"""If the machinery is still in diagnostic mode, maybe I can speed up the healing process. At work I've had to get a number of different spells to handle poisons, diseases and damage. What do we know?"""

"""I don't know. I mean, sure, whatever you can bring."""

Heather leans back against the kitchen counter. """There was an autoject gun by her side, but who knows what was in its syringe? Could have been something as old-school as heroin, but isn't she a chemist? Could have been any kind of custom sleepyjuice. She's alive, and breathing, but I think the autodoc's just keeping her in maintenance mode for now. If you can detox her, go for it. I have things to do, so if you need anything, it'll be easier for me to do a delivery run than for you to run around the streets looking like a target."""

"""Yes, by the monitor stats it looks like I could bring her back to consciousness. From past experience, having her verbal is not necessarily a good thing, but we may be able to find out what she took ... or was forced to take. Then you might be able to find a street source for a chemical antidote, like naloxone works for opiates."""

Connor ponders the comatose Cindy for a moment, then places one hand over her heart, and one on her forehead. He draws down mana and casts the Antidote spell.


EDITED:

The spell does nothing very obvious at first, but as it starts to take hold the autodoc gets excited. Heart rate rising! Brainwaves adapting! Cortical responses modifying! If a piece of machinery could hyperventilate, this one probably would be.

More to the point, Cindy mumbles and stirs. Her eyes lazily open - her pupils as wide as can be - and she looks blearily at Connor.

"""Aren't you a little hairy for an angel?"""

Her eyes close again. She says quite clearly, with only a slight slur to her sibilants: """If you used me like your doll I'll never forgive you not having pictures. And if you didn't, I'm really disappointed in you. Mitsuhama sex is the best sex."""

The autodoc settles down after that revelatory personal testament, and declares that she's asleep.

"""Well, it looks like she's out of the worst of it, and now sleeps normally. Don't know how long that will last, but I guess we have time to wait, don't we?

"""You brought us here at the request of some unknown person or interest, for a time to hide out. I guess you are here to, what, watch over us? Keep us safe? Keep us ... contained? Is this what you do for a living? Who are you?"""

"""Hopalong.""" She holds out a hand for Connor to shake.

"""Private, contract security for specialty needs. And in your case, to give you a hand escaping a net created by Mitsuhama. The ones framing you for child abduction, remember? Great guys. Contract lasts a week; after that, you're on your own though I'll give you a hand getting back on your feet if you want. If you want to leave right now? I can't stop you. But I think you're too smart to want to.""" She glances at Cindy. """Maybe some of you aren't that smart."""

She takes a deep breath and goes back to the kitchen area, and says: """Honestly, if you have something useful to do, I can help you do it. My contract doesn't stipulate keeping you here, it is just to keep you out of Big M's clutches for a week. This was just a good place to lay low. You're not my prisoners or anything like that."""

"""No, I'm happy tto sit here and wait for the heat to subside a bit. Contract security for specialty needs. Hmmm. I seem to be in between jobs at the moment. How does one get into your line of work?"""

"""It's really not that hard. All you need is useful skills, a rich client with a need, and a deathwish. The few, the crazy, the dispensable. If you're asking if I'm looking for a partner, let me save you time and say no. But wizards don't go looking for long, so I can pass your contact to a couple of brokers. You could be dead inside the month, easy."""

Hopalong speaks casually, but if she's bluffing she has a hell of a poker face.

"""Sure. Thanks. I could use some contacts out in the real world."""

Hopalong nods at that, and then wanders off to the garage, gets in her car and leaves.

Carlos and Chuck are cheerfully engrossed in electronic entertainments. Chuck because he can, as far as Connor can tell, and Carlos because he understands the concept of waiting for the heat to die down. So that part's stable.

Cindy keeps up with her Sleeping Beauty act long enough for Connor to grab a bag of KrilPopz from the kitchen, and then mumble when he's on his way back: """Don't clench, it'll only hurt more."""

