heat before they see Rita's, a chain of steakhouses popular throughout the midwest. They wait about 10 minutes to be seated, and review the footage.
First they go over the footage from the club, and then the footage from Argent's eyes. In each case, it the girl's reaction seems genuine. Laughing one moment, stunned the next, the blood of her significant other splashed across her dress.
Jack and Grease exit the casino and walk two blocks in the noon heat before they see Rita's, a chain of steakhouses popular throughout the midwest. They wait about 10 minutes to be seated, and review the footage.
First they go over the footage from the club, and then the footage from Argent's eyes. In each case, it the girl's reaction seems genuine. Laughing one moment, stunned the next, the blood of her significant other splashed across her dress.
UCAS Hub, Rita's, 12:25 PM, July 30th, 2075
"I gotta say, she looks completely surprised and scared out of her fragging mind..." Jack said after reviewing the footage. "I guess she could still have been on it and just not realized when they were going to geek him, but I'm leaning toward her not knowing right now. So what's our next play? We can get the accounting firm's name and probably commcode from Overkill and call her. I'm not sure how exactly we can talk her into coming to the Hub though..."
Jack lets his comment trail off as the waitress approaches. A slender little number wearing a bandanna tied around her neck and a nametag with the name Beth on it, the human waitress said, "Welcome to Rita's! Home of the Slab o' Rita and our famous RitaRita cocktail. What can I get you, gents?"
Jack ordered the Slab o' Rita and a soyveza. After Grease placed his order and Beth left, the ork asked, "Your thoughts?"
"I gotta say, she looks completely surprised and scared out of her fragging mind..." Jack said after reviewing the footage. "I guess she could still have been on it and just not realized when they were going to geek him, but I'm leaning toward her not knowing right now. So what's our next play? We can get the accounting firm's name and probably commcode from Overkill and call her. I'm not sure how exactly we can talk her into coming to the Hub though..."
Jack lets his comment trail off as the waitress approaches. A slender little number wearing a bandanna tied around her neck and a nametag with the name Beth on it, the human waitress said, "Welcome to Rita's! Home of the Slab o' Rita and our famous RitaRita cocktail. What can I get you, gents?"
Jack ordered the Slab o' Rita and a soyveza. After Grease placed his order and Beth left, the ork asked, "Your thoughts?"
UCAS Hub, Rita's, 12:30 PM, July 30th, 2075
"I agree- she looks surprised. I say we get her commcode and give her a call; maybe she'll meet with us, maybe she won't. She looks pretty upset; she may agree to speak with us on principle; this was her boyfriend who was murdered, and the cops didn't even really talk to her."
Grease pauses, scratching his 5 o'clock shadow. You're not positive he slept last night. He looks significantly better than he did first thing this morning, but you wouldn't describe his look as "healthy".
"What about another one of the cops? Do we have any direct connection between this murder and one of the others? We could pull that string and ask to speak with her. If it's clear our investigation is beyond just her boyfriend, then maybe she'll be more candid with what she knows. I'd much prefer to meet her in person as opposed to just calling; I'm no good at reading people over the 'comm."
Throwing convention to the wind, Grease had ordered breakfast food for lunch. He lays into his Denver omelette as it arrives moments ahead of Jack's ribs. Between bites, he adds, "We should check out what the other team has been up to this morning as well."
"I agree- she looks surprised. I say we get her commcode and give her a call; maybe she'll meet with us, maybe she won't. She looks pretty upset; she may agree to speak with us on principle; this was her boyfriend who was murdered, and the cops didn't even really talk to her."
Grease pauses, scratching his 5 o'clock shadow. You're not positive he slept last night. He looks significantly better than he did first thing this morning, but you wouldn't describe his look as "healthy".
"What about another one of the cops? Do we have any direct connection between this murder and one of the others? We could pull that string and ask to speak with her. If it's clear our investigation is beyond just her boyfriend, then maybe she'll be more candid with what she knows. I'd much prefer to meet her in person as opposed to just calling; I'm no good at reading people over the 'comm."
Throwing convention to the wind, Grease had ordered breakfast food for lunch. He lays into his Denver omelette as it arrives moments ahead of Jack's ribs. Between bites, he adds, "We should check out what the other team has been up to this morning as well."
