Jan
Monday, 25 November, 23:00 pm; Sam What's bar, Seattle Metroplex

"Don't land that at my door kid, the casino was all old Al's idea, ain't that right Al." Jan glanced accusingly across the table. Then suddenly, unexpectedly, he started to laugh. Quite hysterically. He was laughing at it all. Al's crazy Chinese massacre plan, John's childish sense of immortality and bravado... though who knows, maybe he was immortal? He was certainly naíve enough to believe that. "Fuck it then, let's get trashed" he said, smiling at the others. "Why not eh. There's nothing better to do."

Al
Monday, 25 November, 2301; Sam What's bar, Seattle Metroplex

Al clapped Jan's muscular shoulder. "Now that, mi amigo, while the most enlightened thing ya done said all day, is nonetheless a demonstrably illogical statement. Simple law of addition. If giitin' trashed is good, then gittin' trashed and watchin' womern dance is better. Or gittin' trashed and street racin'. Or gittin' trashed and gator wrasslin'. Gittin' trashed and playin' cards." He was ticking them off on his fingers. "Gittin' trashed and doin' the dance o' the flamin' asshole. Or, in the present situation, gittin' trashed and doin' twelve-gauge drive-bys on criminal Asiatics. But since yer young an' on the right track, well, baby steps'll do fer now. First round's on Johnny. Then we make the NIC buy...if she ever shows up."

Monday, 25 November, 23:15 pm; Mercy General Hospital Seattle Metroplex


>>Tanya [Cora Lee]: Got him, love. The truck is parked at a bar with a sign outside saying it is What's That. The bar is owned by an Elven woman named Sam Whats. She is apparently Irish and the bar menu seems to specialize in Irish drinks and bar food. The street traffic cam also picked up your other guy going in there as well. No street cams on the alleyway, so not sure if they are still there, but they have not left by the front door and their vehicles are still there. Sending the address. Sending stills of the second vehicle. Love to you.<<

Ai smiles for the first time tonight and sends a message to another contact. >>Rose [Tanya]: I need to have a vehicle placed under observation. Please send eyes to the attached address and have them observe the exterior and these two vehicles. If they travel, I would like to know where they are going, please.<<

>>Tanya [Rose]: On it. I will let you know when I have eyes on station.<<

Ai stands and leans over to give Fu Shing a kiss, even though he is fast asleep. She takes her purse and leaves the room, finding three KE officers and her two men on duty. "I am leaving for a bit. I will be back, but I do not know when. Keep him safe." All five men nod and she leaves the hospital, headed to where Monique is waiting in the parking lot. On the way, she contacts Han Sin and tells him that she will be off site for a while but to still send her updates. Once with Monique, she climbs on the back of the bike and they leave the lot. A short while later, the bike turns into an alley that is not covered by traffic cams and stops. Ai gets off the bike and changes her clothes to what Monique has brought her, changing her body at the same time. When done, Tanya nods to Monique. "Take a cab to near the Whats That bar at the address I gave you. I will let you know when I am leaving and will come get you to take me back to the hospital."

The maid nods her head. "Oui, Milady. I understand."

Tanya nods and flips the visor down on the helmet and drives the bike out the far end of the alley and back onto the streets, arriving at the bar at 2325. She parks in the lot, noting that the two vehicles are still here. She contacts Rose and is told that her eyes will be on station in five minutes. Satisfied, Tanya puts a smile on her face and walks into the bar. She does not need to let her eyes adjust to the light, but pretends to as she looks about the room. She stops a waitress and points to the table, saying in her best British accent, "Could I please have a G&T sent to me at that table over there, and send another round of whatever they are having. Thanks, ducks." She slips twenty nuyen on the girl's tray and walks over to the table.

John, Al, and Jan notice a well dressed woman stop at their table. She stands about 5'5" in her flats and is rather pretty even though she looks a bit on the athletic side, which is man-code for smallish boobs, perhaps a B cup. Her hair is red and hangs in curls to just below her shoulders. She is wearing a green dress that sets off her eyes, the hem of which is a demure two inches above the knee. A waitress arrives just after her and hands her a drink before placing another of whatever you are drinking on the table. The waitress nods at the woman. "Her round boys."

The woman has a very strong British accent as she hands the waitress a credstick. "Run a tab for me, please?" The waitress nods and leaves the table as the woman looks at all three of you. She nods to John and Al first. "You two I have seen." Then to Jan. "But not you. Were you the invisible one in the room?" She looks at all three and nods her head at an empty seat. "My name is Tanya Marisart. May I join you? I think we have things to talk about."

Al
Monday, 25 November, 2325; Sam What's bar, Seattle Metroplex

At first Al thought this was the NIC, all cleaned up. But the build and gait were a bit off. Not that she couldn't swing that....her words implied that she was indeed not the girl from the casino, though...No, she was tossing microbits of info onto the table with the free drinks, playing tha I-know-all-and-am-therefore-in-control card.

If she'd been a guy, or simply less pretty, the thing to do would probably have been to snap her neck outright. Hell, maybe Jan or Johnny still would.

But as far as Al was concerned, she was a woman. So how much of a threat could she be?

John
Monday, 25 November, 23:26 pm; Sam What's bar, Seattle Metroplex #155

John had noticed the woman the second she had talked to the waitress. The laser mic bouncing of the glasses on the tray had also told him that this was an attempt to talk to them and since Sam hadn't warned him about a black transporter filled with Yakuza goons, he assumed that this wasn't a diversion for an impending assault.
He took a second to boost his olfactory sensor before he replied with a lazy smile:
"Hi there Tanya. Maybe.
He is getting better, I hope? It's always such a burden to see someone close to you lying in intensive care. But as the saying goes: Live by the sword, die by the sword. Life is seldom peaceful for those who are in the pursuit of worldly power."

John bluffed. He had smelled the disinfectant as well as a hint of the typical cleaning solvent used in modern IC units. Her face did show only traces of bereavement, so whoever was hurt was likely stable and therefore likely to get better. That she came to talk without backup securing the exits indicated that she was from another faction altogether, but closely associated enough to be privy to the evenings occurrences. He had only guessed about the gender of the sick person, but with such a traditional organisation it was more likely that the person hurt was male.

"For obvious reasons we won't stay much longer here, so say what you have to say without the usual back and forth. We are all very down to earth here..."

