Mental note: micro vidcamera with short range transmitter for scenarios like this.

At any rate, I think Ghost needs to limit her instincts and operate on intel --we already know some form of artificial emotional stimuli is in play.


A shame we didn't load her up with chill pills.

After two minutes, she needs to take a whiff of the air -- no new scents and she can proceed checking the doors.

-Siege

Actually, it was directed at you.

My interpretation of your last post seemed to convey a less than pleased tone with my general commentary on Wu-jen's posts.

If that was in error, I apologize.

-Siege

Are you two finished kicking a person when he's down?

(Which is probably the death-knell for this thread.)

We were hardly kicking anyone -- simply clarifying several misunderstandings.

-Siege

I'd just put it down to the fact that we are at the point where a 'coulda been' might turn out to be lethal rather than just a last minute scramble. This makes everyone a bit edgy, you get the same effect during games to. Managing it well is one of those GM experience thingys.

Sorry I've not been around for a while, I thought that I'd have missed loads, but this doesn't seem the case.

I vote for trying to open the door, and pressing on. I definitely don't want to go back to the nasty magicy room.

Just as long as she dosn't switch off her targeting computer...

Sorry, I've been caught up in a cumulative multitude of RL crises this past month and change: one reason I was too slow on the catch earlier. Wu Jen: my sincere apologies. Application of GM experience in managing in-game edginess tends to be a bit less effective in a time-delayed on-line v. here-and-now face-to-face.

Track 1:

After the two minutes of waiting - nothing happens. The sense of someone coming has been moved to the back burner. Cautiously Ghost glances outside: nothing. She quickly slips down the corridor to the door at the end. Oiled and locked padlock on the outside of the door. There is a faint trace of ashes in the air thisaway as well, and yes, female, most definitely female, and probably here by the strength. She starts (cautiously!) working on the padlock - and suddenly she's absolutely sure that someone's coming now.

Track 2:

On hold, pending interest. This needs to be an interactive exchange rather than simple dropping of information. Mace, kevyn668: are you still around?

Oh yeah, I'm still about. Much like yourself Talia, RL has a way of claiming my attention at times.

Track 1 - Things have been screwy from the get go and things are getting screwier. IMHO - Ghost knows there's something screwy going on. Based on environemental information, get the door open and get on with it and ignore the 'instinctual' level for now - something is playing around with that. React to what she can see, hear and smell - and be ready to run like hell. Get the door open.
Dissension expected but that's why the IMHO tag.

Track 2 - Diamond to Galina - "Actually, she's not exactly AWOL but she's not at the Spy right now - unscheduled holiday? In any event, that's not where we're headed. As near as we have it figured, an old friend of hers from her past has cropped up and she's hanging with for the moment.."

((Rule #1 - never lay all your cards on the table unless you need to. Giving her some information without really telling her all that much - and I'd rather 'abort' this line than give too much away. While we might learn something without giving too much away then Diamond can 'work' Galina and see what we glean.))

Track 2:

(Unless anyone says any other ideas, in the interests of time I'm letting this one be Mace's show - what [he?] says Diamond says, goes.)

First, reiterating the Diamond-Galina discussion to date to have it all in one place.

"Meet" between Diamond and Galina is by phone.

DIAMOND: Setting up for a run and one of the people we may have to deal with is someone I think you might know. Appreciate it if you could tell me what you know of her ...?

GALINA [curious]: Oh? Who?

DIAMOND [watching for reaction]: Juliana.

GALINA [suddenly very closed]: "May have to deal with"?

DIAMOND: She's in the target zone of the job we're about to undertake and we'd really rather not have to kill anyone - hell, we'd rather get out without any noise at all. Given she is on site though, neutralizing her so she's no longer a threat to us may well be something we'll have to do. We've found out a couple of small things that leave us wondering if standard techniques would be any damn good - couple funky rumours flying around about her.

GALINA [startled]: That kind of run against Seattle Spy? So the shit did hit the fan ...

