Living on the Edge - IC

Good Evening Seattle. It is a brisk sixty-eight degrees, SEPA reports the acidity index at 5.3, and only a twenty-percent chance of rain… This is Lloyd Chedder and you’re watching News… 24 at seven brought to you by Evo corporation, Life… only better

You roll over and look at the clock beside your bed. 1900. No one should be up this early, it’s unnatural. As you turn to go back to sleep when your eyes slide across your PAN and the blinking led. With a heavy sigh you reach over and depress the stud. A holographic message appears above your bed.

I received your information from a friend of a friend. He mentions your fixer by name. My employer is looking for some reliable deniables, professionals with whom neither he nor his associates have a… relationship with. The task is a simple one. Three days work, four at most. I’m afraid that is all I am at liberty to divulge at this juncture. If this sounds like something you might be interested in, come to ‘Mickey’s’ on the corner of east Cherry and 23rd at ten pm sharp. Do be on time; my employer is accustomed to punctuality…


meanwhile... in an undisclosed part of Seattle.

You made the arrangements?

Personally Sir.

I don’t need to tell you how important this is to me, Lyle.
So I’ll simply say that if this goes south, and I lose it,
I will personally take this out on you.

*swallows hard* No worries Boss. I got it covered.

Z [1900 hours, Bruce's club]

1900 hours, its still quiet but I like it here before the chaos starts, it reminds of days past.

After checking the 'link message I call up my Fixer.

"Nougat, It's Z. Just received a call about a job. What can you tell me about the caller and this job? And if you are just passing around my name all willy nilly then I will send a couple of trolls over there to have a talk with you about doing that." Yea it's harsh but Nougat and I go back a ways, he knows I'm mostly teasing....mostly.

Waiting on my fixer's response.

Spoiler:

Bark [1900, Edge of Snohomish, Home]

Bark listened to the guy without opening his eyes. The holo was actually talking to a wall but it doesn't seem to concern him. For the mention of Ulysses, he opened one eye He's quick, I must give the kid that. I only mentioned I'm looking for something two days ago but closed it back near immediately. He was tired, he had spent the last few nights awake because he heard that a murderer was on the loose in the same neighborhood as Julia's hospital, so he followed her to and from work, and in the meantime he tracked down the sleazball and helped him to reincarnate as something else (possibly a roach or something).

But an Avatar's work is never done, and the world needs a Saviour, so he got up, showered, packed his things...and stopped.

@Ulysses
Thanks for the job offer, but can you tell me how am I supposed to get there? Isn't my new Seattle license ready yet? If it is, be kind and beam it to me - for the hardware, I plan to stop by around 22 ish at the agreed-upon place. Waiting, reply ASAP.

@Z

Spoiler:

@Bark

Spoiler:

Z [1905 hours, Bruce's club]

Response to St. Nougat
"Alright he has cred and connections but not much in the way of Rep. Do you know anything else about the job? Anymore on what we are doing? I'll call around see if I can get anymore dirt on this 'Lyle.' As for the Trolls, you know Rune and Bearsark don't run, if you know anyone looking for a guitarist or synth expert then I will pass along your number."

Making a few more calls:
Brenda Stevenson, a Johnson who works for Horizon Corp.
Brenda, its Z. I'm calling in a favor. I need to know everything you know about someone using the name 'Lyle Stanfield.' All I know right now is that he has nuyen, and is supposively a lawyer for some uptown corp. and if you can get me the info before 9:30 tonight I would appreciate it."

Spoiler:

Tito, Ork Hacker.
Tito, I need to know everything you can dig up on a lawyer for a corp named Lyle Stanfield. If he wears womens underware I want pictures. But mostly I want to know who he works for, and I mean really works for, how much cred he has to spare and why he is looking for some assets. and now the fun part, I need this info asap, I am meeting with him tonight and i hate going into a meet cold. And yes I will be over to see you as soon as this job is done.

