IC: Post or Die, Lifelines, and deadlines Options

[Sephiroth]

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 11:54 PM, In the Tunnel beneath the Tower in Redmond

Jovan glanced around at the gray, lifeless tunnel shadows around them as he thought. Indeed. We don't have that kind of time. I agree, let's head up and look for another way in at ground level. There might be certain places that would be the best to try first, given how sewers are generally laid out. Let us make haste, however. I don't know how much time we have before something dual-natured will come along and spot us - whether ghoul, metahuman, or that tiger. We must hurry.

[Seth]

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 11:56 PM, Annex in Redmond

<<[Jade Tiger]: Do we know if there is a connection between the Fat Man and Ghouls? He's not a Ghoul in disguise or anything is he?>>

[Warlordtheft]

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 11:57 PM, Near Annex, Redmond

<@team>Jade, let's not get paranoid <grin>...so if I am followin' Mr. J handed us off to Mrs. J whose our slitch, now Mrs. J may be tryin to frag with Mr. J's plan. Otherwise if Big daddy was involved with the ghouls an Fat Man's with the ghoul's why hire us in da first place? Seems more likely that Big Daddy Long legs made a deal with the ghouls and maybe the ghouls sent a representative ta talk to her.

Let's keep the job simple and just do what the J asked, get the gear and deliver it. But I am so expectin a double cross from the Mrs. J. But hey, dat why we iz paid da big bucks.

[Red-ROM]

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 11:57 PM, Phoenix Mall in Redmond

Professor watched the woman as she flexed her arms and legs. She was tentative, but even so, her movements were fluid. she was a bit gaunt, but her muscles were like twisted ropes."I'm moving ok, but I might pass out if I stand up. What did you have in mind?"

[Seth]

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 11:57 PM, Annex in Redmond

While waiting for the drone to be dealt with electronically, Jade Tiger continues her preparation in case it needs to be dealt with physically. Her current thought form hasn't started to degrade yet, so perhaps time to focus some more mana into simpler constructs. Focus's hard, she internalizes the magic around her to allow her to move faster. Probably not fast enough to get out the way of the drone's gun, but every little helps.

[pbangarth]

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 11:57 PM, Phoenix Mall in Redmond

"We have scouts out looking for the where to go next. We have discovered a group of ghouls in the neighbourhood. We may need to move quickly on short notice. Leaving you here alone is not an option. Could you please try standing, to see if you are able?"

[Notsoevildm]

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 11:57 PM, Near Annex, Redmond

The icon in his head sniffs for hidden nodes but he quickly realises there is nothing to find. It disappears with a 'sqeee' as he focuses his attention on the Annex's icon.

His virtual form twists and shifts as he switches around programs in preparation for hacking the node. Then he scuttles forwards and begins chewing and scratching at the node's firewall.

[Warlordtheft]

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 11:57 PM, Near Annex, Redmond

Zo looks at his AR overview. His smartlinked AK letting him know he had a full clip. He looked toward ferret expecting some news, not getting a response told him that this may take a while.

I'm thinkin dese teammates think I'll go off gunz blaz'in. Dey think cause I'm an ork barren orphan I'm just itchin ta fight at every chance. I might hav been a few years ago, but I've seen too much of dat stupidity already. I'm lucky ta be alive.

Zo grins exposing his tusks.

[Saint Sithney]

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 11:57 PM, Phoenix Mall in Redmond

"Hold on a second and let me give her a shot for the muscle weakness. Her blood's likely to fill with lactic acid when she gets them limbs moving. Short term weakness, long term organ damage." A quick jab in the arm with the needle later and Oz was holding out some pills. "Sodium bicarbonate. Go ahead and take em. Will help reset your digestive tract after this bout of starvation and drop your blood's acidity even further while you soak up all that radiator water. Oughta keep you from getting kidney stones too. Enough acid in your blood and the nephrons in your kidneys fill with crystals, break off, and get jagged. Hurts like a motherfucker."

