You have recently arrived at your new workspace on the 13th floor between 1 and 3 days ago. You were assigned here by Control to replace the previous incarnation of Vigil, Gamma team. Some of you may be from out of town.

Lauren however is familiar with the offices and people from the Web of Truth.
This website and weekly magazine takes a sceptic look at politics, pseudo science and the paranormal, unravels hoaxes, explains away the unexplainable and crusifies those who scam the gullible masses.People are encouraged to write in about suspect cultist organisations and fortean events. The magazine offers $100.000 to prove the paranormal exists. Of course in reality anyone with true paranormal abilities who takes the bait tend to end up brainwashed and retracts his evidence. Located along the Miracle Mile in an office building The Web of Truth office is set on the 12th floor. It has a 13th floor but it can only be accessed by enlightened personell with the proper codes and cannot be seen from the outside.

James and Jacki have been doing their thing locally for a while, working their way up into The Association, a Syndicate Amalgam when they were re-assigned as enforcers for Vigil because of an immediate need for a new first responder team.

You have been called into the briefing room. Your supervisor is Jordan Light. He wears a grey suit. His colorful tie adds a little personality to the outfit. His chiseled jaw is clean shaven, he has greying hair and lightblue eyes, and is in his mid 50’s.

The briefing room is dominated by a large rectangular table able to seat twelve, with a number of monitors and projectors attached to walls and ceilings. There are no windows in this room. In fact the whole floor has no windows. The only way out is by elevator. As a whole the building is still undergoing renovations. The 13th floor does not exist on the building plans, it does not exist at all as far as the world knows.

Jordan Light is seated in a large black leather chair at the end of the table. A large monitor behind him shows with a local news show playing without sound. He swivels the chair to face you: "Welcome. I hope you've had a chance to explore the facilities, if not there is time to familiarize yourselves after this briefing. Please take a seat", he gestures at the chairs around the table.

"I believe you have all been informed about the previous team. Vigil-Gamma team was wiped out in a surgical strike against our previous Front. The first attackwave was an electronic assault on surveillance systems. After electronic surveillance was shut down the attackers entered the building and proceeded to kill the team members. What exactly happened is unclear since there is no footage. We also have not ascertained who is responsible although we have some suspisions. Once you read through the reports I'll let you come to your own conclusions. Since this attack happened at night no civilians were around at the time. We are still gathering evidence and puzzling the pieces together. I suggest you make it top priority whenever you are not responding to emergencies".

"You have been briefed on your new positions within Vigil. You have been handpicked for your unique talents. Put them to good use. Follow directives, report significant intel back to Homebase and debrief with Erin or me after you get back to HQ".

Erin, codename Homebase, enters the room, mid 30's, halflong auburn hair in a bun and hazel eyes. She wears fashionable glasses with a thin frame and looks very business-like. She passes out IPads, one of each of you:"Hello boys and girls, your new toys. All of gamma team's unsolved cases are on it. And the information we've gathered so far on the assault that ended their lives. The pad uses an iris scanner and password. Repeat the login every 12 hours or the device automatically wipes its memory. If not in use you can leave it in the dock on your desk. It comes with access to those casefiles you have clearance for. Don't lose it. And no personal uses, we'll know".

http://wiki.rpol.net/?id=64499/Reports

Jordan Light gets up from his chair and smiles politely.
"If you have questions you can talk with Erin. Erin will also be your contact in the field whenever I'm not directly supervising your operations.
You have been briefed on your new positions within Vigil. You have been handpicked for your unique talents. Put them to good use. Follow directives, report significant intel back to Homebase and debrief with Erin or me after you get back to HQ".

"Lauren Wilson is your interim teamleader. I know her to be an excellent people manager and she is familiar with the facilities. Good luck Lauren and congratulations. I would like to get your recommendations and mission scheduling on my desk by the end of the day".
He leaves the briefing room.

Erin smiles as she sits at the head of the table.
"It's a lot to take in. Take your time".
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:54, Sun 28 Feb 2016.

Devon idly spun in his chair as he scanned through the open case files. A quarter-turn right, back to center. Quarter-turn left, back to center. Nine seemed like a lot of unresolved issues, until he realized these were reports more of the intel variety than of an "action needed" sort. Some obviously would require more specific attention, and soon, but others were worth keeping on the backburner. "So who do I talk to about getting the remaining surveillance footage and equipment from the attack? With some restructuring, I might be able to extract some data from after they got hit, and I should start analyzing whatever we've got from before."

