|
GM: Hek
Players: Hek, Kabuyashi, Kalli
Synopsis: The search for matrix talent, some of it more successful than others.
Date: 15/08/2073
You head deeper into the club, the Fallen Angel opening before you.
The Fallen Angel - Club Room
The club continues the theme from the entryway, the walls decending into a deep red and the black carpet drinks in the light from overhead chandeliers designed to simulate candlelight, adding a flickering air of mystery. There are no windows, keeping the room a secret from the outside world.
A pleasing variety of beautiful young women trace through the room, serving drinks, chatting with the gentlemanly clientele, dressed just enough to be both decent and tastefully sensual at the same time. A long bar of simulated dark wood stretches along the left side of the room, close to the doors, with racks of liquor bottles and taps stacked neatly inside it, the stools and chairs padded with red cushions. A large mirror spanss the expanse of the wall behind the bar, set in a simple silver frame. On the far wall, a small stage is set, with small steel spotlights and a thick red velvet curtain hangs along the back.
On the right are a series of quiet booths for private seating and several tables litter the room, each with a view of the stage. Finally, a stairway on the far side of the room, cast in darkness from the lit up stage, leads to the second floor balcony and a series of small rooms where clients may spend time with the individual of their choosing.
Places and views are set here. Type 'places' and '+view here' for more details
Contents:
Kalli [Player] [At: 2. The Bar]
Obvious exits (Current location: CAS Sector):
Out…………………… <O>
----------—[ Shadowrun Denver ]—-
==================> +scan for The Fallen Angel - Club Room <===================
Hek Male Human Charisma: 4
5'8, solid and sinewy, short dark hair, dark skin, perhaps Southeast
Asian or Latino.
Kalli Female Human Charisma: 6
A short, curvy, asian woman.
----------—[ Shadowrun Denver ]—-
==========================> Current Denver Weather <===========================
Condition : THUNDERSTORM LIGHT RAIN
Temperature : 59 F (15 C)
Feels Like : 59 F (15 C)
Humidity : 77 %
Barometer : 30.20
Visibility : 10 miles
Wind : 16 mph from W
----> Last Updated: Aug 08 2073 21:35 CST <----
Hek's overcoat is wet from the passing thundershowers, and his mood seems a bit dampened by the weather judging by the subtle frown and the apparent lack of excitement about all of the flesh on display. Momentarily single minded, he takes a direct route to the bar and settles onto a stool.
You take a seat at the bar.
Kalli is sitting at the bar, sipping a cocktail as she looks around the club in a slightly appraising way. Every now and then her atention drifts slightly, though she takes note of the new person to step up to the bar.
Hek acknowledges the advice with another nod, this one gracious. "I got the booze taken care of.." As he speaks, the bartender approaches so he pulls out a thick fold of nuyen, probably at least a couple thousand worth, from his pocket. "Just a whiskey and ginger ale." While the bartender makes the drink, Hek peels a dark blue Ares script from the fold and puts it on the bar. "You a big fan of the acts?" Eyes with the blank quality of two tiny security cameras shift from Kalli, to the girl dancing.
Kalli is a young human woman, clearly of asian descent. She's a rather small figure, standing only about 1.5 meters tall (four feet, eleven inches) and a slender, though still nicely curved figure. Her black hair is cut into a bob, hanging to just past her shoulders in back and covering her ears, framing her pretty face. Her square-rimmed glasses have green highlights, complimenting the emerald green color of her eyes. Her skin is fair, a few touches of make-up highlighting her features nicely.
She is wearing a sleeveless black mini dress, the hem only reaching her mid-thigh and low cut enough to show off her generous cleavage without being too revealing. The fabric of the dress has a bit of a shine to it, almost a metallic shimmer, and clings to her curves tightly, held in place by two thin straps going over her shoulders and the zipper in front, running down the full length of the dress. Her legs are covered by a pair of black stockings with a similar sheen to them, and she has a pair of low heels. As she moves, the four-slot chipjack on her right inner forearm is easily noticeable, just past her elbow.
Kalli leans on the bar slightly, glancing up to the stage for a moment, then looking back to Hek. "They do have some interesting performances. The snake lady is always a sight to see, for one. I'm not sure if she's here tonight." She takes a sip of her drink. "Though, in fairness, I do know the talent manager, so I have an interest in how she's doing."
A long, generous pour from a whiskey bottle off of the top shelf is lightened ever so slightly with some liquid out of the bar gun. The bartender puts it in front of Hek, along with a small stack of bills. "Welcome back." She smiles at him, apparently recognizing him.
Ignoring the money in favor of the drink, Hek listens to Kalli go on about the snake lady and talent managers. "It is good to take an interest in the improvement of others." A toast is offered, but Hek does not wait for it to be completed in his impatience to savor a sip of the whiskey. "Good talent is hard to find these days…" He muses, ruminating to the image of the crowds in the club, reflected by the mirror behind the bar.
Kalli gives a slight nod, lifting her glass to return the toast, taking a sip before setting it down again. "She puts a fair amount of time into it, which you can see in the people she chooses. Some are starting out, but with so many people around to learn from, you can see them improving their acts as they go, too. Seems like there's plenty of tips for everyone, even if it is a bit of a competition between them."
Hek half listens, while evaluating whatever data it is that manifests itself as a dull blue glow on his lower left eye. "A good community of solid peers makes for good results." The man seems to have mastered the art of the paraphrase.
Whatever the data reveals, it causes Hek to sigh and then blue fades away. "I'm sorry, what were you saying?" He asks, fully back in reality and looking at Kalli again. "You know some qualified talent, or at least a good talent scout?"
Kalli chuckles softly, making a dismissive gesture with one hand. "Oh, nothing too important. Idle chatter. What was it you were just looking at there? It seems like it was disappointing, whatever it was."
