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[ Spoiler ]
Full Version: IC: Where Do We Go from Here?
With the line looped through his belt, Fade enters the pipe and crawls upward on his hands and knees. The gloves, kneepads, and slip-on shoe soles rely on the individual electromagnetic attraction of trillions of molecules to give them enough power to hold a troll upside down on a cieling. Fade climbs ever upward, nervously watching above him with his night vision contacts, hoping not to find a six-legged killer robot waiting for him at the top.
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Greven slips on his gas mask and brings his Ingram to bear while pulling rear guard. Waiting for the signal to move, he takes a knee, watching the darkness of the tunnel alert from any sound of movement.
[ Spoiler ]
Ace likewise waited on his turn to go. He wasn't looking forward to this...climbing wasn't one of his strenghts.
[ Spoiler ]
Gromitz acts as anchor and feeds the line as Fade climbs into the darkness. He switches on his eyelight system and scans the tube ahead and behind. The lack of information and resources is really beginning to grate on his nerves. He wants to act, but feels constrained by the situation and lack of a real goal. But moving is better than nothing.
[ Spoiler ]
The consensus is that you should go up. Something in the back of your minds equate elevation with escape. There are no sounds in the tunnel except for those you make yourselves.
Fade takes the lead, his climbing gear letting him move easily up the steep incline. There is plenty of light at first, spilling out from tear in the pipe ceiling to the only place in this world you know of. After about thirty meters, the incline goes vertical for another ten, before making a 90 degree turn and going level again. This section of pipe stretches off in a straight line as far as you can see. You pull yourself up, and set the line so that the others can follow.
The exertion of climbing up the vertical segment makes the bruise across Ares' face twinge. He is unsure of whether or not he will bleed when cut, but it seems conclusively proven that he will ache after being whacked in the face.
Greven Nothing aside from your brothers disturb the stillness of the pipe, and finally, it's your turn to go up the rope. The vertical segment is a bit tougher than you expected, and more than once you accidently kick away from the wall and dangle briefly in the air, but finally you make it up. Watching the water trickle by, you realize that this pipe has a very mild incline to it.
Ace grunted, yanking himself up the rope hand over hand. This was harder than his brothers had made it look. If it hadn't been for the rope, he wasn't sure he would've made it.
Gromitz is the last one to go up the pipe, and as he pulls himself up, he notices that the thin rivulet of water is sunken a bit into into the floor of the pipe. It's actually eroded a shallow trench into the metal.
There's only one way to go from there, and that's straight ahead. It's a long, and boring walk. Smaller openings occasionally break up the monotony of the metal walls, thin trickles of water issuing from a few. Most of them aren't much bigger around than your arm. You do hear the distant echo of more of those pounding footsteps coming from one, but they quickly fade away to silence. There are more twists and turns, and a few more climbs, but mostly you walk down a pipe that doesn't seem to be getting any shorter.
You lose two days with amazing quickness. The monotony of your environs seems to make time just slip by. You all occasionally think about turning back, maybe trying the other way, but the thought of having to retrace all those steps without knowing whether or not it will yield any better results is too discouraging.
You've become so acclimated to the still air that you instantly notice the moment a breeze first stirs around you. Soon, you can hear the far off roar of water too. Although the urge is there to simply rush forward and see what is before you, caution is stronger. As you ease around one last turn in the pipe, you see a circle of dim light at the end of the pipe, and the sound of water fills your ears.
As you stand at the mouth of the pipe, you realize that it ends in teeth of ragged metal. You look down into a chasm. You're still in some sort of structure, because every surface around you is worked metal, but looking down, you can't see the bottom, nor does looking up reveal the top. Just at the edge of your vision, you can see the far wall of the chasm, and the twisted metal where the pipe should've connected. Waterfalls issue from elsewhere on the chasm wall around you, spewing forth into the darkness.
Fade takes the lead, his climbing gear letting him move easily up the steep incline. There is plenty of light at first, spilling out from tear in the pipe ceiling to the only place in this world you know of. After about thirty meters, the incline goes vertical for another ten, before making a 90 degree turn and going level again. This section of pipe stretches off in a straight line as far as you can see. You pull yourself up, and set the line so that the others can follow.
The exertion of climbing up the vertical segment makes the bruise across Ares' face twinge. He is unsure of whether or not he will bleed when cut, but it seems conclusively proven that he will ache after being whacked in the face.
