Shooting Stars [IC]
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Shooting Stars [IC]
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Horn frowned: “Self-aware anthrodrones? Have you been peaking into the Dark Wave Season 2 scripts? The robot uprising should stay secret for the moment.”
He turned to Preston: “No, not really. I only know about them, because they approached Alex before and invited him to come over for a presentation.”Becky received a reply:
Winter: <<I’ll run the faces through our databases and let you know.>>Wacky: <<Nice, were did you get those? I’ll call you back as soon as I have the info.>>
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“Heh heh.” Al bowed his head and put up both hands in peace signs. “Mum’s the word, boss.”
Horn either didn’t know anything about the replicants or he wasn’t saying. Al’s gut told him not to press the issue for now.
And apparently the guy had nothing else to say about the Mars freaks. No reason for him to hold back, it would only lower the odds of getting Veljanov back.
He shoved the rest of his hot dog into his mouth. At least all of it that wasn’t already on his face and his shirt. He didn’t seem to notice. He turned to go, then turned back, mouth still full bread and fake meat. “So he was innerested inna whole Mission ta Mars thing? Some kinda death wish? Tired o’ this life? Done an’ seen all there is ta do on our borin’ little ol’ rock?’
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“He told me, that he’d like to try his hand at writing scripts and thought those guys would give him some inspiration. We discussed the matter of going off world over a bottle of wine once and I’m pretty sure he did not want to leave earth – saying whatever bad things happen here, it’s still much more comfortable than what awaits us in space.”
Horn replied while shaking his head. -
“Well, reckon it was clear he didn’t go willin’ly. Guess they liked him more’n he liked them. Okay, thanks boss.”
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“Just in case there is more than one thing going on here: anything new happened in his life recently that you know of? New or ended relationship or friendship? New major investment or something gone bad? Issues with the show?”
“Even if we are right about them wanting him for their off planet scheme, there is always the question of ‘why now?’ The answer may not have anything to do with him, but we should be aware of anything that could be a contributing factor. This is looking … not straightforward. So every bit of info can help.”
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Horn shrugged: “If anything, Alex’ career was picking up steam. He got more publicity by the day. Maybe it was just that he got famous – or those people want to get at his money. I can’t imagine that a space mission comes cheap.”
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“I’m still wrapping my head around there being all these people who have lived for millennia. That old doesn’t guarantee being rich — you could have lost it all in anything from wars to shipwrecks to the dutch tulip bubble — but it sure seems that it would make it pretty easy to be rich. And the age of the stuff in the house argues that he wasn’t broke a hundred years ago.”
“What I’m getting at is, how much did the money from his career really matter to him? Was he not already wealthy? Or had he partially bottomed out somewhere along the line?”
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Horn shrugged anew: “I’ve known Alex for maybe ten years. I helped him get out from his contract with Ares Entertainment and he was already rich back then. But he never went crazy with his money, always kept his expenses reasonable and knew how to manage his own stuff. My gut tells me that all this was more about expressing himself as an artist – though the success and money certainly didn’t hurt along the way.”
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Al belched. “Listen, seriously amigos, hate ta interrupt. Y’all keep talkin’ all ya want. But the new KKM Reloaded premiers in two minutes, an’ if I wait, then damned spoilers’ll be ever’where. Ol’ Al’s jist goin’ back ta the Gov. Y’all take yer time.”
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“Any additional mission parameters at this point — time, lethality, collateral damage, media exposure? Obviously we prefer quick, soft, quiet, unnoticed, but sometimes there are trade offs between those and probability of success. I’m assuming paramount is getting him back, with the rest preferences, unless you tell us different.”
<<Team [Preston] Lilly, Becky, over to you two, I’ve asked my questions. After, I suggest we retreat to the boat house to figure out what next.>>
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Horn nodded: “So do I, but if in doubt: Just bring him back healthy.”
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Back in the Gov, Al routed his trid feed to the windshield’s HUD. But he still had a few minutes left, so he opened a window and started looking more closely at the images he’d downloaded from the never-die’s secret sec system. Focusing on the joygirls, he couldn’t see what he wanted during the opening bits of the party – they were showing a lot of flesh, but apparently not enough – what he was looking for could be anywhere, depending who’d put it there….
So he fast-forwarded to the bedroom. Fortunately, Veljanov liked his fun with the lights on. It saved Al buying a bunch of software to extrapolate images based on low ambient light levels. The girls were soon in their birthday suits, and thanks to Veljanov’s apparent propensity for a full range of coital acrobatics, Al soon found what he was looking for. Right below where their panties’s waistbands would have been – had they worn any – on the left side, and small enough he had to zoom in, were identical tats. So they were the property of the Crimson Crush. Orks operating out of Touristville and Bargain Basement in Redmond.
Al didn’t know a lot about that area or that gang, but he knew someone who would, and who’d be happy to help. With the tape still running on the windscreen, he was just dialling Buntha when Becky climbed into the shotgun seat and took a look at the screen.
