Vestigial Memories, Interlude: The Snake Pit

Scene setup

Countdown event check roll:
[D8]: [6] => Event happens
Countdown event table roll:
[D12]: [7] => Entanglement. Key relationship drawn into danger, old debt resurfaces, personal vice causes trouble.

Scene 10: The Blue Skinjob

I’m on my way to the Warehouse District, the neon logos of the Tsingtao shipping containers already flickering in my mind’s eye, when my KIA chirps. It’s a frequency I only keep open for one person: Dante "Static" Riggs.

The message is a frantic burst of text that turns my blood to ice:

"What the fuck, Nate? WHY did you send that skinjob to my place? I barely got out alive!

Shit. I write back.

Meet me at the Snake Pit in 15

The Meeting

The Snake Pit is a hollowed-out cavern of red light and synthetic smoke. I take my usual stool at the corner of the bar, the one with a clear view of the stage. A daiquiri sits untouched in my hand.

Dante slides into the seat next to me, looking like he’s just crawled out of a trash compactor.

Dante: "You’ve got some explaining to do, pal."

Locke: "Sit down. Tell me what happened. Drink’s on me."

He orders a "Blue Skinjob"—a neon-colored cocktail that tastes like battery acid and poor choices. He’s an asshole, but he’s my asshole.

Dante: "I was in my lair, deep in a terminal dive on those stolen New York databanks. Someone knocks. I wasn't expecting company, so I primed the security system and checked the feed. It was a guy I’d never seen before."

I slide the photo of Kael/Kasper across the sticky bar top.

Locke: "Him?"

Dante: "That’s the one. I ask him his business, and he doesn't answer—he just starts ramming the door. He’s strong, Nate. Replicant strong. The reinforced frame exploded on the second hit."

Dante takes a long, shaky sip of his drink.

Dante: "He grabs me by the throat and lifts me off the floor like a rag doll. He asks: 'Where's the data drive?' I tell him I don’t know what the fuck he’s talking about. Then he says, 'The one Locke gave you.'"

I tighten my grip on my glass. They don't just want the drive; they think I’ve already offloaded it to my favorite fence. They’re tracking my connections.

Dante: "Lucky for me, the lair’s automated defense kicked in. A proximity mine floated out and latched onto the guy's back. Boom. It’s a low-yield charge, meant to stun, which for a skinjob is basically a slap on the wrist. But it bought me enough time to bolt. He didn't follow, but I heard him tearing my sanctuary apart. Every broken server is on your tab, Nate."

Locke: "I didn't send him. But he’s tied to a case that’s turning into a war. This son of a bitch knows too much—first my home, now yours. How?"

Dante: "Don't look at me. I'm a ghost in the system."

Locke: "I’m not. I’m just thinking out loud."

I pause, remembering the flash of light on the rooftop.

Locke: "Did he have a tattoo on his temple?"

Q: Did the replicante have a tattoo?
Question check roll:
[D10]: [7] => Yes

Dante: "He did. Ugly little bird thing."

The Parting

It’s confirmed. Kael—the "good" one—is likely still on the run with the drive. The one with the tattoo is the hunter.

Locke: "Dante, find a hole and crawl in. Stay there for a few days. I'll ping you when the dust settles."

Dante: "Will do. You need anything else? This 'data drive' sounds like something people die for. That usually means it's worth a fortune."

I see the glint in his eyes. Even after almost being strangled, he can’t ignore a high-value lead.

Locke: "Maybe. I’ll let you know."