Faction The Radio Star (Darkwire & Allies)

[Xan Deesa]

//Establishing connection…//
//Recording…//
Our voices aren't enough anymore. Never have been. Each time we raise our voices and cry out against them, they stomp on our throats and silence us.

It's time to make them listen in a way they can't ignore. Our target is Corell Tower in the Seven Corners district. Two teams are needed, one to break in and slice into the tower’s systems, and one to hijack the power station and hardwire the lines to the tower. No point in trying to send a message if they can just cut the power.

Make sure to use indoor voices, this is a sensitive job. Civvies and shops all around the place. Goes without saying, we don’t want collateral on this one.

Meet you there.
//Saved//
//Encrypting…//
//Encrypted//
//Message sent//​

The tat-chat didn’t exactly go splendidly, and it highlighted the allegiance of a number of people. The broadcast sent over the CryptNet was extremely vague, but with everything that was going on, the details of the mission were far too important to let everyone know what was about to go down.

The mission itself was crucial. Corell Tower was a major broadcasting tower on the planet, with enough reach to get pretty much anywhere. If they wanted to fight back and get the people to help them, they needed to inspire the oppressed populace of Denon. The tat-chat highlighted the entire situation pretty damn well, and with Ivory’s suggestion they had just the right solution to this problem.

Problem was, the tower was the easiest bit to do in the grand scheme of things. The security wasn’t exactly a problem and the people in the businesses around the place would be easy enough to avoid. The power station and its millions of lines was the most important bit. If they couldn’t organize something to permanently feed power to the tower, their whole plan could go up in flames… literally or figuratively.

In Baker’s Row, by a simple burger stand, Xan idly waited for people to arrive as she munched away on her second burger. She didn’t doubt that people would show up, it was just a matter of who would be showing up. Luckily she was monitoring pretty much every camera and microphone in the area to keep an eye out for potential obstacles. All will become clear, though. It was a disgusting feeling, to be so suspicious of fellow Runners at a time like this. But the risk was too great, too many people were already not happy with the thoughts brought up at the Chat.

Taking another bite, Xan looked around her while the rest of her mind kept an eye on every face moving around the place. She wouldn’t be surprised if someone made a slicing attempt on her... or the wrong people saw the message.

 

[Ivory Stroud]

The crowd shuffled along; pedestrians passing by on their daily routines - each with places to be, unknowing of the turbulent change stirring beneath the surface. Denon's populace paid little mind to their surroundings, and Ivory had become an expert at using this to her advantage. As countless bodies humbled along, she blended in like a wraith. With a lifetime of experience living in the shadows, she expertly avoided whatever form of surveillance might be watching - shuffling in the same manner as thousands of others, head down, looking like she had a place to be but was in no hurry to arrive.

Suddenly, she was standing beside the burger stand. It was unlikely Xan Deesa , Demon of Denon, had seen her coming - and this was by design. Now that their plans were finally coming to fruition, Ivory was just as concerned as her companion about who might be watching or joining them. She would be taking her own precautions; relying on a number of skills she'd perfected but had little recent use for. At any moment, she was prepared to vanish into the crowd.

If push came to shove, it would be every man or woman for themselves.

After watching for a few minutes to ensure Xan was alone, Ivory approached... sliding into a seat beside her friend without saying a word. As-if they were two strangers, simply taking a break from the daily grind.

Ivory reached out, holding up a finger & wordlessly ordering something from the small menu. The cook, a skinny, elderly Atrisian man, narrowed his eyes then nodded, beginning to cook. Hidden from his periphery, Ivory reached over the front of the counter and removed a glass bottle from the small cooler; a chilled soda, which she cracked open & took a sip from.

"Just us, so far?" She asked, without looking at Xan. The subtle question, delivered in a hushed tone, would be all-but inaudible to anyone else passing by.

 

[Cassus Akovin]

Make sure to use indoor voices, this is a sensitive job. Civvies and shops all around the place. Goes without saying, we don’t want collateral on this one.

Meet you there.

Cassus either didn't read the memo or didn't care.

Though technically, what he was doing wasn't related to the mission. There was still time to convince him to get with the program, but at the moment, while Shadowrunners were making their stealthy approaches or advanced surveillance, Cassus was going shopping. In a manner of speaking, anyway.

"Hey, nice bike." Cassus said, sporting a flashy new mask.

The corpo shill was in the middle of flirting with some girl more interested in his credit chit than his appearance. Or perhaps it was the ride? It took a moment or two before he even noticed Cassus approach, at which point he took his eyes off her body to give the masked adolescent a nasty look.

"Jump off a bridge kid, touch it and you die." Just at the moment, he decided to lean on his bike and slick back what little hair he had. He smiled at the girl who laughed, and Cassus cocked his head to the side as he approached.

"What a novel idea, you first." Unseen to the naked eye, electromagnetic waves emanated from Cassus' mask, guided by a hostile intelligence that buzzed around inside the rich man's head.

"Whatsatsound?" Immediately the man reached up to grip his head, slurring his words, until suddenly it appeared his neck spasmed and he was looking at his own hand. "AH TOUCHED IT." He raised his voice, seemingly disturbed. For some reason, he shoved his credit chit and bike ignition to the girl who looked on in confusion.

"What? Wait, where are you go-" She tried to call out as the man started walking. "Bye!" The man called out, before climbing onto a railing and taking a leap of faith. The woman stood in shock. Cassus barely looked in his direction. He climbed onto his new bike.

"I don't think he's going to need that anymore, it looks like he just donated. You can keep the money. I won't need it. You'll forget about this." His hand reached out for the ignition. There was a small buzz in the back of her mind, but she almost didn't need it. She wanted to forget whatever she just saw. She walked away, and he zoomed off. Somewhere, there was a new stain on Denon.

Cassus arrived at the joint Xan Deesa and Ivory Stroud were waiting at.

"Dig the new ride? Sorry if I'm late, save any for me?" He hovered around behind them for a moment, before dismounting to approach them.

 

[Daiya]

(Post Soundtrack: "Uprising" by Muse)

"The odds of spotting us are pretty low when we go in this way. All our suits dampen sensor footprints, and Brie's covered with her special belt, too. Then we find a way inside, like a loading dock or access port no one uses —hopefully not the sewer this time." The teen blanched at the thought, covering up the sour point with a mocking pose, her nose pinched in her fingers. She waved a hand in front of her face, throwing the thought away. "That was only once, don't worry."

"Are you showing off?"

