MST: Barrett & Blaine

Jamsey: Ok, let’s get on with it then.
Cormac: (Reaches over and switches on the voice recorder) This is a review of ‘Barrett & Blaine’. (Leans back in chair and watches as screen flickers into life).

"Target sighted."

Jamsey: The guy with the guide dog.
Cormac: Not funny.
Jamsey: Lighten up Cookie.

"Copy that. Proceed with the mission," Blaine subvocalized over the commlink.

Kat: I believe 'sub-vocalized' is hyphenated.
Jamsey: As opposed to sub-vocalising to… umm… something else right?
Cormac: He finished the sentence, ‘mission’ should be followed by a full stop.

He watched the target from across the street, sitting at a bench, looking like just another sprawl resident reading the daily screamsheet.

Jamsey: I’m lost already, who is sitting at the bench? The target or our beautiful boy?
Kat: He's reading a "scream sheet", two words.

Blaine had rugged good looks, with an athlete’s build, a square jaw, and close-cropped dirty blonde hair.

Kat: (sighs) How exciting, a generic hero.

Some people might mistake him for a pushover,

Cormac: Yep. Look at this big lantern jawed athlete guy. He must be a pushover.
Jamsey: First thing I’d think.

but they would be very wrong. He was one of the most dangerous people in the sprawl, a street samurai with attitude.

Jamsey: Wow! I’m convinced.
Cormac: Which attitude?
Kat: I like to think he was positive, or gentle perhaps.
Cormac: That'd certainly explain the pushover thing.

He looked up from time to time, watching the Corporate troubleshooter from behind his glasses.

Cormac: Corporate is not a name, ‘corporate’.
Kat: Should also be ‘trouble-shooter’.

A few days ago, Blaine and his partner had discovered that this man was responsible for setting up the team they were working with. Several of the runners had died as a result of the guy’s machinations. Now it’s payback time, Blaine thought.

Cormac: Cliché!
Jamsey: (Deep voice) They killed his family, they kicked his cat, and now it’s payback time. Coming to a cinema near you.
Kat: "Machinations", you ever get the feeling someone invested in a thesaurus?

He made sure to keep a close eye on the company man’s bodyguards, to ensure they didn’t get in the way of the shot, and he could take them out if they happened to spot his partner, which was highly unlikely.

Jamsey: Try to say that with one breath, I dare ya.
Cormac: Different ideas go in different sentences. There’s keeping the bodyguards in sight, taking them out, and his partner being a super-sneak.
Kat: I have a question, if he could take them all out then why did they need the sniper?
Jamsey: Sniper?
Kat: Ok, so I read the script.
Cormac: Cheat.

The next moment, the corp stooges went into a frenzy, as the top of their boss’s head exploded in a shower of brain matter and blood.

Kat: stooge: noun. 1. a straight man. 2. a puppet 3. (colloquial) A stool pigeon.
Kat: So which one of those is he?
Kat: Corp. is an abbreviation and should be followed with a full stop.
Cormac: Less use of ‘the’ would be cool.
Jamsey: Do you think the stooges got showered?
Cormac: (growls quietly)

They began scanning the rooftops and the rest of the area, trying to find whoever had done this. The rest of the pedestrians scattered about in a panic,

Jamsey: The rest of the pedestrians? There was another group?

not wanting to be the sniper’s next victim. With a slight smile on his lips, Blaine merged with the crowd, pretending to be in as much of a panic as everyone else.

Cormac: The others were smiling with panic as well?
Jamsey: Stop being picky.

He was completely satisfied with the results of the job, and was confident that his partner could make the escape as easily as he had.

Cormac: "... make the escape ..."? Just 'escape' would make more sense.
Kat: I thought he was hanging around to make sure that his partner was safe if spotted?

Approximately two minutes before:

Jamsey: I do love a good prequel.

Atop the roof of a building across from the Seattle Hilton, a lone warrior crouched, waiting for his opportunity.

