Running: Neo-Tokyo

[Vox Clamantis]

Even in its most cramped ghetto, Los Angeles couldn't compete with the tightly packed conditions of Neo-Tokyo. The air doesn't stink, but the noise pollution is off the charts even after the sun goes down. Diversity, that not-so-secret bane of the Japanese social conservatives during the 21st century, was the price the Imperial State paid for its conquests abroad. Just as the English found the citizens of their empire following them back to the British Isles, Japan scored itself an unrecognizably heterogeneous population along with its occupation of San Francisco and the Philippines. And that was before the metas started popping up everywhere. Even as secular and Westernized as they'd become, the Japanese were fundamentally incapable of being good sports about the sudden appearance of oni in their midst. Racial tensions largely calmed down in the face of the new range in human diversity, but the old families and the old businesses never took amiably shakeups of any kind. In the JIS, life is always easier when you can blend in to the crowd.

Into this, the runners. Unlike LA, runners in Neo-Tokyo have to know when to submit. Invisible networks of distrust and deep seated social obligations make Neo-Tokyo the most complicated, and probably the most dangerous, city on Earth. Even the criminal element need to step lightly where the powers that be are concerned. When in Rome, as they say. Only in Rome, you always knew whose ass to kiss.

---

Takeshi found himself in a hard place. In the new world of the JIS, whom you know means everything. Unwillingness to integrate, to become part of a new gang, had really come back to bite him on the rear. Work was scarce for men working on their own, and almost always more dangerous. Only the most oddball or perilous jobs got filtered down to the freelance runners. The price of freedom.

---

It's 1930 hours. Takeshi's wedged into a booth that's small even for his slight frame, waiting. It's a small restaurant, decent food and moderately priced. About as nice as either of them can afford at the moment. Chosen for its proximity to Aiko's workplace, that and good tea are the place's only real recommendations. The clientele is mostly Japanese, but elves enjoy even more preferential treatment in Japan than they do elsewhere; the most Aiko has to worry about is the occasional drunk blue-collar worker staring at her across the room.

Aiko's a bit late, but that's nothing unusual in and of itself. In the meantime Takeshi at least has something to occupy his attention; his commlink lets him know that he has an audio message, indeterminate source.

[RelentlessImp]

Takeshi runs his index slowly around the rim of his teacup, eyes drifting across the shop, suppressing a sigh. While it wasn't unusual for her to be late, it still... bothered him, he supposed, to be sitting in a place like this. Neo-Tokyo's crowded, super-urbanized sprawl was his heritage, in some way; an ethnically pure strand of Japanese - though tainted by a genetic defect that mostly robbed his skin and hair of color - he should feel comfortable here. Shouldn't he?

As always, such thoughts led him back to the reasons that brought him here from his native home in Cal-Free, which in turn led back to his split of opinion; the feeling of wrongness he felt in Neo-Tokyo, and the feeling of rightness he felt whenever he walked down the street, or laid eyes upon Aiko, or even slipped into the shadows for some work.

He was very grateful when the commlink began to beep, and he mentally answered the call, projecting whomever it was that was calling into the image link in his contact.

"Konnichiwa," he answered in a quiet voice.

[Vox Clamantis]

"Konbanwa." It's a low, assertive baritone, unashamedly Japanese. "I hope you're not busy." Somehow it's nothing but a statement of fact. "A mutual friend gave me your name and information a few weeks ago. Do you still need work?"

It's an aggressive, almost rude, offer, but it's the only one in a long time.

[RelentlessImp]

"Hai." Ryuunosuke keeps his voice quiet, unassertive, allowing only a slight hint of excitement to enter his voice. The first job offer in so long - he'd be able to keep the apartment he shared with Aiko, maybe even move them to a better one if it paid well enough.

"What may I do for you, Johnson-sama?"

