IC: A Short Victorius War, A Living in the Shadows Game Options

[Shadow]

22:35:00 Sunday January 7, 2063 - Outside Erebus' Apt – Tacoma

The team was in position, back and front fully covered. Erebus took the stairs two at a time to his apartment. The outside stairwell was wet from the mix of rain and snow. He reached his level and in a matter of moments. Pistol in hand he slowly moved to his door. The standard metal door was intact, as was his intrusion detection system, a small metal splinter rested between the door and the jam, exactly as he left it.

His hand moved to the keypad when a ringing in his ear surprised him. His cell displayed an unkown number on the caller ID.

"Go," Erebus said simply.

"E, this is Max, listen bud, listen close, I'm real sorry about this job, reall sorry, some goon squad just blew up half my building trying to take me out. I didn't get a close look at 'em but they were definetley Yaks."

[Shadow]

22:35:00 Sunday January 7, 2063 - On the street, Erebus' Apt – Tacoma

The hovering form of Talos was invisible in the sky. It carefully monitored the approach of the lone cyclist. The boy parked across the street from the entrance to the garage and dismounted from his bike. His movements were graceful, precise, whoever he was he was educated beyond his years on how to move.

Dragon and Tenmou could see him now as the boy approached the garage door. He held his hands out to his side, palms up. He could easily hide 10 smgs in the volumes of his robes though.

"I am looking for the man who bought flowers tonight, I mean you no harm."

He had a serene quality to his voice, again belying his age.

[Shadow]

22:35:05 Sunday January 7, 2063 - On the street, Erebus' Apt – Tacoma

Perhaps sensing the tension in the shadows, the young man seeses his forward movement. His arms go out even further from his body.

"My master only wishes to help the flower-buyer in his quest. Peace only comes from truth."

[Cedric Rolfsson]

22:35:03 Sunday January 7, 2063 - Milton Doss - Tacoma

Oh great now they're fraggin my fixer. What have I stepped into now and how am I going to get out.

"Okay Max, you got yourself some cover? I'm not the safest person in town right now but if you need close cover I doubt you'd be in any worse danger with me than on your own. The offer is there if you want it. Either way I need to know everything about where this job came from, if we're going to get out from under on this then I'm going to have to start putting the pressure back on the Johnson who set us up."

As he spoke Erebus quickly punched in the entry code on the door lock, openned the door, and then punched a bunch of other random keys to make sure no fingerprints would give away his entry numbers.

He drew his Guardian and moved into the apartment, and directly towards the kitchen where he kept his AK and arsenal.

[Shadow]

22:35:03 Sunday January 7, 2063 - Milton Doss - Tacoma

"Thanks Kid, your a good egg. But I'm whiz. I am going to be unavailible for a couple of days, till things cool down. The only thing I can tell you is the guy who set this job up was a yak fer sure. So watch your back Jack."

The line clicked dead.

[banditf50]

22:35:07 Sunday January 7, 2063 - On the street, Erebus' Apt – Tacoma

Dragon, this guy's awakened, that's all I can tell. Virgil passes the warning across the group.

[Cedric Rolfsson]

deleted, will modify later.

[Shadow]

22:35:03 Sunday January 7, 2063 - Milton Doss - Tacoma

A blur of motion caught Erebus’ eye, and gave him the split second warning he needed to block the kick. It was silent, and very powerful. The shockwave from the blow sent tremors down his spine. The man was clad head-to-toe in black, with nothing but red cyber eyes visible. The series of strikes and feints came quickly, faster than the Samurai was capable of defending against.

It was eerily silent as the two combatants punched, lunged, dodged and kicked their way through the small apartment. A heartbeat passed and Erebus saw his opening and took it. His fist slammed into the mans un-defended ribcage. The satisfying thud of meet on meet resonated in the apartment, breaking the almost supernatural silence.

If it wasn’t for the 10k worth of Cyberware in his eyes Erebus wouldn’t even see the guy trying to hit him. The fight lasted several breathless moments before Erebus landed another solid blow, in the form of a kick against his opponent’s chest, separating the combatants for half a second.

