Isaac Miller's Story

"Look man, I'm just saying, you'd probably have a longer life expectancy if you stopped eating that shit. That can't be good for you to just buy food from a cart and eat it, yeah?" The man said, shifting on his feet slightly and relaxing his grip on the pistol in his hand. He wasn't a normal looking ganger, certainly; he was clean, fit, and seemed more like he'd be at home in someplace that wasn't the slums. "I told you, dude, I wasn't really even supposed to live this long at all. I was born in the slums, raised in gangs, and I have an aug. I'm already beating the odds just by standing here, you know? Besides, you're starting to sound like Oma, telling me I need to eat better and trying to get me to go back to being a courier. Next thing you know you'll be sitting there in the kitchen and ordering people around and complaining when I show up instead of trying to get into a corp or something." The second man laughed between mouthfuls of what looked to be noodles with some sort of meat in them, his blue left eye gleaming. "You might wanna watch that attitude, Hirsch. Some of the new guys down here, they don't have the same familiarity we do, and they have weird loyalty to the gang. Someone hears you talkin' like that about Oma, they're liable to try and nail you with something. They're still too green to be out here, you ask me, but I guess we're still hurting a bit from... You know." The first man replied shaking his head sadly. "I get what you mean, man. I haven't been around enough for the newbies not to jump at the chance to show off to the other newbies. Don't seem like I've got the teeth I used to." Isaac replied, reaching out to pat the ganger on the back.

In the pocket of his jacket, Isaac's phone chirped out a jaunty little tune at the same time that his vision became partially blocked with a readout of the received text message. "Oh, shit, dude, I gotta get outta here. Work's calling me, you know how it is. Give my love to Oma and all that." Isaac said quickly, folding down the tabs on the box that held his mystery food. "Yeah, yeah, Hirsch. Get out and don't come back. I'm pretty sure this is one of my last goes on guard duty according to Oma, so I'll probably be in the kitchen like you said, so if one of the newbies sees you and decides he doesn't like the look of you, I can't run over and smack 'em upside the head to keep you alive." The first man replied sadly, waving Isaac off towards the edge of the slums. Isaac just laughed and took off at a languid pace towards a cab station a block away from where he stood. "Alright, so I've got about thirty minutes from here to the station nearest to the warehouse, then it's like five from there to the warehouse. I wonder if there's any vendors out there today? I hope the meat-on-a-stick guy is, at least. Love that stuff." Isaac thought, reaching the station and punching in where he wanted to go. A driverless cab pulled up near him and Isaac entered, settling down and opening the container back up to resume eating. Thirty minutes later, Isaac stepped out of the cab and looked around the warehouses around him for vendors. Seeing none, he sighed and jogged towards the CKSD warehouse, entering and going through the whole process of being checked and vetted before finally making his way into the meeting room. He waved with one hand to Rax and sat heavily into his seat, taking out his phone and idly tapping at the screen as he waited for the meeting to get underway.

The city had been pulsing for several hours, even after the last of the party scene had gone away from the lower rungs. But as always Antony could not really tell from his current home.

Sitting above the skyline his loft was softly bathed in some of the only natural light that the city would ever seen as he was hanging from a bar, doing pull ups in strict repetition. His morning routine of work finished more then a few hours ago and he had been occupying himself on sheer drive for now. Seeing as he had no work on the table and he had no side contracts as well to keep his attention. Aside from that he could be heard speaking into his ear piece as he pulled and lowered himself.

"Listen Nadia, I know that you can't see a way threw this without resulting to some less then tasteful tactics.. But this bastard is sitting on more then a thousand shares and we all know that they are just ripe for the taking."

Not far from his dangling feet sat several weapons that he had used from the last mission over a night before, though this was not a sanctioned mission along with the others and he knew that at some point he would receive a scolding from George. Each had been cleaned and rebuilt meticulously and as such was an extension of his own obsessions.

He got several words back as he began to chuckle under his own voice as he returned. "Yeah.. well I hired you because you were good, not because you were nice. Besides if he gives you any lip, I can always put a round in his leg to change his tone." He drops off the bar and pressed the end call button, before tossing the ear piece on a nearby counter.

Walking over to the same counter and wiping his shoulders he looks over the small collection before him and smirks, knowing that inside he did not think it was still enough for him at all.

A screen blinks to life on the wall near the counters edge and he hears a familiar tone ring in.
"Ah.. Alta, what is the news for today."

"Meeting in forty five minutes Antony and George wants you there on time.."

He smiles as he finishes his orange juice and places the empty glass on the counter, before throwing the towel over his shoulder and heading towards the shower. "Always a pleasure, tell her I am on the way. He absorbed himself in the next few minutes by cleaning himself up and getting dressed. The only time he stopped on the way out of the house was when he was choosing what to arm up with for such a leisurely stroll.

He decided on a colt to strap under his coat along his back, while sliding a spawn blade up his left sleeve. Because the adage always remained true in this day and age to never go anywhere without a knife.

Taking the freight elevator down and choosing his Kundalini as he slides the the cover off. The motorcycle would prove to be a good choice seeing as the cities lower reaches below the safety of his loft home was more then a little crowded, but despite this he was on his way and arrived in less then thirty minutes.

Making his way past security and getting checked he was allowed in and finally opened the door to the conference room to see three of his co-workers already waiting. Isaac and Rax were two individuals that Antony never really worked with, seeing as he was mostly a solo act preferably and the only others that he shared the field with were George and a few other associates they shared.

He sat in a chair across the table from Isaac and smiled slightly, with Rax off to his right further down.

The coffee bubbles all built up on one side of the cappuccino cup forming a crescent. A couple of them popped at a time and sank into the recesses of the opaque drink. The white cream rested atop the milk like a piece of cotton. The saucer was nearly spotless had it not been for the little black stain that seemed to have eluded the dish washer.

Ethan sat at a table for two that was set up against the railing outdoors beneath an LED lamp that was off because it was daytime. He watched the cup for a long time. He was waiting for it. If the automated barista was consistent, the cup of cappuccino would have taken approximately five minutes since its delivery to the table to reach lukewarm temperatures. Ethan had been counting the seconds away.

