The Tacoma Entanglement

[Lonewalker]

 

Jennifer "Bang" McCall

HP: 5 / 5| AC: M14 / R16 | Damage Soak: 5 | Trauma Target: 7

Attack Bonus: +0 | Saves: Phys 14+ | Eva 14+ | Men 15+ | Luck 15+

Jennifer tried not to fidget where she had ended up situated between Phantom and Doc. She tried to pay attention to the Johnson's rundown of the job, noting the complications that seemed to mount with every pause and paragraph he spoke. Despite the trouble mentioned before, it sounded otherwise straightforward: wipe the data, and geek anyone who gets in the way. In fact, it struck Jennifer that taking our Cormac was a bit higher on the Johnson's unspoken priority list than the cleaning of the data. That in and of itself didn't bother her - this wouldn't be the first wetwork run she'd been part of.

She was sure there were more details she should ask about - but she was having trouble articulating what she wanted to ask. Fortunately, most of the rest of the team seemed more than adequate at peppering the Johnson with questions. Jennifer was grateful - she could still avoid talking, stumbling over what she wanted to say, and looking like an idiot. She settled instead for shoving her nervousness and anxiety to the back of her mind and concentrating on looking as though she were in dangerous agreement with her new teammates as they interrogated their would-be employer.

[Arcticus]

On 10/16/2023 at 12:45 PM, Cairo said:

"Depends," he responds to the Johnson's question. He nudges his head towards the man's jacket which is covering his left arm, then lowers his voice just enough so those at the table still hear him. "Are you still going to be alive to pay us when the job's done? I gather that's not a foodstain you're covering up."

He stares at Harry for a second before his eyes flick over towards the bar and the other patrons to make sure they weren't looking over or listening in. "No," he says in a lowered voice. "Definitely not a foodstain. I got a nasty bite from that cyberdog I told you about. Team I hired before you had one runner make it out of there. They sent me a message saying job went sideways and all that. I figured, the cyber dog probably got to Cormac so I could slip in there and get rid of those recordings myself. I go in the side door and manage to make it to the stairs leading up to Cormac's office, when that frikkin demon dog caught me. It had blood dripping from it's chrome jaws like some horror-trid drek. Got me on the left arm something bad, but I managed to get away and lock it back in there."

 

On 10/16/2023 at 9:51 PM, Aavarius said:

"Um. So... you decided to screw about in the warehouse of the very Don whose name you just invoked at us."

...

"What's, uh, what's the state of the place now, Fort Knox? What about the other runners? And, uh, well, what sort of 'sick, twisted drek' are you looking at avoiding?"

She got another idea and asked him an additional question. "I keep backups of all my important data--how do you know ol' Cormac doesn't have one sitting someplace else? It's what I'd do if I were keeping you under my thumb. You're the inside man, so anything you can get us on the building network and security is going to help us out."

On 10/16/2023 at 11:36 PM, Landid said:

"To piggy back off what she is saying... This isn't going to put us on the Don's bad side now is it? Also how long ago was the other team in this warehouse?" He starts to rattle off questions that haven't been asked yet. "When you say a lot more men were there than supposed to be, how many are we talking? Any access you can grant us that we wouldn't have otherwise? Don't hold back on us now, mess needs cleaning up and we need all the cards you can give us."

He bridles at Phantom's comment. He grits his teeth and says, "Listen little miss perfect, I know it was a dumb decision. But don't act like you never made a bad decision before and just went with it. I know I'm in deep now. I'm gonna have to pack my bags and get outta Dodge when all this is over."

He stopped himself, and squeezed his right hand tightly like he was squeezing a stress ball. He took a deep breath and ran a hand through his messy hair. "Sorry, I'm a little stressed out as you can see."

...

He listened to Phantom's and Wesley's questions. "Well," he said. "It was like a ghost town and a horror-trid rolled into one when I snuck in there. Saw bodies laying all over the place. Not a pretty sight. This was maybe, one or two hours ago, so I can't say it's still like that now."

"Like I said before, one of the runners made it out okay and flew the coop, I don't know where they are. The rest of the team probably either got geeked by Cormac and his guys or got geeked by the cyber dog."

"I couldn't exactly count every body that was lying there with that cyberdog attacking me, but I'd guess there were maybe 10-12 bodies that I could see? I don't know, honestly, like I said it was pretty empty when I got there except for the dog."

"As to networks and security? I can tell ya we got some preemo reinforced doors on the outside with some top notch Ares locks. Even LoneStar SWAT would have a hard time breaking down these doors without heavy machinery. It's probably the only reason that dog hasn't gotten out." He produces a key card out of his jacket pocket and slides it to the center of the table. "This'll get you inside the building."

