Howdy, Stranger!
It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Quick Links
Categories
- 965 All Categories
- 17 Games
- 1 aw2-mapbp
- 365 Richland
- SDHSR
- 4 two-detroits
- 96 aw2e-dvfp
- 53 ISS Tsiolkovsky
- 82 Fury
- Urban Shadows
- 24 LadyB
- 11 AnR
- 4 Junk World 2.0
- 68 PnR
- 23 DRYH
- Jeffland
- The Few
- 11 Other
- 11 General
- 576 Complete
- 12 burning-empires
- 8 aota-jam
- 17 Uncharted Worlds
- Uncharted
- 23 nullptr-veil
- 9 ajax-motw
- 2 tqy-am
- 52 NOVA
- 11 Serene Apocalypse
- jenn-soti
- 63 SWAW
- 13 Blades
- 2 Fall Of Magic
- 12 Generations
- 25 LA Monsters
- tqy
- 32 nupocalypse
- 120 Snowpocalypse
- 136 Junkworld XIII
- 27 Big Maul
- 6 ESC
- 1 Murderous Ghosts
- 17 ANN_pilot
[ShadowFate] Drove Through Ghosts to Get Here (2)
Drove Through Ghosts to Get Here
Fast-forward. You've had one hair-of-the-dog Tequila Sunrise, and Vince has just buzzed down your "Mr. Johnson," after you ran your usual checks and approved. British Dave is a no-show, but everyone else is here with you. She starts right in.
"You remember when Delphine died, of course. There was a lot going on, but it still made the local news, at least. When the fire started, she was recording. The engineer was in the Matrix when the Crash happened. He survived the fire but's been in a coma for the last seven years and woke up three days ago, long enough to tell the nurse that her last cut was something special. She was an adept, not many people know that. Apparently, that last recording might well be an artifact. We need to recover it."
Comments
Delphine got younger me laid quite a bit. Well, her music quite a bit.
"Delphine an adept?" I say with a small bit of surprise. "I saw her at the Sydney Opera House once. I'd believe it. Is this song somewhere in the Matrix then?" I'm suddenly missing Circe something fierce.
Everyone sucks in a breath. Corktown has been no-go since the day of the Crash. Something really bad went down in the astral there at the same time, and it's a nest of toxic spirits and general bad stuff. A team of magic-types erected some sort of boundary protection, but things still leak out from time to time.
Corktown... drek. No wonder she went for the hard sell hype at the club.
"Physical media, seven year old physical media, in Corktown...." I can see nuyen signs in my eyes. "What's the offer?"
Holy frakking hell, that's a good payout. I look over at Lindo, "What do you think? Rate fair?"
Lindo's eyes narrow a bit as he considers. In his deep rumble, he replies. "If I have to walk into Corktown, I suppose 10K is as good a reason as any. This ain't gonna be a picnic, Jubilex. Be prepared."
I turn to Mr. Johnson, "It looks like we're walking into Corktown."
I shake my head no, "We've got a hacker, too. It's five."
At least, we will have one soon.
That damned not-quite smile, not-quite frown again, like she's amused and worried at the same time. It's a habitual expression, it seems.
This woman is painfully hot. I dig her not-quite smile, wonder if I could make it quite one. I will definitely file away the red diamond.
"I'll keep in touch, Mr. Johnson." I give her a crooked little smile, but nothing too overt. "Thanks for the opportunity."
She nods again, says, "Please do," then leaves.
Lindo whistles low once she's gone. "If I was thirty years younger and my wife wasn't so damned mean, I'd have followed that one right out the door. Sure would have."
I nod, nothing huge or dramatic, but the man is right. Amusing to hear him say something like that, too. I smirk his way. "We need to pick up a hacker. Anyone get a line on someone? I can reach out to old corp contacts or check with the Don." Or hell, I could ping Spr!t3.
"I've got someone I want you to meet, but she's not around this week. We could always go with Tink, though. I know she's a talker, but she gets the job done."
