Amy and Overkill, Stuffer Shack, East 47th Street, 11:25 AM, July 30th, 2075

Steve looked a little embarrassed as Amy addressed him. "Umm, it was a while ago, let me think. The guy was a human, shaved head, he wore fatigues, combat boots." His brow wrinkled as he tried to remember.

"The gun? That I won't forget. Thing was huge - looked more like a small cannon than a revolver. Apart from that, not much more I can say. He basically walked in, shot Sam, pointed the gun at me and says 'Money'" and then was out the door."

Amy and Overkill, Stuffer Shack, East 47th Street, 11:25 AM, July 30th, 2075

"I see." Amy thought for a second before following up with yet another question. "And how about the Star? They must have investigated this a whole lot. What did they ask you? What did they look for when they were here?"

Amy and Overkill, Stuffer Shack, East 47th Street, 11:30 AM, July 30th, 2075

"Well they did have a car show up when the ambulance came to get Sam. I told them my story, and they recorded it all. I haven't heard any word so far, but I am sure they are all over it."

Amy and Overkill, Stuffer Shack, East 47th Street, 11:30 AM, July 30th, 2075

Amy suspected no real effort had been expended by the police, and it was now confirmed. Yet, it would be interesting to know how little effort they spent on this. "Okay, good! Did they talk to someone else from the store? Did they ask you to look at the footage from the security cameras? Stuff like that?"

Amy and Overkill, Stuffer Shack, East 47th Street, 11:30 AM, July 30th, 2075

"Umm.." Steve scratches his head. "Not sure. I mean, they didn't come back that night, they might have come back the next day and talked to someone during the day shift." He shrugs, "if they saw they video they probably would have had to talk to the manager, he's the only one with access to the footage. He's on his lunch break now - should be back in an hour or so."

Amy and Overkill, Stuffer Shack, East 47th Street, 11:30 AM, July 30th, 2075

"All right, thanks." Amy turns to Overkill to see if he has anything he wants to add before leaving.

Amy and Overkill, Stuffer Shack, East 47th Street, 11:32 AM, July 30th, 2075


Impressed with Amy's thorough questioning, Drave kept his closing brief.

"Thank you for all your help, Steve, we will be back to have a few words with your manager, and I will be sure to pass along how helpful and professional you were in assisting me and my associate." he said with a grin towards his partner.

Drave then led the way out of the Stuffer Shack.

Amy and Overkill, Stuffer Shack, East 47th Street, 11:34 AM, July 30th, 2075

When they had walked out of the Stuffer Shack, Drave looked over to Amy with pride, "Your performance was Wunderbar, Meine Liebling. If the kid had the access, you could probably have gotten him to just show us the footage. Lets hope we have as much luck when the manager returns. In any case, we have an hour to burn until then. Would you like to take a ride over to the Officer Manuel place? We could see if any of his neighbors saw the shooting, or noticed any suspicious figures casing the Officer's home that day."

Drave led the way to his Falke as he waited for Amy's reply.

Amy and Overkill, Stuffer Shack, East 47th Street, 11:34 AM, July 30th, 2075

"Thanks, I'm doing my best. Yeah, I think we should return later too, and why not check out another crime scene in the meantime. I was thinking about how easy it is for us to get those camera feeds after the fact. Wouldn't it be just as easy for someone else to find out about us? Is there a way to avoid that?" Amy was getting the hang of being a runner. Growing up on the street in the very worst part of town amongst the very worst people had prepared her for it.

Amy and Overkill, Stuffer Shack, East 47th Street, 11:34 AM, July 30th, 2075

Drave pulled out his e-cig and took a few puffs while listening to Amy's concerns.

"I could hack into the building's Host, locate the security footage of our time there, and erase it. But remember, Hacking always comes with risks, whether it is having Lone Star or the GOD squad alerted to your location, or tripping a Databomb like the one I found yesterday that could have blown out my cerebral cortex, essentially leaving me brain-dead, or just dead period. You have a very good point though, it would not be hard for someone to follow our trail. But unfortunately, we need to be exposed to conduct this investigation, and any Shadowrunner worth their salt will be able to trail the two elves, one Jugendlich und schön, and the other 6'3" and German, going around asking questions at the murder scenes of a number of Lone Star Officers."