[Vox Clamantis]

"Domo." There is a short pause, as of someone sorting through data files. "I won't insult your intelligence." Another statement of fact. "You're expendable at the moment, but more importantly you're not connected to anyone on this island. Because of this, I can't trust you, but it does make you ideal for a certain kind of job."

"I'm sending you the data. You wanted the job, so you're responsible for it. If it doesn't get done, we come for you. Pay is non-negotiable until you show us what you're worth."

The connection ends abruptly, severed at his end. Ryuu's commlink indicates that it's received a short file, 100% text.

[RelentlessImp]

Well. I suppose he's got a point, Takeshi thinks to himself. With a little sigh, and a slight smirk tugging at his lips, he accesses the file he's received, splitting his attention between the file in his possession and keeping an eye out for Aiko.

[Vox Clamantis]

The file itself is brief and clinical, containing no references that might betray the identity of the employer.


Retrieve contents of locker 1017 from Imperial Seal Laundromat in Sugamoshinden. DO NOT OPEN. Deliver unopened package to the Southwest corner of the warehouse at 21343 Ikeda Street.

Takeshi hasn't been in Neo-Tokyo all that long in the great scheme of things, but he knows that Sugamoshinden is in the Minato district. The address of the laundromat and the location of the warehouse are another matter - he draws a complete blank.

Just as Takeshi finishes reading the terse message for a second time, Aiko enters the restaurant and bows quickly to the hostess, pointing over towards the table. A moment later she slips into the booth across from her boyfriend. Her eyes are wide with excitement, and she's practically bouncing with suppressed enthusiasm.

"Konbanwa! Ask me what happened today!"

[RelentlessImp]

Placing the file in an easily-accessible place in his commlink's storage, Takeshi looks up just in time to see Aiko coming into the booth across from him. A genuine smile dances across his lips as he sees her, momentarily worrying about the lack of a posted time restraint. He should spend some time with Aiko, but they also wanted the job done as quickly as possible.

Instead of just asking Aiko about the addresses, however, he resolves to give Ai Ai a call as soon as he spends a little time with Aiko.

"What happened today?" he asks finally, leaning onto his elbows on the table. Part of him itching to be off, another part of him wanting to forget the job. But the rent had to be paid; just a few minutes tonight.

[Vox Clamantis]

She tilts her head from side to side, barely able to contain herself.

"You won't believe it, Seshia-kun. I got scouted by a modeling agency while I was at work!" She beams broadly. It's true that elves are often preferred for most kinds of modeling, but it's strange that anyone would approach her at her job. "I was just going about my business when a man in a very nice suit walked up and handed me his card." Aiko produces it with a flourish, obviously having had it in her hand the whole time. "He said that I had very lovely hands, and that I should contact him if I was interested in getting scanned. Wasn't that nice of him?"

She stares into Takeshi's eyes, suddenly serious. "Should I do it?"

[RelentlessImp]

Takeshi takes the card, scanning the information provided on it. A touch of jealousy flared within him. His eyes narrowed slightly as he looked from the card to her, then he smiled again.

"Well, before I can say anything, I think I need to meet this guy who gave you this card. I'll look him up tonight." Rising from the seat, he crosses over to Aiko and places a light kiss on her temple. "I've got to go to work, beloved. See you at home?"

Pocketing the card, he lifts one hand in a slight wave before heading out into the street, swinging onto the bike. His work clothes were concealed in the compartment beneath the seat, while his katana hung openly on the side of his bike. Atop the bike, he looks back to the shop and makes a quick cred transfer, from his account to Aiko's, to provide her with enough to cover his bill and hers to the tune of 100 nuyen.

Starting the bike through its wireless link, he tries to find the location of Imperial Seal Laundromat on the Matrix, as well as the location of 21343 Ikeda Street. If he can locate a map showing both locations, he'll hold it as an overlay on one contact, and drive toward the first location at an easy speed.

[Vox Clamantis]

Aiko pouts for a moment, her eyes following the card as it disappears into his pocket. Then she smiles, blows him a kiss, and picks up the menu. From the look on her face, it's clear she's going to celebrate with something a little more expensive than usual.

