The team can escape the collapse of Cooperman's dreams of Khanhood, with the second chip in hand. One last chip is still out on the streets, in the hands of Griffin, the team street sam. You have the location of his safe house, but not much else to go on at this point, and time is short.

I thought we had Griffin's appartment address.  I thought the warehouse was the "safe house"?

Caduceus was glad to be back above ground and out of his duct taped uniform.  He was dusty and sweaty and a bit sore, but unscathed.  That was the important thing.  He made a point to relax as they headed toward Griffin's place and munched on the burger and water Copperhead had been kind enough to purchase, and in about ten minutes he was feeling right-as-rain once again.

"That was a new one," Caduceus commented, referring to their infiltration and subsequent demolition of Cooperman's warehouse.  "Never thought I would blow up an entire building before, but never say never I guess."  A mere 24 hours ago he would have thought he would be more shaken up about doing something like that, but the very specific circumstances that had been present made him feel as if it was actually the correct course of action.  It was quick, efficient, and pitted their enemies against themselves rather than his co-runners.  The more he thought about it, the more he was sure their plan was a good call even if something else may have worked better.

16:08, Today: Caduceus rolled 6 successes using 6d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 3 with rolls of 4,4,4,5,4,5.  Stun Recovery (1 box).

The others could probably see Noruas munching on a burger as he added to Caduceus' comment, Technically, "I" blew up the building, but let's not split hairs.  We got a more pressing matter.  He swallows a mouthful of soyburger before continuing on, Are we sure Griffin is going to be at the next location we are approaching?

"Nope.  Ya gots any udder ideas?"

None for now.  But seeing how these chips change people so dramatically, what was it that this last one was supposed to be?  A super fighter?  Any ideas on how we're gonna tackle that when we do find him or her that has said chip slotted in them as well?  I'm fairly certain no one can resist the upgrade that those things can provide.

"If I kin get a clear shot, I kin take 'im out.  The chip ain gonna give 'im armor platin'.  We just gots ta fine 'im"

The warehouse you were in was the party safehouse. The apartment is this fellow's personal safehouse. Sorry that wasn't clear.

The In-Out Burger is busy for past midnight on a weeknight, but that isn't saying much. There's a motorcycle at the pickup counter that keeps falling over as the driver staggers under the weight of too much cheap beer. Behind that is a party wagon, whose booming speakers provide some nice cover from any listening bugs within a square mile.

There does seem to be a lot of security activity. Copperhead's police scanner squawks every few seconds as forces are rerouted. Something about a huge gang war resulting in building fires? Still, it'll keep eyes off of you for a few hours.
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:36, Tue 12 Sept 2017.

After filling her own belly (and more importantly her caffeine levels), Copperhead luged a battery pack over a nearby alley and replaced the pack in her LoneStar drone.  It still had a good 20 minutes left, but she somehow expected to need more than just that.  Lugging back the empty, she stowed it and returned to the driver compartment.

"Any stops 'fore we checks out da 'partment?"

"Unless we'll need my motorcycle, I think I'm good to go," Caduceus responded, sipping on his water.  He was enjoying the down time while he still could.  Even so, his mind was grinding over ways to deal with potential astral intervention.  "I'll check out the astral situation once we get parked somewhere.  Hopefully his safe-house isn't heavily warded."

White Duck, how many of Caduceus's grenades did you end up using?  I need to mark how many smokes and how many concussions he still has.

Duck finishes off the last of his "bacon" double cheeseburger and fries, drinks down his soda with an impolite belch, and looks around.

"How many of us do we want onsite for the infil? I'm good scoping the place out solo."

Dunno, ask Bear about that one, since he used em during the FF.

"When we gets close, I kin do a fly-o'er an scan.  Den we kin figgur if der's a place fer Noruas ta jack in.  Den we kin figgur 'oo does da phys'cal stuff.  Dat work?  We ready ta go?"

Duck nods and grins.

Noruas shrugs and nods.

Caduceus took another sip of water, then nodded as well.

Only the one grenade.

Are you moving to the apartment then?

I think we are all ready to go, yeah.

Copperhead chugged the remainder of her second "Xtra-kik!!" soycaf and set the RV in motion.  Her drone stirred up debris in the alley as it followed suit then quickly outpaced the van.  She beamed the zoomed low-light scans of the apartment and surrounding area onto the high-res screen in the back as she parked at the side street with a good view of their target.

quote:

11:13, Today: Copperhead rolled 4 successes using 6d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of 3,3,5,(6+1)7,(6+2)8,(6+6+6+1)19.  Perception.

Looking for security measures, entrances, occupancy of the target room (if we have a clue which one that is) and anything unusual/out of place.

If there's anything interesting to see, that should hopefully do it...

"I'll go take a cursory look at the local astral defenses.  I'll take a more in-depth look if we can figure out which apartment is his, and so long as I won't get quashed by territorial spirits or something.  I'll be back in a flash."  Caduceus's body slumped in his chair as his astral form left his body.

It's close to dawn; that hour when the night is the deepest, and the heavy Seattle night swallows up the sound of the distant highway.The apartment complex you find is half vacant, and far enough from the main drag it doesn't attract too much trouble (outside of the varmint variety). Despite the low occupancy, the building itself looks to be in rather good repair. It appears to be a pre-crash luxury condo complex. The pool has been turned into a zen garden, but otherwise the white walls are still white, and the power is still working, so that's nice.

The parking lot is entirely outdoors and marked with 'residents only' signs, with a line of storage sheds on the far side of it, almost certainly for residents. The lot only has half a dozen cars parked, for the twenty four units serviced. Most of the vehicles are higher end; BMWs and Mercedes. Not so nice as to turn heads, but these people aren't suffering either. The van is conspicuous by comparison, and without a lot of side streets with LOS, camouflage is tough.