UCAS Hub, Rita's, 12:30 PM, July 30th, 2075
Jack nodded his head, approving as Grease sketched out his plan. Tearing a genetically modified rib off the rack in front of him, he tore into the meat with relish, a strip of meat getting snared on the end of his left tusk in the process.
Between mouthfuls, he said, "Since she lives in the CAS and Lone Star doesn't have authority there, we might convince her to come over here and talk to us. All we would have to do is convince her we're Lone Star. I know if someone I was with was murdered in front of my eyes, I would expect a call from the police. We might even be able to tell her it would be a lot easier if she could meet us in the Hub due to all the 'hoops' we'd have to jump through to get authorization from Knight Errant to operate in their sector. If she cared about the guy like it looks like she did, I bet she'd make the effort. We could even sweeten the deal by agreeing to reimburse her travel expenses."
Tagging a swig from his soyveza, the ork looked up and to the left. It almost looked like he was trying to access a certain portion of his brain before you figure out it probably has more to do with him trying to pick some meat out of his teeth with his tongue. "I don't think we have anything connecting this incident to the others yet. The two incidents that are confirmed as being related happened in the UCAS sector, the rest of our crew is working on one of those now. With that said, there could be a connection if they find out Lynx or his crew were involved. We've got a photo now, so if they can pull a photo and it matches... that would connect at least three of the murders together. So yeah, give the crew a buzz. We need Sander's workplace in any event..."
Jack nodded his head, approving as Grease sketched out his plan. Tearing a genetically modified rib off the rack in front of him, he tore into the meat with relish, a strip of meat getting snared on the end of his left tusk in the process.
Between mouthfuls, he said, "Since she lives in the CAS and Lone Star doesn't have authority there, we might convince her to come over here and talk to us. All we would have to do is convince her we're Lone Star. I know if someone I was with was murdered in front of my eyes, I would expect a call from the police. We might even be able to tell her it would be a lot easier if she could meet us in the Hub due to all the 'hoops' we'd have to jump through to get authorization from Knight Errant to operate in their sector. If she cared about the guy like it looks like she did, I bet she'd make the effort. We could even sweeten the deal by agreeing to reimburse her travel expenses."
Tagging a swig from his soyveza, the ork looked up and to the left. It almost looked like he was trying to access a certain portion of his brain before you figure out it probably has more to do with him trying to pick some meat out of his teeth with his tongue. "I don't think we have anything connecting this incident to the others yet. The two incidents that are confirmed as being related happened in the UCAS sector, the rest of our crew is working on one of those now. With that said, there could be a connection if they find out Lynx or his crew were involved. We've got a photo now, so if they can pull a photo and it matches... that would connect at least three of the murders together. So yeah, give the crew a buzz. We need Sander's workplace in any event..."
Overkill, Newton's Apartment's Host, 10:57 AM, July 30th
<<Overkill's persona shimmered, and his angelic armor flowed and thickened into a suit of full plate as he prepared himself for the worst. With a wave of his hand, two ravens that were etched into his armor came to life, and fluttered over to the safe, and buzzed around it like hummingbirds. Each then settled on the safe, near the detonator of the bomb, and began pecking away, each bite taking off another piece of code, until the blinking light went off, and the ravens flew back and merged with his armor.
Heaving a sigh of relief, his armor flowing back to its normal shape, he moved forward to the safe. He placed his hand on the locking mechanism, and again, 1s and 0s flowed over the lock, spiraling inward until the reached the core, allowing him to turn the mechanism and open the safe. Inside were a series of files, which he began to sift through until he found the right one.>>
<<Overkill's persona shimmered, and his angelic armor flowed and thickened into a suit of full plate as he prepared himself for the worst. With a wave of his hand, two ravens that were etched into his armor came to life, and fluttered over to the safe, and buzzed around it like hummingbirds. Each then settled on the safe, near the detonator of the bomb, and began pecking away, each bite taking off another piece of code, until the blinking light went off, and the ravens flew back and merged with his armor.
