S02E05

Season 2, Episode 5
Quarterly Report Metrics

Staring	Fräulein Ärtzin, Garbo, Liam, Shirayuri
With	Nicole-Anne Bélanger, Simone-Marie Bélanger, IGARASHI Izanami
And
Introducing	Gader'el, Penemue, KAZAMA Takehiko, Anne Smith
Previous Episode	S02E04 – Instinct
Next Episode	S02E06 – Antisocial Network Interface

The group does more digging in the upper levels, trying to figure out where and how the Banded get all their wonderful toys and what makes them tick (the Banded and their toys alike).

Session 1 - 2024/12/12

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Scene 1
Dealer Incentives

Who	Fräulein Ärtzin, Garbo, Liam, Shirayuri, Nicole-Anne Bélanger, Simone-Marie Bélanger, IGARASHI Izanami
When	Thursday, March 18, 2060 (Day 91)
Where	Gaz-Niki Affiliate, SCIRE, Level 257‌

After leaving Director Ushida's Residence on Level 259‌, the group finds another unused commercial property to hide out in — a car dealership. Like the manufacturing levels below them, there are heavy-lift cargo elevators in this facility that lead all the way down to the cargo transshipment facilities, like the one they visited on Level B6‌. However, they are not nearly as conducive to climbing. Shirayuri could manage it with her magnetic system, but it would be a near impossible free-climb for the others.

They spend the day resting and figuring out their next moves. While discussing it, they decide some of their goals are more practical than others:

• Intelligence on the Microtronics Assembly and Manufacturing facilities on Level 252‌ and Level 253‌.
  • Access
  • Information Gathering
  • Steal Neat Stuff
  • Damage the Clean Room — They realize this is impractical; the arcology has dozens, possibly hundreds of facilities that could take up the slack.
• Information on the White Banded
  • Deeper general knowledge needed.
  • Shirayuri wants to know if her brother can be saved.
• Something going on with the director — There's initially some thought that there's something odd going on. There is, but whatever it is, it's just his job.
• Status of Twilight's (Former?) Shadowrunner Team: Dropbox, Lab Lady, Optics, Rocksteady, Snapshot
• Endgame for Exits from Arcology
• Non-Citizens Locations — Garbo wants to find his children.
• Heavy Duty Gear — SWAT armor, heavy weapons, explosives, etc.

The group puts on their Banded disguises — Fräulein and Garbo as Whites, Shirayuri as a Green, and the rest as Blues — and head down to investigate the microtronics factory.

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Scene 2
Satan's Workshop

Who	Fräulein Ärtzin, Garbo, Liam, Shirayuri, Nicole-Anne Bélanger, Simone-Marie Bélanger, IGARASHI Izanami
When	Friday, March 19, 2060 (Day 92)
Where	Microtronics Assembly and Manufacturing, SCIRE, Level 253‌

In their first attempt at access, they don't find any elevator doors or air ducts. Fräulein projects enough to poke her head through the wall, where she finds people busy at work. They group realizes the production facilities are likely on independently filtered air, hence not connecting up to the SCIRE's normal air handling systems as they anticipated.

They find an alternate entry point, in the more office-like sections rather than the production floor then make their way over to the factory. They're forced to wear containment suits, and almost blow their cover when Shirayuri in the role of a Green technician flubs the procedure. She's able to pass it off as nerves, she's dealing directly with two Whites after all, and the other Greens present buy it.

In the factory, they find everything has been repurposed for drone manufacturing. The large production line for server racks has been repurposed to build Dervishes, and a smaller component manufacturing section is making some sort of tiny drone, like a cross between helicopter and a bumblebee. Further along the line, the tiny drones are loaded into something like a beehive: half a sphere with various hex shaped docking areas for the drones. Part of the quality assurance procedure for the hive appears to includes testing a ruthenium polymer coating.

As we are walking around, the Green shift leader comes up and begins being a suck up to Garbo in his pretty White girl guise. When questioned, he explains the bees have nanites inside them. They attack by inject a dose that distributes itself through the body. Once that happens, they go into a supercharged state and start cutting through body until run out of power. While small and quiet, in motion the bees radiate significant heat. He's explains that the nanites come from Cybernetics Research and Manufacturing down on Level 72‌; he assumes they're a variation of the nanites used to cut and stitch nerve fibers during implantation procedures. When asked why they're making so many, he simply says he's given a quota and he tries to make sure his team meets it.