Nizoni sighs. "Really? What kind of elf picks Tinkerbell for a street name?"
"Tink's fine, Mat. Can you reach out to her?" I give Nizoni a sidelong glance. Does she really want to go there? "Not everyone can have an amazing handle like Nizoni." I say it with just enough of a grin to sound like I might be complimenting her, but I just might be teasing her, too.
"Speed's important. I want to get moving in an hour. Settle up whatever, leave form here." I'll jander to grab some ramen, then come back. Nothing big, just some food to go. I'll invite Niz if she's interested.
Lindo shakes his head. "No way, Jubilex. We'll need protective talismans, and I've got to research the boundary spell."
I pull up, not challenging. This is his wheelhouse. "Understood. How long do you need, Lindo. Keep in mind, nuyen on speed."
Lindo blows out a breath, looks up and to the right, checking something through his link. "Sunset is in six hours and twelve minutes, and it's going to take at least three to prep and prime five talismans of the quality we'll need. I can check out the boundary spell through the astral during the downtime, but if that requires any special preparations, that means probably another hour. So, call it four hours, which will give us two to get there, get through the boundary, and do the job before dark. And I highly recommend we do the job before dark. Sure you don't want to wait until morning?"
Mat jumps in before you answer. "Tink's on the way."
I listen to Lindo, give Mat a nod at his update. To Lindo, "Alright, ass crack of dawn, we go. We'll have a full day and shouldn't be too far behind the limit." Well, it's hurry up and wait. "Take the time you need, Lindo. Let's meet back up here at oh five hundred. Niz, Mat, I'm getting some ramen. Tell Tink to meet us there."
Lindo tosses you a credstick for ¥1000 and pops up an AR link. "Mind heading to the shop and picking me up some supplies? That's the list."
Mat and Nizoni are on their feet.
"Ramen sounds good."
Nizoni nods.
I grab the stick, "Sure, Lindo. But this is expenses for the run," I leave the stick on the table for him. Then we're out the door for Kenzo's. I'm walking, sine we're in no rush and it's only five blocks. Good to get a lay of the land here in the barrio. Be seen. Gives me a chance to catch up with the team, too.
"How's tricks, Mat?" I ask when the traffic isn't too loud.
"Aside from hot? Tricks are pretty good. Actually heard from a cousin of mine a few days ago. Of course, we wound up yelling, but it's something, at least."
"That is good," I say, happy that one of them reached out. Bunch of backwards assholes. "Did they need something, or just checking in?"
Mat shakes his head with a chuckle. "Wedding dress, Jubilex. She wanted to know if she could use my wedding dress."
I grin wide, "Oh... oh, Mat. I would love to see your wedding dress." Then, I cock my head, "It's unused... right?" Did Mat get married? I've never asked.
Mat manages to have a sense of humor about this, even after so much anger and bitterness. He chuckles. "Oh yeah, unused. The wedding was still a year off, but we plan early in my family. He was picked out practically as soon as I was born, and the dress was sewn as soon as I hit my full adulthood."
Abuela Conchita passes on the sidewalk, shuffling along and stooped, but still bright-eyed. "Hola, Jubilex. How's the tricks?" Her chortle at her own cleverness ends with a deep, lung-clearing cough.
"Can I see it sometime?" I ask, genuinely interested. Since Mat's cool about it, I'm not going to tread lightly.
To Abuela Conchita, "The tricks are wild and various, Abuela." I give her a quick bow of my head. Such a funny lady. The cough, though. I stop, "Are you alright?" Does she need some meds or something?
Abuela Conchita recovers quickly. "Ah, chico, I am just old, and the air is not so good, with all this humidity." She would say that, of course, even if she was on her deathbed. She is very old for a human, a mother already during the very beginnings of the Awakening.
I haven't moved yet, still chatting with Abuela. "Your A/C at home, is it working? You need someone to fix it? Everything okay?" This is what Circe and I would do. We do it for the barrio.
Mat gives you a glance.
"We'll grab a table for four, Jubilex. Good?"
