edit double post

Ernie grabs his jacket and looking at Ludi wonders how immersed is she really while jacked in. Sure he's seen his share of chippies with zoned out looks but.... how deep is the 'trix when the user isnt BTL? Testing his theory Ernie hops a squat next to her peering at the computer, and looking at her for any signs of noticing him. Ernie inches closer to touching Ludi lightly....waiting to see if she senses him.

Ernie leans in closer, watching her vacant expression and ragged breathing..she's deep into he thinks to himself. Ernie begins to sweat lightly, heart is racing, breathe shallow and fast. This is either going to be really whiz or really bad. Ernie still watching her vacant face reaches down slowly and lightly brushes against her. No movement....good Ernie still nervous gets bolder and full on cups one in his hand....OH Spirits they're real. Ernie only dares a few moments and then gets up giddy and with a feeling of vindication. Smiling Ernie stands and while he adjusts his "equipment" in his leather pants he mutters." You want it dont you?"

Ernie leaves Jackie D's apartment smiling. Time to find a dataterm and make some calls He thinks to himself.

"You sure that's a good idea?" Hank asks Jack. "I can think of a thousand things that could go wrong and I don't want to have to drag your ass outta there." he says in regards to going up and talking to Stone.

Ernie

Ernie looks around as he approaches the dataterm



The old lady's stare doesnt go un noticed, Ernie adjusts " little ernie" from left to right in disquised blantancy (pretending he doesnt notice her stares). Ernie then proceeds to dial the numbers on the dataterm with the satisfaction he made an old womans day....Chummer my standards are slipping, an Ork now a show for an old woman....

Ernie

It's ok Hank, Here if it will makes you feel better" Jack flips open his wrist phone and dials Hanks #. "I'll turn this on speaker phone and leave it on so you can hear everything that is happening in there. OK?" Jack starts to get out of the van.

Ludmila walked across the room, turning on Jacky's trideo unit. The boys were all out, and she had nothing to do but wait. Putting it on a random news channel, she took her combat boots off, and started doing push-ups.

Talk about a run...

Ludi



Jack and Hank

jack and hank again please

Ok, I fixed it and gave you the abridged version...sorry.

Jack walks up to the gate and takes a good look around before hitting the intercom button.

Perception


Jack will then hit the intercom and wait for someone to say hello whos there. Jack will reply with. " I need to speak with Mr. Stone. I'm here on behalf of Mr. Whittington. I'm under his employ." Then will let go of the intercom button and say into his phone to Hank. "That sound good?"

Ernie blows the old woman a kiss as she departs. Now if Mickey Squeks is in I'll be in business

Ernie



Jack and Hank

"It's a private matter. I need to speak with him in person. I'm unarmed, if it makes you fell better." (with your own 3 armed guards) Jack will unpush the intercom button and run over and put his weapons in the Van.

Ernie grins at hearing squeaks voice."Yo' chum, I'm in a spot at the moment. Two things, I need you and your lodge for some biz, and second I might need you for a pick up of my gear...depends on if my place is scoped or not. It's worth 500 for your help." Ernie waits for squeaks reply, and after he gives it."Oh yeah...still got the vid-cam?"

Jacky D



Ernie

"I work for Mr. Whittington, and I came here on his behave, He has been arrested and I need to talk with Mr. Stone, My name is Jack." Jack tries to catch his breath.

Jacky D

"I work for a private investigation service that he hired. Can i come in? The matter at hand shouldn't be spoken of over an intercom."

Jacky D

"It's concerning Miss. Kote, and her connection between you, Mr. Whittington and a guy named Cain." Jacks back is starting to strain leaning over to talk into a small box.

Jacky D

Jacks going to un push the intercom and speak into his phone" Hank this guys so paranoid that he wont let anyone speak with him in person lets get the frag out of here and back to my place." then he push the intercom button and say " Well if you can't be of any help uncovering who the killing of your best client is, then I'll let Mr. Whittington know this. Good day sir" and will walk to the van and tell Hank to not drive past the house incase he has video of the street.

Jacky D

When Jacky crossed the door to his apartment, Ludmila's Colt was already half way out of its holster. She had spent the past hour roaming around the troll's house, with nothing to do but worry and curse.

She had long ago ran dry out of cigarettes, and simply didn't have the guts to leave the place. The trid was still on in the background, some news anchor babbling about recent events around the world.

