As the ambulance was making its way to the HQ James was starting to hear a ringing noise in his ears and then slowly through the ringing noise he started to hear the ambulance siren as it tried to get through the backed up traffic. By the time the ambulance reached HQ James could hear voices again provided they spoke up. He felt relieved realizing his eardrums hadn't ruptured. The prisoner, safely turned into a vegetable, drooled a little as his empty eyes stared at the window. The damn thing was still stubbornly healing the damage inflicted despite its vegetative state. James couldn't help feel relief that the cyborg was safely secured but made extra sure nonetheless.
---
Once at HQ the cyborg prisoner was put in a high security solitary cell, still strapped down, restrained and drooling. Damn thing had healed up James' gunshot wounds completely by this time. James could swear it looked at him for a second but Light said it was just neural twitching of the eyes because of the encephaloclamp.
Vadim and Jacki were wheeled into sickbay on stretchers, Ai following right behind them. She could not join the team in debriefing, but Erin assured her the intercomm would allow her to participate in the conversation while taking care of Jacki and Vadim. Alpha was returned to his glass cage and mewled in protest, having tasted the outside world. The television showed the Glowy Bouncy Thing again but Al seemed uninterested. Instead he watched from his cell at Ai busying herself with her patients.
---
Jordan Light sat at the head of the wood inlaid oval table in the debriefing room in his black leather chair. Erin had remained in the comm room just in case one of the missing team members attempted to make contact. Light remained silent until everyone was sitting, preoccupied with his tablet.
He looked up: "First things first. Ai, let me know when there is a change in Vadim or Jacki's condition". He continued:"Vadim is down, Jacki is down. Lauren and Sandra are missing. They took us by surprise and hit us hard and mercilessly. But we need to continue to push the small victories we made. The magma entity you encountered at the lawfirm was destroyed. Vadim and Jacki are both still alive. We have one of theirs prisoner. We know where their teleporter was operating from. We don't know if he is still there and what happened to Sandra after she jumped. Erin is trying to contact her but no luck so far. We have people watching the library. So far no one's come out".
He looked on his watch and got up, checking an Ipad briefly:"I called in some favors, reshuffled personell. Marcus Drake joins us from the Hub, welcome agent Drake".

He flicked on the big wall monitor displaying the building of "Yanowich, Dreisel & Associates", former HQ of VIGIL Gamma team. "Let's briefly go over what we know at the moment. We know Francis Stryker, supervisor of VIGIL Gamma had a meeting at Rancho Las Flores Boy Scout Camp. We don't know what went down there. we do know when he came from there he was driving fast and was being followed. On one frame from a traffic cam we saw a figure clinging to the roof of his car. Stryker eventually came to a stop at "Yanowich, Dreisel & Associates" and ran inside. Seconds after, a group of six teleported into the hall of the lawfirm and began systematically murdering our agents and allied personell. You've seen the damage. Ai has detailed medical reports. Note that we have not found Francis Stryker's body".

He pauzed briefly:"From your encounter upon investigating the area we've more closely identified our suspects. One is a young man, about 20-25 years old, dark hair, wearing antiquated clothes, in particular a hooded blue cloak. We suspect he is their teleporter and capable of summoning things that do not belong in this world. We have one of them in custody, the HITMark. Needless to say it is disturbing to find out he was once one of us before he was one of them".

He coughed:"The descrption of the two suspects corresponds with that of two members of the group identifying themselves as the Challengers of the Unknown. Reports on the group can be found in your files. These deluded deviants believe themselves to be superheroes and consider us an evil organisation. We don't exactly know their goals but they have in the past attacked technocracy targets. They are suspected Marauders. It seems that in the case of VIGIL Gamma they upped their game and went full psycho".

"I've spend the past few hours dissecting all the information and I keep coming back to this: Sandra noted she'd detected an anomaly. There was an attempt to hide a trans-chronal quantum entanglement detection event. In layman's terms someone either from the future or the past likely looked into the moment of the first assault on Vigil. Secondly, at the exact time of the assault there was a second attack on the other side of the city. The timing of the attack on the Lockup facility roughly coincides with the attack on Vigil HQ. The attack occurred while a truck was leaving for LAX with a load of artifacts intended for shipping to an offworld location. The assailants took down the truck and its guards with elemental attacks and guns about a mile from the facility, and disappeared again before reinforcements reached the truck. An alert to VIGIL had been sent but obviously in the process of being massacred VIGIL could not respond to the alert".

He sat back in his chair and leaned back:"Thoughts everyone? Not all at once. Richard, why don't you start?".
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:06, Tue 23 Aug 2016.

Ai focused on her work with Vadim, listening to the discussion as she worked. It could've been so much worse, but thankfully, she had no doubt that Vadim would be alright so long as he didn't strain himself too fully.

21:31, Today: Ai Fujiwara rolled 4 successes using 10d10 with the World of Darkness 3rd ed system with a target of 7.  Int+Medicine Check.

Richard leaned forward, setting aside the dossier on the Challengers.  The sunglasses were in a pocket; he was in think tank mode.  "This was clearly not an accidental contact," he said flatly.  "They are familiar with our protocols enough to know that an Enlightened investigation team would be sent after the official work was done.  I believe they gained this information by co-opting Union personnel -- witness the HITmark working with the RDs, their attempted kidnapping of Agent Tanner, and their successful abduction of Field Leader Wilson... and the likelihood that if they simply killed Agent Reyes, we would have seen a body by now.

"The best way to substantiate this hypothesis will be to analyze and interrogate the HITmark when the opportunity arises.  It is possible that the Challengers have filed off the serial numbers on his implants, so to speak -- I leave such questions to my esteemed colleagues with experience in cybernetics -- but where a mind has been reprogrammed, it is possible to deprogram it again."  He paused, shifting to face the intercom, a gesture for others even if Ai couldn't see it.  "Agent Fujiwara, are your forensic findings consistent in parallel with any other known groups of reality deviants operating in this area?"

Ai saw Vadim stir while people on the other end of the intercom heard a groan, a cough and wheeze followed by a hoarse, "Anyone get the license plate of that 1.21 gigawatts?"
This message was last edited by the player at 13:38, Fri 26 Aug 2016.

She smiled, relieved to see that he was ok. "Vadim is conscious." She explained to the group.

"How are you feeling?"

"Welcome back, mister Dragomirov. I hope you're feeling well enough to follow the conversation", Jordan responded.

He nodded to Richard:"We can safely assume your encounter with our targets was an ambush and that they were after our agents, not necesarilly to kill them. Which means we should consider the likelyhood Lauren and Sandra are hostages. We have cops watching the building and so far no one has come out. Of course we sent agent Reyes to the location because we're dealing with a teleporter slash dimensional traveler and we're not clear on whether the location is still under lockdown after we lost contact with agent Reyes".

He nodded to James:"James, Vlad, did the HITMark say anything that can help us?"

Bringing a hand up to his head to block out the bright light and help focus his mind Vadim pursed his lips slighty as he recounted in his mind the last few things he remembered from the encounter.

He shook his head slowly, a motion that only Ai could see, before answering.  His voice was still quiet and a bit hoarse but loud enough to understand, "No I don't think so.  Besides calling us fascist scumbags and sounding like he might be talking to someone in asking for a portal...or perhaps their name was Portal?"  Stopping from shaking his head cause it began to hurt as well he favored Ai with a small smile and mouthed Thank You to her for obviously making sure he didn't die.

"Nothing I heard," there was a faint twist to James' smile as he replied, by the time he had been able to catch up to the cyborg he was hearing very little. Vadim's statement of what he had caught earned a slight grunt followed by, "Any chance we can trace those communications? I'm okay with tapping ongoing ones but otherwise a bit out of my expertise. Might be able to check for records of the exchanges too if I can get access to the captive at some point."
This message was last edited by the player at 16:01, Fri 26 Aug 2016.

She gave a nod to Vadim, setting a hand carefully on his shoulder. "Take it slow at first." She reasoned then gently motioned towards the glass wall. "Al was worried about you too."

 She then carefully stepped away, moving to Jacki so as to check on her condition.
10:55, Today: Ai Fujiwara rolled 4 successes using 10d10 with the World of Darkness 3rd ed system with a target of 6.  Int+Medicine Check.

Vadim nodded and looked over to the glass wall where Al was.  He moved his hand from his head to point in his direction and give a thumbs up and a faint smile.  Glancing over at Ai as she checked on Jackie he added quietly, "I'm not going anywhere doc...I still feel the buzz of electricity all over my body..."

Al looked back at Vadim and blinked his eyelids before sinking to the floor where he continued looking at what was going on in the sick bay. Somehow the glowing ball seemed a little .. repetative. Al wondered how big the world was ..

Jacki was burned over 70% of her body and Ai carefully stripped her clothes off, avoiding tearing off skin along with it. As she removed Jacki's pants she also found am unlabeled bottle of pills in there. Jacki would need extended surgery, skingrafts and reconstructive surgery, even then she'd retain some pretty nasty scars. She was a fighter though. Ai was quite amazed at her resilience, most people would be dead. She had trouble breathing and Ai had to give her an oxygen mask to make her more comfortable. Keeping Jacki comfortably numb while tending the burns was the best Ai could do short term.
It made her even more determined to figure out how to create the Omega serum without it being linked to her unique genetic signature. Ai felt she was closing in on the difficulties replicating its healing effect on others but the Eureka moment remained out of her grasp.
With it she was sure she could get Jacki maybe, and Vadim certainly, back on their feet in no time.

Jordan got up from his chair and walked to the refrigerator hidden in a wall recess. Mister Light pulled a couple of cans from the fridge, soda drinks and orange juice and opened one for himself while roughly distributing the rest. He leaned on the table but remained standing. He checked his tablet for a moment and typed something briefly.

"What about the original attack on VIGIL Gamma? Anyone have a theory what happened that night?".
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:49, Fri 26 Aug 2016.

So close... Ai had no doubts that Omega would make future treatments so much easier, no doubt it would be the best use to get Jackie back to her normal self with minimal downtime, but it still needed work, needed testing... there were still things she didn't understand about it.

 She looked back to Vadim with a slight smile. "I bet. You were hit with quite a lot. Agent Ellings said that once you fell, Al charged the cyborg and brought it down with his claws. I'm glad that he was able to help you."

 At the comm, she spoke up. " Examinations of the VIGIL Gamma team have revealed attacks from a heat-based deviant as well as an enhanced deviant. Given the reports of the elemental-based deviant and now the cyborg brought in, I believe it is a strong possibility that the two deviants were linked to the previous attack."
This message was lightly edited by the player at 12:00, Sun 28 Aug 2016.

