RPG: Frostbite

[Eevee]

IC

 

"I see..." She immediately began walking to Cafe. She got there within a few minutes, cautiously scanning the scene.

[Perp]

IC: 

 

Lavinia's phone began to ring again.

[Eevee]

IC

 

"I'm here... And I know you know that. So, what exactly am I looking for?" Lavinia asked with a grin.

[Perp]

IC: (Lavinia Phonecall)

"Yes, I can see you're there. Sadly, I am not. I got quite bored and left. You'll notice table three is empty. Please, have a seat."

[Eevee]

IC

 

"Oh you're no fun... But I guess since you know my line of work, getting close to me would make you nervous I guess." She sighed and sat down at table three.

[Perp]

IC: (Lavinia Phonecall)

"I'm afraid I do have to take precautions. Please check under the table for an envelope."

[Eevee]

IC

 

"These better not be dirty pictures." She said with a chuckle as she grabbed the envelope.

[Perp]

IC: (Lavinia Phonecall)

"They're quite clean. The man on them, however, is not."

Inside the envelope are pictures of a grizzled, elderly man wearing dark sunglasses and wearing a sharp suit. Information, including name (Edgar Krestmann) IP Address, and other such details are included on a separate card.

[Eevee]

IC

 

Lavinia sighed. "It seems all I do nowadays is kill old men..." She mumbled under her breath. "Okay, so what do you want me to do? Specifically, I mean."

[Perp]

IC: (Lavinia Phonecall)

"You're looking at Edgar Krestmann, supplier of a fair portion of the street drugs you see around Karantin. I'd like you to infiltrate his ring and figure out where he gets his supplies, where he stores his product, where he does business and who with, et cetera et cetera. I don't care how you do it or who you kill. There's big pay involved. You can check your account for an advance three-thousand."

[Eevee]

IC

 

"Three thousand is a little cheap for what you're asking... I'll need to be convincing. Six thousand up front."

[Perp]

IC: (Lavinia Phonecall)

"Fair enough." There was a slight pause. "The funds have been transferred."

[Eevee]

IC

 

"Thank you. I'll be in touch." Lavinia grinned.

[NorikSigma]

IC: Petra

 

The young woman got up and took a walk to the building.

 

Cautiously, senses on alert, she ascended the rickety stairs leading up to the roof, her guns out and ready.

 

She reached the top. Much as she wasn't one for cars, she couldn't help but ogle at the car.

 

It was slim, beautiful, colours perfectly blending into each other. Every curve, every hump, was at once organically natural and mechanically accurate.

 

Petra touched the car. As her hand brushed under a soft rump on the side, the door quietly unlocked, the movement almost unnoticeable.

 

It would have been nice to keep it, but driving something like this is her district was begging attention from unsavoury individuals.

 

Oh well. She'll be at least two hundred and fifty thousand rubles richer.

 

Petra slid into the driver's seat. It was pretty small, though, but comfortable. An envelope lay unopened on the dashboard.

 

Petra broke the seal and read the note.

 

OOC: Is that a good estimate of the price?

 

OOC: Edit. Didn't want to double-post.

 

 

 

IC: Karla Jenson

 

It was a grey, dull evening in the lower sector.

 

But, then, it always is.

 

Karla was strolling the streets, looking into the windows of shops on the verge of bankruptcy, yet forced into an endless cycle of purchasing luxury goods for the rich clientele that lived here.

 

The woman was dressed in a disguise, with a nice red hat, sunglasses, some gunk that passed for makeup/disguise, and, as usual, her handbag.

 

It was a day off for her day job, which meant that either her employer was going to give her another 'assignment', or someone would be interested in fitting an assignment into her busy schedule.

 

OOC: Open for interaction.

Edited November 14, 2014 by Tenth Norik

[Perp]

OOC: @Norik - Yes, that's a good estimate.

IC:

The note in Petra's hand read:

Ms. Ingram,

Vasska Karolewski is travelling topside from Laquearia tomorrow. He is the head of the Igneous design team. He'll be in the warehouse at the end of Karadžić Ave. Be warned, he'll most likely have armed security personnel stationed there. He is scheduled to be there for one hour. If he dies... well, let's just say Igneous' stock price will plummet. The XC-80 will be worth thrice as much as it is now. Good luck.

Regards.

* * *

 

IC: (Lavinia Phonecall)

"So we will."

The transmission was ended.

Edited November 16, 2014 by Perpetual Darkness

[Eevee]

IC

 

Lavinia smiled, looking over the paper before heading toward her condo. She needed to get everything ready.

[Razgriz]

IC: "Three!"

Beef pulled.

[shadow pridak money gang]

IC:

 

Slo pulled, and when the envelope opened a small, rectangular credit chip tumbled out; the security expert moved quickly with his free hand and scooped the chip out of the air, examining it in the light and then looking over its surface at Beef. Slowly, his eyes lit up - his smile became exuberant.

 

"It's legit," he verified, voice sounding calmer than he felt.

 

-Tyler

[Razgriz]

IC: "Looks like we have us a job."

...

"Sushi night?"

