Shadowrun
Shadowrun Play => Play-by-Post => Topic started by: RagallachMC on <11-16-14/2227:00>
-
Some joker on a Shadowlands BBS once said, 'Being a runner is like being a trid star.' Because they both end up rich and famous? You wish. Naw, it's because runners and trid stars spend 90% of their time staring at their commlink waiting for the call. You know which call I mean, right omae? The call. The call that brings you the job that all those fraggin' milk runs and small time jobs were built on. The call that turns you from a wannabe to a known name. The one that establishes you as legit. 'Cause let's face it, until the people up high know who you are, you're just scrambling for pocket change with all the other losers out there.
The problem is, how do you tell the call from all the others....
March 15th, 2075. Seattle, UCAS
Mac
8:30 am
Mac is dreaming. He's sitting outside, but he's not sure where. He's sitting on a fallen tree. There are crows around. All but one are going about there business, ignoring the dwarf. The one exception is sitting next to him. Their eyes meet and then the crow starts pecking at the log. Tap..tap..tap. The tapping starts out quietly, but raises in volume. Tap..TAp..TAP..TAP...
Thud...thud...thud
Mac awakens with a start. He's confused for a moment. Was it a dream, or did he hear...?
Thud..thud..thud "Yo! Mac, open the door! It's Freeze!"
Sterling
10:30 am
Sterling is hurting. There was a party last night. Some new designer shaking things up on Vashon Island had a show. There were some young pretties, an open bar and...Honestly, he doesn't remember to much after that. There's still a line of Novacoke sitting on his table, so the party must have escalated. He takes a small pull of water to help settle his stomach, leans back into his chair and closes his eyes. As soon as he closes his eyes, his commlink chirps. It's MacCallister.
Dave
11:00 am
Dave is hunting. She is squatting behind a burned out car in an empty lot. The sun is behind her and she can just make out her prey, rooting in a bush 50 meters away. She rises slowly and raises her bow. She draws it back smoothly in one motion, aims and releases. The raccoon is thrown back several feet by the force of the arrow before it is pinned to the ground. Dave advances on it quickly. No sense giving someone else a chance to steal her lunch. She looks down at the raccoon. Dead. A good, clean kill. She smiles proudly. She cleans and dresses the animal quickly, rolls the carcass in some plastic tarp she found and leaves the area quickly. There were ghouls in the area and the smell of blood could draw them. As she's leaving, her commlink rings loudly. She looks down at the screen. It's her fixer, Sandy.
Aegis
12:00 pm
Aegis is cooking. Nothing too fancy. The farmers market had some fresh asparagus and he found another guy that still had some eggs left. The thing he liked most about his place was the kitchen. A huge stove with a 4 burner range and a small grill. He was grilling the asparagus and poaching the eggs. A few thick slices of bread and lunch was complete. He sat down at his table, ready to dig in, when his commlink pulsed. Jinx.
-
Sterling
10:30 am
Sterling is hurting. There was a party last night. Some new designer shaking things up on Vashon Island had a show. There were some young pretties, an open bar and...Honestly, he doesn't remember to much after that. There's still a line of Novacoke sitting on his table, so the party must have escalated. He takes a small pull of water to help settle his stomach, leans back into his chair and closes his eyes. As soon as he closes his eyes, his commlink chirps. It's MacCallister.
Sterling walk over to the table ignoring the comlink for the moment, "Hair of the dog that bit you they always say" He bends down and takes a quick hit, straightens his shirt up, and slaps himself once for good measure and answers the link.
"Hoi Chummer. Tell me you have some biz for old sterling here."
Sterling changes up his million watt smile
"More importantly tell me its on the way to a pot of caf"
-
March 15th, 2075. Seattle, UCAS
Mac
8:30 am
Mac is dreaming. He's sitting outside, but he's not sure where. He's sitting on a fallen tree. There are crows around. All but one are going about there business, ignoring the dwarf. The one exception is sitting next to him. Their eyes meet and then the crow starts pecking at the log. Tap..tap..tap. The tapping starts out quietly, but raises in volume. Tap..TAp..TAP..TAP...
Thud...thud...thud
Mac awakens with a start. He's confused for a moment. Was it a dream, or did he hear...?
Thud..thud..thud "Yo! Mac, open the door! It's Freeze!"
"Oh, Jesus Christ! You scared the hell out of me! Gnah, I'm coming, gimme a sec."
Mac falls back into has bed and closes his eyes again. He leaves his physical body and casts a short glance outside the door to check whether it is really Freeze (and Freeze alone) waiting outside the door. If so, Mac enters his body again, wraps himself in a blanked and opens the door.
"Freeze, old chummer, good to see you. Come on, come in. You want some second breakfast?"
-
Sterling
"I wouldn't call unless there was biz to discuss. Time equals money and all that. So I have a Johnson who is putting together some sort of ad-hoc runner team. Asked for you specifically. Meeting is tonight in Tacoma. Interested?"
Mac
A quick astral check shows that Freeze is alone.
Freeze ducks his head under the door jam as he enters. He lifts his sunglasses from his eyes and perches them on top of his horned head. He had cyber eyes, of course. But he still thought old school sunglasses were essential to 'his look'. He takes a quick look around the apartment before he answers, "Nah I can't stay. I got some of my own biz to take care of. I'm here because of this", and he holds up a shipping envelope.
"Courier hit me up early this morning. I opened it up and this was inside", he tilts the courier envelope up and a smaller envelope falls into his other hand. He holds it up for Mac to see the writing on the front:
Please Deliver to your Friend Mac the Dwarf Shaman. Keep the enclosed Credstick with our thanks.
"Was only a hundred on the credstick, but I figured it was important, so I brought it right over."
He hands the envelope to Mac.
-
"Great, chummer!
You sure, you won't stay? If so, we should have a beer the other day. When will you be free again?"
Mac takes a sceptical but curious look at the envelop. Wow, a message you can actuallytouch. I guess it's still the safest way to go.
Without waiting for Freeze to leave, MacC rips open the envelope and starts reading.
-
Mac
Freeze scratches his chin, "I don't know. I'm working a job right now. Rest of my team is stakin' somebody out right now. I gotta go make sure they don't screw it up."
While Freeze is talking, Mac opens the envelope. There's a small card inside that looks like it's hand written. If you had to guess, it looks like a woman's handwriting. It reads:
Your presence is requested tonight at The Hangar in Tacoma. 6:00 pm. Ask for Mr. Johnson.
-
MacC grins broadly as he receives the invitation. Fun, finally. There's nothing worse than boredom. Great!
"Uhm, seems like I have to withdraw the invitation anyway, Omae. Thanks for this one. I owe you a hooker." Mac performs the same movement you usually do when you slap somebody on the back, but only pats Freeze's thigh.
"Well, see you around, then."
As soon as Freeze is out, Mac sits down and unnecessarily reads the note again, still in a good mood. This is my entrance ticket to a proper fake SIN. Oh, and a blowjob perhaps.
Normally, Mac considers it a bit of pseudo-professional, a little bit of show-offy to check the meeting place everytime before you meet someone. But normally, Mac is a quite calm and sinister character. Right now, the word that fits best is (he would kill anybody calling him so) "giddy". He's excited due to the prospect of money and a change to the routine which forced him to move into this shabby house.
First thing he does is turning on his commlink and quecking out the place. They never tell the truth on their hosts, but the way they lie says a lot about them.
-
"Jinx! What's the good word my friend."
Aegis's normal grumpy demeanor lifts after seeing one of his oldest friends.
One of the few that will still have anything to do with him
-
Mac
Freeze chuckles as he ducks back out the door again. "I'll hit you up when I'm done with the biz I got going on. Be careful, chummer."
Checking the Matrix for The Hangar in Tacoma reveals that it's a neighborhood bar and grille right down the street from Federated Boeing's metalworks plant. From the pictures online and the description it sounds like a casual, friendly and affordable place for the locals to get a bite and have a drink.
Aegis
"I'm good, Aegis. I've been meaning to call the last few weeks, but I've just been swamped with work. Speaking of work," she says and you can hear the smile in her voice, "I've got a job offer for you. Johnson called me this morning and asked about you. I talked you up, of course. Anyways, he's looking to meet tonight at a bar in Tacoma. You interested?"
-
Dave
11:00 am
Dave is hunting. She is squatting behind a burned out car in an empty lot. The sun is behind her and she can just make out her prey, rooting in a bush 50 meters away. She rises slowly and raises her bow. She draws it back smoothly in one motion, aims and releases. The raccoon is thrown back several feet by the force of the arrow before it is pinned to the ground. Dave advances on it quickly. No sense giving someone else a chance to steal her lunch. She looks down at the raccoon. Dead. A good, clean kill. She smiles proudly. She cleans and dresses the animal quickly, rolls the carcass in some plastic tarp she found and leaves the area quickly. There were ghouls in the area and the smell of blood could draw them. As she's leaving, her commlink rings loudly. She looks down at the screen. It's her fixer, Sandy.
Dave glances down with a little grin, Damn! Some real work would be clutch right now...nobody likes a smart troll though, better play this cool...
"Hi! Dis is Dave!"
Glances over her cloths hmm, any blood or guts on here? Shit, better wipe it off in case I have to meet someone important later...
As Dave talks she keeps walking back to her "loft" in the old parking garage, hoping to stash her Raccoon as quickly as she can.
-
Dave
"Dave, it's Sandy! I've been trying to get hold of you! I got a job for you! You must be making an impression out there 'cause they asked for you by name! The meets tonight at 6:00 at a bar in Tacoma called The Hangar. You in?"
-
Dave
"Dave, it's Sandy! I've been trying to get hold of you! I got a job for you! You must be making an impression out there 'cause they asked for you by name! The meets tonight at 6:00 at a bar in Tacoma called The Hangar. You in?"
"Thanks, yeah, course I'm in! Matrix is spotty 'round here, sorry 'bout dat. Anyfing I should bring?"
Hmm...Tacoma, The Hanger, 6pm...wait, who are "they" and why did they ask for me?
-
Dave
"Johnson didn't mention bringing gear or rolling out from the meet, so I guess just bring whatever you'd normally bring when you go to a restaurant. The Hangar is pretty casual, so you don't even need to get dressed up. Wear something clean though. Ok, chill. Well I'll call Johnson back and let him know you're in unless you have anything else..."
-
Dave
"Johnson didn't mention bringing gear or rolling out from the meet, so I guess just bring whatever you'd normally bring when you go to a restaurant. The Hangar is pretty casual, so you don't even need to get dressed up. Wear something clean though. Ok, chill. Well I'll call Johnson back and let him know you're in unless you have anything else..."
"no no, don't let me keep ya! Sure you got shtuff to do...will be dare at six! Fanks for da call!"
-
Sterling
"I wouldn't call unless there was biz to discuss. Time equals money and all that. So I have a Johnson who is putting together some sort of ad-hoc runner team. Asked for you specifically. Meeting is tonight in Tacoma. Interested?"
"Well if he asked for me by name he obviously has good taste. I like him already. I'm interested, when and where? Also you have any hints for me about either the Johnson or the job?"
-
Dave
"Null sheen, Dave. That's what you pay me for, after all. Good luck!", and then Sandy hangs up.
Sterling
"The meet is set for The Hangar in Tacoma at 6:00 pm. It's one of the local holes that Fed-Boeing corpers frequent. Mostly the laborers, but some of the middle manager types can be found there too. Foods not bad. As for the Johnson", he pauses a second, "Ive never worked with him before. Called me out of the blue. So I know nothing about him or what he might have planned. So, some level of caution may be in order. But when isn't it?", and he snorts with laughter. "Ill get in touch with him after I hang up here and let him know you're in."
-
Finding it a nice place for a meeting, but still a little agitated, he decides to take a look for himself.
MacC settles in a kneeling position on his bed, recalls the image of Crow and starts to chant silently, taking the shape of Crow's minions.
MacC twists his head and spreads his wings, leaving his apartment through the window and heading the Hangar to take a closer look.
-
Dave
"Null sheen, Dave. That's what you pay me for, after all. Good luck!", and then Sandy hangs up.
Dave drops her com back in her pocket after erasing the call log, then glances around. Hmmm, The Hangar, 6pm...
(note previous knowledge rolls in OOC thread, waiting on those before I make my next move)
-
"Tacoma tonight, sounds swell"
"The Johnson someone you've dealt with before? Or Should i be extra cautious?"
-
Sterling
The meet is set for The Hangar in Tacoma at 6:00 pm. Its one of the local holes that Fed-Boeing corpers frequent. Mostly the laborers, but some of the middle manager types can be found there too. Foods not bad. As for the Johnson", he pauses a second, "Ive never worked with him before. Called me out of the blue. So I know nothing about him or what he might have planned. So, some level of caution may be in order. But when isn't it?", and he snorts with laughter. "Ill get in touch with him after I hang up here and let him know you're in."
Sterling puts his comlink back down on the night stand. "7 hours till go time. Lets get to work" He looks down at his clothing "Ugh i hope that's only champagne, this shirt is one of my favorites"
After a long shower Sterling changes into his "Working Cloths" and heads down to the garage "MacCallister Said Tacoma that means Cuppa Joe's is on the way. If god invented a better hang over remedy I've never heard of it "
Sterling hops into the Hyundai and makes for I5. The ARO over Joe's says the last batch of caff is less than five minuets old and a fresh batch of doughnuts is out in less than ten. Must be my lucky day
As Sterling enters, a cheery old style bell announces his arrival.
A potbellied dwarf with thick arms and a name tag reading "Chip" looks up and flips his rag over his shoulder. "Howdy and Greetings friend" Chip calls our as Sterling reaches the counter. "Welcome to Cuppa Joe's! What can i get for ya this fine day?
