Raging Bull

Raging Bull
Part of It's Always Wednesday in Seattle
Date 2082-06-04 GM Sarcarian Location Bellevue, Seattle Metroplex Status Threat Level: Prime
Factions Involved
ShadowHaven The Man	The King of Beef	Bounty Hunters
Relay Skimmer Spider Vichnozeleny Zenith The Incredible Behemoth Koschei Meatshield Trample	King Beef	Cyberadepts
Casualties and losses
	King Beef	Cyberadepts x2
8 points of edge were burned between all runners.

Summary

In which King Beef goes mad from K-10 and has to be put down - much chaos, violence, and wanton destruction of property ensue.

Background

After the events of All I Want for Christmas is K-10, King Beef became addicted to K-10 - in the 5 months since he spiraled into a severe dependency mitigated only slightly by his use of dopadrine to control the negative effects of the drug, and during his final shadowrun his luck finally ran out. Now on a berserk rampage through the Redmond barrens, the mighty minotaur mysad has become a danger to everyone around him (well, moreso than he already was anyway). Endowed with regeneration by a great form plant spirit, King Beef presents a seemingly-unstoppable threat, quickly dispatching all attempts to take him down, and his reign of destruction is captured by various news sources including Horizon News Network (represented by Charli Relford), KSAF (represented by Carly Reeves), and ShadeTruth Media (represented by News Van Dan).

The situation quickly captures the attention of much of ShadowHaven, and while one group of runners take it upon themselves to deal with the matter, another are put together by King Beef's fixer, The Man, who wants the Champ put down with some dignity but, more importantly, doesn't want his body to be taken by the authorities, lest it be tested for drugs and taint his memory (again, moreso than the current situation already is anyway). Meanwhile, a pair of cyber-adept bounty hunters, the only two to ever put KB down (see: An Arms Race) have heard the news and quickly make their way to the scene, hoping to score the kill for themselves.

The Meet

While watching the news coverage of the situation, Relay, Skimmer, and Vichnozeleny (all of whom have worked with the King before), as well as Spider and Zenith (who come highly recommended for their skillset) are contacted by The Man over the Matrix, who gives them the details and offers them 50,000 nuyen each to put King Beef down and keep his body out of the hands of the authorities; the runners agree to the terms, and quickly convene at Relay's waterfront safehouse/batcave to begin planning.

Meanwhile, Trample, fed up with the lack of prompt response to the matter and all the innocent people dying, convenes a meeting of likeminded runners via the ShadowHaven chatroom, who meet and develop a plan of their own to deal with the raging bull destroying the barrens (and heading on a direct course for the Bellevue-Redmond boarder). Gathering together Behemoth, Koschei, and Meatshield, the runners gather together in Trample's roadmaster and begin planning en-route to the confrontation.

The Planing

The A Team (Relay, Skimmer, Vic, Spider and Zenith) converge Downtown to begin their planning - considering the heavy police presence and intense media coverage, their options are limited. Putting their heads together, they determine that approaching disguised as DocWagon first responders is their best option. While Relay and Spider hit up the Matrix to find a used ambulance, Zenith slips outside to the docks to contact Wusan and request a favor from him - to create a vast storm and send it in the direction of KB's rampage in order to provide the team with a bit of cover and help to keep the camera drones away from them. Wusan asks for 500 drams of reagents for this service, as well as a payment in karma at a later date, to which Zenith agrees, and the resulting storm is a category 4. Heading out to acquire the reagents and their ambulance (as well as accompanying tags and patches for their armor, purchased from a team of runners who just used it for a job), the runners begin to execute their plan.

Meanwhile, Team #1 (Trample, Behemoth, Koschei, and Meatshield) take a more direct approach - Trample contacts N-51 for the use of their helicopter and Lt.Cmdr Yennefer Kerrigan who, in exchange for the promise of future favors, is able to obtain military codes which get both the roadmaster and the helicopter past security cordons. Speeding through Redmond directly towards KB's path, they confront the minotaur on the highway just as he reaches the outskirts of Touristville.

