Episode 12 – A.C. Johnson Makes His Move
The Thelas nomads offer a replacement to fill the hole left by the death of Sam Fisher.
Reaching an impasse in his investigation into Martin Long’s murder, Ricco makes Hank Tremont aware of Rain’s involvement. Continued protests by Reverend Billy Bob Weems and his followers fuel tensions that boil over into violence.
Alina Lanikova ends her stay with federal authorities. Charlie’s naïve hiring practices are forgiven by a final successful test of his laser pistol.
Reverend Weems suffers the same fate as Thomas Becket. With means, motive and opportunity, Ricco becomes the prime suspect, suitable for framing. At the urging of his brother (A.C. Johnson) Senator Brainerd Johnson pushes for hearings aimed at Ricco and the resort. A death in her new family causes Beebe to contemplate murder, while Natty’s entire world implodes.
Background
President Whindam has made it the goal of his fifth term as president, to restore the sovereignty of the Unite States of America over the four southern states colloquially known as the ‘Cotton Kingdoms’. Under this directive, several teams have been formed to implement a plan concocted by C.I.A. Deputy Director Hamilton Greeley and US Attorney for the District of Northern Florida Richard Sharkey. One of these teams (The PCs) has been tasked with running the Petersen Point Resort. Located in Santa Rosa County, on Florida’s panhandle, this seedy old tourist destination is perfectly situated, between the Pensacola COG and Alabama border. Though they may be tasked with the occasional field op, the Petersen Point team’s primary mission is to act as a ‘safe haven’ and staging ground.
Members of this ‘Dirty Deeds’ team have been provided with cover jobs at the hotel. Sam Fisher, a retired Delta Force colonel and C.I.A. assassin, was the original team leader. His cold blooded murder of an Alabama State Trooper caused his employers to reevaluate his tenure.
Since his untimely death at the hands of a C.I.A. cleaner, the role of team leader has fallen to Ricco Torres. The Brazilian born ex-cop turned corporate executive walks a fine line between loyalty to Disney and the needs of the mission. Those goals of are in alignment, for now…
Dramatis Personae
The Team
Beebe Lafferty: A young tech and member of the Snake Nation helping Charlie with his various projects. She is the daughter of retired Major Beatrice ‘Bea’ Lafferty, who gained fame (or infamy) by firing the first ortillery strike of the Fourth Corporate War on Night City.
Betty Lu: An attractive 25 yo lawyer of Chinese descent. Despite her appearance she is a Texas girl, through and through.
Brandon Heath: A solo who serves as head of security at the Petersen Point Resort. He is a member of the ‘Dirty Deeds’ crew. Unknown to everyone but Doctor Eduardo Ricci, Brandon is an experimental Biomechanical (cyborg) with one of Doc Freeman’s ‘cyberbrains’. Brandon was originally Grave, a cyborg from the Fourth Corporate War, who was later (2026) convicted of authorizing the murder of a young hacker and his family. Grave was supposedly executed but the government put him in their Project Kill Switch Program (see Super Solo 2 Campaign for details). He was rescued from a top secret government lab by his friend, Caitlin Jones.
Charlie Bibbliodoc: A master weaponsmith and owner of Boss Arms. He is a Snake Nation nomad in the area who is working on two projects. One is a government DARPA sponsored program to develop next generation laser technology. The other is to rearm and rehabilitate weapons systems for the floating colonies and vessels of the Thelas Nation in the Gulf of Mexico. He is an old friend of Sam Fisher from the Romanian Campaign.
Doctor Eduardo Ricci: This man is the hotel physician and a ‘Dirty Deeds’ employee. He is a Brazilian national who used to work with Roca Terrier, and is trained in bio-mechanical repair.
Owen ‘Crank’ Wolf: A young, muscle bound solo with experience in managing bars and other watering holes. He is a member of Sam’s ‘Dirty Deeds’ crew. His cover is Food and Beverage manager at the Petersen Point Resort.
Ricco Torres: A former member of the Rio de Janeiro Civil Police who became a private investigator when his friendship with certain ‘unsavory’ characters came to light. The Disney Corporation hired him to assist an Edgerunner team brought in to push their political agenda in Rio. In the process a monstrous plot that cost the lives of thousands of residents of the infamous favelas was uncovered and Ricco figured prominently in bringing the conspirators to justice. He was promoted and moved to Walt Disney World in Florida. When the United States government asked Disney for help, they sent Ricco who is now general manager of the Petersen Point Resort.
And introducing –
Mason Verge: A former Marine Force Recon member turned freelance solo with a good relationship with the Thelas nomads and a distinct dislike for the Alabama State Police.
The NPCs
Arthur Cletus ‘AC’ Johnson is the leader of the organized crime family in the area. His partnership with Hadley Walters Jr. has given him the respectability he needs to get his younger brother (the middle one), Brainerd, elected to the state legislature. The man is smart and savvy. His power base is Pensacola and controls all the drugs, gambling and prostitution. It is believed he ‘has something’ on the Escambia County Sheriff, who ignores his criminal activity.
Alina Lanikova is the lead dancer at the Blue Moon Revue. She is a stunningly beautiful (ATTR 10), tall 29 year old Czech woman. Her skills are exceptional and she acts as ‘Den Mother” to the other dancers. She lives at the Resort with her teenage daughter.
Amy Fry is a young Thelas and sister of Jason Fry. She dates Sammy Trang, the drummer of Velvet Blue.
Andrea Hutton is a hot twenty one year old senior and a marketing/PR prospective intern from Jacksonville State University, who is determined to claw her to the top.
Angus Young is one of the most successful farmers in the county and he lives in Blackwater. His daughter, Anne, was killed recently by the Alabama State Police.
Bea Lafferty is Beebe’s mother and a famous edgerunner from the Fourth Corporate War.
Calvin Jenkins is an enforcer for A.C. Johnson now wanted for murder.
Carrie Anne Thorn is the assistant hotel manager and bookkeeper at the Petersen Point Resort. She is a small white woman is her early sixties. Carrie Anne has arthritis so she doesn’t walk a lot.
Charles Ingersoll is the grandson-in-law of Sophie Petersen, widow of Randy Petersen and heiress to the Petersen Family Trust. He serves as CEO of the Petersen Point Properties Group.
Claude ‘DJ’ Clemmons is the MC and now runs the Blue Moon Revue under Crank’s direction. He is a 32 year old black Creole from New Orleans.
Constable Freddy Timmons of Blackwater is a rotund little man in his forties, who stutters a bit and seems almost comically nervous.
David Lloyd is a low level accountant sent by Petersen Point Properties to see the reasons for the stunning turnaround at the Petersen Point Resort.
Drew ‘Tiny’ Barton is A. C ’s chief enforcer. He is a large and heavily cybered Afro-American (EMP 1) with 10 years military experience. He was cashiered from the army for almost killing his superior officer and served 8 years in prison. He is extremely dangerous and intelligent.
Gardner Weems is the old white cracker who runs the resort’s marina. He is also a Blackwater Town Councilman.
Greg Harris is the second son of Roger Harris who owns the Blackwater General Store. He used to date Natty before she blew him off for Steve Zelinsky. He’s not a bad kid and still pines for her. His sister Suzie was killed by the Alabama State Police in the same incident as Anne Young.
Henrique: A former Favela drug lord (nicknamed the King Snake) and leader of the Red Command who took a government amnesty offer and got out of the drug business. Henrique used to belong to a Brazilian pop group manufactured by a record company. When his voice changed he was fired and thrown back into the favela where he rose to the top of the local gang. The man now runs a media company which works with Disney. He and Ricco Torres grew up together with Ricco being the younger ‘brother’ (nicknamed Cobrinha – Little Snake).
Henry ‘Hank’ Tremont is the president of the local charter of the Visigoths. He is a tough smart leader with eight years military experience. It was he that put together the smuggling connection with the nomads and used those connections to run guns and supplies to the rebels in Alabama after the Alabama State Police murdered his two sons in cold blood eight years ago.
Hillary Williams an elderly resident of Blackwater who was murdered before she could testify against Ronnie Johnson.
Jack Shepard, the marina manager and a Thelas nomad. He is ex-military and is organizing the resort’s defenses.
Jason Fry is a young Thelas nomad serving of Charlie’s test ship, the Sea Snake. His sister is Amy Fry. He has a thing for Beebe.
Lance Young, a local DJ who is now working at the Blue Moon Revue.
Lt. Dalton Beauregard (D.B.) Watson is from the Alabama State Police Criminal Investigation Division who was in Blackwater to investigate the killing of three Alabama State Policemen.
Martin Long was a drug dealer for the Rattlesnakes MC, who was murdered last year. His killing has ignited a gang war.
Michelle Petersen is the mother of Karl Petersen, granddaughter of the founder of the resort, Clarence Petersen and niece of Sophie and the late Randy Petersen. She was the ‘wild child’ of her generation. Michelle is one of the biggest landowners in the area and lives on the old Petersen Farm. She runs a craft and leather goods shop called ‘Crafty Michelle’s’.
Nancy Petersen is the daughter of a Karl Petersen and used to be a cocktail waitress at the Panhandle saloon. She is preparing to reopen the Beach Creamery for her grandmother, Michelle.
Natty Lanikova is the daughter of dancer Alina Lanikova and the teenage bassist for Velvet Blue. She dates Steve Zelinsky of the Visigoths and doesn’t speak English very well.
Paris Saint Claire is the lead singer for the band Velvet Blue and granddaughter of Eustis Saint Claire. She and Natty are best friends.
Paulo is the leader of Henrique’s location scouting team and an old friend of Ricco Torres.
‘Peg-leg’ Porter was an old pirate (Thelas Nomad), who was thrown out of his pack and went land bound. He was involved in the drug conspiracy involving the Rattlesnakes and was murdered in Episode 6.
Rain was the distributor for Ronnie Johnson’s Panhandle Drug Operation. She is a thin black haired white girl with a number of tats. She is out on bail awaiting trial. She ratted out the Rattlesnakes-Thelas drug connection to the Johnson Crime Clan.
Rat is a nomad ‘Dog Soldier’ (nomad enforcer) with a particular hatred for drug dealers. He was working with Ricco Torres to end the drug dealing out of the Panhandle Saloon which led to his murder in Episode 9.
Reverend ‘Billy Bob’ Weems is head of the Santa Rosa Evangelical Church of Jesus Christ and leader of a group called the “Fundies” by the locals. He is an extremely charismatic and has a large following. The man hates the modern world and has even gone so far as to get cyberware banned in the county. That law against possession was struck down after a long court fight that cost the county a fortune, but it is still illegal to sell or install anything remotely related to cyberware. He was responsible for getting ordinances against serving alcohol on Sundays. He is the first cousin of Gardner Weems, but they haven’t spoken in over 25 years. The man is a registered Republican and extremely right wing.
Richard King is a highly placed Disney executive that deals in ‘delicate’ situations. He is the man Disney sends, when things are going wrong and action must be taken. He has the nickname ‘King Dick’, but never to his face!
Sammy Trang is the drummer of the band, Velvet Blue and boyfriend of Amy Fry.
Sandomir ‘Sandy’ Zelinsky is the Vice President of the Visigoths MC. He is a tall blonde, green eyed man. Wild and fun loving in his youth, Sandy has matured into a clever and experienced leader. He and Hank are best friends.
Senator Brainerd Johnson is a member of the Florida State legislature and is corrupt as the day is long. He, his second wife, Carol, and four children live in Tallahassee and Escambia County. His first wife and child were killed in a plane crash after that wife left him.
Sheila Belanger Zelinsky is Sandy Zelinsky’s wife and Steve’s mother. She shares a special bond with Beebe’s mother, Bea.
Sheriff Marcus G. (Garvey) Mason of Santa Rosa County is a powerfully built African-American with a bald head and piercing brown eyes. He has been sheriff for seventeen years and on the force for eight years before that as well as twelve years in the Army. He has a cyberarm and two cybereyes as well as a lot of smaller cyberware. The man has a reputation as a tough, honest cop who protects his county.
Simon ‘Sly’ Tremont is the assistant food and beverage manager of the resort. He is a greasy looking white man with black hair and a pencil thin mustache.
Stefan ‘Steve’ Zelinsky is the eighteen year old son of the V.P. ‘Sandy’ Zelinsky of the Visigoths MC and has the same good looks and coloration as his father. He Beebe’s ½ brother and is seeing Natty Lanikova.
Ty Saint Claire is Paris’s cousin and the smoking hot guitar player of Velvet Blue. He is a bald (he shaves it) ebony skinned teenager.
Walter Hopkins is a ‘talent scout’ for the Dixie Entertainment Agency out of Dothan, Alabama
The Action
Friday, April 19, 2047:
Jack Shepard hangs around after the morning staff meeting, to introduce Mason Verge. The former Force Recon marine is a friend of the Thelas and someone he feels would be a good fit to fill the vacancy on the hotel’s security staff. The marina manager also implies that Mason would be up for ‘other duties’. A quality replacement that might fill the hole on the Dirty Deed’s team is not something Ricco can overlook. It also doesn’t hurt to keep his Thelas allies happy.
Jack’s recommendation notwithstanding, he still goes through the formalities of an interview. With Brandon sitting in, Ricco quickly summarizes what would be expected of him as a security officer for the hotel. Most of the interview is spent dwelling on the past failures of the ‘Dirty Deeds’ crew. It’s quite the eye opener, what with the general manager divulging enough incriminating evidence to hang them all.
Mason does toy with the idea of turning them in…in his eyes they’re no better than murdering terrorists…but Jack vouched for him. He can’t betray that trust. Verge accepts the position, along with the extra duties. Ricco contacts the rest of the team, so that they can come meet their newest member.
[GM Note: I honestly don’t know what the player was thinking. Possibly a lapse into ‘out of game knowledge’…this is an existing player, bringing a new PC into the game, let’s get them up to speed as quickly as possible.]
A quick meet and greet devolves into a brain storming session that drags on for hours: the main topic of discussion, how to respond to the threats posed by State of Alabama and the Johnson Crime Clan. There is a fear that the Alabama state police may show up in force one day to take them down. Brandon suggests opening the tunnel entrance at the top of the old fort’s main battery as a possible escape route. He wants to send Mason to access the tunnel from the outside, but that would leave the leave them with a skeleton crew on the security staff; not something they can afford with the hotel at peek occupancy for spring break.
Beebe volunteers to sneak in. With something blocking the hatch, they may need someone with good technical skills anyway. If the entrance is like the others, it’s probably capped with concrete or possibly some other covering. Rather than drawing out the planning session even further, by discussing the particulars, she agrees to regroup with Brandon after the team meeting breaks up.
Ricco tells the entire team about the photos sent by the Rattlesnakes and the meeting that took place at Peg-Leg Porter’s. Everyone agrees that talking to Rain is key. The problem is finding her. After being released on bail, she returned to Escambia County.
Beebe speaks up. “It probably isn’t a good idea for us to go rooting around Escambia.” The nomad tells of her recent run-ins and harassment by the Escambia sheriff’s department.
Her final comments are mainly directed to Ricco, but said aloud for the benefit of the entire team. “A.C. has the cops wired. If there’s even a hint we’re looking for her, Rain will either be in the wind or dead. There are other interested parties who might have an easier time operating in Pensacola. They may also have contacts that can find Rain. I think this is something we should leave to them.”
The meeting breaks up leaving team members to ponder what to do next.
Meanwhile the 2nd Drunken Golf Tournament is under way. As play progresses, participants are having trouble keeping their balls on the course. Spectators devise an ad hoc drinking game around the competition to make the staid game of golf more fun and exciting. Mobile carts keep a steady supply of libations flowing at every hole. They almost manage to drink the hotel dry.
The second unit of Henrique’s production company arrives to film location sequences and pickups. Paulo is in charge of the team. He stops drops in on his old friend, to ask about Velvet Blue. Ricco is happy to see Paulo, but with everything else going on, he hasn’t had time to look into the mess with the band. He lays it out straight. “Natty is in the wind, with a small army of Feds after her. I have no idea where she is or if she’ll even be back.”
Paulo takes the news in stride. He even seems happy. “Well, we won’t be able to get them in the studio any time soon…but a story like that can only boost their popularity. Sales should go through the roof.”
Jason is all smiles when he tracks down Beebe. “Guess what I got.”
She’s about to make a snarky comment about venereal disease, but is interrupted by the ringing of her phone.
“Better answer that,” he tells her, brimming with child-like excitement.
Beebe shoots him a suspicious glances, but does as he asks….”Hello?”
“Hey…it’s me.” Jason waves to her, flashing a toothy grin. It’s his voice on the phone, but he didn’t speak out loud.
Either her boyfriend has taken up ventriloquism or he’s done some supremely stupid. Beebe unconsciously falls into the tone she used on her younger siblings, when they caused trouble under her watch. “What did you do?”
Instead of speaking to her directly, his voice continues to come through her phone’s speaker. “I got a phone implanted in my head! Isn’t it cool?”
She disconnects the call. Cool would not be her word for it. “Why would you do that? Cells phones can be tracked. A hand held, you can pull the battery or throw away. What are you going to do…Wear a foil hat?” It comes out harsher than she had intended.
Jason is hurt that she isn’t excited. “I got it for practical reasons. Working on a boat it pays to have both hands free. Now I don’t have to worry about fumbling for my phone or having it get in the way or falling overboard…”
His points are reasonable, which makes her feel doubly awful for snapping at him. Beebe doesn’t want to argue, so she lets Jason ‘convince’ her about the merits of having a phone in his head.
While Beebe is humoring Jason, Brandon drives into Pensacola to buy Nuscuba and Underwater Survival chips for the Sega-Atari trainer.
Later in the afternoon, an alert goes out to the security staff and general manager. A motorcade of black unmarked SUVs is headed for the employee cottages. This doesn’t have the feel of an Alabama State Police raid, but Ricco and Brandon head over just the same. They catch up to the vehicles as they pull up in front of Alina Lanikova’s cottage. The dancer and a man in a dark suit exit from the back of the middle SUV. He escorts her inside.
More men in dark suits intercept Ricco and Brandon before they reach the house. One of them flashes a badge. “I’m Agent Sykes. Please don’t ask any questions, I‘m not here to answer them. Ms. Lanikova is being released. You were previously requested to detain her daughter Natalie for questioning. That will no longer be necessary.”
Sykes turns away, to confer with another agent, effectively dismissing them. They make their way to the house with no further impediments. The agent who had escorted Alina inside passes them on the path. He is back to the SUV by the time Ricco and Brandon reach the doorway. The Brazilian waits for the motorcade to pull away before knocking.
Alina comes to the doorway, but doesn’t open the screen. She looks unkempt and haggard. Arms crossed, she stares at the two men, “What do you want?”
Her tone is aggressive; almost confrontational. Ricco tries to not to let it color his response. He keeps it as neutral as possible. “We came to see if you were ok. Do you need anything?”
Anger still simmers behind her eyes, but most of the venom drains from her voice. “Where’s my daughter?”
“I know she avoided capture,” Ricco begins. “I don’t know where she is at the moment, but I’ll get word to her that your back and it’s safe to come home.”
As a consolation, the general manager offers Alina a complimentary bottle of liquor from the hotel. The dancer requests a very expensive bottle of Nemiroff vodka. Ricco doesn’t even bat an eye. I’ll have it sent over.
[GM Note: During the 72 hours Alina was in custody, the Fed’s pulled every trick, short of physical coercion, to try to get her to talk. Her training had prepared her for prolonged sleep deprivation, but round the clock questioning by a team of interrogators still took its toll. They left her handcuffed to a table for the entire interrogation. There were no bathroom breaks. Alina was force to soil herself and then sit in her own filth. When Ricco and Brandon showed up at her door, she hadn’t even had a chance to clean herself. Alina was definitely in no mood for more questions.]
Since he doesn’t have her phone number, Brandon contacts Charlie to ask him to tell Beebe that Alina is back and wants to see Natty. The young nomad doesn’t know where her friend is exactly, but she has a good idea of how to pass the information along. She reaches out to her father, hoping Visigoth’s VP will have a way to pass the message to Steve (who is more than likely in hiding with Natty).
Instead of calling, she drops by Sandy’s home. Alina’s release isn’t the only news Beebe has for her father. She tells him everything Ricco revealed to the Team about his investigation into the murder of Martin Long. The nomad asks that he sit on the information at least until the end of the day. “I suggested to Ricco that he should bring this to the club (Visigoths), but just in case, I thought I should tell you.” Sandy agrees to wait. He also contacts Steve at one of the club’s safe houses and tells him to bring Natty back to her mother.
