[adamu]

"Shee-it woman, this is rapidly descendin' into some rank melodrama. I done said I wanted ta court ya jist as soon as this gig wraps. What's all this about leavin' again? Listen, if'n you can still feel that way, then I'd be a fool not ta take it, an' I ain't makin' that mistake again. An' I might as well tell ya now that I done felt the same in Cambodia, and have ever since. Did ya even hear me when I said there ain't been no one since then? So we go out, we see what happens once we knows each other off the job, amidst civilization, an' in our new skins. That's as straight a shot as I can offer. Now, can we call time on all this woman talk an' git ta work?"

[Mercy Merchant]

Robyn nods.  "Yes, Al.  We can certainly call this discussion ended for now.  Say, I still need to set the London gigs for the band.  May I use this seat to crash on?  It is far more comfortable than those at the table out there."

Robyn settles back into the seat and fades off into VR, sliding to the local London grid and searching out the club hosts on her list.  It was a bit funny, but the clubs in London were easier than the ones in either Paris or Berlin.  She slips the edited files in at all three hosts and gets out without any difficulty.  She takes a quick trip around the city before heading back to the car and slipping carefully out of VR and back to the somewhat drearier meat world.

When she comes to, she climbs from the car and notices that ISaint has arrived with some instruments.  She goes to the table and sits down to work on her packet for the others.  She carefully details the fourteen club dates between Berlin and London as well as the Chunnel ride.  Names of the club managers, bartenders, and some of the waitresses are provided as well as the physical descriptions of the women.  She includes some of the other bands that were playing at the same time and details the time when one of the Paris clubs was raided while they were there.  Once everything is in order she packages it up and sends it to everyone's commlink.  >>Team.  The attached file is a list of all the clubs we played at and when for the past few months.  It starts in Berlin and ends here in London five days ago.  Names, dates, other bands, club managers and other people.  It is in case we get asked questions, but I do think that it is all too possible to cover an error by claiming drugs or alcohol, or just plain confusion.  No one really pays much attention to bands like us, but it does add some color.  Please let me know if there are any questions or issues with the information provided.<<

[obidancer]

Deckard was pretty impressed with ISaint's ability to understand the connection of the spell with the Mana sphere, even more so quickly. He never thought of himself as a mentor, heck, school had definitely not been much of his liking when he was a kid or teenager. Maybe because he never had teachers as awesome as he was... who was he fooling? probably because he had teachers as terrible as he was...

In any case, having someone else who could lift things with his mind was definitely a plus.
Everyone but Iris was here. There was definitely something weird going on between Al and Robyn, and the two going for a talk in Al's car was worrysome. HE knew first hand emotion between team members was dangerous in a run.  His wife hated when Deckard was taking unnecessary risks, which he did quite often. And he hated to feel powerless when she was in the Matrix fighting some computer program. Ideal condition to make bad judgement. But ISaint had vouched for the older man, he wished he could have done so too with the blind decker emotional stability.

So, can anyone tell me a bit more about the Underplex? I've heard plenty of story on the Below, but the plex, not so much outside of the name.


#27

[Jack_Spade]

Isaint had been sorting his gear - putting all ammunition inside his new hard shell cases and cleaning all weapons carefully until the chem-sniffer of his drone didn't detect any suspicious amounts of nitrates anymore. It was tedious and time consuming work, while over in the other corner Jackhammer and Al worked on modifying the mule drone that had been delivered.
Unpacked brass instruments lay everywhere, including a lot more drums than one person could possibly need.

Isaint was just about finished with his arsenal - only his latest purchase a modified Ruger Super Warhawk with extended barrel, nicknamed the "Ultra Warhawk" remained.
He was just polishing the insides for the tenth time when Deckard arrived. Glad for the distraction he replied:
"Only visited it once and just for an hour or so. It's a large underground mall. Chock full of ways to get rid of your hard earned money. Strong security - wearing orange and brown uniforms. I've heard there's also a special division down there to deal with "difficult individuals".
Transport is organized by open sided automated trains. Just hop on and off where you need.
The whole thing is huge: It's stretching over the whole of Marble Arch, Bond Street, Oxford Circus, Piccadilly Circus, Piccadilly, Tottemham Court Road, Leicester Square, Trafalgar Square, Charing Cross and Covent Garden. Also a giant parking garage under Hyde Park.

