Avalon Gardens Infiltration - Fri, Oct 27, 2017

Early setup and character assignments

• Luke distributes character sheets for the DEA Special Response Team Epsilon in Foundry:

  • Bobby “Fudd” Astra (controlled by Chris)
  • “Crunchy” (Mark) – demolitions-focused
  • “Husky” (Brian) – skilled driver / gunfighter
  • “Sprinkle” (Robert) – sniper-trained
  • Remaining two operators (Doc and Isha) to be run as NPCs by Luke

• Players debate who will control which SRT characters, settle on above assignments.

• Banter about voices, demolitions skill, grenades, sniper training, and armor-piercing rounds.

• Confirmation that several SRT members are Adapted to Violence; Husky is not.

Planning rendezvous with Epsilon

• Pitzerelli flies to Colorado with Epsilon; team will stage from a burned-out strip mall (Golden Bowl / Top-Time Daycare).
• Masticate (McCarter, Drummond, Cole Parker, Frank Booth, plus NPC Jay) waits at the site; Epsilon arrives in an up-armored black Chevy Tahoe.
• Quick recognition password exchange; groups link up.
• Epsilon operators unload gear (duffels, hard cases) while three stack casually with side-arms visible.
• Introductions made between Masticate and Epsilon; Fudd assumes field leadership of SRT.
• Pitzerelli arrives later, tired but fully briefed; confirms Program’s stance: product is purely threat, no research value.

Operational debate

• Masticate recaps investigation at Avalon Gardens / Valley Dirtlands: goal is to isolate John Bellamy (head of security), interrogate him, then use him to draw in Dakota Knight (CEO, suspected super-human).

• Discussion points:

  • Whether to launch a full DEA-flagged raid or stay covert.
  • Knight displays extreme strength (punched through metal wall, threw heavy equipment).
  • IDS security force (11 armed ex-military guards) lives 3-10 minutes away.
  • Epsilon issued military-grade CBRN suits per possible biohazard.
  • Suggested plan: Masticate grabs Bellamy while alone; Epsilon holds off-site ready to reinforce.
  • Alternate ideas aired: car bomb with C-4, sniper ambush, framing Knight for Bellamy’s murder; ultimately shelved.

Final plan settled

• Wait for a night Bellamy is sole guard (confirmed via previous stake-outs).
• Masticate infiltrates, takes Bellamy alive if possible; uses his phone to text Knight about emergency.
• Epsilon stages nearby in Tahoe, monitoring encrypted comms, ready to assault on Masticate’s signal.

Pre-infiltration preparation

• Isha clones Bellamy’s level-3 mag-stripe, attempts an all-access encode (success unknown until use).
• Epsilon issues basic Kevlar vests (Armor 3) to Masticate; Masticate arms with shotguns (00 shot) and side-arms.
• McCarter regains some Willpower with stimulants; still jittery (-20 penalty delayed).

Night of the op (approx. 03:30, Saturday 27 Oct 2001)

• Night shift departs; Bellamy’s Jeep Trailhawk last vehicle on site.

• Epsilon parks down-road, concealed; Masticate crosses employee lot stealthily (+40 bonus from prep).

  • Stealth results: Cole, Booth, Drummond succeed; Parker succeeds narrowly; no camera operator on duty.

• Entry: Frank Booth scans cloned card at employee entrance—green light, door unlocks.

Hallway confrontation

• Inside executive hall: Cole in point, Booth rear.
• Dim light from Bellamy’s office monitors through interior glass.
• Bellamy, silhouetted, fires first from dark—round shatters glass, misses Cole.
• Cole Parker instantly returns fire with shotgun (00 buck, 16 dmg) through glass; Bellamy thrown back and killed.
• Sanity rolls: minor loss (1 SAN) for all except Graham (critical success).

Immediate aftermath

• Team checks Bellamy—pulse absent; photos of ex-wife & kids on desk.
• Monitors display full camera grid; Bellamy apparently watching feeds moments before death.
• Radios Epsilon: “Bellamy down.”
• Booth requests additional 10 SAN regain sniffing corpse (later gains 1 SAN).
• McCarter adapts to violence (hits breaking point; CHA –2, all bonds –2).

Sweep of offices

• Knight’s office next door: more used, laptop usually docked but absent; mundane paperwork.
• Bill Knight Sr.’s office dusty, unused.
• No alarms triggered; no sign of other personnel.

Grow house incident

• Moving through large open grow area (lights off, dim work lamps only).
• All hear plants shudder when team passes; Graham (crit) notices plants react to proximity.
• Booth instinctively fires shotgun into plants; pellets destroy several stalks, breakroom window; Graham hears distinct bang of metal from direction of locked Grow Houses A–C.
• Graham warns team to cease fire; strong suspicion plants linked to grow-room contents.

Vault entry

• Group proceeds to heavy cinder-block vault near grow houses.
• Booth scans cloned card—green; multiple bolts disengage.
• Vault interior: chain-link cage surrounding two pallet stacks of shrink-wrapped $1 million bricks (17 bricks ≈ $17 million).
• Shelf inside holds Costco boxes of plastic wrap, scissors, and a quart-size Mason jar of clear liquid sealed with plastic and lid; indistinct object rests at jar’s bottom.
• Drummond slices wrap, confirms cash; each member stuffs small 10 K bundles (cut from bricks) in pockets.
• Estimate: cash delivered 2-3 weeks prior (per earlier intel).

Grow-house door checks

• Graham stealth-listens at Grow House A and B—no sound; C not yet checked.
• Group debates next move; consensus: use Bellamy’s phone to lure Knight.

Bellamy’s phone access & text to Knight

• Booth presses Bellamy’s thumb to fingerprint reader—unlocks.

• Text history shows terse scheduling; staying overnight is preferred.

• Using Bellamy’s style, Drummond texts Knight:

  • “Crazy banging noises from Grow Room C. Sounds frantic. Worried.”

• Knight responds quickly:

  • “What’s wrong? Are they safe?”
  • Drummond replies uncertainty.
  • Knight: “Bring everyone. Alamo 50. On my way ASAP.”

Session cliff-hanger

• Epsilon updated; prepares to intercept approaching Knight.
• Crunchy eager to emplace C-4; team braces for Knight’s arrival.
• Game paused for the night at this crisis point.