Beebe drives to Alina’s to give her the good news. Knowing that Natty is safe and will soon be home seems to calm her. Beebe brings up her Sambo training, in hopes that the topic will keep her instructor occupied till Natty gets there. Alina really isn’t in the mood to discuss technique. The two lapse into an uncomfortable silence.
Mercifully, Steve rolls up on his bike, with Natty behind him. As soon as they come to a stop, the Czech girl jumps off. She runs up to the porch and throws herself into her mother’s arms. Both look to be near tears. Beebe never doubted there were strong emotions between them. She had been on hand for several of their titanic screaming matches. Well…it was Natty that did most of the screaming. Alina’s delivery was more of a drill sergeant bellowing orders. But looking at them now…holding on to each other, as if fearful they might be separated again at any moment…crying tears of joy…Beebe can’t help but be moved.
Both are usually so guarded. Beebe feels like an intruding voyeur. She self-consciously looks away, taking the opportunity to wipe away the tears brimming in her own eyes. By the time she looks back the moment is over. She becomes aware of Steve at the bottom of the steps. The look on his face says that he saw it too.
Alina tells them, “We need some time alone, to talk.”
For once Natty doesn’t argue. She gives Steve a kiss and heads inside. Before following, Alina stops to thank them both for protecting her daughter. It’s an awkward moment after the two depart. Beebe feels a pang of homesickness; a need to be with family. As if sharing her thoughts, Steve asks, “Do you…uh…want to do something?”
She gives him a smile. “I’d like that.”
While Alina and Beebe are awaiting Natty’s return, Ricco visits Hank Tremont at the Visigoth’s club house. He gives the MC President a complete rundown on his investigation, emphasizing the need to find Rain. “We have to talk to her to find out what really happened. It is going to take someone who knows the area though. If A.C. Johnson hears that we are looking for her, he will probably ‘take care of her’; tie up loose ends.”
It’s not a hard sell to convince the gang leader. “We’ll take care of it.”
As an afterthought Ricco asks, “Do you think Stuart Wilson will want to know who is responsible for the killing of the two nomads at that meeting?”
Hank doesn’t know and doesn’t really care. The Thelas don’t know the city like they do. This will be the Visigoth’s hunt.
After leaving Hank, Ricco heads into Milton to rent a safety deposit box. There are certain records and instructions that he wants kept safe, in case of his untimely death. From the bank, it’s only a short drive to Reverend Weems’ church. The secretary is less than hospitable. She recognizes the general manager and can barely conceal her hostility.
“The Reverend is not in.”
It is hard to tell if Weems really isn’t there or if she is just being a bitch. Barging in will gain him noting, so Ricco politely asks to schedule an appointment with Reverend Weems for this coming Monday at 9:30 am.
It’s the last weekend of the Spring Break and the resort is pulling out all the stops. Pounze da Lion is rocking hard down at the beach. Beebe and Jason hang out with Natty and Steve, while the rest of the members of Velvet Blue and their ‘entourage’ mingle in the crowd. During their second set, the lead singer of Pounze da Lion takes a moment to thank Velvet Blue for helping them score the gig.
***
Saturday, April 20, 2047:
Finally able to schedule time on the popular Sega-Atari Scholar system, Beebe learns the basics of surviving in the wilderness (Wilderness Survival 1). Since there are 4 harnesses, Paris and Natty join her. The girls had discussed going camping. Beebe had suggested that it might if they bone up on their survival skills before heading out. It sounded like a reasonable idea. They also wanted to check out the Sega-Atari system, as neither had ever had a chance to one before.
Camping aside, Beebe needed to pick up some rudimentary skills before tackling the kudzu jungle covering the old battery on the Young’s farm. She’s a desert girl; born and raised. The back swamps and dense foliage of Florida, are different from anything she knew back home. At times she misses the wide open spaces.
Reports of a daring escape in Alabama hit the news. It occurred during a prisoner transfer. The transport was ambushed while in transit, by an unknown number of assailants. Footage from the cameras aboard the vehicles was erased. All of the troopers in the guard detail were killed in the attack. Not all perished during the assault. One of the troopers appears to have been executed; shot through the back of the head, by a high caliber weapon.
Of the four prisoners, one was mortally wounded during the escape attempt. A second prisoner was recaptured, but the other two are still at large. The Alabama State Police tip line and NET portal are linked below pictures of the remaining escapees.
[GM Note: In the quasi police state of Alabama, the State Police tip line allows citizens to make anonymous reports about the activities of their neighbors. Some forms of reporting are less anonymous than others. Alabama takes a dim view of ‘false filers’. They have very strict laws and penalties for those found to be filing a false report, up to and including being charged with a misdemeanor or even a felony. It depends on the severity of the situation, but the mood of the review officer or importance of the person making the report, are also factors]
Anticipating that the Blue Moon Revue might be picketed by the congregation of Reverend Billy Bob Weems’ church, Ricco orders a sign made that reads ‘Charity Night for ASPCA’. The general manager calls in Andrea Hutton for an emergency meeting, in which he lays out his idea for making Saturdays at the Blue Moon ‘charity nights’. One third of all the profits on those nights will go to the ‘charity de jour’.
The PR intern couches her response. “Charitable donations are an excellent way of building good will. Posting a sign might give the wrong idea though. It might seem like you’re asking patrons to donate as well. I’m no lawyer, but soliciting funds for a charity could have tax or legal implications. It might be best to keep it a corporate donation.”
Ricco appreciates her input, but decides to forge ahead. Crank is left to inform the dancers. Their responses to the news are far less politic; expletives and suggestions where Ricco can stick his idea being the most popular. There is a mutiny brewing, till Crank steps in to clarify the policy. “The donation will come from the profits of the club, not your tips. Your incomes will not be affected.” If it doesn’t hurt their livelihood most of the dancers could care less. A few continue to complain, just out of habit.
Ricco’s guess that the Fundamentalist were going protest the resort proves to be correct. It’s only his choice of target’s that was wrong. Instead of the Blue Moon they go after the hotel and Spring Breaker Rave by the pool. A score of vehicles, blaring their horns, drive up and down Petersen Point Road. Brandon posts security to make sure not trespass onto resort property. Otherwise he orders his people to leave them alone.
The partiers hardly notice the horns. Most of their noise is blocked by the building. The rest is drowned out by the music. Those in the trailer park are not so fortunate. The security office begins to receive noise complaints. The noise carries all the way to Blackwater, bringing a visit from Freddy Timmons. The protesters pretty much ignore the constable’s orders, but Freddy is not without friends or backup. He calls in the sheriff’s department and town’s jail is soon stuffed to bursting with Reverend Weems’ ‘Fundies’.
The Pool Rave carries on unabated. Brandon makes a play for a drunken coed and gets lucky!
***
Sunday, April 21, 2047:
The national news outlets carry a breaking story out of Milton. In the early hours of the morning, the Santa Rosa Evangelical Church of Jesus Christ (Reverend Weems’ church) was firebombed. The blaze has been brought under control, but the structure is a total loss.
In other news, the Alabama Freedom Army issued claims responsibility for releasing unlawfully held prisoners of the Alabama ‘Police State’. The AFA further refutes statements made by the Lowndes’ regime that the dead prisoner was shot while escaping. They insist the troopers turned their weapons on the prisoners while they were still shackled in the vehicle. It is for this act of murder the trooper was executed.
Reverend Weems has no doubt who is responsible for the firebombing of his church. He leads his congregation on a march down the public roads through the hotel. Brandon checks, but their parade permit is in order. As a county commissioner, Reverend Weems signed off on it himself! Resort security stands back and lets the angry marchers proceed. The ‘Fundies’ are orderly, but people from the trailer park are not. They occasional rock is thrown at the marchers. Hotel security is unsuccessful in apprehending the perpetrators…not that try very hard.
By early afternoon the news reports that a third prisoner has been recaptured by Alabama State authorities inside of Florida. Two Santa Rosa County deputies were wounded when they tried to intervene.
Around 2:30 (pm), Beebe’s quiet walk is interrupted by the sound of squealing tires. Charlie races up in his truck, screeching to a halt beside the startled nomad.
“Quick, jump in. Your father called. There’s some kind of emergency at his house.”
A knot forms in Beebe’s stomach as she climbs in. The vehicle is in motion before her door even closes. It’s a tense ride for the young nomad. She wants to ask if Sandy said anything else, but is afraid of distracting Charlie. Getting into an accident won’t help her family.
There are at least 15 cars parked outside of Sandy and Sheila’s house. Her brain goes numb. She can’t shake images of cars lined up for a funeral…friends stopping by to console the grieving family. Beebe runs for the house fearing the worst. She burst through the door, to find all of her friends and family gathered in the main room. Even her mother is there, but this isn’t the somber scene she was expecting.
Seeing Beebe, they all shout in unison, “Surprise!”
The young nomad is confused. She had been in crisis mode. A room full of smiling faces is the last thing she expected to see. She is too stunned to speak (failed COOL role). She is almost in tears by the time her mother Bea walks up to lock her in a tight embrace. “Happy birthday sweetie.” Things had been so hectic, she completely lost track of the date. Today is her 21st birthday.
“And as for you…glad to see you could keep your mouth shut.” Having partially regained her composure, Beebe turns to see who her mother is addressing. The fiery redhead’s comment was directed at Charlie. He looks all too pleased with himself, cyberarms folded, leaning against the doorjamb. Beebe gives him a playful shove, before throwing her arms around his neck and hugging him. “Fuckin scared me.”
Bea didn’t come by herself. All of her brothers and sisters from back home in Nevada are here. They all come up to personally wish her a happy birthday. Beebe makes her way through the crowd, thanking everyone for coming. Sheila beams as Sandy gathers her up into great big bear hug. She still can’t believe that they’re all here for her.
The party moves into the backyard, where the sweet smoke scent of grilling meat hangs in the air. If she hadn’t been so intent on finding out what was wrong, the smell of barbeque may have clued her in. Such cares are far from her mind. She has her whole family here and her best friends to share it with…and nothing horrible happened, which seems to be a rarity in Blackwater.
When it comes to gifts, Beebe hits the mother load. Steve gives his half sister a custom 500cc motorcycle that he built just for her. Since it kinda goes with the bike, Jason gives her his gift next. It’s a full set of riding leathers and matching helmet (Synth Leather Jacket SP12/4, Pants SP4, Boots SP4, Gloves SP4, Helmet SP8; very good quality +1 W&S).
“So you don’t have to keep borrowing mine.” Charlie hands her a set of keys to a new four wheel drive pickup truck. Natty & her mother present Beebe with a beautiful ‘antique’ style dress (Technically Generic Chic, but of Very Good Quality +1 W&S). The lacework is stunning. Beebe almost feels unworthy of wearing it. Paris’ gift she would be too embarrassed to try on; his and hers edible underwear; three pairs each.
“They’re cherry flavored” Paris notes cheerfully.
Bea nearly falls out of her chair she is laughing so hard. Beebe’s blush depends by three shades.
There are other gifts, but the one that sets her heart racing comes from her Mom & Dad. Bea and Sandy present her with Kundalini Roadworks GevHog (SL). The three passenger hover craft is simply gorgeous. All her doubts and worries disappear as she slips in behind the controls. A playful grin is plastered on her face, as she looks to her friends and family. “Who wants to take a ride”.
The rest of the afternoon passes like a dream for Beebe, with the nimble craft gracefully skimming over the surface of the bayou as she puts it through its paces. The hover craft pauses only long enough to take on new passengers, before racing back out onto the water. Those brave enough to join her are treated to a hell of a ride. As long as there are willing passengers, Beebe is game for one more trip around the bayou. Falling darkness brings an end to her ‘fun’, but there’s plenty of party still to be had back at the house.
That evening Ricco receives a report that the hotel finally has some vacancies. He has finally figured out how to use a glo-go rig to do his research on the NET. Now all he needs is a dedicated computer to test out his newly acquired skills (Expert: Complex Computer Languages).
***
Monday, April 22, 2047:
Spring Break is officially over, but the hotel continues to experience higher than normal occupancy. The departing students have been replaced by a steady stream of military personnel and international tourists. The ‘Where It’s Happening’ segments carried by NET 54 have put the resort on the map.
No matter how bright their prospects, it can all be undone by Reverend Weems and his ‘Fundies’. Ricco feels that needs to talk to Reverend Billy Bob directly, but since the firebombing, he’s been a tough man to find. It’s not that he’s in hiding. The Reverend use to live in a tiny apartment attached to the church. It went up in smoke like the rest of the structure. The general manager hopes that he can locate the preacher through his followers.
Carrie Anne runs the Monday Department Head meeting, while Ricco goes to see Freddy Timmons. The constable provides him with the addresses of the ‘Fundies’ that were arrested over the weekend. He also throws in his two cents for free. “Be careful. They’re really riled up. There’s no tellin what they might do.”
Ricco thanks him for the addresses and advice. Driving off he wonders…how bad could it be?
“Spawn of Satan! How dare you come here! The fires that burned our church will be like a pleasant sunny day compared to the punishments awaiting you!”
The fiery harangue follows Ricco as he walks to the adjacent house. His reception there is no different. The shouts draw more people out of their homes. Neighbors gather to discuss this unwelcome intrusion into their peaceful neighborhood. An angry murmur goes through the growing crowd. The situation is starting to turn ugly. A thrown rock convinces Ricco it’s time to leave. He will try a different approach…later.
Carrie Anne tries to run the department head meeting, but David Lloyd keeps butting in with questions. It takes all of her skills to keep the corporate accountant from hijacking the meeting. The only major piece of business accomplished is that Simon ‘Sly’ Tremont, the assistant manager for the Blue Moon Revue, is promoted to Asst. Food and Beverage Manager. His assistant, Claude ‘DJ’ Clemmons, replaces him at the Blue Moon Revue. Lance Young, a local DJ and member of the local Young family, is hired to fill his vacated position. After the meeting Brandon uses the Sega-Atari trainer to learn how to swim (Swimming 1).
The resort’s gun range plays host to several Senators, pentagon brass and officials from the DoD officials, on hand to the final fields trials of Boss Arms’ laser pistol. Success today is crucial for the Charlie’s firearms company to retain its funding from D.A.R.P.A. Failure could force the gunsmith into bankruptcy. The pistol performs well, impressing their guests. If they can just make it through tomorrow, they’ll be in the clear.
The trials can’t end soon enough for Beebe. Having so many people looking over her shoulder, while she works, is nerve wracking. It almost takes the fun out of firing lasers. As soon as she can, the nomad makes herself scare, heading to Natty’s. Paris waves as Beebe pulls up. Both of her best friend’s are in the front yard, polishing Natty’s ‘new’ pride and joy. The used Toyo-Chevy Hopper is a plastic POS, but it’s all hers.
“What do you think?”
“It’s beautiful…let me give you a hand.” Beebe grabs a rag and pitches in. Her stressful day melts away as they spend the waning hours of the afternoon detailing the truck. It may not be the newest or prettiest vehicle, but what it represents…pride, freedom, self sufficiency…that’s what makes it beautiful to Beebe.
Ricco calls Brandon to find out where they stand in opening the hatch at the old battery. The security chief can offer no time table. He had intended to send in Beebe, but the trials at the gun range and her insistence on finishing her survival training on the Sega-Atari system had delayed the operation. The general manager is not pleased. He emphasizes the importance of opening the hatch. “Get it taken care of.”
***
Tuesday, April 23, 2047:
Ricco doesn’t even have a chance to check his messages. David Lloyd is at his office, asking to speak with him. Carrie Anne has been dazzling the accountant with her folksy, down home charm. She’s fed Lloyd just enough information to keep him satisfied, but not truly informed.
It’s been a tough week for Ricco. He’s off his game; a situation that the savvy accountant exploits to trip him. The Brazilian is able to extract himself from the meeting but the damage is done. Ingersoll’s flunky now has ammunition he can take back to corporate.
Ricco’s day goes from bad to worse. Sheriff Mason stops by to turnover the guns recovered from Lost & Found that came back clean. Unofficially Marcus is there to give him a preview of the State Fire Marshal’s findings. The fragments of bottles found at the Santa Rosa Evangelical Church of Jesus Christ have been traced back to the Petersen Point Resort. Marcus doesn’t believe Ricco had anything to do with the bombing, but someone is going through a lot of trouble to frame him.
“It’s probably A.C.”
Mason shares his suspicions, but proving it is another matter.
“By the way, Lt. D.B. Watson looked into those fingerprints you gave me. They belong to a Walter Hopkins. Says here, he’s a ‘talent scout’ out of Dothan, Alabama…works for the Dixie Entertainment Agency.”
Ricco thanks him for the information. Marcus looks as if he has more to say. The general manager urges him to continue.
“Watson also informed me that the last escaped prisoner was making his way here. He seemed to think he would be safe at the resort. Watson wondered why that would be…I’m a little curious myself.”
Ricco feigns ignorance, but inwardly, he’s concerned. Everything seems to be conspiring to paint a bullseye on both him and the resort.
At the range, the laser pistol performs perfectly under simulated field conditions. It carries a single reloadable (and rechargeable) powerpack with 20 charges. The laser can fire every round without overheating at a maximum setting of 4d6. The power can be dialed for 1d6 to 4d6. The tests end with a small party and buffet at the laboratory across the river from the Resort. The military, DoD and D.A.R.P.A. officials all seem extremely pleased. They depart, promising to be in touch.
Crank scopes out some promising talent during amateur night at the Blue Moon Revue. He collects their names and phone numbers while gauging their interest in dancing professionally.
As the clock ticks towards midnight, the on-duty security technician spots suspicious activity on the monitor covering the employee cottages. Three figures, sulking through the underbrush are headed in the direction of the General Manager’s bungalow. Before the overhaul of the security system, darkness would have easily hidden their actions. Under the watchful gaze of the new infrared security cameras, their movements are as clear as day.
The technician alerts Brandon, who is on patrol. “Sir, we have a potential incident in employee housing. There are three men sneaking around in the underbrush. It looks like their target may be the General Manager’s house.”
“Understood. Keep monitoring their progress.” Rather than approaching in the patrol car, Brandon parks and proceeds on foot. Driving up would tip them off. He wants to catch them in the act. Even if it comes down to a foot-chase the biomechanical knows, he is much faster than they could ever be…maybe even faster than the patrol car…definitely able to go places it can’t.
With the technician’s guidance, Brandon is able to work in behind the intruders.
“Sir, they’ve stopped near the north side of the house. They appear to be unpacking something…aw hell.” As Brandon closes in, the three are backlit by a flare of light. He rushes forward, but is too late to prevent them from tossing Molotov cocktails at the general manager’s bungalow.
The perpetrators pause to admire their handiwork. As the flames lick up the wall towards the roof, the security technician is already on the phone contacting the local volunteer fire department and the sheriff’s office.
Brandon moves into the growing circle of light to confront the three arsonists. “Stay where you are. Put your hands on your head.”
His sudden appearance is a surprise. The three bolt towards the river. Brandon takes down the closest, subduing him. It’s all the delay the other two need. Violent splashing announces their entry into the water. His first instinct is to pursue, but this isn’t the time to put his newly acquired swimming skill to the test. He watches the two men swim for the far shore, then circles back to his prisoner and the burning house.
Most of the furnishings are a total loss, but the bungalow itself only suffers minor structural damage. Unlike the old church, the general manager’s house had been renovated within the last 20 years. Fire retardant materials had been incorporated into the new construction. Ricco knows the attack was aimed at him. It doesn’t matter that the house had been vacant since Rianna’s departure. The intent is still the same. Sheriff’s deputies arrive to collect the captured arsonist. Though he won’t give up his conspirators, the prisoner makes no effort to hide that he is a follower of Reverend Weems or his hatred for Ricco.
***
Wednesday, April 24, 2047:
Brandon starts his day before dawn. While it is still quiet, he finishes training on the Sega-Atari (Swimming 2).
Beebe sees off her mother and sibling at the Pensacola airport. Sandy and a large contingent of Visigoths accompany them to ward off any more tickets from the Escambia County Sheriffs.
Sheriff Mason’s tip about the Fire Marshal’s report leads Ricco to talk to Crank. He tells his Food and Beverage Manager to make copies of all the records he has and store them in a safe place. This is especially true for any vendor they use from Escambia County.
David Lloyd, returns to Miami to make his report. Before departing, he can’t help flicking the nose of the lion. “Mr. Torres, something stinks here, and we’re going to get to the bottom of it. You can expect a visit from my superiors.”