DIAMOND: Actually, she's not exactly AWOL but she's not at the Spy right now - unscheduled holiday? In any event, that's not where we're headed. As near as we have it figured, an old friend of hers from her past has cropped up and she's hanging with for the moment.

GALINA [suddenly very relieved]: She's all right, then. I warned her about following up that story, and then when she went suddenly missing ...

Here goes...and yes Talia, I'm definitly male.

Risk vs Reward - Given that Go Time is pretty damn imminent (unless I'm screwing up somewhere, whatever Galina does after this convo can't happen fast enough to screw us over - IMHO - go with a little risk.)

Diamond - *pause for moment* - "Actually, my best guess is she's probably laying low. She's on site so we did some checking. She got in a screaming match with her producer a couple days ago - and he was found unconcious in his office a half hour later. Last I heard, serious but stable - Star has an APB on her for it. No idea if it was her or not - she ain't been back to work for three days though. Maybe connected to that story - what the hell would be big enough for that though? About my original question too..."

((Right now, glad that he went with phone, staying 'casual' about it and letting slip what anyone who bothered to look around could find out by asking - we did easy enough after all. Lets see how Galina reacts and make decisions on the fly about how much we tell her...))

If anyone disagree's with Diamond continuing to work it or this approach - speak up - please. Otherwise, given everything, Diamonds going to continue to pump while giving away as little as he can about what we're really up to.

Now that I've had time to consider the matter with Galina, I'd rather start from a truthful (but info limited) position as possible. Changing the 'story' several times during the conversation is is an obviious attempt at manipulation.

Starting with a very limited version of the actual truth, and then telling more in quid qou pro with Galina would probably come off much better. This is also likely to get the most information out of her. Assuming that Galina would be hostile to the package (what our inital information would indicate), she would probably has no real problem with telling us a little bit about the target. But changing the story to get more information is likely to irritate her.

The tack I'd prefer would begin with 'we are investigating a corporation in Seattle, the package may be involved with said corp either in her professional or a personal capacity. Since we know she has outed teams in the past, we would like to know more aobut her. (ask questions about magic rumors, etc).

So the fact that the package is in the area (true) is already on the table, the fact that the package is the objective is not stated, but could be 'added' to the story without contradicting earlier elements.

Crusher Bob: Given what we started with if you review Talia's putting the conversation together post - Diamond's put the 'unscheduled holiday' line to her - and in the follow up to that, gives a probable reason for it. He's not changing the story - at least, that's the way I'm following it. If you're reaching a different conclusion then evidently I need to go back to working on my composition skills.

He's gone with this line of approach and is going to stick with it - unless and until something said causes him to level with Galina - but for a simple contact, you don't lay your cards down unless you need to - Level 3's you're up front and honest from the get go (normally anyway) but for a 1? Keep it simple and don't spill the beans.

On review - do the conversation differently? Possibly - but you don't get to review them once underway (Oh man, how much easier life would be if that was the case). Sorry - we've got this one going and we're stuck with it. Seems Galina is quite freindly with Juliana - but that we didn't know before he put the call to her.

Yes, I might just be the slightly different ways everyone constructs sentences (even if they are natice speakers), this has bitten me more than once. It can be very difficult to get across to someone that plenty of people 'talk different' (not only in how they sound, but in their word choice, etc) to someone who has lived their whole life in one place. Add people who speak Enligh as one of many languages and you get room for all sorts of 'undertone' problems.

Yeesh, do I know about second-language being bitten. And despite the assumed truism of the Internet, I figured for once I would not take it as a given, Mace

Since Track 1 is the talk-over/consensus one, I'm just letting it slip pending another post or two on it. If it's all right with you, Crusher Bob: I'm going with Mace's take on this one, since the way yours rang to me would require that significant back-to-the-beginning rewrite that Siege had problems with earlier.

Track 2:

DIAMOND [pause for moment]: Actually, my best guess is she's probably laying low. She's on site so we did some checking.