He was not accounting for any other outside factors, nor did he ever. He was too concerned with the plainness of the cup. White seemed to be the traditional color for cappuccino cups. He wondered why.

His eyes shifted to the spoon. It rested on the saucer next to the cup, long dulled through over use by the patrons of the little café. It’s luster long gone, like a woman after a pregnancy. He knew that was a crude thought, but it was something he noticed. Not that he wanted to notice. He blinked before he inhaled through his nostrils, and the thought evaporated completely from his mind.

The cafe was one among many that lined the streets. Ethan considered it to be a safe haven, away from the lights and screens. It was quiet there. Quiet and calm. This café, Marseilles, was quite different in another way. Rarely did the police cruisers speed through the streets in this part of Night City. It was one of the few places that seemed untouched by, as Ethan had recognized, the grime.

Tall trees lined the avenue, it was one of the few places in the city that still had trees. There was a violin track that was playing at a dimmed volume throughout the establishment’s installed speakers. Other places would have electronica out, and the bass would be thumping on forever.

Ethan scanned the couple of tables and muted conversations. They spoke in a variety of tongues, none of which he cared to turn on his translator for. As his eyes went about casually, his glance was caught by a pair of eyes belonging to a woman. She too sat alone. He noticed a bridge of freckles across her face. He made sure to look away casually because staring was rude.

But he still did it.

For some reason, it drew a smile from her.

He noticed she had blonde hair in little curls from the roots to the tips. Her eyes were dark brown. She had a small nose that winked upward. He noticed that she noticed him noticing her. Of all the people in the café, she was looking at him.

Then he realized that he had forgotten to take a sip from his cup. He used his left hand. He was still getting used to it. The feel of it all was very odd. He looked at the fibers that made up his artificial arm. He wiggled his fingers as though he was a child playing with a new toy.

Then he noticed the woman again, she had what he might describe as a fair face. He had forgotten about the drink again. He quickly took it, forgetting about the woman.

The cappuccino had turned cold.

He exhaled a resentful sigh. There was nothing he could do. No one to blame, aside from perhaps…the woman. No, it was his fault. Maybe order a new cup and hope that he would not be distracted long enough in order to drink it at the perfect moment. Ethan had learned that there were never perfect moments.

As evidenced by vibrations from his side pocket. A distinctive breet breet tone was emitted. He produced a phone from his pocket. There was a message. He swiped a finger across the screen, the message enlarged itself at will. It was from Alta.

Meeting in forty five minutes.

That meant he had to leave. He had already paid, he looked around to see if he had brought anything with him. Nope, nothing. He stood up and began to leave. He passed the woman he noticed earlier, it drew another smile from her. He replied with a mild smile, social protocol dictated that.

They were just strangers after all. Strangers in a big city.

His car was parked on the side of the curb. When he reached the driver’s side, the scissor door slip up and the engine started. Once he seated himself, the door slid shut. He swiped at the haptic interface of the dash before he grabbed hold of the U-shaped steering system and drove off.

Thirty or so minutes later he pulled up inside of a parking garage a block across the warehouse. He undertook the rest of the way by foot.


He passed through the automated security systems and was allowed clearance.

Three others were already seated. Rax nodded at Ethan, Ethan replied with his own subtle nod. The fellow with the augmented eye, if Ethan had remembered correctly from reading the dossiers, was Isaac. He was reclined and tapping away on his device, undisturbed. Meanwhile, Antony sat in a relaxed manner.

Ethan took a spot two seats down from Isaac. His breathing had slowed to a regular pace from the brisk walk. He sat watching the other doors, waiting for their ‘supervisor.’

George sat, facing the door as the others entered. She watched her team gather together and mentally went over each of their appearance looking for signs that things might not be right. It was her job to ensure her teams were at their best. She hired each and every one of these men. The board held her accountable for each mission.

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. As it should be. The people she hired knew that failure was never an option. They knew it was better to sit out one mission than possibly mess up.

“Nice to see you all. Thank you for answering my summons so promptly.”

George typed a few things into the flat surface in front of her and a and image appeared in the middle of the table, projected up for all to see.

“This is Hirido Chan. He is a drug researcher for BioTechnica. Nothing special here except he seems to have-”

George’s jaw clenched as she thought about the man’s incompetence.

“He seems to have misplaced his most recent test batch of a drug. Not just the test batch but the research he had been carrying at the time as well. This research contains the most recent formula as well as other information on the drug. “

The woman stood and began to walk around the table.

“It seems Mr Chan decided to make a stop on his way to a meeting. This stop was at the Lucky Hearts Club.”

George paused looking over the men.

“Lucky Hearts is a club featuring exotic dancers and the like. Now once here Mr Chan put down his briefcase and promptly became distracted.”

She continued her slow walk around the table, her hands clasped behind her back.

“Our mission has a few pieces to it. One we need to locate Mr Chan, it seems he was frightened after losing his research. Two we need to find out who took the research and drugs and what has become of them. Was this a planned steal or was Mr Chan just that incompetent? Three, we need to get the drugs and research back, at any cost. Lastly Mr Chan needs to be taken care of once found.”

George made her way back to her spot at the head of the table.

“Any questions?”

Rax raised his hand when he heard George ask for questions. Only one popped into his head, for something like this.

Once permitted to speak, Rax said his question with his normal, almost computer-like, voice, "Did this club have any security cameras that might have been pointing in Mr. Chan's direction?"

To Rax, the only lead that was possible was a visual of the briefcase when it was stolen. If that was not true, then Rax would be more than at a loss. He would have to rely on the team, Ethan and Connor being the only ones that he has fought beside before, though only once or twice.

As soon as his first question was answer, Rax had figured out a second. "Have we seen Mr. Chan on any public security cameras?"

