The five Shadowrunners returned to the train carriage with their 'package.' The scene was very much the same as they had left it, sans a monstrous creature of a troll who was no longer lying dead in the aisle. The stain remained in the already heavily downtrodden carpet, but the corpse was gone.
No one was interested in asking any questions about what had transpired, so the team took their seats - Richard next to the suit bag and Kablisk, Trigger, Wyrine, and Cruiser across the aisle. Several minutes passed and the door wheeled shut with a rusty metallic locking sound. The train lurched forward and they were on their way to make the delivery. Thresher woke up in his latest squat. It was an office building that had been left derelict for quite some time. It was near some of the less frequented docks in Tacoma and that was enough for him. He followed the smell of the ocean and saw some dock workers going about their morning business moving cargo and readying shipments. Thresher stretched his thick troll muscles and took his time drinking in the view. He was low on Nuyen and placed a call to his Oddities Broker, Amil, to see if there was any work. Amil told him that there were some rumblings in the magic underground about something big going down and if Thresher was interested, Amil could try and get him in. Thresher wasn't picky and immediately agreed. Amil told him that he would call back with some details shortly. Pony awoke in his favorite storage locker. The manager of the facility had originally been charmed to let him stay there, but Pony gradually eased off the spell to make it look as if he had been there the entire time with no issues. He did his best to make himself mildly presentable with his limited selection of torn and dirty clothing. Pony greeted the manager, Odell Block, as he walked off the premises. Odell tipped his bowler hat, dressed in his signature kind of retro-future British dandy style. Being a squatter much like Thresher, he too was in desperate need of money. He turned to his Talismonger contact, Bob, to see if there was any Shadowrunning work available. After thirty seconds of ringing, the commlink picked up with a great clatter in the background. Bob answered with his stereotypical aloofness. Pony explained his circumstances and Bob thought a minute. He haphazardly explained about a gathering of magic-users that was meant to happen tonight at the edge of the city, Carnation-Seattle Ranch. There would be a caravan heading to Denver to engage in a large operation. Pony was to speak to someone named Squid. With that information, Pony began his arduous journey on public transit across half of the city from Everett to the eastern edge of Redmond. Amil returned his call to Thresher and explained much the same information that Pony had just received from Bob. Thresher thanked his contact for the lead and gathered his significant weapon collection of bladed instruments before mounting his motorcycle to travel across the length of Seattle for the ranch. After a couple of hours of traffic while cruising across the Metroplex, Thresher confronted an entirely different kind of scenery once he passed the threshold of the mountain range surrounding Ames Lake. There were lush fields and green pastures for a variety of farms dotting the landscape. He spotted the ranch on the northern outskirts of the city of Carnation with a welcoming sign. It was a large plot of land with a number of small buildings dotting the property. They looked like something out of Old West trids, constructed entirely out of wood materials. Thresher was unsure what to do at this point, so he parked his bike near the sign, lit a cigarette and sat down, crossing his legs. After some time had passed, a large tour bus was spotted from a distance and approached the ranch. Thresher watched it pass the sign and park in front of one of the buildings. It sat idle and through the windows he could see an assortment of different magical folk inside, all with unique styles of appearance. Dusting himself off, Thresher walked to the bus and inquired of the driver about Squid. The dwarven lady at the wheel chuckled and told him he'd have to find Squid inside. Thresher nodded and set off for the nearest wood cabin. He entered the cabin and peered around in the dim light. There was only a single lantern illuminating the living room and a handful of enclosed candles spread around elsewhere. The interior was predictable, based on the exterior's aesthetics. There were antlers, antique rifles, and furniture of all kinds made completely out of wood. Thresher began combing the four rooms, calling Squid's name. There was no reply. Pony had made it to the city of Carnation by bus. After countless route changes and bus changes, he was only a fifteen minute walk north from the city to the ranch property. He made it to the outskirts just in time to see a tour bus pulling in to the driveway to park in