[PRabel]

I received this from Mercy via E-mail:

Cinnamon smiles and walks with you down to where a small diner sits as half of a building front.  “This is a good place to eat a lunch, but they raise their prices for dinner and the food is not much better for the price.”  The place has several booths and some counter space.  A sign indicates seat yourself, so Cinn asks you if a booth is OK and goes over to one and slides in, motioning for you to take the other seat.  She raises a hand for the waitress, who frowns and comes to the table.  “Yes?  How can I help you?”
 
“Do you have a real menu?”
 
“Sure, but it is online if you check the ARO.”
 
Cinn shakes her head.  “I prefer to have one I can read, thanks.”
 
 
The woman gives a put out look and goes back behind the counter, muttering something under her breath.  As she is looking for a real menu, Cinn looks over at you.  “Sorry.  Don’t mean to be a pain in the ass, but I have trouble seeing things in AR.  Part of my brain got mushed a while back and I get headaches when I try.  I had to ask last time, too.  This is a different waitress.”  The waitress comes back with two menus and places them on the table, asking if she can bring you anything to drink.  Cinn nods and asks for a Soypepper and the waitress looks at you.  “And for you?  Or can you use the AR menu?”

[PRabel]

He seats himself opposite to Cinn, so they can talk comfortably.

"It' s no problem at all, you don't have to apologize. Now I know why you keep that magazine around. It must be hard to live that way, when almost everything requires the use of the matrix."

When the waitress comes back, he orders a soypepper too, then turns to Cinn and asks:

"Do you mind if I ask how it happened? "

[PRabel]

Another one from Mercy:

She shrugs and leans forward, lowering her voice a bit.  “Real war story, if you want to hear it.”  When you nod, she grins, “Okay, just remember that you asked for it.  Some people are not aware that there is still a bunch of friction between the UCAS and the NAN.  I was assigned to a para-recon unit as part of the UCAS Special Operations Command.  One night we were dropped a looooong way behind the lines, looking for some NAN asshole who had been tagged as  a “renegade” by his commanders.  The intel boys had sniffed out a possible location and my team was to go in and locate him for the action guys to come in and do a smash and grab on his ass.  There were four of us, all lifers, all very good at what we did.  We had five years together.  Twelve days of creeping about in the middle of the NAN before we find the guy………………..and six hundred of his closest friends.  All in uniform.  So not really a renegade after all, but I don’t know anyone who really believed that drek in the first place.  We comm back home for instructions with the new intel and are given a new mission parameter.  The buys upstairs have decided that the situation is too risky to capture and exfiltrate so they just want him dead.  Five more days on recon and setting up the shot.  I take it and all fragging hell breaks loose as soon as his head explodes.  It was a clean shot at long range, but those fraggers were all over the area looking for us.  Firefight all the way back.  The four of us decimated about a hundred of the NAN guys for no losses.  Mark one up for superior training, equipment, and skill, right?  Thing is, though, that we had to abandon or bypass six straight pick up points and walk ourselves out, shooting all the way.  We had to swap our weapons for NAN stuff as we ran out of ammo.  A lot of hand to hand action gave me a real appreciation for the standard issue NAN combat knife.  Actually better than ours.  Anyway, we finally make it back and find that the NAN bosses had complained to the UCAS bosses about some UCAS force that had violated just about every treaty ever written and had killed lots of private citizens in pursuit of some personal vendetta.  The whole thing did not play out well.  We got tossed under the bus and made an example of.  The brass promised us our lives if we just took it.  The LT told the brass to fuck off and we backed his play.  He was the best officer I ever knew and we would have gone to hell with him if he was leading us.”
 
She drinks from the glass of Soypepper and looks at you.  “Probably don’t need to really spell it out for you, do I?  Guys came for us in the middle of the night in our cells.  Their mistake because we were waiting for it.  Killed some and got out of the compound.  Almost got clean away.  Almost.  Running fight for three days as we headed up into the mountains.  We were good, some of the very best, but there were only four of us and they finally had us cornered.  They offered a court martial and life in prison if we came peacefully.  We looked at the LT and he made the call.  Fuck em was all he said and we dodged away.  After all I had survived, a fragging gun drone got me.  A fragging gun drone.  We were crossing some gorge on a log about a hundred feet up and came under fire.  I was tail end, as usual, and took the shots just as I was about to make it over.  Fell of the log but was already unconscious.  Probably save my life.  Rocks and river did what the whole fragging NAN and have a division of UCAS could not do.  Woke up in a hide all shot up and banged all to hell, but alive and bandaged.  Seems the LT and the others had come to find me to bury me so the carrion eaters would not get to me.  They were shocked to see I was still breathing.  Sort of breathing, anyway.  But no way was I leaving that place for days, maybe longer.  I told the LT to cut his losses and drive on.  Of course he told me to shut up; he was that sort of leader.  Funny thing is, my line was better than his and I convinced him to leave, that I would only drag the team down.  That is what did it, talking about the team.  Lots of hand shakes later they left, but only after getting me enough provisions to last me a while and creating a hide for me.  Stayed there for three weeks.  Used up the supplies in the medkit we had stolen when we escaped.  Used up the food.  But the hide was good and every patrol missed it.  Fragging amateurs.  Or maybe we were just about the best.”
 
