[inca1980]

Cast:
Zach -- Ork smuggler Cat physical adept
Storm -- Elf Norse pain-mancer
Stake -- Dwarf Hacker


After the three of you make your escape from the Tacoma industrial zone you know that going back home at the present moment is not an option.  Zach manages to work out a deal with Rush from the Ork Underground and in only a few hours you procure a tiny safe-house flat deep beneath the city.  It's dry and cozy when a fire is going and the only draw back is the connection between you and devices on the surface is quite noisy (-2) and the public grid is the only thing that's free.   He doesn't want payment since it belonged to a recently deceased friend of his, but he only requests Storm's occult healing services for the neighborhood, but you gotta be out in a week if you're not gonna actually rent the place.


@Stake:
Stake his been laying in his bunk hacking away for hours at the file folder on the small chip and finally comes up with something.  He finds that the name of the drone is Drone_232F3 and most all of the files are software related which manage some of the inner-workings of the drone, but one folder in particular looks quite corrupted.  After fixing it up and manipulating the file systems, the latest two updates to the file could be salvaged by Stake's savvy-ness with programming.  The drone hardware must have totally crashed before the delete command could be fully completed and the folder inadvertently stayed active.  The on-board pilot software was responsible for managing the info on the chip and it just kept getting updates that piled up even after the pilot software went off-line.  The chip was also simultaneously sending info straight to the Tacoma Veteran's Hospital's host but this info must have not alerted the host as to the status of the file folder....only the gps coordinates were sent out.  The title of the folder is "Comm▓░ands╞" and the date stamp on the first update is, October 12, 2075 which is the same day you went to the meet with the robo-johnson and it all looks like some kind of scripting code.
This is the content:
░▒▓╦╠╬├─├┬░◄╛┐╬▓░▒░▓
║◘♠§¶▲▓░▒▒█▄▌▀▐■⌡═╩╟
░▒▓╦╠╬├─├┬░◄╛┐╬▓░▒░▓
File - Commands_2075.10.12.2133Z

SET meet_location= "Puyallup Lodge"
SET target_1 = "SR3241"
SET target_2 = "SR3242"
EXECUTE meet_backup_overwatch_3213.231
DO WHILE (meet_status = "meet_on_track")
      IF (Android_Johnson_3423F4_status_report = "meet_gone_bad") THEN
          SET meet_status = "meet_gone_bad"
      END IF
END WHILE
IF (meet_status = "meet_gone_bad")
     EXECUTE Project_Boot_Camp_attack_sequence_42313.232
END IF
IF (NOT(Location.target_1 = "Puyallup Lodge".OR.Location.target_2 = "Puyallup Lodge")) THEN
     EXECUTE download_orders_standby
ENDIF   
END

** The second and final update is this:
░▒▓╦╠╬├─├┬░◄╛┐╬▓░▒░▓
File - Commands_2075.10.13.0023Z
SET SR3241_threat_level="high"
SET SR3242_threat_level="high"
DO WHILE (Drone_232F3_tag_status = "secure")
    EXECUTE Stealth_mode_urban
    FOLLOW SR3241.AND.SR3242
    IF (SR3241_threat_level="high".AND.SR3242_threat_level = "high") THEN
       SR3241_status="do_not_engage".AND.SR3242_status="do_not_engage"
    ELSE
        EXECUTE Project_Boot_Camp_attack_sequence_6534.2534
END WHILE
IF (Drone_232F3_tag_status = "cracked")  THEN
     EXECUTE Project_Boot_Camp_attack_sequence_6534.2534
     SET SR3241_status="engage"
     SET SR3242_status="engage" 
END IF

END
░▒▓╦╠╬├─├┬░◄╛┐╬▓░▒░▓
║◘♠§¶▲▓░▒▒█▄▌▀▐■⌡═╩╟░
║◘♠§¶▲▓░▒▒█▄▌▀▐■⌡═╩╟

[Sichr]

No matter how long he is in Seattle, this is the first time Zach has a chance to stay in the Underground for more than a few hours. Having his need of sleep supressed far beneath normal metahuman need, Zach spends this time wandering around the safehouse, part being on the watch, part looking dor escape routes, part looking for a few SnS clips, as he remembers the advice well, and part just socializing himself and trying to take in the atmosphere of the place. Being hunted is nothing new for old siberian ork. Be it mercenaries and raiders hired by EVO in his homeland, border patrolls all across eurasia, Vory v zakone; the only thing new on this situation was that hunters were mostly machines. Well. There is some brain and mind behind this, that is for sure. On the other side...this place resembles his home and childhood in caves under Ural mountains much more than anything in recent 20 years.