After about two hours, Izzie, Siri, and Garbo's eyedrops begin to fade. They leave the factor and return to the car dealership. Even after applying the cleaning solution, Siri's still show the blue pigment, though they have stopped glowing. She complains that she's having trouble seeing, but also has no interest in Fräulein and/or Shirayuri attempting to install the cybereyes they purloined earlier.

Session 2 - 2024/12/19

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Scene 3
Classroom Audit

Who	Garbo, Shirayuri, Nicole-Anne Bélanger, IGARASHI Izanami
When	Monday, March 22, 2060 (Day 95)
Where	Renraku University, SCIRE, Level 282‌

Garbo builds disguises for Izzie, Shirayuri and Nian so they can accompany him among the unconverted student population (his own powers are sufficient). Fräulein is too small to pull off an appropriately-aged student, Liam is too masculine (even for an Elf), and Siri's sclera are still tinted blue — they will cover the others from inside the duct work.

Garbo and the three girls are able to blend in among the students. They pass through an area with mostly younger girls in the 13-15 range. While Izzie points out that they all have datajacks, none of them have cybereyes. All four agree that they otherwise seem to be early teenage schoolgirls, acting like early teenage schoolgirls.

In there attempts to gather information, Shirayuri has to field a lot of questions about her cyberlimbs, but otherwise it goes well. There's mention of marksmanship classes, something that hadn't been offered to Izzie, Nian, and Siri's age group (though martial arts courses as a physical education elective were available). They also found it telling that the girls had no special reaction to a full five-man team of Red Samurai on patrol, no more than how one might act if a Lone Star or Knight Errant police patrol had rolled by.

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Scene 4
White Walls

Who	Fräulein Ärtzin, Garbo, Liam, Shirayuri, Nicole-Anne Bélanger, Simone-Marie Bélanger, IGARASHI Izanami, KAZAMA Takehiko, "Pinkie"
When	Monday, March 22, 2060 (Day 95)
Where	Renraku University, SCIRE, Level 282‌

The group in the air ducts overhears a heated conversation between two people, both speaking in Japanese. They vector in the others — specifically the native-speakers — to hear the conversation. They only catch the tail end of the conversation: "One little pyromaniac demon bitch shouldn't be so hard to find. You better take care of it before she torches someone else."

Shirayuri notices the girl has something running up near her neck on her cyberarm side, realizes it's a burn scar. Even with as little as they heard, Garbo believes the male has a genuine authority vibe, especially for someone in his late teens. Both of them have a four-man Blue detachment, and they Whites are clearly in charge (rather than the Blues being more like babysitters and having some authority).

Once his back his turned, the girl gives the boy the double deuce and walks away. As he's passing by the group, he takes notice of Shirayuri and her cyberlimbs, he calls out to the female White, proclaiming that Shirayuri has style, unlike her. Shirayuri realizes that she knows the guy — he is KAZAMA Takehiko, captain of one of the SCIRE school system's soccer teams.

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Scene 5
Hall Monitor

Who	Garbo, Shirayuri, Nicole-Anne Bélanger, IGARASHI Izanami
When	Monday, March 22, 2060 (Day 95)
Where	Renraku University, SCIRE, Level 282‌

After the two Whites have left, the group encounters a class change, learning there are also younger children in this area. The class groups are mixed, covering about three years wide groups — the younger classes, nine-, ten-, and eleven-year-olds are mixed, while the older group (at least in this area) is all girls. The older girls move between classes under their own guidance, while the younger kids are escorted by Greens as a group.

The group finds a few more opportunities to ask the students, and learn that there have been multiple incidents of arson over the last few weeks. All of the attacks have taken place in the University area, but there's no pattern anybody has been able to figure out. The most recent attack is first time a person was attacked directly: "Pinkie" was lit on fire in her sleep. Some of the older Whites had been staying in the dorms by choice, but now they're sleeping in other sections of the SCIRE.

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Scene 6
Tunnel Rats

Who	Fräulein Ärtzin, Liam, Simone-Marie Bélanger
When	Monday, March 22, 2060 (Day 95) through Tuesday, March 23, 2060 (Day 96)
Where	Renraku University, SCIRE, Level 282‌

The group spends the rest of the day and most of the next in the vents and undercover, trying to see if they can do a better job of finding the arsonist than the Blues and Whites.

