TB's Journal – May 4-6, 2097
May 4
We took off from Quebec at 4 am, leaving behind the mess of last night's riot. Twelve hours later—after a refuel stop in San Francisco—we touched down in Honolulu just before noon, thanks to the time difference. The skies were clear, the weather a warm escape from Quebec’s cold, and we were ready for the week ahead at the Ares Astoria Honolulu.
Ares sponsored this leg of the tour, providing the plane, security gear, and our accommodations, which were more than luxurious. It's part of the deal, but after Quebec, we all needed it.
I spent most of the flight sleeping or wired into the Matrix as Wizkid. Pandora, one of PanGen’s mainframe AIs, reached out to me. We’ve had dealings before, and it was sniffing around, asking if I knew any technomancers. It didn’t say it directly, but I could tell it was fishing, probably trying to figure out if I was one myself. No way I’m going to let it—or anyone—connect me to that.
Instead, I told it I could spread the word. I contacted Greyskull, one of the few hackers I’m certain is a technomancer. He’s always been tight about his abilities, but the money on this job was good, and the project was so public that there was little chance of being black-bagged into a corporate lab. Greyskull agreed, and I passed Pandora his info, knowing it'd be satisfied.
Once we got to the hotel, the entire team—JJ, Halo, and even me—shifted into vacation mode. We had an extra day in paradise thanks to ducking out of Quebec early, and we were going to make the most of it.
Evie called from Tenochtitlán. She’s been down there for most of the tour, moving with her own security team (Mr. Green and Ratchet). She’ll be delayed by a day but plans to join us in Hawaii by May 6. I’m glad she’s coming but even more relieved she’ll be out of Aztlan. Even though I indirectly work for them, I trust Aztechnology about as much as I trust a hungry ghoul.
May 5
More sun, more relaxation. The team and I finally had some downtime to breathe, but things never stay quiet for long. Zara Coatl—the feathered serpent we met back on Vancouver Island—unexpectedly dropped in. Always an entrance with her, swooping in out of nowhere—figuratively speaking, she arrived by plane and is staying at the Astoria.
Zara had a job for us, a shadowrun on Kauai. VerdantChoice™ Foods, an Aztechnology Consumer Goods Division subsidiary, had a researcher there, Dr. Syles Morran, who wanted out of his contract. It was an inside job, one part of Aztechnology trying to steal a key asset from itself, but Zara brushed it off as a "family affair." Still, a job’s a job, and when a winged serpent asks, you don’t say no. Especially not when she asked so... nicely.
I called up Mr. Black, and through him, we connected with Vince, a local fixer. He got us a boat and some basic runner gear—enough to get the job done without raising too many eyebrows.
The plan? Simple. We tracked Morran’s movements and contacted him covertly through the Matrix, arranging a "meet" in the nearby village. Instead of actually meeting him, we bagged him on his way there. It was almost too smooth—no alarms, no firefight, and before anyone noticed he was gone, we were back on Oahu with our prize. A flawless extraction.
May 6
Evie finally landed in Honolulu, and I went to pick her up. It had been months since we saw each other in person, and we both needed the break from everything else. We hit the city that night, turning it into an all-night blur of parties, VR-streams, and a lot of indulgence. Nothing too R-rated—at least not for the cameras—but enough to remind me why we do this. Life’s short, might as well make the most of it.
By the time we rolled out of bed, it was already mid-morning, and we were all hungover as hell. Even Fuzzy looked like he’d been through the wringer. But no regrets. It was a perfect, reckless, carefree night, the kind that makes all the chaos of our lives worth living.
Now, we gear up for what’s next. Hawaii’s peaceful, but you can feel the tension in the air. Something’s always around the corner.
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