The Run

The fighting begins with Trample slamming her roadmaster at full speed into the rampaging King Beef, who responds by counter-striking the armored car and utterly flattening it - even as he's thrown 50ft into the side of a building. The impact nearly kills both KB and Trample, however the latter doesn't have the benefit of regeneration and is left nearly comatose between the crash and the dumpshock. Exiting the vehicle as KB knits himself back together, Behemoth and Meatshield attempt to engage the champ in a mano-a-mano bout - the mighty mysad proves too tough to take down, enduring several of Behemoth's powerful punches even as Meatshield attempts to draw fire and talk him down. The K-10 rage is too strong however, to the point where KB generates his own palpable BGC, and even Koeschi's alchemical preps (fired from the N-51 helicopter) seem to have little effect. Just as KB is about to turn his attention to the wounded Trample and the vulnerable-to-jetpack-punches helicopter, Behemoth hits him with a nauseate punch before she and Meatshield call for an evac - the helicoptor winches up the nearly-destroyed roadmaster plus Trample and they beat a quick retreat.

KB quickly recovers and goes to follow when a flyer blows into his face - it is for the Seattle Superheavyweight Boxing Championship bout, to be held at a venue in Bellevue. This triggers something in the mad minotaur's mind, and soon his only desire is to possess the belt which he believes to be rightfully his. Speeding away from the scene of the confrontation, he runs at full speed towards the Bellevue-Redmond boarder, proceeding to smash right through the wall separating the two districts.

Meanwhile, the A Team watches all of this unfold on the news and puts their plan into action. As Wusan's storm gathers and heads in KB's direction, they suit up in their newly-DW branded gear and head out - Relay and Spider in the ambulance, with the former also piloting the roadmaster containing Skimmer, Vic and Zenith. With Spider covering them on the matrix using forged credentials, they are able to get past the security perimeter. While the ambulance follows a few blocks behind, the roadmaster speeds to confront KB as he rampages through a AAA zone, defying all attempts by law enforcement to put him down - the first responders are reduced to providing damage control and evacuating civilians in his path, all while everything is captured live on the news.

With the ambulance containing the squishier members of the team parked a safe(?) distance away, the second roadmster moves to engage. Relay, having seen the results of such an attempt already, wisely forgoes preparing for ramming speed, instead deploying his vehicle-mounted sniper rifle while Skimmer and Zenith take aim through the gun ports with their assault rifles and Vic, mounted on top of the armored car with magnetic boots, prepares her gauss rifle. As the stormclouds gather overhead and the torrential rain and wind begin, they unload on KB with everything they've got - KB engages his jetpack to charge them, but a sharp shot from Zenith clips the fuel line and causes it to explode dramatically. Continuing to unload on him, the Champ takes it like, well, a champ, while dishing out as much punishment as he's capable of, but already weakened as he is from his earlier encounters with both law enforcement and Team #1 he quickly goes down to the ensuing reign of bullets.

Unfortunately fate has other plans, and it's at this point that KB's Great Form Plant Spirit materializes as an enormous blood-covered globe floating in the sky; this combined with the enormous storm and the rampaging demigod is enough to convince some bystanders that the apocalypse has arrived as the skies darken and the rain turns to blood. The powerful spirit, infused with the raw might of the God of War himself, bestows it's final greatest gift upon the King - Enhanced Regeneration. With this new power, KB quickly puts himself back together right before the team's eyes, having transcended mortality entirely and become the pure incarnation of violence.

Now in full-on panic mode, the team scramble to do something about what's suddenly become a much bigger problem - while Skimmer and Zenith (who have exited the vehicle at this point) do their best to avoid being pummeled into a fine red mist while throwing as many bullets as possible into KB's rapidly-regenerating face, Relay and Vic take aim at the blood moon and disrupt it with a combination of sniper and gauss rifle fire, ending the rain of blood and causing the regeneration to fade. KB is quickly crippled by a gauss rifle shell to the thigh, and Relay is the one to take the final shot, putting a trio of ADPS rounds right between the raging bull's eyes. The red haze finally lifts as death looms over KB's shoulder, and the Champ is able to unclasp is belt and utter a few parting words to the runners before the light leaves his eyes and he passes on to the Well of Souls, and whatever final fate awaits him on the Other Side.

The team is now faced with the difficult prospect of exfiltrating with the body with the news cameras (which are attempting to cover the scene throughout the storm) surrounding them and every cop within a 3-mile radius closing in on their position. Zenith employs his mystic aptitude, and his magically-enhanced strength is enough to load KB's body into the roadmaster with Skimmer and Vic's assistance, telling Relay to speed off with them while he handles things here - Relay does just that, speeding east and subsequently flipping the (submersible-modified) roadmaster into Lake Sammamish (where Skimmer employs his watercraft experience to pilot it to the lakebed, staying there for several hours before emerging into Redmond) to get away from pursuit.