She gave a nod to the two men "Sorry for that" and reholstered her weapon.

Walking back to the living room, she let herself fall on one of the couch. Her black hair seemed wet; sticking unfashionably on her forehead and neck, as if she had just ran a marathon.

"The rat's out... did you two talked to Stone?"

" I talked to Stone through his intercom, he's quite a paranoid guy atm and i couldn't get vary far with him. maybe you could try calling him again. It's alittle less threatening then someone like big ole me walking up to you front gate. Whats Slick up to? And did you find anything while you were on you computer? oo and has there been anything about this case on the new again? " Jack will sit down in his lazzzy troll to hear Ludi's answers.

Leaning forward on the sofa, Ludmila rested both her arms of her knees. Both men had seen her "emotional side", when her temper had flared up agaisn't Ernie. But she had been careful to put her cold and professional front back up. If there was one thing she had kept from her military years, it was that the mission always had to be accomplished... and she was going to make sure this one went throught.

Low, as if talking to herself, she muttered something in russian, before switching back to english. Her accent was still as thick as before, but it seemed to her that neither man had trouble understanding her. She would have never admitted it, but it did put her at ease.

"As I've told you before, I got my hands on an electronic contract putting Kote under Charles' management... which contradicts the contract I found on her desk. Said contract was putting her under Stone's management. From that, there are three possibilities. Adiem, the electronic contract is a plant. Dva, the paper contract is a plant. Tri, both are real and Kote was either planning on switching, or was playing both sides."

She leaned back in the couch, seeminlgy making herself more at ease.

"Also, as I've mentioned to Jack on the phone, Kote had a planned a meeting with a certain "C.W.", at Gianelli's, at 8 p.m. today... the subject of the meeting was simply stated as "contract". This could either indicate that she was going to sign a contract with CW, probably Charles.... which would make the electronic contract a plant. It could also indicate she was going to discuss said terms of said contract."

She ran her hand to her short cropped black hair. Her cheeks seemed to be red from some sort of exercise. The young woman looked tired... or maybe it was wariness.

"Because we are too hot right now, I have lost contact with my decker contact. I alone cannot provide matrix support for our operation... I suggest we find a decker. I almost forgot: in 3 days, we will have the Star's file on Kote's death..."

She got up from the couch, stretched a bit, and started pacing the living room.

"From what I see, I'm starting to believe that Stone isn't totaly in on our operation. This could very well be a power struggle between him and Charles... but I had his identity verified earlier. The individual who contacted me for this mission was directly approached by Stone himself: that, I am sure of. Unless magic was involved..."

She stopped dead in her tracks, as if that thought was new to her.

A physical mask... that wouldn't be far fetched... but who would go to such a lenght...

"What we are sure of is that Charles is aware of the operation, and our situation. He has been compromised, but our orders still stand: track Cain. If Cain doesn't exist, so be it. We will make sure he is a myth, and track down who is hiding behind the curtain. And so... our new directive is to find who killed Kote, so we can go up the stream."

The russian's attitude seemed to be starting to shift; her accent was getting heavier. She also looked taller... or maybe it was the way she carried herself around the livingroom... like an officer giving a briefing.

"We have three main leads: Charles Whittington, Rick Stone, and the fiber we recovered from Kote's apartment. What we know for sure is that Charles is either under surveillance from the Star, or in custody. Rick was contacted by the Star, and is probably under surveillance also. The fiber will be taken care of by our rodent. The heat is too great to make any direction action: we must avoid exposition to threats as much as possible. The Star has sketches of Hank and me circulating, which means we should lay low for some time. Approaching Charles is too dangerous for now."

Suddently, she stopped dead in her tracks, as if thinking.

"Rick..... Rick is reachable. He have to question him... I would have suggested conducting a surveillance operation on his person, but I have just tought of a much better thing..."

The woman was grinning. She walked back to the couch, gave the two men a brief look to make sure she still had their attention.

"We will help the shaman in any way we can. For now, that is what we do. It will give us some time to lay low, let the heat dissipate a bit. This will also give me enough time to access the Star's files."

"Whats your Plan? after we lay low for 3 days. And where is Slick ? Is he doing his thing with the hair? " Jack gets up and starts making himself a sandwich. "Decker, Decker." he muddles. "Let me see if i can track one down, I'm atleast under the Stars radar so far, but maybe not after talking with Stone. If he has any kind of security at his home i'm sure he has me on film at the intercom." Jack will eat and then call up Nathan.