The information you have gives you the floor (assuming the first floor is ground, like most American buildings) but you won't be able to pinpoint the room without getting in to see numbers on doors.

The building appears to mostly rely on automated defenses; cameras are visible, as well as a small 'doghouse' for a security drone by the door.

Caduceus departs to scope out the area. Someone did invest in low-level warding around  the populated floors of the building. Caduceus can probably push through, but it'll take time and risks detection. If he can get through the front door, it would be easier. The top two floors are unwarded. The top floor appears to be machinery and facilities, including laundry, and a small rec room. It's mostly empty though, with most of the rooms closed up and locked. The next floor down has been converted into a small garden space (again with plenty of abandoned and locked up rooms). Overall it's quite pleasant, if a little empty.

Copperhead scanned the area for any nearby utility accesses.  The cameras, dones and locks wouldn't matter too much if they could get Noruas in position to turn them off.

I was looking for this earlier, so I presume we go by my previous perception roll

Just show me the way, Copperhead.

Caduceus sat up in his seat, groggy, after returning to his body.  "The top two floors are unwarded," He reported.  "And we may want to wait until after dawn before I conjure any spirits.  They tend to disappear at dusk and dawn."

The shaman contemplated their situation for a few more moments before offering a few more possible strategic options.  "I could also try disguising this rig as something less conspicuous, Copperhead.  And if we catch a glimpse of a few residents, we could disguise ourselves as them as we head inside.  Illusions can be extremely useful in the right circumstances."

Most likely the primary utility connection is inside the building itself.

Copperhead's drones spread out, searching the area. Soon enough they locate a light green utility box. No high voltage signs--that's probably your utility box if you want to tap in.

Copperhead only has one aerial drone.  And this probably isn't the appropriate neighborhood to release the Doberman in - at least not yet :>

The van pulled up alongside the grey/green box, positioned to conceal it from view of the street as best she could
"Noruas, ya wanna check ta see how tough da fron' door is?

Caduceus, if ya wanna d'vert any pryin' eyes, dat'd be good"

While he was playing, Copperhead did her best to figure out the minimum number of cameras she'd need to take out with her rifle to provide an approach path to one of the doors that would allow her team to bypass the most likely locations for additional sensors - i.e. walking through a gate, not going over a fense.

Noruas gets to work on the lock (if there is one) on the utility box.  He quickly opens the metal cover and begins looking over the wires.  Once he finds the right wires to connect to, fixes his wireless tap in place and snaps them on before closing the box again.

I'm gonna try and access the system, please watch over my meat.

And with that said, he slumps over in the van.

"Hope a moving truck is alright by you," he said to Copperhead, then began concentrating on his spell.  He stayed seated, but put a hand out against the inside wall of the vehicle and closed his eyes.  He knew this target's shape.  Its appearance.  Its aura.  It needed to shed all of those old skins and rebirth itself into something new.  Caduceus began humming quietly to himself, which soon morphed into rhythmic hissing.  At the height of his casting one could even claim they heard the sound of rattling.  He channeled the power of Snake into the vehicle and put a Physical Mask around it, making it look like an appropriately sized moving truck that was just the right amount of up-scale to be in this neighborhood.  It took him longer than expected, but Caduceus wasn't really surprised.  It was a big target with a lot to change, and not a lot of astral aspects to work with considering it was a lifeless machine.

When his work was finally done, Caduceus crossed his arms and smiled.  "Your sensors should now be picking up the fact that you are now the proud owner of a Safe Co. moving truck."  Some of Caduceus's favorite touches were the ones he added on the inside.  He took the liberty of making his seat look much more plush and comfortable than it really was, and plastered the Safe Co. logo above the door.  He really liked how he made the cursive font in the logo resemble a snake if knew just how to look at it.  And the two mover mascots looked suspiciously similar to Noruas and Copperhead if you squinted.

Casting Force 5 Physical Mask on Copperhead's RV
Rolling 6 Sorcery Dice for casting.  Target Number is 4.
13:20, Today: Caduceus failed (no successes) using 6d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of 2,2,1,3,3,2.  Force 5 Physical Mask.
Failure.

Drain Target = 3 (Force 5 divided by 2, rounded down, +1)
For Drain I'm rolling 6 willpower dice, 6 Spell pool Dice, and 2 Snake totem dice (need 4 successes)
13:21, Today: Caduceus rolled 11 successes using 14d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 3 with rolls of (6+3)9,1,2,1,5,3,4,(6+3)9,4,5,5,3,3,(6+1)7.  Drain Test.
No Drain.

Trying Again.

Sorcery:
13:22, Today: Caduceus rolled 3 1 successes using 6d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 3 4 with rolls of 2,1,3,1,3,(6+1)7.  Force 5 Physical Mask.
Success!

Drain:
13:23, Today: Caduceus rolled 10 successes using 14d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 3 with rolls of 3,5,1,4,(6+2)8,(6+2)8,3,(6+5)11,5,2,1,3,1,(6+6+4)16.  Drain Test.
Still Good.

The van appears to be big, blocky, and dull. From sensors, it matches two other ugly box trucks in the area. Not bad!


Noruas connects into the Matrix. Quickly his world is flaring of bright colors, as data follows the trunk off to distant servers and hosts. Navigating real geography by the Matrix is always discombobulating, but in this case its easy to recognize the source of the newest packets flying by, and track them back to the building's host. The host has a small demo room built in VR open to anyone to investigate, while a buxom blonde narrates amenities. Outside of the room itself is a small access door, password protected, that certainly leads to anything more interesting than this ikea show room of a house.

Copperhead's voice came over the van's speakers.  "Dat gonna go 'way when da sun comes up?"

It wasn't immediately obvious whether her tone indicated concern or hope...