[Seth]

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 11:57 PM, Annex in Redmond

Jade Tiger settles into a meditative trance. There were few possible futures that did not include a fight with a load of ghouls, and being mentally prepared for that couldn't hurt. With luck they would get past this first obstacle without sounding an alarm. You never know she pondered it might just carry on its patrol, and we can get past it. Still where there was a sentry bot, there could be cameras as well, and she was pleased that a competent hacker was dealing with the matter.

[Red-ROM]

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 11:57 PM, Phoenix Mall in Redmond

The girl watched the needle pop in and out of her arm. It happened fast, but she had already debated wether or not to fight it and decided to take the chance,"You're not a bad guy to have on the bench doc. I'm ready to get out of this hell hole. I'll drag myself out by one arm if I have to. Now about Charles, and what he's capable of, I couldn't tell ya. I did see him stop bullets in mid air like he was behined invisible concrete. I know the Fat man has a Shaman around, but I don't know what he's capable of."

In the old Matrix

Ferret squirmed his way through a crack in the firewall's routine. The old code itching at his biofeedback filter. Once inside the watery world of the main node gave way to an impossibly large junk yard, stacked high with scrap cars and old appliances. He could hear dogs barking in the distance, his display logging it as an alarm. As the glimmering rodent pops onto the digital dirt, there's a howl, and storm clouds begin to gather. The node is on to him. He's got nanoseconds to make his move.

In the Tunnel

Jovan had made a quick search for another way in, but the task was too complex for the time alloted. Flying back down he went for another approach, The ghouls had covered a little more ground, and he could barely make out the dogs without hovering over the pack of them. He cast his influece at the beast, trying to convey that its canine companion was challenging it's dominance. His gambut seemed to be working as the dog turned to its partner with a growl, but it left Jovan with a more immediate problem. The ghouls were jumping for him with dual natured claws glowing with adrenaline.

[Warlordtheft]

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 11:57 PM, Near Annex, Redmond
Zo, still crouching behind the burnt out delivery van adjusted his position.
"C'mon Ferret--don't wanna face a gatling gun armed drone."

<@Ferret>Hey could ya hurry it up an make dat system ya bitch already?

[pbangarth]

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 11:57 PM, Phoenix Mall in Redmond

"That's useful info about Charles. Thanks. Yes, the Fat Man has a magician, who seemed pretty good at healing when first we met them on the Fat Man's boat." A far-off look comes across Professor's face.

"Did your team, including Charles, meet with the Fat Man on his boat?"

[Notsoevildm]

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 11:57 PM, Near Annex, Redmond

Ferret's meat body twitches and he mutters under his breath as if trying to respond to Zo's message. In the matrix, the silver ferret shimmers, brushing away the incoming message icon as he reacts to the alert at the speed of thought.

I'm in! Oh frag, I've triggered an alert. I hope that's an agent and not another decker.

He stands up on his hind legs and holds out a claw towards the coming storm. A glowing orb of code flickers to life in his palm and arcs out towards the clouds.
//security command override : return to standby mode//

If this doesn't work I'm in trouble.

[Red-ROM]

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 11:58 PM, Phoenix Mall in Redmond

The woman watched the professor, trying to get more of a read on him. He didn't fit any of the normal stereotypes in this line of work,"Yea, the J was on a giant yacht. Part of his whole international shtick I guess. There was a whole crew, including servants and shit. "

[pbangarth]

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 11:58 PM, Phoenix Mall in Redmond

Professor sits down beside the woman while the drug takes effect. "So did any of your team members, particularly Charles, take a jander around the yacht? Wander off from the rest of you a bit?"

[Sephiroth]

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 11:57 PM, In the Tunnel in Redmond

Jovan threw himself to the side, managing to avoid the closest ghoul's dual natured claws. This unfortunately left him exposed to the other ghouls, though, and he felt the claws and teeth of several of them tear through his astral form. He could feel the stings of all their astral attacks building up quickly, even if they didn't nearly have the force of personality to be significant threats individually.

