A Gamma World® play-by-post adventure run by gammaworld_gm
Wandering alone in the San Matoe Mountains and following a rocky ravine, I come across a circular hole. Peering down into the hole, I see it's a man-made hole of concrete with metal rungs leading down. Looking around, I see a lot of tracks and a discarded M-16 rifle (with strap). I leave the rifle (who would discard a working rifle?) and climb into the hole.
The metal rungs attached to the wall go down for almost one hundred feet before ending in a huge room. The ceiling is domed, over sixty feet high and filled with a network of pipes, pipe racks, and catwalks. The room itself is also circular and about a hundred feet across, more or less. The room is filled with stacks of boxes and rusted metal barrel drums.
It takes a few minutes for my eyes to adjust to the dim light. Searching for a way out, I cautiously investigate the boxes and barrels, looking for anything of use.
[Another player joins the fray:
"I will try to get my mind on better things, olde buddy."
Looking around at the machinery and network of pipes filling the very large room dimly lit by lights above, Kramer speaks into Chuck's head, "One does not say 'olde,' Chuck, one says 'well-aged.'"
Kramer freezes, looking ahead, then back towards the elevator and then growls. "Cover Chuck... NOW!"
Suddenly machine gun fire erupts from two different locations as Chuck and Kramer slide on the slick tiled floor, finding cover behind a pumping generator. Bullets create sparks as they ricochet everywhere in a thunderous noise of "ping-ping-ping." The sub-level basement muffles all noise. The gun fire stops as the two of you huddle behind the pumping generator for protection. Someone's voice to your right, hidden in the machinery, speaks.
"Why are you following us? Are you one of NARC's people? I'll give you two minutes to surrender. If you don't, I'll come in there and kill your mutt first and make you wish you had surrendered," threatens the voice.
"Obviously that guy has the cranial capacity of a canary. If you get killed, Chuck, I'm never going to get to go over the mountain."
You see the movement of several people among the machinery: Fence, Amanda Pain, Sergeant Mabb (you don't know their names or affiliation, of course).
Jonathan finds a compass, some paper, some pens, a watch, several weeks of vacuum stored meat and trail mix all in a army issue backpack. Looking through the other lockers, he also finds more clothes and coats suited for different times of year. In the last locker, Jonathan discovers a military issue shotgun with 12 shells, and a large red plastic brief case marked "Medi-kit." Warrr'a happily joins Jonathan, eating everything given and it's not long before the hamster's cheeks are bulging with food.
"Isn't it great being with friends!" squeaks the hamster, hugging Katkin again.
"Will you stop doing that!" he says, pushing the hamster away.
Smiling at the two embracing, Jonathan keeps eating, thinking that the two seem smarter than mutant creatures in a bad grade B horror flick would be expected to be.
Opening the medical kit, Jonathan treats both Katkin and Warrr'a's wounds, healing them both (7 hit points of damage).
Leela Ahn, having climbed down the metal rungs, begins cautiously investigating the boxes. The first boxes she opens are filled with standard KP army rations. Hanging upside down in the pipes next to the ceiling sixty feet above, the giant bat-like Obb takes flight silently.
It swoops down towards Leela Ahn, letting out a screech as it attacks. What do you do? Stand and fight or run down one of the narrow alleys between the barrel drums and boxes?
Katkin pushes open the door and peeks out, seeing another human preparing to be attached by the Obb.
Katkin looks back into the room and calls out to the mouse and monkeyman, "Hey, get ready for trouble. Looks like one of the monkey's relatives is about to get eaten by that damn bat."
Expecting combat at any moment, Katkin readies his crossbow.
"One of the...." the human says, walking quickly towards the door. "But I have no relatives here. At least, none living. Dad was at the base in Washington...."
He walks up behind the cat, peeking through the door over the strange creature's head. "I don't know her at all. I don't have any siblings," he says, then starts yelling. "Uh, whoever you are, miss, I suggest you run for it! Come this way!"
Hearing the creature's screech, Leela looks up, and when the creature is a couple meters away, she emits a sonic blast while diving to the side. Pulling her laser weapon out, she begins to fire at the creature.
Upon seeing the humanoid reaching for a weapon unlike any that he has seen before, Katkin crouches down in the doorway, takes careful aim, and fires his crossbow at the Obb.
"Trouble, again?" I squeak. "If'n its PSH, it has to be some relation to you, human."
I walk up behind the putty-tat and the monkeyman, peeking through the door between them. "Shouldn't one of you males go out there and help her? She could make someone a very nice pet if that Obb doesn't kill her."
