It's been about five weeks since Eve closed out accounts with you. News of the hit are tucked away in the screamsheets. The reports are vague; a group of gangers attack local business; repelled by security. Of course, the shadows know better. It takes longer to get out, but soon you hear about another odd event on the same day, 2am Pacific Time. An Ares group hit a Mitsuhama enclave and extracted a high-level researcher. Some coincidences are too much to ignore.

Cavilard turns up in the news again nearly a month later in the form of business asset sales. But that's not in the sort of circulations the street normally reads up about. No, in your circles the news is back to the filth of the streets; go-gangs trading turf, corpses turning up in the street, and a new line of trids which are supposed to be better than ever.

There's no word from Blake, which is probably a good sign.

Meanwhile, money continues to get spent on crappy food and new toys and greasing palms, and the jobs aren't moving like they should.

Tonight you are at Reno, decked out in your finest 'running clothes', hoping to find a Johnson to keep you fed for another week. This is a runner bar, but the bouncer at the front makes sure any visible hardware is left at home. Assault rifles aren't good for business.

You can feel the music as much as you can hear it. Deep, throbbing bass and the piercing ring of a synth-guitar. Even though it's early, the rockerboys are whipping the crowd into a frenzy.

It seems like every runner in Seattle had the same idea. There's going to be fierce competition for any pickings tonight.

The handsome, albino man of asian descent made his way through the crowd towards the stage. If he wasn't going to find work tonight, he may as well find someone pretty to look at. He checked the place out on the astral plane, flashing back and forth between beats of the base to elevate his own mood. He throws himself onto the dance floor and lets himself get lost in the beat for awhile. Maybe his brother-in-law was being sarcastic when he sent him to this place for chance at running the shadows, but he'd at least get to make the most out of his night.

Copperhead scowled at the young orc server who looked to be approaching her table with intent, then suppressed a smirk as the teenager altered course.  She took another sip of the synthahol she'd been nursing for the better part of an hour.

Fraggin waste of time.

The whole point of having a fixer was to avoid having to go into places like this.  Places where she had to go as "meat".  She winced slightly as the lead troll's guitar let out a piercing wail happened to perfectly hit the resonant frequency of one of her "upgrades".  Apparently it wasn't as firmly attached to her endo-skeleton as clinical good practice might dictate.  Or perhaps whatever bio-glue the military had used wasn't meant to withstand a 20 meter drop out of a damaged chopper or the deceleration from 200k to zero in 0.5 seconds or the various other forms of abuse her frame had endured since then.

Regardless of the reason, musical establishments weren't her friend.  At least the volume here wasn't aimed at those with sound dampeners like some establishments.  Those places could have her going snaky in seconds.

She glanced at her watch.  She'd give it another 30 minutes and then she was bailing, regardless of what Alfred said.  She didn't fraggin' need friends.  Just Nuyen.

Every now and then, Noruas takes a sip of his purple soda. The music wasn't too bad, but the atmosphere was terrible. There were just too many people at this joint to properly enjoy himself. Miyuki had pointed him to this place when he said he was bored. He meant it as playful comment to try and instigate a conversation with her so that they could spend some time together.  Obviously she didn't catch on.  Seeing how busy she was, Noruas decided to give her some space and come here on his own.  He slipped on his previous mask before leaving home.
This message was last edited by the player at 11:44, Sat 03 Oct 2015.

Caduceus put down the kickstand of his motorcycle and took off his helmet.  After straightening out his hair he took a moment to cast a quick Health Glow spell over himself before getting off.  A weak shamanic mask of scale patterning rippled over his body and his dead skin cells flaked off like old snake skin before disappearing as dust in the wind.  "That's better," he said to himself.  Then he straightened out his alligator print longcoat and headed for the doors to the bar.

Once inside he followed the outer wall to try and find a place to sit.  The place was a little more lowbrow than he preferred, but it was decent enough.  He ordered a Frankenblend Synthahol with lemon twist from the young orc server passing by, then pulled up a stool next to the wall.  He got to work surveying the crowd with his astral sight, letting the music lull him into the slight swaying of a light shamanic trance.

If he was going to find work here, he wanted to know who might be offering it, or at least more interested in finding it as well.  He kept an eye out for anyone with an aura more focused on business than pleasure.  They would be the ones worth keeping an extra eye on.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:16, Sat 03 Oct 2015.

Caduceus spots the woman first; 5'2", blonde hair tied back in a perfect coif, tight, black slacks, a black coat with the ornamental flared shoulders, and dangling gold earrings. Real gold, you notice. She approaches, and leans in to be audible over 16 MaxMaster speakers. "Good evening. My name is uh... Johnson. I wonder if I might take a moment of your time?" She nods over to a nearby booth.

Should Caduceus agree, she doesn't immediately follow. Instead, after some searching, she confronts Copperhead now, with the same instructions, inviting her "and her team".

White Duck is last, as he's kicking it on the dance floor. But it doesn't take him long to notice the woman; while she's dressed for the club, she stands out among street types. And she's watching him. Apparently she does not care to go wading into the dance pit. Sure enough, when White Duck emerges, covered with a sheen of sweat, she moves to intercept him, leaning in against his ear to make her offer, "Meet me at the booth? I have an offer that is worth your time." She follows White Duck to the booth.

Once everyone is sitting (I will let Noruas decide how easily contacted he is at the club, and if he sees Copperhead and decides to act), she joins you.

"Good. Now that we are all here, I can get started. I have brought you together to offer you the opportunity to make some nuyen, a sizable amount. I need a group of professionals to reacquire several objects that were stolen from my company. I cannot afford for this run to have a high profile, so I am willing to work with younger talent. If you are successful, your careers, and your credsticks, will be greatly enhanced. Unfortunately, every minute is precious and I cannot give you time to think about it. My question is a simple one: Are you the people I have been looking for?"

(Assuming everyone says yes; you may ask questions, but she won't divulge much at this time.)

"Excellent. As I am sure you realize, this is not exactly the place for a business meeting. We will meet at The Banshee at exactly 1:00 A.M. Do not be late. When you get there, ask for Urian. You will be directed to the meeting from there. Are there any questions about the meeting place? If not, I suggest we all leave. Do not attempt to follow me; it would strain our budding relationship."

With that, she heads for the door.

quote:

09:09, Today: Copperhead failed (no successes) using 6d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 6 with rolls of 4,3,4,4,2,4.  Spot Noruas.

Given the crowded nature of the bar and the fact that Noruas doesn't have any strongly distinguishing features (usually a good thing), plus the fact she has no reason to expect him to be here, I'm going to assume that's not sufficient for him to notice me.

I'm a bit more unique, plus more likely to trigger a reaction in those around me, so presumably Noruas' target number will be lower.

Caduceus - what do you look like?

Team?

Copperhead shrugged and slid out of her seat to head over to the indicated booth, doing a quick scan to see if there was anyone here she knew.  Maybe the woman was merely referring to her toys.  Most of the time, they were the only 'team' she needed.

She eased herself into the new booth, opposite the well-dressed human male sitting there.  She gave him the once over before draining the remains of her drink and waiting for the Johnson to return.

(If Noruas comes to the table, she raises her eyebrows in surprise, then indicates the seat beside her, elbowing herself up to again scan the room.
"A run mebe.  Ya see anyone we knows?")

When given the description of the run, the scarred rigger shrugged in what could be interpreted as a slightly affirmative manner.  Nuyen was good.  "Retrieval" of items, whether a re-aquisition or an initial "borrowing" was well within her line of work.  Certainly worth talking about.  And it was an excuse to leave here, which was reason enough.

Given the J's explicit instruction, she figured following her preferences and leaving immediately would be bad form, so she decided to make the most of the time she still had to tolerate the driving beat.  At least the troll wasn't hitting that annoying note anymore.

She looks from Cadeus to White Duck and back again and speaks with her typical scowl.

"Who're you?"

Noruas continues to sip his purple soda as his eyes scanned the room.



He spots Copperhead in her booth and reacted slightly surprised.  What's she doing here?  The dwarf also notices the blond woman approaching her.  From the looks of her outfit, she seemed more like the type to give out orders.

Looks like she found a Johnson...Let's see if she wants to share the job... thought Noruas as he approached the booth.  He continues to sip the synth-grape soda until the straw could offer no more liquid sweetness.  As he makes eye contact with Copperhead, he offers a slight nod and asks her in a whisper, Mind if I join you?



He shrugs, Sorry, nope.

As the other potential members start to approach the booth and find their places, Noruas furtively pulls out his phone.


After the instructions were given, Noruas is the first to leave the table to get some more synth-soda.

Duck seemed hesitant about meeting with the Johnson at first. He wondered if things were seriously done this way in the shadows of Seattle and not through more private channels. Maybe the work would be legitimate, so it was worth at least going to that other meeting. Maybe in the next place he wouldn't have to check his gun at the door. He agreed to the pitch, then watched the Johnson depart. She'd made it a point of not being followed, but was anyone following her? He considered tailing after her- maybe he could find out more about who she worked for? Then, Copperhead asked him a question.

"White Duck. Infiltration specialist." he said nonchalantly, his eyes still on the door. He didn't seem bothered by Copperhead's line of questioning, it was just that things seemed fishy. They always seemed fishy to him, though. Maybe he'd just read too many comics.

"Thinking of tailing her anyway, since she made such a big show about it."

Caduceus is a man of average height and weight.  Not very muscular, but he is very sharp and alert.  He is in his thirties, has cinnamon skin, and short brown hair that is well kept.  He usually wears a jacket or longcoat made of dark green material similar to crocodile skin. (Probably not authentic though.)  He tries to keep an upscale appearance and usually has a look in his eye of a predator trying to befriend its prey.  (I copied and pasted this to his character description now if you ever need to find it later.)

After listening to the woman's sales pitch and taking a few moments to gauge its authenticity, Caduceus relaxed back into his seat and focused all of his attention back on the group.  "Tailing her could be useful," he admitted, "but it could also spook her off.  Judging by the way she first introduced herself to me, I think she may be new to the whole Johnson gig.  That could work in our favor, if we're careful.  Just gotta make sure we don't let her set us up for a bigger bite than we can chew."

He leaned forward and took a tiny sip from his drink, then pushed it away with a wrinkled nose.  "I'm Caduceus, by the way. I'm good at magic tricks," he said with a wink.  Then, pointing to Noruas and Copperhead he asked "What about you two?  You know each other?"

The presence of another spell-slinger suggested that perhaps her other prior teammates weren't going to be required, though this new team did seem a bit short of muscle.  If it was an acquisition run, then muscle probably wouldn't be required if things went smoothly.  She knew from experience that things almost never went smoothly, especially when you weren't prepared for the other possibility.  The J. probably didn't realize that though.  Best to wait for details before calling in the others though.  No point splitting the payout unnecessarily.

"Rigger.  N' ya, we's run t'gedder once.

I cn tail 'er next time.  We knows where she's gonna be.

Probly right she's a virgin.  No pro says she's got lotsa nuyen.  Cuz that's settin up da wrong negotiatin stan.  But she's inna rush, so she prolly gots dreck breathin down 'er neck.

I'll go ta da site now an keep an eye on tings.  If I gets der before her, I can sees her ride an put a tracker on it.  If she gets der first, den she's a fraggin' good driver an she ain't done nothin 'citin 'tween now and den.

Anyone as wants a ride kin come wit.  An if ya don't, mebe ya can give me yer LTG nums?  I kin call ya if it gets fun."

If no one stops her, the rigger will slide toward the exit of the booth, waiting for anyone who's sitting beside her to move out of the way and accepting any proffered pieces of paper with contact info.  She then grabs a double-strength soycaf at the bar before making her way to the door and then to her van.  This was probably going to be a long night.

Noruas returns with another purple soda, this time in a plastic cup with a lid and the straw sticking out of it.  He listens in on the conversation between the newly formed team, but keeps quiet while continuing to slurp his sweet liquid yumminess.

Once they had decided to adjourn the meeting, he follows Copperhead to her van.

Caduceus gave Copperhead his contact information before getting up himself.  "I've got an extra seat on my bike too," he offered.  "I'm heading out now though.  I'll see if I can get us a hearth spirit willing to help us out on the inside, if need be.  And I would rather do that sooner than later."  He payed for his unconsumed drink, then headed outside to get back on his Harley-Davidson Scorpion.  If White Duck wants a ride, Caduceus will offer him an extra helmet, then take off down the city's back streets and alleyways to try to get to the destination ahead of their Johnson, just like Copperhead.  (And if he beats Copperhead, more bragging rights for him!)

13:05, Today: Caduceus rolled 2 successes using 6d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of 1,(6+1)7,3,3,(6+4)10,3.  Knowledge: Seattle Back-ways.

What time is it now?

OOC: Hammer Time?

You have about an hour, if you want to take time to pick up anything. There's no particular rush.

Noruas begins going through all the pictures he had taken at the bar.  He extracts the ones of the suspicious man he had seen and shares it with Copperhead.

I saw this small guy back at the bar and I think he might be related to our J or at least her mission in some way.  Feel free to share this intel with the other two.  Ask them if they know of him too.

This is the description I received upon seeing him:

quote:

You notice that a small man in dingy synth-Ieathers watches Roxanne leave. He glances at the characters and quickly speaks into a wrist phone as he scoots after Roxanne.

Duck you can decide who you're going with.

"Drek.  Don even got da miss'n yet and iz already hozed.

Les get goin."

She popped into the front of the camper and quickly pulled out into the lighter traffic of the Seattle evening.  For once it wasn't raining.  She watched carefully for any signs of a tail, doubling back once or twice.  Odds were good that if anyone was following anyone, they'd be tracking the Johnson, but it didn't hurt to be sure.

Once she was sure she was clean, she drove as quickly as she could without drawing attention.  While she wanted to make it to the Banshee, though she did have to travel a bit out of her way to get within range of her fab shop and summon her arial drone to meet them at the new location.  Its LMG had been re-rifled.  She didn't want any rounds fired on this run matching up with the last one.

Do any of us know anything about the Banshee?

Looking up at Nouras' pictures, then immediately departs in search of the man who departed, leaving his LTG number on the table.

"Pardon me, we may want to tail that individual and I need to pick up the trail immediately. Can someone call in oh, say, fifteen minutes? I'd be much obliged." He smiles, nods politely, and then suddenly looks to be an unassuming, yet still quite handsome, brunette human of asian descent, his albinism seeming to fade as he moves away from the table's light and out of the door the man went through in search of him.

OOC: I could try and look it up, but I'd need to connect to somewhere first....  Funny how in the future, wifi is not available everywhere....

Noruas unholsters his Predator and checks his clip for the right type of ammo (gel rounds) before holstering the weapon again.

OOC: So is Banshee a facility?  Bar?  A huge stretch of empty land?  Rolling hills?  The town in the awesome TV series with the exact same name?
This message was last edited by the player at 13:00, Wed 07 Oct 2015.

Anyone can roll any street knowledge skills to find what a banshee is. TN is 3. Barring that, a Banshee is an armored VTOL military aircraft, and a terrifying Irish monster.

There will be a brief intermission, as Duck has separated from the group.

At what point is Noruas showing the photos - while we're still in the booth shortly after the J. leaves, or at Copperhead's vehicle after we've chatted for another 5 minutes or so and grabbed another drink to go?

quote:

11:54, Today: Copperhead rolled 2 successes using 6d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 5 with rolls of (6+4)10,1,5,2,1,4.  Banshee - ST:Scrounging.
11:53, Today: Copperhead rolled 2 successes using 2d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 5 with rolls of (6+2)8,5.  Banshee - ST:Gang turf.

So I probably know where it is and know a bit about the area

Copperhead watches White Duck's transformation with interest.  That could be a useful skill indeed.  She wondered if he could do the same for her . . .

OOC:　I believe I started sharing once I reached your van.

Fair enough. So quick correction; sorry White Duck. You're not aware of the new individual. We can reopen the Sewer Rats thread if someone chooses to share or act. Are you off with Caduceus to the Banshee?

Caduceus knows a little about the Banshee. It's a no-name bar in a relatively quiet corner of the barrens. Unfortunately, the roads there aren't always so quiet, so he has to take a rather circuitous, winding route. At one point, deep in Crimson Crush territory, Caduceus sees a trio of go-gangers in Blood Rumbler colors coming down the main drag, loud and proud.

Once they're clear, Caduceus can continue on his ride. He arrives at the Banshee plenty early. The place lives up to your expectations. The brick facade is completely unremarkable, with a broken neon sign announcing the "Sa sh e" is open for business. The heavy steel door pulls open, a common feature for establishments more interested in exiting clients than entering ones. There are no windows. Muffled music seeps from under the door.

As you enter the bar, you are slightly more impressed. Although last year's favorite tunes blast from a pair of decaying speakers, the music is clear and loud. The door opens into a narrow hall with a single low window to your left. At the far end of the hall, perhaps twelve feet away, is a steel and wire mesh gate with a single crossbar that can only be operated from the other side. A single human bouncer tells you to check your hardware with the Dwarf behind the window. The man is unarmed, unless you count the cyber eyes and matching set of razors protruding from the back of his hands. As you move to comply, a gritty Dwarf muscles your heavier equipment into rusty metal racks. Your are, of course, allowed to keep your hand guns. The Dwarf flips a thumbs-up sign to the bouncer, who opens the gate.

The Banshee is obviously a meeting place. There is no dance floor to speak of, and there is no room for any type of stage. The music is canned, piped into the bar to cover the inhabitants' conversations. There are several large tables in the center of the room, surrounded by deeply padded vinyl chairs. The only bar is directly in front of you. As you look in, you can see several scantily clad waitresses moving slowly through the thin crowd.

Caduceus, having arrived so early, has plenty of time to check the place out.

Copperhead and Noruas take a much longer route. With Copperhead's drone providing overwatch and a solid knowledge of the streets, they strategically route around any potential trouble spots. It costs them a little more time, but they can still get to the bar before the meeting time, with ten minutes to spare. Unfortunately, neither had time to do more research on the odd guy at the last bar.

(White Duck has his choice of transportation.)

Copperhead spotted Caduceus's bike a couple of minutes before her arrival.  Flying was pretty much always faster than driving, particularly when navigating the patchwork of asphalt, concrete, gravel and debris that passed for roads in the barrens.  She calls the mage up with her cell.

"Nice drivin.  Had ta pick up a toy on da way.  Anyone interestin inside?"

Her voice comes over the intercom in the back of the camper.  "Noruas, ya wanna go inside as meat or ya wanna deck da place?  I kin fine a place ta jack in and keep somethin ta watch yer corpse if ya wants."

Having ridden with Copperhead and Nouras, White Duck exits the vehicle and dusts himself off.

"So, would you folks mind if I got into the pay negotiations, or do you already have someone designated for that?" he asks of no-one in particular.

"Ya go 'head.  Der's a comm in da drawer.  An in da glove 'partment der's a scorp'n drone.  Take it wit' ya.  Mind da pointy bit.  Oh, an don touch da det'nators.

I'm gonna do da over-watchin' ting.  I figger Mr. Shades is like ta bring trouble.  If he ain' already done it."

It would suck if the Johnson was already dead.  She hadn't even paid them the up-front money.

Noruas takes Copperhead on her offer, Sure, show me where I can plug in, and set someone or something to watch my meat.

Can Copperhead find a location that's likely to have Matrix access or a location that's tappable?  (Ideally one where a couple of small armed drones won't be a problem . . .)

After securing his ride and giving the street-side of the place a once over in both physical and astral space, Caduceus entered the rundown building.  Immediately inside the threshold, Caduceus took a purposeful stance inside the doorway and scanned the area for any unwanted astral surprises.

Satisfied, he visually soaked in the composition of the building itself.  Arcing his neck as he examined the wall, ceiling, then other wall.  As he did, one of his fingers absently swirled around on the nearby wall, calling forth a spirit of the hearth.  His consciousness called out in a whisper through the nooks and crannies of the walls.  Into the gaps between brick and beam, where a snake could creep comfortably and in safety.

Listening.  Waiting.  Learning...

Rolling 6 of 8 dice on a conjuring test in Caduceus' chosen environment.  Force 4.
11:14, Today: Caduceus rolled 2 successes using 6d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of 3,1,5,1,4,3.  Force 4 Hearth Spirit Conjuring.
Got two services.
Carrying over 2 conjuring dice to add to the drain test.  Total of 8.
11:16, Today: Caduceus rolled 4 successes using 8d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of 3,1,2,5,4,5,4,3.  Drain Resistance 4.
Medium stun reduced to no stun.

After what seemed like hours, although Caduceus knew it had been mere seconds, a spirit came to answer his call.  "Shhhhh.  Come back in a bit," the shaman whispered under his breath to the spirit as he continued to examine the wall.  It returned to where it came from as instructed.

After all his loitering in the entrance, Caduceus suddenly strode forward with purpose.  He swiftly showed the cybered dwarf that he had no weapons worth confiscating under his longcoat. () After being let in he made his way to an empty table far from the door and made himself comfortable.  He casually scanned the room in physical space and astral space for any obvious threats.  As long as it looked like nobody was watching him in astral space, he ordered a big "Scotch and water on the rocks, hold the scotch," then called back his hearth buddy.  He put his boots up on the chair next to him and settled in.

A while later, when he got the call from Copperhead, he listened to what she had to say then replied, "Nah, not too interesting in here yet.  Looks better on the inside than the outside though, that's for sure.  I would send you a picture, but I get the impression that it would be frowned upon.  On that note, you should know you are expected to check your big guns at the door, so no bazookas.  I would say that was obvious but, well, I don't really know any of you very well yet."  Caduceus shrugs even though she can't see him.  "Anyway... I take it you are almost here?  Any last minute details I should be aware of before our meeting starts?"  Caduceus glanced at the time displayed on his pocket secretary.  The Johnson could show up any minute now.

"Decker's gonna manage stuff from out 'ere.  I'll sen Ducky in wit a s'cure comm fer ya.  He's volnteered ta do da negotiatin.  We kin throws in our 2 nuyen wit da comms.  Ya kin mebe handle da overwatch on da inside?