"The entire network is on a closed circuit, no outside access anywhere. But you can control everything from Cormac's terminal in his office. Pretty sure he's got the backup server in there too. Don't know about any network security, cause I ain't a Decker and Cormac wouldn't let anyone use his computer for anything."

"I don't think Cormac is smart enough to keep a backup copy on a data stick somewhere. He's a meathead who made a name for himself smashing skulls together and this is his first shot at something that requires actual planning and smarts. So if anything, it might be on that backup server but I'd be surprised if the oaf thought making extra copies. And to answer your other question, I'd prefer not to talk about the kind of stuff I think he had planned for me."

"If you clean everything up, nice and tidy, the Don won't even know. Could've been Yakuza who hit the warehouse or some other drek who hired a team of runners. No recordings and no witnesses, means nobody knows anything and it coulda been anybody."

 

He slides a data chip in the center of the table. "This is the layout of the warehouse, I only have one chip so you'll have to share." He looks around the table. "Well, any other questions? Or can you guys go start the job, now? I really need this done pronto."

 

The Warehouse

 

 

 

 

Edited October 23, 2023 by Arcticus (see edit history)

[Cairo]

Pop Idol

Elf

Tall & Skinny

Outgoing

Face

Low-Light Vision

 

Harry makes a sympathetic wince when the Johnson shares how he almost became cyberdog chow. No doubt the man would welcome news of that mechanical mutt having experienced rapid unscheduled disassembly tonight.

His curiosity sated Harry leans back into his seat and lets the Johnson answer the team's burning questions, and in the case of Phantom's, vent a bit of his frustration. She's not wrong, though; that the Johnson's presently neck deep in number two is clearly his own doing. That doesn't make him a bad customer, though.

When the show and tell is over Harry leans forward again. He looks over the team for any obvious signs of objection and finding none, turns his mirrored shades back to the Johnson to give a quick rundown of the job for an adoring audience that's not there. Old habbits and all that.

"Mob warehouse near 24th Ave and South 208th, airgapped from the matrix and locked down tight save for the key card," he says matter-of-factly, nudging his head at the one the Johnson slid at the center of the table.

"One cyberdog, last seen an hour or two ago hanging off a... person's left arm. One bossman, goes by Cormac. Statuses unknown, but I'm putting my money on both being alive and around. Cormac's undoubtedly called in reinforcements since. Regardless; get in and erase any and all computers on site. Avoid witnesses... or then void them. Deadline's in the rearview mirror already, so the sooner the better."

Harry pauses momentarily to let that sink in.

"And all this in exchange for a handsome payment of...?"

(this is a oneshot, I'm going to assume the payment's not a joke and we don't need to haggle)

Hearing a sum he likes the sound of, Harry reaches out to grab the key card and data chip. The latter he sets down in front of Phantom, the former he slips into his breast pocket.

"We're on the case. How do we reach you when the job's done?"

[Lonewalker]

 

Jennifer "Bang" McCall

HP: 5 / 5 | AC: M14 / R16 | Damage Soak: 5 | Trauma Target: 7

Attack Bonus: +0 | Saves: Phys 14+ | Eva 14+ | Men 15+ | Luck 15+

Jennifer looked relieved that the negotiations were nearly done. Her anxiety was starting to uptick with the casual closeness and she eager to be moving again. Her fingers were twitchy beneath the cover of the table's edge, and she clasped them together tightly to keep them from moving to the pistol at her hip.

She stayed quiet but was ready to slide from the booth as soon as Doc shifted enough to give her space.

[Arcticus]

The Johnson looks at Harry. "Twenty-thousand nuyens on job completion." He produces a credstick from inside his jacket and waves it Harry. It's old and worn, definitely well-used.

He tucks the credstick back inside his jacket. "Extra five grand if there's any loose ends that need to be tied up."

"When the job's done," he continues, "meet me over at Daring Designs. It's a tattoo shop a couple blocks from here. I'm friends with the owner, so just say you're there to see Big D and he'll take care of you."

 

OOC

Here is the map of the warehouse. I'm also putting it into my previous post.

 

[Arcticus]

Wesley reaches out through his contacts, and it's Sovereign who refers him to Dwarf fixer named 'Monk'. Monk has a fleet of loaner vehicles available for shadowrunner teams of any caliber. Normally, these loaners come with a high rental fee—not counting 'rental insurance' fees—but Monk is willing to do this one pro bono as a favor to Sovereign—provided the van gets back in one piece. About 30 minutes after discussing the terms with Monk, a driverless GMC Bulldog comes rolling to a stop a few meters away from your location.

