[Mercy Merchant]

Athos sends a text to Bruno.  >>Bruno.  You are now my link to the Family.  No one knows you were with me because it was so last-minute.  I am supposed to have died in the blast, along with Minnie and Valentina.  You have choices.  If you tell anyone that Minnie and I are alive, it is quite likely that whoever set us up will torture you to get information.  You can walk with the 2K I already gave you.  You can stay loyal to me and earn up to 10K or more for your silence and your help.  Decide soon as this burner is going to the trash in a few minutes.<<

He considers his options then makes another call, this one to a sometime arson inspector he knows is a bit "flexible" in his morals.  "Willy.  Athos here.  There has been a warehouse explosion at the address I am sending you.  It is on Family turf.  I need you to get to the site and begin an investigation.  Look for evidence of the explosive used and the signature of the bomber.  It is almost certain that the Family will be there as well and ask you to do the same thing for them.  Feel free to get two paydays for this.  I am supposed to have died in the blast so do not mention that we spoke.  Doing so will draw the attention of whoever to die.  Let me know, but if I were you I would already be in the car heading over here.<<

He signals Minnie.  "Yulia, we need to leave.  Let others do the work for us.  We cannot afford to be seen here and I am sure that the Family is already on the way now.  We need to talk about finding a place to crash and other things."

[gilga]

Athos Bruno tells you >> I am completely loyal to you. You already told me too much. I never talk about job, not even to family members. Either they know what I did or they don't. -If they don't they probobly shouldn't. Most of what I do is done in the dark anyhow. I'd appreciate the cash but my silence is free.  I'd rather not receive such a large amount of cash it will only raise unwanted attention. If you want to tip me that heavily make it when you are back from the dead. I'll buy a new burner and text you the code, please do not call this link again. I don't talk to Zombies.

[Mercy Merchant]

Athos nods.  At least it seems that Bruno is going to help him.  Maybe.  The Ork has never given him reason to doubt him and that says a lot in this line of work.  He sends one last message.  >>Artie.  You need to get away.  The Family will be sending people to sift through the wreckage.  Perhaps you can observe them at work.  You remember Willy?  He worked that case on 54th?  Gave us a break when he could have turned evidence in.  Cost a bunch, but it was worth it.  Anyway, I sent him a note to get over here for a look-see.  I expect that he will be working for the Family and us but he has been straight so far.  Yulia and I are leaving to find a place to crash and consider the options.  Call me.<<

After sending the message Athos and Minnie move away from the area and into the night.  He looks down at his diminutive companion.  "So.  You got an idea where someone of my girth and size can crash?"

[gilga]

Athos willy texts you
>> What it is I don't want to be there - this place is too hot, I don't want the Finnigans on my back.
I can guide someone on the phone on how to salvage stuff that I might be interested in and I can examine some items if you bring them to my office, but please forget to mention where you found them. Who knows where the family has ears.

[Mercy Merchant]

Hmmm.  With willy a bust, Athos looks to Minnie.  "Do you have an in with someone that can work the explosion scene and get us some evidence we can use to help ID the bomber?"

[gilga]

Athos Bruno texts you form some new com. >>Zombie - this is B. Listen you probably have a lot of stuff to do. So I'll be brief this is my link. I can send you my bike - give it back when you finish. I can also give you a place to crush, I haven't talked to anyone and it is nothing but a squat but you are so big that the inhabitants can't  really do much to object. I crush their place sometimes when I am too hot to go home.  You'll have to lose the suit if you want to go there. 

[Mercy Merchant]

Athos thinks.  >>Nah, man.  I do not want to burn your emergency place.  Minnie and I will find something.  What I need most of all is some ID.  You know a good writer?<<

[gilga]

Bruno text you >> I do know a good one but he is family.

[Mercy Merchant]

>>Won't do.  Got to be indy.  Say wasn't there some woman over near the Rumble that did paper out of her room during the day when she was not turning tricks?  Mindy Star her name?<<

Athos breaks the connection.  The less Bruno knows about what the better for both of them.  He will contact him in an emergency.  He does have one other, non-Family asset and he sends the text.  >>Ando-san  I find that I am in need of assistance and will pay well to get it.  I need paper for my friend and I, as well as guns, a vehicle, clothes and other things.  Can you make someone available?"  He does not mention money because he is sure that the Yak realizes that he would not be calling him without assets.

[gilga]

Bruno texts you
>>Don't get paper from some woman... got to be someone you trust. You can never tell a quality job from a poor one before they scan your papers.

[Mercy Merchant]

>>Good point.  I will look around.  Save this link for emergencies and stay out of trouble.<<

[Shaman_Yuri]

Up until now, Minnie has lived in a world where any problem could be solved though action of the body.  She needed a ride to 'rescue' Jimmy, she whored herself.  She needed to stay with Athos or she needed to keep her comm, she whored herself.  Heck, even the events in the warehouse had been such a situation - she broke a wall and solved the problem.  Her body had been her avenue to an effective solution.

