Brock stays close to the doctor to cover her case if anythinng happens staying very close. weaponless Brock feels very helpless without even his hammer to defend himself. how ever if need be he could always beat the snot out of any of them. "lets hope this goes quickly i dont like being out in the open like this."

Zian

The mana bends and writhes around your will, trying to break free of your grasp. Pulling it into you, a wave of acid and nausea washes through your stomach. Most of the area is dead, no insects or small creatures live here. You sense a warren of several devil rats in the distance behind you. Ahead of you, there's a group of metahumans.

Papa

There are several hidden nodes that pop up in your immediate area. They appear to be various electronics and vehicles from the team. Across the field, a passive node pings in your search--a commlink.

In the Quarantine Zone

Walking across the field, spent casings and empty wooden buildings are scattered across the landscape. The low brush and scrublands which is common across southern California is sparse and sickly. Crimson points in the direction of the coordinates, the ARO flowing with an arrow and distance.

As you crest one of the small hills, about fifty meters from the coordinates, you see a panel van parked in the valley. It has a digitized camouflage pattern in brown and beige. A stocky dwarf leans against the van in surplus BDUs. You watch as he chain smokes, lighting one cigarette from the burning remains of the first. The cigarette flicks into the scrubland still smoldering.

The dwarf bangs on the van and three humans wearing similar camosuits with wraparound sunglasses climb out.

Since Siren has some time now, while she is waiting on any information from the rest of the team, she sits down with her collected information, sorting through her notes and the stuff Horizon has given her, and begins writing the article for Sidney.

Once she is done, she will send a preliminary copy over to the comm numbers she has written down for that purpose, including Mara's and the other two researchers with a note to keep it confidential and that is is purely for the purpose of reviewing the article before it gets published.

Zihao will turn to Brock, his eyes appear to be empty sockets with clouds and mist escaping them.

"Your show here - what do we do next?"

Brock looks to the others he a to the mark and panel van. " guess I will make the first move, can you guys scout around for possible snipers and papa can you sense if there are any drones over head waiting for me to enter the kill box." Brock referring towards the empty space from where they are standing to the panel van, using his com's satellite connection he contacts theodore <@theodore[brock]" you got a name for the drop off team or person we are giving her too.right now I just see a few guys and a panel van.">

Brock

<@Brock [Theodore] Thorben Schmidt is your point of contact, though Schmidt is as common place as Johnson in some places. No one has contacted me about any issues. Presumably if you're at the right place and they have the cred, you should be as good as done.>

With theos response brock looks to the others. " we're good, once we have secured funds we will complete the trans action and call it a day.". with that said brock starts the walk to complete yet another run.

In the Quarantine Zone

"I was starting to wonder if your team would make good on delivery. Call me Herr Schmidt. Do you have the merchandise? After confirming its condition, we will release the funds."

The dwarf holds the cigarette on the side of his mouth, talking around it with the experience of a hardcore addict. He speaks with a nasal British accent.

Brock can see the glowing embers of cigarettes in the surrounding grass. They smolder quietly. It's only by luck that none have caught the nearby grass and weeds on fire...yet.

Zihao nods at the request from Brock and with a thought from him Gen slips into the astral. Slipping and twisting through the ether of the at plane, he tries to remain out of sight while taking a look around.

Let me know if you see anything that might be a problem for us.

Brock grins <@team[brock]" bring her down guys, papa please grab her com before she comes down might be some vital info on there, they want to check her out before payment is complete">. Looking at the butts is the sand and the rate he was smoking them, he figured they had been here a while waiting. " took some time to get her away from but none the less job done well." the way these guys looked brock figured these guys wouldn't mesh well with general population even in a prison setting none the less a corp complex.

Gan disperses and leaps away into the astral as well, Zian repressing a slight frown of frustration. He hadn't asked the spirit to go, but Gan wasn't likely to stay behind where there was potential excitement to be had without a significant effort on his ally's part.

As the end of the job draws nigh, Zian glances over at the scientist, concentrating on the lingering shreds of mana trailing from her aura, the portions that represented the spell he'd cast. In a few hours it would be gone anyway, but he saw no reason to hand over any potential information to such unknowns.

He nods to Zihao as he finishes, indicating that the woman could be sent down to them.