Giving the monkeyman a once over, she says, "You are a male, right, human? Can I name you, can I, can I?"
"My name's Jonathan." I say, grabbing my bow. "Jonathan Thomas Meriweather."
As I step through the door, I mutter to myself, "I was hoping we wouldn't have to hurt the creature. It's just hungry."
As I leave the room, I knock an arrow and draw it back, taking careful aim at one of its wings.
"Don't shoot Mee'sss evil humie... please'sss, I'sss was'sss only hiding here'sss, but I can leave'sss if you want me'sss to."
"One, I'm not evil. Two, who are you? I'm Liara," she says, looking at the cowering young lizard. She lowers her weapon.
The attacking Obb screeches as it drops into a dive toward Leela. Leela ignores Jonathan's yells as she looks up at the diving Obb, fires off a sonic blast, then dives into some boxes. She doesn't have time to draw her laser pistol.
With more than enough time to aim, Katkin fires his crossbow at the Obb. Almost instantly, the crossbow bolt strikes the huge bat-like creature squarely in its head.
The Obb passes over Leela's head and slams into the concrete wall twenty feet behind her with a thud-like crunching sound, and then falling to the floor lifeless behind some barrels drums.
Jonathan decides against shooting, pulling up at the last second.
Warrr'a looks at Jonathan, "You're smart enough to have a name?"
Warrr'a's earlier admission to being female answers a few of Katkin's hugging-related questions, but the oversensitive housecat tries to forget the event entirely. Warrr'a pushes past the others to to rush up to meet the new monkeygirl. Sliding to a stop, the female hamster looks at Leela.
"Hi, I'm Warrr'a. Those other two are putty-tat and Jonathan. Putty-tat, can I name her, can I, can I?"
Jonathan and Katkin both walk out to meet the young girl of Asian descent.
"Who are you?" he says, addressing the girl.
Using her empathic ability, she senses for any hostile feelings.
Bowing slightly to the catlike being, "I am Leela Ahn, and I am indebted to you for your assistance."
"Don't mention it," Katkin replies, putting away his crossbow. "Do you have any idea where we are, Leela?"
Since when is a hamster attracted to a cat?
Jonathan approaches slowly, slinging his bow over his shoulder as he walks. He stops a few feet from the girl, staring at the bat-thing on the floor. (The only feelings Leela would pick up from him are an overwhelming sense of sorrow and guilt.)
"We have food," he mumbles. "And a med kit, if you have need. I have some medical training...."
"Hi Leela. Yah, one hit out of two shots isn't too bad. Putty-tat really needs more practice. He's getting a little rusty with the old twanger, if you know what I mean." My hamster words end with a squeak as I playfully elbow Katkin, who looks grouchy.
(My emotions would read as confused, but certainly not violent.)
Since when is a hamster attracted to a cat?
That hurt! <pouts> The way I understand it, or at least I think I do, is that regardless of mutant type, we have the same physical anatomy as humans. Naturally, feelings would be there too. Only males associate feelings with sex. <slaps you OOC for thinking that> What kind of Hamster do you think I am? Hmph!
With the mostly naked Xervian drugged and slumped over my shoulder, we wait for the entrance ramp of the XJ1 to open. I take Rhyn by the wrist to get her attention. "I'll take care of yoz, Rhyn, but be aware these peoplz you are about to meet are very smart. Yoz saw how Iz deal with peoplz who cross mez, didn't yoz?" My point made, I release Rhyn's wrist and study her eyes for a reaction.
"Hey, hey Xeva... I understand, and I'm not gonna cross you. Promise."
ohh this does sound like alot of money coming online to me hehehe
Ryhn looks at Xeva after rubbing her own wrist for a moment. "Trust me. I won't cause any problems."
"It's funny. You live in a mutated universe but you never do these things 'til someone comes to visit, like Xeva. So, there's an infinite number of parallel universes?"
"No, just the two. Ours and the one you're in."
"Oh, well, I'm sure that's enough. Waugh! You're always steppin' on my lines, raining on my parade." I stand up pointing at the robot. "One of these, I say, one of these days, robot, you'll be stuck in an infinite loop, but I won't be there to reboot you!"
"Yeah, and I'll delete your computerized image from my data base and replace it with a picture of the ancient foo fighter Jackie Chan, before he got all doughy, of course."
"Paw, why does Jonn think he's charge?"
Leghorn whispers, "Son, he's PSH; he can't help it. They always want to be in charge. It's in his genes."
