@E:PL UK
[May 21st, 2072, 18:38; Clearwater Pumping Station, Exmoor, UK]
SIN: Spencer Lovett, PAN: Hidden

Mordred reacted just in the nick of time. But only to save himself from being completely incapacitated. Taking cover didn't stop the worst of the explosion. And the wall felt more like a clutch than a shield as he staggered upright, feeling shaken to his core. It took an effort to haul himself into a position in which he could continue fighting. His limbs were beginning to feel numb, and he nearly dropped the fresh clip.

<<Oh, should we?>> The adept choked out a laugh. Firing a parting shot at the remaining enemies, he began backing toward the door.

@E:Tribes, Sprogget
September 1, 2072 22:28 Approaching 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)

After the close pass alongside the car hulk, the replay of the sensor data confirms the lone occupant of the car to be a young Ork teen wearing Spined Drakes gang colours.
@self:Spined Drakes?  I thought they had moved on.  Guess not very far.

As the van rams into only currently visible target, almost knocking it into the monocycle before it gets clear, tacnet starts showing a couple of enemy targets.  One in the car, and another shooting from one of the buildings.

@jailbreakers: <<Easy there Tweak.  I don't want that can in my lap here.  Spined Drakes gang colors.  Maybe looking to get back some turf?  The monocycle wheel is armoured, and my main weapon is a blade.  For now, I'll try to use the DR for a weapon, and see if I can get LeFey a line to a target, while trying to find how many and where the rest are.>>
@self:That Yamaha Pulsar LeFey is packing does not have a lot of range.  I'll need to get fairly close to a target for it to be effective, while trying to keep us under cover behind the wheel.  At least it has smartgun, so the camera can be used to point it, by just reaching outside the coverage.

Braking hard to slow just enough enough to make the 180 turn using all 4 lanes, and maybe a bit more, Sprogget reverses direction while watching the sensors and tacnet for new targets.
@self:There's got to be more than 2.  Where are they?  If they have any active wireless equipment, commlinks, or even on the weapons, I might be able to spot the sources with the scanner.  It's good for more than RFID tags!
Sprogget links the radio signal scanner information into the PAN and tacnet data.

@LeFey: <<Shooting from a moving vehicle messes targeting a lot.  If you want, I can find a spot to let you off, although then you lose the armored wheel.  Might be able to time it right, to pull to a stop to let you get a shot, then take off again.  Let me know what you want.>>

@Virtual Scream, Alex Bianchi
September 2, 2072, 12:42; Not quite the Barrens
Renraku Sensei: Passive | SIN: Jimmy Delfino (Fake ID, Rating 3) (Re 2 - Sig 4 - Fi 2 - Sys 2)

Alpha pulls Alex through traffic with an eagerness that has the ex-cop reaching for the brakes on several occasions. Harvey's shop might not be in the best part of town but at least the cops will go there. The further Alex drives, the more run-down the area becomes. As the number boarded up and burnt out buildings increases, the amount of traffic decreases. Alex realises he is getting close to the Puyallup barrens.

The van's speakers blare into life with Harvey's deep voice.

"Hey Bi...Jimmy, got some good news and some bad news. Good news is the goons stopped before Beta ran out of of juice. She's sitting on the roof of the building across the street from them watching their car. Bad news is they went into an abandoned appartment block. They could be anywhere inside. I'll see if I can find a wireless signal and triangulate via the drones. Be careful and don't damage my babies."

Harvey routes a grainy video feed to the van's HUD. It shows three human males exiting a beat up old Ford Americar and hustling into a building. One of them is carrying an object that could be Harvey's old terminal. A few minutes later Alpha pulls over to the kerb about 100 m short of the building in the video. Alex can hear the soft whine of machinery as Charlie deploys from the rear of the van. As he climbs out, the drone's twin SMGs look up at him expectantly.

@Virtual Scream/Cipher
[September 1, 2072, 15:15; Downtown, Seattle]

Cipher's outburst and collapse certainly has the desired effect.

The now wide-eyed receptionist jumps to her feet, shouting.

"Get a crashcart here right now!"

Withing seconds several staff are clustered around the prone technomancer. A young doctor with tired eyes is trying to feel for a pulse, check his retinal response and listen to his heart all at once. Then he is lifted onto a stretcher and whisked away, through banging doors and long, too bright corridors. He catches a glimpse of himself as he is placed onto the stretcher. He has no hands or feet and his torso is cut open from neck to navel revealing glistening intestines.

The doctors babble on about CT scans and EEGs while asking him how he feels and what his name is without really paying any attention to his answers. He is poked, prodded, injected and hooked up to various devices. He wonders what they injected him with as as he feels the headache begin to fade and then ... nothing.

[September 2, 2072, 08:00; Ares Seattle General Hospital]

Cipher wakes to noises around him. His mouth is dry and his throat feels croaky. At least his head doesn't hurt anymore. Opening his eyes is an effort and the room seems too bright. He is in a hospital bed, wearing nothing but a pale green smock, and is hooked up to various machines making regular but overly loud beeping noises. An young ork orderly smiles at him as she places a tray of unappealing looking food on his lap.

"Morning. Want some breakfast?"

@Virtual Scream / Cat
[September 2, 2072, 10:00, 524 7th Street Northeast]
PAN: Active, SIN: Moll Flanders (Fake SIN Rtg 4), System: 2, Signal: 2, Response: 2, Firewall: 2

Having crammed in a few hours of sleep and gone through her usual morning regime, Cat feels about ready to contact DRKHOR5E. She drops onto her parent's couch, takes a moment to compose herself and then hits the icon for DRKHOR5E's business card. The icon takes an age to load on her severely degraded link, but eventually it opens an AR window displaying the exact same Mansion house as last time, only the matrix address was different. Once again she maximises the window and knocks on the large horse head knocker. After a brief pause the door opens.

"Miss Flanders, it's good to see you again. The master is busy right now, but he is eager to see you. Please, come in a wait."

The bulldog faced butler shows her to a beautiful 18th century drawing room opposite the study she was in last time she was here.

"Please, take a seat. If there's anything I can get you, just pull on the bell rope."

Cat takes a seat in one of the embroidered and upholstered mahogony chairs infront of a low table. Behind her a bank of oil paintings showing nobles in various poses with their hunting dogs and horses look down on her dismissively.

I wonder if this place still exists in the real. So much history and artistry.

@E:Tribes, Spring
September 1, 2072 22:28 Approaching the Fre∑dom Mall, Puyallup
Renraku Sensei: Hidden, SIN: Steven Brokvich (fake R3)

After an uneventful drive, Spring is practically dozing on his bike, when the lull of side streets is suddenly interupted by activity.

What the? Spikes? What's the name of that gang we...

Astonished he watches Sprogget zoom across the road and past the spikes while Tweak seems to head right for the Americar.

You crazy...

Without even having to think about it, Spring closes up to the Van, to follow through behind it.

