Gospel of Dismay

Gospel of Dismay
Date 2081-04-05 GM Ghostlin Location Redmond Barrens, Seattle
Factions Involved
ShadowHaven Charon Gh0st Itztli Tobias	Major Corp Target Corp

Summary

Looking after missing children, team finds an evil cult and the kids. Most are murdered on the street, remainder are gassed in their own hideout. Surviving children are returned to their homes, cultists to Knight-Errant.

Background

Mother Komodo, a lawyer representing metahuman rights has noticed several metahuman children going missing. Having exhausted other options, she turns to hiring shadowrunners to investigate and find exactly where they are.

The Meet

Komodo meets the group in an office building. While the receptionist is at first cold and dismissive with runners that aren't dressed in some fashionable clothing, Charon's arrival convinces her to play nice with the remainder of the party. Working with a psychologist, Komodo shares all the details involved as soon as the runners agree to the job. They do so unanimously and Komodo offers information about the missing children. This kind of disappearing act might've gone on for a good while, but now she's managed to notice it at the very least. No-one faults her, since this isn't exactly her expertise. Itztli and Gh0st get to checking the information. Gh0st does a preliminary search in the Matrix based on the given info and discovers three potential locations that might be involved: a small region of the Barrens where once thriving businesses have become desolate, containing an abandoned pizza house, a hardware store and a diner.

The Plan

The place is close, so the goal is to stake out each one, sweep them one after the other until they find either culprits or children. After that, it's time to gather information and rescue whoever they can, hightailing it back once they're positive the situation is in the green.

The Run

It doesn't take long to get to the three locations since it's in the same corner of Seattle. Itztli manages not two, but three spirits to keep track of their surroundings while Charon and Tobias sneak closer to the pizza building for a closer look. Gh0st decides to jack into the Matrix from the safety of a van to scout once Tobias discovers a floor hatch indoors and an alarm system attached beneath it. Turns out his cyber arm having an X-Ray sensor inside of it is really damn useful for looking before leaping! Charon doesn't intend on triggering the alarm by barging in and so the two sneak back out. Meanwhile, given that this has already shown signs of being a potential threat, Tobias drops by his place nearby to gear up and prepare for combat. Given that he runs in through Ivy, out middle and through our connector like a speed demon it only takes fifteen minutes. Charon sets herself up in a nearby alleyway, out of sight.

While Tobias is on his way back with all of his gear, Gh0st is in the Matrix and encounters a disturbing, inky persona. Corrupted file? Data ghost? Another technomancer? It's disturbing enough that he gives him a good, long look and jacks out to calm down. Another dose of drugs, another try. This time, he's prepared and prepares a brutal data spike trap for the other presence, nailing it perfectly in a singular attack. Whoever it was, it's not going to help anyone else tonight. While he's there, Gh0st also helps the entire party by accessing their commlinks and aiding their upcoming fight. This is about when Itztli notices some peculiar astral presences and prepares accordingly.

Back into reality. The group decides to wait for whoever's downstairs to step outside into the open for easy shooting. A bunch of robed, discreet-looking individuals come out and are ambushed immediately as they step out of the building. Caught by surprise, they're sitting ducks for stilt-legged cyberfreaks like Tobi, distractive pop-ups caused by Gh0st's Matrix shenanigans and Charon's sharp teeth sinking into tender, inviting necks. Itztli isn't without her moments to shine, either, spotting a powerful spirit which she graciously liberates from its bondage and leaves the robed freaks without supernatural assistance. Incredibly powerful attacks from Tobias find their mark, aided by Gh0st's supportive actions and the targets are dispatched within a few seconds, only one being intentionally left alive to be Charon's snack. For a while, she contemplates breaking his legs and arms so he can't run away, but the possibility of his body going into shock prompts her to stash the creep into the group's car's trunk.

Sure enough, the basement of the pizza diner has the kids in it. This is when Gh0st reveals what he's learned in the Matrix. Having found more than a few interesting files, the group they just murdered were child kidnappers that branded their victims with various ritualistic symbols and sold them to megacorporations for horrific purposes. Their combined suffering would be the cost of summoning some kind of demon -- a thought none of the runners took kindly to. The hatch opened and the entire basement floor was filled with Pepper Punch; some of the runners objected to the idea of gassing a bunch of kidnapped children, but Charon and Tobias both pointed out that it's better they play it safe so they just have one rough evening, not a lifetime of torture. The plan works without a hitch and the group discovers bunch of unconscious kidnappers along with equally conkered out children.

Aftermath

The group contacts Komodo who shows up with a vehicle capable of transporting all of the victims safely. In that same vein, the unconscious kidnappers are transported right to Knight-Errant's doorstep. They're not going to be happy when they wake up. Charon took her little prize home for a satisfying, sadistic meal while passing up on the prize money. Mission successful with no casualties.

Rewards

• + 8000 nuyen
• + 9 karma
• Mother Komodo as a contact (2/2)
• Felipe Chandler as a contact (1/2)
• + 2 CDP

NOTE: Taking both contacts reduces the amount of karma gained to 4; only one will reduce karma gained to 7. Charon invoked Work For The People and gained 13 Karma instead of the other rewards.

Game Quotes

"I don't care if the kids die, but we get paid more if they survive so let's just gas them instead." --Charon

"Are we good with pepper punching the kids?" --Itztli

"Yes, we are tear gassing children, but it's more efficent in the long run." --Tobias

"Tear gassing children is more morally correct than mauling someones legs so they can't run" --Gh0st

Amusing quote from game.