Shadow of the Waxwing Slain, Ch 3
The Fearful Actor
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Chapter 3: The Fearful Actor
LAPD HQ - Holden’s Office
Holden stared at the Esper print-out of the unknown detective who was spotted at the Empathy Movement protest before the bomb went off. He held a cigar in one hand, smoke drifting up towards the whirling ceiling fan.
Out the window, the smog was giving way under a drizzle as the sky grew darker, the afternoon slowly giving way to the evening, neon lights flickering on all over the city.
After a period of silence, Fletcher spoke up. “As I said, there’s nothing about that guy or his badge number on the Mainframe, like someone wiped it clean. Who could do something like that? Who would?”
“Close the door, Dee," Holden said.
Dee got up and shut the door before returning to her seat.
Holden leaned forward, pointing with his cigar in their direction. “His name is Cron Rhodes. He was a detective, a hell of a good one. Two years ago, he went undercover investigating the Underground. His partner wound up dead and Rhodes was MIA. He’s been off the grid, until now. That’s what I know.”
Fletcher - Insight: 2d10 = 8,2 → 1 Success.
Push to reroll the 2: 6. Final result: 8,6 → Crit Success!
Holden’s strongest emotion: 6 → Disgust
Fletcher can tell he’s lying about something.
Fletcher could tell Holden was disgusted by Rhodes’ actions, but that wasn’t everything. “Rhodes is a replicant, isn’t he?” Fletcher asked.
Dee glanced at him.
Holden gritted his teeth. He avoided looking at Dee. “After looking into it, we found out he was an N-8.”
“An N-8 pretended to be a detective for years and you did not know?” Dee asked, in disbelief.
“After the blackout, we had no records of the N-8s. It was thought they were eradicated but we all know that’s not true. Now they are hiding, nearly invisible.”
“What better place to hide than the RDU?” Fletcher said. “We’d never expect it.”
“That still doesn’t explain why there’s no information on the Mainframe,” Dee said.
Holden put out his cigar, leaning back. “It would look pretty bad on us if this came out, wouldn’t it? Wallace Corp didn’t need any more bad press about replicants either, so once we couldn’t find Rhodes, we erased everything. All records that he worked here, everything on the Mainframe he was connected with. Luckily he was mostly a loner, except for his partner, so there weren’t alot of officers around here asking questions.”
“And now he shows back up, taking something from Gabor Nanjiani in disguise, possibly connected to an explosion at an Empathy Movement protest,” Fletcher said, shaking his head.
Holden stabbed his finger down on the desk. “If you find Rhodes in the course of your investigation, you have immediate authorization to retire him, understand? Assume he is armed and extremely dangerous.” He looked at Dee, who nodded. Holden took a key, walked back to a filing cabinet, and unlocked the top drawer. He pulled a slim folder out, sat back down and opened it in front of the detectives.
There was a half sheet of paper, with a fuzzy dark photo of the detective, and a serial number written by hand on below it.
Holden looked at Dee. “Memorize it, you can’t take this with you. You can find more information at Wallace Corp.”
Dee stared at it for ten seconds before looking back at Holden and nodding.
Holden put it back in the cabinet and locked it. “Keep me informed. You’re dismissed.”
Dee sat at her desk, across from Fletcher at his. She took a moment, feeling weary and tired.
Dee takes +1 stress for going 4 shifts without downtime.
Fletcher has “Married to the Job” so he can go 4 shifts without downtime before taking stress.
She shook her head, forcing herself to stay awake. “We need to go after Gabor. He’s clearly involved.”
“This case is getting complicated,” Fletcher said. “We need to be careful, but yes, I agree. Bringing Gabor in is an immediate priority.”
“Time to see if he’s at home?” Dee asked, standing up and grabbed her coat.
“Hold on, let’s see what the word on the street is, he’s a well-known guy, I’m sure someone knows where he is.” Fletcher made a phone call.
Connections: d10 + d8 = 8,2
Success
(BR:RPG) Randomly-Generated Location:
Sector 9: Commercial District
Financial District
Razdora Eatery
“Razdora Eatery, fancy restaurant in the Fashion District. He’s having dinner.” Fletcher closed his phone, looking at Dee. “You impressed yet?”
She ignored the taunt. “If we come at him at the restaurant, it will draw attention.”
“Unfortunately, we don’t have the luxury of time, not if there’s a possibility of another bomb.” Fletcher looked at Dee. “You go to Wallace to find more about Rhodes, I’ll bring Gabor in for questioning.”
Dee shook her head. “No, I will bring Gabor in. You can go to Wallace.” Her voice was iron. “We are partners. I am not your subordinate.” She stood tall, meeting Fletcher’s gaze with her own. “I can do this.”