Cormac: I keep seeing this guy dressed in a kilt clutching his claidheamh.

Cradled in his arms was a weapon from which he’d taken his street name (at least in part); the Barret Model 121 sniper rifle.

Jamsey: Everything except the second ‘t’ it would seem. I think he has that backward though, the gun is ‘Barrett’.
Cormac: I bet he’d have been great friends with Shapcano’s character ‘Escrima’.
Jamsey: Hang on a sec... he's using a Barrett from across the street?
Jamsey: What the hell does Blaine need to keep people out of the way for? You can shoot someone through a bloody wall with one of those things!

He sighted in on the spot where his target’s car was parked, waiting. Barrett could wait. His patience was one of the qualities that made him a great assassin. He always knew just the right time to strike, and would wait for it.

Jamsey: Now perhaps I’m reading too much into this, but I think he’s going to wait.

Patience was also a virtue for him in other respects; his species made him more subject to bigots and their ilk. He was a Night One;

Cormac: Brace yourself, there has to be a D&D reference coming up I can feel it.

a race similar to elves,

Kat: We’re a bloody sub-species.
Cormac: Yeah, yeah, next you’re going to tell me that giants are a kind of troll.
Jamsey: (Slaps Cormac on the back of the head)

but with a distinctly different appearance - Night Ones were born with a layer of fur covering their bodies, usually of one of the darker colors of the spectrum. Their skin and eyes were usually a shade of their fur color, and Barrett was no exception. In his case, it was dark blue. This was very advantageous in the dark, as he blended in as though he were one with the shadows.

Kat: We know whom we are talking about. Try “… he blended in as though one with the shadows.”

Finally, he spotted the man he’d been waiting for. Mr. Shiro Toriyama had caused trouble lately for Barrett and some of his chummers. Barrett didn’t like that.

Jamsey: So he’s not a masochist? Damn!
Cormac: (Edges away from Jamsey)

When some of them turned up dead, he and Blaine came to the decision that the man had to go.

Kat: The ones who were still alive decided to take a vacation and drink pina coladas.
Cormac: Meanwhile, Barrett bought him a ticket to Jamaica.
Jamsey: And Blaine bought some really strong air-fresheners.

They got a copy of the man’s schedule thanks to a decker chum, and came up with the time and place that this thing was going to go down.

Kat: This sounds like the author is from a bad gangster movie.
Cormac: (Bad italian accent) All I wanna know is when this thing is going down.

Knowing approximately what time the man was coming out, Barrett had gotten into position well in advance.

Jamsey: Good thing he’s patient eh?
Cormac: The man? What’s this, we already know his name.
Kat: I keep having visions of this guy turning up in shocking pink or something.

Finally, he spotted Toriyama coming out of the Hilton. To make sure, he sighted the man in with the scope of his rifle. It was him.

Cormac: “… sighted the man in with the scope of his rifle.” Ok, maybe this means something to someone else.
Jamsey: “It was him.” The man was Barrett? Wow, talk about co-incidence.
Kat: Gramatically speaking, it should actually be "It was he." I believe.

"Target sighted," he reported over the commlink as he tracked the man’s movement with his gun.

Cormac: Unless ‘commlink’ is a brand I am not aware of, this is not a real word.

"Copy that. Proceed with the mission," came Blaine’s response. Without hesitation,

Cormac: In his version Blain “looked up from time to time” how could that happen?
Jamsey: Move by wire.

Barrett squeezed the trigger. The gun made no sound as the bullet left the barrel.

Jamsey: Let me get this straight, you have a .50 calibre bullet travelling very, very fast and it is silent? Make no mistake this is a loud gun.

It also gave very little muzzle flash.

Jamsey: Don’t forget the huge burst of air out of the gun as it compensates for recoil.

His aim was true, and almost as soon as he fired, he watched the top of the corporate drekker’s head explode.

Cormac: For some reason I can’t get the image of a toilet with a singing head being shot.