Greven Nothing aside from your brothers disturb the stillness of the pipe, and finally, it's your turn to go up the rope. The vertical segment is a bit tougher than you expected, and more than once you accidently kick away from the wall and dangle briefly in the air, but finally you make it up. Watching the water trickle by, you realize that this pipe has a very mild incline to it.
Ace grunted, yanking himself up the rope hand over hand. This was harder than his brothers had made it look. If it hadn't been for the rope, he wasn't sure he would've made it.
Gromitz is the last one to go up the pipe, and as he pulls himself up, he notices that the thin rivulet of water is sunken a bit into into the floor of the pipe. It's actually eroded a shallow trench into the metal.
There's only one way to go from there, and that's straight ahead. It's a long, and boring walk. Smaller openings occasionally break up the monotony of the metal walls, thin trickles of water issuing from a few. Most of them aren't much bigger around than your arm. You do hear the distant echo of more of those pounding footsteps coming from one, but they quickly fade away to silence. There are more twists and turns, and a few more climbs, but mostly you walk down a pipe that doesn't seem to be getting any shorter.
You lose two days with amazing quickness. The monotony of your environs seems to make time just slip by. You all occasionally think about turning back, maybe trying the other way, but the thought of having to retrace all those steps without knowing whether or not it will yield any better results is too discouraging.
You've become so acclimated to the still air that you instantly notice the moment a breeze first stirs around you. Soon, you can hear the far off roar of water too. Although the urge is there to simply rush forward and see what is before you, caution is stronger. As you ease around one last turn in the pipe, you see a circle of dim light at the end of the pipe, and the sound of water fills your ears.
As you stand at the mouth of the pipe, you realize that it ends in teeth of ragged metal. You look down into a chasm. You're still in some sort of structure, because every surface around you is worked metal, but looking down, you can't see the bottom, nor does looking up reveal the top. Just at the edge of your vision, you can see the far wall of the chasm, and the twisted metal where the pipe should've connected. Waterfalls issue from elsewhere on the chasm wall around you, spewing forth into the darkness.
"Well guys, we made it. Where it is I have no idea. I still vote for up."
The days of waking in a confined space have taken their toll on Gromitz. You've all notice that he has become more withdrawn and less talkative as the hours passed in the tube. He seems close to tears now that he sees the magnitude of the structure you are all in.
While he seems relieved that the tunnels have opened and there are more options now than you've had since you woke up, he still seems to be struggling to maintain composure and looks like he is itching to move toward some purpose. He just doesn't know what it is....
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The days of waking in a confined space have taken their toll on Gromitz. You've all notice that he has become more withdrawn and less talkative as the hours passed in the tube. He seems close to tears now that he sees the magnitude of the structure you are all in.
While he seems relieved that the tunnels have opened and there are more options now than you've had since you woke up, he still seems to be struggling to maintain composure and looks like he is itching to move toward some purpose. He just doesn't know what it is....
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[ Spoiler ]
Ares pulls up directly behind Fade as they reach the opening. He sticks his head into the opening to look upwards. "My friends, this is naught but a wasteland. 2 days we have travelled without food and with little sleep, and I for one am exhausted and famished. If we do not find a source of food soon, I fear we'll never make it. Such a climb is ahead of us that with 2 days of no nutrition, we shall never make it. I had not expected to wait so long to suggest this, but perhaps we should first go hunting. I've heard the scamping feet of things in the darkness, perhaps they would make food, not necessarily the most delectable, but something to give us energy nonetheless."
"Assuming that those are animals and not killer robots we heard," Fade says, "we would still have to get into another pipe to do that. Now, we have two options here that I can think of. I could try to climb around to another pipe and set the rope there, or I could try to blow a hole in the top of this pipe with Big Brother's gun so we can climb out of it and see what is there. Now, personally, I am more concerned about water than food. We still have a few ration bars left, and we can go a hell of a lot longer without food than without water. Also, if my sticky glove set gets wet, it is useless until it dries out, which in this situation might mean we would be stuck."
"Great...not more climbing..." Ace groaned as he finally saw what the holdup was. Aside from the climbing spurts, he had managed to keep a cheerful flow of banter going on as they had progressed on, attempting to keep spirits up, but likely annoying some of his quieter brothers.
After the first climb Greven has been fairly quiet, occassionally humming a bar or two before remembering the need for silence. Looking over the edge at the surronding pipes. "Looks like we keep climbing, but after we get out of here, I'm never using a rope again."
