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The Denver Mission

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Black

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« on: <04-25-12/0300:38> »
Steppenwulf, a Troll Bounty Hunter turned Shadowrunner, is contacted by Frakker, a fixer he and Walker, his buddy,  have done business with before. Frakker gives the Troll Bounty Hunter the heads up on a job, but it needs a team assembled immediately and ready to work tonight. Frakker tells Steppenwulf to go to Room 2020 at the Seattle Hilton at 10pm tonight to meet the Mr Johnson.

Steppenwulf calls around and manages to contact Chang, a wujing, and Shadowhawk,a hacker, both who are willing to take on the job. Shadowhawk and Steppenwulf discuss the job, with Shadowhawk concerned with the lack of details. Shadowhawk quickly hacks the Hilton, gaining secret control over the system despite a Spider (Security Decker) being present. Shadowhawk soon realises that the Hilton system has already been compromised, with the meeting room noted as ‘Unavailable – Maintenance’, and the security camera footage to the floor spoofed and the actual camera not part of the system… The job looks very well done, concerning the ‘Hawk even more. He contacts an old associate, Tex, a orc weapons adept, and brings her into the job.

Steppenwulf and his team meet up and drive Tex’s car into the Hilton’s carpark. The team make their way to the floor. Steppenwulf knocks on the door and it swings open. The bland hotel room appears empty and the team quickly enter. As ‘Hawk enters last, the door closes and locks. A large vidscreen turns on.

A shadowed figure appears on the screen. “Welcome friends, put your gear down, put yourselves at ease. You can call me… hmmm... Mr Black. Yes, that’s appropriate. I’ve been reliably informed that you have demonstrated unique talents at… let’s say… staying alive and it’s those very talents that I need. An old friend, Pawl Shaggy Mountain, is staying in this hotel, directly above this room actually. He is a bear shaman and leader of the Cascade Orks, one of the more powerful Salish-Shidhe tribes. Pawl Shaggy Mountain is here to meet with high-level members of the UCAS government. This is a secret meeting, which none can know about, at least not yet. Shaggy has risked much coming here, for his own people would surely see this as a betrayal. But our friend Shaggy claims that he has evidence that certain… people in positions of power in Seattle are deliberately destabilising his tribe. Something about large amounts of weapons finding their way into the hands of some of the more violent braves in the tribe.

Shaggy needs protection. Who from, I could not say. He has no shortage of enemies. But if this evidence he brings is as damaging as he says, then I would expect an attempt on his life.

Shaggy is due to meet at 9 am tomorrow morning. The people he is meeting with have no love for the tribesmen and if he misses this meeting, there may not be another. Certainly, Shaggy’s enemies will ensure that he is unavailable in the future. There is only one catch. Shaggy has hired his own team of bodyguards, a Knight Errant personal protection security detail. They are not to be trusted. You will, however, need to protect him from a distance or risk coming to blows with Shaggy and his men. He does not know that I have hired you and will likely be very suspicious of your presence unless he has greater concerns.”

The team discussed the mission briefly with ‘Mr Black’, but not much detail was forthcoming. 100,000 nuyen was offered if Shaggy was kept alive long enough to make his meeting. The Team became concerned that keeping Shaggy alive may prove difficult and hedge for an advanced payment. The ‘Wulf and ‘Hawk attempted to negotiate for more money, or an advance payment, but found Mr Black an astute negotiator and soon found themselves argueing to keep the job. Before he ‘left’ Mr Black through the Team a bone, ‘If Shaggy dies, I want his evidence. 25,000 nuyen for his evidence’.

Shadowhawk quickly took control of the hotel. He ran a risky gambit and contacted the Hotel Security, posing as a security auditor from ‘head office’ running a series of ‘checks’ on the Hotel. The bluff worked and soon the security of the hotel had not only been boosted, but the five floors around the Team and Shaggy had been isolated. Shadowhawk would ensure that security would keep the hotel secure, while the ‘Hawk controlled all coming and goings within the secure zone. The Team also checked the KE security detail and confirmed their bonofides. It looked like two ‘meat shields’ and one seriously cybered heavy hitter. The Heavy Hitter, a twitchy, hairless, chrome-eyed killer, looked like he might be trouble. Change astrally attempted to make contact with Shaggy. However, he was stopped by a powerful bearlike earth spirit which protected Shaggy and his room from the astral. Chang did summon a spirit of man to guard to hallway outside Shaggy’s room. Both Shadowhawk and Chang placed watcher spirits around the secure zone. Tex put in a call to a friend at Lone Star with the photos of the KE team, to confirm that they were legit, but his contact wouldn’t be getting back to him soon. Steppenwulf, bored with cooling his heels, slowly emptied the hotel rooms bar fridge.

Trouble came at One in the morning, when the elevator stopped at floor 21. Three well dressed waiters began pushing trolley of food towards Shaggy’s room. Shadowhawk, well aware that no call for room service had been made, quickly mobilised the team. Tex, Shadowhawk and Steppenwulf quickly headed for the stairs . Chang’s spirit manifested and attempted to stop the ‘waiters’. Realising that they had been made early, the pulled out machine pistols and raced towards Shaggy’s room. The spirit tried to stop them, but they proved difficult to slow. Tex was the fasted of the team and sprinted up the stairs only to encounter a second team of hitmen. Two gunmen and a large hairy troll were on the landing at floor 21. The two gunmen, one with a machine pistol and one duel-wielding silver plaited automatics, both turned on the Runner. Tex, also duel-wielding automatics loaded with explosive rounds, began firing. The Gunman with the machine pistol was caught in the shoulder, spinning him around just in time for his head to explode in the tight corridor, splattering everyone in a fountain of blood and gore. The second gunman, Yuri, managed to avoid the shots and fired back. Tex leapt backwards while she continued to fire at Yuri. Yuri caught a round to the chest, his lifeblood painting the doorway behind him. Still, he continued to manoeuvre, dodging not only four shots by Tex, but the suppressive fire of Shadowhawk’s assault rifle and Steppenwulfs full auto shotgun spray. Eventually, unable to avoid the hail of bullets while wounded and in a very tight space, a final bullet removed Yuri’s head. Shadowhawk and Steppenwulf stepped over Tex, who has fallen during the dramatic shoot-out, and made their way into the floor 21 hallway.

The large, hairy troll, Misha, charged Chang’s spirit companion. Misha, a powerful physical adept, wielding enough magic to drive the spirit back. The three ‘waiters’ shot down Shaggy’s door and quickly killed one of his KE protectors. The KE Heavy Hitter quickly fired back, and killed all three of the hitmen. Misha, sensing that the room contained a dangerous threat greater than the spirit, attempted to make his way into the room, only to be block by one of the KE. Furious, Misha swung wildly, and his fist became stuck in the wall.

Shadowhawk, now in the hallway, sprayed the hallway with more full auto suppressive fire, but his bullets could not penetrate the heavy armour and thick skin of the Troll. Steppenwulf roared with frustration as he quickly reloaded his shotgun. Tex, now on her feet, made her way into the hallway and began firing with her autos. The Troll took two explosive rounds, staggering him. A Third round found its eye and the explosive did the rest. As gore seeped out of the shattered skull of Misha, the team made contact with the KE guards.

While the combat raged outside in the hallway, the astral form of Chang desperately tried to explain to Shaggy that they were allies, here to help. Initially suspicious, Shaggy eventually ordered the KE to stand down, despite the strong protest of the KE team leader. The hitsquad was identified as Russians, and Steppenwulf confirmed that they were Vory working for Aleksander “Terminator”

Bilotkiy, a heavily-cybered hatchet man loyal to the Moscow Vory. Chang asked Shaggy about his ‘evidence’ and Shaggy answered that his evidence was in his mind and his chest. A quick decision was made to leave the building, partly to avoid needing to explain everything to the authorities (given that Shaggy was here incognito) but also to avoid any more attacks. The Team made their way downstairs to the car park. Steppenwulf quickly removed Shaggy’s driver from the tribesman’s car. The driver had already been killed by the Vory attackers. Taking two cars, the team left the hotel as it went into lockdown.

Steppenwulf is driving Shaggy’s car, with Shaggy and the chromed-eye KE security guard. The remaining members of the team took Tex’s car and are trailing several car lengths behind Shaggy. It is now 3am, with six more hours before the meeting… Can the Team keep Shaggy alive?
Perception molds reality
Change perception and reality will follow
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Black

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« Reply #1 on: <04-25-12/0305:10> »
The team was on the move, looking for a safe place to keep Pawl Shaggy Mountain until his 9am appointment in the morning with the Feds. Driving in two cars, they cruised through the streets of Downtown Seattle at 3am. The first car was a luxury Eurocar Westwood, with Steppen Wulf at the wheel and Shaggy and QT in the back seat. The second car, a Chrysler-Nissan Patrol, packed with Chang, Shadowhawk, Tex, and Adam, the other KE security agent, followed two car lengths behind.

Steppen wulf drank from his flask as Pawl Shaggy Mountain spoke of the Cascade Orks, a tribe of orks and trolls, free from discrimination, building their own society.

Shadowhawk ran the events of the night through his head. Calculation and variables aside, the numbers didn’t look good. Needing a safe place and an extra gun, Shadowhawk gave Walker a call.

Walker was up, working on his accounts, buzzing on Cram. Checking his figures, he knew his savings were not enough, not nearly enough for what he planed...

Bzzzzt

“Walker, need your assistance Chummer”

“What’s up? What do you need?”

“Safe place to crash a guy we’re protecting. At least until morning, we’ll be clean and gone before 9am.”

Walker checked the time. 3:15 am. Morning wasn’t far away.

“How much is my slice”

“Always about nuyen with you isn’t it?”

“Got bills to pay, vendettas to run.”

“20,000. Is it enough?”

“Let me make a few calls.”

Walker buzzed Dr Heidi, one of his few real friends.

“Nebe, busy patching bullet holes here. Clamp that, stop it squirting everywhere dammit! Um, make it quick.”

“Heidi, have a crew of chummers who need to hole up somewhere for a few hours. Mind if they drop into your place?”

“Um.. one moment”

Walker waited while Heidi’s hold muzak played. Cram firing his neurons, it seemed like she had him waiting for eternity...

“Ok, I’m back. Sorry about that. *sigh*. Nebe, it’s not exactly quiet here, you know. Seattle 3 am in the morning just means more gunshot wounded drunk a$#seh0les then I can deal with. “

“Hiedi...” Walker played his most charming voice...

“ *sigh* Ok, but we need more medicine here. Can you at least help out some?”

“Sure, send it through; I’ll see what I can do”

“Thanks. The list is going through now. Send your crew in... but they better be on their best behaviour. Last thing I need is more sh%t from shadow runner wannabees.”

“Thanks Heidi. See ya soon”

Walker let the call end. It would be good to see Heidi again. Checking himself in the mirror of the way out, Walker buzzed Shadowhawk.

“Yo Hawk, got a place for the team to hold up for awhile. I’m sending the address through now. It’s a street clinic near the docks in downtown Seattle. Should be close to where you’re at. I’ll meet you at the entrance.”

“Thanks Chummer, see you there.”

****

Walker waited out the front of the clinic. The local area wasn’t much, mostly warehouses, old tenements and a Universal Brotherhood chapterhouse. Wasn’t far from that APN policlub headquarters that Chang and Mono had hit a few months earlier. Normally the under-construction Renraku Arcology would be lighting up the sky, but tonight a thick sea fog had drifted in from the Pungent Sound. The fog was so thick the Walker couldn’t see more than half a block away, if that.

Steppen Wulf shook his flask, hearing the last of his soy-based vodka slosh. Taking a gulp and finishing his liquor, he put his flask back in his jacket. The Eurocar was too cramped for him to be driving and the way this KE bodyguard glared at him with those lifeless chrome eyes was starting to bother him. At least the injun Troll seemed to have gone to sleep. Fortunately, the clinic was just up ahead. Steppen Wulf began to slow the car as they approached the clinic.

Tex was driving behind and could barely make out the luxury car up ahead. This fog was bothering her for some reason, but she couldn’t quiet tell why. Shadowhawk also felt some unease, but likewise, could place what the problem was. At least Chang had relaxed enough to catch some sleep.

Suddenly a loud noise rocked the quiet street. A low flying jet, hidden by the fog, roared up the street, flying just above the clinic. A wave of unseen energy flowed up the street, sparks of electricity dancing on anything metal. Steppen Wulf roared in pain as his cyber enhanced nervous system fried with the electromagnetic pulse. Losing consciousness, the Eurocar rocked up the street and crashed into the side of the clinic. Walker leapt out of the way just in time.

Tex saw the Eurocar lose control as her comlink sparked and caught on fire in her jacket. Swinging the car sideways, Tex bought her Patrol into a defensive position by the entrance of the Clinic. One of Shadowhawk’s two Decks sparked and shut down. Shadowhawk watched in horror as his work was erased, his expensive deck damaged, perhaps beyond repair. Electro-Magnetic Pulse! Military grade, at least high-end private security.

Walker got to the Eurocar first and checked on Steppen Wulf. The large Troll was unconscious. His pulse was okay, but the way he twitched and the smell of burnt flesh was concerning. The KE bodyguard leapt out of the back of the car, and came face-to-face with Walker.

“QT!”

“Hey Nebe! Small World!”

QT’s Ares Predator was dangerously aimed at Walker. His dead eyes and lack of expression gave lie to his friendly words.

Shadowhawk got out of the car, “Hey, he’s with us!”

“Good, hate to come to blows with an old friend” sneered QT.

Walker remembered the time QT had left him for dead when he was meant to be watching his back, but decided to file the betrayal away for later. QT was a dangerously unstable psychopath, but at least he was on their side, for now.

Tex, the young Chinese ork leapt out of her car and briefly acknowledged Walker. “Hey, your Wiz buddy is out cold”

The young KE guard, Adam, nervously got out of the car. He threw his useless comlink away. No backup would be coming tonight. He was on his own with a group of dangerous shadowrunners and his ‘supervisor’, the freak QT.

Walker looked inside the back of the Eurocar at the Indian Troll. So this was the person they were protecting. While not as large as other Trolls, he was still too big to easily lift out of the crashed vehicle. Walker slapped a stimulant patch on the big guy, but he didn’t react. Not good.

Tex could make out approaching vehicles, “Chummers, we’ve got unknowns approaching fast. Trouble?”

Shadowhawk replied, “30 seconds after an EMP attack? Assume that they’re trouble and act accordingly”.

Tex drew her automatics.

As Shadowhawk eyed the scene, something moved in the thick fog above. Slowly swimming through the mists, a large slick wet tentacle reached out from above and latched onto the crashed vehicle. Seconds later a second tentacle flicked through the fog and began slithering around the vehicle looking for purchase. Thicker than a Troll’s chest, each tentacle was covered in hundreds of suckers. The car began to slowly lift of the ground.

“Frag! I’m outta here!” Adam, the young KE protector, quickly fled down the street.

Ignoring the oncoming enemies, Shadowhawk, Walker and Tex started firing at the tentacles. Within moments their combined fire cut the tentacles down. The dismembered tentacles twisted and thrashed on the roof of the car, spraying everyone on bright pink fish-stinking goo.

The thing still loomed above, with more tentacles dropping from the mist. Tex aimed upwards and fired blindly at the shadowy creature. Obscured by mist the creature proved somewhat difficult to hit despite its size. Still, enough of Tex’s shots found the beast, and soon her explosive rounds were tearing massive chunks out of its flesh. Large pieces of jelly-like flesh landed on the runners, and thick pink gooey blood rained from the heavens. Tex was soon drenched in pink goo. Walker and QT quickly tried to drag Shaggy into the clinic, but it was proving difficult to move him out the crashed vehicle.

As Tex continued to fire into the creature above, she noticed it was rapidly falling... directly on her and the team. “Take Cover!” Tex yelled as she flipped out of the way. The critter, a large jelly fish-like creature was the size of a small bus and easily weighed several tons. Shadowhawk leapt back into the Patrol and Walker and QT took cover in the Eurocar.

*Krrrreeessssllllllloooopppp*

The sound of wet flesh impacting on metal reverberated across the street. The beast’s jelly-like body completely block the entrance of the clinic and partly covered the two vehicles.

Tex recovered first and realised that the two approaching vehicles were now very close. Taking aim at the first delivery van to appear out of the fog, Tex put two explosive rounds through the driver’s skull. The vehicle, already slowing, plunged into the jelly body of the creature, lodging half-way into the thick flesh of the strange beast.