Sterling winces a little, "How about we keep it down to a low yell huh? Had a little too much fun last night. I'll take a cup of regular Joe and a cheese Danish Please
Chip rubs his chin and drums his fingers over an ARO that looks like a tip jar
"Ah of course, where are my manners" Sterling says as he deposits 50¥ "I may be here a while, mind if i take that back booth? Oh and keep the Joe coming. Like i said, a little too much fun last night"
As Sterling heads for the back booth he shoots a message to Amber Great party last night. Don't remember most of it, but hey isn't that what makes it good? Want to grab a bite? Found myself in Tacoma and got a Booth at Joe's. My Treat!
-
Aegis
"It's like you read my mind," Jinx says laughing quietly. "This is a new Johnson to me. I have no idea who or what he represents. So it could literally be anything. So just watch your back more than usual, neh? Still interested?"
-
"Yeah, new tends to be lucrative. I'll meet with him and see what's what. You know me, I've always got my eyes watchin' the front and the back. "
Aegis gives a wink
" I 'll stop by the pawn shop after the job and bring you some goodies. If nothing else, I'm due to upgrade this beater bike you talked me into ."
-
Mac
Turning from human to crow is a strange experience that never gets less strange the more you do it. Bones shrinking and shifting, hair turning into feathers, lips expanding into a beak. It doesn't quite hurt, but it's not comfortable either.
Once he has fully transformed he leaps through the window and into the sky. Flying is one of the great gifts that Crow had given you. Watching the world from on high, especially for a dwarf, is a fantastic experience.
Mac finds a thermal and rises into the sky, turns and flaps his wings and heads towards Tacoma.
Sterling
Sterling sips coffee for a few minutes before he gets a response. Tacoma?! Ugh! Well Cupppa Joe's does make a good cup of coffee. And their donuts are the chizz! I'll be there in 30.
True to her word, 30 minutes later she walks in. Her long dark hair is in a ponytail that trails down her back. She's wearing a pair of large dark sunglasses, a white faux fur jacket and tight black leggings. Despite looking worse for wear from the party last evening, she is still striking.
She throws you a small wave and stops at the counter to get a caffeinated beverage. Once that's ready she heads to your booth and seats herself gracefully. "Thanks for the coffee. So, what brings us to Tacoma? Besides the coffee?"
Aegis
"Beater?! That thing is in great shape! You just need some more practice", she says as she laughs. "Alright, I'll let you go and I'll call Johnson. Good luck and keep me in the loop.", she says as she disconnects.
-
Mac
Turning from human to crow is a strange experience that never gets less strange the more you do it. Bones shrinking and shifting, hair turning into feathers, lips expanding into a beak. It doesn't quite hurt, but it's not comfortable either.
Once he has fully transformed he leaps through the window and into the sky. Flying is one of the great gifts that Crow had given you. Watching the world from on high, especially for a dwarf, is a fantastic experience.
Mac finds a thermal and rises into the sky, turns and flaps his wings and heads towards Tacoma.
As this is one of the ways, how MacC tries to get in touch with Crow, a spell so familiar to him like dressing and undressing, after a long time he got used to the sensation. It's still no fine experience, but one that doesn't bother him either, like donning uncomfortable working clothes year over year. Especially since the reward is a feeling only spread wings can deliver. No matter how often MacC flies over Seattle, or the forests, or anywhere, there is nothing as stimulating as circling over ant-like creatures like a god. Like Crow.
This time, though, he didn't cast the spell only in order to enjoy, but to gain knowledge. As soon as his sense for orientation will allow it, MacC attempts to find the Hangar, ever aware of flying predators. When he arrives, he lands on a nearby rooftop and looks down.
-
Dave hikes back to the "loft". After three levels of concrete ramps she's back under the dull grey sky, she tucks the raccoon in a barrel (which is it's self tucked behind some broken pallets on the far corner of the parking deck) then pops into her stair well and prepares for the meet. She stashes her bow on top of an I-beam well above most peoples reach, and then changes into her other cloths, not clean but she does make a point not to hunt in them and makes an effort to wipe the dirt off.
With in ten minutes she's back on the street, she's anticipating a long walk to the bus line near Touristville, but if any friendly looking folks pass by she wouldn't say no to a lift.
Either way, she enjoys the exercise and cranks some tunes on her comlink if she get's bored enough. The ghouls usually stay in during the day, and as a troll with nothing of significant value she isn't too concerned about her safety.
-
Mac
Finding places from the air can be disorienting at times, but after a short flight he lands on the roof of The Hangar. Actually, he lands on the plane that's on the roof of The Hangar. An old twentieth century era prop plane is bolted to the roof of the restaurant. The rest if the building is clad in corrugated aluminum so that it looks like an airplane hangar.
The restaurant in on Pacific Highway East, but you can see I-5 runs right behind it.
Dave
It is a long walk from Dave's squat to Touristville, about an hour and a half. There are some established 'tracks' that lead to Touristville, so Dave just follows one and goes.
It's a nice spring day and warm, but it's quiet in Redmond. The broken and shattered buildings and storefronts could hide anything, but today they are empty. The tracks are empty too. No one passes by on a bicycle, let alone a vehicle for Dave to hitch a ride. Dave hears gunfire a few times in the distance and once what sounds like a scream or maybe an animal's cry, but she sees nobody else until she gets to Touristville.
Touristville: what looks edgy and dangerous at night just looks tired and depressing during the day. People are going about their business. The markets are busy. The bars are busy. People yell at Dave to buy this or that, but she keeps focused on her destination.
In an effort to bring Redmond back on its feet, The Metro Transit Company runs one bus line into and out of Redmond. The bus is shadowed by a KE patrol while it's in Redmond and there haven't been any 'incidents' yet, but there are no plans to increase bus service inside Redmond.
The bus terminal is fairly crowded. Dave checks the board for the next bus. 35 minutes.
-
DAVE
Dave looks around for a place to sit, and amongst the crowd she spots a single empty seat between to humans. She considers the prospect of the tiny plastic mold-to-your-butt seat and the inevitable awkwardness of your troll ass in the laps of the guys on either side. She then opts for a open space at the edge of the room, thuds down on the floor near a trash bin, and leans back against the wall...resigning her self to the half hour wait.
-
Sterling
Sterling sips coffee for a few minutes before he gets a response. Tacoma?! Ugh! Well Cupppa Joe's does make a good cup of coffee. And their donuts are the chizz! I'll be there in 30.
True to her word, 30 minutes later she walks in. Her long dark hair is in a ponytail that trails down her back. She's wearing a pair of large dark sunglasses, a white faux fur jacket and tight black leggings. Despite looking worse for wear from the party last evening, she is still striking.
She throws you a small wave and stops at the counter to get a caffeinated beverage. Once that's ready she heads to your booth and seats herself gracefully. "Thanks for the coffee. So, what brings us to Tacoma? Besides the coffee?"
"Plenty of reasons. First off did that girl you were with last night say anything about me? Cindy? Charlotte? Christine? What was her name again? I thought we hit it off, but this Elf producer type said i just had to try this new thing he had, some green liquid i think, and it would have been rude of me to say no. Don't remember much after that. I made it home though, so points for style I guess
I also had a bit of biz to take care of up in Tacoma and had a little time to kill and misery loves company. Ugh my head is still killing me"
Sterling reaches into his coat pocket and pulls out a few aspirin and gestures to Chip to keep the caff coming
"You're looking good as always though. Whats your secret?"
-
It definitely has style, in a way.
Mac cocks his head forward and tilts it, then drops off the plan and comes a little lower, always on the watchout for cats and worse. He then, just out of interest, peeks through the window. If, as expected, nothing obvious or astonishing is to be seen, however, he makes his way home again and prepares for the meeting.
He takes a shower, shaves, dons new clothes, shuts the window, holsters his gun and takes the bus to Tacoma.
-
Sterling
Amber smiles and laughs as Sterling talks, "You mean Charlene?! She's a huge flirt, but you're not really her type. She likes 'em a little rough around the edges. She's been dating some guy from The Underground, but I haven't met him yet."
"I don't really have a secret, but I did find this new Urban Combat class which has been kicking my ass! The guy is a total hard ass. Some ex-Wildcat and he's been putting us through the paces. I've never been so sore! But it gets results.", she says as she reaches over and breaks off half a donut.
"Biz in Tacoma, huh? You know who?"
Mac
You can see in the window clearly. It looks empty. It's still early yet, so the crew probably hasn't shown up for lunch service.
With a flapping of wings, you take off into the air again and head home.
Once you've showered, shaved and changed you look at the clock. It's only 11:00 am.
-
"Goddammit," Mac mutters under his breath.
Slowly the excitement begins to wear off, but still he can't just lie back and watch some trid shows the whole day. He checks his gun. Not that he really knew how to use it, let alone how to check it. Once that's done, he collects the little gear he has - basically not more than he wears - and sighs. He hates to wait - he's been waiting way too long.
He lazily puts on his trodes and kills an hour or so in some trid game, but today it won't distract him. He tries some porn, too, but today it's not going to do the trick. So, finally he decides to do, what always calms him. Thanking life for the thousandth time for granting him this power, he again changes into his idol and circles the forests near Fort Lewis. He knows, in theory, if your shape changes, your mind does not. And yet, and yet it does something to you. The animal instict, whether truly there or just some psychological condition you trick yourself into, slowly takes over as the landscape spreads beneath you, as you feel the air beneath your wings and fully merge into your totem's way and style of life. He's always loath to give this up, and it will never, ever get boring to stay in this shape for hours.
There's this one bad thing: Crows don't carry watches and you lose time too easily. That's why he returns way to early, and has again to kill some AIs in order to kill some time, before Mac finally, finally dresses and takes the bus to Tacoma.
-
Sterling
Amber smiles and laughs as Sterling talks, "You mean Charlene?! She's a huge flirt, but you're not really her type. She likes 'em a little rough around the edges. She's been dating some guy from The Underground, but I haven't met him yet."
"I don't really have a secret, but I did find this new Urban Combat class which has been kicking my ass! The guy is a total hard ass. Some ex-Wildcat and he's been putting us through the paces. I've never been so sore! But it gets results.", she says as she reaches over and breaks off half a donut.
"Biz in Tacoma, huh? You know who?"
"Just my luck eh? Oh well, plenty of krill in the sea they say... Wait did you say ex-Wildcat? Wasn't that the guy we met at that party a few months ago? Choreographed some stunts for a trid you were working on if i remember. You can never trust a man a party with a glass of water in his hand. Still, i think those abs of his could deflect a bullet. Might have to give that water stuff a try some day"
Sterling leans back and takes a big bite of his second danish
"You hit the nail on the head though. Never could get anything past you. I'll be meeting Mr Johnson at some place called The Hangar. You ever hear of it? Never been there before myself, but it would be nice if you knew a little about the place, or even know a friendly face there"
-
Sterling
"Yea, that's the guy. Like I said, he's a total hard ass. He still does the water thing. He thinks alcohol is 'a tool the Anglos use to oppress us'. Whatever. He takes their nuyen when they sign up for his class, though."
"The Hangar?", she says, pausing to think, "that's the place with the plane on top, right? I haven't been in there in years. I think the guy that owns it is an ex Fed-Boeing test pilot. Foods decent." She pauses again, thinking, "I don't know anybody there that I can think of. Seems like a strange place for your types to do biz. It's all wageslaves and their broods in that place."
-
Jobs are just what he needs to keep his mind off more depressing things. He finishes his freshly cooked cuisine, always a guilty pleasure,then Aegis gears up and prepares for the encounter with a new contact.
-
MacC arrives at the hangar 35 minutes too early, not trusting the busses to be there in time and not willing to kill more Nazis in his online game.
MacC is as tall as 1.22 (more ore less exactly 4 ft) and rather skinny. But since he’s wearing wide clothes, his exact figure can only be guessed.
The Dwarf’s face is slim, unlike his fleshy nose, and his chin is pointy enough to poke your eye out (assuming your eyes are at 3 ft 6“ height). Normally, MacC’s face is neatly shaven.
Despite the fact that he’s no older than 22 or 23, there are already small wrinkles around his eyes, and his eyebrows are rather bushy. Although he seems a little grumpy sometimes, taken as a whole he is a very charming person (yep, that’s deliberately ambiguous ^^). His voice is a deep and strong bass, his gace is strong, but not intense in a rude way. He is very self-confident, and every movement, every glance, every word indicates he’s determined.
Today, the Dwarf‘s wearing a black T-shirt displaying a really daft looking cartoon elf with protruding ears, holding a dandelion between his sheepishly grinning teeth. And a fleshy hand, pointing a gun at his head. Over this shirt, he’s wearing a black lined coat with an very broad collar. The coat is a little bit too long for MacC: it stretches over his knees and covers half of his big hands. The wide dark sleeves give the impression of wings when he stretches his arms. Mac’s wearing sneakers and a simple necklace with a metallic pendant displaying a raven’s head.
Astrally Perceiving, MacC pushes open the door and shoots a glance into the room. After re-checking his commlink-clock, he sighs and walks over to the bar. "Do you have a hardcopy menu, please?"
-
Sterling
"Yea, that's the guy. Like I said, he's a total hard ass. He still does the water thing. He thinks alcohol is 'a tool the Anglos use to oppress us'. Whatever. He takes their nuyen when they sign up for his class, though."
"The Hangar?", she says, pausing to think, "that's the place with the plane on top, right? I haven't been in there in years. I think the guy that owns it is an ex Fed-Boeing test pilot. Foods decent." She pauses again, thinking, "I don't know anybody there that I can think of. Seems like a strange place for your types to do biz. It's all wageslaves and their broods in that place."
"Yeah its not my type of place either, but maybe that's why he picked it. Keep everyone on their toes, watch us squirm. Still at least isn't some goblin rock biker bar. Suits i can handle, trolls on kamikaze that want to arm wrestle the breeder, not so much... "
Sterling rotates his shoulder in its socket with a wince at the memory
"What about you? Any current projects you shooting?"
-
Dave
The bus finally arrives in Redmond and the ragtag group of passengers boards. The bus is only half full, so there's plenty of seats to choose from.
