[Jack_Spade]

Isaint had claimed one of the two large wing chairs, removing the rest of the armor accessorizes and the coat. The rifle leaned on the side.
While they waited for the rest to settle down he took stock:
Jackhammer, the Frenchman, Al and he himself could be counted as muscle. Solo and Goodnight resp. Victoria were now all they had left for astral security. The little technomancer Tobis and Nitro the rigger were their prime matrix defense - aided by Solo.
All in all twelve people with the family. Tobis and solo probably needed some peace and quiet to call their spirits or sprites, so they probably would need separate rooms - incidentally making it unlikely that an attack would rob them of both their matrix muscle simultaneously. The women should probably share one suite, while father and son shared the other. He would opt to take the couch in the men's suite. Partly because he didn't want to leave the Doc out of his sight and partly because he Al - despite being a great chummer - was a smoker and he strongly suspected him to have not the highest standards of hygiene.
These thoughts - minus the last part - he sent to the rest of the team for discussion.

[gilga]

“Al, just give me about an hour to work on astral security.  My magic is very odd but do not worry I’ll take one of the rooms to do it with so I won’t creep everyone.”
But what magic did Solo know that would take them about an hour, Nonsense locked most of his magical knowledge away - that way he could not change his mind about the ritual that made Solo insane.  Solo could remember bits and pieces of that ritual, there was a castle and sexy outfits. Many people dancing, or was it some old trid? Why would a ritual look like that?

He felt that Vicki would make a fine addition to the ritual, something in her dark nature may blend very well.
“Vick, want to do ritual magic? I am not sure how I am going to do it but I have a feeling it is going to feel liberating.” Solo had no idea what kind of ritual he is going to do, or how come he even knows ritual magic.

To himself:
“Now think I know that Nonsense knew ritual magic, where did he hide this knowledge?” Solo looks puzzled. He tries many dance moves, moonwalk, elvis presley moves - and all sort of moves. Nothing rings a bell.  Frustrated he speaks to himself again: "gosh Nonsense, I want to do watchers, cut me some slack! we are the same person.” He say.
After impossible two minutes, he just knows what to do as if some hidden entity sort of guided him into the right memories.
 “This is how it goes I think “... he looks puzzled “You take a jump to the left.” His body seems to remember the moves, he is also moving his hands. ‘Then a step to the right... four actually. Yes like this exactly.”  He ponders for a little bit. “Yes place the hands on the hips, like that.”... and then... no... “COMMON Nonsense, you are messing with my mind now!.. this can’t be it. I can’t do that movement with my pelvic.”. The hidden entity insists and after looking around nervously, Solo does it. Saying “This is about right I think”.  But nothing happens... even after repeating the moves multiple times.

Solo has thousands of songs on his deck all of them are extremely old and he clearly do not listen to them. He must had a different taste in music before.  How can he possibly know the right music for this ritual... he browse the files and select one of them labeled “RHS-TW-WR” - somehow he just knew that the music will be appropriate to the moves.
As he plays the music his body comes to life, He starts reciting odd words and dance. He becomes completely unaware of his surroundings and some half transparent versions of himself joint he dance. They ware all kind of clothes and speak their parts with Solo's voice.


The 'Moves'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8hTJKfjyqY
The dance! 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmQgICDxGEQ

Flashback:

A memory shred locked away surfaces. Solo is covered in blood, he is crying. “I just killed these people...” He say out loud “My revenge is over, why do I keep senselessly killing people. This dark part in me grows out of control and nothing helps, there is no cure. Drug therapy do not work, psychological therapy do not work, even hypnosis failed me. "

He washes his hands and say:
"If no one else is going to stop me, then I will  stop myself - I invented a ritual that can break my mind into multiple fragments forever. It will lock the dark one into a separate fragment and I can bury him very deep so he never gets out again.”