Daiya spun her head to the scrapper girl, the tallest of their ensemble today. Her eyes narrowed as she squinted at her best friend, giving her head a quick wiggle back and forth, unable to keep the grin spreading on her fact from infecting her speech as well. "No! I'm just pointing out that it's easier this time if we don't go in all guns blazing..." She glanced over at Hex, the other member of their trio for the moment, then let out a breath of air. "Well, yeah, I guess I am. I've just been doing this a lot on Belazura lately, okay?"

The young shadowrunner let out a longer giggle, relief sagging her suited shoulders from the exchange. She had been happy to find Hex willing to use her old shadowrunner outfit for the mission, but then the blue girl showed up with a gigantic rocket launcher strapped to her back. Nerves still clustered within the knot in her throat, pitching Daiya back to her first meeting with Hex, who had brought a makeshift hand grenade into the speakeasy on a night for drinking and getting wild.

At least Hex had that second part down.

Daiya knew she could at least count on the newcomer to Darkwire to be her backup if things went horribly wrong. That wasn't really why she had invited Hex or Brie along today, the young shadowrunner made that decision after seeing the results of the tatt-chat. Her trust in her fellow shadowrunners was cracked, and as she spotted the burger stand orchestrated to be their meeting place, her breath caught when she recognized others already assembled there. Who among them was still there because they truly believed and who was just waiting to turn on them all?

"I'm just saying, the goal is to take the tower without getting caught first." The teen looked pointedly at Hex, but glanced at Brie as well. Her friend was better versed in shadowrunner stealth, and her pleading eyes begged Brie to help her keep their new, erratic friend on task. Despite that, she felt comfortable with her friends beside her, and the nerves in her throat relaxed away for a moment. "Once we start broadcasting, every Seccer from here to the Pentaplex is gonna be heading for us, that's when we're gonna need the firepower."

She grinned, pulling the butt-ends of her twin blasters from their holsters in her suit, just enough so that the girls alongside her could see that Daiya was well armed herself. There were more in her pockets, helpful gadgets and tools that weren't already integrated into her new suit or its utility belt. Part of her almost hoped to run into a reason to use them.

The young shadowrunner hefted her suit's helmet under her shoulder, and leaned forward with a gesture for the pair to get in close. Her voice was low, coursed with seriousness as Daiya uttered words she never thought she would have to consider. "Watch my back in there, and I'll watch yours. For now, we trust just each other, agreed?"

Daiya couldn't know what waited for them ahead, if she only knew that she could count on her two friends, then she would worry about the rest.

Xan Deesa Ivory Stroud Cassus Akovin Brie Jaxx Hex​

(OOC: Brie's character used with permission.)

 

[Hex]

Location: Near the tower loading bay
Objective: get in discretely
Tag: Daiya Brie Jaxx

Spoiler: Equipment

• Powderpunk armor on loan from Daiya
• ap-25i SIMP pistol
• 'Candles' Heavy particle blaster
• 'confetti' Rocket launcher
• Party Poppers (3 explosive, 2 gas)
• Dancer repulsor board
• Dervish Knife
• Cheap data pad and communicator

Spoiler: Hex dialogue colors

Poor Hex hears voices in her head

Hex speech to others
Hex speech to herself

Hexes inner voices
'...Neutral...'
'...Doubt...'
'...Anger...'
Coloured '.....' are also words that Hex can hear , but I decided not to write them to reduce clutter

Hex had been invited along to a party with the girls from the darkwire, specifically by Daiya who had also furnished her with some clothing which was much more protective than she was used to. She would still rather be in her regular clothes, but I was infinitely more comfortable than the set of storm armour she briefly borrowed. It didn't hurt that it looked so good as she caught herself again looking at her reflection in one of the many mirrored windows on Denon.

'...stop checking out your own ass!...'
"I'm not chec...." she didnt finish but just wrinkled up her nose and sneered at herself in the reflection.

As the the other girls finished getting Hex reached into the speeder van, a dry cleaning delivery truck that had been liberated from workshop, the owners wouldn't even know it was gone until the next morning, hopefully. She picked up both of her pistols and clipped them to her waist belt, before slinging Confetti over her back. Along with her worn duffle bag containing several rockets and her explosives. Hex could do these missions, she was nervous, sure, but more about impressing her new friends, this wasn't the same sense of impending death she experienced trying to take out the senator with Hilal Vizsla .

Looking at Daiya with an impressed look as she detailed her plan she smiled, "Sewers not so bad, they keep the rain off and are a good place to disappear if the chit hits the fan. The speeder truck will be here when we get back and... I think... I have an escape route worked out, but hey, the last chase was fun right." she laughed as she walked closer to her, friends? She had driven the three of them here an managed not to crash, so she guessed she was the designated getaway drive too.

"Watch my back in there, and I'll watch yours. For now, we trust just each other, agreed?"

'...she's got your back, until she doesn't, you know its true...'

Hex's heart quickened at the thought of her allies bailing on her and leaving her to suffer the consequences, it had happened before, it could happen again. She flexed her fingers and squeezed her hand nervously before nodding at Daiya. "You can trust me, I've got your back, and I will try and save the explosives until after it all kicks off." she grinned with a wicked glint in her eye.

She was ready to go, the loading bay looked quiet and now was as good a time as any.

 

[Cartri Keswoll]

Location: Denon
Objective: Meet up at the food joint
Attire: Link

"Post theme: Guerrilla Radio - Rage Against The Machine"

"So, where you from kid?" the taxi man said curiously as he steadily flew him towards Cartri's destination, a close by burger stand in bakers row where all the crew would meet up. To say the least, he couldn't help but feel anxious about the whole thing considering the harsh words he said to Cassus Akovin and Daiya losing their heads.

"I'm a local, being living around bakers row most of my life. Why? is it because of my hair?" the boy said with a tilt of his head to the driver, who slowly nodded in response to his enquiry "You don't see many gingers around here, especially ones as young as you" he commented, choosing to keep his eyes on the traffic ahead of him without a hint of emotion.

Cartri looked up to the taxi driver and sighed loudly, his upper body leaning forwards to whisper something in his ear "How about you put your foot down and ask no more questions? I think that will gain you a well earned tip don't you think?" he said with a stern tap on the shoulder before leaning back into his chair and glaring at him to see if he'd take the bribe. Seconds passed in silence as the stone faced man said nothing at first, but eventually he seemed to cave in "As you wish, forgive my curiosity" he replied in the most monotone voice he could muster. It was clear he was fed up of kids anyway, this just took the cake.

Pulling up next to the burger stand, the taxi driver didn't even bother to say goodbye or look at him. Although, when Cartri kept to his word and gave him a decent tip he couldn't help but offer a slight nod as he left.

