Ch. 2

Life is what happens while you're making other plans. ---Street proverb

Over the next week Karina explored the area, keeping her eye out for the two men from that night. She had seen no sign of them, which to her way of thinking was all to the good. She took her turn working around the shelter, sweeping the sidewalk, working in the laundry and kitchen and answering the telecom, which freed Blaze up for more important work. Now that she wasn't spending all her time looking for a safe place to sleep or her next meal, she cautiously turned her attention to what her future might hold. It felt strange to be clean, fed and safe, strange but definitely good. She hoped that somehow this would mark a turning point in her life. Everyone at the shelter was very encouraging and she was starting to believe that maybe she could get off the streets and make some kind of life for herself. She spent a lot of time talking to Poss and was slowly starting trust him.

"Magically active? What'da ya talking about, Poss? I'm no mage." Karina stared at him as if he had just grown two heads.
"Not yet you aren't, but with time and practice you will be.' He grinned at her obvious skepticism.
"But what if I don't want to be a mage?" She wailed. " Isn't magic dangerous?"
Poss snorted. " Of course it's dangerous, but so is a gun. And like a gun, magic is only a tool. It all depends on how you use it. And that is what I am going to teach you." He sighed at her woebegone expression. " Mist, once you're active, it doesn't go away. You're stuck with it girl. You have to learn how to use the magic or eventually it will use you." He looked grim for a moment. "And you definitely don't want that to happen."
"Why not?" She asked. She sat forward in her seat, seriously interested in his answer.
"Because people will get hurt. In a high stress situation you might accidentally throw a spell higher than you can safely handle and kill yourself with the drain or knock yourself unconscious in the middle of combat." He stated seriously. " Not to mention what a spirit or elemental could do to you if you lose control of one. Ask Sparky sometime what happens if you lose it." He grinned for a second in remembrance. "Now, are you ready to start learning?"
"I guess so," she said slowly, "but I still have a lot of questions. Like, how in the world did this happen?" She squirmed around in her seat, trying to get comfortable.
Poss hid a smile at her fidgeting. This was so new to her it wasn't surprising that she was uncomfortable with the thought of being a mage. "Ahh, now that, my dear Mist, is the million nuyen question. How did this happen? Luck of the gene pool, I suppose. You were born with a gene for magical potential. Why do you have green eyes and I have blue? Honestly, your guess is as good as mine." He shrugged.
"But I know a couple of street mages from the old neighborhood. If I'm magically active how come they never told me?" She said, with an uncertain frown.
"Maybe you only became active recently. If that is the case I'm not surprised no one noticed before this. Potential can be very hard to spot, especially if you're not looking for it. Nobody really knows just what triggers that potential and makes it active. Most often it happens when you hit puberty, but sometimes stress can trigger it as well." He sat forward in his seat to reassure her.
"But Poss, I have never done anything the least bit magical." She protested.
"Have you ever tried to do magic? Magic, like anything else, has to be learned. You might possibly, under very stressful conditions, do something instinctively but it isn't very likely." Poss spread his hands and sat back in his chair, watching her consider this information.
"Well, no I have never actually tried to cast any spells. I mean, why should I? I never thought of myself as a mage. Except when I was little, but let's face it this is real life, not let's pretend. Or is it?" She giggled, a mischievous look on her face, as she glanced over at Poss slyly.
"Oh it's unmistakably let's pretend." He grinned back. " You see magic works with your will. If you can imagine it you can manipulate it. But magical theory isn't my strong point. That particular part of your education is best left to someone like Blaze. Personally, theory gives me hives. If it works, that is all I care about. He, on the other hand, thoroughly enjoys long discussions about the theoretical aspects of magic. For now, however, I will start by teaching you how to astrally perceive." He paused a moment to take a sip of his soykaf. Abruptly he stood up and extended his hand to her. "Come on, we are going for a walk. I want to show you something."