It’s Nancy Petersen’s last day working at Panhandle Saloon. The staff throws her a going away l party. In a week or so she will be opening the Beach Creamery for her grandmother, Michelle.
***
Thursday, April 25, 2047:
Today the fourth caterpillar runabout is ready. Ricco goes down to the fuel dock to watch it being put through its paces. He takes that time to talk to Gardner Weems about his cousin, the Reverend. Any hope that Gardner will influence Reverend Weems is quickly dashed. They may be blood, but there is no love between them. Gardner is quite pleased that his cousin’s church burned to the ground.
After this conversation Ricco heads for Pensacola, taking Brandon with him. The general manager purchases a computer and glo-go (Goggles and Gloves) rig. He makes a mental note to ask Natty for her help in reprogramming the modem for netrunning. Brandon buys a Sega-Atari trainer chip for Nuscuba.
Charlie and Beebe run a second test on the Laser LAW. This prototype is much improved, but there is still a delay of 30 seconds before it’s safe to open the reaction chamber and reload the weapon. The heat sinks and new cradling system shunts heat away from the operator. The design still needs work, but it can now be fired manually.
***
Friday, April 26, 2047:
Brandon takes the day off to use the Sega-Atari trainer to learn Nuscuba 1. The Department of Defense notifies Charlie that his laser pistol is accepted! Payment authorization is in works, and will take about 3 months to be processed. This will cover 90% of his expenditures so far on all four of his laser projects. The promised production contracts will eventually cover the rest and provide a tidy profit. If any of the other three projects are accepted, Charlie will be embarrassingly rich!
Walter Hopkins returns to the Blue Moon Revue. The ‘talent scout’ from Dothan pays for a ‘lap dance’ from Alina Lanikova. Crank is not around to see the two disappear into one of the private ‘suites’, he is busy dealing with an issue in the Palmetto Room. He doesn’t hear about it later from his new assistant manager, ‘D. J.’ Clemmons. By then, Hopkins has left.
***
Saturday, April 27, 2047:
Ricco has a meeting with Crank to discuss the storage and disposal of liquor bottles at both the Blue Moon Revue and Panhandle Saloon. The general manager is especially interested in who has access to the empty bottles. The empties are thrown into bins next to the dumpsters, behind both establishments. This puts them into the field of view of the security cameras set up to watch the back of each club. Ricco authorizes overtime for security technicians to review the video footage.
Before starting her shift, Alina informs Crank she will be using some of her accumulated vacation; May seventeenth through the nineteenth. It’s not a request.
Beebe has the Sega-Atari system reserved, giving her the opportunity to finish her Wilderness Survival (2) training. When done, she’s supposed to meet up with Brandon. The nomad would dearly love to go see her friends perform at the Panhandle, but this mission is too important. She hopes she won’t be missed.
That evening Velvet Blue plays to a packed house at the Panhandle. Beebe isn’t the only no show. Steve isn’t there either. Greg Harris seizes the opportunity to try and woo Natty.
Brandon drops Beebe off near the Young’s farm. He gives her his NavStar with the course data from Sam’s excursion to the top of the artificial hill. The device proves invaluable as she picks her way toward the overgrown structure. Even with her course laid out, she can’t move faster than a ¼ mile per hour through the thick undergrowth. By the time she reaches the top, it’s early Sunday morning.
Beebe doesn’t bother looking for the hatch on top. She’d still have to cut through the vines. Her slight build allows her to fit through the narrow slit window and into the room beyond. The space is small, probably no more than a lookout position. Above, in the center of the ceiling, is the hatch leading to the outside. In the far corner is an uneven mound of dried cement. It looks as if someone just dumped a wheelbarrow load of concrete on the hatch then left.
Beebe unrolls an IR poncho and hangs it across the slit window facing towards the Young’s farmhouse. Hopefully it will be enough to mask the light and heat given off by the thermic lance. The small handheld cutting device won’t last long, so she examines the concrete pad carefully.
If the surface is anything to go by, there may be air pockets throughout. Brandon had said he could open the hatch about one or two inches. Beebe taps on the poured concrete with the hammer end of her survival tool (3in1 multi tool – hatchet, hammer and pry bar). There is definitely a void beneath. It could make cutting more dangerous, but she’s come too far to turn back now.
The air inside the bunker becomes stifling. Heat from the lance turns the small room into an oven. Beebe would like nothing more than to tear down the IR poncho and let a breeze blow through. She tries to ignore the sweat running down her back and pushes on. The fuel supply for the lance gives out before she is done clearing the hatch. Luckily she has her survival tool. A couple of judicious ‘taps’ with the hammer and some light chipping with the hatchet blade finally allows her to dislodge a plug of concrete over the hatch.
Just to make sure there’s not another room below this one, Beebe cycles open the hatch. A dark shaft disappears into the bowels of the gun battery. The nomad contacts Brandon on the comm. “I’m through.”
There is not enough time for Beebe to make way back on the surface. The sun will be up soon. Brandon comes through the tunnels with a respirator for the young nomad. He brings along his climbing gear so a broken rung won’t end in a fatal fall. Making it back to the hotel, they inform the Thelas that the entrance is now open. Brandon says that he will report it to Ricco. Beebe just wants soak in a warm tub..
Developing news out of Milton…Reverend Billy Bob Weems has been shot. The fiery preacher was speaking at a rally in city. Upon exiting the hall, he was struck in the by a single gunshot. Sources at the rally have reported that the bullet killed him instantly. Others contend that the Reverend lingered for a half hour before succumbing to his wounds. His followers are in an uproar. Those interviewed have no doubt that the bullet came from that ‘Sodom and Gomorrah’ on the Blackwater River. The general manager of the Petersen Point Resort could not be reached for comment.
***
Sunday, April 28, 2047:
Sheriff Mason shows up with a warrant and seizes all the A-80s in the security room. He insists on searching the resort’s security vehicle and finds another A-80 hidden in the trunk. Nobody on the hotel’s security force remembers putting it in there. There is a single round missing from the magazine.
Ricco and Brandon put their people on constructing a timeline of where the patrol car was located through every moment of the previous evening. Most of the time can be accounted for. Technicians begin to assemble corroborating footage from the security cameral feeds around the resort. There is however a 30 minute window when the car was not on the property. Brandon’s explanation of where he went with the vehicle is hazy. He obviously can’t tell Sheriff Mason that he drove Beebe out to Angus Young’s farm, so she could open an access shaft to an underground tunnel system that was supposed to remain flooded.
The ‘Booze Cruise’ is sabotaged by three of Reverend Weems’ followers. They manage to smash all the liquor bottles in the vessel’s bar, before jumping overboard to avoid apprehension. The boat’s captain calls the police. An Escambia County Sheriff’s boat pulls the vandals from the water and carts them off to jail. They will be arraigned tomorrow.
***
Monday, April 29, 2047:
Ricco and Brandon travel to Escambia County Courthouse for the arraignment of the three ‘Fundies’ who vandalized the booze cruise. The department head meeting is once again run by Carrie Anne Thorn. Business has dropped off since the end of the Spring Break Season, but it is still much better than in previous years. So far they have not had to lay off any employees. With the recently signed contract that will bring in tourists from South American they should be able to retain most of the new hires through the summer at the very least.
At the Escambia County Courthouse in Pensacola, the three ‘Fundies’ are brought up to be arraigned. The trio pleads not guilty, stating that they were merely expressing their beliefs through ‘legitimate’ protest. In a surprise move, the Escambia County Sheriff’s office supports this view, as does the Escambia County Prosecutor. All charges are dropped. An angry Ricco and Brandon return to the resort in time to catch the tail end of the meeting.
After the staff meeting breaks up, the ‘Dirty Deeds’ team assembles. Jack Shepard reports that the Thelas have uncovered the entry to the diving trunk. It is recommended (and approved) that pumps be installed to make the airlock serviceable. Ricco feels they need more of a warning when the Alabama State Police come again. He authorizes the purchase of two Bell Mini-bees and a Microtech Attack Drone.
Henrique’s advance team (6 rooms) shows up at hotel. Ricco greets his fellow countrymen and helps them settle in. They are here to make sure everything is ready for the main production crew. They will be arriving in the next two days. Henrique and his entourage will be coming with them
Brandon calls Ricco and Betty Lu to the security office. The people reviewing the security tapes have found something. A shadowy figure approaches the patrol car while it is parked in the hotel lot. The trunk is opened and something is placed inside. That ‘something’ could easily be the rifle found by the police. Ricco contacts Sheriff Mason and sends him a copy of the footage.
Beebe drives over to Natty’s house after work. Paris is already there, trying to assure her friend that Steve is all right. The Czech bassist hasn’t heard from her boyfriend in two days. He missed their show at the Panhandle and hasn’t called. That’s totally unlike him. Beebe convinces Natty to come to the gym and watch her train with Alina. The Czech girl offers a weak smile. “I could use a laugh.”
***
Tuesday, April 30, 2047:
Henrique’s first unit arrives, filling up 20 rooms in the hotel. The marina reports that the fifth Caterpillar runabout is now in service. These small craft are proving very popular with local sport fishermen. Jack Shepard notifies Ricco that the tunnels under the hotel are now dried out and lit. There is power throughout and an independent phone system is being set up down below. They are setting up the ECM and Electronic warfare gear with hidden antennas around the resort. What he needs now is mounts for the AA guns. Ricco calls Charlie, who promises to fabricate a mount for the 25mm gun salvaged from the A-20 Militech panzer.
The noon vid news has a disturbing story. Senator Brainerd Johnson announces Senate hearings on terrorist attacks against Florida Churches. The Senator is A.C. Johnson’s brother. The upcoming hearings will target ‘foreign elements’ at work in Florida. Ricco calls Richard King to set up a meeting; time to call in the big guns.
Beebe receives an urgent call from her father. “Come to the house as soon as you can…bring Natty.” The edge in his voice makes her drop everything and head out the door. She drives by the school to collect Natty. The nomad sees fear in her friend’s eyes. The drive over to Sandy’s house is like a replay of her birthday, except without the happy ending.
A call had come from the Escambia County coroner. The body of a young man was found last Sunday floating in Upper Escambia Bay. Sandy and Sheila had just returned from identifying the body. It was Steve. His throat had been cut.
Beebe is devastated. Natty collapses into tears. Sandy is crushed and suspicious. Steve had last been seen across the street from the clubhouse, scouting places to hide a new security camera. Their previous cameras had been sabotaged several times over the past couple of weeks. That had been Saturday. His body was discovered on Sunday. Steve’s fingerprints are on file with Escambia County authorities, so why had it taken two days for them to call?
Natty’s tears give way to anger. She shouts something in Czech that Beebe can’t understand. From the reaction of her family, she thinks somebody is going to pay with their life for Steve’s death. The nomad can get behind that. She’s warming to the idea of killing.
That evening Sheriff Mason comes to see Ricco and return the resort’s A-80s. The weapon that killed Reverend Weems was smart-linked and manufactured years apart from the ones owned by the hotel. This discrepancy and the security footage has the sheriff convinced this is a frame-up.
At least Marcus has some good news. The leader of the kill team that had taken out Rat and Hillary Williams broke under brain dance. He has implicated Calvin Jenkins, one of Drew Barton’s top lieutenants, as the person who authorized the killings. There is now a warrant out for Jenkins arrest. The hired killer also implicated Mason’s traitorous deputy. The sheriff was able to obtain a brain dance order on his former subordinate. They put him under today.
In case he wasn’t aware, Marcus informs Ricco of Steve Zelinsky’s death. Mason has a copy of the autopsy, which he shares it with the ex-cop. The method of killing has bearing on his investigation into the death of Martin Long. Steve was killed by a left handed person using the same (or a similar) knife to the one used to killed Long. In Marcus’ opinion whoever killed Martin Long is also responsible for the murder of Steve Zelinsky!
On another note, Alabama authorities inform Sheriff Mason that the team who freed the prisoners eleven days ago were also equipped with A-80s. It is a popular weapon in this area, but…..
Episode 13 – And the Blood Continues to Flow!
Henrique and his entourage arrive at the Petersen Point Resort. Rain provides answers on the starting of Visigoth/Rattlesnakes war and the death of Steve Zelinsky. Religious zealots try to take down Ricco but the hand that is guiding them is A.C. Johnson. The Pensacola crime lord continues his campaign against Ricco and crew. This conflict comes to a bloody and unlooked for climax.
Blood is spilled on other fronts as a local girl is brutally murdered. Suspicion is laid close to home and triggers even more violence. Charlie and Beebe successfully continue to improve their x-ray laser. They have the first firing of the Boss Arms large laser cannon with surprising results!
Background
President Whindam has made it the goal of his fifth term as president, to restore the sovereignty of the Unite States of America over the four southern states colloquially known as the ‘Cotton Kingdoms’. Under this directive, several teams have been formed to implement a plan concocted by C.I.A. Deputy Director Hamilton Greeley and US Attorney for the District of Northern Florida Richard Sharkey. One of these teams (The PCs) has been tasked with running the Petersen Point Resort. Located in Santa Rosa County, on Florida’s panhandle, this seedy old tourist destination is perfectly situated, between the Pensacola COG and Alabama border. Though they may be tasked with the occasional field op, the Petersen Point team’s primary mission is to act as a ‘safe haven’ and staging ground.
Members of this ‘Dirty Deeds’ team has been provided with cover jobs at the hotel. Sam Fisher, a retired Delta Force colonel and C.I.A. assassin, was the original team leader. The cold blooded murder of an Alabama State Trooper caused his employers to reevaluate his tenure.
Since his untimely death at the hands of a C.I.A. cleaner, the role of team leader has fallen to Ricco Torres. The Brazilian born ex-cop turned corporate executive walks a fine line between loyalty to Disney and the needs of the mission. Those goals of are in alignment, for now…
Dramatis Personae
The NPCs
Arthur Cletus ‘AC’ Johnson is the leader of the organized crime family in the area. His partnership with Hadley Walters Jr. has given him the respectability he needs to get his younger brother (the middle one), Brainerd, elected to the state legislature. The man is smart and savvy. His power base is Pensacola and controls all the drugs, gambling and prostitution. It is believed he ‘has something’ on the Escambia County Sheriff, who ignores his criminal activity.
Alina Lanikova is the lead dancer at the Blue Moon Revue. She is a stunningly beautiful (ATTR 10), tall 29 year old Czech woman. Her skills are exceptional and she acts as ‘Den Mother” to the other dancers. She lives at the Resort with her teenage daughter.
Amy Fry is a young Thelas and sister of Jason Fry. She dates Sammy Trang, the drummer of Velvet Blue.
Bobby Tran is the grandson of Tran Xuan Giap and the cousin of Paris Saint Claire. He is like his grandfather and the sight of Paris is a constant reminder of his family’s disgrace.
Calvin Jenkins is an enforcer for A.C. Johnson now wanted for murder.
Carrie Anne Thorn is the assistant hotel manager and bookkeeper at the Petersen Point Resort. She is a small white woman is her early sixties. Carrie Anne has arthritis so she doesn’t walk a lot.
Charles Ingersoll is the grandson-in-law of Sophie Petersen, widow of Randy Petersen and heiress to the Petersen Family Trust. He serves as CEO of the Petersen Point Properties Group.
Deputy Sheriff Delmar Gates is a handsome young man of mixed race. He has a soft spot for Paris Saint Claire. She seems oblivious to his attentions.
Drew ‘Tiny’ Barton is AC’s chief enforcer. He is a large and heavily cybered Afro-American (EMP 1) with 10 years military experience. He was cashiered from the army for almost killing his superior officer and served 8 years in prison. He is extremely dangerous and intelligent.
Gabriela Figueira is a famous telenovela star (the Brazilian equivalent of Susan Lucci). She is the grand dame of the telenovela who Henrique has persuaded to take a small but important role in his show.
Hadley Walters III is a 15 year old student and forward on the Gulf Breeze Prep basketball team. He is an arrogant self-entitled little prick, who tried to attack Lilly Tran (Episode 2) and vandalized the Golf Course.
Henry ‘Hank’ Tremont is the president of the local charter of the Visigoths. He is a tough smart leader with eight years military experience. It was he that put together the smuggling connection with the nomads and used those connections to run guns and supplies to the rebels in Alabama after the Alabama State Police murdered his two sons in cold blood eight years ago.
Henrique: A former Favela drug lord (nicknamed the King Snake) and leader of the Red Command who took a government amnesty offer and got out of the drug business. Henrique used to belong to a Brazilian pop group manufactured by a record company. When his voice changed he was fired and thrown back into the favela where he rose to the top of the local gang. The man now runs a media company which works with Disney. He and Ricco Torres grew up together with Ricco being the younger ‘brother’ (nicknamed Cobrinha – Little Snake).
Jack Shepard, the marina manager and a Thelas nomad. He is ex-military and is organizing the resort’s defenses.
Jason Fry is a young Thelas nomad serving of Charlie’s test ship, the Sea Snake. His sister is Amy Fry. He has a thing for Beebe.
Jenny Trang is a 24 year old Vietnamese-American who works as head security monitor. She used to be a cocktail waitress at the Blue Moon Revue. Her brother is Sammy Trang, drummer for Velvet Blue. She is a pretty (ATTR 7), vivacious person, but NEVER associates with the guests.
Jordan Grey is chief counsel for Peterson Point Resort and Charles Ingersoll’s personal attorney.
Lilly Tran is Bobby Tran’s sister and is also not a fan of her cousin Paris although there is usually no conflict between them. Lilly is NOT a good student and is afraid to ask anyone in her family for help. Sometimes Paris helps her with her homework.
Lula Midare is the stage name of Lurdes Gonzalvo Guarani. Like many others in Brazil, she is of mixed ancestry. Her exotic look rather than acting skill landed her the part in Henrique’s show.
Michael Jay Tran is the great nephew of Tran Xuan Giap and an ex-soldier and Philippine policeman. He is hired at the Petersen Point Resort as a security officer and is made a Blackwater town constable.
Michelle Petersen is the mother of Karl Petersen, granddaughter of the founder of the resort, Clarence Petersen and niece of Sophie and the late Randy Petersen. She was the ‘wild child’ of her generation. Michelle is one of the biggest landowners in the area and lives on the old Petersen Farm. She runs a craft and leather goods shop called ‘Crafty Michelle’s’.
Nancy Petersen is the daughter of a Karl Petersen and used to be a cocktail waitress at the Panhandle saloon. She is preparing to reopen the Beach Creamery for her grandmother, Michelle.
Natty Lanikova is the daughter of dancer Alina Lanikova and the teenage bassist for Velvet Blue. She dated Steve Zelinsky of the Visigoths and doesn’t speak English very well.
Paris Saint Claire is the lead singer for the band Velvet Blue and granddaughter of Eustis Saint Claire. She and Natty are best friends.
Rain was the distributor for Ronnie Johnson’s Panhandle Drug Operation. She is a thin black haired white girl with a number of tats. She is out on bail awaiting trial. She ratted out the Rattlesnakes-Thelas drug connection to the Johnson Crime Clan.
Reverend ‘Billy Bob’ Weems is head of the Santa Rosa Evangelical Church of Jesus Christ and leader of a group called the “Fundies” by the locals. He is an extremely charismatic and has a large following. The man hates the modern world and has even gone so far as to get cyberware banned in the county. That law against possession was struck down after a long court fight that cost the county a fortune, but it is still illegal to sell or install anything remotely related to cyberware. He was responsible for getting ordinances against serving alcohol on Sundays. He is the first cousin of Gardner Weems, but they haven’t spoken in over 25 years. The man is a registered Republican and extremely right wing.
Reverend Ezra Brown is the minister of the Blackwater Jubilee Baptist Church. He is a happy jovial man in his fifties and his church is filled with singing and music.
Richard King is a highly placed Disney executive that deals in ‘delicate’ situations. He is the man Disney sends, when things are going wrong and action must be taken. He has the nickname ‘King Dick’, but never to his face!
Sandomir ‘Sandy’ Zelinsky is the Vice President of the Visigoths MC. He is a tall blonde, green eyed man. Wild and fun loving in his youth, Sandy has matured into a clever and experienced leader. He and Hank are best friends.
Senator Brainerd Johnson is a member of the Florida State legislature and is corrupt as the day is long. He, his second wife, Carol, and four children live in Tallahassee and EscambiaCounty. His first wife and child were killed in a plane crash after that wife left him.
Sheila Belanger Zelinsky is Sandy Zelinsky’s wife and Steve’s mother. She shares a special bond with Beebe’s mother, Bea.