"Well, look what we have here!" he chuckled behind Xan Deesa before wrapping one arm around her chest and ruffling her hair like she always did to him "It's an interesting place for a meeting sis, I'll give you that" Cartri smirked, turning to Ivory Stroud who was sitting next to her in all of her old glory.

"How you doing Ivory, business treating you good?" compared to last time he was more respectful to the senior citizen than before. Even though he had trust issues with the mob boss, there was a possibility she could open up doors for him in the near future including a key project that was close to his heart. Extending his hand out, he offered her a firm handshake out of respect and for the job at hand. They all needed to be on the same page for this.

And of course, last but not least was Cassus Akovin who was sure to still be pissed with him. Looking to the fellow teen, he seemed to stare coldly at him for a few seconds like he was being careful with what he said "Cassus... its good to see you in the flesh again" he sighed, turning around to face and provide his undivided attention.

"Are we going going to be cool for this operation? or is there still a fire in there I'll need to put out?"

Daiya / Hex / Brie Jaxx​

 

[Brie Jaxx]

Brie stood ready in her new spacesuit behind Daiya , as her best friend briefed them about the mission that were to take place. The staff of the burger stand were giving everyone assembling at their joint a glance if they wanted a burger or not, and Brie, while being caught off guard, nodded at a chef who started to make her a burger. Before long, Brie found herself with a juicy looking burger in her hand and glanced over to Xan Deesa , looking for some fort of confirmation that the piece of meat and bread with a lot of goodies between it were good. In any form, Brie were seriously glad that Xan were with them again. Before Brie and Ruby Jaxx found each other, Xan had actually been like a stepsister for the scrapper girl. One to look up to besides her best friend and the little gamine Daiya. Brie had probably never told her, but still saw it that way.

''Are you showing off?'' Brie said to Daiya as she laid out their plan.

Brie took a bite from the burger and then noticed the the glance and hint from her best friend to keep a look out for Hex , the blue-haired girl from their night out at the Speaksoft Speakeasy. Stars, had Brie woke up to the most terrible headache after that night.

Daiya the Incurable were showing off almost every time, so Brie were not surprised when her friend admitted that it was the case. Soon there after Cassus Akovin and Cartri Keswoll arrived, Cartri being the one to first greet the hands- she meant the young bounty hunter. Brie noticed that there was something going on between them and by instinct made her way over to the boys. She greeted them both and positonined herself between the boys, subtletly keeping them away from each other.

''Hey, Cassus! Cartri...? How have you been? Ready for tonights mission?'' Brie said, trying to keep them away from any old grudge they might have. Looking out for three people were not exactly optimal, but hopefully the boys behaved like adults, but who knows when it came down to ones like Cartri and Cassus?

Ivory Stroud​

 

[Xan Deesa]

TAGS: Ivory Stroud | Cartri Keswoll | Cassus Akovin | Hex | Daiya | Brie Jaxx |

SERPENT​

A smirk formed as Xan noticed her friend approach and take a seat close to her. "Almost missed you, not gonna lie." She commented, nodding up to a corner of a building. "Smile for the camera." The security camera zoomed in and out to mimick a wink before it turned away again, leaving the two alone. "Just us, yeah. But I spotted a few others closing in. They're almost here." She finally answered, helping herself to a bite of her burger.

Soon the rest of their team arrived. First it was Cassus, then Cartri, finally the rest also came in. Out of reflex, an reached over and hooked an arm around Cartri's neck and pulled his head over her shoulder to get revenge for her messed up hair. "This ain't the Baker's Row soup kitchen, Cas... but I'll vouch for y'all this round." She quipped with a smirk. She turned her attention to Cartri as she held him in place. "Stop bugging pensioners and get yourself a burger." She let go of him as she looked over at Ivory for a second, her sauce-plastered grin unwavering... until an unfamiliar face joined them with Brie and Daiya.

She scanned the woman for a quick second before she glanced over to the two girls. "Did you two forget to tell her we won't be needing enough explosives to level the block?" She asked harshly with a scowl. "I swear... if there's any collateral tonight..." She glared at the group of children around her, her golden scowl doing the talking for her. This was the big step. They couldn't afford to screw it up. She nodded to the group to have a seat before sparing a glance at Ivory. "Y'all read the message. Two groups, one will hit the big one and the other will go for the station. No alarms, no lethal action unless absolutely necessary, no funny business. Quietly in, quietly out." She explained briefly as she helped herself to her last bite of burger.

"Ivy, Cas, Kes, y'all can hit the tower. The rest of y'all can go for the station and set that up. Di, please keep the variable in check." She glanced at Hex for a moment. "And Brie... please keep Di in check." She snickered as she rose from her seat. A ping sounded off on all of their devices for the locations, schematics and potential obstacles. It wasn't rock solid nor was it foolproof, but at least she could send them in without them being blind. "I'll provide overwatch and help out from the technical side. So don't think I won't be able to see y'all, I'll be watching y'all every step of the way. Luckily the corpos won't be able to. Make sure y'all got your comms rigged up." With that, she motioned for them to roll out and slid into her new speeder. :: Tower team, I'll give y'all a lift. Daiya, Brie, Hex, you three got your ride. Perfect. Let's roll. :: Her voice echoed through their comms and popped up on their datapads as she started her speeder up.

The radio tower was surrounded with civilian shops, still bustling with activity. Getting through the traffic was a pain, but eventually they were parked in an isolated alley a bit away from the biggest amount of eyes. But the approach to the maintenance stairwell was riddled with eyes and the occasional CorpSec officer.

The power station, however, was a more difficult approach. Private security patrolled the perimeter with an electrified fence keeping people out and away. Luckily the cameras were already taken care of, as well as a sewer hatch indicated on the schematic.

:: Y'all don't have to worry about cameras, I sorted that out. I won't be able to help all that much with the Seccers or PMC's, though, so improvise. If y'all need phony ID's or whatever, let me know. :: She commented as she sat back behind the wheel and plugged into the console of her speeder.

It was time for action. All she could do was say her prayers for a successful mission as she prepared to wage a borderline electronic war on any relevant systems to help her friends out.

 

[Ivory Stroud]

"Ivy, Cas, Kes, y'all can hit the tower."

Ivory grinned, looking Cassus Akovin & Cartri Keswoll up and down with an a measured stare. "Looks like it's just us, boys. Think you two can play nice long enough to get some biz done?" She asked, without waiting for a response from either of them. Ivory stepped between the two Shadowrunners, swaying her hips as she joined Xan Deesa . Ivory nodded to herself, admiring the sleek styling and perfect symmetry of the vehicle. "Very nice..." She hummed, waggling her eyebrows toward the Neon Demon.

