Nothing's Free in the Free Zone (IC), Adventure 1: Broken Star Options

[Chrome Head]

The Rusty Bar-rel: Gateway Ave between Enid Ct and Fontana Ct, Montbello, Denver, CO, 11:02 PM August 2nd, 2075

Grease had been so generous as to buy everyone a meal. As she was finishing her soy-based snack, Amy realized that over an hour had passed and there was still no sign of her spirit. "It's probably going to take a while longer before it's done. Who's up for a game of TrollPower™ in AR?"

[Jack VII]

The Rusty Bar-rel: Gateway Ave between Enid Ct and Fontana Ct, Montbello, Denver, CO, 11:02 PM August 2nd, 2075

Jack polished off his burger and took a swig of beer. Grease had offered to buy dinner and drinks and Jack wasn't about to pass that up. Sure, the ork thought, he's probably just trying to score points, but who cares? With a full night's rest and a full belly, Jack was almost feeling like a metahuman again. The job so far had been pretty rough, taking a toll on not only the team, but their friends as well. The ork hoped they could put this thing to rest within the next day or two, for everyone's sake.

Pulling out his commlink, Jack accessed the Hermes Flash message app and tapped out a quick missive to Chapel. At Amy's question, the ork chuckled. "You're sure enjoying those new contacts, huh? I'm up for a game." Pulling out his own AR enabled glasses, Jack queued up TrollPower^TM and searched for Amy's icon.

Gear

[ Spoiler ]

Streetline Special [S&S] w/2x Spare Clip [REG] (W)
HK227 [GEL] w/1x Spare Clips [GEL] (W)
Colt M23 [REG] w/Integral Smartgun, Shock Pad, & 4x Spare Clips [REG] (W)
Flash-Pak (W)
Flashbang Grenade (W)
Armor Jacket w/CP (2), FR (2), IS (2), NC (2)
Helmet w/Flare Comp, Thermo, Trode-Net, Vision Enhancement (1), & Vision Magnification (W)
Horn Rim Glasses w/Flare Comp, Image Link, Vision Enhancement (2) (W)
Earbuds w/Audio Enhancement (3) (W)
Hermes Ikon (5) [Browse & Signal Scrub] w/Subvocal Mic
Metal Restraints
Gecko Tape Gloves (W)
Medkit (3) (W)
Standard Credstick

Cyberware
Internal Air Tank (3) [Alpha] (W)
Muscle Replacement (2) [Alpha]
Skilljack (4) [Used] (W)
Skillwires (4) [Used]
Skillsoft: [Automatics (4), Pistols (4), Unarmed Combat (4)]
Smartlink [Alpha] (W)
Handblade [Alpha] (0.2)
Wired Reflexes (1) [Alpha]

[DrZaius]

The Rusty Bar-rel: Gateway Ave between Enid Ct and Fontana Ct, Montbello, Denver, CO, 11:02 PM August 2nd, 2075

"TrollPower, huh? It's been a while, but I could give it a shot. Speaking of.." Grease quickly downs a shot of whisky, wincing enough to your satisfaction before cracking his knuckles. "What's the weakest character? I'll take that one; I want to give y'all a chance here. I do spend most of my waking hours inside of virtual controls, after all.." He sneaks a quick glance at Overkill, probably my only competition.. adding "That is, unless any of you want to lay a wager." he grins in a predatory manner; too many teeth.

[Chrome Head]

The Rusty Bar-rel: Gateway Ave between Enid Ct and Fontana Ct, Montbello, Denver, CO, 11:02 PM August 2nd, 2075

Amy hesitates "I.. well.. the weakest character... is Llelyn, the female elf." She grimaces. "But I would never bet against an elf woman. And pleast don't use VR, it's cheating." She winks at Grease.

[Lobo0705]

The Rusty Bar-rel: Gateway Ave between Enid Ct and Fontana Ct, Montbello, Denver, CO, 11:02 PM August 2nd, 2075

Overkill chuckles at the thought of Grease being the master of the virtual world, and says "I'll play too my friends - I'll give you all a 1000 point handicap, its only fair."