The group in the ducts keep their focus there, it's an area the Banded have shown a persistent disregard for. They find clear evidence of somebody other than themselves using the ductwork to access maintenance areas. In one such compartment, they find shrink-wrapped pellets with bottles of potential accelerants missing from the backside, somebody didn't want their thefts to be found quickly. Some effort is put to exploring the Dean's Office complex, but there's no evidence that it's ever been used (it wasn't finished when the shutdown began, and still isn't).

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Scene 7
Theatre Nerds

Who	Garbo, Shirayuri, Nicole-Anne Bélanger, IGARASHI Izanami
When	Monday, March 22, 2060 (Day 95) through Tuesday, March 23, 2060 (Day 96)
Where	Renraku University, SCIRE, Level 282‌

The other group search some of the more publicly accessible areas. Their olfactory sensor pings in the library and study rooms, detecting signs of some of the accelerants the arsonist might have used. A quick check of the library computer says there are physical reference materials that have gone missing since a few days before the attacks began.

They also hit up the food storage area. There are drone tunnels that go in and out, ones you'd have to be Fräulein's size to make use of. They find similar evidence of things being stolen from the backside of stacks, however. There's no chance anybody was staying here long term, as it's all refrigerated and freezer compartments.

They get additional pings off the scanner in the entertainment and performance arts section. The trideo film theaters are actively in use in all but the pre-dawn hours of the night. The stage theaters are only active during the day and early evening; the scanner pings indicate she might be staying here at night.

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Scene 8
Red Stage

Who	Fräulein Ärtzin, Garbo, Liam, Shirayuri, Nicole-Anne Bélanger, Simone-Marie Bélanger, IGARASHI Izanami, Anne Smith
When	Tuesday, March 23, 2060 (Day 96)
Where	Entertainment and Performance Arts, Renraku University, SCIRE, Level 282‌

The team decides to split up into three groups to cover the three different stages — Shirayuri, Izzie, and Siri, then Garbo and Liam, with Fräulein and Nian covering the third.

Despite how stealthy Shirayuri usually is, their prey spots them from the scaffolding above the stage. She's no older than a third or fourth grader, but she threatens to burn the whole place down if they don't leave. Shirayuri tries to convince her that they're here to help, but the girl says she won't be trapped again and flees. With her speed and her ability to jump and climb, she can't get away from Shirayuri, who corners her in a space between the stages and grabs her without harming her.

When Garbo and company reaches the group, he realizes that the pyromaniac is his eight-year-old daughter, Anne. Her reaction is entirely unexpected: she shouts that he can't be her father, that it's impossible that he's here, and that they tried to trick her with her mother once already. She refuses to believe any statement he makes to the contrary.

Fräulein and Nian are the last to arrive. In addition to assessing the obvious injuries — her left arm and the left side of her face have been burned, destroying the eye too — Fräulein does a quick astral scan. It's as you would expect: the girl is injured (beyond just the burns), angry, sad, and scared. She quickly uses her magic to relieve some of the injuries, and without the pain to keep her on edge, Anne passes out.

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Scene 9
Burning Questions

Who	Fräulein Ärtzin, Garbo, Liam, Shirayuri, Nicole-Anne Bélanger, Simone-Marie Bélanger, IGARASHI Izanami, Anne Smith
When	Wednesday, March 24, 2060 (Day 97)
Where	Gaz-Niki Affiliate, SCIRE, Level 257‌

The group retreats to the car dealership they've been hiding in. After what is likely to be the first good sleep she's gotten in weeks, the group has many questions for Anne. She answers what she's able to, but remains wary of the man who claims to be her father.