GALINA: "She's on site"? You know where she is??

DIAMOND: Well, she got in a screaming match with her producer a couple days ago - and he was found unconcious in his office a half hour later. Last I heard, serious but stable - Star has an APB on her for it. No idea if it was her or not - she ain't been back to work for three days though. Maybe connected to that story - what the hell would be big enough for that though? About my original question too...

GALINA [walking right over Diamond's last hinted question]: An established extraterritorial corporation set up as frontage for a people-trafficking operation would be big enough by itself, even if her suspicions weren't accurate. ... Wait a second - she didn't go in, did she? That crazy, impulsive, headstrong, impetuous, irresponsible, [much more along the same lines, and progressively less printable]

Now that Mace's intent has been explained, I won't quibble with the words. We can assume that the characters are able to communicate their intents to each other well enough...

Sigh, sounds like we shoulda broken in to her house and gone through her desk... Not following up on the story she might have been persuing was a mistake.

*smiles and bows to Talia*

Track 2

Diamond: *listens appreciatively and takes mental notes for a few moments*

Diamond: *COUGHS* - "Uh, Galina - we don't have much time here. We're headed in soon. What suspicions? And..if we can do so, we'll bring her out - assuming she's co-operative and it doesn't present a risk that jeapordizes our objective. Would using your name get us co-operation - and are you willing to let us use it?

Edit: Removed from contention.

-Siege

Again, please sort it out before Galina answers? Those two approaches don't quite mesh.

Ah, Siege: you didn't have to do that!


Track 1:

Ghost has the lock open, her hand's on the door. It's almost here ...


Track 2:

DIAMOND [coughs] Uh, Galina - we don't have much time here. We're headed in soon. What suspicions?

GALINA [cut off in mid-rant ... and coming across as oddly incomplete because of it]: Oh. Uh. Right. You're doing a run against them, aren't you? Wish you'd told me earlier, there's a couple things I could have set up for you ahead of time, but they take more than just a couple hours. Well, she was pretty sure it's not blood magic that they're using up their imports for - well, not that kind of blood magic anyway. She's guessing it's got to be something voluntary somehow - but a real strong kind of voluntary 'cause there's lots of people not accounted for and she's thinking they walked right into it and kept right on happily walking even though it wasn't in their best interests. Like you'd happily carve your own liver out and arrange the slices gourmand-style, that kind of thing. (That's a metaphor. She didn't say that anything like that exactly's going on there, but she didn't not say it either.) You boys have got to remember that whatever's going on back there can't hurt you that way unless you let it. 'Course there's voluntary and then there's voluntary, right, Diamond?

DIAMOND [looks puzzled - might be fishing-puzzled?]

GALINA: Oh tell me you don't have a control spell or two stashed away somewhere! or at least some gamma-scopalamine? Some of that stuff, you'd happily sell off your eyeballs and be convinced it was your own idea all along. That kind of magic's real potent, and you'd better just hope it comes wrapped inside a decent human being. And there's lots and lots of critters out there that's worse - and they and a whole lot of other human beings don't come with moral codes that go much beyond survive. [Narrowly] So someone got missing and one of their friends hired you to find them, and now you're doing the back-research bit, and it's not really about her at all, except in that you think she's on-site there somewhere, maybe undercover, maybe in real trouble ...?

DIAMOND: If we can do so, we'll bring her out - assuming she's co-operative and it doesn't present a risk that jeopardizes our objective.

GALINA: And you read some stuff on SL that makes you real nervous about her, huh? Stuff like she can usually take care of herself? Stuff like maybe she's Awakened?

DIAMOND: Would using your name get us co-operation - and are you willing to let us use it?

GALINA [harsh laugh]: Well, you're obviously being real careful not to tell me what exactly you're up to, but you get her out of that place and you can use my SIN for all I care. Hell, I'm already backing you. At least now I've got some clue what to expect and I guess now so do you. Like I said, she can usually take care of herself. She's one hell of a wildcat when she's cornered. She also knows enough to hit the floor when the shit starts flying - usually.

