Shimmer

Shimmer

Samuel called the four of you out to Thistlewood, Sam's private retreat, his home away from the harshness of the city, nestled in the canyons of the Ute Sector. A place where he can let himself be, existing only as a man working on a car and not a man bent on saving the world from its own stupidity, one bullet at a time.

Minos would be sent a micro-brief on the nature of the mission in question, while the others would not. Vixen, Cash and Lilith would simply be asked to join him at Thistlewood for a private conversation.

The Doors of the garage are open, with Concrete Dreams's 'Dragons Dance' playing across a stereo wired in to the old barns walls. He's waist deep in the guts of the Mustang, bent over the hood when the good people arrive.

Cash hops out of Vixen's van, stating, "Wow, this is a nice place.", as he eyes the surroundings. He looks toward the open garage, commenting, "What, no neon beer signs?", as he begins to approach.
Minos arrives on his motorcycle, which is a piece of crap not worth mentioning because he didn't actually pay for one. He gets out and says, "Hello, Samuel; Cash."

Minos says "And Vixen."

Lilith roars up in her grumbling Shelby, pulling up in the driveway. Something to match the advanced age of her beautiful, gleaming vehicle pours out the windows as she parks, hopping out. The Beatles, it seems. She grins and leans on the hood of her car as she peers in the garage. "Evening, Mr.Clemens, Mr.Michaels."

Vixen arrives with Cash in her sec van and follows Cash to the garage. She's been here before. She chuckles, "Yeah. He's doin well for himself." Then she slips into the garage on Cash's heels.

Samuel slides out from under the car's hood, his arms to the elbows covered in grease. He reaches for a rag to wipe his hands as a rotary barreled… thing.. coming out of his left forearm slides back in to place under his skin. "Thanks for coming. And the beer signs are down in the game room, under the back patio…" he says, wiping his hands. "If your thirsty, there's a fridge in stall 2, there."

Lilith blinks a bit at that. "Did I come at a bad time, Mr.Clemens?" She seems amused as she wanders in, and smiles broadly at Minos. "Always a pleasure, sir…and you two are?" She turns to Vixen and Cash. "Ah! I believe we met earlier, at the Stuffer Shack."

Minos says "Hello, Lilith. These are Vixen and Cash. Cash is a very old and dear friend of mine."

Vixen takes in Mino's appearance and chuckles, "Not a scratch on him." She notes to Cash. She shakes her head at the Minotaur and grins. She looks at Lilith and nods, "That we did.." And chuckles.

Minos grins at Vixen. "Anyone seen Janie? How's she doing?"

Tossing the rag with his left hand, the cloth arcs through the air in to a bin for such used linens. "No, you're just on time, Ms. DeWinter." He glances at Minos, to answer. "She's fine. HEr girlfriend came in to the hospital bed, had sex on top of her and now Janie's much better."

Samuel doesn't say that with sarcasm or any real hint of amusement. Utterly deadpan.

Vixen nods, "She's at Narnia resting." She does look amused.

Lilith chuckles in return, and bobs her head to Vixen. "Evening…Ms.DeWinter. Lilith DeWinter." She extends a hand to Cash and smiles warmly. "And it's a pleasure to meet a friend of Mr.Michaels, of course." She doesn't miss a beat and neatly glosses over Sam's statement. "Oh? I'm glad to hear she's okay."
Cash chuckles softly, "Interesting houseguests.", poking at Vixen's ribs playfully. He shakes Lilith's hand, "Oh well, the friend of my friend and all that.", nodding a grreting.

Lilith chuckles and again and nods, wandering about the room to peer at the cars. "Very nice….very nice indeed, Mr.Clemens…"

Vixen rolls her eyes at all the introductions and manners…you'd think they were havin tea." She moves to the fridge and opts for a bottle of beer. Yes she does.

THere are actually three crappy Americars and a single Honda 2230 in the back. Obviously stolen. "Thank you. But I didn't call you here to gawk at my ball-bearings." he says, nodding to Minos. "Follow me please."

Sam leads them in to the house, and then in to his study. "Sorry for the short notice, but this just came down the pipe. I need you to go to Paris." He says, reaching for his cyberterminal, a few commands tapped out like he was hunting and pecking.

