[Necrogigas]

O'Connor hung back for a few minutes before heading off. He left the rifle by the Jeep before taking off without bothering to announce or explain his departure. Once outside he walked in the opposite direction of the florist shop, swung around the block and cut through alleys to get to his destination. Once he found Clem, "Okay, like I said we need to discuss how to handle some drek. Red, this theater couple's angle, and the run we were hired for."

[HydroRaven]

"Well," started Clementine, "as annoying as Red is, he's the only one in the group that can do Matrix stuff, so we'll have to endure him. That being said, we should contain him as far as boundaries are concerned. I can tell you worry him, which does have its uses. But don't push him too much; a cornered fox is more dangerous than a jackal after all."

Clementine took a small pause before continuing. "As for the smugglers, I'm having a hard time figuring out their agenda. I have no idea why they want to help us, but it stinks to high hell. If something does happen, we'll probably be the first ones to act on it since everyone seem to be mesmerized by them. Just keep your eyes open and let me know if you see anything suspicious. For the run, we have no choice but to finish it. Whatever we were contracted to do, someone out there will not be happy if we don't do it. And in our field of business, reputation is everything. So I say once we find out what it is we were supposed to accomplish, we set our minds to it and just finish it quick and easy so we can disband this "group" of runners. What is your take on all this?"

[Necrogigas]

O'Connor nodded, recognizing the sense of Clem's comments. He took a moment to organize his thoughts and suspicions, "I hate to admit it, but we do need Red, for the time being at least. I still want to know if his snoopin' is him just being nosey or...or somethin' else." He paused for a moment, contemplating what something else might entail, "As for these actors, I can't pin down what they hope to gain from helpin' us out, but I can think of a few reason why they'd set us up. I'm 'bout ready to corpsefy them both, just to be safe. Now as for the run, I agree we have to finish the job, but based on what we know, a lot of red flags are goin' up for me. We tried to run the Tir border, failed, but we ain't dead. We don't even remember the meet with the J, so this seems like a rush job. Also there's eight of us, I'm new to running, but that seems like a helluva lot of people. On top of that, my buddy said the J hasn't come calling. That could mean he doesn't know things have gone south, he's hanging back to clean house if we pop up, or a gajillion other things."

[HydroRaven]

"Yeah, something's definitely not right with this run" answers Clementine, contemplatively. "An 8 man job is something big, which means the Johnson would have to drop a lot of nuyen for it. Anybody investing that much money in an unproven group of runners would definitely keep track of their investment, so not hearing anything from anybody is quite worrisome. Everything points to someone in this group not being straightforward with us."

"And for the actors, don't do anything just yet. I don't want a trail of bodies following us, but if they give us a reason to 86 them, I'll be the first to cut them up. I just want them to make their move first, that's all."

[Necrogigas]

O'Connor started to say something, but paused before speaking, "Fine, I'll wait on the actors, but if something even hints at them tryin' to screw us, I'm putting them in the dirt. As for a traitor in the group, I think we may need to get Red, then maybe Torely, and possibly even Sammy, alone, and 'bring our concerns to 'em.'"

[HydroRaven]

"Okay" answers Clem, "but only once we're back in Seattle. Now, let's get back to the theatre before something does happen. And I suggest finding a weapon you can conceal in your pocket, just in case."

With that, she went back to where she had left the commlink. She unwrapped it, looked to make sure she hadn't missed anything and made her way back to the theatre. Once inside, she went to see Sammy and asked her "When are we meeting the smugglers?"

[Necrogigas]

O'Connor nodded and turned to leave, but turned back, "Oh,um, hey..." He was suddenly grasping for words, unsure of how to articulate what he wanted to say, "Thanks for handling that guy back at the store, my only idea was to knock the guy out. And, uh, sorry 'bout callin' you a whore." Feeling embarrassed and awkward over his showing of gratitude and subsequent apology, two things he had little experience in, he quickly turned and headed back down the alley he came out of. He decided to familiarize himself with the back alleys in case he had a sudden need of an escape route, and to kill time before returning to the theater.

[Crossbow]

Rudy seems to be enjoying his time with Melissa, but takes the time to answer Sammy's question.  "Oh no, we occasionally rent the space for meetings and such, but only when a production is ready do we open the theater.  Friday is going to be opening night for our "Midsummer Night's Dream" and we will run that for about a month before we reset.  If it is well received we might do a Shakespeare theme this year and do "Othello" next."

Matt has moved to the seating to get a chance to stretch out and relax for a few hours, though he seems to be keeping aware of everything.

Liam returns from making his call and goes straight back to Sammy.

(OOC Note: because of the timing, the only folks on the stage are Jonny, Fionn and Sammy.  Torley is changing, Ikari and Heron are out in the seating area, and the roughnecks are having their chat around the corner.)

"Okay, Terrence was able to let me know that the regional Matrix security at Aresmart is asking some questions, there seems to be some discrepancy between the feeds they got and that the store recorded.   Some of your people had an altercation in the store at the same time and another person is on the regional feed making off with a bunch of electronics, so they want your people for questioning at this point, but Terrrence thinks that it is turning into a big deal, something about someone in the fight having a record.  So you really are a shadowrunner now, that is so cool.  Are you going to act anymore?  I so hope to see you again in the trids."

[Crossbow]

The data search completes, there is a lot of chatter going on between Aresmart, the sheriff's office and a regional matrix security hub contracted to Aresmart in the Sioux Nation.  The gist of it is confusion because the local store's feeds don't match the regional hub and the confrontation and the theft occurred in that time frame.  The security people from Aresmart want all you guys put in a hole, but the local police are taking a slower approach, setting up eyes on the roads leaving town so far and trying to track you down for questioning.

