Tarran Smith"Well, how would they kidnap Taric if they had to go past this point, where there was always someone awake?"
"...Maybe there's another way off this level..."
You ponder the plentiful possibilities of paths that would pass your present place while penetrating this floor. [int 4] The idea occurs that it might have something to do with the trail of smeared human effluence you were following earlier, the trail that, quite coincidentally, you lost in the last place that you know Taric went through, and that no one ever explored further. It's not quite as if God took out a big flashing sign and told you to search there, but, since you lack the giant flashing sign, you might as well start with what you have...
It's funny, you almost feel as if this should have occurred to you earlier.
---
Dominique WakemanDom took the plate since there had to be a reason she went over to search him and found it. She'd figure out what it was for later. She picked up the Irin and tossed it to James. "Here. If you're gonna keep charging in, you should have a weapon made for it." Then she turned to Tarran. "Hey, Boss? I got a real bad feeling that maybe these guys were meant to distract us while they nabbed Sizier. Think about it. We haven't seen him in awhile, he went off on his own, and they kept trying to kidnap James here. Either that or they wanted to shut Jake up, they seemed pretty intent on shooting him. Maybe both. What do you think?"
You pocket the odd plate of metal for later examination and smooth what's left of Jake's body out. You still remember some of what he told you earlier, about the maintenance tunnels back where you met him, but you have no doubt that losing him is going to make things harder. A part of you wonders when you started thinking about other peoples lives in terms of whether they made your own life harder or easier, but you shrug the thought off and close Jake's eyes. It doesn't really matter.
You give him a heads up and toss the Immortal's shotgun to James, and, unsurprisingly, he fumbles it deftly. Then you turn back to Tarran and voice your thoughts.
"Hey, Boss? I got a real bad feeling that maybe these guys were meant to distract us while they nabbed Sizier. Think about it. We haven't seen him in awhile, he went off on his own, and they kept trying to kidnap James here. Either that or they wanted to shut Jake up, they seemed pretty intent on shooting him. Maybe both. What do you think?" "Well, how would they kidnap Taric if they had to go past this point, where there was always someone awake?" he replies. [int 5] You arch an eyebrow at him, surprised that he'd even ask. The immortals didn't attack from the stairs of the restaurant, they attacked from the door of the lowest floor. That either meant that they had another way in, or they just happened to be in the kitchens already, doubtless baking up sugar cookies for all the other fuck ugly monsters. It might just be you, but the second option seems a smidge less likely.
---
James EvanJames caught the shotgun, and didn't talk, just kinda kicking the embers of the couch.
Dom tosses you a shotgun as you finish putting out the couch, [dex 1] [luck 4] and you fail to catch it spectacularly. You grumble only slightly as you pick it back off the floor, stretching out your back in the process. One, you were just in a mini-coma, a little gracelessness is expected, and Two, it could have been a lot worse. Death by accidentally shooting oneself with a shotgun while attempting to catch it isn't exactly auspicious by anyone's standards.
---
Aaron White"Im not really too keen on elevators after Mr Outsider pretty much poked the big guy in his eyes with them"
Stairs
The four of you head up one flight of stairs. The door off the stairwell and into the engineering labs is closed but not locked. The stairs continue on above your head. A couple members of your party look like they'd like to say something, but there just doesn't seem to be that much to talk about.
---
Turn RecapTarran is, well, thinking might might be too strong a word.
Dominique is arching an eyebrow
James is fumbling particle weapons
Aaron is up one level
Relevant ItemsMemory Stick (Dom)
Security Card November (Dom)
Broken Pad (Taric)
Ident Badge -Pyotr Ivanov- (Taric)
Ident Badge -Kira Masse- (Tarran)
Ident Badge -Naomi Weiss- (Tarran)
Unpowered Pad (Tarran)
L1RF Key (Tarran)
Jake's Engraved Plate (Dom)
Health: 67/85
Stamina: 85/85
Carried weight: 92/180
Attire:Red Maintenance Jumpsuit, Heavily Modified Red Maintenance Suit (30/115, 45 lbs).
Inv:
Phoenix pistol (1/3) (9 lbs)
CFG bars x2 (3)
Crowbar (8lbs)
Simple Knife (2lbs)
Bone Spike (1lbs)
Fenrir pistol 5/7 (6lbs)
Fifty feet of rope (10 lbs)
Homemade grappling hook (2 lbs)
D-Grade rations x4 (4 lbs)
First-Aid Kit 5/5 (5 lbs)
Energy cells x3
Status: Floor 12
Paula Ria
Health: 39/55
Stamina: 43/55
Description: Short, brown haired. The years she spent as a researcher at Delphi added lines to her face, the year she spent as a prisoner here added a decade and stole what weight she had from her frail body.
Personality Complication: Soft. Despite her recent hellish ordeals, Ria was a born and raised Technocrat. She's gotten conditioned to hardship, but the pain and the cold decisions that need to be made in her new life still stun her.
Skills: Mechanical 3, Intuition 1, Dodging 1
Attributes,
Strength (Str): 1
Dexterity (Dex): 3
Endurance (End): 1
Charisma (Char): 4
Intelligence (Int): 9
Willpower: (Will): 3
Equipment: Light Body Armor 36/50, Stained Labcoat, Military grade night-vision goggles. Manticore Pistol (9/10, 6lbs), .30 cal clips (10) x2, Chimera Pistol 15/15, Diagnostic pad, energy cell x2, Light Plasma Torch (60/100), Basic Medical Kit (2/5), Fifty feet of rope, Homemade grappling hook, D-Grade rations x4, ORS pack (3/3).
