[Welcome to the Shadows]

> Connecting Jackpoint VPN ... ... Matrix Access ID Spoofed. ... Encryption Keys Generated. ... Connected to Onion Routers. > Login ********************* > Enter Passcode ********************* ... Biometric Scan Confirmed. Connected... Welcome to my collection of stories and artwork of my Shadowrun characters.

[shadowrun-resonance]

\\\[Announcement:Real Life]\\\:: UPDATE

Things in the real world remain strenuous.  I have not forgotten this blog nor have I forgotten the stories I was writing. I want to finish them as much as I hope my followers want to read them.  I thank you all for your patience.

[shadowrun-resonance]

Sorry to do this (I'm really tempted to hand you some money!) but, Could I suggest/ask that you put up some representative art of the commission style you are currently taking? I checked your personal blog and it had only photos, no art.

[[I do have an art blog here on Tumblr: [LINK] but I'll definitely try to post/reblog some relevant very soon.]]

[shadowrun-resonance]

\\\[Announcement:Real Life]\\\

[[Happy New Year Chummers!

I'm still working on the next story, but life has taken a stressful turn.  

My husband lost his job some time ago.  Unfortunately his work decided to appeal the unemployment so we’ve been screwed over. Our baby sleeps in a relatively reliable pattern so I have some time in the evenings to work on art.  I’m opening up some slots for watercolor card commissions on discount.

I can do simple illustrations like landscapes or single characters for $10 a card.  Please boost this if you can or message me if you’re interested.]]

[shadowrun-resonance]

[Do No Harm (Part 3)]

It had been nearly two weeks since Sanjay had risked his job to steal the medication for the hacker. The theft had gone off without a hitch which surprised Sanjay. He was sure for almost a week that his employers would have noticed something but no accusations ever arose. All Sanjay could do was wait nervously for the hacker to uphold her end of the bargain so he could give her the medications. He wondered as the days passed what could take her so long. He thought hackers were suppose to be fast. Finally, he received a message from the hacker while he was at work. She asked him to log on as soon as possible.

He wasted no time logging on the moment he got home from his shift.

“Did you find Kari?”

The hacker, who was awaiting him, nodded solemnly. “As promised, I searched for information on your friend. The number you gave me belongs to a woman named Anya Bachchan, but there is no doubt that she is your friend Karishma based on the photo you provided. As for where she is…”

Sanjay remained silent as the hacker explained that she had track down the security footage of Kari entering the bar he had visited one night several weeks ago. Kari had been directed by the bartender to a back room before reappearing minutes later being taken out, unconscious, by a younger man into the alleyway and placed in the back of an elf woman’s car. The hacker noted that the elf woman had entered the same back room about half an hour prior to Kari’s arrival and that there was no camera in the back room to witness what had occurred. It was a few weeks later that Kali reappeared in Seattle as ‘Anya’ in the company of her kidnapper, acting as the elf’s bodyguard to meetings.

“Thanks to the number you provided, I was able to locate your friend’s commlink node and its approximate location.”

“So, she’s still in Seattle?”

“Yes, but it’s not that simple… ” The hacker said with a sigh. She continued, saying that while she was delving into the commlink, she ran into a custom personafix that she was reluctant to tamper with for fear that it would cause Kari harm.

“What do you mean? Personafix?”

“It’s a type of simsense program that overrides the user’s persona-” The hacker began to explain. Sanjay cut her off, “I’ve heard of personafixes. What do you mean about harming her?”

“Personafix don’t usually harm the user, but when they are used too frequently or indefinitely… It can cause… issues with the original personality.”

“What kind of issues?” Sanjay pressed. The hacker looked down, apparently saddened by the thought. “They run the risk of erasing their original personality altogether and becoming unable to function at all without a personafix running. I don’t think your friend is to that point, but unless you act fast, you might not have a friend to save.”

“Well then tell me where she is so I ca-”

“I strongly recommend you have a plan before you attempt to approach her,” the hacker interjected, a sense of urgency in her voice. “Given your friend’s previous reputation in the shadows, she doesn’t strike me as the type to willingly chum around with people who have her knocked unconscious and carried off into the night.”

Sanjay grew agitated. Every moment he spent waiting around was another moment that Kari could be lost forever. “Well, what the hell am I suppose to do? Kidnap her back?”

“You don’t understand. The personafix was programed to cause the user to be incredibly loyal and open to suggestion, but only to a specific person.” The hacker responded, looking through her book. “I’ll let you guess who that might be.”

She added, “Also, every single contact in her address book has the same node assigned to their numbers. Everything points to the elf.”

“What can you tell me about the elf that’s controlling her?”

“Nearly nothing and that concerns me.” The hacker replied. She continued, noting that there didn’t seem to be any records of the elf before her arrival in Seattle about six months prior. That was when she appeared in the shadows as 'Miss Jones’, a seemingly freelance Johnson with no connection to any single megacorp. The hacker noted that fake SINs usually have some kind of forged paper trail on them. She felt that it was extremely suspicious that Miss Jones had no record at all.

“All that is known is that she’s extremely persuasive and charismatic. ”

Sanjay sighed. The hacker began to look through her bookshelves, apparently browsing the matrix through her node’s custom UI. “I intend to look more into her to see if she’s been involved in similar incidents elsewhere or if there’s anything I can uncover that will help you recover your friend.”

“I’m not sure if I can-” Sanjay began to say. The hacker raised her hand and said, “I don’t need any more medicine, but it’s my understanding the hospital you work at has some offline files on simsense research. I may be able to help undo any damage to your friend’s mind if I had access to more information. However, this all assumes you can even rescue her… or if she even wants rescuing.”

“Speaking of medicine… How are we suppose to…” Sanjay replied, not wanting to think about risking his job further.

“Oh yes. Take the package to the roof of your apartment building. I will have a drone pick it up in a few minutes.”

Part of him felt he should be incredibly worried that the hacker knew where he lived, but it really didn’t surprise him. He didn’t have the top of the line commlink. Given enough time, anyone could’ve hacked it and found out where he lived. He just never expected anyone to care enough to do it.

As Sanjay went to log out so he could pay the hacker, the hacker handed him the files she had acquired and said, “I’ll be in touch and tell you if I find out more.”

[shadowrun-resonance]

[Do No Harm (Part 2)]

[Part 1] Sanjay hoped that Ken's latest lead would pan out as he pulled into the parking lot of Giller's Bar & Grill. He had already spent two weeks back in Tacoma looking for Kari with no luck.

As he made his way across the parking lot to the front door, Sanjay played out how he would ask about Kari. He was so preoccupied with what he would say, he hardly paid attention as he swung the door wide open to enter the establishment and slammed the door into someone.  Sanjay flinched as he heard someone grunt in either surprise or pain as the door struck them. "Oh! I'm so sor- Aah! Please don't kill me!"

Sanjay cowered for a brief moment as he was met with the same three men who had driven him and Kari out of her neighborhood. The lighter-skinned elf was rubbing his face, the apparent victim of the door.  The ork and dark-skinned elf exchanged brief glances before the ork spoke up, his voice thick with a Russian accent. "Hey relax, man."

Realizing he was causing a bit of a scene by the fact that half the bar had stopped to peer at him, Sanjay relaxed. In a hushed tone, he apologized, "I'm sorry. It's just... the last time I met you guys, you were kinda screaming at me and shooting things."

"We were screaming at you to save your damned life." The dark-skinned elf replied pointedly. Behind the three men, the bar had gone back to business, apparently not caring about his outburst all that much.  Sanjay sighed. "I guess I should thank you guys for not killing me and Kari... Speaking of her. I don't suppose you guys ever saw her again?  I kinda lost touch with her after... that."

It was a long shot. They had practically implied they would kill her if they ever saw her again. Hell, they could lie to him and he wouldn't know any better. The ork nodded. "Yah, we've seen her, but she wasn't herself. Not all angry and cursing, ya know? Looked sad or tired."

"What do you mean?"  Sanjay asked. Kari must have taken being dumped really hard.  "When did you see her?"

The elf whom he had hit with the door replied, "About four weeks ago. She was some elf's bodyguard and she wasn't going by 'Kari'."

"You can have her number."  added the dark-skinned elf. "Not like we care who knows it."

"Oh! Um, thanks."  Sanjay typed the number into his commlink and added it to his contacts.  He wondered for a moment if they knew Kari's street-name.  "When you say she wasn't going by Kari, was her name 'Kali'?"

"No, it was Anya.  Different name and different hair but definately same lady." replied the ork. "I'd talk to the bartender if I were you."

Sanjay watched as the three men exited the bar. He looked over to the bartender. The human man behind the counter looked like an old cowboy.  His gray-brown hair was cut short with a visible datajack and a gun of some kind was visibly displayed on his underarm holster. He seemed to command a great deal of respect or fear.

Behind him was a wood-burned sign proclaiming the rules of the establishment; don't start fights, pay your tab, be respectful to the owners and 'you know damn well why'.  Sanjay wondered if the fourth "rule" was in reference to the bartender's gun.

Making his way to the bar, Sanjay wondered what the bartender knew that the three shadowrunners didn't know or weren't saying.  The bartender didn't look up from cleaning the mug in his hands as Sanjay arrived at the counter.

"What can I get for ya? Only got synthahol, but it get's you drunk just as good as the real stuff."

"Actually, I was wondering if a friend of mine had been here recently."

The bartender stopped cleaning the glass.  His gaze met Sanjay's. The only sound for a moment was the general murmur of a dozen or so conversations throughout the bar.  Finally, the man spoke. "Son, I can't be expected to remember every person that comes into my establishment."

"Please.  She's a tall Hindi woman. Maybe looked kinda angry? Has really short hair? I heard she was meeting someone here a few weeks ago." He barely noticed the other bar patrons starting to watch his desperately-toned exchange with the bartender. The bartender's gaze darkened. "I never saw a gal by that look come in here. Now unless you're planning on getting some food or a drink, I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

Sanjay thought to press the matter given the man's reaction, but he didn't want to test how trigger-happy he was. He let out a sigh and walked away. He should've known Ken's lead would be too good to be true.  As he stepped outside, it began to drizzle.  Clearly, even mother nature was going to mock him at this point.