Then she sleeps again. Who knows what she put in her bloodstream, but the autodoc's readout says that she's recovering from whatever-it-was, so there are maybe three hours, on the current trajectory, before she's really lucid. If Connor feels the urge to check her for wires, Mitsuhama tattoos or anything else, now might be his chance. Then again, Hopalong probably did so before wrapping her up and dragging her here.

+++ Hmm. "Don't clench, it'll hurt more." Sounds like someone forced this on Cindy. If they forced a drug, maybe there are other intrusions. +++

""" If anyone wonders, I'm checking Cindy for hidden mics and other tracers. Don't get any ideas. """ While she is asleep, Connor checks Cindy over for anything physical that might be on her surface or inserted. Yeah, I know. But better safe than found out.




---OOC The rest follows if Cindy doesn't wake up and slap Connor upside the head, and the boys don't leave the game for some live action. ---

Hopalong's gone, and Carlos and Chuck might as well be, for all the attention that they're paying. As long as Connor finishes up before one of them takes a break to refresh a drink or hit the facilities (such as they are), he'll have free rein... not that it means much. He checks the usual and the obvious - nothing visible in hems of clothing - signs of recent dental implants (negative), signs of healing tissue (none that doesn't have alternative explanations - backed up by the autodoc's readout), the usual folds and crevices (null response there). During this last check, she stirs a bit, and her eyelids move, so Connor deems any knowledge less immediately valuable than the potential for screams and violence might be damaging. Sure, it's all for science, but science can be misunderstood, too.

However, she doesn't actually wake when Connor stops his intrusions, so he has time to consider her aura. Such as it is, it looks normal, mundane - and fitfully asleep. No surprises there.

He is about to start the process of summoning, when he hears the garage door opening and closing, and Hopalong returns.

She strides in, unhurried but without delay. She has a couple of chips in one hand, and a Stuffer Shack bag in the other. She glances around, sees that Connor's the only one paying any attention, and addresses him, offering him the chips. """Hey, Big M's been busy while you were sleeping. You should check these out. The blue one is for all of you - it's what's on the news reports now. The green one is your eyes only. Told you wizards don't stay idle long.""" She plonks the chips down on the edge of the autodoc before heading to the little kitchen area to stuff some drinks and snacks in the fridge. Probably it's just a break from the rather spartan fare otherwise stuck in the cupboards.

"""Hey, boys. Put the game on pause for a minute, would you? Our benefactor here has brought us some news feeds about us. Let's see what Mitsuhama is on about now."""

Connor will hold off on the personal info until he has a chance to see what more trouble they are in. He hooks in the chip to the game display and sits back to see what's up.

Turns out, Mitsuhama has some trid footage of the four miscreants performing a street-level snatch of an innocent moppet. Yup, that's them. Connor doing some kind of weird voodoo dance thing while Carlos drives a bizarrely gang-painted van, Cindy barks orders and a leering Chuck manhandles a squealing teenager into the back of the van. According to the footage commentary in the prepackaged newscast, this happened in downtown Seattle.

Cindy's asleep. Carlos is offended on multiple grounds, not least being that he'd never run those colours, and even if he did, surely not on those streets, doing anything like that. Chuck is dumbfounded at first, and then full of outraged denials.

Hopalong nods, looking unimpressed. She obviously doesn't believe the footage for a moment.

Connor stands and waves a hand at the screen. """Looks like Mitsuhama doesn't like to lose. I wonder how long this campaign will last? I'm gonna take a break and think a bit.""" He walks back to the bathroom, pulling out the other chip, tapping it to his temple and giving a nod to Hopalong as he passes her.

Once in the bathroom he'll slot the chip into his assistant and see what it's about.

On Connor's way, he hears Hopalong trying to calm Chuck down, pointing out that it's obviously a fake that Mitsuhama created - not because they particularly care about Chuck nearly so much as that they care about not being thwarted.

Cindy shows signs of stirring in all the commotion, but Connor's past before she finds someone to blame for her circumstances. Instead, in the temporary privacy of the bathroom, he finds that the chip contains a sort of want ad. Someone is looking for a talented operator, or crew, to negotiate a cessation of hostilities. The ability to bring some power to bear, if necessary, would be a distinct plus.