But [and her voice drops suddenly and goes very level] you get her hurt in any way and you're going to wish you'd stayed in that building.

*click* as the phone disconnects

Well, if you ask me, that little conversation with Galina more or less settles our initial approach to our extraction target Juliana if we get presented with an opportunity to use it - no question, if she doesn't have to be carried out, it makes our job easier.

Be ready to drop her in a heartbeat though - just in case.

Sigh, there seems to be little information of tactical usefulness, oh well. Back to the lock...

Should we start moving Diamond up via levitation? Although it would take too long for him to get down into the building if things really went wrong. How long would it take to get him from the roof to the elevators? I'm begining to worry that Ghost will have trouble making it out of the building by herself... The twitchyness may become a real problem on the way out.

It might be a magical effect similar to "leomund's trap" from DnD, it's a spell that just creates the perception of a trap, not an actual trap. An achored spell that gives you the willies every time you try to open a door might be pretty neat. But then Trogdor would probably see something like that.

Ghost gets the door unlocked and is starting to open it, the Narcoject in her free hand ("ready to drop her in a heartbeat").

She doesn't get that heartbeat.

The moment the door catch is free (in a sudden gust of ash- and rust- and burnt-flesh-scent) the door is kicked in her face - hard. Ghost had been standing just enough to the clear side so the door itself doesn't catch her as hard as it might have (glancing blow, more to the [non-tranq] arm than to the face where it might otherwise have been had Ghost still been bent over the lock), but its transferred momentum leaves Ghost open to the follow-up kick to her gut by someone who knows how.

In the moment of stun the one who had been inside (brief sense of "elf" and definitely sure she's one of the sources of the female scent here, but that's about it, Ghost is a tad distracted) is bolting down the corridor. She'll be around the corner before Ghost can really start in pursuit.

Ghost is doing very well to be conscious at all: that could easily have inflicted D damage, but a few factors dropped it down to M - stun, not physical. (Be glad you got her that level of Pain Resistance.) Assuming that's the girl, she's definitely stronger than she looks - stronger than Ghost by a good bit! - and she's fast. And she's lost at least some of her clothing.

The Narcoject was in her other (clear of door) hand, so it's still intact. (Otherwise there was a chance it might have broken.) Ghost has a quick instant to take in the room: a cell like the others, but the chains are hanging loosely from the walls, rusted through, and the air is full of ashes.

Trogdor's instant take: her aura's not washed out - not at all, it's bright (immediate and overt wash of colours read: fury, escape) - but there's definitely something nasty entangled with it. Not something living, though.

He has a chance to act before the girl is around the corner. If she's aware of him (he doesn't think so), she's not paying any attention.

Shanshu: more thoughts for the postmortem thread

Well, this just went to hell in a handbasket real quick didn't it. Still - that's what generally happens at some point in the run - time to adapt on the fly.

Assuming Trogdor can get some sort of look besides just at the aura - like say, facial features? My gut says it's her and she wants OUT.

My recommendations provided it IS (who wants to bet against?)

Trogdor manifests his astral presence to the physical world and loud enough to get her attention "Juliana - Galina sent us to get you out." - Other thing he needs to do - what the hell is that in her aura?

This hopefully buys Ghost enough time to get it together - if the running figure listens and slows, have Ghost NOT take the shot - give her time to realise that Ghost just isn't exactly dressed to blend - her look, equipment and what not all screams louder than words she's not part of the personnel.

Ghost - Gets it together - and if she has to take the shot then do so. If she doesn't slow - she's going to have to get in position fast to take a shot before this really turns ugly.

Sounds like the way to go, though the package may be too wigged out to pay much attention to Trogdor. Trying to get her into one of the elevators by bringing one down and opening the doors might be a pretty good choice, though considering how fast things are developing, we'll probably have to get her calmed down.

