[Cynthia Rawson - 23:43, Wednesday June 12th, 2075 - Stuffer Shack, Industrial District, Seattle] #635

Cynthia shakes her head, and doesn't even think about it before answering. "No."

#14

Spokane watches her for a moment and nods. Okay then.

Wednesday 12 June 2075 2350 Stuffer Shack Seattle


Tanya looks at Spokane for a bit then nods. "I guess I was not certain that you were watching the same building. I am sorry for the misunderstanding." She smiles. "Alright, so why don't you explain again about this building withing a building? If eight men left, how many does the mean are still there?"

She looks over at Cynthia next. "Are you sure things aren't related, Cynthia? If not, there is a lot of coincidence here and I am not a true believer in a lot of coincidence."

[Cynthia Rawson - 23:50, Wednesday June 12th, 2075 - Stuffer Shack, Industrial District, Seattle] #636

Cynthia frowns for a moment, apparently hesitating to answer. In the end, she shrugs "I didn't say it wasn't related. Just that he shouldn't know. Right now, one of the main reason I'm still alive is that in every situation that turned...well...not so good... I hadn't shared anything, which means no one knows what I do know. Otherwise... Well... Let's say I wouldn't have had to deal with three men waiting in front of my house, but enough explosives to level the block. So I'm not exactly eager to change that, especially for someone I don't know anything about." She snorts, looking at Sandy "Hell, I didn't tell her anything, and I wouldn't be alive without her." With a smile she adds "Though of course, without her I wouldn't have been in danger at all. But I wouldn't know some rather important things so all in all..." She glances at Spokane "Given that he keeps all his information for himself, and said even less than we did, it's only fair anyway." Absolutely unrepentant, she adds "Of course, even if he did share..."

#15

Whatever. I'm used to the whole compartmentalization thing. Let's just be clear. I was hired to do a job less than an hour ago. If I don't have enough information to do my job then you don't get to complain about my decisions based on the information I do have and if it puts my people in danger, I will hold you responsible. So think hard about what you want to share and what you don't.

As for what information I have, I just told you. We did a sweep of the interior and informed you of the team on the move. I do have a drone following them and a drone watching the building still. Further Steve has offered to show you the drone feeds. What else did you want to know? My shoe size?

He looks at Tanya I haven't gotten inside the building just yet and Steve hasn't found a way to get in either. See for yourself.

[Cynthia Rawson - 23:50, Wednesday June 12th, 2075 - Stuffer Shack, Industrial District, Seattle] #637

Cynthia shakes her head "If you don't want to come, then don't, but don't spout that crap about holding me responsible. Your decision are yours alone." She seems about to continue on the same subject in a rather less than civil tone, but manages to hold herself. Though she adds "I don't need to think, hard or otherwise, about what I want to share and what I don't. In either case the answer is simple: nothing. I don't know you, I have approximately zero reason to trust someone who's given me no reason to do so, and who's here just because he was hired. Why the hell should I share anything with you when it would probably get me killed? Steve didn't offer anything of the sort, you asked her if she wanted to share it. For now, I have nothing. As for whatever problems I may have otherwise, they're not around here. Or they're already inside the warehouse, which means it doesn't matter."



Even if she tried to contain herself, Cynthia is starting to be really pissed off "I really have better to do than that, but fine. You want me to find your shoe size? Alright." Pretty sarcastically, she adds "I hope for you nothing you hid will make me raise red flags while I look for it and draw attention to you."

She checks the progress of the mercenaries and Vlad's men, then starts a search on Spokane (mainly), Steve (mainly because she's with Spokane) and Laughing Dog (but only on the periphery, he was rather nice after all), trying to learn more about who they are and what their goal might be here. She's not yet at the point where she'll just get everything she can from their 'links, but not too far now.



Matrix Search: 14d6t5 7, to start the Matrix Search, oriented on anything regarding this case (mercenaries, Sampson, etc.).
Area Knowledge: Seattle: 10d6t5 4, if it can help regarding Steve, since I suppose she has some gang identification marks (on her or her bike outside).

And I'll conclude by saying sorry about that ^^
Between the events of the last few days which kinda made Cynthia a bit paranoid, added to her stubbornness and her abysmal lack of social skills (both being obvious)... Well...

Wednesday 12 June 2075 2352 Stuffer Shack Seattle


Tanya looks back and forth between the people at the booth. "Are we at an impasse here where this is falling apart? I do not sense a terrific desire on anyone's part to share all the information. Cynthia, please control your temper here. No one is challenging you and it is hardly fair to believe that everyone is your enemy and out to get you. Now, Spokane has made Steve's drone feeds available for us and I, for one, like the resolution and the placement of the drones. Well done, Steve. And Spokane, Cynthia has been the target of more than one attempt to kill her, one just a few hours ago and she has a right to be a bit suspicious. However, this is a team effort and I expect a team to do it. I think that we can all bring something to the table, but is everyone willing to try? Any problems with that from anyone?"

[Cynthia Rawson - 23:52, Wednesday June 12th, 2075 - Stuffer Shack, Industrial District, Seattle] #638

Cynthia grumbles, shrugs, then nods. But doesn't stop her search anyway, with AR screens showing the mercenaries and the feed from Steve's drone once she finally has access to it. Next time she may consider just snooping it and be done with it...