"No," Caduceus said with a slight chuckle.  "This here is totem magic.  It'll stay around until I decide otherwise.  On an unrelated note, I think you were about to make a generous donation to the Caduceus rainy-day fund, weren't you?"  He chuckled again, then added more seriously.  "But no, I can keep this illusion up as long as needed.  It will be harder to cast other spells while I do, however.  Or do anything complex, really.  And I won't be able to conjure spirits, astrally project, or use certain spells at all."  It wasn't ideal, that was for sure, but right now concealing their presence was important enough that veiling the vehicle was probably worth the drawbacks.

There was a slight pause, then the rigger's voice crackled over the radio again.  "'K"

A message comes over the comms; "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to witness me opening the front door for you all.  Please hurry up and find the apartment that our tango is in.  Feel free to message me the number once you find it.  I'll unlock the door for you then."

Presumably you can now enter the front door without using the fire axe method.

"Is da drone an da cameras fixed?"

Right then, it seemed it was time to move.  "Shall we?" he said to White Duck as he got up to leave.  He exited the RV/moving truck and strolled casually down the sidewalk.  After a short distance he feigned interest in a notice posted on a power pole and leaned against it, "reading."  Into the comms he said, "I'm going to need my mojo for this.  I'm dropping the veil and conjuring your RV some alternative protection."

The moment his spell dropped, Caduceus was calling forth a spirit of the city.  His knuckles turned white against the power pole as he reached out and called for one.  Luckily there was a spirit eager to help him out.  "Hey buddy, I need you to help me Conceal and Guard that RV, myself, and my friend White Duck whenever we are in your domain today, okay?  And if anyone happens to attack us, fill them with Fear and Confusion." Caduceus gave the spirit a mischievous smile, then continued the trek toward their destination.


13:22, Today: Caduceus rolled 4 successes using 4d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 3 with rolls of 4,3,4,5.  Conjure Force 3 City Spirit.
4 services, all are used.

13:22, Today: Caduceus rolled 4 successes using 8d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 3 with rolls of 4,3,1,3,(6+1)7,2,1,1.  Drain Test.
No Drain.

A little parking lot spirit appears by Caduceus.

"Suure." It stilts off and leans up against the RV. On the physical, at just the right angle, the glowing ember from its cigarette is visible against the RV's right turn signal.

The apartment complex is still pretty quiet. If Caduceus heads up to the door, the light next to the card reader will blink green.

Copperhead circled the building, performing both active and passive scans, looking for occupants by radar and heat signatures.  She probably wouldn't see the sleeping ones, but she'd have a good chance at finding those who were awake and wandering around - and those were the bigger threat.

quote:

15:39, Today: Copperhead rolled 4 successes using 6d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of 1,(6+6+1)13,4,4,2,4.  Passive scan.
15:39, Today: Copperhead rolled 3 successes using 6d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of 5,1,1,4,4,2.  Active scan.

So doubt I see much on radar, but infrared might work out better.

When the light blinked green, Caduceus pretended to unlock the door the way a tenant might, then pulled it open like he lived there.  Once inside the building's wards, he made sure to scan the area with astral perception at the soonest safe opportunity to ensure there were no immediate threats.  He reported his findings over his subvocal mic and began meandering down the hall to get a lay of the land.  He also kept an eye out for a nice secluded spot to go full astral if need be.  "Got access to any vacant apartments, Noruas?" he inquired.  Then a thought occurred to him.  "Say, would our guy try to keep the rooms around him empty?  Is there a room apart from the rest?  Or one tenant with multiple apartments next to each other?  Or maybe even one where the tenant overturn next door is extremely high?"  The shaman knew that line of thinking probably wouldn't lead anywhere substantial, but it might.

OOC: Is White Duck and/or the scorpion drone coming with?

Scorpion wouldn't be a lot of use - narcojet is depleted and I haven't had time to refill it.  But you can (and should) take the briefcase with you to give me eyes and give you some backup.  I presumed WhiteDuck would go with you - doesn't make sense to send a non-combat mage in on their own up against a super-amped street sam :>

Caduceus would definitely bring the briefcase with if it is available.

Passive scanning identifies a few dozen audio sources, mostly snoring, although there's also the distinct noise of a copper kettle boiling.

Astrally, the building has a distinctive stink; the smell of mildew seeps from behind the walls. There's also a cloying sweet undertone you can't quite place, like dried cloves or hamburgers forgotten behind the fridge for a week. Looking at the mail slots, most of them are grown over with dust and micro-organism colonies several thousand generations old. The remaining third show some signs of more recent activity.

I am assuming White Duck is with you.

Duck snaps out of his nap and exits, hurredly, but quietly joining up with Cadeuces.

"Sorry omae, long day. Passed out." he yawns and clicks his respirator in place as he meets Cadeuces' pace and walks with him side-by-side.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:24, Fri 24 Nov 2017.

I believe you're actually with Caduceus.  Noruas is still out cold taking care of security and matrix overwatch.

Caduceus looked at the mailboxes and reported the names and room numbers of the more recent users over his subvocal mic.  Then he leaned against the boxes and concentrated, drawing out a hearth spirit from within the bounds of the building's wards.  Once conjured he said to it, "Could you do me a solid and keep the two of us Guarded and Concealed?"

08:20, Today: Caduceus rolled 2 successes using 6d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 3 with rolls of 1,(6+6+6+6+4)28,1,2,2,5.  Conjure Force 3 Hearth Spirit.
2 services.

08:21, Today: Caduceus rolled 4 successes using 8d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 3 with rolls of 5,2,1,5,5,4,1,1.  Drain Test.
No drain.
This message was last edited by the player at 14:41, Thu 23 Nov 2017.

