2072: Game World, IC thread for 2072: Recruitment always open! Options

[Aria]

@E:PL UK
[May 19th, 2072, 10:47:20; Kreig's Motors, Reading, UK]

Argent looks hard at Gemeaux, at least that is the appearance through the AR interface,

"We will talk more when I reach you. I don't think we've met, and I know nothing of these bounty hunters..." she breaks off, "yes, we will talk more soon, I should be with you momentarily if Monsieur Hill can facilitate..."

[Aria]

[Tuesday June 14th, 2072; Sintec Facility, Downtown Seattle]

The maglock was isolated from the system so Riptide had no access to it. Silk crouched down and with a deft swipe of a laser cutter freed the cover plate to expose the delicate circuitry beyond. Allowing her breathing to slow she extended her fingertips out, hovering them just above the guts of the machine. She traced the patterns in her mind, discerning the necessary changes that would trigger the door to open. With a flash of clarity she extended a microelectronics probe and with a flurry of movements that belied her stillness the door indicator changed to a steady green.

The air hissed out as the seals were broken, a waft of metallic gasses that had nothing to do with the narcotics they had pumped into the nearby rooms. Although the lighting was bright Silk wasn’t concerned about being seen as she slunk down the short corridor. Her suit would mask any thermal signature and the ruthenium polymers rendered her all but invisible. A subtle change in the flooring warned her of a pressure sensor, presumably to activate the door ahead.

Riptides warning about the system spider and alarm flashed across her vision and galvanised the team into speed over stealth. Silk gestured for Requiem to come forward, his hardened military armour making him the obvious choice to barge into the unknown. His wires allowed him to glide forward with unnatural grace, his own chameleon system blending into the hard white floor tiles and plastisol corridor walls.

They ghosted through, Requiem automatically peeling to left while Silk slipped to the right in a crouch. They were on a raised balcony overlooking a lab on the floor below them. Large pieces of air handling units and ductwork obscured their view but they could still see the sensory tanks and a glass enclosed operating theatre. Silks augmented vision did her little favours here and she had to force down the desire to gag at the sights below them.

As she watched guards scrambling to stop their incursion she became aware of the lack of the typical blaze of wifi signals, her tactical network was frantically signalling that it had lost contact with the others as they entered the room. She briefly regretted not having time to change to some more vindictive ammo before she gently squeezed the trigger of the smartgun and sent a flurry of sound suppressed fire towards their foes. She made the mental switch after seeing what was happening below, these were no longer people just doing their jobs, now they were the enemy.

The staccato bark of Requiem’s rifle dropped two of their assailants in a welter of blood, the armour piercing rounds being far more effective than the gel rounds from Silk’s weapon. As Bale joined them he too took a startled moment to take in the scene and then, what could be seen of his face locked in a rictus of anger and pain, he fired on the guards. They took the hint and retreated back to seek better cover.

To cut them off Silk launcher herself into the air, did a flip to bring her feet back under her and landed neatly on the roof of the operating theatre. The glass held, as she had suspected it would, and she found herself looking down into the acne covered face of the junior tech inside. On the table behind him was a girl, somewhere in her mid-teens. Silk’s facial recog flagged her as Emma, one of their targets who was taken in the raid on the Freedom hacker tribe. Silk knew that she would remember the look on that girl’s face in many sleepless nights to come. Her pallid shaved head had numerous surgical probes rammed into it and she appeared almost skeletal, wasted away under the barrage of Gods knew what tortures she had been subjected to.

Without any feeling of pity Silk drew her sidearm and fired through the glass at the tech. The sabotted rounds were barely deflected by the transition through the glass. At close range she witnessed the ruin of his hopes and dreams and couldn’t find it in herself to care… She would berate herself for her unprofessionalism later; he wasn’t a threat after all, and there were more pressing targets but she was filled with contempt for this corper and what he was doing to that poor girl…perhaps there were benefits to the detachment that Requiem had been trying to drum into her, she might not have forgotten herself for that brief moment…

A whirring sound made her jerk her head away from the grisly scene below her,

“Drone! Rail drone incoming!” she yelled at the others, mentally cursing their reliance on tech to communicate urgent messages. The intensive training they had been through however meant that they were in tune with one another, and although they probably couldn’t hear her through her respirator and over the sound of gunfire, they saw the threat almost as quickly as she did.

The runners scattered, Riptide retreating to guard their exit whilst Bale and Requiem split along either side of the gantry. Requiem charged down the stairs towards the retreating guards, relying on his armour and concealment to foil their attempts to bring him down. Bale stood tall and faced the drone. Flinging an arm out he let rip a scintillating bar of light that shrieked as it super cooled the air it passed through. The drone came to an abrupt halt and he was just turning away having killed it when the high velocity rounds spat from the underslung machine gun and stitched a pattern across the wall and then him.

