Downtime 5 - Kin

It was a rough couple of days, but Kin managed to make it back home alive and significantly richer.

Kin stretches out on his bed, thinking about what just transpired. It was successful, but not without consequences. He'd trained for what they went through, but there's a difference between training and doing. While he was bruised and battered, his car was a mess. He knew he couldn't continue to drive a car full of bullet holes around town. Sure to attract suspicion. He had three calls he wanted to make.

The first one would be to Tammy Smith. If anyone could help him with what he needed, she could. He dials her number.

"Hey Tammy, Kin Tanaka. It's been a while. Hope you're doing well. I need a favor of sorts. I'm looking to get some repair work done and add a few enhancements to my car. I'm looking for someone discreet, dependable and thorough. Anyone come to mind?"

"Consider it done."

Kin transfers 1000 nuyen to Tammy.

"Also, I might have a bit of free time coming up. If you hear of anyone who can use me, I'd be interested."

After finishing the call, Kin tries to relax but is still wound up from the mission. He could get used to this. He considers upgrading his lifestyle, imagining what it would be like to have a place to call his own that is larger than a bathroom. Things just got a little more cramped. He picked up the hunting rifle after the mission and brought it, along with his Raiden, back to his apartment. He doubted seriously that anyone would have an interest in his apartment, but he feels uncomfortable stashing it here. He wrapped the rifle and Raiden in some spare clothing and placed it in a pull-out drawer under his bed.

While waiting for Tammy to respond, Kin places another call to Sam Dekker.

Kin receives a prompt return message from Sam:
>>>>>>I will look into it and get back to you.

After responding to Sam, Kin is anxious to get his baby back to showroom beauty, with the skin of a beast. Hopping behind the wheel, he makes a stop at a noodle place for a quick lunch and then heads over to the address Tammy provided him.

Upon arrival, Kin finds vehicles in various states of repair and upgrading. Drones skitter through the warehouse and torches and welders are busy at work, giving the appearance of a fireworks show. He parks out front and enters the warehouse, in search of the name given him. After asking around, he is pointed toward a dimly-lit office in the back corner, where a diminutive human with long black hair tied behind her head greets him.

"Akane? I was given your name by a common associate of ours and told no one is better at what I'm looking for than you. My car's been in a bit of a scrape and I need some repair work done. I don't think it's serious, just cosmetic. But I'm looking to get some enhancements as well."

Kin placed some extra emphasis on the word enhancements.

"I'd like to see if you can add some extras to my car and what the cost and the time to complete it would be. I want to get the tires swapped out for some Run Flat tires, would like to get some concealed armor on the body, Rating 4, need an internal smuggling compartment sizable enough to store a Raiden and, what the heck, can you add an oil slick sprayer to the back?"

Kin ponders the price and the extras mentioned.

"Give me a price to add the three items you mentioned and how long it will take and I think we may have a deal."

Kin walk over to take a closer peek at the bike. It looked fast just sitting still.

"I've always wanted a bike and this looks like a thing of beauty. I appreciate the offer and look forward to more business together, but for now, let's just stick to the work you quoted on my car. Tammy didn't steer me wrong. You definitely know what you're doing."

"Thanks Akane. How about we just go with half down and half when I pick it up."

Kin gives her a big smile, the information she needs for his car and transfers 13,000 nuyen to her.

With Kin's car now in the hands of Akane and the excitement of the last few days waning, Kin allowed his thoughts to return to his parents.

He heard back from Sam regarding anything on his mom and dad within the Church records and was greeted with very little. Sam found nothing on his mom, but something odd appeared about his father, who was still listed on the active roster, though there was a 'D' designated after his name. He'd been dead for years and that kind of error wasn't something the Church committed. They were meticulous in all things. He felt certain 'D' didn't stand for deceased, but something else entirely.

Kin pondered what that all meant and what he should do next, though he had a good idea of what that was and dreaded what he was considering.

Kin never for one minute regretted leaving the Church of Happy Science. He did regret leaving a few people behind. Chief among them, his best friend growing up, Katsu Takeuchi. They hadn't spoken a word since they day Kin had left, both from Kin's desire to remain anonymous and his reticence to get his friend in trouble. Kin tried unsuccessfully to get his best friend to follow him. Perhaps this was a topic that needed to be revisited.

Kin didn't know where to turn and felt it was time to contact his childhood friend. Perhaps Katsu had been more completely indoctrinated into the church and this was a big mistake, but Kin's choices were limited.

Thankfully, Kin and his best friend had created their own language based on replacing letters with other ASCI characters when they were younger, so any attempt to decipher it might be challenging. It would likely just be seen as gibberish.