The directedness of the question elicits an arched eyebrow, and Hek considers his answer carefully while taking note of all the nearby girls and the patrons paying for their attention. "Status updates.." The words are half spoken into the glass of whiskey that he sips from. "On a talent search I have been conducting."
----> Text Message to Kabuyashi from Hek <-----
You got anything for me?
----> Text Message to Hek from Kabuyashi <-----
Yes. A certified credstick returning the 5000 nuyen. A security decker caught me, and I got out just ahead of a trace
Kalli gives a slight nod as she takes another small sip of her drink. "Mmm. Seems like you haven't been able to find quite the talent you were looking for, then. Anything particular talents you were looking for? I do know some people who know some people."
While sipping the whiskey, a momentary flicker of blue winks in and out on the field of Hek's left eye. Text, for his eyes only, so to speak. "Though things might be looking up." The revelation comes along with a smile, and he drums his fingers atop the counter.
"I need my talent to be technically inclined.." As he speaks, he subconsciously tugs on the optical cord socketed into the jack behind his ear.
----> Text Message to Kabuyashi from Hek <-----
Do you know where the Angel is? Meet me there.
----> Text Message to Hek from Kabuyashi <-----
Affirmative
Kabuyashi enters from the entryway.
Kabuyashi has arrived.
"Fuck me!" Hek scowls and yanks the cord out of the socket and quickly reaches into his jacket to retrieve a matte black pocsec. "I liked this one too…."
*CRACK*
*CRACKCRACK*
Hek slams the device down on the bar, cracking the casing and turning the screen into a few shards of clear plastic. Fingertips conditioned by who only knows how much martial training, dig into the innards of the device as Hek quickly, purposefully, begins to dismantles it.
Kalli gives a nod, shifting forward a bit in her seat. "Well, if it is of any help, I am rather technically inclined…" She breaks off what she was saying as Hek has that sudden reaction, though she does remain quite calm as he smashes the pocsec on the bar, though it does get the attention of a number of people in the area, if only for a few moments.
"Well," Kalli resumes. "That must have been either some terrible message or a nasty virus, I suppose."
Hek confirms Kalli's appraisal of the situation with a series of quick nods. "A little bit of both."
Kabuyashi enters the club right about this point, looking, disturbingly, quite comfortable in the environment of a strip club. Her eyes scan the booths, looking for Hek or his bodyguards.
Kalli gives a slight nod. "Interesting. There does seem to have been a bit of that going around, lately. Some weird things here and there, too. Looks like this instance is well in hand, though."
Explaining further, Hek sets the casing aside and from the circuitboard. "Contextual text analysis is a real fuckin bitch. Those keywords will get you." He sits there at the bar, a couple of stools down from Kalli with a dismantled pocket secretary in front of him. "I have to dispose of this…" The words are offered as an explanation for his departure. Perhaps absent minded, maybe intentional, he leaves the change for his drink, nearly a hundred nuyen given the quantity of bills, right there next to his half finished drink.
You leave the bar.
«Auto-Judge[]» Hek (#10968) spends 100 nuyen for "Drink and good will money with the bartender".
Kabuyashi starts to approach the bar when she sees Hek, head downturned. While she doesn't want to admit failure, she has no choice. She opens her handbag, and fishes out what looks like a certified credstick…
Hek has a new wariness about him that was not there when he entered the club about an hour ago. Hands instinctively go into his pockets as he surveys the crowds, out of which and despite the visual chaos of darkness lit by so many sources of neon and electronic light, he quickly picks out Kabuyashi. Before she can even get her hand out of her bag, he swats down on it, nearly knocking the bag out of her grip. "Not, fucking, here." That closely trimmed beard of his frames the scowl that only lingers for a moment. "We are going for a walk…"
Kabuyashi
A small japanese woman, about five feet tall, possibly in her late teens. Her black hair is cropped just above her shoulders, and is slightly wavy, although by no means curly. She has the build of a gymnast, and is obviously very fit.
Currently, she's dressed in a simple, green tank top, somewhat loose, showing off her figure, which comes to just above her waist. Below a bare midriff, she wears a black synthleather mini-skirt, which comes to her mid thigh. On her legs, she wears green thigh-high stockings, lacy at the top. On her feet, she wears a pair of ankle boots. Over her bright green eyes, she wears a pair of cute, round, wire framed glasses.
You head out of the main club room and back to the entryway.
The Fallen Angel - Entryway
This small entryway is richly if plainly appointed, a brief respite from the cold streets. The walls are done in varying shades of red, starting with the palest shades and gradually turning to blood red as you reach the black carpeted floor. At the back of this lobby is a counter constructed to appear as if it were carved from cherrywood, behind which is a door marked PRIVATE. A smiling young human female is here to assist with jackets and any other checkable items while a grim human male in a smart black suit helps maintain the peace.
On the right side of the room as you enter is a wide set of wooden double doors with polished silver handles; music and voices can be heard from within. On the left is a small, single door of sturdier, plain design, with a matching silver handle.
+Views are set here. Type '+view here' for more details
Kabuyashi arrives from the entryway.
Kabuyashi has arrived.
Kabuyashi follows Hek, barely managing to keep the grip on her handbag. As they go through the entryway, she walks quickly to keep up with the man.
Pausing in the entryway, Hek ritualistically turns up the permanently turned up, re-enforced collar of the overcoat he wears. "NEVER, text me specific details." The man seems mad, not even really looking at Kabuyashi and instead steeling himself for a trip out into the thunder storms that have taken up residence in the skies over the metroplex.
You head out of the warmth of the lobby and onto the street.