The range of compensation is vague, but a "speedy and satisfactory" conclusion should pay to the tune of "five figures".

Connor replies to the contact, <<<Interested. Give contact info. Does 'speedy conclusion' mean tonight?>>>

He draws Hopalong aside with a sideways nod. Once away from the uproar he says,"""I may have to go out tonight if that contact you gave me pans out. I'll work on disguise so I am not easily recognizable."""

+++I guess disguise includes a new name. I'll have to work on that as well.

Hopalong? I wonder why she picked that?+++

The instant reply from his personal assistant reminds Connor that he is in a Faraday cage. +++ Oh yeah. I have to step outside to make the connection. Isolation has its drawbacks, I guess.+++

Hopalong looks unsurprised. """Yeah, so long's Mitsuhama don't grab you, I don't care. Safer in here, but I reckon safe ain't your thing. Just in case, I'd rather drop you off away from the safehouse, than have you walk out."""

Connor smiles. """Sure, I'd appreciate a ride, though I have to be outside this ... Faraday cage? ... to connect with my prospective employer. And maybe you could give me some advice on the etiquette of such job meets.

"""In any case, walk or ride, it won't be Connor Tupolev who exits this door. I'm going to do some further modification of my appearance before I go. It will take me a few minutes to achieve just the effect I want.""" Connor grins even wider. """ I'll be back out to see if you like my work."""

He heads in to his room where his duffel bag is stashed. He takes out both the secure long coat and the armor clothing, considers them, and decides on the long coat. Next he considers style, and settles on a business-suit-with-evening wear accents.

First the clothing layers. In his mind, Connor imagines dark blue suit with thin sky blue pinstripes, and a sky blue cravat. Dark blue, wide brimmed hat. Blonde hair and blue eyes should be appropriate. +++This might take a few tries.+++



Well, it'll have to do for now. Connor considers how he might get better at this. He'll work on the long coat next. Same dark blue.



Holstered handgun under the long coat, one shot items arranged for easy access in pockets, fully clothed and made over, Connor steps out to show off his handiwork.

Hopalong's eyebrows rise, and she whistles low. The others, including Chuck, are distracted from Cindy, who is expressing herself in no uncertain terms regarding the fact of having been abducted, manhandled, shanghaied and otherwise abused against her will. She looks as if she would flail or run, but right at the moment Hopalong is leaning with one hand firmly on Cindy's sternum, holding her back against the autodoc's frame.

Hopalong says: """Dang, I wish I had a makeup crew like that."""

Cindy says: """I will turn you inside-out and sell your organs to the lowest bidder!"""

Hopalong says: """You look pretty sharp like that. I like the pinstripes. Very professional."""

Cindy says: """Stop talking to your pet puppy pimp and prepare yourself for dissection!"""

Hopalong says: """Like the hat. Stylish, good for the weather. Shouldn't wear a hat indoors, though."""

Cindy says: """I don't care if you're a robotic cyberbitch whoredoll from Ares, when I get in reach of the cleaning supplies I will dissolve your bones inside your flesh until your mewling pleas choke out in asphyxiation!"""

Hopalong says: """Well, I can take you out of here on the quiet, and we can have a less interrupted discussion about the hows and the whys. If you have a destination, what the hell I'll wait for you. Not nice to leave you to walk like that. I reckon Chuck and the Carlos can handle hot-and-spicy here if'n I show them where the duct tape and baling twine are."""

It's been a rough day. Despite the sleep till sunset, Connor is a bit cranky. He's had enough of Cindy. Time to summon something to add gravitas to his words to follow. But first, he doffs his hat in a sweep of salute to Hopalong.



Connor's first command to the hearth spirit will be to have it materialize in the air to the side of Hopalong and Glare menacingly at Cindy.