Jan
Monday, 25 November, 23:26 pm; Sam What's bar, Seattle Metroplex

Jan snorted a laugh at the inevitability of their situation; that they were tracked down and that there was no warning of the woman's arrival.

"I'm never invisible, chick. If I'm in a room you know about it." Jan said with a wink. The combination of a lack of sleep mixed with as many shorts as he could put away in half an hour was starting to impair his judgement slightly.

"Now now John, lets not be rude to the lady. When you're a bit older you'll be more interested in this sort of thing. Though your lack of traditional 'anatomy' may be a factor." Jan laughed again, this time at his own joke. "Besides, this place is safe, right? You assured us, plus you've got your whole sensor array going on."

He turned to Tanya. "So hun, why don't you come and sit down between me and Al here. It's a cosy spot."

Monday, 25 November, 23:27 pm; Sam What's bar, Seattle Metroplex


Tanya looks at all three men then shakes her head a bit before taking a seat at the edge of the booth. "Thank you for the invitation, but as enticing as it would appear, I think it eminently safer for a single girl in this crowd to be sitting on the edge of the booth." She motions to the remaining seats. "No fourth glass, so the invisible person is not here yet? And, John, I guess? Thank you for your concern. Fu Shing will live and I do agree that coming to what I need to say is important. I am hoping that we can do each other a favor. In this guise I am Tanya Marisart but in another I am Song Ai, the head of personal security for Fu Shing one of the lieutenants for the 88s Triad. If you have done your homework or been given full briefing packets, you will know the name. Earlier this evening, my employer, Fu Shing, narrowly escaped several assassins. He suffered a broken leg and is in the hospital for observation. At just after that time, you four began an assault of the Bright Path casino, and I had initially considered that you were a backup assassin team, but you did not head for any of the places Fu Shing would be. Instead, you went to the casino security office, where you killed some guards and looted some information from the data vault. I normally do not like coincidences, but I am thinking that this is exactly what this is. Gentlemen, I am at your mercy here and would probably not survive if you want to kill me and leave. However, we might just have a common purpose if you sit and talk to me, either here or somewhere else more secure. If you tell me what you are after, I might just be able to help you and then maybe you will help me reshape the 88s."

"And to be polite, you know the name I am using and, thanks to your friend here, I know that your current name is John, but I do not know what the rest of you are going by. I find it so much more convenient to use names instead of, say, Moon Man."

Jan
Monday, 25 November, 23:27 pm; Sam What's bar, Seattle Metroplex

"Hey, less of the 'you four' thank you. That was these two's fuck up. And some invisible lady, but we don't know her. She seemed prepared and well organised."

Jan was very aware of his surroundings, but felt comfortable in the woman's presence. He knew that was her idea, of course, but hell he was a sucker for red hair and a pretty face. Plus the fact she didn't recognize them was a good sign. He considered his words, his mind playing out differing scenarios. "If you are Fu Shing's head of security I'm surprised you don't know me and Al by reputation, but that bodes well for our future together and crosses Fu off our list of interesting targets." He paused to take another drink, grimacing slightly at the strength. "Our only interest is in not being of interest. Word is out that the 88s got us tagged for assassination after the shootout at Gates Casino? Tonight was meant to be recon, mostly. Finding out who wants us dead. But when you stumble into the middle of someone else's op, sometimes curiosity just gets the better of you..."

John
Monday, 25 November, 23:28 pm; Sam What's bar, Seattle Metroplex #156

"How quaint. Some of these days we need to talk about needlessly sharing intel with those who didn't have it up until this moment.

Since my chummer here seems to be in a trusting mood, I'll do the introductions: This gentlesir here goes by the name of Jan, me you can call John for the moment and exhibit A over there is called J'Al.
And as Jan says, we didn't hit the casino - we merely investigated what was going on in there. From my perspective it looked like the guards were falling apart by themselves.

But since you are here, maybe you can tell us a bit about your boss and who his rivals are."

John had changed his expression to a serious one, while he simultaneously set his jammer to the max.

Al
Monday, 25 November, 23:28 pm; Sam What's bar, Seattle Metroplex

Al was unprepared to believe a single word out of this person's mouth, and not just because she was a woman. Jan seemed to buy her line, though, and he hoped the elf was right. It would be damned convenient if they found an ally in one of the factions that wasn't trying to kill them. Damn convenient. Hell, it'd just be nice to confirm that it was indeed only one or more factions that wanted them dead, as opposed to the whole clan. That internecine crap had always worked to his advantage with the spaghetti eaters, and it could work here too.

The other two seemed to have this little tete-a-tetes well in hand, or in fact two very different hands.

He let them talk while concentrating on mentally undressing their guest and keeping one eye and two ears open for any hint of a fib from her pretty lips.

Monday, 25 November, 23:28 pm; Sam What's bar, Seattle Metroplex



Tanya looks at the three men and nods, although she grimaces at the way Jan uses Fu Shing's name. "Very well, I can tell you some of what you want to know. I am prohibited by very potent oaths from revealing some information to outsiders and will need to couch my words with that in mind. The Triad is organized around four lieutenants who report to the Triad leader, in this case, Rick Wu. The lieutenants are Fu Shing, my boss, Jedong Kai, his ally, Shing Han On, and Ving Sun. Each of these men is responsible for a share of the Triad business, but it is not an equal part. For example, Fu Shing controls the Bright Path casino, which is the major legitimate business controlled by the Triad. Other businesses include various restaurants, tourist shops, bordellos, and betting parlors. All of these funnel completely legal money into the Triad treasury and also to that of the lieutenant that controls the businesses, which are assigned by seniority. This information is public to anyone who really wants to know. I will not go into those activities that are not legitimate businesses."

"My employer has only peripheral interest in the Gates Casino and would have no direct involvement in assigning a contract for the damage that you did there. I can get the information that you are looking for and can offer some assistance, but this would need to be a two way exchange. I would like to propose an amalgamation of effort to effectively change the leadership of the 88s Triad so that Fu Shing ends up in control. If you give effective aid I can see that any contracts on you are dropped and perhaps some money pushed your way. Are you interested?"

John
Monday, 25 November, 23:29 pm; Sam What's bar, Seattle Metroplex #157

"Hm, that sounds almost to good to be true. But since that is pretty much what those two wanted from the start and since I am pretty malleable when people offer me money instead of threats I think we can make a deal.