[SoyKaf Adict]

@Fortune's Forecast
[Monday, April 18th, 2072, 01:01:36; Everett, Everett Medical Center, Reception Area]
PAN=Active, SIN: Erica Hallowford
PAN=Hidden, SIN: Vivica Leman

She'd let a few breaths go, any normal citizen would have gawked at the sight, and gawk she did. Her mind immediately went about calculations without her say-so, two or more bodies, a particularly brutal scuffle, she ventured a guess that the orderlies wouldn't be returning home to loved ones, that much blood pointed to murder. She scanned for spatter marks in comparison to the calmly stagnant pool of crimson ichor, that would tell her if it was a blunt force trauma or a simple blade that was used. All of these thoughts came about in a matter of seconds, and every second she wished she wasn't thinking about it.

She turned back to where Sport had been standing, thankfully dealing with the putrescent clerk that would've no doubt had something to say to KE if they'd bailed. Again she looked to the puddle of living essence on the floor before her, paying Knight Errant no mind, wolves could smell fear, and she preferred to have it associated with the brutality of the scene. Saint waited for her companion to return before she'd move.

[Ears]

@Fortune's Forecast
[Monday, April 18th, 2072, 01:01:47; Everett, Everett Medical Center, Reception Area]
PAN=Active, SIN: John Taylor, Edge: 5 / 6

Looking at him, puss still running from her ear, the nurse seems unfazed by what has happened right in front of her. Depends on what yer paying, sweety. Fer nothing, well, nothing's happened and KE just felt like popping by. What's that info worth to you? Maybe something DID happen, who knows?

Adrian just shakes his head, turns away from the mercenary nurse and goes back to his companion. Oh, Ti-Tsang, please guide us back out of here. Looking at the blood stain in front of him, he adds I will pray for them, as I am sure you will, please guide her and to safety; and me, if you care for such a worthless servant as this one.

Looking at Saint, who seems just as shell-shocked as he is - maybe she's not as much hardened by the streets as he thought she'd be - he decides to take her by the arm once more and guides her towards the exit.

Knowing she won't hear his inner monologue, he nevertheless makes her a promise, one he can't break We make it out of here, I tell you all I know about this, I vow.

Just before the exit, a young KE officer stops them. Adrian hopes that he will see reason. Sorry, but what happened here? I've just accompanied my friend here to an appointment. I think all that blood got to her. Didn't know this area was this dangerous... Honest interest, some shock - mostly his own - and the desie to just leave, is this enough to get them away?

All that blood, a girl with an exploding head, that perverted magician's office, I just wanna curl up and sleep. Like really long.

Suddenly, a jolt of understanding hits him. Did his yidam, Ti-Tsang, allow herself to feel this way when her mother was condemned to hell? NO! What did she do? Fight, that is pray, with all her soul. So shall I. Not for my sake, but hers! Looking at Saint, then turning back at the 'hospital', he adds And whoever else's is at stake.

[Aria]

[Tuesday June 14th, 2072; Sintec Facility, Downtown Seattle]

Silk spun round as Bale fell and time seemed to dilate. With calm determination she levelled her Scorpion at the drone that had killed him and fired. Normally the tiny calibre rounds would have been deflected but in this case they had been replaced by tungsten penetrators that easily found the ammo drum of the machine gun and cooked off what remained of its supply. Molten shards of weapon went whickering through the overhead ductwork.

Miraculously Bale struggled to his feet and waved a feeble all clear down at them but it was evident that he would now be as much of a hindrance to their escape as the recumbent test subjects around the room.
With precious time slipping away Requiem drew his customised hand cannons, vicious matte black Guardians, and launched himself into the centre of the remaining guards. The gyros on his wrists stabilised the weapons as they danced a brutal weave of fire through the last defenders.

Silence momentarily fell apart from the pinging of hot metal above them and the breathless panting of the two remaining techs who were scrabbling out from behind the pods they had been cowering behind and were making for an adjoining room. With a silent snarl Silk leapt, swung off an overhead duct and with a deflection from a wall mounted cylinder, landed between them and the door. She mentally flipped the ruthenium coating on her armour and she became a figure of darkness, the coating seeming to absorb the light, apart that is from the feral glow of eyes in the faceplate of the helmet she wore.

The techs froze and then began to back away with their arms held clear of their bodies, only to bump into the armoured form of Requiem who had similarly appeared like a spectre behind them. With undignified whimpers they slipped to the floor with their hands cradled protectively around their heads.

With containment temporarily in hand Silk approached one of the workstations and connecting her link, sent Herne into the system to dredge up all the information on their targets. A bleak tally was projected into Silk’s mind’s eye as the agent rifled the corp’s hardline system. It would seem that the test subjects in this room were the only ones here left alive of the original nine who had been taken.