The hearth spirit arrives at Connor's command, and materialises in the form of an angry-looking woman in hair curlers, a terrycloth bathrobe, eyes of coal black with neither whites nor irises, tribal tattoos and a carving knife longer than Connor's legs. This produces temporary aghast silence in Cindy, and Chuck dances back quite sharply. Carlos is cooler about it, but gives the spirit its space. Hopalong assesses the situation for a bit, then says: """Okiedoke. Reckon you two have a little backup here. Chuck, get down to the basement and find the repair supplies. In there you'll find tape and quick-setting foam. Cindy-girl just lost personal autonomy privileges."""

Cindy starts to protest, but Hopalong has clearly had just about enough of personal threats, so says to Connor: """Go to the car. I'll be right with you. Shouldn't take long. If girly here doesn't get the picture she'll find out knives and fists are way faster than poison."""

Cindy's having a hard time keeping her eyes off the spirit, which moves softly around on its bunnyslippered feet to keep that glare fixed on Cindy's eyes.

Carlos nods and says: """Man, you find any zip-ties, bring 'em too. I know how to set them up right."""

"""No problem, Hopalong, but I have a piece to say.

"""Cindy, I could just as easily have something come and eat your liver before your eyes as you die. I'm tired of your attitude. I demand respect, both for me and the person," he points to Hopalong, "who saved your life and continues to protect you. Biozu has been taken over by Mitsuhama and they have found you to be a redundant asset. The only reason you are alive is because she brought you here and we healed you.

"""Behave accordingly. Spirit, you may go ... for now."""

+++No need for Cindy to know the spirit will disappear once I step out the door.+++

With a flourish Connor replaces the hat and steps out to the car. Once outside, he considers re-sending the message to the potential employer, but maybe Hopalong will have some guidelines for etiquette in such situations.

Hopalong follows not long after. Behind her, Carlos and Chuck are to be seen strapping up a vociferously protesting Cindy, but with Chuck spraying quick-setting foam over her mouth, her volubility reduces rapidly.

"""Sorry 'bout that. I guess the deportment school lessons didn't take. Anyway, do you have a meet set up? If not, best get that going and then we'll be off. Don't know if you've ever done this before, but tonight's a night to be on your good behaviour for all the best reasons. Assume everyone's lyin', but pretend like you believe everything. I'll drive you and watch yer back, but that's where I stop. Turns out, if they gak you, I still get paid. So far, I like you. Cindy may find out she's just as valuable to me as a head.""" Hopalong might as well have been saying that the sky were a greyish shade of blue, and the grass a dusty shade of green; there's no heat in her words at all, but she seems to mean them just the same.

Connor took his seat in the vehicle and sent a message to the contact on the chip. <<<Interested and available. Meeting time and place?>>>

"""Thanks for the guidelines. I'm now waiting for time and place. The tough decision right now, Hopalong, is to pick what I am to call myself. I can't very well use my own name, as you clearly understand. I played with some ideas that were meaningful to me, but all of those have links to either my totem or my personal interests. Any of those could be used as a clue to my identity by someone who digs into my past deeply enough. Mitsuhama seems dedicated enough to finding me to go that extra mile. I have to think about this some more."""

Hopalong slides in, gets settled, and punches up an autopilot destination in Columbia City. While the garage door and the car do their eternal dance of passage, she concentrates on Connor's question.

"""By rights, it's like a callsign. You don't pick it; others do. In time, you'll get the right one and it'll stick to you, like it or not. Matter of fact, you probably won't like it, but it'll be you. In the mean time, you can pick one for yourself or I'll give you one, and you can deal with it."""

She's pretty matter-of-fact about the whole thing, as if that's just the way things are and she's telling the new guy to get used to it.

While the car drifts, sometimes on grid power, sometimes internal batteries, through traffic, a reply comes in.

<<<22:30, patio of Oppidum Wine Merchants.>>>

A quick scan shows that the location is in the Pioneer Square area. A little trendy, a little dilapidated.

Connor considers Hopalong's advice, and the info comes in.

