How familiar?

Avery felt his skin flush as memories flickered through his mind.  Less than two miles away in either direction stood at least two motels Avery had patronized in the past.  Back when his stim-habit required something stronger than soykaf.  Or when youthful lust--or loneliness--had driven him to pay for a stranger's time: sixty minutes in a dingy, rat-filled room, sweating at the thought that someone was waiting outside to beat him up and rob him.

Avery had grown tired of being a slave to passion. Better to be wage slave to well-paying corporations. But while those times had passed...they were never far behind.

"Familiar enough..."

He gently tapped down the gas pedal, accelerating without disturbing the flow.

"If you've got something up your sleeve, I'd suggest you get it ready."
This message was last edited by the player at 02:02, Wed 08 Nov 2023.

As you get closer to the shore of the Oakland Estuary, the urban density fades behind you, leaving a wider field of view. You can make out the raindrops hitting the trunnions and fading green paint on the Park Street bridge.

There is something blocking the bridge. Out in the centre of the span, cars are beginning to back up on the bridge itself. Maybe a car accident, but it is tough to make out with the naked eye.

Werner spends a long moment in silence, presumably listening to something Roan is saying on the other end of the phone.

@Pacer. You know the area and have real time traffic feeds. Aside from the ‘No-man’s land’ of the two tunnels, Park Street and High Street are the only viable crossing. One side of the Fruitvale bridge locked in the high position about five years ago and can’t be used. The Miller-Sweany bridge went down in the ‘56 shaker.

"Looks like we're taking High Street," Pacer said, resisting the urge to slam the gas pedal.  "Traffic jam on Park," he muttered, more to himself, trying to keep calm--at least outwardly.

Inside, the familiar acid-taste of fear was bubbling up his throat as the sedan sped east toward High.
This message was last edited by the player at 01:55, Thu 09 Nov 2023.

“How many paths span the river?” she idly inquires. Dvořák sees no obvious reason anyone would go through the effort of setting up an ambush for Werner—after all, whatever has the director agitated is located elsewhere—but Avery’s anxiety is worth consideration nonetheless.

As Pacer mulls the question over and gets the car turned around…

Check the Situation.

20:17, Today: Mr. Johnson, on behalf of Sidewinder, rolled 7 using 2d6+1.  weak success

20:17, Today: Mr. Johnson, on behalf of Pacer, rolled 9 using 2d6+1. weak success

…you both take notice of a dark shape that emerges from under the bridge. A quad-copter of some kind, makes a lazy turn then picks up a vector heading directly toward your car.

From the back seat, Werner suddenly screams into the phone ”Why would they fraggin’ target me directly!?”

Dvořák tenses up but, without sensing any hostile intent, doesn’t immediately act upon spotting the aerial vehicle. It isn’t until Werner echoes her own thoughts that she decides they just don’t care what happens to anyone else in the car.

She takes a deep breath, trying to shove the urge to panic out of her mind. The only true danger she’s ever been exposed to is spirits who did not take kindly to being summoned. As formidable an opponent as a spirit may be, they are at least a threat she understands how to deal with. So she takes half a step onto the Astral Plane, briefly scanning for anything out of the ordinary.

OOC: Aside from astral perception, is an estuary close enough to an ocean to be considered a marine environment?

It’s salt water and connects to the Pacific. So yes.

But it’s polluted with garbage, debris from the last major earthquake (including a beached cruise ship) and Orkland’s waste water.

Company...

OOC: Is there anything instantaneous and obvious that can Avery tell about the copter?  For example, does it look like the copters Proteus uses for security or bear any obvious markings?

"Buckle up and keep low," Avery spat the warning before gunning the engine.  He glanced at his partner.  "If the High Street Bridge isn't clear, we head for Bay Farm Island."
This message was last edited by the player at 05:08, Tue 14 Nov 2023.

The street. for the next two hundred meters or so, it’s open ground between the bridge footings and the buildings of the Alameda slums. No problem for the BMW to outrun the drone in the flats and straightaways, but the little bird will probably be able to keep up once you have to manoeuvre inside the narrower streets between buildings.

The drone. it’s cheap garbage. Probably a Guangzi knockoff of the cheaper end of Wuxing tech.  This is definitely not something a Mitsuhama black ops team would use. Street tech. Shadowrunners.

The exec. he’s yelling rapid fire German into the phone. Whoever is on the other end, Rown or someone else, is getting an earful. Werner is demanding a rotorcraft be sent to recover him.