The Rusty Bar-rel: Gateway Ave between Enid Ct and Fontana Ct, Montbello, Denver, CO, 1:30 AM August 3rd, 2075

Even with the handicap it was difficult to catch up to the dark-haired elf, whose mastery of the game was unbelievable. The group gave up after an hour, Amy being the most competitive, her drive to win bringing her into second place. Jack was a close third, with Grease bringing up the rear. It was less lack of skill and more consumption of alcohol that kept him in the bottom of the standings.

The group waited in the Bar-rel for another hour after that, perusing through the latest edition of the Tribune, tensions mounting as they waited for Amy's spirit to return.

Finally, the familiar form of Amy's spirit contacted her. "Mistress. I have found the one you seek. He is in an apartment building on the fifth floor. The spirit mentally shows Amy an image of the location a high rise near where East 6th meets Jasper." Its task complete, the spirit breaks contact with Amy and vanishes.

Pulling it up on her map, Amy points out the spot. "Here it is, its about 5 miles from here, on the border of the Warrens."

[Jack VII]

The Rusty Bar-rel: Gateway Ave between Enid Ct and Fontana Ct, Montbello, Denver, CO, 1:30 AM August 3rd, 2075

Jack considered the ARO on the map and cross-referenced it with his own. "Looks to be either in Los Mags territory or a few blocks from it. We're going to need to get in and out fast and be as quiet as possible if we don't want Infierno coming down on us. His being on the 5th floor doesn't help matters. But it looks like we got a target."

Glancing at the decker, the ork said, "Overkill, can you see about digging up any information on the place? Name, who owns it, building plans?" Glancing at the rest of the group, he offers, "Plan seems pretty straightforward... Overkill does some legwork, we head over to the area and toss out a few drones for recon, get a lay of the land and head upstairs. The biggest challenges are going to be getting in quietly, taking Lynx's crew down without killing them, and getting out without getting killed once the fireworks have gone off."

[DrZaius]

The Rusty Bar-rel: Gateway Ave between Enid Ct and Fontana Ct, Montbello, Denver, CO, 1:30 AM August 3rd, 2075

Grease nodded. Jack seemed to do best when there was a tactical situation to assess, an attack plan to formulate. The team hadn't been together long, but he was definitely the most difficult to figure out. He had already added numerous entries to his personnel dossiers on Amy and Overkill, but Jack's was mostly an empty file. Other than not knowing his own past, and a seemingly complete disregard for squeamishness, he was a very hard read.

"I wish we could get some gas grenades- put their lights out without a fight. However, I don't want to cause an" he gestures exaggerated air quotes, "'Incident' in a crowded apartment complex, so we can probably stick with what we have now."

[Jack VII]

The Rusty Bar-rel: Gateway Ave between Enid Ct and Fontana Ct, Montbello, Denver, CO, 1:31 AM August 3rd, 2075

"Good point," Jack nodded at Grease's point and then frowned, "we always seem to be on the wrong side of the curve when it comes to equipment. Then again, we've made it work so far. Speaking of which, we probably need more handcuffs..." Pondering their situation, the ork continued, "If we're going to go in quiet, silence is going to be golden. Unfortunately, that pretty much means the last FlashBang we have is out as an opener. If we're hitting them in an apartment, assault rifles may not be necessary given the short range. My SMG is silenced and loaded with gel rounds, so I should be covered. What about the rest of you, do you have silenced weapons?"

Turning to Amy, the ork continued, "One thing I'm not good at is working magic into a plan; I just don't know enough about it and you or one of your espíritus seem to have a trick up your sleeve at every turn. What do you think you can bring to the table that will attract little attention?"

[Lobo0705]

The Rusty Bar-rel: Gateway Ave between Enid Ct and Fontana Ct, Montbello, Denver, CO, 1:30 AM August 3rd, 2075

Overkill nods, "I'll start digging now. Give me a few minutes" He slumps down into his chair his consciousness fading as his avatar enters the Matrix.

