GM: Kassandra
Players: Johnny, Annie, Krissy
Synopsis: The runners are contracted for a run that they cannot believe.
Date: April 4 2070
A call comes in early in the evening via a trusted source, the Red Phone if you will. The message is a brief few words, just an address and little more. An encrypted subcode in the image file, however, has the rest of the data:
"Job offer, high profile target, forced extraction, high threat levels and security."
The address given is Trail 4 at the Garden of the Gods. Go to the 3rd table.
The red phone. That's Johnny's favorite. He snaps the phone closed and starts to move. On the fly, he puts together what he needs in basic, for the mission as described. Magical assistance and vehicular. He looks through the contacts section, crossing off people. "Dead. Dead. Unreliable. Crashed in to a blimp. Dead."
Settling on Krissy and Annie, Johnny sends a text message. from: NACHT: Job. Tough. Need wheels and mojo. Return '1' if in. Details from there.
Annie checks her priority blind drop after getting a notification that it had receives some traffic. She checks the message, checks her schedule, clears her schedule, then sends off a positive response to Nacht.
Krissy blinks as she gets a text from Nacht, been a while since she dealt with him, but she shrugs. She sends the message back to him, and she goes to her garage, ready to choose which of her three vehicles suits the meet location best, once she finds it out.
«Auto-Judge[]» Johnny (#799) rolls 1 for "What do I steal?":
3
Text in response: 20 Minutes. Garden of the Gods. Look for the Stolen Black Americar with the Spinners.
The Garden of the Gods is a nature park in Colorado Springs PCC Sector. Just a jaunt down the road and a few turns brings one to the nature preserve, the reddened sandstone monuments and precariously balanced rocks a quiet refuge from the bustle of the city.
A number of trails and pull-offs litter the park, letting one leave a vehicle and wander into the trees and bushes, climb up rocky trails to the top of some of the inclines, and picnic in relative anonymity and solitude.
Trail 4 is about five hundred meters into the park, leading off to the southwest once you park.
Annie takes the beemer, making her way through the PCC checkpoints with little trouble. Once at the 'Garden of the Gods' she parks adjacent to the Americar, contacts Leo to verify whether it was stolen or not, then heads off onto trail 4.
«Auto-Judge[]» Johnny (#799) rolls Disguise + Task Pool: 3 + 4 (Comp dice) for "+6, 2 for shop, +4 for mask.":
1 1 1 2 2 3 4 4 4 5 5 5 5 9
«Plot» Kassandra says, "Perception Tests once you park, please."
Johnny pulls up in said stolen car with said Spinners. He steps out of the car, his long haired fabio-like good looks sparkling as much as the wheels that still spin.
«Auto-Judge[]» Johnny (#799) rolls Intelligence for "hrmidy hurm!":
1 1 2 3 3 3 4 5 10
Krissy takes the least modified of her various vehicles, since it was a relatively decent area, and parks up near the black Americar with the spinners.
«Auto-Judge[]» Krissy (#3862) rolls Intelligence:
1 2 2 2 4 4 8
«Auto-Judge[]» Annie (#5398) rolls Intelligence:
1 1 1 2 2 2 3 4 5 5 10 10
FOR ALL: Tonight there is relatively little traffic in the park, as there are other more exciting places to be. That said, you will all notice the 4 joggers that are making their slow way along side the road here in the designated bike/running lane. What really catches your attention is the hint of superhuman reflexes each seem to reveal in little ways: the turn of the head, the way they move, the cool precision and dexterity that they portray. At least reflex augmentation, probably fairly good as well.
Annie and Johnny will also both note that they are military trained by the way they stay together, the almost effortless way that they keep another member of their team in eyesight, and the way they flow together seamlessly.
Annie takes note of the 'joggers', but not much more than a casual glance. These sort of guys like to believe that they are competent at their job. She spots Johnny and Krissy before she actually makes her way very far up the trail, and pauses to wait for them before continuing.
Krissy gets out, wearing her usual trashy street-chic getup, a badly made roll-up cigarette hangs limply out of her mouth, barely still smoking. She stuffs her hands into her pocket and glances about for the others. She can't help noticing the 'joggers' being rather… unusually organized, but she just shakes her head.
The joggers are all but ignored by Johnny. His blond hair is pulled back in to a pony tail as he pulls on his track suit. The car plays up beat, techno influenced exercise music that quickly transfers (Thanks to REDFANG technology) to his mobile player. Suited up, he starts to jog up the trail. A text is sent to Annie and Krissy: Trail 4, table 3. Be ware the joggers.