[Shadowrunner13]

22:35:07 Sunday January 7, 2063 - On the street, Erebus' Apt – Tacoma

Tenmou audibly sighed, before relaying a short message via transducer.

"I'll try talking to this guy. Cover me."

Tenmou stepped out of the car and walked slightly into the open to make himself more visible to the visitor. While nowhere near the defenceless gesture the newcomer was presenting, Tenmou kept his hands visible, so the man knew he was unarmed. He did the best he could to mask his injuries.

"You have my attention. How can you help?"

[Shadow]

22:35:15 Sunday January 7, 2063 - On the street, Erebus' Apt – Tacoma

"It is not I, but my master. He wishes you to know that you are being used by a name name Ishikawa Kamura, a low level Yakuza boss in Auburn. You can find him here."

A white paper appeared in the boys hands. He carefully knelt down and rested the paper on the ground.

"My masters says good luck."

The boy nodded respectfully to Tenmou and slowly started backing up.

[WinterRat1]

22:35:35 Sunday January 7, 2063 – In the Parking Garage of Erebus' Apt – Tacoma

Well I’ll be damned. We may have just caught a break here after all. Assuming, of course, that we’re not being set up to walk into more trouble. Still, this is the clearest piece of information I feel like I’ve had all week. At the least, we’ve got a specific name to start checking out.

Transmitting to the rest of the team, Dragon quickly relays what just happened, and adds,”So what do we think? Is this kid on the level? More immediately, does anyone else think it’d be worth anything to ask who his masters’ are? It’d be nice to know, but asking probably won’t get us anywhere, and sometimes it really does hurt to ask. Do we take the gamble and try, or take the information as is?”

[Shadow]

22:35:21 Sunday January 7, 2063 - On the street, Erebus' Apt – Tacoma

Faking with his gun, Erebus spun clockwise bringing his right foot up and around, and connecting solidly with the ninjas head. The snap of his neck was droned out by the glass breaking as the 200 lb man flew through the front window, over the ledge and out into space. The five story fall was mercifully short, and punctuated with another loud crash. This time of flesh on metal.

There was a split second of silence, then the car alarm started. A loud whooping that filled the air with its shrill siren. A quick check out the window showed the dead mans legs sticking up out of the windshield of the wailing car.

[Tiredronin]

22:35:36 Sunday January 7, 2063 – High up in the air above Erebus' Apt – Tacoma

Transmitting at the speed of thought (but slowing down to be intelligible), Daedalus replied,
"Does he expect us to just take this point blank? Whats in it for this guy, or his master rather. Some sort of proof that this isn't just another tra-- What the..."

His thought was interrupted by a crash through the fifth floor window as Icarus' sensors picked up a black garbed man, his a neck at an impossible angle, performing a perfect swan dive into the car below.

The alarm began wailing as he flicked his view up to the broken window and saw Erebus glance down with a grim smile of satisfaction on his face, then quickly vanish back into the apartment.

"Looks like Erebus cleaned up a little mess in his apartment. He's fine, nothing on the street moving yet but we had better be soon."

Checking to make sure Talos still had the monk in his sights, Daedalus redirects his attention to the surrounding streets to monitor what sort of response a car diver gets in a neighborhood like this.

[Shadowrunner13]

22:35:36 Sunday January 7, 2063 - On the street, Erebus' Apt – Tacoma

Tenmou deeply bowed, as a sign of respect. "Arigatau. Please pass on my thanks to your master, zenkou-san."

The samurai makes no moves towards the paper until the boy has stepped a suffcient distance away. Then he retrieves it and relays the address to Dragon and Daedalus.

[WinterRat1]

22:35:59 Sunday January 7, 2063 - On the street, Erebus' Apt – Tacoma

While keeping a close eye on the messenger in case he gets any funny ideas, Dragon takes the opportunity to radio the others, "Let the kid go. He seems to be on the level, and we don’t want to start trouble if we don’t have to. And what the hell was that crashing sound?”

