Contract #5: Marcus Bell: Enemy of the State!

[Stephen]

Val shakes his head with an audible sigh, watching the elf down another shot of whiskey. Val estimates that he's nearly had one for each minute they've been across the border.

< Ease up, Max, or you'll be hammered before we even walk out of here. I know your ego is probably saying you can handle more, but it's bigger than you and weighs more besides. Don't get me wrong, you're putting on a great show, but ease up on the method acting, eh? >

Val stifles a chuckle at his final syllable. It's not the tag he would have normally used.

When in Rome, I guess. Val calls for a single shot of bourbon, just so as not to appear too out of place.

[GM Nick]

Alter Memory (4) (Tyros)

[Spellcasting (6 ) + MAG (6 ) + Power Focus (2) = 4]
1 1 6 6 3 6 1 4 5 3 1 4 2 3
[WIL (4) = 2]
2 6 5 4

The man stops mid-stride and his eyes un-focus as Tyros tinkers with his short term memory. A moment later, the border agent's expression changes and he strides purposefully out of the bar.

Resist Drain (4) (Tyros)

[WIL (4) + LOG (6) + Centering (4) + Focused Concentration (2) = 3]
1 5 2 6 1 4 3 1 3 2 3 4 1 3 2 6

< 1S DAMAGE >

[GM Nick]

The bartender pours Val a bourbon and exchanges an amused look with Doc.

"Было ли это для вас?"

[John]

Max sees the spell take over the patrolman's mind as Tyros performs his memory wipe and replacement with a pang of pleasure. Smiling, the elf comms out, <The look in their eyes when you get in there and hit frappe on their brains is really quite something, Tyros.> Max pays the bartender and goes to stand, continuing, <And, what, Val? You don't think I can--> Suddenly on his feet, Max realizes how intoxicated he's become in such a short period of time. Shaking his head, he relents, <Maybe you're right about that. I'll switch to clear liquors from here on.>

[Drew Buddy]

Adams gives the bartender a smile, and transfers over another 50 nuyen with a wink.

[Drew Buddy]

Adams sifts through his artificial memory once more, looking for a bar in Chippewa territory.

(( Area knowledge: Calgary. I can assume we'll just go there once a location is found? ))

[GM Nick]

[ Chippewa territory, Calgary ]

"What'll you have?"

The bartender in the Plains Drifter has a thin, angular face and the typical high cheekbones of the Chippewa people. His head is shaved and a long tattoo runs down the side of his frost-chapped neck.

A far cry from the last bar they were in, the joint is filled with carved wooden tables and attempts to harken to a simpler time in the tribe's history.

[John]

Max sidles up to the bar and drums his fingers on its surface lightly, before saying,

"I like your place, here. Give me something traditional for your people."

[GM Nick]

The bartender slides Max a beer and shrugs.

"Not really known for our liquor. What brings you into Calgary?"

[John]

Max takes a small pull of beer, and says,

"My employer is a large import/export firm in the California Free State. We were sent to the area to assess whether or not supply lines are adequate to support their needs-- which I'm not at liberty to explain. I've been in talks with several local shipping and transport groups, but I'm not getting a lot of responses. Nobody seems too excited to talk to an outsider." Max glances down at himself, and supposes a little further explanation might be necessary. Chuckling with a small measure of incredulity, he adds, "They sent somebody like me because my employer's intel indicated to them that the local government was a little... hostile."

Max, having left Marlowe in the Rover this time around, still looks plainly like a mercenary with his apparent cyberware and battle armor.

[GM Nick]

"Have you met with Ironside Fleets? They run trucks in and out of Calgary all year round."

[John]

Max shakes his head, and asks,

"Where's their office?"

[GM Nick]

The Chippewa bartender tilts his head.

"Just a couple of blocks down; there's a holo-board above their office."

[John]

Max hesitates, takes another small sip of beer, and asks,

"Do you happen to know if they work for Legion? My employers were adamant that we stay clear of anybody they deal with so as not to attract undue political attention. And I doubt they'll tell me if I ask."

[GM Nick]

"Sorry, I don't know what that is."

Con Test (Max)

[Con (4) + CHA (7) + Pheromones (2) + First Impression (2) = 2]
1 1 3 2 5 1 4 2 3 5 3 4 2 4 1
[Con (3) + CHA (2) = 3]
2 5 4 6 5

Max narrows his eyes, but the usually shrewd ex-detective has no read on this fellow.

