Episodes 8 thru 11 - Cyberpunk Adventures

Episode 8 – Success is Sometimes Not So Sweet

The delivery of mission essential equiment is frought with headaches. Hiding the cache, brings a new discovery tied to the old fort. The Johnson Family’s illicit businesses suffer a setback in Santa Rosa County. Steve Zelinsky makes the ‘cut’, leading Beebe to an unexpected family reunion.

The Dirty Deeds team scores its first win under the leadership of Sam Fisher. Success comes with a heavy cost. The ensuing fallout causes several team members to question their invovlement and the team’s mission.

Background

Sam Fisher, retired Delta Force colonel and C.I.A. assassin, has finally been ‘officially’ released from prison after serving his sentence for extortion due to a botched operation in the Atlantic City part of the Burn Notice Campaign. Part of his (unofficial) deal for pleading guilty at the time was that he would receive his government pensions on his release from prison, but the government isn’t able to honor that part of the agreement. He is informed by his old friend, Nathan Forrest, Deputy Director for Clandestine Services at the C.I.A., that his pensions could be restored if he assists in a very black operation on United States soil.

President Whindam has decided to bring the four southern states known collectively as the ‘Cotton Kingdoms’ to heel. Sam, accompanied by his fiancée Rianna Prescott, will be sent to Santa Rosa County in the Florida panhandle near the Pensacola COG to the Petersen Point Resort, a seedy old tourist destination that will serve as a ‘safe house’ for operations to bring down the state government of Alabama. He will also be tasked with the occasional mission himself. To help him, a ‘Dirty Deeds’ group has been assembled whose covers are as employees of the hotel. Only Sam knows this is a government sanctioned operation.

Dramatis Personae

The Team

Beebe Laugherty: A young tech and member of the Snake Nation helping Charlie with his various projects. She is the daughter of retired Major Beatrice ‘Bea’ Laugherty, who gained fame (or infamy) by firing the first ortillery strike of the Fourth Corporate War on NightCity.

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 is serve as head of security at the Petersen Point Resort. He is a member of the ‘Dirty Deeds’ crew. Unknown to most, Brandon is an experimental Biomechanical (cyborg) with one of Doc Freeman’s ‘cyberbrains’ sent by the Collective in response to Sam’s daughter’s request to watch over her father. 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.

Rianna Prescott: A younger woman from Sam Fisher’s past, who reconnected with him in Atlantic City and stood by him through his years in prison. Rianna is a volunteer teacher at Petersen Point School. She and Sam are engaged to be married.

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.

Sam Fisher: Retired Delta Force sniper, CIA black operative, assassin, cleaner, you-name-it. He has just been released from prison after pleading guilty and serving a five year sentence for extortion to protect his friends and his daughter from the fallout of a botched operation. He is a security officer for the Petersen Point Resort and Team Leader for the ‘Dirty Deeds’ group.

The NPCs

Arthur Cletus ‘AC’ Johnson is the acknowledged leader of an organized crime family in the area and a lawyer from Escambia County. Publically he is one of Escambia County’s leading citizens. 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.

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.

Carrie Anne Thorn is Front Desk Manager, also asst. 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.

Eustis (‘Useless’) Saint Claire is an old black man who runs the water and sewer system at the Petersen Point Resort.

Greg Winters (the Face) is one of the two prospective interns from FloridaAtlanticUniversity.

Freddy Timmons is a rotund little man in his forties, who stutters a bit and seems almost comically nervous. He is the town’s chief constable.

Henry ‘Hank’ Tremont is the president of the local charter of the Visigoths MC.

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 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.

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 Sam Fisher’s contact on this secret, black project. He is the government’s ‘Mr. Johnson’.

Natty Lanikova is the daughter of dancer Alina Lanikova and the teenage bassist for Velvet Blue. She dates Steve Zelinsky, a prospect of the Visigoths and speaks little English.

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 is the distributor for Ronnie Johnson’s Panhandle Drug Operation. She is a thin black haired white girl with a number of tats.

Rat is a nomad ‘Dog Soldier’ (nomad enforcer) with a particular hatred for drug dealers. He is working with Ricco Torres to end the drug dealing out of the Panhandle Saloon.

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. He and Father Rivera are good friends. The two have a standing checkers game every Thursday about 5 pm at the Blackwater General Store.

Roland ‘Ronnie’ Johnson is the younger son of Terrance Johnson and a suspected drug dealer who runs a crew in Santa Rosa County.

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.

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 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 is a hard ass white cop, who has had his job for 24 years. He is a good friend (and in the pay of) Hadley Walters Jr. and as such turns a blind eye to AC Johnson’s various criminal enterprises.

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 is seeing Natty Lanikova.

Tobias Johnson is Gregory Johnson’s only son. His mother died in childbirth and complications may have led to Tobias’ lack of intelligence (4). The young man (17) works as an enforcer for his cousin, Ronnie.

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.

The Action

Friday, March 8, 2047:

Betty Lu hits a dead end in her investigation of the Petersen Family Trust. Without access to the trust documents it is almost impossible to continue. The exact terms of the trust are in the possession of Charles Ingersoll’s corporate attorneys. There is little chance that they would be willing to release the records and asking would only tip Ricco’s hand. She’s tried and end-around through the courts, but all files related the Petersen Family Trust have been sealed. Someone has gone through a great deal of trouble to hide this information. To penetrate the veil of secrecy surrounding the trust they’ll need the aid of a Petersen family member. Ricco decides to drop the investigation; for the time being. He asks Betty Lu to turn her attention to the Beach Creamery.

The Federal Express courier shows up at to Sam’s house to deliver the equipment promised in the mission briefing. There are eight crates in all; one 3 cubic foot wooden crate, six (2 x 2 x 4) foot metal crates, and a larger (3 x 3 x 5) wooden box marked as fragile. This is more equipment than he expected. Storing it in a back bedroom isn’t going work. Even if space wasn’t an issue, security is a major concern.

The driver and his assistant already have several of the crates off the truck before Sam stops them. “Can you wait while I find a store room to put these in?”

“Sorry, we have a schedule to keep. You can either take them now or we can load this back on the truck and come back next week.”

Having the shipment held till next week is not an option. The team needs access to the equipment to prepare. Sam is also a little curious to see what they sent him. At his direction the delivery crew stacks the containers in the living room. He contacts Ricco to ask if there is an out of the way place, where he can store some equipment.

The general manager offers up space in the golf course’s maintenance building. With repairs underway on the course, they need to open it up anyway. If Sam is willing to pitch in, Ricco has no problem making room to store team equipment. They arrange to meet later to check out the building.

It takes a while for Sam to get a hold of the gunsmith, but Charlie agrees to loan him his truck. Beebe volunteers to drive it by. After the incident in New Orleans, the young nomad is leery of lending anything to the ex-operative, but she keeps these concerns to herself. It’s Charlie’s friend, his decision. She wouldn’t presume to tell him what to do with his truck. Still if Sam wants the wheels, he’ll have to take her too.

Rianna arrives home from school, before Beebe shows up. She is surprised and less than happy with the mountain of crates in the middle of the living room. Sam promises her they will be out of the house by that evening.

Beebe swings by as promised. They are able to stack six of the containers in the bed of the truck, but moving the rest will require another trip. Ricco and Brandon meet them outside of the maintenance building. Sam never really paid much attention to the old concrete building on his patrols, other than to make sure no one was breaking in. Standing in front of it now, he notices the construction is similar to the storage bunker at the marina.

Sam’s hopes begin to rise as they wait for Ricco to unlock the building. The presence of heavy metal doors, similar to those at the marina, confirms his suspicions, but sadly, there is no hidden weapons cache; other than the one they brought with them. Unlike the storage bunker, no attempt was made to seal maintenance building against the elements. A thick layer of dust, blankets the interior and everything piled within.

No lights come on when the wall switch is flipped. Beebe grabs a flashlight from the truck and goes in search of the breaker panel. Her beam illuminates a larger set of doors at the far side of the structure. Between the massive portal and her position are piles of equipment and a graveyard of golf carts. At a glance, none appear to be serviceable. Some even look as if animals have been at them. There are tears in the cushions with clumps of foam missing. Beebe grips the flashlight a little tighter. She makes for a small office near the back. While the young nomad hunts for the fuse box, the other three survey the interior, in the wan light cast through the doorway.

Resetting the breakers does the trick. There is a faint buzz as fluorescent lamps come to life over head. Some burn out almost instantly. Others continue to flicker. Nearly half remain dark but the working lamps give off enough light to illuminate the interior. Beebe switches off the flashlight and rejoins the others. With the interior lit, they have a better appreciation of the space and what it contains.

The room is cavernous. There are no interior partitions to break it up. Three doors set into the back wall hint at side rooms, but they are currently inaccessible. Bags of chemicals and assorted equipment are heaped in front of them. They are also secured by large padlocks. Further down, some eighteen golf carts are parked haphazardly in front of a workbench. The exact number is hard to tell, as a few are little more than shells; possibly cannibalized for parts. There may still be tools in the drawers of the workbench, but to even get at it they’d have to move most of the carts.

Sam is gung ho to see what’s behind the doors. He suggests cutting off the locks, but Ricco nixes the idea. He examines one of the locks and pulls out the master key ring. It takes a minute to flip through them all. There is no corresponding key. The general manager doesn’t bother to check the other two. The missing key causes same to question whether the building is secure. Ricco tells the ex-operative not worry. He’ll take care of it.

After unloading the truck, Beebe and Sam return to his house to collect the remaining two containers. Brandon comes along to help with the larger crate. Ricco remains behind to watch over the six already in the maintenance building. They arrive back in short order and begin to un-box the equipment.

The six smaller containers hold suits of assault armor fitted for the entire ‘Dirty Deeds” team; Sam Fisher, Ricco Torres, Owen Wolf, Brandon Heath, Betty Lu and Dr. Eduardo Ricci. As Charlie and Beebe are not officially team members, there is no armor for them.

The larger crate, that had been marked fragile, holds a number of smaller containers. On top is a small box marked ‘eyes only’. Sam takes it and puts it aside. Underneath is a trove of neatly package explosives and demolitions equipment. There is a total of 48 kilos of C6, 40 kilos (80 sticks) of TNT, 100 meters of Det Cord, 3 kilos of nitroglycerin, a dozen ‘think-boom detonators’, three explosive field kits, 10x DET Cards, 5 tubes of ‘thermite in a tube’ and $40,000 in cash for expenses.

Leaving Sam at the maintenance building Brandon returns to his security patrol. After a quick NET search, Ricco drives to Pensacola to purchase new locks. Beebe heads for marina. With everyone gone, Sam opens the ‘eyes only’ package. Inside, are instructions and a small cloth satchel with the initials ‘SMS’ emblazoned on the side. The bag holds 2 kilos of unwrapped C6. During the attack he is to leave the empty satchel in a culvert, adjacent to the waste water treatment plant, which is across the road from the targeted chemical facility.

Beebe’s trip to the marina is not a social call. Sam wants to use the resort’s airboats as transport for the mission. Ricco okayed her use of the boat, so he must be on board with the plan. Airboats are fast. With their flat bottomed hulls and a large fan instead of a propeller, they can go places most other water craft couldn’t. From what Beebe has heard, they’re not that dissimilar to the hover trucks she’s use to piloting. The only problem she sees with using them for the mission is that they’re loud. She worries that their enemies will hear them coming, long before there are in position.

Beebe cools her heels watching the shakedown cruise of the hotel’s newly re-launched ski boat. Repairs on the second speed boat should be finished within the week. The Thelas nomads race up and down the river, putting the boat through its paces. Beebe idly wonders if the resort has a functional parafoil. She makes a mental note to ask Ricco when he returns.

The pilot of the ski boat turns out to be her instructor. Once the wakes of the test cruise have died down, they head out onto the river. He gives her a crash course in airboat operation, even showing her how to swamp the craft. The handling is very similar to a hover craft. Beebe picks it up quickly.

Ricco returns with replacement hardware for the golf course maintenance building. Sam swaps out the lock on the main door. For the time being there are two keys. The general manager keeps one for himself and gives the other to Sam.

Sheriff Mason calls to ask if Ricco has time to speak with him in person. Marcus doesn’t say the reason for the meeting, but the ex-cop is always willing to help out local law enforcement. “Sure, I can be there in an hour, if that’s good.”

“That’s alright, I’ll come to you.”

The reply is cryptic. As he heads back to his office, Ricco wonders what is so important that it couldn’t be discussed by phone. It’s not that he doesn’t want a visit from the sheriff. He counts Marcus as a friend. It just sounds like he’s coming to deliver bad news.

Sheriff Mason arrives about 10 minutes later. After making sure the office is clean of listening devices, he gives Ricco some good news for a change.

“The Grand Jury has returned an indicted against Ronnie Johnson and his crew. We’ll going after their operations at the Panhandle. Since Sheriff Calhoun is in the Johnson’s pocket the Marshals (US Marshal Service) and FDLE (Florida State Police) will handle things in Escambia County.

They’re sequestering the grand jury for the night. We don’t want the Johnsons catching wind of this. Information is ‘need to know’. I’ve only told a couple of my most trusted deputies. You’ll of course be there. Freddy is on board too. We’re gonna have his constables standing by as backup. Some of them are your people, so I’m leaving it to your discretion to tell them about the raid ahead of time.”

Ricco knows his people aren’t on Johnson’s payroll, but some have shown a tendency to talk openly about subjects that are best kept private. He decides to play it close to the vest. Crank should be at the saloon. He’ll let Brandon and Sam know, just before they head over.

It’s the kickoff of the weekend and the Panhandle is packed. The saloon’s increased business has allowed Ronnie Johnson to expand his own customer base. There is a steady flow of visitors to his table. With surveillance in place, each transaction is recorded and the buyers tracked. About a half hour before the raid in Escambia County, Santa Rosa County deputies move in to detain buyers that have already picked up their product.

Word comes down from Escambia that the FDLE and the Marshals have captured the arriving drug shipment. Ricco, Freddy Timmons and Sheriff Mason enter the Panhandle, to confront Ronnie. The punk sneers as the three walk up to his table. “What do you bozos want?

Mason smiles back at the perp. “I have a warrant for your arrest for Class C drug trafficking.”

Ronnie looks at them, and laughs as if it’s some sort of joke. Ricco produces a pair of cuffs, adding his own smile to Mason’s. The smirk disappears from the pusher’s face; replaced by stupefied disbelieve.

Outside, Santa Rosa deputies, backed up by Brandon and Mike Tran rush the ‘buy’ van and arrest Rain and Tobias Johnson. Deputies then move in to pickup buyers who had returned to the Panhandle before their sweep. Ronnie and his crew are transported to the sheriff’s office in Milton. The media is notified of the raids and arrests, ensuring cameras on hand to document their ‘perp walk’. Freddy Timmons is in his glory.

Ricco, Brandon and the rest of the hotel’s security let the Chief Constable and Sheriff share the credit for the bust. A.C. Johnson will know who did it. He’s already declared war on the local mob; no need to poke the bear.

***

Saturday, March 9, 2047:

The Pensacola war games have given them a little bump in business, but it’s still a slow Saturday at the Petersen Point Resort. Steve Zelinsky is one of three prospects being ‘patched in’ by the Visigoths MC. Tomorrow there will be a public celebration, but today’s ceremony is private; club members only.

Invites to Sunday’s party have been extended to most of the team. Ricco and Sam are considered friends of the MC. They garner invites for letting the Visigoths back into the Panhandle. Karl Petersen extends a personal invite to Brandon in appreciation for the security chief saving his kids on several occasions.

Natty invites a slew of people; Bebbe, Paris and the rest of the band are going to be there. Even her mother is coming. Velvet Blue will be playing the party, but that’s not the only reason she’s been allowed such a long guest list. The day is as much about her as it is about the three new members of the MC. Club traditions require that a male stand with Natty during her up coming ceremony, so she also asks Charlie to come. The bassist really doesn’t have a father figure in her life. She’s usually leery of older men and their intentions, but Charlie’s different. He’s warm, friendly and has made an effort to support the band; plus he’s Beebe’s patron. If her friend trusts him, she feels she can too.

Sam asks Ricco to give his regrets. He’d like to attend, but recon for the mission takes priority. Someone needs to scout the chemical plant and airport, as well as map the best approaches and egress routes. In his estimation, no one else on the team is up to the task. Beebe agrees to provide transport. She drops Sam off a mile from the Alabama border. Jason rides shotgun. If all goes to plan, they will meet at the same spot on Monday.

Brandon drives to Pensacola to buy eight Demolition +3 chips for his ‘security team’. Beebe and Natty are also in Pensacola to buy clothes for Paris’s father’s funeral. While there, the nomad also buys a dress for tomorrow’s party. She’s still a little nervous about going back to the Visigoth’s clubhouse. Last time there, they had eyed her like a piece of fresh meat.

Steve insists it will be ok. Natty begs Beebe to come. There’s going to be some sort of ceremony during the party and Czech girl wants her friends to be there. Against her better judgment, the nomad agrees.

Betty Lu asks Charlie if he could make her a City Hunter (handgun).

The nomad gunsmith is blunt in his assessment. “The City Hunter is a piece of shit!” This is no fit of pique, or dismissal of her request. He delivers a frank critique of the weapon and offers her a superior alternative, the .454 Nikita; built by Boss Arms. Sure, it’s a sales pitch, but Charlie honestly believes his guns are better. The gunsmith believes so strongly in his firearms that he offers Betty Lu a sweetheart deal. “I’ll sell it to you on credit. No interest. Just pay me when you can”

This isn’t some special offer for a fellow team member. The gunsmith has been cutting similar deals with nomads living in the trailer park. It isn’t just about customers. Charlie’s looking for converts to spread the virtues of Boss Arms weapons.

***

Sunday, March 10, 2047:

Beebe made an effort to look nice for Natty’s ceremony. Ordinarily the nomad doesn’t like to wear dresses, but for her friend’s special day, she made an exception. Wearing a light summer shift was a mistake. Shorts and a t-shirt would have been more appropriate. That Natty knowingly let her buy the dress for the party is the most galling part, especially given her own attire of a Visigoths tee shirt, jean shorts and motorcycle boots.

Giving her friend a hug, Beebe whispers in her ear, “I’m so going to kill you.” Natty’s feign innocence doesn’t fool her for a moment.

With all of the familiar faces at Petersen’s Garage, Beebe allows herself to relax. Her earlier worries may have been unwarranted. Things seem almost tame. She wonders if the gang is putting its best face for the invited guests. The party still isn’t what she’d call ‘family’ friendly, not by a long shot, but the vibe is much mellower than expected.

Ricco and Brandon talk with Hank and the other officers. Now that Ronnie Johnson and his crew are in jail and the investigation completed, Hank brings up the issue of the ban against the Visigoths at the hotel. Ricco is willing to give them access to everywhere except for the Blue Moon Revue. The resort needs the military’s business. If they let the club in, the COG would most likely reinstate its ban. Hank is more than satisfied. All that the club really wanted was access to the Panhandle Saloon. The rest is gravy. He agrees to make sure that no Visigoth wears colors to the hotel proper unless the club is sponsoring a function.

As the party roles on outside Hank and Sandy gather up a select group of guests to attend Natty’s ceremony inside the clubhouse. The bassist has been tight lipped about what the ceremony was about. Beebe figured it was to keep the details from leaking to her mom. In her heart, the nomad hopes her friend isn’t doing something stupid like getting married. Steve’s a great guy and she’ll stand by Natty’s decision, but fifteen is way too young to get hitched.

Inevitably, her worst fears are realized. It’s not a marriage in a legal sense, but now that Steve’s a full member of the Visigoths, he’s naming her as his Old Lady. Natty is given a denim sleeveless cut with the Visigoth and Pensacola rocker patches. In place of the club insignia is a patch reading: Old Lady. The teen is ecstatic. Tears well up as she vigorously hugs her new Old Man, as the assembled guests clap in approval.

Alina is not overly pleased, but tells Charlie that she believes Steve loves her daughter and as she does him. The dancer isn’t happy with the situation, but she has to admit, this is the happiest that she ever seen her daughter. The girl is glued to Steve’s arm, beaming from ear to ear, as he shows her friends around the clubhouse. Many of the walls are lined with pictures. Some are framed. Others are wedged into the corner of existing frames or tacked directly to the wall, creating a collage representing the history of the motorcycle club. Looking over a set of photos, a familiar face catches Beebe’s eye.

She has to look twice to believe what she’s seeing. A knot grows in her stomach. The nomad begins a silent mantra, “Please no, please no, please no…”, as if repeating enough times will make the image disappear.

Charlie catches her staring blankly at the photo and has a look for himself. The picture is worn with age, but the petit red head, is easy to recognize. In the photo, she is sitting astride the shoulders of a hulking biker, toasting whoever is taking the picture, with a half-full bottle of liquor; grinning like a maniac. “Hey Beebe, isn’t that your mom?”

The gunsmith’s question breaks the spell. She looks away from the picture and considers running from the room. Beebe loves her mother dearly, but for such a small woman, she casts a wide shadow. Not in a bad way either. Most folks like her mother and would cut her breaks because of it. All of the appreciation was suffocating. She came to Florida to be something other than “Bea’s kid”. It seems she didn’t run far enough.

Curious, Steve steps over to take a look at the photo. “Hey Dad, come over here!”

The big blonde biker strides across the room. Steve points to the picture, “Look here, that’s Beebe’s mom!”