front of one of the ranch houses. Pony got the same response as Thresher from the bus driver and he too headed inside. He found a Native American Nations troll perusing the domicile, already intimidating by his massive stature, but excessively so because of his rugged look. After a brief conversation, they came to find they had locating Squid in common. Pony used his Assensing ability to locate an individual in a room beneath them. There were no visible entrances or stairs, so he Astrally projected to get the attention of the glowing figure. The entity gestured at the far right corner of the northeast room. Returning to his body, Pony followed the directions of the person and began combing through the study. It was a room filled with furniture like bookcases, a desk, and a long table, but short on content beyond that. Only a small number of physical books were laid sporadically around the shelves. Thresher followed and joined Pony in the search, but he was perplexed at what had just transpired. He had just witnessed Pony unexpectedly falling unconscious for a number of seconds and then snap out of it to stand up as if nothing had happened. A careful examination of the corner where two bookcases met revealed a small black metallic pressure switch that one could step on. Pony put his foot down and Thresher jumped back, narrowly avoiding one of the bookcases swinging out to uncover a set of granite steps leading down. The two cautiously descended and found a dungeon-like space that was dimly lit like the upstairs, but with magical paraphernalia spread all over the room. There were bubbling beakers, containers with multicolored liquids, and powdered materials of all types. A tall, thin humanoid with jet black dreadlocks was bent over a table with its back facing Thresher and Pony. "Squid?" A male elf faced them and peered through narrow rectangular lenses, answering with a posh accent. Pony and Thresher asked about the situation with the tour bus and Denver. Squid gave as many details as he could, but emphasized that he was only an intermediary. He explained that there was a gathering of magical folk that were being tasked with separate missions, all leading to the greater good of a grand plot to stop some terrible magic from awakening. Pony and Thresher would receive their individual directions in Denver. The compensation would be made through any fenced goods they acquired at the University of Denver, where their targets were. Thresher worried about his motorcycle parked out front and Squid assured him it would be well taken care of if one artifact could be pilfered from the university; details to be provided en route. Thresher agreed and set off with Pony to the coach bus. They engaged the motley crew in small talk as they made themselves comfortable, spreading out magical equipment and materials while the bus headed for Denver. With a canned announcement over train speakers that went previously unnoticed, Wyrine, Trigger, Kablisk, Cruiser, and Richard had reached their destination - the UCAS territory of Denver. The team readied their equipment and Trigger slung the suit bag over his shoulder, first checking that the specimen had been properly watered. The group followed behind the woman in the faux fur coat, with the bruised metahuman children and the person in the cloak and wide brimmed hat taking up the rear. They marched one by one through the train yard to a dilapidated concrete bunker that could be seen in the distance from the carriage. Ten individuals reached an orange-tinged, riveted iron door. The incognito woman rapped a Morse code out on the door and a series of creaky locks were released. A silhouetted figure bid them all to enter. They crept into the darkness, one by one. The coach bus pulled into UCAS Denver territory, the scenery drastically changing from a spread of flora and fauna in NAN to the Seattle-esque lighted neons and greys of concrete in the miniature Metroplex. They stopped in front of the Ares Macrotechnologies complex, skyscrapers towering over them and a giant spartan statue staring them down. The assembly of magic-users all got off the bus, separately, after gathering all of their odds and ends. Thresher exited last, mainly because he didn't want to inconvenience others with the bulk of his troll stature. Passengers headed in various directions and a few hung around the disembarkation point. Both Thresher and Pony were unsure of what to do. Pony decided to call Bob, since he was the one who had originally provided the work. Bob answered in his usual confused fashion. He spent a good amount of time rummaging through all manner of materials before he came to the conclusion that he would need to message Pony once he found what he was looking for. Thresher recalled that Squid had said he would be provided with more information upon reaching the destination, so all he could do was light a cigarette and wait. After a few minutes, a