Back in the ambulance, Relay's meat body and Spider beat a quick retreat, however the decker notices something odd - a pair of silent-running Matrix icons closing in on their position. As the ambulance flees the scene, Relay just manages to avoid having it's engine block shot out by an incoming Barret round and Spider identifies the culprit - a cyber-adept with a sniper rifle, who's partner is lining up their second shot. Snapping into action, she Goes Big or Goes Home a trio of marks onto their personas and launches the most brutal forked data spike of her career, popping their brains like grapes and allowing them to get away clean.

Zenith meanwhile, left behind at the scene and posing as DocWagon, is confronted by the KE commander who demands to know what's going on - in a very bold and foolish move, he proceeds to sell a massive line of bullshit (backed up by hastily-forged documents from Amrei Veidt, whom he promises an unqualified favor to in exchange for her aid), telling the authorities that the entire thing is one big distraction for a shadowrun in progress on Horizon HQ. Backed up by mounds of "evidence", forged orders and spoofed footage, the lie is enough to provide a window of escape as the HNN cameras quickly speed back to base, followed shortly thereafter by the others, and just enough confusion is created in the ranks of law enforcement to allow Zenith to slip away to a nearby landing pad where an S-K air-taxi is waiting for him, flying off into the distance as the storm begins to abate.

Aftermath

Reconvening in the aftermath, the runners take stock of the fallout - between KB's rampage and the enormous storm there are tens of millions of nuyen worth of property damage, as well as an official death toll in the hundreds (though when all the SINless are taken into account that number is closer to four figures). The news coverage is intense, with speculation running rampant as to the cause of the rampage and the identity of the mysterious vigilantes responsible for ending it. When the news breaks that KB was a runner, District Attorney Mark Donaghy has an absolute field day, condemning the criminal community for harboring a violent and dangerous element in their midst for so long and allowing him to reach this point - donations to the Light the Shadows campaign spike by 20% in the following weeks.

For now though the team can celebrate their victory and hold their wake for the King. Taking his body (with the belt still on it), they load into Vic's airship and head out over the Sound at sunset; after a solemn eulogy where Skimmer gives the departed their last rites and Zenith offers a few words his mother taught him to memorialize fallen runners, they push the body out of the blimp and set it ablaze with KB's remaining jetpack fuel, which burns away before falling into the ocean and sinking beneath the waves.

Meanwhile, on a farm in Snohomish, the heir to the throne resolves to become the strongest and take up the mantle.

Rewards

• 50k nuyen
• 30 karma
• 20 CDP
• 1 Street Cred
• 1 Public Awareness
• +10 Streets of Seattle rep

May purchase one of the following at Chargen price:

• Battle Hardened 3
• Candle in the Darkness (if you have a Code of Honor, or are willing to take one)
• Daredevil
• Guts
• Indomitable (any limit)
• Lucky
• Rabble Rouser

Game Quotes

King Beef: "TAKE... MY BELT. IT BELONGS... TO THE STRONGEST..." -The Champ's dying words

Player After Action Reports (AARs)

Koschei

Guys, don't do K-10. Don't want to bury another brother of the Haven.

Koschei's Memorial

The stories I heard about the king were all from right outside the ring. You see, a lot of my chummers fought in those circles, and they told me about this big ass minotaur that just couldn't be taken down. And judging by the size of the fractures he left in my comrades, he was strong too He fought valiantly to the bitter end, like a true man. His mind may have been fogged, but his spirit, that one has never left. That remained and fought. A spirit of pure violence and determination. The World has a way to smile on the bold, and the King was one of the boldest, may your afterlife, whatever form it takes, be a worthy enough ring for the champion. Hail to the King, and may his reign be eternal

Relay

It was incredibly surreal watching the new blood hunt down our friend, knowing that we were preparing to do the same. They fought admirably, but the drug-induced rage was nearly unquenchable. They punched holes in his armor, though, and provided avenue for us to bring him down more quietly, extracting him to lay him to rest in our own way.

