//File 0.1 - Clint//

The agent opened the door for Clint and ushered him into the studio, an office inside a glitzy chrome-lined building downtown on Horizon’s Arcology Mile in Los Angeles. Clint’s cybereyes barely got adjusted to the overpowering stage spotlights when a woman sheathed completely in pink snake skin and lustrous straight raven black hair that reached the floor linked her arm around his and squealed "Oh I love him Takeshi-san. Can we have this one please?"

"Forgive Ms Saccharine Sakita for her enthusiasm; People playing at cowboys are a dime a dozen, but a real SimShane is hard to find. Please sit Mr Jericho, it seems you are as authentic as they come. If so, then I have a proposition for you," nodded the man referred to as Takeshi.

What do you do?

"Have you ever watched Gaijin Gunslinger Mr Jericho?" Takeshi beamed with pride as he referred to the smash hit Western trideo series set in Japan. Broadcast trid not only still existed, but was alive, well and immensely profitable in major sprawls. Steeped in the samurai tradition, the notion of the cowboy was not only something the Japanese instintively understood, but wholeheartedly embraced in their media consumption.

"Our studio has successfully pitched its spinoff, a simsense series, to HTB Corp. That's were you come in Mr Jericho. We want to base the simulation on real-life cowboys, not just some actor in ten gallon hat and spurs. The simulation must be able to replicate thoughts, feelings and true experiences accurately, something not any Johnny Six Shooter can do. We are prepared to fly you to neo-Tokyo for both a face-to-face and an AR casting. And if you're suitable, contract you to provide the virtual characterisation for our simsense. What do you think?"

"But you're so handsome Mr Jericho!" Sakita tittered and sidled over from where she sat, two glowing cocktails in her hands. She flicked her tongue at Clint's face more closely than would've been appropriate, and he could've sworn it was forked. Body modifications were of course, de rigueur for many celebrities and stars. "It'd be a shame not to show it." The woman looked at Clint doe-eyed, as if she was not about to take no for an answer.

Above the interaction between Sakita and Clint was Takeshi addressing his concerns, "Of course. Your covered face will lend an air of mystery. Besides, simsense as you know gives the user a first-person interior viewpoint of the action. Nothing will be revealed, you have my word on that.

If you're available to travel, we can fly you out as early as tonight or tomorrow morning. And we'll send a car to pick you up."

"It's a deal then, I'll pack my thing tonight and I'll be ready first light tomorrow morning. It's been a pleasure Mr. Takeshi," bowing his head one last time, "Farewell Ms. Sakita." Clint turns around and leaves...

The limousine promptly arrived at 10am the next morning, the vehicle looking decidedly out of the place in the rundown district of South LA where Clint stayed. Where it pulled up was an uneven pavement, tipped over trashcans, and at least one homeless SINner had made his spot on the sidewalk. He held out his hand as the wagesuit stepped out of the car and looked for Clint's apartment. One of the street gang spotters across the narrow street eyed it with great interest, and could be seen speaking into his commlink. The rest of the road was clogged with double parked vehicles, some which had been parked there forever. The man in the dark suit looked around and found the unit, through a filthy walkway and up a flight of steps, and knocked on Clint's door. "Mr Jericho, ready when you are." If he was appalled or otherwise judgemental of the conditions in which Clint lived, his face did not show it.

With a big duffle bag containing all his rifles and some clothes, Clint knew there wasn't anything of value left to steal in his small appartment. Most of what he had could easely be carried around. His combat armor was packed away, ready to be mailed if needed.
"Let's go then, wouldn't want anybody to be waiting because of me."

Noting Clint's bag, "Will that be all the luggage Mr Jericho? We will take care of your belongings, whatever you need to bring. There is a strict no-weapons policy on flights, so we will be shipping your gear separately. Rest assured they will arrive when you do." An assistant appeared seemingly from nowhere, and began to move Clint's bags, while the man in the suit escorted Clint into the limo.

Van Nuys Airport catered to a significant proportion of the private flights in and out of Los Angeles, including unmanned and drone-based aircraft. The limousine was allowed to pull up right onto the airfield itself, and a number of passengers were already there, including Takeshi and Sakita. Next to the actress were a man and a woman, both appearing to be actors or performers in their own right, from the flamboyant way they dressed. Next to Takeshi stood three men in suits; they appeared to be studio execs of various sorts, the oldest of whom the rest deferred to.