"Like Frieda fits in her jeans, Paw?"
"Why uh, no, son... that there would be pure magic, which just happens to be easy on the eyes." Looking at Jonn and also yawning, he says, "Thanks Jonn, you're not half bad as my second-in-command. Tomorrow I will leave to take my family to Haven. Come, I say, come, family it's roosting time. And Penny we have some yet-to-be-laid eggs that need fertilizing," he winks at Frieda.
"Wee-hee, tee-hee," <cluck, cluck>.
"Come with us, Ironcat. If we need a self-sacrifice (e.g., for being a non-poster), it should be you."
After Jonn, Jake and Howard leave the conference room, my family follows me in single file, from the biggest to the smallest. Ironcat leads us. Following the corridor and stairs to the cargo area, I see that Jonn has already opened the cargo bay door (Always has to be foist, doesn't he?). I see the newbie (quill-brain-girl) and Xeva (ex-Gamma Girl, ex-Leghorn ass-kicker) carrying Kasteen. I motion Ironcat to lead the way out.
"I thought I would lead the entire group down to the bar later when it's safe, Captain."
"Who do you think is leading this group, Jonn? Do you see me wearing a red shirt? Red feathers, yes; red shirt, no!"
"You told him, Paw!"
Xeva and the newbie retreat a few steps as Ironcat exits and we follow. Bitch as tough as she is, she realizes fists can do little against Ironcat. With the respect I'm owed (mostly due to Ironcat), they stand aside as we exit.
"Nothin' but trouble---trouble with a cap-ee-tal 'T'."
We gawk at the strange fems until we are out of sight, and they gawk back at us like gawkers. We return to the bar on the main level, do other things like ma[edited out by GM], and then roost for the night.
"I thinkth's he needths therapy. I reathly do!"
Only one PSH fem was probed during the making of this post.
"I don't know what you did, but once again you've screwed up our programming. Now all the planets are gonna start crackin' wise about our mommas."
"I'm just glad my momma isn't online to see this day."
"I wasn't programmed to dispose of bodies. Well I'm not going to any asylum for criminally insane robots, I'll tell you that much."
"If Geo wants these two bodies disposed of, we do as we are told. We can buff the floors latter. Now get his legs. I could tell a Microsoft joke to lighten the mood?"
"No thanks, it's not compatible with my programming."
"Hey, I don't see you planning for your old age."
"I got plans. I'm gonna turn my on/off switch to off."
Having received orders via protocol hub (A computer which accepts transmitted messages, turns them into work orders and then transmits them to the proper robots) from Geo, the two robot janitors locate the two deceased humanoid bodies, dispose of them and clean away all traces of their presence. This of course is contrary to what Geo was asked to do with the bodies.
When the cargo ramp opens, Jake, Jonn, Howard and (arriving a minute later) Ironcat and the Leghorn troop see Xeva, Kasteen (a.k.a. Xervian) draped over Xeva's shoulder, and some new girl (Rhyn).
Xeva spots Jonn immediately. "I'm back, sweet cheekz! I rezcued thiz lizard lady from the Magez downstairz while reconnoitering the Starport. Do yoz know her, Jonn?" Xeva dumps Xervian's near naked scaly body into Jonn's arms. "Oh, and thiz newbie iz Rhyn, she helped meez."
"Frieda, there is a problem. The two dead Mages' bodies were apparently disposed of by the janitorial staff. There is nothing I can do to recover them."
Still seated in her chair, her arms folded and not listening to Geo, Lamia repeats Jonn's last words in her head: "We just used it in the TTV on the way over! Geo and... Xeva. Crikey."
Standing, Lamia exits the conference room and makes her way down to the cargo area, minutes after Leghorn's entourage departs. Seeing Jonn, Jake, Howard, Xeva, and Xervian (unconscious in Jonn's arms), and some new girl, Lamia goes to the TTV and climbs inside, thinking, "Not her again, sheesh."
On the dash, Lamia quickly accesses the TTV's internal cameras. The TTV computer lists:
INTERNAL CAMERA LOGS - ERASED
DATE/TIME ERASED - LESS THAN THREE HOURS AGO
Lamia hits her fist on the dash in frustration.
"Don't you think you should take Xervian to the medical bay, Jonn?" he asks, noticing Jonn staring at the near naked fem in his arms---a fem with whom Jonn has a dubious history. "I really do need to get some sleep soon." If Jake's eyes were visible from behind his shades and not all black, they would be bloodshot right about now.
