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

[ChromeZephyr]

@E:Tribes, Scrapheap;
September 1, 2072 22:28 Approx 600m from the Fre∑dom Mall, Puyallup
PAN mode: Hidden | SIN displayed: Eric Jones

It took a second for Scrapheap to adjust to the stench emanating from the now-crewless assault vehicle, then he realized that the two former occupants were just barely ahead of him. The still-in-gear car picked up a small amount of speed on the downslope of the road with it's bulk, which both made it impossible to bring the shotgun to a correct aim point on them and let him pass them slightly. The look of dawning horror on their faces was almost comical to the maimed Mechanical, particularly when the car came to a not-so-gentle stop three steps ahead of them by impacting an already badly damaged street lamp.

Scrapheap launched himself at the closest of the two, his knee impacting the unfortunate ganger's face with the wet crunch of cartilage disintegrating. The Spined Drake landed on his back with a gurgling scream, and Scrapheap followed up with a heavy kick to the downed ganger's gut, then his crotch. The screaming trailed off as the badly mauled Drake's eyes rolled up into his head and he lapsed into unconsciousness.

The ork whipped his head around to find the other ganger, pulling the machete from it's scabbard on his belt. Scrapheap had barely taken a step towards running him down when a deep, hellish glow surrounded the dreadlocks spilling from his head and the clockwork hellhound enveloped him with a primal roar of it's own. For all the hate and anger boiling in him Scrap winced as the other teenager died in seconds, his overcooked corpse dropping to the debris-choked street. The look the spirit gave his machete was a contempt that dripped with the unquenchable fires of Ranier's magma flows, then it vanished.

Scrapheap let out a breath he wasn't aware he was holding. Then he noticed the message from Sprogget across the field of vision from his goggles, and he hopped back up on the car.

@Jailbreakers [Scrapheap] Come help me get this machine gun off 'da car, my boomstick's run almost dry. Then we'll go fuck sum'more people's shit up; no one fucks with our crews and don't pay in blood n' pain.

[Machine Ghost]

@Virtual Scream / E:Tribes
September 1, 2072 22:28; Near the Fre∑dom Mall, Puyallup
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; Hidden; SIN: Paul Brickhill (R3)

As he is getting back into the Monocycle, Sprogget, senses Hunter's approach.  Seeing the radical changes to the Data sprite, he is astounded.
@self:I TOLD Hunter to stay way from that thing!  Obviously not effective.  Of course I also had no idea that a sprite could be infected? merged? with it.  I was more concerned about it getting swatted like a fly.

The team!

Quickly transferring the commcall with Jazz to Tweak’s commlink, he sends a quick message,
@jailbreakers: <<Tweak take over call.>>
then, shuts down the tacnet complex form, and physically powers off the CMT Clip commlink.  He disconnects and blocks all matrix connections with the rest of the jailbreakers team, intending to isolate Hunter from the rest of the group.

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)

@LeFey: “LeFey!  Scream here in my sprite.  Get jammer.  Industrial Mechanic toolkit in pack.  Get off DR.  Be ready to protect rest of team”.

@self:Need to get full VR fast.
Hastily finishing strapping in, Sprogget dives into VR, keeping a window off to the side open to his personal PAN, to monitor LeFey’s progress, he turns to face the being that started out as Hunter.
@self:Hope LeFey understood, and moves quickly, so I can move away.  If I can get any information from Hunter, or whatever it is now, I need a place to store the details.  Commlink is off.
Looking around quickly, Sprogget spots the emoitoy icon in the PAN.
@self:Perfect!  The toy has a node to handle the empathy software and its own sensors.  It is specialized for that, but it does handle empathy(6), and has memory I can use to store a fair amount of information, and it has already been modified for skinlink access, with wireless disabled.

Boosting his analyze complex form beyond what he normally used, as high as he figures he can safely handle, Sprogget scrutinizes the ... Entity ... before him.
@Screaming (Frankenstein) Hunter:“What happened to you?  Did you get the information I asked for?”.

[AStarshipforAnts]

@E: Tribes
Lilly of the Valley
September 1, 2072 22:28; Near the Fre∑dom Mall, Puyallup

Lilly-of-the-Valley crept out from behind her cover as the firefight ended. Work was work, and nuyen was nuyen. But, this is why she hated courier jobs. Inevitably, they always took her to shady parts of town full of gunfire. This is why driving was an essential skill to learn, she told herself as she scowled. A few stray bullets pinged off of the building she hid behind. No wheels meant getting stuck in public transport and on foot during firefights, like right now. Other than her broken down rifle slung across her back, the mage carried nothing other than a wooden wand carved with flowing symbols.

From the looks of things, it looked like gangers were at it again. Lilly wasn't expert on the local flavors of ganger, but knew enough to spot two different sets of colors. And they all looked fairly young. Kids these days, Lilly thought to herself as she tucked the wand away on a belt holster. She didn't want to start another fight, especially given the damage that these gangers did to the others. So she figured it would be best to look non-threatening. Worst case scenario, she’d go invisible and sneak past this group. At the very least, she wasn’t wearing any gang colors. So hopefully that would spare her from the Tribe’s wrath.

The Mage snuck a quick glance from behind the building. It sounded like the fighting was over. Checking the GPS on her comlink, Lilly confirmed her route to see Spindle. At the very least, she wasn’t lost.

[JxJxA]

@E:PL/Chi Town
[July 9th, 2072, 00:26; Ghoul central, CZ, Chicago]
PAN - Active ; SIN - Maximilien Danton

Gemeaux grimaces as he sees the ghouls break for the children. His first instinct is to clear Mordred's way so he can help them. This way, if he misses---which he most certainly will not---it is near someone who is armored as opposed to unsuspecting kids. However, the more mercenary side of his professional mindset makes a poignant rebuttal: if the children die, so does the hope of getting paid.

<<[Gemeaux]: Mordred, I will focus on keeping the ghouls clear of the children. Let me know if you need support, and I will shift targets.>>

He takes a breath, lines up his shots, and squeezes the trigger twice at two ghouls...

[RdMarquis]

@E:PL/Chi Town
[July 9th, 2072, 00:26; Ghoul central, CZ, Chicago]
SIN: Spencer Lovett, PAN: Hidden

Cursing under his breath, Mordred opens fire on the stragglers from the throng that had overwhelmed the other runner. Sick. Callous, even. No. Some bold, heroic (and foolish) action like fighting his way through to save him would just put two of them out of commission. They couldn't afford that. <No, no. The kids-> The adept ducks under one of the advancing ghouls, grabbing its arm and forcing the fetid limb into a lock. Mordred drives his fist into the ghoul's spine. His breath was ragged as he heaved the corpse into the path of the horde. Maybe not a horde anymore. They had done some damage. Which wasn't to say they weren't still a threat.<-Kids can't defend themselves. You can.> Mordred begins hacking a path toward the remaining runner. One of them might be the second casualty if he didn't back the guy up.

