Short and Sweet
Trideo star Jenna Holiday hires the runners as bodyguards on the set of her new movie. Things happen on the set as the runners clash with set security. A toxic lion shaman attacks the set and the runners almost get Jenna killed as that's when Jenna's stalker decides to kill her.
How It Went Down
In the days that follow the ghoul caper, both
Queensryche and Lynx encounter a very paranoid 20Questions, but lose
him both times. Hong Lang moves into his new digs over near Hurst,
Queensryche auditions for a band, and Guttersnipe has a belated
birthday party at his adopted father's house. At the party, everyone
has a good time, except for a few odd occurrences, including some bad
news delivered to Guttersnipe before the party's end.
A few days later, Napalm contacts Hong Lang with a job offer. Hong
Lang gathers Queensryche, Guttersnipe, and Lynx to meet with the fire
elementalist in Garland. There, Napalm explains the basics of the
gig: bodyguard Jenna Holiday on the
location shots up in Oklahoma on her first big trideo shoot. Knight
Errant is the hired security for VoxCSA's trid, Confederate
Starr. After her kidnapping under the noses of Knight Errant,
she's not ready to trust KE right again and contracted out for
personal guards.
On the 4th, the crew, along with Jenna's agent/manager, Dave,
travel to Oklahoma City, then out to the Black Kettle Grasslands. KE
has a decent sized mobile operations command post set up. Dave leaves
them alone, hoping that they'll take care of things before Jenna
shows up on the 5th at 8:30am. The running gang splits up,
Guttersnipe heads out to scout the perimeter, trips a watcher, and
all hell breaks loose. Hong Lang gets into an astral shouting match
with holier-than-thou Security Mage Lt. Johnny Pike, and lets slip
that it was Hong Lang that broke past KE's defenses in Dallas two
months back. Queensryche and Lynx actually make friends with a KE
grunt. Napalm tests almost all the food in the catering truck to ensure
it isn't poisoned.
Guttersnipe meets with the KE Commander, Shiela Dawsey, and her
second, Lt Royce Thompson. They agree to meet each day to go over
security details. After bumping into the director, the runners meet
up for dinner and discuss security procedures and how Dancing Flame
has a crush on Napalm (she doesn't, but Napalm doesn't know this).
That night, Guttersnipe wards Jenna's trailer.
The next morning, hunky co-star Micha O'Brien shows up, followed
soon by Jenna Holiday. The runners meet Jenna for the first time (not
disguised), and they begin the bodyguarding in earnest. Shooting goes
well that day, and the runners retire back to the trailer park.
The next day, agent Dave brings some potentially bad news. VoxCSA
received an anonymous e-mail from someone demanding the cessation of
filming Confederate Starr and the removal of 'Yankee and
Foreign influences' from the Black Kettle Grasslands.
That day, inter-party conflicts continue. Hong Lang proceeds to
tell Jenna about Dallas and Jenna talks about the events from the
Babewatch adventure. Fearing the worst, Guttersnipe shoots Hong Lang
in the foot with his narco-jet pistol. Lt. Royce Johnson of Knight
Errant wants Guttersnipe to provide KE with the SINs of everyone in
Jenna's bodyguard complement which leads to complications when the
runners find out that Queensryche doesn't have a SIN and all of her
cyberware is technically owned by Fuchi-America, currently stolen by
Miss Queensryche. The gang decides to stall the KE guards until they
can get a suitable fake SIN for Queensryche. They arrange for Dancing
Flame (still in Dallas) to pick up the SIN from Guttersnipe's fixer.
Dancing Flame (caucasian this time) meets Guttersnipe up in Oklahoma
City when they get a call from Queensryche. Yet another
complication...
For earlier that afternoon, when the crew and cast broke for
lunch, Queensryche overheard a conversation between two members of
Knight Errant - Lt. Pike and an elf discussing how they've checked
out Hong Lang's boast about the Dallas
escapade, and they're arranging suitable payback. While Hong Lang
is off bodyguarding Jenna (and trying to hit on her), Napalm guards
the trailers, and Lynx slips off to mega-hunky actor Micha O'Brien's
trailer with said mega-hunky actor, Queensryche calls Guttersnipe
with the bad news.
Back in Oklahoma City, Guttersnipe prepares for the worse by
hiring a gang to obtain some getaway vehicles for the runners to be
left in Elk City - just in case they need to use them. Guttersnipe
and Dancing Flame then come back to the set. They arrive after
shooting is called for the day, due to cloudy skies rolling in.
Napalm, Queensryche, and Hong Lang escort Jenna back to the
trailer park. Napalm and Guttersnipe go off for a talk, things get
straightened out, and Napalm and Hong Lang go off for a talk. While
Hong Lang is gone, Queensryche tells everyone about Pike and the elf
everyone realizes that Hong Lang must have let something slip. While
the bickering continues, Pike shows up and (yet again) insults the
runners. Napalm is annoyed with Hong Lang and storms off. Lynx and
Guttersnipe are annoyed with Hong Lang and storm off. Queensryche and
Dancing Flame storm off and Queensryche downloads footage of Hong
Lang telling Napalm how Dancing Flame really is attracted to Napalm.
