Jane rolls her eyes at Torley's joke. "I think they were listening, that is why you almost got shot."

She looks past him to the two elderly that were brought with him. "Who are they?"

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The spirit disappears from Starlet's sight in the astral and immidiately turns the hallway into an inferno with screams of men from all sides as they suddenly found themselves having a gunfight in the middle of an incinerator. The soldier inside the room also screamed and slammed the door shut. Silence then moved, taking advantage of your invisibility to quickly dispatch the injured soldier.

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LBD continues to trash the desk as Con get a good look at the colorful hardcopy. The aged and dogeared document is definitely a Cookbook.

Torley steps closer to Jane and answers her discreetly.

"The old man is the grandfather of the family in the compound. He dearly would like the idol to disappear as he fears the repercussions should the planned destruction of the idol be carried out. He gave me help in determining the whereabouts of the idol inside the compound. The woman is a staff member in the compound and gave me very useful info, including about the grandfather.

"I hope both of them can be protected from any harm from these soldiers."

O'Connor stared at the cookbook and contemplated if he was an idiot for overthinking the situation or an idiot for underthinking it. He really didn't know what was happening here anymore. He wondered if the mage that summoned LBD was an even bigger idiot given the spirit's cluelessness. No matter what the case was, it was time to get back to the real mission. He grabbed the cookbook, the ledger, and the shopping list. He got LBD's attention, "I think we found what you're here for. Grab anything else of interest pronto, and unblock the door. I need to get back to my job. We'll go over what we collected after we get out of here." He commed Starlet, <"What's your status?"

"So what now," Sammy asks Silence, "wait here until the fighting is gone, or try to find another way out.

"I am fairly certain that they will simply be released when Adegoke's men pull out, as long as they don't cause trouble. I suppose at this point it is all gone to hell anyway, we will need to start figuring out how we are going to turn this around once Adegoke's men have the idol. Any ideas?" Jane has lowered her voice and consciously shifted away from the soldiers so they could talk privately.

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"We are invisible and silent, let's just low crawl out the hole they made, it's the quickest way as long as that elemental is frying anyone that sticks their head up, can you keep it from burning us?"

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"YOU GOT REECEEPEES? YAY!" The spirit bounces around a bit then looks to grab O'Connor in a big hug as he begins the transmission to Starlet, except it isn't a hug. "What's your sta--" is all that goes out before everything goes black for Bullet Storm.

Torley works with Jane's subterfuge, and keeps his answer for her only. "O'Connor and Starlet are inside, using info from the old man, with the thief who stole it in the first place. By now they have the idol and are working their way out. Not sure how they will manage that, but we should give them a safe place to meet up with us. Our hotel room is compromised with other concerns."

"It certainly won't hurt me," Sammy whispered with a grin, "and I excluded you as well, so we should be okay. Let's give it a shot as soon as the shooting in the hall dies down. Can I see the statue we came for?"

In the office of the compound

Silence hands the small ugly idol to Starlet then he listens at the door as the gunfire slows. He gets low and places a hand on the knob, looking to her for a signal to proceed.

The idol is a smallish statue of African origin, there are markings around the base of the squat, vaguely metahumanoid figure. It is completely mundane, with the faintest of astral significance.

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Soldier HQ

Jane listens to Torley's quiet report. "What do you mean the hotel is compromised? How? That is the safest place for foreign operators on the mainland, and its not cheap, what are you talking about?"

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SOMEWHERE ELSE, LATER

Bullet Storm comes to in darkness, he is alone in a room with one door. The room is a nondescript bedroom. He has his personal equipment but none of the documents from the compunds kitchen.

O'Connor sprang up into consciousness. He looked about the room bewildered, "That was not a hug. That was not a hug at all." He felt rather miffed at the development. He thought he'd built a rapport with the spirit. He wondered who was more to blame here, the chaos gremlin for acting its nature or himself for mistaking what that nature was.

