COMPLETED: California Dreaming

[Stephen]

Val scans the perimeter of the office compound with wary eyes.

"Looks to be the only way. Don't suppose that jarhead's gullible enough to let us in without a fuss, do ya?"

[John]

Max takes the final puff on the butt of a cigarette and grimaces at the lungful of burnt filter before flicking it disdainfully into the distance. "Sounds like I might just be of use after all," the elf says. He turns to Doc before charging forward, and says, "This is still your ballgame, amigo. Got any ideas what I can say to this goon to get us in? Anything I should touch upon?" Simultaneously, the elf racks his own understanding of military security procedures.

(( Military security procedures roll? ))

[Drew Buddy]

(( And can I roll a memory test for anything related to "Ishimura?" ))

[GM Nick]

Memory (5) Test (Doc)

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

Doc closes his eyes and concentrates. A few distorted faces flit across his consciousness, echoes of the faintest of memories.

"What's with all these canisters? They all say Ishimura."

"Some kind of contractor for the Japanese."

[Drew Buddy]

Doc pinches the bridge of his nose to relieve the vertigo of the unfamiliar memory.

"Aside from the fact that they're Japanese? Not much," he says with a frown.

"But it means that they weren't operating out in the open when I was serving. There might be a blank spot here or there, but I DO remember most of my service just fine, which means that it it telling that I haven't heard of them. Strange to see them here now with their name plastered on a building in public," he muses.

"I wish I could give you more."

[John]

The memory relayed, Max strides confidently up to the gate guard , and says brusquely,

"Stand aside, son. I've got a contract with your bosses and I'm not fraggin' happy."

[GM Nick]

The guard--a young Japanese elf in an armored vest and ballistic helmet--gives Max a once over.

"Meetings are by appointment only. I don't have anything booked for this afternoon."

[Elliott]

Tyros comms quickly, "Hold on, I got this.."

Making a quick invisible motion (centering), Tyros enters the guards mind and digs around for the name of the head honcho in the building before implanting a memory that the team has an extremely urgent meeting with him (mind probe, f3, to find out who and where the boss is and the alter memory, f3, to place the meeting).

[John]

Max's irritation grows, as he returns,

"Well you'd better make an appointment for me right now. Half of the canisters in my last shipment were cracked, and everybody here has been completely unaccountable. I'm not letting you give me run around, young man. If Ishimura loses my account because of you, you can bet your ass you'll be shoveling drek by the end of the week."

[GM Nick]

Mind Probe (3) (Tyros)

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

Tyros begins rummaging around inside the guard's mind.

[GM Nick]

Con Test (Max)

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

The guard makes disgruntled acquiescing noises and bangs on the gate with a fist, which begins to retract.

"Head straight into reception."

[GM Nick]

Alter Memory (Tyros)

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

The guard's eyes widen at the intrusive effects of the mind probe.

"Mage! Mage! Close the gate!"

His hand shoots to his holster.

[John]

Max's arms leap out in front of him, and the elf pounces like an animal on the guard at the gate.

[GM Nick]

[ Doc = 57 ]
[ Max = 50 ]
[ Val = 45 ]
[ Guard = 44 ]
[ Sinjin = 34 ]
[ Tyros = 34 ]

[Drew Buddy]

Adams watches the guard suddenly become agitated from afar, and lets out a sigh.

I suppose it was always going to wind up like this.

The submachine gun is up with one practiced action. The silenced bullpup weapon lets out a muffled thwippp as it delivers a trio of stick-n-shock darts to its target.

And this was supposed to be my time off, he thinks with detached disappointment.

[Elliott]

((Jesus, the dice gods just don't want us to use subtlety.))

[GM Nick]

Ranged Combat (Doc)

[Automatics (6) + AGI (9) + Smartlink (2) = 4]
2 5 3 5 4 2 1 1 5 4 2 3 1 5 1 4 3
[REA (5) = 2]
6 3 3 2 5

Damage Resistance (Guard)

[BOD (4) + Armor (2) = 4]
6 5 4 4 5 5

Resist Incap. (Guard)

[BOD (4) + WIL (4) = 3]
3 4 2 2 5 5 5 1

{{ 6S DAMAGE! }}

Ranged Combat (Doc)

[Automatics (6) + AGI (9) + Smartlink (2) = 5]
5 5 1 3 3 4 3 6 2 5 4 5 2 4 4 3 2
[REA (3) = 2]
6 6 1

Damage Resistance (Guard)

[BOD (5) + Armor (2) = 3]
4 2 3 5 6 5 4

{{ 6S DAMAGE! }}

The guard jerks, claws weakly at the sextuplet of stun darts protruding from his torso, and slumps forward--unconscious.