Lilith expression brightens. "Really?" She thinks. "Most of the smell will be tamped down by cold this time of year…"

Cash laughs, "Oh boy…. It really does smell like pee." pinching his nose. He crosses his arms, paying attention, but watching the gun rack as well.

Vixen clears her throat which suddenly feels very dry. She takes a sip of beer, "As in France." She nods, "I got biz I gotta take care of in France…someday." There's a darkness over that statement though. Its not as if she looks thrilled just resolved. She glances at Samuel and say's, "So if you are going to Paris…where are we going?"

Minos says "I like Paris. France is too nice for the French, though."

Lilith nods sagely to Minos. "I couldn't agree more."

Samuel raises an eyebrow at Vixen. "I'm going to Colorado Springs for a symposium on modern Security Architecture where I'm a keynote speaker… YOU are going to France, Ms. Sinclair, that is, unless you have somewhere else to be tonight."

Vixen seems to completely agree with Minos, but perhaps for a different reason. She finds a chair and asks, "Any reason why I can't kill two birds with one stone while I'm there then?" She asks. The irony of the question not completely lost on her. "My schedule is free." She nods.

Cash keeps his arms crossed, silently waiting for any more detail.

Lilith takes a spot on the couch and sits, spreading her skirts neatly. "So, France."

Samuel gestures for everyone to take a seat. As Alex knows, the middle leather chair is steel reinforced. "Mirage Media, a local firm in the outskirts of Paris, has a sizable investment from another company, that is owned by a nother, which itself is owned by a series of holding companies, which are themselves owned by the Draco Foundation. For a given reason I am not at liberty to disclose, the Foundation was keeping an eye on this company. However, one of our persons of interest, has gone missing. Inigo du Chevialier. Young, single, from aristocracy and heir to the Comte Vilange."

Lilith closes her eyes, running the names through her head. She nods to herself, then opens her eyes, watching. "Victim?"

Cash takes a seat, crossing his arms over his mouth. As Sam lays out the details, he keeps quiet, nodding in acknowledgment to denote that he's paying attention. The Samurai can't help but be a bit fidgetty, sliding around on the leather seat as he crosses his legs back and fourth, never fully settling.

Vixen sips at her beer and just waits for more intel. Her gaze is alert though.

Minos sits down in the chair and asks, "All right, we've got a disappeared person of interest. Is Mirage aware of our involvement? Are there any clues as to the nature of the disappearance?"

Sam settles down in his chair behind the desk, reaching for a cigarette. "Mirage is not currently aware of our involvement. Your cover, should you need to involve yourself, is as representatives of Tahoe Investments, a Cal-Free firm that does venture capitol and currently owns a 9 percent stake in the company."

Lilith nods. "Do you suspect or intend to rescue the missing person?"

Cash nods in agreement, "Are we returning him to the company or to the Draco Foundation?", finally beginning to settle down in his seat.

Samuel gestures to the others. "Congratulations. You now know as much about the situation as I do. I value the three I's. Initiative, Investigation and instinct. AS for the disposition. Locate. Observe, Understand and report back. If he's in danger, retrieve him."

Lilith nods, folding her hands together. "As you would. How much time do we have?"

Vixen is still just processing the information. "Not much information. I'll do some data searches."

"Take how ever much time you need, this is an investigation, but time passes and the likelihood of a clear resolution fades. Investigations are like irons. You strike when they are hot or they turn brittle. I have some data on where he maintains his villa in Paris, but this man values his privacy."

Lilith nods, thinking carefully. Running names through her head. "I have a friend back home who may be able to assist." She crooks a smile. "I will make some call."

Minos says "Let's make the call on the plane. Everyone ready to go? We'll take a company jet; it'll make customs easier to deal with."

Cash nods, "So we at least have a point A to look for physical evidence.", tapping a finger against his upper lip. He asks, "I assume the foundation will cover our travel needs?".

Lilith looks down. "No time for the necessary arrangements, clothes?"

Vixen chuckles softly at Lilith's comment and nods then say's, "Pretty much ready." She grins at Lilith, "We're goin to Paris hun. Buy new ones."