It takes only a moment inside a local directory to find Imperial Seal on the map, pinpoint it, and then plot the location of 21343 Ikeda. Both are in Minato ward, but the warehouse is nearly dead center, placing it securely within the boundaries of Roppongi, the Nightless City. Self-respecting Japanese always avoid that soulless tourist trap, but it's odd that anyone would hire a courier (especially a wizganger) to take a package between two addresses in the same ward.

[RelentlessImp]

Revving the bike to go faster, Ryuunosuke switches his SIN to that of Tsubasa Aoi, completely unaffiliated with anything to do with his life with Aiko, and places his comm into passive mode. He places a quick call to Ai Ai to ask him to find out all he can about the name on the card Aiko gave him, then runs silent.

Staying within legal limits, he soon pulls the bike up to a stop outside the laundromat. If possible, he'll subscribe to the place's wireless and see if there's a more detailed map of the inside to be had, while scanning the outside to see if there's anything unusual - besides the situation itself.


Defaulted Perception Test: [roll0]

[Vox Clamantis]

I'd prefer if you didn't get ahead of yourself like that. Let's handle one thing at a time. :smallsmile:
Ai Ai doesn't know a thing about the man, and doesn't hesitate to tell Ryuu as much. Aoi-san, you know what I'm about. You know my business. The name means nothing to me. This sounds like megacorp business to me. You know how they have their hands in everything from advertising to household products. If you want somebody to dig up information on this guy, I have a slicer who'd be only too happy to get the goods for you. You interested in buying services, or were you hoping I'd know this man personally?

[RelentlessImp]

Sorry. :smallredface:


"A little of both. I trust this slicer of yours is discreet. How much is it going to cost me to get this information, omae?"

While talking to Ai Ai, Ryuunosuke pulls the bike into a dark alley, lifting the seat and retrieving the armored kimono from it, pulling it on over the more casual clothes and buckling it into place.

[Vox Clamantis]

Ai Ai seems to consider it for a moment, but you know better. The old fox always has his angles covered. "Well, I know you've been looking for work lately, and this is nothing more than a glorified background check. Wire me 300 nuyen and I'll have my slicer dig up everything from his dental records to his college diploma?" Ai Ai loves to barter, and can't help but turn the statement into a question with a lilt at the end. It's obvious that he wants to give Ryuu the option of bargaining the price down, in order to give him a break on the price but still save face for the both of them.

[RelentlessImp]

"I don't want that much information," Ryuu says as he slides back atop the bike, starting it up and easing back into the street. "I just need to know if this guy is legit or not. I'll wire you 150 for that information, and another 50 if you get me an address."


Negotiation Check: Cha 4 + 2 Negotiation [roll0]

[Vox Clamantis]

The fixer mutters in a dialect Takeshi is unfamiliar with - or can't hear clearly enough to identify - before answering. "Alright, you want some basic information, I have a new kid I can put on the job. He's smart and knows his way around the code, but lacks experience. Cash on delivery. He hangs up without another word, but that's just Ai Ai's way. All business.

Ryuu's brief research into the laundromat brings up nothing extraordinary. It occupies the bottom two stories of a six-story building. Only the laundromat has a sign, so the upper stories are probably rented out as office space or living quarters. According to the permits - which are in public domain - the first floor is regular laundry and the second is for dry cleaning and pressing. Given the large floor plans, it must do brisk trade with the blue-collar residents of Minato. The lockers aren't in the plans, but that's not unusual. That sort of thing really isn't an architect's purview.

On the outside, the building is spartan and businesslike. A neon sign hangs from the front, projecting out over the street like so many do in Neo-Tokyo. The front walls are tinted glass, and nothing can be seen through them.

[RelentlessImp]

Parking the bike, Ryuu kills the engine and slides off, kicking it to make it stay upright. Tugging his sword from its holding spot on the side of the bike, he slides the lacquered scabbard into his belt, placing his left hand upon the hilt to keep it out of his legs.