Sandy breaks out into a huge smile. The photo obviously brings back fond memories. He’s much younger in the picture, but the likeness is unmistakable. Sandy is the biker with her mom.

“So, you’re Bea’s kid.

Beebe involuntarily shudders at that dread phrase. It’s like she’s been masquerading as someone else all this time and suddenly they’ve found out who she really is. All she can must is a weak, “Yeah.” The nomad can’t meet his eyes. She knows what’s coming next; a story about how awesome her mother is and what a pleasure it is to meet her.

As if hearing her thoughts, Sandy tells no one in particular. “She is awesome woman! I didn’t know her long, but ….”

As the pause drags on Beebe feels compelled to look at him. Worries that her seeming disinterest may have offended Sandy are cast aside when she sees his face. His expression is one of shock not anger. She’s a little shocked herself. Beebe had never really looked that closely at Sandy before. Why would she? They hardly know each other. In her mind staring to long at the bikers could be mistaken as a sign of interest or aggression. Best to be avoided either way.

But now, studying his face, she sees familiar features; ones that stare back at her from the mirror every morning. The cleft chin and cornflower blue eyes are almost an exact match.

“How old are you girl?”

Natty’s mouth drops. “Ach můj bože.” (Oh my God)

Steve doesn’t see it “What?” He looks back and forth between Beebe and his father. After a moment, he ‘gets it’. “Damn!”

Sandy’s eyes water up. “I am so happy to meet you. I …. I didn’t know or I would have been there for you.”

Beebe doesn’t know what to say. She had never thought to go looking for her father. Mom in her own way had filled the roll of both parents and also been like the coolest older sister anyone could want. Beebe always felt loved; sometime too much.

She doesn’t blame Sandy for not being there. Bea not telling him; that would be so like her. She wouldn’t see the need. If anything, she probably did it to spare him. Looking at the biker in the picture, there’s no way he was ready to be a father. Bea was certainly not ready to settle down. Her mother has always lived her life on her own terms. They had a fun time. He had his memories and she got the best souvenir of all. That last may sound egotistical. And maybe it is, but what else would you expect from Bea’s kid.

Beebe’s reverie is interrupted by Sandy’s shout. “Sheila! Come over here!”

Sandy’s wife joins them in front of the photo. She looks from her husband to her son. Both bikers seem at a loss on how to explain this unexpected reunion. In the end, Sandy simply gestures toward the photograph on the wall. Sheila’s face brightens. “Oh, I remember that. It was just after the destruction of the RaffinShivTradeTown.” Moving closer, she points at a figure off to the side of the shot. “That’s me right there.”

The look of apprehension on her husband’s face causes the Sheila’s smile to wane. Her brows knit in confusion. Laying a large hand on Beebe’s shoulder, Sandy introduces the girl to his wife. “Sheila, this here is Bea Lafferty’s daughter.”

The woman’s smile returns even larger than before. “It’s so nice to meet you. Your mother saved my life back then. Without Bea and her friends I’d probably be dead.”

(See Episode 36 – http://cyberpunkadventures.com/campaign-logs/campaign-archives/campaign-adventures-2024/fourth-corporate-war-2024-2025/hot-war-x/episodes-31-thru-37-x Sheila Zelinsky’s maiden name is Sheila Belanger)

Finding her father was a shock, but Sheila’s heartfelt admission is like a knife through the young girl’s heart. The thought of ruining such a happy memory, and possibly a family, is too painful to bear. Beebe tries her best to screw on a smile, but she can feel her tear ducts about to give way. Tears have always come easy and that angers her. How she must look now…tears rolling down her cheeks smiling like a mad woman. Sometimes Beebe wonders if she’s as crazy as her mom.

Thoughts of Bea bring unbidden memories of her childhood; memories of why her mother told her to always tell the truth. “You don’t have a face for lying. It’s too honest. I can tell exactly what you’re feeling, just by looking at you.” The nomad wonders what her face is betraying now.

Sheila’s face is a study of concentration as she looks back and forth from her husband to Beebe. It takes only a minute for the pieces to fall into place. The girl braces for the worst. She is wholly unprepared for Sheila’s response.

“Come here, girl!” Smiling warmly, the older woman pulls Beebe into a deep embrace. Relief flows through her. The nomad can feel the tension drain away. After the two women disengage, Steve gives his new half-sister a vigorous hug. Those inside the clubhouse return to the cookout, giving the family some time alone, to get acquainted. It’s time for Velvet blue to take stage anyway.

Natty wears her new ‘cut’ during the performance. Ricco and Brandon take note of a particular patch on the vest. From their backgrounds, both are aware of its meaning. It signifies someone who has killed for the club! The two don’t discuss it, but the deaths of three Rattlesnakes backstage at the ‘Fuck President’s Day Party” are on both of their minds.

During a break between sets, Sandy takes the stage with Sheila and Beebe. The Visigoths VP shouts to get the attention of his brethren. “Hey, listen up! I want you to meet Beebe here!”

Wolf whistles, catcalls and lecherous laughter erupts from the crowd.

Sandy’s voice turns serious. “She’s my daughter, my blood!”

The crowd immediately falls silent.

Sandy continues, “She is also Bea Laffety’s daughter, you will treat her with respect!”

The cheering starts among the older members first; those who had fought at TradeTown. Soon it engulfs the entire crowd. Feeling like an idiot, she waves to the crowd, setting off a new chorus of cheers. Never having been one to be at the center of attention the experience is frightening, yet oddly exhilarating. In a way, she can understand why Paris and Natty find it so alluring, but it’s not her scene.

The celebration goes on into the early evening. Late that night Beebe calls her mother to tell her about Sandy, but the biker beat her to the punch. Bea already knows and is making plans to visit.

“Great. I can’t wait to see you.” Beebe finds that she is genuinely excited about her mother’s visit. Though loath to admit it, she was feeling home sick. The two talk for over an hour, before saying their goodbyes. Tired but happy, she drifts off to sleep, smiling to herself at the thought that Hurricane Bea will soon be blowing into town.

***

Monday, March 11, 2047:

Beebe and Jason arrive at the pick up point, but Sam doesn’t show. They wait well beyond the pre-arranged meeting time. In case anyone is watching, they make out in the truck to throw off suspicion. An hour ticks into two and he still hasn’t shown. Beebe sees no other alternative. They leave the rendezvous point and head back towards Blackwater.

Even for someone of Sam’s skill, the swamps of Florida can be confusing place. He got turned around and had to back track for over an hour. After righting his course, the ex-Delta Force operative heads to the rendezvous, but the truck is long gone. Sam is forced to work his way back towards the resort of foot. Once he is in range of a cell tower, he calls Rianna, who drives out to pick him up.

The Face comes by Betty Lu’s office to talk ‘businesses’. After a brief chat the two have a date for Saturday night.

Ricco heads into Pensacola and buys some higher end padlocks.

Charlie and Beebe (along with Steve, Natty, Jason, Sammy Trang and Amy) attend the funeral for Delmar Saint Claire at the Blackwater Jubilee Baptist Church. Reverend Ezra Brown gives a comforting sermon. Paris is in the front row with her grandfather Eustis and cousin Ty. Beebe feels for her friend. She’s been through a lot in the past ten days, being rejected by her mother and now burying her father; it’s a wonder she’s keeping it together.

Lilly Tran is at the cemetery as they arrive for the interment. Instead of following the procession to the graveside, she remains near the entrance; furtively watching. She may be Paris’s cousin but she’s also the daughter of the man who murdered her father. It’s understandable why the girl wouldn’t feel welcomed at Delmar’s funeral. The singer surprises everyone, when she walks over to her cousin, takes her hand and escorts her back to the gravesite. Paris has Lilly sit next to her during the ceremony.

Once Sam makes it back to Petersen Point, he calls a team meeting, to share the results of his recon. The group is definitely going to need a NET runner for the op. He suggests Natty. Beebe was previously against involving her friend, but after the Fuck the President Day Assault, she knows the bassist can handle herself. Being 15 she is now also an adult; at least in the eyes of the State of Florida.

Since Sam is not Natty’s favorite person, the nomad offers to contact her friend and ask her to come to the conference room at the hotel. The sit down will only cost him $500; payable to Natty up front, when she arrives. It’s a straight up shakedown, but she has him over a barrel. He agrees to her terms.

Natty jumps at the chance for work. She quickly arrives at the hotel and Sam begins to layout the job.

Beebe cuts him off abruptly. “What about the amount we discussed?”

Sam is aggravated by her interruption, but keeps to the word of their agreement. He slides the stack of bills across the table to the young netrunner. Natty is overjoyed. $500 just for showing up; she’ll listen to anything he has to say.

So she understands exactly what she’s agreeing to, Sam continues in German. Natty takes it all in and has but one question: “Money?”

He’s willing to pay her $10,000 for the mission, plus an extra $4,000, up front, so that she can update her deck. That’s more money than she has ever seen. The teenager is definitely in.

Sam asks Charlie to talk with his Nomad contacts and see if there is anyone familiar with the bayous in the north that could help them get the Team closer to Brewton for this week’s strike. The nomads tell Charlie that there are ‘other’ people who handle smuggling across the bayous. They will contact them and see if they will talk with the gunsmith.

***

Tuesday, March 12, 2047:

In the morning Ricco asks Carrie Anne why Randy Petersen blocked Michelle Petersen’s access to her Beach Creamery. She doesn’t know the exact reasons, but tells him the two never really got along.

Brandon goes to the golf cart storage to try to get some of the vehicles working. He clears out the debris in front of the three doors at the far end of the large room and opens them. One is filled with old tools. The second contains old office furniture. The third is packed with shelves loaded with boxes. Looking at the contents of a few of the boxes, leads him to believe in may be the hotel’s old lost and found. Brandon notifies Ricco of the rooms’ contents. The general manager makes a note to go through the lost and found out after the Brewton mission.

A ten member corporate observation and security team from the Lazarus Corporation checks in for the war games. This is the resort’s first corporate military client. Paris, Beebe and Natty head into Pensacola to buy NET programs. They also stop to get something to eat and do a little personal shopping.

Charlie receives word from his contacts; a representative of their smuggling ‘associates’ is willing to talk with him. The gunsmith is taken far out into the country where he meets Sandy Zelinsky! It’s a surprising turn of events, but Charlie doesn’t let it put him off his game. He tells the Visigoths VP about their mission in the most general terms.

For a quick in and out mission across the border into Alabama, Sandy quotes him a minimum prices of $20,000. The amount could increase, depending on the specific mission parameters.

This puts them at a standoff. Charlie isn’t sure what he can reveal about their mission. He asks Sandy if he would be willing to talk with Sam. The VP would be more than happy to hear what the man has to say.

That night Charlie brings Sam and Beebe with him. Fisher pulls out his maps and reads Sandy in on the mission. When done, he asks if the Visigoths will be able to get them in there quietly. The VP shows them, the gang’s two Kundalini Roadworks GrevHogs; equipped for stealth operation.

“They have a tiny radar signature that should read as ground clutter and both are thermally baffled.” The Visigoth VP also knows a route that will get them within a ½ mile of the airport. He’ll personally drive the second to deliver Charlie, Ricco and Brandon to the chemical plant. Their only problem is that the crafts only accommodate 3 passengers. The Team has seven members.

Beebe speaks right up. “We don’t need a second driver. I can fly it.”

Sandy takes her at her word, but to placate Sam, they arrange to test drive the vehicles tomorrow. The final price for the run will be $30,000 to be paid before the mission jumps off. Sam and Sandy seal the deal.

***

Wednesday, March 13, 2047:

Operation Wary Wolf, Pensacola COG Winter War Games begins. They take place at the COG and all over Santa Rosa and OkaloosaCounties. Today the action is in Okaloosa. At the resort the marina finishes refurbishing the first caterpillar runabout. In his mind Sam runs through his plan one more time, while preparing 20 C-6 demo charges (32 kilos worth) for the three target boxcars, 2 chemical tanks and airfield targets.

Two customized Kundalini Roadworks GevHogs race through the bayou as Sandy puts his new found daughter through her paces. Beebe keeps up with him, proving to be every bit his equal. As he watches her maneuver through the swamp, there is no doubt in his mind this is his child. The biker’s breast fills with pride.

They return to Blackwater. For the rest of that afternoon and evening Beebe works in Charlie’s weapon shop making silencers for tomorrow’s mission. The gunsmith busies himself fashioning radio taps, for the team’s new netrunner.

***

Thursday, March 14, 2047:

Work schedules are altered at the Petersen Point Resort, to free up the team members for the night’s mission. Beebe meets up with Sandy at the edge of the bayou, to pick up the stealth GevHogs. Natty shows up for the mission in a set of oversized fatigues. No one takes much notice, except for Sam. The ex-operative recognizes the unit patch on the shoulder. It is from the Czech Army’s elite 601^st Special Operations Group; a unit that operates under the direct authority of Czech military intelligence. He files the information away for later.

The mission jumps off just after nightfall. They follow the bayous, staying in formation till they reach the border. After crossing into Alabama, Sandy splits off to take Ricco, Charlie and Dr. Ricci towards the chemical plant. He is able to drop them within 300 yards of the facility. Beebe lands her hovercraft on a rise two miles from the airport. The nomad has no doubt she could have dropped them closer, but operationally, their current position will allow Natty to support both incursions.

While Brandon and Sam sneak off towards their target, Beebe unloads a Boss Arms Hammer from the hovercraft. The nomad sets up the bi-pod mounted electro-thermalled long rifle in case the pair needs fire support to cover their retreat. A suppressed assault rifle, close at hand, will allow her to protect herself and Natty, if anyone attacks their position.

Reaching the perimeter, Sam and Brandon attach Charlie’s radio tap. Natty enters the base system and succeeds in spoofing the defenses (it took a great roll as she is only fifteen and not all that good!). They ghost across the field, hitting the drone storage center and UAV control array. Their final targets are the six jet fighters sitting on the tarmac. Once the last explosive charge has been planted, Sam and Brandon retreat to the perimeter and work their way back towards the hovercraft.

Natty easily defeats the simple electronic security systems at the chemical plant. Charlie, Ricco and Dr. Ricci place two of their charges on the tanks and then set the three secondary charges on the train cars. The three have a momentary scare. A two man foot patrol passes their position as they are exiting the facility. Instead of engaging, they hide, trusting in their skill and stealth suits. The guards continue by without stopping. They are too wrapped up in their own conversation to notice the trio.

Charlie looks at his laser rifle. He briefly considers giving it a field test, but quickly dismisses the idea. As the three approach their pick up point, Charlie remembers Sam’s ‘special instructions’. He splits off to leave the satchel in the culvert across from the chemical plant. With all three back aboard the GevHog, Sandy lifts off and heads for the rally point.

They are almost to the border when the first charges go off. The initial explosions cracks open the two chemical tanks and blow up the drone hanger, antenna array and six jets. A few minutes later the charges on the train cars explode. They touch off a conflagration that blossoms into a mushrooming fireball; reaching high into the night sky. Even though they are miles away, the shockwave buffets the hovercrafts. The explosion is much larger than they were expecting.

The group makes it across the border undetected and meets up with the Visigoth pit crew. They all make it back to the hotel unobserved. The Team finally has a successful mission under their belts, but the inaccurate intel raises concerns.

***

Friday, March 15, 2047:

The explosion at the Brewton chemical plant and attack on the Alabama State Police Aero base lead the national news that morning. The story is big enough to be picked up by international new media. Last night was the graduation ceremonies for the new pilot class of the Alabama State Police in Brewton. The exploding plant killed all the graduates, their instructors, the commander of the state aero forces, his chief deputy, a number of other police pilots and local dignitaries. The air base was destroyed along with 98% of the personnel there. Unfortunately the Town of Brewton was also in the path of the blast. The entire town was knocked flat by the shockwave. There have been over 1100 confirmed deaths. Among the dead are 550 civilians!

Governor Braxton Lowndes II promises to spare no effort to bring the ‘terrorists’ to justice. While condemning the attack, media outlets around the country begin to ask questions about the chemicals being produced by the plant. The facility was not rated to make any explosive substances. The Alabama government ignores any such questions, but reports they are near to identifying the culprits and bringing them to justice.

A breaking news report from the Alabama government preempts local programming that afternoon. Terrorists responsible for last night’s attacks are fleeing south on Florida Route 89, with the Alabama State Police in pursuit. The screen cuts to a live feed as two AV gunships open up on a school bus, reducing it to a flaming wreck. There are media on hand covering the COGs military maneuvers. They descend upon the scene.

It quickly becomes clear, that there were no terrorists aboard the bus. The broken and mangled bodies within the smoking wreckage belong to members of the Student Medical Society of Milton High School. They were returning from a field trip to the Jay Hospital. Thirty-four students are dead including Anne Young & Suzie Harris from Blackwater. Anne is the daughter of Santa Rosa County Commissioner, Angus Young. Suzie’s parents own the Blackwater General Store. The entire town is in shock!

(GM Note: The Team has met the two dead youngsters. They were (along with Lilly Tran) the three girls screaming at Paris and Natty during the fight at the State Boat ramp in Episode One.)

Beebe is shocked by the loss of life, but Charlie is particularly devastated. The gunsmith knows that he’s directly responsible for the deaths of those students. Leaving the satchel in the culvert sealed their fates. He’s ashamed and has trouble dealing with the guilt. Charlie tries talking to Sam but his friend is completely unmoved by the deaths. He dismisses them as collateral damage. Charlie can’t be that cavalier. He goes home and crawls into a bottle, finding solace with his old friend Jim Beam.

(GM Note: Sam’s player made willpower roles not to show emotion over the deaths in Brewton and of the students on the bus. He was broken up like everyone else, but felt it was important that he remain stoic in the face of adversity. If he were to do otherwise, it would make him appear weak or not in control of the situation. Sadly, for many on the Team, it made him look like an inhuman a-hole)

Episode 9 – Life is Full of Ups and Downs

Guilt continues to eat away at certain members of the Team. Charlie’s work suffers. Missed deadlines lead to more tragedies. Memorial services are held for the two slain teenagers. Beebe is motivated to spend her share of the ‘blood money’ doing something good for the community.

A brazen murder occurs at the resort. Evidence emerges that could help solve several open cold case files and prove the innocence of a wrongfully convicted man. The Hells Angels come to Petersen Point.

Velvet Blue is poised to hit the big time, if Natty’s mother ever lets her out of the house again. Beebe is still trying to get use to her new family dynamic as ‘Hurricane Bea’ hits Petersen Point.

Background

Dramatis Personae

The NPCs

Amy Fry is a young Thelas and sister of Jason Fry. She dates Sammy Trang, the drummer of Velvet Blue.

Arthur Greenburg (the Geek) is one of the two interns from Florida Atlantic University.

Bea Lafferty is Beebe’s mother and a retired Major in the United States Army. She is famous for launching the first ortillery strike (on U.S. soil) during the Fourth Corporate War.

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.

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.

Greg Winters (the Face) is one of the two interns from Florida Atlantic University.

Father Ernesto Rivera is the Porto Rican born priest of Saint Peters by the Sea. He is 32 years old and very warm and friendly.

Hammerman is one of the few surviving members of the Rattlesnakes’ Panama City, FL charter.

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 MC.

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.

Lt. Gordon Thomas (retired) is with the Lazarus Observation and Security Team who comes to watch the Pensacola COG’s Winter War Games.

Mr. Zeitsev is the code name for Sam Fisher’s contact on this secret, black project. He is the government’s ‘Mr. Johnson’.

Natty Lanikova is the daughter of dancer Alina Lanikova and the teenage bassist for Velvet Blue. She dates Steve Zelinsky, a prospect of the Visigoths and speaks little English.

Paris Saint Claire is the lead singer for the band Velvet Blue and granddaughter of Eustis Saint Claire. She and Natty are best friends.

Peg Leg Porter was an old pirate (Thelas Nomad), who was thrown out of his pack and went land bound. He had a house just north of state boat ramp where he lets the local teenagers throw wild parties. He was also knee deep in the Rattlesnake-Thelas drug connection.

Rat is a nomad ‘Dog Soldier’ (nomad enforcer) with a particular hatred for drug dealers. He is working with Ricco Torres to end the drug dealing out of the Panhandle Saloon.

Sammy Trang is the drummer of the band, Velvet Blue and boyfriend of Amy Fry.

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.

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.

The Action

Saturday, March 16, 2047:

No amount of liquor would wash away the bitter taste of Sam’s words, nor would it drown his overwhelming guilt. The bourbon only seemed to magnify Charlie’s dark feelings. He was well on the way to drinking himself into a stupor, when he was struck with an idea. Inspiration usually came during bouts of drinking. This latest vision was of a sniper modification for the Hammer long rifle. Fabricating the new pieces wouldn’t relive his guilt, but throwing himself into work would at least let him forget for a while. There was also every possibility that he might need a power sniper rifle in the near future.

Charlie isn’t the only one to have trouble coping with the consequences of their actions. He can tell Beebe is torn up inside, but talking to her may do more harm than good. She doesn’t know about the satchel. Sam swore him to secrecy, to tell no one about the side mission, especially Beebe. That his friend made him complicit in the deaths of a bus load of teenagers is his cross to bear. It would be unfair to burden her with such knowledge, especially given her current state of mind.