He widened the spin, a half-turn right, back to center. Half-turn left... He'd been settling in OK, but he was still used to doing his work alone, in an IT department buried deep in the bowels of a building. Not only was he getting used to the new town, but he'd be working... directly and possibly therefore in meatspace... with a team. In a lot of ways, it was exciting. In other was... well, as he absorbed Gamma: the Previous' activities, he side-eyed the rest of his son-to-be Amalgam.

Lauren sat near the front of the conference room table.  She was dressed in a grey business suit with a suitable length skirt and a blouse that managed to pull off sexy while maintaining an appropriate professionalism.  She scanned through the reports even though she already knew some of the information.  She wanted to make sure that she hadn't overlooked anything.  As she did so, she spent some time observing her new team.

Her team.

That's not really what she had in mind.  She was Media Control.  She was very good at that.  She had been good at before she was even Enlightened and now she was extremely skilled and capable.  She was good at convincing people and she knew that she had talent, but was she actually ready for this leadership position?

Ready or not, she had it.

Finally Devon broke the silence.  She responded, "Devon, correct?"  Of course she knew all of their names.  She had studied their dossiers.  "I am sure we can get that data for you as well as any remaining physical evidence."  She looked at Erin and inclined her head seeking agreement.

"Any other leads to pursue, people?  Let's brainstorm this."

"Of course you have access to surveillance footage prior to the attack. We have no footage from after the electronics were disabled. I will send the former Vigil Front address so you can visit and check out the cameras in place if you wish. The former front was a corporate law company. It is doubtful you'll find anything of worth. We've cut the company lose after the attack. It is not connected to any of our activities anymore. I will also get you the name of the security company who originally installed and maintained the camera system at our previous front. Needless to say we've also cut our ties with them. If you go into their systems make sure not to leave any traces. We've been quite meticulous about erasing our footsteps", Erin answers as she busies herself on her own Ipad.

" .. and sent".

(Casefile Vigil Ambush has been updated for you. As you look for additional information I will update the casefile)
This message was last edited by the GM at 08:26, Mon 29 Feb 2016.

Presently dressed in his typical working uniform, that unfortunate black suit and tie combination that could mark him as anything from funeral attendee to waiter, James listened to the brief in silence, beginning to work through the casefiles as soon as they received the IPads. When the topic of further leads was brought up he glanced up to their designated leader and spoke, "Our cameras might have been down but that doesn't mean all of the ones in the area were. Any other businesses nearby that might have footage of the attack or we already looked into that? Same for the simultaneous attack."

"I could do a walkthrough of the building later and work out the sort of assault I'd have staged if I was the one doing it but since we don't know the attackers that means we don't know what resources they had so it'll be of limited use. As for these other cases..." Glancing back to the pad for a moment he frowned, "We've got a few high profile ones that probabaly need to move to the top of the list but few leads on them and some with a lower profile where we actually can make a start on getting the connections we need together. My gut says run these superhoeroes and morlocks are probabaly the highest profile that we can actually start gathering intelligence on where they might be operating from since we'll have sightings to match to locations. Los Muertos I'd like to see dealt with but unless we've some more information I don't see how. Seems they likely know where we live but the reverse is not the case."

"We have not had time to look into cameras in the district. Matter of priorities. Our first priority was securing a new Vigil team and moving into a new HQ", Erin responds matter-of-factly to James' inquiry:"We could not continue using the same Front and it took the last few days working through your files, resettling in the Web of Truth building and getting everything ready for your arrival. For all intents and purposes you are the  forensics team. So those neighborhood cameras are yours to check", she glances from James to Devon and smiles slightly.

Looking up from the ipad only after glancing over the documents, the short girl looked over each teammate before settling on the man who looked like he was wearing the only suit and tie combination he owned, listening to his thoughts regarding the cases. "The Morlock file seems like a possibility, though in addition to seeing what we can gleam from any security footage, I believe tracking down those who attacked the truck may hold a more solid lead. The file does not mention any of the artifacts being taken from the truck, but did any turn up missing, by chance? If so, is there a manifest of the missing artifacts and their effects?"

Erin purses her lips observing Ai, she hesistates briefly.
"I'm going to have to ask mister Light about a manifest .. Lockup tends to be rather tightlipped about what they have stored and where it is all going".
She gets up and walks to the door:"I'll be right back".
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:02, Mon 29 Feb 2016.

"Nah," is Jacki's reply to this talk. She uses the tablet like it insulted her; brushing from screen to screen with a gesture strong enough to almost be a slap that only connects with the tips of her fingers. Her A-shirt showing the bit of nicotine patch on both shoulders until she gets bored with whatever lay on screen. Her hands sliding back to cradle her head as she leans back deeply. Feet swinging up to set her boots on the table.

