Shadowrun
Shadowrun Play => Play-by-Post => Topic started by: Ympulse on <11-26-12/1657:22>
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You look up at the clear blue sky, grateful that the forecasts for acid rain from the north were wrong. The LA sprawl was notorious for the acid rains in the fall, but things look to be looking up today.
You are broken from your reverie by a news broadcast that seems to have gotten through your normally tight spam filters. An AR enhanced female news anchor is sitting behind a brushed stainless steel desk, rambling off the 'clean' details of an apparent terrorist act on one of Horizon's Trid recording studios. The attack has all the hallmarks of a well done 'run, surgically precise explosion that only knocked out the vital equipment, the surveillance was hacked to show nothing, and the security personnel have no recollection of that night, thanks to Laes-treated slap patches. Of course there were suspects, but none of them were likely to be the actual 'runners. Corporate whitewash at it's most obvious. Nothing remarkable, to be sure, but it is interesting enough to watch the whole way though, if only to admire a professional's work.
At the end of the broadcast there is an anonymous hotline, but instead of the usual 10-digit anonymous number, you see an international 14-digit number superimposed over it, the number looks to be GPS coordinates, as referencing the directory shows the number belonging to a wageslave in Italy. The coordinates, though, show a public park bench in front of a water fountain.
The park is relatively busy, and would take maybe an hour to get to, if you took your time.
I'll leave it to you to narrate your introductions and reactions, then we'll get things kicked off proper
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Watcher's black brows knotted as the dwarf found himself shown the AR newscast, and then the coordinates. Apparently, once he ran through the cross-referencing to reach that conclusion, someone wanted to meet. A job offer, or something less benign towards him?
He had time to find out. Rather than take his time, he walked his way down to the park as briskly as a dwarf could, but pausing as he reached the area of the park to stop by a street vendor and get a warm processed krill-burger. That way, he could appear a sprawl denizen grabbing a bite, and also gave him time to scope the scene out before making an approach.
He made sure to switch to the astral plane as part of his scouting... couldn't be too careful.
OOC:
Perception parts:
Visual - Intuition 6 + Perception 6 + Enhanced Perception 6 + Visual Specialization 2 + Perceptive 2 + Actively Searching 3 = 25 dice
25d6.hits(5)=9 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3803001/)
Auditory - Intuition 6 + Perception 6 + Enhanced Perception 6 + Audio Enhancement 3 + Perceptive 2 + Actively Searching 3 = 26 dice
26d6.hits(5)=6 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3803004/)
Olfactory - Intuition 6 + Perception 6 + Enhanced Perception 6 + Perceptive 2 + Actively Searching 3 = 23 dice
23d6.hits(5)=10 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3803006/)
Assensing: Intuition 6 + Assensing 5 + Enhanced Perception 6 + Perceptive 2 = 19 dice
19d6.hits(5)=8 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3803007/)
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Mr. Fox looks like an average wage slave in an inexpensive suit and one of the few coats that will hold up under this damned acid rain (Mortimer’s of London Greatcoat). Mr. Fox stands 5’11” 175lbs with brown eyes and black hair. He has one of those California tans even though he has not seen the sun in months. After taking a peep at the weather report he steps off the curb. He doesn’t really look around he just seems to know where he is going.
Fascinating that someone would play AR tricks. Note to self: Recheck my spam filters and plug the hole. It seems that someone went to a lot of trouble to feed that story to me and give me a location. Perhaps I should show up and see what they want. For someone to go to this much trouble, I would say the stakes have to be high.
Mr. Fox walks to the park allowing his micro fly drones to fly around and scout out camera positions, helping him casually avoid cameras with timing and positioning and occasional minor hacking job (cleaning up his tracks of course). When he gets close he will have the bug drones fly out and scout the area before he gets there.
Taking time to have the micro flies take facial pics, voice samples, pics of cars and gait video of people. Mr. Fox is curious who belongs here and who doesn't.. (running voice and facial recognition software, gait software, vehicle identity software)
You are only paranoid, if they aren't out to get you
Base rolls for software (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3803422/)
11d6.hits(5) → [6,2,4,2,3,2,1,2,4,5,1] = (2)
11d6.hits(5) → [3,5,5,4,5,1,6,5,1,1,3] = (5)
11d6.hits(5) → [4,5,5,1,4,2,4,4,5,3,3] = (3)
11d6.hits(5) → [4,1,6,6,4,6,3,1,3,4,6] = (4)
rerolled. I put 4 or better for hits instead of 5.
