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[tisoz]

It Begins

The young man walked into Matchsticks and was almost surprised when the doorman stopped him and asked him to check his weapons.

"I don't have any," he said as the doorman gave an imperceptable look of sure. But the scan didn't turn up any, not even hidden inside the cast on the man's right arm.

"Enjoy your evening, sir," the doorman said, and the man entered the dim, smoky interior.

Growing up in the Seattle plex, he had always heard Matchsticks was a place to hire shadowrunners. He looked around the bar, trying not to look aggressive, trying not to provoke anyone, but hoping to find any trace or hint of the kind of people who could pull the job he had in mind. He felt out of his league, like prey, but mustered his courage and prepared to see his plan through.

/edit/

[Yum Donuts]

Beast
It was that time of the month again. No, the other that time of the month: rent was due, and he needed money.
Since the boss didn't have anything big that needed doing, Beast had spent the last 2 nights at Matchsticks trying to find his way to a job.
Watching the people come and go, through the door, he piqued with interrest at this newcomer. this kid hadn't had to disarm, and the cast looked real enough. obvious physical frailty and a timid look, he's gonna get chewed up in here.

Picking up his white russian (he wasn't fond of many mixed drinks, but that was one he could apreciate), Beast began sifting through the crowd trying to keep a low profile despite his large size, he wanted to lurk near the kid without being noticed. He'd step in if he had to, but in this bar, it was usually much better to mind your own business.

[tisoz]

The young man

After wandering around the establishment for a few minutes, a waitress asks if she can help him. He decides to level with her and explains his predicament and the reason for his visit to Matchsticks. The waitress acts as though she has heard similar requests and introduces him to the manager.

The manager says for a small charge, he will have any inquiries for work directed to the young man at the young man's booth. As the manager returns the young man's credstick he says, "Thank you Mr. Johnson. Let me know if I can do anything else for you."

A puzzled look fleetingly crosses the young man's features then he says, "Oh yeah, Mr. Johnson. Thank you, I'll let you know."

[TinkerGnome]

Apoc moved into Matchsticks slowly. He'd been told that this was a descent place to find work, but since he'd never been hired on for anything other than screamers across the border, it was all a little new. In the back of his mind, he could see the dizzying array of bars and lights which were the heartbeat of his network. The implant in his skull would let him grip the network at any time, but doing so would wipe out much of his ability in the outside world.

The signal from the cranial implant was weak, of course, and even this distance from the van, the signal strength bar flickered yellow more often than green. He wasn't used to this kind of work, for certain.

Before the bouncer had even finished, he produced a holstered predator and handed it over. He didn't move to pull the holdout from the small of his back. The gun was smaller than his plam and made of high grade plastics. It was barely worth carrying, but it helped his piece of mind. Any gun was better than no gun.

He slipped inside and let his eyes adjust to the interior lighting. They did, of course, rapidly. The mechanical irise mimiced normal eyes almost flawlessly, which they should considering the amount he'd paid for them. They clicked through vision modes rapidly, settling on a slight boost to the ambient illumination. He briefly overlaid the thermal spectrum, but cut it off again because the room was too warm and it all muddled together into one mess of runny oranges and blues with people only partialy visible in their reds.

All of this took only a few seconds, and the newcomer licked his lips before sliding over to the bar and ordering a scotch. He took a sip and the indicator light for the van started blinking. He leaned forward and rested an elbow on the bar before letting the RAS kick in. He became the vehicle in an instant, checking to see the what the issue had been. Another vehicle had pulled in beside it. He could see a person getting out, though they walked past his van without a second look.

Jumpy... he chided himself as he disconnected from the network. The drones weren't active, of course, but they still fed "alive" signals to the system as they waited for the wakeup call.

Nothing in the bar had changed in the five seconds or so he had been staring blankly into his drink. He downed the scotch and ordered another. My fraggin' nerves are fried, he lamented silently before looking around the room non-chalantly.

[Sphynx]

Thunder remains in his seat, a long day of work has him weary and dying for a refreshing drink which he's now had 3 of on this late evening. Tomorrow.... tomorrow I definitely quit that stupid job... I mean it this time, today was the last... oh, what am I talking to myself for? I say this every night... I sure as hell wish my luck'd change a bit, would love to get a break and get out of this line of work.... Crap, still talking to myself... The look of worry only deepens as the dwarf buries himself deeper into thought, ignoring most of what's going on this evening.

Realization that he's sitting alone buried deep in thought when he's in a public place hits suddenly, and with a grumbling sound he rolls out of the booth, up to the bar, climbing up to the top of the stool, "Nother please... less water this time? And could someone please pass down the stale pretzel sticks?"

[Eyeless Blond]

Pierce reached accross the bar and handed over the bowl. "Gladly; the mold's been stinking up the place all night," he commented wryly as he got back to his obligatory drink. Work today had been particularly rough; one of his more mechanized patients had a malfuntioning arm that had thrashed about for half an hour before he and his assistant Joy could get it properly rewired. Pierce idly rubbed his forehead where the arm had clocked him once before he had wrestled it into a restraint. Drekking gangers and their drekking souped-up arms, he thought, taking another long drink, Hope something interesting comes up tonight; if I came down here for nothing tonight I'll really be pissed.

[Panzergeist]

Blender watched the young man come in from his corner table. He too noticed the conspicuous lack of any weapons to check at the door. Either this guy's a real pro or a real newbie. Or a mage. Sipping his bottle of mineral water, he observed as the guy, acting clearly out of place, made a transparent attempt to not be overheard talking to the watress and the manager.

Blender stole another glance at the weapons checkpoint by the entrance, where his katana and stun baton were. He didn't like parting with the katana, though he wasn't too concerned about the baton. Not that he was unarmed; he had managed to sneak in his kris, a curvy knife made of non-ferromagnetic alloys and covered with insulating dikote, between the folds of his armored trench coat and his form-fitting armor. His forearms guards had distracted the doorman's attention from it. No, the reason for his concern was that the katana was magical. In addition to being worth nearly three hundred thousand nuyen, making it by far the most valuable thing he had ever owned, it was his favorite weapon, and could be used to magically track him down if anyone got hold of it. He had agonized over whether or not to bring it, knowing he would have to leave it at the door, before deciding that he was just being paranoid.

[Chupacabras]

Cass

"What frags like a tiger and winks?" Cass looked up at the guy dancing with her. 'Did he really just say that?' She wondered. But he had. He looked like a fratboy from the U.; Hair clipped short and thick with gel, arms well-muscled and shaved--'probably oiled too,'Cass thought. Still, he wasn't bad looking. Even with that cheap Armani knock-off, 'at least he can afford a cheap Armani knock-off,' and that stupid goatee.

'Soka, I'll bite...' "...What?" Cass asked.

Her dancing partner answered her only with a dirty leer and a wink. His hands were all over Cass by now.

'Creep.' Cass pulled away from him with a gentle, but tired smile. "Wiz. But I gotta go..." She stopped trying to shout over the music--what was the point?--and gave the fratboy a disinterested little wave before losing herself in the crowd.

Threading her way across the dance floor, down the stairs and to the bar, moving as quietly as a whisper, Cass approached the counter. She slipped onto a stool next to a couple of dwarves, and waved for the bartender's attention. "Sake, cold? Thanks."