Clint walks up to Mr. Takeshi, "Howdy Mr. Takeshi," tipping his hat, "Ms. Sakita," looking at everybody else, "My name is Clint Westwood, pleased to meet y'all. Now how about we get on that plane, I'm sure we'll have more than enough time to greet each other. After all, I woudn't want to be the cause of a late departure."

The Swiftstream G-12 private jet was not designed to travel as fast as the commercial transorbital or transballistic flights that transported people around the world efficiently. Instead it was built for comfort, when arriving in style and comfort was more important than speed. Pleasantries were shared all round as the boarded. The studio chief didn't talk much, but retreated to the lounge area of the plane where he sat throughout with a drink in his hands, constantly dictating instructions to his assistant, while Takeshi and the other suit talked business and were on their commlinks throughout.

Siouxie Maryland, the other woman, was also another peson invited to the casting. As she conversed with Clint, it was evident that she was a First Nations elven shaman from Tsimshian. The third and last man, who was dressed as a Houngan, a voodoo priest, kept to himself, and didn't speak at all, not even when the enthusiastic Sakita attempt to make conversation. Sakita had to be content with latching herself next to Clint in a playful yet possessive manner.

As the flight wore on, Clint couldn't help shake a feeling of unease he had since he boarded the plane. He couldn't explain it, but something about the entire journey seemed wrong, and he didn't understand why.

Keeping alert with is feeling of unease, Clint still takes the time to try and chat with everybody. If able to, he will talk more with Ms. Maryland, since the cowboy feels he'll be more at ease with someone that understands his way of life more than anybody else aboard. After all, the time where cowboy and indians were at war is long past. They could relate more now that they were trying to resist the new ways of the encroaching civilization by saying truth to the old ways...

Clint narrowed down his unease at two people. One was the houngan. While it appeared that the man was merely sitting at his seat, reclined, drinking copious shots of whatever strange concoction he had requested from the flight attendant, Clint noticed that he was moving his lips, mouthing words or talking to himself, or something else.
The other was the man in conversation with Takeshi. Lim, he was introduced as, from Singapore. He was busy working on both his datapad and commlink, but from what Clint could see, not all that he was tapping on and keying in were to do with numbers and figures and work-related matters. At one point he could've sworn he saw briefly weapon and aircraft schematics.

While moving around the plane, speaking with those that want to socialize, Clint keeps an eye on the two and tries to spot any emergency gear available in the plane...

Siouxie was friendly, and as equally glad as Clint to have someone from a similar background to talk with. Clint found out she was also offered the same deal. It seemed that HTB Corp was sparing no expense in this new venture of theirs to ensure that they hired authentic representatives. It did cross his mind as to the whole excessiveness of it all, since runners weren't really actors. Unlike Sakita, who was a legitimate trideo star in her own right. As it turned out, she wasn't as annoying as Clint had first thought, merely very bubbly and transparent.
The complete opposite of the Baron, the houngan that Clint finally got round speaking to.

"You don't have to be so obvious you know," observed Baron. " You're practically falling over trying to figure everyone out on this plane." He remained in his seat, with his ninth whisky in hand.

Clint pours himself some whisky and sits down, "I'll admit I am, but I suppose it's a habit. You never know who you're working with, like you, I don't know why, but you make me uneasy. Something about the way you seemed to be speaking for yourself. Normally I would keep this for myself but we're stuck in this piece of flying metal and there's not much else to do. So... what where you doing ? Speaking to yerself or something else?

"Talking to the loa in my head. This helps me hear them better." Baron raised his glass to Clint and took a swig. The loa were spirits, which meant that Baron, like his appearance suggested, was a vodou shaman. "They want to come out and see what the fuss is all about, but I convinced them to stay put for now. Like you, they can tell someone here is not who he seems to be." Baron looked unperturbed by what he just revealed. "Not much we can do about it for now, unless you want to bring the whole plane down."

"Well, don't know why, but something like that may still happen. I swear I saw some weapons and aircraft schematics on his datapad... and it feels kind of out of place here...