Beebe isn’t sure if she can live with the idea of being a mass murder. It doesn’t matter if they didn’t know what was in the tanks. They’re still responsible. Killing in self defense or during war she could accept, but not the cold blooded murder of almost an entire town. She needs to talk about it, but confiding to Paris is out of the question. They’d already dragged one of her friends into this mess. There’s no way she’d involve the other.

As for Natty…the though of what her friend might say fills her with fear. Irrational or no, Beebe can’t forget the satisfaction Natty expressed from killing the bikers at Peg Leg Porter’s. She couldn’t handle it, if her friend was ok with mass murder. It worries her that Natty might develop a taste for killing. She will eventually have to ask, but for now, the memory is too raw.

Beebe seeks out Charlie. She needs her mentor’s reassurance. The nomad also needs to inform him of her decision. If these are the types of missions Sam expects them to undertake, she can’t be a part of them. It’s hard to admit that he was right to try and keep her off the team, but her mother trained her to be a soldier, not a murderer.

She finds the gunsmith in his workshop, rooted in front of the lathe. He doesn’t look up or say anything. All of his focus is concentrated on the hunk of metal turning on the spindle. The safety visor protects against stray bits of metal, but does nothing to hide his swollen lids and bloodshot eyes. Behind the shatter proof plastic his face appears sallow and sunken. It’s not unusual for Charlie to work himself to exhaustion when wrapped up in a project, but he looks more haggard than normal. The odor of alcohol cuts through the normal industrial smells of lubricant and gun oil. It’s a point of concern for the young nomad. Beebe has seen the gunsmith drunk on many occasions, but never when he’s working.

It may be sad, but Beebe finds comfort in his condition. It lets her know she’s not suffering alone. Concern for Charlie also gives her something else to focus on.

“You’re going to loose a finger if you’re not careful”

The gunsmith doesn’t look up from his work. “I can attach another” his voice is thick and cottony, but the words aren’t slurred.

“Charlie…can we talk.”

The pain in her voice hurts him more than any damage the lathe could inflict. He’s dreaded this conversation. Charlie kills the power on the machine and removes the hard plastic visor. He gives Beebe his full attention, but she doesn’t say anything right away. It’s as if she’s waiting for the spindle to come to a full stop; needing silence to collect her thoughts.

Now that he’s looking right at her, Beebe can feel her resolve waiver. She can’t meet his eyes. Charlie had vouched for her, made Sam accept her on the team. Is her decision a betrayal of that trust? More painful than any guilt she feels is the though or disappointing him. Before she completely loses her nerve, Beebe blurts out, “I can’t do this again.”

Charlie’s response is immediate. “Neither can I. I’m going to calm down and then talk with Sam. I need to be fully read in on any future missions.”

How could she have ever doubted that he would have her back? Charlie’s words are like a salve. She confides in her mentor, telling him of her lingering doubts and fears. The gunsmith is more that willing to let her do most of the talking.

While the two nomads try to come to terms with their guilt, Sam is on his way to Pensacola with Ricco. He hopes that the purchase of a Sega-Atari System will allow him to rectify the stunning lack of skills displayed by the team. Less than half know how to swim or survive in the wild. To him, this is a glaring oversight by whoever put the team together.

Even with the funds for mission expenses, Sam doesn’t have enough money to purchase the system himself. Ricco agrees to extend him a loan. He also has a way that they can disguise the purchase and recoup their initial investment. The system is expensive; too expensive to be left sitting idle. Having such a pricy piece of equipment sitting in his bungalow could also make it a target of theft or raise unwanted questions. The general manager suggests that they hide it, in view of everyone, as a new attraction for guests of the resort.

Ricco intends to by a second unit, with his own money, which he will then lease to the resort as a game system. He would be willing to arrange a similar lease for Sam’s system. This would not only provide a fast way to pay off the loan, it would give the ex-operative an external source of income. The plan is sound. Sam agrees, so long as gust use does not interfere with the team’s training.

Ricco has a ready answer. “We’ll have a sign-up sheet at the main desk. Team members will be able to schedule time on the system. If they need to use the trainer unexpectedly, having two units, will allow us to pull one for ‘maintenance’ We’ll buy four VR harnesses for each system to maximize their capacity.

‘Ok, but before we open it up to the guest, the team needs access to the machines for at least 3 days. We need to get their skills up before the next mission.”

Ricco is more than happy to comply with this request. It will take a couple of days to setup the lease agreements and the space for the equipment anyway. Sam purchases Swimming and Wilderness Survival training chips for the system.

As they are making their purchases, a special news report flashes across the video screens, set up throughout the store. A group calling themselves the Alabama Freedom Army has taken credit for the strike Thursday night in Brewton. In a statement released within the past half hour, the group refutes the Lowndes government’s claims that the Student Medical Society of Milton was involved in the attack. Sources have confirmed that an Alabama chapter of the SMS visited the Water Treatment plant 10 days prior to the explosion at the nearby Brewton Chemical Works. Alabama investigators either missed or ignored this fact so that they could launch an unlawful assault across the border into Florida, resulting in the death of thirty-two students.

Sam remains stone faced as they exit the store. He had not been read in on the psy-op to discredit the Alabama government. Both men avoid conversation on the ride back to Petersen Point. The report plays throughout the day on multiple stations. Eventually everyone on the Team sees is. None of them are happy that they are now part of the ‘Alabama Freedom Army’.

Beebe decides that work is the best cure. If she keeps herself busy, there won’t be time to brood. She stops by Ricco’s office to pitch him an idea for adding parasailing to the activities offered by the resort. Her delivery is a bit scattered. With other issues occupying her mind, she hadn’t devoted much time to her presentation. The nomad comes off a bit frenetic as she describes how an interest in kites got her into the activity.

“Parasailing is like being a human kite. Back home in Nevada, we used ATVs to get aloft, but here, you have the ski boats. They’re already equipped to pull water skiers. Configuring them to handle a parasail wouldn’t be that difficult…”

Ricco calmly listens. Being from Rio, he is familiar with parasailing. The activity is popular and could be a boon to the resort. There’s no question that Beebe is enthusiastic about the idea. It just needs some refining, before he invests any money. Ricco asks the nomad to generate a list of the equipment they will need and to price it with vendors in the local area. He will speak to Betty Lu about regulations and liability.

“Hey, aren’t you Sam Fisher?”

The question catches the security officer off guard. He had been on his way to the security office; thoughts of the news report and inevitable questions from the team running circles through his head. All that is pushed aside, as he turns to confront his questioner. The man is dressed in a conservative suit. There are no obvious weapons or hostility in his posture, but he carries himself like a soldier.

Sam replies guardedly, “Yes I am.”

Picking up on the tension in his voice, the man tries to put him at ease. He extends his hand with an introduction. “Lt. Gordon Thomas. I’m here with Lazarus. Clem spoke very highly of you when we served together.”

Sam knows only one Clem; Clement Johns. The mention of his former Delta Force team mate brings a smile to Sam’s face. He shakes Gordon’s hand, but isn’t ready to just open up based on this stranger knowing the name of an old friend. He feels him out. Before joining Lazarus the Lieutenant was an officer in the Army Rangers. He talks about his time in the service and about their mutual friend,

Sam is willing to give Gordon, the benefit of the doubt, but is still wary. This meeting is too convenient. “So, what brings you here?”

“We’re here for the Winter Games; observation and evaluation over at the COG. Colonel, my Team is going out tomorrow to plant sensors around the highway bridge; for the exercise here on Monday. Would you like to join us? I’d have to check it with my boss, but I am sure everyone will want to meet you?”

Sam is flattered and readily accepts the invitation.

“If I can clear it, I’ll leave a message for you at the front desk with the time and place.” The two part amicably.

Getting in good with Lazarus Corporation could help his job situation. Thoughts of working for Lazarus bring a smile to Sam’s face.

That evening, Rev. Ezra Brown and Father Rivera hold a candlelight vigil for Anne & Suzie at Town Hall. Nearly the entire town turns out, including every member of the Visigoths. The team goes to show their support. Betty Lu puts in appearance with Greg Winter (the Face), before the two head over to the Panhandle for a night of drinks and dancing. Sam brings Rianna, but spends most of the time talking to the Visigoths.

Charlie seeks out the parents of the two girls to express his condolences personally. The gunsmith learns of several charitable trusts being set up in the names of the victims of the school bus massacre. He discusses donating his entire cut from the last job with Beebe.

His gesture makes her consider ways to divest her own cut of the blood money. As to Charlie’s donation, the young woman counsels caution before. It’s not that she wants to deter his desire to give. Beebe just doesn’t want to see the money go to frauds. “Make sure they’re real charities and not someone trying to profit from the tragedy.” It’s a sobering thought for Charlie; something he hadn’t considered.

Beebe sees Natty and excuses herself to talk with her friend. She feels a little guilty about leaving the girl out in the cold over her own hang-ups. The nomad still isn’t ready to discuss what happened, but the parasail project provides a safe topic for the two to talk about. Natty is more than happy to help her with the NET research. They make plans to meet up Monday.

After almost ten weeks of working of double shift, seven days a week, to pull the resort’s legal department into shape, Betty Lu finally gets a chance to relax and have fun. The ‘fun’ lasts till the next morning, when she wakes up in her bed, with the Face next to her.

***

Sunday, March 17, 2047:

Reverend Ezra Brown and the Jubilee Baptist Church hold a Special Memorial Service. Blue Velvet plays at the service, but the music is very different from their usual tunes. Today it’s strictly gospel. Though they don’t normal go to church, Charlie and Beebe are there, as is Jason and his sister Amy. After the service, Beebe spends the day with Jason. Charlie retreats to his workshop and opens the first of many whiskey bottles. He gets back to crafting the sniper version of the Hammer.

Sam Fisher and Ricco Torres attend services at St. Peters by the Sea, which holds its own a special memorial mass. When Sam returns to the resort, there is a message waiting from Gordon Thomas. The ex-operative has a great time with the Lazarus Observation Team diving and setting sensors around the bridge.

***

Monday, March 18, 2047:

At the weekly staff meeting Carrie Anne reports that they have seen a healthy increase in reservations for the April Spring Break season. It appears that the Greg (Face) and Arthur’s (Geek) networking has started to pay off. Ricco asks Betty Lu to look into the legal regulations and liability issues of having parasailing at the resort. Near the end of the meeting, Betty Lu brings up a personal request.

“I have located a Buddhist Meditation Center just outside Pensacola. Would anyone be able to give me a ride there tomorrow?”

Brandon speaks up, “Miss Lu, I can take you Wednesday, if that would be alright.”

Betty Lu is just happy to have a ride and graciously accepts. With no other business, Ricco closes the meeting.

Henrique calls to tell Ricco that the location visit was a resounding success. The producer still isn’t sure if they will be filming at the resort, but the footage of Velvet Blue’s concert has him sold on the band. He asks Ricco to help get the band to sign a 1 year development deal. His people have already edited the footage of the attack on the concert into a kick-ass music video. All he needs is their signatures, to release it to the NET. The band will be paid $.06 per play (hits).

If they sign, Henrique promises to feature the band in at least one episode of his show. Any songs that appear in the episode will be released as part of the official season soundtrack, but he will also front the cost of an EP of original tunes. The band will be paid $.50 per unit of the EP sold. (A unit is $5. Ricco will get a band member’s share of the royalties). As an added incentive, Henrique will give each band member (and Ricco) a signing bonus of $20,000 apiece. They will also receive an additional $1000 per month for the year. It is an excellent deal for a young band.

At noon Operation Wary Wolf (the Pensacola COG Winter War Games) closes down the town of Blackwater. All traffic in and out of town is suspended till 7 pm that evening. As is custom, the hotel sends refreshments to the troops at the state boat ramp.

With the roads closed, Ricco heads over to the golf course maintenance building, to catalogue items in the old lost and found. Brandon accompanies him. The security chief begins to sort through their collection of decrepit golf carts, organizing them into groups; ones that can be repaired or cannibalized for parts and those destined for scrap.

It’s slow going for both of them. By late afternoon, Ricco has only made it through about a third of the boxes. Most are filled with junk, but he does come across an IMI Uzi Mini-auto 9 and a Sig Sauer P226. The ex-cop wonders if they might be tied to any of the open cold cases. He confers with his security chief, about what they should do with the guns. Brandon advises that they hold of on calling in the Sheriff, at least till they finish processing the rest of the room.

Charlie gives the Boss Arms crew the day off. He continues to try to find solace at the bottom of a bottle. Beebe uses the time off to visit Natty. She finds her friend behind the cottage sparing with her mother. The nomad waits quietly, not wanting to interrupt their workout. Natty launches a series of strikes against Alina, forcing her back across the grass. The combination of blows allows her to land a successful grapple, but the older woman side steps and reverses the hold; driving her daughter to the ground. The two women spar for another twenty minutes, before calling a break.

While they cool down, Beebe asks Alina if she would train her. The nomad can read uncertainty on the woman’s face. Before she can say no, Beebe pleads her case. “I wasn’t able to defend myself at Peg Leg’s. I…I had to run for my life. I picked up some Arasaka Tae back home, but my skills are inadequate. Please teach me.”

Alina studies Beebe before answering; as if she looking for falsehood. Her eyes shift to look at her daughter. “Let me think about it.” The older woman heads into the house to take a shower. Natty is excited. Her mother didn’t say yes, but she hadn’t said no either. “It’s good.” Seeing her friend’s confusion, the girl elaborates. “My mother has been thinking of opening a dojo, but isn’t sure that anyone would be interested.”

As the two continue to talk, the conversation rolls around to Suzie Harris and Anne Young. It’s no secret that Suzie and Natty didn’t get along. With a sigh, the Czech girl explains, “I didn’t hate Suzie. She was angry about her brother Greg. Greg really liked me. He’s an alright guy, so we fucked once or twice. That was before Steve. He though I dumped him for Steve. Susie took his side.”

(GM Note: In Episode One, the fight the Team witnessed at the State Boat Ramp was about this. Greg Harris was the one sitting on the ground after being knocked down. He had just slapped Natty in front of Steve who then decked him. Suzie was one of the three girls calling Natty a ‘skank’.)

As the sun begins to set, they head into the house to look up parasailing outfitters and equipment suppliers in the local area. Natty finds three shops that sell equipment. There are also several listing for used harnesses and parasails, but Beebe thinks it best that they stick to new equipment. By the time the nomad heads home, she has everything Ricco was looking for.

***

Tuesday, March 19, 2047:

Operation Wary Wolf ends. Sam is once again invited to dive with the Lazarus Team, to retrieve their sensor packets.

Beebe meets with Ricco to give the names of the three vendors In Pensacola. She hands over an itemized list of equipment they will need and a break down of the pricing for each supplier. Since they haven’t had time to vet the shops personally, the nomad includes reviews from previous customers. The general manager seems happy with the work she’s done, so Beebe decides to pitch him another idea.

Her plan is to invite the entire town and the nomads at Petersen Point to a party honoring the memories of Anne and Suzie. It’s her attempt at an Irish wake; a chance for the local community to come together in celebration, rather than in grief. Beebe isn’t asking him for a hand out or sponsorship. The nomad plans to pay for the event out of her own pocket. “It will be good for the community and good business for the hotel.”

The hotel is in business to make money. Ricco is happy to have the business, but will need to crunch the numbers. “I see no reason why we can’t book your banquet. When were you looking to have it?”

“Would this Saturday be too soon?”

“Putting together a party in less than a week is going to be difficult. There’s staffing, and ordering that needs to be done…” Ricco trails off, seeing the look of defeat on Beebe’s face. All of the manic enthusiasm seems to have left her. The party meant more to her than he realized. The resort isn’t that busy. They should be able to swing it.

“Can you come back tomorrow? I should have the costs worked out by then.”

It takes a moment for Beebe to process what he said. When she realizes the party is back on, she nearly hugs the general manager. ‘Yes. I can be her tomorrow…what time…when do you get in…is 8 to early?”

Ricco holds up his hand to try and slow the torrent of questions. “Why don’t we meet at nine?”

“Ok. I’ll see you then.” Beebe jumps up and races out the door. There is so much to do and so little time to do it in. With the venue tentatively secured, Beebe hunts down Natty to try to line up entertainment. It takes a couple of tries for her friend to get the gist of what she’s trying to say. The Czech girl’s English is still shaky and her excited state, Beebe is talking too fast.

Once she understands, Natty is all for Velvet Blue playing the event. She’ll still have to talk with her band mates, but that shouldn’t be a problem. They all knew Anne and Suzie. Except for the trouble with Greg, they got along reasonably well. Beebe gives her friend a big hug before heading off to find her father.

They need to get the word out about the party as quickly as possible. There’s no time to produce posters or wait for a town meeting. The Visigoths are a large part of the community and having a father that is the vice president of the local charter can sometimes pay off. After securing a promise from Sandy to drum up support within the MC, Beebe races over to Rianna’s. Without her the International Kite Flying Day celebration would never have gotten off the ground. The nomad hopes her friend will be willing to help out again.

Rianna is enthusiastic. The idea of an Irish Wake appeals to her, but the time table is a bit daunting. “Do you ever plan anything more than a week in advance?”

The nomad is abashed by her friends chiding. She tries to stammer an explanation, but Rianna cuts her off with a laugh. “I’m just kidding. We can do this. If I tell the students and other teachers at school, that should spread the word. It’s more that Beebe could hope for. The two women spend the next hour deciding how to present the celebration to the community.

Ricco returns to the maintenance building to finish cataloguing the lost and found. Brandon is already hard at work stripping down one of the golf carts. After rummaging through countless boxes of junk the Brazilian comes across an Armalite 44 pistol and a small metal lockbox. Both had been wrapped in a bundle of old clothes.

There is a heft to the lockbox. Several objects can be heard sliding around inside, when he turns it in his hand. With no key to open the lock, Ricco puts it aside. The handgun has some surface corrosion, but still looks serviceable. He ejects the magazine and clears the chamber, before checking the firing mechanism. The ex-cop notices that there are three rounds missing from the clip. Ricco returns the gun and clothes to the cardboard box and turns his attention back to the locked case.

It would be a simple matter to pop the lock. The thin aluminum skin of box would give easily enough, but he doesn’t want to damage potential evidence. Ricco calls in Brandon to take a look. The security chief displays one of his hidden talents, deftly picking the lock and opening the lockbox. Inside is an assortment of jewelry; fourteen pieces in all. There is also a newspaper clipping with an article about the murder of Hanford Wells. Ricco doesn’t need to read the story. He’s seen the cold case file. Hanford Wells was a former security chief at the Petersen Point Resort who was murdered 12 years ago.

[GM Note: Here’s the summary of the cold case file presented back in episode 4:

Hanford Wells, chief of security of the Petersen Point Hotel was found dead of multiple gunshot wounds. The slugs recovered were from a .44. The victim was shot tree times; twice in the heart and once in the head. Distance of the shots was determined to be within ten feet. The victim was found 10 feet down the trial leading from the dock to the Pistol & Rifle Range. Investigation of the scene determined that the victim was killed elsewhere then dumped. The site of the actual murder was not located.]

Even though he still hasn’t finished going through all the boxes, Ricco knows this can’t wait. He calls Sheriff Mason to tell him of their find. Marcus comes out personally. They hand over the cardboard box with all of its contents, and the weapons they found yesterday.

“We’ll print the box and run the guns. Any that come back ‘clean’ will be returned to the hotel. I’ll let you know what we find. You let me know if you find anything else.” Sheriff Mason departs. No mention is made of securing the site or bringing in a forensic team.

(GM Note: The gun and box will have the fingerprints of Seymour Giles all over them. Giles was an employee of the hotel, murdered a year after Wells was killed. The recovered jewelry was from a burglary that occurred 12 years ago at the hotel. A local man, Gregory James, who managed the golf course, was convicted of the crime. Greg James is the cousin of both TC James (the Visigoth Sargent at Arms) and Bruce James (manager of Angus Young’s farm). He is currently serving time at Radford, with 8 years left on a 20 year sentence. Sheriff Mason immediately starts proceedings to have Greg released.)

***

Wednesday, March 20, 2047:

Beebe meets with Ricco and Crank to go over the details of the memorial celebration. The general manager is willing to let her use the resort’s facilities at cost. He quotes a figure of $1000 to secure use of the hotel’s beach and adjoining cooking pits. That price also covers labor cost for cooks, bartenders, wait staff and security. Food and liquor are not included, but Ricco is willing to cut her a deal on both.

“You’ll need to talk with Chef Gambier about a menu before we can calculate a final number. Do you have an idea of how many people you’re inviting?”

That wasn’t something she hadn’t considered. “Uh…I guess about 300.”

Crank runs some quick figures for liquor cost on an open bar. The amount is eye opening. Even at the discounted price, the amount is outside her budget. The Food and Beverage manager suggests a cash bar. “An open bar causes too many problems. Say there’s free liquor and they’ll be crawling out of the woodwork. Stick to a cash bar. It will help keep down the cost and make it easier to hit your number of 300 guests.”

It all seems so much more complicated than when Charlie throws a party. Her confidence is shaken, but Beebe is determined to see it through. She meets with the chef to works out a menu. After stopping by the school to tell Rianna they’re a go, Beebe heads into town to buy supplies for the party. She does her shopping at the general store. It gives her the opportunity to personally invite Susie’s parents to the party.

Around 11 (am), the marina re-launches the resort’s old deep sea fishing boat. It still needs to go on a shakedown cruise, but the resort will soon be able to offer deep sea fishing excursions to its guests.

