[gilga]

@Athos you get a call from  David, He tells you that, The diving equipment awaits along with a drone instructor, tutor soft and a small motor boat all wait for you in pier 12 at the local Marina downtown in Foster Island.

[Mercy Merchant]

Athos smiles at Kynos.  "Heh.  Yeah, I got your back.  We can work out a signal for you being in trouble and another if you find that lost colony of merfolk rumored to live down there and some pretty mermaid invites to her house.  Yulia is on the way over and I told her that I would wait.  You can go to pier 12 and we will be right after or you can catch a ride in the van.  Your bike will fit right in.

[Shaman_Yuri]

"Mermaid?" I pipe up as I hear the second half of a conversation.  I'm not sure that was what was said, but it sure sounded like it.  "Sounds like a job for a woman.  Where do I sign up?" I add with a grin as I give Athos-onii a great big hug.

[Mercy Merchant]

Athos grins back and returns the hug, careful not to crush his friend.  He had learned that lesson once before and can now hug her without leaving bruises.  "Well, you got here quick.  Were you in the building?  We are going to go to the lake and try to retrieve evidence from a car that drove into it."  He motions to Kynos.  "This is Kynos from the Lounge?  The H/S hybrid.  And Kynos, this is Yulia, the Master Hunter, and my best friend.  Anyway, Kynos will be doing the diving and I will be on a boat holding the rope to pull him up.  Want to come along?"

[Jack_Spade]

"Pleasure to meet you." Kynos greeting was automatic and a bit mechanical. "Good of you to have made it out of there. You aren't by any chance a Decker? We could use one on this run - especially after that attack in an otherwise quite secure host."

To Athos he said: "How about two pulls for: You have disconnected the data cable.
I'll take my bike. You never know if you have to split up. I'll meet you all at the pier."

[gilga]

The way to the pier is peaceful and take about 45 minutes in current traffic, a bit less in a motorbike. When you reach the pier there is a dive master named Dave. He greets you and show you your list of equipment that includes high pressure diving suits and some sophisticated blend of hydrogen and other gases to prevent oxygen toxicity.

"You have to go 60 meters and your boss is aware of the dangers.  There is no way that I can legally let you dive there. This is why I brought you this dolphin class micro-submarine. Room for one person and the pressures and everything adjust on themselves, you basically have nothing to worry about. There is an active-soft about diving and a tutor soft for some theoretical knowledge. Non of them is comprehensive so be careful. 

You'll be wearing a diving suit but it is only for emergencies. I had to move mountains to give you this opportunity so please do your job and get out and if you damage the submarine I am going to lose my job. So, who wants to get down in the submarine? and who is signing for the delivery? When you are done just place it in the pier and give me a buzz I will come to pick it up."

@Athos you get a text message from the 'Horse'
>> There are some troubles in paradise do not ask, but attached is the police report for warehouse investigation, including the informal part. The formal part is technical and deals with the kind of explosives and their avilability and ignores anything out of the ordinary this is a Mafia assassination like many before it in the last years.

The victim is sinless and nobody knows who he is, completely out o the system and there are pictures. Female, orc about 30, not much left of her. Shocking to behold.   Assassination?! your mind is racing but you were the only one in there, how could someone die in the explosion.

The informal investigation deals with DSS, and how they supplied advanced security system to an unauthorized facility that nobody in the KE knew about. Or admitted to knowing - the facility was exposed as it was bombarded from the air in an excuse of disease control. The level of security of the prison was maximum security for magically active.  These are typically specifically tailored to prisoners that are very difficult to contain. Every system is typically given a name, in this case there are five duplicates of the same system. These duplicates were used in three previous cases that were concluded as Mafia assassinations by KE investigators.

[Jack_Spade]

[spoiler]
Tutorsoft: 6d6t5 4 Diving
Tutorsoft: 6d6t5 1 Piloting: Submarine
Reduces the time to learn the skill by one day to zero days
Spending two Karma (Jack of all Trades) to get the skills

[/spoiler]

"Ok, let's see... well that seems straightforward enough." Kynos took a few moments to immerse himself in the tutorsoft to learn how to operate diving equipment and how to drive the submarine.

"Alright, I'm ready to go in. Take care of my things." With these words Kynos began to disrobe, not caring for any of the watchers and applied generous amounts of talcum powder to easier fit into the suit.

"Oh, when does the mage get here? When I get back we might need to analyze the remains asap."

[Mulcarn]

The hard floor didn't do much to soothe Maxwell's aching back.  He spent more time tossing and turning and trying to find a comfortable position than he did actually sleeping.  After awhile he gave up on this pointless endeavor and rose to old problems.  Grumbling in crankiness to no one but himself.

"So my armor can soften a bullet but can't soften the ground, makes no sense.  Damn you Black Knight."

Indolently walking out of the shack outside onto the bar grounds.  Looking up above at the cold night sky in wonderment on how little time has passed since he arrived.  "Didn't Strawberry say something about a team and something about being paid to look for clues?  She gave me someone's comm code too I think.  Wonder if they're down with helping me look right now?  If not then I can always head back north to the nukes fortress to look for shit there."

He scrolled through his list of contacts until Yulia's name appeared.  With his back leaned against the side of the shack he texted her.

@Yulia - <<This is probably a bad time but my new employer gave me your number in case we needed to talk.  I should have made contact with you as soon as she did but was busy doing something else.   If you happen to hear this then i'm available now and would be ready aid in anyway I can.  Just tell me when and where and i'll be there.>>

After he was done sending his message he pulls out and light ups a cigarette to pass the time.  "Zero chance I get a call back."

