[CraterShip]

Alice returns shortly with the list of names, they all check out, none have gone missing.

While the trio are in the conference room, the guide returns to the reception desk, speaks with the woman seated there for a few moments about nothing of consequence, then makes her way to a break room where she grabs various pastries, cheeses and hot soykaf.

Meanwhile, the video greeting of the Newhaven president comes to an end with the cheesy slogan, "At Newhaven, We Care!" complete with a chorus of underpaid workers yelling the slogan before fading to black. As the lights return to normal, your guide reenters the room and offers an assortment of refreshments and asks politely, but directly, if Chaim would be interested in making a donation today?

[rednblack]

Chaim sits patiently through the trideo detailing the good works of Newhaven, and gives Ichante a little nudge when the guide re-enters, in case she's still off in astral space.  It's hard to tell sometimes with that one.  He graciously accepts a croissant and soykaf, and places his link on the table when the woman's talk turns to a donation.

"I'm very interested, yes.  Please forward along the necessary 'paperwork,' I guess to use an atavistic colloquialism, and I'll have my tax attorney look it over.  I was intending a personal gift, but I must say this tour has been most impressive and informative, and perhaps a sustaining bequest on the behalf of one of my foundations would be more appropriate, neh?"

The woman looks a bit disappointed that she isn't closing the sale today, but Chaim hopes that his hint at a higher payout will sustain her for now, at least until they quit the building.  Surely, he'll be getting junk mail from Newhaven for months to come.

When it comes time to leave, Chaim stands to shake the woman's hand, and says, "You have been a most gracious host.  Thank you so much for taking the time to meet with me today.  And forgive me for saying this, as I have no real desire to poach talent from such a worthy institution, but should you ever consider leaving he healthcare field, please do look me up.

"Or, maybe we could simply grab a cup of soykaf sometime," he adds.

[Pixelated]

Pixel watched the conversation play out and frowned to her digital self. She was glad in a way nothing sinister was going on but at the same time she found it a little dissapointing and boring. She did enjoy uncovering intrigue afterall. Still...the guide was still acting too jittery for her liking and for sure there was something up with this place and it would come up she was sure.

Keeping an eye on the security points she preps for removing herself from the grid seeinv that the initial meeting was coming to an end,

[gwilym]

the trip in was easy but chaim was a night mare to keep in place since he did not stay still, jumping and pausing sitting standing or leaning in the prime spot each time made it hard to look around and not seam amateurish. as the mage and the face did their thing horse found her self actually being the body guard, by the time they left she was relived the place made

[Tecumseh]

Ichante keeps her trap shut for the duration of the hospital tour. Security is tight and she does her best not to look disappointed. There are guards posted at the elevator and near the lab doors. She spots their non-lethal options (tasers, stun batons) as well as their more-lethal options. She supposes that their pistols might be loaded with stick-n-shock since a taser's extreme range was 20 meters and some of these hallways were pretty long, but she doubted it. At least they aren't automatic weapons, she thinks to herself while making a mental note to recommend that everyone wear their best armor with non-conductivity protection. The guards themselves seem to be wearing armor vests underneath the button-down shirts of their uniforms. They appear relatively stationary, guarding their posts like sentries rather than patrolling like the fat rent-a-cops outside.

Being a dwarf, Ichante's eyes naturally drift up, where she spies cameras scanning the hallways and general work areas. Doors to offices feature maglocks that either require proximity cards or numeric keypads. On the research floor a voice ID is used to enter the clean room. She suppresses a sigh when she sees (hears?) that and wonders if Chaim is up to the task. Or Physical Mask? she wonders. I can make him look like a woman - moreso, I mean - and sound like one too. Maybe if I get him halfway there then he can do the rest.

Ichante periodically slips into the astral, especially when the tour guide pauses to make some point that Ichante pays no attention to. The scientists seem to be guarded and a bit nervous. There's also some annoyance from the interruption of the tour, although Ichante can't imagine why anyone would be annoyed to be interrupted by such a pretty little thing such as herself, especially when she's dressed so finely. Dr. Nelson appears to be hiding something, but that could be due to whatever information he is passing us, she thinks. There's some relief in the doctor when the exchange is complete.