The Lazarus Corporate and Security Observation Team check out of the hotel.

As promised, Brandon drives Betty Lu to the Pensacola Center for Buddhist Studies. The security chief runs errands while Betty Lu tours the facility and takes advantage of its meditation garden.

A package arrives from Mr. Zeitsev. It contains $210,000 in non-sequential bills; payment for the Brewton Mission. Sam puts aside $50,000 to pay off his loan to Ricco and $7,000 for the team budget. He divvies up the remaining cash into shares for each team member. The split is far from egalitarian. Sam keeps $36,000 for himself. Brandon and Dr. Ricci, each receive $28,000. Charlie and Ricco earn slightly less at $20,000. Natty takes away $10,000; Beebe gets $9,000. Betty Lu shared the same dangers, but only comes away with a measly $2,000.

Sam puts the shares into envelopes and visits each team member, to deliver them.

He finds Charlie in his workshop. From lathe to fabricator to milling machine; a trail of empty whisky bottles marks the gunsmith’s progress on his modified long rifle. It has become his obsession. All of his other projects have fallen by the wayside.

Charlie squints at Sam over the upturned end of a half empty bottle. The ex-operative holds up the envelope as a peace offering. He tosses Charlie’s cut onto the workbench. The gunsmith watches the envelope land but makes no move to pick it up. He just continues to stare. It’s been a weeks since they talked; Charlie remember how many bottles of whisky he’s drunk since then.

It takes a minute to work the moisture back into his throat. Sam is talking, but the gunsmith doesn’t hear him. Charlie has to concentrate on what he wants to say to his friend, so it doesn’t fade into the alcohol induced haze. When he can speak, the nomad expresses dismay at what happened to Brewton. “Friendship only goes so far. I need to be read in on any future missions. I’m not doing this again.”

Sam is hurt by his accusations. “I didn’t hold anything back. I showed you all the briefing material, even the parts that were for my ‘eyes only’. I had no idea about the volatility of the chemicals at the plant or what the bag meant.”

Charlie wants to believe him, but the alcohol makes it hard to think rationally. Sam can tell his friend is busted up over the deaths, especially those of the high schoolers. He tries to console him and the too share several drinks. The gunsmith begins to get a little weepy, which almost has Sam tearing up. They decide to call it a night, agreeing it might be better to talk when they’re both sober.

***

Thursday, March 21, 2047:

Charlie shows up at Sam’s house with Beebe. They intentionally arrive after Rianna has already left for school. The two men head inside, while Beebe waits out on the steps to ensure their privacy. After scanning for listening devices, they sit down to talk. Sam drops his mask of cold efficiency and lets his friend see his true feelings on the disaster. He is completely candid about his knowledge of the Brewton mission.

It convinces Charlie, who calls in Beebe, so that she can hear it for herself. Sam is as forthcoming as he can be, without revealing their involvement in the death of the students. Hearing his contrition helps, but deep down she is still suspicious of the ex-CIA operative.

The two nomads leave soon after; Charlie to catch up on some much needed sleep, Beebe to prepare for the arrival of her mother. Sam reflects on what he told his friend. The part about Brewton was complete truth. As to their employer…he doesn’t like lying to Charlie, but if he told him who they were really working for and it somehow got out, both of them would be dead. For his own good, he had to him that the operation was being directed by a well connected fixer with deep pockets.

That afternoon, Ricco is notified that the tunnels (from the old fort) are dry enough to explore. He has Brandon meet him at the marina’s storage bunker. A group of nomads is already preparing to go down. The air is still pretty foul, so they are wearing respirators as a precaution. Ricco and Brandon gear up to join them. Being a biomechanical, the security chief doesn’t really need the breathing apparatus. He still needs to breathe, but his oxygen requirements are minimal. Brandon still wears the respirator, so as not to arouse suspicion.

Heath brings along his DataTel Mapmaker, so that they can map out the tunnels as they explore. The group heads west along the main corridor. After about half a kilometer there is a niche with stairs leading up to a pair of rusted steel doors. The room above is quite a bit smaller than the one under the storage bunker. It is also still damp. There is a ladder leading up to a hatch in the ceiling. The Mapmaker marks their location as being near the fuel dock office.

At the top of the ladder is a room of similar size to the one below. It is dry and judging by the dust, was never submerged. Another ladder rises towards a ceiling hatch. The chamber above is smaller and circular. Four metal plates are set into the wall at the cardinal points. The later dead ends at what appear to be an airlock hatch or water tight door. Brandon turns the wheel to open the hatch. Fresh air floods in.

On the other side of the hatch is a tall round wooden structure. The inside is unfinished and cramped. It doesn’t look to have ever been intended for habitation. Brandon pushes aside a loose panel that leads to a small electrical room. A door on the opposite wall opens to the outside, at the base of the replica lighthouse next to the fuel dock office. The circular room below must be a fortified pill box. Hinges on the plates would normally allow them to be opened, but they are currently blocked by the wooden base of the lighthouse.

Further exploration reveals that all of the small lighthouses that dot the peninsula are built on top of similar bunkers. There is also a large complex of rooms near the hotel. If the mapper is accurate there should be an entrance to the tunnel system in one of the outbuildings by the pool. They can’t confirm it’s location from the tunnel side, because the stairwell has been blocked by a poured concrete floor.

Another complex of rooms lies under the maintenance building near the golf course. A large set of blast doors set into the ceiling of highest room, but they refuse to budge. Ricco suggest that they find the doors from the other side, rather that trying to break their way out from the tunnels. If it’s anything like the other sealed entrance, there could be a slab of concrete above them.

The group has to call for replacement air canisters before making their way back through the tunnels. They’ve left the hatches at the lighthouses propped open to help change out the air, but it’s still pretty bad deep in the tunnels. Arriving back at the marina, they head east along the main corridor. The tunnel continues past the two remaining lighthouses, out under the mouth of the small harbor at Blackwater. Based on its course, it probably extends all the way to the old 16’ gun battery on Angus Young’s farm.

There is another set of rooms and a sealed entrance, on this side of the harbor. The mapper, places it under Charlie’s house. For the time being the explorers agree to keep the extent of the tunnel network a secret. Both the nomads and Ricco recognize their potential. He makes a handshake agreement to share access. The details can be hammered out later. For now, they need secure the wooden doors to the lighthouses, and let the air start to circulate.

Bea arrives at the hotel with her two youngest children; Annabelle (5) and David (9). Sandy and his wife Sheila bring Steve and his three younger siblings to meet them. They all have dinner together at the Zelinsky’s house. After dinner Sandy delivers some bad news to Beebe. Something has come up with the club this weekend. Most of the membership won’t be able to attend the Memorial Barbeque.

Sheila promises to makes sure the bikers’ families will still be coming. She’s will to help out in any way she can. It hurts that her father won’t be there, but she graciously accepts Sheila’s offer. Bea offers to help out too, if someone will tell her what’s going on.

Bad news travels fast. The video for Bloody Mayhem goes viral. Velvet Blue looks and sounds fantastic. Gratuitous shots of the Rattlesnakes attack are edited in with footage of the band on stage. The song’s chorus is accompanied by a scene of a blood drenched Natty, diving into the bed of Charlie’s pickup. It switches to slow motion as she begins to peal off her clothes. The chorus is repeated three times during the video, giving viewers ample opportunity to ogle the bassist’s breasts.

There are no shots of the killings backstage, causing commenters to question if the violence and blood are real. Steve and Beebe head over to Natty’s cottage to show her the video. She thinks the video is great. The Czech girl shows no sign of shame. If anything, it gets her all hot and bothered. Beebe leaves, so that Natty can have some time alone with her boyfriend. If Alina sees the video, it may be a long time before she sees Steve or anyone else.

***

Friday, March 22, 2047:

The $36,000 is burning a hole in Sam’s pocket. He heads into Pensacola to do some shopping. He picks up a CINO Big Blue system and dive suit. At the Harley dealership he buys himself a Thunder God. After a side trip to register the motorcycle, he makes his a more important stop of all; to buy a bouquet of flowers for Rianna!

Back at the hotel, the second caterpillar runabout is heading out for its shakedown cruise as a small ship from Texas pulls up to the fuel dock. Twenty Hell’s Angels roll of with their motor cycles. Riding with them are two members of the Rattlesnakes MC. Both of the Rattlesnakes wear patches from a Texas charter of the gang. This doesn’t look like a war party. Half of the Hell’s Angels have brought along their old ladies, as have both bikers from the Rattlesnakes,

Ricco places security on alert. Hank Tremont arrives and asks to see the general manager. The Visigoth president apologizes for not giving him a heads up about the Angels and Rattlesnakes. “They’re here to talk peace.” Hank explains that the hotel was the only place, in the area, large enough to put up all the bikers. “Everyone has promised to be on their best behavior”

The general manager accepts his friend’s assurances, but is still concerned about security. If there is one silver lining to the whole situation, it’s that the Texas bikers paid for their rooms in advance.

Ricco enlists the help of Sam and Brandon to pull up the floor in the old lost and found. If the mapper was correct, the tunnel entrance should be underneath. Thankfully there is no concrete to chip through. The large double doors lie just under the subfloor. They lubricate the hinges before swinging them open. Ricco’s hopes rise when he sees the plastic barrier blocking the passage. The room below has been weatherized like the basement of the marina’s storage bunker.

Slicing through the barrier, they enter a large room packed crates. Most bear Russian markings. None of them appear to have ever been opened. It takes several hours for the three to catalogue all of the containers, but after totaling up all the weapons and equipment, they realize there’s to supply a battalion of infantry!

Small Arms:

400x Kalashnikov A-80s (100,000 rounds AP; 400,000 rounds STD, 10 clips each gun)
40x PPsh-41s (10,000 rounds AP; 40,000 rounds STD, 10 clips each gun)
60x Sig Sauer P226 [.40 S&W 3d6+3, 5 clips each] (1,000 rounds AP; 4,000 rounds STD)
6x Dragonovs (standard optical sight, SL, bipod, 10 clips each) (600 rounds AP; 2000 rounds STD)
20 crates (24 apiece) 7d6 frag grenades
10 cases (24 apiece) smoke grenades
200 Claymore mines

Heavy Weapons:

20x PK Light Machineguns (10,000 rounds AP; 40,000 rounds STD)
12x RPG-As (100 rounds HEAT, 100 rounds HE)
6x 60mm mortars (1000 rounds HE, 100 rounds smoke)
6x DshK’s w/multiple mounts (12.7mm) (10,000 rounds AP; 40,000 rounds STD)
2x KPV’s (14.5mm) (2,000 rounds AP; 8,000 rounds STD)
4x Scorpion Anti-Aircraft launchers (12 missiles)
6x LATGM launchers (20 missiles)
2x HATGM launchers (8 missiles)

Communications:

50 field telephones with 3 portable switching hubs and 20 miles of wire.
500 personal communicators
Satellite uplink.
3x Military Radios

Electronic Warfare:

ECCM Suite
ECM (10 km)
Electronic Warfare Suite
Military Radar with ID function.

Other Gear:

2x Large Generators with 200 gallon tanks
5,000 MREs
30x 10 person tents
30x 6 person tents
2x field kitchens
Dry hospital supplies
800 Jungle cammo BDUs & Kits

Randy Petersen was either totally insane, or a genius. Sam immediately begins to talk about selling off the weapons. There is enough here to equip the Dirty Deeds Team, fund the hotel and the Team’s operations, and still provide a tidy profit for all concerned. Ricco puts his foot down. Nothing will be sold! It all belongs to the hotel. If the team needs weapons for a specific mission then Sam can make a request.

In the back of his mind Ricco realizes that the Alabama State Police will come again and again. They now have the firepower to repel a major assault. Why would he sell it? The general manager does allow Sam and Brandon to take enough weapons to stock the weapons locker in the security office. The two security officers load up a crate with ammunition and 5 A-80s, 5 PPsh-41s submachine guns, 2 Dragonovs, 2 RPG-As, a scorpion missile launcher.

Beebe and Steve stop by to pick up Natty’s after school, but Alina has her restricted to the house. Her mom saw the video and flipped. The girl looks a little frightened recalling Alina’s reaction. She can play at the event tomorrow and go to school. Other than that she’s grounded.

***

Saturday, March 23, 2047:

The peace talks between the gangs last all day and stretch into the late evening.

When Beebe had told Ricco that guests of the hotel were welcome to come to the cookout, she hadn’t known that the Hells Angels and Rattlesnakes would be in town. It wasn’t her intent, but the party has given the three gangs an opportunity to socialize. Whether it will help the negotiations, she can say, but one thing’s for certain, it’s hurting the attendance at her party.

The presence of the gangs seems to be keeping away the locals from Blackwater. Instead of the 300 she had planned for, there’s only about half that number. The only thing that rescues the night for Beebe is that members of the Harris and Young families stop by to express their gratitude. They don’t stay long, but that act of kindness allows her to finally enjoy the evening.

With so few guests, there is a mountain of leftovers. Beebe makes sure that they are packaged up for anyone who wants to take them. Many of the nomads will be eating high on the hog for the next couple of days.

As the party goes on at the beach, Sam is on patrol is the resort’s security vehicle. A group of four catches his eye as he turns onto Etta Road. They are dressed like nomads, but its way too warm to be wearing such long coats. Two of the four appear to be standing watch by their truck, while the other two are heading for a trailer. It looks like they were up to something.

Sam decides to turn around and check it out. He makes it to the intersection and hears the sound of automatic weapons. Pressing down the accelerator, the security officer races towards the trailer where he first saw the four men. The two men by the truck pull shotguns from under their coats and level them at his vehicle. Sam jerks his car to the left as the sound of pellets ping against the side panel. As the car comes to a stop he jumps out and takes cover behind his cruiser.

The security officer activates his radio and draws his pistols. He spins around the end of his car and fires at the men, aiming for their heads. Sam is good shot, but the range is too great and he misses. The security car provides cover from the two gunmen by the truck, but not from their friends coming out of one of the trailers. One fires on the security officer with a FN-RAL and doesn’t miss. Pain sears through Sam’s leg, as he drops behind his vehicle to avoid further fire. The attackers speed off and make a successful getaway. No one at the beach can hear the firefight over the music of Velvet Blue.

Brandon and Ricco get there in a couple of minutes and all three check the trailer.

In the bedroom of the trailer are the bullet riddled corpses of a man and woman. Both are naked and appear to have been screwing each others brains out, before they were splatter across the walls and bed sheets. Ricco doesn’t recognize the woman, but the man is Rat; their chief witness against Ronnie Johnson.

Sheriff Mason comes quickly with his crime scene unit. He doesn’t need forensics to tell him who is responsible. “This is the work of A.C. Johnson.”

Ricco agrees. Their case against the Johnson’s drug crew just got a whole lot weaker.

***

Sunday, March 24, 2047:

Last night and into the morning the Visigoths place calls to all local ‘motorcycle enthusiasts’ inviting them to join them on a ‘run’. The club is riding up to the Alabama border crossing on the Old Spanish Road. The Visigoths, Hell’s Angels and Rattlesnakes all ride together as a sign of their new found accord. A temporary truce is now in effect. Crank rides with them. Sam wants to go, but his leg is too messed up from the night before. He still goes by the jump off to express his solidarity.

Charlie takes Beebe and Bea out to the range to try out the new sniper version of the Boss Arms Hammer. The weapon performs as expected, but the real joy for Charlie and Bea is getting to hang out again. After working out some aggression on the range the three head over to Sam’s house. Before they talk in his study the gunsmith sweeps the room with his bug detector.

Surprisingly they find one. Sam is irate by the discovery. To help his friend’s piece of mind, Charlie scans the rest of the house. He turns up three more listening devices. They are all high tech custom jobs. Someone seems to be very interested in Mr. Fisher.

By that evening it’s time for Bea and her other kids to catch their flight back to Nevada. There is a tearful farewell at the airport as Beebe’s siblings and mother depart. Sandy, Sheila and their children are also on hand to say good-bye.

On returning to the resort, Beebe drops by to say high to Natty who is back from the club’s ride. The girl’s eyes are red and she smells of tear gas.

“What happened?” Beebe asks.

With a big, stupid smile of her face Natty replies, “The Alabama State Police gassed us!”

Beebe helps her friend wash the stench out of her clothes as Natty explains. “We taunt them from Florida side of bridge and they just snap. Big turret weapon they have at the check point open fire with gas rounds. There was a little gunfire, but no one seriously hurt. It was awesome!

***

Monday, March 25, 2047:

Ricco is ecstatic at the morning staff meeting. This was the best weekend the hotel has had since the Team arrived. Based on advanced reservations the coming weeks look to be even better.

Crank reports on the Scheduling changes at the Panhandle and Blue Moon.

“Having both clubs closed on Mondays is killing us. Under the regulations, there is nothing that states establishments that serve alcohol, need to be closed on Mondays. They just need to be closed on Sundays and one other day of the week. I’ve spoken to the staff and we’re going to open the Panhandle on Mondays. It will now be closed on Tuesdays.

Since business is picking we’re going to expand the hours at the Blue Moon to include Tuesday. The dancers have agreed to pick up additional shifts, but we really need to hire more girls. Ricco, I wanted to check with you before I hired any more dancers.”

The general manager is perfectly fine with the idea.

Crank wraps up his by bringing up a proposal for a booze cruise. “If we take guest far enough out on the river, we will be outside the county boundary and therefore not subject to its ban. If there is an issue with guest buying drinks on Sunday, we can make it all inclusive, factoring the price of drinks into of the ticket for the cruise.”

There are nods around the table. The plan is music to their ears.

The Texas Hell’s Angels are set to leave by ship just before noon. Charlie has a dilemma. The Sea Snake will be escorting the Angel’s vessel part of the way to Texas. From there, it’s supposed to sail to the Barataria Floating Colony and deliver the new fire control system for the USS Alabama.

The old battleship is the colony’s primary defense. In its current state the ship is mostly a paper tiger. The existing ammunition for the 16” guns is no longer usable. Charlie has made more, but without the fire control it would be next to impossible to hit anything. Hence the problem; not all of the components are ready. With all of his side projects and binge drinking, the gunsmith is several days behind schedule. There is no way he’ll be ready to sail today.

It’s important that the Texas bikers get home safely, so Charlie sends the Sea Snake on the first leg of its mission. After finishing its escort duty, the ship will return for him and the finished components. The colony will just have to wait a few more days for its delivery.

***

Tuesday, March 26, 2047:

In the early afternoon the Sea Snake hands off the Hell’s Angel’s vessel to another nomad escort on its trip back to Texas. The vessel turns around and heads back to Blackwater. Charlie and his work crews work day and night to finish the remaining upgrades for the USS Alabama and get ready for transport.

There have been rumors that the state of Alabama is NOT happy with the nomad’s plans to upgrade the venerable old battleship. Anticipating trouble, Charlie asks Sam and Brandon to come along. The ex-operative is willing to go, but only of his friend with outfit each of them with a full set of armor. Sam wants assault armor. Beebe is adamant that there’s no way that’s happening. They negotiate down to full BDUs with heavy ADAP inserts.

[GM Note: Beebe and Charlie lay out $4000 each, to equip the two security officers, when there was an entire battalion’s worth of BDUs right under the Maintenance Building. Sam’s player wasn’t clear about his motivations for holding his friend over a barrel. It may have had something to do with having to ask Ricco for the equipment or it gave him a chance to get back at Beebe for making him pay $500 just to talk with Natty about the Brewton mission]

Sam and Brandon head into Pensacola to pick up their new BDUs. The ex-operative brings along Natty, so that he can buy the girl her own set of jungle BDUs. He opts to buy her the full kit and a spytech body stocking. Natty is beginning to trust Sam, but she still has hang-ups about older men. She refuses to go unless Beebe comes along. The nomad will go for her friend, but she refuses to talk to either man.

At one of the stores they visit Natty finds herself alone with Brandon and quietly asks him, “Excuse me, I don’t mean to offend…but are you a cyborg?”

Brandon is completely unfazed by the girl’s question and responds, “I’m sorry, but I am not allowed to answer questions about that.”

Natty breaks into a smile and says, “OK, thank you.” She feels she has her answer.

They return to the resort and Natty squirrels away her new gear.

Hank Tremont asks Ricco to come by the club that evening. The Brazilian eagerly accepts. It’s the first time he’s been invited inside the Visigoth’s clubhouse. Ricco is escorted to their secure meeting room, where the gang leader informs him of the results of the recent ‘peace conference’. The Rattlesnakes believe that that the Visigoths who were responsible for the murder of one of their members, Martin Long. Last September his body was dumped at Peg Leg Porter’s place. Ricco nods. He’s familiar with the cold case file.

(GM Note: See Episode 4 and Sheriff Mason’s list of local unsolved murders and disappearances.)

Hank insists that the Visigoths had nothing to do with the killing. The Rattlesnakes admit Martin Long was the point man in their attempt to expand their club’s drug trade into Escambia County. Martin was working with some Thelas nomads who were to bring the drugs in by boat. After Long’s murder the Panama City chapter of the Rattlesnakes looked into the killings and discovered that the Visigoth’s were behind the murder. They were told that the Blackwater chapter had killed Martin as an object lesson and tossed the body at Peg Leg Porter’s place as a warning to the Thelas.