[RdMarquis]

@E:Tribes
September 1, 2072 22:28; Ambushed near the Fre∑dom Mall, Puyallup
SIN: Iwakura Lain, PAN: Passive

There was her answer. Dragging the items with her, LeFey leaps off the monocycle. <My task stands. Is that understood?> She tries to hide the uncertainty in her expression as she address Accolon. <Should his sprite become a threat, you are to respond appropriately.> It hadn't been summoned by her. Nonetheless, Hunter had come of the Resonance. Her actions felt like a betrayal. How could this happen? She ducks behind a bit of debris. But that just about clenched things. The Scream was almost certainly no mundane virus.

<Let me know when to switch the jammer on!> Her jaw tightens at Scrapheap's message (as if she didn't have enough to worry about.). That had been a damn joke. But whatever their next objective was, she couldn't just curl up in a corner and wait for the fighting to stop. Instead, I'm going to hide in a corner and wait for it to start again. She swallowed hard.

[Machine Ghost]

@Virtual Scream / E:Tribes
September 1, 2072 22:28; Near the Fre∑dom Mall, Puyallup
Bionode: Response 4(5), Signal 2, System 4, Firewall 3; Hidden; Analyze(5), 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; Powered off

Seeing through the PAN that LeFey has the equipment, and is clear of the monocycle and moving away, Sprogget want to tell her something, but all matrix connections have been deliberately and effectively blocked, and in full VR it is very difficult to actually speak.  In the devices in the skinlinked PAN, only the earbuds have audio output capability, and that is not enough.

@self:Slot!, who would have believed a loud speaker would be the right item to include in the PAN!  How to best/quickest tell her?

Quickly inventorying the local resources he has access to from VR, he grabs the holo projector in the backpack.
@self:I never would have thought to include a skinlinked and wireless disabled projector in the kit either.  Don't want this to start screaming, but it won't get the chance if LeFey acts fast enough.

Turning the audio volume up high on the projector, to compensate for it still being inside the backpack, and the open space where it was intended for a small conference room, Sprogget 'yells',
@LeFey: “LeFey, jam me, the source.  Jammer skinlinked.  Turn on, then tuck it under my harness.  I'll take it from there”.

@self:IF Hunter is with me, and IF Hunter is {mostly} limited to my wireless connections, or those I have access to and IF that >1rtu@l5cr3@m is limited by Hunter’s limits, then once I am jammed, that >1rtu@l5cr3@m will not be able to infect any of the others.  Way too many if’s, but it is all I have to go on so far.

[Aria]

@E:Tribes
September 1, 2072 22:28; S Meridian, north of the Fre∑dom Mall, Puyallup

Jailbreakers

Sprogget seems to be momentarily distracted and Scrapheap is busy hefting the AK off its pintle mount, interesting to note the newness of the weapon compared with the piece of crap it’s bolted to! Never the less you all take a moments pause when Tweak relays the message from Jazz

@Tweak[Jazz]: <<Tweak? You got hit too? The Spined Drakes have attacked in force from the southwest…bastards hit one of our supplies train from FL. Be careful out there, there seem to be more of them than there should be and they’ve got some nasty gear from somewhere, new smartlinked assault rifles, dedicated tacnet, wherever they got it all from they’ve put it to good use! They’ve retreated for now but we’ve heard confrontations with the Mechanicals too so they aren’t solely targeting us. They’ve knocked out big chunks of our surveillance net too so we’re blind. I don’t know how they knew just when to hit us but it couldn’t have come at a worse time.>>

September 1, 2072 22:33; 39th Ave SW, south of the Fre∑dom Mall, Puyallup

Crow

You watch as three youths hightail it away from the direction you are headed. The colours seem to be those of the Spined Drakes, interesting, you thought they’d died out ages ago! Fraggers have got shiny new weapons, one of them is even carrying a rocket propelled grenade launcher! Definitely not someone you want to tangle with unless you have to!

Lily

Keeping you head down is second nature but all the more imperative as you see a brief running gun battle between two bikers in gang colours and what look like the tribals you were sent to meet. Hit and fade seems to be the aim of the game rather than a stand up slug fight and you breathe a brief sigh of relief as they bypass your crappy hidey hole…that is until you hear a large explosion maybe a block away! Shit!

[AStarshipforAnts]

@E: Tribes
Lilly of the Valley
September 1, 2072 22:33; 39th Ave SW, south of the Fre∑dom Mall, Puyallup

Frag this, Lilly thought as she edged back up against the building. She checked the GPS on her comlink one more time and nearly swore out loud. Of course there was a huge explosion nearly under her hoop. And of course there was an all out gang war going on the day she got stuck with courier duty. Knowing her own personal brand of social awkwardness probably wouldn't convince the tribals that she should tag along, the mage still considered just going invisible and following along behind. But, an invisible mage was rarely a friendly one. If any of them were awakened, they'd probably just shoot her, too. What a choice.

The mage unsheathed her wooden wand and began muttering a few words whilst making a few arcane gestures with the tool. With her witchcraft done, the woman jogged towards the site of the explosion. Maybe she could help end this mess before it got much bigger. Either way, she hated getting shot or blown up, and if she just sat around she was almost guaranteed to get either shot or blown up. At least this way she didn't have to talk to anyone.

Hopefully she'd find some nice cover and be able to pick off the gangers with a combination of sniping and spellwork.

[Mach_Ten]

@E: Tribes
Jim Crow
September 1, 2072 22:33; 39th Ave SW, south of the Fre∑dom Mall, Puyallup

"Hush, Jack, yes I see them, Spined Drakes and they have new toys to match their newfound glory! .. who have they...."
The question Halts on Crows lips as the gangers pass so close to his location he can hear the mania in their whoops and laughs, tearing up the road away from the mall only yards ahead.

Drek, I was hoping for a quiet meal and some relaxation... Guess we have work to do Jack, move up and see what we can see the thought fresh in his mind he moves away from concealment and heads towards the embers of the firefight, glancing over his shoulder occasionally in case the drakes return with reinforcements

Keeping low and using cover as much as can be found, Crow makes his way to the source of the disturbance, the scene of devastation not far from the mall. Taking his time skirts the area to be on the safe side, before making his prescence known to the opposing force as they recover themselves.

"Hoi, Chummers! .. No one tell you it's dangerous to go kicking 'Drake' nests?" He calls out to them, weapon slung over shoulder, ready but not in hand.
Spotting another Ork who seems to have ripped a machinegun from its vehicle mount, he holds up a surrendering hand in peace, "easy friend, just looking for food or barter, thought you might have needed a hand after i seen the ordnance they were toting!"

[Machine Ghost]

@Virtual Scream
September 1, 2072 22:28; Near the Fre∑dom Mall, Puyallup
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; Powered Off; SIN: Paul Brickhill (R3)

As LeFey activates the jammer, blocking access all of the wireless only nodes, Sprogget simultaneously feels both mild discomfort from the loss of all wireless signals, and enormous relief that Hunter is with him and from what he knows, the embedded virus should not be able to attack any of the team.  Still, he keeps an eye on the data feed from the PAN, watching for indications that the team, or their equipment is being attacked, or hearing the signature scream of the virus.