O'Connor put that aside as he inventoried his gear and ammo, and checked his commlink for the time and if he had reception. He strapped his rifle across his back and drew his pistol. He listened at the door for people.

[OOC Edited for correctness.]

Torley shrugs and gives a quirky, sideways smile. In hushed tones he fills Jane in. "In the course of our investigation we needed to trade with the harbormaster, info from him in return for locating a man who owes him money. That man turned out to be Victor, son of a mover and shaker by the name of Englebrecht. The mover hauled me in over the thing with his son, and let on that he too is interested in the auction. The Piri Reis map in particular. There was some mention of other players in the matter, such as the Mystic Crusaders." Torley looks for any reaction to that name.

"He suspects I and my compatriots are in on that deal as well, and wants to know what we know or have. He has goons staking out the hotel, waiting for us to return. Should we go back there, he will likely try to nab us and interrogate us, looking for any angle to improve his position."

Sammy had expected there to be more magic on the statue, so she has a quick look in the safe to see if there's something else she might find useful and then she closes it again to make it look as if it's never been broken into. She then puts the statue and any other things in her backpack, looks at Silent and when the gunfire is gone or further away, nods to proceed.

Silence crouches down against the wall and keeping his head moving, makes way down the ruined hallway to hole blasted in the way. When Starlet joins him, he pokes his head out and quickly back. Indicating that the left is clear, he heads out at a backwards quickstep. When Starlet steps out she sees several soldiers treating a couple of their number for burns. The left is completely clear.
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Jane recognizes the name and hears Torley out, but after considering for a moment, she waves him off. "The goon is probably just keeping tabs on you. I doubt he will try anything at the hotel, it has a well known, and defended, reputation as neutral ground. We will also have a military escort with us once this is over."

Torley also hears a nervous voice on the comm, "O'Conner? Anyone? Where are you drekheads?" he hears Lil Homie, sounding nervous.
---------------------------------------------------------------

O'Conner's commlink is not getting any connection, when he checks the door all he can hear is soft crying in the room beyond.

*Well, that's...disconcerting.* Creepy crying piled onto spirit chicanery did not make for a reassuring situation. He was going to be rather pissed if LBD dropped his hoop into a fragging horror movie. He crouched low against the wall and tested the door, checking if he was locked in.

The door opens easily enough, but O'Conner is not sure how pissed he is at this particular sad little horror show.

LBD is sitting on the ground in the center of a circle of some. His legs are crossed and he is weeping into his hands. The documents from the kitchen are scattered as if they had been dropped carelessly. Behind him in a chair is a rotting corpse dressed in a robe, its mostlly skeletal hands clutch at a heart that doesn't beat, while what remains of the face is locked in the pain of his last moments. There is a console or desk behind the chair, dark and dusty monitors loom over piles of papers and books

O'Connor took in the scene, any annoyance or anger slipping away. He slowly approached the scene, "Well, drek. This was your summoner then? Why weren't you freed from his enslavement when he died?" Con started poked through the dead man's stuff to figure out the situation.

"Freed? What do you mean, freed? I failed, I no bring him REE-CEE-PEE!" LBD looked confused, "Now what do I do? Go back to the kitchen?"

Con finds nothing of value on the desk, but there is a hardcopy that is still on the printer. It is an English language screamsheet with the headline "RENRAKU GOES DARK" in big letters.

Torley responds to Li'l Homey, <<No contact with O'Connor right now. Don't know what's going on inside the compound. Our boss is here and taking charge. Will let you know as soon as we hear from O'Connor.>>

He fills in Jane in case she is out of that loop. Then he adds, "This Engelbrecht guy seems quite willing to solve issues with violence. Maybe not in the hotel, then, but should we leave the safe zone, I fear he will try something nasty."

