So far so good.  The crowd dispersed without incident and the security forces seemed to content.  But, after some time Ghalan noticed some flashes of lights and heard the tromping of boots.  He couldn't think of any good outcomes form meeting the boots.  Carefully he gathered his gear and looked for an opportunity to sneak away,  He was ready to fight if he had to but he preferred to avoid drawing attention to himself.

"...and like the singer here said, keep your eye out for on-site security. Let’s go in and move quickly but quietly. Remember we still have another team on our heels and a kid who could be about to die somewhere."

Bloodbank nodded to himself silently. The thought of onsite security worried him slightly; more the result of any confrontation that might occur than the actual danger. They were trying to do a good thing here and it would be... tragic if their presence caused any undue harm. Probably best to just be as quiet as possible and avoid that incident.

In an attempt to put that thought into action, the MedTech crept forward, following Echo through the window into the office building. He tried his best to avoid the tangle of wires that Fixer had fashioned out of the window's alarm sensor. Bloodbank just wasn't sure how much jostling the wires could take before they decided that they wanted to alarm after all. 

The inside of the Upstairs Downstairs office building was practically silent. All that Bloodbank could hear as he entered was the soft pat of rainwater dripping off of him and his companions onto the carpeted floor; indeed, even the sound of the rain and city outside seemed to drop off as he went further inside. It was almost as if the dim overhead lighting of the office building formed some sort of shield to the outside bustle and noise of the city. In fact, the quiet added to the dim lights gave the whole area a feeling of solemnity, a heavy solemnity that pressed down upon Bloodbank as if it wished to suffocate him.

Vegas and Echo crept forward, each with their respective weapons in hand. Bloodbank grimaced slightly behind his battlemask. His pistol was going to remain in its holster at his hip, no matter the circumstance. Removing the weapon, having it in his hands, might result in a situation where Bloodbank would feel obligated to use it. That was something that he absolutely refused to do, he would not shoot at someone whose only crime against Bloodbank was that of trying to prevent him from further committing a crime himself. He was here to ensure that those with him made it out alive, not to make sure that others didn't. 

Bloodbank stopped short of the first door set into an alcove on the right and watched as Vegas quickly moved across it to position himself on the opposite side, peering around the corner to look into the glass panels in the door. With Echo positioned on the other side of the alcove it looked almost as if they were ready to storm a fortress. Indeed, the MedTech felt as though he was looking not at two people but two jungle cats, ready to pounce. 

Leaving the two of them to peer through the door, Bloodbank looked further down the hallway. Looking for any signs or other security equipment. If they were lucky, HR would be clearly marked and they could just sneak in, get the info, and then sneak out in little to no time. Bloodbank didn't think that they were going to be that lucky, but he could only hope.  

(I am assuming that the door won't open without unlocking it. If that isn't obvious, Fixer will attempt to open it.  Otherwise, below . . . )

Fixer stepped up to the card reader on the first door and set to work.   If all went well he'd be able to pop it open in a minute.  But all did not go well this time.  It seems he had burned all of his luck gettng through the window.  The door didn't budge.  He grunted in annoyance and turned to the others.  He spoke softly.  "I can't get it to open.  We can always just bust in since Blossom's rig will prevent any alarms, but that will hardly keep things quiet.  Plus we don't even know where we want to go yet.  This might not even be the right room.  Lets move down and try another door.  Keep moving.  Quickly.  We can come back if we have to.  Look for clues that we are in the right place."  

With that he followed his own device.  He moved down the hall.  When the other who had looked down the side hall gave the "all-clear" (an assumption) he crossed that hall to get to the next door.  The plan was the same as last time.  Stay quiet.  Try to stay concealed as much as possible.  Try to see what was inside.   If it looked promising, try his luck on another lock.  Move quietly, but quickly.  

The Upstairs Downstairs Inc. Building - 8th Floor | Night City Integrate | Midcity | UrbanZone - March 9th, Day 3 (Sunday), 3:08 AM PST Weather Conditions: High City (Thunderstorms, 15mph winds from the NE.) | Midcity (Rain, 10mph winds from the NE.) | Undercity (Fog and Rain, no winds. Air Quality Index: High City = 25 | Midcity = 42 | Undercity = 75 (masks required)

“It’s done,”

Blossom quips, rising to her full five foot five inches and unplugging the spliced cable from her wrist.

“We’re solid. I’m ghosting the system at the source so we don’t need to worry about sound or motion. Now, let’s get to the human resource computer.”

With that statement Casino went on a higher state of alert if that was possible knowing it was about to get more ‘exciting’. Still in the background he continued to listen as the rest spoke of their next actions.

“Great work, sugarplum,”

Vegas smiles with approval. quietly nodding his head,

“Let’s still try to keep quiet. Don’t know what onsite security they have here.”

"Blossom,"

Bloodbank breaks in, his voice just barely above a whisper.

"Do you need the HR computer specifically?"

As the medtech cleared his throat, Casino could tell he and the medtech both were very self conscious of just how little they both knew in this particular area.

"Wouldn't any computer get you... uhmm, in?"

“It depends on whether they have the HR database locked within its own datafortress,”

The little Asian woman replies, dropping her voice to a whisper.

“We can always attempt the first computer we come across.”

Bloodbank nods and preps himself to follow the others inside.

Fixer looks at Blossom and congratulates her,

"Nice work. I'm glad your on the team. If there is a time limit here or some other risk, let us know."

He looks up at the big Crooner and adds,

"And like the singer here said, keep your eye out for on-site security. Let’s go in and move quickly but quietly. Remember we still have another team on our heels and a kid who could be about to die somewhere."