Lilith laughs. "True enough. But the prices, ech!"

Samuel gestures to the back meadow. "Mustang Alpha is landing on the back meadow now to take you to DIA, where you can meet the plane."

Lilith nods briskly and rises to her feet. "Very well then."

And as if on cue, the rotors of a helicopter can be heard out back, faintly, setting down. The house is nicely soundproofed.

Vixen finishes her beer real quick and hands the empty to Samuel. She grins and then nods to Cash, "I'll just get our drek out of the van."

Samuel explains to Minos then… "This would usually go to Euro-Div, but they're caught up in some skirmish with the Atlantian Foundation in the Ageian Sea." He glances to Cash. "Actually. I have something better."

Minos says "Yeah, Samuel, I'd heard about that…it's quite a clusterfuck over there. They almost sent me, I had to remind them that it was my mother that was Greek, not me. Some people see "minotaur" and…" He chuckles. "I'll be in the 'copter.""

Vixen sprints out of the house towards her van and starts unloading her duffel bags. Never knowing what she's gonna need she usually just brings everything. The one time she left that data jack at home wouldn't you know…she needed it. She doesn't pack light anymore. Even with her troll like strength it isn't easy packing all that drek to the copter.

Cash raises his eyebrows, "Well beggars can't be choosers, but this sounds interesting.", following Sam to the rack.

Samuel moves to a shelf, pulling out a small suit case from behind one of the shelves. "I don't use this anymore." He says, offering it over to Cash."

Lilith laughs softly as she overhears, drifting gracefully as always to the door. "We won't be stopping over in London at all, will we?" She sighs wistfully. "I almost miss home…"

Cash opens the case, "Oooh! Very nice! Thanks man!", checking out the specs, and making sure he's got some of the gel pack batteries just in case.

Minos gets his big bag o'goodies from his bike as he gets onto the helicopter. When Sam calls, he knows how to pack. :)

"Take what you need, but don't lose anything. I'm not made ENTIRELY of money. Matter of fact, I'm far less liquid than I would like right now. I've made more than a few capitol investments recently. Now. Get your goods, get out of my house. I'm going back to work on my car, then I'm going to fuck my wife. A lot. Viv's at her godfathers house tonight."

Lilith looks over at Minos and makes a face. "Well…I suppose I'm packed already. I've got culture, class, a good fashion sense, and built in weapons. What more does one need…" She DOES miss a step when Sam speaks.

Lilith says "Ahem. What more does one need in France."

Vixen didn't get the memo that Minos got. She drags everything to the copter and starts handing stuff up. She looks a little sweaty from the effot. "Damn fuckin christ Cash. When you say heavy armor you mean it."


Liliths Legwork
Calling James Cully, R3 face contact

The viewscreen comes to life, showing a somewhat haggard, cigarette smoking James Cully, a cup of tea sitting next to him at a desk. Hes' wearing a purple silk bathrobe, open to the chest and beyond. "Eh. Talk. If you're not important or an incredibly beautiful woman, I'm hanging up."

Lilith smiles gently. "Oh, James, did I interrupt tea time?" She blows him a kiss. "Dearest James, it's Lilith. I'm glad to see you again."

He flicks some ash to the side. "Okay. I'm not hanging up. Whats up, dodger?" He asks, turning more to the camera. "You never call, you never write. Blah blah blah." His London accent cuts through the space like a club; thickly. "What do you need?"

Lilith pouts at the screen. "Oh, James, you are so cruel. You damn well I've written you." She smiles. "Information, as usual. Something on a bloody frog chap, Inigo du Chevialier. Heir to the Comte Villonge. Apparently the punter's pissed off some where."

«Auto-Judge[]» Samuel (#799) rolls 7 vs TN 5:
1 2 2 2 4 4 5 = 1 Success

James seems to take a moment, scratching his chin, before he crushes out the cigarette. "Bloody frenchies. I think I met him once, at a party Spinrad threw last year in Monaco. Nice enough fellow, somewhat standoffish. A big hit with the ladies, if you know what I mean."