Zihao turns towards the group but mostly addressing his question to Brock.

"I need to erase the lingering traces of my magic from her before we send her on her merry way but as soon as the spirit releases her I suspect she will react. Do you have a way to restrain her?"

In the Quarantine Zone

"I have a zip tie that can hold her hands. Nothing to keep her from seeing us though." Crimson reaches into her coat and pulls out a long plastic cord and zips it into a loose circle to slip around Mara's wrists. She offers it out to Zihao.

"Beyond that, we can probably control her fairly easily if she tries to run."

Nodding his head in thanks he pauses and looks over her clothes while he draws a slim blade - some sort of martial arts blade from the looks of it - from a concealed sheath and deftly cuts a panel free from the front of her blouse. Sliding the blade back away he takes the flap, pulls up and secures it behind her head to block her vision.

He pauses and reaches out to the spirit within her and beckons it forth, sending it back to the deep astral realms where it resides. He holds the restraint tightly and easily with his enhanced strength. He looks her over and pauses long enough to remove the traces of his magic upon her before following the troll down to do the exchange.

In the Quarantine Zone

Mara pulls against the restraint as her whole body quivers from the spirit departing. "What's going on? Qu'est-ce qui se passe? You have the wrong person. I'm just a researcher."

With the spirit bolstering his strength, Zihao easily moves her down the hill. The men against the van open their mouths slightly in a smile at the healthy curves exposed by the cut blouse. They hold her between them roughly.

"Give me some room."

The dwarf shoves his way in to get a hold of one of her hands. He puts a slim device against her thumb. There is a hiss as a needle draws a small droplet of blood.

The red light turns green. Turning away from the men, Herr Schmidt turns to Brock. He gives his men instructions as he takes a step closer to the massive troll.

"Put her in the van. Let's go. The funds should be released from the escrow account."

In AR

The passive node vanishes from view as the dwarf thumbs a switch and climbs into the van. An alert of a pending transfer shows up on Brock's interface.

Brock double checks the funds are transferred, he sends the funds to papa to clear and dive up to the others.

Nodes cataloged and triangulated, Papa keeps with the team, turns down the electronic signature of the team and follows.

He watches the transfer with a clinical lack of empathy, his only emotion happiness that the job was completed successfully. Upon receipt of the funds from Brock, he vets the certified cred and sends an update to the team that the nuyen has arrived and that it is good.

Once the "package" is transferred, he begins a retrograde motion towards the team's vehicle, all without a word spoken.

Zian relaxes as the meet completes successfully, without anyone acting upon the threads of violence hanging taut in the air. As everyone walks back to the vehicles, he looks at Papa's back for a long moment, and then glances at Zihao, the normal unspoken language of two that lived their life so closely further enhanced by the threads of magic binding them.

"He seems...detached. Quiet. Quieter than when we met, just a few days ago. Do think think it's something-"

Zihao looks over to the withdrawn hacker and then back to his brother.

"He may be uncomfortable with the people she was given over to but I don't know. They all are......odd to me."

With Mara handed over and the extraction wrapped up for good, it was now the time to look forward again and prepare for things to come.

<< @Team [Siren] Now that we are back in prep stage, I will be out of town and off the grid for about a week. I cannot say the exact date, when I am back, it depends a bit on how things will be going. I will be able to check messages occasionally and I can let you know a few days in advance, when I will be done, most likely, but I won't be available immediately via comm, and I won't be able to come back before I am finished. See you soon! >>

Siren packs her belongings for a small trip and then she takes her car and drives off. She had sent messages to her sisters already, to assemble the coven.

Quarantine Zone

The group of men forcefully shove a struggling Mara into the panel van. A scream is cut short as the backdoor closes. The dwarf flicks his last cigarette into the brush and climbs into the van.

Your team begins to evacuate the area, moving swiftly with the aid of the spirits until you are back at the vehicles. Crimson helps move stuff into Papa's van and waves saying that she will meet you back at the safehouse after ditching the car.

Later

A message comes across the team's network. <<@Team [Crimson] An associate from down south is in town. I have to bail, unless you guys want a world of hurt chasing after me. I will catch up with you when it's clear. Ramos will still be prepped to fly you in near Crater Lake next week.>> A small data packet with contact information for the smuggler is attached to the message.

