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Post by Braddoc on Aug 3, 2010 15:14:30 GMT -5
Welcome back shasta.
things are a little slow in here, but we're still floating. If you need a room or something else, lemme know here or via PM.
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Post by Braddoc on Jul 25, 2010 20:04:15 GMT -5
“Well, let us see what we have here.”
I was standing beside the Troll as he began unscrewing the small deck. His penthouse was damn nice, even his working area was tidy. He wasn’t the dumb, blood-hungry Trog the Humanis propaganda was lying about. Of course having rich parents always helps to evade the normal, tough life his kind generally gets in, and ending up building custom decks for the rich, among other things. Illiya didn’t say more, I didn’t ask, ‘wasn’t going about. He must be doing research for them at least.
Switches wasn’t happy having to wear a suit, to ‘blend in’ the local crowd. Even the van saw some attention from LoneStar, but we didn’t get pulled over. ‘Pretty sure they checked the plates. That might buy me some time. I did told him that for a ganger, he did look like one of those cybered-up corporate bodyguard, but he didn’t liked that one. Going to a Troll’s PENTHOUSE (of all places)...yeah. But like I told him, he doesn’t have a choice. And not allowed to jack drek up or start drek up, of any kind. Or come back to do the place or the guy. Mostly because that’s me doing business, not him. 2 Cops at every other street corner with lots of car patrols helped him to see the difficulty of the task. Didn’t even had to talk about the drones flying up.
At least the SotA trid system (custom made by the gearhead himself, one Richard Gallager Brown) was enough to keep him silent and busy while we dish out the work.
“Hello, what have we here? This is far from being a standard part in any deck.” I leaned forward a bit on the work bench, which was more like a standing bar for someone my size. Grayish, square and it looked like that Play-Doh, just more deadly. “You’re right Mr. Brown, this is Plastique explosives.” “Hmm..I suspected as much. I’m afraid Mr. Delacroix that this goes beyond my qualifications.” “May I?” “Please, but be careful.” The wiring was crude at best, nothing more than a wire connecting the 3 blocks and another wielded to a circuit board. Easy-does-it. “Curious. Wiring explosives to a computer device. Where did you found this again?” “Well, it was connected to..a decker, and in turn this device was connected to a deck.” “Whoever build this expected someone to tamper with it. Have you received any information on the utility of this device from the decker?”
“No..no she was dead when I arrived. For weeks too. I..don’t know what it’s for; that’s why I came to you.” “I am sorry to hear that. You have my deepest condolences for your loss.” The Troll began checking out the different boards. I’m no expert but a few looked like they were melted down. He sure took his sweet time too. “You are lucky that the skill of the creator was not matched by his knowledge of explosives.” “What is it?” He glanced at me , almost looking me over. “How deep goes your knowledge of computers?” “Not deep enough.” “Very well; in simpler terms, it is a deck, but instead of allowing one to connect to the Matrix, it was built to emulate one’s persona in the Matrix, similar to a masking program.” “Like a Fake ID?” “Roughly, yes. But there is more: look at this board here, it serves to connect to it with a Matrix connection, meaning than any one person could have use her persona, perhaps even her programs, to do what he wishes from anywhere in the world.”
“My friend was dead before the device was connected to her and her deck. I’m no expert, but that wouldn’t work, right?” “Ordinarily yes, but this ‘deck’ was also designed to mimic one’s brain wave: Even if she only twitches due to her nerves, a decker could have taken the small impulses and used them to create a brain wave stable and strong enough to fool a deck that she was still alive and well; then it was a question of running the brain wave in a loop, using this here to act like all was normal in the physical world. Quite a remarkable piece of work.” I turned fast enough when he said that, not too happy too. “My apologies Mr. Delacroix, I meant no harm nor disrespect. I am only an expert looking at another's craftsmanship; I can say that I do not approve of his methods.” “Right...so can you figure out where he was connecting to this thing? Or why it didn’t blow up for that matter.”
“Well, it seems he removed most of the fail safe devices. In case of a surge, there a chip to limit the damage to a particular circuit board. It is a standard manufacturing part. Our mysterious stranger here removed them all, perhaps wishing to create a cascade effect to would have detonated the explosives. Theoretically it is possible, but I think he might have overlooked the fact that one of his board was possibly of lower quality.” He took out a melted board, it was way more gone than the others. “This is was caused the cascade effect to end. As to figure out the location of the identity thief, I would need your friend’s deck to archive that. This is only made to be a bridge between decker and deck. Not to store information.” “All right..I...hum..didn’t brought it..I didn’t thought it was necessary.”
“I see...then this is as far as I can help you for the present time. Though I would like to keep this for further analysis if you would allow it.” “Of course, no problem there Mr. Brown, your help is greatly appreciated.” Not that it brought anything new, but it’s a small step. “I will you my contact information hm? If Illiya trust you enough to have us meet in person, I have no reason to..” “DELLY!” Switches sounded panicked and surprised. That was a first for him. “GET THE FRAG IN HERE NOW!!”
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Post by Braddoc on Jul 25, 2010 19:47:12 GMT -5
Heh..just sayin'
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Post by Braddoc on Jul 21, 2010 7:26:46 GMT -5
Sorry to hear you're having a bad pass. Hope you manage it all right, and that it's not too humid where you are; that's a killer.
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Well I did thought of magically enfusing items, I suppose cyber's the same
1- High quality materials and workmanship. Cyberwise, that possibly means Deltaware, while other cyberware might work, I suppose the connection will be stronger with Deltaware, as it is better suited to an individual's need, not to mention the way it is connected to the nervous system of the owner. As for items, easy-does-it for materials, workmanship might be tricky, depending on the item you wish to create.
2-Magic as such. Enchanting a cyberlimb can be done, the question is, can get a Magician to do it? It's not something that seems to be 'in the know' in magic circles, if only a select few. Even then, the Mage might require a generous pay check, Initiation etc etc....Not to mention the old "but Mundanes can't use magical items!" routine might show it's ugly head. But that can be moved around easely in terms of mundane items being magically enfused. Cyberware might have to be magically turned ON before being installed then be fine tuned to the owner's mana...vibration? Emmanation? I'm not too sure of the correct term on that one. But I guess it should be better to get it maged-up before it's installed.