Finally the tour concludes with a short film. With the lights off, Ichante takes the opportunity to close her eyes and slip into the astral. She quickly flits about, although not too far because there seems to be something growing in the walls that keeps astral intruders like her at bay. The nerve, she thinks, restricted to the conference room and a few insignificant rooms nearby. She looks out for additional astral security but doesn't see any, which is a relief. No spirits or watchers or hellhounds or barghests or dragons or anything dual-natured. This Physical Mask plan might work.

She zips back to her body in time for Chaim to elbow her to wake up. She resents the nudge, given that she never would have felt it on the astral anyway.

<<@Chaim [Ichante] A social insertion might work. I can make you look like any one of these doctors and it doesn't seem like there are any patrolling spirits to call us out on it. If you have the opportunity, put those sticky fingers to work on pinching one of those proximity cards they use for the maglocks. Maybe this tour guide will slip a little something into your pocket if you slip a little something into her pocket, hmm? Emphasis on little, you twink.>>

[CraterShip]

Bidding the possible donors goodbye, the tour guide leaves the runners back with the secretary, but not before sending a private message to Chaim's commlink, If you promise somewhere nice... followed by an animated winking face. The secretary sees them out the door, and wishes them a fun farewell. Neither she not the guide make another mention of a donation.

On the way back to the safe house the team follows a circuitous route, making sure there are no tails following along, doubling back several times, using rain flooded back alleys and other unfavorable streets. Finally satisfied no one has followed, the team arrived back to the run down house. The smell of old sweat clings to the garage entrance, but seems like safety for now.

Inside, Chaim quickly hands off the data chip from Dr Nelson to Pixel, who slots it into her deck. At first glance, the readout shows standard research on orc life expectancy modeled against districts of Seattle, gross income, and access to health services. However, something seems off, the edges of the graphics glitch from time to time, and there's a dark spot that doesn't seem to fade with resolution. At first, thinking it might be a problem with her deck, Pixel reboots and still finds the same thing.

Diving fully into the matrix to deal with the VR version of the chip, she is immediately confronted by an image of Dr Nelson, but in statue form. The statue seems to cover to life, gradually becoming more mobile as Pixel's sophisticated subroutines break down the encryption bit by bit. Finally, the image resolves entirely to a stone skinned version of the doctor you met today.

I haven't found everything, but this is what I know. I haven't got much time, I've only been able to distract the monitoring system, I can't get rid of it, it would raise too many flags. The vaccine is in the sub basement. You've got to take the service elevator in the basement to get there. It's next to the emergency stairwell running through the lobby and offices. I don't know what's down there, but I've heard rumors. Experiments on people, nowhere near legal, I'm sure, cells like a prison. I'm not sure how they dump the bodies, but they never come back. You'll need the code: 2486 to get in. I had to drug a guard to get it, don't make me regret it.

Pixel returns from the VR excursion and relays the information. You've finally got some solid info about how to get in. Now it's just a matter of getting to that elevator.

[Herr Brackhaus]

By the time everyone returned from their excursion into Newhaven Eddie had managed to get enough sleep to feel rested, even with having to deal with chauffeur duties. The information Pixel relayed from Dr. Nelson's chip did not encourage him in any way, however.

"Drek" was all he could say as he sat down heavily, shoulders slumped and head hanging towards his chest. Several moments passed as the rest of the team members just stared at the usually jovial young man. "Drek!" he repeated loudly, smacking his open palm onto the table next to him.

"Of course it had to be bloody biomedical, and of course it had to be inhumane frakkin' experiments. Just my luck..." Eddie took a deep breath to calm his nerves, but the notion of having to go into a subterranean basement where people were more than likely being treated like rats in some messed up scientists pet research project visibly unsettled him. He looked up at the others with wide, angry eyes, and continued with fire in his voice.