<<@Tweak Show-off! >>

@Virtual Scream: Dubstep, Cat, Dante
[September 3, 2072, 13:12:23, Hai Fuk Noodle House, Redmond Barrens, Seattle]
PAN: Hidden, SIN: Jo Datsik (Fake SIN Rtg4), Response 6, Signal 5, System 6, Firewall 6, (Analyze 6, Armor 3-Ergonomic, Attack 4-Ergo, Biofeedback Filter 6, Browse 6-Ergo, Command 6-Ergo, Disarm 3, ECCM 3-Ergo, Edit 6-Ergo, Exploit 6, Scan 6, Spoof 3-Ergo, Stealth 6)

Secondary PAN: Active, SIN: Jo Datsik(Fake SIN Rtg4), Response 3, Signal 4, System 4, Firewall 4, (Agent 3, Analyze 4, Browse 4, Edit 4, Tacsoft 2)


The music in Dubstep headphones shift to something uncertain as the approach of Dante is registered by his agent Cindy. At the change in his life's soundtrack, Dubstep refocuses his attention on his surroundings rather than the AR world that had been unfolding before his eyes.

"Dante...Nice to meet you?" he says questioningly. "I may know a thing or two about viruses. Is there a particular one you are..." he trails off as he notices Jenny in the background watching the two of them meet.

"Ahhhhhhhh.....of course. You're interested in the scream." He says the last word with disgust though the more he's having to deal with it, the more he's becoming resigned to it. At least this guy is talking about business. maybe I can make some money off of him.

"What's it worth to you?"

@Virtual Scream / Gossamer
[September 1, 2072, 12:19, 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])

From Argent’s vantage point Gossamer watched as Slater worked on her inert form. The gaping hole, almost a wound, of her missing power cell still disturbed her and the coiling power cable that Slater attached, umbilical like, into her did little to relieve her mood.

Eventually with a sigh of aching limbs Slater straightened up from her, closed the various open ports and reengaged the pod’s nutrient bath. The glowing blue liquid slowly bathed her body in its balm. Hopefully the news on her core would be as calming

<<@Slater[Gossamer]: So, is it in there still? If it is can you get it out? I really don’t relish the thought of sharing my body with a foreign piece of viral coding! If absolutely necessary I’m prepared to abandon this body and find a new one but I would prefer it didn’t come to that…this is where I woke to sentience, I suppose you could say I have an emotional attachment to it, from a metahuman perspective…>>

@E:PL /UK
[May 21st, 2072, 18:38; Clearwater Pumping Station, Exmoor, UK]

Gemeaux & Mordred

Reeling from the sensory onslaught of the flashbang, you never the less manage to gather yourselves and respond with overwhelming force, helped in part by the fact that the attacker’s chameleon layer seems to be on the fritz. Bullets strike home, and, although you are fairly certain they don’t penetrate the beetle like armour encasing him, he finally succumbs and collapses to the floor, leaving you with a momentary respite which allows you to make a run for the door and head deeper into the complex. Back across the dam and ahead you see Tsubaki coming back towards you.

Tsubaki

As the Collots disappear out of the door under the cover of your spirit you head back around and see your compatriots high tailing it towards you…

@Virtual Scream / Dante, Dubstep, Cat
[September 2, 2072, 13:12, Hai Fuk Noodle House, Redmond Barrens, Seattle]
PAN: hidden, Response 1, Signal 3, System 2, Firewall 1

This is messed up.

Dante's eyes narrowed slightly at the question of worth. It seemed this foreigner was going to be difficult. He could give the guy some respect, coming in to a place like this and still sticking to his guns. Not many would feel comfortable being the odd meta out in an all Chinese establishment.

"Maybe, I should ask what is this information worth. The waitress, he said you could clean viruses. You know about virtual scream virus, I think. I have many pieces together, this should be worth some cred, yes? I can find more virus body pieces, you can help gather them. Also I can give you some protection, you look like you could use it. Partners?"

His hand extended across the table in an odd reproduction of a handshake, although it's a little off from the normal "handshake" gesture. Similar to what might happen if one has seen something on the trid shows, but never actually done this thing in meatspace.

@E:Tribes
September 1, 2072 22:28 Approx 600m from the Fre∑dom Mall, Puyallup

Sprogget

As you reach out through the mono’s complicated array of sensors looking for the other threats your display is lit up like a proverbial Christmas tree and you hope to the Gods that it doesn’t represent the number of foes facing you. For a supposedly deserted area of the barrens there are far too many signals and then you realise that you must be within the surveillance mesh that the Fre∑domers set up when they arrived. The plethora of signals will be coming from listening devices, concealed cameras, signal routers and possibly even drones…now if only someone in the mall is watching the feeds then the cavalry should be arriving any minute…unfortunately with the mall isolating itself from the mesh the chances are these devices are just spewing data into the wind. And it doesn’t get you much closer to pinpointing your enemy! Another disturbing thought crosses your mind: how did they know this would be a good time to get close to the mall…or is it just dumb luck?

As you loop across the carriageway you see the original shooter on the east side of the street and two more figures running out from the west side, one towards the wrecked Americar and the other to fire on the side of the van.

Spring

As you close up to the van you instinctively duck as the sound of fire comes across the street and you catch a glimpse of a burly orc in Spined Drake colours with something that looks like an Uzi or possibly a Warrior sub machine gun. You’ve had plenty of VR experience of getting shot at in various sims but those bullets come uncomfortably close as they spang off the back of the van and you get the distinct feeling of real danger.

Tweak

Fire incoming from the left and the right! Beginning to feel like one of your VR games!

Scrapheap

You duck as the side panel of the van develops some new moulding as bullets impact the side. Time to take the fight to these bastards! Behind the van you can hear the whine of Spring’s scooter and the shooters seem to be on both sides now, although pulling towards the rear as Tweak crashes on through…

LeFey

Well, this is the barrens, depressing grey ash covered hulks and constant gunfire…except this time the gunfire seems to be aimed in your direction!

Balefire
[Wednesday August 17th, 2072; Silk's Apartment, University District, Seattle]

Silk wasn’t sure how she her subconscious brain had managed to sift all those random bits of data and find the pattern but she certainly wasn’t going to ignore it. The data was fragmented and she would need to extrapolate some of it but it certainly fit…

Settling into the calm VR environment of her node she methodically began to sort the information, letting her mind drift so that her gift would form the intuitive links that it was so good at.

Project Mindset, it even sounded like a corper’s idea of a sinister operations name. The data suggested that it had been a project outside Deep Watch, they had simply been the knife wielded to complete some of the objectives. Silk needed a lead on the hand rather than the knife.

Ares had either sanctioned the project and then stomped on Deep Watch when things hadn’t gone according to plan, or they’d been affected by it in some way and in typical draconian fashion had expunged their rival and sold off its assets. She didn’t yet know which was the more likely and Silk privately hoped that she wasn’t setting herself up to take on Ares; that would be an exercise in extreme futility. Then again this had the hallmarks of a major corp operating through proxies to preserve its rep, just on a larger scale than the typical shadowrun. So eventually there would probably be a behemoth that Silk couldn’t hope to bring down. But she had no intention of giving up, perhaps there was a slim chance that the truth would do some damage…

Whatever had been rampaging through the Deep Watch servers had caused significant corruption to the data but names and dates jumped out at Silk…Tracing a stray file header to a piece of reconstituted email Silk began to piece together something of what this was about. This had to have something to do with her mother’s death; it was too much of a coincidence that she had been targeted at the same time by the same people. The names and dates corresponded with reports of disappearing persons, fractured families and businesses chewed up and spat out; a string of seemingly unrelated disappearances that Silk had come across while hunting the ‘trix for solid information. The lovely euphemism ‘being removed from circulation’ seemed to imply that these people were silenced permanently or else handed over to places like SinTec for whatever experimentation the mad docs could conjure up.