The door getting kicked is going to have made plenty of noise, best make sure we are going to have an elevator here to get us out of the way.

Having the elevator in place is definitly a good though - given we can exercise control over it, if she doesn't listen, keeps running - well, we can box her in an elevator till we get Ghost and her narcs - or another solution in place to calm her.

A more immediate concern is probably to have the deck supress any alarms that may be getting triggered due to noise and prevent security from rolling if at all possible - if such things are happening.

Our in and out un-noticed is looking less likely at this point - we may get out without killing anyone yet though.

Seems like the response we got was a fight-or flight "I'm getting the frag _OUT_NOW_" Very primal, very animalistic. We have to calm her down, I agree with Crusher Bob, and Mace, although I wonder if we should mention Galina sent us, because she didn't technically right? Maybe I'm missing something - I could be mistaken. But, if we aren't completely honest with her and she senses it, things could get much more difficult. Why not have Trogdor materialize and say something to the effect of "We're here to remove you. Let us help you get out." Otherwise, I'm completely onboard with the suggested course of action put forward by Mace and CB.

For once the non-wiring of this area is working in your favour: no electronic alarms (and Trogdor's not noticing any astral ripples suggesting a magical equivalent). It's not something Ghost would have noticed earlier, but this place does seem to deaden sound. Not that the door being kicked made that much noise to begin with: Ghost had already released the lock and the catch (so there was no actual breaking), and it's a good thick door which wouldn't easily catch and amplify sounds of impact (like something hollow would, for example).

Solitaire has no problem retaining control of the elevators, if you want one sent down. The night security staff is, however, beginning initiation of a first level security alert, based on the growing gang problem outside their fences. They are also sending out a call to Lone Star.

It looks like your primary course of action is to have Trogdar manifest in front of the girl and tell her ... what, exactly?


I know we have some Spanish and Portuguese Dumpshockers. I can hope that none of you or your families or friends were directly affected by the Atocha bombing today. My thoughts are with you.

Something along the lines of "We are here to extract you" (there isn't much time to speak anything more than 5-6 words is probably going to take to long).

Five-six words sounds about right. "We're here to remove you" or "We're here to extract you": difference of one word, and it's not going to make a crucial difference here. This is the exact sequence of events: but it happens quickly.

She sees him - just at that moment he could swear she saw him a moment before he materialised.

She checks slightly, in another moment she might dodge around him, one hand moving automatically to the back of her messed-up hair, the other forward toward Trogdor. (Sorry, I know it's not the clearest choice, but I don't know what other word to use, Crusher Bob. She doesn't stop dead, and it's not a pause or a wait - just that moment of hesitation.)

Something from her surges within her aura - and tangles within that stuff enmeshed with her aura.

Her breath catches - not a shriek, more like something strangled and almost voiceless - and she collapses to the ground, convulsing.

A heartbeat later Trogdor feels like he's been physically caught in a wash of electrical fire. Nothing visible, no spell: just - pain. And then it's gone.

And poor Ghost, who was just getting it together, gets caught in the backwash. The pain is blinding. She retains consciousness - just - and then it's gone, just like that.

That's all in a matter of maybe a second or two.

What if whatever's tanged in her aura is like a form of restraint to prevent her from shifting? It might be useful to us to free her from it, or cleanse her of it. We'd gain some trust and maybe we won't get anymore backlashes of pain again. It might also speed up/smooth out our exit? Whatever she knows about this place might be critical to getting everyone out alive.

We can look at the back to her head and see if there is a spell lock of tattoo or something back there (the hand going to the hiar seemed a bit odd to me). Also we need to get the elevator moving. Ghost is probably in no condition for much, so we should probably get Diamond into the air.

As for 'remove' vs 'extract', 'extract' is probably the better choice since 'remove' can also be used to mean 'kill' while 'extract' dosen't.

Be right back after I check the character sheets...

[edit]
OK, no biotech skills.

