[inca1980]

@Stryker:

Zach wakes you up by tossing a couple packets of Stuff'it^© nutri-soy bars which, aside from the occasional roasted devil rat, has been your diet for the last month.  You quickly sit up and tear open the silver plastic wrap and munch away at the bars since it's the first mouthful of food you've had for more than 24 hours.  You rub your backside which is a little sore.  Doc Watson did a great job of pulling out all the shrapnel from your rear-end but having your healing wound pressed up against the concrete for a whole night doesn't help you out much at all.  Despite the fact your shoes and socks are still soaking from last night's rain, you're feeling pretty good.  Actually come to think of it....you don't know if you've ever felt better.  You managed to endure it so far roughing it out here on the streets with your only concerns being avoiding getting mugged by the Stilettos or becoming some street critter's lunch.  Zach's really helped out with that cuz the old ork has a way of managing to stay alive you've noticed.  Even though you feel that it's something you'd do for anybody in danger, it's quite clear Zach feels indebted to you for still being above ground and the two of you have struck up a rather functional friendship of sorts.

The Divers of the Astral Sea, which somehow contacted you based on the recommendation from an unnamed raven shaman, just recently accepted you into their fold and have also been particularly helpful in interpreting the dreams you have been having.  Through their help and the guidance of your personal communications with the Eternal Ones you came to the realization that what you thought was your greatest weakness could actually become your greatest asset.  Your ever keen desire to take the weight of the world onto your own shoulders needed to be put to the test and it was decided that a test of endurance would be the only way for your to turn this desire into a strength. 

In a way very analogous to a training regime of weight lifting you have spent the days on the street lifting the weight of magical spells and holding them until the strain burned your mind and you felt that you could not bear the load anymore.  But just as muscle grows and the weights which were once too heavy soon seem liftable, after a month of carrying around cumbersome mana constructs you suddenly realized one day that you were holding up quite heavy spells without even realizing that you were even doing it.  It became second nature and with the right amount of focus you could weave a spell about yourself and hold it with only your subconscious mind doing the "lifting".   Your dreams have also changed and sent you hurtling off to unknown realms deep within the fabric of the universe, following the mana stream to its source.  Everytime you are about to cross over, the crushing realization of your own inadequacy suddenly wakes you up in a cold sweat.   

You've also had your commlink turned off for the whole month and you've been wondering what Brick's been up to.  Zach crouches next to you.  "We gotta move, Stiletto's patrolling.  Brick call.  He has job...are you ready?"

@Zach:

Well you're alive.  It could be worse.  But even a vat grown type O liver just isn't the same as the old one.  No matter how little you drank, you still never had a problem metabolizing alcohol.  It didn't bother you in the least that Doc Watson said that it was just plain good sense to stay away from booze, but you didn't realize that he meant COMPLETELY.  Well, you see how Stryker has given up so much in the last month and you decide it ain't so bad having to give up that single shot of vodka that you toast with on new-years.

Brick called about a job from Amazing Larry and your ready to take any work that's coming your way.  Doc Watson called a few days ago talking about some Russians who came through looking for you.  The Doc just played stupid and they bought it, but you could feel them getting closer.  The Vory already knew weeks ago that you were in Seattle, it's just a matter of time before they catch up to you.

[OOC: i'm gonna go ahead and give you a Mild Alergy to alcohol to reflect the difficulty your liver has with alcohol. ]

@Brick:

You just dropped the little one off at the monorail station.  Anita being the sweetheart that she is has managed to get a hacker friend of hers to move around a little paper-work and get your little girl into an Evo Urban Achievers Charter School with some state subsidies, and even though it pains you to send her to what for all intents and purposes you could call "corp camp", something inside of you feels it's what's best.  Why not give her the best of both worlds.  You mentally run-over what a typical day's curriculum is usually like:  06:00 wake up with 15 minutes of kalisthetics, 06:30 breakfast and go to school, 08:00-15:15 school day learning anything from factoring 3rd degree polynomials to deconstruction of Shakespearian sonnets, 16:00 arrive home and watch the trid, 16:30 Weapon's training, 17:30 demolitions, 18:00 dinner....and then the rest of the evening could be anything from situational training exercises, target practice, urban survival to a bedtime story.  21:30 lights out, daddy goes to work.  As long as she knows how to separate the garbage from the real-deal, you know she'll end up being even better than you at what you do but'll have the paper-work and the book smarts that you never had a chance to get.  At least she'll have the ability to choose, and especially being a human, she'll have no door closed to her. 

