Atlanta 2070, Hot time in the old town tonight Options

[ludomastro]

The watcher winks out of existence with Book's efforts. The astral remains quiet for the time being.

-----

<<@Team [System] Got the wireless signal. The mage quarters a different node from the rest of the facility but I think that I have them convinced that we are part of a routine service crew. Well, until they see us anyway.>>

[Redjack]

Air spirit waiting a command, Book summons forth mystic energies that enshroud his body; Increased Reflexes. Part of his consciousness is now distracted maintaining the spell, but his calculates that it is worth the cost. His essence then sinks back into his physical body and he takes a breath and sits up. He sees the message from System.

<<@Team [Book] Go now. The doorway's astral watcher has been disrupted, but he will be replaced quickly.>>

Tank moves forward. Time to start this party.

[Redjack]

Book signals System to open the door. Tank steps through the threshold and takes a calculated look around the room, his weapons casually at the ready.

[ Spoiler ]

Intuition(4) + Perception(3) + Vision Enhancement(3) + Actively Looking(3)[1,1,4,6,5,2,2,3,1,4,5,4,2]

[ludomastro]

The team surprises a young human standing in his boxers with a can of what can only be Fizzzz in one hand and a Nuke-it! burrito in the other. The look on his face in the instance is blank.

[Redjack]

Tank gently squeezes the and his carbine coughs a pft-pft-pft as it releases a short, wide burst of stick-n-shock rounds towards the man in boxer shorts as Book finally releases the spell at his finger tips. Neither are happy with their aim.

[ludomastro]

The man drops like a rock. A female face pops into and back out of sight through a door not far from where the man was standing.

[Redjack]

Book whispers to the waiting spirit. "Get her."
<<@System [Book] Watch the coms>>

Nearly instantly, the spirit crosses the minimal distance across astral space and begins to materialize around the woman. Tank steps across the threshold, releasing an elongated pft-pft-pft-pft-pft-pft as the carbine coughs out half a dozen barbed rounds in a wide pattern across the area.

[ludomastro]

The young woman drops to the floor. The materializing spirit turns and fades back into the astral as if under assault.

A quick check into the astral indicates that there is an earth spirit of roughly the same size bearing down on Book's spirit. It is shaped like an elemental in the traditional hermetic tradition.

[Redjack]

(( Pass #2 ))

As his spirit comes under assault in astral space, Book reaches his will out to the new aggressor seeking to return the spirit to its home plane. Tank meanwhile looks for another threat as he moves fully into the hallway.

[ludomastro]

The spirit ceases to struggle with Book's spirit and dissolves into the astral.

-----

The immediate threat over, System pokes his head into the room and signals, <<@Team[System]Tryin' to crush panic alarm ... Damn!>>

"We're about to have a security sweep. Get ready!"

[Redjack]

Tank groans and looks for a defensible position to move the team to, expecting frick and frack the trolls to respond. He drops the carbine, which falls against his body as the sling becomes taunt. He grabs the two fallen wage-slaves, pulling them out of sight.
<<@System [Tank] What is the specifics of the alert?>>

Book begins to call in spirits, starting with his air spirit. "Great air spirit, please protect us." He then calls forth a spirit of earth. "Conceal us from our enemies." Gesturing to himself, System, the air spirit and the earth spirit himself.
<<@Team [Book] This could get real hairy all over.>>

The earth spirit reaches out, enveloping the team in both the astral and the physical, distorting the teams presence from observers; All of the team except Tank.

While still maintaining his increased reaction, the shaman pulls his mask over his face, activates the chameleon suit and then weaves a physical mask around the team's adept. In a moment, Tank looks and sounds like the guard who is actually, tucked safely away in the computer room. The carbine rifle blends into his clothing.

Tank smiles. Time to earn my money.

[ludomastro]

The ork asks, "What's going on boss?"

The troll says, "We got the alert but it got canceled. Where are the mages?"

Neither of the two are out of breath and neither seems to be surprised that their boss is in the mages' quarters.

-----

There is the sound of dogs running up the corridor. They appear to have been dobermans in a previous existence. Now, they seem both part machine and somehow more than an animal.

[Redjack]

Tank walks towards the trolls, drawing their attention back towards the door and away from the room. "Oh My God.... I heard noises in the other room. I hit the alarm, opened the door and there they were... Fucking like rabbits." He shakes his head. "Now I've got to draft up an explanation as to why I hit the alarm..."

<<@Team [Book] What the hell? System - Can you do anything about those? If not, this is gonna deteriorate real quick...>>

[ludomastro]

"Who? Blondie and the redhead or him and the elf?"

Nearly simultaneously, the ork asks, "Where? Can I watch?"

-----

<<@Team [System] What the hell, indeed. Those things are reading like drones. How is that even possible? I'll see what I can do with them. Stall 'em or get the thugs outta here or something.>>

[Redjack]

Tank, getting the team chatter while dealing with the moron twins continues towards the door. "No." he replies, changing to a little more formal tone. "You better return to your posts before they find some way to turn this around and blame us."

