[gwilym]

Horse pulls a flash bang out of her pocket and raises her eyebrow. "flash bang anyone while we remember to grab a sample of the cure"

[rednblack]

Chaim steps further into the room as the pair of guards take up defensive positions around the doorway.  Well frag, that's not exactly the plan I had in mind.  Even worse, Chaim doesn't see anyone taking out their link to do a reboot, and -- and this is a big "and" -- two scientists on the opposite side of the room near some comm terminals rush immediately to start dumping data.

Frag.

Mother frag.

Rolling with the new situation, Chaim palms one of the Neuro-Stun grenades, and switches its setting to motion sensor.  Taking two quick strides toward the desks with science projects worse than any Aztechnology lab he's ever been in -- and that's saying something -- he lets the grenade drop at his feet as he begins screaming, "Thunder and lightning, mother fuckers!  I'm taking you all down with me!"

Somewhere in his quick expletive-ridden foray into the psyche of a disgruntled sec guard, the gas grenade pops, filling the room with its invisible and odorless payload.  He waves the Ares Alpha threateningly, and lets off a few rounds for effect before ducking behind the desk, seeking cover from the guards who will surely be firing on him momentarily.

[gilga]

Hearing the pop of grenade Spikes quickly places her gas mask on, figuring out it is her only way to stay awake.

[CraterShip]

The tiny detonation of Chaim's grenade is barely audible over his yelling and completely lost behind the quick bursts of rifle fire. The two guards at the door are barely able to turn around before the gas hits them. One chokes out a meager attempt to call for help, but isn't conscious enough to actually get anything over radio comms. The scientists are even closer to the center of the blast, dropping almost instantaneously.

Chaim holds his breath and darts through the cloud pulling his mask on as he runs, the rest of the crew don their own masks and move quickly into the room, Spikes goes directly to the data terminal and plugs in, while the others check the stunned workers and set up defenses.

Manfred and the lead scientist have made it to a separate room, and are not among the men inside, the others are all down.

Spikes takes a moment to update the team, the data dump has already been initialized, she's going to have to push hard to get what she can. She's going to need time.

Once satisfied with the room, Pale Horse checks the doors on the far side. She can see movement through frosted glass on all four, but little else. All four doors are tightly secured with magnetic and piston locks.

[gwilym]

horse nodded to the old man and they swung through the door as one. at a smooth steady pace they move round the out side of the room scanning the room over the top of their weapon sites.  as they reach their first corner they stop and exchange glances (as best you can through respirator masks) to confirm everyone in the room is down and out. "ok! boss i'll check out these doors! where do have the stuff we need?"

[Tecumseh]

With the gas popped and the guards gagging on the floor, Ichante springs into action. She lifts her helmet and pulls on her own gas mask, then drops her helmet back into place as she surveys the scene.

"I'm dropping the disguise," she tells Chaim, wondering if he should have a codename like Dirk, or Diggler. As the spell fades, Chaim returns to his usual blue-eyed self.

She juts her thumb over her shoulder to indicate the petrified guard. "I'm going to drag Michelangelo in here and gas him so I can keep my concentration free," she says, confusing the name of the artist with the name of the statue.

Despite the heaviness of the calcified guard, she succeeds in levitating him into the gas cloud. Once the statue is positioned over the sputtering gas grenade, she drops the spell and stands back. The guard - surprised to find himself without his weapons or clothes - flails about for a few moments before his eyes roll back and he tips over. After securing his wrists and ankles, Ichante levitates the guards down the hall to use them as door stops so that their escape route doesn't slam shut behind them. Or, if the doors do slam, then maybe the men's cyberware will jam things up and prevent a clean lock.

Task complete, Ichante skips back down the hall and gets her orders from Chaim, which she then passes on to her guardian spirit.

Achak, she says to the spirit. Please join me. Accept this gunstock war club as a sign of my worthy respect and admiration. Watch these elevator and cell doors and stop anything that tries to come out.

The shirtless spirit emerges from the astral and accepts the wooden club. With a confident nod, he strides down the hallway and stands with arms akimbo in front of the elevator doors. With a guard on their rear flank, Ichante turns back to help watch Casket's back.

Edit: Chaim is not an elf

[rednblack]

The team rushes into the lab, and Chaim goes into director mode.  He doesn't even have a chance to speak to Ichante before the dwarf begins work on further incapacitating the petrified guard and then using his body to maintain access to their exit, something Chaim hadn't even considered.  It's nice when a runner can find a semi-regular team; they cover each other's blind spots well.  Plus, half the time Ichante seems to know what just what to do before Chaim can even open his trap.

Satisfied that Ichante and her spirit, a well-built Amerindian who's running around shirtless -- Of course he is, Chaim thinks feeling a bit under-developed himself -- he turns his attention to the inside of the lab, and puts his hand on Casket's shoulder.  "Pop the door to those scientists.  Pale Horse, stack up behind for a dynamic entry."

Within seconds, the elder runner is crouched in front of the door, his tools out, and fingers working frantically disassembling the maglock.  "Time is of the essence, Cas. Our paycheck's on the other side of door."

"On it," Casket replies, just as the magnetic lock disengages.

"Lay 'em out fast, lay 'em out hard!" Chaim says to Pale Horse, as he turns his eyes and ears to the other rooms, and the shadows playing on the other side of the frosted glass.

Ah, frag this, he thinks, readying his borrowed Alpha.