Once inside, Vegas and Echo lead the team down the hall to the first door. One with a handgun at ready, the other with her strange submachine gun. The others trail behind with Casino bringing up the rear, watching the window for any sign from across the alley that they have been compromised.

As the big solo moved last through the window he knew his combo MPK would be more hinderance then help, so he fashioned it into its vest clips and out of the way. Instead he drew his right hand Armalite settling it into the smartgun groves. With its targeting system and his upgraded reflexes all merged together Casino felt ready……….

The Upstairs Downstairs Inc. Building - 8th Floor | Night City Integrate | Midcity | UrbanZone - March 9th, Day 3 (Sunday), 3:10 AM PST

Weather Conditions: High City (Thunderstorms, 15mph winds from the NE.) | Midcity (Rain, 10mph winds from the NE.) | Undercity (Fog and Rain, no winds.)

Air Quality Index: High City = 25 | Midcity = 42 | Undercity = 75 (masks required)

The card scanner is a standard IR reader. A user would hold their card up to the flat panel and the device would read the imprinted code on the company issued card. If the code matches the records, the door is unlocked, if it doesn’t, the door isn’t unlocked. The only way that the alarm might be triggered is if the door is opened without the sensor being properly triggered. Further visual scanning of the doorframe results in no additional security that the Techie can see.

Leaving the two soldiers to peer through the door, Bloodbank peers further down the hallway, looking for any signs that would indicate the HR offices or other readily available security equipment. If they are lucky, HR will be clearly marked and they can just sneak in, get the info, and then sneak out in little to no time. Bloodbank doesn’t think that they are going to be that lucky, but he can only hope.

Retrieving his cardlock decryptor from his bag, Fixer detaches the wireless faux security card and holds it up in front of the lock. The thin box in his left hand comes alive with a series of numbers and symbols flashing across the simple screen. Eventually, the word SUCCESS is displayed, followed by the satisfying click of the door unlocking. Rising to his full height and sliding the card back into the box, he returns the device to his pocket and steps aside for the muscle.

Vegas waits just long enough for the Techie to move aside before pushing the door open a crack and peering inside. Nodding his head, he proceeds inside the room and steps aside to hold the door open for the others. Echo follows closely behind and peels away from him to the opposite side so as to provide additional cover.

Cutting across the hall, Blossom follows the others into the dark room. Where the hallway is lit, this area remains in the dark and she immediately decides that the lights are either on a timed system or manual. Doesn’t matter, she thinks. Don’t need no lights to do my thang.

Cubicles fill the chamber providing each human drone a cramped two to two and a half meter square space to be themselves. While Blossom can see over the top of the cubicles for a ways, she quickly loses that advantage due to her height, but she doesn’t see the need to go far. Stepping into the first cube, the little Asian drops into the black generic office chair and draws out another interface cable. Attaching one end to the port in her right wrist, she quickly places the other end in the magnetic slot on the desktop machine.

There’s no physical keyboard for her to operate and though there’s a screen, it hangs from the felt-lined wall to the right and is used to share her view with those in the cubicle if she so desires. She doesn’t, so the magic she works inside the system is purely private.

While she performs the Miracle of the Day, Vegas glances back to where Casino is standing at the door, vigilant as always. Something’s up with him, he frowns. He’s been off for hours. There’s not much the Frank Sinatra look-alike can do about it now but worry, and he’s been doing that pretty much since he met the big guy. Of course, one does that with family and he considers the solo his brother more than any blood relation.

Nerves aren’t needed and Echo knows it. The problem with knowing and doing is that one is harder than the other and the nomad is feeling really pent up—clausterphobic even. Years riding with her pack and all of her previous years of luxury are a fading dream. She can’t help it. Being inside too long tends to be difficult for her. Turning her gaze towards the looming shadow in the doorway, Echo feels a nervous fluttering in her stomach and chest. Who is he really? She wonders. Why does he make me feel this way? Lust, maybe? He’s not unattractive if a little chiseled. Resisting the urge to physically shake her head, the young woman forces herself to continue to look about for any danger that might present itself.

“Got it,” Blossom whispers excitedly. “Let’s blow this joint.”

“You don’t need to tell me twice,” Vegas comments just as quietly. “Grab a few of those computer boxes and be quick about it. That Charlie was onto something when he gave us the idea.”

Nodding, Blossom immediately starts the process of unplugging the device she’d just plugged herself into. Echo moves to the next cubicle and begins to do the same. Vegas, meanwhile, continues to stand watch.

(OOC: March 9th, Day 3 - Sunday, Time is 03:15 AM PST)

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Near the Parking Garage two blocks from the Upstairs Downstairs Inc. Building | Night City Integrate | Midcity | UrbanZone - March 9th, Day 3 (Sunday), 03:03 AM PST

Weather Conditions: High City (Thunderstorms, 15mph winds from the NE.) | Midcity (Rain, 10mph winds from the NE.) | Undercity (Fog and Rain, no winds.)

Air Quality Index: High City = 25 | Midcity = 42 | Undercity = 75 (masks required)

The engine of the BTR-15 APC turns off and the sounds of the street permeate the air. Then, from behind him, lights play over the ground, pass under the vehicle he’s beneath, play across his left shoulder and bicep, and then move on. Someone is using a flashlight and scanning the garage. With his enhanced hearing, M'harú Ghlahn can hear booted soles on the cement… three, maybe four people.