"Let's go, you two! One of you can sit on grandma's lap." She teased, cackling like a witch.

The bustle of the Market hummed in the background as Xan's speeder coasted to a stop. Ivory stepped out of the vehicle, expression cold & emotionless. It would have been familiar to Daiya, if she'd been present; she'd seen the raven-haired rebel at work before. When it came to "work", Ivory was all-business. It was clear she'd have no patience for unprofessional behavior, and without asking, she'd already taken the lead of the trio.

On the ride over, she & Xan had clued the boys in on their objective: Gain access to the roof of the tower, upload the data from a small portable data-drive (which Ivory kept tucked in a pocket of her coat), then extract & disappear into the crowd individually. They'd each find their own way back to their collective safe places. During the ride, Ivory had further offered her small team (including Xan) a small silver ear-piece each; instructing her fellow Shadowrunners that the devices allowed for wordless communication. "If you're captured, destroy them or hide them." She explained, "otherwise, they'll be able to hear everything we say."

As she held the door open for Cartri & Cassus to climb out of the speeder, she glanced continually up & down the alley Xan had chosen for their drop. Her hand hovered near her chest, ready to drive beneath her fur coat and snatch the blaster concealed within. Once the two young men joined her, she nodded in response to Xan's commentary, then spoke in hushed tones: "The building is just ahead. There's civilians everywhere... anything we do has to be quiet. No killing, unless there's no other choice."

And then, she was off: walking casually down the alleyway, hands in the pockets of her coat. She had immediately taken on the appearance of a discreet using the alley as a shortcut, minding her own business - but in reality, every footfall was measured like a predator creeping on unsuspecting prey. Her array of weapons were all concealed, and she'd come well-prepared.

After a few moments, the concrete wall gave way to an open & expansive parking lot - and beyond it, Corell Tower rose into the sky. To one corner, closest to the trio, an assortment of tarp-covered materials, a generator yet-to-be-installed, and name-less crates sat waiting for use. Ahead, a steady stream of civilians following their daily routine filtered through the doors of Corellia Digital's corporate building. The glitz & glamour within would be filled with the sound of voices and the crush of bodies - requiring the trio to stick together or be lost in the small crowds which milled within.

Ivory stopped, turning her back on the tower after observing for a few minutes and addressing Cassus & Cartri. "Xan and I watched this place pretty well, for an entire day. I spent some time inside Corell Tower, observing everything I could. It stays pretty busy, with the restaurants holding the most attention... That's all public access, but in order to get to the private areas, we'll need to get past reception, gain access to either an elevator or key-controlled access to the stairwells, then reach the roof. I wasn't able to get that far, so I don't know the layout."

She glanced over her shoulder for a moment.

"We'll need to keep an eye out for sec-droids, but other than that, we shouldn't have to worry about CorpSec. Just don't let them send an alarm." She declared, looking (for some reason) directly at Cartri.

Not far away down the road, the power station which provided reliable & steady energy to the broadcast relay awaited the arrival of Daiya , Hex , and Brie Jaxx

 

[Cassus Akovin]

"Heh, thanks Xan. I appreciate it. Worked up an appetite, I guess." Cassus started walking over to the counter before being interrupted.

And of course, last but not least was Cassus Akovin Cassus Akovin who was sure to still be pissed with him. Looking to the fellow teen, he seemed to stare coldly at him for a few seconds like he was being careful with what he said "Cassus... its good to see you in the flesh again" he sighed, turning around to face and provide his undivided attention.

"Are we going going to be cool for this operation? or is there still a fire in there I'll need to put out?"

Many thoughts ran through the older teenager's head, and in that slight pause between reception and response, he was quiet as the red visor of his helm stared back at Cartri. He had half a mind to ignore his existence, and the other half—the other had whispers—dark ones.

Stand in the right place, and you won't get burned.

''Hey, Cassus! Cartri...? How have you been? Ready for tonights mission?'' Brie said, trying to keep them away from any old grudge they might have. Looking out for three people were not exactly optimal, but hopefully the boys behaved like adults, but who knows when it came down to ones like Cartri and Cassus?

Her face entered his field of vision, and that's when he decided to take the helmet off. The whispers dulled, and then he thought better of the silent treatment. It wasn't becoming of his professional reputation. It wouldn't look good to Brie.

Oh, and it'd presumably make the mission more difficult, which he guessed was technically the most pertinent factor to his decision. No other extraneous factors, naturally.

"Yeah, why wouldn't we be cool?" He said to Cartri. His face was neutral and didn't betray his cold thoughts.

"It's good to see you again, Brie. I'm getting a burger. You want some fries?" Cassus gestured towards the table while he walked towards it.

"Hey...you. Is there still a Pool Boy under all those CorpSec colors?" He heard Daiya say as he passed, and he felt a nerve strike in his head. Idiot!

"Come on Daiya those assholes don't own colors, are you going to give them that too?"

Cassus may have set a plan into motion at that moment to get a new jacket. Maybe something blue?

"You just trying to get a bite of my meal, too?" He smirked at her.

After Ivory oh so generously offered a "seat", Cassus looked over towards Cartri and gestured towards the vehicle.

"Be my guest, I got my own ride." He pointed his thumb towards his stolen Viper Zero Speeder and started walking back towards it. Before he managed to leave the presence of the 'witch' she handed something to him.

During the ride, Ivory had further offered her small team (including Xan) a small silver ear-piece each; instructing her fellow Shadowrunners that the devices allowed for wordless communication. "If you're captured, destroy them or hide them." She explained, "otherwise, they'll be able to hear everything we say."

"Sure, lead the way. I'll be nearby." He wondered how Xan's technological sight would fare against the bike's optical shield and sensor bafflers... he really robbed a great bike. If it lasts long enough, it might be a permanent addition to his collection.

Eventually, they all reached the same place, with Ivory and Cartri stepping out of Xan's vehicle. They began to blend into the crowd, and this is where he realized he probably didn't think this all the way through.

Crap, where the hell am I going to keep the bike?! He looked around as his comrades disappeared. Then he saw a flash of blue walking past him.

He sighed and knew what he had to do.

"Man, this is such a bad trade..."

 

[Daiya]

"I got her not to arm them all in advance, best I can do," the teen told the android woman, shrugging her slender shoulders in defense of her newest companion. She had felt a renewed confidence since stepping out in front of the burger stand, bolstered by the two trustworthy friends by her side. She could wear the perfect Daiya face now, painted with the grin and bright eyes her fellow shadowrunners expected to see.

The one she would show them instead of her real uncertainty.