A tiny empty suit appears in the corner. It's a bit droopy and the sleeves are frayed, but you're certain it was once fashionable. Caduceus makes his request and the suit... does nothing? Maybe it's trying to wink? Hard to tell. Regardless, it disappears.

The used mail boxes are usually labeled. A few still have mail in the slot, but most have been emptied recently. None of them are labelled 'Shadowrun'.

Noruas, can I assume you're doing some on names and apartment numbers?

As Caduceus waited for a response from their decker, he recalled another piece of information that may aid in their search.  Over his mic he asked, "Do the apartments have car models listed for their allotted parking spaces?  I seem to recall Val mentioning that Griff had a really nice fifteen year old baby blue Westwind 1800.  She said it had aluminum components instead of plastic.  I guess that is better?"  The shaman knew he might catch some flak from Copperhead at that last comment, but he didn't really know cars very well.  When his motorcycle had problems worse than a burnt out bulb, he always had someone else take a look at it.

Copperhead did a quick scan of the parking lot looking for a matching vehicle.  Apartments often had numbered stalls that corresponded to the apartment numbers, so it was worth a try.

Scanning the area visually, there's no cars matching that description.

The radio crackles to life and Noruas's speed-warped voice comes over; "I found two suspicious apartments,  615 and 640. Focus on the one facing the parking lot."

If Noruas provides guidance as to where within the building the appartment actually is, Copperhead positions her drone to have maximum line-of-sight/line-of-fire into the space and does a detailed scan to get a sense of the layout and, if possible, identify any occupants, where they are and what they're doing.

quote:

13:28, Today: Copperhead rolled 4 successes using 6d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of (6+1)7,5,4,3,5,1.  Passive scan - target appartment.
13:28, Today: Copperhead rolled 6 successes using 6d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of 4,(6+5)11,(6+1)7,(6+1)7,(6+4)10,(6+3)9.  Active scan - target appartment.

Caduceus noted the apartment numbers and memorized them.  To White Duck he said, "Let's go find those places in meat-space, then I'll check them out in astral space.  Keep me safe?"

When they located the apartments, Caduceus looked them over with his astral sight to see if there were any extra barriers or spirits that he might have to contend with if he went full astral.  If so, he would note them to the group.  If not, he would find a secluded spot and search the apartments on the astral plane.

Noruas cannot map the apartments to their actual location; only the apartment number (which presumably includes the floor number).

Caduceus and White Duck take the elevator up to the sixth floor and make their way down the hall. All of the doors are open, although in a few cases, the door knob has been removed.

615 is from the outside a normal looking apartment. The apartment numbers are clean. 615 is definitely facing towards the parking lot. A quick check confirms 640 is not.

615 also has four padlocks on it.

Caduceus can find a comfy corner to curl up in and leave his body.

The hallway is quiet, still with that cloying sweetness.

Caduceus passes through the door. The apartment on the other side at first seems perfectly normal. Tidy, spartan. But gradually he becomes aware of something else; little colors of astral, like scrapings from car collisions.

From where Caduceus is, in the living room, there are no signs of astral wards or spiritual guards. However, as he turns to leave, he notices a mine set across the doorway. Anyone who comes through that front door will be turned into a fine, red mist.

(There is also a single bedroom, a kitchen, and a closet Caduceus did not investigate.)

Caduceus' eyes went wide when he saw the mine and quickly rushed back out to White Duck to manifest himself and report it before White Duck decided to try opening the door.  "There is a mine on the other side of the apartment door.  It might be best to go in through a wall or window if you don't want to get blown up."  After relaying his message, Caduceus went back in to survey the last few rooms.

He started with the closet, because he figured it would be fastest.  He then scanned the kitchen, and finally the bedroom.  He did not expect to find anyone here since padlocks on the front door indicated it would need to be locked from the outside, but he still tried to determine how long ago someone might have last been here, and what items they interacted with when they were here.

Lastly, he scanned the apartments that shared a wall, ceiling, or floor for any occupants to help them know how quiet they needed to be.

12:10, Today: Caduceus rolled 3 successes using 5d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of 4,2,5,2,(6+4)10.  Aura Reading (Auras).

"Wow, fun stuff." he says, raising his brows after hearing about the mine.

He looks to Cadeuces before he slumps. "Let's find out if any neighbors are absent. Might be able to get window access through there."
This message was last edited by the player at 13:54, Wed 06 Dec 2017.

Caduceus continues his search, starting with the closet. The closet is quiet shallow and stuffed with winter coats.

The apartment has a little kitchenette, which appears to be stocked with some fresh fruits, little pastries, and an assortment of teas, both black and herbal. They still glow with remnants of life.

The bathroom is tidy and unremarkable.

There is a single bedroom. The walls are lined with slate grey foam baffles, for sound insulation. The door too has been replaced with something much heavier, and a lock with no knob. Inside, the bed and carpets are covered with plastic sheeting. There's a wooden bureau to one side, and a small liquor cabinet next to it. There is a single closet. As Caduceus examines the closet, he becomes aware of an odd astral leakage on the top shelf; a mixing of multiple, different signatures together.

White Duck examines the two doors next to the apartment. Both are quiet. One is rusted shut, but the other looks to be in good repair. Copperhead doesn't come up with anything from outside.

Duck looks to Cadeuces, lighting up a cigarette with a grin. "So, anyone in there or...?" He asks, moving up to the rusted doorway. "Ahh shit I forget he's astral."

He takes a deep draw of the smoke, pretending to test it whilst honing his incredibly honed sense of hearing to listen on anyone potentially listening in on them. He exhales a voluminous plume of smoke, chiming into radio chatter to pretend everything's okay, going into one of his fallback stories, listening for any anxious breaths anywhere in the vicinity as his own voice fades to inaudibility.

