The Untamed Wilds: Electric Skies

Hawkeye Cuts A Deal

Hawkeye responds, "You're right, it is just work to us. But we are not without compassion. We are not rapists or torturers; we are mercenaries. And make no mistake, we have no qualms about killing anyone who would kill us first, if they had the chance. We are RUTHLESS in the pursuit of our assigned tasks. But we are not diabolical, nor psychopathic. We will let you go, if you lead us to Pinkins and Glitterface. But we will not take your bribe. We are, above all else, professionals. Without our reputation, we are no better than go-gangers. Thus, it seems that we now have an understanding. As long as you keep your end of the bargain, you shall survive this encounter."

[sblock=5 rolls]
46, 86, 84, 70, 33. Bah, those first and last rolls make me nervous, lol.
[/sblock]

Weekly post: 2xp


The Quarry

[sblock=Perception] Trollick: 67+98+49(d100)=214, Hawkeye: 62+46(d100)=108, 70+08(d100)=78 [/sblock]

After hearing the runners answer, the captured gang enforcer nods and uses her wrist band to display the address, 451278 Hwy 36, a skyscraper in Lake Jackson. Already moving, it takes Shatterframe only minutes to get you there.
The buildings in this area are industrial manufacturing with residential spaces on top. The skyscraper she directs you to looks the same as any other along the busy highway, and the apartment number is on the third floor. There is a line of cars parked in front of the buildings. Syd Vicious is focused on watching the prisoner and doesn’t notice anything outside of Shatterframe’s sedan. Hawkeye sees one guard standing outside the target building. Trollick sees the standing guard and notices a drone across the street that is also watching the building. He is certain there are only the two sentries.

Shatterframe says, “You can leave the prisoner. I’ll make sure she doesn’t go anywhere until you get back.”

Obrik says, “I owe you, friends. Let me help you resolve this.”



Pinkins and Glitterface are on the third floor in apartment 3-19 of skyscraper 451278. State intentions on how to proceed.

Trollicks nods at Shatterframe and says, "Good."

He turns to Obrik. "You owe us nothing. Your decisions are your own to make."

He steps out of the vehicle, waiting on everyone else to exit and the door to close, before speaking again. "Even with this a regular residence, it may look suspicious for four of us to just walk in, unless we go straight to the elevator. I say we go with this straight approach. 3-19 should be on the third floor. At the elevator, I will comment, bragging that I could take the stairs faster, and move to do so. I carry no visible weapon, but I cannot hide that I am a giant; although, I do not think that anomaly is necessarily suspicious."

"Of course, I see no need to rush things. I could physically scout the area and give Hawkeye time to scan the VR for pertinent information about the place. We really could use some information on security and lay-out."

Syd nods to Trollick as the elevator door opens:
"After you big guy."
He then nods to Hawkeye:
"And you. I'm not going to be staring at you two's bums the whole way up. Obrik and I will stand in front, if you don't mind."

Before leaving the van, Hawkeye will do as Trollick suggested, and attempt to locate the blueprints of the building in the county records database. He will also see what frequency the drone is on, and attempt to ascertain its security measures, without actually interacting with it directly. If the drone's security looks tough, he will leave it alone. If not, he will try to hack it and take it over. If he can do that, he will play back a recorded loop from before the party's arrival, continuously recycling it, in order to give the appearance of no activity.

Weekly post: 2 xp

Prep Work for the Fight

[sblock=VR Manipulation] Hawkeye: 23(Obscurative)+86(d100)=109 [/sblock]
Hawkeye slips his headset over his eyes and directs his mind into the VR. At once the vibrant colors greet him as they always do, and he finds his avatar standing outside of a small rough-cut timber house with a green tile roof, and smoke drifting out of the brick chimney. A sign over the door of the house reads ‘Timber’s Custom Metal Shop’, naming the business that inhabits Skyscraper 451278 on floors 25 through 60. Although the house appears made of wood, everything else around it looks crafted of metal, even the ground and square clouds in the shiny blue sky.

Hawkeye goes into the metal shop as a customer, copies his avatar to browse previous works and peruse the reforging process for metal, and moves his real self to the residential area of the skyscraper. He locates the registered floor layout and sends it to Syd and Trollick. Apartment 3-19 is down the hall to the left of the lift and has four people in it. He checks to make sure two of them are Pinkins and Glitterface and verifies their identity, finding that three of the four are in the VR.

Hawkeye deals with the drone last, seeing it as a large metal ladybug sitting on a fencepost. With their VR security actively monitoring the drone, he cannot shut it off, but he can distract it. He identifies two people leaving the skyscraper as having suspicious intent and sets the drone to watch them as they walk down the street.

Once that is done Hawkeye pulls off his headset, having been ‘gone’ for less than five minutes and leaves the sedan, telling the other Runners, “We should be able to walk in now without notice. There’s four in the apartment but three are in VR which means they won’t have the faintest idea what’s happening until it’s too late.”

Everyone can see that two women have left through the main entrance of the skyscraper and the drone is turned to watch them as they walk away.

As good as Hawkeye's word, the Runners plus Obrik calmly stride past the obtuse outside guard and into the skyscraper lobby, a medium sized room decorated with metal sculptures. Two more guards are inside, but they merely nod and otherwise ignore you. You take the lift to the third floor and easily find 3-19. There is no one else in the hall with you, but plenty of other closed doors.

State intentions for eliminating your targets.

