(13) MEETING RETIARIUS

  "Never hang with a netrunner.  People joke about them - about how weak 
  they are when things get rough.  But let me say this - when one of 
  those cold bastards decide to delete you, you never know it 'till 
  you're dead.  Attitude is nothing against a computer - you can't stare 
  ICe down or brag your way past it.  Netrunners get used to that.  They 
  don't give off those human signals when they decide to take you down.  
  You just turn around and *crack* - that's it" - Lludd.

  Retiarius lives in a high rise apartment with his bodyguard / 
caretaker.  He does not give the P.C.s the complete address - but simply 
tells them where the building is and that he will meet them there.  Upon 
approaching the main perspex doors, they will automatically slide open 
for the P.C.s, although it will take deliberate searching and a Traps -
3, Electronics -4 or Vision -6 roll to find the hidden camera that 
Retiarius is using to identify them.  As they enter the empty lobby, its 
walls covered in garish and bloody photographs of fox-hunting, the 
elevator at the far end will "ping" as a small red holographic arrow 
pointing upwards appears in front of it.  As the characters approach, 
the door will slide open, and they may enter the mirrored interior.  The 
machine will not respond to them if they press any buttons, but will 
instead select the top (ninth) floor as soon as all the P.C.s who look 
like getting in have gotten in.  Those that don't come now won't get 
another chance unless they decide to scale the walls outside.  When they 
step out onto the thick red carpet of the corridor, door 4 at the far 
end of the corridor will click unlocked and creak open, revealing a 
creme-coloured entry-way beyond.

  Assuming that the characters enter, they soon find themselves in a 
spacious living room.  There is a couch and two arm-chairs, both 
upholstered in creme pseudo-leather.  One wall is completely taken up by 
a television screen showing a documentary on the force-feeding of 
battery chickens - its pretty nasty stuff.  Behind one of the chairs 
stands a tall dark man who is smiling gently at the P.C.s.  This isn't 
Retiarius - its his bodyguard / carer (description with Retiarius').  
The bodyguard / carer will wait for the P.C.s to say something, but 
rather than replying, will knock on the white wooden door to his right.  
At this point, the front door will close behind them and a solid bolt 
will be heard to thunk home.  The white wooden door opens and an 
electric wheelchair slides noiselessly into the room, the quadriplegic 
Retiarius * within.  His arms and legs are wasted and are strapped to 
the chair.  Indeed, he can only just keep his head level.  However, a 
cable connects to an interface jack on his forehead, and from here he 
seems to control not just his wheelchair, but the whole building.  His 
lips don't move when he speaks.  Instead, his voice emerges from 
somewhere under his shirt.  "The photographs!" he will snap, and will 
continue to say just that until he is shown them, or until they are 
handed to his bodyguard who will show them to him.  After he has seen 
them, he will become more loquacious.  "Forgive me for being so rude 
just now.  You have done extremely well.  I will not soon forget how 
well you have done.  You will not find me ungrateful.  But I am still 
forgetting my manners.  Can I offer you something to drink?".  Retiarius 
has a very well stocked bar, and his bodyguard can prepare most things 
the players may require.  He has no drugs other than alcohol however, or 
at least, if he has them, he isn't giving any away!  He will respond to 
most questions with "all in good time.  I assure you, your patience will 
be well rewarded".  If they were promised money up front for 
photographs, and ask for it, he will ask whether they require it in 
cash, or whether they wish it deposited directly into their accounts.  
If they want cash, he has it.  If they want it deposited, it will be 
deposited within five minutes, even if the characters are talking to him 
in this time.

  Give the P.C.s time to boast of their exploits if they want to.  
Eventually, Retiarius will continue.  "I should tell you now that things 
are not going entirely according to plan.  This is unfortunate.  
However, I am sure that you will be more than able to handle the 
complications that have arisen.  If you keep your heads, and don't poke 
your noses into things that don't concern you, this should prove nothing 
more than a minor inconvenience.  Before it will be safe to snatch 
Waters, there is certain...data which Mr Sarracen requires eliminated.  
Now, were it simply a matter of entering a computer through the net and 
erasing information, I would feel happy to take care of the matter on my 
own.  However, we want the computer physically destroyed.  We want any 
disks in the same room physically destroyed.  We want the equipment in 
the room with which the data was generated destroyed.  You should enjoy 
this - I know that I would in your place.  Are you still interested?  
Would you like to hear more?"

