Skeletons in the Closet IC

[Arilus]

Sammlerin accepted the RFID tag with some ambivalence. She did not like the idea of anyone being able to easily pinpoint her location. She briefly considered attempting to edit the chip to give her more control over the broadcast, but decided against it. If she ended up needing aid, it would pay to keep the program intact. She adhered the tag to her commlink, the only item she could be sure she'd always have on her, and sent a query to C0M1NG4U for the specifications to load onto her own radio signal scanner as she followed her companions back to the bar.

[Delia2531]

Having already shared the feed from the scanner tied to the chips, Franz responds to the query and transmits the frequency and codes to allow Sammlerin to access them.

Spoiler: @Bookwyrm/DomComm

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<<here you go - #SARnetcodes.ini >>

[Dimers]

Dominick accepts Franz's chip, telling him, "Good thought. Clearly you're experienced in your field." He rubs the adhesive to activate it and sticks the chip inside a lapel. After taking a moment to give mental direction ...

Spoiler: to Brunette

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Process any requests to share the security tag location data.

... he gets up and follows Fluff back to the very active bar.

[TheDarkDM]

Fluff find Hopper polishing a glass behind the bar, and is quickly joined by the remainder of the tea. Flashing another picture-perfect smile, he reaches beneath the bar and pulls out a slim data-drive.

"Now this is analog, not digital - we don't want some two-cred hacker trying to spy on your dossier. I'll give you the short version. Seems Doctor Malcom took fifty thousand credits of his lab's research grant when he ran. Knew his way around the system, too. Ares didn't catch on until a few hours after he'd vanished. He was last seen in Redmond, supposedly with a couple of Crimson Crush thugs. Could be he used the cash to buy himself a nice protective detail until this all blows over. You've got GPS to the last known location there, as well as some background on the Crush and the RFID signature of the credstick he used. Could be you can track him down that way. Good luck. And if you find any of that money, it's yours. Though I'd think twice about walking away with embezzled Corp funds."

[Arilus]

Sammlerin briefly turned on her radio signal scanner to load the data for Franz's tags for easy access on her way to the bar.

Spoiler: @C0M1NG4U

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<<Bookwyrm: Thanks. It pays to have backup.>>

As the team gathered around the bar, she listened to Hopper's summary of the far more detailed dossier on Dr. Malcom. The information might be useful for tracking the researcher down, but it was not what Sammlerin really wanted to know. Though she was quite impressed by the doctor's apparent abilities and resourcefulness, assuming that the embezzlement and ability to hide from Knight Errant was his own doing.

"Just to get the chronology down, Mr. Hopper, do you know if Dr. Malcom disappear before or after the assault at Ares's Bellevue apartment complex? And are there any data on the massacre in the dossier, or will we need to get that information elsewhere?"

The drake was still immensely curious about the incident. She needed to find out how the victims were killed and especially what the "nonsense symbol" was. As well as any clues as to the nature of the assailants, as leaving no recoverable DNA at the scene is incredibly difficult...for a biological entity.

[TheDarkDM]

Hopper puts down the glass and turns towards Sammerlin.

"Malcom took off once the preliminary reports started coming in from the crime scene. Not sure what spooked him, but its a safe bet that they're connected. And the dossier has the preliminary forensic report, we couldn't get anything more current. Knight Errant are trying to keep this as contained as possible."

Spoiler

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Forensic evidence from the crime scene is almost nonexistent - it seems whoever the attackers were, they didn't leave a DNA trace. More worryingly, the astral space around the building was polluted somehow. However, there is clear information on how the victims died - two were killed with a vibroknife, while six security drones were destroyed by high explosive grenades. The rest of the victims appear to have been killed with a monofilament whip.

There is a picture of the symbol, scrawled in blood above the bed of the first civilian victim.

[Arilus]

"Excellent," Sammlerin responded, eyeing the data drive hungrily. She wanted to start reviewing the dossier immediately, but knew she needed to wait until the proper opportunity. As impatient as she was, it would be more efficient for the whole team to examine it simultaneously.

[Jyssika]

Fluff finds a port for the RFID on her collar, she slides it in and presumes all is well. She generally doesn't understand or enjoy technology and there are lots of horrible warning about hackers and scams... whatever they are.

