Tagged To: Ironwood, Jack, A.
GENSTAT number: 0047-6052-1154.
Date Assigned: 10/5/2358
Monitoring Period: INDEFINITE.
Date: 10/05/2358 Time: 02:32
LOCATION - LAP - CORRIDOR 66
VISUAL SCAN - Subject is wearing black jeans, a black tank top, "long rider" style black coat, and black "wrecker" style boots. He is also wearing a type III locater (auto headset).
EM SCAN - Is not possible, due to the location. All scanners in Corridor 58 through 71 are out.
Jack looks back over his shoulder as he makes his way down corridor 66. Three large shadows merge with the walls. Jack smiles. He taps the ear piece of his headset. The microphone swings into position. JACK Yo, Jeeves. JEEVES(V.O.) (sigh) Yes, most wondrous lord and master. Jack chuckles at his A.I.s sarcasm. JACK Jeeves you're too kind. Just lord and master will do. JEEVES(V.O.) Is there something I can do for you or did you just require someone to torture? JACK Actually you'd fall into the some "thing" category wouldn't you? JEEVES(V.O.) Thank you so much for reminding me. JACK I've got three shadows following me, rather poorly I might add. Can you get me an ID? JEEVES(V.O.) It is my most profound wish to bow and scrape for your every desire, but, unfortunately, all scanners are down in corridors 58 through 71. JACK Still? JEEVES(V.O.) I'm afraid so. I believe maintenance is afraid to go down into that area. JACK I'm not crazy about it my self. Jack rounds a corner into a new corridor. A large yellow 67 is painted on one wall. Jack snakes a hand under his coat and loosens his auto pistol in its holster. JACK I REALLY wish your scanners were up. JEEVES(V.O.) I wish I could comply. JACK Concern Jeeves? I'm touched. JEEVES(V.O.) It's my prime directive. I have no choice. Jack smiles. Some of the lighting is out, leaving long shadows and dark corners. Condensation has caused water to pool in various spots. The only sound is the click of Jack's boots on the stone floor. Jack stops about midway down the corridor and examines the piping along one wall. He reaches under his coat and pulls out an M11 multi-comp. He pulls back a faux leather cover and massages the LCD screen underneath. A faded red beam shoots from one end of the multi-comp. The transparent holographic image of Donovan's body coalesces on the floor near the piping. Jack places the multi-comp on the floor, stands back and takes in the scene. JACK This is where he got whacked. It's obvious he was ambushed. His wallet was intact, his locater, all of his personal effects. This wasn't a robbery. It was a hit... but why? Jack crouches on his knees and scans the space under the pipes. There is the glint of light on metal. JACK Ho, ho! What do we have here! VOICE Retribution. Jacks stands and spins to face the voice that comes from behind him. Three large men all dressed in black stand a few yards away. They all cradle baseball bats. Black masks cover their faces from the nose up. Their smiles would be just as at home on the faces of wolves. JACK Let's see... you can't be Yankees. The uniforms are the wrong color. Jack folds his hands behind his back and under his coat. HITTER #1 Mr. Englewood wanted us to deliver you a message. He's very upset with your interference in his personal life. JACK I was hired by Mrs. Englewood to investigate Mr. Englewood's alleged infidelity gentlemen. I was just doing my job. Hitter #1 bounces his bat off his palm. HITTER #1 Well... we're just going to do ours. The three men break and circle Jack. Jack rips off his headset and flings it under the piping against the wall. At the same time a hand withdraws from under his coat. He snaps his wrist and two feet of steel extend from what looks like a bicycle handlebar. JACK Mines not as long as yours, but it's harder. Hitter #1 smiles. Once they've surrounded Jack they pause. Jack occasionally flips his steel around swishing the air. Hitter #3 is directly behind Jack. He swings his bat high overhead and makes to charge. Jack fires a back kick directly into Hitter #3's face. Hitter #3 is launched backwards into the piping. His head