Clinic Over Budget

Clinic Over Budget
Part of Hail to the Pumpking
Date 2082-06-28 GM Aurora Location Sophocles, Redmond Barrens, Sonohomish, and Downtown Seattle Status Threat Level: High
Factions Involved
ShadowHaven		Horizon Group
Bland Swerve Vichnozeleny Scarecrow Alfonso MacGuinness	Shop Mage Shop Shotgun Shop Assault x2 Shop Water Spirit Shop Fire Spirit	Horizon Driver x2 Horizon Security x3 Horizon Air Spirit
Casualties and losses
None	All Disabled	All Disabled

Summary

Where the incipient heroes are hired to collect radical reagents to allow a back alley clinic to create orichalcum to fund their patients needs.

Background

Sophocles has seem some pretty rough times, especially under the 'gentle' leadership of the once powerful and creepy spirit known as Pump King Jack. Now that Jack is gone, a power vacuum has taken his place, and Dr. Ezekyle Burton cannot afford the daily upkeep of his therapy clinic, and the needs of the residents are far from complete. Dr. Burton has reached out to the Haven in the hopes that someone will come to his aid, and save the clinic, at least from this first most pressing problem.

The Meet

The runners are instructed to meet the good doctor at his clinic in Sophocles, located in the Redmond Barrens only a few miles from Glow City. Once arrived, they are shown to a waiting room where shortly after they are met by Doctor Burton himself; a ghoul psychiatrist who is also bound to a wheelchair thanks to faulty cyber legs. Dr. Burton warmly greets the crew, but declines to shake Bland's proffered hand, stating that his current state is to dangerous to allow physical contact. He then explains the troubles within Sophocles, and the dire need for funding the clinic to continue his good work. He explains that he and his co-worker have a plan; namely the collection of radical reagents so that his partner can refine them and use them to create the rarest of substances; orichalcum. He offers a great deal of information as to the potential whereabouts of the required gold, copper, and cinnabar needed for the process. Gold and copper can be found in various electronic parts; if collected in sufficient quantity, it should be enough to cover their needs. Cinnabar is a more rare commodity, but fortunately there is a shipment of cinnabar vases being brought into Downtown Seattle that should easily provide what is needed. Once the agents are refined and the orichalcum created, they doctor will be able to split the value with the runners, offering them 14,000 nuyen as payment for their efforts. Realizing that this is a good cause, the team readily agrees to help the Doctor, and set off to plan their attack.

The Shop Plan

After a bit of simple searching, the team discovers that there is a second hand electronic parts shop in Sohonomish that could provide a suitable target for the gold and copper needs. Swerve does a bit of Astral scouting, and discovers numerous watcher spirits in attendance of the strip mall where the shop is located. That shop itself is usually guarded by four security personnel, one of which is almost certain to be awakened. Deciding that stealth is the best approach, the team plans a sneaky entrance. However, the team requires a vehicle to transport the stolen goods; fortunately Alfonso "Wasp" MacGuinness has a cousin with just the van for the job. After a bit of negotiating, the van is acquired, and the heist is on.

The Shop Run

Approaching in the van, Bland pulls over about 100 meters from the strip mall, allowing Vic, Scarecrow, and Wasp to stealthily approach the shop's side entrance. Pulling out his B&E tools, Scarecrow makes short work of the doors maglock, providing access to the shop's overflow area. Swerve maintains astral sight to keep an eye on the ever watchful watcher spirits, and Bland quietly whispers advice to the breaching team. Feeling a strange watery feeling pass over them, the breach team suspects that their presence has not gone unnoticed, as they move to enter the shop's common area. They are right of course, as they are swiftly met with the entrenched security team, just waiting for the opportunity to open fire. Moving like the wind, (thanks to the channeled air spirit within) Scarecrow quickly deals a thunderous blow to the shotgun security guard, dropping him into unconsciousness. Not to be ignored, the Shop Mage takes his own swing at Scarecrow, narrowly missing; it seems that he to is channeling a formidable spirit, and looking for payback for his fallen colleague. Another shop security guard steps out from a backroom, and immediately starts laying down suppressing fire, pinning the breach team in place. Wasp bravely tries to move to take him out, but is only rewarded with several bullets slamming into him from the suppressive fire. Vic, under a cloak of RPC with silent bullets, calmly knee caps the suppressor, dropping him to the ground in agony. Bland whispers solid tactical advice to the team through the DNI link, while Swerve notices a fire spirit appear in the astral outside the strip mall, obviously responding to some sort of alarm. The fire fight continues inside, with Scarecrow and the Mage trading blows and Energy Aura's, much to the dismay of Scarecrow. The team finally rallies, putting down the remaining Security with a strong mixture of Scarecrow's punches, Wasp's ability to absorb bullets, and Vic's uncanny accuracy as she puts bullet after bullet into the other assault security's kneecap, and both of the security mage's eyes. The fire spirit is made short work of, and the team quickly ransacks the building, stealing everything that is not nailed in place.