He helped Amy onto the back of his Falke and prepared to head to Manuel's place before finishing. "But I can go in and delete the footage if it would make you feel more comfortable."

He powered up his motorcycle while waiting to see if Amy had anything else to say.

Amy and Overkill, Stuffer Shack, East 47th Street, 11:36 AM, July 30th, 2075

Amy is attentive to Overkill's explanations and nods understanding. She hops on the bike behind him. "You're right, I'm probably worrying for nothing. I still think we're gonna have to stay really careful when we get closer to the real conspiracy. They've killed a lot of people that were less nosy than we are. For now, I just think they don't know about us. But if we're this easy to track, we better make damn sure we get to them before they get to us."

Amy and Overkill, Manuel residence, Leyden Street, 12:05 PM, July 30th, 2075

Continuing their drive around the UCAS Zone, Amy and Overkill arrive at a quiet neighborhood. Children are playing in the street, and Overkill playfully kicks an errant soccer ball back to one of them. The children smile and wave, and go back to their game.

The home of Officer Manuel is a nice bi-level, the exterior brick and stucco, with a rock garden and a screened in porch on the side. A large sign in the front proclaims "For Sale" by Whitney Real Estate, both in the physical and virtual world.

There is a child's bike in the driveway, and a swingset visible in the back yard. The first thing that catches there attention is the large bay window in the front, a piece of duct tape over a section of the glass.

Amy and Overkill, Manuel residence, Leyden Street, 12:05 PM, July 30th, 2075

Amy takes a good look around in the astral and then comes back to her naturally excellent sight to look for any details that might be of interest. As usual, she looks for any obvious cameras on nearby buildings. "I'm not sure what we'll be able to find out around here. Should we knock on doors and ask if someone witnessed anything on the day of the murder?"

Amy and Overkill, Manuel residence, Leyden Street, 12:05 PM, July 30th, 2075


Drave looked over the house, noticing the bike in the driveway and toys strewn all over the backyard. "We need to be careful. It looks like the widow may be at home, and one of those kids over there could be Manuel's. Questioning the widow of a slain Officer is far different than a regular witness, she knows things about procedure that we probably do not. We can't even use the same cover story; we couldn't have been hired by her family, now could we?"

Drave glanced around towards the kids playing football, or as Americans strangely called it; "Soccer." and sighed. "Sadly we don't have a choice, if that is his kid over there, he has noticed us and would think it strange if we just left now only to come back later. Don't have any doubts, we will have to be at our best, but if you keep your head in the game, I believe your performance will be Ausgezeichnet."


"Your pseudonym will be Ms. Bell when we get inside, I will lead us into the questioning, but don't hesitate to speak up and ask a few yourself. You may think of something I do not inquire about. Just keep your wits about you." And before leading the way towards the door of the Manuel residence, Drave turned and added, "Don't forget, when we are in there, my name is Heinrich. We tell the lady that we are investigating the murder of Officer Samantha Jackson, and turned up a lead that brought us to Manuel's murder."

As Drave led the way up to the he turned and asked Amy, "Any other questions, Ms. Bell?"

Amy and Overkill, Manuel residence, Leyden Street, 12:05 PM, July 30th, 2075

"No I think I'm good, I think I got it. I'll follow your lead, Mr. Heinrich," Amy says with an amused look.

Amy and Overkill, Manuel residence, Leyden Street, 12:05 PM, July 30th, 2075

Amy and Overkill walk up the front walk to the door, and Overkill rings the doorbell.

After a minute or so, the door opens a crack, and a young hispanic woman opens the door a crack before saying, "Viewings of the house are by appointment only."

Amy and Overkill, Manuel residence, Leyden Street, 12:05 PM, July 30th, 2075


After the woman answered the door, it took Drave only a second to think Nanny, and quickly responded.

"Actually we are not here to see the house; but is Mrs. Manuel available? We were hoping to have a word with her."

Amy and Overkill, Manuel residence, Leyden Street, 12:07 PM, July 30th, 2075


"I am, Mrs. Manuel.". Her voice turns suspicious. "What do you want?"