Fletcher took a moment, considering it. It seemed risky, but she clearly felt she had something to prove. And she clearly didn’t want to go back to Wallace Corp.
Could he trust her to do this, though? She was a replicant, after all. Could she handle a delicate matter like this?
She deserved a chance, though, didn’t she?
He nodded. "Fair enough, Dee. Bring him in. I’ll meet you back here.”
Shift 4: Evening
Location: Wallace Corp - Records Library
Usually, it costs 1 promotion point and takes a Connections roll to access Wallace Corp. resources, but Quell has already offered them so I’m going to wave that cost and roll this time.
Fletcher walked the quiet tomb-like corridors of the records library, the walls looked like sandstone, lit dimly by pale yellow lights which left most of the space in shadow. He came to a narrow horizontal opening in the wall, behind which an archivist worked, pale, bald and wearing a slick black full-body suit. “Looking up an old serial number,” Fletcher said, leaning down, and offering a slip of paper, which he’d had Dee write Rhodes’ serial number down on before they’d gone their separate ways.
The archivist said nothing, typing the number in.
Fletcher leaned against the wall as he waited for a few minutes.
“Come with me,” the archivist came out into the hall and led Fletcher down the hallway and into a large room, filled with 10-foot tall wooden containers, numbers on the side designating different sections and files. The archivist led Fletcher through the stacks to a certain one, pressing one of the numbers. A tray slid out, containing rows of thick plastic replicant ID cards. The archivist pulled one out and held it up to the light.
“I’ll take it from here,” a voice called out, emerging around the corner of a stack.
Fletcher recognized Quell, Wallace Corps’ Public Relations manager.
The archivist walked over and handed the card to Quell before leaving.
“Quell, always a pleasure,” Fletcher managed a smile. He’d been forced to deal with her multiple times throughout his investigations.
Quell reviewed the ID card as she walked over and crossed her arms. “I was under the impression, both from your Chief Officer, Holden, and from your partner, Ms. Dee, that I would be kept up to date on any findings in this case.”
“I was about to come find you right after, Ms. Quell, I assure you.” Fletcher put on his best, most charming smile. “Trust me, we all want the same thing. I didn’t want to come to you before I had anything important to report.”
Manipulate: 2d10
2d10 = 4,1 → Failure
She didn’t take the bait. “Come with me to my office and report your findings on the case so far. You will not be leaving with this information until I’m satisfied.” She turned and walked away, leaving Fletcher to follow.
Location: Sector 9 - Commercial - Fashion District - Razdora Eatery
Dee stopped at her cramped, LAPD-provided apartment and changed into something more appropriate, a form-fitting black dress and heels. She combed her mid-length blond hair and looked at her self in the mirror. She appeared presentable.
Razdora Eatery sat atop one of the tall skyscrapers in the ulta-glamorous Fashion District. This was where the ultra-rich and ultra-famous enjoyed themselves. It had tinted glass walls and a landing platform out front, where valet would take customer’s vehicles and park them in the parking garage below the restaurant.
Dee piloted her spinner down onto the platform, getting out, opening an umbrella against the rain and exchanging her keys with the valet.
The two bulky bouncers in black suits out front, opened the double glass doors for her.
She pulled her umbrella down as she entered.
The ambiance within oozed luxury. The bar, tables and chairs were looked as if they were wooden, an extreme rarity these days, even if it was fake. On the windows were screens showing a generated version of the evening cityscape, without the smoke, smog or detritus of the actual city.
Patrons were dressed in exquisitely-tailored suits and dresses, in muted neutral tones ranging from black to gray to pale green and brown.
Dee informed the hostess she didn’t have a reservation and just wanted to sit at the the bar. As she made her way over, she saw Gabor at a table.
Gabor wore a pristine white suit, white tie, white vest, and black sunglasses, despite the dimness of the restaurant. He had light brown skin and short, fuzzy black hair. He was sitting next to his agent, a man in a gray suit and matching pants, looking agitated and a woman in a long cream-colored dress. They had plates of half-finished food and were drinking glasses of wine.
Dee took a seat at the bar close to Gabor’s table and ordered the cheapest thing on the drinks menu, a light beer. She watched the mirror behind the bar and listened carefully.
What are they talking about?
(UNE) NPC(agent): Scheming. Bearing: Bargain. Focus: Knowledge
The agent is scheming about a bargain for knowledge.
“Gabe, Gabe, come on, this will be good for us. We give them a little somethin’, they give us something, right? Think of the deals we’ve done, look how far you’ve come, look at this place, yeah? I can get you even more.”