Maybe that's the best any of us can hope for. Frag. I wonder if the experience is going to change the new folks, especially Trample. Experience comes at you fast; it's a hell of a thing.

Relay's Memorial

My first time flying a chopper and my first time meeting KB were one and the same. My body doesn’t always do what I want it to, but my piloting skills were honed on FlySpies and RotoDrones. When the time came and the boat had been cleared, KB flew me over on the jetpack whose very fuel we used to return him to the earth.

As we made our exit in the craft that he commandeered with another Ork from the old guard, the largest spirit I’ve seen--even to this day--rose from the waters to punish our hubris. I’d have died there. Several of us would have never, ever lived this long…but the king did what can only be described as--and please excuse my language--king shit. He stood from his seat, walked to the door of the chopper, and jumped out, miles above the ocean where nobody could find the body. He activated his jetpack, threw himself into the spirit and--in a single punch--destroyed the extraplanar demigod. Afterwards he fell, almost cut in half by the spirit’s energy. We scooped him up before he hit the water.

Every day I’ve drawn breath since then has been because of this man.

None of us do what we do because things went right. Whether you’re treated as inhuman, whether you’re struggling to survive, or whether you’re struggling to find meaning, the shadows are no place for the well adjusted. So, some of you may remember him for boxing. Others for his particular...habits...that eventually took him from us. I’ll remember him as a goddamn hero, and the only reason I’m still here.

Long live the King.

Zenith

I never worked with KB in the months I've been on the Haven, but runners I respect knew him and liked him, so he was probably not the worst guy around. Even on K-10 rage it's hard not to admire someone who can do what the Champ did. Even still, I don't like unknown factors, and that second team going hard at him was a massive pain. At least none of them died, at least that means we don't have another runner to pull out of the fire.

We cleared the body out and cleaned up the scene, and even managed to get away mostly clean, though I now have a debt that I'm going to have to repay, and I ain't looking forward to that drek. Might as well leave with the words I said at the wake. I ain't great at public speaking, but this is how we used to do it back on the streets.

Zenith's Memorial

We ain't big on ceremony in the shadows, and everybody's got their own drek, but if you're so inclined, and if you got the time, think about something: When you bite it, and you will doing this job, the only people who are gonna remember you are the ones you ran with. Maybe not by name, maybe only by rep or some comment you made on a place like this, but you're remembered. We're here on the Haven because we beat the odds way more than we should, and that's at least deserving of some begrudging respect. So pour one out, drink one down or light a candle somewhere in the shadows. Whatever you got, just remember. And someday, someone else'll remember you too.

Have a good night KB. We'll see ya soon.

Skimmer

Lord, may you consider the sins of our departed friend known only as King Beef; may you find forgiveness in your heart, and a place in your kingdom for a true warrior. Let not his misdeeds be all that he is remembered for, but the great sacrifices he made on behalf of the people. In Your name we pray, Amen.

A Prayer for Heroes

Father, we thank You for those who paid the ultimate price in laying down their lives to defend our freedoms. Many of us don't know even one of these faithful warriors by name and yet their sacrifice has freed us from the takeover of our enemies. There are also those who do not know the Person of Jesus who laid down His life to free us from the takeover of our archenemy, the devil. The vast majority give little to no thought of the immense burden Jesus bore as He took our sins upon Himself that we might receive forgiveness. We than you, Father, for Jesus who is the Hero of Heroes in that He gave His all that we might receive your all; forgiveness for our sins and eternal life in Heaven. We thank You for Your undeserved love and mercy. Amen.

Vichnozeleny

I have seen many succumb to madness before. Few have matched this level of endurance and violence. It was like fighting the greatest of mutants all over again, but with far more magic involved. I cannot say for certain if I could have achieved this alone in any way, but I am fortunate that I was able to hunt with comrades again. This man was strong prey to hunt, and he endured much. Surprisingly, for once my weapon was not the most noticeable thing. I could get used to that.

The Incredible Behemoth

That man... wow he was strong. Even if it was the K-10, he took several of my punches and didn't go down. I'm... impressed. I'm glad the other team was able to stop him. I am sad that so much death happened as well. Today was not a good day.

Spider

I'm glad that the death toll was as limited as it was, despite me adding directly to it with those two technomancers. Unfortunately, it was them or my team, and... in that case I'm always going to choose for me and my team to live.