[obidancer]

Deckard listened to Al, nodded and added. It works for me.

I don't mean to say they would guess where we are going, but the two options we have are places we've been already, and thus stand a chance, even if very unlikely, to be compromised. 

Now Ms. Karasu, I hope that place will have some somewhat comfortable beds, pads, couches or what not, because we're soon going to feel like drek.

[Mercy Merchant]

Robyn listens to the byplay while waiting for some sort of reply from the mage in the Market or from ISaint telling her to contact the hospital.  Her face remains passive throughout and she does not interrupt anyone.  She is curious about the motives of the Misuhama operative, which is what she considers the Japanese woman to be at this point, but spends her time collecting the diagnostic data into one file so she can send it on to the hospital at once if she is given permission to do so.

[Jack_Spade]

"Sure, if you can order and administer the Antibiotics outside the hospital, there is no reason not to. But be aware that our communications could be compromised, so order them to a dead drop where we can retrieve them.

About the place form Mrs. Karasu: That entirely depends on where and what this place is. Please tell us more about that option."
Isaint replied a bit tiredly. He too felt the onset of fatigue.

[Mercy Merchant]

Robyn pulls out a burner 'link and sends a text to her physician friend, explaining the problem and asking if he can prescribe the necessary meds for her team.    She asks if a drone delivery can be arranged and if so, she will tell him where the drop off point is to be.  She emphasizes that time is of the essence and would he please give this some effort.  She knows what he will want for payment if he is able to do this favor, and she hints in the text that she is ready to repeat their last encounter.

[DireRadiant]

[Yukika Karasu - Sunday July 5th, 2076; Angel's, West End, London]

"A Greater London Metropolitan Police Gangs and Organized Crime Unit safehouse?"

I wait.

[adamu]

"Groovy baby, stickin' it to the Man. Squattin' inna fuzz's own house. Some things, they got a poetry ya jist can't say no to."

[Jack_Spade]

"That sounds like it could lead to an instant arrest. Are you sure the police won't mind us setting up shop there? What exactly is your relation to the Metropolitan? Can you guarantee that it will be a no questions asked arrangement?

If yes, we can certainly consider it."
Isaint answered

[DireRadiant]

[Yukika Karasu - Sunday July 5th, 2076; Angel's, West End, London]

"I guarantee nothing except that any questions asked of me by the Metropolitan Police regarding yourselves and the safe house I will not answer. The rest is up to you."

Ah, I almost said that in command mode. I must be careful. They seek reassurances which is natural but I cannot give it to them. I am after all not responsible for their own actions which may imperil themselves. The Unclean Hound may bark in the night. They may scream in pain during their forthcoming suffering. They may speak openly of things that should not be said aloud, especially where the wrong ears may hear it. They may rave during their fevers. They may not take appropriate precautions.

I could guarantee it, but they would not like it, and would never work with me again. The only certainty is Death.

I switch to gentle mode.

"Please, I understand if you wish to avoid using my connections. If you do wish my assistance, it will take a short time to arrange and the sooner I start the sooner we can be safe. You must decide soon if I am to be of use to you."

[Jack_Spade]

"So in other words, your safe house is not a safe place for us to recuperate and you don't have any special favor with the Police that would make them overlook our presence there. We'd be relying on blind luck that no officer notices a band of shadowrunners squatting in one of their safe houses.

Personally, I'm not comfortable with that prospect.
I'd rather take Torrents offer - there at least we won't risk burning perfectly good SINs, even if we have a higher chance of being discovered.
But since we won't be taking the artifact with us, it's less likely for anyone to seek us out.

Speaking of which, I want to hear ideas from all of you where we can stage the hand off. I'm thinking isolated areas where an exploding idol won't do much harm to civilians. Ideally also a place where there already is a background count that can mask the statues emanations.
Like here, Chiswick Cemetery. Those get closed after dark and we can easily hide the statue while still giving a precise location to our client.

What do you say?"
Isaint asked his fellow chummers.

[Mercy Merchant]

Robyn chimes in with her vote, "The cemetery sounds good to me.  I am afraid that the drugs we need to use are controlled very tightly and a drone delivery is not possible.  We need to go to the doctor to get them.  That means a likely SIN check.  Would that be an issue for anyone?  I am still waiting for return messages from the doctor I know Below that helped put me back together once as she may have access to such drugs."

