[Zen Gypsy]

He accepted the pack with a nod of thanks, "Friends," he paused, "it's odd.  I warned both B., and Rowe, about getting too close to you, or doing anything that would leave them indebted to your or your bratva.  What I have heard of the Vory, there are rumors, expectations, and yet, I found myself."  He shrugged, "Both trusting, and respecting you," he lifted the unlit cigarette to his forehead with a salute, "I should have trusted that Aisha would be a good judge of character.  Though I hope that our friendship does not bring trouble to your door."

As Vlad spoke of the situation, the corporations, the pharma-corp, Bryant began to summarize, theorize, the information he was aware of, trying to figure out the logic behind everything that they had discovered as of yet.

"I do not know much of global politics, economics, or corporate finance, but what I glean from B.'s information is that we have a shadow corporation, comprised of Yakuza and Renraku middle tier exec's.  This shadow corp backs the pharma-corp, tries to break into the Columbian market, and gets rebuked by the local government.  At the same time, one of the shadow corp's exec's pulls out, perhaps related to the Columbia bid.  He acquires something, perhaps information, perhaps a prototype, and tries to use it to secure his safety?  Blackmail?  The shadow corp reaches out through irregular channels, St. Petersburg Merc Boards, perhaps to avoid their actions being traced back to them.  They try to re-acquire their former exec's insurance, and at the same time eliminate the opposition that was blocking them from entering the Columbian market."

He paused, looked towards his host, "Does that seem likely?"

[Mercy Merchant]

Vlad laughs out loud.  "It sounds all too likely, my friend.  Very Vory, in fact.  Much intrigue and betrayal.  Unfortunately, there is too much death to be a fantasy.  No, something is making these people want to do these things.  So much killing for an attache case?  There must be something of great importance there.  And the code that Rowena gave us makes no sense, so must be a real code of some kind.  Still, it is very confusing to me.  I am a simple gangster.  Some vice, some smuggling, some killing, yes of course.  But not this much.  It is like in the days of the gang wars, when the Yakuza tried to wipe out the Mafia and the Triads were killing themselves for dominance over each other."  He pauses and scratches his head.  "Now that is something I had not thought of before.  The Redmond Barrens are a horrible cesspool of metahumanity, but there is a worse place.  The Chinatown Barrens are ten times as bad as this place, perhaps even worse.  But you can hide there.  All it takes is knowing the right people.  And I know someone who might be able to help you.  She is an dealer in Chinese antiques and special order furniture.  Her shop is in the very respectable part of Chinatown, but she is connected, you know?  Influence with one of the Triads.  And I think she has some pull in the Barrens there.  Would you care to talk to her and see if she can help?  You might come out of this owing both the Vory and the Triad.  Or at least making contacts with both.  Can it hurt?"

[Zen Gypsy]

He looked at Vlad, studying him, "I do not owe the Vory as of yet Vlad.  I owe you, a friend.  Admittedly, a man with goals, a man with enemies, and a man with his own agenda."  He paused, looked at his host with serious eyes, "But.  A man who I feel I can trust, a man who I feel wouldn't place me in a position to choose between a personal obligation to him, and my responsibilities to those that I call friend, perhaps even family."

He looked around the office, selected a chair and slumped in it, "The Triads are like a dragon, or so I hear.  Many headed, serpentine, treacherous, and ruthless.  To bargain with such, I would need to do so from a position of power, but were I to approach this woman I come to her wanted, hunted, and on the run.  Any use I have, through my skills, my training, also risks exposure, both for her, and myself.  Any connections I bring, also risk the same."  He shrugged, "How would you proceed?  It seems risky to me, perhaps too much so."

[Mercy Merchant]

Vlad flings his arms wide and laughs again.  "Bryant, my friend.  Look about you.  You are in the belly of the Vory here.  I am doing this partly as a repayment of a debt to the good doctor, but there is also a need for an exchange of favors between us, yes?  So much is happening that goes far beyond what I owed  Now you and I are like brothers.  We are both dangerous men, but we have been thrown together.  I like you very much.  I would like to help you survive what you are facing.  I would also like to get to know your Barbara much better.  Something about her makes me think of more than sex, of something stronger.  But first we have to proceed with care.  Some very bad men are after you.  Men with ties to the Yaks.  It would not hurt your chances to have as many friends as possible.  I can help as much as possible and even provide you with hard men as escorts and soldiers.  But the Triads hate the Yaks more than they hate each other, and that is saying a lot.  It might be worth it to at least open the door and talk to this woman.  And remember that she, like me, is used to being in danger..........it goes with the territory, so to speak."