1. Facial Recog 2. Voice Recog 3. Gait Analysis 4. Vehicle ID
General Visual Perception (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3803426/)
19d6.hits(5) → [6,3,5,6,2,5,5,4,6,3,1,6,6,4,5,3,1,1,2] = (9)
rerolled. I put 4 or better for hits instead of 5. Perception 3+ int 4 +synch 1+ Attention co+2+ limbic +3 +3 vis Enhancement Glasses+ 3 active search
Inflitration roll (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3803427/)
9d6.hits(5) → [4,6,3,5,5,3,5,1,2] = (4)
General infiltration roll R2+agility 7
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Mel was just finishing her tiramisu at Antipasti, her favourite Italian restaurant, when the broadcast appeared in AR. "How did that get through?" she thinks to herself. After the whole newscast has played, she pauses for a moment. Once she matches the coordinates with the park bench, she stays silent, sipping her tea. Pondering whether she should have a look at the obvious invitation for a possible job, the waitress brings Mel the check. Real food was expensive, and more so for real, good food. The check was the clincher, reminding her that she was low on funds. "It's worth a look" she thinks, as she leaves a generous tip and leaves casually.
Getting on the monorail, she heads for the park, thankful the weather forecast was wrong today. Sitting gracefully next to an ork, she rides silently, being mindful of her surroundings.
Once at the park, she instantly recognizes Mr. Fox. They had done a few runs together in the past, nothing major though. Compatibility in the shadows was worth it's weight in gold, and Mel knew a little about how Mr. Fox operated. Somehow, his ways worked with how Mel ran.
Mel calmly walked up to Mr. Fox as to not attract any unwanted attention. "Seen anything interesting on the Trid recently?" she asks him, with the smile people give when seeing a familiar face in an unfamiliar situation. She knew his presence here was no coincidence.
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Mel was just finishing her tiramisu at Antipasti, her favourite Italian restaurant, when the broadcast appeared in AR. "How did that get through?" she thinks to herself. After the whole newscast has played, she pauses for a moment. Once she matches the coordinates with the park bench, she stays silent, sipping her tea. Pondering whether she should have a look at the obvious invitation for a possible job, the waitress brings Mel the check. Real food was expensive, and more so for real, good food. The check was the clincher, reminding her that she was low on funds. "It's worth a look" she thinks, as she leaves a generous tip and leaves casually.
Getting on the monorail, she heads for the park, thankful the weather forecast was wrong today. Sitting gracefully next to an ork, she rides silently, being mindful of her surroundings.
Once at the park, she instantly recognizes Mr. Fox. They had done a few runs together in the past, nothing major though. Compatibility in the shadows was worth it's weight in gold, and Mel knew a little about how Mr. Fox operated. Somehow, his ways worked with how Mel ran.
Mel calmly walked up to Mr. Fox as to not attract any unwanted attention. "Seen anything interesting on the Trid recently?" she asks him, with the smile people give when seeing a familiar face in an unfamiliar situation. She knew his presence here was no coincidence.
"Nothing to write home about,but someone sent me U-Matrix video of a whitewashed news report and funky Phone Number. I wonder how many people called the number to ask for more info? " Mr Fox smiles at Mel looking across the park at the bench next to the fountain.
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Saul gives a seductive smile which was greeted by a slap to the face from a gorgeous brunette he had met a few days earlier and a few moments later a door slam almost causing a headache from the sheer sound his audio enhancements picked up. Che... like forgetting someone's name has never happened before. Saul said scratching his hair which was unkempt. Saul reaches for his night stand and grabs his last cigarette from the pack and tossing the empty pack towards the trash can. Work has been slow lately for Saul so in order to keep busy he continued another pass time of his -- women. Unfortunately for him he got a bit over zealous and began forgetting the women he has been involved with. She'll get over it. Saul thought to himself he'll call her within a few days after she's cooled down and he will no longer be smoking alone in bed.
Saul checked the AR catching the broadcast. Then laughing at the hotline as if anyone was actually going to call then he noticed the phone number and realized that this wasn't a normal broadcast. After tracing the coordinates to the park near his flats he decided to give it a look. He grabbed his things placing his firearm in its concealment holster strapped to his side. He can never be too careful, a lot of people have it out for him, which now includes a pissed off "lady friend". He grabs his helmet and sits on his bike, before sliding his helmet on he had mental surge. JAN! That's her name! he threw out his cigarette and slid his helmet on and rode out to the park.