She forced out a giggle, looking around to the others here with them. The small team drove home just how splintered Darkwire had become since the tatt-chat, and it reminded Daiya of earlier days. Days when she could only count on one, or none, others to get a job done. She felt the uncertainty creep up over her face, the job they faced today had far bigger stakes than in the early days.

"Hi Ivory! The teen opened her bright eyes wide at the Rebel woman, who might have melted into shadows to unfamiliar eyes. A real unfamiliarity faced her with a masked figure nearby, giving Daiya a startled jump as she spied his presence. His shape and posture made her tilt her head at the boy, and she shook her head after only a moment's hesitation. "Hey...you. Is there still a Pool Boy under all those CorpSec colors?"

His reply was even more fiercely reminding the teen of those bad old days of Darkwire.

Now they were seven. Daiya, who had brought Brie and Hex as her circle of trust, Ivory and Xan who seemed to be in sync with today's details, Cassus with his new mask...and Cartri. The teen's eyes fell on her current problem, the boy she had spent a considerable amount of time with recently. A considerable amount of that time they had spent locking lips and trading flirtations in between. And now the very same boy who had flown off his self-righteous handle at her in the recent tatt-chat, denouncing all the same reasons that brought them to the job for today. Her eyes crinkled at the sight of him while the edges of her lips turned down, and Daiya raised a crooked finger at the boy.

She pulled at their invisible connection with her finger, stepping away from her friends for the moment to beckon him toward someplace more private. Her stomach tightened at his presence, bundling up words she thought she might throw at him since their last time together. When he was close enough to hear her low voice, her finger and expression making it obvious he had to step right up to her to do so, Daiya finally asked, "So, this is obviously not on your 'approved list' of Darkwire's 'totally-not-terrorism' activities, so what are you doing here? Are we gonna have a problem?"

Cartri had not momentarily been having a standoff with Cassus when Daiya finally made her appearance. His eyes slowly caught sight of the angry teen and stared at her without any emotion, just a blank look that examined her crinkled eyes that judged him. The boy let out a sigh when Daiya had motioned to follow her, doing just that without another word to Cassus who probably said his own peace to him.

Being close to her again after a short time made his heart flutter, a sign that his love for her had not missed a beat. Moving in closer, they were almost face to face to the point where he could feel her breath. “No Daiya, we won’t. This particular activity involves inspiring the people, something of which I believe in more than kidnappings and blowing shit up,” he replied to her in his own whisper, a shy smile beginning to form on his lips. “I’m not here to cause a hassle alright? I’m here because I believe it’s the right way.”

"Oh right," Daiya accepted with a sigh, her words groaning out of her at the shining knight of Darkwire before her. Then a giggle bubbled up from her chest, the energy unwound from her tight stomach splitting her mouth with a grin. "You're here to be Noble Knuckles."

“Noble Knuckles wouldn’t let her out of his sight,” he replied with a small chuckle of his own, calm blue eyes staring into hers calmly. Just because they had different opinions didn’t mean they had to hate each other, there was going to be a way to figure this all out. It was just a matter of Daiya letting him.

Daiya leaned up, catching his lips with a kiss offered for strategic exchange. She didn't keep him long, just long enough to remind the boy of his romantic privileges on the line. "Just look away if I have to blow something up, 'kay?" She whispered in Cartri's ear, her cadence cheery this time. "I don't want you running off to tattle on me to Doc."

Watching her lean up, he leaned down slightly to accept the kiss. It didn’t last long, but it was enough to tell him what was being put on the line. His cheeks blushed slightly when he released a small frown “Please be careful alright?” He said softly with a gentle squeeze of her hand.

"Would you ask a Toydarian to walk?" the teen pointed out, blowing off his concern with a pat on his cheek, then following it with one last quick peck. A giggle followed Daiya as she stepped away from him, offering just one more piece of reassurance for the boy. "I'll be fine!"

The young shadowrunner rolled her eyes back to the assembled group, just as Xan started explaining the details for the mission. The android assigned her group to the power station, and then each of them to watch the other. Daiya squinted at the woman, offering her pink tongue for a moment before pointing out, "We're waaaay ahead of you on that front, Xan, you just keep the boys in check, 'kay?"

She gestured to signal for Hex and Brie to join her again, pointing the way back to the speeder van. "That was a lot of effort for what could have just been a CryptNet message," Daiya pointed out to her friends as they climbed back into the vehicle. The teen giggled at Brie's face, licking her thumb before wiping it against the side of her best friend's mouth. "At least you got a burger out of the deal, huh Brie?"

"Oh for feth's sake," the young shadowrunner grumbled, staring at the readouts on her suit helmet's HUD. Xan had uploaded details on the camera positions on the exterior of the power station, all flagged as offline. She had also conveniently included a marked entrance to a sewer, flagged as unlocked and accessible to the trio. Daiya flicked the image away for a moment, frustration draining out of her throat in a reverberating groan. "There's gotta be a better way in than the sewers..."

Xan Deesa Ivory Stroud Cassus Akovin Brie Jaxx Hex Cartri Keswoll​

(OOC: Cartri's character used with permission.)

 

[Hex]

Location: Near the tower loading bay
Objective: get in discretely
Tag: Daiya Brie Jaxx

Spoiler: Equipment

• Powderpunk armor on loan from Daiya
• ap-25i SIMP pistol
• 'Candles' Heavy particle blaster
• 'confetti' Rocket launcher
• Party Poppers (3 explosive, 2 gas)
• Dancer repulsor board
• Dervish Knife
• Cheap data pad and communicator

Spoiler: Hex dialogue colors

Poor Hex hears voices in her head

Hex speech to others
Hex speech to herself

Hexes inner voices
'...Neutral...'
'...Doubt...'
'...Anger...'
Coloured '.....' are also words that Hex can hear , but I decided not to write them to reduce clutter

Hex frowned as the other members of the mission looked at her and seemed pretty judgemental, they didn't even know her.

'...they know enough to know you are a liability...'

She twitches and scowled over her shoulder as she heard the voice, how dare these people just assume that of her? Well, she guessed this would be her shot to prevent them wrong, and she felt like Daiya must trust her and seemed to be standing up for her.

"They always like this? she asked Brie Jaxx stood next to her with a nervous laugh. Her thought process was broken slightly when she saw Daiya kissing Cartri Keswoll , Good boyfriend day? It was hard to predict how Daiya would be around the guy sometimes, but maybe that was the appeal? Hex didn't get it to be honest, seeing them together made her feel... funny, sometimes. Oh well.

As Daiya and returned and they all got back in the speeder truck, Hex smiled at her and picked up her own data pad to look at the information they had been transferred.

"There's gotta be a better way in than the sewers..."