3-Then there's also the matter of which you wish the limb/item be enchanted, and how the magic will "show" itself. You want that pen to light in the darkness when you remove the cap? Maybe that limb being able to lift more it can mechanically? A door that let go a manaball when someone else than those selected open it? Maybe some sort of magic grenades, or magic bullets ? (I got some ideas on those actually, slightly more do-able than getting cyberware magically active I'd say.)
4-Pay for it. You'd better have lots of cash and/or good contacts in the right places to pull it off 'else you'll end up having a damn expensive magical cyberware/item.
Protecting said magical item/cyberware is also a good idea, since everyone will surely want to get a piece of that pie. Maybe a patent could work..hmm.....
Side note: I suppose the fact that the Sammy who gets magical cyber or whatever keeps playing the tough-as-nails sammy image, is because the character was already with that mentality, and that magic will just be another gun in his guncase rather than some mytical power(s).
That and, let's face it, Sammies don't really take magic knowledge as skill, I guess it follows the character-hard to play out a mage when you don't know nothing about magic short of spirits=bad.
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Post by Braddoc on Jul 19, 2010 19:02:57 GMT -5
Mechanic wise, it was surely so that no one ended up with a chromed out Street Sammy who can hurl manabolts and call spirits forth and pop out for astral recon.
Game universe-wise I think why it was never though of what for the base description of cyberware: like it or not, magic is life (essence) and cyber removes Essence. Logical to say that cyberware can't be magically affected as itself removes the 'Mana flow' capabilities from an individual. Perhaps also for security reasons: cyber is just an tool, but what if you give that tool conscience? It didn't ended well when a few brooms and buckets were sentient, if your move-by-wire decide to go left when you must go right, tough luck and nice funeral.
And there is also the individual: if your cyberware becomes magic, will that negate the essence loss, as that old lump of metal is now tapping into the life energy? Someone who's heavily cybered might laugh, but it would be more reflex, a memory of his old meat life, as himself having so much chrome, can't really feel emotions or feelings on the same level as you and I, as his own life force is depleted, being nothing more than a sentient machine almost.
But if he gets all that mana flowing through his cyberware, would that make him more conscious, more 'human' again? So that the next time he laughs he's actually doing it, feeling it, instead of provoking some old bioreflex?
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Post by Braddoc on Jul 19, 2010 18:31:42 GMT -5
Sunny skies all day, 60% chance of rain for tomorrow, max of 90, current temperature is..88. And now The Crime Watch Report with our good friend, Thomas Jex. Thomas!”
“Eric!”
“So what’ll be tonight? Seattle or Boston?”
“Well, I might get negative responses form the good people who are listening to us in traffic or at work.....but I’ll go with Boston.”
“Boston? Boston! Tom, you want to get beaten by the sports fan out there? Even Andrew’s smoking in his booth.”
“Well I’m sorry Eric, but I’m a Boston fan. They got more guts, more speed, and they got Clziesh.”
“It’s his last year with the team, who knows what next season will bring?”
“Well in the meantime, he’s with Boston, so I guess Seattle will have to do without.”
“Accidents do happen. I hope you have LoneStar protection for tonight at the stadium, Tom.”
“Nah, I’ll watch the game from my home, calm, relaxed, behind the security fences and armed patrols thank you.”
“Hahahahahaha....same as me pal, same as me. Now, what happened on the criminal scene?”
“Well first, as you mentioned during the newscast, about a week after the failed heist at the UCAS Depository, the FBI and the Dept. of Treasury is setting up a press conference today at 11:30 in front of the FBI Headquarters in Seattle..”
“..also known as the Abraham Lincoln Building..”
“Yes that is correct Eric. To recap, last week, Jefferey Mullins, a 43 year old transaction analysis , formerly working for the Dept of Treasury in Seattle, was arrested inside the main Vault at the UCAS Depository. After neutralizing the camera system and the on-site patrols, Mullins, with one or possibly more accomplices, began working on cracking the safe when 24 year old Thomas Kane, a Dept. Of Treasury Mage, caught him red-handed after having felt his spirits being disrupted and proceeded to the arrest. Having accumulated over 375 000 Nuyen worth of gambling debts, it is theorized that Mullins wanted to re-pay his debt with the tax payers’ money, but that information was, of course, never confirmed or denied by the FBI or the Dept. Of Treasury.”
“Do you think they’re having a press conference to tell people that, or..”
"Well Eric, by my experience, the FBI doesn’t come out in the open like that if they don’t have new developments to tell us.”
“Yes well, they showed Mullins on the same day it happened, then nothing else.”
“Well, a complex investigation like that, a joint services investigation, because as you know, the Dept. Of Treasury is also dispatched investigators,”
“That is true, yes..”
“It’s not something that’s done fast. They must interrogate the on-site security at the time, the General Manager, the Security Company responsible for the static security, cameras, maglocks and the like, then of course interrogate the main suspect...which may not cooperate fully with the investigators. Not to mention physically and magically verify the crime scene. But I am confident that the FBI will deliver and give us full details of this investigation. With the importance of the depository in these economic times, the contrary will surprise me.”
“So, 11:30 then. You’ll be there?”
“Yes I will be there Eric. Now onto other news. A Native American man is dead, another seriously wounded in what have all the signs, according to LoneStar, as a drug transaction gone bad. The shootout happened behind the 68 26th Street Est, a stripmall. The living, but currently unconscious as of 8:30, victim is still under medical care, more details will arrive as they are made available.”
“Jeffery Brown, a 38 year old spokesperson for the dept of Energy, was found tied up, naked and with a gunshot wound, inside the trunk of a vehicle who crashed itself onto Anderson’s Electronics on Pioneer’s Way near 3rd. Mr Brown was abducted after seeing his wife, also a Dept. Of Energy spokesperson, at a motel near what became known as “ZombieTown”. The suspects might had planned to activate explosives as the vehicle rammed itself into the building but, call it dumb luck or just plain dumb, the suspects' car was the one who exploded, killing the 2 passengers and resulting in 3 other deaths. In this case police have no suspect in custody, but numerous material evidence. My source within Precinct 7 has informed me that detectives already have a name and new developments should come very very soon.”
“What’s with the government these days huh?”