Putting his climbing gear back on, Fade anchors one end of the rope in a small side pipe and ties the other end securely through his belt. "Okay, so we are agreed that we want to go upward. Sounds good to me." He removes his low-light contact lenses before proceeding. Cautiously grabbing on to the wall next to the mouth of the pipe the team is in, he begins climbing up the wall, looking for another large pipe while carefully avoiding falling water and slick surfaces, watching with a combination of normal vision and his magical thermographic vision.
[ Spoiler ]
Greven climbs out of the pipe, the takes up overwatch on Fade.
Gromitz, grateful to be out of the large pipe for now, keeps an eye or two back the way they came, just in case.
[ Spoiler ]
OOC: Bump
No one is all that happy at the thought of more climbing, but when Fade and Gromitz notice what looks like some sort of maintenance hatch a short distance above you, it rekindles a few feelings of hope that you'll actually be able to get somewhere people can be expected to be.
Fade securely anchors one end of the rope, looping the other through his belt. The pipe extends far enough from the chasm wall that he has to climb along the outside for a meter or so before he can reach the wall and start the climb up, being careful not to catch the rope on any sharp pieces of metal. There is a constant mist in the air from water pouring down from even higher up above, but it wasn't thick enough to give his climbing gear too much trouble. It subtly mutes vision, so you can't see as far as you think you can.
Greven carefully swings around the mouth of the pipe, lifting himself up onto the top. It protruded enough that he had room to stand on, and could brace himself pretty decently against the wall. He followed Fade's progress up the wall, but kept his eyes moving. There were a lot of gaping holes on both sides of the chasm, and who knew what might be lurking, watching? The fact that aside from a few noises, they hadn't seen a single sign of any other living thing just made it seem all the more likely that something dangerous and stealthy was hiding out there.
Gromitz hangs back from the mouth of the pipe, behind Ares and Acekeeping an eye back down the pipe. They hadn't seen or heard anything except themselves for the past couple of days, but something just had him feeling a bit on edge. If any trouble came from that direction now, they would have nowhere to go but down. Despite the amount of liquid spilling from various pipes on both sides of the chasm, he realized that the water really wasn't that loud. Wherever the bottom was, the metal walls should carry the sound of all that crashing water a very long way, but even when he concentrated, he couldn't hear it. Then he heard something else, a thrumming drone, soft at first, but growing louder, coming from somewhere below them in the chasm. Greven heard it next, and after a couple seconds so could Fade, the noise becoming clear above the sound of falling water. It was the noise of many buzzing wings.
Fade securely anchors one end of the rope, looping the other through his belt. The pipe extends far enough from the chasm wall that he has to climb along the outside for a meter or so before he can reach the wall and start the climb up, being careful not to catch the rope on any sharp pieces of metal. There is a constant mist in the air from water pouring down from even higher up above, but it wasn't thick enough to give his climbing gear too much trouble. It subtly mutes vision, so you can't see as far as you think you can.
Greven carefully swings around the mouth of the pipe, lifting himself up onto the top. It protruded enough that he had room to stand on, and could brace himself pretty decently against the wall. He followed Fade's progress up the wall, but kept his eyes moving. There were a lot of gaping holes on both sides of the chasm, and who knew what might be lurking, watching? The fact that aside from a few noises, they hadn't seen a single sign of any other living thing just made it seem all the more likely that something dangerous and stealthy was hiding out there.
Gromitz hangs back from the mouth of the pipe, behind Ares and Acekeeping an eye back down the pipe. They hadn't seen or heard anything except themselves for the past couple of days, but something just had him feeling a bit on edge. If any trouble came from that direction now, they would have nowhere to go but down. Despite the amount of liquid spilling from various pipes on both sides of the chasm, he realized that the water really wasn't that loud. Wherever the bottom was, the metal walls should carry the sound of all that crashing water a very long way, but even when he concentrated, he couldn't hear it. Then he heard something else, a thrumming drone, soft at first, but growing louder, coming from somewhere below them in the chasm. Greven heard it next, and after a couple seconds so could Fade, the noise becoming clear above the sound of falling water. It was the noise of many buzzing wings.
[ Spoiler ]
Coming to a hatch in the wall about 15 meters above the pipe, Fade pauses and considers his options. Carefully peeling one of his gloved hands off the wall, he removes the glove with his teeth and attempts to open the hatch with his now un-gloved hand.
"Finally, some action!" Gromitz whispers in his relief to finally have something to do other than climb. A calm seems to have settled over him when he pulled the blued, steel pistol from its holster. His eyes have a gleam that had been fading since the climb began, and his posture is now one of forceful determination, not exhaustion and boredom.