“I’ll think about it, Aylo, alright?”
Dee is going to try to get Insight about Gabor’s mood while she watches and listens.
Insight: D8 + D6 = 6,4 → Success
Gabor’s mood: 1d8 = 3 → Fear
As the conversation and evening continued, Dee noticed little movements in Gabor’s face and body language, as well as his tone of voice and responses, that he was afraid. Afraid of what, she didn’t know, but she could detect a slight tremble when he held his fork, or took a drink of wine. He was scared.
At one point, he excused himself to go to the bathroom.
Dee followed him into the back hallway and waited for him to come out of the bathroom.
When he did so, she stepped in front of him, stopping from walking out into the room. “Mr. Nanjiani, I’m an RDU detective. I need you to come with me to the station so I can ask you some questions.”
“What the hell?” He said, stepping back.
“I know you’re afraid of someone or something. Come with me and tell us what you know, or things will get worse for you.”
Manipulation. I think having the Insight gives an Advantage, but I think it’s a big risk for Gabor, so that would be a disadvantage, which cancel each other out.
Manipulation: 2d8 = 7,1 → Success
Gabor let out a deep breath. “Okay, okay, but…”
“Go to your table and tell them you’re coming home to sleep with me. I’ll take you to the station and nobody will know,” Dee said matter-of-factly.
Gabor looked taken aback, but after a moment or two, he nodded. “Alright, I’ll do it.”
Wallace Corp - Quell’s Office
“I’ll tell you what we’ve got,” Fletcher said. “But it ain’t much.” He told her about the fibers found at the crime scene, that the explosive was highly advanced, military-grade, and that using the Esper, they had photos showing Cron Rhodes at the scene. He didn’t mention anything else. “Once I checked the Mainframe, we talked to Holden and heard the story about Rhodes, which is why I’m here. It’d be nice to know a little more about the dangerous killer N-8 that may be involved in our case.”
Quell sat behind her desk, ID card in front of her. “That’s everything?”
Fletcher nodded. “Everything. Can I see it now?”
“When you find Rhodes, what then?”
“We have the authority to retire him on sight,” Fletcher said.
She stared at him over the desk. “Very well, here you go. Review it at your leisure but you may not take it with you.”
“Thank you,” he said, taking the ID Card and looking it over. It had basic information, Rhodes’ incept date, physical appearance and his physical/mental attributes, which were ranked fairly high.
Probably why he’d made such a good detective.
“Anything else you can tell me about him?” Fletcher asked.
“He’s smart. Probably smarter than you. We tried to find him after he killed his partner and we couldn’t. That suggests intelligence and resources beyond what is expected.” She gave a fake smile. “Thank you for your cooperation. I expect it to continue.”
LAPD - RDU
“I’m impressed,” Fletcher said, looking at Gabor Nanjiani sitting in an interrogation room. “Good job.” He glanced at her, looking her dress and heels up and down.
Dee shrugged. “He’s scared about something. I used it.” She looked at him and raised an eyebrow. “Seems I am more capable than you expected.”
“Seems so,” he said, smirking, looking back through the one-way glass at Gabor, who was sweating. Fletcher knew he should tell Dee to take a break, get some downtime, she’d been pushed beyond her limits, but they had a willing suspect to interrogate, one she’d made a connection with. He couldn’t send her home now, and he doubt she’d listen if he did.
“Looks like we’re working late again.”
Shift 5: Night
Upkeep
Fletcher and Dee will both take another Stress for working through shift 5 without downtime. I’ll probably do Promotion and Humanity points next chapter as we’ll be at or beyond shift 6. Also, they both lose a Promotion Point as Quell calls Holden, unhappy. He will call and ream them out next chapter.
Chapter 3 log
I’m very happy with how this is going so far. I will admit there is so much in the Blade Runner core book that I am almost constantly referencing it. It’s all good stuff but there’s so much to think about when considering investigating a case, including where to go, what resources to use, how detectives do things, what this place is like vs what this other place is like, etc. Also, there’s some good basic info but not alot of specifics so I’m using quite a bit of creative thinking to figure out details of the places these detectives keep going to. I’m doing the best I can, and it seems to be going well for now. I’m really enjoying the characters and their interactions. I hope I’m being detailed enough about the world, places and people.
As for Solo Tools this chapter, I used the UNE (Universal NPC Emulator) to generate something for Gabor and his agent to be talking about, which worked pretty well! It’s a pretty great resource and is PWYW. A very useful tool. I also renamed my ‘NPC Mood Generator’ to ‘NPC Strongest-Emotion Generator’ because I think that’s a better name for it.
Thanks for reading.
Another good read. Thank you!