[DireRadiant]

[Yukika Karasu - Sunday July 5th, 2076; Angel's, West End, London]

Blind Luck? Insulting. Luck runs as I will it.

"Please, I beg of you, if I am of no use to you with my connections to find a safe house or deliver illegal drugs, then let me remove myself before you speak further of your plans."

And away from the sickness!

"I am afraid I was not clear earlier, but I also fear I cannot please you. The safehouse would have been arranged so that while obviously my contact would be aware of you presence and use of it, you would all be anonymous and provided with an excellent cover story. One that gives a reason both to hide and to seek respite for healing. I believed you would have the skills to behave appropriately and not break that cover, and the experience to overcome the nominal surveillance, however I choose not to guarantee your behavior. I do not know you well enough for that."

I bow.

I walk away.

"If you seek the Blessing of Purification and the Rites of Healing I can be found at the Shrine of Blue Azelias."

[adamu]

As the Japanese woman walked away, Al put down his soldering iron, shoved his pull-detonator into a jacket pocket, and caught up to her, the cable leaving a trail behind him back to the explosives.

Breath stinking of cigarettes and general lack of hygiene, he addressed her in Japanese. His abuse of the proper conjugations and honorifics grated on her ears, much like his sandpaper growl of a voice, but he was readily understandable and she knew he used her language in a clumsy attempt at respect.

"Hey, it'll be our loss if you choose to go. Trust comes slowly for these people - though I think that's been a two-way street - but I can tell you that the three I know well will stand by a comrade to the very end. On the other hand, perhaps the timing has been bad - we are not helping you find Iris, but instead exposing you to at least five major dangers just by our presence. But once we rid ourselves of this albatross, we will be returning Below for a job that will be much more suited to your skills. And since we are still supposedly meeting Iris down there, it could be a win-win. So I would pray for you to stay now and let us earn one another's trust, despite our different paths. But if that is not your choice, please consider returning Below with us for our next job."

[obidancer]

Can I remind you again, blowing this thing up is a BAD idea. And i'm not too keen on the Cemetery idea either. Mind you, I appreciate the thought process, balancing the background count  particularly. But those tombs are sometimes the only thing left of a loved one. Destroying them would be a devastating blow to those who already have lost a lot.  Plus Spirits are quite keen on their body's resting place. It can be a can of worm to bring that evil thing there.

Deckard seemed very passionate about it.

There are however other abandoned places with a pretty negative imprint already.  London has had its share of catastrophes...

The Japanese Priestess started to leave and Al ran after her.

Deckard lean close to ISaint. I think you pissed her off...  never lost your touch with women...



#65

[Mercy Merchant]

Robyn has been sitting near her unconscious Hell Hound companion, listening to what the others are saying.  Her hearing picks up every word of the conversations around her as she waits for word back from the hospital, the mage, or the doctor in Below.  She dares not sink back into VR if the team is going to be moving soon, so she assigns her agents to research the Nexus archives for any information about the disease.  She sends a message to her Evo handler, >>Mister Brown.  Robyn Lysander.  Can you try to get some information for me, please?  I have been approached by a woman calling herself Yukika Karasu.  I recognize her from a couple of meetings I have had with a senior Mitsuhama executive named Nobu Harakira.  She was in the background in those meetings, but my opinion is that Nobu Harakira does not include people in his meetings without a purpose.  Do you have any information on her that you can share with me?<<

[Jack_Spade]

The priestess sudden flight attempt caught Isaint unprepared. To Rick he murmured: "I should have known better than to talk to a Japanese woman that hangs around Below. That's like three things already against me."

Louder he said: "I see where you are coming from and I'm open for concrete counter proposals. But the explosion part is only meant as a precaution - ideally the statue will neither explode nor will anyone - the spirits at included - be inconvenienced long by the statue. If it works the thing will be gone within an hour. Also we don't have to take an active cemetery. We could use one of the WWII ones - there probably won't be any grieving families when a headstone is flattened by a blast.
Remember, our Johnson seems to be a bit nervous and a prissy pants at that - a cemetery we can probably sell to him, a waste disposal site will be harder."

To Karasu he called: "Hey, how about you explain this stuff in detail and don't make us play 20 questions while you scamper off after question 2. We are trying to make informed decisions here."
The words had left his mouth before his inner censor could react: 'You really know how to make friends and influence people. Why don't you run after her and knock her over the head for good measure?'

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