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

[phlapjack77]

@Virtual Scream, Dante
[September 1, 2072, 3:48:00, Hai Fuk noodle house, Redmond Barrens, Seattle]
PAN: hidden, SIN: Liu Zi Ang (4), Response 3, Signal 5, System 4, Firewall 5, Weapon Watcher 3, Encrypt 3, Agent 3 (Analyze 3)

"I like to drink beer. Sake has a strange taste. Japanese have some strange ideas about alcohol." Dante answers. Pulling up a chair, he accepts the beer from the waitress with an obvious appraising look at her body, then turns to watch the various gangsters play cards. It's not long until one player throws his cards down in disgust, having lost a big hand and all of his remaining money. The others turn to look at Dante expectantly. "I'll play." he says as he authorizes his PAN to transfer some nuyen to the group pot that has been set up at the table's node.

[JxJxA]

@E:PL /UK
[May 21st, 2072, 16:24; Outskirts of Exeter]
PAN - Active ; SIN - Maximilien Danton

"Madame, this is perfect," says Gemeaux. He is nonchalantly ecstatic with the turn of events that has the group traveling in style. He allows the others to enter the car, and bows gratefully to eTher before following suit. When he hears the lady's farewell, he permits himself to reveal a predatory grin as he considers the potential ways to make his former employers pay. He looks back to her with the smirk still on his face when he gives her his reply.

"I should hope so, my dear. In fact, I look forward to it."

[RdMarquis]

@Emerging: Tribe / Fre∑dom
[September 1, 2072 19:24:23; Senlis Residence, Bellevue]
SIN: Morgan Senlis, PAN: Active

For some time, Morgan watched, the enormity of their situation seeming to grow. There was no doubt. She was responsible for what happened to these complete strangers while they were "rescuing" her. She cleared her throat.

"I can. Help, I mean. Ok..." She marshaled her thoughts for a moment before launching into a summary of her home's defenses. "We're not gated." First, the good news. "Nor do we, that is, the actual household, have any defenses that aren't mundane. There are spirits, but they're present for the safety of the neighborhood as a whole. Fact is, although their standing in Ares is excellent, my parents aren't exactly on the top of the food chain. Not the type of VIPs you'd allocate the better part of your resources to."

So much for the carrot. Now for the stick. "That said, Knight Errant patrols are quite frequent. Metahuman officers with drone support. Each door and window is equipped with a high quality maglock. None of which will be a problem if get the chance to open one from the inside and let you in." Morgan glances at Alpha. "As you probably already found out, the house is also well guarded where the matrix is concerned."

At that point, LeFey turned to information she was not as confident about. "Assuming I am not unbearably dense, I doubt I'm considered an escape risk. No one knows about my abilities, and my record is the next best thing to spotless. If you are worried about my parents becoming a problem, I may have a solution. I happen to know a man who my parents have been hoping to speak to for a while. I'm sure he'd be willing to keep them busy until the job is done."

She tried to keep a straight face. But inwardly, she felt so...cold. If only they knew how wrong that suggestion was.

It had been a few years since Morgan found out she had a brother. Since then, she had noticed her parents making periodic attempts to get in contact with Riley. If he called them personally, it could be enough to get them out of the way for at least an hour. All she had to do was exploit most of her immediate family. But this wasn't just about her any more, Morgan thought, looking around the node. She would hate herself for doing so, but she could live with the guilt (couldn't she?). The same could not be said for any tribe members who discovered.

"I can take it. Er, the jammer, that is. Just...try to get it over with quickly."

[mister__joshua]

@E:CoP/Johnny Awesome
[August 20th, 2072, 21:10; NeoNet Tower, Oxford]

Johnny smiled briefly to himself. Youth and naïveté. She thought she was totally in control of the situation. At least, he hoped she only thought it... He dialed it back a bit in case he was getting carried away.

"Why don't I..." he said with a twirl. Then he stopped dancing suddenly. "...buy you a drink. Let these good folks get back to their own business for a little while." He gently took her hand and led her over to the large marble-topped bar. As he approached he opened the <Cocktail List ARO> and browsed the selection.

"I'll have a Mojito thank you my good man, and a Cosmo for the lady."

Then he pulled up a plush leather barstool and lifted Ryl up onto it before pulling up his own. "And of course we're going to be friends." he said with a smile.

[RdMarquis]

@E:PL /UK
[May 21st, 2072, 16:24; Outskirts of Exeter]
SIN: Spencer Lovett, PAN: Active

The adept knew when he was being teased. It didn't stop Mordred from giving the vehicle a onceover with the tag eraser. His own tag eraser. "Clear as I can manage. Let's go." Additionally, the Lady might have considered her future favor to be worth the expense of transporting them. Though they seemed to be making progress, the encounter had left the adept feeling they had complicated things, unnecessarily. Hopefully, nothing about the Collots had been betrayed. "Do you think she works for Celedyr?" Given her talk of dragons and connections to NeoNET, it was a fairly easy conclusion.

[Notsoevildm]

@Virtual Scream / Cat
[September 1, 2072, 10:30, 524 7th Street Northeast]

Martha's nasal New York accent is enough to set even the most pefect teeth on edge. Fortunately for Cat, she gets to do the bulk of the talking. The old fixer seems completely unfazed by Cat's attempts to sweet-talk her and steers the conversation back to any topics Cat attempts to avoid such as her rather limited 'self defence' skills. Martha also emphasizes the 'cut-throat' nature of the 'freelance secretarial market' a couple of times, almost as if she was trying to put Cat off. However, after a half-hour long grilling, the old fixer seems somewhat satisfied.

