PRIVATE Do Me A Favor

[Ryan Graves]

The streets of Heywood pulsed with their usual nocturnal rhythm, lowriders creeping past, neon saints reflecting off polished chrome, and the murmur of street deals being made in dark corners. Ryan knew this part of town better than most, hell, he grew up here. Cutting through alleyways and side streets until he rolled up to a Valentino chop shop buried between rundown garages. Flipping down the brake, he saw the metal roll-up door was half-open, a skeletal Luchador mural grinning back at him like it was in on some joke.

Ryan killed the engine on his Yaiba, swinging a leg off the bike as he scanned the faces lingering around the shop. A few familiar Valentinos loitered outside, smoking and watching him with casual, knowing glances. Without hostility, they took note of who was stepping into their space. Standard Heywood etiquette, a Valentino enforcer threw up a nod, giving Ryan course to throw one back in return.

He didn't bother with pleasantries, walking up to the nearest banger elbow-deep in a gutted Quadra and leaned against the frame of a stripped-down Chevalier.

"Lookin' for Bella."

The gearhead barely glanced up from his work, then jerked a thumb toward the back. "Inside."

Redline pushed through the garage, weaving between stacks of stripped parts and crates loaded with stolen goods. The deeper he went, the quieter it got until he found himself in the back room, where @Isabella Santos supposedly was handling some business.

He spotted her quick, a childhood friend annd Heywood native, her attention locked on whatever deal she was closing. She had that same Valentino edge as always, her ink tracing stories up her arms, her dark hair pulled back in a way that meant she wasn't about to waste time with small talk with a long white streak coursing through. A half-disassembled Militech AR rested on the workbench behind her, surrounded by ammo boxes and a bottle of tequila missing more than a few pours.

Ryan didn't interrupt, he moved against the nearest workable and leaned, waiting with his arms crossed. He cleared his throat obnoxiously, throwing off a smirky grin when he was sure he had her attention.

"Got some biz I need handled," he said, tapping on a couple money shards between two fingers. "Need some extra scratch cleaned, @Beau Frost can't digitally clean it all, at least not in the timeframe I'd need it done. I figured you had people who could move it quiet."

His other hand pulled a fat stack of cash from his jacket, setting it down beside the first. "And I need a Sandy. Military-grade, none of that bargain bin shit." He met her eyes, letting the weight of the request settle between them.

"And while you're thinking on that, I want you in on the next gig. @Red Bulloch job, decent payout, supposedly low risk as it's been scoped to hell and back.." Ryan reached in his pocket, retrieving a pack of smokes. He drew a cigarette and lit it up as it touched his lips.

"..we both know damn well how corpo snatch and grabs really go."

He took a drag, letting the moment sink in.

"It'll happen in the badlands, got some nomad contacts willing to help, but I could use another iron I trust. You in?"

@Isabella Santos​

 

[Isabella Santos]

@Ryan Graves

Biz... it never seemed to end these days, especially not for a netrunner of Bella's caliber. Things had been particularly sketchy in the net lately, creating a greater need for skills that only a runner like her could provide. That was neither here nor there, though, for all Bella was worried about was getting enough eddies to keep her baby running. Usually that never-ending search for the next bit of scratch came with a massive caveat, usually in the form of getting absolutely screwed. Thankfully, the deal Bella was closing had gone off without a hitch; a rather rare occurrence in the world of a runner.

She could hear Ryan's movement as he leaned against the work table. He was subtle, but something about his personal swagger was entirely unmistakable. She didn't bother to look up from the laptop at first, opting to finish wrapping up her biz. He'll get it, she'd tell herself. The man was one after her own heart, a merc through and through. He understood that butting in on another's biz was, well... bad for biz, but he knew even more to not interrupt Bella while she was at work. Though, Ryan could only keep his mouth shut for so long.

As his rather abrupt and almost comedic throat-clearing ensued, Bella's eyes rose from her terminal to meet his, albeit through her gold-tinted shades.

"And I'm sure said scratch has been accrued through entirely legit means with no catch."

The side of her mouth curled up in a sly half grin, the cheeky tone accompanied by a warm familiarity one can only give to a true choom. She stuck her hand out rather nonchalantly, motioning for him to fork over the shards.

"You know I got you, choom."

She let out a sigh at the mention of the Sandy. Not out of frustration, but rather a strong sense of inevitability. Such requests weren't rare for Ryan, and even before the eddies hit the table, she almost knew what he was going to ask.

"Looking to upgrade, huh? Shit, you really are shooting to earn a drink at the Afterlife."

The remark was followed by a quick chuckle. It was no secret that Ryan had aspired to achieving some level of notoriety. Hell, any solo that didn't look to move above their station would inevitably fall to the wayside. She just hoped that tales of Jackie Welles, Johnny Silverhand, and the like wouldn't go to his head.

"I have a ripper that can handle that. He's usually a Valentino exclusive, but, well... you know you get the Heywood hookup."

Heywood took care of its people, that much was true, and it always would be...

