waves

Looking in..

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There's an audible wince at the demand for a large equipment stipend. It sounds like metal scratching together. And then a full-on metal shriek at the added demand of an armored Aerial Vehicle.

Kendo blinks a few times. Turning his back to you and Perry with his finger up to his ear. Silently negotiating with his supervisor, finance, HR, and accounts receivable. Give him a minute or two.

Then he'll turn back around. Metal mouth happy. Eyes narrowed and angry. Digital voice hissing and harsh.

"Alright, you little nomad bastard. You've got it. But if you gonk this mission up, I'm dead. Literally." The expenditures were too much now. And his overseers did want to kill him for a few other things this past year. Now they just needed a good, final excuse to pull the trigger.

Kirkpatrick only then notices that IRIDIA has re-entered the room. So he raises both of his hands and waves them at the screen.

The bounty files for IRIDIA, Echo Fenix, and cell.0.phane (in absentia/transference) appear on the screen. The words "Temporarily Suspended" flash over the projected files.

Kendo takes a deep breath. Composing himself. And he's right back to cheery, salesman/game show host Kendo.

"By agreeing to take on a Self-Delete, your bounties will be temporarily suspended for the next 30 days until you complete the mission. Forward me the names of anyone else you bring into this mission with active bounties and they will be suspended as well."

"Upon completion of the mission, if you agree to the Platinum Untouchable favor, they will be erased and no further bounties will be added to your file."

"If you do not agree to Platinum Untouchable, your bounties will be reactivated within 15 days of successful mission completion."

And there it is. You can go home Mr. Echo. For now.

"If you abuse any of the mission stipend for your personal benefit, make no effort to complete this bounty, or attempt to leave Night City during this 30 day period...a full-scale Six Star Bounty will be put on you for instant termination."

Translation: Don't f*ck them on this, Echo Fenix.

tumbling in...

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IRIDIA collapsed that flatscreen back down to a segmented metal tube and tossed it back into her purse, flushed, and then sighed to herself.

Something about the vibe of this mission and the account of the previous failed attempts, its escalation to the status of 'Self-Deletion Bounty' troubled her even beyond the fundamental, superficial details about it.

She exited the Ladies' room under the watchful eye of Tampere and was escorted back to the meeting room where Kirkpatrick seemed to be… was he finalizing with Echo Fenix?

"Oh, did I miss the ritual handshake and staring context? I think Mr. Kirkpatrick has the advantage, in that one."

Her gaze circled the room as Tampere took his position again in the loose interior perimeter of guards, like no that can't be it, right?

She didn't have the time or the power to attempt anything risky, not here and not now, so her hardware stopped short of trying to pull a scan that went beyond skin-deep.

Yeah, nothing. Not without knocking on some doors she didn't want answered, rousing suspicion she wasn't prepared to duel with.

"What's our status? We prepping to go leap into some waiting jaws? Do we have a temporary stay on the Richter aggro, Mr. Kirkpatrick, so that he's not liable to compromise this mission?"

01. 12:31:15

Lovely

Sighs as I seem to have lost you

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Growls....giving dick a long slow few strokes...loving her outfit

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"Mmmmm. You're a corpo through and through then. I suppose even bounty hunters need 'monstruos sin alma' to keep their finances in check."

Echo smirks before he takes another long drink from that fancy beer bottle. Then he reaches into the armchair compartment to produce...

"Orale! Moonchies!" He pulls out two brightly colored bags of snack cakes, tossing the Pulsar-flavored one to Perry. He prefers the Andromeda-flavor. More stalling. More wasting time for IRIDIA. He'll drink a few more sips from his beer. Eat a few bites of horribly unhealthy snack food. All while pretending to consider your offer...

He gets IRIDIA's text. The eye flicker hidden behind his goggles.

Back to Mr. Kirkpatrick...

"Up the equiptment stipend to $150,000. And I need access to an armored AV. And that's not included in the stipend."

If that's acceptable...

"I'm in. I'll get my team together. And I'll stay in direct contact with you, and only you, about how we're spending that money and planning this op. I don't want to talk to someone who doesn't have a personal interest in this mission. 'Entender'?"

There we go. Just what Dia asked for.

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"Damn"

-a laugh- escapes his lips-

No ? There ain't a bone there....just rigid muscle. But It is stiff as a bone"

-grins- and winks-

Jun 1 16:07:46

"Muscle and bone."

Nods and smiles.

"They don't call it a boner for nothing."

Winks.

-gives a grin....stretching lean frame....muscle rippling...ink dancing. Shifting to give you the best viewing angle possible....sprawled spread eagle....teasing nine plus inches of throbbing muscle-

Hey there pretty

enters..

"Hello, handsome."

Takes up a lean to watch for a while.

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Mr. Kirkpatrick folds his bulky, uneven, asymmetrical arms in front of his chest. Poking himself in the pectorals with the bent and twisted bits of chrome. Carefully moving his forearms a few times so he doesn't catch the fabric and tear it.

"I saw a chance for advancement the second Richter took your bounty."

There's a dull, mechanical sound from behind his cybernetic rictus grin. It's laughter. More authentic. More sinister.

"I end up being the guy responsible for clearing this bounty...and I get promoted. More money. Money prestige. Better chrome." He slaps his third-rate, third-world knock of arms with his hands a few times.

"Why do you think Richter kept telling you to turn yourself in? To negotiate?" He blinks. "Because I offered him a few grand to drop the idea if he couldn't get the job done directly." Not sabotage. Not a vast conspiracy. Just him planting the idea in your head if Richter failed at his task.

"Mutual benefits here, Echo. I win, you win. I get an upgrade in life, you can get back to your normal one. So...do we have a deal?"

Hand out. Palm up. Kendo leans forward, waiting for your answer. The lower half of his face was frozen in mock, creepy joy. Upper half...concerned. Almost pleading.

This is really his last chance before he's out on the street. Out of this city. Living his life like some sort of nomad filth in the dirt and dust.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hijFJx0-epU

~ Rock Bottom ~

Wynonna Judd