Saul rides to the coordinates parks his bike and strolls towards the park always keeping an eye out for anything suspicious. He notices the two by the park bench but keeps a low profile as he slowly walks by the couple.
Visual
[Precption 3 + vis enchancement + 3 Actively searching + 3 (6d9.hits(5)=3) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3803346/)
Audio
Perception 3 + Audio enchancement + 3 Actively searching + 3 (6d9.hits(5)=2) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3803355/)
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Well, that's new, Matryoshka thought after watching the message. What's wrong with a simple "Hey, looking for work? Go to this place.", how much more paranoid can these Johnsons get?
He opened his chopsticks to drop the maki roll into a bowl of soy sauce and slowly reached for a thin slice of ginger, giving the rolls rice enough time to absorb as much of the salty soy sauce it could. Matryoshka hated the boring taste of rice and test tube tuna but since he'd decided to be Dai Takahashi today, eating traditional Japanese dishes was part of his schedule. Soaking the bland pieces of food in as much of the salty sauce as possible at least gave it some taste. Finishing the meal a little quicker than usual, he signaled his car to come pick him up and drop him off at the park.
Matryoshka switched to the backseat of his car while the autopilot managed the cities heavy traffic. He opened an AR screen with a projection of his own image, grabbed the a suitcase at his feet and started working on his appearance.
At the park he casually walked towards the park bench near the fountain, an average sized but sharp featured handsome looking Japanese man of middle age in a (projected) business suit. He politely smiled and nodded towards the people nearby and sat down on the bench, lighting a cigarette.
"Do you mind if I sit here? I'm supposed to be meeting someone.", he asked in perfectly articulated English, as taught in the Japanese business schools, with a small trace of a Japanese accent.
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"Nothing to write home about,but someone sent me U-Matrix video of a whitewashed news report and funky Phone Number. I wonder how many people called the number to ask for more info? " Mr Fox smiles at Mel looking across the park at the bench next to the fountain.
"Do you reckon this is the person we're looking for?" says Mel, looking at the Japanese man sitting on the bench. "How about I go make contact with him and you listen in on our conversation from a distance? You still have my commcode, right?"
Mel then casually made her way to the park bench. She sat down next to the Japanese sarariman, crossing her legs and looking away at the horizon. With a sweet, enticing voice, she says, "雨が降らなくて、よかったね！！" in Japanese.
She then turns over and looks at him. "You look different than on the newscast. Am I to presume you are not the Johnson?"
The Japanese roughly translates to "Thank god it didn't rain today"
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The Japanese man looked flustered by the woman's forwardness and seemed to think for a moment on what to answer.
"Johnson? No. I'm not Johnson. I recieved the most curious invitation and thought I would see what it was all about. It would seem that is something we have in common. Your Japanese is very good, miss....?"
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Mel politely smiles and gives out her hand, saying "People I work with call me Mel, nice to meet you, Mr...?
She then continues. "Do you have any idea how many other got contacted?"
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Matryoshka accepted the handshake. "A pleasure meeting you, Mel. My handle is Matryoshka, perhaps you've heard it before? But please, call me Matt. I'm afraid to admit I know as little as you do about this meeting."
Anyone with knowledge of Art or History (museums) or maybe shadowrunners or so might have heard about art robbery(ies) where a matryshoka doll was left in place of a stolen item.
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"I'm afraid not, Matt, but don't take it personally, I hardly keep up with who does what. I'm mostly interested in who knows what" replies Mel with a wink and a sly smile.
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Watcher could easily pick up the some of the notable people around the scene, the Japanese sarariman who first arrived at the bench, the woman who now joined him, and apparently, both were invitees like himself, awaiting the Johnson apparently...
The buzz of drones too occurred to him, and he picked up their minute forms circulating around the site. Alerted to the probability of being watcher, he followed their path - heh, Mr. Fox was around too, was he? The hacker-slash-rigger, was he another team omae, or someone to keep an eye on them?
Still stuffing his face with the burger and wiping it with a napkin, Watcher casually walked to just behind Mr. Fox. "Still obsessed with your toys, are you?" He grinned with the gibe.
