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 MCT	Crystalline Entity Forces	Lingering MCT Presence
Intercession Lace Monitor Misfire Phototaxis Asura	Possessed On-Site Security Paranoid Runner Team 2 Crystalline Entities	Fletcher (FTCR) Gregory the Cyberzombie Turrets (when still functional)
Casualties and losses
Runners sustained heavy casualties. A roto drone was lost. All walked away at the very least injured. Asura is pronounced Killed in Action, lost behind an Metaplanar Rift.	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. One Entity was disrupted. The other escaped back to their metaplane through the Weft Walk	Turrets encountered were either previously rendered inert or destroyed when encountered. Gregory and Fletcher were untouched, and swiftly returned to MCT possession once the facility was restored

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.

The Plan

In an ideal world, the plan works out like this:

- Enter the building and move down to the Weftwalk at the bottom as fast as possible - Minimize risk - Gather information and advantages as possible - Quickly close off the Weftwalk

This is easier said than done, and in a scenario where information is almost null, one can only plan so much. Their strategy was to enter through the side if possible and hopefully cut through the first two floors without worry, then make contact with Fletcher and see what they could manage of their wireless devices. Once that was established, they would make for the lower floors, clearing out the floors they did reach as they traversed down to the Weftwalk. Ideally, they find survivors whom they could ask for information on the situation. Either they would have insights on the Weftwalk, or they were compromised. Anyone whom the team was not 100% certain was safe would be killed to preserve the security of the mission. And if the side entrance failed, Asura ensured the team had the means to scale up to the top entrance to get in instead.

Best laid plans...

The Run

Finding the entrance to the third floor once they hopped off the VTOL was already a pain. Hidden behind intense rituals and camouflage, if it weren't for Lace's preternatural ability to sense the actual electromagnetic signals of the sensor to the entrance they would have been stumbling blind for hours. Phototaxis summoned a spirit to help carefully uncover the sensors Lace would then have to jury rig into to grant the team access, which was an entire hour's long process, but that opened up the way to decontamination and the third floor. Lace made brief contact with Fletcher on the host inside, enraging him slightly when he saw her MCT SIN but at least got him to make concessions to not instantly vaporize her brain. She realized the team could take a few seconds inside the host at a time for devices - 3 to 6 seconds, which isn't much of a window, but in the kinds of firefights shadowrunners get into, it's enough time.

Asura, out of curiosity, peeked into the host with her persona showing her actual face and look rather than the hellhound. Fletcher's reaction and desire to keep her there forever after the fact made her jump out rather quickly after that.

The team began moving forward. First dealing with some of the automated defenses rather easily, and then breaching a room with some of the security team apparently eating lunch. Or at least, some corporate slop meal designed for pure nutrients and zero taste. They seemed sleepy, unaware and dazed, and some manner of possessed. The team did not try to slip by them however. These security force members proved to be rather difficult to fend off, but the 5 prevailed with some heavy damage but were ultimately still able to fight well.

Intercession did a quick scan of the environment with his shielded sensor suite. Movement above them. Heavy movement.

Fearing that this was the cyberzombie, the team barricaded the cafeteria and moved northwards. A single security member tried to kill Asura, and Asura swiftly eliminated him. Another mind controlled individual with some minimal control over himself was destroying documentation, fulfilling some protocols in case of emergencies like this and casting e-papers into a furnace to burn. The team incapacitated him and began pouring over them with the time they had. Reports on the cyborg operations here, readings on the Weftwalk device, mostly things they've known already. But it was good to see a bit more of the timeline for them-

The lift had a massive thud. Phototaxis sent a spirit over to investigate, and swiftly discovered what Gregory the Cyberzombie looked like. So the team entered into a very reasonable panic to get out of there as soon as possible.

Asura, Misfire, and Lacey focused on making a new hole in the wall. Intercession improvised a second barrier to the door. Phototaxis used her multiple arms and her spirit to speed up everyone's efficacy. Once they were out, they found they were in the security teams old barracks, where some were sleeping and waiting and others were keeping watch. They tried to make their way past undetected, and failed. And Gregory was right on their tails. Asura and Misfire had to fight their killing urges as they ran to the lifts, with Montrose and Phottaxis doing their best to not get flattened. Intercession and Gregory had a good, long look at each other. Intercession had seen this man before. In a beach, playing catch with a football, in a moment of pure and calm bliss, detached from this hellscape.

"Francis...?"

Gregory approached the image of his son. And his son fled, fled from those that were going to harm his sweet, innocent boy. So Gregory set about eradicating everything in his way.

The team barely escaped from the rampage behind them onto the second floor, full of servers and corpses and those who wished they were corpses instead of living in an utter horrific state. Hooked up and barely alive, they were slaves to Fletcher's desires to turn the host into his own personal kingdom, kept comatose for the most part so he could use their agents at his leisure. Some members of the team felt horrible for them. The others recognized this as the price of doing business. Regardless, they could do nothing for these people.

