Neon Rust — IC

[BartNL]

Info

Can I plug into the camera?

[ratwizard]

Li Fi steps into the garage, unsurprised to find it barren. If there was anything else of value here, it got thrown in the pink shitbox and hauled away as well. She peers up, noticing the lone camera. Bingo.

OOC

Same question as Bart. If there is any hacking or cyberspace access needed, Li Fei will volunteer.

[Namelessjake]

Ryoko

Make a Wis/Notice or a Int/Fix check.

Kindred and Li Fei

There is no visible port that would allow jacking into the camera, however a wireless connection could be made with a cyberdeck. With the bareness of the garage, it is unlikely there is a full network up and running but the camera would form its own isolated node, likely containing its recordings and managing its status.

[ratwizard]

"I got this one," Li Fei says, nodding up toward the camera. From one of the deep pockets of her oversized coat, she pulls out a cyberdeck — slim, crimson, with a few stickers on it of animated characters and slogans. She takes the retractable cord with one hand, brushing a thick lock of her hair back with another, exposing a cranial jack high on her right temple. With no hesitation, she plugs in. Alright, Ms. Pink Shitbox, let's see what your single camera caught.

OOC

Did Herker De'Smerker provide us access to this network from his client? Or will Li Fei need to roll Int/Program to run something?

I suppose the most relevant thing I could do is Decrypt: Datafile, targeting any saved footage from the incident's timestamp.

[Scratcherclaw]

"One camera?" Reiji says, bewildered at the utter lack of security. "Would've thought it'd be wired up if this truck was so important, damn." Eyeing Li Fei pulling out her cyberdeck, he adds, "Let us know what you find, Red."

 

[Namelessjake]

Li Fei

You find your avatar in a small grey room. Ahead of you, in the middle of the room, sits a single dark green filing cabinet. It would appear that only a default idiom is applied to this camera's cyberspace node, with Asher not having bothered to customise it as access is likely infrequent.

You can tell that the filing cabinet is a representation of the cameras recordings. Decrypting it should allow you to view them here.

Mechanics

Make a Int/Program check if that's what you want to do.

You will incur a -2 for wirelessly connecting to the node. A physical connection only requires you to touch your cable to the devices housing though, so a physical connection to the camera could be made if you were able to reach it up near the ceiling.

[Fialova]

Mechanics

Int/Fix: [2d6]=6

[ratwizard]

"Hey," Li Fei says, turning to the others. "One or two of you. Gimme a boost up to the cam."

[Namelessjake]

Ryoko

Looking through the cabinets, nothing appears unusual to you.

[Scratcherclaw]

"Gimme a hand, cuz?" Reiji says to Ryoko, gesturing to Li Fei with a head tilt. "Probably sturdier with two of us, yeah?" Don't want a cracked skull on the pavement. He steps over, ready to help lift the girl up.

[Namelessjake]

You are able to boost Li Fei up, holding her steady by the camera, allowing her to jack into it directly, connecting her cyberdeck to the device.

Li Fei

You can now make an Int/Program check to decrypt the datafile without the -2 penalty for a wireless connection.

[ratwizard]

"Don't drop me," Li Fei warns, focusing her attention on her cyberdeck connection. She holds a cable directly against the housing of the camera, running a program to access its files.

Mechanics

Decrypt: Datafile Int/Program: [2d6+4]=10+4=14

Targeting any saved footage from the incident's timestamp.

[Namelessjake]

Li Fei

With your decryption program run, you find you are able to open the filing cabinet's drawers and rifle through the files contained within. You leaf through the manila folders, before finding one labelled with the date and time frame you are after. Removing the file from the cabinet and opening it up, it morphs into a floating screen in front of you playing the video recording.

You see the Trailblazer sat in the garage unmoving and quickly scan forward. Suddenly you see the door fly open. Two men and a woman are stood there, their faces covered with balacavas, weapons and tools in hand. Two make for the pickup, preparing tools to break into the vehicle as they do. The other disconnects a cyberdeck from the lockup's electronic door and makes his way towards the camera.

He rolls a tool cabinet up to the base of the camera and climbs on top, before connecting his cyberdeck to the camera. The feed goes dead - restarting to show the empty garage and a time stamp of a few minutes later. Scanning back to the last frames of the man connecting his cyberdeck to the camera, you are able to see he has a distinctive tattoo of an eye on the back of his right hand.

[Fialova]

Not finding anything of use, Ryoko nods to her cousin and steps over to help lift Li Fei. Hopefully she has better luck there.

[ratwizard]

Li Fei watches the security footage (or lack thereof) with mild interest. Guess they're professionals. Or at least they move like them. Saving a copy of the file to her cyberdeck, she jacks back out of the network, retracting both cords from the camera and her temple back to her deck.

"Alright, I'm good," she says, motioning for the cousins to set her down once more. "So, check this shit out." She pulls up the video on her device, holding it out for the rest of you to see. There's a small crack on the screen, and it could use a good wash.
 