So far so good. The crowd disperses without incident and the security forces seem to be content. But, after some time, Ghlahn notices some flashes of lights and hears the tromping of boots. He can’t think of any good outcomes from meeting the owners of the boots, so carefully gathering his gear, he looks for an opportunity to sneak away. He is ready to fight if he needs to but he prefers to avoid drawing attention to himself.

Pushing himself out from underneath the car, he takes his bag and slowly slips its strap over his shoulder. Still gripping his Nomad rifle in hand, the Cee-metal soldier creeps towards the end of the adjacent vehicle and peeks around the corner of the molded bumper. Judging from the play of the lights on the walls and cars, he estimates a potential time to move and darts away from the flashlights.

“Hey!”

Ghlahn realizes just as he reaches a full sprint that his calculations were off. He’s been spotted. Guessing the layout of the building, he can safely assume that the security team has two directions from which they can approach; the one behind him and the one he is running towards. Somewhere in between those two areas he might get lucky and come across an elevator or stairwell, otherwise, he’s going to have to go through the fence and out of the building, essentially learning to fly, or face the music.

(OOC: March 9th, Day 3 - Sunday, Time is 03:04 AM PST)

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the Long Mile Fueling Station | SanFran Integrate | Midcity | UrbanZone - March 9th, Day 3 (Sunday), 2:30 AM PST --- Weather Conditions: High City (heavy rain, 20mph winds from the N.) | Midcity (light rain, 10mph winds from the N.) | Undercity (fog and drizzle, no winds.)

Air Quality Index: High City = 15 | Midcity = 36 | Undercity = 86 (masks required - Red warning)

Now’s also a good time to put some work in. Though the air jeep isn’t outfitted with self-driving capabilities, Cred Stick Charlie can make calls and do some audible learning from his Chinese textbooks to prep for Monday’s challenges. He might even be able to connect with some of those “Vendors” on the Dark Web concerning blank shoes. Researching the identity printer further would require more attention than he can safely devote while driving, but these other things, he might be able to work out.

Charlie slips his agent from his breast pocket and mentally opens the reading app. He’s already queued up the textbooks that he’s been studying and as the auto-driver on the jeep takes control, the fixer preps for Monday’s challenges. After another hour of reading, he switches gears and spends some time inquiring in more detail about blank shoes in bulk on the Dark Web. His usual sites are where he strikes first. Time to Streetdeal.

(OOC: March 9th, Day 3 - Sunday, Time is 3:30 AM PST)

Fixer grunted in frustration when the door refused to open.  But he kept at it and his persistance paid off.  Quickly the door popped open and the techie stepped aside to let the muscle check out the room.  Blossom quickly followed the others and set about doing her magic on the computers.  Fixer was tempted to look over her shoulder as he could probably learn quite a bit doing so, but decided that she might not appreciate the scrutiny.  Instead he quickly glanced through the nearby cubicles looking for anything that might be interesting.  He wasn't looking to steal - he wanted information.  Was there any chance of useful technology or even a file left out in the open.  He doubted it, but it was either that or sit around twiddling his fingers.  Casino already had the door watched so there wasn't anything else to do there.  (He does look to see if there are any other entrances to this room since that wasn't specified and the r20 map hasn't been updated yet.)  

When Blossom announced her work complete Fixer quickly moved out of the cubicle he had been searching and joined the others.  "your a wonder Blossom.  Nicely done.  Lets boogey."  He moved to the door and out into the hallway. Now they just needed to get out of this building.  He gave a quick thumbs up to Bloodbank who he knew was nervous about the side effects of their invasion and moved down the hall.  A quick look around to see if anyone had spotted their new entrance.  Not that it mattered really, what were they going to do, try a different door?   Out the window - being careful again to not mess with the electronics.  Then quickly down the fire escape.  Easy peasy.  Or something like that.   

"Hey"   That one word told Ghalahn that his stealthy escape was foiled.  He had been spotted.  As he figured it there were three options.  First, try to bluf his way past the security team.  Of coursr it might be hard to explain his weapons cache.  Second was engage th team and hope there were not too many of them.  Or third, try to find an exit.  Option 1 was not feasible.  The second relied on pure luck.  So that left option 3.  Taking cover behind the nearest car he pulled his pistol and took aim at the closest sec team member.  Hopefully he could neutralize at least 2 of them before they even realized they relized what was happening.  

Bloodbank let out a sigh of relief when the door clicked open. He had no idea how Fixer did what he did, but he was obviously pretty good at it. 

Bloodbank followed Blossom as she slipped inside and took a good look at his surroundings. The dark, cubicle filled room was deserted, thankfully. It was looking more and more like his abilities wouldn't be needed her after all and he wasn't even remotely sorry about that. Now it was just up to Blossom, and hopefully she wouldn't take long at all.

As Blossom slipped into a cublicle, the Medtech silently peered further into the room. He couldn't see any other entrances in the darkness, and he wasn't about to go wandering off deeper into the blackness to investigate further. He didn't like not knowing if someone was creeping up on them from the hallway, though, so he turned around and crept out of the room, standing by the Casino and the doorway and keeping an eye out up and down the hall.

He wasn't standing there long before Fixer brushed past him, giving him a thumbs up. That had to be a good sign! Bloodbank smiled behind his battlemask as he watched Fixer walk towards the window. This had gone just as smoothly as he had hoped!

His smile slid off his face, however, when Echo and Blossom exited the room, each holding a computer.

"I thought we agreed that there would be no stealing!" He hissed, eyeing them through his mask.

(OOC: Responses.)

"I don't care the stealing is completely unnecessary." Bloodbank whispered fiercely, jabbing a finger at the boxes that they held. 