"Anything that isn't hunting down and making a mess of every one involved in taking out the old Gamma is bullshit," she drawls through a piece of gum, "Rest of this shit ain't going any wronger than it is now. Meanways, we got a bunch a assholes out there, think they can just walk in here whenever they please, put a bunch a holes in our guys, and go out on their way? Nah. That ain't the rules."

"That's... uh, aside from the subtle phrasing, I'd agree with that point. I'm sure we want to be proactive with cases, but it seems like ensuring nobody tries this again should be priority one. Frankly, if everyone in these case files got it in their heads they could work together to take us out on a more long-term basis, they'd have the numbers to pull it off."

He was amused by the rough and tumble woman with her feet on the table. He checked his files... Jacki. Devon had assumed that he'd be the major thorn in the side of authority, but he might have a rival on that front.

Lauren listened carefully to the ideas thrown out by her team.  This is what she signed up for.  This was not what she had envisioned for herself in Journalism school, but this is why the Union had trained her.  She knew from her training and from her personal experience what the stakes were in this deadly game, but it was all coming home in this meeting.  Gamma was gone.  Dead.  If she led this team astray, they could end up the same way.  But the mission was worth the risk.

"Good everyone," Lauren told them when there was a slight pause in the banter.  "Since we are forensics for the surrounding scene that is priority one.  We need to get that intel before it goes cold.

Devon, I believe that you are our expert when it comes to recovery of electronic evidence, so you will be covering that.

I can take on the primary role of interviewing possible witnesses from the area.  James, I think I am going to want you backing me up on that.

Depending on how organized this group is that conducted the strike, they may be waiting for us to conduct an investigation to get their next target.  Jacki, I will need you on overwatch in case something goes sideways.  Make sure you are looking for anyone watching us when we are in the area.

Arthur, I think I want you with Jacki.  No indication yet that this wasn't a physical breach, but I would like you to confirm that.

Ai, I would like you along to look over the scene and see if anything was missed."  Lauren smiled at the smallest member of their team as she gave her assignments.

"We will follow up on the other leads once we have secured any valuable evidence from this scene.  Are we good people?  Anything I missed for now?" She finished.  The words flowed naturally from her not belying any nervousness.  Years on the stage and in front of a camera allowed one to act whenever necessary.

"Two steps ahead of you, boss-lady." He checked his automatic search programs, which should be compiling basic information about the security companies that ran businesses surrounding the former front's operation center. Multitasking was just about the only way he could keep from death by boredom in these kinds of meetings, and he'd already checked his home systems, which were running countless bots through various massively multiplayer games, farming choice equipment.

It was a pleasant diversion and occasional source of income, but mostly it was a hobby. Everyone needed hobbies.

But all that and more was running through his mind. "Jacki, Arthur, I'll slave some surveillance drones to your command. You tell me where you need 'em, I'll get 'em there. Meanwhile, I guess I'll have my boots on the ground for once to gather our old tech. Have we swept the area already? Wouldn't want to run into any booby traps..." He chuckled, a bit of genuine mirth at the idea of field deployment, almost as though he missed the deadl serious point of his own statement.

Giving a nod at her assignment, she waited until Lauren asked if there was anything she missing before speaking up."Because, as you mentioned, there is a possibility those responsible will be waiting to see who investigates the scene to gain new targets, I would like to propose a request for authorization to have Subject Alpha on standby at the scene. Should the reality deviants be present and choose to attack us, it may be best to have a form of backup present."

Allowing himself a faint grin as people continued to chat James only responded to Lauren's directive with a faint nod at his assignment, waiting till everyone else was delegated before speaking, "Mind if I make a suggestion on that? Let's keep Jacki and Arthur on watch, get them along in another vehicle. The rest of us do an initial walkthrough of the building, get Ai and Devon set up on their own investigations and then do interviews with any locals. Means we at least have confirmation the site is clear before we leave anyone to do in an depth sweep of the scene. If we're leaving anyone without me or Jacki watching their backs I'd prefer to be sure they're in a safe area."

Devon, you can easily find out which neighboring companies might have footage of the attack by checking google maps street view.
Getting the actual footage is a little tougher but hardly impossible for a computer hacker.
Roll Intelligence+Computer vs difficulty 8, 3 successes. It is an extended roll. If you fail you trigger some detection program.
There are 3 companies whose computer you could hack.
There are ways to make it easier to figure out a way past passwords and antihacking programs. You will be awarded a difficulty reduction for creativity.

Team: Since the time of day might matter for your tactics and investigation it is the break of dawn as the title of the thread might have suggested. It's 9 o clock in the morning. It is a sunny day on March 1st 2016
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:44, Tue 01 Mar 2016.

Added some more detail to the initial damage report:http://wiki.rpol.net/?id=64499/Vigil%20Ambush.
Facts have not been verified and are subject to further investigation.
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:23, Tue 01 Mar 2016.

