[RagallachMC]

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.

[Imveros]

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"

[Volker]

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?"

[RagallachMC]

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.

[Volker]

"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.

[RagallachMC]

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.

[Volker]

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.

[Shrazkil]

"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

[RagallachMC]

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?"

[Raven Runner]

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.

[RagallachMC]

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?"

[Raven Runner]

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?

[RagallachMC]

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..."

[Raven Runner]

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!"

[Imveros]

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?"