Heaving a sigh of relief, his armor flowing back to its normal shape, he moved forward to the safe. He placed his hand on the locking mechanism, and again, 1s and 0s flowed over the lock, spiraling inward until the reached the core, allowing him to turn the mechanism and open the safe. Inside were a series of files, which he began to sift through until he found the right one.>>
Overkill, Newton's Apartment's Host, 10:58 AM, July 30th
<<As Overkill opens the safe, a Janitor opens the door to the room and both freeze. The Patrol IC vanishes outside, and Overkill redoubled his efforts. He quickly sorts through the files by date and finds the correct one.
He snaps his fingers and the tome that represents his deck's memory appears, a bright green and black quill begins furiously scribbling to record the relevant data. A noise causes him to turn, and a security guard comes around the corner, pulling a gun from his holster and firing at Overkill. Thinking quickly, he opens the safe door and puts it between himself and the IC, and the virtual bullet ricochets back along its trajectory, hitting the guard in the shoulder.
When the scribbling ceases, Overkill lowers his shoulder, and launches himself at the wall, breaking through it and outside the host, turning a corner and putting some distance between himself and the IC. With a mental command he shifts his perception back into his body, and then opens his eyes.>>
Hitting the command for the pallet, the panel opens, and he slides out to find Amy sitting and reading the daily news.
<<As Overkill opens the safe, a Janitor opens the door to the room and both freeze. The Patrol IC vanishes outside, and Overkill redoubled his efforts. He quickly sorts through the files by date and finds the correct one.
He snaps his fingers and the tome that represents his deck's memory appears, a bright green and black quill begins furiously scribbling to record the relevant data. A noise causes him to turn, and a security guard comes around the corner, pulling a gun from his holster and firing at Overkill. Thinking quickly, he opens the safe door and puts it between himself and the IC, and the virtual bullet ricochets back along its trajectory, hitting the guard in the shoulder.
When the scribbling ceases, Overkill lowers his shoulder, and launches himself at the wall, breaking through it and outside the host, turning a corner and putting some distance between himself and the IC. With a mental command he shifts his perception back into his body, and then opens his eyes.>>
Hitting the command for the pallet, the panel opens, and he slides out to find Amy sitting and reading the daily news.
Amy and Overkill, The King's Inn, 10:58 AM, July 30th
Blood purity? Are they still going at it with this non-sense? There's so much fraggin' hate in this world.
Overkill comes out of his coffin to find Amy deep in concentration, staring intently at the screen of her commlink. He can tell the shaman knows he's there, but she must be finishing a particularly difficult sentence. After a few seconds, she looks up with an expressive look on her face, though why she has it is up in the air.
"That took you long enough." Though her words are joking, her expression is strange enough that you're not even sure she is.
Blood purity? Are they still going at it with this non-sense? There's so much fraggin' hate in this world.
Overkill comes out of his coffin to find Amy deep in concentration, staring intently at the screen of her commlink. He can tell the shaman knows he's there, but she must be finishing a particularly difficult sentence. After a few seconds, she looks up with an expressive look on her face, though why she has it is up in the air.
"That took you long enough." Though her words are joking, her expression is strange enough that you're not even sure she is.
Amy and Overkill, The King's Inn, 10:58 AM, July 30th
Drave, confused by Amy's expression immediately after returning from VR, responded hastily. "My apologies, Meine Liebling. There was a lot more to see in there than I had anticipated. We need to resume our objective for contacting Ms. Kelly, there are some conflicting details between the story we heard from our witness at the Diner and the footage from the security camera on Officer Newton's building. I am curious to see who or what is misleading us"
Drave, confused by Amy's expression immediately after returning from VR, responded hastily. "My apologies, Meine Liebling. There was a lot more to see in there than I had anticipated. We need to resume our objective for contacting Ms. Kelly, there are some conflicting details between the story we heard from our witness at the Diner and the footage from the security camera on Officer Newton's building. I am curious to see who or what is misleading us"
Amy and Overkill, The King's Inn, 10:58 AM, July 30th
"So we should ask another witness? That makes sense. Let's go!" Amy is smiling again, and enthusiastic about unveiling the mystery. Her strangeness is gone - it must have been something she was reading.