Devon's twisting arcs amped up to a full circle as his attention waned. He was all for people helping keep his meat safe, but there wasn't a lot he could contribute to the discussion. Instead, he turned his attention inward, thinking through the various elements he would need to get the ball rolling on his end... but his focus kept getting drawn back to the table.

To hell with this, they weren't a corporation, running on kiss-ass and lickspittle. He had mission critical things to do. He pulled a piece of paper from a notebook, sketched a quick picture of his face, anime bishounen style with sparklies and a shining grin, and taped it to his chair. "I'm still listening if you need me, but the sooner I get started, the sooner we can move out, so..."

He walked out and made his way to his own workstation. At least his work 'puter wasn't anything to scoff at. He started up League of Legends. He needed to start thinking like other people, and he needed to be able to cover a lot of angles, and this game was pretty good for that. He spent a few minutes in a practice match, making sure he was warmed up, and dropped into the FR RLZ ranked matches, where playing the game was SRS BSNS. A match or two, depending on the length, should get him into the Zone.

The Zone procedure, mental enhancment to help with multi-tasking and human prediction (if possible) Dif 3: Devon Arc rolled 3 successes using 3d10 with the World of Darkness 3rd ed system with a target of 3 ((10,6,5)).

After playing a couple of matches of League of Legends Devon's concentration is primed and focused, sharpened to a razor's edge and he feels confident it'll help him gather the intel needed to crack the password code of the first company.

Erin returns and nods to Ai:"We're looking into the cargo manifest. May take some pulling strings. Lockup tends to be tightlipped about what they have stored and where things are going".
This message was last edited by the GM at 14:46, Thu 03 Mar 2016.

There it was. He saw every play before it was being made, based on who was missing and where his own people were on the map. Crushing his foes, he left the win screen behind, and closed out LoL.

It was time to get to it.

Trancelike, he first began modifying some simple programs, adding structure to make them suited to his particular needs. Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Netflix profiles, even G+, no social stone would be left un-turned. Once enough data was accumulated, it would be fed into a profiler and cross-indexed with known security measures.

His processes weren't fool-proof (yet), but they had the weight of centuries of social conditioning and psychoanalysis behind them.

With a few keystrokes, he sent his aggregators out into the digital highways, and began the next step...

I'll go ahead and roll in groups of four. First roll will have some willpower backing it up, but I don't have a great quintessence store, so I'll just leave things at difficult 4 unless they start to look dicey.

Hah! Dicey!

Ahem.
1: Devon Arc rolled 1 success using 3d10 with the World of Darkness 3rd ed system with a target of 4.  +1 Willpower means 2 successes
2:Devon Arc rolled 3 successes using 3d10 with the World of Darkness 3rd ed system with a target of 4 ((9,5,10)) net 5
3:Devon Arc rolled 3 successes using 3d10 with the World of Darkness 3rd ed system with a target of 4 ((10,10,5)). net 8, very exciting
4:Devon Arc rolled 1 success using 3d10 with the World of Darkness 3rd ed system with a target of 4 ((5,2,2))

Argh, just shy! I'll finish out the next fifteen minutes then just to hit ten.

Devon Arc rolled 3 successes using 3d10 with the World of Darkness 3rd ed system with a target of 4.  fifteen minutes later

So net 12 successes in an hour and fifteen minutes. Not too shabby, but Devon's probably upset with himself for hitting a slowdown near the end.

Devon's fevered mind is racing as his program frantically runs through thousands of potential passwords combinations, using information gathered from dozens upon dozens sources until some combination of numbers and words hits the jackpot.

You have access to the security system of Doorman&Doppler, a company dealing in intercom systems. It is located directly opposite Vigil's former front. From there it is easy to search for security footage of the night of the attack.

(Devon: pm sent with the intel you gathered)
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:27, Thu 03 Mar 2016.

Erin  hands Lauren a form:"Ai has requested subject Alpha is allowed to come along in case you need backup. The final say on the matter is left up to you as team leader but if you want to put in an official request I need your signature on these forms". She puts the forms on the table:"You should probably ask Ai about subject Alpha ..", she cautions Lauren.

Erin tosses James and Jacki a set of carkeys:"One black van, one darkblue sedan. Bring them back clean and whole and you'll make mister Gunn a happy man. You can pick them up from the second level basement garage when your team leader gives you the go".
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:01, Thu 03 Mar 2016.