business chic woman with slicked back hair approached the small group of Awakened. She provided data chips to Thresher and a couple of other individuals, explaining that all of the details they would need were contained there. Abhoring technology, Thresher took a breath and examined the data chip through his commlink goggles. He found the contact information and a brief dossier for a Shadowrunner named Trigger, as well as the rendezvous location of Sal's Coffin Motel. Pony received a message rife with grammatical errors, but it contained the contact information for one 'Ricky Ricardo,' a shaman who also shared Bob as a Talismonger contact, along with the same rendezvous point that Thresher had received. The two decided to grab a taxi together and begin their commute to the edge of the Free Trade Zone. Pony appealed to the maternal affectations of the elderly taxi driver, talking to her about grandchildren and him being down on his luck. It scored the pair of them a small discount on the fare. The illumination in the tunnel was quite minimal. It looked as if at one time there was a string of well-placed lights glowing through the entire length of the shaft, but neglect had left all but a handful still functioning and spread at uneven intervals. Everyone began the descent as the tunnel gradually angled downwards. It was noticeable that as they descended further, more trash was accumulating on the sides of the tunnel and fewer lights were providing illumination. Eventually the channel leveled off and now the ten people were navigating around piles of refuse, those with Low Light vision being far more successful than the others. The woman in the faux fur stopped in her tracks. Wyrine and Trigger noticed it, too. There was a humanoid digging through some of the garbage about ten meters away. The woman exploded into action and rushed the creature, attacking it as she had the troll in the train carriage. There was a quick flash of steel and by the time the dust had settled, the woman had easily stabbed it a dozen times in the span of a few seconds. She flicked her blades and threw black liquid off of them. Whatever she had assaulted certainly wasn't human or metahuman. The woman continued forward. One by one, the Shadowrunners passed the corpse. Its skin color made it clear that it hadn't been exposed to the light of day in quite some time. The black liquid oozing out of the stab wounds was very clearly 'blood,' but not the kind any of them were accustomed to. Wyrine came to the realization that they were looking at a ghoul - they could expect more as they congregated in large packs. Not more than a minute's walk further down the tunnel and everyone stopped together. They had all sighted that which they had feared - a mass of ghouls some dozen or more strong. The ghouls were picking through the trash; the scent of the travelers hadn't reached them yet. Seizing the advantage of a lack of air current, Cruiser gestured to the platinum blonde haired woman to step aside, as Trigger, Kablisk, Wyrine, and he all drew firearms and let loose a salvo. It was enough to fell several of them, but the element of surprise was no longer theirs. The remaining ghouls wheeled to face the group and began approaching them, not at a full-out run, but at a hurried pace. Kablisk was having trouble connecting shots as his lack of Low Light vision was making aiming difficult, even when firing into a pack of Awakened creatures. Wyrine, Trigger, and Cruiser had more success. Wyrine injured one with a burst from his Ingram Smartgun. Trigger put several down with a spray of gunfire from his HK, and Cruiser's Rotodrone took one down with its own weapon. Richard loosed a Manaball and caught several more of them in a destructive blast of magical energy. The cloaked figure guarding the rear drew a Monofilament sword that flashed with an electric blue. The remaining ghouls were close enough that the platinum blonde haired woman could dance with her blades and began cutting up the nearest fiends. En route to Sal's Coffin Motel, Thresher and Pony thought it would be pertinent to get in touch with the contacts that they were provided. They were both met with curt replies, explaining that they were otherwise preoccupied at the moment. They would either come to the vicinity of the Denver International Airport to help or continue on to the predetermined meetup location. Given that the airport was nearly double the distance they had already traveled from the shadow of Ares Macrotechnologies where they had been dropped off by the tour bus, they opted to maintain their course. Cruiser's drone sensors had caught movement behind the group. Several ghouls were now crawling out of a sewer grate that had been passed earlier, overlooked. The Shadowrunners spun on their heels and opened fire on the two monsters wriggling through the bars. They were in prone positions and dispatched easily with the combined help of