Con's eyes bulge when he read the headline, *Holy drek, is this about the arcology?! How long has this guy been dead?!* He scanned the screamsheet to check if he was correct. He also checked if the monitors still had power. Con turned to LBD, "Do you spirits experience time like us meatbags? Do you know how long you were at that compound?"

Sammy moved to the left to get out as quickly as possible while maintaining stealth. With the soldiers distracted, she had a window of opportunity here and had to get out as quickly as possible.

LBD looks at the shadowrunner blankly, clearly confused by the questions. It looks like rats have gotten to all the electronics, no joy there. Giving the scream sheets a scan, he sees a scathing review for the new movie "Neon Gladiator", a franchise that is well into double digits in the modern age.

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"If our guys get the totem, these guys are going to make sure we make it back to Adegoke in one piece."

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Silence and Starlet are well away from the chaos in the compound in a few seconds time. The mage dismisses her spirit and takes a second to examine the other stuff she swept into her bag while they catch their breath. It looks like she got the bossman's petty cash, a pouch full of halawa tokens and a couple of credsticks

O 'Connor wondered again at the total cluelessness of LBD. This couldn't be normal, otherwise giving tasks to spirits would be a waste of time. He would have to ask Starlet about it later. He picked up the materials from the kitchen and placed them in the corpse's lap. He put a hand on LBD's shoulder, in an approximation of a comforting gesture, "There, he has the goods. Congratulations, quest complete. So did this guy just summon you, or did you actually know him?"

"Well, if they're working with us now, then they should know that three on our side are going to be trying to get out. That is, if O'Connor is still mobile. We can't get in touch with him. The other two are Starlet and our new friend Silence, the one who stole the idol in the first place. Our protectors might have unpleasant plans for him."

Torley waits to see what that morsel draws out.

"We'll have the escort if we have the idol. Silence should make himself scarce though, they have his image now. If O'Connor is down we might be able to get them to pull him out once they know we have what they want. Where was he when you heard from him last?"

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LBD still looks confused, "The one that summoned me had a lot more skin, he wore the same robe though. I don't understand, Con. If the tasking is complete I should feel it, but I feel the same."

"Last I heard O'Connor, he was in the compound doing what O'Connor does best, kicking hoop and taking names. There was something about a mischievous spirit, I think." Torley messages the team. <<Jane has members of the Guard here to give us escort back if we have the idol. They also have your image, Silence so, chummer, you better be careful once you exit the compound.>>

"That would be my cue then pretty lady. Unless you and your friends are still looking to add my hide to your gift to Adegoke?" Silence looks at Starlet, his broken nose still bleeding a bit.

O'Connor, well out of his depth, shrugged helplessly, "That's what happens to beings like him and me. Time eventually rots us away into dust. Seems like this guy's been dead for decades, heart attack probably. Maybe the tasking broke when he died and you didn't recognize it. I don't exactly know all the ins-and-outs about summoning. Got a mage on my team, she might be able to figure this out."

"So I'm free?" asked LBD.

O'Connor shrugged once again, "Maybe? We can test it, or we can go see my mage teammate. She summons spirits to do her bidding all the time. She'll probably be able to check you out and give us some answers."

LBD thinks about it for a second, shrugs, and says "Okay, lets go!" looking at Con expectantly.

O'Connor nodded reassuringly to LBD, *Really need a nickname. LBD...LBD... Little was a part originally, but I already have a Lil' Homie. Maybe, stress the difference between Lil' and Little. Frag it, going with it. So that's the L, leaving BD. BD...BD... Buddy. Little Buddy.* He scanned the room, "Great, but before we go, Little Buddy, I'm doing a once over of the place. Should look for anything that might help Starlet work this out." Con picked over the dwelling, starting with the circle Lillte Buddy was sitting in. He also took pictures in case there was any obvious mage-y things that he was ignorant of. He also went to a window to check the time of day. He wasn't about to wander unfamiliar territory in the dark of night. He asked his latest friend, "Do you know the way back to the compound, and do you have any unfinished business there?"