Noruas snapped some pics o' a tail da J had at Reno, so we oughta be ready for compny.  I'll letcha know when she gets 'ere.  An if anyone else is joinin' da party.  Der in 5, watchin already."

Can I send the pictures over the phone?

With her drone Copperhead performed a detailed scan of the parking lot, the building and anything with a line of sight to it or the parking lot, taking care to remain well above the maximum range of the average hunting rifle.  In part, it was to make detection by the Johnson or others more challenging.  But primarily it was to keep her baby safe.  Most of the locals in the Barrens weren't too keen on anyone monitoring their activities, let alone LoneStar.

quote:

11:41, Today: Copperhead rolled 2 successes using 6d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of 2,2,5,3,1,4.  Perception.
11:45, Today: Copperhead rolled 2 successes using 5d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of 2,4,1,1,4.  Active sensor sweep.

"Overwatch.  Got it."  The shaman hung up the phone and looked casually around the room again.  This time with security in mind.  He took more careful note of peoples' auras now, cross referencing the ones he had seen at the club, since it would be much easier to throw on a new jacket and a wig than it would be to disguise your aura.  He payed extra attention to newer arrivals.  If the Johnson had a stalker it would not be good news for them.  Chances were that the four of them were already being added to a checklist of her known associates or something.  They might be able to press her for more cash if she was in a hurry though...  Caduceus hoped this White Duck kid knew his stuff when it came to negotiating.

Caduceus sipped his ice water and put negotiations out of his mind, however.  He was on guard duty now.  And between his skills, tricks, and spirit buddy, Caduceus was confident he could manage that task quite effectively.

As his lips left his cup he let a slight smirk escape, directed at the hearth spirit in the "empty" chair next to him.  "Hope you don't mind subtlety."  The bottomless eyes of the vaguely humanoid entity stared back at him.  It looked almost like a little bouncer and about exactly as talkative.

11:34, Today: Caduceus rolled 3 successes using 5d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of 4,5,1,2,(6+4)10.  Aura Reading (Auras) - Recognizing anyone from the club.
Caduceus may try casting a spell while he still has a bit of time to relax (hopefully) if his drain test goes poorly, depending on what all of his observations since arriving reveal.

Unfortunately, matrix jacks around the barrens are hard to find on short notice. The telecom network is forty years out of date, and totally unmaintained. You can drop Noruas a few miles back at a safe little corner if you want.

Caduceus summons up the bar's hearth spirit; a small but muscled homunculus forms in the shadows of the corner, visible only to him. As Caduceus gets settled, he can sense the spirit still lingering just at the edge of his vision, and feel it grow closer when called. Caduceus can faintly hear a stream of whispers surround the two of them, but try as he might, he can't pull out more than stray words from the noise.

The spirit awaits Caduceus's command.

Copperhead can send the image, but the connection is weak, and will take a few minutes. Who are you sending it to?

Copperhead does a quick scan of the area. There's a mix of very trashy, very armored, and very nice vehicles parked within a three-block radius, including a small helicopter parked a few blocks over.

With White Duck and Caduceus in the bar, the time for the appointment finally arrives. One of them goes to the bartender and asks for Urian, as the Johnson had instructed. The bartender continues to run the wet bar with an even wetter rag. He casually looks up and scans you. With exaggerated slowness, he points to the far door. He raises his hand to the troll standing there, and returns to his work. Crossing the wet tile floor, you are ushered into the next room by the doorman.

The next room is not a meeting room, but another section of the bar. There are several tables, of slightly higher quality, bunched in the center of the room and a large redwood bar against the back wall. The music is much softer in this room. The doorman backs out, closes the door, and the music fades altogether, and with it, your wireless connections, including radios and cell phones. Sitting at the bar, sipping some foaming blue concoction, is your very lovely Ms. Johnson.

Mr. Johnson ushers you into a small room, set in the back of The Banshee. Inside is a legless vinyl couch and a card table with five straight-backed wooden chairs. A single bare light bulb hangs from the plaster ceiling. Seated on an arm of the couch, next to some kind of electronic box, is a huge Indian. He is wearing a leather jacket with matching fringed breeches and loin cloth. He is not wearing a shirt. Instead, a bone vest, brightly decorated with colored beads and small feathers, covers his massive chest. His feet are covered by thick-soled moccasins, intricately designed with hundreds of hand-sewn beads. On his left foot is the pattern of a snake, seemingly caught beneath the sole of the big man's foot. On the right is a small green bird, just taking flight up his calf. As you enter the room, he flips a switch on the front of the box and rises to meet you. A faint, relaxing
hum fills the room.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. My name is Urian Manes, son of Isheer Many-Manes and president of Global Technologies. The woman who brought you here is Roxanne Wunter. We would like to acquire your services.

<green>"The task is a simple one. Last night, a member of my staff assisted several thieves in stealing three data chips from my company. Although the defense was spirited, all of the thieves managed to get away. The one who turned against me was like a son. But that is no more. I must have these chips back. The actual thieves are of little consequence; the stolen merchandise is vital.

"Time is of the essence. However, you cannot charge into battle full of pride and self-importance. This run must be accomplished silently. Am I understood? Even a hint of your activities could be disastrous.

"I understand the way of the world. The workman is worthy of his wage. I am, therefore, willing to pay competitive rates. However, I must have the chips delivered here, into Roxanne's hands, no later than 9 A.M. Friday. It's now Tuesday night. That gives you two and half days to do your job."

Outside, Copperhead and Noruas are treated to static.

Copperhead will drop Noruas off a couple of miles away if he wishes, so long as it's within comm range of the bar.  Depending on the safety of the location, she'll also give him her shot-gun mounted crawler to watch his hoop and discourage anyone from interfering with him.

She transmits the image to Caduceus.  White Duck was with me and Noruas, so he's already seen the image (and could presumably have transferred it to something he could carry if he wished).

Copperhead let out a few choice words as her link goes dark, thankful that she was in captain's mode at the time.  The scorpion drone slumped uselessly into the recesses of White Duck's pocket.  If she'd been jumped into her little drone, the loss of connectivity would've meant for a nasty headache.

She doesn't bother trying to re-establish the connection.  This wasn't a jammer, it was a shielded room.  Short of drilling a hole in the wall and slipping an antenna through, there was no way she was going to listen in.  Technically she had the equipment to do what was necessary, but that was the sort of thing that was likely to make a skittish J like this one downright unruly.  Plus the population density was a little high for her to undertake the task without getting detected.

She settled for attempting to reconstruct the geometry of the building based on what she had seen of the feed from the "public" portion of the bar as well as the quick view she'd had of the private section before the door closed.  She used that information together with her exterior view of the building to try to get a sense of where White Duck likely was.  Then she went to work looking for doors, windows or anything else that might allow ingress or egress from that area.  If White Duck needed to get out in a hurry or someone else wanted to get in, she wanted that information easily available.

On the plus side, Caduceus was well positioned to relay a warning if someone showed up here that looked like they intended to raise any issues.  And if Noruas managed to dig up anything useful about the photos he'd grabbed before the meeting was over, he'd be able to relay that as well.

She parked the van about a block away, positioned to be well lined up with the interior doorway.  Her deck was positioned on the dash, antennas aimed squarely at the building  If she could get a burst of signal from someone else going into or out of the "private" area of the bar, she intended to make the most of that opportunity.  Her drone took care of watching the back side of the building.  While she waited for the static to disappear, she focused her energy on grabbing vehicle images, license plate information and still images of anyone visible outdoors.

It sucked that she could listen in on the discussions.  When the run was done, she'd have to investigate the possibility of some sort of sub-sonic or hypersonic communication device.  Something that worked outside the range of most white noise generators, or was low enough bandwidth that it could compensate for the noise.  Most places relied on the generators now, so true soundproofing was rare.  The tricky bit would translating the subvocalizations of whoever was in the "private" area into appropriate text for low bandwidth transmission . . .

She pulled herself back to the images, doing a quick scan for threats.  Overwatch could be fragging boring.

Duck, having noticed the drone going silent in his pocket, leans back, considering the words of Manes. Two less in his audience of observers didn't really affect his nerves, but if things went hot, he'd have to at least get outside of jamming range to contact the team for emergency backup, so he noted the location in which the drone went dead as he'd entered. It was a shame, really, as he'd hoped the team that had worked together before would use the meet as a chance to demonstrate his usefulness. Here's hoping a fat paycheck helped out just as much. With an impassive face, he leans in to address the Johnson.

"Well, Mr. Manes, I would certainly say that we would be able to help you with that. Subtlety is an expertise of mine, personally, and I am confident enough to tell you that this job would be done aptly. However, I'd like for us to talk about some specifics regarding payment prior to accepting the work." he smiles politely, his teeth shining white as he reaches into his coat and draws forth a cigarette, lighting it and adding to the haziness of the room after a deep draw.

"I am supposing now would be a good time to ask you about an initial offering for our services."

Where is the location of my connection to the matrix?  I don't think we really established that very well...

Caduceus is in the room with White Duck too, correct?  If not, I will edit my post as appropriate.

After White Duck entered the Banshee, Caduceus spent one of his spirit's services to have it Guard the two of them.  He didn't want any simple accidents to mess up their entire night.  When they were showed to the other room the shaman kept one eye on the astral plane, watching out for any barriers, spirits, or other astral forms.  He wouldn't be too concerned if he found any of those things, but he did want to be aware of their existence.

He was a bit surprised to see their Johnson in the room already.  Either she made excellent time in arriving here, or she came in through a separate entrance.  His bet was on the later.  He looked around for where that entrance might be, just so that no other surprises would sneak up on them from that direction.  Especially the guy in the image Copperhead sent him a few minutes earlier.

As introductions were made, Caduceus nodded politely and kept a friendly face, but otherwise remained silent.  He listened to what Mr. Manes had to say, but the negotiations were White Duck's department.  The tattoos on Mr. Mane's feet did catch Caduceus' eye though.  He looked carefully to see if they looked shamanic in origin or if they possibly had some other meaning.  He looked carefully at Mr. Mane's astral signature too, in an effort to see if the man was Awakened.


14:00, Today: Caduceus rolled 4 successes using 5d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of 5,5,(6+2)8,2,4.  Knowledge - Symbolism - foot tattoos.
I'm looking for any significance the tattoos might have for Mr. Manes other than to look pretty.

14:03, Today: Caduceus rolled 4 successes using 6d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of 1,2,5,5,5,(6+4)10.  Assensing test - Mr. Manes.
14:05, Today: Caduceus rolled 2 successes using 5d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of 2,1,1,(6+5)11,(6+3)9.  Aura Reading (Auras) - Complimentary Assensing skill.
That should fall into the 5+ category on the Assensing Table if I did things correctly.

Also, if the room happens to have a barrier on it, would that mean my hearth spirit is stuck outside (and unable to Guard us) and I should try summoning another one?

For matrix connections, you could hunt for a telecom line somewhere, tap in, and hang off the side like a scarecrow. Next to that, you can find a matrix cafe further out than that, pay some cash, and bunker down out of the weather.

Manes leans back in his seat, as though preparing for a deep laugh.

"Direct, no time wasted. I like that!"

"100,000 per chip. There are three, so that is a tidy profit for you, I imagine. You may decide to divide that up among your coworkers as you please."

Yes, Caduceus is there as well.

The room is warded; a simple wall of magic, but certainly sufficient for these purposes. The spirit has no issue entering though; this is where it lives!

There's no sign of a second entrance, and no signs of other parties.

Caduceus reads his new Johnson carefully. The man is not awakened, but he is certainly aware. His spirit is strong, and unwavering. The colors are unusually even. From his tattoos, you judge the man to be of the plains tribes, but not all of them are so traditional. A few have more modern motifs, with lines of code and circuit boards. Unfortunately, understanding that is beyond your ken.

As the meeting moves on, Copperhead's drones catch an unusual shadow around the back of the building. Zooming in, it looks like your old friend from the bar has made a reappearance. He has a radio or phone close to his mouth, that he's whispering into.

Is Noruas's deck set up to allow radio communications yet?  Or an inbound cell call?  Please? :>  If not, I'll adjust the post.

Also - spirits can go through wards within their building?  That's a slightly scary security hole.  Yer fren is playin sneaky sneaky at da back an Ducky an da bald dude is in a comm-shielded room so I can warn'em.

Copperhead zoomed in with her cameras, trying to pick out as much detail as she could.  Unfortunately she was too far out for audio pick-up.  And if she brought her drone in close enough to pick up audio, it was almost certain the man would detect her.

The rigger reached out to Noruas.  "Kin ya get me da phone number o' dis Banshee place?  Also, yer fren from da bar is yammerin on 'is comm while hidin roun da back.  If ya can break in an cop a lissen, dat'd be good"

The rigger kicks off her frequency scanner.  If it was a radio, she should find it easily enough.  There weren't that many bands licensed for such use (civilian or military).

quote:

16:06, Today: Copperhead rolled 2 successes using 6d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of 1,2,1,4,(6+5)11,2.  Electronic warfare - companion skill.
16:05, Today: Copperhead rolled 5 successes using 6d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of 4,4,(6+1)7,4,4,3.  Scanner - identify radio frequency.
16:04, Today: Copperhead rolled 1 success using 6d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of 2,(6+2)8,2,2,3,2.  Perception - info on shadow guy.

So on perception, one success on stuff that isn't blatantly obvious.

On the scanner, if the radio's rating 1, I'll find it in 5 minutes.  If it's 2-4, I'll find it in 15 minutes (in the unlikely event things haven't gone south by then).  If it's higher than that, I can try again in 30 minutes.

Copperhead, you mind lending me a drone so we can go say hi to that gentleman?  Unless you have other plans for him.  It might be wise to warn our new teammates inside...
This message was last edited by the player at 11:44, Wed 21 Oct 2015.

I do not believe Noruas has a radio or cell connection on his deck yet.

In general, spirits cannot cross wards regardless. But shamans break rules, and in this particular case, the Banshee owners have an ongoing relationship with their hearth spirit, so it's all good.

Seeing as communication is rather important - the team's expecting an ambush, is Noruas able to establish a call to my cell?  And would he have done that prior to me noticing the shadowy individual?

Duck whistles, his face even and calm, but his honest demeanor cautious. He breaks into a tone of strict neutrality, cautiously avoiding the use of the more aggressive terminology in favor of more polite ones.

"Mr. Manes, Discretion is of utmost importance to my clientele. I respect the confidentiality of your information, sir, and would rather agree to payment before you disclose any information to me. This is, of course, out of respect for our mutual security as well." he smiles, taking a drag of his cigarette.

"That said, I'd much rather clarify a few terms. First, I'm assuming that by offering such a high fee, we aren't to know the contents of these chips, or try to use them in any way, just that you'd like them back safely in your hands as promptly as possible." he doffs his cigarette politely into a nearby ashtray. His posture eases a bit, but his eyes are keen through the smoke.

"Secondly, silence is a large part of our expertise, but sometimes things happen. I'm assuming that you would not want to attract any outside attention, naturally, but what if the current thieves aren't so willing to part with their chips, and end up taking arms? Would it be in violation of our contract to neutralize any hostile personnel?" he asks, not giving much of a pause, but holding up three fingers with his hand instead.

"Thirdly, those chips could be anywhere, it's been almost a day. They could be in Japan or Germany- we can track them down, but that factor, along with many others, may require an advance to cover some of the costs associated with this type of task." he holds up a forth finger.

"We'd also like the opportunity to know more about this disloyal employee of yours. If he was close to you personally, that's a potential vulnerability, and while I'm assuming you're already taken countermeasures in your security to prevent further infiltration, it would benefit us greatly in knowing more of the specifics how the task of stealing the chips was accomplished." he says, then holds up a fifth. Through some sleight of hand, series of photographs appear in his palm, he places them onto the table.

"Lastly, do you recognize this individual? He was spotted tailing Roxanne out of the club and reporting to someone via commlink. We don't want him to come to any harm, if he's one of your employees, but we also want to make sure he isn't already compromising your discretion." he asks, finishing his cigarette and putting it out in the tray. He leans back and nods politely, allowing the potential employer to respond. Spotting that tail was a trump card, and he grinned as he thought of Nouras' work as a clear demonstration of professional competency to Manes.

I'm not sure if you've mentioned whether or not I should make a negotiation roll here, but he's mentioned several factors that would possibly lead to an increase in pay, an advance, etc, so I'm presuming this is where I'd make it if it's a player-side roll. Clearly, I'm using Negotiation (Bargain) here if it's a GM-side roll.

"Good. I'm happy to get money out of the way.

"You are correct. The chips should not be run or analyzed. Executing them would be, likely, fatal, although not always immediately so. No copies, no analysis. The only copies are delivered to me, or they are destroyed. What happens to those who are currently holding the chips is not of my concern. I trust you to use your tools judiciously, without bringing the attention of the police or the media to focus on me."

If Manes has any discomfort over authorizing the deaths of individuals, it doesn't show. Both his face and his astral are as even and unperturbed as if he had just ordered a coffee.

"We can arrange a small advance, if that is what you require.

"We can provide information on the disloyal employee. And on the events resulting in the loss of the chips. Unfortunately, the employee has decided to cut his losses before we could intercept him. He may be useful to your investigation, if you can find him."

Manes does break for the briefest moment when the pictures are provided, showing the slightest hint of surprise before he can resume his stony-faced demeanor. He takes the pictures and examines them, then hands them over to Roxanne. She looks at them closely and shakes her head.

"No, no I don't recognize him."

She hands the photos back to Duck. Manes continues,

"there are other complicating factors. I suspect this may be one of them ... He is not one of ours."


If you want to roll negotiations now, you absolutely can. Otherwise I can roll it for you. Since you don't know his Intelligence, just post what you roll and I'll figure out how many successes. Also, don't worry about actual amounts of nuyen--the whole back-and-forth is abstracted. I roll, you roll, I take the actual amount offered (which I haven't posted, but is above what I stated), and I figure out the final figure. All of the posturing, such as the pictures of the guy outside and general professional demeanor, just offer modifiers to the roll.


If Noruas is online at another location, or sitting in the van with you, in either case he would be able to contact you, and I have to imagine he will do so. He's not very useful decking in from a remote location, but unable to tell what's actually going on.
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:37, Tue 20 Oct 2015.

Duck nods.

"In this line of work, complicating factors are an expected variable, Mr. Manes. That said, I already see a few." he points to the man in the photograph.

"Take for example this mook. Sorry to say, I know you recognize him, and he's a complication I'd like to know more about what you might know in the interests of my own safety and yours. Your call on how you'd like the issue handled, but we can handle it." He leaves *how* the issue would be handled to the imagination, but seeing that the J was cold enough to authorize wetwork, which Duck himself disdained, it probably wouldn't matter how to him. He continues.

"By the way, it's good for you as far as costs are concerned that the condition of the chips doesn't matter when it comes to final costs. However, since we're not to copy, run, or analyze them, it seems like we're dealing with intellectual property. You'd like us to recover or destroy them, which means you don't want anyone *else* getting their hands on them, including us. They must be nova-hot tech. I have a feeling that us successfully completing this work could be very successful for you and your associates..." he grins, mentioning another factor that might indeed indicate that the runner would like to accept the initial offer on behalf of the team.

"If these chips are dangerous enough to kill, I will presume the individuals that would slot them and survive would be highly dangerous as well, and I appreciate your discretion in how we handle them." He says. He leans in, steepling his palms and bringing his fingers into temples.

"Those are three potentially extreme complications to the initial task of recovering the chips for you that have been revealed in just our brief discussion. I'll let you know now that none of these complications are beyond our capacity of resolving. However, like my mama back home used to say, 'The Lotus has many petals.' I am certain that this task will get more and more interesting as it blossoms, so to speak." He inclines his head politely, his smile that of a polished businessman.

"Rumors can spread quickly enough if folks are already slotting these chips or trying to tamper with, copy, or analyze them themselves. Maybe someone's cracked it? You already mentioned a potential info leak in your initial offer in saying you'd like this done silently. We can assure that this breach remains discrete, and we can retrieve these chips within the provided timeframe. We, Mr. Manes, are an asset that you may never wanted to utilize, but if we accept the assignment, you will be very glad you hired us, and so will your corporate stocks." he says slyly, scratching the back of his head for a moment. The demeanor of the stone-faced man was a clear weakness, since the clear tell in Manes' expression uncovered something he didn't want exposed.

"I like you Mr. Manes, you aren't a sheep. However, you don't hire a sheep for this type of work, either. For that reason, you have my respect. I would like to be direct with you out of that respect and make you a counter-offer. In addition to a small advance, I'd like for you to consider an offer of 150 per-chip and a ten thousand advance. Do you think we can work something out?"

As the conversation continued, Caduceus mostly just provided continued overwatch to White Duck.  Which is to say, he stood behind White Duck and tried to look intimidating and professional while trying not to breathe in the smoke from Duck's cigarette.  A signal block on the room meant there probably wasn't anyone sneaking drones in through the air ducts or anything, and a barrier meant that astral invasions of privacy were unlikely as well, which only made Caduceus' job that much easier.

After seeing Manes falter when the pictures were shown, Caduceus allowed himself the tiniest of smirks.  Not because he had anything against the man, but because it showed the man wasn't perfect.  "Perfect" people put Caduceus on edge and are harder for him to trust.  But seeing that slight flaw in his persona relaxed the shaman enough that he shifted his attention for a bit to Roxanne so he could formally assense her as well.

And once his attention shifted back to her, he realized that it was still bothering him that she slipped in without him noticing since he could have sworn he should have gotten here faster than her.  But there were no other entrances as far as he could tell.  It would make sense for a place like this to have a less obvious way in.  He had a difficult time imagining Mr. Manes strolling in through the front door.  After briefly examining Roxanne's aura Caduceus takes a closer look at the building's layout and tries to piece together where a likely hidden passage might be located.  He knew he could always have the hearth spirit search one out, but the astral entity probably wouldn't feel like granting any more favors after that, and so Caduceus relied on his own knowledge of building layouts to try and puzzle it out.