[Shadow]

22:36:08 Sunday January 7, 2063 - On the street, Erebus' Apt – Tacoma

The boy bows to Tenmou again, then turns his back and heads for the bike. He pauses momentarily when the car alarm goes off. Then hes on his bike and off down the street.

The address on the paper is in Northern Auburn.

[Shadowrunner13]

22:36:15 Sunday January 7, 2063 - On the street, Erebus' Apt – Tacoma

Tenmou scans the sheet of paper after watching the messenger ride off. He scans the contents of the sheet and sends a message to his teammates.

The address is in Auburn. Do we want to check this out upon Erebus' return, or do some homework first?

[Cedric Rolfsson]

22:35:30 Sunday January 7, 2063 - Erebus' Milton Doss - Tacoma

This has been a full rich day.

The errant thought flittered through his head like a pick pocket in a crowd and was gone. The car alarm was still going and people would begin to notice, now.

Still working off the boosted reflexes Erebus grabbed everything he could lay his hands on in the doss. His AK and all his ammo, spare clips, and grendaes where shoved into one over-large roll bag. Another roll bag was shoved full of a few changes of clothes. Not bothering to take the time to crawl under the bed the Elf simply flipped the whole box spring and mattress set upside down and reached into the hidey hole for his cyberdeck.

Grabbing all his gear he hot footed it out the door and down the hall for the stairs. It was well past time to be going.

[WinterRat1]

22:36:30 Sunday January 7, 2063 - On the street, Erebus' Apt – Tacoma

"Before we do anything, I think we need to go your wounds treated. Erebus seemed to have a place in mind to meet and discuss while doing that, so unless we have a reason to, I think we should stay the course."

Changing channels to one that only Daedalus and Virgil were receiving so as not to reveal too much about their thoughts to Tenmou and Erebus just yet, Dragon transmits via his transducer, "I hate to suggest this, but I think we might need to split up. We’ve got too many things that need doing and not enough of them are getting done at once. Virgil, you need to figure out what’s wrong with you and get yourself back online at full capacity. We need to get Daedalus’s van back and get ourselves out from under Vinnie’s threats. We haven’t made any progress in finding Julia, and maybe we’ve even backslid."

He pauses, then decides to add to the list, "We have to figure out who set up this freaking trap for Erebus and Tenmou, if only because we’re involved in it now too. That’s at least three or four objectives right there, and as a great man once said, ‘time is a factor’. If we try to do all these one by one, we’re going to get screwed somewhere in the end. Thoughts?”

[Cedric Rolfsson]

22:39:47 Sunday January 7, 2063 - Stairwell of the Sunset Apartments - Milton/Tacoma

Erebus kept himself in excellent shape, his body was the primary tool of his trade and that meant maintaining physical fitnesses meant life itself, but his breath was still coming in heavy gasps as he raced down the last set of stairs to the garage. All of the equipment and gear he was carrying weighed him down. He burst through the fire door into the garage and his eyes automatically kicked into low light to adjust to the dim lighting in the garage.

"Time to go!" He gasped.

He looked around for any sign of the person chasing them, actually with what had been happening upstairs he was looking for the bloody remains, and spotted all his teammates.

"I just go ambushed in my doss, this place is compromised and the hitter took a swan dive into a parked car outside so the Star has probably all ready been called. We gotta go."

While most of the people in this building wouldn't call the cops whoever owned that car was probably pretty slotted off and would certainly be on the comm to the Star. Erebus wanted to take a quick look at the dead man before they bolted too, maybe the fragger had something on him to help them get a handle on whoever it was that was following them.

[WinterRat1]

22:41:19 Sunday January 7, 2063 - Stairwell of the Sunset Apartments - Milton/Tacoma

Nodding sharply at Erebus's words, Dragon moved into action. "All right everyone, we're moving out. Virgil, bring the car around to the front. Tenmou..."

Interrupting him, Erebus says, "I want to investigate the dead body of the guy who attacked me. There might be some clues for us there."

Without missing a beat, Dragon continues, "All right, Tenmou, secure the street, I'll go back up Erebus while he checks the body, just in case his attacker had any help. Erebus, grab your bike and meet me at street level."