“I can’t say Eric, just a bad pass, we all have them. Now it’s their turn. There was a large explosion at Ares Medical last night in Bellevue, LoneStar officers arriving on the scene were clearly seeing people bleeding and signs of a firefight but due to the extraterritoriality of Ares, have not intervened. Knight Errant Officials spoke of a high-level security drill happening at the time, while other source point out to possible shadowrunner involvement. LoneStar have not given a statement as of yet.“ The door opened up. I reached for my gun, but it was only Switches. “You’re late.” “Frag off, I had a busy night. How’s the face?” “Could be better....Where’s your crew?” “Give’em the day off, not like they have alcohol filters. Or sleep regulators for that matter.” “Right...so you got the report?” “Well I got a COPY of the report, all on chip, if that'll satisfies Mr. Boss-man.” I extended my hands and he dug in his pocket producing a datachip. “So, you saw those camera recordings yet? Who’s the bastard we gonna skin?” “Well, he looked like me for starters, same clothes too.” He looked confused, I would too, not knowing what I know. “The hell you sayin’?” “I’m sayin’ someone’s putting a mage mask with my mug on it and goin’ to town, that’s what I’m sayin’.” “Fraggin’ Mage..who’d you piss off now?” “I dunno, can’t think of anyone really..Maybe the Ps, but we’re more ‘courteous’ than at each others’ throat, like thye got the know-how or the balls to do that. Oh, and-a turns out my car had a guy in it, the guy who I was paid to spy on. Just said it on the radio.” “So?” “So the guy works for the government.”
He laughed. That metal frag, he was laughing like he never done it before “Oh man! The government! You sure know how to make friends in high places.” “Yeah, funny, I’m pissin’ myself on how much it’s funny. Now if you don’t mind, get in, we’re gotta meet some gearhead in Bellevue.” “Bellevue?...I never went there.”
“Yeah well, that’s why we gonna go shoppin first.”
OOC: 'Bout time I got around doing it..get an AC and everyone's your friend when it's hot...and they don't call before showing up.
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Post by Braddoc on Jul 7, 2010 20:15:28 GMT -5
OOC: Coke-bottle glasses Mage? I wonder if he had a pocket protector for his magic wands.
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“So you gonna pick me up or what? I’ve been waiting close to 6 fraggin’ hours what gives?” “Hey man, we didn’t glub down a couple of soy tacos down at the Stuffer Shack. I fraggin’ told you we ate at some high-end restaurant. Service is always slow at those places. Makes it more fancy for some reason.” “You tellin’ me it took 5 hours to eat? You sure you ain’t bangin’ that Keeb behind everyone’s back you frag.” “No I ain’t ok? And don’t start tellin’ story that’s gonna end with up with you havin’ lead between your gears y’hear?” “Yeah yeah troggy I'm shakin' in fear..” “We had to talk shop. ‘Meetin’ some guy tomorrow to have the decks checked out. You talked to your Oinker buddy for that report?” “’Course I did, I had fraggin’ 6 hours to kill. I’m seeing him tonight down at the Howling Good Times. ‘Bet you wanna come huh?” “Yeah sure man. I accidentally beat up the owner’s son a few months back I ain’t riskin’ a battle right now.” “Accidentally?” “Yeah he 'accidentally' got his face in my bat’s swing after I spotted him and his pals beatin’ up some workin’ girls.” “Like ‘them Trogs know what work is...So you gonna pick me up or what?” “No. I got those tapes to look at, and traffic’s startin’, I’ll be down there around 6 if I’m lucky, and I still go my face to fix.” “I ain’t givin’ you a choice Delly.” “Yeah well, I’m callin’ the shots here Switches. I’ll pick you up at 9 in front of City Hall. Be there, end of story.” “Just who the frag do y..”
I close the line. Frag’em. They fragged up my day already, I don’t need no cyber chaperon to watch over me in my own place. ‘Least he didn’t call back. He got the message. And my 5 grand, which will probably be gone tomorrow. Oh well, I’m at +75 000 anyway. I took the time to call Red, my mom, the boys, Meg and pretty much everyone I knew could be made a target. ‘Least my mom moves out and lives in Puyallup City with Doc Summers. Me and Red know where she is and that’s it. No one needed to know other than us. Now the hard part, look at the recordings.
Outside..huh..didn’t even know there WAS an outside camera...might as well start there. Well, nothing for now...reverse...3..4..5 minutes, nothing..9 mi...wait someone just walked over. Ho-ly F-r-a-g, it’s me! Well, not me, I know it ain’t me but it’s someone who looks like me. Down to the clothing too. And alone. The eels just fell to the ground as he advances with that sling bag of his, must have that small heavy deck. Where’s the entry corridor chip...here we go, back 9 minutes. Lianna jogging toward the airlock as ‘I’ enter. “Jack, what the frag’s go..” Big blast hit her square in the chest, she flies backwards, coughing blood, clinching her chest, in pain. That fragger. Hard to say what it was from that angle, maybe some mana bolt or somethin’. ‘Nother spell, a different spell, flies out from ‘my’ hand getting her again. She’s not moving. Then ‘I’ grabbed her arm and drag her toward Ops and out of view. I get it forward. My copy is no longer carrying that bag. The emergency sirens are yelling and turning red lights are all over the place. He stops near the generator room and get all lightning bolt on it, putting an end to the recording.
Where’s that other fraggin’ chip? I’m loosing my cool now, being eager and well, scared to see the rest. One thing being there and being able to DO something about it, to stop it, another to just be a witness, weeks after the deed is done. I’m paying attention now. He keeps dragging her toward Ops and get in. Not strong too by the way he leans. They get in, then some sound is heard, lightning, and the sirens and alarms goes on. He gets out again, dragging her to the bedroom. Silence after they get in, then again the lightning sound. Then he simply walks out. His walk is funny, almost like someone sleepwalking. Slow as well, I walk faster even when I don’t have my spells on.
Ops showed him looking for something, her deck no doubt, then getting the chips and frying everything, including the camera present. Nothing there.
Bedroom now...I actually hesitate to look at it. Call it curiosity, or just the need to know the what went down, I stick it in. He drags her inside, her deck was on the bed. Even when she was sleeping she was sleeping in the Matrix. Don’t know how, but she managed to pull it off. He gets her deck plugged into that box, then the box into her head. Then he zapped her with lightning
And again, And again. I can feel my head going numb, my temples being pressed on. A warm sensation gets into my sinus. He suddenly stops and seems to be thinking about something. Then shoot lightning at her again, this tie, it’s not short weak burst but a long powered up magical bolt that pops her eyes open. The warm felling get to my eyes as I start crying. No big boo-woo cry, just tears, kinda like opening the flood gates when it’s about to get over the dam. It’s not a good death for her. Not a good death for anyone. She deserved better than this. Tricked that it was me too. Drek, what a horrible feeling it must have been. Sadness gets pushed to the side and changed by hatred, madness, fear.