[Mercy Merchant]

Athos smiles as he signs for the equipment and watches Dave take off.  He looks over to where Kynos is slipping into the wet suit.  "OK.  Yulia and I will take the boat out and try to stay over you.  It looks like we do not need to worry about the rope and me forgetting the code.  Good luck down there.  And be careful." 

Athos and Yulia climb onto the small powerboat and wait for Kynos to settle into the sub.  >>Comm check, Kynos.  Can you hear me?<<

[gilga]

@Kynos the submarine is sort of like a small cacoon completely transparent and you slowly descend to the bottom of the lake.  Lake Washington is a constant source of tension between Seattle and the Nan and this tension keep it relatively clean as fishing is strictly limited and pollution is kept to minimum up to the incompetency of the government to enforce its rules and regulations on the greedy cooperate world and the lawless Barrens.

The selection of fish is astonishing and although there is no light the submarine equip you with many other senses, such as infra-red and ultrasound. locating the van is not very difficult it is just under the bridge, and it seems to be in a rapid state of decay something is dissolving the metal. At first you thought that the van is some old shipwreck but its location so close to the ambush, and the fact that the glass is clean indicating that this rotten vehicle is actually the one you are after and something is slowly chewing away the evidence. 

@Athos Kynos is long gone the marina is busy and several boats approach you closely, you are uncertain maybe it is the paranoia but perhaps they are really after you. Few times someone approached too close and you were alarmed just to discover that they moved on.

[Mercy Merchant]

Athos watches the next boat as it closes, only to pull away.  "Hey, Yulia.  It seems that people are curious about the Troll with the hot girl.  Maybe you should lay on the front and pretend to be getting a tan.  I won't look, promise."

Other than that, be cautious.  Try to stay in contact with Kynos.

[Jack_Spade]

<<I have found the car. Something is eating the thing quite fast. Find pictures attached. Love Kynos.>>

Kynos steared the submarine closer while he trained the search light directly on the wrack.
<<I have no idea what to make of this. There seems to be some kind of magic acid in play, eating away the metal and plastic but leaving the glass intact. Looks like a clumsy attempt to vanish the evidence of the car crash.
Either the vamp is environmentally conscious, or he has a hiding place nearby and doesn't want evidence close to his front door.
I'm circling the wrack a bit more. Maybe I can see something interesting from another angle. Find more pictures attached. Love Kynos.>>

[Shaman_Yuri]

I haven't been on a boat since before I left Chicago.  Daddy would often go out on Lake Michigan on good days and I would sometimes even get to go with him.  I'd have to wear a one-piece suit that was designed to hide my tail and a cap for my ears, but despite the discomfort of having to press my tail tighter than the ligaments and bone wanted to, it is a pleasant memory.  That said, we never went out in winter.  Most years going out on Lake Michigan in December would be suicide - Lake Washington is just cold annoyance.

Athos seems quite adept at the controls, so I sit myself along the starboard edge and occasionally dip my tail in the water absently.  I notice the attention we're getting and write it up to my tail, occasionally smiling and waving to passing boats with both my hand and my tail, but then Athos suggests it could be something else.

"Hey, Yulia," my best friend pipes up cheerfully, "it seems that people are curious about the Troll with the hot girl.  Maybe you should lay on the front and pretend to be getting a tan.  I won't look, promise."

I look up at the cold grey December skies and scowl.  "If it were July instead of almost January I might take you up on it, onii."  I then look back at onii with a smirk.  "Even if I don't have a suit, it just means no tan lines.  Still," I add pointing up to the sky, "I think today I'm more likely to rust than tan...not to mention freeze my tail off."

Just as I finish speaking an unfamiliar chirp causes me to jump and almost lose my balance on the edge since it happened right as Athos took a turn.  Fortunately my inhuman agility and reflexes keep me from going for a swim.  What the heck?  I reach into my jacket and pull out the temporary comm Jack loaned me back at Strawberry's place.  We had coded it with my number until I got my glasses back.  That way I wouldn't miss a call from Jimmy or someone else who might know my main line.  I hadn't changed the ring tone, though, so the classic Mercurial soundtrack was unexpected.

Unrecognised?

>>@Maxwell: And who might the employer be?  I'm sorry, but I don't know this number.<<

[Mulcarn]

Ash and dust was falling off a half burnt cigarette that lay locked in between Maxwell's canines as his mind wandered.  He drifted in and out of reality while watching stray embers fly off in directionless wind.  Scenes from years ago and moments today mixed together in an illogical maze.  Those arrogant dreams and nostalgic thoughts didn't last as his comm started buzzing for attention.  Causing him to hastily see who replied and to respond in return.

"I guess I probably should have said who I was and whatnot.  Need like twenty cups of coffee.  Oh well at least I got an answer back.

@Yulia - <<I'm sorry I should have been more clear in my first message and should have said who is who.  My name is Sovereign and i'm working at the behest of a club owner named Strawberry.  She told me that she was constructing a team to help solve a sensitive matter of hers and she gave me your name and number.  There are some things that remain in the dark even for me and I won't know more until we meet face to face.>>

[gilga]

@Kynos as you circle the van you notice some advertisement beeping in your comlink. It  is a commercial for 'make it gone' an environmentally friendly acid. Their motto is 'cheaper than carry it out to the trash'.  You know these kind of advertisement, they are displayed in shops when you approach the product. Since there is no matrix reception it must be delivered in a peer-to-peer manner, but that means that there is some comlink or other simple electronic device still intact in the close surrounding.
(Roll perception if you would like to search more).