Slow Burn Burn arrived at Doctor Z's clinic where Killeroo and BB Wolf introduced the netrunner to Glitch's comatose body. When he asked about her, Roo explained what happened during her freak matrix run on Yokono's network. "Basically, her mind and her body were separated during a run. She's on the matrix or on Yokono's network somewhere..." "I've heard ghost stories like this," Burn explained. "Always thought they were just that; stories." Steering the conversation back to the situation with Sharkey and the dead team of runners, Killeroo explained what he and Wolf had discovered earlier that evening. "The team I ran with is dead. Killed, we think, by the Heideggers. We think they may have been after an AI we stole from Yokono a few months back. It's same AI that Glitch found by accident when she hacked their networks." "So you want me to find this AI..." Burn offered. "Or you want me to do something about Glitch?" "No," Roo said as he ran his paws over his ears. "You know that vid on the matrix that shows a cyborg getting tortured by the Heideggers? That cyborg was a runner like us--I worked with him. After we finished our last job, he was contacted by these two Russian guys for a job. Next thing I know, he's on the matrix getting tortured by those Heidegger assholes." "I see. You don't trust Edgar and Koskov." "We don't trust this whole job," Wolf commented. "Something's not adding up. Too many coincidences and not enough answers." "We need you to dig up any information you can on Edgar and Koskov." "That I can do," Burn said as he began looking for a space to put down his cyberdeck. "Not over there!" Doctor Z yelled. The medtech scrambled to clear a metal table and disinfect it before Burn set up the trodes and began running the matrix for information. A short time later, Burn finished his lurking and provided some details to Roo, Wolf and Z. "Well, there's not a lot of information on those two except for the fact that they both belonged to a resistance movement in Russia years ago. They fought the corporations that mass produced those androids that took over the workforce. Their group, along with others, was raided by these corporations and pretty much killed off. These guys got out alive and have been floating around the runner circuit for years working as hired guns and hotshot netrunners all over the world. Still, there's nothing that connects them to the Heideggers other than their likely hatred towards androids, AI's, things like that." "Maybe we ought to go back to Sharkey's place," Wolf suggested. "We might be able to find this AI you talked about." "I'll go." Burn offered to help dig up any clues left behind by Jazz's resident netrunner, Sharkey. Rewind The team returned to Sharkey's to look more thoroughly for evidence of what happened to Roo's old team. Wolf and Burn went inside while Roo stayed outside on his cycle and watched some gangers walking around the neighborhood. Burn found an undamaged, basket ball sized drone that belonged to Barret, a drone operator. He proceeded to check the drone for any video footage and downloaded it to his cyberdeck. He checked the bunker and found the place to also be ransacked, gang symbols already having been spray painted along the walls. After some of the gangers started edging closer to Roo's position and began cat calling the hybrid about how cool his cycle was, he told Wolf to sneak out while Burn rides with him back out of the area. On the way to a four way intersection, Burn watched the footage through augmented reality glasses and saw a heavy set silhouette of a man entering into Sharkey's with a group of heavily armed and masked men. After ramming the front gate, the group stormed the main area of the building, shooting and taking down an android medtech and Sharkey. They pursued Jazz and Barret into the other room, the drone following closely behind them. With the view changing, the video showed Jazz being gunned down from behind as she tried to get to the bunker underneath Sharkey's. The large figure entered the frame and grabbed Barret from behind--snapping his neck. The subsequent connection between rigger and drone was severed, immediately shutting it down. Stopping at the four way, Burn showed the footage to Roo. They filled Wolf in when he showed back up. Both hybrids shook their heads in disbelief. There was something familiar about the large man who killed Barrett with his bare hands, but none of the runners could put their finger on just who it was... "Those weren't fucking corp sec teams, Wolf reminded Killeroo. "Those must've been those Heidegger fucks." "Something is up with this job." Roo said. "I'm going to call Edgar