@self:OK Franken-Hunter, it is just you and me now.  If what the news was saying earlier is correct, any direct attack against >1rtu@l5cr3@m when NOT part of a sprite would need a lot more matrix combat ability than I have.  A direct attack in active mode from the virus would wipe me all over the matrix floor.  I have no idea how mixing that with a sprite would change that.  The news did not mention anything about that!  I need more information!  Hopefully without triggering an attack.

Reaching along his resonance link to the sprite, he tries to sense if the Data Sprite, as modified, will still accept his orders, and if it has any tasks left, or will return to the resonance as soon as it has delivered the search results.  Does it even HAVE any results to report?
@self:I’ve never had a reason to directly try to figure out what one of my own sprites is.  I know what they can to, because I created them from what the resonance had available!  This though .. What new or changed abilities do you have now?

Could the changed appearance of Hunter be just from the data he is carrying?  He was sent to get information about what others knew about >1rtu@l5cr3@m.  Was the sheer volume of data he collected enough to do this?  The news was saying that one of the things >1rtu@l5cr3@m did, was carry a lot of apparently corrupted and heavily encrypted data.  Did hunter pick up samples of that?

I was learning about Free Sprites, and how they merge with a registered sprite.  That would absorb the registered sprite leaving a modified Free Sprite.  That is not this.  Hunter was not registered and still exists.  He is still linked to me, and does not seem to have become free either, and there has not been enough time to do Reassembling anyway.

Could a ghost of a TM 'live' in the sprite of another TM?  Would that change the resonance signature, if it were even possible?

Something like, or part of an AI maybe?  This has a feel a bit like MCM.  A sprite does not have a system matrix attribute, but an agent or AI does, at least I get an indication of something similar from looking at MCM.  A sprite is sort of a resonance version of an agent.  Can a sprite be modified to run an agent as if it was a complex form?  No sprite I know of has that ability.

Unsure if the Paragon will even respond, he still has to ask.
@Daedalus:“Dae, is there anything you can tell me about this Data Sprite, and the changes to it since I created it”?

@self:I’ve looked at agents and other peoples sprites before.  Let’s see what you look like under the virtual magnifying glass.  Your resonance signature should match my own, did this merge change that?  Your access ID should be me; “pilot” 4, response 4, firewall 2; running, or at least loaded complex forms should be Analyze, Browse, Edit, Decrypt, and Sniffer; health status: did you take damage from the merging?  Are there any added matrix attributes like System or Signal that a sprite does not have?  Is >1rtu@l5cr3@m a single new complex form or program?  What is the type for that icon?  If it exists, can I read matrix attributes off of it, like System, that would indicate an agent or AI?
Using his boosted analyze complex form, Sprogget inspects the sprite and payload every way he already knows, and tries to come up with new ones for this unique and unanticipated circumstance.

[ChromeZephyr]

@E:Tribes, Scrapheap;
September 1, 2072 22:28 Approx 600m from the Fre∑dom Mall, Puyallup
PAN mode: Hidden | SIN displayed: Eric Jones

Scrapheap frowned as Jazz's message scrolled across his goggles, then looked down at the Kalashnikov bolted to the pintle mount. Now that there wasn't lead flying his scavenger's experience showed him that it was practically brand new. He dropped off of the hood and poked his head into the back of the car, breathing heavily through his mouth to avoid the worst of the odors. Man, dis is worse dan when da slant-eyes dumped those barrels of "pork carcasses" at da yards.

He shoved aside the corpse sprawled over the backseat to get at the small set of tools on the floor, pawing bloodied hands through them until he found an open-ended wrench that looked like it'd fit the bolts on the clamp holding the assault rifle to the roof. He tossed the rest back on the floor, then looked again when they clanked against something. It took a second, but he fished around under the front seat and pulled out a second, fully-loaded magazine that looked exactly like the one already on the roof. He wiped the worst of the gore off on the pants of the dead girl, then clambered back onto the roof. He saw the new girl grabbing something out of the pack for Sprogget as he climbed, her eyes tight with resolution. Mebbe she's tougher dan I thought. No screamin', cryin', or pukin', just tryin' to hang on. Hope we'll all have a home to go to after dis.

It took a minute to wrench the rusted bolts off the clamp surrounding the magazine well, but the last one came away with a screech as Scrapheap put his considerable strength to it. The Kalashnikov dropped into his free hand, and he threw the wrench onto the ground. Wow, just like in da one where Karl goes all mage-fire on da Vory. Lessee...yeah. Safety, mag release...pull dat to put a bullet into it....switch for dakka's right here. Oh, yeah.

The hailing shout from the street pulled his attention from the gun up to the direction it had come from, and he somewhat akwardly shouldered the AK, the barrel wavering as he tried to keep it's unfamiliar weight on target. The man called for peace, but Scrapheap's blood was up and he kept the rifle sighted on him.

"Dis ain't no fuckin' Drake's anything, dey shoulda been smarter dan to try and come back. You wanna barter, mebbe you helps kick the rest of 'em back to whatever hole they crawled outta. Otherwise, keep on walkin'."

[Machine Ghost]

@E:Tribes
August 1, 2072  06:26; Above the Mechanicals Complex
CMT Clip: Response 1, Signal 3, System 1, Firewall 1; Hidden; SIN: Florence Darkwind (R4)

Osha vaguely remembers moving into the current Mechanicals complex as a child.  Her family was among the first to start claiming the space for the tribe.  There have been a lot of changes since then.  She remembers the smells from dank unused spaces, and the places where mold had found a place to live.  The feel of peeling walls and cracked floors under her hands and feet.  Hearing the sound of the wind through a broken door or window.  Even the sounds and smells of the smaller animals that were being quickly evicted.  Being often cold.  She remembers the worry in mothers voice along with the admonishments to be extra careful because some of the buildings where unsafe.

Things have come a long way since then.  Now the sounds and smells are of a much more occupied and productive space.  The chemical smells from cleaning are much more likely than rot.  Rough and sharp edges are now mostly smooth, repaired, and painted walls.  The extremes of weather are mostly kept out.  Except in the mostly unrecovered edges of the claimed space, it is unlikely to turn a corner, and come face to face with a devil rat.  Now the risks are more about people.  The prosperity from all of the work the tribe has put into renovations have been attracting different sorts of predators.  Like the earlier dangers though, a bit of vigilance and preparation keeps that manageable.  These parasites also learned quickly, that a shout could bring a lot of backup in hurry.

Other big chances since first moving in, are the garden spaces.  The smells of healthy growing things is much more to her liking.  And of course the taste of the food has improved astronomically!  From the almost tasteless, barely edible nutrisoy and ration bars, to the current wide range of spices and variety of fresh foods from the gardens to go with the much better quality of soy products.