She pauses to eat some of the food on her plate.  “That was most of it, I guess.  Finally waited long enough and left on my feet.  Made it across and out of the mountains and ended up in Denver.  Brain was mushed by the fall from the log and wireless sort of sucks for me now.  Can manage a ‘link as long as I don’t have to be on it long.  Try to stay away from everything else.  Before you ask, I do not know where the rest of the team is or even if they survived out there.  Would give just about anything to know, though.  Those guys were like family.  Hell, they were better than family.  Anyway, hopped a ride to LA and happy land.  Got this job babysitting Nova and here I am talking to you in some drek of a diner.  Life story in about ten minutes.”
 
Something about her voice changed as she was telling you that she does not know if the rest of the team survived.  It could be that she is a bit emotional about them.  Probably is that.  Yeah.

[PRabel]

*That friction is what giving a lot of us runners a living.*

He listens amazed what Cinn and her squad had accomplished, but in the end he feels sorry for the women. She lost everyone, because she done her duty.

"They should have give you all  medals, not sacrifice you for some political bullcrap. I suspected, that you are awakened and had combat training, but you have some serious field experience. Maybe more, than the rest of us combined. You are some tough, ass-kicking amazon chick. I try to not get on your bad-side.

I kinda envy you for your commanding officer. If I had someone like yours, I would be still at the army. But all I had was a racist breeder. I broke his jaw in the end. Thats why I got discharged, but it was worth it. I heard he needed some serious surgery to put his face back together.

I'm sorry, that you know nothing about your old squad. You know, if you done babysitting pop-stars, I'll be happy to help you locate them."

[Mercy Merchant]

Cinnamon smiles.  "Thanks for the compliment.  I have been known to kick some ass in my day.  And thanks for the sentiment.  Medals, schmedals.  At the end of the day, all we wanted was to be acknowledged and get a few days R&R before going back in .  We were professionals at the top of our game.  Instead we are criminals and deserters.  And I appreciate the offer.  Those guys were the only real family I had for years.  Better than my own fragging parents.  But my guess is that they want to be left unfound.  But thanks.  Really.  Sounds like you had your own issues in the service."

She finishes her food and waits for you to do the same.  When done you leave the diner and walk over to the Mirage.  "So, give me that address and I will slip in into the grid guide.  We should be at your place soon to get your portable stuff.  We can arrange for a van tomorrow to get whatever else you want."

[PRabel]

"As you wish. If you ever change your mind, you will know where to find me.

Aside from that drek-eater, it was pretty good. I worked as a merc after the army, but you already know that. I've been through some hairy situation and I managed to keep all of my part mostly intact. I even upgraded a few of of them and I plan to add some extra parts later, when I have the nuyen to do it. Anyway, I quit the company when they stopped caring who they kill for the money. Shooting civilians on sight was fair game for them. I couldn't stand that. I'm planing to form my own team one day and lead them on my own terms, but i have a lot to learn until I can do that"

He finishes his meal, pays for both of them and sends Cinn the address while they walk to the bike.

"Lets go grab some hardware!"

[Mercy Merchant]

Cinn laughs and climbs on the Mirage, waiting for you to get on behind her before leaving the parking lot and heading off to your place.  Once there, she pulls up to the curb and cuts the engine off.  She looks around the area and nods.  "Not so bad a place to live.  So, you got this or do you need some help?  Do you mind if I ask how much you pay for living here?"

[PRabel]

"Like I said, this is one of the nicer parts of Redmond. The gangs could be a problem sometimes, but if you break some of their arms or legs they tend to leave you alone for a while.
It costs me 2000 in a month. Why do you ask? Would you like to move in the neighbourhood?" He ask jokingly. "I think there is an empty apartmant across the street."

"You can come in if you want to look around, but unless your bike got some extra security features, I wouldn't leave it alone. Gangs love this brand around here.
It shouldn't take long, i just grab, what I can get in a backpack. The rifle and the sword could attract too much attention if I carry them around in Downtown. We have to get them and the rest of my stuff later."

He opens the door and walks up to the first floor to his apartmant. He grabs his backpack and starts to collect the things he might need: his hardliner gloves, his flashbang, gas- and thermal smoke grenades. The gasmask could also come in handy. He takes his micro-transceiver and attaches the microphone to his throat and plugs the earbud in his ear.  The restraints could be useful, so he grabs them too. Finally he takes the rest of the ammo for the Predator.  Once he is finished, he goes back down to Cinn and asks:

"Do you think we can smuggle all these into the hotel?"

