The Station
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The Station
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“no, like I said I have issues with personal contact” she shrugged “they lean in and I’m back there. I have the skills to make sure it doesn’t happen again. Being beaten to a pulp is not most guys idea of great first date”
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Ben grins and then says “You can try it with me, I have military grade titanium bones and orthskin that kept me alive longer than I should have. I know Krav maga so beating me to a pulp would intrigue me more than repulse. Though, seriously I did not bring you here to flirt. Here is the job – I am not sure you are the woman for me, but I’ll let you decide – well because I am a bit desperate here.”
Ben shrugs “Well, here is the story. I was building a team for an assassination a good team with a top-notch decker, myself and my two children, and a beautiful Banshee assassin. Our mark is a Blood mage that has recently risen to power and pissed off people with the means to pay 1 million nuyen for an assassination. Not the kind of people to piss off.
My assassin had emotional issues, serious ones. She went into a dangerous medical procedure that failed and caused her to lose her recent memories. She remembers nothing of the plan or of herself, now the doctors suggested that she may recall with time, and so I stalled and tried to get her to trust me again and to do her job. You cannot just back down on a job at this scale, not after she wasted the retainer already. I kept the J in the dark because I did not imagine that the bitch would run AWOL and escape without letting me know, or at least get my children out of harm’s way. Not after all we did for her.
Long story short, the J killed my daughter infront of my eyes and has her brother traumatized for life, a hostage. I am a terrible parent, and if I do not have this vampire, blood mage dead shortly then my son will be murdered too. I am talking 500k nuyen work – but the problem is that our plan involved seduction. Brute force is difficult, even the police leave him alone due to the powerful wards, and mighty magic kabal. Border patrol is capable of offing him of course, but nobody is mad enough to unleash them in Tel Aviv.
but the scum has a weakness for a hot tail. So we planned to have our assassin seduce him, and once she could get him alone murder him and get out. Possibly in his sleep or something, I have no idea what happens in this plan – and people that can pull of a shtick like that are difficult to find in this backwater country. Everybody knows each other, so we don’t get many anonymous girls that have a potential to get close enough to do it.”
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Wolf howled in delight
“blood mage? Not an issue. We’ll have to see what we can do shan’t we?” she said in a dreadfully flat tone
She tried not to but she could not help it. The howl started deep in her throat. Ben had to sit while the posed and polished woman made this bone chilling noise.
” dreadfully sorry happens when I get a hunt, mutt won’t stop it” she arranged herself carefully “we’ll get this little job sorted then we’ll work out two killings” -
Ben seems surprised by the response “Easy their wolf girl, think about the things you may need to do before the kill. Once he is alone with you and naked, perhaps dosing off, killing should be the easy part. It is getting him to lower his defenses that is the difficult one.”
…
Ben stops at a gas station out of the city, it is dark and he says “there is a little convenience store – go change at the toilets and then bring some chocolate snacks think five or six children so get the large pack. “ He takes out his wallet and hands her some local cash for the transaction.
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“I’ll get the food first then I’ll strap my stuff on, won’t take long”
Few minutes later she was back with a bag full. Ben pull the truck back on to the highway as BB strapped her equipment on. Ben began to feel a little bit more confident as he watched her systematically arm herself. ‘Quietly competent’ Jerk had told him. Finished with her arsenal, se reached into the bag a pulled out a pair or cheap sunglasses in the shape of stars and put them on
“they look ridiculous” he commented
“that’s the idea” she replied “maskravoka, if folk think I’m a bubble head and a wannabe they start looking for in the wrong place for the threat”
“oh, I see”
She tapped up her planner in her comm “right! so why don’t you start telling about our mark. Did you say he was a vampire? Is he mist form or hard to hurt?” -
Ben replies “Nothing like that, he is a businessman and a crime lord. You see, we are going to punishment town which is basically a large fish barrels for vampires to feed. Israel survives because we made a deal with the devil, cultivating one evil to combat another.
You see, naturally occurring magical talent is unpredictable, and difficult to weaponize. Some have it, most don’t develop it. Some try to develop it and fail… it is not enough for our needs.So we cultivated the HMVV virus, which caused a lot of diplomatic isolation but we had decades of excellent biogenetic research. Now there is another country on the fringes of our civilization, an organized unit of powerful, and optimized vampires. They keep us safe from Jerusalem, and we provide them with food in exchange. You smuggled people in here, chances are some of them are going to end up as vampire food.
So, this King asshole is a rogue officer – vampires should remain on their side of the wall. This is the agreement, and the government has some leverage on them, a balance of power if you will. The vampires depend on some drug to survive, so if they misbehave they die within a week.
Anyhow, we are dealing with a unit of highly dangerous, military-grade vampires that decided to misbehave. I have no idea how they receive their weekly drug dosage, nor do I care if the scumbags are bloodsuckers or not. Enough people here would kill you, at least vampires kill for a biological need. Right now everybody is playing dumb, the border patrol does not admit that there is a rogue unit, the army does not intervene, and the local police is unequipped to cope with such a massive magical threat.