Never tried to smuggle anything in there before and I have no idea where the accesses to Below are. It sure would be helpful if Iris would report back soon on that account."

[adamu]

Al left her in the car and his emotions in there as well.

There was a hell of a lot to do. They started refitting the drone, but soon enough there was a stack of weapons people wanted concealed among the intruments, including his own shotgun, and he set to work on that, starting with measurements, then there was cutting and remolding, and once his resins arrived, sealing. He was a quick worker, but it was not quick work, and it would take the best part of the night to get it all done, even with other hands helping.

As he worked, the ashtray steadily filled, as did the big plastic bin used for beer empties. Spent, wasted husks of ephemeral ameliorations, piling up.

[Csjarrat]

Halfpint had just about got over the shock of Robyn's nearly naked form back at the bookshop and had really wished his gentlemanly self hadn't averted his gaze as quickly as he did.
Still, he'd joined in with the others, making his technical skills useful and assisting with the engineering stuff as soon as the data trail had been left in VR

[Jack_Spade]

Isaint was interrupted in his talk by a message from their guide. Frowning he forwarded it to the rest of the team:
<<Hello Isaint, be ready to move the team to the entrance described in the attached file. Things down here are a bit tricky at the moment, but nothing I can't handle. Move with utmost caution - I am paving the way as I write, but things are a bit unstable here. I'll catch up to you all as soon as I can. In the meantime I'll have to stay offline to keep my advantage.
Iris>>

"Seems like we at least can get access in time. But keep your guns accessible as well as your armor.

Robyn, you are also familiar with Below, what do you make of this route Iris has sketched for us? Do you know who's territories we are crossing there?"

#264

[Mercy Merchant]

Robyn considers the route carefully.  "There is no indication as to what sort of difficulties Iris is running into.  I wish she had not been quite so bloody cryptic.  Hmmm.  Given this route we will cross several House territories.  That could be useful if we want to lay more groundwork for the band cover story.  None of these Houses is particularly hostile to Overworlders or to each other, but Below politics are pretty flexible.  To be honest, the most direct route to the Underplex from Below is via Nightside Market, which we can access from a couple of places in the LCZ.  I have good contacts in the 'Zone and can arrange for an escort if you think it would be necessary."

[Jack_Spade]

"The LCZ? Well, if you trust your contacts this will have to be good enough for all of us. Just try not to advertise our presence. Even if our cover would crave publicity, we don't actually. The less people know, the better.

Still, my question stands: Whose territory do we have to cross, given your best estimate? I'm asking especially about the house of flowers. Even if they don't recognize us, they might try to pull the same stunt as last time to abduct one of our number for their depravities. And this time I won't let them get away with just a narco-grenade to the face."

[adamu]

Busily making precision cuts in their various instrument cases, Al had been content to listen to the planning with half an ear, if that. But he tossed an "Amen ta that," across the room after Isaint's comment.

"Wouldn't mind an intimate tete-a-tete with one or two o' the freaks either, see if we can suss what they done with ol' Solo."

[Mercy Merchant]

Robyn thinks of the route that Iris has marked and then alternate one.  She pulls up an overlay of the area and mentally creates a 3D image in front of everyone at the table.  She spends a few minutes filling out the image with the basics of the design and her concept.  "Sorry about the image accuracy and I hope everyone can see it as I picture it.  I could refine it better with more time, but I think that the basics come across just fine."  She mentally points and highlights a route through her map.  "Just across the Thames on London Bridge, or Old LB, is the Gothicum.  Lots of tourists pass through here and security is relatively light most days.  They rarely do more than a perfunctory check unless they suspect something is amiss.  Southwark Cathedral lies just here, in the Gothicum.  This is where the Mechanica is based.  They act as a sort of official unofficial link to London Below for trade purposes.  They bring things and people up to the Overworld and take things and people Below.  I am in pretty tight with the Mechanica and can count several of their higher ups as friends.  It would be easy to just walk across the Old LB into this part of the LCZ and mingle as tourists before fading away with a Mechanica escort for an entrance to Below."