10:18, Today: Caduceus rolled 1 success using 6d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of 2,5,1,1,1,2.  Assensing test - Roxanne.
10:19, Today: Caduceus rolled 2 successes using 5d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of 1,5,2,2,4.  Aura Reading (Auras) - Complimentary Assensing skill.

10:33, Today: Caduceus failed (no successes) using 3d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of 2,3,3.  Knowledge: Building Schematics - Where a hidden entrance might be likely to be.
:(

"I do not recognize the man, but I believe I recognize what he represents. The man himself is inconsequential. His employer may be a threat."

He listens patiently to Duck's assessment of the situation, before offering a correction. "The chips are worth nothing to us destroyed. We require them, and the only copy of them, returned. You are correct, it is an IP concern. However, they are a threat, like I said. Should they be destroyed, I would extend you a minor fee, as a courtesy only."

The two negotiate back and forth. Manes maintains his poker face. It seems Duck's offer was well chosen, and the two do the dance of bargaining, eventually settling on $124,000 per chip recovered, and three chips.

And he will add some additional conditions.

"As I said, I am willing to pay a small token for each chip removed from circulation, but not returned intact. $1,000. And I can extend you $8,000 in advance, to help in covering expenses."

"He don't know we's seen 'im yet.  An 'e might not do nothin.  I kin take 'im out 'ere if  I gotta.  Might be good if you 'as in da main part o da bar.  If 'e breaks in true da back, I kin lettcha know an you can tell da bartender an da door guy.  If e's jus watchin, then we kin return da favor and trail 'im when e' leaves.  Or mebe pick im up fer a chat.  'Sides, we dunno if he's on our team.  Mebe jus a bodyguard."

The dwarf sighs, and holsters his weapon.

He puts on his earpiece and says, Update me if anything changes.  I'll try and go warn the others.

And with that, Noruas hops out the van and enters the bar.

"Comm check.

Don' rupt em yet.  He may jus sit an watch.  Or mebe e's frienly.  If 'e starts messin wit da door, I'll letcha know an ya can tell da bartenner.  If 'e stays put, we kin see what da udders say when dey comes out.  Mebe catch em when dey comes outta da back room an chat 'fore ya comes outside.  I'm gonna see if I kin move da van ta get a better line on im.  Van shoots less noisy.  Don come out da front til I's gotcha covered.  Or 'less everythins already gone cluster-frag."

Once the dwarf was safely through the front door, Copperhead scouted for an alternate location for the camper.  One with a line of sight to the shadowy gentleman in the back and far enough away it wass unlikely to be noticed, but where there was a relatively quick path back to the front of the bar for when she needs to pick up her teammates.  The task was made easier by her aerial drone.  Nothing like scouting for a path to a good high-ground location when you're already a kilometer up.

She remained in captains chair mode, driving the van via remote instruction to the auto-pilot and keeping a close eye on both the shadowy figure and the surrounding area.  If he was calling in back-up, she didn't want to miss their arrival.  And if he started picking the lock on the back of the building, she was going to be ready to drop him with a small barrage of stun rounds.

Once she's in position with line of sight to the guy in the back, if the location is appropriate, she'll drop the rear door and let out the Doberman, get it to a concealed firing position and then drive back around to the front.  She's looking for somewhere that's  just within the 750m range limit of her rifles, gives her a good line on the back of the place and where she's unlikely to be noticed.  If no such position exists, she'll stay where she is.

Duck nods, considers a moment, then smiles.

"I believe this arrangement is to our mutual benefit, and we can agree to these terms."

Duck glances to Cadeuces for a moment to ensure his assent, then nods himself, rising to shake hands with Manes.

The dwarf walked past the bouncer without much trouble as he had nothing to declare.  Once inside the bar, he orders another purple soda and takes it to a seat in a dark corner of the room with line of sight of both the front and back entrances.

Caduceus nodded his approval of the deal to White Duck.  The terms seemed satisfactory to the shaman so long as no other major curve balls were thrown their way.  There was at least one major variable that could qualify as a curve ball though, and it prompted Caduceus to speak up for the first time.

"The deal as it stands sounds reasonable," Caduceus admitted without sounding overly pleased. "Assuming that you have a way for us to identify what we are looking for, that is.  Point us in the right direction with the tools to know that we've found what we are looking for, and you will have your chips by 9 a.m. Friday as promised."  Even before he had enough information to use as a jumping off point, Caduceus was already mentally going through his list of usual contacts and figuring out what sorts of calls he might need to make.

Noruas walks into the bar. The bartender gives him the hairy eyeball, but otherwise he's left undisturbed to enjoy the music. There's no sign of White Duck, Caduceus, or their contacts. They may as well have disappeared into thin air from what Noruas can see. But he does have a nice view of both the entrance, and the secret exit the rest of the team used.

Hearing White Duck accept, Manes nods.

"I am glad we can come to an arrangement. Due to pressing concerns, r will not be able to devote the attention necessary to this project. I am, therefore, giving complete control of the operation to Roxanne. Deal with her as you would deal with me. Do we understand one another?

"There was a run made against my corporation only a few days ago. It was carefully orchestrated, with inside assistance. Four thieves accessed our offices, destroyed our development servers, and made away with three prototype chips.

"It pains me to say your search must begin with a young man named Tee Hee. He is a Matrix runner with my company. A very bright boy, but for reasons unknown, he helped the thieves. I assume he left with them. An exhaustive search of his apartment was fruitless, as was an examination of his office. I fear he has gone underground. Roxanne will give you any additional information you need on the boy.

"Let me stress two points to you before you start. First, and most importantly, do not attempt to use the chips once you find them. They are prototypes, and they have not been sufficiently tested. Their use could result in severe permanent neural
damage. Second, these chips are unique. There are no backups because the thieves trashed the datastore that led to their development. They should not be damaged unless absolutely necessary. I remind you that your payment for damaged goods is rather small."


Outside, Copperhead's sensors pick up a vehicle approaching the bar at a high rate of speed. It skids to a stop by the front door; a Cadillac SUV with all the perks from reinforcement to spinning rims. Three orks in finely cut suits and dress capes pile out and head to the entrance. There are no visible weapons.

"Orc slumm'rs inbound.  Could be a d'straction mebe."

The rigger continues to monitor the man at the back.  It could have been another running team, though the meta-homogeneity made it unlikely, as did the ostentatious display of wealth.  And she couldn't imagine a corporate team being that creative.  Just another night in the fraggin' barrens.

Am I able to get the van (and the Doberman) into a good overwatch position?  What's the shadowy dude up to?

Got it. replied Noruas.

Yes, you can get a reasonable shot without making yourself too obvious.

The shadowy dude has put away his phone and is creeping back into a back alley.

Copperhead re-positioned her drone to have good coverage of the alley, looking for a vehicle or other obvious destination.  Seeing as the man seems to be less of an immediate threat, she didn't bother unloading the Doberman.  While unloading could be fairly quick, loading it back up again was a pain in the hoop - especially if she had to wash off the wheels.


What sort of line-of-sight does the shadowy guy have from his position by the alley-way to the rest of the building?  Does she detect anyone else in the alley?  After disgorging its caped occupants, does the limo move to park itself somewhere or does it remain right in front of the front doors?

<orange>

quote:

08:59, Today: Copperhead rolled 4 successes using 6d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of 4,4,2,1,4,5.  Scanning alley.
09:00, Today: Copperhead rolled 1 success using 5d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of 1,5,3,3,2.  Sensor sweep of alley.

If she feels she has time, she'll move her van to a concealed location near the other end of the alleyway.  If the man's going to drive away or has a parked vehicle, she'd like to be positioned to put a tracker on his vehicle.</orange>

Caduceus nodded his understanding.  Don't try the chip, don't break the chip, and Tee Hee might be a good lead to follow.  But he did still have one more question.  "Is there an easy way to know that we have found the correct chip and not a decoy or dummy chip?  It'd be a shame if we went through all this trouble and ended up bringing you back someone's guilty pleasures song list."  Caduceus nonchalantly examined his own fingernails as he awaited a reply, playing it cool.

As a note, there's a lot going on, but the PCs don't *have* to act. Rather than to go line-by-line, I'll do a quick dump and you guys can say "I jump in at XX point". Otherwise, I'll assume you act at the end of the post. If you choose not to do anything, that would be helpful to know too, since once I get four people saying they're holding back, I can post more.

Outside, the limo keeps its position by the door. The shadowy figure around the back moves further away. He can probably see the front of the bar--barely. But he's mostly sticking to the dark shadows, out of the way.

Inside, the three orks in capes pass by the security check and into the bar itself. They don't even glance at Noruas, or any of the other patrons. Instead, they take positions around the secret door and draw weapons.

The group meeting in the secret room are rudely interrupted by the door getting kicked off its hinges. Urlan stands and straightens his vest. Meanwhile, the crawler in White Duck's pocket wiggles as it establishes a (very weak) connection back to Copperhead.

Two Orks step through the doorway. Both are dressed in three-piece suits with walking capes thrown over their shoulders. Each sports an Ares Slivergun, resting the weapon in crossed arms. The room is dark, but both wear mirror shades. They move to flank the door as a third Ork enters the room. Dressed like the front two. the third Ork is easily six and one-half feet tall. Built like a linebacker, his muscles bulge beneath his suit. Uglier then most Orks, he has made no attempt to hide his grim features. A pencil-sized toothpick is lodged in the side of his mouth.

"Junior." Urlan attempts to cut the large Ork off, but Junior is already in the room, heading for the couch.

Ok, just to clarify:

Door from front bar has troll bouncer beside it and leads to "private bar" and there's a door to the meeting room somewhere within that back-room bar.  So they'd have to cow or disable the bouncer, break through the one door, then find and open/break through the second door.  Presuming there's only one private room and the Orks know the site, that's reasonable, but if they've got a brain, they won't have all 3 of them coming into the inner room.  In any event, there'd presumably be a round to react to the breaking of the outer door before the door to the room get's opened.

As well, the orks are really confident or really stupid if they leave the two bouncers and 2 bartenders (minimum) uncovered as they come into the room, as I presume their first move would be to grab some firepower and cover the "meeting room".  Is it accurate that none of the 3 orcs is trying to cover the area?  Is the local staff doing anything?

Oh, and Noruas, you probably want to move your post to this thread :>

So the Shadowy Figure is just hanging out and watching?  No vehicle visible in the alley?Can the Bison get into position so that it can easily block the exit to the alley?

As soon as she received the signal from her scorpion, Copperhead immediately had the little drone climb the inside of the pocket to see and better hear what's going on.  She avoided the temptation to jump into the drone.  With a signal this tenuous, the chances of loosing connection and getting dumped was too high.

She also resisted any temptation to start shooting things.  This looked like a business conversation, albeit an unfriendly one.  Otherwise the shooting would already have started.

If she thinks she can do so without being noticed by the goons - i.e. if White Duck is sitting and the table covers most of the view between her drone and the two body-guards, she'll slip out of the pocket and down the man's leg so that she can move to a position with a better view - and potentially where she can "sting" one of the guards, or even the big man himself.  She'll warn him over the radio first though so he can lean forward or something to better cover her movement and also so he doesn't freak out at having a drone skittering across his body . . . :>

Well, if there's 2 bouncers and 2 bartenders who presumably all have the ability to get access to heavier weapons and they're not bothering and the weapons the orc's are wielding would likely give the participants a bad paper-cut, it seems like hearing things out is most appropriate.  If Copperhead can't be relatively sure of retaining the connection and not being noticed, she'll stay put.

Do any of the orcs move like they're wired?  Any visible cyberware?

"Shadowy dude from b'fore waz dialin' 'fore these ones showed up.  He's watchin' from an alley.  Dunno if they's related.  Noruas's in da main bar if ya need backup.  Or I kin give da place a new skylight wit yer new frens underneat . . .

Noruas, what's happenin round you?  Dees guys make a mess on da way in?

Yer call if ya wanna go hot."

The Bison moved into a position where it could easily cover (and move to block) the other entrance to the alley, without being visible from it.  She did her best to arrive quietly so as not to alarm the shadowy figure.  The Lonestar drone adjusted its station slightly, moving to be able to cover the limo, the shadowy figure and the roof of the building

Noruas puts his glass of purple soda back on the table while he gingerly fiddles with his Ares Predator underneath the table.

I don't think they're going to cause trouble.  If they were, there'd be a lot of dead people, right about now.  But the fact that they know Caduceus, Duck, and the J are in the meeting room means trouble might not be far behind.  He pauses then asks, In the case that I have to take out these gorillas, would you guys like them to be alive, or missing body parts?

He slides out the gel round clip and readies his EX-Explosive clip.

The radios have a connection again too, right?  If not I'll edit my post.

Caduceus was surprised by the interruption to say the least.  He jumped back in surprise and his hand was about ready to snap to the concealed holster under the back of his jacket, but the folded arms of the orks who entered convinced him that it wasn't time for weapons.  Yet.  Instead he absorbed the fresh chatter coming in from the reconnected communications and subtly muttered new instructions to his spirit pal.  "If these guys try to cause us meeting-goers any significant harm, make sure they all stay bathed in a fog of Confusion."

Caduceus then went about the business of examining the new arrivals' astral signatures for signs any of them might be awakened before he started conjuring more aid, all whilst trying to remain a silent observer of the scene.  The scene was tense, but he hoped it wouldn't come to blows.  Fights were almost always best if avoided.

Not sure what Caduceus will have time for, so here is a list of actions in order of priority.  If something comes up that you think may alter Caduceus' task queue, he'll make adjustments to his plan accordingly.
1. Assense Junior (mainly looking for if he is awakened, but let me know if there is anything else noteworthy as well I guess.)
2. Assense the two members of Junior's entourage.
3. Conjure a force 3 hearth spirit, if he can do it subtly.

"If da help ain't bringin out d'artillary, gotta 'sume dat makin a mess'd be a bad idea.  Der gettup an fancy wheels mean dey's got resouces.  An if dis one's "Jun'r", gotta spect dat "Sen'r" ken pull a dreckload o' strings.

Less dey plan on greasin da J, I'd say keep quiet 'less peacemakin's needed.  We dunno da players or da histry."

Narrowing his eyes slightly at the trio of orks, Duck seems to relax when Manes identifies one of them. He turns to 'junior,' clearly recognizing the individual's importance, but not seeming to appreciate the interruption very much.

"Sir, this is a private meeting, and considering my team ID'd you from outside, we could have neutralized you and your bodyguards before you came in and decided to make a big show of sitting on that couch. We pinned your tail too, who did a very poor job covering his tracks. I would advise you to be more cautious in the future with both who you hire and how you act, considering you were one impulse decision away from being a set of stains on the pavement outside. You got lucky, considering that none of us were feeling that impulse." Duck crosses his arms, his posture seeming easy, but his expression alert. His voice was more that of a disappointed parent scolding bad children than that of someone in a room full of guns. This Ork was probably an important suit, but if he'd have tried to pull something similar in the underground, he would probably get his ass kicked ten ways to next Sunday if he tried to barge into a meeting like that. Before he acts, he turns to Manes, the ire on his expression clear, as this individual seemed to represent some of the qualities Duck himself came to dislike. He'd heard Copperhead's warning over the comms, but if this ork was supposed to be at this meeting, he'd have arrived earlier and probably not hired a tail.

"Mr. Manes, I would like to apologize for this pretty grievous breach of protocol on his part. This one's clearly not one of ours." he looks to 'Junior"

"Unless you are *trying* to get yourself geeked, omae, then by all means go right ahead and woosh your silly-lookin' capes around some more." Duck looks up, trying very hard not to roll his eyes at this fellow. People who wore capes around tended to be too important to realize how absurd they looked, and this guy was no exception. Duck knew a few ways to kill the ork with the toothpick he was gnawing on, and a few more just from closing range. "Junior" here would probably prove to be a real annoyance to the team, but as far as threats go, the ones that you saw coming, literally from miles away if you counted the tail, tended to be red herrings.

"Maybe you can tell us why you're here and what you want. Seems like it'd be in all of our best interests to find this out."
This message was last edited by the player at 15:25, Thu 05 Nov 2015.

Caduceus opens his third eye at the trio. He can tell right away none of them are awakened, and they're all sporting cyberware. Junior specifically is wired to the max. Just outrageous levels of chrome covering his signature.

Junior seems to have a serious and personal grudge against Urlan. Right now he's feeling self-confident, self-assured, and even attempting to be wily. And in response to White Duck's provocations? Fiery red.

"Urlan," Junior hisses, "your hired dogs bark too much." You can feel your skin crawl as junior extends a hand toward your Mr. Johnson. "They will, no doubt, prove as efficient and loyal as your pet, Tee Hee." Junior stands as Urlan reddens. "Too bad about the street trash. If you need my assistance, well, you know where to find me." Urlan glances at Roxanne and then glares at the departing Ork.

"Of course, Junior. I will be in touch." Junior bumps into White Duck's shoulder as he exits. The guards retreat slowly, closing the door behind them.

Roxanne barely waits for the door to close behind Urlan. "Gentlemen, if we could get started? I have all of the information we were able to acquire on Tee Hee."

"He started with Global about two years ago, straight out of the University of Seattle. He has been a valuable member of our design team, leading the way to several breakthroughs in the areas of skillsofts and simsense. Although a talented decker, he seems somewhat lost when not jacked in to the Matrix. He is very naive and forgets things constantly. Like how to get to the store. I must admit, I'm surprised he has lived as long as he has.

"We sent a team to his apartment first thing this morning. Seems he forgot to pay his rent and was kicked out about two weeks ago. Our personnel entered the apartment and found that it had not been entered in at least several days. No thermal. Thick dust. The works. An extensive search revealed nothing. We have no idea where he has been sleeping for the past two weeks.

"His office was a little more interesting. I had the entire contents of his desk brought here. You can make of it what you will. Good Luck." Roxanne reaches behind the couch and pulls out a three-foot plastic cube. Inside are the contents of Tee Hee's desk. She sets it on the table with a thump. "If you have any more questions, let me know. Here is my private number. You can reach me here day or night. This room is rented for another. .. (she looks at her watch) ... 23 minutes. You can stay if you want.

"Keep in touch. If you don't have some sort of results within three days, go home. There won't be any point in continuing."

On that dark note, your new contact hands White Duck a plastic business card with her picture on the front and the number 567-3272 on the back. She then turns to leave.

Because we're moving to 'investigation phase', which can be quite slow, I'm happy to answer questions out of order. However, it's going to be tough for me to track everything if we get a lot. So keeping a single list of questions, including ones you asked before and are waiting on responses for, will help me a lot.

"I'm guessin dey don wants me ta give Jun'r a headache on da way out.  But mebe ya can fin out who da frag he is.  An da shadow dude.  I'm wonnerin if I should lay 'im out fer a chat when yer done wit da box."

We never got an answer to the question about how to recognize the chips and confirm they're genuine without slotting them either.

A flood of tension left Caduceus' body as the gang of tough guys headed for the door.  Crisis avoided.  "That Junior is quite the character," Caduceus commented with faux flatery after the orks closed the door again (cutting off signals once more).  "I believe he may be more machine than man though.  Compensating perhaps?"

He left the question rhetorical and took a quick peek inside the box Roxanne produced for them.  The shaman scanned the objects for any astral impressions that may have been left behind.  It could be a potential clue that would only fade more and more the longer he waited.  He also kept an eye out for any objects that looked particularly unusual or out of place that they may want to ask about before Roxanne left.  He would otherwise wait until later to delve into the items, when the entire group could do their snooping together.

"So how did you say we were supposed to authenticate the chips when we find them?" he asked as he scanned the objects, not bothering to look up.  "That is an important detail that you have not yet shared with us."

"Each chip is silver with a distinct logo. If there's any question, bring it to me. But I expect these items will be treated as valued treasure. It should be hard to miss."

The box contains a breadboard, two cyberdeck circuit boards, a miniature tool kit, an electronic toy that does the twist when activated, a few resistors, tickets to last week's urban brawl game at the King-dome, a disposable lighter, a stack of data chips, a simsense player with eight disks, a holocube, and a package of herb tea.

A few objects still have faint residues of a man's signature. They're old enough it's hard to put anything together, but Caduceus has hints of what the man's signature should look like.

Otherwise, all of the devices are mundane. Most of them are technical, and therefore don't give off much. However, the tea Caduceus notices is especially pure and free from artificial interference.

Caduceus looks through the items curiously, already contemplating a few potential leads.  He does notice that one type of common desk item is absent though.  Pictures.  "Do you have a picture of this guy?" he asks Roxanne unceremoniously.

The orc kicked the outer door off its hinges, so I'm assuming I've still got a signal unless they're making some hasty repairs.  What's shadow-boy do when the limo departs?

"Ask if da shadow dude is wit da orc.  An if not, who da udder players are.  An whether is ok ta pick 'im up fer a chat.

Also, who da frag was Junior?  Is 'e 'r is boys gonna stick der mugs inta our work?  An if dey gets in da way, how 'firm' kin we gets?

An see if we kin gets a pic o'da logo."

Copperhead's eyebrows go up when she sees the breadboard and the loose resister - not that anyone's around to see her face.  This guy was old-school, which was weird considering his age.  Almost everyone did their prototyping in software these days.

Can she identify anything interesting about either the breadboard or the circuit boards?

quote:

22:10, Today: Copperhead rolled 2 successes using 6d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of 5,(6+5)11,3,1,3,3.  Companion skill - Electronics.
22:09, Today: Copperhead rolled 2 successes using 6d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of 1,2,1,4,1,5.  Electronics.

She'll take a closer look when she has a chance to see them in person too.

The shadowy figure is still hanging around the same spot.

It's hard to tell much about the artifacts via camera. The breadboard appears to be pretty nice though. Clearly a very professional piece of equipment, with built-in tools.

On the wired ork's brisk exit, Duck grins. He wondered if being wired to the gills would work out for the man if the two were to enter combat, and suspected that the ork telegraphed his punches as much as he telegraphed his intent.

"Should we pick Junior or his hired help up for a chat? Give them a memorable headache, perhaps? He might end up interfering with our work. Before you go, maybe you can let us in on how you'd like for us to handle him if that takes place, or any other outside threats if your competitors have caught wind..." he says, just as easy again in demeanor as before he levied threats against the ork.