This is what brought on the attempted kidnapping of Nancy Petersen (in Episode 3). After that failure, further Rattlesnake investigation intensified. Peg Leg Porter was fingered as the person who tipped off the Visigoths about the Rattlesnakes move into the local drug trade. After the Rattlesnakes’ attack on the rave at Peg Leg Porter’s and his resulting murder (in Episode 6) the Visigoths called on their alliance with the Pagans based out of Daytona. The Rattlesnakes MC was virtually wiped out in Florida. Their remaining five chapters (four in Texas and one in New Mexico) could not let this go unanswered so they called on their allies, the Hell’s Angels.

While the Angel’s don’t like the fact the Rattlesnakes attacked the Visigoths through their families, they can’t be seen as weak and do nothing. Since the Hell’s Angels also have dealings with the Thelas, all sides have agreed to a six month’s truce. It gives the Visigoths time to look into the murder of Martin Long and find his true killer. Once they know who they’re after all parties in this conflict will deal with them. Hank’s problem is that they aren’t very experienced as criminal investigators. In fact, the annihilation of most of the Panama City Chapter of the Rattlesnakes has eliminated just about all the leads they can think of. Hence, they need Ricco’s help.

The Brazilian ex-cop agrees to help. The first two things he asks for are to speak with the remaining Rattlesnakes from Panama City and to talk with the Thelas who were going to bring in the drugs. Hank will try to arrange both.

***

Wednesday, March 27, 2047:

An hour or so after dawn the Sea Snake arrives back in Blackwater. The vessel pulls up at the resort’s fuel dock and fills her tanks. At the marina the second of the waterskiing boats is finished being overhauled and is put in the water. The new ski boat is put through its paces and certified for use. This weekend will be the beginning of Spring Break!

Ricco calls Sheriff Mason and they meet for lunch. The Brazilian gets right to the point and tells Marcus, “I am investigating the Martin Long murder and want to know if Peg-leg had a criminal record that you know of?”

“No, not really,” Mason replies, “he had some drunken and disorderly charges before he lost his leg. There is the rumor that he was a pedophile, but that was started by the man who beat him out for leadership of his clan.”

“What has been the history of drug dealing in Blackwater / Santa Rosa County?”

“Well, there is a little, but it is mostly small stuff in Santa Rosa. The Visigoths have made it clear over the years that no one sells drugs in Blackwater. I don’t think the MC is involved in it either. Hank is big about not shitting in his own backyard.”

“What about Peg-leg?” Ricco asks. “Was he into drugs?”

“His name never came up in any investigation and his body was drug free at the time of his autopsy.”

“Are there any big drug operations in the adjoining counties, you know of?”

Sheriff Mason lets out a rueful chuckle. “Rumor has it that the Johnson Clan considers this whole area to be their territory.”

Ricco thanks his friend. When he returns to the hotel, there is a message from Hank. The Rattlesnakes will meet him in Houston tomorrow. The general manager makes reservations and catches a night flight to Texas.

By 5pm the Sea Snake has refueled and moved to Charlie’s workshop across the river. They load the 16” shells and powder bags, two 5” rapid fire naval guns, an early warning radar and new fire control updates for the USS Alabama. The ship sails with Charlie, Beebe, Sam and Brandon aboard.

***

Thursday, March 28, 2047:

About mid-morning the Sea Snake is hailed over the radio by The Alabama State Police Naval patrol. The nomads are informed they are sailing into a ‘live fire’ exercise area and will be fired upon if they continue. Charlie and his captain huddle and decide to turn south towards Cuba. The will skirt Cuban territorial waters and go around the exercise area. This will add about eighteen to twenty hours to the trip. They try to raise the Barataria Colony, but there is no response.

At the resort the first wave of Spring Breakers begin to arrive. Many don’t have reservations, but the hotel is able to accommodate them all.

Ricco escorted by a pair of the Hell’s Angels meets four of the Rattlesnakes in a sleazy motel at the edge of the combat zone. One of the Rattlesnakes, Hammerman, is from the now defunct Panama City Chapter. They are evasive in their answers, but it is clear that drug dealing was the major vocation of that slaughtered charter. Martin Long wasn’t an officer, but he was a senior member of the club. From what this surviving biker heard Long had made contact with a major independent fixer in Pensacola. There was one meeting between these people at Peg-leg Porter’s place where the gang, some nomads and this fixer met to hammer out an arrangement. Porter wasn’t involved in the deal. He just provided this meeting place, but put on a show for that fixer that he was some kind of big wheel. Martin did have someone on overwatch who took some pictures of the people at the meet. They might be in his stuff. Ricco asks if they could find the photos and send them to him. The Texas Rattlesnakes turn that request down, but Hammerman interjects, “We should give it to him. There’s no living Rattlesnakes in the shot.”

The Rattlesnakes agree to look for the pictures and send them on. With business concluded, Ricco heads for the airport and a flight back to Pensacola.

***

Friday, March 29, 2047:

In the past ten days the reservations have been pouring into the resort. The student grapevine has filled 70% of the rooms for this weekend and the buzz is just beginning. The weekend is revving up to be a complete bacchanal.

Out in the Gulf the Sea Snake arrives at the still smoking Barataria Colony. About a quarter of the colony is sunk and the USS Alabama is gone! Yesterday afternoon Alabama state forces stormed the ship. With aircraft and support from a frigate and two corvettes they seized the old warship and took it in tow. Anyone who stood in their way was slaughtered. About a third of the colony is dead or missing. There are slightly more that thousand lost souls.

The crew of the Sea Snake helps with rescue operations. Sam and Brandon pitch in. Charlie talks with the remaining elders. They no longer need the 16” gun ammunition or the advanced fire control system, but they will still take the rapid firing 5” cannons, the Sea Wiz’s and the early warning radar. None of the elders say it, but if the Charlie had arrived when he was supposed to the battle might have turned out very differently. Now there is only cleaning up the aftermath and counting the dead.

***

Saturday, March 30, 2047:

Out on the Barataria Colony the clean-up continues. A number of damaged structures have to be cut away and allowed to sink. More of the missing are found, but the confirmed dead are also piling up. The Sea Snake remains for the whole day and continues to assist.

Back at the resort the ski boats are pulling skiers and Para-sailors. Beebe was right. This is going to be a huge hit. The day ends with Velvet Blue playing poolside at a huge Spring Breaker Rave. Paris captures the heart (and lust) of every male there who has a pulse. Ty, Natty and Sammy are totally in sync and put out a hypnotic beat behind Paris’s siren voice. For the hotel the money just pours into the tills!

***

Sunday, March 31, 2047:

In the morning the Sea Snake sails for the Blackwater Bay. The ship’s decks are covered with wounded heading to land for treatment. Charlie is especially quiet as he contemplates the enormity of the disaster and his responsibility in it. If he hadn’t let himself be sidetracked by other projects or spent most of his time since Brewton swimming at the bottom of a bottle of whiskey, he would have been on schedule. They would have had the upgrades installed on the Alabama and the ship would have had ammunition for the huge 16” guns.

The Resort is a bit quieter today. Crank tries an end run around the no liquor service on Sunday laws by selling coupons yesterday which are redeemable on Sunday at one of the temporary service bars. He doesn’t expect to get away with it, but next Sunday will be different. The Petersen Point Resort’s large tour boat, the SS Mary Beth Petersen is being re-launched this week. Next Sunday will be the first Pensacola Bay ‘Booze Cruise’. This should end the hotel’s ‘dry Sundays’.

As the sun starts to set the Sea Snake pulls into Blackwater Bay.

Episode 10 – Killing Cops is Never a Good Thing!

The Alabama State Police returns to Petersen Point. Sam’s disregard of the new rules of engagement puts the Team and possibly the entire mission in jeopardy. Charlie invites Alina Lanikova, the lead exotic dancer from the Blue Moon Revue (and Natty’s mom) to a top secret laser demonstration and discovers the woman has brains and beauty. Ricco continues his investigation into the death of Martin Long. Spring Break is in full swing.

Background

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.

Amy Fry is a young Thelas and sister of Jason Fry. She dates Sammy Trang, the drummer of Velvet Blue.

Angus Young is one of the most successful farmers in the county as well as serving as a county commissioner. He lives in Blackwater and the surface 16” gun battery of the old fort is on is farm. His daughter, Anne, was killed by the Alabama State Police in Episode 8.

Gardner Weems is the old white cracker who runs the resort’s marina. He is also a Blackwater Town Councilman.

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 who Ricco suspects is one of the Golf Course vandals.

Henry ‘Hank’ Tremont is the president of the local charter of the Visigoths MC.

Jack Sheppard is the new marina manager at the Petersen Point Resort and Thelas nomad, whose connections to that community would be hard to ferret out. He has strong technical skills and much experience working on the sea as a captain and navigator.

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.

Karl and Anne Petersen, are the parents of Nancy Petersen, and their two other children, John and Todd. Karl is the owner of Petersen’s garage and treasurer of the local Visigoths.

Martin Long was a member of the now destroyed Panama City charter of the Rattlesnakes MC, whose murder touched off a gang war with the Visigoths.

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 new 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 chlld’ 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 Sam Fisher’s contact on this secret, black project. He is the government’s ‘Mr. Johnson’.

Nancy Petersen is a cocktail waitress at the Panhandle Saloon and the 25 year old daughter of Karl Petersen, the treasurer of the Visigoths.

Natty Lanikova is the daughter of dancer Alina Lanikova and the teenage bassist for Velvet Blue. She dates Steve Zelinsky, a prospect of the Visigoths and speaks little English.

Obadiah ‘Obie’ Terhune is an Afro-American male about 51 years old and is the maintenance chief at the Petersen Point Resort. Actually, he is the entire maintenance department which should number at least ten.

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 of A.C. Johnson and a lawyer at her father’s firm. She is defending her cousin, Ronnie Johnson, against charges that he ran drugs out of the Panhandle Saloon. Her late mother and aunt were brutally tortured and killed by Raffin Shiv.

Rat is a nomad ‘Dog Soldier’ (nomad enforcer) with a particular hatred for drug dealers. He is working with Ricco Torres to end the drug dealing out of the Panhandle Saloon.

Roland ‘Ronnie’ Johnson is the younger son of the late Terrance Johnson and a suspected drug dealer who runs a crew in Santa Rosa County. His recent arrest due to Ricco’s investigation has brought the wrath of the Johnson Clan (the local organized crime family) down on the resort.

Sammy Trang is the drummer of the band, Velvet Blue and boyfriend of Amy Fry.

Tolland Casper ‘TC’ James is the sergeant at arms of the Visigoths and is a local. He is the first cousin of Bruce James, manager of Angus Young’s farm, but they are not very close. T.C. is ex-military and has two cyberlegs and a cyberarm. He is borderline cyberpsycho, but absolutely dedicated to the club. The man is an experienced martial artist.

Tran Xuan Giap is the elderly patriarch of the Tran family and a town councilman. He is very conservative and old school.

The Action

Monday, April 1, 2047:

With Petersen Point School closed for its spring vacation, Charlie decides to celebrate the initial test firing of his ‘Laser LAW’ with a cookout at the firing range. Still out of sorts over Brewton and the devastation of Barataria (Floating Colony), the gunsmith needs a win to restore his faith. A successful test will help to put things right in his world.

It could also give Charlie a chance, he hopes, to make points with Alina. He had caught her act at the Blue Moon Revue and been smitten. The gunsmith had wanted to ask her out, but didn’t want to come off as creepy. Give her job she must be propositioned at lease a dozen times a night. There was also Natty to consider. Charlie didn’t want the girl to think he was only being nice, so that he could get in her mother’s pants. The celebration wasn’t set up with the sole intent of impressing Alina, but if it made her like him, all the better.

By Sunday evening, the gunsmith had contacted most of his development crew to encourage them to bring their families for barbeque and open shooting at the range. Instead of fireworks, the Laser LAW test would provide the pyrotechnics for the occasion. Firing an experimental weapon in front of a crowd appealed to the showman in him, but Charlie is no fool. Safety protocols would still be in effect, regardless of his certainty that the test would be a success. He needed it to be a success, and couldn’t let the thought of it being otherwise, enter into his mind.

Beebe is surprised to see Alina arrive with Paris and Natty. She had invited her friends, but hadn’t expected Natty to make it. Since seeing the video for Bloody Mayhem, her mother had the girl on lockdown. It’s nice that Alina sprung her for the day. Beebe waves, but has no time to talk. They are still in the middle of securing the experimental particle beam to its firing mount.

Rigging the armature is the easy part. Things get dicey when you insert the super-cooled catalyst core. Its stable enough at low temperatures, but a sudden heat spike or energy discharge and you may as well be juggling nitroglycerine. Not really practical for the battle field, but all innovations have to start somewhere. Locking down the reaction chamber Beebe and Charlie retreat behind the blast shield.

The gunsmith arms the weapon. Receiving the all clear, he depresses the activation stud. Three seconds elapse as the magnetic field aligns and ramp up to full power. A coherent beam of energy lances out from the aperture of the weapon, striking a series of 6” thick steel plates down range. The brilliant plasmoid stream lasts for under two seconds. Even in that short amount of time it releases enough energy to punch through six of the target slabs.

The results are impressive, but the test reveals a potential design flaw. The Laser ‘LAW” is meant to be shoulder fired. Charlie had envisioned the design as a replacement for existing light anti-tank weapons, such as the M-72 and AT-4. During the test, the temperature around the weapon spiked to dangerous levels; enough to ‘cook’ the operator. Heat issues aside, they didn’t lose containment and the beam struck the target. Charlie calls that a success. They will need to review the data to determine the source of the heat bleed, but that can wait till tomorrow. The gunsmith has other things on his mind, such as finding out Alina’s reaction to the test.

A detail is put on standby, to monitor the Laser LAW as it cools down and secure the weapon, once it can be safely handled. Beebe takes charge of the grills and handles cooking duties, to give Charlie a chance to mingle with his guests. She’s also tasted what he considers ‘cooking’. Natty and Paris come to join her by the barbeque. The nomad didn’t know about Charlie’s plan to impress Alina, but both of her friends were suitably wowed by the demonstration.

“That was awesome!” Paris gushes. “You do that every day?”

“Not every day. It’s a lot of hard work….” Neither girl looks like they believe her. She isn’t even convinced herself. Sure there’s hard work and danger, but where else would a girl like her get paid to play with lasers. Beebe breaks into a grin and finally admits, “Yeah, it’s a pretty sweet job.”

“Hey, I’m glad you could make. I thought you were still grounded?” the nomad asks Natty jokingly, “Did the warden let you out for good behavior?”

“No, Charlie invited my mom to come to the test.”

“Really?” Beebe wonders why he hadn’t mentioned it.

“Yeah, I think it’s why she let me come,” Natty continues. “I brought my own gun to shoot.”

Beebe tells them “I’ll meet you on the range…” motioning towards the grill with her spatula, “ounce I finish up here.”

Charlie talks up Alina. She questions if he has run any test in adverse conditions, to determine the fall off in performance. He is pleased to learn she has more than a passing knowledge of laser weaponry. Beauty and brains prove a seductive combination. Enamored, he offers her a part-time consulting position. The dancer jumps at the opportunity.

Paris and Natty have the far end of the range almost to themselves. No one takes note of the custom .22 caliber match rifle the Czech teen pulls out of her gun case. She quietly proceeds to bore the bulls eyes out of several targets. Freed from her cooking duties, Beebe is surprised by the accuracy of her friend’s shots.

“Back home I was a competitive shooter; two time National Youth Champion.”

The nomad is impressed, though not completely surprised that Natty would also be good at shooting. Beebe squeezes off a couple of rounds with her Winchester before handing it over to Paris to let her have a go. Neither of them approaches Natty’s level of skill, but they keep their grouping’s tight.

Back at the resort the weekly staff meeting is all smiles. The resort is filling up as students pour in for spring break. Jack Sheppard, the new marina manager (and Thelas nomad), informs Ricco Hank Tremont has requested to hold a re-christening ceremony when they launch the big tour boat the SS Mary Beth Petersen this Wednesday. Ricco approves and makes plans to attend.

Sheriff Mason comes after the meeting with some information about Rat and his unlucky companion. “The girl turned out not to be a nomad, but a junkie from Pensacola. Forensics lifted samples of dried blood from the patches on her jacket. They were able to establish a positive match on both.”

“Did they come from the shooters?”

Marcus’ brows knit. “No. They were from the victims of two open cases in Escambia County; a Snake Nation nomad who disappeared 2 years ago and a nomad from the Folk Nation, who has been missing for 5 years.”

“Could samples still be viable after that long? What about contamination?” asks Ricco.

“The patches were only recently affixed to the jacket. Where they were stored before that, the techs couldn’t say.”

It goes without saying that both nomads are most likely dead and the Johnson family was somehow responsible for their murders. What’s hard to track is why they would hold onto the insignia for so long and then leave them behind at the scene of a crime. The girl was in the system. Her story of being a nomad wouldn’t hold up for long. They would have known the nomad markings would come under increased scrutiny. A. C. Johnson may have finally slipped up or thought he could quash any investigation of the deaths. He could also have intentionally used the patches, so that they would waste their resources investigating the nomad deaths. It has Sheriff Mason concerned.

Alina stops by Ricco’s office, to ask if she could use part of the health club. She informs him of Beebe’s request to learn Sambo. The general manager has no issue with her using the space. He even suggests she consider taking on additional students; possibly opening the class to the public. Ricco doesn’t have to twist her arm. Opening a martial arts studio is one of her dreams.

Later in the afternoon, Beebe negotiates a deal with Ricco to sell Velvet Blue t-shirts in the resort’s gift shop. Velvet Blue is scheduled to play its first gig at the Panhandle Saloon that night. The place is packed with a mixed crowd of students and bikers. Paris’s performance seduces the college age crowd. The saloon is raking in the money. Crank is certain, that it’s the best night they’ve had since he took over as Food and Beverage Manager.

***

Tuesday, April 2, 2047:

The Alabama State Police make a surprise visit to Petersen Point around mid morning, setting off an alert to the entire security team. The vehicles turn off the main access road and head directly towards the trailer park. As previously planned, Obie Terhune moves the resort’s road grader/front end loader into position to block off Petersen Point Road. The large piece of equipment can easily cover both lanes of travel. Placed at the natural bottleneck created by the resorts tennis courts on one side of the road and the inner bay on the other, traffic on and off of the peninsula is completely blocked.

Obie parks the grader with the brakes on and all the blades down. He shuts it off and locks out the controls before getting as far away from the machine as possible. Ricco monitors the situation from the security office. Calls are place to both the Santa Rosa County Sheriffs and the Florida FDLE (state police), notifying them of the raid. His plan is to delay the Alabama State Police until the Sheriff or FDLE arrive.

Security personnel move into positions to keep The Alabama officers from leaving the grounds of the resort with any prisoners. Both Ricco and Brandon have ordered them not shoot first, but they can return fire if fired upon. If at all possible, they should shoot to wound, not kill. Ricco doesn’t want to escalate the situation any more than they have to.

Brandon and Mike Tran arrive at the improvised barrier. Both are in their Blackwater Constables body armor. The security chief hopes the Alabama state police may hesitate to fire on fellow peace officers. He takes up a position in front of the grader with no weapons in hand. Mike Tran conceals himself behind the hedge to the left with an A-80 and RPG-A at the ready.

Crank joins them with another A-80 assault rifle; his massive frame stuffed into a hotel security tactical vest. Sam Fisher dons his new cammo BDUs and takes his electro-thermal M-90 sniper rifle to the roof of the Petersen Point School. The building provides a perfect perch, overlooking the choke point.

Ricco watches on the monitors, as a male guest is dragged out of a trailer and put him into the rear of a car with two officers. Four other officers and an Enforcer Cyborg mount up into larger vehicle and lead the small column back towards Petersen Point Road.

As the Alabama vehicles approach their blockade. Brandon holds out his hand signaling them to stop. Both vehicles come to a halt about fifteen meters from the barricade. The five troopers in the lead car get out with weapons in hand.

“You have no authority to detain anyone here in Florida,” Brandon begins. “Release your prisoner and you may leave.”

The lead trooper replies, “This is a hot pursuit situation, move that damn piece of shit out of the road or we will!”

“No, that’s not going to happen.” Brandon repeats his demand. “Release your prisoner!”

The lead officer turns to the Enforcer Cyborg. “Push that piece of equipment out of the way.”

As the fully augmented trooper strides forward, Brandon turns and walks towards cover. He subvocalizes into his mic, “Fire at will”

Sam Fisher doesn’t even wait for the security chief to get clear. He ignores Ricco’s rules of engagement and puts two electro-thermal .50 caliber rounds into the back of the cyborg’s head. The bullets punch through the brain case killing him instantly. As the borg goes down, the remaining Alabama troopers raise their weapons to fire on Brandon. Crank lays down suppression fire to cover the retreating security chief.

The troopers don’t waste time returning fire. They jump back in to their SUV. The driver of the rear vehicle throws the cruiser into reverse. Sam leans over the roof and fires deliberately down into the engine to cripple the car. The vehicle unexpectedly bursts into a fireball. Flames engulf the passenger cabin killing three policemen and the prisoner the team was trying to rescue.

(GM Note: Any engine hit has the possibility of an explosion and fire according to Maximum Metal. The catastrophic hit is a 90% chance. Since he was calling to just cripple the engine, I halved it. I rolled a ‘01’. I took that as the dice gods telling me the car is toast. Since the player’s actions were completely contrary to all the stated plans that the Team had talked about for weeks, I felt mercy was out of the question.)