[Thermo]

Storm hates the Underground. The air is stale and reeks of sweat and grime. Her enhanced senses make her grimace in disgust everywhere she turns. She yearns for the open air of her homeland, crisp with snow and tinted with the smell of evergreens.

What the hell are we doing down here?

Storm drops 1,000 nuyen on a black market spell guide for a spell called "Chaotic World". It causes mass confusion, both for sentient targets as well as machines. Should be perfect in case a distraction is necessary to get into the hospital. It should also scare the drek out of anyone close enough to be caught in the area of effect, which suits Storm just fine. Just fine, indeed.

Storm seeks out the team's decker to see if he has any additional information on what the next steps should be.

Something tells me we're going to pay a visit to this hospital that seems to be the source of all our trouble.

[Sichr]

Or another proxy.

As the best way to get to some place is to be properly dressed, Zach asks around for the Tacoma hospital. He is not interrested in hospital itself, though. What he is trying to figure out is what clients do they have, what is the response team, what emergencies they answer and what is their territory. Maybe snatching the ambulance and some doctor uniforms may work well for this. Also...if we go in this way, we will need some good diagnose.

Stake. I would need safe communication channel. Can you help me with that? This is my contact [Dr. Watson]. Tell me when we are ready.

While Zach is waiting for Sakes reply, he will familiarize himself a bit with the new FlySpy drone. He got used to have one more eye in the sky, well this factory setup was far from Sylvia, that was heavily customized by Wagner. On the other side, Zach soon finds the lack of personality algorithms in the autopilot behaviour satysfying, he was a bit nervous when Sylvia tried to joke and once a month she was real bitch. Zach was content that once he unpacked the new drone and loaded the autosofts, because drone behaves just like...drone. Tool, that answers to his commands with not a single sarcastic comments.
Actualy...Zach treasures the memory of the moment he blew that bitch to the sky. At least it died usefully. Well on the other hand he tries to forget her last good bye.
Taking his current adversaries into account, thinking about that machine as it was "her" feels pretty pervers. Missing her even more...

[inca1980]

@Zach:

You find a weapons store not too far from where the three of you are staying.  The ammo you're looking for is well stocked and you even find out that the ork named Vlad owns the little Underground shop is russian as well who immigrated to Seattle.  He raised a son in the Underground who joined the UCAS marines at 15 in order to get SINs for himself and his dad.  Ever since his SIN went through many years ago Vlad has been running this shop.  Tragically his son was senselessly killed in the middle of gang violence but he does point you to an Underground bar where veterans hang out called Piggyback where they might know more about TVH.  All he knows is that there once was a nasty awakened mold outbreak there some years ago....had to move everyone out, clean the place and then move them back in.


@Storm:
On top of being miserable down here, you can see many people giving you ugly sideways looks as you walk through the tunnel-streets, most likely cuz you're an elf.  There are several open minded people however and you manage to engage at least a few of them in conversation.  Only one ork lady named Winnie you talked to has been there and she goes there regularly with a friend who's a vet named Kimbo to keep him company while he gets his dialysis.  Despite TVH's reputation for substandard care she thinks TVH is better than visiting the local shaman which is what most people here do, so she feels Kimbo's lucky to have his vet benefits.

You get back to your quarters and right to work over AR displays of arcane runes and symbols teaching you mana-patterns that will eventually allow you to bend the  perception of space-time in strange and twisted ways once you get the hang of it.

[Sichr]

Awakened mold my ass. Sounds like insect hive or something. But I`ll tr that bar, maybe I can find some more.

I got a tip for local infopoint, Iam going to ask around about that hospital. Summary what Ive found so far is here. The place is called Piggyback. Feel free to join me there.

With the tear in his eye, Zach refuses stakan filled to the edge with dellicious home made vodka. Not wanting to hurt Vlads feelings and hospitality, Zach pulls his shirt up and shows nasty looking scars on his belly...