The next week

There were nine of them. Nine lives. One soul. They knew each other. They trusted each other. Like one.

Siren had spent some time in preparation with her sisters, but for the majority of the week, she was alone. Meditating. Reflecting on the past and the future. Things that went. Things that would come. Things she liked. And things she hated. A song was already forming in her mind, as it always did. Music was her soul, it kept her together.

After the week, she met her sisters again, for the ritual. It would make her stronger, more attuned to her magic. She was glad, that she did not have to do this alone.

The proceeds of the deed distributed, Papa watched as the team members went their own way. For him, he returned to the bunker with Brock. His sullen mood continued.

Rather than using the sleep regulator to sleep deep, this night he turned it off and let his body attempt a natural sleep pattern. The result was a fitful, unpracticed event that barely passed for sleep. It included cries echoed from the past, stirred by the memories haunting not of jobs completed, but of teammates fallen. He awoke in a sweat early the next morning and left quietly.

That first day found him roaming the city. His own personal paranoia caused him to re-spoof his access IDs and using the chameleon coating on the van to change its appearance several times. By the evening, he found himself at Boulevard-17, a nightclub catering to a tech-savvy clientele. The night is filled with indulgences of libations, chemicals and interpersonal contact not in character to the troll. The morning's sun screams into the van, where he eventually passed out, assaulting his senses like a jack hammer to old concrete.

The rest of the day is spent recovering from the excesses of the night before. By midday, that is done in a private room in an upscale hotel with room service all complements of an expense account belonging to a small corporate customer of the hotel. The next morning, with a complementary bathrobe and fruit basket he checked out and drove on, later erasing all records and video of his presence.

The first two days gone attempting to refind his equilibrium, the hacker begins to settle back in to thoughts of the task that lies ahead. He reflected on the direction they would head and the vastness of the location area they would need to search. His wits restored and his focus returned, he reaches out to the new contact introduced by Crimson.

<<@Ramos [Papa] Chummer - Reaching out about our upcoming trip. Want to go over the specifics and current climate of the trip.>>

Brock recieves the nuyen from papa. Seeing the rest of the team head off in all directions brock accompanies papa bafk to thd bunker, thd quiet trip was not like the troll from the previous time they were all together. If the restless sleep wdre not a sign the troll was troubled the talking and yelling in his sleep and than sudden absence the morning after was aparant the troll was worried about something, non the less is was not brocks place to question. The last one yo leave the bunker he locks the door and head ls to his dos paying the rent and cleaning the local streets from gang scum, he was very busy the first few days getting rid of the gangs thatnoticed his absence so to speak he had to remind them he was still around. By mid week he was spending his time working out and trying to find out more about his current employment and loomed up the mark of the last job to see if there was anything on the news about her disappearance. @papa[brock] "hey chummer thought i would touch base with you, any details for our travel arrangements or word from the others?" brock needed to get out of the hood and gain some real knfluence and backing if he was going to take on the Halloween scrum and that 50k would help a lot.

Zihao and Zian
The ride back from the job went quickly, more so since Zihao was looking for a way to burn off the excess energy from the job. Though it went smoothly it left little outlet for his need for action and chaos. The ride home would have to suffice. They pull in and stash the bike and make their way back into the house. With a nod to each other they quickly part ways as one heads to their room and the other to check in on their mother.

Arrangements are made for a couple of high visibility nights with their dates on the town and producing at least one party in a trendy club with their alter egos names - the Li Brothers - all over it. The event should cover the small influx of cash they just received. They talk up their last job with their mother over the week and the upcoming one that includes some travel this time. They spin out a tale of espionage and head hunting for Horizon making sure to drop hints of the megastars involved and feel the satisfaction as her face lights up. Her pride in her sons is matched by her enjoyment of their new life as she plans a trip with a few of the women from her golfing classes to help keep her busy while they're out of town.

They schedule a gathering of the Jianhuren to travel further down the path of enlightenment. The six other seekers congratulate them on their deepening understanding of the eight symbols and they discuss everyone's progress towards life everlasting. There is still an undercurrent from the group about how viable their approach is but none object. Every way must be explored and who knew where the truth actually resided. The gathering disperses with promises made to meet once again in the next season to see what each has learned.

They find themselves with their gear packed and ready to leave as they send out the message to the team asking for a location to meet for the transport out of town.

