Death Valley: A Shadowrun RP (Game Thread)

[3quency]

Of course, Jade's already drinking. She's propping up the bar, downing her second JD of the night and making gooey eyes at a third.
She's not expecting the noisy, sparkly Face to come bothering her but try as she might she can't quite bring herself to be pissed off.

Hey, why would she be? She's clean, rested-up and Lillian's already looking worlds better. With any luck this mission could end with some actual degree of success. She's trying hard as she can not to think about Dylan's garage, hence the booze. Anyway, she smiles warmly as Ziggs comes up to her and listens to him.

"Aces high? Aces low? Ready for poker? 'Cause here we go?"

"Did speaking plainly like kill your parents when you were a kid or somethin'?" she laughs at him, but stands up. Why the hell not? When in Rome and all that shite.

"What's the game an' how pissed off will the staff be if I glass whoever's winnin'?" she says, tone still light.

 

[FalloutJack]

So, Jonesy was a happy camper to find that they were well-received and given guest-like treatment at this luxurious place. His request had gone over well and they were even helping with the incarceration of their mark. That was always a plus. For his convenience, though, Jonesy stopped in the hotel section to the room in question and explained thusly...

"Given that it would be unwise to have these three parading about your establishment, I would like to leave them with the man as well. For his, and everyone else's, protection."

Trouble could work either way. This was an extra layer in case somebody tough tried to get in...and if for any reason Tobias wanted to get out. What else would you expect the Bogies to DO in a situation like this other than be guard dogs? With that taken care of - because the notion not only made sense, but would be welcomed in his case - Jonesy came down into the main floor and saw quite a bit of commotion. He wasn't really a gambler, and frankly wasn't sure he should anyway. So instead, he picked up a drink and went in search of some food. The pups deserved a bit of the niceties and frankly, he was famished. On the way, he heard...

"...how pissed off will the staff be if I glass whoever's winnin'?"

"Every shaman would see it, including me. And I wouldn't be able to stop 'em, so don't do 'dat."

 

[Birdfalcon]

Kristoff sat in his room the other runners had gone down to the bar & casino Kris would join them soon but he had work to do first casually flipping through the televison he passed on the premuim video game collection and collection of elf porn that every resort seemed to offer. He finally settled on the local news and filled a coffee mug with water from the sink as he pulled out his smartphone and dialed a number.


"Ya'et'tahh...aoo' It's the new silaggo..can you put me through to the local Windtalker commander...sure I can wait" A few minutes later he a female voice was heard and he smiled starting to speak "Yeah...I'm in the general area now some casino...I don't know Timbsha probaly but we are near the Western Arizona border so it might be Apache or Hopi too" he nodded and exhaled "Yeah...look I'm working a run for the Yaks....why can't I just rough up some locals...beacuse I don't feel like pissing off the NAN today and your boys can get info I need better in this part of the States." Kris leaned back in the bed "Yeah don't worry I'll be able to treat you to a nice dinner this time with my share of the bounty on this guy's head....your a doll as always...thanks" Kris hung up and chugged the rest of his water before putting his gun under his pillow and going to join the others at the bar/casino he felt like getting some booze and getting comps at blackjack.

 

[Terratina.]

"Did speaking plainly like kill your parents when you were a kid or somethin'?" She replied, in an oddly jovial mood.

Jade seemed to be on the drinks already, but not in a sullen mood, fortunately. Ziggy even got a smile. He wondered if the sullen sniper even smiled, that scarred face always seemed to be stuck in some sort of grimace. There might even be room for her by Ziggy's side if she stopped the oh-so-serious act and relaxed for a little while. The shamen had given them food, shelter and plenty of entertainment to tide them over until the Yakuza turned up in their limousine to take schoolchild-slayer Tobias away. He looked at the message again while Jonesy walked over to their little corner, the message phased politely and concisely - typical Japanese. Nevertheless, the wheels of fortune spun to and fro, and decided to take advantage of his luck.