He washes his ends from the blood and thinks “It will not be enough, I need to hide that ritual even from myself... I will be insane after the ritual and I will want my mind to be whole again. But it should never be. I will lock away my magical talents so that even I cannot undo what I did. I will hide them in absurd places - that the odds of just stumbling them are slim to none. ”

Back to the room, Solo talks in many different voices as if possessed and more and more version of himself seems to join them as they dance.  Solo speaks in many voices and these seem to come from multiple dancing specters.

(Riff Raff) It's astounding
Time is fleeting
Madness takes it's toll...
(Magenta) Ahh...
(Riff Raff) But listen closely...
(Magenta) Not for very much longer...
(Riff Raff) I've got to keep control.
I remember doing the Time Warp.
Drinking those moments when
The blackness would hit me.
(Riff Raff & Magenta) And the void would be calling.
(Guests) Let's do the Time Warp again.
Let's do the Time Warp again.
(Narrator) It's just a jump to the left.
(Guests) And then a step to the right.
(Narrator) With your hand on your hips.
(Guests) You bring your knees in tight.
But it's the pelvic thrust.
They really drive you insane.
Let's do the Time Warp again.
Let's do the Time Warp again.
(Magenta) It's so dreamy
Oh, fantasy free me
So you can't see me
No not at all.
In another dimension
With voyeuristic intention.
Well secluded I see all...
(Riff Raff) With a bit of a mind flip...
(Magenta) You're into a time slip...
(Riff Raff) And nothing can ever be the same.
(Magenta) You're spaced out on sensation.
(Riff Raff) Like you're under sedation.
(Guests) Let's do the Time Warp again.
Let's do the Time Warp again.
(Columbia) Well, I was walking down the street
Just having a think
When a snake of a guy
Gave me an evil wink.
Well it shook me up
It took me by surprise
He had a pick-up truck
And the devil's eyes
He stared at me
And I felt a change
Time meant nothing
Never would again.
(Guests) Let's do the Time Warp again.
Let's do the Time Warp again.
(Narrator) It's just a jump to the left.
(Guests) And then a step to the right.
(Narrator) With your hands on your hips.
(Guests) You bring you knees in tight.
But it's the pelvic thrust...
That really drives you insane
Let's do the Time Warp again.
Let's do the Time Warp again.
Let's do the Time Warp again
(Columbia) Ah! Oh! Oh! Yeoooww...
Ahhhh.
(Guests) Let's do the Time Warp again.
Let's do the Time Warp again.
(Narrator) It's just a jump to the left.
(Guests) And then a step to the right.
(Narrator) With your hands on your hips.
(Guests) You bring your knees in tight.
But it's the pelvic thrust
They really drive you insane.
Let's do the Time Warp again.
Let's do the Time Warp again.


Everyone suddenly collapse to the ground when the ritual is over.  After several seconds the effect go away and in the astral there are 5, watcher spirits.

[adamu]

Al watched as people settled in around the room. It had been a major effort by all of them, and some hadn't made it, but at least now they could finally make some decisions that would allow them to move toward a resolution, do something more proactive than just running away from place to place.

The lounge at the hub of the four rooms was pretty nice. He'd just helped himself to some cool water from a decanter that had been left for them, when Solo said, “Al, just give me about an hour to work on astral security."

And Al had sprayed his mouthful of water all over the coffee table.

"Noah an' his ark an' his animals two by damned two, amigo, we ain't gon' wait an..." but his voice trailed off in defeat as the insane man disappeared into the nearest room.

Well, he had asked them to make the room secure. Who knew it took an hour to do it?

At least he'd already taken the liberty of getting the process started with Silk. So actually, this wasn't costing them any time. But he could see the pain in the faces of the Doc and his wife at the realization that sleep might be delayed. He gave them his winningest wolfishest smile, shrugged, and said, "Herdin' cats, right?" At this point, these people were so stretched they were like little kids. If he let them sleep, it'd be more hours before he could get them and everyone else in a room again. And then they really would be losing time to their myriad pursuers. He was sorely tempted to just screw Solo and lay things out. But he knew the man would want his say, heaven help them all, and the fact was he'd risked his life for these people right alongside the rest of them.

