Silicon Spider
| Silicon Spider | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Crouching Dragon, Hidden Tiger | |||||||
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| Factions Involved | |||||||
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Quickdraw Mirage Frag Face Slayer Prayer |
REDACTED Renraku Corpsec MCT Renraku chopper | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Frag Face got a headache | |||||||
Summary
Meta Plot summation:
Weeks ago Jiang Mao, daughter of Julian Mao (CEO of Silicon Technologies 'a Renraku Subsidiary') attempted to defect to KRIME corp after discovering her fathers experiments into Technomancy, Dissonance and Resonance creatures and factions and experimental nanites.
Data gleaned on this run and made public on ShadowHaven Host detail the scope of these experiments:
Take Viruakinetics exposed to the impact zone of DEUS destruction.
Expose them to various nano technology
attempt to create living shells to be inhabited by Resonance creatures
She discovered herself to be a technomancer and tried to hide it, only realising recently that her father knew and in fact had a hand in her genetic modification to follow in DEUS research into Otaku.
She organised with Alexander Volkov of KRIME to escape, not knowing that she had been infected with nanites by her father.
Jiang is a 'Hacker' for her fathers corp, a pilot for the up and coming KRIME SPREE Urban Brawl team, and an activist for Virtuakinetics working with The Red Children
the technomancer group notice her absence and pay runners to help them locate her. but only succeed in finding Volkovs data courier who was the go between to organise her defection.
Meanwhile MCT had taken an offer to RENRAKU to aggressively procure Silicon Technologies and take the research project..
An MCT patrol attacked the smugglers to try and capture Jiang
Adapting (via the connection to the dissonance well in the ACHE) 'something' ((REDACTED)) took her form and killed the smuggler crew near Bainbridge island, before escaping inland.
The remote location and noise in this area offering some respite for Jiang as she wrestled with control of her own form before the events in :
in competition with Volkov Francis Frankson of Krime began investigations into his colleagues affairs for his own gain,
Offering jobs to Shadow runners to intercept the data that Volkov wanted
The runners succeed but on getting close to the truth Frankson backs off leaving Volkov to this quandry alone. this is far too hot for his hands.
The runners post more info to ShadowHaven Host on the path the KRIME RUNNER (Smuggler boat) took Jiang to Bainbridge.
Volkov hires a team to locate his missing boat and Jiang Mao without giving away any information to her present state.
The team accomplish their goal in taking Jiang alive back to the mainland, upon contact with a stronger matrix signal the possessing force regains control briefly before the Johnson has her extradited.
Leading us to now :
The Meet
Pier 69 on the edge of the Puget Sound, beneath the shadow of the ACHE, KRIME boss Mister Johnson offers to pay extremely well if the team can destroy Julian Mao, Silicon Technology and their experiments.
this is now personal though Volkov keeps a cool demeanour at the meet, he gives the runners access to an armoury and 48 hours to accomplish the goal.
The Plan
The most complicating factor the team find after approximately 6 hours of legworking is the location of the ST Laboratories - they are on the 220th floor of the ACHE.
They devise several methods of entry
Julian Mao is at his Bellevue home for 24 hours entertaining corporate guests, his personal VTOL is there and access to the ACHE via helipad
A full frontal assault on the ACHE facility would face significant HTR opposition
Social engineering entry via a compromised employee (Security Guard that helped Jiang flee the facility)
The Run
Opting eventually for the latter idea the team move into the lower ACHE shopping malls and use standard means of bypassing the UCAS host security to get access to floor 200 (still habitation, nothing linked to Renraku here)
Bursting into the guards quarters they find him alone and easily convince him that he has no option but to assist the team and will then be left free to escape and pay for his own sins.
He leads them to the security outpost and pose as a surprise corporate inspection of the facilities but draw attention by not adhering to the security protocols that they are here to 'inspect'
Mirage steps out of Frag Face way and the errant guard is introduced head first to the nearest wall.. a new door is made (one of many to follow) just as a security turret drops into position and begins to wind up the assault cannon shot.
Prayer conjures a physical barrier and FF launches himself at the spitting barrels, ripping it from the ceiling panels like a basketball player dunking.