"So we should ask another witness? That makes sense. Let's go!" Amy is smiling again, and enthusiastic about unveiling the mystery. Her strangeness is gone - it must have been something she was reading.
Amy and Overkill, Outside The King's Inn, 10:59 AM, July 30th, 2075
Drave pulled up Mary Jane Kelly's work comm number on his AR display and sent a message.
<<@Mary Jane Kelly: Hello, my name is Heinrich and I am a Private Investigator working on behalf of the family of Officer Terrance Newton. I have been informed that you were a witness to the horrible events of July 20th, and I would greatly appreciate having the opportunity to meet with and ask you a few questions about what you saw. We are in your area this afternoon and can meet with you at your earliest convenience. Thank you.">>
After sending the message, Drave turned to Amy. "Lets stop and refill our soykafs while we wait for Ms. Kelly to respond. I would also like you to take a look at the footage that I acquired." Drave led the way back into Schaefer's Diner, asking for two soykafs to go from the waitress. After getting their drinks and leaving the Diner, Drave pulled out a touch display connected to his Blitzfurhen Cyberdeck and loaded the footage he had just hacked out of the security cams for Amy to see herself.
He waited until she had finished watching the footage before continuing. "Now the waitress may not have lied to us intentionally. People's memories of events like that are notoriously unreliable. This footage has also been edited since it was first recorded, and was trapped with a very nasty Databomb, kind of like the Matrix equivalent to a land-mine. But we will see what Ms. Kelly saw that day, and then we can perhaps draw some firmer conclusions about what really occurred." He then prepared to send the footage over to Jack and Grease while waiting for a response from Mary Jane Kelly.
Drave pulled up Mary Jane Kelly's work comm number on his AR display and sent a message.
<<@Mary Jane Kelly: Hello, my name is Heinrich and I am a Private Investigator working on behalf of the family of Officer Terrance Newton. I have been informed that you were a witness to the horrible events of July 20th, and I would greatly appreciate having the opportunity to meet with and ask you a few questions about what you saw. We are in your area this afternoon and can meet with you at your earliest convenience. Thank you.">>
After sending the message, Drave turned to Amy. "Lets stop and refill our soykafs while we wait for Ms. Kelly to respond. I would also like you to take a look at the footage that I acquired." Drave led the way back into Schaefer's Diner, asking for two soykafs to go from the waitress. After getting their drinks and leaving the Diner, Drave pulled out a touch display connected to his Blitzfurhen Cyberdeck and loaded the footage he had just hacked out of the security cams for Amy to see herself.
He waited until she had finished watching the footage before continuing. "Now the waitress may not have lied to us intentionally. People's memories of events like that are notoriously unreliable. This footage has also been edited since it was first recorded, and was trapped with a very nasty Databomb, kind of like the Matrix equivalent to a land-mine. But we will see what Ms. Kelly saw that day, and then we can perhaps draw some firmer conclusions about what really occurred." He then prepared to send the footage over to Jack and Grease while waiting for a response from Mary Jane Kelly.
Amy and Overkill, Outside The King's Inn, 11:02 AM, July 30th, 2075
<<Hello Mr. Heinrich, this is Juanita, Ms. Kelly's assistant. Ms. Kelly has not come in to work for the past week, and she has not responded to our phone calls. We already alerted the authorities that she has gone missing. If you do find her, please let us know, as we are worried.>>
<<Hello Mr. Heinrich, this is Juanita, Ms. Kelly's assistant. Ms. Kelly has not come in to work for the past week, and she has not responded to our phone calls. We already alerted the authorities that she has gone missing. If you do find her, please let us know, as we are worried.>>
Amy and Overkill, Outside The King's Inn, 11:03 AM, July 30th, 2075
Reading the response from Ms. Kelly's assistant, Drave's expression turned grim.
He looked over at Amy and said, "We may have a problem. Mary Jane Kelly has not been to her work or returned any comm messages in the past week, and her employers have already contacted the authorities regarding her disappearance."
Thinking of their next move, Drave sent the security footage of the Newton murder to Jack and Grease, and included a message with the video.