So, what do you have in mind? We could kill those other guys, poison them with mercury and lead so they'll go loopy, have them die in a freak accident, drive them mad or just decimate their sub-organizations and destroy their income sources."

John took another sniff from his Whiskey, but the moment was gone and all he perceived now was its chemical composition.

Jan
Monday, 25 November, 23:29 pm; Sam What's bar, Seattle Metroplex

"This chick managed to track you two here within an hour of you leaving the job. It's a pretty safe bet she's got any intel she needs, or is in the process of getting it. I'm simply expediting the process; getting off on the right foot" Jan added, replying to John's earlier comment. Jan took a rational approach to all situations. On occasion this can be considered 'cold' but in situations like this it was a benefit. The woman approached them alone and with knowledge of their activities. Therefore it stands that she's proposing something favourable.

"That sounds like my kind of deal" Jan continued, turning back to Tanya. What are you proposing?"
"And how does a pretty English girl end up in bed with the triads? Aren't they pretty hot on their 'slanty eyes only' policy?"

He picks up his empty glass and looks at the bottom of it, before noticing John return his to the table for the fourth time and drinking that instead.

Glo
Monday, 25 November, 23:29 pm; Sam What's bar, Seattle Metroplex

Glo had found herself in the bar moments before the mysterious woman approached the group she had been looking for. After the disappointment of the data haul the possibilities of finding allies had drawn her here, almost against her better judgement. But it seemed, based on the body language of the runners, that someone had beaten her to it. She decided to not make herself known just at the moment, settling on to a bar stool and ordering a drink she had no intention of consuming. Instead she sent Johnny a text

<<I have the data that we extracted from the vault. I'm sending you the link now. I put it on Shadowland so don't expect the paydata to be valuable for long but it might be of interest none the less. I would join you but I can see you have company at the moment>>

John
Monday, 25 November, 23:29 pm; Sam What's bar, Seattle Metroplex #158

John texted back: <<Hey there, thanks for the link. And good of you to show up. The lady here is the security chief of one Fu Shing. Don't know if that's the one you have a crutch against, but he seems to be in a hospital at the moment after an assassination attempt. So if you wanted to finish him off, now would be the time. Otherwise she might be a new ally. I'll transmit you a life feed.
Oh and ask Sam for an Irish Slammer. I hear they are the hammer for all of life's little problems.>>

Monday, 25 November, 23:30 pm; Sam What's bar, Seattle Metroplex


>>Tanya [Rose]: A woman at the bar is showing interest in your table and she has not touched the drink she ordered. Sending a picture to Cora Lee and you. By the way, lots of noise coming from your table. Someone is trying to remain private.<<

Tanya smiles at Jan then the others. "I propose an alliance of sorts. And, no, I would rather not destroy the infrastructure in place. The goal is to restructure the 88s, not destroy them. Actions like what happened at the casino are bad for business. The casino will recover, but the cost will be high in liability and insurance payments. I would like to keep the civilian casualties as low as possible. I will agree to look for certain information and point you on the right track to the people that set your contract. I will also provide soldiers to assist you if you request them. After it is all over, I will give you twenty thousand nuyen each, immunity from the 88s and, even better, a useful contact for getting some of our more interesting materials if you should ever need them. Does that interest you>"

>>Tanya [Cora Lee]: Hey, lover, you seem to be interested in Chinatown stuff so this might be something for you. I was trolling some of my standard sites and there has been a very recent dump of 88s data on Shadowland, one of those information is free crap sites. Seems the Triad is involved in some pretty heavy donations to a lot of important people. I will look at it some more and let you know what I find. I have received the feed from Rose and am working some facial rec on the new girl.<<

Tanya smiles again and looks around the table, waiting for a response. She sips at her drink after passing her hand over the glass and determining that it is not spiked. Her eyes focus on the one man who has not said much. "You are a quiet man, Al. I appreciate that, but is there anything you would like to know?"

Al
Monday, 25 November, 2331; Sam What's bar, Seattle Metroplex

Al grinned in response to her question, all chapped lips and tobacco-stained teeth.

He'd already decided what she looked like under her dress, and had started getting bored. Still, she'd said some things in the last minute or so that had caught his attention.

"Had me a girl once. Real firecracker. Don't imagine I'll tell ya her name, as she's probably still alive somewhere an' fixin' ta stay that way. But she was tall an' peroxide blonde with breedin' hips an' funbags a body could sleep on fer days. Had a little place - jist a room, really - down Galveston way, an' ol' Al used ta shack up with 'er whenever I'd come in off'n the Gulf. Wouldn't hardly call 'er an animal lover. Not like myself. But she did have a snake. Ball python. Not too big, yard an' change. Had 'erself a terrarium for it, but never did use it. Jist let the thing roam free in 'er room. Turn up inna sock drawer, up onna light fixture, inna bed even. Warn't no thing. Ol' Al gits 'long with snakes real fine."

He stubbed out his cigarette and slouched lower in his chair.

"Come feedin' time ever' fortnight or so, she'd march down ta the pet shop, buy 'erself a juicy white rat, and turn it loose inna room. Nature'd take 'er course, an' by an' by that serpent'd have a nice bulge in it's middle. So that went on fer a few months, an' then one time, well, snake jist warn't too hungry or somethin'. Hell, maybe it was sick, I ain't no vet. But it warn't havin' no part o' the latest rat. Few days went by, I went on a run out ta the rig. Come back a week hence, the snake still din't have no appetite, and damn if that womern hadn't named the sumbitch rat. Joshua or some shit. In no time Joshua became Joshy, an' when Mr. Snake finally started givin' poor sweet Joshy the eye, well you can bet that womern suddenly found a use fer the terrarium. She kept on feedin' the snake there in its glass cage, but next time I come back from a run, well, she'd took the snake an' sold it back ta the pet shop."

He ran a scarred fingertip around the edge of a glass before downing the last of its contents, and grinned still bigger.

"Now, ya ask ol' Al, she done traded down. Snake din't make no noise. Snake din't chew up my belt nor shit in my boots. Hell, snake's a superior animal however ya wanna look at it. But that's the danger o' gittin' too familiar with yer prey, now ain't it....so no, I ain't got no questions for ya..."

The grin was gone.