He quickly read Isaint's ideas about room arrangements, and texted back his two cents in a text to Isaint alone: <<They's a family. Why they gotta be separated like school kids? I'd feel better with them all in one room. And the ladies might not feel better alone in a room with the other ladies in our group. I think you can appreciate the reasons for that. What say we put it to them how they want to bunk?>>

Then, seeing eyelids grow heavy and hearing Natasha whine that she just wanted to go to bed, Al set about regaling them with the tale of how he'd jacked some opium kingpins in Cambodia. He'd been handling demolitions for a tin mining outfit there, and once his Khmer got good enough he'd started talking to some of his coworkers about some of the local druglords...

There were occasional distractions from the other room. Whenever the shouts, singing, and crashes got especially loud, he would find a way to add tension to the story. It wouldn't do to have them realize what he was fast confirming in his own mind - that Solo's genius was matched only by his insanity.

It was hard work without the beer or cigarettes which were the customary accoutrements of his storytelling, but it kept them awake. By the time he'd explained that he'd gotten away with it clean, only to be arrested for accidentally shoplifting a bottle of beer in Phnom Penh, Solo had emerged from his chamber of devil worship, apparently having done what he'd set out to do.

"Now then," Al continued, "Are we ready to talk?"

[Jack_Spade]

Isaint flashed Al a quick text back: <<Yeah, I'd like nothing better, but there are two reasons why I suggest the split:
One: The Doc is still the main target. I want one of us fighters at all hours with him - and if there is a breach its better not to have to worry about the two ladies in the same room.
Two: Goodnight has taken a shine to the daughter. When she comes back she'll probably insist on partnering up with her. For similar reasons as above I don't think it wise to have her and one of us with the principal.
The suites have connecting doors, so it's not like they have to live separately - just the resting is done non-coed.>>

Fascinated he listened to the story, trying not to interrupt although his curiosity sometimes overcame this restraint as he asked for more details.

He had to suppress a yawn when Solo finally reappeared. Sitting down had sent his body entirely the wrong signals.
"I'd love nothing more. Especially since we have to divvy up the guard duty afterwards."

[gilga]

"Sorry about that, I was a little fuzzy in the exact technique to perform this magic." He let their five guardians to manifest to introduce them.  S1, S2, S3, S4 and S5, they all looked like a transparent version of Solo and were different only by their choice of clothes.  "You can talk to them, but they only exist in the astral space." he said and then ordered the watchers to patrol the place. 
He then took a sit and spoke.
"Thanks for waiting for me... never-mind the details but we now have eyes in both this world and the astral world. They should be enough until Goodnight feels better and we get access to her spirits. I had to improvise something appropriate for the circumstances.". Al seemed to be able to keep his cool, he knew where the money comes from and was not distracted by rivalries, augmentations or toys. Solo liked it, he tried to cover so many bases all the time that he really could not stay focused on anything.
"Please start" he said.

[adamu]

Al smiled. "Sheee-it, baby, now there's six o' ya!" He had to admit, he'd rest a lot better with those things on the lookout.

He glanced at his commlink, the message from Isaint, and couldn't fault the reasoning. He gave the ork a nod of agreement.

Then he started, his sandpaper voice grating through the details.

“Alrighty Doc, Mrs. Pelletiere, Natasha, William, most o’ these folks I’m with unnerstands most o’ this, but I wanna lay it out for ya piece by piece.

“Last night was all wrong. We was told y’all had called us, an’ that don’t seem to have been true. Upside, well, ya ended up with a group o’ folks that seem ta have decided, fer whatever they individual reasons, that they’d like a happy endin’ for ya, an’ are willin’ ta fight fer it. Some ain’t with us no more.

“Seems what yer workin’ on, what with events in Boston unfoldin’, well, yer work’s attractin’ a whole lot of attention. From both sides o’ the issue. You represent one piece of global salvation ta some. To others, an unimaginable sum o’ cash. But yer also seen as a deadly threat to others. So we got some as wanna take ya by force. Some won’t care about whether the family comes with. An’ we got some as jist wants ya dead. An’ they’s all of ‘em got scary pow’rful resources. As you’ve seen. An’ the kicker is, fer the most part, we don’t know which is which.