(OOC: I'm going to pause here for any interactions.)

The Upstairs Downstairs Inc. Building - 8th Floor | Night City Integrate | Midcity | UrbanZone - March 9th, Day 3 (Sunday), 3:08 AM PST Weather Conditions: High City (Thunderstorms, 15mph winds from the NE.) | Midcity (Rain, 10mph winds from the NE.) | Undercity (Fog and Rain, no winds. Air Quality Index: High City = 25 | Midcity = 42 | Undercity = 75 (masks required)

As the big solo moved last through the window he knew his combo MPK would be more hindrance then help, so he fashioned it into its vest clips and out of the way. Instead he drew his right hand Armalite settling it into the smartgun groves. With its targeting system and his upgraded reflexes all merged together Casino felt ready……….

The group having gained entry now did what each was here for. Fixer tackled the the card scanner which was just a standard IR reader. Within seconds the door was unlocked. As Vegas moved to push past Fixer, Casino out of the corner of his eye noticed Bloodbank move off to look down farther down the hallway. The solo could only trust in the medics experience that he would not to do anything stupid.

Vegas waits just long enough for the Techie to move aside before pushing the door open a crack and peering inside. Nodding his head, he proceeds inside the room and steps aside to hold the door open for the others. Echo follows closely behind and peels away from him to the opposite side so as to provide additional cover.

As Casino stood watch as the rest moved past him, he noted that Blossom immediately dropped into the offices black generic chair. Drawing out another interface cable the little Asian attached one end to the port in her right wrist and the other end in the magnetic slot on the desktop machine.

His head still moving and watching the parties ‘six’ so to speak, the big solo caught Vegas looking at him with a seemingly worried look. A quick smile and a nod of his head he tried to reassure his partner he was run focused and not yearning over Echo to much. No matter his attraction to her, the run and his partner, hell his family, would not need to worry about him being too distracted. There would be enough time after this job to see what his feelings for Echo really were, and hers for him, and how they would play out.

Got it,” Blossom whispers excitedly. “Let’s blow this joint.”

“You don’t need to tell me twice,” Vegas comments just as quietly. “Grab a few of those computer boxes and be quick about it. That Charlie was onto something when he gave us the idea.”

As Casino made ready to lead the way back out of the building he was joined at the door by Vegas.

“I’m ok” He whispered over his shoulder to his Frank Sinatra lookalike partner. “No worries”

With Blossom in the process of unplugging the device she’d just plugged herself into and Echo moving to the next cubicle to do the same. It was only a matter of seconds until they would be headed back out. Casino was ready…...

The Upstairs Downstairs Inc. Building - 8th Floor | Night City Integrate | Midcity | UrbanZone - March 9th, Day 3 (Sunday), 3:15 AM PST

Weather Conditions: High City (Thunderstorms, 15mph winds from the NE.) | Midcity (Rain, 10mph winds from the NE.) | Undercity (Fog and Rain, no winds.)

Air Quality Index: High City = 25 | Midcity = 42 | Undercity = 75 (masks required)

“Got it,” Blossom whispers excitedly. “Let’s blow this joint.”

“You don’t need to tell me twice,” Vegas comments just as quietly. “Grab a few of those computer boxes and be quick about it. That Charlie was onto something when he gave us the idea.”

Nodding, Blossom immediately starts the process of unplugging the device she’d just plugged herself into. Echo moves to the next cubicle and begins to do the same. Vegas, meanwhile, continues to stand watch.

With Blossom’s announcement that her work is complete, Fixer quickly moves out of the cubicle he has been searching and joins the others.  

"You’re a wonder Blossom. Nicely done. Lets boogey." the techie moves to the door and out into the hallway. Now they just need to get out of this building. He gives a quick thumbs up to Bloodbank who he knows is nervous about the side effects of their invasion and moves down the hall. That had to be a good sign! Bloodbank smiles behind his battlemask as he watches Fixer walk towards the window. This had gone just as smoothly as he had hoped!

His smile slid off his face, however, when Echo and Blossom exited the room, each holding a computer. "I thought we agreed that there would be no stealing!" He hisses, eyeing them through his mask.

“Chill, Boy Scout,” Blossom quips. “These have the data on them that we need. We’re just not wastin’ time in this joint to do the search. Figure we’d be better off skittling. You Ku with that?”

"I don't care the stealing is completely unnecessary," Bloodbank whispered fiercely, jabbing a finger at the boxes that they held.

“You keen on sitting around waiting for some overzealous security guard to come tripping over us?” The small Asian woman looks up at their medic and rolls her signature lollipop to the other side of her mouth as she jabs a finger into his chest. “You wanna have another family get that call that daddy ain’t comin’ home tonight?”

“We’re wasting time,” Echo points out.

“Think about it, Boy Scout,” Blossom smiles sweetly and brushes by him with a final thought, “you’re keeping people alive by exiting this mouse trap pronto.”

(OOC: Bloodbank’s answer&hellip

As Casino made ready to lead the way back out of the building he was joined at the door by Vegas.

“I’m ok” He whispers over his shoulder to his Frank Sinatra lookalike partner. “No worries”

“Solid,” Vegas flashes a smile. “After you.”

Casino leads the way back down the hall, glancing over his shoulder as he goes to make certain Vegas and Echo have covered the group’s six before he arrives at the broken out window. Peering through his new mask into the night, the solo scans the alley and out both access points before turning his gaze to the slightly fogged, black windows of the adjacent building, his left hand held out to hold any of the others back while he performs his duty.