"""The meet is at 22:30 on the patio at Oppidum Wine Merchants near Pioneer Square. 'Blue'. That's what I'll go with for now. 'Blue'."""

A small part of Connor's Blue's past life slips away.

"""Blue. Sounds like a coonhound. Anyway, plenty of time. Now listen up; forget whatever Trid-drek you've seen about this. Well, maybe not all of it, but what you're thinking for this meet is: low-key. Nobody wants undue attention, and in a venue like that you're maybe meeting a colleague for a drink. That's the image to project. It's just biz. The counterparty will probably be mister, or miz Johnson. Just the way it runs. It's for their protection as well as yours."""

Hopalong punches in a fresh destination while she talks, and the car takes a couple of turns to hit the highway.

"""Keep yer eyes and ears open. And whatever you're doing, ask yourself before you agree to a number: could you make more money selling detox spells to medics and drunks? If the answer is yes, ask for more."""

Blue chuckles. """Yeah, 'Hopalong and Blue' could be a band down south.

"""As for income, I have considered setting up a shop to sell one-off spells usable by others, but I think even with the chance to read in slow business hours I would get bored. And, a magician showing up on Indeed soon after I disappeared might twig a bot to check me out. I'd sooner take my chances this way than set myself up to be 'extracted'."""

Hopalong grits her teeth. Connor can see her jaw muscles.

"""Blue, I'm not talkin' about career options. I'm talkin' about price. Price yerself too low, and they figure you're street meat, a cheap chump, a disposable dumbass. Gettit? Do yer sums, figure out what yer worth, and ask for that. Plus ten percent on top. Anything else is stupid, asking to get tossed on the next trash fire."""

She rolls her eyes and sighs. """Whatever. Ask for what you think is clever, I'm not yer mom and I'm not yer teammate, so it's not my problem."""

"""I understood completely, Hopalong. But one can make a lot of money selling what people want and can't do for themselves. Look at drugs, BTLs, the list goes on. Surely I am not the only one looking for work on the dark side of things because they can't do it on the up and up.

"""I appreciate your advice and will keep it in mind. The more it can't be done by just anyone, the higher the price. The more danger, the higher the price. The more you can get away with asking for, the higher the price. Mitsuhama put a much higher bounty on my head than any of the others because I have a rare talent. I won't be cheap."""

Hopalong doesn't respond to this.

The car quietly drifts along the roads of the enclave. In the distance, as they come in from the east, the lights of one big skyscraper after another write a story on the sky. This corporation riding high, that one a merger, here a glorious expansion, there a blundering dinosaur waiting for the vultures to feast.

And lower down the same stories on a smaller scale, a faster pace. Little animals scurrying around while smilodons and mastodons roar and throw their weight around. Everyone has some hustle or other - or disappears beneath the surface, like a 'link dropped into the waters of Puget sound. A momentary splash, reflecting the lights of glorious progress, a few ripples and then nothing.

Pioneer Square has many such smaller animals, and the people that are their muscles and nerves moving quickly from overhang to overhang, sheltering from the rain and chill. The Oppidum has a sort of outdoor floor, but Connor can't see into it from outside. It's probably pretty quiet right now. Unlike a club from which pounding dance rhythms emanate like the lights that flicker from its advertising boards outside.

Hopalong says: """Here you are. The centre of the universe. I'll wait here."""

As the meet time approaches, Blue takes a deep breath and steps out of the car. He straightens his clothing. """See you shortly.""" +++I hope.+++

He enters the Oppidum, incidentally looking for Celtic designs and such, given the name. Making his way to the outdoor patio, he messages the contact, <<<Arrived. Look for Blue.>>>

The Oppidum has nothing overtly celtic about it. Instead it seems to go for a sort of 1960s upper-class kitsch, presenting a sort of cross between a retro airport VIP lounge, a gentlemen's club and a cocktail bar blended with post-Crash tech for conveniences. Less a restaurant (although you can dine on escargots and caviar, if your credstick agrees) and more of a lounge for wannabe corp bigwigs, it has that weird Seattle detachment from meaningful reference.