"So these Mexican Orks were working on foundation repair at my apartment in Louseeana, all digging holes right outside my windows. One of em' starts leaning against the doorbell after a long workday without realizing it, right? I don't speak Spanish, so..." he prattles on, just itching to have some action after the huge explosion in Seattle's gangland.

After a moment of consideration, Caduceus opted to take a closer look at the mysterious leaking mixture of astral signatures in the closet.  He floated closer and tried to get a sense of just what he might be looking at.

15:47, Today: Caduceus rolled 2 successes using 5d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of 4,3,(6+5)11,2,2.  Aura Reading (Auras).

15:48, Today: Caduceus rolled 3 successes using 5d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of 4,1,5,(6+3)9,1.  Knowledge: Symbolism.

Caduceus examines the astral leakage. Gradually he realizes; these are the dim signatures of different people. Echoes of the originals. Probably something valuable from each person is stored inside this box, and might be used as material components.

White Duck focuses his hearing. (Karma reroll.) He can't hear anything initially, but as he 'chats' with slumped Caduceus, he hears the 'click' of a door lock across the hall from your target.

After analyzing his discovery, Caduceus returned to his body.  He wanted to report his findings and help infiltrate the apartment.  Over his mic he said, "I found a box in the bedroom closet that might be what we are looking for.  It has strong auras.  The bedroom itself is... odd, though."  He explained to the group all of the sound proofing, plastic liners, and the heavy lockless door.  "Any suggestions on how to get it?  maybe go in through the ceiling or floor from another apartment?"  He was half-joking, but only half.

Copperhead continues to monitor the area around the apartment.  If he wasn't there now, he might be coming back and she didn't want her teammates surprised if/when he did.

Duck waits in the hallway just past the door, blocking the immediately accessible direction to the building's stairwell. He flicks some ash from his smoke and nodded to Cadeuces, placing a finger over his lips and pointing at the door behind him.

White Duck hears a hissing sound. A moment later, the door across from the target apartment opens and a pair of gas grenades roll out, hissing as they release their payloads. The attacker is behind the door, which is mostly closed.

At this point, we're moving to combat. Please post your actions as fully as you can, so I can process multiple rounds at once.

Duck scoops up the grenades in a roll, tossing them back into the door and forcing it back shut with his body weight. Clicking his respirator on and waiting for them to explode before stepping in, identifying his target, and lashing out with a flurry of razor-sharp, monofilament cards. When he can appropriately corner his target, he stalks and pounces in using moves a mix of snake- and panther- style kung-fu to make a cautious, sudden series of deadly strikes.

At the first sign of trouble, Caduceus ducked behind cover and began conjuring a hearth spirit.  He reached with his power into the hidden spaces of the apartment building and quickly drew forth an amicable sidekick.  As the slightly-dingy spirit manifested, he said, "Sorry, no time for chit chat.  I need you to go in and blind the guy who threw the gas grenades at us.  Do whatever else you can to help White Duck too."  The shaman then drew his gun, ready to shoot, and did his best to stay out of range of the expanding gas.

12:32, Today: Caduceus rolled 5 successes using 6d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 3 with rolls of 5,4,(6+4)10,1,3,5.  Conjure Force 3 Hearth Spirit.
5 Services

12:32, Today: Caduceus rolled 4 successes using 8d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 3 with rolls of 2,5,2,4,1,3,1,4.  Drain Test.
No Drain.

White Duck neatly scoops the grenade and tosses it through the open door, pulling it shut. The grenade continues to hiss--with no boom. Instead there's a 'crack crack' as two rounds punch through the steel door. Duck throws open the door and combat is initiated. Duck throws three punches before his mind can process even what he is fighting and one, two, three they are swept or dodged, with the glint of steel razors and the blued steel of a revolver. Duck sweeps under the figure, causing them to stumble back and giving Duck an opening for a blow to the chest.

Caduceus summons a dingy spirit from the dust bunnies and urine stains of the apartment complex. It isn't the most fearsome spirit he's ever called on, but Caduceus knows, when two combatants are locked in melee combat, any little advantage will
determine the winner.

White Duck finally has a chance to take the figure in; a short human in a dark suit. It's hard to make out much more in the moment Duck sees him, before the figure turns and runs towards the back of the apartment. The gun fires twice more and, from outside, Copperhead can see the window shatter on the far side of the apartment.

Caduceus's spirit disappears, hopefully on its way to blind and trip up your attacker.

The suitcase didn't seem to be anywhere she could do anything useful, so Copperhead jumped into the aerial drone and swooped down to the other side of the building, trying to position herself to be able to fire through the window, or take out anyone who decided to make a jump for it.

Not sure how long that will take

After White Duck entered the room, Caduceus took the opportunity to approach the doorway himself, gun in one hand and briefcase in the other and his breath held.  He kept cover next to the doorframe, but slid Copperhead's briefcase over to where it would be able to shoot at anything inside the room.  "Briefcase is in position," he said over his mic.

Then, depending on how the situation played out, he either offered White Duck a bit of cover fire, or he attempted to cast Antidote on himself and his adept friend to help resist any effects of the potentially poisonous gasses.

I forgot about the briefcase!  But I still think the order Caduceus did things makes sense for the character.

Duck grins, entering a quiet, contemplative phase when he realizes his opponent isn't just some thug.

<<In pursuit.>> He flips down his thermographic goggles and engages them, sighting his target. He spots a couch, and in a running pursuit of his target, he uses the momentum to handspring over it, grabbing it on the hand-plant and flinging it across the room at his target with unerring accuracy.

"You've got nowhere to go. Face your opponent!"

Whether his opponent takes him up on it or not, a flurry of bladed throwing cards follows the chair as he continues to close in. He gets an angry expression on his face when he realizes he can't take a drag of his cigarette. Instead, he settles for the built in vaporizer, breathing in deeply and exhaling a plume of jasmine-scented vapor from his nostrils. Using the more aggressive dragon-style kung-fu, his hands turn into mighty, swiping claws, lashing out with a tail that is a spinning back kick! Kickyfooting promised and delivered!