Not seeing anything alarming, the big man steps through the window, unconcerned as to the state his trench coat left things as it sweeps over the subjugated alarm system. He trusts that Blossom has done her work here too. From here, Casino leads the others down the stairs, Armalite held before him just in case. Fixer follows closely behind with Blossom and Bloodbank on his heels. Echo and Vegas bring up the rear.

Achieving the alley, the team can no longer hear any of the angry yelling from the crowd in the direction that Ghlahn has set up, nor can they hear anything that indicates that the security vehicle is still there.

“Ghlahn, can you hear me?” Vegas steps up next to Casino and motions that they should move towards the street they had left their sniper friend on. He’s speaking into one of Fixer’s homemade walkies. “Come in, Ghlahn.”

Fixer’s pocket has squawked from where he has the radio as does Casino’s and Bloodbank’s.

“What’s going on?” Vegas turns and looks at his companions incredulously. “Did we honestly leave one of the team without a means to communicate with the rest of us… again?”

(OOC: March 9th, Day 3 - Sunday, Time is 03:22 AM PST)

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Near the Parking Garage two blocks from the Upstairs Downstairs Inc. Building | Night City Integrate | Midcity | UrbanZone - March 9th, Day 3 (Sunday), 03:04 AM PST

Weather Conditions: High City (Thunderstorms, 15mph winds from the NE.) | Midcity (Rain, 10mph winds from the NE.) | Undercity (Fog and Rain, no winds.)

Air Quality Index: High City = 25 | Midcity = 42 | Undercity = 75 (masks required)

"Hey!"   

That one word told Ghlahn that his stealthy escape is foiled. He has been spotted.  

As he figures it, there are three options. First, try to bluff his way past the security team. Of course, it might be hard to explain his weapons cache. Second, is to engage the team and hope there are not too many of them. Or third, try to find an exit.  

Option 1 is not feasible. The second relies on pure luck. So that leaves Option 3. Taking cover behind the nearest car he pulls his pistol and takes aim at the closest sec team member. Hopefully, he can neutralize at least two of them before they even realize what is happening.

Crouched at the rear right fender of a beat up and rusted late 22nd Century four-door sedan, Ghlahn peers intently through the windows of his combat mask, his targeting system flies into his HUD view and attuning to the customized Colt AMT Model 2000 now in hand. The team that had spotted him is thirty meters away. There’s a cement column that one has moved behind giving him really good cover and another is taking up a really low position on the driver side looking over the hood of an older model minivan.

There’s some space—approximately ten meters—between Ghlahn’s current position and the next vehicle behind him. To his right, there’s a chainlink fence with less than half a meter between the top of the links and the bottom of the cement ceiling overhead. The street that the cyborg had just been watching is that way, and so too is the security vehicle that dropped the personnel he’s now contending with.

“This is your last chance!” One of the men calls out, his voice echoing throughout the garage. Unfortunately, Ghlahn was unable to get the drop on them. They are obviously trained and have experience in this type of situation. “You don’t need to die tonight, choomba. Just surrender to us and we’ll iron everything out.”

“You’ve not done anything wrong, right?” another voice calls from that same direction. “You got a car up here? There’s no reason to be scared.”

(OOC: I've provided you with a map on Roll20.net, Keeper.)

(OOC: March 9th, Day 3 - Sunday, Time is 03:05 AM PST)

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Enroute to Night City Integrate from SanFran Integrate | Midcity | UrbanZone - March 9th, Day 3 (Sunday), 3:30 AM PST --- Weather Conditions: High City (heavy rain, 20mph winds from the N.) | Midcity (light rain, 10mph winds from the N.) | Undercity (fog and drizzle, no winds.)

Air Quality Index: High City = 15 | Midcity = 36 | Undercity = 86 (masks required - Red warning)

Now’s also a good time to put some work in. Though the air jeep isn’t outfitted with self-driving capabilities, Cred Stick Charlie can make calls and do some audible learning from his Chinese textbooks to prep for Monday’s challenges. He might even be able to connect with some of those “Vendors” on the Dark Web concerning blank shoes. Researching the identity printer further would require more attention than he can safely devote while driving, but these other things, he might be able to work out.

Charlie slips his agent from his breast pocket and mentally opens the reading app. He’s already queued up the textbooks that he’s been studying and as the auto-driver on the jeep takes control, the fixer preps for Monday’s challenges. After another hour of reading, he switches gears and spends some time inquiring in more detail about blank shoes in bulk on the Dark Web. His usual sites are where he strikes first. Time to Streetdeal.

The quickest path to one’s destination is often a straight line and in this case, Luther’s destination is an ID printer. There’s no reason to dig deeper into the Dark Web just yet if he can find one on the regular Internet. So, the fixer focuses his agent search on classified ads; there are plenty of boards available that range from general Internet community to specific alt-cults and sub-segments of those alt-cults. In particular, Cred Stick Charlie is focusing on the Neo Corps and the used business equipment. Results immediately begin to show up.

Thermal units to dye sublimation and even older, antique models: dot matrix. He can land a dot matrix for one hundred and fifty credits, but it won’t do what he needs. He needs a thermal with holographic imaging. New those machines can cost up to six thousand credits, as he’s already discovered. Used, he’s looking at a price range of about one thousand credits.

First on the list is a PY231k FLEX, which was a top of the line machine five to ten years ago. It’s being listed for 1,200 NCD. While the ad has experienced plenty of traffic there are very few who have marked interest. The product has been for sale for close to a month and that means there’s a chance that the owner might be workable. Luther mentally commands his agent to contact the seller via messaging as the early morning hours and the day of the week might be problematic.