Briefly studying the outside of the building, Ryuunosuke heads for the door, hoping it wasn't locked at this time of night.

[Vox Clamantis]

As he gets closer, Ryuu notices a small sign on the door.


24 Hours, 7 Days

He can hear the thrum of the machines inside. It would appear that the laundromat is still open for business.

[RelentlessImp]

Ryuunosuke pulls open the door and steps through, left hand firmly grasped about the hilt of the katana as he enters the laundromat. Eyes moving as he goes in, scanning both for the locker and apparent threats.

[Vox Clamantis]

Ryuu opens the door on a machine world. Aside from a window for dropping off and picking up, the entire first floor is filled with stationary machines and drones operating them. There's a single employee fanning himself, leaning against the drop-off station and reading old paperback manga that he must have dug out of a library giveaway.

In a corner of the room, beyond the employee and the drones and their machines, is a flight of stairs leading upwards with a sign next to it:


^ Dry Press^

The employee didn't hear you enter over the whir of machines.

[RelentlessImp]

Ryuu takes one quick look at the employee, tilting his head to the side slightly and easing back into the doorframe. Eyes closing, he falls into himself and lets the mana flow through him. One hand lifts, fingers trailing down along the center of his torso as he constructs the mana around himself. Letting it flow out of him to warp the light around him, to cause him to vanish.

Out of sight, out of mind...

Once the spell has been cast, he moves quietly, switching his PAN to hidden mode, taking each step carefully as he tries to slip past the employee, unseen and unheard.


Casting a Force 4 Improved Invisibility.
11d6
Drain Value: (4/2)+1 = 3
8d6
wtf? It didn't roll. I'll use invisiblecastle, I guess.
Spellcasting+Magic 11d6.hits(5) = 5 hits (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2212123/)
Willpower+Charisma 8d6.hits(5) = 0 hits (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2212125/)
Infiltration + Agility 6d6.hits(5) = 3 hits (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2212128/)
Ouch. Ryuu takes full drain, has an Invisibility spell with a threshold of 5, and an infiltration threshold of 2.

Edit Part Deux: Urgh. I'm an idiot. I forgot to subtract the 2 for the sustained spell for the Infiltration check. Take the first two or last two dice from it, and either way I'm down one hit.

[Vox Clamantis]

Ryuu steps quietly past the employee, who never knows that anyone has entered the building, turning the pages of his small paperback with oblivious contentment.

The second floor is largely curtained off. The stairwell opens into a long, rectangular segment of the room outside of the cordoned area. Along one wall, opposite the floor-length curtain blocking off sight of the remaining floor space, is a long series of metal lockers, each a foot wide and four feet tall. The lockers are stacked in two rows, the higher of which nearly brushes the ceiling. Since the building itself is so long along that dimension, there are a great many lockers in total. They appear to be arranged so that customers can pick up their suits without undue hassle.

Each locker has a small data terminal on the door, presumably for restricting access to the contents.

[RelentlessImp]

Ryuunosuke pushes his way through the curtain to the lockers, moving slowly along the rows of steel, seeking locker 1017. Eyes drifting between the lockers, noting each's number, and stopping in front of 1017 to check the terminal before it.

[Vox Clamantis]

The room is deathly silent except for the distant hum of the machinery downstairs. Unlike the lower floor, the dry press facilities seem to be offline for the night. Ryuu finds locker 1017 without difficulty, moving invisibly along the rows until he finds the correct number.

Locker 1017 has a dead terminal. Unlike all of the others before, after, and below it, its screen is dark and seemingly powerless.

[RelentlessImp]

Ryuu stares at the dead terminal, then tries the handle of the locker - just in case the dead power means it isn't sealed. Should the handle be locked, he'll try to force it open - by snapping the Colt Manhunter in the hidden arm slide out and loading it with the EX Explosive Rounds-loaded clip. He'll take a few cautious steps back before firing a quick shot at the lock.