"I suffer from sesquipedalianitis and fits." He replied back in the stern manner of somebody admitted they suffered from some dreadful disease, hoping the rather poor portmanteau of the word and the Latin suffix for inflammation wouldn't be lost on her.

Still, it looked like she was up for some fun. And why not? The 'run was practically over, unless the homeless chromes cobbled enough money to have a gamble. Ziggy thought about the self-proclaimed Reverend. Ziggy had caught him making eyes at him during the little 'confrontation' between the team and the shamen. He grinned at the tricks he could pull to unnerve the devout member of the team. But maybe he wanted a little of the ol' Ziggy action? In his view, Ziggy thought that everyone needed a little bit of zazz in their lives. Oh, he would have fun with this one. Jonesy had overheard their little conversation, no doubt, and was intent on taking Jade's little joke seriously and warned them about messing with the shamen 'waiters'.

"What's the game an' how pissed off will the staff be if I glass whoever's winnin'?"

"Deal the cards and break some hearts, it'ssssss poker!" He said with a flourish, then counted the number of games available to play here on his hand, "Or Blackjack or baccarat or... Anything you please."

Recovering from the little slip up, Ziggy was never good at remembering names, he gave a wink, "I'm sure they'll definitely be pissed if that big pile o' money there were to suddenly vanish, anyway, won fairly." His voice dropped to a whisper, "Or not."

 

[MortifiedPenguin]

The contract was nearly completed, soon the 'run would be over and then Sonya would hopefully never have to work with these lunatics again, sure she had worked worked with some eclectic types before, but these really took the biscuit. She stretched after she got out of the cramped VTOL and eyed the hotel that the Yaks had arranged for them to stay at. It was garish, it looked like the glam-rock reject Ziggy would fit right in here. They were greeted by a group of native americans, probably shamans and their own Shaman, Jonsey, greeted them.

The other 'runner flocked towards the bright lights of the casino or the bar, but all Sonya wanted was some time to herself, to relax and then go to sleep. The shamans that had greeted them had given them all key cards to their owns rooms and without a word to the others she left the other 'runners and sauntered up to her room.

 

[3quency]

The ELf starts jabbering again and Jade just smiles and nods. When he takes the serious tone she can't stop herself from laughing again.

"I hear there's an ointment for that." she teases.

Jonesy offers a warning as Jade finishes talking and she flashes her trademark grin at him.
"No worries mate, just foolin'. We Glaswegians ain't all about violence an' Whisky."

She follows Ziggy through the casino and spends some time taking him in.
He's definitely from the n'Og. He's done a pretty decent job of burying the accent but you can never quite be rid of it. And if you've lived there awhile yourself you can't help but get an ear for it.
The question is, why's he taking Yak money to kidnap a child-murderer? Sure some folks would do it for free, but that's not the point. She wonders what he did to their esteemed peers that got him kicked out. Whatever it is, she can't help but feel a little respect for the guy. Anybody who pisses of the High-And-Mighty Elf Supremacists is a decent guy in her books.

"I'm sure they'll definitely be pissed if that big pile o' money there were to suddenly vanish, anyway, won fairly." He responds to her comment, and she can see the confidence in his eyes. His voice dropped to a whisper, "Or not."

Jade's face becomes very serious for a second. Some cogs turn in her brain. The smile returns, but now it's got an edge to it.

"Game on, big man." she says "let's take 'em to the cleaners."

 

[Asclepion]

Rogue Knight was led to the party's room, where she laid her weapons inside the door. Then, still analyzing the surroundings for evasive maneuvers, sh came into the next chamber, a washroom. The runner kept alert as she reached into the shower and turned on the water. She started to take off her undersuit, zipping out of it and letting the streaming jets run water past her muscles.

Below, others in the party engaged in their game, folding and bluffing and snapping quips. When the target was extracted, the Nuyen reward would be split among them, and the Shadowrunners had the option then to part ways- that is, unless the question of the assailants became urgent.

