PatientBean — Roleplayer Guild

Time: 9:24 A.M.
Location: Giovanni's Pizza Place
Interactions: Mr. Endo, Watson, Enemy NetRunners
Mentions: N/A
Equipment: Stun Gun, Shock Baton, Cyberware

"So we are doing work for the Mafia now?"

Watson stood as Persephone crouched down, eyeing the spot ahead of her. His concern was not unwarranted. She did not expect this when she accepted the job. But then again, one didn't reject a job offer from Mr. Endo. "It'll be fine. I'll be in and out of their system with no one the wiser."

"You getting caught wasn't what I was concerned about though we certainly can add it to the list. I was mainly referring to doing a job for a known crime family."

"You find me someone in this city that doesn't have some criminal element to them and I will eat by Cyberdeck."

Watson blew out some air in frustration because he knew she had a point. "He could have at least told you before we came here. Imagine if you were some other NetRunner who doesn't plan. Walking into a mafia hideout. They would disappear and no one would think about them ever again."

Persephone hid a shudder she felt. How many people walked through this city and then were gone? No one looking for them. No one remembering them. The city just eating them up whole. She could have easily been one of them had she continued along her route as a child. Before Grandma Zhai took her in, formed her, shaped her. "I am not your run-of-the-mill NetRunner though. And this job is easy."

"Walk me through it all again."

Yesterday

Incoming Message
Incoming Message

101000111100101010010101010

Loading………

Loading……..

th0rn_r0se,

Your reputation precedes you. I have heard much of your work and I am intrigued. I believe I have a job for you. One you will be well compensated for. An easy job as it stands. I need you to wipe security footage and make it look like an average workday. Simple job. The location is Giovanni's Pizza Place, 95th and Sandpoint. I encourage you to not ask questions as I will not give answers. Suffice to say it is a job that needs doing and you are the right person for it. I advise caution, though I am sure I need not warn an experienced NetRunner like yourself. Once it is done, please confirm with me and I will process payment immediately.

Best of luck.

_Conection Terminated_

Present

Persephone accepted the job immediately. It wasn't like she was in a place to reject work. And to have a job from someone well-known like Mr. Endo was big. If she did good, other jobs could open up to her. Connections made. If her reputation could be built up like that she could get a job that could set her up for life if she chose.

Not that she would. This was her life.

"Well be careful. If anyone in there catches you in their system, that's it. Even if you run you will be marked. The mafia doesn't play around."

Persephone waved him off, but inside she knew he was right. There was risk involved here.

The pizza place itself was unassuming, which was perfect for a crime organization. Granted, what crime organization had a building that wasn't unassuming? It wasn't like they rented neon billboards to broadcast their shady dealings, though that would be a nice change of pace. However, a scan of the building itself showed her an intense net system with high security. She didn't see any guards at the door or in the window, but she was sure there would be security detailing inside. Which called for stealth.

The plan was this. From a quick scan, she was able to locate the main hub at the top. It would most likely be heavily guarded, both inside and within. She could handle the Net security easily, but she didn't know if she could tangle with armed mafia guards.

If she could remote hack, that would be preferable, but the system was set up so you could only get in via the access point. Which means she had to go inside. Walking in through the front door this early would be stupid. Not only did she not look like your average consumer, but they weren't open yet and wouldn't be for a little over an hour yet. She noted an access point on the roof and that was going to be here way in.

"I'm going to need you to be an extra set of eyes when I'm inside. I can handle the cybersecurity just fine, but I can't do much if someone walks in and sees me." Watson nodded, but didn't say anything. She knew he would watch over her.

"Let's go wipe some security then."

Getting to the roof was easier than she expected. There weren't many people around and walking at this hour, though there were some street walkers and sidewalk sleepers, though they often kept to themselves. Best not to call attention to yourself unless you wanted to be picked up and whisked off to who knows where. As she climbed up, she made note of the cameras on the outside. Once she wiped it, she would disappear also, though she did her best to remain unseen.

Once at the top, Persephone did a scan of the building. As expected, she detected people walking around, some sitting inside offices, some patrolling the halls, some downstairs in the restaurant part, getting the day ready. Did they actually sell pizza? 

She got to her entry point and slowly slid it open, listening for anything. Once she was sure it was clear, she slid in.

The hallway was dark, lit only by a few dingy lights and a neon sign for the pizza place. She crept along the wall, listening for footsteps. She didn't want to take anyone down, it would be that much harder to hide the body. Plus if patrols disappeared, that alerted the whole place.

She heard someone coming down so she ducked into a small alcove. Thankfully her suit made it easier. She watched as a heavily armed man walked by. Decked out with cybernetics and a pretty mean-looking gun. This group didn't mess around. If she didn't know any better, security seemed beefed up. Did something happen? She made a mental note to herself.

Once it was safe, she moved quickly, but still quietly. She got to the room with the net hub. She slid the door open, ducked inside, and shut it. She locked the door too, only as a precaution. The hub room itself was smaller than she anticipated, but it was meant for one person to go in. A chair was set up, but she would already be exposed. Watson came up again. "Ok I am going to deck in. Keep a look out and ping me if anyone is trying to get in. I'd rather not fight my way out of here, but I will do so if need me." Watson looked concerned, but he kept his mouth shut. She opened her connection and slotted in. Closing her eyes, she felt herself connect and, eventually, go inside.