"Well, despite your rather narrow skillset, you're certainly keen and maybe there is something I could line you up with. My fee is ten percent and that's non-negotiable, sweetie. I'll forward your name and contact details to my client. He will contact you on this number. When the contract has been completed to his satisfaction, I will transfer the payment to your account, minus my fee."

Cat is still sitting on the park bench, whether recovering from Marha's grilling or simply processing the fact that she has taken her first steps into the shadows, when her commlink flashes up a message.

<<@Cat[caller unknown]: Be here <matrix node> @ 12:00:00. Be punctual>>

[Dakka Fiend]

@Emerging:Tribes; Spring
[September 1, 2072 19:24:23; SH Mall, A Whole New You]
Renraku Sensei: Hidden, SIN: Steven Brokvich (fake R3)

When Sprogget brings up magic, Spring visibly becomes more attentive. Sure, they're prolly rolling in it. Silent, now that's a tough one.

...

Hmm, good thing we don't have to directly go against it.

With that in mind, he speaks up once Morgan is finished.

Good we don't have to go against magic. Wards wouldn't be too bad, don't try and put magic through them and they do nothing. Spirits now, whoever called them instantly knows when they're destroyed. Not that killing them is all that easy. Luckily, they don't really grok us and really don't get mundane stuff. Say if we go with the repair crew disguise and one of them looks at us, it won't go "Gee, why's a mage kid wearing dirty coveralls and carying tools?" Now if they're teamed up with officers, that'd be more of a problem...

Spring let's the sentence trail off, seemingly lost in thought. Are they really discussing this?

Anyway, if I don't call any Clanks remembering how many strangers he is talking to, Spring corrects himself err, Spirits first, we should be fine.

Planing to hit Bellevue, free a girl. Heh, they're gonna say, kidnap her. That's headline material. Calm down! Where was I? Oh yeah...

Visibly nervous, Spring continues Sure, opening the window's a good start. But I bet there's stuff in the garden. My experience's mostly limited to scrap yards but even they have the occasional motion sensor, camera maybe even ultrasound or drones.

Looking around at the people listening, the kid who's not used to that much attention, abruptly shuts up, slinks down in his chair and looks to the side.

Luckily Tweak takes the opportunity to chime in: Plus there's pressure pads, Harry caught us with one. Nothing says you can't put them in the dirt. Or grass or whatever they've got in corp heaven. Course if it's there, it's useless if it's not connected. And if it's connected, we should at least see it. And if you see it, you can get around it. Me and Spring've gotten quite good at getting around stuff. Barrens stuff at least.

For a moment, Tweak had forgotten about what he was boasting and how much trouble they'd be in if things go bad.

Tweak@Spring: <<Thought you could hog all the attention?>>

[Machine Ghost]

@E:Tribes, Sprogget
[September 1, 2072 19:25:48; SH Mall, A Whole New You]
Bionode: Response 4(5), Signal 2, System 4, Firewall 3; Hidden; Analyze(3), Command(1), Edit(1), Scan(1), Sniffer(3), Spoof(1), Stealth(3), Shield(1), Tacsoft(2), Simrig(1)
CMT Clip: Response 1, Signal 3, System 1, Firewall 1; Active; SIN: Hugo Wright

Sprogget listens a bit tensely to Morgan's somewhat stumbling description of what they were facing.

"I can. Help, I mean. Ok... We're not gated. Nor do we, that is, the actual household, have any defenses that aren't mundane. There are spirits, but they're present for the safety of the neighborhood as a whole. Fact is, although their standing in Ares is excellent, my parents aren't exactly on the top of the food chain. Not the type of VIPs you'd allocate the better part of your resources to."

Sprogget relaxes a bit. [@self:All good news there.

"That said, Knight Errant patrols are quite frequent. Metahuman officers with drone support. Each door and window is equipped with a high quality maglock. None of which will be a problem if get the chance to open one from the inside and let you in. {glancing at Alpha Apex} As you probably already found out, the house is also well guarded where the matrix is concerned."

@self:Expected, and if Alpha is as good as Tweak seems to think, then with someone inside, that should be doable.

"Assuming I am not unbearably dense, I doubt I'm considered an escape risk. No one knows about my abilities, and my record is the next best thing to spotless. If you are worried about my parents becoming a problem, I may have a solution. I happen to know a man who my parents have been hoping to speak to for a while. I'm sure he'd be willing to keep them busy until the job is done."

@self:Good.  Wait?  She can arrange a meet with someone the parents have not been able to?

"I can take it. Er, the jammer, that is. Just...try to get it over with quickly."

@self:That avoided answering the actual question.  I don't think she has any idea what that would be like.  Quickly enough does not seem likely.  {Wincing} Maybe ..

Good we don't have to go against magic. Wards wouldn't be too bad, don't try and put magic through them and they do nothing. Spirits now, whoever called them instantly knows when they're destroyed. Not that killing them is all that easy. Luckily, they don't really grok us and really don't get mundane stuff. Say if we go with the repair crew disguise and one of them looks at us, it won't go "Gee, why's a mage kid wearing dirty coveralls and carying tools?" Now if they're teamed up with officers, that'd be more of a problem...

@self:Gonna have to allow Spring some respect, in things he knows.  At least when he is feeling serious about it.  Guess Bellevue is serious enough for him.

Plus there's pressure pads, Harry caught us with one. Nothing says you can't put them in the dirt. Or grass or whatever they've got in corp heaven. Course if it's there, it's useless if it's not connected. And if it's connected, we should at least see it. And if you see it, you can get around it. Me and Spring've gotten quite good at getting around stuff. Barrens stuff at least.