Poss led her to the park. They found an empty table and climbed up to sit on it. For a while they sat in silence just enjoying being outdoors. Finally Poss spoke softly. "Mist, close your eyes. Imagine for a minute that everything is filled with energy. Build a mental picture of everything around you. Now open your mind and reach out with your senses." He waited a couple of minutes until she completely relaxed and her aura was calm. "Now, open your eyes."
Karina opened her eyes and gasped. "Oh, oh! Everything is… glowing! What is it?"
"You're seeing into the astral. Pretty isn't it?" He smiled at the amazement in her voice. 'This girl is quick. ' He thought 'Should be a fascinating challenge training her. She'll make a good student.'
"It's beautiful." She replied absently as she looked around. " Poss, why do some of the people have black spots in them? Like those guys over there." She jumped off the table and indicated a dwarf with silver eye covers who stood talking to a tall samurai carrying a pair of Katanas.
" That is where they have cyberware. The black spots are metal or fiber optics. Non-organic." he told her. Then he sat back contentedly and watched her as she wandered around looking at everything.
After a time she came back to the table, her eyes alight with wonder and joy. "You know, I come here every morning to study Tai Chi, and I have never seen anything like this before. This is so whiz!"
"You're in Owen's class? Good, he can teach you a lot about self-defense and Tai Chi is also good for meditation and centering. He's a good teacher and by far the best martial artist I have ever seen. He's even better than Aurora. Speaking of Aurora, I want you to meet her someday. You two look so much alike. But we will save that for another day." He grinned at her. " Back to work. Now that you know how to perceive, let's see how you do with centering." He thought for a moment and then said. "I have an idea. Stand over there and go through some of your katas." He settled back and watched as she started going through the slow moves. Shifting to astral sight he inspected her aura. Very quickly the swirling colors settled into slow moving patterns. It was like watching a ghostly image imitating her, following her every move. The further along in the kata she went the closer the image matched her until suddenly the two snapped together and merged. "Do you feel that?" Poss called. "Now you're centered."
She finished the kata and came back and sat down next to him "Yeah I did feel something. It was like being … calm and alert and well… focussed, is the best word to describe it, I guess. But I always feel like that when I practice. That's why I love it so much. It's about the only time I ever feel in control of my life. Does that make sense?" She turned and glanced at him with a quizzical look on her face.
"It makes perfect sense. I feel like that when I'm singing." He smiled down at her. "Now, that is enough for today. I want you to practice centering and perceiving for a few days. You won't be able to use centering until you're an initiate but it doesn't hurt to learn it. Don't try and touch anything while you're perceiving though, just look. Projection is a whole 'nother ball game and I'll teach ya that later. Got that?"
"Got it. And Poss? Thank you for teaching me. It's been a long time since anyone cared to teach me anything and I…. I really appreciate it." She looked down at her feet, blushing.
He reached out and with a finger lifted her chin so she was looking him in the eye. "You're welcome," he said. "It's my pleasure. Just see that you learn your lessons well. And if you have questions, ask. The only stupid question is the one you already know the answer to." He grinned at her discomfort. "Now I have to get back to the shelter. You! Go practice and stay out of trouble!"
"Oh Poss, wait! Look! Do you see him?" she cried suddenly.
Poss stopped and looked to where she was pointing. Beneath a small bush he saw a fox sitting there grinning at them. The fox sauntered up to Karina and sat at her feet, curling its tail over its paws. Karina gasped when it spoke.
"I choose you."
The fox's voice rang in her head like a thousand bells. She stared at the fox for a moment and then sank to her knees in awe. Hands trembling, she reached out to touch but the fox sprang nimbly away.
It turned and looked straight at Poss. "Take care of this little kit." It said. "I have great plans for her."
Poss nodded numbly. Then they watched as the fox faded away.
Karina looked up at him, confusion evident in her eyes. "What was that all about?" she asked in a small voice.
"You aren't a mage, Mist." he answered. "You're a shaman. A fox shaman to be exact, since Fox just chose you. This does put a new spin on things. I won't be able to teach you."
"But…." She sputtered to a stop as he held up a finger.
"Un-uh. Don't argue. We come from two different traditions. It isn't that I don't want to teach you. I simply can't teach you. Other than a few basics. Like the centering and perceiving. Let me think about this for a while. I know a couple of shamans. Let me check around and I will see if one of them is willing to take on a student. In the meantime… Practice." With that he rose and headed out of the park.

