[center][img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/240102/251bea935978ee68920aae43d133ef3b.png[/img][/center] [center]VIT: [color=39b54a]100%[/color][/center] [center]LOC: NCX Terminal C [/center] [center]TOD: 23:17hrs[/center] [center]INT: N/A[/center] [center]MNT: N/A[/center] [i]"Orbital Air welcomes you to NCX — Night City International and Translunar. Don't wait! Leave your earthly worries, ulcers, and tumors..."[/i] The chirping feminine voice of the loudspeaker resonated through the dead empty gate of Terminal C, as the woman stepped through the jetway door and took in her first breath of the stale musk. Not even a second in and Kaleb Varsk was calling her on the Holo; his [REDACTED] light-blue ID card jumping up on the upper left side of her vision. She answered on the second ring, bracing herself for the harsh buzz of his vocoded voice. "Report." Kaleb's voice growled. "Arrived at Terminal Charlie. Place is a ghost town." Jennifer replied. Her own voice was soft spoken in contrast, dead and cold as the limbs which propelled her through the rows and rows of vacant rotted leather seats. "Good. Exit at the right. A transport with your kit is waiting for you. Call me back once you're on the road." [i]*ffzzswush*[/i] The door to the outside of the terminal was merely a few meters away, sliding open with a soft hydraulic hiss. The air was notably better, yet now carried the sharp pungency of CHOOH-6A as tanker trucks pumped the stuff into the greedy bellies of waiting aircrafts. A quick glance to her left revealed an awaiting black taxi-like cab car, the trunk popped and illuminating her grey duffle in a faded orange-yellow interior light. As soon as she descended the stairs, the trunk slammed shut on its own as the the rear right passenger side door opened. Arching a brow, she climbed into the backseat and got herself buckled. She was able to spare a glance toward the driverless compartment as the car closed the open door, and turned itself on. "Good evening, Miss Hudson." Came a posh British-European accented voice that rumbled through the cabin, seconds later materializing on the viewscreen on the back of the passenger seat. A torso-cropped male figure with warm amber eyes and slicked back black hair, dressed in a matching black butler's coat met her gaze. "I am a Raymond Autonomous Transport commercial shuttle. Your expenses for this visit have been graciously covered under our Onyx plan. Are you ready to proceed to your apartment?" "Sure. Thank you.." "Ray." [i]"Ray."[/i] The car shifted into drive and lurched forward as it slowly turned to plot its course onto the exit. As soon as its wheels hit the pavement, Jennifer got back on the holo and shot a call over to Kaleb. "..." "On the road." Jennifer said, her gaze out the window of the car as she watched the scene of industrial plants, slow-moving blimps, and the rolling Badlands tundra pass her by. "Excellent." Kaleb rasped a breath in, and continued on. "Given the nature and duration of your assignment, you have been provided with an apartment in the 'Corpo Plaza'. Your first task is to collect and compile any information you can on NightCorp that we do not already know. Leads, insights, floorplans, blueprints, anything you can and upload it to the terminal within the apartment. Then you will infiltrate the building how ever you can manage. Any accomplices you find to assist you [b]will[/b] not know your identity, not must. You are a ghost. Beyond what we have provided you, you are alone. Should you come under serious injury and attempt exfil, we will not come for you and any involvement will be summarily dismissed and denied. Do I make myself clear, Jennifer?" "Crystal. I understand completely." Kaleb's tone softened, though his voice proved somehow more haunting with the added benevolence. "We are counting on you to see just [i]what[/i] NightCorp is. We believe it is not an organization merely dedicated to NightCity's wellbeing- not anymore. Richard Night died in '98. His widow remade Night Industries into Night Foundation, which later became Night Corporation. Miriam steps down from CEO with her status still unknown to this day. Which begs the questions, who's running the company now? How many does it employ? Are they really the social welfare heroes keeping Night City aloft all this time? On one dead man's vision?" The cab reached the exit, swerving left to turn off of Morrow Rock and onto the Interstate toward Night City; seamlessly merging into traffic and swiftly positioning to evade the worst of Night City's civilian drivers miles behind them. Kaleb continued on. "Arasaka may have pulled out of Night City, but Militech was all too eager to fill the void. You're in Free State territory, and there's no telling how they'll act, if they'll remember you on our previous op at all. Just be cautious. You're here for NightCorp, not them." "-If I may, Sir.." Jennifer asked, able to find her break in the conversation. "Go ahead." "Why NightCorp?" "Where else [i]is[/i] NightCorp?" Kaleb countered. "Orbital Air, Arasaka, Biotechnica, Zetatech, Militech, Petrochem- every single one of these corporations, either founded in the Free States or within the NUS, sought to spread internationally