The next 3 hours are spent riding in various busses or waiting for said busses to appear. Redmond to Downtown. Downtown to Tacoma. And finally, from downtown Tacoma out to a bus stop by the Port of Tacoma. It's 4:35 and its a 15 minute walk from this stop to The Hangar.
Sterling
Amber takes a sip of coffee and sighs at your question, "Nothing right now. A couple of auditions I'm waiting to hear back on. My agent thinks I should move back to Cheyenne. Thinks maybe there might be better roles for me there. I think he's a moron. I left the NAN to get into more mainstream trids. Why would I go back?", She looks almost whimsical, "Besides I like it here. Seattle has a great vibe and a great scene. I don't think I could go back to sleepy old Cheyenne". She says the last with a smile.
-
Sterling
Amber takes a sip of coffee and sighs at your question, "Nothing right now. A couple of auditions I'm waiting to hear back on. My agent thinks I should move back to Cheyenne. Thinks maybe there might be better roles for me there. I think he's a moron. I left the NAN to get into more mainstream trids. Why would I go back?", She looks almost whimsical, "Besides I like it here. Seattle has a great vibe and a great scene. I don't think I could go back to sleepy old Cheyenne". She says the last with a smile.
"Yeah i hear you. I left there for a reason as well. Too much focus on the traditions and not enough on just living. Seattle is a place where you can live. I mean just look around just this place. We have some dock workers over there eating some omelets, next to two KE bike cops eating jelly donuts, next to that rather surly looking razor boy over there. There isn't a place in Cheyenne i ever saw with so many different types in one place more or less getting along!"
Sterling finishes up his danish and take a long pull off his caf
"Not to mention the foods a lot better here too"
Sterling's face sours a little
"The old emerald city may have her ups and downs but no one can say life here is boring. Everyone needs a little excitement to keep the juices flowing. Maybe there would be a few less of us out here if the elders back home understood that"
-
Sterling
"They don't get it, and I don't know if they ever will.", she says. "I'm proud of my heritage and what my people have accomplished in the last century, but it just feels so small sometimes. This", she says gesturing around the shop, "feels so much more natural to me than all the bulldrek back home. It doesn't really matter. I'm here to stay.", she says with a smile.
"So what time is your meet with Mr. Johnson?", she asks, lowering her voice slightly. "Is it really like we make it out in the trids? It seems really exciting."
-
"Arigato, Nikki. Who knows what I would do without you? Take care." Binary closes the call.
Well, things are looking up, another job is on it's way. It's been far too long; he's just been spending his nights drinking at the local bar. Speaking of which, he didn't remember driving home last night. Binary gets up and quickly checks his stuff. Nothing seems to be missing. I can only imagine what they'll say when I go back.
With a thought, he brings up the local time. 11:15 shows in his vision. Well, seems the hangover wasn't too bad. He brings up his deck utilities.
|| Renraku Tsurugi Cyberdeck - Unit 31-02E-A5 ||
<< ...Awaiting assignment of processing space... >>
At the speed of thought, he quickly customizes his deck. He shouldn't need to do any hacking yet, so he focuses on speed and security.
Attack - 3
Sleaze - 5
Data Processing - 6
Firewall - 5
-- Assignment Confirmed --
<< ...Program Slots are Open... >>
Well, I need to get ready for the meet. Let's see if this Agent was worth it.
Browse, Signal Scrub, Agent
-- Programs Confirmed --
<< ...Booting up Programs... >>
"How may I be of assistance?"
A nondescript figure greets Binary's vision. He commands, "Do a search on this location <<Attached information>>. I want to know everything that's public on it, and then some."
Satisfied that his Agent will do the work, Binary takes a quick shower. He's surprised when the Agent responds rather quickly. He checks the time again. Maybe 5 minutes had gone by. Damn, I'm liking this thing already.
"Show me what you got."
The Agent quickly compiles together a list of the information it found. Binary swiftly reads through it. Family place, guess I shouldn't dress too outlandishly. Looks like they have good stuff to drink too. Sounds good already. He reads through the second list; the information that wasn't available to the general public. This Agent was nice and organized. Huh, nothing out of the ordinary. Seems like as good a place to meet as any.
"Thank you. Dismissed."
The Agent nods and shrinks back into an inactive mode, just an icon on his deck. Binary decides to dress himself casually, just jeans and a T-shirt, and cowboy boots, can't forget those. He's got time to kill; the meet isn't until 6 PM. Guess I should make sure I actually came home with everything.
He spends a couple of hours checking out his place, everything seems to be in order.
Bored, he spends some time looking up some information on old technology. It was fascinating; they used to have these things called "phones" that only made calls! You couldn't even surf the "internet" as it used to be called. You had to get a large, immobile computer that had less operating capacity than the cheapest Meta Link, just to access anything. And you had to use something called a "mouse" and a "keyboard" to input commands, and it was limited to a screen. No AR, no VR, nothing. Perhaps it was useless knowledge, but it constantly fascinated Breeze that people could function without so much stuff that he took for granted.
He lost track of time, and the sun was starting to sink in the sky. He checked the time: 4:30 He wanted to get to the meet a little early, if only to sample their selection of beers. Shit, I gotta go. Like now. Putting his holster in his boot, and his gun in his holster, Binary walks out the door. He makes sure everything is locked, he was in a good neighborhood, but you never knew, and brought out his Suzuki Mirage. Quickly double-checking his route to make sure he knows where he is going, he drives off.
-
Dave
The bus finally arrives in Redmond and the ragtag group of passengers boards. The bus is only half full, so there's plenty of seats to choose from.
The next 3 hours are spent riding in various busses or waiting for said busses to appear. Redmond to Downtown. Downtown to Tacoma. And finally, from downtown Tacoma out to a bus stop by the Port of Tacoma. It's 4:35 and its a 15 minute walk from this stop to The Hangar.
Dave squeezes of the bus and glances around to get her barrings, then lumbers off towards the Hanger. Once she finds the place she takes a look around, notes any security features, and then wanders off in search of a park or piece of sidewalk where a troll can take a nap in relative peace.
-
Dave
The area around The Hangar is mostly made up of small businesses. Soykaf shops, laundromats, auto and boat repair shops. On your walk you also passed a Loco Foods, aStuffer Shack and a few mid to low level hotels that must cater to people doing business at the Port. You also pass a Knight Errant station which is separated by a small wall from the rest of the neighborhood.
The Hangar itself sits off the street surrounded by a small parking lot. The building itself is fairly large and is covered in corrugated aluminum sheeting. The same material they use on airplane hangars. Sitting on top of the building is an old propeller plane painted bright red. A neon sign, currently not on, verifies that this is The Hangar.
Dave looks at the restaurant from the sidewalk, but doesn't notice any body scanners or other security devices.
Wandering back down the street, Dave finds a small park area that even has a couple benches. It looks like a nice place to grab a nap.
-
Mac
You arrive at The Hangar and it appears as it did from your bird's eye view. It's early, so there are only a few cars parked in the lot. You step through the door and into the restaurant.
The restaurant continues the aeronautical theme on the inside. The floor is rubberized diamond plate and the walls are painted a plain white. Not much of the walls can be seen, however as they are covered from ceiling to floor in all manner of photos, models and other aeronautical memorabilia.
Mac takes a moment to look into the Astral and sees...nothing. The place looks totally mundane.
He walks towards the bar area and takes a seat. The bartender is an older looking Ork dressed in a white shirt and black tie. 'Good evening, sir.', he says with a smile. When Mac asks for a menu, he reaches under the bar and produces a faux leather menu and places it on the bar in front of Mac. "Let me know if you have any questions, sir.", and then he goes back to setting up his bar.
-
Binary
Binary navigates his Mirage through the traffic of Tacoma and arrives at The Hangar at 5:40.
Aegis
Aegis pulls his Growler into the parking lot of The Hangar at 5:50.
-
Sterling
"They don't get it, and I don't know if they ever will.", she says. "I'm proud of my heritage and what my people have accomplished in the last century, but it just feels so small sometimes. This", she says gesturing around the shop, "feels so much more natural to me than all the bulldrek back home. It doesn't really matter. I'm here to stay.", she says with a smile.
"So what time is your meet with Mr. Johnson?", she asks, lowering her voice slightly. "Is it really like we make it out in the trids? It seems really exciting."
"Honestly the last thing you want is for things to get exciting. Nice and boring with a pay day is what I always hope for. I'm no Ace Holt. If your name isn't in bold print at the start of the trid, there is no guarantee that exciting ends well for you. Still I'm no slouch. One of the perks of being a pro is you get to work with other pros. You don't need to worry about old sterling here. With any luck tonight will be nothing like the trids and I'm fine with the lack of quadruple triple double crosses and slow motion, high yield explosives set to syth rock."
"Still it's about time to head on out. Have to get psyched up. I will let you know if anything trid worthy happens"
Sterling settles up the check and rises up out of the booth
Doksa ake waunkte *I will see you again later.*
Sterling walks towards the exit and looks over towards Chip at the counter
"You take care of the nice lady over there you hear me? Anything she wants, just put it on my tab."
Sterling looks back toward Amber
"Its the least i can do for draging you all the way out here"
Sterling discharges another one of his patented million watt smiles and heads out to the parking lot, jumps into his car and heads off towards the hanger
Well here i go again. With any luck things will go half as smooth as i told Amber they would.
-
MacC
Snap, Johnson meets us in a ... aeronautical theme bar? Crap, that's way too awkward.
Mac sighs as he encounters the very professional ork and his very communicative manners. In the same moment his unease grows.
If Johnson meets in an unsecure place like this, there might be one of two reasons. Either, he wants the place to be cheap, in which case he ain't gonna pay big creds. Or, he wants the place to be unsecure, in which case I ain't gonna be careless.
Suppressing a swear, he waves for the waiter. "Bring me a beer, please. Or whatever resembles beer the most."
Then, with a grumpy expression on his face, he makes for the toilet. Mac, old man, you're getting seriously paranoid. Time you head for a con instead of shadow biz. It's making you way too itchy.
In the toilet, he turns on the sink's tap and sits down cross-leggedly on the cold toilet floor with eyes shut, first half-muttering to himself, then chanting a silent murmur in order to focus on the sound of the flushing water and the spirits within. When he feels it is time, he reaches out for Father Pontos. "Father of Sea and Rain and River, protector of Life, send my Thy kin to protect me from what peril I expect. Let their eyes be my eyes, their strength be my strength, their heart be my heart."
He then sits, eagerly waiting for the spirit of the faucet to show up.
-
MacC
In the toilet, he turns on the sink's tap and sits down cross-leggedly on the cold toilet floor with eyes shut, first half-muttering to himself, then chanting a silent murmur in order to focus on the sound of the flushing water and the spirits within. When he feels it is time, he reaches out for Father Pontos. "Father of Sea and Rain and River, protector of Life, send my Thy kin to protect me from what peril I expect. Let their eyes be my eyes, their strength be my strength, their heart be my heart."
He then sits, eagerly waiting for the spirit of the faucet to show up.
Mac's call goes out into and through the Astral plane and it isn't long before there is a response. The water in the sink starts swirling faster and faster until it appears like a mini whirlpool. The water starts to swirl out of the bowl of the sink, but it doesn't splash onto the floor. Instead it starts to form a long coil of water that rises into the air above the sink. The coil turns and you can see the cold blue eyes of a snake looking at you. The rest of the spirits snake body uncoils from the bowl of the sink and slithers along the countertop. "We are here, servant of Crow. What is it that you wish? it's voice sounds like a soft spring rain.
-
Sterling
Amber smiles and waves as you leave, "Break a leg!", she calls as you head out the door.
Tacoma traffic is ramping up as you leave Cuppa Joe's and head for The Hangar. Lots of tractor trailers, trucks and vans. Especially as you get closer to the Port. GridGuide seems to be working well tonight, though, as everything is moving steadily.
It doesn't take long to reach The Hangar. Sterling turns into the parking lot at 5:45.
-
Binary parks his bike in the parking lot. He checks the time. 5:41. Damn, I was hoping to have a few drinks before meeting the Johnson. The things we sacrifice for payday.
Binary pulls up his Cyberdeck utilities. Swiftly, he rearranges his resources and programs for stealth and security. He then sets his deck to run silently.
|| Renraku Tsurugi Cyberdeck - Unit 31-02E-A5 ||
Attack - 3
Sleaze - 5 (6)
Data Processing - 5
Firewall - 6 (7)
Encryption, Stealth, Wrapper
-- Assignment Confirmed --
-- Programs Confirmed --
-- Programs Booted --
Engaging Silent Mode
-- Scrubbing Datastreams --
As he enters The Hangar, he's greeted by a perky hostess. "Hey there miss, you think you could help a fella like me?" Binary drawls with a smile.
-
Mac's tension eases as he faces the spirit, a reminder of who he was, what he was and that nothing mundane is going to trouble him as long as his faith rests in Crow and the spirits of Mother Earth and her sons and daughters.
"Watchful spirit of the far-seeing element, I need your protection. Warn and prevent me from harm until I am back at my home, safe and sound."
After the spirit's response, MacC stretches his back and gets up again. He washes his face and drinks a sip of water, staring at the surface of the little pool in his hands for just a second, lost in thoughts. He then straightens and walks back to the bar, all the confidence now re-mustered. There he drinks his beer, astrally perceiving both as to be aware of the environment and to take in the reassuring view of the water snake lingering in the Astral Space.
And waits for anybody to arrive.
As finally, after a while, Binary enters, MacC turns around and nods a greeting.
-
The hostess looks up at Binary. She looks like she's 16 or 17 years old. She smiles professionally, "Welcome to The Hangar, sir. I'll do my best to help you. Are you meeting someone here?"