Crank holds his fire and shouts for the Alabama troopers to surrender. After the cold blooded murder of three of their fellow officers not to mention the prisoner, there’s no way that’s going to happen. The remaining vehicle screeches into reverse, slamming into the burning cruiser. The larger vehicle easily muscles aside the flaming wreckage. Once clear, the driver executes a J-turn and speeds away from the bottleneck.

Sam fires for their front left tire and blows it clean off. The SUV careens through the school parking lot and hits the building. Thankfully the building is empty for school vacation.

The four remaining Alabama troopers rush into the closed school. Ricco orders Mike Tran to move around to the back of the building and cover any escape routes. Sam stays on top of the school covering the only door leading to the roof. The fire fight settles into a standoff.

(GM Note: WTF!!!!! As GM I was flabbergasted by this action as was every other player. It was clear to me that Sam’s player was determined to kill this cop and be damned to anyone else. When he announced his called shot head attempt, Brandon’s player said (out of game), “Hey, I’m not clear yet.” The shooter smiled and said, “I fire (now).” My first thought personally was that he hoped the police would kill Brandon which would make him the new head of security. It looked like a riff on the old ‘Klingon promotion’; more on this later.)

Sheriff Mason arrives first and is shocked by the scene. The Alabama State Police refuse to come out (can you really blame them?). Sam is desperate to get off the roof. He had missed his opportunity to slip over the back side of the school, while the troopers were coming in the front. The ex-operative is now afraid they will gun him down if he tries to move off of the building. Sheriff Mason calls for a helicopter to extract the sniper, but he isn’t the only one to call in air support.

(GM Note: The Alabama State Police have an aerial drone watching (and recording) the whole incident. The drone was how they knew exactly which trailer they’d find their suspect in. As the situation evolved, a combat AV was dispatched to provide support)

The whine of turbines can be heard in the distance. Over the comm, Betty Lu urges Sam to lay down his weapons and put his hands over his head. This would be great advice, if it was the police helicopter that was inbound. Sam kneels calmly on the roof, till he thinks, “That doesn’t sound like a chopper.”

(GM Note: He was clearly told that a helicopter was coming to take him off. It was only the wide-eyed aghast looks of the other players that snapped him out of this stupidity.)

He realizes almost too late, that it’s an AV, about to light up his position. Jumping to his feet, the ex-operative runs to the far edge of the building and leaps off. He is hit by a burst from the craft’s 7.62 mini-gun. Sam crashes to the parking lot with 29 points of damage! Only his incredibly cybered body allows him to survive.

(GM Note: I also forgot to fire the AV’s second mini-gun, since I was still in shock over his bone-headed stupidity!)

With the roof now clear, the Alabama troopers surge upward through the access door. The AV touches down briefly to retrieve them, before speeding back towards the state line.

Dr. Ricci runs out to Sam. He checks the fallen man’s pulse and shouts out to Sheriff Mason, “He’s dead!”

The ex-operative remains still as they stuff him in a body bag and remove him from the scene. Sheriff Mason hears the story, but without Sam’s name being mentioned. He tells Brandon, “Well, this is in your jurisdiction. Write it up and send me a report. I’ll pass it along to the Alabama authorities. The sheriff then sees to the dead cyborg and the bodies in the burning car.

Once inside (and out of sight of the Alabama police drone still monitoring the scene), Sam asks for his gear to be retrieved from the roof of the school. A check reveals his sniper rifle and both sidearms are missing. The Alabama troopers must have taken the weapons with them.

A custom electro-thermal M-90 sniper rifle, two custom made 14mm Big Governments (no serial numbers) and a pair of spawn blades will give the Alabama authorities plenty to work with!

The one saving grace is that Sam has synthskin and no finger prints. This will hopefully protect him from print and DNA scans. There were copious amounts of blood from the mini-gun burst, but he was already on his way down when the bullets hit. Crank checks, but finds no blood splatter on the roof. Hopefully, this means they don’t have a blood sample.

The Team is furious! Ricco, as an ex-cop, is livid. Sam shot a policeman in the back of the head. The first degree murder of a police officer can not be swept under the rug. The next time the Alabama State Police come, which is inevitable, they will be armed for war. The general manager has Carrie Anne work up a personnel file on a ‘Bob Jones’, a zip and recent security hire. Dr. Ricci signs a death certificate and puts together an autopsy report. A call to Hank Tremont lines up a friendly local undertaker to do a ‘cremation’ and provide a record of a ‘burial at sea’.

Ricco realizes this story will probably not hold up, but it will give them time to figure out what to do. Crank puts Obie to work fixing the damage to the school.

The rest of the day is fairly uneventful around the Resort. Charlie breaks through the floor in his cellar and opens up the passageway to the tunnel system below. The gunsmith installs a false floor and covers the entrance will a pool table so no one will find it. At the marina the workers notice a boat from the Florida Department of Water Quality taking samples on the river.

***

Wednesday, April 3, 2047:

Beebe goes to the re-launching of the resort’s tour boat, ‘SS Mary Beth Petersen’, with her new extended family. Many of the older members of the Visigoths are on hand for the ceremony. Sandy Zelinsky, Karl Petersen and Hank Tremont stand with the TC James as the craft slips into the water. The face of the Visigoth’s Sergeant at Arms rarely betrays emotion. Even now, it remains locked in the same stoic mask, as tears flow freely down his cheeks. Mary Beth had been the love of his life.

Michelle Petersen steps forward to rechristen the ship. As the woman intones a dedication to Mary Beth, Brandon realizes he knows her. He met the older woman at the Martin Luther King Day Festival. She had sold him a flip badge holder from her stand, ‘Crafty Michelle’s’.

Ricco approaches Michelle after the ceremony. He wants to offer her the opportunity to reopen her Beach Creamery. Her response is less enthusiastic than the general manager expected. Michelle is non-committal, but says she’ll consider it. Ricco has more that he’d like to discuss with the older woman, but decides to take things slowly.

Jason says good-bye to Beebe. The Sea Snake is heading out for another delivery to the floating colonies. He tells her that they should be back by Saturday. After seeing him off at the dock, the young nomad drives to Pensacola to buy a Sambo chip for the Sega-Atari. The training chip was Alina’s idea. Natty’s mother has agreed to train Beebe, but felt it best that the nomad learn the basics before they start.

The weekly Spring Break Waterskiing Contest is held and numerous drunken college students wipe out in the river. Lifeguards are on hand to keep them from drowning. The boat from the Florida Department of Water Quality is back again; taking samples just outside the marina. Spotting a boat from the department once is a rarity; two days in a row is worrisome.

***

Thursday, April 4, 2047:

The last flooded tunnel (by the underground complex under the health club) is finally pumped out. Sam and Brandon go in to investigate. The tunnel extends beneath the middle of the river. Behind a watertight door they find a diver’s airlock, which opens up on the bottom of the riverbed. It is currently inoperable, because the pumps were removed. Brandon believes that they could probably get it working.

The SS Mary Beth Petersen leaves the marina for its first cruise under power. It is a shakedown for the ‘Booze Cruise’ around PensacolaHarbor that will occur that Sunday. Many of the off-duty staff are on board for the ‘maiden’ voyage. .

Beebe tries to find a local shop that does silk screening, but computers aren’t really her thing. She once again enlists the help of Natty.

***

Friday, April 5, 2047:

Carrie Anne sends out a memo. The hotel is sold out for the first time in years! Beebe takes a rendering of Velvet Blue’s logo into Pensacola to have a silk screen made. The plan is to produce 300 t-shirts for sale in the hotel’s gift shop and at the band’s concerts. All the nomad wants out of the deal is enough money to recoup the cost of materials. Any profits will go to the band.

That evening Velvet Blue plays at huge Spring Breaker Rave on beach. There are a few contests. The big one is the Cutest Ass Competition for both male and female contestants. Paris wins the women’s competition.

***

Saturday, April 6, 2047:

The normally somnambulant resort is now in high gear! All of the attractions are doing great business. The main event for Saturday is the Drunken Golf tournament. Charlie has never played golf, but decides to try his luck. Losers drink, so it turns into an 18 hole pub crawl for the gunsmith. Even with his high alcohol tolerance, Charlie is completely hammered, by the end of the tournament.

The Hot Rats Band plays at the Resort’s outdoor Amphitheatre that evening. They are an up and coming act, like Velvet Blue. Liquor flows freely from the fully stocked bar. Stronger substances circulate through the crowd, lowering inhibitions and supercharging libidos. Couple and groups give into their lustful urges, but rather than wandering off to find some place private, they go at right in the amphitheater. These sexual exhibitions are like wildfires that spread through the crowd.

Brandon is heading security for the event. He watches as the concert devolves into an open air orgy. Rather than cracking down on the revelers, the security chief tries his best to join them. Sadly, there are no takers.

Velvet Blue and their ‘entourage’ (Steve, Jason, Amy and Beebe) are invited to the Hot Rats after party. Actually anyone under thirty is invited. This leaves Charlie a bit disappointed. The gunsmith tries to protest, that he could pass for thirty. In the end, the nomad leaves disappoint. He staggers home and pours himself into bed.

At the after party, Beebe is surprised to see Hadley Walters III talking with the Hot Rats road manager. The self-indulgent like prick sees the young nomad and comes over to talk. Hadley is polite and apologetic! He asks that Beebe forgive him for the whole ‘egg throwing’ incident.

His delivery is to cloying. It rings of insincerity. Beebe is immediately on her guard, but screws on a smile and accepts his apology with a nonchalant wave, “We’re cool.”

Any hopes that this would prevent further conversation quickly disappear. Hadley continues to talk … incessantly. Between empty platitudes he makes it plain, he knows about who her family is; back home in Nevada and here in Blackwater. Beebe wants to punch him in his smug face, but continues to smile and nod. She doesn’t give him the satisfaction of rising to these veiled threats. Jason finally rescues her from the conversation. The two cut out of the party and find someplace quiet, where she can display her gratitude. (Jason slides into third base)

***

Sunday, April 7, 2047:

As has become custom, Sam Fisher and Ricco attend services at St. Peters by the Sea. They have by now become accepted members of the parish. Even the hostility directed towards Sam by Vietnamese community has mellowed with time. Some are even openly friendly with the security officer; so long as Councilman Giap is not near by. The elderly patriarch of the Tran family still refuses speak to or even acknowledge the ex-Special Forces operative.

Back at the hotel, the Second Spring Break ‘Booze Cruise’ sets sail. With advanced ticket sales, they’ve also already sold out space on the evening cruise. It is not just hotel guests that are taking the trip around the Harbor either. At Crank’s suggestion, they have opened access to the thirsty residents of Santa Rosa County.

In the evening, Ricco returns home to find an employee of the marina waiting for him in a car. The Thelas have been able to arrange a meeting with the nomads who were involved in Martin Long’s plan to break into the Pensacola drug trade. This will be the only opportunity to meet. He has to go now or never.

Ricco has built a level of trust with the nomads that run the marina. The general manager gets into the car without hesitation. When handed a blindfold, he puts it on without question, though inside, he feels as if he’s heading for a firing squad. They drive for about twenty minutes, before the car stops. The passenger door is opened and Ricco is helped out of the vehicle.

The Brazilian is told to leave the blindfold on, as he is led up a short flight of steps and into a structure. From a corridor, they turn left into a room. Murmured conversation stops as Ricco and his guide enter. There are no echoes or other indications to give away the size of the room or how many people are inside. They walk 10 paces into the room, before he turned around. A voice, other than his guide tells him to sit.

Ricco is happy to have something solid underneath him. Stumbling around in darkness was unsettling. He is given a moment to settle in, before they begin. A deep gravely voice breaks the silence. “So…what do you want to know?” There are whispered conversations to some of the ex-cop’s questions, but he only hears the one voice clearly.

The answers are brief and to the point. They were approached by Martin Long and the Rattlesnakes. Two of their people went to a meeting at an undisclosed location. They were later found dead in upper Escambia Bay; sometime in the first week of last September. Cause of death was reported as drowning. They were unable to verify this for themselves, because the Escambia County Sheriff’s Department had the bodies cremated before the families could claim them.

The deaths of their people and Martin Long getting his throat cut sent a pretty strong message. They stay away from Escambia County now. This is all that they have to say on the matter.

Ricco is driven home. The blindfold is only removed once they reach the hotel grounds.

***

Monday, April 8, 2047:

It’s a sad day for the youth of Blackwater. School vacation is over and it is back to the classroom. Local media outlets are abuzz with the news that Ronnie Johnson and his crew have been released on bail. His uncle, A.C. Johnson, arranged the bond that secured their release. A reporter catches up with Ronnie as he leaves the courthouse.

“Mr. Johnson what are your plans now that you’ve been release.”

The wannabe wise-guy pauses and puffs out his chest for the camera. “I’m gonna make sure the punk ass pukes who framed me and my friends pay. Nobody fucks with me and my friends.”

His cousin and attorney, Patricia Johnson, quickly adds, “Using all the legal means at his disposal.”

Ms. Johnson tries to hustle her cousin away from the reporters as they call for Ronnie to confirm his lawyer’s statement.

“Yeah, right,” the drug dealing punk laughs. “We’re gonna ‘legal’ them to death!”

The laughing dirtball is escorted away by a few of his uncle’s ‘associates’.

That night a local band and friends of Velvet Blue, Pounze da Lion, plays the Panhandle Saloon to an enthusiastic crowd. The place is packed with spring breakers and locals.

***

Tuesday, April 9, 2047:

The Team is suspicious of the boat from the Florida Department Water Quality. Brandon and Sam check the security feeds and make note of the locations they were testing. They worry it might be some nefarious scheme to place sensors in the river. Beebe suggests that someone from the hotel should just call the agency to confirm the testing.

The suggestion makes sense, but Crank questions why she doesn’t call them herself. Although the nomad feels that the answer is obvious, she humors him (using small words so he’ll understand) “I don’t work for the Hotel. An official inquiry from the resort would go a lot further than some nomad calling up and asking questions”

It’s a sound argument. Crank calls the Florida Department of Water Quality, which confirms that a boat was dispatched to take samples. He enquires if they are testing for contaminants that would be of concern to the hotel. The representative assures him that there is nothing in the water they need to be worried about. The agency is just tracking a change in the salinity of the bay.

[GM Note; The type of change that would occur if you were to say pump hundreds of thousands of gallons of fresh water from a tunnel system into a body of salt water]

For his own piece of mind, Sam hits the water in his nuscuba gear to scout the ‘sampling’ spots. He finds no sensors or other devices; only empty water. So it isn’t a wasted trip, he looks for and finds the hatch to the old fort’s diving trunk. It’s buried in the silt. Dredging will be required to make it accessible.

That evening Crank holds the first Amateur Night at the Blue Moon Revue! He hopes it will help him scout out new talent to fill the club’s expanded hours. Tonight is also the monthly meeting of Blackwater Town Council. Only Carrie Anne (and of course Gardner Weems) go. The permits she needs are quickly approved with little discussion. With the resort’s new hiring policies (hiring members of the Vietnamese community) Councilman Giap drops his obstructionist tactics.

***

Wednesday, April 10, 2047:

Michelle Petersen calls Ricco Torres about the Beach Creamery. She is willing to reopen, if they can work out a right of way agreement. They are able to agree on terms within twenty minutes. Almost immediately afterward, Nancy Petersen calls Crank and gives her two week notice. She will be leaving to manage the Beach Creamery for her grandmother.

The Petersen Point Resort holds its first Para-sailing Contest at beach. It is a mixture of athletic performances and comic crashes. Members of the Thelas make sure no one is seriously hurt The crowd for the event is large and enthusiastic. There are a number of ‘divisions’ in the contest. Paris enters and wins the Naked Lady Division! Beebe enters the Open Division and fends off all rivals to win the championship.

After the contest Sam Fisher asks Beebe if she will fly her ultra-light over the old 16” gun battery on Angus Young’s Farm. The young nomad is not willing to chance getting shot at so she says no. More importantly Beebe has developed an intense dislike of the man and isn’t ready to do him any favors.

Crank notices a new customer at the Blue Moon Revue. He is friendly and watches the girl’s intently, but there’s just something about him that seems off. Every once in a while he catches the man typing something into a small data pad. The customer talks with the girls, but turns down all overtures for a lap dance or anything else. He does however tip them very well for their time. Crank heads over to have a little chat.

“Excuse me, sir. I hope that device is not a camera. The sign on the door expressly forbids photography.”

“Oh, no,” the man responds. “It’s just a data pad.”

He hands it over, so that Crank can examine the device. The screen is blank, but the device clearly has no built in camera. The club manager smiles, hands it back and introduces himself.

“A pleasure to meet you, sir,” the man says. “You have a fine establishment here.”

Crank thanks him for the compliment, before returning to his position near the bar. He directs the waitress servicing the man’s table to bring the next empty glass back to him. Owen carefully places the tumbler into a plastic bag. He is determined to find out this man’s identity.

Sam and Brandon decide to check out the gun battery. Equipped with respirators, the two walk the 1 ½ kilometers to the basement of the century old structure. Using his NavStar, in inertial navigation mode, the security chief is able to follow their progress on an overlaid map of the local area. The tunnel ends in a series of damp rooms, with a pair of staircases leading up to two sets of large double doors. Those doors are rigid as if a large weight is sitting on top of them.

Off to the side is a metal ladder in a vertical shaft. It passes out of sight into the darkness above. The ladder is in fairly good shape, above the old waterline used to be. The section that was previously underwater is heavily corroded. Brandon carefully makes his way up, testing the rungs before putting his full weight on them. Once past the bad section his speed increases. It’s a long way up, but he finally reaches a hatch at the top of the shaft.

With his strength, he could probably break through the welds holding it shut, but there’s no telling what’s above them. A glance at his mapper shows that he’s well above the surrounding terrain. His best guess is that the hatch opens up near the top of the artificial hill that used to house the 16’ guns. Before they cut open force the hatch, they’ll need to do some topside reconnaissance.

***

Thursday, April 11, 2047:

Crank shows up at Ricco’s office, with the glass in a plastic bag. The food and beverage manager explains about his run in with a customer at the Blue Moon and of the man’s odd behavior.

“You have an in with the Sheriff. Could you have is people dust this glass for fingerprints? We need to know who this guy is.”

Ricco has no illusions that Ronny Johnson’s televised posturing was an empty threat. They need to know if this strange customer has anything to do with the Johnson family. He takes the plastic bag and agrees to pass it along to Sheriff Mason.

Sam spends is morning trying to find a satellite photo of the terrain around the old fort. His search is interrupted by the doorbell. It is another folder from Mr. Zeitsev. The Team has a new mission. A week from tomorrow around seven in the evening an Alabama prison vehicle will be traveling along Route 31 in the area where the east – west border between Alabama and Florida turns south. Inside the folder there is a picture of the man they must extract and bring to an address in Pensacola. The mission package also contains $40,000 for expenses.

Sam goes to Ricco and asks for permission to conduct a surface inspection of the old gun battery. In case he is able to find the other side of the hatch, he would like Brandon standing by in the tunnels at the top of the ladder. Securing the tunnels complex is as important to the hotel as it is for the Dirty deeds team. Ricco gives his approval and agrees to drive Sam through town and get him as close as possible to the farm without raising suspicion.

As Sam and Ricco set off, Brandon returns to the ladder with a rope and tackle and a cutting torch. He wears respirator, although he doesn’t really need. Tying himself off at the top of the shaft, he waits for Sam’s signal.

The ex-operative wears his Blackjack to conceal his movements. He ghosts across the orderly fields, till he reaches the old farm road leading to the battery. The roadway is quite clear. There are signs of light but steady traffic on the road. The entire structure of the old battery, however, is buried by the encroaching kudzu.

Sam moves quickly down the side of the road, but about half way to his target he sees a dog ahead. It can’t see him, but can obviously smell him. The barking draws the attention of a farmhand walking along the narrow road. Sam has no choice but to move through the thick covering of the kudzu as the dog tries to pick up his scent. The ex-operative succeeds in evading his canine pursuer, but moving through the dense vines drops his speed to about ¼ mph. It takes several hours to reach his goal.

Reaching the base of the old battery he starts the slow climb to the top of the kudzu covered hill. Sam is finally at the spot where the inertial mapper says the hatch should be. The only thing standing in his way is a small one room blockhouse. It has one slit window facing south to the sea, which is too small for him to fit through. Sam walks around the structure, but can’t find an entrance. With dawn approaching he turns around and starts back. His speed down the hill through the kudzu is agonizingly slow. If he was racing a molasses flow down the hill, he would lose.

About 7 am he reaches the pickup point and calls Ricco for a lift. The two get back to the hotel and Ricco asks, “Where’s Brandon?”

Sam realizes he never notified the security chief that he had turned back. The biomechanical is still hanging up at the top of the shaft. An exhausted Sam heads down into the tunnels to get his associate.

(GM Note: After all that effort to get there, I can’t believe Sam didn’t look on the roof of the small blockhouse. That is where the entrance was. FYI, this fort is based on a real installation from the town I grew up in. As a boy, my friends and I would spend hours exploring it. It was a kid’s dream come true!)

Finally Sam gets to the battery again and climbs up the shaft to where Brandon is hanging. Assured that no one will see them exit the hatch, the security chief pulls out his torch and cuts the welds holding it shut. A small piece of hot metal lands on Sam; hanging just below him. It hurts, but doesn’t burn him too badly. With the welds gone, the hatch swings open, but stops after half an inch. The gap between the hatch and the rim is too narrow for them to see the obstruction. Brandon tries to force it, but the portal won’t budge. After several attempts, the two finally call it quits.