The central lift was blocked beyond the 3rd floor, needing a red keycard to get on by. They would need to reach the 5th to access the Weftwalk. So they either needed to find the keycard they needed, or bust through the sealed blast doors somehow. And with Gregory down below, being slow and working on that lift the old fashioned way would be rather difficult. And the 2nd floor lacked the red keycard they needed. But it did have the Cyborg Maintenance facilities in the back, along with the operating table where they made Gregory. Chambers lined the walls where they would store CCUs and some other older projects to have their memories reset, but there was nothing to be done here. Asura seemed curious about the place, but overall lacked anything to go off of.

Just before they left, Intercession saw a photograph in the corner of the room. Francis, and Gregory, standing side by side. The lookalike. The one Gregory was confusing him with. He stared at it. Stared at that precious memory that...couldn't be his, yet felt so warm. He stored it away in his files, edited to look like some innocuous mission data that they wouldn't really care to check to closely, laying it over the unnecessary to make sure he didn't lose this again. And then they went up to the first floor, Arcanotech.

The first floor of the Deathbox was likely the hardest for the team to contend with. Upon entry, Intercession picked up movement outside, and those hostiles realized there was movement near the lift. Asura tried to coordinate a directed charge to overwhelm the unknowns but unbeknownst to the team these were not the same guards they had faced previously. These were members of the original shadowrunner team MCT had sent to handle this mess. And while they were not in their right mind, they were not totally controlled as the other mindless drones of the Crystalline Complex were. No, they were made to see all that were in the facility as enemies, and hunkered down for their safety. They were fully capable of using their own tactics to counteract the team's, and undid any work with the directed march with a grenade trap and a counterpeal maneuver. It was a horrid ambush to walk into. PT was incapacitated, the other three mainline fighters were taking heavy damage, and a mage was quietly preparing to make their life hell. They had to dismantle the composition one by one, from the sniper that most threatened their frontline to the electricity thrower, and onwards until their threats were dealt with. They managed to pick up the red keycard from here, and found that the Adept of that team was still somewhat alive, and thus gleamed the conditions of the others based on the signatures on him. However, having just killed his allies, he fled to an unknown fate. The team took their time to investigate the back of the floor, finding numerous runes and the like. This was where the rituals that guarded this place were anchored - the things that kept it hidden. It was also where they found Kaiun. Sitting in a chair, exsanguinated, in the center of a very precise ritual circle. In his note was a final letter about his work to keep this place from immediately being lost.

For the glory of the company.

The team went down to the fourth floor.

Intercession once more sensed movement around the outside of the lift room. Asura attempted to stealthily exit out, only for a turret to peek out. She barely managed to destroy it and then retreat before the possessed arms that were formerly guards engaged her, but they were alerted. The team braced for combat, and with lacking strength pushed through. It was a fight rife with casualties and difficulties - the confines of the space made their heavy weapons much less useful in this space, the noise deafening in their ears. They were cramped, facing a great number of threats who were being directed by former leadership in the north. Asura recklessly charged them and cut them down, as Intercession and Misfire skillfully took care of threat after threat, marching them north and into a corner. A crystalline entity was down here, working to control their forces more directly, but it did not deem it necessary to join in the material, and besides Asura briefly checking the astral it did not participate in the slaughter. When all was said and done...there were no survivors. One was spared direct murder but...upon Asura's approach, that same fear and hostility that was used on the runner team drove chances to cooperate to nil. The mess was horrifying.

Meanwhile, Lacey noticed that during this fight, after a need to be extensively connected to her Rotodrone to hunt down threats throughout the floors, found that after this particular fight she was...linklocked. Problematic. Rather than struggle, when Fletcher arrived she did her best to parley with the mad king once more. Her drone was munged, offered as tribute to the ai, and in exchange he would not kill her. In fact, he would offer her a chance to ask a boon of him, generous king that he was! Lacey, poor pauper, asked only that she admire a fancy of hers into the imaginary world beyond the screens of his devices, that she may enjoy herself for a moment. Fletcher agreed, whimsically amused by the notion, and let her move her cage to the books and archives. There, she got a feed of the rooms in the fourth floor as well as the fifth, which she cared far more about. She saw the Weftwalk, and noticed how some of the possessed had cut open the wires and stuck their own hands inside. While normally inefficient, it seems that they were using their Bioelectricity for some...ill-advised purpose since it was powered partially by magic. She also noticed that there was a bunker of sorts where it seemed non-combatants had been holding up. Two held a turret's gun up to the door to protect themselves, and one was tending to the other who was very deeply injured. There was one more room that Lacey could not see into though.