Sheriff Marcus G. (Garvey) Mason of Santa Rosa County is a powerfully built African-American with a bald head and piercing brown eyes. He has been sheriff for seventeen years and on the force for eight years before that as well as twelve years in the Army. He has a cyberarm and two cybereyes as well as a lot of smaller cyberware. The man has a reputation as a tough, honest cop who protects his county.
Stefan ‘Steve’ Zelinsky is the eighteen year old son of the V.P. ‘Sandy’ Zelinsky of the Visigoths MC and has the same good looks and coloration as his father. He Beebe’s ½ brother and is seeing Natty Lanikova.
Todd Petersen is the young son of Karl Petersen and sister of Nancy Petersen. He works at his grandmother Michelle’s Beach Creamery.
Tommy Klein runs all gambling in Escambia County for his boss, A.C. Johnson. He is a high level mobster.
Wallena Kroitor: Is from Soroca, Moldova. She is a failed gymnast, who went into dance who works for Disney (as a dancer) and now has a lead in Henrique’s show. She speaks Moldovan / Romanian and Ukrainian as well as some Hungarian, English and Portuguese.
Walter Hopkins is a ‘talent scout’ for the Dixie Entertainment Agency out of Dothan, Alabama
Wilfredo Ernesto Saber (“Willy the Roach” or just Barata (Roach), but not to his face) is a friend of Henrique from the bad old days. His diminutive size and pleasant nature are at odds with his fearful reputation. His nickname comes from the fact that he is so tough to kill. He’s been shot (nine time), stabbed (more than a dozen times), electrocuted (at least twice), thrown from a moving car, partially set on fire, fallen from a building, to escape said fire and had a host of other misadventures.
The Action
Wednesday, May 1, 2047:
Richard King responds to Ricco’s request for a face to face. He will be at the resort Friday morning.
Before heading to the Visigoth’s clubhouse for a follow-up meeting with Hank, the general manager drops by Crank’s office. “I need you to inform the rest of the team to not engage the Alabama State Police if they come onto the property. We’re not going to interfere unless they try to grab a member of the staff.”
Crank appears ready to question this change in policy. It’s no secret, that the Alabama State Police already have the resort in their crosshairs. The recaptured prisoner divulging his destination to the Alabama authorities just makes the bull’s-eye bigger. To forestall any argument, Ricco offers a simple explanation.
“They’re going to show up armed for trouble and spoiling for a fight. It’s a no win situation and bad for business. I want to throw them a curve ball.”
Crank still doesn’t look happy, but he agrees to comply with the general manager’s request.
Hank is in good humor when Ricco finally makes it to the clubhouse. After the normal pleasantries the MC President asks, “Do you have some time to spare?
“Sure, what is it?”
Hank turns serious, “I’m not asking for a couple of minutes here. This could take all day and night…”
The biker doesn’t say anymore, waiting for Ricco’s answer. Something that will take the better part of a day…he wonders if it’s another meet with the Rattlesnakes. Whatever it is seems very important. “I am at your disposal.”
Hank takes him down to the basement of the clubhouse; into a secured room, where they have Rain tied to a chair. It is apparent that the bikers have worked her over. These methods of coercion have proven ineffective. Hank brought in Ricco hoping that a skilled interrogator might be able to get something out of her. Out of ear shot, he tells the ex-cop, “You can promise her anything you want, but that bitch isn’t leaving here alive!”
Ricco has no problem with that. He spends the next few hours convincing Rain that she has a chance of making it out that basement. All she has to do is tell them who killed Martin Long. The ex-cop doesn’t mention that she’ll also be fingering the murder of Steve Zelinsky.
It takes time, but the girl finally gives up Drew Barton. “I heard A.C. tell Drew to take care of it and put it on the Visigoth’s.” This admission gives him the opening he needs to wring more details from the frightened young woman. When they are satisfied that she has divulged everything she knows, Hank asks Ricco to leave. Rain’s strangled cries recede as he climbs the stairs back to the main level.
Once his business has been taken care of downstairs, Hank rejoins Ricco. The general manager feels he is owed some reciprocity for his services. Over drinks, he confides to the MC’s President, “I have a few loose ends of my own?”
Hank knocks back a shot, before favoring the Brazilian with a glance. “Who?”
“The assassins and arsonists who did a church.”
The biker shrugs, “Sounds like they provided a public service to me.”
As a good Catholic, burning down a church is out of bounds, but Ricco keeps that to himself. He offers a motivation that he’s sure Hank can understand. “Maybe, but they framed me for it!
Elsewhere, Charlie and Beebe undertake the first test of the crewed served laser canon. When the remote trigger is activated, a dazzling beam of light streams from the aperture of the weapon towards the target down range. Superheated air pushes out in a pressure wave that echoes like a thunder clap. Intense heat chars anything within 10 feet of the weapon. There are spot fires out to 30 feet. Claxons sound around the range, as emergency systems kick in to cool the laser cannon. Tense seconds tick by as the temperature inches back from critical.
Once the temperature is in tolerable limits, Charlie heads down to the target to see how well the cannon worked. The beam cut through three feet of high grade steel and into the range’s bunkered backstop. Thankfully, the sand diminished the intensity of the beam, but there’s still damaged to trees for at least a hundred meters beyond the boundary of the range. Charlie is pleased by their progress. As to the near catastrophic overheat, he thoughtfully observes “Hmm…still needs a little work.”
There is a small ceremony at the Beach Creamery, once school lets out. A small crowd is on hand for the grand re-opening of the ice cream stand. Todd Petersen stands proudly by his big sis, while their grandmother, Michelle cuts the ribbon. This is the best day in his young life. The young man still can’t believe his luck. He’ll never tell Nancy, be he would have worked at the creamery for free. Money is a bonus. The real treat is getting to hang out with his comely coworkers. Todd has trouble concentrating on his grandmother’s speech. He is too busy stealing glances at Lilly, Paris, Natty and Amy Fry, in their short shorts and tight Beach Creamery t-shirts. Yep, it’s gonna be a great summer.
A line of limos pull up the resort, just before dinner time. Henrique and his crew have arrived. Wilfredo Ernesto Saber steps out of the back of the lead limo and quickly surveys the area. His small stature and mild nature belie a formidable reputation. Known to many as ‘Willy the Roach’, he previously earned a living as an enforcer for the Red Command and a contract killer. Now mostly retired, he serves as the Brazilian impresario’s personal bodyguard. Satisfied that nothing is amiss, he holds the door open for Henrique to exit the vehicle.
Gabriela Figueira and her personal entourage are in the second limo. Henrique was able to persuade the grand dame of the telenovelas (the Brazilian equivalent of Susan Lucci) to take the role of ‘control’ to the hot, sexy young female spies the show is built around. Lula Midare and Wallena Kroitor, the young starlets, share the last limo.
Ricco is there to greet his oldest and dearest friend. He is very appreciative of the production company’s business. It means a lot to the resort and the entire community. Over a private dinner Henrique shares his plans for the show. He asks for permission to construct a bar set on the hotel’s roof. Ricco has no reason to say no to his friend. They work out a deal to make it a permanent structure, providing the resort with yet another draw for guests. The general manager even offers to negotiate the construction with the local nomads to keep down costs. This will provide the perfect opportunity to cover the installation of the new 25mm anti-aircraft gun.
***
Thursday, May 2, 2047:
The cast and crew are up and out before sunrise to start filming.
Around 9 am, the security tech on duty (Jenny Trang) alerts Brandon to five heavily armed men have pulled up in front of the hotel and are running up the front steps. The security chief tries to notify Ricco, but the general manager is currently taking a meeting with Crank in the secure conference room. With electronic countermeasures activated to defeat any possible listening devices, they are unreachable by cell phone. There is also no hard line in the room.
Brandon scrambles from the security office to alert them to the incursion, but a burst from an auto-shotgun announces their presence before he even makes it to the door. The clerk at the front desk is cut down by a second gunman, as a third leaps over the counter and rushes the general manager’s office. Brandon has no angle for a shot, leaving the assailant to enter the office unmolested.
The security chief is fairly certain that Ricco isn’t in his office, so he turns his attention to the gunmen in the lobby. He targets the man with the shotgun. The high caliber round slams into the shooter’s forearm, nearly tearing the limb from his body. The weapon clatters to the floor, followed soon after by the assailant.
Having heard the commotion in the lobby, Crank exits the conference room, nearly running into the gunman coming out of the general manager’s office. A pistol is much more maneuverable, giving Owen an advantage over his attacker. He squeezes of two rounds before the other man can bring his assault rifle to bear. Crank takes a bullet from the gunman who executed the front desk clerk. The damage is negligible, but tears his suit. Pissed off, the Food and Beverage manager returns fire, clipping the shooter in the head. The man goes down, disappearing behind the opposite side of the check-in counter.
Crank moves forward to check if the man is still a threat. A grenade sails over the counter nearly dropping in his lap. Still too far away to attempt a leap over the front desk; a reflexive jump buys him some precious distance from the exploding shrapnel. He is still shredded, but standing. Scatter grenades follow, covering the attackers’ retreat.
{GM Note: The injured gunman didn’t have time to cook (burn the fuse down) the grenade before throwing. Crank also had a high initiative roll, giving him a chance to react to the grenade]
Outside, Mason Verge takes fire from the attacker’s wheel man, as he speeds towards the entrance of the Hotel in the patrol car. He screeches to a halt and bails out, to grab the A-80 assault rifle out of the trunk. He exchanges fire with the gunmen as they race away.
As the smoke clears in the lobby, they find two attackers. Both are dead. The front desk clerk is the only casualty for the hotel staff and guests. There are, however several wounded. Crank is the worse off (in mortal) almost having eaten a grenade.
Sheriff Mason and his CSI unit arrive to investigate the attack. He recognizes on of the dead. The corpse used to be one of Reverend Weems’ more radical followers. The police are shocked as Weems’ followers have never resorted to violence in the past. It could be that the firebombing of their church and assassination of their leader has pushed them over the edge. The sheriff and his deputies head off to round up the dead man’s ‘friends’.
Once the lobby is returned to them by the crime scene unit, Ricco and Brandon try to assess the damage. Their efforts are interrupted by two men in suits. At first the general manager thinks that they are part of the investigation into the shooting. They quickly dissuade him of such notions, handing him a summons to appear before a Senatorial hearing in Tallahassee on June 24th. The process servers produce identical summons for Brandon, Betty Lu and Owen Wolf. The hearings are being held by Senator Brainerd Johnson, to look into ‘terrorist attacks’ on Florida Churches.
Ricco is certain this is A.C. Johnson’s doing.
***
Friday, May 3, 2047:
Natty is still broken up about the death of Steve, but she still stops by to see Ricco that morning. The young netrunner has reprogrammed the modem for his personal computer so he can turtle the NET with a Glo-go rig. She has also re-written six programs so they can be used by the Brazilian. The general manager doesn’t negotiate the price. He just pays her what she asks. Richard King arrives for his meeting, while the two are completing their transaction. The corporate executive watches the teenager leave.
He idly remarks to Ricco, “She looks familiar.”
“She’s Alina Lanikova’s daughter.” The name means nothing to the executive, so he dismisses it as mistaken identity and gets down to business. He has bad news. There can be no corporate immunity for Carrie Anne. She is an employee of Petersen Point Resort and Disney can’t offer that to her, unless she worked for them. If she were to start working for Disney, her pension could be in jeopardy.
It’s bad news all around as Ricco informs his supervisor yesterday‘s attack and the subpoena from the state senate. The subpoenas interest Mr. King. It’s something Disney can act on. He promises to call legal up his return to the corporate offices and have them contact Betty Lu. The two adjourn to the private dining to have lunch, before Dick returns to Orlando.
Pretty much everyone attends Steve Zelinsky’s funeral at the Blackwater Jubilee Baptist Church. Reverend Ezra Brown gives a touching sermon that moves everyone to tears. Beebe buys a special dress for the occasion. She and Natty stand with Sandy and Sheila Zelinsky (after all they are family). The Czech girl lays her ‘Old Lady’ cut on Steve’s coffin before it is buried.
At the reception following the burial, Hank approaches Ricco. “We’d like to hold a party in Steve’s honor at the resort next Saturday.”
The general manager isn’t aware of any event scheduled for next weekend. “That shouldn’t be a problem. Call me tomorrow and we can work out the details.”
“Thanks. All of your people are welcome to come. I know Steve worked with some of your guys and liked them a whole lot.”
After the reception breaks up, Ricco stops to visit Alina Lanikova. He explains how the hotel is being framed for the firebombing of Reverend Weems’ church. “We’ve check the security footage at the Blue Moon and Panhandle. The bottles weren’t taken from there. It could be that someone stole them from the refuse company that we contract with pick up our trash. We need someone who can check out their offices…possibly find evidence of their involvement.”
Alina’s eyes narrows, “I don’t do that kind of work anymore.” She stands signifying the end of the conversation. “I just want to raise my daughter in peace.”
Ricco apologizes for disturbing her. He mulls over his options and heads to Pensacola to buy an Arasaka Blackjack. While in town, he also picks up a new armored suit and SP14 jacket; better safe than sorry.
***
Saturday, May 4, 2047:
Saturday night, Velvet Blue plays at the Saint Claire Farm. There is a sizable crowd of local youth. Hadley Walters III spots Beebe in the crowd and gives a friendly wave. Tonight, he’s flying solo. His two partners in slime (Danny and Peter Johnson) are in Tallahassee forced to attend one of their father’s political events. All is going well till the band takes a break between sets. Lilly Tran comes around the back of the band stand and catches Paris and Natty making out. Paris’s rather puritanical cousin makes a stink about their ‘unnatural’ relationship. The singer tries to calm her cousin, but Lilly slaps her hard across the face. It nearly knocks Paris to the ground. Natty lunges for the Vietnamese girl, screaming, “I kill you!”
Beebe intercepts the Czech girl. She tries to hold her back, but it turns into a wrestling match. Natty howls in anger kicking at Lilly. For her part, the Vietnamese girl stands rooted, like a deer in headlights. She remains motionless, till Paris put’s a hand on her should. The unexpected physical contact breaks Lilly’s shocked stupor.
“You should go.”
Lilly heeds her cousin’s advice, backing away slowly. She doesn’t want to take her eyes off the still fuming Natty; in case she breaks free. Paris moves forward to block her girlfriend’s field of vision. She whispers soothing words and strokes Natty’s cheek, trying to calm her. It seems to be working, but Beebe is still afraid to let her go. The steady stream of slurs and swears has stopped, but Natty is still fitfully straining to break free.
“Beebe, let her go.” At Paris’ quiet request, the nomad releases her grip. The Czech girl surges forward…but not to chase after Lilly. She buries her face in the Paris’ shoulder hugging her closely. Sobs wrack Natty’s slight frame. She is still traumatized by Steve’s death. The thought of anything happening to Paris sent her over the edge.
The incident is quickly forgotten. Velvet Blues goes back on stage for their second set. Natty channels her raw emotions into her music. Beebe stays after the show and ends up spending the night at the farm with Jason.
The production company is filming a scene poolside. Brandon has assigned himself as the hotel security representative. He amuses himself watching Lula Midare, Wallena Kroitor and the other young starlets prance around in their micro bikinis. Among the frivolity, he registers an out of place object under the low diving board. It is an 8x8x12 inch brown box; closed.
The security chief points out the mysterious package to the location manager. The man knows nothing about it. He had assumed that it was put there by someone from the hotel. Brandon interrupts the filming to move the actors and crew away from the potential danger. He carefully pulls the box out from under the diving board before opening it. Inside are several sticks of dynamite, tied to a timer, with just over three minutes left till detonation.
It looks like a fairly crude device, but with no demolition skills, Brandon doesn’t want to chance disarming it. He deposits it into the pool hoping the water with short circuit the time or waterlog the dynamite. At the very least, it should dampen the explosion. Everyone backs away from the pool, but the director keeps the cameras rolling. They might be able to use the use the explosion in the show.
The cardboard box bobs around on the surface, before slowly sinks towards the middle of the pool. When the explosion finally comes, it sends up a towering spray of water, drawing applause from the production crew and staff. The pool area is cordoned off as a crime scene, ending the days filming.
***
Sunday, May 5, 2047:
Beebe brings her younger half brothers and sisters to the beach for a day of kite flying. Paris and Natty tag along.
As the ‘Booze Cruise’ pulls away, Crank notices something bobbing in the water, about a hundred meters from the dock. As the boat moves further into the channel, he realizes it’s a body floating in the water. Owen orders the SS Mary Beth Petersen to come to a full stop and launch a motorized skiff to recover the body.
The corpse is that of a young female. When they pull it from the water, Crank can tell this is no accidental drowning. Ligature marks around the wrists and ankles stand out in stark relief against the deathly pallor. The victim’s body shows signs of torture. Because of the horrific mutilation it takes him a minute to recognize that the dead girl is Lilly Tran.
Crank signals the SS Mary Beth Petersen to sail on, taking Lilly Tran’s body back to the marina in the skiff. Calls are placed to the general manager and Sheriff’s Office. The police take custody of the body. Mason has the unenviable task of informing the Tran family of their loss. It’s job he‘s had to do too many times and it never gets any easier.
***
Monday, May 6, 2047:
After the department head’s deliver their reports, the subject turns to the attack by Reverend Weems’ fanatical followers. The general manager asks for suggestions on how they could improve lobby security.
Crank pipes up. “We should install a drop down bullet proof barrier at the front desk,”
Ricco mulls the idea over before responding. Cost isn’t really an issue. What he worries about is how guests will perceive a fortified front desk. It could send the wrong message. The general manager does want to shoot down the idea, but he couches his answer. “That would mean a redesign of the whole check-in area…but if it would save an employee’s life, it would be worth it.”
Mike Tran offers up a less obtrusive security measure. “Reinforce the lobby’s front door and put an auto-lock on it. Make it so the front desk or security monitor can trip it at the first sign of trouble.”
Brandon looks up thoughtfully. “I know we can’t put an intercom in the secure conference room for security reasons, but maybe install something like a big red light in there to tell us something bad is happening. That way people can get a quick heads up something is wrong.”
The general manager concludes the meeting, promising to take their suggestions under advisement. After the department heads, not in the know, have left, Ricco convenes a meeting of the Dirty Deeds team.
Charlie reports on the status of the anti-aircraft protection for the hotel. ‘I’ve finished remounting the 25mm auto cannon. I also installed a computerized firing system (+3), which should make it more accurate.”
Building the bar set will cover its installation, but who will crew the weapon becomes an issue. Ricco summarizes the dilemma. “By the time a crew makes it to the roof, it may be too late to defend against an air attack.”
Beebe asks, “You’re keeping the bar on the roof right?”
Ricco isn’t sure where she’s going but answers, “Yes.”
“Why not just hire bartenders and wait staff that can also fire the cannon? That way, it won’t look suspicious for them to be up there.”
Ricco turns to Jack Sheppard. “What do you think?”
“I have a couple of people who can mix a mean cocktail. If they have to be up there anyway, I’m sure they would pass up a little extra money.”
Considering the matter settled, Jack moves on to other topics. “We’ve installed the 2 shot LATGM recovered from the panzer turret on the SS Mary Beth Petersen. That should discourage any pirates we encounter. The ECM and Electronic Warfare suite are now operational. We have them set up down in the tunnels.
There are nods of approval around the table.
Jack has one less topic to discuss. “The hatch at the old battery has been opened. But it’s dangerous to leave it exposed. We really need to camouflage the entrance.
Ricco agrees that security of the tunnels is paramount. Beebe offers to help with constructing the false façade.
Crank brings up the death of Lilly Tran. The fact that Natty is a suspect is known to about everyone by this point. Ricco is not convinced of the young Czech’s guilt, but suggests that if she did do it, someone needs to ‘dissuade’ her from killing any more people.
Beebe remains silent. She remembers Natty’s reaction when Lilly slapped Paris. The nomad wants to believe her friend wouldn’t be capable of something so horrific…but doubt gnaws at her.
Mason (Verge) tries to light the mood. “Tell her to hide the body better next time.”
“That would work,” quips Crank.
Beebe sees red. Their blasé attitude to such a brutal murder, coupled with her own lingering fears about her friend make her want to lash out. She keeps it together long enough to make it out of the meeting.
Crank watches the young nomad stalk out of the room. “Well I guess the meeting’s over.”
As the group breaks up, he approaches Ricco for some ‘fashion’ advice. “My good suit was destroyed by the grenades tossed at us by Weems’ people. Do you know a place where I can get some new armored suits in the area?”