Waiting on her drink, Cass folded her arms over the countertop and glanced around the club. If she couldn't find Mr. Right, at least she might be find Mr. J. They were usually coming out of the walls in this place...but she didn't see anyone who immediately stood out...

[tisoz]

The Young Man, er, Mr. Johnson

The young man takes a good look around the bar from the cover of his booth. It is hard to see through the smoky, dimly lit room, but at least the place has a nice crowd for a Monday night. He ponders the managers offer of help and a private room where he can hear over the Jazz band. The crowd looks... hard is the word that comes to mind.

Am I going to do this or not? He slaps his hand on the table as he makes up his mind, drawing some attention, probably more than he wants, and the waitress comes over.

"I've decided to take the managers offer for sending me some people looking for work," he says. "Can I get the back room?"

The waitress replies, "I'll pass the message along, and I think the room is available."

The young man tips her, hoping it is enough but not too much to betray his ignorance of such dealings.

The waitress returns and leads him to a door at the back of the club. "You should be fine here."

"Can you send me thet freaky looking guy with the double jointed legs? That is, if he's looking for work. I may need a bodyguard." At least I'll feel safer if I have the most obviously cybered goon on my side. "And would it be ok to let him have his weapon if I do hire him?"

The waitress looks at him a little sideways. I didn't notice that guy. "I'll see what I can do."

"Thank you."

The waitress goes into the main room and carefully scans it for the stealthy guy with the legs. You've got to be kidding me she thinks when she sees the man standing inconspicuosly against the wall, partially hidden by a booth and some of the bands equipment. She approaches him, "Can I get you anything?" she asks.

[Beast of Revolut...]

Renegade sipped his rum and soda as he scanned the room. He was here in hopes of getting a job, but aside from Blender, whom he had worked with once before, and the people working at the place, he didn't recognize anyone. His mind had just drifted off to how much he hated governments and corporations, and especcially government-wannabe corps like Lone Star, when he noticed the young man come in. He had seen that nervous manner before, in a Johnson who hired him on behalf of himself to find his missing son. It was the way a first-time Johnson acted.

[Yum Donuts]

Seeing the kid go to the back room, it makes a bit more sense. He was here to hire people. How handy, since I'm in the mood to be hired. Something about the level of incompetance and uncertainty made the Johnson actually more appealing. First because I hope he's too scared to even think of a double cross, and second it might be easy to get a bit more out of him since he A: doesn't know going rates, and B: is obviously desperate or he wouldn't be here.
coming up from leaning against a wall, I had just begun walking towards the bar to get an audience when the waitress aproaches me.

Downing the drink I had been leasurely sipping, then handing her the glass, slipping her 50 :nuyen: at the same time"You can get rid of this, and can get me in to see the man you just escorted back there."

[TinkerGnome]

Apoc is somewhat oblivious to the subtle dance going on around him. His experience with unsavory types is fairly solid, but the intricacies of shadowrunning are not. He takes another sip of his scotch and swirls the remaining liquid in his glass.

The liquor seems to be melting some of his hard edges and helping him think. The little lights dancing in the back of his mind don't calm down, and he keeps a mental eye on them, but his body language opens up considerably. He stops hunkering over the bar and sits back, looking around casually and scanning the crowd.

Under the cover of checking out women in the smoky room (which he does a fair bit of), he assesses the crowd as best he can. it's clear that some folks are professionals, but that most aren't. He sees the kid going to the back room but idly dismisses it. Must be applying for a job, he thinks, and leaves it at that.

[Eyeless Blond]

[ Pierce ]

Pierce glanced down at his softly beeping pocket secretary and read the number of the caller ID box. Joy was calling, and at this time of day there could be only one reason. Pierce sighed inwardly and plugged in the transducer. "Absolutely not," he said, speaking through his jack.

"But Saaaaaaam...," the woman on the other end replied, her voice dripping with saccharine, "Angie's parents are home tonight, so we can't stay there. And you know she's leaving for New York next week, so we can't...."

Pierce cut her off mid-sentence, "Especially not then! I had to steralize the ceiling last time you spent the night in the clinic with that one. The drekking ceiling! I still have no idea how... nevermind! Just... no, no. NO, no. No, no. No."

Joy pouted. "We just got a little carried away, that's all. It won't happen again; I promise." Hearing the sound of a disapproving grunt on the other end, Joy immediately brightened up. "Thanks Sam! I owe ya one!"

Sam made a small growling noise through his transducer. "All right, all right. Just... at least keep off the operating table, okay? We've got a tricky implantation tomorow afternoon--the razors for that dancer, remember?--and I don't want to be distracted thinking about what you were implanting on that table the night before, got it?"

Joy laughed. "Oh I remember the dancer. Maybe, after we're done with her, she can do a little surgery herself and remove the stick from your-"

Pierce cut the connection before Joy could complete that thought, or the other one about 'maybe find him a guy instead.' For a few seconds he made a halfhearted attempt to growl at his drink, but despite himself started to chuckle. That girl must date half of Seatle, but I'm the one who's whipped, he thought semi-ruefully, snorting into the cheap synthahol.


[ :ooc: ] There, I'd say that introduces Pierce and Joy better than any OoC description. :D [/ :ooc: ]

[Chupacabras]

(Cass)

A stool away from Pierce, and the conversation going on in the dwarf's head, Cass was pushing a ten nuyen note across the bar counter.

"Thanks omae." Cass took her sake from the bartender, and craddled it in both hands. The sake was cold, but old habits die hard. Glancing back over her shoulder Cass saw a big thick shouldered ork moving across the club...and then briefly caught sight of the ork's clumsy-looking, but fast-moving, cybernetic legs. Curious, Cass tried to follow the ork with her eyes as he passed between tables.

Look the part, be the part. 'That guy definitely looks the part...' Cass thought to herself. She took a sip from her cup of cooled sake, tilting her head to one side consideringly. There was definitely something going down. Cass could almost smell it.

Taking another swallow of sake, Cass waved down the bartender again and as he approached, leaned towards him across the counter. "Hey, uh, could you let me know if someone called Johnson is looking for me? My name's Casper." she whispered, sliding fifty nuyen more his way.

[Digital Heroin]

Snow had been contacted earlier that evening via one of his virtual dead letter boxes. The contact had been made by Johnny Jett, an assosciate whom at times ran overwatch for him. It seemed that a young Johnson was treading it waters which may be in over his head, and is in need of a competant bodyguard. This would suit his needs quite well. People were beginning to wonder why Robert Winters, his public face, hadn't gone on a business trip of late. Just when they were beginning to wonder what his business was, he departs for the orient, presumably to acquire another work of ancient art.

Snow's Porsche Winter pulls up in front of the club, and he steps forth. The place was not his usual fair, but it was a welcome change from the usual pop culture farms most shadowrunners seemed to favor. Approaching the valet, he gives the man a :nuyen: 50 tip, informing him to arm the security device before leaving the car. He gives the same for the bouncer, to avoid the requisit pat down. Of course, he is armed, but the MAD sensors would be none the wiser, as his weapon is completely ceramic and alloy. A good bodyguard was never without weapon after all. He takes a moment after he steps inside to look the room over, and he slips up to the bar. He makes a quick inquiry, ascertaining the location of his employer to be, and then sets off after the young man.

