COMPLETED: California Dreaming

[Elliott]

Tyros moves as far way from the man as hs apartment will allow, his ghostly voice filtering softly rough the din of the busy city outside, "I heard they sometimes put bombs in the heads of people they modify to prevent tampering..."

[Stephen]

Val nods absently while performing his ritual of cleaning the DNI cable's contacts by rote.

"Data bomb or cranial bomb, I'm sure we'll find one or the other. Suppose we'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

He turns his attention to his charge, noting the whites around his eyes, and gives him a rough pat on the shoulder.

"Don't worry, 'mano. I'll be gentle. Whatever happens, keep your hands away from the cable. If you dump me I'll be righteously pissed, and nobody wants that. OK, just a little buzz here."

The man's cheek twitches as Val inserts the DNI cable into the jack in his skull. He takes a seat on the floor next to the armchair and pauses briefly, the loose contact raised to his own datajack.

"Back in two shakes."

The DNI contact completes its journey home.

[Conway]

From near the doorway, Sinjin appraises the small apartment. The lack of furnishings and other domestic belongings are a surprise, having expected to find a modest but personal dwelling. The orc remains quiet and casual, subtly examining the interior for signs of hidden surveillance or hideaways. Once a thief, twice suspicious, he thinks to himself. He pauses as the often quiet Tyros reports an unsettling truth.

"Well, on that note, I think I'll keep an eye outside. Probably a smart plan anyways...not that I doubt you Val, of course."

The Adept heads out through the doorway, taking up a favorably discreet sentry position overlooking the courtyard beside the apartment buildings main entrance. After walking a short distance, he comm's quietly to the team.

<Stay frosty in there. Guy claims to live here, but there sure aren't many signs of that apartment being used for livin' in. Not exactly cozy. This could be a setup.>

[GM Nick]

The real world falls away, melting into a vectorized darkness as Val's VR takes him to an eerily quiet place. A small field of data files stretches before him, organized by size. The simulation is bereft of any of the usual hustle and bustle of the matrix at large; this fact disturbs Val on a fundamental level.

[Drew Buddy]

Adams paces the apartment impatiently.

What will Val find? Will it be the key to discovering what's going on? Or will it just be a massive store of old archived matrix porn?

The presence of the data chip in the man's head troubles him. If he was experiencing the same symptoms... He rubs the side of his head again.

Should probably invest in a cyberware scanner when we get back. If we get back.

[Stephen]

Val guides his avatar cautiously through the data store, carefully analyzing each file. Knowing his quarry is encrypted, he slides each encrypted file he finds to a secondary work space with a few casual flicks of the wrist. Once he's isolated the encrypted files, he analyzes each of them in search of data bombs and viruses. He's fairly sure whoever locked up whatever Doc is looking for would leave a few surprises for anyone who came tampering. He further isolates the most dangerous-looking files and steps back to examine his work.

[GM Nick]

The data-file is easily differentiated by the rest. A halo of transparent padlock icons orbit slowly around the representation of the file, indicating the superior encryption algorithms protecting it. Val's seen a lot of protected files in his time, but this encryption is some serious business. His firewall alerts to him malicious software inside the data-file, though it cannot specify what it is.

[GM Nick]

"Even though I can't remember anything, I don't have a good feeling about the parts we played," the stranger says. His eye seeks out Doc.

[Drew Buddy]

Doc nods sympathetically.

"What worries me, is that despite not having any memory of this place until today, I also didn't have any gaps in my memory either. I recall being stationed a couple hundred miles east of here during the time that any of this would have taken place. So either I was in two places at once, or one of those memories is false."

Adams stares out the window, idly scratching at the dark oily spot in his mind. Like a half-remembered dream, it retreats and vanishes into an indistinct smoke if he approaches it directly, only revealing itself ever so slightly when he glances at it through the corner of his mind's eye.

[Stephen]

Val frowns at the cryptic warnings issued in the analysis log. As a final precaution before initiating a cryptanalysis he searches the man's PAN, compiling a list of all cybernetic devices attached to it--specifically, a cranial bomb or any vital augmentations which could render the subject suddenly unconscious or dead.

[GM Nick]

Decryption (30) Test (Val)

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

Stat1C lifts his ghostly hands to the node. A flurry of tendrils erupt from his palm and worm their way into the padlocks, each individual component of the phalanges composed of swiftly rotating cipher.

An artificial persona manifests next to him--startling the decker--and staring into him with opaque eyes.

"This is a restricted node. Further tampering will result in defensive measures."

[Stephen]

Stat1C5hade pauses his decryption program as the persona flickers into existence to address him. He casually checks his processes list to ensure that his Armor and Biofeedback Filter programs are running. A third persona congeals from a swirling mass of code to stand beside the existing two as he loads an Agent onto the node, a humanoid figure in FRSR battle armor with his helmet removed. A swath unblemished of skin is all that exists where certainly a face should reside. The 5hade nods to the FRSR agent and turns to meet the cold, dead gaze of the interloper.

"Go frag yourself."

