Yesterday evening my players made things complicated for me in my superhero game, and I'd like some advice. So please, if you could bear with my long explanation:
Background:
Players are given a hint to go to Philippines and protect a witness whom is about the testify against K14-triad. Players only know the name of the witness, name of the motel she's staying at and that two policemen posing as civilians are guarding her. Players have no additional info, no phone numbers, nada.
Players:
Three low-level superheroes (Punisher-esque) that have international security company. Like ex-Blackwater Worldwide with some (unrealistic) freedom to maneuver and limited immunity against prosecution.
Philippine police:
Corrupted as corrupted can be. Two civilian policemen are aware of the players, but they are ordered to keep up the charade and hold the witness as a secret at all cost. Just because the witness says that some outside agency or Santa Claus is coming, it means nothing for them. The undercover cops are keeping the witness not only as a secret from triad, but also from all other cops. Any slip-up will get them all killed. There is absolutely no way they would accept any outside help.
Currently a corrupted Chief Master Sergeant is trying to locate the witness and have her killed. At all cost, of course.
Witness:
A pimp who sold out her employees to get immunity. Scared of her life, and clinging to any chance to keep her worthless life.
What happened:
Players came to the motel, and two undercover cops got really interested about them. They chatted a lot. Police tried to find out who the players were. Cops received a solid hint that these might be the superheroes that were here to protect the witness, but naturally they couldn't reveal their own cards. So players were now exposed to the cops, but cops weren't exposed to the players. This was a nice deal to the undercover cops.
Eventually players found out where witness was, and without any hesitation they took her with them - without informing the police.
The two cops found out that the witness is gone, and came out with the story to local police. They blew their cover, and the corrupted cops issued a manhunt for the lost witness. The idea for the crooked cops was to get the witness back and now orchestrate a new "witness-protection program" where they would be involved and get the witness would be killed before the trial. They were pretty pissed off that current one was done by honest cops.
So the players were extremely easy to find, since the witness was using her own papers and name to register into a hotel (she's a dumb) and players were also using the same names they were using in the previous motel.
So Philippine SWAT comes and they have orders to retrieve the witness and not to arrest the players because of their status. Since the witness is so important, they wanted to hold her in a witness-protection, not externalize it to a foreign private company, especially since the witness was removed without any official consent.
So the SAF comes, and asks to have the witness. Players beat the policemen up, and escape with the witness.
Now their are driving outside Angeles City, trying to reach a small motel in some town.
I don't know how to continue from here? Witness should testify after 5 days, the players are running with her as far as they can, all the good cops and bad cops are after them, and they have no allies in the who country. Any advice is appreciated. Is there a good legal way out of this mess?
Background:
Players are given a hint to go to Philippines and protect a witness whom is about the testify against K14-triad. Players only know the name of the witness, name of the motel she's staying at and that two policemen posing as civilians are guarding her. Players have no additional info, no phone numbers, nada.
Players:
Three low-level superheroes (Punisher-esque) that have international security company. Like ex-Blackwater Worldwide with some (unrealistic) freedom to maneuver and limited immunity against prosecution.
Philippine police:
Corrupted as corrupted can be. Two civilian policemen are aware of the players, but they are ordered to keep up the charade and hold the witness as a secret at all cost. Just because the witness says that some outside agency or Santa Claus is coming, it means nothing for them. The undercover cops are keeping the witness not only as a secret from triad, but also from all other cops. Any slip-up will get them all killed. There is absolutely no way they would accept any outside help.
Currently a corrupted Chief Master Sergeant is trying to locate the witness and have her killed. At all cost, of course.
Witness:
A pimp who sold out her employees to get immunity. Scared of her life, and clinging to any chance to keep her worthless life.
What happened:
Players came to the motel, and two undercover cops got really interested about them. They chatted a lot. Police tried to find out who the players were. Cops received a solid hint that these might be the superheroes that were here to protect the witness, but naturally they couldn't reveal their own cards. So players were now exposed to the cops, but cops weren't exposed to the players. This was a nice deal to the undercover cops.
Eventually players found out where witness was, and without any hesitation they took her with them - without informing the police.
The two cops found out that the witness is gone, and came out with the story to local police. They blew their cover, and the corrupted cops issued a manhunt for the lost witness. The idea for the crooked cops was to get the witness back and now orchestrate a new "witness-protection program" where they would be involved and get the witness would be killed before the trial. They were pretty pissed off that current one was done by honest cops.
So the players were extremely easy to find, since the witness was using her own papers and name to register into a hotel (she's a dumb) and players were also using the same names they were using in the previous motel.
So Philippine SWAT comes and they have orders to retrieve the witness and not to arrest the players because of their status. Since the witness is so important, they wanted to hold her in a witness-protection, not externalize it to a foreign private company, especially since the witness was removed without any official consent.
So the SAF comes, and asks to have the witness. Players beat the policemen up, and escape with the witness.
Now their are driving outside Angeles City, trying to reach a small motel in some town.
I don't know how to continue from here? Witness should testify after 5 days, the players are running with her as far as they can, all the good cops and bad cops are after them, and they have no allies in the who country. Any advice is appreciated. Is there a good legal way out of this mess?