White Duck dashes into the room, leaping after the figure. In a tremendous feat of strength, he lifts and hurls an entire couch. It's hard to see the impact, but Duck can hear an audible "WHOOF". The figure appears to be cornered--until he kicks one of the windows and it swings loose! He climbs outside as Duck throws a few of his cards, just a moment too slow. White Duck gives pursuit, only to feel something jab the sole of his foot. Looking down, he sees a caltrop has pushed through the bottom of his boot.

Caduceus, coming through from behind, can see his target, as well as the cloud of poisonous gas. He casts on himself to neutralize any toxins still lingering in the air.

Copperhead swings out from overhead. He can only barely make out the figure climbing the side of the building, as comfortable as spiderman.

"Ya should'a stayed inside.."

The rigger gave a mental twitch shifting ammo to gel rounds.  She didn't want to accidentally put holes in some poor wage-slave asleep in their bed, let alone a kid.  Hitting her teammates would be bad too she supposed.

The LMG let loose a controlled burst centered on the shadowy figure and prepared to fire again if he failed to be a good boy and fall and lie limp on the ground...


For the record, Copperhead is a she... :)

Free action - select ammo
Simple action - aim
Simple action - burst fire (3 rounds)

I'm going to assume restricted terrain and a movement speed of 30M/CT.

Movement score

quote:

15:29, Today: Copperhead rolled 4 using 6d6 with the Shadowrun, Open Test.  Movement score.

+10 for drone
-4 for restricted
+3 for speed
=13

I'm going to assume his quickness is > 3 but < 23, so no modifiers for that

Base TN = 4 for short range (using scope's image magnification)
-1 for aim
-1 (moving toward target)
+1 per 30m/CT speed
+2 Moving in restricted terrain
+0 Target is human sized

Resulting TN = 5

Using 6 from my driving pool, +2 for burst fire

quote:

15:32, Today: Copperhead rolled 7 successes using 14d6 with the Shadowrun 4th ed system with a target of 5 with rolls of 1,6,6,1,6,3,5,3,6,2,6,2,6,4.  Burst at target.

Base damage is 5S with power reduced by 1/2 impact armor rounding down, then staged up by successes.  After resisting damage (assuming he doesn't dodge all of that), he needs to roll body against a TN of 5 + damage modifiers.  If he doesn't get minimum successes for his damage level (2 for light, 3 med, 4 serious) he's knocked back a couple of meters from the attack.  That's probably bad if he's climbing...

To clarify - he's coming out the front of the apartment where the van could see him, right?Otherwise I wouldn't have needed to move the drone and my TN would have been 3.

"Stubborn bastard!" he growls through the mask, hearing the telltale pelting hailstorm of automatic weapons fire, "So much for a quiet day..." he thinks to himself.

<<<Still in pursuit, coming out the same window.>>> he indicates on radio, giving the wired drone-hive-queen a moment's notice before hopping out the window himself and climbing with an expertise of his own after the target of her gunfire, corded muscles working beneath a clean suit to grab at barely noticeable handholds in his pursuit, one that would likely shame a UCAS Ninja Warrior obstacle course.

"Crap," Caduceus said as he saw their mark head out the window, with White Duck following closely behind.  He ran to the opening in case White Duck lost his footing and needed some magical assistance to avoid smashing into the pavement.

Caduceus will prepare to use Levitate on White Duck or the runner if either of them fall.  If both fall, he'll give White Duck preference.

Would leaning out the window put Caduceus in the city and/or sky domain for conjuring spirits?  Or would the two climbers outside still be in an aspect of the hearth domain since they are still touching the building?  If the later happens to be true, Caduceus would have his hearth spirit try to cause an Accident on the climber.

There's a rip of gunfire as Copperhead crosses into view and takes the shot. The figure takes the blow and stumbles backwards, falling just long enough for pants-soiling before a magical spell wraps around him and slows his descent to nothing. (He does have an opportunity to resist the spell, but declines.)

White Duck is close enough to grab the figure by the collar if he desires. Caduceus meanwhile has full control, as long as he holds the spell in place (and doesn't get close enough to a ledge for the figure to pull himself back up).

When you're cross-domains like that, you can choose either one that applies--but only one at a time.

"I got him," Caduceus reported to everyone over the mic.  "Just... don't let him shoot me or something."  The shaman kept his concentration fully focused on his spell, making sure not move their guy to a spot where he would have something to grab onto.

Copperhead flicks on her blue and reds, figuring it's less likely for LoneStar to be called if people figure they're already present.

"THIS IS LONESTAR.  DROP YOUR WEAPONS AND PLACE YOUR HANDS BEHIND YOUR HEAD.  FAILURE TO COMPLY WILL BE INTERPRETED AS AN AGGRESSIVE ACT."

Duck, still masked, safely climbs to the ground in pace with the levitating target, moving over and checking for a chip to extract, then deftly doing so if there happens to be one.

The figure does not drop his weapons, nor does he move at all. It's difficult to tell (from Copperhead's vantage point) if the figure is being disobedient or being unconscious.

White Duck can clearly see this person is conscious--and watching him very carefully. WD sees the port come into view and seizes it. The figure's hand clamps around White Duck's wrist--but WD has every advantage in this situation, and with a twist, the chip unlocks, and the figure finally falls unconscious. White Duck pulls back the third and final of the three missing chips.

"Dis our guy?"

It would be unfortunate if they'd just startled some jumpy drug dealer...

"Assuming he is, I'll pull him back inside," Caduceus added.  "But if he's not, let me know and I'll go ahead and set him down right out there."  Caduceus was getting excited that their mission seemed to be coming to a close, but he tried not to show it.  Things could always go wrong.  Still, their payday certainly seemed to be looming within reach now.