@Jailbreakers: "Outside sensors are an excellent point.  {Looking between Alpha and LeFey} Would those be connected to the house node, or somewhere else?"

@Tweak: "Connected does not have to be wireless and easily detectable.  At home we also use some wired connections, where the optical cables are already in the walls.  Odds are, it will be wireless, but I'd rather not gamble more than needed.  I've got a non-linear junction detector at the shop, that can help with that.  Come to think of it, that would be good for locating tags too, since they do not need to be transmitting to be detected.  That can find them, but can not make sure they are dead".

@self:Hey!?  Wait a minute here!  Do we even need to get into the house physically?
Sprogget, sounding a bit excited,
@Jailbreakers: "When I was thinking about this earlier, before I heard the details about just where and when this needed to happen, I figured we would need to jam or block signals initially, because we would not have time to do the cleaning on the street before leaving.  But, if we can take the time at your home before we leave, the jammer would not even be needed.  You could be clean before walking out.  How about doing most of the tag cleaning yourself, with help from a sprite with a skillsoft?  Then all we need to do is get the tools to you, and you can take the time to do tag cleaning in the comfort of your own room, with nothing to show that anything is happening, except for the presence of some restricted equipment.  That way there is zero chance of either mundane or magical detection of strangers helping you pack".

@Jailbreakers: "Having everyone else out of the house while doing the preparations could help, but if they came home and discovered you gone, that would raise the alarm earlier than if you left after they were safely home and asleep.  If we really do need to use the jammer, that comes with its own risk.  The jamming signal can be noticeable, if someone is paying the wrong kind of attention.  I'm also afraid quickly is not really an option with what I know, when using the jammer.  With the jammer blocking the signals, the signal scanner has nothing to lock on to.  The jammer would need to stay running until we got you in a room that blocked the signals at the wall.  Then the jammer could be turned off, and the scanner used to make sure all of the tags were removed or toasted.

Much better if we can get you and the scanners together before doing the vanishing act.  The only place we might still want to use the jammer, is while actually removing a security tag.  I've heard that removing them can trigger an alarm signal.  Setting up a decoy so that it takes over the 'normal' signal when the security tag goes off the air, then jam long enough to remove the tag and either destroy it, or get it into a Faraday cage.  From the way you answered my earlier question, I don't think you have ever directly experienced jamming.  I have a short simsense recording of what it felt like the first time I experimented with a jammer.  You better try it, so you know what to expect, before it actually happens.  For a few minutes, you can grit your teeth and take it, but you need to know what to expect.  Set it up to stop if you 'let go'.  With me at least, it messes up equilibrium.  Made it hard to coordinate things, even simple actions like turning it off.

Alpha, I know it is hard to stay unnoticed for very long in a system you do not have valid credentials for.  You eventually get noticed.  But could you upgrade Morgan's existing account to have better access, then use that valid account to safely keep the system pwned long enough to remove security tags, kill and verify other tags?  I figure at least half an hour.  This is not the time to wave an eraser around, and hope you got all the important tags.  And that is assuming we already have any decoy tags ready to fool sensors after we leave.  You can probably tell the CHN to ignore any missing regular tags it's expecting, but a security tag might not talk just to the house.  If that goes off air, Ares response could make KE patrols the least of our problems.  At a minimum, I think we have to assume the KE would be alerted and dispatched.

How does this sound?  We create a care package, or in this case a cake containing escape tools.  If we can time it right, Alpha and Morgan together arrange that Morgan is the one to accept delivery.  Morgan disables the tags, enabling the corresponding decoys, leaving the security tag, or tags until last.  Using the jammer, Morgan will probably need some help to remove security tags, so someone needs to sneek in to help her, or do it after she gets outside, if can manage that without triggering alarms that AA can not supress.  Walk out, and AA cleans up to leave the right picture behind. Morgan, could you get a delivery unnoticed, or {looking at AA} have a household drone take a package in from outside, without parents noticing? Do you know how far you can get outside the house without someone being alerted? A few steps should be enough.

That leaves the actual transportation, but should reduce the amount of time we need to spend in higher security zones, waiting for things to get done.

Oh, Jazz mentioned a step van, or sedan we could use to help here".
@self:And being gabby again too, but needed to get that idea out there.

[karhig]

@Virtual Scream / Cat
[September 1, 2072, 11:30, 524 7th Street Northeast]
PAN: Active, SIN: Moll Flanders, System: 2, Signal: 2, Response: 2, Firewall: 2

Having spent a good 30 minutes after talking to Martha oscillating between indignant anger about her 'narrow skillset' and nervous anxiety about the upcoming matrix meetup, Cat decided she needed to do something to settle her nerves. She went through her list of ways to settle her nerves. The breathing exercises weren't cutting it, she didn't feel like meditating, didn't want to dilute her mind with drugs, thinking to herself "And I can't afford anything stronger than alcohol anyhow". She lacked a partner for alternative forms of relaxation and lacked the inclination to self medicate. "Ok, Catherine, let's wrap this up. Take it out on the art."

With that she fired up VRMorph, set an alarm for 20 minutes later and connected up her simlink and trodes, letting herself become immersed in her speed painting. Anxiety poured out into an abstract 3D mess of colours and light, slowly ramping the sharp bright lines of white and blue down to soft smooth lines of pastel shades. When the 20 minute alarm winked into her consciousness she felt a lot better.