"Damage on the car looked like focused heat-based atacks. I'd have liked to have looked in more details but I suspect it's got a lot more damage now. Anyone acquire the briefcase I retrieved from the car?" Taking the offered can he took a deep drink from it, wincing slightly as he tilted his head back. Doctor's office for him after this meeting now that they had had chance to look at those seriously injured.

"Working theory I've got so far is that either Stryker went to a meeting with or was spotted by the reality deviant group we dealt with. If the meeting was with them then it went south, if they simply spotted him as a viable target they'd have had some way to identify him. He headed for a secure location but as it turned out one not sufficiently prepared for a full blown assault." Finishing the drink he added, "Plenty of holes in it I know. Seems to make a degree of sense though."

He continued to speak quietly to Ai so as to not bother the others since it was via intercom, "So I know you had me hooked up to all sorts of machines.  Was I dreaming while out? Had some strange images or passages and I don't know if it was just the last bits of consciousness before the thing struck me or if I was enjoying extra terror for the sake of terror at the behest of my subconscious telling me not to get shot like that again..."

Light nodded to James:"That's more or less my theory as well. First priority is getting our agents back. But I also want to know what happened to set the Challengers off. What was the meeting at Las Floras about? As hard as they may have hit us, and have been a menace to Technocratic targets in the past, they wholesale slaughtered team Gamma. I'm leaning toward thinking Gamma team died defending Stryker. I want to know where Stryker is now, if he is still alive. Finally I want to know who was looking in on the massacre from another timeframe as evidenced from agent Reyes' research".

Brought out of her thoughts, Ai turned to Vadim for a moment, hesitating. "I did measure brain activity, it's possible that you were dreaming. I've seen from some cases that when unconscious, or in a coma, patients often report having odd dreams during the time they are out. If you're worried about it, I'm certain I could arrange some sessions. I'm not a great psychiatrist, but I'd be glad to do what I can to help."

 Her eyes moved towards Al for a moment. Part of her seemed a little relieved that he wasn't hooked to the television, though that was also worrying.

Richard nodded as Light gave them their objectives.  Investigate the meeting at Las Floras.  Determine Stryker's status, dead or alive.  Identify onlookers on the fight.  Simple, right?

Right.

"With Agent Wilson MIA, that leaves a vacuum in field leadership," he said, folding his hands together.  "Do you have a designate?"

"Field leadership is a rough job, coordinating people who will die if you fail them. There is little margin for error and even less for selfdoubt. I need someone who can work a crowd, get the team to follow orders without questioning, and capable of make the tough calls", mister Light got up and grabbed his tablet off the oval table, sipped his last coke and made for the door.
"I don't need to remind everyone of the stakes involved. Today is only your first day. Without us this city falls prey to evil monsters and lunatics. Without us the world is doomed".

"I hope you're feeling ambitious today, mister Jackson. Get your people organized and move out in 15 minutes. Congratulation on making Team Leader. Don't let me down". He nodded to James and tapped his own ear:"Go see the doctor before you're going out again. I'm going to check with Erin on surveillance of the Reagan Library. We have very limited time for requisitions if we want to keep the momentum, but send me a PM if you need something", he held his tablet up and then walked away.

"Erin, I'm on my way .. ".

Nodding to the instructions for a doctor's visit as Light stepped out James let the door slide shut before looking to their newly appointed leader, "Any orders before I get to the doc? And would someone mind seeing if they can requisition me something a bit bigger than my normal pistols for this while I'm in there, if there's anything on a similar scale to last time to deal with I'll want something with a bit more stopping power."

Erin's elated voice sounded over the intercomm:"Good news team! Agent Reyes is alive. Patching her through now".

++Control, Reyes. The Jump was an ambush. I need extraction A.S.A.P.++.

Erin's voice came back:"Agent Reyes, I have an asset nearby. Stay at your current position for extraction".

(sandra you can now communicate with the other through this thread while we finish the other thread)

"Just make sure you're ready to handle another scrum," Richard answered James, half a smile on his face.  "Let me handle the requisitions.  Do you have any unusual particular training or certifications for Hypertech devices that you'd like me to look into getting for you?"

"If I can point it and pull the trigger I'm comfortable with it, otherwise I'd prefer not to use it in the field without some practice first." Returning the grin James straightened from the seat and headed for medical, raising a hand as he left before pointing to his earpiece to remind people he was only a quick communication away if things went suddenly pear-shaped.

James made his way to the medical facility. The doors slid open to reveal a pristine bright white laboratory. Near the entrance was a glass cage where Alpha observed the hospital, glancing sideways to look at James as he entered. The creature clearly recognized him, letting out a soft mew that barely penetrated the glass barrier.

James found Ai in the recovery area where she was watching over Vadim while dressing Jacki's burns.
This message was last edited by the GM at 08:53, Thu 08 Sept 2016.

Marcus remained silent throughout the debriefing, merely nodding in deference, when the team's supervisor mentioned his name and organization of origin, as well as the fact of his secondment to their team.

This was partly in order not to breach any persistent team protocol and partly because he was brought in at the last minute and figured out that each piece of pertinent information he could gain from the meeting would be useful in forming an understanding of the ongoing crisis.

After Mr. Light, the amalgam's supervisor left the room, Marcus - after setting his tie straight, with an almost reflexive reaction - looked around, meeting the gaze of all present, approached Mr. Jackson, the newly designated Team Leader and offered his hand in a greeting gesture, a slight smile upon his lips, his voice tone calm and polite, though not without a slight hint of excitement at his new assignment.

"My name is Marcus Drake. Information specialist and Hub operative, recently reassigned by supervisor Light. Nice to meet you and your team Mr. Jackson. You all do seem to have had quite an interesting assignment, of a somewhat different nature than the ones we're used to in the Hub. I'm at your disposal to assist in any way you see fit, sir. As for the issue of Requisitions, that you mentioned, I happen to have an understanding and a decent working relationship with the Q department, and I'd be more than happy to put it to good use for the team's benefit".

Richard shifted to face their loaned member, offering a small smile and taking the proffered hand in a firm handshake.  "Good to meet you, Mr. Drake," he said cordially.  "I'd be appreciative if you'd assist me with just that.  Agent Arc seems like he's going to have his hands full running his particular details; we could use another specialist in your field to tide us through.  Were you briefed on the composition of our current amalgam when they signed you over to us?"

After taking the steps to remain inconspicuous to the first responders on the scene, Sandra tapped her earpiece. ++Reyes to Jackson++ she said, still unable to keep her voice from shaking. She wondered why.

++As I told Erin, the library was an ambush. I can fill you guys in. There's...++ Sandra's radio clicked off for a brief moment. ++Lauren is inside. They have her. Unconscious, but alive... I think.++

Eyeing the cage as the most notable thing to catch his eye when he stepped into the room James resisted making a comment about Progenitor facilities and instead raised a hand in brief greeting to the familiar shape of Alpha inside. Heading past the cage to hunt down the team's own doctor he found the cluster and settled himself by Vadim whilst Ai finished with Jackie's injuries, wincing at the sight of them.

"Fire and electricity. Nice of it to make sure it stuck to methods to burn us I guess."

Vadim turned and looked at Jackie's injuries and shook his head, "I'll take electricity any day...good to see you were able to finish it off."

Ai turned her head as she heard James speak up. She had been lost in her own thoughts of how to possibly help Jackie recover faster, but she still had nothing concrete. "Her wounds are very extensive, but she's a fighter. For now, she's stabilized." She mused before she looked to James.

"So, what exactly is the problem?"

"Give me a choice I'd prefer neither. Ah well, not like we get to pick though."

Ai's question made him pause to briefly review before answering, "Bashed myself up in a fall on our building escape, got zapped quite a bit less badly than Vadim and possibly some hearing issues or ear damage from an explosion whilst using a listening device. So the usual day on the job mostly and probably the reason why one of the perks is a great health plan."

"I'll gladly assist. As for the other issue you mentioned, truth is it all happened so fast that I was not briefed on the composition of your team, sir", responded Marcus quite frankly.

"Maybe the quick development of the situation at hand coupled with the urgent request for my transfer did not allow the timeframe required to be provide with a full briefing".

"It's been a very... eventful few hours, to say the least," Richard admitted, a smirk briefly on his face.  "Let's meet with your connections -- I'll brief you on the way."

A nod, and he begins leading them off to wherever here they can speak with someone in requisitions.

 Ai gave a nod and moved towards James, gesturing for him to sit and relax as she carefully examined him. "The bashing shouldn't be too difficult - nothing a day of taking it easy wouldn't cure. The hearing loss might be a bit more tricky though. I'll see what I can do.."

00:35, Today: Ai Fujiwara rolled 6 successes using 10d10 with the World of Darkness 3rd ed system with a target of 6.  Int+Medicine Check - Diagnosis.

Ai examined James thoroughly. She was meticulous, checking James for anything from blunt trauma and damaged ear drums to spinal injury.

Richard meanwhile began to take notes from team members about possible requisitions as he ambled toward the office of mister Gunn to put in any official requests made by the team. So far no one had met him and mister Gunn hadn't bothered to introduce himself. Mister Gunn's office was in the back of the HQ and had smart glass windows that were perpetually turned opaque.

Richard slowed his/their pace as the two of them turned the corner that would lead them to Mr. Gunn's office, one hand going to his earpiece.  A bit of tension bleeds visibly from his expression as Agent Reyes relays some information.  "+Good news, at least,+" he answered Sandra.  "+You've got some breathing room, it sounds like.  Are responders liable to be able to rescue her from the opposition's clutches?+"

"A day of taking it easy, as though that's on the cards any time soon." Putting up with the examination with the patience of practice James divested himself of the bulk of his gear to ease matters, piling up a small stack of pistols, ID and tech to one side.

"Looks like a sprain. I can give you a painkiller for it. If you keep off it for an hour, you should be fine. By then, your hearing issue should be back to relatively normal as well." She offered before moving to a cabinet to pull out a small bottle of pain pills. "It could've been a lot worse."

"Yeah, considering everything I got off lightly." Sending a brief glance Jackie's way James' smile faded for a moment before flicking back on as he turned away, Sure my hearing is okay? I just heard you saying lots of rest somewhere sunny for about a week right?" Grinning at the doctor James took the offered pill, popping it back in between gathering his effects again, "Mind if I grab a flat surface here? Anyone comes looking they knew I was heading here."

Vadim chuckled lightly and grinned as more still hurt, "Hey she says I'm good to go in fifteen hours. So if you get a sunny spot for a week on a hour recoup then I must be having a six month sabbatical..."

Though she tried to smile, there was a clear hesitation to her expression. The face of someone trying to enjoy a joke they didn't really get, it seemed. Her eyes moved towards the cage, seeing Alpha inside. At least he hadn't been too heavily injured.

