Levi: < It appears that the protests are perpetrated by low-class, synth inhabiting people who are offended by stereotypes in media. They appear to be standing still, but have effectively set up a denial-of-service attack on Nytrondheim, the entertainment center of New Shanghai which I will admit is hard to pronounce. > The ad in question: *A quiet middle class house in Olympus, twilight. The front door's locks are forced open with a smart lock pick.* *A matte gray Case clanks into the house, sneaking up on the owners children's bedroom. It appears to have a device for extracting cortical stacks…* *There's a FWASH, and the Case is consumed by a plasma shot fired from off-screen. Only the Case's legs remain, standing upright.* Ad: < Direct Action; for when nothing less will work. > Yvonne: < I didn't fund that commercial. >

[i] You take a moment to gnaw on the kabob. From the shape of the grain on the meat, it looks like it was from clone-stock beef- humane, though reviewers claim they can tell the difference. There's an odd firmness to the meat that you don't get in rations or cheap Maker gels, the mark of something living and chaotically grown. A wave of salt and wood smoke washes over your mouth. [/i] Rolling Interest: Celebrity Gossip at 60% 47 [i] That arcade Cori was messing around in was [/i] Geoli Daiodeu, [i] one of a vanishing few physical arcades in the solar system. Hell, they were rare on Earth back… then. There's something about physical presence that allows games to be both ad-hoc and create a sense of community… plus the place is so damn noisy, nobody notices when people are making out. There's rumors about your current employer, Mendoza. Rumors that he was hooking up with someone here… which is weird, since he's not even remotely humanoid right now. [/i]

Case Beggar: *leans backwards as Draco look him over* "Yeah… hi to you too. I don't suppose you have any menial labor that only requires one arm? What about the short one in the fedora, he looks like he wants someone to hold his shoes when he goes indoors or something." *shifts onto his other leg* "Oh yeah, my name is-" The One-Armed Man [b]Emmet Haight[/b] Emmet: "So yeah, the featureless clanker is male, that mystery's resolved. Thanks for not asking if I'm a boy or girl, by the way."

[i] You don't have any credit in the Planetary Consortium, Draco. Any money in your account would be your Nova York stipend, which is not easily exchangeable. You could, however, tap a favor with any Networking skills you have. The Argonauts are eager to fund tinkering for tinkering's sake, it's kind of their deal, but you'll have to convince them that this is a worthwhile use of resources. It's a trivial favor, so you'll likely get it.[/i] OR, [i]One of your allies could use their money or favor. Hunter already pulled rank earlier today, but Gloria or Henry might be able to talk their way into charity. And Cori's been saving up some P.C.s for paying off her loans… [/i]

Emmit: "What's going on?" *his OLED eyes turn green* "People ignoring me, thankfully. I've been seeing the 14-Ks running back and forth down this street since last night, and usually those Triads stay inside their damn casino and take money from people like him." *points a thumb at the gambling worker* "They're probably after some asset who's trying to run away. You can't outrun a Triad who thinks you owe them money, Mr. Green Collar. There are 49ers sprinkled all over the city like rot on a Century Egg." *He shows you the home page for Galaxy Entertainment Group, some legitimate business that happens to be funded by the 14-K.* [i]The site's narrated tour starts, but it's not very interesting- especially considering that that damn noise is in Henry's inner ear again. Some force you only vaguely remember pulses in you. Thud. Thud. God damn, does ego-casting hurt.[/i]

I was going to play cool hacking music for this, but it's an arcade, so how about a flying opossum? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4y6Pp-86-M&index=5&list=PL4DD42291C45671A5 *Megara plugs in and uses her borrowed software to fake a username…* Infosec, 80 or below 27 Device AI's passive Infosec: 40 or below 72, fail Arcade: < Welcome, Patron. you have 0 events on schedule today. > [i] Ha, you're in… as a Guest. You'll need to push again to get security feed status, but it looks as if there's an actual security AI in charge of that, instead of a greeterbot. Plus it's going to take time… good thing you have a story to listen to. [/i]

Draco's Muse rolls Networking: Autonomists, 80% or below 44, critical success *Anonymous accounts active* Draco's… Muse? < Oy… oy, brothers. Lift up one of the clanking masses for a moment, and they'll be stronger in spirit. The synths will be free. > ??? < Rerouting power is simple enough. > Emmit: "What the f- I have an hour of juice? Uh… thanks, guys. I thought I'd be on this street corner all week."