Amy and Overkill, Manuel residence, Leyden Street, 12:07 PM, July 30th, 2075



Drave made sure to straighten himself up when he realized this was Mrs. Manuel. "Guten Tag, my apologies for disturbing you, but we were hoping to ask you a few questions about your late husbands death. My name is Heinrich, my associate here is Ms. Bell, and we are Private Investigators looking in to the murder of Officer Samantha Jackson. Our investigation has lead us to Mr. Manuel's shooting and it would be invaluable if we might inquire to you about some of the details surrounding that day's tragic events."

Amy and Overkill, Manuel residence, Leyden Street, 12:07 PM, July 30th, 2075

The woman's face stiffens as she listens to Overkill. "I don't know anything about that. If you aren't here to buy the house, then please leave."

Amy and Overkill, Manuel residence, Leyden Street, 12:07 PM, July 30th, 2075


"Sorry for disturbing you, Mrs. Manuel. If you change your mind, please don't hesitate to call." Drave handed her a card with a commcode on it. "You have our deepest sympathies for your loss."

Looking over at Amy with a disappointed shrug, Drave began walking back towards his motorcycle.

Amy and Overkill, Manuel residence, Leyden Street, 12:07 PM, July 30th, 2075

While Overkill is responding to Mrs. Manuel, Amy decides that she's unhappy with her answer and that she can do something to change her mind. Trying to be subtle about it, she silently reaches a spiritual focus centred on this woman's mind and ... finally decides against intervening in a way that would leave that woman feeling abused. Amy decides to keep that option as a last resort, for their next visit if all else fails.

Walking back towards the bike, Amy whispers to Overkill under her breath "You know, I could have made her talk..."

Amy and Overkill, Manuel residence, Leyden Street, 12:08 PM, July 30th, 2075

Drave nodded to Amy as they began to walk away from the house, "I know, Meine Liebling. But that lady has been through enough already. The last thing she needs is to worry about strange people showing up on her door and using magic to control her mind. And you should know better than I that using magic can pose just as many risks as hacking in the Matrix."

"Besides," Drave put a reassuring hand on Amy's shoulder, "We have other leads we can follow, even in this neighborhood. Some of those kids parents have to be home. And we can always have Jack and Grease make an appointment to see the house when they get back from the Hub."

Amy nods, "that's a good idea. They can come back here this way. I'll see what I can learn from the kids."

She turns her attention to the group of kids playing soccer. Rich kids in a rich neighborhood that wasn't used to this kind of violence. She walks in their direction, smiles, and waits for a natural pause in the game. When she has their attention, she asks "Are your parents home?" In the case that one answers with a positive answer, she further asks "And which house is your house?"

Amy and Overkill, Leyden Street, 12:10 PM, July 30th, 2075

As Amy approaches the kids, they stop their game and look up. One of the older boys, around 14, puts his foot on top of the ball to keep it from rolling, and says "Nah, they're all at work." He looks at the two adults, and motions with his head for some of the smaller kids to get behind him.

"Who are you?" He pulls out a commlink from his pocket, not dialing anything yet, but leaving it in his hand, ready for use.

Amy and Overkill, Leyden Street, 12:10 PM, July 30th, 2075

"This is Mr. Heinrich, and my name is Ms. Bell. We're looking into the terrible events that happened here earlier this month. We thought maybe one of the residents here might have seen something that could be useful in our investigation. Has anyone of you seen what happened that day?"

Amy and Overkill, Leyden Street, 12:11 PM, July 30th, 2075

The kid looks at you a little funny, and says "You talking about Mr. Manuel? Nah, we didn't see nothing." One of the smaller boys, around 9, olive skin, short curly hair, backs up a little more, behind the others.

"Anyways, why aren't the Star looking into this? Figured they'd be the ones asking questions." He looks torn over whether or not to start dialing.

UCAS Hub, Rita's, 12:30 PM, July 30th, 2075

Nodding in agreement with Jack's plan, Grease pens a quick message to the rest of the team, and attaches the video file.