The man dropped to the street, convulsing violently. The people in the street started to panic, and the bodyguards started looking around for the shooter, guns drawn.

Cormac: The, the, the, you don’t need them.

Barrett was fully aware that they’d probably search the building he was on, which was why he’d worn gloves the whole time he was there. He also wore a bandanna, to keep any fur he shed from being left behind.

Kat: Good thinking, how about a face mask as well?
Cormac: That’d make a great movie, “The Sniper in the Environment Suit”.

In seconds, he had disassembled the rifle and placed each component into its own individual pocket under his coat. He then headed for the stairwell to make his escape.

Jamsey: Trying very hard not to overbalance on the way.
Jamsey: An unloaded Barrett is about 16kg. A fully loaded one is just under 30kg.
Jamsey: The barrel is about 73cm long. Difficult to fit in one’s pocket.

Unfortunately, the sec-men were already on their way up, having decided to check all of the buildings. Two of them burst out of the doorway just as the furry assassin was about to leave.

Cormac: Ok time for some reality. Apparently this guy can pack his Barrett in seconds, I’ll grant him that. What I want to know is how the sec-men managed to get to the roof of this building in seconds? Presumably we’re downtown seeing as we’re near the Hilton, aren’t the buildings more than one story? Didn’t security object to armed men bursting into the building when shots had been fired outside? If they’re searching all of the buildings how come they’re all in this one?
Kat: While we're on the topic, I thought Blaine was supposed to protect him from exactly this scenario.

With surprising speed,

Jamsey: For someone with a minimum of 16kg in his coat pockets.

Barrett cartwheeled out of harm’s way,

Kat: Cart wheeled. Two words.
Jamsey: The barrel swinging out and pulling his coat away. The corporate stooges opened fire riddling him with bullets.
Cormac: What the… umm… ok no bad words. What in the world is this guy doing cart wheeling? Is he showing off for the girls? Someone had better notify the author.
Kat: Yo! Author! No girls on the rooftop.

just as a slew of bullets would have ripped into him.

Cormac: Bugger.

Before the men could react, the assassin was on them. The first man turned, trying to bring his gun to bear. Quickly but calmly, Barrett grabbed the man’s gun arm, holding it out of the way, and proceeded to thrust his Cougar Fineblade straight up under the man’s jaw and put a new hole in his head.

Cormac: Hey! Where’d that come from?
Jamsey: Maybe it was in the pocket opposite from the barrett?
Kat: (Gasping, having quietly tried to say the whole sentence in one breath.)

Before his partner could recover, the Night One drew a Savalette Guardian

Cormac: With his third hand.

and triggered a burst into the stooge’s face.

Kat: Around the one he’d just killed?

He holstered his pistol, dropped the lobotomized bodyguard,

Cormac: That he was supporting by holding an arm.

and calmly started down the stairs.

Kat: Makes sense, after all he’s killed 3 people in a high-security area. He’s home free.

As he neared the bottom, more men appeared. As most people used the elevators,

Cormac: Quick, get him! He used the stairs.

and didn’t have blood on their sleeves, the guards perceived him as a threat and opened fire.

Jamsey: Duck!
Kat: They just took out a guy with 8 bodyguards. Well that’s most definitely the end of it, no way will there be reprisals. (Giggles.)

Barrett swiftly dodged

Cormac: The bullets.

behind the wall of the stairwell he’d just left, and drew his gun. Whenever he felt an opening,

Jamsey: He would squeeze it gently.

he swung around and fired. There were six men shooting at him, some with SMG’s. He considered himself lucky that he hadn’t been hurt by any ricocheting rounds.

Cormac: And that they didn’t have the sense to find an angle or cover.

He managed to kill one, and wound another. He had a feeling they were going to try and hit him with heavier artillery,

Cormac: The sound of tanks grew closer.

but he wasn’t about to give them a chance.

Kat: Scotty, one to beam aboard.