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Watcher could easily pick up the some of the notable people around the scene, the Japanese sarariman who first arrived at the bench, the woman who now joined him, and apparently, both were invitees like himself, awaiting the Johnson apparently...
The buzz of drones too occurred to him, and he picked up their minute forms circulating around the site. Alerted to the probability of being watcher, he followed their path - heh, Mr. Fox was around too, was he? The hacker-slash-rigger, was he another team omae, or someone to keep an eye on them?
Still stuffing his face with the burger and wiping it with a napkin, Watcher casually walked to just behind Mr. Fox. "Still obsessed with your toys, are you?" He grinned with the gibe.
"I was wondering when you would see me, Watcher. These toys make me better able to do my job. Not everyone can be an adept., the statics are staggering against. Did you hear the rumor that the meat in those burgers has the side effect of stunting growth in lab rats?" Mr fox doesn't even turn to look at him. "How is your business for you?"
Over the com, Watcher and Mel get a profile on Matryoshka. This job gets more and more interesting. An investigator, a hacker, an art thief and a Second Story Girl.
The profile is background of the art crimes and rumors that are running around the matrix about the person. What ever 8 successes would come up with.
invisablecastle.com was down this morning. had to roll manually.
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"Already short." Watcher snorted. "How do you think work goes in this day and age? Always clients." As Fox popped him the data, Watcher finished off his burger. Pretty significant hiring op if this represented the group. "And you brought a friend over there, I see."
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"Already short." Watcher snorted. "How do you think work goes in this day and age? Always clients." As Fox popped him the data, Watcher finished off his burger. Pretty significant hiring op if this represented the group. "And you brought a friend over there, I see."
"i didn't bring her she just kind of showed up, kind of like you and the Japanese guy. I wonder who will be showing up next to the circus act."
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"Ah, yes, you have quite the resume, Matryoshka. You specialize in B&E and you have a penchant for art I see" says Mel after quickly reading Mr. Fox's message. "I myself prefer things that are smaller."
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"Doing your homework on the fly, or is someone assisting you?", Matryoshka asked. "And please, call me Matt... And tell, what things do you prefer?"
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"I've always thought runners were as good as the people assisting them. That being said, I can tell you we will have some high-caliber assistance for this particular run" answers Mel. "As for my tastes, I prefer something I can wear, something that shines and is valuable. Besides that, paydata is right up there."
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"Paydata, yes...The reason I specialized in art, well one of the reasons, is because it's a very stable market. There will always be buyers and prices only go up, never down.
The market for paydata seems a lot more volatile. It's often just as hard to get to, its value hard to assess and often the shelf life is very limited, losing value quickly provided you can find a buyer for it in the first place."
Matt frowned and seemed to think for a moment. "But I'm at risk of becoming a bit of a one trick pony and I understand that when done correctly, the potential profit more than makes up for the increased risk."
It sounded like a sales pitch, as if he was trying to convince himself. "So I told my fixer I was looking to... 'broaden my horizon'. If he got me working together with someone who already specializes in paydata..."
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"Already short." Watcher snorted. "How do you think work goes in this day and age? Always clients." As Fox popped him the data, Watcher finished off his burger. Pretty significant hiring op if this represented the group. "And you brought a friend over there, I see."
"i didn't bring her she just kind of showed up, kind of like you and the Japanese guy. I wonder who will be showing up next to the circus act."
"I'll go say hello, then." Watcher walked toward and then past the bench, sitting on the fountain edge. "Hello. I understand you've seen the news too. Matt, Mel, you can call me Watcher."
Since IC is down and frankly Watcher could easily make the threshold to hear Matt and Mel telling each other their codenames, I hope it's not an issue to assume he did hear, otherwise I'll edit.
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"Hello Watcher" replies Mel, with a polite smile and a gentle nod. She then thinks out loud "looks like we're one person short of a party here" and looks over to Mr. Fox's general direction.
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Matryoshka opened his arms in a welcoming gesture. "Ah, another partner? You already know our names, good. Well met, Watcher!"
After Mel spoke her welcome, he looked towards the person Watcher was talking to just seconds ago.
"Yes, will your friend be joining us too?"
Why do these people bother wasting time delaying an introduction that will turn out to be inevitable anyway? First the strange invitation, now this? Has the whole world turned paranoid?