and then try to setup a meeting with Koskov. They have to know something about what happened to MC." Roo contacted Edgar and asked him about when he saw MC last. Edgar said that the last time he had seen MC was when he, Koskov and the cyborg went down to Big Bob's to purchase weapons for a run. He went on to say that it was possible MC was gearing up for a solo run on Shidao corporation. Roo thanked Edgar for his time and promptly hung up, not believing a word the mercenary said. The hybrid then phoned Koskov and asked for a meet. Roo told Koskov that he had made contact with an eccentric pilot crazy enough to fly them over the arcology for the job. The Russian mercenary agreed to meet with the team at Club Penumbra again to meet the new pilot, saying that Ping would vet their background the next day. Burn sent off a series of quick messages to Switch, telling her that he sensed something odd about this job and their "client". In an attempt to appease having left her the way that he did, the netrunner ordered room service delivered to the thief's room. "Well, what now?" Wolf asked. "Now we're going to my dad's," Killeroo said. "Time you two met Big Bob." * Meanwhile, Switch had Unlock come out to Burn's hotel room. Opening an already slightly ajar door, he found her completely naked under the sheets and sporting an augmented reality headset. Once she was finished doing reading messages from Burn, she took the headset off and greeted the hitman. "Took you long enough?" she said, pointing to a half finished bottle of champagne on the bedside counter. "Compliments of my ex." "Nice," Unlock said, taking a swig. As Switch took out a cigarette, Unlock offered to light it with a finger compartment in his cybernetic hand. Intrigued, Switch held it out for him and watched as a small flame soundlessly leaked out of the tip of his index finger. "Impressive," she said, blowing out a stream of smoke into the air. "What other tricks you got to show me?" Unlock smirked. "So, you know anything about those two Russian dudes we're working for? Never heard of any of 'em." Switch asked as she reclined in the bed and smoked. The hitman shrugged. "First time I work with either of them. Their money's good. Don't know much more than that. Don't need to know, right? Why do you ask?" "Just curious," Switch lied, remembering what Burn had sent her a message about. "So," she began, changing the subject. "Are we going to finish where Burn left off at?" Unlock grinned and partook in the rest of the bottle, but essentially turned Switch down for sex. Frustrated, Switch decided to head back out to a club to find someone who could get her laid. "Ugh, fuck this...I'm going to the club. Surely there has to be ONE guy out there who wants to get with this." "I'll come with," Unlock offered. * Arriving at a club called Folly, they had drinks and Switch got cozy with a fancy dressed young man. When it was time to go, Unlock went to get Switch, who was well inebriated by then, and the guy told Unlock to get lost. Unlock slugged the guy and knocked him backward on his back. Drunk and ultra aggressive from the drugs he was taking, the clubber charged at Unlock and brought him up against a table. The hitman's leg kicked out, immediately flipping the man over his head. Without looking back, Unlock knew he had knocked him out flat after hearing the crashing sound of a nearby table and its glassware clattering and smashing to the floor. Eating all this attention up, Switch proposed that they go back to the hotel. Switch collapsed unto the bed, exhausted and well past drunk. Unlock took a seat on the other side of the suite and similarly passed out. Welcome to Casa de Bob Killeroo, Wolf and Burn arrive at Big Bob's late that evening and catch the cantankerous war droid watching cartoons on an old television while Roo's son, Spade, is surfing the matrix. "Oh great," Bob said sarcastically. "The prodigal son returns. Oh and look--he brought friends with him. Whatta shocker." "I need help with something important right now, dad. I trust these guys and right now we just need a place to stay for the night." "So you're in trouble, again. What are you doin' bringing all these folks over here for, Jake?" "Dad, I'm doing this to protect you and Spade--" "This ain't about protecting me, kiddo. You know your old man could take care of himself! And IF you wanted to protect your son you woulda done like I toldja hundred freakin' times and quit runnin' the goddamn shadows." "Oh please, anyone could have walked in here and fucking killed you in your sleep." "I don't sleep an' you know that! What, you think I didn't know you three were here? I knew you were