[Irn0rchid]

"Will you be here later this evening? I can drop off a portion of it then. Would be nice to get it resolved as quickly as possible before Howard figures out what's going on. And if there's nothing else, I'll go attend to that and then get back to you about the other job by Monday?"

[Mercy Merchant]

Ni Ni nods and dryly replies, "I have no life so I live here, or at least my employees think I do.  I will have some watching for you when you return."

She makes a very slight hand motion and the small man is at your side as if he had been there the entire time.  He smiles at you as you stand and motions for you to follow him. leading you from the storeroom back out to the main lobby.  As you leave the building you notice a young tough in colors representing the 88s Triad walking just across the street from you, alternating between paying you a lot of attention and ignoring you.

[Irn0rchid]

Stepping out of the doorway, Rose notices the man watching her as she turns up the street. Taking a couple steps further, she knocks herself on the side of the head and shakes it. Muttering to herself she turns around and goes back into the shop. "Do you happen to have a back way out I can use, please?" While waiting on the answer, she sends a quick command to the CU^3 to launch from the Americar and head to above the shop as quickly as possible.

[Mercy Merchant]

The young woman at the counter indicates that she will tend to your needs as soon as she finishes with her current customer.  The five minutes that takes gives your drone more than enough time to arrive on site.  After taking nearly forever to deal with the tourist, the clerk shows you to an exit that opens onto a narrow alley.

The alley is much like any other alley you have ever seen; dark and narrow and filled with the odors of unwashed humanity mixed with the smells of uncollected garbage, urine, feces, vomit and the varied perfumes of designer drugs.  At least it is until you reach an intersection where a young boy is leaning against a wall.  "Would you be interested in finding what you most want?  Whatever it is, you can find it down this alley.  Just a few yards in, you will have your eyes opened to the truths about sex, love, drugs, chips, guns...................anything.  It is all waiting for you.  But there is a cost.  There is always a cost.  The more you desire, the more it costs.  Are you interested enough in your future to see what I am talking about?"

[Irn0rchid]

Already displeased by having to walk through the alleys, the young boy's spiel is not well received. "No, I think not. All I need to know about my future is the fastest way out of here." Brushing past the boy, she continues on with an overhead view of the route provided by the drone in an AR window. "These stupid alleys have so much drek hanging in them that I can't see down into most of them. The main road should be over.... there!" Looking over her shoulder to make sure the boy isn't following, she speeds up towards the more open area.

[Mercy Merchant]

Wednesday  13 June 2075  1445  A Back Alley  Seattle Chinatown


Sadly, the alleys are full of drek and it is very hard to tell one from another and what seems like the path to the main road is not.  The drone's view of the alley you are in does not seem to match the reality of your location.  These byways are almost empty of people, but not quite.  You do pass the odd body on the ground, but not stopping to check you are not sure if it is a dead person or just someone on the way to dying.  Coming to a dead end, you turn and begin to retrace your steps...................possibly.  The closeness of the walls begins to weigh on you and there is a fleeting thought of wondering who in the frag would find your body if you died here.  Checking, you do not even have the familiar comforting presence of your 'link to tell you that you are still connected to the world and the drone has stopped talking to you.  Just one empty alleyway after another.  After another.  After another.......................

Then the sound of voices comes to you from just around the corner; a man talking.  He seems to be completing a transaction of some kind and you hear him say, "I guess that does it.  Give her the money, Jimmy."

A woman's voice responds.  "Thank you, Councillor.  Pleasure doing business with you, as always.  Next week?"

"You got it."  Then you hear footsteps heading your way, followed by the forms of two men.  Their faces are indistinguishable in the shadows, but one is wearing a fine suit completely out of place for this area.  The other is dressed more as a bodyguard and places an arm across the chest of his companion as he says, "Well, what do we have here?  Not dressed like you belong here.  Lost?  Or a KE rat?"

[Irn0rchid]

When her 'link shuts down and her orientation system cuts out, Rose knows something weird is going on. Hearing voices, she's relieved at first to find some other people but then quickly realizes they probably won't be happy to be found. As they turn the corner and the man who appears to be a bodyguard confirms her suspicions she grimaces, "Lost! These drekking alleys all look the same and my commlink doesn't even seem to work so I can't even pull up a map. Do you know the way back to the main street?"

[Mercy Merchant]

Wednesday  13 June 2075  1600  A Back Alley  Seattle Chinatown


The bodyguard does not seem inclined to believe you and starts to slip a hand into his jacket when a woman's voice interrupts him.  "She is the next customer.  You spent too long haggling over the price that she showed up.  She is harmless."

The well dressed man nods to his guard, who does not look convinced but obeys.  The man looks back at whoever is standing behind his guard and says, "Just make sure she is harmless and that she develops a case of amnesia about this."

The two men push past you and you see that the woman is actually a teenaged girl.  She looks at you quietly then says, "Are you really lost or were you following the councilman?"

[Irn0rchid]

A wave of relief passes over her as the two men brush past her. Turning to the girl who spoke, she answers honestly, "No, I really am lost. I was just trying to get back to the main car pickup spot. I don't even know who the 'councilman' is. Politics isn't really my thing...."

