Tarran Smith"Hey, Taric, come down here, I got a job for you!"
Wait for Taric. See if I can't find anything else interesting around where I am, without walking too far from the door.
You call Taric away from Dominique as soon as he's done working on her project. Hopefully his technical expertise will be able to open this door as well and let you follow the trail. It might be a cold trail, but since Ash's team commandeered the last elevator that wasn't filled with very angry men in angrier armor, it's the only one you've got.
[Observation 2] You examine the room around you while you wait for Taric to stroll your way, but this lowest level seems to be the most barren as well as the most undisturbed.
---
Taric SizierHelp poor Tarran, because he couldn't tie his shoes without tech-support
You trudge back down the stairs to Tarran. Every inch of posture proclaims that you are a martyr to your profession, a brilliant man surrounded by helpless fools who get confused by calculators and toilet seats. [Mech 2+1-2] Well, er... Now that you've gotten a look at his problem, you think he might not be quite that much of a fool... This one lacks the thumbnail sensor that Dom's door possessed, and thus it lacks a viable route through the metal.
Maybe the simple approach would be best here.
"So...?" Tarran asks from behind you.
"It's a door. It is closed," you reply, acting out each sentence to help Tarran understand.
"Hit it with something heavy. Repeat until door is not closed."---
Dominique WakemanDom headed into the bathroom - if that's what it was - with the intention of checking for survivors or, much more likely as it was probable the door had been locked for a year, bodies. If bodies were found, she planned to look for usable loot; afterward or if nothing was found, she'd take a moment to wash her hands and face.
You enter the formerly locked door cautiously, pausing briefly inside to consider another pair of doors. One is inscribed with the physical version of the holographic male character on the outer door, the other is inscribed with the female. You pick the women's first, mostly for convention's sake.
[Observation 5] [Luck 5] There are dead bodies in here, but in a turn of events from the main restaurant, these are of the skeletally emaciated variety that you found in the gardens and in the chapel. Their manner of death, while probably horrible and long lasting compared to the other late denizen's of the restaurant, does mean that nothing had a chance to pick the bodies over.
Edimmu Assault Rifle (A 17/20 | E 17/40, 17lbs)
Cerico Shotgun (2/8, 16lbs)
Medium Body Armor 88/100 (35lbs)
Light Body Armor 14/50 (25lbs)
.308 Gauss (20) x1
12 gauge shell (
x2
Energy cell (1/4) x1
Security Card: November
---
Aaron WhiteMop up the resistance
Aaron White 52+5-4= 53
Paula 10+3-1 = 12
Henry 85+6-4 = 87
Cale 68+6-4= 70
Corrupted Deadhead 4 53-5 = 48
Henry moves to Cale's aid first, firing off another round at the remaining deadhead's cranium. [3+1-2] It misses, but not by much.
With his ammo running low, Cale picks the more economical offensive option; chop its head off with his combat blade. [Melee 4+1-2 Vs dodge 3] [Luck 3] The crudely fashioned blade just barely misses the deadhead's throat, cutting the air a half inch away as the deadhead executes a surprising amount of self-preservation and dodges.
Meanwhile, [Dex 4] you pull yourself to your feet and manage to catapult yourself into a wobbly charge at the deadhead's flank. [Melee 4+1 Vs Dodge 3] [Brawl 4] The bone spike serves you almost as well as your lost knife, punching a neat hole in the side of the clone's armor. It isn't exactly a fatal wound, but it's certainly a start. (Deadhead 4 armor -4, Hp -22)
The deadhead whips its club sideways, switching its target to the one who's actually hurting it. [Melee 3 Vs Dodge 4] You duck the club and beat a short retreat, far enough to get out of its reach, but not so far that you can't step in and get a decent stab forwards.
---
James EvanJames stumbled backwards, and tried to will forth an ORS, and then one of the shotguns he was familiar with. ...Things weren't looking too good, he had to admit.
James Evan: 37+0-0= 37
Blight: 71+5-0= 76
Shadow James: 80+0-0 = 80
Deranged Psionic Torturer and Acolyte of the Technocracy/Topless Tropical Waitress: 65+3-0 = 68
Sample 18: 100 (Double action)
[Luck 1] The fight occupies most of your attention, but the familiar jet black tendrils spreading across the sky capture a decent portion of your attention. You can see out of the figment, into the seemingly endless darkness behind it. It doesn't seethe, it doesn't roil malevolently, it just spreads. The half-sphere of sky above your head feels like an eggshell, a cracking eggshell that happens to separate you from what might as well be the vacuum of space.
[Shadow Soak 4] Your shadow opens his eyes abruptly, looking up at the dying sky uncomprehendingly. His head swings slowly to look at blight and the acid covered waitress, and thought finally sparks back into his eyes. Very angry thoughts. [Shadow Will 4 Vs Acolyte will 2+1] [Will 5] The woman, in addition to being covered in acid, catches fire. (Acolyte Hp -42) You've got to admit, you admire your lack of style when you're pissed.