South Hampden
South Hampden is the gateway to the lower CAS sector and the wealthy commuter residential districts. It is unfortunate that South Hampden does not seem to benefit from that status. A fly-over district, the area has the feel of a worn out industrial district with just enough new commercial development to keep hope alive for better days.
Homelessness is rampant here, once you get off the main streets and into the emptier industri-parks. Commuters heading into to the FTZ try to avoid thinking about what lies just out of sight, beyond the Pentabucks, big box stores and their cheery facades.
Security: Lone Star
Sec-Rating: B
Kabuyashi exits from the warmth of the lobby to the Denver streets.
Kabuyashi has arrived.
Kabuyashi frowns, head bowed even more. "Gomen Nasai." She once again fishes in her handbag for the certified credstick, this time managing to get it out. "I cannot keep your payment."
Though the dark clouds still obscure most of the sky, their bottoms highlighted by the orange glow of the city lights, the rain seems to have let up some. Hek pulls the circuitboards and solid state components that made up his pocket secretary from one of the deep overcoat pockets and hands them to Kabuyashi. "Get rid of that, soon… far from here."
The man ignores the credstick, making no move to take it, eyes surveilling the street, the people out about on it, the vehicles.. windows and storefronts. "What can you tell me about the system?"
Kabuyashi takes a breath. "It's fairly well secured, benchmarking at Green-10. At least one security decker. The only Ice I encountered was Crippler, but I'm certain there's more on the system. Custom iconography, looking like a upper class apartment complex, the Ice appearing as a security guard." She pauses, then adds something. "I was able to set up a user account. I'm not sure how long it'll be available before they find and delete it, however." She looks at the pocsec components. "Do you want me to put these through my chip burner and destroy them?"
Hek responds with a nod. "That is a good idea." Stroking his beard while watching the streets, he shrugs just a bit. "Toss the passcode, it is probably burned. Keep the cred, it was worth the intelligence." Stepping away from the club, he drifts gradually down the sidewalk. "I would avoid this.." The hand falls from his beard and he points at the concrete beneath his feet a few times. "..part of the plex, for a bit. That text was a dumb move. I am glad you did not mention the other spot." As if trying to visualize it, he instinctively looks in the direction of Falstaff's, despite it being many miles away.
Kabuyashi nods. "I still don't feel right taking the money. Even though I did get the intelligence, I still didn't complete the job you hired me to do." Nonetheless, the credstick goes back into her handbag. She seems to be as angry at herself as Hek is, obviously ashamed of her failure.
Hek points towards the club. "I am going to go finish my drink." Having decided that, he walks past Kabuyashi. "You need anything.." He says, speaking into the distance before turning around to more fully address her. "You know where to find me."
Kabuyashi nods wordlessly, as she starts to walk off, then pauses. She does seem surprised that Hek seems still willing to even do any sort of business with her. She turns, and watches the man, an odd, puzzled expression on her face.
You head deeper into the club, the Fallen Angel opening before you.
Just when he had started to dry out, Hek is wet again. The water beads up on the tightly woven surface of the ballastic fabric that has been stitched together to make his overcoat. It gradually succumbs to gravity, forming rivulets and micro streams before pooling onto the floor. As he settles back down onto his stool, he nods to both Kalli and the bartender. "That went about as well as expected.." The man's face is passive, thoughtful before he obscures it by taking a sip of whiskey.
You take a seat at the bar.
Kalli gives a slight nod as Hek explains, her own drink having been refreshed in the meantime. "I'm going to guess that she was a previously… unsuccessful talent for the task you had set forth? Failure is never exactly a pleasant experience, for the contractor or the contracted."
Despite himself, Hek smiles. "You are very observant." Tossing back the last of his drink, he pushes the empty across the bar. Noticing that his stack of nuyen is long gone, he retrieves another note from his pocket. This time it is an orange Aztechnology fifty. "Back to the drawing board, and so like I was saying…" The man trails off, thoughfully eyeing Kalli, and the chipjacks in her arm.
Kalli gives a slight nod. "As you were saying, you were looking for some technically inclined talent. And, I was mentioning that I was of a technical bent myself." She glances to the chipjack for a moment as well, then reaches for her drink, taking a small sip. "It's just a question of what sort of technical aptitude you are looking for."
Considering how to best explain his needs, Hek watches the bartender replenish his drink. "I need a subtle researcher, with an inclination towards compromising systems." Though he speaks to Kalli, he does so in very low tones, so much so that they are almost rendered unintelligable beneath the music that the woman on the stage writhes and moves along with.
Kalli moves to a closer seat, leaning in and speaking in a soft tone herself. "That is something I am capable of doing. Naturally, there are limits to everyone abilities, but I would consider myself fairly taleneted at doing such things with… let's say adequete tools for the basics."
Scratching at his beard, Hek looks into the mirror and at the reflection of himself seated next to Kalli. "Judging by recent experiences…" A thumb hooks over his shoulder towards the entrance to the club. "This one might be a bit beyond basic." There is a seriousness in his tone, full of caution.
Kalli gives a slight nod, keeping her voice lowered. "Well, if you have the details of the system, I can say if my current equipment is up to the task at hand. If not, I can always investigate experimentally to see how difficult it is. In the current environment, there is an increased number of… probes as such going on, so it will just be one of many. Not particularly noteworthy to the admins."
Hek takes in a deep lungful of the club, the smoke in the air mixed with the scent of liquor and recycled through the air conditioners. "I know what's up here.." He explains, pointing towards the basement. "I've had some, work done on premises." Pausing for a second to sip from his drink, he lets that sink in. "They got a, secure place.. to talk?" That edge of wariness is about him again, tinged with paranoia that has him cautiously scanning over the nearby crowds.
Kalli gives a nod. "The basement is currently undergoing renovations, but we can use a room upstairs. They are designed for more private interactions. Not quite of this sort, but it should do fine."