[shadow pridak money gang]

IC:

 

"We'll put a rain check on that," said Slo, tossing the credit chip into the company safe and slamming it shut. With his left hand he reached out for his tablet and pulled up one of the company e-mail accounts. "Brother on the phone sent us a batch of prior gumshoes working the Core 9 breakin. Latest private investigator goes by Bethany Tate, off the grid since last night - you look over the other names for anyone of interest and I'll see what I can dig up on her."

 

In the eighty-five minutes that followed, Beef dug up exactly zero leads from the list of investigators - each had their own stories and different takes on two or three of the same leads, and each had been dropped out of the blue in a different manner - while Slo combed headlines and contacts for information on Bethany Tate. 

 

Sniper Fire Reported in Residential District

Private Investigator Reported Missing

Core 9 "Keeping All Options Available" in Recent Lab Break-in, Says Spokeswoman--

 

Yeah yeah yeah. He'd learned what he'd needed to with the sniper fire.

 

What followed the list of predictable headlines were a few social networking profiles belonging to Tate. Slo opened up a tab for each and scanned friends and followers that popped up in more than one, and then the individual friends on each account that she had the most contact with. One nightclub kept popping up in tags - Tate was always with different friends, but the indoor lighting remained the same, as did the layout of the bar in the few shots he could make out behind her.

 

The Optic, Slo mouthed to himself, already grabbing his jacket again and pulling up directions on his phone. "Time to fly, Beef."

 

-Tyler

Edited November 15, 2014 by Tyler Durden

[Zulu Yankee Kilo Echo]

IC:

 

Arcadia would find little that seemed notable--mostly just slag and scorched electronics. There was, however, an engraved Spiritech logo and what was probably a serial number: ZX-2202-99.

[Razgriz]

IC: Brass knuckles in the pocket of his coat and suitcase containing the most customizable weapons system in existence in tow, Beef nodded as he donned a slate gray beanie to insulate his close-cropped head.

"Let's roll."

[Constructelf]

IC: Katsu

"Normally people don't bang their heads on the bar counter like that unless something in their life is going majorly wrong." A man wearing a longcoat and all black clothing took a seat next to Beth. "I would ask what was up, but I take it that it isn't something a stranger needs to know." He ordered a drink of his own-straight tonic water-and sat listlessly in his bar stool.

 

Katsu himself was troubled, though he didn't show it on his face. It wasn't anything with the Twelve Brothers that was going south; he was till safe, for now at least. What was going wrong was the karate dojo, or more specifically, the land it was built on. He thought he was able to avoid the land issues if the upper levels by opening in Laquearia, but a water pipe had blown for some reason and had ended up flooding the place. The renovation companies weren't exactly nonprofit charities and had quite the backlog, so for the moment, Katsu's steady source of income was gone. The Avtoritet would be asking for tribute soon as well...

 

Katsu let a small sigh escape from his lips.

Edited November 15, 2014 by namcurtsnoC

[Zulu Yankee Kilo Echo]

IC: Beth

 

Beth looked up and chuckled. 

 

"Not like I got anything better to do than talk to strangers," she said with a shrug. "I'm probably gonna be dead by sunrise anyway. It's just a matter of whether I drink myself there or let the corporate mercs get me."

[Constructelf]

IC: Katsu

"Corporate mercs?"

 

Katsu's ears perked up; that is, they would have perked up had he been capable of moving them in the first place. He wasn't exactly a dog.

 

But still, knowing that there were corporate, amoral hired guns either on the way or already here was a cause for concern. And if they were anything like what his fellows had told him, they weren't exactly tolerant of bystanders.

 

"Did something happen?"

[Zulu Yankee Kilo Echo]

IC: Beth

 

Beth shook her head.

 

"###### if I know," she said. "I mean, I must've ###### them off when I invited my friends to go spy on Core 9. Guess you can't trust the networks anymore."

Edited November 15, 2014 by Zulu Yankee Kilo Echo

[AuRon the champion]

Ic:

 

Arcadia quickly separated the logo and serial number from the partially melted scrap, examining it briefly before stowing the frozen air-cooled metal.

 

She put the rest back in the smelter.

[Constructelf]

IC: Katsu

"Core-9 huh... Why were you, or should I say, your friends given that's what you thought them off, spying on them?" Something was fishy.

[Zulu Yankee Kilo Echo]

IC: Beth

Beth smirked and ordered another drink.

"You heard of that break-in that happened at the Core 9 lab in Laquearia?" she didn't wait for an answer. "They hired me to look into that. When they shut me down out of nowhere, I started wondering what was up."

 

She downed half her glass and jabbed a finger at Katsu.

 

"That's when they get ######. When you start wondering what's up."

Edited November 15, 2014 by Zulu Yankee Kilo Echo

[shadow pridak money gang]

IC:

 

On the complicated drive to the Optic, Slo and Beef formulated their gameplan; as always, Beef drove, which left Sloan time to do some more digging on Bethany Tate and muse out loud to himself, all while scribbling several entrances and exits - in various colored inks, for each person of interest - on his tablet's screen.