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Saul listens a bit nonchalantly satisfied that everyone here is on the "up and up" so far. "Capable bunch it seems. Looks like this is legit... and might be fun as well. Saul though as he gently rubbed his chin. Now I just need an entrance...
"i didn't bring her she just kind of showed up, kind of like you and the Japanese guy. I wonder who will be showing up next to the circus act."
Saul smiles, never a better moment to introduce himself then that. Saul casually walks to the gathered group and introduces himself. "Can't have a circus with a clown." Saul grins sheepishly. "Greetings gentlemen and lady. The names Wet.. and I see we're all here for the same reason. The cryptic message."
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After another ten minutes or so of small talk, you all notice that a tourist-looking human woman in her late fifties comes very close to the group. She is wearing a light green Disneyland t-shirt and a pair of dark green cargo shorts that look to be stuffed full of trinkets the locals sell to tourists, and an expensive looking camera strapped around her neck. She looks to be taking pictures of everything, until she gets to the fountain, which she immediately becomes fixated with.
Between ooh-ing and ahh-ing, She takes steps closer to the group, until she is nearly on top of you, at which point she notices Saul, and begins to bleat out in a vapid and horribly interested tone.
"Oh hi there! I'm sorry for almost bumping into you, I get wrapped up in my camera too easily. My husband tells me it'll be the death of us. By the way did you hear the news? Such a horrible thing, electrical explosions and all. It's like what they say, though, you need to turn the things off when you close up shop for the night! At least noone was hurt, that's good news, at least.
"My name's Millie, Millie Scarborough, I'm just kind of visiting here, it's great to have my bi-yearly vacation in such a nice place, don't you think? I'm usually stuck up in the cold in Denver working for Knight Errant as an accountant, it's so HORRIBLY boring, especially during tax season, nothing to do for fourteen hours but just sit and do math. Nothing like being out here, though, nice, sunny days all year with Trid stars and Simsense starlets, I bet every day is an adventure!
"Oh! That reminds me, did you hear about that new movie? Karl Kombatmage 8? I hear that it's based off of a true story. He goes to Dubai and fights off hundreds of religious extremists to save his girlfriend, Synthia, from being sacrificed by insect spirits! I don't know how true that could be, but it surely sounds exciting! Don't you think?"
She inhales sharply, her eyes wide with excitement and jubilation at the idea of watching the trid she just described.
"And that reminds me of another trid I saw, a group of shadowrunners go and sneak into a top-secret government base to stop an evil mastermind, but it turns out that they actually need to go and follow some corporate executive from Appledine Industries around to find out who he actually is and who he really works for, and who his associates are. The Spooky Mr. Johnson offers them two thousand Nuyen a week, just to do the job. I wish I could get paid that much. And then when they come back with the information he gives them another Hundred and thirty thousand!! Isn't that crazy? That's my yearly salary, all for a month's work! Here, I think I even have a copy of the trid, let me see if I have it."
You see Millie excitedly reach into and dig around in one of her overstuffed cargo pockets, dropping random nick-nacks and gift shop goods, until she finally pulls her hand out holding a disposable commlink, and begins tapping on it.
"Here, I have it, now what did you say your name wa- OHMYGODITSBRIGITTEBARDOT!!!"
Millie squeals and runs off into the crowd, holding her camera excitedly. You notice after a second or two that she had conveniently dropped the disposable commlink on the ground, still powered on.
Checking the commlink, you find a protfolio on a man named Quentin Normand, CEO of Appledine Industries. The header reads "1k/Week, 130k at completion. Turn the commlink off and set it on the bench to refuse, take it to accept."
The portfolio itself reads like a bland, academic listing of the years Quentin has been at the Helm of Appledine Industries and it's larger corporate moves. Appledine is the main manufacturer for the cheap, recyclable Disposable Commlinks, Vendor Clothes, and other low-end electronics. It's also mentioned that the have been leading the charge among AA-level corporations in the nanotechnology R&D field. While they are nowhere near being a Mega, they have a near-monopoly on recyclable goods in CalFree.
Quentin himself is a reculsive CEO, only seen during formal gatherings and board meetings. His home of record is in San Francisco, but Appledine has more than one high-end hotel in LA, all of which have hosted social gatherings for stockholders of the AA corp. There is an invite-only gathering tomorrow night at the Apple-Hilton Plaza in the San Fernando Valley, in the Mission Hills area.
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Jeez, it isn't a full moon tonight is it? There's crazy everywhere.