From her current vantage point, riding the thermals well over a 1000 meters above ground, she can see the whole complex in a glance.  With no obstructions, she can also see the mall that Fre∑dom has appropriated for their home to the north.  This high up, her current condor form is almost unnoticeable from the ground.  The main danger here would be from aircraft, but she is well away from typical flight paths, and the rare smuggler that gets this close to heavily populated areas is most likely to be keeping as low as possible to hide radar signatures.  Getting up here, and getting down again are the most dangerous parts, when someone might consider taking a shot at a low flying bird, just because they feel like it.  This morning she launched from the highest building in the middle of complex.  Not that high really, but that was before the sun came up, and there was heavy ground fog.  Even from only 4 stories up, the ground was nearly invisible.  By the time the sun was up, and the fog gone, she was well out of reach of casual fire from the ground.  A good sniper could reach out to touch her, but the same is true staying on the ground.  Sometimes she has had a spirit initially help keep her inconspicuous, or even provide a boost with their movement power.  A couple of times she has used a tow from a flying drone to get up a bit quicker.  Only in full dark conditions though.  A bird playing glider behind a drone could attract unwanted interest, if anyone noticed.  There are various procedures for getting down safely again too.  Today is supposed to be clear with good visibility, so someone is supposed to be sending a spirit to conceal her from any watchers for the final part of the descent late this afternoon.  If that had not been available, she would switch to an eagle or similar form instead of the condor.  A bit more work to stay in the air, but it can safely dive to get down a lot faster. Switching from one to the other in mid-air tends to her heart into her throat though. Going form floating, to naked free fall for a few seconds, before being able to switch to the new form. Better not drop the manipulation fetish either!

So today she had simply dived off the ledge in the dark, then worked steadily in the cold, moist air to gain the altitude she needed.  Now it was easy.  She could 'lay' nearly motionless in the air and look down through the custom optical gear that Seneka had built for her. A flying helmet with headphones, visor, and a few sensors.  Contact lenses were the wrong shape for these eyes, and regular glasses or goggles useless as well.  The gear needed some careful work to fit properly and securely, since each time and critter she changes to could be just enough different to make things awkward. 

In case trouble is spotted, she can use the commlink to report it.  No voice, but hunt and 'peck' with an AR keyboard does work.  Rather slow though, so an extensive 'trouble' menu to select from has also been provided, which also allows attaching images, video, and coordinates to send to the security office on the ground.  As long as she stays in contact range.  Not many other nodes up here to relay through.  She actually can get high enough to be out of range, although it is a lot of work to get to 4km, and there is little benefit from going that high, other than to show she could.  She does not just hover in one spot though, flying (more truly gliding) a pattern over and around the complex, to be able to get views from different angles.  On the longer arms of the pattern, she has to pay attention to her position, to make sure not to drift too far for reliable contact.  Sudden changes in weather can also be a problem.  That is reduced somewhat, because while she is in the air, the security office monitors the actual conditions and short term forecasts.  They relay expected changes, usually with enough time to alter paths, to keep in contact.  They can send voice and text just fine.  No limited menu to pick from for them.

She has the built in senses of the bird she appears to be, but not the skill and experience to go with it.  She can not subconsciously combine all of the information provided by sight, sound, and the feel of the air to just know how the air is moving all around her.  The sensor package helps there too though.  It contains sensitive thermal and motion sensors, with a little dog brain that combines the information into a full 360 degrees view around, above, and below her, with icons showing relative air speeds and directions.  It also assists in picking paths based on goals selected using the AR interface.  It is not that bright though, so she normally just uses that as a hint, to make sure she is not missing something obvious, then picks her own path.  Putting some of the experience from VR flying games with Seneka to good use.  In the higher realistic physics settings, the game is actually good preparation for this.

Over all, this is her favourite patrol work.  At least when the ever present pollution stays low enough for her to keep above it.  Bird compatible respirators are not an off the shelf item either.  Given the nearness of the coast, almost any sort of breeze off of the water handles that.  It does tend to be a long shift though.  With all the work at the beginning to get here, it is best so stay as long as practical.  Nothing to do but watch and think.  Much better than crawling naked (literally) through a broken building as a python or boa, to assist in locating or removing salvageable items.  Even using the small size of a gibbon to climb where it would not be safe for others, or using the strength of a gorilla to help extract useful tech got old fast.  Doing that, she is only a pair of hands (or coils), being told what to do by others.

She likes being the eye in the sky, watching over the tribe, providing warning of approaching dangers.  Her real preference though, is working directly with people.  She likes to talk to them, and make sure they stay healthy.  Since she was a child, she has helped with the cleaning and bandaging of minor cuts and scrapes that the tribe members tend to acquire while doing salvage or renovations work.  She has always had a knack, and the people she helped always seem to heal just a bit faster and better.  She is ready to move beyond that now.  It is time to start providing a more permanent location, where the tribe, and other friendly (or at least not directly enemy) people can come for care.  To be and stay healthy also means nutrition, so food is a large part of that.  Oyl has been make preparations, gathering materials and support, to be able to use resources the tribe has salvaged and repair, to be be able to feed more people in need that are living mostly on the street.  Part of that is reserved for people that need actual medical care, but more is for the homeless and migrant people in the area, that just need a bit of extra food to keep them going and health.  That is to be the start of a centre where she intends to make a difference, improving the life and available options of those in the surrounding area.  Things are almost ready.  She just has a few more people to talk to, and get them on board, before making it official.

[Machine Ghost]

@E:Tribes
August 5, 2072  19:11; Mechanicals Complex, Sprogget’s Shop
Bionode: Response 4(5), Signal 2, System 4, Firewall 3; Hidden; Analyze(3), Scan(1), Sniffer(3), Stealth(3), Simrig(1)
CMT Clip: Response 1, Signal 3, System 1, Firewall 1; Active; SIN: Hugo Wright (R4)
CMT Clip: Response 1, Signal 3, System 1, Firewall 1; Active; SIN: Florence Darkwind (R4)

Sprogget is busy at his workbench, adding steampunk touches to a pair of inline skates, when Oyl wanders in casually from upstairs.  She notes what he is doing then shrugs mentally to herself.
@Osha:There’s always something to work on.  This is as good of time as any.

@Sprogget [Oyl]: “Seneka, got some time to talk”?

Without looking up from the piece he is working on, Sprogget acknowledges her presence with a bare tilt of his head.
@Oyl [Sprogget]: “{distractedly} Sure sis, what’s up”?

@Sprogget [Oyl]: “{Sigh} Take a break.  This is important. I need to talk to you, not at you”.

Oyl’s tone finally penetrates Sprogget’s focus, and he looks up from what he is doing.
@Oyl [Sprogget]: “OK, give me a sec to lock this down”.
Going back to the work in progress, he carefully finishes fastening the gear onto the project he is working on, then puts the tools down where they belong, and turns away from the workbench.

@Oyl [Sprogget]: “Right, ya got my attention now.  What do you need”?

@Sprogget [Oyl]: “You know I’ve been getting the tools together for small clinic, right?  I need some more permanent space for it”.

@Oyl [Sprogget]: “Huh?  You’ve got space for anybody you need to patch up.  Even trolls like Dumptruck”.
@Seneka:I know you’ve been spending time trying to scrounge hard cred for medical equipment.  Guess Spindle does not want the tribe to fund the unpaid work you do for outsiders.

@Sprogget [Oyl]: “I want room for more than just patching.  Some people I have had to send home after initial treatment with general instructions about resting to finish the healing.  Sometimes they do not heal well that way.  I want some rooms for beds, where people can stay, where I know they are resting, and I can monitor their progress”.