Papa

<<@Papa [Ramos] Everything's five by five. Heading out eight by twelve at the first hour. Pick up at the bunker. Weather is oppressively hot.>>

Brock

As you poke and prod through the Matrix, there aren't any signs of Mara popping up on the grid that you can see. A newsblast from Horizon comes in about one of their top researchers who went missing. The article names her and ends with an impassioned plea from her team to return to the lab safe and sound.

Team

With your week away, the team reconvenes at the bunker. The vehicles have come and gone a few times, but the tarp covering the pile lays untouched. None of the cots look to have been slept in recently and the sharp chemical disinfectant smell coming from the toilet in the corner has begun to spread across the room.

Brock assaulted by the smell when he first walks in immediatly takes care of the portable blue bowl dumping it and popping a fresh pill into the bowl before replacing it in the bunker. He also opens several vents and leaves the door open while buying air spray to disinfect the air make the bunker smell a little more friendly. Seeing everyone show up he is satisfied that with the working of the last job this time around maybe there will be less problems and hopefully they do not run into another team and have to deal with them.

Brock looks around after a quick cleaning " so....we're good to go for the bird correct? I don't have contacts connected enough to find out where this next item is have any of you had any success ?"

Saturday, August 6th, 2072

His personal demons excised, he checks in on his father and insures everything is good there. To that end, he works on the rent, utilities, food, entertainment, etc.

Sunday, August 7th, 2072

Another day with his father and working on accounts.

Wednesday, August 10th, 2072

For Papa, the last few days were spent traveling around L.A. Working his P2.0 feed, editing old video and uploading it. Time spent talking to Harvey about the trip and the target.

<<@Brock [Papa] Got a hold of Ramos. The pick up is at the bunker tomorrow; I'll be there today.>>
-----
Arriving shortly after Brock, he pulls a chair and sits outside as the air inside clears.

Papa

These are all expensive secrets that you are seeking. I have shared much information with you, in exchange for the minds and archives of information you carried me to across your sea of electricity. Share the stone with another, one who bears a secret he wishes never come to light. The ones who bind their bodies with their spirits would be best.

A week after she had gone into hiding, Siren reappears on the grid. The first sign of her is her commlink getting logged back into TeamNet, then her catching up with what happened while she was away. On the next day, her car pulls up at the safehouse to prepare for the upcoming journey.

The cab had stopped several blocks away, glad to get rid of the twins that completed each other's sentences and their bags of gear. Walking the last few blocks with bags in hand, the twins seem to be carrying on another of those silent conversations, occasionally glancing at each other while they're body language, head motions, and even the occasional eye-roll or laugh seemed indicative of some intimate discussion.

Stepping up to the front of the bunker, seeing everyone else already situated, Zian drops his bags to one side and nods to the collected crew.

<<@Team[Zian]: So, as I understand it, we don't have a specific location, but we know the general location of the object and we're being transported by air, correct? So, we'll get dropped in, and then proceed on foot to->>

<<@Team[Ziaho]:... to the closest locations we know about. I can keep us alive and from getting lost while we're in the great outdoors. Please share any data you have gathered so far about the artifact and it's possible locations. How close to our drop site is any place to buy gear or restock?>>

He tosses his bags down next to his brother's gear while nodding to the collected runners.

Friday -- August 12, 2072 0100

At the bunker

The day and evening passes. Just before one in the morning, there is a rumbling sound and the ground shakes slightly. A spot of dark night, flashing IR lights, and high winds blowing the debris is all that is visible for a few seconds. With a flicker of static, the thunderbird becomes visible. The back hatch drops open and several red dots begin scouring the area looking for targets.

<@Papa [Ramos] Wheels up in three minutes.>

After loading on board, the team can see several small drones on rails. They move up and down the length of the smuggler craft with small appendages and cutting tools. A few of the others have short barrels akin to an underbarrel grenade launcher. Several jumpseats are bolted to the walls with five point harnesses. The majority of the space is left open for cargo. Tiedowns run across the floor to accommodate any size package.

Friday -- August 12, 2072 1900

The ride is uncomfortable as you bounce and jounce across the PCC and Cal Free. Refueling is done in canyons with hard and well-armed men and women keeping an eye on the team as tankers move into position.