Caduceus calmly repacks the items as he waits for an answer to both White Duck's and his own questions.  Over the mics he quietly says to Noruas and Copperhead, "We're starting to wrap up in here.  Are there any surprises we should be aware of out there when we leave?"

"Shadow guy skulkin in da alley.  We get the J's blessing, I'm leanin ta corner im an see what'e knows.  Capey trogs is leavin."

At least I presume the orcs piled into the limo and left?

The three Orcs that came in have led the building. Everything else seems relatively calm in the bar.

Noruas slides his gel round clip back in his Predator and continues to sip his soda.

"Drekhead. No, he's SINned and pays his dues to Lone Star. He'd love you to harass him so he could set you to cool in a jail cell for a week. Better for you to keep a low profile when he's around. You're going to have to handle other threats with your own best judgment."

"But who the frag is he and 'ow's he know 'bout da chips.  He gonna be stickin' 'is nose in our drek in da future?  An see if ya kin get a pic o'da logo."

The rigger begins setting up her jammer to block all signals except for the team's radio band.  Not everyone had a radio yet, but she'd fix that soon.  At the virtual push of a button, she'd have her rig running and backing up, the rear turret up and the area jammed.  Mr. Shadow would be out cold a few seconds later and with the help of her teammates, he'd be safely ensconced in her faraday shield and on his way somewhere for a "discussion" 30 seconds later.  Presuming her new "team" agreed.  Might be 45 otherwise . . .

EDIT: fixed formatting
This message was last edited by the player at 22:13, Mon 16 Nov 2015.

"But who is he and how is he related to the chips?" Caduceus asks, echoing Copperhead's questions so that their Johnson could hear.  "He obviously knew about this meeting and went through the effort of showing up.  Why?  And could we get a picture of the logo on the chip to go along with that picture of Tee Hee?"

<dark blue>"He has an interest in our company. Specifically, in Mr. Manes' failure."</blue>

She hands you a copy of her card, with the company logo embossed on the right side.

Let's pick up Sneaky McShady from the alley once we are done with this meeting.  Perhaps he can shed more light on this situation.

"So's der a bonus for makin' da super-orc's life drecky if der's no trace back ta da J?"

Caduceus felt they had gotten all the useful information from their Johnson that she was going to give them, and so he picked up the container of items and headed for the door.  "I'll bring these out," he said to White Duck before excusing himself.  He was actually more concerned that the others may need help apprehending their stalker than he was about the items.

Once out in the bar he met eyes with Noruas then continued toward the exit.  "That's not part of our job description, so probably not," he finally responded to Copperhead over the mic, "but Duck can ask if he wants.  I'll be out soon."  With one last nod of thanks to the hearth spirit, he slipped out the door.

Once outside, Caduceus paused.  He inhaled deeply and closed his eyes as he slowly exhaled, letting his being reach out into the asphalt below.  Humming and swaying ever so slightly, he mentally followed the cracks and the potholes and the weed-riddled sidewalks until he found what he wanted.  A city spirit willing to heed his call.

Conjuring a Force 3 City Spirit.
09:49, Today: Caduceus rolled 3 successes using 6d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 3 ((1,1,1,(6+4)10,4,3)).
Three Services Gained.

09:50, Today: Caduceus rolled 4 successes using 6d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 3 with rolls of 3,5,2,5,2,3.  Force 3 Drain Test.
Caduceus is A-OK.

"K.  I'm thinkin we should grab da shadow-man fer a chat.  You guys game?  Don' look toward da alley.  He dunno we know e's der.  I'll letcha know when is time."

Copperhead monitored the observer's actions closely.  She expected him to pick up his phone to update his handler when her team left the building.  She'd let the others know to initiate the takedown once he put the phone away again.

Noruas merely glances in Caduceus direction before looking away.

Sounds good to me.  I'll wait until Duck is out.

With business complete, Manes and Roxanne will both exit the bar, through the way you came and past Noruas. Roxanne's eyes flicker over to him, but she doesn't say anything. The two head out and start walking away from the bar. The shadowy figure detaches himself from his spot to follow them, about a block behind.

Caduceus follows, pausing outside to bring up a city spirit. A squat sewer golem, visible only to him, forms out of the ground and bows low, "my lorrddd..."

Noruas waits until Duck has exited the front door before following suit.

Shall we go pick up Sneaky McShady now?

Cooperhead did her best to figure out where the two Johnsons were likely headed.  There weren't a whole lot of cars in the area that looked they'd had a tune-up in the last couple of years, and she doubted this pair would have rust-buckets - though she was a tad surprised they hadn't parked closer.  "Shadow dude's still followin Mrs. J.  An Mr. J too.  I'm gonna see 'f I can fine a good place ta drop 'im by an alley entrance.  One a ya smooth 'nuff ta shadow da shadow and 'elp me load 'im inta da van?"

She tracked the man and the Js with her aerial drone, keeping an eye out for other threats while she positioned the camper at the far end of an alley the parade seemed likely to pass.  If luck was on her side, the man would duck into the alley to watch where the other two were going and she could knock him out where no-one would notice.  If luck wasn't on her side, she'd drop him in the street if there wasn't anyone around who was likely to notice and care.

As soon as she positioned herself in an appropriate spot, she radioed her team.  "Alley da J's just crossed 's da take-down point.  Gonna drop him when he goes past.  Wen e gets close, mebe start runnin.  See if we kin spook 'im inta da alley.  But don draw da J's notice if ya kin."

The rigger felt ready.  Both rifles were popped and set to stun rounds.  The LMG was too and the jammer was ready to trigger with a mere thought.  She followed the man in the sights of her drone, monitoring his pace and with the sights for the rifle lined up with where his center of mass would be the second he entered view of the alley.  As his figure entered, she switched view points cleanly, adjusting for any change in potion.  She fired and triggered the jammer with the same thought.  This guy probably had DocWagon and she'd rather if they weren't alerted that he'd decided to take an unplanned nap.

One simple aiming action.  One shot with the pair of rifles.  If he's surprised, he gets no dodge, but if those behind decide to spook him, he'll probably get that advantage.  TN 4 for short range with the rifle, -2 for smartlink, -1 for aiming.  +1 for low light with low light vision.  So TN should be 2 - she has no intention of letting him get anywhere near cover.

quote:

01:17, Today: Copperhead rolled 24 using 4d6+12 with rolls of 5,3,1,3.  Reaction (if it's needed).
00:58, Today: Copperhead rolled 10 successes using 13d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 2 ((2,1,4,(6+6+6+4)22,(6+4)10,1,5,1,(6+3)9,4,(6+4)10,2,4)).

The 22 was kind of nice, as is 4 hits at TN 9+ :>  He's resisting 7S stun with half impact armor, staged up by successes.  So I'm presuming there's a slight cough from the alley and he drops nice and quiet-like . . .  If he braces himself for the fall he's almost certain to take regardless of whether he stages down, she'll pop him a second time, though this time, using extra successes to reduce the damage.  She wants him out cold, not with a brain hemorrhage or coughing up blood from broken ribs.

If he pulls out a phone before he hits the alley, she'll trigger the jammer sooner.  If he pulls out a weapon, she'll drop him with the drone instead.  If he does something unexpected, I'll update my action.  If Caduceus wants to use a service to keep the take-down quiet, that might not be a bad plan.

Duck grins as he hears the radio chatter of the not-so-great spy getting taken down. He leaves Manes his LTG number, then departs after Cadeuces.

"So, that went well methinks."

After nodding his head politely to the summoned sewer spirit, Caduceus raisds a corner of his mouth at White Duck's comment.  "Could have been a lot worse, that's for sure."  He was still grateful that Junior didn't cause nearly as much trouble as it looked like he was going to.  Caduceus would have gone into a more detailed conversation with White Duck right then, except they still had work to do before the could relax.  The shaman followed Copperhead's request and began casually trailing behind their stalker, but at a considerable distance and keeping to the shadows.

11:42, Today: Caduceus rolled 2 successes using 3d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of 3,4,(6+6+3)15.  Stealth.

Copperhead said, "Alley da J's just crossed 's da take-down point.  Gonna drop him when he goes past.  Wen e gets close, mebe start runnin.  See if we kin spook 'im inta da alley.  But don draw da J's notice if ya kin."

After a moment's review of the plan, he replied, "I have a beautiful sewer spirit her with me that might be able to do a good scare job if necessary, but one of my own magic tricks might have cleaner results.  Let's see if I can get him to turn down that alley "on his own.""

In a particularly shadowy spot Caduceus leans down and says to his spirit, "Do ma a favor?  If that guy goes past that next alley, make him fear you and do your best to chase him down that alley.  And if you see him get knocked unconscious, Conceal him from all but myself and this guy."  He sticks a thumb out toward White Duck.

Once the shaman cashed in a couple of his services, he began to concentrating on his Influence spell.  He stood motionless with one hand pressed against the shadowed wall, unblinking eyes locked on the back of his target's head.  His skin became scaly in the darkness as his shamanic mask began to surface.  He reached out into the shadows with his mind, slithering toward his target.  Whispering directly into the man's subconscious with a forked tongue of authority.  "Hold up in the alley to let the others get further ahead."

Force 6 Influence Spell cast.
Rolling 6 Sorcery Dice and 3 Spell Pool dice vs. Stalker Guy's Willpower.  I need to have net successes equal to half of Stalker Guy's willpower (rounded down) after the spell resistance test.
11:20, Today: Caduceus rolled 3 successes using 9d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of 3,1,2,(6+2)8,2,(6+1)7,3,3,(6+1)7.  Force 6 Influence sorcery test.
Hopefully his Willpower is only 3. :)

Spell Resistance Test = Results unknown.

Drain Resistance Test.
Force 6 minus 2 for being an exclusive spell of that type, divided by two = Target of 2 for the drain test.  Rolling vs. S stun damage.  6 Willpower and 3 Spell pool dice = 9 dice rolled.
11:22, Today: Caduceus rolled 9 successes using 9d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 2 with rolls of 2,4,5,3,4,(6+4)10,(6+2)8,(6+1)7,(6+6+3)15.  Influence Drain Resistance test.
That should resist any strain quite nicely, I think.

Caduceus has to hurry to get line of sight on the street rat (without being noticed himself). But once he's there, he lets his spell fly (without any stun). Sure enough, the rat pauses by the street intersection. There's a "pfft" from the van and the rat drops into a pile of rubbish, apparently disappearing from sight.

The camper was already moving, backing into the alley as the snooper crumpled.

"Help load'im an I kin stop jammin' 'fore someone notices."

She set the drone to continue monitoring the two Johnsons while she hopped out, pistol drawn.  She probed the fallen form with her foot a couple of times, then crushed a finger with her heel, watching for any trace of consciousness before holstering her weapon and dragging the man towards the side door of her vehicle.

Noruas does his best to help Copperhead lift the man into the van.

Does anyone have anything to tie him with. We'll also need to blindfold and gag him.  Actually you know what we should strip him down.  And Caduceus, se if you can check him for anything magical or otherwise.  We don't want to be rudely interrupted when we are questioning him later.
This message was last edited by the player at 06:54, Tue 24 Nov 2015.

When someone goes down like that, they're going to be out for the next hour minimum.  But yes, searching him (and hacking his phone) as soon as he's in the van and the doors are closed is a good plan.  Copperhead will tell you where to find a pair of plasteel cuffs to use as well.  When we're ready, we'll put a stim-patch on him to wake him up enough to chat

I would prefer it if we did the questioning in an "undisclosed" location, where the environment is a bit more stable and not so bumpy.

It should be done inside the camper - where we can block any signals from DocWagon, headwear, etc.  We don't have to do it while driving - I can park us wherever.  Just nothing that's going to mess up the inside of the vehicle. :>

Caduceus hurried to help as soon as he saw the man drop, but it looked like Copperhead and Noruas had everything under control already anyway.  Which was just as well since Caduceus' hands were still full with the office supplies anyway.  "Good shot," he commented.  "That went more smoothly than I expected."  He gave a thank you wink to the sewer spirit then found a place to set down his cargo inside the camper.

Instead of helping to move the body, he went to work fulfilling Noruas's request to give the man a thorough look-over in astral space.  He looked for any signs of magical items, residual spells, and for any hints that the man himself might have magical talent.  There were certain precautions they would need to take if he was magically active.  The shaman relayed his findings to his team members.

Oh!  I didn't know that your van had jamming capabilities.  That's going to come in very handy!

Caduceus, please check to see if he has any cyberware as well.

The dwarf proceeds to strip off the unconscious man's clothes, gear, jewelry, and equipment before tossing it all to the others members of the team for them to check (whether magically, or with some device, or skill).  He proceeds to cut (or rip apart) some parts of the man's shirt off to make a blind fold for their naked prisoner.  He also scrunches the man's underwear into a ball and shoves it into the owner's mouth as a gag.  Noruas tears off a strip of duct tape (or any tape that is available in the van) to secure the gag in place.  Finally, he slips on the plastisteel cuffs Copperhead gave him and binds the man's feet and hands (tied behind his back) separately before tying the two cuffs together.

Copperhead, do you have any noise cancelling ear phones or something that can block out our friend's ability to hear?
This message was last edited by the player at 16:08, Tue 24 Nov 2015.

A thorough aura scan should reveal the presence of any cyberware.  And Caduceus is being thorough.

I've got a rating 6 jammer which I turned on before the target went down and which I'll turn off as soon as the doors are closed.  As well, the passenger area of the van is encompassed by a grid that'll block any radio signals.  (There's an optical cable you can hook to  a cell phone if necessary - and if Copperhead enables it.

The rigger returned to her front seat and the popup turret retracted.  As soon as everyone who was riding with her was in and the doors were closed, she turned off the jammed and started driving continuing to keep an eye on the Johnson's with her drown.  When she found a suitable quiet spot she pulled over and made her way to the back, popping open a cabinet and extracting a couple of stim patches.

EDIT: fixed erroneous auto-correct :>
This message was last edited by the player at 18:51, Tue 24 Nov 2015.

The creeper doesn't react, and in fact, seems to be bleeding pretty heavily. Very heavily, in fact. He wasn't wearing any armor to speak of, and the gel round punched into his chest hard enough to break the skin (and, apparently, something underneath the skin).

The two casters catch up and look him over. He doesn't have any magic or cyberware (or, soon, blood). He has a knife, the blade is loose in the grip and seems nearly ready to fall out. He also has a streetline special. He has a certified credstick for 100 nuyen, a pair of low-light binoculars, a mushy sandwich, and a wrist phone. The most recent number called was 567-2384.

Noruas can strip and bind the man if he'd like, but it hardly seems necessary at this point.

Copperhead drags out the first aid kit as well and patches the man up as best she can.

He was resisting base 7S with 10 successes.  First two make that 7D.  So that should be 4 boxes of physical, putting him at medium physical.  Assuming "bad" conditions, but not terrible - the camper's relatively clean and has lighting.

quote:

08:06, Today: Copperhead rolled 1 success using 3d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 7 with rolls of (6+6+1)13,4,3.  First Aid.
08:09, Today: Copperhead rolled 1 success using 6d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 8 with rolls of 1,4,3,4,(6+4)10,2.  Human Anatomy (College Education from).

That should bring him down to L - so 2 boxes of physical.  And stop him from bleeding all over my vehicle.  (I thought you didn't start bleeding out unless you took deadly?)

In any case, Copperhead would have done the first aid before driving, having seen he was significantly injured.  So he wouldn't have had the chance to take more boxes before the first aid was applied.

She looks over at White Duck
"Da patches mebe 'ard on da guy.  Kin ya fix 'im more 'fore I boosts 'im?"

When he saw that the prisoner wasn't going to die from blood loss and that his healing magic would not be needed, he figured it would be a good time for him to retrieve his motorcycle.  "I'll meet you guys at a designated location, if that's alright.  Let me know if you need me to make a few calls to find a good location.  I don't really want to leave my ride parked in this neighborhood for too long unattended.  Radio me if he starts to crash before we get there and I can stabilize him on the shoulder of the road if need be."  With that he would wait for Copperhead to give him the all clear to exit her camper, grab his bike, and meet them at another spot for the interrogation.

Copperhead drops the shaman off about a block from the bar, keeping an eye on him with her drone, then guides him over the radio to a quiet spot with multiple ways out and where she can perch her drone somewhere to provide good overwatch.

Where did the Js end up going?

Once Caduceus enters the camper, she checks around before applying the patch "Y'all ready?  We kin let Cadusus do da talkin.  Da rest kin chat wit da sub-vocals.  No mess, no permnant injry, no kill'in.  So ka?"

Duck tosses up his hands when asked to patch up the unconscious man.

"Not anywhere close to my spec I'm afraid. Used to just knockin' em' out. However, I know a bit about interrogation too. Brother-in-law brings me the perps that won't crack." with this, he cracks his knuckles, poking the prone individual with a dress-shoed foot.

"This guy's havin' himself an eventful day, eh?"

"If you want to steer the discussion, I can help you with the fine-tuning," Caduceus says to White Duck.  "If he gives you any resistance, I have ways to nudge more information out of him."  A predatory smile curled up on the corner of Caduceus' mouth.  He was looking forward to siphoning out the secrets this man had for them to take.  That, and he was curious to observe White Duck's technique.

The two Js walk another few blocks, where a small helicopter is waiting for them. In a few more minutes, they're off the ground and away.

The creeper is stable, but will be unconscious until you wake him. Looking him over, he doesn't strike you as a professional. Given he's unconscious, it's very easy to tie him down.

Copperhead passed out a radio to anyone who didn't already have one and did a comm-check to verify that the sub-vocal mikes were positioned properly and everyone's frequencies were properly set.  Then she retrieved her scorpion from White Duck and planted it in the middle of the unconscious man's chest.  If the others decided to remove the man's blindfold, there was nothing like a jet-black mechanical scorpion with a needle poised a few centimeters from your eye to keep someone's attention well-focused.

The protective backing on a rating 6 stim patch came off easily in her hands.
"Takes a couple secs ta kick in.  Hold 'im tight - e's gonna thrash."

She checked to make sure everyone was ready, then she she placed it carefully on the man's belly and retreated to a corner to jack in.  She wanted the drone to have a firm grip on his skin before he came to . . .

"Got him," Caduceus replied to Copperhead.  He made sure his grip on the man's legs was secure.  He did not want to hurt himself, and he did not want the creeper to hurt himself either.  The shaman may not have had pity for the man, but that didn't mean he intended to be unnecessarily cruel to him.  He kept his senses stretched out into astral space, curious how this interrogation was going to go down.

The man wakes up bit by bit; at first moving more in his sleep, then coughing. He abruptly tries to sit upright, restrained by the two runners and coughs and hacks, bringing up some phlegm from deep in his lungs. He turns and hawks it, his body wracked by hacking coughs for a few more minutes. He struggles weakly against the two of you, but mostly against his own revolting body.

Eventually he settles and spits again, slobber covering his lips and chin. "Wha... what.  What the hell? Lemme go, I don' know you..."

He's blindfolded, so hard to know if he knows us or not . . .

Like that's going to stop him.

Duck leans back, casually, in the seat across from the man. His pose is casual but he makes no move to untie or remove the blindfold.

"Don't know us, hmm? Interesting. You wouldn't be here if you didn't have answers though, would you? Let's start with your objectives from the last 24 hours and then we'll see if you can't work out just who we are..."

Once it looks like the man wasn't going to hurt himself anymore, Caduceus slowly withdraws his grip.  He made sure the guy would know he was still there though, just in case he decided to get the idea to try anything funny.  Other than that, he pretty much planned on just keeping an eye on the guy's astral presence and vital signs, noting an red flags to his companions.

The man struggles for a bit, then settles down. Yeah, yeah. Alright. I'll talk. 200¥.

Copperhead's scorpion dug its claws in deeper and skittered up the man's torso a bit closer to his face.

EDIT: corrected grammar
This message was last edited by the player at 20:54, Mon 07 Dec 2015.

Drek drek drek! 100¥! 100¥!

Duck coughs and lets the scorpion drone dig in just a bit more.

"I'm not entirely certain that you're aware of how little actual leverage you have here." he seems amused at the man's attempt to make money.

"There's little to stop us from selling you to organleggers for a helluva lot more than a hundred at this point. Perhaps you don't really get that, so I'm just going to inform you now that we figuratively got you by the balls, pal, and that we're a brief moment away from making it literal. Tell me who you work for, report thoroughly on your activities of the past day, or I take off your shoes and socks, get you nice and comfy, then start slowly pulling out your nails with my fingers and a pen knife... You know, that part always makes me a little queasy, so I might throw up on you while I'm doing it, but hell, it'll add to the experience, neh?" he chuckles dryly, waiting a moment to see if the weasel responds before Duck went for a foot.

"Alright alright! Listen, I don't know who I was working for. Just some devilishly well-dressed ork. He gave me this cell phone and told me to follow the lady who just walked out, and to call this phone number whenever she did anything. That's it, okay? Now lemme go!"

Copperhead chimes in over the radio: "Temptin ta use da dude, but e's probly throw-way.  Chicca and da injun split in a chopper.  An don tink dis dude were gonna be followin on foot.  Probly good ta 'ave 'im call in dat bit though.  Jus 'case 'e gets udder 'structions.  Least we got Junior's com"

Not suggesting we take his initial word for any of this though.  Whoever's watching on the astral should be able to get a sense of whether he's holding back.  Also, would be good to know if the orc hired him at our initial meet location or earlier.

Noruas joins in on the comms, I say we stash him somewhere until we get what we are looking for.  There's no need to rush in letting him go.  He might be our connection to Junior if we ever do need to find him.

Caduceus has been keeping an eye on him in astral space and would definitely let the group know if he could tell the guy was holding back information.

Caduceus spoke into the comms as well, even as he kept his close watch on their captive."If you want to keep an eye on him, go ahead and stash him.  I personally doubt he would be worth the time or effort.  He seems to be a dirt-level grunt with one weak connection to a guy our employer felt was unconnected to our job.  A job we have a very short time frame to complete."  He didn't mean to sound antagonistic, but every second they spent on this guy was another second they weren't spending following more promising leads.  Still, maybe this guy did have a few more secrets to spill.