Hooking her up to the medkit with the AI set to 'magicall active' will hopefully give us some warnings about heart rate and resperation and stuff. How long is the seziure going on? Is it just a momentary wriggle, or is it taking a while?

[/edit]

Yes, get Solitaire to get the damn elevator down here.

Ghost is going to have to track as best she can - I'm not sure if her equipment includes magic friendly pain-killers but now is probably a good time if she does. She's the one with a physical presence.

I'm suspecting something like a focus with whatever that pain blasting spell effect is hooked up to her at the back of her head - or maybe a collar - something. If we can get it off her, hopefully she becomes useful to us - she certainly seems co-operative - and given how Ghost feels, good thing.

Either Ghost - or if Trogdor's willing to try it, a low force spirit summoned up and told to do the job...I'd rather avoid summoning but getting the 'thing' off her is definitly a priority at this point - do so.

Diamonds moving IIRC - leave the gangs to it and pray things don't get too out of hand there to the point it starts screwing with our op.

And what's the bet, that effect going off - we need to start the haul ass express outta here - ASAP.

If my suspicions are correct then whoever hooked her up just definitly felt the fact it just triggered again. What the reaction is...time to use the ol haul ass express.

Examination of her hair - is there a ponytail or a bun - something sizeable in which conceivably a small item such as say a ring (the ponytail held there by a small metal band even) - that could be hidden in her hair?

On review, given the Ghost IS so hammered - if Trogdor thinks he can get it together long enough a little ol Force 2 spirit should be enough to paw through her hair and attempt to find/remove anything that isn't hair from the back of her head...

Gang update - how far along are they with the 'distraction' - and where's Diamond at this point?

Solitaire has an elevator ready and waiting.

One gang has already shot out all the security cameras and floodlights within range and line of fire, and someone has now produced boltcutters. The other gang should be arriving any time now. One advantage re the outside situation: it seems to have distracted the night shift. All four of them are on the main floor now: two in the security office, two moving toward the roof.

She flinches at Ghost's touch (echoes of pain through her aura), but keeps otherwise still. There's definite marks of repeated recent magical healings on her, a few physical, most astral. Her hair is about mid-back length and completely loose: no bun, no ponytail. (From the file pictures you'd remember that she frequently wore it coiled up in one way or another, fastened with Japanese hairpins.) There's no item or marking on her that either Ghost or Trogdor can see, just (physically) the singed and torn clothing and (astrally) that mesh.

Trogdor starts to summon a low-level spirit but she lunges toward him to interrupt him (tries to do it physically, in fact: her hand intersects with his astral body and goes through it): "What are you doing, summoning a hearth spirit here?!"

Just a reminder that medkits and "runner stuff" standardly include trauma patches and such up to about rating 6, but that's not something I can assume she would or would not use.

Also reminding you of the call to Lone Star by the building security (already dialed, not yet connected).

A small series of suggestions then at this point - for which before implementation I'd like the thoughts and opinons of Shansu and Crusher at least - they've been active in this puppy a lot longer than what I have.

A) - The pain effect appears to be an astral lattice - with no signs of a focus being attached/connected to it or her then it would need to be assumed either a) sustained or b) quickened. I beleive that Trogdor should at this point conduct a breif assessment of the 'lattice' with a veiw to working out if it's worth risking trying to dispel it. If it's too high in force then that entails real risks for him. Given Juliana's coherence and willingness at this point to co-operate, ask her in brief at least 'wtf is that?'

B) Solitaire if she isn't too busy can leave the elevator to it's own devices for the moment and take the phone call to the Star - "Good evening Lone Star. How may I help you?" and fob them off with concerned noises and a promise of assistance en-route, will be there as soon as is possible. The longer we keep the Star away from this the better.

C) If two of the night shift are heading to the roof - we're going to have to be very bloody careful here they don't trip over us - or spot the relay drone or anything else that's detrimental to us...

We're starting to run into some serious issues here - with a little luck we can still get out of here unseen but it's getting more and more unlikely.