"The Singaporean dataslave? Let's see if he rigs the plane. If not, then it's better to deal with him when we land. Give the elf a heads up too, so that she can be ready when things happen."

Clint changes places to get near Siouxie again, "Just a heads up, Lim seems to have an unusual quantity of weapons and planes schematics on his datapad, and it gives me an itch I can't scratch... Baron over there also knows and the loa in his head are restless also. Be prepared for anything...

"Funny you should mention trouble. I feel it too. I'm now more convinced that some of the cargo that was loaded weren't simply studio equipment. I arrived earliest, and saw at least three steel containers wheeled into the rear hold. Unusual for a private jet." All three runners, Clint, Baron and Siouxie, had separately sensed and weighed their suspicions at one point or other in their journey.

Clint looks a second time at all the personnal aboard, this time looking for signs of nervousness or signs of overalertness...

Clint noted all the details on the plane, where the emergency equipment and exits were, whether people stay put where they were, or moved around. He even watched the flight attendant's behaviour. The only persons he did not yet manage to meet or greet were the pilots in their cockpit.

There was nothing eventful for the most part of the flight after that. The other passengers continued to be engrosssed with whatever it was that they were doing. It was not till much later, when the flight display on the wall panel showed that they were less than an hour away from neo-Tokyo, that one of the attendants came out of the cockpit and headed towards the studio chief's assistant, and spoke with him in a low voice. Clint could read an expression of concern on her face, as if there was trouble afoot.

Not concerned with ettiquette at the moment, Clint signals Siouxie and Baron to stay alert then goes directly to the studio chief's assistant, "There seems to be a problem, anything I can help with ?

The assistant, Shin Negumi, an efficient-looking corp exec, looked up, surprised at Clint's sudden appearance. He barely had a chance to convey whatever news he had just received to his own boss. "Nothing we cannot handle Mr Jericho, thank you for your concern. Please, take your seat, we will make sure that you will arrive safely." His tone betrayed his assuring words. After all, Clint hadn't said anything about flight trouble or flight safety. Negumi got up, and started to follow the attendant back to the cockpit.

Speaking before Mr. Negumi gets to the cockpit,"I already know something's wrong, it would be in our common interest if you would tell me about it. You happen to have a few people on board that have skills most people don't, and it happens they all want to stay alive also. As partners, I ask you to be honest with us... You have nothing to hide do you ?...

Negumi looked at Clint. The fact that there was indeed some trouble was written plainly across his face. In fact, Clint's words riveted everyone's else attention in the passenger section. Interestingly, the person who replied wasn't Negumi, but Thomas Ozaka, the studio executive, still seated in his armchair at the back. "Very perceptive Mr Jericho. And also our other guests Mr Baron and Ms Maryland. Tell me, do you have enemies Mr Jericho? People who wish you ill? The very fact that I represent Hisato-Turner means the other corps are immediately and always our competition in the most cutthroat of ways.

Someone is attempting to reroute our plane. We have precautions and measures to deal with this. Unless you have some proficiency in rigging we are unware of, the best you can do right now is the remain calm. Stay vigilant, if you must." He waved Negumi to proceed into the cockpit to handle matters.

Clint gets closer to Mr. Osaka and whispers so no one else can hear, "As you have guessed, I have no proficiency in rigging,but...", Clints eyes flicker to the data slave for less than a second, "...if the problem comes from within the plane, theres more than enough I can do..."

Negumi stepped back out of the cockpit. "The signal is coming from within the plane. That's what allowing whomever it is to try and control the plane." The assistant spoke quietly to Ozaka, in Clint's presence. The rest of the passengers were now well aware of the hushed exchanges. Takeshi and Lim had paused whatever it was that they were doing. Baron and Maryland were on alert. Even Sakita was serious, all traces of her happy-go-lucky attitude had evaporated.

"We will be landing at Narita, rather than Kansai Airport as planned." The pilot announced. It seemed whomever was rerouting the plane simply wanted the plane to use the main neo-Tokyo airport, rather than the private airstrip originally intended. Narita International Airport was one of the largest airports in the world, with a huge turnover due to its suborbital flights, and high security. It seemed strange to want to redirect a plane there.

"Siouxie, Baron, if any one of you can read auras, now is the time... For the rest of you it seems someone from inside is trying to modify our course, anyone wants to come clean before we find him or her ?"
Clint stays really attentive to everybody's reactions...