With the Faraday cage surrounding the facility now in tatters along with the magical wards and barriers, back in the guards quarters Quickdraw begins his descent into the Silicon Technologies Host, via the new but weak wireless signal to the throwback systems.
He looks around, the host resembles a hospital ward, double doors at either end and curtains around the bed cubicles, wandering the halls a Red Samurai (Black IC) wanders with sword drawn, barely even looking before attacking empty air in front of it .. it does not notice QD as he moves swiftly in and searches for the files he needs.
Heavily encrypted and trapped he finds them easily, there is not hidden files as the host is offline and away from normal prying eyes.
The team move quickly into the facility, slayer taking left position Mirage covering his arcs and FF and Prayer going right, Security details react, the on duty crew take firing positions and lay down fire that would belay most risks, but bullets bounce harmlessly from Slayer who shrugs in annoyance and turns to face them, FF punts one back through the door he came in and Mirage doses the second with fast acting toxins, the off duty crew are slower to respond and again try to take advantage of Slayer who has turned to look the other way and also fire upon Prayers Spirit of Man.
a short amount of gunfire later all is quiet and the 4 man security team lay dead.
The team make various re-adjustments in accordance with the finer principles of Feng Shui (FF making the whole place open plan)
Mirage is first into the deserted lab area, not knowing the scientists descended stairs down into the cells area to hide.. He starts assisting QuickDraw with the data destruction.
Looking into the Astral FF and Prayer locate a hidden area where an aura sits cowering - FF bursts through a wall but the tiny security rigger barely gets the drop on him after watching the action on his array of building sensors, another turret on a portable drone opens up full auto, pouring everything he has into the rigger is on a life or death attempt, slamming into his armour the volley of rounds drop to the floor without penetrating .. Frag Face recoils from the attack with a modicum of new found respect and a few new bruises, then pounces into action, he takes a linebackers kick and sends the rigger cocoon into a suborbital trajectory through the outer wall of the ACHE.. peering out he spots the inbound VTOL with reinforcements.
Smashing out into the night Prayer levitates FF under the helipad for his to start destroying the supporting struts, but a flashing warning on his comm alerts him to a target lock, the plan changes and FF draws a weapon, opening up into the night he makes the pilot take evasive action and peel off for another approach.
Quickdraw has drawn the attention of the Sam and entered into a dangerous game of cat and mouse, he risks an attack on the file he needs and takes a slash from the katana for his efforts, only a glancing blow, but he decides to take more time and be more careful now, dodging contact and hacking before quickly moving again.
Mirage calls the team for assistance, someone has released the test subjects, he gets the matrix taste of ozone and burnt copper , 'resonance but not as he knows it' Slayer steps in to assist and protect, the creature hacks through the doors security features and steps face first into an axe, felling it instantly .. Slayer hears more on the staircase and drops a cluster of grenades to take care of them, priming one for contact detonation..
The job accomplished (at least physically) the team look around for an extraction point, the tight confines of the ACHE does not appeal, and a wicked grin splits Frags face, "I gots n idea" he announces and draws out a slab of steel that unfolds into an object about 10 feet across, instantly cottoning on to the idea, Prayer bends his mind to the astral and a passing air spirit is called to perform a task, it only offers one service but it is enough.... the team all jump aboard the 'sled' and the spirit accelerates them off the helipad and down the sloping side of the ACHE exterior.
the gunship circles but FF keeps constant bursts to fend them off, Quickdraw with enough time to do his work now makes easy work of the files and dodges out into the masses of the inner arcology, no one suspects the dangerous data he carries.
Aftermath
If only Adepts had Smashing Blow back in the 2050's DEUS would have met with a much quicker demise than throwing an entire corps resources and the whole shadow community into his takedown.
the facilities lies in ruins, the data destroyed, the experimental Virtuakinetics dead and the scientists that do survive, do not for long when their corporate masters find the aftermath.
First responders on the scene are greeting by a small herd of goats wandering the ruins, someone has scrawled across them in spray paint .. "Quickdraw" .. ."Ass Love" ... "Kiss My" they call in forensics to try and make sense of the coded message
Rewards
25,000 Nuyen
+7 Karma
or 16 RVP total