Robyn highlights a path through her map and stops when it reaches Black Prince Road.  "There is an entrance to Below right here that will take us straight to Nightside Market.  And now give me a couple of minutes to bring the market up in my mind."  The 3D map in front of the team shifts for several minutes, finally coalescing into a different map.  "This is Nightside Market.  It is actually larger than the Underplex and has more to offer.  But it is quite dangerous to those that do not obey the rules.  This entrance is on the third of five levels and the stuff for sale here is mostly tech stuff.  I can personally tell you that if you are looking for anything tech, you can probably find it here.  We can go straight through all the way on Level 3 without catching toomuch attention.  Lots of tourists here and we could fit right in.  Just for information purposes, Levels 1 and 2 are below and Levels 4 and 5 above.  Level 2 has some very skilled body chop shops.  I can make introductions if anyone is interested in getting an implant later.  Mostly Alpha ware grade, but occasionally they can get better if the demand is there.  One of the best geneware docs I know is there, too.  Level 1 is the fleshies.  You can buy or use anyone down there for the right price.  Level 4 is mojo land and Level 5 is where you can get some truly exotic stuff.  In this case exotic rhymes with booyah expensive."

"The security is tight on all levels, even if everything seems to be a mishmash of stalls, booths, tents, and cavern corridors.  it is safest to just assume that everyone is part of the security.  I have seen what happens to a pickpocket and it is not pretty.  All tourists are warned at the entrance of the security measures and that the Market has a law of its own and the Overworld constabulary generally does not interfere with Below justice.  It is best to just not commit a crime there.  Anyway, we can follow this highlighted path direct to the Underplex right here.  At least I hope it is highlighted to you.  Someone speak up if it isn't.  We do not actually pass through any House territories on this route, which is why I recommend it.  We can pass through this connecting tunnel between the complexes with little problem unless we create the problem.  Lots of tourists take this route so they can tell their chums that they braved Below and lived to tell of it.  We can just meld into the groups of people going there and use the band cover to give us legitimacy.  The Underplex does sponsor bands and other entertainment and some of the clubs there are right along the type I have set up along our back path.  As a side note, I hope that all of you take at least a bit of time to review that information package I sent out earlier.  Just in case we get asked some questions.  I hope no one is seriously disappointed and I can certainly try to answer any questions about it.  But back to the route."

Robyn keeps her face to the image she created, although she can only see it in her mind.  "This is the route I recommend.  It is easy and requires almost no interaction with any House at all.  Is this enough, or do you want me to bring up the path Iris is working on?  It would be a bit more exciting in that you might find old friends there and it does cross some House territories.  It sounds like some of you had some issues Below and I would think you would want to stay away from that sort of thing.  Some Houses have long memories.  It would be a bold move indeed for a House to start something in the Market as that might result in getting them banned, and that could have serious repercussions.  The best thing to do if accosted is to remain calm and let security handle it.  Few of the shops and vendors are tied to any of the Houses and they value their neutrality.  And like I said, the security there is top-grade.  Let them do their job and try to avoid being part of the problem.  Hassling tourists is part of the fun there, but hurting them is strictly forbidden as long as they do not break the law."

"Questions?"