Isaac seemed to study the projection of Chan intently, as if he were trying to absorb as much about the man as he possibly could. He nodded once and turned his gaze towards George with a furrowed brow. "So, ma'am, what you're telling me is this man decided that he needed to stop at a strip club while carrying something probably worth more money than I care to think of, and then lost it? And instead of trying to find it, he just runs off and hides?" Isaac grumbled under his breath and shook his head. "No offense to the soon-to-be-late Mr. Chan, but he's a bit of an idiot if he didn't drop it on purpose. If he did, he's even more of an idiot. So; we've got a future stiff hiding somewhere on the streets, some missing drugs, and I assume we've got a time limit for all of this." Isaac sighed and leaned back more heavily in his chair. "I guess the hard part is finding the drugs. Finding a corp-boy hiding someplace he doesn't belong isn't gonna be much, I don't think. Especially if he did it close to the club. I'm just not too sure what part I'm supposed to play in this, ma'am. This is corp level stuff, not just some gangers running around playing like they're bigger than they are. Unless that is what's going on, in which case this is very unclear to me."

Isaac glanced at Antony with a raised eyebrow, thinking to himself. "I've seen that guy around before. Real slick lookin' dude. Don't know much about him. Guess that's understandable, though. Don't really work with any of these guys. I'm more street level than military or corp." Isaac shrugged and stared expectantly at George instead, hoping she'd clear up the few non-hypothetical questions he had.

While the others spoke, Ethan was content to sit and watch the discussion unfold. He had nothing to contribute, other than the given when can we start bit. These people seemed to know what they were doing, which was very much unlike Ethan. He was still rather new to this underworld business. If somebody needed to be offed, that was his call.

A bullet expelled from a rifle, and a body dropping. That was his specialty. He could tell from the briefing that he would probably be hanging back this mission, doing some observation as the others took care of the mess. That was not to say he would be doing nothing, but rather his part would be to keep an eye out for a Hirido Chan.

He looked at each of the men there, he had glossed over their dossiers. Gloss was a light term, given their large profiles. They were probably experienced in this kind of business, each with different methods and styles that were unique to them.

Ethan watched Isaac’s eye, it glowed a subdued blue. He wondered how the visual feed appeared in his head. They must have attached wires from that ocular implant to his brain. He glanced at his own augmentation, his left arm with all the metallic sinews running along, and the occasional mini bolt that clamped them together.

Ethan returned his gaze toward George, he was waiting for her to continue, or perhaps give the word.

George stood tall as the team processed what she told them. Her head turned to look at Rax. She gave him a small nod.

“Good question. I don’t know information about the club falls into the category of things you need to find out. Means someone needs to go to the club, talk to the people. Someone needs to dig up information on the owner, the staff. As for public cameras, that too falls into the find out category. I only know what I told you today. Chan’s employer knows nothing more than what I know. The rest is up to you to find out. The club, who talked to him, his home, where he went, where he is now and what happened to his research. That is all for you guys to find out. Use corp contacts, use the streets, use force. I don’t care but you find out everything you can about this Chan and what happened to information and things he was carrying.”

George crossed her arms. “If you need her for working on cameras, bypassing security to let you into places Cat is available to use. You all have her contact though not sure any of you have ever met her in person. She prefers to be behind the screen.”

She looked over at Antony. “Don’t be so certain of anything about Chan until you can confirm it. There is a chance no one even knew he had the stuff with him.”

George raised her eyebrow at Antony. “Remember we know nothing for certain till we have proof in hand.”

Isaac’s referring to her as ma’am got her attention and her face softened a little as she looked to him. George listened as he went over what she had told him. She admired his thoroughness.

“That seems to be the case. What remains to be seen is was the ‘loss’ on purpose or complete stupidity. Did someone steal it or was it a hand off. There is a chance he is just that bumbling. There is a chance he was a target and there is a chance he sold out to the highest bidder and made it look like a robbery. No matter what we need to know what happened, where he is, where the drugs are, hope to hell someone hasn’t sold them or taken them and then take him out.”

George smiled. “Not just corps. Someone on the streets have heard of this drug, heard of him, saw him. We all know black market is big. Hell, half of the equipment I get for you comes from less than legit sources. For all we know a ganger saw a chance and robbed the man and is king of the combat zone right now but that is what I need you all to do. Start digging. find whatever hole this man has crawled into and drag his sorry ass out. Find those drugs, that research. Whatever means necessary.”

“Make sure when you find Chan you question him thoroughly before ending his life. I want no loose ends. I want the research, the drugs or whatever is left of them and Chan’s life by the time you are done.”

George put one hand on the table and regarded the whole team. “You know the drill. You need anything you call me. You want help, you call me and I will send you whoever you need. Want money to help grease palms, just say the word.”

She paused waiting to see if there were any other questions.

Isaac shook his head and rose from his seat after Antony excused himself. "Unlike Antony over there, I'm not gonna use company time to look at augged strippers. I'm gonna head out, see what the word on the street is and if anyone's heard anything about some new stuff on the market. Probably see what Oma's heard about new drugs on the street. If I need cash I'll try and get some word out to ya, ma'am, but I should be able to get by on some favors." Isaac walked around his seat and pushed it back under the table before heading towards the door. "Now, if you guys'll excuse me, I'm gonna step out and see the people of the zone." Isaac gave a half-wave to the remaining people in the conference room and stepped out, going through the twisting maze of passages that led to the street.