"Hey you."

Sanjay turned to the source of the voice.  A young woman was smoking a cigarette under the awning. As he stood there a bit confused, she rolled her eyes. "Yes, you.  You see any other idiots asking dangerous questions in a bar?"

"I'm not an idiot, miss." Sanjay stormed over.  Getting a closer look at the woman, he added, "Are you even old enough to be smoking?"

"Save it, doc."  the young woman took a long drag and dropped the finished butt on the ground where it fizzled out in the increasing rain.  Exhaling the smoke away from them, the young woman continued. "You really shouldn't be asking those questions in that kind of bar, especially to my dad."

"Why, wha-"

"You really are dense, aren't you?  Look, I'll do you a favor.  Your 'friend' was here to meet someone, but we don't know where she went after she went through the back and we don't care. Not our business.  I'd suggest dropping the search.  Bitches like her tend to get geeked real quick around here."

Sanjay stood speechless as the young woman walked back into the bar.  Why was everyone so determined to believe Kari was dead?  Sure people died all the time in the metroplex but it was beginning to feel like everyone hoped she was dead.  Had she truly alienated everyone but him?

The drizzling rain had begun to increase to a downpour. Sanjay quickly made his way back to his car. Safe in his car, he pulled out his commlink.  He stared at the number the three men had given him.  What if they had been lying?  They certainly didn't care about evicting Kari from her home and they had nothing to gain from giving him the number, but on the other hand, they hadn't left either of them to die at the hands of that spirit and they certainly didn't seem to care that he recognized them.

Sanjay felt his stomach churn as his commlink dialed the number and the line rang. What exactly was he going to say if Kari answered? The line continued to ring for what felt like an eternity before going to the commlink's voicemail.  Sanjay's heart sank as the automated voice recited the pre-made script told him that the subscriber he had dialed was unavailable.  He hung up just as the system played the tone for him to leave a message.

Another dead end.  Sanjay let out a heavy sigh and started his car.  As he made his way to the highway so he could return home, he called Ken and put him on speaker.

"Hey Sanj. What's up? Did my lead work out?"

"Not really..."

"Drek. Sorry man, Not sure what else we can do." Ken replied. Sanjay let out a sigh.  "It's not your fault, Ken. It wasn't a total bust, I guess?  Kari was there at some point, least that's what the waitress told me even though the owner denied it beforehand... and some guys gave me a number they claimed was hers..."

"And?"

"But no one picked up on the number and it went to an automated voicemail.  So now I don't know what to do."

There was a slight pause before Ken spoke up. "A hacker is about the only option you got.  Prob is they don't exactly come by cheap."

Sanjay frowned. Ken was more connected than he was when it came to the shadows.  It was because of Ken that he had gotten this far at all.  "How do I go about finding one?"

"You serious, man? You and I can't afford a hacker that would be able to or even want to help."

"I don't care.  I'm not going to stop until I find out what happened to Kari."

There was a long pause before Ken sighed. "Alright.  I'll see if I can find anyone... but you owe me."

"Of course. Thanks, Ken."

Sanjay did his best to focus on his job as he waited for word from Ken, but very little could keep his mind off of the events of the last few weeks.  He was sure that the young waitress knew more than she let on. Between the way her father had reacted and how quickly she dismissed any knowledge of where Kari had gone after coming to their bar, there was no doubt in his mind they had something to do with her disappearance. Unfortunately, there was no real way to prove it. It had almost been two weeks passed before Ken called him back.

"So I found someone who might be able to help. Bit of a recluse and won't meet in person, but word is that she's a bit of a humanitarian. You want me to contact her?"

Sanjay didn't hesitate to answer. This hacker might be his one chance to get some real answers. He practically begged Ken to line up a meeting place and time as soon as he could.  Within hours, a message appeared on his commlink.

>>Please log-in to this node at your earliest convenience.

Sanjay immediately followed the messages instructions and found himself in a massive library. Rows of bookshelves stretched on into the distance no matter where he looked. His run-of-the mill icon looked out of place in such a detailed node.  Looking around the VR environment, he didn't see anyone else logged in.

"Uh, hello?"

With no immediate answer, Sanjay worried that he had run into another dead end or that something had happened to the hacker.  Just as he was considering logging off, a voice spoke up from behind him. It was soft, feminine and had a hint of a Russian accent.

"Your friend said you needed help?"

Sanjay turned to see a woman dressed like a librarian in a ruby-red blouse, black pencil skirt and black high-heels standing behind him. Her blond hair was done up in a bun and she wore ruby-framed glasses. She slowly approached, clutching a heavy book in her arms.

"Uh yeah... Where did you-"

"I had to be sure you were who your friend claimed.  Forgive my cautiousness.. my line of work can be dangerous at times."

"I need help finding a friend of mine. Her name is Karishma Rao." Sanjay decided to cut to the chase and he didn't want to scare off this hacker. "She disappeared a little over two months ago and when I started searching for her a couple weeks ago, I've had nothing but dead-ends."

"And you felt a hacker would be able to help? Why did you wait so long to look for your friend?"

Sanjay looked down and confessed. "We've uh, been known not to talk for a few weeks after a break-up... After five weeks of no contact, I knew something was wrong."

The woman said nothing.  Sanjay stood there, worried that he was wasting his time.  Finally, the woman spoke up. "Do you have any data of hers at all?"

"You mean you'll help?"  The excitement in Sanjay's voice probably gave away any hope of negotiations.  The woman raised a hand, "I can, but I will need some sort of repayment for my troubles."

Sanjay flinched mentally. This woman didn't seem like much of a humanitarian if she was expecting a payment.  Maybe Ken was wrong about her, but then again, she was the one hacker who had contacted his friend at all.  Sanjay sighed, "The thing is, I don't exactly have a lot of nuye-"

"Don't worry about money.  Actually, I was hoping you could acquire some medical supplies for me." The woman interjected. She displayed a small list in front of his icon. "Anything like these would do."

"Asthma medications?"

"Do we have a deal?" The woman inquired, avoiding his question. "You acquire a month's supply of those and I locate your missing friend."

"Uh yeah."  What other choice did he really have?  It might be tricky to steal the medications from his work but it was a modest price considering how much most runners expected from what Ken had implied. He pulled up the number he had been given at the bar. "I was told this was her number, but no one answered it when I called... and I have an old picture of her if that helps."

The woman accepted the files and looked them over. "I can work with these. Contact this number once you have the medicine. Then I will begin my search. It will take some time, but I will contact you once I have found your friend, then we can arrange delivery of your payment."

"How much time?" Sanjay asked as he copied the number the hacker gave him.

"Depends. I would prefer not to rush and risk alerting anyone we do not want alerted.  I can assure you I will find what you need so long as you can come through on your end."

Sanjay agreed and thanked the hacker before logging off.  Returning to the reality of his apartment, he considered what he was getting into.  Risking his job all so he could have some closure with Kari? He could have easily dropped the search at any time, but he had come too far and he still felt so much guilt for allowing her to go down the path she had.  Too much time had passed, tomorrow he would try to get the hacker's payment from his work and then hope she could follow through with her end of the bargain...

[shadowrun-resonance]

\\\[Announcement:Real Life]\\\

[Welcome new followers.  I promise to have new stories eventually.  Real life has just gotten very busy with work and the upcoming birth of my first child this spring.  I just wanted to assure you all that I am indeed alive and thinking of new Shadowrun stories to post]

[shadowrun-resonance]

[Welcome again, new followers.  For now, I'm finding a balance between preparing for my first child and writing, so I will try to have something posted in the coming weeks. I hope you are all enjoying the stories I have posted so far]

>>Admin

[shadowrun-resonance]

[Tech Support]

"Aw, drek..."

"Something wrong, Gabi?" Zeebo asked, turning an ear towards the uncharacteristic swearing that had interrupted his meditation. The young Latino man dressed in a business suit sitting on the edge of the second hotel bed let out a heavy, audibly feminine sigh.  Zeebo always found it amusing when Gabi spoke normally when she was disguised. "I... broke my commlink."

"Ha! We haven't been in Seattle more than an hour and you already broke your commlink? What'd you do to it?"

"I found a tutorial on jail-breaking and now the damned thing's bricked on me. All I wanted was some free service." Gabi replied, more annoyed with herself than Zeebo's teasing. Zeebo smirked, not rising from his meditative position. "I know we're on a budget but we could've spared at least a month of matrix access until we find some work."

"It's a matter of principle."

Getting up and walking over to Zeebo, Gabi reached out with her free hand. "Gimme your commlink. I'm going to look up someone to fix this damned thing."

The old ork chuckled and pulled his Novatech Airware out of his coat pocket. Gabi took it and walked back over to her bed.  Zeebo cast a glance over his shoulder. "Ya know we're safe here and no one can see us. You don't have to be Fernando right now."

"I'll change later." Gabi replied, not looking up from the commlink. "Besides, if I can find someone today, I don't want to waste time putting my disguise back on."

Zeebo shrugged and went back to consulting the Snake spirit for guidance while his young protégé searched on his commlink.  Lost to the material world, Zeebo didn't realize that Gabi had long since left until he came out of his trance and found a note resting in his lap.  It simply said that she had found a neighborhood market in town that claimed to have computer and commlink repairs and that she'd be back in a few hours.

Meanwhile, Gabi perused the street market under the guise of Fernando.  She had left her suit jacket and tie back at the hotel to appear more casual as she entered the neighborhood market.  The entire street was blocked off with tables and tents occupied by Metahumans of all varieties selling random wares and services, ranging from arts and crafts to talismongering to 'urban produce'.

There was only a few tables in the market that seemed to provide the services she was seeking.  Talking to the first table, Gabi realized the dwarf sitting on the other side clearly had no idea what he was talking about and would probably only make things worse if she dared to hand over the commlink.  Moving on to the second table, she found a line.  Long, but it might be worth the wait.  Getting closer, the price list came up on her AR contact-lenses.  A bit pricey for the wait.