Closing the hatch, they head back down the ladder. Near the bottom Brandon has his own mishap. A rung gives way and he falls to the bottom of the shaft. There’s some slight damage but nothing the biomechanical can’t handle. Frustrated, they make their way back to the hotel,

Episode 11– Time to Pay the Piper

Alabama sends an official investigator (with an FLDE escort) to look into the deaths of their officers. Mr. Zeitsev keeps his promise to Sam Fisher. The resort’s syberite successes draw the wrath of the local Fundamentalist Church. Charlie is cock blocked by the Department of Defense. Alina is detained and Natty is in the wind. The prosecution’s list of witnesses in the case against Ronnie Johnson grows shorter. Charles Ingersoll learns of the resort’s increasing successes.

Background

Dramatis Personae

The NPCs

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.

Catherine ‘Cat’ Ortiz-Fisher Vaduva is Sam Fisher’s daughter and a retired world-class operative.

Cathy Hodges is the daughter of the mayor, the head of the school and a hotel employee.

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 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.

Eustis (‘Useless’) Saint Claire is an old black man who runs the water and sewer system at the Petersen Point Resort.

Floyd Webber is an Alabama CSI technician in Blackwater to investigate the killing of three Alabama State Policemen.

Gardner Weems is the old white cracker who runs the resort’s marina. He is also a Blackwater Town Councilman.

Freddy Timmons is a rotund little man in his forties, who stutters a bit and seems almost comically nervous. He is a town constable.

Henry ‘Hank’ Tremont is the president of the local charter of the Visigoths MC.

Hillary Williams is a little old lady who lives across the street from the Panhandle Saloon in Blackwater.

James Marsden is a world class sniper and contract killer. He works for the highest bidder but used to work for the C.I.A. who alternatively hires him and puts kill orders out on him. He was first introduced in Romanian Campaign.

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.

Judge Hannibal Grey is the aging (76) white, chief Judge of the county. He is from an old area family and comes off as an old style ‘good ole boy’ type. Personally that is true, but he worships Justice not the dry interpretation of the law.

Kyle Vaduva is a retired C.I.A. operative who is married to Catherine ‘Cat’ Ortiz-Fisher Vaduva and Sam Fisher’s old friend and son-in-law.

Lt. Dalton Beauregard (D.B.) Watson is from the Alabama State Police Criminal Investigation Division in Blackwater to investigate the killing of three Alabama State Policemen.

Mr. Zeitsev is the code name for Sam Fisher’s contact on this secret, black project. He is the government’s ‘Mr. Johnson’.

Natty Lanikova is the daughter of dancer Alina Lanikova and the teenage bassist for Velvet Blue. She dates Steve Zelinsky, a member of the Visigoths MC and ½ brother to Beebe Lafferty.

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.

Rat is a nomad ‘Dog Soldier’ (nomad enforcer) with a particular hatred for drug dealers. He is working with Ricco Torres to end the drug dealing out of the Panhandle Saloon.

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!

Roland ‘Ronnie’ Johnson is the younger son of Terrance Johnson and a suspected drug dealer who ran a crew in Santa Rosa County. He is out on bail awaiting trial.

Sabrina West is the host of the NET 54 newsmagazine show, ‘Where It’s Happening’ and a good friend of Andrea Hutton.

Sammy Trang is the drummer of the band, Velvet Blue and boyfriend of Amy Fry.

Sargent Willard Broome is the senior patrol officer for this area for the FDLE. He is crew-cut wearing no-nonsense trooper who was born and raised in the Pensacola area. This white officer is honest and has no partisan grudges.

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.

Trooper Seth Hunt is Broome’s usual partner in the FDLE. He is from Tallahassee and the ‘new guy’. He is a decent and honest white man.

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.

Wilbur Harper is an old man that lives across and down the street from the Panhandle Saloon.

The Action

Friday, April 12, 2047:

A mid-morning call from Cathy Hodges sends Brandon and Ricco scrambling for the PetersenPointSchool. According to the principal, officers from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement were at the school cordoning off a section of the parking lot. Classrooms on that side of the building were thrown into disarray. Students were too busy staring out the windows to pay attention to their studies.

Her call to the security office was to register a complaint. “A heads up would have been nice. If we had been warned ahead of time, we could have made arrangements, so that classes wouldn’t have been disrupted.”

At Brandon’s urging, the dispatcher tactfully apologizes for the oversight. He doesn’t feel Cathy needs to know they we never informed of the visit. The FDLE and Sheriff usually call ahead if they are coming onto the property. But such courtesies can’t be expected, when it’s resort staff, especially security personnel that are being investigated. After directing the security monitor to train cameras on the FDLE detail, the security chief heads off to tell Ricco.

There are still faces of students in the windows of the school as Brandon and the general manager approach the scene. Sergeant Willard Broome and Trooper Seth Hunt watch from outside a newly erected cordon of yellow police tape. Like the students they are merely spectators as two men carefully go over a discolored patch of pavement; the final repose of ‘Bob Jones’.

Obie had given the area a good hosing down, but some of the blood had managed to soak in, staining the pavement. After more than a week, it didn’t really look like blood any more. Light showers and the sun’s baking heat had reduced the residue to an irregular ruddy brown discoloration. If you didn’t know what happened, the spot would just blend in with all the other stains on the cracked and aging asphalt.

Sergeant Broome greets Ricco as he and Brandon approach the tape line. The officer’s hail draws the attention of one of the men inside the cordon, who immediately walks over to join their conversation. Still several paces away, he calls out to the new arrivals. “Mornin, y’all.”

“You muss be Ricco Torres.” Absently stripping off a latex glove, the man offers his hand to the general manager. Continuing in his thick Southern Drawl, he introduces himself as, “Lt. Dalton Beauregard Watson, Al-bama State Po-lice…Crim-nal Investigation Division.”

The ex-cop shakes the Lieutenant’s hand, trying to match the man’s broad smile. Watson jerks a thumb, back over his shoulder, towards the other figure inside the tape line. “That there’s Floyd Webber, a tech from our crime lab.” He doesn’t look back. The investigator instead keeps his eyes on Ricco; studying his reactions.

“Sheriff Mason sent over the Constable’s report…the one-bout Trooper Harold George’s death. We had sum concerns. Oh, almost forgot.” Reaching into his coat pocket Lt. Watson pulls out two folded sheets of paper.

He hands the first to Ricco. “Formalities first. This here is a letter from the Florida Attorney General, countersigned by one Judge Harlan Gillespie, o’ the Florida State Supreme Court. It authorizes me to investigate the fatal shooting of Al-bama State Po-lice Trooper, Harold George. Didja know he wuz a decorated US Marine veteran?”

Watson lets that sink in for a moment, before handing over the second document. “This un’s a letter from Charles Ingersoll, yoh CEO. It says all yoh employees should cooperate with my investigation.”

Ricco looks over the documents. The letter from Ingersoll is galling, but he remains polite.

“Of course, Lieutenant, we will be happy to assist you in any way we can.”

“Why thank you. Now…If you don-mind me sayin, I just find it very curious…that you would hire a ‘zip’ like Bob Jones, without first looking into his past. I mean the man had an expensive and heavily modified sniper rifle an two rare custom handguns. Throw in the spawn blades an you have a very unique kit.”

Ricco responds without missing a beat. “Yes, we are reviewing our hiring practices to make sure this never happens again.”

“Hmm…That’d be a wise precaution.”

As Floyd Webber continues to collect his samples, Lt. Watson praises Ricco’s recent work in Rio de Janeiro. The investigator sounds like a genuine admirer, but it’s clear that he’s done his homework. His thick accent and informal manner might cause many to dismiss Watson as a backwoods hick or good ol’ boy. The ex-cop holds no such illusions.

While Ricco continues his conversation with Lt. Watson, Brandon watches the Alabama lab tech loading samples into a small case. He can see Webber say something, but it does not appear he is talking to Lt. Watson. The tech suddenly stands and looks skyward, causing the security chief to look up as well. A Bumblebee drone drops down out of the sky, landing a few feet from the tech. Webber loads the sample case into the drone’s cargo compartment. After he steps back, it shoots back up into the air. Now that he know its there Brandon can follow its course, back towards the Alabama border.

[Gm Note: The Alabama drone wasn’t loitering overhead just to convey the forensic samples back to Alabama. It was also on hand to make sure nothing untoward happened to the Alabama investigators]

“Well, that pretty much wraps things up here. We’ll take down the tape an return yoh parkin lot to ya. I’d still like to talk to yoh staff…especially security. I have questions about Bob Jones. Hopefully they’ll have sum answers.”

Ricco promises that everyone will cooperate completely.

Charlie moves ahead with his plans to hire the beautiful Alina Lanikova as a part time consultant on his laser project. He sends a request in to the Defense Department for the required background check.

Paris and Natty fill Beebe in on the excitement at the school on the way to Pensacola. As they approach the city limits an Escambia County Sheriff’s cruiser pulls them over. The deputy cites her for speeding. It’s a totally bogus charge, but there is nothing to do about it. She takes the $140 ticket and continues into Pensacola.

After picking up the band’s t-shirts, the three girls get in a little shopping before heading back to Petersen Point. Once outside the city limits, they are pulled over again, this time for running a stop sign that doesn’t even exist. Beebe grits her teeth and takes the $100 ticket. As the truck approaches the county line a third cruiser pulls out behind them; lights flashing. Sick of their bullshit, the nomad doesn’t bother to stop. They make it across into Santa RosaCounty. The Escambia deputy gives up pursuit at the county line.

Beebe prides herself on her driving. Such outright falsehoods and abuse of power have her in a lather. She finds Charlie to tell him what happened. The gunsmith doesn’t interrupt as she rants and raves. When she gets into these moods, it’s best to let her vent. He feels partially responsible anyway. She was driving his truck.

As Beebe winds down, Charlie puts a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “I’ll look into it.” He holds out his hand for the tickets. Her anger spent, the young nomad sheepishly gives him the ‘slightly’ crumpled citations that she had been clenching in her fist during her tirade. The gunsmith takes the tickets and pays them himself.

Ricco calls Clay Johnson hoping the Deputy U.S. Marshall can provide him with some information. The two arrange to have lunch at the resort on Sunday.

While out on patrol, Sam Fisher receives a call from the security dispatcher. Two NET 54 news vans have entered the resort complex and are heading for the main entrance of the hotel. The security officer tries to head them off, but one of media is already out of the van and making her way up steps.

Ricco and Andrea Hutton are waiting on the steps. The media approaches and hugs the PR intern. Andrea introduces the general manager to her friend Sabrina West. She is the host of the NET 54 lifestyle digest, “Where It’s Happening.” Edited segments of the video log appear in 15 minute spots as part of the standard news cycle and on the media conglomerate’s Leisure channel. The show’s real impact though is on the NET. Visitors can view all previously released segments with expanded content, live journals from Sabrina and the crew and links to the people and places presented.

Andrea has convinced her friend that spotlighting the Petersen Point Resort would make a great segment. Sam pulls Ricco aside to try and convince him this is a bad idea, but the general manager sees it as a chance to score free publicity…

The camera’s roll as several hundred Spring Breakers and a horde of locals cut loose poolside. They are on hand to document the Best Breasts Oil Wrestling Contest and interview the winner. Still bare chested and glistening from head to toe, Natty gives a rambling, half intelligible account of her victory. In her excitement, the girl lapses into speaking Czech, leaving Sabrina at a loss.

The men in the crowd don’t really care what she has to say. They’re too busy ogling her ample breasts. For a fifteen year old she’s quiet well endowed. It’s part of the reason people mistake her for being older than she really is. Natty finishes the interview with a final shimmy for the cameras, drawing a roar of approval from the crowd.

From the sidelines Beebe can only shake her head. Natty entering the Oil Wrestling competition was a surprise, but nothing her friend does shocks her anymore. In a way the nomad is a little envious. She could never be that open or comfortable showing off her body. Beebe wonders if that’s something else Natty learned from her mother. Alina’s training had served the girl well in the wrestling pit, but this exhibitionist streak was going to land her back in the dog house. Beebe can only stand by and wonder how long her friend will be grounded this time.

***

Saturday, April 13, 2047:

Crank reaches out to his contacts to learn more about the upcoming prisoner transfer. He’s search for information about how many guards accompany the prisoners, their usual formations and backup.

Around the same time there is a knock on Sam Fisher’s door. It’s the Federal Express Mail Service bearing another delivery from Mr. Zeitsev. The ex-C.I.A. operative takes the one cubic foot package, into the kitchen to open it. Inside the box is a small blue cooler containing an e-book chip, $55,500 in cash, a valid ‘active’ service ID for Sam Fisher and a ball cap with word ARMY emblazoned across the crown.

After securing the cash and the other contents of the cooler, Sam takes the chip to the secure conference room at the hotel. He makes sure that all of the security measures are activated, before inserting the chip into his e-book and pressing play. Mr. Zeitsev’s voice comes from the built-in speaker.

“For Your Eyes Only; Due to recent events at the Petersen Point Resorts your part in the operation scheduled for 4/19 will be serviced by another vendor. Distribute the $40,000 you received with the original briefing amongst your Team as you see fit. At the time of the 4/19 operation, make sure you and all of your people can account for the whereabouts; security camera footage with a time stamp would be best.

New Instructions: On Sunday 4/14 be at the end of the dock at the East River Boat Ramp by Florida Rt. 87. Carry the military ID on you as it will keep the MPs at bay. It is NOT a forgery and will check out. Have a black fishing pole, wear a blue short, sleeve shirt and the US Army cap. Bring this small blue cooler. Put $50,000 in the small cooler along with the mission briefing materials you received last Thursday. Be there by 1:30 pm, walk down to the end of the dock and start to fish.

Within 30 minutes this man (picture of contact appears on screen) will walk out on the dock with a green fishing pole, wearing a baseball cap with the US Marines insignia (image of correct cap appears on screen). He will be carrying an identical blue cooler. The contact has been provided with your picture. If he sees you are on the dock, he will come up, sit next to you and begin to fish.

He will place his cooler next to yours. After about ten minutes he will leave with your cooler. You will wait at least fifteen minutes then leave with his cooler. Deliver that cooler to the same address you would have brought your 4/19 mission ‘package’ to. Make sure you are not followed to the safe house. Also, do NOT wait more than 30 minutes for the contact to show up. If the contact is not there by 2 pm, get out quickly. If the contact is NOT wearing the US Marines cap, he is an imposter and you are authorized to terminate him. Be sure to wear your US Army cap as he will be authorized to terminate you as an imposter also. The remaining $5000 is your fee and the additional $500 will allow you to replace your e-book.”

Sam’s e-book immediately shorts out destroying it and the chip.

(GM Note: OK, OK I was a huge fan of Mission Impossible when I was young!)

Fisher immediately calls a meeting. There is grumbling when he announces the mission has been cancelled. A promise of payment restores the peace. Sam doesn’t give them an amount. He just tells them that they will receive their money by next Friday.

Since everyone is already gather together, Crank puts forward the suggestion of inviting Alina Lanikova to join the team. Thanks to the NCIS investigators and Sam himself, they know she was at one time part of Czech military intelligence. The federal agent’s vetting process had been vigorous. It’s Crank’s opinion, that the military would have never rescinded the ban on the Blue Moon if they still had doubts about her.

Sam disagrees completely. Owen might be right or she may have covered her tracks so well that NCIS couldn’t find any evidence. There’s also no telling how Alina will react if she finds out they’ve put her daughter, Natty, in harm’s way and made her an accomplice to one of the worst acts of domestic terrorism in recent years?

Beebe agrees with Sam, but for very different reasons. “The federal government was investigating Alina, who is to say they’ve stopped? If they are still keeping tabs on her, joining the team could put us all in jeopardy.”

The young nomad is fairly certain that some government agency is looking Alina. Charlie has been working to secure clearance for her to work at the test range. That’s not something she feels the rest of the team needs to know. Beebe also takes exception to Sam airing Alina’s past in front of the group and is not afraid to call him on it. “You don’t know her. Most of what you’ve said is pure conjecture. You of all people should know better. How would you like it if someone started talking about your past?”

Sam doesn’t take the verbal dressing down well. His distaste for the young nomad boils to the surface and the two argue. Ricco tries to play the peace maker, but the ex-CIA operative gets in his face and tells him to “Shut up!”

That’s the final straw. The Brazilian has had enough of Sam’s attitude. He refuses to be shouted down by the bigger man and joins the verbal fray. The ex-operative forgets about Beebe and turns his attention to the true target of his hatred. It still rankles him that Ricco usurped his position as general manager. He can’t admit it was his fuckup that cost him the job.

Every time Sam has to him for equipment or to free up the Dirty Deeds team for a mission is like poking an old wound. This blowup has been a long time coming.

The ex-operative’s blood is up. He is all ready to thrown down, but before the situation turns to physical violence, Ricco, Charlie and Beebe walk out of the meeting. Crank tries to be politic. He waits for Sam to cool down then presents a thoughtful and reasoned argument on the need for cooperation. The ex-operative is right with him, till Owen takes Ricco’s side. After that he just stops listening. Crank returns to the Panhandle Saloon where Beebe joins him. The two discuss the deteriorating situation.

Brandon takes a go at soothing Sam’s bruised ego. He talks the ex-operative into mending fences with the Ricco. They both go to the general manager’s office. Until the situation is settled Brandon doesn’t want to leave the two alone in a room together. Since his departure from the conference room, Ricco’s own temper has cooled. He’s willing to hear him out.

Sam explains, “As a former military man, I work on the principle of the chain of command. Anything dealing with the hotel, you are in command and I will obey your orders. Things dealing with the mission though, are under my authority.”

“I was a cop. I know something of the chain of command.”

The two agree that their styles of command are very different, but they agree to work together for the sake of the mission. That mission now requires Sam to make the cooler exchange tomorrow. They pull up maps to get a better idea of the dock and its surroundings. The ex-sniper uses his skills to pinpoint the best position, across the river, to cover the meet.

He turns to Brandon, “Can you get here and cover me with a sniper rifle?”

Ricco offers, “I have a luncheon with Deputy Marshall Johnson around that time. I can drop you off and then swing back after lunch to pick you up. Does that work for you?

Sam suggests they leave an hour early, to give the security chief plenty of time to get into position. With a plan in place, they break and return to their duties. In afternoon Sam drives by his house while on patrol. He spies Lt. D.B. Watson along with Sargent Broome (in uniform) having ice tea with Rianna on his front porch. He wisely continues on his patrol, instead of stopping to investigate.

That evening Velvet Blue plays at Hotel’s Outdoor Amphitheatre. The food and liquor flow freely. Beebe enlists Jason’s aid in selling the band’s t-shirts. She wears one herself to show off how they look. It’s a size too small, and clings like a second skin to the nomad, but that only seems to boost sales.

Brandon assigns himself to the security detail for the event. The hotel’s security staff is still too small to handle an event this large alone, so they off duty sheriff’s deputy and ‘stable’ members of the Visigoths motorcycle club to pad their numbers. The pulsing bass echoes in the stopping feet of crowd as Paris launches into another crowd favorite, Sock Puppet.

Back at the security room, the operator on duty sees a small convoy of vehicles coming down Petersen Point Road; headed straight for the resort. The lead pickup has an enormous illuminated cross standing upright in the bed of the truck.

The security staff and general manager are quickly notified. A call is placed to Sheriff Mason.

Sam volunteers to take up a position on the roof of the school. Brandon stops him. “We don’t know what’s going on yet. Just block the road at the tennis courts.” The security officer dutifully follows orders, but his cruiser presents a far less daunting barrier than the road grader. He is only able to block one lane. Exiting the vehicle with his M-21 EBR, Sam prepares to take out anyone who tries to get by him.

Ricco leaves the rave to head for the roadblock. He calls Betty Lu and tells her to meet him there. Crank had been helping with security at the amphitheater. After notifying Brandon, he heads for his Harley, to follow Ricco.

Back at the roadblock, Sam carefully keeps his weapon pointed away from the oncoming convoy. The lead truck stops, just in front of him. A man with a clerical collar jumps out of the passenger seat. Raising a hand to the sky, he bellows at the top of his voice, “This is a public way.” The hand falls forward till it is leveled directly at Sam. Of the once open palm only a single is now left extended, pointing accusingly at the security officer. “You have no right to bar our path!”

A chorus of ‘Amens’ echo from the motorcade.

By this time Betty Lu has been keyed into the security channel. She quickly checks the preacher’s claim on her ebook…and yes, Petersen Point road is a public through way. All may not be lost though. Sam hears the lawyer’s voice in his ear. ‘Ask him for his parade permit.”

As if waiting for the request, the reverend dramatically produces the document from the breast pocket of his jacket. Sam tries to take the permit, so that he can ‘look it over’ (stall for time), but the man refuses to relinquish his grip. The security officer leans in to read it, eliciting a loud pronouncement from the Reverend, “Look, He’s threatening me with a weapon!”

While Sam is busy trying to diffuse the situation, three vehicles pull out of the column. They cross into the other lane, speed past his cruiser and turn down Sunfish Lane. Coming down Sunfish from the other direction, Crank tries to cut them off with his motorcycle. He manages to stop one of the vehicles, but the lane is too wide. The other two just go around.