The heavy box sparks and he stops. He stands still for a moment then leaves. I let the recording roll until the generator gets fried, staring at a blank screen.
It didn’t brought any new development, it was just twisting the knife in the wound. The perfect end of a fraggin’ perfect day and it’s only 5:30. Great. Just fraggin’ great.
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Post by Braddoc on Jul 5, 2010 22:29:03 GMT -5
20 minutes and no spirit in sight. Do they even have magical security or what? Some landmark like that, you’d think, but I guess some Director voted himself a pay raise instead of getting security. Make sense, it’s so hard to live in these difficult times with only a 6-digit salary. Even the security guard looks cheap, cheaper than when I visited with school some 15 years ago. That red jacket and that clip-on tie will help’em stop anything over 70 years of age. ‘Pretty sure that scanner’s only for show too. I didn’t bother to take my pills, the only mage that can be a trouble`s a fast-fingered one who makes credsticks disappear. And not the Awaken kind too.
Oh man, this was great! Nice ambiance, staff looks pro, and they even had an Ork playing the piano; the big fancy-kind too. Too bad Renraku’s eyesore of an Arcology was messing up the scenery, but the good news is it’ll be gone from view in a couple of minutes. Illiya was sitting alone in an almost empty restaurant. I got there in 3-4 steps, or at least in the time it could take someone to do so. “Vincent...Jesus what happened? You face have more scar tissue than I remember, and looking at you, it seems you have..Micro’s touch on you.” “Oh yeah..I was doing something, didn’t bother to drop it..as for the face well, close encounter of the ganger kind. Nothing I couldn’t handle. You look good, you did something with your hair?” She smiles a little in a “I know” kinda way. The worse kind. “A compliment? My, a rare deed coming form you.” “I guess I’m having a good day.”
She opened up her briefcase and passed along half a dozen credsticks with this month’s copy of the Fortean Times. Another 80 grand in my pocket, but no front page. “The LoupGarou of Pickup Bank? Is it because it’s a LoupGarou of because it’s from some unknown place in the middle of the ‘sticks?” “Pickup Bank is a town in England; while the paracreature is nothing new, the fact that we managed to get this information out of the country makes it enough a scoop. I don’t have to remind you how the Lord Protector loves to keep anything and everything that happens in ‘his’ Protectorate secret.” “So I heard. Well, we’re the third article, so that’s all right. Is there the hmmm..weapons article in there?” “No, we’re still conducting tests before we can publish it. While I have no reason to doubt the team, we will be the ones putting our reputation on the line, and we would prefer make sure for ourselves that those weapons actually works beyond a good bet. Thought we were quite impressed with the ‘2-steps’ grenade. As a whole, they are quite an effective way for mundanes to battle magical entities without the need to close in melee.” Magical entities...a more PC expression for Spirits, even since free-roaming ones started to actually be numerous enough to get taken seriously, effectively creating some gray area as to their nature as dumb slaves or intelligent hostages. “Yeah I’m pretty proud of that one. Just make sure you’re not too close when the second detonation goes off. Ice shards hurts like hell.” The waiter brought up some soup, followed by some salad. Good to see she ordered well before I arrived. At lest we’re not wasting time bouncing off ideas on what to eat.
“We could use your help in the testing.” “Not now I’m kinda in the middle of something.” “Still doing the independent contractor routine?” “Yes. What can I say, I love having space to move around. If I wanted something ordinary, I would have listened to my mother and signed in with DocWagon after school.” “What we offer something that is far from ordinary.” “I know, I’m here, right? I don’t mind working in a controlled environment like a corp or anything else fir a while, but every day, every month? I can’t stomach it, it gets too boring too fast. I survived school and it wasn’t to just change the classroom for a cubicle or an ambulance or lab or anything else.” “Are you certain? You worked with Meg for close than a year.” “True, but I did alot of sidelines off the clock to keep busy. And I ran the thing it was different than being another one in the masses.”
Oh yeah, steak! And just the way I like it too, rare-medium with lots o’ greens. Good call. For a Keeb she’s almost all right. ‘Least she ain’t magic. But my appetite wasn’t all there, I almost had to force myself to eat to keep appearances. Not to mention she kept staring at me for some reason. “Vincent, are you sure everything is all right? You seem..distracted and you don’t appear to have your regular appetite.” Well, better her than me getting into it first. “Well..I won’t bother you with the details...” The image of Lianna flashed before my eyes. I looked outside toward the Snohomish farmlands. “..but someone I know, well knew, very well died recently, and I suspect foul play. Of the worse kind too. That's what I'm working on now.” “I’m sorry to hear that. You should have called me I could have re-scheduled.”
“No, no, it’s all right. It kinda happened at a good time actually. I would like your help. I need to get a decker. A good one. It could be risky.” “I’m not in the business of supplying shadowrunners.” “No, nothing like that, I need to have a couple of decks checked out.”
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Post by Braddoc on Jul 4, 2010 20:36:26 GMT -5
I dropped them near City Hall then drove back to my place in Tacoma. My shirt, tie, jacket and armoured vest were scrapped. I almost had 2 days in them. Not my worse stretch, but not my best as well; lucky me this lil’ dinner required something more than work pants and camo clothing. At least my torso wasn’t cut, only my face, but nothing a good cleaning and some first aid spray didn’t help cover. I just have to not smile ear to ear and it’ll hold. I took it easy in the shower, lighting one up, letting the water just rain down. Frag..Lianna...why did it had to be her of all people. She wouldn’t even kill a fly, much less someone. In the Matrix it was something else entirely, but in the meat world, she wasn’t a killer. Except when it came to Elves. That’s one of the things that brought us together. Drek that’s how ‘Commander’ Dan (back in the day, now it’s ‘Dandy’) introduced us. Good times...Good times indeed. Good times are done now. Fraggin’ fraggers...I’ll enjoy killin’ them slow.