"I'm really glad that Al was able to help you both out there. I hope he wasn't too much of a hindrance, Control hasn't yet approved my requests to allow him field training." She explained.

"Hinderance?" replied Vadim.

"I may not be fully briefed on how he does what he does from a classic scientific principle but I've worked with so many different hypertech items that I'm sure it's more just a matter of time before his talents are understood rather than if."

He slowly rubbed the bridge of his nose, "Without knowing what your...father...designed him with if I had to guess based on what he was doing he was manipulating a specific magnetic field to interact with the impurities of the earlier Primium skeleton versions that the HITmark was designed with.  Allowing him to augment and exert force almost like a magnet of varying polarities could cause a properly ferrous material to attract to it, or if temporarily given a polarity, repel it."

He waved his hand in a circle a few times, "There are many other ways that I could think of as well but that was the first that came to mind..."

After another small, but noticeable pause Sandra's voice returned in a meek, almost afraid tone that suggested that was where the good news ended.

++No... Not the ones that were inside at least. The deviants had taken them all down before I Jumped to the Library. I think they're alive too, but in a similar state as Lauren... One of the deviants claimed he had Mind affecting powers and that they were going to 'deprogram' them. Did they have backup anywhere nearby?++ answered Sandra, leaving the obvious implication that they were in danger unsaid.

Mister Light interjected: ++We have loyalist observers keeping an eye on the library since we lost contact with agent Reyes. So far no one has come out. But since we are dealing with a teleporter we can't be sure they're still inside. And since they have a habit of setting up ambushes our observers are waiting for our team before they enter the library.++

Matthew drove the car into the garage as instructed. A private garage owned by the Web of Truth it had an elevator up to the 13th floor, the secret floor to members of VIGIL amalgam. Butch followed him, a large rottweiler. Behind him Sandra followed, finally back at homebase after a long detour.
They didn't talk as the elevator went up and delivered them to the 13th floor.
Erin was waiting for them, an attractive woman, mid 30's, halflong auburn hair in a bun and hazel eyes. She wore fashionable glasses with a thin frame and looks very business-like: "Welcome back agent Reyes, I'm glad you are safe. Follow me please", she smiled:" Mister White, pleased to meet you. Would you mind walking agent Reyes to the White Room with me?". She started walking before getting an answer, clearly expecting them to follow.

"Something like that." Ai said softly. "Psionics is still a very young field. Truthfully, I don't have the clearance level to know precisely what he was designed with. So far as I know, Control is keeping that information very closely, and as a result are watching us very closely in case anything unexpected happens. Typical Jurrasic Park Syndrome." She reasoned with a bit of a shrug.

"Ohhh...psionics.  My earlier assessment would be based on nanites present throughout his body...either in the blood stream or seeded through cell reproduction permeating every portion of his being.  Psionics though..." murmured Vadim  in thought.

"Still knowing that I certainly hope that he can continue to come out with us.  We may not have clearance for the truth to be handed to us but we do have a duty to observe, understand and learn the truth.  Passively being present while cutting edge techniques are used by Al helps all of us increase our Primal Utility to the whole."

He smiled at Ai and then Al, "He helps all of us be better."

As they step out of the elevator Matthew is the last to exit with Butch as if he was still watching Erins back. Though the way he takes in the area as he steps out of the elevator is that of a seasoned combatant taking in the battlefield that takes measure of ant threats.

"Well safely home miss."

He nods when the young woman addresses him and asks him to escort Erin a little further.

"Sure I always take the girl home after a date."

He utters a dry chuckle as he follows.

Richard lingered, drew a breath, let it go.  Lauren's recovery was not their problem, not yet.  Leave it for other teams, let Control keep tabs on that.

"+Well enough that you're still with us," he subvocalized.  "+We'll see you soon.  Are you still with this team or have you been reassigned?+

A pause, then to Marcus: "Quick chat with the Vee Eee dimensional specialist," he added for his benefit.  "She's been in direct contact with the ones we're having our issues with.  Could stand to debrief her later, see what she remembers.  Until that point -- I've not yet had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Gunn.  Is there anything you would recommend?"

++I don't know. I called for an extraction. I imagine Control will want to debrief me...++ Sandra answered. Quickly with her voice a little more insistent she turned the conversation. ++They called themselves the Challengers of the Unknown. The case file on them said they imagine themselves to be super heroes and they're likely Marauders. I don't think that last part is right. In the brief period of time I talked to them I realized there's more to them than that... Maybe even something worth salvaging++

****

Later, at the Web of Truth's garage, Sandra carefully exited the van. She was not looking forward to explaining the mess at the library.

Erin's friendly manner did reassure her a little. She tried to return her smile. "Thank you. I guess there's a lot of questions that need answering?"

Sandra squared her jaw, swelled her chest, and with much more courage than she had felt recently, enough to surprise herself, she fell in step with Erin.

The feeling didn't last very long. Sandra suddenly felt her face go red. What did he mean by 'date'?
This message was last edited by the player at 06:27, Thu 15 Sept 2016.

"Richard", Erin, Matthew and Sandra passed Richard and whoever was following him in the hallway:"Once you've talked with mister Gunn meet me and Jordan in the White Room for Sandra's debriefing. Should prove intersting. We need to keep the momentum going but she has vital information regarding our opponents. Keep your visit to mister Gunn short, you'll find he is quite the talker", she smiled.

"That's good to know. Should be interesting to hear her account on the situation.

As for Mr. Gunn, I wouldn't say I know him intimately well.

He paused for a second, then continued,  "More of a working acquaintance, but I want to believe that we do have an understanding on the particulars of equipment requisition.

Something along the lines of making a good case on my needs for decent and tested gear and him providing it, as long as I make sure he gets it back in one piece.

I do think though he appreciates good manners and a polite request as well as coming to see him when you have the occassional time off. I guess that too much time in a lab makes one more interested on the recent exploits of a field-team of operatives.

At first, Ai was quiet, but her calm, stoic look slowly seemed to falter. Her lips pulled into a smile, and it seemed that she blinked a few times before forcing her eyes open for a few moments before she swallowed. She hesitated before she gave a nod to Vadim. "Yes.. he does." She managed to choke out.

 She turned away, a hand moving towards her face for a moment. "Please, just take it easy, both of you. We need to be at our best, people are counting on us."

Richard tipped an imaginary hat to the three of them as they passed -- pausing long enough to make eye contact with Sandra, smiling briefly -- before they ended at the office door.  It seemed polite to knock before pushing it open, and so he did, stepping in.

Once there, he'd look for directions -- or someone who could direct him -- to where he needed to be.

There was no need for directions. When Richard opened the door he entered a small office, about 3 by 5 meters. The backwall was entirely covered with one big filing cabinet. In front of it stood a pristine glass desk with a flatscreen computer and several stacks of papers. behind the desk sat mister Gunn, He was probably in his late 50's, balding hair, grey suit. Even though the suit would have suited a gradeschool teacher, including the darkbrown elbow patches but the materials the suit was made from betrayed it being far more expensive than it appeared at first glance. As did the gold watch mister Gunn was wearing on his left wrist, and while the glasses were horn rimmed glasses that appeared to have been left over from the 50's the brand name again labeled it as far more expensive than it appeared at first glance. Mister Gunn didn't look up when Richard walked in, instead extinguishing a sigarette in an ashtray that was overflowing with buds.

"Take a seat agent Jackson, I'm finishing this up .. ", he said as he read through a few pages and eventually signed. Then he looked up and noticed Marcus behind Richard and smiled nodding:"What can I do for you, gentlemen?".

When Richard's eyes caught Sandra, she felt a flood of relief. It appeared that she was not going to face this debriefing alone, though there were still plenty of new, expectant faces that turned her way. To her they seemed to be weighing and judging her as well.

When Richard entered the room, she was not sure if she should follow. Her mind raced. Erin had given her no further instructions. She assumed that she was to wait here until called upon. To do otherwise might irritate the debriefers. But like a woman who had fallen overboard, she watched as a life preserver was quickly floating away.

She swallowed and burried the part of herself that was the frightened little mouse. Just as the door was about to close completely, she caught the end, opened it, and stepped inside.

"You're not getting rid of me that easily Ai," he chuckled quietly, "Mainly cause I don't think I can even sit up straight yet...let alone walk out of here."

Marcus stepped forward and offered his hand to Mr. Gunn, a broad smile upon his lips.

"Greetings sir. It is good to see you again. Agent Smith sends his regards, alongside his gratitude for the quality of the equipment you allocated for his latest assignment, as well the notification that it'll be returned with the usual method, accompanied of course by a video recording of its performance in the field, as per your request, plus a detailed report for your eyes only, as is the understanding.

Now, as to the reason of our visit today, agent Jackson here, as the team leader of an amalgam I've been urgently seconded to, is in need of your unparalleled expertise and invaluable assistance, in terms of proper equipment, to handle an ongoing critical assignment, and I offered to accompany him here and make the introductions. I would be much obliged if you could help him with his requisitions and my appreciation will be expressed in the future as well".

"Thank you for the introduction, Mr. Drake," Richard said with a nod, rising from the seat he'd taken when offered it to offer his hand to Mr. Gunn after Marcus finished speaking.  He became somber swiftly.  "My team -- our team," he corrects himself, noticing Sandra's presence -- "was on what was supposed to be a forensics post-facto.  You may not have heard the details what happened to Delta team?  And it seems that the people responsible for their deaths were looking to double their gains..."

He proceeds to relay an edited-for-time-and-indignity version of their escapades out in the field, emphasizing the action, the danger, the fear that they might not make it all out -- and that some of them didn't -- but that not all hope is lost... "...and in sum, we're likely going to be actively pursued by the Challengers, who count RDs, EDEs, and likely-brainwashed Order personnel among their number," Richard concludes grimly.  "What I'm interested in is low-key firepower that can stymie hardened targets, anything that will help us notice or identify RD activity, and anything that might offer protection against excessive injuries.  Our primary catch is that only one of my team has significant weapons-handling enforcer-related experience; to the best of my understanding, everyone else has enough skill to put several holes in a target down on the firing range, but not much more beyond.  Is there anything you might be able to offer us within those restrictions?"

Buttering Mr. Gunn up with a story, with any luck -- Manipulation + Expression, with the Eloquent specialty.

17:49, Today: Richard Jackson rolled 4 successes using 8d10 with the World of Darkness 3rd ed, Specialised system with a target of 6, rerolling 10s ((3,6,8,4,8,5,4,9)).  manip+expression to make severity of case.

