... and a rich one with that shiny SUV he was driving... "

"Just wait a second." Harbinger moved over to the dead guards and collected their weapons and ammo. "You never let stuff like that go to waste in the CZ.
Alright lets fetch the tech."

Saturday, January 5th 2075. 2:55 AM

@All - After hearing of Titan's fate you make sure you drive north as slow and steady as possible. Without incident, you find a proper path through town to Ammo Jims. The gun store is situated in the Northside Glen Town Center. In between a bank and a pie shop. As you continue on down Patriot Blvd you see in the middle of the intersection two Dodge Chargers parked around what looks like an SUV that was hit directly by a Toyota Gopher. Several lone star officers are patrolling the area and redirecting whatever traffic that might happen to come their way. From what you could tell, there is a giant hole in the windshield of the SUV. Perhaps Titan was launched out of his car seat the moment the two vehicles ran into each other. That could explain the massive bloodstains on the ground and the pieces of broken glass everywhere.

Karmakaze

Karma surveyed the carnage, weighing the options of recovering the mission equipment.

"What do you guys think? I can see if I can talk to the police, and see what I can find out. I have a few friends on the force. Someone can try and sneak in and search the vehicle. Or we can call Quantum Princess and tell her we lost the drunk techie she hired, probably due to DUI, and see if she can give us new repeaters, since they were probably destroyed or lost in the wreck."

David replied "We are not calling the Princess, we are professionals.... Bribing the coppers can work... Distracting them long enough for us to steal the tools is also an option"

"Yeah, try talking first." To David he said: "Try not to shoot the police - that would impair our ability to fulfill this mission."

Karmakaze

Karma walked up to the police parameter looking for anyone she recognized well enough to ask a favor, but it doesn't appear so. Hopefully one of the unis will remember her and cut her some slack.

@Karmakaze - None of the officers look even remotely recognizable. You hoped that your tenure as a knight errant detective would lend you the insight needed to discern if any of them were someone you once knew. Sadly, that's not the case. As you approach, a dark skinned human officer that looks to be in his mid-thirties steps away from the wreckage to intercept you. "Intersection is off limits!" Declared the beat cop. From the tone he carried he seemed he wasn't in the mood for games. He takes a moment to relax a bit as he notices that you aren't one of the usual civilian slobs he's forced to herd off. "Come back later or take a detour around. We'll be busy here for a few more hours until we get this mess properly cleaned up."

Karmakazi

Karma responded in a professional manner, "I'm sorry. I know you are busy, but may I speak with the OIC? That is if they have a minute. I can wait."

David used the distraction to sneak toward the vehicle looking for the tools.

@Karmakaze - The officer rubbed the back of his head nervously and shifted from one foot to the next. "Well, you see... we haven't had one come out yet. I mean, whats the point really?" He turned his head slightly toward the wreckage and then back to the elf in front of him. "If we wake up our sergeant for this then that means more paperwork and more red tape for us to deal with. This is just a car accident as far as we are concerned."


@Jaws - Sneaking past the cops is mere child's play to you. Karmakaze made it especially easy for you by entertaining the only talkative officer while the rest maintained a half-assed perimeter. You tiptoe around and over thousands of pieces of broken glass and twisted metal to get to the SUV. One of its doors was swung wide open. Giving you full access to search for the matrix units.

I easily spot the tools and bag them, returning to Morgan. For amusement, I allow Karma to struggle for a while, before texting her that we have the tools.

Karmakaze

"Okay. Well can you release the name of the occupants yet? I believe that is my bounty in there, and the Federal Marshals would like to know. He has been wanted for a long time. Goes by the name Titan...

"When you report to your night sergeant, please have him contact me. Just need to confirm the subject's identity. I used to be on the force, so they will probably know who I am."

She hands the officer her business card that reads:
Kristina Kahless
Private Investigator

"Well done." Harbinger remarked gruffly when Jaws returned with the electric equipment.
He didn't feel like saying anything more. The whole affair had given him a grumpy mood. And since it was still snowing and they had to take it the whole way back it was very unrealistic to expect his mood to change soon.
He added: "By the way, if you have the tools I can use a spell on one of us to give you enough knowledge about the devices to be able to install them."

David replied coldly "Glad we got rid of him... There is no room for unlucky people in our profession. " He was detached from any compassion or shock to their dead comrade. He knew the guy for 10 minutes and has already forgotten him. He carefully drove the Morgan to their location - advancing slowly through the snowy streets. Luckily that car was an off-roader built for such conditions... Unluckily it was cold inside, whatever heating there was it was outdated. Heck, the entire morgan was outdated and did not even have a matrix access.

When they arrived at the tower he growled... "now let's figure out if we can install the darn thing." Why did the tech guy had to die - what a waste... he was doing so well with that fancy car of his. This could not have been just an accident - somebody was after them. But who? that was supposed to be a milk run. It sure paid like one! Heck, we undersold ourselves... As usual, one needs to understand others to negotiate and I just understand exactly where to hurt them.

@All - How'd that old phrase go again? You know, that saying you'd tell yourself when a job took a wrong turn and you ended up doing thrice the amount of work than you originally had intended. The kind of unplanned misfortune that would cost you more than the job itself was worth. Its the same saying that every runner knows by heart one way or another. Was it Old World Blues? Strange... No matter how hard you wrack your brain trying to remember, you can't but help think that you still have a long way to go before the night is done and you're at the edge of your bed, muttering that age-old mantra before you drift off into sleep.

Despair is better left to those with nothing to do but to give-in to despair. You still have a job to do. The techie hired to install the matrix units is dead. But you, you haven't given up yet. Through a collaborative effort, you've all managed to overcome one setback after the next. You've cleared the way to the first upgrade site and retrieved the missing units. However, your achievements leave you at a crossroads. Do you press on and return to the tower, doing the technician's job yourself? Or do branch out and try to find someone else with the technical know-how?

Harbinger nodded, took off his glove and touched first the electronic thingy and then lightly David.



Harbinger knew that he would have to be the one to concentrate on the spell, so it had to be someone else who would install the stuff. So why not the carrying them.

Karmakaze

"I am not a decker by any means, but I know my way around a computer. I might be of some help trying to install this thing and run any programs needed in case it isn't a simple plug and play.

"Of course, if someone has a contact with more technical knowledge I am cool with that. As long as that guy knows better than to drink and drive in the middle of a blizzard, like that jackass. They can even take his share of the payment."

David said "I think we'll be alright - let's finish the job."