[tisoz]

Beast

[TinkerGnome]

Apoc lets the mental lights fall farther away from his mind's eye as he sees money passing between various hardened looking individuals and the bartender. A little while later, he signals the bartender and orders another scotch.

Leaning close over the top of the bar, he adds the request, "You seen a person nam'a Johnson in here tonight? I think they might be lookin' for me." He slides an extra fifty note in with the money for the scotch and slides it across the counter."

[tisoz]

Apoc

[Chupacabras]

(Cass)

Cass smiled sweetly at the bartender. "Thanks omae." She listened to his instructions and then slipped off her stool, glancing side-long at Apoc and then moving through the crowd to the door at the back of the club.

Rapping her knuckles lightly against the door, the faintest little tap, Cass waited to be admitted into the room. Upon entering she looked from the freakish Beast to the young man to Snow, and with a slight shrug hooked her thumbs into her waistband.

"Soka...which one of you is Mr. J?"

[tisoz]

Mr. Johnson

In the back room away from the smoke and with a little bit better lighting, the runners can see that Mr. Johnson looks like a human male between the ages of 23 and 28. The plaster cast on his right arm looks only days old and no different than ones you've seen from the hospital.

Now that you get a closer look, two datajacks are visible on his skull. His clothes are not tres chic or even what could be termed fine.

[Panzergeist]

This is pretty good pay for a runner like Blender. Still, he thinks this newbie Johnson might be willing to go a bit higher. "Sounds like a good job, but if we aren't allowed to loot stuff and fence it, then we'll need to be paid very well. We need to talk this over amongst ourselves for a minute."

[Beast of Revolut...]

Renegade is intrigued by the high pay, but that is offset by the necesity of foregoing his favorite pastime: looting. He decides to see if he and his would-be teammates can pump the Johnson for more information. Taking a couple quick glances around the room in astral and physical space, he checks out the Johnson's aura.

[Sphynx]

Thunder in the Back Office

"Mr Johnson, that is indeed a fine offer, and I'm definitely the man for the job. You need someone who can get in and out without being noticed, my Mojo lets me do just that, I can go in through the roof, or from below, unseen, without ever leaving a single footprint. I can open doors without leaving a finger print, nobody will ever know I was there, nobody will ever know what hit them. More importantly, nobody will ever be harmed, but simply fall asleep on the job. And chances are good that if there's any magical defenses there, I helped set them up, so getting past them should be easy. What I need to know though is how much merchandise. We'll obviously need a driver, and one o' them there computer freaks to minimize security issues, and maybe some muscle once the perimeter is breached to carry the equipment...."

Thunder goes on more quietly, almost as if he's started talking to himself, counting what else he feels would be needed for this heist.

[Yum Donuts]

Beast gives a bit of a smile when the Johnson mentions a warehouse. "I excel at getting into and out of inaccesible locations." Your pay sounds fine, and neither the low casualties nor the looting restriction will be a problem."

His height allows him to sit on the ground beside the table and to see over normally. As he sits, his legs fold under him in an odd manner that inspection would note still leaves his feet flat on the floor, ready to spring.

"I have several questions, but will refrain until you have given your descriptions of the job." seeing the others walk into the room "However, I will inquire now as to how many people you were planning on using in this venture."

[TinkerGnome]

Apoc arrives in the back room in due course and hears the job. He listens intently and nods. "I've got technical surveillance and infiltration covered. I can provide team transportation and some heavy firepower, if needed. Which it shouldn't be in this case. It sounds like a solid gig." He takes a look at the people present and does some mental math. When the figures come up positive he nods. "I'm in if you're offerin'."

[Chupacabras]

Cass has drifted a small distance from the rest of the group, leaning with her back against the wall, and silently watching the proceedings. Even though she must look like the odd girl out--nothing about Cass suggests a shadowrunner, and she's obviously not armed unless she's found a very creative way to hide her weapons--she doesn't look the least bit uncomfortable. She just stands there cooly looking from one face to the next, ankles crossed, thumbs still hooked into her waistband.

Standing against that wall Cass is statue still. She doesn't so much as twitch, hardly even seems to breathe. She simply waits.

[Yum Donuts]

Already Beast has begun sizing up his compatriats, seeing who he'll want and who would be best fit for some job far away from him. Watching armaments, obvious cyber, and fluidity of motion to see who's wired (ooc I kinda rolled my own perception test and got high, but this is all info from what they've said anyways)
Cass:
Her I like. silent and confident, no twitches, she'd be a good mage. I'd rather have her than the blabbermouth, but it'll come down to their spell selection.

Apoc:
Rigger, that much was obvious. Riggers are second to mages in terms of required intelligence, the more tools at your disposal, the faster and more flexible you need to be. besides, we need to get around somehow.

Pierce and Blender:
These guys he hasn't quite read yet, but he continues to try and size them up. a decker would be brilliat, if it could be arranged. but nothing was certain yet.

Snow:
Here's a lovely little complication. First question is whether the bodyguard is coming on the run. if so, that almost implies we're not trusted (not that surprising), but bodyguards are combat detail, not infiltrators. what do we do if the boss' boy is the one getting in the way?
Even more interresting is that some benefactor sent this bodyguard for the johnson, that doesn't fit well with the novice image... he'll have to see how this pans out.


Beast sits calm and still waiting for the meeting to officially begin. he wants to hear the information, and hear who he's dealing with before he makes any full judgements.

[tisoz]

Mr. Johnson
"I am not the expert on what it will take to pull this off. I'm hoping you are. If one person can complete the job, I'll be as happy as if ten people are needed to pull it off. But it will still be the flat fee.

Since everyone seems interested, I'll trust to your discretion if you opt out as more information is provided."

For the first time, the young man/Mr. Johnson seems almost relaxed as he smiles and says, "The job requires no heavy lifting. There will be two boxes approximately 10cm by 20cm by 50cm and should weigh only 3 or 4 kg each. This is the primary objective. If things are going well, there is also about 6 boxes that are about 10cm a side and weigh only about a kg each.

The primary objective is inside a cage about 3 meters by 10 meters by 3 meters high within the warehouse. It is maglocked, requiring a passcode, and I believe magically protected. It is also under video surveillance. The warehouse itself is of standard metal construction. It is windowless and three sides have only alarmed emergency exit doors, while the fourth side has 10 dock doors and an entrance door.

The warehouse receives incoming shipments from 4pm until 10 pm, and trucks loaded with outbound shipments leave between 8am and 3pm. Warehouse personnel work overnight processing the incoming shipments, storing them, then assembling the outgoing shipments. They work in 3 shifts from 8am-4pm, 4pm-midnight and midnight -8am.

The evening shift is when the most unfamiliar faces are present, because shipments come in from several origins and they all have their own pool of drivers. Everyone will know about everyone on the night shift as it is only warehouse employees, about 10-12 workers any given night. The day shift with the outbound loads is intermediate in the familiarity department, because the drivers are pretty much the same ones covering the same routes.