"See, fer no fault of our own, seems me an' Jan here embarrassed some Oriental thugs with delusions o' tradition enough to make our death worth somethin' ta someone. So I'll allow that gittin' the targets off'n our backs is what we's lookin' ta do. Seems prudent. But I'll admit somethin' to ya, lady. Deep down, way inna core o' my heart there, reckon I'm a mite disappointed ya done showed up with yer nice, neat answer ta all our problems an' woes. 'Cuz what ol' Al really wanted ta do was off some low lifes. Bring 'em on, I say. Triads. Yaks. Vor. Mafs. Koshari. Seoulpas. I ain't prejudiced. They's all a cancerous pox on honest, hard-workin' folk. Hookin' kids on drugs, turnin' out sweet young girls as whores an' worse, corruptin' breadwinners with vice, an' torturin' the famiies of anyone with the balls not ta stand for it. Then dress it up with shiny rackets ta launder the proceeds. Use the profits ta buy cops an' politicians so the regular Joes make this world turn ain't got no shot at all. Cowardly fucks ta the last of 'em, an' the fewer of 'em this job let's me gut shoot, the sorrier I'll be. Puttin' a hit out on me jist makes it open season, an' I'm ready ta hunt. But hell, i don't even need that excuse. I will kill any fucking 88 I see soon as look at 'em. An' since I already done seen you, lady, you're even higher on the list, sittin' here in that fancy dress some fifteen-year-old probably earned for ya with a month on 'er back."

Then he shrugged.

"But as long as Jan here thinks yer useful, well, when all's said an' done I'm here fer him, so I'll play along as long as he does."

Monday, 25 November, 2333; Sam What's bar, Seattle Metroplex


Tanya looks at Al with polite interest as he talks. She nods at his points and waits for him to finish. "Well spoken, Al,although I don't quite understand your snake allegory. Your last statement seems like some sort of warning that a predator should not get too close to his prey, but in the story, the snake did not get friendly with the rat, the owner did. I am not sure that you told the right punch line."

"However, some of your other points make good sense. Some darned good sense. But I am not sure that we are here to debate the truly horrible and illegal things that organized crime does, just as we are not here to discuss the truly horrible and illegal things shadowrunners do to get their paydata. If I were a betting person, I would say that just about anything you own or have owned or used that is on the restricted or forbidden lists came through some sort of organized crime pipeline and into.......oh yes, your lily pure hands. But you might be so lily pure that you only use unrestricted gear and weapons.......oh dear, no that won't really work, either will it? No, most of the legal gear comes through some sort of organized crime pipeline, too. OK, OK, let's just factor all of that stuff out and just wave a mojo wand and pretend that you don't use anything from that sort of source. Let's just go to your rampage where you get to kill a bunch of lowlifes like me. In the first place, many of the lowlifes carry guns and might be predisposed to use them to defend themselves if attacked. In my experience, bullets do not have some sort of Friend or Foe capability and the ones that miss their targets go somewhere. Like into the head of a baby in a stroller, or an old man who cannot move fast enough to get away from a firefight. Now, you might be good enough to never miss when you shoot, but we are talking lowlifes here and they are probably not as accurate as you are and probably tend to have less control over their fire. So, even if all of your bullets strike your targets, there is a real good chance that the bullets of the lowlifes won't. Good luck with getting a bunch of lowlifes to congregate in a luxury villa so you can be sure no innocent bystanders get hurt.......or killed. Like that ever happens in real life. Although I suppose it could happen to a bunch of Yaks a few days ago. Now, those were some serious lowlifes, but I digress."

"Now, let's be more specific and talk for just a few minutes about what you did tonight. A few hours ago there were 1139 patrons on the Bright Path Casino main gaming floor, plus another 947 in various hotel rooms and conference facilities, plus 659 employees of all types. Of the entire population of the casino and hotel, exactly 23 people were actual Triad men and women, and 10 of those were away from the hotel for one reason or another. Setting off the fire, even though it was a fake, caused almost all of these people to try to evacuate the hotel. I am certain that the plan had been to have them conduct an orderly and safe evacuation, but that did not happen did it? Fortunately, no one was killed and the incident has raised my awareness of several things that could have made the evacuation go smoother and I will talk to my employer about that. Oh wait, did I say no one died? Yes, but I failed to mention the 37 people with broken legs and arms, including 2 small children who were staying in the hotel with their parents. I also did not mention the roughly 450 people who were treated for more minor injuries on the scene and released." She waves a hand nonchalantly. "Sure, sure, you had nothing to do with that directly, so lets talk about what you did do. You might not know it, but a very small percentage of the employees of the casino and hotel are actually Triad soldiers. We employ hundreds of locals to see to the care and comfort of the patrons. That would include 100% of the regular security staff. These hard working, stand up breadwinners are contract employees. The men killed or hospitalized in the security office all have families. The first man killed was Sergeant Tony Delgado and his wife had just had their second child less than a month ago. Oh, and unless you missed the name, Tony was not a slanty eyed cowardly fuck. He rode the bus in to work every day from his home in another part of the city. I can list all of the names if you really want me to. However, you can probably give solace to your conscience by saying that Tony was killed by the invisible girl, so let me mention Deng Shin, who is Chinese, but I did mention, didn't I, that 100% of the hotel security were not Triad soldiers but contract employees?. He was the security officer that met you, Al, on the stairway leading up to the security station from the ground floor. Do you remember him? It will be a few days before he will be able to remember much. You might ask why, but I think that the brass knuckle hit to the face might jar your memory. Several missing teeth and a concussion were his reward for being a hard working breadwinner. And you, John, you have not said much on this issue, and I do not know yet if you are a real EMT, but you obviously have the skill to pass yourself off as one. You went into several apartments earlier today and helped people. Really helped people. What you did with one truck and a few medicines and bandages was good work. But then you drove off into the sunset, leaving lots of injured people on the street outside the casino. You might have been able to help some of those with broken legs. One of my feeds shows a number of people holding out hands for help as you drove away."

"Now, I am not trying to make any of you feel bad......wait, yes I am, actually. But the main point is that you might go on a rampage and kill lots of people that might seem to be cowardly fuckers, but there is also a chance that some of them might just be the hard working people that you feel so strongly about. And even if they are not, there could be innocent people caught in the crossfire. You could of course start right here with me. I am alone, after all. Unarmed and unarmored. Easy kill. I won't waste my breath and say it is not true and you probably could kill me, but how do you think the patrons here would react to violence? Might they all try to leave as quickly as possible through a very narrow door just be out of the line of fire? There just might be injuries and a death or two."