The drive over is uneventful, the clubbers are still getting ready for their Friday night fun and all the day-shift workers have long since been home. You see planes descending down through the dusky sky as you drive toward SEATAC and the mafia warehouse. It's a quiet and peaceful night, one of the few that Seattle gets anymore.

---

Unnamed Warehouse near SEATAC - Tacoma

It's pushing 8:30PM when you finally pull onto South 208th Street and park the van at just at the corner. Several hundred meters down on the opposite side of the street, the concrete walls of the warehouse sit lonely and quiet. The warehouse itself nestled in between 3 other warehouses with ample space between each. Apart from the occasional car passing by on 24th Ave behind you, you could believe you're the only people in the area. It could be the fact that it's nighttime and everyone has gone home for the day, but everything just feels... empty to all of you. You'd expect there to be night guards, or the night shift workers out on a smoke break, but you see none of that.

Most of the industrial road is dark, adding to the ambient stillness, only the occasional streetlight breaking up the gloam. Waiting and watching, none of you see any guards, warehouse workers, or even the odd stray dog wandering around. There are some lights on in the warehouse—as well as a few cars in the parking lot—but otherwise you see no signs of activity on the grounds.

[Aavarius]

Phantom⌥SIN://>E҉̰̰͎̆͞r҉̵҉̛̠̩̥̋ͦ̆͆͟͞͡͞͠r҉̵҉̛̠̩̥̋ͦ̆͆͟͞͡͞͠o҉̢̡̲͇̌͗̀͢͝r҉̵҉̛̠̩̥̋ͦ̆͆͟͞͡͞͠_(n̸͐̈́͟͟͝u̶͖̖͆̊̈́͡͡l̶҉̰͚͖͕̍̈́̅͗̏̇͢͜͜͝l̶҉̰͚͖͕̍̈́̅͗̏̇͢͜͜͝) ▣☐
HP: 6/6〘Damage Soak: 5/5〙Trauma: 7
╘ AC: R-15, M-13 | Saves: P-15, E-13, M-15, L-15
╘ Karma: ▣▣▣▣▣ | Strain: 0/9.75

⌥Cyberdeck://>《Access: ▣▣▣▣, Shielding: 5/5, CPU: ▣▣》_System Idle...

---

While they waited for the vehicle to arrive, Phantom was unusually quiet. Introspective was not her typical state of being, so it stood out. Usually she had no qualms saying whatever it was she was thinking, but not this time. Maybe it was the fact that they were all about to willing walk into uncertain doom? Memento mori, and all that. Didn't matter, though. Eventually, she had her fill of keeping her mouth shut and when they finally found their seats on the van she said, "I wasn't trying to give the Johnson a hard time. It all just, I don't know, struck me as...well, hinky." That was a really old-timey word she had picked up somewhere. Nobody her age had any business saying it, but consume enough black-and-white crime caper vids and it's bound to enter one's lexicon. She had done her fair share of that.

She went on. "The moment Sovereign said the Johnson wanted to conduct biz face-to-face it made me suspicious. I'm not looking to jeopardize everyone's payday, I swear. Didn't know he was going to be so, uh, you know, on edge and thin skinned."

Phantom wasn't really trying to make a big deal out of it. It was her way of apologizing to the team so that fences didn't need mending. See, she could be diplomatic, right? The universe couldn't possibly find a way to redirect her good intentions into bad karma... could it?

***

Time passed. They stood on the precipice of the South 208th property. Phantom could feel the nervous energy rising up in her. Were they about to enter a place of red and ruin? Was this just going to be a milk run? Time would tell.

She peered across the surprisingly empty space between them and the warehouse building, hoping to scope out something out of place. She also looked over to Harry, saying, "Well, do you still want to do your celeb guy thing? If we can find a blind spot in the cameras I can get into the network and take a look around. I can do an ad hoc wireless connection out to about 30 meters, but I'd rather stick to a hard line if possible."

[Cairo]

Pop Idol

Elf

Tall & Skinny

Outgoing

Face

Low-Light Vision

 

Outside Milliway's...

Harry hits it off with an apparent fan while the team waits for Wesley's ride. They do some selfies and talk enthusiastically about the fan's favorite episodes of P.I. Pinehurst. If it wasn't his normal state of being one might say Harry was putting on a show; every comment a line, every gesture a pose to an unseen camera. The arrival of the Bulldog gets the fan even more hyped but Harry acts coy about their evening's plans.