-
"Yes, I am. The reservation should be under Mr. Johnson. Should be a big meal, we have some old friends coming." Binary looks around the restaurant, the only two occupants being a Dwarf and the bartender. Never hurts to engage in some small talk. "Seems purdy empty for a Friday night. Is that normal?"
-
The hostess smiles even more professionally, "Well, it is early. We'll start to fill up soon when the shift changes at the Port.", she looks down at the screen in her stand and flicks through several pages. "Johnson, you said? It doesn't look like your table is ready yet. You're more than welcome to have a seat at the bar while you wait. It's just over there", she says, gesturing at a bar you can clearly see. "When you're table is ready we'll come and let you know. I'm sorry for the inconvenience."
-
"That's fine miss, you're just doing your job. Nothing to be sorry about. I'll go get myself a drink while I wait. Thanks for your help, miss." Binary smiles and nods as he takes his leave.
She seemed mighty formal for someone so young; reminds me of myself when I was younger. Hopefully she doesn't meet the same fate I did.
As he approaches, the Dwarf turns and nods at him. Binary asks, in a somewhat low voice, "Waitin' for Johnson?" He then takes a seat at the bar. Ah, at least there's time for a drink or two before the meet. He motions for the bartender, who turns out to be a well dressed Ork. Cheerfully he asks, "What kind of booze you got back there? Anythin' you can recommend that's dark and strong?"
-
Mac smiles in reply. "Why is it that the tall handsome guys always get the girls while I'm stuck with some grumpy ol' ork?"
The Dwarf sighs half-seriously, then nods. "Aye. The very same." He lowers his voice so as not to be overheard. "I take it you're our matrix support?"
He offers him a fleshy hand. "I am MacC. Nice to meet you."
-
DAVE
Dave sits up and wipes off any grass, old gum, or whatever else she might have been lying on. Checks her com 5:52...time to roll and heads towards the Hanger. She's aiming to walk in around 5:58, giving her best winning smile and hoping none of the staff assume she's there to break stuff.
-
Binary lets out a short laugh. "While it may be true that the tall handsome guys get the girls, you have the guy with the drinks!"
He raises a brow when the Dwarf asks if he's Matrix support. Now, how the hell did he know that? He gives a brief nod in reply to the question.
He accepts the Dwarf's hand and shakes it cheerfully, "The honor is mine; it is always good to meet a mutual friend. You can call me Binary."
-
Binary and Mac
The bartender waits for the two runners to finish talking before breaking in. "Dark and Strong, you said? You strike me as a bourbon man, sir. I have several brands to choose from, both UCAS bottled and Japanese. The owner keeps a couple bottles of vintage Pappy, if you're looking to splurge."
-
Binary smiles. "That sounds fantastic. I'll take the Japanese. You look like a man who knows his drinks; I'll defer to your expertise on the specific brand."
-
Sterling walks into the bar just after the hostess brings Binary over to the bar
Looks like the bar is already filling up. Maybe this place is a little more happening than i gave it credit for
Sterling does a quick scan of the restaurant
Over dressed as ususal. Oh well dad always used to say, "dress for the job you want, not the job you have." Shame alcoholic in boxers doesn't pay what it used to...
Sterling's train of through it cut off as the hostess returns
"Welcome to The Hangar, sir. Would you like a booth or a table tonight? The bar also has a few seats left, but they are filling up quick!"
Sterling flashes her a little smile
"Seems like its going to be a busy night. Still early drinkers are always good for the bottom line. But yes I have a reservation, meeting a few business colleges to recharge before our next venture. We often find a change of venue to be good for the creative process. I believe the reservation is under Mr Johnson"
-
MacC
The Dwarf gives a loud laughter at the comment on the 'tender, then takes a sip of his beer.
Mac smiles as he can read the surprise on Binary's face, but slightly enough as to be not pretentous or insulting in any way. "Binary. Seems you don't make a mystery regarding your profession, hum?"
As if to answer the unposed question he says: "You know, we are kind of akin. For both of us, the meat world is not our only home. We both roam another plain, and learn much from it, and obtain powers our fellow chummers can only dream of." Unconsciously, his free hand reaches out for the pendant around his neck.
As Sterling enters, he directs his attention to him for a moment, examining him closely.
-
The hostess smiles at Sterling, "your table isn't quite ready yet, sir. There are some other members of your party waiting at the bar. Feel free to join them while you wait.", she says gesturing towards the bar again.
Meanwhile, the ork bartender places a small glass down in front of Binary. "Hibiki Japanese Bourbon, sir. One of my personal favorites. Let me know how you like it." And then he moves away, stocking his bar once again.
-
The hostess smiles at Sterling, "your table isn't quite ready yet, sir. There are some other members of your party waiting at the bar. Feel free to join them while you wait.", she says gesturing towards the bar again.
Meanwhile, the ork bartender places a small glass down in front of Binary. "Hibiki Japanese Bourbon, sir. One of my personal favorites. Let me know how you like it." And then he moves away, stocking his bar once again.
"Thanks, we have some catching up to do anyway. Just let us know as soon as the table is ready."
Sterling walks over to the bar and nods towards the dwarf and picks a menu up off of the bar
Who even uses real menus anymore?
Sterling opens to the Specials of the house:
Air Mail
Aviator
B52
Flying Scotsman
Kamikaze
Man they have really gone all out with this aviation theme haven't they?
Sterling closes the menu and looks over at the bartender
"I'll have a Martini with a twist please."
Sterling gives the other two a quick look over and turns on his stool towards them
"You guys here for Mr Johnson too huh? The name is John, but most people call me Sterling"
Sterling extends his hand towards both of them to see who offers to shake first
-
"Binary. Seems you don't make a mystery regarding your profession, hum?"
Binary chuckles. "You would be surprised how many people miss the reference. Sometimes, by looking for the complex, they overlook what's right in front of them."
"You know, we are kind of akin. For both of us, the meat world is not our only home. We both roam another plain, and learn much from it, and obtain powers our fellow chummers can only dream of."
Must be some kind of Awakened. That explains a lot. There's nothing to really say, what can you say after something like that? There's no point in denying it, but acknowledging it doesn't do anything.
The bartender returns and places a glass in front of him. What a perfect way to break the silence.
"Hibiki Japanese Bourbon, sir. One of my personal favorites. Let me know how you like it."
"Will do, my friend." Binary takes a sip, and sits back as it goes down his throat. He waits a moment, and then takes another sip, reveling in the taste. Man, this stuff is good. Worth every nuyen.
"You guys here for Mr Johnson too huh? The name is John, but most people call me Sterling"
"Mhmm. Should be only a few more minutes."
Binary shakes his hand and says, "Pleased to meet ya. You can call me Binary."
-
Not a man for idle talk, this one. Good, he's not supposed to be my shoulder when I cry anyway.
MacC also stretches his hand out, looking up to Sterling. Another teammate. I have to investigate him a little closer when there's time to. At least, none of them appears to be entirely unsociable. There's no worse runner type than the lonely wolf.
"You guys here for Mr Johnson too huh? The name is John, but most people call me Sterling"
"Mhmm. Should be only a few more minutes."
Binary shakes his hand and says, "Pleased to meet ya. You can call me Binary."
"Evening, chummer. My name's MacC. Not Maxy. Why don't you join while we're waiting for our patron and his other guests?"
Mac takes another sip of his beer then leans a little closer, so that the waitress and the bartender can't hear him. "How much do you know about venerable Mr. Johnson and today's agenda?"
-
Hmmm they both are packing, but they keep it discreet. Only an amateur goes anywhere unprepared, but they know to keep a low profile. Maybe fate has actually paired me with pros this time
Sterling leans into the huddle as the bartender works his shaker and gets out a glass
"Binary, Mac C, Nice to meetcha. Well i wasn't able to dig up much and that by itself says a lot. It means hes new. Hopefully just new in town and not new to the shadows. The last thing we need is an amateur middle manager with a head full of trids and a control complex. My nuyen is on new in town. He asked for me by name, and I assume the same for you two, and he's already moved some cash around to get us here in the first place. Though the choice of venue also has me puzzled. It screams either pro or newbie. Either this is where he feels comfortable and wants to be in a position of power or he is an old hat and wants to see how we blend into an unfamiliar setting. A test if you will."
The bar tender finishes the drink, drops in the lemon peel, and walks it over.
"Made you the best Martini in the house. Had a hunch you were looking for the top shelf. You want me to keep the tab open?"
Sterling smiles while he takes his first sip
"You're a good man, if the rest or these are as good as the first, I will be wanting that tab open" Ive got my money on new in town. Still always better to hope for the best and plan for the worst. If this goes sideways I've got your backs till the door, then it's every man for themselves. Deal?
-
He stands up so as to be closer to the ears and mouths of his conversation partners. He is only 4 feet tall, after all.
"Deal, I'm in. I'm not alone here, though, and anyone comin' cross 's gonna have a rough time. Location made me suspicious, yet I don't think there's immediate reason for concern. If he'd wish to take us out he could've geeked us separately. I also don't think we share a common enemy and the most valuable thing a wear ain't worth more than a couple o' hundred bucks, so let's just assume Mr. J's a weirdo or a beginner."
-
"Yeah, same here. I didn't even know where to start, to be honest; I had nothing to work with on this guy. While I will admit this place is a little ... different than I would expect, it seems all right."
Binary finishes his drink, savoring the taste. As the bartender comes to bring Sterling his drink, Binary speaks up, "Your taste is excellent, my friend. Mind making me another?"
After the bartender leaves, he whispers again "I'm in as well. You can count on me if the drek hits the fan. Hopefully it won't come to that, but I will admit, it's better to be safe than sorry."
-
The Dwarf tilts his head, frowning.
"There's one more thing. Why did he ask for us personally? As far as I can see, there might be two reasons. Either he has some good connections who assembled a special team for a special task. In this case, it's gonna be tough but at least we don't have to worry about working with amateurs. Or this is something personal. In that case we really have to watch our arses."
MacC's uneasiness returns. He throws a glance at the Water Serpent. Will you protect me when things go amiss? You're only a Lesser Servant, after all. God damn my laziness. There you got it: You hesitate to bother the greater spirits and you end up trapped with only so much as a Water Serpent at your side...
-
"As i said, I think our Johnson is new in town. He has some pull in whatever burg he came from and used it to dig up a decent team. As for the personal connection, who says he knows us? It could be just another game to keep us on our toes. Asks our contacts for their best, tells them to say he asked for us by name. Gets us personaly involved, puffs up our egos, and keeps us sharp. I say we sit back, relax, and enjoy our drinks while we still can. No one knows what the rest of the night holds for us, but right now we have good drinks and a little piece and quiet."
Sterling gestures around to the still mostly empty restaurant. Then raises his glass
"May our sons have rich fathers and beautiful mothers"
-
Nikki wouldn't do that to me, would she? No, I don't think so. MacC is right, we gotta keep on our toes.
"I say we sit back, relax, and enjoy our drinks while we still can. No one knows what the rest of the night holds for us, but right now we have good drinks and a little piece and quiet."
"I can't argue with that."
-
He exchanges a short look with Binary, then decides not to pursue the topic any longer. What's to be said has been said. There's no use in stirring anxieties or, worse, appear weak.
MacC also raises his half-empty beer glass and cheers. "Aye, and may they live to see them grow up." He only takes the slightest of sips. Does no good to get drunk now. There's a lot of ways how this evening could end, and in any of them I need a clear mind.
"Well, I guess that leaves some time for chit-chat until ... 'our table is prepared' ". He looks around, seeing but empty tables, then frowns.
Mac waves for the waitress. "Sorry, honey." He waves her closer and leans towards her, conspirationally. "Could you tell me which table exactly 's going to be prepared? I gotta secure the best seat before John does."
-
Dave
Dave walks the short distance back to The Hangar and enters right before 6 pm. Ducking under the doorframe, she stands before the hostess stand. There is a young human girl standing behind the stand and her eyes widen slightly when Dave steps through the door. "Welcome to The Hangar, uh...miss. Party of one?"
-
MacC casts a glance at the newcomer. Just before six. That one might belong to us. Nice, I always had good experiences with trolls. Especially if they were between me and the guns. Speaking of... No need to be overly paranoid, but, after all, being paranoid does not mean that you're not being followed, does it? Descretion is the better part of valour.
MacC climbs back on his chair, slowly. While the others are hopefully looking at Dave or listening to the music, Mac focusses on the meditative music in his head, lips silently moving as he soundlessly chants his mantra. In a wordless prayer he bids Mother Earth to grant him skin as tough as stone.
As it appears, Mother Earth granted him only clay.
-
Sterling looks over to the new commer and throws him one of his patented million watt smiles and huddles back into Binary and MacC's whisper range.
"I'm will to bet the next round that that guy is one of us. Look at the way he moves. Never seen someone that big move so smoothly before. He has to have some serious ware under the hood. Still it also bodes well for the johnson situation. Seems like he covered all the bases. He wants us to win and if he were planning to stab us in the back, he would have planned a chink in our armor. It's also nice to have a mountain like that between us and the sec goons am i right?"
-
Mac leans closer again, a little frustrated over his apparent loss over his powers. I seriously have to kill less Nazi AIs and instead find my way back to Gaia, by Crow's guidance, if He wills so.
As a reaction to Sterling's word he grins and stretches out his hand. "Top! I agree this is going to be one of our party, but she is definitely female. I'll take a Guiness, chummer."
Mac chuckles, then his expression goes professional again.
"There's not a piece of 'ware in that troll. She's Awakened. A full-blown adept. Now, well, that makes me confident. An adept, a shaman, a gunslinger and a decker. A sound and round team, each chosen carefully by someone who knows the shadows. Mr. Johnson knows what exactly he does, or I'm an Ork."
That said, he straightens his back and raises his hand in a greeting. "Cheers, chummer. Take a seat. Our mutual friend hasn't arrived yet but we're having party nonetheless. John here was just about giving out a round."
He smiles the way only a Dwarf in expectation for a beer can smile and pats Sterling on the shoulder (if he can reach; anything else will do, if not).