"Marcus ..", mister Gunn smirked:"If you had your head up my ass any further you could see what I had for breakfast this morning bhahahaha!", he chortled, and then his laughing fit turned into a coughing fit:" .. unparalleled expertise and invaluable assistance, nice one".
He coughed a few more times then shook Richard's hand:"You New World Order types are as slick as greased up priests", he joked.
While he didn't appear to be a bad sort his course personality was probably one of the reasons why he was in Requisitions rather than one of the more glamourous positions within the Syndicate.
He took out a cigarette and offered the package to his visitors.
"To the business at hand", he sat back again.

(i'd like a new tally of the pooled backgrounds of our current team configuration. Everyone please post which backgrounds you've pooled in the OOC thread. After that we'll roll what you get from mister Gunn)

"Now to catch a few winks..." with which he winked at Ai and then closed his eyes to take a nice long nap.  Normally he wouldn't want to stay on these beds but he could barely move so it was better to simply clock out there than try to head elsewhere.



---
ooc: unless dragged off onto action Vadim will sleep off at least the bashing if not the lethal as well.

Sandra stood stiffly with a confused expression on her face. It changed from realization to barely suppressed embarrassment as she realized that this was not really a debriefing.

"Ahh.. If there are any devices that offer mental shielding, one of the deviants I ran in to showed exceptional mind affecting powers..." she said, thinking quickly to offer up a reason for her intrusion.

22:25, Today: Sandra Reyes rolled 1 success using 3d10 with the World of Darkness 3rd ed system with a target of 6 with rolls of 5,7,2.  Manipulation + Expression.

I went with manipulation since she's trying to smooth over her entrance.

"Has he been inside your mind, agent Reyes?", mister Gunn asked her, his voice sounded cautious. Erin stiffened:"Was he?".

Sandra's face paled on the realization that careless words like that heard by the wrong set of ears within the Union would doom her. Fear and anger tightened her throat and stomach. Life was so much simpler in a lab. There were no insane idealouges to be found in formulas. No omnipresent overseers in data. No lava monsters jumping out of samples.

There was no getting out of this one. She could either tell an obviously lie or admit the hard truth and hope Gunn wasn't a hardliner.

"Ah. Yes..." She said weakly. Quickly, she added "At least enough to get my name out of me while dominating the minds of two cops on scene. He controlled them like puppets."

Sandra cast an apologetic look at Richard for not telling him or the team before now. "Uh.. It's a long story. Circumstances were that he couldn't do that to me at that moment."

Erin exchanged a glance with mister Gunn and she stepped into Gunn's office, lightly tapping Richard's shoulder:"Richard .. escort agent Reyes to the White Room, Marcus can take over for you here". Erin kept an eye on Sandra all this time:"We need to ascertain you aren't still being mentally coerced or used as a conduit of some sort. Your debriefing can't wait".

Mister Gunn didn't miss a beat. He nodded goodbye to Richard and started addressing Marcus instead:"See, this is the problem. With the cost of the new HQ running in the millions, the cover up procedures we had to pull out of our ass, the payoffs, the equipment each of your workstations have we have far exceeded our allocated budget. . We've had to replace an entire amalgam. We'll also need to account for one total loss van your team lost in the demolishion of the lawfirm that was our former front", mister Gunn explained:"I simply can't justify the costs at the moment", he said. "And .. ", his tone got a little conspiratorial:' .. while one is not wont to shit where one eats to coin a phrase one can imagine the demise of VIGIL Gamma is a costly embarrasment the upper echelons would rather be done with. It may take some time to develop a little goodwill with the topbrass to  .. convince them to grease the squeeky wheel".

He leaned back and finished his cigarette and went for a new one. "What I can do for you right now is to put in an extension on the items you were already assigned by supervisor Light. The weapons, the special ammo, the suits. As well as put in your temporary custody the items mister Ellings found in supervisor Stryker's car. They're currently floating in bueaucratic limbo until such time my report on them reaches the Symposium. We were able to quickly identify a couple of items as they are fairly standard Union staple".

He placed on his desk the skinmask:"Plastiskin capable of closely mimicking a given person. We have identified the face it mimicks as James Taylor Farnsworth, a pharmacist who lives in Anaheim".

He placed the burner phone on the desk:"Call 112 and the phone blankets a cityblock in a mini EMP, shortcircuiting anything electronic. One time use. Centered on its user so if you got a cybernetic heart it may be more trouble than its worth".

"Standard NWO shades, capable of detecting Primal Utility, one pair", he placed a pair of sunglasses on the table.

"ReGen411, increases the healing process, stitches up internal bleeding". He placed a vial of pills on the table.

" .. And one bag of gummie bears".

"Beyond that I'm afraid you are left to your own devices for the time being, mister Drake".
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:12, Mon 26 Sept 2016.

Matthew had stepped into the room and though quite bulky also left again nearly unnoticed when Sandra was send out again like a silent bodyguard. When the mind control thing comes up he mutters something under his breath about cluster fucks and taps his sunglasses as he falls in behind to proceed escorting.

After a few more steps he speaks in a soft tone.

"She is clean. No traces of active mind taps in place or any other advanced tech for that matter."
This message was last edited by the player at 08:56, Tue 27 Sept 2016.

Richard grew very grave when Sandra spoke of what she'd endured -- this was dire seriousness, and Erin suggested they move forward, he simply placed a hand on Sandra's shoulder and nudge-guided them out.

The hand fell to his side as they continued down the way.  "Keep heart, Agent Reyes," he said, a hopeful smile briefly on his face.  "We may find nothing at all.  Even if we do, though, the data we find could be tremendously helpful."

Sandra was let into the white Room. It was a circular concrete room, painted stark white with a metal chair in the middle. It had clamps for arms and legs to restrain the interviewed and what appeared to be a VR helmet hung over it with cables running up to the ceiling, then down the wall and connected to a series of terminals and a single computer screen and keyboard.
A bright white light shone down from the ceiling. The only other light came from a spotlight attached to a camera directed at the chair.

"Please be seated, agent Reyes", Erin said. she let Richard in and nodded to Matthew:"We'll take it from here, thank you. Feel free to make yourself familiar with the facility", she smiled.

The heavy metal door closed, leaving Reyes alone with Richard and Erin in the White Room.
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:28, Tue 27 Sept 2016.

Sandra tried to keep her face neutral during Erin's reply. With no real choice in the matter that she could see, she let herself be escorted out the door.

Matthew's announcement that he detected no traces of Mind manipulation on her gave her a sudden sense of relief that she did not realize she needed. In fact, looking back on the events that led her to this situation, she felt a strange sense of pride well up within her. At least my conscience is clear. I did all I could.

Sandra smiled and nodded to Richard in response to his friendly gesture. At least if he was coming along there would be someone else in the room that experienced the debacle first hand.

When she entered the room, her eyes were immediately drawn to the interrogation chair, especially the restraints and gadgets no doubt meant to extract information. "I hope that won't be necessary. I'll tell you everything freely..." she said to Erin. She hesitated on taking a seat as instructed, but ultimately complied. Though she kept her hands folded in her lap and her ankles crossed - and consequently her limbs away from the restraints.

"While you're going to tell us exactly what has happened we're going to run a couple of tests to check whether there are any lingering traces of mental coersion. Personally I would prefer that you are restrained if we do accidentally trigger a posthypnotic suggestion left behind buried deep in your subconcious. Rather than forcing Richard to .. neutralize you if it triggers a violent reaction", Erin smiled somewhat impatiently.
"You are among friends" she reassured Sandra.
This message was last edited by the GM at 10:18, Wed 28 Sept 2016.

Matthew looks at the door thats closed before him and then looks around and decides a little wandering is not that bad as he does he finally ends up in the medical facility where there are people not occupied with interrogating their own people like they are the enemy. He looks around the room and addresses no one in particular.

"I been told to familiarize myself with the facility. I am a little unsure about the intent though. I understood you needed a pick up. I delivered your agent so why should i remain? Is a more extended cooperation intended?"
This message was last edited by the player at 21:58, Fri 30 Sept 2016.

Marcus nodded, hiding his slight disappointment beneath the well-trained visage of formality and professionalism.

"I understand Mister Gunn. There is no need to attract unwanted attention through requests that do not have a chance of being accepted by the higher echelons. Not while situations are in the current troubled state, as per your accurate description.

Nevertheless, thank you for pushing the limits of red tape and providing us with the aforementioned gear. It will hopefully be put to good use and contribute to the turning of the tables, regarding what transpired during the last few days.

Thank you again. Looking forward to our next meeting".

Sandra glanced at Richard when Erin suggested that he might be forced to 'neutralize' her. She frowned, then took a deep breath. "Very well."

She closed her eyes, placed her wrists and ankles in the restraints, and tried to focus on her breathing. After a few moments of relaxing, she began.

"It started when I was Jumped to the Reagan Presidential Library to assist the police on scene and to make sure the targets did not escape through the Umbra. I landed very unceremoniously - I can go into more details if you want, but I'd rather not...

By the time I recovered, the Deviants were already upon me. I didn't immediately realize it at that moment, but they fit the description of the Challengers of the Unknown. One of them, who looked like a twelve year old boy at the time, greeted me by name." Sandra paused a moment and opened her eyes. A distant part of her was aware that her whole body felt cold and numb as she recalled the frightening events.

"Well, confused, I asked who he was, how he knew my name, and what had happened to the cops. He flippantly said that the cops were 'playing in the ballpit', whatever that meant, and that they would return to their old selves after having been" she continued in her best efforts to mimic the boy's menacing tone "'deprogrammed and with no memory of your Union.'

He then threatened me and demanded that I drop the barrier I had constructed."

"And did you do as he demanded?", Erin asked. Erin glanced at Richard, inviting him to participate in questioning Sandra.

"Yes and no," replied Sandra. She paused to gather her thoughts and consider how to best answer that question. "Please, you have to understand what happened. Why I had to do what I did. It was the only way to escape and still be of use to the team..!"

Realizing she was getting ahead of herself, Sandra closed her eyes and took another breath. She returned to where she was in her story. "You see, there were five oddly dressed individuals where there should have been police officers locking down the building. I assumed that they were Deviants of some kind, probably Tradition 'mages'. I couldn't take anything for granted, especially not this twelve year old boy that somehow knew my name and implied that he had control over the cops.

Five against one. The best I could do was stall for time. I tried appealing to reason. I told them that even if I were to bring the barrier down, by the time I did backup would arrive. That they should just run. He didn't like that idea."

"We believe you," Richard said soothingly, circling to where Sandra could clearly see him.  "We're not calling your judgement into question.  Our concern is that we're dealing with a powerful coven of reality deviants, with yet-unknown proficiencies; the restraints are simply there to ensure that you aren't being unknowingly utilized by people who want to hurt you, or others."