makes a resonant clang as it hits a pipe. JACK Stiiiiiiiiirike One! Hitter #1 is no longer smiling. He and Hitter #2 both charge. Jack in turn charges Hitter #1. He bats away the incoming blow with his steel and simultaneously slams the back of Hitter #1's knee. Hitter #2's blow passes through empty air. Hitter #1 stumbles to his knees. Hitter #2 jumps over him and swings a downward strike at Jack's head. Jack spins, blocks upward and catches the blow. A front kick fires into Hitter #2's groin. He folds up. Jack kisses the back of his head with the steel. Hitter #2 goes down. JACK Stiiiiiiiiirike two! Hitter #1 jumps to his feet and spins. He growls at the sight of his second downed partner. Jack steps over the prone hitter toward his opponent. Hitter #1 spins his bat in front of him in figure eights. He jumps with a flash and a sweep at Jack's head. Jack jumps too and the sound of wood hitting metal echoes through the hall. The two pass harmlessly by each other. They spin, close and strike. The two men have switched to short, quick two handed strikes with their weapons. A flurry of wood and steel flashes before the two men. Jack strikes and slides a leg in. He catches the inside of Hitter #1's right leg and the man is rocked back off balance. Jack's steel flashes down on the bat. It's knocked aside. Jack lunges with a head butt to Hitter #1's nose. The nose explodes with a crimson shower. Jack fires a light jab to the hitters throat, a front kick to his groin and then the steel to his temple. The hitter goes down. JACK Stiiiiiiiiirike three! You're all out. Jack smiles and collapses his steel. He returns it to the holster at the small of his back. JACK Did you say this is your profession? You're not very good at it are you? Jack retrieves his headset from underneath the piping. He places it back on his head. JEEVES(V.O.) I assume from all of that grunting that you were either engaged in some cretinous violent affair or group sex. In either case, are you alright? JACK I'm afraid it was a tango with cretins, and I'm fine. JEEVES(V.O.) I assume the cretins are not. JACK You better get medical down here. I don't want them dying on me. The paperwork... Let's see, where was that? Jack gets down on his hands and knees and begins feeling around under the piping lining the wall. Eventually he comes up with an insignia ring. The insignia looks like this:
JACK Hmmmmm. JEEVES(V.O.) Would this sound be an indication of your thought processes attempting to attain coherence? JACK I found something. JEEVES(V.O.) And that would be? JACK A ring with an insignia on it. It's an S with a lightening bolt through it. I've never seen it before. It's not a corp insignia, or navy for that matter. It's not a fang symbol either. JEEVES(V.O.) What is a fang symbol? JACK Some of the clowns down here in the ass end have formed gangs. Instead of gangs, they call them fangs. They have their own symbols, handshakes, all that kind of crap. JEEVES(V.O.) Who do you think owned this ring? JACK I don't know, but I intend to take it to security and find out. I'm sure there are skin flakes or some DNA bearing substance. We'll match it. JEEVES(V.O.) Very clever. JACK In the meantime I'd like you to do a database run and see if this symbol shows up anywhere. JEEVES(V.O.) Your wish is my command. Jack steps over Hitter #1's body on the way out. He pockets the ring with a smile, knowing he's just found one more clue.
Date: 1/04/2358 Time: 12:32
LOCATION - LAS - WATER RECLAMATION TRANSPORT AREA
Mr. Ironwood is wearing green plyon jeans, a kacki low rider shirt, "long rider" style black coat, and black "wrecker" style boots. He is also wearing a type III locater (auto headset).
EM Scan - Electromagnetic fields indicate Mr. Ironwood has a 9mm Krukov auto pistol holstered under the left shoulder. A nine inch stiletto is sheathed in one boot. A 10 ml can of INcapacitate spray is housed in the both coat pockets. Possession of these objects by subject is not a security violation since he is authorized to carry them by MILCOM, authorization order 324-8812-A.
