[adamu]

Having patched Isaint and Rick into his eavesdropping channel as soon as they'd arrived, Al now sighed at the bad news and switched back to internal air supply - it was bad enough they had a bunch of robo-cooties to contend with, but now he wouldn't be able to smoke, either.

He reminded himself that God loved even the sinner as he prepared himself for Rick's witchcraft.

[Mercy Merchant]

Robyn grimaces and her avatar does the same as she looks at the "you Are Here" board in the lobby. >>Nanites?  You mean CFD?  Bloody hell, guys.  You seem to know all the worst places to take a girl on a date.  Can't even come to a peaceful tropical island without something bad happening.  And to think I had such high hopes that I could sit in the sun on the beach and work on my tan.  I am inside the host and I have marks.  Do you need me to pull out now?<<

[Jack_Spade]

<<Tanning was never an option as soon as the target was called an aquacology. And yes, either CFD or something like it. Hard to tell from aura alone - just a lot of nanites polluting and a very subdued sense of self.
And unless you have found a killswitch for all the nanites in their it would be better to leave the host and virtual reality. You don't want to tangle with data spikes slung by enemy AIs.
We need to hurry or we'll be locked out.>>

#588

[Aria]

[Tuesday September 15th, 2076; CTec Aquaology, Tonga Trench]

Aware that it is going to be extremely tight the team gather themselves and bolt for the exit as it begins to close, thankfully the submarine style door moves sufficiently ponderously.  Slipping through on the heels of the two sec officers they seem momentarily confused by the anti-clash sensor that detects the last of the team through and halts the door’s smooth and inexorable locking, but they clearly dismiss the problem and move off down the corridor to the main dome.

Not so the four Evo Castellan drones that raise themselves from their reclining positions and move to intercept the runners weapons raised…

[spoiler]
Evo Castellan [H 4 SP 4G Ac 2 B 4 A 3 Pi 4 Sn 4] w. Smartsoft, Screech 'soft [4], Evasion 'soft [4], Clearsight [4], Cyberarm Gyromount [3], Ares Screech Sonic Rifle [A6, 7S, *, SS, 10(c)]w. smartlink

Corridor is approx. 2m wide x 2m high and about 10m long, and given the nature of the weapons they are using they will struggle to miss you even with only 10D to hit![/spoiler]

***
#22

[Jack_Spade]

[spoiler]
Than lets better not give them the chance
Their Ini is 8+4d6= Ini: 2#8+4d6 24 19
Isaint's Ini: Ini: 16+4d6 32

Free Action: Rapid draw two tasers
Rapid Draw: 17d6t5 5
Dual wield Defiance Ex Shocker (Ambidextrous)
Free Action: Multiattaack
Complex Action: Multiattack
Splitting Dice Pool
Multiattack: 14d6t5 5 [14d6t5=6, 2, 1, 1, 5, 1, 6, 6, 2, 3, 6, 3, 3, 3]
Since the drones are likely using echolocation/ultrasound they might be aware of attack:
Defense: 2#8d6t5 3 2
Since it's an electric attack they still get the base damage of 10 S(e) AP-5 (Custom Taser Ammo for +1 damage)
Soak: 2#4d6t5 1 2
Taking 9 and 8 damage
Both drones are out of commission
[/spoiler]

Isaint realized that he had in all that haste forgotten of activating his ultrasound jammer - consequently two security drones had recognized their mismatched appearance.
He didn't have much time for conscious thought: His hands found the grips of his two Defiance-Ex tasers and brought them up in a seamless motion, centering their infrared laser dots on each of the two drones, pulling the trigger in a reflexive simultaneous action.
The shots where sloppy and barely contacted with the two moving targets - but the beauty of these weapons lay in the fact that this was more than enough: Aided by the extra capacitors the current was enough to short circuit the guardians before they had a chance to shoot or narc on them.
<<Don't stop, we need to keep moving and find cover.>>

[adamu]

Al didn't stop.

Even as the first robot dropped he was bounding over its twitching hulk towards the surprised guards, who literally never saw him coming. Hesitant to shoot lest he kill the poor suckers or, worse, hit his own people since they were invisible, he launched an unseen foot at the first sec man's crotch and then shot his elbow toward the nose as the guy doubled over....

[Mercy Merchant]

Robyn slips back to the meat world and disconnects from the host before following Silk out to the main room.  Expecting trouble, she unspools her whip from her finger after letting Rick cast his spell on her.  She follows after ISaint and Al in time for her sensors to see four drones rise up from hidden locations and turn their weapons in the direction of the group.  ISaint doesn't hesitate and draws a pair of tasers, sending two of the drones sparking to the ground while Al barreled through the carnage to attack one of the guards.  Stealing an opportunity, Robyn steps forward and sends her whip arcing in against one of the remaining drones.  The invisible line wraps about the drone and a gentle pull brings it back in Robyn's direction, neatly slicing the thing in half.