The astral. Sidewinder detects no hostile intent but perhaps the cars out on the bridge are too far away and there is no other life around aside from Pacer and Werner. The drone is a cold dead thing of metal and plastic, it has no intent, but may well be hostile. Out in the bridge the auras are hard to read, but there is something that catches your eye. The electric crackle of mana. Someone out there is magically active, but you’re not sure if they are a magician or an adept.

Avery gunned the engine, heading east for the next crossing out of Alameda.

"Keep your heads down.  We've got runners on our tail."

He turned to his partner.  "If you have any way to cover our tracks, now would be the time."

Dvořák does her best to divorce intellect and emotion. Because this was not a scenario in her job description. She’s already trying to contain her own fear, and Werner’s hysterics are not helping. If the director cannot keep his cool then he is overdue for a demotion in her opinion. An opinion she’ll keep to herself unless someone higher in the Proteus food chain asks. There are only two things going for her: the discipline required by magicians and the ever-present influence of a cold-blooded mind.

Stínovéběžce, enters her mind at the same time Avery says ‘ ’runners.’ Because the three of them would probably be dead already if they were up against a bona fide megacorporate force. So these must be hired hands. Aka shadowrunners.

“It is a machine,” she urgently informs to Avery, her voice on edge as she tries to remember the precise translation of dron. “A drone.” Wasn’t difficult. And now she knows why she cannot sense hostile intent from the aircraft. Because something that cannot think cannot have intent of any kind. A fact that assuages both pride and confusion. Her magic has not failed her. There is no flaw in her formula. “And an Awakened on the bridge.” she adds while pointing in its direction.

“I do have means to conceal and confuse, but I do not know its nature. It might detect this if it can see as I can see.

“I also have means to neutralize the dron,” she continues, using one of her favorite English euphemisms while accidentally reverting to Czech at the end due to the stress of the situation. “But this may reveal a mage’s presence to the Awakened.” Even if a spirit affects the world in a subtle manner, there is nothing subtle about a spirit’s presence in the Astral Plane.

How her talents are used is left to Avery. After all, he figured out they were up against shadowrunners with mundane methods alone. And as arrogant as she might be, she is also smart enough to know she’s way out of her depth at the moment. Though the fact that astral projection would allow her to get a closer look isn’t mentioned.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:24, Fri 17 Nov 2023.

The drone swings in behind the sedan as you make a break for the cover offered by the buildings. Fortunately the little ‘copter is too small to carry anything heavy enough to threaten the BMW, but it can keep up and keep and eye on you.

@Pacer. You know a little drone like this will have about a half an hour of juice. No telling how long it was idling under the bridge. Thirty minutes in a car chase or combat is an eternity, but at least the thing has a best before date.

Out on the bridge, the forms of the people involved in the accident fade into the distance, but careful observation on the astral plane and through the car’s sensors shows them piling into the vehicles involved in the ‘accident’. One car breaks toward the mainland while the other chases after you onto Alameda Island.

“Automobiles as well.” Oddly enough, her anxiety diminishes now that the threat is becoming clearer. Fear of the unknown and such.

Great.

Avery looked for Werner's eyes in the rearview mirror.  The man was locked on his phone call, so Avery shouted.

"Any idea who these guys are?"

Shifting his attention to the sensors, he spoke quieter to the elf.

"You picking up those cars?  I'm seeing at least two.  How many people you think are after us?  The company do something lately I don't know about?"
This message was last edited by the player at 04:33, Sat 18 Nov 2023.

Backing her awareness completely off the Astral Plane, she produces her binoculars and uses them to peer backward.

Check the Situation: number of pursuing vehicles
This message was last edited by the player at 01:01, Sat 18 Nov 2023.

Avery glanced over his shoulder, then peered ahead toward the slums.

"I got a bad feeling they sent a car to cut us off at the next bridge.  Get ready for a fight."

Check the Situation for the roads ahead, scanning for other vehicles or signs of an ambush.

Avery breathed out slowly, trying to control his emotions.

I never shoot first on a job unless someone gives me a reason, he reminded himself.  Give me a reason.
This message was last edited by the player at 04:34, Sat 18 Nov 2023.

”They will send pickup to Lower Washington Park.” Werner says from the backseat, just the time to start backseat driving…

Alameda Island is a warren of streets that appear on the map, only to be blocked by some illegal building or the discarded refuse of rabid development. Park Street is wide enough that there isn’t too much concern about it. Broadway, Central, High and Santa Clara all leading away from the potential pick up site show as being open enough to drive. The neighbourhood of Gold Coast, where Lower Washington Park is, goes deep into the devil rat’s nest and you may not be able to drive there.