I got my suit on, not my..someone of London one (never stopped and looked at the damn name), just my regular; Illiya ain’t a sucker for flash or money, so at least I don’t have to bring out the costly stuff, not that I’m going to impress. It’s just our monthly get together, touch base, see what job there is, and also to get paid. The payout for the nest of Dzoo-noo-quas we cleared out a month ago in this case. ‘Wonder if we did the cover again. The decks will stay behind, I’d rather get confirmation of help before throwing everything out there.
'Never thought i'd go there but...The Space Needle, of all places. Heh..well I was the one proposed the idea, since I never ate in a rotating restaurant before, and I was getting sick of that damn Chinese place. It was good, fancy but meh..see one Chinese restaurant, you saw’em all. Being a touristic place, it had metal detectors in case someone brought a gun or a bomb and had bad intentions, so I had to leave my guns behind. It didn’t stop me from packing that all-polymer pepper-box pistol I got. Only fired 4 .38 shots before needing a reload, but it was enough for most situation. Backed by my ceramic folding knife, at least I wasn’t naked. The guards let the detectors do all the work, no pad down at all; the machine peeps, they’ll frisk you with a hand scanner and that’ll be it. Only bad thing is that I’m suck with that stupid van, not the best thing in the world cruising around with that downtown, but it’s better than a cab or the bus; at least I don’t depend on others to get me ‘round the ‘plex.
Almost noon. Better get going if I want to be there for 1 o’clock.
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Post by Braddoc on Jul 1, 2010 22:13:34 GMT -5
16 half-floors of stairs later we came out of the building, the eyes took a second to adjust to the morning sun. Mine at least, the sunglasses helped a bit. I put off my smoke, not that I actually smoked more than a quarter of it; it’s kinda hard jumping down stairs while having your lungs filled with menthol-flavoured smoke, and I’m not risking leaving DNA around. The Shivs must be packing integrated commlinks since the van was waiting for us there. I got behind the wheel with Switches riding shotgun and we drove off. Everything seems normal, no cops or anything yet.
I rode in silence while the gangers where talking about getting even with that mage who got their chum's head. Switches seems lost in thought as well, I think, but it’s not like I was gonna ask. Bigger problems than knowing his state of mind.
Ok..so one or many person went in, killed all those guard eels, got inside the base, killed Lianna and plugged her to that key-less deck, which in turn was connected to her deck. All the while without her seeing, or knowing, it and before she can hit her panic button, call help or get to her gun. Good thing for those back-up recordings. Question is, why? I’m tempted to say it’s to get to me, but it’s a pretty long and useless detour to take.
Granted, I know my way around a gun, but it’s not like a Mage can’t get to me easy, I got nothing going for me. Sure most of Puyallup’s in my pocket, but it’s not like I go around wiht 20 gangers of every flag guarding me with magical support and the like. Of course having a solid rep with a drekload of gangs, organizations and people will make alot of them looking for whoever offed me. I guess. Most will just say “ah frag”, roll over and keep going. Some could still surprise me. Not that I’ll be around to see too. Still whoever did this knows about me, and people I know. People I know well too. I better makes calls.
Thing is, why connect her to that box and her deck if she was dead? It’s not like she could do anything on the Matrix without breathing. Maybe it was just too make it look like she got fried jacked-in, but she never does work without back-up. She was in good, no, excellent terms with the Reality Hackers, hell she was one of them. Inside job? No, they don’t have the magical firepower to do that. Those of the gang who actually visit her are few as well, maybe half a dozen. Great. Now to visit some asocial deckers who can’t see the difference between real life and the Matrix. I looked at my watch, it was 10:30.
Frag!
“I’m gonna drop you guys off at your hideout. I got something to do.” “Frag you are. Eva said we got to stick close to you at all times. Where ever you go.” “Huh huh. I’m going downtown to some fancy restaurant to meet a buddy of mine. So except if you and your buddies are gonna wear a suit and tie, act decent and don’t rouse up attention, I’m droppin’ you off. I don’t want problems wiht the Oinkers, they must be on my case anyway, ‘supposin’ they got my car that is, which they do.” “Yeah bulldrek Delly. Afraid we gonna embarrass you in front of your date huh?” His boys were having a good time laughing at my expense. Fraggers. “It ain’t a date jerk-off, I’m meeting a Keeb.” Silence fell quickly after that one. Funny how supremacists can be dead serious real fast sometimes. “Throw your drek somewhere else Four-Eyes.” “It ain’t drek, it’s true. Contacts man, that Keeb got fingers in ever organisation, Corporation, lots of backing on it’s own too. If there’s someone who can help me find out who the frag did this without exposing themself, drawing attention or being a target it’s them. So except if you and your crew want to dress in a penguin suit and sit silently for an hour or two at the same table as a Keebler while I talk business, you’re free to stick around, but I ain’t gonna tolerate any comment. Neither will the management. Those place got a guy with his hand on the Panic button ready to call drekloads of Oinkers who’ll be more than happy to pump you full o’ lead ‘cause the suits don’t like seeing street scum while they eat. Cuts their appetite.” “And they tolerate you with that face you’ve got?” “More than your face at any rate. Besides, it’s not like you don’t know where to find me. I’ll call you when I’ll be done.”
“That Keeb’s with who?” “Some paranormal magazine.” “HA! Like that’s gonna be a big help.” “You’ll be fraggin’ surprised by what they can accomplish.” “I’m more surprised you gonna spend a couple of hours having a nice dinner with a fraggin’ Keebler of all people. Trog I’d get it, Shorty ok, but a Keeb? Heh..fraggin’ laughs man.” “Laughs like some Poli-gang being run by some Elf?” “She didn’t chose to turn into a freak. Lucky you we’re ain’t that much fond of her.” “I got better things to do that be concerned about what Eva’s thinkin’ of my actions. In the mean time, you’ll get time to shake down your own trail. Didn’t you tell me you had some cops on the payroll back in the good ol’ days? We’ll need that police report on the incident. Including the medical reports of your man Stitches and the one about the explosives.”
“Don’t think Eva’s gonna front me the cash to make it happen.” “Frag...is she your mother or somethin’? She doesn’t need to know about it, ok? In fact, I don’t want your sorry ass to even get close to that slitch and her psycho killin’ machine understand? I ain’t workin’ for her, I'm in this for myself ok? We’re ain’t dealin’ with some unorganized gangers here, we got someone who’s got a plan, and I don’t need some metalhead Elf breathing down my neck at every turn or someone I gotta ask permission to do things. She wanted things goin’ her way, she should have come herself. But since she didn’t well, I’m in charge on how I work. And since I got a lil’ more experience than you on this, I want you to back me up here. No need to report to her when there’s nothing to report. Swavy?”