Karina stayed at the park for several hours watching the chess matches. She especially enjoyed watching Mickey the reigning speed chess king. It was fascinating watching his aura when he played. She lost miserably when he challenged her to a match but it was still lots of fun to play again. After a while she wandered off to the playground. There were several children around and she was shanghaied for an impromptu game of freeze tag. The game finally stopped when several mothers called their children away. It was only then that she noticed how long the shadows were getting and that her stomach was rumbling. Karina started towards the shelter only to pause when a large figure stepped out from behind a tree.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't da little watcher." He snarled. "Say your prayers, slitch!" The Ruger Super Warhawk he pointed at her looked more like a cannon than a pistol.
'Oh frag, It's him! Think girl!' she thought. "Wait!" she squeaked her hand held out in supplication. " I know where it is."
He stared at her suspiciously. "Ya know where da necklace is?"
"Yeah, but if you kill me you will never find it!" she told him defiantly. She jumped as a huge warty hand clamped down on her shoulder.
"Don't kill her, " the ork said. "She says she knows where da necklace is."
"Where?" a deep voice behind her rumbled.
"I can't tell you but I can show you." She said quickly.
Grabbing her hair, the troll twisted her head around and leered down in her face. "Don't frag wit me chica, or I'm gonna make ya hurt so bad that you'll beg me to kill ya. Ya scan?" He shook her so hard that her head rattled.
"Yeah, Yeah, I gotta it. Just don't hurt me and I'll take ya there! I swear!" she whimpered.

Turner stopped at a light and sighed. It had been a long day and a very tough run. 'Thank goodness that's over.' she thought. The park was just up the road so she decided to stop and just soak up some down time. She pulled into a parking space and set the security system on her Rapier. She wandered over to a table and sprawled out on the bench. Scanning the park out of habit she noticed a familiar figure heading out of the park. "That looks like Mist, ' she thought idly. 'Wonder what she's up to? I haven't seen her for awhile.' Just as she was about to call out to the girl, a burly ork stepped out from behind a tree. Turner sat up and observed their exchange suspiciously. When he waved his pistol in her face Turner realized the girl was in serious trouble. Then a huge troll approached her. As he grabbed her hair Turner caught a glimpse of her face. 'That is Mist!' Turner thought. ' Frag, she's in trouble! So much for down time!' As they forced Karina to leave with them, Turner ran for her bike and followed them at a discreet distance watching for a chance to help her chummer.

Pushing Karina before them they herded her to a nondescript Ford Americar. The ork opened the passenger door, threw her in the backseat, and crawled in beside her. The troll climbed in the driver's seat and pulled away from the curb. Shoving his pistol in her side, the ork growled. "Which way?"
"Head for Berrington Street." She pressed herself against the window, as far away from him as she could get. She cowered in the corner, thinking hard. 'I gotta get away from these guys. They're gonna kill me for sure. What was I thinking, telling him I knew where it was?' The ork watched her with a steely glare. With time to study him, she noticed a scar that ran down his left cheek, pulling up one corner of his mouth in a menacing leer. He was wearing a torn shirt, greasy jeans and a well-worn long coat. Karina's nose twitched at the stink on his clothes. They rode in silence for several minutes until the quiet was shattered by a loud bang from under the car. The troll fought with the wheel before drawing to a stop in front of an old abandoned car that was parked beside the curb.
"Watch 'er." he said as he stepped out to take a look. "Oh Frag, caltrops! Lank, get out here!"