I wave Mat ahead, "Yeah, that's great. I'll catch up." I stay with Abuela. "Fans? No, no, no. Not in this heat. Why don't you have A/C, Abuela? Is it broken?" I'm going to fix this, or find out why it's broken.
"That new super," I say sternly. "I'll have a chat with him. This isn't right." I'm heading to her building. No time like the present.
You leave her behind with a sweet smile, and head to her building (near the corner of Green and South Streets). Pushing the buzzer (buzzer? really? is this not 2071?) labeled "Super," you get a gruff "What?" in response.
"It's Jubilex. I want to talk." I answer. If he's local, he should know me. If not, I don't like him.
"Jubilation? Who gives a frag? You wanna talk, then talk." It's a gruff voice. If you had to guess, you'd say ork, and not from around here.
"Open up, chummer." I say flatly. "Some of your residents have complaints. I'm here. To lodge them."
"I'll come to you, chummer." Seventy seconds later, the door opens, and yes, it's an ork. Tusks sharpened and cybered up. He glares at you. "Wanna lodge a complaint?" No weapons on display, but you see that he's an experienced scrapper, and the hilt of something is peeking up over his left shoulder.
I size him up. Glad he's an ork, not a pansy. "There are residents in this fine complex who need things fixed. Help me understand why that isn't happening." I'm not planning on beating him senseless. In fact, I'm hoping he has a reason. I'd even kick in a few nuyen if he's behind and embarrassed about asking for help. I don't think that's what's up, but I'm willing to listen.
Orks are often bluster. You have to listen to a bit of drek before you get to the heart of the matter. Plus, it's easy to listen to an asshole when you know you can beat the snot out of him.
The ork crosses his arms. You haven't seen this guy before, by the way. "And who the frag are you, chummer? Aside from bein' the idiot that's about to need a doctor, that is."
"I don't live here," I look around the building, then back at him. "But I live here. You understand? I think you should reconsider your position here, chummer. I'm trying to give you the benefit of the doubt here. But however you play this, you're going to need to get things fixed for the nice residents here."
The ork looks at you blandly, then reaches over his shoulder for the hilt of whatever it is sheathed on his back. "Frag you and frag your mother."
Fight Roll:
(Rolled: 4df+3. Total: 4. Rolls: -, 0, +, +)
(Rolled: 4df+1. Total: 0. Rolls: 0, 0, 0, -)
Jubilex, if there was any doubt that you could take this guy, they're removed. One punch spins him around, and then you've got him around the throat from behind. You could choke him out if you wanted to, but it's hard to fix A/C and plumbing and that sort of drek when you're dead.
He's in your power, and you've got the advantage. You could say you Have the Upper Hand.
What's next, Jubilex?
"Chummer," I say through clenched teeth into his ear, "I warned you. You didn't listen. I hope you're listening now. I'll give you one week to fix the broken A/C and the bathrooms and all the things you've let slide that have made this place unlivable." I squeeze his adam's apple, then relax it, "If you haven't impressed me when I come back to check up. they will never ever find you again."
"Okay, okay... I'll take care of it. Boss ain't gonna like it, though."
"Who's your boss, and why are they cutting so many damn corners?" I ease back, letting go of his throat, "And what's your name, chummer?"
"Okay, okay. They call me Trip. Woman that hired me never gave me a name, just said come here and take over, but do as little as possible. Seems like she don't want no happy customers. Walked right up to me at a bar in Greektown where I hang sometimes, slapped down a credstick, gave me the address and codes for the locks."
Developers? Gentrification? Real Estate.... man I hate these guys.
"How do you keep in contact with her?"
Trip shrugs. "She knows where I live, right? Said someone would come to me every now and then, to check in. That's all I know."
"Here's how it'll go, Trip." I say calm. "I'm going to front you the creds to get this place fixed up. If you frag me, I'll take it out of your hide. In the meantime, if Miss Lady comes your way when she hears about this, you drop dime on her." I give him the Marcus Wellby line, it's got no SINs to it.