The warehouse is in Tacoma, near the docks and the railyard. It is surrounded by cyclone wire topped with concertina wire. There is a guardhouse at the only entrance with four guards on duty. Another guard is usually patrolling the grounds. One guard is usually jacked in monitoring the cameras, one guard takes care of incoming or outbound trucks paperwork while the other physically inspects the truck. The last guard fills in as needed: if there are a lot of trucks, he'll help out there. If there is a lot of activity in the warehouse, he might monitor cameras or physically go to the warehouse to check. Overnight, when there are no trucks coming and going, they patrol the grounds with dogs.

As far as I know, there are no on site mages or paranimals. There is likely to be drones though. There is a rail that runs around the top of the building and disappears into about a cubic meter enclosure. The enclosures sit in the four corners like dog houses. There is the same type of rail running around the exterior of the building.

The employees park outside the enclosure and walk through the security building slotting their ID cards to get through a turnstile. The warehouse is an electronics distribution center. They get shipments from the manufacturers and ship to retailers.

I don't know if I left out anything important or not. I do know the passcode for the cage that was good as of last Friday."

[Yum Donuts]

Beast makes some mental notes, marking off some distances and such. When the man finishes, Beast begins

"A few questions, if you don't mind...
You mention a high amount of traffic coming in and out, yet you say no specific time frame for this job to be accomplished in. That would imply that the parcels we are after are not leaving any time soon. Assuming we got in and out flawlessly, how long would you estimate it would take for the warehouse to notice this to be missing?

Also, is this warehouse directly affiliated with any special corp, and what company does their security?

If you know the code as of last friday, do you know how often they change this code?" intentionally not asking how he knows the code

"All together, the job sounds wholely feasible. Perhaps now that we've measured up the opposition, now would be the time to evaluate our resources.
People call me Beast, but I excel at athletics and entry into normally inaccessible locations for either surveylance or stealing. I am quite a competant combatant, though I prefer not to use it if avoidable. For what it's worth, I am also very effective as a tactician."

[TinkerGnome]

Apoc listens intently to the Johnson's description of the run, nodding slightly at intervals. After Beast asks his questions, he also speaks up, "You said one of the guards is jacked in to watch the cameras... are they CCSS or just matrix controlled?"

Apoc nods in acknowledgement of Beast's introduction. "I'm called Apoc an' I do riggin'. Mostly drones and wheelies, but I can pull a rotor pretty damn well if I need to."

[tisoz]

[Yum Donuts]

Beast
"Hmm... you seemvery well informed here. That's not a bad thing by any means. but it does mean I have a few more questions for you. Where do these shipments come in from? I could use locations of a couple of their more regular deliveries, prefferably any outside seattle, but any that have to run through low level slums would work too. I'm interrested in the possibility of hijacking a truck and driving it in as a means of gaining entrance to the compound, or whatever else I can think of.

Also, you say they keep a certain number in stock. does that mean that there's turnover? are some leaving and others coming in? if so, it might be better to steal them as they're coming in or as they're going out. Heck, with a good decker, we can just change their manifest logs to have them ship them out on a truck, then steal that truck. Decker could then go back in and change the logs back so they would appear never to have been on that truck.

I notice you haven't told us what the items are, and I won't ask, that's your perogative, but are they rare/valuable enough that if an entire truck (or the entire warehouse) went missing that these would be the suspected reason? Not necessarily saying that's the plan, but it's good to know what we're dealing with here.

For a heist like this, there's 2 ways to do it. one involves going in guns blazing and taking it. the other one (which both you and I would rather do) takes alot of information and planning."

[Eyeless Blond]

As the conversation began to drag onwards, Pierce popped out of what he called his "planning trance." That was the part of shadowrunning he loved best: the planning, the potentials, the infinite possibilities whirling around leading to a strategy. He was already surreptitously sizing up his team, looking for strengths to utilize, weaknesses to work around. In a way, it was even more exciting than the execution.

But at this point, it seemed clear to him that the conversation stopped being about the run three questions ago, and was now entering a session of "Interrogate the Johnson." Most Johnsons were professional enough or experienced enough that they could steer away from this drek. This one, though, looked like a novice, and might get nervous if pushed too hard. Nervous Johnsons make mistakes, and mistakes in this business were deadly. Besides, any information gotten now would be unreliable at best, working from the Johnson's memory rather than from actual information. That was why meets were important; it gave the Johnson time to collect reliable data rather than what amounts to hearsay.

So, it was time to speak up. "Gentlemen, ladies," Pierce said in his 'negotiating' voice, "we seem to getting off-tangent here. I'm sure all of our specific questions about the job will certainly be included in the information that Mr. Johnson will no doubt be providing us, along with locations and specifics on the Packages. And," he added with a grin, "of course, our pay. As for introductions, that I believe also can be saved for later. We certainly don't need to waste Mr. Johnson's time with such trivialities." Nor do I particularly want this loose-lipped kid knowing anything more about me than necessary, he thoughe privately.

"So, back to the offer. I think we can all agree that Mr. Johnson's offer is certainly adequate for the job"--at least, we can now that two people have already as much as drekking said it was!--"but I'm concerned that we may need additional resources to pull this off successfully. Knight Errant is hardly a slouch in security--quite simply, they are state-of-the-art. Pulling the shade over their eyes for very long is going to require some special equipment--I'd say an extra 5000 up front, and an extra 75,000 on delivery. We could do it for less, I suppose, but I wouldn't be as confident about not being found out."

[tisoz]

Mr. Johnson was glad the dwarf had spoken up and curtailed the questions he wasn't sure about. Then came the part he knew would come, trying to squeeze him for more money.

"There's always some security, the more valuable the merchandise - the better that security is going to be. I think I made a fair offer and gave you an ample deadline. I will not go higher than :nuyen: 20000 up front, but I'll raise the poyoff on delivery to :nuyen: 210,000 and see if there is interest in a bonus for early completion.

"If that's not satisfactory, maybe I can find a decker able to pull it off as he," the young man nods toward Beast, "suggested and stay within my budget. Who is interested?"

[Eyeless Blond]

Pierce nodded. He hadn't really expected to get much more out of this Johnson, with so many people acting as if the one quoted was fair. Some forms had to be followed, though, even if only for the sake of tradition.

Besides, it really was a decent offer. "20K now, 210K on completion," he repeated. "Scans good to me. How 'bout the rest of you?"

[Chupacabras]

Cass finally steps forward and opens her mouth to speak. "I'm game." She says simply. Her posture is relaxed and unassuming. She tugs at a little beaded bracelet, rolling it over her wrist.

She glances over at Pierce, who seems to have taken charge of things, and her eyes stay on him as she thinks things over. 'Don't know these guys...don't know anyone can vouch for 'em...and there's something iffy about the J.' Cass's gaze drifts from Pierce to Beast. 'He looks like he knows how to handle a fight if things go sour...' But in the end all the rationalization doesn't mean squat. The nuyen does.

"Yeah. I'm game." Cass repeats.

[TinkerGnome]

Apoc nods. "I think I'm in as well. Handling this quietly is going to be a challenge... but it might just be doable." He scratches his datajack absently, his fingers sliding along the cold metal surface. "How, is the real question, but I'm sure Mr. J doesn't want to be in on all of that talk. Better if he can deny and all, I'm sure."