Clint, who had spent much of the entire journey watching the others, was certain that his intuitive assessment of the rest of the passengers was spot on. He felt he could trust Siouxie the most, and that Takeshi and Sakita, who he met a day ago, was as genuine as their first conversation regarding the the casting offer. Negumi and boss Ozaka seemed to be more than mere corp execs, but Clint hadn't quite figured out what or who they were. However, they were the ones most concerned, and most vested in ensuring the safety of the plane.

That left two people, one was the Baron, who was very hard to read and judge. Perhaps he was simply a very warded mage who never let his guard down. Being a fellow runner made Clint want to trust his intentions though. The other was Lim, who was suspicious to Clint from the start. While he looked as anxious as the rest on the announcement of the plane's remote hijack, he didn't seem as if he was helpless in this entire situation.

Siouxie had occupied herself with her own magic, but slumped backwards suddenly after what seemed like a spell she was attempting to cast. "The mana is thin at high altitudes. But I have detected a device in the cargo hold that does not belong. It is likely the source of what is allowing the plane to be controlled."

"Must be an uplink re-broadcaster," Negumi filled in, and immediately headed to the rear of the plane to get to the access door into the hold. "Allows control at close range without noise, otherwise surface to air or wireless rigging would not be possible at great distances."

At Clint's warning, Baron had summoned a spirit of air next to him. "Take precautions you say? Someone here is an enemy?" This immediately riveted everyone's attention, and Negumi came back to stand by Ozaka's side.

The plane began its landing descent, it would be no more than ten minutes to touchdown.

Siouxie could you come with me to find this uplink ? If we find it, we coulddestroy it and continue on our original route. Baron, can you make sure everyone stays calm and seated ?

"Sure, give me a sec. That spell took a lot out of me. Mages and devices don't go well together." Siouxie did look visibly drained. It was indeed the case that highly advanced technological objects greatly resisted any magic brought upon them, even if it were a straightforward detection spell.

"Hold on." Negumi said. "For all I know, one of you is the culprit behind this. This plane serves Ozaka, and I am responsible for both his and its safety." The assistant had a point, he was in charge after all, and had shouldered the responsibility of communicating with the pilot, and then with Ozaka. "No one goes behind by themselves." It seemed Negumi might require some persuasion.

Clint let's out a laugh, Don't know if you realized it yet, but I'm saving your ass right now. As you said, you're responsible.... You're responsible for letting a third party hijack your plane and redirect it. Think your bosses are gonna be happy with the outcome? Wouldn't it be better if you were the one responsible for stopping this hijack attempt? Anyway, I'm going in the cargo with Siouxie and there's nothing you can do to stop me. Instead how about you come along with the keys and make sure we're not hindered by a locked door.

"My priority is to see this plane and all its passengers land safely, any heroics to try and take back the plane to stop the hijack will get us all killed. It still appears we're headed for the airport, the hijack doesn't seem to be trying to crash us. There's something, or someone, on board they want, intact and alive." Negumi spoke logically. "However, I do agree we should locate the device." He communicated for the pilot to remotely unlock the door to the hold.

"Something or someone valuable." Baron interjected drily. "But it ain't us Jericho."

Never is Baron, never is... Clint turns around towards the cargo, let's get going, not sure how much time we have.
Clint starts toward the cargo, not waiting to see if Siouxie and/or Negumi are following...

The cargo hold was a smallish compartment, enough to generously transport the personal effects of a private jet, but that's all. As they entered, Clint saw various luggage, trunks and packages, including his own gear and armor. Right behind, where Siouxie led them to, were three identically looking metal boxes, the kind used to transport equipment. They had the HTB Corp logo emblazoned on one side, and another logo Clint did not recognise on the other.

'Needle in a haystack." Siouxie pointed to the one in the middle. The box was secured with a code lock.

"I don't have singular access to this. It requires my code as well as the code from the representative from Tengu Corp in neo-Tokyo." Negumi explained.

Well, let's see what I can do... There some tools around here...
Clint will look around (unless Negumi can tell him where there would be some)
and use them to try some lockpicking...