Pulling out of VR, she spends the remaining time preparing for the meeting and making sure her avatar is as immaculately prepared as she is before logging in. "Knock 'em dead, kid."

[RdMarquis]

@Emerging: Tribe / Fre∑dom
[September 1, 2072 19:24:23; Senlis Residence, Bellevue]
SIN: Morgan Senlis, PAN: Active

"Pressure sensors." Morgan wrings her hands. "Anything that would trigger an alarm would probably send a signal to our local precinct." She looks a little more nervous at the suggestion that she personally disable any tags on her. "I think I could handle it. If you help me, I mean. You just sweep the device over yourself, right?" The mention of what the jammer would do sets her heart racing. Morgan is reminded of the Crash. The shadow bearing down on her, the choking darkness of its grasp. She shudders. "A sample of what I might have to go through would help, yeah."

LeFey takes a couple of deep breaths to calm herself. It didn't hurt that she was amused by Sprogget's idea. "A cake? That's kind of a cliche, isn't it? Not to mention, suspicious." The witch suppresses a smile. "I mean, no offense, but could the equipment we need even fit in one? And how could I get the stuff out before anyone notices?" She had an idea. "One of my classmates does some, uh, courier work. Don't worry about getting a hold of him. I'll spare you a long, long story and just tell you he lives in a small apartment in Renton. Tell the maintenance man you want to see Angelo."

Morgan closes her eyes, thinking. "If you gave him the equipment, he could pass it on to me. Say I forget my bag at school. Angelo would slip the tag eraser and stuff inside, then return it to me. The staff at home know him, and they'd at least let me outside to talk to one of my friends."

[faultline]

@E: Tribes
September 1, 2072 19:10:47;
Physical Location: Blue Moon Over Bombay cafe
PAN - Passive; SIN - Calliope White

Glyph was enjoying talking with Anastasia but she was beginning to get a bit impatient. She was already late for the meet with Alpha and the Mechanicals but some of the gear she requested from Natasha could come in handy.

Her com beeped with an incoming call, she checked the display and saw that it was Natasha.

"Sorry for the delay Calliope, I am here now if you wish to come upstairs to the apartment."

"I'll be right up."

Glyph reaches across the table and places her hand on Anastasia arm.

"Natasha's here Anastasia, I'm heading up to talk with her, it was good to talk with you."

"You be safe tonight child." Anastasia replied.

With those departing words Glyph left the table and moved toward a nearby door marked "Authorized Acccess Only" she punched in a code on the keypad next to the door, and the door opened into a small elevator which she rode up to Anastasia and Natasha's apartment.


September 1, 2072 19:13:10;
Physical Location: Anastasia & Natasha's apartment above the Blue Moon Over Bombay cafe
PAN - Passive; SIN - Calliope White

The elevator doors opened into the living room of a large but cozy apartment. She stepped out into the living room and looked around for Natasha.

"I'm in the bathroom Calliope"

Glyph moved over to the restroom as saw Natasha setting up something that looked like a scale on the floor, she attached a series of small rods atop one another and then onto an arm that jutted out from the "scale".

Construction complete Natasha turns to face Glyph.

"This is a full body scanner, this will allow us to get the measurements for your armor, unfortunately it will not be ready until tomorrow. Had you been able to come over earlier when you first messaged me it would have been ready for you tonight." Natasha says in a admonishing tone.

"Yes Natasha, I'll have to make do without it tonight, but at least I'll have it for later."

"Just strip off you clothing and stand where indicated, It'll take a minute or two for the scan to complete, I'll be in the living room when your done."

Natasha gives Glyph a quick smile and heads off towards the living room.

**********

A few minutes later Glyph walks into the living room to find everything she had requested laid out on the coffee table for her perusal.

"Everything as requested, including the hair dye. I wasn't sure exactly how you were planning on using it so I picked several methods of application for you. I've not tried it, but it was recommended to me by a friend."

"Thank you for picking all this up for me, had I more time I'm sure I could have been able to get a hold of most of this myself."

"Most but not all." Natasha says in agreement.

"So whats the damage Natasha?"

"Four thousand seven hundred nuyen, that is with my markup already included."

Glyph grimaces a bit at the amount.

"Usual account?" Glyph asks as she access the banking functions on her com.


September 1, 2072 19:24:45;
Physical Location: Fre∑dom Home, South Hill Mall, Pullyallup
PAN - Passive; SIN - Calliope White

Glyph walks into the "A Whole New You" and looks at the assembled group, she looks toward Alpha and nods.

Looks like we're just getting started and getting everyone up to speed

"Sorry for being late I was out picking up some gear for tonight." Glyph says as she takes a seat.

[JxJxA]

@E:PL /UK
[May 21st, 2072, 16:24; Outskirts of Exeter]
PAN - Active ; SIN - Maximilien Danton

Gemeaux instinctively draws a cigarette. Remembering that he is in the presence of a child, he catches himself before he lights it. Instead, he replaces it in his coat.

"I find it wise not to ask questions, unless you really want to know the answer," he replies, glancing at Mordred.

"My PAN was compromised while I spoke with her," Gemeaux explains, "I tried to limit the damage to myself by keeping her attention on me by offering myself as a future operative she could call upon, and not our mission. However, I get the sinking suspicion that she found whatever she wanted."