"OK. lets get away from pointing fingers and calling people cowardly fuckers for a few minutes. I guess the real point I am trying to make here, Al, is that there are all kinds of cowardly fuckers in any room, so can we just agree to leave the name slinging out of the conversation? I have done many things in my life that I am not proud of and there are probably several deaths of innocent people on my back trail. However, what I propose to you is a way to keep collateral injuries and deaths to a minimum. Are there any takers here or do we just depart as enemies?"


All of you can note that the woman is alert and observant and has had maybe two sips of her drink.

Al
Monday, 25 November, 2333; Sam What's bar, Seattle Metroplex

Al slowly clapped his hands. "Spoke like a true Pharisee. So yer takin' yer whole 'Fuck with us an'we'll make ya watch as we microwave yer baby ' thing ta the next level. Nice. Now yer sayin', 'We done spread our cancerous selves through all walks o'life, an' since we's taken pains ta make sure ever'one knows we's sloppy an' got no regard whatsoever fer human pain an' misery, you dare lift a finger ta stop us enslavin' yer daughters an' floodin' yer schools with dope, well, ya jist never know who might git killed, an' that wouldn't be our fault in any way, no, that'd all be on you.' Shit, woman, ya take the whole damned community hostage, an' then claim moral equivalency. Well ol' Al shoots hostage takers. ...jist sayin'."

John
Monday, 25 November, 23:29 pm; Sam What's bar, Seattle Metroplex #159

John couldn't help it, but not only did he find Al immensely likable, but also gained quite a bit of respect for the old man and his stance.

He answered Tanya nonetheless with an unwavering smile.
"You are well informed - you are just missing the bit that's really relevant:
It's true that me helping these folks was very gainful - up until two of your bottom feeder Yaks appeared to shake me down for everything I made this day and than for my equipment. Mafias are a cancer build on corruption. Your casino is revenue for you - even a steady employment from your perspective. But it's also just another drug to push. It creates addicts that destroy much more families than those few, badly trained guards support with their lousy paycheck. You cheapskates are responsible for fire security, easy access and proper maintenance.
But that is all irrelevant as long as you can take as much money as you can without it crumbling around you.

Not that I have a problem with that. I need money as much as you to live. And like you and yours I like to have more of it since it provides me with power and security. But spare me the bullshit about community and responsibility. You are part of a misantropic organisation, a bully that has made sure that it will do as much damage as possible if anyone tries to take you down, so it seems wiser not to try.

But guess what: There are people like J'Al who just don't care, people who don't fall for the tale that they are responsible for the well being of the hostage. It's the hostage taker that is responsible. And the sooner the hostage taker learn that the trick doesn't work, the sooner they'll stop taking hostages.

Now, let's stop the bullshit and talk business: How much can you pay and who do we have to remove so we can get on with our lives and so your boss can get just a bit more control of the sewer?
If we can come to an agreement - great. If not... well, we'll take plan B..."

Monday, 25 November, 23:36 pm; Sam What's bar, Seattle Metroplex



Tanya raises an eyebrow and looks around at her companions at the table. "Unbelievable. You are so set against what I represent that you select a couple of points from what I said and bring them out. You totally ignore the point that you, and most runners, use illegal things that you get from one criminal or another. That what you do is considered illegal by most normal law enforcement agencies and just about every moral, ethical, and legal code. That innocent people were killed or injured by your action or inaction. And I am the one holding these people hostage?"

She shakes her head and takes a breath. "Alright, sorry. We seem to be off on the wrong bloody foot here. Can we perhaps start again and try to work past that it is highly unlikely that you will ever change your opinions about organized crime and I will not change mine about runners in general. I will also accept that I am a horrible person. However, you do not know me and cannot know what I believe in. I cannot justify the horrible things the Triads, or any organized crime syndicate does, and am actually trying to make a difference. It just takes getting the right person in charge and nudging him in the desired direction. With your help, I can make that happen and then I can start building a new organization, one that has more interest in the community than in profiting from drugs and prostitution. I don't really expect any of you to believe that without seeing it, so I am willing to risk exposure and death to try to get your help. Can the four of us agree to work together on this? If so, I have a personal question for you, John. You referred to Yaks in your statement, but those guys operate out of Little Japan and it would be odd to find any in Chinatown. Are you using the term to refer to all criminals as a group?"

"Aside from that, I have made a starting offer. I am willing to pay each of you 20000 Nuyen, remove the Triad contract on you, and provide you with a high ranking contact in the 88s. If this is suitable we can move to the next point. I do not yet know who holds your contract, but I can find out. I have my suspicions, which, if accurate, would put me solidly in your camp to eliminate them. It might take me a day or so to get that information and then we can formulate a plan of action. I can provide you with a secure, private com code that will get you in touch with me and you can do the same so I can contact you. Will this work for you? Now, there is a woman at the bar who is taking a great deal of interest in this table. Since I never saw her, she might be your missing invisible girl. Do you wish to bring her in on this or is she outside the circle, so to speak.?"

Jan
Monday, 25 November, 23:36 pm; Sam What's bar, Seattle Metroplex

"I'm not" Jan interjected. "Set against organised crime, I mean. You know what I see in organised crime? Steady employment. Employment I'd have been glad of when I was juve." He stops to look around the table. "And fuck me boys and girls, when did we all get so fokking self-righteous anyway? I'd as soon shoot any of you in the face and sell your body to the ghouls as I would sit through that ramble again. Well, apart from Al cos he's grown on me like a fungus. An Tanya's face is way too pretty to waste. And John, well I don't think the ghouls would be taking much interest in John anyways." Jan downed what remained of John's drink and headed to the bar again.

"20k sounds sweet to me..."

Al
Monday, 25 November, 2336; Sam What's bar, Seattle Metroplex

Al smiled at the woman. "There, see, like I said, Jan's in, I'm in. Now we's all gon' be best o' friends." He farted loudly. "So we git the money, the contact, the contract cancelled an' you said somethin' 'bout some sorta immunity? But more important, yeah, gotta color in the lines now, but we do still get some Hong Kong Phooey gangsters ta slaughter, right?"