On your walk back home a few blocks from the chinese restaurant you get a call from Amazing Larry.  You put the ARO on hidden mode and take the call, talking as you walk.

"Alright listen up big guy, i've got a job, no frills and pretty cut and dry.  It's a babysittin' run for a courier.  New start up software company Odyssey Multimedia ain't AA yet doesn't wanna sell out yet to the big boys cuz they think they stand a chance and make a name for themselves.  Apparently some heavy players don't like that kind of stubbornness, especially when the Odyssey programmers seem to have come across something pretty fresh.  Don't know all the details but one of their leading programmers by the name of Dustin Manugian doesn't have much confidence in Odyssey matrix security and wants to run a hardcopy across town himself and he's looking for some babysitters. This time I got you something a lot better than that old beat up Daihatsu van, a rigger that goes by the name Wagner, here's his number.  He's known to be good at hacking nodes too so he's the whole package.  Manugian wants to meet the team to hash out the details.  23:00 tonight over at The Icon night club, VIP booth reservation under Parker party of 5.  Should I give the green light for the meet?"
 

[Edited]

[Sichr]

Well, Dr. Watson. Thank you for your concern. Now I owe you even more, but there is nothing I would not do for you, as you represent something very rare and valued to me. I would like to ask you for one more favour in this cause. Could you please grant me some photoes, signature or something like that, of those men who were asking about me? I would really appreciate to have a little "talk" with this gentlemen...in the time and place of my own choose, of course.

[Teyl_Iliar]

"Al I don't know where you keep finding this last minute help but I'll take it. Shoot me a file on him if you've got anything after the call, I want to know how much he's worked in Seattle. it would be best if we met him before we meet the client, make sure we're all on the same page. Otherwise this sounds good Al, Set it up. I'll bring the crew in."

Brick Hangs up and walks back to his apartment going over his mental check list. Once inside he goes through the daily routine, 2K run, workout, shower, and makes lunch. As he eats and reads over the notes from Larry he reminds himself needs more packets for the soy flavors next time he can go shopping. After lunch he does a full function check on his weapons, Checks his armor's patch work, loads the extra clips he figures he'll need for the panther settles them in his CLV and stages everything in his bedroom shuts the curtains and goes to sleep at 12:38 as another thunder shower rolls overhead. Just enough time to sleep before picking his little girl up.

[Kot]

Stryker stood up, following Zach without a word, and munching on the soybars without any emotion on his face. What he saw during the time he spent on the streets with Zach was bleak in comparison to the wonders that the Initiation opened for him. That, and the amazing people he met, who adopted him into their circle. Now he knew how much power and wisdom he had. Next to none... And this discovery made him silent, while he tried to rebuild his own world...
"Okay, Zach. I'm in. I need the job as much as you do, and working with you and Brick was a boon, despite the circumstances. I'd be long dead on my own... Oh, and thanks for the company. I learned a lot...
Stryker re-adjusted his backpack, and checked his weapons and equipment before moving on. After that, he looked at his clothes, and sighed.
"And if there's going to be a meet, I need to at least take a shower and buy a change of clothes. Oh, and my Explorer suit also needs cleaning... I don't think the street suits me, despite all what it taught me."

[Sichr]

Zach is packed in the minute. He checks his guns, one hanging on the sling under the trenchcoat, another one in the smuggling compartement on the bike, tsts his knives blades, draws three times tke Claw from the arm slide, trying if the mechanism and holster runss smooth. Then he puts the respirator, googles, helmet and long trench coat on, and starts his chopper.