As the team is making their preliminary plans, updates keep feeding in from Overkill.

<<@Team [Overkill] The building has its own host, nothing too dangerous so far. I'll let you know once I'm in.>>

Several minutes pass in tense silence as the team waits for word, and then another message comes in, <<@Team [Overkill] Looks like the building is privately owned, and has a small security force on staff. The guards themselves seem to be just jumped up mall security, the real danger in them pushing the Panicbutton if things get out of hand. There are cameras at the entrances and in the stairwells and elevators. There may be drones, but I can't get into that area of the host.>>

A moment later and a schematic is downloaded to the team.

<<@Team [Overkill]It is a big complex, 10 floors altogether, 15 apartments per floor. As you can see the complex is roughly "U" shaped, the main entrance being in the base of the "U" facing 6th Ave. There are four other entrances, each at the front and back of the arms of the "U". Two face 6th Ave, the other two are on the opposite side facing away toward the back of the parking area.>>

Overkill manipulates the schematic while continuing his description.

<<@Team [Overkill] There are three elevator banks, one in the main lobby area and one in the midle of each arm. In addition, there are five stairwells, one off of the main lobby, and one at each of the other four entrances. >>

The schematic zooms up to the fifth floor, and a single apartment on the fifth floor on the easternmost "arm" is highlighted.

<<@Team [Overkill] This seems to be the apartment that Amy indicated. It is halfway between the elevator and the back staircase. The window faces the east into the parking lot.>>

[DrZaius]

The Rusty Bar-rel: Gateway Ave between Enid Ct and Fontana Ct, Montbello, Denver, CO, 1:30 AM August 3rd, 2075

"So, what would we do in their situation? They've got a mage and a rigger left, at least. It hasn't been long, but I wouldn't be surprised if Lynx has hired additional muscle to make up for his missing team members. At minimum, we know the rigger will probably have drones patrolling the apartment complex. If it were me, they'd be a combination of firepower and small fly-spies running silently. We'll have to get close to try and spot them. If they see us rolling up they'll be ready."

Nodding towards Amy, "I also don't know that much about magic, but we have to assume their mage has spirits of some type. Probably just a watcher spirit to keep an eye out, but maybe a full blown one too for protection."

He scratches his chin. "With all that in mind, I think the front door is out. We may need to either flush them out, or figure out a way to get inside without any of those factors coming into play."

[Chrome Head]

The Rusty Bar-rel: Gateway Ave between Enid Ct and Fontana Ct, Montbello, Denver, CO, 1:30 AM August 3rd, 2075

Amy nods. "I agree, we can't win if we try to fight them where they're the strongest. We need to flush them out or just wait for them to come out on their own. I'm sure they don't spend their whole day barricaded in an apartment."

"And we can't get too close to that building or I'm sure we'll be spotted."

"So I'm not sure what that leaves us with right now. If Falcon is the mage I've seen before, he's very strong, probably a better magician than me in his way, and he is a threat even by himself, no doubt. I regret to say this, but we'll need to.. geek the mage first."

"As to what I can bring to the table, well you already have some idea of what a strong spirit can accomplish, if you remember Thraha from the rally. In terms of spells, I can mostly provide support. I can give one of us an extra sense that lets you feel the presence of living beings in the vicinity, sometimes along with some extra impressions about their exact position, state of mind, and so on. I can turn someone invisible, though cameras and drones won't be affected. I can confuse people to make them less aware and less capable of performing pretty much any task. There's that spell that influences people and the other one that creates convincing illusions that you already know about. And of course I have some options for lethal combat, healing wounds, and even temporarily resisting pain. That covers it. Spirits can have many uses, but nothing you don't already know about really strikes me as that useful in this situation."

