Route 66: Side Story, A Silent Silo

Route 66: Side Story, A Silent Silo
Part of Like mad max but more guns
Date 2082-02-22 GM Aurora Location Pappy Pitty's Playground Status Threat Level: High
Factions Involved
ShadowHaven
Pell Rhicter Babylon Sp4rks	Nightmare Spirit 3 Loupgarou
Casualties and losses
None	Total

Summary

A story where Pappy Pitty decides to hire some runners to stop that infernal howling coming from the basement's basement in his Silo.

Background

Pitty 'Grease Lightning' McShane hasn't been sleeping well, and it's all do that annoying racket coming from his Silo. He thought he had cleaned it out on the prior run he requested to clear out the Silo's basement, but all they really accomplished was unveiling yet another sealed hatch descending even further into the darkness. Pitty desperately desires a good nights sleep, and he's willing to pay some shadow runners quite well to accomplish this task.

The Meet

As the runners arrive, Pappy Pitty steps out and kindly offers his signature blend of fresh coffee, which is far from fresh but quite potent. Pell takes up the challenge, sampling the smallest of sips, but nearly vomits from the disgusting sludge roiling about in her stomach. Nonplussed, Pitty takes the cup and drains it himself, obviously enured to whatever random chemicals that have found their way into his pot. Leading the team to his Silo, Pitty explains his requirements and offers to give them a tour of the upper level of the Silo, previously cleared by another team of runners. He tells a daring tale of their exploits, fighting ghouls and an 8-foot-tall monstrosity that had holed up in his Silo. Ending the tour in an area stacked with Nuclear Reactor cores, Pitty kind of shrugs and suggests that the radiation ain't to bad if you don't get to close.

Walking them to the sealed hatch, Pitty points out the the hatch has seized, and will take some work to get it open. Rhicter asks for some tools to work with, and Pappy Pitty is quick to offer a jackhammer, which makes short work of the rust and decay. Pell and Babylon summon massive Guardian Spirits to aid them in their tasks, while Rhicter and Sp4rks work on the hatch. Strapping on headlamps, the team of adventurers bravely descend into the darkness, embraced by a miasma of terror and despair.

The Plan

Bravely enter the darkness, confront the foe, and deal with it with extreme prejudice.

The Run

Entering the dark area which is absolutely subsumed by a heavy background count, Sp4rks anthrodrone Kaizer, and the ever doughty warrior Rhicter take point, moving forward. The visibility is extremely limited, offering the enemy loup-garou all the opportunity they need to ambush poor Kaizer, nearly tearing him apart. As the party engages the three werewolves, Bablyon hears a strange call, which envelops her mind and compels her to move past the engaged creatures and enter a doorway which seems to vanish as she passes through. Not having any options, the runners continue to fight the wolves, with Rhicter blowinng apart one of the evil canines with her Ares Alpha, nimbly avoiding multiple attacks. Pell's Guardian completely obliterates an second wolf, using it's elemental attack to great affect. Finally, Babylon, Sp4rks and Kaizen take out the last werewolf, leaving the remaining team members standing in confusion at Babylon's absence.

Searching the wall that formerly held a military style hatch, the runners are stumped by the absence of any portal. Deciding that the best way to continue forward is with the generous application of laser bolts, Sp4rks directs his anthrodrone to cut them a new door, which keeps the party busy on the outside of the mysterious chamber.

Meanwhile, Babylon has entered the chamber and met the source of the call; a Nightmare Spirit, disappointed in the loss of it's former vassals, but eager to gain a new one in the form of the Black Mage. As it shifts through multiple reflections of people from Babylon's past, each in turn suffering some form of agony, it offers to make a spirit pact with the lone mage. First it offers a magic pact, to which Babylon scoffs and immediately dismisses as unworthy of her. The spirit then ups the anty, offering a drain pact, which tempts Babylon, who considers briefly the benefits of such a powerful offer. Turning to her Mentor Spirit she asks for guidance; Seducer is intrigued by the offer, but cautions Babylon about accepting such a pact with so nefarious a creature. Babylon again refuses, sending the Nightmare spirit into a fit of rage. Looming above Babylon, it uses it's powers of fear to reduce Babylon to a quivering ball, unable to stand against so powerful a compulsion.

Fortunately for Babylon, the team is on the move, finally breaching the thick wall, and entering the chamber. Rhicter immediately moves through the breach, approaching Babylon and taking command, slapping the silly mage out of her terror, and admonishing her for her weakness. As the Spirit begins to monologue once again, but the feisty street sam didn't come to talk, and quickly unloads a hail of bullets into the spirit. Pell, not to be outdone, yeets a manabolt, which forces the Nightmare to flee, grabbing up Babylon and heading for the door. Babylon's Guardian slashes the spirit, leaving a huge rent in it's spectral form. Sp4rks and his drone move quickly to intercept, blocking the egress of the spirit. Delivering the final blow, Pell's Guardian punches a hole clean through the entity, forcing it to scream and wail at Babylon, as she rages right back, promising to find it in the Astral realm and destroy it for all time.

After clearing out the former inhabitants, the team discovers another hatchway, leading deeper into the underdark of this haunted Silo. Deciding to save that adventure for another day, the team heads back to the surface to report the job is done.

Aftermath

Pappy Pitty is overjoyed that his sleepless nights are now over, and happily pays the team the promised reward for their efforts. Heading back in for a restful slumber, Pitty thanks the runners again for their efforts, and bids them a fond good night.

Rewards

• 30k Nuyen or 60k nuyen worth of vehicle/drone stuff
• 1 Karma
• 2 CDP
• Can buy Pitty at Loyalty 2 out of RVP

Game Quotes

"GM: So Rhicter, you just killed that puppy. Rhicter: C'mon, I just petted it with bullets."

Sp4rks: [After being mind assaulted by a shadow] "Well, fuck you spirit, first of all..."

Player After Action Reports (AARs)

Rhicter

"Who knew my first night out running the streets of Seattle would be a dungeon crawl? And dealing with werewolves of all things? And I don't even know what that last thing was, but it ate my bullets like they were cotton candy... If this is what I can expect running in this city, I can pretty much guarantee I will never get bored, ever again...

Babylon

Fragging nightmare. Fragging Pitty. Fragging shadow spirits. I'm starting to think these things are bad news - Jack's been a useful ally, but this damn thing tried to make me an offer I couldn't refuse, luring me into that room and tempting me with promises of power... worst part is how tempted I was, something like that extending an offer of a pact to me... still, it wasn't on tenable, and there's no way it wouldn't have bitten me in the ass. As soon as I turned it down, the thing got angry and started using it's powers on me; I hate how helpless I was, that I needed the others to save me. That thing isn't getting away with just being disrupted, I'll hunt it down to teach it a lesson, maybe even compel a deal on more favorable terms...

Pell

Welp, I certainly wasn't expecting a shadow spirit hanging out with loup-garou in a sealed bunker under a silo when I accepted this job.

Sounds of sighing. Need to catch up with Babylon about how she's doing after this, touch base; most therapists wouldn't know how to handle the drek we meet and deal with in the shadows.