"I'm not sure what use you have for basic equipment." Negumi stepped over to a wall cabinet and pushed a button to reveal a rack of basic mechanical equipment, hammers, wrenches, multi-headed screwdrivers, an electronic scanner, a vibrosaw.

While Clint was looking for equipment, Siouxie had giving the metal case some attention. She traced the sigils of a spell onto the case, in an attempt to shape the metal in order to open it. However, the previous magic she had cast already drained her of much energy. Her spell did cause the metal surface to warp a little, but its integrity still held. The code lock also remained secure. The elven shaman collapsed onto the floor, winded, blood trickling out of her nose. "I'll be fine." She smiled weakly.

Negumi looked on doubtfully as Clint tried to pry open the case, without much success, as he didn't have the right tools.

Clint continues to work on the casing to open it...

Clint fiddled around the maglock with the only tools he could find, managing to pry part of the lock casing open, but he still couldn't release the lock.

Clint takes a look around to locate an emergency exit door, Siouxie, can you help me move that in front of the door. Mrs, Negumi, please advise the pilot we will open the door a few moments... Once the box is in place, Clint looks around for a harness or something to secure himself and an oxygen mask... Get out of the room, I'll open the emergency exit and throw the box out, I'm sure we'll be out of range of its systems in a matter of seconds...

The other exit to the cargo bay was the loading door at the rear end of the plane. Opening it allowed for goods and items to be transported in and out of the plane, but it was a big hydraulic affair, to open it is to lower a small ramp and create an air pressure imbalance to pull everything out.

Siouxie understood what Clint was planning and together they moved the case to the edge of the door. Negumi said, "I can control the door from the central control inside once you're ready." Both of them followed Clint's orders and promptly exited the hold. As instructed, Negumi gave Clint some moments to secure himself. The plane was already beginning its final landing descent. Then the door opened ...

Clint had both grabbed tightly and braced himself against the handholds on the wall when the rear door open. Immediately the tremendous suction in the open bay door dragged the case out of the plane and into the air. That wasn't the only item it pulled out though. Other unsecured items, loose luggage, small objects whoosed out as well. Some of these buffeted Clint as they haphazardly flew past him, causing him to lose his grip! The street cowboy tumbled violently towards the open exit, smashing into things along the way. It appeared that he was about to join these as a casualty of the chaos ...

Grasping at anything his hands could find, Clint continued to slip precariously towards the open exit door. The flying boxes and cases slammed against him, making it hard for him to find a way to stop himself from falling out of the plane. The struts his last hope. His agile reflexes kicked in, enabling him to brace against his last tumble and shove him towards the metal bar. Gripping it with all his might, he hung on for dear life as the rest of the unsecured cargo fell out of the plane.

After what seemed like an eternity, the plane began to level. And moments after that, the bay door began to close. It finally sealed shut, flopping Clint unceremoniously onto the floor. The cabin entrance opened, and Negumi and Baron entered. "Still alive and here?" Baron surveyed the disarray and shrugged. "Can't say the same of my luggage."

Negumi was still his serious self. "The pilot has regained control of the plane. Without the jamming, Narita aviation control patched through, and for our safety and security we're been instructed to land so that they can investigate the hijacking." He did not seem pleased by this, but if there were reasons for his displeasure, he did not reveal it.

With that, the plane began its descent again, this time under their control.

Then you should give them our coordinates at the moment the cargo doors openned to help them find the box.
After making sure his own bag was still secured in the cargo, Clint goes back to his seat.

Clint had not only risked his own life in attempting to get rid of the re-broadcaster which allowed the plane to be hacked, everything else in the cargo hold was equally at risk. His heroic actions had the unintended consequence of losing much of what was being transported out the bay door. That anxious thought crossed his mind as he checked on his own luggage, the duffel bag containing his weapons, and the suitcase with his customised armour.

As luck would've had it, Clint's possessions were intact, fortuitously wedged in a corner and stacked underneath other equipment. Of the three matching cases, one of which contained the tracker, two were gone, with one remaining. Everything else needed sorting out.

Clint went back to his seat, leaving Negumi to talk to Ozaka in private, and watched Baron check on Siouxie's condition. Takeshi and Lim were deadly serious and quiet, and even Sakita was muted. The plane landed without further fuss, and they were greeted by airport security as well as a tactical police squad. The chief investigator, a level-head dwarf, had requested very politely that he required some time with all of them for questioning, but promised to make the session as painless as possible as he led them to an airport transfer vehicle, and to a comfortable office to do so.

