[ScytheKnight]

Yako hesitates a little before replying.

Yako, Korean: I'd prefer to have time to visit my contacts... but it seems time is against us. So long as we're not talking a frontal assault I should be able to render assistance through illusion and distraction.

[gilga]

I am just suggesting projecting there to see what I can find - it can be a bit dangerous but I have spirits with me, so it is not terribly risky.    We have a few hours to kill and it will just take a couple of minutes.
I definitely suggest we try to do the job with as little violence as possible. So legwork is a good idea. Than again, with the time being so short - it might be dirty.

[Csjarrat]

Flea bowed in thanks to Eun Ju, her timely intervention had no doubt saved her life.
I finished the rigger off, he'll probably turn up in law enforcement's hands unless you've already had a team retrieve him?
She raises her eyebrows at the revelation of a mole, that clearly explained how they were so rapid to bug, track and attack the newly formed outfit.
Anyone else suspected as involved?

She smiles and greets the team as they arrive at the temple, feeling a wave of relief that no-one had been killed.
Turning to Eun Ju she asked;
Who's so against us finding your missing person? These guys were good, they won't have come cheap.

[Sabato Kuroi]

Sabato turns to IT, his expression unreadable.

"Astral investigation  won't be enough.Do it, but ee should also  go to Seoul, use your drones as well."

[gilga]

IT replies,
 no problem dear Sabato - you will get the best Intelligence I can geather from all 3 worlds. Astral travel is a nice option now as it saves us some time. We'll definately use also the drones and the matrix and see what method works best for us on this job.

In the meantime... she smiles hold the fort while I am gone. 
She finds a comfortable place and project to the Cathedral... it seems like she suddenly fall a sleep.

[Siren]

"We anticipated the need, we have a few pairs of Mage Cuffs available."

He hands you a pair of elaborate shackles engraved with slightly glowing runes.

"They're good quality, but nothing totally blocks out magic.  Keep an eye on him, even when he's got these on. We don't have an extra interrogation room, but there are a few meditation rooms you can use.  Just... keep it quiet; the monks wouldn't be happy to know about using their rooms that way."



"Law enforcement got him, but we've got a lot of friends there.  Nothing about you guys is going to get out, don't worry.  No one we know about besides this guy is involved, and so far, we haven't gotten him to talk.  He's a tough nut and he really doesn't seem to mind having been found out.  We're beefing up security; discreetly, but believe me, we're on the alert.  This guy is too cool not to have some kind of escape plan.

As far as who doesn't want us finding the emissary, well, the Sisters of course.  This guy is probably a Catholic plant, or at least an operative hired by them."

She looks through the mirror at the man sitting in the room.

"You know what they say about roaches, though.  If you see one, there's a thousand you don't see.  I bet all the bigger temples have a mole or two sitting around just waiting for the opportunity to rat out teams like yours.  Where are these bitches getting all this money?"

[Malevolence]

After the events of the road and the long drive, the temple itself was a cool respite. James was loathe to leave, but the pressing schedule all but demanded it. He could offer no assistance here - interrogation was not his forte.


He was glad to be rid of the unkempt, and creepy, mage. The mage's demeanor, and absolute disregard for his predicament had disturbed him, but he hadn't really had any contact with toxic mages before - just the news stories and trid shows that portrayed them as unfathomably wicked boogeymen.  The same way that they had done (and occasionally still do) with Technomancers, and magicians in general before them, and deckers before them, and so on. He didn't doubt that toxic magic was a problem, but he wasn't entirely sure of the extent - the news outlets were well known to exaggerate to get people to watch or read and so anything they said had to be taken with a grain of salt, usually a large one since the corporations tended to have undue influence over their content as well.


But the mole that the temple had discovered really bothered him. The mage he could write off as maybe typical - maybe it was a common characteristic that they were generally apathetic. But mundanes were something James was more familiar with, and that level of unconcern toward one's own fate was very, very wrong. Perhaps their escort was right - they had a plan, and they had no reason to be worried about being captured. But the mage couldn't have known that James or Inanna wouldn't kill him - no plan could have prevented us from ending him once he was at our mercy, nor bring him back from the dead. There was something else at play.


Zealotry, perhaps? Some religious belief that their death would be rewarded in an afterlife or reincarnation. Or mind control. Or possession? He brought these concerns up to their guide from the temple - perhaps there was something another mage could see in their aura that James himself could not with his mundane sight.

[ScytheKnight]

As the team drive through Seoul Yako shoots a quick message that she's going to call in on a contact, peeling away from the van and riding carefully though the streets until she reaches her Talismonger. Parcking her bike around the back she walks into the shop via the back door before removing her helmet. She catches her contact's eye from behind the counter, out of sight of the entrance and nods towards the back room, taking a seat and trying to calm herself.

