Shadowrun 4e: The Greatest Show On Earth IC #1

[Orosboru]

Horizon, the newest member of the Corporate Court, the rising star in the corporate world, is proud to present to you this informational video at your visit to the historic Universal Studios, a subsidiary of Horizon Consolidated Holdings...

There is a smiling man sitting at a desk in the trid, and the saccharine warmth of his public relations comes across immediately as soon as he opens his mouth. "I like to take my lessons from history. Don't you? Entertainment always has a home in Los Angeles. Our sunny skies, our beautiful women. Although big finance was in New York and big tech in Silicon Valley and Seattle, this place was the center of glitz and glamour. Perhaps on your visit today, you'll find some of it - memories of the old world."

The man slowly stands up, his smile never changing. "We here at Horizon understand that entertainment is not simply fun and games. It is for a message of change - and goodness. It has always been the duty of creatives to be subversive, to listen to the common man and speak for his concerns and worries of a ever-changing world. If you'd like to support a worthy cause or have a proposition to make one, please speak to a corporate representative on your way out to see where your time and nuyen can be best spent."

His smile grows even more strained. "If you are a person of talent or part of a racial minority, we're happy to have you here. If you feel like you are being discriminated against because of your metahuman identification, please contact corporate security. Thank you for ensuring that our parks and arcologies are fun and safe places to be for people of all races and ways of life." The prerecorded message ends as the trid abruptly cuts out.

The same man, the very same man, speaks to you, but it is not a recording. He sits by himself in a smoky room, a cigar at his side as he puts it out in a ashtray. "Shadowrunners..." the man smiles once more, but it has a certain mischief that you did not see in the PSA. "My name is Mr. Smile. I represent interests in Horizon's collective knowledge that wish to hire you." The theater you are all is empty except for you five, the massive stadium re-purposed from an old football field to display a massive trid display in the middle.

"This is no ordinary run. In fact, Horizon wishes to hire those of you who pass our requirements for a indefinite duration as free agents for a ongoing production. You will not be part of the SAG union, but you will be compensated consumerate to market rate bargaining contracts, if you so choose to do so." The smiling man extends his hands out. "For those of you who do not succeed on this day, you will be paid for your audition to the amount of five thousand nuyen for your time. Now that business is out of the way..."

"There is a... problem." The man crosses his hands. "A previous runner team we contracted to perform... unspecified, services." The man does not elaborate. "Has not reported back for three days. I am authorized to reveal to you that they were in the process of attempting to complete a similar contract to yours. Your mission, if you choose to accept it, will be to find out what happened to them. Interested?"

[DigoDragon]

Luna caught herself slouching a little. She did that too often, but slowly sat herself upright in the seat. "You have my interest. What evidence are you looking for on this previous team's... 'status' once we locate them?" she asks.

Finding a group of people was one thing, but she thought it was prudent to ask what step two was. Just in case Smiles is expecting a body returned.

[Q'telun]

Just failing would be enough to pay rent? Adam suppresses a smile, but leans forward to show interest. "Add in half the failed team's pay, their last known, and I'm in."

It seemed easy enough, but knowing a Johnson's name made the back of his neck itch. Either he didn't care, or this was a trap. This was going to be an interesting run.

[RdMarquis]

Lizette narrows her eyes briefly, then lowers them at a twinge of guilt. It was unfair to judge them so quickly, commercial or none. Didn't she have similar motivations? To bring people the truth and encourage them to obey their better natures? As Lizette descends the stairs to sit closer to the others, she loosens the green and silver scarf around her neck. Well, she was at an amusement park. There was no reason not to have a little fun while she was there for a meeting.

Antagonist takes a seat as the recording ends. Despite her initial suspicion, Mr. Smile (surely that couldn't be his real name) did indeed have her interest. Her Paragon would likely be intrigued as well. "Please, continue. I'd like to hear more about this." She speaks with a noticeable Transatlantic accent.