Jubilex, you've made your point. Why don't you give me a Provoke roll to see how well it sticks? You've got a free invoke on the Aspect (Upper Hand) you created with your punch, so you might as well add in that +2 from the get-go. Trip will be defending with his Mediocre (+0) Will.
Provocation!
(Rolled: 4df+1. Total: 2. Rolls: +, 0, -, +)
(Rolled: 4df+0. Total: 2. Rolls: +, 0, +, 0)
With that +2, my total is a 4. Take that, Trip.
With the +2 for having the upper hand, that makes you a winner by two shifts. He'll do what you tell him, for now, and if his employer makes contact soon, he'll more than likely call. You'll probably want to keep tabs, though. Some lessons take time to learn fully.
"Alright, alright. I hear you. I'll get some work started, soon as you get me the NuYen."
I give him one of my drop credsticks, transfer a thousand nuyen. "You need more, you call. You talk with her, you call. Got it?" Then, I'm out. Head to Kenzo's.
Ah, Tink. Ever the conversationalist. I hold up a hand in greeting, "Hoi, Tink. Hoi chummers. Sorry for the delay. Had to chat with Abuela's super." I order something from Kenzo. You know, priorities. Then I'll sit beside Tink, "How's tricks, Tinkerbell?"
"Relic retrieval from a magical hotspot. Nuyen's not bad, we're bringing you in as a matrix jockey, research and support. I'll want you close and personal, of course." I give her the details, all that I know.
I arch a brow at Mat, "Do you mind?"
Mat smiles a little predatorily. "It will be a good challenge. Expenses from Emm-Dub funds or the suits?"
"You heard the pitch, Mat. Ten K a head. A third of it to Em Dub, so if you need to dip into that, feel free."
Mat nods and immediately blinks into the wireless world, fingers twitching as he works on configurations and purchases.
To Tink, "It is. But I'd feel naked if I didn't have a drek-hot hacker along." I take a bite of my noodles. "Sounds like you canvassed. See if anyone else has a line on this? We get a bonus if we clear it in the next day. And we need to record the effort."
Nizoni shrugs.
"So, I'll just pack the full kit. We'll brief on maps and such in the AM, I assume, but we're not really going to know the situation on the ground, are we?"
I glance over at the two checked out teammates, then answer Niz, "No intel worth drek. Pack for a fight. I fully expect we'll run into another team, maybe more. I hope to avoid them, but I'm used to being disappointed."
Nizoni nods. She's told you a story about killing a cybered-up ork with a fork and a grapefruit spoon, and you're pretty sure she wasn't kidding. "I'm always packed for a fight, Jubilex." She takes another big spoonful of ramen, slurps the noodles down with obvious amusement at the sound. "So, how was dinner at Genghis last night? I've heard it's great."
You're absolutely certain you didn't mention last night's date to anyone.
I give her a bit of a look. "Niz... how did you know I took Jess out to Genghis? I didn't know I was taking her until we met up, and I know I didn't see you there." Of course, I never would see her there, if she didn't want me to see her.
Nizoni gives you that scary smile, the one that makes you brace yourself for the answer. "A girl has her ways, Jubilex. A girl has her ways." She twirls a lock of hair around her finger.
"Seriously? I followed you. Keeping in practice. You need to work on your situational awareness." She picks an edamame out of the bowl on the table, throws it so that it almost reaches the ceiling, and catches it in her mouth.
That was spooky. She is a spooky girl.
I wonder if I can get a rise out of her. "Well, if you know about my personal life, I guess you overheard Jessi when she told me she has a thing for elves." I arch a brow and watch for her reaction.
Nizoni makes a "stinky" face. "So why is she fragging a muggle like you?" She's got a twinkle in her eye.
Heh. "Oh, Niz. The things I do," I say as I smirk, "They're magical. She makes an exception for me." I give her a wink. Mostly to make sure this isn't really me hitting on her.
Because spooky.