"Lets get under as much cover as we can and cover Fade and Greven."
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OOC: Gromitz pulls his predator and lies prone at the edge of the pipe (hopefully getting the benefit of a little cover due to the ragged edges). He scans below them into the mist, trying to find the source of the noises he has heard.
"Lets get under as much cover as we can and cover Fade and Greven."
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OOC: Gromitz pulls his predator and lies prone at the edge of the pipe (hopefully getting the benefit of a little cover due to the ragged edges). He scans below them into the mist, trying to find the source of the noises he has heard.
[ Spoiler ]
Ares stands in the tunnel of a pipe, his back to the opening as he subconsciously keeps the back covered form ambush. Although such a thing is impossible in the stillness of the single long tunnel, he finds it impossible to not be cautious. As the last of the team start to climb up on the outside of the pipe, Ares finally looks down into the deep cavern, feeling a sense of vertigo as he realizes just how precariously his life stands in this world. Gazing up doesn't help either. He waits for the last of the team to climb up before taking up the rear.
Greven backs up and braces himself against the wall, then drops to a knee to reduce his profile. Silently he brings his Ingram to bear of the on the space infront of the tunnel, the smartlink feeling cozzier than ever.
[ Spoiler ]
With his right glove carfully held in his teeth, Fade begins turning the crank to open the hatch.
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[ Spoiler ]
OOC:Bump
Greven's nerves begin to wear thin, as the seconds pass into hours. Finally no longer able to take the suspence, he walks to the edge ready to fire.
The buzzing noise levels off somewhere below your level. Those that peer over the edge can barely make out the outlines of the form below. At first it seems like a huge, droning, shifting mass, until you realize that what you are seeing is the result of a great number of lesser forms moving in a swarm. Vision magnification allows you to focus in on it even closer, and the sight is repulsive. Most of the swarm is composed of hideous crosses between metahumans and bugs, insects with the occasional very human arm, leg, or head. Sprinkled among them are a few perfect wasps that move around the edges, seemingly on guard for something.
It almost feels like something clicks in your heads as you recognize the wasps spirits. You know they can be dangerous, but somehow, the sight of them is almost comforting. For a reason that you can't quite place, the fact that they are around suggests that things are not as bad as they could be. The swarm is moving slowly among the arcs of water coming from various pipes along the walls. It looks like they are carefully trying to avoid touching the water spilling from most of them.
They approach one arcing stream after a while, two of the hybrid bugs flying forward, apparently spending a few minutes testing it. It seems to meet their criteria, because the rest of the swarm starts to gather around it, and you realize that almost all of them are carrying a various assortment of containers, which they fill from the spray.
Fade isn't privy of this, his attention occupied with getting the maintenance hatch open. It's difficult. The manual mechanism is stubborn, and hanging off of the wall gave him precious little leverage to attempt to work it. He gets it open a third of the way when the mechanism jamed, and as he struggled, he got a whiff of what's on the other side. Rotting meat, like an entire slaughterhouse compressed down to fit into the smaller space, and a sudden sound of scrabbling movement. At that moment, the mechanism came unstuck, and the sudden shift of weight almost pulled Fade from the wall. He hung by one hand for a moment, facing out into the chasm as he scrabbled to try and get his gecko gear to grip the wall again.
Because he was facing away from the wall, he saw the silently falling white things first. There were dozens of them, man sized, but moving too fast to see in detail. Those looking down at the swarm become aware of them when the first one comes close enough for you to feel the wind of it's passage. As it continues to fall, its head whips out on a long, flexible neck, arching back over it's shoulder to stare up at you with a blank, expressionless face. It's the same face that belonged to the head that Ace found when you all awoke. There is a burning, acid feeling of hate in your minds as you recognize your enemy.
The shapes fall admidst the swarm, some fastening onto the starteled hybrid wasps, falling out of sight in a flailing mass, others leaping from hovering bug to bug, ripping and clawing, the last few somehow attaching themselves to the metal walls, slicing into everything they can reach with limbs that seem to telescope out as the swarm explodes into furious response.
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It almost feels like something clicks in your heads as you recognize the wasps spirits. You know they can be dangerous, but somehow, the sight of them is almost comforting. For a reason that you can't quite place, the fact that they are around suggests that things are not as bad as they could be. The swarm is moving slowly among the arcs of water coming from various pipes along the walls. It looks like they are carefully trying to avoid touching the water spilling from most of them.