"Yo Nathan whatz up chum."

2 pm, Jack's Condo, 19th floor, Downtown Seattle

"Mister Rat went out to make some calls... I presume. When I jacked out, he wasn't here anymore. As I said, the plan of action is to lay low for a few days, while we track Kote's killer through magical means. This will give me the time to set a few pieces into place and get to Stone. We will also be able to get our hands on the Star's files. So, yes, we lay low and assist him in the tracking whatever way we can. That is the plan."

Ernie

Jack calling Nathan "Yo Nathan whatz up chum. I'm in need of a decent Decker man. Youz know of anyone that I couldz talk too?This job you gotz me isn't going that well atm i might not be in touch for a while if i can't get this thing back on track chummer."

Jacky D

"Sounds great old chum...oh wait i've never been on the net in my life. One sec Nat" Jack looks over at Ludi " Hey Ludi. My old CHum here knows where we can find a good decker but we have to meet him at a net bar. Can you do that? because i know i don't have a clue." Waits Ludi's response

With a slight sight of irritation, Ludmila looked up to Jacky from her seat.

"... Yes... I can manage such a meeting... Simply tell me where and went and I will take care of it."

walks over to ludi and talks into the phone " Nat, that sounds fine. Here give me the details of where, when and with who. Thx alot old chum. Take this for you trouble. And i'll be in touch when this SH(^$& is over. Take it ez, Latez" jack will hit off his wrist phone and take a seat. "You get all that info Ludi?

Silently nodding a yes to Jacky, Ludmila got up and walked over to one of the apartment windows. Out of habit, and good dose of paranoia, she had drawn the curtains shut when left alone. Parting them apart, she peered out into the street, watching cars and pedestrians go by. He world had been thrown upside down in a matter of hours... and no one had noticed. It wasn't the first time Ludmila was wanted by the Star, and it probably wouldn't be the last one... but she still never got used to it. She chuckled, remind herself she probably had numerous arrest warrant already hanging above her head. She had carried her share of Mafia operations in the past, and a lot of them and been quite "brutal" to say the least. The way she saw it, it was the only way she had to really pay the bills, and help out her own russian comrades.

Still contemplating the normal life outsiders had, she talked to Jacky over her shoulder.

"Meeting your contact should not be a problem... Simply warn him that he will deal with me, and not you. We are already deep enough in trouble ... No need to spook him."

She turned toward the two men.

"We must speak with Rick Stone. Wheter he is our employer or not does not matter: we have questions he need to answer. If he will not speak to us, than we will make him. If we cannot get to him while he is at his residence... then we will reach him on the outside."

She seemed to ponder something for a few seconds, as if looking for something to say. Ludi then quickly spoke something out, in russian.

"How to say... If one cannot go to the mountain, one must bring the mountain to himself."

Grabbing Jacky's telecom unit, she dialed Varya's number.

"Dobridien Varya. Sister, I need your help. Rick Stone, remember him? The man you met at Matchsticks. I need you to call him for me: tell him you'd like to see him again, and that you have a friend of yours that would just love to do modelling for him. Promise him a good... a very good time with the both of us. When he agrees, tell him you'll call him back with a time and meeting place."

Once the call was done, she decided she had to explain her plan to her teammates.

"Mister Stone just lost his main mean of revenue: he will soon be seeking new recruits to fill his pockets. We shall play on that. We'll lure him to some meeting, dinner, party, what ever, and abduct him. Yes; it is a very vague plan, but we will decide upon the details if Mister Stone is ready to meet. I have the means to locate the weaponry needed to accomplish such a task... I will make some calls and see if I can secure a good "public" meeting point".

Ludi

To Varya:
"Tell him... Tell him your friend's name is Yulia. Concerning the portfolio, I'll take care of that.

To Sasha:
"One week is fine. There is no immediate rush. If it can help, put the hold outs on hold... Page me at the usual number when you get your hands on the hardware. Thanks a bunch Sasha."

To Roland:
"Actualy, you hold on to one for the time being. I'll drop by this week to pick it up."

To Zina:
"I know Zina I know... I swear to you, do not believe anything they say... I will be home... soon."

Ludi