She always felt at home in the NetSpace. This was where she shined. Calling up her tools, she sent a St3alth hack. It would, at least, make it harder to detect her. She moved forward and was hit instantly with a Firewall. She got to work, hacking into the system. The first one went down easily, though she noticed a few more came up. The closer she got inside, the more security there would be. Something buzzed and she felt a presence.

She quickly ran forward as a blast hit beside her. She looked up to see a figure there. Another NetRunner inside. Where was he slotted in? "Hacker alert. Increase security level!" she heard him scream. If the security level got raised, she would be in deep trouble. She sent out her P0ison hack towards the other runner, hacking into his system. Once established, it slowly crept its way through the user's health. She shot her own blast at the man as he moved over. She continued forward, shooting another blast. The runner sent one back and the blasts collided. She had to get rid of him quickly. If she could take him out he would disconnect and be knocked out back in the real world. Enough time for her to grab what she needed and jack out.

The runner jumped down and in front of her, unleashing a torrent of blows. She jumped back, sending a wave, knocking the man over. She took the opportunity to jump on top of him and knock him out. Hopefully, he stayed that way. 

The firewalls remained up as she hacked her way through three of them before she found some files. Her mental note came back up and she scanned for the security footage for the day Mr. Endo asked for. She sent her R3tri3ve hack and quickly grabbed it, clearing it after she was done. If anyone looked, they would see a perfectly average day at the pizza place.

She wanted to see the footage herself but figured it would be best to get out now. She made her way back as she felt another presence. The glanced at the first runner, who was still down. Another one was around. She ran to her exit point, feeling another presence come up. She didn't look back, but she could tell they were looking for her. Once at her exit point she looked to see three figures all running toward her, sending out blasts and shots. She could also feel one of them attempting to hack her. She jacked out without hesitation.

Once out, she quickly saved the file into her Memory Chip before she got up. "We need to go now." She unlocked the door and slid into the hallway. She made it back to the rooftop and closed the access point. She slid down the wall and sighed in relief. She was, more or less, safe now.

She opened her chip and slotted it in to view it. She was dying of curiosity. The footage started normally. People going about their business. And then....a figure. A woman, by the looks of it. From what Pesephone saw, the woman looked like she meant business. A hardened figure, though beautiful. Her posture read determination and, sure enough, chaos ensued. The woman held her own. Persephone noted the use of hacks, the skill required to go into a known mafia location and get out unscathed. She shut the footage down and saved it again. Why did Mr. Endo need this erased? Was he working for the mafia? Possibly. Either way, it might be nice to hold on to this data. In case she ever needed a leg up, whether against the mafia or even this mysterious woman.

Persephone made it back to her place, falling on the couch. She rested a few minutes before she sat up and sent a message to Mr. Endo, confirming the job was done. She saved the footage in her own personal stash, along with the many other potential revenge files she saved over the years. She had one for many people she ran across. Hell, she even had one for Mr. Smith should he ever decide to screw her over. She hated it and loved it at the same time. You could only ever trust yourself and even that wasn't a 100% guarantee.

She may have just made more enemies, but she would just add them to the list of the growing number of people in this city who wouldn't mind if she died.

She allowed Fynn to ramble on about his hideous creature cleaner for what seemed like hours. Really, they had work to do. Mal and Jaelle seemed to have gone to, she assumed, the gas station to speak to the witnesses, leaving them here to handle what else needed to be done. The magic maybe. There were voodoo elements to it. Plus, Fynn pulled the engine details of the car. Perhaps that would lead them to further clues.

Primrose was about to stop Fynn's rambling to suggest so before he made a very thinly veiled threat. If there was something that Primrose could not abide by, it was a threat. She had no doubts about her own abilities if it came to that, but she also didn't want to have to fight anyone if it could not be helped. "Did you just threaten me? Whatever is going on inside yourself needs a reality check. Keep your gross creature where it is supposed to be and we won't have problems. Now, are you going to continue throwing a hissy fit because your vacuum cleaner nearly got out or do you actually want to help us solve this case?"

As she walked over to the other side of the hallway, past Fynn, she paused and took a deep breath. She got a brief glimpse of her grandma who, after seeing that display, would chastise her. "Sugar, not salt, dear." Primrose turned back to face Fynn. "I am....sorry Fynn. That was out of line. It just surprised me, is all. I don't do well with bugs, mechanical or not." She decided that was enough for now. "Now, please, can we work on this case?"

Hopefully, Fynn would follow since she didn't know technology well. "I'm going to see if I can find a lead on the voodoo element. Can you see if you can find out more about the car since you have its data? That might point us towards where the man worked or frequented, at least."

Primrose debated pulling up Google to search for voodoo places nearby. They were in New Orleans, after all. That would be like asking to find a Starbucks. There was something on every corner. No for this, the results would have to be specific. Mal read the glyphs, so was the message a warning for the man or whoever found him? 

She took a shot in the dark. If this was a warning to others, perhaps there was an intended recipient of the message. After all, dead men rarely told tales (though sometimes they did). Was there a gang involved perhaps? Or a coven? A cult? She began punching information into the system. Maybe she would strike gold as she waited for Eleanor to return.

PatientBean Member

Hi, I'm Barbie. What's up?

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