Henry Myers
Health: 43/75
Stamina: 28/75
Description: An emaciated man of average height. He's mostly bald now, thanks both due to a receding hairline and to a chemical spill that permanently injured his scalp.
Personality Complication: Maudlin. Henry has a dark streak a mile wide, and he usually shares it at every available person. He's a good man, but the tendency to vent every depressing thought that runs through his head makes him a little irritating.
Skills: Soak 2, Marksman 2, Stamina 1
Attributes,
Strength (Str): 6
Dexterity (Dex): 6
Endurance (End): 3
Charisma (Char): 1
Intelligence (Int): 3
Willpower: (Will): 4
Equipment: Maintenance Jumpsuit, Heavily Modified Maintenance Suit (23/90). Kapre Light Rifle 9/15, .30 caliber clips (15) x2, Pack of Flares, Fifty feet of rope, Homemade grappling hook, D-Grade rations x4, ORS pack (2/3)
Cale Levi
Health: 105/105
Stamina: 105/105
Description: A tall young man, blond and brown eyed. He's in fairly decent shape, considering his recent lifestyle.
Personality Complication: Young, and kinda Stupid. Cale is a young man, and though time has aged him quickly, he still occasionally acts on wild impulse.
Skills: Mechanical 1, Melee 2, Dodge 1
Attributes,
Strength (Str): 3
Dexterity (Dex): 6
Endurance (End): 6
Charisma (Char): 4
Intelligence (Int): 3
Willpower: (Will): 1
Equipment: Maintenance Jumpsuit, Heavily Modified Maintenance Suit (78/90). Sleipnir SMG (5/30 | 35/60), .223 clips (30) x2, Energy cell x2, Crude Combat Blade, Neuroflash grenade x2, Fifty feet of rope, Homemade grappling hook, D-Grade rations x4, ORS pack (3/3).
Health: 64/70
Stamina: 70/70
Carried Weight: 138/140
Attire: Technocrat Commander Dress uniform [11lbs] Standard Body armor, 66/100. [35lbs]
Inv:
Energy Cell x6 (3 lbs)
Taric's Frankenstein Versatility Rifle (A30, E65, 31lbs, in hand,) (Can't use laser)
.220 gauss clip x3
Basilisk pulse rifle 4/5 (13 lbs)
Piru Gauss Rifle (4/5 4/5 16lbs)
.45 Gauss slugs x2 (5)
Disruptor Pistol (4/4 4lbs)
Saun's Helmet (Quarter full of ants, enclosed.) (3lbs)
Box of terrible scrap components (20lbs)
Memory Foam centerfold
colonist rations x5 (5lbs)
Tripwire emitter
Status: ?
Health: 58/75
Stamina: 75/75
Carried Weight: 146/150
Attire: High-prelate Uniform [8lbs] Standard Body Armor 19/100. [35lbs]
Inv:
Tarran's Ichneumon Anti-Armor Rifle -Scope- (1/1, 20lbs, 1 rounds in speed loader)
1' sabot packs x1 (2)
Combat Knife (1lb)
Sleipnir SMG (A0, E25 9lbs,)
Sleipnir SMG (A0, E25 9lbs,)
Energy cells x3
8 .220 gauss clips (35)
Basic First Aid Kit 3/5 (5lbs)
Jormungandr Assault Rifle (A16, E26), 16lbs. In hand,
Artemis Railgun (E 1/3, A 2/3, 18lbs)
.50 Rail Clip (3)
Credit Chit (Unknown)
Status: Unknown Restaurant, lowest tier.
Health: 106/135
Stamina: 39/135
Carried Weight: 135/210
Attire: Arbiter dress Uniform, pristine [10lbs] Standard Body Armor, 29/100. [35lbs]
Inv:
Dominique's Abassy Heavy pistol -laser sight- [5, 8lbs]
Stun club (50/50 11lbs)
Fuath Riot suppression carbine [5, 13lbs, Caustic load]
.50 caliber pistol clips x7 (7, 2lbs)
Full Bottle of Wine x1 (1lb, sealed)
Jormungandr Assault Rifle (A35, E70, 16lbs.)
LR Jormungandr Battle Rifle (13/35 A, 8/15 E, Damaged, 17lbs)
Artemis Railgun (E 3/3, A 3/3, 18lbs)
.220 gauss slugs x1 (35)
.220 gauss slugs x1 (30)
Smoke Grenades x1 (neg)
Energy cells x3
Energy cell (90%) x1
.50 Rail Clip (3) x1
Field rations x1
Phoenix Pistol [2, 9lbs]
Basic medical kit (1/5) (5lbs)
Data storage drive [Romance novels]
Unknown Chemical Hypo x3 (Neg)
Partially sorted (1/3) stack of Technocrat stamped papers (Bad novel)
Status: Unknown Restaurant
Health: 38/75
Stamina: 61/75
Carried weight: 111/240
Attire: Exarch Dress uniform [8lbs] James' Light Body armor 35/50 (39/50) [25lbs]
Inv:
Renfield SMG (10, 10lbs)
Riot shield (10lbs 1/30, in hand)
Piru Gauss Rifle (E5/5 A5/5 16lbs)
.45 Gauss slug clip (5)
Simone's Song (6lbs 3/7 -Frangible Rounds-)
.50 caliber Frangible pistol clips (7) x1
Irin Combat Shotgun 3/6 (15lbs)
Dybbuk Flechette Canister Rifle (1/2 35 lbs)
20 mm flechette canisters (x2, 1 lb)
Status: Unknown Restaurant. Incredibly Smelly.