Lilith rolls her eyes. "Aren't they always? Bloody French cock, they think it's magical." She scratches a note down. "Dear James, you don't have anything else on him? I'd be ever so happy if you did."

«OOC» Samuel says, "roll eti+2"

«Auto-Judge[]» Lilith (#8983) rolls Etiquette + 2 vs TN 4:
1 1 1 3 4 5 = 2 Successes

James seems to think that over for a moment. "He was supposed to go to a Salon at Versailles but he never showed up. Then, a party at his estate on Ill Saint-Germaine was canceled. Most curious, but the salon crowd has moved on."
Lilith sighs and nods. "That's all, love?"

"I don't see you offering me anything here for more 'in depth' research, luvvy. Tell you what. Call me back in a few hours. Have a suitable reward ready for anything I do find. I need to move on to a meeting. The Calestria Company is holding a fund raiser and I'm expected."

Lilith smiles and nods. "Of course, luv. Have fun. Say hello to his Lordship for me." She blows him another kiss. "I'll look you up if I'm in London soon."

"Ta."


Vixen's Legwork
Decker Fu

«OOC» Vixen nods, "I want to track where he's been spending his money. As well as try for a data search on him. See what I can dig up. Especially looking at recent associations and habits.
«OOC» Samuel isn't going to go in to serious matrixy stuff, but we can abstract. For banking records on a corp executive noble, give me computers.decking + HP at a TN of 12. HOwever, any HP you use on this roll is unavailable for the rest of the adventure due to abstraction ;)
«OOC» Vixen says, "Any programs lower that TN?"
«OOC» Samuel shakes his head. Thats not abstract enough. Basically, you're hacking through several systems and this represents general difficulty.

«Auto-Judge[]» Vixen (#1018) rolls Computers (Decking) + Hacking Pool: 3 vs TN 12 for "3 HP left.":
1 1 1 2 2 3 3 5 5 9 10 = 0 Successes
«OOC» Vixen says, "karmas"
«Auto-Judge[]» Vixen (#1018) rolls Computers (Decking) + Hacking Pool: 3 vs TN 12 for "3 HP left. 1/36":
1 2 2 3 5 5 5 5 5 5 11 = 0 Successes
«Auto-Judge[]» Vixen (#1018) rolls Computers (Decking) + Hacking Pool: 3 vs TN 12 for "3 HP left. 3/36":
1 1 1 1 2 3 3 4 5 9 10 = 0 Successes
«Auto-Judge[]» Vixen (#1018) rolls Computers (Decking) + Hacking Pool: 3 vs TN 12 for "3 HP left. 6/36":
2 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4 4 5 = 0 Successes
«OOC» Lilith whistles
«OOC» Samuel says, "Executive Nobles tend to have very secure finances."
«OOC» Samuel says, "Now, if you want to stop. you do get other information from your efforts."
«OOC» Samuel says, "Just not detailed financial info."
«OOC» Vixen says, "There are ways hackerly around that. Like making yourself a known user."
«OOC» Vixen says, "But I'll stop
«OOC» Samuel says, "That is true, but thats why this is an abstraction. It's hard to break in to old European banks and get sensitive data on high profile customers. Else, the banks would not be trusted. You do learn that he does have an estate in the hills above La Rochette, north of the city of Grenoble. It's utilities came on about 2 weeks ago."
«OOC» Vixen says, "And the data search? Or was that the result of the data search?"
«OOC» Samuel says, "We can do the datasearch now. What are you looking for? Random data?"
«OOC» Vixen says, "Yes. Especially concentrating on associations and habits."
«OOC» Vixen says, "Like he's a member of this club and plays polo every morning. :P Recently been spending lots of time with the murderess X"
«OOC» Samuel says, "Much easier. Can scan a lot of gossip columns and such. Please test computers.decking at tn 4"
«OOC» Lilith says, "French boy—> http://www.imdb.com/media/rm2973145088/nm0001993 :)"
«Auto-Judge[]» Vixen (#1018) rolls Computers (Decking) + Hacking Pool: 3 vs TN 4 for "Gossip and intel":
1 1 2 2 3 3 3 3 5 5 10 = 3 Successes
«Auto-Judge[]» Vixen (#1018) rolls Computers (Decking) + Hacking Pool: 3 - 3 vs TN 4 for "Gossip and intel. More successes less time. 7/36 KP":
3 3 4 5 10 10 11 11 = 6 Successes
«OOC» Vixen says, "Good?"
«OOC» Samuel says, "Quite."


