Vicious-Carthrat Tanewaki, Badass in training?

[Bean Bandit]

So, now what?

This was the major burning question on the mind of Carthrat, the erstwhile social gamer on the Soulriders forums, currently having undergone a social adjustment to...um, sociopath.

Australian gamer to Chinese Triad enforcer in one fell swoop-but not ONLY that, but also in what appeared to be the far future. Fortunately, Vicious being on Callisto was something of a painfully obvious hint as to what was happening, and SUPPOSED to happen and after some muddling, Carthrat was going through the motions effectively enough.

Still, this left him at something of loose ends, as the questions of 'Why, Who, How, What, etc' had yet to be answered regarding his presence in a body that was not his own.

All this swirled around in his mind as he awoke for the day, thankfully alone in the nearly comically opulent Hotel room, and greeted the menacing figure pictured sprawled out on silk sheets in the mirror above his bed. And with the clues still a rarity, he was left to decide what to do for the day once again, as the meet with 'Gren' was supposed to be a day off yet...

[Carthrat]

Pulling himself out of the bed and rapidly dressing himself, 'Vicious' went through his usual morning ritual.

You are not a happy man! You are an UN-happy man! You hate everything, and everyone! Rawr!

Satisfied that his facial expression was locked into something matching his thoughts, he started to consider the details of the upcoming deal, as best as he recalled.

Who was on Callisto?

Where was there to go on Callisto?

Just what was the timeframe he was looking at?

And what was he doing on Callisto?

The answers were obvious in some cases, but in others, he only had his newfound, fragmented memories to draw on.

Obviously, himself, Gren, and Lin were on Callisto.

But the show didn't have any exciting places to go on the freezing rock.

Though he was dealing with Gren tomorrow, there were probably tighter timeframes than 'just call me anytime during the day, I'll be there!'

And, well, that was really up to him.

[Bean Bandit]

Getting dressed was a rather mundane experience...save for that it involved a trenchcoat and a katana, much like a 'Highlander' extra.

Vicious had several options, really-the hotel was clearly of the overly subservient variety, as the minibar and champagne hinted at, though the note suggested that the champagne was an attempt to curry favor.

No one had come to fetch him, or anything of that nature, so while he was left in relative peace, and no 'mistakes' in his cover would be obvious to the world at large, he was also at loose ends as far as his 'mission' on Callisto, and how to go about it.

A vaguely meancing howl rang from outside, wind screaming against the solid walls of the building as a diffident sounding knock resounded against the door to Vicious' room.

[Carthrat]

Vicious straightens out his face once again, adopting, if not a menacing visage, at least a cool, flat one.

Walking quietly to the door, he peers through the little hole in the middle to see who it is.

[Bean Bandit]

There's a hotel bellman standing there, distorted as he is by the peephole, and holding something in his hand. He's a little older than the teens typically employed in this sort of job, but he's young enough-probably Lin's age, and he looks bored-perhaps he doesn't know who's staying here?

[Carthrat]

"Yes?" asks Vicious, through the door.

[Bean Bandit]

"Phone message, sir!" The bellhop straightens to attention, facing the door and saluting crisply.

[Carthrat]

"What is it?" he replies, glancing (confusedly) at his own phone.

[Bean Bandit]

"Just a number to call when you're available, and they suggested it was urgent." The Bellhop responds dutifully, his voice taking on a somber cast. "Also, they said to mention someone...she said 'Tom' would find what she had to say crucial."

[Carthrat]

"Alright," responds Vicious, opening the door a crack for the bellboy to give the number with.

[Bean Bandit]

On cue, a white index card probes into the room, writing visible on it-clutched by a pair of fingers. Slam the door on them-wait, no, counter productive. Still, the proffered card awaits...

[Carthrat]

Vicious takes the card, mumbles something that resembles a thankyou, and closes the door once he's done.

Scanning the card for the number, he saunters towards his phone, feeling terribly fatalistic. People tend to get that way when thrust into situations they don't think they'll easily live through.

With a rolling shrug of his shoulders and a heavy sigh, he picks up the device and dials in the number.

[Bean Bandit]

This...This is not a local number.

It consists of approximately fifteen digits, five of which are letters, and is labeled simply-'Carthrat'.

On the other hand, who knows what passes for a local number, here? Still, being topped with his former internet nick is fairly noteworthy in itself. Careful dialing is rewarded with peculiar tones-not unlike the randome, 'Bugs Bunny-esque' noises an old, dial-up modem makes. When the 'modem' finally connects, Vicious is treated to the sound of a woman's voice. Mature, but not old, and rich in tone-though vaguely exasperated.

"Hello, Carthrat."

[Carthrat]

"Hey there. Are you the one with the exposition?" asks Vicious, politely.

[Bean Bandit]

"That would be me. But you haven't earned the full story, yet." She replies, the smile in her voice fully audible. "You have a few things to do yet-fortunately, the pieces are finally in place. Be in the alley behind Gren's club at eleven twenty three AM. Things will finally start falling in place. Call me back tonight, and I'll give you the full story."