So, this real estate investor our Jhonson is being blackmailed by this new king of the underworld. He hired me to solve his problem because solving it in the legal department would put him at odds with powerful players he needs in order to build. For his defense, it is personal for Gindi as well, the vampire took his daughter as well.
Technically speaking, think about a cabal of nearly invincible vampires, each with its own spirits, and military grade magical education. They work together and can offer enough counterspelling to undo any spell cast at them. Worse yet, you will be infiltrating their layer – where they are most powerful. It is a massive astral barrier that none of our mages was able to pass. We simply do not have this kind of magical power this side of the border.
The thing is, he is a vampire and he likes sexy ladies, and he is alone when he feeds. He usually cultivates a relationship with the lady, makes her feel important sleep with her for several months as he gradually finishes her off. Basically, treat his victims like girlfriends, now he normally eats prostitutes I know because I supply them. Shadows of Israel are small, and I am one of the few people that are connected enough to move these things under the radar. My original thought was to gift him with a truly spectacular gift – an infected slave that he can drain forever without needing to kill anyone else himself. She looked like a top model too… So the idea was to have him get attached to her until she figures out the best way to kill him.
I anticipated that this way is to doctor his weekly drug dosage, and had someone prepared fake drug capsules that would kill a vampire to pop. Though, we know not where they get their drugs, this is why we needed infiltration. That plan needs to change, as you cannot regain lost essence by feeding yourself, and local vampires are incompatible with each other. “
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“if these guys are as powerful as you say, any person you send in there is dead, basic detection spell will uncover them in minutes, hours if your lucky. Detect enemy or detect thought and they are done. That means your infiltration plan is a write off from the get go. You don’t stick your head in the bear cave to shoot the bear. ” Alex paused scanning the stony countryside pass them “if you can definitely confirm they are using blood magic, we can unleash the dog on them. Blood mage bring 25k a head. I can let a few colleagues know IF” she emphasised “if we can confirm blood magic, the mayhem that will cause will allow us to get close or flush him into the open”
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“Detect enemies only detects someone that specifically intend to harm you right now. It can detect you when you have an intention to act violently. It would not detect replacing the drug with poison for example, and it will not detect you if your motivation is simply to kill the blood mage – with no specific antipathy toward the individual that cast it. As long as it is not personal for you, you should be okay. Just replace the drug somehow – and we win.
As for crying Blood magic, different country different rules. It is allowed… Most vampires practice it, most with their own sacrifice to avoid addiction. There are the occasional lunatics. The only capital crime is having vampires on this side of the border. It is difficult to invoke, as it is kept quiet… more like a known secret. Call it a power struggle with local and national politics… Terrible system, but this is why we get paid so much. “
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“if these guys are off the reservation, then they are fare game for bounty hunters. even if blood magic is tolerated. Even if the authorities don’t want a scene its still creates background noise for use to hide in and might even force a mistake.” Alex held her hands out offering that” If you cannot get right to the centre I would suggest tracking the line of supply. If the shadows are that small here then we have a good chance of turning up their line of supply ” she paused” tell me more about these drugs they have to take” she mused
Having such a large supply of food, how did they stop them going feral. Every vampires worst nightmare, folklore across the board was that a little piece of your humanity and sentience remained, trapped and screaming, once you went feral. She remembered the haunted look in EBs eyes when she had asked her “if I turn, promise you’ll find me and end it? Promise! Lexie I need you to promise” the intensity had been off putting to say the least. -
Ben replies “You are thinking about a wild strain, we made a lot of progress since then. Think decades of bioengineering to maximize the benefits and minimize the side-effects. They don’t suffer most of the side effects of wild strains. They are mostly the same people they were before, on the surface that is. The psychology of a person that has to feed on his own kind irreversibly changes. Most vampires see a therapist and have some success in maintaining their role in the family. They are all volunteers, people that took the ultimate sacrifice for their countries, infection happens in some military base in the Negev – and one has to go through an extensive physical and mental evaluation to get it. Many people choose this path as it offers long and exciting life, as well as a handsome compensation.
The drug is manufactured by two well-guarded factories one in Haifa, and the second in Ashdod. I do not understand exactly what happens when they do not take it. I know that it is bad, they are addicted to the core to that stuff – and some of them start to excessively feed and become inhuman monsters. Their physical appearance changes as well, and then they just die about a day or two later… Unless anybody kills them before that. The drug cannot bring one back from this state. If you miss a dosage or two and you are gone. I am not sure if this is a mechanism of control, or because the government used the nastiest of the strains to ensure full access to magical abilities.
In any case, all vampires have the potential to any kind of magic, most of them are full mages, and are trained in conjuring, and ritual spellcasting. Most are spell slingers, but their most scary force is their spirit army. As a unit, the border patrol commands thousands of bound spirits and powerful watchers. “
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“sound a bit like the drugs they use for cyber ancy, to keep you in touch with your humanity” As she nonchalantly scanned the passing world Big bird nodded “we need to trace that supply route to understand” she shifted in her seat “help us work out where they are syphoning off their cut” she leant back “that’s going to be a big can of worms to open. Many many bad people ”
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Ben replies “Not my forte, I can hook you up with some specialists if you like. I have a connection to one of the guys that developed the darn thing. He is my neighbor. “ There is real darkness after the car crosses the wall, not a bit of artificial light to the east. The car leaves the city behind it and progresses into the darkness. The sky is covered with heavy clouds, and occasional lighting is the only illumination besides the car’s lights. As they move Alex notices that there are settlement points, they even pass a gas station, but there does not seem to be electricity anywhere. Everything is deserted. Alex can feel the background count, affecting her magical skills it is terrible (BGC of 4). The conversation grows quiet, as a sense of primal fear moves inside.