Apparently content with the arrangement, Hek takes a sip, then a longer one, and with that the drink is done. "Lead the way." Once again, he ignores the change for the drink and just sets the empty next to the small stack of scrip.
Kalli gives a nod, finishing off her drink and standing up. She makes a quick gesture, starting to walk towards the back of the club. "It's just this way." She heads upstairs to one of the private rooms, opening the door and holding it for Hek.
Kalli leaves the bar.
Kalli heads up to a private room. (Place #7)
You leave the bar.
You head up to a private room.
Hek looks around the intimate space with a smirk. "Good enough." He decides with a shrug, the gesture practically imperceptable beneath the heavy weight of the overcoat he seems to insist on leaving on. "The short of it.." Hands resting on his knees, he leans forward towards Kalli. "I need a surveillance presence setup on an apartment complex. The control system is a Mark 10 Green node, with at least one guy riding shotgun and a some well coded Crippler routine."
Kalli gives a nod to that, moving to lean against the wall as she considers for a moment. "If you don't mind my asking, what apartment complex? I could probably go in remotely, but it might be easier if I can gain access to the building itself. That would depend on the security there, of course."
The suggestion of gaining access to the building seems to amuse Hek, judging by the smirk that makes itself at home upon his lips. "I would advise against it." As if to emphasize the point, he adds. "Seriously." With a stern look, those vividly perfect yet lifeless eyes lingering on Kalli.
"The place is called the Triumph Towers, it's in the Lower Downtown District. I have the LTG.." His hand drifts up to his jack, devoid the optical cable. "Had.." He sighs and shakes his head.
"The last, resource.. I put on this. She managed to get a passcode setup in the system before the sec decker chased her off." It is obvious that the situation bothers him, given the sourness of his tone as he speaks the words through a scowl. "She seems to think he had a trace on her… no clue if it completed or not."
Kalli gives a nod to the explanation. "Well, that does sound like far more physical security than I'd be inclined to want to deal with. Lower downtown is generally pretty high security. I'm not familiar with that specific location, but I'll take your word for it." She looks to his empty datajack and gives a slight nod. "I'm sure you have it in another location. You can get back to me on that. And, if the previous resource managed to get a passcode and set up a validated account, then that'll go a long way towards getting in and getting things set up before anything unusual is noticed. If not, maybe I'll see about that."
"You want the passcode?" Despite his best efforts to conceal it, Hek seems somewhat surprised. A quick nod follows, acknowledging Kalli's expertise in the subject. "I will hook it up for you. No charge. I want this to be successful." Fingers interlace with each other between his knees, his forearms resting on his thighs.
"What are you looking to come up on here? How much you need to make?" That seriousness is back, honed into an edge when he raises the subject of money.
Kalli gives a slight shrug. "Well, you're looking for someone to do it, I feel like I'm capable. Seems like a good match. I'm Kallista, by the way. We skipped that part."
She runs one hand through her hair idly as she considers the question of money. "Well… I suppose that'd depend. What did the last resource negotiate for, when she thought she was going to succeed? It's not the hardest system, but it's not the easiest either."
«Auto-Judge[]» Hek (#10968) has the Attribute Intelligence with the value '6'.
«Auto-Judge[]» Hek (#10968) has the Active Skill Negotiation with the value '5'.
«Auto-Judge[]» Kalli (#3905) has the Active Skill Negotiation with the value '6'.
«Auto-Judge[]» Kalli (#3905) has the Attribute Intelligence with the value '6 (8)'.
The question elicits a nod that affirms its validity. "I started her at five kay." Setting the stage, he looks Kalli directly in the eyes. "You give me better results, I can give you a better rate."
«Auto-Judge[]» Hek (#10968) rolls 5 vs TN 8 for "Hek's Negotiation vs Kalli's Intelligence":
3 4 5 5 5 = 0 Successes
«Plot» Hek says, "Just to be clear here, this is just for the starting rate. If the system proves harder and Kalli wants more, Hek can pay."
«Auto-Judge[]» Kalli (#3905) rolls Negotiation vs TN 6 for "Kalli's Negotiation vs Hek's Intelligence":
1 3 3 4 4 11 = 1 Success
«Plot» Hek says, "Kalli wins the roll, increasing the rate by 5%"
Kalli gives a little nod, grinning just a bit. "Well, why don't we start at five point five kay. Clearly, it's a bit harder than she was capable of, though she did set a decent groundwork, sounds like. If something unexpected happens, I may need to up my rate, though."
Hek does not seem to put off by Kalli's sense of self worth as he casually retrieves the thick roll of nuyen from his pocket. Those narrow lips of his move subtly as he thumbs off bill after bill after bill from the fold, splitting it slightly more than in half. "Here…" He lays the pile on his thigh, pulls out a permanent marker, and writes two LTG codes on the bill. "The first one is the system, the second is a number for me when you're done."
Hek looks sternly at Kalli again. "Once you got those, burn that."
«Stats System» You pay Kalli (#3905) 5300 nuyen for "Up front payment for matrix research into Triumphant Towers".
Kalli gives a nod, leaning forward to look over the writing on the bills, studying it for a moment. "Sure, no problem. And you have a passcode as well, from what you said before. To a legit account, is what I gathered."
A sudden thought dawns on him, and Hek looks to Kalli. "Can you get me another pocket secretary. Renraku, or Mitsuhama if you can't find one.." As he speaks he thumbs more bills from the fold, then holds them pinched between thumb and his two forefingers. "Yes, a passcode inserted into the system by the last resource. You want me to leave it here for you?" He dips his head in the direction of downstairs, back towards the bar.