Check the Situation.

18:45, Today: Mr. Johnson, on behalf of Sidewinder, rolled 10 using 2d6+1.  Check the Situation. strong success

18:45, Today: Mr. Johnson, on behalf of Pacer, rolled 8 using 2d6+1 weak success

@Pacer. You are pretty confident that the second car is going for a cut off and that if they could have ambushed you on this side of the bridges, you would already be geeked. That leaves you with a tough choice; option one is a race to the High Street bridge that you have to win. Option two means that to meet the pickup crew you go deeper into the slums where it’s a complete crap shoot wether or not you will be able to drive and heading toward the park puts you on a back track toward Mitsu’s home base at the old shipyard.  Finally, option three is to do the unexpected and take Encinal Ave and the 61 CTTR over to Bay Farm Island.

@Sidewinder. only one car follows. It’s a janky looking Jackrabbit. You’re no gear head, but the BMW should be able to outmatch that thing all day. The other car was an Americar. The awakened went in it, so you feel a bit safer to use your talents knowing that the possible magician seems to have left the field for now.

You’ve got a choice to make: looking for pickup from Proteus or trying your own escape plan?

Dvořák is ambivalent regarding the disappearance of the Awakened. But freedom from the risk of Banishment gives her a real chance to deal with that nettling drone. She doesn’t know what it can do, but it’s clearly keeping an eye on the car if nothing else. It’s time to blind the enemy and prepare for its return. She stops concentrating on her extra sense, as this next step will require all of her attention.

Cease Detect Enemies

The mage emits another set of strident murmurs, longer and wispy-yet-domineering, head tilted backward.

Summon Sky Watcher: Essence 4, Edge 1
Total: Essence 0, Edge 4

The feeling of emptiness eats at her mind; every cell in her body sapped of its magical potential. But it is a fair exchange.

Grant the drone an Accident, she mentally commands the spirit in her mother tongue.

OOC: Decided to go with cursive for spirit commands as opposed to simple italics for thoughts.
This message was last edited by the player at 04:27, Mon 20 Nov 2023.

Before last post . . . forgot to answer Pacer

---

“There were two. Now there is one. The other contained the Awakened,” she answers. “The one in pursuit is much slower than yours.” As for the rest of Avery’s questions she gives a minor shrug. She’s a scholar, and Fringe Sciences are classified. Nor could any of her work possibly relate to their current predicament.

But she silently agrees with Avery as she secures her field glasses. Why would one car pull away if not to set up an ambush?

"Lower Washington Park?," Avery growled. "That's the ambush!"  He cleared his throat, trying to remember whom he was speaking to. "My professional opinion?  We go there?  We're dead."

Avery gunned the engine, but even as fast as the sedan could drive, he knew the High Street Bridge was too close to get any real distance away from trouble, so he took the next turn toward Encinal and sped southeast toward Bay Farm Island.

Sweating harder with every breath, Avery struggled to stay calm. Spitting his words at the mage next to him, he hardly cared if the boss behind him heard.  "This is an inside job, I can feel it.  Everything about it reeks.  Just be aware...once we get back...it might not be over."

OOC: Let's go with Option 3, the furthest bridge South to Bay Farm Island.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:45, Tue 21 Nov 2023.

@Pacer. Things start moving quickly as Werner loudly threatens your jobs if you don’t do as he says and take him to Lower Washington Park. Better get the flat faced suit to safety if you still want a job tomorrow.  Better judged by twelve than carried by six, they say…

Chaser. 22:42, Today: Mr. Johnson, on behalf of Pacer, rolled 8 using 2d6+1 weak success

…the BMW jumps ahead, putting distance between you and the car behind you with ease. The Jackrabbit recedes in your rear view and after a few quick turns you think you’ve lost him…

…but the fuel cell is dipping (use 1 Fuel).

@Sidewinder. you whisper the song snake showed you to call upon the zephyrs to answer…

Conjure. 22:36, Today: Mr. Johnson, on behalf of Sidewinder, rolled 9 using 2d6+1 weak success

…and a little spirit of wind heeds your call…

…but a wave of exhaustion hits you like a hammer(Take 1 Stun).

You can sense a moment of confusion when you give it your command, watchers being passive little beings who avoid a fight…

Accident. 22:41, Today: Mr. Johnson, on behalf of Sidewinder, rolled 11 using 2d6.  strong success

…but the dim witted little wind spirit puts its natural energy to good use, mustering up a powerful gust that knocks the cheap little drone off course and into the estuary.