@Oyl [Sprogget]: “Oh.  And you want that close by, so you don’t need to run all over the place just to see people.  Well there is a bunch of mostly unused space on the lower floors here that could be usable with a bit of work”.
@Seneka:You should already know that sis.

@Sprogget [Oyl]: “That’s a start, but I need reliable power too.  An outage at the wrong time when doing the ‘patching’ you dismiss so casually can be a serious problem”.

@Oyl [Sprogget]: “{defensively} Hey!  I wasn’t being dismisive.  I just don’t know a lot about fixing people.  Tech does not need a recovery room after repair.  Just run the diagnostics again, and ready to go”.
@Seneka:Touchy!  The equipment scavenging must not be going well.

@Oyl [Sprogget]: “Where you going with this sis?  I know you.  What are you after”?

Oyl is silent for a moment, giving Sprogget a hard look, making him start to wonder what he did or didn’t do.  Then she responds quietly, but with an intensity that Sprogget can feel.
@Sprogget [Oyl]: “I want a real clinic.  Where people can come when they need to, and be cared for until they do not need the care any more.  A place that is clean and {hesitating} where the inner spirit can be happy, to help the body to heal.  Insulated for awhile from the outer world”.

@Oyl [Sprogget]: “You don’t want much do you?  Out to save the world again?  Never mind.  Yes, and always.  Ok.  Grab those trodes, and we can do some really planning in VR”.

Sprogget leads the way over to the couch at the edge of the gallery space.  Waving Oyl to one end, he sits down at the other.  Automatically positioning his body so that it will remain stable without his attention, he let’s his body go limp, and shifts his attention from AR to full VR.  By the time Oyl has adjusted the trodes, gotten comfortable, and joined him in VR, he has already setup a clean virtual work room with drafting and design tools, opened windows to his PAN and the shop sensors, and made connections to a few of the external references he expects to need.

@Oyl [Sprogget]: “Dump your reference information {here}, and let’s take a look”.

Oyl takes a folder from her commlink, dropping it on the workbench, where the folder opens and fans out icons for the contained files.  Sprogget spreads them around, getting a feel for what they contain, without going into the details yet.
@Osha:Nice of him to give me credit for having done the basic prep work already.

@Oyl [Sprogget]: “Looks like you’ve got a lot of publicity information from various private and public hospitals and clinics.  Some from equipment suppliers too.  Most of this is either advertising to attract paying customers, or boasting about things to make the backers and sponsors feel like they are doing good, without really saying anything.  This other set is full of jargon about equipment that I have no idea how to interpret.  And this, {pulling up a single file} looks like your personal shorthand for some ritual requirements”.

@Sprogget [Oyl]: “That first set is very light on real medical information, but shows that capabilities we want.  The second” …

[Machine Ghost]

@E:Tribes
August 5, 2072  20:28; Mechanicals Complex, Sprogget’s Shop
Bionode: Response 4(5), Signal 2, System 4, Firewall 3; Hidden; Analyze(3), Scan(1), Sniffer(3), Stealth(3), Simrig(1)
CMT Clip: Response 1, Signal 3, System 1, Firewall 1; Active; SIN: Hugo Wright (R4)
CMT Clip: Response 1, Signal 3, System 1, Firewall 1; Active; SIN: Florence Darkwind (R4)

After considerable back and forth about what is really needed versus wanted and why, with many side trips to search matrix resources for needed clarifications, Sprogget gives a big virtual sigh.

@Oyl [Sprogget]: “Osha, this is not something that is going to be fully spec’d out in one go.  Too many things about the infrastructure requirements that neither of us know well enough.  What you are REALLY trying for is a full Hospital.  Small, but still a hospital, with magical support.  Plus need to make sure that the setup really does support your goals for medical, magical, people.  That does not even consider yet what will be needed to manage physical and matrix security.  Anything with the sort of on site resources this implies is going to attract scavengers looking for anything they can turn into cred, or drugs with alternate uses.  You need to talk to Spindle.  He’ll never authorize tribal resources to something like this without chip truth solid assurance that the changes will not put the tribe at risk.  You know how conservative .. no not conservative .. cautious he is about expansion”.

@Sprogget [Oyl]: “{interrupting} Hai, I know.  {imitating Spindle} "You MUST have the groundwork done FIRST, if you are going to KEEP the benefit of the work of the tribe, instead of simply throwing it to the first predator to notice it, or worse, bringing the WRATH down on the tribe."”

@Oyl [Sprogget]: “{chuckle} Pretty close”.

@Sprogget [Oyl]: “I know I need to get Spindle to support this.  I want a plan first though, to have something definite to show him so that he will see what we have to gain”.

@Oyl [Sprogget]: “{drily} I think the ‘benefits’ are an easy sell.  You need to focus more on the increased risks for the tribe, and how to reduce those downsides.  If you can not almost guarantee that you can keep it, and the tribe, safe, no amount of benefit is going to convince Spindle.  That is why each added building gets a full physical overhall, with reinforcements, locks, and cameras, and patrol schedules, before the first seed is planted on the roof.  There is no point in planting, if it all gets stolen or trashed”.

@Sprogget [Oyl]: “{frustrated} I know”!

@Oyl [Sprogget]: “Easy sis.  You also should know that building renovations are not going to be enough.  Medical resources in the barrens are just too tempting of a target.  Keeping the more organized scum out would take the full resources of the tribe doing nothing but guard and patrol.  That is not what the tribe is about.  Even then, some would try, and some of the tribe would die from it.  You need to solve, or at least have a solution, before any tribe resources could possibly be allocated to the work needed”.

@Sprogget [Oyl]: “That could take like forever”!

@Oyl [Sprogget]: “{shrug} Could”.

Oyl’s icon looks like it is about to explode, but Sprogget just grins at her and waits.  Shortly, Oyl is back to normal.

@Oyl [Sprogget]: “I told you that I know you.  You knew before we started that there was no way, at least as things stand now, that this was remotely possible.  You are good at getting people to to do what you want, and make them think it was their idea.  But I’ve seen you operate, and this is my world”.
Indicating the virtual environment.
@Oyl [Sprogget]: “It does not take long for me to catch on.

Here is what I think we can do fairly quickly.  I do understand that you need a good environment for effective work.  I do the same for the shop.”
Sprogget pushes all of the planning work off to the side of the workspace, filling the whole main display area with a detailed 3D wire-frame of the building, then peeling it open to show the first basement level.  Highlighting a room that is currently being used for storage, he goes on.
@Oyl [Sprogget]: “This room is already solid and finished.  Takes almost nothing to get power and water to it for a small but clean ‘surgery’ area.  {moving the highlight} The room to the left works as a combination office and waiting area.  The one behind can be cleaned out then a couple of cots added for resting up”.

