IC: Post or Die, Lifelines, and deadlines Options

[Warlordtheft]

Saturday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:28am, BDLL's Cross-town Warehouse

After Zo finnishes workinging on the third truck, he takes the grenades. I wunder if da Ms J is playin a couple of sides against each other. She might be the one behind the ghouls are something. The pasties came somewhat prepared to blow about 100K in guns.

<@ Team>Hey, justa randome coveren of my tusker hide, but did anyone get any legwork done on the Ms. and Mr. J.? An could Ms. J be playin MR. J? Too many coincidents from what ya told me about this run, with too many players for just a simple hi-jack job.

[Notsoevildm]

Saturday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:28am, BDLL's Cross-town Warehouse

Ferret boots up the truck's pilot programs ready to stop them broadcasting for help. He discovers that he doesn't need to. He pauses for a moment to admire the new pilot program provided by BDLL.

<<@BDLL: Nice code, man. Would this work on my Bulldog? The standard pilot on it drives worse than me and that's saying something.>>

<<@Team: Not had a chance too, Zo. I got brought in when the run was already underway. Ms. J seemed on the level when I met her, but given the body count, there sure is something fishy going on. I'll see what I can dig up on the way to the meet. Prof, Oz, if you got any data I can use to narrow my search, send it through.>>

He opens a couple of windows on his AR and loads up Google 2070. He's met the lady in the virtual but has little on her boss. He parses a couple of search queries and fires them off into the matrix. As an afterthought, he also fires off additional queries about the Vipers, BDLL and the German, before returning his attention to the trucks.

<<@Team: Think we're about ready to roll here. We need to swing past Rusty's on the way out so I can pick up my van. I'll set up the trucks to follow Oz's Rover but think it would still be a good idea if Prof and Zo each sat in one of them. Just in case they need to take manual control. I'll bring up the rear in my Bulldog.>>

[Warlordtheft]

Saturday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:28am, BDLL's Cross-town Warehouse

<@team>"Im not gettin paid enough ta abandon my bike. I'll pick dat up on da way out. Should be able ta load the it da back of yer van Ferret. Does anyone have a pic or description of the J's?"

[Warlordtheft]

Zo ponders the situation...What waz the plan once wegot da trucks. Oh, yeah I missed da meet cause I'm a replacement.

What were da instructions from the Mr. and Mrs J regardin delivery?

[pbangarth]

Saturday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:28am, BDLL's Cross-town Warehouse

Professor chimes in to the conversation. <<@team: We are to contact Ms. J. once we have the payload to arrange delivery. Given what we have learned and now suspect, that may not be the wisest of moves.>>

[Notsoevildm]

Saturday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:28am, BDLL's Cross-town Warehouse

Sitting in the cab of the last truck, Ferret makes a mental inventory of the stuff in his van.

<<@Zo: Is it a hog or a racer? Either should fit but I'll need to move more stuff around to fit in a Harley.>>

<<@Team: So if Ms J is playing us what do we do? Go over her head? That's not likely to go down well. And do we even have contact info for her boss? Look, lets get rolling. We can plan on the way and I'd prefer to be out of here before the next surprise turns up. And I bet BDLL is keen to get to his doctor.>>

[Sephiroth]

Saturday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:29am, BDLL's Cross-town Warehouse

While scouting through the rest of the building in astral space and checking the outside for any incoming threats, Jovan was musing to himself as he began to piece together a plan that would help see the team through the coming day in his absence.

Online chatrooms. Those will work. Military chatrooms and regular chatrooms. Oswald and Ferret should be able to handle that, and I'm sure Oswald has a bot or two that can assist him in dropping a few choice morsels of information there. The GLL may able to assist as well. I'll need a way to cover my identity in case the others come into contact with him, though, since he knows something of it now. But that will be child's play.

Charles, Charles, he is going to be an enjoyable dinner to play with. I will need to match his insanity and outdo him in it in order to beat him. Heh. Don't worry, little Mad Hatter. You shall have your tea time. But you should have known not to mess with a caterpillar like me.