Now she faces a problem where she can't spend her body to buy herself out of a pickle.  It it's like the sun rose in the west and turned the sky green.

Well, she thinks to herself, it's just another learning experience.

She finds a quiet corner to contact Jimmy.  Other than Strawberry now, he's her best contact outside the family.  Anyone else, well except for the Humanis kid she met today, is Family or a client.

Jimmy, she texts the boy using her glasses.  She bought the device with her own money pretty recently, so with luck it was still secure.  I'm really proud of you and how you stood up for good people like Athos at the community center today.  I followed you to make sure you were safe and left once I was confident you were fine, but I did hang around long enough to see you shine.  I really do want to join you to the club when things settle down.  Sadly, that may be a while.  My latest project has kinda gone sideways.  Really, really bad sideways.  You wouldn't happen to know someone good with forensics, especially fire or explosion scenes, would you?  Someone not associated with the Finnigan Family?  We can pay.

[gilga]

Jimmy texts you back >> You were there, but how...?  I know this copper he did some digging into arson's and stuff like that... His name is David J. Burrell but everybody calls him Dudi.  Are you in trouble Yulia ? I am attaching his number.

[gilga]

Minnie during that night your commlink buzz from an unknown number.
It is a text message.

Yulia,
I hope that you are alive and well, I want to believe it myself. I could see the warehouse explodes but your icon I am sure it was still active after the explosion. I am writing to you because I am completely alone, terrified and I have nobody to talk to, nobody at all.

After the explosion that repulsive orc did not even want to check if you are alright. He just took us back. Said that I am too important and the usual crap. I couldn’t just leave not knowing what happened. He was mean and treated my like a child without a mind of my own. I tried to escape from him to go after you. I do not know what I could do if I succeeded,  but I had to know if you are alive. What followed was the most horrifying part of my life - I managed to mace him and escape the car locking him behind me. I thought I was doing well but... he is a monster, a lot faster than I anticipated. He jumped through the windshield ignoring the glasses, ignoring the pain the cuts. It did not slow him down, it only made him more angry.

It wasn’t long before he tackled me,  it was just him and me in a dark Barrens ally. I froze, terrified, I just cried. He still had pieces of glass in his skin and was so terrifying. As i froze his anger turned into something else - something a lot worse.  Oh Yulia there is no easy way to write it, I can barely type these words.  He kissed me and I didn’t resist.  He aggressively tore off my beautiful clothes,  I just lied there paralyzed with fear and completely helpless. I was too afraid to even cry for help. He almost raped me,  I have no idea why he stopped, but he got distracted and then forced himself to get off me.  He took me, shaken and terrified to the car and could not even look me in the eyes. He carried me like some package to the safe-house and just dropped me there by the door. He Did not even said hello. They just watched him leave without doing anything to defend me.

Since I got here I was physically examined and questioned again and again about any single second of our date. They told me that you are dead and there is going to be war and it is important that I remember any detail. Nobody seemed remotely interested in my emotional state, not at all. Instead of keeping me with my friends that could perhaps support and comfort me I am kept alone in isolation. I have nobody to talk to nobody at all. I am broken, shaken and terrified - please Yulia if you are alive, give me a sign just some small shred of hope. Something that can give me a reason to keep going.

Love,
Nagi.



I can imagine that Yulia will be deeply disturbed to receive this letter. Except the obvious emotional stories, one thing that catch her eyes. Nagisa did not like people belittling her. She did not allow anyone but Yulia to refer to her as Nagi. Her signing a letter in that manner is completely out of character for her.

[Mercy Merchant]

Athos checks his 'link in the morning but there is nothing from Ando.  He gets up with a slight snarl........the fragging bed is not nearly as good as his own.  He tries to stretch his muscles and manages to get some of the cramps out.  He is laying on the floor when a soft knock heralds Minnie's arrival.  He tells her to come in and immediately senses that something is wrong.  "Yulia, you are doing the tail thing again.  I know it looks bad right now, but we are still alive and will see this thing through.  It is OK to be nervous but try to not let the Yaks see that."  When Minnie shares the text from Nagisa, Athos realizes what has set his friend off.  His initial reaction is of anger at Bruno, then sorrow at what Nagisa is going through, then sympathy for Yulia.  Then he calms down and rereads the text.

"Hey, Yulia.  Have you considered that this is a warning from Nagisa?  Look, there is enough truth here to make it seem real, but some things just do not add up.  First, I know Bruno is a brute and that he might have tackled Nagisa to keep her from escaping, but he would not have tried to rape her.  Also, he told me that the minder was very angry, meaning that he at least spoke to her before leaving.  And look how she signed her name.  I have seen her go ballistic when someone called her that.  I think there is a good chance that she wrote this under duress and is trying to tell you not to contact her.  I know little about the trix, but she is one of the best and she would know that you did not die in the explosion because she was watching our icons.  No, you definitely do not want to respond to this.  Do I make any sense?"