[Mercy Merchant]

Barbara nods and wisely leaves it at that.

"So what do we buy?  A car might be too much, but maybe trying to arrange some quick transport out of Seattle headed for somewhere else?  She could be working on arranging an escort to Denver or L.A., or maybe even New Orleans.  Perhaps we can use this hapless gang as the go between, trying to hire some of their muscle as protection.  She should be doing this on a shoestring, Boss, as she might not have much money, right?"

[Zen Gypsy]

Bryant nodded as B., recapped his plan and began to discuss details, "That's the beauty of the plan, regardless of what she purchases, they HAVE to investigate and respond.  Because the opportunity cost of letting her potentially slip away because they didn't act is too great."  As she talked hiring protection, his brow furrowed as he contemplated the consequences, "While it has potential, and would certainly make neutralizing the response team easier, it exposes us as well, plus the transaction needs to be traceable to her SIN, most gangs would only accept a certified credstick, which is largely anonymous.  Unless I'm mistaken."

He shrugged.

"When Vlad's cousin wakes up, we'll compare notes, see what we've found, see how the pieces fit, and begin to plan our operation then, yeah?  Until that time can I get you anything B., you've been under a long time."

[Mercy Merchant]

Barbara nods as she stands and stretches.  "You got that right.  Who would think that sitting in a chair and sending an avatar out would be so strenuous?  I feel like I have been working all day, so am going off for a nap.  I will be in my room if you need me, Boss."

She pats you on the arm as she walks past you and leaves the room.  You are alone with the other man, who is apparently still out in VR.

[Zen Gypsy]

Bryant walked out of the room shortly after Barbara, leaving Vlad's cousin to finish his thing, he walked through the hall to the stairs, then out the back door, into the alley.  He was nervous about being seen, but he needed a smoke, and after Barbara calling him on his feelings towards Rowe, he was frustrated.  He didn't know what he should be feeling, or even how to express it.  It had been a long time since he had felt much of anything.

He shrugged, inhaled on the slim, held the acrid smoke in his lungs, and slowly exhaled into the afternoon air.  It was the inactivity, he was being hunted, he knew very little about who, or why, and he needed to figure out a way to get out from under the situation, get payback for what they'd put him through, put Rowe through.

He ground the butt out on the pavement, savagely, and stalked back into the safehouse.

He nodded at the soldiers as he moved through the house, he eventually found Vlad in his office.  "She's ready Vlad, we need to set it up, but she's willing to risk it to draw these merc's out of the shadows."  He paused, his face almost expressionless, "I am tired of waiting for them to make a move on me, my friends, my allies.  I'm tired, and I am doing to damn well make them pay."

[Mercy Merchant]

Vlad nods at you and smiles as he puts his hands up in the air.  "Patience, my friend.  You are like a caged tiger on the prowl, looking for a way to slash at its captors.  But listen to your friend, Vlad.  I am where I am because I am careful.  Do you think I have made my place just on killing?  No, it is not possible, I tell you this.  The killers will rise to a point, but not further.  They exist on energy and courage and a combat skill that is to be admired, like the tiger.  But they will not grow old in a family like this.  No, it is the careful ones, the ones that think.....that plan, that will survive and flourish.  You have the bones of a plan, but we have not determined where to set this up or how to reduce the risk to yourself, to your woman, or to me.  Yes, I include myself in this because your plan requires me to be a part of it.  You have stated that this can be used to cripple another territory enough to let me increase the size of mine at its expense.  This presupposes that it is one of the neighborhoods next to this one, and by nature, that will involve me."

He motions for you to sit and takes a pack of the vile cigarettes you smoke from a drawer, offering you one.  "Sit.  Have a smoke.  Have a drink of your good whiskey.  Let us plan, yes?"

[Zen Gypsy]

He got up, walked to the bureau, and withdrew two glasses, pouring a generous amount of the whiskey into each glass.  He turned to his host, and handed him one of the glasses.  "So then, you have a territory in mind?  If we do this strike, it could give us information that we could take to your Dragon Lady, something so that we can negotiate from a position of power, or knowledge."

He paused, sipped the smoky amber liquid, "Would Rowe need to be physically present, or can we just use her SIN to throw up VR alerts for the mercs and their console cowboys?"

[Mercy Merchant]

Vlad nods and raises his glass in a toast.  "Yes, I have a territory in mind.  I have been having problems with the Horned Devils, just to the south.  They came from nowhere about three years ago and took over the territory of a rather weak gang that I had been using as couriers and extra muscle on occasion.  The new leadership has not been nearly as accommodating and I could use this opportunity to remove them.  As to Rowena needing to be involved physically?  I don't know.  I know that I would be using drones or scouts to go into an unknown area, just to be sure the target is there and I would suppose that the KE and these mercenaries are as careful as I am.  I think it would be a great help if she were there.  And the risk to her should be minimal.  After all, neither group wants HER dead, just you.  Your risk is that they come in too strong for us and snatch her."