[Machine Ghost]

@E:Tribes, Sprogget
[September 1, 2072 19:26:32; SH Mall, A Whole New You]
Bionode: Response 4(5), Signal 2, System 4, Firewall 3; Hidden; Analyze(3), Command(1), Edit(1), Scan(1), Sniffer(3), Spoof(1), Stealth(3), Shield(1), Tacsoft(2), Simrig(1)
CMT Clip: Response 1, Signal 3, System 1, Firewall 1; Active; SIN: Hugo Wright

Sprogget looks at Glyph when she arrives, and nods slight to the late comment.
@self:I wonder when this was supposed to start.  We just heard about where it was.

Pressure sensors. Wrings hands Anything that would trigger an alarm would probably send a signal to our local precinct.

@self:Not what I want to hear, but also the safest assumption.  Just don't trigger alarms is all.  Easy, right?  If at all possible no 'sneaking' around.  Alarms should not be wired to normal vehicle and foot paths.  Even lawns, if they get walked on, would trigger too many false positives.  Maintenance drones are probably small enough to not set them off though.  Note to self: Ask about usual outside activities, if planning to use more than the sidewalk.

I think I could handle it. If you help me, I mean. You just sweep the device over yourself, right?

@jailbreakers: "That is the basic idea, but you need to be thorough.  The eraser only has an effective range of 1cm.  You will have to work to get any tags left from your lunch at that fancy school.  We can walk through remotely any questions you have, although the sprite can probably do a better job.  Unless you have some version of skillwire system, the hardware knowledge the sprite has can not be used as a full autosoft, but it can still be used for an expert assistant.  The tag and tracking information can be a full knowsoft, so you will know what is needed, and just have to follow the tutors instructions to do it".

Morgan shudders after the description of possible jammer effects.

A sample of what I might have to go through would help, yeah.

@Morgan: "I'll send the sim clip soon as we are done here".
@self:Hmmm.  Something I did not try myself yet.  Sprites are resonance based beings.  A jammer could block them from most matrix travel, but if already present in the bionode, they should be fine, and might provide a stable reference point to reduce the jammer symptoms.  Bring that up later.

"A cake? That's kind of a cliche, isn't it? Not to mention, suspicious. I mean, no offense, but could the equipment we need even fit in one? And how could I get the stuff out before anyone notices? One of my classmates does some, uh, courier work. Don't worry about getting a hold of him. I'll spare you a long, long story and just tell you he lives in a small apartment in Renton. Tell the maintenance man you want to see Angelo.

If you gave him the equipment, he could pass it on to me. Say I forget my bag at school. Angelo would slip the tag eraser and stuff inside, then return it to me. The staff at home know him, and they'd at least let me outside to talk to one of my friends."

Sprogget grins, which might not be that reassuring to some.
@jailbreakers: "I had not intended that to mean a real cake.  Cliche yes, but because of that, people understand the intent easily.  In this case, it is even appropriate.  It would a cake to celebrate your rebirth from the corporate womb.  As for size, I've seen people come out of cakes on trid, so I'm sure something could be arranged.  {seriously} The needed equipment would fit in a small butt pack.  That will include more than just the eraser.  I'll go over details later, but it should also include scanners to verify you got everything with the eraser, decoy tags to leave behind, a basic set of fake tags to fill out your intended electronic presence, and some pouches, actually backpack liners, that are wireless blocked, to carry anything you do not have time to clean before leaving.  That will be a lot clearer, as soon as you have the knowsoft.

If you can get outside to talk to Angelo, could you get outside undetected when ready to remove the security tag?  With Alpha helping by monitoring from the matrix?  He should be able to both block any local electronic warning about you moving about, and use the household sensors to tell you were everyone else is. This would be after the household is down for the night, so should anyone moving around".

Sprogget remembers again who Glyph's mother is.
@jailbreakers: "Glyph, did you pick up any medical knowledge?  {looking around at the rest of the group} Does anyone currently have the skill to safely and quickly remove a security tag, when already know right where it is, with the help of good medkit?  If not, we have some options to consider".

[karhig]

@Virtual Scream / Cat
[September 1, 2072, 12:00, 524 7th Street Northeast / Anonymous Matrix Node]
PAN: Active, SIN: Moll Flanders, System: 2, Signal: 2, Response: 2, Firewall: 2

A large mansion house loomed in front of Cat's avatar as she logged into the matrix node she's been told to visit in the anonymous message. She pulled the AR window up to fill her entire view and spun the camera around to make sure her avatar was rendering correctly. A semi-realistic painting of a medium height red-headed human, bright green eyes flashing from a radiant face. A simple dress and accessories rounded out the ensemble. Each frame of the animation rendering slightly differently, and Cat stretched out her arm to ensure the effect was complete.

Moving the camera to first person, Cat walked her avatar up the door knob, straightened out her clothes, and gripped the knocker. A horses head holding the knocker? Someone's showing off. Cat knocks on the door.

[RdMarquis]

@Emerging: Tribe / Fre∑dom
[September 1, 2072 19:24:23; Senlis Residence, Bellevue]
SIN: Morgan Senlis, PAN: Active

Morgan laughed quietly, but at the same time, her fists were clenched. "Look at this. Just...I mean, I..." Remembering the many other people who belonged to her "nation", she corrected herself. "...We can't even eat a meal without some authority knowing. Damn it." The witch scowled.

Then she sighed. "It'll be different with Angelo. He might not be a member of some long standing family, but he's still a Horizon citizen. They have a facility in Bellevue, and besides, people know him there. It'd look like he's just returning something to a friend, because that is essentially what is happening. Sneaking out by myself..." LeFey looks a bit uneasy. "I can't call it impossible. Especially because it might be our best option. If you can keep an eye on me and make sure I don't screw up to badly, I might be able to pull it off. I do have some knowledge on remaining unseen."