<<@Team [Grease]: Had a productive meeting with Argent. It looks like there's a hit squad out there working on our targets. We've got a pretty decent vid of one of 'em called "Lynx" (the shooter in the 'trid we attached). He's said to also work with a rigger named Gutter, a merc named Stinger, a troll named Truck, and a mage named Falcon. We want to talk to Mitchell's girlfriend next, see if she saw anything else; figure we'll try to get all our Hub business wrapped today. Overkill, is there anyway you can grab her workplace / commcode? Talking with Jack, I think we'd prefer her to come to us rather than trying to cross the border. Let me know, thanks.>>

Looking up from his commlink, Grease tells Jack, "We should really try to put a timeline together on this. We have an idea of what happened, but we still have no idea on why. I think the order of the killings might have something to do with it."

UCAS Hub, Rita's, 12:36 PM, July 30th, 2075

"That's definitely a possibility." Jack pulled out his Ikon and pushed a few buttons, calling up a map feed of the Front Range Free Zone area with AROs denoting the crimes. Offering an invite to Grease's commlink, the ork shared the feed.

"So the first murder was OFC Wright. She was killed by a group of gunmen partolling close to the Sioux Nations border on June 2nd." A small ARO of a policeman icon expands and contracts, flashing and blinking on the display. As the ARO resumes its static image, another ARO in the Warrens activates. "The next murder was on June 14th. This is the guy who was murdered in his apartment by magic. He's also the guy who rolled up Twoman and the bag of pills."

As that ARO faded to inactivity, a series of AROs in the UCAS sector activated one after another as Jack reviewed them. "The next murder was Jun 19th out in the sticks. A routine traffic stop, but the ballistics recovered matched the weapon used in the first murder that Amy and Overkill checked out today, the one with the missing witness. Next on the hit parade was the Stuffer Shack robbery that Amy and Overkill just checked out. That's the one where Officer Jackson claimed to have busted someone holding green pills and happened June 26th. The next one after that was Manuel on July 11th. He's the guy who was shot in his home but doesn't seem to really have a clear connection with the rest of the cases. He worked Robbery. After that one, Officer Hawthorne was taken out on July 18th while eating lunch at a Tasty Burger. We don't know much about that one, but he did work interdiction. The last one in the UCAS Hub proper was July 20th. That was the Newton murder. That's the one where Overkill found the doctored footage and where we have a missing witness. The final murder was the Mitchell case at QXT."

As the last ARO faded back to its regular state, Jack took a swing of beer and thought for a minute. "Alright, so setting aside the Wright murder, let's look at the Thomas murder. That's the guy who busted Twoman and confiscated 100 of those pills. Let's say that put a crimp on the supply of Crimson Fire. They order another shipment, which, for the sake of building this story, comes from somewhere in the east. A week later, a random patrol guy was murdered during a traffic stop in the sticks out east. Maybe he inadvertently intercepted the shipment to replace what was confiscated from Twoman. The next murder was related to yet another drug bust that might or might not have involved Crimson Fire. That was basically another week later. Setting aside Manuel, the next three murders following his involved officers working smuggling and gang control..."

"One thing about the Manuel case is that he covered the Green Valley Ranch area, which is pretty far east of here. The one thing I don't really get is the concentration of killings in Commerce City near the Sioux border. Unless they are shipping the stuff used to make the drugs from the Sioux border, east to a processing facility, and then back west to the Warrens. Seems like a lot of extra steps..." With parched throat, Jack downed the rest of his beer and crossed his arms.

Amy and Overkill, Leyden Street, 12:11 PM, July 30th, 2075

Drave hung back, and remembering the foolishness of youth, he tried to look "too cool" to join the conversation. Hearing the kid chime in with the question regarding Lone Star, Drave answered him.

"Sometimes the Star can't handle a particular problem, its just too big for them to handle. That's where we come in." He let their imaginations come up with who or what he was referring to. "Lets go, Bell; these kids didn't see anything, and wouldn't even know what to tell us if they did."

Amy and Overkill, Leyden Street, 12:11 PM, July 30th, 2075

The young teen snorts at Overkill's words. "Hey lady, your friend is a fragging idiot." With that, he shakes his head, and kicks the ball down the street, and the kids all race after it.