Blight rethinks her tackling strategy now that the waitress is on fire, you can't grab people who are on fire. Her pistol comes up almost immediately. [Quickshot 2] Blight misses the same as you did, though with a bit more excuse since her target is dancing a jig and on fire.
There are no more menacing remarks from the possessed waitress, having been lit on fire and doused in acid has that effect- even on villains. [Acolyte A.Empathetics 5+1 Vs Blight will 3] (Confirm Critical 3 Vs 2, Critical confirmed) Blight vanishes. There's no warning or lasting impression, she just disappears.
You're a little preoccupied with your own possibly imminent death to worry about Blight right now, she's a big girl. [Will 5 Vs Acolyte will 4-1] With the waitress' attention spread thin you're able to slip around her defenses, creating a slim pack of ORS and a short barreled shotgun.
[Luck 1] Reality degrades incredibly rapidly after the sky starts cracking. Colors begins to fade and blur, shading and definition start to lose meaning as reference points vanish, and the texture of the sand starts to feel less like individual grains and more like homogenous powder. The tendrils breeding across the sky start to curve down, in just a handful of seconds they're going to be touching the island.
(8 acid damage to the Acolyte)
---
Technocrat Acolyte Shadow
Health: 133/200
Armor: None
Weapon: None
Secondary: None
Status: Covered in Acid (2)
Range: Short to all
Flying Knife
Health: 10/10
Armor: None
Weapon: Itself
Status: Coming around for another pass (1)
Range: short to all
Deadhead 4
Health: 73/100 (CPU 15/15)
Armor: 16/50
Weapon: Stun Baton (34/50)
Secondary: None
Status: Fine
Range: Melee to Cale, Short to Aaron, medium to Paula and Henry
Health: 70/85
Stamina: 85/85
Carried weight: 78/180
Attire:Red Maintenance Jumpsuit, Heavily Modified Red Maintenance Suit (46/115, 45 lbs).
Inv:
Phoenix pistol (2/3) (9 lbs)
CFG bars x2 (3)
Crowbar (8lbs)
Fifty feet of rope (10 lbs)
Homemade grappling hook (2 lbs)
D-Grade rations x4 (4 lbs)
Status: Floor Twenty
Paula Ria
Health: 39/55
Stamina: 31/55
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. 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.
Henry Myers
Health: 13/75
Stamina: 16/75 (Light Bleeding, -3 stamina per turn)
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.
Cale Levi
Health: 99/105
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.
Health: 57/70
Stamina: 70/70
Carried Weight: 138/140 (-25%)
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)
Short Range Radio, (Off)
Memory Foam centerfold
colonist rations x5 (5lbs)
Tripwire emitter
Status: Restaurant, middle tier.
Health: 75/75
Stamina: 75/75
Carried Weight: 146/150 (-25%)
Attire: High-prelate Uniform [8lbs] Standard Body Armor 48/100. [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 x4
8 .220 gauss clips (35)
Basic First Aid Kit 3/5 (5lbs)
1 .220 gauss clip (25)
Jormungandr Assault Rifle (A4, E39), 16lbs. In hand,
Artemis Railgun (E 3/3, A 3/3, 18lbs)
.50 Rail Clip (3)
Credit Chit (Unknown)
Status: Unknown Restaurant, middle floor.
Health: 103/135
Stamina: 115/115
Carried Weight: 135/210 (-25%)
Attire: Arbiter dress Uniform, pristine [10lbs] Standard Body Armor, 20/100. [35lbs]
Inv:
Dominique's Abassy Heavy pistol -laser sight- [6, 8lbs]
Stun club (50/50 11lbs)
Fuath Riot suppression carbine [6, 13lbs, Caustic load]
.50 caliber pistol clips x7 (7, 2lbs)
Full Bottle of Wine x1 (1lb, sealed)
Jormungandr Assault Rifle (A35, E70, 16lbs. In hand)
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, middle tier.
Health: 28/75 (Dreamspace HP 64/200)
Stamina: 75/75
Carried weight: 105/240 (-25%)
Attire: Exarch Dress uniform [8lbs] James' Light Body armor 47/50 (50/50) [25lbs]
Inv:
(Dreamspace: Satyr Light pistol 9/18)
(Dreamspace: Eldjötnar shotgun (A 4/4 | E 12/12))
(Dreamspace: ORS 3/3)
Renfield SMG (10, 10lbs, in hand)
Riot shield (10lbs 30/30)
Piru Gauss Rifle (E5/5 A5/5 16lbs)
.45 Gauss slug clip (5)
Simone's Song (6lbs 4/7 -Frangible Rounds-)
.50 caliber Frangible pistol clips (7) x1
Dybbuk Flechette Canister Rifle (1/2 35 lbs)
20 mm flechette canisters (x2, 1 lb)
Status: Unknown Restaurant. Incredibly Smelly.
Author
Topic: Deviation-22. The End of All Things. (Read 538329 times)