"I think it's pretty frakkin' clear what happens to the bodies; those doors I found in the sewers, with the decaying, fleshy hand stuck just outside it? That's gotta be how they dump the frakkin' bodies. Would explain why the good Dr. doesn't know what happens to 'em."

He shook his head, subconsciously regaining confidence and clarity as his mind processed the new information and the logical, professional side of him took back control. Eddie might have a deep, rational fear of hospitals and doctors, but he was good at what he did for a living, and this was a chance to get back at people like those who had treated him the way they had.

"The basement might be a good secondary exit if our primary route out, namely the way we came in, is compromised. I still think we should investigate the roof as a possible means of entry; who knows what we'll face down there, and even going in as guards I think there are limits to what kind of hardware we'll be allowed to bring in. I'm relatively confident I can scale the exterior, make my way inside, and enter the elevator shafts with some of our heavier ordnance; we could even bring in a drone or two that way for additional firepower. The only question is if the service elevator connects to the personnel elevator, or if I'll have to sneak through the frakkin' air ducts again... Chaim, I could really use a favour; can you get your hands on 100m of microwire? I might be able to do a quick scouting mission and set up concealed climbing gear ahead of time. This would let me look for a route to the service elevator from the roof, too. Thoughts?"

Pixel brought up the floor plans she'd found, and together they began studying the AROs to find out if there was more than one way to crack this particular Newhaven nut when a thought suddenly occurred to Eddie.

"Wait... Could this finally be the clue... No, better not get my hopes up. If these fuckers had even a remote involvement into what happened at the Echo Lake facility, I'll end every last one of them after I make them talk."

[CraterShip]

As the crew of runners discusses their options, Pixel continues to browse through the information from Dr Nelson. A few minutes she shakes off the effects of hot sim, and taps Eddie on the shoulder. The steady drum of the overly familiar rain had lulled him to sleep following his late night scouting mission. Only thin tendrils of the sewer smell still cling to his clothing, having soaked in both the rain, and a shower. Eddie startles awake, blinking back to recognition of the safe house surroundings.

Yeah, what's up? he groggily asks the Decker.

You need to see this... she hands him a bare cable and he plugs it into his trode net, submerging himself into her care in the matrix.

Several minutes pass as the pair dive through massive amounts of data surging directly into their cerebrum. As they come back to the real world, the team looks on expectantly.

I knew they were connected! I... I have to go! Pixel, you saw what was going on! I can't let it continue! They have to pay for what they've done. To me. To them. They'll all pay.

Yeah, I saw plenty. You're going to need help, I'm coming with you. No, don't try to argue with me about this. I'm coming, and that's final. We'll frag the whole lot. I'm talkin' scorched earth full retribution.

The duo quickly explain the circumstance and their sudden urgency. The Newhaven information led them to direct tires to Eddie's past. They send a short message to Asher, and leave the confines of the house, driving through the rain as if it were the last thing on their minds.

--------------------------

Morning arrives far sooner than would be expected after a stressful night as plans would likely have to change without the two members. There is a light knock at the door about 7am. Asher has arrived with new talent. Hasty introductions are made and he leaves before any details of the upcoming run are discussed.

[Tecumseh]

Ichante watches the proceedings flatly and shoots Chaim a 'what the frag?' look. She doesn't say anything; she can see the look of determination swirling in Eddie's aura as he gathers his things and leaves.

Eddie's reaction doesn't surprise me, she thinks. She had worked with him long enough to know what drove him. First, he'd do or say anything to hunt down the people responsible for his treatment. Second, he'd do or say anything to get out of a run on a medical facility. Third, let's face it, the chummer is bi-polar and prone to going off unexpectedly. But what the frag got into Pixel?

She lets honey-tongued Chaim break the news to Asher, who arranges for two new runners to be delivered to the safehouse.

