Radio
"Already 3 gears ahead of you. Also, we phight be able to get set up as servants for this party, depending on the mysical criteria, especially if the nice madame doesn't like our boy."

Murrey allows Adam's limo a mild headstart, approximately 3 blocks then begins to follow. As the limo approaches a potential choke point, Murrey will take a different turn and follow along a parrallel route for a short distance until the limo is through the chokepoint then reaquire visual on the target.

:: Moira watches nervously from her vantage point, then seems to roll her eyes at herself. ::

"Why didn't I think of this before?"

:: Closing her eyes, a wind enters the car and whips around the occupants before coalescing on her lap as a small glowing ghostly form. ::

"Thank you for coming. I ask you to use your powers to conceal this van and it's occupants."

Moira

As you wish Moon Maiden. You see the ghostly form unfold like a butterfly emerging from a cocoon. The spirit expands and gently wraps its form around the van like delicate strands of webbing.

Murrey

You find following the van to be fairly simple, given that you don't need to maintain line of sight constantly. Judging by the path the limo takes you get the feeling the driver is paid by the hour. You work your way through Seattle. After awhile it becomes clear you are heading into Bellevue. The area around you transforms from the gritty post-modern feel of downtown to a Hallmark inspired post card of good living. The limo winds its way past manicured lawns and dream homes to finally pulling up a driveway to a small luxury home. It looks to be one story, in a rough U shape. The driveway runs along the inside of the U and you can see the vast double doors that lead in. The property is surrounded by a 2 meter high wall covered with vines and plants. There are 2 gates leading into and out of the U, one at each end. The gates are ornate nightmares of wrought iron, that appeared to be rigged for remote function, as they swung inward when the limo approached.

:: Moira raises an eyebrow at the home and instantly shifts to astral in order to assense the fenceline, grounds and home in the hopes of spotting any obvious wards. ::

"Well isn't this the cat's meow..."

Paladin runs his sensors over the place, trying to pick up and video or radio feeds from the houses security system.

Moira

As the astral plane springs to life you look over the property. At first you notice nothing unusual but as you begin to slide your gaze towards the house proper, you feel a tug at your wrist. Looking down, your ally spirit has his teeth gently into your arm. Look closer, there is some sort of protection woven over the lair of this one. I smell it. Closer examination you realize an alarm ward springs up from the outer wall and domes over the house. You see no traces of warding bound to the outside of the house but it is possible that the wards are layered along the interior.

Paladin

You sweep the sensors over the property. Almost immediately you notice that they can't seem to penetrate the outer walls of the house. You register some electrical and signal output. It looks like the outer grounds have sensors set up and some sort of security system. It looks heaviest at the edges of the house, going out about 2 meters from the outside of the structure all around. You can clearly see the security cameras mounted on the gates in the outer wall. They are 2 on each gate and sweep the area around the gate.

"The place is a damn fort... Murrey, you having more luck than I am on the sensors?"

:: Moira smiles at her friend and scratches behind her ears. ::

"Thank you. I would have completely missed it. Gentlemen..it seems this area is well guarded magically as well. There is an alarm ward woven in among the foliage. To surround the facility, it would have taken much work and talent, or a gaggle of magic adepts. I am unable to see anything on the building, but it could easily be hidden within the walls and not visable from our vantage."

`So this is the place then. Magical security up the hoop, high tech on the walls. We're going to either need to storm the place, or come up with a reason to be invited in.`

Immortal lights up a fresh cigarillo, and considers.

"Or wait till he comes out again and snag his ass when he isn't home. More and more, we're gunna need this guy. I saw we stake out his house, wait for him to come out and do a snatch and grab. I got some GS to drug him with just to make it easier on Moira to Mindprobe the sick fragger."

"My this is a hasty bunch. Why don't we do a bit of research on who owns this house. Is it the woman or the man's? What can we find out about them. Now that we have actual pictures of his face rather than just my knowledge from Izzy's memmory, we may be able to put a name with the face. Let's find out what he does so we aren't surprised when we snatch him."

"I think this night was successful. We have plenty of leads to work off. Let's put them to good use so we can formulate an attack strategy if it's necessary."

`The longer we sit back, the more chance these slitches get to kill off another batch of people. You want that happening on your watch? I sure as hell don't...`

He almost seems to trail off at the end, as if there was an 'again' held there.

"Of course I don't want that to happen, but I also don't want us to be too hasty and run into a situation we aren't prepared to confront. I don't think they are going to kill anyone tonight so why don't use the time to our benefit."