He popped a squat, going to eye level, nodding solemnly.  "That said -- can you describe the other four likely reality deviants that were there?  Any details you can recall -- age, sex, clothing, identifying marks..."

 Ai worked diligently, but glanced towards Jackie's form. There was hesitation for a moment before she stood, holding a syringe, whispering softly. "Maybe.... maybe..."

She injected the liquid into her, waiting for a moment before she seemed to focus on the other, staring intently.

11:48, Today: Ai Fujiwara rolled 2 successes using 3d10 with the World of Darkness 3rd ed system with a target of 5.  We Are One - willpower spent for success, quint spent to lower difficulty by 1.

"One was a blonde woman with glowing red eyes. She wore a blue and white lycra suit with yellow stars on the shoulders. Another woman, dark haired, wore a tight black leather outfit and a red cape. There was a man in a dark blue cloak. I never got a good look at his features. Picture a super hero group and you're not far off...

The kid eventually shape-changed into a bald headed man in his forties wearing a black suit. The best way I can describe it is that I watched the kid grow up in the span of seconds.

All of them were Caucasian. But finally there was... a human brain floating in fluid in a jar which was carried by the dark haired woman. When the bald man spoke, the others responded not to him, but to the brain in the jar." Sandra said, finishing her description. She wanted to rub her temples as she recalled the next events, but instead scowled at the restraints around her wrists.

"Whether it was the man or the brain, I believed him once two cops entered the room, obviously under directed mental control. He threatened to have one of them chew the other's face off. Again, reasoning failed. He cared nothing for the officer's lives. He justified the groups' actions by saying that the Union had 'broken' each of them, that it was 'Dr. Mengele' that freed them, and that they were going to remove Lauren's, my own, and the whole team's 'brainwashing'."
This message was last edited by the player at 18:30, Thu 29 Sept 2016.

Mister Gunn shook Marcus' hand vigorously, like a car salesman who just sold a Mercedes:"Always a please, agent Drake. Give my regards to agent Smith if you chance to speak to him again, tell him I hope we get to play chess again some day".

He let everyone out of his office and resumed the crunching of numbers with his mighty calculator.

Ai had worked on a biological serum combining her own harvested endometrial cells with progesterone to stimulate the regenerative qualities of Alpha's harvested stemcells. The process was a lot more complicated than this oversimplified explanation but for the time being Ai was partly running on her sudden of leap of genius and a theory hastely put together. If this worked she'd work out the kinks and do all the hard work filling in the blanks, write research papers for peer review, repeating the process enough times, to satisfy the sound scientific parameters the Technocracy demanded to avoid persecution for reality deviance.

At first nothing happened. Ai's confidence wavered for a moment but then her will excerted itself. This had to work! And then it did. She felt the serum inside Jacki's bloodstream, as if it was part of herself, felt the serum coursing through Jacki's veins. And then her mind directed the serum with a mental nudge, pushing it to target damaged cells. The serum flooded Jacki's burned skin, regenerating damaged cells, breaking down scar tissue, stimulating the growth of a new epidermal layer. It would take more of the serum to heal her completely but this was a very promising start.

Jacki was healing from third degree burns in minutes.

Erin looked at Sandra:"He said doctor Mengele .. freed them .. ?". She glanced at Richard.

Matthew looks at the door thats closed before him and then looks around and decides a little wandering is not that bad as he does he finally ends up in the medical facility where there are people not occupied with interrogating their own people like they are the enemy. He looks around the room and addresses no one in particular.

"I been told to familiarize myself with the facility. I am a little unsure about the intent though. I understood you needed a pick up. I delivered your agent so why should i remain? Is a more extended cooperation intended?"
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:10, Fri 30 Sept 2016.

The scene in the Medical Bay was certainly an odd one. Part of the room had been section off into a cage, from which the large bipedal creature known as Alpha, or "Al" resided.

 The moment the new individual stepped in, the creature's gaze focused upon the intruder, an intelligence behind its eyes that seemed to suggest it was sizing him up.

 Near one medical table was the petite medic girl with a patient, who seemed to be rapidly healing from burns, the girl didn't seem to be aware of Matthew at first, watching the progress.

"I DID IT! IT WORKED! IT WORKED!" She cheered, jumping with the unbridled enthusiasm that only a young teen could possess. "AL! IT WORKED! I FIGURED IT OUT! I-!"

 She stopped, as if suddenly realizing she actually wasn't alone in the room (and that Vadim was sleeping, or trying to, poor guy.) With a bit of a nervous laugh, she stood and gave a sort of fearful wave towards the much more imposing incomer.

"H-hi! Sorry for um.. that.. just.. very excited about.. things. I'm Dr. Fujiwara, and this is where I um.. work and sleep. I don't really know about your situation, but, um, welcome!"

Richard shared that look with Erin -- curious, the name familiar to him as a student of history, but -- he turned his attention back to Sandra.  "Two quick questions.  Do you remember about their body language?" he said, hands folded together in front of him as he remained in that crouched position.  "Superheroes tend to strike big poses in the movies and comic books.  In person, though, it takes ego, or a good acting coach, to be able to do that and get away with it.

"Second," he continued as she finished with the first, "about the brain in the jar.  Did you see any equipment attached to the jar?  Machines, blinking lights... I'd even call weird rune shapes scribbed on the glass 'equipment', given the subject matter."

He waited for both questions, taking mental notes, then prompted her: "Now.  This is the point where the two officers stepped in, and he threatened their lives.  What happened next?"

No-one who had ever watched a Frankenstein movie would be especially thrilled about being in a Progenitor lab when they suddenly started cheering about results in their work. Opening an eye to make sure nothing was lurching free of restraints before rampaging down to the village James looked between Ai and the new entry to the medical bay before shifting in his own seat to find a slightly better position as his knees complained once more.

"Good news then doc?" Nodding to Matthew as he entered James straightened slightly and shrugged at the question, "Hey I'm not HR. If they suggested you do a walk and meet and greet then maybe they want you here long term. Might just be a way of keeping you out of their hair but around in case they need help on another job sometime soon."

Matthew looks at the childish outburst and cant help but shake his head. If this was the level of professionalism these people had it was no wonder they got their ass handed to them. And with neither of them able to shed any light on his situation he shrugs it off.

"Right guess i'll just have to wait for your top tier to finish of torturing your own people then. You guys look like you have taken a heavy hit. Made the wrong kind of enemy?"

"Comes with the job. Hang on, mind repeating that torture thing?" Eyeing the guy with interest given the casual note as he threw that into the conversation James wondered briefly if this was some sort of surprise test. Anyone throwing around that sort of claim either had to be certain of what they were saying or indifferent to the fallout that would come from trying to spread that sort of rumour. Or checking agent reactions to it.

She gave a smile and nodded to James. "Yes, I, um.. I've been working for months, ever since I was told I was going to be placed in the damage control division, trying to figure out the best way to tend to other operatives in the field, and.. I made a breakthrough. It may take a few more treatments, but.. a lot of the worst of Jackie's injuries seem to be healing already." She stated rather proudly.

 Of curse, with that settled, she looked toward the large imposing, older newcomer, and seemed a bit hesitant. She could tell from his tone, and his stance that he had likely already made his decision about her, and it likely wasn't a good one. Still, she tried to smile.

"Actually, we got the rogue HITmark unit. James, Vadim and Al handled it. Oh, um.. I'm sure Control is keeping it somewhere."

Matthew made a casual thumb gesture at the interrogation room Sandra was spirited away in.

"Thats not a setup for casual talking you got there. And I am not sure i would consider people questioning me in a chair with restraints friendly. We save that for the enemy as its bad for morale."

AS Mr. White continued speaking about torture, Ai seemed visibly bothered, maybe a little tense. "I-it's not.. they wouldn't torture an agent.. I.. I'm sure it's just a misunderstanding. Mr. Light.. he wouldn't allow them to just torture somebody." She said softly, clearly rather nervous about it all.

"There have to be other circumstances... Control wouldn't.."

"Yes. The only Dr. Mengele I've ever heard of was the infamous nazi doctor. He didn't elaborate..." Sandra responded to Erin. "It seemed impossible to me when he said it."

"The bald man rarely moved. He was stiff backed and square shouldered, like he was consciously trying to hide any emotions, but his tone ranged from neutral to menacing. The woman in the black leather and red cape was laid back and slouched. The other woman in the blue and white lycra outfit was as you said - dramatic posing, as if she practiced in a mirror. The man in the dark blue cloak... it was hard to read him.

"The jar with the brain had some kind of apparatus connected to the top and bottom and there were air bubbles inside the jar. I'm guessing it had to do with keeping it preserved at the very least.

"As for the cops. Well..." Sandra paused, and cast wary eyes at Erin and Richard. Her shoulders hunched a little and she averted her gaze. "Seeing them controlled by the deviants convinced me there was no option but to comply. They could over power me in any number of ways if I tried to resist...

"I started weakening the Gauntlet using my devices. Since it was so thick, I had time to think of an another option. After bombarding it with high charged particles, I built an unstable Einstein-Rosen bridge and concealed it with an eleven dimensional 'membrane'. I managed to slip through the breach back to where I Jumped at the law firm."

After a moment of tense silence, Sandra asked in a shaky voice "C-can you please take these off now?" she asked, indicating the restraints with her eyes.

Eyeing the increasingly nervous Ai as the newcomer continued talking James rolled upright and fished his communicator out as he strolled over to the doctor's side,. Glancing down at the newly healed Jackie he was briefly impressed by the recovery from the latest treatment. Seemed the Progenitor was onto something with her work, "Not bad doc. I think I'll still try to avoid injuries rather than trust you'll be able to patch me up but that's a hell of a job."

Turning back to Matthew as he brought up restraints James paused in the middle of reaching to send an enquiry about his story. The information had changed from torture to restraints, a hell of a difference. Sounded like this was just an attempt to stir up trouble, "You said you'd retrieved an agent right, Agent Reyes I'm guessing? Was there some suggestion she might have been compromised, I'm guessing that would be the main reason they're debriefing her somewhere secure."

Erin shrugged as she typed, adding notes to her findings:"Mengele may mean nothing. If we are dealing with Marauders then 'Mengele' can be anything from their personal physician to a pretty butterfly. My first impression is that the 'doctor' may be responsible for the Brain-in-a-Jar's condition. But we'll deal with the 'doctor' when we get to it. The description does match previous sightings of some of the Challengers", she responded, more to Richard than Sandra.

She focused on Sandra again as the Void Engineer continued:"You weakened the barrier? I see .. ". She made another note. " .. about the lawfirm building .. exactly what happened there? We had an EDE on the loose and a Void Engineer on site. Yet your team had to blow up a building to stop it and Lauren was pulled into a gate?".