It was about the time, pointy ear . Well, it looks like it is safe no more to stay close to me. So back to the saddle, boy. I think I will need some money very soon...Im heading to the city, so I can take you to some coffin motel. I`ll be around, so if you need me, you got my callsign, I may hear the call....And if anyone asks about me, kill him...or better...let me know where to find him, I`ll kill him myself.

[Kot]

"Yeah, a coffin motel would be cool. And don't worry, if anything - I've got your back. You saved my neck back then, so I owe you..."
Stryker finished packing, and with just a quick thought weaved a Watcher into existence. "Watch his back, Shardling." He speaks into the spirit hatchling's undeveloped mind, mentally pointing at Zach. "If there's any danger he's not aware of, warn him, and try to distract the enemy. But do not risk your existence, just a warning will do..." He joins Zach on the bike, and after a while he's at the motel, daydreaming about a shower and some spare clothes...

[inca1980]

The auto-lobby teller node at the coffin motel needs you to slot 20¥ for an hour before it gives your access ID clearance to a room or to the showers. 

[Kot]

Stryker sighs, looking at his credstick, and pays for the hour. He takes a rationed shower - he's used to that though - and changes into nondescript, but durable looking flats from a vending machine nearby, carefully frying all tags with his eraser before putting them on. Afterwards he packs his stuff, and calls Brick.
"I've heard there's a new job waiting for us. What's the detail? Oh, and do you know any good dry cleaning business that takes care of armor suits? I've been living in my UE for a month, and believe me, it's not something I'd like to repeat. Or be reminded of..."

[Sichr]

You just lack the proper knowledge. You`ve noticed, that Zacharias is almost always clean and without  any wrong odour. You wonder if he is really bathing in the ocean, using the sand to clean his clotches...but on the other side, Cats tend to be cleanly

[inca1980]

@Wagner:

Brick calls you up, presents himself and asks a few questions then pretty much just gives you the details of the meet.

@Everybody:

You all show up separately and the bouncer at the Icon let's you all in.  A very scantily dressed stout homo sapiens pumilionis woman leads you through the writhing throng of dancers and it's hard to not lose her in the flashing strobe lights and the crowd due to her short stature.  On the far side of the club she finally leads you into the VIP room and leaves you there.  You all enter shutting the door behind you and see sitting at the table a human in his early 30's and dressed in quite chic urban-casual with an earpiece commlink.  The earpiece also has a little imagelink monocle jutting out so that it's FOV covers his left eye.  Before he begins to speak he puts a little black dome shaped device that looks a little bit like an insect's compact eye on the table which you can tell is a smart-jammer.  He turns it on and begins to look at the readout from some ARO's.

"I thank you very much for being able to meet on short notice.  I won't waste any of your time.  Amazing Larry has done some good work for us in the past so I trust his judgement when it comes to the caliber of his associates.  ....Oh...don't mean to be rude....name's Dustin."  He starts to rise from his seat to reach across the table and shake one of your hands but then halts as he sees the blank expression from your faces and sits back down.  "In any case, tomorrow night at 22:00, I need you to transport me and a package I will be carrying in a briefcase from my home at Overlake Corporate Park in Bellevue all the way to one of my companies main nexus clusters up in Everett.  That means we're going to take I-405 North and the total trip is 28.3 km.  I don't expect any complications because there is no way any of our competitors could know about the time that this delivery will occur, however you are being hired just in case due to the sensitivity of this package.  Upon the successful delivery of myself and most importantly this package to our destination my company has authorized a transaction from an escrow account of Amazing Larry's choosing directly to each of your accounts for the amount of 2500¥.  Since we are using your vehicle my company has also instructed me to inform you that there will be an insurance policy in place to cover damages and injuries up to 5000¥.  Is there any questions?"

[Edited]

[Kot]

Stryker was sitting in the back, and observing their employer cautiously. He had a good feeling though. This guy didn't do the usual 'Mr. Johnson' charade, and that was a good sign. That, and the fact that he wasn't one of the corporate low-rankers that usually took the Johnson job.
He focused his magical sight at Dustin though, and scrutinized his aura...