multiple firearms. The group of ten shook off the adrenaline of the skirmish and proceeded to the entrance of the tunnel, where a wire mesh fence covered the length and breadth of the opening. There was a humanoid-size shape cut out of one corner of the barrier and each person passed through, carefully trying not to snag clothing and hair on the exposed fringe. The passengers of the train went their separate ways at this point, having become far removed from the prying eyes of security near the airport. The incognito woman in the faux fur coat headed south, with the two metachildren trailing her. The brimmed, masked, and cloaked individual went west. The team needed to decide on the best course of action to deliver the specimen and make their way to the rendezvous. Richard and Trigger returned their previously unanswered comm calls, telling Thresher and Pony that they would be on the way shortly, as soon as they acquired a conveyance. Thresher and Pony had time to kill, so after having liberated some Stuffer Shack delicacies from a fate in the dumpster, they made their way to the roof of a three floor apartment complex across from Burns Park where they could survey the area around the coffin motel. Wyrine spotted a transport van parked not far from their current location. He easily located it on the Matrix and cut through the basic electronic countermeasures with ease. Vehicles like this did not stand up well to professional Deckers. Wyrine handed over the user permissions to Cruiser so he could drive the team to the delivery point while having access to the full suite of Rigger controls. The bookstore was next door to The Trash and Treasures Antique Store, a quaint shop that sold a wide variety of exactly what the name insinuated. Wyrine walked in with Kablisk and they found a frizzy haired, bespectacled woman poring through a stack of paper books in the back of a narrow aisle. She was pleased to find the specimen brought to them in excellent condition and surprised to find that it was not, in fact, Patrice making the delivery. Tanja threw in an extra 1K Nuyen for their trouble - the team agreed that they would leave this detail out when talking to Israel the Coyote about his transport payment. The Shadowrunners had smooth passage west on Highway 70, but came to a minor obstacle when they saw the entrance to the Free Trade Zone. There were two officials outside a terminal examining the larger vehicles, like vans and big rig trucks. Cruiser realized he too would need to join the queue and have the requisitioned van examined or risk raising suspicion at the border. They pulled off the highway and immediately discussed their options. They came to a consensus on using Richard's Influence spell first and foremost; if things went south from there, they would take more aggressive measures. Minutes passed and they reached the front of the line. The officers on either side of the van gave them a steely gaze and Richard summoned the energies needed to implant the idea in each of their heads that only the bare minimum examination of this party was necessary. He worked the magicks with aplomb and successfully penetrated their willpower resistance. Both of the officials gave the van a once over and nodded to each other, waving Cruiser on - no questions or identification were necessary because there was nothing suspicious about five individuals in a transport van with several in outfits that screamed 'Shadowrunner.' The team continued on and made it to their destination with no other incidents. They parked the van in a paid parking lot not too far from the coffin motel. Whoever discovered the carjacked vehicle would have to pay to get it back. As the five walked towards the motel, Thresher and Pony spotted them from the apartment rooftop across from the park. Thresher gave Trigger a call to confirm they were the party being waited on. The seven of them gathered in front of the motel to converse about their next actions. Thresher and Pony were filled in more on some details of the scrolls the team were after at the University of Denver. They came to the conclusion that reconnaissance was crucial before determining how best to infiltrate the university. Thresher and Pony joined a small squatter camp in the park to pass the night and get some rest. The others entered Sal's Coffin Motel to rent spaces for the night. They would purchase some more appropriate outfits in the morning in order to better blend in with the student body on campus. "It must be nice to be rich," Thresher mused as he laid out on the hard ground and closed his eyes.
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AuthorI'm Dobie, GM of this Shadowrun group. I've been playing Shadowrun since Second Edition, though I had a serious hiatus and have just recently picked up Fifth Edition to get back into the Shadowrun universe. Archives
September 2017
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