While a meaningless stream of medical data filled the data files Silk gazed sorrowfully into one of the sensory pods at the victim strapped down inside. The face of the young man was set in a ghastly rictus that was painful to look at.

“We can’t just drag them out, who knows what will happen to them…” She pushed her gun into the temple of the older tech kneeling in an expanding pool “Wake them up now, don’t and you die.” The voice mask made her voice deeper, more threatening, but probably nothing compared to the looming barrel.

“I, I can’t…they are deeply immersed, the shock could kill them…”

“You are already killing them! We walk out with them now or you never walk out again.”

In hindsight this would probably sound melodramatic and over the top, but then Silk hadn’t brushed up on intimidation techniques and she didn’t have time for a more subtle argument. The gun was doing most of the talking for the quivering wageslave anyway. With a little bit of rough assistance from Requiem he made it to his feet and approached a central bank of computer equipment. What Silk vaguely recognised as brainwave maps slowly changed as he fiddled with the AR controls. In the pods they began to stir and dimly heard cries of distress filtered into the room.

“And turn the jamming off!”

Another flurry of commands and suddenly the tactical feeds blazed back into being as the severed wifi links re-enabled. Riptide’s voice immediately came across the comm.

<<We have company. Looks like a tactical team arriving at the front. They haven’t flagged this with KE so I guess they intend to deal with us themselves. I estimate we have five more minutes before they begin the assault>>

<<Ok. We knew the chances of making it look like we were never here were slim indeed. Judging by the feeds they don’t have enough people to sweep the building thoroughly yet so we will try and divert around them and still go with exit plan A. Get ready with those distractions. There is still a spider in here with us somewhere, we need to take out his eyes otherwise they will lead them straight to us>>

<<With the jamming off this system is mine! Attach the wifi bridge to a socket and I’ll flash this virus through it, should give us time while they reboot>>

Silk did as she was bid whilst Requiem and the limping Bale began to help the woozy victims out of their pods.

***
They staggered through the corridor on the floor below the lab, Requiem leading and the other three supporting the five test subjects. On cue the air was suddenly sucked backwards towards the impromptu hole in the ceiling they had just descended through. The white phosphorous would be spreading in an incandescent sheet across the lab, the automatic fire suppression systems would only spread the stuff around further. It would burn out any forensic evidence and hopefully destroy any data the corp had gathered so far.

They were hampered by the general condition, or lack of, of their targets who were weak and disorientated. Silk, who was barely able to get Emma to stand, looked worriedly at the girl, her condition was deteriorating rapidly and her breathing was coming in ragged gasps. They had hesitated to subject them to further chemicals but it looked like stims might be their only option.

Opium’s voice sounded in their ears <<The tac team obviously know about the fire, they are proceeding more cautiously and I would say they don’t yet know where you are. I am ready to neutralise their command vehicle when you are ready>>

Riptide’s response was decidedly less reserved <<Suckers are using last year’s encryption. I’ve broken in and I’ll tweak their tacnet to lead them on a wild dance. Once they split up I might even be able to get them to shoot each other!>>

Things were becoming ridiculously tight but Silk was still confident that they would make it out, the trick would be doing it without further harm coming to the innocents with them. Breaching the lift shaft ahead they prepared to descend to the parking garage below. The lifts themselves would have been fried by Riptide’s virus so they provided a handy escape route. Whilst she anticipated that the onsite spider would be trying to regain control of the system the virus was virulent enough to resist attempts to eradicate it, which, coupled with the fire above should buy them some time.

***
Silk eased herself through the impossibly small gap in the lift doors. The car park seemed to be deserted for now with no sign of their hunters. This grace period couldn’t last much longer before they called in significant reinforcements. Bale was struggling even further after using his power to help stabilise their charges down the precarious climb and Silk was concerned that he was hiding the extent of his injuries from them.

The corp motor pool was as expected, and stashed between them were the two Rovers they had arranged to be delivered this morning. They responded to the open commands and the runners gratefully bundled in with their charges in tow.

<<We are set, take out the command vehicle now>>

[JxJxA]

@E:PL UK
[May 19th, 2072, 10:47:20; Kreig's Motors, Reading, UK]
PAN - Active ; SIN - Maximilien Danton

"I shall look forward to it," Gemeaux replies. "Ordinarily, I would tidy myself up a bit before introductions, but these are trying times. At the very least, I've a bottle of Côtes du Rhône in my luggage to add a touch of comfort to your arrival."

To meet two lovely women in one day is not normally a reason to celebrate, but given the situation I will take what I can get.

Gemeaux looks to Mr. Hill.