"I'll agree with Moira. Information is power, and nowhere is that as true as Seattle in this age of silicon chips and magic. I think we should take at least a day to follow up on some of the leads, more if necessary. Murrey, it would be nice to be able to track his actions over the course of the next few days without substantial risk. Any suggestions? Paladin, do you have something that will punch through the armor plating on a tank? That's what we're dealing with if he conjures a spirit to help him out. Does anyone have any serious demolitions skill? Remember, if we can figure out who did this and why without having to snatch this guy, I'd rather drop a building on him then deal with him face to face. However, I'm betting the source goes way beyond him, so we're looking higher. Anyone have contacts in high places? Someone that swings in the higher levels of corporate politics? They might know who he is and who he works for, assuming Iblis can give us some information on who she's working for. And the Madame, we definitely need more information on her. The enemy of my enemy is my friend."

"I happen to be good with explosives, even have a lair stockpile of the stuff for when the situation calls for a certain fack of subtlety. Also, I may have a way to infiltrate the party we heard Madame speaking of."

Paladin sighs. "Fine. But there is one thing. We have to find out where this party they are having is. Who knows that the frag he is planning there and I'd like to at least keep an eye on things just in case his little group attempts another bloodbath.

"So... Information. Fine. I've got a few people I can do to with that picture and have them look into things. And I know you guys want to take your time and do things right, but Immortal has a point too, the more time we take, the more time we give them to do more damage.

"So I'm in the middle. Immortal, can you hang tight just a little longer? Moira and Baka, you guys need to understand that this job may call for some hasty actions and if you don't have the balls for it, we do. So its a comprimise, s'ok?

"Murrey, whats yer idea?"

"Got a minor media pogul chummer. I can find out if any of her clients have invites to the marty and need an escort or security, or find out if she knows anyone that knows this Madame, see if one of us can get hired to work the party as staff. Also, if she dislikes this guy so much, the Madame might let us in provided we can make it look like she didn't."

Murrey

As the team negotiates so begin to receive data from the sensors as they sweep over the "compound". You detect no signal traffic emanating from the house or around it. You register the security web around the exterior of the home. You notice that the security seems lighter on the roof. You detect a slightly lower power output from that region. You quickly spot the cameras on the main gates and you see that the plants around the house are concealing sensor bundles, probably the source of the power emissions.

Murrey makes note of locations of the various systems in the sweep.

"Chummers, if you can get into the air, that roof is one of the more exposed locations in the complex. Less security from what I see. Also, we should move soon, vandom rans sitting in a rich neighborhood are rarely up to anygood."

"We're Concealed still though, right Moira? As far as breaking into that place, I'd like to avoid it. Much less chance of having to deal with the Star if he snag the man outside his house. I dislike dealing with Wards and the like."

"Then let's use the info we have and see how far we can get with it before we go jumping anyone. Murrey, was that a yes or a no on some way to track him and stay out of sight? Some sort of AOD tracker or something?"

"Would need to pick some up, not a real problem. Bast latch were lost when the target came under heavy fire."

"Im good for action. I just want to be a little more informed than I am now...besides...Im not wearing any armor."

:: She winks at Immortal and laughs softly. ::

"The only problem I see with the roof is there's no way to get there without magic unless someone knows a helo pilot and as far as I figure, Id say the air space above this type of neighborhood is probably off limits."

"Assuming you can all handle a short fall, I can move us to the roof. "

Paladin shakes his head, "I just don't like the idea. It isn't sitting well with me. I'm sure we'll be able to come up with something better once we get some more info on the place. I've got a decker contact I can have check on the place. We ain't tight though, so if anyone knows someone feel free to have them check it. I'm may give my Star friend a call and see if this guy has a record."

"I think it's time we check in with our employer. Im sure she'd like to know what we've discovered so far and maybe she knows a trustworthy decker."

"I wasn't suggesting we bust in right now. Just stating that if we have to, the loof rooks like an exploitable entry point."

All

After about 10 minutes the other gate opens and the limo you tracked here pulls back out onto the street. It appears to be heading back downtown. Murrey eases the van back into the flow of light traffic. You all move from the wonderland that is Bellevue, skirting around the edge of downtown towards the Elven District. The sluggish flow of cars working their way to the hub of the city paints of picture of the wage slave and his lack luster life. Murrey seems to avoid the worst of it, it seems to second nature to him. Like drawing breath. You finally arrive in the district, once again struck by the greenery and life of the area.

Murrey slides the van into the driveway. Almost all at once, you can see the side door off the driveway hanging open in the wan light of the morning.

Paladin frowns from his seat, "Thats odd. They didn't seem to be so lax on security when we showed up last time...

I'm gunna check it out."

He opens the back of the van and steps out into the night, instantly disappearing from veiw. He moves like a ghost towards the house and into the door, glances around for any signs of trouble.

Paladin

You move forward keeping yourself out of sight. As you approach you make out the locking mechanism on the door. It's clear that the case has been removed and you can see some wires have been spliced together. As you shift your sight to the astral, the ward Moira laid around the house still appears to be intact. You pause and try to see if you hear anything. No sound seems to be coming from the house proper.

over the comm...

"Looks like someone broke in. Deploy for action. Immortal and Baka, you're with me. Moira and Murrey, cover the exits."