Suddenly her link warned her of an intrusion attempt and she turned to face a white, waistcoated rabbit swinging a pocket watch in her general direction. Before she could even think about bouncing it out of her node it began to gabble a message at her in a breathless voice, its whiskers twitching frantically as Herne’s antlers swung down towards it.

“Summer needs to see you, here [node link], she says you have found it but that she can tell you what it means”

“What what means? Wait, damn…” the rabbit had whisked itself back out of her node and a quick check showed that the bloody thing had even rewritten the access log so she had no way to trace it.

Summer and her games again, the meddling techno had given them solid intel that led them to rescue her kindred from Sintec a couple of months ago but that didn’t make Silk feel any better about being led about by the nose.

With a sigh Silk resigned herself to this meeting and composing herself she reached out into the virtual environment and sped towards the node that the rabbit had dropped into her lap.

@Virtual Scream: Dubstep / Dante / Cat
[September 3, 2072, 13:13:23, Hai Fuk Noodle House, Redmond Barrens, Seattle]
PAN: Hidden, SIN: Jo Datsik (Fake SIN Rtg4), Response 6, Signal 5, System 6, Firewall 6, (Analyze 6, Armor 3-Ergonomic, Attack 4-Ergo, Biofeedback Filter 6, Browse 6-Ergo, Command 6-Ergo, Disarm 3, ECCM 3-Ergo, Edit 6-Ergo, Exploit 6, Scan 6, Spoof 3-Ergo, Stealth 6)

Secondary PAN: Active, SIN: Jo Datsik(Fake SIN Rtg4), Response 3, Signal 4, System 4, Firewall 4, (Agent 3, Analyze 4, Browse 4, Edit 4, Tacsoft 2)


Dubstep looks down at Dante's hand, then back into his eyes. He easily dismissed Dante's talk of helping him find pieces of the Scream. He had that covered with the list of 5000 affected nodes he'd already obtained. However, he didn't know where tracking the virus would lead him. Having some muscle could certainly be handy.

"I suppose a joint venture could be arranged. With how many people got hit with this thing, it's hard not to trip over the pieces everywhere I go. But some backup might be helpful if the pieces lead down any darkened alleys." He hesitated a moment longer, then put his hand in Dante's with a firm grip."Most people call me Dubstep"

His waryness seemed to evaporate as soon as he shook Dante's hand."Guess you, like everybody else I've run into lately, got hit too? Yeah, I can clear it out of your commlink. I've got some programming time setup on a Nexus supercomputer that I can move it onto." He specifically doesn't mention who's Nexus he's working with, just in case Dante isn't as up and up as he appeared.

"I've got somebody else meeting me here for lunch. She needs the same thing done on her 'link. I'll just take care of everybody together. Out of curiousity, what piece of it did you get?"

@E:Tribes
Spring
September 1, 2072 22:28 Ambushed near the Freedom Mall, Puyallup
Renraku Sensei: Hidden, SIN: Steven Brokvich (fake R3)

Crash, bang! Stop us?! Hah!

The kid's joy at watching his friend drive the van through the road block is quickly killed by the two attackers shooting at them.

Frak this! Ain't got my gun and I'm out in the...

Frak!

Worrying about the gangers, he hadn't given the van right in front of him much thought when suddenly it swerves to the left and starts to brake hard.

Trying to kill me?!

<<From:Tweak> 'din pulling aggro>

Oh. Guess that makes me squishy mage.

Tweak
[Inside the Van]
Novatech Airwave: Hidden, SIN: James Teems (fake R3)

Shield on one side, sword on the other...

As the Van suddenly lurches to the left, Tweak activates the speakers again: Think you can give Spring some cover fire?

There better be no wyverns this time.

@E:Tribes
September 1, 2072 22:28 Approx 600m from the Fre∑dom Mall, Puyallup
SIN: Iwakura Lain, PAN: Passive

Time to put up or shut up. Permanently. Morgan took a deep, filtered breath. She hadn't expected to be in a fight so soon. But try telling that to the gunmen, one of whom was undeniably aiming for her. LeFey twisted sideways, then flattened herself against the monocycle. How could Riley (or anyone else) do this? There were so many things to keep in mind as she raised the taser. The movement of the vehicle and her target. The damned shaking of her hands. And of course, the nagging doubt that something was deeply wrong with shooting at someone her own age.

She flicked off the safety and allowed the smartgun system to guide her aim. "Sorry." Morgan whispered, then pulled the trigger. Almost immediately, she ducked back behind the vehicle. LeFey lingered only to glance into the matrix. Was there some way to help that was actually within her capabilities?

@E:Tribes, Sprogget
September 1, 2072 22:28  Approx 600m from 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 the DR comes around to face the known threats, Sprogget's sensor display starts to flood with electronic signal sources, lighting up like someone firing off every piece of fireworks for the New Year's party!
@self:What? ... Ah!  The Fre∑domer's surveillance tech!  Wonder if anyone is monitoring, and is scrambling?  Prospero was disconnecting from the main link, but did he leave the 'local' connections up?  He should not have been neglecting physical security while increasing matrix protection.  I wonder if I can access that gear, and add it to tacnet?  What are the SP's doing this close anyway?  Did they know sensors might not be reporting them just now?
Checking his position a little more closely.
@self:Slot!  Not quite close enough to try raising security inside the Mall direct from here myself.

@jailbreakers: <<We are inside the border for the Fre∑dom security sensor network!  Tweak, you know enough about the sensor network to tap in quick, or get LeFey or I access?  Love use all that data to paint any Spined Drakes not seen yet onto tacnet.  Also at this range, you should be able to get a comm signal through direct, if you know anyone at the Mall that has good signal, and roust some security if the virus means they are not already on the way.>>

@jailbreakers: <<Ah ... Assuming we intend to give this bunch an immediate lesson in acceptable behaviour this close to the Mall, instead of just exiting.>>

Not waiting for a response to question or comment, he points the DR at the shooter that ran out from the west side, and is spraying bullets at the van, aiming to pass the oncoming van to the east, then around behind, since the initial turn looped him clear across to the east side of the street.  The shooter gets marked in tacnet so the rest of the team knows the target, and intended path of the DR.
@self:Too many signals to check, to try to find targets that way quickly, although anything detected moving should get flagged fast.

Glancing at the reported list of in range active or passive nodes,
@self:Is any of that tech publishing any sort of connection address?
Bearing down hard on the shooter, Sprogget continues to scan for more threats while waiting for Tweaks response.

@E:PL UK
[May 21st, 2072, 18:38; Clearwater Pumping Station, Exmoor, UK]
SIN: Spencer Lovett, PAN: Hidden

As soon as he and Gemeaux are through the door, Mordred kicks it shut. Then he takes off running. <<Get going! they're right behind us!>> He gives the door a quick glance. Drawing a stim patch out of a side pocket, he reaches under the suit and places it on his arm. <<You have our escape all ready?>>

@E:CoP/Johnny Awesome
[August 20th, 2072, 22:01; Balcony on the NeoNet Tower, Oxford]

"I don't mind overt" he said with a smile. "It's better than being sly. You know where you stand with overt."

He takes a moment to briefly picture an evening with Browyn. Maybe he wouldn't mind being the mouse for a change? He's too often the cat in these situations, and change is good for the soul.

"I'm sorry Ryl, I didn't mean to offend but people at these parties so often want something of me."

He looked down at the city thoughtfully for a moment, lighting his cigar and blowing rings of smoke over the balcony.
"Say, if you truly don't have an agenda here, why don't you grab your friend, I'll grab a few bottles and we can head out of here. Maybe you can show me your city?"