Gradually however, she starts to focus on the warehouse and less on her search (that, she still keeps going on no matter what). Studying it, she starts to work on it, sharing what she has with Tanya, Monique and Sandy. Then, when one of the three pointedly looks at her, she grumbles some more, and shares it with the other three.

She highlights the points of interest, identifies and listing the guards' loadout as well as their fields of view. In just a minute, a lot of tactical information appears. The only thing she didn't include concern their Matrix presence, be it 'links, cyberware or hardware, since she didn't check yet. There are only interrogation marks there. With a glance at Laughing Dog, she adds a line saying "Awakened?" to be filled later.



Small units Tactics: 11d6t5 6 for all this analysis, and I got quite lucky on this roll, Cynthia is doing a nice work on that
That was about the warehouse drone, but there's also a feed of a drone following the van? It can just be in the background for now, I want to make sure about that before Cynthia reacts to it.

#16

Like I said I'm used to compartmentalization but everything works better when information is shared. You want to keep the goals of this job quiet then you do that but I won't be able to determine the best way to handle things unless you tell me what it is you are looking for. The reason it's on you, is because you are the one with the information. You folks are the ones doing the hiring. You say investigate the warehouse...well it's investigated, shall I just take my money and leave or is there more to this operation. You mentioned something about a host? You are looking for info on the guys who tried to kill you? You think it's these guys in the warehouse? Or am I just supposed to follow you around with my assault rifle?

[Cynthia Rawson - 23:52, Wednesday June 12th, 2075 - Stuffer Shack, Industrial District, Seattle] #639

Cynthia doesn't answer straight away. It's unclear if it's just because she doesn't want to, or if she didn't pay attention to the questions. At some point though, she says "I know perfectly who they are, where they are - most of at least two groups of them anyway - who they're working for and why they want to kill me. So no, I'm not here for them. I'm just interested in their Host, that's all. There are other ways to deal with them." After a few seconds, eyes unfocused, she mumbles "And this building inside a building, looks interesting..."

After a couple more seconds, she adds "And since you have no idea what's inside the...inside...building...It's not investigated at all. But..." She shrugs "I'm not the one doing the hiring anyway." At that she focuses on Tanya, looking like she'd want to know exactly why she did it. She grimaces, then comes back to Spokane "And even if you're not out to get me, that doesn't mean I'll share information with you, not when I have no idea where your loyalties lie. No matter how many times you ask or try to intimidate me with that responsibility crap. Either you're dumb muscle - your words, not mine - and you do what you're told with what you're told or you're more than that. Then you have stuff to explain. But that's not even relevant since Tanya already explained why we wanted to look into the warehouse, what more do you want?"


Now, her tone becomes lower, clearly she's beginning to get angry "You know why we're here, what we want, the reason we want it and who we are. We on the other hand know your fake names and that's it. And the feed. So excuse me if I find your...requests...for even more information just a tad cheeky and really fishy. Why were you interested in this warehouse, to the point that you had drones inside? Why do you care about the guards who left, so much that you have a drone following? I too can ask questions, and since yes, we're doing the hiring, then isn't it your duty to inform us of everything relevant regarding this? Your argument works both ways, maybe I should hold you responsible if anything goes sideway. Make a list of what we shared and what you shared, put them side by side then try telling me again I'm the problem."

She stares angrily at Spokane now. Of course, she didn't tell them exactly what they knew or suspected. But Tanya said a lot already, whereas he didn't offer anything of value. Sure, the drone feed is interesting, but Sandy would have been able to get that much in seconds, a minute or two at the outside. They don't know anything about this group however. She chose to respect their privacy, and they go so far as to accuse her of not sharing information? That's breathtakingly hypocritical, and Cynthia is about ready to explode, a hair's width away from just plundering their 'links and damn the consequences. Among other things. She might be tempted to just brick every piece of hardware they own. Or at least that he owns.

Wednesday 12 June 2075 2354 Stuffer Shack Seattle


Tanya raps a knuckle on the table to get everyone's attention. "Spokane has asked a fair question. The warehouse belongs to a company that also owns Liston Pharmaceuticals. Some months ago some anthrax virus samples were stolen from a storage facility managed by Liston and contracted by the UCAS military. Even though Liston has documents that show that the virus samples are all still accounted for, I believe them to be missing. I was contacted a while ago by a man now dead with information that rogue elements of Renraku Corporation have been working through a AA Corporation by the name of Sampson Industries and certain elements of the Yakuza to develop a weaponized version of the virus that would be designed to affect only certain elements of society. Apparently there was some evidence that indicated initial testing had been done and that the virus is in its next phase of development. I was to receive an attache case with the relevant proof from a courier last Saturday at Washington Recreational Park."

She looks around at the nods and expressions. "Yes, I see that all of you are familiar in some way with what happened at Washington Rec and subsequently at Mercy General Hospital and the Redmond Barrens gang war. All of this is related and the fact that someone is willing to kill lots of innocent people to keep the secret tells me that there is something to the story. Part of our investigation led us to question the Goldstein Building. Cynthia, at great personal risk, has given me information that the actual construction is far different than the blueprints and public information would suggest. The company we are investigating this morning, Grainger Manufacturing, is involved in the construction project and is wholly owned by Sampson Industries, which alone makes me suspicious. Our goal is to get Cynthia inside the building where she can have a better chance of infiltrating the rather difficult host to see if she can find anything out."