Great round for the good guys. You’re away clean with the only real threat now being the pissed off executive in the backseat.

Dvořák is probably not alone in shivering at the Watcher’s presence, but the inexplicable breeze suggests she is ultimately responsible for the drone’s dip into the Oakland Estuary.

You may return home until recalled. This will be very soon, she informs the spirit.

,,Entschuldigen Sie mich für einen Moment, Herr Werner,‘‘ she says in a diffident and soothing tone, inserting a trace of uncharacteristic seductivity she learned in order to take advantage of her stereotypically attractive elven physique, desperate to keep Werner’s rage aimed anywhere other than herself. It is distasteful, but she would be a fool not to take advantage of every tool at her disposal. Though she definitely needed some tutoring on all three fronts. Her cold and clinical manner is where she is most at ease. Not to mention arrogant and enigmatic. Though she already had a classy and expensive suit tailored to emphasize said physique in all the right places. Now including a matching armored jacket acquired just after her conscription.

“Will you patch the vehicle’s data into my PocSec, Mr Wilcox?” she asks. It is phrased like a question, but has the nature of a command. But an exceedingly reasonable one. Technology is the solution to her ignorance of the region, and therefore a way to understand the root of some of the current dispute. “And do not disturb me for a minute or two.” This one is technically a command, but it would simply be tremendously difficult and extremally inconvenient to rouse her after she slumps while her consciousness travels to her mentor spirit’s realm, doubtlessly accompanied by her ally spirit. Natrixs is always most comfortable in her true home.

Commune

Most people with a decent knowledge of magic would call Dvořák a shaman, but she considers herself a mage. When a Great Dragon gives a lecture on Unified Magical Theory, only a fool wouldn’t take it to heart. Especially with the privilege of that one lesson in dragonspeech when Schwartzkopf was in his true form. So she believes there is no fundamental distinction between mage and shaman, and mages tend to have a more ordered and logical view of the world, a paradigm that fits her mind better than conventional shamans’. (And far more respectable in both corporate and academic settings.) So she chose “mage.” And it would take an extraordinary situation to refer to Snake as a “totem.” Snake is a “mentor spirit.” One courteous enough to teach her magic with a Hermetic bend to the sounds and gestures. But those in the know will be able to tell the difference.

Edit: Yeah, German has weird quotation marks.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:14, Wed 22 Nov 2023.

"Got it, sir," Avery muttered, redirecting their route in his mind's eye and pressing the pace as far as possible without losing control.  He raised his voice over the engine.  "Lower Washington Park on the double."

As the sedan sped toward Lower Washington Park, Avery thought through his decision.  He had been tempted to override the boss's wishes--to save his own hide, if no one else's.  But he had a partner here, and he couldn't sabotage *her* career along with his own.  Plus, he didn't have enough saved up for next month's rent.

The mage's question echoed in his mind.  "Sure," he said quietly to his side. "No problem."

Avery blinked, found the elf's PocSec ID on his HUD, and granted access. "You're in."

He liked the way *Mr. Wilcox* sounded.  It sounded even better knowing it might be the last time he heard it.

Avery's gut roiled.  All soykaf today.  Need some food.  He had a bad feeling about what lay ahead.

Whatever was waiting for them at Lower Washington Park, Avery--Mr. Wilcox--hoped he was wrong.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:09, Thu 23 Nov 2023.

@Sidewinder. you close your eyes while Avery does the driving, calling out to Snake to attune yourself to the mana that flows all around you…

23:19, Today: Mr. Johnson, on behalf of Sidewinder, rolled 6 using 1d6 ((6)).

…and you know she has heard your call, you feel the gift of her mana flow into you…

…which, as it turns out, is a pretty good timing…

@Pacer. Werner seems momentarily placated, at least enough to stop his rapid fire German threats to your livelihood. Unfortunately, that’s the only good news. You knew that turning back toward Lower Washington Park was a bad play and you’re kicking yourself for not following your instincts. The Jackrabbit never turned back toward the estuary; all but confirming your suspicions that the other car went on head looking to cut you off, the two runners in the Jackrabbit stayed back to corral you in.  They have been scouring the streets looking for you. There are only a few passable options heading northwest, so it doesn’t take them long to find you…

…the little car careens out of a cross street, an ork hanging out the passenger side window with an SMG firing wildly…