[Codac]

Gracias old friend this should help. I'll talk to you sometime soon about those guns and getting a drink. Chau.

Calico cat puts her focus back on the group and tells them what she learned.

[Kot]

"Gah... We need to choose on which side we are. On the one that does what's right, or the one that thinks money justifies everything..."

[Sentinemodo]

I'll take the liberty of NPCing the Mata. Forgive me if the style is slightly different, you may say this is from his being upset at the turn of events.

Mata stood from the chair where he was sitting entire night, chainsmoking and watching you.

As usual his face was unreadable, lighted only with the flame as he lit another cigarette. Last one as you see.

Fare thee well bitch. I'm out my beloved freaks. I'm out of smokes and I'm out of the job. You're spiralling into the pits, and I won't be pulled down with you. Until you regain senses don't call me. We'll work on your reputation then.

It seemed as if he wanted to leave it unsaid, but then decided to speak anyway.

What are you thinking elfkid? but he did not let you aneswer That you're some kind of trid hero? that you're better than all of us? all that shit around? that morality makes you sexier? that it attracts shaman chicks?

Wake up call, fragger. You've just KILLED A MAN without an after thought on it. BEFORE he even attacked anyone with something harsher than words. Are you PROUD you make it happen looking so fast and so cool, the lighting, flashes and all? MAYBE he had a reason to do so? Maybe this fraggin' Jade cut the contract, and his child died becuase he hadn't have the cash to pay for the food or protection? We just killed FOUR man leaving their slitches and kids ALONE in this world, and believe me the shadows aren't nice for leftover chicks. THOUGHT about that? You ARE a killing machine equaly thoughfull as this gun that lay there.

Want more? How about that poor fragger, that we left in the Mafia boss house? You really believe he got out from there alive? Lying to yourself can get you a long way. Why didn't your morals kicked in by then? Were you thinking about that job even? What morally higher good can result from the deal between Mafia and a drugrunners? You asked, you care, you took the money and cut away. I know Yakuza is sponsoring schools for children in the district they protect. They do it and commit murders in the neighbourhood. Does it make them morally better in any way? TELL ME ANGELBOY!

What exactly is your moral allowance? Where is the FUCKING LINE? We may deal with criminals? We may steal from the evil japan sindicates, the megacorporations, source of all evil, and frag that they give the slags a reason to live and money so they could buy their daily soia rations for themselves and their children? They're sufficiently anonymous that your conscious doesn't protest on crime against them? Or maybe we can only protect poor people who can't do so themselves like from the go-gang rides and live on from selling their bikes.

We have all AGREED on this job. We KNEW this is the kidnapping. HERE are the fucking money we took. You'are looking for the second bottom, no problem from me, go for it. But FRAGGIN UP the fuckin' Johnson? Why not go to the cops and tell them? WHY?

FUCK! You want a life in this sprawl? Knowing no one in the shadows? No one to vouch for you? Feel like lacking enemies or something? Go to hell and have fun, I am not. My rep will suffer enough from the quitting, and I won't stay in your way if you want to mess with her. But I won't be pulled into this.

You have ALL said "I'm in" and so did I. I don't care about you slitch, even if you're good with the guns. He started with Calico and turned to Cursor. But you omae think it over again, and again if the conclusion do not came. You may not find a job after this one. You might even find the wrong type of payment, lead instead of gold.

Mata drops the rest of the cigarette, the Lady Jade's credstick and leaves.

To Stryker's astral perceiving eyes something has changed. Through the entire outburst Morrigan was there watching, and you feel her approval even if it wordless. Her presence is reassuring as to the right course of action you took.

For all rolls for the next 24 hours , Stryker has +1 dice.

[Kot]

Stryker's eyes went cold the very moment Mata started yelling. And they stayed this way, until he walked out. His face was an emotionless mask for the time. When their ex-face left, the elf spoke...
"There are rules. I have them. Even if i falter sometimes, who doesn't? It matters what you do in the end, when the time comes to choose right and painful, or wrong and cozy. Whatever kind of reasoning he'd use - those gangers attacked us. They would kill us as well, if we didn't act. And as for Jade... We didn't know her true intentions by then..."
Stryker sighed, and crossed his arms.
"Why am I even explaining myself? I'm not a kid. I never really was. And I'm not a criminal. Whatever they might say, we're free men, gods damnit. That's why I chose this line of work instead joining some bigger corp that would eat my former 'owners' just to get their hands on a trained killmage. To be free. And to get to keep my soul. And I can't do that to this girl, and keep it. That IS a threshold, and you guys know it..."

[Chrona]

He looked at everyone's faces. "Oh okay so the asshole up and left."

He flopped into a chair for some VR. "I'll be out a while."
Returning from VR a long time later.
"Here's what I got.... Where's some food?"
After eating enough he sat back down.
"I'm with you. If we're warning the Mum I need to be on the top of my game. BRB."

How does he fall asleep so fast?