Tex took aim at the second vehicle and also clipped the driver in the head. The driver kept control and managed to pull up next to the creature.

Walker and QT managed to drag Shaggy out of the vehicle and into the clinic. The receptionist, hidden behind thick bullet proof glass and bars, seemed to pay them no attention, despite the ongoing gun battle just outside the door.

Shadowhawk crawled into the driver seat of the Patrol. The vehicle was partly covered by the massive creature’s corpse. ‘Hawk revved the engine and managed to force the vehicle partly out from under. Shadowhawk leaned over and opened a passenger door for Tex. “Get in!”

The enemy, pouring out of the delivery vans, remained hidden and under cover. A light rain of grenades landed around Tex. Picking one up, she threw it back and then leapt into the Patrol.

Walker, putting Shaggy gently to the ground in the clinic, ran to the entrance. Taking quick stock of the situation, he pulled out two of his own grenades and flicked them over the blocking body of the beast. They landed between to the delivery vans.

Two of the attackers, heavily armoured and carrying assault rifles unleashed a rain of bullets on the Patrol. Shadowhawk, and Tex ducked for cover, with Hawk dragging the unconscious Chang onto the floor of the vehicle. The Patrol was chewed up, with glass and shards of metal flying everywhere. The tires were shredded and something blew with a loud bang in the front.

The car was going nowhere fast.

Tex responded with a series of quick shots, her twin Predators roaring explosive death! One of the attackers, a large Indian Orc, turned directly into the gun fire and lost his head as a result.

The second attacker ducked back in time, only taking a hit to his armoured shoulder.

The Grenades went off with a series of loud bangs. Flash Grenades, designed to blind and stun the targets went off like fireworks on the 4th of July. Walker’s gas grenade also popped and the battle scene was soon covered in a neuron toxin. The wounded driver in the second vehicle, desperately trying to steam the bloody wound to his head, succumbed to the gas. Taking the opportunity presented by resulting pause in the battle, the remaining attackers fled into the night.

Walker returned to the clinic to find QT examining the Troll.

“His vitals are fine, just won’t wake up”.

“I’ll get the Doc.”

As Walker moved to the door into the Clinic from the waiting room, he heard a scream. He quickly drew his automatic and looked to QT. The cyber-samurai had drawn his predator. His normally expressionless face wore a strange grin.

A tense stand-off developed. The Receptionist hid under her desk, allowing Walker to try and peer into the back of the clinic. He couldn’t see anything.

Suddenly the door to the clinic opened and Dr Heidi was pushed into the waiting room. The petite Doc fell to her knees and appeared slight stunned by events. She looked at Walker and silently pleaded with him.

QT grinned over at Walker “Nebe, you go first, I’ll cover you!”

Walker responded, “So you have can up and run again. I don’t think so!”

Both waited, tensing up, ready to act at a moment’s notice.

*fffftttt*

An arrow ripped through Heidi’s chest and imbedded itself through the concrete wall of the waiting room.

“Nooooooo!” screamed Walker. Leaping over the body of Heidi, Walker fired at the moving shadow in the Clinic. The Archer moved fast, but Walker clipped him with a Stick-n-Shock round. The electricity stunned the archer, slowing him as he sought cover behind an operating table. But Walker was not finished and rushed through the room, charging the black cloaked bowman. Point blank, Walker unloaded his weapon, stunning the assassin senseless. Still not finished, his anger at the attack on Dr Heidi all consuming, he ripped the attacker’s mask off, revealing a heavily scarred Indian orc. Forcing open the Orc’s mouth, Walker shoved a Splash Grenade in. Grabbing a bandage, Walker wrapped the Orc’s head tight and threw his body into the alley way behind the Clinic.

*BANG*

The Orc’s head exploded, showering the alley way in gore and goop from the grenade.

Shaggy rose to his feet and saw the bleeding Doc. Making his way her side, he gave a small chant. Healing warmth flowed from his hand and the wound closed. The Doc started to breathe more soundly.

The team quickly moved Chang and Steppen Wulf into the clinic. Steppen Wulf still seemed twitchy and they couldn’t wake Chang.

“There was a great battle in the hunting grounds and your wizard friend fought at my side. Alas, our enemies almost overwhelmed us and Chang may not recover from his spiritual wounds for some time. Let him rest for now, he has done enough fighting to last several life times,” explained Shaggy.

Looking at the fleshing creature blocking the entrance to the clinic, Shaggy recalled in disgust. “It is a Bloat, a creature developed by Universal Omnitech. Bloats are large, gengineered critters somewhat resembling flying jellyfish. They were supposed to revolutionize heavy lift transport by being far cheaper to maintain then conventional heavy lift helicopters and LTA craft. They should only be in the very early stages of development! Once again the corporations prove they are not to be trusted!”

Walker checked on Dr Heidi and his team mates. “Ok chummers, we need to move out. We don’t know how they tracked us, but we can’t afford to stay here. We’ll leave Chang and Steppen Wulf here with Heidi and take one of the drek heads’s delivery vans. It’ll do for now.”

One last look at Heidi and Walker left. He briefly noted that QT was also looking at the doc…

As the remaining runners piled into the van, Shaggy looked at the dead driver. “This man is a member of the Rangers. Traditionally, the Salish Rangers served as a militarized police force, handling both civil police duties and military affairs. Each tribe provides braves to serve in the Rangers. An elite unit, all warriors from my tribe, form the Black Arrows. This poor fool was one of my warriors, a member of the Black Arrows. This speaks of unforgivable treachery by the Black Arrows. They have betrayed our tribe and are working with Universal Omnitech!”

“This proves my point! Shadow players are supplying weapons to the followers of Swims in Darkness in order to cause trouble in my tribe and in my nation. Swims in Darkness is a powerful, twisted Shark Shaman. He and his followers attacked us tonight in the hunting grounds, while his braves and his creature attacked you on the streets. He claims to have found his spirit mentor swimming in the dark pools that lie in the caves below the Cascade Mountains. He is mad! And now, thanks to corporation like Universal Omnitech and criminal like the Russian Mafia, his followers feel brave enough to attack me directly! And do you know who the puppeteer, their hidden master is? I do and I will have justice from the white man’s government!”

*****
Perception molds reality
Change perception and reality will follow
SR1+SR2+SR3++SR4+hb+++B?UB+IE+W+sa+m-gmM--P

Black

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« Reply #2 on: <04-25-12/0305:57> »

The runners left the clinic and headed into the city. Shadowhawk found the team a safe place and waited for sunrise. As 9am approached, they discussed what to do. They wanted to leave Shaggy outside, mission complete. The Indian Shaman had other ideas.

“My friends, you have followed me so far. I would have to with me when I talk to your government people. You shall hear what I have to say.”

The team reluctantly consented. Leaving most of their weapons behind, the team drove a car to the Federal Building. A quick security check and the car were in the secure underground car park. A security check and their weapons were stored at the way point. Only Walker managed to conceal his taser from the FBI security agents. The team waited in an antechamber. Shaggy paced nervously, obviously becoming agitated. QT tried to calm the Troll, massaging his broad shoulders and trying, rather crudely, to relax the tribal leader. Shadowhawk briefly checked on Shaggy and found his pulse was slightly quick. The troll was visibly sweating in the dry air-conditioned building.

The team was ushered into a conference room, with a series of tables arranged in a semi circle around where Shaggy would present. The government officials, stern, serious men and women dressed in dark suits, watched expressionlessly as they team was marched in. Security closed the door and waited outside. The team was told to sit on some steel framed chairs by the door.

The lead official, a wiry gentleman with think framed glasses, first ran through an extraordinary number of dull preliminary questions.

“You sir are one Pawl Shaggy Mountain?”

“Yes, and I have…”

“One moment Sir, you will have your chance to explain your presence shortly. Hmmph… and your current position is… Tribal Chieftain of the Cascade Orks and member of the Salish-Shidhe Council? Hmmm?”

On so forth…. Shaggy was becoming more and more agitated.

Finally… “I have come here to speak of a threat, not only to myself, to my people, to my nation, but to your nation and your people! I have come with evidence that members of your leadership here in Seattle are involved in illegal actions, breaching the Denver Treaty, which will bring violence to my tribe and nation!” Shaggy’s voice rose, he was almost spitting his words out!

“One moment Sir” Interrupted the lead official. He touched the comlink at his ear.

“huh hu. Okay, and that’s one Swims in Darkness? Does he have a real name? Oh? Typical. And what was that? Repeat that again, slowly…” The official raised his hand for silence from Shaggy, ignoring the rage contorting the Troll’s face.

“Ah.. Sir, it appears you are no longer the recognised leader of your… um... tribe. It appears the Cascade Orks have announced via media channels that they have a change in leadership. One Swims in Darkness is the new leader of your nation. No word on your status. Oh, and the SSC has yet to confirm they recognise this change. Still, as of this moment you are a private citizen of a foreign nation and no longer possess diplomatic privileges. “

“AAAARRRRGGGGGHHHHH!!!!!!” Roared Shaggy, his rage unleased. Foaming at the mouth, the troll charged the sitting officials and smashed his staff down on the table. The table shattered from the impact, as the officials scrambled to their feet. Walker, realising the immediate danger the government agents were in, leapt to his feet and dived to push the spectacle wearing fool out of the way. He acted just in time, as Shaggy swung his staff at his tormentor’s head. The staff impacted Walker in the side, cracking several ribs. The runner fell to the ground at the feet of the enraged Troll. Tex quickly engaged the crazed Troll, with Tex attempting to grab the staff and prevent Walker’s imminent demise. Tex slowed the Troll down, long enough for Walker to draw his taser and send two rounds into Shaggy, bringing him to the ground. Shadowhawk opened the door and called for help.

Soon the room was filled with FBI agents, and Walker, ‘Hawk and Tex were forced to the ground and arrested….

What will happen next?
Perception molds reality
Change perception and reality will follow
SR1+SR2+SR3++SR4+hb+++B?UB+IE+W+sa+m-gmM--P

Black

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« Reply #3 on: <04-25-12/0309:22> »
Previously on Shadowrun...

We last left our Runners captured by the FBI.

Walker, Tex and Shadowhawk were led into a room together and left there. No windows, six chairs and a bolted down table. One wall had a mirror.

The guys all put their feet up on the table and began to doze. It had been a long night.

After what seems forever, an elderly black man in a ruffled suit enters the room. He was followed by a young buck, a man with a military style air cut and a crisp suit. The last man to enter is an elf, his suit too stylish for government use. He seems engrossed with his Fuchi Pad.

The elder man refers to the young elf ‘Samual?’

The elf pauses and glazes over for awhile. ‘All clear boss’.

The young buck then verbally laid into the team.

‘Concealed weapon, links to a shoot out in down town Seattle this morning and the Hilton last night. Half a dozen dead so far in less than 24 hours. And then you arrogant bastards walk into here and expect to get out again?”

Shadowhawk, Walker and Tex all protested their innocence.

Any protest wes met with any angry ‘I don’t want to hear your lies!’

Samual ignores the proceedings while the elder agent leans against the wall and watched the runner’s reaction.
Once things became too heated, the older agent placed his hand on the younger man’sshoulder, ended this part of the negotiation. “That’s enough Mikey”.

“Look boys, I’ve got a pretty good run down of who you say you are, what you say you are and what we really think you do. Your street name is Shadowhawk, a private investigator that has done some minor work for a number of law enforcement agencies. A dozen or so alias at least, but you did some work recently for one Tokashi, a film producer. Rescued his daughter from one Tombstone Luigi. Except for the heavy Yak involvement, and a small massacre, you mostly came out of that smelling like roses.”

Shadowhawk explained that they did everything via the book.

“Nebe, former employee of Ares. Mid-level executive, one of the few at that level who left the mega corp without getting their contract cancelled permanently. Suspected involvement in a number of illegal weapon deals, some sort involvement in the death of a team of special military investigators”

Walker interrupted and demanded to know if he was under investigation. The older agent coolly replied “I wouldn’t ruin an investigation by telling the main suspect he was under watch, would I? Lots of red flags around you son. But today, that’s actually good news.”

“Tex. You’re new. Chinese Orc, some sort of awakened? Samual?”
“Physical Adept, strong but raw”

“I’ve been around” growled Tex, ego bruised.

“Just flown under the radar until now, lass?”

“Pawl Shaggy Mountain’s rental vehicle and a number of dead orcs, tentatively identified as SS Rangers have been found this morning. One with his head blown off, from inside. Messy, saw it myself. Not clean, not professional.”

“Probably deserved it” muttered Walker, his cool slipping for a second as he remembered seeing Doc Heidi been shot through by an arrow from the Black Arrow bastard.

“An abandoned clinic, local Lone Star had a file saying that it belonged to one Dr Heidi. Given that we also linked Pawl Shaggy Mountain to a dead Knight Errant agent and six dead Vory and one poor driver schmuck in the car park, and I’ve linked you to almost a dozen dead vics. Should I see if our chem. Sniffers pick up traces of explosives on your hands? We have some of the best tech there is.”

Tex admitted to being at the clinic, but insisted it was self defence.

“Or maybe we don’t?”

"We will release you and your assets, erase records that they were ever held, return your equipment, if you do this little job for us outside of our area of influence. If you are captured or detained while carrying out this mission you are on your own."

“Interested? Or should we start taking DNA samples now?”

“Tell us more” asked Walker, hedging his bets as he considered the options.

“Hmm... Good. We have at least 30 minutes and then it’s time to go”

“I need you boys to head on over to Denver for me. Denver is, well a complicated place, what with six different governments running the place. There’s a good chance you will be moving around between the sectors, and well, it wouldn’t do anyone any good if an Agent was caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. Boys like you?, well that’s just expected.”

“Denver is home of the black market in North America. Lots of things are for sale. However, some one just put a briefcase nuclear weapon up for sale.”
This bland statement caused a small stir in the room.

“Yes, I am serious. Some fool is auctioning a nuclear weapon to the highest bidder. Now, in this day and age, nukes are not quiet what they used to be, but they sure did a number on India and Pakistan, and in the hands of some nut job terrorist, they’ll do a nasty job on some where again, maybe even here in Seattle. “

“This is where we need you boy’s assistance. Fly into Denver, locate the seller, acquire the weapon, and turn it over to an associate of myself. Nice and simple. And what do we have in this room? A black market arms trader (“hey, I was legitimate” Walker) , an ace detective from Denver, and a gun for higher to keep them alive.”

“In return for these services, I will clear your name today, no records, no physical evidence, you where never here. Do a good job and this may even be the start of a beautiful relationship. Still interested?”

“Yes, what do we get out of this?” asked Walker

“Cleared records, no physical samples. Our good will”

The runners and the agents discussed how to contact the arms dealer. The FBI had little in the way of information, expecting the runners to find a way. After, dealing in the shadow world was their business. Walker suggested some form of equipment or gear which was just illegal enough to get them in the door, or failing that, some seed money. Agent Morgan resisted going down this path, convinced that Walker was already running some sort of smoke and mirrors to play events to his advantage.

Agent Morgan excused himself for a moment, reminding the runners and fellow agents to ‘play nice’.

Agent Morgan walked quickly down the hall. He had already been planning this run and had hired two of the best he could find. But when these three landed in his lap, so to speak, he knew that he needed to take advantage of the opportunity.

Opening the door he caught up with ‘Arc’ and ‘Zero’. Arc was a Combat Mage, slightly unstable, but plenty of raw power. Zero was an enigma. He seemed more than capable, and the fixer Agent Morgan engaged to recruit these two gave him a strong recommendation. But his unknown quality bothered Morgan.

“Now to clarify, you understand the deal? Fly into Denver, locate the seller, acquire the weapon, and turn it over to an associate of myself. The auction is running for the next 5 days. Then the successful buyer will make the trade and the weapon will be lost. It’s apparently a small bomb, but our experts say that it could still take out a dozen blocks, leave a sizable radioactive crater. More concerning is how they are making them and how many more will appear on the market’

“I called you both here today because we thought we would be getting more information from a feller known as Pawl Shaggy Mountain. We’re fairly sure that the seller is an Indian of some sort. Shaggy sells a lot of uranium, maybe his boys sold the rock to someone else in exchange for all those pretty guns his boys have been running around with. Unfortunately, Mr Mountain is now under medical care and by the time he recovers, it will be too late. We need to act fast”.

“Now, I’ve organised a team of runners to support you. However, they are not to be trusted. I need to be clear on this, I am relying on you two. “

“Now, I’m giving you each 50,000 nuyen up front for expenses and a further 50,000 when you hand over the seller and the device. Fair?”