But he still had a major advantage over the ghouls in astral space. He could act at the speed of thought, whereas they were bound by the speed of their bodies in meatspace. Trying to concentrate through the growing pain, Jovan used his innate magic to hit a nearby ghoul with a powerful sense of fear to send the creature running. Moving quickly, he flew through the opening in the ghouls' formation and retreated away from most of the pack, bending the mind of another as he did so to try to create some disunity in the creatures' ranks. He allowed himself a small sense of relief as the pain quickly healed itself, but the nosferatu was unsure how long he could last against these mindless ghouls. This is insufficient. There must be a more intelligent method to be had. Let me think...

[Seth]

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 11:57 PM, Annex in Redmond

Jade Tiger sinks further into the meditative trance, enjoying the calm before the storm.

[Warlordtheft]

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 11:57 PM, Annex in Redmond

Zo just sits there. Waiting for Ferret to diable the drone.

[Red-ROM]

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 11:57 PM, Near Annex, Redmond

As the clouds darkened over Ferret's Icon, he waited for his command to go through.

//Access denied /Firewall interrupt / Account anomalies ://

Lightning struck the ground a few car lengths down the lot, and a large troll woman appeared as if this was a Gob-rock video. She was a large spiky Valkyrie with a giant axe. Ferrets Analyzer was already flashing AGENT.

[Saint Sithney]

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 11:58 PM, Phoenix Mall in Redmond

"Where you going with this line of thought Prof? Someone wanders off and makes a side deal with the dragon-lady? Not sure if they'd need anything that overt. A simple comm message could do it. Still, this whole line of action with Chuck in the Hat and lady Silvereyes bumping someone off is giving me a rising urge to kill a bitch." He turned to the recovering woman, "Pardon my manners. Speaking of which, I don't think I got your handle. Mine's Oswald."

[Warlordtheft]

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 11:57 PM, Near Annex, Redmond

<@Ferret>Hurry-up in there I taught the Matrix was supposed to be faster than me. My trigger finger is gettin itchy, an I think I'm in a target rich enviroment.

[Red-ROM]

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 11:58 PM, Phoenix Mall in Redmond

The woman nodded her head towards Oswald, brushing her brown hair out of her eyes "I go by Sandy. like the desert, and I don't recall anybody wandering of during the meet. Of course, I was paying attention to a whole lot of things at the time, coulda missed it."

In the Tunnel

One ghoul was off and running, and a second was turning on his kin. Jovan had bought himself some breathing room. His air elemental and drifted back out of reach of the mob,"Can I serve you in some way in this sir?" he said, putting emphasis on the word "serve". The ghouls were already jumping his way again.

Up above, the Sentry gun slowly whirred down the rail, passing the huddled team behind the burnt out van. Aside from a few twitches, Ferret was unresponsive.

[pbangarth]

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 11:58 PM, Phoenix Mall in Redmond

"You may recall, Oswald, a lot of drek happened during our job meet on the yacht, and afterwards. It's an awful coincidence that someone seems to be working to usurp the Fat Man and an attempt was made to blow up his yacht while we were there.

"I go by the name Professor, Sandy. It's unfortunate that you seem to have been caught up in some double dealing by a teammate of yours. I want you to know that we made it clear to our employer that we were not interested in any sort of wetwork to punish those who diverted his cargo. He seemed content with that position."

[Seth]

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 11:57 PM, Annex in Redmond


<<[Jade Tiger] OK the gun has moved past. However if there is a gun there are probably cameras so I suggest we wait for Ferret to return. On the subject of waiting: any word from Jovan?>>

<<Are the rest of you coming? No pressure but there are a drekload of man-eating Ghouls in this place. I don't want them to get a taste for Tiger>>