Its cold in the shadow of Crater Lake, with snow in sporadic patches around you. The air is 43F/6C. A voice comes across the speaker, telling you to call an hour before takeoff and he will be here. Hot extractions were not covered in his fee. Looking at a GPS, the edge of the lake is 14 kilometers to the west. The military quarantine extends for 3 kilometers from the edge of the lake in every direction.

Wednesday, August 10th, 2072

The rest of the previous day passed without incident, except Siren's return to teamnet. Papa sent her a greeting and invite to breakfast. Brock & Papa gathered supper from a little cafe, paying with gift certificates obtained weeks ago when hacked upgrades in the team's bolt hole lifestyle.

Thursday, August 11th, 2072

Siren and Brock assemble at an I-Hop for breakfast paying against a corporate secret shopper account. For Papa, his mood is upbeat with the team getting back together. He makes small talk about current events and shares several humorous videos from his favorite P2.0 and Me-Feed subscriptions.

At the bunker, he settles in, downloading all the current details about Crater Lake, the Tir, local flora, fauna and simply megapulses of data.

Friday, August 12, 2072@01:00

<<@Team [Papa] You have 2.5 minutes to get your gear and be aboard.>>

Grabbing his own rucksack and a drone case with one of the roto-drones. He recalls his fly-spies and repeater, stowing them in hard cases in his pockets. He nods to the other teammates, smiling with anticipation, grabbing and editing video as he goes, preparing for his next channel upload. He checks the gloves and mask of his chameleon suit, as well as the modifications to his flat black motorcycle helmet. Ingram slung under his arm and Ares Alpha across his back, his seriously hopes none of his arsenal will be needed. His hands reflexively go to the comlink in armored case on his thigh.

Friday, August 12, 2072@19:00

The troll hacker had used his sleep regulator to force himself to sleep from noon until 16:00 to insure he was well rested for the next faze. For the last three hours he had been on the edge of his seat (as much as the five-point harness would allow) as they closed in on the drop point. Clearing from the aircraft with the Alpha in hand, he deployed both fly-spies once the wind sheer subsided, keeping the roto-drone in its case for now.

As they land, he hands Siren a gift. "This is Harvey. Kind of a Pooka of sorts. For mystical questions it can be a source of knowledge, but the answers are never direct and it will eventually want to move to a new user." He holds it in his hand towards her.

He then looks to the twins, "Ideas?" while beginning a sensor scan for all nodes in range.

Exiting the aircraft, Zihao stands a moment and looks around. Drawing a breath he reaches out and calls a spirit to him - one of air and wind. He grabs it quickly and efficiently, bonding it to his will for a short time. He settles the spirit and draws it within his own body and feels the rush of power as his physical form is augmented. With a few moments more, he weaves the mana flows through his body and his brother's accelerating their reactions and response time. He ties off the flows into the sustaining foci in his ears. He blends his thoughts with Gen asking him to protect the group with what abilities he could and they both give what strength they have to Zian to weave a defense against other magic. With the final snap of everything going into place, he speaks out loud.

"Ok we're here campers. Can we get the location and distance to the nearest relatively safe settlement? Do we have a map for this region or can you pull one down as a rough guide Papa? We need to know.."

" -sites that we need to investigate, and any likely locales for the artifact at that point. I'll be updating TeamNet™ if anything bigger than a housecat gets close, so watch for 'unknown' markers on your display." The twins had come in the epitome of packing light, only the twin fighting knives and the Savior™ medkit apparent as Zian's possessions as they dropped in the forest. The voice was slightly muffed by the hood of his jumpsuit, but it did double duty to conceal the most significant features that tended to bleed through as both of them summoned elemental spirits and immediately bid the spirits take their bodies.

Siren accepts the breakfast invitation, and is happy to see her teammates alive and well after the week (you never know what kind of trouble people end up in, after all).

As Papa offers her to keep Harvey for a while, she curiously looks at whatever he is holding out to her in his hand.

Siren

The small stone appears to be a chunk of obsidian. There are no auras or enchantments around it.

Interesting... either it is able to hide itself, or not awakened and something else entirely...

"Well then... thank you. And hello to you, Harvey."

Siren takes the small stone into her own hand and continues to look at it with curiosity.