<<@Jack, Grease: "We are investigating the Newton murder, and I acquired this footage of the shooting. The file has been edited since it was first recorded, and was trapped with a Databomb. The footage does not match the eyewitness report we just received from an employee at the nearby Diner, thus increasing the suspicion that the footage was doctored. We have also run into a major snag in trying to contact Mary Jane Kelly. She has not been to her work or returned any comm messages in the past week. We will be trying to find some leads on what may have happened to Ms. Kelly, and will try and keep you informed if we learn anything new.">>
After sending over the footage, he looked back over to Amy, "Perhaps we should return to Ms. Kelly's residence and see if we can find any clues there as to what may have happened to her there. Hopefully, she got spooked and left town, otherwise..." He let the end hang in the air, not caring to speculate as to the alternatives.
Reading the response from Ms. Kelly's assistant, Drave's expression turned grim.
He looked over at Amy and said, "We may have a problem. Mary Jane Kelly has not been to her work or returned any comm messages in the past week, and her employers have already contacted the authorities regarding her disappearance."
Thinking of their next move, Drave sent the security footage of the Newton murder to Jack and Grease, and included a message with the video.
<<@Jack, Grease: "We are investigating the Newton murder, and I acquired this footage of the shooting. The file has been edited since it was first recorded, and was trapped with a Databomb. The footage does not match the eyewitness report we just received from an employee at the nearby Diner, thus increasing the suspicion that the footage was doctored. We have also run into a major snag in trying to contact Mary Jane Kelly. She has not been to her work or returned any comm messages in the past week. We will be trying to find some leads on what may have happened to Ms. Kelly, and will try and keep you informed if we learn anything new.">>
After sending over the footage, he looked back over to Amy, "Perhaps we should return to Ms. Kelly's residence and see if we can find any clues there as to what may have happened to her there. Hopefully, she got spooked and left town, otherwise..." He let the end hang in the air, not caring to speculate as to the alternatives.
Amy and Overkill, Outside The King's Inn, 11:03 AM, July 30th, 2075
At first, Amy has nothing better to reply than "Oh." So Kelly might have been.. eliminated, by those who committed the Newton murder, or their accomplice, or even their employer. Anyone who didn't want to be identified. "Yeah, so she was maybe taken out, or she left. Either way she was in danger. If so much care was taken to cover the tracks of this murder, that means we're probably on the right trail though, right?"
"And you think we might find something useful at her apartment? You think.. you think her body might still be there?" She couldn't help but to see this as an eventuality. "Also, if they put a matrix land mine on the video? Couldn't they also put a bomb inside her apartment, to get rid of anyone investigating? Maybe we should wait for the others, maybe this isn't safe. Clearly, Amy had learned from last night's mistake.
At first, Amy has nothing better to reply than "Oh." So Kelly might have been.. eliminated, by those who committed the Newton murder, or their accomplice, or even their employer. Anyone who didn't want to be identified. "Yeah, so she was maybe taken out, or she left. Either way she was in danger. If so much care was taken to cover the tracks of this murder, that means we're probably on the right trail though, right?"
"And you think we might find something useful at her apartment? You think.. you think her body might still be there?" She couldn't help but to see this as an eventuality. "Also, if they put a matrix land mine on the video? Couldn't they also put a bomb inside her apartment, to get rid of anyone investigating? Maybe we should wait for the others, maybe this isn't safe. Clearly, Amy had learned from last night's mistake.
Amy and Overkill, Outside The King's Inn, 11:03 AM, July 30th, 2075
Drave listened to Amy's reservations carefully before responding. "I doubt they would risk placing an actual bomb in her house. A databomb in the Matrix is one thing, worst case scenario you fry some hacker wanna-be's brainpan, not going to draw too much attention. An actual bomb going off in her house that could potentially kill innocent bystanders or other cops investigating Ms. Kelly's disappearance could draw way too much added attention. But you are right, Meine Liebling, we should remain careful. They could still be watching."
Considering their options, Drave continued, "If you are apprehensive about going into her house, we can skip it. But it may be one of the only opportunities we have to find any clues regarding what happened to her."
