Chapter 2 - What Lies Beneath

[Milk Toast]

• SITREP: Primary Objective Incomplete.
Suddenly a text message comes from Erika Hoffner, your Johnson, to Shrike, Wraith, and Stygge: "Defensive lockdown. Comms are compromised and personnel are down. Backup is enroute, Callsigns: Greivous and Ronnie. Will contact you when able."

Gunfire sounds in the distance. No big deal in this part of the sprawl. Several rotors. Must be a drone air corridor. Then a lot of gunfire, an explosion, and several rotors. Cue adrenaline surge. The other patrons are all on edge and the air stinks of fear. Stygge stands and walks quickly outside saying she is "going to check on the rig".

Suddenly all three missing teammates come diving through the door of the bar with two new faces right on their heels, a giant (literally) and the "other guy"...well... he smells like gasoline from here, m'kay? Also, he is carrying a grenade launcher like he knows how to use it.

At the same time, the rig goes up in a spectacular fireball that was probably visible from Rainier. Outside engines roar, tires screech and shouting in Russian "Davai, Davai, Davai!!"(Go, go, go). Automatic weapons fire perforates the thinwalled bar. Patrons fall wounded. Bushwhack takes a round to the head, killing him instantly. Mulpas limp form drops from his shoulder to the floor. Tulpa's fear stricken face screams raw and full throated before he appears to have a massive internal hemmorhage of some kind evidenced by bleeding at the ears and eyes while his deck bricks so hard it #Catches Fire#. And then something wierd happens: All team commlinks (the ones that are Matrix enabled) brick at the same time. The rotor noise suddenly is very close, creating clouds of dust and white noise. Multiple searchlights blast through openings in the wall and windows.

• Status Note: (Remember: bricked items can be repaired). I am assuming all of you have slaved your online gear to your commlink. This is what professionals like to call a Good Idea. Therefore a multiple attack would need to kill your commlinks before it could get to the other items and if those items are A) Running Silent and B) Have false ID using Edit File from "I am an Ares Predator V model 2075" to something else like "I am a Toast-o-matic" then it becomes much more time consuming to correctly ID target items. IE: you have one chance to turn stuff off!
• Status Note: Everyone soaks 6S for being in the corner or next to the door a bit further from the flashbang blast.

Layout: Generally square main room. Front door is 12m away from the booth you selected. Kitchen door is 4m away. Windows are broken and jagged or set high in the wall and too small to use for an exit. Nearest artery road is 3.5km South.

☐ Sandman: A hit and a miss in your search! The Watcher, cheerily oblivious to your impending doom, reports: "She isn't there (At the scone factory)." The Spirit of Man says in what you can only guess is confusion: "Down. Go down to find her."

☐ Death Otter: No time now for searches. Watching those icons blink out is astonishing in its coordination, speed and power. Your well practiced Matrix perception, honed from a lifetime of use, spots a key identifier. A particular shade of purple...indigo. Why is that familiar? The swarm of agents are awaiting tasking and eyeballing YOU. You have 0.0125 seconds to act. There is a Resonance..."something" in the back of the bar. It too is indigo.

☐ Ronnie and Greivous: You two were hastily hired less than an hour ago by a slick looking elf by the name of Yu. Not too many details but the job was simple. Secure the team (pictures and location provided) by any means neccessary and get to a safehouse. 5000 nuyen when you verify ID and text "Mission Complete". Just two blocks away you interrupted a Vory heavy crew chasing three of your clients. That is, you gave them a full spread of firepower from the blindside. They responded to your interruption in typical Vory fashion. With gunfire. Lots of it. Needless to say, a running gun battle ensued in which your explosives, magic, and big guns squared off against Rotodrones, an attack helicopter, and a large bunch of very angry Russian mob with zero interest in diplomacy. As rounds skipped across the pavement and whined past your heads you dove through the door of the bar into cover.

☐ Shrike and Wraith: AK-97s in long inaccurate bursts. Very distinctive sound, not military trained and not worried about ammo expenditure. Russian voices. No codes or shorthand. Likely Vory. Multiple rotors. Smaller ones are drones, probably Rotodrones. Bigger one is two blades, maybe a single seater. Tactics are Supressive Fire (so they don't care about collateral damage) covering a breaching team. They are certainly coming in hot.

Roll Initiative!

[Sandman]

Soak:

• Result: 2 Stun Damage.

Initiative: = 11

Ears ringing from the flashbang, Sandman gives his head a shake as he tries to prepare for whoever threw that flashbang.

Maybe next time I put out a Spirit or a Watcher on sentry duty... Who would have thought things would have went this sideways on my first run ever? I have so much to learn about life in the Shadows... and why would the Vory send people after us? I am up to date in my payments for my Debt... maybe it is from a different faction within the Vory

"Guys, Once we have a moment to talk, I have some confusing information on our target..."

[Grievus]

WIP

The Giant is the last one in and slams the door behind him. The flashbang doesn’t phase him as he holsters his pistol and moves to the side of the the door. With a slight Eastern European accent he says in a deep voice “Oi Chummers I’m Grievous and this is Ronnie. We are getting you out of here. But first these breeders are about learn a hard lesson about choke points.” He then draws his Shotgun. These Vory are gonna need closed caskets.

[Shrike]

Shrike
Condition Slightly Irritable

As per normal, it doesn't take long for everything to go FUBAR.




As Shrike's wired reflexes kick into gear and the flare compensation in his contacts help deal with the stun grenade, Shrike starts to regret the day's choices.

At some point, something must go to plan. Really starting to regret taking this job.

As their evidence goes up in flames and the two new guys barge in, Shrike pulls his rifle from under the table and drops into cover

The Vory shooting their own. We need to leave and regroup properly.

"Stygge, get out to your van out back. Death Otter, kill any security feed and the backups. New guys, we need to do a fighting strategic withdrawal. The Star will notice that rotorcraft and we should be long gone by that point. Anybody who doesn't want to get shot at by the Vory, get into the back and hide. "

OOC Comments

Tulpa wasn't there for the mission