With a practiced mental twist, Sprogget zooms the view out, showing the whole building, while making most of it almost completely transparent.  A sequence of areas are highlighed one after the other, starting with a room two floors further down and off to one side.
@Oyl [Sprogget]: “The energy storage you were talking to Flywheel about can go here, to provide reliable power.  The vats for the Krill that you were teasing Boiler about can go here, with processing next door.  Trestle tables instead of just benches in the waiting area make it a dining area as well.  I know you heard about some that Gouge built that have not sold at the Mall, but that are solid enough for a troll.  That is some distance from the preparation area, but for free food there will always be someone available to carry trays.  When Fender moves to the place you found for him at the end of the month, the wall can be opened up on that side to give us more living space at home.  For some reason the empty unit south of us is not showing up in the living spaces database.  Who’d you get to do that for you anyway?  Adding a couple of doorways, will triple the space at home.  The power storage is more than enough for your clinic, so the extra can be used to make home and my shop rock solid too.  That surplus water filtration system can go here, supplying both the clinic area and home.  Those rooms around the surgery area are already sealed, so the air filtration system that Rocker donated to the cause is easy.  A coat of paint, and it will be ready to go.  You sweet talked Bearing into fixing the LifeManagement CHN that came in last month, which will handle the extra cleaning drone and appliances at home, so you can use the current system at the clinic, which does not need to do as much yet.  You do know, that MCM will probably go along, right?  You’ve been making sure I know that we could use the extra space at home, so it will be my idea to initiate the upgrades, and oh joy, that just happens to mean that the clinic gets the stable resources too.  All in the family.  Matrix is no problem of course.  I can just add a repeater at the shop to give solid connections to the whole area.  If there are any problems, I can tie that to a directional antenna, to link directly to Puyallup City, or the hardpoint over in Tacoma.  That spreads pieces around enough to disguise the fact that you intend to use them as a base to spread out from, and appropriated those 3, probably 4 basement levels as you work toward the hospital facility.  The people that you will get to do the maintenance are not going to do 'just' the minimum needed to keep things running.  They will cleanup and improve the surrounding areas too, preparing the way for when you can actually use the space.

Oh close your mouth.  The jaw on the floor is SOOO old.  You are not all that surprised.  You know ME too.

The designs we have just been working on are longer term, but you want me take it on as a project.  It could be interesting, and I’ll help, but I am going to make you do most of the grunt work”.

@Sprogget [Oyl]: “Me!?  I don’t have the skills needed for that”!

@Oyl [Sprogget]: “Surprised you did I?  Well I have plenty of other things keeping me busy too.  No you don’t have the skills, but you do know what you want, and have the incentive to get it right.  You don’t need to actually build it, so being able to join 2 different structural materials correctly, or run a power line, is not needed.  I said I would help.  You are going to need to work with me, so that our schedules are out of sync.  Then, as long as I am not exhausted at the end of my day, I can create an assistant with a couple of technical knowledge skills you can use for the following 8 hours.  It’s going to be slow, since you will not have ALL of the knowledge you need at any one time.  But neither would I.  You’ll need to do very clear, very detailed notes, so that you can treat them as chip truth without really understanding them when using a different knowledge set.

I am not clear on where you intend to get the resources for the security needed, to keep Spindle from frothing at the thought.  Using tribal resources for 24 x 7 security is not going to fly.  Sure we can do a lot with drones, designed traffic bottle necks, fixed emplacements, and more, but that is not near enough for something like this.  It is also going to need more magical security than the tribe can really afford to dedicate.  Fre∑dom probably has the skills to do the matrix security, but I think they might balk at the kind of full time presence that I think this would need.  I assume that patient data security is high on your priorities?  It would be bad if someone hacked the system, and changed drug prescriptions or dosages to kill someone you were trying to heal.  I assume that people with enemy’s are allowed in the hospital?  Not just the people that nobody else knows or cares exist?.  Straight medical is in your area, so I assume you have a plan on how to staff this, if you actually get it started”.

@Sprogget [Oyl]: “I don’t have all of the answers yet, but as a start, I’m thinking of naming the hospital “The Swiss Halps”, and trying for a multi 'national' balance of power, where anyone organized is going to have 10 others ready smack down treaty breakers.  The goal is to keep this small enough to not attract attention from really big players, and to make it too costly for any of the smaller groups.

Regular staffing could be challenging, but I think, rotating coverage could be possible, by doing in kind exachanges with some of the street docs.  They get access to the facility in exchange for shifts here.  Scheduling is going to be a serious issue though.”.

@Oyl [Sprogget]: “That could work.  Getting agreement from all, or at least enough of, the gangs and other armed pscopathic groups, in a large enough area, each with their own agendas, hatred and mistrust of each other sounds like an impossible task.  But if anyone can do it, you can”.

Sprogget creates a folder and drops the model for the short term renovations into it.  Gathering up the previous design information, he makes sure it is all saved, makes a time stamped backup, then hands the 2 folders to Oyl.

@Oyl [Sprogget]: “Since I did not hear any actual disagreement with the immediate renovation plans, Miss Beaver and Ren Man are going to be very busy for the next while between this and their normal work.  If you haven’t done it already, find places and get authorizations to move the things that need to be moved.  Drop it in my work folder.  I’ll start them on some general area cleanup, to make sure all of the hallways are useable to prepare the rest.  Of course, if you find people willing to help on their own time, it will speed thing up.

I've got some skates to finish punking, and you have a bunch of people to talk to”.

Nodding acceptance, Oyl drops the folders onto her commlink, then exits from VR back to AR, and heads back upstairs before making the calls that would start things in motion.  Sprogget finishes cleaning the virtual environment, then saves it intact for later use, when sis is ready to get started with the main part of the infrastructure design work.  He then switches his attention from VR, back to the world of flesh and gears.  Smiling, he heads back to the workbench, to continue the skates where he left off.  But first he sends a prepared file of instructions to the 2 drones, that will have them using any extra time for starting the cleanup.

[Notsoevildm]

@E:PL/Chi Town
[July 9th, 2072, 00:26; Ghoul central, CZ, Chicago]

With the new found knowledge welling in your mind you spring at the wall, careful to stick behind a buttress to prevent Snag from simply shooting you in the head, the mana coursing through you allowing you a purchase on the impossible wall as you shimmy up the inside of the atrium…

With Snake's magic coursing through her veins, Copperhead shimmy's up the the inside of the atrium in an undulating commando crawl. Her hands, feet, knees and elbows stick to the wall where she touches them, allowing her to haul her full 200 kilos - plus armor and weapons - up the wall as easily as if she was climbing a ladder.

She slows as she comes level with the floor where she spotted the ghoul, waiting for him to take another potshot at her before swinging over the balcony and closing the last few meters to where she last spotted his aura.

[Notsoevildm]

@Virtual Scream/Cipher
[September 2, 2072, 10:01; Ares Seattle General Hospital]

He scanned the map and traced their route, then sent the taxi around to the front. If all else failed he'd run them down! Then he set about scanning the medical drones in the corridor for any possible distractions they could cause...

With ease he inserts his consciousness into his kidnappers commlinks. However, apart from some thrash metal music files and some rather frightening troll porn on the troll's link, the only item of interest is a file on the girl's link with some details on the hospital and a low-resolution picture of Cipher that looks to have been taken while he was asleep in his hospital bed.

