The Strain
| The Strain | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||||||
| Factions Involved | ||||||||||
|
ShadowHaven Von Neumann | None | None | ||||||||
| Katherine Tyler | Feral Ghouls | None | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | ||||||||||
| None | A single VITAS infected cyclops. | None | ||||||||
Summary
Kate started investigating some strange thefts and drone sightings. Kate ends fighting to stop a viral outbreak of VITAS III in the OU. The journey is long and perilous, but she ultimately succeeds. The cost is great but Seattle stays safe from possible catastrophe.
The Meet
Kate is contacted by Ghaz to investigate some strange thefts and sightings of drones around Redmond. She knew Ghaz and has worked with him in the past, and he knows she is dependable. It sounded easy enough, but will turn into a massive job in the OU.
The Run
She starts investigating some of the sightings. She manages to search around social media and manages to catch a recording of a large anthro drone carrying a crate into an alley. It appeared to be some form of heavily modified Juggernaut.
Driving out there, she found the alley and it was a dead end. The only way out was a sewer grate. Putting on her gear and sealing herself up, she began taking a look down there.
Through the crusty material she managed to find a fresh-ish trail taken through by two forms. She followed, and eventually came upon a somewhat renovated machinery control station. It was poor, but the equipment was at least somewhat functional. Lacking the relevant industrial knowledge she trudged on.
Following the trail led her to a rail system under the gunk. It too seemed like it had seen use. She continued following it. She took a few minutes to investigate a maintenance area that appeared to be some sort of living quarters, but that yielded little value.
Going on she eventually ran into a very familiar section of the sewers. She recognized this before as one of the areas patrolled by Von Neumann. In fact she knew where one of his clinics was located.
Making her way there she found it and ran into some familiar drones. As she entered they stopped her. They were treating some sick children. Kate inquired as to what was wrong and their answer was startling even for Kate, who isn’t afraid of anything. VITAS III was spreading through the Underground. Von Neumann himself came to speak to her and asked if she could provide assistance. Even if he didn’t ask she would have offered to help. She heard horror stories from her parents about the VITAS outbreaks. This went beyond any kind of Shadowrun job. She would help stop this because it is the right thing to do.
Von Neumann provided her with access to his vast network of information. It will prove invaluable. He lists some sites for her to check out. Kate gets to work immediately. She chooses the more western location. Setting out is difficult due to the nature of the Underground. But Kate is one of the toughest people around and will not be deterred.
Heading out she scouted the area around the marked site a bit. It wasn’t long before she noticed an abundance of feral infected around. She realized that this could be an issue and thought how to deal with this.
Her solution was to trap them in a pit. She started running around collecting them up, and left a commlink blaring music in a deep pool as a trap. It somewhat worked. They came around, saw her, and some fell. But they seemed to notice the hazard and stopped. Kate thought about how to entice them. Meanwhile they threw acid at her, which she expertly dodged. She pulled out her rapid injector. Loaded into the last tube is a vial of her own contaminated blood. She pulled this out, and broke it at her feet. The fresh smell pushed the horde over the edge and they lurched at her, but couldn’t clear the pit. She left to investigate the VITAS site now.
Approaching the site she notices that it is a generating station that someone seems to be living in. Carefully approaching, her devices warned her of a viral contamination in the area. She was in the right place. She came to a makeshift dwelling in some equipment. It had a locked door. Easily defeating it, she opened it and came upon a terrible sight.
On the floor was a very sick cyclops. They seemed to be actively decaying but their extreme constitution was keeping them alive. Kate’s instruments confirmed VITAS contamination. The person tried to speak, but was so weak they barely could. Kate thought about trying to help this person. She had few options though. Calling Von Neumann, he stated that he could transport her to another location and make her more comfortable, but the final result would probably be her death. Kate cleaned the site after they had gone. Further evidence would confirm that this was the original epicenter. Devil Rats were the culprits here. The cyclops appeared to have been unlucky enough to try and eat one.
Aftermath
Trudging back to her base area in Von Neumann’s clinic, she reflected on the day. Tomorrow will be harder. The next day, more so. But she will see this through. She’ll have to make hard choices. But you know what they say.
The only easy day was yesterday.
Rewards
9 Karma
Halloweener Barbecue Lighter + 70 Flamethrower Ammunition
12 CDP
Ascension Rewards
Player After Action Reports (AARs)
VITAS. There are few things that truly make my blood run cold and that is one of them. I was fortunate to be born after the plagues, but my parents were in the thick of it. Mom was SAR before she was a Night Stalker. She dealt with so much, and her stories are terrifying. Even if I get nothing out of helping Von Neumann stop this, the fact that we save Seattle from a terrible fate is enough.