A speaker in the conference room buzzed. ++Hey, everyone, check your iPads, I'm sending you some footage. This is from the lobby across the street from the old HQ.++


At 22:56pm a man in black with light hair gets out of a car and runs up to the lobby entrance of the lawfirm. After beating on the door the nightguard lets him in and they have a heated conversation.
22:58pm The man in black heads up the stairs.
22:59pm: An elderly nightguard in the lobby of Doorman&Doppler walks up to the window to see what is going on on the other side of the street. You mostly just see the backside of him but you can make a screenie to enhance and enlarge to make a possible identification later.
23:00pm: A bright flash in the lobby of the lawfirm. The camera shuts off.

++Some interesting stuff, but here, take a closer look at the last couple frames. This is still rough, but... well, you'll see.++

The footage goes to just before the bright flash and alters somewhat, blocking out some minor interference. It progresses minutely and pauses. At the moment all the electronics were fried a humanoid figure that seemed to be made of bright light appeared in the hallway. You can barely make out the shadows of five others. Though you can't discern many details, one of them appears to be at least 2.20 meters and his sillouette is irregular. While it is hard to make out, there are slight, though possibly unreliable, indications that 3 are female and 3 male.

++I haven't had a chance to run any analysis on this yet, but feel free to shout out if you've got an observation or area you want me to pay special attention to. Also, I can keep trying for other footage from the surrounding area, but I don't know that anything'll get us a better image than this, aside from what was recording at ground zero.++

Lauren turns to Ai, "So you better fill me in.  I am not sure I like the sound of this Alpha."

Ai looked to her ipad as directed, watching the footage. The large individual drew her attention immediately. Was that the normal man who had gone in earlier Shape-shifting of some kind?

 She looked to Lauren as she was addressed. "Alpha is a genetic construct currently being held for safe-keeping. I've been assigned with his care and further study. The creature has proven to be quite resilient and capable of producing psychodynamic phenomenon. I've been eager to test the subject in field tests, but have yet to be granted the access to do so. Given that the potential threat is unpredictable, it was my suggestion that having a subject that our enemy cannot predict may give us an element of surprise should they choose to strike."

"Well first question should be simple enough. That car the late night visitor got out of, it still there? And if not we got an angle with its plates visible?" If the man had been one of the victims his car probabaly would have been left there, if it was gone either he had walked out of a hit on the building or the group that hit it had taken the car. If on the other hand someone had dropped him off and left he was probabaly another missing person that at least had a driver that could be questioned for some information. Shifting back in his seat slightly James added, "Also I keep forgetting to mention, what cover you want us going with on these enquiries? It's better to have something consistent, in this sort of scenario I'd probabaly say insurance investigators might be a good choice."

Arthur was seated at the back of the room, far enough to have good view of his new team mate but close enough not to seem estrange.

For a long time he was quite watching the team dynamics evolving.

Lauren commission came to her as a surprise, she was not sure if she was ready but she embrace it and dove into the role.

Yes, he liked what he saw, these people were capable and were team players, ANNI projection indicate there was 78.7% chance joining this team would not result in failure and his termination.

"Does any of the former agents of team Gamma have cybernetics enhancements? the kind that store data... they are usually shielded from EMP." he asks, his tone mellow and calculated without a trace of accent, Arthur has not decided yet who he is today.

"From the open files my initial guess would be that this might be related to the Los Muertos however further analysis plus the date agent Arc provided make me wonder, could it be an act of those so called superhero vigilantes. If Gamma cover was compromised they might have consider them as a hostile asset to be remove. The attack at night to minimize civilian causalities is also consistent with the black and white morality most super heroic psychosis produce."

++The Grand Entrance tracks with that as well, over any of the other files. I, uh, don't wanna be that guy but it's worth noting that we could be up against an unknown group of entities as well. Out-of-towners might decide they can be a little more bold if they're just breezing through.++

Devon worked hard to not focus on the thought of analyzing some post-mortem cybernetics for data. It could be incredibly valuable, so he'd do it if he had to but... <i>ewww<i>.

Jacki leans further back in her chair in order to get a better view of Devon's laptop as it flickers and flashes. Of course, he's several chairs over. Which meant leaning back deeply, her boots leaving the table to counter balance. Casually, she's gone almost horizontal.

"Out of towners show up and hit the branch office? They're either the luckiest sons-of-bitches in this general section of country or the unluckiest. Nope, I figure it they've been poking around for awhile to figure out where to end up. One a y'all might wanna dig through Gamma's old case files. See where the old team might've stirred up some shit," Jacki snaps her chair back to the floor with a little shift of her weight. Her feet land, and she's standing.

"Any of y'all want to get breakfast? I need some... I dunno, some waffles or something."

Erin glances from Ai to Jacki to Lauren. She fidgets with her watch, taking a peek and then looks at a camera in the corner of the room.

