Bugs in the Bank

Bugs in the Bank
Date 2082-03-06 GM Aurora Location Downtown, Seattle Status Threat Level: High
Factions Involved
ShadowHaven FBI	Bank of America
Babylon Brumudar Relay Sp4rks Witchblade	Head of Security Head of Innovation Head of Finance Head of HR Infected soldiers
Casualties and losses
	Head of HR & several bug spirits.

Summary

The FBI contracts a group of skilled Shadowhaven Runners to investigate and tamp down a bug infestation in the downtown Seattle area. In exchange for deniability, they offer to keep the team free from law-enforcement interference and provide fair compensation, including expunging Babylon's criminal records. The team takes out a Mosquito shaman and several bug spirits, but Babylon refuses to get her records expunged, choosing not to owe the FBI any favors.

The Meet

The team arrived at a strip mall, and was met shortly thereafter by a team of agents who blind-folded the team (after much protest from Babylon). The team was brought to an FBI building Witchblade's trailing spirit would later identify as the Ache. Cassandra Withers, an FBI investigator, has discovered a likely bug spirit infiltration within the Bank of America. Because this information was obtained through divination and the FBI found itself without hard evidence, the FBI employed deniable assets off the books in order to identify and possibly eliminate any bug incursion threat.

In return, the FBI offered to expunge Babylon's criminal record, keep law enforcement out of the area, and provide a stipend to the runners or--should the run prove fatal--a next of kin.

The Plan

Utilizing the information given by the FBi, Sp4rks cross-referenced the social media presence of the bank branch's employees. Looking for gaps and remote retreats without a social media presence, three high level branch operatives were singled out as possible targets:

• The head of Finance
• The head of Security
• The head of Innovation.

The team staked out each of these employees, hacking their commlinks to listen in on their calls and utilizing cameras to discover that the head of Security -- a woman by the name of Parker Armstrong -- was not yet a bug. The head of Human Resources for the bank was the likely bug shaman, and was inviting the three department heads to dinner.

While Relay and Sp4rks tracked down information, Witchblade and Babylon attempted to conjure a free spirit with Relay's drones. Though they were aware that said drones could not actually participate in ritual summoning, they also felt confident that said robots would attempt the ritual on their own later, at least getting paint everywhere and annoying Relay.

The Run

Sp4rks intercepted a call where BoA's head of HR invited Parker Armstrong to dinner, which the team feared was cover for preparing her as a vessel for bug spirit infestation. Realizing that Armstrong could astrally perceive but was not yet a bug spirit, Witchblade prepared to contact Armstrong on the astral. With very few options that didn't end up in more bug spirits and fewer people, Relay and Babylon prepared to do something very stupid: block off a street and fight downtown.

As the team engaged the insect shaman in combat, Witchblade coaxed Armstrong into the astral to work together with the team. Relay and Babylon engage in augmented combat against the shaman, who calls several flesh form bug spirits. Through the power of friendship, but also mostly bullets and magic, the team dispatches these spirits and the shaman, fulfilling their contract to the FBI, but also creating a mess that required cleaning up.

Aftermath

True to their word, the FBI allowed the runner team to exit and covered and cleaned the scene.

Rewards

• 20,000 nuyen
• 8 karma
• 2 CDP
• OPTIONAL: Cassandra Withers at loyalty 2 (8 RVP).

Game Quotes

"There is no fraggin' way I'm putting a blindfold on." --Babylon, three minutes before she put the blindfold on.

Player After Action Reports (AARs)

Babylon

Bugs. Fragging bugs! Disgusting creatures - almost as bad as the fragging FBI. Goddamn feds, scooping us up and bringing us into the fragging ACHE just to intimidate us into doing their dirty work. The nerve, to offer to "expunge my records", as if that doesn't just turn into me working for them while they hold that drek over me - I told that woman where she could stuff her offer. Still, it wasn't as if we had much of a choice in accepting the job, and at least they were kind enough to pay us instead of leaving us holding the bag for a triple murder in the streets of Downtown Seattle. Frag this could have gone so bad, and nobody but me even seemed concerned that we were being set up either - what ever happened to good old fashioned distrust of the authorities? Still can't shake the feeling that there was something more going on here, but honestly I'm just happy to walk away from it intact.