-
"Aye, it does seem pretty well rounded, I'll give you that. This team was expertly chosen; Johnson must have something interesting planned."
Binary seems quieter than before, as if he's deep in thought.
-
Dave
Dave walks the short distance back to The Hangar and enters right before 6 pm. Ducking under the doorframe, she stands before the hostess stand. There is a young human girl standing behind the stand and her eyes widen slightly when Dave steps through the door. "Welcome to The Hangar, uh...miss. Party of one?"
Re: "miss" wow! Impressive perception for a human chick, guess the world is getting a little better each day...
"Hi! Um..." (then in a lower voice) "I'm actually here to meet a Mister Johnson." she says, dropping her usual fake lisp. She gives an awkward attempt at a winning smile...not quite charming but you never know when you'll get points for the effort :)
-
"The Johnson Party?", the young human says. "Your table isn't ready yet. It should just be another minute or two. There are members of your party at the bar if you want to have a drink while you wait.", and she gestures towards the bar.
-
"She?! Man these drinks must have been stronger than I thought. I'll just take you at your word on the adept part. But you're right, a deal is a deal Barkeep this gentlemen here would like a Guinness, and put it on my tab. "
Sterling points to Binary
"And his next one, or the current one if he doesn't want another"
Sterling cracks a smirk
"Don't say I never gave you guys anything"
Sterling waves Dave over
"Always room for one more!
-
A smile breaks onto Binary's face. He calls to the bartender, "Since my good friend has so graciously offered, I'll take another one."
When the bartender brings him his drink, Binary quietly says to him, "You're a saint, my friend." He nods in thanks.
He raises his glass into the air, and cheerily says "A toast to our good friend Sterling, who we can never say didn't give us anything!"
-
Mac raises his beer while waiting for the Guinness and exclaims cheerfully "A toast to our good friend Sterling, who knows who to win a dwarf's heart!"
"Now, let's hope Johnson is as generous. And punctual."
-
Dave
"The Johnson Party?", the young human says. "Your table isn't ready yet. It should just be another minute or two. There are members of your party at the bar if you want to have a drink while you wait.", and she gestures towards the bar.
In a low voice, "Thanks" to the hostess.
Sterling waves Dave over
"Always room for one more!
She gives a long range nod and a half wave towards the bar, then trundles over, carefully squeezing between a few chairs and then reaching down and moving a table to the side (wait...she moved that table one handed like it was a Frisbee!) ugh, places can be all "troll friendly" but until some trolls actually work front of house they never do seem to change the layout. As she get's closer to the bar she smiles at Stirling and offers a high five on the side, followed by a fist...obviously a fist bump but Dave stopped actually bumping unless she wanted the persons place at the bar. She looks around, "so, who's who here?"
-
Sterling high fives Dave as only a man who hasn't seen a gym in years can high five a troll. She probably wouldn't have noticed had she not been looking
"Well this gent here with the whiskey is Binary"
Sterling throws a nod in Binary's direction. Then points over to MacC
"This here is Mac C. I'll take it from an earlier conversation that you call him Maxy at your own risk"
Sterling points a thumb back at himself
"I'm Sterling It's a pleasure to meet you. We were all comparing notes earlier and I'm wondering if you had any to add. I assume Mr J asked for you by name as well? Did you happen to dig up anything else about him or what we may be doing here tonight? We have a few theories but I would be interested to see what you think first"
-
MacC smiles. Not a flashy, winning smile, bur rather a genuinely friendly one. He confirms his introduction with a nod and reaches out a hand. "I'm the one who made Sterling offer you a beer." He grins, the listens to what Dave has to say.
-
Dave
MacC smiles. Not a flashy, winning smile, bur rather a genuinely friendly one. He confirms his introduction with a nod and reaches out a hand. "I'm the one who made Sterling offer you a beer." He grins, the listens to what Dave has to say.
Dave gives a chuckle and smiles at Mac, passing right over his hand and giving him a friendly (light) pat on the head. Now this sort of thing that would be terribly rude with a stranger, but Dave seems to mean it in a between-friends kind of way.
She smiles again, "Hell yeah beer...but I should get a pitcher right, theory of relativity or some such?"
-
"Hell yeah beer...but I should get a pitcher right, theory of relativity or some such?"
Binary laughs. "I like the way you think!"
He takes another drink from his glass. He says, "Welcome to the party. You know our names; what should we call you?"
-
Dave
"Hell yeah beer...but I should get a pitcher right, theory of relativity or some such?"
Binary laughs. "I like the way you think!"
He takes another drink from his glass. He says, "Welcome to the party. You know our names; what should we call you?"
"Oh, name's Dave" she says, placing her fingers on her temple in a sort of two fingered salute.
"Binary hu? Decker?"
Looking back towards Sterling, "and no, nothing on Johnson, matrix is such shit in the Barrens the call barely even came through, so yeah...I got nothing"
"Binary...Sterling...Mac...we got any one else here?" She glances around the room.
-
"The tender and the waitress. And a void where Mr. Johnson should be.", MacC states dryly, then makes a second attempt to wave for the waitress and ask her which table it is they're going to prepare for us.
-
The orc bartender brings the group their requested drinks and they spend a minute drinking and chatting before the young hostess approaches. "Your table is ready, if you'd like to follow me. Don't worry about your open tabs, they're being transferred to your table." Waiting a moment for the runners to gather their drinks, she leads them to their table.
Instead of out into the dining room, she leads you into a small hallway just past the bar area. The hallway ends at a wooden door and the hostess opens it and gestures for the runners to enter. Looking through the doorway is a small, private dining room. The aviation theme continues in here, but it's much more subdued. Classy posters, small models and an actual rug on the floor. There's a table set for six, and the seat facing the door is already occupied.
The man in the room looks at the hostess and says, "Thank you, we will require some privacy for the next few minutes. If we need anything I'll let you know." The hostess turns and walks back the way she came.
The man in the room is human, middle aged and slightly chubby. He has a goatee and his brown hair is receding backwards. You can see sweat on his brow, which he wipes away with a handkerchief. He looks at the four runners in the doorway and gestures to the seats. "Please, have a seat. And close the door." He follows his own advice and sits and waits for the others to do the same.
-
MacC empties the remnants of his beer and picks up his Guinness. "Good. He is punctual."
He then stands up (which actually makes him smaller) and files in the queue - not at the front and not in the rear, if possible. Preferrably somewhere behind Dave. As Mr. Johnson skips the greeting and introduction phase, so does Mac. He curtly nods - you can't fight how you're brought up in the end - and slowly walks to a seat on Mr. Johnsons left (not directly next to him). While doing so, he examines him closely, astral senses still active. He waits for the others to take their seats.
-
"Binary hu? Decker?"
"You got it." Binary says with a smile.
"Good. He is punctual."
My thoughts exactly. Binary finishes his drink and follows the hostess.
As they arrive at the room, Binary takes a seat on the right of the Johnson, closest to the entrance. He looks thoughtful for a moment before mentally calling up a display while the others take their seats.
|| Renraku Tsurugi Cyberdeck - Unit 31-02E-A5 ||
/Search for hidden icons
-- Command Confirmed --
Searching...
-
Sterling finishes the last of his drink and starts to follow the hostess
"Excellent. I was starting to think maybe the hostess or the bartender was going to be our man. I like to keep my business and pleasure more separate than that.
As the group enters the hallway
"Well gents here is the hard part. Wish us luck"
Sterling enters the room and scans the area, looks over Mr. Johnson, and takes an open seat
-
The man waits for the group to take their seats. Dave's chair creaks and groans, but finally seems to accept the Troll's weight.
"I represent a grassroots, traditional values organization.", he pauses, looking at Dave and Mac. "We are a metahuman and Awakened friendly organization, I assure you."
He reaches into his jacket pocket and pulls out a stack of small paper rectangles. Business cards. Old school, paper, non-RFID tagged business cards. He slides one to each runner. Embossed on each card is:
Families Against Morally Indecent and Lawless Youths
PO Box 6604
Tacoma, UCAS
There's also a Matrix link and a commcode. There is no name printed on the cards.
"Our organization provides outreach to troubled youths in and around Tacoma and tries to offer at-risk children another path besides crime and the ganger lifestyle. We've been making headway, until recently."
He pauses for a second, "The first thing we noticed was an increase in 'undesirables' in our neighborhoods. Drifters, addicts and the SINless. Then we noticed that some of the kids in our programs stopped coming. Some of them turned up dead, the rest we're not sure where they are. Probably out of their minds."
"We worked some of our street people to see what was going on. There's a new BTL out on the streets and it's supposedly very desirable and very addictive. No one we know knows where they're coming from or who's distributing them."
"We went to Knight Errant, and they were skeptical at first and dismissive later. They either don't know about the severity of the problem, or they're trying to hide it. Meanwhile, kids are dying on the streets."
He pauses again, "So here we are. I would like to hire you to find out who is behind these new BTLs and put a stop to them. For this service we will pay 32,000 nuyen. If you can grab a few samples of the BTL so that we can turn them over to Knight Errant, they'll be a 10,000 nuyen bonus. I'm afraid that price is firm. We are a non-profit organization, and it took some 'creative bookkeeping' to free up that much."
"When our organization decided to go this route, we worked our contacts to find a certain type of Shadowrunner. Ones that were just starting out because of the money. But more importantly, runners that have a conscience. After all, we're talking about kids here."
"What do you think? Will you do it?"
-
|| Renraku Tsurugi Cyberdeck - Unit 31-02E-A5 ||
-- No Hidden Icons Detected --
-- Visible Icons Detected --
Rating 2 Terminal - No MARKs Detected - Last Command: /send message
Rating 4 Commlink - Connected to Global Grid: NeoNET - Last Command: /reboot
Satisfied that no one was listening in on them, Binary settled down and waited.
"What do you think? Will you do it?"
The man had handed him a business card. A business card, for Ghost's sake! Who even uses those these days? Binary glances at it and sets up a quick search on the Matrix address. Meanwhile, he says, "I hate to see kids dying and being abused, but you will understand if I am somewhat cautious, of course. What other information do you have about this new BTL business? If it's being run by the Mafia or the Yakuza, that would be a greater undertaking than, say, an outlet being run by independent dealers."
|| Renraku Tsurugi Cyberdeck - Unit 31-02E-A5 ||
/search public.FAMILY.ucas
Searching...
-
The man had handed him a business card. A business card, for Ghost's sake! Who even uses those these days? Binary glances at it and sets up a quick search on the Matrix address. Meanwhile, he says, "I hate to see kids dying and being abused, but you will understand if I am somewhat cautious, of course. What other information do you have about this new BTL business? If it's being run by the Mafia or the Yakuza, that would be a greater undertaking than, say, an outlet being run by independent dealers."
"We have no information about who is behind this. All we can infer is that they are in Tacoma somewhere, since that's where all the 'undesirables' are migrating to. And based on the number of deaths we've seen and heard about, there must be a good sized supply of the BTLs. That would indicate an organization of some size."
-
MacC frowns deeply, then remarks in his rather deep and pleasent voice: "Clearly you are not indicating that we'd be supposed to run against an organization of the wealth and power of the Yakuza or an AA corp for mere 8000 nuyen, are you? The job you are offering is worth 12000 at least without a real powerful organizsation behind it. But you are right - we are, and I hope I can speak for you guys too, decent runners, so I am willing to accomodate you.
"Here's what I suggest, and I can only speak for myself: I'll take the run as you suggested, given we're not talking about the real big fish. If we find out this "organization of some size" is one of "international size", you add some ten kay. If it's not merely international but world-wide - like the Yakuza or something - that's another 10k more for the lot of us. Plus five kay extra for anyone - blessed be their souls - who doesn't live to receive the payment. You know, proper funeral costs and such."
Let's hope the nervosity I sensed means he has never worked with runners before and is not experienced in haggling. His price may be fixed, but maybe there's a loophole where I can circumflex this fixed price and yet dig out some well-needed creds. Crow, don't leave me now!
-
Dave
Dave thinks for a minute...running various options through her head...
Hmmm..."I like Kids...but not like that...kids like me too...well not really, but they would if they got to know me...look, I'll shoot at stuff that shoots at kids alright? I mean...but only if you pay me of course...actually I'll shoot anyone if you pay me, but not kids...unless they are bad kids...um..."
Yeah, maybe not talking is a good plan right now...
She sits there and tries to look serious, but not too intimidating, maybe friendly? So basically she just sits there :)
-
Sterling waits for the Johnson to finish his pitch
Time to make some money
A new node opens on the Matrix. Was Sterling's suit always that well cut? the node grows brighter. A pleasant smell waifs towards everyone's noses. Was Sterling's chin always that square? Huh I swear he wasn't that tall in the last room. I bet he has something really interesting to say
Like taking candy from a baby. Isn't Biology grand?
Sterling looks Mr. Johnson right in the eyes
"We all sympathize with your plight. These kids only crime is not being born to rich and powerful parents. We want to help you, but you have to help us help you"
A soft look crosses Sterling's face as he gestures to the assembled team
"It's obvious that you are out of your element here. The perspiration on your brow and that out of place heater on your back are testaments to your normally docile nature. Still every father rises to the occasion when his children are threatened. It must be a problem of the most dire nature to bring you here in the first place. I will do you a favor and tell you how the shadows work. It's not all trid glitz and glamor. We go to this rough part of town, find a dealer, you think he is going to turn on his boss for "warm fuzzie feelings"? I take a piece of lead from some ganger tracking down a lead for you. Sadly my street doc stopped taking "I really appreciate its" last week. These cloths, his deck, his fetishes, her weapons, we didn't win them in a raffle. All of this and more take big piles of cred. You said we were new. That's true, but you don't pay a newly graduated neurosurgeon a walk in clinic docs wage. We may be new to the streets, but we have years of unique experience solving problems just like yours in our own special ways. We could take your payment, and cut corners to keep our margins up and get the job done. After all bodies are cheaper than bribes, a broken nose more cost effective than tactfully asked questions with a proper disguise, live ammo easier to come by than stick n shock. However I'm fairly certain i know which you would prefer. We offer to turn your war zone back into a peaceful community. All we need are the resources to get it done right the first time
Sterling picks up the business card, looks at it, and puts it away into his suit pocket
"I know that running a non profit these days must be hard. People aren't buying tote bags like they used to. The margins must be razor thin, and when they aren't you expand or invest till they are. But by the sound of things this cartel of yours will shut you down even quicker than a sudden large expense will. How much is your organization, your community, your legacy worth? I'm willing to bet its worth a little more than 32 large, but i could be wrong...