A cough alerted everyone in the medical facility to Jacki's awakening:"Djoe have some more o dat stuff you've pumped in ma veins, doc ... ?", Jacki's voice was barely a whisper and she sounded groggy as she struggled to get up and failed:"Did we at least .. " *she whinced:" .. get the bad guys?".
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:44, Tue 04 Oct 2016.

Matthew nods.

"Thats the agent. And yeah it was pretty secure."

The tone of his voice made it clear what he thought about that sort of security for friendlies but then someone else wakes up. People waking up was a good thing in a med bay right? He leans back against the wall to see the interaction between patient and whomever the doctor is a hunch going out to the happy lady.

Watching Sandra speak, distracted, gave Richard a chance to observe her beyond the face she was presenting -- reasonably distressed by circumstances, and recalling a traumatic incident on top of that -- to deeper disturbances and distresses.

His gaze strayed to Erin as she made her observations; a nod, and his attention was back on Sandra, as Erin asked a question Richard -- who had not been there when the event occurred -- was himself curious about.  While the 'conversation' continued, he began picking apart the little tells -- and, more importantly, irregularities -- in expression, voice, eye movements, looking for more deeply-buried influences... or the trails of same.

Richard will be using Tracks Left Behind at Mind 2, stretching back with Time 2 to see if he can find any evidence of psychic manipulation within the past several hours.  He's got enough time, peace, and quiet to use his more academic knowledge as leverage; applying Int+Academics to reduce the difficulty.

19:11, Today: Richard Jackson rolled 3 successes using 7d10 with the World of Darkness 3rd ed, Specialised system with a target of 6, rerolling 10s.  int+academics(psych).  Reduces the difficulty from a presumed 5 (coincidental Sphere 2) to 3.

19:11, Today: Richard Jackson rolled 2 successes using 2d10 with the World of Darkness 3rd ed system with a target of 5 with rolls of 6,8.  arete.
This message was last edited by the player at 01:07, Thu 06 Oct 2016.

Sandra shrank back in the chair at the implications Erin was leveling at her. But suddenly her expression changed to indignation. "I did what I could! My instruments were returning fuzzy readings and inconclusive results from the moment I began scanning. I detected the extradimensional anomaly but I couldn't lock in to the source, much less determine a cause or course of action!

"Then that... thing broke through," she continued, becoming increasingly agitated. A tear escaped her eye as the emotions she had been containing since that encounter threatened to break through her self control. "We were losing team members within seconds. Of course I ran and hid. I don't know how to fight..."

A stifled sob escaped. Sandra realized that her fists were clenched. She stopped for almost a minute as she recomposed herself, slowing her breathing and releasing the tension in her body. "I still did my job, even after the building started coming down on top of us.

"I finished the scans, relayed the info to the rest of the team. The deviant responsible for the EDE could not just breach the Gauntlet, but could also manipulate space-time. Those kinds of dangerous abilities meant that the threat could easily grow beyond the immediate area.

"But escaping the building had to come first. I couldn't seal the breach if I was dead... Once I was out, I fortified the Gauntlet"

Without a reply on whether or not Sandra had been compromised James was still left as in the dark by what was going on. He'd have headed to find out but Jacki's waking caught his attention and he shifted his attention to her, answering the question with a grin, "'course we got 'em Jacks. Well some of them, namely the one you picked a fight with. If you'd been that eager to get some bed rest you could have just taken a holiday you know?"

Erin smiled gently at Sandra as she removed the restraints/monitoring equipment:"While there is some evidence of recent mental intrusion it is minimal and I find no signs of coersion or posthypnotic suggestions. I hope you understand this was necesarry for everyone's safety". She typed in a few final notes before sending out her report and switching off the equipment:"Mister Light handles individual performance reports but try not to worry too much. Field work gets messy sometimes".

Erin opened the door out of the White Room:"You are a valueble asset,Sandra. I want you to understand your work is vital to the success of our mission and the safety of our team. Not to mention 4 million citizens unaware of the dangers we deal with".

She stopped Richard from leaving with Sandra:"Richard, we'll have a briefing in about 15 minutes after mister Light has processed the new data. Ask mister White to stay for now. We may need his services again. Without our temps VIGIL is still pretty light on personell given our current crisis".

Jacki broke a smile, her parched lips cracking as she did:"Workaholics don't take no breaks". She glanced at the burn marks on her arms, now partially healed due to Ai's new serum:"Well .. maybe I'll make an exception .. some time off might not be a bad thing ..". She looked at Ai:"What's the prognosis doc?".

Sandra slowly raised herself from the chair, eyeing both Erin and Richard warily. When it looked like she was free to go, she left the room with a slightly quickened pace.

The door closed behind her. She never gave a response to Erin.

Richard nodded to Erin.  "I'll keep everyone appraised," he replied.  "I should be checking on the prognosis for the injured agents as it is."

As he makes his exit, it's a simple matter to locate Agent White, and Richard's path leads him to the medbay -- and, tangentially, most of the rest of his fellows.  "Mr. White?" he says, offering a hand.  "I don't think we've been formally introduced -- Richard Jackson, NWO.  It's come down to me that we may be in need of your assistance in the immediate future -- do you have any pressing business, or can you afford to stay with us for a time while the folks upstairs crunch numbers?"

As Richard approaches Matthew pushes himself of the wall and extends his hand. He was the one that went with Sandra into the torture chamber so he expected he was one of the people that knew more on why he was to stay. Taking the hand he gives Richard a strong handshake.

"Its a pleasure Mr Jackson. Matthew White, Syndicate Enforcement. I am available till I get orders that say otherwise and as long as i can maintain my revenue making business.

So I got to arrange something for my prolonged absence if you want me to hole up in here or i can arrange that i can be here within 20 minutes when called."

"No, nothing so severe at this time."  One can learn the measure of a soul by a handshake, in cultures that made use of them.  "I do hope you're up for some field work, though," Richard continued.  "Have you picked up anything about the current situation that the VIGIL amalgam is currently facing?"

"You're awake! I didn't realize it had done so well, oh wow.." Ai mused as she approached her teammate.

"You suffered from some serious burns, both internally and externally. I've been working on a new substance for quite some time to better tend to agents in the field. Until now, I had only used it on myself. I still haven't quite perfected it, but I'm really glad that it's helped you."

Vadim shifted slightly on his bed but otherwise was still sound asleep...despite AO's outburst and the associated talking.  Either he was a deep sleeper, good at taking power naps or was still far too wounded and his body needed serious rest.  Regardless his eyes stayed closed and...he didn't snore.

The door shutting behind Sandra echoed in the hall, followed by the soft sounds of her shoes as she walked at a fast pace down the hall. She was barely aware of anything around her and was walking on autopilot. Her brows and lips were turned downwards in an expression of hurt anger.

"Well its no secret you lost your old HQ and the RD's been hitting you so hard your team might need to be decommissioned. As for fielod work. Thats my day job just get me up to speed on the things i need to know and what you expect me to do."

Mister Light entered the recovery room"It was Stryker's team that got butchered, my team is still alive and fighting back, mister White. How about we get you and everyone else up to date in the briefing room?". He shook Matthew's hand:"Thanks for your assistance, I hope you can stay a little longer". He wasted no time to wait for an answer and slipped past Matthew to Jacki's bed:"I'm glad to see you're awake again. I hope Ai is taking good care of you. When you're ready to leave the hospital I want you to take some time off". He looked over his shoulder at Ai:"Keep at it until you have it perfected". His comment left little doubt that Light knew what Ai had been working on.
Jacki tried to smile again:"Thanks boss ..".
He smiled back at her, then looked over at Sandra as she stumbled by the medical facility trying to find a quiet spot, she wasn't looking too happy to see people:"Agent Reyes, I'm glad we have you back. From what Erin told me you found yourself in a difficult situation. But you got us the information we needed. We'll discuss the matter further in the briefing but I will let you know right now the two policemen you mentioned have been safely extracted from the library".
Vadim was still sleeping:"How is Vadim doing, Ai? Can we safely wake him? I'd like everyone to be part of the briefing".
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:59, Thu 13 Oct 2016.

As Mister Light stepped into the room, Ai noticeably tensed slightly. She didn't even look to him at first, but as he directed his words towards her, she gave a nervous nod. "Yes, of course, I'll get on that directly."

The question regarding Vadim's state caused her to turn her head to look tot he other agent. "He should be well enough to attend the meeting. He just needs to be careful getting up at first."

Matthew simply shakes the man hands with an equal firm handshake as he gave before and nods his head. It was clear mr Light was not here to talk so why waste words. He simply waits for directions or escort to the briefing room. As Sandra stumbles inside he gives her a soft smile and a gentle squeeze in her shoulder.

"You okay darling?"

"If we're all present and ready as we're going to get, then..."  Richard pauses, consults his watch, and nods outwards.  "No rest for the wicked, ladies and gents," he announces, a half-smile quirking on his face.  "We've got our next objective briefing awaiting us."

For those who were ready to go, he led the group out of the medical facility toward the briefing room for their new mission charge.

Sandra glanced around the medical facility. She was about to leave when Mr. Light called out her name. The man understated the mess severely as far as she was concerned. But the news that the police officers were recovered safely did much to lift her otherwise foul mood.

She nodded, still frowning and made to leave again when Matthew asked her if anything was wrong. She paused, unsure how to respond. The answer to his question was more complex than could be summed up in a sentence or two.

"Yeah..." she started. But the lie rang hollow even to her. She had never been good at it. "No. I'm not. But I won't let it get in the way. I just need to be alone for a-"

Sandra cut herself short when she heard Richard approach. Then she joined the others as they moved toward a briefing room. She found herself walking at the back of the group.

Matthew just shakes his head and eyes Sandra with an intent look thats not the kind look he gave her before but more one that tries to see if she was still a reliable ally after her 'debriefing'. He does respect her wish to be alone though and silently falls in with the group to hit the briefing room. Looked like this team was coming apart at the seams.

Groaning at the prospect of another mission James eyed the departing figures before giving Jacki another nod and heading for the door behind them. Before he reached it though he paused to look back to the still prone Vadim and Ai as his doctor with a slight glint of mischief, "Reckon he'll be better being carted there in a wheelchair doc? I mean I've no problems taking him there and back and it might be a bit simpler if he's still a bit on the battered side."

"I was going to suggest Vadim could follow proceedings along on the monitor but if the doctor feels he can handle the challenge of a wheelchair perhaps he'll enjoy getting out of bed for a bit", he looked at Ai. Then he prodded Vadim to wake him up from his deep slumber:"Are you alright son?".