The cool night air doesn't reveal much in the way of sounds other than the sound of the scrub rustling. The trail is little more than dirt where repetitive footsteps have worn away what little grass that was here. One and then another table are passed without comment, and the third is just ahead.
Sitting there is a single figure, likely female and with long dark hair. Those of you with better than normal human sight can make out that she is probably Aztlan or American Indian in coloration, and perhaps 30 or 40 years old, although with today's technology that could be a lie.
Johnny comes to a jogging stop next to the table, running in place. He puts a finger to his neck, testing his pulse, counting aloud. "Whooooo!" he says after a moment. "Good night for a jog!"
Annie approaches the table slowly and openly, glancing at Johnny with a slight grin. "I have to run at work far too often to enjoy it as a hobby."
Krissy arrives a little after Annie, just in time to flick her cigarette stub on the ground and crush it underfoot. "That's why I drive everywhere." She adds on at the end of Annie's statement.
The figure at the table is dressed very inappropriately for a jog, or even a long walk. The latest corporate fashions instead grace her form, obviously custom fit for her body and in the latest power colors. This close it is easy to see that you may have been wrong about her age by a few years, the tiny crows feet and other signs of human aging apparent.
She laughs lightly, looking to the man running in place and nodding, "A very nice night, yes." She spares a look to Annie and Krissy as well, offering with a wave of her hand, "Would you care to sit and rest for a moment before continuing? It isn't much, but it is all the hospitality that I can offer out here."
Johnny jogs a bit more in place, then slows to a stop. He eyes the women, then looks back to the J. He takes himself a seat. "Nice night for a talk." He says without preamble.
Annie takes a seat as well, offering a nod of agreement to Johnny's statement.
Krissy takes the seat, and nods her head, "So. What's up?" She asks, bluntly.
Ms. Johnson nods to the trio and turn so she can see all three, "Thank you for meeting me in this remote location. It's a rather sensitive issue, you understand, and one that we did not want to chance anyone overhearing." She'll give another quick smile and a furtive glance around before continuing.
"We need someone brought to us that will be VERY unwilling. This person is heavily guarded and quite important, which will make the job more difficult. Finally, this person will only be in Denver for a number of days and after that, this window of opportunity closes."
Krissy nods her head a little, "How… uh… intact do you need this person? I figure you need 'em alive but… if they're unwilling, we might have to get a little rough."
Ms. Johnson promptly answers Krissy, "We need the person in excellent condition. Any wounding or severe psychological trauma would make this venture useless."
Johnny purses his lips, thinking that over. One hand plays with an errant lock of silver-blond fabio-hair as he thinks. "This person cannot be obtained any place other than Denver?"
Annie nods, "Standard vip or corp exec extraction then.", she rests an elbow on the table and cups her chin in her palm while waiting for the rest of the story.
"The statistical likelihood of success in this person's home country, of which they leave almost never, approaches zero. They are the focus of the vast majority of the protective forces there." Ms. Johnson glances to Annie, "Yes and no. The security will be .. extraordinary. I do not say this in an attempt to make it sound more than it is; rather, to reinforce that this would be akin to attempting to extract the .. how does one say?" She pauses and remarks, "Potato .. no, that is not right. Poe-Tuss?" Ms. Johnson does not appear to be a native English speaker, her words coming with a slight pause in intonation, some of the vowel sounds definitely having a Spanish or Mexican tinge.
Krissy nods her head a bit and rubs her neck. "Well… I can try. I better warn you up front, though. There are troll ultra-heavyweight wrestlers who do subtlety better than I do."
Annie cocks her head slightly as she tries to figure out what the woman is trying to say. "PotUS? President of the US?", she inquires after a moment, "Been a long time since I heard that term."
Johnny exhales… "POTUS. President of the United States." he says after a moment. "I understand the basics of what you are saying. I will however, require more information before I can confirm being a part of this operation; I would be a fool to accept blindly."
"Not everyone recognizes what the United States has become," Ms. Johnson says towards Annie and then glances at Johnny, nodding. "Si, yes, I understand that there must be more information." She moves with ease towards a pocket of her suit jacket, flashing Krissy a smile as she does so, "I am certain that you shine in your chosen field. Never fear, there will be moments of subtle and overt."
She'll come up with a slimline data display system with holographic interface, the sort of thing that is still being shown at SOTA displays in Chiba. A touch of a key and the device springs to life, showing a tiny three dimensional hologram of a female.
"This is Maria Locasin. This is the target." She says the name with some trepidation, glancing to see if you all recognize the name.