Emmit: "Okay, I'll just insert this-" *waves his severed arm* "into the fabber down the street, at the auto shop. It should be in working condition in no time. Thanks, Argonaut, I'm not going to forget this." *Draco's Corp-Net reputation has increased by 1. Mark that down now…* Draco's Muse: < Uh, yeah, he did that. > New Shanghai Notice Board: < Yo, is anyone else wondering why the sexbot in charge of the arcade prize counter is swearing inside the bathroom? >

Karla: "I remember that day. Henry had just 'cast over to Mars, he gets really seasick from it so you can usually tell it's him. At first I thought he was a tourist who bought some armor to look tough, but he impressed me with all the stuff he knew about working a beer tap." *She taps her head* "I wasn't just drinking either, I'm a bartender myself. I travel once in a while to see how other planets serve their booze, so I can bring all that sweet knowledge back to Extropia for my own business." *She shows you an ad for the bar she works at, the perplexingly named [i]Happy Dinosaur[/i]. The little .gif of a T-rex on the home page is a nice touch, very retro.* "I wasn't very impressed with the bar, though. Their special that month was the Hop-A-Rita, sort of *squeezing motions with hands* this… fucking… margarita but made with a Martian Winter Ale* with the bottle still sticking out of the glass. It was like drinking rye bread through a straw." *SolArchive: < Because of the thin air and perpetual low temperatures on Mars, most microbrews are winter ales, stouts and other dark brews. If you want a light summer ale, go to Venus. >

[i] The guy (supposed to be) running the prize counter pushes through the bathroom door and gets back to his station seconds after you leave. He's a dark haired, honey-skinned… by the look of the bioluminescent heart tattoo on his cheek and the "bolted-on" face, he'd be using a Pleasure Pod. Good chance that was just the last morph that was available… probably.[/i] Counter Guy: "Fuck, FUCK. Eh, boss doesn't have to know… fuuuuck." *wipes his forehead with the sleeve of his windbreaker*

[i]Mars is a strange place. The crowd's voices blend together here, American long A's next to the typewriter staccato of Cantonese shouting, with smooth German compound words in the background. Mechanical men heavily pace the sidewalks next to humans who resemble Greek statues decorated in neon, while an orang-utan stops to adjust their glasses. The people of New Shanghai advertise their talents, no matter how large or small they be. If you keep your head down and close your eyes for a moment, it's just like Earth used to be… that's a lie, of course. Nothing's going to be like Earth was, for better or for worse.[/i] [i]We still have the same damn problems, though. Problems like an old-school serial killer obsessed with their senseless manifesto. There's a old Wolf in New Shanghai, reveling in their glory as "Lucky" Luciano cowers, afraid to die twice. [/i] [i]Lucky isn't so innocent himself. He survived by having backups in strange places, and not the places he claimed they were at. Investigating his chateau might give you a clue where he went, but you'll have to get around the picket line where the Clanking Masses are protesting for their rights. Now that you think of it, add that to the biocon conspiracy theorists at the psych clinic and that's two protests going on today. At least the police have a reason to be so distracted.[/i] [i]Speaking of police, the NSPD station should probably have the killer's manifesto locked up in impound, or at least scanned and loaded to their Mesh. If one of you can convince them to give you a look, you might get some insight into WHY this happened, always welcome. Plus, Cori has been privately talking to Howie Liang, whose mother happens to be one of the suspects in the case and is currently in custody. She says it wasn't her, but most killers say that. Perhaps seeing the lineup might clear a few things up. [/i] [i]Actually, why not check out the crime scene itself? The game show studio is in chaos right now while everyone tries to figure out exactly what killed Lucky and how. Amazingly, it looks like Lucky's empty, mangled morph was untouched, and also you wish that the news would just post a nice headshot of him like they used to. 3rd party news blogs want to be edgy and truthy and stuff, even if it means showing a dead body. Yeah, how did multiple civilians get close enough to the scene to get a photo?[/i] [i]Looks like it's going to be a long and frustrating day. Man, you thought the future was going to be bright and chrome and easy.[/i] Draco's Muse: < Well, you know what they say. > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xt3JXyT6Mp8 Draco's Muse: < The future can't start without us. It's time to start brewing. > [No seriously, it's time for the group to come to a consensus. What would you like to investigate next? The three options are the most obvious points, but any other ideas are appreciated.]

[i]…It's like you stepped into the factory where dreams are made. [/i] [i]Nero Studios is a relatively small backlot, and a densely-packed backlot. As you pass through the gate, the smart-material façade on the side of a building changes from a weathered brick factory to a row of ionic columns. It's taking a long while, of course, and there's no way that didn't cost at least 10,000 C-notes, but damn. And you thought they just used AR skins to sim everything these days.[/i] [i] The crowd around the lot parts as three men in Roman hoplite armor get into position at the set. The lighting is very shady and moody.[/i] [i]Something very intriguing about this crowd… mostly biomorphs, by which I mean mostly "humans". The sole visible exception seems to be a large-nosed Bonobo ape in a yellow blouse and red skirt, who is visibly distressed. She shouts into an Ecto and growls.[/i] [i]The crime scene itself… the Castle of Peril has been taped off (by an AR border, but still), with at least four stoic-looking NSPD cops guarding the area. They've set up a privacy screen to keep the… rather gruesome scene under wraps, and they're wearing their kevlar vests OUTSIDE their uniforms to show they mean business. A motorcycle is autonomously rolling by itself near them, conspicuously running on silent electric engine only. [/i]