“Good, now, I am also giving you a line of credit of 100,000 nuyen. However, this is not your money, it’s to help establish you as a serious buyer in the Denver underworld. You will need to give this nuyen back at the end of the job. Clear? Now before I entrust you with this certified cred stick, I need a DNA sample from one of you. Who will be the trustee?”

The two runners discussed the situation and in the end Arc nominated himself. Agent Morgan took out a large syringe and took a sample of blood from Arc. He handed the cred stick over to the mage, who then flicked it to Zero.

“I will give you one commlink. For the next week you can use this comlink to contact me and only me. It will open a secure line. Only use if you need to and you have something important to tell me. Do not try and crack this, try and trace the call to me. Any attempt the hack the account will trigger a virus which will wipe any record of it even existing. And then you won’t be able to contact me if you need to. That would not be good.’

Morgan led the two runners back to the original team and they met up. “Ok boys, were out of time, you need to leave now”.

The team was quickly hustled down to the car park and into their van... stolen van. They quickly left the building and discussed their plan.

It was decided that flying to Denver was out. Too much security and they couldn’t take their gear. The decision was to drive to Denver in two vehicles, with the van slaved to Walker’s car.

They left that day, crossing the border into SS land and drove down to Boise. Boise has had a rough century. Of all the Salish cities, it suffered the most after the Ghost Dance War. The majority of the city’s industry and population left following the Treaty of Denver, leaving the city a virtual shell. It was further crippled by the secession of Tir Tairngire. Originally the Cénesté claimed the city, but after a short fight with Salish loyalists they were forced out. Today the southwest corner of the city is technically in Tir hands—but this is more a polite fiction used to justify a large tax and duty free merchant zone.

Shadowhawk gave his Jammer friend, Pete, looking for a way into Denver. Pete was happy to help and asked them to hang tight in Boise while he came to pick them up.
Perception molds reality
Change perception and reality will follow
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Black

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« Reply #4 on: <04-25-12/0310:08> »
The team stopped at a larger trucker/biker/smuggler bar, a ‘bar with no name’ in the early hours of the morning. After a long drive, the team was eager to stretch their legs.

Shadowhawk stayed near the cars, making ideal conversation with the truckers. Tex also stayed outside, watching the ongoing brawls between drunken truckers. Arc and Zero made their way into the bar, Walker followed shortly after discretely.

Arc and Zero got beers at the bar. The place was crowded, with the booths and tables taken, standing room only. In the pushing and shoving, Arc arm was knocked and his beer went flying... splashing down the front of a very mean looking troll. The troll towered over Arc, the veins around his horns throbbing with growing anger. An ugly man, his face a web of scar tissue lent around the troll, “My frieeeend does not like you” he lisped.
Arc tried to apologise and then turned back to the bar, “Let me buy you a new drink!” he yelled as he looked at the bar tender for assistance. The bar tender, familiar with these individuals, quickly put a small jug of dark, very dark brew on the counter. Arc quickly paid and gave it to the Troll. The troll grunted and began to slurp the drink down. Relaxing, Arc was surprised when Scar Face stuck what was left of his nose in his face, “I still not like you”

“Look, your buddy’s got a drink, let’s leave it at that.”

Scarface was stubborn as he was ugly. His hand drifted to a large bowie knife on his belt. Eyes narrowing, Arc’s own hand drifted to his katana sheathed at his side. Zero, sense trouble moved forward. At least the troll seemed disinterested. Scarface reached quickly for his knife and drew it. Zero moved to grab the knife, but scarface was fast, unnaturally fast. Seeing how quickly his opponent could move, Arc swung his hand out, summoning the mystical forces at his command. As he visualised the arcane symbols and muttered a chant to further focus his energies, powerful telekinetic energy lept forward. The energy impacted scarface hard and he was flown backwards into a table of Amerindians . Blood dripped from his nose.

Zero watched the troll finally notice his friend was in trouble. The Troll raised his jug to hit Arc, but the mage quickly flicked out more arcane energy, slowing the beast. Zero stepped forward, activiating his shock gloves (carefully concealed as faux leather gloves) and grabbed the troll. He shook for a second and then collapsed to the floor. Arc and Zero noted their brawl had triggered dozens of similar fights all around them. Dodging flying stools and beer mugs, the two runners quickly made their way outside.

Walker, who had observed everything from a distance was waiting for them. “Time to leave” he noted and turned back to the cars.

Pete buzzed Shadowhawk with his location and the team met him at a nearby warehouse. Shadowhawk decided that he, Tex and Walker would bring the cars into Denver, while Zero and Arc would fly in with Pete. Pete was a real jammer, with a ratty scarf and a pair of pilot goggles. While Pete was no uglier than most Orks, he did labour under the illusion that he cut a dashing figure of a WWII fighter pilot.

Pete and Zero negotiated the terms of their travel, while Shadowhawk ‘helped’ both sides meet an agreement. The price was settled. 10,000 nuyen each, and they would need to travel blind folded. Arc and Zero agreed and they left with Pete, but not before he was shook down by the local powers, the Cascade Orks!

“The Cascade Orks have just doubled their rates! That this new guy, Smells like Fish or something is a real fraggin slot, hasn’t been in charge more than day and already his making waves” This causes Pete to laugh “You know, waves and him being a squid shaman or something! You get it! Hah!”

Pete continued to bitched about the situation as he buckled the runners in and blind folded them with some of his spare scarfs and cleaning rags. The fumes were quiet strong and Zero insisted on wearing his gas mask as well.

The runners, completely blind and somewhat muffled, warm from the hot interior of the craft, could feel it rise it the air. Soon it kicked forward, throwing them forward and backwards in their seats. An old song, “Highway to Hell” played obscenely loud through the speakers. They next three hours made any amusement park ride pale in comparison. Sense deprived the runners where thrown upwards, dropped suddenly downwards, side to side and even into each other. After what seemed forever, time no longer holding much meaning, the music was switched off and Pete came back on the speakers. He advised them that they would now be flying ‘silently’ and that all electronic gear should be turned off. The craft lurched even more violently as the speed picked up. Suddenly the craft rocked as an explosion went off somewhere far too close. The craft then settled and just then came to a stop and lowered itself to the ground. Soon Arc and Zero were released from their straps and the blind folds taken off.
While they waited for the other team to arrive, Pete gave the boys the low down on Denver. The Front Range Free Zone (FRFZ), the official name for Denver, is divided into six sectors, each controlled by a different nation with its own laws for governing within its sector. The Council of Denver is made up of a single representative elected from each sector to serve as a unified governance council over the city-state.

Travel between sectors is difficult due to the large border walls that cut out most passage. Passing through the checkpoints is very similar to crossing the borders between nations. The borders are patrolled by personnel from that nation-state. It is recommended for those new to the city to utilize the public transit system of maglevs and subways to ease the transition between sectors. Use of the transit systems offers a seamless verification system and agents can provide necessary forms for completion without blocking travel flow for residents.

The Aztlan sector has experienced both a revitalization period and new business developments since 2048. An Aztec temple dominates the sky line, as does the Aztechnology pyramid...

Home to the Old Downtown area of Denver and the Chinatown District, the CAS sector is commonly visited by tourists. The University of Denver sits at the northern end, and has been completely restored. Many graduates go on to successful careers within local politics or the corporate world.

With the formation of the Hub and ensuing balkanization, property values in the Downtown area dropped rapidly and many businesses were forced to close due to economic hardship. While Millionaire’s Row is still firmly established with large gated mansions, most of the middle class population has moved to nearby Englewood.

Clean and organized, the Pueblo sector is the most corporate and efficient sector. As with other sections of the PCC, the sector is run as a corporation, with timetables established and project work-flows maintained for all aspects of city planning. The sector touts the lowest crime rate throughout the metroplex, stating that it is due to the organization of the city.

Known for their eco-friendly communities and open parks, the Sioux sector is interspersed with greenery uncommon in most metroplexes. The majority of the sector is laid out with planned communities, creating a lifestyle conducive to modern society. Many of the houses in the area have smaller than average yards and the communities gather together in the large parks during the summer months for regular festivals.
Initially established as a remote colony, separated from the rest of the UCAS, their Denver sector has grown into a corporate community. Primarily inhabited by corporate employees, the UCAS sector is full of rolling enclaves and small corporate offices. These smaller offices serve as community locations for local corporate personnel to avoid the commute into the Hub and downtown facilities.

Located in the UCAS sector, the Aurora Warrens have been slated for demolition since the original Treaty of Denver was signed. The area is home to urban squatters, go-gangs, and syndicate bordellos. Infamous for its Meat Market (home of any second hand organ you may need), you can also travel here if you need discrete medical assistance.

The local Universal Brotherhood chapterhouse provides a surprisingly well equipped street clinic and doesn’t ask questions.

Pete recommended that they acquire fake Frequent Traveller passes. When Walker, Shadowhawk and Tex arrive, the team organise for Pete to get them Rating 2 Frequent Traveller passes. Pete assures them that they will have it by the evening.

Shadowhawk took the Team to his place in the Ute sector. It turned out Shadowhawk was a native of Denver.

Soon the team began making calls, looking for any info they could to help plan their next step.
They found the following information:
• The Fixer ‘guaranteeing’ quality of the weapon was known as Ripper. Apparently a high level arms dealer operating at an international level
• Sappho, a local fixer who might be worth contacting. Located in CAS territory, ask for her at the Good Friends
• Sons of Sauron, an Ork/Troll metahuman rights/terrorist organisation has sent high level members to the city in the last 24 hours
• Tex’s fixer, a wealthy gentlemen of high class, was a rival of Ripper. He offered information on the Janet Douglas, Ares Arms Division Head
o Ares Arms sells weapons to CAS
o Knight Errant provides Sector Security to for CAS. (Under the Treaty of Denver, no nation may have any military forces in the Treaty City)
 Knight Errant recruits heavily from the CAS military.
o The weapons coming in don’t match what CAS is actually receiving...
o Tex’s fixer believes that she is selling the excess weapons to Ripper.
o The highest CAS government member is Elizabeth Kalheim
 Who also happens to be the niece of Damien Knight, CEO of Ares Macrotechnology.
o Tex’s fixer offered to provide evidence of this, for a hefty price of 50,000 nuyen
 Walker negotiated it down to 40,000
o The data looks good at a glance, with tags and notes explaining how the evidence links. Appears to show that millions of nuyen in weapons have... gone missing. However, there is no evidence that JD is receiving any income from this shady deal, or who the weapons are actually going to.
• Walker contacted Karen King, Seattle Division Head of Ares, about more info on JD, also let her know about the nuke. Karen offered to reward Walker for more evidence and organised for JD to contact him. Karen was very... interested.
• Tex’s Lone Star contact had no information, but promised to look into it.
o Did let Tex know he was working on a Serial Killer case back in Seattle. Real psyco, target’s families, bloody monster. Offered Tex a job when he came back to Seattle.
• Jane-in-the-box contacted Shadowhawk back.
o Grandmother, an infamous information broker from Hong Kong, had agents looking for information in Denver. Usually didn’t send people to the Americas, must be very keen on the weapon
o Winter Knight, a small terrorist outfit from northern Europe had agents in town
o Unity, the local humanious policlub, famous for bombing Denver Chinatown, was asking questions about the bomb. More crazy than most organisations, Unity wasn’t only anti-metahumans, but also anti-non-whites. Particularly raciest for the Sixth World
o Colonel Gajeway, Retired, formerly of the Seattle Metroplex Guard (their local militia and only military allowed in Seattle per Treaty of Denver) was in town with some heavy ex-special forces goons.
o Pinkertons had sent one of their own top agents, currently under the alias, Gomaz. Undercover as a Fixer, looking to make contact with Ripper.

With the team rested, they now have 2 ½ days to locate Ripper, the Seller and the Bomb.
Perception molds reality
Change perception and reality will follow
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Black

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« Reply #5 on: <04-25-12/0312:52> »
Previously On Shadowrun....
Having arrived in Denver, the team decided on their options. It was clear that a lot of players were entering the game, all with their eyes on obtaining the bomb. Unfortunately, the majority of players appeared to be terrorists or worse.

With Walker’s history with Ares, the team decided to approach the local Division Head, JD, first. Karen King, Walker’s old boss from Seattle, has pulled some strings to have JD meet the team. JD’s personal assist called through and organised for the team to meet JD in two hours at the Lakeside Amusement Park and Casino. Apparently the park included a race track and Ares had a corporate box. Suiting up for a meet with a corporate executive, the team for this job, Walker, Shadowhawk and Tex, took only pistols and automatics.

The team was located in the Ute sector of the city, and they took the metroplex rail to the Confederate Sector. Fortunately, their fake passes allowed them to pass through the heavy checkpoint at the train station with little more than a quick glance from security.

They noticed the difference straight away. Ten-gallon hats, denim and jeans, good old boys and gals, it was a different world from Seattle. With Walker the only human, and an armerind elf and a Chinese ork in the party, they stood out in the crowd. Even the yokels with their bare feet and holed pants looked at them with poorly masked contempt. Ahhh.... the South.

The team took an auto piloted taxi to the ‘Park. Good old boys, obviously southern style mafia, handed tickets out at the gate. They were waved through and sent to the race track.

The Park was crowed that night, full of clean cut southern families having a night out. The crowd, the noise of the rides, the smell of soywood dogs and kelpcorn, it was quiet overwhelming and put the team on edge. Despite arriving early, they moved quickly to their destination.

The corporate area of the race track was a secured building with several more local guards. Walker put on his best southern accent and was rewarded with a warm greeting by security. As they directed him upstairs to the corporate box, they reminded to keep his ‘boys’ on a tight leash. Both Shadowhawk and Tex gritted their teeth at the constant racism they faced since entering the Confederate sector.

The hallway to the room was quiet, not much movement in the corporate area of the complex. They knocked on the door and made their way into the meeting room.

A sternly dressed woman stood at the window watching the race. A large troll with a 10 galleon cowboy hat, a leather duster, a very large revolver at his belt and even a pair of boots with spurs. The Troll, Rex, directed the team to help themselves to the bar. Shadowhawk made some non-alcoholic drinks for his teammates.

Walker stood by the window and made small talk with the Suit. Shadowhawk fed Walker the latest information on the race, the drivers and general facts. Using the information, Walker was able to maintain a conversation with the Suit, who appeared to be an avid fan of the race.
Eventually, it was time to talk business. Claiming to be representatives of Karen King and Ares out of Seattle, they informed the Suit, none other the JD herself, about the sale of the nuclear weapon in her city. JD quickly proved defensive, being both a staunch Ares company woman and extremely territorial. If she was surprised by the weapon, she hid it well, instead focusing on the runner’s unauthorised presence in her city. She made it clear that their existence in the city, regardless of reason, was unacceptable. When the team offered to work with her to find the bomb, she referred to them as amateurs compared the professionals in Denver. It soon became apparent that JD had no interest in anything they had to say, instead dressing them down for the ‘insult’ of their presence in her city. She did blink once at the mention of Ripper, but this did not throw her of track.

On the defensive, the team mentioned that they were independents, deniable assets, hoping to convince JD to use them. However, while JD was unwilling to do more then verberlly attack Ares staff, deniable assets were different. Confirming that they had no formal ties to Ares, JD summoned her hidden security.
A dozen High Threat Response team members from Knight Errant burst into the room. Fully masked, their black armour with deep crimson markings made them appear menacing. Rex, stepped in front of JD to protect her, while the HRT team engaged the runners. Walker and Tex drew and fired first, weapons appearing their hands like magic. Walkers Stick and Shock rounds, so efficient normally, crackled on the non-conductive armour with little effect. Tex’s explosive rounds knocked her target backwards. The two HTR agents in the doorway returned fire while retreating into the corridor. They were using stick ‘n shock as well, and Walker went down as he was hit by a burst.

Summoning powers not seen previously, Shadowhawk peered through the doorway and launched arcane energies at the squad members he could see.

Pushing himself, the strain causing calpilaries to burst and blood to flow, Shadowhawk reached out and mentally took control of the agents.
Tex covered Shadowhawk, catching a gas grenade launched by the attackers and throwing it back into the corridor.

Stepping back, Shadowhawk commanded his pawns to fire on their fellow team mates.

Launching a massive spray of fire, 6 HRT unloaded 60 rounds of stick n shock down the hallway at their fellow team members. Unable to avoid the spray, the surprised agents fell from the combined firepower.

