Cyberpunk for the Holidays

Cyberpunk for the Holidays

A Cyberpunk-Shadowrun (SR3) game. Set in 2045 in the future sprawl of Minneapolis-Saint Paul (MSP) which is now the northern edge of the Megaplex (sprawl) that connects Detroit, Chicago, Madison, Milwaukee, Eau Claire, and MSP. This sprawl is known as Northopolis. Boils down to bullets. Bodies. Chrome. Bullets. Chaos. Bullets. Jacques. Bombs. Bodies. And Gunfights.

Date: 21Dec2045

Things started somewhat unlike usual. Shark had been stranded in Lake Superior for the last sixteen days as was glad to be home. Zoma's welcome warmth and smile was much better than the Witch of November's icy gales. The letter came to him that evening, the day after he returned, and he was mad as hell. In his email he had received a mysterious request and semi-invitation about a competition among Shadowrunners. The meeting was to be in Chicago, at seven at night, at the Hyatt downtown. It came signed without any return address or sender server from a John Smith, The Orginization. He was all ready to discard it and enjoy some sex and Egg Nog with Zona.

His plans changed the next day while at the Web. He'd been talking with Sypdr, and it was after Close. Zona was supposed to be buy any minute (she was working late at the Clinic) when he asked Spydr what she was doing for the holidays, and that Zona was probably planning something. It wasn't a real question, he figured Spydr was planning something too, or was at least in on it. It turned him on when she lied. Well, anything she did turned him on...

"I'm going to a competition in Chicago. You want to come with?" She said.

I love it when she says come. he thought to himself. "Yeah, I'll go. I got the invitation too."

"I figured you did." She smiled that wonderful smile, as Shark saw his Christmas plans with Zona go flushing down the burbs crapper. "Meet me at my place? Tomorrow noonish?"

"Yeah, that sounds good," Shark said. "That'll give us plenty of time to get there."

The rest of the night, things went normal.

Date: 23Dec2045

Shark and Spydr arrived around dinner time. The drive had been long, but Spydr made Shark laugh. Her voice was intoxicating, as usual, and it helped his dour mood. She in turn laughed at his dumb jokes, which improved his mood more. So when they sat down to dinner, looking like a couple, just so other runners woule leave her alone, he was almost in a good mood. The only thing that would have made it better was if she had gotten someone to come a start a fight with him over his 'date'. She usually did, Shark especially liked that game. But tonight she didn't.

After dinner they both went into the bar and watched the comings and goings of dozens of other runners. Whatever was going on here, it was big, and it had the complete support of the Hyatt staff.

The next day came and went pretty fast. By the time the big meeting rolled around, Shark was thuroughly bored and pissed off. He had walked around some downtown shops in what Spydr called shopping, but he called it walking. So into the big room both of them went, and took chairs side by side. There were table arranged around the outside of a giant circle of chairs. Over one hundred, at least, and enough runners to fill them. Shark started talking with the guy beside him, who later introduced himself as Kazure. Shark just shrugged; stranger things had happened. At precisely seven p.m. a unassuming man in black garb took to the center and began to speak. In a curt measured tone and pace he informed everyone briefly of the history of this group, and of the weeks activiies. He said The Orginization had started to fill contracts during the dry christmas season, and eventually grew into a elite group of runners. Yearly membership was by invitation only and cost a measly 2500 nuyen. Sixty contracts were set up, and everyone was expected to form into twenty teams. Each team therefore got three contracts, by three different johnsons. Each contract was to be forfilled by the end of the week. Teams would be judged on completion, speed, style, and effectiveness. Johnsons would pay each team for the job, just like normal, and the winning team would also win the whole pot of the years entry fees, a cool quarter million nuyen.

As he finished, Shark got started. He looked over at Spydr and said, "Wanna team up?" She just gave him her pretty grin that said, 'Of course you idiot.'

"I'll go grab that non-descript looking guy," Shark said. "How about you see if that whap-daygo looking nucklebreaker guy needs a team?"