Kalli gives a nod. "You can leave it here, I'll be around enough and the bartenders know me. I can see about getting you a pocsec, but you might want one before I get back to you on this, as a note. I can have one left here for you or get it sent somewhere, though."
«Stats System» You pay Kalli (#3905) 1100 nuyen for "For a pocket secretary".
Hek stands up and puts the much diminished roll of nuyen back in his pocket. "If I do not hear from you in the next three to four days, I am going to assume you were compromised."
Kalli gives another nod. "It ought not take that long. You'll hear from me before then."
It takes but a simple encrypted message and a few hours of wait time before Nyx comes through with three MSP accounts. At fifty nuyen a piece, the price seems worth it given that they are less than three hours old.
Kalli is quick to wire the cash over to Nyx with a note of thanks, making a note of the various passphrases for the accounts.
In passing, Nyx mentions that he saw some data up on Shadowland that mentioned one of the megas has their eyes on some accounts that were inserted into residential systems in the last week.
Kalli heads over to her place in Mountain Hills, rented under one of her false identities. It's secure enough to be sure she won't be bothered, but not secure enough that the cops are going to show up with any sort of real speed. Putting her deck on the table and setting up her satellite dish at the window, she settles in and jacks in, loading her programs up into active memory and bringing her satellite system online.
The satellite dish blinks and the software begins its searching protocol. Kalli makes some minor adjustments as it locks in and, a minute later, she has a connection to the satellite network.
It has been said that timing is everything, and in this case, her timing seems to be working in Kalli's favor. The thunderstorms that had been lingering over the metroplex for most of the day have finally been carried eastward by the jetstream. The UCAS Skylink constellation is fairly consistent and easy to locate in North America, and without the heavy, electrically charged clouds to block the signal, Kalli's software proves quite capable of locating a satellite.
The drone sized chunk of metal in orbit miles above the surface of the planet waits patiently.
With orbital bandwidth being a valuable commodity, the communications channel to the satellite is currently just a bunch of noise being digested by the signal processors in Kalli's deck. The encrypted data stream is worthless in its current form, although it is coming in strong without any interference thanks to the well maintained dish the decker is using.
Kalli is used to the that flow of data, her decrypting program already running to translate that flow of data. Just a few moments later, she's got a comprehendibly flow of data back and forth and she's ready to connect to the system.
With the encryption defeated, the access routines are as plain as day. They float there like a door knob waiting to be manipulated, full of the promise of a dedicated connection to the constellation, and from there… to anywhere on the planet.
The well calibrated algorithms make short work of the access controls that have been implemented in the satellite, and then Kalli finds herself floating high above the planet, the grids beneath her rendered as one might expect to see a map of the globe, circa 1980. Satellites only have so much processing power, and most of it is dedicated to routing pockets, not providing deckers with visual stimulation and high gain simsense sensations.
Kalli's icon rezzes into being as she accesses the network, that of a kunoichi ready for her mission. She looks over the map as she floats there, looking for the Denver LTG, moving quickly to access the network.
Maybe the circuits are experiencing a high volume of traffic, or perhaps the matrix stars are just improperly aligned. Whatever the case, what would normally be a fairly straight forward operation seems to take much longer than usual as the UCAS Sat network and the Denver RTG negotiate protocols and squabble over how to allocate the fees for the session… not that the fees will ever be collected. No, they will be written off as fraud, the faint tell tales sign of a ninja in the network going about her businses.
The Denver RTG sprawls out beneath the network ninja and down there on the surface of it, nearly lost amidst the jumble of residential, low level commerical and entertainment traffic is the target. The Triumph Towers, a single blue tower that barely manages to distinguish itself amongst the crowded matrix real estate.
Kalli knows what she's looking for, though, having the address she needs already known to her. She darts across the grid almost in a blur, sticking ot the virtual shadows of the network and approaching the network portal for the towers. Bringing up the previously aquired passcode, she tries to access the network with a valid code.
"Welcome to the Triumph Towers. Have a Triumphant day." The fairly well rendered doorman opens a set of heavy glass doors for the Kunoichi, welcoming her home.
The lobby of the apartment complex is like a scene out of some Abu Dubai resort, with a many story tall glass pyramid rising above plenty of flora and fauna that must cost a fair amount of processing cycles to render. A front desk is situated on the opposite side of the lobby. A hallway extends behind it, the end of it disappearing into the horizon.
In the meat world, the fans inside the cyberdeck in Kalli's rented apartment kick into high gear to disipate the heat generated by the analytical code. The deck parses through data streams at an insanely fast rate, searching out telltale signs to fingerprint the hardware and software stacks that make up the matrix node she has connected to.
Inside the matrix, hyperlinks, hash tags and snippets of code begin to appear, laying over various visually project components, such as the reception desk, the door man, and the androgynous icon behind the desk who seems ready to be helpful, even if a bit vacant and completely unaware of the ninja's presence in the system.
Kalli stepping into the lobby, she starts out as she walks towards the digital elevator bank, likely an access point to other systems. Slipping a small scroll from her sleave, she partially unrolls it. Arcane and otherworldly sigils start to flash and shift on the virtual paper that is the interface of her Analyze program, pulling the data from a series of simple tests together, pulling together the results.
Perhaps not too surprisingly, given the rather simplistic configuration of the system, the reception desk proves to be the central interface metaphor for the entire system. The receptionist seems completely oblivious to the ninja standing next to her, working her way through the visitor access control system.
The man who emerges from the door behind the reception desk is another story. Rendered as a typical rent-a-cop security icon, looks at the ninja with narrowed, suspicious eyes while reaching for a flashlight hanging from his belt.
Seeing that rent-a-cop stepping out of the elevator, Kalli takes that as her sign to go before she's made. She gives a quick nod and heads immediately for the front door of the lobby, giving the doorman a nod on her way out. "Thank you. My visit has been Triumphant."