[Yum Donuts]

"I thought I had already mentioned that I am in. Oh well at any rate, perhaps I was getting too ahead of myself in front of Mr. J. My only remaining question is how do we identify the parcels we need? you've listed a couple of small boxes. will those be the only things in that cage, or is there some kind of shipping number or other identifying mark on them?"

He hated to be pushy about it, it was always a fine line runners had to tread. they can't ask for too much info about the object, but if the info's too vague, they might heist the wrong thing.

[tisoz]

Mr. Johnson

"If someone has a better place for me to lay out the information, we can go there. If not, this room in Matchsticks is about as secure, private, and available as I know of.

"I guess everyone is in?"

At this exact moment the dwarf with the feathers in his hair gets paged. He looks at the display a moment and apologizes for having to leave, but something important that requires his attention has come up. He promises to keep your confidence and makes his way out of the room.

"I guessed wrong. What about you," he turns to his bodyguard for the night. "I realize a friend sent you to look out for me. Does it sound like something you're interested in?"

[Panzergeist]

"I'm in," Blender nodded.

[Beast of Revolut...]

"Sure I'm in," Renegade said. "Now let's discuss specifics. I think here and now is fine."

[tisoz]

Mr. Johnson

Does everyone agree? If not what's a better plan?

[TinkerGnome]

Apoc nods his assent, having already opted in to the run.

[Chupacabras]

Cass

Not feeling the pressing need to say anything more at the moment, Cass goes back to being quiet. She pads over to take a seat in one of the big plush conference room chairs, and sinks right into it. Small as she is that chair seems to swallow her up and makes Cass look like a kid...

...But if she's out of her league, Cass doesn't seem to notice, or care much, herself. Propped up with her elbows on the armrests and her legs leisurely stretched out, she steeples her fingers and listens in silence--waiting for the J to elaborate. The only sound to come from Cass is a sudden and abrupt *POP* from a big bubble of chewing gum.

[tisoz]

Mr. Johnson

"The principle targets' boxes are imprinted with FLX1263K5K6003. The secondary targets item numbers are here," he says as he withdraws, unfolds, and points to the bottom set of numbers on a printed sheet.

At the top of the sheet is a string of numbers that fits the pattern of a phone number. Beneath that is a single line with 4 digits. The primary target number occupies the next line then the cset of numbers he is pointing to.

"The number at the top is a pager number you can contact me at to arrange the delivery. The next line is the code for the maglock on the cage. Then the target codes.

The name on the warehouse is EDT, Inc.," he says and states an address in Tacoma. "It's located inland, across from the docks but before the railway system. It can't be more than a mile or so from I5 at exit 134.

When I said I knew something of the security, I didn't mean to say I knew it inside and out. In fact, I think I've already told you all I know about it. If you have a question, I may know something I didn't realize was important, but I think I told you all that I can help."

The kid looks like he's trying to remember anything he left out.

"Here's a certified credstick with :nuyen: 20,000 on it. If you'll excuse me, I'll see if Matchsticks can help me get the rest of what I owe you.

"If you don't mind," he indicates Snow with a glance, "I'll pay you when the meet is over."

[Panzergeist]

"I don't suppose you know what time the security guards change shifts?"

[tisoz]

Mr. Johnson says, "I've heard it changes an hour before the regular shift change, but that should probably be verified."

[Eyeless Blond]

Pierce, realizing that he had forgotten to unplug his pobket secretary, takes advantage of his oversight by noting down the address, the information on Mr Johnson's paper, and a few of the details. Huh. I should keep this thing plugged in more often, he thought to himself, though it probably makes me look like a freak. He couldn't think of anything particularly relevant to add, though, so he kept silent, inviting the others to ask questions.

[TinkerGnome]

Apoc listens intently to what's being said, but doesn't comment. When it looks like no one has any further questions and he can't think of any himself, he looks around at the group. "Maybe we should get somewhere more secure than this for the real planning." He nods to Mr. Johnson. "I've got a place if no one's got a better idea."

[Yum Donuts]

"Fine by me. Just curious, does anyone have a large car? if not, that's ok, I can hoof it."

[TinkerGnome]

Apoc nods. "You can ride with me. Just watch where you sit."

[Eyeless Blond]

Pierce stood with the rest of the group, sensing that the conversation was moving onward. Extending his hand to Mr. Johnson, he said, "Well, I suppose we will get started on that job. It is a pleasure working for you, sir; we'll contact you when we have the merchandise." As Pierce grasped Mr. Johnson's hand in that ages-old ritual, Pierce's automated chemical analyzers did their silent, undetectable work. The readout of the amount of sweat on Mr. Johnson's palm made a bit of Pierce's inward grin show through on his face.

Turning to Apoc, Pierce said, "Your place sounds fine. I could use directions though."

[WinterRat1]

Dragon walked through the door into the back room of Matchsticks. About 5’7, 153 lb human, he was dressed in a long jacket and dark military style fatigues. He was very well built, athletic and in shape, but lithe and muscled rather than big. He had brown eyes, and black hair cut close to his head, military style close cropped.

Although he moved with a calm grace, it was clear that he was slightly uncertain of himself. He glanced around, a bit uncertain. Taking quick stock of the people inside, he made a brief nod of apology. “I’m sorry I’m late. I had a bit of a hold up. I hope I’m not late.”

Assessing the situation, he surmised that he was. “My apologies. If it isn’t too much to ask, would someone mind filling me in quick? I heard the job was open to all comers, so I figure one more wouldn’t be cutting into anyone’s profit margin. In fact, hopefully I’ll be able to make all your margins a lot more certain. So what do you say, got room for one more?” He paused and waited for a reply.

[Yum Donuts]

"Actually one more would cut into our proffit margins. so what skills do you have to make our margins alot more certain?"

[WinterRat1]

Dragon nods in acknowledgement. "Fair question. I am an experienced mercenary, I've worked in Asia, Australia, and North America. That means I'm no stranger to firefights, and if it gets nasty, you can count on me in the clutch. My operational specialties were recon and intelligence, and if I am not mistaken, a large part of ensuring an operation goes off smoothly and efficiently in a shadowrun are those two elements."

How much should I tell them...I'm not really sure, but I'm the new guy, so I should probably be cool and defer to them...wish there was a set chain of command, it would make things so much easier...I guess those are the breaks

After pausing slightly, as if in thought, he continues, "Allow me to further qualify my statement. I am not a decker, or a rigger. My intelligence and recon specialties involve personal field work, which I am aware exposes me to danger. Think of it as a point man, of sorts. I will state upfront that I am used to, and expect, the risks, responsibilities, and rewards that go along with it. As such, my value to your operation is twofold. First, another professional. I assume that you can always use another professional. More to the point, one who is willing and prepared to state and assume upfront, risks that you yourself may hesitate to undertake."

Giving his questioner a thin smile, he continues, "and besides, if you flatline, that cuts into your margin, doesn't it? If I flatline, well no skin off your back. The more help you got, the more targets the enemy has. After all, money is only good if you get the job done and are alive when it's all over. That should help you sleep more soundly at night."

He glances around. "Are there any further questions?"

[TinkerGnome]

[WinterRat1]

To Apoc "Heard you offering a ride when I came in. Mind if I grab one with you as well?"

[TinkerGnome]

The rigger nods. "I've got seating for six... more if you're really friendly with each other."