The door to the patio is unlocked, and open. A puff of air as Connor passes tells him that they're using positive air pressure to keep the climate at bay. Outside, with the exception that the furnishings are rugged to the climate, the theme continues. There's only one party out there at this time of day and year tonight.

Connor sees a human male sitting, with (half a step back) an ork standing behind him. Bigwig and bodyguard, obviously. Both are dressed nicely, but Connor would bet that the chic coats they're wearing will ward off more than just drizzle and breezes. At the sending of the message, the seated Mister Johnson (obviously, really) raises a hand. Then turns his attention to the steaming coffee cup in front of him.

The meet is on.

Blue acknowledges the hand wave and approaches the table. He removes his hat, giving a slight nod to the bodyguard, and then addresses the seated figure, indicating with his hat the seat across the table """Pleased to meet you, Mr. Johnson. My name is Blue. May I join you?"""

Johnson waves in invitation at the seat opposite him.

"""Thank you for coming. I represent someone with a research project in hand. This is not expected to be a particularly rapid process, but a timeline of two weeks should be adequate. Depending on the nature of the data uncovered, there may be follow-up commissions related to the work. Some of this may have magical implications, so adequate access to that skillset is a requirement. I'm assured that this is in your field. Is this correct?"""

He stops for a sip of coffee. The bodyguard remains impassive.

Blue nods. """Magic is indeed my area of expertise.""" +++Expertise rather than skill set. Good choice.+++

"""I am available for the next two weeks.""" +++I'm sure I can fit you into my busy schedule.+++

"""Excellent."""

Johnson leans forward, forearms on the table. ""This should be minimal risk, given that the primary goal is observation, rather than engagement. The idea is to covertly observe a target business, and determine whether there is any reason to think that they are engaged in certain activities, which will of course be in the full briefing information, should you choose to accept this contract. Given the low risk, but admittedly specialised nature of this endeavour, my client is willing to offer payment of ten thousand nuyen on delivery of a report with relevant evidence, in two weeks' time. The target is not a megacorp or anything like that; a local business with limited means, so you should have little concern with respect to expert countermeasures."""

The beaded droplets of drizzle that have gathered on his lapels wink like glitter in the lights around the patio.

Connor looks up and to the left for a moment, pursing his lips. Then he too leans forward, putting one forearm on the table. """As I recall in the original advertisement for this contract, there was mention of a need to 'negotiate a cessation of hostilities'.

"""Furthermore, 'the ability to bring some power to bear, if necessary, would be a distinct plus'. given that hostilities are a possibility, and that I would need to do some preparatory work at my expense, I would be willing to accept this assignment for 5000 nuyen up front with an additional 10,000 nuyen at submission of the report."""

Johnson nods. """That was in the initial statement, this is true, but in actual fact this is more in the nature of truce verification. If everything is proceeding according to plan, there should be no negotiation necesary. Bearing that in mind, what about five thousand on acceptance, five thousand on completion, with an additional five thousand contingent on proof positive of noncompliance, which is what might involve negotiation. If there is compliance, it should be a nil risk mission."""

Blue nods. """Very well. In consideration of this being a first contract with the possibility of further tasks to come, I accept in the spirit of friendly negotiation."""

Blue places his other arm on the table, mirroring the Johnson. """So, what's the job?"""

Johnson nods his agreement. With a casual move, he brushes a bit of moisture off a sleeve, and a button from his jacket cuff clinks onto the table. Connor can see that the toggle-style button has what looks like the contacts of a datachip at one end. """You'll find all the relevant details in the data chip. The target is a specialty store in Ballard, or actually the owners of the store in question."""

He reaches into an inner pocket of his jacket, and produces a credstick with which he casually stirs his coffee. He takes another sip, then puts the cup down and gets up. """That should cover your retainer. I look forward to your report.""" He nods to his bodyguard, and heads for the door to the restaurant. The bodyguard stays while he leaves, eyeballing Connor, until Johnson makes the door, then follows.

