[Jack_Spade]

Resist: 8d6t5 1
Resist: 8d6t5 1




The conversation was short, but Waywalker was able to get the last part: <<...come back, use the backway and the usual precautions.>>
The voice was unfamiliar, but did have a trace of Italian in it. Waywalker noted the comm code, but before he could do anything with it, the device vanished from the matrix. Obviously Avascula did in fact practice what he preached.

Meanwhile Frank followed the invisible girl down the alley and into the warren of old buildings, small one-way streets and badly up-kept back yards. He lost the girl at a door to an old apartment block: The door fell into the lock before Frank could get to it. But at least he could be reasonable sure that he now knew the current hiding place of the mage: A single watcher flew around the building, the 13th level to be precise...

[belaran]

#22

As Eli disappear in the house, and Frank spot the watcher, the ghoul can not hold back a smile : "Finally, we got a break. People says "Follow the Money", but follow the girl pays even more !".

>>> Eureka, guys, it sounds we may have found the hideout of our target. It does not appears to be the boat after all.

Looking around him Frank start looking for a nice spot for a stackout. The target won't be careless enough to simply walk the front door unprotected, but still Frank starts looking for a gunslinger's equivalent of a sniper's nest. "We never know, we might get lucky and it would be a shame to not be able to seize the day if so."

>>> OK, now we need to do some serious reckon. Waywalker, I guess you can set your drone to do that, but maybe we need to send a micro one inside ? We need to have confirmation that our mark is there, but also confirm that the blood samples are also there.

Grinning in a disturbing way, Frank goes on:

>>> The girl is quite cute so he is probably going to be a bit busy in the next hour, maybe the perfect opportunity for us? The "distraction" might allow us to get closer (whether with a drone, or even physcially


Searching for a good spot for a "sniper nest": 10d6t5 4

[Jack_Spade]

It didn't take Frank long to find a cosy spot behind to recycling bins where he could see the exit without being seen.

[Haywire]

At last it seemed that their trail was succesful.
"Franck, do you confirm the 13th floor? I'll be there with my drones in a hurry."
Waywalker ordered to the Rotodrones to get a reckon on the building, while he jumped in the Fly-Spy to get some more details.

Pilot Aicraft (Rotodrone): 9d6t5 6 (limit 5)
Rotodrones Perception (EW): 9d6t5 2
Pilot Aicraft (Fly-Spy): 11d6t5 4
Fly Spy Stealth: 9d6t5 3
Fly Spy Perception (EW): 15d6t5 3

#28

[belaran]

#23

When he first spot the nice, cosy spot in between a pair of recycle bins, Frank shook his head, and exhales loudly, before muttering to himself: "Of course, it has to be in thrash, smelly garbage, because where else would a ghoul hides, right ? Even the universe is playing dick with me...".

However, the message from Waywalker is stopping his ranting. The ghoul finishes sneaking into his "spot", before replying:

>>> Confirm. Let me know when you are in place. I'll do a discreet Matrix reckon on my side.

Switching to AR, with his deck running silent, Frank try to spot any running devices around the 13th floor...


Matrix Perception to spot devices around the 13th (-2 as deck is running silent): 8d6t5 5

[Jack_Spade]

There were a multitude of devices in this house, but on the 13th floor there was one apartment with a curious lack of any kind of wireless device.
The flyspy found the place without a problem and even a slightly open window where it could enter.

The apartment was a two room-kitchen-bath affair. Eli and Gis were both in the bedroom and in the process of dressing a seemingly unconscious man. From the looks it had to be an exec. Gis just closed his belt when she said: "Ugh, I tell you that Laes stuff is to weak. He had me already on the bed before he went unconscious."
Eli replied: "It's not the Laes. You are just not precise enough with the needle. I really don't see why it's always you who has to go and get the targets."
"Hey, no need to get jealous. Anton knows what he does. If it means we can stop them destroying the nature reservation, a few bruises on my part is a small price to pay. After all, Anton can remove them pretty neatly with his magic hands..."
The next part was only muttered by Eli, but Waywalker thought he recognized a "Slut".
Louder she said: "Alright, I'll just animate his cloths and walk him out of here. Do you have the blood?"
"Do you think I'm dumb? Of course I have it. It's in the fridge in the dewar can."
"I won't answer that. And watch out not to stay in unventilated spaces with the dewar. Nitrogen will suffocate you."
"You keep telling me that every time."
"I wouldn't if you wouldn't always put it in the car with you instead of the trunk."
"Whatever."