O'Connor criminal record has also just made it to the sheriff's office.

[farothel]

"I'll have to see about that," Sammy said to Liam, "Just a second, I have to check up on something."

She walked over to where Sam was looking at clothes.
"The group from the mall is wanted for questioning," she said softly so Liam wouldn't hear, "we'll have to see what we're going to do with them, but I know a couple of illusions that can change their appearance.  Liam is on to us, but I think he'll keep it silent if I give him some contacts in LA, which is not a problem for me.  But be careful when you go to that meeting."

[RHat]

Fionn took as many members of the group as he could quietly aside.  "Alright, here's the deal.  There's chatter going back and forth between the local cops, the AresMart guys, and their regional security office - some sort of inconsistency in their records, however the hell that happened.  They know about the theft, and that it occurred at the same time as the shouting match that Clem and O'Connor had.  The AresMart rent-a-cops have pretty much just assumed it was us and want to come straight for us if they can manage to track us down, but the sheriff's people are taking things a bit slower.  We're going to have eyes looking for us on the roads out of town, because they want to ask us a few questions - and they know about O'Connor's record.  My suggestion is that we get everyone out of town just as soon as we can - and we might want to take advantage of the fact that they won't likely recognize the other car as being something we have access to to do it."

[Thvor]

"I'll have to see about that," Sammy said to Liam, "Just a second, I have to check up on something."

She walked over to where Sam was looking at clothes.
"The group from the mall is wanted for questioning," she said softly so Liam wouldn't hear, "we'll have to see what we're going to do with them, but I know a couple of illusions that can change their appearance.  Liam is on to us, but I think he'll keep it silent if I give him some contacts in LA, which is not a problem for me.  But be careful when you go to that meeting."

Sam nodded slightly. "Damn, I was afraid it was something like that. As for illusions...I'm not sure how useful that would be as long as we're all together. Our group has been rather conspicuous...any strangers the cops see with us will be suspicious. We might have to split up again." Picking out the best suit he could find, he sighed. "Damn, even the best of this drek is clearly second-hand. Would you be able to spice these up? Without it being bloody obvious to any mages they happen to have?"

[Thvor]

Fionn took as many members of the group as he could quietly aside.  "Alright, here's the deal.  There's chatter going back and forth between the local cops, the AresMart guys, and their regional security office - some sort of inconsistency in their records, however the hell that happened.  They know about the theft, and that it occurred at the same time as the shouting match that Clem and O'Connor had.  The AresMart rent-a-cops have pretty much just assumed it was us and want to come straight for us if they can manage to track us down, but the sheriff's people are taking things a bit slower.  We're going to have eyes looking for us on the roads out of town, because they want to ask us a few questions - and they know about O'Connor's record.  My suggestion is that we get everyone out of town just as soon as we can - and we might want to take advantage of the fact that they won't likely recognize the other car as being something we have access to to do it."

As the elf confirmed what Sammy had already told him, Sam nodded. Well, at least we can trust Liam...so far, he thought. At the suggestion of leaving town quickly, however, he raised an eyebrow. "Red, we're in no shape to be running right now--you least of all, from what you said. And leaving quickly is just going to make us look guilty--hell, it'll make them wonder what the eight of us have to hide. We just need to keep Icarus under wraps for a bit, it sounds like. Maybe you, too--the rest of us have plenty of witnesses that we aren't the thieves; I don't think you said where you were at the time, though you don't look much like Icarus. Unless all of us "pink skins" look the same to these 'rinds, of course." He grinned at his joke, then went on. "O'Connor's record may raise some red flags, depending what's in it; frankly, I wouldn't put much past him. But unless he's got active warrants out for him, I think we can explain his presence away. Maybe. I'll see what I can come up with."

With a thoughtful look, he mused, "Of course, O'Connor's probably the one of us who is most likely to be able to figure out how to fit the most people in the trunk of a car, if we need to do something extreme...I bet he's got experience with that...though he might not have needed to worry about air holes..."

With a quick shake of his head, he returned to the original conversation. "No running. Icarus and O'Connor need to be kept under wraps, and you need to rest up. How long do you need, anyhow?" Barely waiting for a reply, he went on. "If I went out, got myself picked up, I could probably work with the sheriff to get the rent-a-cops called off. But that's always risky--I might not be back in time for the meet. Not a great option, though not ruled out yet. Might be best to lie low for now, do the meet, and then see what needs doing...but I don't like giving the rent-a-cops that much time to poke around. Damn. Johnny? Sammy? You guys got any ideas?"

[Necrogigas]

After taking note of a few routes he might need later, O'Connor left the alleys and returned to the theater. He picked the rifle up from where he left it, and, as Clem suggested, looked about for something he could use as a shiv in a pinch. After finding something suitable and stashing it away, he went to the wardrobe to search through the pouches to find one that might suit his purposes. Most of the group had gathered there, and Torely seemed to be tying himself into knots over something, "What's got Mr. Calm and Cool all worked up?"

[RHat]

"Icarus actually altered his skin tone somehow - some kind of implant, I'd guess, though it could well be those nanotats of his; either way he's probably good.  As for me, I was looking at hats - I used their sec-supervisor's ID and credentials, so it looks like he did everything I did.  Thing is, if we wait, they're going to close the noose tighter; the longer we wait the higher the risk gets.  So far as me resting up goes, that's not worth waiting on - I didn't do much serious damage, this time round; I only need to find a few hours somewhere along the way.  I just don't see how our situation improves if we give them more time to get set up."  He noticed O'Connor coming back in and flagged him over.  "Local law has your record.  Might be good to know what's in it."