Shadowhawk then commanded the agents under his control to shoot themselves. Placing their assault rifles under their jaws, they pulled the trigger. Electricity rocked their bodies as they all collapsed to the floor. Tex closed the door to the corridor as the gas grenade began filling it with poison mist.
In less than three seconds, the runners had wiped out a large heavily armoured team of attackers.

JD smoothed her suit. “So where were we?” she asked, ignoring the sudden violence that had just occurred.

As the team questioned her, she explained the situation best that she could. She assumed knowledge that the team did not posses.

“Ares’s dealings with the Confederate government are all above board and approved at the highest level. We have provided them with all the stock that they have requested. Any changes to our internal paperwork were done at the request of the local Confederate government’s representative and with the full knowledge of Mr Knight.”

When the team pressed her for more details on Ripper, JD became more defensive, “Ares do not deal with so-called independent consultants. Any such dealers are between the Confederate government representative and her free-agents.”

“You have to understand our situation here. The Treaty of Denver allows no military presence in this city. However, unlike the natives, the Confederates have no direct connection with their nation. No way to act, if it becomes required. No way to protect or supply their citizen militias. Therefore, Ares assist them in providing the security that they so desperately desire. If we can assist in ensuring that a ready supply of military equipment is on hand, then perhaps the Confederate government can act with confidence, knowing that they are more than capable of defending their territory and people if necessary, and none of their enemies will ever know until it’s too late.”

“So, given these facts, you must understand that you are threatening the national security of a major nation and the business interest of the most powerful mega corporation in the world. For what, some archaic weapon and this ‘Ripper’.

“If you want to know more about ‘Ripper’, then you should either talk to the Betty K, the Confederate Council of Denver representative, or Sappho, Ripper’s local representative.”

Shadowhawk felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up, and Tex could feel an immense belligerent force enter the room. Her ears picked up a slight, just out of focus chittering noise.

As JD uttered these worlds, a long red line was slowing drawn across her throat.

*cough* JD seemed surprised, as her eyes opened. Suddenly her head fell backwards from her body. A fountain of blood erupted, spraying the room in bright red gore.

Walker, Tex and Shadowhawk quickly took stock of the situation and fled the room before Rex could react. Stepping over the unconscious security, they ran down the stairs and into the local security that Walker had charmed earlier. “Crazed gunman right behind us!” he yelled.

“Don’t worry boss, we’ve got this!” the security goon replied, whipping out his automatic and moving up the stairs past the runners.

Walker, Tex and Shadowhawk quickly left the park as Knight Errant security began arriving. Yellow Jackets roared over head and City Masters drove through the crowded park. Ares was responded fast and hard.

Shadowhawk gave Pete the T-Bird smuggler a call, but he didn’t answer. The team took a risk and hoped on a train out of the Confederate sector before Knight Errant closed the borders.

Back home at their Ute base of operations (Shadowhawk’s dosh), Walker and Tex made a few calls on Sappho, while Shadowhawk trolled the Shadownet.
Sappho, a dwarf, appeared to be a local, mid-level fixer, connected to both the Yakuza and the Triad, but also an independent BTL dealer. High-grad BTL’s for user’s with unusual hard to met needs. She was often seen at the Good Friends Bar and Grill, Chinatown and also the Denver Tech Centre. Walker left a message for her at Good Friends, and then the team called it a night.

At 3am, Shadowhawk got a message from Jane-in-a-box. “Hawk, there’s a heck of a lot of movement in Denver tonight. The Confederate Sector is under lock down, with a curfew and massive Knight Errant presence on the streets. The Denver Council even called an emergency meeting for tomorrow, to assess the situation and look at what support the other sectors can offer in tracking down the ‘terrorist’ responsible. Big D wants you to be careful, it looks like it will be getting pretty hot in the Mile-High city.”

“But that’s not why I am calling you. Remember those Sons of Sauron terrorists? They were holed up in the Aurora Warrens in the UCAS sector, but as of this morning, they have been found dead. Team of about six, with some high profile members including the apparent ‘bomb’ expert. They were tied up, tortured and then killed.”

“Send me some pics Jane”

Shadowhawk shared the pics with team. The ‘bomb expert’ was missing his tongue and both his eyes. A (U) was carved into his head. Jane quickly confirmed that the symbol represented Unity, a dangerous Human-First policlub in the UCAS.

Shadowhawk quickly searched Shadownet for information on Unity. A large policlub, widely supported in the UCAS sector, they were not only anti-metahuman, but anti-non-whites. Their style was similar to the Nazi party from last century. They were believed responsible for killing the local Humanis policlub leaders and for bombing Chinatown. They seemed almost fanatical in their hate and belief in their cause. Their leader was one Glennis Shard.

Jane also had a piece of good news. She had located the undercover Pinkerton dectective, Gomez, and gave his address as a room in the largest hotel/casino in the Aztlan sector.

The team resolved to pay Mr Gomez a call the next day….

What will happen next?
With less than two days to go, will the team locate the seller and his nuclear weapon before its too late?
Will they be able to prevent Psychopathic terrorist from gaining access to a weapon that will allow them to sow terror and death at a grand scale
With Denver at the tipping point, will the runner’s trigger events which could destroy the fragile peace?
Having been framed for the death of an Ares executive, will the runners avoid the fatal response? Can even Walker and the team survive when the God of War vents its fury? When Rex and his team come looking for payback, will the runners have what it takes?
Will the runners locate Sappho, their only link to the mysterious Ripper?
Who killed JD? What sinister magic forces are at play, and are the runners little more than prey to the greater powers at play?
What is Unity and Glennis, and how does their madness play into events? Are they the Wild Card, or are they someone’s Ace? As they eliminate the other players on the board, is it simply a killing spree against rivals, or does Unity represent more than chaos?
Perception molds reality
Change perception and reality will follow
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Black

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« Reply #6 on: <04-25-12/0322:50> »
Previously on Shadowrun….

Shadowhawk’s Safe House, Ute Sector Denver, Early Morning

The Walker, Tex and Shadowhawk quickly touched based with Arc and Zero, who had remained behind to act as backup and continue to hunt down leads.

Arc had briefly seen the news about JD’s assassination, but had switched channels before seeing the digitalised impressions of the Indian Elf, Chinese Ork and a fairly good likeness of Walker. The three were listed as potential witnesses wanted for questioning. The news report made it clear that they were not suspects and that their assistance would be greatly appreciated.

Knowing that Karen from Ares Seattle would not be impressed with the results of the night’s action, Walker turned his comlink off.

Shadowhawk, realised that they would need some more ‘muscle’, particularly if magic was involved. He contacted the Padre, an actual priest from the Aurora Warrens. The Padre organised for Kitten to be transported to Shadowhawk’s safe house. Kitten, an ex-pit fighter, whose appearance had been radically altered to make her look like a human tiger, was a wild card. Her reputation for being… unstable meant that she was generally only used in worse case scenarios.

Kitten arrived and the team quickly determined that their next viable lead was Gomez, the undercover operative from the Confederacy. Gomez was undercover as a Fixer and was basing himself out of a hotel/casino in the Aztlan sector. The team suited up, travelling light due to the heavy weapon restrictions and tight security in Aztlan.

Ares Compound, Bellevue, Seattle Metroplex 8:00 AM

Karen King, Division Head Ares Seattle, was going over a daily brief with Mel Cozi, her vice-president Ares Arms Sales Pacific North-west, in her office. A loud commotion was heard in the reception area. “You can’t go in there’, her executive assistance vainly cried out.
The door pushed open and three men marched into the room. Each wore a military style uniform, crisp and clean cut. The lead agent, a veteran that Karen knew well, presented his badge.

“Ms King, Agent-in-Charge Graham McHughes, AAMSD” (Ares Arms Military Systems Division)

“Graham, I know who you are, you report to me. Now what are you doing? What is this about?”

“Ms King, the AAMSD reports to the CEO and the Board. We may liaise with your office and provide assistance as required, but never ever make the mistake that we answer to you”

Karen stood quickly, her mind working at a thousand miles a second. Something was wrong.

“Ms King, I am taking you into custody for questioning on the matter involving the assassination of Janet Douglas, Ares Arms Division Head, Denver”.

Karen was briefly shocked. No one had told her, she had seen nothing on the news. “How?” was all she managed.

“We’ll ask the questions Ms King. Now, I would like you to come with me. Out of respect for your position, your questioning will take place in my office. Your involvement in this issue will be kept quiet. But if you do not co-operate, then I will be forced to treat you like any other malcontent.”

“Damien will not stand for this Graham” King reminded the agent.

“My orders come directly from the Chairman himself and last time I checked, the Board trumped Mr Knight. Now come with me. “

As Karen was lead out of her own office, she spared a glance to Mel Cozi. Mel had been quiet during the whole time and had shown no reaction to the intrusion or the news of the shocking murder of an Ares executive. Catching her eye, Mel gave a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry Karen; I’ll give the General a call. He’ll sort this out”.

As Karen left, Mel shared a glance with Graham and made a call.

Ares Arms Situational Room, CAS Sector, Denver 8:30 AM

Rex, a Texan Troll and former ‘security advisor’ to the now deceased Janet Douglas, stood in the heart of the Ares Event Situation Room. The platform he stood on was surrounded with monitors, each showing a different scene from around Denver. Dozens of technicians were jacked in around him, analysing the flow of data and keeping him informed of highlights from a massive city wide investigation. All Confederate security cameras were routing their footage through the Situation Room, and access to eye cams from operatives and a number of drones. His men had just finished gaining access to all the cameras on the Denver rail line and were ‘negotiating’ with Lone Stars systems in the UCAS sector. Advanced software was running facial recognition checks against all footage. On the ground, his official forces included almost every detective that Knight Errant could spare and a sizable number of shadow operatives throughout Denver. If Pramed Nebe or his crew made a move, Rex would find them.

*Bzzzt* A call came into Rex’s commlink. Waving his hands, he ordered everyone to clear the room. As the last of the techs left, the two largest monitors flicked on and revealed the callers.

“Mr Aurellius, Mr Knight”

“Rex, give us your status report” Damien Knight requested.

Rex outlined the steps that had been taken since the murder of Janet Douglas last night. “… and we are fairly certain that they took the train out of the Confederate sector less than 20 minutes after the incident. The security footage from the station has been wiped, but the men working the checkpoint have identified them. We believe they made their way to one of the NAN sectors, but the Indians have been less the helpful, so we aren’t certain which sector.”

“Who are they working for Rex? Why kill Janet?”

“Well, Mr Knight, I’m not so sure they did. Our TOMs are fairly sure some sort of ritual magic was used, but they can’t tell us what type. They can only describe it as ‘alien’, neither shamanic nor hermetic. Now maybe Nebe and his team where involve, maybe not. But I admit, it sure looks damn suspicious.”
“I am sure Karen King will tell us who they really work for,” Leonard Aurellius butted in.

“Karen, what’s Karen got to do with this Leo?” Damien demanded

“AAMSD took her into custody this morning. She organised the meeting between this Nebe character and Janet. For all we know, Karen may have turned on us Knight. Your people can’t be trusted.” Aurellius sounded particularly satisfied.

“Leo”, growled Damien, “Karen is still an executive and trusted member of this organisation”

“Oh, she’ll be treated well Knight. Until she cracks and tells us who she’s really working for”, Leonard chimed back.

“Hrrm… “, Rex cleared his throat, “There is the matter of the nuclear device that Nebe was asking about.”

“Why are you leading this investigation”, replied Leonard, ignoring the question. “Knight, surely we have more competent people to take care of these things?”

“Rex spent years running the Denver shadows Leo, before he took Janet’s offer. Leave this in the hands of the local experts” Damien replied.

“Rex, your report said that Janet mentioned Elizabeth’s involvement in the Confederate deal. Is Elizabeth a target?”

“Sir, the Confederate member of the Council of Denver, has not returned my call directly, but her… man.. De Sade assures me that her security has been stepped up. Oh, and he offered a State Funeral for Janet”.

“Hmm… would be good for our image in the Confederacy, but may impact our Indian sales. No, will move the body back here to Detroit and make the remembrance in house, motivate the staff, the whole ‘it’s what Janet would want us to do’ deal” muttered Aurellius as he rubbed his chin in consideration.

“Organise it Rex.”

“Rex, give us an update in three hours” Damien requested.

“And it better show some progress dammit”, threatened Aurellius.

The two screens went black.

Rex took of his 10-galleon hat and rubbed his head. Not only was this proving a difficult investigation, with all the recorded footage going missing, but now it seemed likely that it would be caught between the two egos of Damien Knight and Leonard Aurellius. Neither seemed all that interested in Janet or why she was murdered. They just wanted the matter wrapped up, justice and vengeance to be publicly served, and then to move on. Rex wasn’t keen on that. Oh, he’d get the Nebe, but he would also find the truth. Janet deserved justice, and Rex was going to get it for her.

Aztlan Central Station 9:00 AM

The train station for the Aztlan sector was faux stone blocks. Aztec imagery was engraved in the fake stone walls, giving the station the feeling of being inside an ancient temple. There was none of the normal graffiti, and no Universal Brotherhood followers to hand out pamphlets. It was clean and orderly, just the way Aztechnology liked it.

Zero, a former spy, moved by the Aztlan checkpoint with no issues. As a former corporate citizen, he knew how to blend into the crowd of wage slaves entering the sector. Walker followed a few yards behind and was stopped for a routine more intensive check. Shadowhawk, as a resident, took a slower path, but after the customary intrusive questioning, he was waved through. He noted that Aztlan seemed to have the most intense security of all the sectors.

As Arc used his forged Frequent Traveller Pass, a number of alerts were issued. The system had been upgraded overnight to run a more intensive check against elvan travellers. Watcher security also alerted them to the ‘Cat’ woman. Security was alerted that possible trouble was brewing at the train station.
Walker, Arc and Kitten were lined up against the station wall by four guards while a fifth, an officer, approached. Before any question could begin, Kitten began growling. Her form shimmering in front of them, Kitten was replaced by a large tigress!

*chomp* The Tiger bit the head of the officer, shocking everyone as blood sprayed everywhere! The crowd of wage slaves began screaming and panicking.

Walker, taking the queue, quickly began running, screaming like a panic office worker.

The guards moved fast, all of them pulling out their automatics. But Tigress moved faster and avoided their shots, taking down two more guards with swipes of her claws. The other two guards panicked and began running to the security station. Arc let loose a bolt of lightning, knocking one of the guards down, while the Tiger landed on the last one and ripped his head off with a large chomp!

The Tiger raced down the ramp to the street as more security began to arrive. Aztechnology security unloaded their rifles at full auto at the sprinting beast.

Rounds flew everywhere, but the creature moved unnaturally fast and only innocent civilians were hit. The creature sprinted into the shadows of the heavily built up city streets.

Arc and the rest of the team gathered across the street from the station. In the chaos caused by Kitten, they were ignored, for now, by the security forces. Arc had in his hands Kitten’s clothes.

Ares Arms Situational Room, CAS Sector, Denver 9:10 AM

“Sir, we are receiving footage from the Aztlan Sector Train Station. There is an incident”

“So, they took the train again?”

The footage showed Nebe and his cohort leaving the train. Each person appeared unrelated, but Rex recognised them. There was the elf that had used powerful magic to control his men. Strange, he seemed familiar, yet they could not match his face anywhere. No sign of the Chinese Orc. A unusual woman, obviously body shaped to look like a tiger, was pulled to the side with Nebe and a Japanese elf.

The room gasped as the cat-women shifted into the form of a large tigress. Rex had heard of shapeshifters, rare para-critters, but to see one in action…

The creature killed the guards at a speed which was far beyond normal. The techs would need to slow the footage down later to catch what actually occurred.

The Japanese elf also used magic, knocking one of the guards down and inadvertently saving his life from the monster.

The screen flickered. “Sir, we’re under attack, someone is trying to wipe the data!”

His techs, skilled deckers one and all, fought in the matrix to stop the attack, but whoever they were, they were quick and stealthy. The data was wiped and the hacker gone before they could stop him.

“Sir, the attack originated from the Aztlan Sector.”

Rex smiled. It didn’t matter. His cybereyes had recorded the entire footage. He would keep the data out of the system, print a few hard copies for reference and safe keeping. These runners, clumsy as they appeared, had some powerful backers in the Matrix. But it wouldn’t be enough, not when Rex had the full resources of the world’s most powerful MegaCorp.