Trollick speaks quietly to his comrades. "I do not need to be able to see into the room to set off a sound pulse, like a stun grenade. I only need to stand outside. If the door lis locked, Hawkeye can try to unlock through the VR or I can try to kick it in. If I am going to generate a pulse in the room, I think we need to breach at the same time."
[sblock=Thump]18(bending) + 34(sound) + 85(d100) = 137[/sblock]

Hawkeye dons his VR set once more, and checks the door. If it's locked, he will try to quietly unlock it, meaning that he will try to prevent the lock from making the usual "bleeep-boop" sound when it disengages. If he succeeds, he will draw his pistol, and then nod at Trollick.

Contract Completion: 10 xp

Taking Out the Trash

Hawkeye sits on the ground before he slips on his VR headset to disengage the lock. Trollick concentrates on his magical energy to release his Thump as soon as the hears the lock *click* and Syd prepares to rush into the room the instant after the Thump goes off. Obrik keeps watch on the hallway.
[sblock=Hawkeye VR Manipulation] Hawkeye: 62+84=146 Roll needed: 160 [/sblock]

In the fantastical setting of Virtual Reality, Hawkeye sees the door as a twelve-foot slab of stone set into a brick wall one hundred feet high. An old-fashioned keyhole is in the center of the stone slab. He attempts to form his finger into a key that will fit the hole and unlock the door, thereby tricking the locking mechanism into thinking that it was properly disengaged. His finger fits, but it will not turn. The door stays locked but his skill in the VR keeps the building alarms from going off from lock tampering. Hawkeye pulls out of the VR, snatches the headset off his face and angrily shakes his head at his partners.

Syd Vicious smiles and says, “We do it loud then.” He takes his slim saber, jams it through the crack between the door and jamb, and uses it as a lever to pry it open.

In the span of a thought Obrik leaps forward and touches Syd’s back, using his Academic magic to give him a boost of strength.
[sblock=Syd forces door] Syd: 87+81(d100)+50(lever)=218 Roll needed: 200 [/sblock]
With one mighty push and a loud crack Syd forces the door open.

As soon as he hears the crack of the lock breaking, Trollick unleashes his Thump before Syd pushes into the room.
[sblock=Trollick Thump] Trollick: 137, Pinkins: 25+35(d100)=60, Mind Damage: 7; Glitterface: 25+02(d100)=27, Mind Damage: 11; Guard 1: 50+76=126, Mind Damage: 1; Guard 2: 50+17(d100)=67, Mind Damage: 7; Pinkins: Mind 3, Glitterface: Mind 0, Body 9, Guard 1: Mind 9, Guard 2: Mind 3 [/sblock]

The Runners hear and feel the walls shake as Trollick Thumps the apartment. An instant later Syd forces the door open and rolls into the space to give his partners room to move in. Inside the small apartment the effects of Trollicks magic air blast can be seen. Furniture is askew, wall hangings have fallen to the floor, a table is knocked over and the plates and cups still holding leftovers from the last few meals are splattered around. The four victims crowded in the room are all splayed. The giant Pinkins is slumped in a chair, his nose and mouth bleeding as he slowly pulls off a VR headset. The elf Glitterface is face down on the floor, not moving. His VR headset is still on his head. Two unfamiliar men are in the room. One is pulling a VR headset off and shaking his head in obvious discomfort. The other is picking himself up off the floor, brushing off food.

With the men in the room disoriented and injured, the fight does not last long. Pinkins is the first to fall, targeted by Hawkeye with his Ruger heavy revolver. The bullet blasts through his light armor and the giant slumps and flops out of the chair. Syd points his AK 4700 at the two guards, who put their hands up in surrender, not willing to die for their two disreputable charges. Trollick steps into the room, crosses to Glitterface on the floor and death stomps on his neck, feeling the bone snap under his heel. He pulls off the VR headset for Hawkeye to record the face of the elf for contract verification.
Knowing that going back through the building would put them in conflict with the overwhelming force of the skyscaper security, the Runners decide on a more direct route to the ground. Since they are only on the third floor Trollick uses his meaty fists to smash one of the shatterproof windows. The glass does not break but falls out towards the street in one piece, knocked out its setting by the force of the blow. While Syd keeps the guards covered, Hawkeye ensures that not even magic healing will bring their two targets back. He uses his Ruger to blast first Pinkins then Glitterface in the head.

Obrik runs back into the room and slams the broken door closed as angry shouts are heard from the hallway from security alerted by the Thump. The druid uses his magic to warp the door so that it cannot be easily opened as they make their escape. First Trollick, then Hawkeye, then Obrik, and lastly Syd leap out of the open window to the street below where the still intact windowpane has already hit the concrete. Since the drop is a little over thirty-five feet, it is hardly a life-threatening jump. Suffering only a few bumps and bruises the Runners and Obrik find Shatterframe is waiting right in front of where they land with the sedan ready to roll.

The guard on the ground scowls and reaches to pull a weapon from his coat to interfere with the escape when one of Shatterframes shotguns pops up from her hood and blasts the man in the back, throwing him to the ground. Unhindered, the Runners pile into the vehicle and she speeds away with Enforcer 2 still a captive inside. True to their word the Runners dump the woman out a few blocks away and she runs off.

Contract complete: Collect 3000 credits

Decide on what to do about Captain Towers and her involvement in this case

Syd smiles at the way the events have turned out.

"Well, chummers, this has been a thrill ride. Now, about that Lone Star chickie, Towers --- I say we find a way to turn her rep into drek, if we can."