The 5hade cocks his head as if in invitation, his eyes locked on the enemy persona, as he orders the cryptanalysis to resume.

(( Agent payload: Analyze, Armor, Attack, Exploit, Medic, Pilot. ))

(( Agent script: Engage hostile personas, matching targets with Val. Should Val take moderate matrix damage [4M or more], attempt to heal the persona. Resume attack sequence upon a Medic success, even if partial. ))

[GM Nick]

Decryption Test (25) (Val)

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

The pulsating tentacles continue their frenzied penetration of the algorithm. Val keeps a keen eye out for rogue processes, but has yet to spot any.

The stranger places a hand on his chest and coughs roughly.

"What will you do when you find the people responsible for... all of this?"

[Drew Buddy]

Adams eyes open in momentary surprise.

"I'm not quite sure yet. I've been spending so much time chasing down answers, that I haven't really thought about what to do with those answers."

A darkness forms and swirls in his mind. But I might have an idea.

[GM Nick]

Decryption Test (23) (Val)

[Decryption (6) + Electronic Warfare (6) + Hot Sim (2) = 4]
3 5 5 3 4 2 3 5 2 4 4 2 3 5

Stat1C continues his work, all attention focused on the task at hand.

The former Japanese soldier places an arm on the side of the chair to steady himself. His complexion is quite ashen.

"Well, here's hoping... hoping..."

[Drew Buddy]

Adams gives the man a quizzical look that turns into one of concern. He moves over to the chair, and kneels down to the man's level, grabbing his left wrist and feeling for his pulse.

"What's wrong?" He asks.

[GM Nick]

Decryption Test (19) (Val)

[Decryption (6) + Electronic Warfare (6) + Hot Sim (2) = 7]
5 5 4 3 1 6 3 6 4 5 4 1 6 6

The stranger's eyes roll back and he abruptly starts seizing.

[Drew Buddy]

Doc hisses a curse under his breath, and opens his medical bag. He sends a hasty comm message, < Val, hold off for a second. Something's wrong. >

He jams a tongue depressor into the man's mouth, before going to work.

(( Roll medical/first aid to see what's wrong biologically. Also cybertechnology, to see if it's an issue with the guy's 'ware. Using the "medical" toolkit, which should have a collection of various scanners and diagnostic devices. ))

[Stephen]

The 5hade pauses the cryptanalysis, a quiet unease beginning to creep from under his confidence. He'd expected some tangible response on his end by now, and the digital silence is disconcerting.

< What is it, Doc? Things are quiet here... >

[Drew Buddy]

As he brings his diagnostic equipment to bear, Doc distractedly comms back,

< Not sure yet. He's seizing, and I'm trying to figure out why. >

[GM Nick]

First Aid Test (Doc)

[First Aid (6) + LOG (8) + PuShed (1) = 4]
6 6 2 4 4 2 3 2 1 5 4 4 2 3 5

Doc runs his hand-held cyberware scanner over the man's cranium, using his free hand to turn him over while he convulses. A single tendril of nano-wire leaves the data-storage and follows the curvature of the brain into the brain-stem.

[Drew Buddy]

"Those sons of slitches..." He mutters.

< Val, they've got some kind of failsafe on the data store. I'm not sure, but I think it shocks the user's central nervous system if it's disturbed. I'm going to try to disarm it. >

With his tools laid out in front of him, Adams prepares for field surgery.

At least it should be simpler than repairing a spastic move by wire system while I'm being shot at, he thinks, not relishing the memory.

(( Okay, I guess this would be a Cybertechnology test to see if I can stop the seizures. ))

[GM Nick]

Doc begins by rolling out a sheet of anti-bacterial material on the floor of the apartment. It's a pretty far cry from an OR, but he's done better in worse.

First Aid (5) Test (Doc)

[First Aid (6) + LOG (8) + PuShed (1) + Medkit (6) = 6]
5 4 1 6 2 2 6 1 4 4 1 4 6 3 6 6 3 2 3 3 3

The area sufficiently clean and the risk of infection minimal, he begins his work.

Cybertechnology Test (4) (Doc)

[Cybertechnology (4) + LOG (8) + PuShed (1) = 5]
2 1 4 2 6 2 1 6 5 5 2 5 4

After making a small incision and inserting a thin, sterile tube, Doc inserts a strand of fiber optic and winds it into the brain-stem. A small monitor attached to his cyber-ware scanner displays the inside of the man's brain, in grainy technicolor. It is theoretically possible to remove the nano-wire, but at great risk to the patient. Doc's stomach churns over as he realizes the predicament. Val can salvage the information but it will likely kill the man. Doc can attempt to disable the nano-wire, but a mistake would kill the man which would disable the data-storage and ultimately wipe out the information.

[Drew Buddy]

The darkness momentarily recedes.

He didn't ask for this any more than I did.

< Val, get that biofeedback filter running if it isn't already. I frag this up, and that data store is going down. >

He goes in further with the fiber optic probe to cut and fish the nanowire out.

