Maybe I've sold her short...I'll be honest, I'm familiar with people who are different on the job than off it. I thought I fit that description back at the arcology. But Matsuuri takes it to an art. Now in her element, with her honor on the line, she's totally professional.
Even as she shakes her hoop off and smiles like a fool at everyone around her.
Dancing with her, it's so easy to forget where I am. To imagine I'm with my girlfriends back at the Avalon or the Attica. To pretend that my detail would take me safely home where I'd sleep until noon and have lunch with mother.
But there's no armed escort waiting. No fluffy queen bed and down pillows. No lunch with servants and my mother to chat about our latest exploits on the 'trix.
No, there's just me, Matsuuri, and a club full of staff who would likely kill me if they knew what I planned. A mission which if I flub up will result in my 'date' and I tossed out cold with tomorrow's garbage.
Matsuuri is all that stands between me and the cold beyond. And she knows it too. And takes it seriously.
Maybe things haven't changed so much after all.
Focus on the mission, special teams. Do your job and your people will keep you alive.
When Matsuuri finally made the dash for a table, I was ready. Ever since I figured out what she was up to, I'd been attentive to every gesture knowing it might mean something. Knowing that now it might be what kept us both alive through this. By now I even understood her intimate touching was part of the cover, and that she could have taken advantage of it a lot more if she'd wanted to, but wasn't.
"I promised you a good time tonight and this place is well known for it's party favors."
Once again, she's a different person on the job. I watch her schmooze the staff, making sure to make it look like we we're both drinking but instead managing to drink for both of us for the most part. True, I can't avoid imbibing entirely tonight, but then again I'm not totally naive either. I've had drinks before despite my age. Not many, but more than a few. I'm not very good at holding my liquor, but with Matsurri's help the amount I've had won't affect my decking.
The capsule in my hand is another matter...
After downing my drink I let my mouth clear. My anxiety helps to dry my mouth. I quickly pop the capsule as instructed and pretend to swallow, immediately leaning my head back like I'm entering a trip. My eyes are closed and I feel Matsuuri's arms surround me and her lips take me. She's not the first girl I've kissed, but she's definitely the most experienced. Still, I get the sense she's holding back as our tongues effect the hand-off of the rapidly dissolving capsule. Our lips close although the contact lingers. Moments later we kiss some more for effect, but the drug is gone.
I can feel the girl holding me become warm. Her hands become just slightly more frenzied, but despite the drug the Yak lieutenant manages to hold herself in check. My own fumbling efforts to make a show for the camera likely helps bank her passions - I have no clue how to pleasure someone even if I wanted to. Still, the idea that I was desired, even as a result of a drug, was intoxicating in it's own way. I am ashamed to say I feel disappointment when the privacy field draws down on us and Matsuuri pulls herself away from me.
"Dammit girl! I thought you were cold meat. What the hell kinda act is that raghead shit? If I knew you were this hot..." her voice trails off and she takes a deep breath. "Get to work, princess, before I rip that fragging dress off and take you right here." The threat isn't even veiled. Her eyes are menacing and her lips are red with desire rather than gloss.
Rather than argue, I dip my hand into my handbag and pull out my trusty little Erika. I know I'm presumptuous to say a brief prayer when I'm dressed as I am, with a woman who I just kissed and who wants to jump me where I stand, and with alcohol still in my veins, but I do this for a higher cause and I can just hope Allah understands. In any case, I will need His blessing if I'm to pull off what I'm about to do with only an Erika.
It helps that I'm in the club. No dealing with GOD or shifting grids. I'm right here in the host. But the club must have planned for clever deckers working from the inside. I'm better than most, but I'm gimped by my low tech. Still, no use worrying about what I cannot change now. I slip the cable into the back of my neck and allow myself to first bring up AR and scan my surroundings.
The privacy screen works both ways, so I cannot see out any more than someone on the outside could see in. It seems likely they thought of someone using the screen to mask nefarious activities. They minimized the risk of problems by making the inside of the bubble its own little world. But the screen itself is tech. I focus on the screen generator which by necessity exists both within and outside the field.
And beyond that, it must be connected to the host.
Place a mark on the privacy field generator: 12d6t5: 3 [12d6t5=1, 1, 5, 1, 3, 6, 4, 1, 1, 6, 2, 4]I'm in! The privacy screen isn't a very smart device, but it doesn't have to be. I just need it as a conduit to keep working my way into the system. It's like a beachhead for the Imperial Marines. From here, I enter the Stardust host as if I am a device that belongs here. Nothing interesting here, Mr IC. Just a dumb ol' privacy screen doing some data checks. Routine stuff. Not worth your attention.
Hopefully the security system will be as tolerant of my ruse...
Mark #1 on Stardust security server: 12d6t5: 4 [12d6t5=3, 5, 5, 2, 4, 1, 6, 5, 2, 1, 3, 1]
[url=http://orokos.com/roll/334257]Mark #2 on Stardust security server: 12d6t5: 6 [12d6t5=4, 2, 4, 5, 5, 5, 2, 3, 1, 5, 5, 5]
[url=http://orokos.com/roll/334262]Mark #3 on Stardust security server: 12d6t5: 4 [12d6t5=2, 5, 1, 1, 3, 6, 2, 4, 3, 5, 5, 3]With my marks on the system, I proceed to download an image of the server's contents. This will take a bit of time given the size of the files, but no one should be bothering the two of us since we're supposed to be in the midst of a phenomenal make out session. With any luck, I won't jack out to find that Matsuuri lost her battle with the drugs and is making love to my limp body in meatspace.
One of the occupational hazards of being a decker...and a mage...
Okay, now for something I can actually do something about. The back door. I'm sure Arc will appreciate this as much as the Yak will...
Computer + logic to set up a back door: 12d6t5: 4 [12d6t5=1, 4, 2, 3, 5, 4, 6, 4, 4, 6, 3, 6]And while I wait for the files to copy down, I may as well take a peek for myself to see what is happening around the place...
Snoop to catch camera feed: 11d6t5: 2 [11d6t5=1, 3, 4, 6, 1, 4, 1, 5, 2, 3, 3]
Not a very good die roll, but I only needed one mark and have three. I will ask for GM's grace here...
I will limit myself to just video and no audio as a result of the low roll. It'll create more tension that way. :-)I have some trouble getting the system to cooperate with me, but with some effort I manage to navigate through the live feeds around the club. As Matsuuri indicated, the Martian display is a camera. Heck, there are cameras covering just about everywhere in the club. Even the bathrooms. Private rooms...uhhh...wow, I didn't know that fit there...
The down side of a photographic memory is that once you see something, you can never unsee it.
On to the kitchen, hallways, holding cells, outsi...wait!
Back...holding cell...oh
...drek...
...no...
Yelena-sensei!