[Zen Gypsy]

Bryant watched his friend closely, he could only shrug, "Perhaps I was deluding myself, from what I know of my past I was an honest man.  I worked in the military, corporate security, friends and associates in AAA corporations, in government, in law enforcement.  Now I find myself living under a fake SIN, working on the periphery of society, and now."  He paused, looked to his host, "I find myself responsible for the welfare of two women, one of whom is like a sister to me, and another who is rapidly becoming something much, much more.  And we find ourselves," he opened his arms wide, encompassing the whole of Vlad's complex, "in a literal den of thieves, hunted by Knight Errant, east european mercenaries, a shadow corporation and the Yakuza."

A smile crept across his face, "And what I find most ironic, most amusing, is that the man I trust most, is a member of the russian mafia."  Now he began to laugh, "Perhaps I need a drink, but it seems amusing to me."  He calmed himself and continued, "You are right my friend, if you have a channel to do so, safely.  Contact this woman, and arrange a meeting, though, as I said, I still do not see what I have to offer her in exchange for her aid.  We have not yet discovered any concrete data that would tie this chain of events to any one individual."

Now he looked warily at Vlad, "But please, do not risk exposure to do this for me my friend."

[Mercy Merchant]

Vlad gets a serious look on his face as he listens to you.  "Listen, my friend.  Is not something like this what should be done for a friend?  I, too, feel a connection with you, which is all the more strange if you were indeed some sort of lawman.  But life is never dull in my line of work and you have made it even more interesting.  I would take a risk for a friend if it is important enough to do so.  Besides, what can some jumped up mercenaries do to me, anyway, eh?  I ask you this question.  What can they do?  Now, why not go off to your woman and see if she willing to do this thing to draw out our enemies."

[Zen Gypsy]

"Now, why not go off to your woman and see if she willing to do this thing to draw out our enemies."

Our.  That one word drew Bryant's attention, it spoke volumes about the character of the man, it spoke of loyalty, integrity.  Certainly debt and obligation was there as well, but they had begun to move passed that now.  He nodded as he stood up, as he walked through the door he turned and spoke, "Let's hope that B., and your cousin are able to find some solid leads, something we can take to this Dragon Lady, something to allow us to come to terms.  Irregardless Vlad, thank you.  Man to man, face to face.  You have my thanks."  He shrugged, "I'm going down to make some tea, grab those bands and footstool, and have that talk.  If you need me, you know where I am."

He walked down the corridor to the stairs, then to the battered little kitchen he had seen off of the main garage.  He spotted the kettle, filled it with water turned it on.  Opened the cupboards, he located some black tea, as well as some chipped ceramic mugs.  As the water boiled, he wandered the garage, until he found a foot stool, and the bands that Vlad had indicated would be in the workshop area.  He nodded at the soldiers he passed by, "Kettle's on in the kitchen if you want tea," he informed them.  Finding what he needed he set it down by the stairs, returned to the kitchen and made a cup of tea for Rowena, black and sweet he finally decided on sugar and no milk.  Hoping he got it right he gathered the items he'd located and continued up the stairs.

Entering Rowena's room, he smiled broadly.  "Now we can test my instincts, tea?  Black, just sugar, or should I go get you some soy milk as well?"  He set the cup down, even as he lowered the foot stool and straps to the floor by the bed.  "Some stuff to keep practicing with."  He frowned, knowing how exhausted she was, "It's hard to begin Rowe, but you'll grow muscles, it's just a matter of fighting through the fatigue.  Mental and physical."  He sat beside her, his hand resting on her thigh, "Whenever your ready, now tell me, milk or no?"

~ 

After her tea, he began to massage her legs, squeezing her heels, rotating her ankles, and then moving up towards her calves, kneading the muscles there, working them firmly, but his hands, his grip gentle, caressing the curves and the contours, helping her bends her knees, then working her thighs with the same firm, deep massage.  He smiled at her, as he continued, until he leaned forward, kissed her flat stomach, and as he did so he reached for the straps by the bed.