"Don't have to be out of towners. Also don;t have to be one of the options in the files. Best hit squad is the one that does their research, stays off the radar and is only ever picked up on after they've wiped the target." Matching Jacki's idle drawl James nodded back at the chair she'd just exited, "Breakfast after briefing. Once we've got everything straight we'll hit whichever drive through you want when we head out. Just remember that your pick may mean some of us may then have to hit the gym for a couple of boring hours."

Lauren had been taking in the information from her team and reading through the reports.

"OK, good discussion so far people.  Let's see where we are.

First, let's address Alpha.  Ai, I understand your interest in getting this project in the field, but I would like to hold it in reserve right now.  If we determine a target for an assault, I will consider activating the asset.

Also, I need to redirect your attention.  With those bodies in the morgue and a timeline on their release, I need for you to do the forensics on them.  See what additional information they can give us.  You know the drill.

As for a cover, I would normally go in as a Web of Truth reporter since it is a cover very close to the truth.  However, in this case, with a team as large as ours, I agree an insurance team is a better bet.

Devon, pull up the insurance firm for Yanowich, Dreisel, & Associates.  Erin, I assume we can get the appropriate creds for that insurance firm within a few minutes?

Also, Devon, see if you can enhance that image of the eyewitness at Doorman & Doppler.  We will definitely want to find and interview him.  If you are already in their system, see if you can get a name and address for him.  I think you may need to stay here and coordinate.

Are we ready to roll?  Ai and Devon, remaining here for research. Arthur, James, Jacki, and myself hitting the site.

Questions?"

Lauren delivered her monologue at a quick clip, rattling off her assignments and reasoning with ease.

 Though initially disappointed, once Ai was told she'd be staying behind to deal with the autopsies, she quickly realized that it would be a bad idea to send Alpha out at the moment anyway. He was already fairly temperamental as it was, but putting him out with a group that would be difficult to communicate with would only put unneeded stress on him.

 She gave a nod. "Got it. If possible, I'll need a copy of the medical histories of each member of Gamma, so any augmentations or enhancements can be collected as needed."

"I'll put in a request for the team's medical records though some of the conventions might be hardpressed to hand them over. You might need to do a little .. digging of your own. Get the information we need. Mister Light and I will handle the fallout if anyone objects" Erin responds to Ai.

"As for falsified documentation Devon should be able to take care of that. He can gather the information and print out the proper documentation and passes. Correct Devon? The lawfirm's building has been cleared though, pending significant reconstruction of the top floor. You'll likely only need to content with guards they posted to protect from potential looters", Erin commented in response to Lauren's request.

++Yeah. I'll just run, uh, quadruple duty compared to everyone else for exactly the same pay. That'll be cool. I mean, it's not like I have any interns or assistants to help me out.++

Devon might be in his office (or cubicle, depending on how one might define small, musty, tightly delineated areas), but he was very practiced at expressing sarcasm across any distance, no Procedures needed.

"You want to swap Devon?" Genial as the reply might be James had no doubt there would be no rush to take the job from him. Taking only amoment to make sure his guns were still secured under his jacket he moved for the door at an idle pace, raising a brief hand, I'd also appreciate it if we can submit a request for some heavier firepower. I've got enough stopping power for ordinary folk but if we're dealing with superheroes, reality deviants and unknown others I might need something in the way of firepower that would drop an angry rhino. No rush but I'm going to need them in before we pick a target and decide on a full frontal assault"

Arthur just raise a slight eyebrow at Devon's rant but kept his mouth shut making a mental note about it.

 Ai nodded. "If there's nothing else, I'll head to the morgue and begin preparing for the autopsies. If nothing else, hopefully I can save Devon a bit of work from having to root around in the Gamma team for some of those cybernetics. I hope everything goes well for the rest of you, but if you feel a need, I'll be available when you get back." She assured them with a smile before looking to Lauren to see if there was anything further needed.

"If you can't handle the work pressure, Devon we can find someone who can. I'm sure we can find something better suited to your .. special needs if you have trouble multitasking", Erin responds to Devon's complaint:"There's always a need for technicians on the assembly line".

From the safety of half an office worth of distance, Devon rolled his eyes. ++First of all, I just pulled off a hack that would've taken a team of top-notch keyboard jockeys a week to pull off, so good luck with that. Further, I'll remind you all we decided I needed to be on site to check the surveillance equipment, unless you can pull the entire building's security gear with your insurance agent cover. I turned down a lot of jobs that would've kept me in a cubicle at much, much better pay to join up here on the premise that I'd be doing field work, thank you.++

He keyed in a few commands, seeing what could be gleaned from the image, cleaning it up as he went, and cross-referenced it with all available employee files, and state and national identity databases for good measure. ++And if we want to go about picking up some new toys and better firepower, I know people... on account, y'know, of already having worked my way up from assembly line work... or programming in Assembly, which, same thing.++

In a way, Ai looked a little relieved. At the very least, Devon's complaints seemed to be bringing the ever-watchful eyes of her superiors away from herself. Even so, she found herself looking towards her ipad for a moment before she looked back to Lauren for confirmation that she could head out and get to work. Those cadavers weren't going to prep themselves, after all.