"However, up until a few hours ago, it was only Cynthia, Monique, and myself on the team. Then Cynthia found Sandy, a rigger, and our chances got a bit better. I am OK with drones, but I prefer to have a specialist working with me on something like this." She nods to Spokane, Steve, and Laughing Dog. "It never hurts to have backup, so I am glad to have another rigger on the team to help us. And I was in the dark about a mage, so am glad for any assistance Laughing Dog can provide. Monique and I will get us into the building, but we are not really combat support, especially against a number of armed mercenaries and it would appear that Spokane is our ace in the hole there, along with two of Sandy's armed drones."

"We do not know exactly what we are looking for yet, but this does seem like a place to start. Now, any questions?"

[Cynthia Rawson - 23:54, Wednesday June 12th, 2075 - Stuffer Shack, Industrial District, Seattle] #640

Cynthia looks at Tanya as if she suddenly had a second head or something, unable to believe that she would give that much information. In fact, she's very clearly ready to bolt. In her opinion, the fact she didn't tell anyone but Tanya about the Goldstein Building and what she found there is one of the main reason she "only" had three mercenaries assigned to her. Well, that and Bogota of course.

To see Tanya just casually give all that without so much as a peep from the three others? What the hell!? She's starting to regret having trusted anyone now. At least when she's alone, she's the only one taking decisions that impact her that much. She glares angrily at Tanya too now. "He accuses us of hiding things when they told us nothing and you just give them even more information?"

Cynthia rubs her forehead. She clearly seems distressed and looks at the exit, thinking about what would make her stay. And there's not much at this point. She's curious about the inside building, but it's not critical, Not anymore at least.

She'll have to remember the trick next time. Get your contacts to share information, accuse them of giving nothing in order to get even more information, and all the while say nothing yourself. Works pretty well apparently. From the way she looks at Spokane, it's clear she's disgusted. And her trust in Tanya just took a huge hit, disappointment clearly written on her face. She was hesitant in hiding some stuff from her, but now? Yeah, whatever she learns she'll keep to herself if it's the only way she can make sure if doesn't reach the wrong ears.

She shakes her head, and closes the overlay in the feed from the warehouse she shared with everyone "It's probably best if we don't do more tonight. I think I'm too tired for this now, long day and all that, there's obviously something going on with the guards..." she shrugs.




No, Cynthia didn't leave yet. She's very seriously considering doing it and just cutting any link she has with all that for a month or two though. Something she would almost certainly do if she leaves like that.

Regarding Tanya, it's fixable. But for Spokane... At the very least, it will take time, Cynthia really didn't like what just happened. She could have been convinced to share more of what she learned if some trust had been established but now... Even to Tanya she won't say most of the stuff she learns unless something is done to fix that.
Tanya is the one who instigated all of that, so Cynthia will accept that she gets to say what she wants. At some point anyway. But the way Spokane greedily extorted the information, she won't forget anytime soon and right now, I don't see a way to make her accept it, assuming one exists.

Ain't you just bein' mean at this point? All Johnsons hold shit back that's how the gig works, but you hadn't so much as told me the job except in the vaguest sense. When I got hired for this job, before you even showed up I only knew where we were going and about what time. I did some preliminary surveillance with our drones, or rather Steve did while I watched. Then I saw some goons leave and thought, hey here's a possible opportunity so I mentioned it. I've kept an eye on the ones leaving so we won't be surprised when they came back.

People are hunting you I understand your paranoia, but that ain't no reason to go snapping at yer friends. You want my real name. You already have it. Even my foster family calls me Spokane, my real name is Jeremiah IronCrow though if you really want to know but I honestly prefer Spokane. Hell that's even what Steve screams out in bed, doesn't get much more intimate than that. Steve is Stephanie, I...I don't think I should give her last name. She can tell you herself and Dog over there is Laughing Dog. I work with him professionally from time to time, but uh, you got me there I don't know if that's his real name or not.

Funny thing though I have a friend who was involved with some mercenaries hired by Sampson Industries. I didn't know Grainger or this building was part of that until just recently. We had been focusing on Avila and were about to check them out. I can't really go into detail about that op, another friend would seriously kill me. My friend Doc Sturges' clinic was attacked by these men when they brought one of their wounded to her place and then kidnapped her father. We've been looking for the mercenaries who did it. Sounds like this may be the place and it sounds like we are actually allied in our goals here. Though like your friend here said. I don't much care for coincidences. I know they happen, but I sure as hell don't trust them. If you are too tired to continue I've got a place you guys can crash...you said your place was wrecked. It's safe and there's a doctor there in case you guys are hurt from whatever happened when you came in.

[Cynthia Rawson - 23:54, Wednesday June 12th, 2075 - Stuffer Shack, Industrial District, Seattle] #641

As Spokane's speech goes on, Cynthia's expression darkens. If anything, she seems even more angry now than she was before. Until he mentions the friend who got into trouble with the mercenaries that is. There, her expression softens a bit, and she seems to pay more attention to what is said.

She lets a few seconds go by before she answers in a contained tone. "Two things first. One, I didn't ask for your names. I merely mentioned the fake names as a way to illustrate that we didn't know anything about you. Two, what else do you want to know about the job? I have to get into their Host, which is a hell of a lot easier if I have something slaved to it to connect to. I didn't find anything outside this morning, so here we are. And to check the inside building now of course. I don't know your skills, I won't tell you how to do your jobs. I thought you would prefer it if we pointed the objective - which is to get inside the warehouse - and let you decide how to to achieve it."