Monday, 25 November, 2337; Sam What's bar, Seattle Metroplex


Tanya chuckles. "Yes, Al. There will be lots of gangsters to kill. I am afraid that Rick Wu will not yield power without a fight and my money is on him being behind the contract on you. And I think that he also ordered the hit on my boss, for which I owe him some payback. The immunity part will have a clause that stipulates that you will stop hitting at the 88s when we have taken down Rick Wu and cancelled the contract on you. I am not giving you a free card to keep killing after we are done. And I think that we can dispense with trying to find some sort of loophole that would allow you to do that. Agreed?"

"John? Are you in? And what about the girl? If she is not the invisible person, then she is another kind of issue." She looks at Jan and smiles. "And why would the ghouls not like John?"

"First of all: Frag you. You aren't listening. I don't care about how many meatbags I kill, maim or otherwise inconvenience. In that regard I'm as amoral as you can get. But I never pretended to be anything else. As I said: I don't object to you earning money illegally. I object to your hypocritical bullshit about being a social conscious employer working for the greater good. I don't believe for a second that getting your guy in charge will benefit anyone besides him and maybe his inner circle to which you belong.
This is not about right an wrong but about you being disingenuous. For all I care you could be cannibal - as long as you don't try to tell me that eating children benefits society.

That said: 20k are good enough for me. I'm on board.
Regarding your questions: I say Yak because it's shorter than Triad, Seoulpa, Mafia, Vory, Outfit, Syndicate and if I called them scum it would just get confusing.
The girl on the bar is a friend of mine who knows better than to come over during a business meeting.
And about the ghouls... Jan should consider that a full set of teeth is a privilege that can be revoked."

John replied amiably.

Al
Monday, 25 November, 2337; Sam What's bar, Seattle Metroplex

Figured for a robot-boy: keen understanding, no soul to back it up. No denying, this sort of work made strange bedfellows.

Whatever.

"So we's all decided then. What say ya point ol' Al ta someone ta shoot - or is it jist open season on any cats workin' fer this Wu character?"

Jan
Monday, 25 November, 23:37; Sam What's bar, Seattle Metroplex

"Hah, that's a long story lady, but I'll let John tell it if he feels the need. What you drinking?" Jan continued, ignoring John's comments.

Monday, 25 November, 23:37; Sam What's bar, Seattle Metroplex


Tanya nods. "Thank you very much, but I am still working on my first and I should be returning to the hospital and leave you alone to talk bad about me." She leans forward and smiles grimly, "Really, I am not completely sold on the gangland crap. Just a few days ago I was killing a bunch of Yakuza who were guarding some deckers that were about to influence something important. Not sure what was going on, but the person who hired me seemed to think that lots of kids were in danger and that this would help. Beyond that, everything was compartmentalized and I do not even know if the other team, or teams, even knows what I did. I left lots of bodies on the floor, including all of the deckers, when I left the villa, so I hope that it helped. What I am trying to say is that I understand the evils of organized crime syndicates and do not hold any sort of real faith in them. I infiltrated the 88s a couple of after the last op ended, thinking that some good bloodletting among the Triads would help the world, much like Al believes. What I found is a slightly different situation than I had expected and an opportunity opened up. I killed the former head of personal security to Fu Shing when that man tried to assassinate his boss. I believe that Fu Shing can be manipulated into changing many of the oppressive policies of the 88s, but he will never get the chance to do that as long as Rick Wu is at the top of the pole and keeps trying to kill Fu Shing. I am asking that you give me a chance to make things better and I cannot do that with Fu Shing dead. I will look closely, but I do not believe that Fu Shing is the lieutenant that put out the contract on you. I will find out for sure and get back to you, but I am in the lion's den here and one slip or the wrong word being said could get me killed. I could use a bit of a break from any random bloodletting just now. Can we agree to that, please?"

Tanya sits back and takes another sip of her G&T.

John
Monday, 25 November, 23:37 pm; Sam What's bar, Seattle Metroplex #161

"Alright. So we geek Rick Wu and his flunkies. Shouldn't be too hard. Do you have a hint, where he is holed up?"
John said, while he sent a message to Glo:
<<I hope you got all this. Any comments or insights we should know before we finalize the agreement?>>

Monday, 25 November, 23:38 pm; Sam What's bar, Seattle Metroplex


Tanya shakes her head. "Yes, I would love to just walk in and kill Rick Wu and I do know where he lives. However, it would be best for my ultimate plans for th e88s if Fu Shing had a legitimate reason to attack his boss. Do you have any means to ferret that information out? I can also work that angle. It might take a day or so. I was, unfortunately, too efficient at killing all of the assassins that came for us earlier and need someone else to question. If I provide a name, could you extract and question him?"

John
Monday, 25 November, 23:37 pm; Sam What's bar, Seattle Metroplex #162

"Sure, extracting is almost the same as killing everyone - means just killing everyone except one..."
John winked. "Just joking... probably. Who do you have in mind?"

Monday, 25 November, 23:38 pm; Sam What's bar, Seattle Metroplex


Tanya nods. "Ving Sun is Rick Wu's closest lieutenant and is likely the heir apparent for when Rick retires. I believe that it was Ving Sun's men that you tangled with at the Gates Casino. That sort of reckless disregard for the lives of other people is just what I would expect from him. Ving Sun's bagman is Chin Bai, a true example of all you hate in organized crime. Bai is responsible for collecting the tribute from the people and businesses that Ving Sun's part of the Triad taxes for protection. He makes his collections on Wednesdays and I can get you his route. He will have at least two soldiers with him, and perhaps four. I suspect that Chin Bai will be able to give you some of the information we are looking for. If you take him for questioning, it will be a mercy to kill his guards compared to what Ving Sun will do to them. No one will mourn the passing of Chin Bai except his boss, especially his wife and children, who are regular victims of his abuse."

"I will continue to look into all of this as well and will certainly let you know what I find out. And, look, I am sorry for getting off on the wrong foot earlier. It is easy to get confused when in deep cover and I am in pretty deep. I apologize to all of you for coming off with a holier than thou attitude. That was not my intent. Do any of you have any questions of me before I leave?"

Jan
Monday, 25 November, 23:38; Sam What's bar, Seattle Metroplex #162

Jan returns to the table with 6 G&T's on a tray. "Half a dozen of whatever she's drinking" he announced to the group as he plonked back down into the booth.
Then, for a moment, he was serious. It was like he's switched to 'work mode.' "That sounds ideal. Once we've got the scheduled route we'll get to work. I've got some ideas, when it comes down to business."

And then, like a switch, he was back to relaxing. "There's six here. 2 each, and John can sniff one of mine for a bit" he said with a smile.