[gilga]

Anna swaps her deck to attack configuration position, and lunches a vicious data spike toward the IC. She is still running silent so, her position is not immediately obvious.
[spoiler]
(she uses 4 Attack, 3 sleaze, 2 dp , 1 firewall)
programs (hammer + decription + smoke and mirrors L2)

overclocking attack:
after all 6 attack, 5 sleaze, 2 dp, 1 firewall - device is slaved to her comlink with 6 firewall.

before the IC attacks Spikes it needs to suceed in matrix perception against her, as Spikes is running silent.

data spike: 13d6t5 4
damage is 8 matrix + net hits.
Initiative: 7+4d6 17
[/spoiler]

[gwilym]

horse watch the old man do his thing with the lock 2she leaned in "when it open just duck i'll go straight in"

[CraterShip]

Spikes blows a whole through the IC, but it is still coming. Another countermeasure also deploys and begins following the second toward her.

[spoiler=Matrix rolls]
Damage resistance: 4 hits so 8 damage, it still has 3 open spots on its damage track.
Matrix Perception: 9 and 3 hits
First one's attack: 5 hits
Second one initiative: 26
The second IC rolled 2 hits on its matrix perception try for round 2, your move, 2 hasn't seen you yet
[/spoiler]

Ichante moves the incapacitated men into their door jam positions, while Chaim directs Casket to get to work on the door locks. Only a few moments pass as the big man deftly works his way past the security controls, but before he can move into the piston locks, the group hears a series of hissing sounds. Chaim realizes it first, and shortly after, the group understands where it is coming from. The air ventilation system is quickly scrubbing out the gas, but more concerning, is that one of the doors' pistons are retracting, and it's not the door Casket is working on.

[spoiler=OOC]
Initiatives please
[/spoiler]

[gilga]

Spikes narrowly dodges, the IC, but it takes all her attention, her deck is vulnerable and she cannot afford to get hit - the IC can probably nuke her with a single hit. She go into full defensive mode, and then beef up the sleaze of her deck to the maximum. Hoping that atleast the other IC will not spot her so quickly.

[spoiler]
Spikes goes full matrix defense - adding 5 more points of willpower to her pool.
She then swap attack for sleaze, bringing her sleaze 2 points higher to 7, she increase smoke and mirrors to 5. Sleaze is 10. (giving her 17 dice to resist perception. She is out of operations and the IC has another move this round. 
[/spoiler]

[CraterShip]

Chaim calls out the opening door, the hissing release of the gas pistons slide into the walls, and the door springs open. Immediately six half changed, fully crazed ghouls charge through the doorway, pushing and climbing over one another, teeth bared in maniacal grins and fingers forming clawed grips on everything they touch, pulling and launching themselves toward the runners.

[gwilym]

"ok we change plan you get them I get these"

[CraterShip]

The door springs open and the half changed ghouls rush into the hexagonal room. Pale Horse is the first to respond, tearing off a burst of machine gun fire, which shreds the first, Casket destroys more with deadly efficiency, Ichante freezes one, which shakes its head numbly before being pushed aside by those behind. Only a couple make it through, scratching and clawing at Casket and the limp form of Spikes. A single hit in, and a long burst of autofire ends the last of the creatures.

Tense moments pass as the team checks the bodies to be sure they're all down for good. Spikes awakes from her time in hotsim, her eyes flick quickly across the carnage, her hand on her weapon.

Your comms crackle to life, Guys, can you he... Me?...Nelso.., compromi..d. et him out! the voice of Asher comes across hurriedly. Every one looks to each other, seemingly deciding whether or not to leave the room.

Umm guys, how many doors did you say were open? Spikes asks, pointing at a second door standing only barely open.

DING the elevator bell echoes down the long hallway in the now silent room.

[rednblack]

Chaim stands stunned, wisps of smoke rising from the barrel of the Alpha as he surveys the five ghoul corpses before him.  What was it, three, maybe four seconds ago he was saying to Casket, "How we coming on that door?" and then he'd heard the hiss of the maglock giving way before they were swarmed.  He'd stood dumbfounded for a second after calling it out, had seen Casket cut down two with a single blast from his sawed-off shotgun before another raked him hard across the face, nearly rang his bell from the look of it.  But then the old runner was on top of him, it?, his left hand around the ghoul's throat as he pushed it against the wall and nearly cut the thing in half with his second shot.

It was that second shot that brought him back to his senses.  One was clawing its way toward him, while another pawed at Spike's unconscious form.

I've never even shot a machine gun. . .

He pulled the trigger again and again, cutting a horizontal line across the room, the reticle in his contacts cutting waves from the recoil.

And then he stopped and exhaled.

"Holy drek."

Your comms crackle to life, Guys, can you he... Me?...Nelso.., compromi..d. et him out! the voice of Asher comes across hurriedly. Every one looks to each other, seemingly deciding whether or not to leave the room.

"Negative," Chaim answers.  "Not in the contract.  Double it, we'll get your boy."

Chaim tosses the Alpha to Casket, and draws his Savalette Guardian as their decker sits up.

Umm guys, how many doors did you say were open? Spikes asks, pointing at a second door standing only barely open.

Chaim crosses over to Casket and sticks a spare mag into a pouch on the samura's face as he surveys the door he was working on.  "Casket, put whatever's coming out down.  Spikes, brick the rest of these doors."

The elevator dings down the hall.

"Really?" Chaim says as he prepares to confront the scientists.