[hr]

The next day was spent in preparation to leave. Lillian was at shop and would be ready to depart by morning. As it was getting dark, the casino was as alive as before. When the hour was nearing 9:00, the Shadowrunners were waiting in the lobby. The Limousine was on route.

When they arrived, the Shamans did not retrieve the gunman. In his place, a shaman came down and explained to the runners "Something is wrong with your man. He is in a state of panic. There is -"

A warbling howl cut him off, echoing from higher in the building.

[HEADING=2]HHHOOOOOOOOOOUUUUURRRRRWWWWWLLLLL!!![/HEADING]

 

[FalloutJack]

Yes, it had been a good night to be alive. A fine meal, great entertainment, and the amusement of watching people lose at gambling. Being not a gambler himself, Jonesy felt that the misfortune of others who do not see how rich the casino is around them should be enjoyed. Seriously, a place like this made money hand over fist. That meant that you yourself did NOT come to these things to make money or get really lucky yourself. Suffice to say, the night ended without incident or intrigue. He wouldn't have minded a little intrigue, but he wasn't familiar enough with the female cast yet.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Thus, later...we have everybody ready and suited up that evening. Though he rather liked being out of his attire and being recognized a bit, Jonesy was in his hat and coat and with his gun and such by the evening. Instinct... He was a shaman of Dog. If he didn't feel that something could go wrong, that he had to be prepared, then he wasn't a very good shaman.

And so, when the man came down instead of Tobias and he heard the howls...

"Oh shiiiiiiiiiiit!"

...Jonesy was speeding back towards the holding room before he reached the 'T' in his explicative. This hounds were instructed not to kill their mark. He'd made damn sure of that, but there was only so much one could do in a situation. The man was a capable fighter with spurs in his hands. If you egg his pups on enough, they'll trust more in instinct and turn you into kibble. Remember the book entry: Packs of Bogies are fearless. Jonesy half-feared their captive was hurting his dogs, half-worried that they were having him for dinner! He reached out to them and gave direct commands.

Fight, but do not kill! Do not kill! Not yet...

He would know what exactly was going on when he got there, gun drawn and magic cued up.

 

[Birdfalcon]

"Rule one of shadowrunning....when the job is too easy...remeber that something bigger is just around the corner to fuck your whole day up" Kris mummred to himself when he heard what was going, He reacted like Jonesy did following him at top speed. "No need for the firepower yet..too many civvies might cause a panic/riot." Kris thought to himself, no one was chattering in his ear so he wasn't quite sure but he would go in ready for a fight and ready to bring down the house adept style.

 

[Mr.Ivebeenframed]

Blue's night before was a flurry of drinking, and partying as they arrived in the casino to drop off their target. The others took to the night their own way with a few of them staying and a few of the others going to their rooms.

Blue awoke to a throbbing headache and awaited for the job to be over so that they would part ways. But soon a loud howl send a hammer to his head. He held his head and clenched his jaw as he saw Jonesy run up the hotel.

"Ahhh.. what the hell do your dogs want?" Blue growled.

 

[Terratina.]

"Game on, big man." Jade said, "let's take 'em to the cleaners."

And that was about the only coherent memory he had of last night. The rest was a blur of spinning roulette wheels and alcohol. Ziggy grimaced as he pulled himself up. Ow, my head, ow, my back,ow my... everything... He had woken in the middle of a casino table, half-naked, with a roulette table stabbing into his back and a rather large amount of nuyen stuffed into his 'special stash spot'. It was uncomfortable to say the least, Ziggy was al It must have gone rowdy last night since everything around in was in disarray, the table, for one, was a victim of dismemberment - one leg had been ripped off and the table, making it stand at an angle. Ziggy could sympathise, his hangover was the worst he had ever experienced. He looked over to a still-snoring Jade, lying beside him in the leftovers of a nuyen snow angel adorned with a few broken bottles of JD.