[Stephen]

Val nods to the bartender as he sets a shot of bourbon on the bar before him. He stares into the bottom of the glass through the amber liquid (and through a transparent AR window visible only to him), rolling the glass between his palms. The likeness of a bloodhound hovers before him, a load bar to its right filling up as Val outfits it with a payload of carefully chosen programs. He composes a script on the fly, which he finally loads onto the agent and sends it on his way.

(( I'll be AFK for most of the day, so I'm doing this via agent. ))

(( Agent payload: Browse, Decrypt, Encrypt, Stealth, Exploit, Pilot ))

(( Agent script: Stealthily locate and travel between shipping company and transport rental agencies, searching manifests and contracts for any mention of Legion. If any info is found, encrypt data and forward to Val. If a trace is detected, cease running. ))

[John]

Max nods distrustfully at the bartender, and takes another sip of his beer as he turns his back to the man and looks out at the rest of the patrons. Subvocally, he comms out,

<Tyros-- you think you can get in there and see what he's hiding? I don't trust him. Also, might be best to wipe his memory of he has any ties to Legion.>

[GM Nick]

Val's agent program shuts down within minutes, having encountered a trace program. Lines of text dance on the surface of the bourbon as the decker checks the agent's logs in AR. One of the local rental agencies--a place by the name of Calgary Auto & Transport Limited--seems to have exceptionally powerful matrix security.

[Elliott]

<"Sure, let's see if drekhead here knows anything.">

With a wave of his hand (centering), for the second time that day, Tyros dives into a man's memories, reading them like a book before rewriting the most recent chapter (mind probe, f3, looking for legion info; alter
memory, f3, making him forget he ever saw us).

[GM Nick]

Mind Probe (3) (Tyros)

[Spellcasting (6) + MAG (6) + Power Focus (2) = 3]
4 2 1 1 6 5 2 4 5 2 1 1 1 4
[WIL (3) = 0]
4 1 1 **Critical Glitch!**

Alter Memory (3) (Tyros)

[Spellcasting (6) + MAG (6) + Power Focus (2) = 6]
4 3 2 2 6 5 4 4 6 5 5 4 5 2
[WIL (3) = 1]
2 2 5

Resist Drain (4) (Tyros)

[WIL (4) + LOG (6) + Focused Concentration (2) + Centering (4) = 5]
2 5 1 3 5 5 3 3 1 1 4 1 2 1 5 5

Resist Drain (4) (Tyros)

[WIL (4) + LOG (6) + Focused Concentration (2) + Centering (4) = 5]
2 2 5 1 5 2 2 5 2 6 2 4 2 3 3 6

Tyros delves into the bartender's mind but finds nothing pertaining to Legion. He quickly erases the past 30 seconds or so of the man's memories and puts some small talk with Max in their place.

[John]

Max's survey of the room turns up little of particular interest, and comms out to the team at the report of Tyros's mental molestations,

<Sounds like we're about out of leads here unless we want to try something a little more forceful with the locals... which I don't think is a good idea. Let's track down that lead the bartender gave us while Val works on sniffing out the shipping network in town. It might not be a bad idea to get our feelers out for a guide in the area, too-- you boys remember Pandora?>

[Stephen]

Val's eyebrow ascends toward his hairline as his agent drops off the grid without having made a direct report. He stares at the last few lines of the agent's log file.

>> Run_Exploit: Node_ID 0087 328053 4890 (Calgary Auto & Transport Limited);
>> Exp_Prog . . . 18%;
>> Exp_Prog . . . 34%;
>> Exp_Prog . . . 68%;
>> !Trace Detected: Node_ID 0087 328053 4890 (Calgary Auto & Transport Limited).
>> Exec_Cmd: Scr.bat_ln 51;
>> Init_Shutdown . . . Done!

This wasn't your everyday agent sent out to do legwork for some high school kid's art history paper. What have you boys got to hide that needs to be locked up so tight? Val taps a finger to his lips, considering. Finally, he downs the shot of bourbon and replaces the glass on the bar.

"Which way to the pisser?" Val asks the bartender, who nods curtly to a small door in the dimly lit hallway in the back. Val nods his thanks and heads deeper into the gloom.

The restroom is lit by a single bare lamp bulb hanging from its electrical cable like a bloated firefly, and does fairly little to illuminate even this small room. Val twists the deadbolt on the door, swipes a micro motion sensor (tied to his PAN) from his pocket, and pins it unobtrusively on the wall opposing the door. Can't be too careful in a joint like this, especially when one is a tourist. Val takes a seat on the john in the filthy stall, his chin dropping to his chest as his sim module transports him to another world.