As Mr. Johnson rises and heads out, Blue opens his perception to the astral just to see if, as he suspects, there is magical protection for Johnson as well as the physical bodyguard. He collects the chip and the credstick, wiping the latter off with a napkin, and pockets them both. After the bodyguard leaves, Blue waits a moment to give the employer a chance to leave, and not see his own transportation. Then Blue exits the way he came in.

In the car with Hopalong, Blue brings Hopalong up to date. """Well, it looks like I have a contract for the next two weeks. Allegedly simple observation. 5000 up front, 5000 at the end, and a further 5000 if simplicity takes flight.

"""I'm going to need a base of operations for the duration. I know you would like me to be sequestered at your place till your contract is up. I will need to do some preliminary study, including the fine details of the contract, and work, but I suspect being closer to the target of my contract at the earliest convenience would be advantageous. Do you know of any short term, secure places in Ballard?"""

Blue slots the chip into his personal assistant.

Connor looks on the astral, and while he doesn't see anything approximating astral armour, he sees the tell-tale signs of a water spirit drifting around Johnson. Somebody made some kind of contingency plan, by the looks of it.

In the car, Hopalong listens, and nods. """Not bad pocket money. Should keep you in soy for a coupla weeks."""

She listens as well to the rest, then shakes her head. """Long's you live and stay out of Mitsu's hands all week, I don't care where you are. Matter of fact, living's optional. But I don't have any solid places for you around Ballard. Most of that area's pretty highfalutin', so it'd be expensive. That's just something you'll have to figger out yerself."""

The chip is a grab bag of data, and it will definitely take some time to sort through it all, but as far as a first glance takes Connor, it seems to revolve around some kind of agreement between Petsonal Petsonalities and PoliDemos. Exactly what's entailed will definitely take more digging, but at a first glance Connor gleans that Petsonal is under obligation to do something ... or not do something ... or somehow make some kind of choices related to basilisks. And someone (presumably PoliDemos) wants to ensure that the right thing is being done. Or not done. Or done some way. There's an agreement written in legalese about fifty pages long.

Blue shakes his head in confusion. """The info on this chip is mind-boggling. At first glance, I barely can figure out who the main actors are, let alone what the drek I am supposed to do. This is going to take some study. Heh, Hopalong, you know a legal expert who can interpret a 50 page legal contract?"""

Hopalong hesitates before answering. Connor definitely gets the feeling that she's choosing her words carefully.

"""I do. The question you should be asking yourself, omae, is whether whatever document you got there is really legal, and whether you really want a judge to see if, and whether waving around what Johnson gave you might not jeopardise your commission. If the answers are yes, sure, and no way, then I know a guy. Anything else? The safehouse has plenty of soykaf and I can keep Cindy quiet while you do your homework."""

Blue nods, resignedly. """Yeah, I get it, thanks. I'll see if I can make heads or tails of this drek by myself, first. Home, James."""

Hopalong nods, and gets back onto the highway. She doesn't take a very direct route back, and detours through a somewhat unsavoury neighbourhood, but pretty soon they're back.

On their return, they find that Chuck and Carlos have pretty much strapped Cindy into the autodoc's frame. There's a bag over her head, with an air pipe leading into it from the autodoc's oxygen mask. Her hands and feet are taped into what look like mylar bags full of krill snacks, and she is comprehensively taped and cabled into place. One might have thought that they had done this for some kind of personal gratification, were it not that they were completely ignoring her and playing some kind of game through headsets.

It's all rather quiet, except for the occasional ribald banter between the two gamers.

"""Uhhh, we can't leave her like that. Sooner or later, shit's gonna hit the fan, literally. And really, this is torture. Hopalong, you're an accomplished woman. You can deal with her better than we can. Could you please see if she has settled some. And, in the final analysis, she is kind of your charge. If I can help in any way, please let me know. Maybe summon a spirit to just hold her tight?

"""I need to figure out what the hell I've gotten into.""" Blue heads down into his room and starts to study the chip's info.