The entire situation seemed secure for now, although the big question remained unanswered: what was the entire point of the hijacking? It seemed that all it intended to do was to force the plane to land at Narita airport, the busiest airport in the world, which was where it was now at, rather than at the private Kansai airport on the outskirts.

Clint cooperates with the security forces since there is nothing to be gained by opposing them now...

The chief investigator, Basho, was very polite and professional, typical of the Japanese. He efficiently breezed through the details of the entire incident, while his assistant recorded everything Clint said faithfully, noting down all of Clint's observations of the plane and passengers, and even his suspicions.

"Mr Westwood, while I must praise you for your quick thinking in saving the plane from what might have been a catastrophe, I have one or two more questions for you which I will require an honest answer to. Could you explain why you are traveling under a fake SIN, and also why you are attempting to bring these weapons into Japan under this false identity?" The assistant displayed the inventory of Clint's luggage, which contained his armor and various guns.

Of course inspector Basho. The answer is pretty simple actually, my parents lived off the lands in old farmlands far from the city and never bothered registering me to the local authorities. Being home-schooled, I was already pretty old before I learned about SINs. I admit I should apply for a legal SIN but I have been negligent on that part. As for the guns, I am often hired to teach about the cowboy life and skills, like outdoor survival, hunting and tracking, how to take care of animals. I can also teach how to handle most firearms, but I specialize with rifles. I have also been hired as a guide or to hunt dangerous, very dangerous animals. That's what the armor is for. If you want, I'd be happy to give a few shooting tips to your boys. As for now I've been hired by some studios...

Inspector Basho seemed to accept Clint's explanation as he listened intently. "While you're explanation is an acceptable one, please understand that visiting Japan with a false identity is illegal. We require you to register a real SIN with immigration authorities, which you can do so immediately after we are done here." Clint put two and two together. Had he arrived in a private jet in a private airport as per Takeshi's original arrangement, he would've avoided this problem. Unfortunately he now had to go through proper immigration procedures. Hopefully that would not complicate things later. "Secondly, unlike the CAS, Japan takes a dim view of openly carried firearms. While you may own them because they are registered to you, you are not permitted to use them in this country. We will log the IDs of each of your weapons, should we need to trace their usage. The armor you may wear freely, although you might want to consider its appropriateness at certain public places." Basho explained everything slowly and clearly, so that there was no misunderstanding. After all, Clint was a gaijin, or foreigner, and Japanese laws and culture had their idiosyncrasies.

"Anything else in your mind that you would like us to know which will aid in our investigation? Or do you have any questions of your own?" Basho was bringing the interview to a close.

Knowing respect goes a long way with japanese culture, Clint switches to japanese, even if just a basic one, [japanese] Shitsumon wa arimasen. Anata no bunka ni tsuite no watashi no chishiki no fusoku ni anata no nintai ni kansha shimasu. Watashi ga anata no hōritsu o sonchō shi, sonchō suru gaijindeatte mo, watashi wa saizen o tsukushimasu.
Clint bows to inspector Basho in what he thinks is a traditionnal bow, and then waits to be shown where to go next.

Basho looked up at Clint with a mild expression of surprise, which he did not try to conceal. Instead, he stood up as well to return the bow. "I wish you a pleasant stay in Japan Mr Westwood. May you be a gaijin only in body but not in spirit." He replied reciprocally in his perfectly accented English.
Outside the office, an immigration officer processed Clint's personal particulars with a fingerprint, blood and retina scan. He was very efficient, and generated Clint's new SIN almost immediately, uploading his details to an central international database. He was now Clint Westwood, legal person.
Clint met most of the others in the holding area except for Sakita and Ozaka, who seemed have already left earlier. Takeshi was profusely apologetic for the entire debacle, and was eager to escort Clint, together with Siouxie and Baron, to their hotels. Before they were led to their limousines, Negumi paused in front of Clint, "If you have some time tomorrow, Mr Ozaka would like to speak with you further. Once Takeshi is done with you, of course." He blipped his name card over to Clint's commlink, and departed as well.