But he’s not done. The fixer continues to message various sellers. Having multiple potential deals in the work keeps him from becoming desperate to make a deal giving him the edge. Surprisingly, he receives a response from a Blackbird2500 on a Gearlogix 24B290 Thermal Printer with a Hologenics Modular Printbox attachment which he has listed for 950 credits.

It is still available. The message comes through in response to Luther’s canned query.

(OOC: This is where the Persuasion check comes into play. The Library Search check happened to locate the correct boxes.)

Blackbird2500 and Charlie go the rounds via messaging and eventually, the fixer is able to convince Blackbird2500 to join him on a call. He prefers the opportunity to talk to the other side and face-to-face is better but barring that a phone call trumps texting any day of the week.

Ordering his agent to dial the number that Blackbird2500 has shared, Luther waits for the other end to pick up.

“This is Blackbird,” a female voice with a Latino accent answers.

This is where Cred Stick Charlie plays his hand, working the other end of the phone in a friendly manner, manipulating the conversation to drive it in his favor. First, he has to gain some rapport. Then, he needs to make Blackbird2500 believe that the whole deal is a win/win and he does this by prying into other potential sales items she may have on hand and expressing interest. As it turns out, she’s liquidating old office furniture for her company. She’s a senior tech officer and it’s her job to get something for the highly depreciated equipment. Chairs, desks, some bookshelves, fake trees, and a couple of printers. The Gearlogix has been used for close to six years and doesn’t appear to have anything wrong with it. The other equipment bears the marks of regularly used office equipment but is salvageable.

Now that he has her where he wants her (the whole thing has been going well-enough as Blackbird appears to be in dire need of conversation), it is time to begin working the deal. Deftly steering the conversation back to the Gearlogix and Hologenics offering, Luther offers a very low-ball price, cushioning the offer with the potential to help take the other items off her hands. Blackbird is handling the play pretty well and Luther isn’t altogether positive that she isn’t plying her own tricks but he is still gaining the upper hand and continues the work.

After a half hour on the phone with Blackbird, Cred Stick Charlie has managed to wheedle her down by 50 credits for the printer and the modular holographic imprinter taking the price to 900 credits. He’s positive that this is as low as she’s going to go and she seems to be losing patience. He’s still got a half hour before the navigation unit claims he’ll be at the office building where Upstairs Downstairs is housed, time to either finalize the deal or cut bait and move on.

(OOC: March 9th, Day 3 - Sunday, Time is 5:00 AM PST)

  Ghalan cursed his luck.  Not only did the sec team find him but they appeared to be fairly competant.  He heard them call for him to give up but he didn't want to go down that road if he could avoid it.  "Well it seems we agree on one thing right off the bat, no one has to die here tonight.  I was just up here staying out of that mess down below.  The way that mob was acting there was no good outcome.  This seemed a good place to stay out of the way and watch what happened.  You all did a first rate job dispersing that crowd I must say.  As for coming with you and clearing things up, that is not gonna happen.  I have done nothing wrong you are correct about that.  How about you just head back down and I'll make my way home and we all wake up tomorrow.  I don't want a confrontation but believe me I can make life miserable for your wives and kids is you push me too far." 

     Ghalan hoped that if he could keep them talking the others might show up and save his butt.  If not, it was going to get ugly realy quick.

As his radio sqauked Fixer heard Vegas ask about the others in the squad.  

"What has the other radio?  Did we lose the others?"  

He thought a bit and was worried.  ""We need ot move - we have two tasks that can not wait.  1.  That hardware needs to be examined.  Pronto.  We need to search it and then ditch it.  It might be traceable and we don't want it in our posession once somebody spots that little door we just made.  So find a place where the lady can do her magic in private and then dump the junk.  And hopefully that tells us where to go next because we need some sort of clue soon or we have an even bigger problem.  2.  If we lost the others they know who we are and what we were doing.  We are out of the building - I don't want to get dragged back into it.  We need to make sure the whole team splits this block fast."

He looked at Vegas and Casino.  "This is your show now.  What's the plan?"  

Cyberpunk post

First, he has to gain some rapport. Then, he needs to make Blackbird2500 believe that the whole deal is a win/win and he does this by prying into other potential sales items she may have on hand and expressing interest. As it turns out, she’s liquidating old office furniture for her company.

She’s a senior tech officer and it’s her job to get something for the highly depreciated equipment. Chairs, desks, some bookshelves, fake trees, and a couple of printers.

Charile will look to see if someone needs some office furniture, and attempt to have it sold before touching anything.

The Gearlogix has been used for close to six years and doesn’t appear to have anything wrong with it. The other equipment bears the marks of regularly used office equipment but is salvageable.

Now that he has her where he wants her (the whole thing has been going well-enough as Blackbird appears to be in dire need of conversation), it is time to begin working the deal. Deftly steering the conversation back to the Gearlogix and Hologenics offering, Luther offers a very low-ball price, cushioning the offer with the potential to help take the other items off her hands. Blackbird is handling the play pretty well and Luther isn’t altogether positive that she isn’t plying her own tricks but he is still gaining the upper hand and continues the work.

After a half hour on the phone with Blackbird, Cred Stick Charlie has managed to wheedle her down by 50 credits for the printer and the modular holographic imprinter taking the price to 900 credits. He’s positive that this is as low as she’s going to go and she seems to be losing patience.

Luther Washington - Fixer: To Streetdeal: 15

seeing for he can do any better with moving blackbirds stuff and make a profit for himself before buying it from her.

Use seduction, <14>

show more interest in her and begins to ask personal questions and see if she will talk about herself more

Charile attempts to deduce the solution <11> trying to figure her out?