[RdMarquis]

@E:PL /UK
[May 21st, 2072, 16:24; Outskirts of Exeter]
SIN: Spencer Lovett, PAN: Active

Mordred made a quiet noise that sounded like a cross between a snarl and a sigh. He places a hand over the pocket containing his Transys Avalon, wondering if the same had happened to him. Any previous calls and messages had been deleted. And Mr. Burch claimed to have pegged him as a runner through observation. Was there anything else? He fervently hoped not. Not being able to afford many decent Matrix security programs, aside from a good firewall, he favored a low tech countermeasure against hackers. Namely, hardcopy. Paper was fragile, but you couldn't hack into it. Everything else was memorized or stored on carefully hidden datachips. If some thug is searching my apartment at this very moment, there's going to be a reckoning, he thought irritably.

"Depending on what they learned, time may be of the essence. Let's move." He opens the door, waving to Tsubaki and the Collots as he tried not to let his imagination run away with him. It figured that at least one of them would get their devices hacked on a NeoNET owned flight. But at whose behest? The lady? Or had the flight itself been a trap all along?

Calm down. Remain alert, and you may very well see this play out. His mentor spirit's voice rumbled in his ear.

[Notsoevildm]

@Virtual Scream / Cat
[September 1, 2072, 12:00, 524 7th Street Northeast / Anonymous Matrix Node]
PAN: Active, SIN: Moll Flanders, System: 2, Signal: 2, Response: 2, Firewall: 2

For what seems like a long moment, nothing happens. Then Cat hears footsteps approaching the door and the sound of locks being opened. A older man opens the door and regards her for a moment. He is wearing a simple, old-fashioned black suit and tie, but it is his face that is his most striking feature. Instead of a human face, he has large brown eyes, a pink, wet nose and the greying chops of a bulldog.

"Miss Flanders, you are expected. Please come in."

He steps aside to let her enter then closes and locks the door behind her. He is either an agent or some sort of security program.

The hallway inside is gloomy, with several closed doors down either side and a set of stairs leading up. One of the doors on the left is partly open and yellow light spills into the hall. The dog-faced butler gestures towards the open door.

"The master awaits you in the study."

As she moves towards door, she catches her reflection in a mirror on the wall. All her work is gone. She is dressed in an old fashioned outfit: a long dark green dress down to her ankles, a fitted tweed jacket tight at her waist and a high frilly collar reaching up almost to her chin. He face has changed too, red hair replaced with long whiskers, ginger fur and green cat's eyes. As she examines herself, small details of the outfit change as it renders each new frame. It would seem the underlying code is still good, the node's reality filter is just overriding her visual appearance.

Entering the study, she finally gets to see her potential employer. He is sitting behind a large wooden desk, swirling a glass of what looks like brandy. The detail on his avatar is amazing. The frills of his shirt, the texture of his jacket and the detailing of the black horse's face that he wears instead of a human one.

He gestures towards a seat on the other side of the desk.

"Miss Flanders, please sit."

It comes out more like a command than a request. He continues on, his tone precise, abrupt even.

"I believe I have just the opening for someone of your particular talents. There will be a party tomorrow night. It is for those affected by the comet. I would not be welcome, but I understand that you are a dyrad. That fortunate twist in your DNA will allow you to fit right in. And all you need to do is enjoy yourself while doing a little snooping around for me."

He places several objects on the desk: an old fashioned pair of opera glasses made out of what looks like ivory, an envelope with her name on it and a business card embossed with a single word in gold letters: DRKH0R5E.

"The glasses are a video capture program of my own design. The location where the party will take place has some fairly sophisticated matrix security so just hacking the cameras is not an option. This is a much more subtle approach. You will run it only when you are inside and then follow the instructions as they appear on your AR interface. The letter is an invitation on the name your are currently using. Fake IDs are common amongst the surged, so your's will not be questioned. The card will allow you to contact me once you have completed the task and have left the party. It will only work one time, so please only use it then."

A small purse joins the other items on the desk.

"A small advance should you agree to the task. Some spending money if you will. Note that if you fail to follow my instructions to the letter then our agreement will be null and void and I will expect reimbursement in full. If these terms are not acceptable, then you are free to leave but please speak of this to no-one."

He raises an eyebrow on the horse face, awaiting an answer.

[Dakka Fiend]

@Emerging:Tribes; Spring
[September 1, 2072 19:25:30; SH Mall, A Whole New You]
Renraku Sensei: Hidden, SIN: Steven Brokvich (fake R3)

As Sprogget and Morgan talk, Spring takes a moment to observe their "Johnson".

All but rolling her eyes at him, guess she's okay.

When Morgan ridicules the cake idea, Spring and Tweak exchange glances and smile. Yup, definately okay.

...
@Tweak: <<He said "womb", heh>>
...

Does anyone currently have the skill to safely and quickly remove a security tag, when already know right where it is, with the help of good medkit?

Spring shakes his head Cut something out of her? Gross!

At the same time, he receives a message from Tweak: <<Ugh>>

We think it's gross? Well, she's the one who's gonna live through it.

@Morgan: Don't worry, we'll look out for you and tomorrow you're someplace where the corps don't give a rat's ass when or whether anybody gets something to eat.

Tweak@Morgan: And that's a damn fact!