When they crossed over into the Stormrunners' turf Turner dropped back a couple of blocks and watched them expectantly. The Stormrunners' made a habit of ambushing passing cars. When the car began to swerve she was ready. She quickly made a turn at the corner and sped up. She leaned into the next turn, sparks flying as her pipes dragged the ground. A couple of blocks up she pulled over next to the alley and stopped. She pushed down the kickstand and jumped off the bike.

"Stay put you!" the ork shook the pistol in Karina's face and climbed out of the car. They bent over the tire and talked for a second before the troll opened the trunk to get the jack. He passed it to Lank and reached back into the trunk. Then he dived for cover behind the derelict car as a high velocity round slammed into the spare tire he was holding. Lank joined him as more rounds peppered the street. They returned fire, concentrating on the building across the street. Huddled on the backseat floorboard, Karina cringed as bullets rocked the car.

Turner drew her pistol and ran down the alley just as gunfire erupted up ahead. A large pile of boxes afforded her some cover. She skidded to a stop and cautiously looked out into the street. Muzzle flashes in the windows of an abandoned building across the street marked the gangers' positions. Smoke drifted behind the damaged car. There was no sign of Mist's abductors, but Turner could hear them returning fire from someplace behind the obscuring smoke.

Suddenly a stunner went off and Karina took advantage of the confusion to scramble out of the car. Her ears rang from the concussion of the grenade. More grenades went off adding to the racket of the gunfire. Smoke filled the air behind the car and she couldn't see Lank or the troll. Crouched behind the car she searched frantically for a place to hide. A movement from the alley caught her attention. Turner, a girl she knew from Tai Chi class, was waving urgently to her from behind a pile of boxes. "This way! Quick!" Keeping her head down she dashed into the alley. "Follow me." Turner led her to a battered Rapier and climbed on. "Well come on. Do you want out of here or not?" Turner asked when she hesitated. She threw herself on the bike behind Turner and hung on as they sped off.

Karina sat at a tiny table in Turner's spartan apartment, her head in her hands. 'Oh man, I can't remember ever having that close a call. If Turner hadn't been there I'd probably be dead by now!'
"So Mist, what have ya been up too? You still going to class every day?" Turner yelled from her postage stamp sized kitchen.
"Yeah, I still go every day. What about you? I haven't seen you for awhile." She yelled back.
"Oh, I've been around. Just haven't been able to get to class 'cause of some biz." Turner entered the room carrying a couple of plates and silverware. She slid a plate in front of Karina, and sat down with the other. Picking up her fork, she indicated Karina's plate. "Eat girl." She waited until Karina had taken a few bites before continuing. " Now, what the frag was all that about? Start with who those guys you were with. I saw you meet them at the park. That's how I knew you where in trouble. Who are they?"
Karina looked at Turner wearily. "It's confusing." She warned her, but, encouraged by Turner's interest, she went on. "It started about a week ago. The guys that kidnapped me murdered two people, and I saw the whole thing. Lank, the ork, kept screaming "Where is it?" at this lady. The troll was beating some guy who was with her. When the guy died, he killed her too. Just stuck a shotgun in her mouth and blew her head off." She shuddered, her face bleak. "I couldn't help it. I freaked out and ran. They saw me and came after me. I got away from them by the skin of my teeth, and I thought after a week of no sign of them that they'd stopped looking for me. But tonight they caught me at the park and they were going to kill me too. I didn't know what to do so I told Lank I knew where the item was. They were taking me to go find it for them, when the tire blew. The troll got out to look, said something about caltrops and then all hell broke lose. I figured that was my chance to get away, and that's when I saw you. By the way, thanks for pulling me outta there." She pushed her food around on the plate before taking a small bite.
"Null perspiration. What else are chummers for?" Turner said with a grin. " Do you know what they're looking for?" She asked in between bites.
"Sort of, Lank said something about a necklace." Karina answered. "What am I gonna do now? I only said I knew where it was to buy myself some time." She put down her fork and dropped her head into her hands, looking blankly at her plate.
"Well, we'll just have to find it." Turner said briskly.
Karina looked up and stared at Turner. "Find it? We don't even know what it looks like! How in the world can we find it?"
"Simple, backtrack the murdered couple. You know where and when they died. From what you said, Lank was interrogating them, so the obvious place to look is down their backtrail." She grinned at Karina. "I have a friend who's a decker, she might be able to give us a hand. What'da ya say? Want to go treasure hunting?"
"Damn Turner, you're crazy. Two murderous trogs are on my tail and you wanna go find a necklace neither of us has ever seen." She said.
" Sure, why not? I have nothing better to do with my time right now. Do you?" Turner lifted an inquisitive eyebrow.
"Well, now that you mention it, yeah, I do. Like staying alive!" she shot back with a sarcastic grin.
"Oh I intend to stay alive. Look girl, your best bet is to figure out what is going on and work it to your advantage." Turner sat back in her chair and clasped her hands behind her head.
Karina was silent for a few moments, her brow furrowed with thought. "You know, you may be right. And I do have one advantage. Do you know Poss?"
She asked. "I've heard of him but I have never met him. Why?"
"Well, he has been teaching me magic." Karina stated.
Turner's eyes widened, "You're a mage?" she asked.
Karina grinned at Turner's astonishment. "Not a mage, I'm a shaman, but don't get your hopes up. So far all I can do is something called perceiving. Poss says he can't teach me anymore because we have different traditions but he said he would try and find me a teacher. If he found one maybe they can teach me a few spells. I haven't told him what is going on yet though." She frowned pensively.
"Sounds to me like that's the first thing we need to do then. Finish up your dinner and we'll go talk to Poss." Turner said.