Ricco gives his Food and Beverage manager the address of his tailor in Pensacola, but suggests that he take along Mike Tran. “With all the problems we are having with the Johnsons, no one should go into Escambia County alone.”
Crank agrees, but decides to take Brandon instead. The security chief is already heading to Pensacola to do some banking. While they’re in town, he picks up a suit as well.
Still angry, Beebe heads out with a crew of Thelas nomads to work on the cement plug. In addition to installing a camouflaged hatch, they unclog the air vents so fresh air can reach the tunnels below.
Around 2pm, Jenny Trang, the security monitor on duty, informs Ricco that there is a sheriff’s cruiser at the school. By the time the general manager reaches the school, Sheriff Mason is leading Natty Lanikova out in handcuffs. The Brazilian asks Mason if the girl has a lawyer.
“She doesn’t get a lawyer for right away for charges this serious.” The lawman is in no mood to talk further. He puts her in the back of the cruiser and drives away.
News travels fast. Natty’s arrest is a concern for the whole team. If she is brain danced, they could discover her involvement in the bombing that took out Brewton, Alabama. That’s the deaths of over 1100 people! It could mean death sentences all around.
When Beebe returns from working on the hatch, she goes to see Paris at family’s farm. The singer is positive that Natty didn’t kill Lilly. They were together, intimately together, the entire night. Paris adds, “Natty would never to anything to hurt me and Lilly is my cousin and my friend.”
Their conversation is interrupted by the arrival of Delmar Gates. The sheriff’s deputy is there to bring in Paris. He is apologetic, but insistent, that the girl come with him. Beebe offers to go with her, but Delmar refuses to let her in the cruiser. Undeterred, she follows in her pickup.
Alina is already at the sheriff’s office when they arrive. She’s been there for several hours, waiting to see her daughter. Having recently spent a lot of time with her friend’s mother, Beebe can see through her brave front. Alina is an emotional wreck
Paris is interviewed for two hours before being released. The sheriff tells the three to go home. Natty isn’t going to be released any time soon. On the ride back, Paris tells them that the police grilled her about where Natty was Saturday night, into Sunday morning. The singer vague about what she and Natty were doing, but Beebe quickly realizes Alina knows about her daughter’s ‘appetites’.
***
Tuesday, May 7, 2047:
Just after noon, a security tech reports a sheriff’s cruiser heading towards the employee cottages. Ricco and Brandon head over immediately. By the time they arrive, the car has parked in front of the Alina’s house. Sheriff Mason remains by his cruiser, allowing the mother and daughter a private reunion.
Mason notes the approach of Ricco and Brandon with a nod. He tells them of Natty’s release and fills them in on the state of the investigation. It’s partly out of professional courtesy, but also so that they don’t bother Natty and Alina.
“Lilly was killed with a single slash across the throat. Before that though, she had been tortured something awful. She was sexually violated. There was tearing and internal bleeding, but forensics didn’t find any DNA from her killer. Bruising and wound patterns suggest they may have used a foreign object.”
Natty was the prime suspect, due to an altercation she had with victim hours before her death. The girl also has a propensity for blades. As far as forensics can tell the killing cut was made with a short thin blade. Natty’s switchblade fits the pattern, but it came back clean. We’re following up some other leads, but if you hear anything, please let me know. ”
Brandon still has doubts of Natty’s innocence. Lack of evidence doesn’t prove she didn’t do it.
Sheriff Mason has another tidbit for the general manager and security chief. Sharing information has become problematic since Ricco is still a suspect in the murder of Revered Weem’s. He drove Natty home, so that they could talk face to face.
“We’ve arrested the remaining attackers and found out where they got a hold of their hardware. Seems a Calvin Jenkins supplied the weapons. He also coached them through the attack. Mr. Jenkins was originally from Milton, but now lives in Pensacola. He’s said to be working for A.C. Johnson’s as an enforcer. We have a warrant out for his arrest. Well…I’ve gotta get back to the office, but you let me know if you hear anything.”
Another attack tied back to A.C. The crime lord is coming at them from all angles. Ricco returns to his office to look into Walter Hopkins. It wouldn’t surprise him if the ‘supposed’ talent agent from Dixie Entertainment was somehow linked to the Johnson crime family. He spends several hours conducting NET research, but finds nothing suspicious.
Beebe waits with Natty outside the school, for classes to let out. Paris is overjoyed to see her friend (and lover). The two share an embrace. As they turn to leave, Lilly’s brother, Bobby Tran, approaches, pulls a small caliber pistol and aims it at Natty. “You killed my sister, you bitch!”
The Czech girl reflexively goes for her switchblade. Paris tries to interpose herself between them, shouting at her cousin, “No!” Beebe who had remained by the truck is too far away to do anything. If she were back home, her revolver would be at her hip, not shoved in the glove compartment of the pick-up. She runs towards Bobby, but knows she won’t be in time.
Bobby’s shot catches Paris in the torso, causing the young man hesitate. Natty uses the opening to throw her blade. Bobby mouth opens and closes like a fish out of water. He stares agog at the knife protruding from his chest and goes down.
With the threat neutralized, Natty turns her attention to Paris. Her lover assures her that she’s ok…”look, it barely broke the skin.” Beebe walks over to disarm Bobby. He groggily comes around, so she tells him, “Just stay down.
The shooting draws Brandon and Mason to the school. Ricco is there soon after, as are Sheriff Mason and his deputies. Like she told Natty, Paris’ wound is slight. Dr. Ricci has her patched in minutes. Bobby Tran is not so fortunate. The knife wound will require a trip to the Milton Hospital. The sheriff takes the .22 caliber pistol from Beebe. After taking statements, he decides not to arrest anyone, yet.
Beebe drives Paris and Natty to the St. Claire farm. On the way, they talk about the shooting and about Lilly’s death. Who could want to kill her in such an awful manner? Wracking her brain for possible suspects, the nomad remembers Hadley (Walters III) being at the farm, this brings up a memory of Lilly being chased by Hadley and his to asshole buddies (Episode 2). It didn’t mean much at the time, but now, it could be significant.
She turns the truck around, and the three of them go to see Ricco. The general manager thanks them for the information. “Don’t worry, I’ll deal with it.”
***
Wednesday, May 8, 2047:
Sheriff Mason stops by the Resort to meet with Ricco and Brandon. “Bobby Tran says that Hadley Walters III told him he saw Natty follow after Lilly the night she disappeared. Hadley denies saying anything to Bobby about Natty. I’ve interviewed Natty and her band mates. They attest to her whereabouts.”
Marcus pauses. “Here’s where it gets tricky…Hadley offered to take lie detector test, which he passed. I asked Bobby to do the same and he passed as well.”
Brandon notes, “His father is a lawyer. I’m sure he taught his son how to lie convincingly.”
Ricco informs the sheriff about the attack on Lilly last January. He also points out that Hadley has a very expensive car. “A vehicle like that probably has a GPS.”
Sheriff Mason has Beebe, Paris and Natty write out their statements regarding the incident last January and sign them. “I’ll see about getting a warrant, but the evidence is pretty thin.”
***
Thursday, May 9, 2047:
Ricco receives a message from the Pensacola COG. Operation Perfect Storm, the annual spring maneuvers, will take place from Thursday, June to 6th to Tuesday, June 11th. The Blackwater area will be locked down from 11 am to 7 pm on Monday, June 10th. Details will follow in the coming weeks.
Henrique takes the afternoon and evening to produce the first recording sessions for Velvet Blue. He concentrates on the songs that will be used for the club scenes being filmed at the rooftop set, tomorrow.
***
Friday, May 10, 2047:
Construction is finish just in time for shooting to begin on the rooftop set. Filming begins in the evening, with Velvet Blue playing the part of the house band. Many Blackwater residents are cast as extras for the bar scene. Security is tight, preventing any incident that may mar the evening. Vera is cast as Ricco’s ‘date’. The former lovers have been falling back into their old familiarity. Once shooting has wrapped, Henrique invites everyone to a party in his suite.
***
Saturday, May 11, 2047:
Today is the field test the new prototype for Boss Arms’ x-ray laser. The weapon has 2 standard power packs for a theoretical maximum output of (total of possible from the power packs is 40d6). The tests go fairly well. A variable setting allows the intensity of the beam to be dialed up or down. Overheating becomes an issue when the weapon is fired at higher settings. Reliability is good at medium setting (4d6 damage). Sustained firing reveals subtle instabilities in the power core that need to be worked on. Still Charlie and Beebe label it a success.
The memorial party for Steve Zelinsky is held that evening by the hotel pool. Additional security has been brought in for the event, but not by the hotel. The Visigoths have paid to for a detail of to sheriff’s deputies to be on hand. With the entire motorcycle club and their families in attendance, the party would make a tempting target. Hotel security is on high alert, with Brandon and Mason working the party. The rest of the team come as quests, but still keep one eye out for trouble.
Velvet Blue provides the music and is especially good. Henrique watches them play, remarking to Ricco. “I’m glad you told me about these four, Cobrinha, they can go far.”
Ricco gives him a nod. Everything is going well tonight. Still, in the back of his mind he feels something is not quite right.
***
Sunday, May 12, 2047:
An angry Sheriff Mason shows up at the Resort. A.C. Johnson’s country house was attacked and burned to the ground last night. When the fire department and police arrived, they were greeted by a pyramid of eleven severed heads set up on the front lawn. Laid out in three rows of three were six of A.C. Johnson’s remaining eleven enforcers, his butler, chauffeur and cook. On top of those were Drew Barton, A.C.’s chief enforcer, Tommy Klein, the lieutenant in charge of all gambling in Escambia County, Rain and a lawyer named Jordan Grey. The grisly pyramid was capped with A.C. Johnson’s mutilated head.
Ricco (truthfully) denies any knowledge of what happened.
Sheriff Mason doesn’t look convinced. “Jordan Grey was Charles Ingersoll’s personal lawyer and senior counsel for Petersen Point Properties, so you can imagine my skepticism?”
The general manager continues to protest his ignorance of the massacre. After a while, he has the feeling that Marcus might be starting to believe him. Both have no doubt that the Visigoths were somehow involved, but the bikers have an iron clad alibi. For the sheriff, the most galling thing of all is that they used his people to cover up their crime. “A security detail my ass!” Marcus won’t lose any sleep over A.C. Johnson or his people, but he doesn’t like being used.
Episode 14 – The Johnson Clan Implodes
Charles Ingersoll’s plans for the Petersen Point resort become clear. Questions arise about his association with the Johnson family. An armed attacked on the Beach Creamery could provide an opportunity to finally see a copy of the Petersen Family Trust documents.
Suspicion surrounds Hadley Williams III and his involvement in the murder of Lilly Tran. The abduction of Jason Fry leads to a horrific discovery. New evidence may tie Hadley to other crimes. The teen’s grandfather takes matters into his own hands.
Ricco suffers a crisis of conscience. In his absence Carrie Anne must face a new threat to the hotel.
Background
President Whindam has made it the goal of his fifth term as president, to restore the sovereignty of the United States of America over the four southern states colloquially known as the ‘Cotton Kingdoms’. Under this directive, several teams have been formed to implement a plan concocted by C.I.A. Deputy Director Hamilton Greeley and US Attorney for the District of Northern Florida Richard Sharkey. One of these teams (The PCs) has been tasked with running the Petersen Point Resort. Located in Santa RosaCounty, on Florida’s panhandle, this seedy old tourist destination is perfectly situated, between the Pensacola COG and Alabama border. Though they may be tasked with the occasional field op the Petersen Point team’s primary mission is to act as a ‘safe haven’ and staging ground.
Members of this ‘Dirty Deeds’ team has been provided with cover jobs at the hotel. Sam Fisher, a retired Delta Force colonel and C.I.A. assassin, was the original team leader. His cold blooded murder of an Alabama State Trooper caused his employers to reevaluate his tenure.
Since his untimely death at the hands of a C.I.A. cleaner, the role of team leader has fallen to Ricco Torres. The Brazilian born ex-cop turned corporate executive walks a fine line between loyalty to Disney and the needs of the mission. Those goals of are in alignment, for now…
Dramatis Personae
The NPCs
Arthur Cletus ‘AC’ Johnson is the leader of the organized crime family in the area. His partnership with Hadley Walters Jr. has given him the respectability he needs to get his younger brother (the middle one), Brainerd, elected to the state legislature. The man is smart and savvy. His power base is Pensacola and controls all the drugs, gambling and prostitution. It is believed he ‘has something’ on the Escambia County Sheriff, who ignores his criminal activity.
Alina Lanikova is the lead dancer at the Blue Moon Revue. She is a stunningly beautiful (ATTR 10), tall 29 year old Czech woman. Her skills are exceptional and she acts as ‘Den Mother” to the other dancers. She lives at the Resort with her teenage daughter.
Amy Fry is a young Thelas and sister of Jason Fry. She dates Sammy Trang, the drummer of Velvet Blue.
Andrea Hutton is a hot twenty one year old senior, who is determined to claw her to the top and a marketing/PR prospective intern from JacksonvilleStateUniversity.
Arthur Greenburg (the Geek) is one of the two public relations interns from Florida Atlantic University.
Carrie Anne Thorn is the assistant hotel manager and bookkeeper at the Petersen Point Resort. She is a small white woman is her early sixties. Carrie Anne has arthritis so she doesn’t walk a lot.
Charles Ingersoll is the grandson-in-law of Sophie Petersen, widow of Randy Petersen and heiress to the Petersen Family Trust. He serves as CEO of the Petersen Point Properties Group.
David Lloyd was an accountant and bookkeeper for Petersen Point Properties that discovered enough financial ‘smoke’ to bring down the bean counters from corporate on Ricco Torres.
Governor Braxton Lowndes II is the current governor (for life) of Alabama and son of the late ex-Governor Braxton Lowndes.
Hadley Walters Jr. is from one of Pensacola’s oldest and most distinguished families. He is the senior partner of Walters and Johnson, the most prestigious law firm in Escambia County and a county commissioner. Since the death of his wife and daughter in a boating accident, he has given up any pretense of honesty except displays for public consumption. He dotes on his son, Hadley III, and can’t (or won’t) see the young man’s true nature.
Hadley Walters III is a 15 year old student and forward on the Gulf Breeze Prep basketball team. He is an arrogant self-entitled little prick, who tried to attack Lilly Tran (Episode 2) and vandalized the Golf Course.
Henrique: A former Favela drug lord (nicknamed the King Snake) and leader of the Red Command who took a government amnesty offer and got out of the drug business. Henrique used to belong to a Brazilian pop group manufactured by a record company. When his voice changed he was fired and thrown back into the favela where he rose to the top of the local gang. The man now runs a media company which works with Disney. He and Ricco Torres grew up together with Ricco being the younger ‘brother’ (nicknamed Cobrinha – Little Snake).
Father Ernesto Rivera is the Puerto Rican born priest of St. Peter’s by the Sea. He is 32 years old and very warm and friendly.
Father Gabriel Torres is a Brazilian priest in Rio de Janeiro and brother to Ricco Torres.
Felipe Torres is a Brazilian gang leader of the Red Command in Rio de Janeiro and also brother to Ricco Torres.
Greg Winters (the Face) is one of the two public relations interns from FloridaAtlanticUniversity.
Jack Shepard, the marina manager and a Thelas nomad. He is ex-military and is organizing the resort’s defenses.
Jane (Calhoun) Walters was the late wife of Hadley Walters II and only daughter of Sheriff Roger Calhoun of Escambia County. She drowned trying to pull her daughter Sara out from under the pilings of the family boathouse.
Jason Fry is a young Thelas nomad serving of Charlie’s test ship, the Sea Snake. His sister is Amy Fry. He has a thing for Beebe.
Lilly Tran is Bobby Tran’s sister and is also not a fan of her cousin Paris although there is usually no conflict between them. Lilly is NOT a good student and is afraid to ask anyone in her family for help. Sometimes Paris helps her with her homework.
Lt. Governor John Lowndes the youngest of the Lowndes family of Alabama. He is reportedly a weak willed sybaritic womanizer, but is allowed to be Lt. Governor of Alabama.
Luis Cabral is a high level netrunner from Rio here in response for Ricco Torres’ request and Henrique’s endorsement.
Marshal Clayton ‘Clay’ Johnson is the older son of the late Terrance Johnson and nephew of ‘AC’ Johnson, the crime lord of Escambia County. His younger brother is Roland ‘Ronnie’ Johnson a suspected drug dealer who runs a crew in Santa Rosa County. The marshal is in NO way a member of his uncle’s organization and would love to put him away.
Michelle Petersen is the mother of Karl Petersen, granddaughter of the founder of the resort, Clarence Petersen and niece of Sophie and the late Randy Petersen. She was the ‘wild child’ of her generation. Michelle is one of the biggest landowners in the area and lives on the old Petersen Farm. She runs a craft and leather goods shop called ‘Crafty Michelle’s’.
Mr. Zeitsev is the code name for the Team’s contact on this secret, black project. He is their (government’s) ‘Mr. Johnson’.
Nancy Petersen is the daughter of a Karl Petersen and used to be a cocktail waitress at the Panhandle saloon. She is now runs the Beach Creamery for her grandmother, Michelle.
Natty Lanikova is the daughter of dancer Alina Lanikova and the teenage bassist for Velvet Blue. She dated Steve Zelinsky of the Visigoths and doesn’t speak English very well.
Paris Saint Claire is the lead singer for the band Velvet Blue and granddaughter of Eustis Saint Claire. She and Natty are best friends.
Patricia Johnson is the only child and law partner of A.C. Johnson.
Paul Gambier is the head chef at the Petersen Point Resort and from an old Cajun family of the area.
Richard King is a highly placed Disney executive that deals in ‘delicate’ situations. He is the man Disney sends, when things are going wrong and action must be taken. He has the nickname ‘King Dick’, but never to his face!
Roland ‘Ronnie’ Johnson is the younger son of the late Terrance Johnson and a member of the Johnson Clan crime family. He sells drugs out of the Panhandle Saloon in Santa RosaCounty.
Sara Walters was the daughter of Hadley Walters II. She drowned with her mother under the pilings of the family boathouse.
Sheriff Marcus G. (Garvey) Mason of Santa RosaCounty is a powerfully built African-American with a bald head and piercing brown eyes. He has been sheriff for seventeen years and on the force for eight years before that as well as twelve years in the Army. He has a cyberarm and two cybereyes as well as a lot of smaller cyberware. The man has a reputation as a tough, honest cop who protects his county.
Sheriff Roger Calhoun of EscambiaCounty is a hard ass white cop, who has had his job for 24 years. His son in law is a top member of the Johnson Crime Clan and he is hopelessly corrupt and hates himself for it.
Superintendent Richard Lowndes is the head of the Alabama State Police and second son to the late Governor Braxton Lowndes. His older brother Braxton Lowndes II is now governor.
Sydney Green is the Deputy comptroller of Petersen Point Properties and is here to find evidence of Ricco Torres’ malfeasance.
Vera de Costa is an old (new) flame of Ricco Torres who has come north with Henrique’s production team.
Victor Kane is an American Edgerunner (Runner) running the Rio Street Racing circuit and a major speed shop in Rio de Janeiro. He is currently chief stunt driver for Henrique’s production team.
The Action
Monday, May 13, 2047:
Ricco’s preparations for the weekly department meeting are interrupted by a call from the front desk. “Mr. Torres, there is a mister…Vee Goth, who wishes to speak with you.” The uncertainty in the clerk’s voice raises a warning. There was no meeting on his schedule and he has never heard of anyone named Vee Goth. . A.C. may be dead, but it could be some kind of contingency plan. The recent attempts on his life are forefront in his mind as Ricco cautiously opens his office door.
A tall and stocky man with an unruly mop of hair and thick beard waits patiently tapping his fingers on a larger cardboard cylinder. The few features that are discernable appear almost smushed. It’s a laughable disguise, good enough to hide his true identity from security cameras, but definitely not subtle. Ricco is fairly certain if this man intended to kill him, he wouldn’t be so obvious about it. There is also something in the way the man carries himself, that is familiar.
The general manager doesn’t drop his guard, but waives Vee Goth through. He takes him to the conference room, so that they can talk in private. Once the room is secure, his burly visitor pops the cap off of the end of the cardboard cylinder and proceeds to pull out a sheaf of tightly rolled papers. “This is something you might be interested in. It was found at A.C. Johnson’s last Saturday night.”
As Ricco inspects the documents, their significance becomes all too clear. Lying on the table is a certified and numbered copy of Peterson Point Properties’ plan to build a multi-million dollar luxury housing development where the resort currently stands. The projected start date for construction is September 2047. It’s like a punch in the gut. How Ingersoll hopes to put the hotel out of business in four months eludes Ricco, but the plans put things in perspective. Charles Ingersoll’s indifference, the continued corporate runaround and internal audit now all make sense.