Book, feeling the situation spiraling out of control, calls his bound beast spirit into astral space.
<<@Team [Book] We are now in improvise mode... If it falls apart we drop back to cut and run.>>

[ludomastro]

"Got it, boss."

Frick and Frack file out of the area with one of the dobermans. The other walks around the room and sniffs a few things before heading back out again.

The team is left in the room.

<<@Team [System] Whatever those things are, they are gone now. I'm not reading anything in the area. I spoofed the our white-headed guard's comm. He is now logging report of an accidental trip of the alarm system due to vigorous tandem exercise. Where to now?>>

[Redjack]

As the door closes behind the Tweedle brothers and the four-legged pair from the tea-party, Tank resists the urge to puke. "That was way too damn close." He walks over to the unconscious pair and zip ties up their hands and legs, before binding and gagging them.

Spirits watching over them, Book scrubs his astral signature from the two fallen magicians before preparing to move on.
<<@Team [Book] Time is short. The ruse will unravel soon. Time we got the package and cleared this death trap.>>

Tank looks for some place to hide the unconscious, bound mages while Book surveys the astral for wards or other impediments.

[ludomastro]

Tank's short search of the room identifies a walk-in closet. The briefest glance inside turns up several pairs of fur-lined handcuffs, chains and whips. It would appear that Tank's statement may not have been too far off the mark. There is more than enough room in the closet for the two unconscious mages.

-----

System pulls up an AR map of the area and highlights the quickest route into the prototype area.

<<@Team [System] This is the shortest path. We'll need some form of cover to get up to the door. I don't think a simple ruse will work this time. The thing is keyed to the comm of the user along with his prints. I'm pretty sure I can trick it but I'll need to be on top of it to do that. Otherwise, we can try the ventilation shaft but it is a really tight fit.>>

-----

Book takes a look through the astral and notices that the earth itself is very good at obscuring the pressence of other wards. However, it appears that a large ward is in the general direction of the prototype.

[Redjack]

Tank proceeds to stuff the mages in the closet while Book scrubs his signature left by the spell residue. As he makes quick work of the signature, Book formulates a plan.
<<@Team [Book] The spirit should provide cover to reach the door. There is a pretty large ward there though and neither he, nor my spells, will cross it. Once you open the door, it'll be up to Tank to deal with the mage on duty in there.>>

<<@Team [Tank] Guess its time to test the mustard. Its either going on the bread or all over the wall.>>

Once the duo are stuffed, Tank readies his weapon. Book shifts the mask to the appearance of the male mage.

[ludomastro]

The trio with spirit in tow head out of the area and down a flight of stairs. At the end of what appears to be a featureless hall near the point System indicated there is a dead-end. Once they get close, a section of the wall opens with locations for a hand print and retinal identification. System reaches out his hand and after a momentary pause, the system opens to the inner area.

The area is a large circular room with a catwalk surrounding the upper section. There is a pedestal in the center and two mages are hunched over what appears to be a technological device. An ebony skinned elf looks up and asks, "Looks like you and Casandra finished early. Is she coming to help?" The redhead next to him pulls her hair back into the hood she is wearing. Both are dressed in long flowing robes colored light blue. The elf pipes up again, "Hey, Madison, hurry up and get down here. Where is your robe?". He seems to be getting agitated.

[Redjack]

Madison smiles a shit-eating grin as he raises his arm, which barks out a pft-pft-pft-pft-pft-pft. Beneath the mask, Tank raised his carbine to his shoulder and drew down on the ebony elf. Book holds action, letting Tank break surprise on the final two mages. He grits his teeth at the decision, but he had to give Tank every opportunity to reduce the numbers of the opposition.

[ludomastro]

The only thing that the elf sees coming is the blackness after he is hit. His now limp body slumps down against the guardrail before rolling over next to the prototype.

The red-headed mage swings over the rail and is now out of sight. A spirit materializes and puts itself between the prototype and the trio. It is dressed in what appears to be a generic blue security guard uniform complete with badge and cap.

[Redjack]

(( Pass #1 ))

Tank's shots come fast. Book releases both his spells as he moves. He ducks, moving around Tank and through the door and the ward, no longer hindered by sustained spells. He slides through the doorway, prone, while calling in his beast spirit. "Protect me." He is counting on the chameleon suit, his being prone and the spirit to keep him alive long enough to deal with the problems. He extends his spell defense to the team and cringes as he moves at half the speed he was moving with his magical reflex enhancements gone.

(( Pass #2 ))
Tank doesn't know a lot about magic, but he does know that if you deal with the summoner then the spirit goes home. He moves in behind Book, stepping over the shaman and keeping along the wall and away from the enemy spirit. His chameleon suit is also active and now that the mask is gone, it is again effective.

[ludomastro]

As Tank moves into the room, he catches a glimpse of the red head ducking into a small room at the base of the pedestal. The door doesn't seem to be terribly thick but there appears to be a ladder and communication equipment inside.

-----

Suddenly, the door through which the team came to the prototype area closes. Red lights and sirens begin blaring.

[Redjack]

Tank trusts that System is suppressing the alerts from getting beyond the room, but he does not trust the contents of the other room. As he catches sight of the other mage, he releases two short bursts. Just go to sleep, bitch.