Syra Politics, Shadow Community (8d6.hits(5)=5, 7d6.hits(5)=2)Yesterday evening, Garris invites Syra for a private char in a quiet corner in the bar and said he needed to talk to her about something important. He tells her, reluctantly, that a while ago he ran into this guy he knows, an elf that's well connected and they got talking.
The way Garris tells the story, he seems confused and embarrassed. He can't exactly remember everything they talked about or how long they talked.
"The elf's a pretty smooth talker, that's what these guys are really good at, you see, it's their thing. They smile and they talk and then they get you to talk and you tell them things you didn't... Well, I don't know, I must've told him something about you, because yesterday he called me and said to set up a meeting." He tells Syra he doesn't really want her to go and warns her that she doesn't know what she's getting into. This elf, Quinten, he's friendly, charming, dresses like a million dollars and is as well mannered as they come... but all those are reasons not to trust him. No one thrives in the shadows like these guys do by just being friendly.
Syra was ready and waiting for them at the address she was told to be an hour early but still they were waiting for her. Not the man she was expecting to meet but two other elves, both sharply dressed and very polite. They told her they were friends of Quinten and sent to pick her up because they needed to
"run some extra security tests because of your... special talents" before they could meet. They offer her a 5000 nuyen credstick for her understanding and cooperation.
The two elves took her into a sports car, took a route with lots of turns and detours, switched cars twice and once outside of the city limits -and KE patrolled areas- ran through most traffic lights and broke all speed limits. They first took her to a small house where a bunch of guys with advanced commlinks ran a bunch of tests, seemingly intent to find out whether they could properly block her ability to jam her signal and block her access to devices around her and to the matrix. After little more than half an hour, they seem to be satisfied with their tests and the two elves delivered her to the ex-Lone Star police station where the elves weren't quite as well dressed or friendly.
Syra was told to wait in the reception area -a complete dump- until Quinten arrived -he should be on his way and arrive here any minute.
But only a few minutes after the purple clothed elves left the building, two of the new elves -any elf living in Seattle'd know they're Ancients- stepped into the room and ushered her into the interrogation room under gunpoint. They searched her in a quite unfriendly manner with little respect for her privacy, emptied her pockets, took all her gear -even her contact lenses- and put everything they gathered in a duffel bag.
Satisfied they got everything, they put Syra on a chair and apparently want to start questioning her, their guns still clearly visible on the table, when suddenly the door is pushed open and an elf matching Quinten's description walks in, obviously angry. A military-type man walks in after Quinten and sends the gangers who took and searched her out of the room, then leaves himself.
Just the two of them left in the room, Quinten squats down next Syra's chair, concern and apology clearly visible in his bright green eyes.
"I cannot apologize enough for the way you must've been treated. These men were not to even come near you or talk to you, let alone do... this." He shakes his head sadly.
"Please, accept my sincerest apology. My client -and likely your future employer- has hired me to secure his privacy and safety so there are certain measures I'm required to take, but never like that!"He apologizes and explains some more about the security procedures that were meant to be taken but that she'd received a slightly different treatment than the ones she'd soon be joining because of her 'talent'. The Laésa -she's heard enough rumors about them to recognize them by now- obviously know she's a technomancer and apparently weren't a hundred percent sure how to
handle that. Now his technicians had confirmed her 'signal' could be jammed, they could proceed... but the Laésa apparently didn't want the Ancients to know about her abilities.
"Your secret is safe with us.", followed with another radiant smile.
After he's convinced all her items have been removed and that she's willing to wear a headjammer as long as the situation requires her to, Quinten tells her he needs to make sure 'the others' are run through the security procedures in a correct fashion, too, and asks her to wait in the room next door. The ancients will be guarding the doors from the outside, but will leave her alone.
About ten minutes later, Three Star joins her in the empty interrogation room.
Three Star (+ Introduction to the 'area' for all.) Almost ten minutes after Quinten and the major rushed through the room, the female sergeant you shared the truck ride with sticks her head through the same door they left through and beckons Three Star to follow her.
Behind the door is a long corridor with on the left side the doors and windows -some of them shattered)-of several small offices. The roman blinds of the offices has been closed, seeing what's inside isn't possible. The entire right wall is one large window separating the corridor from the big open office space on the other side. Some of the desks look like they're still used regularly, others are apparently just used as a place to dump random stuff on and are littered with junkfood, soda cans, small firearms and knives, dirty dishes and several other miscelaneous items. Three elves gathered around a desk stop their conversation and turn to watch Three Star as he walks through the corridor, more curiosity than hostility in their eyes. Three Star is guided towards the end of the corridor, through a double door which opens into another corridor.
The first door on the left is labeled 'Interrogation 1' and Thee Star follows the sergeant inside. When the sergeant closes the door behind him and takes position in front of it, his commlink suddenly loses all wireless connection.
One of the walls has a large mirror on it, the kind anyone who's ever seen a cop trid knows to be a see-through mirror. A large metal table with a big black duffel bag on it stands in the center of a room with three chairs behind it. Quinten, the major and another elf are seated and watching their guest. Opposite the door Three Star entered through, a second door is guarded by two Ancients standing in front of it.
"Mister Trent, would you please put all your belongings into the bag.", Quinten asks.
Assuming Three Star cooperates.When Three Star finishes emptying his pockets and handing over his gear -they even ask him to put his contacts in a , one of the elves guarding the door steps forward and searches him, finishing with a nod towards the major.
"Splendid. Rest assured that these will be locked aw-"The major interrupts Quinten.
"Yeah, yeah. We still need to deal with those knives in his feet."With a sigh, the Laésasa nods.
"I was getting to that, major." He turns to Three Star.
"Just... out of curiosity, mister Trent, how do you explain those weapons to law enforcement? And how would you suggest we secure them?"
RatThe second one to get called in by the sergeant is Rat. He's guided into the interrogation room and asked to remove all his belongings other than his clothing and put them in the bag.
"I am aware, mister Featherstone, that your body is perhaps your most fearsome weapon. I can hardly ask you to remove your bones from your body, but I will ask you to turn off your move-by-wire system until after the meeting with my client. Has no one told you, by the way, that those involuntary twitches and tremors are slightly... disconcerting?"
BoomerThird comes Boomer, who's been sitting there waiting in the reception room for half an hour now.
He's asked to put all his gears into the bag and subsequently searched by one of the elves, but that doesn't seem to be enough to remove the concerned look from the major's face.
"Now you still got that computer in your brain and a bunch of mikes and cameras hooked up to it. How'd you want us to deal with that, huh? Maybe pull 'em out and put 'em in the bag too?", he asks.
Quinten shakes his head, but doesn't say anything and seems curious about what Boomer's reply will be.
SpookyAfter waiting alone in the reception area for another couple of minutes, Spooky is finally escorted to the interrogation room. The sergeants abruptly stops when she opens the door and Spooky almost runs into her.
Quinten, alone in the room, tells the sergeant it's quite ok and asks her to allow his guest inside and then please wait outside. She doesn't seem happy with it but knows how to follow order and complies.
"Ah, mister Thomas. My apologies for the long wait, but considering your... unique nature, I decided we might have a little chat in private first. I assume you would not be too keen on my business partner's magical expert to take too close a watch to your astral signature, am I right?"