or at the very least domestically across the country. You could say NightCorp, being solely for the sake of Richard Night's city, remained the way it did. Yet in this world? Everyone has to have a stake in something for their own gain or else there's nowhere to go. The fact that NightCorp is continuing to operate in such a contentious market not only with the means to sustain itself but without having to depend much at all on other organizations for its funding, is bizarre. Social welfare programs, wage standardization, education opportunities- all within the Worst Place to Live in America? You'd be hard pressed to see they're fighting a losing war, but they're not. They're thriving when they shouldn't be. That's what makes this so interesting to us." Jennifer nodded to herself, looking down at her hand as she pivoted it around her wrist. Internal debate could wait for later. "I see why. I won't let you down, Kaleb." "You won't. All goes well, you'll be back in Langley within the week. Your efforts will not go unrewarded. Good luck." The holo ended, leaving the ringing silence to float around the cab. Glancing out the window once more, Jennifer allowed herself a tiny moment to be starstruck at the towering monoliths that stretched into the neon sky. Ray's voice hummed in her ear. "We have arrived. Please watch your step, and collect your things from the back. Should you require pickup, feel free to call for a cab. Good luck, Miss Hudson." The door opened up as Jennifer stepped out, crossing the back of the cab and retrieving her duffle fron the trunk as she stepped onto the sidewalk to the apartment building. The cab gave a soft honk, before shutting its trunk and peeling away into the crowd of cars. Jennifer blew out a sigh, turning to make her way into the building before anyone took to seeing her for too long. It wasn't that she was known, it was that she was nearly a Borg, and not quite by choice. The last thing she needed was a heckle or, god forbid, a catcall. Stepping into the apartment building, Jennifer glanced around its black abstract stone walls and floor, glistening red flora containers and plant life nestled in between the set of benches on either side. The Concierge to the left had caught her eye with a polite bow, clad in golden skin and wearing a maroon dress with gray trimmings. Approaching the counter, the elegantly dressed woman was the first to break the silence. "Ah, hello! You must be our newest tenant. Welcome!" Jennifer paused, standing like a lightstricken deer as she awkwardly waved back. "Ah, yeah. This uh- 's my stuff. Do I need to run this through?" She'd had an easier time talking to the people at Richmond about her 'kit' then here already. The woman made a strange 'glu-glu' sounding chuckle and shook her head. "Your serials were scanned when you stepped inside. This scanner is purely biometric. Please head on through. Your room is Sixteen, second floor to the right." She blinked as a message materialized across her center screen. [2F-R16 ACCESS_KEY_TRANSFER: COMPLETED.] Jennifer dipped her head, moving quietly through the scanner as it unsurprisingly lit up and blared a gentle warning signal. "Hmm.. Wait a moment, Miss Hudson." Jennifer turned around. "Yeah?" "The scan is showing abnormal weight ratios. You are measuring only 28 kilograms. Are you feeling well?" [i]'God-damn it all.'[/i] "It's.. normal. I uh, got my legs and arms blown off. War mission went south." Jennifer sighed solemnly. The golden woman creased her shaved brow, an expression of pity on her features as she nodded. "I am sorry to hear that, Miss Hudson. War is Hell, as they say. My husband was a veteran of the Unity War. He took his life last December. Thank you for keeping in the fight." Jennifer stepped forward and placed a hand on her shoulder. "My condolences, miss-" "Ling. Xhao Ling." "Miss Ling. As long as he remains in your memory, he'll never stop fighting for you. Even if he couldn't fight what was eatin' at him personally. He didn't fight 'cause he hated what was in front of him, but because he loved what was behind him." The woman pursed her lips and nodded; imperceptive movements suggesting she wanted to break into a hug. Instead, she nodded, stepping back with a hazy-eyed smile. "Thank you, Miss Hudson. It is rare to find someone who understands loss nowadays. Especially here." Jennifer bobbed her head, nodding as she sighed, "Yeah. Be seein' you around, Xhao Ling. You're not alone." With a pivot, Jennifer turned back and slowed her pace as she entered into the hallway and took the stairs up to her room. Approaching the door, the verification panel on the wall blinked a bright green as the door slid open, revealing a neomilitaristic interior with beige hardwood floors. She stepped inside, almost in disbelief the FIA would spare her the degree of these luxuries. Then again, she'd never been away from Langley for more than a few weeks. Heading inside, Jennifer glanced around the apartment before settling her gaze on the stairwell to her bed. Ascending the staircase, Jennifer dropped her duffle at the foot of the bed as she sat at the edge. Deep within the back of her mind, she couldn't help but feel it was going to be a longer stay than normal.