Amy had to pause frequently during her long explanation, to think of mundane ways to explain even simple magical effects. She had already come to realize that being part of a shadowrunning team involved a lot of explaining how magic worked to mundanes, and she was getting more and more used to it. It pained her a little that she had to resort to words that hermetics had come up with to describe spells and spirits, just because those were the words that the un-Awakened understood more readily. Magic is so much more rich and beautiful than what hermetics would make you believe. You have to feel it, to live it, to really understand what is going on in the astral, not read stupid books.

[Jack VII]

The Rusty Bar-rel: Gateway Ave between Enid Ct and Fontana Ct, Montbello, Denver, CO, 1:34 AM August 3rd, 2075

Jack frowned. "I'm not sure we should give up on trying to bag them at the apartment until we look into it a little more. Maybe it's just me, but I feel like we're on a timeline here. Given the fact that his crew was already looking into us and now two of them are missing, I have to think he or his Johnson are getting close to calling the match, at least as far as Lynx and his team are concerned. If they bolt, our leads are pretty much gone, as is a lot of our payout."

Looking around the table, he continued, "Based on Overkill's research, it doesn't sound like there's much security there, aside from whatever Lynx and crew are providing for themselves. If we get in and out fast and quiet, the on-site security is going to be a non-factor. Yeah, these hombres are going to be tough, but it isn't like that's new information. Containment is to our advantage if we can get the drop on them. It is a shame we don't have any Neuro-Stun or Tear Gas. It could probably take the lot of them down in one fell swoop, but so it goes."

Holding out his hands, the ork concluded, "All I'm saying is let's not throw in the asciugamano before we step into the ring. Can we at least do some recon to get a feel for their security?"

[Chrome Head]

The Rusty Bar-rel: Gateway Ave between Enid Ct and Fontana Ct, Montbello, Denver, CO, 1:34 AM August 3rd, 2075

"Spirits and drones." Amy says dryly. "And guards too. How do you propose we avoid being seen when we go snooping around there?"

[Jack VII]

The Rusty Bar-rel: Gateway Ave between Enid Ct and Fontana Ct, Montbello, Denver, CO, 1:34 AM August 3rd, 2075

Jack didn't hide his annoyance very well. "Look around outside, drones aren't exactly an uncommon sight, neither are metas. Am I missing the part where these guys can automatically pick us or our drones out of a crowd? If that's the case, we might as well call Johnson back and tell him we're done."

[Chrome Head]

The Rusty Bar-rel: Gateway Ave between Enid Ct and Fontana Ct, Montbello, Denver, CO, 1:34 AM August 3rd, 2075

"They know what we look like." Amy replied.

"Well at least me. You're probably right that we need to move fast, but we'll need disguises. Grease did a pretty good job the last time, wanna try going for a different style maybe? Do you have your kit?"

[DrZaius]

The Rusty Bar-rel: Gateway Ave between Enid Ct and Fontana Ct, Montbello, Denver, CO, 1:34 AM August 3rd, 2075

"In the trunk. It's superficial only though- your magical and my electronic signature are fairly distinct. Still, it couldn't hurt." Looking at Jack, he adds, "I'm less concerned about them actually seeing the drones, and more with them detecting them electronically. There's not a ton of ECCM you can stuff into a drone the size of a bug, and if they're able to detect it they'll know something is up, especially if it's peeking in through their window. We need to be careful, is all. This job will be 1000 times easier if they don't know we're coming at that precise moment."

[Lobo0705]

The Rusty Bar-rel: Gateway Ave between Enid Ct and Fontana Ct, Montbello, Denver, CO, 1:34 AM August 3rd, 2075

Overkill waggles his finger at Grease. "Ah, mein Freund, you forget. We have the advantage as far as electronic warfare is concerned. If Stinger has indeed left the FRZ, slaving your drones to my deck will make them very difficult to spot. Conversely, without the protection of Stinger's deck, it should be fairly easy to see Gutter's drones."