He inhaled deeply as soon as he reached the world outside of the warehouse, thinking rapidly through his list of contacts. "Alright; so there's Hank and the rest of the Belvaille Street guys, probably could throw in Vimes as well. Of course Oma'd want to talk after she gets done telling me to get out of her slums. I think that just about covers it. Hopefully I won't get shot at too much this time." Isaac grunted and set off towards the cab station at a leisurely trot, already bringing his list of contacts up on his phone and sending out brief messages to each of the relevant parties. He tapped out his first address into the cab station's screen and entered the cab that pulled up. His first stop would be with Hank, to see what he'd heard about any gangers making names for themselves in the combat zone, then on to Vimes for if anyone out of place went to the Lucky Hearts other than Mr. Chan. His last stop would be with Oma to get the news in the world of narcotics and other fun substances.
---
The cab ride out to Belvaille street was relatively dull in spite of it being on the bleeding edge of the combat zone; Hank did his best to make sure whoever wanted to risk going further in to the place at the very least got there with most of their limbs, for a rather steep toll. Isaac walked calmly through their headquarters, a mostly gutted old apartment complex creatively named "Hank Block", and sat on a couch across from the leader himself. "Got an awful lot of balls coming through here like that, Buck. Heard you were comin' as soon as you stepped out of the cab. What can I do ya for? Weapons, drugs, clothes, anything like that?" Hank said casually, gesturing towards Isaac with a lit cigar in his right hand. "Nah, I get most of what I need through work these days, man. I do need some information, though. Anything interesting happen out in the zone lately? Not like, 'Oh, Jerry got a new gun and blew Karen's head off' type stuff, more unusual than that." Isaac replied equally as casually, resting his shotgun across his lap. "Well shit, that eliminates most of the news right there, Buck. Lotta Jerry's blowin' a lotta Karen's minds out there lately. I did hear about a couple of tweakers deep in the zone, now that you mention it. Flipped their lids and went a bit wild, breaking windows and so on." Hank shrugged and took a couple of puffs off his cigar. "That ain't weird enough and you know it, Hank. I don't give a rat's ass what a couple of tweakers did on a bad trip." Isaac shot back, pointing a finger at Hank. "You didn't let me finish. They didn't just break windows and cause some grief out there, man. They flipped cars, punched people through doors, shit that don't seem possible unless you're fighting for your life. I don't know what they were on but I don't like it one bit, Buck. Ain't natural." Hank shook his head sadly and stubbed his cigar out on the bottom of his boot. Isaac shrugged and stared off into space for a bit, allowing a comfortable silence to form between the two of them. "So, what happened to 'em?" Isaac said, breaking the silence and staring at Hank. "Well, from what I've heard, one of them made a break for the border swingin' a stop sign around his head and screaming bloody murder. Pigs shot him and said he came down with the cyberpyschosis, nothing unusual at all, just keep walking civvies." Hank fidgeted a bit awkwardly and stared off over Isaac's left shoulder. "I don't buy it, though. One of the guys out there, goes by Legate, he said the psycho didn't have a scrap of tech on him. All that was from the drug. The other one, she went missing. Totally off the radar. I'm tellin' ya, Buck, these are some bad omens right here. I don't like it." Hank shook his head and watch Isaac stand up and stretch. "I'm gonna go see Vimes, see what's going on out that way. I owe ya one, Hank. Thanks for the info." Isaac grabbed Hank's hand and gave it a few hard shakes. "Tell that weaselly sonuvabitch he better make it to cards this week or I'll have to bust up another one of his stores, alright? Aunty got all my spare cash last time 'cause he didn't give her any competition." Hank yelled at Isaac as he walked out towards the street.
---
Isaac groaned and unfolded himself from the back of the cab. He fell asleep on the ride over to Vimes's hideout, and now he had to pay the overtime charge for the cab. Luckily, though, it wasn't too much. Isaac stumbled his way up the stoop to Vimes's door and knocked twice loudly. A blue light scanned him and the door opened, revealing an apartment covered floor to ceiling in gun displays, grenades, and various other armaments. "Ah, Hirsch, finally you grace me with your presence. Come in, come in. Have a seat. I've only been watching you sleep in the cab for, what, half an hour? My word, aren't you refreshed looking. I al-" A disembodied voice rang out through the room, sounding a little too pleased with itself and overly chipper. "Oh shut the hell up, Vimes. Not everyone keeps themselves on a drip line of stimulants like you do, ya paranoid freak. What have you seen go on at the Lucky Hearts? And don't act cute like you don't have this whole damn block wired up." Isaac snapped, leaning up against one of the few bare walls in the apartment. "Ooooh, Hirsch finally got his antlers back for the rutting season. What happened, get fired from whatever job you've got now? Got a chip on your shoulder, hm? Come on, you can tell ol' Vimesy." The voice rang out again, seeming to come from everywhere due to a clever arrangement of speakers. "Vimes, you don't start telling me what I want to know, I'll just fire in whatever wall looks the most fake 'til I see blood come out." Isaac snapped again with more venom than before. "Fine, fine. Alright, so I saw a couple guys go in, rough up some bouncers and so on and leave without causing too much racket. Normally wouldn't even pique my interest if they didn't look like they knew what they were doing. Bit more organized, if you catch my drift." Vimes replied, the amplification emphasizing the hurt tone in his voice. "Thank you. Jesus, Vimes, was that so hard? I swear, I don't see why anyone buys shit from you. Oh, and Hank told me you have to show up to cards next week or he'll bust up one of your shops." Isaac threw up his hands as he walked out of the apartment to the sound of Vimes making nervous noises over the intercom.
---
After his requisite ten minute lecture on why he shouldn't be in the slums and who does he think he is and the other topics Aunty Social could think of off the top of her head, she and Isaac finally got down to the business at hand. "So, you're poking around about these new drugs too, hm? I figured I'd see you sooner or later. Probably on some fancy assignment now, I bet. Well, I'll tell you what I've heard from the market and we'll see if that's what you need. There's two new drugs out there; one's more like marijuana, which is that green stuff I used to make those cookies you and Kristoph pigged out on before you wasted an afternoon laughing at cartoons on the verdammt television instead of guarding the grow houses, but the side effects make you grind your teeth and get all riled up. The other one is harder to explain. It's apparently got a fantastic high, but the come down makes you mad as hell. Both are hard to get, though. If I had just a little sample of 'em I'd be able to make some 'economic adjustments', but the second one, with the anger in it, is real scarce, like someone already had my idea and is trying to keep me from jumping in the market too." Aunty explained, leaning back in her chair and shrugging. Isaac stared back at her, a fresh cookie of the same type he and his friend gorged themselves on so many years ago halfway to his mouth. "Thanks, Oma. That's exactly what I came here for. Alright, I'll just take my cookie and get out of your hair." He replied, lowering the cookie slowly as Aunty stared him down. "Take a few cookies, Hirsch. Jesus. I never see you and then you come in here asking questions and think you're only gonna leave here with the one cookie you took when you thought I wasn't paying attention. I thought I..." Aunty complained, launching into another one of her rants that ended with Isaac sheepishly getting escorted to the cab station with a dozen of Aunty Social's famous "special recipe" cookies in a paper bag.

