Unlocking the Gene

Unlocking the Gene
Date 2081-08-25 GM MadMan Location Downtown Status Threat Level: Medium
Factions Involved
ShadowHaven Mitsuhama Computer Technologies	Evo
Blume Eric Payne Boombox Uber Daemon	Character1 Character2

Summary

Runners are hired to retrieve data and a "tissue sample" and destroy data stores and remaining samples. They get a 170kg surprise when they discover what the tissue samples are.

Background

Matsuda Shiho is a magical researcher at MCT. Her research involves understanding the genes that can help predict of one will awaken. Of her two children, she is immensely proud that one has awoken (and is a mystic adept, no less!). The other, however, emerged, and this has left her perplexed. She sent them to a boarding school in an attempt to hide their nature from MCT shortly after emerging, and has started delving into the connection between emerging and awakening with previously unseen gusto. Her superiors approve of this attitude, and so when word came back about a possible report that Evo was working on creating emergent tissue from awakened, she knew she had to get her hands on it, and they wholeheartedly supported it. She was given funds to hire a team. While this is her priority, still, she hopes to save enough money to purchase a cranial shield from a clinic to protect her son from ever being abused by MCT.

The Meet

The runners receive a message from their fixers to meet at hasLocation:Wardog's Taproom where they are to order a 'Fearless Redneck'. This is, of course, a keyword that says they're here for the meet. Daemon travels via train from SF and is picked up by Uber, who is also transporting Blume, and Boombox arrives in his own transportation.

The team orders together and the ork bartender directs them into the back room, where Daemon feels the effects of the faraday cage and Blune feels the effects of the astral barrier.

The Johnson, a middle aged Japanese woman, explains the basics: they will be hitting a megacorporate linked site, but not the corp themselves, and she needs the data and tissue samples, and the data stores destroyed.

After some subtle negotiation by Blume and Daemon, the price is finalized at 12,000. They part and begin planning.

The Plan

The runners use Moth's house on Bell-Red as a planning spot. While Boombox mixes up some drugs, Daemon and Uber tackle the matrix work, with a little magical assistance from Blune. After a couple hours, they dig up that there are numerous animal protests who believe animals are being experimented on, and that several different feeds are being delivered. Daemon recognizes that some of the supplies are good for the maintenance and health of an emerged critter, specifically a bastet, but doesn't know why, since this facility claims it is making "more awakened-friendly bioware."

A host dive follows, and they bring up the security plans and a blueprint, which allows them to plan an easy entrance/egress route. Uber recognizes a pen which may house animals just outside their planned entrance. Blume assures them the use of a spirit can be used to calm them and cause them to sleep (Beast spirits are awesome). Daemon will then get jnto the wired security system via datatap placed by Boombox and Uber, and the sneaky pair will deal with locks that pop up.

The Run

Blume sets about summoning the needed spirit, then casting several buff spells which moves the party from good at their jobs to amazing at their jobs. The spirit does its part of making sure the hellhounds sleep and then uses concealment on the party.

With the datatap in place, Daemon gets into the security system. First GI/GO on the silent alarm so that instead of alerting anyone, it turns on lights in a random room. He then proceeds to loop cameras so that the sneaky pair, which already was almost impossible to see, does not have a chance to be seen.

Boombox and Uber sneak down to the first basement where the tissue samples are, spotting a trip beam which Daemon disables. They enter a cold storage area and retrieve some vials with the correct label, but these appear to be hormone infusions for the project, not tissue samples. So, they check the next room and discover a rather large surprise: the tissue sample is a live, pregnant hellhound. They rack their brains, but can't figure out how to go about it yet, so move to do the next part: get the data, destroy the stores. They get there with no issues, and even manage to fool the motion sensor that they almost did not realize was there.

The onsite spider checks in with the offline host every few minutes, but as Uber plugs in, he and Daemon make short work of the offline host and retrieve the file. Unfortunately, the host knows that there should be no silently running devices, so even without spotting, the host starts on alert, although it has no targets to deal with. The important part is that next time the spider logs in to check, he will likely be alerted to an intrusion.

They know they're on a time limit now, so hurry back to the hellhound, where Uber attempts to coax her to come with them, using the retrieved hormones as a kind of pheremone. They help, as he tries a second time, and she waddles slowly after the pair. They manage to sneak her while the guards are not looking, and get her out. Smart corrosives detonate, destroying the cold storage hormones and the offline host. The building is alerted less than a minute after they leave, but too late for anyone to stop the runners.

Aftermath

Shiho is surprised by the “sample.” She pays nonetheless. She does manage to purchase a betaware crainial shield and bribe doctors to keep quiet for her son and bring him back from the boarding school. The puppies are born mundane and are all given to good homes. She keeps the hellhound mother and she lives a long happy life as a housepup.

Rewards

14,000 nuyen

3 Karma

Achievement unlocked: Successful Negotiation

  +up to 1,000 Nuyen

Achievement Unlocked: We’re Not Murder Hobos (no deaths)

  +1 Karma

Achievement Unlocked: Ultimate Professionals (no one harmed)

  +1 Karma

Player After Action Reports (AARs)

Blume

I very happy we did this well, very quiet, no one died, and everyone happy. Yay! And I was very useful to team.