 

"When we get there, you case every place that's marked with a rectangle. That's where we're gonna see someone fishy walk in." Slo lifted up the screen to the side view mirror so Beef could get a look at it. "Pretty girl spending what she thinks is her last night on earth? We'll find her at the bar. I'll get to her, sway her with the Slo Motions, convince her we're not out to put a bullet in her behind the kitchen, and we're outta here. Did you clear some space in the back?"

 

"Ayup."

 

"Aruuuugala." Slo held out a fist for Beef to bump. "I got a good feeling about this one, brother. It's in my bones."

 

"Ayup. Could be the cold, though."

 

It could be that, too, but as they parked parallel to the Optic - Slo didn't want to take any chances getting her out of this building - and walked inside, Slo's gut was telling him one thing. Money money money money

 

While Beef took on the role of "yeah totally I'm a bouncer you want me to throw you across the dance floor and prove it bruh," Slo unbuttoned the first and second buttons on his jacket, fixed his collar, and walked up to the bar.

 

"I'm looking for a girl, about my age, dark hair/purple highlights, about seven or eight inches shorter than me." Slo shrugged with one shoulder. "Probably drinking a lot."

 

"Uhhhh...you can't miss her." The bartender gestured over to a table near the bar, where a woman was finally lifting her head up to talk listlessly with a guy whose all black wardrobe and demeanor screamed shady. "She's been smotherin' my table with her forehead for about an hour."

 

Bethany Tate. She didn't look like a girl who had stumbled onto some massive corporate secret, but hey. Slo didn't look like a man who had just come off two years' salary in the space of a single morning. Now, how to get over there without freaking her out...

 

Well, hovering wasn't gonna do it - if she caught him staring at her intently she would just bolt, and then Beef would get involved, and...no one wanted that. He was a pretty good looking guy. He'd won contracts from people who were tougher to crack than this. He was Sloan Jamowitz! 

 

Of course he knew how to approach this.

 

Rubbing his nose for good luck, Slo ordered two shots of Alizé and carried one over in each hand to Bethany's table, swinging the rubles for a beer to the fella in the longcoat.

 

"You look like a woman in dire need of something expensive and fruity," he noted. "Couldn't help but overhear your little Core 9 dilemma."

 

-Tyler

[Constructelf]

IC: Katsu

"That's true," Katsu mused. "I suppose that's oar for the course with any powerful group with loose morals; they don't want people getting the dirt on them. And judging by this reaction, there might be some dirt around that break-in..." Katsu wondered if the Brothers were the same. At the end of the day, their paychecks had to come from somewhere, and somebody had to take the fall to keep them safe. Asking the wrong questions was a good way to get yourself a painful death.

 

OOC: Ack, ninja'd. Will edit in response.

Edited November 15, 2014 by namcurtsnoC

[Zulu Yankee Kilo Echo]

IC: Beth

 

Beth smiled groggily at the newcomer and plucked the shot from his hand.

 

"Fruity isn't normally my thing," she said. "but hey, it's a special night."

Edited November 15, 2014 by Zulu Yankee Kilo Echo

[shadow pridak money gang]

IC:

 

Slo grinned and toasted, finishing off the shot expertly and putting the shot glass rim-down softly on the table.

 

"Heard that, too." Slo looked up at Beef, standing on the dance floor and eyes dancing across a few people who had caught his interest. "Sounds like you got quite the story to tell."

 

-Tyler

[Zulu Yankee Kilo Echo]

IC: Beth

 

Beth knocked back her own shot.

 

"I suppose I do," she said. "who's interested?"

 

***

 

The rest of the...whatever it was melted without protest. The rats watched it go, and when the thing was more or less gone, they all scattered again.

[AuRon the champion]

Ic:

 

"To report, or not report?" Arcadia muttered to herself. She was in no mood to deal with the authorities... But there were two good gumshoes she had heard of...

 

Arcadia went back into her house and dialed Slo Jamowitz's number.

[shadow pridak money gang]

IC:

 

"The good looking guy who got five hundred thousand reasons to make sure you lived to see happy hour tonight." Slo grinned and flicked over the glass onto its side. "And has a million more on the way if he can keep you like that."

 

-Tyler

[Constructelf]

IC: Katsu

Katsu sat silently and drank his tonic water. Who was this guy? He ordered another tonic water, wondering if he was one of the mercs that thus woman had mentioned. Nah, he was too upbeat. Or maybe that was a façade...

[Zulu Yankee Kilo Echo]

IC: Beth

 

Beth almost dropped her glass. Who was paying that much to ensure her safety? She wanted to believe the stranger, but it sounded too good to be true.

 

"How do I know I can trust this good-looking guy?" she heard herself asking.

[shadow pridak money gang]

IC:

 

"Because he knew you'd ask that, and he had his partner in the slate toque by the dance floor record the entire conversation. Can you walk and listen at once?"

 

-Tyler

[Zulu Yankee Kilo Echo]

IC: Beth

 

Beth bit her lip and glanced nervously at Beef.

 

"I suppose," she said as she stood.

 

She elbowed Katsu.

 

"Gotta jet," she said. "Thanks for giving a ."

 

She turned to Slo.

 

"Let's roll."