[Saint Sithney]

Saturday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:34am, BDLL's Cross-town Warehouse

Oswald was busy finishing up the 3rd truck's repairs as he responded. <<@team: Orders were to deliver the containers to a ship parked on the Everett docks in the next 5 days. Don't need to tell Ms. J anything, just deliver on time. I'd say we just stash the cargo at my place, bunker it up with some magical protection and hunt this German down before he surprises us again.>>

Finished up, he walked out toward the rest of the group. "Ms. Johnson is an unknown. If she put Charles on her first team, and is working with him still as he attacks us, then we have to treat her as hostile. No contact, change our IDs and go underground. That brings up another question. If we can't trust the Spaniards lady assistant, then why would we trust him?"

B.D. had been listening in silently as the fever washed over him in disorienting waves. He wasn't sure exactly what was going on, but he felt compelled to interject. "Her? Wasn't no Ms. Johnson on our gig. Our contact was a jumped-up suit wit a James Bond complex, not a woman. Whatever breeder's running your show wasn't running ours."

[Warlordtheft]

Saturday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:29am, BDLL's Cross-town Warehouse

Ferret, da Skorpions got some off road suspenshin cause on account of da plexs idea of road matenince in da barrens is high explosives. Also some run flat tires for da sharp things dat other ganger leave around. Other dan that its just stock."

[pbangarth]

Saturday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:34am, BDLL's Cross-town Warehouse

Professor runs through a few scenarios in his mind, considering options and payoffs.

<<@team:I like Oswald's idea, though when we report our presence at the drop site, who comes first could be interesting. We would do well to be well defended before we call in. I like the idea of clearing out conflicting elements before we let on that we have the cargo. Speaking of conflicting elements, with the comm equipment in our possession as well, we could pick a few choice items for ourselves and use the remainder to try to buy peace with the 'not-nearly-12-anymore Vipers'. As much as the profit from the comm equipment attracts me, I don't cherish the thought of waiting till people with access to military grade hardware find a way to get revenge.>>

<<@team: And no, it doesn't matter that they were the ones who did themselves in. it matters what they think.>>

[Notsoevildm]

Saturday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:34am, BDLL's Cross-town Warehouse

<<@team: It's a bad idea to stiff the J, even if she is a double-crossing bitch. I vote we send her a message that we have the trucks and when we will deliver them, ideally as soon as possible so she doesn't have much time to plan an ambush. Then as Prof says, we can check it out and see who turns up. Oz can provide air support with the blimp, Jovan can do magic support and the rest of us will handle the meet.>>

<<@team: If things go south Oz can just order the trucks to drive off the pier while we do a runner.>>

He sighs as he examines one of the high tech comms units.

<<@team: You know these comms really are SOTA. But I guess we could give them to the Vipers if it will get them off our backs.>>

[Warlordtheft]

Saturday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:34am, BDLL's Cross-town Warehouse

I'd say rig it with some explosives, make sure both Mr. and Mrs. J know we iz comming and dat if anything happens to us at da meet we blow it and run. Of course we do get paid first. You guys dealt wit dem vipers before I came in to da picture, but if ya think it will reduce the chance of a 4 person Aztech stand off den I'm all for it.

Here's how I'd plan it. Poke any holes ya might see in it or any details yamight think is important.

One: Delivery, assuming we don't get tagged by KE when getting to the docks is straitforward. We show up.
Two, da comms will be elsewhere, and we will deliver to da Vipers 12 after da meet with da Mrs. J.
Three: Make sure da Mr. J know whats goin down independent of da Mrs J.
Four: Insurance. If things go south, we blow da rigs and run. If da vipers show, or try ta slot us up at da meet dey don't get da comms.

Five: For da vipers, we'll just send dem to a drop box in Renton. Some place not so secure we can smuggle da comms in, but in a neighborhood that KE doesn't consider an area good for target practice.

[pbangarth]

Saturday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:35am, BDLL's Cross-town Warehouse

"Thing is," Professor interjects, "Mr. Johnson left Ms. Johnson onshore as our liaison. We don't even have a contact code for him. Just her. Rigging with explosives is probably a good idea. I'm not sure about letting Ms. Johnson know about our success before we get to the docks. As Ferret points out, the less time and opportunities we provide for double dealing, the more likely we are to avoid it. If we get to the Everett docks with the cargo, we can phone in and imply the trucks are rigged to protect us from interference from third parties with whom we have already come in contact. Like the Vipers. No point in letting Ms. J know we suspect her. Or that we have the communications equipment elsewhere."