Spoiler:

Letha [900 hours, Somewhere along the California Coast Highway]
The wind teased Letha's long, dark hair playfully as she cruised up the California coast. On her way home after a weekend goblin rock concert, and despite hitting the road before catching up on lack of sleep, she was feeling fine and enjoying the scenic bike ride; the smell of the ocean, the fresh air, the bright sun. Her Trollhammer throbbed powerfully, which always had a thrilling effect on Letha's mood; what man could compete with a few hundred pounds of Detroit-built rolling steel between a girl's legs?

The picturesque morning was abruptly spoiled, however, by the all-too-familiar wail of a state trooper's cruiser, and Letha, with an annoyed frown, looked over her shoulder to see the telltale red-and-blue flashers a few yards behind.
"Well drek," she huffed in irritation. Then a thought struck her and she allowed herself a little grin as she slowed to a crawl and pulled the bike to a stop along the shoulder near a field of uncut, golden hay. Letha knew well the effect she had on the male gender and, not one to pass up on any advantage, adjusted her tubetop down to best display her generous expanse of well-tanned bosom.

The trooper approached and Letha was surprised and pleased to see he was a youngish and good looking human. Tanned and well-muscled, he was a strapping specimen of law enforcement.

"Sorry to disturb your trip, miss," the trooper said with a deep resonance that sent a tingle over Letha's firm figure. "But I did a routine scan on your vehicle when you passed me a little ways back, and I'm afraid your registration has expired and..."
The trooper's eyes suddenly widened in alarm and his right hand came down to rest on the butt of his service pistol.
"Ma'am, I've just been alerted that you are in possession of an unlicensed firearm. I'm going to need you to step away from the vehicle, please."

Though Letha's pulse racked up about fifty beats per minute, nothing of her sudden wariness showed on her face or in her attitude. She could get through this if she just kept her cool.

"Oh, that old thing?" she cooed with a dismissive wave of a hand. "My daddy made me take it; something about a girl alone on dangerous roads. I hate it. Keep it in the storage compartment just to keep daddy happy. I know I should have gotten it registered, but I really forget its even there."
Here, she lowered her head demurely and gazed up at the trooper through her eyelashes. Her gaze, however, was anything but demure.
"Have I been bad?"

The trooper seemed to ease a trifle, but his hand remained on his weapon. He cleared his throat and continued his fierce gaze, but despite his best efforts to the contrary, his gaze slipped down to the exposed flesh that was practically falling out of Letha's tubetop. When his eyes snapped back up to meet her eyes once more, Letha's demure facade broke completely and she looked at him with frank knowing.

"I sympathize with you, miss," the trooper tried valiantly to regain his former authority, "but possession of an unlicensed weapon-"

His words were cut off with a strangled gasp as Letha quite unabashedly reached out and grasped the weapon the trooper's hand was most definitely not currently resting upon and, with a mischievous smile at the unexpected size of what she now held, squeezed appreciatively.
"Are you going to shoot me with your gun, officer?" she said sumptuously.

Speechless, the trooper lost any resistance he'd had and let his eyes crawl over Letha's body in wanton hunger.

"I think this will work out very..." another squeeze that brought another gasp from the trooper "...very nicely."

Some time later, emerging from the nearby hay field, the trooper walked unsteadily to his still-running cruiser, picking strands of hay out of his hair and clothing. Behind him, Letha also emerged, but looking as fresh as if she'd just showered and spent time in front of a mirror with various packets of rouge, blush, and lipstick. Men could never understand how women did this.

The trooper stepped to the driver's door, let his service RFID tag synchronize with his vehicle's PAN, and notified HQ that he'd given the driver of the bike a warning and let her go.

Letha, still smiling, came up to him and kissed his cheek, took his commcode (he was cute, after all), promised to look him up next time she came this way, returned to her bike and drove away.

[1900 hours, Dugie's place]
<mmph>
The insistent signal broke through the sleep haze and Letha watched the message through one bleary eye.
When the message ended, she got up, stretched her taut body, and padded into the living room where Dugie lay snoring loudly on his couch.
She sat on the edge of the cushions beside her sleeping fixer and looked at him fondly for a few moments. She cared for the dwarf more than he would ever know, but right now there was biz to attend to. So, without ceremony, she placed a caring hand on the man's shoulder and vigorously shook until he came all the way out of sleep and looked at her, harassed but conscious.

