|
Post by Admin on May 2, 2018 15:46:08 GMT
It's been a few days after the trip into the underground, all the cred deposits have cleared, bikes have been repaired, and Tag and Snitch have had a while to catch up. Seems he's had some limited amnesia knocking out some recent events, and he is eager to hear what Tag remembers of their few runs together. Valk dropped Snitch and Tag a line saying her crew is all patched up from the Croc fight, and she now has a couple of handbags that will stop an APDS round if anyone is interested. Cochise took an interest in Tag's small collection of _paper_ books and once he figures out the archaic interface, is an eager reader. OOC: What books does Tag have? What was one run that Snitch and Tag did? Snitch and Tag get simultaneous pings on their comlinks, a quick vid message was left for both of you, from your old fixer, Felix. Felix looks kind of like a Bangladesh Woody Allen. He has superb corporate etiquette, and a wardrobe to match, which allows him unparalleled schmoozing opportunities. But in his heart of hearts he's as crooked as a barrel of fish hooks (his own expression). He also is rumored to own competing restaurants on the same block in Brick Lane. The message was also sent to Valk, but gets a 'go away busy' auto response. Felix: "This has got to be the weirdest job to run up the poll in a dozen or 3 months. I got a johnson-less job for your current crew. The employer apparently observed your dance underground last week and has asked for you by name - the crazy fucker has dropped a 500¥ per runner payment just to show up to his house for the meeting, and look at this 'house'..." Felix:"Creds are attached, and you can forward this to up to 3 other people to fill out your team. As I always say, DIVERSIFY! Investments, skill sets, and ammo types, eh? Bank the creds to start the requisition, and you'll get info on how to get to the meet - somewhere a 100 clicks south of Metropolis."
|
|
|
Post by Deals with dragons on May 2, 2018 16:24:32 GMT
OOC: Well, as for books; definitely 1984(because irony), a gen-u-ine collection of D&D 3.5e rulebooks(which she keeps sealed in a briefcase), Snowcrash(because meta), Dune('cuz it's good), three college textbooks on economics Medicine and engineering (because 50+ years in the future they still haven't digitalized them), and a small assortment of old crime novels. The job with snitch was a data steal (including the extraction of human researchers) against EVO Corp for an unknown benefactor. It got pretty harrowing, when the team got pinned down in one of the research labs. Tag exaggerates some details but does say that if it weren't for a risky move by Snitch, they might not have made it out.
Tag is incredibly bored. It's one of those afternoons where the weather is just unpleasant enough to keep you inside, but not bad enough to be interesting. Tag is lying on her couch and has been refreshing her Jackpoint post every minute for the last hour before just letting the comm drop to her chest in defeat. Hija seemed content to just stay in the garage, rarely venturing out to observe Tag or grab a snack. Tag closes her eyes as boredom saps her will to stay conscious. After what might as well have been an eternity to Tag (but was more likely just a couple of minutes) her commlink buzzes. The sudden noise and vibration is enough to startle Tag out of her lethargic state (and off the couch). Somehow Tag lands face first, sandwiching her comm between herself and the ground. Tag groans, realizing what had happened. She gets to her feet, and grabs the commlink as it continues to buzz in a mocking tone. Tag silences the comm and sits back down before checking what was being sent to her. [Oh great, Felix... It's been quite the week of coincidences huh.] Tag finds the job strange and suspicious, but on the other hand, she's so bored that even a trap sounds like a welcome change. She types up a short response. Tag: "Felix, wasn't expecting (or hoping) that you'd contact me again after all this time. I hope this isn't another one of your schemes, I just payed off the psychiatric bills from last time. Sure, I'll do it, but if this gets fragged up, we're going to be having a little chat."
Tag sends the message, then contacts the rest of the group about the job. A few moments later, she goes back to refreshing her Jackpoint post, hoping for something to come up.
|
|
Quhzk
Junior Member
Alex "Snitch" Putnam
Posts: 67
|
Post by Quhzk on May 3, 2018 2:41:26 GMT
Sitting at his desk and writing into his journal about what he had learned from Tag, Alex opens the video which appeared in his feed.
[Felix huh? I have something about him in this book, let's see... All it says is "well paying sleazeball".. well, at least he's good for the nuyen, and if it's a scam I'm sure I can pocket something nice at that mansion.]