With a quick flip of his middle finger at Overkill, he tears off down the street after his friends.

Amy and Overkill, Leyden Street, 12:11 PM, July 30th, 2075

Amy is baffled by this kid who just put a grown man back in his place. "I suppose he can be sometimes."

Amy and Overkill hop back on the motorcycle and drive down to the Stuffer Shack.

Amy and Overkill, Stuffer Shack, 12:35 PM, July 30th, 2075

When they arrive, Amy checks her commlink and responds with a subvocal message.

<<@Team [Amy's voice]: "Hey guys, good to hear from you. The video is excellent evidence and I think it's the most advanced case so far. We've been to the Manuel house where the widow didn't feel like talking at all. She will receive visitors who could be interested in buying the house however, which is where you guys can probably come in. At the stuffer shack, we got an unreliable eye witness account of the Jackson murder and the manager is coming back from break, so we will try to convince him to show us footage of the murder scene. Interesting fact, the officer killed had just made a bust on a dealer of supposedly green pills the day before she died. These could have been Crimson Fire. The whole thing looked like a hit disguised as a robbery. Good luck arranging a meeting with Sanders.">>

UCAS Hub, Rita's, 12:36 PM, July 30th, 2075

Reading through Amy's note, the elf begins to nod and smile. "Yes, yes, I've got an idea.. You're probably not going to like it." Watching the Ork make a tusky frown, Grease changes the subject. "At any rate; let's try to run this Sanders thing to ground. I think we're getting closer to seeing all the connections, but we're still missing key pieces of data for us to put it all together. After Sanders, we can try a run on the widow Manuel, or maybe try to track down this Lynx."

Grease lowers his head and starts composing a message to Sanders, which he BCC's to the rest of the team.

<<@Sanders: Hello Ms. Sanders. I am working on a special task force investigating a series of murders related to drug trafficking in and around the Denver Metroplex. We have reason to believe your boyfriend may have been a victim of an attack directed at hindering this investigation. As my assets are mostly undercover, we would like to meet you in either the Hub or the UCAS zone to have an informal chat with several of our officers. Bear in mind they will not be uniformed Lone Star personel; they are attempting to uncover the cause of these attacks without being known to the criminal organizations, who have eyes and ears on all official channels. If you are available for a short interview, please let us know your availability and we will arrange a meet. I appreciate any and all help you can provide; I hope to be able to charge someone with the murder of Officer Mitchell soon.>>

UCAS Hub, Rita's, 12:37 PM, July 30th, 2075

Jack frowned deeply. Grease had been somewhat hit or miss on good ideas so far and if the elf already thought Jack wasn't going to like his plan, he didn't have high hopes. Reading through the message to Sanders, Jack asked, "Even though we're telling her we're undercover, do you think we should try to snag something that might pass for a badge? Since she's in the CAS, she may not be too familiar with Lone Star."

UCAS Hub, Rita's, 12:55 PM, July 30th, 2075

<<Hello Mr. Moss. My name is Karem Dakak, and I am an attorney for Klein, Smith, and Johnson. Mrs. Sanders contacted me regarding you inquiry, and while she is willing to cooperate, she would like to have me present. Our firm is licensed to do business in both the CAS and UCAS - should you require any bona fides, I will be happy to provide them. If you can please provide the case number and a list of questions, I would like to review them before any deposition of my client. I am happy to have the deposition done either here in the CAS or at our offices in the UCAS. Thank you, Karem Dakak Esq.>>

Amy and Overkill, Stuffer Shack, 12:35 PM, July 30th, 2075

While Amy rode along behind him, Overkill seethed inside. Little punk - doesn't he know that we are trying to help people like him?

Turning the corner, he mentally connects to the matrix via his deck, pulling up a VR window in a portion of his visual cortex.

While his meat body controlled his motorcycle, his persona, now not just a virtual angel, but rather a specter of retribution, launched itself upward and back toward where the children were playing.

<<Soaring over the houses, looking at the milieu of icons below him, he quickly fixed his eye on the icon of the brat's commlink. Moving silently down, he eased past the security with contempt, his hands sending a constant stream of 1's and 0's between him and his target.