[pistolgrip]

Jackhammer works silently with Al, helping to disassemble or unload weapons whenever necessary. Handling so many firearms reminds him of his time as a younger ork when he figured he'd end up in big corp sec and wanted to be the best shot at everything. Strange how he'd always done best with the bow though. He often wondered if he'd been meant for simpler times, not least because he was kind of bad with computers. But even so, the guns felt familiar in his hands. Comfortable. They were simple machines, if you ignored the smart features. So many ways of constructing tubes that fling debris at someone you want dead or incapacitated. It was a bit of a marvel that for all the ways you could ruin someone's life in the vast matrix or the mystical world of magic, here lay so many more classic instruments of warfare. "Some things don't go out of style." He mumbled with a smirk, then thinking again about his bow and his brawling skills. It struck him as sort of funny, really.

When Isaint made his remark about the house of flowers and Al chimed in, Jackhammer made a grunt of agreement but otherwise continued on in silence. He was pretty sure he was getting tired, but if he remembered right, this shadowrunning thing wasn't great for lovers of sleep.

[adamu]

"Yeah, reckon I got a question. You got any rule o' thumb on when all these rules apply an' when they don't? Cuz last time we was down there, damned Flower hippies done hit us hard, took down one guy we ain't never seen since, an' run off with a teenage girl we was pertectin'. Right there in yer crime-free Nightside Market, an' not a peep from all this massive security y'all's on about. Then we goes ta git 'er back, an' din't hurt no one inna process mind, an' now we's all marked fer death fer breakin' the sacred circle o' love or some such. So is knowin' these rules good fer more'n a trip up shit creek, or we jist gotta wing it moment ta moment?"

[adamu]

Robyn blushes a bit but does not back down.  She does not turn her head as she says, "If they were that brazen you must have either done something to them or you had something they really wanted.  It is very odd, but not completely impossible to have that sort of thing happen.  The potential reward would have to be large indeed for a House to do that in the Market.  Wait, was that about a month ago?  Yes, so that was you guys?  You fragged them up pretty badly.  Both on the ground and in the Market.  Word is you got away with only losing two people and took out several of their best.  Oh, they paid for that.  The Market Court passed a two-month injunction on them with a stipulation that any further disturbances caused by them would result in a far lengthier injunction.  The taxes paid from the Market go to the Earl to be split among the Houses.  An injunction cuts a House out of their share, which is then split among the other Houses.  This amounts to a huge sum of money and trade-in-kind that the House of Flowers is losing out on for two months.  And the risk is so much greater if caught again.  So, no, what they did was not without consequence.  But remember that Below is not unlike any other Barrens in the world; the powerful get to set the rules and do as they want, as long as they do not set off the other powerful people.  In this case there are thirteen Houses, the Market, the Warrens, and several other entities.  The market loves its independence and is more than willing to hammer a House for infringing their rules.  For one thing, the market is the place most tourists see and they rely on the trade of the Overworld to survive."
 
"It is still possible that they may try something if they can use a proxy.  But even proxies can lead back to the source, and I would think that, unless the Master of the House has a personal beef with you, you will not be bothered by anyone even remotely associated with them."  She gives a rather pretty laugh.  "In fact, you might find them to be quite willing to escort you through the Market to avoid any incident that even looks like they had a hand in.  And I am sorry about your companion.  People go missing all the time there.  I would not even think of telling you to give up hope, but I will say that he is probably beyond any help you can give him if he was taken by the House of Flowers.  They have a rep for using slaves to test their latest drug creations on.  They test and test and test until what is left is nothing more than a brain-dead meat bag and then they peddle that off to one of the body shops, ghoul camps, or vampire dens."
 
Robyn pauses for a minute of thought then says, "And Al?  I cannot find this Shit Creek in my knowledge of Below." Her face was serious, her question matter-of-fact. "Is it perhaps known by some other name?"

[adamu]

Al took in the answer, and started to smile at her final question - until he saw her face. No hint of joking there,...and he was a little confused. Sure, she had that bit of a Russian lilt to her speech, but he'd never seen her miss an idiom. "Heh, jist a figure o' speech..." he mumbled, voice trailing off. He quickly redirected his efforts at a hidden compartment.