In the meantime, Eli had made a little gesture and the man had suddenly stood up - although his head hang still limply to his chest.
"I'll drop him off near his car. See you later."

With that, the girl got up and opened the door to navigate the man into the lift just outside.

#42

[belaran]

#24

Listening to the feed sent by Waywalker drone, Frank tries to process all the information as fast as he can - because the girls are already on the move. At least one of them. "OK, so the Blood Mage is using the girls to do his bidding, which is blackmailing as many execs or powerful people as he can. With the a naive cover story of protecting the nature or whatever. This guy sounds like a sort of Charles Manson... What a prick. It will be a pleasure getting ride of him. I may even have a bite of him. Darn, focus, focus, Frank."

>>> OK, so we know now that the blood sample of this guys is , for now, inside this fridge, but they are most likely to move it. Waywalker, unless you disagree, I think we need to stick with the blood - or more exactly, your drone needs to. I'll follow Eli has soon as she is out, maybe she will lead us to our mark. But we still need to confirm where he keeps his blood samples.

Frank slowly moves out of his improvised sniper's nest - which certainly gave him a nice "hobbo" fragance, and prepare to follow again Eli, using his astral sense...


Assensing again Eli to follow her: 9d6t5 2
Discreetly follow Eli: 7d6t5 2

[Haywire]

#29

"Roger that, Franck. I'll follow the girl with the blood, you go after Eli. Luckily, my drones are immune to nitrogen asphyxiation." The message was sent by a smiling Waywalker.
While rigged in the drone, he locked her with the sensors.
The rotodrone followed closely.

Fly Spy Stealth: 9d6t5 3
Fly Spy Perception (EW): 15d6t5 6
Pilot Aicraft (Rotodrone): 9d6t5 3

[Jack_Spade]

The team didn't have to wait long:
Eli appeared first - or disappeared since she had again cast an invisibility spell. No problem for Frank to follow especially since the strain to keep up two spells prevented her from noticing him. The watcher, he noticed, had disappeared. Logically that meant that it now was following Giselle.

The unconscious man moved with his clothes like a particularly drunken marionette, but it was effective. Frank followed the pair down the road and to a parking place. Using the man's thumbprint, Eli opened an expensive BMW and set the man behind the driver seat. Fascinated, Frank watched as the girl took out a bottle of strong synthohol, set it on the man's lips and sprayed a bit on him, discarding half the bottle and leaving the rest on the seat beside him.

Meanwhile, Gis exited the building, carrying the Dewar can. The liquid nitrogen left a smoky trail of condensed vapor behind as she moved towards a small and very badly dented Nissan Jackrabbit. Placing the container in the back seat, she got behind the wheel, turned down the windows and started to drive away.
The flyspy found entrance into the car and went along for the ride.

To Waywalker's surprise she drove straight towards the university, stopping in the underground garage.

Eli meanwhile walked back to her scooter and became visible again. She got on it and began to drive - also into the direction of the uni.

[belaran]

#25

Frank ponders for a little while on the situation. They did crack wide open the running scam of their target, but they are no closer to get to him, and even less secure the blood samples. However, the still light headed exec waiting in his car, covered with alcohol, does offer an interesting opportunity...

>>>> Waywalker, I may have either a terrible or brilliant idea : what about snatching this guy ? If he never shows up, our mark might be tempted to use the blood sample at his diposale to locate him and discover what happen to him. It is risky, but it may give us a way to lure him out his lair for a trap...