She didn't really like dropping in unannounced like this, but Seoul is her home, she had to be careful to stay under the radar.

Linqu - Japanese: Yako, this is unexpected. Why didn't you call?

Yako - Japanese: My apologies Linqu, but I'm doing a run here in Seoul and need to keep a low profile. I need a favor, I need to know anything you know about the Sisterhood of His Persistent Hand chapel here in Soul, and I'm afraid the timing is rather tight, we'll likely need to run within a day.

Yako took a deep breath, still rattled by the events of the day, but the familiar symbols and incense of her Shinto faith and tradition where helping her relax, she knew this kind of information in this time frame wouldn't be cheep, but there where few other choices.

[Siren]

"Yeah, we've had a couple shamans come in here and try to scout him out for some kind of Astral stink or Spirit guard, but he checks out clean.  Apparently his aura is a little odd, and he doesn't have any obvious ware, but that could be explained by bioware, I figure.  Hard to tell just now.  Of course, this is all just 3rd hand.  I don't get half of what the shamans are talking about half the time."



Linqu makes a kind of annoyed/worried face at the mention of the Persistent Hand.

"I've heard of them, yes.  They have serious problems with sources of magic they deem not of their god.  They seem convinced such magic is demonic in origin and have sworn to wipe it out.  The Vatican has cut them loose, but they still seem to have some limited power, and from what I hear, its growing.  There are already small churches being planted back in Japan to try and push back the Shinto influence there.  Apparently the leadership is all here in Seoul, though.  All I know is that they are messing around with the upcoming festival; people here are getting really upset, but law enforcement doesn't seem able to do much. 

[gilga]

When IT returns from the astral her face is pale, she is a bit freighted as if she had seen a ghost. I am glad to be back here safely – their security seems intense: I counted six spirits and some awakened beasts that patrol the perimeter. This is all on the outside – I could not get inside from the astral the place is well warded. The spirits are a bit stronger than what I can comfortably summon and bind.

It seems that on the astral we are inferior – how ever yesterday I spent a passionate night of matrix searches with Flea and we were very productive - she is a talented Decker. Anyhow, their sisterhood seems to be waiting for a package detained by costums. The delivery company is called ‘no idle hand’.

I will  improvise us some disguises, I am not proficient in the task but my magic is the subtle kind that augments mundane tasks.  It should come out okay – if any of you is skilled with forgery I’ll be happy to help.  In the meanwhile, Inanna and some of the rest should go to the costumes and release the package.  It will make our disguises a lot more believable if we actually deliver their package for them. It is interesting to have a look whats inside also.

But now if you excuse me – I have to search some information about ‘awakened potatoes’- I am really curious about these plants I saw in the cathedral. Her body becomes numb again, this time she is in the matrix. 

[Csjarrat]

Wrap him up in some mirror material if you've got some. He's probably got some kind of tracker or comms gear on him if he's that cool and calm. As for the roaches, that was what I'm worried about. What has been tried on him so far? Any recent history with the sisters?

[Siren]

"Nothing, yet.  We've been instructed to defer to you guys on matters involving this situation.  There is a powerful jammer in that room and he's being watched Astrally for any sort of magical or alchemical surprises. As for a connection to the sisters, probably.  We've got his commlink here, but it looks like he zapped it somehow when we caught him.  If you have someone who can fix this sort of thing, it might be helpful, but for now, it's bricked."

He hands you a commlink smelling faintly of burnt circuitry.

[Csjarrat]

That'd be great, we'll take a look at it. There anywhere I can use to work on this?

[gilga]

When IT leavers VR , the team almost arrived to the temple. She addresses Sabato and the rest and briefly summarizes the security details including the utility of the awakened plants. Be careful not to step on these.
 She bookmarks that wagemage blog, thinking to herself it might be useful in the future should she start being interested in Para botany.

Dearest Sabato… she says softly as she takes out a tiny microdrone from her blouse. Do you pray? … She pauses. You should defiantly consider starting. This little one has a full sensor array, the technical stuff is that I can disguise it as your commlink. Enter the cathedral with this little one offline, then turn off your commlink and activate this little one.  I can write a small script that does it ultra fast hopefully no one will notice the switch. While you pray… our little one can try to find out where the emissary is. You should be skilled in security system you may also understand a bit about their physical security. Perhaps being all magical and stuff – they trust they put more weight on magical defenses. 

How is that for a plan? You might also want to grab Yako – she is a nice girl and her foxy appearance revealed in the right moment may distract their security – she is also awakened… she will draw their security attention.  I hope it means they will look at her and not notice the switch of devices we are planning to pull. How is that for a plan?  Do you think it will work?

[Sabato Kuroi]

"The outline of your plan is..."

Sabato tries to remember the correct word in Korean

"...reasonable.But I should not be the one to enter the Cathedral.One of our pursuers managed to flee and my description may already be in the possession of the enemy."