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Long Kiss Goodbye (IC)

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ismilealot

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« Reply #630 on: <03-20-17/2154:25> »
It took a bit of orcish ingenuity to read the data on the antiquated data sticks. But, Arc had all the time and quiet she needed down in the hidey-hole they now found themselves in. And what she found caused her a low whistle of admiration. Nicolai had planned well. They had enough cred for each of them to have 20k nuyen even after deducting the cost of the extraction by Jed's contact. And the SIN's had enough variety to give each of them a reasonably passable identity. Arc was certainly no expert on SIN's, and these were from a foreign country. But, they even looked legit. And that meant they'd pass muster at checkpoints.
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« Reply #631 on: <03-21-17/1002:54> »
As everyone settled in, Arc too the SINs and the credsticks and set herself to work.  Her face was fairly blank, a small frown on her features as she focused on her task.  Connecting to the universal ports on the sticks, she tried to lull them up, only to meet a syntax error...

"Shazbot..." the human muttered to herself as she pulled up the source code in the sticks.  Of course...these things were older than her, so this money was likely pre-Crash 2.0. Of course they wouldn't be compatible.  Determined, she fiddled arund with the sticks, grabbing a ration pack to eat as she continued.

And, as she was about to throw the foil wrapping away, see had an idea.  Forming a few prongs with the foil, she placed them into the sticks, then touched her access cable to them.  With a slight spark, she was able to get a reading, her eyes widening at the result.

She lost track of time, so she did a quick check of who was awake before clearing her throat.  "We can get outta here, with a bit of jing to take home to boot.  And passes in case our coyote needsh ush to legit travel.  Dunno about the rest, but I think we have a good setup here..."

Mercy Merchant

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« Reply #632 on: <03-21-17/1028:29> »
Yelena looks up from where she is cleaning her rifle. "So Arc think we stay here to hide?  For how long?  PI man already call friends so needs tell them to wait if we stay here."
"Speech"  *Thought*  <Matrix>

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« Reply #633 on: <03-21-17/1134:03> »
Blinking twice, Arc chuckled to herself with a shake of her head.  "I'm all for leavin', if it's safe to.  Sooner we'really back UCAS side, the sooner I'll rest easy.  I leave it to all yas to figure out when we move.  I'm jusht telling that we have a good haul."

SmilinIrish

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« Reply #634 on: <03-21-17/1138:41> »
I'm all for heading home. Blackbird, what do you want?  You expressed earlier that you didn't think you would be returning to Seattle. Did you have somewhere else to head to, or were you thinking of staying here?
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gilga

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« Reply #635 on: <03-21-17/1149:02> »
Blackbird said "I am going to show my old mentor how much violence I learned by kidnapping and interrogating him. I am sure that he will be proud in his own twisted way.
 
After I steal the secrets from his head. I'll know where my next step is. My guess is Italy, because the priests are after me now so I might as well get to the bottom of it all. Find out who I am and what do I need to know to be free. "





Mercy Merchant

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« Reply #636 on: <03-21-17/2212:39> »
Yelena looks over at Jed and Blackbird. "Blackbird need help?  Yelena better at killing than capturing but can learn."
"Speech"  *Thought*  <Matrix>

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« Reply #637 on: <03-21-17/2222:11> »
Arc couldn't help but raise a brow at the new development, slumping back into a small chair, her cybernetic arm flexing a bit as she let out her breath.  Already she could see their departure getting delayed.  But after parting her lips as if to respond, she stopped herself.  She could see the look in Yelena's eyes...the same look she herself got when she pledged to help the elf get her revenge.  If the help was accepted, she wasn't going to back down.

Letting out a little chuckle, she sat back, closing her eyes and fishing out her pack of smokes without a thought.  However, she caught herself after receiving a look, groaning as she tossed the pack away.  "Pft.  Tchae, alrighty.  So what's the play then?  We shtick around to get thish done then call our ride?"

gilga

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« Reply #638 on: <03-22-17/0236:01> »
Marco said "Let's begin at the beginning, while we were busy hastening the demise of certain notorious criminals. My sister contacted me. I am certain that she is my sister but until that moment I could not recognize her as a family. She was just another person in my life.  The priests used my affection for her to discover me, so all the killing myself and disappearing it was for nothing really.

Now the thing is, brute force will not work here. Mages are powerful individuals and a cabal of experienced mages is beyond our capabilities. They educated me since my formative years, so they understand me better than I do myself. This whole sister kidnapping thing is probably just another manipulation, control. My guess is that my sister is also one of them like me and she was activated when they needed to find me. The very emotions that make me powerful brought my demise - my hubris that I can help her or rescue her.

My point is, I need to become something else if I want to be free. Something that they cannot understand or anticipate - so I already have no contacts. I am basically dead and even you as the last people that know that I am alive do not like me very much. This is the high time for acts of pure insanity - to behave in such a chaos that they cannot anticipate.

I do not ask you to join me, I spent all my life trying to avoid a destiny of violence and murder and now I might actually do these very things to be free. My aim is to understand this organization and its political structure and dig out some leverage that is powerful enough for these people to give up their young prodigy and write off 15 years of direct investment.  This is insanity, it is not just kidnapping a single priest. This is about confronting a secret society of awakened assassins that torture their own like Nikolai tortures his prisoners.  I do not understand their motives, resources or even know how many of them there are - they can be several dozens of people or perhaps thousands.