@Virtual Scream/Cipher
[September 2, 2072, 08:00; Ares Seattle General Hospital]

"Um... Yes, please." He answers without really thinking what was asked. He needed to start getting a grip on this place. Which reality was he in now? With so many it gets confusing. Maybe this could be real reality? Unlikely, though he always imagined when he did wake up, it'd be like this.

He tried the food while waiting politely for the orderly to leave. As soon as she'd gone he brushed it to one side and accessed his medical records, wondering what knowledge they would contain.

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

"On it," Scrapheap growled as he extricated himself from the seatbelt. Murder blazed in his eyes as he booted open the back door and dropped to the pavement. Might not be tha fucks I really wants ta kill, but dese pieces'a shit'll do for tonight.

The whine of Spring's scooter to the van's left told him where he needed to be, and he racked the slide of the Remington, the shrak-CHAK of the action adding a feral, hungry smile to the hate boiling in him. He leaned out from behind the bulk of the transport, trying to give as little of himself as possible for someone to return fire at while still bringing one of the gangers into his sights. There, by the trap car. The shotgun roared in his hands, though he hardly felt the stock recoil against his shoulder.

@Virtual Scream / Dante, Dubstep, Cat
[September 2, 2072, 13:13, Hai Fuk Noodle House, Redmond Barrens, Seattle]
PAN: hidden, Response 1, Signal 3, System 2, Firewall 1

Dante relaxed as well after the handshake (which had played out with Dante's hand hanging limply like a dead fish while Dubstep performed the ritual). He knew how foreigners were, how sacrosanct the handshake was to them. He knew he could trust this Dubstep now.

"Very nice to meet you. I'm Dante. For this agreement, we can split the money that is earned directly in half. Yes?" Without waiting for a reply, Dante barrels on. "I have a hand in my 'link, and an...eye...in my drone. My idea is that if we can get enough of these things together, it will be worth some cred to somebody. So the work will be to gather the pieces, and find a buyer."

@E:Tribes
September 1, 2072 22:28 Ambushed near the Freedom Mall, Puyallup

Spring

You breathe a sigh of relief as the tacnet places you out of the immediate line of fire from the Spines’ foot soldiers, at least for a second or two…

LeFey

Leaning into the turn of the mono bike you peak around the wheel to see that Sprogget is driving you straight at one of your attackers! The looming maw of his gun almost eclipses the brief glance you spare his acne scarred face and scared eyes. Almost without thinking about it the smartlink turns to a steady red pulse as the taser comes on line and you feel your finger squeeze the trigger…

Sprogget

Too easy! The taser dart impacts the punk in front of you and as he staggers the wheel ploughs over him and grinds him into the broken black top. He certainly won’t be firing at you any more, although you briefly regret the bloody mess you are going to have to clean out of the wheel’s pseudopods later! Your sensors track the first attacker as he swings his chattergun after you but with a deft flick of the wheel you place the armoured bulk between the bullets and your more fragile forms and they barely scratch any paint

Scrapheap

The shotgun booms as the young breeder looks up at you in surprise. He might as well be wearing wet paper as the ragged armour tee for all the good it does against your blast and he looks down in amazement at the hole cored out where his midriff was moments before.

Tweak

As combat whirls behind you, you are distracted from it by the appearance of a host of new attackers, 3 bikes, a vicious looking Harley flanked by a couple of crotch rockets race out of 28th ave whilst you become aware of another Americar, this one looking like the lost survivor of some post apocalypse sim, coming from 27th to pin you into the trap…

@E:Tribes
Spring
September 1, 2072 22:28 Ambushed near the Freedom Mall, Puyallup
Renraku Sensei: Hidden, SIN: Steven Brokvich (fake R3)

Yes! Seeing Scrapheap return fire and take out one of their assailants feels good for a second but then...
Another day, that could be me. Sitting out here in the open. That's crazy. At least we're past... what the? How many of them are there?

Tweak
[Inside the Van]
Novatech Airwave: Hidden, SIN: James Teems (fake R3)

Uhm, guess it's getting bumpy again...

The speaker switches off in mid-sigh.

Rammed by a car, rammed a car (intentional), been shot, about to ram a bike (again, intentional) - the earliest I'm gonna be allowed to even look at the van again is gonna be 3072! Would be nice to see some of our guys around, though.

@E:Tribes, Sprogget
September 1, 2072 22:28  Ambushed 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)

Accelerating back past the destroyed heap, Sprogget lines up on the punk that has been spraying lead around.  Just before the monocycle smashes into him, the sensors show LeFey's taser connecting as well.
@self:One down.  Guess LeFey knows how to use that darter, even from a moving bike.  Ren Man is going to have some work to do, cleaning the mess off the bike.  Good thing the spokes are intended for use in messy environments.

Almost simultaneously with that, tacnet shows another ganger taken out by Scrapheap's shot.
@self:Make that two down.  Now where ...?

Then several new hostile targets pop up on tacnet.
@self:Drek!  I knew there had to be more of them!  How many in that decrepit Americar anyway?  Are they holding it together with their hands?  Should be easy to out maneuver, or out run that heap, but those bikes are another story.  Trying to take out that mobile rust factory with the DR does not seem productive, and LeFey's taser won't do much against it either.  Even though it looks like it would fall apart from a good kick.

Those bikes though.  Trying to pin us here."

Deciding the three bikes present a better opportunity, Sprogget leans the bike hard to the right, accelerating through the turn.
@self:I think I'm getting better at this.  Roadrunner suggested more practice.  I guess that dance on the way to Bellevue counts!

Making the turn to the far East side of the street, he updates the team on tentative plans.
@jailbreakers: <<{dryly} As you can see on the tac, we have some extra guests crashing the party.  Moving the celebration to the mall seems like a good idea.  They can't all be sleeping there!  I'm going to see about breaking up that trio to the South.  LeFey, you might get a shot at the original shooter {flagging target #1 on tacnet} as I go past, or those bikes are going to be in range fast.>>
@self:And if he steps out of that doorway 'fore I get there, the DR will turn him into another street pancake!

Seeing that  Tweak is also getting the Van moving toward the bikes, and tacnet showing targeting for one of the racing bikes,
@self:Right, looks like the same general idea.  Don't know if I can get there soon enough to double team, but going to try!
Designating the second racing bike as the current target, Sprogget keeps an eye on the tacnet display, while moving on to something more immediate.

@self:Maybe I can set off some alarms, and get some attention here.  No ID to spoof access, so try knocking down the door.
Deliberately turning off the Stealth complex form, Sprogget quickly pulls the resonance together into battering ram.  Looking at the meager result,
@self:Hmmm, Resonance is being stingy.  Something else I should be better at, but get in or no, this should set off alarms without stealth running.  The firewall of whatever that is slaved to should notice a prod like this!
Randomly picking one of the identified slaved sensor nodes, he smacks it with no attempt to be subtle.

@E:CoP/Johnny Awesome
[August 20th, 2072, 22:01; Balcony on the NeoNet Tower, Oxford]

Ryl frowns slightly at you…something she seems to be doing more than you like now you really know what she is…it’s not that you think she might eat you, but she’s not metahuman either and you shouldn’t forget that, no matter how easy it might seem to be

"Come now Johnny, everyone has an agenda, you know that. Some are more honest about it than others and it might be that Bronwyn’s is just to bed an interesting human, mine is perhaps more complicated. Things are changing, we are watching that change but we also have the power to nudge it in the direction that our wills dictate. Of course equally powerful wills nudge it another way but that is the nature of the game is it not? So, the game’s afoot, now we just need to find out who’s playing it!"