As he contemplates who would want to kidnap him, and why, he reaches his conscousness out to the systems around him and senses the dog-brain of a prescription orderly drone (POD) trundling down the corridor towards them. It is basically a box on wheels about a meter and a half tall and roughly 50 centimeters wide. There is a dispenser panel on the top, through which it delivers little containers of medicine to patients. It is not moving very fast and stops regularly to let people go past it.

[Notsoevildm]

@Virtual Scream / Gossamer
[September 1, 2072, 17:04, Argent's ‘link node]
PAN: N/A, SIN: None, Response *, Signal *, System (5), Firewall (4), (Analyze, Scan, Decrypt, Exploit [5, inherent], Stealth [6, inherent], Armour, Browse, Encrypt, Medic [6, ergo, optzd])

"A little strangely balanced with this undersized body but it will be a surprise for anyone who does want to use me for parts! Right, we have an avenue of investigation. I want to find out more about this Scream and what the ramifications are for the grid and for those of us who live there!"

Cutter looks down at the little 'girl' and the big gun.

"I assume ya know how to shoot that, but if I see ya waving it around in one hand, I'll take it and the hand off ya, scan? Now get yerself into something less birthday party and a bit more rave and we'll get on the road. I'll be in the van making sure nobody shoots at us on the way there."

He moves, whisper-quiet, out the door. Slater hangs back and between him and Argent, it takes Gossamer only a couple of changes to finally find an outfit that both the skinny decker and the fixer agree on as being sufficiently 'street'.

---

Climing into the passenger seat of the van, Gossamer is sandwiched between the big ork in the driver seat and the elven decker's slim frame sitting next to her.

Cutter gives little more than an approving grunt at her outfit as he pulls into traffic.

The journey to the Barrens passes without incident but not without a million questions from Slater about AIs. Gossamer sees the landscape change from manicured lawns to grubby appartments to what looks like a warzone.

"Welcome to the Barrens" announces Slater gleefully.

There is a scary moment when a couple of light rounds spang off the exterior of the van, then she can almost see the ork and elf relax as they pass a barrier of car wrecks manned by orks in the same gang colours as those worn by Cutter.

The ork pulls off the road into the ruins of a building. They all pile out of the van and Slater leads her down into a basement sealed with a heavy padlock. Fishing a key out of his pocket, he opens the door and lets her inside. As her eyes adjust to the dim glow of monitors, she can make out what looks like a deckers paradise of terminals, comfy chairs and a large refridgerator.

Slater wriggles out of his long coat, draping it casually over the back of a chair and rolls his neck.

"It's not much but its safe and has a hard link back to civilisation. And even if someone was to track it back to here, we would know they were coming in plenty of time."

As Gossamer looks around, she realises that the ork is gone.

[Notsoevildm]

@Virtual Scream / Dante, Dubstep, Cat
[September 2, 2072, 13:20, Hai Fuk Noodle House, Redmond Barrens, Seattle]

"If you go now, where can we meet again? Any action with this virtual cream could bring danger again, we should carefully choose a place to meet."

Dante dumps the gangers commlinks and the wireless sniffer on the table in front of Dubstep as he talks. Two of the links are cheap and disposable, the third is a modded Sony Emperor running a hacked Iris Orb OS. It has several pirated programs on top of the standard program suite including Analyze and Exploit programs both at rating 3.

As calm returns, Jenny Ho moves to assist the chinese couple, helping to calm the hysterical wife and get them both cleaned up. A pair of cooks emerge from the kitchen, the first a fat ork holding an old pump action shotgun and the other a tall elf wielding a large chopping knife. Jenny Ho snaps at them in her bad Chinese and they slink back into the kitchen, returning shortly after with some large plastic bags and a mop and bucket. They begin to clean up the mess made by Dante, starting with what's left of Xbox.

[Notsoevildm]

@Virtual Scream / E:Tribes
September 1, 2072 22:28; Near the Fre∑dom Mall, Puyallup
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; Hidden; SIN: Paul Brickhill (R3)

@Screaming (Frankenstein) Hunter:“What happened to you?  Did you get the information I asked for?”.

There is a long pause as the sprite processes the request. It seems sluggish. Finally, it responds.

<<@Sprogget[Screaming (Frankenstein) Hunter]: I am Hunter. My task is to seek information.

Reporting: >1rtu@l5cr3@m virus first detected ~12:00 today, September 1, 2072. Reports indicate virus has infected hundreds of thousands of devices. This is incorrect. I am currently registering 9,673 infected nodes. Correction: 9,672 infected nodes. This does not include nodes not currently connected to the matrix.

Virus is reportedly able to bypass all types of firewall including those of biological design.

Virus is reported to have caused 1000+ accidents, primarily due to GridGuide failures. 15 fatalities linked to >1rtu@l5cr3@m attacks including two firearm incidents and three simsense overloads.

No new infections reported after 21:15 today. All existing infections dormant but transmitting a ping on port 5467. Hunter can confirm that virus responds to pings sent on this port and has acquired three pieces of virus for review. Correction: one amalgamated virus segment available for review.

Virus resembles an agent with multiple attack, spoof and exploit capabilities plus a very large data file. Data load is reducing processing performance of Hunter by 24.7%.

WARNING: Matrix access compromised. Please restore access.>>

In his vision the monocycle rotates in place, until the skull is pointing straight up. The eyebeams pulse with data and the jaw opens in a rictus of a scream.

<<WARNING: Matrix access compromised. Please restore access.>>

And then he hears it, faint but growing louder. It's the same sound that was coming from the radio of the corp kid's car that crashed into them outside LeFey's appartment. A sort of digital wailing. No, a virtual scream.

[Machine Ghost]

@Virtual Scream
September 1, 2072 22:28; Near the Fre∑dom Mall, Puyallup
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; Powered Off; SIN: Paul Brickhill (R3)

<<I am Hunter. My task is to seek information.

Reporting: >1rtu@l5cr3@m virus first detected ~12:00 today, September 1, 2072. Reports indicate virus has infected hundreds of thousands of devices. This is incorrect. I am currently registering 9,673 infected nodes. Correction: 9,672 infected nodes. This does not include nodes not currently connected to the matrix.>>

@self:Registering?  A real time update?

<<Virus is reportedly able to bypass all types of firewall including those of biological design.>>

@self:Ouch.  Drek.

<<Virus is reported to have caused 1000+ accidents, primarily due to GridGuide failures. 15 fatalities linked to >1rtu@l5cr3@m attacks including two firearm incidents and three simsense overloads.

No new infections reported after 21:15 today. All existing infections dormant but transmitting a ping on port 5467. Hunter can confirm that virus responds to pings sent on this port and has acquired three pieces of virus for review. Correction: one amalgamated virus segment available for review.>>

Hearing that new infections seem to have stopped, Sprogget relaxes a little, after tensing when hearing that the entity could bypass TM firewalls.
@self:Ah!  The pings give the real time count!  Sleeping huh?  Hunter picked up 3 pieces, but they merged into one?  hmmmm.

<<Virus resembles an agent with multiple attack, spoof and exploit capabilities plus a very large data file. Data load is reducing processing performance of Hunter by 24.7%.>>

@self:That’s why you seem sluggish.