here the minute you stepped in. Coulda blown all three of you away without breakin' a sweat!" "Thanks dad," Killeroo said with less than equal sarcasm. "Burn, Wolf, this is my dad; Bob." "Welcome to the Foundry, assholes!" the android bellowed. The room over there is me and the one next to it is the boy's. You jerks can crash in the kitchen. Keep it clean." After the old war droid walked off into his room, Spade took off his trodes and greeted his adoptive father. "Oh. Hey dad." "Spade, what have you been doing on the matrix all this time?" the hybrid asked. "Uhhh..." Spade began as he scratched the back of his head. "What all young teenagers do on the matrix, I imagine." Burn quipped. "...I've been trying to talk to a girl." Spade finished. "A girl? Who?" Roo asked, curious. "You remember V3ct0r, right? You worked with her?" "Oh, Jesus Christ..." Roo lamented. "Yes, I remember her." "Spade, don't worry about girls just yet, ok? Are you doing well in school?" "I'm doing okay, I guess?" the boy looked away when he answered. Burn smiled and took a seat in the kitchen and began setting up his own cyberdeck. Within moments he was jacked into the matrix and had begun searching on the runner forums for any mention of V3ct0r. He found references to her involvement in a run on Yokono corporation months ago that ended with three different security agencies having a very public shootout with one another and her runner team getting away. He also spotted Spade's matrix handle, AC3, and his posts where he was asking people on the runner forums information about contacting V3ct0r. It didn't take Burn more than fifteen minutes to get V3ct0r's com number. The netrunner then began looking into Spade's online transcripts. Spade was an average student--which in the UCAS was seen as exceptionally good. A little over an hour later and Burn had successfully hacked into his online syllabus and established new controls and messages that would prompt Spade to increase his grades in order to "unlock V3ct0r's com number achievement". With that, the three runners pass out in the kitchen and get some much needed rest ahead of the meet at Penumbra the following evening. Blood, Bullets and Betrayals Unlock awakened from his slumber with a message from an unknown caller. The message reads simply: "You've been re-activated. This time, you are to protect the man who will be waiting for you in the lobby of the hotel later tonight." The hitman recognizes the communique as being the same as the ones he received from his previous client. Checking his account, he finds a sum of credits similar in size to the arcology's with more on the way permitting completion of his assignment. Leaving Switch to sleep alone, Unlock rested and prepared for the body guarding he was apparently being paid to do later. * Arriving at the hotel lobby that night, Unlock saw Koskov and a few men he's never seen before. Immediately recognizing the hitman, Koskov gets straight to the point; "I've got some business to attend to tonight at Penumbra with our hybrid friends. Something about their questions are drawing a lot of suspicion from myself and our client, however. You're here as a shadow. Stay out of sight and keep myself and my men protected. Understood?" "Yeah, we're clear." With that, Koskov said something to the other men in Russian and left the hotel lobby. Finding an available cab on the curb, Unlock rides separate from the others who drive to the club in a heavily armored van--one the hitman's more than a little familiar with. * Arriving outside Penumbra around the time of the meet, Burn and Wolf follow Killeroo into an alleyway across the street. "Fuck are we doing out here?" Burn asked. "Recon?" Wolf offered. "Not really," Roo explained. "I told Koskov that we found a pilot crazy enough to have us airdrop into the arcology. Here's our pilot now." Huddling around a large rusted metal trash can fire were a pair of transients with grubby clothes and sorrowful stares. "Five hundred credits to you if you pretend to be a pilot for hire tonight," Killeroo said bluntly. The one older man looked to the younger one and then back to the imposing hybrid. "Five--? Five hundred credits?" He managed a smile. "Sure, sign me up." * Penumbra was the usual smoky, noisy den the runners were used to. With it being the weekend, there were large crowds gathered around the bar and dance floors. Despite all the clamor, however, Killeroo was able to spot Koskov sitting alone. The hybrid approached the table with Burn and "Charlie" at his side. Once they sat down and managed to grab the Russian's attention, BB Wolf slipped inside the club and made his way to the bar where