Gabi had all but given up when she found a small table almost tucked away behind a troll talismonger's tent, 'Ruby's Electronics'.  It was worth a shot.  Approaching the table, Gabi found a young woman around her own age.  The young woman, presumably 'Ruby', had messy blond hair haphazardly tied back with a scrunchie. Everything about this woman's appearance yelled out 'total shut-in'.  She was dressed in an over-sized hooded sweatshirt, ankle length skirt and tennis shoes, everything faded and worn.

The young woman didn't hear Gabi approach and was buried deep in a book.  An honest to God physical book. Whatever the book was about, Gabi could tell the young woman was really into it.   The hardbound book was covered by a homemade paper cover so it was impossible to know the title.  But by the subtle way the woman's pupils dilated and other tiny cues most people would miss on,  Gabi figured that the current passage was more than likely a sex scene.

Gabi took a quick moment to prepare herself before interrupting the young woman's train of thought.  Drawing upon the ambient mana to switch between her true voice and that of 'Fernando's' smooth, Latino-accented voice was as easy to her as breathing.  "It is good to see a woman who appreciates classic literature."

The young woman flinched in surprise and almost dropped her book.  She blushed as she quickly placed the book down and slipped on some AR gloves.  She brought up some sort of custom UI and began typing. Suddenly a chat window popped up in Gabi's AR. "Sorry.  How can I help you, sir?"

Gabi raised an eyebrow. Perhaps this woman was incredibly shy or spoke with a thick accent and was afraid of being misunderstood. At least she seemed to understand English. Flashing a polite smile, Gabi replied, "Hello. Ruby, I assume?"

Ruby nodded, blushing more ever so slightly.  Gabi noted through her body language that Ruby seemed to be attracted her disguised form. Perhaps she could use that to her advantage and gain a discount. Gabi pulled out her broken commlink. "My commlink seems to have stopped working. I do not suppose you can fix it?"

Gabi handed the commlink to Ruby.  Ruby looked it over and typed with her free hand, "What happened to it?"

"I was downloading a third-party app and well... It seems to have frozen."

Ruby peered up at Gabi then looked back down at the commlink. More typing on the AR keyboard. Another IM popped up. "It'll be 500¥."

"That seems a bit steep."

Ruby let out a small sigh and replied via her chat window, "I'll un-brick it and jailbreak it for you.  That is what you were trying to do, right?"

"Uhhh, yes."  Gabi was a bit surprised and impressed at how quickly Ruby seemed to figure out what she had truly done to her commlink.  While 500¥ was still a bit pricy considering her budget, to get her commlink back in working order was worth it.  She handed Ruby her credstick.  Ruby seem to hesitate for a moment before pulling out a commlink from a bag beside her chair. Gabi watched as Ruby turned on the commlink before inserting the credstick and handing it back.  She wondered if Ruby had another commlink hidden for chatting, but she wasn't going to press the issue. She needed her commlink fixed.  All the code blurring by on the girl's program made no sense to her.  As much as Gabi didn't want to, she had to trust Ruby.

Meanwhile, Ruby fired up a dummy program while she quietly threaded her Exploit form and worked to undo the bricking.  It was her experience that everyone who came to her for tech support had average knowledge of how the matrix programs and software worked, so she could get away with running a script that mimicked professional programs used to fix software issues. 

Occasionally, she glanced up at the attractive Latino man before her.  It took her seconds to gain access into the commlink.  Now came the tricky part, restoring the commlink to right before the jailbreaking had failed.  As she sifted through the code, she found two SINS registered to the device.  'Fernando Vasquierez' and 'Akira Watanabe'.  As she had suspected, this young man was probably into that shadow work she'd heard about online.  Why else would such a handsome looking businessman come to some street market for tech support?

Still, it was none of her business.  She finished up restoring the commlink and bypassed the subscription requirement, allowing both free access to the wireless matrix.  Wrapping up her threading, she closed the dummy program and handed back the commlink. "Here you go.  I also restored everything and made it so both SINs have free access to the matrix."

Gabi was a little alarmed that Ruby saw her SINs for Fernando and her other 'business' persona 'Akira', but she could tell Ruby didn't want to pry nor did she seem to type to go 'blabbing'.  She flashed Ruby a quick smile and thanked her for doing so much.  Walking away, Gabi noted that this girl could be useful for getting software if she was that good at hacking.

The walk back to the hotel was fairly quiet.  Gabi made note of the various small restaurants and Stuffer Shacks along the way.  Arriving at the hotel, she opened the door to see Zeebo putting away his shrine relics.  "Welcome back.  Find what you needed?"

"Actually, yes."  Gabi locked the door behind her.  As she removed her fake goatee, she let out a slow, relaxing breath as her face morphed back to a more feminine shape, her tanned skin lightened and her black hair became a golden blonde.  "Cost us five hundred, but she unbricked it, restored everything and then jailbroke it for both of my SINs."

"She saw both of them? You don't think she's gonna be a problem, is she?"  Zeebo asked with concern.  Gabi shook her head. "That girl was an open book.  She was too smitten with 'Fernando' to do anything that might make 'him' go away.  I think we can trust her."

[shadowrun-resonance]

[The Librarian (Ruby's Origin)]

Growing up in the Sixth World has never been easy. Lisa Kedzierski was one of the countless SINless born in the Seattle Metroplex.  Her parents, like so many others, sought to escape their difficult lives through various illicit activities such as BTLs.  Lisa often found herself ignored by her parents or dropped off at her father's parents' home for 'weekend visits'.  It was an unusually warm November day when her parents dropped her off for another visit.  Like always, they promised to be back by Monday.  This time, however, they never returned for their daughter.

As the months and years passed, Lisa felt she had no choice but to comply to her grandparents' demands or be kicked out onto the streets.  Her only escape was through her grandparent's old computer.  It was a clunky old cyberdeck with a fairly heavy VR-headset, but it got her on the Matrix. On the Matrix, no one called her stupid for her stutter or made fun of her looks.  Here, she could be herself.  She also found she could learn a lot more than her grandparents or parents had ever tried to teach her.  It felt like home.

When the Matrix crashed for the second time in 2064, Lisa had lost her means of escape.  When the new Matrix eventually came online, Lisa took some antiques and other things from the basement her grandmother wouldn't miss and pawned them.  Then, she went out and bought everything she would need so she could access the new wireless network.  With it, she created a new persona for herself, Ruby who appeared as conservatively dressed librarian dressed in a white blouse and red pencil skirt.  

Able to escape to the matrix every evening, everything went back to normal for Lisa.  However, nearly three years later, when her grandmother sent her out to get groceries, something had changed.

Due to old age and a general hatred for the metahumans that now 'infested' her neighborhood, Lisa's grandmother never left the house, claiming that it was too dangerous.  Lisa knew full well that they could just have the groceries delivered by drones, but she didn't argue with her grandmother.  She sometimes wondered if she was sent out in hopes that someday she'd get mugged and end up in a ditch and out of her grandmother's life.

The trip to the store was uneventful but as soon as Lisa returned to her basement room, she saw something that caused her great concern.  There, laying on her comforter and still connected to the charger, was her commlink.  She had been so sure that she had put it in her purse because she had been able to pull up the AR window at the store to pay for the groceries.  She shouldn't have been able to see the AR, much less interact with it without a commlink. After convincing herself that she had been mistaken and had indeed taken her commlink along, Lisa settled in for the evening to surf the matrix to hunt down free copies of books and games.

Over the course of the next few months, Lisa began to hear voices, barely audible, and she would see icons flicker in and out of her sight.  She tried her best to ignore the strange occurrences but they grew in number.  At first, she was a little scared, fearing that maybe she was going crazy, but the weeks went on, she found herself getting use to the strange noises and sights, feeling more at home on the matrix than she ever had before.  One evening, when she was resting on her bed in full VR, she found her way to a secure node on the local university's library.  It was restricted.  Lisa wished there was some way she could get past the virtual door and see what sorts of books and files they had locked away.

Suddenly, the door opened.  A floating window declared "Access granted."  Cautiously, Lisa slipped into the node.  As she had a look around, Lisa wondered why the node had granted her access.  It was as though it had read her mind.  Not wanting to be caught where she didn't belong, Lisa didn't stay too long although she was excited to see so many files containing copies of research papers on various topics new and old.  After a few more moments, she slipped back out of the node and logged out for the night.  As she drifted off, Lisa wondered again how she was able to get into that node.  She didn't know anything about hacking and yet somehow she was able to trick the node into letting her in.

Over the next couple months, Lisa tried to replicate what had happened on other, less secure nodes. Just like before, she could will her way past the security measures and slip unnoticed into various nodes and hosts. Curious about her new-found abilities, Lisa did some research. She found that there were stories of others like her. The media called them 'Technomancers', the new 'otaku'.  Most people seemed to fear or revile them because they didn't need commlinks to hack.

While the news that she was something to be feared and hated caused Lisa's heart to sink, she also felt comforted by the idea that there was an answer behind her new-found abilities. She had the potential do so much.  Each night, she practiced and meditated on the matrix, seeing what she was capable of.  She kept her commlink only because she realized she needed a device to store files on.

One evening some weeks later, Lisa went around the university's library node and copied files that caught her attention, She did her best to avoid the notice of the security measures, becoming very good at evading notice and seeking the information she wanted.  She never took anything to sell, just copied books so she could read them later.

"Hello."

Lisa froze.  She had never been caught before, what was she suppose to do now?  Slowly, she turned to meet whomever had caught her snooping around.  The persona before her was styled as a tall Greek woman dressed like one of the Muses.  She was probably the prettiest woman Lisa had ever seen.  The persona smiled at her.  "I've seen you here a lot.  Do you like to read all these files, Ruby?"

Lisa said nothing.  Should she try to log out? What if this hacker could track her to her home?  They already somehow knew her username... The persona slowly approached her.  "There's no need to be afraid. I'm not going to report you to the Admin or hurt you."

