Neon Shadows #5 - A Chaos of Clues

General Summary

Escape from the Lion’s Den

Monday, 3PM 2/14/2022 It was just past 3:00 PM on a chilly Monday when the group made their exit from Gina's apartment complex. Police sirens drowned out the sound of shattering glass as Jay cut an escape path through the floor to ceiling window of the second story. The chill in the air matching the tension that gripped them. Jay and Desmond jumped down while Deucalion teleported... and promptly passed out. Desmond, calm as ever under pressure, handled the wheel. He dropped Jay off in a bustling enclave ringed with signs in Chinese, the air thick with the smell of street food. Desmond then drove Deucalion, who was more ghost than man in that moment, to their base of operations—the Mezzanine. It's an ancient opera hall filled with whispers of its former glory, now serving as a haven for those who skulk in the shadows.

A Watchful Eye in the Shadows

Meanwhile, Jay couldn't shake the feeling that more was at play. He circled back to Gina's building, now crawling with cops sifting through the day's chaos. Hidden in the shadow of a nearby alley, he watched for hours, the cold gnawing at his bones, waiting for a sign that never came. His survey of Crank’s and Luko’s places later turned up nothing but the sting of disappointment as both spots were as deserted as forgotten graves.

Safe Tea Committee Meeting

Monday, 5:30PM 2/14/2022 The meeting at the tea house was steeped in secrecy as much as tea. Amidst the quiet clinks of fine porcelain, Jay, Desmond, and V3RM1N examined a laptop and a photo taken on New Year's Eve, depicting Gina with an unknown dark-haired man and Franny. Their conversation, a mix of speculation and strategy, was interrupted when V3RM1N’s gaze landed on the keypad lock of the safe. Its archaic design was a puzzle begging to be solved. Mention of Grigor Branislav, a Russian engineer known for his eccentricities, promised a solution.

Safe Cracking... with BORSCH!

Monday, 6PM 2/14/2022 The journey to Grigor’s workshop took them to the fringes of Neo-Tlamanih, where the city’s forgotten projects lie hidden under layers of dust and neglect. Grigor's workshop was as sturdy and standoffish as the man himself, the walls streaked with the patina of age. Inside, while Grigor fussed over his borsch—the price for his cooperation—the safe was pried open to reveal its contents: a hefty stash of cash, a mysterious simsense drive, a handwritten ledger, and a note marked with a future date. A side project on Franny's laptop unearthed an email, cryptic and ominous, warning to keep her away from the Barton Street mission.

Porn and Coffee, Coffee and Porn

Monday, 9PM 2/14/2022 Having returned from the Neo-Tlamanih badlands, the next scene unfolded in a crowded coffee shop, the air a blend of coffee beans and the low hum of city life. Here, Desmond and V3RM1N dug deeper into Gina's digital life. Amidst mundane emails and her spa appointments, they stumbled upon a simsense drive loaded with intimate, graphic content. The revelations were as unsettling as they were enlightening, painting a picture of personal lives entangled in potential scandal.

Bigger Fish - Found

9AM, Tuesday 2/15/2022 With the dawn, Desmond returned to his role as a detective, his mind reeling from the night’s discoveries. Utilizing a voice sample from the simsense drive, the New Years Even photo, he traced the mysterious Gene Vanisi, an accountant entwined with Broadlink United, a facade for more sinister activities hidden behind corporate veneers. The queries were long running and took most of the day.

Comparing Notes

Tuesday, 9PM 2/15/2022 As dusk fell, Desmond and V3RM1N convened to pool their findings. The discussion, laden with potential leads and dead ends, stretched into the night. They pieced together the puzzle of the Barton Street mission and the note indicating another event on the horizon. Each clue, each shred of evidence, added to a narrative that was as complex as it was disturbing. V3RM1N did his own digging into Gene and discovered truths more horrid than fiction, he is a key figure in a human trafficking ring disguised as a workforce management operation. As the investigation deepened, Desmond’s and V3RM1N’s findings began to sketch a horrifying tableau of exploitation and disappearance.

Sleuthing Luko

Wednesday, Early AM 2/16/2022 In the earliest hours, fueled by a blend of dread and determination, Jay took a chance on Luko's apartment. His gut proved right when he found Luko's car in the lot. What he discovered inside—the keys, and later, a mysterious package hidden in the car—promised more answers yet hinted at deeper dangers lurking in the shadows.