The Reverse Mercurial

A Shadowrun: Anarchy contract brief based on the Mercurial adventure. Contains spoilers for the Mercurial adventure.

Context
Back in 2045, Reynaldo Texamachach, a higher-up exec, was sent to Seattle to fix a “problem” with some of the local management at Perfekto Polymers- one of our subsidiaries. His solution was to kill everyone involved with the “problem,” shut down the factory, and wipe any knowledge of it. The only place left with records was with his final report. He stored it in the sealed memory cyber in his personal secretary, probably the most secure place for it to be.

Unfortunately for Texamachach, his secretary chose that night to blow his brains all over his suite in the Aztechnology pyramid, then fled into the slums of the city. Well, I say “unfortunately,” but it wasn’t a big loss. She was his personal secretary, and he had hooked her on BTLs to keep her obedient.

A few years later, that secretary shows up again- as rockstar Maria Mercurial. Way too high-profile to geek her just on Texamachach’s account. And at the time, we didn’t know about the final report. But things changed.

A firm called “New Horizons Development” started buying up land around Perfekto Polymers, and almost rolled over the corporate secret. Perfekto management spilled the details with New Horizons, and the company came back with an ultimatum. Either clean up the old mess, or New Horizons leaks it to the media. And to make matters worse, they’re owned by the Shigeda-gumi, Yakuza.

After some internal investigations to find the mess, Aztech higher-ups discovered that Maria was the only one with the location. So that’s where our troubleshooting team comes in.

Tags
Rock and Roll, 2050, Aztechnology, Corporate Skeletons, Rival Shadowrunners, Dragon Romance

Payday
10 karma each- this is longer than usual, and there's a good chance of Bull stealing the players' operating funds.

Objectives

 * Get the data out of Maria’s head
 * Ensure nobody learns what’s in the data
 * Eliminate New Horizons’ evidence of Aztechnology mess
 * Optional: Get rid of the mess

Mr. Johnson’s Pitch
''Your bosses are already there. Kyle Morgan and Perianwyr- both have a tricky, pragmatic reputation for getting the job done no matter what the cost. It’s hard to tell which one’s the cold-blooded dragon.''

''Kyle barely looks at you as you walk in, tossing a knife in the air repeatedly. He’s in a suit, but it’s broad-shouldered- probably armored, even in the depths of the secure Aztech Pyramid.''

''Peri’s in a human form. He’s dressed up like someone in their twenties, out on the night. If you saw him in a club, you wouldn’t have recognized him.''

'''[Talk time- allow players to introduce themselves, maybe start asking Kyle and Peri questions about the job. Most of the relevant information is given in Context, but try not to have Kyle monologue at the players. After all, they don't "need to know" everything.]'''

We’re going to kidnap Maria Mercurial, and let her manager take the fall. The Shigeda have dirt on another manager, Max Foley. They’ve already gone to the trouble of framing her manager Armanda Hernandez with something, and she’s started to change her contract.

Tonight, she’s playing at Underworld 93, with Max as her manager. He’ll be able to facilitate us if things get messy by providing information her location.

Your job is to go into Underworld 93 and kidnap Maria Mercurial. Make sure you have an audience, and that you leave a trail that makes it look like Hernandez hired you. If Max Foley dies in the firefight, it’s no skin off my nose, he’s the Yaks’ pawn. Try not to get captured- wait for a good opportunity. You don’t want a hundred rabid Maria-fans crashing down on you.

Once we have her, we can get the data off her, and let her go back to being the Quicksilver Queen of the music industry.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">[Up to GM whether Kyle is lying about letting her go, or receives the "kill" order later]

NPCs
<p class="MsoNormal">Rent-a-Cops, Bull, Johnny 99, Maria Mercurial, U93 Hearth Spirit. Stat Max Foley as ganger if it comes up. Bull and Johnny 99 should be built like runners (You can use Bit-Bucket and Coydog). Maria Mercurial is statted like Fourth.

Info
<p class="MsoNormal">An open challenge. Bull and Johnny 99 scored VIP tickets to meet Maria Mercurial... or perhaps Max Foley hired them. Either way, they won't let anyone kidnap their favorite rock star. Johnny 99 will summon the U93 Hearth Spirit- it's a Greater Spirit of Beasts with the Chaotic World spell (Activated when the Hearth Spirit starts playing its guitar). This spell affects everyone but the Spirit and Johnny 99.

<p class="MsoNormal">If the group takes Maria, proceed to Scene 2a. If B&J get away, proceed to Scene 2b.