[Jack VII]

The Rusty Bar-rel: Gateway Ave between Enid Ct and Fontana Ct, Montbello, Denver, CO, 1:34 AM August 3rd, 2075

Jack nodded, "Yeah, I wasn't really talking about flying drones up to their windows. Mostly just having them give us actual oyos on the building. The only thing we have right now are the blueprints, which are great but not everything we need. With a drone set up a little ways out, we can observe security patrols and maybe figure out their routines."

Jack squinted, "Come to think about it, I don't think they even know what Amy or Overkill actually look like. If they had, I would think Lynx would have had Falcon pull that little trick Amy just did with the spirit. They probably just have whatever descriptions they got from the people they spoke to when they were backtracking. Still, disguises would help, particularly to help us blend in when we go in. Maintenance workers? Los Mags? What would make sense at 2AM or 3AM?"

[DrZaius]

The Rusty Bar-rel: Gateway Ave between Enid Ct and Fontana Ct, Montbello, Denver, CO, 1:34 AM August 3rd, 2075

Shrugging, Grease answers, "Shift workers? Security guards? Doctors? Anyone whose got a night job or one with odd hours."

[Jack VII]

The Rusty Bar-rel: Gateway Ave between Enid Ct and Fontana Ct, Montbello, Denver, CO, 1:34 AM August 3rd, 2075

"Alright, how about we split the difference here?" The ork stopped to pick at a piece of meat stuck between his tusk and tooth before continuing. "Let's stakeout the place tonight with drones to see who comes and goes this late. If Lynx and company make a break for it tomorrow, we improvise something. If they stay hunkered down, we go in tomorrow night after we've had time to grab any equipment or disguises we need."

[DrZaius]

The Rusty Bar-rel: Gateway Ave between Enid Ct and Fontana Ct, Montbello, Denver, CO, 1:34 AM August 3rd, 2075

Predictably, Grease was not interested in anything that required waiting. "I say, if we get them in there tonight and they're sleeping in watches, we make our move. Our best bet is going to be one we've only got one of them to deal with initially. I don't want to wait a day if the opportunity arises tonight. They could have another job tomorrow for all we know."

[Jack VII]

The Rusty Bar-rel: Gateway Ave between Enid Ct and Fontana Ct, Montbello, Denver, CO, 1:35 AM August 3rd, 2075

Jack tried to hide his smile, it wasn't often that he and Grease were in agreement. "Sounds fair to me. Since I don't think we can really make a call on it until we see the place, should we head on over and start taking a look?" The ork wanted to get this drek over with sooner rather than later. If the scene at the complex looked bad, they'd take a day. Otherwise, he hoped they could tie everything up tonight.

[DrZaius]

The Rusty Bar-rel: Gateway Ave between Enid Ct and Fontana Ct, Montbello, Denver, CO, 1:35 AM August 3rd, 2075

"Do we want to prepare for the worst? Let's say for example it looks bad; do we want to get some masks and grenades, with the idea that we'll use them tomorrow? It wouldn't hurt to plan ahead, and those things are always handy to have around." Motioning for the check, the elf slicks his hair back. "We can do our disguises in the back- they're used to me going to "costume parties" here."

[Jack VII]

The Rusty Bar-rel: Gateway Ave between Enid Ct and Fontana Ct, Montbello, Denver, CO, 1:35 AM August 3rd, 2075

Shrugging, Jack said, "Why don't we go set up the drones and figure out what we're going to need on the way there. It's almost 0200. I'm pretty sure we can find somewhere open that sells something we can use for masks, but I don't think grenades are going to be that easy to get our hands on..." Jack pondered for a second before finishing, "But if it does look bad, we can shoot Chapel a message and see what he can get his hands on at short notice."

[DrZaius]

The Rusty Bar-rel: Gateway Ave between Enid Ct and Fontana Ct, Montbello, Denver, CO, 1:35 AM August 3rd, 2075

Grease smiles at the waitress as their check arrives. He pays out of hand, and nods to the group. "Ok- showtime. I'll go grab my kit, and we can get started."