His bearded guest hands Ricco a computer chip. “Here is a digital copy of all of this with the copy numbers deleted. The original document is evidence that could get many of my friends a death sentence so I’ll be taking it with me. We just thought you ought to know.”
“Thank you for bringing this to my attention.”
Mr. Vee Goth walks out the door, never to be seen again. Ricco wastes no time calling Richard King to arrange a meeting. He’s sure that his superior will be very interested in this information.
Ricco lets Carrie Anne take the lead at the manager’s meeting. Learning of Charles Ingersoll’s plan has left him too distracted. Business continues to be brisk. With the arrival of the first South American tour group and the continued stay of the film crew, Carrie Anne predicts they will be sold out for the weekend. Morale around the table is high. Ricco wishes that he could share in their enthusiasm. The meeting is mercifully short.
Leaving the conference room the general manager heads for the “Dirty Deeds team meeting. With all of the scrutiny they have been under Brandon had suggested installing a secret conference room in the bunker like rooms below the hotel. By, using the tunnels, members could gather without being seen. It might be too late for such measures to matter, but the closeness of the walls gives Ricco comfort. For the moment, he doesn’t fell like there’s a bulls-eye on his back.
The rest of the team has a similar reaction to Ingersoll’s plan.
Betty Lu is skeptical, “From what I’ve learned, there is no way Ingersoll can legally do this. The hotel is owned by a trust.”
“Well, he’s figured out some way around it,” Crank observes.
Both have valid points, but without a copy of the trust, they have no way of knowing what loop holes might exist. Ricco sees only one course. “We have to get a copy of the trust documents. The only person we haven’t talked to is Michelle Petersen. Maybe she has one or at least is familiar with the terms.”
Brandon agrees to ask her. Having saved three of her grandchildren from certain death (or worse) he probably has the best chance of approaching her. With no other new business to discuss, the meeting breaks up.
Sheriff Mason calls Ricco in the early afternoon. “I’m going to the school to interview some of the kids that were at the party, where Lilly Tran was last seen. I would like it if both you and Brandon were there.”
At the school Mason shows the teens a series of pictures. “Do any of these cars look familiar? Do you remember seeing any of them either at the party or even driving by?” Six of those questioned don’t recognize any of the vehicles, but Amy Fry stops on one of the photos.
“I remember seeing this one…In fact I’m pretty sure Lilly was standing near it.”
Sheriff Mason asks the nomad girl, “Did you see her get in?”
“No, But when I looked over that way a few minutes later, the car were gone and so was Lilly.”
The sheriff thanks the students for their time. He asks Amy to wait in the hall for him. Once all of the teenagers have left the room, he shows Ricco the picture Amy picked out. “This is Hadley Walters III’s car.”
“Does that give you probable cause to search his vehicle?” the ex-cop asks. “The GPS system should tell you where the car was at the time of the murder.”
“Well, duh,” Mason says with a grin. “Can you get a hold of Charlie? I have to talk the Fry Family into letting me put Amy into protective custody.”
“Can’t you just do it regardless?” asks Brandon.
“Well, yes, but she is a nomad. I have an understanding with the elders and I have to respect that.”
A bond of trust exists between Mason and the nomads, but the prospect Amy needing to testify against a member of the Walter’s family worries her parents. Charlie vouching for the safety of their daughter finally convinces them. It takes a while but Amy Fry leaves with Sheriff Mason.
***
Tuesday, May 14, 2047:
Ricco receives an unexpected visit from T.C. and Bruce James. With them is their cousin, Gregory James, who was recently released from prison due to Ricco’s discovery in the resort’s lost & found. “I just wanted to stop by and thank you personally. If it weren’t for you I’d still be rotting in prison.” T.C. and Bruce add their gratitude. As the three depart, Ricco stops to savor the moment. With all of the death and despair around them, it’s nice to see that sometimes good things happen.
Mason Verge feels he has finally mastered the rhythm of Petersen Point Resort. Driving past the beach is the best part of his patrol. He slows the unmarked cruiser to take in the scenery; young tight bodies in barely there bikinis. Maybe he can convince Brandon to put him on beach patrol. Something catches his eye as he takes on last lingering look in his rearview mirror at the sunbathing beauties. Two men in windbreakers are crossing the road towards the beach. The day is breezy, but way too hot for jackets, even light one.
Suspicious, Mason turns the cruiser around. It looks like they are heading for the Beach Creamery. He also notes a beat-up old Ford sitting across the street. There is someone sitting behind the wheel watching their progress. Focusing back on the two men, he catches sight of weapons. There’s no way he could intercept them in time on foot, so he slams down the gas pedal. Tires screech as the security car surges towards the beach. The two gunmen open up on the creamery; one capping off rounds from a pistol, while the other hoses down the front of the stand with a submachine gun.
With rear wheel drive, the vehicle easily vaults the curb, heading towards the creamery and gunmen. Mason had hoped to run them down, but the car flounders in the sand. Still they understand his intent and scramble to get out of the way as the cruiser fishtails in their direction. It may not have been his intent, but the car comes to a stop between the gunmen and the ice cream stand.
Mason is out of the car and firing his .454 Nikita. The body of the cruiser provides cover from the two armed assailants, but not from the wheel man in the old Ford. A shot rings out from behind him. Mason spares a glance back at the figure sprawled in the sand. There’s no time to check if it’s a friend or foe; he still has two targets in front of him.
[GM Note: The wheelman ran across the street to take a shot at Mason, but managed to botch his roll. In his haste, he lost his footing in the sand and went down, accidently wounding himself]
Mason squeezes off to rounds at the submachine gunner. One hits the man with no appreciable effect, but the second catches him in the head. It’s a telling blow that drops the gunman. The security officer swings to fire at the man’s compatriot, who is once again moving towards the creamery. A shot from the gunman punches through Mason’s vest. Thankfully the armor absorbed most of the round’s kinetic energy. His skinweave stops the rest. It leaves a deep welt, but the solo is none the worse for wear.
Mason charges forward to intercept the pistol wielding gunman, before he can reach the stand. The security officer takes a round in the leg, as he closes. Thanks again to his armor, it does minimal damage. Mason tries a Gun Fu maneuver aiming for his opponent’s head, but the man deftly blocks the attack. The bullet fires harmlessly into the air. The security officer’s hopes of putting the gunman at a disadvantage by engaging him in hand to hand combat are quickly dashed. He finds an opponent well prepared for close in fighting.
The foot-spike on the gunman’s cyberleg gouges into Mason’s thigh. It’s a sharp searing pain, but he keeps his feet; maneuvering for another shot at the man’s head. While the two solo’s spar, up the beach, the wheelman regains his feet. Before he can even think of making for the creamery or returning to the safety of the car, he comes under fire from Natty. The teen has to lie splayed out on the counter to take the shot around the edge of the stand. It’s an unbalanced firing stance, but her aim is true. The wheelman is down again. Natty leans back, grabs the edge of the counter and slides back into the cover of the creamery.
Mason gets off a shot that creases his opponent’s head. It doesn’t put the man down, but it definitely did damage. The muscles near his left eye twitch uncontrollably. Seeping blood stains his hair crimson. The gunman circles with Mason, inadvertently putting his back to the front of the ice cream stand. Natty reappears, this time wielding a switchblade. She quietly slides across the counter and thrusts the knife’s thin blade in to the base of the gunman’s neck. With a few quick jerks, she turns him off like a switch.
The body crumples to the ground, leaving Mason giving him an unobstructed view of the blood spattered teenager. Her face is an emotionless mask. It’s an awkward situation. For a moment, Mason is sure she’s going lick the blood off her fingers. He walks away to check on the status of the third gunman. He is unconscious, but doesn’t appear to be in any danger of dying. After securing the man’s weapon and cuffing him, Mason heads back to check on the creamery’s staff.
Nancy Petersen sustained some small cuts from flying glass. Other than that everyone inside the stand is fine. They had hit the ground quickly enough to avoid the hail of gunfire. Though the rounds from the submachine gun torn up the stand’s exterior, they were too light to punch through the cooler and other equipment behind the counter.
Out of all of them, Mason is the most injured. Dr. Ricci sees to his wounds, while Sheriff Mason surveys the scene. The situation is pretty clear cut, but deputies still go through the motions of taking witness statements. They also tape off the area around the gunmen’s car. A forensic tech calls Sheriff Mason over to the body of the dead gunman in front of the creamery. Natty looks on as the tech points out the neck wound. She draws a hard stare from Marcus, but he doesn’t walk over to confront her. The sheriff is more than happy to call it a case of self defense.
An examination of all of the bodies reveals that there are no labels on any of the gunmen’s clothing. They are appearing less and less like hired thugs, which raises the question; why would anyone hire professional killers to hit the Beach Creamery?
Ricco and Vera join Henrique in his suite for dinner. It is an intimate repast, but they are not his only guests. The King Snake is flanked by Paris and Natty. Sitting across from them is Luis Cabral. It’s a bit of a shock for Ricco. He had put out the word that he was looking for a top-of-the-line net jockey, but having one of Rio’s top netrunners show up in the company of his old friend is completely unexpected.
While Henrique gets comfortable with the two teenage girls, much to Vera’s amusement, Luis and Ricco work out the terms of his employment. They settle on $10,000 up front with another $10,000 per month plus room and board. After a sumptuous dinner, Henrique makes his apologies. “Sorry to cut out early, but we have to get over to the recording studio. But please stay and enjoy yourselves. Ladies?” Paris and Natty join Henrique. He wraps his arms around both girls and the three walk out together.
At the Blue Moon, Crank oversees Tuesday Amateur Night.
***
Wednesday, May 15, 2047:
Charlie and Beebe outfit Crank’s bike with a brace so he can fire his assault rifle while riding. The setup is easy. It’s not some revolutionary new design. Nomad outriders have been using it for decades.
Sheriff Mason Gulf shows up at Breeze Prep with a posse of deputies. It’s at the end of the school day so they catch Hadley Walters III by his car. The teenager is detained as a person of interest in the murder of Lilly Tran. Marcus has a flatbed on hand to impound his vehicle.
Dinner time finds Ricco and Vera returning to Henrique’s suite. Old passions between the former lovers have started to rekindle. They walk close together oblivious to the third member of their party. Brandon for his part does his best to ignore the flirting couple. Vera unexpectedly shoves Ricco to the side and pulls out a small caliber pistol. Her gun swings towards the security chief, but Brandon isn’t her intended target.
The bullet whistles past his shoulder and strikes the man coming up behind them. He returns fire, catching Vera in the side. Alerted to their attacker, Brandon spins, draws his much larger handgun and dispatches the man before he can get off another shot. Ricco frets over Vera. The thought that something might happen to her after they just started up again has him concerned.
Vera tries to play down the situation. “I’m fine. He just creased me.” She looks at the blood stain spreading on her blouse and quips, “Well this top is ruined.”
Ricco muses, “It’s probably one of A.C. Johnson’s people.”
She takes a closer look at their attacker. “He could’ve been after me.”
Ricco gives her a look. Clearly Vera has neglected to mention her full reason for coming to Florida. There will be time for them to talk later. For the moment he takes her to see Dr. Ricci. While the physician patches her gunshot wound, Ricco contacts Sheriff Mason. Dinner with Henrique will have to be postponed.
Later in the evening, Henrique finishes Velvet Blue’s last recording session for their EP. He is very hopeful for this project and finds both Paris and Natty most intriguing.
***
Thursday, May 16, 2047:
Brandon returns to Milton his weekly deposits into his account. While there he also buys a complete CINO Big Blue nuscuba system.
Ricco stops at the Beach Creamery hoping to speak with Nancy Petersen. The stand still bears the scars of the recent gunfight, but it’s open for business. Nancy isn’t around, but her grandmother, Michelle, is working the counter. The general manager expresses his concern that the attack may have been directed by A.C. Johnson or Charles Ingersoll. He asks with all earnestness, “If this is mob related or some kind of vendetta, do you think you will be safe here?”
Michelle doesn’t answer directly. She merely looks down. Ricco follow the direction of her gaze and sees the sawed off double barreled 12 gauge, pointed right at his stomach. He hadn’t even seen her draw the weapon. “Safe enough I see.”
The weapon doesn’t waiver. She seems to have taken his suggestion she was defenseless old lady, the wrong way. Ricco tries another tactic. “I’m concerned that your cousin, Charles Ingersoll, is up to something with the company,”
Michelle doesn’t sound surprised. “That little weasel is always up to something.”
The shotgun is no longer pointed at him, so Ricco decides to go for broke. “Well, we have been trying to find a copy of the trust documents, but the contents are sealed and Charles’s attorney has the only copy we know of. Would you possibly have a copy of your grandfather Clarence’s will? The terms of the trust are in that.”
Michelle’s brow furrows. She appears locked in concentration, as if trying to grasp some long ago memory. “I might have a copy…but it may take a while to find.” Ricco doesn’t want to press her. She’s given him a shred of hope. He is more than willing to work on Michelle’s timetable.
Returning to his office, Ricco contacts Sheriff Mason to follow up on the shooting. Marcus doesn’t sound happy. “We’ve confirmed that all three are from the Pensacola area. All of them are known associates of the Johnson Crime Family. The one you captured alive isn’t talking. Being that it’s only attempted murder, the DA is having a devil of a time securing a braindance order. I wouldn’t hold my breath.
It may be a long shot, but the ex-cop asks anyway. “What about the car.”
“Stolen, we found their prints inside, but nothing else of value. Even their guns couldn’t be traced back to the Johnsons. It’s not looking good.”
The case may be at a standstill, but Ricco has other business to discuss with the sheriff. “I noticed there is a special election coming up to fill the seat of CountyCommissioner. Could you recommend a ‘business friendly’ candidate that I should throw my support behind?”
Marcus finds the question in poor taste; seeing as how Ricco was until recently a suspect in the murder of the late County Commissioner, Reverend Weems. He still tries to keep his answer neutral. “Since we have to work with all sides, the sheriff’s department tries to stay out of political matters. We can’t be seen playing favorites. This isn’t EscambiaCounty after all.”
Ricco is disappointed, but respects Marcus’ stance. The general manager thanks him for his time and hangs up. He contact Blackwater’s mayor, hoping to gauge her political leanings, but she gives him a similar measured response.
Jason is in heaven as he watches Beebe, Paris and Natty splash around in the Blackwater River. He had planned a riverside picnic in the old county park. It was supposed to be an afternoon alone with Beebe, but having her friends tag along isn’t turning out too bad. The envious looks and longing stares of the other guys on the secluded beach make it all worth it. He can’t help but smile as he makes his way back to the pickup to grab the other cooler.
Screeching tiers draw everyone’s attention. With no sounds of a resulting crash or sirens the teenagers quickly put it out of their minds and go back to partying. Ten minutes pass before Jason’s absence is noticed. Beebe heads up to the truck to see what’s keeping him.
The young nomad is nowhere in sight, but she doesn’t start to worry till she sees the overturned cooler. Searching around, she finds the remains of a busted cell phone near fresh tire patches on the asphalt. The phone is beyond repair, but she recognizes the case. It’s Jason’s.
Beebe frantically asks around, to see if anyone caught a look at the car that had peeled out of the lot. Paris and Natty help her. The two teens try to keep their friend calm, but Beebe’s fear and worry are contagious. Their search proves fruitless. Panicked the young nomad calls Charlie. “Somebody grabbed Jason.
Words just pour out, giving the gunsmith no opportunity to ask for more details. Between Beebe’s ramblings he is able to make out that Jason may have been taken to keep his sister, Amy from testifying against Hadley Walters III. If true, then Hadley’s father is probably behind the abduction. Charlie also learns the depth of feeling his protégé has for the nomad sailor.
As Beebe’s outburst winds down, she is finally able to give intelligible answers. The gunsmith tells her to stay where she is. He contacts the sheriff’s office then notifies the other nomad elders.
Sheriff Mason tries to contain his aggravation. “So let me get this straight…instead of calling us directly, you reported the crime to someone else, who then had to call us. Do you know how much time you wasted?”
He isn’t trying to be cruel but if they had been notified sooner, they may have had a chance to intercept the kidnappers. As it stands, there are three possible vehicles that could have been the getaway car. They had been able to follow them using traffic cams, as far as Pensacola.
Beebe’s panic had given way to anger. It was originally directed at the people who took Jason, but Sheriff Mason’s accusations draw her ire. Yes she messed up, but that’s no reason for him to put the blame on her. The nomad answers Mason’s questions, but the responses are curt. It’s not until later, after the sheriff finishes his questioning and she has a chance to calm down that Beebe remembers Jason has a phone implanted in his head.
The United States Marshals and FDLE scan for Jason’s cell signal. Luis Cabral hacks into the system to allow Jack Sheppard’s ELINT group can monitor their progress. Forty-five minutes later Beebe receives a call from Jason’s cyber-phone. He doesn’t speak. There are only sounds of labored breathing and groans of pain. It’s hard to listen to, but the young nomad has to keep the line connected, so that they can triangulate the signal.
The Feds track the call to Pensacola’s waterfront. They head off to converge on the area. Beebe jumps in her truck to follow. Before she can drive off, Crank climbs into the passenger seat. He wants to make sure she doesn’t do anything stupid. Ricco decides to follow in his own car. He takes Brandon and Charlie with him. They are no sooner across the line into Escambia County, than Ricco’s car is pulled over by a county deputy. Even though he has corporate immunity, the general manager stops. He doesn’t want to give the deputy any excuses to shoot.
Two more cruisers arrive as backup. A lengthy check is made of Ricco and Brandon’s police credentials. The general manager’s car is search thoroughly. They are delayed for nearly an hour. The Escambia deputies are just about to let them go, when Brandon identifies Charlie as an important nomad. This revelation is followed by more record checks and delays.
Beebe safely passes through Escambia County to the outskirts of Pensacola. Her new pickup isn’t known by county lawmen. The truck’s plates aren’t on the list of vehicles that should receive ‘special attention’ by Escambia County’s finest! Even if they had tried to pull her over, she probably wouldn’t have stopped.
The US Marshals, FDLE and Pensacola City Police have a four block area cordoned off by the time Beebe makes it to the waterfront. Crank is waved through by one of the Marshals. The young nomad tries to follow, but is stopped by at the security line. Her temper gets the better of her. “I’m with him. Let me through.”
“Sorry miss, you’ll have to stay behind the line; only police and security personnel past this point.”
Beebe quietly fumes as Crank continues on without her. Marshal Clay Johnson eventually sees the young nomad and gets her through the police cordon.
State Police techs have narrowed down the signal to a multi-room commercial storage unit. Jason has managed to keep the call connected even as his groans of pain had turned to cries of agony. The police prepare for a full breach of the building. There is a storm of gunfire as the tactical unit rushes in. Harrowing seconds pass before the team inside signals the all clear. The hostage (Jason) is secure; there’s one hostile down.
Within minutes, Jason is brought out on a stretcher. Beebe pushes forward to get to his side. Though in severe pain, he manages to smile up at her. She puts on a brave face, not wanting to give him a reason to worry. It had taken nearly two hours to find Jason. In that time he had been tortured severely. Blood soaked bandages cover areas where the skin had been flayed off his body. Beebe doesn’t want to think of what would have happened if they hadn’t found him.
Clay Johnson makes sure that the young nomad is kept well back as the body of Patricia Johnson is brought out. The breach team had surprised her in the midst of torturing Jason. She had turned a gun on the nomad, bent on claiming one last victim, before being taken. They had no choice, but to gun her down to save the hostage.
Clay Johnson has mixed emotions about the operation. It was a blow to find out that Patricia was the kidnapper. He had always liked his cousin, yet walking around the torture chamber, seeing the grisly trophies; he couldn’t help but feel disgust.
Beebe finds Crank and gives him the keys to her truck. “I’m going in the ambulance with Jason. I’ll get a ride back later.”
When the Escambia deputies finally let them go, Ricco turns the car around and heads back to Petersen Point. “It has to be over by now. They have either saved him or he is dead.”
(GM Note: Over the next week, evidence mounts against Patricia Johnson. Jason was far from her first victim. DNA recovered from trophies in her ‘kill room’ tie A. C. Johnson’s daughter to over a dozen other murders; all of nomads. Patricia harbored a pathological hatred against nomads since a young age. This murderous psychosis stemmed from the brutal rape and murder of her mother and aunt at the hands of a group of Raffin Shiv. She saw no distinction between these violent outcasts and members of the formalized nomad nations; killing indiscriminately.)