Her ears perked up at the mention of Red Bulloch. The woman was a new name on the scene, though she had been making a fair share of moves. Bella hadn't worked with her personally, but street cred spoke for itself, and Red seemed to be accruing plenty as of late.

"Red, huh? That former joytoy is really moving on up."

She traced the path of the smoke radiating off of his cigarette, her mind drifting as she considered all of the potential ways they could get screwed over.

"You know I'd do anything for ya, choom. But you also know I'm not enough of a gonk to go into a gig without full deets. So whatcha got for me?"​

 

[Ryan Graves]

Ryan smirked around the cigarette, exhaling a slow stream of smoke as he slapped the money shards into Bella's waiting palm. "Mostly legit." he cocked a coy grin, "Maybe a little fireworks."

He leaned back against the worktable, arms crossing as he watched her inspect the payout. Even through the gold-tinted shades, he could tell she was already running numbers in her head, weighing risk against reward like any smart operator. That was one of the things he liked about Bella all the way back to childhood, she didn't jump into the deep end without checking for sharks first. At the mention of the Sandy, he tapped the side of his temple. "I ain't looking to get smoked 'cause some gonk moves faster than me. Figure it's time I level the playing field." He took another slow drag before flicking the cigarette into a nearby tray. "If your ripper can handle it, I'll pay top eds, no haggling."

Bella's comment on Red had him huffing a small laugh, shaking his head. "Yeah, well, joytoy or not, she's got an eye for biz. Enough that I ain't brushing her off." He ran a hand through his hair, exhaling. "This job? Snatch and grab in the Badlands. Some Arasaka corpo trying to jump ship, make nice with Militech. Someone out there wants him bagged before he makes it to his new friends. And we're the ones making sure he gets an extended stay in wherever the fuck instead."

Ryan tapped the table twice, eyes steady on Bella. "He's carrying some stolen gear, nothing 'Saka knows is missing. Yet, we snatch that we are in for a bonus." He pulled a shard from his neck and slid it over his choom across from him. "Check it."

"Details are solid. We're stranding the convoy in Rocky Ridge.. place is a ghost town, dead signal zone, perfect for an ambush. They'll be rolling through with a tight security package, but nothing we can't crack open. Once they're stalled, we move in, bag the corpo, and get out before Militech even sniffs something's off." He waited for Bella to slot the shard into her setup, when she did the screen would flicker to life with a 3D projection of Rocky Ridge. Wireframe buildings casting neon-blue shadows over a virtual desert, the rundown ghost town stretched out before them, half-collapsed structures lining the main road, a perfect graveyard for an ambush.

"Here's the play," Ryan started, stepping closer and tapping a section of the display. A red marker pulsed over the main highway leading into town. "Convoy's coming in from the east, taking this route straight through. We are going to engage them, hit em' hard as they start hitting bad signal areas, gives us time to force them into Rocky Ridge. I got Nomads helping us on this one, we will push them to look for cover. No side exits, no backup once they're in. We stall 'em right here.. burn a wreck in the middle of the road, lay some buried charges along the shoulder in case they try to push through." He dragged a finger across the screen, shifting the perspective to highlight two flanking positions. "You, @Vex Kiranova, and the others take these buildings. Old storefronts, second-floor access. I'll be here with the Nomads.." another tap, a half-collapsed diner near the blockade lit up, "..close enough to hit 'em hard but with cover in case things get hairy. Once they're stuck, we cut their signal, scramble their netrunner before they can call mommy Militech."

Ryan let that hang in the air before gesturing to the center of town. A glowing marker labeled High-Value Target appeared over a reinforced vehicle. "Corpo's holed up in here. We crack the car, pull him out, and get gone before anyone realizes what the hell happened." He smirked, glancing back at Bella.

"Clean, efficient, and no extra bodies unless we bring 'em. But I need that netrunner dead in the water, or this whole thing turns into a shootout with a corpo death squad." He crossed his arms, giving her a look.

@Isabella Santos​

 

[Isabella Santos]

@Ryan Graves

He had the edds... of course he did. Ryan was always good for it. In all the time they had spent, he was probably one of the only mercs that Bella could trust. Yet, niceties were commonplace, even among fellow mercs. Thankfully, the man always delivered.

"Fireworks, eh? You say a bit, but we both know biz ain't that simple."

She had fully liberated herself from her pet project at this point, swinging her rolling stool closer to Ryan as he spoke.

"You know my ripper can handle it, you cheeky fuck. I'm just making sure your ass doesn't overdo it and go psycho on us. Sandy is some real heavy shit, ya know?"

She shot her own blend of cheeky right at him as she made the remark.

"Look, you know I trust you. If you say the gig is solid, I'm there. And I know Arasaka is struggling, but..."

Her voice caught for a moment.

"Militech is involved too? I mean, you know I would never doubt you, but you know I'm gonna always keep your gonk ass in check..."

She chewed on her lip for a moment as she mulled it over.

"If you can look me in the eyes and tell me this isn't sketch as all hell, then you know I'm there. But Ryan... you better be goddamn sure."

Sure, she trusted the man, but biz was biz, and Bella didn't wanna catch a bullet that wasn't worth it.

"​