>>>>>>>>>>>>>> )-..`<.$25)-

Kin typed away, his heart beating in his chest as he hit 'Send'

Hours seemed like days as Kin paced outside, nibbled at some dinner, and generally was wound as tight as he could be. He wanted to hear from his old friend and didn't at the same time. Finally his comm beeped and displayed the following message.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> GU.~{{]<.~U9U]X!]+|<~{.Q.U!]+-..`

Kin smiled and breathed a sigh of relief before responding with:

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>)-9]]-2~u.-{@

While Kin was waiting for a response, he realized that he could obsess on something to such a degree that everything else got blocked out. He needed a release, something enjoyable that he could focus on. He needed to find a dice game to occupy his time. When he was down on his luck he would pull out his 'magic' dice, but with a new stash at his disposal, he could play it straight.

He put in a call to his friendly neighborhood bookie, Takeshi Miho, to see if there was any action that he knew of. He could afford to stake a couple of thousand nuyen and see where his luck took him.

"Takeshi, Kin here. Any dice games that I could get in on that you know of?"

Kin decided to decline the offer to wager on the shadowrunners, but, having heard nothing from Katsu or Akane, thought a night of throwing some dice sounded good. He didn't want to risk too much, but figured he could afford to stake 2000 nuyen. He got the address from Takeshi, thanked him, and made his way to the location.

An evening of gambling hosted by the Yakuza, what could possibly go wrong?

Kin arrived at a highly organized, heavily guarded location. The Yakuza had a good operation going. Once inside, He was greeted by a busty blonde who explained the rules. The house would take ten percent off the top and the players could gamble to their hearts content or until their money ran out. Kin transferred 2200 nuyen to her and was given a card loaded with 2000 nuyen with which to place his bets. The converted warehouse was a hive of activity as tables and games of chance were scattered throughout. He made his way to the corner where he spotted numerous people rolling dice and laughing or cursing, depending on the outcome. He proceeded to put his stash to work and hoped that 'Lady Luck' would be on his side.

Kin loves the energy in a gambling parlor. Money changing hands and the excitement of winning or losing. He began by having a good streak to put him in the positive, but the dice soon got cold. By the end of the night, though he had fun, the 2000 nuyen he'd put on his card had vanished.

He considered adding more and trying to win his money back, but his cooler side prevailed and he decided to stick to his plan and quit for the night down his original investment.

On the way back home, he found two messages. The first, from Akane, gave him an update on his car. Nothing out of the ordinary, simply explaining that the work was going without a hitch and should be done the next day or the one following.

The second message was from Katsu, in code, who had suggested they meet the following day. The church allowed their members 'some' free reign, allowing them to leave the compound, but never alone. Each member had to be shadowed to ensure they would make it back and not just run off. This meant that Kin wouldn't be able to actually speak with his old friend. Likely, information would be passed in written form. Kin would have to find some way to disguise himself for the meet and expect a note to be passed to him like they were in school.

Kin was concerned. If they were meeting in person, surely the intel was of utmost importance. He had trouble going to sleep but finally did, both excited to learn the news and hesitant at the same time.

Kin awoke the next morning, eyelids heavy and wallet lighter from the previous evening. He told Katsu when and where they could meet and what he'd be wearing, a hooded grey shirt, in case he'd forgotten what Kin looked like. Someone once told Kin to be careful what he wished for. He hoped this wasn't one of those situations.

He found my table, cup of tea in front of him, alternately sipping from the cup and scanning the crowds for Katsu, who also relayed what he'd be wearing. Nothing, and then Kin spotted him, a big burly guy next to him, walking in step. He also spotted Kin and steered in his direction. He drained the rest of my tea, stood, and started walking toward Katsu. They'd arranged the choreography so they would bump each other as he discreetly passed Kin the message.

It worked to perfection. As Kin was walking away, the big guy grabbed his shoulder and spun him around.

"Do I know you, friend?"
"You don't know me and I'm not your friend, so shove off."

He growled, but turned around, not wanting to make a scene. Kin made my way back to his apartment to read what his childhood buddy had risked so much to provide.

Kin wanted to read the note given him in the exchange right away, but, oddly, found a way to put it off for a few minutes. He'd been meaning to make a call since their encounter with the Cobras ended and now was the perfect time.

He dialed Buki.

"Hey Buki, Kin. I just want to thank you. You really came through for me when I needed it. It's not much, but I want to show my appreciation."

Kin transfers 5000 nuyen to Buki's account.