(8) GOING TO THE DOCTORS "So I say to the doctor 'Doc, that better be anti-septic I can smell' and he says 'certainly is - care to join me?'. Have you ever stitched your *own* stomach up?" - Bobcatt. As already mentioned, Dr. Drake's clinic is not in the best part of town - the G.M. should pick somewhere appropriate. There is no sign outside the building declaring what it is - just a blue door in a brick wall, both of which are covered in red, anti-Brazilian graffiti. The place is three stories high, and has a spacious basement as well - not that the P.C.s could know about the basement by observing the outside. Six people work and live here. Dr. Drake himself, his assistant / janitor Grace, the receptionist / Grace's daughter Ellen, and three toughs - Billy, Cougar, and Redneck. The first three are almost always in. Only two of the later three will be in at any given time. One will be on guard duty, and one will be asleep. As a rule, 7 A.M. to 3 P.M. - Billy Guards, Cougar is out, Redneck is asleep. 3 P.M. to 11 P.M. - Billy is out, Cougar sleeps, Redneck guards. 11 P.M. to 7 A.M. - Billy sleeps, Cougar guards, Redneck is out. Drake is a short, balding, fat man who has snorted too much neuvocoke in his life, and whose hands shake badly unless he sedates himself. He is eternally sweating. He dresses in a clean white lab coat over an old-style but well-made gray business suit. He isn't what he used to be, and never was that great. He has ST 9, DX 12, IQ 12, HT 9, Spd 5.25. If it comes to a fight, he will hide, only using his gun if absolutely necessary. He has a skill of 12 with it. In GURPS Cyberpunk, its an AMT Backup. In GURPS Cyberworld, its a SOG Feder. In Littmann's Cyberworld, its a Sharpes Slinky 7mm holdout pistol. If threatened, he will gladly give up any files or information the characters desire. He won't try any tricks. If questioned, he states that Waters was brought to him in a state of unconsciousness by a Japanese woman and a tall Caucasian man with blond hair and two red cybernetic eyes. They didn't give their names. He performed a simple operation to remove a ceramic implant of some sort from Mr. Water's neck, for which he received $300 (420 Australian Dollars in Cyberworld - worth $300) from Mr Water's account. If asked what became of the device, Drake confirms that he still has it in storage in the basement. The two also asked him to provide a certificate of perfect health for a John Smith (who he never saw), addressed to Casey and Cage Ltd., a finance company. Again, the $200 (280 Australian dollars in Cyberworld) for this came from Carl Water's account. Drake will admit to asking Sarracen Entertainments for money for the information, but if the figure of $100,000 is mentioned, he will insist that he only asked for $5,000. Any Detect Lies rolls will indicate that he is telling the truth. Grace is 45, tired, worn out, and sad. She now accepts that she will never get her hands on Drake's money, and so never buy her daughter's way out of poverty. His promises that if she stuck with him, he'd look after her no longer seem convincing, but she needs a job - and having few skills, has little choice. If threatened, she will cry and tell the P.C.s that she will give them anything they want - but she doesn't know the computer password. She has a can of Mace in her purse, but will be too afraid to use it. Ellen is 16. She is vain about her appearance, especially her long blond (dyed) hair. She is completely disinterested in her job, but the work isn't too hard. Being the receptionist, she is likely to be the first one the characters meet. She knows nothing about what goes on in the clinic, and, invaluably for Drake, doesn't care. However, she does know the password for Drake's computer. If the characters pull guns, then she will enjoy the excitement as long as no-one is actually pointing a gun at her head, or at her mother's head. She cares nothing about the doctor. She is unarmed and won't fight. Billy is tall, scruffy and unshaven. He wears a grubby t-shirt and ripped jeans, with a light monocrys jacket on top. The jacket hangs open at the front, so it fails to protect his vitals. Even given time, he probably wouldn't think to do it up. Billy is Overconfident and not very bright. He has ST 11, DX 12, IQ 9, HT 12, Spd 6, Dodge 8, Parry (Hand) 10, Parry (Knife) 6, DR 8, thrust 1d-1, swing 1d+1. He has a large knife and a Knife skill of 13. He also has a Guns (pistol) skill of 13 and a pair of guns. CY or HT= S&W M29 .44 magnum revolvers / CW= Colt Warrior .44 magnum revolvers / LC= Conell Legacy 10mm cased auto- pistols. Cougar is a 20 year old woman with short blonde hair who would be attractive were it not for the fact that she had her ears removed because when she was 15 and drunk, she thought it would look cool. It looks stupid and ugly and now she has the Hard of Hearing disadvantage. Drake promises her that "one day", if she serves him well, he'll replace them. Cougar has ST 11, DX 13, IQ 10, HT 11, Spd 6, Dodge 6, Parry 10, thrust 1d-1, swing 1d+1. She has Long Claws that she can extend from each forearm, and she fights with them using Brawling -15 and doing 1d impale or 1d+2 cut. If the opposition has guns, Cougar will ready her own firearm, using a Guns (Pistol) skill of 15. She has a CY or HT= Beretta 92 9mm autopistol / CW= Glock 9mm Hotload autopistol / LC= Ruger Sparrowhawk .38 autopistol. Redneck is a moron. He is of medium height and slight build, and keeps his straight black hair beneath a blue baseball cap. He is not actually from the south, and has no trace of a southern accent. People from the north just like to think he comes from the south. He has ST 9, DX 12, IQ 8, HT 11, Spd 5.75, Dodge 5, Parry 8, thrust 1d-2, swing 1d-1. He spends his watch by an upper window with a shotgun in his hands. It is a CY or HT= Remington M870 12g / CW= Remington Model 60 12g / LC = Remington Viking 12g "hunting" shotgun. He has a skill of 14 with it. The ground floor of the building is reception and behind that, the apartments of Grace and Ellen. They have nothing of particular value or interest. There are four rooms on the second floor. Each of the toughs has a room filled with the strange things that interest them - westerns and pornography for Billy, stereo and books for an introductory electronics course for Cougar, and just a television for Redneck. The fourth, locked, door opens into the room that used to belong to Drake's 14 year old daughter Samantha. Samantha disappeared a year ago, but nothing has been removed. There are several books on medicine here - the girl wanted to be a doctor like her dad. The top floor is taken up by Drake's personal apartments, which are reasonably luxurious, as well as the oak-paneled office where he discusses business with his clients. He doesn't like to discuss things down below - it feels much safer and more private here. It is by the window in the sitting room up here that Redneck likes to sit, shotgun in hand, and look out the window. Drake dislikes this, but lets Redneck do it anyway - if Redneck left, where would he find someone else who worked so cheap? At the far end of the (windowless) office is Drake's computer. In "vanilla" GURPS Cyberpunk, this is a personal computer (C2). In GURPS Cyberworld, this is a Roi 10 (Henri) personal computer. In Littmann's Cyberworld, its an Apple Executive personal computer. The machine is guarded by a Password-13. Either Drake or Ellen will gladly get the P.C.s past the Password if threatened. The system will confirm that on January 12th, an operation to extract a neck implant was performed on a Mr Carl Waters at his own expense - $300 (or 420 Australian dollars in Cyberworld). It will also record that on the same day, a certificate recording the complete health of John Smith was written out addressed to Casey and Cage Ltd. This netted $200 (280 Australian) even though no examination was performed on any such person. Once again, the money came from Carl Water's account. The computer also has a blood-type (A) and basic genetic scan for Waters. There is no genetic scan for Smith, but if the characters check, his blood type is also recorded as A. The basement is where the operating theater and recovery room are, as well as a room where hardware and human parts are stored until they go off or are needed. There is even a whole human body down there - pickled in yellow fluid. Drake found him lying dead on the doorstep one morning and thought "well, why not?". There is a very strong anti- septic smell down here, which is easier to produce than actual sterility. Roll against Physician skill to realize that Drake's tools are worn, incomplete and not completely up to date. Drake can show the P.C.s the device he removed from Waters amongst the piles of miscellaneous "stuff" he has stored in the back room. A roll against Electronics or Electronics Operation (Communication Systems) will be sufficient to tell that it is a homing device. What now? The players could hit the streets, trying to find info on a Japanese woman working with a tall blond Caucasian with red eyes. If so, go to (9) More Street. They could try to trace the homing device back to its manufacturer. If so, go to (10) Tracing the Homing Device. They could try to contact Retiarius to share the new information they have gathered and see if he can add anything based on what they tell him. If so, go to (11) Contacting Retiarius. The players could research Cagey and Case Ltd., in which case, got to (12) Cagey and Case Ltd. Lastly, and perhaps most likely, the P.C.s will do something that never crossed my mind. If so, you'll just have to manage somehow. [In Cyberpunk 2.0.2.0., quarter all the monetary amounts mentioned. Drake has the Medtech role. He has INT 8, REF 7, CL 3, MA 6, BODY 5. He has Handguns +2 and uses a BudgetArms C-13 light autopistol. Billy has INT 4, REF 7, CL 5, MA 6, BODY 8. He has Handgun +3 and a pair of Sternmeyer Type 35 heavy autopistols. Cougar has INT 5, REF 8, CL 7, MA 8, BODY 7. She has Brawling +5 and Handgun +5. She has Wolvers and a Federated Arms X-9mm medium autopistol. Redneck has INT 3, REF 8, CL 4, MA 7, BODY 6. He has Rifle +6 and a Sternmeyer Stakeout 10. I don't understand Cyberpunk 2.0.2.0. computers. Drake has a personal computer with some simple protection. You deal with it.] [In Shadowrun, the graffiti will be anti-Elvish instead of anti- Brazilian. Dr. Drake will be a Dwarf (no - not a dragon!). He has Body 2, Quickness 3, Strength 2, Charisma 2, Intelligence 4, Willpower 2, Essence 6, Reaction 3. His handgun will be a Streetline Special and he will use it with a Firearms skill of 2. Billy has Body 5, Quickness 4, Strength 4, Charisma 3, Intelligence 2, Willpower 2, Essence 6, Reaction 3. His skills include Armed Combat 3 and Firearms 3. He is armed with a knife and twin Ares Predator heavy pistols. Cougar has Body 4, Quickness 5, Strength 4, Charisma 2, Intelligence 3, Willpower 3, Essence 5, Reaction 4. Her skills include Firearms 5 and Unarmed Combat 5. She has Retractable Hand Razors and a Fichetti Security 500a light pistol. Redneck has Body 4, Quickness 4, Strength 2, Charisma 2, Intelligence 1, Willpower 2, Essence 6, Reaction 2. His skills include Firearms 4 and Unarmed Combat 2. He is armed with a Enfield AS-7 shotgun. You will have to handle the computer on your own. I have no conception of Shadowrun netrunning] (9) MORE STREET "Anything you want to know you can find on the street. The street is just like a great big public library, except instead of data-files, there are people who want to rip out your liver and eat it" - Bobcatt. If the players hit the street to try to find out about a Japanese woman and a red-eyed blond Caucasian, then they are almost certainly biting off more than they can chew - the city is full of strange looking people. If they mention that the two might be connected to Sarracen Entertainments, then let them roll against Streetwise every day at a cumulative -1 to skill. If they don't mention that the two might be connected to Sarracen Entertainments, they will only receive information on a critical success. Savoir-Faire (Corporate) will not help, nomatter where they go and who they talk to. If the Streetwise roll is successful, then a street-side used software dealer offers them information for $20. If they pay, he will tell them that a Chinese woman named Ling K'o and a red-eyed Caucasian named Quin have done a lot of work together for Sarracen Entertainments. That's all he knows. You may now return to the options at the end of (8) Going to the Doctors. (10) TRACING THE HOMING DEVICE "When Kyoto Electronics offered to chrome me if I sold my soul to them, I was thinking more along the lines of muscle grafts, lung filters and a smartlink, than a bar code, a homing device and a cortex bomb" - Spartacus. It is easy to trace the device back to the manufacturer - Kyoto Electronics, who have branches all over the world. How useful this can be will depend a lot on the particular cyberpunk world in which the game is set. It probably won't be any use at all. After all, the homing device has a control rating of 6, and thus does not require registration save in the most restrictive regimes. Certainly, in neither GURPS Cyberworld nor Littmann's Cyberworld is there any legal requirement for homing devices to be registered in the U.S.. However, if registration is legally required, then the homing device will be registered to Sarracen Entertainments - although the party will have to bribe a computer operator at Kyoto Electronics with $100 U.S. to get that information. You may wish to return to the options at the end of (8) Going to the Doctors.