The first one pulls up on Suzuki Mirage. Oo, Ares Globetrotter, very nice, Ichante thinks when she spies him. He looks all muscley and fit. Maybe this will be a nice upgrade over Eddie, no? I like my men like jungle gyms, all tall and well-built so that I can climb all over them.

Due to the rain, the man doesn't take off his bike racing helmet until he gets inside. A face covered in scars and a big, white, bushy beard pops out of the helmet. Ichante's face falls.

"You look like my dad," she says dispiritedly. She sighs and realizes that might not have been the most logical greeting. "I mean, you look like a dwarf. Just, you know, half a meter taller." That probably wasn't much better. Ah, frag it. She throws up her hands and walks off without ever actually introducing herself.

The second runner shows up on a Dodge Scoot and gets a warmer reception. "Hey, it's Spikes!" Ichante announces, standing to hug her. "Here, let me get you some hot soykaf. Did you bring Sonic or did you leave him at the brothel? He's probably happier at the brothel." She notes the less-than-ideal conditions of the safehouse, although concedes that Sonic might appreciate some of the more interesting stains and smells in ways that the rest of them couldn't.

Ichante goes over the situation at the hospital as they understand it. "We can go in through the roof or through the sewers. The roof is less gross, but there's no clear path to the basement. The sewers are less sanitary, but at least we can be reasonably confident that they'll lead us straight to the lab in the basement.

"What's your take on it?"

[gilga]

That night Danielle had nightmares, she dreamt about the worst day of her life. The day she was let go. Financially she was broken but what was really broken was her pride - how come she was fired over a 10% personal cut? She was a prodigy, the golden child with supreme matrix intellect how could she be the one they give up on? With the merger with Renraku computer systems it was every man for himself. It did not matter how good you were, this was survival, and Danielle did not have many friends at Borland computers. So, her dream career as a decker was over, and the young adult had to live outside the cooperate world, at the fringe of society.  Where she suddenly needed a visitor badge to visit her own parents to stay in her own home.

It was quite a shock, the trip from downtown to the orc underground was not very long but it was worlds apart. From mainstream society to a bunch of metahumans and criminals. People that disliked, envied and distrust anything cooperate. That felt that the social order, the natural order where corporations manage the world for the greater good, was flawed and because they did not fit in that world, they wanted to burn it. It was a lot to adjust and in the coming months, Danielle has learned the hard way to keep her mouth shut and stop shoving her ‘faith’ down people’s throats. 

Without many options to live, Danielle found herself living underground in the basement of a brothel named ‘Brothel’ - as if the owner knew that there is no need to get creative, hide or mask the nature of the place. Danielle was not a prostitute - or perhaps not yet was the better description of her desperate state.  She was good with electronics and has managed to open a small electronics shop in the basement of Brothel. It paid the bills but was neither exciting nor rewarding and the young adult felt wasted in that place.

Her only comfort was Sonic, a small black dog that seemed as lost as herself, so she took him in. Sonic provided her comfort and knew how to listen without interrupting. He also pooped at odd places and therefore forced Danielle to take him out, and be seen in broad sunlight - but that is what friends do. Other than Sonic Danielle preferred to continue her life underground as much as she could. Space was smaller and she felt safer there than on the surface where someone might recognize her.

One of her few friends in this new life was Ichante, a good looking dwarf lady that was a powerful mage. Danielle was awakened aswell, but not nearly as powerful as Ichante. Most of Danielle’s magic simply allowed her to interface better with the matrix. She was not the martial artist one would expect an adept to be. In particular, the only physical manifestation of her gift was the ability to attach herself to surfaces. While it helped her climbing -  even Danielle had to admit that it was not nearly as much as other awakened could do.

Still, Ichante was fun to be around and she made everything seem easy. She was also generous with drugs that she was always carrying and these helped coping with the new situation. It was her who convinced Danielle to take a loan and go after the dream - being a decker again. Yes, the control freak, calculated girl has made an uncharacteristically reckless move and boldly approached the local mafioso that operated Brothel for a loan - “I need a deck and a fake SIN, something like 60k will do.”