You see the Trailblazer sat in the garage unmoving and quickly scan forward. Suddenly you see the door fly open. Two men and a woman are stood there, their faces covered with balaclavas, weapons and tools in hand. Two make for the pickup, preparing tools to break into the vehicle as they do. The other disconnects a cyberdeck from the lockup's electronic door and makes his way towards the camera.

He rolls a tool cabinet up to the base of the camera and climbs on top, before connecting his cyberdeck to the camera. The feed goes dead - restarting to show the empty garage and a time stamp of a few minutes later. Scanning back to the last frames of the man connecting his cyberdeck to the camera, you are able to see he has a distinctive tattoo of an eye on the back of his right hand.

"Three thieves. One's handy with a deck, two with tools. And check out that tattoo. You see that shit? The eye on his hand?"

Mechanics

Int/Survive: [2d6+2]=7+2=9

To determine if I recognize the tattoo.

[BartNL]

Kindred records the image of the tattoo. Then he walks up to the cabinet used by the thiefs.

OOC

Did the burglars leave footprints or something on top of the cabinet?

[Namelessjake]

Kindred

Make a Wis/Notice check.

[BartNL]

Mechanics

Wis/Notice: [2d6+3]=4+3=7+1=8 notice to inspect the cabinet top.

[Scratcherclaw]

Reiji watches the feed with a raised eyebrow, almost surprised at how quickly the trio got in and out. Damn, this was planned. Not just a couple asshole kids. He eyes the strange tattoo at Li Fei's mention, cocking his head. "Can't say I see pricks with hand tats on the regular. That trend never caught on." Asher miss this? Or just too lazy to do her own dirty work?

"Bet someone at the Empress has seen that. That's the sort of thing you'd remember, yeah?"

[Namelessjake]

Kindred

In the thin layer of dust and dirt accumulated atop the cabinet, your cybereyes are able to pick out a faint boot print. Size 10 and of some sort of combat boot.

Li Fei

Particularly running your chop shop, you have seen countless gang tattoos, although this one doesn't stand out to you.

[BartNL]

Kindred records the image in his digital memory.Now that's a good ol' clue.
"Got a footprint, size 10 combat boot." Kindred announces.

[Eintei]

OOC

Do I remember the eye tattoo from the case files of any previous cases, either with Palmer or with one of my former employers? Can I roll for that and if so, what would you like me to roll?

[ratwizard]

"I see hand tats all the time," Li Fei answers Reiji. "Face tats, entire scripture, cats, dead kids, skulls, pin-ups. Tend to see a lot of that shit once they're on the operating table. Still, doesn't look like any gang affiliation that's come through my shop."

She turns toward Kindred and his finding. Alright, so he's a worthwhile detective. Or he's seen enough vids to fake it. "Boot size, identifying hand tattoo. It's a start."

[Scratcherclaw]

"Pretty organized gig for just a street gang. Maybe mercs or something?" Reiji considers after Li Fei rattles off her surprisingly in-depth experience with tattoos. "But yeah, gives us something to go on. Could check some local ink shops if the Empress ends up a bust too."

[Namelessjake]

Elodie

Make an Int/Administer check.

[Eintei]

Mechanics

Int/Administer: [2d6+2]=10+2=12 to check if I recognize the tattoo from a prior case

[Namelessjake]

Elodie

While not exactly the same tattoo, you recall a person of interest in a case a couple months back having a similar tattoo. While you never found them and were able to resolve the case through other avenues, you recall they were associated with the Northlake Outfit, a human trafficking and smuggling ring based out of the abandoned suburbs of Northlake.

[Eintei]

"Sir?" Elodie taps Palmer on his shoulder. "Do you remember that missing person case three months ago? I recall one of our persons of interest having a similar tattoo, and he was with the Northlake Outfit. Assuming the similarities aren't a coincidence, then these thieves might be connected to that group as well. They are a human trafficking and smuggling ring, if memory serves."

[BartNL]

"Northlake, hmm. Jacking a vehicle seems outside of their usual activities. We'll need to check that out." Kindred replies.

[Scratcherclaw]

"Northlake? Wonder how they caught wind of this," Reiji says, listening to Elodie's meticulous recounting of a prior case. They've definitely been around once or twice. Wonder who else they've had a run in with. "Like, this was targeted, not just a couple thugs and a ride with the keys left in."

 

[ratwizard]

"Gotta agree," Li Fei says. "Maybe our client's got history with them. Or maybe it's a frame job. If she's an exec for KC, I'm sure she's pissed off a few clowns around town."

[Fialova]

"Human traffickers need vehicles, so stealing one rather than using one registered to their own members doesn't seem a stretch," Ryoko says, as the others begin to piece together some clues. "But yes, this does feel targeted. Perhaps a frame, but also perhaps a plan for the future. What if our client is their target, and her own vehicle is meant to disappear with her? We do not know her or her vehicle's connection yet, but if she does not want her company to know of her vehicle's loss, her own disappearance along with it will seem like she up and left." This doesn't feel like the sort of job that would go that deep, but I've had weirder before. You never know with these minor gangs.

