Ma1nfram3 attempts to rob a bank of data in broad daylight as MMFEC finishes their political mission. The team gets surprisingly busy during a month off (TWO of them have dates?), and gangs up to surprise Ma1nfram3 with a birthday party. And Aztechnology makes MMFEC a dangerous offer they can’t refuse…

Watch all episodes of “Shadowrun: Corporate SINs” on our YouTube playlist; Ep 30 is embedded at the end of this post.

We rejoin MMFEC as they finalize preparations for a bank heist to be pulled off in broad daylight. Elsie and Ma1nfram3 are working together to create a foolproof disguise that will allow Ma1nfram3 to masquerade as the recently-assassinated-in-secret Emile Corrigan. The team believes that within Emile’s private file vault at First Corporation Bank lie encrypted files that will implicate Seattle Metroplex Governor Brackhaven in the death of his own press secretary.

The disguise consists of:

• A high-rating fake SIN that Ma1nfram3 forged for Emile via a lengthy decking session
• A smartwig and digital mask coded to Emile’s appearance based from footage the team has from past engagements using Elsie’s disguise expertise.
• Ma1n’s subvocal mic to allow her to project her voice after transforming it
• Apparel that would pass for Emile’s, including a disposable commlink that looks similar to his
• Emile’s biometric private network authentication dongle and his account number as additional identification

But Ma1n realizes the team needs one last component – Emile’s palmprint recorded in a synthetic glove. Elsie convinces the coroner to let Ma1n in to see the body in cold storage, where she quickly though awkwardly takes the prints she needs.
Back at the apartment, Ma1n suits up, and is deeply disturbed by her reflection in the mirror. Elsie disguises herself as a personal assistant, and the two – mask, wig, palmprint glove, dongle, and fake SIN – head into the front door of First Corporate Bank.

Once inside, it takes a few minutes before Ma1n – as Emile – is signed in and taken back towards the secure area. The guards imply Elsie is not welcome, so Ma1n finds herself escorted alone beyond 4 intimidating bank doors, eventually stopping at a tall server rack with a number of generically-marked ports. With a sidelong glance at the guard, who is certainly not providing instructions, Ma1n realizes she’ll have to quickly deduce which port is the correct port. Using the account number they obtained from Seattle gov’t HR, Ma1n finds a port that matches the last 5 digits of that account. She connects her datajack to the dongle, authenticates using Emile’s thumbprint, and connects the dongle to the server rack.

Once connected, Ma1n finds a disappointing lack of creativity as Emile’s data store looks exactly like his apartment in VR. The only difference is three elaborate sculptures and tchotchkes – representing his encrypted, sensitive data. Ma1nfram3 spends the next several minutes carefully defusing a data bomb on the most ornate package, which looks like a Faberge egg. Once all data bombs are cleared, Ma1n copies all of the sensitive data to her commlink. She also makes an attempt to copy the less-protected files; but upon an initial failure she decides she’s pushing her luck and calmly disconnects.

The mission completed, Ma1n, still disguised as Emile Corrigan and knowingly carrying extremely volatile political information on a commlink embedded in her brain, does her best to remain calm and stony-faced as they walk back out past the imposing doors. She reunites with Elsie, barks a command at her, and it’s not until they make it to the doorway that someone begins to suspect that something is amiss.

Luckily for Elsie and Ma1nfram3, they’re experienced at running. Long story short, they ditch their disguises as Ma1n uses an area jammer to block any surveillance video of their departure. Soon, Ma1n and Elsie are back in the van. The team immediately begins inquiring about the data – but it’s still encrypted, and Ma1n won’t touch it without a clean room environment in case there’s any final traps or dead man’s switches that might activate.

At the Draco Foundation, the rest of MMFEC entertains themselves while Ma1n and Miss J work together, decker and technomancer, to break the difficult encryption. Once the data has been liberated, the wheels of justice begin to turn, and MMFEC is counseled to lay low as the data does its damage.

The team finds themselves with a month of downtime, during which time, MMFEC is busy indeed. Some highlights:

MORDECAI becomes a towel mage and takes his talismonger Talia out ON AN EXPENSIVE DATE. He also binds a new spirit named Marbles. Talia asks Mordecai for a favor – to retrieve a dragon scale for one of her clients.