Intuition(5)+Assensing(2) (7d6.hits(5)=2)

[Teyl_Iliar]

"A few questions. First, you said don't expect opposition. If you did who would you expect and just how much would they be willing to throw at us to get your package? Second, so say some how we do get intercepted, Worst comes to worst deal, are you willing to slag that package of yours to keep it out of someone else's hands? Or if you're unable for any reason to do so should we? This route of yours just taking the I-405? Isn't going to cut it. If anyone even thinks we're only taking a long straight shot to this drop off they'll have set up plenty of opportunities to take shots at us. We're going to need to switch things up, especially if anyone other than you knows about that route." Brick looks at Wagner and zach, <<"We should plan at least 2 extra routes, Preferably through zones that are matrix dead or low signal, where your drones can keep signal range of each other and you.">>

(OOC: Brick will wait for a response between  each question, and is waiting for responses from Dustin before going on.)

[inca1980]

@Stryker:

You see that his aura is in good health with only a datajack in his wrist and perhaps some kind of sleep regulator in his brain perturbing it's flow.

@Brick:
"Aside from the several failed hacking attempts to our systems, and the time my condo was broken into, twice already my company has found my office bugged in a security sweep and I have had strangers attempt rather forcefully to befriend me at the gym i go to and as well as at entertainment venues.  I have reported all this to my company and they made the call of getting some security for the transfer of the package which I keep hidden at home all the way to the companies nexus.  Other than this I don't think I could really assess accurately what kind of response we'd see in the off chance that they did find out about the delivery."  He clears his throat.

"Whenever I carpool up to Everett, this is the route I take and my company tells me that any strange change in behavior could serve as an alert to anybody observing me closely that the package is perhaps being moved.  I need this to look like just another late night trip to the office where I often spend the night working with colleagues and you are simply my ride.  We sleep regulate to maximize productivity."

[Sichr]

When Zach founds out that the line is silent, he turns to Brick and speaks in Or`zet:

Oh shit. This clawn is probably the decoy, so we may expect the devils shit raining from the sky down ton our heads. Ive catched every second word, but by my opinion he is comiting a suicide...and he doesnt even know that. Even if Im wrong, i had a bad fefeling about this man. He is obviously as green as my yesterdays breakfast, talking about the urban survival. Ask him please if he is able to run, if we are forced to continue on foot. He said something about the gym, I hope that he is at least well fed. I know that you know your job, Brick, so please tell him that if we are his guards, we are in charge.

Zach will roll his map on AR overlay, trying to figure out alternative routes, looking for I 405 crossroads, greatest distance between exits, surrounding, traffic density and accidents statistics for that time (21:00-23:00), security surveillance and highway patrol stations, Wifi coverage.
Just a brief scan to get the feeling about the road from smuggler`s POV.

Mapsoft

Intuition(4) + Smuggling routes (3) (7d6.hits(5)=2)
Logic(3)+Navigation(2)+Mapsoft(5) (10d6.hits(5)=3)

[Xzylvador]

When Wagner arrived in the booth, he immediately sent an invite towards the other team members for an encrypted channel (and if some arrived after him, he sent it the moment they entered). The signal went dead the moment the fifth guy at the table turned on the jammer.

He listened to the Johnson with a blank expression on his face.

Wagner didn't like it. The Johnson seemed to be an amateur, which meant low pay and most likely a very wrong assessment of the risk involved in the job.
What was worse though, he was apparently expected to play taxi for a guy who was a potential target for unknown corporate enemies. That in itself wasn't a real problem, but the car was brand new and he hadn't nearly gotten all the neccesary upgrades yet... of course, if he didn't take jobs he'd never have the money to buy those upgrades.
He wanted to launch a search on all possible routes from the Corporate Park in Bellevue to the adress in Everett before Dustin could even mention his suggested route, but the jammer was blocking his connection... not an easy feat, must be an expensive toy sitting on the table.

"Please, you set smart jammer not jam me? Is very... strange, no connection." he asks in a heavy Eastern European accent. He looks at the thing on the table with a mixture of annoyment and amazement. "Is very nice... maybe can get one of those?"

His English could be a lot better, but he knew that people generally underestimated the intelligence of anyone talking with a thick accent and broken sentences.