"Can't say. Could be a party somewhere."

 

In the van...

Harry takes a seat opposite from Phantom, leaning back and relaxing as much as one can in such environs, company and sitch. "Face-to-face 's the way," he comments to her, speaking from some personal experience. "You get their measure. Some understanding of why they're sending you to this particular hell of theirs," he continues, giving her a pointed look. He knows why she's sent him chasing her past. He gets it. Still, there's not a good point he can't follow up with a oneliner.

"Or so you know to welcome them when they join you in the afterlife."

The man rubs his chin under a wide, thin smile, then shakes his head, his voice low, amused. "This one just might beat us there, though. Damn. Talk about bad life choices."

 

At the warehouse...

Harry takes the scene in through the van's tinted, ballistic windows. He frowns at the vacant air about the place.

"There's no audience to fool outside. If you want to take a stroll around the place to see if any perimeter cameras have been shot dead, let's start with that. If there's no covert way in, then I can go do my thing."

He glances at the others to see if anyone's got other bright ideas.

[Neopopulas]

Ram "Rampage" Gils

HP: 10/10 | AC: M16 / R16 | Damage Soak: 6 | Trauma Target: 7

Attack Bonus: +0 | Saves: Phys 11+ | Eva 16+ | Men 15+ | Luck 15+

Ram not seem to appreciate the tight quarters on the ride over, though he said nothing. Once there he took in the situation..

His bulk means that stealth is not usually the best option, and his go-to was always direct confrontation, but he would allow the others to consider their options...

"Silent steps, we wait.
Anticipation in the air.
Predators become prey"

[Lonewalker]

 

Jennifer "Bang" McCall

HP: 5 / 5 | AC: M14 / R16 | Damage Soak: 5 | Trauma Target: 7

Attack Bonus: +0 | Saves: Phys 14+ | Eva 14+ | Men 15+ | Luck 15+

While en route...

Jennifer wasn't sure what to say to Phantom's clumsy attempt at apology. It actually took Harry's response for Jennifer to even realize that the commentary was apologetic. She personally hadn't been offended at the line of questioning by her new teammates - in fact, she preferred it when someone else did the talking. But she also felt that something probably should be said to acknowledge Phantom's attempt.

"It's prolly smart to be careful," she agreed, "but, yeah, I'm kinda used to face-to-face meets. I ain't been doin' this long, but seems to be how it works. I guess I don't really think about it. The Johnson's usually lyin' about somethin' - but if I don't take the job, how else am I gonna pay to eat?" She gave a shrug, feeling like her response was whole inadequate but not able to think of anything better.

---

At the warehouse...

Jennifer surveyed the outskirts of the building with a sharp eye. Her hand twitched slightly, as if tensed to draw her gun. She wasn't sure - but it did seem strange that there weren't any personnel at all. She wasn't sure what that might suggest - but she didn't think it meant that the job was off.

"I can get pretty close," she suggested softly, "but I dunno what I'd be lookin' for. If you tell me what to look for, I can do a run and see I see somethin' like it."

Jennifer looked at Phantom inquiringly. When she had the description of how to tell if a camera is online or not and what a terminal access point might look like, she hurried off for a fast but quiet look around the perimeter.

 

Tabletop

With a Sneak-1, Bang is pretty stealthy when she wants to be. With the Ghost Edge, she'd also get a reroll once per scene to avoid detection.

Unless someone directs her otherwise, she can do a stealth recon for blind spots or access points for Phantom.

 

Edited December 7, 2023 by Lonewalker (see edit history)

[Landid]

Wesley "Doc" Valentine

HP: 7/7 | AC: M16 / R16 | Damage Soak: 2 | Trauma Target: 7

Attack Bonus: +0 | Saves: Phys 14+ | Eva 13+ | Men 13+ | Luck 15+

Aboard the Bulldog

Phantom started rambling about what just transpired at the bar they had just left. Perhaps she was a little green behind the ears but she meant well. He was pretty new himself truth be told. Tension filled the air as the ride fell silent. "Johnson better not croak, all the risk in the world doesn't matter if we don't get paid."

At the Warehouse

"Ideally the last group disabled everything on the way in but best be safe to double check." He rustles through a bag he had with him and starts to pull out various medical supplies that hopefully would not be needed. "If things go south I have some emergency medical supplies on me. Let me know if you need any help and I'll do my best to patch you up. If I get hit?" He chuckles at the thought. "Just do your best with what I have here." Hopefully they all walked out of here alive with a little more credits than when they walked in.