NPCs
<p class="MsoNormal">Yakuza Thugs- gangers, Dr. Sorayama- stat as Wagon

Info
<p class="MsoNormal">Kyle directs them to an Aztech corporate black site, an abandoned high school that’s been renovated with the latest in cybertech, drones, and a couple of Peri’s pet basilisks. But they find a problem when they try to get the data out of MM: It’s locked. Further inspection reveals that her cyberware is top of the line Chiba tech, installed by the eccentric but brilliant street doc Dr. Sorayama. He has connections with the Yaks, and they can get the info off him with level heads, bribes, negotiations, etc. Unfortunately, MM’s memory chip would only be unlockable with the passcode used by Texamachach. With him dead, that means that the Dragon Knights will have to wait out a day for a decryptor to crack open MM’s memory, a process that is painful for her. In the meantime, B&J99 are searching for MM, and will tail the players back to their base if they aren’t careful.

<p class="MsoNormal">Go to Scene 6 if B&J99 tail them successfully, otherwise go to Scene 8.

<h2 class="MsoNormal">Scene 2b

<h3 class="MsoNormal">NPCs

<p class="MsoNormal">Bull, Johnny 99, Max Foley

<h3 class="MsoNormal">Info

<p class="MsoNormal">Kyle isn’t pleased with the runners, but is even less pleased with the Yaks. Their stooge, Max Foley, was supposed to hand over MM on a silver platter. Unfortunately, the two winners of the night’s VIP raffle were out-of-town, rooke runners. Kyle puts the players in charge of corralling Max Foley: Get him to point the runners B&J99 at Hernandez (Taking out one potential problem). Meanwhile, Dragon Knights pounce on the runner’s hideout to pick up MM.

<p class="MsoNormal">The twist is all the home alone junk that B&J99 set up. Instead of going for Hernandez like they’re supposed to, they hole up to wait out the 5 day contract, not giving Foley a good chance to contact them. Max is able to give the location by text, and that’s it, since the paranoid decker wants them all to go silent.

<p class="MsoNormal">If the group takes Maria, go to Scene 2a. Otherwise, go to Scene 3.

<h2 class="MsoNormal">Scene 3

<h3 class="MsoNormal">NPCs

<p class="MsoNormal">Bull, Johnny 99

<h3 class="MsoNormal">Info

<p class="MsoNormal">Perianwyr shows up and torches the place, and Max Foley. B&J99 run off with MM, pursued by party, running through the twists and turns of the Puyallup barrens after Peri squishes Bull’s car.

<p class="MsoNormal">If the group takes Maria, go to Scene 2a. Otherwise, go to Scene 4.

<h2 class="MsoNormal">Scene 4

<h3 class="MsoNormal">NPCs

<p class="MsoNormal">Bull, Johnny 99, Hernandez is statted like a ganger for a small group, and like Shades for a large group.

<h3 class="MsoNormal">Info

<p class="MsoNormal">B&J99 reappear outside Hernandez’s place. If the group takes Maria, go to Scene 2a. Otherwise, go to Scene 9.

<h2 class="MsoNormal">Scene 5

<p class="MsoNormal">Kyle is not pleased with the group’s efforts. He’s chewing them out, and about to hand them over to the likes of Mixacopotec, when they hear a tripped security alert. B&J99 have infiltrated their black site base of operations. Kyle wants them found, and he wants them dead. Go to Scene 7.

<h2 class="MsoNormal">Scene 6

<p class="MsoNormal">The effort to get MM’s memory out is going slowly but surely. Kyle’s tense- it seems like the process might kill her. Conversation with group is interrupted when they hear a tripped security alert. B&J99 have infiltrated their black site base of operations. Kyle wants them found, and he wants them dead. Go to Scene 7.

<h2 class="MsoNormal">Scene 7

<h3 class="MsoNormal">NPCs

<p class="MsoNormal">Bull, Johnny 99, Hernandez, Shark & Spill, Maria Mercurial. Shark and Spill are statted like Chrome Bison

<h3 class="MsoNormal">Info

<p class="MsoNormal">Gonna be player-driven. Fun things:


 * Johnny 99 has brought along Underworld 93’s Hearth Spirit.
 * Bull has barricaded himself into a utility closet and connected to the base’s grid. He plants false information that Kyle Morgan and Perianwyr are embezzling from Aztechnology, when in fact, he is the culprit and he has taken all the team’s assets for himself. A curious player can investigate Kyle’s computer further, if they’d like to.
 * Money trail: From the Dragon Knights’ slush fund to Kyle’s account, then from Kyle’s account to a credstick (That Bull has), from that credstick to Bull’s account.
 * Once Bull finds the location of MM, he jacks out and messages Johnny 99. They head to the gymnasium to save Maria.
 * If MM is not there, Bull and Johnny 99 instead go to the roof to call out Kyle Morgan and Perianwyr in battle (As well as the players, depending on if they fell for the ruse or not). They’re getting tired of being yanked around by the Azzies, and are here to finish things.
 * Hernandez is with Bull, if he lived.
 * Shark & Spill flew in from Chicago to help out Maria Mercurial! (As well as the two kids they grew up with on the streets of Chicago) They help out Johnny 99’s distraction, to try to keep the players occupied. But if things get too hot (Either the spirit’s banished or one of them falls), they’ll run for it.
 * This will end when Kyle goes down- Peri will move to grab him and escape, vowing revenge on B&J99, and abandoning the players (Who no longer have their paycheck, thanks to Bull).
 * Bull can be coerced into giving the stolen money back to the players- if they figured out that Kyle did not, in fact, embezzle from Aztechnology.

<h2 class="MsoNormal">Scene 8

<h3 class="MsoNormal">NPCs <p class="MsoNormal">Gangers, Witcheye – stat as Tommy Q, Spirit of Toxic Waste – stat as Spirt of Earth, Bull, Johnny 99 <h3 class="MsoNormal">Info <p class="MsoNormal">While they’re waiting on Maria, Kyle wants the players to go get rid of “the mess.” Turns out that it’s a massive toxic dumping site, and when they get there, the Yak guards are gone- some Toxic Shaman and her cult have taken over, and are summoning a spirit army from the toxic spill to take over Redmond.

<p class="MsoNormal">If B&J99 managed to trail the players after they left the Secret Hideout, they might be an unexpected third party, either a help or a hindrance depending on player actions.

<p class="MsoNormal">Once the shaman is dispatched, it’s simple enough to remove the data connecting the site to Aztechnology from the New Horizons Development console on-site. If Bull is there, he may have already copied this data (Or could be coerced into removing the data for the players). After the bullets stop flying, Kyle asks the players to dispose of Bull and Johnny 99 out in the lava flats.

<p class="MsoNormal">Use some sort of plot armor or deus ex to prevent these two from dying if it gets this far- Shark and Spill might come in a Bulldog and ram the players’ vehicle during transport, and escape with B&J99 in the confusion. Or perhaps a Fire Spirit friendly to Johnny 99 wrecks the players’ car. B&J99 will do or promise whatever it takes to get out alive- except for selling out MM.

<p class="MsoNormal">Regardless, go to Scene 6, and have B&J99 show up after a day or so.

<h2 class="MsoNormal">Scene 9

<h3 class="MsoNormal">NPCs

<p class="MsoNormal">Gangers, Witcheye – stat as Tommy Q, Spirit of Toxic Waste – stat as Spirt of Earth, Bull, Johnny 99

<h3 class="MsoNormal">Info

<p class="MsoNormal">Kyle is immensely displeased with the players’ progress. He tells them to go get rid of “the mess,” instead, as he might have to just hunt down B&J99 himself. Turns out that it’s a massive toxic dumping site, and when they get there, the Yak guards are gone- some Toxic Shaman and her cult have taken over, and are summoning a spirit army from the toxic spill to take over Redmond.

<p class="MsoNormal">If B&J99 managed to trail the players after they left the Secret Hideout, they might be an unexpected third party, either a help or a hindrance depending on player actions. B&J99 are tired of being hounded by the players, and want to find out where their base of operations are.

<p class="MsoNormal">Once the shaman is dispatched, it’s simple enough to remove the data connecting the site to Aztechnology from the New Horizons Development console on-site. If Bull is there, he may have already copied this data (Or could be coerced into removing the data for the players). After the bullets stop flying, Kyle wants the players to get Maria’s location out of B&J99.

<p class="MsoNormal">B&J99 will do what they can to escape, evade questions, or stall the players. They aren’t bribable (Since they don’t want MM dead), but they are easy enough to threaten and intimidate.

<p class="MsoNormal">This could go to end of Scene 8, Scene 5, or Scene 2a depending on player actions. Kyle will opt for the players to off B&J99 after securing Maria. If either Bull or Johnny 99 escape (But not the other), Kyle will tell the players to bring them along, to set a trap for the other.

<p class="MsoNormal">Regardless, all roads lead to Scene 7 eventually.