He sulked out of the main room, trying to keep the half-unzipped jumpsuit up, and left the mess to the cleaners. He clambered up the stairs to his hotel room to sort out the rather annoying bundle of money down there. Think of the pain if there was any paper cuts! Ziggy shuddered as he slipped out of the clothes and into the shower. At least he had woken up early, before the casino started up again. He had enough time to mend the dents in his mohawk, and within a few hours, he was right as rain again. Jade probably was the one who was worst off. It was all coming back now. There were wins, lots of wins, and Jade had spent at least a quarter of it on booze and then said something about 'singing for your supper' in a drunken slur, and of course, Ziggy had responded to that by 'dancing for his supper'. But, well, it was more like stripping.

Nevertheless, he shrugged off the shame and decided to rest up for a bit before the Yaks arrived to collect their precious child-murderer or talking to Jade again. Still, that girl knew how to party, though he thought that the saying 'each to their own' summed up his feelings on it pretty well. Suddenly, a howl rang through the rooms, just as Ziggy was about to knock upon Miss Glaswegians Are More Than Violence and Whisky's door to see if the sleeping angel was awake. Something had happened. Ziggy sighed as he ran down the stairs to the source of the noise, almost tripping over as he pulled the zipper and put his gloves on. Something always happened. Hopefully, the guy was just spooked and had tried to escape, hopefully...

 

[Asclepion]

As they ran, there was a comm from the Yakuza. "We're outside, Kisama. Where the hell are you?"

The Shamans with them questioned back and forth in their comms with security. There had been someone else looking for their target. The man was talking about a signal and in extreme distress. He somehow got out of his restraints and ran up the stairs to the next floor before jumping out the window on a table that he had attatched a kinetic dampener to.
[hr]

Mayan Hotel - Executive Offices​

The door where the gunman was kept had been kicked down. Some native shamans were there, their heads severed from their bodies, and Matsy bleeding and whining in a corner. Tatsy and Shatsy were farther down the hallway, and between them was a figure that was being mauled. Still alive, he was thrashing against the two massive canines that were on top of him. He was clean-shaven and wearing a hotel uniform, and shockingly composed for someone about to get their throat ripped out by a pair of horned rottweilers. Shatsy crushed his windpipe and vertebrae with a loud snap and in the man's death shout they could see his teeth were rotten- a homeless man who had donned a uniform- and in his convulsions they ripped at it to expose a Semtex charge under his clothes.

 

[FalloutJack]

"Ahhh.. what the hell do your dogs want?"

"They're my early warning system. Take a guess!"

"No need for the firepower yet..too many civvies might cause a panic/riot."

"Like hell."

Even before their arrival, Jonesy had felt the viciousness as feedback to know that his hounds were in serious combat. When he got there...the door was kicked in, there were decapitated shamans, and Matsy was wounded... I don't care who you are or what town you come from. When a dog of any kind is whimpering in pain, it reaches into your heart and gives it a nasty twist. But...Jonesy hadn't even gone inside yet, not when he also saw Shatsy and Tatsy tearing apart the assailant, exposing-

Oh shit, NO! He's wired to blow! How much explosives? How much time 'till it detonates?

All this thought in a tiny, frantic, instant in his mind before making three very-quick and instinct-driven commands.

"Shatsy, door! Tatsy, throw! NOW FUCKING RUN!!!"

The mental impressions he gave them were faster than his words. He was just so quick to act that he spoke it and thought it at once. What was it? It was a command to Accident a door nearby to make it fall off of the hinges and for the other Bogie to toss it in before they both just made a break for it away from the blast zone. The room in question was possibly away from the holding room enough that nothing in there would be disturbed. The two canines still on their feet would run back to master directly after the toss. Why he didn't tell them to just run? Physics. A blast in an enclosed space will take the path of least resistance and send a flaming wall down the corridor as it damages the walls. A blast located in a room will fill up the room before escaping, and the wall of flame will not happen as much or at all. That given, Jonesy shouted as he ran into the holding room, heading for Matsy to Heal him.