***
Friday, May 17, 2047:
King Dick dispatches an AV to pick up Ricco for their Friday morning meeting. The general manager wasn’t expecting company at the roof top pad, but for some reason, Alina Lanikova is there with an overnight bag. Waiting for the Disney transport to arrive, his curiosity gets he best of him.
“Heading out?”
“Yes.” The tone is neutral, but Alina shows no interest in engaging in further conversation.
Ricco tries again. “Where to?”
“I’m just taking a few days to myself.”
The awkward conversation is interrupted by the whine of jet engines. An AV limo glides across the Blackwater and touches down on the pad. Alina turns to the general manager, “This one’s mine, I’ll see you later.”
Ricco nods to the dancer. He notes the aerodynes Alabama license plate, memorizing the number before the vehicle pulls away. Ten minutes later, the general manager’s ride arrives. The Disney AV whisks him off to Orlando.
Breaking news out of Pensacola: Hadley Walters III has been charged with the first degree murder of Lilly Tran. The regional press has a field day with wild conjectures of corruption and connections to local organized crime. Speculation about a connection between the younger Walters and Patricia Johnson lead to lurid tales of what the police found at the waterfront. Did he learn how to torture and murder under her tutelage? Such stories would never have made the press if A. C. Johnson was still alive, but with the death of the crime lord and the disgrace of his law firm, it’s now open season.
Jason is still in the hospital with Beebe steadfastly by his side. The police are still trying to identify the ‘trophies’ found in the Pensacola lawyer’s ‘kill room’. It is expected that processing the DNA evidence will help close a host of cold cases and disappearances in the area.
Ricco arrives in Orlando and heads for Richard King’s office. The general manager foregoes the normal pleasantries and gets right to the reason for his visit. “I know what Charles Ingersoll is up to. He’s planning to cross us.”
“How do you know…or perhaps I should just ask, what are his plans?”
King Dick’s face hardens as he looks through the liberated blueprints for ‘Blackwater Estates’. “Where did you get these?” Reconsidering he asks, “Do I want to know?”
Ricco shakes his head. “It would probably be best to remain deniably ignorant.”
“Get me a copy of these. Oh and by the way…” King Dick adds. “Next time, let’s meet in the NET. AVs are expensive”
The general manager agrees and promises to keep his superior informed of developments.
Before heading back to Petersen Point, Ricco goes into Orlando to buy himself an Arasaka “Blackjack” Stealthsuit. He also gets a Militech Ghost Suit and spytech body stocking for Mason. With things going the way they are, these purchases could be a good investment.
***
Saturday, May 18, 2047:
Ricco makes a copy of the Petersen Point Properties’ plan.
Tonight is the production Wrap Party. Henrique spares no expense to throw a huge blow out at the hotel’s new rooftop bar, which has been named in his honor. Everyone on the team goes to ‘Henrique’s’ except Mason Verge, who is stuck working the night shift. Velvet Blue plays a short set, showcasing the songs from their EP. The real entertainment for the night is the band Pounze da Lion.
A contingent of hotel security backed up by officers from the local sheriff’s department and FDLE make sure the party goes off without interruption. If only they could police the invited guests as thoroughly. Victor Kane is an excellent stunt driver, but lacks even the basic skills of etiquette. There has never been any love lost between him and Vera da Costa. After a few drinks and some passive aggressive banter, Vera decides that her drink would look better if Victor was wearing it! Never one to appear the aggressor, Vera ‘accidently’ spills her drink all over the runner’s beautiful new shirt. The runner excuses himself to go change. Vera considers ‘giving’ him another drink on his return, but Ricco suggests it might make her look petty.
During the party Ricco pulls Luis Cabral aside and asks him to look into Walter Hopkins and the Dixie Entertainment Agency. There is just something about the man and his company that seems off.
***
Sunday, May 19, 2047:
Ricco’s knock at the door of Henrique’s suite is answered by Paris Saint Claire wearing only a smile. She seems perfectly comfortable in her nakedness. Being Brazilian, nudity doesn’t embarrass him. He is however surprised by her presence. Henrique’s voice carries from the bedroom. “Hey, Cobrinho. Come on in.” Ricco finds his friend reclining on the bed. Natty Lanikova is sitting astride his hips feeding him chocolate covered strawberries. Neither is wearing a stitch of clothing. Henrique always did like them young.
“Want some breakfast?” Henrique indicates the tray of food on the bed stand.
“Coffee is fine.”
Paris brings him a steaming cup, before rejoining the producer and her friend on the bed. Ricco keeps it to small talk, while the three finish their breakfast. After the girls have dressed and left
Henrique asks, “So, is Vera coming back to Rio, or will she sticking around, Cobrinho?”
Ricco is surprised by the question. He likes having her around, but hadn’t considered her staying. He isn’t sure what Henrique knows, so he decides to play along. “We haven’t discussed it. I’m not sure she wants to stay.”
His friend chuckles, “I think she would and I think she wants to. Besides, there are those in Rio who do not wish her well.”
“What kind of trouble is she in?”
“Nothing of her doing,” Henrique assures him. “The shoemaker she was working for crossed the wrong people. They are just being thorough.”
With the shooting wrapped up, most of Henrique’s production crew leaves. As for Ricco and Vera, things have been going well between them. The spark that brought them together, years ago, is still there. Later in the afternoon Ricco sits Vera down, so that they can finally talk. He has always been a bit uneasy around Vera. She has a tendency to go off on unexpected tangents.
“So…” the general manager begins. “I gather you would … um … like a job here? I could put you in charge of … special projects or something like that?”
Vera graces him with a Cheshire smile. “That would be nice, yes.”
He has his answer, but he was hoping for more of an outpouring of emotion. That knowing smile almost makes him feel like he’s just been played. She can be so insufferable at times. Ricco still makes a mental note to call Carrie Anne tomorrow and start the paperwork to hire his girlfriend.
Crank goes on the SS Mary Beth Petersen’s Sunday Booze Cruise. With all the trouble lately, he runs some security sweeps and keeps his eyes open for trouble. There is none and the trips are both peaceful and profitable.
The Alabama registered AV limo drops Alina off at the rooftop pad. Security notes that it has a different license plate than the one she left on.
***
Monday, May 20, 2047:
The primary topic of the morning staff meeting is keeping the South American tour group happy and entertained. By now the staff has everything under control. The spring break and Henrique’s production crew have brought them together as a cohesive working unit. Increases in staff allow them to meet the needs of their guests.
Ricco feels that he can leave Carrie Anne in charge. For now, he must go back to Rio for a few days and deal with his troubled conscience. As a good Catholic, he needs Confession. Father Rivera is a good man, but he is too close to the situation. He also worries that a local priest might break the sanctity of the confessional, given the severity of his sins. A trip home will let him keep it in the family. Ricco plans to visit his brother, Father Gabriel Torres.
Vera will stay in Blackwater and move both her and Ricco’s things into the general manager’s house. The bungalow he had been living in was big enough for a single person, but living together, they need more space. In his mind, Sam Fisher’s death is far enough in the past to keep the move from seeming awkward.
Ricco takes the trip in Henrique’s private jet. The ex-cop talks his friend into stopping briefly in Orlando, so that he can drop off the copy of Charles Ingersoll’s plans for Blackwater Estates. The side trip works for Henrique. He has some outstanding business with Disney. The flight finally lands in Rio late in the evening.
***
Tuesday, May 21, 2047:
Ricco heads to Gabriel’s church. Recent events have stretched the Brazilian’s morality way beyond his comfort zone. He confesses to his brother, relating every misdeed that had occurred since his arrival in Florida. Ricco even tells him of the chemical plant explosion. Even though he could not have predicted the result of his actions, the resulting deaths weigh heavily on his spirit.
The general manager also feels responsible for Sam Fisher’s death. When he asked King Dick to inform ‘Mr. Zeitsev’ that Sam’s actions put the resort and mission at risk, he knew it could lead to a lethal outcome. At that initial meeting back in January, Ricco had assessed Mr. Zeitsev’s character as ruthless and cold-blooded. While the ex-cop hoped that Sam would merely be reassigned and replaced, he wasn’t surprised when he wound up face down in the water.
Ricco takes responsibility for the vengeance killings of the Visigoths. He may not have stacked the skulls himself, but his information led to their deaths. The Brazilian feels most guilty about the deaths of the innocent servants. Their only crime was being caught in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Ricco expresses fear that he may been sliding down a slippery slope. Accomplishing the mission had become had caused him to make pragmatic decisions that he knew were wrong. He asks his brother to help him step back from the brink and re-embrace a higher standard of action.
That night, Ricco receives a visit from his other brother Felipe. The gangster greets him with, “Ey, irmão! You did not think you would come to Rio and not see me, ey?”
Ricco embraces him warmly. “Of course not! I was just tired from my trip. I was going to call you in the morning. How are Marisa and the children?” The two have dinner and talk of old times. Ricco regales Felipe with the goings-on at Petersen Point Resort and Blackwater. He asks his advice about dealing with the remainder of the Johnson Crime Clan.
Blackwater is generally quiet that night. Amateur Night at Blue Moon Revue is once again a big success.
***
Wednesday, May 22, 2047:
In Rio de Janeiro, Ricco heads to the airport for the long flight back to the United States. His brother Gabriel is there to see him off.
Local news reports that further charges are being brought against Hadley Walters III. Already being held for the murder of Lilly Tran, new evidence uncovered ties the teen to the deaths of his sister, Sara, and mother, Jane (Calhoun) Walters. The two women reportedly died of accidental drowning a year ago. FDLE investigators have not released details of this new evidence, but the state coroner has officially changed their cause of death to homicide.
The deaths took place near the family’s vacation home in Gulf Breeze. Walters will be arraigned at the Santa Rosa County Court House tomorrow. Escambia County Sheriff, Roger Calhoun, could not be reached for comment on the deaths of his daughter and granddaughter or the charges leveled against his grandson.
An austere man with two heavily cybered bodyguards, arrives at the Petersen Point Resort, looking to speak with the general manager. Carrie Anne is forced to deal with him, as Ricco has yet to return from Brazil.
“My name is Sydney Green. I am the senior accountant and assistant comptroller for Petersen Point Properties. I am here to root out the financial irregularities discovered by my predecessor, David Lloyd. We will need two connecting rooms, a secure office and access to all personnel and records…now!”
Carrie Anne jumps to. She has the executive and his ‘associates’ shown to their rooms, while an office is prepared for his use. Once in the office, Mr. Green hooks up his own computer to the hotel’s network. He downloads all the financial data, departmental reports and most of the unsecured communications in the system. With the files safely on his machine, he disconnects it from the system. Carrie Anne knew someone would be coming after they gave David Lloyd the run around. The assistant manager has heard of Mr. Green. She fears that they may be in deep trouble now.
Ricco returns late that evening. The news of Sydney Green’s arrival is all over the hotel. Sheriff Mason has also left a message inviting him to Hadley Walters III arraignment tomorrow. The general manager has no wish to attend the proceedings, but knows someone from Petersen Point should be there. He calls Betty Lu to ask her to go in his stead.
***
Thursday, May 23, 2047:
The DA recites the litany of horrors committed on Lilly Tran, prior to her death as part of his opening statement. He goes on to present of how Hadley Walters III struck his mother with an oar. The unconscious woman drowned as a result. The teen then used the same oar to hold his sister under water, drowning her as well. Hadley seems bored as his attorney pleads not guilty. The charge is entered and a brain dance order is immediately signed.
After the brief hearing, Betty Lu pauses to speak with Sheriff Mason and Hadley’s attorney in the hallway. Sheriff Calhoun approaches to ask if he can speak with his grandson. None of them think twice about letting him speak with Hadley. He is even let into the interview room unescorted.
Once inside Sheriff Calhoun jams the lock on the door. Confusion plays across Hadley’s face. The look turns to fear as his grandfather turns and raises his cyberarm. A jet of flame erupts from the newly installed flamethrower. Handcuffed to the table, the teen cannot evade the wash searing fuel. Hadley’s screams echo down the corridor.
Those in the viewing room are stunned. By the time officers batter down the door, Hadley’s screams have ceased. His horrifically charred corpse is still secured by the handcuffs. Calhoun is against the rear wall his sidearm up to his head.
Sheriff Mason tells the others to stand back and addresses his counterpart. “Roger put down the gun. Don’t go out like this.”
“I’m sorry, Marcus, but I’m responsible for this monster.” Calhoun bites down on a suicide capsule. He tosses Sheriff Mason a safe deposit key along with a bank name. “It’s all there. You’ll know what to do with it.” The bereaved grandfather falls over foam frothing from his mouth. His body twitches a few times before going still.
[GM Note: Sheriff Calhoun is heavily cybered. Unsure that a single bullet from his sidearm would kill him outright, even at point blank range, he made other arrangements. The gun was held to his head to keep everyone at bay and give the poison time to work]
***
Friday, May 24, 2047:
The tension around the hotel is palpable. Other than interviewing the three interns, Sydney Green has shown little interest in speaking with the hotel staff. He spends most of his time locked in his office. When not in the office himself, he leaves behind one of his bodyguards, so that the room is never left vacant.
Ricco throws a farewell breakfast for the three interns, who are leaving today. It gives him the opportunity to find out what the comptroller had asked them.
Andrea, the Face and the Geek chat with those they have come to know. Crank, Brandon, Paris, Natty and Carrie Anne all are there. Ricco gives an orange juice toast and ends it by offering them all full time jobs after they graduate next month. The three are taken aback, the Face and the Geek immediately accept. Andrea Hutton appears very interested and pulls Ricco aside later.
“I appreciate the offer and am inclined to accept…but Petersen Point Corporate is gunning for you. I really need to see how this turns out before I make a commitment. I hope you can keep the position open until I graduate next month. I’ll give you an answer then.”
Ricco thanks her and promises to keep her position open. He doesn’t plan to be going anywhere. After breakfast the three head for the airport.
Sydney Green’s ‘associates’ leave with the computer later that afternoon. The information will now be safely locked away at the headquarters of Petersen Point Properties and in the personal care of Charles Ingersoll.
***
Saturday, May 25, 2047:
With the financial data safely away, Sydney Green takes some time to relax. Rather than going to his office, he takes advantage of the hotel’s pool. Laying out poolside, he works on his tan. The corporate shark’s relaxed attitude filters down to the employees. Tension levels recede.
Breaking news out of Alabama: Governor Braxton Lowndes II has died of a reported heart attack in the capital of Dothan. Sources say he passed away quietly in his sleep the previous night.
Ricco immediately calls a meeting of the Dirty Deeds crew. This turn of events will directly affect their mission. Crank isn’t sure that the Governor died of ‘natural causes’. It’s possible, since he was in his early sixties. Most everyone agrees it could be suspicious, but there is really nothing they can do about it.
Lt. Governor, John Lowndes is set to be sworn in as the new chief executive. He has the reputation of being a pathetic little twerp; the perfect foil for ambitious men. The next most powerful man in Alabama after the late governor is Richard Lowndes. He is John’s older brother and Superintendent of the State Police. Chief Richard Lowndes is known to despise John. There could be a power struggle in the making.
Then there is the question: If he didn’t die of natural causes, did the team’s mysterious employers have anything to do with it…and if so, what?
There is nothing to do now except wait and watch.
Episode 15 – Death and Horror Up the Blackwater Bayou
The Alabama Freedom Army releases a video of the ‘murder’ of Governor Braxton Lowndes II. His killer bears a striking resemblance to Alina Lanikova. The Alabama State Police are keen to ask her some questions.
Sent on an emergency rescue mission by Mr. Zeitsev, the team finds out first hand, that some of the local legends are all too real. There’s good reason why most people stay away from the upper Blackwater Bayou.
Background
President Whindam has made it the goal of his fifth term as president, to restore the sovereignty of the United States of America over the four southern states colloquially known as the ‘Cotton Kingdoms’. Under this directive, several teams have been formed to implement a plan concocted by C.I.A. Deputy Director Hamilton Greeley and US Attorney for the District of Northern Florida Richard Sharkey. One of these teams (The PCs) has been tasked with running the Petersen Point Resort. Located in Santa Rosa County, on Florida’s panhandle, this seedy old tourist destination is perfectly situated, between the Pensacola COG and Alabama border. Though they may be tasked with the occasional field op, the Petersen Point team’s primary mission is to act as a ‘safe haven’ and staging ground.
Members of this ‘Dirty Deeds’ team has been provided with cover jobs at the hotel. Sam Fisher, a retired Delta Force colonel and C.I.A. assassin, was the original team leader. His cold blooded murder of an Alabama State Trooper caused his employers to reevaluate his tenure.
Since his untimely death at the hands of a C.I.A. cleaner, the role of team leader has fallen to Ricco Torres. The Brazilian-born ex-cop turned corporate executive walks a fine line between loyalty to Disney and the needs of the mission. Those goals are in alignment, for now…
Dramatis Personae
The NPCs
Alina Lanikova is the lead dancer at the Blue Moon Revue. She is a stunningly beautiful (ATTR 10), tall 29 year old Czech woman. Her skills are exceptional and she acts as ‘Den Mother” to the other dancers. She lives at the Resort with her teenage daughter.
Carl is a local smuggler who works with Clem Wallace.
Clem Wallace is a local smuggler who has a beef with a group of swamp people in the upper Blackwater Bayou.
Governor Braxton Lowndes II is the former governor (for life) of Alabama and son of the late ex-Governor Braxton Lowndes. He has just been murdered.
Jack Shepard, the marina manager and a Thelas nomad. He is ex-military and is organizing the resort’s defenses.
Michael Jay Tran is the great nephew of Tran Xuan Giap and an ex-soldier and Philippine policeman. He is hired at the Petersen Point Resort as a security officer and is made a Blackwater town constable.
Mr. Zeitsev is the code name for the Team’s contact on this secret, black project. He is their (government’s) ‘Mr. Johnson’.
Natty Lanikova is the daughter of dancer Alina Lanikova and the teenage bassist for Velvet Blue. She dated Steve Zelinsky of the Visigoths and doesn’t speak English very well.
Richard King is a highly placed Disney executive that deals in ‘delicate’ situations. He is the man Disney sends, when things are going wrong and action must be taken. He has the nickname ‘King Dick’, but never to his face!
Sandomir ‘Sandy’ Zelinsky is the Vice President of the Visigoths MC. He is a tall blonde, green eyed man. Wild and fun loving in his youth, Sandy has matured into a clever and experienced leader. He and Hank are best friends.
Sheriff Marcus G. (Garvey) Mason of Santa Rosa County is a powerfully built African-American with a bald head and piercing brown eyes. He has been sheriff for seventeen years and on the force for eight years before that as well as twelve years in the Army. He has a cyberarm and two cybereyes as well as a lot of smaller cyberware. The man has a reputation as a tough, honest cop who protects his county.
The Action
Sunday, May 26, 2047:
A video released by the Alabama Freedom Army tops the day’s news. There has been no statement through official channels, but sources in the Alabama government have confirmed that footage was taken from a security feed in the late governor’s residence. The time stamp places it on the day of his death.
In the video, Governor Braxton Lowndes II is being chased around a bed by a naked woman. The late governor’s reputation aside, it is evident by the terror on his face, that this is not typical bedroom antics. Watching the news, Ricco nearly spits out his coffee. The assassin bears a strong resemblance to Alina Lanikova.
At 00.28 seconds, the woman strikes Lowndes in the throat. The video runs for another 38 seconds, capturing the late governors death throws. A medical expert interviewed posits that the strike may have crushed Lowndes’ larynx, blocking his airway. Without examining the body, he can’t be certain, but based on the foot he believes the governor died of asphyxiation.
The story shifts to how these new revelations will affect the transition of power within the Lowndes’ government. It appears that media has yet to identify the attacker. Ricco heads to Alina’s bungalow.
The early morning visit is a surprise for the dancer. “What can I do for you?”
“Have you seen the news?”
Alina eyes him appraisingly. “No…why?”
Rather than trying to explain, Ricco asks her to bring up the local news. She complies, accessing the local news feed.
‘There, that one.”
Alina opens the story recap. As a trained investigator, Ricco watches her reaction as they watch the short video. Her face betrays no emotion or recognition, as the governor’s murder plays out on the video screen.
Turning to the ex-cop, she asks, “So?”
“Well I…” Ricco pauses, not sure how to continue. He had hoped seeing the video would make the reason for his visit plain, but Alina’s lack of a reaction leaves him in a quandary. Accusing her of assassinating the Alabama Governor could end badly. The awkward moment drags on as Ricco searches for the right words.