Dinner? That’s it? Well it better be at a nice place. No dinner, no buffet. I am sending some stuff to George. I wonder who pays up better you or Ethan. Let me know if you need anything else.

At her desk Cat’s fingers flew as she began shuffling files and sending them off.
*****
George began going through all the information Cat was feeding her. There was video of Chan at the club, files from his home computer, financial records that she was able to trace. There was a list of account numbers and a few names though George was sure they were fake.

She pulled out her tablet and messaged her team.

From what Cat has shown me Chan had a partner and they were making the drug in his apartment as well as making side deals. It would appear our ‘lost’ case was a set up to pass it off to a buyer.

We have a few names and locations.

I have a dealer, big name in street drugs. Go find Jose Remus. His gang Snowjunkies have an edge in new drugs and his name was flagged in one account. Find out what his deal with Chan was.

Also someone needs to check out this apartment. Not sure who or what it is attached to but money went to pay for it from Chan’s accounts. Odd little place in the arts district of Night City.

There is a pent house too but this one I know. Belongs to an up and coming model Anna Rae. Checking that place is going to require your best behaviour ladies and gentlemen. Think smooth and sophisticated. Anna is known for her parties. There is a chance she has some of the drug. How she got it, if she has it and who she got it from I want to know. Talking to her might require some planning on your part everyone.

If you want to see the hand off in the vid Cat can send it to you. She will forward a picture of the man who took the case. I will let you know now he is definitely not a typical ganger nor is he a typical mercenary. He is visibly augmented but in a very even way, unlike most gangers who get what they can whenever they have cred. This man’s are carefully planned. He works for someone. Find him and we will find the case.

Ethan, if you have questions about the medical files talk to Imogen she can help tell you what is needed to make the drug, what is in in and what we might be looking for in terms of new lab.

I need more about this drug. Issac speak to Cat about you found out. She can help point you to areas to look at.

Any questions, let me know.

Seconds after George’s message was sent Cat made sure everyone had a picture of the man who took the case.

So my little snoops, I am working on getting this guy’s name. He doesn’t seem to exist so there is a chance even his face was auged. I will find him though, no one can hide from me.

Isaac paused in mid-bite of his sandwich (some variety of club filled with unidentified meat he bought from an old deli) as his vision swam with an alert about George's and Cat's message. He pulled out his phone and skimmed through the first message. "Hm, Snowjunkies? Haven't heard a peep out of those guys since they stiffed me that payout. Anna Rae, blah blah blah, apartment, so on, so on... oh shit. I knew I forgot to do something before I came back here. Shouldn't have eaten that cookie." Isaac swore, putting his food back into its box and standing up from his worn out couch. His feet were bare, since he was just hanging out in his apartment and didn't feel the need to tromp around in boots or shoes if the only threat was a fork or empty shotgun shell on the floor. Isaac made his way into his kitchen/dining/laundry room and popped the box in the fridge with one hand while he tapped his way to the messaging center on his phone with the other. "Uh, Cat? It's Buck. I just realized I completely forgot to tell you about the stuff I found out about the drugs. Totally my fault, please don't try and get me fired or anything."

Isaac sighed and walked back across his small and incredibly messy apartment to his couch, sitting heavily on it and finishing his message. "So, these drugs, there's two that cropped up on the market recently, according to Aunty. One is pretty close to pot but makes you get a little restless on the comedown. The other one is supposedly a fantastic high, but the comedown makes you completely lose it. Like, flipping cars, punching people to death kind of thing. Real nasty. Hank, the leader of the Belvaille Street guys? He said deep in the zone a pair of junkies got some and went nuts. One of 'em made a break for the border and got shot down by the pigs, said it was cyberpsychosis. That's all well and good but he was as natural as they come, so there wasn't a scrap of tech on the dude. The other one, she disappeared. Aunty says they're both hard to come by, but the second one seems more like it's a controlled flow than a scarcity thing, so I'm willing to bet that's the one we're after. I don't know what I should be doing as far as actual work goes so I guess let me know what you think I should do, yeah? Also, I'm willing to trade half-a-dozen of Aunty's "special" cookies if you can get me a recording of whatever the hell Rax is doing to the Snowjunkies. Dudes stiffed me on a thousand creds to run some coke for 'em." Isaac chuckled quietly and started putting his boots on. His apartment was messy, and he genuinely intended to clean it, but he spent too much time eating street food and talking to other gangers to keep his contacts to actually clean his place out.

Cat laughed as she saw the message come in. "Oh sweetheart if I wanted to get you fired, you'd be fired but remember you play with a hacker and you are more likely to find out you never existed. Fired is the least of your worries if you get on my bad side. Now about this drug...."

She was already doing some digging into news reports. She had hacked Trauma Teams records and was searching for any calls they responded to that fit the profile.

"One group flying high with a horrific crash and the other is just mellow. Don't know about you Bucky boy but I am thinking we want to look into those high flyers. Flipping cars and shit, that just sounds like a bad trip with a side of crazy. I wonder if the dead guy really was auged up to the nines and if that contributes to the crazy."

She was searching files. "Okay I have underground news reports about our ganger nut jobs. Seems the rumours are true. Guys went bonkers and started freaking out, hulk style. Don't know who that is well I can educate you sometime. I will put some stuff together and send it to George about this stuff. Also how special are these special brownies? I am jacked in a lot and can't afford to fly too high hun. Perhaps you have something else to sweeten the pot?" She really did love bargaining with the team. It was some of the most fun and the most real socializing she ever got. The rest of her days were spent in front of a screen and jacked in.