No one else is in position to stop them. Luckily there are only four people in the two trucks that reach the amphitheater. They move into the crowd, handing out leaflets and shouting “Sinners. Repent,” as loud as they can, but their voices are drowned out by the music.

Cutoff from the rest of their flock, they are more amusement than threat. The crowd laughs, pelting them with empty cups and clods of mud. Some even offer sexual favors just to set them off; laughing even harder as these righteous do-gooders froth with fury and spout scripture. All of this is caught by the NET 54 cameras. Brandon finally reaches the small group, with one of the sheriff’s deputies close behind. He asks to see their tickets for the show. One of the four, a tall lanky man, steps forward to act as their spokesman. “Reverend Weems has them. We have every right to be here. You can’t stop us.”

Brandon is firm, “If you don’t have a ticket, you have no right to be here.”

Secure in their faith and the rightness of their cause, the four lock arms prepared to resist removal. The security chief can feel the tenor of the crowd change. They are no longer laughing. More than a few look to have taken the spokesman’s declaration as a challenge. Violence appears a certainty.

The deputy steps forward to offer a compromise. “You can be arrested for disturbing the peace.”

Brandon’s focus is on the crowd. He doesn’t pick up on the significance of this statement, so the deputy asks him pointedly, “Are they creating a disturbance?”

The security chief finally sees, that he’s been offered an out. “Yes, they are.”

To the applause of the crowd, the deputy walks forward and begins to read the four their rights.

Back at the roadblock, Ricco arrives at the same time Sheriff Mason pulls up. He introduces Ricco to Reverend Billy Bob Weems, head of the Santa Rosa Evangelical Church of Jesus Christ and a Santa Rosa County Commissioner. Reverend Billy Bob cuts through the pleasantries and demands Sam’s immediate arrest. “He threatened me with that rifle.”

The security officer tries to protest his innocence, but past actions have earned him a reputation. He is disarmed, cuffed and placed in the sheriff’s cruiser.

“Mr. Torres, please contact your security staff and have one them move that vehicle immediately.” As an ex-cop, Ricco knows Marcus is just doing his job, but it still stings. The satisfied smile on the face of Reverend Weems doesn’t help matters.

“Thank you sheriff; it’s good to see the rule of law still holds sway in this county.”

“My pleasure Reverend, but if any of your followers sets a single foot on the resort’s property, they will be spending the night in jail; like four who were just arrested at the Rave for trespassing.”

Weems is aghast. “You can’t arrest them. I have their tickets right here,”

Sheriff Mason takes one of the tickets from the stack being waved by the reverend. After reading it, he points out to Weems his oversight. “This gives the bearer the right to be at the concert. , Since you’re the one ‘bearing’ them, you have every right to go to the concert. As for your four followers that went ahead…normally we could take this in front of the judge tomorrow, but it’s the weekend. They’re going to be in jail till Monday, unless…”

Reverend Weems is willing to compromise. For the release of his people, he will ‘forget’ about being threatening with a gun. The fiery preacher gathers his flock and departs.

As they watch the motorcade drive back up Petersen Point Road, Marcus offers Ricco a friendly warning. “Well, you’ve got the Reverend’s attention now. Believe me you haven’t heard the end of him.”

“Is he any relation to Gardner Weems, our fuel dock manager?” Ricco asks.

“They’re cousins, I think,” Mason replies. “Shouldn’t be a problem though, they can’t stand each other.”

As if he didn’t have enough problems, Ricco spies Lt. D.B. Watson watching from a distance with a smile on his face.

***

Sunday, April 14, 2047:

Sam Fisher and Ricco attend services at St. Peters by the Sea. Both are surprise to see Lt. D.B. Watson sitting in the back row. They are suspicious of his motives, bus as the two watch him, it becomes apparent that he’s a Catholic or understands enough to pass himself off as one. After mass, Watson circulates among the members of the congregation.

He eventually approaches Ricco. “Well, I’ll be on my way now. I have a mountain of stuff to go through. If I have any further questions though, I’ll be in touch.”

D.B. Watson walks to his car, but before getting in, he calls back to Ricco. “Oh, I’ll be sure to pass on to Mr. Ingersoll how cooperative you’ve been.” The general manager watches him drive off.

The booze cruise pulls out just before noon, with Crank on board. Ricco drives the long way around (not thru the military base) to drop off Brandon. The biomechanical checks the area for snipers, in case their contact had a similar idea. Finding none, he moves to his position and settles down to wait.

Through his scope, he sees Sam arrive on time. The ex-operative walks down the dock and begins to fish. At 1:38 pm a pickup truck pulls into the boat ramp’s parking lot. The driver stays in the truck, but a second man, wearing the USMC ball cap get out of the passenger side, grabs green fishing pole and small blue cooler out of the back and heads for the dock. Just as in the briefing, he selects a spot right next to Sam. The identical blue coolers are less than a half a foot apart. 10 minutes pass. Like clockwork the man turns to ask the ex-operative, “Fish been biting today?”

“Not really,”

“I’ll try someplace else then.” After reeling in his line, he bends down, picks up Sam’s cooler, returns to the waiting truck and drives off.

Eight minutes in to the proscribed 10 minute waiting period Brandon sees Sam flinch through his scope. Within two heartbeats, the ex-C.I.A. operative topples forward, pitching into the river. The body pops up seconds later. Through the scope Brandon spies a reddish plume spreading in the water around Sam Fisher’s head. He hadn’t heard a shot. Brandon search for the hidden sniper, fearing he may be next.

(GM Note: The only Team member who can tie this operation back to Washington is now dead. Mr. Zeitsev has kept his word to Sam (from Episode 3) about what would happen if there were any more fuck-ups. The man hired to take out Sam Fisher was James Marsden. Sam is a world class sniper and Marsden knows it. Instead of firing from the optimum position, where he knew Sam would look, Marsden chose an alternate location. It made for a harder shot, but kept him concealed from Brandon’s position.)

People at the boat ramp begin to realize something is wrong. Two men jump into the water to help Sam. Others are looking around or on the cell phones. Brandon realizes it’s time to slink away.

Back at the hotel Ricco has his lunch with Deputy Marshall Clay Johnson. The Brazilian lays his cards on the table. “I’m trying to solve the murder of Martin Long from last September. So far it appears that the murder had something to do with drug dealing in Escambia County.”

Clay is able to confirm that his uncle considers Escambia County his ‘turf’ and he would defend it with lethal force. As to the identity of this mysterious independent fixer, Clay has no idea who it could be, but he’d be willing to help once Ricco has more to go on.

Lunch isn’t productive, but it is delicious. After seeing Clay off, Ricco heads out to pick up his security chief. When the Brazilian enters radio range of the biomechanical’s personal communicator, Brandon informs him of Sam’s demise. Most of the action is still taking place across the river, so he is able to slip in and make the pickup. As they make their way back to the hotel, Ricco calls ahead to assemble a Team meeting.

The group is stunned. Crank doesn’t buy it. He thinks that the C.I.A. extracted Sam. “I bet they’ve already have him set up with a new identity.”

His is a minority opinion. Others fear that this may be the first of more killings to come. Ricco tries to allay their fears by telling them he reported Sam Fisher’s erratic behavior to Disney. “I was concerned that he was becoming a threat to the hotel and the mission.”

Though he has the best of intentions this admission leads many on the team to suspect the general manager had Sam wacked. After the meeting breaks up, Crank contacts his people and relays this information. Brandon calls the Bast Corporation (his sponsor) and reports Ricco’s revelation. This could be very bad for the Brazilian.

If one could navigate the maze of shell companies and cutouts, ownership of the Bast Corporation would trace back to the Caitlin biogens of which Catherine (Ortiz-Fisher) Vaduva, Sam’s ‘daughter’, is the leader! Fortunately, she is not a ‘hands on’ owner so this will take time for the information to filter back to her.

Sabrina West and the ‘Where It’s Happening’ crew leave the resort around six that evening. They are very excited and happy they came. Net traffic on the site is through the roof. Several of the segments shot over the weekend have already gone viral.

***

Monday, April 15, 2047:

The morning meeting starts off on a somber note as Ricco announces the passing of Sam Fisher. Moods brighten as the department heads begin to deliver their reports. They are having the best April in over a decade. The resort is sold out through the end of the month. Being featured on ‘Where It’s Happening’ has generated buzz; more that they could have ever possibly hoped to achieve through advertising. Ricco congratulates all concerned.

After the staff meeting, Mr. Zeitsev calls Ricco to inform him that the 4/19 mission is being serviced by ‘another vendor’. The Brazilian is also informed that future missions are now his responsibility. He is in charge of the team. Ricco makes it clear, he will not do any overt ‘wet work’. Zeitsev finds this acceptable (He had no intention of giving him any of those types of missions).

Flashing lights catch Crank’s eye as pulls up to the Panhandle a little after noontime. He sees Freddy Timmon’s cruiser, but no constable. The vehicle is parked in front of a house on the other side of Trout Avenue. He hangs around outside hoping to catch a word with Freddy when he returns to his car. The constable doesn’t emerge from the house till an ambulance pulls up outside.

The lights aren’t on and the EMTs don’t seem in any hurry to go inside. Curious, Crank makes his way across the street to investigate. Freddy doesn’t let him inside, but lets him know Hillary Williams, was found dead at the bottom of the stairs. “From the looks of it, she took a spill down the steps and broke her neck.”

Crank remembers that Ms. Williams was one of the three major witnesses against Ronnie Johnson’s drug crew. The old lady had let Rain use her driveway for a small stipend.

With her death there is no only one witness left, Wilbur Harper. Harper lives a couple of doors down. Like Hillary, he had been paid to allow Rain to park her van in his driveway. Owen calls Ricco and Brandon, who immediately head for the house. The general manager calls Sheriff Mason on the way. At Ricco’s urging, Freddy walks down to check on Wilbur Harper. There is no answer. Checking around the outside they find what appears to be signs of a break-in.

Concerned for the man’s safety, Freddy agrees to enter the premises. He takes Brandon and Ricco as backup. Since he’s not a constable, Crank is told to stay outside. The three search the house, but find no one. Heading back to Hillary’s they search the outside and find the same subtle indications of a break-in.

Sheriff Mason arrives on the scene. Based on their suspicions, he calls in his crime scene team and cordons of Hillary Williams’ house. Marcus also launches a search to find the missing Wilbur Harper. The sheriff’s first call is to Wilbur’s sister, who confirms that he is at her house visiting.

Sheriff Mason sends two of his most trusted deputies to pick him up. Ricco and the sheriff put their heads together to come up with a plan.

Around mid-afternoon Ricco receives a great piece of news. The South American tour company that Face was negotiating with saw the NET 54 coverage of the resort. They want to sign a deal to bring two groups (40 to 50 rooms worth) a month for 10 day stays from the end of May until the beginning of September. If this works out, they could expand this contract. This deal should tide the resort over during the upcoming off-season.

Just before 5 (five o’clock), Sheriff Mason drives onto the property and heads to Sam and Rianna’s house. Rianna’s life comes crashing down around her as Marcus informs her of Sam’s death. She eventually pulls herself together and calls Sam’s daughter, Catherine. Cat and Kyle immediately take a flight from Paris.

***

Tuesday, April 16, 2047:

A registered letter arrives from Texas for Ricco. Inside are the promised photos, from the Rattlesnakes. There are 6 people pictured. The names of those known to the gang are written on the back. In the photos are Peg-leg (identified and named), Martin Long (identified and named), two Thelas nomads (identified but not named), the Fixer (identified but not named), the Fixer’s girlfriend (identified but not named). Ricco doesn’t need the name of the Fixer’s girlfriend. He already knows her; it’s Rain.

From girlfriend to a prominent member of Ronnie Johnson’s Panhandle Drug operation; the young woman seems to have figured out a way to trade up in the business. Ricco has questions he wants to ask her, but finding Rain, could be problematic. After making bail, she disappeared.

In the early afternoon, Crank is called by ‘Sly’ Tremont at the Blue Moon. A swarm of Federal agents just stormed the place and arrested Alina Lanikova. They waved around a warrant claiming National Security, tore apart her dressing room and anywhere else she had access to. As Crank is taking this call a security alert is goes out. A group of unmarked cars with blue lights flashing are heading through the resort towards the employee cottages.

Natty shows up on Beebe’s doorstep. She looks terrified.

“A bunch of cars pull up in my house front and men get out with guns,” the young Czech blurts out. “I drop my phone and run out back. I need help. Call Steve, I want Steve!”

Beebe pulls her inside. After a brief conversation with her brother, the two girls rush down to the dock. The nomad grabs a runabout, taking Natty to the landing just north of the Interstate highway bridge. Steve is already waiting to spirit his girlfriend to safety. As the two race away on a motorcycle, Beebe turns the watercraft towards home.

Seeing the row of flashing lights waiting at the dock, she changes course, heading for the gun range and her workshop. The nomad is met on the dock by a DoD security official in a suit and one of the facility’s uniformed security men.

“OK, where is Natalie Lanikova? We know you took her someplace.”

“I took her north to the bridge,” Beebe doesn’t see any reason to lie. Natty and Steve have a 20 minute head start. They should already be gone or in hiding.

The man in the suit glares at her. “Ms. Lafferty, consider yourself in custody.”

He then turns to the uniformed officer. “Take her away.”

The uniformed security officer is grim faced. He doesn’t lay hands on Beebe, but merely gestures towards the main laboratory building. The nomad goes with him, without comment. Once inside, she asks, “May I work in the lab?”

Out of sight of the suited Fed, the security guard relaxes and smiles, “Sure Beebe, just don’t wander away. Consider yourself detained.”

Back at the house a senior DoD security agent asks Charlie, “So you not only brought Alina Lanikova to a top secret weapons test, but discussed your work with her?”

“Well, yeah. She’s a beautiful woman and knows about laser technology. That’s quite a package in a strip…. Err … exotic dancer.”

“Exotic dancer?” the man takes a moment to regain his composure. “Her name is Lieutenant Alina Lanikova of the 601^st Czech Special Operations Group attached directly to their military intelligence.”

Charlie’s brows furrow. “I thought she was retired from whatever she did in the Czech Republic?”

“Oh, yes, retired,” The officials retort drips with sarcasm. “Her last assignment got her promoted to an officer and transferred to the EU’s elite military intelligence school where she finished at the top of her class. And then they allowed her to resign her commission and come to America to be an exotic dancer?”

“Not a good career move,” Charlie observes.

The agent is speechless. The muscles in his jaw tighten as he fights to keep his mouth from gaping open at the sheer stupidity of the man in front of him. Through clenched teeth he nearly hisses at Charlie. “You are not to see her or speak to her, do you understand?”

The gunsmith’s replies with a dismissive, “Yeah, sure.” .

At the hotel’s main building a LEDiv official hands Brandon a material witness warrant and informs him that he and his security staff are to detain Natalie Lanikova if they see her.

Around dinner time an AV-3 with a Cadillac body lands at the hotel. Once on the ground it drives to Sam and Rianna’s house. Two bodyguards exit the vehicle and survey their surroundings. Given the all clear, Kyle and Catherine Vaduva step out and go inside. It is time for the family to grieve.

As far as the world is concerned, Wilbur Harper has returned home after a visit to his sister. In truth, this is a sting, which Ricco and Sheriff Mason hope will draw out whoever killed Hillary Williams.

***

Wednesday, April 17, 2047:

Time passes slowly at Wilbur Harper’s house. It looks like their stakeout is a bust, but a little after 2:30 am, a window on the first floor quietly slides up. Brandon is in the room in a sneak suit. He witnesses a man with face and torso plating slide into the room. Once safely inside, he unfolds the collapsible stock of a FN-RAL and scans the room. The security chief remains perfectly still, hoping the deep shadows in the corner of the room will keep him hidden. The man doesn’t seem to notice him.

A second man slides through the window wearing a flak vest; armed with a Sternmeyer 21. Brandon quietly sends a sub-vocal communication of the radio to notify the others. The first intruder remains near the window, while the second moves to the closed door leading to the hallway. A third man slips into the room with an auto-shotgun.

From his hiding place in the room across the hall, Ricco watches as a window slides open to admit a man in metal gear. The entry is as quiet as one can hope for in the hard armor. After situating himself he scans the room with an auto shotgun. A second figure in metal gear follows him into the room; more nimble than the first. The second intruder immediately makes for the room’s door, drawing a sword.

This is a lot of firepower to kill one man. Brandon begins to wonder if they are blown. He is now in the room with four intruders. Crank is in the front room, hiding behind a chair at the corner leading to the hall. Flak vest slings his Stermeyer 21 and draws a silenced Arasaka Miniami 10. He starts up the stairway leading to the back of the second floor. Crank can see him and the man in metal gear armed with the sword. He fires a 12 gauge slasher round into legs of the SMG wielding assailant, before putting two slugs into the man in metal gear. Against the hard armor, they have some effect.

The man bears down on Crank, brandishing his blade. Ricco holds his fire as the second man in metal gear moves up to the door. Across the hall, two assailants hold their positions, while the third, armed with an auto-shotgun enters the hall. Brandon fires to take down the two remaining gunmen, without killing them. He aims for their ‘gun arms’. The sound of automatic fire carries from the hallway as two Santa RosaCounty deputies open up with assault rifles.

In the front hall Crank drops his weapon and engages his attacker in hand to hand combat. The blade slashes through empty air as Owen ducks under the swing. He drives upward into his opponent, picking the man up by his armor and body slamming him. There is a sickening snap as the man hits the floor. He remains crumpled on the ground; unmoving.

Brandon’s first shot hits the FN-RAL wielding gunman in the forearm, taking him out of the fight (failed his stun shock save). The opponent at the door turns and fires his auto-shotgun wildly. Brandon returns fire and cripples the man’s cyberarm forcing him to drop the weapon. In the hall one deputy keeps up fire as the other reloads. As the last assailant in his room takes aim out the door, Ricco shoots him in the back with his Armalite 44s. The metal gear is up to the job.

The ex-cop waits to be shot, but the gunman turns his weapon on the window. A blast from the auto shotgun blows out the glass. Before Ricco can stop him, he is up and through the empty frame. Making it outside is far from getting away. Mike Tran takes him down at range, but doesn’t kill him.

Brandon’s opponent tries to make the run across the hall, but is cut down by a deputy. The security chief checks the man at the window. He is seriously wounded, but not in danger of death. The biomechanical disarms and cuffs him. All of the intruders in the hall are dead. Ricco calls Sheriff Mason who has been standing by for his call.

They search the attackers but find no identification. The only thing of note is a cell phone, found in the pocket of the FN-RAL armed gunman. Brandon turns it over to the sheriff when he arrives with a select few deputies. Marcus Mason examines the call log. It has only one call in it and that is a couple of hours old. The sheriff looks at Ricco and says, “Let’s give it a try.”

Pressing redial elicits a ring from the pocket of one of the deputies that had accompanied the sheriff. There is a moment of stunned silence, then the deputy reaches for his weapon. Brandon catches his arm before he can bring the pistol to bear. They wrestle the man into handcuffs. Sheriff Mason looks his traitorous deputy in the eye. “Welcome to hell!”

By midafternoon the Sheriff calls Ricco and informs him that the FN-RAL and Sternmeyer 21 carried by the attackers have been identified as the murder weapons involved in the killing of Rat. Judge Hannibal Grey has already signed the brain dance orders for the hit team’s leader and his crooked deputy.

“This could be the beginning of the end for A.C. Johnson,”

Ricco hopes it is. He realizes he personally has gone from ‘pain in the ass’ to a mortal threat.

On a happier note today is the Second Waterskiing and Parasailing Competition for Spring Break. The beach and waterfront is crowded with the skilled and fools. The competition is once again divided into divisions. A warning letter from Sheriff Mason has ended the Naked Lady Division, but the competition is still riotously good fun. Beebe repeats as the winner of the open Parasailing Division. She is asked not to enter the next competition. As a consolation, she is invited to be a judge, which she accepts.

Kyle and Cat stop by to talk to Ricco. He invites them in and explains what has been happening at the resort. The Brazilian doesn’t mention any of the ‘Dirty Deeds team’s’ missions and the two don’t ask. They seem very interested in the first assassination attempt when they arrived. The investigation into Sam’s death has uncovered the sniper’s nest used to kill him. A cell phone was found nearby. It has been traced to a Logan Hawke.

Kyle and Cat tell Ricco they will be taking Sam’s body to the Arlington National Cemetery to be buried. Rianna will be leaving with them. The government has agreed to allow him a military funeral with full honors. They will send someone to clear out his and Rianna’s things at the beginning of the week. Ricco wisely doesn’t tell the pair about the conversation he had with King Dick just before Sam was killed. The Brazilian does, however, express his sincere condolences.

***

Thursday, April 18, 2047:

Charles Ingersoll has finally noticed that perhaps the Petersen Point Resort isn’t going under quietly. This is no surprise as NET 54’s news magazine show, Where It’s Happening, did a full weekend piece a few days ago. Corporate sends a low level flunky accountant to see what’s going on. As the hotel has no vacancies, he is put in a trailer that is not in the best of shape. Both Ricco and Carrie Anne knew this day would come and are ready for him.

Next: Episode 12: A.C. Johnson Makes His Move

Episode 8 – Success is Sometimes Not So Sweet

Episode 9 – Life is Full of Ups and Downs

Episode 10 – Killing Cops is Never a Good Thing!

Episode 11– Time to Pay the Piper

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