[Notsoevildm]

Saturday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:35am, BDLL's Cross-town Warehouse

Ferret sends a mental command and the first truck's engine starts up. He repeats the process with the other truck. Part of his mind is examining the code from BDLL's pilot program. It's pretty complex but it is just code. He flags a few subroutines that either show off the troll's programming skills or that he thinks he can improve on, while listening in on the conversation.

"Well, I'll leave the rigging the trucks with explosives to the experts... Right now, make sure those doors are secure and let's roll. I'll be a lot happier when I'm back in my van and these trucks are someone else's problem."

He programs in a course that will take them back past Rusty's garage, then slumps back in the driver's chair, his mind focused on the troll's code.

[Warlordtheft]

Saturday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:35am, BDLL's Cross-town Warehouse

Hearing the engines light-up as ferret starts the other vehicles, Zo hops in to the other truck.

<Prof--I'll check in ta dat ta see if one of my chummers knows a thing or two.>

Zo calls ups his friend K-P. <K-P--two things, need some more ex-ex for my Kalish. Lots of target practice. Secondly need some info if ya got it. I am dealing with some Mr. and Mrs J's that may be having marital issues if ya catch my drift. I don't want to get in da middle of one of der spats so ta speak. They are both involved in bulk sales of stuff that falls off the back of the truck, but I'm figurin they're not local. I'll send ya da info and descriptions I got on Mr and Mrs. J. A comm code for da Mr. J would be nice if ya can get it.>

[Sephiroth]

Saturday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:35am, BDLL's Cross-town Warehouse

Oh, and perhaps Oswald can use his surgical skills to do major biosculpting of Charles's face after we cut off his head. We can arrange to make him look like me or another nosferatu. That would make the ork boy more inclined towards loyalty as well, since I would have helped him hunt down a dangerous Infected 'monster...' and the extra cash in our pockets would be delicious. Ahh, but there is still Jonathan to deal with. And whatever Archer was planning to do with the trucks after he moved them out of here. Perhaps Long Legs knows something about that.

Satisfied that there was nothing outside waiting to go bump in the night (save perhaps himself), Jovan returned to the trucks where the others were just about to depart. Manifesting discretely inside the engine of the delivery van, he let his disembodied voice reach out psychically to the enormous and exhausted troll.

"Big Daddy Long Legs, I know you feel drained at the moment, but I have a few more questions that need answering. We will get you to the Bear Society soon, so do not fret. First of all, you mentioned that Archer wanted you to help him get the trucks in working order. Why? What did he want with them? Where was he aiming to drive them to? It seems that he moved some of the equipment in the trucks to another location - would that be the same place, or do you believe that he would have kept them here on-site? The man is dangerous and must be stopped. Any information you can give will help me to bring about his destruction.

"Secondly, there is a man in Archer's employ by the name of Jonathan, who is also a ghoul. Jonathan is a man who I have been pursuing for much of the evening, but he has been mysteriously difficult to track down. When I spoke with Archer briefly, he mentioned that Jonathan was a sort of 'messenger boy' for him, and that he, too, was wondering where Jonathan was. Do you know anything about the man, and what business he had in the metroplex this afternoon?"

[Saint Sithney]

Saturday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:35am, BDLL's Cross-town Warehouse

Never one to keep quiet, Oswald threw his own two cents into the ring as to what to do about the Viper 12.
"You ever seen a war that stopped with an apology? Got no way to contact the Vipers at this point anyhow, unless Bigs can help us with that. I did tell those sons of bitches we'd never gotten word of a truce. Maybe we could use that to our advantage. What say we send them word that our good lady Johnson played us at their expense. Maybe make up a story about how she was trying to push us both to conflict in order to scrub this mission in a way that wouldn't land on her head. Hell, for all we know, that's exactly what happened."



Meanwhile, BD answered Jovan's remaining questions from the back of the van..

"Jonathan? I heard the name. Never saw any of them, and I couldn't hear much except for shouting. Lotsa arguing about my place though." He forced out choked laugh at that. "They thought it was a good stronghold, maybe, because it's remote and full of hazards. Stupid bone-gnawers didn't think about how 'a remote place' means there's no victims and that 'full of hazards' means they'd be blowing themselves up all over my booby-traps. He asked me a few times for the access codes to my guns and the placement of my mines and wires, but I didn't tell him shit, so he told me he'd wait a week and see if I changed my mind. By that point, I'd already been bit. Guess he figured being a ghoul would make me more sympathetic to his problems. That or he'd use the hunger against me."

