Splicers - I Am Legion - IC Thread

[Purr]

Chaska's voice sounds calm and a touch amused as he relays over the Bio-comms. "Cerberus move up to room but no enter.

"I see trap inside sack and slab. Tripwire activate. Someone know how disarm?" Keeping his trusty spear close by, he follows the tripwire by eye to both ends to see what he can see.

Once he has learned what he can learn, he begins to look for any portable hard cover - something he can put between the bomb and the person disarming it to shield some of their body (debris?).

 

[Psychie]

Watching where she steps just in case there are other traps in the hall that were missed, Toni (making sure they were on their own bio-comm channel) replies, "Yes, I've been trained in bomb placement and disposal. Good job in spotting it, Chaska. Give me two shakes and I'll be right there."

She advances into the room and heads over to the cement block that Chaska has pointed out. Carefully kneeling down, she takes a look at the trap. Looking back over her shoulder, she says, "Unless this bomb has one hell of a kick to it, my Host Armor should keep me protected. But, just in case, I want everyone else to either be outside the chamber or behind hard cover to get good protection in case I screw up."

Toni then waits to begin her work until she is certain that all the members of their mixed team has gotten to safe locations. Once that has been done, she begins to attempt to disarm the trap.

OOC Base Demo Disposal is 82%, but I'm going to go ahead and add an Action Point to help ensure success.

 

[Purr]

Sherwood Chaska also points out the "portable hard cover" so at the very worst, she might lose a limb but not her life. =) Then he points out the wire and whatever lies at either end of it. Once she knows everything he knows, he takes Woodstock and exits the room, ready to reenter it at a moment's notice.

 

[Sherwood]

As far as traps go, this one is fairly simple to disarm. It seems to be rigged up to catch the unawares to keep the contents of the bag from being discovered, but once the tripwire is dealt with, you are able to move the cement block enough to see what is under it. What you see is a Mig bio-explosive and the burlap sack. The Mig was set to go off if someone tried to lift the cement block up to get to the bag.

Looking inside, Toni can see that the bag is filled with credit chits, at a glance you'd say that there is at least 30,000 or more in there. You'll have to take a minute or two to count it to be sure.

 

[Psychie]

Toni calls out, "It's clear to come in, the trap has been disarmed. It looks like it was supposed to destroy a bag of . . . credits? A lot of them. More than I've ever seen in one place before, I'd guess thirty thousand plus in here." She looks up, feeling confused. "Why would someone hide a bag of money, and rig a booby trap on it, especially one so simple to disarm?"

 

[Purr]

Toni calls out, "It's clear to come in, the trap has been disarmed. It looks like it was supposed to destroy a bag of . . . credits? A lot of them. More than I've ever seen in one place before, I'd guess thirty thousand plus in here." She looks up, feeling confused. "Why would someone hide a bag of money, and rig a booby trap on it, especially one so simple to disarm?"

"Toni no die. Very good!" It is as close as he can come to a compliment for her skills and cool head at the moment.

Chaska walks past the credits and begins looking for the route out of here and toward their mission's destination. "House Shiva not think like other houses - if did, they no fight both Splicers and The Machine."

 

[Psychie]

Toni takes the bag of credits and starts to look for other exits to the room. "I don't know why, but this strikes me as being really hinky. There's something not right about this, and it is bothering me. But we don't have time to explore this now. We have a factory to blow up. Lets move."

 

[Mirgris]

Toni calls out, "It's clear to come in, the trap has been disarmed. It looks like it was supposed to destroy a bag of . . . credits? A lot of them. More than I've ever seen in one place before, I'd guess thirty thousand plus in here." She looks up, feeling confused. "Why would someone hide a bag of money, and rig a booby trap on it, especially one so simple to disarm?"

"Sometimes a hidden trap is set up on an obvious trap. Taking the credits might have triggered something else, it's hard to say what they were thinking or if they were thinking much at all. You are right though we need to keep moving, and be prepared to move quickly if we have to."

 

[Sherwood]

Axel makes the comment, "We can overthink this for hours and get nowhere. Lets put some miles behind us and find a place to set up a camp. I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm hungry and my Host Armor needs some downtime."

 

[Psychie]

Toni feels the same rumblings of hunger in her stomach as Axel. She says, “Food and rest both sound great right now. Let’s find our way out of here. Not only do we need to rest, but our Host Armor needs downtime too. Jin and Chaska, keep scouting out our path with your stealth fields up and look for a good place where we can rest up.”

 

[Eonivar]

Jin stayed quiet during the whole search and discovery, watching the teams back while the search, disarm, and investigation occurred with her stealth field on.