"Well, can you send an invitation to our employer, or must we make other arrangements?"

[Aria]

@E:PL/Chi Town
[July 8th, 2072, 20:22 PM; CZ, Chicago]

You scrabble along through the rubble, being careful not to turn an ankle on the loose, shifting debris. It is hard to be stealthy but you are sufficiently far back from the other group that they shouldn’t be aware of you. They don’t seem to have any eyes in the sky that Ælias can detect and Copperhead isn’t aware of any spirit cover.

About an hour later after you first discovered them you hear in the distance the tell-tale rumble of ethanol fuelled motors and the whoop and shout of some of the more technological residents as they scent prey. It would seem that your inadvertent advance party have stirred the wasp’s nest, so to speak, at least they will be able to soften up any possible opposition…

With the encryption broken Ælias easily comprehends a flying fragment of their comms as they respond to the attackers (you all hear the staccato bark of automatic fire)

<<…Shit, left fl$$k, enga$e that big basta$d!...frag you…they aren$$ pay$ng u$ enough for this $hit…fu$king…sort yourselves out, this isn$t a picnic, watch tha$...I’ll speak to Arg$nt about compen$$tio$ later…>>

[Aria]

@E:PL UK
[May 19th, 2072, 10:47:20; Kreig's Motors, Reading, UK]

Argent smiled at Gemeaux through the AR interface

“Ma Cherie, save your wine, I will be with you in spirit rather than in the flesh…” she looks away briefly “merci, little one…Monsieur Hill’s watcher has reached me, I will be with you shortly”

Considering the fact that she has to cross the Atlantic following a small impressed form of astral energy she arrives with you surprisingly quickly, manifesting in the darkened garage as a being of light. In the flesh, being an elf, she is attractive enough, her astral form is glorious!

Manifested she appears to be over two meters tall, clad in antique garb replete with celtic jewelry and a leaf bladed short sword in a scabbard at her side which Monsieur Hill at least will recognise as a potent focus. The lock of silver hair glows prominently in the low light.

She stares hard at Gemeaux as if trying to pierce the mysteries of his soul…she then turns to the others in the room

“This is the first time that we have had a chance to meet other than via the matrix. I am sorry that your journey so far as been beset by danger. The Collots are in safe hands so for that I thank you on behalf of the Stillwater group. You cannot remain here long, we do not yet know how you were tracked to the church but it would seem that the opposition has significant resources aimed at finding the Collots, and perhaps the Clearwater location. I have people I trust in Oxford who I can put you in contact with, or you may use your own connections as you see fit.”

[Notsoevildm]

@E:PL/Chi Town
[July 8th, 2072, 20:22 PM; CZ, Chicago]
PAN: Hidden, SIN: Charlotte Church

Copperhead's head snaps up at the sounds of engines and gunfire. She had been keeping her gaze on the ground just ahead of her, carefully picking her way through the rubble to stay quiet and avoid twisting an ankle.

Here we go again. Action time!

She swings the big shotgun up to the ready and glances at Ælias.

"You got anything from der comms that might give us a clue what's going on and whether we should help dem or take dem out?"

"Jess, you da sneaky. Why not go..."

She breaks off when she realises the woman is already gone.

"Frag! Don't get yerself killed till I gets there."

She sets off towards the sounds of fighting. While she moves quickly, she tries her best to stay in cover.

[mister__joshua]

@E:PL/Chi Town
[July 8th, 2072, 20:22 PM; CZ, Chicago]

Jess has already gone, crawling through rubble and keeping low and out of sight, trying to draw a bead on the action. Their comms mentioned Argent so she's pretty sure they're friendly, or at least not an enemy. Hearing Copperhead's gusto behind her, she sends a silent message.

<<May be best to hang back and see how it plays out. If they win, we don't have to deal with it. If they lose, it can only make us look good when we bring in 2 team's work>>

[Aria]

@E:PL/Chi Town
[July 8th, 2072, 20:22 PM; CZ, Chicago]

The other group have been steadily making their way over to Ashland Avenue, presumably to cross the river ahead by one of the few remaining bridges. They were unfortunate enough to be in a fairly open spot which has allowed the ten or so bikers to approach them. As you watch from a vantage point further down what is left of the avenue you see more people flanking them from nearby buildings in a classic ambush pattern.

The group don’t seem to be terribly phased by their predicament though, pulling tightly together to see off the attackers and making the most of the building rubble, trying to back towards the side of the street where they will not be as surrounded.

The attackers are clearly one of the more advanced groups in the zone and you suspect they might be Unionists judging by what you can see from this distance and in the poor light. Why they would be this far out from their stronghold is open to a guess but they clearly had this junction watched enough to prepare.