Vadim's eyes blinked as he was woken from the deep slumber that electrocution can bring on.  His head turned to take in the area again and listen to the question before responding, "As well as anyone who was struck by 1.21 jiggawatts Mister Light."  He very slowly shifted his legs so that they would help right himself into a sitting position as he nodded just as slowly, "What's needed of me?"

"Watching on the monitor would be fine. It's just not advisable for him to do anything particularly strenuous for the next day." She reasoned to Mr. Light. She gave another look towards Jackie, seeming clearly hesitant to leave her for long. "If I may, I think it may be best for me to remain here and monitor anyone who feels they would do best viewing the debriefing on the monitor."

Light nodded:"We can do the briefing here since everyone is here anyway. We'll keep it short".
Erin joined the room carrying a tablet.

"First of all. I'm glad to see Vadim and Jacki are out of immediate danger and on the mend, and for Sandra to have returned safely", Light started.
"We've gathered enough evidence to conclude that our enemies are a group called the Champions of the Unknown. We have gone on the assumption that the Challengers were all Marauders. Agent Reyes has confirmed that their leader is a telepath and has been making a habit of brainwashing people. So at present we cannot confirm that his followers are Marauders themselves or were mentally dominated to accept his world view. At present if spotted again contingency 5 remain in effect for all Challengers. Based on agent Reyes' firsthand observations we can safely assume one of the Challengers in the library was Patriot. She is assumed to rely on energy attacks, possibly biogenerated. We have identified the captured rogue HITMark as a unit Iteration X lost around 2 years ago during a raid on a Progenitor facility that was under suspision for deviant behaviour. It was suspected the main scientist, doctor Hendrik Mangler, was doing unauthorized genetic experiments on our own people, the purpose of which isn't entirely clear".

He activated a large screen on the wall:"Meet Doctor Mangler". On the screen was the face of a bald man, around 40-50 years old. Mister Light looked at Sandra:"Look familiar?". Mister Light started a movie file from a security camera showing a firefight in a medical laboratory: "Doctor Mangler resisted apprehension and in the ensueing fight he was shot 7 times. The HITMark sent along as enforcer suddenly turned against his team members, picked up the doctor's badly wounded body and fled into the night. Currently we assume the doctor had been experimenting on himself and had developed psionic abilities and went insane in the process. Mangler's work was encoded and selfdestructed when investigators tried decoding it".

He switched to another photo:"We believe this is Patriot. Also known as agent Susanna York, formerly with Iteration X. Contact was lost on August the 22nd 2014, 7 months after the Mangle incident. She had an examplary record up until her disappearance".


Erin took over:"I've put together a preliminary psych evaluation on doctor Mangler. Sandra's eyewitness report reveals a lot about our main target. We can't take everything at facevalue due to the target's irrational worldview, so here and there I've had to make some educated guesses: Doctor Mengele is doctor Mangler. Since Mangler blames 'Mengele' for his condition we are working under the assumption that he is suffering from Dissociative Personality Disorder. Split personality for the laymen. He sees himself as a rebel superhuman leader who is fighting the nazis and pulls other Technocrats into his twisted world to strengthen his delusion, 'freeing nazi superhumans' from fascist brainwashing. Pitching himself against his nazi alter ego may indicate a subconcious recognition that he is responsible for his own condition".

Light took over again:"Our contacts in the police have breached the library and gave an all clear. The Challengers escaped. The police men are safe. Lauren was not found and is presumed to still be with the Challengers. We've made some progress solving what happened to Gamma team in the past few hours. We still have the Las Flores boyscout camp to check out, the last location supervisor Stryker visited before his escape to our former HQ. There is also the Lockup theft of artifacts that occured at the same time as the atack on Gamma team. I don't believe in coincidences. Our work is not done until all the Challengers are off the board and we have answers to all our questions".

He stood up:"This does not mean we can ignore other activities in the city".
"Update on casefile Gamma/Barbeque: Until a few hours ago this was a surveillance case under observation by the Hub. 4 hours ago we received news that a bus of elderly church goers was burned to death on their way to an afternoon of bingo. Traffic cams captured the inferno". He started a moviefile showing a bus hitting a man who stood in the middle of the road. The bus subsequently blew up. Then about a half minute into the footage a flaming skeleton walked away from the fire, reconstituted into a man again and walked off. "We have removed the offending video material and replaced it with one where one of the burning bingo elders walked away from the bus before succumbing and started a media campaign to convince the masses the whole thing was a result of faulty wiring. HOwever this case isn't ending on its own accord".

He continued:"Update on casefile Gamma/Morlock: The CDC is mounting an investigation into an unknown deadly viral disease cropping up among sewer maintainance personell and homeless people who live in or near the LA sewer system. Rats are suspected of spreading the disease. This may or may not be related with the previous report by Gamma team about pale humanoids living in the sewers and the disappearances some conspiracy theorists have linked to the sightings. So far 12 people have died in the past 2 weeks, 4 more are in an isolated ward of the CDC, their condition reported as life threatening. We have requested the Progenitors use their influence to keep the CDC away from the sewers for the time being but this can't be done indefinitely if the virus continues spreading".

"Finally, for the past two days we have had increased activity among the vampire population we are keeping under surveillance. One corpse is in the morgue with a stake through its heart, two of the vampires we kept an eye on have not been seen for the past two weeks in their regular hangouts. In recent years we've seen a migration of vampires from Korea, China, Japan and Vietnam. Michael Moria .. ", He gestured to Vadim and Matthew:' .. of the Association has reported some of his contacts being pushed into joining the new asian factions. Two of them were shot in a restaurant by asian gangmembers yesterday".


"I'm opening the floor to questions and suggestions, after which i want a set of recommendations from your field leader as to which cases to act on first and who to assign for the mission", Light concluded.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:39, Mon 24 Oct 2016.

Taking a lean against one wall as the debriefing started James listened with interest, sending a brief glance Sandra's way when the telepath was brought up. That would explain the whole interrogation in a safe room. Not fun but also the right reaction given the possibility of compromise. As the summary of matters with the so-called Champions concluded and they moved onto other business James had to stifle a groan as things steadily grew worse.

Shoving his hands in his pockets as the summary concluded he paused for a moment before asking, "So with the resources we've got access to how likely are we to be able to get any info out of the HITMark we brought in? 'cause for these Champions we need more intelligence and given the last time we visited a place they'd been they hit us pretty hard as soon as we got there I'm cautious about what else we'll run into when we try to track them down."

"The bus attack we need to be able to track down the guy who was involved. We got any ID on him or notions about where he went after or came from before? Once we've got that the next question is how we bring down someone who walks off a bus hitting him. And then exploding."

"Morlock thing we need to know more about whatever the disease is but that's not my field. We could do a sewer dive but without some damn good hazard protection and a clear idea about at what point we pull back with the intel gathered it's going to be a rough one. Those sewers are big enough where you could end up down there for days. Assuming sewer people don't eat you."

"Any definite indication the vampire thing is aimed at the Association or are their casualties just part of the wider attempt? Makes a difference if they are trying a wide scale effort as opposed to focusing on one rival at a time."

"I might be able to establish a profile on our bus-burner with a bit of time and effort," Richard said, musing aloud, "but for best results I'll need a forensic examination of the scene -- which means I either need a detailed report, or the chance to be on-site."

He drummed his fingers once on the table, considering their options as James led off with his queries.  "We may have enough personnel on hand to investigate two additional incidents in addition to continuing to out the Challengers," he decided aloud.  "I'm inclined to say we focus on the two events that are liable to metastasize and escalate in scope: the sewer virus, and the vampire influences.  Does anyone have recommendations otherwise?"

Sandra quietly listened, still sulking a little from the interrogation. But as the briefing went on, she felt more at ease. Perhaps it was the sheer amount of information being given to them, appealing to the scientist within her. Or perhaps she was starting to feel like a member of the team again.

Just as her mind was beginning to wander as she recognized the feelings, Mr. Light began displaying the photos of the Challengers.

Mister Light looked at Sandra:"Look familiar?"

Sandra nodded. "Those two-" she started, in a small and hoarse voice. She cleared her throat with some embarrassment and continued. "They were the ones I saw."

Matthew took in the information dump and looks around at the people that made up the core team VIGIL and see what their immediate response was while trying to process the data. It was not one of his strong suits. He was more a man of action still he was no mere brute and some questions formed.

"So are all these avengers rogue technocracy members? And what is our preferred method of dealing with them? We neutralize them first ask questions later or we rather want to try and apprehend them alive?"

When the side things are discussed he leans back. He had little to offer on most things there.

"Yes establishing if its a targeted attack on the Association is a priority. If they are just victims it means we have to proceed with infiltration. Especially with the lost HQ i fear we are in no position to allow to loose the revenue the organization pulls from that side of trade. I might make a few calls to see what the deal there is but it will take time to find out.

We could hit the bus scene to investigate while we wait what information i can dig up about the asians. I fear i will be of no use at all in the sewers. Get a research team in there."

She listened carefully, though the moment the sewers were mentioned, her eyes moved almost knowingly towards Alpha before returning to Mr. Light.

"I believe that project Alpha would provide the most assistance with the sewer issue. His body is quite immune to the worst effects of most viruses, and disease are a matter I'd be most suited for in assisting. However, I also believe that I would be helpful in the case regarding the vampires. You mentioned these are Asian gangs that we are dealing with, they do not typically take kindly to outsiders, and I would be able to translate to some degree." She admitted.

Light listened to everyone patiently then commented on the questions and remarks raised.

"The HITMark has mentally shut down, possibly the result of a telepathic suggestion placed in its mind in case of capture. Clever move. However we may have another way of getting information out of him. HITMarks have hardware in their brainpan, don't they James? They record everything. If we access that we should be able to tap into its hardware memories".

Addressing the gang violence Light commented:"At the moment we don't know exactly the reason for the attack. It could just as well be a basic powergrab as a direct attack against the Association as an organisation. We don't know enough right now".

"Well mister White, there does seem to be a pattern. The three we've identified were formerly Technocrats, and they tried kidnapping three more of us. We're still unclear on what made the assault on Gamma HQ different, but their recruitment does seem to be from our personell pool. Since we are unclear as to their status but strongly suspect at least one or more of them to be  Marauders kill orders remain standing until further notice", Light replied Matthew.

"We may keep you on the back burner for that."  Richard drummed his fingers on the table, musing, one rapid four-tap burst.  "The phrase 'Asian gang' covers a lot of ground, though," he continued.  "Politically, the Japanese, Chinese, Koreans, all have a distinct identity, and have a history of treating one another roughly as discourteously as they might Westerners -- and the tongs, triads, and yakuza likely have similar rivalries.  We'll need to determine who is backing whom first..."