Siren

As the stone touches your skin, you feel a warmth spread across the inside of you--like the warm breeze of a summer night trapped within your body. Looking out at the space around you, dark shadows and purple highlights frame everything for a few seconds before fading away. Purple webs surround Papa and you feel a pull towards his rucksack and items under the tarp.

Hello, Melody. A secret cannot be untold once it is spoken, our Knowing must remain as long as the secrets are known. You now carry our Knowing, a thing that feeds our thoughts and gives us the secrets that it knows. You must bear it in all places that your mind will travel, do so willingly and it will have no influence. Do so unwillingly and it will find a home. When the secrets are again unknown to your world, the Knowing will return to us.

Some of our secrets come with prices greater than this. We trade for information and new bearers, as you have become.

Team

As Siren takes the stone, her eyes turn to the same solid black that Papa's are. Every fold and crease of her skin is filled with darkness, a living shadow. When it is all done, it looks as if there is black grime or dust caught along the cuticles, in each knuckle, across her entire body. With a glance back and forth, you are able to see the same darkness surrounding the hacker, much more noticeable now that you've seen the transition.

Looking at the transformation, Zihao locks eyes with his brother raising a single eyebrow in an unspoken question.

"So obviously something just happened...."

Brocks first reaction to the aircraft and papa's small window made him happy all his gear was still packed all he had to do was grab the plastic explosives det caps and cords grenades and shotgun and ammo before jumping into the aircraft and strapped in he braces for the flight. Flying wasn't his favorite but it didn't bother him either. He stayed alert the entire flight once again going over the cargo they had and supplies to wnsure they didn't miss anything, he wished they had room for his gopher it would have been ideal foe this area and mission.

"I sure hope it doesn't stay like that ..." Siren comments upon noticing the black spots as well, clearly not being happy about it; at all.

Brock witness the transfer from papa to siren, uneducated in all things magical he just let the ones who dealt with it talk about it the noticeable physical appearance was in unnerving, seeing monsters of a magical nature and now this Brock was happy with getting his mind on the job. Brock's LMG in hand and a few grenades tapped attached to belt for easy access brock took up a position once off the aircraft and started scanning for potential threats with his natural eye sight looking for heat signatures.

"...and I'm assuming it's tied to whatever Papa just handed to you?"

Looking at Papa and his still altered state, his face looking doubtful as he speaks.

"I wouldn't count on it. Does the change signify something, I'm going to assume yes so what does it exactly mean?"

Friday, August 12, 2072@19:00

Papa pulls the most current satellite data archived on his comlink last evening. He also searches the data for threats/warnings/hazards/structures/habitations.

Since Papa does not seem to answer her, Siren turns to Harvey.

"Alright, then... Harvey? Is that actually your name, or what you would like to be called? How do I get rid of these shadows? I don't like them at all."

Siren

A wind blows through your mind, bits of memories pop vibrantly like the camera flashes of a photo shoot.

We are Those-Who-Walk-In-Darkness. Your name for us does not matter. The shadows are the Mark of the Bearer. To no longer bear the Knowing, place the stone in the hand of two whom are willing. An effort of will can transfer it to them along with the Mark. This will only work, so long as you do not know our secrets.

Papa

Satellite feeds show several structures around Crater Lake before the quarantine was placed over the area. Currently, no satellite imagery is available. The old I-97 is two kilometers to the east, away from the lake. It looks like you are due east of the lake halfway between Grotto Cove and Cloudcap Bay. Reports from the area include the public interdiction from trespassing, put forth by the Council of Princes, rumors of magic being very difficult to control, and spirits being driven insane. Scattered cabins were present five years ago. The main road entering the area is the Crater Lake Highway, twenty-five kilometers to the southwest.

Friday, August 12, 2072@19:01

"Current images are simply not available. I was able to locate some outdated satellite feeds though; about five years old. They should work as a starting point, but given the age, anything goes." The hacker shares the feeds on their TacNet, simultaneously reducing the signal of all the comlinks to reduce their electronic signature. Using his repeater drone, he checks for any matrix access points in their range, perhaps along the old highway.

"Also, there seems to be some sort of twist in magic here. Makes spirits crazy and stuff like that." Looking to the brothers, "Perhaps you all shouldn't give crazy spirits access to your bodies? They'll be tough enough to deal with as is."