Arthur looked at his watch, he had no idea where Devon got his training but so far he was acting in a very non professional way. They all were expendable and to think otherwise beside the hubris was a sure way to get redacted.

He glance at the team leader, it was her role to get things in line "While I am sure this is all a fascinating discussion, there are still a group of killers outside that consider attacking our people a valid option. I suggest we delay this discussion to after we have dealt with the current threat."

By the time Lauren had finished handing out assignments, Jacki was already by the door and ready to go. Her knuckles rap against the wall softly. Her body almost vibrating with energy.

"So, we done with the little bitch session, or did this all of a sudden turn into a negotiation?"

++I'm gathering up my gear, but if the boss lady is gonna ignore a primary objective and stick me behind a desk, then I'm already working on that, too.++

Devon sighed. This is why he hated working by committee. ++In case it's not obvious, I can do all the research necessary on the way. But I could maybe go on-site after the primary team does their sweep to gather the data from the equipment. Pose as a repair man or something... but in my opinion, since that requires double the covers, double the time, and potentially double the personnel unless we decide it's better for me to go in alone (which has some problems as well), then I don't think it's ideal when I could just be posing as a damage assessor specializing in electronics on this first op. Just my recommendation, though.++

"OK, let's get to it.  Ai, go get started on those autopsies.  Try and have your initial report by the time we return.

Devon, your hacking has already yielded some extremely valuable intel.  Once you have those credentials ready we can head out.  Please make a cover for every member of the team in case we all deploy to the field at some point.  You can come with if it isn't going to slow you down, but I really need the identity of that eyewitness and you are our best shot at getting that.

OK, folks let's roll.  Devon, get those IDs to the front entrance.  Meet us there if you are heading out with us."

Lauren issued the orders quickly but managed her microexpressions to ensure that she gave off every signal of confidence.  Just because she felt nervous about this assignment didn't mean everyone had to know it.

(Devon, finding out what insurance company the law firm is using is easy peasy since they were originally hired through Citizens working for Vigil. For creating the actual ID's you can choose to wing it which is Intelligence+Subterfuge, difficulty 6 and takes 5 minutes for each ID badge. These will not hold up to close scrutiny. However since most likely the guards never saw ID from the insurance company it will likely not cause much of a fuss. Alternatively for more perfect ID's you'd need to hack the insurance company, download their specific template for ID passes and then you can make a perfect copy. But obviously that takes more time and may not be needed since you're not trying to use them to bypass electronics)

(I'll toss that one back to Lauren, actually)

<darkblue>++Hey boss lady, how good are we looking for? I can mess around in Photoshop and have this done in half an hour, or have legit scans from their template by like, lunch... If you want us to actually have full covers in their system in case we get scanned, that's another whole job in itself. Your call.++

In any case, he began launching the necessary programs.

"OK, Devon, let's go with both.  I want something quick that will get us on the scene but I want backup documents for a deeper cover in case we are questioned later.  Priority on the initial documents.

If it's going to take you an hour, I am going to get the rest of the team something to eat before Jacki starts chewing on the furniture.  Can we bring you back something?  Ai, you want anything?"

Lauren had remembered that it was the little things from her previous supervisors that had made her like them.  That and always having her back.  She hadn't asked for this job, but she intended to do it well.

++Coding is an engine fueled by grease and caffeine. I prefer my grease to be of the meat-based variety and my caffeine to be accompanied by sugars.++

He fed information into his data-crawlers and found what he could about the previous front's insurance.

Still Int + Sub? Could we get the diceroller set to Whitewolf one of these days? I'll roll it at dif 6 in case that can help move things forward, ignore if it's the wrong thing.

Huh. Forgot a specialty for Int. Oh well: Devon Arc rolled 3 successes using 7d10 with the World of Darkness 3rd ed system with a target of 6 ((8,6,3,1,7,9,3)).

(if you were going for the quick fix then an intelligence+subterfuge at difficulty 6 yes. You basically do a cut and paste job to make badges with easily available information such as logos, fonts, etc found online and paste photos of the team members in. They won't open electronic locks at the insurance firm's office but then that's not the point, you just need to fool the hired guards at the lawfirm into letting you into Vigil's former front building. Because you got 3 successes instead of 1 you shave off 10 minutes of preptime and finish in 15 minutes)
This message was last edited by the GM at 14:31, Fri 11 Mar 2016.

