X-treme Measures

glup... silence... really stressing, hope they won't blackball me

(after Digit talked)

looking in Digit direction: "thank you, yes I'm in."

then Red Frost takes the closest seat available and sits quietly, he nods affirmatively after Trask comment and thinks this guy's a pro

"Well looks like our fine fellow with the draw said it best. I'm definitely lookin to strech my legs if you will. But without any intel it's hard to dive right in. So yeah, provided you dont give some ludacris scenario I'm all over this one. Easy money chummer. " Jim nods respectfully at Trask and gives a glance around the room to see if anyone wants to back out. "Oh, and by the way, welcome to the party Red."

Lips pressed into a thin line, the Johnson looks at the people seated in a semi-circle around the table. With a heavy sigh, he places his palms on the table and stands.
"I see," he says calmly. "It seems we won't be doing business after all. Thank you all for your time."
He looks at his assistant and motions to the door, "Damocles, would you have the car brought around, please?"

“But…but… we’re basically all agreeing here. We just need more info, that’s all.” Nervously, Lenilelle tried to reason with the J. Crap. That’s ten thousand swimming down the sewer, she thought. “You can’t just throw us out after inviting us here. Let’s talk reasonable.”

"Eh, let him go." Trask leans back and crosses his arms, then glances around at the others. "We could'a just said yes, taken the advance and gotten the intel, then walked out a here with both his money and information and sold the info ta the highest bidder. Yet it seems he would prefer a different team that might do just that to one that is at least bein' honest with him 'bout their concerns. Which tells me he's either a fool or he does want us for a suicide run and Ah don't know Ah would want the run in either of those cases. Can't spend nuyen if'en yer dead." Trask leans forward slightly and tips his hat to the J. "Ah'd say no offense intended, but Ah'm at least honest and truth be told I don't mind bein' a bit offensive at the moment, since ya'll called us out here to waste our time."

"And that, Mr Trask, the Johnson replied acidly, "is exactly the reason I was instructed not to divulge the details of the job before getting your combined agreements to take it. I doubt very much you could sell the story that an unknown employee of an unknown corporation wanted to hire a team to extract an unknown researcher from an unknown facility. I also understand a point you seem not to grasp: I'm the fool with the nuyen you want, I'm the fool with the job you need to accomplish to get that nuyen. I am also of the understanding that you are otherwise employed, which would indicate that you, unlike the rest here, do not necessarily need to be here. So tell me, sir, why exactly are you putting these others' chance of earning a payday at risk when you obviously lack anything remotely resembling skill at negotiations?"

Red thinks "damned!" then says:

Please sir, just give us a minute, maybe we lack manners, but like Miss. Lenilelle says, there's no profound disagreement here, there's no bones about the money (not for me anyway), nothing is sealed, we can reach a mutually profitable agreement, it's just that since we're putting our life on the line, we need to evaluate the difficulty level for our group before we start, otherwise the risk of failure augments, in witch case nobody wins. Info like how well is the VIP guarded? how strong is the node? how much time do we have? etc. would be really helpful and if those information are too sensitive, just tell us what kind of group you had intended for that mission so we'll have something to compare to.

for your information, RedFrst scores: Charisma 5 Etiquette 4 and I'll use a hedge if necessary

With his face an alarming shade of red, the Johnson stood there looking around, his breathing coming in short, ragged gasps. One hand drifted to the left side of his chest as if unnoticed. Damocles was at his side in an instant, taking hold of his arm as if to hold him up. The dwarf spoke in a low tone that was still quite audible to everyone in the room, "Sir, remember our situation. We need these people. They were recommended, sir, remember?" Dropping his voice even lower, throwing a quick glance at the seated listeners, he added, "Mr - ah - Johnson, sir, please; your blood pressure. Perhaps your medication, sir. That will help you feel better, yes?"