She frowns now "Now. Why the hell didn't you say... Oh I don't know, maybe fourty minutes ago... Something like 'Oh, you're interested in Sampson Industries? Wait, Cynthia you said you're being hunted? It wouldn't happen to be by the mercenaries killing people left and right in the last few days by chance? I'm only asking because, well, you see, a friend of mine met them in a not so pleasant way - go figure, they're really charming - which is why we're here in the first place.'? What do you think would have happened? So don't even think of blaming me for all this unpleasantness."

#18

Spokane sighs. I...look miss, I ain't tryin' ta blame nobody fer nothin'. I thought maybe you were a bit shell shocked from whatever it was that happened to you I didn't realize you were gettin' upset. I'm not much of a people person so please pardon me if I stuck my boot in my mouth. I just wondered what ya wanted me to do is all.

I didn't bring the other stuff up because I try not to jump to conclusions, particularly if the conclusion is a crazy ass coincidence. Besides I thought I'd already tracked down the two folks they were huntin'. Why are they huntin' you? Were you at Washington Rec or Mercy general?

[Cynthia Rawson - 23:54, Wednesday June 12th, 2075 - Stuffer Shack, Industrial District, Seattle] #642

Cynthia seems to hesitate for a moment, then nods. After a couple of seconds, she answers in an almost normal voice, compared to the one she had in the last minutes "Rowena and Bryant aren't the only people they're looking for. Rowena is probably on top of their list but..." she grimaces then, after a small pause, shrugs "I'm probably not far behind. They've been monitoring people in the matrix who were interested in what was going on, and identified eight they were interested in. Yesterday, two had been killed, two more were on the 'Terminate' list. There are two they probably recruited. The seventh was deemed interesting but probably too 'white' for what they wanted. And I'm the eighth, who, in their term, is a 'real catch'."

She frowns, then sighs "But that was yesterday. I'm not sure exactly why, but it looks like they don't plan to recruit me anymore, seeing that they emptied three rifles in my bedroom. Good thing I took precautions. And now?" She shakes her head "They have no idea about what I know. At least I hope so. But..." she looks to Sandy "With our last excursion, they should at least be aware that I know who the mercenaries are, and probably whom they're working for. Since they think I have some skill..." She shrugs "I suppose they're anxious about what exactly I can find out given some time." Then she grins "And they have no idea how right they are, and it'll bite them in the ass..." she glances at the feed monitoring the van "Soon hopefully."

But men with spirits took those guys out, who are they?

You know about Liston you said, do you know about the Bogata connection? Some sort of coup going on down there. That's where these goond are supposed to be going anyway. Seems like you guys know way more about this than we do.

Spokane turns to Tanya. So what's your part in all this? Aren't you supposed to be some hoity toity socialite? Why are you involving yourself in all this and why is it that you came to me and hire me to look into something I'm already investigating. That kinda coincidence makes me nervous.

[Cynthia Rawson - 23:54, Wednesday June 12th, 2075 - Stuffer Shack, Industrial District, Seattle] #643

Cynthia looks at Spokane for a few seconds as if he had asked the most obvious question ever. After a second, she nods "Of course I know about Bogota. In fact, I knew about Bogota before anything else. I learned about it as soon as it happened. Or was reported in the news anyway. I have a program colouring a map based on news and stocks exchange analysis. I thought it was a bug when it put Bogota in red but..." she considers for a moment saying she plans to go there on Monday or so, but it's not that important.

She shrugs "As for the spirits, like I said to Laughing Dog, I have my suspicions. I'll talk about it with the one I believe responsible, but for now, that's all I'll say on the subject."

At Spokane's question to Tanya, she can't help but snort "There are only two of Samspon's companies in Seattle. Officialy anyway. There's nothing interesting at Avila unless you happen to like blackmail material, so if you want to learn more you have to come here at some point. Under those circumstances, it's not a coincidence at all if we're here at the same time. We can hardly do that in the day after all, and it's only been four days. If you come back tomorrow, odds are you'll find another group interested in this." she glances at Tanya "And if I were Samspon & Co, I'd put surveillance here. It's a bit obvious as far as meeting points go."

Thursday 13 June 2075 0004 Stuffer Shack Seattle


Tanya smiles. "This is much better, thank you. Look, I need a team with me and I am doing my first shot at being a Johnson and probably making a ton of mistakes. My goal is to share what I have in the hopes that a well informed team is a happy team. To that end, I will continue to share what I know. Bogota has been mentioned, but I prefer to not discuss too much about that until we finish this. And, honestly, I had no idea that you were involved in looking at this warehouse, so in this case it is really a coincidence. I can understand your opinion, but I hope that my willingness to share information will breed some trust."

And yes, I am a very hoity toity socialite, but I am also a very accomplished thief and burglar. I am involved because a friend of mine asked me to look into something and now that I know some of what is happening, I feel a need to know more. Is that good enough for now?

The drone following the two cars of mercenaries shows that they are probably headed to a destination in Touristville, but they bypass the site of the cordoned off tea house. The van seems to be headed to Touristville as well.

@Cynthia Vlad's cars are not going to get to Touristville before either of the other groups. Also, Steve is indeed wearing gang symbols that allow you to find out she is part of an all-woman gang that controls a small neighborhood in the Barrens that has all of its members use men's names.