@E:PL UK
[May 21st, 2072, 18:38; Clearwater Pumping Station, Exmoor, UK]
SIN: Spencer Lovett, PAN: Hidden

The adept had expected a backdoor out of the pumping station. An unexplained watercraft was awfully convenient. Mordred made sure the others are off and running, then followed. Time was short. They had to take any way out available. When they were inside the sub, he checked on their charges. "Monsieur Collot. Are you and Luc alright?"

When he was satisfied that both were fine, Mordred grabbed his commlink. <<Argent, we have a situation, here. We're at Clearwater, but the people who were supposed to meet us are just plain gone. We are being pursued and attempting to make our escape.>>

@E:Tribes
September 1, 2072 22:28 Approx 600m from the Fre∑dom Mall, Puyallup
SIN: Iwakura Lain, PAN: Passive

There were some things technology couldn't quite fully replicate. Morgan had seen Desert Wars footage and recordings of gunfights. They paled in comparison to the gore and chaos that had been created.

"No. Don't you dare panic." Morgan gripped her seat hard. She could come to terms with the violence around her later. "Accolon." There was no attempt at disguising the shakiness of her voice. "Look out for Sprogget. They may have something defending that node." Her black clad knight sped off. The technomancer alternated between the tacnet and smartgun display. Target number 1. Just like last time, but pull the trigger twice.

@E:PL UK / All
[May 21st, 2072, 19:06; Clearwater Pumping Station, Exmoor, UK]

The mini-sub is cramped and claustrophobic and Luc’s whinging isn’t helping any of your nerves. Still, you are out of that eerie complex and currently bobbing along under the surface of the reservoir, hopefully undetected. The helpful mapping software onboard hasn’t suggested there are any sort of secret underground escape routes that all these Clearwater lot could have disappeared down and the map that Monsieur Collot mysteriously received certainly doesn’t show anything useful.

Mordred’s communication with Argent is crackly as the signal transfers through the thin layer of water above the sub, even assisted by the booster system in the uplink.

<<I see. Well at the moment there’s not much I can do to assist you directly. If you can get yourselves to Bristol I can arrange for you to get out on a ship. Bear with me, I will contact our employer and determine what they want you to do with the Collots>>

The pause is interminable but then eventually she comes back

<< I have spoken to our employer, although you are technically free of your contract you can’t very well leave the Collots now so I will arrange for transport out of the country. Assuming you are all willing to extend your contract beyond the immediate pursuit the client has authorised additional payment at the same previously agreed rate in addition to travel expenses. Although they have other locations nearer there are none that are as easy to get to than Chicago. I know that sounds a long way off and you will need to penetrate the CZ but it actually represents the least observed location...>>

The merits of going to Chicago aside that just leaves you with the small problem of how to reach Bristol…

@E:PL UK
[May 21st, 2072, 19:06; Clearwater Pumping Station, Exmoor, UK]
SIN: Spencer Lovett, PAN: Hidden

Startled, Mordred bangs his knee against the inside of the craft. "Damn!" He winces, glaring at the commlink. "I'm not going to ask you to repeat yourself." He taps the speaker controls. "But I think it's time Gemeaux and Tsubaki were part of this conversation." The adept rubs his leg. "First, the obvious questions. Are you absolutely sure that is the best option, and can you offer evidence to that fact?" His tone is more genuinely inquisitive than accusing. And there was no way he was leaving the Collots to fend for themselves. Mordred knew from bitter experience what abandonment felt like.

He turned to his comrades. "I can't ask you to come with me if I agree. This is...the next worst thing to hell on earth." The adept knew something of Chicago's history, both from his own research and the occasional files Morgan gave him. Ares had, of course, focused on its role in containing the menace, but there was no disguising what the city had become. Nor what had happened to its people.

"What's the quickest route to Bristol? And whatever we decide, we need supplies and time to recuperate. At least to get that far." There was one other matter he had been neglecting.

Time is short. I would it have been done on the date of your birth, but you were not ready. Now, you are at least adequately prepared.

Okay. When I have the chance, then.

@Virtual Scream / Cat
[September 2, 2072, 10:00, 524 7th Street Northeast]
PAN: Active, SIN: Moll Flanders (Fake SIN Rtg 4), System: 2, Signal: 2, Response: 2, Firewall: 2

Cat only has a few minutes to take in the details of the virtual reality space. The reality filter must be top notch to deliver this level of detail. Still she has to move her head slowly to stop the scene from glitching on her corrupted link.

DRKH0R5E sweeps into the room with a smile on his horse's head. He is wearing black riding boots with silver spurs, tan jodphurs and a tweed jacket with a black riding helmet perched on his head. He takes her hand and plants a chaste if slightly slobbery kiss on it before retreating to the desk and perching nonchalantly on it.

"I see you survived the scream mostly intact. But you should really do something about that liver in your lap, you know."

...

"Well, that's good to hear. I do hope your friend can do the deed. Now to the business at hand. I must say a job well done, despite the circumstances. And I hear that Reed Caspa's concert was quite the success to boot."

He holds up his hand and a purse appears. He drops it gently into her hand.

"The remainder of the amount, in full. Perhaps next time I will find something a little more challenging for you. This is, if you are up for it, my dear?"

@E:PL UK
[May 21st, 2072, 19:06; Clearwater Pumping Station, Exmoor, UK]
PAN=Active; SIN:Nina Okada

"Chicago? Why Chicago?" Tsubaki frowns, "Chicago isn't exactly a safe place for technomancers, or anyone else, at all..." The woman doesn't seem convinced.

@Virtual Scream / Cat
[September 2, 2072, 10:05, 524 7th Street Northeast]
PAN: Active, SIN: Moll Flanders (Fake SIN Rtg 4), System: 2, Signal: 2, Response: 2, Firewall: 2

After a brief exchange of pleasantries with DRKH0R5E, Cat apologises for the liver and mentions her plans to have a 'friend' fix up her commlink. Taking note that DRKH0R5E is aware of her actions and movements after she completed her actual job for her, she demurely places the bag of coin inside her handbag.

"Of course. As pleasant as it is to be paid to go visit clubs, I'd hope I can be more useful than just that. Keep in touch Mr DRKH0R5E, I hope we can continue to be mutually beneficial for each other."

Despite the elaborate get-up, Cat senses DRKH0R5E is the kind of man who appreciates efficiency and simplicity in his business life, and so doesn't linger. After a gentle hand shake she makes her own way to the front door and logs off immediately once outside.

OK, now to work out where to meet Dubstep.

After obsessively reviewing, and dismissing, about 10 different locations for the meet Cat rapidly realises she has no idea what the parameters are for a suitable place to meet a potentially criminal hacker. She's saved from any potential social faux-pas when Dubstep's message arrives.

<<@Dubstep: Sure, sounds great. 1pm? See you there!>>

Cat spends a little more time searching around the matrix to check out where Hai Fuk Noodle House actually is and discovers more than a couple of posts suggesting it doubles as a brothel at night, despite pretty good reviews of the lunch menu. Oh great, so either this is a test, or I gave a very low impression of myself last night!