When he had fully infiltrated the boy's commlink, he paused a moment, thinking of the right image of his vengeance. After a quick deliberation, he extended his hands high above his head, and the 1's and 0's flowed upward, spiraling skyward to form a huge spiked mace. With all his might, Overkill brought the blunt instrument down, smashing the child's icon to smithereens.>>

With a little chuckle, he quickly vanished back to his meat body, and dismounted the bike outside the Stuffer Shack

I think I may keep that from Amy, she might not understand.

Amy and Overkill, Stuffer Shack, 12:35 PM, July 30th, 2075

Before going into the Stuffer Shack, Amy whispers to Overkill "I've got a plan to make the manager very cooperative. He'll agree to what we ask of him if I can use... hrm.. magic.. on him before we go in. I can do the talking, but you'll have to ask for what you need with the computer stuff yourself. Soka?" Amy hated using the word "magic" to refer to her abilities, but it was just the easiest way to get the point across. "Oh and we'll have to act quickly once this gets started, we won't have too much time."

UCAS Hub, Rita's, 13:00 PM, July 30th, 2075

Jack's commlink buzzed for his attention. Picking up the device, he noticed he had a new text message from Honeypot. Calling up the message to his image link, his eyes adopted 'the glaze' that usually came over people when they read things in AR. He smiled faintly as he finished the message. Opening up his AR keyboard, he typed a quick message back to his fence and then composed a message to the team.

<<@Team [JustJack] Change of plans esta noche. Well, for me at least. I gotta meet a contact for dinner. You're welcome to swing by Nic's at 1700 if you still want to... just let me know so I can tell him you're coming. Trust me, the last thing you need to experience is an angry Mech-Troll with a shotgun. Amy, I may be picking up the package you ordered at my meet. I'll find out for sure.>>

Jack looked up to find a visibly annoyed Grease sending his own message to someone.

Amy and Overkill, Stuffer Shack, 12:35 PM, July 30th, 2075


Drave raised an eyebrow when he heard Amy's plan involved magic. He was remembering his recent missteps on the job, but forced himself to recognize that not everyone had the same bad luck he did. "If you think it will get us access to that footage, I will follow your lead. Just remember, be careful."

Looking on, Drave waited for Amy to signal when she was ready to go in.

Amy and Overkill, Stuffer Shack, 12:35 PM, July 30th, 2075

Amy looks through the windows of the Shack and notices an older man wearing the store's colored shirt moving about and talking to Steve. He's clearly an employee and seems to have a name tag with a title written on it. That must be the manager.

She waits a few moments until he's occupied looking down at a legal pad for some reason. This should give her the time she needs to concentrate on putting the idea she wants inside his head. Using her special relationship with the spirits of her ancestors, Amy focuses spiritual energy towards the manager's mind and soul, and attempts to impose an idea that he will be forced to come up with. "I will help and trust anyone investigating the murder that occurred in the Stuffer Shack, because I really want them to discover what happened and tell me."

Yes, that should work. I have to move fast now.

Not wasting any time, she walks very rapidly towards the store, going straight for that man, assuming Overkill is following along. Once inside, she waves in his direction, and speaks loudly to make sure she gets his attention. "Hey you, are you the manager?"

All right, I've almost got him now.

Amy and Overkill, Stuffer Shack, 12:35 PM, July 30th, 2075

The store manager looks up from his work at Amy's call. She moves quickly over to him, past Steve, who is trying to ring up a customer and stare at her at the same time.

The manager, a heavyset man with an unkempt beard clears his throat and moves toward her.

"Yes, miss? How can I help you?"

Amy and Overkill, Stuffer Shack, 12:35 PM, July 30th, 2075

Good, I won't lose track of him. Now I have to delay just a little more until he's really got the thought in his head.

"Hi, my name is Ms. Bell and this here, well just over there behind me, is my partner Mr. Heinrick." Amy smiles at the guy and waits for Overkill to reach them. "We were talking to Steve earlier and he seems like a really nice guy." This was going nowhere but she had almost completed the mystical weaving of his mind. "He told us all about what happened the day of the robbery and the murder of poor Officer Jackson inside this store." There, he's got the right idea now. "You see, we're investigating the murder." She emphasized the word 'investigating'. "Can you help us?"