"Well-dressed, you say? Yeesh, omae, I believe you, but I *must* question your tastes in fashion." He reaches over and suddenly yanks off one of the man's shoes with the skill of a trained martial artist.

"But you haven't told me anything I don't already know, so the next thing outta yer mouth should be something I don't already know, or if you wanna insist on yanking my chain a little more, you can tell me which little piggy you'd like to go to market."

Drek, what? No, that's it! The ork gave me a phone, told me to follow the lady, and call whenever she does something! You can look at the call log, I swear it! Look, it's what I do, okay? I just follow people and make phone calls! And remember stuff, if the price is good. I'm just tryin' ta make a living here, okay? I didn't sign up for any drek!"

"Mebe findout if dis guy works for da ork regular.  Cuz if e was jus standin outside da bar, how'd da ork know 'is biz?  He wearin' a sign wit 'rat fer hire'?"

She skittered back down the man's abdomen, this time moving between his legs.  She positioned her own rear legs carefully over those areas most likely to attract the snitch's attention - near enough that the sharp tips of her climbing claws could be felt - but not yet gripping.  The promise was clear though.

Duck smirks at Copperhead.

"I like you. Great insight." he gives the cam on the scorpion droid a thumbs-up, then turns back to the captive.

"No, not you, shitface. Tell me, how did you meet your employer?"

"DrreeeEEEEEKKKK!!! Drek drek listennn... I got street rep, okay? People know me. Okay? Okay?!? I KILLED A MAN FOR THEM. I KILLED TWO MEN! JUST BACK OFF!"

Crane cracks up with laughter, not really able to hold it in, not trying to restrain it once it builds. After a good laugh, a deep breath, and a tear wiped from a pink-hued eye, he leans in.

"Okay, now I want to keep him. Can we keep him? That was really cute. Street cred, bahahaha!" he continues with another short bout of laughter, but is able to contain himself more quickly.

"We got street rep too, kid. What's your handle? If you know any of our connects we'll even let you off right here. Otherwise, you wanna cut out the bullshit and answer my question?" He reaches in and yanks off the perp's sock in a swift motion.

Ok....I thought I stripped him naked and hog-tied him?

The scorpion waves a claw at the White Duck.

"'E jus dished 'ow 'e knows da orc.  E's on da orc's payroll.  Contract-like.  So det's fine out who 'e axed an when.  Mebe rel'vent.  An it means we keeps da dude - mebe kin use 'im.  An mebe too much loylty ta da tusky dude.  Mebe da ticket ta make drek fer Jun'r too.  We stracts da right dirt from dis rat, s' mebe 'nough for da Star ta hold da orc -least til daddy bails 'im and greases da palms.  If we's lucky, mebe 'e shares a bunk wit a troll dat likes capes.  An sure e knows da orc 'nuff ta know 'is daddy an mebe what's up tween Jun'r an da J."

Caduceus watched White Duck work with disturbed ammusement.  He certainly had his own style, he would give him that.  And it was effective!  "If he really is a professional like he says, he better improve his skills or find another line of work..."

"Ferret! My name is Ferret. Everyone calls me that. I do a lotta jobs, you see? Like... tailing people. Knowing stuff on the street. I'm a knowin' man, you know? Okay? Geez man just... let me go and we can talk over coffee or something, okay?"

"Alright, listen uhhh... I know you guys... you're thinking, right? Like... what kinda a deal you can get. I'm great at deals. I'll make you a deal. Listen, I can... I can call the phone and tell them, I guess... tell him she came back. And you all, you can set up and ambush, right? Shake 'im down for whatever he's got. Then we split it, fifty fifty. I mean... there's three of ya, so just a quarter share would be fair. Alright? Deal? You won't get one like this again."

The drones claws encompassed a tender bit of flesh and applied moderate pressure.  Some people just couldn't seem to learn.

"Les finout oo 'e offed an when.  Den get da dirt on Jun'r an is pop.  Den 'e can report da J took a chopper an see what da Orc says.  Shakin down da son o some fat cat's gonna bring bad mojo."

EDIT: fixed formatting
This message was last edited by the player at 16:23, Wed 16 Dec 2015.

Caduceus stifled a sigh and shook his head.  "Is this guy for real?" he muttered into his mic.  "I'm finding it hard to trust whatever we get out of this guy.  I mean, he may be telling us the truth, or at least partial truths, but his song changes pitch at the drop of a hat if you know what I mean.  So let's take any info this guy gives us with a huge grain of salt."

Is there any hint on the astral of how truthful this guy is trying to be?

His astral signature is roiling; sharp colors, flashes, static. He's obviously responding to the drone--and not well. When the drone stops, his astral gradually settles. He's grubby, marred with little traumas and scuffs. He's signature has little signs of other people he's brushed against in his normal interactions. There's streaks from some sort of chemical poison. When talking about his murder, his spirit momentarily lights with color--a color that doesn't turn up when he's talking about his other dealings with Junior.

"I am picking up some interesting readings from his aura though," Caduceus adds to his previous mutterings.  "He definitely doesn't care for Copperhead's drone.  And there are blemishes reminiscent of a chemical poison.  An addiction perhaps?  And the murder he mentioned brought out something interesting too.  Something unique.  I'm not positive what it was though."

Duck leans in, sighing.

"I'm getting really tired of looking at your grubby ass, mate. Maybe you could cut the extraneous chatter and tell me all about Junior."

"I don't know anything else about him. He gave me a phone, told me to follow the girl, and said he'd pay cash. I swear it. You can check the phone logs, okay?"

His astral is constant. There's no signs of conscious defenses or the flashes of color.

"Ask 'bout oo 'e kilt.  I'm thinkin' mebbe 'e was bluffin."

"Probably," Caduceus muttered.  "I think he's telling the truth about not knowing more about Junior though."

"Hmm, I see. Don't know what company he works for then? Also, don't know anything about who you supposedly killed for him? You can see why I'm having trouble taking your word for it when you're leaving out these details, right?" he asks in an almost patronizing tone as he cracks the window and lights a cigarette.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:55, Mon 28 Dec 2015.

White Duck looked around for a bit for a way to open the window, but finds no obvious controls.

"Da windas is seelt.  It'd break da Farday box"

A couple of seconds later he felt a slight breeze as the cabin's fans turn on, sucking out the smoky air.  She was willing to tolerate the cigarette for the purposes of the interrogation, but no one was going to be smelling up her ride.

"Uhh... Well he dresses real nice so... JC Penny? I don't get paid to ask questions. I mean... to ask the person paying me questions. You know? That's not good for business. But you can look at the phone if you want. Probly has some uh... chips or something you can deck."

Sharp colors rise at the mention of the killing; oranges and purples. Not hate or anger. Maybe fear? Anxiety? But they drop away again as Duck keeps talking.

"His aura is flaring again..." Caduceus muttered into his mic, trying to keep his nose from inhaling any of White Duck's cigarette smoke.  He relayed what he noticed about the aura colors to the others.

Out of courtesy, Duck shrugs and puts out his cigarette on the ball of the hog-tied orc's foot.

"No ash trays and I don't wanna be rude, you understand..." he explains, leaning in.

"Your aura's twerking out like a drunk Brazilian butt model anytime killing is mentioned. Seeing it flash like that is sort of like having this pimple in a sore spot that's not ready to pop yet. It keeps nagging you, keeps you squeezing it, but nothing can be done about it, ya? Maybe you can do something about this and tell me more about your murders-most-foul. Otherwise, I'm going to keep trying to pop that zit."

The man writhes under Duck's ministrations, and spins a most excellent story about killing a woman in Reno to help the orks ship expensive BTLs through to Mexico. As Caduceus observes, he becomes more and more convinced the rat is lying through his teeth--and lying faster and deeper as he senses 'not knowing' anything might push Duck to hurt him more.

Dialing it back and sticking to what you already know to be true, you can establish, truthfully, he's a 'professional' snitch. It's what he does to make ends meet and fuel his drug habit. He does actually have kids, although he doesn't know where they are. And he didn't know Junior before a few days ago, when he was handed a phone and tasked with following Roxanne. He reported seeing you in the bar and again when you arrived here. He didn't know what Junior would do with that information--but didn't especially care either.

Now that you've got the upper hand, he's willing to give up his ways and return to a life of, well, petty crimes not involving you. But he doesn't have a lot of willpower, so you can't be sure he'd actually stick to that for long once money enters the picture.

As a note, you do still have the items in the box you can start examining, since not everyone is involved in the interrogation (and really... you're not going to spend too long on Ferret).

The box contains:
A breadboard, two cyberdeck circuit boards, a miniature tool kit, an electronic toy, resistors, tickets to last week's urbanbrawl game, a lighter, a stack of data chips, a simsense player and eight disks, a holocube (like a picture frame), and a package of herb tea.

You also have Roxanne's business card and telecom number.

Copperhead watched as the man collapsed back into unconsciousness when the stim-patch wore off.  The scorpion scampered away, finding a quiet location where it was unlikely to be stepped on.  The door to the driver compartment unlatched and the scarred rigger emerged.

"E's gonna be out fer a few hours 'least.  Les look tru da stuff inna box an figger oo's goin where.  We kin stuff dis drecker in a coffin motel on da way ta where'ver we decides ta go."

She moved over to the box and began taking a careful look at the contents, taking her time to explore everything carefully, testing and looking inside the toy, playing the holocube and hooking up the outputs from the simsense deck to monitor the output.  (If she can display the output of the recordings without having to jack in, she'll do that too.)  When she'd finished gleaning as much as she could, she unbound the unconscious snitch and started pulling his clothing back on, peeling off the used patch (and a not-small amount of chest hair) in the process.

As the others continued to examine the box content, she wrote up a little note:

Sorry about the lump on your head.  Just biz.

Your room's paid for the next 3 nights.  The credstick should cover food and any "extras" you need.  If you keep low, then maybe we can make use of your services in the future.  If you contact or come anywhere near the orc, the lady you were following or any of us before Saturday, the next time I aim at your head, it won't be to give you a headache.  So play it smart.  Buy something good across the street, turn on the trid and enjoy a 3 day paid holiday.

quote:

16:57, Today: Copperhead rolled 5 successes using 6d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of 4,(6+4)10,5,(6+6+6+2)20,4,1.  Companion skill - Electronics.
16:57, Today: Copperhead rolled 2 successes using 6d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of (6+3)9,5,3,1,3,1.  Perception.

If there's anything wonky with the electronic bits, those rolls ought to find it . . .

Mind if I join in on the 'Electronics' rolls, Copperhead?

Noruas picks up the cyber deck circuit boards and inspects them, hooking them up to his equipment to check it out.


05:02, Today: Noruas rolled 5 successes using 6d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of 5,5,3,4,(6+3)9,(6+3)9.  Electronics.

05:03, Today: Noruas rolled 3 successes using 6d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of (6+3)9,2,3,(6+5)11,5,2.  Computers, inspecting the circuit boards.

Next he inspects the electronic toy and resistors. (Do I keep rolling again?  Or something?)

Finally he takes a look at the stack of data chips, and checks the holocube.  Maybe there is something hidden in the holocube?

Now that he interrogation was over and he didn't have to keep such a close eye on Mr. Ferret, Caduceus joined the others in examining the items some more.  But rather than focusing on all the gadgets, he took note of the tea and the ticket.  He looked for any writing or indication of what brand of tea it was.  If it was a type that was difficult to come by, it could be a lead.  And with the ticket he searched for a time and place of purchase.  "Anyone know when this week's urban brawl is?  If our guy is laying low, he may want to break up his vacation with a little entertainment."

Everyone in the team can add the contact Ferret--Snitch. Loyalty 1, Connection 2.

The holocube does in fact display images without anything further. You press one button to turn it on and off, and the other to change images displayed. Most of the pictures are of Tee Hee and friends, obviously taken when he was in college. Tee Hee is always the center of attention. With one exception. It's the only picture without Tee Hee in it. Instead, the picture is of a white-haired man. He is smiling up at the camera from his desk, cyberterminal in hand. The caption reads 'Dr. Hendrix'.

Copperhead plays with the toy this way and that. It reveals that it can dance the twist. You aren't sure what that means.

Noruas gets cracking on the electronics some of it is rather advanced, although it's all such small components, they're effectively worthless on their own.

Caduceus checks out the tea. It's still quiet fresh. The label reads "Orion's Special Blend, Orion's Organic Grocery, Seattle.

The next Urban Brawl game for the league is in Chicago, in about two weeks. You're sure you can find some local games though. This past one was pretty good, although the Screamers lost control of the ball in the last quarter and just never seemed to recover (at least, so say the local sports streams).

And anything from measuring the outputs of the sim chips?  I.e. Are they pumping any of the outputs too high?  Any ability to get images without slotting them?

Nope, the chips seem to be some sort of testing or calibration tools. Outputs are (generally) quite weak.

But I have no idea what they're for based on my analysis of their markings, inputs & outputs beyond "maybe testing or calibration"?  Am I aware of anything further I could do to get more information about what they can do, or is it my opinion that the chips are a dead end?

Taking a look at the dancing statue, Duck's eyes light up like a child who sees something he wants for Christmas.

"Hey, eh, that's pretty neat. Can I, uh, hold onto that?" he asks, then inspecting the tea out of curiosity.

"Also, this place is probably an independent operation, which likely means they know their clientele a bit better than those big box stores. We talk to this Orion and maybe we find out whereabouts Tee Hee lived." he shrugs, with his knowledge of electronics more-than-partially devoted to getting maglocks open, there weren't many other things in the box that sparked his interest.

"Also, I wanted to say before things get more interesting that I'm glad I ran into you folks. I've been in some incredibly inept pairings since I came up from Louisiana. Hell, I was thinking about retirement, but man, the rush of getting shit done is a hard habit to quit, neh?" he asks, opening and closing his cigarette case and seeming a little anxious for a cigarette after mentioning habits, but not lighting one up.

"You folks strike me as more than half decent in your roles. Got me hoping I don't screw things up for once." he muses, eyeballing the lighter in the box, taking it, and playing around with it instead of trying to light a smoke. He examines it, takes it apart if it's one of those fancy lighters, and makes sure everything is in order with it before pocketing it.

Copperhead ignores the attempt at team-building.  Teams got killed if you got too close to them.

"Da J already searched da 'partment.  'spect dey'd give us da address.  Could be 'e 'ad anodder pad doh.

So we lets Noruas go diggin fer info on Tee Hee, Junior, da Js an dis Henrix dude.  Call da J an trash da 'partment 'gain.  An check if da Tea folks 'member da target.  An we all calls what contacts we gots ta see if da shadows got somethin ta say.  I'm up fer 'partment trashin.  Could be der's udders wit da same idea, so I'm gonna do overwatch an snoop wit' drones.  Any udder 'deas?  An oo wants ta go where?"

"I think our Johnson had a good eye for talent," Caduceus replied to White Duck with a wink.  Then to Copperhead he said, "I can check out the tea shop.  See if I can get any leads.  He may want to stop in and restock his supply.  I'll check into the local brawl games too and see if there's any likely spots our guy might try to attend."

You are able to tell they're utility tools. They can store data, but after some investigation, you don't find anything unexpected. It's possible there's more to the chips, but without clues, it could be a very long, difficult search.

(Out of character, they're a dead end. Please don't spend six or eight posts digging deeper into them, unless it's for RP only.)

So are you all planning to split the party? Not an issue, and in fact, given the number of PCs you have and the timeframe, it may be ideal.
This message was last edited by the GM at 11:19, Sat 23 Jan 2016.

That's my proposal.  Still waiting for Noruas and White Duck to confirm what they're going to do.

Oh, sorry.  I didn't know you were waiting on me.  I wasn't really sure what to do, so I was waiting on you guys to give me a direction.  But ok.

What properties and accounts did he have?  We need the J to give us some details on that.  Does he have a storage unit or somewhere he frequents including the aforementioned tea shop?  We will also need his credit details, maybe that might give us a clue as to where and what to look for.  But while someone is doing that, I think we can all head to his place and give that place a second look.  Caduceus, I think it would be appropriate if you gave the place a look over just in case he did resort to some sort of magical help.  I mean most people would suspect that since he doesn't do magic so won't they need to look for it with magic.  Copperhead and I will look for any electrical and or digital clues.  White duck will try to divert any attention that might come our way as well as look for clues we probably can't cover or miss.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:33, Sat 23 Jan 2016.

"Dunno what 'e 'ad.  Butcha otta find da basics wit yer diggin.  Jes say where ya wan me ta drop ya."

You should be able to make some computer rolls to see what you can dig up about the target, the Js, Junior, the dude from the picture, the company and the types of research they were likely doing.  You may also be able to sniff around some of the matrix hangouts if you've got them as contacts to see if there's any rumors that seem they might be related.  Depending what you find, you may get a lead that'll lead you to need to actually break in somewhere.  (Don't go anywhere too risky unless you've got someone to pull the cord if things go badly)  As well, it'll give you a chance to phone any other relevant contacts you might have.  Mine aren't likely to be much use but hopefully you guys may know someone who can help.  (As we learn more, the set of contacts who can be helpful will likely expand.)

My guess is it'll take you several hours to do your networking checks, which was why I'd proposed dropping you off before White Duck and I go visit his apartment.  Depending what we encounter, we might give you a call and have you do a bit of decking to get us through the front door and assist on overwatch though.

That is, presuming White Duck agrees that hitting the apartment is worthwhile.  I wouldn't be surprised to find someone trashing the place (or arriving looking to do the same when we get there).  I doubt we're the only ones looking for the target, and his apartment is the logical place to start.  White Duck can also chat with the neighbors and any of the locals to see if they know anything useful.  I'm going to leave phoning the J for the apartment address to White Duck or Caduceus - I don't do too well one on one with Johnsons . . .

Yeah...I'm not too certain I can do much better than you when dealing with said J's.  But alright, I'll try to look into them.  Unfortunately, like you said I will need to connect to the Matrix.  But I don't have many contacts at all since I've just started out.  So I think it might be a better idea to see if there is a Matrix outlet or some sort of PC in TeeHee's home.  That way, we could search the place and you guys could keep a lookout for my meat.  And since this guy is pretty much a decker, I'm fairly certain he should have some sort of security or safety measures put in place.  This could give me a bit more to work with than just searching the net.

Yeah, I'm not certain.  I would like to take a look at his place and see if he has any equipment.
This message was last edited by the player at 01:10, Sun 24 Jan 2016.

"Yeah, s'pose ya kin jack in from der.  Whitey, ya wanna get da coords ta Tee-Hees squat from da J?"

So it sounds like the fist stop is Tee-Hee's place? I'll need to find my copy of the book (thank goodness for drivethrurpg!!) Meanwhile, Noruas, go ahead and give me a computer roll for your research.

Ok, here goes:
03:18, Today: Noruas rolled 3 successes using 6d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of 2,1,3,4,(6+1)7,4.  Computer research.

"If you guys are all set for heading over to the apartment, I'm going to start heading over to the tea shop.  I'll let you know if I get any leads from either the tea, or the tickets."  With that, Caduceus exits Copperhead's ride and hops on his Harley-Davidson Scorpion and heads over to Orion's Organic Grocery.

Once there, he will find a secluded spot and quickly do an astral sweep of the place before preparing to make some calls.  (Assuming it isn't open yet.)

Copperhead directed the Bison through Seattle's relatively light early morning traffic.  There were the usual sararymen on their way to the office looking to beat the morning rush.  And not a few others on their way home after burning the midnight oil - those that didn't sleep on the floor of their cubicles as truly dedicated employees should.  Grid-guide did a relatively good job of keeping the latter from drifting over the median, but the rigger kept an eye out anyhow.

Slipping Ferret into his coffin was relatively straight-forward.  With the extra hands, they even managed not to drop him.  A couple of chip-heads watched with minimal interest as the team lugged the snitch to an open booth and shoved him in.  It probably wasn't the first time they'd seen it happen, though it being a live body might have been a novelty.  She doubted they could tell the difference though.

Apparently some of the newer model coffins had sensors that could differentiate between gear and a dead body.  The latter would result in a call to LoneStar (or more commonly, the local organ-legging crew) after 30 minutes or so.  Wouldn't want to discourage the income provided by the donors.  But the automated cleaning systems weren't necessarily up to the task of scrubbing the smell of a 2-week old decomp.  Plus no point wasting space that could be earning more Nuyen with a living customer.  Or a fresh dead one.


Once White Duck had the address, the Bison headed there and parked to maximize coverage of at least two sides of the building with the most likely lines of approach.  Whatever the Bison couldn't watch, her aerial drone would.  She did a thorough sweep of the area, trying to get a sense of anything out of place as well as the security they'd likely encounter through the front door of the apartment complex.  She routed the audio and video feeds to the main display in the back to give her teammates a sense of the area as well.  Once the sweep was complete, she looked for a place she could park the drone that provided good coverage of the area.  Hovering burned fuel and she didn't know how long the team would be around.

Initial surveillance complete, she popped the interior door and slipped into the main area of the camper.  She quickly pocketed the scorpion, then reached behind one of the bucket chairs to retrieve a metallic briefcase which she offered up to White Duck.  An upper drawer produced a dark satchel.  She fastened her respirator over her face, which didn't much help with the clarity of her subsequent instructions.

"I'll deal wit ta locks if ya kin deal wit da people.  When yer in, I'm headin back ta da truck ta keep eyes up.  Put da case wif da lef side tord da door.  I'll tell ya if e' needs movin.  How ya wans ta get in?"

quote:

10:27, Today: Copperhead rolled 2 successes using 6d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of (6+1)7,1,3,5,2,3.  Perception check of the area.
10:26, Today: Copperhead rolled 4 successes using 5d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of 5,1,(6+2)8,4,5.  Sensor sweep of area.

Obviously if the J smooths the path of getting into the apartment, we won't have to worry about planning our approach :>

Duck takes the case and examines it briefly, nodding.