One of the trio goes down with what looks like a crossbow bolt through him and the chances of them making it out are dramatically reduced…

[Ears]

@Fortune's Forecast
[Monday, April 18th, 2072, 01:03:12; Everett, Everett Medical Center, Reception Area]
PAN=Active, SIN: John Taylor, Edge: 5 / 6

Looking both Saint and Adrian up and down, the young KE officer sneers at him. Don't know nuthing; yeah right, hear that all day long, Mister Taylor. Shocked by a little blood? Get a new life. The SIN check seems to have finished as he adds. And a new job. Doesn't like blood, works for Combat Cab, real drekhead. Anyway, what happened here, didn't involve a tazer, modded or not. Now stop steeling my time and get lost! Wanna know what happened, watch the Trid, category "Senseless violence nobody gives a frak about". And don't forget your friend. With a wink in Saint's direction, he waves them through.

So, where to next?

Accessing a list one of his coworkers has given him, labelled "midnite grub that won't kill you outright", Adrian finds an address in Everett and forwards it to Saint. How about we head there, grab some caf and I tell you why I thought we had to leave right away.?

Saint, still not talking to him, just nods and they head to their twin bikes.

[Notsoevildm]

@E:PL/Chi Town
[July 8th, 2072, 20:22 PM; CZ, Chicago]
PAN: Hidden, SIN: Charlotte Church

Copperhead moves up beside Jess and surveys the scene.

What a clusterfrag!

She is still gritting her teeth at Jess's rather mercenary comment when Ælias confirms the people they have been following are likely also working for Argent and then one of them goes down with what looks like a crossbow bolt sticking through him.

"Ah, shit. I ain't standin' here while some yahoos kills one of Argent's other teams. Jess can you try and distract dem fraggers dat is trying to ambush dem?"

<<@Ælias, Jess: Ælias can you let dem know da cavalry is on it's way. I is about to do somefin real stoopid.>>

Mama, could use some help here.

The spirit that responds is a pale shade of a thing, twisted and poisonous. She almost winces at its sickly appearance.

Sick em bikers!

As the sickly spirit speeds off, she straightens up to her full height and steps out of cover. She steadies the Enfield, drawing a bead on the nearest biker.

BOOM! whirclick BOOM! whrrclick roars the Enfield over the chatter of lighter automatic weapons and the whine of ethanol engines. She steps resolutely towards the fighting, the big gun twisting in her grasp as it barks again and again.

[RdMarquis]

@E:PL UK
[May 19th, 2072, 10:47:20; Kreig's Motors, Reading, UK]
SIN: Spencer Lovett, PAN: Active

Mordred stands, dusting off his jeans. "Well, it's nice to finally see you in person. Er, sort of." Something told the adept he could trust Argent. Or rather, that he had to, for now. To be fair, she was being more forthcoming than he would expect form an employer.

"Right. Down to business. Do you think it's still safe to bring them to Clearwater? Or do you have a different destination in mind? Wherever we need to go, some help would be welcome." Mordred felt like he had been flying blind since the shootout at the church.

Briefly, the adept felt the dragon's gaze upon him, a brief warning against depending too readily on the help of a stranger. I know. He nodded mentally. I'll look into it when I have more to go on.

[Ears]

@Fortune's Forecast
[Monday, April 18th, 2072, 01:17:12; Everett, Pamela's Pie Palace]
PAN=Active, SIN: John Taylor, Edge: 5 / 6

Saint had taken Adrian's invitation most stoically but had followed. That they both shared a taste in motorcycles - they both liked the Suzuki Mirage, although his was two years older and thus not as up to date as hers - had at least gotten a few positive remarks out of Saint, who had been icily silent after their hasted departure from the doctor's office. At least she had agreed to follow him here, sit down at the corner table and wait for the waitress, Pamela - but then, they all were called Pamela here, guess there was some kind of theme going on in this joint -, to take their order.

He had ordered a slice of Mississippi Mud Pie - don't know if they actually used any chocolate in the making thereof, but looking at the prices they better did! - and a cup of Prince of Wales tea - whatever a "Wales" was, did sound good though, a whale was a majestic and grand animal, (mostly extinct it had become, though) afterall - while Saint simply barked a "What he said!" at their waitress.

Saint seemed pissed off to him; pissed off and maybe, hopefully, willing to listen to a good - a good! - explanation.

Heh, I better dive right into it

Huh, Saint, there's something about Doctor Bailey I gotta talk about. And for that matter, I better tell you something about me first...