“Not exactly Karl Kombatmage, Al.”
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Rebbeca texts Wacky back >> I don’t disclose my sources.
She seats by Al at the Gov and actually asks “Make me a copy of that, for…” ahem “Further investigation” chuckling she adds “Perhaps I get some new ideas…” -
“Heh heh. Yer gon’ need a wingman ta pull that one off. He looks like he’s seen it before though – s’pose yer around fer a few centuries, ya learn yer share o’ tricks. Anyhoo, check this out,” Al said, again zooming in on the marks on the joygirls’ hips. “Crimson Crush brand. No pun intended. Jist callin’ a friend who can tell us where they run they whores out of, an’ hopefully that’s where we can find our ladies….”
<<Buntha baby!>>
<<Al???>>
<<That’s me, amigo.>>
<<Been a long time.>>
<<Busy. An’ better that way.>>
<<Damn straight. Long time, but forever’s not long enough to make those guys forget.>>
<<Reckon I’ll take my chances. Listen, I’m steerin’ way clear o’ yer people – don’t wanna queer that hands-off order. But I jist need some info.>>
<<That hands-off order means I’ll never say no, Al. You know we’ll always be grateful. Except Hun, of course, but you know how he is.>>
<<Listen I jist need ya ta send me the names o’ the places the Crimsons run they joygirls out of.>>
<<Anyone in particular?>>
<<No no no – I don’t want ya involved. Jist the joy joints, same as you’d tip any tourist with more spunk than junk.>>
<<No problem, Al, headed your way.>>
Two minutes later, Al had five Touristville and Bargain Basement addresses, and as soon as Preston and Lily were back in the van they were headed in that direction.
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Rebbeca said with a hint of bitterness “Technically I am the wing-woman…” Not that she did a threesome, but a lifetime of being the ‘lover’ made that an old wound for her. Then she smirks “So they actually named their gang with the stage name of a joy-girl.”
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Al was about to make some corrective remark about how long the Crush had been a force in Redmond, but he sensed he’d inadvertently touched a nerve with his friend – something about her toxic relationship with that corped-out goombah whose simulacrum had appeared back on the Red Planet – so he dropped it and concentrated on driving.
Red Planet. Funny way to think of the place. It had been deserted, and the sand had been red. The stars too. So he thought of it as the Red Planet.
But of course that was what they called Mars, too.
Of course that place hadn’t been Mars. For one thing, there’d been air. And from what he understood, there wouldn’t be crap for a manasphere on a lifeless rock like that. Other things too.
Still, it was funny he’d thought that, considering the crap the bad guys in this job seemed to be mixed up in. Hopefully just a silly unconscious association. But he’d have to keep an open mind….
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With the info on where to look for those girls, Al was able to narrow it down even further by studying the five matrix sites of the Crimson Crush etablisments. Paxi and Fixi were the two girls unlikely names. According to the site, they could be booked for stag parties at the Heron’s Gentleman Club (HGC) – absolute discretion guaranteed…
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By the time Preston was done with niceties and made it back to the Gov, Al and Becky had already found the joygirls.
* Oleg: Figures that Al would have a nose for the lowest forms of entertainment
* Monkey: I wonder if I can ever get so good at it?
* Eliza: There is a good chance that they will divulge information for cash, especially with Becky’s persuasiveness.“Well, if they are available for hire, I say we go rent a real high-class hotel suite, the kind that comes with its own warding, and we book them in. Both room and girls will cost a bit, but the savings over doing anything roundabout should be worth it. Of course they may mysteriously be ‘no longer available for bookings’, depending on how paranoid the abductors are. I’m not very good at outright lying though, could someone else make the call? You could call it a stag, or celebration of a promotion, or a birthday … just as long as it doesn’t set off alarm bells.“
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“Reckon that’s a great idear. Controls the situation better’n meetin’ in the club. But jist ta be safe, I’ll go into the club an’ git eyes on ’em, no approach. Lily can watch the back. Then you guys call ’em – Preston’s the John, but Becky’ll be there ta handle talkin’ to ’em. If they take the date an’ go ta the hotel, me an’ Lily don’t gotta do nothin’. But if they do a runner fer any reason or maybe the bad guys try ta keep ’em from meetin’ us, Lily an’ I can step in an’ scoop ’em up. Sound good?”
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Rebbeca replies “Let’s not tip our hand too much, we book a hotel room and hire them for Preston bachelor’s party. Don’t be overly eager to hire Fixy and Pixy… Try hiring some other slut, find out she’s busy then try them…
The two also need to be properly slotted before they head back regardless of how useful their answers to our questions are. Clients that just talk are too memorable.” She looks at Al and Preston “Looks like you’ll have to take one for the team. Is that reasonable? Don’t want to assume anything on your relationship status. Perhaps even gossip with them in a way that does not invokes suspicion, be a fan of our stud star or something.”
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