[Cynthia Rawson - 00:04, Thursday June 13th, 2075 - Stuffer Shack, Industrial District, Seattle] #644

Cynthia snorts "A Johnson? Are we playing at being Shadowrunners now?" she shakes her head, amused. And clearly not believing that whatever they're doing could indeed be seen as a shadowrun.

After a minute she grumbles "Frag." she sighs, disapointed.>>Vlad [Nimue]: You can slow down, you won't make it in time I think, unless they stop in the middle of nowhere or slow down themselves. There might be another van with eight men joining them wherever they're going, so it's probably something important. I'll let you know if they're someplace you can act, but I doubt it. And of course, I cannot promise anything regarding the time they will leave, assuming I can notice when they do.<<

Muttering under her breath, Cynthia goes back to her overlay of the situation in the warehouse. At some point she stops though, and releases the footage she prepared regarding the fake interception of the truck the protesters were hoping to prevent from reaching the Goldstein Building. Its a bit earlier than she planned, but it's not really a problem. Especialy considering that it might convince the protesters there's no need to try to infiltrate the construction site, and even that they may disperse for now. Which, in turn, could make the mercenaries think they can head back to their first destination.


The relevant rolls (showed earlier):
Small units Tactics: 11d6t5 6

Matrix Search; Edit file: 15d6t5 5 13d6t5 3
Edit file (try again): 11d6t5 4

Well seems you folks have a lot more information than I do, but at least I know what else to look for. I'm ready when you are,

Thursday 13 June 2075 0010 Stuffer Shack Seattle


Tanya looks amused. "Yes, a Johnson. And I think what we are doing puts us in the category of Shadowrunners, wouldn't you? So, does anyone need to do anything or get anything in the next fifty minutes to get ready?

>>Nimue [Vlad]: I understand. I will still proceed but with more caution. Extra mercenaries will make it harder. Thank you for the warning. I need you on my side. Come work for me.<<

The two cars of mercenaries stop at what appears to be a small warehouse in Touristville and seven men get out of the two cars and go inside. The van does appear to be headed in the same general direction, but will probably take another twenty to thirty minutes to get there.

[Cynthia Rawson - 00:10, Thursday June 13th, 2075 - Stuffer Shack, Industrial District, Seattle] #645

Cynthia shrugs "I didn't really think about it. Doesn't really matter anyway." She shakes her head "I have all I need here or in the van, so I'm good."

>>Vlad [Nimue]: You already have Barbara with you, you don't need more. And I'm a bit busy anyway. Anyway. The mercenaries have stopped into a warehouse, they're seven. The van is twenty to thirty minutes away. I'll try to see if I can find anything about the men I saw or the warehouse.<<

"I have some stuff to look for though, so in the meantime..." She props herself comfortably this time, sets her 'link to transmit the conversation "I have some stuff to look for. I'll listen in if you say anything but it's easier in VR."

Then, she goes in VR, to see if any of the men in the cars is known or if the warehouse is anything in particular. Once you go beyond the cover of course.


Matrix Search (Faces, Warehouse): 2#18d6t5 1 5 Woh O_o The first roll is not a glitch, but Cynthia went in weird places... I'll try again (with the one die penalty)
Matrix Search (retry): 17d6t5 7, much better

Spokane shrugs. We've got everything we need.

Thursday 13 June 2075 0055 Stuffer Shack Seattle


>>Nimue [Vlad]: You are right. I have the light of the world with me, but I was talking of just working together. So they have stopped. Tell me what warehouse and I will still try to see what we can do. Thank you for your help.<<

The warehouse seems to be an auto parts place, with a shop/garage in the front and a large work area. You do not get much from the bit of the mercenaries that you have seen so far. Sandy's drone is still waiting out front of the warehouse. The van with the reinforcements is arriving just as Tanya nods and says that it is time to leave. You estimate that Vlad will be in the area of the mercenaries in about ten or fifteen minutes.

Tanya stands, followed by Monique. "Everyone ready?"

[Cynthia Rawson - 00:55, Thursday June 13th, 2075 - Stuffer Shack, Industrial District, Seattle] #646

Cynthia laughs (in VR, so it's not really impressive...), sending the location of the warehouse >>Vlad [Nimue]: You do realise she has a fiancé right? Not a good one since he's cheating on her, but still, that's her business... Anyway, for 'work', as long as the goal is to stop the mercenaries, we'll talk. I'll need your commcode though, it'll be easier than go through Barbara every time. They stopped at a warehouse, looks like some sort of garage. No idea what's inside, but they have at least fifteen men: seven from the cars, eight from the van.<< She pauses, listening on Tanya >>Vlad [Nimue]: I'll be a bit busy, hacking and stuff in the next hour or so. If I don't answer straight away, that's why.<<

Then, she gets back to her body with a grimace, grumbling "This is always the part that I don't like..." She rubs her neck for a moment, then nods "Yup. Just need to grab a few things in the van and I'm good to go."

#22

Yep, let's get 'er done. Spokane stands and leaves riding with his group to the meet up about a block from the site. He straps his Ares Alpha on under his jacket and pockets the spare clips. So, who's coming and who's staying?