Jack looms out of the mist that plays about the piping which juts from the ground around him and disappears into the ceiling overhead. There is a faint humm of machinary and the sound of moving water. Somewhere overhead a cracked pipe leaks some of it's contents and fills a small puddle. Jack casually strolls to the center of a space that is clear of machinary and pipe. He draws a long thin cigar and lights it. For a split second The flame causes more shadows to dance in this poorly lit place. Seven more shadows detach from the mist to surround Jack. Each of the scarred, raggedy young men carries a blunt or edged weapon of some sort. Their leader, Eddie Fat, has a .45 automatic holstered under one shoulder. Eddie is cut from a small section of steel. He is wirey and short, and built for speed. Eddie studies Jack for a second. Jack blows a cloud of smoke which joins with the mist. He remains silent. EDDIE What do you want Ironwood. You called us here. JACK You never write anymore Eddie. I missed you. Despite himself Eddie cracks a smile. EDDIE You a funny guy, Jack. Jack shruggs. JACK I need some data. EDDIE Data costs. Like everything else. JACK Of course, and the data I want I'm sure is going to be real expensive. EDDIE Where'd you learn how to haggle, Jack? You doing it all wrong. JACK I want to know about Johann Krak and Shadow. Eddie's wise ass smile is replaced by shock. EDDIE You come to the wrong place for that data Jack. I like breathing. Eddie turns to go. JACK Eddie! Eddie stops and turns. JACK I checked Stryker's party list. He's got seven Wu Tu locked down and three of those are on ice. That's got to be putting a crimp in Wu Tu's style. I hear you boys don't even control three levels anymore. Eddie's expression turns to rage. EDDIE That's a lie! We control 95 through 100 all through LAS! Jack smiles and blows another cloud of smoke. JACK When Monster was heading the fang Wu Tu held 90 through 100. EDDIE Yeah well, Monster's dead and he wasn't banging heads with three fangs at once. JACK I hear Enrique is giving you a hard time. EDDIE Enrique's a punk. JACK Enrique's also got twenty fang members and you got- Jack starts counting the young men surrounding him. JACK Six. Six!? I remember when the Wu Tu were fifty strong. Eddie is fairly fuming. His boys are looking at him wondering what he's going to do to Jack. JACK If I could just free up some of those Wu Tu from Stryker's lockup. Boy I'd bet that'd really help wouldn't it. Eddie rolls Jack's words over in his mind. EDDIE How many can you get out? JACK That depends on what kind of data you have. I'm I haggling right? Eddie sneers. EDDIE Krak works for Shadow. JACK Tell me something I don't know. EDDIE Evan Vilson works for him and so does a fat guy named Leach. JACK O.K. that's good. And they all work for the Walking Dude. Eddie starts. His face goes pale. The rest of the Wu Tu shift nervously. EDDIE You shouldn't say that name too loud. He may be listening. JACK I thought you weren't scared of anyone Eddie. EDDIE The Walking Dude ain't just anybody. Who do you think did Monster? Jack soaks this in for a second. JACK What's he look like Eddie? Eddie shruggs. EDDIE He's a ghost man. The only ones that've seen him are dead. JACK Come on Eddie. You're giving real thin. FANG MEMBER He likes boots. Jack spins to the tall thin fang member. JACK What. FANG MEMBER He likes boots. I found Monster after the Walking Dude got through with him. Right before he died he said to me, "He really kicked the shit out of me. Nice boots though". Jack takes a thoughtful drag on his cigar and then turns back to Eddie. JACK Who's his hacker Eddie? Eddie studies Jack for a second before he answers. EDDIE T. T. Hacker, some just call him Hacker. JACK Seems a little redundent. EDDIE He's bad, Jack. Don't mess with him. JACK Tell me about Shadow. EDDIE I want all my boys out, Jack. Jack blows more smoke. JACK I can pull the one's out of lockup. I can't pull the ones out of cyrogenics. EDDIE You're asking a lot for a little. I want all my boys. JACK Your ice cubes are down because of man slaughter, Eddie. There's no way I can get them defrosted. EDDIE I tell you about Shadow and I'm going to end up like Monster. JACK Don't tell me and Enrique will finish you off. It's called a rock and a hard place, Eddie. Eddie studies Jack and then lets out a sigh. EDDIE Shadow's old. Real old. They started the crystal trade. Jack snorts. JACK Comeon Eddie. Crystal's been dealt on this rock for two hundred years. EDDIE It was Shadow who started it. They've been into a lot of different shit. Some times we talk about it. A few of the Wu Tu nod in ascent and look behind them as if they expected Shadow to be at their backs. EDDIE They shit they been into, it's like... JACK Like what? EDDIE It's like they just want to keep Genesis down. Like they want to spread evil. FANG MEMBER They dark, man. They the evil. EDDIE Somtime we talk. We think we brought something with us from old earth. JACK The Walking Dude. EDDIE Not just him. We think we brought something evil. It calls itself shadow, but on Earth I think they called it the devil. Jack starts to smile and then it fades away. He sees the Wu Tu believe what they are saying. Jack spins on a heel and exits into the mist. JACK Your boys will be coming home soon, Eddie. Try to keep them out of trouble. Eddie smiles and then leads his boys into the gloom.
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