The doorman holds the door for her and returns the nod politely. "May you be Triumphant in all your endeavors."
Kalli looks back over her shoulder, making sure the system doesn't have any serious response. She mills about for five minutes or so, letting the system recognize her absence before she heads back to the door, using her new access code to reenter the system at that higher access.
Kalli logs out of the system entirely, opening her eyes in her apartment and verifying that she's disconnected completely. She takes a bit of time, resetting her system just to be safe, reloading her programs and resynchronizing her satellite dish to make a new connection.
Closing her eyes again, she lays back and reconnects to the network, moving quickly through the various LTGs to get back into the Denver RTG. Once again, she darts over to the glowing tower that is Triumph Towers and walks to the front door, using her new passcode as she moves up to the front door that is the access point.
The data trail is barely even cold before Kalli goes back to rebuilding the communications channel. The access routines on the various nodes have not even had time to patch themselves and Kalli's code cuts right through them.
Inside the matrix, the ninja once again finds herself at the front doors to the Triumphant Towers. The door man seems much more attentive this time. "Thank you for visiting us, ma'am. Is there anything that I can get for you?"
Likewise, the receptionist inside the lobby is equally helpful. "What can I assist you with today, ma'am?"
Kalli smiles to the receptionist icon, moving around to behind the desk, moving to look at her simulated screens. "Yes, you can. Please bring up the camera feeds. I'd like to look for something. Also, let me see a list of currently registered guests." She may look a bit unusual to a viewer, but the system recognizes the access she's given herself before her appearance.
There are plenty of camera feeds to choose from. They are all public places at first glance, lobbies and hallways and the courtyard in front of the building. That voyeuristic sensation floods through the simsense feed as the actions of so many are revealed. Corporate types, well dressed and blissfully oblivious of anything but their ambitions, and certainly not aware of the cameras that they take for granted. Those cameras monitored by those who are there to protect them, as they move about their lives, heading to and from their residences.
"Here you are, ma'am." The receptionist is polite and cordial as she taps at her tablet with a stylus. A moment later, a comprehensive list of apartments and residents appears. There must be at least a couple of hundred apartments in the complex.
Kalli gives a nod to the receptionist. "Thank you. That should be all I need for now. I will let you know if I need anything else." With that flood of information, it's going to take a moment to go through it and determine if she's already gotten what she needs. Keeping an eye on the camera feeds, she starts to process the guest list, looking for the corporate exec in question.
Without a name to search for, or even a physical description to go by, the list is just that, a list of people who Kalli does not know. They are all allowed access to the apartment building, and have all been assigned living spaces.
Kalli looks to the receptionist. "One more thing. I need the methods of payment for each of the guests for my investigation. Link it to this list that you've given me. Thank you."
With a deft swipe and a few quick taps of the stylus on the datapad, the receptionist quickly conjures up and cross connects the requested data with the dataset already loaded into memory. A more detailed picture begins to emerge as it becomes evident that a dozen or so corporations and their subsidaries are responsible for leasing out the vast majority of the apartments in the building.
Kalli gives a nod to the receptionist. "Thank you." She steps back, out of sight from in front of the desk, and starts to go through the volumes of information she's gotten, trying to pick out her corporate target. Her Browse program coming up as a network of sickly green glowing lines starting to lace through the data, pulsing as though with a heartbeat, picking out the bits that are most interesting for her to view.
As the algorithms begin to sort the code into contextually similar groupings, the security guard once again emerges from the door behind the receptionist's desk. "You do not belong here." He reminds the ninja while reaching for the flashlight hanging from his belt.
Driven by instinct and executing at the speed of thought, Kalli's analytical code triggers with a mental command and a detailed overlay paints itself across the security guard. The pertinent details are readily visible, namely that it is based upon the Crippler codebase and that it is rated at Mark VIII.. obviously a pretty powerful piece of software.
The security guard detaches the flashlight from his belt and tries to shine it in the ninja's direction. "You do not belong here." Apparently the programmer was not one for flair. The IC was probably cranked out by some line coder in some cubicle farm in Asia, doing the bare minimum required to meet the parameters of the work scope. Corporate efficiency at its finest.
Kalli looks up as that rent-a-cop comes into view, spotting her behind that desk. She brings her hand up, some sort of ooze coalescing in her hand to form a simple kunai blade. Witha flick of her wrist, it strikes the security guard icon dierectly in the throat, the blade quickly starting to discorporate again, growing into tentacles of some viscous fluid, wrapping around the icon as it starts to derez, absorbing some of the code into itself as it fades as well pools on the ground and starts to fade out.
Somewhere in the meat world, inside a securely locked, air conditioned room, a server initiaties a series of garbage collection routines to remove the remenants of the corrupted IC code from its memory banks.
At that very moment inside the matrix, the security guard complete derezzes and vanishes into the digital ether.
The deck no longer burdened by having to maintain the attack code, the browse program takes over the lion's share of the MPCP's processing cycles and gets back to work. Various elements begin to tick into place and stand apart from the main body of data.
Kalli wastes no time, turning her attention back to the data at hand as that guard breaks up into corrupt data. Her time is clearly limited, so she needs to give this her full attention and pick out the data she needs so she can get out before her presence is noticed by something more serious.
Taken on their own, the pieces of data would not have been enough to paint the complete picture. But the ninja's near complete access to the system, combined with some well coded analytical algorithms are able to feret out the deeper details from the dataset. On the top floor of the building (how original), a penthouse without any tenant associated with it has none the less been accessed very frequently. The date/time stamps on the maglock access logs are unmistakable. As are the number of keycards that have been issued, at least half a dozen of them. It is certainly odd enough to betray a well concerted attempt to conceal the presence of someone in the residence.