Thursday 13 June 2075 0056 Stuffer Shack Seattle


>>Nimue [Vlad]: I sneer at this former fiancee. In my presence, she has completely forgotten about him........well almost. She will not be returning to him except to clear her things to move to my place. You will be invited to the wedding. Thank you for the information. Fifteen men puts the odds a bit worse, but they would still be outnumbers if I only had one other man with me. Well, OK maybe two. I will see what is happening and let you know. Stay safe, my friend.<<

>>Nimue [Barbara]: Vlad said I am to send you his com code so here it is. And yes, I will make sure that you are invited to the wedding.<<

As everyone leaves the 'Shack, Tanya looks about at the rest of you. "The warehouse is about three blocks away so I was planning on walking there from here. It is a good question about who is remaining."

Sandy raises her hand. "I can support the operation from the van and deploy my Fly-Spys from here. I will leave the two armed drones on stand-by."

Steve nods and smiles. "Sounds good to me. Got enough room in the van for two?"

Sandy smiles and nods. Tanya turns to Laughing Dog and raises an eyebrow. The man nods. "No, I should at least be closer than here. I have some direct spells that might help."

Tanya nods. "Alright, since we have expanded our team a bit, Monique will remain in the van to make sure that our riggers are left alone. I will go with Cynthia, Spokane, and Laughing Dog and get you into the building and hold the point available for you to get back out. Spokane, please keep Cynthia safe while she is away from her body. Any last minute questions?"

[Cynthia Rawson - 00:56, Thursday June 13th, 2075 - Stuffer Shack, Industrial District, Seattle] #647

Cynthia chuckles >>Vlad [Nimue]: I probably should be the one wishing you good luck since you're the one breaching into a warehouse full of mercenaries.<< She pauses, frowning >>Vlad [Nimue]: Even if... Doesn't matter. Anyway, we'll see about that mariage stuff.<<

>>Barbara [Nimue]: Thanks.<<

She walks silently then, only saying that she needs to grab her rifle - you never know... And she'll have to get something easier to conceal... - and a few things including a jammer in the van and then she'll be ready. At some point though she asks a question "Are we talking about the main warehouse or the inside building? Cause going inside the main warehouse is easy, there's a wooden door with glass windows at the second floor. There's a simple stair leading there."


Cynthia takes her jammer, 5 stealth tags, her sensor tags (4 each of vision/audio and 5 motion), two stim patches in addition of her rifle (loaded with stick-and-shock) and the jacket she's already wearing.

#23
Before he leaves Spokane sweeps Steve into a kiss leaning her backwards in a dip holding her in his arms, he lets her back up gently and gives her a wink. He looks at Monique and says, Take good care of my girl, and I'll take good care o' yers.

Thursday 13 June 2075 0058 Stuffer Shack Seattle


As Tanya and the others leave, Monique nods at Spokane then leans closer to say in a low voice. "Yes, I will take care of your girl and you take care of mine. Do not let something happen to her and it be your fault, oui?" She smiles as she straightens up. She watches you go then walks back to the van with Steve and Sandy.

You are less than a block away from the van when messages come in.

>>Team [Steve]: On line and jumped in. My eyes are yours. Let me know what you want me to keep up and focus on. You currently have two feeds available from inside the warehouse and two from the exterior.<<

>>Team [Sandy]: On line and jumped in as well. Moving my drones to the warehouse loc.......................holy fuck. Sorry about that. Check out feed 1. Something just happened at the other warehouse.<<

The drone feed showing the warehouse in Touristville rewinds a bit to show the exterior of the small garage and warehouse from a few seconds ago. The lights inside the building go out and through the windows you can see flickering lights then nothing.

>>Team [Sandy]: And here is the present.<< Eight forms leave the warehouse through a side door and climb into the van, driving off at a legal rate of speed.

[Cynthia Rawson - 00:58, Thursday June 13th, 2075 - Stuffer Shack, Industrial District, Seattle] #648

Cynthia doesn't pay attention at all to Spokane and Steve (or Monique), Instead, she focuses on reloading her rifle and what she's about to do. As an aside, she keeps an eye on what is happening at the Goldstein Building construction site. After a few hesitations, she takes a couple of seconds to compile Arsène. She might need Al's skills, but she will almost certainly need Arsène's. She manages to do so without taking a hit, which pleases her quite a bit, especially considering there was some resistance. She doesn't get as many services as she would have hoped for, but... Well, she'll just need him in the Host so it should be enough. Hopefully.

On the way, she also starts to pay attention at the icons she can find in or nearby the warehouse. It's only a first pass here since she plans to do it again when in VR, but it may already give her some more information, even if there's nothing special to see.

When Steve and Sandy report they're ready, she sends >>Team [Cynthia]: Make a pass around the warehouse for now. There probably isn't anything, but better safe than sorry. I've highlighted a possible insertion point, try to see what you can see there, and between that point and the inside building.<< with any new information, she updates her tactical overlay. When Sandy mentions the other warehouse, Cynthia doesn't really seem to understand what she's seeing >>Team [Cynthia]: Hum, they switched the lights off? Am I missing something?<< then privately asks >>Team [Cynthia]: What about the two other cars?<<

Frowning, she updates Vlad on the situation on site. She doesn't know what it means, but at least something's sure: he has to know to be able to make smart decisions. If at all possible. She tries to not judge Echo and Rowena's decision to find refuge there, but still... The Vory are no better than the triads or Yakuza...