[roll0] - 2+2 Pistols (Semi-Automatics), 3 Agility, -2 for Sustained Invisibility

[Vox Clamantis]

The pistol turns out not to be necessary - the locker opens easily, the latch seemingly turned off in the unlocked position. Inside the locker, at the bottom, is a small package wrapped in rice paper and twine. Roughly square, about five inches on the side, it looks like nothing more than a child's birthday present or an order for take-out.

[RelentlessImp]

Picking up the package, Ryuu tucks it into his kimono, making certain it is secured enough within the folds so that it won't fall out during the ride back. Temporarily tempted to peek inside of it, but there's too much at stake for him to take such a chance.

Back down the stairs, moving silently toward the door and hopefully out without any kind of trouble.



[roll0]

[Vox Clamantis]

The package is a little warm against Ryuu's chest, as though it were a living creature huddling in his kimono. There is a tense moment as the proprietor looks up from his little paperback, apparently hearing something over the thrum of the machinery, but seeing nobody there he disinterestedly returns to his reading. Ryuu makes it outside without further incident.

[RelentlessImp]

Ryuu releases the invisibility spell once he's outside, easing the comm into passive mode, his SIN still that of Tsubasa Aoi. Onto the bike, he takes off for the delivery locale, revving the bike quickly towards his destination.

[Vox Clamantis]

The neon sprawl of Neo Tokyo whizzes past above the high-pitched whine of the engine in Ryuu's bike. It's not a great distance from the laundromat to the warehouse, but the buildings begin to change within less than a few miles, transforming from the placid quiet of Minato into the polyglot clamor of drunk tourists that is Roppongi at night. True to its name, the whole area seems to be awake and bustling, from all-night restaurants to chop shops and motels offering exotic services. The whole place reeks of faux Japanese decadence and the ignorant gaijin who buy into it.

21343 Ikeda turns out to be on the far side of Roppongi. It's a nondescript warehouse in the midst of a miniature industrial zone that's sprung up willy nilly on the verge of the raging hedonism of the Nightless City. It looks a little newer than the surrounding warehouses, but follows the same boxlike design so common of buildings that don't need to worry about their appearance. It's windows - there are a few, set fifteen feet in the air along the sides of the structure - are dark. It would apear to be one of the only buildings not in use at night in Roppongi.

[RelentlessImp]

Again, Ryuu finds himself tempted to check in the package, just to see what was so important that required a runner to transport it such a short distance. Then he shakes his head, dispelling the thought. The money's the important thing.

Parking his bike across the street, he moves toward the building, slowly circling it toward the southwest corner, his eyes alert and watchful as he makes his way toward that corner - and also, looking for a spot to place the package.


[roll0]

[Vox Clamantis]

Ryuu doesn't see any indication that the warehouse has been readied to receive a delivery. No drop-spot, no cameras, no drones. From all indications, it's just a darkened building on the edge of Roppongi, without even a company logo anywhere to be seen. If it weren't for the address, it would be impossible to identify.

[RelentlessImp]

Ryuu frowns a little, coming up to the southwest corner and stopping. Approaching the building, he removes the package from within the armored kimono and sets it down where the two corners meet, tucking it slightly behind one edge.

This is so strange...

[Vox Clamantis]

There is no response from the package or the surrounding area. The stillness of the industrial area at night doesn't change, and if anyone is watching to ensure that the drop-off is carried out successfully, Ryuu isn't aware of them.

Ryuu has fulfilled the word of his contract, and is technically no longer responsible for the package.

[RelentlessImp]

With a slight shrug - as if to say Alright. This was just a surreal experience. - Ryuu turns away from the package and returns to his bike, climbing atop it and kicking it alive, turning away from the building and the whole strange experience, turning his bike toward home and his beloved.