As the runners are discussing, the man jolts in his sleep, his eyes crack, and he shouts in surprise and terror, throwing his arms out. Caduceus feels his spell suddenly resisted--and break. The figure drops out of sight.

"Well, yes, that was our mark. Package obtained. Looks like we are ready to turn em in ladies and gents." he says as he watches the perp drop. (Thought he was already on the ground? Cadeuces lowered him and Duck obtained the chip, so did he run off or something?)

Out of sight of me too?  Can I shoot him as he falls?  I've had my gun trained on him the whole time essentially holding action...

"Ugh," Caduceus said aloud as the spell broke and the man disappeared.  He had wanted to make sure no copies of the chips were made before their source of information got away, but there was little he could do without being able to see the man.  He would have to leave it to his fellow 'runners.

Still, as he leaned out the window Caduceus began the process of switching to the wind domain to conjure a spirit if a search or chase became necessary.

11:02, Today: Caduceus rolled 3 successes using 4d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 3 with rolls of (6+1)7,5,5,1.  Conjure Force 3 Wind Spirit.
Three services.

11:03, Today: Caduceus rolled 5 successes using 8d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 3 with rolls of 3,2,3,4,5,1,5,1.  Drain Test.
No Drain.

"Damned shame they don't seem to remember..." Duck remarks via comms, heading back to the van as discretely as possible.

"I mean I threw a couch at the guy. Doesn't even get to have the memory of a sofa being chucked at his head. Poor fella." He gets into the van, brandishing the chip with a grin.

"Payday."

Yes, Copperhead has her guns trained if she wants to shoot a person as he falls to his death. Up to you. Yes, Caduceus was preparing to lower him--after WD pulls the chip, and at the rate determined by Caduceus's levitate spell (which isn't too fast). Unfortunately, the blackout period isn't very long.

The runners watch for a moment as the figure drops four or five levels and impacts on the cement walk below. Given the splatter, he's probably dead, but Firefox can fire a few gel rounds into the body if she cares to.

With everything done, the runners can pack up back into the van before the real Star shows up.

Sorry, forgot we were talking about the 4th floor.

Copperhead left her flashers on for another 30 seconds in case it took some time to get to the window, then flipped them off.  She kept her eye out for the radar signatures of any approaching drones.  She'd see their active broadcasts before they'd see her reflected signature - and LoneStar drones weren't big on stealth approaches.

"Best ta getcher hoops outa der so decker-boy kin unplug and we kin get outta here."

Caduceus sighed as he realized that the man probably did not survive the fall.  To the spirit he had conjured, he said, "If anyone takes an interest in the guy down there, Confuse them please."  He then pulled his head back in the window and out of the wind spirit's domain, then hurried to keep up with White Duck.  The adept was right.  At least they could get their payday out of it.

The party climbs back into the wagon and escapes, a few hours before dawn is set to break over the horizon.

At this point, with all three chips in hand, you need to decide if there is any last actions to take before calling Roxanne back, to schedule the drop-off and, hopefully, a fat nuyen payment.

Caduceus took some time to look at all of the chips on the astral plane, now that they had them all together.  He studied any lingering auras on them very carefully, noting the differences between them, and tried to see if there were any hints about any reason they should be suspicious.  Perhaps a lingering aura that suggested tampering, or a person involved they had not yet met.  Signs of an elaborate setup?  Who knew?

Caduceus didn't really expect to find anything worth mentioning, but he would be neglecting his role in the team if he didn't at least look.

Aside from that, the shaman was content to leave any further decisions up to the more technologically-minded of the group.  Then collect a big fat credstick for their efforts.

11:02, Today: Caduceus rolled 1 success using 5d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of 3,3,1,(6+3)9,2.  Aura Reading (Auras) - chips.

The chips are definitely technology. There's some faint remnants of aura of the users; enough you could learn to recognize them. But there is nothing magical about them.

Copperhead drives the group a good distance away, following with her drone, before parking and swapping out battery packs with the one she'd been charging from the van's powerplant.

"So I guess we calls da J. an sees if she tries ta stab us inna back.  Mebbe we tries da same place as da firs' meet?"

We'd need to be there first to set up the place.  But its worth a shot.

The phone rings five times before Roxanne picks it up.

"You have news? Meet me at the Banshee. I'll be there in twenty minutes."

The van was already three-quarters of the way to the Banshee when the call went through.  She pulled into the parking lot five minutes later.  Her drone took up a high-altitude position covering the other side of the building, watching the nearby roadways for Roxanne's vehicle.

Duck hops out of the van first and moves into the bar, trusting his team for secure overwatch.

Caduceus took a few minutes to conjure some spirits both inside and outside of the Banshee, just as an added precaution in case it became necessary.  He then found a nice seat inside the establishment and waited for Roxanne to show.  He would keep an eye on White Duck as the adept did his thing.  "Good to go in here," he announced over his mic.  The shaman took a sip of water as he eyed up the room and its early morning crowd.

Caduceus, White Duck, and Noruas enter the bar you've come to know so well. This time, however, things are different. A new bouncer checks in your heavy weapons, and the razor blocking your path moves out of the way a little too quickly. You enter the silent bar. The bartender flashes you a smile and a nod as you head for the back door. One of the waitresses gives you the eye as you cross the room. By the time you get there, the door is open. So this is what respect feels like.

Despite her promise, as you approach the back room, Roxanne is already waiting with her blue drink. If they hurried over right after the call, she's not showing the glow of a sweat. She rises to greet you as you enter the room. She ushers you to the back room, where Urian waits on one of the wooden chairs.

