Clusterfrag

Finally having gained entry to the security door's access log, Val scrolls through the seemingly endless list of accounts which have accessed the node over an indeterminate amount of time. After a moment which seems to last an eternity, he locates an entry which contains session activity data commensurate with a spider performing a systems check. He instantaneously selects the spider's Access ID and imports it into the appropriate field of his Spoof program.

Val realizes he has no idea how long its been since he heard the androgynous voice through the public address system announcing the team's imminent reduction to piles of carbon. He fires off a spoofed command to the door's mechanical control module. His frantic eyes flick to the door as time seems to stop in its tracks.

"Open... SESAME!" Val has no idea he's screaming.

The IC is coming. Val can feel it. In the corner of his AR, he sees the tell-tale red flares.

" ...10 seconds... "
Stat1C5hade gingerly lifts the access ID from the security logs, forming it into a packet between his palms. He whips his arm forward, beaming the command straight into the node's process queue.

> security level: administrator
proc_Func: security override; door control 1

The security doors slides apart.

Doc eyes the ceiling with a decidedly concerned look on his face.

On one side of the room, Sinjin dutifully translates the countdown of rapidly diminishing seconds that they have left to live. On the other side of the room, Val is-- doing something. He's not quite sure what, but he hopes it's good.

He idly glances around the walls for evidence of the autoclave system that will shortly cook the team, and calculates the likely amount of time it will take for the flames to burn past the dermal layer and shut down their pain receptors.

It doesn't even register in his mind that he started running the moment the doors slid open.

Max grabs Val aggressively from his shoulders and whips him through the open door-- not wanting to wait for whatever techno processes might be required for him to log out and return to reality-- before scrambling after him.

Val logs off the node and jacks out faster than he's ever done in time immemorial. He doesn't even have time to breathe a sigh of relief before he finds himself being hefted through the door. He finds his footing and sprints away from the lab entrance, ignorant for the moment of the dormant drones flanking him on either side.

Sinjin and (presumably) Tyros follow, when, just mere seconds later, the door slams shut again. The security window turns into a flood light as the inside of the laboratory heats up to 1600 degrees fahrenheit.

"Sensitive materials removal complete," mutters Sinjin as he translates nearly simultaneously from the deus ex machina Japanese announcer's voice.

Max turns an eye to Doc and says with a smirk,

"I think you lost the patient, doctor."

Val's wavering legs give way and he slumps momentarily to one knee in the center of the hallway. He raises a shaking hand to his exposed datajack and, not for the first time today, considers praying to a god he knows doesn't exist.

The team has little time to recover.

A voice from somewhere cater-corner to the corridor 'o drones rings out in clear English.

"Fraggin' hell. That goddamned scientist better be worth the million-somethin' nuyen worth of property damage he's causing. Who gave him access to the environmentals anyway?"

Max jerks himself off the exposed track of the corridor floor and hides himself behind a security drone. He's holding his shotgun down but at the ready.

((You've got my improved reflexes spell up right? I seem to be back to the old last to act Tyros again this run.))

Standing in the corridor, Tyros takes a second to remove his motorcycle helmet and wipes his sweat drenched forehead with his sleeve. Fragging corporate infernos have been close to purging the team several times and that hasn't even been intentional! Tyros hopes the corp is less competent when it come to actually targeting the team, which is inevitable, ad unfortunately highly unlikely to be true.

"Good work, Val. Thanks for getting that door open."

Starting on I visible feet down the hall towards where the English voice eminated, Tyros whispers back to the team, "I'm going to pick this guy's brain..."

Val licks dry lips and replies quietly, "No problem, 'mano. Figure I owed you one."

Taking a cue from Max, Val gets shakily to his feet and tucks himself behind one of the drones lining the hallway. He's glad to let Tyros take point on this one.

A group of 6 heavily armored security enforcers jogs past the corridor. The team catches flashes of military grade armor, light machine guns, and gas masks. The clatter of their boot-steps disappears into the distance until its indiscernible.

Tyros makes to follow the guards at some distance, keeping them just in sight.

"They look like they know where they are going. We should probably follow them."

"Not a bad Idea," Adams whispers back at the source of Tyros' voice.

He waits for the guard to get just out of view, before cautiously following, staying close to the wall.

Max keeps in step with the mobilizing team as they all give cautious chase to the group of armored guards. The elf moves as nimbly as possible to keep from alerting them to his presence.

The team trails the guard detail down a broad hallway that plays host to a dozen large laboratories. Some of the labs are sealed, the security windows on their doors dark with smoke. At the far end of the quarter, the half-dozen enforcers take up positions against the wall adjacent to a final door.

One of the enforcers brandishes a plasma cutter and sets to work on the door's heavy hinges.

"We've located Takahara. He's holding out in Lab 14. We should be in possession of him shortly."