Drave listened to Amy's reservations carefully before responding. "I doubt they would risk placing an actual bomb in her house. A databomb in the Matrix is one thing, worst case scenario you fry some hacker wanna-be's brainpan, not going to draw too much attention. An actual bomb going off in her house that could potentially kill innocent bystanders or other cops investigating Ms. Kelly's disappearance could draw way too much added attention. But you are right, Meine Liebling, we should remain careful. They could still be watching."
Considering their options, Drave continued, "If you are apprehensive about going into her house, we can skip it. But it may be one of the only opportunities we have to find any clues regarding what happened to her."
Amy and Overkill, Outside The King's Inn, 11:03 AM, July 30th, 2075
"I don't think we should skip it entirely," Amy agrees, "but I think we should wait for the others. Last night, I learned I should have waited, even though I could handle the situation. To me, this is the same. Who knows what we'll find there? Maybe there's no bomb, but there might be some kind of scanner or recording device, I don't know. Is there something else we can investigate that's less risky while they're at the hub?"
"I don't think we should skip it entirely," Amy agrees, "but I think we should wait for the others. Last night, I learned I should have waited, even though I could handle the situation. To me, this is the same. Who knows what we'll find there? Maybe there's no bomb, but there might be some kind of scanner or recording device, I don't know. Is there something else we can investigate that's less risky while they're at the hub?"
Amy and Overkill, Outside The King's Inn, 11:04 AM, July 30th, 2075
Drave smiled when he saw Amy was learning that discretion is the better part of valor, and replied, "Very well, we shall wait until Unsere Freunde have returned from the Hub. There are several locations we could investigate, the first that come to mind are the Officer Jimmy Manuel murder scene, who was shot in his home on Leyden Street; and the Stuffer Shack where Officer Samantha Jackson was gunned down during an "apparent" robbery."
Drave pulled up his AR display and began setting a few programs into place on his Blitzdrive before finishing, "Which would you care to look at first, Meine Liebling?"
Drave smiled when he saw Amy was learning that discretion is the better part of valor, and replied, "Very well, we shall wait until Unsere Freunde have returned from the Hub. There are several locations we could investigate, the first that come to mind are the Officer Jimmy Manuel murder scene, who was shot in his home on Leyden Street; and the Stuffer Shack where Officer Samantha Jackson was gunned down during an "apparent" robbery."
Drave pulled up his AR display and began setting a few programs into place on his Blitzdrive before finishing, "Which would you care to look at first, Meine Liebling?"
Amy and Overkill, Outside The King's Inn, 11:04 AM, July 30th, 2075
"We'll have to check all of those, so might as well go to the nearest. That would be the Jackson murder at the Stuffer Shack I guess. Let's go check it out, chummer."
"We'll have to check all of those, so might as well go to the nearest. That would be the Jackson murder at the Stuffer Shack I guess. Let's go check it out, chummer."
Amy and Overkill, Stuffer Shack, East 47th Street, 11:20 AM, July 30th, 2075
Overkill and Amy get on his bike and head north to the scene where officer Jackson was killed. As they drive, Overkill watches his AR display as his Agent becomes intangible, unable to be seen by most, but still visible to Overkill himself. The small orb, its center pulsing green with concentrated bits of code launches itself off of his shoulder and begins a sweeping pattern around Overkill as they drive.
About 10 minutes later they pull up in front of the Stuffer Shack - and it is indistinguishable from every other Shack they've been to.
Entering the store, Overkill feels like he has to physically push his way through the AR advertising that hits him like a wall. Amy, blissfully unaware of the virtual assault on the senses, simply walks inside, a curious look on her face as she glances at Overkill's slight hesitation.
Great tracts of neon and fluorescent lights that leech away color to make everything a uniform, dull gray indicate that they have arrived at the home of synth-alcohol, soykaf, porno-simchips, Holohayo 3D greeting cards, pneumatic fluid for your bike, cheap fetish trinkets for the magical wannabes, soygrits, and a full line of stuffers with no redeeming nutritional or social value. The good ol’ Stuffer Shack, home to a smell they can’t recognize (and probably don’t want to) and thousands of nuyen worth of stomach-rotting chow. As an added benefit, it’s open 24-7-365.