"Congratulations. You have accomplished a mission I feared was impossible. You have the right to feel proud. I know you must be tired, so I will not detain you. I have your nuyen right here. If I could see the chips?"

While Caduceus waited for White Duck to take the lead in the conversation as he did during the first meeting, Caduceus did his part by keeping a keen eye on the situation.  After scanning the room in physical space, he did the same in astral space.  After assuring himself that there were no obvious threats, the shaman kept an eye on the auras of Urian and his people.  If someone tried to do something fishy, hopefully a shift in their auras would give him a heads up.

Duck gets out an old cigarette box, which has been emptied and seen some wear and tear through various battles. He takes the last smoke out of the pack and then closes it and shakes it, the chips rattling inside. He tosses them casually onto the table, lighting up the lucky strike from the pack and taking a deep inhale.

"Yep. Extracted them all personally." he shakes his head with a soft chuckle. His keen eyes find Urian Manes towards the back, and he scratches at the day's stubble.

"Caused memory overrides, neh? Dangerous stuff you got here. We'll kindly collect our pay and be outta your hair."

White Duck hands over the chips and Roxanne will check them, slotting each one in turn in a small device. She seems satisfied with each. Urian hands over the credsticks, which you can also validate.

"You've done me, and my business, a great service. I wasn't sure recovering them in such a short time frame would be possible. So for that, you have my gratitude. If you need anything from us in the future, please reach out to Roxanne. And of course, we'll keep you in mind for future work. Meanwhile, we've taken the liberty of covering your tab at the bar, if you'd like to enjoy a little time off.

"I'm sorry I can't spend the day hearing about everything you've uncovered. But I expect we'll be speaking again."

With that, he and Roxanne will take their leave.

Yayy!! Adventure completed. Definitely took a little longer than I had planned!

Karma awards:
White Duck's and Caduceus's chase in the last scene was great. +1 karma for each of them.
2 karma for everyone for surviving.
3 karma for returning 3 chips to Global.
1 point for Urian keeping his company.
1 point for finishing the chapter.

The team receives $124,000 per chip, minus your $8,000 advance. That brings each character up by $91k (or $93k if you didn't accept the initial advance).

If you would like to add contacts, you may do so, but you also have to take the enemies with this one.
Contacts would be Roxanne (Johnson), Teehee (decker), Val (rigger), and Freya (mage). Enemy is Hollywood Simsense Entertainment and Booker Pengrave.

With that, the adventure is wrapped up! I hope people had fun!
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:16, Thu 08 Mar 2018.

Duck looks to Cadeuces with a shrug, then moves over to the bar. He radios in to the team at this point.

<<Alright, payday acquired, drinks on our employers, who you'll notice have left. Come on in and let's have a few.>> He packs another fresh pack of smokes from his pockets, opens it, sets the lucky, then pulls one out, lights it with a deep inhalation, and gets the attention of the bartender.

"Don't suppose you can throw together a decent hurricane?"

"I'll watch 'er six fer a bit.  S' best not ta drink an' drive.  Specially when I's drivin' multiple tings at da same time."

An uncharacteristic grin is clearly audible in her voice.

"I 'sume dat repairs an replacin' spendables is gonna happen 'for we splits da Nuyen?"

She had a few holes to fix in her beloved rig and not a few grenades that needed replacing.  She also intended to put in some armored panels around her driving pod.  That rifle shot had pointed out an obvious issue with her armor that needed to be rectified before she did any more running.

Noruas chimes in on the comms, Yeah, I'm fine with helping out with your repairs since we were the cause, but modifying your rig might cut into my paycheck a little too deeply...

The dwarf orders a club soda from the bartender.

Duck chuckled at Copperhead's request, then considered something for a moment as he pondered his drink options, settling for a White Russian, its swirling, milky tones a darker skin color than his own.

<<So, tell ya what, CH. You put in your fair share of work and we couldn't have done it without you. I'll give you half my cut, let everyone else keep their cash, so ka? Just gotta come in and have a good time with us, you earned it.>>

Doan need half.  Figger mebbe 15-20k fer da repairs, da ammo an fixin da paint.  I kin do my own work, so dat 'elps.  Call it 4k each.  If ya wanna cover Snakey and Decker-boy's bit, I guess dat works.

"I can chip in too, if need be.  But I would be more than happy to let White Duck pay my share if he's really offering.  I'm not a cheapskate, but I'm not above seizing a good bargain when one presents itself either."  He gave White Duck a wink and a devilish grin from his spot just down the bar.  He was sitting close enough to be sociable, but not so close that he had to suck in all the cigarette smoke.  He sipped on his virgin pina colada and drummed his fingers on the bar in time with the music that was playing.

"No worries, she can take it outta my cut. We were able to prevent a lot more havoc with her havoc, so fair's fair." he shrugs, taking a sip of his drink.

"So, Deuces, I got a proposition for ya. That is, if you'd be interested in increasing your magical capabilities..."

The dwarf shrugs his shoulders nonchalantly at the offer, Meh, I'm fine either way.  4k seems amply reasonable.

He takes a swig at his club soda then continues, Just let me know what you guys decide.

"Well now you went ahead and tugged on my guilt strings," Caduceus said to White Duck.  "Her havoc kept our hides safe, but yours did too.  You got skills, that's for sure.  Definitely saved me from ruining my coat at least one or twice."  Caduceus took another sip from his drink.  "I did get stabbed in an elevator though..." He thought back to the events of recent history. "Anyone else get stabbed?  I don't seem to recall mending up anyone else over the last few days.  Eh, who cares.  I'll pay my share too.  Now what's this about magic capabilities?"  White Duck had Caduceus's full attention.

Subtracted 4,000 from my earnings.

Noruas chuckles at Caduceus response, then adds, You got stabbed.  I got shot.  At least I was close to a clinic.  So what's this about magical capabilities?