Where in the World is Isaac Clarke?

[dontasktrix]

WHO: Slipstream dontasktrix, Dirge endless_avarice (If anyone else wants to appear to provide clues, or something, let me know)
WHAT: Starscream is in urgent need of Isaac's services, and has commanded Slipstream and Dirge to search together.
WHERE: Starting in Zone 7, and continuing in other Zones, mostly in mechanic shops, junkyards, burger joints and donut shops.
WHEN:

Comments

[endless_avarice]

Dirge flew overhead, scanners probing the dilapidated buildings below for things of interest. He had orders to find Isaac Clarke, and he fully intended to do so, but it didn't bar him from picking up some other random things along the way.

He banked when Slipstream's signal reached him, swinging around towards the sky-walk. Small organics fled at the sound of his nasty engines, scattering from the landing area as he touched down.

"Not a bad zone," Dirge commented as he transformed, glancing about. "Nice and cluttered."

[dontasktrix]

She smiled smirkily at Dirge. "Those engines..." She was rarely aware of the sound of her own, as her processor filtered out the noise to enable her to hear low, background sounds. She shook her head, without completing the observation of the doomy engine tuning.

"Lots of hiding places here," Slipstream said. She'd rather chosen to reside there herself for the abundance of dimly-lit hidey-holes.

"There's lots of low-techs about here, whether mech or organic. Not so much to attract the engineer, unless someone else were making the choice for him. We should ask some of the...local businessmechs, if they've heard anything."

There were a lot of shady dealings in the area, to go along with those shady places.

[endless_avarice]

"Easy to tell they're mine, aren't they?" Dirge replied, happy to have such a unique sound all to himself.

She was right. There were way too many small places to hide- they'd never leave if they checked every single one. Best to gather some clues.

"I wonder if anyone's selling anything interesting," he murmured, peering down at the various skeevy looking shops.

[dontasktrix]

There was a pawn shop of sorts not far away, but Slipstream suspected they'd not get far in seeking the engineer, if they stopped there. She shifted her weight, slightly, to put one wing in the line-of-sight between Dirge and the shop.

"There's time for that, later. There's not as much black market trade here as in Six, where bots can still afford it. There's a Lithonian a few levels down that deals in batteries. He usually knows what's going on around here."

[endless_avarice]

Slipstream got a pout for her efforts, but also a reluctant nod from her greedy brother, who followed her without much more complaint. She was at least less abrasive with her orders- they were suggestions really- then Starscream, and she carefully avoided words she knew he hated.

He stepped inside behind her once they had descended a few levels and reached the shop in question. Dirge's optics swept from one piece of merchandise to another, his hands pulling up into reaching positions.

So many things... He didn't know much about batteries but he suddenly wanted to find out everything.

[dontasktrix]

The Lithonian was a somewhat gangly mech, more slight of build, though more angular than the two Malgian fliers. He recognized Slipstream, but soon caught-on to Dirge's material interest in his wares. He went into a salesmech spiel exhorting the electric charge or voltage of various batteries, and then continues with a pitch about the shock prods and stun guns he was carrying.

Slipstream tolerated the salesmech behavior with little show of interest, apart from a slight tracking of that shock prod with optics and talons. It would be a most efficient tool for persuasion.

But, there was, again, time for that, later. "We're looking for information. An organic engineer. You seen him around? He might have been in a kind of suit, appeared a small bot, maybe. Dirge?" Slipstream looked to see if he had anything to add to the description.

[endless_avarice]

Dirge was extremely interested in everything the shop keeper had to say, especially when he was allowed to touch the objects being spoken about. He was holding one of the stun guns when Slipstream asked about Isaac, aiming it casually at the Lithonian and wondering if it was armed. Probably not.

"Loud, yells alot," he added, squeezing the trigger. Nope. Not armed. Pity.

[dontasktrix]

The dealer took Dirge's unarmed aiming and trigger-squeezing as a threat of real shock. "All right! I might have seen a little man in a suit!"

"Where?" Slipstream asked, even as she glared side-long at Dirge. It wasn't that threats weren't effective, intentional or not, but regular informants tended to be more regular about providing accurate information when threats were alternated with reasonable rewards.