Matryoshka kept his face straight.
"Interesting. Hm, one thousand a week? I could have sworn she said two. And since when do KE accountants earn 130 a year? I must've picked the wrong job."
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"Wet, you say" asks Mel to Saul. "Once we get some down time, you just have to tell me how that nickname came to be bestowed upon you" she continues, with a flirtatious smile to her.
Mel watches the scene with the "tourist" unfold. When the woman leaves in a hurry, Mel chuckles. "This is definitely one of the strangest way I've ever been offered a job."
She then responds to Matt, "I saw the movie she was talking about, and it was ¥2,500 a week and ¥150,000 on completion the runners got. She must've had her facts mixed up."
She then addresses the whole team. "As good as this sounds, the job already poses a challenge: can we trust a Johnson we haven't met? And more importantly, how do we get our money? She pauses for a moment and continues her line of thought. "If these questions can be answered, I'm willing."
"How about you guys? Will you leave a poor, helpless female do this all by herself?" asks Mel, pouting in a flirtatious way.
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"I have a feeling the info will be worth a lot. so if this Johnson tries to stiffs us we could sell it else where. Also incidental info could almost as valuable. I am in if they up the weekly to 2k."
Mr Fox types "2k/week and the 130K on the back side and you have a team."into the comlink
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Huh. Definitely the 'tourist courier' method clinched Watcher's list of unconventional communications on the job - if they took it anyway. "A Johnson apparently that is as opposed to being linked with the job as they have nuyen to burn."
An AA Corporation still had a great deal of clout, and was always looking for the leap into AAA territory. Information on their executives were undoubtedly valuable. "I could give this a shot."
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"Well my name can have a variety of meanings..." Saul winks at Mel. Then addresses the others. "That was a pretty good movie although it did have it's plot holes hopefully the sequel will answer a few questions. Considering the very big implications. I don't blame the Johnson for being extra cautious. If I were one of those runners I'd be in."
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"I do not see how having met our employer or not changes his, or her, trustworthiness. If anything, you're more likely to be stabbed in the back by someone you know than by someone you've never met.", Matt suggested.
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"It all depends on what your definition of "trustworthiness" is, Matt. I for one like to know who I'm in bed with" Mel answers. After a short moment, she adds "So to speak."
Mel continues with "Someone I've never seen or met makes it that much easier for them to dispose of us in any way they please, and it makes it that much more difficult for me to track down should he/she choose to ignore his/her obligations once the job is completed." Mel shifts her legs, crossing them the other way. She then stares away, nowhere in particular. "Which is why I like the concept of having the final payment held in escrow in this case, once we agree to the financial terms."
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Matt almost burst out in laughter but managed to keep a straight face. If these people really thought just seeing a person meant it would be easier to track him down, they were in for some serious dissapointment. Next week, he could be a female dwarf, 30% shorter and heavier than he was now.
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As much as Matt could change his appearance, Mel knew that changing an astral signature was much harder to do. Even if Matt could change his appearance or mask his astral signature, the chances of finding him were much higher if the team had interacted directly with him before. She knew Mr. Fox could find unique info about him and trace it back to him through the matrix later on, she knew that any juju-slinger would have an easier time identifying someone they had already "sniffed" before. That always made face-to-face meetings much more desirable in her books. After all, if contact with someone didn't make it easier to track them down, why wasn't the Johnson here with them?
But she also understood the need for privacy in the big leagues. Not meeting the Johnson didn't make him more likely to pull a fast one on them at all; it just made it harder for the team to track him down should something unexpected happen.
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"Information is information. If the Johnson wants to try and stiff us we sell it to who ever will pay for the info. Whoever is hiring us wants the info bad enough to pay 130k+ for it. As runners we always keep our options open, so one way or the other we will get a payday."
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The header on the portfolio blinks for a moment, and shifts to read "2k/week 130k Upon completion"
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Mr Fox places the comlink in his jack and stands up. "Perhaps we should take this discussion some where more private. Matt, Mel, Watcher, Blint let us plan our next move and get this job done. I have bills to pay"
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"I'll take the 2k a week" says Mel. And who knows, we might find some valuable paydata on the way. Someone like that is bound to have info on his competitors or on other high-placed people."
Mel then turns over to Mr. Fox. "Good idea. I don't like the idea of talking out in the open. Do you know a place around here that's a little more private?"