The wind howels like a wounded animal, and the trees struggle to stay in place. This is not a normal wind, it seems to get stronger the more they move – and there was no wind just a few Kilometers away in Tel Aviv. Alex intuitively understood that normal weather patterns do not behave like that.“It is a big storm, be vigilant” he says.
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Alex fired up every piece of electronics she had.
“it’s going to take some time to get used to this place. I’m going to be closer to mundane for a while”
Wolf acknowledged this by being violently ill all over her shoes.
“your on your own with this one” he admitted and winked out of existence. -
The wind gets stronger, and deep rain starts pouring. It is not water, but some oily black drops. These are too much for the wipers, and they seem to have a will of their own. They block all visibility and seem to be equal on all windows. Ben activates his radar sensor that projects the surrounding inside the car. The car continues to drive, but it seems sluggish as if something is slowing it down. Ben says “I have never seen anything quite like this. We should be safe while inside, the car should be solid on the astral… as much as a muggle like me would know.
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“muggle? How would I know? I’m an adept. Wouldn’t know the astral if it walked up and stole my wallet” Alex look closer at the black secretion cthe stuff washes out of your hair? Right? ”
She leaned back into her chair.” how we going about this pick up if there is this storm? “ -
Ben says, “It is a local magical threat, I called border patrol. They are fierce, and their spirits are already outside. They need this food. The storms are not that bad, and the rain never looks like that. We need to stop as the engine is overheating. I am just trying to stop in a safe place. Keep inside, and as long as nothing breaks in – we do not engage.”
By the time the van stops the black grease like fluid covers the entire van. It is impossible to see anything, but there is combat outside. The battle cries are evident – and the shrikes of pain are chilling. There is some low undertone, a voice – or a mental voice – it is impossible to be sure. Something is trying to speak to Alex’s mind, but she can barely hear the words, and the language is unfamiliar to her.
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Against spirits: her fists and blades were best; they were ready to hand so she relaxed and dialed up some classic British comedy to drag her enquiring mind away from the whispering spirt voices, with their empty promises and hollow threats. As goons, pythons and Vic and Bob regaled her with strange esoteric humour, she tried to explain to her employer who look at her as though she truly was stark raving mad.
“sorry, why would he insure the English channel against fire? I’m lost” -
Ben looks perplexed but remains inside. Few times there are clear blows to the windows – but the bulletproof glass holds true. It only takes a few seconds when his link blips and Ben declares – we are in the clear. He exits the car and begins wiping off the thick oily black liquid that covers the windshield. Cursing the cold, and the rain as he does. Alex can see that they stopped on a dark gas station that has seen better days.
The rest of the drive to Punishment town is eventless, except for the grumpy and wet soldier-like driver. The city itself seems like a large prison, there are fences and sentry towers – but they seem to watch for people getting out more than they do for people getting in. The van pulls over in a large supermarket, and Ben delivers a person that awaits. Them, the two makes some small talk about the weather and the conditions. While miserable people unload the crates into the supermarket unpacking fresh produce. It seems strange at first that such desperate people would have access to prime food – but physically they seem healthy. Their desperation seems unrelated from their physical existence, something in their never direct look – or lack of Smalltalk and quiet demeanor.
Their host, the man Ben delivered the envelope to invites the couple for some Turkish coffee in a small heated room. They talk briefly among each other, the man asks Ben a question – and Ben nods in response.
Spoiler: -
Alex trails behind ben, keeping her eyes on the edges of the scene. Not letting the centre of attention draw her in. It may have seemed like inattention but she was very aware of everything around her at that moment.
Their host ushered them to a room where. He turned
“my forgiveness but can I know your name, I missed what Ben Said” the man turned to ask.
“I’m know as Big bird.”
“oh come now you must have a real name”
“well you know,” she shrugged “a girl has to have some secrets” she gave him a winning smile and a direct look
a dead eyed orc Woman brought a tray, killing the moment. -
The man boils some coffee on a small pot, and then asks “More importantly, do you like black coffee? (Turkish Coffee) ” He pours the coffee into tiny glasses and says “cheers”.
He asks “Can I talk around her?” Ben replies “She’s cool.”
Then the man continues “I have two kids for you to take back, payment as usual.” Ben shrugs “Way out is dangerous, we were attacked on the way in – do you think it is wise?”
The man says “They are new in here, never been essence drained yet. Next time you come they’ll be traumatized. Their parents insist we do that today.”
How young are they?”
The man explains “brother and sister, they are six and eight. We gave them sedatives, and are loading them in the crates as usual. Don’t get them killed.”
Ben sighs “I’ll do my best”.
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