Sterling extends both of his hands toward the Johnson in a brotherly gesture
"Help us help you"
-
What the fuck am I doing here? Is this what the years in the shadows made out of me? I started this biz because I didn't want a corp to force me into becoming a hermetic, not because I would let kids die of a drug, because a non-profit is not offering the same amount an AAA megacorp would offer.
Crap, Mac, it's time you meat some normal people and...
He listens to Sterling's speech with a mixture of awe and disgust. Wow, this one knows what he's doing. Compared to him I'm but a kid in terms of manipulation. Mac, be aware of him. His tongue may prove more powerful than your magic.
Mac suddenly feels ashamed of trying to wrench out the last nuyen of this man, but knows better than to admit it. If I show that I'm swayed so easily, I'm prey.
So he listens to the negotiation, trying to hide the sour expression on his face.
-
Johnson tries to keep a poker face while Sterling works his magic, but you can see a line of sweat roll down his face and his shoulders sag slightly. When Sterling is done, he wipes his forehead again and then reaches into another jacket pocket. He places a silver Credstick on the table and slides it to Sterling.
"That's 20,000 nuyen of my own money. Upfront. For this amount of nuyen, I expect a swift resolution."
-
Sterling reaches out for the cred stick, nods to Dave Binary and MacC and puts it in his coat pocket
"I have made you a lot of promises, and with this money i guarantee we will make good on all of them. We will remove this cancer from your streets. Rest at ease Mr Johnson your family will be safe soon."
Sterling straightens his coat and puts his hands down on the table in front of him
"Now that that little bit of unpleasantness is out of the way, tell us everything you do know about the group. You said you don't know who they are, but do you know where they operate? Tacoma is a big place. Are we talking Fife, Milton, Northeast Tacoma, Kent? Or is it right on your door step? The sooner we find a lead, the sooner we can get you your swift resolution."
-
Mac swallows, but keeps his professional expression. After Sterling's questions he adds: "Do you have youths in your organization who take these Beetles? Do you know addicts or even dealers? What kind of youths are especially attracted to this drug?"
-
Johnson straightens himself back before speaking, "We do not know who is behind these new BTL's. That's why you're here to find them and to stop them. And as to where, these new chips are all over Tacoma now. I wouldn't be surprised if they've spread into other parts of the metroplex by now. But the distribution hub is definitely in Tacoma somewhere. But I don't know where that might be. That's how you're going to earn some of that money I just gave you."
He turns his attention to Mac, "it's the usual types if people that fall prey to these new chips. BTL junkies, SINless, drifters. But they used to stay in their places. Now they've overrun certain parts of Tacoma."
"I can give you the contact information of a couple locals who have fallen prey to these new BTLs. But, I don't think they'll be much use. We've tried to get in contact with them recently and they won't answer their comm. Their addresses are most likely dead ends, too. Their living situations are 'fluid' to say the least. But if you think it will help I will give you the information."
-
"Tacoma is a big place, we will take any leads you have for us, dead end or not. If they are as wide spread as you believe though we should be able to pick up their scent from there. That seems to sum up our meeting though"
Sterling looks to each of the runners one at a time and then gestures to the group
"Anyone have any questions? Mr Johnson's time is valuable and we have a drug cartel to dismantle and a neighborhood to save"
-
"Please do give us the contact information. Apart from this, I think we know what's to be known. I'm ready."
MacC gets up, ready to leave. He nods to Mr. Johnson. "Thanks for you confidence. We won't disappoint you."
-
Binary listens in silence. The truth was, he would have done the job anyway, for the kids. Even if he wasn't getting paid. He kept his mouth shut though, as the others did their stuff.
He winces inwardly when Sterling convinces the Johnson to nervously hand over a credstick. The guy stood no chance.
"Anyone have any questions? Mr Johnson's time is valuable and we have a drug cartel to dismantle and a neighborhood to save"
"No more questions." He looks at the Johnson. Carefully, he mentally sends a message.
<<To Johnson: [Unknown Commcode] For the kids, we'll do it. Be safe; it's a dangerous place out there.>>
Binary notices everyone else getting ready to leave, so he follows suit.
-
"As you wish", says Johnson and he reaches down and fiddles with his commlink for a minute. Each of you receive a small text file with a list of 3 names with commcodes and addresses. Theres another commcode at the bottom of the message.
Emil Bakaza - 2300 62nd Ave.E, Tacoma
'Chomper' -South C Street, Tacoma
Meghan Ryan - 6100 Lakewood Drive West, Tacoma
"When you've completed your work, you can reach me at the number I just provided. Good luck."
-
Not even noticing the incoming message, MacC heads for the door. Life's a bitch sometimes. Nothing to do about it.
Outside, he waits for Mr. Johnson to leave, and the others to follow, then turns to his new team members. "Well, let's get shit done. I'd suggest we look for somewhere nice and cozy to have a little chit-chat as how to start, where to start and who we are. I'd invite you to my room but alas, I didn't clean up. Since it seems unlikely that we're overheard by professionals, I guess we just pick some club or something. I'd suggest something inside, though, cuz it's frigging cold. And some place with, you know, adjustable seat heights." He glances at Dave, and smirks.
-
Dave
Not even noticing the incoming message, MacC heads for the door. Life's a bitch sometimes. Nothing to do about it.
Outside, he waits for Mr. Johnson to leave, and the others to follow, then turns to his new team members. "Well, let's get shit done. I'd suggest we look for somewhere nice and cozy to have a little chit-chat as how to start, where to start and who we are. I'd invite you to my room but alas, I didn't clean up. Since it seems unlikely that we're overheard by professionals, I guess we just pick some club or something. I'd suggest something inside, though, cuz it's frigging cold. And some place with, you know, adjustable seat heights." He glances at Dave, and smirks.
"Everyone's workin' to accommodate Dwarves now...you can raise you're seat, sure, but ya can't fuckin lower it! Let alone widen it....or get any leg room. Have you seen some of the new "troll friendly" places? Seat goes down to the floor all right, but you're knees come up to your chin there still aint enough room under the table...nope, only option is a full troll bar, fair and square..." Dave finishes her rant...then looks around and smiles... "yeah no. Let's find a nice Dwarf friendly place hu?"
-
MacC rolls his eyes. "Let's not make this more complicated as it is. We go for a bar, I'll take a seat on an elevated chair and you just lean at the bar or something. Or we take one of these oriental shisha bars where you sit on a carpet or what.
Erm, anyone got a car here? I'm afraid I didn't take mine with me and people usually mind me flying to places." He grins.
-
"I brought my bike if you don't mind holding on." Binary grins. "I only got room for one though, the rest of you are on your own."
Binary walks towards the bartender and slides a credstick towards him.
-
"I don't mind. Thanks for the ride, omae!"
As there appears to be no obvious danger worth taking any risk MacC drops the Stone Skin spell casting an ever so slightly shimmering green shield around him.
-
"Null sweat, chummer."
-
Sterling sighs a little as he thinks about his poor car before opening his mouth
"Well unless you have your own ride, i guess that means you have shotgun Dave. As for the rest of us, why don't we head on down to the Last Bite. Its a beer and sandwich shop just down the road. We can grab some dinner and grab a brew for the road. I have a feeling this is going to be a late night so we better eat while we can right?"
Sterling sizes up the group one last time
It's going to be a tough job, but if there is one good thing i can say about Johnson, he picked a good team for this one. Hopefully...
Sterling suddenly claps his hands together
"Well i booked us a rush job here so lets get to it. We have a neigborghood to save"
-
"Well, fine by me, let's get shit done."
He rubs his hands in expectation of a nice sandwich and a cool beer, then follows Binary to his bike.
[EDIT: Corrected the name.]
-
Binary and Mac climb onto Binary's bike while Dave squeezes herself into the passenger seat of Sterling's car. Sterling leads the way taking a right onto Pacific Highway east and winding his way deeper into Fife with Binary close behind.
The neighborhood becomes a little rougher as they make their way through the neighborhoods of Fife. Brightly lit neon and corp owned commercial stores give way to warehouses, pawn shops and boarded storefronts. Some toughs on a street corner give Sterling's car a hard eye, but all they do is look.
Eventually you pull up to Last Bite. It doesn't look like much on the outside. The wooden boards are a faded color than can only be described as 'greyish', All the widows look like they've been painted over in black and the only signage is a small wooden board with a crudely painted picture of a mug of beer and a sandwich. Despite all this there's a line of bikes, cars and motorcycles parked in front of the place and the noise of a large crowd can be heard from inside.
-
MacC hops off the bike, nodding thanks to Binary. "Looks like we're the first here to grab something to eat."
He waits for Binary to secure his bike, then walks over to the entrance on his side. "That's a nice bike you've got there. Are you a rigger, too?"
Mac pushes the door open and enters the Last Bite.
-
Dave
As the group sorts out a plan Dave weighs in at some point...
"Um, yeah...so at some point I might need to grab my bow...which is sorta actually in the Barrens right now." Dave grins, then continues. "Wasn't expecting a rush job I guess and it's not too popular on the bus...any way I can certainly roll with out it but it does pack a nice punch. Maybe we can roll that way at some point?" Dave looks hopeful, but unsure, and she is still happy to roll with the group until she gets a good chance to grab her bow and other gear from her loft.
-
As Binary finishes securing his bike, he walks in with MacC "A rigger? No, nothing like that. Just a gift from an old friend."
He goes quiet in thought for a moment. He turns to MacC and asks "You said you fly to places?"
-
Dave
As the group sorts out a plan Dave weighs in at some point...
"Um, yeah...so at some point I might need to grab my bow...which is sorta actually in the Barrens right now." Dave grins, then continues. "Wasn't expecting a rush job I guess and it's not too popular on the bus...any way I can certainly roll with out it but it does pack a nice punch. Maybe we can roll that way at some point?" Dave looks hopeful, but unsure, and she is still happy to roll with the group until she gets a good chance to grab her bow and other gear from her loft.
The car pulls out of the hanger and expertly guides itself onto the highway as Sterling pulls out his pistol, checks the slide, and loads it with the gel rounds
Well a promise is a promise. Mr Johnson is going to get every penny's worth out of me
Sterling re-holsters his weapon, his eyes never on the road
"Dave we talkin Puyallup or Redmond here? We may be able to swing by the former, but if its the later I'm afraid your SOL chummer. Just to show you no hard feelings, i do have a another gun in the trunk. It's a little flashy, but im going to guess that's your style anyway. Or we could always swing by a weapons world here in Tacoma. We have 5k each to prep for this, maybe binary can tell us which location has the better outdoors man section?
As the car pulls up to the last bite Sterling notices the looks his ride is getting
"Dave can you do me a solid here? We need to show these gents that a fancy car isn't worth messing with us if you catch my drift. "
Sterling exits the car and shoots a glare over at the street toughs while moving his coat aside to show the machine pistol and gesturing towards Dave before confidently moving into the last bite
-
The toughs on the corner look Sterling up and down and then seem to step back a bit when Dave unfolds herself from the car. They lose interest in Sterling and his car for some reason.
The Last Bite is similar inside as it looked from outside. It's not very big, maybe 15 tables and a small bar area. It's also fairly dark in here. Only a couple of spotlights over the bar and a few tables and red string lights tacked to the low ceiling. Dave's head almost scrapes along the low ceiling. The place is loud too. There's a good crowd at the bar and they're talking and laughing loudly. The bartender seems to be the center of it. A Dwarf with a huge red beard who is slinging drinks and tossing out comments to all the patrons as he does so. You cant really hear what he's saying, but it's making everyone at the bar burst out laughing. Most of the tables seem occupied.
While the runners are taking it in, a dwarf woman hustles up to them. Her hair is the same bright red as the dwarf behind the bar and you can see some runic tattoos running down the side of her neck and down under her shirt. She looks you all over, "4 of you, then? I got a table in the back corner that should work for you." and she leads you towards the back of the restaurant to a small round 'table'. It's not really a table but an old wooden cable spool turned on its side. The chairs around the table look similarly cobbled together. She gestures for you all to sit, but stops Dave before she sits. "Hold on a second, I've got a better seat for you", and she walks away briefly returning with a large, troll sized chair which she swaps out with Dave's chair. "That's better.", she says with a note of satisfaction. "She makes a flicking gesture with her hands and an ARO opens up in front of each of you. "Here's what we've got today. I'd recommend the Porter to drink. Flynn just tapped it today. If you're hungry, the Corned Beast sandwich is the best around. Ill be back in a second to take your order." and with that, she hustles away.
-
to Dave (before we leave)
"Right now it's only talking. I don't assume that we are followed right now since we're just dealing with drug dealers. The chance that they're paranoid enough to follow every family activist are pretty low. Anyway, they didn't attack us now, so I assume it's safe to eat your sandwich without the bow. You can grab it still before we go into action.
Erm. Why do you use a bow? There's a lot of, uhm, invention, that, you know, were invented, over the last 600 years."
to Binary (after we've arrived)
Not it's MacC's turn to flash a smile. "I do, but I try to avoid being seen doing so. It freaks people out, you know. I guess they don't want to be a Dwarf higher than they are.
