Session Date: 3/2/2023
After everything that happened with Cipher, Juice sends Charley off to tail Cipher and see where he lives. Charley does this, saying he will return in the morning.
Bruce tries to sneak up on the strangers walking down the street, and they notice him. They ask what’s up and Omen imitates a facedown, standing up as his LEDs turn off. The strangers are taken aback by the display and they fuck off as Bruce looks them over. Bruce notices they have SMGs, but not too much chrome (mostly fashionware), no gang markings. They seem to just be a couple of guys out on a walk. They leave, and we continue our watchines.
Eventually, Omen notices a lone person walking down the street. He hears monowire filament dragging along the ground. Bruce and Emerick are still asleep but the rest are awake. The stranger sees everyone in the building and begins moving closer. He has blood on him, but we can’t tell if it’s his or someone else’s. Bruce wakes up and steps out to ask who they are, and they keep walking forward. Their breathing is very labored and they are very much not there.
Bruce runs out to try to subdue the stranger but it doesn’t work. This guy shoves Bruce off and pushes him back, monowire lighting up. Omen then tackles him. He breaks free and attacks Bruce, who tries to grapple again, failing again. They manage to subdue him and Bruce brings him into the building to take care of him, and then question him.
The stranger has a lot of cyberware, including a kerenzikov and two cyberarms that include monowire. He has a few other things as well. Omen does ask Torrent to come here and help with this guy.
Things wind down at Mamá Rosa’s house. The night is uneventful. Torrent receives a call form Omen, then leaves to join the stakeout crew.
Emerick finds picture-based evidence for a story that he is pursuing and chats about it excitedly with Seo as they sit together.
Torrent arrives and Bruce and Omen explain the situation to her, with Bruce wanting Torrent to offer therapy to the cyberpsycho and try to make him more stable to talk. Torrent asks Seo to help be comforting for the cyberpsycho. They wake him up and Torrent manages to gently therapy him enough so that he isn’t hostile. She manages to get his name - Louie - and then introduces herself to him. She reassures him that he did his best to protect the people around him, and he manages to come down from his aggression and doesn’t recall who shot his friend. He heard gunshots, saw bodies, and is here now. We let him go and Omen gives him his number.
On Monday, a small convoy arrives and then leaves. We do not know what it is for, as the first convoy was supposed to be on Wednesday.
Emerick and Omen can lip read and together they put together the following:
- The shipment is for Nuclear Chrome
- The shipment will be picked up by Wednesday
Omen wants to infiltrate these guys the day of the convoy if at all possible. The guards for this shipment are wearing kevlar with the Militech logo.
At Mama Rosa’s in the morning Net is very tired, with Cipher very fidgety. Net recognizes it and says he doesn’t think they need to go to the safehouse. Before leaving, Mama Rosa gives Cipher an envelope. Inside is a credchip for 100 eddies, and a note:
A few paragraphs of Charley telling Cipher that things are tense and not ideal, but he wants to talk and help us. He’ll be at an address for a few hours.
Net goes to Tia Esperanza’s. Her place is in Santo Domingo, deep in gang territory. They arrive and Net is greeted by her.
Cipher opts to go meet Charley and threatens him. Charley says that he can tell Juice this information, or he can help. Cipher begs Charley not to tell, and Charley explains that the band is his family and he only wants to protect them. He knows that the band would fail without a manager, and that he realizes he made a huge mistake with Juice. He explains that many edgerunners show up to help, and then they all die or are forgotten.
He explains that his mission was to find out where Cipher lived - he did - but he has no desire to actually tell this to Juice. He warns that everyone must be on their best behavior: don’t ask questions, don’t argue, just keep your head down and keep working.
Charley essentially tells Cipher to fuck off and stop fucking around, then leaves.
Cipher texts Net, telling him about the tailing, but explains that no further action needs to be taken.