Hex laughed "Chit happens? And now it's happening to us." she laughed and engaged the speeder truck quickly pulling away, to get to the drop. She continued to read her datapad in one hand as she pulled into traffic and then sped off while throwing it on to the dash.

"Drop is miles away, got an idea to get their quicker." The truck lurched and dropped deeper into the rows between buildings, there was less traffic down her but it was darker and more built up. The truck picked up speed and swung round a corner, narrowly missing a large neon sign in the process.

'...faster! Get there quick, get it done, prove those asses wrong about you...'
Hex just grinned and bared her teeth as she continued to accelerate.

She caught a glimpse of Daiya looking at Brie with a bit of fear and
"Oh my stars! She is going to kill us!" she heard her friend say.

Hex laughed loudly "haha! Maybe, maybe not? Your trust me right though because your friends don't seem too."

It wasn't long before they reached the drop after some fierce driving. A large open sewer entrance that dropped effluent straight out into the depths, it wasn't an unusual way of dumping in these ecumonopoli, but it was awful thinking about the state of the depths with all this pouring down. "here we are, this grate leads about a mile and a half to the power station." she left the truck in hover mode next to the vent before grabbing Confetti, her bag and leaping the metre or so from the speeder into the open pipe. The chasm opened up below as she jumped but she ignored it and landed in the sewer, sliding slightly in the grimy water.

"come on gorgeous, you are next." she looked over her shoulder at Daiya with a slightly unhinged look in her eye.

 

[Brie Jaxx]

''Uhh...''

Brie looked at Cassus Akovin having taken off his helmet, slightly surprised by the question but also screaming yes inside that she indeed liked to share some fries with him. However, she managed to keep a straight face and the blush to a minimum. She listened to the boys conversation and was very relieved that they seemed to be okay with one another, at least for now.

''S-sure!'' she uttered, and followed the young bounty hunter back towards the joint Xan had picked for their little meet up before this crucial mission. A great one that was, and even if she had a burger already she could definitely enjoy a frie or two. Well, especially with the likeable shadowrunner that had offered her to.

Brie looked quietly between and listened to her friends chat as she munched on a frie, downing it with a sip of soda. Pool Boy? She raised an eyebrow at Daiya calling Cassus that and made a mental note to sometime ask Daiya when, why and where he had got that nickname. That was when Xan spoke up and made tonights mission a bit clearer, laying out a plan for them.

"I swear... if there's any collateral tonight..."

That glare from the android woman was enough to make a rancor flinch. Even stepsisters could be frightening sometimes, Brie realised and swiftly shaked her head before looking at her two teammates, thinking she needed to remember herself to keep them both in shack. She could do that, even if it was kind of a struggle with Daiya.

''No no. No collateral, Xan. I promise.'' she nervously assured the older shadowrunner who continued to divide them into groups. It seemed to be an all trio of girls night on this mission, a fact that Brie had little worries for. She and Daiya had worked together many times before, but she could not say the same about the blue girl. Though, she did seem to fit in to the ragbag of people in Darkwire, with her odd comments and strange wincing. Demeanors that drew attention, and probably would place people closer to judging the blue haired girl. That did include Brie, who had thought of the girl as a bit wierd, but not really in a bad way. Everyone gathered had their... things. Some more than others, but Brie had never seen it as a problem. Brie was kind of impressed by the girls colorful hair, though.

''Uh uh...'' Brie begun answering Hex , as she asked her if the group of shadowrunners always were like this. At the same moment, Brie saw Daiya suspiciously leave with Cartri. He was not her boyfriend? Daiya would have to try better to make Brie believe her. ''Daiya is my best friend. Xan is just... very meticulous, and kind of strict sometimes. Ivory... well, she is the oldest of us. They don't mean anything by it. Trust me.'' she tried to explain for the blue one that she did not need to worry, continuing on a short introduction of herself as she did not believe they have had a propper one before. ''I'm Brie. I think we met on the Speaksoft Speakeasy?'' she said, but suddenly came to the conclusion that it was not the most appropriate of first encounters, with they all being more or less drunk. The angst after that night had not been pleasant, and it almost crept up on her yet again. ''Just watch how we do it, stick to the plan and do your best, and you will be alright.'' Brie encouraged her fellow shadowrunner, despite the small questions that still lingered around the girl.

As the trio of shadowrunner girls climbed into the airspeeder van and settled down, Daiya of course noticed a spot at the side of Brie's mouth, a spot she really really hoped to have appeared there after Cassus and her had shared fries. Her heart sank a little bit as she let Daiya wipe it off. ''Please tell me that was not there the whole time, was it??'' she asked, eyes growing in nervous anticipation of the answer.

​

The trio of shadowrunner girls met their first setback as they arrived at the power station, with Daiya noticing that the sewers were the only breaching point at the spot. A fact that Brie had less issues with than Daiya it seemed, as she were used to odd smells and substances rummaging around at the galaxy's scrapyards. They still carried on with Hex now taking the wheel and sped they off in the nightly traffic. It was not the smoothest of rides, far from it, and the two being along for it had to strap themselves in and hope for the best. You could be bad at driving, but come on? Brie could fly her ship better than this, and she were still a teenager.

They soon arrived at a better spot scouted by Hex, and after a short jump from their airspeeder, Brie stood in the shallow sewer water and brought up a holographic map for them to get their bearings. ''It's this way, I think.'' she said and begun leading them down the one and a half mile Hex said it was.

''So... You are a couple, Daiya? I mean you and Cartri? I thought you said otherwise at the Speaksoft Speakeasy?'' Brie asked with a hushed voice, trying to at least having something to talk about during their walk. Besides, who would notice them down a sewer? They would probably encounter rats or something long before any guards.

Ivory Stroud , Xan Deesa , Cartri Keswoll​

 

[Daiya]

"I swore I'd never use the sewers again..."

Daiya found herself still reeling from the near-death experience that was Hex's driving skills. She could barely acknowledge the blue girl's charming summon before watching Hex drop into the murky sewer access at street level. The teen could feel the miasma rising in the fumes from below, even if she couldn't smell anything but herself inside the enclosed helmet of her suit. She still hesitated at the gaping hole, uninviting yet necessary for their task. If she couldn't shut her eyes, the teen compensated by switching the HUD of her suit back on, focusing on the neon numbers and symbols hovering in front of her eyes during the descent.

The young shadowrunner had barely recovered once she was fully inside, not truly prepared for the assaulting questions that peppered her grim thoughts during their trek. Her focus slipped from her objective, staying as quiet as possible in the waste system, and Daiya winced as she set her foot down a little too loudly. She whipped her head back at Brie, her distracted brain too scattered to form anything but a defensive line at the question. "No!"