The two girls polished off their meal and cleaned up the small kitchen. After making a call and setting up a meet with the decker for later that night, Turner tossed Karina a spare armored jacket and a shoulder holster. She rummaged around in a drawer until she found a small holdout pistol and some ammo. She loaded the pistol and held it out to Karina. "You know how to use this?" she asked.
"No, not really. I mean, I know which end to point at the bad guys but I never had the creds to buy a gun." Karina answered as she took the weapon gingerly.
"Well," Turner replied " This is yours now, and you'll need it, so you better listen up."
Karina listened attentively as Turner took her through the basics of gun safety, use and cleaning. Finally Turner declared she should do all right. She slipped on the shoulder holster and wiggled it into place. With a moment's regret she exchanged her leather jacket for Turner's armored one. 'Survival over sentiment. Momma would understand.' She told herself. Then she holstered her new pistol and followed Turner out of the small apartment.

Poss quietly listened as the girls took turns relating Karina's story. When they finished, he sat, lost in thought, for so long that Karina became worried. "Poss?" she said timidly. "You aren't mad at me for not telling you about those guys earlier, are you?"
"Your biz, Mist," he replied. "Unfortunately I have some biz of my own going so I really can't give you any help other than a bit of advice. Now for some good news. I found a teacher for you. Her name is Mask. She's a raccoon shaman. Here's her LTG. You can use my telecom to give her a call before you leave." He said, handing her a slip of paper. "I think you'll like her. But be sure and keep one hand on any valuables." He laughed at their expressions. "Hey, she's a 'coon shaman, it's just part of her nature. Like being tricky is part of your nature, Mist. Don't worry, she always gives back the stuff she takes from friends."
"Thanks Poss. I'll give her a call. Now, what's the advice?" she asked.
"Well, Turner has the right idea about backtracking that couple. You can probably find out who they were by checking the newsfeeds. If Lone Star has identified them they should have released that information by now. If they haven't your job will be tougher. You also need to find out as much as possible about this Lank slag and his partner. Turner, you could check with your fixer. Mist, check with your street contacts. Finding out who they are working for might give you another lead. I really hate to do this to you Mist, but I suggest that you try and find another place to stay. You have to assume that the shelter is compromised."
"She can stay with me." Turner spoke up. "I have enough room. If you don't mind the couch." She said turning to Karina.
"Turner," she answered, "Except for this past week, I have been sleeping in the street for the last two years. Your couch will be fine." The girls smiled at each other.
Poss sighed with relief. "Well that's one problem handled. You need to have a safe house set up as well, in case you have to run. Or better yet stay there. The last thing you want is for the bad guys to follow you two home."
"No problem, I have a couple of spots we can go." Turner replied.