he used the back wall's large wraparound mirror to keep an eye on the deal, making sure nothing bad went down. Charlie's eyes went wide at the sight of the large gathering of runners, poseurs, hookers, pimps, drug dealers and all around troublemakers--all in one place. The raucous and thumping music in the background did little to ease his addled mind. "This is Charlie," Killeroo yelled atop the din. "He's going to be flying us in." Charlie flashed his toothless smile and reached forward to give Koskov a firm handshake. "Nice to meetcha, mister." Koskov coolly abstained from shaking hands, face emotionless. He merely motioned for the waitress to bring some drinks to the table. Charlie wasted no time in hitting the alcohol the moment they arrived. "Take it easy, Chuck," Killeroo said as he scanned the room. "You're going to be dropping us out of your plane in a few days, remember?" "We should probably discuss this in the back room like we did before, yeah?" Burn asked in-between Koskov's sips at his vodka martini. The Russian mercenary nodded, sunshades hiding his eyes. Again he motioned for the waitress and asked if the owner would allow them to use the room again. A few short awkward silences later the waitress came back and offered to escort the group to the back meeting room. "This way, gentlemen." * No one noticed Unlock sitting by himself, drinking, in the corner booth. He waited for the group to leave, watching as a pair of armed men followed them into the back. As he began to move, he saw Wolf moving to follow the two bodyguards. "We need to talk," Unlock said firmly as he grabbed the hybrid's arm. "Fuck off, asshole." Wolf said as he shrugged off the hitman's hand. "Your friends in there are in danger," Unlock said evenly. "I was just re-hired by my last employer to watch and protect Koskov. Those other two men are here to do the same. We need to step outside and talk about this." Wolf looked at the group as they disappeared under the shadow of the back hallway that led to the soundproof conference room. Looking back at Unlock, his lips twisted to reveal sharp canines. "This better be good, joyboy." * Killeroo stopped Charlie just outside the door to the conference room. The transient gave the hybrid a confused look. "Wait, does this mean I'm not going to get more drinks?" The doors closed shut behind the runners. Charlie sighed, shrugged and walked away. Entering into the conference room, Koskov waited until the double doors closed before turning around to address the two runners. "You're not here to show me a pilot, are you?" Koskov asked, crossing his arms across his chest. "We want to know who our client is," Killeroo said, searching for eyes behind the sunshades to stare into. "You know that's not possible. Please, how long have you been running the shadows, Jake?" Not taken by surprise by the fact Koskov knew his real name, Roo continued with his demands. "Long enough to recognize a bullshit run when I see one. My friends are dead because of the Heideggers. They all died right around the time your old comrade Edgar sent me and MC a job offer. MC gets tortured to death for everyone on the matrix to see and then we get brought into this run." "This true?" Burn asked. "Bad things happen to runners all the time," Koskov explained as he spoke with his hands. "And that crew you ran with? They're practically famous for that Yokono job they pulled a few months back. Maybe they got a corp sec team sicced on th--" "Cut the crap, alright?" Roo interrupted. "That was no corp sec hit. We saw the footage--the Heideggers did that. There's no way we're doing this run." "Oh? Are you sure about that, Jake? I mean, who's going to take care of Catelyn, your dad and that boy Spade if you're not around?" Koskov asked, shrugging and smiling confidently with hands upturned. Killeroo went silent and stared daggers into Koskov's head. "Do I have your attention now? Good." * Stepping outside Penumbra, Wolf and Unlock stopped at the sidewalk just outside the club to talk. Wolf flexed the claws in his hands, fire in his eyes. "What the fuck is going on around here?" Wolf bellowed. "I think those Russian guys work for my previous client. And if I'm right, that could mean bad news for us." "Who was your last client?" "The Heideggers." Wolf's arm snapped up and grasped the hitman's throat with a clawed hand. "Give me one reason why I shouldn't rip your fucking throat out right now?" the hybrid snarled, drawing looks from onlookers. Unlock reached up and grasped Wolf's hand at the wrist and relieved some pressure by applying some of his own. "Maybe because I just warned you that your friends are in danger? I