[Mercy Merchant]

Cinnamon laughs.  "You should see my room.  We just have to be careful and then even more careful if you have to use it.  You will be getting a special certificate that allows you to carry a gun in the hotel.  The security guys don't really bother to search us so you can even carry some of those fancy grenades I see.  Just remember that we will probably be going out and lots of that stuff will not be allowed in the venues.  Just use your head and use common sense."

She helps you put stuff on the bike and climbs on.  When you are back on, she asks if you have anyplace else to go.

[PRabel]

"I don'want to carry them around all the time. I just want them to be where I am, so I can grab them, when the drek hits the fan.

I know,  altough some tear-gas could be useful, if a group of fanatic fans decides they want a piece of Nova as souvenir."

He thinks for a moment and continues:
"No, I'm all set. Unless you want to go somewhere, we can go back to the hotel."

[Mercy Merchant]

She grins at your invitation to go someplace but says, Let's get you back and get ready for the evening."  "She drives much more sedately with your gear adding some weight to the wrong parts of the bike.  Once back at the hotel garage, she helps you take your things into the building and up to the room.  She points to some papers on the table and says, "See?  It looks like Stella already has your badge and carry license for you.  And look, passes to Dante's Inferno.  Guess we know where we will be tonight.  Hmmm.  Arriving at 2100.  Well that gives us some time after we go on shift to plan out the security measures for her.  Ever been?  It's a happening place.  Internal security is pretty tight so nothing goes in."

[PRabel]

"Thanks for the ride and for the help. Wow, Stella really knows how to make things happen and she works faster, than any fixer I've ever met." *Sorry Wallas!*

"I've heard of the place, but never have the chance to go there. Well, it seems I have to leave my little toys here." He says with overacted sadness. "Nevermind, I can handle myself without them too pretty well."

So, how do you plan the evening? Ever been at Dante's Inferno? Anything important I should know about it's layout? Possible dangers and escape routes?

[PRabel]

Mercy Merchant:

She nods.  “Stella is very good.  She was with Roger and Nova long before I made my way to L.A.  She is amazing with paperwork.  I had a SIN and all the papers to prove I was who I was pretending to be within two days of signing on.”  She shakes her head at you last questions, “Only once.  Nova was invited to the club on her second day here.  It is some kind of place.  The club actually goes down in nine levels, each one representing one of the levels of hell in a book.  I picked up a copy if you want to read it, but you can find it on the matrix, I am sure.  It is titled "Dante's Inferno".  Normal passes get you to the top five levels, an exclusive pass goes two more, and I hear there is some really special pass that allows access to the last two levels.  We were with someone who only had a general pass, so I do not know anything firsthand about the lower four levels.   Anyway, lots of party people, which usually means lots of drink and drugs.  Nova is a sweet girl and her head is screwed on straight when it comes to drugs, but that doesn’t mean someone won’t try to slip her something and that is where we come in.  We are there to watch her and keep her safe.  Frankie will probably find a fix and go curl up in a corner somewhere to Bliss out or whatever he is on these days.  But we watch Nova.  She likes to dance and you get to be my partner, so I hope you know how to avoid stepping on my toes.”
 
“I expect that your suit will show in a bit.  I am going out to the living room to read unless you have more questions?”

[PRabel]

"I already wanted to ask if Nova uses some kind of drug, but it's good to know she doesn't take any. I watch her drinks. I will also mark her with an ARO, so even in the crowd, I will know where she is.
And I try to watch my feet on the dancefloor. I don't usually go to places like that, but I'll do my best not to crush your feet.

I stay in my room, I need to take care of something. Have fun!"

When Cinn closes the door behind her, he starts to write a message to Wallas:

<Hey Wallas, how are you? I wanted to thank you for the job you found me, it seems to be a really profitable one.
I'd like to ask to run a background check of a dwarf guy named Roger Collins. He is the manager or something of the pop-icon Nova Star. I'd like to know more about her too and her family.
Oh, and could you please check an elf women who runs by the name of "Cinnamon". Real name, background, criminal history, anything. I'd like to know more about the people I'm going to work with. Thanks for the help. It will be appreciated! >

[Mercy Merchant]

You get a reply back from Wallas right away.  >>Hey.  I am glad that this might work out for you.  Keep your chin up and your eyes open.  I will run a serious check on these people, but the quick and dirty public search is as follows.  Roger Collins was worked the agent biz for about twenty years.  Mostly small-time.  Eight years ago he stumbles on Franklin Roberts, a rising teen idol.  Apparently the kid had a great voice, the kind people want to hear.  Collins took him to the top but the kid went nutso on drugs and booze.  Lost his voice and his chance.  Just then his younger sister, April, came into her own voice.  She is at the top of the teen pop charts.  Car accident took the parents.  Might be the trigger for Franklin's decline.  Cinnamon apparently does not exist anywhere until popping up four years ago working for Collins, so must be a fake ID.  Her name has been linked to several killings since then.  No charges pressed as all were in the line of duty.  There is a note here that says she singlehandedly tracked down and killed five hard men who kidnapped April last year.  Used a knife.  I can try to dig deeper on these for you.  Might cost a bit.  Let you know.<<