[Yum Donuts]

Standing at his full height (6'7") beast smiles, looks down at his lower half, looks back at Dragon
"Do I look Like I'm afraid to take risks? [he laughs]. You and I are in the same line of work, amigo. and though I fight like a demon when I need to, I prefer not to, and for this mission, if even one shot is fired, we've failed, so none of that military combat seeking here. Use violence only when you need to. Do you think you can keep that gun holstered?"

[TinkerGnome]

Apoc grins without humor. "Given what we know about the warehouse, if shots are fired, everyone inside on our side is likely to be dead. Those tracks sound a lot like defensive drones, and unless someone's got some military grade ammo to take care of those, they'll turn most anything to hamburger before you can pierce their shells."

[Eyeless Blond]

Pierce frowns. "A comm yes. Decent encryption no." Pondering a moment, Pierce blinked up a notepad app on his pocket secretary and handed it to Apoc. "You can zap 'em in here, or I could just follow along or hitch a ride if you perfer."

[TinkerGnome]

Apoc punches in a few frequencies into the pocket secretary. "Encryption is good... but we'll probably be okay if we keep chatter to a minimum." He passes the pad back. "Following's too suspicious and leaving too many vehicles here is likely to end badly... the city tends to tow things left unattended."

[Yum Donuts]

"If you can give me an adress, I can find it on my own. I've got a very good sense of direction, and I guarantee no one will follow me"

[TinkerGnome]

Apoc pulls a small piece of card out of his pocket and scribbles an LTG number on it. "Give me a call in ten and I'll give you the address. I'd rather not talk about it here," he says, looking around at the room in general.

[Chupacabras]

Cass furtively picks out her glob of bubble gum and sticks it under the edge of the table where she sits. She slips out of the big leather chair, glances at the new arrival, and then wanders over to stand by Apoc and Pierce.

"Hey," Cass says from just behind Apoc. "I've got a scoot out back..." she tilts her chin lazily in an over-the-shoulder gesture that must indicate the general direction of 'out back.' "I'm not real good with directions though." Cass fiddles with the thin leather cord that dips into her shirt collar. "But I promise not to act suspicious--so maybe..." she twists lightly, looking from Pierce to Apoc and back. "...I can just tag along behind one of you. Just don't drive too fast," Cass grins. "Soka?"

Anyone who happens to be watching Cass's rear will notice that the girl's back pocket now holds a certified credstick. She must have snatched it from the table when she left the chair.

[tisoz]

Mr. Johnson

The young man doesn't like the way this "negotiator" is dictating things, and it shows in his reluctant hesitation to shake hands with him. No one else seems to feel the need to do so. It's like this guy is forcing him to do it.

I wonder why he needs to touch me? He's either puttuing something on me or taking something from me. Or both. I wonder if his straight job is selling used cars? At least that's how he makes me feel. "Sincerity, once you can fake that the rest is easy."

And I thought a fight was going to break out when the bartender sent in the merc a few minutes after that feathered dwarf guy left. I should have said something to the bartender when I got the extra money that guy hit me up for.

And they're looking at me like it was a bad idea to split the money up on several credsticks. I bet if I'd shown up with just one or two, they'd be arguing over who gets to hold it. I bet they argue over who gets the extra ones.

"Lady and gentlemen, since my backup for this meet hasn't expressed any interest in joining you, I make the count 7. To avoid any squabbles over the cred, why not have Matchsticks split three of those credsticks in half and someone can take the thousand in cash. That gives everyone 3 thousand nuyen for up front expenses.

Are you wanting me to accompany you any further? Let me know what you expect from me."

[TinkerGnome]

Apoc picks up the remaining three credsticks. "We'll give you a call when the job is complete, Mr. Johnson." After the man leaves, he holds up the handful of credsticks.

"These things always take startup cash, so unless you guys are going to be chinsy about a G, I suggest we leave 'em as is and use them for what needs using. Twenty ain't nothin' compared to two hundred."

[Chupacabras]

Cass

"Hai, that's green by me." Cass readily agrees. Gravitating to the door, Cass pauses to look back at her new chums. "So...who's my tourguide?" She asks over her shoulder.

[WinterRat1]

Dragon silently watches this entire exchange take place, then speaks up. “I’m cool with the two for now. As far as communication, I’ve got quite a few radio channels, plus encryption. The encryption should be more than enough to keep anyone from listening in on us. And even if they do, it’ll be a snap for me to scan through frequencies for an empty channel. I’m riding with Apoc, so if you guys wanna keep in touch through me, that’s chill.”

During his scan of all this, he noticed that Cass had picked up a credstick and it was now sticking out of her back pocket. He choses not to say anything about it though, since it didn’t seem like she was trying to cheat anyone.

Hmm…it seems like she’s a sneaky one…but as long as she doesn’t screw us over, that’s wiz. Ha, her being sneaky will probably even come in handy.

Directing his attention to Beast, he looks him in the eye and says, “Oh by the way big man, don’t worry about me. When you go on LRRP’s, you learn real quick that no violence is the ideal situation. I don’t go looking for trouble if I don’t have to, and if this is supposed to be quiet and by the numbers, then that’s the priority. So null perspiration chummer, I scan you.”

Addressing the group as a whole, he states, “Since it seems like we’re ready to roll, how about we meet at Apoc’s in say, an hour? Should be more than enough time for everyone to do whatever they gotta do, and also space things out enough so no one gets suspicious.”

He jots down and hands out a few frequencies to each person. “I’ll be monitoring these, if you want to get in touch, I don’t mind linking us up and running the communication through me. Does that sound kosher to everyone?”

[TinkerGnome]

Apoc nods. "I suggest everyone take the long way to our destination. Give me a call once you're clear of the parking area and I'll relay to you the address."

He leads those wishing a ride out to his vehicle. It looks like a standard GMC Bulldog, the kind used for local deliveries all over town. The sides are plain white, though that is also not common. He concentrates for a moment and the back door slides open. A very large drone is occupying a good deal of the space, with a machine gun mounted on top. "Don't mind him, he likes meeting new people," Apoc grumbles as he tips down two bench seats which had been fastened against the sides of the interior. Much of the inside is taken up with armor which is an obvious refit.

"Have a seat and buckle up. Ride shouldn't take too long," he says as he climbs inside, over the drone, and settles into the passenger seat. The windows on the inside are sealed over with heavy armor plates, though it's obvious that turning handles set into the plates would make them removable.

He grabs a datajack cable and slides it into the one set behind his ear. "Mount up," he mumbles, over the comm and to those at the van.

:ooc: The address he gives when you radio/phone him is a garage in Milton (in Tacoma), not far off I-5.

[Yum Donuts]

to Dragon,
'null perspiration chummer, I scan you'... did he really just say that? wasn't that from one of those 'Passion Sinclare: Shadowrunner for Hire' movies? Either way, he's not a hothead who has to have it his way, that's enough to give him a shot.
giving a slight smile to show that he's been accepted at least until he makes a mistake "Ok, we'll see what happens."
To the group in general
"I expect most of our initial pay to go into covering the expenses and equipment for this job. so it makes no nevermind to me who carries them for now. [to the Johnson] Thank you for your time, we will contact you if anything else comes up, or when we have the merchandice."


