NEWS

[IC] Prelude: Elena

  • 103 Replies
  • 16057 Views

Mercy Merchant

  • *
  • Prime Runner
  • *****
  • Posts: 6422
« Reply #15 on: <09-29-16/0145:38> »
"Not yet.  On the way there now.  Leave a message at the bar if you think of anything, please?"  After getting assurances that they will, Elena nods at them and leaves the Union for the first address.  Fortunately, all the girls live in a short radius of the club and it does not take Elena long to walk to Jennifer's apartment.  It is on the third floor of a ratty building and the lobby elevator has been out of service for six years.  The owner used to pretend that he cared enough to have it repaired, but even he has given up that ides and the open car at the ground level has been converted into a sort of storage room. 

Elena walks into the building and heads for the stairs, noting the whiff of something acrid coming from whatever the loser behind the counter is smoking.  She does not even stop to say hello because what is the point.  He is the eighth desk clerk the place has had in the last six months...............almost a record.  Some of the working girls have started a pool on how long he will be here.  Elena has money on four days from today, so she hopes he is at least that tough.  The best money in on a week, but Elena does not really like to gamble where the good money is.  She starts up the creaky stairs, headed to the third floor.
"Speech"  *Thought*  <Matrix>

Stuttrboy

  • *
  • Omae
  • ***
  • Posts: 906
« Reply #16 on: <09-29-16/0939:57> »
You reach the room and tap in the 6 digit code to enter the room.  As run down as the apartments are the unit is fairly spacious, a main living room and an adjoining bedroom and bathroom.  The furnishing are worn but clean and the closest thing to a mess is a small pile of clothes in the corner of the bedroom.  It appears Jessica was a fairly tidy person.

You rummage through some drawers until you find a PDA that Jessica seems to use as a "little black book"  some have different numbers of asterisk in some sort of rating system and one of the more recent entries has three little heart emoji  after it.  You'd guess this must be the "friend" the girls were talking about.  There's an address and a name Nikki Web.
Life is a hideous thing, and from the background behind what we know of it peer daemoniacal hints of truth which make it sometimes a thousandfold more hideous. --H. P. Lovecraft

Mercy Merchant

  • *
  • Prime Runner
  • *****
  • Posts: 6422
« Reply #17 on: <09-29-16/1020:13> »
I have a name and an address.  I also have Jessica's black book.  I look at the PDA to see if she had an appointment with anyone for just before she left.
"Speech"  *Thought*  <Matrix>

Stuttrboy

  • *
  • Omae
  • ***
  • Posts: 906
« Reply #18 on: <09-29-16/1023:14> »
There are no appointment dates listed but the last two addresses are time stamped within minutes of each other.
Life is a hideous thing, and from the background behind what we know of it peer daemoniacal hints of truth which make it sometimes a thousandfold more hideous. --H. P. Lovecraft

Mercy Merchant

  • *
  • Prime Runner
  • *****
  • Posts: 6422
« Reply #19 on: <09-30-16/0016:42> »
Elena leaves the room, taking the PDA with her.  She ensures that the lock is reset and makes her way to Kati's apartment.  On the way, she looks at the addresses to see if she can identify them.
"Speech"  *Thought*  <Matrix>

Stuttrboy

  • *
  • Omae
  • ***
  • Posts: 906
« Reply #20 on: <09-30-16/0914:18> »
A few look like they might be familiar.  You may have had johns in the area but nothing really stands out, they are all within walking distance, though some might take a bit of a trek.

Kati's apartment is much like the first.  There's no doorman but a few of Gundersons men live here so it tends to be relatively safe.  The elevator supposedly works but the groans and squeals it emits when you call it convince you to take the stairs yet again.  Thankfully it's only on the second floor.  You tap in the key code and the door opens in welcome.  Kati is clearly messier than Jessica was.   Food cartons lay on the desk and clothes are all over the bedroom.  This is going to be tougher to search than Jessica's.
Life is a hideous thing, and from the background behind what we know of it peer daemoniacal hints of truth which make it sometimes a thousandfold more hideous. --H. P. Lovecraft

Mercy Merchant

  • *
  • Prime Runner
  • *****
  • Posts: 6422
« Reply #21 on: <10-01-16/1256:52> »
Elena shakes her head as she begins searching the room.  She goes through the clothes, placing some off to the side as she finishes with them.  She looks for and finds a picture of Kati, recording it onto her comlink like she had done with one of Jessica.  It turns out that Kati is quite close in size to Elena and the two could easily swap clothes.  Elena had been a bit disappointed to find that Jessica is about an inch taller than herself, but such issues can be dealt with if necessary.. 