But that's exactly why I'd like to have some chit-chat before we start. I want you to know what I can do, and more important, I want to know what you guys can do. Otherwise, we can't cooperate in a sensible way. "
-
"Corned beast sandwich? Sounds like a challenge to me. I'll take a porter and a corned beast then. Thanks"
Sterling waits for the other to place their orders before continuing.
"Well now come the important part gentlemen, and lady. How do we crack this particular nut?"
Sterling looks around at the assembled bar patrons
"Maybe we should make this conversation a bit more private first though"
Sterling blinks a few times before an ARO pops in front of all of your visions
Sterling has invited you to a conference, 1/4 callers are currently connected, Connect? [Yes]/[No]
-
"I'll take a blonde and a soybeef one."
"Maybe we should make this conversation a bit more private first though"
Sterling blinks a few times before an ARO pops in front of all of your visions
Mac (who obviously has no datajack and doesn't wear any trodes) seems a little puzzled. "Yeah, sure. I think if we just walk in the corner over there I guess we won't be overheard."
He briskly walks over to the indicated place, looking back for the rest of the team to follow.
-
At the mention of food, Binary realizes he hasn't eaten all day. Oops.
"Corned Beast, you say?" Binary's eyebrow raises in suspicion. "I think I'll try something a little less mysterious."
He takes a look at the rest of the menu. One catches his eye, and he immediately decides that's what he wants.
"I'll have the barbecue soybeef sandwich. Porter sounds good too."
As the waitress walks away to put their orders in, Sterling speaks up.
"Well now come the important part gentlemen, and lady. How do we crack this particular nut?"
He pauses a moment before adding.
"Maybe we should make this conversation a bit more private first though"
With that, an ARO pops up in Binary's vision. Binary mentally selects "Yes" and sees that he and Sterling are the only two in it.
<<@Sterling [Binary] I don't think MacC has an Image Link, and Dave doesn't strike me as very technical, so I don't think this is going to work.>>
-
<<@Binary [Sterling] Hard to believe believe there are still people around not using the trix. Guess he must be a stickler for tradition>>
Sterling looks once more over to the waitress
"We will take that booth in the corner there. My big friend here will take the roast beast as well and a pitcher of Omae Lite to wash it down. She is watching her girlish figure after all"
Sterling gives Dave a coy wink, moves over to the table, and sits with his back to the crowd
So what do you guys know about the local drug landscape? I cant say I'm a stranger to recreational pharmaceuticals, but i can remember the last time actually had to buy them myself. I have a friend in the smuggling business, but this is probably out of his wheel house. I'm not above hitting the street either if that's our only option. I'd just rather not go in totally blind.
-
<<@Binary [Sterling] Hard to believe believe there are still people around not using the trix. Guess he must be a stickler for tradition>>
<<@Sterling [Binary] I know, strange, right? Not that I haven't worked with the kind before, but still, it is sometimes hard to believe.>>
The waitress smiles at Sterling's joke and directs them towards the booth. Once everyone is situated, Sterling speaks up,
So what do you guys know about the local drug landscape? I cant say I'm a stranger to recreational pharmaceuticals, but i can remember the last time actually had to buy them myself. I have a friend in the smuggling business, but this is probably out of his wheel house. I'm not above hitting the street either if that's our only option. I'd just rather not go in totally blind.
"Aye, been a while since I've had to hit the streets for anything. Give me a minute, I can see if I can drag up any public info from the Matrix, but no promises. Stuff like this is probably pretty well hidden, and likely won't show up on a general search."
-
"What about you Mac? Do you have any angles you can play? Any friends in low places, or any wuju that may shed some light on the problem? Even if you don't, Dave still has all of this under control right chummer?"
Dave glares at Sterling wondering what she wants more, the food to arrive or for sterling to stop cracking wise
While binary here does his thing let me make a few calls before the food gets here.
Sterling's eyes dart back and forth rapidly as if he is reading things in quick succession
<<@Domino [Sterling] You have a moment Omae? Got a bit of a problem here. Even if you cant solve it, hoping you might be able to clue me into someone who can. Thanks>>
-
MacC has been sitting in thought and listening for a couple of ticks, oblivious of the electronic exchange of messages. When he's adressed, he knits his eyebrows. "Unfortunately - or happily - I have no contact with the drug scene, let alone BTL scene.
"What I can do, however, is to observe unseen. I have a number of possibilities to find stuff out without being noticed. I guess, one first step should be to check Mr. Johnson's adresses."
He looks around. "I guess, if asking some regular BTL dealer would help anyone out, Mr. J would not have to spend a fortune on a group of pros. So, while it would be silly not to try, I don't expect to get anything from regular connections.
What might also prove useful is to check out some hospitals or clinics, that is, shadow clinics. At least some of the addicts might have been brought somewhere, and the staff might know some things. But the hottest trace will be the three contacts, I guess.
What say you?"
-
Sterling looks distracted as the rapid eye movements continue
"Sorry I'm a little distracted. I'm throwing a few feelers out myself, and Binary there still seems to be surfing the trix himself. Sadly its looking like knocking on doors is going to be our only option soon. Still waiting on another call back though. With any luck fortune will smile upon us. I'd hate to hit the pavement blind
Sterling does a double take for a moment.
"Wait you said observing without being seen? I recall you saying something about being a shaman back at the hanger. What kind of mojo you got hiding under those sleeves of yours? I only ask cause its hard to tell the difference between trid magic and the real deal. Going to go out on a limb and say you can't blow up buildings in slow motion while sythrock plays?"
-
MacC smiles, then shakes his head. "No blowin' up no buildings, omae. Most stuff I'd do would look pretty boring on a trid screen, I guessm tough getting ripped apart by a Wolf spirit is an event you're unlikely to forget. Has anyone ever worked with a magician before?"
Mac raises an eyebrow in expectation. This problem is not a new one: People imagine the weirdest stuff when they hear you're a shaman, then they find out it's wrong and soon after they'll find out that some of what they believed actually is true and that's when you got them confused entirely.
"Before I get to my strength - and observation is one of them - I will put my weakness plainly. I'm not good at fighting, at least not when I'm unprepared. Give me proper time and I guess I can take out a strike team single-handedly - that is, if you geek the mage. But if we're surprised I have to get the drek out of the line of fire, or I'm very soon your dead shaman.
I do have three possibilities to observe some place unseen. First is, I send a spirit there. Keeps us out of the shooting line but you've never been there in real, and I have to admit that I love to see things with my own eyes. Second possibility is a little better: A shaman can leave his mortal shell, emerging into the world of spirits. I can travel pretty much anywhere, though what I see, is ... That's always the difficult part. To keep it simple, I can't see everything, and I can see more, and from time to time this is the most useful - and beautiful - way to see things. I'd be happy to try and put it in words, but I learned that most shadowrunners are only interested as to what it comes down. And it pretty much comes down to that reading street signs is impossible from the astral space.
Then there is possibility number three, and I figure, this might be the most interesting one. Crow grants me the power to take the shape of birds and beasts, first and foremost the crow itself. I can observe any place with my real eyes in my real body and most people wouldn't suspect a crow to be hunting BTL dealers."
Then MacC flashes a smirk and winks. "And I guess, I could take a passenger."
-
The dwarf waitress comes back after a few minutes and plops the drinks down in front of you. A porter for Sterling and Binary, a blond for Mac and a red ale for Dave. "I'll be back in a few minutes with your food.", she says smiling professionally before hurrying away.
-
Binary flicks swiftly through his deck utilities, sending out searches and code for information.
|| Renraku Tsurugi Cyberdeck - Unit 31-02E-A5 ||
/search "BTL", "BTLs", "Tacoma", "New BTLs"
-- Agent Booted --
"Search for any information about new BTL's around Tacoma."
The Agent nodded and disappeared from view.
After quickly shuffling through useless data, Binary found something interesting. Binary had been vaguely listening. Something about magic and mojo and turning into a crow. While that was a new one, it wasn't the strangest thing he'd ever heard. He looked at his companions.
"Here's what I got. Not much turned up, I didn't expect it to, but I got a short clip of some kids referencing "Mingyun". It seems to be a name for a BTL, and get this, it's geotagged for Tacoma. I might be able to dig for more later, but that could take hours. Whoever is running this has it buried deep, I only got lucky because kids these days share anything and everything about their lives."
He thanks the waitress for the drink before turning back to his companions. "I have a contact who might be able to help, but he might not. BTL's are a little out of his territory. Any scouting you can do MacC would be great, that way I can focus my search down a bit."
-
"Mingyun, huh? Doesn't sound Japanese to me, and I do speak a little Japse. Is it Chinese?
I guess this is our hottest lead. Normally I'd have said, it'd be better first to do the intel, then go there physically, but if we now wait for hours it's morning and we lose the day. So here's what I suggest:
Someone get me a good description of the way to our three sweethearts plus map plus satellite pictures. I will go there astrally which should not take long, and see what I can see. In the end, I might even see more than my mundane eyes could see. You know, the whole Gaia sph-"
He interrupts himself. Not that any of them would care about it anyway.
He insteads clears his throat and goes on.
"With this first impression, you, Binary, try and narrow down your search for, what's its name? Something like minigun. Tomorrow in the morning, we meet again, you get us updated, and then we'll see what our next step will be.
By the way, Sterling, what is it you're being hired for? I understand you're quite a Prince Charming, but apart from that? Gunslinger? Infiltrator?"
-
"Mingyun, huh? Doesn't sound Japanese to me, and I do speak a little Japse. Is it Chinese?
"Yeah, sounds Chinese to me too. Not really much to go on though, just because it's a Chinese name, it doesn't mean much."
I guess this is our hottest lead. Normally I'd have said, it'd be better first to do the intel, then go there physically, but if we now wait for hours it's morning and we lose the day. So here's what I suggest:
Someone get me a good description of the way to our three sweethearts plus map plus satellite pictures. I will go there astrally which should not take long, and see what I can see. In the end, I might even see more than my mundane eyes could see. You know, the whole Gaia sph-"
He interrupts himself. He insteads clears his throat and goes on.
"With this first impression, you, Binary, try and narrow down your search for, what's its name? Something like minigun. Tomorrow in the morning, we meet again, you get us updated, and then we'll see what our next step will be.
Taking a swig of his drink, Binary replies, "Sounds like a good plan. I can give you the coordinates from the geotag, but Tacoma is a large place. They could have been sending it from the dealer's, or they could have been several streets away. Still, it's a place to start."
Binary falls silent as he sips from his drink. A notification pops up.
|| Renraku Tsurugi Cyberdeck - Unit 31-02E-A5 ||
...subroutine Agent.Smith rendering...
Agent Smith: "No information found. Any other instructions?"
Binary sighs silently to himself. He mentally sends, "Standby for further instructions." Not the best way to start a run. He quietly mulls things over as the others speak.
-
MacC takes on an expression that you will soon learn is very typical for him: Grumpy, but in a very charming way, kind of a heart-warming grumpiness, a grumpiness only Dwarves can show.
"That won't do. You know... Okay, maybe it's necessary. Let's see if that's a bright one.
MacC smiles - a little weary, but also heartily. "As every being has a soul, so does Gaia, or you may call her simply Earth. A shaman has the gift to see the souls of beings. That is, for example, how I knew you were a decker. I could read it from your soul. As I could read in Dave's soul - or aura - that she's an adept.
Just like a decker can leave his meat body to fully emerge in the digital world, so can we leave our meat body to fully emerge in what we call the astral sphere. We then see what really is true, like if you would pull a curtain. You see life itself, and everything that is dead is but a shadow.
But in this lies the crux.
You see, an ARO has no soul, and neither has a sign post. So it's sometimes difficult to find your way in the astral sphere if you are in a unnatural, that is, urban, environment. So I need you to find waymarks I can read in the astral sphere: parks, full of living things, huge buildings, streets swarming with life. Things like that."
MacC frowns.
"Can you do that?"
-
The look of distraction leaves Sterling's face.
"ok got the last of my leads in. Ah and just in time for dinner it seems. That smuggler friend i mentioned earlier came through in a big way. As I assumed he didn't know much, but he knows a guy who knows a guy and set up a meeting for us in 2 hours at a stuffer shack down the road. He's a local chip maker here in Tacoma. I've been told hes a bit of a hard ass and we'll need to watch our hoops, but I bet he will know a thing or three about this "Mingyun". Either he will be involved in the scheme or be mad that someone is moving in on his turf. We can use either to our benefit. I will also agree it sounds rather Chinese. Lets keep our fingers crossed this isn't a piece of the Triads pie, or this job just got a lot more interesting."
Nothing more dangerous than an "interesting" job
Sterling takes a long pull from his beer
Hmmm not bad, I will have to remember this place next time I'm in the area. Though i may want to dress down next time
Sterling looks over toward Mac
"Never had a head for mojo myself. Doesn't work the way I'm used to things workin. Also if your implying what I think you are, you can count me out. I like keeping my two feet firmly on the ground and my arms covered with ten fingers and not a row of feathers. If i ever want to fly, I'll stick to the Sim chips Omea."
Sterling's gaze hardens at what his purpose is here
"There is a lot more to this than simply being "price charming". Two old sayings sum it up best. Knowledge is power, and It's not what you know its who you know. I've got friends in high places and a nack for making them fast in low places. Some situations can only be solved with a little pressure from the right people. If the right people think, or actually are, your friends it makes things a lot smoother. Not to mention the right words in the right ears make the world go round. Why sneak in somewhere when you can just fool them into thinking that you belong? Why gun down a group of gangers when you can bluff them down and have a few drinks after? The best battle is the one your enemy never knew he was fighting."
Sterling pats his coat pocket takes another sip of his drink
"This pile of creds we talked out the Johnson will also help ease things on us a bit. I do admit though we don't live in an ideal world. Things don't always go as planned, and my tongue isn't quite as silvered as I'd like it to be. I assume you've seen or at least noticed my piece. It's best in class and I have the skills to match. At a moments notice i can bring a rain of lead down on our enemies. I've also got a few other tricks up my sleeve. Though if the last resort is the only option, I haven't done my job quite right."