[Zen Gypsy]

Bryant didn't like it, but it made sense, he nodded, sipping his whiskey now, slowly.  "The advantage, if it could be called that, is surprise.  The merc's are operating on the assumption that Rowe and I are operating solo.  For us to work this properly, your men cannot be used directly, as then these ... Horned Devils, will know of your involvement and you open yourself to retaliation.  Would it be possible to have a team of your bratva on standby, for when the merc's arrive, to get Rowe out of there."

He paused, rolled the amber liquid around his glass, peered across the wide oak desk at his host, "It'd be KE, trying to focus on the merc's, the merc's focusing on me, and me avoiding KE.  Hopefully.  We could even establish a drop point, I could drop a merc, preferably the team lead, for pick up by your men as I lead KE and the rest of the team on a rampage through the Devil's turf.  We could even plan a route, so that we can hit establishments that are of interest for you, if we hit one of their operations during my escape it becomes a crime scene, and KE confiscates, and maybe even investigates.  Or the Devil's are forced to pay out some hefty compensation to make KE look the other way, yeah?"

[Mercy Merchant]

Vlad is serious as he responds.  "All of that is true, except for the part where the KE confiscates anything.  The guys coming after you will not be interested in petty crime but in capturing you and Rowena.  I like the part where you lead the KE and/or mercs through some of their territory, though.  That alone might spark a shooting war that will thin their ranks and make it easier for me to move in.  Perhaps we can engineer it so that it looks like we chased you off and can provide better security than the now much reduced Demons.  What do you think?"

[Zen Gypsy]

He listened carefully, "So we're clear, we plant me in the Devil's turf, where Rowena and I make some purchases on her SIN, attracting the attention of the merc's and K.E.," he paused, "hell, if spotted the Devil's could try to take us in for the reward as well."

He sipped at his whiskey, "We evade the Devil's, and allow the gunfight to escalate.  The merc's and K.E. will try to apprehend, or eliminate, as the case may be.  So far it works, if it were me solo.  The problem is Vlad, we need to have a contingency to ensure Rowe's safety, both during, and at the conclusion of the encounter."

[Mercy Merchant]

Monday  12 June 2075  0205  Vory Safehouse  Seattle


It is well past midnight and you and Vlad have hammered out most of the details, agreeing on nearly everything except for the means to protect Rowena.  Both of you agree that she needs to be guarded, but have not come up with a good solution yet.  There is a knock at the door and Vlad calls out to enter and the guard outside the door lets Barbara into the room.  Her hair is sleep tousled and she is yawning.  "Sorry to interrupt, Boss, but I just received an odd message from someone who says they want to help us.  Whoever it is has my name and yours and claims to be with the person the case was meant for.  Do I answer?"

[Zen Gypsy]

Bryant sat, shocked, as Barbara relayed the information.  It only made sense, whoever had commissioned the drop, the couriers, the exchange, whoever had hired Raleigh to begin with would want to secure the original package.  They had been operating on the assumption that it was the Renraku exec, so this message was most unexpected.

"What did the message say, exactly, what are they looking for, information, location, confirming what??"

[Mercy Merchant]

Barbara opens her mouth th say something but holds up a hand.  "Wait.  Second message coming in.  OK.  So, the first one just listed our names and indicated that the sender wanted to meet.  This last one included a chart of some odd gang activity.  The news feeds have been full of stories about gang violence in the streets, but what I am looking at seems to indicate something different.  I would like to know what is going on, but did not want to just answer the messages without you knowing.  Should I?"

Vlad nods his head.  "It is true, what she says.  Much news about gang violence.  But it is not true, I think.  Or, at least, not completely true.  I have people reporting in from different neighborhoods and nothing is happening like it is being reported.  Maybe we should let Barbara contact this person?"

[Zen Gypsy]

They both stated their opinions, and Bryant agreed on both fronts, however, it paid to be cautious.  He looked to Barbara, "B., you are our data specialist, so I will defer to your judgement, but we need to exercise caution.  Any sort of message could be traced back to us, and potentially put Vlad at risk."

He nodded though, as he considered what this mysterious message could imply, "But we need to take the risk, it could provide some additional advantages in our upcoming plans, yes?"  He paused, pulling out an unlit slim, and let it dangle from the corner of his mouth, "But it's too good to pass up, which is the entire premise of our strategy to entrap the mercs, so lets be careful."

[Mercy Merchant]

Barbara nods and leaves the room after telling you that she will keep you informed.  Vlad watches her closely as she leaves, muttering something under his breath before looking at you.  "I am a career criminal and not likely to change.  I am mesmerized by your Barbara to the point of................well, to a high degree.  Do you think she would give me a second look if I asked?"



OOC:  I am going to link you for a bit with Cynthia in the Eva/Cynthia thread but keep the threads separate.  I do not know if we need to combine them yet.