"Seems like it'll be just a manner of getting in. If we prefer not to leave any indication I walked through the front door, I s'pose I can go in through the guy's window. Depends on what floor his apartment's on." he shrugs, fingers antsy as they play over his pack of smokes. One might wonder if the smokes were a geasa of some sort, but sadly they were more of a bad habit to the young runner, who was already starting to sound raspier than he did before he started.

"Sometimes the front door's the best approach though. If we had the name and apt no. of another tenant, for example, I could ease in saying I'm dropping off this briefcase to a co-worker. Lots of options, really, and as it just so happens, I'm handy with most locks too, though I'll defer to your expertise." On noticing Copperhead's arming of herself, Duck pulls out a matte-black Browning Max-Power, checking the clip and safety prior to re-holstering the weapon. Then, he takes out a pocket mirror, running a hand over the stubble forming on his face, which disappears, then bunching his hair up into a ponytail, which grows from its short-shorn white cut to a deep, shoulder-length jet black. He looks to Copperhead for a moment, his eyes idly swirling a change in color from whitish-blue to a darker brown.

"Just in case some cam sees me anyway." he explains, looking out of the van's window to scope out the building.

"Nice trick"

It's difficult to tell from her tone whether the comment is one of admiration or sarcasm.  Or perhaps both . . .

"If yer ok wit da doors, I'll stay here.  My mug ain't so camra reddy.  An I kin keep an eye on tings better dis way."

We'll need Papa to provide details of the site before we can plan too much more.  (And my guess is he'll make entry easy lest we spend two weeks getting into the apartment :>)

Hahahaha, I highly doubt two weeks is the least amount of time we take just to get there...

I'll head in with you (White Duck).  If it's all clear, I suggest that you (Copperhead) join us, said the dwarf as he eyed the briefcase.

After seeing White Duck's change, Noruas smirked, Looks pretty handy.

The team (sans Caduceus) roll out to the apartment. On the ride over, Noruas has time for a little data digging. So far most everything seems to check out. Tee Hee was a student at US and regarded as brilliant, if socially inept. He didn't keep a lot of serious friends, with the exception of a professor Hendrix who taught matrix geometry. Hendrix went by the decking name of Flair.

The party arrives at the apartment complex without incident. It's not much; three squat, brick apartment buildings with a fence around protecting an inner courtyard (at least, they would be, if part of the fence hadn't collapsed). White Duck has no issue jumping the fence or tailgating someone in, whichever he pleases. The courtyard and the buildings are in disrepair, scattered with take-out food boxes and empty plastic bags. A pair of shoes dangle from the complex's high-density data lines. White Duck enters into Tee Hee's building and moves up to the fourth floor. Finding his flat is easy; it's the one with the eviction notice attached to it. The room has a simple keypad. Given the hour, there's not much traffic in these hallways yet.

Caduceus makes his way through the barrens. Driving a bike, he has to be a little more cautious than Copperhead in her battle wagon. Rounding the corner, he pulls up sharply as he sees a member of the Blood Rumblers spray-painting "Blood Rules" over the Brain Eater gang symbol that normally adorns the wall of that building. Caduceus feels confident once the 'artist' is done, she'll move on. It's easier to hang tight for a moment, rather than risk a confrontation.

Orion's is a cute little shop, smaller than many Stuffer Shacks. Glass windows are protected behind chain link. The light over the doorway is on, but it's clear the place won't be open for a few hours yet.

Astrally the place is a little oasis of calm amid the normally roiling barrens. It has the faintest color one might expect of a garden or a forest, rather than a store.

"First trick I learned, actually. Oldie but a goodie though." he explains casually as he peers at the keypad, setting down the briefcase as Copperhead instructed. He brings his fingers up to an ear.

"On-site, package is in place. Door's got a keypad and an eviction notice, which means if we can't spoof the pad I may be able to get the landlord to let us in." he explains, removing the keypad's cover and taking a crack at the device himself.

13:05, Today: White Duck rolled 1 success using 5d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 ((1,2,2,(6+1)7,1)).

"Gots a pad breaker if ya don frag it up too bad"

The dwarf stands by and watches the hallway.  If White Duck doesn't succeed, then he'll give it a try.

It takes a bit. Not the cleanest job Noruas has ever seen. But White Duck does eventually get it, without tripping any obvious alarms.

The apartment inside is empty, clearly already swept for valuables and prepared for the next tenant. There's imprints on the vinyl floor from old soda spills, but nothing tangible to give you a lead.

Presumably makes sense for only one of us to roll perception, perhaps with a modifier for multiple people looking?

The scorpion skitters around, focusing on those areas that are hardest for a human to inspect, looking for anything potentially of interest.

The rigger's voice comes over the radio and provides a bit of guidance on alignment of the briefcase, recommending a position on a bare counter near the door.

"Whitey, mebe once da place is checked an Noruas is deckin away, ya can 'ave a frenly chat wit da neighbors an da lanlord.  I kin watch 'is meat wit da case an my drone.

Oh, an Noruas, put on yer resprator for ya jacks in - just case."

After seeing that the place isn't quite open yet, Caduceus double checked that he had a good view of the place from his parking spot, then got to work on making contact with his relevant contacts.  It was still early and he hated to interrupt anyone who might still be in bed, but he was on a time crunch.  They could deal with it.  Besides, any of his contacts who actually kept a normal sleep schedule also knew that he would only call at odd hours if it was necessary.

He decided to start with Romaine Éclair, his expert in "the biz."  The man was probably up doing his morning routine or something anyway.  He waited for the man to pick up then said, "Hey hey, Romaine!  It's your favorite reptile calling.  I was hoping you could help me out with a bit of info pertaining to Urban Brawl.  Figured if you don't have the answer for me, you could point me to someone who does."

He will then proceed to ask Romaine about about local games that someone might be especially interested in if they bought tickets to last week's game.  And which ones would be a good choice for someone trying to lay low.

Noruas nodded and put on his gas mask before looking through the place.

Yes, if the person with the highest perception can make a test, and add two die for each person who is helping. That'll probably be easier than the other method :P

Romaine's phone rings for a bit. A woman picks up, "Helloooo?" Caduceus can hear some noise in the background, "What is this? What have I said? Don't answer my phone. Give that to me."

Then, a moment later, "Hello. Who is this. Reptile? I don't know any.... Oooohhh... You! Caduceus! Yes, hello, hello. How are you? It seems a little eehhh.... early for your type, no? A little early for me too, you know. You are lucky I pick up the phone. Maybe next time, don't push it.

"Urban Brawl? Yes! Yes! I know Urban Brawl. You need tickets? You want to play? You have the type for it, eh? Big, big. Need a better name though ehh.... Blades? No... Viper! Viper? I like Viper. Okay Viper, what do you need with Urban Brawl?

"Local games... No games this week. Next game is Assassins/Arrows in Montreal. You want to go? I've got good odds. If you're there, I get you a discount, maybe you help my odds? Good deal?

"Local games no... There's two minor teams in Seattle. Neither too good for business. But they don't play much now. Their games are before the pro season. You know, try to sell their players. Right now it's mostly practice stuff."

While Romaine is talking, an older woman approaches the grocer and unlocks the front grate. She heads on inside and a few lights flicker on, as she prepares for the day.

At this point, I doubt anyone is higher than 6.

quote:

10:22, Today: Copperhead rolled 6 successes using 10d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of 3,5,4,5,2,5,4,3,(6+6+2)14,3.  Perception (White Duck & Noruas helping).

You find dustbunnies. You find stick spots. You find the sun-bleached outlines of furniture. You find tiny dead spiders. You find fingerprint powder and the plastic wrappers of something. You find the data outlets have been recently opened and examined. You find luminol.

You do not find Tee Hee.

"Ya wanna jack in?  Der's frag all left 'ere.  Whitey can chat wit da lanlord an mebe da neighbors."

See if you can grab any security footage for the last week or so to see what visitors Tee Hee has had.  Same thing for call logs if they're available. Then research on Tee Hee, the Johnson, the orc and the Prof.  As well as anything else you figure would be useful :>

Alright.  Duck, I'll need you to watch my body.

Noruas sits with his back against the wall and plugs his jack in.

"Da case kin watch yer body."

"Thanks Romaine, I think you gave me all the information I needed.  Hate to rush out on you like this, but another lead just arrived.  I'll let you get back to bed, since we both know how much you need your beauty sleep."  Caduceus smiled as he hung up the phone, knowing his subtle insult was just noticeable enough to irk Romaine, but lighthearted enough not to damage their relationship.

After putting away his phone, Caduceus secured his bike and headed over to the shop.  He heads inside if the door is still unlocked, or knocks politely if it isn't.  "Good morning madam.  I was wondering if you would be so kind as to let me speak with you for a moment?"

Noruas has no trouble connecting to the apartment's matrix connection. It's quite fast! There's a small SAN for apartment services (nothing personal to TeeHee). But it's a quick hop out to the greater matrix.


Caduceus enters Orion's. A buzzer sounds in the back of the shop. He's almost overwhelmed by the wide variety of smells. Is this really a food store?

Inside the door are two caged checkout registers, both locked and empty. Farther inside are four long aisles of canned goods and a small section of organic products that give the shop its name. The barrage of smells comes from this little section.

The gray-haired lady you saw earlier shuffles about the store. Hearing you enter, she comes over to meet you. "Yes, yes, what can I help you with this fine morning?"

Duck lights up a smoke while Nouras slinks into unconsciousness, hoping that the other members of the team have better luck. He looks over Tee Hee's various collections of media as he idly makes his way around the apartment, checking for anything of interest.

Caduceus attempted to gain the woman's favor by showing interest in her store's home brand of tea. "I hear you have a great tea here.  Orion's Special Blend?  I was wondering, what makes the blend a "special" blend?  Is it healthier than normal?" After spending an appropriate amount of time listening to her answer (assuming nothing noteworthy pops up) Caduceus began to shift the conversation toward Tee-Hee.

"The friend who recommended it to me, you wouldn't happen to know if he stopped in recently, would you?"  He took out his pocket secretary and showed a picture of Tee-Hee from the holocube.  "I was thinking about getting him some for his birthday as a surprise, but don't want to if he just bought a whole bunch."

The dwarf logged back out not long after, he shares what he had found a lot of, nothing.

Duck tamps out the remainder of his cigarette under the sink, letting the ashes wash down the drain and pocketing the butt in a small baggie that he apparently takes around with him.

"Don't want any ritualists barging in after us and paying me a visit during my off-hours." he explains, having made efforts to tidy any trace of he and Nouras' passing while the dwarf was unconscious. He holds up a similar baggie, one containing what was presumably Tee-Hee's toothbrush, and shrugs.

"Not much saying we can't employ a ritualist ourselves though, eh? Not my bag personally, but I have a friend who might be able to put us in touch." he re-pockets the toothbrush, then puts a finger up to his ear, triggering comms.


"C, it Looks like we've found ourselves one red herring and not much else. I think we should roll out before we start attracting attention." he says, smirking to himself as if he'd told some private joke only he found funny.

So no intel on either Johnson or their company or Junior (or his dad) or Tee Hee or his teacher?  And no-one interesting showing up on the security tapes in the last couple of weeks?

"Ya gonna intraduce yerself ta da neighbers an da lanlord?  Dey mighta seen somethin er know somethin bout what 'e likes a eat er drink er frag dat'd 'elp us track 'im down."

She refrained from muttering that he could have been doing that while the dwarf was sitting comatose.  Practically speaking, it had been a bit early to be knocking on doors and hoping to have a productive conversation come out of the exercise.

Duck sighs, then pulls his hand back up to his ear.

"Well, I *can* do that, but it'll compromise the fact that we've been able to get in and out without being seen. If you really wanna know about his eating habits, I suppose I can bring you his trash. Otherwise, who the heck even knows their neighbors these days?" he asks, wondering if his teammate thinks of him more of a chess piece more than an individual. It seemed from the sound of her voice like she grew irritable when he didn't obey her requests in a drone-like fashion. Then again, he couldn't hold it against her, she wasn't exactly a social butterfly. Out of curiosity regardless, he grabbed the plunger from the bathroom with a gloved hand and poked it through the garbage.

"Yeah, we can get lucky and find a random break, but I'm more concerned we'll end up discovering he don't want to be found, and probing the neighbors could tip him off and drive him further down whatever hole he's hiding in. If you're unconcerned with this line of thinking or you know something I don't, please inform me, but once the seal of discretion is broken on things like this, there ain't really a good way to re-seal it and make things discrete again. I'm just not so sure I want to risk it this early on before our other leads are exhausted. We can always come back and do that." he reasons, lighting up yet another smoke as he fishes out a bottled sports drink from the fridge and hands it to Nouras.

"My siblings always preferred the 'Dew after they came to out of the grid, but this is all I could find, chummer. No nosebleeds though, so that's a plus, ya?"

The rigger snorts in derision, though the effect is somewhat lost over the radio.  "Ya gots udder leads?

Dis ain a sneaky-sneaky run.  Dis is a smack da fraggin bushes 'til we fines da rabbit run.

E's alreddy got 2 corps on 'is hoop.  Da boy's got anythin 'tween 'is ears, e's alreddy down a hole an is ed ain't poppin up fer weeks.  Our job's ta fine da hole, stick in da water hose an have ta bag ready when 'e comes up fer air.

Ya gots better 'deas, spew."

Arching a brow, the young man replies.

"Firstly, yes, we *do* have other leads. Our boy Cadeuces is currently investigating one, last I recall, and we ought to check in with him. Secondly, I do recall our J saying he wanted things done quietly *because* of that issue with two corps being on his hoop. In fact, LoneStar isn't my primary concern if we stir the pot too much, I'm worried the other two corps will catch wind of independent operatives. Lastly, I already gave you my better idea, we wait to see if our other leads pan out prior to risking the compromise of our discretion, then come back later if Cad turns up nothing." he takes another drag of his smoke, holding the cancerous pollution in his lungs for as long as he can without coughing prior to making a smooth, practiced exhalation. He looks around at the shithole conditions and wonders if Copperhead's logic might be different if she saw the surroundings.

"Ever been to a place like this? I'm from one, so I'll share a few reasons why this idea of yours is a bit off. It certainly ain't the suburban utopia you seem to think that this door-to-door strategy of yours would work in. There's a reason you don't see anyone around recruiting for the Universal Brotherhood or trying to sell cleaning supplies here. It's a shithole. In your average shithole, the landlord ain't gonna be super familiar with his tenant's habits because he or she's gonna be more concerned with rent, which is probably late. In your average shithole, neighbors ain't gonna know drek because folks keep to their own business in places like this. If anyone DOES know our contact, it's REALLY likely they ain't gonna dime on the guy, especially if we ain't the first group of suspicious, probably armed individuals that came looking." As he lists the reasons, he counts them off on his fingers, even though no-one but Nouras would be watching. As he gets to his thumb, the fifth reason, he continues.

"Lastly, can you tell me the last time you randomly opened your door for some mooks in trenchcoats that you didn't know, handsome or not? I don't think you can because you're too smart for that. I think these folks will likely be too smart for that too." He idly hoped that he was able to get his perspective through to the rigger, who seemed to not handle disagreements so well. Deep down, he worried that something like this would occur when the situation was a bit more dire, and he'd hoped in that case her level of vindictiveness wouldn't get the best of her.

He didn't know what to make of her, but she sure was fascinating to him. On one hand, she demonstrated a cold, objective logic that didn't allow much to slip past her. That level of perception was highly valued in the shadows, especially in a leader, but on the other hand, her objectivity made her come across as abrasive at times, and she wore it on her sleeve when she disagreed with someone, at least with Duck personally, on an issue. To him, this served to counteract the positive traits that would make her a good leader, and he understood why she wasn't designated as such during introductions.

She was like a high-quality million nuyen racer with a tank full of sugary fuel- so much potential shot to hell because of the simple, yet at times devastating social drawback of an attitude problem.

"She's probably lost people. That's usually the cause." he thought.

"From her disposition, she may have even been at fault for it. Likely scenario, considering the bitterness." he postulated, making a personal note to tip-toe through the minefield that was Copperhead on the next occasion in which he disagreed with her.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:07, Thu 11 Feb 2016.

"Our udder leads is a tea bag an some old tix.  Sittin on our hoops while da snake does da work ain mucha a plan.  If he found drek, I spect e'd have called us.  Da clocks tickin.  We don know if e's even local still.  We gonna catch 'im by Friday, gotta fraggin make da leads.

Dis guy skipped out.  Probly owes da lanlord a drek o nuyen.  E'll be 'appy ta get 'is hands on da fragger.  An e'll spill 'is guts if we pay 'im what's owed.  Mebbe e'll even tell us where e' fenced TeeHee's stuff.  Mebbe some clues innit dat da J's folks missed.

An yer not lookin ta chat wit da dude's mates.  Yer lookin ta chat wit da snitch who'll sell out 'is mamma an da lit'l ol' lady what's got nothin better ta do den ta snoop on her neighbors an who'll talk yer arm off if ya pet one a her 20 cats.  Decker boy kin probly run a check on da locals an fine ya som candates.  Ya jus need ta make up yer story ta get the chattin' started.  Da better da story, da less Nuyen ya gotta spen.

Ya's a face right?  So start facin."

If Copperhead hadn't been jacked in, she'd have been shaking her head in disgust.

Lazy dreckin' mage.  Probably doesn't want to chat up anyone not in a suit or a skirt.

She'd attempt to do it herself, but she knew from experience that she'd have no hope.  Even if she concealed her face, people tended to shut down and shy away from her.  Her only chance of getting information from someone off the street was if she had a predator in their ear.  And they weren't desperate enough to try that.  Yet.

Ten points for getting the motivation pretty much bang on, though there's a few other factors in play.

One other plan of attack is to reach out to your contacts.

"Right. Problem with this is that the place has already been scrubbed. Looks like baggies, fingerprint powder, luminol. That's the stuff cops use for finding semen or bloodstains. Folks that ran through with this likely already tried that, and they likely already tried it during more regular hours than this one, when it's clearly not the hour to go knocking on doors." despite being visibly irritated himself, his voice is calm and even. He wanted to tell her that he *was* "facin'" presently, with her, but he figured that comment would only serve to stir the nest.

"Look, it's a decent suggestion, it's just that in my professional experience, it isn't one that's going to pan out. I'm not giving you tips on drone ops here because I don't know drek about drone ops. I have instincts about these sorts of things, a gut feeling, ya?" he asks rhetorically, then continues.

"I don't know you personally, but you seem like you've been out in the shadows long enough to realize you can and should trust your gut before anything or anyone else. Drek, I'm not offended at all that it seems to be your modus operandi because I share that characteristic. Thing is, I'm not gonna go against my gut and waste my time here knocking on doors before waking hours until or unless it becomes a last resort. You think it's lazy work? Fine. Think what you will."
There's a pause as he takes another drag, smoking his cigarette down to the halfway point. Why bother with the vapor of narcosticks when there's nothing like the real deal?

"You wouldn't be the one who'd have to hear hours worth of batshit conspiratorial stories from that old lady with the cats or get interrogated by some slum lord that thinks I'm holding out on his tenant's whereabouts and wants to grill me about it so they can collect. Since this isn't your usual forte, I can understand why it seems to you like it'd be an easy stone to turn over, but as you said, the clock's ticking, and I'm saying we're wasting our time with that avenue of approach. I'm pretty fraggin' sure that you would *hate* it if I played the role of backseat driver to your ops, neh?" he asks, trying to reason with her. Who knows, maybe she would be receptive if he explained himself. May as well give it a shot. He takes a deep breath, then proceeds.

"What you're doing with me equates to that, so if I seem irritable, I apologize. I'm trying to paint you a clear picture as to why your idea wouldn't pan us out anything worth pursuing, and it's like me hovering over your shoulder while we're in a car chase and telling you to zig when you wanna zag and telling you to shoot when you need to reload. Thing is, I trust that if you zag, a zag would have been the better choice. I know that to you, I'm zagging here, but I also know what I'm doing. I think we can work together just fine if we value one another's talents, but if you intend on telling me how to do my job like I'm some guppy on his first run, you're shitting all over the talents I have, and I think backseat drivers are a real pain in the ass. My talents already got you a better payday. If you want more proof of them, that's fine, I'll give it to you through consistency. Something I learned though is that sometimes, a face knows where not to show face. This is one of those occasions. So, in short, no, I'm not gonna do that. I'll call a cab home if that rubs you too raw for me to bum a ride."
This message was last edited by the player at 17:03, Thu 11 Feb 2016.

"Frag it then.  Call snakey an see if 'e gots anythin.  If 'e don't, ya kin 'cide where we's headed next, cuz da only place I kin think ta sniff 'round's where we already is.  "

The shaman had a point, but there was no fragging way she was going to tell *him* that.

Don't let Copperhead get your back up to the point we don't do what we should do.  Hitting up the landlord at least seems like a no-brainer to me.  I think the "be quiet" directive was more "don't make a mess" than a "don't let anyone know you're looking for him".  Right now, the only functioning lead we've got is a teabag.  And while, based on the detailed descriptions, it looks like that might go somewhere, it seems like an awfully thin branch to be relying on.  If the tea bag comes up dry, then we've got nothing.

Duck is keeping a couple of cards close to his chest too. His contacts are a talismonger who may be able to do something with that toothbrush if ritual tracking is available via PCs or NPCs and a Lone Star Detective who may be able to get a lead on the luminol's manufacturer/purchaser or provide even more info if it was LS that searched the place originally. He'd just wanted to stand his ground first for posterity's sake.:P I agree with you that we may as well ask the landlord while we're here though, so I think I have an idea as to why Duck would do that without breaking the fourth wall.

"S'not all we got. I can follow leads on this luminol the scrubbers left behind and I got a talismonger buddy who may have enough here for a ritual sample. I've heard rumors that you can find someone real quick-like with the right magic, but I'm not that kind of magical, so I'm not 100% on that. Either way, I'll bugger the landlord for you. Even if they don't know where we can find Tee-Hee, I may be able to bullshit some other info out of em'." he takes his finger from his ear, turning to Nouras.