@Virtual Scream / Cat, Dubstep, Dante
[September 3, 2072, 13:15, Hai Fuk Noodle House, Redmond Barrens, Seattle]
PAN: Active, SIN: Moll Flanders (Fake SIN Rtg 4), System: 2, Signal: 2, Response: 2, Firewall: 2

Cat arrives at Hai Fuk Noodle House fifteen minutes late because the taxi driver argued with her about not wanting to enter triad territory. In the end he agreed for only a 15% price increase, but she made a note not to use that 'Seattle wide' taxi firm again.

Wearing washed out jeans, a tank top, red leather jacket and matching boots, her steam punk 'work' bag and blond pixie hair she quickly surveys the inside of the noodle house. Seeing Dubstep sat with a stranger the thought of this being a set up briefly crosses her mind as she crosses the room, but she dismisses it as a foolish fantasy. Dubstep really didn't seem like the type.

"Afternoon, sorry I'm late. Taxi drivers!" The final exclamation is spoken with the certainty that anyone would understand her situation. Remembering her manners, she gestures to the seat next to the stranger. "May I join you?"

@E:Tribes
September 1, 2072 22:28 Ambushed near the Freedom Mall, Puyallup

Spring

Tweak lurches the van around you again and suddenly you are at the back of the group again…at least the reassuring bulk of Scrapheap and his shotgun is between you and the rust bucket bearing down on you all…oh crap! You watch as a hinged plate in the roof of the Americar swings out with a clang and the unforgettable profile of an AK hinges out on a pintel mount…you really do not want to be at the back any more!

LeFey

Accolon flies into the ether to protect Sprogget but you are more concerned with keeping your seat as the mono wheel turns over on its side to complete the steep turn back up the hill towards the marauding bikers. As you swing past your target your reticule signals a tentative lock and two darts going flying. The angle coupled with the trying to judge the mono’s speed make it an uncertain prospect compared with the point blank shot on your first target. In the rush you can’t honestly say if they connected but the target disappears from view, at least temporarily…

Scrapheap

After summarily dispatching the sorry punk by the car you turn your attention back along the street to the rust wagon with the roof gun…behind you you can hear Spring urging you to get on the back of his scooter…

Sprogget

Slamming the firewall with a burst of code you are surprised when it yields, it must have been deliberately puny, and you find yourself standing on a desert atoll with an azure sea lapping at your feet. There is a sudden rush of motion and a misshapen form erupts from the sand dune. It’s a moderately powerful agent program that immediately demands a password from you whilst simultaneously launching a spray of sand at you which whirls past you and swoops back along your back trail…well you did want them to be alerted to your location and a trace will do just as well…

Tweak

Ahead of you the three bikers ahead split, the two crotch rockets heading for the pavements whilst the Harley seems to want to go head to head with you…even a bike as big and ugly as that, with a big ugly orc on the back to boot, will get pancaked across your front and probably won’t even slow you down! Rammin’ time! You barely flinch, barely, when fire from the pillion rider on the left hand bike stitches its way across your windscreen but it is enough to distract you slightly and the Harley slips by on your left at the last second.

The tacnet red highlight over his image does little to erase the frothing manic grin from view as he goes past. At the last moment you see that his right hand is wreathed in some kind of aura…fragging magic, and lunging the van over you almost, almost evade the strike that impacts the front wing. Your world lurches as the spike of pain caused by the SIM overload flashes through your left side…

Spring

Turning away from Scrapheap at the sound of a massive impact ahead of you, you can see a menacing Harley fast bearing down on you. On its back a triumphant figure in a customised heavy armour jacket grins as he flexes a bare fist that just now put a significant dent into the side of an armoured van…

@Virtual Scream / Dante, Dubstep, Cat
[September 2, 2072, 13:15, Hai Fuk Noodle House, Redmond Barrens, Seattle]
PAN: hidden, Response 1, Signal 3, System 2, Firewall 1

"No. Do not join us. Go away before..."

Dante had begun speaking without looking up to see who he was addressing. He hasn't finished his dismissive response when he glances up and notices to whom he is speaking. His voice trails off, and his jaw stays open for a millisecond before snapping shut. His eyes are fixed on Cat, looking her up and down openly while he considers his next move.

"Please, have a seat. Dubstep, is this your friend?"

@E:Tribes, Sprogget
September 1, 2072 22:28; Ambushed near the Freedom 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)

The firewall falling over so easily is a surprise given what Sprogget knows of the capabilities of Fre∑dom.
@self:Way too easy.  Either they want to down play their capabilities this far out, or it's a ploy to lure trespassers to where they can be dealt with more effectively.

Seeing the elevated threat level from the mobile junker, as it deploys the AK, then the same for the magic wielder on the Harley, Sprogget is barely aware of LeFey firing at the original shooter.
@self:Drek!.  Roof gun behind and mage ahead!  Plus 2 more bikes.  Well nothing I can do about any of that immediately.  It looks like I should get there before the Harley gets to Spring.  Need to leave room when going past him and Scrapheap.  Don't know if Spring can deal with Mr Iron Fist there, but better try to leave him LOS to try.  For right now let's see if we can speed up getting some outside attention!

That trace will report where I am, but not who or why.  Lets' see about speeding things up.  I'm logged in, so no need to hold on to this Exploit CF.  There should be a connection from here to security at the mall, if for nothing more than sending that trace report.  All right Mr. agent, what channel do you use to report those trace results?
Sprogget focuses on the agent icon, trying to discern how and where the trace result will be sent.  The link jumps into focus.
@self:Ah!  There it is.
@trace report target: <<Freedom and Mechanicals members under attack by Spined Drakes gangers 28th and S. Meridian -- Sprogget>>

@self:Let's see if that lights a fire where it will do some good.  Now to see if I can do anything about Iron Fist.

@E:PL/Chi Town/Copperhead
[July 9th, 2072, 00:26; Cortland St, overlooking the river, CZ, Chicago]

"Protect da kids." hisses Copperhead while fumbling in her pockets. She pulls out a stimpatch and presses it against her neck.

Fatigue slips from her and she feels her head clear as she moves away from her team-mates towards the ghoul leader. Her shamanic mask flares into life as she moves, the chorus to ToxicTrog's 'Poison' dripping softly from her forked tongue.

Best if I'm not near them in case something else responds to my summoning.

As she pounds across the broken concrete, a vicious little serpent slips out from the remains of a burned out car, easily keeping pace with her.

Find their leader. Keep him bussy until I get there.

The little serpent hisses assent and slithers off at astral speeds. Trailing after it, Copperhead slips her staff out of its pocket and spins it in her hands to extend it to its full two-meter length.

"You shoulda left well alone, Snag. I'm coming fer ya and dis time I is gonna finish you."

@E:PL UK / All
[May 21st, 2072, 18:38; Clearwater Pumping Station, Exmoor, UK]

Argent doesn’t look overly concerned about your caution, you have a feeling it was expected

"I understand your reticence. Chicago has a bad reputation as being a lawless hellhole and I won’t try and convince you that isn’t true. But is the kind of lawlessness that provides a good hiding place for those that don’t want to be easily located. My understanding is the Stillwater group has a number of enclaves, communes, call them what you will, scattered around. You are in the European one, there’s one here in Seattle, Chicago, and then one in the South Americas and another in the Middle East. These last two are both in the middle of active war zones and I believe that tips the balance in favour of some underfed gangers and the remote possibility of contact with the bugs, don’t you agree? They probably have another in the East but they didn’t mention that as a possibility.