Alina beats him to the punch. “You think that’s me?” There is shock in the dancer’s voice, mixed, with what sounds like disappointment. “I was working last Friday night. There are about hundred witnesses including your staff at the Blue Moon who can testify to that.”
The general manager starts to feel bad about suspecting her, but it doesn’t matter what he thinks. Ricco is fairly certain the Alabama authorities won’t care about witnesses or politely ask to speak with her. For all concerned, it’s best if she was elsewhere. “Why don’t you take a week’s paid vacation; maybe get away with Natty?”
Alina doesn’t immediately jump at his offer. After a moment’s consideration, she tells the general manager, “I’ll think about it.”
It is a bit surprising. Even if she isn’t worried about the Alabama Authorities, Ricco can’t understand why she would turn down a week’s free pay. He returns to his office confused; wondering if he missed something.
Within 15 minutes of returning to his office, Ricco receives a call from Alina. “About your offer…can you make it a week at Disney World?”
The general manager breathes an inward sigh of relief. He had taken her “I’ll think about it” to be a polite no. “No problem, I can arrange that.”
Disney will comp the rooms. Any food or miscellaneous expenses, she’ll have to pick up herself. Alina has some things to tie up before they leave, so the reservations are made for Tuesday, May 28th.
Ricco receives an urgent package from Mr. Zeitsev. It is an emergency assignment, to rescue an agent being held by locals in northern Santa Rosa County. The group is planning to sell him to the Alabama authorities within the next 24 to 48 hours. This man knows critical details about Zeitsev’s operation including the Team’s involvement. He is a font of information that cannot be allowed to fall into the hands of enemy. If the operative cannot be rescued, he must be silenced. The instructions are clear that termination is only as a last resort.
Included in the briefing are satellite recon images of the swamp settlement. Estimates put the number of inhabitants at around 100. Of that number roughly half can be considered trained combatants. Defensive points, such as gun emplacements are marked on the photos, as are probable locations, where they might be holding the captured operative.
Zeitsev’s preliminary intelligence indicates that the settlement’s defenses are heaviest to the north and east. These approaches are closest to the local road network and are therefore the most likely direction of attack. By comparison, the area to the west is lightly defended. The deep swamp backing the settlement seems to provide a natural line of defense from that direction.
The intelligence report makes note of a localized peculiarity. RF communication and GPS tracking does not work in the area surrounding the settlement. It is unknown if this jamming is a natural phenomenon or manmade.
Ricco presents the mission to the Dirty Deeds Team. Given the accelerated timetable and the settlements location, it is decided that they should approach the Visigoths about transportation. The gang’s stealth hovercrafts had allowed them to slip across the border into Alabama on an earlier mission. Beebe is asked to speak with her father, about the cost.
Being so few in number, Ricco puts forward the idea of asking Alina Lanikova to join them for the operation. Beebe is against the idea. Bringing in her mom, could put Natty in an awkward situation. There’s also the chance that Alina might not take it well if she found out they had been taking her daughter out on dangerous missions. “Instead of gaining a new team member, we might lose one we already have. Now isn’t the time to open that can of worms.” The nomad’s assessment strikes a chord with others around the table. Asking Alina to join them is tabled, for the time being.
(GM Note: Natty rarely attends team meetings. Given her age and temperament, she is treated more as a contract worker, i.e. brought in for specific missions, than a full member of the team. Some of the team members still view her as a security risk.)
Beebe drops by her dad’s house to ask about hiring the hovercrafts. The V.P. shakes his head. “I’m sorry, but we have an agreement with those people. We stay out of their business and they do the same.” After a moment’s consideration, he adds, “I might know someone who could help.”
Sandy makes a brief call. He hands Beebe a slip of paper with a name (Clem Wallace) and phone number. “Give this to Ricco…and if you’re going up there, stay safe.”
When contacted, Clem is gung-ho to go after “those swamp rats,” as he calls them. There has been a long standing feud going on between his people and those at the settlement. Competition carried over into bloodshed and the smuggler is eager to collect some payback. He’s willing to act as the team’s guide, so long as they let him take part in the attack. Given the odds, Ricco is happy for any help he can get.
Clem has just one other stipulation. The team has to provide the transport. He’s willing to show them how to get there, but doesn’t want to risk his own craft. In a bind, Ricco is forced to commandeer the hotel’s two airboats for the mission. Some of Wallace’s people will come along to watch the boats while the team and Clem make the assault. The wilily smuggler proves to be a sound tactician. He even suggests hiring one of his buddies to fly in low with his small plane. “It’ll provide a diversion and should cover the noise from our fans.”
Crank isn’t convinced. “Won’t that put them on alert?”
“Nah, Alabama patrols fly over the area pretty regularly. My buddy flies a similar model to their spotter planes. At night, they’re not gonna see him, but the engine noise should be close enough to fool ‘em.
Ricco deems the added cost well worth it.
In order to hide their involvement in the extraction, the general manager suggests they forgo the use of personal firearms. He authorizes the team to pull guns from the large cache of weapons they found in the tunnels under the resort. Charlie is vocally opposed.
“I don’t want to use some mass produced Russian piece of crap. I wanna give my laser weapons a real field test.”
Beebe has heard that eagerness in his voice before; like a kid who can’t wait to play with his new toys. The problem is, it’s infectious. The gunsmith’s outburst has made others question Ricco’s decision. Some even sound interested in taking a crack at firing one of their laser pistols.
It’s a bad decision. Beebe knows she has to speak up. “Are you crazy? Who else around here has lasers? Why don’t you just put a neon sign over our head saying ‘We did it’?”
It’s her strongest argument against taking the lasers. She can see it has an effect on most of the team…but not Charlie.
The gunsmith plays down her concerns. “It’s not like those yahoos up there are gonna call the cops or anything.”
Arguing that the defense department could pull their funding or the laser could fall into the hands of the Alabama authorities would be pointless. Neither would mean much to the rest of the team and Charlie is beyond listening to reason. Fear of discovery though, seems to be working, so she presses the issue. “The laser pistols aren’t stealthy. If it’s true that Alabama monitors the area, they won’t need to contact the police. Your little light show will do it for them. And god-forbid one of the lasers malfunctions.”
Her last comment is a sobering reminder of the catastrophic explosion caused by one of the pistol prototypes. It’s a bit of dirty pool. With all of the refinements and safety measures that had been added, the chances of a cascade failure were minimal, but when you are trying to avert a potential disaster, sometimes you have to hit below the belt.
The argument starts to get out of hand. Ricco has to step in to end it. He sides with Beebe. Lasers are out. Charlie is not happy with decision, but will abide by it. Later, as he and Beebe work to fabricate silencers for the guns the team will use, the young nomad tries to console her sullen mentor. “Once this is finished, we’ll take a couple of the pistols and rifles and go have a proper field test. We’ll find something big to shoot.”
(GM Note: During the back and forth over taking or not taking the lasers, Beebe questioned Charlie’s reason for wanting to take them. Their intel showed that the settlement didn’t have any heavy vehicles or armor. He somewhat flippantly responded “for the gators”. Exasperated, Beebe shot back, “Look, it’s not like we’re going up against Godzilla or anything!”
The irony of this exchange would become evident as the game session played out.)
Jack Sheppard assigns a group of his nomads to transport the airboats (with the resort’s logos covered over) to a bayou channel just northeast of Milton. Wallace and three of his people are already at the meet point. While the nomads and smugglers unload the airboats, Ricco, Brandon, Mike Tran and Crank strap on assault armor. The rest make do with BDUs.
There is an awkward moment, when Beebe learns that she won’t be piloting the second airboat. A therapist might call it deep seated control issues, but the nomad has never been comfortable being a passenger. She grudgingly relinquishes the pilot seat to Clem’s man Carl and hunkers down next to Natty. As Charlie joins them, she muses that it must be karmic payback for not letting the gunsmith bring his laser.
Clem’s remaining men stay on shore with the Thelas, while the team pushes off into the channel. Their guides keep the boats at half speed as they make their way through the bayou. Even with their flat bottoms, underwater obstructions are a danger. There is also the possibility of encountering patrols along the way. It takes till about 10pm, but they make it to within striking distance without incident. Clem and Carl throttle back the fans to listen for their diversion. Within minutes, the sound of a plane’s engine can be heard buzzing overhead. There are no navigation lights to give away its actual position, but the sound is coming from the direction of the settlement.
Bandit Camp – Area Map
The noise from the low flying aircraft masks their approach. They coast into the bank of an outlying hummock. Ricco worries about their guide’s survival during the assault. He offers up his assault armor for the smuggler’s use. Clem is grateful for the added protection. While the rest of the team camouflages the boats, Ricco shucks off the harden armor and hands it to their guide. After a last equipment and weapons check, they head off to cover the final stretch of swamp. Carl stays behind to guard the airboats.
By the time they reach the outskirts of the settlement, the plane is long gone. Any excitement it may have caused has passed. Everything appears quiet and still on this side of the camp. Ricco takes Brandon and Natty forward for a closer look. The rest of the team spreads out to take up firing positions.
All of the surveillance photos shot from above. It takes Ricco a moment to orient himself, but he soon is able to pick out the designated structures where their target may be held. Of those locations only one has guards on the door. While the Brazilian survey’s the camp, Natty slips off to the northwest to plant demo charges at the northern barracks and deal with the patrols from that sector. Brandon wires the southern barracks and then takes up position to finish off any stragglers. Blowing up the barracks will provide a diversion for the assault and should hopefully eliminate a good number of their opposition.
Swamp Bandit Camp
Given the vagaries of RF signals in the area the team can’t rely on radio detonators. They are forced to resort to wired charges. With the charges set, time is now of the essence. If someone stumbles across the wires they could lose the element of surprise.
Natty waits till a foot patrol passes near the corner of the north barracks to activate her clacker. The two men disappear in the rapidly expanding fireball that levels the building. Three seconds later, Brandon sets off the charges on the south barracks. Ricco and Clem fire on the guards outside the prisoner hut.
The men are wounded but don’t go down. Ricco charges, with the smuggler close behind. A second burst from their assault rifles finishes off the guards outside. The Brazilian pushes through the door, but takes fire from inside the hut. Luckily his armor absorbs most of the damage. He cuts down the gunman then checks on the prisoner. It’s their target. Scooping him up into a fireman’s carry Ricco runs out of the hut and makes for the edge of the settlement with Clem providing covering fire.
Their movement catches the eye of a roving K9 patrol. Released from its lead, the large hound bounds towards the three men, but a shot from Natty’s rifle ends its charge. The animal’s front legs give out and it plows into the ground, twenty feet from its quarry. Swinging back toward the dog’s handler, the Czech girl squeezes off another round from her sniper rifle. In the semi darkness, she cannot see the jet of blood and grey matter, but the man goes down and does not move. Clem engages a K9 patrol coming from the opposition direction. He switches his A-80 to automatic fire and lights up the dog and handler. Both drop under the assault rifles withering fire.
With the ‘package’ secured and the enemy camp in confusion, everyone falls back, to where they left the boats. The only problem being, the boats are missing and so is Carl. Concerned that an enemy patrol may have found their transports, the team fans out and hunkers down. They scan the area to make sure they aren’t walking into an ambush. Brandon stalks forward. After scanning the embankment he signals the all clear.
As they all pull into the ‘extraction’ point, Beebe has a moment of panic. Natty isn’t at the rendezvous. As the nomad scans the terrain back towards the settlement, Brandon squats down to examine the wreckage of one of their airboats. The remains of the water craft lie partially submerged just off the hummock. Its bent and broken fan assembly is about ten feet away in the high grass. That’s why they hadn’t seen the boats when they first approached.
There are no bullet holes in the rent hull or signs of an explosion that would account for the damage. The hooded beam of Clem’s flashlight illuminates splashes of red along the muddy embankment. Charlie notices something else; a long depression in the soft earth, that is half again as long as his boot. “Hey, shine the light of here. Is that…a foot print?”
Before Clem can respond, the water in front of him erupts. An enormous reptilian shape surges from the water and grabs the shocked smuggler in its jaws. He is lifted off his feet, as a thirty foot long crocodile tries to drag him into the water. The flashlight falls from his hand as Clem frantically grabs at his assault rifle.
The team opens up on the scaly behemoth, but their bullets wash off its seemingly armored hide. Ricco doesn’t waste time engaging the target. His first responsibility is the ‘package”. He grabs the man and bodily drags him away from the edge of the water.
Mike Tran drops his A-80 to take aim with one of the few heavy weapons they brought with them. The RPG-A is proof against lightly armor vehicles. He hopes it will put a dent in this beast.
Clem cries out as the hardened shell of the assault armor starts to crack under the enormous pressure of the powerful jaws. As it turns back towards the water, its massive tail swings through its attackers. Most of the team manages to dive out of the way, but Brandon is sent flying through the air. He lands some twenty feet away.
The scramble to get out of the way of the tail finally gives Mike Tran a clear shot. He depresses the firing stud and sends the rocket propelled grenade slamming into the back of the hulking beast. Unlike all of their other attacks, the explosive charge seems to have some effect. However, the huge reptile appears to shake off the damage and with another swipe of its tail, disappears into the water. Clem’s screams die to a gurgle as he is dragged beneath the surface.
As the ripples fade, the team edges away from the water, reloading as they go. “What the fuck!” It’s not clear who says it, but it’s what they are all thinking. They retreat to the other side of the hummock and run into Natty. Beebe is elated to see her friend. She gives her a hug, before asking, “What happened? Are you ok?”
“I am fine.” Rather sheepishly, the Czech girl admits, “I was turned around.” (botched wilderness survival roll). “I followed the sound of gunfire and explosion….knew it had to be you guys.”
The team assesses their options. Returning to the settlement and stealing a boat is suggested, but shot down. By now the entire camp would be on alert. There’s no knowing how many defenders are actually left, but those who survived the initial assault would now be out for blood. They decide to try and make their way southwest along the hummocks. The Team cautiously moves out, hoping the beast is too busy with Clem, to come sniffing around for another meal.
***
Monday, May 27, 2047:
The team’s smart goggles and cyberware have allowed them to move through the night, but not without a few mishaps. Even with top of the line goggles, depth perception is slightly skewed, making already unsure footing even more perilous. If that weren’t bad enough, a digitally enhanced world rendered in shades of green makes it difficult to distinguish a floating tree trunk from the return of the beast. Sunrise brings welcome relief.
As the morning brightens, so does the mood…at least for most. All through the night Charlie has stewed over Ricco’s decision not to bring the lasers. Now that it appears the worst of their journey is behind them, he can’t help but needle their ‘leader’. As there is some distance between them in the column, the gunsmith shouts so that his taunt is sure to be heard. “Hey, Ricco! We sure could’ve used a laser back there. But nooo, we’re not gonna run into Godzilla or anything.”
Though he didn’t say her name, Beebe knows Charlie’s comment is partly aimed at her. She’s willing to leave the challenge unanswered, but Ricco shoots back, “Shut up! Stop yelling out my name.” After a moment’s thought he adds, “Next time, we need code names.”
(GM Note: This last comment drew snickers from the players and a suggestion to use the color names from Reservoir Dogs. This quickly devolved into an out-of-character back and forth, quoting lines from the movie. Though out-of-character it lightened the mood of the in-game situation.)
As they continue to walk, Ricco calls back, “You’re right, the laser would have been useful.”
Beebe feels the need to speak up. “I stand by what I said.” There’s more she wants to say, but it can wait till they get back. The team lapses into silence and continues to pick its way south through the Bayou.
After several hours, the sound of airboats can be heard in the distance. The team scrambles for cover in the dense undergrowth. In minutes, three craft come into view headed roughly towards their position. Through her scope Natty can see the pilot of the center boat signaling to the other two. They split off to the north and south, the center craft takes up station about 500 meters from the shore of their island. “They are trying to surround us.”
Charlie goes with Brandon and Crank to intercept the airboat circling south. Beebe and Natty take the one to the north. Mike Tran and Ricco stay with the operative. The Brazilian is determined to protect the man at all costs, but if the situation looks dire, he’ll also make sure the enemy doesn’t recapture him.
Time ticks by. There is no sound of contact from the north or south teams. The pilot of the spotter boat throttles up his fan, urging his craft cautiously towards shore. Mike Tran checks over the RPG, before sighting in on the approaching craft. “We’ll probably only get one shot with this.” The flat bottom hull is to low in the waterline to guarantee a hit, so the solo centers the red dot on the pilot and the large fan directly behind him. When the airboat pulls to within 150 meters, he lets the warhead fly.
An explosion to the south doesn’t draw Natty’s attention away from her targets on the approaching airboat. Through her Dragunov’s scope, she can see that craft’s crew is less disciplined. At the sound, the two riflemen that had been lying prone in the bottom of the boat raise their heads to look in the direction of the explosion. She squeezes off two rounds, taking them both in the head. Natty’s next shot takes out the pilot. The airboat begins to flounder as his hands fall away from the controls.
The Czech girl concentrates on her breathing. She tries to stay detached, picturing her targets not as men, but just silhouettes on the gun range. Natty finishes off the remaining crew. The airboat drifts aimlessly.
To the south Charlie, Brandon and Crank exchange fire with the crew of the third airboat. They try to be selective with their shots, so as not to damage the craft. If they win the battle, it might be their ticket home. The bandits show no such discretion. Automatic fire pours into their position.
They succeed in eliminating four of the enemy. Knowing that there is no way he can get to the controls without being shot, the last man slips over the side and tries to swim away. Charlie and Crank wade out to recover the airboat. As they pull it back towards shore, an unearthly scream carries across the water. It came from the direction of the last bandit, but he is nowhere to be seen. All they catch is a glimpse of a large reptilian tail disappearing under the water. The two double their efforts to make it back to dry land.
With two airboats recovered, they have enough space to transport the entire team. They’re just short one operator. Charlie volunteers to pilot the second craft. He’s not checked out on airboats, but feels he has enough experience with other watercraft to make it back to the trailers…as long as they don’t have to do any fancy maneuvering.
Clem’s two men are still there, along with a pair of Thelas nomads, waiting for their return.
It doesn’t go unnoticed that the airboats aren’t the same ones they left on, or that their friends are missing. “Where are Clem and Carl?”
The story of giant killer crocodiles sounds crazy to Ricco, even as he’s telling it. If he hadn’t been there first himself, the ex-cop wouldn’t believe a word of it. The smugglers though, nod along as he recounts the tale. Neither appears surprised in the least. The two are even pragmatic about the deaths of their friends…”Well, two less ways we have to divide the cash.”
They take their leave and drive off.
Once the two liberated airboats are safely on the trailers and covered, Ricco leaves to take their ‘package’ to the drop off point. If the Alabama authorities investigate, and there’s no reason to think they won’t, they will probably find the wreckage and trace it back to the resort. The general manager has a long ride to consider his next move.
At least Jack Sheppard has some good news, upon his return. “Those airboats are in pretty rough shape, but we can fix them up; make them look exactly like the ones you guys lost in the swamp. We can even change out the serial numbers.”
It won’t fool the Alabama authorities, but that’s not Ricco’s only concern. Ingersoll’s man is still hanging around the hotel. Losing the airboats could bring additional scrutiny he doesn’t need right now. ‘How long will it take to have them up and running?”
“I can’t tell you that till we tear them down. Give me a day and I’ll have an estimate.”
The general manager is willing to leave it in Jack’s hands, “Anything else happen while we were gone?”
The marina manager seems surprised. “You didn’t hear”
“Hear what?”
“Last night, the Alabama State Police ‘extracted’ Alina Lanikova. Took her right out of her own house. Word is…she didn’t go easily.”
Ricco wants nothing more that to go home, take a hot shower and crawl into bed, but the changes of that happening are quickly disappearing. He does stop at home to shower and change, before heading into the office. Sheriff Mason doesn’t know much more than Jack. “I was called, but the fed’s stepped in and took over the case.” The only other piece of information Marcus can give is that witnesses saw Alina being loaded onto a spinner. She wasn’t struggling, but they believe she was still alive.
Natty is devastated. First Steve, now her mother; the news is too much. She can’t even go to her own home, because it’s a sealed crime scene. Beebe insists she stay with her. Charlie echoes her invitation. It’s not lost on the team that Natty may also be a target.
Ricco contacts Richard King at Disney to see if he has any pull to help get his employee back from the Alabama State Police. King Dick says he will look into it. It is a bittersweet climax to a successful mission.
Next: Episode 16: Suicide Isn’t the Answer