«Plot» Kassandra says, "Politics or Sixth World Data or Dragons or any other skill you want to sell."
Krissy just stares blankly, "What's so special about her?" She wonders aloud. And then she glances towards Annie, "Hey, you know, I was wondering. Do you know that spell where you can make a car look like some other car?"
«Auto-Judge[]» Johnny (#799) rolls CIA General Knowledge + Task Pool: 3 for "Eh, whut?":
1 2 3 3 4 4 5 11
«Auto-Judge[]» Annie (#5398) rolls Magic Rumors for "Open 'Who?!' test":
1 1 2 3 15
For Johnny, Annie: Maria Locasin is a rather powerful shaman but she is much better known as the translator for Hualpa, the Great Dragon that runs Amazonia, and probably the most powerful and influential woman in all of that country.
Johnny eyes the picture for a moment. He looks over to Annie, then looks to the Jay. He is silent for a very long time, before he finally speaks… "Es mejor no involucrarse en los asuntos de los dragones."
«OOC» Johnny says, "It is best not to be involved in the affairs of Dragons."
Annie blinks slowly, apparently recognizing the name. "I see.", she finally states simply, "That's quite an extraction target.", she glances toward Krissy and offers a quick nod in answer to the Riggers question before returning her attention to the Johnson, "Tough nut indeed.", she murmurs after Johnny makes his statement.
Johnny's spanish, as a note, has a Honduran accent.
«Auto-Judge[]» Krissy (#3862) rolls Spanish:
1 3 4 9 11
Ms. Johnson nods quietly to Johnny's words, remarking "A veces, hay que hacer cosas tontas." She looks unhappy about what she is proposing, but stays quiet other than that.
«OOC» Kassandra says, "Translation: Sometimes, one must do foolish things."
Krissy blinks a little. It takes her a moment to mull the words over, given her knowledge of the language comes from her Mnemonic Enhancers more than anything. "Woah. Shit, you mean a freaking dragon?" she asks then, almost forgetting to keep her voice down. "No way. I'm not fucking with a dragon's right hand…" she doesn't immediately leave, though.
Johnny looks off in to the forest for a while, thinking that over. "The last person to kill or harm the Translator of a Dragon did not survive 20 seconds after his act. The phrase.. 'never deal with a dragon' is a real one, a powerful one, for reason. While I appreciate the offer of employment, Ms, and I will speak to none of what has been discussed… I cannot willingly throw myself in to the maw of retribution that would come."
Annie considers the options for a moment, "We would not necessarily be harming or killing her.", she looks over at the Johnson, waiting to see if she has any words that might allay the impending refusal of the job.
"Ah." The word is said with some sadness and a degree of resignation, as if this were an expected response but there was a hope, however fleeting, that it wouldn't come. Ms. Johnson glances to the trio, "I appreciate the candor. It .. it was thought that this was something that would .. how does one say .. not fly? But still, we had to ask."
She glances to Annie and nods, "This is true, you would only be capturing her and giving her over to others, so it is possible that the main brunt of the unhappiness would fall on others."
Johnny gestures to Annie. "Continue." He says, no malice, but curiosity as to how she would approach the job. "Ms. Breeze is the finest magi I know. I brought her for her insights."
Krissy shakes her head, "Even if we weren't hurting her, the fact is, sh'd be unwilling. And… I dunno. It just seems… Crazy."
Annie shrugs, "I guess it all depends on what the group you represent intends to do with Mrs Locasin once she is within her grasp.", she shrugs and puts forth a couple of options, "If you merely want to talk to her and ask her to pass on a message to her Patron, that is one thing. If your group intends to harm or kill her if a ransom demand is not met…that is an entirely different proposition."
Annie adds, "Normally I would not care what a client wanted with an extraction target…but in this case it becomes relevant. Dragons are notoriously vengeful in situations such as this."
Ms. Johnson nods and spreads her hands, "I can say with all honesty I do not know my employers plans with the principle, only that she is to be delivered unharmed. Given her political worth not to mention the untold amounts of information she may have, I can surmise that their intentions are not merely for a message."
She hesitates and looks around a moment, "I say this to you because you are all true professionals, not merely those who knock over liquor stores and Stuffer Shacks. I would not have it said that I misled you. There are those that have worked for myself and my employer that hate us for our nationality or corporate interests. I would not add more bad blood to the streets for willfully misleading."
Johnny is silent, his mind working over the level of damage he would have to inflict/endure to make it out of here alive. He listens to the woman, thinking over the ramifications of what she says. "Aztlanner?" he asks curiously. "I don't hate your people or you, but I don't think delivering the Translator of your enemy numero uno is in my best interest, or something the Great Dragon will take lightly." He looks back to Annie, an eyebrow raising. "But I've not said no yet."