Chicago has umpteen possible smuggler routes leading to it, and whilst most of them have been abandoned they also are probably the only legitimate way to get goods to the CZ and as such the authorities turn a much blinder eye to them than you might expect. I can get you on a cargo ship from Bristol to the UCAS and arrange for a pick-up there to get you to the shore of Lake Michigan.

I’m not able to help you with a route to Bristol unfortunately but if you’ve stirred up a hornet’s nest down there I suggest you make it to a population centre as fast as you can. But you know your business better than I, that is why you are there and I am sitting in my comfortable office, non?

If you agree to this I will ensure you are well recompensed. If not I will need to arrange for some other runners to pick up your package but that will take some time to organise"

@Virtual Scream/Cipher
[September 2, 2072, 08:00; Ares Seattle General Hospital]

As Cipher mentally reaches out for his medical records, his senses are assaulted with sounds, smells and images. He sees corporate drones walking purposefully down corridors or gathered in meetings. He hears snatches of conversation about earnings, losses, profit margins. He is an airconditioning unit, a rail-mounted security drone, a body floating in a tank. The last experience reminds him of the giant figure that filled his mind with data, a broken body that may once have been a man.

His breakfast threatens revolt as he pushes the sounds, smells and images away. With some difficulty, he focuses his mind on the data stored in the band around his wrist.

<<Name: John Doe. DoB: 00-00-00. Condition: Heightenened cerebral activity consistent with technomantic ability. Subject shows signs of recent neural oveload consistent with unregulated simsense use or exposure to black IC. Treatment: methylphenidate atomoxetine and broad screen antiviral/antibiotic. TRANSREQ : HIVEMIND // AUTHCODE : X24557>>

@Virtual Scream / Gossamer
[September 1, 2072, 12:22, 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])

Slater's smile is grim.

<<@Gossamer[Slater]: Sorry, darling, but it's still in there. And a pretty gruesome icon of a human torso at that. Can see why you don't want to go back. Good news is that like the house node, it seems to be dormant but...>>

He hesitates as if looking for the right words.

<<@Gossamer[Slater]: Let me put it in context. Argent's house node is pretty sophisticated for what it does, but it's still a basic computer system. The control system in that sexy little chassis of yours is way more complex and well, the virus seems to be taking up way more of your system resources. Sizewise you are looking at a factor of two or three in raw gigapulses. Most of that seems to be data but it's bady fragmented and some is encrypted. I've tried deleting all of it and just parts of it but it seems well, unwilling to leave. Look, you're welcome to some space in my link, if you'd rather not be in Argent's but until we can find out how to get rid of it, you're stuck.>>

He shifts his attention to Argent.

"Is is safe to surf the matrix from here so I can go looking for a solution?"

He leans in conspiratorially and lowers his voice to a whisper.

"The Crush's matrix access is a bit shit, so I'd be able to work faster from here. I'd also like to take another look at the virus. Work out what the hell it is and what it's doing."

"I heard that knife-ears" grunts Cutter.

"Well, it's the truth. We're lucky to have power more'n five days a week, never mind matrix access."

"Boys, no squabbling on my yen. Use the den. I'll keep the kids out of your hair. You keep the corps out of my node. Deal?"

The elf grins and gives a mock salute.

"Yes, ma'am."

<<@Gossamer[Slater]: You coming along for the ride? Or do you want to stay here and take a closer look at the virus?>>

@Virtual Scream, Alex Bianchi
September 2, 2072, 12:43; Not quite the Barrens
Renraku Sensei: Passive | SIN: Jimmy Delfino (Fake ID, Rating 3) (Re 2 - Sig 4 - Fi 2 - Sys 2)

Alex peers around the corner of the boarded up apartment block and spots the beat up car sitting in front of the main entrance. The building is a C-shape and he is on the right hand end of the C, looking into the central parking area. There are no other cars in the lot and no other immediate signs of life beyond a big devil rat sniffing around a pile of rubbish in one corner.

Alex scans back and forth along the apartments one floor at a time. As he reaches the third floor, his vision enhancments flag up a change in light levels from the second apartment on the left. He focuses his attention on the boarded over window and yes, there is definitely a light on inside and the moving shadows indicate that someone or someones are moving about inside.

<<Third floor, second on the left.>> confirms Harvey in his ear. <<I got two, no three, active commlinks there. I can't hack them but can let you know if they move. You be careful.>>

@E:Tribes
Spring
September 1, 2072 22:28 Ambushed near the Freedom Mall, Puyallup
Renraku Sensei: Hidden, SIN: Steven Brokvich (fake R3)

What the? S'not f...

Stupid kid! Ever hear anything bout fair?!

Fragging snot!

One long second he can do nothing but look at the huge gun pointed in his direction. Without taking his eyes off it, he asks Scrapheap with a shaky voice. Wanna hop on? I really don't feel like hanging round...

Tweak
[Inside the Van]
Novatech Airwave: Hidden, SIN: James Teems (fake R3)

Heh, Im gonna wipe that smug grin right off your stupid face. Dafuq?

A wild hail of bullets from one ganger sends sparks right over several of the vans sensors, momentarily confusing the young boy. Just as the van was about to impact the Harley, it swerves - and misses. Almost simultaniously the sinside of the van rings like a bell being struck by its clapper.

OUCH!

The same systems that translate toughts into control signals also take the damage the van takes and translate it into pain. As damage reports - non-critical for now - pop up in Tweak's view, he focuses on the ganger who has just hit him, hit HIM!

Fucker used his bare hand, his glowing ha...

<<@jailbreakers: Harley's a mage!>>

Spring
Pelling his eyes off one set of trouble, Spring turns just in time to see another one heading his way.
Uh-oh.

@E:PL UK / All
[May 21st, 2072, 18:38; Clearwater Pumping Station, Exmoor, UK]
PAN - Active ; SIN - Maximilien Danton

Gemeaux sits next to his now filthy and scuffed suitcase. He absentmindedly plays with a silver lighter, his skin itching as the tiny claws of invisible nicotine demons scratch at him. He pulls off his respirator and chameleon mask. Sweaty locks of a once well-groomed coiffure tumble down onto his face. He rubs his forehead with his free hand while he mulls the possibilities.

"If it gets me out of this God-forsaken country," Gemeaux says with a grin, "then I am in. After all, I am a professional operative. I do not leave jobs unfinished.

"No offense, Mordred," he adds somewhat apologetically, "but England is definitely not my style."

@E:PL UK
[May 21st, 2072, 19:06; Clearwater Pumping Station, Exmoor, UK]
SIN: Spencer Lovett, PAN: Hidden

"None taken." The adept begins changing his clothes. Over the body armor, he puts on a new hooded jacket and jeans. "I had no intention of returning after this." Some people got sentimental about their birthplaces. Go figure. There hadn't been much worth remembering in the UK, and that was doubly true now. Home was back in the UCAS. It had been since he was five years old. In any case, his namesake had actually made war on England during that bygone age. "Then it's settled. We accept your new terms. But how are we to find the commune in Chicago?"