"These will help keep your legs together, that way you can swing them in one direction or another, depending on how you wish to transfer yourself from chair to the bed, or floor to the stool."  He began to wrap them around her calves, just under her knees, and her thighs, he ensured they were secure, but not tight enough to threaten her circulation.  As he did so he spoke.

"We may have come up with a plan, but it involves some risk, on your part.  Vlad and I were thinking if we got you a comm, then used that comm to make some purchases using your financials, the activity on your SIN would get flag both Knight Errant, and our pursuers.  We could use that to draw them into a trap, and maybe learn something from them.  The thing is," he paused, his hand wandering absently up her thigh, caressing her hip as he spoke, "Like I said, this would begin to compromise your SIN, and there may be no going back if we do go down that route."

[Mercy Merchant]

Rowena smiles at you.  "You got it right in one, Bryant.  Sugar, no milk, is perfect."  She looks at the bands in your hands before you say anything about them and comments, "You know you don't have to tie me up, right?  I have tried some kinky stuff in the past, so could get into that if you are interested, but I am not running away from you."  She seems a bit embarrassed when you explain what the straps are for, actually blushing a nice red.  She sits in the bed as you massage her legs.  "You know, I bet that feels marvelous and I wish I could feel it, but right now I got nothing down there."

She looks at you intently as you explain the plan then nods.  "Listen, Mr. Champagne's woman is ready to do everything it takes to get these guys.  Do you and Vlad really think it will work?  If so, I am all in."

[Zen Gypsy]

He almost laughed at her rapid blush, "We may need to revisit that topic after all of this is taken care of, but I must say Ms. Champagne.  I love that blush."  He leaned in and kissed her cheek.  As he did so, Bryant reached out and squeezed her hand, "Nothing is guaranteed, but it will force the gunmen to react, and we can go on the offensive.  It will be a tight window though, because K.E. will pick it up too, and try to apprehend or intercept.  So we'll have to be careful, but it gives us an opportunity, something we don't really have right now."

He picked her up and lowered her to the floor, ensuring her legs were straight out in front of her, he set her beside the foot stool, and then moved the chair so it was behind the stool.  "Now, before we were trying floor to the seat of the chair, which wasn't really fair of me."  He frowned slightly, "So lets start smaller ok, just try from the floor to the stool, and then back down, don't worry about the chair, everything starts with small motions, little steps, and we can work ourselves up to the chair, ok?"

He had decided to stay with her, help her with her exercises until he heard from B. and Vlad's cousin, after all the data they were mining might make it redundant to try to capture one of the mercenaries.  After all they already knew the unit operated on a cell system, which meant interrogations would not be able to yield much in the way of reliable information.

[Mercy Merchant]

Rowena nods and lets you place her on the floor and secure her legs together.  She tries to move them as a single unit and smiles.  "That does seem to work a bit better.  Thank you very much."  Much as you had expected, maneuvering to the stool first then the chair is easier than going straight to the chair.  It is still a hard move for her as her arms are just not quite strong enough yet, but she can manage it after a few attempts.  "Guess I should have been lifting weights instead of serving trays, eh?  Who would have guessed that would be a more helpful skill?"

Time passes.  Working with Rowena gives you an small insight into her personality.  She never seems to get angry at the men who shot her and instantly corrects you if you show ANY indication of feeling guilty for being the cause.  She does display frustration at how long it is taking her to learn how to do simple things, but usually has an upbeat reference to make after calming down.  She does tire, though, and eventually tells you that she needs to take a break and perhaps a short nap.

[Zen Gypsy]

"Here Rowe, let me help you to the bed," as he spoke he scooped her up, supporting her under her knees, and her back, his face pressed into the hollow of her shoulder and neck.  As he helped her back on to the bed, he noted her hair was plastered to her brow with sweat, he dragged a finger along her forehead, kissing it gently.

"You've been working hard, why don't you relax a bit, take a nap, read maybe if you aren't tired.  I was thinking I could go check on B., maybe see what our status is there."

With another squeeze of her hand, he softly closed the door, stepping back out into the hallway, and began to walk towards the office where Vlad's cousin and Barbara were pursuing the leads that they had discovered earlier.  He nodded at the two hard men outside the door, "They still working in there?  You mind if I take a seat, while they do their thing."  He produced a couple of Triple Toxic Teas that he had taken from the fridge downstairs, a high energy drink, boosted electrolytes and highly caffeinated.  "They may need a jolt when they come out of VR, yeah?"