Amy and Overkill, Stuffer Shack, 12:35 PM, July 30th, 2075

"Sure, miss, and sir - that was a terrible thing to happen in the store. We've had some petty theft, but never a murder here. It makes me nervous to come to work each day. I'd be happy if someone found out who was behind it."

He looks eager to please, and it seems Amy's spell has nudged him in the right direction.

"I'm not sure how I can help, but I'm happy to try."

Amy and Overkill, Stuffer Shack, 12:35 PM, July 30th, 2075

"Thank you so much. What would we need specifically, Mr. Heinrick?" This is going well. Now let's hope we get all we need quickly.

Amy and Overkill, Stuffer Shack, 12:35 PM, July 30th, 2075


Drave hung back behind Amy and watched as she used her magic on the Stuffer Shack manager. Whatever it was it must have been subtle, there was little to notice despite the fact that Drave knew she was casting; channeling spirits as she had once described to him. When he saw Amy make a bee-line for the manager, Drave quickly followed behind.

As he listened to Amy introduce them to the manager, he was surprised how naturally she seemed to step into role; this was only her second day and she was already starting to sound like an old hand at this. And to Amy's credit, the manager appeared instantly interested in helping them with their investigation.

When Amy asked about what they specifically needed, Drave chimed in without missing a beat. "We need access to the security camera footage from the day of the shooting, and any reports on the robbery or the ensuing investigation you have prepared for corporate. They would be invaluable to our search for Officer Jackson's killer."

Amy and Overkill, Stuffer Shack, 12:36 PM, July 30th, 2075

"Sure, no problem" The manager quickly opens up a VR window and starts manipulating data. His persona is a slimmer, taller version of himself, and it quickly disappears inside the Stuffer Shack host.

In a few moments, the persona appears again, holding a glowing cube. With a quick, shovel-pass motion, he flicks the cube across virtual space to Overkill, who adroitly catches it and passes it to his Agent to copy.

"Is that all you guys need? Is there something else I can do - do you want me to watch the footage with you and we can brainstorm ideas?"

Steve mutters sotto voce, "Kiss ass.", his face pinched in jealousy that Amy seems to be paying much more attention to his manager than him.

Amy and Overkill, Stuffer Shack, 12:36 PM, July 30th, 2075

"Sure, let's have a quick look on your 'link."

Amy and Overkill, Stuffer Shack, 12:37 PM, July 30th, 2075

The manager seems delighted to be a part of the investigation. He looks quizzically at Amy when she suggests that they view it on his commlink, but obliges and holds it up, the small screen showing the footage. The image is clear, if tiny.

The video shows Officer Jackson, a tall blonde woman, her Lone Star uniform clean and well kept, getting a large self-serve soykaf. She then moves to the front to where Steve lounges behind the counter. The two chat for perhaps 30 seconds or so, and then the door opens.

The man who enters is a well-built human male in his 30's. He has a round face with heavy eyebrows, and his brown hair is cut short. His UCAS fatigues show signs of age, with faded spots, and the identification removed. He pulls a large revolver from a holster on his hip, and puts two bullets into Officer Jackson at point blank range. It appears that she is dead before she hits the floor. Afterward, he points the gun at Steve, motioning for him to empty the register and his pockets.

After he takes a pitiful amount of cash from Steve, he disappears out the door.

Amy and Overkill, Stuffer Shack, 12:37 PM, July 30th, 2075

"Do you have footage from other angles? From outside maybe?"

Amy and Overkill, Stuffer Shack, 12:37 PM, July 30th, 2075

"I wish I did, miss, I wish I did. There is a camera outside the store, but it almost never stays in service. Sad to say, there are a group of annoying kids who like to use the parking lot as their own private hangout. Among their activities - besides loitering and general annoying the customers at night, they like to do drugs - mild ones, nothing heavy, otherwise the cops would be here to drive them off more often." He sighs, clearly frustrated.

"At any rate, I basically get the camera fixed, and then they break it again. Officer Jackson busted them last year, and they stayed away for a while, but then they've come back, and I didn't want to bother her again."