"How nice." Spydr then walked off with a pretty swagger of her ass. Shark smiled.

"Kazure, you see if that guy over there is really 'The Ghost'. If he can steal a car off the SEMA showroom floor under the eyes of Ford Security, then we can use him."

"Si, senor," Kazure said. What a fuckin' psycho Shark thought.

It turned out that the canadian freedom fighter from Vancouver, George Thomas was invited to the party, Shark found as he talked to the non-descript man. Having a sniper on the team would definitely be good.

Spydr found that the Malianii Family from New York had indeed created a good muscle man in Victor "The Thumbs" Malianii. The tall, salt-and-pepper haired gentleman in the expensive suit was said to be tops with a sub-machinegun.

As introductions were going around the new group, a under-muscled man for a runner, but not whimpy by any means walked up. He had three jacks in his head and a Deck case over his shoulder. "My names Blake. Need a decker?"

"The answer to that question is always yes," Shark said. "Let me introduce you to everyone."

Four Johnson's came their way. The first offered a B&E job to take a phone encryption chip from Chase Manhattan HQ in Wilmington, Deleware. On the 18th floor, Exekiel Grim had and office, and they wanted the encryption chip from his phone. If they knew or suspected anyone was there, Chase would just change the chip and the Employer would be no better off. The job wa the sneak in, copy the chip, and leave with Chase none the wise. Shark gave the Johnson a number to reach him at, and said they would take it. Second was an extraction job. To get a file clerk that worked for the Employer, out of the hands of Zetatech in Southopolis. He is under constant observation, and it would be a resisted extraction. The team was to use an Arasaka Cover and drop him off at the given location. Again the team accepted by giving a number to reach them at. Third was an evesdropping mission against Paramount Tristar. At a Holiday party on the 27th, a producer and actress were to discuss the content of a media event. The employer wanted to know what that content was before it was released to the public. A tentative answer was given by asking for the number to reach the Contact at. Nobody really wanted that job, so they looked for a fourth. It turned out that job would be the biggest. A Casino in Vegas, wanted it's rivals jackpot money stolen. 5% of the jackpot would be the teams payment. 1.5 Million nuyen would be the teams to split evenly. The team took this job by giving the Employer a number to reach them at.

Within minutes they'd decided to meet at a save location that Thumbs could provide in the Chi Town downtown. Kazure and Black spread some misinformation, and evesdropped on what other names Teams were taking contracts from. They'd warn those companies to be on full alert.

On their way out everyone was given a card to a party in New York on new years eve. It was to be a big party for the runners.

Splitting into two groups that night, the team head toward objective one and two. They agreed to tackle the third as a team. Group A wold be Victor "The Thumbs", George, Ghost, and Kazure. They met with their Johnson, secured the upfront half of the 37,000 nuyen payment, got intel on the target, and headed for their destination of the Southopolis (Memphis) extraction. Group B was Shark and Spydr, though it would mostly be Spydr. He was just backup if she got noticed. Their job would be the Chase Manhattan HQ chip job. Payment was secured for 100% on completion, in the amount of 20,000 nuyen. Jack Blake would net jockey backup and overwatch on both jobs, though he would be needed much more by Spydr in overcoming the Chase security.

Team A pulled their job off with no problem, except they forgot to dress as Araska units. In an attempt to cover their actions they had Jack Blake spread misinformation about Arasaka doing what they did. In the shootout at the target's apartment, George shot eight times and dropped seven targets, the eigth he was destroying a car. Victor did well, dropping four inside and only being lightly wounded. Ghost made a 150 mph getaway from the undergroud garage. Kazure finished off the two guys in the basement at close quarters with his mono-wire whip. They are done by 7pm CST 25Dec2045.

Team B (well, Spydr) pulled off her job with pure professionalism and perfection. She snuck in, got the chip, and got out without even a flake of dry skin to give her away on the DNA test. Shark swam up a run off stream, up the sewer runoff from the building, and into the basement storm drain to place breaching charges for a get-away, all for naught. They finish their job by 10pm EST 25Dec2045.