MA1NFRAM3 spends some quality time with her boyfriend Captain Paul Moore. He takes her to a fancy Wuxing shipping gala, which starts out well until Ma1n suffers a tragic wardrobe malfunction. Paul is incredibly chivalrous, but the evening ends early and Ma1n is despondent. Shortly thereafter, she explains to Paul that she needs to take care of some things, and heads down to Tir Taignire. While there, she learns more about her Elven heritage, brushes up on the language, learns to meditate, but most importantly disconnects. When she returns, she and Paul go out on a VERY romantic make-up date during which there is dancing.

FANG goes to court and becomes a free woman, expunged of her criminal record and SIN after DA Dana Oaks helped to clear her name. Shortly thereafter she is contacted by her family, who have largely abandoned her during the time she had a criminal SIN. Fang has a heart to heart with Elsie and ends up deciding to call her brother, rebuilding her broken family tie.

ELSIE joins a gym and trains up her physical stamina. She also visits Rachel (Captain Moore’s ex) on the Drunken Sailor and asks “Teach me to break men”, starting a sort of social apprenticeship.

CROMWELL beats up a series of Trollkillers searching for catharsis, goes to the doctor, then trips over a manhole and gains magical abilities when he falls, but not before “helping” a few team members anonymously as only Cromwell can.

And then there is the matter of Ma1nfram3’s birthday – June 20. All of MMFEC is back in town, but Ma1n is intent on hiding in her apartment since birthdays are her least favorite memories. This is fine until a panicked call from Fang comes in – something about something bricked in her brain? Ma1n relents and goes to meet her at the Rapid Rabbit to see what the problem is.

Of course, when Ma1n opens the door to the Rapid Rabbit, the gang yells “SURPRISE” and Ma1n immediately pulls her gun in, well, surprise. Once that little awkwardness is dealt with, Ma1n is presented with a lovely cake by the normally-gruff proprietress of the Rabbit. She is ALSO presented with a SECOND cake, made largely of baby teeth, by Sharky (but it was clearly made by Mordecai.)

Ma1n manages to consume a bit of both cakes – even the crunchy teeth cake – without vomiting, which is a plus. Then the gang surprises her with a few gifts – Cromwell, while wondering why she likes them so much, delivers a pile of bricks. Elsie gives Ma1n a gold bracelet that conceals a clever knife. And Mordecai presents Ma1n with handmade earrings crafted from metal scraps he found at his magical lodge. (Plus a bone for Ma1n’s robotic dog/drone Sc00B13. Ma1n is completely overwhelmed by these acts of kindness and very nearly cries, professing her gratitude for this chosen family.

On June 28, the team is contacted by a Johnson from Aztechnology, leading MMFEC to meet her at Beanbag Coffee. The crocheting, elderly Granny Johnson explains that the recent news of an earthquake in Hermasillo, Aztlan is actually a cover story for a massive outbreak of VITAS. VITAS is an incredibly virulent disease with a 12-24 hour incubation period and a high mortality rate. Aztechnology claims they can save hundreds of thousands of lives if they perform a ritual in the next 24 hours – and to do this, they need MMFEC to deliver a package outside Hermasillo.

Fang is alarmed by this news – her brother works for Aztechnology in Hermasillo, and he has gone silent over recent days. Granny Johnson agrees to look into Fang’s brother’s situation.

MMFEC argues over text briefly – any gig for Aztechnology raises the spectre of blood magic, which alarms Cromwell and Mordecai. But the math is too compelling – both in the number of lives to save and the compensation being offered – so the offer is accepted.

Granny provides a few items to the group – a new Wolfblade for Fang that literally howls when unsheathed, and a pair of alarmingly red fluid vials for Mordecai with some fetishes. MMFEC is instructed to meet a mage with the package in question and the team charters a plane to get them to Aztlan.

The package and the mage load in with the rest of MMFEC to Ma1nfram3’s armored van Dinah. As they careen down I-5 south on the way to Sea-Tac, they are violently sideswiped by another vehicle and a fierce battle begins. Under the cover of chaos, Cromwell “accidentally” punches the box, which is surrounded by a Force 10 mana barrier – and manages to completely dispel the barrier.

The Aztechnology mage is enraged by this turn of events and immediately summons a blood magic spell to protect the box and whatever is inside. Meanwhile, the van full of attackers demands a “Granny Powell” back. We leave MMFEC driving at speed down I5, with several spirits in Dinah and a seething blood magic spell around a mysterious box in the back.