Jasper I: Venus Flytrap

January 2, 2076
Thursday, Cubao Quezon City

Party ended early last night. Jasper's party got interrupted by troublemakers and the club had to send home their patrons so they can 'deal with' the rowdy guests. Apparently, some one had snitched to the cops about the 'market research' Jasper was conducting at one of his establishments.

You received a message on your commlinks from a contact named Mariposa, it seem Jasper's group wanted to initiate you so they're offering a job. Details will be discussed on the location: Rapture. If you're into drag queens, you must've been in this infamous place at least once in your stay in Metro Manila. Your meeting's set at 7 AM. Too early right? Usually the party ends in rapture at around this hour but due to the events that transpired last night the management were able to prep the place earlier.

Mariposa said you'll be going on an interview. Dress well, be punctual, bring your gear.

In the morning, the streets are busy. Rapture is an establishment below the LRT-2(Train) and along Aurora Boulevard. 7 AM traffic meant that the vehicles are moving at snails pace. Walk too slow and your bound to bump to a million other people rushing on their way to work. The street's loud at this hour. You can see a long line of commuters on the sidewalk of Aurora. Over twenty thousand people trying to get in the train that can only accommodate three hundred every ten-minutes. Add to that the 37 degree celsius heat, the stench of unmaintained sewers, the smell of dried vomit on the sidewalks, sweat, smoke from slow moving vehicles... you might find that silver lining in being a shadowrunner: you do not have to deal with this every single day.

Heat and walking in a polluted district in Metro Manila is not a thing one can get used to. Smog makes the sweat sticky and that takes away poise for most, but for shadowrunners like Katz, this is normal. As she walks the streets of Metro Manila, she must've overheard wage slaves chat about the fire in Tondo the night before, they were talking about how Maximilian's crew started the fire.

Katz enters Rapture. The door was open but the club's empty. The club's clean, smells like bleach more than alcohol and cigarettes. The lights are turned off. Ac's turned off as well but it's cooler her than outside, quieter as well. Management must've soundproofed the first floor.

As you walk around the bar you saw blood on the floor, a trail made when a body gets dragged across the floor. A trail that leads towards a wall. A secret passage? You know that these secret passages are common among Jasper's clubs.

Three minutes passed and still no one shows up. Thankfully there was water on the fridge, kept you chill for the few minutes waiting. In the silence you could hear footsteps coming from the floor above. You can't find any staircase leading up where you are so perhaps the stairs' beyond the not so hidden passage.

You investigate the wall and realized what it is... a hologram. The blood's real though.

A woman's voice called out to you from inside the wall.

"Get up here Ms. Katz, we have things to discuss." The voice says.

Seems the party may have ended but the troublemakers were out.

'Must be a full moon or something. Drek, 7:05am. I hate being late.' Kore says to himself as he makes his way hurriedly to the setup. That corpse would have been blanked for sure if he hadn't intervened. Muggers need to get a real job and a haircut.

Mariposa, Mariposa. Now, what the hell can I find out about this Johnson? With that, he sends a quick message from his link to Tala, Corozon and Reyna. He also forwards the message he received from Mariposa. He hopes he has dressed appropriately though the Armor Jacket brings the standard down slightly. Will pick up the suit later on.

Commlink Message: ... Hoi! Need information about a Johnson by the name of 'Mariposa'. Methinks he works for Jasper group. Also about a place called Rapture. Heading there now for a meet and greet. Speed and accuracy of information would be good. Forwarding message received from Johnson too! ...

'Luckily I'm g'ed up!', he muses. The slight warmth of the twin Predators in their quick holsters he used on the unfortunate mugger gives him a confident bounce in his step. The knife strapped to his lower leg will help. The Ingram feels a little bulky at the back but getting those 'shoosh' straps stops the sound of movement. He adjusts the Ruger on the midriff holster. Good to go!

Damn it's hot today. He quickens his pace and arrives at Rapture. He enters the establishment carefully. He feels the familiar surge as he flips the switch on his powers.

Hmmm! Doors open but clubs empty and bleached. Cleaners must have been in. Wonder what they had to clean up? Lights are off, no worries low-light will kick in. Thanks, Mum! Yay! At least it's cooler in here.

"Hoi! Anybody in here?" as he steps quietly to the side to ensure he has a wall at his back.

3 Hits

Just as Katz was checking out the wall. She heard Kore call out.

---

If his contacts knew anything about Mariposa or Rapture, Kore won't know yet.

---

"Dearie, I would paint the whole club but that 'paint' is rare I'd prefer if you don't step on it." The voice responds.

The holographic wall disappears revealing the next room. Blue light turned on. The next room has doors that lead to three bathrooms, a broken window, and a staircase going up. There's an abstract painting on one wall and the window leads not outside but instead on another dark room.

I guess the staircase is the only way up, Kore figures. He moves towards the staircase.

"Kore. So ... what's going on here? I got waylaid and arrived late. Did you do this?" and Kore points to the blood and the 'quick' clean up.

"Oh! Um ... ok! So what are we up to then? Where's our Johnson?"