“She ain’t gonna like this when she finds out y’know?” “Frag it. If she doesn’t like the way I work she can put those metal lips of hers on my pink meat ass and call it a meal for all I’d care. Her fraggin’ mistake going crazy and slicin’ me man. She brought it on herself; she’s gonna live with it."
"Here’s 5 grand in script. Use that money to shake down your Copper pals. And try not to use it all, ok?”
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Post by Braddoc on Jun 29, 2010 22:01:51 GMT -5
Well then, 'been a while since I read the thread..Didn't know Drassel went on the big trip too; I saw Pelch's previous post about his medical crapophone using the 'last 10 posts" link on the main page.
My late condolences to his family and friends.
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As this is the most 'recent' soapbox thread I'll use this thread instead of the old one (the one marked "from theshadowrun.net") to bring back the old discussion about Magic. Not really as Pelch and Wolflet spoke (the nature of shamanic and hermetic magic), but more to talk about the 'awakening' of magic in a previously mundane person.
There's a few stories in the SR universe about persons gaining magical powers, generally after being killed and brought to life (à la near death experience or being really dead and brought back thanks to magic or a DocWagon's medical team's timely arrival) or just developing naturally (if you can call it that), like late blooming.
But what of exposure? Like it or not, magic's part of the SR world. It's everywhere, it what caused all the new races, dragons, para-creatures, para-fauna etc etc. If someone who goes to play with the carbon rods in a nuclear reactor without his rad suit or cleaning his body with Rad-X or rad-away, he's gonna get irradiated.
Prof. O'Felix spoke of that in the Redemption Thread: make a zone 'rich' enough with magic that you'll force a reaction, a surge, which will affect the person within the surged zone. In theory at least, as it was not tested, but they seemed to have the info that it CAN be something that's a possibility. That would be artificially made of course, nothing from a 'natural' process. Not to mention a quick one; that idea was to help Quicksilver purged his cyber and bioware, to help him become a full-fledged magician in the space of a ceremony or ritual, like eating down a 5lbs bag of sugar in 3 seconds instead of taking 3 years to reach the bottom.
But what if a mundane gets to hang around Mages, who works at crating powerful (or at least noteworthy) magical items? Constantly working in a magical environment, day after day, if must take a toll on the body or spirit. Or what if you take your street sammy and boost him up with spells every chance you get when it's action station time? Would he get affected by it? Up to the point of developing a magical affinity of some sort?
Like the sugar example, you'll be at the bottom both ways: just that you'll probably end up sick or with diabetes if you down it in 3 seconds. Might not get anything if you take 3 years, but you might: just that'll be more subtle, and slow, change.
And even then, what now? Let's say Joe Mundane wakes up one morning wiht magic that he never had before. Will he fall down to 'basic' Hermetic mage, or will his personality/lifestyle/whatever 'attracts' totem(s) that will then try to wrestle Joe between themselves to gain a new follower? Or any other type of sub-genre of spell casting?
If he's a mundane, will he instead turn Adept, as he was brought up knowing he can't use magic, as a crutch or otherwise, so he had to rely on himself and technology. Making the concept of 'traditional' spell hurling magic too an alien a concept for his mind that he will develop some inner abilities instead of the visible powers generally associated with Magic?
And what of control? We all ('least I do) remember ol' Yoda saying to young Luke "Control, control, you must learn control!" Big power between his fingers, but if each time you yell at someone you drop a fireball, or every time you wish that dingbat idiot that you cut you in traffic ends up in the ditch brought up a spirit that pushed said car in said ditch, you're a menace to others, not to mention yourself; nothing stops you from mana-bolting yourself, even if that serves no purpose for a 'real' magician, that doesn't mean someone with newly acquired magical abilities won't accidentally cast something while shaving or dressing up because something else is on his mind due to lack of control.
Power's another thing: will a recently awaken character have access to raw mana, making him a danger, or will he be only able to lid a match 3 meters away after nose bleeding like a faucet due to the effort? Keeping with the exposition idea, it can take time before the kick-back shows it's ugly head. Would someone who gets regularly cast a spell on him would have the same amount of power as let's say, someone who stand in the Rift in front of the Watergate all day long?
And what will trigger that magical ability to manifest? the old near-death experience? Some mental trauma, stress, pressure? Or just some 1-2 ritual with a mentor and that's that? Or simply accidental due to accumulation that it simply pours out all at once?
Personally, one's awakening depends on one's exposure and the trigger effect that cause the magical powers to manifest itself. Generally speaking most mages develop their powers during puberty, a time where the body grows, not to mention the mentality of an individual goes under a few changes, emotionally, his personality, larger understanding on how things goes...so it's understandable that magic powers manifest themselves during that troubled period.
I know there's readers, even members, that comes around and read. I'd like some opinion on that matter if you may.
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Post by Braddoc on Jun 28, 2010 18:22:17 GMT -5
OOC: Yup, week's vacation with the National Holiday, got my mind cleared all right.
I got in through the inner airlock first, with Switches and his remaining ganger following a distance away. They were not up for following inside after what they saw, but the fact that the closest, if not only, accessible emergency staircase was connected to the ‘base’ they didn’t had much choice; it was that or risking crossing some Reality Hackers or LoneStar or anyone who noticed one of the two elevators was crashed in the basement.
The place was dark, and cold, the air had a familiar smell to it. Switches was right, she was dead. The foul air carried the sign of decomposing meat, traces of blood here and there, dried up, like someone crawled or was dragged. It led toward Ops. The horrible feeling of knowing what was waiting, yet at the same time, not sure of what could happen hit me. There could be 20 cyber-assassins in here, backed by spirits, automated gun turrets and then some: but at the end, the conclusion ain’t gonna change.
The generator-block was the first thing we crossed: someone did a number on it, not much physical damage, but the breaker boxes and controls panels were fired hard, like a massive overload. The Mage who fired the outer airlock control didn’t waste his magic on that one either. Dard, the other ganger, noticed something weird. It was about the size of 3 decks stacked one over the other, and it was multiple treads on all sides, it was fired up as well.