"I'll be sure to stop 'round and comfort her when you finally catch a bullet, Jubilex." Niz picks up her bowl and slurps down the remainder of the broth, then belches. "...or whatever."
That's not the reaction I'd hoped for. I cock my head, look at her. "Are you alright, Nizoni?"
"They're calling for acid rain tomorrow night, I have a hangnail on my right thumb, and the Tigers' best pitcher's shoulder just seized, which means she's on the 15-day DL until she gets repairs. How are you?"
I can go round for round with truthing, "I'm sixty four days clean, but I almost bought some BTL this morning. My girlfriend's dad is a mob boss who thinks I should marry her or I'm a threat. My best friend is still dead. And... I just heard they're calling for acid rain tomorrow night."
Nizoni nods, apparently satisfied that you've covered the necessary ground. "Alright. I'm going to go get my workout in and check my gear. Call if you need me."
"Affirmative." I answer, then look over at Twink and Mat. "I'll just eat my ramen and babysit the droolers." And yes, I watch her leave. Highlight of my afternoon.
Just as you finish your soup, Mat re-engages with the world. "Okay, the gear should be delivered to Second Chance in an hour. I'll make the mods and be ready to deploy and test after dark." He looks down into his bowl. "Drek, my soup is cold." Mat brings his bowl up to the counter and pays Kenzo for a new one.
When he gets back, he asks, "You been inside Corktown since the Crash? Or know anyone that has?"
"I haven't been." I answer honestly. "But I know an ork who has. Runner by the name of Grbek. He's local. Want to swing by his place and chat with him?"
Mat slurps a bit of soup. "Seems like a good idea. Just let me finish here." He waves a hand to get Tink's attention. She looks up and he says, "We're taking off in a minute. Channel's open when you have something to share." Tink nods, then starts twitching her fingers again, back in whatever AR environment she's set up to work in.
I pat Tink on the shoulder as we head out. On the way, I ask Mat about his drones, "I'm curious, Mat. Do you prefer a top-of-the-line model? Or something customizable that isn't quite done when you get it?"
Mat grunts. "Basic, modular. If I'm going to tinker with something, I want it built to be tinkered with, not some fragging black box that has a warranty to be voided. What I just ordered up is basically six dozen toys, with a slightly more hardened chassis."
That's what I figured. Interesting how Mat, once a female, now a male, likes modular things that you can change at a whim. Gender fluidity is part of Mat's view on the world.
"Wiz." I say as we head out. Walking again, a couple blocks.
Grbek will be one of two places. His loft, in a converted, demolished, rebuilt, reconverted warehouse by the river, where the Zug Island hum is strongest (he says it's "soothing"), or the bar on the ground floor (which he owns), called, appropriately enough, The Hum. What do you try first?
The bar, of course. It's on the way, and a pretty damn nice place. As far as dive bars go, at least.
I'll jander on in with Mat beside me, a pair of badasses on the prowl.
You and Mat walk out of the moist heat into the cool interior of The Hum. The whole place buzzes with its namesake, a constant drone that makes it easy to have a private conversation, even if it is more than a little distracting. Instead of music, there are hardwood and pipe windchimes scattered around, stirred by the drafts of the ventilation system and ceiling fans.
I approach the throne, then offer him a hand, "Hoi chummer. This is my rigger Mat. Mat, this is Grbek the Mighty." I grab a stool near him, order a drink. "So, Grbek, how's tricks?"
"I know. I'm a cad." I joke. I like Grbek's manner today. "I'm peeking into some business in Corktown and you're the only person I know who's been. What can you tell me about it?"
Well, we do have the day to waste. Luckily Mat can drink most people under the table. I take a glass, hold it up with Mat, "To war stories, Grbek."
After a drink, I ask, "What if I was going in, what would you tell me to look out for?"
"That sounds. ... delightful. Anything specific to look out For, like landmarks? " I ask as I put down a hundred nuyen on his reader.
I take note of those places, give Mat a look about the light. Then, I ask, "Do we need natural light? Would a flashlight do?"