The Cargo Plan

Now that the first half of the job is over, the team rests for a day and concocts a plan to hit the cargo shipment coming in later the following evening. Bland plots an area of highway that runs through a C level security district; perfect for their needs, with a convenient place for an ambush. Swerve decides that she can summon a water spirit to engulf the driver of the vehicle, disabling him and forcing the vehicle off the road. In the meantime, Vic will be hovering 1500 meters above the ambush site in her personal zeppelin, providing the truest form of over watch ever known. The remainder of the team will be nearby to deal with any escort security, once the vehicle is disabled. Once the vehicle and security forces are fully disabled, the vases can be loaded into the van and the mission complete.

The Cargo Run

Swerve heads out on the astral to try and spot the approaching cargo van loaded with the cinnabar vases. She finds it, but also finds a spirit in attendance, providing it's own form of over watch by riding on the roof of the van. Returning to her body, Swerve alerts the team of the vehicles approach. Drugs are used, spirits are channeled and summoned, as the team lies in wait for the approaching convoy. Swerve commands her water spirit to engulf the driver of the van, and it moves to comply. Unfortunately the escort spirit attempts to stop the well meaning water spirit, but to no avail, as the water spirit easily avoids all of it attacks, while simultaneously engulfing not one, but two individuals within the van. The escort spirit tries gamely to control the vehicle itself but fails. The van crashes into the median, and the ambush is on.

The security escort pulls up and steps out, ready to engage. Scarecrow is far more ready however, and while dodging the oncoming traffic moves up and punches the first guard with a magic infused fist, dropping him instantly. Bland, not to be excluded when Horizon is involved steps up, takes aim, and fire his massively modded Cavalier Champion, which easily drops another with it's hand-loaded gel round. Wasp leaps across the distance, dancing past speeding cars to take a swing at the third and final guard, but misses. Swerve, not to be out done, locks eyes with the final guard and freezes him in place with a whisper of magic. Vic takes her shot from far above, dropping the final guard with yet another perfectly placed called shot. Dragging the unconscious guards out of the center of the highway, the team quickly unloads the shattered vases into their vehicle. Bland pulls the vehicle away, and after a circuitous route manages to arrive safely in Sophocles outside the clinic.

Aftermath

After 28 days of alchemical shenanigans, the orichalcum is finally produced and sold. The team gets their cut, and the thanks as well as admiration of the good doctor.

Rewards

14k Nuyen (7 RVP)

16 Electronic Parts (1 RVP)

Ezekyle Burton (Connection 2) at Loyalty 3 (4 RVP)

4 Karma (4 RVP)

2 CDP

Swerve: +1 PA as Horizon figured out you stole gold, copper, and cinnabar after your aura was assensed at two jobs against them in such a short timespan.

Game Quotes

Vic: "I want to shoot him gently, in the sternum."

Player After Action Reports (AARs)

Bland

"It feels good to do good for the local community; it feels better to be paid for it as well. I really hope thing work out for Dr. Burton and his Clinic, those people could really use the help. The team this time was especially effective, and I am proud to have met and worked with them all. I do hope to one day work for them again. But, you can never really tell what's going to happen in these shadows of ours."

Wasp

"I'm glad to help out the local community, especially those who need help with mental illnesses. It all turned out pretty well, we got paid, and I found out from one of my teammates on the run that apparently, shooting a person in the kneecaps is good for more than just the intimidation they do it for in the trids."

Vichnozeleny

Do not worry, Wasp, it is the next best thing to disabling a target. If you do not possess incapacitating substances to knock someone out, a knee shot is sufficient enough. These targets were not an immediate danger to everybody, so disabling felt apt.

Swerve

The J was an interesting guy. Sophocles is kind of a mess, but he's doing good things here. Helping out was nice. I'm always happy to help another infected.