"Come with meez Rhyn, I'll showz you around the ship." Smiling, Xeva rubs up against Jonn as she passes and then she and Ryhn disappear up the stairs.
A T3-Medical robot comes online via a command from a protocal hub. Everything else within the huge Starport medical bay is still shut down. The T3's eyes glowing with life, it heads for the XJ1. The robot mutters as it walks, "So many stored memories, so many strange fluids gushing out of patients' bodies...." Five minutes later, the T3 arrives at the XJ1.
Having sensed no hostility from this group, and seeing them in action, she decides to give it a shot. "I don't know where we are other than deep underground. I do know that there is strength in numbers and if you allow me to join your group, I will."
"I would be happy to have you in our band of merry adventurers. There is safety in numbers."
Katkin begins to prowl around the room looking for an exit and/or the Obb's nest.
"...if you allow me to join your group, I will."
Jonathan looks at the Obb a moment more, a mixture of pity and guilt washing through him as he stares at it. "Um....sure, I guess. It's up to those two, really," he says quietly. "I just got here myself, in a way."
He goes back into the room, muttering "I hope it's still here...." and starts looking around for something.
"If we are a band of merry adventurers, putty-tat, then who's our leader?" She says as Katkin prowls away. "Why does he always do that when I'm talking to him?" She stands around with Leela.
"Leela, what is this place? Some writing on one of those boxes says, 'K-2 Lomoss Alatoss Newws Meexeeco Neeclaar Tesst Faccciliky.' What's that?"
Rhyn follows Xeva through the ship.
ship equals guns and other good explosives stuff hehehehe
Rhyn mutters to herself, "Please, please stop it." She explains to Xeva, who turns at her voice, "No, not you xeva. Let's just say I have an odd condition...."
hehehehehehe me
"It's a loooong story."
With the Obb dead, Katkin circles the large room and searches it. If the Obb does have a nest, it will be up next to the domed ceiling, over sixty feet high somewhere in the network of pipes, pipe racks, and catwalks. To find it, someone would have to climb up there to search for it.
After a quick reconnoiter of the entire room, Katkin finds two doors and one escape shaft (the one through which you entered). One of the two doors leads into Jonathan's quarters. The other leads elsewhere. The boxes seem to be filled with thousands of pounds of vacuum-packed army rations or MERCs (Mobility Enhancing Ration Components; MERCs were designed to support highly mobile and forward-deployed troops and are suitable for Arctic, jungle, desert, mountain and urban areas. They consist of approximately 1300 calories, and were designed to meet the nutritional requirements of a war fighter). The barrel drums are filled with some type of unknown liquid substance.
Warrr'a takes about a dozen of the rations and puts them in her pack. Jonathan returns to his cryo room and retrieves his possessions, including his guitar (in its case). Your group has several choices: continue to explore the complex (via the unopened door), climb up next to the ceiling, or exit the complex completely.
Jonathan comes back out of the room carrying the Medikit and an odd shaped leather case (guitar case) in addition to his bow and his clothes bag.
"'K-2 Lomoss Alatoss Newws Meexeeco Neeclaar Tesst Faccciliky.' What's that?"
"Los Alamos, New Mexico," He tells Warra. "That's where they came from. This place was a nuclear test facility. It's where they built bigger and better ways to kill people they never even had to look in the face."
He goes over to the bin and starts scooping rations into his bag, then starts looking around for something drinkable. "Looks like the tests were successful." More than a hint of bitterness can be detected in the young man's tone.
"You'sss can call me'sss... uhm, Mee'sss. I'sss live here'sss in the Starport. I'sss was just out lurking around'sss when you happened'sss by and I'sss hid from you'sss. Pleased'sss to meet'sss you'sss, Liara."
Mee'sss climbs out of the trunk and stands, smiling a sharp toothy lizard smile. Mee'sss is about a foot shorter than Liara. She seems very happy.
"Where'sss we'sss going now'sss, Liara?"
"Well Mee'sss, we are going to try to find my sister. We kinda look alike except she has black hair. Her name is Liska." Liara leaves the tunnel and heads for the stairs, indicating for Mee'sss to follow her.
Following Warra's example, she puts several of the MERC rations in her backpack. Turning to the other two, she says, "Jonathan, you seem to know a lot about this place. Is there any reason for us to explore it further? Does anyone think that the Obb nest would have anything of value?"
Go To:
PBPArchives
| Hellhole
| Prologue
| prev
| next
This page updated: Mon Jan 09 14:22:19 2006
All text Copyright ©1999-2006 PBPArchives.