Annie looks over toward Johnny and nods before returning her attention to the Johnson. "The problem is that for this sort of job to be profitable, it would need to pay an extreme amount. Enough to make it worth having a Great Dragon gunning for you.", she pauses and then adds, "Or reasonable assurance that somehow we would not be targeted by her patron. Which would be very hard to do convincingly under the circumstances and your relative lack of information about what your employers plan to do with the target."
Krissy just nods her head, she doesn't have anything to say about the woman's herittage or affiliation, she's just agreeing with what Johnny and Annie have already said.
Ms. Johnson nods, spreading her hands again, "This is true. We are willing to pay, and well, but payment for something like this is cold comfort in light of what may happen. I cannot lie to you; it is possible, more than possible, that He would know who did this." She quiets and listens to Annie, nodding again. "I cannot make those assurances, I am afraid. In something of this nature, of this magnitude, there are levels of .. of .. walls? Walls between those who know and those who know just enough."
She offers a little shrug and says, "We had heard of your reputation and thought, 'why not?'" She directs this last to Johnny and sighs, "There are some things that it is very hard to convince someone to do." A faint laugh at that.
"We are, surely, honored by the thought." Says Johnny then, as he rises. "But I cannot perform this job. Not because I do not think we can do it, for I think we can. But as is often the case; I do not think we would be able to enjoy the renown or recompense this job would bring us." Lets not discuss that it would be FAR safer for this J to just kill the runners after the job and sever that link. "I have a long life ahead of me; this job would complicate it ways I am not comfortable with."
Krissy rubs the back of her neck, "Yeah, I mean, gangers, mafia bosses, even corporate men, that's standard fare. But a shaman and a dragon? Plus this heavy security you mentioned. Plus any external security that might get involved… sounds like a suicide mission to me."
Annie chuckles, "I would be tempted to accept the job simply for the unique set of challenges it presents.", she shakes her head after a moment, "But without Nacht along on the op, I think the odds of successful completion would be unacceptable regardless of the offered pay."
Quieting the holo-device, Ms. Johnson nods soberly and reaches into her pocket again, coming up with a few credsticks. "I understand completely and I do thank you for your time, and discretion. I would like to offer a token of our gratitude for your continued discretion as well as for your time this evening?"
Johnny takes the stick, looking it over, then pockets it. "Of course. I thank you for your sign of respect. I appreciate it. I would not be adverse to you calling again, if you had more work of a less… monumental nature."
Krissy peers at the stick… and then shrugs, and pockets it. "Yeah, likewise. You want me to shoot at pretty much anything short of a dragon's PA, and I'm game. But I draw the line when scales and wings and million year old monsters are involved."
Annie accepts the stick as well, offering the woman a nod before sliding it into her pocket. She stands and exhales slowly, taking a slow look around the surrounding area. The woman's respect may just be a disarming tactic to get her to let down her guard so the snipers can do their work…the Azzies can be sneaky like that.
"Of course." The latino Johnson offers a brief smile and says, "Assuming that I am left on the board after all this, I would be happy to procure your services for something less exciting." She laughs a little again, and nods, tucking the holodevice away. "Well. I am afraid I must be on my way; I have to make some more calls."
Johnny nods to the woman. "Good luck." He offers, a moment of genuine sympathy offered. He's often been behind the ball of a directorate that comes down for the impossible. He then turns to leave, senses alert, alive, waiting for the other Zapato to drop.
"Wait." Krissy says, and she shakes her head, "Listen. If you can get a team together for this… I can drive the getaway vehicle, at least."
The cool night doesn't offer any response nor any sound of shoes falling. Rather, the watching eyes you know are there are content to watch along with the moon and stars. Ms. Johnson glances to Krissy and nods, considering the offer a moment. "Thank you. I will consider that and offer it to the next team, if there is a next team." She chuckles at that.
Annie moves over to stand next to Johnny, watching him curiously for a second before continuing to scan the nearby area until the Johnson is out of sight.
Krissy nods her head a little bit then, "Yeah, well, No one lives forever. 'cept them fucking elves. And dragons." she comments.
Ms. Johnson chuckles to that as well, moving to head off in the opposite direction from where the runners came in, her footsteps fading into the darkness.
And theres the rub. Dragons don't take revenge immediately. That's why Johnny passed on the job. A dragon would enjoy making the next 500 years of johnny's life a living hell.
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