---

Shiawese’s hidden bio-warfare lab was codenamed “Namazu”, and hidden on the seafloor a short ways outside Hong Kong. As promised the Johnson both provided access to a mini-sub and bribed a few guards to look the other way on watch duty. Jomo took us in quietly and lights-out – so we were able to dock undetected.

The docking bay was unguarded as well – so far so good. The client had spared no expense. Given his life was on the line, that was not surprising.

Once we made it into the lab proper, however, things quickly got more complicated. A security checkpoint near an active research lab. No way to continue undetected.

Fortunately we were able to surprise the guards, while the researchers ran for safety.

The guards were backed up by combat drones, but nothing Koschei couldn’t handle.

The techs had run away as soon as shots were fired. They’d almost certainly call security as soon as they recovered their wits. Best to move quickly.

Iz and Rack briefly scanned through the lab computers. Nothing about bio-agents, but some disturbing notes about “Reaper Persona-fix chips” and “human testing”. Turning people into remote-controlled sleeper agents…. complete with a Kill mode. Shiawese was doing some ugly drek down here.

In another area we found cybernetics surgeries… with restraining straps. And messages about which sorts of “test subjects” they wanted security to acquire from among SINless drifters that wouldn’t be missed. Some offshoot of the “Reaper” program called “Silver Dream”. I was beginning to get a strong urge to blow this base to bits once we found the counter-agent.

Going further we came to a shuttle terminal. We checked it out for traps or security, and when Rack and Iz gave the clear we took it to the next research module.

The next area was even worse. With a number of folks kept unconscious in simsense hibernation with clearly experimental cyber-augments. As well as overly complex cranial modules. “Silver Dream” appeared to be the combat version of the Reaper program. I wondered if any of these “test subjects” could be recovered.

And then we found references to testing bio-agents on Reaper subjects. No matter how bad it looked, they could always do worse.

A live vid-feed popped up on the terminal I was reading, and a woman in a biohazard suit appeared. “Dr. Janet Tang” the screen read. From the Hot Lab. She seemed to be complaining about the “unscheduled security drills”, but quickly caught on that I was NOT security. She told us we’d “better stay where we are” and “things could get ugly fast” if we kept going. I hung up on her.

Further in we saw… something large… hooked into a massive stasis chamber, Dr. Janet appeared again on a wall vid.

“I… I can’t allow you progress any further. Shiawase has invested millions of nuyen in the research in this lab – I can’t let you threaten it. If you try to get any closer, I’m going to have to stop you.”

I told her we weren’t stopping. She took a deep breath, pushed a few buttons, and said “I can’t let you do that. I just can’t”.

Then the chamber opened up, and a huge chromed-up Troll stepped out.

He barely noticed anything we threw at him, until Dunk had the bright idea to blast off his cranial implants at point blank range. That dropped him like a rock.

Tang was still watching. She seemed pretty shaken up that that hadn’t stopped up. She begged us to turn back. Said she was in a Level-4 Hot Lab with some *nasty* pathogens. Biblical plague level. It would be “in everyone’s best interests” if we just turned back.

Not happening.

She kept popping up on screens as we went, sounding more and more scared as we got closer. Said a breach could be an absolute disaster. I had no doubt there was some nasty shit locked away here. That was, after all, why we were here. But I insisted we weren’t leaving without the counter-agent.

We finally met her in person when Iz hacked us through to the Hot Lab. I’ll give the Doc credit. She was terrified – but she tried to negotiate when her colleagues couldn’t even speak. She decided the best chance for everybody to get out alive was to cooperate. Good plan.

She claimed she was here because a majority of the work at the facility was studying treatments for degenerative diseases. The bio-agents paid the bills. She apologized for sicking the Silver Dream test subject on us, but had believed it was the only way to keep us from getting access to the bio-agents. Our employer had been infected with “SARS-3” – engineered to kill within weeks. She gave us the counter-agent, as requested.

Then we told her we had found evidence that someone had been testing the bio-agents on the Silver Dream subjects. And at that, she paled. Said that would be extremely dangerous – with a high risk of uncontrolled exposure.

