Thread: The Evil behind the Mirror ( Shadowrun/Horror, Pazzo x DarkAngel76)

Mark raised a black leather gloved hand to his face, and with his middle finger pushed his mirrored shades back up his nose. His enhanced olfactory implants had picked up a whiff of the gorgeous blonde girl's perfume, and his head computer had deconstructed the chemicals of it in a retinal heads up display, seeming to hover a few feet in front of him. Her companion was being obnoxious and disturbing the peace with his profanity and hostile actions. A baby orc nearby where the couple sat began to cry loudly in his mother's burly green tinged arms. She cast a disgusted look at Leo, stood up, and walked out the front door into the cold Seattle night. The accountant just shook his head. as fun as it might be to ride the adrenaline high from teaching this young punk a lesson in manners, he did not need the attention. He was on a mission, and any actions taken would likely blow his cover. Not that he would have minded, while perhaps a noble profession, Mark hated accounting with a passion. Marcus did his best to ignore what was happening within arms reach, fighting back the desire to place his cybernetic hand on Leo's skull, and neurally command the hydraulic servos in his hand to squeeze in an agonizingly slow and torturous manner. First, as the pathetic waste of flesh sat there whimpering, his cranial plates would crack, and blood would begin pouring out of his nose. His hydraulic fingers would dig deeply into his flesh, ruining the mans chances for any future bullying in a most deliciously sadistic way... No, not tonight. Just coffee Mark... He whispered to himself, fighting back the impulse to indulge in his sadistic hobby. ...you are just here for coffee, not to dish out vigilante justice. He gave the odd couple a cursory scan with his optical augmentations. Leo as he was called, was wearing bright orange Halloweener gang colors. Probably some new lowlife initiate involved in moving drugs, racketeering, and possibly worse. He did not appear to have any cybernetic systems installed. His RFID tag said his full name was Leonardo Viden Marchoska. His rap sheet was long, with several felonies including illegal possession of BTL Chips with intent to distribute. There was indeed a bounty on his head, but it was small. No where near enough to make Marcus default on his current contract. BTL's mark thought to himself. Nicknamed Beetles, Better Than Life was their technical name. They were a data storage device programed with a one shot playback of someone's memories. As such they could be slotted into a simsense unit or chipjack, allowing the wearer to experience another reality, if only for a short while. They are highly illegal, and even more addictive. Prolonged use cooks the brain, and with enough abuse a chiphead can be reduced to a unintelligible vegetable in a short amount of time. Mark's enhanced eyes also detected a concealed Ares Predator Pistol in a holster at the small of Leo's back. Marcus decided he posed no significant threat. Mark's heavy cybernetic combat chassis, while vintage, was well protected against smalls arms fire. The blonde girl is young and beautiful. But she looked a little shaky and unkempt, slight dark circles under her mascaraed eyes. He noticed the base of her skull was fitted with an older mark 7 Renraku chip jack, and judging by the way her body shook uncontrollably, she was likely a Beetle addict. Probably why she was with this particular winner, since he controlled access to a resource she needed... It was not his business, and he didn't care. Life was full of unfortunate stories such as this, and constant exposure to such bleak happenings had left Marcus numb for quite some time. After what seemed like an eternity, it was his turn to order. A cute elf girl with pink hair, freckles, and a green apron smiled at him from behind the cash register. Marcus placed his order for a Large Mocha. A few Nuyen and a wink at the Elf waitress later, Marcus was turned around, and headed back outside cup in hand... Or at least he had been. As Mark was trying to move around Leo and Tara, The Ganger had abruptly swung his arm as if to hit the girl, instead catching the bottom of Mark's sacred drink, sending the precious hot turkish liquid all over Leo's head, making him scream in pain... He wanted that coffee, he needed that coffee, and this jack-o-lantern wearing ass had just ruined his whole reason for being out in public... Marcus was beyond furious, beyond livid. With great effort, he kept his cool. He could not afford to blow his cover, too big of a payday was involved here... Best to diffuse the situation, and to deal with this degenerate Wiener at a later time and place. No one would miss him, just another dead ganger in the gutter somewhere, his organs removed and likely sold on the black market. Something hellish, like waking up bound in chains in the dark bowels of an abandoned industrial HVAC plant, and meeting a slow unfortunate end. Something likely involving a pair of rusty pliers, a dull spoon, a power drill, and perhaps a propane blowtorch... I am terribly sorry... Marcus murmured low and deep, feigning surprise....