The store is not crowded, but there are several different customers from all walks of life shopping here, several women with small children, a few college-age kids, none of them looking particularly pleased they have to shop there.
There is one clerk behind the counter, a young kid reading an AR magazine while waiting for someone to come and check out. Maybe he's twenty years old, brown hair, blue eyes, and a complexion leaves a lot to be desired. He leans on one elbow, eating a stuffer which occasionally drops bits of soy on his Broncos t-shirt.
Overkill and Amy get on his bike and head north to the scene where officer Jackson was killed. As they drive, Overkill watches his AR display as his Agent becomes intangible, unable to be seen by most, but still visible to Overkill himself. The small orb, its center pulsing green with concentrated bits of code launches itself off of his shoulder and begins a sweeping pattern around Overkill as they drive.
About 10 minutes later they pull up in front of the Stuffer Shack - and it is indistinguishable from every other Shack they've been to.
Entering the store, Overkill feels like he has to physically push his way through the AR advertising that hits him like a wall. Amy, blissfully unaware of the virtual assault on the senses, simply walks inside, a curious look on her face as she glances at Overkill's slight hesitation.
Great tracts of neon and fluorescent lights that leech away color to make everything a uniform, dull gray indicate that they have arrived at the home of synth-alcohol, soykaf, porno-simchips, Holohayo 3D greeting cards, pneumatic fluid for your bike, cheap fetish trinkets for the magical wannabes, soygrits, and a full line of stuffers with no redeeming nutritional or social value. The good ol’ Stuffer Shack, home to a smell they can’t recognize (and probably don’t want to) and thousands of nuyen worth of stomach-rotting chow. As an added benefit, it’s open 24-7-365.
The store is not crowded, but there are several different customers from all walks of life shopping here, several women with small children, a few college-age kids, none of them looking particularly pleased they have to shop there.
There is one clerk behind the counter, a young kid reading an AR magazine while waiting for someone to come and check out. Maybe he's twenty years old, brown hair, blue eyes, and a complexion leaves a lot to be desired. He leans on one elbow, eating a stuffer which occasionally drops bits of soy on his Broncos t-shirt.
Amy and Overkill, Stuffer Shack, East 47th Street, 11:20 AM, July 30th, 2075
Drave reflexively flinched as he pushed his way past the various buy-two-get-one-free virtual coupons and ads for SoyClean Car Cleanser, and that was just to get in the front door. The glaring light coming off all of the 27,500 augmented products on its shelves could probably blind someone without an AR display, Drave was just going to have to get through it. He made note of the various security cameras inside the store, and approached the young clerk behind the counter.
"Guten Tag good sir. My name is Heinrich and we are Private Investigators working on behalf of the family of Officer Samantha Jackson. We were informed that Ms. Jackson was killed during an attempted robbery at this establishment on the 26th of June. We would appreciate the opportunity to talk to any of your staff who may have been working when this horrible tragedy unfolded. Were you working that day, Mr...?" Drave let the question hang and made a motion indicating he wanted to shake the man's hand.
Drave reflexively flinched as he pushed his way past the various buy-two-get-one-free virtual coupons and ads for SoyClean Car Cleanser, and that was just to get in the front door. The glaring light coming off all of the 27,500 augmented products on its shelves could probably blind someone without an AR display, Drave was just going to have to get through it. He made note of the various security cameras inside the store, and approached the young clerk behind the counter.
"Guten Tag good sir. My name is Heinrich and we are Private Investigators working on behalf of the family of Officer Samantha Jackson. We were informed that Ms. Jackson was killed during an attempted robbery at this establishment on the 26th of June. We would appreciate the opportunity to talk to any of your staff who may have been working when this horrible tragedy unfolded. Were you working that day, Mr...?" Drave let the question hang and made a motion indicating he wanted to shake the man's hand.
Amy and Overkill, Stuffer Shack, East 47th Street, 11:25 AM, July 30th, 2075
The young man shut off his magazine at the approach of Overkill, although you could tell that most of his attention was on Amy. "Yeah - that was crazy! I was working that day - I work the night shift mostly, I'm just here today 'cause Terry called out sick." He speaks rapidly, your best guess is that it is social awkwardness and excitement to talk about something other than the weekly special that causes him to do so. The presence of a pretty girl does not seem to help.