It's enough to set his decision in process.  "While we wait for our captive's information hardware to be cracked," he said, "we'll do it like this.  I'll take Agents Reyes, Fujiwara, and Dragomirov to the site of the explosion and possibly to investigate the bus itself; we'll analyze the site in combination with the records we can gather, and see what we can pull from there.  Agents White, Ellings, and Drake, I will task you with getting information on the uptick of gang activity -- who's rustling whom, and what we need to do in order to get a handle on that situation.  Mr. White, you seem to have some expertise in this -- would you feel comfortable leading that effort?"

"They should have. It's recording was what I was thinking of, see if we can get some more intel whilst we have a chance to." As Richard handed out roles James straightened, nodding across to White as he did so, "Sounds good to me."

Matthew eyes Richard for a moment and then just nods.

"Copy that sir."

He then tursn to James as he acknowledges his task  with a nod and waits for Marcus to 'step up' to.

"Step one is to take out the word we need info on the case and then wait for the info to flow back to us. I think its best to do that from my place. But if you are squeamish we probably have to look for another place. Its a great place to play spider though."

He chuckles softly at his own joke.

Marcus nodded to Matthew and James, then asked hesistently:"Squeamish? What kind of place are you running .. ? And what is playing spider?".

She listened to the orders, and hesitated for only a moment. The bus was actually the only one of the three possible issues that she really hadn't felt she'd be particularly helpful with. She gave a quick, nervous glance towards Alpha, but her eyes moved away just as quickly, focusing on agent Jackson.

"Should I prepare Alpha for transport?"

Sandra stiffened when she heard the assignments for the bus incident, even though she was an obvious choice for one involving spacial or dimensional anomalies. But she nonetheless said "I'll just need a few minutes in my lab to assess my gear - swap out batteries, re-tune some instruments, check for damage and the like."

She caught Ai's glance toward Alpha, but looked away herself and said nothing.

Sandra was about to let it go at that, resigned to once again plunge head first into highly probable mortal danger when her stomach rumbled. "And perhaps to get some food... Or an energy bar at least" she added quickly, having realized that she had not had anything to eat or rest of any sort since first leaving for the law firm.

"Dog fighting pit. Its brutal but the type of people we want to talk to gather there. You might have heard the term send in the dogs in certain circles. That would be me."

He smiles darkly and makes a small courtesy. Those with some underworld ties might know that sending in the dogs usually led to a brutal slaughter of the victims but curiously little police investigation.

"And like a spider we go and sit on the edge of the web and let the vibes come to us. At least initially. If you have other means of gathering information speak up and who knows what we find before we have to do actual legwork."

Marcus kept a straight face but shifted uncomfortably in his chair when Matthew explained his line of business. Instead he forced a polite smile and replied:"At the Hub we do specialize in information gathering. I can see what I can do".

Light listened to Richard's recommendations and pursed his lips. He looked away for a moment and then nodded to Richard.
"Alright. We'll follow your recommendations. I will handle the extraction on the HITmark. I may request the assistance of the Hub. They're upgrading the place and I think they have Iteration X personell that might be of help with the extraction procedure".

"Ai, is Vadim ready to get back into action? If not, can you get him ready? Otherwise I'm going to suggest postponing our missions for a couple of hours of R&R. It hasn't been an easy first day on the job for anyone involved. Gives everyone a bit of time to prep and heal up", he asked of the young doctor.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:47, Thu 03 Nov 2016.

Suppressing a smirk at Marcus' discomfort James furrowed his brow slightly at Matthew's suggestion before replying, "Holing up together might not be a great idea unless you're planning to get all your intel remotely. We do run in different circles and people who see us working that closely together are going to start asking questions. Most of the time they'd not get answers but with these new guys in town might want a bit of distance, even if we're staying in contact via comms. Down to you though, I'm not overly worried one way or the other."

"I was mostly going by response time. If we are close together we can respond swiftly as soon as we have a hot lead. I'm good if you want to milk your contacts remotely but the moment we start to shake down people for info we got to move together. No need to take needless risks.

What about meet up here in 24 hours unless one finds something significant we have to act on right away? Just let me know how to cantact you and where i have to send a pick up team if neccecary."

"I'm going to have to insist on everyone traveling with at least one partner. The Challengers are still out there and if they attack again I want to at least know about it. I'm also going to issue subdermal tracers for VIGIL members. That way if someone does get captured we can track their whereabouts", Light commented. He glanced at Ai:"I understand the procedure is minimally intrusive".

"And you're going to find some way to fit that in our budget, old man", he said to one of the cameras.

"I'm only 52 for fuck sakes!", mister Gunn bit back over the intercom. It remained silent for a second or two:"You'll get your trackers .. bastard".

Light smirked slightly, then addressed the team again.
"I'm going to request the Hub handles the Las Flores site. I understand they have new facilities for remote surveillance. We can stand to lose a drone more so than personell should the Challengers set another trap".

"Let's do that.  I'm not concerned that we'll need it -- him?" he interrupted himself, curious -- "but better to have him nearby in case the worst does come to pass rather than need him and not have him.  Likewise, Ms. Fujiwara, I'm not positive that there will be find anything with your forensic skills, but in the event we don't, I'd like you to see what you can do about researching the sewer sickness while we're there -- unless, and this is a genuine question, you think you'd be able to do your research here while you assist and monitor Mr. Dragomirov's condition?"

He pauses and cocks an ear while Mr. Light has his exchange with Mr. Gunn.  "I'll recommend everyone takes a subdermal tracer, unless they have remote monitoring gear already implanted," Richard agrees.  "I already have one in my arm -- I'll just need to get it reactivated."

"Well that settles the question of where we go. You have own transportation or you will roll with me?"

He says after the exchange.

"When you are ready here i suggest we leave. If there are things that need to be done on the way over inform me so we can get the info flowing asap."

(richard, I'd like a clear list from you who gets partnered with whom and who goes where. I also need to know what you and Ai do with Vadim. Once I have that information we'll wrap up this thread and move the timeline a couple hours ahead and I'll be putting up new threads as needed. If people want to do anything specific in downtime let me know).

Vadim shook his head slightly as the orders came through from Richard, "I...I should be able to drive the van there initially and stay...with Al till this wears off."  His eyes blinking a few times as he hand opened and closed a few times as he was trying to get used to the feeling of being completely electrocuted and getting his muscle working under his control rather than simply autonomicly.

"ETA was..." he looked over to Ai for a moment before looknig back to Richard, "about 15 hours for full recovery...about 9 hours before the worst is past."

There was a bit of clear hesitation as Ai mulled over all that was being said. She then gave a nod. "It may be a little risky, but it's possible that I could speed up the recovery, though.. the process is still experimental."

 She moved towards a cold storage unit, pulling from it a small vial of a clear liquid. "Omega is something of my own creation. I've used it on myself with various degrees of success and now it has proven to be successful with Jackie."

"I'll take the lift. No sense in messing around with two cars when I can get ferried around and put in the first few calls en route. Just let me get a tracking chip painfully inserted somewhere on me first."

Nodding to Ai as he mentioned the chip whilst she fiddled around with the latest treatments for Vdim's health James glanced at Richard, "Don't take this the wrong way but I'm going to suggest Ai is the only one who knows where they get implanted on us. That way if anyone ends up compromised they don't know which body part to chop off if they get any subsequent team members."

Richard screws his lips to the side, eyeing the vial in Ai's hands.  A bit of calculus, and he touched his earpiece.  "+Mr. Dragomirov, Ms. Fujiwara has an experimental treatment she's offering to use to try and get you on the mend more quickly.  It's not a call I'll make for you, but if you're really sick of staying in bed...+"


James, Matthew, and Marcus are tasked with information gathering on the rumble in the criminal jungle.

Richard and Sandra will be going to investigate the bus -- both the vehicle and the scene of the crime itself.  If Vadim accepts the experimental Progenitor treatment, we'll leave Ai here to administer/monitor her medicine and the two of them can join us later (or we can all go together, depending on how long it ends up taking).  If he's not interested in getting juiced up on Omega, we'll take Ai with us to the site (she can do forensics, or remote research on the sewer sickness if there's nothing to do), and give Vadim an A/V feed so he can at least watch and comment.

"I have no objections to using it," replied Vadim with no hesitation at Ai's ministrations showing his trust in her ability.

"I'm...just making an educated guess though...that fabrication of the vial takes serious time...and...energy.  It took Jackie from looking like she was...going to be in an ICU burn unit for weeks...plus rehab to very much on the mend." he looked back and forth adding, "I'm hurting but I'm going to be perfectly fine in just over...a...half a day.  If feels like using that for something so...minor...would be a waste of a valuable asset against serious lethal injury."

"An agent laid out in Recovery while we have multiple crises is also a waste of a valueble asset. And from what I understand you'll be lucky if you don't have some lasting form of brain or nerve damage after that jolt you took", Light replied.

"Besides, it's not a procedure if it only worked once .. we are not in the business of miracle cures in the Union", he added, glancing at Ai.

"If you can get him on his feet do it".
This message was last updated by the player at 16:07, Tue 08 Nov 2016.

Sandra cleared her throat. "I'll go to my lab now to prep for the mission," she said. "Assuming that is alright"

(I'm going to post new threads tomorrow. Send me a PM if there are things you want to do in downtime. Downtime can be spend resting, healing, preparing, thinking out new Procedures, researching, call spies and contacts, etc. I'm deliberately keeping the time a little vague to give everyone time to their thing, assume that once the story continues we are a couple hours later and it is around 10 in the evening)

With a nod, Ai moved to tamper with the vial carefully, wincing slightly as she cut her finger, bleeding into the mixture. "There's something about my blood, it reacts with the mixture. I should probably look to make multiple batches in advance, but for now.. I have to do this.. here's to hoping it works like it did before." She said softly as she bandaged the cut.

 She approached Vadim with a light smile, carefully reaching for his arm and setting the needle to his vein before injecting the fluid within, focusing her will upon it, hoping to feel that same sensation of sameness.

16:32, Today: Ai Fujiwara failed (no successes) using 3d10 with the World of Darkness 3rd ed system with a target of 5.  We Are One - willpower spent for success, quint spent to lower difficulty by 1.
Whelp.. at least Vadim won't take damage from it..

Sometimes an experiment needs to be performed multiple times to get the right results. And this time Ai noticed something missing. Something had made the first time experiment work yet fail this time. Vadim wasn't healing the way she anticipated he would. Was it her, or was it something about Vadim that made the experimental cure fail this time ..

He'd be out of combat for a while longer it seemed and reliant on his own body's healing process.

(everybody gets 7 xp! I'm putting up the new threads)