Stat1C5hade manifests in a puff of smoke in the busy thoroughfares of Calgary's matrix grid. It's different here than in Seattle, that's for sure, but that's the nice thing about the matrix. No matter where you are, it always feels a bit like home. Stat1C5hade uses the Calgary Auto & Transport's Node ID to paint a beacon trail to the company's node itself, and in seconds finds himself floating directly in front of the node. The node itself resembles a massive garage surrounded by lots full of vehicles of all types, most of which appear to be large freight trucks, arrayed like soldiers in perfect ranks. The avatar waves a hand, quite unnecessarily, and begins analyzing the node.

(( Analyze for Firewall, Scan & Trace ratings. Programs Val is running: Stealth, Armor, BF Filter, Firewall ))

[GM Nick]

Analyze Node Test (Val)

[Computer (4) + Analyze (6) = 3]
2 6 2 4 4 3 2 5 5 4

Stat1C5hade would whistle, if it had lips. Instead, the corner of Val's mouth twitches in bemusement. The fleet company is running a modified Mitsuhama S9501--generally reserved for paramilitary applications!

(( Firewall 6, Scan 5. ))

[Stephen]

Val recalls an adage an old friend was fond of using: 'The bigger the lock, the greater the prize.' Well, he wasn't really a friend anymore. Alliances between hackers are notoriously fragile things indeed, but the words held true.

The 5hade shakes off Val's musings and gets to work. He flits between the rows of trucks and approaches the garage proper, circling around the building until he locates a tiny fissure in the sculpting of the wall, where a few lines of code are visible through the otherwise flawless facade. The 5hade's arms flatten and elongate, and he plunges them into the crack, prying in opposing directions with all his might.

[GM Nick]

Hack on the Fly Test (6) (Val)

[Hacking (6) + Exploit (6) + Codeslinger (2) = 6]
2 6 1 1 3 4 3 2 6 2 6 6 5 5

Detect Intruder Test (10) (Node)

[System (6) + Track/Scan (5) = 1]
2 3 4 1 1 4 1 2 1 5 4

Stat1C5hade separates the sides of the node, creating a pulsing vectored crevasse. The avatar slips inside and quickly assigns himself a basic security clearance. A blue orb begins to circle the node--countermeasure software intent on finding his origin.

[Stephen]

The 5hade ducks through the node, avoiding other icons wherever possible. He approaches the rendition of a large map of Calgary and the surrounding territories, bright red lines indicating the company's scheduled transport routes. He pores over the map, attempting to locate a route that leads near to the coordinates of the Legion facility.

[GM Nick]

Data Search Extended Test (Val)

[Data Search (4) + Browse (5) + Codeslinger (2) = 4]
3 3 5 4 4 4 2 5 5 4 5

Detect Intruder Test (Node)

[System (6) + Scan (5) + Stealth (-6) = 1]
3 2 2 3 5

Data Search Extended Test (Val)

[Data Search (4) + Browse (5) + Codeslinger (2) = 5]
2 5 5 4 4 4 1 6 5 6 3

Detect Intruder Test (Node)

[System (6) + Scan (5) + Stealth (-6) = 3]
5 5 2 3 5

Data Search Extended Test (Val)

[Data Search (4) + Browse (5) + Codeslinger (2) = 4]
2 2 3 6 4 1 6 5 1 6 4

Detect Intruder Test (Node)

[System (6) + Scan (5) + Stealth (-6) = 2]
2 3 1 6 5

Stat1C5hade works furiously, dissecting data-cubes and retrieving files, photos, ledgers and maps. Cross referencing the customer list with the route table, he obtains a customer number. Pulling up the customer number leads to an encrypted data-file!

[Stephen]

Bingo. The 5hade nearly begins decrypting the file, but the blue orb hovering about the node catches the corner of his eye, and appears to be moving closer to his position. He needs more time; he can't break cover yet.

Val locks his gaze onto the blue orb and runs his Spoof program, attempting to redirect the module's trace to one of the other icons flitting about the node. Not a permanent solution, but it should buy him enough time to react efficiently if it becomes necessary.

[GM Nick]

Redirect Trace Test (Val)

[Hacking (6) + Spoof (6) = 8]
5 4 6 5 6 4 5 6 6 5 1 3
[System (6) + Scan (5) = 4]
5 5 4 5 1 5 3 2 3 4 2

Val's avatar shifts into two identical manifestations. They nod at each other in perfect synchronicity and the double takes off, leading the detection program on a merry chase.