"Eyespy, this is Flatliner. I have a situation here that could really benefit from some interference,"

Kat: Immediately his receiver started producing static.

he sent over the commlink. A few seconds passed, and there was no response.

Kat: Makes sense with all this interference.

He emptied the Guardian’s clip at his attackers, and quickly reloaded.

"Eyespy, are you there? Do you copy?" Still, there was no response. He was starting to worry now.

Cormac: Makes sense he was only getting shot at before, no reason to be worried.

Something must have happened to Blaine for him to not respond.

Jamsey: Probably stopped off for coffee.

Barrett triggered another burst into the group. He was about to attempt something drastic, when suddenly he heard the cough of a silenced pistol,

Jamsey: In spite of the SMG’s. I love how he can’t hear the .50 calibre rifle while firing it but can hear a silenced pistol on the other side of a foyer he isn’t even in.

and men’s shouts of pain and surprise. He poked his head around enough to

Cormac: Be shot by the remaining guards.

see the carnage. Blaine had emptied the clip of his Browning Ultra-Power, and had only a couple of opponents left. One tried to bring his weapon to bear. Blaine got a controlling grip on the man’s arm,

Jamsey: How close was he shooting from?

and then popped the razors of his free hand. Before the goon could react, Blaine slashed the man’s carotid artery, killing him instantly.

Kat: goon: noun. 1. A thug hired to intimidate or harm opponents. 2. A stupid or oafish person.
Kat: Why is it that they are assumed to be either of these just because they are bodyguards?
Cormac: What did the goon do while the man was getting is artery slashed? For that matter why use such an awkward move there are easier ways from so close.

The other goon blasted him in the chest, but the shadowrunner’s armor absorbed most of the shot.

Cormac: Which didn’t matter due to the double tap manoeuvre.

Barrett took his opening. Having forgotten momentarily about the Night One,

Kat: So he really was a goon. I stand corrected.

the sec-man never stood a chance. Barrett nearly decapitated him with another burst.

Jamsey: Good thinking, shoot him in the neck.

He then darted over to check on his accomplice.

"What was with the silent treatment?" Barrett asked.

Cormac: Coffee first, radio later. Come on man, priorities.
Jamsey: Are those sirens I hear?

"Y’know," Blaine said as the assassin helped him to his feet, "could you be more grateful?! I just damn near got a half-dozen holes blasted in me!

Cormac: From one bullet it would seem.

Besides, if I’d said anything, I would have lost the element of surprise."

Kat: I thought the whole point of sub-vocal communication is that it is very quiet.

"And you thought you’d make me sweat a little."

Cormac: Yep, had nothing to do with the 6 opponents. That was a done deal. After all we’re the heroes.

"I’m hurt, really I am. I go to all the time and effort of coming up to save your fuzzy hoop, and this is how you thank me?"

Barrett gave him a look as if to say "Yeah, right".

"Well, okay, it might have had a little something to do with it," Blaine said with a wolfish smile.

Kat: Eeeeew. He was drooling wasn't he?

"Well, now that you’ve had your fun, don’t you think we’d better get out of here?" Barrett asked.

Jamsey: Before the Star, or security, or concerned citizens do something?

Blaine nodded. The two men holstered their guns (after Blaine slapped in a fresh clip),

Cormac: Barrett didn’t need to as he had a really extended clip.

took some of the dead men’s credsticks and ammo,

Cormac: Then looked up to find a FRT aiming at them from shelter.

and booked.

Cormac: So what did you guys think?

Kat: The Night-One variant thing needs to be thought through a little more.
Kat: I was however, glad to see you were wrong in your D&D reference prediction.

Jamsey: I’d like to see consideration go into security issues like keeping themselves off cameras.
Jamsey: I’d also like to see just a touch more attention paid to reality. Having said that it’d make a great action movie.

Cormac: Personally, I think that the general assumption everyone other than our two heroes are idiots is a bit annoying.
Cormac: It's also a shame that in spite of this assumption our heroes aren't too bright either.