The Aztlan Tower, Aztlan Sector, Denver 9:30 AM

Walker and the team walked to the Aztlan Tower, the hotel and casino that Gomez was staying. Given the hostility between Aztlan and the Confederacy, ever since the Mexicans had annexed half of Texas, no one would suspect that a Texan was hiding out in the heart of his enemy’s territory.

But Jane in the Box, Shadowhawk’s ally, was good, very good and now the team finally had an advantage.

Hotel Security looked tight. The hotel reeked of wealth, gold and glitter everywhere. The artificially beautiful Hispanic women and men behind the counter greeted each guest with impeccable warm, good manners and discretion. Shadowhawk glanced at Arc, “Any eyes watching from the Astral?”

Arc’s eyes glazed over as he peered into the other world. Watcher spirits buzzed everywhere. But no apparent magical security was watching them currently.

Shadowhawk approached a clerk. “Greetings Sir, Welcome to Aztlan Tower. How may I assist you this morning?”

Shadowhawk quickly overwhelmed the mind of the clerk, dominating him completely. Slightly slacked jaw, the clerk checked Shadowhawk into a room on the same floor as Gomez, and then approached his manager and excused himself for the day.

Shadowhawk and the team took the lift up to Gomez’s floor. The team quickly made their way to Gomez’s room. Zero stopped them, spotting a dried blood stain on the carpet floor. Reading their weapons, Zero used his maglock passcard to open Gomez’s room’s door.

The room was a mess, and an awful smell made the team feel sick. They quickly discovered the bodies of two twin Hispanics. They had been tortured brutally, eyes and tongues ripped out, burn marks all over their naked bodies, flesh sliced off, and in some areas they had been flayed. It made for a bloody, bloody mess. The rest of the room was trashed, and large Chinese symbols were written on the wall in the blood of the victims. Arc sensed that powerful magic had been used in the room, but he was unable to identify the source of the magic or trace it back to the caster.

As the team searched the room for any evidence, Shadowhawk slapped a buzzing insect. *ouch* the small bug was in fact a small insect shaped drone. Zero also found a poorly concealed camera in a fake plant.

A dark, damp alley way in the Aztlan Sector, Denver 9:50 AM

Kitten collapsed into a pile of wet garbage. The scent burned at her sensitive nose. She hissed in irritation and tried to work out where she was. Her head ache slightly and her mouth tasted of blood. She wiped her face with the back of her hand. Blood and gore covered her hand. Cleaning herself up as best she could, using the alleyway scraps, she tried to get a sense of her surroundings and her location. She remembered she was in the hated Aztlan sector and the memories of the pit fights threatened to make her lose control again.

Picking up a familiar scent, she made her way through the back alleys of the Aztlan sector, avoiding the frequent drone patrols which were searching for her.

She made her way to an alley way near a large hotel. Crouching, she waited, amusing herself by observing a strange acting desk clerk standing in the middle of the street. After awhile, the confused hotel staff member wandered back into the hotel.

The Aztlan Tower, Aztlan Sector, Denver 9:55 AM

Shadowhawk and the team arrived in the lobby of the hotel just as the confused desk clerk returned. Thanking the clerk, the team quickly left the hotel.

Kitten soon attracted their attention and Arc gave the somewhat agitated shifter her clothes back. Still, they would need to keep off the streets to avoid the massive manhunt going on for her. Aztlan, with its Jaguar Guards, were no strangers to shifters and they were out in force.

Shadowhawk tried to call Pete again, but the T-bird smuggler still didn’t take the call. It was starting to become a worry.

The team instead decided to take an aircab, a helicopter intracity transport. Travelling to a nearby cab rack, the team began to negotiate with the pilot, a rough looking Hispanic known as ‘Jesus’. Sensing an opportunity, he offered to fly them out of Aztlan anonymously for a hefty 5,000 nuyen each. Shadowhawk, using his powers to dominate this weak minded fool, quickly pushed the negotiations down to just 1,000 nuyen, the regular ticketed price. The pilot called in the trip, claiming he was going for pick up in the Ute sector. The team breathed a sigh of relief to be out of Aztlan.

Aztec Teocalli, Aztlan Sector, Denver 10:00 AM

The stone floor of the room felt cool against his feet. Turning, he faced the warrior who had entered the sacred room. “Juarez, you have news?”

“Vicar, I am sorry to bother you, but we are sure that the tiger shapeshifter has left our land.”

“Hmm... pity. Did our people deal with the threat of exposure?”

“Yes Vicar, the Ares lapdogs have lost what few clues they may have had”

“Still, they will remember. I will seek guidance in this matter. But first, have you called upon the guerreros? The Eagle, the Jaguar, the Otontin and the
Quachic?”

“Yes Vicar, and the Shorn One has a message for you”

“Hmmm?”

“The hunt has begun”

Shadowhawk’s dose, Ute Sector Denver 10:40 AM

The team reconvened back at Shadowhawk’s safe house and decided what to do. They quickly determined that the next step was to visit the Unity policlub and determine their involvement. The Unity Policlub was a white supremacy organisation, it masqueraded as a political movement, but appeared to little more than a group of racists thugs… a large, well organised group of racist thugs.

They were lead by a mysterious Glennis Shard, a beautiful black haired woman who, according to Shadowhawks Matrix searches, was a timid librarian until a few years ago. Since then, Glennis had established Unity, violently incorporated the local Humanis Policlub chapter, and begun a campaign against the Chinese in Chinatown in the Confederate Sector. The matrix information gave Shadowhawk the ominous feeling that Unity was running the UCAS sector for all intents and purposes. Promoting themselves as the last protectors of the old USA ‘American Values’, the remaining Anglos in the UCAS sector, feeling isolated and surrounded by NAN nations, abandoned by the federal government, had turned to Unity.

Quickly gathering all the equipment they could, the team got into Jesus' aircab, paid another 5,000 nuyen and flew into the USAC sector.
Perception molds reality
Change perception and reality will follow
SR1+SR2+SR3++SR4+hb+++B?UB+IE+W+sa+m-gmM--P

Black

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« Reply #7 on: <04-25-12/0323:28> »

Ares Arms Situational Room, CAS Sector, Denver 11:00 AM

“Sir, we are running the algorithms you requested on intracity flights out of the Aztlan sector.”

Rex turned to the small wiry analyst and raised an eyebrow, “Spit it out son, what did you find?”

“As you requested, we began tracking the flights out of the Aztlan sector to either the PCC or the Ute sector. There have been several dozen flights which matched the parameters we set, but only one flight which left Aztlan empty. This flight went to the Ute Sector to pick up an apparent pre-arranged booking, but one the pilot forgot to submit to Control until the last moment. We decided to tag the flight for further analyses. The pilot, still flying empty, is now apparently heading towards the UCAS sector.”

“Could be something useful, could be something else” Rex studied the patterns, trying to decide if it was a lead or a red herring. Given the trouble at the train station, he figured Nebe would leave by some other means, and quickly too. Aztlan would be too hot for a shadowrunner to feel comfortable. And Rex figured that they would retreat back to where ever they had based their operations. Analyse work suggested either Ute or PCC, based on their train trip the previous night. They would stick out too much in the Sioux and Rex didn’t think they were UCAS based. Empty cabs were not common, but not unheard off. He wished Janet was still alive. This was the stuff she was good at. He was just a strong arm with some street connections; she was always the brain in the duo.

“Good work” The Texan troll dismissed the analyst and made a call to a shadow contact he knew in the UCAS. It was a long shot, but at this stage, it was worth a look.

UCAS Sector, Denver 11:45 AM

As soon as the air cab crossed over the border into UCAS, Arc, Shadowhawk and Kitten felt it. The sinking feeling in the pit of their stomachs, the touch of despair clawing at the edge of the consciousness…

What had previously been a cloud-free day now looked dark and gloomy. A chill wind buffeted the air cab as they came in to land.

Shadowhawk and Zero quickly broke into a maintenance shed at the landing port. With some quick work, Shadowhawk took ownership of some empty office space on the sixth floor. The team bid Jesus goodbye and set up shop in their office space.

The building overlooked a large plaza and was within sight of the Unity Headquarters, a former college now controlled by the violent group. In the distance, they noticed that Lone Star, the local security providers, was conducting random checks on citizens. On the streets, people walked rapidly, shoulders hunched, eyeing each other with suspicion. Walker recalled the phrase from the Unity info, “The enemy is among us”. It appeared that the citizens of the UCAS sector had taken the phrase to heart.

Walker, with Zero’s assistance, put on makeup, changing his appearance from an Indian/German mix, to something more tan, almost southern European.

Walker and Zero walked across the way towards the youths handing out flyers in front of the policlub entrance. Meanwhile, Shadowhawk began to hack the Unity Matrix systems.

Walker and Zero quickly allowed themselves to be sweet talked by a couple of clean-cut, all-American blond blue-eyed youths. Walker listened to their pitch for awhile and then let them know he was from the Seattle branch and was here to see a friend. The youths seemed momentarily confused, and then waved the two runners into the main offices.

Meanwhile Shadowhawk booked a meeting for Walker with Glennis Shard. Shadowhawk had complete control over their Matrix systems. It appeared that the Unity policlub was not very tech savvy, which was unusual in this day and age.

The receptionist was surprised when Walker claimed that he was here to see Glennis. Apparently Glennis was not available and almost never had appointments. Instead, they organised for Walker to meet with Glennis’s second in command, Julia Strange.

Julia was also surprised to see Walker, and when Walker began talking about the ‘Seattle’ branch, she knew that the runner was deceiving her. Triggering her comlink, she fed the system the emergency command, “The enemy is among us”.

Nothing happened. Shadowhawk had prevented the signal getting to the security office. Walker’s concealed gun appeared in his hand, pointed straight at Julia’s head. But she refused to back down and went for her own weapon. With no choice, Walker tasered her.

Sending a message from her own deck, the team sent Julia’s EA on a trivial errand. They then began to ransack the office. They found a physical dossiers on ‘Enemies’, and ‘Ares’ which they quickly pocketed. They also found a piece of note paper scrunched up in the waste paper bin. ‘Twisted Pleasures’ was written on the paper and then heavily crossed out.

Walker and Zero went into Glennis’ office, which was just next door. The office was neat and tidy, but no deck. There were also no personal touches, no photos, no note pads, no trinkets. A book shelf lined one wall, but quick examination showed that the books made no sense, almost like they were placed based on their appearance. Think leather bound copies of Alice in Wonderland sat next to Mao’s Little Red Book. All were covered in dust. Only one book, Dante’s Inferno looked read. A marked page had red text scrawled across the page, “Bull Shit”

Walker and Zero found a safe, and Zero was able to crack it open. Inside was a pile of valuable looking gems and metal nuggets. Walker and Zero grabbed a handful each.

Walker and Zero took what they had and left the office. As they made their way across the plaza outside of the Unity base, Shadowhawk began to set the alarms off. At the same time, using Unity’s systems, he alerted the fire, police, ambulance and media. Taking a few moments for himself, he also transferred 300,000 nuyen offshore, emptying the apparent credit accounts of the policlub.

The team watched the chaos from the office building. Kitten’s keen eye sight picked up that the running Unity goons were carrying flamethrowers.

Roof Top of the Ford America Building, UCAS Sector, Denver 12:30 PM

Rex leaned over the roof top, the railing straining to hold his weight. His cyber eyes zoomed in on the ruckus across the plaza down below at street level.

Something had happened at the Unity headquarters and now Lone Star and various other service providers were negotiating with the policlub to gain access and investigate. Needless to say, Unity was keen to open its doors to the authorities. Rex, as a Texan, would like to have seen Lone Star kick the door in and arrest the bastards. But Rex knew it wasn’t going to happen. UCAS protected their own and treated Unity like they were above the law.

Months earlier, Unity goons had begun sneaking across the border somehow, firebombing residential tenements in China Town. Now the local Confederacy government had now real love for its Chinese population, but they were citizens and thus under the protection of Knight Errant. But even when they had hard evidence, Lone Star and the UCAS had refused to extradite the suspects.

Rex, as a Troll, had no love for Unity, and in a way, the chaos below took his mind of Janet. His team moved in behind him. Not Knight Errant, not this lot. But they were the right people for this job. Associates from his former life, now more useful than ever. They had called ‘Jesus’ back and he should be arriving soon. Then they would get a better idea of what was going on.

What were Nebe and his team up to? First they confront Janet, spouting nonsense about nukes and someone called Ripper. Janet had been shaken, enough to drop the dwarf, Sappho’s name. Then they had hit the Aztlan sector, causing a ruckus at the metroplex station and then leaving the sector after only an hour. What did they do in Aztlan? Where they working for the Azzies? If so, why the incident at the station? Now this, tracked to the UCAS sector and someone stirred the hornet’s nest that was the Unity policlub. Nothing made sense.

Rex didn’t have much time left to draw the connections either. Elizabeth Kahliem, Confederate Representative of the Council of Denver, had been trying to shut down the investigation (the increase security was disrupting the day to day life of the Confederate sector’s citizens), and the Chairman, Leonard Aurellius, had organised for someone from Seattle to take an orbital into Denver, to ‘assist’ with the investigation. Damien Knight wasn’t pleased, but Leonard ran the Board, at least for now.

Rex knew Nebe was out there in the UCAS sector somewhere, so close, so very close.

Sixth Floor of the Ford America Building, UCAS Sector, Denver 13:30 PM to 18:30 PM

Shadowhawk tooled away at the little bug camera. Hooking the ‘plant camera’ data file first to his deck, he projected the footage stored in the camera onto a nearby blank wall. Arc watched with some interest while Kitten prowled the empty office space.

The plant camera showed Gomez, a middle aged Hispanic man, testing the camera. He then placed the camera in the plant pot, making some rudimentary efforts to conceal it. The footage showed Gomez and his twin body guards leaving the room. The recording shutoff for awhile. It switched on when a beautiful Chinese woman entered the room. Her long white hair flowed past her waist. She was accompanied by four goons, obvious Triad thugs. The tallest goon quickly locates the hidden camera and switches it off.

Hmm… it looked like Gomez was attached by the Red Dragon Triad…

Shadowhawk took out the data chip from the smashed bug. The footage began to play and showed a similar scene… until the tall thin goon turned off the plant camera. Then their images blurred. The white hair Chinese woman was replaced with a beautiful black hair Anglo. Her Triad companions flickered and were replaced with hideous albino creature. Their pale hairless white flesh was heavily scared, their long leather gloved hands ended in wicked claws. The tallest wore a black gas mask over his face, but the other creatures, most certainly Ghouls, exposed their yellow toothy grins.

The creatures waited for Gomez and his men, taking the time to trash the unit, but not apparently looking for anything. When Gomez and his men arrived, they quickly drew their weapons. But then they froze. Gomez was forced to sit on a chair, while his men proceeded to beat each other. Then, after the Ghouls proved various weapons, the twins slowly tortured each other, ripping eyes out, tongues out, slicing and carving, burning and flaying. Hideous as it was, Gomez sat silently through the whole thing while the black hair women sat at his side. She displayed abject pleasure in events, encouraging the poor victims to greater and greater atrocities. During the events, not one question was asked. Eventually the twins succumbed to their injuries. The ghouls quickly inflicted more wounds, slicing some large chunks of flesh of for … later. They, under the careful supervision of the woman, painted Chinese symbols of the wall in the blood of their victims. The woman took a bottle of tequila and poured it out on the floor in a particular symbolic fashion. Having finished, the black hair woman waved her hands and they became triad again. Drugging Gomez, they shuffled out of the room. The remaining footage was not as interesting and ended with Shadowhawk smashing the robotic bug.

So…. It wasn’t the Chinese who took Gomez, it was this dark hair woman. A quick check and it was revealed that the mystery woman was none other than Glennis Shard.

Shadowhawk did a quick search, and found a number of other crimes where a Unity symbol was left at hate crime scene where other groups had been blamed. Who knew how many hate that Glennis was responsible for?

The team contacted the Triad and tried to arrange a deal. The team had evidence that Glennis Shard was trying to frame them for murder. The Triad seemed initially uninterested, but then organised for someone to come to the team to organise a meeting.