could've just kept my mouth shut and jacked you up back there, you know." Wolf released his vice-like grip and growled. "Fair enough. Enough jerking around then, c'mon. Those guys were right behind Jake and the netrunner." "Wait up, we can't just walk in there--they'll know something's up." "The hell we can't!" Wolf turned away and began pushing through the throng to get back into Penumbra. Unlock followed suit, a blade sliding out from his cybernetic hand's hidden compartment. With a small knick of the blade, the hitman traced a line of crimson along Wolf's arm, drawing a stern look and growl from the hybrid soldier. With a single stride, Wolf moved with swift speed and delivered a headbutt that connected with Unlock's face, leaving him dazed. The hybrid then began moving through the club as fast as he could, unaware of the fast acting poison coursing through his veins. The concoction would have killed a regular man. To the hybrid it acted more as a potent tranquilizer. Wolf managed to make it just outside the darkened corridor that lead to the conference room before he collapsed onto a table, crushing it and everything on it. * "You're threatening my friends with harm to their families? Big mistake, asshole." Burn said. Burn didn't notice it, but Killeroo saw Koskov's face distort somewhat and realized that he was utilizing a sub-vocal mic. "Is that supposed to be a threat? I have a someone on retainer right now who's staying at the same hotel as your girlfriend, Swift. I believe it is The Straylight, yes?" "Who's 'we'? The Heideggers? Is that who we're working for?" Burn asked. "What did you guys do with MC?" Killeroo growled, his temper beginning to slip. "Please. You runners don't get the luxury of asking or getting the answers to such questions. Now take this hobo with you and prepare for the run before someone really does gets hurt." Burn drew his pistol and fired it at Koskov, blowing out the his knee. The Russian mercenary screamed and began hobbling backward to seek cover. Killeroo immediately followed up the shot by grabbing Koskov and slamming his head into the conference table. Koskov rolled over top of the table and landed on the other side, drawing his holstered automatic. The doorway behind the runners exploded in gunfire. Killeroo's animal reflexes took over with the hybrid bounding to the sides and rolling into cover along the side of the conference table. Burn luckily managed to get clear of the threshold, but was clipped in the shoulder by a stray bullet. * As gunfire rang out in Penumbra, people began clamoring out of the club. Some drew their weapons and took cover behind tables and columns. Realizing that he needed a distraction to get into the conference room, Unlock began making a mad dash to the bar where the two bartenders had armed themselves with a shotgun and an automatic pistol, respectively. Seeing a blade slide out of the hitman's hand, the shotgun wielding bartender turned and fired a volley of shot at him--missing completely as Unlock vaulted over the bar effortlessly. The blade struck and barman through the chest. If the wound didn't kill him immediately, Unlock thought, the poison will do the job in seconds. Using his momentum, Unlock grappled the dying barman and used him as a shield against the other bartender. * Burn and Koskov exchanged gunfire with neither netrunner being able to hit the other. Killeroo prepared an emp grenade he had kept since the Babylon run and lobbed it at Koskov. The resulting blast fried both the Russian merc's sub-dermal interface implants and Burn's custom cyberdeck. Koskov grabbed his face and collapsed onto the floor from the pain. As the gunmen stormed into the conference room, Charlie slipped out started running for dear life. Despite the cover the table offered, Burn took another stray shot in his arm as one of the two gunmen fired repeatedly at him. "Ah, fuck!" he screamed. Killeroo ducked, dodged and rolled alongside the table, pieces of insulation and splintering wood flying around the room from the gun blasts. He hybrid drew his sidearm. Where the hell are you, BB? he thought. * The second bartender's pistol barked in her hands, the rounds finding her now dead friend instead of the hitman. Looking around, Unlock saw several broken bottles and loose alcohol running off the top of the bar. Accessing another of his cyber hand's compartments, the hitman used his finger lighter to start a blaze at the bar. As it began to spread, Unlock dropped the barman and made a dash to get around the corner and to the conference room. As he rounded the bend, however, the second bartender's auto pistol found its mark and shot him in the back.