"I'm not," Sammy said, "we might have to tell them we saw you around somewhere, but if we pick a location without cameras that shouldn't be a big issue."
She gave him a last once over with her astral sight to check if he had some strange aura, especially with the idol having so little of an aura. If he was clean, she would give him a couple of the hawala tokens and then she would activate her commlink.
<"I have the package,"> she would call out over comm to the team, <"where to now?">

Torley relays to Jane, "Starlet has the package, by herself, and wonders where to go with it."

With a quick call to Adegoke, Jane gets Starlet and Lil Homie brought to the command center with her and Torley. Once the general verifies Starlet having the idol, he begins to safely withdraw his forces from the compound. Jane is a bit confused when none of Adegoke's forces can acertain Bullet Storm's whereabouts, including an astral scan of the compound by one of the mages in the military force.

----------------------------------------------------------

There are no windows in this room or the other, but Con does find a heavily secured door beyond the desk. LBD has no useful answers for him. He is not even sure how he did what he did to get here.

O'Connor made an attempt to unlock and open the door, "I guess this explains how the place went undisturbed for so long. Little Buddy, do you have any further info or ideas about this whole mess?"

"I know his aura better than those military dudes," Sammy said, "guard my shoes and I'll go and have a look."
She would slip in a trance and try to follow his aura signature, starting from the last location she knew he had been in.

Starlet does a search of the compound, but O'Conner is not anywhere in it, alive or dead. There are no active spirits anywhere in the area, and BTW the magical child has fled the area.

-------------------------------------------------

LBD shakes his head and shrugs as Con works to unlock and open the heavy door. Beyond is a staircase, going up about 2 floors by Con's estimation. Working elevators are not standard in the Barrens.

O'Connor motioned for Little Buddy to keep behind him as he ascended the stairs.

Torley messages Li'l Homey. <<Hey, Li'l Homey. When was the last time you saw O'Connor? We're having trouble reaching him.>>

The boy taps Torley on the shoulder, gives him a wave when he turns around then says "He took cover in the kitchen. He also asked me about a translation. As far as I know, he never came out."

Torley turns around, sees the boy, and visibly recovers from the surprise, both of Li'l Homey being there and of his missing that detail of his surroundings. Maybe a bit of rest after all of this is done would be in order.

"Translation? What did he need translated? What did you tell him?"

Sammy came back to her own body.
"I haven't found him," she said to the others. Then she saw Li'l Homey.
"What kitchen? Where was it? Maybe I can find traces there."

Torley points to the kitchen location on their map.

"obere ekwensu oji, which means little black demon."

Torley looks concerned. "So, O'Connor was last seen in the kitchen, and he was somehow involved with what I think, from what my informant told me, is some kind of mischievous spirit. I have no idea whether this is good or bad. No, I definitely think bad."

He turns to Jane. "I don't know what forces still remain in the compound. Can someone look in the kitchen?"

Jane shakes her head, "They have no forces inside the compound. When they confirmed we had the idol, they pulled out and are getting ready to leave."

This is confirmed by the soldiers breaking down the command center around you.

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O'Conner reaches the door, and figures out how to release it, but it doesn't open. Something seems to be blocking it.

Sammy moved her astral body to the kitchen indicated by Torley, trying to find an astral remnant of what happened there. Maybe she could identify the spirit or something like that.

Sammy moved her astral body to the kitchen indicated by Torley, trying to find an astral remnant of what happened there. Maybe she could identify the spirit or something like that.

"Door's blocked. Liitle Buddy, can you pop over to the other side and clear the way?"

The little guy floats through the door. There is a second of silence, then a cacophony of young feminine screams rings out, only slightly muffled by the door. Those are followed shortly by an accompanying screanm by LBD.

"Oh, drek!" O'Connor started ramming his shoulder into the door, "Little Buddy, what's happening?"