Quickly, Dragon moved to the street while the elf got his bike, noting that the rest of the team had pulled up to the front of the apartment and was securing the street.

It wasn't hard to find the car, since the roof was smashed in and the alarms were still blaring. Taking up a position to cover the area, he noted that the elf was right behind him and had already begun rifling through the body. Waiting for the elf to indicate that he was done, he took the opportunity to radio the rest of the team.

"As soon as we're done searching the body, we'll head out to Erebus's chummer for medical attention for Tenmou. From there we'll move to the other safe house he mentioned, regroup and reassess the situation there, then decide our next move."

[Shadow]

22:41:19 Sunday January 7, 2063 - On the street below Erebus apt. - Milton/Tacoma

Erebus quickly searches the body in the car. Other than his armored clothing, a digitial key, and a small pda, his body is clueless. Well that and the tats all over his body.

[Cedric Rolfsson]

22:42:01 Sunday January 7, 2063 - Erebus' Apartment - Milton

Pocketing the stuff from his ambusher Erebus hustled back into the underground garage and over to his Harley. The rest of the crew fell back from their positions in the garage and into the car like they'd practiced it before, null sheen just another day in the office.

He gunned his hawg and lead the crew out of the garage and immediately cleared the area, first heading north towards then taking several side streets and alleys to ensure that no one was following them, before hitting I-5 and heading south towards Puyallup.

He'd barely gotten on the freeway, falling back to trail the rest of the crew, when his phone buzzed for his attention. No number appeared on the screen, as usual.

"Hoi." He kept his greeting short, intending to keep the call shorter in case the call was being traced.

"Erebus, it's Elan I'm returning your prior call concerning the property you wanted to liquidated. I'll be happy to take the item off your hands and dispose of it. Of course since I'll have to move the item again and at a reduced rate I'll only be able to offer 35,000 for the item."

Frag. That fragging slitch is offering only 50 cents on the dollar for the deck. I'm getting jammed here.

While he'd never expected full price he'd been hoping for two-thirds rather than half.

"Hmmmm. How about just a loan with the deck as collateral?"

"Certainly, but we're looking at 25% interest compounded weekly on the principal amount"

It was only with difficulty that the young elf kept his bike upright, his shock was that great.

"Uh, no thanks." He thought hard about the situation, trying to find a way around it, then sighed to himself and came to a decision.

"Okay, I'll sell the thing outright. How about we meet later this evening in Tarislar. Call me back with the specific location and time, be aware I'll probably be brining some friends. I'll need at least a couple of hours to get some things done on my end first." He could almost hear the fixer grinning on the other end of the line at the deal he'd just gotten but recognized that if the situations had been reversed he'd have done the same as thing Elan did.

"Oh, by the way, I might have some data to trade with you concerning a possible syndicate conflict. If you've got data to trade or sell maybe we can work something out at the meet." Hopefully that little tidbit would get Elan's curiosity up enough to quietly look into things. If he did he might have useful data for the crew before the meeting.

He disconnected the call and focused on his driving, watching the traffic around them and when he could, scanning the skies for possible trailers.

[Cedric Rolfsson]

23:07:15 Sunday January 7, 2063 Eatonville Highway near 7th Street- Puyallup

The Elven section of the Puyallup Barrens were as nasty and dirty as ever. The sides of the road were decorated with abandoned buildings and the rusting hulks of long dead vehicles. While the highway was a major enough street that not many people occupied it, he saw several working girls peddling barely concealed goods leaning in the sheltered areas of doorways and decrepit overhangs. Only the occasionally street light broke the near constant darkness, what few lights were on in the surrounding buildings shone like beacons in the darkness of the urban jungle. The whole area smelled of smog, fumes, and filth. The recent rains hadn't washed anything clean like in other parts of the city, it just turned the dirt and grime to mud. A group of three or four street dwellers huddled around the dubious warmth of a trashcan campfire, wrapped in torn and ragged clothing. Erebus couldn't tell if they were stooges for Doc doing lookout duty or squatters really looking for a hint of warmth.