, while he listens (interview) <12> charlie attempts to interview her and get her to talk about herself,

< Wasn’t sure which you would have used>

if she doesn’t fall for it, he tells her that he is just so curious about her, her voice he says is so  memorizing. “ tell me what you look like, if you don’t mind he asks her” kinda thing

Charlie is willing to make a date with her... he would ask where she likes to go ( seeing if she has expensive tastes and if she is will just to grab a neo burger or if she is willing to dress up a bit, a nice 30-50 credit plate dinner, dancing and... how knows.

Charlie wants to know more about her and what can she potentially help him with, what circles does she travel in, who is she related to? Things like that. Maybe she gets discount ticket to the opera once per year... ?

“ I hear that your very firm about the printer but I was hoping that I might be able to make it up to you by other means. A friend in need is a friend indeed I always say * charile gives a little chuckle and sees if she is willing to flirt back a bit.

He’s still got a half hour before the navigation unit claims he’ll be at the office building where Upstairs Downstairs is housed, time to either finalize the deal or cut bait and move on.

The Upstairs Downstairs Inc. Building - 8th Floor | Night City Integrate | Midcity | UrbanZone - March 9th, Day 3 (Sunday), 3:15 AM PST

Weather Conditions: High City (Thunderstorms, 15mph winds from the NE.) | Midcity (Rain, 10mph winds from the NE.) | Undercity (Fog and Rain, no winds.)

Air Quality Index: High City = 25 | Midcity = 42 | Undercity = 75 (masks required)

As Casino made ready to lead the way back out of the building he was joined at the door by Vegas.

“I’m ok” He whispers over his shoulder to his Frank Sinatra lookalike partner. “No worries”

“Solid,” Vegas flashes a smile. “After you.”

Once again leading the way Casino holstered his Armalite and brought the MPK/Grenade Launcher back into a forward position. A quick glance behind him to check everything was covered he quickly moved them back to the entrance window. Looking out into the night scanning the ally both ways then the fogged windows off the adjacent building finding nothing threatening or hindering to their exit

With his hand raised to pause the rest of the runners the big solo made his way through the window and out onto the wire framed gantry. Trusting Blossom has negated the buildings alarms he moves the group, Fixer behind Blossom, Bloodbank close behind. Echo and Vegas still bringing up the rear they easily make it to the street without any distractions.

On the street once more all sounds of the angry crowd have disappeared and silence greets the group once more.

“Where’s Ghlahn, Vegas, any word from him?”

Stepping up next to him, Vegas pulled the walkie out of his pocket and brought it up to his mouth.

“Ghlahn can you hear me. Come in Ghlahn”

It was then that the party realized that once again the same mistake had been made. A group member on his own without a way to communicate with them as all of the walkies, Casino’s, Fixer’s and Bloodbank’s relayed Vegas’s words.

“What’s going on Did we honestly leave one of of the team without a means to communicate with the rest of us again?”

Looking over at Bloodbank, Casino eyes were wide in disbelieve not wanting to think on the possible ramification of a second time loss of communication.

“Unf***ingbeliveable” A deep breath and a look to the rest. “I’ll try to hook up with him, lets meet back at that small diner we hooked up before”

With a second look at Bloodbank, a shake of his head, and with a nod to Vegas the big solo tucked his SMG under his coat and moved back towards where they had last seen Ghlahn…….

(If no one stops him he’ll head off to try and find the sniper)

**Post has been Edited correctly**

The Upstairs Downstairs Inc. Building - 8th Floor | Night City Integrate | Midcity | UrbanZone - March 9th, Day 3 (Sunday), 3:22 AM PST

Weather Conditions: High City (Thunderstorms, 15mph winds from the NE.) | Midcity (Rain, 10mph winds from the NE.) | Undercity (Fog and Rain, no winds.)

Air Quality Index: High City = 25 | Midcity = 42 | Undercity = 75 (masks required)

As his radio squawks, Fixer hears Vegas ask about the others in the squad.  "Who has the other radio? Did we lose the others?"

He thought a bit and worried remarks, "We need to move—we have two tasks that can not wait.  One: That hardware needs to be examined. Pronto. We need to search it and then ditch it. It might be traceable and we don't want it in our possession once somebody spots that little door we just made. So find a place where the lady can do her magic in private and then dump the junk. And hopefully, that tells us where to go next because we need some sort of clue soon or we have an even bigger problem. Two: If we lost Ghlahn and Charlie, they know who we are and what we were doing. We are out of the building—I don't want to get dragged back into it.  We need to make sure the whole team splits this block fast." He looked at Vegas and Casino. "This is your show now. What's the plan?"

Looking over at Bloodbank, Casino’s eyes are wide in disbelief behind his combat mask. Not wanting to think on the possible ramifications of a second loss of communication, he shakes his head.

“Unf***ing beliveable” A deep breath and the big solo looks to the rest. “I’ll try to hook up with him, let’s meet back at that small diner we hooked up before.”

“No,” Vegas shakes his head, “Casino, get the team to a safe place nearby. I’ll go get Ghlahn. Fixer believes that there’s a clock on this, so make it somewhere nearby and stay in radio contact.” Not waiting for confirmation, Vegas slaps his partner’s uninjured shoulder and turns to stride away leaving the remainder of the edgerunners waiting on Casino’s lead.

“Look,” Blossom remarks as though the information she’s sharing doesn’t really matter. “Fixer’s probs right. Many companies rig these boxes with tracing hardware in case some of their employees decide to make a few bucks selling surplus. So, we need to find someplace secure where I can jack in and do my full data transfer. Give me a quarter and I’ll make this pony dance.”