Max, Doc and Val tuck into a doorway on the right side, providing full cover. Sinjin and Tyros take the left.

Max speaks through his comm to the team,

<Alright, we have to get to Takahara before these drekbags do. How do we want to do this? Any watcher spirits around us, Tyros? If not, you could take control of one of them and shoot another to get things rolling-- then we functionally only have to dispatch four of them. If we strike hard and fast, we should leave the goon with the plasma cutter at first because he'll have to put that thing down and draw before he can fire on us, which will give us a moment's advantage. Anybody else got any bright ideas? I'm guessing that-- given what's going on-- a little gun fire and an explosion or two won't inherently raise an alarm. However, if anybody radios out, we're fragged. Sinjin, can you point the directional area jammer at these guys to keep them from raising control? Or can you impede their comm any way, Val? Doc, I think we all know you and I are really best at just shooting things.>

Max scans the area for anything that might be useful for a more tactful approach, or perhaps a means of sneaking around the guards.

<"I'll take the guy opening the door if you pick off the others. I'll keep him on the job during the fire fight and we can use him to clear security away.">

Peering around the corner of the doorway, Tyros makes a little motion with his pointer finger (centering) and latches on to the mind of the guard wielding the torch (control thoughts, f4).

Val calls up a small AR window and performs a brief analysis of one of the guard's PAN nodes, attempting to determine the signal strength their comm units are capable of generating (( Signal Rating )).

((Maybe so, let me get control of the guy first though.))

(Tyros is also scanning astral space)

Tyros gleans many facts from his assensing of astral space. First and foremost: one of the enforcers is awakened. Second, the other 5 are outfitted with move-by-wire cyberware, bone density enhancements, smart-links and a variety of other piece of cyberware.

There is a distinct astral signature hanging around the awakened enforcer. It appears he recently cast a health spell of some kind.

Tyros grasp is pulled away from his victim's mind at the last moment.

The enforcer turns off the plasma cutter. "...the frag was that?"

(( The guards' comm-links all have a System rating of 3, Firewall rating of 4, Signal rating of 3 and Response rating of 4. ))

(Ok, screw these dice rolls. Powerball on all of them it is - should weaken them all enough to be taken down in one shot each.))

Tyros scowls fiercely behind his helmet. Another mundane guard who's will has managed to resist the full force of Tyros' magic. Inconceivable! The troll's temper is boiling, but the prospect of a proper magical duel refocuses his mind, and he quickly slips into the void state that is necessary to channel the most powerful of magics.

Tyros take a pivoting half step out into the hall as he hurls a flickering ball of blue power, baseball style (centering), down the hall towards the clustered guards (powerball, f6, centered on the Mage who should not get counterspelling since its a surprise round. Should hit all the guards with an 18 meter radius. Also, I'll use my edge point on the resist drain test).

(( Enforcer 2 takes 7P damage! ))
(( Enforcer 3 takes 8P damage! ))
(( Enforcer 4 takes 7P damage! ))
(( Enforcer 5 takes 8P damage! ))

A shockwave shakes the hallway as Tyros' spell detonates in a dazzling flash of blue light.
(( 5S DAMAGE! ))

Tyros sways on his feet, blackness creeping into the edges of his vision.

[ Max = 55 ]
[ Enforcer 6 = deceased ]
[ Doc = 47 ]
[ Enforcer 1 = 44 ]
[ Val = 42 ]
[ Enforcer 2 = 39 ]
[ Enforcer 3 = 38 ]
[ Enforcer 5 (Mage) = deceased ]
[ Enforcer 4 = 33 ]
[ Sinjin = 32 ]


(( The team--sans Tyros--is behind complete cover. If you fire on the enemy, you'll be firing from full cover (+4) and you can return to complete cover with a simple action. ))

Showtime again.

The explosion of pure psychic energy from down the hallway indicates to Max that it's time to begin what the team arguably does best. Max presses himself against the door jamb just inside the entrance to one of the labs and leans his arms holding the shotgun forward and uses his flexicam to peer around the corner, firing on Enforcer # 6 when he has him squarely in his sights.

(( +4 DV, BF, flexicam negates cover modifier ))

(( 13P DAMAGE! ))

Max's armor piercing slugs tear through the man's chest, killing him instantly.

(( 1 simple action remaining. ))

(( BLAMMO! ))

Bolstered by the kill, Max swings Marlowe appropriately and blow's the ailing mage a kiss, mimicking the puckering motion as he pulls the trigger.

(( Let's do the same shot with the +4 DV ))

Max's second shot ricochets off the floor at the mage's feet.

(( Doc's up. ))

Adams leans out from his hiding spot, and opens fire on the stubbornly alive mage.

(( BF Narrow, AV ammo ))