After a short wait, a young Chinese boy arrived at their ‘office’. “Come with me, draw no attention to yourselves”

The team followed the boy through the streets of the UCAS sector until they began to approach the Wall. The boy took them near the razor fence, with its drones and sensors and 100 metres of killing ground. He turned a corner and arrived at a bakery. Walking down an alley way, they knocked on a door. The boy and whoever was on the other side spoke back and forth in rapid code. The team was let into a small basement room, and a hidden door revealed a tunnel.
The tunnel led into the old subway system which ran below Denver. The system was abandoned after the Treaty divided the city into parts. The various sectors walled up or collapsed their parts of the subway, but apparently most the system remained in tack. The team, unprepared for the pitch black of the tunnels, followed the boy closely. Every now and then they sensed they were being followed or watched, as they walked down train tracks, past empty stations. Tunnels also opened up to an extensive sewer system. As they went lower and lower, the tunnels cooled. The modern concrete walls turned to brick to stone to… something else. The team passed a large claw mark gouged into a stone wall. The claws suggested something with a footprint larger then a small car.
Eventually the team was led up into a laundry and then into the streets of Chinatown in the Confederate Sector.

Moving quickly through Chinatown, they arrived at the Dragon’s Palace, a swish restaurant. The team was lead into a private room and guards stood by the rice paper doors. Arc and the magic users could sense that the entire building was aspected to a certain style of eastern magic, most likely Wujen. Arc felt
most at ease, his Shinto practices not too distant from the energies of the building.

Eventually a large number of men and women entered the room, all Chinese. Most were much better dressed than the team expected, looking more like business women and men. Several continued to stand, while the more elder sat with the team at the table. At last, a beautiful Chinese woman entered the room, her long white hair almost floating behind her. The team recognised her as the woman from the video, the illusion Glennis had used.

“Eat, rest, enjoy. You must be tired and the night is young. “

The team ate up, with Kitten showing little restraint, while Walker and Shadowhawk conversed in Mandarin. Arc astrally examined the room. The mystic energies flowed through the room, the feng shui was very strong. Almost every single person in the room was a powerful magic user of some type… except Choi Mu, the head of the Triad. This Chinese princess appeared completely mundane, but kneeling behind her where four spirit warriors, each one more powerful than any spirit that Arc had ever seen. Choi Mu may be mundane, but her influence over the spirit world was immense.

The meal finished, Choi began the negotiations, “I know what you seek and I can assist.”

Walker replied in flawless Mandarin, “If we give you the evidence that Glennis Shard is using magic to frame you and your people, we need you to tell us where Ripper is”.

“Hmmm… Ripper is not what you need. He is not even in this city”

“His not? What about the bomb?”

“Oh, I suspect it’s here. His agent in this city is Sappho. Once she worked for us, now she has new masters. I will give you Sappho… you will give me the head of Glennis Shard.”

“If we kill Glennis, you will give us Sappho?”

“Yes, is this acceptable?”

“Is Glennis a Ghoul?”

“Oh no, she is far more than a corpse eater. Far more indeed. When you kill her, one of you must be holding this” Choi’s slender hand reached into her robes and withdrew a canister. Undoing the lid of the canister, Choi removed a beautiful silk tapestry, edged in gold. The tapestry was completely empty. Arc could detect powerful magic radiating from this item.

“Where is she?”

“She resides at the Twisted Pleasure, a BTL den in the Aurora Warrens. One of my men will take you there. Now, you do not have much time. Will you leave now and do this thing for me?”

Walker agreed and the team left the Dragon’s Palace.

They were quickly lead into the tunnels and back to the UCAS sector and the Warrens…
Perception molds reality
Change perception and reality will follow
SR1+SR2+SR3++SR4+hb+++B?UB+IE+W+sa+m-gmM--P

Black

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« Reply #8 on: <04-25-12/0325:20> »
Previously on Shadowrun…

Aurora Warrens, UCAS Sector, Denver 19:30.

The team, Walker, Shadowhawk, Kitten and Zero, arrived in the Aurora Warrens. The Aurora Warrens was the worst area of the Denver sprawl. Officially part of the UCAS sector, this 4 square kilometre section of the city housed no one officially, and more than 2 million sinless unofficially. Heavily populated with the lost of society, the Warrens had no power, no police, no hope.

The towering tenements, built pre-Awakening , were rotting vestiges of what they had been. Every building was a charred wreck of its original design, not a window remains in place, not a door remained on its hinges.

The blacken ruins reared above the team like black skulls, the windows soulless eyes, the jiggered, ruined doorways waiting to devour the unfortunate.
Wrecked humans, hopeless and beyond desperate, loomed in the shadows. Looking more like zombies then living people, they crowded the buildings and silently watched the heroes enter their domain.

The night sky became heavy and black snow began to fall from the sky. Walker and the team drew their weapons, made their firepower obvious. The desperate, willing to die for one more hit, edged closer but they did not swarm the runners.
The team was forced to make their way on foot to the Twisted Pleasure BTL den. The streets were crowded with wreckage, burnt vehicles and rubble from collapsed buildings.

They arrived outside the Twisted Pleasure.

The Twisted Pleasure was a two level coffin motel, or at least it was once. It was the only building in the area still intact. Standing at the doorway, two tall, lanky, pale gangers eyed of potential customers. Their pale, scabbed skin, and their wide grins filled with too many teeth marked them as Ghouls. Ghouls were infected with a highly virulent virus which changed the victim into an eater of fresh human flesh. While diseased, many considered Ghouls little more than rapid animals which need to be put down. The fact that their clients, desperate Beetle users, ignored the Ghouls hungry stares, showed how far they had fallen.

Kitten focused and viewed the building via the Astral. A living black shadow, flicking liked flames, covered the building. The team discussed what to do. Choi Mu made it clear that they needed to get close to Glennis Shard when they killed her. Zero and Kitten offered to scout the surrounding area.
Zero made his way via nearby buildings, his chameleon suit allowing him to blend into the very dark night. While crowded, the local residents did not hear or see him move from room to room as he circled the target building. Kitten followed behind, sometimes attracting attention, but moving too quickly for the residents to be sure what they saw.

Zero found that the BTL Den had a heavy metal door facing the alley way behind the building. Lightly landing in the alley way, Zero examined the door and contacted the others. They quickly arrived without incident. The door was rusted and ancient, but Zero and his auto-picker quickly popped the lock. While not physical alarm system protected the door, Kitten could sense a mystical ward surrounding the building. Taking a risk, the team entered the Shard’s den.
The door opened up to a labyrinth of tight corridor, each containing two levelled rows of ‘coffin’ cubicles. The motel had been modified into a BTL play house, where desperate users could ‘rent’ a coffin and plug into the BTL experience of their choice. Shadowhawk examined the system and became aware that the coffins locked inside… and out. It would be easy for the ghouls to lock a victim in a cubicle until it was time to… eat.

Holding his breath, Shadowhawk entered a cubicle. They filthy, slimy interior combined with the condensed smell of human waste made him ill. Quickly setting up two decks, the ‘Hawk decked into the ‘Den’s systems. The security for the system was light, as if the people who designed had little awareness or need for Matrix security. Considering that the building was not part of the greater ‘net, and the only way to deck in was to enter a ghoul guarded building in the heart of the Warrens, perhaps the designer was correct. Until Shadowhawk arrived.

The Den’s systems controlled the coffin locks and the programs the users were using. It appeared that the ghouls had no electronic security. Shadowhawk did find a linked node within the building, one with much tougher firewalls. The ‘hawk cracked that system and discovered a simsense recording studio in the basement of the ‘den. The footage, currently being recorded, showed Steve Gomez being tortured. They had found the place.

Walker, Zero and Kitten moved forward through the maze of corridors. Zero stopped the team, indicating that he heard someone just up ahead. Walker, Kitten and Zero quickly slid into open cubicles.

Using his gun cam, Walker could see via the display in his glasses, four ghoul guards moving down the corridor, sub-machine guns at the ready. They were sniffing the air, and despite the overall stink of the place, they could smell the heroes!

Shadowhawk began using the system to lock all the current customers into their cubicles and then to pop random cubicle doors open. The ghouls, slightly distracted by the doors popping open moved apart from each other. Walker dropped a flashbang and the BANG echoed through the building. Using the opportunity, Kitten flipped out of her hiding spot and engaged two of the monsters. Zero and Walker began shooting from their hidden locations at the other two ghouls. Kitten smashed the guns of her two enemies and threw one of them into a cubicle. Shadowhawk locked the cubicle, preventing the ghoul from escaping. As Kitten turned to deal with the other Ghoul, a stray round from the shoot out behind her killed him. Walker and Zero killed the other two ghouls.
Leaving the last living ghoul to his fate in the locked cubicle, the team cleared the rest of the building and discovered a hidden door protected with a maglock. Zero offered to pop this lock as well, but Kitten smashed the reinforced steel door twice and sent it bouncing down the steep staircase.

Guns at the ready, the runners peered down the unlit dark stairwell. Filled with unnatural darkness, even Shadowhawk’s torch could not light the way very far ahead.

A skittering sound of light claws on stone steps could be heard and the Zero and Shadowhawk sprayed the staircase with suppressive fire. Despite the barrage, the noise deafening in the small stone corridor, the creatures, chemically altered Doberman the size of ponies, almost made it to the team. The last one bled to death at their feet, its jaws still gnashing helplessly.

The team made it to the bottom of the staircase.

Using cameras, they could see a wide open floor space, built like a dungeon from an old horror sim. Stone walls, dozens of victims chained to walls or steel slabs, brick pillars holding the roof up. 5 ghouls lined up in the middle of the floor, sub-machine guns at the ready. Behind them, Glennis Shard, like some sort of demonic succubus, pale skin and long, flowing black hair, continued to torture Steven Gomez, the under-cover Confederate government agent.

Walker readied another flashbang, while Zero readied his flashpak. Throwing them together, Walker, Zero and Kitten sprinted into the room. Covered by the loud explosion and sudden flashes of light, Walker moved left and Zero moved right. Kitten sprinted at inhuman speeds forward directly at her target, Glennis Shard. The Ghouls sprayed the area with massive cover fire. Zero slid behind a brick pillar in time to avoid the barrage, but Walker took several slugs, though his armour reduced some of the injury. Kitten leapt above the ghouls and landed behind them to engage Glennis directly.

As Walker and Zero engaged the ghouls, Kitten fought Glennis. The Unity policlub leader seemed to flicker as she moved around Kitten, her speed proving to be far above the shapeshifter. Roaring in anger, Kitten shifted into her natural Tigress form and began ripping slicing into Glennis. Dark energies swelled in the ‘human’ leader of the Ghouls and she tried to take control of the tiger’s mind. Kitten resisted, forcing the dark entity known as Glennis to send dark magical energies through the entire floor. Shadowhawk, using his mystical abilities, attempted to partly shield his allies, but soon Walker, Zero and Kitten were almost bought to their knees my unearthly agony. Roaring in pure rage, the Tiger bit Glennis’s head off. *chomp*. The illusionary pain that the team had been experiencing suddenly disappeared.

Out of Glennis’ body arose a massive living shadow, green energy crackly inside the entity. The battle paused as Shadow began to manifest in the room. Thinking fast, Walker removed Choi Mu’s scroll and the powerful Shadow spirit was sucked into the silk. Where once the scroll was blank, now a hideous shadowing woman seemed to be trying to claw her way out of the tapestry.

In moments the remaining ghouls were killed and the team left the feral tiger alone in the basement. When Kitten recovered her human form, the team used her strength and immunity to the Ghoul’s disease, to rescue Steve Gomez and a number of other still living victims

As Walker, Zero and Shadowhawk attempted first aid on Steve Gomez, he regained consciousness momentarily, “Capitan? You came for me? Sappho… meeting tonight… tickets..”

Kitten bought up Gomez’s jacket and the team found tickets to a pit fight in the Aztlan sector for 9pm that night.

The team took the BTL victims to the local Universal Brotherhood chapterhouse’s free street clinic and took the now stabilised Gomez with them.
Perception molds reality
Change perception and reality will follow
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Black

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« Reply #9 on: <04-25-12/0332:12> »
Previously on Shadowrun…

Aurora Warrens, UCAS Sector, Denver 20:00.

The team had just defeated Glennis Shard, aka Night the Free Shadow Spirit. They had Gomez, the undercover Confederate Government Agent, who was badly wounded. Meeting up with their Triad contact, they returned to the tunnels that ran under the city and back to China Town in the Confederate Sector.

Roof Top of the Ford America Building, UCAS Sector, Denver 20:30

Rex left the room as the interrogation continued. This Jesus, the air cab pilot who had flown Nebe and his team into the UCAS sector was proving useless. Still, Rex’s people would make sure. With the stakes, they couldn’t take any risks. The Seattle Agent, some emerald city big shot calling himself Mr Cozi, was due in Denver in the next thirty minutes and chances were that his first order of the day would be to terminate Rex’s contract.

Rex’s commlink buzzed. ‘Howdy? Huh-huh. Your contact is reliable? Damn. No, good work. Keep me informed”. Knight Errant provided security for the Confederate Sector, and had street informants everywhere. They never got anyone into the Triads, but they had a few snitchers on the payroll from China Town. One had just called his handler and provided positive ID on Nebe and some of his team.

The Cat woman, the orc Chinese shooter, an elf Indian, an Unsub white Caucasian and Nebe, plus a known Triad runner.

So now Nebe was making deals with the Triad? And somehow he had jumped the UCAS/CAS border? Rex felt his frustration growing. He felt he had wasted the entire afternoon in the UCAS Sector when Nebe was strutting around in the Confederate Sector, Rex’s home turf. If he had found out sooner, he would have gone into Chinatown in force, stomping all over the fragile truce between KE and the Triads. But the contact had said they had been leaving and now Rex was once again two steps behind. He needed to get his head into the game and work out what Nebe and his team were really doing in Denver.

Regardless, it was time to head back to the Confederate Sector and end this.

Chinatown, CAS Sector, Denver 21:00

Walker and the team arrived back at Dragon’s Palace. Walker presented Chio Mu with the silk scroll containing Night’s essence. Choi Mu was delighted. With her was Tex, who had remained behind as ‘insurance’ and Chang, recently arrived from Seattle, having recovered from his astral ordeal from the Black Arrow mission.

“Hmmm... this Gomez needs urgent medical care. My people will look after him and ensure that he recovers.” Choi Mu’s voice was like liquid silk, calm and seductive.

Walker hesitated, “Thank you for your kindness,” he responded in perfect Mandarin, “but you were framed for the kidnapping of this man. I worry that if he was found in your custody; people would draw the incorrect conclusion”

“Thank you for your concern young warrior, but I will ensure that that truth is made clear to the agent’s masters and provide them their lost charge healthy and recovered. Rather enemies, through your deeds, I will make new allies.”

“Now for your reward. Sappho once worked for my organisation, before she found... other masters. However, I have kept an eye on this treacherous insect and can tell you were to find her... den. She is located in a certain building nearby in the Denver Tech Centre.”

Shadowhawk, Walker and the team thanked Choi Mu. Walker organised for the Triad to provide him with a Geiger counter, but it would take some time before they could get him the device.

The Denver Tech Centre was home of lost dreams. Built at the end of the previous century, it was to be the crowning glory of the mile high city, a place to compete with California’s Silicon Valley. But the VITAS plague, the Indian War and the collapse of the old USA ended those dreams. A city divided into hostile slices, was no place to build a dream. Still, the Tech Centre had been the birthplace of a second, very brief, burst of prosperity, before the Crash of ’29 ended its potential forever. Now, its glittering glass towers remained empty, its landscaped gardens dead or overgrown, is empty car parks the haven for various gangs.

The Triad confirmed that the Denver Tech Centre was home of the Skinpeelers, a vicious Thrill Kill gang, similar to those appearing in the old Clockwork Orange movie. The team would need to be careful lest they engaged this ruthless gang on its own territory.

Chang went first, meditating for a few moments before his Ki left his body. Floating above the Dragon’s Palace, Chang could feel the energy of the location empowering him. In mere moments he was at the Denver Tech Centre. The place was huge, with dozens of abandoned office buildings and hotels. In the astral, the buildings radiant with failed dreams and quiet desperation. The streets surrounding the buildings were filled with people, their raw emotions of lust and mindless rage wafting upwards like roaring furnace. Chang shuddered with disgust. Turning away, the astral Chang found the building the Sappho was rumoured to use as a safe house.

Floating through the building, Chang encountered a strange green barrier around one floor. It was a strong ward, nothing Chang could not break with effort, but it was the nature of the ward which puzzled the Chinese detective. It was neither Hermetic nor Shamanic, at least not in a way that he was familiar with. As Chang touched the glowing ward, he felt a sharp buzzing noise, as if a thousand voices spoken angrily at once, in a language the seemed alien to the Wujen. This was something he had never seen, something alien. Chang returned to his body and informed the team.