"Also where you headed to next? Need anything from me?"

While she waited for him to respond she settled in to watch 1792 on her screen. Cat wished she had popcorn.

Isaac shook his head, reading the message Cat sent him. "Might not want to eat more than like, I dunno, half. A whole cookie is right about where I'm comfortable, but I've been working for and with Aunty for a long, long time, so a half might even be too much. I dunno what else I could give you to get that recording, Cat. I'd see what Vimes has and pass it on to you but I'm pretty sure you're wired in to things that don't officially exist yet so that'd probably be a bum deal unless you want to point at it and laugh or something. I could bring you some meat-onna-stick and other street cart goodies so you actually eat something that looks nutritious instead of sitting wherever it is you sit all day, I guess. You probably wouldn't like it though. I guess I'm tapped out unless you want some ganger equipment or want me to do something for ya." Isaac got up and went over to his bedroom, grabbing his shotgun from the bed and a few shells. He flicked a couple of switches on the stock of the gun and grimaced as his vision swam with various test patterns until it resolved itself into a ticker of information about the state of the gun in his hands. "I don't know what a Hulk is. That's one of the comic guys, right? Like the Green Lampshade or that guy in the dumb hat who whines about his dead parents? Does this Hulk flip cars a lot or something? He sounds like a dick. I'm gonna head out to check that apartment in the art district. Might have to unlock a door or something for me if you don't mind, seein' as you're all plugged in to the computers and I'm pretty much just good at running and jumping. My fancy electronic stuff ends at my eye, and I'm not really even sure how that works either."

Satisfied with the horrible state of his apartment, Isaac stepped out into the hall of the building he stayed in. In sharp contrast to his own quarters, the rest of the building was oddly pristine. There weren't any loiterers in the halls, or people trying to rob other people, or anything that would remind Isaac of home. The door sealed itself flush with the wall behind him, and he set off down the hall to the stairs. He lived about two floors up despite his best efforts to get a room further up in the building. A bit later, Isaac was settling down in an autocab headed for the arts district. He wasn't overly familiar with the area but he knew it'd probably be nothing like what he'd lived in for most of his life.

(Haha whoa double post)

Isaac and Cat

”I will send the recording your way sweetie. I was only teasing about sweetening the pot. And yes the Hulk is a comic book character like the Green Lantern. Dead parents? You mean Batman? Never mind hun. You boys, so absorbed in your guns and underworld fun, you don’t pay attention to important things.”

Cat’s eyes flickered to the vid at the Snowjunkies place.

”I will send this vid when he is done and whoah boy is he making a mess of the place. As for that apartment. You just give me a call when you get there and I will take care of everything.”

The art district were blocks of old industrial buildings that had been renovated and taken over by galleries and art clubs as well as some fancy cafes and high end restaurants. Surrounding those were older buildings where the artists actually lived.

Poets, musicians and painters. It was like Bohemian France but with more neon and most of he art was virtual. Those with real talent still had a place but they were rarer. Digital and virtual art had taken off and most never looked back. There were trends every once in a while where old stuff, sculpture or paint were in vogue.

No matter the hype the starving artist was always the starving artist and here in Night City this is where they lived. The address George had asked to be checked out was in one such older building. It was clear from pulling up front that the place was not meant for people with money.

Windows were opened, some had cracked glass. People sat on metal fire escapes smoking and talking. There were musicians on the front step of one building to the left, an impromptu jam occurring.

There were cameras which meant some sort of security.

The apartment was on the fifth floor of a shorter eight floor building on the right.

*******
Rax and the Snowjunkies

To say it was chaos was an understatement. Someone was looking for him, tearing up his place and Jose was not impressed.

He came into the room and fired two shots into the ceiling. There were five men around him.

“Someone explain this to me right now! Who the fuck is responsible and who is looking for me because you found me and I am not happy!”

Jose was easy to spot with his blonde mohawk and red leather outfit. True to Cat’s description all his boys looked like they stepped out of a bad music video from the 1980’s. They only thing not dated was their weapons.

*********************
Ethan and Imogen

“Oui, bonjour. George said I might hear from you Mr Yang. I received the files and I have just started to go over them. Very troubling. If you have that sample I would very much like to check it out. Would you mind bringing it to me? I can look at it and perhaps we can figure out what you have found.

I am currently at my home. If you would not mind bringing it to me?” She offered him her address. It was in a nicer part of Night City surrounded by high end boutiques, cafes and restaurants.

Imogen did not normally like bringing people here, to her home but she understood there was some rush to get this information and track down both this man and the drug. From what she had read in the file already she less than enthused by having it on the street.
************************
Cat and Antony

"I told you that guy couldn't hide for long. I got you a name and a location. This is the guy who picked up the case at the club. Tough bastard to find too and I was right he was auged, boosted and altered so much his own mother wouldn't know him.

He goes by Master B. Real name is Joseph Turner. He is a mercenary with a military file and a whole bunch of security around it. I am on my game today.

I also happen to know he is currently at the blackjack table a the Rialto Casino. He likes to wind down with cards. George says watch him, follow him but don't engage. We need to know if he has the case and anyone he might interact with. I am not sure who he is currently working for but it ain't us.