"Fire in the hole!!"

Please Dog, let this work...

 

[3quency]

The Howl snaps Jade awake and she's instantly in agony.
Her face is stuck to the table and she's trying not to think too hard about how that happened. Bottles surround her, and she has a vague memory of lecturing Ziggy on why Yank alcohol was shite, how this stuff didn't hold a candle to Glenfiddich and a rather detailed explanation of why she was still drinking it anyway.

The debris around her implies the rest of the night was pretty damn good, but as usual she'll have to play detective about that later.
She staggers a little as she stands and the light's burning right into her skull but she's had much worse before. There's another brief flashback: something about Mr. Sparkles beginning to disrobe. She frowns.

"Nah. We didn't." she mutters to herself, more as a reassurance than anything else.

And then she remembers what woke her up.
Jesus, what was that? If things were already going wrong...
"Can never catch a fuckin' break."
She mutters as she takes the stairs down to the noise two at a time. And there she sees Jonesy, hurrying over to one of his freaky dog-things. That must have been what woke her up.

"Man, what in the hell's goin' on? Barghests don't scream that bad!"

 

[Birdfalcon]

Kris noticed the Semtex as well "Holy shi..." and that was all he could get out before he was forced to dive for cover behind a nearby chest high wall. Keeping crouched as Jonsey threw the bomb all he could do was mutter over and over about taking nothing for granted

 

[Asclepion]

The blast was sent shockwaves up the building, shaking the walls.

From outside the gunman could be seen several stories down, running among the fountains and carvings across the roof. He leapt at a skylight and crashed through it, falling into the gaming floor. On the street was a black limousine and the Yakuza. Further down the the street, more buses and SUV's.

There was another, continuous noise- like a hurricane. Tempests of wind flowed off the walls, and a floodlight passed over the window, sweeping the side of the building and searching the casino roof. From below came a gunship, the cyclone of its turbines filling the air. What first seemed like Lillian was actually a drone, a full-size hovering UAV with long manipulators and an array of manifolds. Two tremendous guns were linked at the sides, rotating gatling projectiles mounted on flexible jointed cylinders. Racked across the front were sensors, glowing as they scanned the building.

 

[Mr.Ivebeenframed]

As soon as Blue heard the sounds of panic and what sounded like "Fire in the hole!", he hit the floor despite his hangover. The sound wasn't the worst part but the shock wave that passed through sent debris flying. Blue's headache felt like someone taking a jackhammer to his brain by the time he rose up from his fetal position. He leaned his head outside a window to see debris fall down below but most importantly, the huge UAV that hovered around the building. The drone was armed to the teeth and it didn't look very friendly to begin with.

"I think we should start running back. Like now." Blue said.

 

[Birdfalcon]

Kristoff's phone rang to the tune of Spiderbait's cover of "Ghost riders in the sky." picking it up Kris spoke into the bluetooth around his ear. "Give me something good Nascha....well besides having a bomb going off near me and the run going to shit I'm fine...hell you could even throw in one of those Hunter-Killer things from the Terminator movies and I would be peachy." He stopped and turned looking out the newly created hole in the wall and started to mutter. "Of course...I need blue prints of this place and a the phone number of the local tribal emgergnacy services now...No I cant wait a minute...not unless you can teleport me an RPG and some rockets"

He sighed and kept low to the ground pistol in one hand as Nascha sent him the number quickly putting on a second line he dailed the number adn spoke into the reciver "Yeah...this is Officer Kristoff Jameson with the Arizona Lonestar NPPD branch....I'm on vaction here and got a bit of a problem with Cyber Terrorists attacking my hotel...yeah send backup and a few fire trucks and ablunces my squad of undercovers and I can take care of things here..ok yeah...I'll stay alive"

Kris then shouted to the other runners present "HEY...IF ANY LOCAL LAWMEN ASK YOU GUYS ARE ALL PART OF LONESTAR SWAT TASK FORCE 0041...CODE NAME "Ranger Squad" GOT THAT!!!...WERE GONNA GET OUT HERE ALIVE...VICOUSLY AND BRUTALLY MAIMED PROBALY...BUT ALIVE"

 

[Terratina.]