[Aria]

[June 21st, 2072; Matrix Node: SEAѤ67-∑2: The Citadel]

Aria danced through her domain, her seat of power manifested as a gloriously impossible garden, reminiscent of what once was. Her icon showed her as a diminutive child but those meeting her here would recognise that she was anything but. Two more icons appeared in the node, the first a young girl reminiscent of the images of Alice, the second, a clumsy stilted figure, was by far the more interesting

“Greetings Old One, you have managed to find a new host to bring your consciousness to this place?” Her tone is flippant but the deference owed is conveyed in her posture. There is a pause whilst her words are relayed and a response comes…in the speed of the matrix this seems to be an interminable pause

“Yes. Why you persist in meeting in this false reality the humans have created is beyond me…no, no, spare me your arguments, I know how important it potentially is to this work. Will Salai or your master be joining us for this solstice gathering?”

She dropped her childlike demeanour…whilst it was fitting that others should see her so, there was a time and a place for all things

“No. He is still recovering from what Goldensnout did to him and the destruction of the original great work.”

“Whilst precipitous we have discussed His reasons; your master’s actions were provocative”

“That’s as may be, we learnt our lessons well, now Stillwater and the other enclaves take the risks for us whilst we focus our efforts in new directions. The information you brought us from Cerberus is promising. If we can integrate that with the experiences in the Stillwater node we will be a step closer to our goal.”

“I baulk at this idea of changing metahumanity so drastically but change is inevitable and if the timescales are as we fear then something must be done quickly. I mislike the reliance on technology but in this age it is a power that magic once was and may be the edge that is needed”

“There are others who pursue similar goals, if for different reasons, we can seek them out and see if they have what we need…”

Throughout this brief exchange Summer hovered on the side lines watching her elders discuss the great dream. Her visions were coming with greater frequency as the Resonance expanded into her mind and she had begun to pick up on the names they were bandying about with such unconcern…Goldensnout, Lofwyr? Cereberus, the AI that works for Celedyr? enough to make her wonder once again if these people were truly sane...but she was here for her own reasons. An explanation of the darkness she saw in her visions perhaps? She knew that she represented the future for them, not just because of her gifts but because of who she was.

She turned suddenly to a shadowed part of the mysterious garden

“Over there, there’s someone watching us!”

Aria turned in the direction she indicated a smiled gently back at Summer

“It’s ok little one…” and that still sounded incongruous from someone who appeared to be younger by far, the glorious illusions of the matrix, “I know who it is”

“But they are hardly there, I can only sense them not see them, it’s as if the matrix itself is concealing them”

“Another mystery for you to unravel then” and the smile is more provocative this time. The tinkling tones failing to conceal something that sounded much, much older.

[Aria]

@E:PL/Chi Town
[July 8th, 2072, 20:22 PM; CZ, Chicago]

The speck of the tiny spirit, reduced further by the pervasive unease in the astral sphere, races ahead, hissing violently. Although it is small, it should not be underestimated, particularly manifest at the foot of one of the bikers ahead who jerks backwards in fear – directly into a burst of fire from the beleaguered defenders.

Although Copperhead and Jess are some distance from the action, Copperhead’s emergence and roaring combat shotgun draw the attention of the ambushers who seem panicked by this sudden new threat, whirling round in confusion and scrambling for more cover. One is sufficiently slow that Copperhead catches him in the open and what’s left of him will probably feed the devil rats for a while.

[JxJxA]

@E:PL UK
[May 19th, 2072, 10:47:20; Kreig's Motors, Reading, UK]
PAN - Active ; SIN - Maximilien Danton

"Perhaps another time, then. Preferably under better circumstances," replies Gemeaux.

When Argent arrives in astral form, Gemeaux does his best to mask his surprise. He has tangled with the Awakened before, but usually in the familiar comforts of the physical realm. Seeing the woman's striking astral form is quite treat, and he takes care to remember it. It is normally a practice he reserves for particularly fetching feminine faces and figures, but he decides that this is a fitting time to make an exception.

As Argent examines Gemeaux, he grins and cocks an eyebrow.

"Do you see something you like, mon cher? If you have questions, please feel free to ask. I might be inclined to answer honestly. With regard to business, I am happy to accept whatever help your contacts can provide. I am running low on ammunition, and would be incredibly grateful if you could direct me towards a suitable vendor."

[Aria]

@E:PL UK
[May 19th, 2072, 10:47:20; Kreig's Motors, Reading, UK]

Argent’s spectral form traces an ethereal arm towards Gemeaux

“Your face and your aura tell me different things, both of them confusing. I would say that we have met before except I know that we have not. I think this discussion must be postponed until the Collots are safer, but I look forward to meeting you in person once your task is complete. Perhaps you will consider coming to Seattle once you are done…there is plenty of work here for one such as yourself.

As to the matter of ammunition, that is more difficult. I have not been to the UK for many years and some of my contacts do not remember me with undue fondness. That is aside from the fact that with the restrictions on weaponry, ammunition is that much more difficult to acquire. Send the details to my ‘link and I will see what I can do.