  If the characters are not interested, then the adventure is over and 
Retiarius bids them farewell.  Go to (2) Doing Nothing above.  If the 
characters are still interested and would like to hear more, Retiarius 
continues.  "The computers are aboard a yacht presently floating in the 
Atlantic several miles off the coast of Virginia [or wherever makes 
sense given the setting of your game].  The name of the vessel is The 
Morphia.  It will be guarded, but those aboard will also be very sure 
that no-one who might wish them ill knows their location, so they should 
be easy to surprise.  There are accommodations there for anything up to 
ten people, but there may well be far fewer.  As far as I am aware, 
there are two computers aboard.  The ship's computer is a CY or HT= 
mini-computer / CW= EGM Pharaoh 100 (Ramses) minicomputer / LC= I.B.M. 
Manhattan mini-computer.  That's not the one that concerns us.  Not that 
I care if you do smash it to bits - but doing so will be strictly its 
own reward.  The one I want is the CY & HT= microframe / CW= NATComp 
MDPS-90 microframe / LC= Apollo Hawkins microframe.  Smash it to bits, 
smash all the disks in the same room to bits, smash all the equipment in 
the same room to bits.  I cannot stress this too heavily.  I should 
point out that everyone on the ship is a loathsome criminal, so if they 
die, it will be no great loss, and if they live, they will not be 
running to the police to report you.  We can help you out to some small 
degree as far as equipment is concerned - obviously, no-one expects you 
to swim around until you find and destroy the computer and then swim 
back".

  Retiarius is willing to provide any of the following things, if they 
are wanted:  a speedboat, a speedboat pilot, a homing device keyed to 
the ship, wetsuits, aquasleds, propulsion packs, and certain fully 
automatic weapons.  He will refuse to say how he managed to get a homing 
device that is keyed to the ship.  The weapons available are CY or HT= 
10mm machine pistols / CW= Ingram MAC-21 9mm submachine gun / LC= Orion 
Rata 4mm cased sub-machine guns.  No more than one of each item will be 
given to any one character - and there is only one boat and one pilot.  
All items are supposed to be returned, but if they are said to have been 
lost or destroyed in the heat of battle, the matter won't be pursued.

  If the weapons given are "vanilla" 10mm machine pistols (as per GURPS 
Cyberpunk and Ultra-Tech), call them "Damno Hardcase" 10mm machine 
pistols.  Drop Acc by 4!  Its a truly rotten brand, which partly 
explains why Retiarius can be so blas about handing them out.

  None of these items are present in Retiarius' apartment.  For the 
automatic weapons, players must wait 48 hours and then pick them up from 
him.  The rest of the requested items will be stored in the speedboat, 
The Skimfish.  Retiarius will not agree to keep the automatic weapons at 
the speedboat.  He's scared of cops or gangers deciding to perform a 
search there.

  The P.C.s must give Retiarius 3 hours notice of when they want the 
boat, 5 if they want a pilot.  The G.M. must decide on an appropriate 
place for the rendezvous.  If they ask for a pilot, they will get 
Gallagher *.  If they don't ask for a pilot, Gallagher will simply be 
there to hand The Skimfish over to them.  When they decide to execute 
the mission, go to (14) Vandalism on a Yacht.

  If the P.C.s press for extra money to do this job, Retiarius will 
inform them that, unfortunately, he can't give them any more than they 
are already being offered.  However, if they wish, they may have another 
$15,000 (or 20% if appropriate) up front once it is completed.  He 
admits that the situation is unfair, given that this task was not 
included in the original offer.  However, that's just the way it goes - 
he is offering all the money there is available.


[In Cyberpunk 2.0.2.0, the weapons on offer will be Fed. Arms Tech 
Assault II submachine guns.]

[In Shadowrun, the weapons on offer will be Sandler TMP submachine guns]