John
Monday, 25 November, 23:37 pm; Sam What's bar, Seattle Metroplex #163

"Alright, I'll prepare a digitectomy - worked for the Seoulpa.
All in all I think one or two doses of pepperpunch will be sufficient to take out the bodyguards. We go in to black bag him and squeeze him for all he knows."

John declined another glass: "My receptors need a little pause to clean my palate.
Only one question Tanya: You didn't call in back up, did you? Because Sam just now signaled me that a bunch of Asian looking gentleman are closing in on the bar..."

Monday, 25 November, 23:38; Sam What's bar, Seattle Metroplex


Tanya shakes her head. "They are not mine. Someone else may have tracked you here the same way I did. How do you want to play this? I would rather not see a bunch of innocent people killed. Alley?"

>>Monique [Tanya]: Apparently there are Triad men approaching the bar. Please be prepared to come pick me up.<<

John
Monday, 25 November, 23:38 pm; Sam What's bar, Seattle Metroplex #164

"Or maybe they followed you. In any case it will be best if we aren't seen together. And yes, I like this bar so I won't risk a it getting shot up.
Come, there is a back door. Sam should have unlocked it by now."

John got up and led the way past the toilets and cleaning supplies towards a secure fire exit. John opened it and stuck his head out but pulled it back quickly.
"Bad news: They are unloading a second team by the alley. Those fuckers learned a trick or two.
We have only a few seconds before they go into the alley. It's a dead end, but if we hop the wall we can leave through the construction site. Lot's of heavy cover if we need it and three exits.

Get ready, I'll give each of you a lift over the wall and follow after.
Any questions? If yes - stuff it, we don't have time."

Al
Monday, 25 November, 2338; Sam What's bar, Seattle Metroplex

Al normally prided himself on being a 'first through the door, last out of the room' sort of guy. But he suspected nothing much bad - or at least serious - could happen to robot-boy (if he even was a real boy at all). And the fact the the amoral man-drone was playing at hero did a lot to confirm his suspicion that the thing was facing no real danger.

And he certainly didn't mind going before the lady, since he hardly considered her one and didn't buy a single newly-softened word out of her pretty mouth.

So he stepped up first - "Make a stirrup, there, Johnny...construction site, that's ol' Al's briar patch right there, that is."

He stepped into the mandroid's hand and a moment later was over the top...

Monday, 25 November, 2338; Sam What's bar, Seattle Metroplex


Tanya nods and quickly scans the feeds from the drones she has access to in the area, trying to get a good count of the attackers, both at the front of the building and in the alleyway. She watches as Al steps forward to be the first into John's hands and over the wall. >>Rose and Cora Lee [Tanya]: Are you picking this up? Keep one of your eyes in the bar to see what these guys do here. Keep your front and rear drones active and monitor all progress. Tie Cora Lee into your feed net. Cora Lee, I may need your matrix assistance here. See if you can shut down their vehicles to limit their mobility. Stay on and keep me informed what you see on the matrix.<<

As soon as Al is over the wall, Tanya steps forward and places her jeans-clad leg into the stirrup of his hands and lets him toss her up and over. Her gymnastics comes into play and she lands on the other side, quickly rolling to her feet and looking about. with her eyes and her ultrasound sensors. Spying Al, she watches him move away into the darkness as she takes up a spot near the wall.

Monday, 25 November, 2339; Construction Site behind Sam What's bar, Seattle Metroplex

Through the various drones, Tanya was able to see that three GMC Bulldog Vans had arrived, spewing 15 man in total. 10 were of the usual Triad thug type: Broad shouldered, carrying hatchets and small automatics and armor vests.
But the five others were different: For one they could have been called Team Rainbow: A black human man, a female Asian looking elf, a from head to toe glad in black guy that suspiciously looked like an ork, a large Troll of undetermined gender and behind the wheel a dwarf - probably in a wheelchair for all the diversity displayed here.

She quickly had to change to a different feed, because one of the drones had just lost connection as a small drone, looking like a dragonfly came briefly into view
<<Be careful Tanya, they seem to have brought in a runner team with their own Rigger. I seem to have also problems with non-standard matrix entities aka sprites. One of them is likely a technomancer, so watch out.
What did these guys do that Rick Wu hires a team to go after them?>>

The elf moved her hands around, causing a few sparks to trail behind and suddenly mist began to form around them.

The first team of triads had begun to enter the bar, badly concealing their weapons and attitude, while the other team got ready to enter the alley, drawing weapons and psyching each other up.

Monday, 25 November, 2339; Construction Site behind Sam What's bar, Seattle Metroplex


>>Rose and Cora Lee [Tanya]: Begin cycling the drones through the reboot process and watch out for that technomancer. Do the best you can to keep feeding me intel but prepare to bail if personally threatened.<<
[/color]

Jan
Monday, 25 November, 23:39; Sam What's bar, Seattle Metroplex

The others had got up and moved before Jan realised what they were talking about. "Wait for me ya fokkers!" he shouted as he rose from the table. A moment later he appeared in the alley with his Crusader in his right hand, and a tray of G&Ts in his left. It seemed the others had already scaled the wall to a construction site, and John was offering a boost. That'd help him avoid much spillage at least. He holstered the Crusader - for balance - and used John's boost and his free hand to haul himself up onto the top of the wall before dropping down on the far side. He took a quick swig of one of the drinks before drawing his MP again and looking to see where the others were heading.

Monday, 25 November, 2340; Construction Site behind Sam What's bar, Seattle Metroplex

Having helped Jan over the wall, John followed with a quick jump of his own. The landing caused a cloud of dust to rise as a part of the compressed air escaped to cushion the landing. Almost immediately afterwards shots began to ring out as the five Triad members had noticed the flashy maneuver.

Another observation drone went down, falling prey to the enemy drone killer/killer drone, but not before informing Tanya that the runner team had started to move towards the alley too.

During their time inside the pub the weather had drastically changed for the worse: Were before it had been the normal chilly November weather, now the temperature had fallen drastically and drops of half frozen rain began to fall together with a sharp breeze.
The construction site was dark, only the city's light reflected from the low hanging clouds provided dim light.

The pounding of boots closed in on the wall while someone shouted in Mandarin to move the large trash container forward as an improvised climbing aid.