-
MacC raises his eyebrows, then chuckles. "Ya know what I never got straight? All the world is afraid if some wizard can cast a fireball by merely uttering words, gesturing and calling to the might of the elements. But nobody - nobody - cares that you were just able to set up a meeting with a drug dealer while we were talking without so much as uttering a single word, performing a single gesture or calling to any might there is. Except your Matrix provider." Who says he cannot call upon a go-gang, an assassin or a hitmage in the same way? You're talking nicely and the next instant you got a 9mm-lead-poisoning. Good to be on his side. Better to stay there.
"I have to say, Sterling, I'm wondering more and more who of us is the one doing magic. First you charm Mr. Johnson more thouroughly than I ever could, than you summon a drug dealer in no time. You have me impressed, omae."
There's no sign the dwarf is feigning his respect.
After verbally patting your shoulder, he returns back to business.
"Who do you think should go there? He might get a littl itchy if everyone shows up." He darts a short glance at Dave.
"Maybe only one or two should go there ... physically I mean."
-
"Honestly people are just scared of what they don't understand. They see trids where the bad guy walks in, snaps his fingers, and everyone shoots themselves in the head. Not for a second thinking how many brains have melted out of ears due to corp IC or drek hot deckers."
Sterling lets out a slight sigh
"I also think people are jealous. With a little cred and a few instruction manuals you could do what i just did. Don't even need to go under the knife either. But I'm will to go out on a limb and say that no matter how much i try, i will never be able to turn other people into birds"
Sterling leans in
"Just between the four of us. You wouldn't happen to have a bird cadge full of people that have slotted you off over the years would you?"
He leans back out with just as quickly
"On second thought I'd rather not know. As for the matter at hand, i think you have it right. The four of us go in guns blazing and we will spook the guy. Also if he is as paranoid as I've been lead to believe, we may not like to see his plan B. How does this scan with you guys. I walk up with Dave here, I pose as a big time buyer looking for the next hot thing, and Dave poses as the hired muscle. Tacoma is a dangerous place after all. All kinds of undesirables at every corner table. Then you two could be my eyes and ears. Do a little scouting before during and after? Binary, do you have any little robotic friends you could send in ahead of us? Mac, how long can you keep that bird spell going? No one ever suspects the bird"
-
"S'pose you're right, chum. A fireball ain't neither quicker nor deadler than a bullet and has worse after-effects for the one who casts it. But a gun is easier to understand."
"Just between the four of us. You wouldn't happen to have a bird cadge full of people that have slotted you off over the years would you?"
Mac also leans in for the answer, a serious expression on his face. "I don't. If I don't like people, I turn them into fish." He gives this a second to sink in, than breaks into a broad grin, marking it as a joke.
"As for the matter at hand, i think you have it right. The four of us go in guns blazing and we will spook the guy. Also if he is as paranoid as I've been lead to believe, we may not like to see his plan B. How does this scan with you guys. I walk up with Dave here, I pose as a big time buyer looking for the next hot thing, and Dave poses as the hired muscle. Tacoma is a dangerous place after all. All kinds of undesirables at every corner table. Then you two could be my eyes and ears. Do a little scouting before during and after? Binary, do you have any little robotic friends you could send in ahead of us? Mac, how long can you keep that bird spell going? No one ever suspects the bird"
MacC nods slowly. "I'm inclined to agree that Dave and you'd be a good combo. On the one hand I don't like the idea that I can't ask questions, but on the other hand I do like the idea that I'm not in the front row when meeting a drug dealer with an itchy finger on the trigger of his best friend. I'm not used to bullets, and I don't mean to change that."
He winks, taking a sip of his blonde. The only kind of blonde I'm going to get soon, I fear.
"I can sustain the spell for hours if need be. In fact, I regularly do so. You do understand the mysteries of nature better if you truly become a part of it. For the job, however, I think something more subtle would be suitable. No one ever suspects a bird, as you said, but few people like crows in a stuffer shack. Maybe the alleycat on the window sill would be a more favourable form.
Okay, seems like we have a plan. Leaves us a couple o' ticks to discuss what we're gonna ask."
MacC rubs his hands. Business time. Oh, how I missed that feeling!
-
"Magic, charm, a deck; they are all just tools we use in our job. None of them are more mysterious or more powerful than another." Binary shrugs as he sips his drink.
"On second thought I'd rather not know. As for the matter at hand, i think you have it right. The four of us go in guns blazing and we will spook the guy. Also if he is as paranoid as I've been lead to believe, we may not like to see his plan B. How does this scan with you guys. I walk up with Dave here, I pose as a big time buyer looking for the next hot thing, and Dave poses as the hired muscle. Tacoma is a dangerous place after all. All kinds of undesirables at every corner table. Then you two could be my eyes and ears. Do a little scouting before during and after? Binary, do you have any little robotic friends you could send in ahead of us? Mac, how long can you keep that bird spell going? No one ever suspects the bird"
"Can't help you there. I can provide Matrix Overwatch and make sure you don't have any unexpected people heading toward you, but I don't have any drones on me. I always preferred the virtual over the meat; drones just seem like another way to interact in the meat world. I can still be your virtual eyes and ears." He sits back and sighs. He sends off a quick message.
<<@Patch [Binary] Hey man, I got a quick question. You get any BTL junkies recently? Word is that there is some serious drek circulating around Tacoma that's burning through people's brains.>>
He says, "Well, I think I've done about all I can do, for now. Shall we eat and then go meet your 'friend'?"
-
The dwarf waitress appears again, this time carrying a tray laden with plates.
"Corned Beast for you", she thunks a plate down in front of Sterling. Its a huge sandwich with shaved meat piled high between two slices of dark rye bread and what looks like mustard dripping down the side. It smells really good. There's also a nest of chips and a huge pickle.
"Soybeef for you two," and she thunks two more plates down in front of Mac and Dave. Two more huge sandwiches, these served on big rolls.
"and a barbecue soybeef for you", and she drops the last plate in front of Binary. It looks similar to Mac's and Dave's but its slathered in dark reddish-brown barbecue sauce.
"Let me know if you need anything else", and before you can respond she hustles away to take another tables order.
-
MacC's eyes gleam as he gets his sandwich. He grabs it with both hands and takes a hearty bite, chewing with joy and hmm'ing happily. After a few bites, he clears his throat, wipes the sauce out of his face and says:
"Kay. Let's do it that way. We go there together, then I will check the place from the astral space, while Binary looks for any unwanted gear, stuff, whatever. As soon as I give you the thumbs up, you two go in, and I will follow shortly after as a cat. This way, I'm not as free to observe the astral space, but I don't expect any hidden mojo I can't find if I check the place out before you go in anyway. But I can interact with you, at least a little, and I can, uhm, interact with your friend's friend's friend if things turn sour."
He takes another bit of the sandwich.
"Do you know some place near, where I can ... do something in private for a second? A park, a hidden rooftop, an alley where we can sure that no one comes in for at least a couple of seconds? I'll be quick, but I don't want anybody to get nervous."
-
DAVE
"Sounds good, as long as I can get a bow between now and then..."
Dave is just tagging along and going with the flow. As long as she can get a bow some how (availability 0, rating 9, 900 Nuyen). She can roll unarmed without a bow if absolutely necessary.
-
Sterling looks over the massive sandwich and eagerly takes a bite, then another.
"Glad to see the old intuition hasn't failed me yet. The special is usually the only eatable thing at these kinds of places Mac How much space will you be needing? I've got a back seat and there are plenty of garages around here. Dave and i can watch your back for however long you need. As for your Dave, if Mac's biz will really only take a moment then we can hit up the weapons world a few blocks from here, tap into the slush fund, and get you armed and ready. Assuming of course that's ok with you two? Then go to our meet at the shack and hope it bares fruit."
This night is starting to turn into a pub crawl. Not that I should complain i guess.
Sterling Gestures to Mac and Binary then reaches down for another few bites.
"Well it seems that's all settled then! Eat up chummers this may be a long night. Here is to hopping its not"
Sterling raises his glass
-
MacC nods and takes a good sip of his blonde.
"Yah, that will absolutely do. I just wanna do sorts of a phone call. Though without a phone. Right then!"
He rubs his hands. "Let's do some business, boys and ma'am!
"A toast to a short und uncomplicated night." He raises his beer, then drinks, but doesn't empty it.
After that, MacC walks over to the bar and pays his bill. While he waits for the others to do so as well, he dismisses the Lesser Servant. "I thank you for your watchful eyes, Water Serpent. I release you from any ties in friendship. Go home, or stay, whatever your nature demands you to do."
He then leaves the sandwich bar and follows Sterling to his car, where he eases himself in the back seat and waits for his fellow shadowrunner to drive him somewhere where they can remain unobserved for a minute. Once they arrived at the garage, he once again opens his Astral Eyes and looks around to avoid unwanted eyes or company.
"Hmm, good. I am now going to summon an ancestor spirit. Be not afraid, and try to remain silent. It is not going to take long. Don't attack it or interrupt me. Right?"
MacC closes his eyes, then shapes his hands into a bowl. He blows some air into his palms, then removes his hands. Where his flesh was seconds before, Sterling and maybe Binary and Dave can see a bowl of shimmering energy. You hear a silent humming and it takes a second or two until you realize it is MacC's silent bass, humming a melody which sounds both hypnotic and nostalgic.
Without words and without taking notice of any observers, MacC takes out the bottle of beer and pours its remaining content into the shimmering bowl. He then puts the bottle to the floor and stops humming.
His fist closes around the Crow pennant around his neck and he lays his head into his neck. His voice is steady and deep as he intones the summoning "Ancestor from the Beyond, Spirit of Man and Transcendent Soul, I call upon your aid. Take this sacrifice as a gift, and let it be a carrier of the honour and respect I feel for you and your service."
-
Binary eagerly digs into his barbecue. It brings back some memories, and while it isn't quite as good as he was used to, it was delicious compared to what he had been eating recently.
Binary takes a moment to clean himself up before raising his own glass for a toast.
"A toast to a short und uncomplicated night."
"I can drink to that." He drinks his beer and goes back to finishing off his sandwich. Before he knew it, his plate was empty and he was cleaning his hands with his napkin. He drains the last of his beer.
"I'm ready when y'all are. Shall we get this party started?"
-
Sterling submits the payment for his meal and heads for the door. A look of relief crossing his face when his car has not been messed with in any way. Dave saunteres out of the restaurant and grunts out "Shotgun" The car door opens and the shocks groan, or at least sterling thinks they do, as Dave gets in.
"Well Mac, the back seat is all yours. Soon as Binary mounts up we can head a few blocks over to to this garage we passed on the way here. This time of night it shouldn't be to crowded and anyone there will be minding their own damn biz."
The ride is uneventful. Trafic has died down now that the second shifters have gotten where they are getting to. Will be a few hours before third shift is doing the same. Sterling's car drives itself expertly towards and up the garage. Sterling selects the second from the top floor, and signals the car to pull into the back corner space with a few glances.
Sterling gets out of the car while Dave gets out and stretches her back after being hunched up in the car again just as binary pulls up. The three share a few glances as Mac starts to chant. Sterling leans in for a whisper so as not to disturb him at his task
Magic has always given me the willys. You two ever been around so much mojo before? I've only every worked with one other before, and she kept all her magic on the sly. Wouldn't have even noticed at all except for the sudden glow she had when a ganger though to throw some lead her way.
-
A pale image appears hovering in front of the car. It has the appearance of a middle-aged woman dressed in early 21st century clothes. There is no color at all to the apparition, it is all a translucent grey and white. You find it difficult to suppress a shudder when the ancestor answers Mac's request in a hollow, mournful voice.
"I accept your offer, servant of Crow. What is it you demand of me?"
MacC bows, not entirely at ease himself. "I need your protection, elder one. My companions and I are going to a dangerous place this night. Until I return home safely, or until sunrise releases all your bonds to the world of the mortals, I ask you to watch over me, and warn me from all harm you can perceive, be it mundane or from yonder."
The woman casts a stern glance at MacC, then nods without any further answer and vanishes into thin air, the way she came.
With a sigh of relief MacC leaves the car.
"Chummers," he says. "Be n... Don't be afraid. She's on our side and she's not going to do you any harm"
He pauses, letting Binary, Sterling and Dave continue the sentence on their own: As long as you are on my side.
"I feel a lot safer when she's around. She's frightening, and not without reason. Uh, do you have any questions before we move on? I found that some people feel more at ease if they have a clue what they're dealing with"
It seems as if the temperature had fallen a few degrees when the ancestor spirit was around, but now the chill is fading again. MacC might have a lot more routine in dealing with entities like this, but you can see that you're not the only ones the spirit has given the creeps.
-
Dave looks over towards Sterling and is about to share her mage story with him, as the apparition appears before the group her jaw drops. Is that a Fraggin ghost?!
Sterling raises an eyebrow. My thoughts as well Dave. I always though you magic types got your elementals from other dimensions or some such. Didn't think there was such things as ghosts outside of the trid. But if she's of use to use, the more the merrier i say. We done out here now Mac? Unless Binary here has any more biz to conduct I say we go shopping
Sterling looks over the assembled group There anything you guys you guys need to pick up? You all stocked up for our little party tonight? If so lets roll, we have a date to keep
-
"Is that a fraggin ghost?!"
MacC smiles. "Actually, I have no idea. They never told me. No joking this time. She might actually be a ghost, but I doubt it. It is more like ... are you familiar with the basic concepts of Buddhist philosophy? It helped me creating the illusion of understanding..."
"We done out here now Mac? Unless Binary here has any more biz to conduct I say we go shopping"
"Damn, I forgot my magic wand and the chip with the shamanic tribal chanting," he says dryly, then grins.
"Ready to rumble, boys. Let's get our medieval warrior her bow and chainmail!"