The Vault

The Vault
Part of When You Reach Me
Date 2081-11-07 GM Si1as Location White Sulfur Springs & Huntington, WV Status Threat Level: High
Factions Involved
ShadowHaven Team Alpha	A currently unknown shadow organization.
Gh0st Rougarou Santesso Zephyr	Security Staff Head of Security Auctioneer Wait Staff
Casualties and losses
Bricked rotodrone (recovered)	Security Staff(7), Head of Security

Summary

After an extended period locked in the vault, the team finally obtains the personasofts of note, crack the vault, and make a hasty get-away.

Background

See Giving the Rougaround and The Parent Trap.

The Run

Gh0st reboots his system, and Santesso pulls his van around as close as possible, retreating with Kezmyr, Rougarou's father. As Gh0st repairs his near-bricked cyberdeck, Santesso discovers guards shuffling blank-slated trafficking victims into an unlabeled Bulldog. Unable to help them himself, he slyly adds a tracker to the truck so that the team may return to the victims as soon as possible. Santesso returns to his vehicle where he finds a personasoft labeled "Use Me"; upon insertion, Kezmyr becomes "Woodrow Rogers" for the rest of the day.

Inside the vault, Rougarou meets her mother, Miho. There's a moment of joy and hugging before they begin tearing the vault apart looking for a stash of personasofts that are rumored to be here: the originals for the blank-slated victims. Zephyr, also locked inside the vault, summons a spirit of man, a no-nonsense librarian from older times, to help with the search. The librarian turns up the chips, but--to Miho's dismay--there's no chip for Kezmyr in the pile.

On the outside, Gh0st reconnects to the host and, after some searching, finds a sub-host that controls the vault. He take control of the cameras and the doors, but thanks to Santesso's FlySpies, the team realized the exits were swarming with security team members who had traded their suits from earlier for actual armor and firepower. Santesso begins jury-rigging a drill-plus-welder device to insert a communication line into the vault to restore communications, and Gh0st attempts to communicate with the vault team via moving the cameras around to catch their attention.

Meanwhile, the vault crew looks to find an exit. While Rougarou kicks down the interior vault doors to explore meeting rooms once built to house congress, Zephyr astrally projects only to discover that the vault is protected from astral incursions by both barriers and FAB. Suddenly it occurs to Zephyr that the cameras are trying to signal them; ending his projection, he asks if the viewer can hear him. Gh0st, reading lips, shakes the camera left to right. While the team struggles to communicate and Santesso finishes his contrapion, Ghost suddenly realized there were likely PA systems built into the vault.

With communication restored, Santesso jacked into a Rotodrone, lays down an immense wall of fire on the front of the building, drawing security forces forward. Zephyr his summoned spirit of fire cast invisibility on the vault team, and they slip out, making their way to the vehicle. A security team returns fire on the rotodrones and one is bricked from return fire. Luckily, Santesso wasn't jumped into it at the time. Santesso's drones drop neurostun cannisters, and the spirit of fire hit two guard units with a massive "accident" spell. Between the suppressive fire and the fire spirit, most of the security forces were decimated.

The head of event security followed the team out, firing upon them. Rougarou sliced him with her sword, and--in combination with a few good sniper shots--the last known enemy agent was put down.

As they drove away, Miho shared her story with the team and--in the midst of her emotional speech--the team realized they were being followed by a chopper. Through evasive maneuvering, signal jamming, and a little old fashioned vehicle disguise, the team evaded their tail.

Aftermath

With a box of what the team believes to be original personalities in hand, they return to Huntington to meet back up with Gh0st. William and Miho, with Kezmyr in tow, vow to continue searching for Kezmyr's personasoft, but on the short term, will use information gathered from Santesso's tracker to try and rescue the other trafficking victims. They have vowed to contact Shadowhaven with any leads. There are still forces at large, and Team Miho is still in danger.

Rougarou departs for Seattle with her crew...but at least now she has a commlink number and can get to know her mother.

Rewards

10k Nuyen

10 Karma

2CDP

Game Quotes

Rougarou meets her mother for the first time, there's huggin and her mother is crying. Zephyr awkwardly turns to his summoned fire spirit in the background and says "so...how's the astral plane?"

Player After Action Reports (AARs)

Gh0st: Glad I could be help to Rougarou, and get him back his parents, even if one is still missing his personality. Hope I get called on again if they get any leads.

Rougarou: Felt good to see them both again, just wish both where the same, like all of those years ago...Also Ghost i'm not a guy.

Zephyr: Well the mission to recover Rougarou’s father was a success… technically as he is still missing his personality. Also being stuck in a vault in a former continuance of government bunker is not nearly as fun as it sounds.