So... We don't have anything?
She was a little perturbed, having wanted something she could actually use to help with the job.
Suppose for now I am just a driver then...

She mutters the last part to herself, a little disheartened and feeling like the runt of the group.

[Delia2531]

Turning to the group once more, "Well, we'll need somewhere secure to acces the data on this, ideally on the way to the Barrens. I've got my bike, but we can't all get on that. Ant ideas?"

Turning back to Hopper, "We could always stay here, but I think we need to get going.

[Jyssika]

Fluff perks up;

I erm, I have a truck!
An.. your bike might fit in it too if you wanted in on the analysis an stuff...
And I could drive, because I double I can help much...

She shrugs.

Just an idea.

[Arilus]

"That would be ideal, Fluff's vehicle is rather...impressive," Sammlerin contributed, while she accepted the proferred data drive. She could feel Snake's presence in the fringes of her consciousness, fueling her existing curiosity. She eyed her companions expectantly, anticipating a quick consensus on the matter.

[Delia2531]

With Sammerlein's approval of the truck, Franz makes a decision,"Sounds ideal, I'm sure we can fix the bike to the back. sensing Fluff's concern about not being much use, We've all got our parts to play chummer, I think you and I will come in to our own when the drek gets in to the ventilation system and we need to get our people out fast; you're our fire support and evac vehicle, I'm here to exfil anyone that needs it on the way out. Once we've found this slotter, the others will no doubt be needed to get us close to him, but I think it is you and I that will make sure he gets to where he is wanted in one piece. Shall we go?"

[Lentrax]

Karl retrieves his coat, and with smooth motions, dons the heavy garment. For the briefest of moments you see a vast array of weapons clips. Not unusual for a runner to be so heavily armed, but you think Karl may be taking it a bit too far.

After the coat is on, Karl readjusts the scabbard of his katana so drawing the weapon will not be hampered.

Let us go.

[TheDarkDM]

You pile out of the Fallen Star, making good time to where Fluff has parked her armored car. It hunches in its parking space like a tiger confined to a child's cradle, practically bristling at the indignation that it be left alongside the sensible sedans and towncars that line the streets of Downtown. The engine roars when Fluff turns the ignition, and before long you are cruising down the city streets, other motorists angling away from the approaching behemoth. Eventually, you reach the 520 and begin driving east, towards the Barrens.

The route is a bizarre one, twisting through the opulent neighborhoods of Bellevue. In the streets below the raised highway, children still play in well-lit streets, and well manicured lawns grace the houses of Seattle's well-to-do. But then the road turns north, and while the affluence remains you begin to notice Knight Errant drones patrolling the skies, and see the towering edifice of a branch office. Then the press of residential buildings pass behind you, the ambient light dims, and you see it before you. Redmond, the graveyard district.

While the storm has cleared from the night sky above you, clouds loom over Redmond like an oppressive veil, the smoke from automated corporate factories mixing with the clouds above to create a poisonous fume. Static electricity crackles through the red clouds, striking down against the ruined walls of the old nuclear power plant. Most unsettling of all, there is no light from the interior of the district. In the brief flashes of lightning, you see an expanse of ruined buildings, rotting skyscrapers, and trash-filled streets. Yet you drive on, and eventually the skyline fades beneath the cheap glow of neon. You pull off the highway and enter Touristville, the safest place in Redmond. Residents of Seattle looking for some cheap thrills gravitate to this area, where Knight Errant maintains some semblance of order. On the sidewalks, you see tour groups move along pre-determined routes, shadowed by hulking bodyguards. In AR, there is no hint of the district beyond, as the sky is covered by a glittering green curtain, but to unaugmented eyes the alleys between the nightclubs provide a clear view to the darkness of real Redmond. Still, the Crush is a Redmond gang, and if you want to find them this is the best place to start looking.

[Dimers]

Taking advantage of the downtime while someone else is at the wheel, Dominick concentrates on changing his face and voice again, speaking in spurts as he does so. "Mundanes usually find this sort of thing disturbing. ... Faces aren't ... supposed to shift, especially ... from inside. But with two skinchangers, a man without much natural skin left ... a medical professional and an appearance specialist ... I don't imagine anyone will ... be too shocked."