“So we gotta figure out someone strong enough ta keep ya safe, smart enough ta know ya work better happy, as in, with yer kin by yer side, an’ then, cherry on top, willin’ ta pay those as is here pertectin’ ya.

“Now I am of the opinion that we’ve identified one such party. They represent NeoNet. Not the whole thing, but a powerful enough faction ta meet our needs. You may know her - apparently she’s some sort o’ nobility-type was at the party with ya last night, Missus. Goes by Lady This, or Dame That. Ol’ Al knows her by another name. She’s half dragon or some other abomination afore nature, but fer all that a straight shooter.

“Here’s why I think so. First, I done worked for her before, an’ met her a couple times. She was puttin’ herself and precious resources onna line ta secure info on the very same problems you’s workin’ on, Doc, an’ this was nigh on a year back, afore ever’one knew about it. Back when it was no more’n a creepy whisper inna shadows. An’ end o’ the day, she played us fair, backed us an’ paid us. On top o’ that, a friend o’ mine, name o’ Silk, she’s real smart an’ real connected, an’ I completely trust ‘er, an’ she’s worked with this person quite a bit. Don’t call her no saint, but agrees she’s reliable. An’ she’s got people close to ‘er that make stronger recommendations than that. Now in this business, them’s about as good o’ bona fides as yer gon’ git.

“Now Silk’s already offered ta help us broker a deal. I took the liberty - without makin’ any promises - ta ask ‘er to reach out, see what sort o’ deal Dragon-Lady’s willin’ ta offer you... an’ us. She’s doin’ that now.

“I started her on it cuz time ain’t on our side. People after you, nowhere on or under or above this earth is safe. We’s on borrowed time already.

“So what I need to know from you, Doc, an’ from all o’ y’all here, is if she comes back with a reasonable offer, if we wanna take ‘er up on it.”

[Jack_Spade]

"Dealings with dragons... Not something I or my patron endorse in general. Still, regarding the circumstances, it's better than nothing.

But I have to ask: Wasn't Boston NeoNET's back yard? Rumors say they are probably the ones to blame for this whole quarantine situation."
Isaint made a placating gesture: "Not that this is a knockout criterion. Probably rather helps us with the negotiations if they are under pressure."

[gilga]

Solo said: "I am totally for Dragon lady, we already know she is interested.  However, I agree with Isaint, she is a business woman - do not expect a good deal if we do not have alternatives."
He reached over to make himself a coffee - these dancing and singing were a little bit odd even for himself. He should try and get M to tell him for once and for all what is the deal with dark one and who he really was.

[Kinkerbell]

Victoria shakes her head at the invitation. "I'm sorry, hon. What I know about ritual magic you could fit in my ear with enough room left over for a brigade of dancing angels." She sinks down into a comfortable armchair instead, doffing her cloak on the way and folding it neatly, then setting it on the floor beside her. She surveys the room as the not-lawyer lays out his theory and the usual shadowrunner kibbitzing commences, trying very hard to ignore the growing hunger and thirst behind her navel and in the back of her throat.

Instead, in an effort to keep her mind occupied, Victoria looks at Natasha, the one that her sister had apparently taken a shine to while keeping half an ear open to listen to "the plan." Cute, but not gorgeous. Comes from money, probably had at least some measure of matrix and tutorsoft education. Likely goes to a private or chartered school. Not awakened, unless she's got a better mask than any teenager has a right to. Athletic enough to keep her figure, but not enough to be cut. Dressed in shadowrunner basic, but the transformation is new enough that she doesn't feel at home in the clothes. Fianna's work, then. Nervous enough that she probably doesn't slum very often. Worried looking, mostly about herself, but she keeps glancing at her kid brother. Not, Victoria notes, her parents. Teenager in the throes of rebellion then, and not informed enough to know how much her father's research might mean.

