Two weeks later, preparing for the casino...

As she had since she'd been living here, Gina only worked a few hours a night, so she had plenty of time to spend keeping up with the local newsfeeds and contacting this syndicate casino for some free adverts and promotions. She didn't see Carl Pereria in person directly at all, which was probably for the best for the health and well-being of all parties involved. At the very least, Gina had gotten a raise, and since Raina had been willing to go to work in the karaoke bar near her and Gina's room and insisted on giving whatever she could spare. All told, that one violent incident left her with 200 credits more in stashed credits than she otherwise would have had, which was zero... and something more _biological _she didn't know about yet.

She was sitting in the dingy little karaoke bar directly downstairs from her room, owned by her grey friend Rodi, dressed as she usually was. Since then Gina had started waking up early in the day so she (and sometimes Raina) could hang around in the bar before the customers came in during the evening. Gina gave a glance over at the little humanoid alien, usually seen with her awkward yet exaggeratedly voluptuous figure squeezed into a vinyl minidress, and with an overly bushy blonde wig that covered her eyes so completely Gina couldn't see how the alien could see. Over on a table was a series of scribbled maps and notes that Raina had helped put together about the target.

"So, I know you said you didn't want any more advice," Rodi said, "but I really think that whatever you decide to do, y'ought to at least try talking to these offworld gambler types you're talking about. I mean, is torching things up really going to accomplish anything besides pissing them off at you? I like you, big girl, but I'm going to have to ask you to leave if you go through with this. Why don't you just, I don't know... rob their vault and release all these captives Raina says they have? Wouldn't that hurt their organization almost as much, but with less blowback? More to the point," the grey said, pouring another on-the-house earth-style screwdriver, "have you considered the obvious, that if you start wrecking the structure, you'll probably end up killing more of these poor folk being used for entertainment than the kitsune gangsters?"

"I told you, dammit," Gina said with a sigh, "I already decided against a direct **** - all that collateral damage stuff aside - which I can manage just fine, thank you very much - I'd need a full commando team against the kind of security they've got. Very low tech as far as these kinds of places go, but with more enemy psykes than I can handle."

"Hey now," Rodi said, still keeping up a smile but waggling her finger, "I'm serious now. I won't let you drag that poor feline who'd been through so much into certain **** just because you'll make an entertaining report on the evening news on the way out. C'mon, it's been over two of your weeks. I said that I'd give you any of my contacts to help with this, on account of me being a softie for a good cause, but first you have to prove to me you've got something that could actually work."

She slid the drink to Toasty down the bar, and raised the bottle in her own lips, taking a chug of it along with her crazed vigilante friend. "So let's take it from the top. Tell me your best plan for actually shutting this place down, and to avoid wasting anyone's time, I want you to go ahead and mentally discard any plans that involve any of the following words: 'Reactor', 'Minigun', 'Bulldozer', 'Thermobaric', 'Really lucky', and 'Asteroid'."

"You're fucking hilarious Rodi." Gina sighed. "Alright, if you're going to turn the screws on me, it's going to have to be one of two things. Either I can try and infiltrate these deadly contests - contestant or bettor, whichever seems likelier to work, probably contestant on account of my nonexistant bank accounts... Or, I can try and bring in a larger team to try and crack this place wide open. Your idea about going after their cash stash isn't a terrible idea - especially if I can recruit some heisters who think that's all I'm after, and leave me a nice open shot at whoever is in charge of this casino. Mmmf - and, though I don't like discussing this kinda option, there's always the Black Rose guys. I offed a few of their street level guys already but they don't know that, they might be happy for me to cut them in and maybe even recruit me... assuming they don't just cut a mutually beneficial deal with the Baks and leave me back at square one."

"I don't suppose you'd ever considered just leading an investigative reporter in there to do a little expose? My cousin is in that line of work, you know. I mean, worst case scenario, you'd only have to shoot your way OUT instead of in, out, and through; plus you would have video evidence." Rodi said, casually swaying her head back and forth, talking in her cute little high-pitched voice.

Gina looked down at her drink and considered her options. For some reason she didn't feel very much like having a drink right now, felt she needed to be sober for a decision like this. One way or another she had to make a decision.

"Ohhhhh," Rodi said with a friendly wave. "And give Raina some help handling the clients tonight, wouldja? Gonna be a big crowd - I hope - and she could use it. Haven't I always said you'd look great in a nice slutty waitress outfit?" the grey giggled.