A breath marked the difference between reaction and response for her, giving Daiya the moment she needed to connect the question to Brie and her good intentions. The teen relaxed a little, trying to ignore the sound of seeping fluid dripping from the ceiling to offer a better answer for her best friend's curiosity. "I mean, I did then. And we're not...well, now we're mostly..." Daiya's body fidgeted with her words, almost preferring the company of the sewer now to the awkward question from her friend. "We've gone on dates, okay? And kissed a little bit, and maybe we got together a few more times to watch movies. He also insisted on going along with me when I asked Ivory to help on this off-world job, and that was the first time when I thought he looked hot."

Daiya giggled in a moment of self-consciousness, answering person questions while thick in the muck of waste fluids. She tried to take more effort while the trio wound their way through the sewers, stepping gingerly while trying to craft her words with care. Even with Hex along, the teen felt far more comfortable sharing between the two girls than she did confronting the subject in public. "But then he did this whole rant in a meeting with other Shadowrunners —after the whole 'branded as terrorists' thing went down, y'know?— and most of it was directed at me. That made me really fething mad, and I told him off for it. But later he apologized and we made up, so I think we're still..."

Her hand smacked on the front of her helmet, unable to actually connect with the teen's forehead. She made a huffing noise, then added, "Oh my stars, are we actually a couple? And that whole spat was, what? Our first fight?" Daiya scraped her hand down the front of her helmet, dragging it across her wilting expression from behind the faceplate. "Feth me..."

Daiya peeked between her fingers, greeted first by the putrid flow of the waste around her ankles. She gagged in revulsion, looking up at Brie and Hex still there beside her, they were a better party to commiserate with than someone's lunch from Taungsday. The teen tried to force a smile, or even a giggle, but nothing would come out. Daiya managed a long sigh, at herself more than anything else. She shook her head to rid herself from the thoughts of Cartri that had come creeping in. Or perhaps it was the sewer itself, whose murky waters and long shadows suggested wicked things that made her shiver. She couldn't shake the haunted sensation that tickled over her skin, causing her to turn around and look into the darkness of the sewer at times.

"Is there something else down here with us?" Daiya wished she didn't have to ask the question, willing the answer to be anything but her worst fears. The young shadowrunner would rather be crawling through ventilation ducts than sloshing through sewers again. "This is why I didn't want to use the sewers. They're fething creepy!"

If she had to out-dance a zombie mob again, Daiya was going to throw Xan in the sewers for suggesting them.

Hex Brie Jaxx Xan Deesa Cartri Keswoll Ivory Stroud Cassus Akovin​

 

[Hex]

Location: Near the tower loading bay
Objective: get in discretely
Tag: Daiya Brie Jaxx

Spoiler: Equipment

• Powderpunk armor on loan from Daiya
• ap-25i SIMP pistol
• 'Candles' Heavy particle blaster
• 'confetti' Rocket launcher
• Party Poppers (3 explosive, 2 gas)
• Dancer repulsor board
• Dervish Knife
• Cheap data pad and communicator

Spoiler: Hex dialogue colors

Poor Hex hears voices in her head

Hex speech to others
Hex speech to herself

Hexes inner voices
'...Neutral...'
'...Doubt...'
'...Anger...'
Coloured '.....' are also words that Hex can hear , but I decided not to write them to reduce clutter

The three women continued down the length of the sewers. She clicked on her torch and several rats scurried away out of the light, Hex grinned, this was her world, in the shadows where noone else was looking, she wasnt even phased by the smell down here, but she could tell the others weren't totally thrilled. But they seemed fairly distracted by their conversation.

"I don't get it myself, the whole kissing thing, just seems like a weird thing to do. And boys?" she just shrugged her shoulders with disinterest and wrinkled her nose, she genuinely didn't see the appeal, girls were just more interesting. She locked eyes for a moment with Daiya

'...you're fething her off....'

Was she? Chit! "Err... i mean, theres nothing wrong with Cartri Keswoll , just, oh I don't know..." she laughed, concerned about the hole she was digging for herself. Her train of thought was gratefully broken by a rush of putrid air that caused Hex to jump backwards out of the way of a pipe that unleashed a torrent of fresh effluent, into the main flow before stopping again.

"Is there something else down here with us?"

Hex smirked slightly "you mean rats? Sure, loads of them, but don't worry, they come near us..." she quick drew her pistol and pretended to fire down the sewer "POW!!" Hex didn't actually mind rats, but they were irritating, little fethers would steal your food while you slept, an they'd pee in your sleeping bag completely ruining it.

"Or do you mean sewer gators and ghouls? Because they aren't real."

'...that's not technically true...'
"you aren't helping yeah?"

Hex wasnt the best liar, and the brief interlude between her friends likely took away any sense of her credibility. It would be clear to the two of them that she was at least trying to reassure Daiya, and with her slightly erratic, but clear comfort in the sewers she might be at least half convincing.

"Its not much further, what ware we actually doing up there." she looked at Brie Jaxx "What did your friend mean about no collateral? Isnt the whole point to take this place offline?" she smiled, and raised her eyebrows, gesturing the the rocket launcher on her back. This could be as easy a popping the door and sticking 'confetti' through it, but she doubted that would be acceptable.

 

[Cartri Keswoll]

Location: Denon
Objective: Meet up at the food joint
Attire: Link

"Post theme: Guerrilla Radio - Rage Against The Machine"

"No... I wouldn't" he said with a grin to Daiya as she patted him on the cheek and pecked him on the lips one more time. He was happy they had already swept that under the rug, for now, all he hoped was that she didn't go off to do something stupid. Smiling, Cartri followed Daiya back to the others and stood silent for a few moments. Before Daiya dragged him away he and Cassus were having a pretty tense staredown until Brie got in between them and cooled down the fire. Thankfully, Cassus seemed to indicate there wasn't going to be any problems. Even so, he was still unsure of the kid's mentality.

Soon enough, Cartri's sis Xan finally announced the teams. He couldn't help but roll his eyes at the fact he was teaming with the psychotic bounty boy and the granny of The Family. Both of them were people he barely had trust for, now he was being made to work with them on an important assignment. The team's objective was to gain access to the tower and cause some chaos while the other team hit the power station. Altogether it was one step closer to bringing the revolution to the corpo's front door.

Sighing from Ivory's orders he slowly made his way over to their transports and slowly shook his head to the lap joke "In your dreams Ivory..." he said with a smirk. Looking at Cassus, he was tempted to offer him the place, but thankfully he had his own ride "Don't get lost on the way there" he grinned this time before jumping into the transport with Ivory, soon after making haste towards their target.

