A Trip to the Petting Zoo

A Trip to the Petting Zoo
Date 2082-08-12 GM Archtmag Location Tacoma Status Threat Level: High
Factions Involved
ShadowHaven Kyra Samaras	Shiawase
Sweetie Sinful Spider Six of Hearts Absolute Zero Strobe Ty Vallynn	Security Forces
Casualties and losses
	Security Forces

Summary

Runners are asked by Kyra Samaras to steal paracritters from a Shiawase lab. While they succeed, they discover dark secrets within.

Background

Kyra Samaras, through contacts and intelligence networks in her corporation, received word that a shipment of paracritters were shipped to a Shiawase biotechnology lab in Tacoma. While details were sparse, she had managed to confirm that animals were shipped in the building in cages, but were never shipped out. Assuming they were still alive, they remained within. Kyra, lacking magical animals and wanting to gain some, decided to gather together a runner team to steal them for her.

The Meet

The team was invited to a late night coffee shop and greeted with baked goods and coffee waiting for them. Kyra Samaras, cheery as ever, welcomed the team in and started discussing the job, telling them about the site and the animals she wanted. She didn't have the most complete information, just what had been passed to her, but she was reasonably sure that the animals were there. She also promised that she was only going to do ethical observation and experiments. The animals would have a nice life. After negotiating for pay and gear, the team agreed to the job

Sweetie, enamored with Kyra, continued her long term simping, trying to impress the J, bringing her churros promised in another run and hanging on her every word. Unfortunately, other members of the team noticed, and quickly tried to show her up. Sad, but still trying, she tried to pretend to be smart and sciencey. She managed to fake knowledge about insect spirits, conning her way through a academic conversation between Spider and Kyra. This didn't quite fill the emotional hole though, but as she left, Kyra said it was nice to see Sweetie again, heading out with a smile.

The Plan

The team started by doing research on the facility. A relatively unassuming single story building, it had been in operation for the last 7 years, its research focusing in biotechnology, longevity and gene treatments, as well as a multitude of other smaller projects. The animals seemed to be a new addition to the facility. While the building had shipments to it in the past, delivering unknown goods, there never was much evidence for paracritters, until now.

Heading into their host, Spider decided to look around to check out the security and to look for valuable files. First sneaking through the server, and then later very much not sneaking through the server, Spider got her hands on the animal manifest, telling them what they'd find within, the floor plan of the building, and finally the worker schedules. Having beaten up the spider, but still dodging IC, she finished her trip out by Nukeing From Orbit the manifest and the schedule. Taking their information of it away, but at the same time alerting them that people were interested in those files, she left.

Looking at the data, the team found out what paracritters lurked within. There was one spidermoose, a nest of void wasps, a hellcow, and a collection of radhounds. While dangerous animals, Spider noticed that the security had ways of securing them, mainly neuro-stun dispensers. By perhaps using those, they would only have to load them into cages and drive them out.

The Run

Deciding to try a social infiltration, the team watched the building and saw that the guards entered and left in Shiawase branded full body armor. Studying them, they all secured FBA and over a few days modified them to look like the Shiawase version. At this point, Sweetie called the director of the facility, pretending to be his superior.

Selling the con, initially, she found that the facility had remade their deleted schedule, using printed copies to avoid further tampering. Apparently a standard protocol following host intrusions like had happened, they were trying to stay vigilant for runner infiltration. Sweetie, trying to make the schedule get changed anyway, tried to apply pressure implying it had somehow been altered. While it almost worked, the evidence was stacked enough against her that the supervisor decided that something was up. As the man hung up on her, the team realized their plan might have to be altered.

Deciding to attack while they still were at least somewhat unprepared, the team assaulted the facility. The place was well staffed, but the team slowly managed to fight their way through the waves of security guards. Spider, at the beginning of the attack, placed marks on the spider and turret system, disabling both, making everyone else's job much easier.

After eventually taking down all of the security forces, the team quickly started to explore the facility before reinforcements arrived. In one wing, they found labs containing the animals as expected. The team pacified the animals mainly with neurostun, rendering them unconscious. The cages used to transport them were still in the loading bay, so they simply pushed them back in those and loaded them up.

The other wing though, held a surprise. The lab had been running for years, but they only recently brought in paracritters. What had they been doing? Well, it turns out they were performing inhumane experiments on infected people, primarily those with strain 1. Studied for insight into their immortality, regenerative abilities, and for their infinite supply of both test materials and test targets, because of regeneration, the infected are incredibly valuable test subjects. Heading inside, the team found 2 banshees and 4 vampires, held in incredibly painful and degrading captivity. Eyes deadened and spirits broken, they barely responded as the first member of the team inspected them.

The team was fairly nice towards the security forces before then, not killing any of them, and letting another show them around after they surrendered. At this point, the vibe got a bit more hostile. When angrily asked about why they were doing this, they were simply told, they're monsters. Who cares? Might as well let them do something productive for the rest of us? Someone shot the guard in the groin after this, disabling him.

Deciding to bust these infected out, they started to disable the security systems, unsealing their containers and turning off the constant UV lighting. While they had rather nasty personal restraints, mage cuffs made of silver and wood, banshee's mouth's wired shut, they decided to leave those on, for now. Spider noticed that their essence was low, and the feeding seemed... sporadic. It would be safer for the team to keep them locked down for the moment.

Calling Swerve, an infected friend of Spider, they arranged for her take the prisoners, reasoning that she, and the commune she lived at, would have at least someway to take care of them. Before leaving, Spider grabbed a copy of the data the scientists collected on the infected, as well as minor notes on the paracritters. Dropping off the vampires with Swerve, the team took the animals back to Kyra.

Aftermath

Kyra welcomed them as they brought the animals, happy with what they found. Eventually though, the team told her about the infected testing that happened as well. Horrified, Kyra clearly was not a fan of what they did. Still, her professional standards kicked back in, and she requested the copy of the data they took. While conflicted about it, she felt like she was obligated to at least try to get it. The team, not wanting to hand it over at first, worried that she would continue the testing, eventually handed it over once Kyra asked enough.

As things wound down, Sweetie tried to flirt with Kyra more. Eventually, after some awkward back and forth, misunderstandings, and the legacy of lying about bug spirits, things became more clear, as she got herself a date with Kyra.

Rewards

22,000 Nuyen - (44k in Drones/Ware, Betaware or lower.)

5 Karma

2 CDP

Optional Contact: Kyra Samaras as a 5/3

Sweetie: +1 Loyalty on Kyra

Swerve: Received 6 somewhat starved and very traumatized vampires and banshees

Also Sweetie got a date

Game Quotes

Amusing quote from game.

Player After Action Reports (AARs)

Six_of_Hearts

That guard deserved far worse... I would have shot them myself if i had gotten my gun out of the holster quicker. I do not know, maybe my judgment is a little clouded. Do sleduyushchego raza, moya lyubov'.

Ty Vallynn

Ty's first run where he was specifically shot at. Danger was a little too close for comfort, and he realized that certain spells have certain uses and not everything can be applied to every situation. And a good gun always works. But it was a learning experience, and he has since applied those lessons. Well, mostly. He tries not to stand out in the middle of a loading dock when he is surrounded anymore.