After the initial surprise the mafioso understood that the girl meant business and was convinced that she can pay him back because deck meant shadow work and shadow work paid a lot of money. Got to spend money to make money right? Well it worked for a while, but such a loan was also very dangerous.
The story begun when Danielle was sitting on a metal chair, her hands were tied up around her back, her eye was black from a powerful punch. Two knee cappers ‘gently’ reminded her that loans needed to be paid - every month. They also mentioned that “I still need to establish my reputation to keep me employed” was not an acceptable excuse to skip on the payment.

“We are taking the deck, you had your shot you screwed it" they said.

“Please, I am begging you there is no way I can pay you back without the deck.”

Like a true Decker, Danielle could handle their beating and even her bones were not as precious to her as the new deck. Then the deck blinked and Danielle dozed off a second: “I have a job” she exclaimed. Of course, the two orcs did not believe her, what was the chances of that happening right there... in that moment.

“I am not lying look at my Erika’s screen - contact says it is quite lucrative and that I need to be there right now.”
Moments passed and the orcs did nothing to justify releasing the young decker.
“Aren’t you going to release me? This is the only way I am ever going to pay you the 35k I owe you.”

The orcs changed quick looks and even contacted their boss. Finally, after a long silence they said.  “it is 37.5k - you got to pay for this reminder notice.”

Danielle thought- so they get to punch me, threat of taking a finger as collateral and TOUCH my deck. and I need to pay them?!... but she was out of options so she said.

“Whatever 37.5k it is,  now untie me and let me earn back your money.”


Just like that, she had some more oxygen, and she could go to her home and pack her things. “not Danielle, I am coming as Samantha, or as Spikes, though I am not sure this Erika can really do this whole cybercombat thing.” She reminded herself. Danielle packed her things and guided on her modest scooter to the meet, her black eye was carefully concealed with makeup.

She warmly huged Ichante and said “An hour ago I thought that you have finally killed me and now I think that you saved my life.” She did not explain more... Sonic answered for himself by jumping away Danielle’s lap and then he happily barked and run around the safehouse. The black dog was inseparable from Danielle these days, even if he shouldn't have been this friendly with strangers.

[Ravensoracle]

Casket was sitting at the bar watching himself through the crud that had accumulated over the years on the mirrors. He'd been nursing the same double scotch for the last hour as he waited. A small AR window was open in his peripheral vision that told him the time and the location of his target. The kid was just now coming around the corner of the block outside. Casket timed it to be less then a minute and the target be walking through the entrance into the bar.

The kid was a bit cocky. He was dressed in a flashy neon lined jacket. Cas just rolled his eyes as the kid came practically barging into the bar with a smug look on his face. A look that quickly changed as Cas turned to face the kid revealing himself.  Casket simply nodded toward the barstool next to him and the kid, tail tucked between his legs, took the seat.

The kid looked at the mirror that showed the two of them together.  "Listen man...." the kid stammered, "I wasn't trying to screw you over. I just got in over my head... It wasn't my fault the alarms went off last night."

Cas held up his hand stopping the kids excuses, "I don't give a shit about your excuses. I just care about getting the job done and getting paid. You cost me both. So what are you gonna do to fix it?"

Just then a message ringtone sounded in Casket's ear as his fixer sent him a message.

<<<@Casket , From Jax, Forget the kid. I'll deal with the braggart. I got a job for you. Now that you're free. You're a replacement for a flake. Time and location to follow. Gear up.>>>

Cas smiled and the kid nearly wet himself. "It's your lucky day kid. I got work to do. That means you get a few days to figure out how to get me my cut of the job."

Casket stands up from the bar and heads out. He uses his comm to pay for the drink and send the bartender a tip.

----------

Casket followed Asher up to the door of the safe house noticing the poor security of the place. He wasn't thrilled about the idea of anybody opening the front door. He was actually a little surprised when he was confronted by the diminutive dwarf when he slipped off his helmet. He took a look around the place as he set his bag of gear down and slipped the sledge hammer he had slung across his back.