[Mercy Merchant]

Rowena nods tiredly and lets you put her in the bed.  She squeezes your hand in response to your touch and is almost asleep by the time to get to the door and look back at her.  The activity has clearly tired her out.

The guards do not smile, but do let you into the room.  Barbara is actually coming out of VR as you open the door, but the young man is apparently still in.  The woman looks at you and notices the drink.  "For me?  Thanks, Boss.  Afraid I don't have much more than before, but he is still following a lead.  I expect that he will be out in a few minutes."  She pops the lid on the can and downs the drink.  "Anything new happen here while I was out?  How is Rowena taking all of this.?"

[Zen Gypsy]

He sat back in the chair, sighed, "Rowena, it's ...," he paused, "complicated.  She thinks she,"  he frowned, he didn't want to detract, or dismiss her feelings, "she cares for me Barbara, in her words, she loves me.  And I ... feel for her, I do."  He paused again, he continued, slowly, "Since the augmentations, which saved my life, I haven't felt much of ... anything.  Often just a ghost, a flicker of a memory, walking through someone else's life.  But with her, now.  And in the shittiest possible situation, I feel," he paused again, looking for the word, "alive.  It's strange, and exciting, and the thought of losing her, losing this, before we even truly discover what this is, is absolutely terrifying."

He slumped back, closed his eyes a moment, composed himself.  And then deadpanned a response to Barbara's infectious smile.

"And you should wipe that shit eating grin off of your face."

He almost laughed, and then his brows furrowed, "Between Vlad and I we came up with a plan, or at least the beginnings of one.  We use Rowe's SIN, make some purchases through legit channels, stuff that she'd need while on the run, a car, a change of clothes, things like that.  We make those purchases in a controlled environment, where we can limit approach vectors, and collateral damage.  The merc's that have to have something watching for her financials to ping, and they can't discount it when it does.  They'll come to us, but we'll be waiting, and then we'll take them down, maybe one of them will have info that leads higher up the chain."

He paused, studying Barbara's reaction, "It's dangerous, it could mean sacrificing Rowena's SIN, we'd have to get her a fake one, but I know people who can do that.  For a price.  At least she doesn't need to be physically present to make the transaction, so she wouldn't be in physical harms way.  I've talked about it with her, she's willing to make the sacrifice, to try to get out from under this situation."

"I've been as honest and blunt with her as I can be, and she's making the choice to be here, be with me, with everything that entails.  I want to push her away at times, to protect her, despite what I feel, what I hope.  But I need to let her make the choice too, don't I?"

[Mercy Merchant]

Barbara frowns.  "She says she loves you and all you do is "feel" for her?  Boss, something isn't right here.  If you are in love, you are in love..............simple as that.  If not, you need to tell her.  And don't hide it because she is in a wheelchair and you don't want to hurt her feelings.  It will be worse to lead her on and then tell her later.  Whatever you do, you should be honest with her about your feelings.  And whatever those feelings are, are you sure it is not because you feel guilty about why she is in that chair in the first place?  Careful with a woman's emotions, Boss."

Barbara listens to your plan and whistles.  "Boy, you guys sure did come up with a doozy there.  But it might work, yeah.  Are you planning on using some of Vlad's guys on this?"

[Zen Gypsy]

Bryant flinched, visibly, at Barbara's words.  "No!" He said emphatically, "B., it's not like that.  Since my augmentation, since my life before, I've been slow to feel anything, if I end up feeling anything at all.  When I talk to her, when she looks at me, I feel things, I can't ever remember feeling, but love, B.?  Love.  According to everything I've found out about the man I was, he thought he was in love too.  And that only brought misery, murder and betrayal.  Can you blame me for being cautious, for trying to explore what it all means, to me?"

He sighed, shook his head, rolled his shoulders, "Listen B., we can talk about this later ok?  I'm not going to hurt her, and I won't let anyone else hurt her either.  That's why we need to work on this plan, make sure that he cover all our bases.  To make the plan more, lucrative for Vlad, I told him we could make the purchases from a rival's territory.  A hit by the merc's, an investigation by K.E., would disrupt a rival's business for days, if not weeks, but if Vlad's men are connected to it, he's implicated.  This is going to have to be a solo thing."