<<WARNING: Matrix access compromised. Please restore access.>>

Watching the antics of the sprite, Sprogget is puzzled.
@self:Yeah, so?

<<WARNING: Matrix access compromised. Please restore access.>>

Hearing the start of the scream comming from the apparently panicking sprite,
@self:Whoops!  Seems Franken-Hunter (heh Frank Hunter) does not like to be blocked, even in my bionode, any more than I do when I do not have access to external sensors!

@Hunter:“Easy Hunter.  Matrix access loss temporary.  No active nodes in current signal range.  Local dead zone.”
@self:True enough, even if that deadzone was deliberately created.
@Hunter:“Slow that data feed down!  Continue report.”

[Aria]

@E:CoP/Johnny Awesome
[August 21th, 2072, 06:18; NeoNet Tower, Oxford]

"How long do these clothes last? Don't get me wrong, they're incredibly comfortable. I just wondered if they are likely to drop out of existence at a time that may get me arrested. I'm not starving, but I could eat. What d'you have in mind?"

"They’ll last as long as I want them to…" Bronwyn replied with a mischievous grin "Or until you go through a ward powerful enough to disrupt my illusion. Don’t worry, we’ll find you something a little more permanent shortly, illusions won’t keep you warm, it’s a good job the weather is nice again today! Come…" and she leads you away through the tower until you finally reach an eatery a few floors down, picking up Mags along the way, with an almost equally splendid view of the city, if a little less windy than the roof…

You while away the next couple of hours over a sumptuous breakfast at NeoNet’s expense. Bronwyn keeps the conversation light and fluffy, steering you away from anything of any depth until finally at the end of the meal she rises to depart

"I’m sorry, as pleasurable as this is Ryl has other duties for me to attend to, not that this is a duty you understand? There are interesting times coming, when are they not in this sixth world of ours? If you want to bend your considerable resources to those things discussed last night you won’t find me ungrateful…"

And so that would seem to be it…you are free to go back to your usual routine but with some interesting new connections…

[onlyghostdancesw...]

@E:PL/Chi Town
[July 9th, 2072, 00:24; Ghoul central, CZ, Chicago]


The heaven sent wind let Anselm down onto the somewhat questionable roof of the HAB complex right next to atrium emitting the sounds of gunfire. Carefully working his way to the edge of the atrium lip anselm shifted his senses to the divine and peered over for a sign of the beleaguered troll. At first he saw a myriad of splintered concrete, an amalgamation of the effects of time on a non-maintained and half-nuked building where the only sure thing seemed to be the plascrete structural support. Finally he made sense of the bizarre shadows on the plane of the divine and spotted the troll, now surrounded by the glow of some sort of incantation to the divine and crawling quickly up the superstructure.

In the midst of contemplating how to save the heavily laboring woman Anselm beheld an immediate concern; out of sight of the troll a ghoul was attempting to wedge himself into a hole in the concrete railing and was bringing his rifle to bear. Pure rage at the thought of the troll being gunned down by some unseen assailant filled Anselm and, calling for the Lord to aid him in bringing the damned to justice, he flung the great force of his will into a torrent of heavenly wrath, a bolt of fire turned into molten plasma by arcs of the electricity wrought in it. The sheer effort and sacrifice of self caused blood to start gushing from his nose and start running into his robe.

Not caring if he had dealt the thing a fatal blow, the fires of justice would soon burn the ghoul out if it hadn't killed it at the outset; Anselm called out to his protector for favor. "Please Lord, if you would, grant me another of your many angels to save this soul from the damnation that lives in this place!"

[Notsoevildm]

@Virtual Scream
September 1, 2072 22:28; Near the Fre∑dom Mall, Puyallup
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; Powered Off; SIN: Paul Brickhill (R3)

@Hunter:“Easy Hunter.  Matrix access loss temporary.  No active nodes in current signal range.  Local dead zone.”
@self:True enough, even if that deadzone was deliberately created.
@Hunter:“Slow that data feed down!  Continue report.”

Even the momentary exposure to the sprite's scream is enough to leave Sprogget's ears ringing and head pounding, but fortunately it does respond to his commands. As he gasps for breath in the sudden silence, the sprite continues.

<<Incorrect. This node is being jammed. Reconfiguring.>>

The scream comes back, this time modulated to a low hum, and then so does matrix access. Sprogget watches in fascination/horror as what he though was an attack program reconfigures itself to what looks like an ECCM algorithm that slips between the jammer's pulses to re-establish contact with the Matrix/Resonance.

<<Beginning data playback.>>

Images and sounds pour into Sprogget's head. Snippets of trideo, office scenes mainly. Snatches of conversation, all corporate mumbo-jumbo. Just as he gets a sense of each image or conversation, it shifts to the next one. It is like they are parts of a whole, somehow mangled. From his initial analysis of the sprite/agent there are hours of media in the data file that makes up a significant part of the amalgamated code. He lets the data flow over him, examining the sprite/agent closer. It's like nothing he has ever seen before. He recognises parts of his summoned sprite, parts that look like an agent or like MCM - could this thing be intelligent? - and data, a lot of data. On the plus side, it does seem to be still under his control, mostly.

[Aria]

@E:PL/Chi Town
[July 9th, 2072, 00:26; Ghoul central, CZ, Chicago]

Copperhead

As you reach up towards the atrium balcony on the level where Snag was lurking you hear a brief noise from somewhere higher above you and then a scream of superheated air as a coruscating bolt of fire erupts from somewhere around the roof and streaks down a few metres to your right. There is a gargling scream and the sound of something metal being dropped onto the hard tiled flooring…

Another ghoul races at you from the shadows, damn things have such a small heat signature it’s difficult to see in the gloom, it is a wastrel thing, almost pitiful…as is the blow that it aims at your torso as you clamber over the balcony

Anselm

Your spell lashes out leaving a visible afterglow in the air, even from the astral. The boiling plasma splashes over the atrium balcony and the lurking ghoul…at the very last moment he looks up at you with hatred in his eyes and lurches away…not in time to escape the full effects of your spell but certainly it is not as lethal as you might have hoped for the strain you put in. Your angelic companion summoned from the Lord’s realm will quell this infidel! Especially as you watch in some horror as a spirit appears on the astral plane…the spider lunges at the ghoul and is absorbed into him…possession! Abomination! And then he is gone, back out of sight, shielded by the balcony above him…

Mordred

Lashing out you strike a ghoul in the throat and for a brief moment you see its eyes…not the blank white of the ghouls but a cloudy human blue…human? How he has survived this long in a community of ghouls is anyone’s guess…how many more are, or where human? It certainly could only have claimed a dim and desperate claim to the monica. Now it is dead at your hand, an end to its suffering. One runner has completely gone down under the weight of the ghouls and the heavily armoured one is making an attempt to reach him, clubbing at the ghouls with pistol and striking out with vicious kicks and sweeps, almost to no avail…there are still too many of the bastards!

Gemeaux

No time for kill shots now, the groups are pressed too closely together and to your friends…if you want to limit the chances of anyone coming away infected you’ll need to spread your shots and hope to disable. Two more ghouls drop as your rounds plough home…