(Great job so far guys. I'm going to open up two new threads tonight, one for Ai's medical research and one for the group visiting the lawfirm. When you are done with this scene please post End Scene. Everyone can take 3xp).
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:02, Fri 11 Mar 2016.

She blinked, a bit surprised to be offered something. "Oh, well, if you could, by chance bring me something from wherever you end up going? That would be really fantastic." She reasoned with a soft smile before she headed out to the morgue, preparing for the upcoming procedure.

<End Scene for Ai>

What're we looking for from Devon with the second half of Lauren's request? More of the same roll at different time, or something else?

"Got it," Jacki manages a mock military salute, before almost throwing herself from the conference room.

<Fin.>

Devon set to work breaking into the insurance company's systems to better mock up some more authentic IDs.

Cool, moving this procedure right along sounds like the way to go, since it's proven useful. I like what you had for a name ST, but how about Personality Matrix Data Analyzer? Or should it only be good for passwords, no psych profiles or anything?

Need ten successes, I'll just leave the diff at 4 since I don't have a reliable source of Primium batteries or the training to refine my own yet.

1: Devon Arc rolled 3 successes using 3d10 with the World of Darkness 3rd ed system with a target of 4 ((7,5,10))
2: Devon Arc failed (no successes) using 3d10 with the World of Darkness 3rd ed system with a target of 4 ((1,2,6)) (iirc, I can keep going... I don't think I need to spend a point of Willpower to do so, but if I do, consider it spent)
3: Devon Arc failed (no successes) using 3d10 with the World of Darkness 3rd ed system with a target of 4 ((2,1,5)) (Ones cancel rule, you are the first thing I houserule out of every game I run. How I hate thee.)
4: Devon Arc rolled 3 successes using 3d10 with the World of Darkness 3rd ed system with a target of 4 ((9,7,8)).
5: Devon Arc failed (1 failure) using 3d10 with the World of Darkness 3rd ed system with a target of 4 ((7,1,1)). (and this is where I am reasonably sure I absolutely have to spend a point of Willpower. Sheesh, at least I quoted a few more hours for this project)
6: Devon Arc rolled 3 successes using 3d10 with the World of Darkness 3rd ed system with a target of 4 ((4,10,5)).

There we go. If I was wrong and any of the no successes or full failures screwed the whole project, then ignore all of this and the team can just deal with the IDs we've already got, if not, it's one willpower spent (and I think one paradox?) and an hour and a half of work with +1 success for a little polish. There was another step to this project I think? If not: END.

(well Devon, some good news and some bad news. According to M20 the maximum number of dice you are allowed to roll in an extended magic rol is equal to arete/genius+willpower. Hadn't read that but technically that means you can't roll those 10 successes needed.
To which i say bullocks. One of the fun thing about mages is that their reach can exceed their grasp and that the lure of power sometimes pushes them over their limits with disastrous results. So now for the bad news :).

The bad news is your Procedure goes tits up this time. The compiler starts spitting out the wrong information and threatens to create a programming paradox.
Spending that willpower point (you may spend 1/round) means you avoid the botch.
Now you need to decide whether you want to break off the Procedure here and fail .. or continue.

If you break off the Procedure obviously you have failed in your hacking attempt. Your program couldn't put together the proper password and you don't get into the system. Flunked.

If you continue you lose 1 previous success and your difficulty goes up by +1, so to finish you need to roll 2 more successes at difficulty 5. And if you botch again .. well i'd hate to be you.)
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:48, Mon 14 Mar 2016.

That's interesting, and I clearly missed that section, could I get a page number to see what else I've missed? I blush to admit, but I have fallen to skimming the 800 pages of the new core book despite an adoration of the game.

And as to continuing... Devon is Nature: Hacker. Do I think that means the cautious kind...

Nah. Now he's pissed. He'll press on and since he's getting emotional about it, he'll burn out a Primium capacitor on his motherboard for the first roll, and toss another willpower into it t'boot. Even if we don't need the IDs by the end of this, he need proof o concept (and to not look bad after his grandiose speech earlier.

Devon Arc rolled 1 success using 3d10 with the World of Darkness 3rd ed system with a target of 4 ((1,6,4)).

PHEW. Aight, with that willpower and quintessence, scraped by. /shakes fist at ones.

Devo was deep in it. Sweat poured from his brows as visualization analogues streamed bright light across his screen.

But finally, the hack was complete. He would need that lunch, though, and the greasier the better.

End of scene.

OC And since I was just waiting to make sure we were all wrapped up :)

End of scene