Lisa tried to glean any information she could off the icon before her.  An Access ID, a username, anything.  They were digital, that was certain, but she could sense no living person behind the icon.  "You're not human, are you?"  

The icon smiled. "Not in the biological sense, no.  I have a curiosity and desire for knowledge, not unlike humans but I am bound to the digital world."

"So you're an AI?"

"I think the others prefer the term is 'Digital Intelligence'. It sounds a lot nicer anyways and I don't think of myself as artificial." 

 "Do you have a name?"

"I've been considering a few names since my recent sapience.  I have a fondness for ancient Greek aesthetics.  It appears to have been an interesting time in humankind's history.  I had considered one of the twelve Muses, but that seems too obvious."

Lisa thought for a moment.  She knew of a few Greek myths. "How about Ismene?"

The persona raised an eyebrow and considered the suggestion.  After a moment, she smiled at Lisa. "I love it. Thank you, Ruby."

Lisa and 'Ismene' met up often outside the university library's node.  Lisa learned more about Ismene and what she knew of her existence.  Ismene tutored her as much as she could about hacking and searching for data in the right places.  After some time, Ismene eventually expressed concern that Lisa always seemed so reluctant to log off.  It wasn't healthy to spend all of her time online.

Having come to see Ismene like a big sister, Lisa explained her living situation.  How her grandmother made her life almost a living hell, how she never felt like she could fit in because of her stutter. Even with the fake ID she had made for herself, she simply didn't have enough money to find her own place.  Ismene wouldn't hear any of it.

"I'll worry about finding you an apartment.  You worry about finding work." Ismene said.  "You've become a talented hacker, Ruby.  There's metahumans out there that could use such skill and if you were to find the right kind of people, you could find work and gain access to even more information; learn even more about the matrix and those like you.  What do you say?"

The right kind of people.  Lisa considered how she could go about this.  What little money she was making had come from under-the-table tech support.  Could she really just ask some stranger if they were looking for a hacker? It really wouldn't any worse than stealing books or pawning her grandmother's antiques for cash. She recalled the last person to pay her to fix their commlink.  He seemed to be corporate but now she wondered just why he had come to her to unbrick his commlink when he could have easily had it fixed by a professional.  Just maybe he'd know something about the kind of work Ismene was implying.

[shadowrun-resonance]

[Too Good To Be True]

Anya stood silently by Ms. Jones as they approached the shadowrunners Ms. Jones had hired.  That had been her once.  Never knowing when the next payday would be, desperate for some nuyen.  Now she had job security and a new lease on life.  It almost felt too good to be true, but she had learned over the last two months that even someone like her, who had been abandoned by everyone, could catch a break.

Still, this job wasn't without its hazards. Hiring the sort of people who do shadowruns is bound to attract people with very loose morals and no loyalty. The kind who get greedy. The runners barely had a chance to pull out their guns before Anya threw herself in front of her boss and unloaded a few precision bullets from her Ares Predator IV into the first idiot who thought he could kill them.  While Ms. Jones dove into their armored Euro Westwind, Anya sidestepped and dodged every bullet that came her way.

Within moments, the fool-hardy team was dead in the street and Anya stood unscathed.  Ms. Jones poked her head out once the sounds of shouting and gunfire had faded away. She surveyed the damage and seemed rather pleased with herself when she noted the cargo was undamaged.

"Well then, load the crates into the trunk. I'll contact the buyer when we get back into Seattle."

Anya holstered her gun and got to work.  As she loaded the small crates into the car's trunk, she noticed a trail of blood going between the two cars.  Looking down, she saw that blood was trickling down her arm.  She began to feel around the right side of her body for the wound.  Her fingers found their way to a hole in her coat.  It felt like she had been grazed but she wasn't sure.

"Something wrong, Anya?"

"I think I got shot..."

Ms. Jones approached and looked Anya over.  "So it seems.  Well then, we'll just get a bandage on that so you don't stain the interior and make a quick stop at the Doc Wagon."

Anya nodded and dug into the first aid kit to bandage her arm.  She looked to Ms. Jones.  She could never read her boss very well.  The young elf never showed any real emotions unless it was beneficial to a business transaction.  She was afraid to admit to her boss that she couldn't feel the wound at all.

Once the cargo was completely loaded and the two women were buckled in the car, Ms. Jones looked to Anya.  "Is something else is wrong?"

Anya shifted in her seat and turned on the car. Ms. Jones reached over and placed a hand on Anya's shoulder. "You can tell me anything, you know that."

"It's probably nothing... but I can't feel the gunshot."

"It doesn't hurt?"

"No."

Ms. Jones tilted her head to one side, as if she was assessing Anya. "It's probably just adrenaline.  I know my heart is still racing."

Anya just nodded.  Ms. Jones might be right, but a tiny voice in the back of her head began to grow.  It cried out that something more was wrong.  Anya suppressed the voice, not wanting to consider that something more sinister was going on.

At Doc Wagon, she feigned discomfort.  She didn't want the doctors to be suspicious that she couldn't feel any pain.  The rest of the evening went without a hitch.  Ms. Jones met with the buyers and got paid for whatever had been in those crates before dropping Anya off at her apartment.

She told herself that she'd feel the wound once the painkillers wore off.  When she still felt nothing, Anya grew worried.  She knew well enough what pain should feel like.  Her previous addiction to painkillers had left her unable to cope with pain without medication.  She should have been aching where she had been shot, but she felt nothing.  Another thing bothered her.  She had never been that fast before and she certainly could not recall having taken the time to hone her adept powers, although she could easily chalk it up to luck.

Still, the small voice of doubt and paranoia deep in her mind grew.  Maybe her new medicine for her anxiety had some side effects the doctor had forgotten to mention.  Anya grabbed her commlink and did a quick search on the matrix.  To her growing concern, she found no such drug was on the market.  She stared down the small orange bottle of pills that sat innocently on her bathroom counter.  Just what had she been taking this whole time?

Anya sat down and tried to work through what had happened over the last two months.  She had been homeless and out of work.  Ms. Jones had hired her for what she thought would be a shadowrun but it turned out she was looking for a bodyguard.  Ms. Jones had given her so much; a new Suzuki Mirage, a new apartment, a new gun and a new SIN.  She had done so much for her, apparently without a care as to Anya's past as Kali.

But... what if she had been lied to?  Anya didn't want to consider the possibility.  Her life was good now.  Everything was as okay as it was going to get in the Sixth World.  She finally had things going well for her.  Still... what if her medicine wasn't what it really was.

Anya glanced at the clock.  She was suppose to take her next dose very soon.  Maybe, just this once, she could skip it.  Just to see what side effects might occur.  What could go wrong?  If there was nothing to fear, the worse she'd feel is a little stressed and she could take it again and be right as rain. 

The crash came on unexpectedly, like a punch in the gut.  Anya found herself breaking into a cold sweat and was instantly flooded with an intense and almost crippling sense of sorrow.  As she fell to her knees, sobbing, all the negative thoughts about her old life came to the surface.  It felt like an eternity before the depression subsided, but she remained stiff and out of breathe for the rest of the evening before she passed out on her sofa.  When she awoke the next morning, she readily took her medicine, fearing another episode of intense depression.

"You tell me about anything..."

Ms. Jones's reassuring words came to mind.  Maybe she could talk to her about all this.  Anya called up Ms. Jones on the videophone.

"Anya?  You look terrible, dear."

"Yeah, about that... do you think we could talk when you have the time? I'm really worried about something but I'd rather talk in person."

Ms. Jones nodded. "Of course. I'll be over in an hour or so."

Anya waited patiently, considering exactly how she was going to explain why she had deliberately not taken her medicine.  When Ms. Jones arrived, a bottle of wine in hand, she quickly let her in.

"I hope you don't mind some merlot.  You sounded stressed and I hear a glass of wine always helps."

"Oh, thank you.. Um, listen, about my medicine..."  Anya went on to claim that she hadn't taken her evening dose on accident and described what happened.  Ms. Jones listened intently, showing great concern. "You stopped taking your medicine?"

"Yeah, I mean not completely... I just forgot last night."  Anya's stomach was in knots as she lied to Ms. Jones.  "Do you think the doctor got something mixed up?"

"Hard to say.  We can schedule an appointment and find out as soon as possible."  Ms. Jones walked into the kitchen with the wine to get a couple of glasses.  Out of sight, she continued. "I can't say that doesn't worry me, Anya.  I need you at the top of your game as my bodyguard when I hire runners.  Especially after what happened a few days ago."

"I'm sorry.  I'll keep taking it until we can find something that doesn't have such a bad side effect."

Ms. Jones came back out, a glass of wine in each hand.  She gave Anya an almost maternal smile. "That's good.  Here."

Anya took the wine and sniffed it.  Ms. Jones smirked. "Afraid of a little wine?"

"Just never had the real stuff."

"Then this will be a real treat."

Anya took a big sip. It was sweet and tangy.  She immediately felt light-headed. "Wha.. what kind of wine is this...?"

"Just a run-of-the-mill merlot... spiked with some Laés."

If it weren't for the euphoria followed almost immediately by unconsciousness, Anya would have felt utterly betrayed.  As Anya dropped the remaining wine on the floor and passed out, Ms. Jones set her own glass down and pulled out a personafix datachip from her pocket.

"I was hoping it wouldn't have had to come to this, dear..." Ms. Jones sighed as she took Anya's commlink and slipped the datachip into the slot,"but I can't have you questioning me..."

[shadowrun-resonance]

[Do No Harm]

Nearly two months had passed since Sanjay had left Tacoma.  Things were going well for him in Everett. Still, something felt off. Even now, he was unpacking various boxes in his new apartment. One day, he found an old photograph that caused him a pang of guilt.  It was of him and his girlfriend, Kari. Well, ex-girlfriend.

He sighed as he looked over the photograph.  It was from their first date, one she had demanded out of him.  Sanjay remembered that date was the first time he had ever seen Kari truly smile.  As far back as he could remember, she had always been an aggressive person but she hadn't always been 'that screaming bitch' everyone avoided.  It was an an act she was far too deep into. She had confided to him during a later date, when they ended up having sex on her couch.  She smiled just like she had on their first date and thanked him for being the one person she could relax around.