"Just got a job offer from an unknown Johnson, Dugie."

"Okay, I'm up, I'm up! You can stop before you pull my arm off!"
Dwarfs are typically very grumpy in general, and more so when rudely awakened.
"Lemme get some soycaf in me and then we'll see what's what."

While Dugie stomped off to the kitchen in search of caffeine, Letha figured it best to respond to the message before the opportunity for a job was lost...cred was cred, after all.
She sent a standard reply acknowledging receipt of the offer and signifying her attendance of the upcoming meet.
"Dig up what you can, Dugie," she calls in to the kitchen. "I'm heading over there. I need the job."

With that, Letha makes full use of Dugie's shower, luxuriating in the feel of actual hot water for once. Thanking her fixer-friend for once again letting her crash in his pad, the buxom girl-troll heads out to her bike. She checks the time - 1830 hours - and decides to head on over to the meet. In minutes she finds the location and moments later sits at the bar sipping a drink the cute bartender reccomended.

Andromeda [1900, Habu on the Fast line overtaking a bus , Home]

Andromeda was still in bed, rolling to one side to the other, she had had a rough night Helping out the Local village to put the Generator back together, actually she is still wondering how the antique is working so well, it even pre-dates the Euro-wars. but this string of thoughts and memories was cut short by the Call of Guy Aron had given her Comcode to, this ass, never trust someone who let's other do the work he is supposed.
Few minutes later Andromeda is out of the Bed, still a bit sleepy she inputs a command to preheat the omelet and bacon, and goes for the shower, no need to change Habu's direction as he goes the right way anyway.

Andromeda [1930, Habu, Home]

The Egg and Bacon were just as good as you could expect for the synthetic drek they call food, but being massively in debt to the Syndicate, has it's downsides, monetary wise most of the time.
After finishing her dish she put it in the dishwasher and double checked her equipment, then get into Shin (Sedan) And drove out of Habu KnightRider style, her father was a fan of, and she had seen multiple times with him ... Those Bastards, they will pay ... some bitternes crossed her mind. Living here was not easy, so many good memories, mixing with the worst one you could ever have.

Habu was instructed to park in the nearest truck stop in the vicinity of the meet, and Andromeda drove of to do some reckon work before the meet actually started.

Andromeda [2000, Mickey’s , Meet]

Andromeda arrived 2 hour's early and started to look around the place staring from the street strolling around the block looking at the shops and general public as well as the average sec level here.

@Andromeda

'Mickey's' looks, in a word, old. The exterior is covered in some natural stone and stained woods. That means the owners are making a killing or they have care well for the building. The pub sat in a modest upper-middle class neighborhood with mostly clean streets and park benches with no hobos lying on them. The people in the area seem to also fit the 'middle-class' mold; trendy clothes, etc...

Patrons of Mikey's are of two types. Working class stiffs looking for a drink and the other... well, let's just say they aren't working class in the traditional sense. A wolf can sense another wolf, and Mikey's could be called a den. Men in tailored suits with bulges just under the pecs walk in and out discretely.

The building itself takes up the Southwest corner of the block with its main entrance on the West side. Andromeds can see another steel door on the far end of the South side. Stained glass windows line the West wall nearly the length of the building; enough to let light in but obscure any activities inside. The space above Mickey's is smooth stone up to the second story roof; no windows, no fire escapes.

After an hour or so of 'looking around' Andromeda sees a Lone Star patrol car round the corner and turn up thte street towards her...

Seeing as the Police car pulled onto the side of the board walk Andromeda approached it in an intention to learn something new.