AS it happens… Inigo is quite the man about town, known to associate with several ladies of the French Court. He is said to maintain an estate on the Isle of Manx where he entertains his 'special' friends. There is some speculation he may be magically active, but theres no corroboration for this. He was heir to the Villonge fortune, which was greatly enhanced by the discovery of Orichalcum deposits in ancestral lands he holds in the families name. A regular on the Salon scene, he's been missing more and more of the fashionable parties in the last few years. Nearly 35 now, he's been putting more and more time in to Mirage, even though he only owns 5 percent.

His main research facility was actually located on his estate in central Paris, on the Ill Saint-Germain, built in to the top floor of his home there. He specializes in crafting Simsense with emotional tracts, and is reportedly working on a line that will let people see what it is is like to be a mage.

Vixen fishes out her deck which looks like it was made out of old car parts. The case anyway…inside its a thing of rare and perfect beauty. She pulls the cord for the deck and inserts it into the data jack near her hairline. Hardly notice it was there unless you were lookin for it. Then she zones out for a while. Flitting through the matrix looking for this and that. She fails to make much progress in tracking the targets financial records, but she does find out about his estate. She then sets some paramaters for a data mining operation on the guy and then its all but the wait and the wondering. She isn't as good at this stuff as her sister. Not really. If it was Chammy riding the dataline express…she'd stay and visit that funny looking pink hamster in the Numbing Neuron. She jacks out and and unhooks the datajack. She pulls out a data chip and hands it to Minos and say's, "Well don't know how helpful it is. But I got some leads anyway."

Minos slots the chip and reads it. "Mm, this'll make my questions a bit more direct and to the point, then." He picks up the phone and makes some calls.

Lilith smiles at Minos and hands him over the slip of paper with her notes. Yes, a hand written slip of paper, gaspshock, in this day and age. "Here's what I have. Good luck."

Vixen gives Cash the evil eye, "You didn't feel me up while I was away did you?"

"No Ma'am. No one touched your body while you were out." Responds the pilot of the helicopter.


Minos's Legwork
No Bulldrek

«OOC» Minos says, "0) confirm that Vixen's assessment vis a vis what the guy does is legit; 1) If there're any corps out there who're competing with him in his specific niche (Mage-simulating simsense); 2) what else he does for the corporation; 3) any black ops he might've contracted (to get info, etc)—shadow ops he tried to get done to help him out; and cross referencing Lilith's stuff, any high society enemies he might have that're involved with competing research."
«OOC» Minos says, "oh, and if there've been any security breaches in his place."
«OOC» Minos says, "To do this I intend to use:"
«OOC» Minos says, "er."
«OOC» Samuel says, "No problem vix, we can resume RP whne the legworks done."
«OOC» Minos says, "that shoulda been my Draco Foundation corporation contact at level 2"
«OOC» Samuel nods.
«OOC» Samuel nods. Roll your etti, +1 for the contacts level.
«Auto-Judge[]» Minos (#5291) rolls Etiquette + 1:
1 1 3 4 11
«OOC» Minos says, "er"
«OOC» Minos says, "is there a TN?"
«OOC» Samuel says, "4, your good"
«OOC» Minos says, "okay, in case I needed to KP etc :)"
«OOC» Minos says, "actually I think I will"
«Auto-Judge[]» Minos (#5291) rolls Etiquette + 1 - 2 vs TN 4 for "kp1/16":
2 3 5 = 1 Success
«OOC» Minos says, "stand at 3"

Corporate Logfile: Mirage Media
«< A niche media company specializing in simsense products of an esoteric nature. Their titles tend to be much like french films. Long. Dry. Boring and pointlessly philosophical. They bleed money left and right, only occasionally turning a profit, but they do a good amount of research, licensing out their findings to other companies to fund their 'art'. Recently, the buzz has been building that they have something new coming up, a SIMSense experience said to be like no other, but the content has been exceedingly hush hush. The developer? Inigo du Chevialeer. »>