With House Shiva gone, she disabled the House Shiva frequency on her Bio-Comm's so she would be securely on House Artemis and not have to worry about anyone else's.

She did not know what the credits were about either and did not have anything to say so she stayed silent while watching and listening. Her translucent form moved quietly through the chamber and down towards the passage directed coordinating with Chaska while scouting ahead, looking for the enemy and a secure place to camp.

-"I do not need to sleep for another two days but if we do get in a safe enough place I am ok to do so. Otherwise I can keep watch while you all rest."-

 

[Sherwood]

After about three thousand feet down another tunnel, you come to another chamber that looks like it was once a subway station. A large room, with space enough for a few trains to stop at, with a broken-down escalator heading to the surface. Examining the area, there is no sign of any fresh tracks leading into or out of this room, probably making it safe to rest up for a few hours. Do you wish to head up to the surface or stay down below in the train station?

 

[Purr]

Toni takes the bag of credits and starts to look for other exits to the room. "I don't know why, but this strikes me as being really hinky. There's something not right about this, and it is bothering me. But we don't have time to explore this now. We have a factory to blow up. Lets move."

Chaska pauses just long enough to ponder.

"If House Shiva use credits, then they not independent; must be bartering with others. But whom?"

Jin and Chaska, keep scouting out our path with your stealth fields up and look for a good place where we can rest up.”

"No, Toni." The Deliveryman states thoughtfully. "Recall? JinLi and her team in combat when we arrive. Not Cerberus; we fresh. Not them; they had... fighted. Battle Track and more." Chaska does not mean to mix up his words, but words are not always easy for him.

He studies the new crew with a compassionate eye. "JinLi, GusBarber, JodiAxel. Chaska think you rest. Remember. Recover. Restore."

"Maybe Lance, Toni, Pretty Bird rest here in station too? Eat? Share with Kraken-Splicers? Chaska and Woodstock search surface. Find path to Machine facility while monitor House Shiva." The Deliveryman moves to do just that.

 

[Mirgris]

"Maybe Lance, Toni, Pretty Bird test too? Share with Kraken-Splicers? Chaska and Woodstock search surface. Find path to Machine facility while monitor House Shiva." The Deliveryman moves to do just that.

"Rest and fuel would be important, we could keep pushing for awhile, but we don't know when our next to chance to rest will so are you right we should take it now."

 

[Sherwood]

Settling in for some downtime, you are able to find a secluded spot that looks defendable; just the place to catch up on some much needed food and sleep. Axel tears into his food with gusto, barely tasting it from eating so fast. Once he’s done, he offers to take the first watch while everyone is resting themselves and their Host Armor. If not, he is quick to settle in, shut his eyes and sleep. A true mark of an old hand at field work; sleep when you can because will be plenty to keep you awake later on.

While everyone is relaxing, does Toni break out the bag of credits to count it?

How far out does Chaska go exploring?

it will take several hours for your suits to be ready to travel again, so you have some time to rest and talk if you want.

 

[Purr]

How far out does Chaska go exploring?

it will take several hours for your suits to be ready to travel again, so you have some time to rest and talk if you want.

Going topside, you discover that there is heavy forest with thick underbrush, reducing visibility and it will make any land travel slow as you struggle through the foliage. There are old remains of buildings here and there, but for the most part it is just heavy woods.

Sherwood Chaska makes a point of enjoying that fresh, fresh woodland air. Nature had a way of clearing away mental cobwebs and replacing them with beautiful scenes filled with wonder. Taking cover and listening with every feasible sense and Host Armor power, he takes a moment to break out the dried meats required to keep Woodstock healthy. He too takes a few bites and moments to rest.

It was good to see the outside world again!

Seeking anything out of the ordinary, the Deliveryman returns to his highly-cautious ways. Chaska quietly makes his way up to the highest point he can get to using routes that he hopes will not give his presence away. He asks Woodstock if he would take to the skies and report back what he sees. Once he is at his highest spot and has a better idea of the terrain around him, he will decide how far to go out.

(O.O.C.: About what time of day is it now, please? What is the weather like?)

 

[Sherwood]

Sherwood Chaska makes a point of enjoying that fresh, fresh woodland air. Nature had a way of clearing away mental cobwebs and replacing them with beautiful scenes filled with wonder. Taking cover and listening with every feasible sense and Host Armor power, he takes a moment to break out the dried meats required to keep Woodstock healthy. He too takes a few bites and moments to rest.

It was good to see the outside world again!

Seeking anything out of the ordinary, the Deliveryman returns to his highly-cautious ways. Chaska quietly makes his way up to the highest point he can get to using routes that he hopes will not give his presence away. He asks Woodstock if he would take to the skies and report back what he sees. Once he is at his highest spot and has a better idea of the terrain around him, he will decide how far to go out.

