Neon Shadows #8 - Shadows at the Spa
General Summary
Going On Vacation
11:45 AM, Thursday 2/17 Desmond drove the team out of New Mexico City, navigating through wilted grass fields and the foothills of steep mountains. Their destination: a quaint hotel with a well-manicured garden and basic amenities. This was the jumping-off point for visitors to take a bus up to the Inta Sunrise Sol Spa resort. Alex, unfazed by the steep price, booked a room with two beds. Money seemed to mean nothing to him. The team split up: Desmond and Alex took the bus, while Deucalion and Jay opted for a cross-country run, like they had something to prove.Paranoia and Relaxation
3:00 PM, Thursday 2/17 Desmond and Alex arrived at the resort, a fusion of high-tech and nature. High-definition screens lined the walls of saunas, mud baths were followed by chemical cleansing. The cabins, built from large logs, contrasted with the guests' iridescent LCD kimonos. The resort was a communication dead zone, perfect for those seeking a disconnect. The air had that antiseptic smell of luxury, but Desmond and Alex sensed something was off. Jay arrived around 3:30 PM, exhausted from his 30-mile run, looking like he'd fought the devil and won. Jay and Desmond, worn out, slept deeply. Meanwhile, Alex roamed the resort network on his hacking device. Deucalion arrived at 5:45 PM and headed to the dining room to wait for his dinner reservation, the appreciative eyes of the waitstaff following him as he walked upstairs.Dinner, Laced With Clues... and Pie?
When Desmond, Alex, and Jay showed up for dinner, the hostess sent them off to get spruced up. Newly showered and shaved, dressed in fitted suits, they impressed as they re-entered the dining room. The dining room was bustling, with contestants baking pies for a competitive cooking show. The group discussed the clues they had gathered, mostly from Alex's hacking:- Gina checked in at 9 PM on Monday, 2/14, about 3 hours after the apartment fiasco.
- A suspicious amount of food was being delivered to Gina's room.
- The resort employed several military personnel, including a demolitions expert.
- Someone at the resort had paid Gina's bill, but the benefactor's identity was hidden.
Torturous Observations
They followed the waitress across the reservations arching stone bridge toward the main resort building. Once they saw the cart head inside, they decided to return to their room for equipment, just in case it was needed. Alex hacked into the resort's audio/video equipment and found a video feed from Gina's room. A grimy man, Lenny, a known bounty hunter and murderer, lay on her bed, armed with a silenced AK-47. In another room across the hall, a man lay bleeding, his foot and hand severed. Two men, dressed and armed similarly to Lenny, were watching TV, occasionally jabbing their captive. Lenny instructed them to call Gina in three hours, using the captive to motivate her. Reviewing the check-in logs, Alex noted that a Lawbringer MK2 unit registered itself with the resort network shortly after Gina's arrival. The resort staff was clearly keeping Lenny's crew out of sight. Jay peeked inside the main building and found it deserted. Deucalion and Desmond prepared to teleport into Lenny's room.Action in a Blip
Deucalion and Desmond teleported into Lenny's room, surprising him. Desmond grabbed the gun and shoved it in the criminal's face. He answered a few questions, then began to resist. They learned that Lenny was looking for Gina and the drugs. When his life was threatened, Lenny sounded confident that, if they killed him, they wouldn't leave the resort alive due to ... a piggy? As Lenny said the word pig, Alex saw the resort network come alive with Lawbringer access requests. Whatever or wherever the bot was, it was waking up. He shouted over the intercom for the team to evacuate, now! As Desmond opened fire, Lenny dived under the bed, evading the bullets. Deucalion teleported Desmond outside, and they ran back to their room with shouts coming from the building behind them.A Quiet Exit
Fearing the resort's armed guards, the team retreated. Jay hotwired a car and they drove away, arriving at the hotel parking lot around midnight. Back in cell range, Alex discovered Lenny's status as an official bounty hunter with a universal passport, license to kill and official status as a Person of Interest to Lawbringer. They pieced together that the cartel ran the resort and had dealings with Gina. The cartel must have hired or approved Lenny to find Gina, and sanctioned his stay in the resort. Everythings other than that was a huge unknown. The team learned that Gina purchased a one-way plane ticket to Texas and went dark on her bank accounts. If that was common knowleadge, then why did Lenny bother waiting for her at the resort? Unless he didn't know... When checking the gear left in the car, Jay noticed a missed call on one of the burner phones. Alex tracked the incoming call to the GPS location of Gina's room at the resort - the caller must have been Lenny. They then piece together that normally Gina would get a call with a time/location to pick up drugs, but in this instance it was from Lenny demanding to know what was up. Desmond then drove from the parking lot to a dive hotel, they got there around 2 AM and stayed until morning. They then drove the long hyper highway back home, to the towering chrome of Neo Tlamanih. They got there at 10 AM on Friday, 2/18.Final Thoughts
The vigilantes, now deeper in the web of intrigue, are left with more questions than answers. Gina's whereabouts remain uncertain, and the botched interrogation of Lenny stung. On the plus side, Alex was easily able to finger Lenny's cronies. The shadows of Neo Tlamanih promise no rest for these weary souls. The city's darkness grows thicker, and our heroes must navigate through it, always on the edge, always fighting.Missions/Quests Completed
Investigation for Catching Bigger Fish
- Lenny Blackwell and his crew were waiting in Gina's room.
Report Date
13 May 2024
Primary Location
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