Izvinite Vlad. Consider it punishment for my mistakes, but Iwould have to refuse even if you offer Cлезы Сталина. I have been punished before, but only a few things hurt me this much. Every cup of milk from then reminds me to be more carefull.

But it is much better for my inner cat Zach finishes sthe sentencein his mind.

Thank you for the hint, Ill get back to you when I need anything else and got some cache to spare. Take care.

Zach packs purchased goods to his pockets and sets off for the Piggyback.

[Ren]

Stake sighed deeply when he finally got the results. Despite being rested and healed, this wasn't some trivial task, and he started to wonder what kind of resources the owner of the drones had. The serial number of the drone supported the idea of a resource-heavy operation. Even if not all of the previous spots were filled, it must have been a considerable army of drones. And the surveillance footage that he got from Storm in the beginning, just fortified these suspicions.

The serial numbers for the runners were also disturbing. Even if the first three digits represented grouping, assuming these two didn't have the highest number, an estimated 24 groups were under some kind of surveillance or in the databases where these IDs were from. And the possibility for an even higher number was there. Whoever was determined enough to get on the bad side of so many runners, was either cocksure or downright crazy. Stake wondered what his number was in that database, and if he just recently made it in there, or some previous activities were already registered.

He decided the input of the others might be valuable this time. "Guys, look at this." He sent the broken corrupted file's contents to them. "This seems to be two different command upgrades on the drone you shot. Are any of the dates or places in there of some importance to you?" After giving them some time to process the information, he continued. "If we are lucky enough, i might use the credentials of this drone to get inside the hospital systems. This little bugger seemed to continue downloading updates and sending info even after being shot down, so we might try that. Or even use it as bait at a later time, allowing it back online and looking for whatever comes to investigate."

-o-

When Zach requested a secure communication channel he provided it as long as needed. Hearing back from him, getting that piece of information on the TVH, he sent a quick reply. >>I can meet you there or i can stay here and look into that 'mold' incident more deeply. You know, newscasts, business reports, companies participating in renovation and cleaning, somesuch. I also wanted to gather all that is available and seems important on the TVH from the matrix anyway. So which do you want?<<

[Thermo]

Storm sends a message via AR to her two compatriots:
>>Found an ork that goes to the TVH on a regular basis, might be useful if we need to get inside in person. She goes in with a vet who has bad kidneys. Keep your eyes out for a vet named Kimbo. Probably won't be in the bars due to his kidney problem but maybe we'll get lucky and run into him elsewhere.<<

>>Looks like whoever it is knew that there was a good chance the original meet would go south. They must have figured that we wouldn't cooperate, almost like they were picking a fight.<<

Storm continues to meet with Winnie and pumps her for a little extra information. She's particularly interested in the magical security in the compound. She asks Winnie relevant questions that could help determine if there are wards, wandering spirits, dual natured critters, etc. She attempts to hide her interest so as to not alert the ork as to why she's asking about the hospital - she says she's got a friend that needs treatment but she won't go in without her loving Blackberry Cat. [Blackberry Cat from 4e Running Wild is Awakened and wouldn't be allowed into the hospital.] Storm gives Winnie 50 nuyen as a bribe.

Storm is sustaining Improve Charisma and is currently not using her Psyche drugs

Con(1)+Cha(11)-Sustaining(2)+Evidence(1)+Bribe(1) (12d6.hits(5)=6)

In order to interpret the info she's able to get, Storm uses her Knowledge skill in Magical Security. She's sustaining Improve Intuition using her F3 sustaining focus.

Magical Security(7)+Int(5) (12d6.hits(5)=5)

[Sichr]

By the way, I have possible cover for entry to TVH. We will just need to look for some credentials about the son of this man...Vlad...who runs this shop. His son was in military, and despite he is dead now, I can use his name and some story if they ask too many questions. Anyway...I am almost at the Piggyback

Zach takes a walk around the pub before he enters, trying to figure out possible escape routes, well he has a feeling that there is much more holes hidden to the eye of casual visitor, in case of LS crackdown. As he enters, he places his order for soycaff and tries to find a place to sit at the table with a few other visitors. As soon as he receives his coffe, he made acomment about this would probebly kill him. As he is new in Seattle, with some health problems, he is looking for good hospital. It is difficult to find this days, man should listen to vox populi, rather than media edvertisement, if he doesn`t want to wake up with less kidneys than he had when he went to sleep. If he is lucky enought to wake up, that is. Old Vlad recommended TVH, well he told Zach that people around here may know more about the hospital.