"When you're ready, I'll meet up with you outside. Guess I gotta go have talk with the landlord." he muses, moving down to the landlord's office and knocking, pretending to be a skip-tracer looking for Tee Hee as a bounty in order to find out what the landlord knows, commiserating about what a pain in the ass this guy must be to be skipping out on his rent.

Will make a street Etiquette check here with an appropriate difficulty to get info from the landlord. Just let me know the TN and I'll roll 'em.

The old lady responds to Caduceus; "yes, yes, our green tea is especially good. All of our teas are organic. Do you know what that means? It means it's made exclusively out of living matter. Here, try some. I know you'll be back." She goes to the shelf and shifts a little tea into a paper pouch, then seals it up. "Do you know how to make tea? It takes time to make it right."

She peers at the picture, scrunching up her face, then shakes her head. "Nooo... No, I don't think I recognize that fellow. You say he's a regular? Normally we have regulars for our tea, and I think I recognize most of them."



The apartment has already been cleared out, so most of the garbage is from the cleaning crew that came by to prep the place for the next tenant. Old ceiling panels, bits of carpet, used sponges. There's some food scraps in there, but it's unlikely to be Tee-Hee's and very likely you don't want to pull it out after it's been rotting for half a week.

It's not hard to find the landlord's office. It's on the bottom level and says 'LANDLORD' in large, block letters over the door, with a pad to write out "comments and requests". The box next to the door is overstuffed. Looking at a few, it's maintenance requests, mostly to fix the pipes so the toilets flush without spewing all over the room !!!!! (or so says the author).

Banging on the door, it takes a bit before you hear movement inside. Finally the door swings open and a short, rough looking dwarven lady stands in the doorway grimacing, a cigarette butt clamped tightly between her lips.

"It's too early. The maintenance crews aren't up yet."

TN for extracting data on late tenants is 5. Lower if there's money involved.

Also, +1 karma for White Duck and Copperhead for having a great back-and-forth--and resolving it nice and tidy like.

"You sure?  He's not always the most sociable fellow so maybe try imagining him in a hat or with sunglasses?"  He keeps a close eye on the woman's astral signature to try and gauge how sincere she is being.  He also compares the astral signature of his new tea to that of the stuff that Tee-Hee had, to try and estimate how long ago he would have bought it based on freshness.

OOC: Are there security cameras visible?

"I'm not looking for maintenance." says the now-ginger-haired and pale-skinned male who looks to be of Asian descent. His hair is short and spiky, nails long and seemingly well-manicured. Essentially, he looks like some sort of weird prototype for racial blending. He gets out a crisp 50-nuyen disposable credstick and hands it to her.


"For your time, ma'am. I'll be brief. I'm Dart. I'm a skip-tracer. Looking for Tee-Hee. Seems he's got an active bounty. I'm trying to collect on that. The nuyen is for your time. I notice he's got an eviction notice on his door, which goes along well with the records I've got handy. I wanted to know if you know where he might be. Hell, maybe once I've nabbed him up I can drag his ass here to pay rent before I collect my bounty. Depends on whether or not you can help me out." he teases charmingly, bordering on flirtatious in spite of the not-so-great-looking audience. He smiles to her, his teeth gleaming perfectly white, blue eyes seeming to twinkle and fade to green under the dim-light halogen bulbs that illuminate the place from overhead.

12:28, Today: White Duck rolled 1 success using 6d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 5 with rolls of 2,3,4,1,(6+6+3)15,1.  Etiquette.

Noruas just kept quiet while the two team members had duked it out over the comms.  He followed White Duck down to the landlady's apartment but stood out of sight as the chameleon worked his own brand of magick.  Seeing his charming and flirtatious approach, Noraus rolled his eyes in the cheesiness of the matter.

The woman considers the picture for a moment longer, then shakes her head. There's nothing about her signature suggesting deceit. Tee-Hee's tea does seem a little stale. Hard to be sure, but somewhere between a week and a month difference.


White Duck's cred stick disappears so fast, he almost can't remember handing it over. Her demeanor improves by half a notch though.

"Tee Hee? That old good-for-nothing? He skipped out on his rent! We umm... Well, we locked down his apartment. Strictly speaking, I can't let anyone in until his rent is paid off. Of course, if you were the renter, anything you find would be your property." She rubs her hands.

Duck smirks at the woman's attempt to make more money, knowing fully well from the small bit of B&E earlier on in the evening that the woman was trying to screw him over by sending him into an empty room.

"Already have a place of my own, thanks ma'am." he nods politely to her.

"I appreciate your time. Have a nice day." he bows slightly, knowing well that anyone following up on the issue with the dwarf would go off looking for an androgynous Asian ginger with a fetish for short, stocky, stubbly women. He probably wouldn't be visiting this persona again, as thoughts rolled through his head about how that stubble would feel against his face, causing an involuntary shudder. He walks past Nouras on his way out, moving back to Copperhead's van. Getting into the back, he turns off his comms and speaks.

"So, after indulging your curiosity, I gots to say, next time you've got me peeping out the landlady, it's gonna be your 50 bucks gone down the shitter." he laughs a bit after this to indicate his attitude leaning more towards amusement than genuine irritation.

By the time he gets back into the car, his hair's faded back to white, eyes back to pink, and his nails are short again.

"Shall we rendezvous with our other snakily-named associate?"

Caduceus stroked his chin, almost upset that she wasn't secretly a deceptive front for Tee-Hee's purchasing history.  He kept those emotions off of his face, however.

"Alright, good.  Then I think I'll get a box of-" he held up a finger.  "Hold on a sec.  I think I just remembered something."  Caduceus flipped through his images until he came to the one of the professor.  "I think Tee-Hee said he got the tea from this guy, who got it here.  His uncle or something?  Don't know.  Only met him the one time.  Does this guy look familiar?"  He showed the shop owner the picture of Hendrix, still keeping an eye on her astral signature.

The woman perks up at seeing Hendrix. "Oh! Oh yes, he's a regular. Comes by every few days to pick up fresh fruits and vegetables. And the tea, now that you mention it."

Caduceus knew his own aura must have flared up quite nicely when the woman said that Hendrix did in fact shop here.  He did his best to keep his outward appearance even, however.  It seemed they may have finally found a lead.  "Wonderful," he said to the woman in a thankful manner.  "I'll see if I can get his number and give him a call.  I'll find out if he go any more tea for Tee-Hee recently.  I'll still buy one box for myself though."  He was actually kind of interested in what it tasted like now.

As he was waiting for his purchase to get rung up he asked casually.  "You wouldn't expect him to be stopping in in the near future would you?  I was going to go read the news in the park, but if you think he might stop by in the next hour, I could just read outside and wait a while.  Might be easier for me."

"It's quite likely, yes. Would you like to leave a number and I can have him call you?"

"That is so sweet of you," Caduceus said in earnest.  "But I wouldn't want to bother you with that.  And like I said, I only met him the one time.  It could seem a little odd if a third party randomly asks him to call me, especially since I'm not sure he will remember me by name alone.  Thank you for offering though!"  He gathered up his purchase then added, "I'll just read by my vehicle a bit and see if he shows up.  Otherwise I'll try to get a hold of him some other way."

On his way out the door, Caduceus stopped to examine an item on one of the racks.  Or at least that's what it appeared he was doing.  In reality he was watching the clerk from the corner of his eye and working on implanting a suggestion into her mind.  He let his magic creep out slowly toward her, like an uncoiling rope, until his will found its way silently into her own.  With the precision of a bomb diffuser, he implanted the suggestion, "Don't let [image of Henrdix] know I was here."  The shaman did not want their first real potential lead getting spooked.

Casting Force 6 Influence
Rolling 6 Sorcery Dice and 3 Spell Pool dice vs. Clerk's Willpower.  I need to have net successes equal to half of Clerk's willpower (rounded down) after the spell resistance test.
09:34, Today: Caduceus rolled 7 successes using 9d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of 5,4,5,(6+5)11,5,4,1,(6+1)7,3.  Force 6 Influence sorcery test.

Drain Resistance Test.
Force 6 minus 2 for being an exclusive spell of that type, divided by two = Target of 2 for the drain test.  Rolling vs. S stun damage.  6 Willpower and 3 Spell pool dice = 9 dice rolled.
09:37, Today: Caduceus rolled 8 successes using 9d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 2 with rolls of 1,3,2,4,2,(6+1)7,2,2,5.  Influence Drain Resistance Test.

Once he had left both his suggestion and the shop, Caduceus made his way back toward his motorcycle to make a call back to the group.  He made sure he had a good view of the shop first though.  Preferably not while giving people a good view of himself too though.

When he was in position, he dialed up Copperhead, since she was the one with the vehicle.  "I think I got us a lead."

"<i>Ace, cuz we got frag all here.  Watcha got?<?i>"

Good news would be most welcome.

"First of all, the tickets didn't lead me anywhere.  The tea, on the other hand, might.  The clerk here doesn't ever remember seeing Tee-Hee, but apparently Hendrix is a regular.  And he buys the tea.  Aaand there is a good chance he will be stopping in again this morning.  Soon."  He let all that sink in for a moment before continuing.

"I'm thinking this Hendrix guy might be buying supplies for Tee-Hee.  Being his guy out on the town.  I mean, the tea he had at his office was only about a week to a month old, so at the very least they probably had contact shortly before the chips were stolen.  I was thinking we could follow him with drones or in astral space, or possibly corner him and ask him some questions, then narrow down our search from there."
This message was last edited by the player at 02:57, Wed 17 Feb 2016.

The shopkeeper waves Caduceus goodbye as he heads to the door. She seems momentarily confused when he casts, but then waves him goodbye again as he leaves and returns to tidying up.

"So ka.  Ya gots an address?"

Her voice pipes into the back of the camper:

"Snakey's mebbe got a lead on da Hendrix fellow.  'Less ya gots better 'deas, I say we go meet up?"

Duck nods.

"Got a couple of contacts I can count on, but this lead's probably more reliable. Let's head over and see what our boy Cad's got."

There's a low rumble as the camper sets itself in motion.  The team is done here, so if someone else wants to propose an alternate destination or request a drop-off, they can do it while she's en-route.

Noruas - do you want to indicate what you *were* searching for, so we can retcon it in before we get too far?

Yeah, I was trying to find any connection between TeeHee and his neighbours, as well as any traces he might have left behind in regards to his work.  So far, I got nothing.  Or at least that's the case.....I'm still not quite sure since I don't know if that information has to be obtained via dice roll or not...
This message was last edited by the player at 16:49, Wed 17 Feb 2016.

Ok, do you want to dig into the Johnson, Junior & Henderson too?

Yeah, I would, but I don't wanna do that in a room where my body is guarded by only by ONE suitcase.  Do we have a secure base of operations I can use yet?

You haven't seen what I can do with that suitcase yet :>  Plus, the suitcase only needs to keep intruders entertained for the 10 seconds or so it takes to get my aerial drone with the medium machine gun position to take them out through the windows or walls.

However, if you'd rather have your meat elsewhere, just let Copperhead know where to drop you off.  She'll probably go to join White Duck to assist with surveillance, but Cadeus might be willing to hang out with you if you want someone nearby to pull the plug.

I think the second option might be more preferable in case I get backtraced as well.

After giving the crew the address, Caduceus leaned against his motorcycle and set to keeping watch.  While waiting he conjured up a windy little sidekick, both for company and to be prepared for unforeseen surprises.

Summoning a Force 3 Wind Spirit.
09:27, Today: Caduceus rolled 5 successes using 6d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 3 with rolls of 3,5,4,1,3,3.  Conjure Force 3 Wind Spirit.
09:29, Today: Caduceus rolled 4 successes using 6d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 3 with rolls of 5,1,4,2,3,5.  Drain test.

Noruas should speak up IC and say where he wants to be dropped and that he wants White Duck with him

Is there any way I can just stay in the van?

I want to look a little further into our J, our newly acquainted friend Junior, and Henderson.  Know of anywhere that I can keep my meat safe and sound while I go beat the bushes?

Possibly, but you'd need a wireless tap with a high enough rating for your deck - and I don't have one.  I'd also have to rig a way for your antenna to sit outside the faraday cage you'd be sitting inside.  On the plus side, I could set up something so I could cut your feed remotely if my camera notices you frothing at the mouth or bleeding from your ears. :>  Likely something worth setting up for down the road.

"Cudda done dat when ya had da connect'n.  I don got nuttin dat secure ta drop ya at.  Could stick ya in a coffin.  Er fine a soycaf place an mebe Whitey'd watcha."

Duck smirks.

"I mean, I guess I can stare at him while he's jacked-in a little longer, but I have a lot more experience than most people with staring at folks whilst they're jacked in, and it's kinda boring. Sorta part of why I left Louisiana to begin with. If there's nothing better for me to do, then fine, but I'd like you to stop somewhere to let me at least grab something to read first."

Sorry for the late reply.

Yeah, I'm not sure that staying back at Tee Hee's place would've been good for my health.  Alright, fine.  Check and see if there are any soykafes or hotels nearby the teashop.  If not, then just drop me off at this address. He hands Copperhead an address scrawled on a scrap piece of paper. (It's a safehouse of mine.  Actually I have no idea what the address is since BB and I never talked about it in detail.  I just know I have one.)

Noruas's safehouse isn't too far out of the way. Doesn't seem like the best neighborhood, but you've certainly driven through worse.

(Up to you all what the order is. That'll determine when you regroup at Orion's.)

Copperhead dials the snake shaman back.  "Der a coffin place er a soycaf dat looks like is gots banwidth near der?  Udderwise I's gonna drop da decker at 'is squat 'for Whitey an I joins ya."

Caduceus glanced around to see if there was anything in his immediate vicinity that matched Copperhead's specifications and considered sending his wind spirit out to search for one if there wasn't.  He conveyed the results of his search to the rigger.

OOC: would a spirit be able to search for something like a specific type of building?  Or is that a foreign concept to them?

My presumption is it's a very foreign concept.  You'll glance up and down the street and Papa will either say you find something or you don't - potentially based on whether he decides it's more amusing if we're split up or together :>

Detecting matrix bandwidth is definitely a trick a spirit would not understand. But just with eyeballs, at this hour the area is mostly quiet, and it's mostly shops and light residential (and decay. Lots of decay.) Not a lot of places for someone to just squat for a while. There's a bar on the corner. Advertises as 24-hours. Might have some luck there.

"Why not just stop at that bar? Looks like we can get access there." observes Duck as they approach the location. It'd also be a good spot to have a smoke, he'd thought, his anxiety starting to build a bit as he rides along without his usual crutch.

"Soka"

The Buffalo rumbled into sight about 10 minutes later and did a rather extraordinary job of parallel parking between two minis.  There was a faint woosh as her drone settled onto the roof of an adjacent building after doing a scan of the local area.

"Kin onaya git me a soykaf 'for ya comes back?"

She set to monitoring the pulse of the now wakened city, looking for any sign of their quarry.

"Sure, though I'll have to bring you folks to my neighborhood at some point for some *real* coffee. Maybe after we get paid, ya?" he muses, keeping the factor of whether they all survive in the subtext where it belongs. He hops out of the van, stretching his arms and legs a bit before lighting up a smoke, inhaling deeply, then exhaling with relief, a thick plume blowing out from his nose and mouth. He'd known from plenty of articles and judgmental folks that the act was slowly killing him, but with a lifestyle that was so likely to be fatal to those that followed it, it seemed foolish for him *not* to smoke. He enjoyed it, could die any minute from no fault of his own, and knew fully well his odds of making it into an early retirement when he hit his 40's were slim to none. He waited calmly on Nouras to disembark, noting the slight chill in the night air and understanding just a little more why Copperhead didn't like to leave her van.

Caduceus switched to mics once the group got close enough.  "I'll keep a look out here at the store front.  I got a wind spirit keeping me company.  Let me know if you see him from your drones, Copperhead.  I could still see if my contact at the college would be able to get us in touch with him too, if you think it would be advantageous to explore other routs while we do our stakeout."

"We don gots a lotta time.  So yeah, poke yer contac too."

"Will do. Let me know if you spot our guy Hendrix."

Caduceus flipped through his contacts for a moment until he found the one he was looking for.  Professor Barney Blight.  "Professor Blight, it's Caduceus.  Keeping fit?  Say, you know how I like to broaden my knowledge base?  There is a professor who teaches Matrix Geometry.  Professor Hendrix?  What would be a good way to contact him for some off-the-books private tutelage?  I need a crash course like you wouldn't believe."

Noruas hopped out of the van behind White Duck and strolled towards the kafe with him.

He finds a spot in the kafe that allows his presence to be hidden by the larger human, and begins setting up the necessary equipment.  Once he finishes plugging in, he looks at WD and says, Do me a favor and help me order an espresso.  I'll probably need it once I get back...  And please keep watch of my body.  Thanks.

Duck nods, setting up the order and taking a relaxed seat next to Nouras whilst he's jacked-in. He pulls out an old comic book from his coat, unrolls it, an old reprint of House of Secrets #92, the first appearance of Swamp Thing, and starts reading while he waits.

"I come all the way up to Seattle and end up 'trix-sitting anyway. My brothers would laugh." he thinks to himself.

The bar may be quite the party joint at night, but right now it's so dead, it might actually be closed. There's a few neon lights advertising Tekla beer and 'whiski'. Down half a flight of steps, the door seems at first to be locked, but a firm tug and it opens. The threshold is sticky, and the interior has the scent rather akin to an armpit. There's a long bar, apparently made out of brown and black printed plastic, and a handful of small tables and booths.

Surprisingly enough, down by the "band corner", there's a small network jack. It's not fast, and it's not clean, but it is definitely a thing Noruas can plug his brain into directly.

It's about ten minutes before a middle-aged man in a t-shirt and sweat pants walks in from a service door behind the bar. He notes you two with a look of surprise, then leaves back through the service door.


Professor Blight responds, "Ah, Caduceus! How are things, how are things. You know, we have a new class coming out soon. You'd like it. I'd like it if you liked it. You should come.

"Matrix Geom... why would you want to... Pfft. Matrix geometry?? I've never... what are you going to go into next, drone rigging?? Huff. It doesn't even matter. Hendrix doesn't work any more. He resigned from his post some time ago and disappeared. It's a difficult life, us professors lead."

Duck narrows his eyes, checking Nouras for just a brief moment before immediately trailing the man in a t-shirt and sweat pants. He pulls up his hand to his ear and relays via comm.

"Got a real conspicuous fella here, turned heel and bolted as soon as he saw Captain N and I sittin' around using the jack. Could be coincidence, but I don't like coincidences, too tidy. Trying to keep eyes on him." and he does just that, hoping the trail hasn't already gone cold.

"Watchin"

There was a woosh from her drone's vectored thrust engines before she'd even finished the word.  She ran a quick scan of the building, looking for occupants and to see what she could through the typically grimy and pitted windows.  You'd think that keeping things clean would be straight-forward given the amount of rain in Seattle.  At least until you thought about what was in the rain.  She'd watch a news report that had a full spectral analysis of a bunch of rain water a few months ago.  That's when she'd invested in her respirator and heavier outdoor clothing.  Watching the nail eaten away on the slow motion camera had left her feeling pity for her poor vehicles.

"Middle aged, sweat pants, left from the service door. Very notably saw us, then turned heel." he says as he goes through the service door himself, trusting that the café employees would make sure Nouras didn't start bleeding from his eyeballs or anything gruesome like that.

"Heh, maybe I will take up drone rigging.  But no time right now.  I need that matrix geometry, like, yesterday.  For reasons that are... sensitive.  And the guy I know said that Hendrix would be the only guy for what I need.  So ya sure he didn't leave a forwarding address or something?  Or can you put me in contact with anyone who might have a good idea of how to reach him?  Just give me a name and number and I'll happily do all the heavy lifting."

The fellow in the bar doesn't appear to leave via any external entrance. He's still in the building somewhere.


As Caduceus asks his questions, Copperhead, and a moment later Caduceus himself, notice a pouch-bellied man in a worn sweater and old slacks, long, grey hair tied back into a ponytail, drag his feet down the sidewalk towards Orion's. It takes a moment to recognize "Flair" from the holocube.

"Scratch that.  I don't have that much time either.  I'll have to figure something else out.  Thanks anyway though.  See you on the astral, Blight."  Caduceus hung up without waiting for a response and quickly contacted his group.

"I have a visual on Hendrix.  Headed for Orion's.  Grey ponytail, old sweater and slacks."

As Caduceus takes a good look at Hendrix on the astral plane, he comments quietly to his wind spirit.  "That's the guy we've been looking for."

"Convenient." thinks Duck as he moves past the service entrance and starts looking for the guy, or where he could have gone off to.

"Flair inbound from da Nort-Wes.  Looks like 'e's needin' some dreckin strong tea."

She focused on finding the unknown man in the bar.  Flair didn't look like much of a threat at the moment.

Please clarify; is White Duck entering the service door? Or just moving by it?

Entering it. I'd imagine the consequences of getting caught going into the back of a coffee shop unauthorized doesn't warrant strike team deployment. At least, I hope not.

Mmmmm.  Ninjas . . . :>

Ok, I've sent everything I could find so far, to everyone's phones, computers, or whatever devices that you gave me the address for.

White Duck pushes through the rear door and finds himself in a hallway stacked to the ceiling on both sides with boxes of alcohol and pre-packaged sandwiches. The man he saw before is sitting in a little alcove, flipping through what looks to be a comic book or picture book on his tablet. In his other hand, he's holding the wilted remains of a sandwich; droopy bread, wilted lettuce, a pink disk of meat.

He turns and glowers. "What?"

"Uh, yeah, if you wanted to use the jackpoint, we're almost finished up. Saw you scoping it out. Give us just a few and we'll be out of your hair." he says with a shrug, letting go of the door and allowing it to close on its own and rejoining Nouras, making sure to bring by his espresso.
This message was last edited by the player at 13:03, Fri 04 Mar 2016.

Once Hendrix went into the store and it seemed he was in fact buying groceries, Caduceus discretely secured his motorcycle and made his way back to Copperhead's vehicle.  "Keep eyes on him, I'm coming to your location Copperhead," he said into the mic.