Always one with a preference for face-to-face conversations, Alex sends the pre-generated RSVP notification rather than typing anything up to Felix - he didn't recall how to deal with the guy, and didn't want to start off on the wrong foot by typing something stupid to the newfound stranger. Typing a message to Tag, Alex says "Hey, I saw your message about Felix's gig, and unless you were pulling my chain when you said you patched my burn up on that run a few years back, I owe you. I'll be there, let me know if there is anything I can do to make the run go a bit smoother - nothing I hate more than owing a debt."
Looking over the gathered intel on Hija, Alex lights up a NicStick. J.J. has gotta be frustrated that he still hasn't submitted this stuff, but she seemed like a hell of a hacker, and selling out a kid to the corps just doesn't feel right. [If this meeting pans out well, then she's going to be watching my back, last thing I need to do is have people hunting her down. Never hurts to have some dirt on people who can stab you in the back though.] Snitch locks the printed documents up in his combination wall safe, hopefully safe from the prying eyes of the young hacker.
|
|
|
Post by Random Task on May 3, 2018 5:11:31 GMT
"Wow, posh place!"
Cochise exclaims to Tag after seeing the particulars of the forwarded run information.
"How well do you know this Felix chummer? Johnson-less and being observed don't exactly warm the cockles, though. We're going to have to be careful with this one"
Cochise munches on a digestive biscuit while sipping tea, the cup daintily held between thumb and forefinger, pinky curled aristocratically in his right hand. In his left he holds a feel good classic from Tag's collection, The Killer Inside Me by Jim Thompson. A rollicking old time.
|
|
|
Post by prissyprincesscyan on May 3, 2018 10:11:55 GMT
Hija was rather put out by Tag’s sudden, some would say rude, departure in the middle of their conversation nor did she particularly care for runner’s tone when they were speaking. The melancholy minor slumped back into the garage and returned to work on scrubbing out the debris from her dutiful drones. A few minutes later the gentle and slow beats of one of the few older tracks she could tolerate, even ranking it somewhat high on her list of favourites, steadily muted as a small icon popped into the corner of her vision. Just from the familiar signature Hija could tell it was from Tag. Normally she’d jump at the opportunity to rirle through things from her but it seemed that Hija was lacking the enthusiasm. She let the message sit, ignoring it, while she finished cleaning up her companions for near enough ten minutes. Once each of the twin drones was satisfied of their level of cleanliness, Alberto was more slightly different levels of content while Benita could always do with ‘just a bit more,’ Hija buckled and read the message and its attached run information. Scanning through the trio of machine minds began their long unified discussion of what was contained within the small message as they formed a reply to each of the group on Hija’s Commlink. Between them the trio scrutinised every detail they could, after all it would be their very important lives on the line, and tried to be as professional as possible, perhaps Hija needed to prove her worth once more to get Tag to respect her. Hija’s Message “I don’t like it, first thing is this Felix guy. How can a job with an employer be Johnson-less? Surely they just are the Johnson, Mr. Johnson is the same as Seo Silva right? Just casts some doubts on your apañador’s competence. If you do trust him, this is the weirdest thing he’s come across in three to eighteen months. Its his job to sort bad work from good and that’s a mix between investigando y instintos, if he’s got a bad feeling about this its best to take that on board and at least push him for more details. With Seo Silva they aren’t using proper etiquette for this kind of thing. If they aren’t hiding through anonymity with Seo Silva or Mr. Johnson then they may be either inexperienced, aloof or arrogant. If they aren’t hiding they may not be afraid of any retribution from us if they screw us over, which gives them more reason to try and screw us over. It does seem that Tag attracts all types of weirdos if this is one more who just happened to be watching us. It all feels too personal and they might try to rope us into more work before paying us because they know us. While the prepayment is nice I hope they don’t expect that to cover initial expenses for this kind of work, half up front at least plus pendejo tax if things seem odd, which this certainly does, is what I work around. Showing the house and everything is just flagrante, if they’re trying to impress with wealth and the allure of money then it probably means that money means nothing to them and the job is dangerous or needlessly difficult. Speaking of the house its clearly wealthy and upper class. While Tag and Snitch can probably blend in Cochise and I are going to stick out really badly, Cochise looks like a tactical spec ops guy with a hat and I look like me. Anyone peering in is going to notice something is up. Further if we meet at Seo Silva’s house we’re meeting on their ground, with their staff and their security set up, all private and out of the way. That’s a lot that’s tilted away from us in terms of being screwed over, plus they might turn this set up into an offer we can’t refuse which is just mierda. I’d say you push Felix for more information and claim we’ll walk otherwise, this Seo Silva wants us specifically so its not like Felix can just hire a different team, make him work for his pay. I’d also say we need to move the meeting place to somewhere more neutral, and a matrix connection that isn’t going to be in the spotty countryside or owned by Seo Silva helps. Even if it costs us the five hundred nuyen each I’d feel safer with unrelated third parties dotted around, say a restaurant, to prevent anyone getting any funny ideas and it allows us to back out at any time. I’d prefer to do this kind of thing at a VR hangout but I guess that won’t sit well with some of you. If you really want the appearance money just negotiate it as part of the expenses, we know they’ve at least got two thousand kicking around. In short, I don’t like this. Not enough information, apañador has a bad feeling, I have a bad feeling, I don’t like the meeting place, it feels too personal and there’s currently too much risk of being pinned in a bathroom stall with no way out, read screwed.” Sending off her short essay, Hija rose and crept her way back into the house, peering into the rooms that usually contained the rest of their team before settling on the living room with Tag sprawled out on the couch. Not quite sure how to act Hija walked over to sit in front of the sofa. Her feet were planted apart with her arms crossed as she placed a hand on the opposite knee which were drawn to her chest. Breathing slow, controlled breaths Hija turned her sullen expression to the door.