"Good afternoon Officer, can I ask you something?" Andromeda inquires, " I have been looking at this building for while now and I do not know what to think of it. I was asked here for a job interview and they said it's something huge, might take me even as much as 4 days of work, but I really cant see anything that would warrant such a task. and the building itself looks a bit shady, do you know what it holds and what reputation this establishment has?" Andromeda avoided to lie as she new she is no good in telling lies, actually she is no good with living beings at all. "I would be very thankful for your help in ensuring that I know the establishment I am supposed to visit, say you what, if you can help me in this I will install the next upgrade in your cruiser for free, just bring the part you need and I will put it in."

@Z

Spoiler:

@Bark

Spoiler:

@Andromeda

Spoiler:

Z [2041 on the bus heading to the meet]

Return to call to Brenda:
"Thanks Luv, you know I appreciate it. I should be booked up for the next 3 or 4 days with something, but after that lets get some dinner. I'll pay. Talk to you then. And thanks again."

Return call to Tito
Thanks for the heads up, keep eyes on me for the next few days. Never hurts (not like keeping eyes on me is any different than normal for you). I give him a wry smile and stick out my tongue before disconnecting.

I head over to Mickey's getting there about 30 minutes early. I check the place out in astral and assuming there are no red flags I head in to get a feel for the place before the meet, I will also check things out astrally once I am inside and enjoying a drink.

DaedalusK71 wrote:

@Andromeda

Spoiler:

Andromeda got a bit nervous "Sure thing," She sent over her Original Mechanic sin to the cop's, " here, it should include the necessary licenses for my gear as well." She did start to move from one foot to the other "you know, I just wanted to know if this is not a criminal den, it has the looks of one, so I was scared, sorry for insulting you if i did. "

DaedalusK71 wrote:

Ulysses shakes his head in frustration...

Well... I charge what I charge. You don't like it, find somebody else to deal with your crazy hoop. The licenses are done when they are done. And so long as ... zipy toe tec pays the bills you'll get your merch. You been round long enough to know that. Man alive! You gotta lighten up on that religion stuff... He kills the link with a grunt.

Well, if Totec wants it this way, Bark's not gonna sweat it. @Lighten up! Just joking! PM me if things are done.@ he sends to Ulysses and then spends a short half-hour just basking in the Flayed One's glory. The problem is with these non-believers that they are always frustrated. Must be because they don't have meaning and a true goal to achieve in their lives. But this is why they can also be easily mislead.
Bark learned a long time ago, that the Deniers are sensitive when they meet with true determination face to face (because in the presence of perfection, they feel how puny and mortal they are) so he sometimes needs to lie to them if he wants to get what he needs to achieve his holy goal. And since Ulysses effectively just damned himself by choosing money, he is deemed not worthy to walk on the True Path. Even an Avatar can't save who doesn't want to be saved.

At around 2000 he called a cab and went to the bar, stopping just few corners from it, to do some recon before entering.

[to be continued]

Bark [around 2030, near the bar]

He thanked the cab driver and transferred the money, along with his drop-box address. They actually had a vivid religious discussion on the road and the cabbie seemed desperate for a new beginning after his divorce.
Just write to me when you feel the need to talk about it. If you leave your commcode, I'll call you back and share Xipe Totec's wisdom with you. Remember, new beginnings are everywhere, just keep your eyes and mind open to them. Believe in Him and me, I was in a much worse place when He found me, and now I'm happy and have a solid path to walk upon! Good evening to you too!

Then he went to a darker alley and removed his cloak, along with his staff, put it in a airtight plastic bag and hid it under a parking car. For that ten minutes he plans to walk around, it's safe enough.

Again, Bark walked into the shadows, but this time no one came out. A ghost sniffed around the pub and the buildings closest to it, memorizing paths and streets, watching people go inside and come out. Finally he had put his arm on the wall, and felt what's inside, people breathing, their hearth beating, cyberware squeaking, weapons clicking, secret doors and passages opening.
Satisfied with what he had found, he went back to his clothes and dressed up.