The Johnson turned his bloodshot eyes to his assistant, but he seemed to stare right through him at first. Then he managed to focus on the black-suited dwarf and nodded slightly at his urgings.
"Yes," he muttered hoarsely, "my- med-"

"Here, sir," the dwarf said, reaching into the inside breast pocket of the J's suit coat and bringing out a small pill bottle. He quickly opened it, and removed two tiny white capsules which he placed in his boss' trembling palm. "Under the tongue, sir. You'll be all right in a moment."
The Johnson opened his mouth wide and, holding his tongue against the roof of his mouth, popped the tiny capsules in. He stood, eyes closed, for several moments as the nitroglycerin capsules rapidly dissolved. Almost immediately he breathed a heavy sigh of relief that seemed to calm him down. He looked gratefully at Damocles, nodding wordlessly that he was okay for the time being, then returned to his seat. The dwarf remained at his side, watching the man closely in case of any sign of further trouble. The J's face had already regained most of its normal, if somewhat pallid, color and his breathing seemed steady and unlabored. His voice showed no sign of its recent hoarseness as he spoke to the gathering, "My apologies that you all had to witness that. You all have valid concerns, of course. I will be as forthcoming as I can, but please understand my reticence is not meant to put you at a disadvantage; merely a safety measure to protect the interests of certain parties involved should any of you decide not to take the job."
He paused and turned to the dwarf, "I believe a round of fresh drinks is in order. Will you see to it?"
Damocles hesitated a moment, reluctant to leave his boss' side, then nodded and peered around the table to receive drink orders.

“I won’t tell anyone if you won’t.” Lenilielle reassured the J. When she felt the dwarfs gaze on her. “Erm… another fruit juice please?” That was close. But he needs us, she thought. “I think we all have agreed to the job now, right?” She looked around, still somewhat nervous. But she saw the Johnson much more as a human now and less as some grey eminence. “What’s it about then? We have to know sooner or later.”

"Your target," Johnson began, "is one Dr Beverly Talbot. She is currently conducting research for AstraLabs, a privately owned facility, where she has been working on developing equipment that will facilitate mundanes access to the Astral Plane. I am sure you can all appreciate the potential benefits this research could have on the world."
His glance at Lenilielle at this last was so slight and quick that it might have been imagined.
"No longer will it be the exclusive providence of magic users," he continued. "If successful, scientific researchers and scholars would be able to perceive and study the realm of spirits and magic. Dr Talbot's efforts were reaching fruition after years of exhaustive experimentation and frustrating failures... until about a week ago. That's when we lost contact with both Talbot and the facility."
Johnson paused, eyeing each runner in turn, trying to gauge their reaction thus far before going on.
"Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to infiltrate, assess the current status of the facility and its personnel, and extract Dr Talbot and all materials related to her research if such action is deemed necessary. Now, are there any questions?"

Red subtly smiles at Damocles and says with a low voice "thank you mister"

then with a normal voice: "Thank you Mr. J. for this clear portrait of the situation, I guess you and your org want this mission done asap... probably like today if we can?... " pauses a second "I have an idea for the infiltration, but I'll let my colleages express what they have to say for now, I'll expose it later when we brainstorm our plan, Mr Trask are you still with us? it would be sad to lose you at this point..."

then Red sits back in his chair, takes a slow sip of his soycaf (or whatever he has in front of him) and waits to see what other ppl bring to the conversation

He sat back, grin wide on his face, as the conversation went back, then forth, then back again. He shook his head, a half-smile on his face. He could count the number of runs he had been on with just a hand, but this was quickly turning out to be the most interesting one yet. He didn't say much to start with, then lifts his hand as Red speaks

"I second the motion with everyone else here. There's no point in everyone getting all knotted up in their shorts. This sounds like a fun and incredibly rewarding run, and as long as both parties keep to their word," he looks at Trask andthe Johnson as he says this, "we won't have a problem. Right? Now... while we're here, how about we shake on it and tell each other our handles. The J already knows who we are, so we don't need to worry about that. I'm Chase."