“Subway, maybe?” Echo steps up to the blonde solo so that their shoulders are touching. “We might be able to find a corner and give her some cover while she works. It’s close.”

(OOC: March 9th, Day 3 - Sunday, Time is 03:24 AM PST)

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Near the Parking Garage two blocks from the Upstairs Downstairs Inc. Building | Night City Integrate | Midcity | UrbanZone - March 9th, Day 3 (Sunday), 03:05 AM PST

Weather Conditions: High City (Thunderstorms, 15mph winds from the NE.) | Midcity (Rain, 10mph winds from the NE.) | Undercity (Fog and Rain, no winds.)

Air Quality Index: High City = 25 | Midcity = 42 | Undercity = 75 (masks required)

“This is your last chance!” One of the men calls out, his voice echoing throughout the garage. Unfortunately, Ghlahn was unable to get the drop on them. They are obviously trained and have experience in this type of situation. “You don’t need to die tonight, choomba. Just surrender to us and we’ll iron everything out.”

“You’ve not done anything wrong, right?” another voice calls from that same direction. “You got a car up here? There’s no reason to be scared.”

Ghalan curses his luck. Not only did the sec team find him but they appear to be fairly competent. He doesn’t want to go down that road to surrendering if he can avoid it, so he digs in.

"Well, it seems we agree on one thing right off the bat, no one has to die here tonight. I was just up here staying out of that mess down below. The way that mob was acting there had no good outcome. This seemed a good place to stay out of the way and watch what happened. You all did a first rate job dispersing that crowd, I must say.

“As for coming with you and clearing things up, that is not gonna happen. I have done nothing wrong—you are correct about that. How about you just head back down and I'll make my way home and we all wake up tomorrow. I don't want a confrontation but believe me, I can make life miserable for your wives and kids is you push me too far."

Ghlahn hopes that if he can keep them talking until the others might show up and save his butt.  If not, it is going to get ugly quickly.

“You’re not doing yourself any favors here, choombatta,” calls out the first voice. “If you aren’t trespassing, your tag will prove your story. Refuse to comply and we’re going to have to assume you’re not supposed to be here. You see what kind of situation you’re in?”

“We’re not the only team up here,” a second voice drifts through the garage. “You have absolutely no way out. Don’t be a dick.”

Corporate security isn’t known for patience and if they do have another team moving about on that level then Ghlahn will be facing a minimum of six opponents and possibly eight to ten. Not to mention that his back is to a chain fence. A well-placed sniper could take him out from behind.

(OOC: March 9th, Day 3 - Sunday, Time is 03:07 AM PST)

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the Long Mile Fueling Station | SanFran Integrate | Midcity | UrbanZone - March 9th, Day 3 (Sunday), 5:00 AM PST --- Weather Conditions: High City (heavy rain, 20mph winds from the N.) | Midcity (light rain, 10mph winds from the N.) | Undercity (fog and drizzle, no winds.)

Air Quality Index: High City = 15 | Midcity = 36 | Undercity = 86 (masks required - Red warning)

After a half hour on the phone with Blackbird, Cred Stick Charlie has managed to wheedle her down by 50 credits for the printer and the modular holographic imprinter taking the price to 900 credits. He’s positive that this is as low as she’s going to go and she seems to be losing patience. He’s still got a half hour before the navigation unit claims he’ll be at the office building where Upstairs Downstairs is housed, time to either finalize the deal or cut bait and move on.

First, he has to gain some rapport. Then, he needs to make Blackbird2500 believe that the whole deal is a win/win and he does this by prying into other potential sales items she may have on hand and expressing interest. As it turns out, she’s liquidating old office furniture for her company.

She’s a senior tech officer and it’s her job to get something for the highly depreciated equipment. Chairs, desks, some bookshelves, fake trees, and a couple of printers.

Charlie splits his screen and begins his research to see if someone needs some office furniture, and attempt to have it sold before touching anything. There are prebuilt search bots that a person can use to search the many different libraries of players online. Not every app hits every library, but some that are available on the Dark Web are way better than those that are accessible by the common corporate drone. Cred Stick Charlie has been using a Dark Web app for just this sort of thing for years and it is to this that he now turns, entering in the keywords and setting it to work. Returning his attention to the top portion of his agent’s screen, he continues his current negotiations.

The Gearlogix has been used for close to six years and doesn’t appear to have anything wrong with it. The other equipment bears the marks of regularly used office equipment but is salvageable.

Now that he has her where he wants her (the whole thing has been going well-enough as Blackbird appears to be in dire need of conversation), it is time to begin working the deal. Deftly steering the conversation back to the Gearlogix and Hologenics offering, Luther offers a very low-ball price, cushioning the offer with the potential to help take the other items off her hands. Blackbird is handling the play pretty well and Luther isn’t altogether positive that she isn’t plying her own tricks but he is still gaining the upper hand and continues the work.

After a half hour on the phone with Blackbird, Cred Stick Charlie has managed to wheedle her down by 50 credits for the printer and the modular holographic imprinter taking the price to 900 credits. He’s positive that this is as low as she’s going to go and she seems to be losing patience.

Returning to the bottom screen, he checks on the search results which have been presented according to his preference of urgency ratings. There are five people total who can make use of the office equipment right away.

== Text Message ==

I’ve worked 14 hrs already. Tired. Deal?

== End Text Message ==

(OOC: March 9th, Day 3 - Sunday, Time is 5:03 AM PST)