"Either way, it played out harder than he expected. Musta been the lack of food sent the dumber ones wandering, because I was hearing explosions like clockwork. And there's worse than me lives in this place, besides. Whatever it was finally soured his disposition on the spot, because he stopped askin' about the warehouse computers and started asking about the vehicle computers. No idea where he planned to go with them. Like I said, all I could ever hear was shouting when they weren't questions for me. Either way, last I heard about his messenger, Archer was sending him out to 'tell that bitch' something or other."

[pbangarth]

Saturday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:35am, BDLL's Cross-town Warehouse

"Well, somebody is playing us, Oz. Seems like a good idea to play back. With the right manipulation, we might even be able to get the somewhat-less-than-12 Vipers to do a little retribution on our part." Damn, I can't believe I'm even thinking in these terms now.

[Warlordtheft]

Saturday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:35am, BDLL's Cross-town Warehouse
Seeing professor's subtle cringe when he lays out his idea, Zo speaks up.


"Prof, welcome to da barrens, please leave yur civility and morals at da door. Everyone else did. Ya can pick dem up when ya leave.

[pbangarth]

Saturday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:35am, BDLL's Cross-town Warehouse[color="#FF8C00"]

Whoa! It's like Zo can read my mind!

[Sephiroth]

Saturday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:36am, BDLL's Cross-town Warehouse

"Don't make yourself look like a fool, ZO," Jovan's disembodied voice said out of thin air in a flat, bored tone. "It is civility and morality which separate the metahumans from the monsters. Nothing else."

He returned his attention to the sickly troll. "Was he, now? Excellent. I love it when I am correct. I have one final question for you before we depart, Big Daddy Long Legs. Our Ms. Johnson, as I've been told, is a woman with a pale face and cybereyes that look like steel balls. A very distinctive appearance, undoubtedly. Do you know anything of her?"

[Warlordtheft]

Saturday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:36am, BDLL's Cross-town Warehouse

"Jovie--its dose that claim to be civilized are the worst monsters of all. Night of rage anyone?"

[Saint Sithney]

Saturday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:36am, BDLL's Cross-town Warehouse

Big Daddy Long Legs simmered in his pain a moment before responding. "Never seen her. Might need to find those answers elsewhere." He leaned back and lay on the floor of the large van with his arms sprawled above his head. "Only girl I'z seen with the Johnson was at the VR meetup, but that was all digital. Spaniard was in an icon I suppose looked like his normal self, but the one running the node was a blond girl. No silver on her that I saw, if that's your lady's thing."

Oswald was still quite twitchy and ready to head out. "Civilization is every man with a knife to his throat and the words 'or else' tattooed to his forehead like a speech bubble. From here to eternity." He opened the door to the rover and shouted, "Hey Rocky! Lead us outta here!"

[Saint Sithney]

Saturday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:52am, Cross-town

Big Daddy Long Legs took the lead and the convoy was on its way out of that dump. Two vans, an SUV, and three big rigs began moving on a path through rubbish, ruins, and high-explosive death traps. It was quite a sight, and likely to draw attention, both before and after leaving Redmond. Luckily ZO's connection to the Crushers was enough to get the crew through their roadblocks on the way to Touristville, where Redmond meets the world of law and constant surveillance.

[Warlordtheft]

Saturday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:52am, Touristville

Haven't heard from K-P---frag, forgot what time it is. Hmm, last night I was slotting that dwarf chica, tonight I gots ta frag some pasties. Last night was slightly more fun, but at least I gots some more vengence in for sis. Hmm, we got alot of loose ends an questions. The viper 12, ok they're a merc outfight with a chip on der shoulder, but who are dey exactly? Dis group ferret is running with? An dis shipment, might dere be more players involved, like da ones dat lost da shipment in da first place.

Zo checked his comm to make sure he had signal, this might be a long conversation.
<Roper>Hey roper, got few questions if ya can supply some intel. I'll send ya 300 nuyen in appreciation. My first question pertains ta some merc group known as da Viper 12, who are dey, how many, an if dey are local, where do they doss down for da night. My second question is about three runners dat I'm dealin wit. Da first is some dwarf dat goes by the handle Professor, some old dude like an escapee from a nursin home old named Oz, den dere's Jovie. Only seen him on da astral. Lastly, I'z got some questions to see if dere were any rumors floatin about a missing shipment of mil-spec gear, some assault rifles an who might be looking for dem.