(O.O.C.: About what time of day is it now, please? What is the weather like?)

It is currently late night, about three a.m., and the sky is filled with stars with a clear sky. It is as perfect of a night as possible for someone that likes to sleep under the stars with a outside temperature in the mid-70's and a slight breeze. Very pleasant out right now. After a bit of looking about, Chaska spots a small rise that he can use to look about and try to get as good of a view of possible. Working your way through the underbrush, you get a closer look at the rise and you can see that it was once a building that has been mostly covered by dirt and debris, having collapsed down onto itself.

Looking out, Chaska's first sign of something amiss is the sudden silence in the forest. Something has scared the animals. Looking closer, there are several things moving through the trees, roughly human-sized, and from the amount of noise they are making there is no attempt at stealth. From this far out, the trees block your line of sight. Do you try to close in undetected to get a good look?

 

[Purr]

From this far out, the trees block your line of sight. Do you try to close in undetected to get a good look?

Sherwood No. Chaska first attempts to call Woodstock back and ask him what he sees. Chaska also looks to the WyldKat's echo-location while also turning up his Enhanced Hearing. Then he will decide on whether or not to approach.

Either way, he activates his Stealth Field.

A bad habit from many, many years living out on his own, the thought of telling the others does not (yet) enter his mind. It is probably the curse of many a Deliveryman.

 

[Sherwood]

Looking down from a high altitude, Woodstock sees little. It is not until he works his way down into the tops of the trees that he can spot eight Necroborgs shambling along.



These are human captives killed during a gruesome lobotomy and used by N.E.X.U. S. to create zombie shock troops against the Human Resistance. A control and receiver chip is placed in the brain to turn the corpse into an automated drone, under the absolute control of the chip ' s programing. Nanites are also infused with the dead body to keep the corpse a functioning drone. The body itself is left more or less intact, but Mega-Damage plating is bolted directly onto the corpse and it may be given one or two handheld weapons (a basic M.D. pistol and/or rifle). Otherwise, the Necroborg is programmed to fmd and take weapons from the enemy.

The Machine fmds the Necroborgs useful, because they are quick, easy and cheap to make. They are typically let loose in the wilderness, among ruins of old cities and places where humans are known or suspected to be inhabiting. Necroborgs operate independently with the simple agenda of "kill any humans encountered." However, the creature is not mindless and its computer chip has the Necroborgs seek out and target the weakest among any group of humans and attack that person before moving on to the next. No one knows if the Necroborgs actually need some form of sustenance, or whether their feasting on the flesh and bones of some of their victims is meant to be part of a psychological war on humans or a cruel joke on the part of the Machine.

The good news is that the Necroborgs are not heading anywhere near the entrance to the tunnels that the rest of the party are currently camped out in and resting, so the level of danger is low as long as they do nothing to draw attention to themselves.

 

[Purr]

Woodstock returns to Chaska and, being of near-human intelligence with literacy, conveys this to Chaska who waits patiently as Woodstock draws with one claw into the dirt. Chaska destroys these marks in an effort to counter-track once he understands them.

Necroborgs! Trying to be as still as a statue and just as quiet, Chaska treats this new threat just like every other threat he found in his life on the surface of the world prior to his becoming a Splicer - with deathly seriousness. Chaska does not trust to the night's own cloak to keep him safe from the Machine - he never has before and he survives still because of it.

There is one major factor between that time of aloneness and now. Now he, recalls as he savors the friendship between himself and his faithful war hawk, he is not so alone. There were others too. Toni. Lance. Pretty Bird. And the new soldiers. Time would tell if he would become as close to them. Or even if he could be. The very concept of attachment to other people was still new to the lone wanderer.

"Cerberus." Chaska's Bio-comm voice is serious but relaxed. Alert, but but in no way alarmed. "Necroborgs. Eight. On patrol. [He provides their distance, direction, heading, and approximate speed (walking, walking quickly, etc.) from the surface exit.]." But which way are the Necroborgs moving, he thinks. Towards? Away? Perpendicular? Other?

Sherwood Here, Chaska begins "doing the math." Two questions. How feasible is it to move his team around the group of Necroborgs without them being detected? Is it prudent to move at all or stay right here? It would definitely not be the first time he lay in the quiet without backup for hours in the vicinity of Machine activity.

"No other activity. I Stay. Monitor. Maybe we no need move? Will report if this change."