Acting quickly, Kalli brings up the camera feeds of that location, checking for anyone currently in residence as best she can, while copying the relevant access times and keycard information so someone can create an applicaple keycard at a later date, if so desired.
The camera feeds reveal not only an occupied penthouse, but a particularly occupied penthouse. A penthouse whose foyer has been turned into a temporary residence for what looks like a single member of a security detail. A checkpoint of sorts, equipped with a radio, communications equipment, and a trid terminal cycling through some of the very camera feeds that Kalli is purusing.
Whoever is in the apartment is definitely someone of value to the kind of organization that can afford a protection detail. In fact, that person seems to be working late judging by the feed from the office that shows a human sized individual working away at computer.
With the ever present worry of more IC manifesting, or even a semi-vigilants security decker accessing the console, time seems to go by in excrutiatingly small increments that pass in an ever more molassas like manner. Yet as it is wont to do, time inevitably passes and the man seated at the desk eventually gets up to relieve himself. Though there are not any cameras in the bathroom, the trip to and from it provides enough detail on the man to be able to pick him out from a crowd, or perhaps even conduct a search for any records with his likeness in them.
Kalli smiles under her masked icon at that sight, copying his image to her deck and preparing to depart. Letting the feeds go, she takes a moment to set up a new security account, just in case she needs to come back later.
On the way out of the lobby, the reception seems more than happy to assist the ninja with whatever it is that she might want to ask for. Another security account? Sure, that seems simple enough.
"Here you are, ma'am." The receptionist smiles a tight, no teeth smile when she hands the passcard over.
The black trench coat wearing icon that appears in the node is about as stereotypical of a "security decker" icon as someone can pick. The corporation more than likely provided the hardware that he is using to interface with the matrix and do his job.
"What are you doing here?!" The voice is loud, magnified by the Hot ASIST that Kalli is running to the point where it seems to scream into her ear.
The man snaps his fingers and an robotic hound leaps out from behind the receptionist's desk, bounds across the lobby, and runs out through the front doors that the door man barely gets open in time.
"No matter." Obviously possessed by a corporate security mentality, he produces a matte black pistol from a concealed, unarm holster and points it in Kalli's direction. The report of the weapon firing is as it would be in the meat world, with a loud bang and bright flash.
The report of the gunshot is the last thing to go through Kalli's senses before the ceiling and the floor of the apartment try to change places with
each other, at the same time as her head and stomach go through the same sort of relocation.
The deck shuts itself down as protective routines and actual physical circuit breakers trip, cutting off power to the silicon and wiping the active memory of all traces of persona and program code.
Kalli starts to move as the new figure fires at her, but her deck is putting all of its power towards not being seen. There's a flash of a symbol in the air between them as her shield program triggers, but it's not enough and her icon derezzes.
Kalli opens her eyes, one hand going to her head as she gives a soft groan. Her head aches, but she got what she was loking for, at least. She sits up and grabs the pocsec she picked up, letting her deck cycle back online as she connects the pocsec, grabbing her own pocsec and making a call to Hek.
The voice on the other end of the phone is a familiar one, not at all disorted by any sort of encryption program and broadcast in the clear over the cellular network. "Unsecured." The man says, stating the obvious.
Kalli puts on a flirty voice, though quite distinctly hers, similarly undistorted. "Hello to you, too. I'm bored. Care for a drink?" As she talks, she's busy copying all the information she just downloaded to that pocsec.
A chuckle mostly makes it into the phone until the noise cancelation routines cut it off. "Sure, I'll get you drunk. Find me at Falstaff's."
"Great. I'm on my way. See you there in a bit." She hangs up, the copying done. She disconnects everything, putting her deck in it's bag, pocsec in her purse, and she's on her way to the bar.
Falstaff's - Main Room
Falstaffs is one of those quintessential places that authors love to write about and people of good character try to avoid. Dark, dingy and lacking in class, its lines are inelegant and it's space is poorly managed. Patrons cluster in packs, each looking to the others like predators sizing up prey. Music, tinny and filled with the crackle of bad speakers, competes with the constant cracking of pool balls and the scent of smoke and sweat for domination of the senses.
The poolhall has a basic box layout, a rectangle with long sides and a short front. Its floor is made of warped plasti-tiles that once mimicked wood grain but now lacks texture and detail. Dull amber light, once designed to portray a low light ambiance, now spills from discolored and ill maintained brass lamps while the once-white ceiling is stained brown with countless cigarettes and a lack of cleaning. A bar runs along the front of the room, with the door at one end. The back of the room is taken by several pool tables, the rickety juke-box and a large trid screen behind a wire-mesh protective cage.
+views and places available here
Contents:
Security (#10365) [VOUCHER]
Jukebox [Jukebox]
Obvious exits (Current location: CAS Sector):
Office………………… <UP> Out…………………… <O>
Kalli walks into Falstaff's.
Kalli has arrived.
The lounge is very sparsely populated, and other than a couple guys playing pool at the less dilapidated of the two tables, and a couple more at the bar, the only group in there is seated with Hek at the table in the corner. The two guys with him are large, the size of small orks. In fact, one of them is an ork upon closer inspection. The three of them are speaking quietly amongst themselves while watching the space.
Kalli comes into the bar, an actioneer long coat on over her outfit. She pauses in the entryway for just a moment, looking around the room, then she makes her way across the room, giving Hek a smile as she slips into his booth. "Hey there. Looking good."
The large human next to Hek, a heavily tattooed Latino who looks like he belongs locked up in maximum security and not out on the streets, smiles a hungry, predatory smile at Kalli when she sits down. "You lookin to make some movies?" He asks with a sniffle, his eyes wide and glassy from an obvious stimulant habit.