[John]

Max stops himself mid-lunge and looks hard at the world around him, searching for any signs of alarm.

[Drew Buddy]

Adams looks at the guard's crumpled form, then looks down at the tiny submachine gun in his hands.

"Huh," he half-grunts in pleasant surprise.

He sprints over to Max and the guard, kneeling down and pulling the shock darts from the unconscious man. "Well, that could have gone better, and it could have gone much worse. Help me move the body," he says to Max while he strips the guard of his commlink.

[John]

Max takes the unconscious man by his boots, waits for Doc to grab him by the hands, and is on the move with the deadweight form, keeping an eye out for any additional security presence as he goes.

[Drew Buddy]

Adams grabs the man's arms, and on an unspoken cue, the two FRSR team members begin hauling the man to the bushes.

[John]

During the move, Max observes,

"I dunno about you, but I feel weird moving a body that isn't dead..."

[Drew Buddy]

Adams casts a glance around for any observers,

"You think this is strange, try moving a patient overdosing on Eros. That troll wouldn't stop touching himself, even after we sedated him," Adams responds with a shudder.

[GM Nick]

As Max and Doc slip inside the courtyard of the building to hide the guard's body, they catch a glance at a worker inside running through the lobby, away from the front door.

[John]

Max looks to Doc, hoping beyond hope to see his SMG rising to send a few bursts of intercepting stick n' shock rounds toward the man.

[Drew Buddy]

Adams watches the fleeing man, and sighs again.

"Forfragsake..."

With the glass door in between him and the target, Adams knows there isn't anything he can do to stop the man.

< Tyros! We've got eyes on a runner! Can you stop him? >

[John]

Not wanting to leave anything to chance, Max takes off running after the man after a split second's hesitation-- better to have the redundancy of a light-footed elf giving chase should Tyros fail to terminate the worker's escape.

[Conway]

Shifting his weight in the shadows, Sinjin's breath is caught in his teeth. The checkpoint security had gone from dismissive, to cooperative, to hostile almost before the team could react. Only the quick action and discipline of FRSR's point-men had prevented a serious and immediate escalation in the universe's effort to kill them. Tracking Adams' iron-hard stare, Sinjin catches the barest flash of motion through the office's windowed entry before Max takes off running, his powerfully augmented physique propelling him forward in hot pursuit. An image of Omega winks in and out of his conscious thought, puzzling him. The grip of his fists tighten compulsively.

Such potential....if only I..

Shaking the unbidden distraction from his head, Sinjin streaks forward to take an offensive position.

"Party's started, move!"

Cursing the die of Fate and the hands of the Gods that toss them, he prepares himself for battle.

((Attribute Boost: STR))

[Elliott]

Seeing the running worker, Tyros reacts at the same time as Doc's warning, thrusting his hand forward (centering), Tyros latches on to the man's mind and takes control (control thoughts, f4). Once in possession, he walks the man calmly back to the team.

[GM Nick]

Tyros' spell fizzles out and the troll spends a moment in shock before realizing that the front of the building has been astrally warded!

[GM Nick]

Running (2) Test (Max)

[Sprinting (5) + STR (5) = 4]
2 6 4 5 2 2 1 1 5 6

Max lowers his shoulder and slams through the revolving glass door, shifting his weight to adopt a sprinting gait. He reaches melee position with the hapless employee before he has chance to reach the elevator.

[Drew Buddy]

Adams takes off running toward the building.

[John]

Max skids to a stop just before crashing fully into the man, wrapping his arms around him and cupping a hand over his mouth to stifle any screams. Max kicks the man in the back of the knee to disabuse him of his footing, and begins to back him out of the building toward his comrades as he keeps an eye out for alerted enemies. "Scream and I'll geek you," he growls in the terrified man's ear.

[GM Nick]

The employee whimpers and nods his head.

[John]

Max pulls the man out to the courtyard and sets him down on the pavement. The elf crouches and gets very close to the man's face, his hand still over his mouth, and lingers a moment before beginning to speak.

"Nod if you know what will happen to you if you make a sound when I remove my hand."

The elf's glare into the man's eyes is hard. The man nods again.

Max removes his hand, and says,

"I don't give a load of drek about you, so whether you walk home to your kids tonight or the next time they see you is at your viewing makes no difference to me; that's completely up to you. What's security like in there?"