Trask leans forward and tips his hat at Chase. "Ah'm Trask, as some of the others have mentioned." Then he turns back and looks over the J and Red. "Aye, Ah'm in, job sounds reasonable enough and glad we're all finally on the same page here. Got a few basic questions that spring ta mind, if'en that's alright. First, ya'll say you lost contact with this Doctor Talbot. If ya'll were in contact with her, I would assume she at least knows who ya'll are even if she wasn't working for ya direct -- given that, is there anything ya'll could give us to pass on or say ta her when we find her so that she'll know to trust us and come along willing like? Second, sounds like Talbot's the priority, but if extraction is needed, what do ya'll want us to do with any other works we find alive? Get as many as we can out, or do they not matter at all to ya? Finally, was this astral thingy supposed to let folks look into the astral or was it supposed to let them enter it? Cuz while Ah don't know the first thing about all them mythical-whosits, the first thought that occures to me is that rather then some researcher going in, something they didn't want came out.

“I’m Lenilielle. And I can do magic. I can also call spirits and stuff. And I don’t need any tech to look into astral space.” All the statements came out proudly, but the last part with special pride. “Erm… just out of interest, that facility, is it yours or are you just interested in their research?” She shrugged. “I’m fine with either.”

Digit sat back and listened nodding his head emphatically "All good points..." he thought. He raised his hand then lowered it "this is not school" he thought, although he was learning alot about the biz. The Jonson seemed sickly Digit could identify. With most things being made of soy, Raziel had spent much of his childhood sickly. As he was allergic to the common product... But he never looked this bad. The man also meant business and was not about to be taken for a ride. That said Digit started concentrating on what he would need to do and thought about weather or not he would be needed on site. it might be best to bring up later but digit thought the team would be better off not having to hall his carcass around. While he entered the trix. "oops its introduction time again." He observed....


"I'm Digit!" He piped up his chest best he could. While standing on his chair looking proud though no one could see him he thought it best to add the effect. "And ill be in charge of all your M.T. needs I'll also be providing Support with my too Friends, but i wont spoil the surprise. Question i have is for you all, not the Johnson. Do you prefer to have your trix Jockey on site where the bullets are flying, carrying his half limp body around, while i hack the nods, he paused for effect... Or would you rather i be near by in an undisclosed location. Keeping the Security busy,. Your call I'm not much of a physical sneak so choose wisely..." He thought about telling them he was a Technomancer but he decided not too. People could be sooo cruel with the right information. And he was already short...

Hearing the generally favorable reception of the run by all attending, the Johnson visibly relaxed and looked much more in the game; to the mutual relief of all concerned. Damocles, laden with a tray of assorted beverages made his way somewhat clumsily around the table handing them out. After a moment or two of sorting out mixed up orders, he returned to assume his position just behind Mr Johnson.
"First, let me clear up an apparent misconception. I work for the owner of AlphaLabs, who wishes to remain anonymous at this time. Dr Talbot, and the other facility personnel, have been in constant communication with myself and my assistant, of course, throughout her research up until contact was lost. The basis of the research was to allow astral perception for mundanes, as I stated earlier. However, Dr Talbot was preparing further experiments toward expanding the access to full astral projection, but unfortunately, I had not received any details concerning her progress in that area before communication breakdown. For security reasons, the facility's operating systems and data storage nodes are closed circuit systems - inaccessible through the Matrix, so I'm afraid you, Mr digit, will have to go in with the rest of the team. You, Ms Lenilielle, should prove invaluable with your talent with magic. Mr Chase, your influential skills will come in handy interacting with the various site personnel, who may be quite...upset, shall we say?"
Then the Johnson turned his gaze to Trask, and the street sam saw genuine concern in the man's eyes. "In response to your final question, Mr Trask, the bottom line is: we simply don't know. That's why we're sending yourself, Ms Kit, and Mr Frost. If there are hostiles, it will be up to you three to deal with them and insure the mission's success."
He looked around at all the faces, each bearing its own brand of reaction at this news, and added, "As for all other personnel; if they can be brought out without jeopardizing the success of your main objective, get as many as you can. But make no mistake, Dr Talbot and all files related to her research are your primary targets. Is that understood?"