[Vox Clamantis]

Just as Ryuu is mounting his bike and freeing the kickstand, about to start the motor, a blast of light, heat, and sound disintegrates the warehouse and nearly throws him from the vehicle. By the light of the lingering remnants of the building, which are still raining down, all flame, on the surrounding area for a block in any direction, Ryuu can see that the warehouse is has been almost completely leveled at the southwest corner, with the opposite end more obviously intact. Whatever might have been inside the warehouse is obscured by the debris from the walls, which were blasted inwards by the force of the ground-level explosion.

Ryuu can hear the wail of alarms from the surrounding buildings as their sensitive fire alarms pick up traces of smoke. Media and police drones will be on-site within moments, soon to be followed by corporate interests and human emergency teams. Neo-Tokyo has always been at high risk from conflagration, and has among the best response times in the world.

[RelentlessImp]

"Holy--" Ryuu begins to swear, but swings his arm up to cover his face from the explosive force that threatens to send him toppling from his vehicle. I knew it couldn't be that simple.

Rather than flee the scene - which probably wouldn't do him much good, as the roads would likely take him right past law enforcement officials that would give chase - he instead hops off the bike, quickly removing the armored kimono and replacing it in the seat beneath the bike. The weapon focus, too, he places there, along with his gun, the hidden arm slide, and the few loaded clips he carried with him, before closing and locking the seat.

Switching his SIN to Izumi Seshia, he also topples to the ground before the conflagration, killing the bike's engine and laying it atop one of his legs. Better that he look like an innocent bystander than someone trying to flee the scene. While laying there, he also uses the vision magnification in his contacts to try and see what lay within the building that was worth this risk.

Waiting for the response team to show up, he ran over his story in his head. Matching with the SIN's story - recently moved - he'd just be someone wanting to get a better feel for the city, and just happened to be driving by on his bike when the explosion hit. Thank Spirits he wasn't hurt too badly, eh?

[Vox Clamantis]

It isn't long before the drones arrive, buzzing and swarming around the conflagration like motorized gnats. Several, obviously painted with corporate logos, fan out across the nearby area. One circles Ryuu at a distance of a few feet, the small recording lense attached to its body obviously taking in evidence prior to any law enforcement tampering.

In the distance Ryuu can hear what sounds like a fleet of vehicles coming in his direction. Lying on the ground, he can feel the vibration through the street as well as hear it in the air.

I don't usually question a player's judgments, but in this case I thought I'd just throw in a word.

If any pieces of the 'package' remain, the corporations will probably match Ryuu's fingerprints if he sticks around long enough to be found by the officers. By that same token, if there are any surveillance devices around to have captured his visitation, they'll have a pretty good case against him.

I'm not telling you what to do, just letting you know what sort of risk Ryuu would know he was taking.

[RelentlessImp]

An explosion that big coming out of a package that small - the conflagration will probably have incinerated the wrapping of the package (rice paper and twine), which was all that he touched, which is what he's counting on.

As for surveillance, well, he's taking a chance - but he's hoping that they'll buy his story long enough for him to escape, have the SIN erased and pick up a new one with the money he's hoping he'll still be paid, and effectively vanish off the radar.


Ryuu lays there, killing the vision magnification and waiting for the law enforcement to arrive. Running the story through his mind again and again, taking several deep calming breaths. Knowing that he'll have to be a very good actor to pull this off long enough to avoid suspicion.

He turns his head toward the approach of the vehicles, raising up a hand in supplication, fixing his face into an expression of terror and pain.

[Vox Clamantis]

A swarm of vehicles pull to a stop at nearly the same moment, spilling out law enforcement and corporate agents that spread out quickly across the site. The majority are baseline human, but a few here and there are belong to one of the various sub-species, usually wearing suits or specialized equipment rather than uniforms. Most dedicate their attention to the blaze itself, but one uniformed officer and one suited corporate agent come running over and pull the motorcycle off of Ryuu.

The one in uniform leans down and holds Ryuu in place, keeping him from sitting up. "Are you hurt? Can you hear me?"