So, this is my fight, and I am only fighting it after I failed to run from it. You guys already have the Vory after you and I cannot possibly
expect you to go down this rabbit hole with me."


SmilinIrish

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« Reply #639 on: <03-22-17/0927:31> »
Jed's breath caught as Marco unfolded his plan.  Yes, still Marco.  Helping Yelena take out some Bratva thugs was one thing.  Jed understood going in that the situation pulled at him because of his past.  Now they had finished what they came to do.  Jed leaned on his special abilities as an edge over mundanes.  He was old and slow, but he had mana.  He had never pitted himself against an entire group who was young and strong, who also had mana.  Realizing the bratva may have a couple of awakened had been no major hurdle for him.  But in an entire organization of covert awakened assassins led to a very high chance he could be tracked down.  Any one of them could remember his aura and find him.  The very thought chilled him to the core.  After Arc said her piece, Jed just sat quietly.  He absolutely did not want to do this.  He absolutely felt this was suicide.  They would need more astral support for sure.  He felt a connection with Marco.  He would not abandon him.  And it seemed the girls were willing to back his play.  He couldn't abandon them either.  Holding Marco's gaze, Jed nodded once, decisively.  And felt very old and tired. 
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Mercy Merchant

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« Reply #640 on: <03-22-17/1048:57> »
Yelena listens to Blackbird as she finishes cleaning her weapon.  There is a moment of tension when he finishes talking and Yelena breaks that by slipping two parts of the rifle together with an audible snap.  After putting the rifle back into its case, she turns to the others.  "Arc want go home rigger man?"

The question said enough by reminding Arc of her family life and the child she is carrying as well as letting the others know that she was going to help Blackbird.
"Speech"  *Thought*  <Matrix>

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« Reply #641 on: <03-22-17/1336:32> »
Arc could feel her breath freeze at being put on the spot so, and it must have shown on her face.  Her eyes were widened, and she quickly looked down, hands folded on her lap as her expression--and aura--belied her inner conflict more than before.  She was torn...and Yelena's note created that rift...was it really worth risking everything she'd built up, throwing herself into greater dangers?

"What you're ashkin' for.  You don't honestly think you'll be able to pull off the whole shabang by yourself?  With us four?"  She sighed, pinching her brow as her cheeks paled, as if she were getting nauseous.  "I do wanna go home. I missh my family.  But I have family here, and I'm damn sure I'm going home with them."

She took in a large breath, composing herself before looking Blackbird dead in the eye.  "As we are now, you can't hope to win.  What you can do ish build up.  If they're poking at you, it's cause they expect ya to poke back.  I shay prove em wrong.  Build up a force, do the reshearch.  These last months have taught me that at least"  She pinched her brow, looking at each of them in turn.  At Blackbird's self-viewing resignation, at Yelena's tireless devotion, and Jed's weary wariness.  "...You value life, Blackbird.  Would taking three with you into thish be worth it to you?"

gilga

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« Reply #642 on: <03-22-17/1800:12> »
Marco said "I think that it can be done, he is just a person and I have people skills and the element of surprise. I have pretence to approach him and surrender myself. Why wouldn't I cave in ? What hope do I have? All my contacts think I am dead, my sister is taken away  - I travelled half the world only to discover how powerless I really am. Yelena rejected me - everything broke apart...  why not yield? 

A friendly advice? Go back to Seattle, remember the sweet Marco that prefered killing himself than being the tool of evil men. Because, I choose to do whatever it takes to gain my freedom. Even if pursuing it will make me as dark as the people I go after.

The plan is like that, we weaken the mentor and I hack his brain. Doing research is nice and dandy but we do not have anything to begin with, not even a name. I can steal bits and pieces from his brain and then find some brainiac to put the pieces together, a decker to use them as leads and we can do research.

This place is magically warded, I think that it is going to be home for a while. At least until we can come up with a plan that does not get us killed.  The mentor kidnap and interrogation - it must happen now. Who knows when we are going to have access to someone that we know is part of that secret society again. "

Mercy Merchant

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« Reply #643 on: <03-22-17/2229:47> »
Yelena looks at the others and nods. "Yelena not help torture mind.  Yelena not kill innocent people to escape.  Yelena not use torture like Nicolai.  Does Blackbird need help capture priest?  If yes, Yelena help then go so Blackbird do what he needs to do.  Blackbird find Yelena, PI man and Arc when have information.  Then Yelena come help.  Is plan?"
"Speech"  *Thought*  <Matrix>

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« Reply #644 on: <03-23-17/0919:14> »
Arc closed her eyes, doing her best to keep her composure at the situation unfolding.  Focus...focus...  she repeated to herself as she calmed her breathing, opening her eyes to make eye contact with Yelena.

Giving a nod, the mechanic leaned forward a bit.  "Compromise then...the safehoushe ll go to Blackbird once we finish here.  That way Jed'sh travel agent won't be misshing us, and you get what you're after."

Getting up, she moved calmly over to the safehouse''s armory, taking stock of what was in it.  "Maybe somethin' in here be helpful...let me see..."