He nodded to the dog sniffing it's way around the safehouse. "That dog pisses on my boots, then I am having an oriental delicacy."

[Tecumseh]

Ichante, being the perceptive type who is overly concerned with outward appearances, quickly notes the makeup around Spikes' eye. The Underground could be a rough place, especially for a young woman, but Spikes' "I thought that you had finally killed me" jab clues Ichante in to what probably happened.

"Well... you'll thank me in the end," Ichante says with a comforting pat on the hand, reasoning that if Spikes doesn't survive then she won't be around to remind Ichante she was wrong. Ichante uses the pat as an excuse to channel a tiny bit of healing magic into Spikes, just enough to tidy up the bruising and make sure her orbital bone didn't chip.

The fact is that Ichante feels better with Spikes there. "Spikes, you know Chaim? Chaim, this is Spikes. She's a genius, scan. I don't mean no 'I got a chip in my head with all the answers' genius, no. She's an organic brainiac. Chip truth. Also, she's underage, so hands off."

The Santa Claus chummer sets his gear down and takes a tour of the place, then threatens Sonic. Ichante clicks her tongue. Given Ichante's totem, dogs aren't her natural friends, but Spikes is a friend, and Sonic is pretty affable for a dog. She decides to push back and let Grandpa know that Ichante's respect for her elders got left behind somewhere between Cheyenne and Butte.

"Posturing already, Dad?" she quips back. "Tell me that a 5 kilo puppy isn't all it takes to slip under your skin. Because if it is, you have a hard job ahead of you."

[gwilym]

Horse watched them go with a raised eye brow, not very good allround ("you need to try humour sometimes horse , not everything need to be judged and dissected") she tried it, sniffed both armpits and checked the soles of her boots "was it something is said?) her monotone voice only added to the moment, Chaim smiled and reached for his comm and started looking for help. ichente tried to not spit soycafe on her top

when it arrived it was like a French film an grandad and his granddaughter. horse looked at the girl not much younger than her self, bruised and hiding it horse new that look in the girls eyes, this was last chance gas for her.

granddad was the opposite grizzled scared and drilled, checked things out, sized things up and tried to establish his place with some "harmless" aggression. Ichante piped up at him and the air froze.

Horse stepped in to the middle she didn't have time for posturing.

"ok so we a smash and grab to plan ....." she ran through the brief and then the what the recce and drop had given them

"so first impressions...sorry what your handles?" Her dead eyes looked at the old man and then the girl "they call me pale horse"

[gilga]

Ichante was wonderful, and Spikes smirked as she tingled her with healing magic.  "Damn it, everything seems possible when she is around..." thought Spikes. Chaim was a real looker "Got to lookup from this one... he probably knows all my confidence tricks already." she thought when she first looked at him.  Yes, Spikes was no stranger to the art of seduction and while she was not exceptionally pretty she used what nature has gifted her to the fullest she could. After all, a pretty girl can open many doors with a smile, without even taking out her deck. "If only I was a pretty girl" she thought sadly.

The spell took the physical pain away, but the emotional one remained and being tied to a chair and roughed out, with strangers touching her deck made Spikes just want to settle in and forget herself in drugs or in matrix games.  She extended her hand to Chaim and sayid "Spikes, or Samantha but a handsome lad like you can get away with Sam." Then was that elder runner making a remark about Sonic and it ripped Spikes away from the conversation.

"If he touches a single hair of Sonic - I will make sure he will never get paid again. Every comlink he ever owns will be hacked and every time he will be in a secure place, I will notify the security as a concerned citizen..." She thought. No she was not violent, but she was perfectly capable of filling some sinless scum with full automatic fire. Just like cooperate 101 - self defense...
"Who needs Krav Maga when you have an automatic weapon" was the slogan of the course,,, Spikes loved her guns like a true american she fired them any chance she had.   