Chaska thinks that Lance will not like this. Destroying the enemy, not hiding, is the way of the warrior like Lance. Toni, thus far, was proving to be something of a prudent element between hiding and destroying. Cerberus possessed something of a yin-yang nature all its own, its complimentary components clear in Chaska, Toni, and Lance. What will these newcomers bring? he thinks as he continues to survey.

 

[Psychie]

Toni hears the comment from Chaska, and her tension starts to rise. She responds, "Copy that. We will hold position until hearing the all clear from you, or if you inform us that they are on our way."

She then looks to the others and says, "Everyone, sit tight and stay quiet. Let the Necroborgs pass and then we can relax after that."

 

[Purr]

The good news is that the Necroborgs are not heading anywhere near the entrance to the tunnels that the rest of the party are currently camped out in and resting, so the level of danger is low as long as they do nothing to draw attention to themselves.

She then looks to the others and says, "Everyone, sit tight and stay quiet. Let the Necroborgs pass and then we can relax after that."

That Toni was attempting to act as a squad leader for the others made an impression on Chaska. He had lived most of his entire life with only the company of the last House Apollo bio-computer that had taught him all that he knew. With only animals and occasional contact with fellow humans, Chaska had something in him that surpassed mere loneliness - it was a strong sense of independence and unwillingness to rely on anyone. His house was dead save for him. One day, he would be dead too. What was the point of relying on anyone with a destiny like that?

Yet here was Toni trying to be that single voice the rest of the team might follow. It seemed to him most everyone wanted to be led but despised the idea of doing the leading themselves. Perhaps other humans required this? Humans were predators, after all. Some were independent like himself and Lance. Others like JodiAlex GusBarber seemed to want to be led.

Chaska rises. He continues to explore the building and ruins. He asks Woodstock to be his eyes and ears above. As he listens and surveys the surrounding area with quiet steps, Chaska comes to realize that his lifelong habits would possibly make him a poor leader. He had trouble understanding and relating to people while Toni seemed to have a lifetime among her own.

As he creeps about and looks for anything interesting, he finds himself wishing Toni luck.

 

[Sherwood]

Over the course of the next half hour, Chaska and Woodstock keep an eye on the Necroborgs as they shamble along. They don’t make any moves towards the entrance to the tunnel where the rest of the squad is currently camped out, which is a good thing. Gives everyone a much needed chance to get some rest.

Soon after the shambling dead leave the area, Toni makes her way to rendezvous with the Deliveryman, moving slowly with her camouflage going to help keep her from being spotted. Once in place at the top of the rise that you first spotted, she is able to relieve Chaska to go and get some rest of his own, getting some sack time to recharge the batteries a bit.

For the next several hours there is no other signs of anything unnatural in the area. The combined squads are now rested up enough to move out just in time for the sun to start to creep up over the edge of the horizon, starting off another beautiful day.

At this point, you are about fifty miles away from the industrial plant that is your target. For the next part of your advance, you’ll have to stick to the surface due to the lack of usable tunnels in the area.

For this last step to get to the plant, do you stick to the ground to reduce your chance of being spotted, or do you want to risk flying to get closer faster? You still have several days to get into position and plant your homing devices.

 

[Purr]

For this last step to get to the plant, do you stick to the ground to reduce your chance of being spotted, or do you want to risk flying to get closer faster? You still have several days to get into position and plant your homing devices.

Eonivar Mirgris One of Hearts Psychie Sherwood

Refreshed and enjoying the sight of the sun, Chaska feeds Woodstock and himself again. All the while, he watches Cerberus and the other Splicers. On the surface, his stare is that of a casual and curious observer, but what he is really doing is observing everyone's apparent habits. Are they tidy? Are they unnecessarily loud? Are they disciplined? In short, what kinds of soldiers is he truly in the company of?

Chaska also looks at the three newcomers for any ability to fly (jet packs or any enhancements). As he does, he quietly converses with Woodstock - forever treating the alien-blooded bird as an equal. Chaska is honestly open to all opinions present, especially the birds because their take on life is not that of a human.

Finally, he asks aloud. "We stay ground? Machine will warn Facility if see us. Chaska want to tag Facility without Machine knowing we ever there." He makes a growing motion with his hands, first closed, then opening and parting. "Boooom! But when Machine look? We long gone - back to Kraken, ChiefRybeck, and safety.

"Yes?" Chaska looks about for reactions and responses from everyone.

 

[Psychie]

Toni thinks about it for a moment, trying to weigh the pro’s and con’s of each route to take. She finally says, “I say we stick to the ground approach for as long as possible. Taking to the air is faster but provides no cover, and this is a sneak in mission, not a frontal assault. It will take some time to hike it, but we have a better chance of getting it done right if we are not discovered. Any objections?”

Eonivar Mirgris One of Hearts
Purr