Kitten scouted the area next, leaping from building to building. Finding a building some fifty meters away from the target location, the team made the decision to travel to the roof top of the secondary location and then use a grapple gun to secure a line to the target building. They would then cross between the buildings over sixty feet in the air, cut a hole in the glass walls of the building and make their way in.

Denver Tech Centre, CAS Sector, Denver 21:30.

With Kitten already on location, the team walked their way from Chinatown to the nearby Denver Tech Centre. The grounds of the Tech Centre were crowded with Skinpeelers having a good time. Loud thumping music played, as a crowd numbered in their hundreds partied away the night. Two gangers, taking time away from the noise of the crowd, almost stumbled onto Shadowhawk, but the ‘Hawk, Tex and Walker quickly took them down and hid the bodies. The team broke into Kittens building and made their way to the roof.

Taking careful aim, Tex shot the line into the target building. Kitten went first and broke the window in without spilling any glass onto the gangers below. One by one the remaining team members slid down the rope into the Sappho’s building.

The team was now located one floor above Sappho’s warded base. Carefully making their way down the fire staircase, the based the ward without incident. Due to Kitten’s nature, she was forced to remain behind to prevent breaking the ward and triggering magical security.

The team carefully entered Sappho’s home. It was empty open office space, devoid of any furniture. There were several offices and a large conference room. It was very dark, with the windows blacked out. The team carefully approached the conference room, weapons ready. The office space seemed to empty, and Tex had a feeling that something bad was about to happen.

The conference room’s glass walls appeared to be coated in something vaguely organic. Kitten, losing patience, crossed the ward, and believed it was unbroken. Looking at the fire door in the stair case, Kitten attempted to quietly take the door of the hinges. Unfortunately, she was not careful enough and made some noise ripping it of the wall. Carrying the large door as a shield, she approached the conference room.

Lowry Airport, CAS Sector, Denver 21:45

Rex waited for the delayed charted flight from Seattle to touch down and clear customs. Ares influence ensured that the entire process was handled under five minutes.

Mel Cozi looked young, but rumour had it that he had connections and was marked for something big. He exuded confidence as he shook Rex’s meaty troll hand.

“Relax big guy. Bet you think that I’m going to barge in and take over things? Not going to happen. I’ve heard of you Rex and I need a man with your talents. I don’t know Denver like you, your connections with the local KE officers, the government.”

“Thank you Sir. It’s appreciated. I just want to bring Janet’s killers to justice and end this thing,” Rex explained, his voice sounding tired even to him.

Mel reached up and grabbed Rex’s shoulder as he walked out of the terminal to the waiting LAV. “I here Betty’s been giving you trouble? Don’t worry about her, she and I go way back. I’ll run interference between your team and the big boys keep you focused on your job. ‘K buddy?”

“Much appreciated Sir. You read my brief? I hope you don’t mind me asking, but you know this Nebe character? What is he doing? It’s not making a lot of sense at the moment.”

“Ahhh Nebe. He was a co-worker of mine when I first got posted to Seattle. He’s a good guy, smart as a whip. But his got a wild side and that gets him into trouble. Not only him, but he gets his friends into all sorts of trouble as well. It’s a shame that he went independent, but if anyone could make it, it was him. Now, I going to ask you straight have you considered that maybe, just maybe, his right about this nuclear weapon and all his doing is trying to acquire it?”

They settled into the LAV as it took off. In a few minutes it would get them to the Ares Arms local office in down town Denver.

“It wasn’t a line that we were pursuing actively. Knight Errant detectives haven’t heard any rumours, but some of their contacts in Lone Star over in the UCAS sector had picked up something. Nothing substantial. A name, ‘Ripper’, something to do with a local fixer, Sappho, not much else. There has been a lot of activity in the Shadows the past week. Suspected Runners flying in the Denver, some terrorist activity, mostly getting themselves killed. We have been asked by the Texas Rangers to keep an eye out for a missing agent, but like always, they aren’t telling us much.”

“Hmm... I know Nebe, and my nuyen is on his story being partly true. I think that there is a nuclear weapon for sell and Nebe is trying to find it. Not sure who his backers would be, could be anyone, his not particularly choosing in his employers. And that would explain his movements. His chasing leads all across Denver”. Mel lent back in the leather seat, satisfied with his theory.

Rex lent forward, “but why did he kill Janet?”

Mel raised an eyebrow, “He didn’t, but I bet he can lead us to who’s responsible”.

Rex and Mel were lost in thought at the LAV cruised through the Denver night sky.

Perception molds reality
Change perception and reality will follow
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Black

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« Reply #10 on: <04-25-12/0332:52> »
Sappho’s base of operations, Denver Tech Centre, CAS Sector, Denver 21:50.

Chang, shaken by the alien nature of the ward and the energies vibrating out of the conference room, left the floor and exited the warded area. Calling upon the divine Jade Emperor for aid and understanding, Chang was surprised to see his Imperial Highness standing next to him in the material world.

“Ah... you have finally called me. This is good; this is the righteous path of righteous gentlemen.”

Chang kowtowed to the powerful god. “Your divine highness, I seek your understanding of what we face”.

“Hmmm”, the Jade Emperor stroked his long black beard, “You face the creeping doom, the plague without end, and the heralds of the horrors to come. These creatures do not belong here my son. They should not exist, and yet they are here, breaking the laws of nature and the divine together. You may call them the Insect Kings and they are lead by the God of Five Plagues. They are not Yomi, but something far worse. It is your duty, as a servant of the celestial court, to remove all trace of them from this realm.”

“Thank you your highness. “

“Wait Chang. You have always been a good servant. Your journey will be difficult, but the mortal realm will need you. I will make you a gift, a small trinket which will give you the power you will need to survive tonight. This trinket’s energies will fade with the rising sun.”

The Jade Emperor handed Chang a small Jade carved like a skull. Holding it, Chang felt his Ki empowered.

As Chang took the item, the Jade emperor faded from the mortal realm.

Chang returned to Sappho’s base, wary of what the team had been doing while he was away.

Denver Pit Fight Stadium, Aztec Tower, Aztlan Sector, Denver 21:50

Sappho, the dwarf business woman, was seating in the VIP section overlooking the arena. Below her, two clearly enhanced fighters engaged in raw brutal combat. Behind her, her ‘Sisters’ waited patiently, like stone guardians, completely still. The noise of the fight, the roar of the crowd, Sappho ignored it all.

She was here to meet a ‘Gomez’, a Hispanic fixer. Sappho’s contacts in the CAS government had ensured that she knew Gomez was an undercover Texas Ranger. And she had on sold this information already to her ‘ally’, Glennis Shard, in return for a tidy sum. It was likely that Gomez was still alive, but most likely wishing he wasn’t. Sappho was only here for appearance, in case other agents were watching. They would see her waiting, frustrated, and hopefully this would lead them elsewhere.

Sappho’s eyes widened suddenly. Her Sisters became even more rigid, as their considerable muscles tensed, ready to spring into action. Sappho narrowed her eyes, anger boiling to the surface. Her lips peeled back as she gritted her teeth with frustration. She was too far away to do anything personally. It was too late. But her other Sisters.... they could deal with this disturbance.

Sappho’s base of operations, Denver Tech Centre, CAS Sector, Denver 21:50.

As Chang entered the very dark office space Sappho called home, he was shocked to see Kitten lifting the large metal fire door above her head like a baseball bat. Swinging the door, Kitten smashed a hole into the Conference room.

Inside was a something out of a nightmare. Green organic material coated most the walls. Large, man-sized, green glowing pods lined the wall. A conference table was covered in a pile of naked male bodies, their heads missing. The room pulsed with alien arcane energies, and even the mundane could feel the crisp ozone of the room.

Tex felt something had gone wrong, that they were in terrible danger.

Silently, two female forms dropped from the roof behind Kitten. They were beautiful, Amazonian women, one white, the other black, but both so very similar they could be sisters. Both had their hair in dreads tied back, both wore dark mirror shades, long leather coats, tight black leather pants and not much else. Out of the sleeves of their coats, long green serrated blades appeared. Moving with inhuman speed, they both struck Kitten, their blades slicing deep. Warm, red blade spluttered the team as their most powerful member fell to the floor.

Shadowhawk realised the danger they were in, his enhanced mind calculating their dismal odds and determining their best chance of survival required sacrifice. The ‘hawk shot one of the pods, green and red liquid exploding everywhere, and then, he sprinted towards a window, firing a shot to shatter the glass.

“Screeeeeech!” one of the Sisters turned and chased Shadowhawk across the dark empty office space. Shadowhawk leaped at the window and it gave way, send the hero into the air over fifty feet above the ground. Ripping out his grapple gun, the ‘Hawk shot at the building across the way. As he plummeting to the ground, the grapple caught and suddenly Hawk was swinging through the air.

As The Sister pursued the sprinting elf, Chang unleashed a powerful lightning bolt and Walker unloaded his clip. Both Runners hit the Sister in the back. She followed Shadowhawk, leaping out of the window after him, but Chang and Walker’s attack had made her stumble at the last moment. She almost hit Shadowhawk mid-air when the grapple hook caught and Shadowhawk’s fall was adverted. Her hand clasped his ankle, but he managed to kick her free. Looking up, he slammed hard into the wall of the building, barely holding onto the gun as his breath was knocked out of him. The Sister fell to the ground below, landing in a crowd of gangers, knocking over one of their burning barrels.

The first Sister turned from the fallen Kitten to Tex, her blade missing the Chinese orc’s throat my millimetres. Tex fired her automatic at point blank range, her explosive rounds knocking the Sister to the ground.

As she rose among the surprised gangers, Tex lent out the window and put a round into the back of her head. The gangers were splattered with red and green gore.

Shadowhawk pulled himself into the secondary building and made contact with Walker. The team cleared the floor quickly while Chang knelt next to the badly injured Kitten. Chanting and using Qigong techniques, Chang channelled his Ki into the shapeshifter, healing some Kitten’s injures. She was back up on her feet, but far from well.

Walker found an office that actually looked like an office. Going through the desk, Walker found a small Deck and hooking his commlink into it, allowed Shadowhawk access from his location in the other building. The files confirmed a few of the team’s suspicions. Sappho had purchased Black snuff and torture BTLs from Glennis Shard, aka Night. She then on sold them to Elizabeth Kahliem, the Confederate representative on the Council of Denver! Elizabeth Kahliem was not only the representative for the Confederate government; she was also the niece of Damien Knight. Using her connections, she ‘paid’ Sappho with weapons ear-marked for the Confederate military, using her influence over Janet Douglas, Division Head of Ares Arms Denver, to ensure that the weapons went ‘missing’. Then she sold these weapons to a wide range of shadow organisations, paramilitaries and other Fixers... including Ripper. There was not much on Ripper, other than some weapon sells, ear-marked for the Pacific Northwest. The files were prime pay data, with details on sales, runs, Johnsons and more. The market would pay a tidy sum for the information in the files.

Walker found the ‘Hot Deal’ file, which detailed all the bids so far for the Nuclear weapons. Key criteria were listed, including Nuyen, but also expected use, casualties, location of detonation and more. It appeared that whoever was selling the weapon was just as keen on the nuyen as they were on a suitable immediate demonstration of its use. Colonel Gajeway of the Seattle Metroplex Guard rtd, was the largest bidder, with a figure well over 10 million nuyen. But Glennis Shard was the prime contender, with a bid of just 2 million nuyen, but the expected purpose to use the weapon immediately in Denver Chinatown. The expected casualties were high, the use immediate, the comments Sappho placed against the bid were very favourable.

There were even records of calls, including more than a few to a commlink, which Shadowhawk was able to identify as being at the Denver Hilton in the downtown CAS sector, literally a stone’s throw from the Knight Errant Denver HQ.... and few calls to a number in Seattle.... hmm... Ripper?

Walker transmitted the files to Shadowhawk, but left the originals intact.

Chang found a different room. It was set up as an altar of sorts, with a small shrine to Janet Douglas. The young Chinese mage found the strength to astrally assense the room, and the foul alien magic almost overwhelmed his senses. What was clear was that ritual magic aimed at Janet Douglas has been performed in the room. Chang left the room intact.

Walker conferred with Shadowhawk on the team’s next step. It was clear that they had stumbled onto more than expected. A cursory examination of the Sister’s bodies showed that they were... not exactly human, at least not anymore. This whole set up was something beyond what most the Runners had ever seen, stranger than even the most jaded sixth worlder would have seen. The ‘Hawk placed a call to his... contact... via Jane-In-The-Box.

“Shadowhawk, Big D is very concerned with what you have found. His pacing in the next room, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen him worried before. Something about being too soon. His going to make some calls, get someone in authority involved. He wants your team out of there, this instant. So move Hawk, get your arse out of dodge”

Hawk and the team moved, and faded out of the Denver Tech Centre like shadows. As they left, the sky roared above them as dozens of Knight Errant Special Tactics Assault Helicopters flew above them. They were soon followed by a convoy of black vans, unmarked but clearly not civilian vehicles. The team had once again stirred up a hornet’s nest of trouble, but at least this time it wasn’t aimed at them. Now they just needed to recover the bomb and get out of Denver.

Sappho’s base of operations, Denver Tech Centre, CAS Sector, Denver 22:30.

Rex could only stare in shock and horror at the remains of the conference room. Mel was busy in the fixer, Sappho’s, private office. Techs and heavily armoured HTR officers buzzed around him, but he ignored them.

“Oh sweet lordy, what the hell is going on here?”

“The answer to that may be above your pay grade big buddy”, Mel said as he walked up behind Rex.

The young executive seemed almost stressed, and then he flashed his perfect smile with his perfect teeth and the mask was back.

“Rex, your Hermetics are examining that... um... shrine to Janet. It looks like we have our murderer. You need to put out an all points on Sappho. She needs to be taken down, dead or alive. Got big guy?”

“Sure thing sir, will do.” Rex began sending out the instructions on his comlink.

“Oh, one other thing my friend”, Mel added.

“Have your techs tag and bag everything in Sappho’s office. Everything is to be sent, unexamined, to my office in Seattle. Everything in that room is Sigma 9 security clearance, by orders of the Ares Board. Got it buddy? No one even sneaks a peek or the Board will authorise a termination order.”

“Yes sir!” Rex responded. Oh dear lord, what did Janet get herself mixed up in?

Denver Hilton, downtown CAS sector, Denver, 23:00

The team settled themselves into a small hotel room. Shadowhawk had determined that Sappho was regularly in contact with someone staying in the hotel. Best guess was that they had found their seller. Shadowhawk quickly located the target’s room and took subtle control of the hotel’s security system. The security was good for a hotel, so the ‘Hawk kept his grip light, lest he alert the hotel’s Spiders.

Walker, Tex, Chang and the still hurt Kitten made their way up the room, several floors above their own. Tired, having had little sleep seen the job with Shaggy Bear several days ago, Walker was determined to end this.

Walker knocked on the room’s door and identified himself has being sent by Sappho. The occupants did not seem convinced, so Kitten kicked the door down. The large suite included a lower seating area, luxury sofas, kitchen benches and a large floor to ceiling window. It reeked of luxury.

It also had five heavily armoured security agents with submachine guns, all fanned out across the room, an armoured officer in the background with his arms out and chanting, and a silver skinned, chromed eye killer... QT!

The room exploded into violence! Tex quickly hit the mage and tagged QT with a stick n shock as he dived out of the room into the separate bedroom. As the made stumbled from Tex’s shot, Chang powered home powerful energies and flattened the rival spell caster. Then Kitten exploded into violence, combining her speed and strength and martial arts skills to engage the five heavily armoured, well trained and cyber enhanced guards. She managed to take down three of the guards before the last two took her down with some heavy automatic firepower.

Shadowhawk noted that hotel security was immediately alerted...
Perception molds reality
Change perception and reality will follow
SR1+SR2+SR3++SR4+hb+++B?UB+IE+W+sa+m-gmM--P

Black

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« Reply #11 on: <04-25-12/0333:57> »
Denver Hilton, downtown CAS sector, Denver, 23:00

The team settled themselves into a small hotel room. Shadowhawk had determined that Sappho was regularly in contact with someone staying in the hotel. Best guess was that they had found their seller. Shadowhawk quickly located the target’s room and took subtle control of the hotel’s security system. The security was good for a hotel, so the ‘Hawk kept his grip light, lest he alert the hotel’s Spiders.

Walker, Tex, Chang and the still hurt Kitten made their way up the room, several floors above their own. Tired, having had little sleep seen the job with Shaggy Bear several days ago, Walker was determined to end this.