"Anyway, Sam, uh Officer Jackson, I mean - I know her, er.. knew her pretty well - stops in for her usual cup of soykaf - same as most nights. She's great, really nice, really pretty" a surreptitious glance at Amy again" er.. anyway, I asked her what's new, and she tells me she busted a coupl'a guys carrying this weird green pill comin' out of the Warrens yesterday - uh, I mean yesterday like the day before she got shot, not yesterday like yesterday."
He reaches down under the counter and pulls out a drink, and takes a sip. "Where was I? Oh - anyway, she just about finishes the story and this guy comes in - tall, thin - old - had to be in his thirties. Walks right up to Sam and blows her away, then turns the gun on me, makes me hand him any cash that was in the register, plus a certified credstick I had on me, and then heads out the door. Didn't say more than two words." Finishing his story, his face a little sadder than it was when he finished, he adds lamely. "Oh, and my name is Steve."
The young man shut off his magazine at the approach of Overkill, although you could tell that most of his attention was on Amy. "Yeah - that was crazy! I was working that day - I work the night shift mostly, I'm just here today 'cause Terry called out sick." He speaks rapidly, your best guess is that it is social awkwardness and excitement to talk about something other than the weekly special that causes him to do so. The presence of a pretty girl does not seem to help.
"Anyway, Sam, uh Officer Jackson, I mean - I know her, er.. knew her pretty well - stops in for her usual cup of soykaf - same as most nights. She's great, really nice, really pretty" a surreptitious glance at Amy again" er.. anyway, I asked her what's new, and she tells me she busted a coupl'a guys carrying this weird green pill comin' out of the Warrens yesterday - uh, I mean yesterday like the day before she got shot, not yesterday like yesterday."
He reaches down under the counter and pulls out a drink, and takes a sip. "Where was I? Oh - anyway, she just about finishes the story and this guy comes in - tall, thin - old - had to be in his thirties. Walks right up to Sam and blows her away, then turns the gun on me, makes me hand him any cash that was in the register, plus a certified credstick I had on me, and then heads out the door. Didn't say more than two words." Finishing his story, his face a little sadder than it was when he finished, he adds lamely. "Oh, and my name is Steve."
Amy and Overkill, Stuffer Shack, East 47th Street, 11:25 AM, July 30th, 2075
Aaahhh Stuffer Shack, it wasn't anything special, but there was so much stuff here, and cheap! Amy had come to Stuffer Shacks since she was a kid and never disliked it. Yeah, sure it was full of mass-produced drek from the mega corps, but there was so much of it! Sometimes, the good memories you get as a child never leave you. But they were here on business, and she follows Overkill to the counter and this... Steve.
Amy immediately notices how this idiot appreciates good-looking girls and has an eye on her. Eww. It takes all of her willpower to actually smile back at the weirdo. "Thanks Steve," is all she manages to say at first. She forces herself to turn on the charm a little. "That's really helpful, you must have an amazing memory. What more can you tell us about what the shooter looked like? What was he wearing, do you remember what the gun looked like? Any detail might matter to our investigation." The guy looked mesmerized, so she had to add "It matters to me."
Aaahhh Stuffer Shack, it wasn't anything special, but there was so much stuff here, and cheap! Amy had come to Stuffer Shacks since she was a kid and never disliked it. Yeah, sure it was full of mass-produced drek from the mega corps, but there was so much of it! Sometimes, the good memories you get as a child never leave you. But they were here on business, and she follows Overkill to the counter and this... Steve.
Amy immediately notices how this idiot appreciates good-looking girls and has an eye on her. Eww. It takes all of her willpower to actually smile back at the weirdo. "Thanks Steve," is all she manages to say at first. She forces herself to turn on the charm a little. "That's really helpful, you must have an amazing memory. What more can you tell us about what the shooter looked like? What was he wearing, do you remember what the gun looked like? Any detail might matter to our investigation." The guy looked mesmerized, so she had to add "It matters to me."
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