[Aria]

[Tuesday September 15th, 2076; CTec Aquaology, Tonga Trench]

Blissfully unaware of the lethal monowhip in the hands of the technically blind woman whistling over her head Silk sent a rapid command to the willow thin stick in her hand which elongated with a barely audible rustle as the smart metals reformed in to the light combat staff.  Conscious of the comparably tight confines of the corridor she ducked low and used the staff like a spear, knocking the barrel of the sonic blaster to one side and sliding the tip up to the junction between the anthro drone’s head and shoulders.  With a jolt the tip delivered its charge sending sparks cascading down the drone and it crumpling to a heap on the deck…

[spoiler]
Ini 10+4D6 = 29 so will also edge to beat the drone fire

Personalised Telescoping Stun Staff (yes I know it doesn’t technically exist!) [A5, R2, 9S(e), -5AP]
Ready weapon: Free (wifi)
Attack: 16D = 6 (limited to 5)
Defence: 8D -2D reach = 3
Soak: 4D = 0 and sparky mess on the deck

Edge remaining 3/4
[/spoiler]

***
#23

[adamu]

Al's elbow flattened the guy's nose nicely, but then he and his friend tried to dogpile him. Which was when Al discovered how fun it was to fight while invisible as he watched them flailing in his general direction - the first guy tripped over the second one, and Al grabbed him by the collar and helped his momentum carry his head into a wall. The little see-through man then took a swing at the second guard, but the uniformed man miraculously blocked the blow, both arms up in front of his face like a boxer....

[Jack_Spade]

[spoiler]
Isaint's second pass at Ini 22
AGI Boost: Agi Boost: 8d6t5 3
Fire Called Shot w/Adept centering
Shoot (Vitals): 17d6t5 5

Defense Guard (Melee, second attack -4)
Defense: 6d6t5 2

DV 15S(e) AP-5
Soak: Soak: 11d6t5 2
DV 13
1
Bzzz.
[/spoiler]

Isaint didn't stop in his stride, but sent a short prayer to his patron and received the familiar buzzing of power flowing through his muscles.
Only two meters away from the guard he pressed the trigger and was satisfied to see the man fall unconscious to the ground.
<<We need to get out of this corridor. The concealment makes us harder to track, but whatever is going on here it certainly will have control over the cctv.
Robyn, please try to find the suite where our target resides. Since we are already in this deathtrap, we can as well do our jobs properly. The faster we are done, the faster we can get away again>>

[Aria]

[Tuesday September 15th, 2076; CTec Aquaology, Tonga Trench]

The boxer can clearly feel his opponent but recognises that he can’t fight something he can’t see…scanning around whilst attempting to ward off blows he lights on the sonic rifle clutched in the hands of the dismembered drone and lunges for it…only to be shot by Isaint and fall twitching to the deck after his compatriot

The other unfortunate crumpled against the bulkhead impossibly begins to stir…

And at the end of the corridor a plasteel door begins to close from its ceiling recess…rather worryingly the team can see the dried on remains of a bloody handprint on the transparent surface at about knee height, almost as if the door had crushed someone…

***
#24

[Jack_Spade]

"Fuck. They are getting up again. Get through that door now!"
Isaint had noticed the readout from his taser indicating that the nanites where overriding the body's shut down. Another trigger squeeze would kill the man for sure.
While still running on, Isaint concentrated on the lessons Rick had given him. Letting the mana flow through his feather pendant he called up invisible force to counteract the closing door. Isaint was under no illusion how much pressure a closing security shot in an 1 atmosphere aquacology would need to operate safely in case of a breach. But maybe he would be able to slow the door down for a second or two...
[spoiler]
Casting F6 Levitate on closing door
Levitate F6: 8d6t5 2
Counter act with 400kg worth of upwards force
Drain: Drain resist: 11d6t5 8
Yeah. No drain

[/spoiler]

[adamu]

The guy with a dent in his skull starting to get up off the floor was the final confirmation of Al's suspicions. "Damned nanite zombies," he muttered under his breath. But the guy was small potatoes, and Isaint was saying what Al was thinking.

Without further ado, he scurried forward and ducked under the quivering plasteel door, one eye looking for threats and the other for a way to send the door back up....

[Mercy Merchant]

Robyn uses the opportunity provided her to glide under the door..  She notices a small panel near the door and holds her hand next to it, placing the edge of her whip near her finger against the outer cover and slicing down.  When the interior of the box is revealed, she slips her cable in and reenters the host, looking for the blueprints of the base.


[spoiler]Search for blueprints:  Matrix Search: 13d6t5 4[/spoiler]

[Jack_Spade]

Isaint was the last to cross under the door. The last half meter slammed shut as Isaint let go of the spell, slightly panting. Once again his chest reminded him that he wasn't in prime condition any more.
Curious, he looked around. They had entered a kind of public transit area - according to Al's floor plans, little self contained tubes were used to traverse the underwater city. Currently there was no sign of any activity around here. Wherever processing was, it wasn't done at the platform of a train station.
"It seems we have to cross almost the whole city to get to our targets living quarters. I'm pretty sure we have been noticed, so we need to keep moving - and I need a place where I can change into my FBA. This is will become a lot worse before it gets better.
Let's keep to the emergency tunnels - those should have hand operated bulkheads if Evo learned anything from the Renraku Arcology Incident."