Spoiler:

@Andromeda

Spoiler:

@Z

Spoiler:

@Bark

Spoiler:

@Jagger

Spoiler:

Mickey's looks about what you'd expect an Irish pub to look like on the inside. The bar sits along the South wall. It is topped with what appears to be real wood that has been hand polished for many years. Along the North wall, a string of booths separated by a stainless kitchen door. In between the two is a series of tables, each with four heavy wooden chairs. As there are six patrons and a bartender, anyone entering essentially has any seat to choose from. When you sit, a young woman strolls out and stops at your table. What'll it be?

BAR

Spoiler:

Z [15 minuts before the meet]

I nod respectfully to the mage and return to being fully present in the material word.

What'll it be?

I turn and look at the waitress, "Water, in a martini glass with two olives"

I'm here on business, no need to dull the senses.

I make sure the glass is mostly empty before i head to the bar and ask about Mr. Johnson, time to get down to business.

Letha [1850, Mickey's Pub]

Letha smiles warmly at the waitress, silently conveying in that almost psychic way women have for other members of their gender of the trials of dealing with the inferior male species, and replies,

"Shot of tequila, neat."

"I'll get that right out to you," the waitress responds with her own 'sympathy to the cause' smile.

When the tequila arrives, Letha throws it back with a smooth, graceful motion, bangs the shotglass down on the table which seems peculiarly common to drinkers of hard liquor, and breathes a sigh of enjoyment and appreciation.

"Another?" the waitress inquires.

"No, thanks sweetie. I'm here on biz. One's enough to take off the edge, more would dull the experience. Maybe later."

The waitress tells Letha to just give a shout if she needs anything and leaves the girl-troll to her self.

With a little time left before the meet begins, Letha beams a message to her fixer.
'Hoi Dugie. I'm at Mickey's. Nice place; quiet, will have to come back here some time. More later.'
That done, she waits for showtime.

DaedalusK71 wrote:

Bark moves quickly and quietly to the South wall, straining his senses... and senSORs. Strangely enough, his thermal cannot penetrate the outer shell of the building; Switching to RADAR, Bark is surprised that the bar isn't clear as day. Clearly the owner values privacy He can see six patrons scattered about the large interior room. A bartender stands at the far end cleaning glasses in a bartendery way. He expected to see the entire building and was surprised to not that he could not see beyond the far wall.

As Bark heads back to where he stashed his gear, a Lone Star patrol vehicle passes by. The driver briefly looks his way but continues on down the street.

Well I'll be a Christian if it is a simple bar. Private and seems secure enough, Lone Star patrol on the street (must be a paid cop, because the city is under Knight's Errand protection now) and even cutting tera-hertz has a hard time penetrating it. This J of mine must have some good connections after all. I wonder how he thinks about the Other Side of the Smoking Mirror. Must be subtle, though, seems that people are tend to be filled with anti-religious propaganda in this city and I want allies for Totec, not enemies.

After making sure nobody can see him, he deactivates his suit, tucks the head cover back into its collar and puts on the cloak. When he walks into the bar, he doesn't lift his eyes from the floor while walking straight into the nearest booth (no. 1), sits facing the entrance and scans the room again. Much clearer picture now that I'm inside.

Get me a glass of your finest wine - he instructs the waitress without looking at her, pretending to be fiddling with his commlink (which is in hidden mode).

[Scanning for weapons, ware, sec. systems (2 hits, alphaware, weapons, other items showing up)]

Spoiler:

Still a bit shaken by the LS encounter Andromeda looked how they drove away, her silent "Thank you for your advise" was met with a cold stare, from the partner of the helpful Officer.

then she turned and went inside she took a long look around the establishment as well. she ordered a cup of green tee. "Tea, green, please, if possible Sencha." ... nothing is better then tea to calm yourself ... Now only the Meet was on the program. Andromeda spent some thoughts about the others that might be here, even, looking around if she could see someone who might be here already.

Inside the bar is rather quiet. Ten patrons at this time of night seems rather slow; perhaps the working class gotta get up in the morning? suckers...

The waitress attends to her orders and while Andromeda's tea and Bark's wine are ... well ... stuffer shack grade. The remaining patrons seem anxious and spend an unusual amount of time peeking about over their beer mugs.