Char(2)+Ettiquete(3) (5d6.hits(5)=3)

[inca1980]

@Zach:
"хорошо my friend.  Anytime you need some ammo or something a little bigger to back you up, you come to Vlad!"

You leave the little shop and continue down the tunnels of the crowded Ork Underground....


You follow your directions and the tunnels eventually open up onto an open cavernous area.  The Piggyback is nestled on the second floor of a series of bars and you climb the stairs walking around a slumped over heavily inebriated troll and sliding through several patrons loitering outside. 

The bartender brings you a cup of hot black liquid that when you drink it goes down smooth and warms you up all over.   He nods understandingly.  "Don't drink that soycrap...here's some authentic Colombian brew, I got addicted to the stuff on my time there.  Looking for a good hospital?  Dannyboy sitting over there lost half his organs when a landmine in Bogota tore him in two.  Ever since he got the cyber-torso he hasn't been able to have drop of alcohol either cuz of his kidneys.  I think he got his ware installed at TVH and there ain't a day when he doesn't complain.  I don't know why Vlad would recommend it.  You can ask good ol' Dannyboy though, but from what I can tell, it's just like any other public facility....pure crap."  You follow his pointing finger with your eyes and can see that Dannyboy is a youngish looking ork who's wrapped in a poncho and chatting with some friends.

@Thermo:
Winnie doesn't seem suspicious at all.
I don't know what kind of mojo surrounds the place, but I don't ever mess with that stuff.  It doesn't look like they have much that important to protect, just a bunch of broken and wounded warriors.  I don't ever get any funny feelings when I'm there though.  The trids usually say that you can feel spirits and creatures from other worlds when they're close even if you can't see them."[\color]

[Sichr]

Colombian hmm. Say hello to your relatives up in the Cascade range, I hope they enjoy their cofee too. And thanks for something with the real taste. I for sure remember this place when I need to improve the day. Vlad said something about his kid serving in the army, so maybe TVH was the first that came to his mind, I don`t really remember. Sad. Surviving this long on the enemy turf and then be killed by his own people almost at his backyard. Desperate days, I tell you.

Zach continues sipping his cofee and waits for Storm to arrive. It would be strange coincidence if they find two orks with kidney problems at the same area and the same time.

Bloody professional honor. We should have taken one of those bags for ourselves. This is simply delicious.That would make even Brick feel alive.

[Thermo]

Storm receives the location and heads over to meet with Zach at the Piggyback. She steps over the trashed troll at the front door and finds Zach inside. Before sitting down, Storm gives the whole place a once-over using her astral sight. She uses her heightened sense of smell and is immediately intrigued with that she finds.

"Hoi, chummer, is that real coffee I smell? In this place?"

[Sichr]

Believe and thou shalt be saved. Real as a pain. Get one. And by the way...see that guy over there? Ork with cybernetic body? Dannyboy. He visits TVH quite often because of his health problems. Like kidneys and such. Sounds familiar? Go ahead, I`ll join you, I just have a call to make.

Zach marks Dannyboy just for Storms AR, not visibly pointing at him, then he returns to his coffee

Hi Stake. Ready to make the call? I would feel safer if you assure me that no Heimdall traces its source to the bar we are sitting.

Hell. Am I getting paranoid lately? And is it still paranoia , when you know for sure they are afer you?

[Ren]

Stake ran the appropriate routines before answering Zach.
[spoiler=protecting call]Deck settings: Firewall 6(7), Data Processing 5(6), Sleaze 5, Attack 3, programs: Signal Scrub, Encrypt, Toolbox
Protect Communications, Complex: LOG(7) + Computer(5) + hot sim(2) - public(2) [Data Processing(6)] (12d6.hits(5)=5); Note: protection rating is 5. I'm also regularly checking for unknown marks on my deck during the call.[/spoiler]
"Done. Go ahead and make the call. I'm redirecting it through my deck for the extra protection."

[Sichr]

...
Dr. Watson? Siberian cat here. You all right? I just finished two bottles of vodka and get an idea that I would invite you for a drink, baby. What do you say?