 

[Arcticus]

Bang stalks up to the building with practiced steps, avoiding the areas she thinks the cameras would be monitoring. All around her a stillness lies on the night air as she approaches the wall closest to the street. There are lights on in the nearby warehouses, likely skeleton crews on the night shift, but the other warehouses are far enough away that there's little chance of a random bystander seeing everyone.

Bang presses up against the wall and slides underneath the street-side camera. The camera is mounted over the front door and seems to be a static camera, fixated only on the area in front of the main door and a little of the street. Bang is fairly certain that the camera is indeed on and working, noting the faint red LED light on the underside blinking in regular intervals.

Hugging the wall as she goes, Bang starts a circuit around the building noting everything she sees. The cameras all appear to be static, focused on only their respective areas. Everyone except maybe Ram could avoid exposing themselves cameras while entering if they press up against the walls. There are no access points outside that Bang can see. There is a trail of blood leading from the western door to a spot in the parking lot where it abruptly stops at an empty parking space and turns into a skid marks leading back to the street. On the back side building by the loading docks, Bang notices there's a maintenance ladder providing access to the roof. The doors are definitely high-grade metal and look solidly built. Beside each one, a RFID card reader sits next to it, a red and green LED light signifying access status.

Everyone can see light spilling out through the high windows that sit just beneath the roof of the warehouse on all sides. It seems like there are a few overhead lights on over the main floor. Apart from all of that, there is no noise or evidence of movement coming from inside or outside the warehouse.

[Lonewalker]

 

Jennifer "Bang" McCall

HP: 5 / 5 | AC: M14 / R16 | Damage Soak: 5 | Trauma Target: 7

Attack Bonus: +0 | Saves: Phys 14+ | Eva 14+ | Men 15+ | Luck 15+

Jennifer finally felt like she was in her element again. No more talking or making nice or fumbling over someone else's feelings - just movement and quiet and watching for something that tries to kill her. It gave her something to focus on - something that was clear cut and easy to understand. She tried not to let it distract her.

Once her perimeter was done, she made her way back to where the rest of the team was waiting. "Cameras are all fixed - they don't move. So it's pretty easy to stay outta their line of sight. I think we could probably all hug the wall tight and avoid being seen. Well, except maybe Ram - he's kinda too big to duck under the cameras." Worried that she might have offended the troll poet, Jennifer gave him a helpless shrug. "Sorry, I don't mean to suggest...um, never mind."

"Cameras all seem to be on, and there's chip entry at each of the doors. They're on too. Doors look pretty solid - I don't think brute force is the way in. There's a ladder leading up to the roof over by the loading docks - but I didn't risk going up. Other than that it seems quiet. Looks like some lights on the main floor, but I didn't hear any sign of someone moving about inside. Oh, and I found a blood trail - probably where one of the survivors from the last team escaped by car."

"Any of that useful to you?" she asked Phantom.

---

 

[Aavarius]

Phantom⌥SIN://>E҉̰̰͎̆͞r҉̵҉̛̠̩̥̋ͦ̆͆͟͞͡͞͠r҉̵҉̛̠̩̥̋ͦ̆͆͟͞͡͞͠o҉̢̡̲͇̌͗̀͢͝r҉̵҉̛̠̩̥̋ͦ̆͆͟͞͡͞͠_(n̸͐̈́͟͟͝u̶͖̖͆̊̈́͡͡l̶҉̰͚͖͕̍̈́̅͗̏̇͢͜͜͝l̶҉̰͚͖͕̍̈́̅͗̏̇͢͜͜͝) ▣☐
HP: 6/6〘Damage Soak: 5/5〙Trauma: 7
╘ AC: R-15, M-13 | Saves: P-15, E-13, M-15, L-15
╘ Karma: ▣▣▣▣▣ | Strain: 0/9.75

⌥Cyberdeck://>《Access: ▣▣▣▣, Shielding: 5/5, CPU: ▣▣》_System Idle...

---

"Y'uh-huh," Phantom answered directly. It was dark, but she was smiling. "Nice work, chickadee. If you've found the way to get close without being spotted then that's all I need to plug my deck's jackline into a camera.

"I'm sort of interested in having a look-see at the roof access, but one thing at a time, I guess. Everybody ready to get this party started?"

[Neopopulas]

Ram "Rampage" Gils

HP: 10/10 | AC: M16 / R16 | Damage Soak: 6 | Trauma Target: 7

Attack Bonus: +0 | Saves: Phys 11+ | Eva 16+ | Men 15+ | Luck 15+

"I could make my way quite easily to the roof. But it is better to do this once the cameras have been blinded.. Just let me know.."