The plan is to bring the vehicles up to the ghost town of Ross,
about eight miles to the east the next day. An assistant to the
director tells the runners that because of the cloudy weather,
they'll be shooting the western town scenes tomorrow. All 150 extras
should be in the compound by about 8 o'clock.
After the change of guards outside Jenna's trailer, Hong Lang
walks off to get something to eat, but Jenna follows him, suggesting
that he join her for a drink. Realizing something was wrong, he
astrally perceived that it was really Dancing Flame. Blowing the
cover on the trick, Dancing Flame and Hong Lang get in an argument.
She storms off, and the Ubiquitous Lt. Pike appears to trade insults
with Hong Lang. Hong Lang goes to talk with Napalm to smooth things
over with the ork fire elementalist but winds up hurting the ork's
feelings. They're followed by Guttersnipe "out on patrol", who bugs
out when spotted.
The fun never stops as the runners try to protect Jenna the next
day of filming with almost 150 extras roaming around the set. Two
light fixtures explode during filming, sparking our heroes to run
from cover and protect Jenna. It turns out to be nothing, and filming
continues. During lunch break, Guttersnipe sends a spirit in astral
towards an elf hanging out with some KE Security when he can't get
around a large Air Elemental to get a good astral view of the elf.
The elemental eats 'Snipe's spirit in about two seconds. 'Snipe then
goes up to the KE elf security mage and demands an explanation for
why the elf's air elemental killed 'Snipe's spirit. The elf realizes
that Guttersnipe is lying and blows him off. Yet another friend is
made with the on-site security.
As the day goes by, a thunderstorm rolls in, halting production. As
the rain starts to fall, Jenna's boyfriend, Christo, arrives, dropped off
by a jeep. While Knight Errant is checking out Christo, Lynx chases after
the driver (who is leaving the compound), and over-zealous Guttersnipe casts
an Acid Stream spell at the jeep. Once again, the team nails an
innocent person. When Christo meets up with Jenna on the set and hugs
her, Dancing Flame - disguised as an extra - hears another extra mutter
"that bitch", but she cannot tell which person said that.
Dancing Flame relates this news to the crew while they're waiting
for the rain to let up. Lynx and Guttersnipe decide to ride on the
buses back to Elk City (where the 82 extras what will be used
tomorrow are staying) and pick up the cars the gangers from Oklahoma
City hopefully left for the runners. Dancing Flame rides into Elk
City on her bike, mingles with the extras, and rides back to the set.
Lynx and 'Snipe check out the two cars. One is a stolen Oklahoma City
police car and the other is a '53 Ford Americar. They leave the
COP-One, drive to the abandoned town (getting stuck in the mud after
pulling off the road), and run back to the set with the aid of a
prairie spirit.
The rain lets up, and the KE Security is scrambled, keeping
everyone in their trailers. Another e-mail message was received from
the same people, claiming responsibility for the storm and promising
death and destruction if the shoot continues.
The shoot continues.
During shooting, the attack begins. Isao "Pride of the South"
Jackson, sends in several watchers to confuse the astral watch, and
then Wreckers one of the false front sets, collapsing it, nearly
crushing some extras. KE is active, as is Guttersnipe, Lynx,
Queensryche, and Napalm as they all go after Isao. Only Dancing Flame
and Hong Lang protect Jenna. Hong Lang places a barrier spell around
Jenna, DF, and three extras. Queensryche takes a shot at Isao's
creation and Isao grounds a Manablast through her, killing two
extras, and nearly killing Queensryche and Lynx (who tumbles off her
motorcycle). While Guttersnipe plays with a Watcher, Queensryche and
Lynx manage to get off a shot at Isao, who gets killed when Lt. Pike
grounds a spell through Isao's active focus. Guttersnipe astrally and
Queensryche and Lynx physically check out the body. Unfortunately,
that's not their job.
Because back inside the barrier, Timothy McClaine, Jenna's
stalker, takes opportunity of the chaos to take his revenge on Jenna.
He saw her kiss Micha O'Brein during filming yesterday, and then saw
her hug and kiss Christo. Obviously, she's cheating on him. While
Dancing Flame is distracted, he knocks her off-balance and approaches
Jenna, taking a small pistol out of his pocket. Hong Lang sees this
and drops the barrier spell. Shouting at Jenna, he shoots Timothy.
Lynx somehow sees this and manages to get off a shot at the stalker.
Timothy falls down, dropping the gun, sobbing. Jenna's in shock.
Dancing Flame and Napalm stand over the stalker, disgusted at the
pitiful worm. Guttersnipe gets over to the stalker and proceeds to
bully the cowering man, slapping him. Napalm, physically repulsed by
Guttersnipe's actions, restrains him.
The set is ruined, and Jenna decides to withdraw from the picture.
That evening, she leaves for her California home and the runners head
back to Dallas.