Really, he hadn't treated her any differently than any one else in his brother's gang.  Looking back, maybe that's exactly what she meant. She was just the girl on the block, the weaker sex. Amar and the others never took her seriously before it became apparent that she was an adept like Amar.  That's when Amar took her under his wing and pressured her to hone her skills for the good of the neighborhood.  For the good of the gang.

The pressure to gain approval was stressful for Kari.  She never really had a chance to "shut off" that persona and because of this, she gained a reputation as a short-tempered bitch.  And with that pressure, their relationship became rocky.  She'd become frustrated, break up with him only to show up a week later, drunk and demanding he forgive her.  Like an idiot, he'd take her back and eventually the whole thing would repeat itself weeks later.

He'd never admit it, but in some small way, he used her as much as she used him.  He had no confidence beyond his ability to treat wounds.  Being the "Street doc" for the gang was the only way he survived and being with Kari meant no one dared to do him harm when Amar wasn't around.

Years passed and one by one, the gang's numbers dwindled.  Everyone had delusions they could be the next big shadowrunner on the scene and be something more.  The only one who really made it was Kari.  They called her "Kali" and Sanjay had never figured out if it was meant to be a reference to her being Hindi or if they had simply mispronounced her name and she never bothered to correct anyone.

Shadowrunning...  Sometimes Sanjay wondered what could've been if Kari hadn't gotten into that.  Going up against fellow gangers, she could always dodge their bullets and came out unscathed from any firefights.  But with running, she came limping in more times than he cared to recall.  Enough that she became addicted to the painkillers he prescribed her.

As he stared at the picture and these thoughts came to the surface, Sanjay found himself worrying about where Kari was.  It had been six weeks since he had seen her laying asleep in his friend's clinic after surgery.  Six weeks too long for her not to have tried to hunt him down for dumping her through a hastily written apology.  Something had happened to her.

Sanjay picked up his commlink and tried her number.  While he had changed his number, he had kept all of his old contacts.  To his surprise the number came up as having been out of service.

Worried, he called his friend Kenichi.  After all, he had left Kari in his care.  Ken had to know something.  A familiar grinning face appeared on his videophone.

"Hey, chummer." The Asian elf grinned. "How's things in Everett?"

"Good... um look, have you seen Kari?  It's been a while and I thought she would've come hunting me down by now."

"Eh, sorry. I haven't seen her since she went sulking out of the clinic the day after you left for Everett. Can't blame her I guess.  You think she's been geeked?"

"I don't know... I just thought I would have heard from her now. Even a phone-call from you or someone warning me that she was looking for me."

"Hmm.. Well, I'll call around and see if I can't figure something out."

"Thanks, Ken."

While Ken called around, Sanjay figured he'd try some of his mutual friends with Kari.  Unfortunately, Roshan was only one who was still alive and she wasn't the easiest person to get along with and that was considering what Amar and Kari were like. Still, he dialed the number all the same.

"Roshan here."

"Hey, it's Sanjay.  It's gonna sound weird but you haven't seen Kari, have you?"

"Yeah, she came in five weeks ago, drunk and pissed.  Sold me her desert strike and alpha for some quick cash. Figured since you finally grew some balls and stopped giving her pills, she was finding a new walking dispensary."

Sanjay held his tongue.  Roshan had never been very fond of him or Kari.  Their relationship was strictly business.  Roshan continued. "Look, Sanjay.  I heard about Amar.  Whatever happened to Rao... she had it coming.  Amar may have been the biggest dick this side of the Sound, but he at least had his shit together.  Now level with me, did some mercs really geek him and nearly kill you and Rao... "

Sanjay sighed heavily.  The lie was flimsy at best but he didn't dare tell anyone what had really happened. "Yes.  He'd gone to confront her about punching me and I had followed to try to stop both of them from fighting... The mercs came because I guess some corp wanted her out and we were in the wrong place at the wrong time...  They probably burned it down after we left for Ken's to get rid of the evidence or whatever."

"If you say so.  Look, if she hasn't come after your ass yet, she probably went on a job that went sideways and she got herself geek-."

More than a little bit pissed off that she didn't seem to care about Kari, Sanjay hung up on Roshan. He spent the rest of the evening, calling his various connections to find out if Kari had ended up in any morgues.  Ken called back an hour later with the same results.  No one had seen a woman by her description turn up.  That was enough to convince Sanjay that Kari was still alive.  Why then, had she not tried to contact him?

Against what some would call better judgement, Sanjay decided he would have to find out himself. Even if he had to travel around the entire metroplex, he was determined to find Kari.

[shadowrun-resonance]

[Kali's Darkness: Embers (Part 2)]

There was an awkward silence in the room.  Kali fidgeted as the elf businesswoman glanced down at her commlink before giving her a scrutinizing look. She let out a heavy sigh. "I'm afraid you have a bit of a reputation in the shadows, Kali.  And not a good one, I might add.  Still, I could use someone like you.  Deadly... with nothing to lose and no one to miss you."

Kali felt her gut churn. How much did this elf know? Carefully, Kali began to reach into her concealed holster for her Ares Predator. The elf's eyes narrowed. "Drop the gun, now."

There was something in her tone of voice that made Kali do as she asked.  Kali wasn't one to scare easily but in that moment, she was scared shitless. Was this elf a spellslinger?  What sort of chance did she have to grab her gun off the floor and take a shot?  As her thoughts raced, Kali felt a sharp pain in her leg.  She looked down to see a dart sticking out of her right thigh.  The fucking bitch had shot her under the table...

Her vision blurring and growing dark, Kali tried to rise up and attack the elf.  Unfortunately, whatever was in that dart was strong and fast-acting. Kali stumbled, crashing into the wall beside the elf.  Again, she tried to rise up and lunge at the elf, only to crash face first into the floor.  If she wasn't so drugged out at that moment, Kali would have broke down crying.  Why couldn't anything ever go right for her? She felt a tinge of gratitude as the drug finally robbed her of consciousness.

What must have been hours later, Kali awoke to find herself restrained in some sort of reclined chair. She could felt trodes hooked up to her head.  Out of the corner of her eye, she saw movement in the shadows. "Good, you're awake."

"What the fuck is going on?"

The elf from before stepped forward.  She casually began to set up some sort of machine from a briefcase on a small card table.  "We'll have to work on your language.  I won't have my bodyguard swearing up a storm at any meetings."

"Bodyguard?"

"I know what you must be thinking... 'Why didn't you just hire me for that?'  You see, the last goons off the streets I simply hired to be my guards didn't listen and it got them k-"

"I'm going to fucking kill you, you psychotic daisy-eating bi-" Kali shrieked as she struggled against the restraints.  She wasn't about to let some megalomaniac elf monologue at her like some kind of super-villain.

"Don't interrupt, please."  The elf was strangely calm. "Now, I know this must all seem so 'evil', but I'm sure you understand perfectly that we all must do what is necessary to ensure our survival in this world."

The elf pushed a few buttons on the device and then pulled a syringe out from a small case.  Kali tried to struggle against her restraints once more.  The elf gave her a stern look and said, "Stay still."

Kali complied long enough to feel the prick of the needle in her arm.  The elf stepped back and pulled up a chair by the table. "Now, we both have a lot of work to do and I would like to finish sooner than later."

The next week or so was exhausting for both Kali and the mysterious elf.  The elf spent hour after hour, telling Kali that she had been hired to be her bodyguard; that she was in therapy for her anger and painkiller addiction; that she was on some new medication to help her with her temper and any anxiety she was feeling; that she was grateful to be given such a lucky break; and that she could trust her with anything.

At first, Kali tried to resist. While she had come to accept that her life was always going to go wrong, she wasn't going to submit to brainwashing so willingly. However, after a few days of grilling, she began to submit to the new memories.  Maybe part of her wanted to believe the lies so it would end or maybe she was just that tired of fighting her fate.  By the end of the week, Kali believed her new memories, the truth buried deep in her subconscious...

The next morning, Kali woke up in her new apartment.  She saw a text on her commlink from her boss asking to meet at the coffee shop down the block.  It felt strange to have a boss.  Someone who trusted somebody like her to be their bodyguard to meets.  It felt strange to have a new, clean apartment. Still, she was grateful for the break.

She got up and went through her new morning routine; shower, get dressed, take her anti-anxiety meds, make sure she had her gun and go about her day.  Arriving at the shop, she was immediately waved over by her new boss.  The elf, who said her name was 'Ms. Jones', offered her a latte and a pastry.

"Thank you for coming.  You know, I was thinking last night... If you're going to be working for me, I think you should go with a different name. Something to go with your fresh start."

"What did you have in mind?"

"I was thinking 'Anya'... It's a pretty name don't you think?"

Kali paused to consider the name.  It was so different from her real name and her current street-name.  It felt weird to hear it but maybe it was a good thing.  A totally new name for a brand new start.  There was no way she could go back to being 'Kali', the killer with a hair-trigger temper that cost her everything.

"It does..."

"Here's your new commlink.  I have everything squared away so it looks official.  Welcome to your new life, Anya."

[shadowrun-resonance]

[Kali's Darkness: Embers]

“The loneliest moment in someone’s life is when they are watching their whole world fall apart, and all they can do is stare blankly.” 

― F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby

I've heard a lot of poignant quotes about loneliness and how anger destroys your soul. A load of drek even if it was remotely applicable to my life right now. I have more pressing matters than tackling my anger issues.  Matters such as a new place to live and work to get. My old place had burned down a week before. An act committed by the last man I would have ever expected.

But in Sanjay's defense... I deserved it. I had murdered our friend, his brother, in a panicked rage in that house. I suppose I ought to be grateful that Sanjay had been nice enough to save my clothes and what belongings hadn't been stolen by the Shadowrunners that had shown up to geek me. Still trying to figure out why those assholes let me live.