There is a gentleman in Oxford who would possibly be of assistance to you. He specialises in movements around the UK and bypassing the bureaucratic nightmare of that system. I am sure Monsieur Hill will also have connections that he can draw on.”

[Notsoevildm]

@E:PL/Chi Town
[July 8th, 2072, 20:22 PM; CZ, Chicago]
PAN: Hidden, SIN: Charlotte Church

The beast spirit flits in and out of the astral plane, biting at exposed flesh then retreating back to safety. What it lacks in strength it more than makes up for in enthousiasm.

Copperhead keeps the pressure on, moving ever closer to the gangers, where the big gun will be even more deadly. She keeps up her steady fire until the the first crossbow bolt clatters off a wall near her head.

She hears Snake's voice but Cutter's words, Don't stand in the open unless you like getting shot!

She takes their advice and quickly drops into cover, popping up to return fire based on the little scrap of a spirit's hissed information.

<<Ælias, how's da comms coming. I don't want dese guys shooting me by mistakes.>>

She glances around looking for Jess, but she is nowehere to be seen.

Eyes front, girl. Focus on your targets. Do your job and trust your team to do their's hisses her mentor with her lover's words again.

[RdMarquis]

@E:PL UK
[May 19th, 2072, 10:47:20; Kreig's Motors, Reading, UK]
SIN: Spencer Lovett, PAN: Active

It was kind of funny, now that he considered it. A small handful of people in a conversation with a spectral figure, talking as if nothing was out of the ordinary. Even the garage staff were going about their own business. "Where can we find this gentleman?" Oxford was something of a detour, but it'd be worth it if the police weren't looking for them there.

[Aria]

[Tuesday June 14th, 2072; Under the Sintec Facility, Downtown Seattle]

Silk watched the tactical feed that indicated one of Opium’s aerial drones circling in towards the corpsec team’s Citymaster. A blinking light indicated the launch of the stick-on jammer that spiralled down and attached itself to the vehicle’s roof. Following pre-programmed instructions two micro drones detached themselves from the cradle they had been carried down in and headed for the wheel arches. The detonations would be barely audible from outside but hopefully the damage to the vehicle axels would prevent that vehicle at least from giving chase.

The Rovers they were in accelerated smoothly towards the exit ramp. If Riptide’s tinkering had done its work properly the barrier should have retracted, if not this was going to be a very short trip. Behind them two of the motor pool whirred into life as Riptide overrode their dog brains and programmed in decoy routes that would help to mask the runner’s escape.

Silk silently cursed to herself as they sped up the ramp. She prided herself and her team on being in and out of run with nobody being any the wiser. In this case the necessity of rescuing the test subjects meant that was impossible, but they were still leaving too much evidence of their presence behind them. They had prepped as much as possible to ensure anything they left behind wouldn’t lead directly back to them but there was always the chance of a slip up…and Sintec would be none too pleased with the removal of their prizes.

The Rover’s engines echoed eerily in the concrete confines of the parking garage, coupled with the squeal of the overlarge tyres as they fought for purchase against Requiem’s not so gentle driving style. As they made the final approach to the exit ramp Silk swore as Emma struck her in the side of the head, that quickly turned to concern as the girl began to writhe

“She’s fitting, damn, this medkit isn’t equipped to deal with the sort of abuse these people have been put through”

The other two captives looked at her in mute appeal. They still didn’t seem capable of coherent speech but she was fairly certain she understood their meaning.

“Stop the car, we need to get her stable before we head out. I know it’s a risk but I’m not prepared to leave her here to die.”

Requiem slung the car over to the side of the ramp and, muttering to himself, unlimbered his assault rifle and propped it on the window “Just in case the fraggers come down here…”

Bale’s concerned tones came over the comm from the Rover ahead of them

<<What’s the hold up?>>

<<One of the packages is in distress, administering aid, won’t be long…I hope>>

***

With rudimentary medical aid offered, about the best that could be achieved in the back of a vehicle with a portable medkit, Silk held Emma tight to stop her hurting herself. She felt tears of frustration in the corners of her eyes and she was glad of the inhuman helmet masking her from her fellow runners and the people they had come here to extract.

The pattern was becoming frayed and Silk felt more and more as if they were losing control of the situation. This was hardly helped by the sudden proliferation of red AROs across the tactical display

<<They’ve found you. Get out now>>

Opium’s worried communication was drowned out by Requiem’s more succinct “Shit!”

The delay with helping Emma had clearly given the corp tac team sufficient time to work out that the runners were still in the building. The feed coming in from Opium indicated a squad making its way around the outside of the building towards the garage exit whilst another team leapfrogged out of the service exit from inside. They were calm and professional, moving with purpose towards the stalled runners.