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The Soykaf Cafe - Ten minutes later
The Soykaf Cafe is a franchise establishment, which means that no matter what, you'll always know what's on the menu. Known for it's lounge-chair atmosphere, the entire cafe is bathed in a dull white noise, filling in the background. This is by design, as the lack of silence makes sharp noises and conversations harder to hear, and isolates those that want isolation, much like the 'runners.
You've selected a grouping of chairs near the back, two walls and a rail separate you from the rest of the cafe, and you all sit holding your moderately more expensive than normal Soykaf delicacies.
Anyone trying to listen in on a conversation in this building is at a -4, and the team has a couple hours of time to discuss and research things.
Free Access is provided here as well, Matrix tracking is at a -2, but all Matrix actions going out are conversely performed at a -1 for the high-traffic area
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Mr fox cones in and cans for signals. He seems scanning for an listening devices and such. After he he is certain there are none he will talk.
"What do you thing of this assignment?"
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Mel sits down with the rest of the team. "I think the assignment is definitely up my alley" she answers to Mr. Fox. "Now, I'd like to know if this man is married, if he has any children, etc. If I can get close to him, we might have an easier time getting a foot in the door." Mel then takes a quick look at the file they received along with the commlink.
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"I will do what I can, if he was that easy to track they would have gotten a B team to follow him around."
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Matt took a sip from his soycaf and made a sour face.
"The little we do know about this guy kind of worries me.", he said while reaching for the sugar pourer.
"How does a guy make it to be CEO of a double-A without the entire world already knowing everything about him? And we're to find out 'who he is' and 'who he's working for'? I'm just guessing here, but I'd assume you've already passed through a lot of background checks before stockholders appoint you as head of a multi-billion company. Jezus, if he's CEO of an AA-corp and is still having his strings pulled by somebody else, that somebody isn't going to be a nobody."
By the time he stopped pouring, half his cup must've been filled with sugar. He took another sip, seemed a little more satisfied than before and reached for the 'milk'.
"And if the Johnson's paying us by the week instead of days, that's gotta mean he ain't expecting this to be a quick and easy job either."
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"Mhmm." Watcher made a noise at Matt's words. "Well, the event's a place to start... get eyes on him, I can certainly give him the aura checkup- that can get us something to build of of."
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After listening to Matt's train of thought, Mel answers "To me, all that rhymes with more bargaining power for this information." Mel then turns over to Mr. Fox. "How hard would it be to get an invitation to that event tomorrow night? Is there any way you can hack a few of us into the guest list?" She then turns over to face the whole team in general. "Or if that doesn't work, does anyone know anybody that could get us a couple of last-minute invitations to this thing?"
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Watcher nodded, thinking of his chummer pouring over glitzy sketchy stories. "Well, I know someone who at the least, could know who could and would."
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Saul leans back with his hands behind his head."The event is a great idea." Then looks at Watcher."If your pal can get us in I'm sure we'll be find something. A guy as powerful as that has to have something to hide." He gently scratches his head. "The problem is just getting close."
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"Bargaining power? Are you suggesting we try changing the deal when we have the info we're hired to get? That seems very risky, considering our employer's apparent paranoia. I'd hate to witness what the response would be when that level of mistrust proves to be valid.", Matt said which much doubt on his face.
"And I agree, the event does sound like a safe place to make first contact. Easy to blend in with the crowd and observe without raising suspition. Of course, it is unlikely we'll be able to find out anything we're being paid for. If he does have a secret life, he'll not display it in public."
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Mel gives a sympathetic smile to Matt. "You need to lighten up, partner" she says. "All I'm saying is, if it turns out we uncover something big, we can always push for a higher payout fee. I don't know about you, but I'm not very satisfied by the way the "negotiations" went. Talking through a commlink was never my forte anyways."
With that, Mel sends a message to Laetitia. "I'm looking for a couple of invitations to tomorrow night's gathering at the Apple-Hilton Plaza in the Mission Hills area. Any ideas where I could get my hands on those?"
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<<Laetitia>>
<<I can see what I can dig up for you, Mel, but on this short of notice you'll be lucky to get in. If I'm going to have to call in favors, it's going to cost you. If you need to scrape it together beforehand, 7k apiece is my estimate. I'll get back to you in a bit>>
After another moment or two, the AR for the coffee shop shifts, and there is a news report broadcasted across the far wall.
"Horizon News Now!