[Machine Ghost]

@E:Tribes, Sprogget
[September 1, 2072 19:26:32; SH Mall, A Whole New You]
Bionode: Response 4(5), Signal 2, System 4, Firewall 3; Hidden; Analyze(3), Command(1), Edit(1), Scan(1), Sniffer(3), Spoof(1), Stealth(3), Shield(1), Tacsoft(2), Simrig(1)
CMT Clip: Response 1, Signal 3, System 1, Firewall 1; Active; SIN: Hugo Wright (R4)

{laughing quietly, but at the same time, her fists are clenched} "Look at this. Just...I mean, I...We can't even eat a meal without some authority knowing. Damn it." {scowling}

Don't worry, we'll look out for you and tomorrow you're someplace where the corps don't give a rat's ass when or whether anybody gets something to eat.

And that's a damn fact!

Sprogget gets that Morgan is not happy with the potential intrusiveness of the RFID tags.
@self:Don't they teach corp kids about how supply chain works?  Maybe it is all 'black magic' to most of them.  They work with the data all the time, without ever really thinking about how it is collected.
@Jailbreakers: "It's usually not quite that bad Morgan.  The knowing actually starts when you order and pay for something using an ID.  The tags end up linked to that by place, time, and purchase.  Some authority has the ability to know, if they have enough interest to check.  Mostly the information is just filed in databases, and used to order enough of the right things for everyone to spend more nuyen on.  For the corps, it all comes down to maximum profit.  They do not care what you eat, except enough to sell you the dessert, antacid, or breath mint as the case might be, with the highest possible markup.

This is a bit special, because when you vanish, someone is going to be interested enough to check, and try to use the info to find you.  They might notice from the records that we do not currently have the ability to touch, where and when you ate, and attempt to find out where the tags from there ended up.  If the combination happens to be fairly unique, walking past a scanner in a mall someplace that has been told to watch for those tags, could bring more attention than any of us want".

{sigh} "It'll be different with Angelo. He might not be a member of some long standing family, but he's still a Horizon citizen. They have a facility in Bellevue, and besides, people know him there. It'd look like he's just returning something to a friend, because that is essentially what is happening. Sneaking out by myself..." {looking a bit uneasy} "I can't call it impossible. Especially because it might be our best option. If you can keep an eye on me and make sure I don't screw up to badly, I might be able to pull it off. I do have some knowledge on remaining unseen."

Sprogget is initially confused by the response.
@self:Why the problem?  Oh, I must not have been clear enough.
@Jailbreakers: "I think you misunderstood a little.  I did not mean going the whole way on your own.  Just to get physically out of the house to the street.  We need to get any security tag removed before you move far, unless the jammer is run continuously, or you are in a Faraday cage.  I just think it is safer for you to come out of the house to us, instead of sneaking someone in to remove the tag, then sneaking both back out again.  Once we ask someone with the right skill, we can plan to do that right at the door as you come out, or in your {humorously} 'getaway car' at the curb.  The jammer needs to be running by the time you are someplace the automatic monitors would trigger an alarm about.  To be safe, I think that should be before you come out the door.  It would be safer for us to just send an automated cab to pick you up, but unless any security tags are trashed first, that is not practical.  I would suggest sending in a medkit to have you do it yourself, but with the jammer running, I'm not sure you could follow the instructions well enough.  Even though it should be little more than a sliver under your skin, trying to get it out while feeling dizzy seems like a bad idea".

@Jailbreakers: "Which ever way the actual transportation is going to be scheduled, it looks like I have some equipment to pick up, and some decoy tags to prepare, all of which need to get to Angelo then Morgan.  I better get started, otherwise the delivery would become suspicious by the time Angelo gets to Morgan's place.

Unless someone has a better idea quick, I'll subscribe to the conference here remotely, and get moving".

While waiting for a response, Sprogget looks from Scrapheap to Spring, he is about to send a quick message to sp^3, when he remembers that Scrapheap, switched commlinks, and he does not have the new address yet.
@Scrapheap+Spring: "I'll leave the load here and just take the cycle".

[Aria]

@Virtual Scream / Gossamer
[September 1, 2072, 09:30:00, Oakfarm Estate, NE 37th St, Bellevue, Seattle]
PAN: Active, SIN: Charlotte Penthièvre (Owner), Response 8*, Signal 8*, System 8 (5), Firewall 8(4), (Analyze, Scan, Decrypt, Exploit, Stealth [5, inherent], Browse, Encrypt [6, ergo, optzd] / Drone: Covert Ops, Defence, First Aid [4], Homenode, Empathy, Lie Detection [3])

Work finished for now, Gossamer stopped impossibly still to absorb the silence of the house. Her senses, infinitely stronger than base human, swept each room and finding nothing amiss she settled herself to roam free in the matrix. Anyone coming across her might wonder at this live sized doll standing to one side in the hallway…only a flicker of intelligence in her eyes to mark her as anything more.

PAN: Hidden, SIN: None, Response *, Signal *, System 5, Firewall 4, (Analyze, Scan, Decrypt, Exploit, Stealth [5, inherent], Browse, Edit, Encrypt, Disarm [6, optzd]) Subscriptions: B7, Argent’s CHN, Argent’s Shadowland Node, Citadel Game Zone

The impossibly bright sylph danced in her natural domain. She may have been born in the shell of a drone but she was a creature of digital light rather than the product of synthetic skin and muscle. She craved people, contact, and here where everyone can be themselves she does not need to feel hampered by her physical shell.

Spreading her consciousness she ghosted into the Shadowland servers to Argent’s maintained node there to assist her employer in managing the complex web of contacts and information flow. Filtering the messages she flagged a couple and linked another into the browse routine to verify some of the pertinent facts.