@Virtual Scream: Dubstep/Cat/Dante
[September 3, 2072, 13:15:23, Hai Fuk Noodle House, Redmond Barrens, Seattle]
PAN: Hidden, SIN: Jo Datsik (Fake SIN Rtg4), Response 6, Signal 5, System 6, Firewall 6, (Analyze 6, Armor 3-Ergonomic, Attack 4-Ergo, Biofeedback Filter 6, Browse 6-Ergo, Command 6-Ergo, Disarm 3, ECCM 3-Ergo, Edit 6-Ergo, Exploit 6, Scan 6, Spoof 3-Ergo, Stealth 6)

Secondary PAN: Active, SIN: Jo Datsik(Fake SIN Rtg4), Response 3, Signal 4, System 4, Firewall 4, (Agent 3, Analyze 4, Browse 4, Edit 4, Tacsoft 2)


Dubstep's mind had already shifted towards how best to handle the new business arrangement with Dante. He began rattling off the various pieces of the 'Scream he'd gotten (lake of blood, human ear, lung, finger and several meters of small intestine) when the two of them were interrupted by Cat's appearance.

"Well speak of the devil. Yeah, this is she. Cat let me introduce you do Dante my new...partner." He says the last word with a little hesitation making it sound almost a question. But he bulls on through introductions. "Seems like this 'Scream thing is pretty wide spread. My friend here thinks there may be some profit in it for us. What do you think?"

@Virtual Scream, Alex Bianchi
September 2, 2072, 12:43; Not quite the Barrens
Renraku Sensei: Hidden | SIN: Jimmy Delfino (Fake ID, Rating 3) (Re 2 - Sig 4 - Fi 2 - Sys 2)

"I see 'em." Alex took the commlink out of his pocket and switched it's mode to Hidden, making sure to keep Harvey's connection subscribed. "Going silent."

This has got to be one of the dumbest things you've done yet, Bianchi.

He looked down at the assault drone just behind him. "Keep close to me," he muttered quietly. "Trying to go in quiet, so activate your...stealth...protocols..or whatever you have. Shoot only if fired upon. Gel rounds only, unless I specify otherwise." Hope it got all that...

The P.I. slipped the Manhunter out of it's holster, keeping his finger off the trigger to avoid activating the laser sight, then crept towards the doorway while keeping an eye out for any movement from the boarded up window.

@Virtual Scream / Cat, Dubstep, Dante
[September 2, 2072, 13:16, Hai Fuk Noodle House, Redmond Barrens, Seattle]
PAN: Active, SIN: Moll Flanders (Fake SIN Rtg 4), System: 2, Signal: 2, Response: 2, Firewall: 2

Quick social arithmetic darts across Cat's mind. Hesitance around his use of the word 'partner'. Obvious unfamiliarity between both Dubstep and Dante. A slight undertone of something bordering suspicion or hostility. Dubstep never mentioned a partner before. Definitely a very new collaboration. Let's play this professionally.

With a slight dip of her head Cat extends a hand for Dante to shake, "Pleased to meet you, any friend of Dubsteps, as they say." Lifting the chair so as not to scrap the feet along the floor Cat folds herself gracefully into the seat next to Dubstep's new partner before addressing them both, careful to spread her attention between the two.

"I'm sure you'd both know more about this virus than I would. As you know, my specialities lie far away from the digital. Perhaps your friend will stay with us for lunch and we can discuss how he thinks we can profit from the scream? I think I promised to buy Dubstep lunch if he got the damn thing of my 'link. Dante, I'll happily extend you the same hospitality if Dubstep thinks this plan of yours can earn me the Yen back."

While keeping up polite small talk, Cat quickly scans the menu. Catching the eye of the waitress she smoothly calls her over to order lunch.

@Virtual Scream: Dubstep/Cat/Dante
[September 3, 2072, 13:16:47, Hai Fuk Noodle House, Redmond Barrens, Seattle]
PAN: Hidden, SIN: Jo Datsik (Fake SIN Rtg4), Response 6, Signal 5, System 6, Firewall 6, (Analyze 6, Armor 3-Ergonomic, Attack 4-Ergo, Biofeedback Filter 6, Browse 6-Ergo, Command 6-Ergo, Disarm 3, ECCM 3-Ergo, Edit 6-Ergo, Exploit 6, Scan 6, Spoof 3-Ergo, Stealth 6)

Secondary PAN: Active, SIN: Jo Datsik(Fake SIN Rtg4), Response 3, Signal 4, System 4, Firewall 4, (Agent 3, Analyze 4, Browse 4, Edit 4, Tacsoft 2)

"Yeah. That's what we were meeting about. Dante here has a piece on the scream on his 'link that I need to get rid of too. Why don't you both give me your commlinks so I can take care of that bit of business first. Then we can all start on a nice level playing field,." Dubstep says with a smile.

He mentally sends Cat a message via his commlink. <<Sorry about springing this on you. He approached me while I was waiting and I have to admit that having some muscle would be useful in figuring this out.>>

"While I'm working. Why don't you go ahead and order some food up and we can talk about all this once i'm done. It should only take a few minutes."

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

The rage boiling in Scrapheap's gut flickered for a heartbeat at the confused, almost sad look on the street kid's face before he collapsed against the car and slid to the debris-strewn street. Then the rattle of another barely-running car pulled his attention up from the corpse back the direction they had come from. He scowled, rolling his shoulders as the hinged door popped up and the AK came out. He waved a hand irritably at the scooter behind him.

"They'd jus' run us down, I weigh 'smuch as that bike does. Get movin', I'll give 'em somefin' to worry 'bout." He racked the slide on the shotgun again, ejecting the spent shell into the street.

Might be seein' ya sooner'n I thought, Momma. He brought the shotgun up to his shoulder and aimed down it's length, letting the fires of his anger burn away the fledgling tremors of fear in his hands. "C'mon, shitstains, let's see'f ya can bring me down. Ain't no one done it yet."

@Virtual Scream / Dante, Dubstep, Cat
[September 2, 2072, 13:17, Hai Fuk Noodle House, Redmond Barrens, Seattle]
PAN: hidden, Response 1, Signal 3, System 2, Firewall 1

These two foreigners would need some looking after. Dante considers for a moment before he hands over his commlink. After all, what other choice did he really have? Meanwhile he could send a message to his fixer, ask about these two.

<< @JiuJiu [Dante] : I need some background information on two runners, Dubstep and Cat. Anything you have, but most importantly what their rep is in the shadows.>>

"Yes. My hope is that if we can collect many of these pieces of body that are on commlinks, we can sell them. So the work will be to collect these pieces and find out who would be willing to buy them. As for buyers, finding one could be started by finding out where these pieces came from in the first place. Or something like this."

Dante pauses a moment as the waitress returns with the food. He orders a few more beers in Chinese - why not, the beautiful woman was paying after all.

"Just gathering the pieces itself could be very good for money. We charge a fee for this removal service."

@E:Tribes
September 1, 2072 22:28 Approx 600m from the Fre∑dom Mall, Puyallup
SIN: Iwakura Lain, PAN: Passive

<<Sprogget, you okay? What are you->> LeFey fails to suppress a yelp as she grabs the frame of the monocycle. She leaves the question unfinished. There was a much bigger problem. Her conversations with the tribe members made it clear they had little defense against magic. Even a single mage could be a huge threat, all on his own.

<<You've all heard the old saying, right? We might need to make that guy a priority target.>>

Doubtless they have, my pet. Shadowrunners entered the public eye (and media) approximately two decades ago. The interest in their subculture has shown no signs of waning since.

<<Not the time or the place!>> She whirled around. No time to contemplate this shot. They were moving too fast. Morgan fired the moment the reticule flashed red. Then it informed her the magazine was empty. Hurriedly, she ejected it and fumbled for a new one.