Crack Sprite [6] (Compiling, Defense, Fade): 12d6t5 5 6d6t5 3 13d6t5 6, two services, no Fade.
Matrix Perception (+2 TM): 16d6t5 3, grumpf, 3 successes for 16d? Humpf.

#24

What's this other place? This another Grainger warehouse?

[Cynthia Rawson - 00:58, Thursday June 13th, 2075 - Stuffer Shack, Industrial District, Seattle] #649

Cynthia shakes her head and answers - distractedly - for everyone >>Team [Cynthia]: It looks like some sort of garage. Unafiliated to anything in particular as far as I know.<<

Thursday 13 June 2075 0100 Near Grainger Warehouse Seattle


>>Team [Steve]: I only have the one drone on the van and am leaving it there to see where it goes.<<

>>Team [Sandy]: I am staying with the two cars, which do not seem to be moving. Should I send the drone into the building for a look? It might be noticed.<<

@Cynthia As you walk along, you pick up the signals of several security cameras on nearby buildings, but they all seem oriented on the street or on the buildings themselves. It seems that the potential riots at the Goldstein Building construction site has mostly dissipated.

>>Nimue [Vlad]: Thanks for update. I should be on site in less than two minutes.<<

Tanya has not said much to this point so it is hoped that she is absorbing the data sent to her.

[Cynthia Rawson - 01:00, Thursday June 13th, 2075 - Stuffer Shack, Industrial District, Seattle] #650

Cynthia is really relieved to see that her plot didn't lead to anyone being hurt. Not that she really cares about some unknown people, but it would have been her fault anyway... Alright, maybe she does care. A bit.

>>Sandy [Cynthia]: No it's alright, I have people on site in two minutes, they'll take care of it. It might become really lively when they do though, so be careful. Maybe you should grab popcorn, it should be a good show.<<

>>Vlad [Nimue]: The van left already, but it shouldn't be too important, and I'm following it so we can come back to it later. I think I know where it is going anyway.<< Still, cautiously, Cynthia checks that the men who got back in the van are the same that came in it... They might have switched vehicles for one reason or another, and she's not interested - much - in grabbing the guards... She doesn't see why they would have, but it doesn't mean they they didn't, in which case she'll have to warn Vlad quickly. Maybe it's some kind of relief? Mercenaries stay on guard duty for a day or two, then are relieved by others to go back to kill people in town? In which case... >>Vlad [Nimue] Once on site don't act straight away if you can afford not to. It might have been a swap. I'm following the van, I'll tell you as soon as I know more. The good point is that I now have the perfect explanation for you finding the garage. But it also means there might be a lot more mercenaries inside than we think. Do you have a Mage with you? As far as I know, they never used one, so maybe a Mage could do some recon to see how many people are on site.<<

>>Team [Cynthia]: It might be that they're coming back. If they do, either we act quickly before they do or intercept them first, making sure they're unable to send anything back. That is something I can do,<< She pats her new jammer as she says that >>Team [Cynthia]: But the interception is not something I can do of course. Not that one anyway. In one case we risk them finding us in the middle of whatever it is we're doing, in the other they might be able to alert the inside guards. Assuming they're coming back here. Or the van is anyway.<<

Thursday 13 June 2075 0100 Near Grainger Warehouse Seattle


Without pausing in her walk, Tanya sends a message. >>Team [Tanya]: Alright, any ideas? The original plan was to go inside regardless of the presence of the guards at the smaller enclosure, right? I see no real reason to shift the plan. We just need to make sure that they do not find us. We are the mist in the night and can still get in and back out without being detected. Does anyone see an issue with that?<<

[Cynthia Rawson - 01:00, Thursday June 13th, 2075 - Stuffer Shack, Industrial District, Seattle] #651

Cynthia shrugs >>Team [Cynthia]: Oh it's probably fine...if the guards inside don't get alerted and warn the van. If they do get alerted though we'll have to expect the van coming in hot. And I'm not at all sure I can avoid detection for long in the Host. A hacking alert doesn't mean the hacker is on site, but if they're any good, they'll have to check. So all in all, it depends on how stealthy we can be.<<

#25


Are you watching the garage for any particular reason?

In and out quiet like. I got it.

Ready when you are, he says to Cynthia.

[Cynthia Rawson - 01:00, Thursday June 13th, 2075 - Stuffer Shack, Industrial District, Seattle] #652

Cynthia smiles mischievously >>Team [Cynthia]: Am I watching the garage? Well... You'll see soon enough don't worry. And if we're busy when something happens, if something happens, then we'll just record and watch it later. As for ready, I am. After you.<< she puts her rifle on her shoulder, clearly more concerned with it not getting in the way than being able to shoot at a moment's notice, and her jacket darkens to become completely black.

Thursday 13 June 2075 0105 Near Grainger Warehouse Seattle


Tanya stops the progress of the group just before you round the corner of the street that will take you to the Grainger warehouse. Her voice is low. "Alright, I will go up to the second floor by way of the outer stairs and signal you when I have access. The three of you can follow after that. Once inside, we need to get Cynthia to where she can make a connection. Do you know what you are looking for?"