 

 

Burning Questions

 ^[edit]

Team Questions

• Where was she taken when taken from mother? — She was on Level 4‌, having lunch with her mother, step-father, step-aunt, and brother when they were attacked by Dervishes. When she woke up, the adults were gone and she was in a cage with Caesar.
• What kind of classes? — Computers, electronics, mechanics, math. Caesar liked it. She heard some of the older kids were taking firearms classes.
• What happened to Caesar? — I don't know. The younger kids (6, 7, and 8) were grouped together, boys and girls. The older kids were kept separate from the younger kids, and the boys and girls were kept separate.
• When did you see your mother? — It was a couple of weeks ago, but it wasn't her mother. Mom has dark eyes; the woman pretending to be her had glow green eyes.
• How did she get away from the classes? — She attended classes, because they're escorted to and from them. She escaped from the dorms at night. The mag locks listened to her, opening when she told them to.
• Why did she light Pinkie on Fire? — She does not want to talk about it.

Fräulein's Assensing

After Anne mentioned the doors just "listening to her", Fräulein assenses her again. Without the injuries and the strong emotions clouding her perception, she's able to get a much better read. Other than a datajack, Anne doesn't have any of the implants the Whites do, but Fräulein picks up the same astral weirdness seen in Oracle and the Kid.

Session 3 - 2025/01/09

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Scene 10
The Truth is in the Serum

Who	Garbo, Shirayuri
When	Thursday, March 25, 2060 (Day 98)
Where	Microtronics Assembly and Manufacturing, SCIRE, Level 253‌

Garbo (disguised as a White) and Shirayuri (as a Green) return to Level 253‌ to acquire a supply of gamma-scopolamine from the Dervish production line. Based on the theory that Whites are known for odd behavior and their requests are never refused, they're going to take the simple, direct approach and just ask for what they need.

There are no issues with getting into the area and suiting up this time, thanks to some pre-emptive procedure pointers from Fräulein.

Recognizing Garbo from the previous visit, the foreman comes onto her real hard. She's almost put off balance by it, but remembers that many of the Whites are supremely arrogant. She tears a strip of flesh off him and puts him in his place.

Once he's cowed, Shirayuri and Garbo act like there's some confusion of what they actually need, with back and forth between them meant to put the foreman off balance. It works, with him giving them a canister of the drug just to get them to go away. They take it and escape without further issue.

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Scene 11
Identifying the Intended

Who	Fräulein Ärtzin
When	Friday, March 26, 2060 (Day 99) through Sunday, March 28, 2060 (Day 101)
Where	Renraku University, SCIRE, Level 282‌ and Executive Housing, SCIRE, Level 273‌

Fräulein spends the next few days attempting to locate a prospective target in the University section.

She has no success on the first evening. She learns that Anne's attacks have driven the Whites out of the area overnights. Some of them used to live among the un-Banded students, but that practice ceased after Pinkie was injured.

On the second day, right at the end of her morning shift, she finds a single White. He's on the younger side, and she's able to learn that he just wanted to play with other kids his age. After resting, she heads back to the area and reacquires the White. It appears he got into some sort of argument with the other kids he was playing with — one of them has a black eye.

She follows the boy and his escort down to Level 273‌. As far as she can see, the bulk of the executive housing block has been given over to the Whites. Some of them are living in small groups of three or four, while a few have taken entire multi-story residences to themselves. Almost every residence she passes through is full of electronics in large quantities, and all of them have VR couches in them — the Whites spend a lot of time jacked in.

The residential floors have a significant background count, with a strong feeling of solidarity, working together for a greater purpose. It feels very cult-like to Fräulein, and very pervasive.

Fräulein spends a third day scouting the University and residential areas, but doesn't find anything that will help their plan. With the background count on the dormitory levels making astral searching difficult, they realize the best/only bet to capture a White is to draw "Pinkie" out by giving her what she wants — Anne, or Fräulein disguised as Anne.

Session 4 - 2025/01/30

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Scene 12
Playing the Role

Who	Fräulein Ärtzin, Garbo, Liam, Shirayuri
When	Monday, March 29, 2060 (Day 102) through Friday, April 2, 2060 (Day 106)
Where	Renraku University, SCIRE, Level 282‌

The group spends three days ramping up tensions in the University, with messages and additional attacks lead by Fräulein playing the role of Anne. While she isn't much of an actor, especially not dressed in Anne's bedraggled clothing, her role was more about somebody of approximately the right size being seen and then slinking away.

They set up one of the unfinished buildings in the Dean's Complex as a trap, with one way in but plenty of ways to shoot into it. They cluster everybody around the building, with the idea that Pinkie will chase Fräulein/Anne into it, and they can subdue her with flashbangs.