Approaching Casket she is angry - but given the mans size she decides to take diplomacy before Ichante will feel the need to fix her other eye. "My name is Spikes and my dog Sonic is actually good for security... " Well she tried - the man was too creepy to be sharp witted.  Having said that she spoke to Sonic like a toddler "Who is a good boy? You are... you are..." and then threw him his toy bone. The dog happily fetched it and begun to nimble it for his own pleasure. Sonic never really got the gist of the 'fetch' game and never actually returned the bone. At that point Spikes just wanted the dog off that creepy grandfather that seemed too close in profession to the goons that roughed her a couple of hours earlier.

Looking back at Ichante and Chaim and the elf that joined she grinned and introduced herself again. "Sorry about that, I am Spikes and  I understand that I am your backup decker? and he is a backup muscle or something?" She gestured at Casket trying to get him off Sonic and into the conversation with Chaim.
" ... Who else is in this gig?" she asked.

 Ichante understood Spikes enough to know that the girl could laugh on many things, including her own appearance but she is simply was incapable of laughing about her decking skills - these simply defined her and the thought that the first choice was some other decker was very painful to Spikes.

[rednblack]

Chaim had protested, briefly, when Eddie chose to go.  A line about the team, their collective reputation, how what Pixel had found -- and more importantly had inexplicably decided to share with him -- could at least wait a day or two, but halfway through his own speech he knew it was hopeless.  No, Eddie leaving was a total surprise, and really Chaim couldn't blame him even if he didn't really understand it himself, as the chance to frag over Aztechnology held no real allure to Chaim.  Of Course, even the Azzies didn't really do you like they did Eddie, though did they?  He supposed not.

So Chaim rolled his eyes, and held the door open for the pair as they left, and then it was just Ichante and him staring across the "coffee table," if you could call it that, in the silence of the safe house.  "So now what?"  They discussed putting out some feelers with Chaim's contacts, but given the job, its pay, and the fact that they'd each pledged their silence -- their word was still worth something -- they had to take the least attractive approach: go back to the Johnson's intermediary, Asher. 

That conversation was interesting, and not without its heated moments, but in the end Asher said that they would prefer to select the talent themselves, and the job was still a go.  "Looks like we're still on their good side," Chaim said as he ended the comm call.

"We'd better be careful come payday," Ichante shot back.

"Agreed, but let's not get too far ahead of ourselves."

#

When Asher knocks at the door, and introduces them to the new team, Chaim sizes them up as Ichante invites them inside.  He gives Asher a brief handshake, and then the man in white descends back into the unceasing rain, and the dwarf makes introductions.

"Spikes, you know Chaim? Chaim, this is Spikes. She's a genius, scan. I don't mean no 'I got a chip in my head with all the answers' genius, no. She's an organic brainiac. Chip truth."

Chaim wonders where Ichante has been hiding this little gem, and extends his hand with a smile.  "Pleased to meet you.  Brasa."

"Also, she's underage, so hands off."

And the smile, as well as the handshake, fades quickly.  At least she warned him before he offered her a smoke. . . or worse.  Wouldn't want to contribute to the delinquency and all.

There's something familiar about the way Spikes carries herself, and the way she talks.  Sure, she looks a little roughed up, but she doesn't even wear that like most in the shadows.  When she produces a small dog from seemingly nowhere, it hits Chaim in a flash: she was a corper, like him.

The big man with the beard is harder to read, or at least he was the first time Chaim met him.  "Cas, it's good to see you again.  Been awhile.  I'd ask where you've been holing yourself up, but I no better.  Get you a drink?"

Chaim busies himself with some synthahol while Ichante and PaleHorse walk the newcomers through the plan.  "I'm leaning toward the basement myself.  We'll need you to take point on those locks, Cas.  Also, I got some Neurostun gas grenades in case whatever's down there is walking the halls.  If either of you don't have a gas mask let me know before I put the order in.  Other than that, I think we're about through the legwork.  You two have shown up for the main event."

Chaim brings some drinks around to the team, and waits for their impression.