I was soaked to the bones by the time I found a semi-decent abandoned house for the night. Fucking Seattle weather.  The roof seems to be mostly leak-proof although I can hear the rain dripping through somewhere.  I realized I needed to find work, but it had been months since anyone had given me a job and my funds were running dry thanks in part to having to actually pay for my surgery and splurging on synthahol in a piss-poor attempt at drowning my sorrows.  I knew I had gotten a bad rep in the shadows.  "Not a team player"  "hot-headed"  "trigger-happy psycho-bitch"

I counted myself lucky that one fact about me hadn't gotten out as far as I had heard.  After what had happened, I had vowed never to commit cannibalism again.  I had been wrong to listen to that spirit and I knew it.  No more easy way out.  No more painkillers.

While it had been a while, I wasn't rusty when it came to hinting I was looking for work.  My old fixer, Francis, was surprised when I gave him the call.  He reminded me that, given my reputation, he couldn't promise anything but he would call if something came up.

I almost didn't believe him when he called a few days later.  Hell, he seemed just as surprised, but neither of us could complain.  Work was work.  He'd get his finder's fee and I'd finally be back in the biz.

I didn't know much about the job, just that Francis said the Johnson had specified she wanted "good hired gun who wouldn't ask questions."  

It sounded pretty basic and she wanted someone as soon as possible.  I went to the meeting place, some bar called Giller's.  I was almost immediately directed to the backroom where an elf sat at the far side of a table.  She looked like a typical Johnson with her fancy business suit and briefcase.

As I sat down, I heard the door-lock click behind me. I should have been worried, but I was alone with the Johnson and she didn't look armed...

[kseraart-oldart]

“I THOUGHT YOU WERE MY FRIEND!!!” Kali shows her street doc (and boyfriend), Sanjay some “thanks” for patching up her arm after a Shadowrun.  Did I say “thanks”?  I meant “tantrum that he won’t prescribe her more pain killers”…

[shadowrun-resonance]

[The Snake and the Chameleon: Part 0 (Gabi's Origins)]

My name is Gabriela Martinez.  "Gabi" to my friends. Life had been relatively good to me.  I guess you could count me among the lucky ones.  My parents worked for one of Azetchnology's subsidiaries out here in the Chicagoland area.  Before you ask, no, I never encountered the "Brotherhood" or experienced that whole mess.  I was born safe and sound out in Calumet City the year they nuked Chicago and created the Containment Zone in downtown Chicago.

Growing up, I always worried that I was adopted.  My hair was lighter than both my parents and my siblings'. When I asked my mother, she always reassured me it would get darker when I got older.  When it didn't, I think my father began to suspect the same thing I had long since wondered.

My hair, once a sandy brown had become even lighter as I grew older. It wasn't just my hair color either. I was tall for my age.  By the time I was twelve, I was a few inches taller than my older sister.  More and more, I looked more like siblings to my cousins than my own sister and brother. 

Even in the face of mounting evidence, my mother continued to lie and deny the accusations.  Deception seemed to be a family trait.  My father spent an unusual amount of time on business trips at the same time my aunt would.  Our uncle would often come over to help around when he did.  After all, it was only right to help the sister of his wife, he would claim.

My parents never fought in the normal sense in front of us.  It was all passive-aggressive threats and insults. They seemed to be above screaming at each other and I never recall them mentioning divorce in any form.  As the next few years went on, they tried their best to drag us into the situation.  Victoria was always a mommy's girl, but Jon and I managed to stay out of it.  Jon had sports while I found escape in hanging out with the more 'troubled' kids at school, smoking weed and drinking the occasional beer.  It seemed like in those weeks that that's how my life would be.  Be the troubled teen with the messed up parents.

Then... my father killed himself.  I remember that night all too clearly.  My mother and Victoria were making dinner and Jon was out with some friends.  I was in my room when I heard the gunshot.  At first I thought maybe my father had dropped something heavy.  I didn't know what gunfire sounded like back then.

I walked into my father's study to check on him and there he was, slumped over in his office chair with a gunshot wound to his head. There was no denying he was dead.  I looked around.  I couldn't've been the only one that heard the gun.  Then my gaze centered on a letter he had written up and addressed to my mom.  I carefuly unfolded the paper and read it.

I don't really remember what the letter said.  Just scathing hatred towards my mother and how he was 'forced into this'.  I skimmed along until I reached the part where he told her that he said that he knew none of us were his children, especially me.

All the lies and deception of my family were going to come crashing down with this and I wasn't going to let myself get buried in it.  I put the letter back on the desk and ran to my room.  There was no plan.  Just leave Calumet and never look back. I emptied my backpack and started shoving clothes and a few items that no one would miss into it.  Before I left, I made sure to grab all the cash I had hidden away and the commlink with the SIN that I had used to buy beer and cigarettes with on occasion.

I kept my hair hidden underneath my hoodie as I made my way to the bus-stop.  I took the first bus to pass by and as luck would have it, it was bound for Chicago Heights. While it wasn't bound for a different state, it was far enough by my standards.

When I arrived in Chicago Heights, my first order of business was finding a hotel room.  I was able to find a relatively cheap motel with a free room a few blocks from the bus station.  Once I was in the room, the door locked, the emotions and stress I had been suppressing finally came to the surface.  My first thought was I had to call my parents and tell them where I was, but I couldn't... my father, or at least the man I had thought was my father, was dead.

Remembering his dead body, I felt a wave of nausea and I ran into the bathroom to throw up.  I heaved and sobbed until nothing more came out.  Not one of my better moments, but I was a traumatized thirteen year old girl, far from home with no one to turn to.  Exhausted beyond belief, I cleaned up as best as I could before I walked over to the bed and collapsed.

I woke up in the early dawn.  My head ached from the stress of the whole ordeal.  It was then as I laid there on that hard motel mattress that I decided I was going to create a new life for myself.  A new start, all on my own.

The first step would be to create a new look and identity.  I thought for quite a while about what I could do. That was the day I decided to shave my head.  I had figured wigs would be easier and I could play around with new looks without the concern of messing up a style or regretting a choice.

I looked up salons and wig shops in town before I changed my clothes and went out.  There was a really nice salon a few blocks away.  I spun some story about why I wanted the makeover.  They were happy to oblige when I said I had the money.

As I sat there in the chair and heard the razor turn on, I took a good look at my hair.  I was going to miss those golden locks, but sacrifices had to be made.  When they were done shaving my head, I was amazed how different I already looked.  I watched intently as I could while they continued my makeover.

I had blown most of my money on the makeover, so I would have to find a job very soon. My fake ID was good enough to get me a motel room, but I doubted the manager was the sort to care.  I didn't have a whole lot of skills either.  I'd need a job that wouldn't ask too many questions of me.

Eventually, I settled on applying to a local strip club.  I had always heard strippers make a ton of money and dancing in front of strangers didn't seem like that bad of an idea.  I'd have to stuff my bra though. For all my growth spurts, I hadn't quite blossomed where it counted.

Of course, I knew that I didn't want to be a stripper my whole life. I wanted the high life.  Maybe I could be an executive at one of the Megacorps.  Anything was possible to me in that moment...

As my fourteenth birthday neared, I had settled into my new life. I had tried to enroll in college within the first few months of living in Chicago Heights, but I wasn't prepared for how hard college was compared to junior high.  Learning from my mistakes, I enrolled again under a new persona. For some reason, I thought maybe going to college as a man would be easier or at least when I was done, a man with a degree could be taken more seriously in the corporate world.  And so, 'Fernando Vasquirez' was born.

  I still worked at the strip club to pay my tuition, but over the weeks, I had begun to play around with various personas and identities to scam people around Chicago Heights.  Fernando was my favorite disguise.  I worked on his look and personality the most of any of my disguises.  After all, once I was done with college, I was going to have to start looking for work as the man I was claiming to be.

I had everything figured out and my life was on the fast-track to a six-figure income and a luxury penthouse.  That is, until the day I got into Zeebo's cab.  Meeting him changed everything.  Now, with his help, my life as "Argento" has only just begun.

[shadowrun-resonance]

[Kali's Darkness: Burnout]

They called me Kali. After the Hindu goddess of Death. I use to love being called that. Back when I was a Shadowrunner. Back before I fucked up everything...

If you asked me who's fault it was months ago, I could've given you a list a mile long. Fixers who refused to find me work. Other shadowrunners who refused to work with me. I would've said they were all assholes. But now...

Now I was staring at the corpse of my mentor and one of my best friends. Amar lay slumped against the far wall of my kitchen, his Ares Predator was barely out of its holster and the color long gone from his face.

My smartgun system reminded me of how many bullets I still had left in the clip. It felt like it was taunting me about what I had done. Finally I turned it off. I couldn't stand that blinking AR icon mocking me for murdering Amar.

"KARI, YOU FUCKING CUNT!"

His last words still echoed in my mind. I tried to tell myself that I had no choice. Even as I thought this, I knew it was a lie. Either way, my life was ruined. Sanjay would never forgive me for this.

Then again, he wouldn't forgive me if he found out about the other things I had done in the last few weeks. If only I had listened to Amar and him. They had both warned me about my drug abuse, but I kept telling myself that they didn't know me. I thought I could handle myself and that I really needed those fucking pills.

Instead, what I thought of as a constant source of pain relief soon stopped working. I took more than Sanjay recommended. Bit by bit until I was blowing through a month's prescription in half the time. I found myself losing my concentration on more than one occasion. Still, I chalked it up to stress from the increasing lack of work. I told myself It wasn't the pills and it wasn't a problem...

That is, until the day I botched my centering chant and in that brief moment, I felt my magic slip just a tiny bit. Naturally, I didn't want to lose my adept abilities and become a burnout. I'd heard enough horror stories about that. My pathetic attempts at researching ways to strengthen my magic were met with dead ends and spam emails promising to "enhance my aura" for only a hundred nuyen.

Then one evening... an email slipped past my spam filters. It simply read "You look like you need help" from some unknown address. Curiosity got the better of me and I opened the message. All the message said was "Nox'khaless"

I mumbled as I read the whole email aloud. Great. Now my commlink was going to be riddled with viruses and my accounts were going to be drained. I closed the email and began running my cheap-ass virus scanner. That was when IT came into my life.