"Hey Smiley, fuck off." Hek tells firmly tells the man, and receives a snarl in return.
"Fuck you holmes, I could make good money with a girl like this.." There is hunger in those eyes of his, the kind of hunger and greed that a pimp sees in every piece of ripe flesh.
"No, seriously. Get the fuck out. I got business to deal with." Hek leans forward into the man who is much larger than him.
The ork for his part, stands up and puts a hand on Smiley's shoulder. "Come on, omae. Let's get some beers.." And with that, the two largest figures at the booth depart, but not before Smiley can remind Kalli. "Seriously, you want to make some extra money. I'm Smiley. You can ask around about me. I'll hook you up."
Kalli leans back in the seat, smiling what seems like a genuinely friendly smile to Smiley as he departs. "Thanks for the offer. I'll keep it in mine, should I decide to get into showbiz. I'm sure I'll be able to find you if need be."
She turns her attention back to Hek, still smiling as she does. "I hope I didn't disturb anything important. I figured you'd want to get this as soon as you could." She pulls the pocsec from her pocket, a Renraku model, setting it on the table on Hek's side. "After all, you woldn't want to go without this for too long."
A certain air of nervous excitement that had been hanging in the air around Hek as Kalli sat down disipates, the energy subsiding. "Yeah." He confirms with a nod and a tight smile. "I've been looking forward to .. that." A pause as he lifts a glass of whiskey on the rocks and takes a sip, cautiously watching the room as Smiley and the ork head across it to settle at the table near the door.
"You, uh…" Lowering his voice he leans in closer to Kalli, over the drink that he holds in both hands. "..made any progress, on that other thing?"
Kalli gives a slight nod, leaning forward a bit as she does. "I took the liberty of copying a few things to that for you." She gives a nod to the pocsec. "I think you'll like what you see. Why don't you take a look and let me know?" She sits back again, bringing one hand up to run through her hair idly, rubbing at her scalp slightly.
Those eyes of Hek's, cold and calculating watch Kalli's motions with the wariness of someone whose existance on the street hinges on their ability to deal with threats before they fully manifest. As attractive as she might be, he does not seem like the kind of person who can get too wrapped up in his work… unlike Smiley, who cannot keep his eyes off of Kalli, but for entirely different reasons.
Uncoiling the optical cord from the side of the pocket secretary, Hek sockets the cable into the jack there behind his ear. A few moments pass, and then his eyes illuminate with that distinctive blue glow. Moments pass in silence as he considers the data, his head nodding occasionally in between sips of his drink. Then all of his mannerisms cease, his attention fully fixated on the video image showing up a little more than a white square projected onto his iris by the display link.
"This is good.." He opines a few moments after the display link winks out, returning his eyes to their trid-star perfect blue hue. "You got this clean, undetected?" There is hope in his tone as he carefully tucks the secretary away into the safety of an inner coat pocket.
Kalli gives a slight grimice, leaning forward and speaking softly. "Semi. I got a sense that they were starting to notice me as I was getting some of those images, so I let them catch me looking for some data of financial value. Security seemed cocky, so there's a decent change he'll assume he stopped me from doing anything. I doubt he'll be telling the guest anything, though."
Hek passively digests the report, his face not betraying any emotion. "I see." He nods before tossing back the last of his drink. "I hope you are right." He muses, resting the glass back on the table. Without the drink to occupy his hands, his fingertips begin to drum on the table. An active, almost subconscious seeming gesture. "You might want to lay low for a minute anyway though, you know?" There is a hint of genuine concern there in his tone, almost fatherly.
Kalli gives a slight nod, seeming to appreciate the tone in his voice, still speaking in that soft tone. "I'm as sure as can be they didn't make me that well. Just another random punk who managed to steal a passcode. There's a passcode on there, too. Just in case someone needs to unlock some doors. If it's still valid, it'll give security access. Figured it might come in handy. I'll probably chill for a while, but if you need someone to go back in later, I'm game."
Hek shifts closer, as if needing to in order to hear the softly spoken words amidst the noise of the music coming out of the jukebox. "Fair enough." He nods, the gesture innate and familiar with him. "Depends on where this goes, I will keep you in mind." He pauses, quickly focusing across the room as someone else enters the lounge. Hek watches them, warily, until they settle down on a stool at the bar. "You've proven yourself capable."
Kalli nods. "Figured it could go a lot of different ways." She glances over her shoulder towards the table the pair previously with Hek had moved to. "And I try. Just wait until I get some sweeter gear. But, you have my number, if you need anything else. For this, or whatever comes up. Figure I ought to let you get back to your… whatever was going on. Make some calls with that new pocsec and all."
Hek follows Kalli's gaze across the room and a subtle smirk impresses itself upon his lips. "Schemes." The word is carried upon a chuckle as he provides a label to her vague reference to what she walked in on. "Always looking for a new way to make a nuyen. Here.." He slides out of the booth and stands up after grabbing his empty glass. "Let me walk you out. I need a refill anyway."
You stand and leave the table in the corner.
Kalli stands up as well, chuckling softly as she does. "Thank you. Such a gentleman." She gives a slight grin as she walks across the bar with Hek. "I can hardly criticize the search for a source of nuyen. It's what we all need, after all."
Hek smirks at the label of gentleman as he heaves open the heavy metal door for Kalli. "Don't get it twisted. I'm just as fucked up as Smiley is. I just hide it better." One of his eyes twitches closed in a wink, then he surveys the world outside of the lounge. "Looks clear.." He announces before focusing more fully on Kalli one last time. "You stay frosty chica."
Kalli smiles, giving Hek a wink. "We're all fucked up, somehow. Doesn't mean I can't appreciate the consideration." She adjusts her coat a bit. "See you around." She turns and heads out the door.
|