“Treadwell, some robot she bought ‘cause everyone in space got a robot. Maybe we can salvage some footage, see who came here. Better take it with us.” I took pictures. It came as reflex, but since I might not return here for a while, might as well get what I can to base myself. The camera system seems intact too.
Dining hall was empty and clean, so was the leisure area. The blood led passed Ops, where Lianna spend most her time jacked-in, towards the hab-block. Ops itself was turned upside-down and inside out, panels fired, fabric burned, the windows giving into ‘Space’ were cracked as well: something massive banged that up, but didn’t broke it. The security station was looted as well, the cameras’ recording chips were gone. Good. There might be a chance there`s still some left. One thing she learned from me, don’t put all your stuff in the same lot.
She was in her room, lying on the floor, her deck connected to some smaller deck who in turn was jacked-in her head. Blood, now dry, poured out of her nose and ears. Her blue jumpsuit had a few darken patches, but the worse was her eyes. Once deep, friendly and alluring, now they seemed to have burst open and melted, giving her the look like she cried blood. That with the stench I rushed out of the room and lid a smoke; it helped with the stench. Nothing much.
Loosing buddies in shoot-outs or gang fights was one thing: you were there, it happened, got back at whoever shot. But this, this is different. She was attacked by someone or a group. Frag, she musta been terrified. Dying ‘in the flesh’. Poor her, we always joked that I might come around one day and found her jacked-in, her brain fired by some ICE or whatever. I should have insisted more to get her a DocWagon contract. At least she would not have been lying there for 3 fragin’ weeks! Stupid stupid stupid..
“See, I told you she’s was dead. You happy now?” “Shut the frag up Switches. Lemme think....Take pictures of the scene, and get those decks too.” “Pictures, the frag you want me to take pictures for?” “Just fraggin’ do it! I’m gonna go check the Dining hall, then we’re leaving before someone or something shows up. And make sure it’s from different angles and distance too, I don’t want a drekload of the same damn frame.”
The Dining hall was clean, maybe a little dusty; the attacker(s) didn’t search here. Good. I got in the pantry and move a small wall of canned food to reveal the back-up camera recorders. The chips were still inside. Only a matter of time now until those fraggers gets it.
“You took the pictures?” “Yeah I did, a dozen or so, different angles and distances like you said.” “Got the decks?” “Yeah. The small one shorted when he unplug it.” “What?” “Yeah yeah, like I know how a fraggin’ deck works, the big one didn’t do any sound or any sparks, you can still get a decent payout from t..” “No. We ain’t gonna sell those. They might help us in finding who the frag did that. ‘Stairs are at the end of the hall. Let’s go.”
I stuck a little behind, having a last good look at Lianna. This ain’t a good way to go. Not for her, not for anyone. I left and tried to shook the image outta my mind. The fraggers are gonna pay dearly for that.
.
“NO YOU IDIOT! THAT’S NOT HIS HEAD! DIDN’T YOU HEAR WHAT I ORDERED YOU TO DO?!”
“You ordered me to rip out the head of the first person that entered and bring the head to you mistress.”
“I KNOW WHAT I SAID! WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO WITH SOME FRAGGER’S HEAD I DON’T EVEN KNOW?”
“I am unsure of what can be accomplished with that.”
“Agna gna gna gna gna gna. Go back there and bring me the head of one called Jacques, you hear me? And that’s Jacques Duplessis, not some jerk-off nobody. Now go! And don’t come back without his head!”
“Yes mistress.”
That fragger. He was supposed to be the first in! Since when does he goes with others when he goes see that human slitch of his. Time to accelerate things.
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Post by Braddoc on Jun 21, 2010 13:00:59 GMT -5
Her new thing was space now. Space like outer space. Space base, moon surface, the works. Those gravity plates were the thing to try too. They were only placed under the path to the ‘base’, so it’s a little hard on the landing when you don’t know that and you’re bouncing left and right. Twice more with those flying..guard eel freak-creatures Lianna bought. At least that time around it’s made in Japan. With added camouflage abilities and release some paralyzing toxin. Local too, but I never had a sample of it that wasn’t used on me.
The elevator opened to darkness. Generally the light from the path shines. I get my gun out. The Shivs gets weapons out as well. Switches popped his arm out: cybershotgun with tubular magazine. “Nice.” “What’s the problem?” “No light.” I got my flashlight out and tries the floor. It feels normal. I light left and right, then pop upward. Nothing. “Just keep an eye out for flying black eels or well, anything really.” “Yeah, fraggin’ nice advice Delly.” I got out first, but at least Switches and his crew were sticking close. It was pretty eerie walking on the moon but without flying around. Even the air smelled foul, like there wasn’t any circulation. The eels were on the floor here and there, burned. That might explain the stench. Good thing we had a short trek to do to reach the base’s main ‘airlock’. No light, the camera’s been shot off, the airlock panel too. “It’s always dead like that here?” “Shut up Switches. ‘Got to hot wire the panel, ‘just have a look around. Need my flashlight?” “’Frag off...yeah I’ll take your flashlight.”
The thing wasn’t shot, it was fried, like a power surge burned the thing up. Looked like that, but the way the wires are burned up, it didn’t came from within, but without. So they either tried opening the door blew up and left (hard to believe) or they blew it up while they left. Do it quick? Lighting bolt. So there’s a mage in this. They didn’t left anything I saw outside.
It took 30 minutes to get the wires together. Most of that was saving length of wires that was still acceptable and getting all of them together. My wire roll. I packing my work stuff from now. Switches and his 2 boys were ready to get in. Let’s hope for them the mage(s) didn’t left anything too deadly inside. Not that warning them about it did any good. I got the spark in, the airlock opens up. One of them rushed in, he’ll be looking dumb when he’ll see that other door 3 meters in.
It got into my view. Big magic spot. It rose the ganger in the air, the dude was looking like he was fighting something, when his head separated from his body. The pair that was left didn’t saw it, only that their chum got decapitated, and the head was flying toward them. It was too fast to pin-point the spirit at any rate and it left my range. It also left a big hole in the elevator case. Switches rose me up to the wall, he was looking like he’d rip my head off too. “What the FRAG was that Delly? What the hell happened happened to Dub huh? TALK!” “MAGIC Switches, magic! I warned you about somethin’ like that, but did your boy fraggin’ listen? NO! Now put me down, wherever that spirit took off with that head, that’s gonna warn whoever left it there in the first place. We’re wastin’ time.”