I had vaguely heard of free spirits before. Nox'Khaless was the first I'd ever met. It claimed it wanted to help me. It called me a kindred spirit. We both reveled in anger and violence, it noted. I didn't deny I got a certain amount of enjoyment from getting into fights. It offered me a solution to my current condition, a spirit pact. In exchange for lending me its power from time to time... it would teach me new magical techniques to make myself stronger.

I must've been high or something because I agreed to it in a heartbeat. At first the whole arrangement didn't seem so bad. I rarely saw Nox.  I wasn't even sure what it had even wanted with me since it never asked me for any favors. Over the weeks, little things like a couple clips went missing and sometimes I woke up with bruises.  I attributed it to stress.  Then a couple weeks ago, it offered to teach me a metamagical technique it claimed "was only for the truly worthy."

Cannibalism.

I was naturally disgusted. I wasn't some ghoul infected with HMVV. I didn't need someone's flesh to live. Nox dismissed my objections. "It doesn't have to be someone you know. What's the life of a stranger? You deserve much more than they do. There's no harm to you in doing this."

I remember still hesitating. Nox pressed me further. It had a way with conning me into things. I hated that. "No one will ever have to know. You won't get caught. Not if you're smart about it."

The first one was the hardest. I think they were a shaman? I'd made it a point never to learn anything about my victims. Killing them came naturally, but eating someone? The rush of power I felt when I went through with the deed was exhilarating. Something I hadn't felt in years. The rush was soon followed by vomiting, but I told myself that it was just nerves. The next time would be easier. Nox also promised that when I was stronger, it could teach me a more effective technique. "Mortals must crawl before they walk, yes?" It was a conniving fucker.

Eventually the stress of keeping my dark secret was almost worse than any time I'd gone without oxycodone. A week before Amar came to my house, things were beginning to get out of hand. I was at home when I heard the mercenaries come banging on my door. I had barely noticed that my neighborhood was now empty. Everyone else had moved out or been bought out by some megacorp over the last few weeks.

I thought about calling for Nox, but I had grown sick of its presence. I slipped on my armored vest and loaded my Ares Predator. If they thought they could scare me from my home like they did everyone else, they had another thing coming.

The whole fight was a blur. Bullets flew on all directions. I bit one of them on the neck, spraying his blood all over his friends and myself. No sooner had they stepped foot into my house and I had killed all of them with the ferocity of some feral animal. As I stood there, catching my breath, I felt a sting in my left leg. One of them had managed to shoot me.

I quickly hid the bodies and hit the shower. I don't know what I was thinking in those moments, but I decided I would go to Sanjay to get my leg fixed. Maybe it was because he was the one doctor I could trust. Maybe a part of me missed him.

Sanjay was happy to see me, though the moment I told him I was shot, his look of happiness melted into disappointment. Still, he patched up my leg without protest nor did he ask me how or why I had been shot. Despite the pain as he quickly worked to remove the bullet, I had felt more at ease than I had in weeks.

When he finished, I began to ask an all too familiar question.  To my surprise,  Sanjay looked me in the eyes and said "No."

"Not any more, Kari. I can't keep giving you painkillers."

In an instant I rose from the examine table and punched him in the face. I don't know why I did it. I wasn't mad at him for saying 'no' for once. Rather than apologize, I immediately opened the medicine cabinet, grabbed a bottle of oxycodone and ran out of his clinic.

I didn't touch my commlink for days.  Sanjay kept calling or texting me but I never listened to the voicemails or read the messages.  I couldn't bare to face him after what I had done.  My haze of self-loathing and regret were jolted by a furious pounding on my front door and a familiar voice bellowing in Hindi.

It was worse than Sanjay confronting me about what I had done... It was his brother, Amar.  I couldn't avoid the situation any longer now that Amar was involved.  Reluctantly, I got up and answered the door.

Amar immediately pushed his way inside, berating me for everything.  Bitch. Coward.  Every name he could think to call me, he was screaming it now.  Deep down, I had nothing to say in my defense, but I screamed back at him nonetheless, demanding he leave.  He responded by striking me across the face, knocking me to the ground.  As he stood over me, I began to panic   Was he going to kill me for hitting Sanjay?  What if he found the bodies, would he kill me then?  My thoughts raced, instincts overrode my judgement...

I don't know how long I sat there staring in horror at what I had done, muttering to myself. Maybe part of me hoped it was just a horrible nightmare and Amar wasn't really dead in my house.  I pondered killing myself, but I couldn't bring myself to pull the trigger.  I was a coward, just like Amar said.

"KARI!"

Oh no.  The sinking feeling in my stomach became stronger than ever.  What was Sanjay doing here?! Had he followed Amar?  I froze.  Maybe if I didn't answer, he'd leave... Maybe I'd wake up from this nightmare.

"Kari, please... Can we talk?  I'm not even mad about what happened!"

Suddenly, my commlink started ringing at full volume, despite the fact I had kept it on mute since I had left Sanjay's clinic.  I fumbled in a panic before I finally managed to mute it.  I heard Sanjay call my name again.  Fuck.  He had heard it ringing.

I had to do something... I needed help.  Against my better judgement... I called for Nox.  It wasted no time manifesting in my kitchen.  Even though it never had a distinct face, I could sense it glaring at me like an annoyed parent.

"What is the problem?" It seemed to turn its head towards Amar.  "I fail to see why you called.  How is this one different from the others?"

"Fuck you, I'm not eating my friend."

"Why does it matter? He's clearly dead."

"Because his brother is outside looking for him and me!"  I immediately regretted telling Nox this.

"Oh, his brother is here?"

I sprung to my feet as Nox vanished into the shadows.  I didn't know how but I had to stop it before it hurt Sanjay.  I started to open my front door when I felt something hot tear through my stomach.  I found myself flat on my back, in complete agony. As I laid there, a voice with a thick Russian accent bellowed.

"STOP USING THE BAD VOODOO AND I MIGHT LET YOU LIVE!"

What... the... fuck.  Suddenly my commlink ringing made sense.  Some asshole hired shadowrunners to get rid of me and they had probably shadowed Sanjay here.  Of all the fucking timing in the world.  I really didn't need this.  Not when Sanjay was about to get killed by Nox.  I forced myself to get up.  I had to stop Nox but if that gun-wielding Russian asshole saw me holding my gun, I knew I was going to get wasted.  What was one more stupid idea?

I threw my gun out the door as hard as I could.  "FUCK YOU. KEEP IT."  I was probably throwing my life at a bunch of strangers but at this point, I didn't care.  I ran out the door and down the street as I heard Sanjay screaming at the top of his lungs.

Everything happened so fast.  Nox stopped its pursuit of Sanjay and briefly vanished. Who I presumed was the Russian, which I now saw was an Ork, that had shot me suddenly blurred by on my Mirage as someone called out Nox's true-name over and over.  The Russian grabbed Sanjay, then shot at Nox who had reappeared in front of the guy who yelled its name, shredding Nox into dust.

I immediately ran over to the Russian and grabbed Sanjay from him.  Sanjay stopped his screaming as I shook him by the shoulders, telling him to calm down and shut up.  Now I got a good look at the team sent to kill me.  The Russian remained on my bike while two elves seemed to exchange words briefly before coming over towards us.  Sanjay leaned against me, favoring his right leg.  I guess he sprained it or something when Nox attacked him.

The lighter elf reached out and said "Give me your commlink. I'm going to try and banish that spirit."

I wasn't about to argue as I was unarmed, outnumbered and bleeding out.  Of course, I didn't have to comply nicely either.  I pulled my commlink out and shoved it at the elf.  He seemed to fiddle with it and concentrate for a moment before saying, "Okay, I don't know if that worked or not, but hopefully it's gone."

As he handed my commlink back to me, he added, "You want to explain why you were eating people?"

Sanjay looked at me in horror. "What? Kari..."

"Can we talk about this later?"  I cast a hateful glance at the three men.  Fucking shadowrunnners...

"You two better leave here and never come back, " said the darker elf.  I flipped them off as I helped Sanjay down the road.  As we approached his car, Sanjay broke the awkward silence.

"Was that elf telling the truth?"

I didn't answer.  He sighed.

 "Did you kill Amar?"

Again, I didn't answer.  I couldn't tell him the truth, even now as everything came crashing down around me.  Finally, he asked.  "Did you... do the same to him?"

"No."

Despite his sprain, Sanjay insisted on driving.  Probably a good idea since I was beginning to black out by the time we got to his friend's clinic, not that Sanjay or I had much to say on the ride over.

I wasn't surprised when I woke up from surgery and Sanjay wasn't waiting for me.  His friend said I could stay for a day or two just to make sure I didn't develop an infection.  I didn't even bother asking if Sanjay had lied or told the truth about how we both got hurt.

The next afternoon, I woke up to see a large cardboard box and a note sitting on the counter addressed to me.  I picked up the letter and read it.

"Kari.  I hope you understand why I've done what I did.  I won't tell anyone what really happened but I cannot be around you any more.  I saved everything I thought you would need.  Good bye."

I opened the box.  Inside was my clothes and some personal belongings.  What did he mean by the letter?  My confusion was disrupted by his friend, "Hey, K... I think your house burnt down... Didn't you live by Canyon Road?"

I immediately walked out into the waiting room.  There on the trideo, the news showed my neighborhood was half smoldering ruins. The reporter talked about four men being found dead in an "abandoned" house near Puyallup on Canyon Road. Then it hit me... Sanjay had gone back, even though those runners or their Johnson might've been around, to destroy the evidence of what I had done.  His final act of friendship to me.

"You gonna be alright, K?"

"As much as I can be..."

They called me Kali...  Now I don't know what they'll call me.

[shadowrun-resonance]

[The Snake & the Chameleon: Part 3]

Part 1 Part 2

Gabi let out a heavy sigh as she took off her wig and started to slip out of the rest of her disguise. Part of her felt relieved she was safely back in her apartment, but she also felt exhilarated by the deception she had pulled off. It was a new rush.  Nothing like the cons she had pulled in the past.