<<I’m releasing the cats. Engaging in 5. Switch to secondary frequencies>>

Opium’s terrifying cat drones, the size and ferocity of small tigers, would be bounding towards the corpers outside. With their ruthenium coatings coupled with the projected howls they hopefully wouldn’t realise what hit them. That just left the ones inside the garage to deal with…

***

Fire lanced towards the runners from the opposing team sheltering in the parked cars some twenty meters or so into the garage. The whickering thuds of stray rounds suggested that they were using armour penetrators which didn’t bode well at all for Silk and her crew. Whilst the Rovers they were in had a modicum of armour they hadn’t been subjected to the rigorous customisation that the team would normally have performed on their vehicles.

Emma’s struggles had subsided but now they had a new difficulty as repeated shots struck the rear wheels, shredding even the runflat tyres that would have withstood more conventional rounds. In desperation the runners had released thermal smoke grenades to mask their retreat.

“Out, get out now, follow him towards the ramp” Silk urged the bewildered test subjects as she staggered out with Emma, trying to support Emma as she did so. Keeping the now riddled Rover between them and their opposition was only possible because of the tactical positioning mapped over her vision. Ghostly AROs advised on the safest route out based on the current data.

Ahead of them Riptide and Bale were firing blindly over their heads towards the corpers in a vain attempt to provide them some additional cover. The staccato whisper of silenced fire echoed strangely in the underground space.

Suddenly Emma became a dead weight against Silk’s side and then collapsed forwards. Silk stumbled down beside her only to feel a searing heat across her shoulder and a haze come across her vision. The shock of the impact didn’t register as pain and looking down she could see where the round her cored cleanly through her upper torso. This was hopeless, she relied on mobility and hampered by their charges she was a sitting target. Looking down she could see that Emma’s troubles were over and she felt a pang of regret that she had been unable to save her…the other emotions would come later when the adrenalin wasn’t driving her on.

Bale took charge of the situation, his words overriding the confusion running through the team

<<We can’t do this by running, we have to take the fight back to them before they take out the packages. They aren’t equipped to deal with this combat and if we try to protect them directly they will get us all killed!>>

<<On it, Cobalt is inbound>>

The smoke swirled as a vaguely glimpsed shape sprang over Silk, it’s rear claws striking sparks from the roof of the stricken Rover as it launched forwards. The mounted high velocity rifle on its back shrieked in a rising crescendo with the dreadful howl projected from speakers in its maw. Silk engaged her chameleon suit once more, noting briefly the damage to the sensors and she leapt effortlessly upwards to cling like a gecko to an overhead beam. She nearly plunged back to the ground as her injured shoulder grated and only her innate sense of her body allowed her to cling to the metal.

Below her Requiem’s cloaked form charged back down the ramp with his Guardians blazing in a weird double flamed image, the muzzle flashes reflected in his suit. A round appeared from nowhere through the smoke and struck his leg and his biomonitor feed in Silk’s vision spiked an alarming amount. Despite that his wires drove him on, ignoring the injury…

[onlyghostdancesw...]

@E:PL UK
[May 19th, 2072, 10:47:20; Kreig's Motors, Reading, UK]'

Anselm shrugged uncomfortably, "Unfortunately, I do not know who to trust, especially in this area, as my contacts dont personally extend to this area of the world.... I think for the moment we should follow your plan." Anselm carefully saved his personal note to inquire with the fixer and bodyguard individually as to exactly why Argent thought she had known Gemeaux, a man who had, to Anselm's knowledge, never set foot in her corner of the world.

[onlyghostdancesw...]

@Fortune's Forecast / Scratch
[April 18th, 2072, 00:31:23, Abandoned Wharf, 76th Pl W, Everett]


The old man on the dock seemed well at ease for all that he could not have been younger than his late eighties, and that served to unnerve Scratch even more, "My dear gel.... you would probably like to hurt him... at least thats what you have in mind no doubt. Its written plain as day on your face. Why should he come to you if you don't mind me asking. This is my home, and I don't much care for intruders poking about."

[onlyghostdancesw...]

@Fortune's Forecast
[April 17th, 2072, 00:31:45, Dust 514, UCAS Server, Lounge]
SIN: Morgan Senlis, PAN: Active

The young girl chortled deeply, <<Oh I think so, I think so indeed>> The emotive tone to the words reassured morgan though, in a way she couldn't understand, more the doting older sister (though the girl before her looked paradoxically younger) than impatient parental figure.

Suddenly the girl looked pained as her image faded and fluxed, <<HELP! Please help me! They ha...>>. The figure dissappeared instantly but morgan could faintly see a thin trail, almost like blood flowing off into the resonance...