"Good enough." Poss said. He got up and rummaged around in his desk until he found a beat up old pocket secretary and two micro transceivers.. He tossed the pocket secretary to Karina. "Here. I know it isn't much but you can use it to keep notes." He passed one of the micro transceivers to her and the other to Turner. "You'll need these too. They're priceless when you need to keep in touch with each other." He showed Karina how to use it and then sat back down. "Now you will probably need the services of a decker as well. If you don't know of any I have a couple of chummers who will work fairly cheaply."
"That is one thing we already have. A chummer of mine is a decker. Her name is Vixen. Do you know her?" Turner asked.
"Vixen. Hmm, I believe I've heard of her. She's from Australia right? Tall, redheaded elf, end of her pony tail looks like it's been dipped in silver paint? Dresses almost as flashy as Aurora?" he asked.
"Yep, that's her. We're meeting her later tonight." Turner answered. " She's a good decker. She's also a chummer and will probably work for a portion of the prize."
"Don't we all." Poss said with an acquisitive grin.
Turner laughed. " That's why we're Shadowrunners. Let's face it there sure are safer jobs. If she won't though, I have the 'yen to cover her fee. I am a little concerned about you though, Mist. I don't want to get you killed."
Karina smiled. "Hey, I've survived this long haven't I? And now I have magic on my side. Just let me learn a few spells and I'll do just fine." She struck a heroic pose.
Poss held up a cautionary hand. "It takes more than spells to survive, Mist. It takes smarts and luck too. Don't forget that. Owen is fond of saying "The greed and love of an easy cred that figures into nearly all shadowrunners' make up, sometimes wars with the instinct for survival. Old runners refer to this as stupidity." I have to agree with him. You two, excuse me, three have taken on a big job, and you won't survive if you get cocky."
"I won't Poss." She said. "Really Turner, I won't be dead weight. Even if I'm not a shadowrunner, I have learned a lot about surviving these past two years."
"Ok chummer, I got ya. Now if Poss is done with us we better get going. Vixen won't wait all night." Turner cast a questioning look at Poss.
He shook his head. "No, I'm done for now. You two should do ok. Just be careful and watch your backs." He said.
"We will." The girls choused.

While Karina called Mask, Poss took Turner aside and gave her a cred stick. " This is for Mist. It isn't much. Only 500 nuyen, but she is going to need some cash to work with. Don't let her blow it on junk."
"I won't." Turner told him.
"Thanks, just give it to her later. I am going to be out of touch for a few days, so you won't be able to contact me. If, however, things get too hot for you to handle, contact Sparky or Blaze and tell them I sent you. If nothing else they should be able to get you to a safe house where you can lay low." He said.
"Got it. Good luck on your run." She said.
"You too." He replied.

****************************************************************************

A special Thank you to my beta readers, June, "Incognito" and Maven.

NEXT CHAPTER

LET'S SEE WHAT ELSE YA GOT. Firecatt's Place a ...Aurora's Shadowrun Page

HEY AISLINN , KNOW WHAT I THINK? AislinnF@juno.com

This story is copyright of the author. Shadowrun is a Registered Trademark of FASA Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Used without permission. Any use of FASA Corporation's copyrighted material or trademarks in this file should not be viewed as a challenge to those copyrights or trademarks.