Dominick now seems to be an ork -- an unusually trim one, but with angles in his face that hint at a lot of time spent exercising. He is pale and his voice has clarified and dropped. And while he hasn't changed clothes, the sharp suit seems to hang more loosely on him now.

As the tank grinds through the dark streets, the face-bender asks Fluff, "Know where you can park safely? Anyone who can keep an eye on the vehicle? We don't want to find the Crush inside it, after all. My contacts don't know this area too well."

[Jyssika]

Fluff shrugs;
Its not been out of the garage till tonight...

She opens a glove box and points to a folder.
Its got all its papers so there shouldn't be any legal trouble.
As to others... apparently I have a rusted setting for its outer-colour-changy-mode... so that could be an option...
She shuts the box and slides up a shutter revealing a screen with lots of options;
Ford T, Legal, Rust, Racing, Urban, Rural, Jungle, Arctic, Ghetto, Disco, Goth, Cyber, ...

[Arilus]

As the team settled into the veritable APC, Sammlerin assisted Fluff with navigation. She didn't know the way any better than the shapeshifter, but managed to subscribe to the Ares Citymaster's on-board computer with Fluff's help, loaning it her Seattle mapsoft.

"So, do any of you know anything about Redmond?" she inquired while inserting the data drive containing the dossier into a port in her commlink. Knowledge of the area would be useful, but her question was really aimed at whether she would have to remain in her unappealingly squishy elven form in the district.

For the team's convenience, she set the dossier to display via holo projector. She attempted to copy the file to her commlink only to discover it had some form of copy protection on it. Ignoring conversation regarding logistics, she began reading the information Hopper provided.

Naturally starting the review with the preliminary report from the Bellevue apartment complex, Sammlerin understood why Knight Errant had no leads. The victims were killed by mundane means, yet there was no recoverable genetic evidence. The astral pollution and the symbol drawn in blood led her to believe the purpose of the massacre may be magical in nature. Unfortunately, the symbol itself meant nothing to her, but the fact that it was drawn in blood and the lack of obvious purpose to the slaughter led her to a hypothesis. Though she didn't know much about it, she had read about one rather taboo form of magic that utilized mana generated by sacrificing life energy: blood magic. A search of her magical tradition datasoft did not tell her much more than that, only that it was illegal almost everywhere outside of Aztlan.

"Does that symbol mean anything to any of you?" she asked the team, hoping someone could offer her some insight. She didn't feel obligated to explain her existing analysis, however. It was little more than supposition at this point anyway.

[Dimers]

"So, do any of you know anything about Redmond?"

"Just the usual. 'Dangerous' ... 'Don't go there, especially at night' ..." Dominick's voice shifts to mimic unnamed fearful people. "I had a client for my day job on the Seattle side of town for two months or so. The whole area smelled like piss and rotting soykaff, but otherwise it was like any other burb."

"Does that symbol mean anything to any of you?" she asked the team, hoping someone could offer her some insight.

"Not me. Looks like a cross between a bug face and a nuclear trefoil, but that doesn't mean anything. I have a discreet wiz acquaintance; I'll pass it along to them. Can't imagine it's meaningful as something other than a magic symbol or some sort of superpowered tag." Dominick stops talking and goes unfocused for a moment. "No telling when they'll get back to me, but I asked for alacrity."

Spoiler: to Brunette

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Remove anything outside the primary image. Re-encrypt. Send copy to WindWine with a header to indicate it should be opened privately -- message 'I need facts or guesses about this symbol, preferably yesterday.' Dangle ¥. Give regards.

Spoiler

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"WindWine" is a magic-oriented Contact who is part of the minicorp owners' association. Loyalty 2, Connections 3. I'm not specifying much about him/her/it/them so as to ensure maximal DM flexibility. Dominick is offering the Contact a payout of a level appropriate for rare magical knowledge given by a person with whom I have a modicum of trust -- probably fairly expensive if the Contact comes up with anything, but Dimers has no idea what ¥ amount to assign to that.