At around 2145hrs, you recieve a ping on your PAN Johnson party: Your table is ready. The waitress will escort you to your seats. A moment later, the waitress who served you earlier steps out from the opening marked 'Fire Exit'. She leads you past two doors marked as bathrooms to a dead end hall. She places a hand on the wall and it swings inward, revealing another hall. Once inside, the wall closes and another opens into a small conference room. A well dressed man sits at the far end of the narrow table. Please, he says do sit down and make yourselves comfortable. Well, as comfortable as one can be in this room. He looks around the room for a moment, waiting for something.

Once you have taken a seat, the Johnson opens his brief case and pulls out a datachip and places it on the table. He reaches again and retrieves a credstick for each of you and places them on the table next to the chip.

You have each been chosen precisely because you have no affiliations with my employer. The task at hand requires the utmost discretion. You will be charged with taking possesion of a package this evening, transporting it to a pre-arranged safehouse and protecting it for a period of no less than two, but not more than four days. At which time you will deliver the package to a yet to be determined location. The package must remain inside a particular room in the safehouse for the duration. I will tell you that there are those who would very much like to obtain said item and may seek to take it from you; possibly by force. I have been authorized to offer you the sum of two-thousand nuyen each in exchange for your services. Should you encounter... difficulties, you may expect an additional one-thousand nuyen to cover your expenses.
He pauses before closing his briefcase. You have questions, I sure. I will answer them if I am able but, like you, I was chosen because I am unaffiliated with our employer. I am a broker, nothing more.

DaedalusK71 wrote:

You have each been chosen precisely because you have no affiliations with my employer. The task at hand requires the utmost discretion. You will be charged with taking possesion of a package this evening, transporting it to a pre-arranged safehouse and protecting it for a period of no less than two, but not more than four days. At which time you will deliver the package to a yet to be determined location. The package must remain inside a particular room in the safehouse for the duration. I will tell you that there are those who would very much like to obtain said item and may seek to take it from you; possibly by force. I have been authorized to offer you the sum of two-thousand nuyen each in exchange for your services. Should you encounter... difficulties, you may expect an additional one-thousand nuyen to cover your expenses.
He pauses before closing his briefcase. You have questions, I sure. I will answer them if I am able but, like you, I was chosen because I am unaffiliated with our employer. I am a broker, nothing more.

"keeping it in a set Location? is it really that important, would it not be easier to protect it if the location would change all the time?" Andromeda thought out loud and noticing all the attention she shrugged, "sorry, if i said something wrong" It was her first time in this group, but she at least had some experience in delivering packages and hiding them as well, a moving target is much more difficult to target and to attack, especially if it is expecting surprises.

... Do not look at them, no they are looking at you, why are they looking so intensely ...

Letha sprawled in a chair with the easy arrogance only a gorgeous woman who can handle herself in a fight can muster. She took note of the well-tailored, if not top-of-the-line, suit the Johnson wore. Her interest waned, however, when the man stated he was just a broker.

When one of the other girls in the group spoke up without seeming to have meant to voice her thoughts aloud, Letha nodded at the girl's question, but kept her peace for the moment. If the Johnson wanted the package kept in a specific place, surely he had specific reasons for this condition. Better to wait for more info before picking the J's plan apart.

Bark keeps his head down, he's busy evaluating their "broker" and his partners-on-the-job. His scans already told him everything they could, now he looks at them from the shadow of his hood, with eyes of increased sensitivity (thermal and low light). When he's finished he almost exits the room in a haste.

Three women, hardly more than girls, the pretty one has no ware on her and hardly any weapons, must be some magic, the troll one always looks like she has some playful secret in her and the last speaks like a timid little sister (although she's got more 'were in her head than an average drone). And they are expected to protect something for days? And for this child's money they are offering?

Bark remained silent and on his ass, waiting what the others has to say, but mostly because of the surprise and curiosity he felt.

Either this is a joke or I'm missing something. Maybe they are hardened professionals, hiding their true nature. If not, I'm gonna find Ulysses and have a long talk with him. Oh, Totec, deliver me!