Both teams then head for Park City, Utah to rendevous and head for Vegas to take down the Casino. Team A goes by Ghost's car, and Team B takes a red eye flight. Team A arrives in Park City at 6am MST 26Dec2045, and Team B arrives 6:15am MST 26Dec2045, to be met by Team A in the terminal. They then all pile into the two matching Series 1500 BMW's of Ghost and take the short drive to Las Vegas. Along the way they plan, Shark plays Harmonica baddly, and Ghost listend to speed-death-metal. Everyone arrives at 1pm MST 26Dec2045, and they get a hotel, and start meeting contacts to get gear. Shark meets an old buddy from Ares and gets a rocket launcher, APDS ammo vor Victor's SMG, radio's, camo, and 50 lbs of C4 explosives. George meets a contact from his 'freedom fighter' days and plans the distraction. Spydr's plan was to distract the city's emergency response personel, at the exact time the Team would be hitting the Casino. Shark proposed the water works. It was easy to hit, unguarded, vulnerable, and posed little risk of colateral damage. George said he and his man could hit it. Shark provided the explosives, they did the work.

The rest of the 26th was spent in preperations, and on the 27th George and his man had the charges set by 6am. Ghost had acquired five vehicles and one semi. Two would be in the back of the semi, as fake getaway cars. The other two, plus his personal two, would be the real getaway cars. Since no one else had any ideas, Shark came up with the plan. Spydr would be spotting from an outside rooftop, and George would be overwatch fire from a different rooftop. The team would enter through the front of the building in the Semi and trailer. The guards would be put down as everyone made their way to the vault. Kazure was responsible for gaining access, while Shark and Victor would watch both flanks and provide security. Ghost would head to the back and get the first of the four getaway cars ready to go. The other three were set up in a Pony Express maneuver for a fast (confusing to the authorities) getaway.

Things went exactly according to plan, except there were too many guards. Shark left feeling like he had killed to many, and that he should have used Gel rounds instead. Inside, grenades had been thrown, and one guard had actually been killed reaching for a rocket launcher. Kazure had gotten through the locked vault with ease, and the two Flashbangs Shark had subdued the guards inside with ease. The two cases of certified cred chips were then hauled out to the car with Ghost. As the two dummy cars in the back of the Trailer burst out the front of the building and went opposite directions, nearly 100% of the police and ERT units were drawn off after them. One minute later, Ghost's vehicle in the back left almost surely unnoticed. They then hit the next two relays without incident. Their hotel was left empty without them returning to it. Each team member then headed out of the state as quickly as possible, bound for Reno and flights to New York.

The PC's
Graphic
Name	Spydr	Sharkman	Zona	Ghost
Description	Freelance dealer in future used goods.	Former Ares International Security Force Solo.	Physician, Angel of Mercy, and Sharks main squeeze.	Freelance driver and courier.

Graphic
Name	George	Victor	Emelio Sanchez
Description	Non-descript guy.	Mafia big hitter.	Kazure.

Thought they didn't place first, each team member gained significant cash resources as well as the nimbous gain in reputation for taking down a 'Fort Knox' or a Casino. The PC's Graphic Name Spydr Sharkman Zona Ghost Description Freelance dealer in future used goods. Former Ares International Security Force Solo. Physician, Angel of Mercy, and Sharks main squeeze. Freelance driver and courier. Graphic Name George Victor Emelio Sanchez Description Non-descript guy. Mafia big hitter. Kazure. My inspiration: Blackjack's Shadowrun Page An excerpt from Blackjacks that is really damn funny. Hope you learn from it. | Murphy's Laws - Strangely Apt this game. | | Memoirs of Sharkman | | Neat Stuff | | CP Terms | CP Guns | Street Names | | CP Corps | | The Long List of Things to Carry to Always Be Prepared. | Last updated 011210 � Perpetual copyright 5,000 B.C. (Sumerian copyright) to and including 2057 A.D., Jeff Brawley, Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. All rights reserved under penalty of whatever I can get in the cheapest court, with the meanest judge, in your jurisdiction.