[Haywire]

#30

Waywalker receveid Franck's message and answered in a hurry:
"It may be a good idea, but I think it will take too much time, and we will lose our hot trail. I suggest to stick to the girls; maybe I can find something on the cameras of the university."
He ordered his fly Spy to follow the girl stealthily.
"What I'm about to do is a bit less stealthy...this look like a host that could benefit more of a brute force approach."

I switch interface to AR, send the command and then reboot my deck.
My configuration is A 5/S 3/D 2/F 6, running VM, Agent and Baby Monitor.
Pilot Aicraft (Fly-Spy): 9d6t5 2
Fly Spy Stealth: 9d6t5 3
Teamwork test from Deck: 6d6t5 2
Brute Frce on the Host: 15d6t5 3
If I'm successful, I'll run silent and then enter the Host.

[Jack_Spade]

Host defense:
Resist: 12d6t5 5
Your deck takes 2 points of Matrix damage



The attack on the host failed - instead its firewall send a nasty package back to Waywalker.

Meanwhile Gis walked through the dark basement and opened a door into the facility. The drone followed her perfectly as she made her way into a maze of old store rooms and disused labs. Finally she entered an abandoned seminar room full of old tables, disused magic props and - after she removed the cover from a n old trunk - a very modern looking freezer. From inside the trunk she removed gloves and a pair of large tweezers and pulled the frozen blood sample from the Dewar, placing it inside the freezer with what looked like over fifty others of its kind.

After she was done she covered up everything, left the room and locked the door again. Walking quickly back towards the garage.

[belaran]

#26

Still tailing Eli, Frank smiled to himself when the drone feed reveals the hiding place of the blood samples.

>>> Waywalker, we finally got our break. We know where the samples are, for now at least. Hopefully, all of them are in this fridge. Now remains to see how to handle the blood mage itself. Darn, she drop the invisibility spell, I'll need to be more discreet now...


While manoeuvring his Falcon Ex to stay out of sight of Eli's bike as much as possible, Frank starts brainstorming in his head. With the blood samples located and the intel on the girl, maybe they could lure the blood mage into a trap ? Seizing his blood samples, maybe along with the girl, will certainly force him out. We could pretend to ransom him for either the samples, the girls or both... With Waywalker matrix skillset and his, maybe forcing the mage into a meeting in VR - then link locked him and either kill him or render him inconscious ? Shooking his head, Frank realized a lot of work was still to be done before their mark meets His maker...


Following Eli on her scooter: 7d6t5 2

[Haywire]

Waywalker's persona shook as malicious code and brute force fired back.
"At least, they do not know they were under attack..."
The drone feed showed that they hit the jackpot.
"We found it! Franck, I have an idea for a trap. We sneak in the university in a couple of hours, I leave the drone there so we can find the freezer, and then turn it down or somehow destroy the samples. We leave the drone as a spy, and when Anton or his girls come for checking it, we ambush them. Does it sounds like a plan to you? I'll check online if simply turning it off will destroy the samples."

I stop to run silent, and change Baby Monitor with Browse.
I want to find the freezer Icon, if it has one:
Teamwork test from Deck: 8d6t5 4
Teamwork test from Sekretar: 6d6t5 2
Matrix Perception: 17d6t5 6
I want to know if simply letting blood samples at room temperature will destroy their utility, and in how much time:
Teamwork test from Deck: 8d6t5 2
Teamwork test from Sekretar: 6d6t5 3
Matrix Search to find about blood samples for ritual magic: 17d6t5 7

#31

[Jack_Spade]

The freezer has no icon, as it's a decades old model.



A quick search showed that blood and tissue samples needed to be frozen or they gradually lost their potential for a mystic link as the cells broke down and proteins denature. 24 to 48 hours was the range that they needed to stay at about 20°C to become useless.

Frank had no particular trouble following the girl through the late night with its very light traffic.
Somewhere en route she activated her commlink again. More important, she seemed to call Avascula again.

Gis meanwhile had left the parking garage.