Intercession, noting his ally was still not conscious, went into the host to investigate. Taking advantage of Fletcher happily munging away and being preoccupied, Intercession took his chance to communicate briefly with Lacey, who asked for two minutes to memorize everything before being disconnected. Intercession escaped quickly, just as Fletcher noticed, and once the two minutes were up he pulled Lacey out. The drone was devoured, sadly, or at least the pilot was. The team then moved to parley with the survivors. They were of course wary of the 5, and the gunfire outside, but Phototaxis and Lacey managed to diplomatically resolve things with them and gain entry, with a bit of help from 'Francis' making an appearance. This was strange to them, as they Knew Francis was in there with them.

As the team took their time to talk to the survivors and heal, Intercession entered the room in the back to fulfill his mission. And he saw...himself. Or at least, the same model. Emancipation, who was taking care of defective CCUs. Well, defective to the company. He only wanted to see them taken care of, and was playing "It's a Living Thing" to them through speakers, softly. Fitting. He had long since abandoned his shotgun implant in the shell. He no longer wanted to kill anymore. He wouldn't even fight Intercession. And Intercession was torn. A few months prior, he would have just done his job. But he found himself...doubtful now. He was at a loss. He did not wish to comply with his directive, but he did not want to come to harm with his fixer. So, the two deliberated quietly, and came to a plan. It was reasonable that with a bit of help from another ally (Asura, the bleeding heart of this group) and a memory distorting implant Emancipation had, along with some ok acting, they could pass a slight bit of deception by Intercession's handlers. Emancipation would be 'shocked' by Intercession's shock glove, just as he data spiked Cesso. Cesso would 'black out', with Asura assisting him out carefully. And in truth, Emancipation would have retreated to the cyberdeck he had. Once ready, he would find his way out. All he asked was that they play the music for him on the way out; it gets ever so quiet otherwise. Asura, of course, agreed, and did her best to help them.

A few minutes later, Asura was dragging an inoperable Intercession out of the room. Lacey questioned them, and Asura definitely was hiding something, but she could not exactly pin them. And, finding herself in a unique situation, did not press them. The team focused on healing, and getting information on how to deal with the weftwalk. To avoid the detonation and devastation of the nearby area, they would need to do 2 things. First, they would need to reverse the polarity of the device, essentially pointing it in on itself. Second, they would need to use a massive amount of magical energy to make it collapse in on itself. A few things could do it. Life essence, Spirits, A Very Scary Cyberzombie. Many things. Armed with knowledge, and healed to the best they could be, the team marched onward. Gregory had found his way down to the 4th floor, seemingly searching for something, but besides a spirit who was unfortunately spotted and immediately disrupted, the team managed to sneak on by and move down to the 5th floor.

They found themselves on an observation deck, above the proper device and in the corner, shielded with bullet proof glass. They took some time to prepare for combat, and bolted on down for Hell. 2 more crystalline entities intent on dealing with the interlopers personally, 6 active defenders of the device, and 3 working to accelerate its detonation. It was a deeply worrying confrontation. They were attempting mind control, pinning down the runners in a corner, and Intercession was nearly rendered inoperable by an Entity's rush for his shell. But just as he was to be destroyed, Gregory arrived.

He was going to protect Francis.

The shockwave alone was able to throw off the Crystal creature's attack and allow Intercession to escape unarmed, but the cyberzombie only saw one ally here. And furthermore, the three not actively fighting the group were working on sacrificing their own life force and slowly creeping up the instability of the device. Intercession and Asura jointly stopped one, but that would prove to be a devastating mistake for Asura; She was endangering Francis being so close. Gregory closed in on her, shattered her armor and ribs and lungs with his flurry of fists, broke her spine over his head, and tossed her into the rift, broken and bleeding. Down a member and struggling to fight the whole group back, it almost seemed lost. To empower the device, the blood mages turned to using their allies as fuel, and more successfully sacrificed them as they were unaware. However, by stroke of luck, the team was able to just barely, *barely* stop the final sacrifice as Phototaxis and Lacey worked on the device. They had disrupted one Entity, but the other was free to retreat back to his plane of origin.

Intercession kept Gregory away from the others, as Phototaxis and Lace brought the polarity under control. However, they needed power. So Phototaxis took a knife, and each of the three organics in turn cut themselves upon it and gave their blood. Phototaxis' aura will forever be stained by this.

As they all watched the broken body of their ally in the rift, the image slowly faded.

The Weftwalk had closed. There was no going back for Asura.

Aftermath

It took them another 30 or so hours to get out. Phototaxis left a signal for the team outside to know that the job was complete. The two assets were alright but, the runners were interrogated just a bit. A few hours for Misfire, and about 5 more for Phototaxis for talking smack back. At least they were able to tell the network about the loss of a friend.

Intercession managed to pass off his recordings as genuine. And Emancipation? He was gone. Destroyed, of course.

Gregory and Fletcher, of course, were retrieved and re-habilitated for further use.

Asura is pronounced Killed in Action.

Game Quotes

Amusing quote from game.

Player After Action Reports (AARs)

Asura

Status: Gebrochen.

Intercession: Mission complete. Losses were deemed acceptable.

...I failed.