Isaac chuckled, shaking his head to clear Cat's message from his vision. "Alright, so this is the place, eh? Doesn't seem too far out from the zone anymore. Except there aren't any gunshots goin' on. Not yet anyway." He thought, making his way to the stairs. "Oy! You, gang lookin' dude! You here from Verona street? Doin' collections or somethin' like that? You tell those guys I'll have their cash next week. Got someone lookin' to buy one of my pieces." A man yelled from above, gesturing at Isaac with the hand holding his cigarette. "Naw man, just here on a social call. Verona street wasn't my family. I was with Aunty, yeah?" Isaac yelled back, rocking on his heels. "Ehhhh, still ain't too sure man. I heard them Verona street guys got 'em all down there. Even this one guy, Deer or some shit like that. Tough bastard, though. One Eye Jimmy said he got in a tangle with him and that's how he got the name. Wears an eyepatch instead of an aug, like you've got there. I don't see why he don't just get a fancy job like you though." The man yelled, reaching into his back pocket with one hand. "One Eye Jimmy? That weird lookin' fuck? Man, I didn't put out his eye. Crazy bastard rushed me and ran smack into a thing of exposed rebar. Didn't put his eye out, though. He's fakin' that. And where'd you hear 'bout them killing all of Aunty's boys? You really ought to stop believing whatever those junkies spit at you. I ran their weak asses back down to Hank, and his boys got the ones I missed. Their coup went for about six months before Aunty got sick of playin' nice and they tried to take me in. Screw 'em." Buck replied, relaxing his shoulders and leaning against the door. The man laughed and tossed something down to Isaac. "Here, this is my key. Just put it in box 2B down there when you get in, aight? One Eye Jimmy ain't gonna be happy when he hears I know 'bout his shit." Isaac laughed and picked the key up from the ground with one hand. "I'll put my contact card with the key. You let me know when Jimmy rolls up again and I'll set his ass out, yeah? Crab ain't smart, but he'll leave you alone if he catches wind I'm involved with ya, man. Just let Aunty know you know me and she'll cut you a deal from now on." Isaac finished, using the key to open the door and closing it behind him. He dropped the key and his card in the mailbox and made his way up the stairs.

After a few minutes, during which Isaac met and chatted with various inhabitants of the apartment building on his way up the building, he found himself staring at the tightly locked door of the apartment he needed to enter. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and tapped out a quick message to Cat. "Ey, Cat, could you unlock this door for me? I got in by chatting with one of the artisty hobo dudes, but this door is like clamped tight. Wish the other ones were, though. So many of these people don't seem to 'get' privacy, unfortunately."

Rax, Cat and Remus

“Need to talk huh? This suit boy I don’t know who you think you are coming into my place or what the fuck you want but I am not impressed!” The man rolled his shoulders a little, aiming his gun towards Rax.

Please make him pay for that terrible outfit. Cat was watching things very closely.

“How ‘bout you just come out and my boys won’t damage you. Then you can tell me all about what is so important that you come tearing up my joint! I sure do hope you think it important enough to lose your life over amigo.” Jose sneered.

He gestured and two of his men moved closer to Rax. One laughed menacingly.
***********
Antony, Cat and Joseph Turner AKA Master B

The place was noisy on Antony’s end but Cat didn’t need to worry about such things.She could tune it out. Hell she could shut it off on her feed. While he was lost in the sounds and people of the casino she was watching their man.

She watched Antony sit down at the table.

He is losing pretty bad so I am going to give him a few hands to keep him there so you can watch him. Watch him, don’t engage.

The man, Master B looked back at his cards. He was not impressed and didn’t hide it. A thick hand was raised and soon a scantily clad woman came over. He ordered a drink. She sauntered away, hips swaying.

The dealer, hands in the air just above the table flipped cards for each player.

Master B’s eyes flickered as his card appeared. His luck had changed it seemed. “I wonder if lady luck is watching over my shoulder tonight. Not sure about you fellas.” The man laughed. It was a deep booming sound.

************
Isaac, Cat and the apartment

You are a pretty slick talker Isaac.I could hear it. You think I am not keeping tabs on all my boys? Door is open now hun.

Beyond the door things seemed quiet until the sound of a book hitting the floor echoed.

I have no camera inside, on your own now. Careful hun.
*************
Ethan and Imogen

The door opened, a doorman appearing in front of Ethan in the open portal. “Mme Trondeau is expecting you. The elevator is waiting to take you up to her apartment.”

The lobby spoke of money. The doorman, the marble floor. Two elevators stood at the far end waiting to take visitors up to the apartments above.

“Just head in.” The elevator door opened. “I have it set to her floor.” The man nodded to Ethan.
**
Imogen waited by the door of her apartment. Heath had rung that her guest was here and he was sending him up. She had met so few of the team in person and she was always so leery about having people to her home. She looked around at the apartment with its minimal but high end furniture, shelves and shelves of books. She had a glass of red wine poured and the bottle sitting on the counter in her clean but small kitchen.

Imogen didn’t cook much though it was a skill she had. Being alone it felt strange to cook. Once she had cooked for two but those days were past. Now she had an assortment of chemistry equipment out, magically appearing from her cupboards.

She wrapped her sweater about her thin frame and waited.

Isaac sighed and leaned against the wall to the right of the door. "Will do, Cat. Gonna see what there is to see and get out of here. Don't particularly want to bump into something here." He tapped out on his phone, sliding it back into his jacket pocket and prepping himself for whatever happened to lurk inside the apartment. Isaac raised his gun and turned towards the door once again. "Hey, whoever's in here, I don't want to fight you, aight? Just come out with your hands up and your weapons down and we can talk. I'm not here to kill or anything unless I really have to." He yelled into the apartment, taking a cautious step into the darkened room and immediately sidling onto the wall next to the door. Truth be told, he really didn't want to find out if anyone was actually in the room or not; he hoped he was alone and able to just find out what he needed to find out. Whatever that is. Isaac rubbed his back against the wall, hoping to find some sort of light switch or something nearby that he could use to his advantage. What he found instead was a side-table done up in a more traditional setting, with the doily and everything. More specifically, he found it with his hip, and he found the corner more than anything else. "Christ on a crutch, man! If you're in here you REALLY need to like move this damn thing later! Shit hurts finding in the dark like this, okay?" Isaac yelled, stepping out further into the room to avoid running into the attack furniture again. He knew deep down that stepping out into a dark room is kind of a bad idea even when you know you're alone, but it was either put himself into potential danger of being shot or finding more furniture, or standing next to a side table until hell freezes over or the other party in the house turns out to exist. "Next time, I'm buying a flashlight and putting it on my gun. I might even get it put in my forehead. That'd be useful. Yeah, good plan, forehead flashlight." Isaac thought, shuffling his feet like a fool to avoid smacking into furniture again.