John exposed his left lower arm and retrieved from its smuggling compartment a taser while also extending his climbing claws: "Anyone want a taser? It's only four shots, but better than nothing.
Anyway, let's get behind some cover before the monkeys manage to climb the wall."

Monday, 25 November, 2340; Construction Site behind Sam What's bar, Seattle Metroplex


>>Rose and Cora Lee]: Reboot the drones and ground them. Cora Lee, you should leave unless you can take on the sprites. The other team knows that we had matrix and drone support and will need to keep looking, even if you are not here. Thank you for your help. Rose, I will replace your lost drone. Ciao.<<

Tanya grounds her remaining drones where they are and reboots them, leaving them off line as she flicks her eyes to Low Light Vision and lets her whip drop from her finger as she spins up her Wired Reflexes. She stands near the wall just opposite where the thugs will be coming across and waits, her radar and ultrasound sensors providing her with advanced knowledge of where the thugs were coming across the wall.

Al
Monday, 25 November, 2340; Construction site behind Sam What's bar, Seattle Metroplex

The looker that had gone from crime boss to deep-cover reformer had come over the wall with them, but Al took her with a grain of salt - for all he knew, these were her people coming after them.

He took half a moment to get his bearings - where his truck was, where the other teams likelly were - well, there was no doubt about the ones taking pot shots at the wall they'd just gone over.

He listened to the offers of weapons and turned to his one real friend in the quartet - "A taser an' a dart gun? Shee-it, Spock, what sorta pussies we keepin' comp'ny with? I'm breakin' north, closer ta my truck an' maybe between y'all an' the other half o' Team China."

And he set off through the dark construction site at a run, his DayNite© optical suite serving him well in the dark. Scanning the ground for something useful, he passed a Papa Bear pipe and then a Mama Bear one, but finally snatched one up that felt juuuuust right. Then he ducked between two Port-o-Potties, the deep shadows blanketing him in stealth, but commanding pathways going by on both sides.

He'd done a lot of hunting in his days. Mostly mutant paras. But he was willing to take a step down the food chain to gangsters today. He stubbed out his cigarette and became still as death in the icy rain.

Tanya
Monday, 25 November, 2340; Construction site behind Sam What's bar, Seattle Metroplex


Tanya is standing in the shadow of the wall and watches as first Jan then John come over and move slightly away to prepare their own surprises for their attackers. She does reach out to take John's arm as he lands. "John, my drones showed me what I believe to be a runner team with the soldiers. My intel is that they have a mage, rigger, technomancer and two others. The racial mix is Human, Dwarf, Elf, Orc, and Troll. The Elf was casting some sort of mist spell. Be careful. I am going to stay here and try to give you some time to get in place. Ciao."

The first five thugs come across the wall and three move off away from her but two take up a position to provide cover to their friends still coming over the wall. Tanya grins and flicks her wrist, sending the monofilament wire of her whip completely around the torso of one of the men and giving a tug as it wraps around him. There is some resistance as the whip slices through the backbone of the thug but the man barely makes a sound as his upper torso separates from his lower, spraying blood and entrails about.

John
Monday, 25 November, 23:40 pm; Construction Site behind Sam What's bar, Seattle Metroplex #167

"Suit yourself, I'm off to get my artillery. Back in a few seconds. Cheerio."

With that, John sped off with extended climbing claws for better traction, reaching the far of fence and casually jumping over it, out of sight.

Glo
Monday, 25 November, 23:37 pm; Sam What's bar, Seattle Metroplex



<<I don’t think I’ve got anything to add at the moment but I am curious about your guest and the insights she might have in to the workings of the Triad. Your vendetta with them isn’t my concern, I am after something quite specific, but if we can help each other out then that is fine by… you seem to have invited more guests… I will keep my distance and intervene if I think it will be useful>>

And Glo cut short the connection and slipped out of the bar to the washrooms where she proceeded once more to shed her clothing and disappear from view…

The second man at the wall is drenched in blood spraying from the severed halves of his companions and he lets out a scream that momentarily halts the three men who had come over the wall with him, making them perfect targets. Confused, he points his gun in the direction that he thinks the attack came from and fires a burst off, completely missing anyone.

Al
Monday, 25 November, 2340; Construction site behind Sam What's bar, Seattle Metroplex

Al only had to wait a few seconds before three of the bottom-feeders came around looking for him. He let them pass, then stepped out and said, "Any o' you fuckers know a good noodle joint?" His heavy pipe swung into the nose of the first one to turn, knocking him down into the mud as the rain pelted down. Without pause, Al stepped forward and brought the pipe down on his head a second time. Then, constantly shifting position, he lit into the other two.

There was nothing fancy about it, he just swung at their heads - hard, fast, and lots. Sure, they got some bursts off in his general direction, but Dog always let him know just where the bullets would come before they were even fired, and he easily avoided them as he crushed the second guy's skull and nearly did the same to the third. As he raised the pipe to finish the guy, he remembered something being said about catching one of these idiots to talk to. Thinking of Jan in a dark room, he chuckled as he rolled the semi-conscious man over and pulled out his cuffs. "Looks like yer unlucky day, Charlie Chan."

He did not cuff the man's wrists, but instead secured his ankles. Tore the dragon-emblazoned, brain-stained T-shirt from another guy and shoved it into his new friend's mouth, then took him into the Port-o-Potty and stuffed him down head-first, hooking the chain of the cuffs on the plastic piping that fed the tiny cubicle's small sink. It creaked under the man's weight, and he quickly got the idea not to struggle too much.

As he closed the door behind him and picked up his pipe, Al remembered something about the Tokugawa regime's long - and eventually successful - search for a torture that would break the most devout Jesuit missionaries...but soon lost his train of thought as he keyed his mic to speak briefly to Jan and Johnny: <<Three down, includin' one on ice fer later....Reckon he's inna shit.>>

Monday, 25 November, 2340; Construction site behind Sam What's bar, Seattle Metroplex

Since John had vanished from view it had been only about six seconds, but already the goon force had been reduced by half. Sending waves upon waves of expendable soldiers with bad equipment into a difficult environment didn't prove to be a very efficient move on their opponents parts.

The fire from Jan's gun convinced the remaining three Triads to fall back behind the wall.

The sound of heavy stomping feet moving in a quick staccato pattern gave Jan and Tanya a short warning, before something hit the brick wall with the force of a small freight train, flinging bricks and dust everywhere.

The two runners had only a split second to react to the new threat