Entertainment/Television/Programming Update/In The Crosshairs

In The Crosshairs with Annette Winnegar

In The Crosshairs (ITC) is a celebrity interview show hosted by the lovely Annette Winnegar. The show is aired live and guests are given no advance notice of the questions they will be facing. The show is rapidly gaining popularity for a number of reasons. First is that Annette is a bombshell. With flowing red hair, piercing green eyes, creamy white skin and a tremendous pair of breasts, many people tune in to gawk at Annette and her impossibly skimpy outfit of the week. Next, ITC manages to book some of the biggest names on Mort. Jeff Moreau, Symbiote and Sour Blood area few of the celebrities that have sat “In The Crosshairs.” Finally, people watch for the interviews. Annette has shown no fear when questioning guests, asking questions that are fabulously nosy, inappropriate, embarrassing and just plain rude. Who can forget when Cerise pulled a gun when Annette asked her if, considering the way she dresses, she was a lesbian?

Given some of the altercations that have occurred on the show, it's remarkable that Annette can bring in the big names. However, ITC pulls in such huge viewer numbers that sponsored Contract Killers and Operatives have their sponsors begging the network to appear on the show for free advertising. Killer, Ops and celebrities also can't resist the quick fame an appearance on ITC brings. Good or bad, that level of attention means big publicity and big money. ITC is by invitation only, which further increases the prestige of an appearance. ITC does not pay guests of the show, though normal sponsor appearance fees apply. In lieu of pay, ITC provides an extravagant gift basket filled with sponsors' items for each guest. Many guests have said the basket alone was worth the horror of appearing “In The Crosshairs.”

In The Crosshairs appears every Thursday at 8pm on Channel 13.

Intelligence Report/Soft Company/Conway Motorsports

Name: Conway Motorsports

Type: Independent Soft Company

Products/Services: Motorcycle and Keshang sales and customization.

Company Line: High performance vehicles are no longer limited to Operatives and Shivers anymore. “Speed Kills. Die Happy.”

Public Information: Conway Motorsports' main function is to provide affordable motorcycle and Keshangs for civilian use. They also offer repair and upgrade services on any vehicle with no questions asked about the legality of said vehicle.

SLA Industries is not pleased with Conway Motorsports at all. The vehicles produced are unregistered and subsequently bypass SLA's road tax. Shivers hate Conway due to the increased traffic and proliferation of reckless drivers throughout Downtown. Monarch does what it can to keep these illegal rides off the road but the few vehicles they have are no match for the high performance Conway products.

SLA Intelligence: The organization of Conway Motorsports is loosely structured. There is in fact, no “Conway.” The name is a play on words to show the vehicles are made illegally for illicit use. Since they are made illegally, they are made the “con way.” Conway is run by three “Shop Managers,” each with his own rolling garage. At any time a Head Mechanic will have up to four “Mechanics” in his employ. As they are working out of cramped trucks, larger numbers of staff are effectively impossible. Only one of Conways' trucks is equipped to work on powersuits; the other two trucks work strictly on wheeled vehicles.

The bulk of business done by Conway is with street gangs, providing the with bikes and Keshangs. Conway avoids working with DarkNight, choosing to hire Props if they need protection. Conway trucks often have a Prop escort riding one of their custom vehicles. Conway has been known to cooperate with Tek Trex, sharing parts and technology on the Keshang/powersuit side.

While SLA is relieved Conway is not cooperating with DarkNight, they are frustrated by the edge that Conway is giving the gangs. Simple busts by the Shivers are now turning into high speed pursuits which often end in civilian casualties and property damage. SLA has stepped up Shiver patrols, going so far as using Battle Taxis as makeshift roadblocks in particularly troublesome areas.

Conway has gained enough notoriety that bolder Operatives will confiscate Conway equipment for personal use. Punishment for these Operatives is generally severe as SLA sees this as damaging to the reputations of the “legitimate” companies. Despite the tempation to forcefully acquire Conway Motorsports, SLA has not for two main reasons. First, Conway's reputation is too entrenched. SLA stands to lose face if it looked like they had to hostilely take over a Soft Company because their products were superior to SLA's house brands. Second, Conway gives SLA an excuse to increase Shiver presence and control “for the public good.”

Employees: Three Shop Managers and 9-12 Mechanics at any given time. Identities currently unknown.

Facilities: Three converted panel trucks used as mobile workshops. Trucks have no set base of operations.