Nowhere to Run
She tried every way she could think of to get info on it.
The teen wrapped it in one of her old shirts, and smashed at it with the butt of her blaster. It did not shatter.
With her omnicutter, the young shadowrunner tried scoring or slicing into it like a door or access panel. It did not crack.
After scores of CryptNet searches to seek out its truth with an ever-narrowing set of keywords, Daiya even tried a few cautious HoloNet searches in the clear. It did not show up.
Finally, she brought the thing to the Freeport Club in Lum Rouge, seeking appraisal from the exclusive black market dealers there. It did not pique much interest.
Frustrated, she hurled it toward the other end of her apartment. It clattered off the aluminite walls, leaving a small dent in the artwork she'd painted there. Her lips released a grown that grew to a roar as Daiya stared at it, its faceted sides gleaming back in the most taunting manner a rock could manage.
It was just a rock, Daiya knew. Even still, she couldn't shake the feeling of something more. It was strangely warm when she held it, but then the teen's body just ran warm to begin with. It looked like glass, and that's what almost every appraiser had told her, but then why could she swear it exploded with color every so often? It was just a rock, just a nicely-cut rock made to look like a gemstone, but just a rock.
Worthless.
The young shadowrunner knew enough to shy away from this. Experience taught Daiya not to trust that glimmer just beyond the mundane. Danger and hard truths usually lurked behind that veil, and her life had been full of enough lately. The smart thing to do would have been to drop it in a trash compactor or hawk it for enough credits to buy lunch.
Daiya ignored that part of her brain screaming at her while following the suggestion of the one appraiser who didn't laugh or scoff at the idea of the rock being anything more than just a rock. He wasn't too difficult to find, though the young shadowrunner grumbled in annoyance at having to use the HoloNet to do it. Shouldn't a professor realize the academic potential the CryptNet held, with security and anonymity there to ease leaks of secret information that would aid research?
Whatever the case, and whether dumb or not, Daiya found herself staring at the holorecorder in her datapad. She braced for a moment, then went to pick up the rock from its resting place across the room. The girl gave herself a moment to roll her eyes and let out a sigh, then started the recording.
"Hi Professor Nimdok. You don't know me, and I've never heard of you before, but you came recommended. I think this," she held up the faceted stone, turning it in front of the recorder, "is more than just a rock. Can you help me?"