[Mercy Merchant]

The girls looks closely at you and gives you a sort of crooked smile.  The minimal light in the alley allows you to see very little of her, but she seems no taller than about 5'6", with dark hair and a fair complexion.  Up close, you think that she cannot be older than fifteen, sixteen tops.  "I must say that you have chosen an odd place to get lost in, but it can be very easy to get turned around in here.  I do not have another customer scheduled until tonight and my place is not too far away.  Could I interest you in some tea?  Or something stronger?  If you say yes, I will agree to get you back to the main road safely, otherwise I will just point and give instructions that you might remember correctly...................and might not."

[Irn0rchid]

Looking at her in silence for a moment, Rose finally responds, "Well, I've obviously had no luck getting myself out and I'm not sure directions would be much help... Some tea would be nice." Bowing slightly, "My name is Orchid, what should I call you?"

[Mercy Merchant]

The young girl frowns a bit as she considers your name then smiles at you.  "Orchid.  I like it.  I was trying to remember if I have know anyone else with that particular name and I do not think so.  My name is Sian, Orchid."  Sian makes an odd clicking noise with her tongue and two of the piles of garbage stir.  Bright red eyes stare at you as two Hell Hounds rise and approach the girl.  These are huge even for  their breed and you can almost smell the smoke wafting from their nostrils.  Sian holds out a hand to you.  "Hold out a hand and let them sniff at you.  They will not harm you if you are nice.  Come with me."  The girl reaches up and removes something from the wall.  Suddenly your 'link pops back on and you have access to your drones again.  Turning, Sian moves down a narrow alleyway that twists and turns, with several intersecting alleys that look remarkably like the one you are in.  One of the hounds precedes her and the other falls in behind you.

After about ten minutes, you step from the alley into a broader street.  Broader in that it is wider than the alley, but is still much narrower than a standard street.  Sian turns to you and says, "Welcome to the Chinatown Barrens.  Lots of opportunity to find anything you ever wanted, but also lots of opportunity for you to end up a slave or dead.................or worse."

[Irn0rchid]

Starting a bit when the garbage moves, Rose takes a step back from the two animals that appear. Carefully holding out a hand as instructed, the two 'dogs' both snuffle around it and then look back to Sian, ignoring her. When Sian pulls what must be some sort of high powered jammer off the wall, Rose is relived to see her drone went into a holding pattern when it got disconnected and hadn't crashed and burned. Instructing it to do it's best to map this section of the alleys and update her nav system, she follows Sian further into the maze.

Emerging into the slightly larger road, she orders the drone to resume pathfinding from there. "Well, I'd really prefer to end up neither of those... What is it you're doing here if it's that dangerous? You seem fairly young for this sort of area..."

[Mercy Merchant]

Wednesday  13 June 2075  1610  Chinatown Barrens  Seattle


The young girl waves her hand at the street as she leads you down it.  She ruffs the fur of one of her hounds and says, "Yes, I am at risk, but I have my friends to watch over me."  Indeed, you notice that the other people in the street, at least those still conscious, swing wide around her and the Hell Hounds as you walk.  Many people cross to the other side of the street and make signs with their fingers, as if to ward off evil.  There are plenty of unconscious people about, as well.  Unconscious or dead.  The odors of the narrow alley have changed only in scale and if you think they are weaker, it is only because the street is wider and allows the odors to be less concentrated.  The building along the street are mostly ruins, shells of what they had once been.  Many are shop fronts, but there are a large number of bars and strip clubs as well.  After all, the people here have to have some place to go to try to forget they live here. 

You see no policemen and vices are offered out in the open.  Drugs are plentiful, but money is scarce, even for the cheap drek, so sex is a common currency and you see women, and men, on their knees or splayed against walls as they "pay" for the various drugs that offer a sort of release form this place.  You can imagine that this would be a pick pocket's heaven.....................if there was much to pick from anyone's pocket.  Sian leads you to a ruin of a building at the end of a small alley and the hounds settle down at the door as she opens it and walks in.

The room beyond the door is small, and is apparently a combination kitchen, living room, and bedroom.  Sian points to two doors in the wall.  "Welcome to my place.  Through there is a bathroom if you want to neaten up some while I get tea started.  That is a closet."

[Irn0rchid]

Looking around as they walk, Rose is viscerally reminded of the life she's actively trying to avoid. Trying to avoid meeting anyone's eye, she stays close on the heals of the girl leading her. Entering the small room, she's impressed at how nice it is compared to the exterior and surroundings. "This is nice, thank you." Stepping over to the indicated bathroom door and going in, she takes the time offered by nature's call to send a message to Robin, <<Got held up. Getting a first hand look at the seedy underbelly of Chinatown. Not sure how pleased I am about that. Hopefully wont be too long. Everything going okay with you two?>> Her business done, she cleans up and heads back to the central room, "So why did you cover for me and bring me here? Do you normally pick up strays in the alleys?" She raises her eyebrows and nods at where the dogs would be on the other side of the door.