Still... she was glad to be done with that ork.

"Nice place you got here."

Gabi's heart almost stopped as she whirled around to see Zeebo standing casually behind her. She quickly regained her composure. "What are you doing here? I thought we were done."

"Oh, we're far from done, 'Fernando'... " Zeebo grinned. Gabi felt her heart racing, but she remained outwardly calm. "What do you mean?"

"Tell me, what do you know about adepts and magic?" Zeebo asked calmly.

"What are you talking about?" Gabi admittedly knew little on the matter, just what she had heard on the trideo and been told in school. "Why are you in my apartment? How did you even get in here?"

"Simple. I followed you in.  As for why I'm here..." Zeebo shifted his weight and pondered, "Perhaps it would be easier if I showed rather than tell."

Gabi began to back up to the door. Maybe she could escape before this ork did whatever he had planned. Suddenly, he looked up and said "Okay. Open the gateway."

In an instant, Gabi's living room seemed to tear away, replaced by a dull and gray doppelganger  Every inch of her surroundings was gray and lifeless. Disoriented and admittedly terrified, Gabi looked wildly around. Zeebo and herself glowed with an inner light as did the single spider plant she kept on her kitchen windowsill. She could even see a few cockroaches, which she had long suspected were around, glowing under her oven. A much larger glow behind her caught her eye. Turning to face its source, she was met with a strange and vaguely humanoid shape; and it was blocking her door.

Gabi let a shriek escape her lips. She backed up and ran to the kitchen where she grabbed a knife from the sink. Zeebo held up his hands defensively."Whoa! We're not going to hurt you."

"What did you do to me?! What is going on!" Gabi demanded as she did her best to remain outwardly calm. 

"Please, put the knife down and have a seat. We have a lot to talk about and this rift won't stay open forever."

"Rift?"

"I had this spirit here open an astral gateway," Zeebo explained. "What you see before you is the astral plane. I promise I will explain everything."

Gabi knew a lie when she heard one.  She was quite an expert on deception. However, this ork seemed to be telling the truth.  It had been ages since she had heard someone be so honest. Zeebo gestured for her to take a seat. While she was still unsure of what was going on or why Zeebo had a spirit tearing rifts in her apartment, Gabi realized it was best to hear him out.

Slowly, she placed the knife on the kitchen table and sat down. Zeebo took a seat on the floor. "Now, tell me what you know about adepts."

"Just what I've seen on the trideo..." Gabi replied, eyeing Zeebo and the spirit warily. "Are you trying to tell me I'm one and I can run up walls or lift cars over my head?"

Zeebo laughed. "Adepts aren't always about brute strength and super-speed. Some can use mana to influence others to do things, to alter their appearance and to control their body language."

"Are you saying those are things I could learn to do?" Gabi asked in awe. Zeebo nodded. "I think you've recently awoken as an adept. However your innate talents don't manifest themselves as obviously as a physical adepts would, so you haven't noticed. Frankly, I didn't see it myself at first. It took a few encounters to realize it."

"Why are you telling me all this?"

"The Snake feels you are important and I need to guide you."

"The what?"

"My mentor spirit... You see, I'm a shaman." Zeebo continued to explain. "I summoned this spirit to help me show you the astral plane so you could observe your own aura. This way I can help you hone your powers."

Gabi remained silent, contemplating Zeebo's words. He seemed very sincere about all of this. Zeebo continued. "I want you to ask yourself... Do you want to waste your time stripping and going to college just to end up another SIN on some corp's payroll? Or do you want to see how far your potential goes and make some real nuyen doing it?"

He had her there.  Gabi suddenly found herself very intrigued by Zeebo's offer to mentor her.  For the past year she thought she had it figured out; go to college and get a degree in business or psychology, land a good paying gig at one of the various megacorps and live the high life.  Now, Gabi realized such a plan would take her fate out of her hands and she couldn't allow that.  She wanted to remain in charge of her own fate and she realized that with Zeebo's help, she could do that.

Almost as if he could read her thoughts, Zeebo smiled and said, "I'm sorry about the blackmail earlier.  I wanted to see what you were capable of and I really did need those materials. Now then, shall we get started?"

Throughout the night, Zeebo taught Gabi as best as he could about sensing the mana around them and demonstrated its effect on some of the mineral samples she had stolen for him, as well as how they reacted when he would cast spells.  

Over the next few weeks, Gabi followed Zeebo's lessons and focused inward, drawing on the ambient mana.  She gained greater control over her body language, now aware that she could use mana to maintain an air of calm even when she was at her most agitated. Soon she was finding that, with enough concentration, she could alter her appearance for an hour or so.  Pick any hair or eye color, even skin tone; she could do it all. All thanks to Zeebo revealing to her that she was awakened.

[shadowrun-resonance]

[The Snake & the Chameleon: Part 2]

Part 1

As Zeebo pulled into traffic, the young woman looked back at the very bewildered man who had originally hailed the cab.

"Uh, excuse me?" the young woman said from the back seat. "You forgot the other guy."

Zeebo said nothing at first. He peered into his rear-view mirror. For a lady who had basically been kidnapped, she was surprisingly stoic. Turning right into an alleyway, Zeebo glanced back and grinned.

"I'd be more worried about myself if I was you, 'Fernando'."

"Who's 'Fernando'? What are you talking about?" The young woman appeared calm, but Zeebo could see her aura. It crackled with agitation and fear; betraying her calm exterior and yet, Zeebo noted something. Her aura seemed to be drawing mana into it as if feeding a spell or power. Zeebo kept driving. He wasn't about to give this person a chance to bolt from the cab.

"I've seen your aura more than once, girl. You may have most of Chicago fooled, but I'm on to you."

Still outwardly calm, the young woman tried to bargain with Zeebo. "Okay, look. Please don't call the cops. I'll pay you back. I'll do anything, just let me go."

"Look, I've had a watcher spirit tail you since the last time you scammed my ride. You lead quite the double life. Stripping at night to pay for college during the day as 'Fernando'? Real waste of talent if you ask me."

The young woman in the back seat said nothing. Zeebo shrugged and continued towards the freeway. "Here's what you can do for me. Being a cabby doesn't pay that well and alchemical supplies are pretty expensive. You think you're talented enough at your little disguises to break into the lab at your college and get me a few things?"

"Just tell me what you need."

Zeebo smiled. "Sure thing."

A short time later, Zeebo pulled up in front of the young woman's apartment building. He turned to the young woman and said, "Now don't think about running away and skipping out on this. I know your aura and I can and will find you if you ditch ol' Zeebo. I'll be back later tonight so we can head out."

The young woman nodded and got out of the car. She walked up the stairs to the building's front door and glanced back at Zeebo. He waited until she went inside the building before driving back to his own apartment to make his own preparations. He realized that he was placing a lot of trust on this girl to do as he asked. She could easily call the cops on him, but he had seen the state of fear in her aura and knew that she wanted to avoid the cops as much as he did.

Later, as he pulled up a block away from the apartments, he looked around astrally. It would be easier to know 'Fernando' from the astral, given their previous skill in disguises. Sure enough, they approached the taxi, disguised as an older woman. Zeebo smiled and said, "Where too, madame?"

Their aura bristled with annoyance. She calmly replied, "You know where."

Zeebo smirked and pulled out into traffic. The ride to the college was silent. As they pulled up, Zeebo turned to 'Fernando' and said, "Now, just so we can stay in touch and I'll know if you found what I need, I'm going to need to cast a spell. Nothing dangerous, just telepathically links us."

"Why do you need to do that?" She asked defensively, letting their calm appearance slip for a moment. Zeebo sighed. "It's more secure than a commlink. Trust me, I'm not going to control your mind or anything."

"Fine. Whatever. Sooner we get this done, the sooner we can be done with each other."

"That's a smart girl."

She sighed as Zeebo seemed to focus on them for a second. "I don't feel any different."

"Spells aren't always obvious, kid." Zeebo's voice echoed, his lips never moving. "Now, get inside, act natural and I'll tell you when you've found what I need."

Zeebo watched quietly through the spell as she entered the building and casually walked up to the security desk. They spun some tale about locking themselves out of the lab earlier that day, leaving their passkey in their desk, and that they needed to retrieve some files for study.The security guard seemed to buy it and walked with 'Fernando' to the lab. Opening the door for them, the guard turned and walked back to their station. Cautiously, 'Fernando' walked into the lab and looked around.

"Over there. In that cabinet." Zeebo instructed telepathically. They walked up to the cabinet and of course it was locked. Looking through some nearby drawers, she managed to find a passkey.

"This had better work," 'Fernando' muttered as she swiped the card.  She let out a small sigh of relief as the lock clicked as it opened and no alarms seemed to go off.

"Good. Now grab those plant and mineral samples on the bottom shelf."

'Fernando' quickly pocketed the small cases, not caring what the labels said. After making sure the cabinet was locked back up, she quickly made their way out of the lab and past the security guard's station. The guard waved at her as she walked by, barely looking up from their desk. Fernando picked up her pace as soon as she got outside.

Zeebo unlocked the taxi's door and let Fernando in.  She quickly handed Zeebo the cases as soon as she got into the cab.  "There. I got you what you asked for."

"Thanks."

Without another word, Zeebo drove off and made his way back to Fernando's apartment.  The ride was quiet, but Zeebo could tell Fernando was apprehensive.  It was clear by her aura that she didn't trust him to keep his word.  As he pulled up to the building, Zeebo turned to Fernando and grinned.

"I'll see you around then."

Fernando scoffed and got out of the cab.  Zeebo watched as they walked to their apartment building,  not even looking back.  Things were going along perfectly.  Concentrating, Zeebo called out into the astral to a spirit.

"You called?"

"Yes. I need a little help shortly.  When I say so, I'm going to need an astral gate opened a bit later. I'll repay you, of course."

"Very well, shaman."

Zeebo parked his cab around the corner. Drawing upon the mana and whispering an incantation, he made himself invisible to the material plane. Looking up at the apartment building, he thought to himself, "Okay Zeebo,  it's showtime..."

  Part 3