The Lithonian claimed a human in a suit had passed through about a day ago, and some talk had been heard of work in Zone 4.

Great, Slipstream thought, Zone 4 was only FULL of industrial salvage that might interest an engineer. She took up the shock prod and addressed the battery dealer, "Let's hope that information is reliable, I wouldn't want to have to come backThe Lithonian assumed a posture of surrender, assuring them that was all he knew

[endless_avarice]

"For me?" Dirge purred, hefting the gun with a pleased expression. The question was rhetorical- whatever answer she gave he intended to keep the weapon.

Slipstream sure had an interesting way of paying. It seemed more like a barter system kind of thing to him. Not that it mattered- as long as it wasn't coming out of his accounts. As they were leaving he paused to assure the shop-keeper that he would probably be back because- seriously- who could resist that 7 hour laptop battery?

"Must we go straight to zone 4? There are other shops around here to look at," he asked, forgetting that wasn't the point of their little venture.

[dontasktrix]

Of course the gun was for Dirge. He hadn't seemed like he was going to let it go, and the battery dealer would be more inclined to provide info in the future, if she made a purchase. Not that she planned on buying everything Dirge put his claws on.

Her limited supply of barter goods would be accepted in the lower zones, where so much business was off the books, but she didn't exactly want to leave a trail of traceable purchases through the upper zones. It was frustrating how much information the Bolt tracked.

This was why she decided to have Dirge decide their next stop- she could just be innocently tagging along, so far as those they questioned were concerned. "We must eventually go to Zone 4, but if you find someplace else we might gather more intel, it would make sense to gather as many leads as possible."

Slipstream made a flourish with the talons of one hand, gesturing for Dirge to lead the way.

[endless_avarice]

"Gathering.... intel. Of course," Dirge replied, rubbing his chin and staring off into the distance. He was very tempted to stay and poke his head into every ramshackle shop in the area- and yet a visit to Zone 4 was sounding interesting. Dirge frequently visited one of the dilapidated factory buildings there when he wanted to be alone to think. The clutter and the grinding of old machinery were soothing.

"We'll go to zone 4 then," he said finally, switching to jet mode as soon as the area was clear for a take off. It wasn't much longer before he was landing again, drawn to an industrial resale shop that stocked all kinds of things. Nuts, bolts, gears, wires, scrap metal, old assembly line machines- tons of scavenge.

Dirge purred at all the delightful bits, wanting very much to collect everything. The shop reminded him of his room back at the Hollow somewhat...

"How much did you say the tiny screws were?"

[dontasktrix]

Slipstream followed after Dirge, drafting behind the darker teal jet as they flew.

The shop Dirge chose actually seemed the type of place an engineer might stop. Starscream had recommended mechanics shops, as well as junkyards. It seemed like Dirge was focused on the mission.

Slipstream scanned the interior for other customers or signs of Isaac Clarke. Dirge, she noted then, was asking the price of tiny screws. She walked up beside Dirge, and leaned against the display. "You're gonna be screwed, if this doesn't have to do with finding the engineer," She hissed. Maybe, she hoped, this was part of some small talk to get the proprietor to speak to them.

[endless_avarice]

Dirge cringed guiltily, nearly dropping the handful of screws he was holding. He straightened up, engine making a throat clearing sound. "Do not worry. I didn't forget," he lied.

Turning back to the owner, he took out the stun gun and aimed it at his face.

"Seen a human engineer in a suit?" the clone asked, figuring that he would stick with the way of inquiry that had worked before.

[dontasktrix]

Slipstream had no personal use for this shop owner, so she was not bothered in the slightest that Dirge relied, again, on a threat. She trilled laughter, then reached talons to Dirge's shoulder to give him a pat.

"Recently," Slipstream amended. "Embittered organic."

The owner made some panicked claim that he didn't remember names or faces, just purchases. Slipstream had no idea what Isaac might have been searching for recently, which made the current line of questioning somewhat inefficient.

Slipstream glanced toward Dirge, "Brother, what was it we heard about the recent crack-down by the military? Something about them being really interested in any smuggled or stolen tech?"

What salvage dealer really knew where all their parts came from, or had all the forms to prove it? Transtechs loved data-trails!