He then steps inside and starts going through the house, looking for any hostiles. if he finds any, he doesn't take any action, he just tracks them and waits for Baka and Immortal to come in for support.

Bakatare snaps the collapsible staff open as he steps out of the back of the van, body already humming with the power strumming up through the foci. Eyes unfocused, he perused the scene, looking for the faint residue that might still accompany any swift and violent action, he moves up towards Paladin's location at the side of the house.

Paladin

You cringe inside as you hear Bakatare move towards the house. You hunch down more and press yourself flatter against the side of the house. The image of a worm on a hook comes to mind as the mage moves into a nearby position.

Immortal isn't taking any chances. After confirming the request from Paladin, he grabs up his Alpha, still having the shotgun slung, and he drops out of the back of the van. No stealth until he's closing on Paladin's locale. No time for that. As he slows, he smiles around his cigarillo, old pains and new draining away from him.

Immortal

You can easily see Bakatare but no sign of Paladin but then he's a hunter like you, so no surprise there. The house seems deserted, you hear nothing coming from inside.

As soon as the others are out, Murrey pulls the van into the back yard and deploys the ramps, sending out the TADS and the Lynx's, with the MK-6 bringing up the rear. All four approach the back of the house and then wind around the side to the front and the open door. As this is occuring Murrey also runs a sensor sweep of the area with the van.

Radio
"Guys, don't go in foo tar, too fast. I'm in position to cover the back. I'm going to send some drones to you, they'll be there quickly. With any luck we'll drive any hostiles into the backyard."

Van intercomm
"You see anything Moira?"

Paladin pulls out his staff and gets ready for anything, wondering what the hell is going on.

:: The look of worry creeps into Moira's face as she feels her heightened pulse. She hates moments like this and attempts to take cover as much as possible as she brings up the blue tint of armor up around her as she glances to the city spirit still at her side, waiting for the final request her summons would allow her of it. ::

Van intercomm
"It's okay Moira, we're all pro's. You're as safe here as anywhere you could be in the area. My armored jacket is right there behind me on a hook, you can use that if you like."

The Mr. Fix-it picks up the armored jacket and hands it to Moira.
Murrey also takes a moment to ID the team individually for tracking.

Radio
"Chummers, I don't need to tell you this looks a little poo tat to be real. let my TADS do the scouting. Immortal, cover it's position as it enters. I'll provide suppressive fire from the lynx's if neccessary. Take your readings from the B-tac receiver, it's got all the data feeds at the moment. Try to wound, not kill. Our hostesses may still be alive."

Murrey

You sweep the area in and around the house, collecting and combining it all you see no signatures in the house. As you glance over each feed you notice a sensor anomaly along the lip of the roof near the side door. The van sensor's pinged something but is having trouble getting a clear image of it.

There's rush of movement as if a large mass has dropped from above. A single form rezzes into view in a complete suit of security armor, in each hand is a small bar shaped item. The figure lands next to Bakatare, his body language telegraphing an attack towards the startled hermetic.

Murrey takes control of the Lynx with the MP-5 and locks on with sensors.

Paladin swings into action, swinging his staff around to defend his teammate.

Paladin

In one seamless motion you pivot and bring the staff in about chest height. The figure twists and you hear more than see the lines lash out from the batons. You drop lower as they criss-cross where your head had been and effortlessly slice through the bushes along the side of the house. You feel the impact of the staff through your hands as you land the blow to his gut.

Another figure comes into the view near the back corner of the house near the driveway. He appears to be holding a heavy pistol of some sort. He draws aim towards the van and a single silenced shot goes off, flying towards Moira.

:: Moira's head spins and as she sees the gun boring down on her, she feels the familiar icy cold dred from her fingers and her toes, it spreads inwardly, as her eyes go wide. The cold chill travels into her chest and sends a shiver of fear that snaps her body into movement, just barely turning away towards the car before the bullet pushes through the sparkly blue shield to penetrate through the shoulder of the jacket. Luckily, the jacket seems to take the majority of the hit, but she can feel the dull ache of the mashed flesh of her shoulder beneath the jacket. A startled cry escapes her lips as she commands her spirit to confuse her enemies. ::

Radio
"2 shooters, boor and dackyard."

A figure comes into focus just out the door. Again the security armor leaves little impression of the actual attacker. This one is armed with a heavy pistol, up close the gun appears to be a custom job. Up go the arms as the shooter pivots from behind the side door and prepares to shoot at Bakatare. One of the drones deployed by Murrey spring into action and releases a short burst. There is a flare of sparks as the figure drops the gun as rounds knock it from his hands. The attacker shifts his center of gravity from the attack and rolls forward past Paladin, coming to his feet by Bakatare. Rising in one smooth arc and lashing out a foot to connect with his upper torso. These men scream professional as they remain focused on the task at hand.

The foot solidly connects and drives the breath from Bakatare's lungs as he twists to lessen the impact. The mage staggers from the impact, feeling the bruise spread across his ribs.