[Zen Gypsy]

Vixen Six, Victoria Tatum-Steele (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=20961879&postcount=5)
Condition: 0 of 10 P[0 Penalties]; 0 of 10 S[0 Penalties]
Edge: 2 of 2

She was at the Drowning Narcissus nightclub in Long Island when her 'link went off. A glass and steel floor, five stories above the irradiated flood waters, it made for an interesting venue. That was L.A. for you, hundreds of thousands dead after the twins, and here they were dancing over the graves. She watched the white caps break against the struts that supported the Narcissus' dance floor and idly wondered how deep she'd have to go before she found the bones of the dead that this city was built atop.

As the message confirming the time and place of the meet scrolled through her field of vision she smiled, brought the flute of champagne to her lips, smiled. She knew the image she projected, an augmented, sculpted, and tatt'ed street girl, yet here she was wearing a silk and satin shift dress, highlighted with a silver circuitry pattern, paired with some strappy monochrome heels. She smiled, lifting her glass as Sun Yeo took the stage, dancing on the platform in a graceful manner.

So the meet was set in a re-purposed football field, decades old sports entertainment providing the shell for another Horizon venture. She was unsure what exactly the offer would be, but she was sure that if Horizon was involved it would pay well, perhaps enough so that she could finally rid herself of her financial obligation to the Cosa Nostra.

She watched, mildly interested as an exec of some sort walked over to Sun, began to proposition her, demeaning her. Sun's large brown eyes looked at her pleading, obviously he thought that the korean beauty was a working girl, and that he was in some El Infierno skin shop.

She stood from her table, and walked gracefully through the crowd, she shifted her internal playlist from the Mercurial, to something more fitting her current mood, Wildfire Rampage's blazing synthcore anthem, the Chrome Warpath. The blistering music filled her veins, the move by wire system she had installed years ago almost screamed for action. The exec had walked Sun Yeo out to the balcony, overlooking the choppy toxic waters of the bay that surrounded Long Island.

She joined them, sliding the door shut behind her, the exec turned to look at her, nodded towards the door, spoke in harsh clipped tones, "Private party, go back inside you stupid slot."

Ulyana smiled her perfect smile, and flowed up against Sun Yeo, her tongue darting out to lick her earlobe, "Null sweat, me and my lover were just leaving."

His hand darted out to grab her forearm, her implants began to flood the polycarbon strands threaded into her nervous system; his movements seemed absurdly slow. She let him grab her, dropped the champagne bottle, and after what seemed like seconds to her it shattered with a pop. Almost simultaneously with the pop, she shattered the flute of champagne she had been holding, and brought the jagged stem to his throat, a bright bead of blood trickled down his neck staining his immaculate white collar.

She leaned close, she knew her pheromones must be driving him mad at this distance, but they were tinged with anger, and loathing. She whispered, her breath hot in his ear, "Not tonight lover, unless you want to join the lost and forgotten in the bay."

~

She smiled at the memory as she sat through Horizon's PSA, the champagne had been delightful, Sun Yeo's gratitude even more so. Sex and violence. She chuckled as the lights came up, glancing at the assembled group. Interesting. She didn't know what to make of the steam punk blond, but the pale skin, green hair and pointed ears of the elf guy screamed Go-ganger to her, though she couldn't be sure. She shrugged as the euro-elf began to speak, pink hair, cat eye gene mod or contacts, goth-punk, either way, Ulyana knew she was interested.

"Seems Elf boy there has a point, not only do we need to bring in your previous recruits, but we need to limit your exposure. That's got to be worth an added," she smirked, "lets just call it a signing bonus shall we?"

As she watched Smiles for a reaction, she had a vivid memory of that single spot of blood rolling down that exec's neck. Fekking suits.

[Orosboru]

The smiling man creaks his head back and forth, his head contorting to a unnatural angle, looking upward at the ceiling while twisting his neck, before he deigns to speak. "It was expected for negotiations to start, but I wonder why our last participant has not deigned to speak." He points out the young elf woman idly, as the executive puts out the cigar.

"I am your Mr. Johnson. You may know me as Mr. Smile. It is an alias within the company, one we find useful for public relations, or the lack thereof." The man turns in his chair to look at a window. "I would appreciate it, miss, if you would not egregiously harm corporate employees during your time here." his voice is very dry, without emotion or flavour. "It would be a... shame, if things were otherwise."