>>Nimue [Vlad]: Less than a minute out. I would have mage on staff if could find one to work for what I can afford to pay. Last one I talked to went past arm and leg straight to my kidneys and my liver. Let me know if you have cheap mage in mind.<<

[Cynthia Rawson - 01:05, Thursday June 13th, 2075 - Grainger Waewhouse, Industrial District, Seattle] #653

>>Vlad [Nimue]: Cheap mages are probably bad mages. You don't need one permanently though, but for occasions like this, it can be a good idea to recruit one. Won't be cheap either compared to other people, but not too expensive. I suppose anyway. In any case, I don't know any that you can hire right now. You should ask Bryant though, given his line of work I suppose he knows how to find one.<<

She nods at Tanya "Alright. For what I need, it's easy: a device slaved to the host I'm interested in. A camera, security door or stuff like that in general. The difficulty is in the details of course: it's impossible to know beforehand if a device is slaved to anything, so I'd probably have to try multiple ones. Of course, the more secure it needs to be, the more likely it is to be slaved. The second difficulty is that there probably are two Hosts involved in this place, one for the warehouse, one for the inside building. And I'm pretty sure we want to know what's in the second host, which means finding something in or near that building. Possibly the guards coms, but I doubt it."

She frowns, apparently pensive, then shrugs "And to top it off... The files we'd want probably aren't used right now. There are some ways around it but it's complex. If the Host's rating isn't too high, I could take the risk of going for a Deep Run in its foundation, but it's a pretty involved business, and it takes time. I wouldn't need to stay there physically, but you'd need to carry my meat away. Even if all I do is set an anchor at the portal to come back later through another Host, I'd still need to find the portal. Could be quick or could take time, no way to know. Some never find it. I have some assets that most people do not which could be a huge help there, but it would make things a lot safer, not necessarily that much faster."

I suppose that could have been muzzle flash. Who are these folks you are following, or am I not supposed to know that?

So keep an eye out for any electronics in the warehouse, got it.

[Cynthia Rawson - 01:05, Thursday June 13th, 2075 - Grainger Waewhouse, Industrial District, Seattle] #654

>>Team [Cynthia]: Muzzle flash?<< there's a pause, while Cynthia focuses on the question. >>Team [Cynthia]: Muzzle flash. That's an idea... Damn.<<

>>Vlad [Nimue]: Careful in there, it might be that one group eliminated the other. Which means they might suspect something is happening.<< of course, the question then would be who did the killing. Since the van is the only one leaving, it could mean the guards did, but the mercenaries could easily have taken the guards' place...

>>Vlad [Nimue]: The van left not long ago and is going slowly, so you should be able to catch up to it if you're fast in the garage. Not saying you should be quick in there, do it as you want. Just pointing out the possibilities.<<

@Team: Well there were 8 guys in the van that we were following, maybe they killed whoever was there when they showed. It certainly fits their MO. How did Sandy know to be there? I thought Steve was the only one following, and that wasn't the feed I was watching.

@Vlad: I may have a lead on more goons hunting your guests. There's a van in touristville with eight of them. I'm not certain they are part of the group but i'd certainly give it great odds. If you are interested I can send you a location and a link to the feed on the drone we have tailing them.

[Cynthia Rawson - 01:05, Thursday June 13th, 2075 - Grainger Warehouse, Industrial District, Seattle] #655

>>Team [Cynthia]: *Grumble, grumble*<< After a few seconds of silence, Cynthia adds >>Team [Cynthia]: Because we were following something else. Or other people. Who may be either dead or in the van instead of the guards now. Grumpf.<<

Ah, well I've contacted an associate to intercept these guys. Once they have them we can match them to the folks who we saw leaving the warehouse. Were the people you were following friendlies? If they are I should let him know to use non-lethal, though he will probably go with that anyway since we want to ask them some questions, but I can make sure he is careful.

[Cynthia Rawson - 01:05, Thursday June 13th, 2075 - Grainger Warehouse, Industrial District, Seattle] #656

>>Team [Cynthia]: Really? Well, I hope your associate is fast and well armed...<<

Very well I will take your lack of concern to mean they are in fact hostile and won't bother with playing nice. Spokane pops a cram

So what kind of deck do ya use? Spokane asks Cynthia. You do any rigging or are you a pure matrix cowgirl? I never used to care about this kinda stuff, electronics and computers and stuff. but after nearly 6 months in a vat I want to know about everything I can get my hands on. I used to do jobs to pay the bills. Make a few collections work as a body guard, but now...hell I don't know why it took me so long to get into it. Something about it makes me want to be a better...me. Does that make sense?

You like the rush of it I bet. You seem the type. Gruff exterior all excited child on the inside. It's cool...fun. I don't much care for the waiting parts but after that...nothin' beats it. Cept maybe the arms of a good woman...or perhaps a bloke in your case. We got off in the wrong foot and for my part I'm sorry. He extends his hand. Allies if not friends?

[Cynthia Rawson - 01:05, Thursday June 13th, 2075 - Grainger Warehouse, Industrial District, Seattle] #657

Cynthia blinks a few times under the rush of words. She takes the offered hand with a nod, but quickly drops it, clearly not comfortable. Probably not something to do with Spokane though, but a more general thing. After that she frowns "No boyfriend. No girlfriend either. Or anything else for that matter." then she seems to hesitate. In normal circumstances, she wouldn't say anything more, but it would probably be rude to not answer at least one of the questions. And since it won't be about her deck...

"As for why I do it... Curiosity, the rush of the hunt, the pleasure to know stuff others don't..." she shrugs "I don't do drones though." after a small pause, she adds "Part of the fun in the Matrix is to be free from the meat world, so coming back in a drone's shell?" she shakes her head.