(( I'm going to use a point of edge for four extra dice. ))

[Stephen]

The 5hade shakes his head as the updates from Doc roll in. Being DNI-jacked into a patient undergoing neurosurgery isn't dangerous; it's drek-fragging stupid. His eyes flick to the static-laced and flickering padlocks surrounding the data store. The ultimate prize du jour. The man named Val wants to run, but the decker in him just won't let it happen. The risk only adds to the allure of conquest. So, of course, does Doc's vested interest in the data... but in this moment, one which only a decker such as Val can truly understand, all else is chaff in the wheat.

< Eye on the ball, 'mano. I'm not leaving, so keep those hands steady. >

[GM Nick]

First Aid (6) Test (Doc)

[First Aid (6) + LOG (8) + PuShed (1 ) + Medkit (6) + Edge (4) = 16]
2 5 6 4 4 5 4 5 6 5 4 3 6 5 6 5 6 2 6 1 5 6 1 5 6

A bead of perspiration slides down Doc's forehead, catching in the stubble forming on his cheek. His hands are steady and work slowly, but with precise efficiency. During surgery, Doc doesn't allow himself the luxury of emotions. Fear is quickly compartmentalized and utilized as fuel. There's no time for doubt or indecision; no room for regret.

"Don't worry Davis, if you get shot, the captain can stitch you up!"

Doc finds himself wearing a phantom smile again. He pushes a thumb down, increasing the pressure on the fiber optic cable as it wheedles its way up the ventral medium fissure. The end of the nano-wire is anchored in the medullopontine sulcus, and millimeter by painstaking millimeter, the medic is working his way up there. Pausing to take a breath, Doc glances at the inert form of Val, whose consciousness is more or less metaphysically adjacent to the spongy depths that the fiber optic cable is plunging. After wavering for a moment on that uncomfortable and existentialist thought, he continues.

The nano-wire retracts like a hooked fish as Doc cuts it free, tension pulling it away from the brain-stem. Doc gingerly works it out and withdraws it from the tube. In the light, it resembles little more than a few centimeters of fishing line. He tosses it on to the carpet and exhales deeply.

[Drew Buddy]

Adams sits on the ground against the wall, feet splayed out in front of him.

< Val, we're good here. Hit that thing with everything you've got. >

You always were better at this drek when the situation was bad. A clean operating room doesn't suit you.

He pulls another cigarette from the patient's pack, and lights it up.

Not that I'm going to make a habit of it, he thinks. Doctors orders.

He knows how stupid that sounds, and frankly doesn't give a drek.

[Stephen]

The 5hade breathes a sigh of relief, and finds himself smiling faintly at the shadow of doubt which lurked behind his consciousness moments before. He realizes he's trusted Doc with his life countless times before this, and he'd do it again in a heartbeat.

< Never doubted you, 'mano. You're a god damn magician. Standby. >

Val turns his attention back his own piece of the matter at hand. He glances to the eerily immobile agent standing beside him.

"Now, where were we?"

The 5hade waits for a response he knows won't come, chuckles quietly, and hungrily resumes the decryption process.

[GM Nick]

The transparent, rotating band of padlock icons shimmers and disappears as Val's decryption program cracks the last cipher. The decker eagerly places both hands on opposite sides of the data-file and pulls apart, revealing the contents. A window manifests above the file, bearing a simple, single line of text.

Ishimura, 506 Sage St. San Fernando, CA.

[Drew Buddy]

(( Proceeding as if Val passed the info ))

Adams furrows his brow at the snippet of text in the AR window.

"That was a hell of a lot of security for a simple address. Whatever's there, they want to keep it hidden. Badly."

He gets up slowly, grinding the cigarette under his heel. As he re-packs his medical bag, he picks up a bottle of pain killers. Giving it a shake to check its contents, he sets it down near the still comatose man.

"Well, who's up for a walk?"

[GM Nick]

Doc feels divided as he leaves the stranger's apartment. The two men are separated by service to two different factions, something that will never change. On the other hand, there is an element of camaraderie in lieu of the mysterious circumstances that forced them together. Neither of the men volunteered to observe the atrocities and undergo the hardships that they had, but under any other meeting, they would have been mortal enemies. The fluid nature of this allegiance troubles Doc.

[Drew Buddy]

As the team moves down the back alleys of the 'Clave, Doc pipes up,

"We have no idea what we're getting into. Anyone have any ideas on how to approach this place?"

[Elliott]

Tyros chuckles, his ghostly deep voice echoing through the small room, "the same way we always do, hard and fast!"

[GM Nick]

The address uncovered by Val's digital malfeasance is a large office building tucked away in one corner of the enclave. A 3 meter wall of reinforced ferrocrete surrounds the property, topped with a healthy amount of razorwire. A single gate appears to be the only mode of ingress and egress, and is accompanied by an armed guard. A series of marble letters affixed to the front of the gate read: Ishimura.

[Drew Buddy]

Adams looks at the imposing structure and whistles.

"So, we going in the front?" He asks while shuffling through his memory for any references to Ishimura.