“You know your chum’s dead right?” Good thing he put me down when he did, I would have punched him. I won’t hurt him, it’s the principle of the thing. He did prove a point. “Yeah..’guess so. Let’s go check it out.”
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Post by Braddoc on Jun 16, 2010 18:46:09 GMT -5
Lianna’s place was pretty much in the middle of ‘Hacker turf. But since it was well before noon, most of the gang was either sleeping or jacked-in. We had to stop ourselves, since the Shivs got hungry. Even if they don’t have stomach or digestive systems anymore. Must be reflex. My own were coming about: my vision started having that coloured blur, my leg shook out of nowhere. About time. I got to cut down the paste for the time being.
I got into the underground garage, Lianna gave me a key to her place, so I didn’t had to deal with the Troll watchmen everytime I came around. Her parking space was free obviously, she never goes out, short when I took her out or when the ‘Hackers had one of theirs parties. And even then it took convincing.
“You two stay with the van.” At least if trouble happened that was something. “Afraid the elevator ain’t gonna support our weight?” “Just in case you pull a fast one, you gonna be stuck walkin’ home Delly.” “And you gonna be stuck with extra holes if you don’t follow my lead here. She doesn’t like new company.” “Frag off Four-Eyes. Eva put me in charge.” I turn 180 in front of him. Half his skin face looked surprised. My Deputy under his chin helped my case. “No, Eva put me in charge rust-head. My problem, my responsibility, remember?” By now his crew reacted, pulling out spurs, hand razors and cyberguns, all pointed at me. “You’re just fraggin’ there ‘cause you’re the EX-boss and she just want you pushed to the side. I know the word, you still got respect and influence with the Shivs. Enough to get heard too. Loud. But if you ain’t around, ‘guess she’s runnin’ the show like she wants to. And this ain’t your fraggin' turf anymore ‘Switchy’, we left that 23 blocks down the road.” He gave me that Evil eye of his. I liked the way his cybereye just lid up brighter. Quick glances left and right to his boys too. I just shoved my barrel a little deeper under his chin. “Go ahead Chum, tell’em to try somethin’! You know I’m gonna get that shot off, ‘sure got the jump on you easy. And after you’re gone, won’t matter what happens after huh? But I’m guessin’ Eva and her crew are all gonna get a good laugh when they’ll hear that the Switchman himself got shot fraggin’ point-blank by some slow-mo skinjob.” I got a little closer. “Not to mention that, if I die, Eva’s surely gonna blame it on YOU. And she’s gonna get you back. ‘Guess you’re fragged either way. So you play my way, or you just get some hole and wait for me to call you. We ace on this, chum?”
Gang bosses, even ex ones, like their power. They fought and bled and worked for it. They don’t like to get fragged over too. He knows I was right: Eva got plans, big plans, but it’s not like every ganger under her’s just gonna get in line and play by her rules. Switches still got space to move. The turf expansion brought money and power, but made things more cut-throat in the organization. People get greedy when they need cash for cyber; and cyber to get respected. “We play it your way for now Meat-man, but you frag with me just once or you use me like I’m your bitch and you better wish you’d pull that trigger.” His crew put away their cyber weaponry, I put my piece away. “Good. We got a fraggin’ understandin’ now. Wasn't that hard.” I got to the elevator, keeping the gangers in my face, just in case. “What floor’s that decker’s at?” “8th floor.” “What apartment?” “Nah man, you don’t get it: the 8th floor IS her apartment.”
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Post by Braddoc on Jun 16, 2010 17:35:31 GMT -5
It took me half an hour getting patched up, all the while having to listen to Switches and his crew bitching about ‘wastin’ time’ and ‘not doing what you’re told’. What they don’t get is that’s MY head on the line here, I make the shot; just another 10, 15 minutes maybe, then the playing field’s gonna be even. Right now the boys were carving their symbols here and there, Switches was having a smoke. Like he had any organs to poison.
In the meantime I’m stuck on the phone with Red; My guns, ammo, grenades, shaped charges and the rest of my stash’s there. Thank the man who invented duck-tape: at least my jacket and armour aren’t loosing precious kevlar now. But my Americar’s gone from the lock-up. And the only one who had the code aprt from me was him. “Hmmm...parked..at your place? I should I fraggin’ know!”
“Bro, you had the code, and except if someone just barged in here and jacked my wheels, I’m thinkin’ you took it.” “Oooohhh, THAT set o’ wheels. Yeah I got it in my shop.” I rubbed my eyes. At least it was in good hands. “Why’d you took it?” “Don’t you remember? Barrens Race’s 3 weeks away! And since you have that fancy Audi..” “..HAD the Audi. It got jacked 2 nights ago.” “Oh drek, sucks to be you man! What’cha got now? Takin’ a ride on the Boots express? Hur hur hur..” “You wish, I’m stuck with some dumbass van..’think it’s armoured a bit; I rammed it into a building and the bumper barely got dented.”
“A Van? Man, you fell down from high. Can’t go fast and make tight turns with a van!” “Yeah well, that’s why I need my car now, Red.” “Sorry man, got’her guts all over the place, I’m right in the middle of settin’ up a sweet superturbo engine, right off a Westwind DSE, The tires are gonna be there in 3 days, ‘got Bean gettin’ the armour in the chassis, Spick getting that armoured glass installed, ‘got the juves gettin’ those armoured flaps done..” “How’s the car looking NOW?” “Skeleton. For the most part. But the chucks are installed, top quality drek I lifted from..” “I don’t care right now! Next time lemme know when you’re doin’ somethin’ like that, ok? Frag!” “Drek, what’s wrong Jack?” “Woke up too early this morning; one of those days...Lemme know when she’s be good to roll, will’ya?” “Yeah man no problem...Oh! Yeah before I forgot, I found your chip, the one with Dark Tide’s Live concert at the Stuff Club. Was under the seat.” “’least that’s that I guess. Call you later bro.”
“So, where’d your ‘Bro’ hacked that car up at?” “It ain’t hacked, Switches. It’s gettin’ an over-haul.” “Better that way, I hate the stench of old Trog when I’m ridin’.” “Just get your idiots in the van. We’ll get going.”
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