"A CAS Ork man and woman have been arrested in Los Angeles, accused of possession of an explosive substance and a sawed off shotgun, authorities say.
"The pair also had a document that appears to be titled "The Terrorist Encyclopedia," according to court documents.
"Aaron Sheffield, 31, and Morgan Sheffield, 27, are charged with felony possession of an explosive with intent to use, and felony criminal possession of a weapon, the district attorney's office said.
"Shortly after her arrest, Morgan went into labor and gave birth to a daughter, whom she named Melody, according to Knight Errant Captain Mason Cartwright.
"Knight Errant say officers discovered the explosive substance at the couple's Mission Hills apartment while serving a warrant related to four counts of felony grand larceny against Aaron involving SIN in February.
"In addition to a plastic container found in the living room containing "a white dough-like substance," officers also found the sawed-off shotgun and multiple rounds of ammunition, police said.
"There also were numerous data files containing instructions on making explosive materials and bombs, Knight Errant said, including the collection of files that had a cover page saying "the terrorist encyclopedia."
"Fearing the substance to be an explosive material, police evacuated several buildings in the area Saturday morning.
"Sgt. Michael DeMarfio of the Knight Errant Los Angeles Department Bomb Squad later tested the dough-like substance and confirmed that it was 7 pounds of cyclonite or cyclotrimethylene trinitramine, or C-4, which, according to court documents, is a highly explosive substance.
"According to her MeFeed account, Morgan has an impressive educational pedigree. She claims to have attended The Dalton School, an Upper East Side Manhattan private prep school; the Gallatin School of Individualized Study at New York University; and the School of The Art Institute of Austin, where she earned a master's degree in creative writing.
"Police said Aaron has had four prior run-ins with law enforcement, including a 2071 assault case for which he was sentenced to a year in jail and an arrest in February for alleged possession of a rifle, Bliss, Betameth, prescription drugs and drug paraphernalia. On the latter occasion, Morgan also was arrested and charged, Knight Errant said.
"According to the district attorney's office, Aaron was arraigned Sunday afternoon and has a Friday court date. Morgan is awaiting arraignment.
"Aaron's attorney, Lisa Dayne, declined to comment Monday morning."
<<Laetitia>>
<<I can get you four invitations, apparently there ARE people in high places that don't like others. There is a Widow and three eccentric old men, all human. 7k apiece.>>
Price is negotiable, you can RP the negotiation or just roll it out.
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Mel turns to the team and says "I got a line on some tickets. One woman and three men, all older humans. I'm taking the older woman, so we have 3 older men if we want. I'm working on the price."
Mel then answers Laetitia's text. "Thanks for getting back to me so quickly. I need tickets, but I am on a budget. Is that the best price you can get them for? How about a discount for a group buy?"
Negotiation 4 + Charisma 7 (11d6.hits(5)=1) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3848392/)
Holy crap that is bad!
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<<Laetitia>>
<<Look, Mel, I like you, but money's money, and I had to spend a decent amount of money to get them myself. I can go as low as 5.5, but that's barely covering my own expenses. I hear the party is going to be opulent, real food and everything. You'll probably get 10 grand worth of service and shoulder-rubbing just from being there.>>
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"Thank you so much, Laetitia. Let me talk it over with my partners and I'll get back to you on the double."
Mel turns to the rest of the team and says "Good news, bad news: the good news is I found some tickets. The bad news is they're going for 5.5k each. I don't know about you, but at ¥2,000 a week, this sounds like a costly option. What other options do we have? Mr. Fox, can you take a quick look at their node and see if there's any other way to get ourselves "invited" to this thing?"
"I don't know what the rest of you specialise in, but let me introduce myself officially: I'm known as Mel, I like to sneak into places without being seen. If not, I can talk my way out of a few situations. That's pretty much what I can do."
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"Five and a half thousand... Each?" Matt whistled. "I can buy quality fake identities for less. I will not speak for the rest of you, but if I could afford to spend that much just going to a party, I would probably not be doing this kind of work. Lacking advance payment or other expense compensation, this is simply too much for me. Especially considering the uncertainty about whether or not going to this event will provide us with information to further our cause."
He paused, then switched to the other topic.
"As for our skills, it would seem the two of us have a lot in common, though I am certain our methods differ. I find that being seen is not always problematic, as long as it does not raise suspicion.", Matt replied to Mel's introduction.