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Scene 13
Hook, Line, and Sinker

Who	Fräulein Ärtzin, Garbo, Liam, Shirayuri, Nicole-Anne Bélanger, Simone-Marie Bélanger, IGARASHI Izanami, Anne Smith, "Pinkie"
When	Friday, April 2, 2060 (Day 106)
Where	Renraku University, SCIRE, Level 282‌

The first part of their plan works to a tee — whether she had been there the whole time, or their taunts brought her back, Pinkie tracked down Fräulein/Anne and chased her to the Dean's Complex.

The ambush itself did not go as planned. She was too smart to rush into the building, instead sending her retinue of Blues along with a Medusa. The group swiftly engaged and defeated the major threat, the Medusa, but forgot their primary objective. They spent time tangling with the Blues instead of going straight after Pinkie.

This gave her reinforcements time to arrive, a full body replacement cyborg that Anne identified (through the Resonance) as having a great hatred for her father.

Session 5 - 2025/03/06

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Scene 14
Hook, Line, and Sinker (Cont...)

Who	Fräulein Ärtzin, Garbo, Liam, Shirayuri, Nicole-Anne Bélanger, Simone-Marie Bélanger, IGARASHI Izanami, Anne Smith, Penemue, Gader'el
When	Friday, April 2, 2060 (Day 106)
Where	Renraku University, SCIRE, Level 282‌

Fräulein immediately recognizes the cyborg by her voice alone — it's Treasure, returned from the (assumed) dead. Over the course of the fight, she reveals the name Pinkie goes by, Penemue, and her desire to see Garbo dead. While taunting her fellow-Banded, she makes a cryptic reference to "wanting" the girl (meaning Anne), but doesn't elaborate. Penemue's responses reveal Adelaide's Banded name is Gader'el.

The twins put in a good showing, maintaining their composure while under fire. Izzie's null magic capabilities also come in useful, protecting the team from multiple spells.

While Garbo moves Anne away from the incoming reinforcements and their position near the northern exits, Shirayuri engages Gader'el. She indicates she still wants Garbo dead, but she has time to "play" with the cyberninja.

Remembering the real objective, Liam runs down Penemue and takes her into custody. She tries to run, but her awkward half-cybered gait can't get away from a magically boosted adept.

Episode Wrap Up

Shirayuri is able to lead Gader'el on a merry chase through other unfinished areas of Renraku University. She learns that the full body cyborg is significantly tougher than her, but not quite as quick and not as skilled. Gader'el's digitigrade legs give her an impressive running speed and dangerous kicks, but she's not able to keep up with Shirayuri once she deploys her skates.

While they're waiting for Penemue to regain consciousness so they can dose her with gamma-scopolamine, Liam realizes that many the names the Banded use among themselves appear to be angels: Penemue, Gader'el, Yomiel, and Ariel. To date, only Oracle has deviated from the pattern.

White Paper

 ^[edit]

They were able to get Penemue to answer these questions while under the influence of gamma-scopolamine.

• Oracle referenced a He, who is He? — He is Deus (Liam realizes she's using it as a proper noun, as much as it also means "god"), He is love, He is guidance, He is truth. Okay… I won't say he works in mysterious ways. I do as I'm told. Perhaps those who submerged deeper have more insight. (She has five bands.)
• What is the process of becoming a White? — After being tested and deemed worthy, the white receives a datajack, and then are physically bathed in His pool while submerging in the Resonance. (She cannot explain what the Resonance is, only that it is His pure source.) Those who are unworthy are retained for other projects. All children are His children, even if they are not gifted as the Banded are.
• Why are all the Whites so young? — Adults do not have the flexibility of mind and spirit to encounter the Resonance and survive with their minds intact. My mind is better than it ever has been - smarter, brighter, clearer. I assume it is the same for the others. The youngest she is aware of was 6.
• Where are the Whites trained/processed? — The baths are on Level 303‌. Training takes place through His temple (the arcology).
• What is it that Whites do to gain bands? — Submersion is a voluntary process. When a White believes they are ready to embrace Him and delve deeper into the Resonance, they can petition to undergo the process. She can't explain what worthiness entails, unless you have experienced the Resonance. It is not something that can be "gamed".

References

Episodes:

• Previous: S02E04 – Instinct
• Next: S02E06 – Antisocial Network Interface