It's a Living Thing

It's a Living Thing
Part of Ships In The Night
Date 2086-12-21 GM Sleevey Location PCC, North of Salt Lake City Status Threat Level: Extreme
Factions Involved
ShadowHaven	Crystalline Entity Forces	Lingering MCT Presence
Intercession Lace Monitor Misfire Phototaxis Asura	Possessed On-Site Security Paranoid Runner Team	Fletcher (FTCR) Gregory the Cyberzombie Turrets (when still functional)
Casualties and losses
	All Possessed Security were killed either by the team or the cyberzombie. All but one of the runner team were killed on contact, with one being knocked unconscious	Turrets encountered were either previously rendered inert or destroyed when encountered

Background

About 8 days ago, in a hidden MCT Blacksite in the PCC responsible for cyborg development and arcanotech defense experienced a cataclysmic incident. One of their older projects, a device for metaplanar observation known as the Weftwalk, exploded to life with a rift to the home of the Crystalline Entities, supposed Guardians of Order whom immediately assaulted the compound and either assimilated or annihilated all staff on hand who did not manage to hide behind deeply entrenched wards. The Weftwalk itself was primed to go into an apocalyptic release of energy like a magical nuke, but one of the awakened on site known as Kaiun sacrificed himself to keep the device at least stabilized for now, preventing the energy from ripping apart the entire surrounding area. The site was locked down to prevent the entities within from escaping and causing more havoc, sealing the survivors to their fate if rescue did not arrive in time. However, this was not the end of the woes for the team still alive on site. The Facility Taskmanager Commission Replicant AI (FTCR, also known as Fletcher) had taken this chaos as a chance to free itself and wreak havoc upon the isolated host architecture that was isolated from the rest of the outside world. He had link-locked some of the survivors in the server rooms and used them (or their devices and agents, really) as datamining serfs as he remade the host into his personal kingdom, where he could consume and alter the data of his creators into his own perfect design and delete the data of the Weftwalk to save his kingdom. And what's more, a cyberzombie known as Gregory that the team there had created and were programming has been destabilized and wandering the facility like a lumbering, unstoppable beast. Finally, as if there could not be more horrible news for the impending strike team's arrival, MCT had already sent another group of runners in there to try and solve the situation. Those runners have been presumed lost after a day or so of utter silence and no results. Now, in order to hide the existence of this facility and not detonate a massive magical device incredibly close to Salt Lake City, another runner team composed half of independent runners and half of their own assets within the Shadowhaven network to finish what was started.

Intercession had been in the network for months now. With...interesting field results. Finding the perfect balance of mental restraint, empathy, and lethality without destroying the mind of a cyborg is immensely difficult, and simulations had been proving...inadequate to the task. Which was deeply unfortunate, as a recent incident required the deft hand of a loyal asset who was durable, dependable, and able to kill without hesitation. Within this Deathbox, as some had taken to referring to this unfortunate facility as, was a cyborg of the same model and purpose as Intercession who has since gone rogue it seems. He has begun calling himself Emancipation, and he needs to be dealt with. This was Intercession's mission, and his alone. On the bright side, it would be a way to test how he had been coming along so far in his field testings and...fine tuning. Or it could prove he was unfit for continued service, perhaps.

It would only be clear once he took a look inside the Black Box for himself.

The Meet

The team was ferried over by VTOL to the site, hovering above as they were informed of the stakes of the matter by an HTR member who seemed deeply unbothered by the thought of the facility's inevitable implosion as his much more somber magician ally stayed beside him. On the mission's second strike team were 5 members total. Obviously, MCT was not going to entrust something so vital to complete unknowns so Lace Monitor and Intercession were there to ensure that the company's interests were met. Phototaxis and Misfire were there for the practical reason: Cash. A magical expert and summoner and a thoroughly incurious woman who does not stick her head out and gets the job done were ideal specimens for this kind of work. And finally, after her funny little mishap, Asura didn't have much of a choice.

They were informed only lightly of the dangers within. The risk of unknown spirits believed to manipulate minds, the crazed AI inside, the loss of the prior runner team, and their objective - to shut off the Weftwalk before it's too late. Oh, and that anyone who leaves the facility after entering it BEFORE it is shut off will be gunned down under assumption of being compromised. Which was lovely. The team was at least given some information on the rough layout of the interior, along with specialized chips they could use to instantly gain a mark and access to the host inside - they would be cut off from the outside world's connection, so any wireless devices would need that host for functionality...along with FTCR's permission or neglect. They were also informed of two different entrances, a top entrance into the subterranean facility and one to the side that led directly to the third floor of five. The former team had tried the topside, seemingly unable to access the side entrance. And Asura and Phototaxis were more than happy to inform the team that the spirits were likely, given the description, the Crystalline Entities. They also got their payment arranged: either 30k nuyen liquid, or 60k in weaponry, cyberware, drone/shell components, and cyberdeck components. And Lace managed to swing them 4000 extra as a bonus, considering they were not likely to survive the endeavor.

Now with a brief run down of the dangers they'd encounter, they needed to discuss strategy.

Game Quotes

Amusing quote from game.