Stepping over towards the garage door, she leans against a nearby wall and folds her arms in front of her. "Anything else look promising here, or should we make our way to the Empress?"

[ratwizard]

"Icing her in her own car is a fucked up thought," Li Fei admits. "Sounds right for traffickers, though."

She's seen worse out here, she realizes, eyeing Ryoko. "Empress, yeah. We can keep an eye our for anyone from Northlake."

As she works to lock up the garage again, putting her cyberdeck away, she remembers seeing the young kids lingering down the block. "Hey, those street rats might have seen or heard something. We wanna try to toss them some bucks?"

[Scratcherclaw]

"Not a bad idea if someone's got enough cash. Just gotta be careful. They don't strike me as the most reliable eyewitnesses," Reiji says as he slides his helmet back on. Dumb kids will say whatever they want if it means free money.

[Fialova]

"I've no bucks to toss, but if you want to, you can. Though as Reiji says, I'd be skeptical anything they tell us is true." 

[ratwizard]

"Got nothing to spare the local vermin," Li Fei says, pulling pocket lint out of her jacket and sprinkling it on the pavement. "I'm here because I'm broke. Let's just move on then."

[BartNL]

Kindred walks up to the youngster guarding the street corner, which may well be the centre of their miniscule empire.
"You lot got any info on the car stolen from the garage over there?" Kindred asks.

Spoiler

OOC Kindred wants to quickly see if any of the young gangsters have same tattoo, and he also would check if ant are wearing size 10 combat boots?
Perception to spot stuff: [2d6+4]=5+4=9

[Eintei]

Elodie follows Kindred towards the gang, though she stays a few paces behind him, and watches them closely to make sure they won't try anything funny. I think the rest is right and that we won't get much from them, but I suppose it's worth a try. Though I hope mister Palmer won't try to bribe them using my money. I'll have to fill in enough expense forms as it is considering I'll have to pay for every bus ride today.

[Namelessjake]

"The fuck you want Grandpa?" One of the youths asks aggressively as Kindred approaches. He lifts up his shirt to reveal a pistol tucked into his waistband. "You a narc or something? We ain't no snitches."

Kindred

Examining the group up close, you don't spot the tattoo on any of them. Two of the group do appear to have size 10 feet, or close to it at least, but they are not wearing combat boots.

[Fialova]

Ryoko frowns as the thug begins with a threat, eyeing Kindred to see what he will do next. They don't look like much of a threat, but who knows what the others are packing. Doubt they want a fight with some street thugs, but if they shoot first they're going down. She places a hand on her hip, right above her pistol holster, prepared to fire back if one of the enemies seems prepared to attack.

OOC/Mechanics

If possible, I'd like Ryoko to be prepared to snap attack the first thug that moves to draw down on us.

[ratwizard]

Li Fei leans against the fence near the corner of the lot, listening to the exchange, her arms crossed and a smug grin on her face. He approaches like a cop, and they respond in kind. Her posture stiffens and the grin disappears at the sight of the pistol. Here's hoping this kid's got enough brain cells not to draw that.

[BartNL]

"Are you? This your turf? Then tell me why you let Northlake run jobs here." Kindred tells the gangers.

[Namelessjake]

"Damn right it is, and we do whatever we fucking want," the youth replies, not backing down, as the others step up to join him.

[BartNL]

"Then Northlake has been playing you for a fool. If you got your fair share of the cut, you'd be blowing it at the club right about now. " Kindred replies.

[Scratcherclaw]

Man's really playing with fire here. Reiji keeps toward the rear, watching warily as the investigator seems to continue egging the kids on. Ryoko might have to use some of that muscle... cybermuscle? if things go south.

[Namelessjake]

"Yeah!?" The youth exclaims, his bluster turning quizzical.

"How um... How much should our cut have been?" One of the others asks sheepishly, stepping up to join their friend in the conversation with Kindred. 

"Shut up Kiz! But yeah, how much?"

[ratwizard]

Li Fei listens along, finding Kindred's methods less than satisfactory, only serving to rile the young wannabes up. And then they fold, she realizes, leaning forward somewhat in sudden interest. Okay, shit, maybe I misread Out of Touch Grampa over there. How's he gonna thread this needle, now?

[Scratcherclaw]

Guess he hit 'em where it counts. Wallets and egos. Reiji watches on with curiosity and surprise, wondering if the man's strategy will pay off. Might get that info for free if they get pissed at Northlake instead of him.

 

[BartNL]

Hook, line and sinker. Kindreds eye sparks metaphorically speaking, as his cybereyes don't spark involuntarily.
"Custom truck like that, worth 7,5k easy. But it's a special customised truck, so for right buyer price should be at least double. With 20% kickback, and that's the price you use for friends and family, you'd make 3k. Double to 6k if you are using business rates." Kindred calculates in front of the kids.

[Namelessjake]

"6k for real? Fuck man, you let that guy rinse us," one of the wannabe gangers protests the other.

Hey, don't put this on me, you all said yes too. You even said $300 was nothing to sniff at," the other retorts, as they begin to bicker amongst themselves.