Antony, Master B, Cat and the casino.

Cat loved being able to listen in on missions. She had control of the casino’s cameras but she really only needed to watch the one, the one where the action was going down.

She chuckled as Master B called Antony pretty boy. In truth a cactus was pretty compared to Master B. Antony was a model in relation.

She bit back a laugh, not that there was anyone to hear it as Antony stated he had a triple F day planned. Cat smirked. She had so many comments but she didn’t want to interject at the table. She was busy with controlling the hands anyway.

Cat let out a low whistle to Antony’s comment. “You weren’t supposed to engage.” She shook her head and started watching for security. If Master B took too much offense this was going to go bad quickly. It was of course funny but Master B didn’t exactly have a reputation for a stellar sense of humour.

Master B was very close to getting up out of his seat, ready to throttle the jokester his eyes narrowed, his hands clenched the table. The man, the smart ass called him Turner. No one called him that. There were very few people alive that knew his name. The guy said he was a mercenary. Master B decided he needed to get to know this fellow a bit better. He had intel he shouldn’t and he was sitting at the blackjack table with him. It couldn’t be a coincidence.

“Yeah right, funny joke.” There was a hard edge to his voice. It was clear to everyone that Master B was only barely containing his anger.

“How about a drink, on me for getting me good.” Master B glared at him. “Didn’t catch your name.” He waved the girl over.

“Get mister….” He looked expectantly to Antony. “Whatever he wants, on my tab.”

Cat clicked her tongue, fingers flying. ”Careful now. He is getting that look like he knows something is up. You want me to get rid of the other players? Give you an out? What’s the plan?”

Isaac, Cat and the apartment

As Isaac moved about, crashing into furniture and commenting the other person in the apartment was running for their hiding spot.

He had said if anyone came looking that they were to hide. Footsteps headed toward the short hallway to what was likely a bedroom.

The person had never thought it would actually happen and the table Isaac hit wasn’t the only piece of furniture that prove to be an obstacle.

There was dulled thud, a tumble to the floor and female voice that whimpered. “Please. I don’t know anything. Don’t hurt me.”

There was the sound of a body trying to get up followed by a sharp intake of air that signalled pain.

Rax, Cat, Remus and the Snowjunkies

Cat’s eyes moved from the casino to the carnage that was the Snowjunkies hangout.

“George, you do not pay me enough to keep tabs on these boys…” She muttered to herself.

Rax was giving the creepy and badly dressed Jose a beating. She couldn’t call it anything else. Not only him but his wanna be tough guy boys too.

She winced as Rax took out Jose’s knee. She flinched as the chair hit the two gunmen. They fell to the ground, shots going wild. She wondered in the end how many of their own gang would end up with a bullet in them from their own boys.

She could see people cowering, those who hadn’t bolted wanting to see a show. Cat shook her head. They were idiots and she figured right about now they were peeing their pants and praying to gods they swore never existed.

Rax’s question made her smile. “Excitement...oh baby you bet….let’s see….first, lights out.”

The lights in the place went out sending them all into darkness.

“I trust you are equipped to deal with that Rax. Next…” Cat set all their fire alarms off. The noise was almost deafening. Jose and his boys were floundering on the floor. They couldn’t see and couldn’t hear.

“See no evil...hear no evil….” Cat purred. “What else you want? If it is wired I can control it.”

Ethan and Imogen

Imogen heard the elevator. She opened her door a little and peered out at the man. “Monsieur Yang?”

Her eyes moved over the man. He was slightly rougher than she expected but truth be told she wasn’t entirely sure what she had thought he would look like. She had read over his file of course but that had been some time ago now.

“Please, come in. I am Imogen Trondeau. A pleasure to meet you though perhaps it would have been nicer under other circumstances.”

She held open the door for him allowing him to enter her apartment. She felt a knot in her chest, a bit of anxiety.

An actual reply bothered Isaac a bit more than it really should have, but the content of the reply pushed him a bit over the edge. "Ma'am, I'm not here to hurt you. I just got sent here on an assignment and I didn't expect there to be anyone here. Just tell me how to get the lights on in here and I'll see if there's anything I could do to help you, alright?" He called out, stopping dead in his tracks. Deeper into the apartment, the woman tried to move again and whimpered. "There's a switch near the door. Not on the wall to the left, the one on the right. Just... Don't turn out to be a liar, alright? I really don't know anything." She replied, grimacing in the darkness despite there being no way to be seen. "That'd make two of us." Isaac muttered, slowly backtracking to the dim rectangle of light that was the door to the hallway. His vision was slowly adjusting to the dim light in the front room, but not enough that he was able to make it further than where the light from the door fell. After carefully avoiding the same side table that he found earlier, Isaac flicked the switch on the wall and flooded the front room with light.

"It's a pretty nice little place, I have to admit. Furniture really fits well and, I hate to say it, that side table really brings it all together. I can see why they put it there." Isaac thought, shutting the door to the apartment and slowly making his way towards the hallway to the bedrooms and another light switch. Once the majority of the rooms were completely lit, Isaac finally made his way towards the quiet whimpering further in the hall. A woman laid there, one knee bent at an uncomfortable looking angle while the other was ramrod straight. "Oh fuck. Ma'am, do you have any insurance or anything? You're gonna need a doctor real soon, I think." He blurted out, fidgeting slightly. "What do you mean? Is there something wrong with my leg? I can't bend it." The woman said weakly, trying to straighten her leg out and gasping in pain before she stopped. "Look, just stay calm alright? I've gotta make a phone call. I don't know a lot of things but I know what a knee is supposed to look like, and that isn't it." Isaac said with forced calm, but hints of minor panic creeping through his voice. He cradled his shogun in one arm, pointing it towards the floor as he pulled his phone out with the other and tapped through menus until he managed to call Cat. "Cat, I'm gonna need some sort of medical help out here. There's this woman in the apartment and I'm pretty sure she managed to fuck her knee up. Any suggestions for what I should do in the meantime? It's painful to even look at so I can't imagine it's a spa day for her."