[RelentlessImp]

"I think I'm alright," Ryuu says, slowly pushing his way to his feet and staggering slightly to one side, to give the appearance of being dazed. Shaking his head as if to clear it, he turns his gaze toward the two that helped him. "Thanks for the help. I'm not sure what happened here."

Ryuu studies the uniformed cop and the corporate agent, mentally noting their appearance. He was more than prepared to answer questions to the best of his ability - that is, lie, lie, and lie some more.

[Vox Clamantis]

The cop stands alongside Ryuu, holding his elbow to keep him steady. He's a plain man in his mid-forties, of average height for a native of Neo-Tokyo. We're not too sure, either. Looks like a bomb to me, but I'm not part of the forensics team. Are you sure you're alright? Blast like that can do bad things to your nervous system, even if it doesn't look like you're hurt.

The corporate spook, one of the few metavariants, comes closer and shines a light from a small handheld device into Ryuu's eyes. Even through the light, Ryuu can see that he's a blue-skinned oni, the local Japanese breed of ork. He's fine, can't you see that? Now, what were you doing out here? You don't look like you belong in Roppongi.

[RelentlessImp]

"I think I'm alright." Ryuu turns his head away from the shining light, squinting his eyes from it. "Spirits, get that thing out of my eyes! I just moved here recently and wanted to get a look at more of the city."

Fixing his face into an expression of indignation, he takes a few steps back to get the light out of his eyes. "This kind of thing happen often in Roppongi? I won't be coming back, that's for sure."


Con, in case the lie's unbelievable
[roll0]

[Vox Clamantis]

"This sort of thing? Not really. Bad for the tourist business. Just taking a look around, you say? Let me see your identification."

Meanwhile the officer is still checking Ryuu over for injuries. He seems to be the genuine article; a good cop, eager to help and not particularly suspicious. "You've got to be kidding. What kind of idiot bomber blows himself up along with the building? You really ought to get yourself checked out, kid. If you have a concussion, symptoms might not show up until the damage is permanent."

[RelentlessImp]

Ryuu nods at the requesting of his identification, projecting it from his commlink to the corp guy - and hoping that he won't be running a broad check on him.

"It might have been set off from the Astral," Ryuu says in response to the cop. "I've seen it done once or twice back in L.A., on those crazy live feeds they've got over there. And I'll go get myself checked out as soon as you guys are done with me." Dropping just enough truth mixed with lie, he hoped, to make it sound believable.

[Vox Clamantis]

"Detonated from the Astral, you say. Uhm hmm, interesting. Do you have any other ideas regarding the placement or detonation of this device...if it was a bomb, indeed?"

"Oh, leave off. There's not even an investigation. You have his name, so let him go." The pleasant cop turns back to Ryuu and shrugs. "You know these guys, never leave well enough alone. You can go, but you'd better be available for questioning if we need you. You may end up being a witness, depending on how things go."

Shrugging, the suit turns away and yells at a group of civilians loitering nearby, trying to get a look at the scene. The cop pulls Ryuu's bike upright and helps him get on.

[RelentlessImp]

"Thanks," Ryuu says as he slides onto his bike, seeming to check it over for damage before starting the engine. "Hope you don't get into trouble for going up against that guy. You've been really helpful." Ryuu gives a smile, revving the bike.

"See ya."


He'll start heading away from the scene if nobody flags him down.

[Vox Clamantis]

Ryuu speeds off unmolested, weaving among the haphazardly parked corporate and official vehicles and making his way onto the streets beyond. For the moment the higher-ups seem to assume that nobody would be crazy enough to stick around and blow themselves up along with their target, and assign Ryuu the role of innocent civilian.

As he pulls away from the site, Ryuu can't help but notice just how many corporate vehicles showed up - and how quickly. In the time it took to have his brief conversation with the officer and the agent, the fires were completely subdued. Even as he's leaving, Ryuu can see corporate agents - it's impossible to tell from which company - picking through the smoldering and steaming ruins of the warehouse.