"Closed network huh? Do you have any plans for the building, like access nods or maybe a map of the system, I can familiarize my self with it. Or hey just some old building code plans would work yeah emhmm!" Digit said trying not to sound excited about going on site "Should be... interesting." he thought. "Well" he finalized "If you cant get any of that, then can you at least get me an access code. Something i can use to get in the system. I mean its your system right? yes no maybe emmhmm? I can erase it later when in the system NP"

He sat back and waited for an answer twiddling his thumbs in anticipation. If this guy could give Digit even a little of what he needed. He would not need a sniffer to get an access id. But at the very least, he was hoping like most buildings with closed networks. there would be a punch down closet room, with the hard wires that he could bypass certain systems in the network. The maps either one would help that effort...

It would also save the team time and manpower...

The Johnson glanced at his assistant and gestured to Digit. The dwarf walked around to Digit and handed over a large plain manilla envelope. Inside, the gnome found an assortment of technical schematics (ie architectural blueprints of the facility, electrical wiring diagrams, etc), plus the technical information on the security systems, including terminal and server locations and camera placements. Tucked into the bottom of the envelope, he found a maglock keycard.
"As you can see," the Johnson offered, "those schematics will provide the basic layout of the facility and its security measures. However, be advised there have been a few upgrades and modifications made since which I do not have copies available, but you should have little difficulty navigating the systems. That card is only Level-1 access, but it will get the team inside. You'll have to make do and find higher level forms of access as you infiltrate further into the facility."

“Have you…” she started, then hesitated nervously. She wasn’t really happy about the sudden attention she got from the J and the rest of the team. But it was better she contributes to this in the one field she has a clue of. “Have you any knowledge of astral beings on site? I mean, did you experiment on some spirit or anything? They can get really pissed.” Another hesitation. “I mean they can get really angry. And for the site itself. Is it a hotspot? Every bit of info helps.”

Trask leans forward, rubbing his chin and clearly still deep in though. "Hmm... You said you want the gear as well if'en we have to pull things out. How big we talkin' there? Like data files and other little stuff, or we lookin' at some giant pieces of hardware we're gonna need multiple people to carry?

"Sweet" Digit gleefully Thanked his fellow dwarf and the Johnson... "This will help a lot!" He plugged his mouth with the candy bar currently in hand, and poured over the schematics, intently bobbing his head...

He took out and flipped the pass key in his hand then put it back into the envelope. no further actions did he take. Just a lot of "Oh wow!", and "Cooool systems" spouted out every once and so often...

"Not to my knowledge, Ms Lenilielle," the Johnson answered. "Though in all honesty, I must admit that some of Dr Talbot's - ah - methods are beyond my understanding. At last report, she was excited over a breakthrough, as she called it, but the report was vague concerning the exact nature. You must understand, these researchers are often very eccentric - one might say borderline neurotic - and they often demand a great deal of leeway when it comes to revealing their work before they feel ready to do so. Dr Talbot has been one of those cases in which the fruits of her labors has warranted a certain freedom to go her own way. All I can tell you is that there has been no mention of any actual experimentation "on" any entities, living or otherwise."
To Trask, he replied, "We have a significant portion of her files up to a point already. What you'll be looking for is data files dated over the last month or so and any security camera tapes that might provide additional evidence of recent events. As I said, we don't know exactly what we're looking for. That will be part of your mission - to determine what would be relevant to the situation and retrieve it. While it won't be practical to go in with a lot of heavy equipment, there should be some sort of mobile storage devices onsite."
At that point, Johnson checked his wrist chronometer and said, "Its too late to start tonight. I suggest we meet tomorrow, say 3:00pm? Then we can go over any final questions you may have before proceeding with the mission. Agreed?"

Digit frowned "No heavy Equipment, like what exactly dose that mean?" He asked and thought out loud. Now that the cat was out of the bag he continued "You mean like heavy duty drones, or like a crash cart, or a city master...? Cause their all pretty different got a couple of covert ops drones i built my self." He pipped up his chest again, smiling. And while they ain't seen action yet. Their more then ready to go, with the big guns. Is that not what you want big guns or no? Cause that just frees up my umm... drones yeah"

He Cursed/thought to himself he had almost mentioned the sprites but he thought he covered it well so he said nothing further. "Hmmm?" he thought. "I could use the help of the machine sprites on site. That would kill their usefulness in the combat, or guard duty the drones had been designed for. Maybe I should not take the drones" he figured...

Frost smiles and answers the Johnson "Fine by me"