The man does not talk like anyone you have ever met. That could mean... well, anything.
The man seems to be... irritated. Not at you, however.
The man seems to have a delay in his speech from a very remote connection in the Matrix.

"As to the matter of your payment, I am afraid that the previous party was not so... wise, as to the matter of their disbursement." The executive speaks with random pauses as to make his speech jerky and uncomfortable. "Our records show that many of their parties have already spent their nuyen, some more disposable than others. Half is perhaps too generous, but all you may find..." He takes a long breath. "You may keep. To your personal good or ill. Whether it be all, or none... that is to your skill."

"As to the Shadowrunner with the cognomen 'Antagonist..." And here now, Mr. Johnson actually sounds thrilled. "We are delighted to have you here. Rest assured that the opprobrium of your colleagues is not deserved. Horizon considers it a priority to have you on this job. We wish you to keep this in mind when we renegotiate the contract." He says, biting into his lip, a bead of blood dripping from his mouth.

"But enough of pleasant matters. There is a likelihood that many of the first team are already dead. Horizon will provide you with limited support in the transport and disposal of the bodies. For every corpse you bring back, we are prepared to pay a sum of two thousand five hundred nuyen per. How you transport the bounty back is to your discretion."

The executive coughs. "Their mission was to secure an artifact from the ruins of the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels. The Catholic Church's old bastion in the west was abandoned after the earthquakes of 61', but there have been rumors-" he takes a deep breath. "What you must know is that the old church is the neutral ground of two gangs. What was intended to be an easy run became complicated when the... originals." The smiling man is not smiling anymore. "Made enemies of the locals, and further heightened tensions in the region."

"Needless to say, our media markets cover a vast swath of the Roman Catholic world. If word got out of Horizon's involvement in the fiasco..." he trails off. "It is only because of our complete control of the local media that this did not get out. If this is not contained, the witnesses pacified, then we must resort to force." He says this with the finality of a threat. You all have no doubt what he really means by this.

"If you are a person of morals, let me appeal to your conscience. If this story gets out, there will be bloodshed. Many on the board think this is already a mistake, and it is better to sacrifice the few to save our overarching goals. Find the artifact. Destroy the evidence. Make what peace you can and cow the rest into silence. If these objectives are met, then you will have a great amount of goodwill and leverage in the negotiations to come." He finishes. "Also, one more thing..."

"...if the Pope has sent a papal legate, do not get in his way. Or her. Woman can be priests now." He says, off handedly, smiling. "The representative of Rome is probably capable of killing you all singlehandedly."

[DigoDragon]

Two hits in OOC (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?493539-Shadowrun-4e-The-Greatest-Show-On-Earth-OOC-1&p=20982183#post20982183).

Luna's eyebrows raised slightly at the details of the job. Sneak into a hot mess, extract an object and some bodies, quiet any witnesses, and don't piss off a church. Yeah, that's doable. Isn't it? She tilts her head slightly to the left. "Artifact, bodies, silent witnesses. Alright, can do," Luna says positively. "What does our artifact and potential stiffs look like?"

[RdMarquis]

Antagonist is torn between feeling uncomfortable and concerned for Mr. Smile. All that fidgeting. She guessed the man was under a tremendous amount of pressure, among many other problems. Lizette stops herself from flinching when he bites through his lip, instead, gripping the armrests of her seat. "I-I'm honored. But, with respect, I hold no ill will toward my former colleagues." With the exception of some of her family.

After the Second Crash, she had woken from a dream into a living nightmare. A world that had barely avoided utter devastation. The people around her, on the other hand, had lived through the cataclysm. And many of them were not even that fortunate. Lizette wasn't about to let anyone blame the Emerged for the Second Crash. But she didn't hold their behavior against them.

Lizette glances at the silver ring on her left hand. Her parents did everything in their power to keep her when after she was exposed as a technomancer. But not in a way she could ever accept. They had arranged a marriage between her and a colleague who was high enough in the company hierarchy to avoid many questions about the company he kept. Inwardly, she grimaces at the memory. Aside from the obvious reasons to be horrified at the plan, it would have meant giving up her life and freedom. Just a different sort of death than what she risked in the shadows.