Erebus rode close cover on the car containing the rest of the crew now, staying close to the vehicle to let others know that they were together. He wished he'd had time to pull his helmet to let the locals know that he was an Elf, the cold was a minor consideration compared to the openly hostile reception that strangers were often shown. As they approached the designated meeting site he gunned the engine enough to swing past the car on the driver's side and assume a point position. He glanced at Dragon who was driving. The man kept hand his left hand on the wheel and his right hand out of sight in his lap, Erebus would be willing to bet one of his internal organs that the other runner had a weapon in hand and was ready for anything. His face showed neither anticipation or worry, merely a calm detachment, almost like he was bored with the whole proceeding and Erebus was suddenly glad his helmet hide his own features. He could feel the tension in the air and even his own normal paranoia was running rampant tonight having been ambushed twice within a two hour span.

Erebus throttled forward and swung around the block to approach the abandoned warehouse from 7th Street. He'd already decided to simply get inside as quickly as possible instead of driving around trying to spot any trailers, the people following him had already proven to be better at hiding than he was at seeking so speed was his best option at this point.

Inside the warehouse was big enough to fit several large tractor trailers and had, along the west wall, a multi-story office set up. The building was almost completely dark inside, dark enough that even with his low light vision seeing into the depths of the building was difficult. Before they'd gotten far into the place an unfamiliar voice rang out of the darkness.

"Hold it chummers! Shut off your engines and get out of the vehicle."

The unseen speaker's tone was commanding, and the threat inherent in the instructions were enough to cause Erebus' hackles to rise. He slowly turned off his bike and removed his helmet. He didn't dismount and noted that the other hadn't complied either. He hoped Dragon, Virgil, Tenmou, and Daedalus wouldn't start splashing people prematurely.

"Chill, chummers, we're friends. I'm supposed to meet Doc here per his instructions. I've got patients that need his attention."

Erebus raised his hands above his shoulders, confident he could get to a gun quick enough to do some good if things went bad, and waited. His eyes had begun to adjust to the darkness when a pair of widely spaced headlights turned on, aimed directly into his face and at the car behind him. His flare comp kept him from being blinded but the illumination ruined any chance to see into the darkness beyond. Before he could take offense he heard a far more familiar voice.

"Its okay boys, this is the man we're waiting for, stand easy. Someone close those dam doors."

Doc Hammerclaw stode out of the darkness and into the light. As always the big Elf looked shagging and huge. He wore street leathers and chrome and looked like the ganger he'd originally started but Erebus knew the man to be a competent doctor as well as a healing shaman following Bear.

[Cedric Rolfsson]

23:07:15 Sunday January 7, 2063 Abandoned Warehouse 7th Street and Eatonville Highway - Puyallup

Erebus dismounted his bike a stepped forward to shake Doc's hand. The Elven street doctor had a crushing grip and Erebus quickly retrieved his hand.

"What's up Doc?" Erebus greeted his friend and then looked around the warehouse.

It was as if Doc's words were magic, the lights in the warehouse began to come up, showing half a dozen Elf gangers wearing Prince colors. The rest of Erebus' crew carefully got out of the vehicle, still cautious, especially as two gangers rolled down the door they'd come through.

Dragon got out of the car bearing his shotgun and looked around at the environs. Erebus worried about the man, his very presence and bearing was almost a challenge to these young toughs and he didn't know the runner well enough to guess how he'd react if one started getting twitchy. The others slid out a little more slowly, Tenmou and Virgil obviously hurting but being stoic about it and Daedalus seemed distracted. Erebus managed introductions all around and Doc took over from there.

"Okay, wounded into the offices, I've got a temp medical facility set up and we'll see what can be done. Don't worry about being surprised here, I've got friends who are keeping an eye out for me." No need to say who of course.

Erebus started to follow Doc towards the office when Dragon caught his arm in a light grip and held him back. When the others had moved away a bit he spoke, keeping his voice low and private.

"Don't forget, we've got a passenger in the vehicle, that will be needing some treatment from me as well."

Actually, Erebus had forgotten the man he'd captured until the other samurai reminded him.

"Oh, ya, just give me a sec and we'll get some place set up."