As soon as Ziggy saw the Semtex, he was out of there like a shot. Using the speed built up from the urgent rush to get the hell outta there, he decided to run around the place, looking for whenever their target had wandered off to. A voice rang around the building, though Ziggy didn't catch all of what it said in the confusing chaos that ensued. Did he hear it shout "Kisama"? Well, that wasn't a very nice thing to say. They had been chased from Seattle to this desolate place by chrome bums in chasing this child-murder and that was all they had to say to the 'runners? There were crappy clients and there were clients, everybody seemed to expect a contracted crew of 'runners to solve their problems, not like anything would happen to screw up the 'run and create more of a mess than they had been sent to fix.

Ziggy grunted as he zipped through the stairways and windows and spotted the armed-to-the-teeth drone creating a racket, he decided against contacting the punk party animal, as that would only led to awkward questions about the events of last night. Ziggy was adamant that nothing happened between the two; after all, there had been a barrier of nuyen between him and her. He somersaulted out of the drone's way, but he was confident that the drone would see the cyber-cowboy as more of a threat that a loudly dressed Elf with a tightly fitting jumpsuit which was only a few inches of material away from total nudity. He heard the wannabe vigilante scream about pretending to be part of a Lone Star squad.

"HEY...IF ANY LOCAL LAWMEN ASK YOU GUYS ARE ALL PART OF LONESTAR SWAT TASK FORCE 0041...CODE NAME "Ranger Squad" GOT THAT!!!...WERE GONNA GET OUT HERE ALIVE...VICOUSLY AND BRUTALLY MAIMED PROBALY...BUT ALIVE"

"Dibs on being the deep under-cover cop!" Ziggy replied and then said with a wink, "I go undercover often anyway, if you get my meaning..."

Of course, Ziggy had said those words without thinking about the ramifications. What if Jade took it the wrong way? He just hoped that she took it in good humour, after all, last night was a fun time of jokes, stripping and lectures about Glenfiddich.

He quickly added while indicting to his... 'area', "I think I've been already brutally maimed by a buncha nuyen notes, damn paper-cuts."

 

[MortifiedPenguin]

Why couldn't a job like this ever go simply, the day or so before they had fought off a small army, captured the target and got him to the drop off location. But no, that was to simple, something had to throw a spanner in the work. They should've had someone keeping an eye on him, making sure he was sedated at all times, then instead of wondering what Jonsey's 'dogs' were making a fuss about, she would be walking away with her money. The other 'runners went barrelling into the hotel, she stayed outside. If he was making a break for it and got past them, she would be prepared to knock him back out.

*BOOM*

Seriously? less then five minutes had passed and there was already an explosion. What were they up to in there?

No time to think about that. The gunman was weaving his way through the fountains and other decorations on the roof, to fast to get a clear shot and then he was gone. Where? Sonya tried to find him following his trajectory out of the building, trying to find all the exits she could see. If he was trying to escape, he would try and take the path of lest resistance, like the explosion inside, presuming he was sane enough to think out a plan. No he would be working on instinct. She scoped out the street, there was the black limo, that where the Yaks were and behind them were....More buses and SUV's

*There are more of those buses and SUV's coming our way, we need to finish this quickly" She could here a noise like Jade's VTOL, except Jade was inside. It wasn't the VTOL is was a drone, where the hell where these homeless guys getting all this money from, "That's not the worst part, there a drone outside the building, fully armed, I'm gonna try and take it out."

She got out the explosive rounds Sven had given her to test out and loaded them into her rifle, he had told they had quite the kick, but they were still prototypes. It was now or never. She took aim and fired.