Dramatis Personae

• Derrick K. Ratnam aka Ledgerdemain (NPC Ally): Spin doctor and media liaison for Project VANGUARD. Twin to Bo. Tagline: “Well, actually that’s not how it happened…”
• Jodie R. Swann aka Surferboy (NPC): Dude. Aero- and Hydrokinetic. Really laid back, but wants to make a difference. Has a advanced glider/drone he rides on. Tagline: “Like. Let’s just chill, dude.”
• Layla A. de Blackburn aka Nox (NPC): CIA-trained child assassin all grown up to be Daddy’s Little Monster. Maybe a little mad. Argues with her shadow often. Tagline: “No, we shouldn’t do that…should we?”
• Stainless Steel Rat aka “Sir” (NPC Ally): Bo’s best friend and assistant. A sentient drone in the shape of a stylized shiny metal rat mindlinked to Bo. Specialties are rapid repair construction and modifications. Imagine if K-9 and R2D2 made a baby and it looks a bit like a rodent. Tagline: “Repairs and upgrades in progress”
• Tierney M. Ward aka Rush (NPC): Speedster and former member of the Bullet Hell Brigade. Tagline: “Was that fast? I thought that was fast.”
• Zubayr Sajjad Marou aka Five Stars (NPC): Driver. Pilot. Klubbe gig worker.. From N’Djamena, Chad. Used to go by Darryl Bell to sound more American. Tagline: “I can get you there in time.”

Previously . . .

After returning from Syria dealing with Almarakhu and murdering people while also bringing back a reporter and an entire Delta team that had been reported missing some time back. They were in bad shape but all still alive.

Wirerat, Threshold, Surferboy, and Rush were working in Caracas to deal with the location they came up there investigating the Deathless. Not a lot of materials were obtained as the base was blown up while the team was inside the base, getting rescued by Rush in turn. Wirerat’s surveillance program turns up a dead end returning them back to square one as the Deathless end up covering everything up that they can online and in person. The director is considering bringing in a power signature sniffer as they need to try something.

It’s been about two days since the events in Syria with everyone back at headquarters. Whisper goes back to collating data while making sure that the Delta Team debriefing goes well, making sure they wiggle loose some additional information. The ? has additional information they were trying to get to from both Catherine Novak, the reporter, and Tommie Storm, the lead Delta operative who is eager to leave the hospital and check his men who Threshold assures him are stable and just need rest and care. Tommie isn’t too happy with it, and Threshold isn’t happy with Tommie’s attitude either telling the spec ops that he has to rest.

Button, Button, Where’s the Button?

Nyx, Threshold, Whisper, and Wirerat
VANGUARD Headquarters, Nyx’s Room
Monday, June 3rd, 2019, 0830 hours (EST)
Tomkins Cove, NY 10986

They’ve also got some of the still living, but wounded, terrorists in their midst as well, under guard around the clock until the CIA can interrogate them properly.

Nyx gets to talk to the Director Landry who wants to know why he wasn’t doing much of anything during the encounter. Nyx, emphatically, explains the reasons why he did what he did, including that he was following the plan that went awry, that the devices had already screwed with his ability to sense things, that Nox taking over his powers and blacking out of the area screwed things up even more for his ability to sense anything other than visually, and on top of it all while they had the go ahead to kill he didn’t sign up for being a government assassin. Explaining in such a way that makes it plain that Nyx wasn’t too happy with the situation either which Lynch is taken aback by and dismisses Nyx to speak with Threshold.

Threshold wants to know why they weren’t informed about the presence of the Delta Force team and it’s simply because they weren’t told about it. They were only told about insurgent forces and a kidnapped reporter. Content with this, Threshold leaves and Nox gets called in.

Since they got back, Wirerat has been creating new drones to replace the ones shot down in Caracas and investigating the sensory cancellation devices while also having to deal with the CIA breathing down his neck over the whole Caracas bit since they want the code and data that Wirerat has been using and gathering while working on the destroyed laptops he brought back from Caracas. The SSR seems to be getting annoyed while trying to help fix up things. He’s also been trying to keep an eye on Syria while also trying to figure out where Nox is.

Unfortunately, she’s currently in his living space eating all his yoghurt much to his annoyance. He’s also not too happy that they won’t allow for him to put in lethal traps against her and attempts to reason that he doesn’t like her in there. She points at a box on a table which is from Authentic Nicks pizza place, who she actually paid. He’s still annoyed that she put the pizza on all the components and calls for Nyx to take his friend away while The SSR hands over a bottle of aspirin.

Nox ports away to go bother Nyx who is currently sitting in his room in the dark, she complains that she’s still hungry and tells Nyx that they are allowed to go out, that she did check. Nyx merely replies that’s true for most of them, pointing out the fact that he’s currently on work release with all the limitations that implies and he normally needs to fill out sheets in triplicate in a way to kindly turn her down only for to come back with the right sheets filled out and signed by the director and she pulls him out into town after asking if he’s got better clothing, looking like he’s been shopping at an army’s lost and found. She eventually gets him to a noodle stand named Winston’s Noodle Cart (and dumplings) though he finds it hard to relax in the presence of someone that took over his powers without much warning.

Threshold heads down to Wirerat’s lab so he can investigate the jammers himself and eventually gets himself admitted after Wirerat takes a picture of him and sends it to the director to inform Landry that he’s collaborating with others. They get into arguments about Wirerat’s beliefs, lack of note taking, and the general current governmental policies. Wirerat eventually forced to put what he’s figured out so far onto a tablet and hands it over to Threshold.

Threshold looks over it himself and finds that some of it is just so alien that he cannot understand what he’s actually looking at with crystals and wires and embedded chips and each one is custom made, not mass produced. Using his ability to scan it more easily, it’s basically looping Kyberic Energy in a feedback loop that creates a pulse of energy. Threshold makes notes on it all and hands it off to Wirerat. He’d have to study it far more to be able to replicate it as it’s alien technology. Looking at the rifle, doing the same thing with his powers, figuring that what they’re dealing with is electrothermal-chemical weaponry, which is more likely to be attached to vehicles than handheld.

Whisper is taking some time off and dresses up nice to get some grub to relax, enjoying some nice large portions of food at a decent restaurant. It’s a pretty boring but satisfying evening and she brings back some bottles of Pinot Noir.

Aftermath

They get to unwind for a few days. Nyx gets visited by Lynch who slides a dossier file over to him telling him they found the mole, the janitor. Apparently he had high enough clearance that he was getting in places and selling them out telling them how screwed they are. The guy was apparently old KGB that managed to pass background checks and telepaths. He wasn’t just selling the info to the Russians but also to someone within the Pentagon as well and they have no idea what they were doing with it. Lynch thanks him for doing the mission and says that they’re going to be questioning everyone again.

Whisper grabs some fast food and stops by Wirerat’s lab but can’t get his attention as Wirerat is current face down in his work isn’t currently taking notice of his surroundings until The SSR is flashing and making noise. A bit of confusion later and he begrudgingly allows Whisper inside and asks what brings her there. She hands over the fast food and a gift of polish for The SSR who she polishes up while Wirerat keeps working. The devices seem to affect only non-human senses and most mechanical senses. When it’s turned on, it blocks out his machine senses as he tries to figure out more information.

After Action Report (GM)

A good RP session and a bit of an info dump as the PCs explored the tech the Syrian insurgents had – why beyond what they should have had. Overall, fun, but short.

Other Notes

Bonus Report from Rory.

This was a short session as I had a glucose dip that put me out of the running.

Soundtrack

“Hardest Button to Button” by The White Stripes
“Majestic” by Wax Fang
“Technologic” by Daft Punk