"So ka"

Seeing as White Duck and Noruas didn't seem at risk, she re-positioned her drone to cover any rear exit from the tea shop.  She didn't expect him to make a break for it, but covering the eventuality was easy and she'd feel like a trog if she spent an hour twiddling her virtual thumbs after the mark had already left.

Hendrix wandered into the store. He took a while, in the style of geriatrics and college professors, then wandered out with a small knit plastic bag weighed down with a few items. He shuffled back down the way he came.

In the bar, after about thirty minutes, a woman walks into the bar. She looks surprised and bothered to see the few runners, but she sets up behind the bar, moves some bottles around, cleans some glasses. "Whatcha want to drink?"

(I'll assume Copperhead and/or Caduceus are following.)

Hendrix wanders about eight blocks to a run-down apartment complex. He stops by the steel-barred door, looks over each shoulder, and keys in his code. The gate unlocks and he goes on in, closing the door behind him. You see him disappear up a flight of steps.

"Want me to go scope it out on the astral?" Caduceus asked the rigger.  "Of course you would need to keep an eye on my meat while I'm away.  Can I trust you not to get... artistic, with a sharpie?"

The drone has no issue following the ex-professor.  She zooms in to capture the keypad sequence, then does her best to monitor the man with active sensors as he enters the building, piping the radar and infrared visuals into the back.

"Null sweat.  If I's gonna get 'rtistic, snot gonna be wit a sharpie."

She switches channels.

"Noruas, Hendrix fellow's stayin in a dive at Elmwood an Fitzgerl'd.  If ya gotta sec, be nice if da panic buttons in da nex hour er so wen ta ya an not da Star."

Duck chimes in over the comms.

"Looks like Nou-nou here's still takin' a nap-nap. Look at you guys, all this B&E and subterfuge whilst I'm sitting around looking at an unconscious dwarf. Easy enough money, I suppose."

He turns to regard the bartender, looking at the shelving behind her.

"Cup of espresso, glass of water, please." he asks politely, wondering how in the world this woman could peg an innocent-looking albino like him as someone who'd dip his toe into the shadows. Unlike some of his peers, Duck wore affordable, practical clothing and didn't have any obvious cyberware and his gun, which he hadn't had the occasion to draw in quite some time, was tucked safely into its concealable holster and, well, concealed.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:51, Fri 11 Mar 2016.

I believe Noruas now has com ability while decking?

Duck, you should respond to the bartender

I don't know if I have the com ability.  Do I?  Even if I did, what I say to you guys will be in a fastforward kind of speech, like on a cassette.  That's why I emailed or texted the information to you guys.

Caduceus found a nice corner to slump into and began his shamanic rituals for separating body and spirit.  Once on the astral plane, he cautiously approached and surveyed the building Hendrix entered.  He looked for any signs of astral defenses, number and type of living inhabitants, local spirits, and an aura that matched the traces he had picked up from Tee-hee's items.

Note: I don't have my handbook with me and don't remember off the top of my head what all astral projection entails.  If I make mistakes, just let me know what needs to be fixed.

Yes, Noruas, you have the comm software. Since you're not decking, it's no issue for you to use it, except that you're moving at the speed of thought, and your audience is not.

The bartender looks at Duck. "Es... Espresso?" She shakes her head and pours a small glass of black liquid, and a full-sized glass of ice water from a bottle, then brings them both over. The black drink is definitely caffeinated and a little sweet.

Caduceus sweeps the building. It's small, maybe six apartments, half are empty, none are nice. There's no defenses to speak of, no dedicated guards. Caduceus does think he he recognizes Tee Hee's signature in one of the rooms; the same that Hendrix entered. It's a small flat on the third floor.

With this new information in hand, Caduceus returned to Copperhead's camper and manifested in ghostly fashion before her.  "I think I found Tee Hee.  At the very least, this guy's astral signature is very similar and he is in the same apartment that Hendrix entered.  Small flat, third floor.  As far as I can tell, magic defenses are nonexistent here, so I'm going to go back and see if I can pull in some more intel.  Maybe listen in a bit."  Caduceus also informed Copperhead of some other pertinent information, such as locations of neighbors and any pets they may have, or any notable quirks in the building schematics.

12:49, Today: Caduceus rolled 2 successes using 3d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of 3,5,4.  Building Schematics.

Clarification - was the signature on an individual, or just an impression that TeeHee had been there recently and/or often? - I'll hold off responding until after the clarification, as obviously it would influence Caduceus' post and my response.

The building looks to be pre-crash. Probably was quite nice in its time, but hasn't been maintained in decades. One of the apartments the level below has a pair of dogs, currently napping. The impression Caduceus gets is that this is in fact Tee Hee. Tee Hee and Hendrix are chatting, as Hendrix cuts up some lumpy fruit for a salad.

"Well dat was a lot fraggin' easier dan I 'spected.

Eider of da rooms nex door empty?"

She positioned her drone to get the best view she can into the target room, attempting to get a lock on their target while keeping far enough away to be non-obvious.  At the same time, she spoke rapidly and semi-intelligibly into her sub-vocal, piping the conversation into the back for Caduceus' benefit.

"Snakehead's found da target.  Tird floor, half block up, udder side.  Da Hennrix dude's a 'trix prof, so gotta figger e's gonna have cameras.  Noruas, ya wanna hackin' 'em 'er shall we jus rush'im?"

What quality of neighborhood is this?  I'm gathering from the description we're talking around a C rating?  I.e. The typical LoneStar response to full auto heavy weapons will be measured in tens of minutes, not seconds?

quote:

19:06, Today: Copperhead rolled 5 successes using 6d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of 5,4,(6+5)11,5,3,4.  Perception.
19:07, Today: Copperhead rolled 4 successes using 5d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of 5,(6+3)9,2,(6+5)11,4.  Active scan.

That should be enough for a visual and a lock, I think?

Alright.  Be there soon! replied the dwarf in his automated voice.

So do I unplug and hook up at the scene or can I do this from the bar?

Duck shrugged at the bartender.

"Ain't for me." he said, taking the coffee over to Nouras, setting it down, and stepping outside for a smoke.

"Eh, maybe we could just have me knock on the guy's door. He's clearly got his guard down and may not react well to a harsh approach." he says, packing a fresh pack of smokes and disposing of the plastic.

While Copperhead discussed strategy with the others and waited for them to arrive, Caduceus went back to Hendrix's apartment to listen in a bit on their conversation.  He wanted to confirm that the other person was in fact Tee Hee, if possible, as well as see if they mentioned anything else noteworthy.  And while listening, he also took a much closer look at their auras to see what he could gain from them.  Particularly, he wanted to know if they had any hidden cyberware or health issues that might cause trouble.

After that, Caduceus also began searching around for signs of the chip (or something containing it), just in case it was actually in the apartment.  He looked for any objects with strong impressions left on them.  Secrecy, regret, fear, anxiety, paranoia, excitement, and perceived wealth were all high on his radar.

11:01, Today: Caduceus rolled 5 successes using 6d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of (6+4)10,3,(6+4)10,(6+3)9,4,4.  Assensing - Tee Hee.
11:03, Today: Caduceus rolled 2 successes using 5d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of 5,2,5,3,2.  Aura Reading (auras) - complimentary, Tee Hee.
Total = 6 successes

11:01, Today: Caduceus rolled 2 successes using 6d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of 2,5,5,2,3,2.  Assensing - Hendrix.
11:03, Today: Caduceus rolled 3 successes using 5d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of 3,(6+6+1)13,4,5,1.  Aura Reading (auras) - complimentary, Hendrix.
Total = 3 successes

11:02, Today: Caduceus rolled 4 successes using 6d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of 1,(6+1)7,4,4,5,2.  Assensing - Apartment Objects.
11:04, Today: Caduceus rolled 3 successes using 5d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of 1,1,(6+3)9,(6+5)11,(6+5)11.  Aura Reading (auras) - complimentary, Apartment Objects.
Total = 5 successes

Noruas logs out and opens his eyes.  He unplugs himself before taking a sip of the black liquid. Ugh....too sweet.... he though to himself.

He sets down his drink and leaves the bar to meet White Duck outside.

I'm done here. Let's go meet with the rest of the team.

The scarred rigger continued to monitor the targets and keep an eye on the surrounding area as she directed White Duck to grab various materials out of cabinets and drawers.  By the time she was finished, he had the following:
- 1 rating 4 Maglock Passkey
- 1 rating 4 Keypad Sequencer
- 1 rating 6 Autopicker
- 1 Variable-speed cordless drill – capable of penetrating barrier rating 6 with minimal noise
- 1 Fiberoptic scope
- 1 Electronic toolkit
- 1 Medkit
- The scorpion
- 1 non-descript metal briefcase

"Ya kin get da udders ta carry some 'o it.  They's here now.  The door clicks unlocked just as the decker and mage reach the door of the vehicle."

Wait.....whaaaat?  So WD somehow got to the van to grab our tools before he got to the van to grab the tools with me???

Noruas takes a look at all the tools WD has taken from the drawers and smiles.

Duck seems disinterested in all of the gear, handing it to Nouras as it is handed to him. He holds up the drill for a second, revving it up.

"This in case I run into any cavities?" He asks, smirking.

"If this is the subterfuge required to knock on someone's door, I wonder how many tools we use to get fast food."
This message was last edited by the player at 22:35, Sun 20 Mar 2016.

I presume the two of you reach the van at the same time

Hey Copperhead, do you have a bag I can borrow to stuff the equipment in?

The dwarf smirks at WD's remark and replies jokingly, No tools necessary, prolly just need to negotiate how much of your skinny white ass we need to trade to get a decent meal.

Now help me carry the briefcase. We need to get in an apartment and set up shop.

He turns to CH again, I suggest Duck and I go in first before Snakey joins us. We don't wanna attract too much attention by going in as a group. In the mean time please tell us which apartments next to our targets have no occupants in them.
This message was last edited by the player at 06:25, Mon 21 Mar 2016.

Duck manages to grab the briefcase with one hand and ready/light up a smoke with another. Taking the first drag, he leans against the back of the van with a chuckle, and waits.

"Let's get this shitshow on the road, I'm ready to stop carrying this already."

As far as Copperhead can tell, the adjoining apartment is inhabited, but currently empty.

The area is C, maybe D. You don't see any signs of the Star around, and you're not sure if any of these people pay taxes. You certainly wouldn't bet on them hustling out here though.

Copperhead does manage to acquire a lock on Hendrix, somewhere inside the poorly insulated walls. Not the most ideal firing solution, but you could probably put him down if you cared to.

Caduceus continues to scan the area for what he can. It's tough; tech doesn't show up well on the matrix, and these two are techies. Neither show much in the way of cyberware except some headware, and Hendrix has some surgical implants in his left knee. There's plenty of chips around. Most have imprints of excitement, a few disappointment, a select few drip with lust. They continue to talk. Specifically, Hendrix does. Tee Hee is about as responsive as a sullen teenager, sticking to mono-syllables and grunts. He taps away on his keyboard as well, and rarely looks directly at Hendrix. There's nothing else to positively identify him beyond what you've already collected.

Hendrix finishes up his salad and sits down. The two nibble and engage in matrix activities. It's hard to tell what.


Noruas: you are in contact with the group, so you can talk to them from the bar if you'd like, or go out and try to find them. They haven't gone far. For the act of disconnecting, you just want to post that you're back awake, so other characters can see that. I assume you're doing a graceful logoff, so you don't really have to tell me in this case (you would if you were in matrix combat or something though).

Duck finishes his smoke whilst he waits on the rest of the team to get into position, pinching off the lit end of the butt and disposing of the stub neatly in a nearby trash receptacle. He runs a hand through his hair, turning it as black as soot, then flickers his eyes to an average brown color, presenting himself as an average-looking Asian male in his late 20's.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:31, Wed 23 Mar 2016.

Caduceus returned to his body and relayed what he found.  "I think they are currently jacked in, which can be either good or bad.  Good because they will be less aware of their surroundings, but bad because they will be more likely to notice if we tamper with anything they have a notification set up for.  But, not much we can do about that.  Lead the way."

He steps into the apartment complex calmly, entering the gates after someone else, thanking them kindly if they are courteous enough to hold the door. He then switches on his comms, going subvocal as he moves.

"Look, if whoever it is whose place you're using comes back home, finds you there, and calls the cops, we've never met. If it's a big meaty troll and he wants to kick the drek out of both of you, I can't blame him or her and I'm not helping either of you out of it. If the neighbor has an alarm, and that alarm goes off and messes *me* up, not only do I not know either of you, but I'll be waiting for you outside, and not in a good way, for screwing it up." he says, calmly, as he walks and talks, naturally waiting until the group is alone along the hallways and stairwells to say it. He takes another long drag of his smoke and continues.

"This backup idea is an unnecessary risk. Hell, I take risks too, but I don't even know what you're trying to gain from this aside from making a statement that you all think I'm so lousy at my job that I couldn't punch my way through a wet paper bag or talk someone into giving me a free sample, as neither of these mooks are much tougher than wet paper themselves." He sighs as the group draws closer to their destination.

"Just so you know, the fact that any of you feel compelled enough to go through with all of this is really insulting to me, as you're doing it based on the general assumption that I'll fail at my task and therefore can't be relied upon. I haven't shown any of you that level of distrust or discourtesy, and I'm starting to wonder why I'm having the training wheels bolted onto everything I try to do. Fair warning, next time you guys plan some bullshit elaborate setup like this based around the minute chance I'll fuck everything that I'm damned good at up so badly that the gates of hell will open, I'm going to know it truly is personal, and I'll be pulling an audible."
This message was last edited by the player at 21:11, Wed 23 Mar 2016.

Caduceus went in with the other two men and, as soon as they were through the threshold, the snake shaman paused to call forth a spirit of the hearth.  He chanted hissing whispers audible only in the subvocal mic.  Once present, He requested the spirit to Guard the three of them.

Then, using both the layout information he gained while flying around in astral space and Copperhead's help, Caduceus made his way up to Hendrix's floor to the most empty-seeming adjacent apartment (or storage closet).  He had his spirit provide Noruas and himself with Concealment, then helped Noruas drill a peep hole with Copperhead's drill and one of his own stealth spells. He made sure he had a line of sight on both Hendrix and Tee-Hee, and had his spirit provide Concealment for the holes as well (for those not in the Shadowrunning group).

"So long as those two act hostile twards any of our group, cause accident on them," he said hushedly to the spirit.  "And if they are acting hostile or try to flee, Confuse them."

Finally, with his favors from his first spirit expended, Caduceus concentrated on bringing forth another spirit with a bit more oomph, just in case things went south.

First Conjured Spirit (Force 3) - have a bonus vs. hearth spirits
13:29, Today: Caduceus rolled 5 successes using 6d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 3 with rolls of 1,5,3,3,5,(6+4)10. Conjure Force 3 Hearth Spirit.
13:30, Today: Caduceus rolled 4 successes using 8d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 3 with rolls of 4,(6+3)9,(6+1)7,1,2,2,(6+4)10,2.  Drain test.

Stealth Spell (Force 4?) - bonus for illusion - I'm still a bit foggy on casting sorcery
13:57, Today: Caduceus rolled 4 successes using 8d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of 5,5,2,2,(6+4)10,1,1,5.  Force 4 Stealth Spell - Drill.
13:57, Today: Caduceus rolled 5 successes using 12d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of 5,2,2,4,5,4,2,3,(6+5)11,1,3,3.  Stealth Drain test.

Second Conjured Spirit (Force 4) - have a bonus vs. hearth spirits
13:48, Today: Caduceus rolled 2 successes using 5d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of 3,1,5,3,4.  Conjure Force 4 Hearth Spirit.
13:48, Today: Caduceus rolled 6 successes using 9d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of (6+5)11,4,4,5,3,4,1,(6+1)7,2.  Drain test.

This message was deleted by the player at 17:18, Fri 25 Mar 2016.

Duck positions himself near Hendrix's door, not going in quite yet, taking a draw of his cigarette whilst waiting for the rest of the team to deploy. Almost idly, he begins to listen to what's going on on the other side of the door, his magically-enhanced hearing filtering out the noises around it while enhancing the sounds heard within.

Caduceus summons his first spirit; an older woman. She looks to have once been elegant, perhaps even cute. She still wears hip-hugging jeans and a belly shirt that was once the style. But her skin is stained red, and her eyes are dark and tired. As Caduceus gives his requests, she complies silently. She shivers as he puts the drill to the wall, but the motor is still silent, as requested.

Looking inside, the apartment is small; basically one large room with a small nook for the bathroom, with the two men sitting and staring into space as they work.

Caduceus calls the spirit back and she seems, if not healthier, at least more real somehow. From her face, she isn't pleased to see you. Nevertheless, she waits to hear your request.

From White Duck's space, the place is quiet, confirming what he's head from Caduceus. By his guess, White Duck might not even be heard if he knocked. Fortunately, there's a doorbell beside the door which, if you have your guess, will still do the trick.

As Noruas watches, Hendrix disconnects from the matrix and puts his deck away, just out of the field of view of the camera. Hendrix checks briefly on the second man, then goes towards the apartment door. It's not clear if this is lucky timing, or if he's responding to something.

Copperhead watches as the heat blob moves and checks her radar, looking for any signature that might indicate a weapon.  Or at least a heavier one.  Radar through walls had trouble picking up anything much smaller than a shotgun, as she'd learned from hard experience.

"'endrix movin' tord da door.  Er mebbe da can.  Eider way, best get ta knockin'."

To confirm, by "camera" do you mean the fiber scope or is Noruas jacked in and somehow spying through a camera *inside* the target's apartment?

When Caduceus's spirit gave him the stink-eye, he gave her the "don't-give-me-your-sass" look, but otherwise let her wait.

After Copperhead confirmed movement, Caduceus said over the mic, "time to show us what you got, Duck."  It was meant to be encouraging, but probably came out almost patronizing.  Caduceus honestly did hope that White Duck could pull off what he claimed though.  "For real though, good luck."

Duck takes a calming breath, pinching off his cigarette, dropping the butt neatly into the case. He approaches Hendrix's door and knocks, listening carefully for the telltale sounds of weaponry being readied, just in case.

Noruas times himself to WD's first knock before plugging into the neighbour's matrix outlet.  He takes a last look at the briefcase near him before sounding off to the other side.

A voice wavers from the other side of the door, "who-- who is it? I'm armed! And I'm paid up! I'm calling the Crimsons!"

Looking up towards the ceiling in a near-eyeroll, making sure he isn't spotted in the peephole whilst doing so, Duck calls out to Dr. Hendrix.

"Dr. Hendrix, my name is Duck, I'm an independent contractor hired to investigate an issue in which your current roommate is involved with. You both could be in serious danger, and I'd like to help." he holds out his hands, opening his coat and taking a brief turn.

"As you can see, I'm unarmed. This isn't a good spot for a conversation, and I don't mean you any harm. Perhaps we can discuss this more privately? If I found you, someone else can, and the next people who do might not be as genuinely interested in your personal safety." he remarks, keeping his voice quiet enough to not be overheard, but speaking firmly enough for Hendrix to catch what he's saying through the door.

There's a long pause.

Duck can hear movement on the far side of the door, and it's a real possibility the hacker wired defenses into the doorway itself, anticipating such trouble.

After nearly a minute, the door opens, Hendrix looks out, checks around both corners, then waves for Duck to enter; "come on, come on. It's not safe."

He closes the door behind him and locks the three deadbolts. The room is done over in Late-American Decker. Stacks of computer disks, trade journals, and printouts fill the room. To the right of the front door is the small kitchen area. Added apparently as an afterthought, it has room for a sink, small refrigerator, and microwave. More printouts cover a small table and four cane chairs.

Farther inside is a small desk with a single chair. Resting on the desk is a cyberdeck. A single coffee mug with the word "Flair" sits to the right of the deck. Directly opposite the work area is the bathroom door. Inside are a toilet, shower, and sink.

The back third of the room is taken up by the sleeping area, with a single twin bed under the room's only window. An iron bar, six feet in length, supports a meager selection of old clothing. Underneath the hanging bar are several plastic storage
boxes, also filled with clothes.

The window offers a lovely view of the apartment across the alley. It appears there was once a fire escape bolted to the wall outside the window, but it has long since been removed.

Tee Hee is in the corner, still recovering from an extended period in his virtual world. The boy is a mess; an old wife-beater and sweatpants, his spiked mohawk is greasy and the roots are growing out, and he smells like pizza that's been left in the sun too long. The only thing clean about him is the shiny chrome datajack above his temple. His eyes go wide seeing White Duck and he scoots back against the wall, grasping at the floor. Hendrix holds out his hands, "Tee, stop. Listen, they came to talk. We can sort this out. Duck? Duck. Listen Tee got caught up in something else. I know it looks bad, but he's really a good boy. We are totally cooperating, see? But we need you to clear up whatever confusion there is. It's just you, right? You're an investigator?"

Duck nods, calmly checking out the surroundings as he enters. He leans against the kitchen bar, keeping a respectful distance from the two as he replies.

"We can absolutely sort this out. Just for your information, I'm not working alone, but believe me when I say I'm probably the only one out of my team that you'd want to run into." he smirks.

"Anyway, they're here on overwatch in case either of you turned out to be hardened killers, but since you're not..." he slowly pulls out his earpiece, visibly clicks his commlink into the OFF position, then re-pockets it.

"Just don't make any sudden moves to attack me or anything, and you're golden. Full disclosure? Manes hired me, and he's fairly pissed off. Marked you as disposable, but I'm not that kind of guy, and I'd rather get as much information that you can give me about this chip situation and either leave you peaceably or offer you a place to duck out if this one's too hot, whatever you want to do, omae. Key thing is, I'm working for a paycheck, but if I can avoid being aggressive about it and offer you an out-for-info trade, we'll both have a hell of an easier time." he looks to Tee-Hee.

"My brothers are all deckers, too, you know. Had security issues with it more than once. I don't have a jack, but I know damned well deckers end up finding out info that proves to be fateful all the time. You're young, neh? I'd rather not see you in the Star reports as some John Doe in an alleyway. Maybe you could help me out and tell me what you know, then I can help you and throw my employer off your scent?"