|
|
|
Post by Admin on May 3, 2018 13:53:02 GMT
Felix blips back: "Okay mooooore deets? This is a 'recover lost property' proposition. Some significant electronic and physical security was overcome 24 hours ago, and Johnson is worried the trail is getting cold. You don't wanna meet at the 'house' Johnson's fine with that, but he's a AA Security or higher kinda guy. He'll meet you anywhere in Metropolis that has that rating. Time is of the essense, so can we do dinner tonight with him? I have a few places I'd recommend for being discrete, delicious, and expensive (I'm expecting John-san to pick up the tab). [GEO TAG/OPENTABLE RESBOT INSERT] But hey, you pick the place if you think I don't have your back. Let's do this thing."
|
|
|
Post by Deals with dragons on May 3, 2018 18:02:34 GMT
OOC: I had assumed that Cochise had his own lodgings, since it has been a few days. Tag certainly would loan a book or two to Cochise (though she would want them back since most of them are antiques). I'd imagine that he would have messaged back to Tag. I do love the mental image of Cochise though.
Tag recieves messages from Cochise and Snitch a short time later. She shoots back a quick, "It's fishy as hell don't get me wrong, and Felix is scum, but I have a feeling that we don't have much of a choice in this. Swing by my safehouse and we'll talk it out." As soon as she hits send, a massive message drops into her inbox from Hija. [Wow, how does she find the time] Tag reads through quickly, realizing that she really has touched on pretty much everything. Soon after, she hears Hija walking through the house. Tag tracks Hija walking across the room, she seems unhappy and avoiding eye contact with Tag. Tag can't help but feel pangs of guilt when Hija plants herself on the floor. Tag sits up, putting her back against the arm rest, and folding her legs under herself. She speaks in a comforting and sympathetic tone Tag: "Hey, no need to sit on the floor." Hija seems to flinch a bit at Tags sudden attention. Tag continues Tag: "I apologize if I came off as angry earlier. I'm just having a strange week, and I'm just worried about myself. As for this job, I apreciate what you're doing..." Just then, Felix sent his response which Tag takes a second to read. Tag: "Well, looks like the odds have shifted a bit more in our favor. Though I'm fairly certain that no matter where this meeting happens, we're going to be at a disadvantage. If you're worried, then you don't need to be there. I can handle the meeting myself. I don't like this any more than you. Come on, sit down." Tag motions to the space next to her, watching Hija.
|
|
|
Post by prissyprincesscyan on May 3, 2018 21:56:27 GMT
Hija tried to recompose herself after her small start from Tag’s attention. She returned to her steady and deep breaths for a few moments before standing. She turned and looked at Tag, the offered space and somewhere between the two. Her lips quivered, mouthing formless words as Felix’s reply appeared for both of them. Hija’s eye locked to somewhere above Tag as she read the message and remained there while the later spoke. A concoction of emotions brewed in the deepest depths Hija’s body. Fear pulled and twitched the tips of her fingers, shame dug a hole through her guts and embarrassment burned about her face. Most of all Hija felt anger coarse throughout her.
[No matter how much I like you, or am fascinated with you, or even if you’re having a strange year. You are not someone who can demand things from a prophet of Dawn. There are very few in that position.] Her thoughts drifted to a few years ago when Hermano gave her particularly tortuous dressing down. The feelings from that time crashed and mixed with the new ones as she stood before Tag. [This is why I prefer machines...]