Simultaneously her icon materialised outside the gargantuan doors of the Citadel game node. The architecture here smelt of Aria and although it was subtle Gossamer recognised her digital finger prints all over this node. The other matrix entity was an enigma. Gossamer suspected that she was another digital creature like herself but that didn’t quite mesh with what she had seen the whimsical little girl achieve. Still, that was a mystery for another day, now she stepped into the throng of VR gamers in the great entrance hall. Tentatively at first and then with more confidence she moved amongst them, swapping stories and listening to their exchanges. In many ways this glittering assembly was more interesting to her than the games themselves…here there were people in the infinite strangeness and wonderful complexity.

[Aria]

@E:PL/Chi Town/Copperhead
[July 8th, 2072, 23:37:16; Storm Drain, somewhere beyond Blackwater, CZ, Chicago]

The ghoul hisses back at you in what you guess approximates laughter through that set of mismatched fangs.

"You need to pay the toll poppet, can’t have just anyone wandering around down here, it would attract the wrong sorts! You can spare an arm can’t you…I’m so disappointed…"

Before he can finish what he’s saying you hear a startled gasp from behind you and the roar of a handgun as either Katie or Jon blast at something in the tunnel beyond. The ghoul cackles and slinks back into his side tunnel his voice coming back to you distorted by the weird echoes in this place

"I’ll be waiting…" Frag! Carry on into a ghoul ambush? Back the way you came towards a milspec task force? The options are narrowing fast and nothing has gone your way since you entered this hell hole! Suddenly your comm crackles to life

<<Copperhead? You there slitch? We picked up your signal, guess we’re somewhere above you from the distortion.>>

[Aria]

@E:PL /UK
[May 21st, 2072, 17:12; Outskirts of Exeter, headed north]

Once you are all satisfied that the vehicle is clean you begin your journey north in the luxury RV. The Collots retreat to one of the bedroom pods and immerse themselves in some childlike AR game whilst the three of you are left to stare through the front screen at the increasingly rugged landscape ahead.

Your journey takes you across almost the width of the moor under increasingly lowering skies. For those of you sensitive to such things the air feels charged with mana and there is a disturbing wildness that feels at odds with the fact that you are hunting out a safe haven for a bunch of technos.

Fortunately the journey is uneventful, despite the poor quality of what is left of the roads the Cat is more than capable of taking you over the terrain with ease. As you finally begin the descent towards the old reservoir there is no sign of any remaining human habitation and the track looks untouched by vehicles in the recent past…perhaps they use helos or hovercraft to come and go, surely they wouldn’t want to be completely isolated?

[Aria]

@E:CoP/Johnny Awesome
[August 20th, 2072, 21:10; NeoNet Tower, Oxford]

As you hoist her onto the stool Ryl is pleasantly light but firm in all the right places…muscles toned by hours at a gym and the delicate ministrations of a personal trainer no doubt. Graciously accepting the drink she does her best to mask her reaction to the sweetness of the cocktail before turning the conversation to other things

"So tell me, what do you think about de la Mar’s burgeoning crusade to make the matrix safer for our children? I think she will fail but that isn’t stopping her bending the ear of whoever will listen...and she has some influential people listening."

[faultline]

@E: Tribes
September 1, 2072 19:24:45;
Physical Location: Fre∑dom Home, South Hill Mall, Pullyallup
PAN - Passive; SIN - Calliope White


Glyph listens for a bit before she stands up and walk over and stands by Alpha.

"I think everyone is starting to over complicate things a bit too much. We need to keep it simple especially since we really don't have time to set all these little sub plans in motion. We weren't given an exact timetable other than today, but I'm assuming that means and we don't have much time left. Its almost 7:30 now, we're going to have to get her out of there sometime in the next four and a half hours, most of this is going to have to be improv."

"Alpha, should have already taken care of house security, he's had all day to infiltrate the house's node and he hasn't said anything about not having a handle on it, so we should be good there. So all we need to worry about is outside witnesses, and KE patrols.

"We do need to worry about tags, but we don't have time to make decoy's now, we're just going to have to worry about taking care of them on the fly or taking care of them later. I do have a bit of first aid training, and with the help of a medkit I could probably pull out an implanted security tag, but I'd rather it be taken care of someone with more medical knowledge."


"I don't think we should go into Bellevue as one huge group, that's going to present too big of a target especially if we're going to be there late at night, so we're going to need to go in as smaller groups. Or one small group and a few of us individually. This also gives us options on how to get her out. That doesn't mean we cant travel together most of the way there though and split up as we get closer."

"There's more to take into consideration but we just don't have time to dicker about and prepare everything we could, we're going to have to do the best with what we've got, try to be as subtle and fit in as much as possible so we don't draw the attention we don't want."

[Notsoevildm]

@Virtual Scream / Dubstep
[September 1, 2072, 12:15:00, Dubstep's Apartment, Downtown Seattle]

Humming along to the music in his ears, Dubstep juggles code in his head. His new Spoof program is coming along nicely. Just a couple more lines and he will have this routine down pat. Maybe then he should take a break. It is all too easy to lose hours working on programs in the coding suite.

A glance at his node's system clock shows that to be the truth. He has been working solidly for almost three hours. As he saves the subroutine he is currently working on he feels a tremor throughout his commlink's node. At first glance, nothing seems out of place and there are no alert messages from Cindy indicating a hack on his other commlink.

Then he hears it. A solid tone, high-pitched and faint at first. As he strains to determine where it is coming from, it slowly grows in volume. It seems to be coming from both his headphones and from the matrix outside his custom node. Although if that really is the case, then how is it even possible that he can also hear it inside the node.