So basically, a vain rich kid who thinks she knows everything. Why is Fianna interested in her? They're from different worlds, and even if Fianna is robbing the cradle, she has to know she's not going to get anywhere with the attack dogs herding them or with the parents clutching to what's left of their lives.

Is it because she's alive? Warm? Uninfected? Is she some proxy for Fee, making up for me?

She is shaken from her introspection as Isaint and Solo say their pieces. She weighs the pros and cons of colunteering information for a minute, then asks, "What about Draco? Not DIMR, but DF? They've got that whole 'common good' aesthetic thing going. Having a leg up on the world's most pressing problem would help their PR a lot." Her lips quirk into a grimace. "Renraku, too. They never really recovered after Seattle, did they? Maybe they'd buy up the Doctor in an effort to try to recoup their image."

[adamu]

Al smiled, and congratulated himself for working with such smart people - even if half of them were crazy or devil worshippers or abominations or all three.

And that was what he knew about them after twelve hours.

"Point taken on NeoNet, Isaint. Fact o' the matter is, run I did fer dragon lady last year, it was actually against NeoNet. A Sybill-related datasteal. She made no secret o' the fact they was factions within the corp that wanted the info suppressed. So yeah, NeoNet could be at fault, but she could still be onna side o' the angels."

He looked at Solo. "An' o' course yer right we'll negotiate a better deal fer the family an' fer us if'n we find a way to shop it 'round a bit. Now, prob'ly none of us is fixed ta teach my girl Silk anything 'bout dealmakin' - she'll play it smart an' do all she can fer us. But no doubt if'n we can give 'er more ta bring ta the table, we'll be better off."

He scratched at his stubble with a yellow fingernail. "Trouble we got is, any deal in this biz they's a chance they playin' us, trade lead instead o' cred at the meet. But this particular deal - ol' Al don't spend much time on JackPoint, but I been followin' this thing since last year. These headcases, they's ever'where. So the gen'ral distrustworthiness o' Johnsons is doubled on this deal, cuz even a corp that wants ta play, anyone in the chain is infected, that could screw the whole thing. An' on top o' that, we's gittin' hunted an' hunted hard. We got at least the world's most powerful mega an' the UK gummint gunnin' fer us, an' I doubt they's all. Hell, it's a wonder they ain't caught up to us already."

He was watching the Doc's reactions. The man and his wife were obviously sharp people, and the stakes were highest for them. "So all I's sayin' is, ya wanna shop, yeah, ya should. But the deal onna table ta beat is this: dragon lady an' her bit o' NeoNet are in play now, she's high enough to make executive decisions herself, we got reason ta believe she wants the Doc alive an' not dead, an' we got a history o' playin' runners straight. Any shoppin' ya do, ya gotta be able ta do fast, I mean hours, not days. An' you gotta have contact with people high enough ta act independent but with they organization's backin', an' you gotta know 'em.

"An' ya gotta do yer shoppin' quiet enough ya don't jist throw blood inna water callin' more sharks to the frenzy."

He turned to the vamp. Looking at her in that schoolgirl skirt, it occurred to him that she fit the title figuratively as well as literally. "Li'l darlin', all those is great places ta start. Ya got anyone in those institutions meets the criteria I laid out? At this point, wouldn't surprise ol' Al fer a second if'n ya did."

[Kinkerbell]

"The Vamp" giggles, sounding her apparent age rather than her actual one. "Renraku, no. Japanacorps don't look well on metas, women, or vampires. Draco though? Yes, actually. I know a couple people." She grins broadly at the expression of surprise on the Doctor's face. "What? You didn't think I spend all my time covering for Fee, did you?" She looks back at Al. "I have a contact or two. Fee is trying to get DF to sponsor me going to school in the UCAS, so I can hit those channels." Victoria's tone gets a bit defensive. "Fee can be irritating, loud, and volatile, but she tries. Her heart is in the right place. A fringe benefit with Draco is that she would accept them as a client no questions asked, and you wouldn't have to argue with the angry combat spellworm."