"Moreover, I don't believe that I should be considered (or accepted as) a Shadowrunner. To be frank, I prefer "activist" or "hacker". Although I'll be glad to negotiate a contract with your company in due time. And above all, I will make sure your confidence in me is well founded."

Cognomen. Roughly speaking, a nickname given to a person or based on their family. And she had been granted the title of Antagonist by the faerie queen who served as her mentor. Was his wording deliberate, or was it a coincidence? Lizette gives a faint, tired sigh. As if she didn't have enough reason to worry, considering Smile seemed aware of her past.

The briefing on the proposed job is almost a relief in comparison. Admittedly, she finds the idea of selling metahuman bodies repugnant. And resents the appeal to her morals. In any case, Los Angeles is her home for the time being. If she had an opportunity to make it even a little safer (and get paid for her work), she would take it.

While Lizette is tempted to ask if there was any chance the legate would be a very persistent Scotsman armed with a collection of swords (she was a fan of classic media), that probably would have sounded flippant. "Do you know the names of the two gangs involved in the area?"

[Q'telun]

Cross raises an eyebrow when Mr. Smile bites through his own lip. He'd seen some tweaked out slots, but this was... No, this wasn't new, there'd been that one goro who was chromed out with a move-by system. Maybe this was like that. It would explain the stuttering.

Adam's eyes flick over to Alia for a moment, then snap back to Mr. Smile. No point in worrying about what the streetmeat was up to, she'd either pull her weight or fail. For the moment, he had to worry about getting paid and survive working with this bunch of Fate meat. And whoever was on the other end of that connection.

"Like the other two said, what do these sidewalk outlines look like? And what're the specs on the swag we're grabbing?"

He surreptitiously slips his link out of a pocket, settles back in his chair like he's awaiting an answer to his questions, and drops into hot-sim to find that connection.

[Zen Gypsy]

Vixen Six, Victoria Tatum-Steele (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=20961879&postcount=5)
Condition: 0 of 10 P[0 Penalties]; 0 of 10 S[0 Penalties]
Edge: 2 of 2

Ulyana accessed her mapsoft, brought up the feed in her field of vision, and manipulated the image with a flick of her wrist. She spoke allowed as she worked through the information, "Isn't Our Lady on West Temple in the Downtown reclamation zone?" She looked towards Smiles, "You guys have been sinking alot of funds into that area, buying the real estate on the cheap, then pumping the water back through the floodwalls into the bay." She paused, considered the details that they'd been given so far.

"I couldn't care less about a description of the stiffs, just forward their dossiers with images attached. That will give us a start. Now, my gut says we throw on some Haz Mat suits and cart their bodies out citing some medical journal drek, but the problem is none of us look like a whitecoat, know what I'm saying?"

[XIII]

What a gift fate had given her this day, to be working side-by-side with Cross was a dream come true. Since the moment she saw him, Alia was consumed with infatuation. She let her eyes linger on his form, daydreaming while the Mr. Johnson went on and on about- "It was expected for negotiations to start, but I wonder why our last participant has not deigned to speak."

Damn, he was so beautiful and distracting! Time to play things off.

Alia shifted slightly to face the Mr. Johnson, sitting up perfectly straight in her Horizon business wear. She was tall, even for an elf, standing at 6 feet, seven inches; she had legs for days. She secured a curly lock of her fiery red hair behind her pointed ear before speaking. Her french accent wasn't harsh, nor did it make it hard to understand her. She spoke with soft, flowing tones, "I believe my constituents have spoken well so far, and asked valid questions, while I chose to listen. Since you've asked, as we're retrieving your failed team, a portion of their contract fee, added to ours, would be appropriate. What happened to any resources you may have put forth for that team and lost, is moot as far as our dealings go. Horizon. Furthermore, potential dealings with the Catholic Church, especially negatives ones, complicates the mission on several levels. To counterbalance this, I feel additional funds or support in the form of equipment or services would also be appropriate. Beyond this, we require only the information these fine professionals are asking of you now." She only ever broke eye contact with Mr. Johnson to gesture at her associates, her amber, almost golden eyes constantly assessing him.

Negotiation - 5 hits
Perception - 3 hits

I'm just gonna roll in the OOC spoilers from now on instead of the OOC thread. Unless we start a rolling thread or something?