[Stephen]

Val hunkers down and sets his decryption program to hacking away at the encrypted file. Dangerous. His chances of getting out of this one squeaky clean are dwindling, but he's got one or two other tricks up his sleeve if he hits a snag with trace redirection. Effective tricks, if not quite subtle. He watches the decryption program's progress bar creep forward slowly, casting occasional glances over the rippling contour of his armored shoulder at the node countermeasures.

[GM Nick]

Decrypt Program Test (Val)

[Electronic Warfare (6) + Decrypt (6) = 6]
6 2 6 1 6 2 5 6 2 6 4 1

Detect Intruder Test (Node)

[System (6) + Scan (5) + Stealth (-6) = 1]
2 2 2 6 3

Decrypt Program Test (Val)

[Electronic Warfare (6) + Decrypt (6) = 5]
6 1 2 1 1 3 6 5 1 5 6 1

Detect Intruder Test (Node)

[System (6) + Scan (5) + Stealth (-6) = 2]
3 5 2 3 6

Decrypt Program Test (Val)

[Electronic Warfare (6) + Decrypt (6) = 4]
4 1 5 6 2 3 3 3 6 1 2 6

Detect Intruder Test (Node)

[System (6) + Scan (5) + Stealth (-6) = 1]
2 6 2 4 2

Stat1C holds his hands--palm-down--slightly above the data cube. Helices of binary form and die.

Val's meat can feel the pressure, like a roaring in his ears as the commlink's CPU utilization rises to dangerous levels.

The avatar finds the right cipher and the helix glows as the data-cube opens to reveal its contents.

Flashes of accounting, manifests, schedules. A note, from the account manager: They call themselves Legion, but they're just another customer to us. I don't want anyone breathing a word about this outside of work. Val's heart skips a beat. Got you. He quickly moves the files to his commlink's storage.

[Stephen]

Jackpot. Val runs another trace redirection on the node's countermeasure software, attempting to buy himself enough time to edit his presence out of the node's access log. For what Val's planning, it wouldn't do to let Calgary Auto & Transport know what he was looking at. For that matter, it wouldn't do to let them know anything at all. He's baked the cake, now he just needs to add the icing.

[GM Nick]

Redirect Trace (Val)

[Hacking (6) + Spoof (6) = 4]
6 2 4 6 5 3 1 5 2 3 3 1
[System (6) + Scan (5) = 3]
3 4 3 3 3 2 5 5 4 4 5

Detect Intruder Test (Node)

[System (6) + Scan (5) = 4]
4 4 6 4 4 1 2 1 5 6 6

As he prepares another redirect routine, the blue orb approaches Val, illuminating him in a shimmering light. A gooey, tar-like substance the color of pitch and nightmares begins to ooze out of the corners of the node and collect itself.

[ Black IC = 34 ]
[ Val = 32 ]

The blob of deadly black IC extends a bubbling limb and reaches for Stat1C5hade.

Matrix Combat (Black IC)

[Attack (4) + Rating (4) = 2]
1 4 4 6 3 3 1 6
[Cybercombat (6) + Attack (6) = 6]
1 6 3 5 5 6 1 1 6 4 5 1

Val's avatar deflects the attack.

[Stephen]

A wave of vertigo washes over Val as the spark of anxiety burning in his gut kindles to an inferno of terror. Discovery of his exploits could well undermine everything he just worked for, but the urge to flee is strong. His avatar twitches in the direction of the firewall, as if to log off, but the 5hade forcibly suppresses the fear to manageable levels. He won't have done all this for nothing.

He rounds back toward the IC, twin points of determination burning where a pair of eyes should be. A midnight black jet of flame, interlaced with coruscating lines of code erupts from Stat1C5hade's outstretched palm, directly toward the autonomous digital nightmare.

[GM Nick]

Matrix Combat (Val)

[Cybercombat (6) + Attack (6) = 4]
3 5 1 6 6 5 4 2 4 1 2 3
[Rating (4) + Attack (4) = 2]
3 3 2 4 4 6 3 6

Damage Resistance (Black IC)

[System (4) + Armor (4) = 1]
4 3 3 6 4 4 4 1

<< 7 DAMAGE >>

The Black IC threatens to disperse, but then reforms. Large pieces of the program are now damaged, displaying in VR as glowing, vectorized wounds.

[ Val = 36 ]
[ Black IC = 30 ]