Beast leaves matchsticks and stretches his left leg for a second before sprinting off down the street. He seems to have no trouble overtaking the flow of traffic, running at a brisk 42 mph, and maneuvering between cars, and around traffic signals. He rounds a corner, jumping from the street onto the roof of a convenience store, then jumps off onto another building, and out of sight.
in about 5-10 min, he calls for the adress, thinks it into his Orientation system with it's map of Seattle, finds the quickest route there but makes sure to change directions and take impossible paths so that no one could hope to follow.

[Chupacabras]

Cass strolls out of matchsticks behind Apoc and walks across the parking lot. She sits down on a plain gray/chrome Dodge Scoot, slots the key, and unlocks a purple helmet with a bright orange star. Fixing the chin strap of the helmet in place, Cass and her little Scoot putter off behind Apoc's big GMC Bulldog.

The scooter drops behind the GMC in the Downtown congestion, but Cass catches sight of Apoc making the turn off onto I-5 and whisks smoothly into the traffic lane behind him. The little bike chugs along as fast as it can, which is not very fast at all, and at length Cass arrives at the garage behind the others. She parks her bike, locks down her helmet, and pads over to the doors.

[TinkerGnome]

Apoc's garage is big enough to hold half a dozen vehicles, and it's not got a lot in it so it doesn't prove to be too difficult for the group to park all of their vehicles inside. A small living area is above the garage itself, and seems to be where the planning is going to take place.

Meanwhile, a small blimp is making its way slowly toward the target building. It looks like nothing so much as a weather balloon and does nothing to disuade that notion.

[Eyeless Blond]

Pierce finished up his drink slowly, mulling over the meeting. Maybe it was just paranoia, but he was sure there was something a little off he shook hands with Johnson. For a moment there was almost a flash of suspicion in the man's eyes; it was almost like the kid was hiding something.... Pierce shook his head, figuring it was probably just the handshake. It *was* a pretty outdated custom, something he had picked up out of an old interviewing techniques book. Maybe it set the guy on edge.

After what he judged a reasonable amount of time Pierce left the bar and headed in the direction of home. After a few blocks however he turned onto the I-5 and headed to the address he got from Apoc, arriving a little under an hour after the end of the meet.

[tisoz]

Tuesday, April 14, 0002 Hrs.

Mr. Johnson thanks Snow for his services and hands him a credstick.

Tuesday, April 14, 0012 Hrs.

Taillights light up the night sky as cars wonder what that was that just ran past.

Tuesday, April 14, 0016 Hrs.

Cass wonders what the traffic jam is from at this hour as the light rain falls on her.

Tuesday, April 14, 0020 Hrs.

Clearing the traffic tie-up, Apoc notices a Stuffer Shack clerk observing the exterior of the building, has a hunch what might be causing the disturbances and alters his route.

[ Spoiler ]

Pierce needs to make a perception check.

[tisoz]

Tuesday, April 14, 0035 Hrs.

Pierce notices a half dozen motorcycles gaining on him from a couple blocks away.

[ Spoiler ]

Roll Stealth.

[Eyeless Blond]

Frowning slightly, Pierce decided that it'd be best to avoid the other bikes. At this time of night, they were almost certainly not friendly, and if there was one thing Pierce was ill-prepared for it was a gun battle on a bike in his street clothes. Keeping to the more public roadways, Pierce tried to lose the bikers in the array of motorists still driving about at this time of night. He also sped up a little, moving faster than the flow of traffic but hopefully slow enough that he wouldn't get pulled over for anything.

[Eyeless Blond]

Pierce noticed that his pursuers weren't following too closely. In fact, he might have been entirely mistaken that they were following him at all. Seeing a convenient alley to his right, Pierce had a flash of inspiration (read: common sense). He ducked down the alleyway, rode to the next street, and made another right. After about another block, he made two more right turns, doubling back in the direction he came. All the while, he paid close attention to his rearview mirror, hoping that the bikers weren't in pursuit

[tisoz]

Pierce sees the bikers half a dozen blocks ahead of him. They continue on their way oblivious of the lone biker.

[Eyeless Blond]

Pierce slows down to be going a bit slower than the bikers, and waits for them to move further out of sight. Okay, so maybe they weren't following me, he thought, All the same, it doesn't hurt to be a little careful. Slightly reassured, but still alert, he continues toward Apoc/s meeting location.

[TinkerGnome]

Apoc's place is pretty lacking in personality. The main room has a single table and a desk, along with half a dozen chairs and an old trid which crackles if you look at it wrong. Three doors lead from the living area, one to the bedroom (which is closed), one to a bathroom (which is generally open) and one back to the stairs leading down. The room lacks windows to the outside, but has one looking over the workshop floor below.

The shop downstairs is segregated into three areas. Immediately inside the large door is an area with vehicle parking. At the back and over to the left side under the stairs leading up to the apartment are various vehicle tools and even a lift for raising low slung vehicles. To the right, various electronics tools are arrayed.

The decor is late "greasemonkey" with the only real decorration in the living area being a large map of North America with several pushpins stuck into it.

[Eyeless Blond]

Pierce pulls up to the designated meeting spot, a couple of minutes early despite the burst of paranoia. Coming to a halt he mutters, "Knock, knock," into his transceiver and waits to be let in.

[TinkerGnome]

Hearing the call over the comm, Apoc checks the small black and white security display and hits a button. The door rolls up allowing entrance. Come on in, he supplies over the comm.

[Eyeless Blond]

Pierce idles his way into the garage, parking his bike off to the side, but pointed out to make it easier to leave. Waiting for his 'wires to get themselves out of "biking mode," he takes a moment to glance around at the impressive array of hardware in Apoc's garage. With control over his muscles once again, Pierce disengages himself from the bike and heads up to where the rest of the new team has probably already gathered.

[Yum Donuts]

Beast came a running. making a quick double back to see if he was followed, he then aproaches the door, and radio's up. "Present."

He accepts the Buzz in and comes on up, waiting for everyone else, and pulling a small notebook and pencil out of a jacket pocket.

Once everyone arrives, he begins.

"Hello, my name is Beast, and I excel in athletics and stealth. I am a strategist and an able combatant in melee and with firearms."

He then looks expectantly at the person to his left (I'll just assume it's Apoc)

[Eyeless Blond]

[How'bout me instead? :D]
Pierce looks rather dubiously at the tall Ork standing to his right. He specializes in stealth? With those legs? Guess I'll believe it when I see it.

"I go by Pierce. I mostly specialize in high-threat response medicine." He grins. "On a run like this I guess we'll all be hoping I never have to actually *do* anything, but if I'm ever needed you'll be glad I'm there, I'm sure. I did a bit of sneak-work as a kid, but I'm pretty sure there's quite a few people here better at it than me."

He nods to the next person 'in line,' as it were, to his own left.

[WinterRat1]

Dragon nods and replies, "The name is Dragon. My primary specialty is military recon and intelligence gathering. I would not consider myself exceptionally stealthy, but probably good enough for our purposes. In addition, I am proficient in firearms and hand to hand combat."

He looks around, then continues, "For this mission, I'm fine with either going in, or keeping an eye on things outside for support. I have solid communications gear, so I don't mind coordinating things from the outside through me, if necessary."

He then nods to the person on his left to continue.