Walker knocked on the room’s door and identified himself has being sent by Sappho. The occupants did not seem convinced, so Kitten kicked the door down. The large suite included a lower seating area, luxury sofas, kitchen benches and a large floor to ceiling window. It reeked of luxury.

It also had five heavily armoured security agents with submachine guns, all fanned out across the room, an armoured officer in the background with his arms out and chanting, and a silver skinned, chromed eye killer... QT!

The room exploded into violence! Tex quickly hit the mage and tagged QT with a stick n shock as he dived out of the room into the separate bedroom. As the made stumbled from Tex’s shot, Chang powered home powerful energies and flattened the rival spell caster. Then Kitten exploded into violence, combining her speed and strength and martial arts skills to engage the five heavily armoured, well trained and cyber enhanced guards. She managed to take down three of the guards before the last two took her down with some heavy automatic firepower.

Walker threw a smoke grenade in the room and closed the door.

Shadowhawk noted that hotel security was immediately alerted...


Denver Hilton, downtown CAS sector, Denver, 23:15

Walker and Tex held back as Zero and Chang took the initiative. Listening at the hotel room, they could hear one of the guards talking to someone else about the casualties they had taken. The guards were also reloading, having almost completely expended their clips taking down the shapeshifter.

Shadowhawk quickly set the sprinklers off in the hotel room, hoping to provide some distraction to the remaining guards.

Zero edged the door open and fired at the remaining guards. They returned fire and the runner took a heavy hit to his chest. Collapsing backwards, the hotel door closed behind him, providing some measure of cover. Away from the combat, Chang quickly used his Qigong techniques to stop the bleeding.

Inside the room, one of the guards covered the door as the second guard began to apply first aid to their mage. Kitten, now partly healed through her impressive regeneration powers, had shifted into her natural tigress form. Leaping up quickly, she grabbed the paramedic guard by the neck with her powerful jaws and with one swing, threw him out the window, and over the balcony. The guard plummeted to his death twenty floors below, landing on an autocab.

Before Kitten and the last guard could face off, Shadowhawk noticed a presence in the air on the hotel’s external cameras.
*wrrrrrrhhhhhh TAKATAKATAKATKA TAKATAKATAKATKA TAKATAKATAKATKA *

A large hovering drone sprayed the room with its light machine gun. Kitten hit the floor, as did the remaining guard. The guard unleashed a long full auto burst at the drone. TAKATAKATAKA!

The drone began to smoke and then its engines shuddered off and it fell to the city streets below!

KA-BOOOOOOOM!!!!

The whole hotel shook. It was too loud to be the drone! Shadowhawk played with the sensors and could only determine that something had set the various alarms off on the floors around where his teammates where fighting for their lives.

“Team, we need to get the target and I mean now!” Shadowhawk piped through the commlinks as he sent various red alerts the authorities. His only hope of getting the team the time they needed was to confuse the authorities long enough for them to wrap up the mission and make their exit. But with gun fire, falling bodies and now drones crashing into the street, the security forces would be coming and coming in force.

In the room, Kitten turned human (-ish) and grabbed the last guard and threw him into a toilet. As Kitten ‘negotiated’ with the guard, both Zero and Chang entered the room. Zero immediately noticed that the bedroom door was slightly off its hinges. The guard mage had been given a stun patch, but with the drone and Kitten, he had stayed down until now. Zero and Chang quickly took him out.

Kitten quickly opened the bathroom door and threw in one of Walker’s frag grenades. She then closed the door.

BOOOM!

The frag grenade went off, blowing the bathroom door across the room. Kitten moved into the bathroom and knocked the guard unconscious. With the bathroom filling with water from broken pipes, Kitten rested the guard in the bathtub.

Zero slowly opened the broken door to the bedroom... and found a massive gaping hole!

Someone, a very professional someone, had blown a very precise hole in the floor of the bedroom, collapse the room into the one below.

“Who’s there?” Yelled someone from the shadows below “Are you one of Nebe’s men?”

Zero backend away slightly, and whispered into his commlink, “Who’s Nebe?”

“Its Walker’s old name from when he was a wageslave for Ares”, replied Shadowhawk.

“Yeah, I’m with Nebe”, yelled Zero back down the whole.

Out of the shadows appeared a naked, lean, hairless man, his skin colour shifting with his background. With a very smooth motion, QT leapt from the shadows of the floor below and landed in front Zero. He clasped Zero’s shoulder with his left hand, and held a large Predator to his head with his right. Zero, still badly injured from the gunfight, outwardly remained calm.

As he backed Zero across the room, QT carefully noted Kitten and Chang. “Where’s Nebe? I want to make a deal with Nebe! Quickly you idiots, we don’t have much time!”

Chang replied, “Walker is not here. We have met, perhaps we can talk?”

“Fine!” snarled QT. “You want the bomb, don’t ya? Nebe is some sort of black market weapons dealer now, ain’t he? Well, work with me and I can get you the bomb on a discount. So, are ya in?”

Shadowhawk piped through the commlinks, “Kill him!”

Kitten tried to circle around QT but QT waved his Predator at her, “Get back Kitty or I’ll blow your chummer’s brains out!”

Kitten paused for a second, “How did you know my name?”

“Kill him”, Shadowhawk again relayed through the commlinks

“Know that and more darling. Been kept in the loop about you guys since Nebe started stirring up trouble. Now don’t mess around with me! My bosses are more powerful then you can believe and they won’t forget or forgive you for messing this up unless you help me, got it?”

Kitten suddenly made her move! QT fired but caught left-footed his shot went wide. Kitten grabbed the rogue KE bodyguard and threw him out the window and over the balcony. The last the team saw of QT, he was plummeting to his assured death!

The team quickly took stock of the situation. It was a total wash, the target was gone and there was no sign of the bomb or where it might be. The team leapt through the hole into the floor below. Chang found a shark-tooth necklace and felt it emanate arcane energies. Both Zero and Shadowhawk vaguely remembered that Shaggy-Pawl-Mountain, whom they had protected just four days earlier, had been victim to a coup lead by a shark shaman known as Swims-In-Darkness. Chang also remembered that when he and Shaggy had been attacked in the astral plan, they had fought shark shamans and their spirit allies. Chang had been thrown into the metaplanes by the experience and had taken days to recover under the watchful eyes of his girlfriend, the Triad Leader and powerful Wujen, Meng-Poh.

The team quickly made it to an elevator and down to the basement where they acquired a vehicle. Walker and Tex took a different vehicle and headed downtown, while Shadowhawk drove his vehicle out of the centre of the city and to the outskirts of the CAS sector.

As they left, Knight Errant vehicles began converging on the hotel. With the crashed drone and falling bodies, downtown Denver was a mess. Slowly, very slowly, Shadowhawk was able to navigate his stolen car out of city and into the outer suburbs.


Denver Hilton, downtown CAS sector, Denver, 23:30

QT spat a large glob of blood on to the floor of the hotel room. His jaw ached like hell and he could barely speak, but he was alive. Alive and pissed off!

Minutes earlier the shape shifting bitch had thrown him out of the hotel room window. As he fell, he opened his jaw and a small sharp blade shot out with a titanium chain attached. By sheer luck as much any skill, the chain had wrapped around a balcony rail. Catching the rail adverted his fall, swinging him back towards the hotel again. The chain had ripped out of his throat at that point, but QT was able to control his fall and break through a window into a hotel room.

As he rolled to his feet, a large black man has jumped out of bed. QT had made short work of him; a long splatter of blood now decorated the wall while the corpse was stored in the bathroom. Checking the victim’s id, QT noted he was some stiff from a mid-tier corp. A nobody that would not be missed for at least awhile. Looking at the victim, QT’s skin colour shifted until it matched the victim’s.

Before QT organised his exit plan, he grabbed his commlink and sent a message. Nebe may have found the balls to double-cross him, but he would soon find out that it would cost him. He then contacted Division and waited for them to patch through the GPS coordinates for the Orc seller.


Somewhere in the CAS Sector, Denver 24:00 (Midnight)
In the back of the sedan, Chang held the shark-tooth necklace and concentrated. Soon he was in the astral plan. A wisp of a trail extended from the foci to its bonded owner. Carefully, so very carefully, Chang began to follow the link…

Walker gave the team a call. The Triad had the giga counter he requested. The Team met up and took the item.




Denver Hilton, downtown CAS sector, Denver, 24:30

Rex surveyed the hotel room as forensic experts and Toms analysed the scene. A major fire fight downtown and the best that KE had were over at the Denver Tech Centre. It has slowed the response and maybe cost lives.

Mel, the young executive from Seattle, seemed unconcerned. Despite the alien hive that they had found at the Denver Tech Centre, or the implication that Sappho had used magic to kill Janet Douglas, or even this, a war zone it was should have been a safe area; Mel remained unfazed, cheerful even.

“So Rex, is this linked to Nebe and the assassination? What are your thoughts?”

“Well, there’s no evidence, camera’s wiped, not much in the way of evidence. We do have these boys in combat gear, and once our paramedics get them stabilised, I’m sure will get answers. I would have locked down the hotel and surrounding area, but we just don’t have the men for it anymore, not with the teams we also have out at the Tech Centre.”

“Don’t worry about it. I think, despite what you can see here, this is an unconnected event. Sometimes shit just happens. Leave a clean-up crew here to get whatever evidence they can, assign someone to watch the prisoners at the Doc Wagon clinic and then move on.”

“But to where? We have an APB out on Sappho, and enough evidence to suggest Nebe and his team are not the killers.”

Mel looked up from his commlink, “Ahhh… Rex, there is still a nuclear weapon out there!”

“If what Nebe said is true… “ Rex trailed off…

“Oh, I’m certain its true and I should have its location soon”, Mel smiled as he pocketed his commlink.



The Astral, Somewhere in the CAS Sector, Denver 1:00 AM (Last Day of Mission)

Chang followed the thread until finally he traced its arcane energies back to its bonded master.

The Astral was warm with energy, but the mundane world appeared as a faded grey shadow hidden beneath the mystic energies that surrounded Chang. The owner of the shark-tooth necklace appeared to be seated before him. His was obviously distressed and appeared to be in pain. Around him were seven others, most of them cool and dispassionate. Two were awakened, but Chang could not determine much more. One of the ‘others’, was standing near the target, was angry, but excited, as if they were about to achieve something. Chang could not make out his surroundings, but it appeared to be a very large room with a grey… vehicle of some sort in the centre. One of the awakened was slowly erected a ward and Chang felt it best to leave before he was noticed. As he floated out of the building, he noticed large number people in the air, quickly approaching the ground and then… landing. Ahhhh… they were at the CAS airport.

Chang called upon his imperial servant, a small watcher spirit, and told him to watch over the building below. Chang then rushed through the astral and returned to his body.


Private Hangers, CAS International Airport, CAS Sector, Denver 1:30 AM

Shadowhawk, Chang, Zero and Kitten arrived at the gates to the airport. They could see a large wire fence and a lone guard at the gate. Nothing special. The team debated for sometime on the best way to get in, but ended up allowing Chang to use is arcane energies to carry ‘hawk and Zero over the fence. Kitten easily leapt the fence.

They approached the hanger, with both Kitten and Chang noting the powerful war covering the building.

A drone exited the building, a small rotor craft. It began circling overhead and would soon spot the runners. Kitten ran and leapt at the drone. While strong, she was not powerful enough to reach the craft alone. Chang focused his mystic energies and ensured that Kitten floated like a cloud. Flying thirty meters into the air, Kitten caught the drone and powered arcane electrical energies into is frail frame. Sizzling and smoking, the drone lost power, but Chang was able to control Kitten’s fall so that she landed softly on the ground holding her new play toy.

Shadowhawk immediately realised that the rival shadowrunner team inside the building would be aware of the heroes.

Kitten leapt to the roof of the building and pulled Zero up behind her. Chang and Shadowhawk approached a side entrance.

Once in position, Kitten leapt down in front of the large hanger doors and placed the crushed and fried drone on the ground. Then with her strength, she ripped open one of the hanger doors and then leapt into the darkness.

At the same time, Zero opened to skylight and dropped a flash pak into the dark hanger. He could make out below two figures, a huge troll wearing heavy customised armour that looked ‘crab-like’ and who had a massive pincher-like cyberarm; and a skinny leather and chain wearing punk.

The Troll reached down and crushed the flash-pak with his claw, while the leather freak vanished.

*PHUT*

Zero was leaning back as a large hole appeared in the roof where his head had been only seconds before. Somewhere down below was a sniper with a power rifle. This was going to be dangerous.

With the various distractions, Shadowhawk ripped open the side doors maglock and played with the electronics inside. With a snip here and a few wires crossed there, the door was unlocked. Shadowhawk and Chang went to ease it open, only to trigger a flash-bang booby trap!
BANG
As Shadowhawk and Chang fell back slightly, a katana-wielding samurai sprinted at them. Dressed in blackened armour similar to that of the infamous Renraku Red Samaria, the warrior reached ‘hawk and Chang in record speed. With one slash of his sword, he cut Chang down!

“Arrrrgggggghhh!!!!”

Kitten, on the other side of the hanger lept onto the roof and sprinted across. Her pack was in trouble!

Shadowhawk fired his weapon point blank at the black armoured samurai, using armour piecing rounds. THUD THUD. The rounds hit the warrior, but barely slowed him down.

Kitten leapt to the ground from the roof above, dropping her SMG, and grabbed the Katana as she landed. Using her momentum and strength, Kitten broke the weapon! And then with a quick kick, knocked the samurai back into the hanger.

Shadowhawk quickly went to close the door. As he did so, the samurai flicked out a shuriken, but it thudded into the now close door.

Another of the enemy team, The Grenadier, let loose a gas grenade and the hander began to fill with poisonous fumes.

The Grenadier, the ‘prisoner’ and a young girl all climbed into the light plane.

The Black Samurai ran at the plane, leapt on the roof of the plane and then vaulted upwards through the skylight, flipped and landed in front of Zero!

Lifting his SMG, Zero unleashed a long burst at the menacing enemy runner. TAKAKAKAKAKA! Close range, the bullets shredded the Black Samurai’s head, splattering the rooftop of the hanger with blood, bits of skull and brain matter. The enemy runner’s body fell backwards and slid bloodily down the hanger roof, leaving a slick bloody trail. Zero calmly reloaded.

Chang focused his power, relying on the blessing of the Jade Emperor, and was able to heal himself enough to stand again. Both Chang and Shadowhawk ran to the front of the hanger when they heard the plane’s engines start.

The Crab ripped open the other hanger door, giving the plane enough room to exit the hanger.

Kitten ran after the speeding plane! Deadeye, the hidden sniper took a shot at her, but missed. Kitten leapt to the door and pulled it open. Inside, she noted a large gleaming metal object, about the size of a large chopper. There was also a tied up orc Indian businessman and a young beautiful woman. The woman was holding a small flick knife which she had been using on the orc recently.
“Vho arrre you?” the women gasped in surprise, her English heavily accented.

Kitten hit her once, and she collapsed, blood pouring out her ears….

Shadowhawk paused for a moment and drew upon the primal arcane energies to summon a small dragon made out of liquid flames. The creature resisted, by the ‘hawk forced it to obey him.

“Yeerrrrssssshhhh?” It hissed out.

“Attack the pilot of that aircraft”, Shadowhawk commanded while waving at the plane.

*hrrsssshhh*

The Flaming Dragon vanished.
Inside the plane in the cockpit section, The Grenadier was trying to get the plane to a runway so that they could make an escape. His pilot, the rigger kid known only as Oliver was slumped in the co-pilot seat. He had been taken out first, by dump shock when the enemy had killed his drone.

*Hrrrsssshhhhh*

A small dragon creature made out of pure flames appeared in the cockpit and launched itself at The Grenadier. While it was small and not too powerful, it kept him from flying the plane.

When Kitten was ready, Shadowhawk mentally dismissed the elemental. Kitten entered the cockpit and with one punch, knocking unconscious.

Kitten had control of the plane, the bomb and the seller.

Outside the plane, Shadowhawk took out the invisible Leather Freak mage, and the Crab troll and Deadeye sniper both fled the scene.

The team now had the plane, the seller, the bomb, a hacker/rigger kid, the Grenadier, and a young, badly injured, Russian woman with a lot of anger.

Zero, Kitten and Chang were all injured.

In the distance, a number of KE Yellow Jackets and ground vehicles with sirens flashing were approaching…

So close… but would they make it out of Denver alive?
Perception molds reality
Change perception and reality will follow
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