Hija: “You did not appear angry, you appeared terrifying and prepared, with the lack of any icons hovering around. You’ll have nothing to worry about from me. Your apology and appreciation are noted. My worry does not matter for this meet. While I am certain you can handle it, and I can do any research required from here I will need to ‘handle’ anything attempting to spy via the Matrix or should the need arise, hack into anything. To avoid noise I would need to be nearby and since we lack a vehicle that offers any privacy I would need to be on site.”
She spoke matter-of-factly, almost like a robot herself. Devoid of her stuttering or the occasional tossed in insult as if she had been preparing how to respond for some time. Hija: “I am considering using the a hundred and fifty nuyen you paid me for my work to purchase some more appropriate attire for a double A security neighbourhood.” Hija glanced at Tag for the briefest of moments before returning to stare above her. Hija: “Perhaps you have some suggestions?”
|
|
|
Post by Deals with dragons on May 4, 2018 3:03:38 GMT
Tag listens respectfully as Hija talks. However she can't help but peer through her confident and meticulous speech. It's barely even a choice, it's one of the things she had been drilled endlessly in since she was young. It's just a reflex. Hija is obviusly uncomfortable, her involuntary ticks speak volumes of fear and embarrassment... Hostility. Surely what Tag had said didn't warrant indignation. And she's avoiding looking at Tag. But even deeper than that, Tag notices something else, Hija is even feeling a little arrogant. [hmm interesting, I wonder what the deal with that is] As Hija mentions buying some appropriate new clothes, Tag gives a slow nod, agreeing with the sentiment. However when Hija asks for suggestions, Tag can't help but betray a startled look. Even after it passes, a light blush rises to her cheeks as she considers her knowledge(or more acurately lack of knowledge), on current fashion. She gazes at her current attire, a baggy t-shirt and pajama pants of green and grey. Fashion had never really appealed to Tag, it was just another thing that her parents tried to push on her that she had ignored entirely. Dresses and heels in particular don't even register as clothing to her, more some kind of torture devices. When she does have to wear something fancy, she just goes for a simple tuxedo, but she doesn't actually travel with one. Taking all of this into consideration, it's now Tags turn to stammer out a flustered response. Tag: "Well um... I don't... Uhh... Know much... About, well, fashion. But uh, I'd be happy to help as best I can... If you would like to go to a local clothing store... Um, I'll go get changed." Tag disappears into her room for a few minutes before coming out with a plain long sleeve synth leather jacket and jeans. Tag: "So uh... I think there's a place just a couple blocks away, it shouldn't take too long." Tag retrieves her commlink and sends a message to Cochise and snitch Tag: "Hey, before we meet up, Hija and I might be going to pick up some clothes that won't look out of place in a AA+ area, I guess you're welcome to join us if you need/want to. -Tag" Tag sends the address along with the message and looks to Hija, feeling suprisingly uncomfortable.
|
|
|
Post by Random Task on May 4, 2018 3:38:00 GMT
Cochise is preparing for his night out. Natty pinstripe suit, swagger bato....er..stick, porkpie hat set at a rakish angle, Colt America daintily tucked into his underarm holster. Quite the dashing thu..man.
|
|
Quhzk
Junior Member
Alex "Snitch" Putnam
Posts: 67
|
Post by Quhzk on May 4, 2018 15:23:24 GMT
Throwing his jacket on and setting it to office drone blue, Snitch does a quick once over of his gear. [Revolver and baton look good, Ninurta's matrix connection is off, bike seems all set...] Opening his commlink, he brings up the 7SINs app his ID guy had installed for him. An AA meetup would certainly have security checks throughout, and it was worth loading up a good burner SIN for the occasion. UCAS46284616-37/21C loaded successfully, and the identity of Miles Burke, 48, began to be displayed on his matrix connections. Crypto charged a lot for the convenience of instant gratification for new SIN's, but that's part of the overhead of living in the shadows.
Sending a message to the confirmed group, Snitch states "Going to go out for a ride and scout the location, you girls have fun playing dress up but don't leave us all waiting. I know you guys ain't amateurs, but try not to stick out too much in the nice neighborhoods, okay?"
|
|
|
Post by Admin on May 7, 2018 18:00:07 GMT
You eventually select "Franchise Wars" - a dining spot recommended by some Jackpoint old timers. The restaurant is a series of 10 rooms, each cooked for by a different chef. At the end of every week, the chefs move 'up' or 'down' based on its popularity. If the #10 spot loses two weeks in a row, the chef is fired and a new one is hired. Each room is completely insulated from the others, and the restaurant has built in jammers at every table to help ensure privacy for those who want it.