She asked me what we intended to do with them. I was disgusted with what was happening here. And I didn’t buy her justifications. But murdering civvies wasn’t my bag. And who knows what would get released if I blew the place. So I told her if she told Iz how to release the test subjects we’d let them go. She thanked us, told Iz what she needed, and ran.

At which point the face of a “Commander Garra” appeared on monitors around the lab, the security alert lights came on, and he announced complete lockdown in 5 minutes. That’s how long we had to free the test subjects, grab the counter-agents, and scram.

So of course, security and drones streamed in from all over. Koschei gave Rack and Iz cover to get to the lab and start hacking. They’d have to go fast to free the dreamers before the system locked.

I saiyan’ed up and took on all comers from the North entrance.

While Dunk tried to keep the back entrance under control.

Rack and Iz did a wiz job, and soon had the sim-sleep pods deactivated and the stasis chambers opened.

At which point a Shiawese assassin appeared and stabbed Rack straight through!

Iz tried to get space to draw her pistol, but she was no match for a cyber-ninja in close quarters. It looked like she was done for…

…When Rack smacked him in the head with a pipe from behind. Turned out Rack had had enough custom cyber replacements over the years that his vitals weren’t quite in the expected spots any more.

We fought our way back to the cybernetics lab. And drove off security menacing the Dreamers. They were disoriented, scared, and didn’t know where they were. But when we laid it out for them they adapted well enough. Said they’d make a run for the Shiawese subs while security was focused on us. Wished them luck, and then pressed on back towards Jomo.

We had to take the shuttle train back to our original habitat, but partway there security took over the controls! They were routing us to an ambush point, and doing their best to bang us up on the journey!

But vehicle interfaces were right up Racter’s wheelhouse, so he wired in and got us back on track. While Garra sputtered on the comms link.

When we reached the terminal Garra was waiting for us, along with a couple heavy troops and drone backup. He told us if we surrendered he’d allow us to serve as replacement Reaper agents instead of killing us. I told him exactly what I thought of the offer.

And then Iz kicked off the Trojan she’d embedded in station systems while hacking with Rack. The drones instantly spun around and started shooting at Garra and his goons!

I took the goon on the left. Heavy duty body armor. Shock resistant. Fire resistant. High end mini-gun. Didn’t do him much good when I flash-stepped into his face and slammed his head into the nearest wall.

Koschei charged the other one, absorbing some punishment but giving Dunk an opening to cut him down from behind.

Commander Garra tried to sneak around behind. But learned that while Rack isn’t generally one to wade in in person he’s perfectly capable of dealing with an admin with delusions of grandeur.

Dr Janet was waiting for us in the sub bay. I was surprised Figured she’d be long gone by now. She said she’d checked the logs based on our hint – and thought that all the Silver Dream subjects had potentially been infected with SARS3! That could cause an absolute crisis when they got back to a populated area… She wanted the counter-agent back. Said she would treat all the test subjects herself before they left to make sure they were all clean.

I thought it over… and decided to trust her. I kept one vial for the client and gave her the rest. She nodded. Told me she was done with this place. She planned to wipe everything she could on Reaper, Silver Dream, and SARS3 and then find a new line of work. I wished her the best. It didn’t erase what she’d already done, but developing a conscience late was better than never.

We were quiet on the way back. We’d seen some pretty messed up stuff since we were pushed into the shadows. But man. Sometimes corporate ruthlessness really took your breath away.

When we got back Jomo told us that he had a favor of his own to ask. A rescue mission.

A family friend of his by the name of Martin Lai worked for Yamatetsu – a company with a big rivalry with Fuchi Industrial Electronics. Martin was making things difficult for Fuchi, so they kidnapped his niece Lillian! And were holding her in Ikon tower as leverage against him. Martin couldn’t act directly without starting a corporate war, and Yamatetsu wouldn’t back him on that. So he wanted to hire shadowrunners to get her out without getting his company involved. And wanted to be *sure* they were ‘runners he could trust to get her out unharmed. I told Jomo we’d figure out how to help him. An uncle trying to rescue his young niece who’d been thrown into a corpo hole hit just a little too close to home for me.

---

Author’s Notes:

That was a fun mission. The big Corps in Shadowrun get up to some really nasty stuff. There’s basically nothing keeping them in line. So its nice when you get a chance to kick em in the jimmies and make a dent..

---