Elena is hoping to find some sort of comlink or PDA here similar to the one she had found in Jessica's place.  It would be interesting to see if they share any common clients.  It would be golden if they both know and like Nikki Web.
"Speech"  *Thought*  <Matrix>

Stuttrboy

  • *
  • Omae
  • ***
  • Posts: 906
« Reply #22 on: <10-02-16/1223:02> »
Picking through the clothes you find a piece of old electronic paper.  Who uses this stuff anymore.  The interface contains a few names and directions to their homes.  While there are no addresses listed you could follow the directions then compare them to the PDA.  Although  a trip home with some of the nicer clothes may be in order.
Life is a hideous thing, and from the background behind what we know of it peer daemoniacal hints of truth which make it sometimes a thousandfold more hideous. --H. P. Lovecraft

Mercy Merchant

  • *
  • Prime Runner
  • *****
  • Posts: 6422
« Reply #23 on: <10-02-16/1229:16> »
As she puts the paper on a counter to be picked up, the thought crosses Elena's mind that some of these clothes would look good in her own closet, but she does not want to steal from another working girl if there is a chance she is coming home.  She sighs as she puts the last article of clothing to the side then begins looking through the furniture for anything else that might be of help, still looking for some sort of record of Kati's activities or clients.
"Speech"  *Thought*  <Matrix>

Stuttrboy

  • *
  • Omae
  • ***
  • Posts: 906
« Reply #24 on: <10-02-16/1423:51> »
Your thoroughness pays if with the discovery of a few doses of bliss and a vibrator.  You also discover that the trid has about 100 hours of recorded soap operas on it, but nothing else to determine her possible whereabouts.
Life is a hideous thing, and from the background behind what we know of it peer daemoniacal hints of truth which make it sometimes a thousandfold more hideous. --H. P. Lovecraft

Mercy Merchant

  • *
  • Prime Runner
  • *****
  • Posts: 6422
« Reply #25 on: <10-02-16/1449:00> »
Before leaving the apartment, Elena pulls up a mapsoft to check on the addresses she sees on the piece of paper.  She is looking to see how many are within walking distance and then cross-references the address with those from Jessica's PDA.
"Speech"  *Thought*  <Matrix>

Stuttrboy

  • *
  • Omae
  • ***
  • Posts: 906
« Reply #26 on: <10-02-16/1923:26> »
unfortunately the mapsofts aren't quite as particular as green house about halfway from the corner, but it takes a bit to cross reference all the addresses in the PDA with those names' estimated locations.   Two of the three names on the list are within a block of the PDA addresses one of which is one of the recent ones in Jessica's PDA.  They are both within walking distance.
Life is a hideous thing, and from the background behind what we know of it peer daemoniacal hints of truth which make it sometimes a thousandfold more hideous. --H. P. Lovecraft

Mercy Merchant

  • *
  • Prime Runner
  • *****
  • Posts: 6422
« Reply #27 on: <10-02-16/2030:55> »
Elena nods to herself.  That address bears checking out first, then the second one.  She neatly folds the paper and puts in a pocket then leaves the apartment after securing the door behind her.  On the way to the first address, which seems to be common to both girls, she ducks in an alley to change her face, hair, and bust size.  In about a minute, she looks completely different, even the clothes she is wearing are a different color to match the new, shorter blonde hair style she is sporting.  Emerging from the alley, a different girl heads to the first address, where she intends a casual walk-by to see what the outside of the place is like.
"Speech"  *Thought*  <Matrix>

Stuttrboy

  • *
  • Omae
  • ***
  • Posts: 906
« Reply #28 on: <10-02-16/2121:02> »
This house is actually pretty nice and sure enough it matches both the address and directions from both the PDA and the e-paper, the client is listed as one Elizabeth Locke.  The house is very nice for the area.  It has an honest to god yard and wrought iron gate around it.  The yard is only about a meter wide but it's a yard, in the Barrens.  It appears to be an old converted brownstone one of the 4 unit buildings you see around but it's fairly well maintained.  This person clearly has some connections in this area.  You can't tell much more than that in your walk by and you'd probably need to get inside the gate to gate anything more useful anyway.
Life is a hideous thing, and from the background behind what we know of it peer daemoniacal hints of truth which make it sometimes a thousandfold more hideous. --H. P. Lovecraft

Mercy Merchant

  • *
  • Prime Runner
  • *****
  • Posts: 6422
« Reply #29 on: <10-02-16/2140:10> »
Elena is impressed by the house.  In this part of the Barrens, there should be a bar or strip club on nearly every other block.  She goes to the nearest one and slides through the door into the interior, looking for a place to sit at the bar.  She orders whiskey and sits back to observe the clientele and paying attention to the bartender and waitresses.  Perhaps one of them can be a source of information about the house down the street and its occupant.
"Speech"  *Thought*  <Matrix>