Along the way, Ivory handed him an earpiece to keep in touch with each other. For a mobster, it was the right choice considering they could get separated. Cartri kept a mental note to destroy it if they got captured and slotted it into his ear for later.

Ivory and Cartri soon pulled up close to their destination and jumped out. The area around the tower was full of activity and danger if Cassus for some reason decided to go on a rampage. He'd need to keep an eye on both of them at all times, who knew what was going to happen. Stopping next to a wall Cartri leaned his back against it and folded his arms, listening carefully to what Ivory had to say. Thankfully, Xan and she had done their research beforehand.

Nodding along, he raised an eyebrow when she looked directly at him after a comment about raising the alarm. Giving an annoyed sigh, he looked between the two crazies and nodded his head to the tower

"Well, what are we waiting for? let's stop jabbing each other and get this show on the road"

Daiya Cassus Akovin Ivory Stroud Hex Brie Jaxx Xan Deesa ​

 

[Brie Jaxx]

Brie smiled widely for herself at the distinct no that Daiya and Cartri Keswoll was a couple. It was actually hilariously fun to tease her best friend about this matter. The denonians follow up comments just made it all even more funny.

''Well, I mean... to me, it does sound like you can't make up your mind.'' she said, throwing a glance backwards at the other girls. Dates. Kissing. Just watching a movie. Brie wondered whenever, or if, that would happen with... Uh, well she were not entirely comfortable to have a conversation about him down in the sewers and in the middle of a mission. She wasn't even sure if he was like... available?

''He... he's the only one in Darkwire you think look... hot?'' she asked carefully, trying not to expose too much as they ventured down the dark sewer tunnel, their boots walking through the muck. Hot? The boy she thought of could qualify into that category, right? Even though she would use the term handsome. That was when Hex spoke up, and again revealed her oddities. Wide eyed, Brie turned to look at the blue haired girl, catching her suspiciously looking at Daiya.

"Or do you sewer gators and ghouls? Because they aren't real." the wierd one implied, making Brie feel a bit more safe. Scrapyards were one thing, but she ventured down any sewers. Then, the blue haired girl asked what Xan Deesa meant by no collateral.

''Well... There is more ways than blowing things up to make a place go offline. We still need it online to be able to transmit our message, you know. So please, no explosives until neccesary?'' Brie said, glancing at the new shadowrunner, wondering exactly how much the wierd girl would follow that kind of instructions.

 

[Marissa Shoda]

DENON | CORELL TOWER
ALLIES: Daven Tooms
ENGAGING: Ivory Stroud | Cartri Keswoll | Cassus Akovin

Calling a detective to do the work of a beat cop was usually a career ender, especially for someone like her, but in this instance she was sure that she could get away with it. After picking the superior officer up, she took off at barely legal speeds through the traffic of Denon. "Really sorry about this, sir. But... HOT DAMN! It's like Denon's killing itself tonight, we've been having calls all over the district tonight. So, uh... yeah, I couldn't find anybody else, we're stretched thin." She explained quickly to the detective.

"We got a bit of a problem. Power station's called in with some kind of issue they're having, and old man Choong called in again at Corell tower. Dunno what's going on 'cause both locations apparently forgot how to speak tonight. So, uh... yeah, I can't juggle both right now." She continued as she weaved through traffic and finally came to a halt by the power station to drop him off. "Just hit me up on the comms and I'll come pick you up. Karkin' cruisers are short too tonight."

With that, she drove off again towards Corell tower. It was the third evening in a row she received a call from the old vendor in the tower to complain about some noise in the restricted walkways. It was the third time she needed to inspect it as well in order to reassure him that there weren't any hooligans spray painting up his walls. They still needed to install cameras around the area, but until then she was saddled with the old Discrete calling her about anything and everything.

So with notebook and flashlight in hand, she entered through a restricted gate and let it go to close on its own as she grumbled her grievances away, inspecting the path. Unbeknownst to her, however, the gate didn't lock behind her. The electromagnetic lock shut off while a bit of good news sounded off in the ears of the encroaching shadowrunners from their overwatch.

 

[Yu Karloo]

. Ugh...sorry.. posted with wrong character!

 

[Daven Tooms]

DENON | POWER STATION
ALLIES: Marissa Shoda
ENGAGING: Brie Jaxx | Hex | Daiya

He could have refused, brushed off Officer Shoda easily. It was her sergeant's problem that he didn't have enough officers on patrol. But Daven knew it was a constant struggle to fill the ranks, as it seemed more and more cops were needed to counter the increasing trouble on the streets. Besides, thwarting something in the works seemed better than investigating it after it had already happened. His Leutenant may not have thought so, but Lucia wasn't around. So, after draining his caf mug, Daven holstered his M.I. Model 6M Hybrid Pistol and grabbed a M.I. Model 7 Shotgun from the arms locker and hurried out to meet Officer Shoda in her cruiser.

This was not his first encounter with the young officer, the two had brushed shoulders on a few occasions. The woman stood out to him, and Daven didn't really know why. Maybe it was the fact that she actually seemed to give a fek, like that night. She could have just let some calls go. But she felt it important enough to bother a detective for help. So there he was, shoving a commlink and a few items from the cruiser into his pockets. Against conventional wisdom, they would split up. She to check out the tower, he the power station.

Daven watched the cruiser speed off, scowling and cursing himself for letting the young officer talk him into doing beat cop work. Shouldering the shotgun by the strap, the detective approached the gate, where a security officer stood waiting. Daven flashed his badge.

"We've been waiting for you." He said, signaling for the gate to be opened, Daven offered a humorless smile and strolled in. Another security guard approached, an officer by the straight gait and slightly different uniform. "I told them we don't need CorpSec, but they insisted someone come by. I believe its just a glitch, but we are on elevated alert while the techs are working the issue." The man said, clearly irked.

"What is the problem?" Daven asked, still moving towards the main building.

"Cameras are down." The man answered, a bit hesitantly.

Daven stopped in his tracks, his scowl now trained on the man. "That sounds pretty significant to me. So what might that mean?" The detective asked sardonically.

"Someone doesn't want to be seen." The security leader answered.

Daven lifted a single finger in response then began moving again. As part of the task force countering Darkwire, Daven always brought them into the picture, to see how they might fit. In this case, it could be any gang up to no good. Darkwire could easily have taken down the cameras, but infiltration was not their standard M.O. They worked from shadows, remotely if at all possible. It would be something rather significant if they had boots on the ground there. The lines in his face deepened. He was ill-equipped if the Shadowrunners were coming.