[TinkerGnome]

Apoc grins. "They call me Apoc an I'm guessin' you've figured out what I do fer der team. I'll be providing surveillance and aerial recon as well as some support for the infiltration effort."

[Panzergeist]

"I'm Blender, physical adept. I specialize in stealth operations and close combat."

[Beast of Revolut...]

"I'm Renegade. I'll be providing magical support."

[Yum Donuts]

"Apoc I've found the best things to take out drones are other drones. Do you have combat capabilities? Oh yeah, and can you drive a truck?"

"Renegade, I've known many mages in my day, and no two of them alike. I'd be very interested to hear what forms of magical support you have to offer. Can you control people, for instance?"
Crap... how did I know we wouldn't have a decker... Oh well.... we can buy one

[TinkerGnome]

Apoc shrugs. "Takin' out drones is really a function of firepower. It takes some pretty heavy firepower to do it, an' I ain't got a drone that's packin' that kind of ammo. Doesn't much matter how you're launchin' it. I can drive most anything with wheels and some stuff without 'em. I've got a few combat tricks, but against drones, they're likely to be baby kicks."

He grows thoughtful for a moment. "Now, if the drones are runnin' on an RC network, I might be able to degrade their rigger's control or maybe even take it over. If he's on CCSS, though, there's no quiet about that."

[Eyeless Blond]

Pierce nods. "Yeah, none of that seems particularly stealthy anyway. My gun's an eloquent speaker, but he's really no good at subtlty. More importantly, we're supposed to make it look like we were never there; you can't do that leaving a trail of mechanical corpses."

[Yum Donuts]

Beast chuckles a bit "Oh I agree, but better to leave mechanical corpses than our corpses. Anyways, I'm just sizing up what we're working with."

[Beast of Revolut...]

"Yes, " Renegade says, "as a matter of fact, I do have a mind-control spell. It plants a compulsion in the target's mind. It's perfect for the job, since it does not alert the target that they are having magic used on them. I also know a physical invisiblity spell, and a telekinesis spell which simulates the functions of my own hands, as well as a healing spell and some combat spells that I hope not to use. I am also adept at astral reconaissance and aura reading, and can summon spirits who can conceal use, help us move faster, distract guards, or cause minor problems that appear as simple accidents.

[WinterRat1]

Dragon

I’d like to get everything on the table, so we’re all clear about what we’re up against. So just to sum up our objectives and opposition: we’ve got two boxes in a cage that is maglocked, which we have the passcode for. The cage is also magically protected, and under video surveillance. Working from the inside out, we also have a warehouse with alarms on the doors of three sides, and presumably on the main door as well.

There are also drones on tracks housed in each of the four corners. There is a guardhouse at the only entrance to an otherwise razorwired and fenced in enclosure, with about five guards. One patrolling the grounds, one jacked in and monitoring, one doing paperwork for the trucks, one physically inspecting the trucks, and one filling in where needed.

We have three shifts that run round the clock.
Day- 8am-4pm, medium familiarity
Evening- 4pm-midnight, low familiarity
Night- Midnight-8am, high familiarity

Incoming shipments 4pm-10pm
Outbound shipments 8am-3pm

We do not know how if there is a gap between shifts, we do not know when the guards change shifts either. I do not believe we know where the secondary objectives, six boxes, are located, although we do have their item numbers.

The warehouse itself is located in Tacoma, near I5.

We are also required to make it easy in, easy out, no noise, with nothing but the target items taken.

I believe that currently sums up our knowledge of the situation, have I left anything out?

He looks around the room.

[Yum Donuts]

[ooc: please put quotes around speach]
Beast nods in agreement with everything that has just been said until the end
"Close, but not exact on that last point. we're requested to make it low profile. We're required to make sure that the items are not known to be stolen. This carries a subtle, but definite distinction. We can perform a very high profile operation, as long as it cannot be linked to those boxes. Not that I'm in favor of this plan, but we could steal the boxes and then blow up the entire fascility and everyone in it, it would obviously not be covert, but would be hard to link to the boxes. Again, I don't support that plan, I just acknowledge it as a possibility.

Now, I've seen several groups who try to make many plans and then do recon to see which ones won't work. I don't like that since it leads the recon people to only look for things that could make plans not work, and not things that could open whole new plans. So, here's what I suggest:

Apoc, you said you've got surveilance? Well there's no time like the present. can you jack in, take off, and get us some aerial views? if so, is there a way you can display what you're seeing on a view screen, or could I jack in with you and watch that way?

Raven, the Johnson didn't say for sure that they had magical security, I believe he suspects it, but hasn't verified it. While Apoc here does his own form of astral projection, could you hop over there and check it out yourself? Things that would be good check on a flyby would be wards or patrolling spirits (who could see invis). If the building isn't warded, maybe go in and see if the cage, or any other part is. It would also be nice to have a headcount of how many people are in there, and definitely to know how many are casters."

[Eyeless Blond]

Pierce grinned. He was beginning to feel very good about this group; even the magic-users seemed fairly level-headed, which in his experience was extremely rare. "Good thinking Beast," he said, "I'm especially interested in mapping out the surrounding area; there's bound to be something useful there for us to exploit. Don't take any big risks on the warehouse itself, though; if we put them on their guard it'll make our job that much more difficult." Most of that probably went without saying, but it didn't hurt to make sure.

[TinkerGnome]

Apoc raises an eyebrow at the mention of surveillance. "What, you mean like this?" He presses a button on the RC deck connected to the wall outlet and a vid screen set on top of it flares to life, showing an slowly panning aerial view which seems to be moving across downtown. He pokes a finger at a small numerical display in the corner. "Looks like it'll be another few minutes before it's in position, but it's on the way."

[WinterRat1]

Dragon scanned the images on Apoc's screens, then said, "Well, I guess we'll be wanting some more legwork on this place, probably stuff that's Matrix accessible only. I've got a decker friend I could call, it probably shouldn't be too hard for her to crack this system. Before I do, why don't we come up with a list of what we want her to look for. Blueprints, I am assuming, probably any external security they may have, layouts of the building and security systems/protocols, if possible. Definitely any other nasty electrical surprises or defenses they may have in place."

He pauses, and since no one's really said anything since watching the blimp head out, then continues, "Beast, I believe that you and Cass were our infiltration specialists. Is there anything else you'd want? Apoc, you're the tech man, any other technical stuff you'd want to know about? I don't know much about magic Renegade, but perhaps you want to give the place a scan in the astral, and more importantly, cover the magical angles we'll need to have down. Correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems me and Pierce are more of the backup on this run. Maybe we can go have a look in person so we can see how to cover you guys on the insertion and extraction."

He gives a thin smile. "Besides, I signed on as a point man type. So I guess this is where I earn my money, right? Unless someone has a problem, how about Pierce and I go take a look in person, while you guys hang back here. When I get the info from my decker friend, then I can send it back to you guys, and we can compare notes: what the Matrix blueprints say compared to the actual physical layout. In my experience, it's always good to know both. Since it seems like Cass and Beast will be primarily responsible for the going in, they can come up with a plan and Pierce and I can be the on-site eyes to relay information back to you that can help you iron out the kinks, at least in the preliminary plan. Then we can meet back up and start hashing out the details. How does that sound to everyone?"