Do you want to arrive early, or on time?
OOC: There was a restaurant in Brooklyn that would take 5% off of your tab if everyone in your dinner party left their phones at the coat check.
|
|
|
Post by prissyprincesscyan on May 7, 2018 18:47:05 GMT
Tag: "Well um... I don't... Uhh... Know much... About, well, fashion. But uh, I'd be happy to help as best I can... If you would like to go to a local clothing store... Um, I'll go get changed." Hija’s vision is pulled down to Tag by her unexpected stutter. Her brows raised in disbelief as she watched the performance of the normally confident alpha.. Once she was Hija clenched her jaw for a moment as her gaze returned to above Tag, her dull hazel eyes remarkably glassy as a thought ran through her head.
[Are you mocking me? Is that really happening now… Its not the time, got a job to do. Focus on the message not the manner it was delivered.]
Hija remained quiet and still until Tag returned.
Hija: “Muy bien, all I need are pair of eyes and different opinion.” Stepping to the door her commlink throw up Snitch’s message. Hija read it while pulling her hood over her frizzy hair with a little difficulty. She let out a painful exasperated sound as she finally managed to cover her head.
[‘Playing dress up?’ ‘Playing?’ What have I done to deserve this?]
Following her earlier advise Hija deftly tapped out a response and sent it on its way.
Hija’s message “Keep me updated on what you find out, a couple of alternate exit routes would be useful. I’ll see what the matrix brings up on the stuff you find.”
Throwing open the door with uncharacteristic force Hija stepped out into the street and started walking without waiting for Tag. The grumpy teen retraced her steps once she was informed the store was in fact in the opposite direction. The pair walked together though any conversation Tag tried to start was rather one-sided. After a few minutes Hija suddenly spoke.
Hija: “Get a car, in the meet ask for a car. We don’t know what we’re moving but in any case going faster than this will probably help.”
She let out the same twisted sound she had at the door before adding.
Hija: “This is your show, what can we do to help you get a good deal and decent information from Seo Silva?”
|
|
Quhzk
Junior Member
Alex "Snitch" Putnam
Posts: 67
|
Post by Quhzk on May 7, 2018 21:09:06 GMT
[Franchise Wars huh... If memory serves, that's in the old financial district to the east, traffic is gonna be a pain]
Taking his bike from the underground parking below his apartment, Snitch rides towards the well maintained district. Beyond the automated checkpoint leading to the neighborhood, the sounds of security drones whirring overhead is drowned out by the foot traffic of wageslaves shuffling along the sidewalks. Circling the streets towards the restaurant didn't reveal much of note, save for the subway enterance two blocks to the east.
Moving slowly through the congested streets eventually brought Snitch to Franchise Wars, a classy looking place with black polished one way windows, and a 'borg'ed up doorman. To say the place was minimalist would be an understatement, a solid dark grey ceramic exterior made the eatery seem like it was equipped to handle warfare, cooking or otherwise. Not wanting to appear suspicious, Snitch rode on from the restauratn and made his way down the street to Tony's Sports Bar, sat down, and started watching combat biker on the trid whilst typing a message on his comm.
Snitch: "Looks like security is pretty tight folks, automated checkpoints at all the borough's entrances. There's a subway pretty close to the restaurants if you want a short walk, and that restaurant is locked up tight. Can't see in, no fire escapes or anything to be cheeky with. Razorguy in a suit up front so the place has a solid security budget, might work well for us if our benefactor does anything funny. I'm down the street right now, I'll head over 15 minutes before the meeting, see y'all out there."
|
|
|
Post by Random Task on May 8, 2018 7:30:02 GMT
[Thanks for the intel sweep, hombre] Cochise thinks as he makes his way across town in what passes for the present day black cab. Approaching the bunker like restaurant, Cochise submits to the practiced once over of the cybered up bouncer. Walking in with his suit, porkpie hat and swagger stick, the bouncer ABHh3d056d6 for Will + Log perception of the bouncer (3+3) vs concealment of the weapon 8d6. 1 success vs 2. The bouncer fails to detect Cochise's light pistol.
Cochise pulls up a stool at the ultramodern bar, sipping on a gin gimlet, waiting for the others. 6d6·8d6
|
|