[Sentinemodo]

Finding the Donna Westmore commlink code was easy. Just a short trip to the public node of the Boeing's Federated and a quick query yielded results.

However on contact tries, you got info. Recipients unavailable. Autoreply at the headquarters said: Donna Westmore, I am on the business trip with limited access to Matrix connection. Please leave a message. I'll return the call as soon as possible. For information about my projects please contact respective junior projects managers. Message contained commlink codes to few people linked with meaningless project codename ("Eagle", "Panther", "Dolphin"). A short call to one of them confirmed that she is unavailable for another two weeks, travelling around Boeing laboratories in China. He usually return calls within two days.

[Codac]

Calico is silent throughout Mata's outburst just observing the others' reactions to it. After Mata walks out the door she just looks at it for a second then turns back toward the group.

"Didn't like him anyway."

She laughs slightly when Stryker says hes not a criminal amused at his attempt to lie to himself.

As they try to get in touch with the mother of their target she activates her right arm slide, ejects the clip and starts reloading the bullets she shot.

[Sentinemodo]

You dial up Frost’s commlink I.D. After a moment, he connects. His video feed stares back at you in your image link. Frost looks to be in his mid-40’s, with cropped whiteblonde hair. He’s currently wearing a crisply pressed, gray pinstripe Actioneer business suit. “Can I help you?”

[JDA]

Wilco, listens to Mata rant and comments as he is leaving "everyone has to have rules they play by, and harming a kid just isn't in the rules. Hell Mata even 98% of the sleze balls in this world respects that rule." Then turns to the group voice changes to a dead seriuos tone. "I may be alot of things that the fine upstanding people in this world would look down on. I know it. I'll be the first to admit it. Am I a Scoundrel? yea. Will I shoot first in a confrontation? You better believe it. Will I take from those that have? Yeah, I've done that too. But will I sit ideally by and witness a child being harm? Not while I'm breathing chummers. This mission for us may be over, I propose a new one begins. No payment we just get a little piece of our souls back. Face it somebodys team is going to get the child, ( Long Pause) Unless we stop them. Looks a Cursor, "I know your in it with the Yaks. And losing this paycheck is going to hurt! I can help a little not much but I do still have some left from the last run."

[Kot]

Stryker smiled, bowing to Willco slightly.
"Good. Then we're set. Cursor, I have over 8k saved, so we can help you with the debt. And you'll find out that we're better creditors than the Yakuza. Oh, and can you beam that, or send back to Jade? We don't want her money, do we?"

(...)

As soon as the feed showed Frost's face stryker bowed a bit - but only a little.
"My name is Stryker. You don't know me, I'm new in Denver. But I have information that would be vital to your work. The girl you're protecting is in danger. We were hired by a woman named Jade to kidnap her. But we decided that there's a line between shadowrunners and soulless bastards that we won't cross. So we quit. But the problem is, she either hired two teams to be sure, or will hire another when she hears that we quit... And as our Face didn't have enough soul to care about a child, she might hear it soon. Here's the info we have on this 'job'...."
Stryker punched an invisible button, sending all the collected data to Mr. Frost, including his recording of Jade's message.

[Sentinemodo]

I see... hadn't she be in danger I wouldn't be guarding her in the first place. Thank you for the information nevertheless. He browse the file you sent him in the second AR window.

Hmm... his bitchings comes mostly from the fact that he had to take quite a cut in pay when he accepted the job and he isn't too happy about the arrangement.

I need to talk to the guy I was drinking with yesterday...

I'll get back to you. There might be a need to proceed with a preemptive retaliation, but that's up to the employer.

he disconnect.

[Sentinemodo]

Just as he disconnected, Cursor receive a calling.

It's Ms. Johnson.

[Chrona]

"Oh Frag it's Jade. Fraaaaag."

Straightening himself up, "Hello, Ms. Johnson. I'm afraid after some unforeseen trouble we will have to terminate our contract, we're now short-handed and would simply be unable to succeed. My sincerest apologies. We will of course return your advance."

[Sentinemodo]

Can I help you with that unforseen trouble? I trust this is not the money issue, we had an agreement. Still if it is that important I can't force you to work for me. I was warned that you're fresh to the shadows, so perhaps it should be expected.

But if you're that green as to quit the ongoing run, than maybe I need to remind you, that all details you were privied to are confidential with the standard penalty.

She accepts the transfer, and unless you want to add anything else she disconnect.

.
All of you got an immediate hit of 1 notoriety.

You returned 3000 yen of the advance
without the food and drinks that Wilco's paid from his own pocket, you paid 950 yen for legwork so far. Please distribute that between yourselves as you see fit.

[Sentinemodo]

The day passed uneventfully.

Frost declined offer to help him guard the kid. You've done your part. I'll do mine. I have all the angles covered.

By the evening however an owner of the Strykers' appartment came down to him.
Excuse me Mr. Stryker. Can we talk? He motions on Cursor and his things. He leads you to his own appartment upstairs. The month is ending and I've heard rumors, something about you not keeping the deals.