[Arilus]

Upon hearing Dominick's description of Redmond, Sammlerin, relaxed a bit. She was no fan of needing to resort to combat, but any place in Seattle too dangerous would have minimal megacorporate presence. Meaning camouflaging as a metahuman would be unnecessary. And she was especially pleased with his resourcefulness pertaining to the symbol. And she had been so preoccupied with on the blood and astral pollution she hadn't thought of more mundane symbology.

"Excellent. And do no be dismissive of resemblances; they are sometimes significant in magical symbolism. You're right about the radiological hazard trefoil, though it bears more resemblance to the biohazard one. Though I would hope anyone who would bother painting it would approximate insect mouthparts and eyes better if that was their intent."

[Lentrax]

The cyborg sat off to one side of the vehicle. As they sped down the roads, he opened his coat, and pulled a rifle from inside. His display told him everything was working properly, but that is no excuse for improper maintenance.

Stripping the rifle down quickly, he inspected the barrel for dirt, ran a brush through the firing mechanism, emptied out three clips and cleaned the loading springs. Meticulously, with the calm smooth motions of the professional soldier, he reloaded the clips. Finishing his pre-mission checks as they arrived in Redmond, he slammed a clip home into the rifle, and yanked back on the load lever, pulling a round into the chamber. He then slung the rifle back onto his shoulder, reattaching it to the sling and letting it dangle just under his arm.

Vatever ve do, I vill stand behind you and look the part of ze tough guy. Und if ve really need to, my little friend here vill say hello.

[Jyssika]

Fluff occasionally glaced at Karl in one of her many mirrors located around the driver seat. She wasn't really interested in the mumbo jumbo talk of her dear friend and Dominick and evidently neither was he.

Could you open that cupboard Karl, please?
She points to one of the cupboards running along the ceiling down either side of the City Master, like those found in commercial airlines.
Its got my guns in it... not sure which to take and I don't suppose you could make sure they still work?

Inside cupboard is a small suitcase containing an Enforcer Sniper Rifle and an Optimum II with under-barrel shotgun.

[Delia2531]

Franz fiddles in a pocket of her jumpsuit briefly before pulling out a plain black object about the size of a commlink. She does something to power it up and makes some adjustments, before sliding a chip in to it.

"I haven't been out here for a while, but one thing we am be sure of is no matrix coverage so no AR that we don't provide ourselves. I have a GPS and a suitable mapsoft, which I've patched in to my PAN and I think we should add to the group WAN. I don't now much about the matrix as a whole but we should probably keep our WAN hidden as it will stand out around here otherwise."

Spoiler: Admin@Domcomm:

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<<C0M1NG4U - GPSMapnet_Codes.dir>>

Having set up the nav link for everyone, Franz follows Karl's lead and methodically strips and check the pistol at her waist before checking the charge on the Taser.

Satisfied with that she turns to the other, more elaborate equipment in her pockets and bags.

probably not going to need the scuba or parachute on this one, that bag can stay in the truck and she puts it to one side.

Spoiler: PAN

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commlink
cyber eyes
cyber ears
Med kit (standby mode only)


GAN
RFID scanner
GPS
Mapsoft

[Arilus]

Satisfied that she had gotten everything from the preliminary forensics report and memorized the mysterious symbol, Sammlerin skimmed the rest of the dossier. She made sure Dominick was paying attention when she got to the background on the Crimson Crush.

Her glass's heads-up display told her they were getting close to Redmond. She switched her PAN to hidden mode and started to check her gear.

"Do you want me on the ground or on overwatch on the rooftops?" she asked while adjusting to the disorientation from a temporary absence of an AR interface. She hoped it would be the latter, but she was willing to defer to the judgement of more experienced runners. She may be proud, but she isn't stupid.

Spoiler: PAN

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Commlink
AR Gloves
Ares Citymaster (until we get out of it)
Goggles
"Group Area Network"
Headphones
Mapsoft (Seattle)
Micro Camera
Radio Signal Scanner

[Delia2531]

When Sam shares the contents of the file for review, Franz takes the GPS coordinates and puts them in to the system bringing it up on the AR feed via her cybereyes and hence sharing the plot on the group AR feed.

"Unless anyone has a jack cable to connect this to the truck one of us will need to guide Fluff, assuming we're heading to his last known location? I'm happy to do it, my gear is ready to to and I'm probably going to be the last one to take action if we run in to trouble!"