«OOC» Samuel says, "What he's doing, appears to be legit in that it doesn't violate any laws."
«OOC» Samuel says, "Inego does not appear to be a shadowrunner, but he is, corporate rumors can tell you, known to have a man-servant who is supposedly a former runner."
«OOC» Samuel says, "A sullen Ork by name of Jean-Paul Dupree.
«OOC» Samuel says, "AS to high society… How do you want to get that information? Drac's tapped"
«OOC» Minos says, "Ah, mostly interested in his enemies and who else might be interested in stealing his work."
«OOC» Samuel says, "Most simsense companies, perhaps specific french ones. You just don't have the skills or contacts to find that information yourself."
«OOC» Minos says, "ok"


Minos comments to the team, "So the basic gist of what we've got so far is that this guy, Inigo, has been working on stuff that's cutting edge, very secret, and that he's suddenly disappeared from the radar. Lilith discovered that not only has he disappeared, but he's been canceling engagements—or someone has been doing that for him. Vixen discovered that his La Rochette estate has just had its power turned on two weeks ago…oddly enough. He's got another estate on the Isle of Manx where he takes his women. He may be a mage; he has a fortune involving orichalcum deposits, and he's been skipping social engagements for the last few years. His manservant used to be a runner, but what he's been doing is legitimate research; although the manservant may be part of an inside job." He turns to Cash. "You got any ideas before we hit the ground and find out where the frag this guy was seen last?"

Lilith mutters to herself as she scribbles down notes, tongue half stuck out as she concentrates. "Bloody James….bloody, blasted James…" Trying to figure out how to "reward" him. "Alex, what do you think we'll be able to pull together for my contact?"

Minos arches an eyebrow. "Well, what does he want?"

Vixen grins but doesn't say what she's thinking.

Lilith snorts. "A suitable reward. Knowing James, cash might suffice, but also a fine woman, a priceless wine, or a shag involving all three. I'd place bets on the cash." She shoots Vixen a look, then continues. "He's an utter bastard but a good man, but either way, I do think I'll have to stop over in London before I head back to Denver just to satisfy him."

Minos says "Hmm. Well, I don't know him as well as you might. Cash always works, but perhaps he'll accept some insider data on what we find here about the target's simsense project?"

Lilith looks thoughtful. "That might do as well. He's a gossipy geezer." She counts off on her fingers. "Some information, some money, and a promise from me to visit should keep him happy."

As if on cue… the Phone rings.

Minos says "Mm, depending on what we find out, money might not even be necessary. Simple cash isn't half as useful as a good stock tip, so to speak."

Lilith laughs. "Indeed…" she looks at the phone, arches a brow. "Shall I?"

Minos says "Go ahead. Ask him about Inigo's recent lovers, and who it was that canceled his recent party, or if it was just cancelled because no one was there. And about the La Rochette estate."

Lilith nods and grabs the phone. "Hullo, James…luv, I've got a rather nice little treat in store for you."

"You're going to shave, wear that little school girl outfit I love so much and tell me what a bad girl you've been? I do so love that. Maybe you can call me -daddy- this time."

Lilith giggles, not at all worried about what might be overheard. "Oh, you tease! Of course I will, I've missed you *terribly*. Denver's not half so much fun without you."

"It's as fun as it ever was. It's a droll town in a banal continent. Natives and white men, scalping's and an utter lack of culture. It's boring, I pronounce it so. Anyway…" He says, yawning. "This bloke your looking for. Do you have any specifics?"

Lilith nods and smiles. "Oh, my dearest James…" She gives him the specifics of what Minos told her, what Vixen dug up. "Does that suit, luv?"

James seems to take a moment. "Well, it all depends on what you bring me, but it sounds fabulous.. I wouldn't mind having a little advance dish. I'm seeing this lovely young intern over at SparklePop Sensations, one of those east end media firms. I'm sure she'd -die- for this."

Lilith looks to Minos for a moment, a questioning look in her eyes. "Just a moment, James…" She speaks quietly to the bull. "Well?"


Cash's Legwork
Cheques and Mate
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