[pistolgrip]

Aaron leans against a wall with a clear line of sight to the door and to the family. He stands, listening to the discussing while idly spinning the cylinder in his Taurus Omni. He'd changed out the ammo to explosive rounds, reasoning that anyone crashing this party deserved at least as much. This whole situation had pretty much soured him on the whole shadow running thing. Wading through astral spaces and haunted catacombs, dodging bullets while trying to find an end-game on the fly, losing team members and getting new ones every few hours. Seemed like his head could just come off from a damned spirit or invisible assassin at any second, and he'd be lucky if anyone so much as blinked about it. Something had him in a pretty pissy mood, but he didn't especially care to think about whatever it might be. Instead he just hoped some black-clad corp thug would walk through the door with a bulls-eye on his chest asking for trouble. But while he waited, there was only one other thing that could be done.

"Hey Al, you got a beer?"

[adamu]

"Well, if'n they got juice, an' ya know 'em well 'nuff ta trust yer life to 'em, ol' Al'd be obliged if'n ya reached out in a quiet sorta way," he answered the girl, reminding himself every time he wanted to stare at those cute young lips that behind them waited a pair of blood-drinking fangs.

And speaking of drinking, "Tragically, amigo, no. Though I reckon I'm off it till we get this package delivered." Al couldn't believe what he'd just said. He'd never taken a job seriously enough to forego a few brews. For a second he thought he saw the white Akita in the corner, but then it was gone. "Still, as our guides've been at pains ta point out, there's things we need. Don't like the idea of thinnin' our security - was hopin' young Victoria here might be kind enough to pick some things up. This hotel got room service - vittles an' whatnot?"

[Kinkerbell]

Victoria dimples impishly. "Of course, Counselor Guthrie." She says cheerfully. "I can be your errand girl." She produces a commlink from somewhere, a sleek, flat-profile model and checks something quickly. "Nacht doesn't have room service as such, because its so close to Nightside, but I can get food and drink while I'm out.  You'll need someone to check the local fare, too. Not all of it is surfacer-friendly." She winces. "Tempura tarantula is not for everyone." She looks up from her commlink and adds, "As for Draco, I'm not sure I'd trust my life to them willingly, but they know what I am and where I am- they have for months- and no one's come to collect the bounty. I'll see what I can shake loose on that front."

She turns to the family and produces a pair of half-frame glasses that give her a cutely bookish look, then uses the high-end vision suite to take measurements of everyone. Turning back to Al she says, "Okay, Grandpa. I'm going to go get some new threads so Herr Doktor and his family can blend in with the local yokels, and food for everyone. I shouldn't be too long." She looks up at the drone and adds, "I'll check in on Nitro while I'm out, too, and I promised. Comm me with anything else you need within reason." She stands, instructing one of her bound spirits to stay in the astral and guard the suite, then casts about for her cloak and asks, "Anything else before I told off?"

[gilga]

"Vicki, it is great that you do some legwork, but for food and drinks we'll do it ourselves.  We will be alright, we're in a hotel and I am sure these goods are not very far. 

He thinks to himself - a teenage Banshee should not be the one to fetch drinks and food, who knows how sketchy her knowledge of food is. She might have never had an alcoholic beverage or a descent meal in her life.

He looks at Aron and say: "Glad you could join us, what do you think? You've been awfully quite since the extraction. I am Solo by the way."


The watchers were were patrolling the house like ghosts, ignoring doors walls and small obstacles. One of them stayed at all time near the family, while the other two patrolled outside. Solo looked at a watcher that just crossed the room and, then said. 

"Actually... I think,  we can send one of the watchers to do shopping for us and that way we only need to go out if they do not do deliveries... as boring as that sounds we really should avoid site seeing. This run seems like a horror show where more and more of us just disappear every time we look away... speaking of disappearing... anyone seen Tobias recently? I mean he is easy to miss but is he still around? "