Franz also reaches in to her pocket again for another stealth chip and holds it up for Fluff to see,

"Do you mind if I leave one of these active in the truck? If we get out it would be great to be able to find it again? I'll mark it's position on the GPS when we get out, but I'd rather be safe than sorry. Thinking about it, can we get back in the truck if anything should happen and you are unconscious or hurt?"

[Jyssika]

Fluff slides another plate on the dashboard to reveal a data cable and a few miscilanious buttons.

This a data jack thingy?

Pointing to the large button that says Bug Eraser she finishes;
If its dis-issableable... disableable... disabled by this, then you will need to leave it inside.

As for the getting in... You need me; or atleast my collar, but its very hard to take off... So, you need me...

[Delia2531]

Franz reaches forward to jack the GPS in to the truck and is pleased to see the display pop up on a HUD for Fluff to see. "Ah, there we go; that's the last known coordinates of our missing Doctor. I'll leave the chip on the inside of the truck, just in case." Franz activates the chip and sets it on the dashboard alongside the data jack so that it will be covered when the panel closes.

"Do we all watch to rock up at these coordinates in our tank, or is there perhaps a more subtle approach to this? It sounds like Sam has a framework of a plan in her head, and certainly some long-range cover sounds good." turning to Sam specifically she continues, "If you are going to be on a remote rooftop, or away from the group providign cover, perhaps I should sit alongside you? If I keep the bike with us we have mobility and it gives me the flexibility to respond to anything that happens as well as watch your back.

Anyone got any other suggestions?"

Keeping one eye on the "time to target" tracker on the GPS feed Franz finishes with, "whatever we want to do, we need to make a decision fast as we are running out of road!"

[Jyssika]

Fluff puts a hand on Franz arms as she backs off; holding her as an indication she wants her attention when she has done addressing the rest of them.

At the note of: "Running out of road"
She pulls the truck to the side of the road; having taken it as a hint to stop.

She says quietly to the dwarf.
I don't really know how this all works...
Apparently you can download coats for the outside...
Maybe we could download a Candy Ork coat?

[Arilus]

"That won't be necessary," Sammlerin replied to Franz's offer of support. "I'd have a better vantage point from above, letting me alert the team to any trouble."

Now that they were where Dr. Malcom was last seen, Sammlerin concentrated for a few seconds. Though there was no change on the physical plane, a small, amorphous spirit appeared in the APC on the astral plane. Find this man then let me know where he is, she mentally commanded the spirit while picturing the face from the photograph of Dr. Malcom they were provided with.

"I just sent out a spirit to track Dr. Malcom down astrally," she informed the team, feeling slightly fatigued from the effort. "Assuming it fails to find the Doctor, the best lead we have is the Crimson Crush. Though this is certainly the riskiest option, if Dominick thinks he can negotiate with a street gang, it may be most efficient to simply head east until we find orks wearing red and yellow, then find out what they know. It may be more prudent to ask non-gang members if they've seen Dr. Malcom first, however.

"Alternatively, we could focus on finding the credstick Dr. Malcom used by its RFID signature. However, we would have to get within its signal radius, which is not very large for an RFID tag.

"Does anyone have other ideas?" Sammlerin finished with, hoping someone did. She was out of her area of expertise at the moment, and the only avenues she could think to pursue involved inelegant brute-force information gathering. She wanted a method that was subtle yet efficient.

[Lentrax]

Karl opened the mentioned cabinet and removed the rifle.

Paying as much attention to these weapons as he had his own, he was nearly finished by the time they arrived. He listened to the comments being made and when the question was brought up of how to proceed, Karl spoke up.

Find an Ork. Beat him until he submits. Find the doktor. Get paid.

[Delia2531]

Franz puts the RFID details in the scanner just in case and sets it to search mode before returning to a pocket. In the AR feed on her vision she sees a very faint, slow pulse like an old sonar; happy that it is picking up the party still she dials back the responses from those chips unless the SOS is pressed to keep the view clear; glad she at least learned enough to avoid all the RFIDs in the region lighting up.

"I suppose it can't hurt to canvas the streets a little, if I walk around enough I might get a hit."