They approach one arcing stream after a while, two of the hybrid bugs flying forward, apparently spending a few minutes testing it. It seems to meet their criteria, because the rest of the swarm starts to gather around it, and you realize that almost all of them are carrying a various assortment of containers, which they fill from the spray.
Fade isn't privy of this, his attention occupied with getting the maintenance hatch open. It's difficult. The manual mechanism is stubborn, and hanging off of the wall gave him precious little leverage to attempt to work it. He gets it open a third of the way when the mechanism jamed, and as he struggled, he got a whiff of what's on the other side. Rotting meat, like an entire slaughterhouse compressed down to fit into the smaller space, and a sudden sound of scrabbling movement. At that moment, the mechanism came unstuck, and the sudden shift of weight almost pulled Fade from the wall. He hung by one hand for a moment, facing out into the chasm as he scrabbled to try and get his gecko gear to grip the wall again.
Because he was facing away from the wall, he saw the silently falling white things first. There were dozens of them, man sized, but moving too fast to see in detail. Those looking down at the swarm become aware of them when the first one comes close enough for you to feel the wind of it's passage. As it continues to fall, its head whips out on a long, flexible neck, arching back over it's shoulder to stare up at you with a blank, expressionless face. It's the same face that belonged to the head that Ace found when you all awoke. There is a burning, acid feeling of hate in your minds as you recognize your enemy.
The shapes fall admidst the swarm, some fastening onto the starteled hybrid wasps, falling out of sight in a flailing mass, others leaping from hovering bug to bug, ripping and clawing, the last few somehow attaching themselves to the metal walls, slicing into everything they can reach with limbs that seem to telescope out as the swarm explodes into furious response.
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[ Spoiler ]
Ares spends around as he hears a disturbance, just in time to see one of the pale creatures, and then a swarm of them falling. Almost as if by isntinct itself, the blades are in his hands and he seems prepared to leap out the pipe at the masses. He even seems to take into consideration that the fall would be to his definitive peril, but that seems to only create a moment's hesitation. "I say we jump down and kill all those bastards.", Ares says with an unhealthy level of vile in his voice.
His attention drawn to the wasp spirits, Ace wondered what else was out there. He didn't have long to wonder, as some the creatures who matched the head he found attacked the wasps. Ares seemed ready to jump down there, and wasn't quiet about it. Not fancying the jump, let alone the climb back up providing he survived the fall, he counciled "I don't care for those things either, but I'd rather not give up any ground to go get them."
Greven approacehes the edge of the pipe seeing the confusion below. "Big Brother guide my aim," he whispers. Coldly and mythodically he begins firing burst from his Ingram at the creatures attached to the walls.
[ Spoiler ]
Not knowing who or what to trust except his brothers in this situation, Gromitz waits for something to happen to him or his family before attacking. The tension of waiting for battle once it appeared to be at hand is clearly visible to anyone who cares to look. His head is moving quickly from target to target, his weapon is tracking as many opponents as it can without magically multiplying itself, and he appears ready to jump out of his skin as he nervously shifts positions and waits.
When Greven's first burst of bullets is fired it is as if the dam has burst. The release of tension is palpable as Gromitz settles into his battle rythm and begins firing at targets of opportunity.
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Gromitz mentally verifies his axe is ready if needed and fires two EX explosive rounds at 1 non-wasp target attached to the wall.
When Greven's first burst of bullets is fired it is as if the dam has burst. The release of tension is palpable as Gromitz settles into his battle rythm and begins firing at targets of opportunity.
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Gromitz mentally verifies his axe is ready if needed and fires two EX explosive rounds at 1 non-wasp target attached to the wall.
[ Spoiler ]
There's a slaughter going on down below you. Despite their wariness the insects seemed to have been taken by complete surprise. Their enemies fight with no regards to themselves, intent only on killing whatever they can get their claws into.
Ares perches on the balls of his feet, seeming more than ready to leap into the abyss if it meant taking one of those white faced monstrosities with him.
Ace reacted with a slightly cooler head, trying to calm Ares down before he did anything rash.
Greven braced himself on top of the pipe and aimed his gun down into the boiling swarm. He saw one enemy clambering up the wall towards them, probably the same one that had seen them as it fell, and with a prayer to big brother, fired four quick bursts.
Gromitz braced himself at the mouth of the pipe, the targeting icon behind his eye almost overloading as it tried to sort through all the shifting targets in the dimness below, squeezing off a round whenever the icon confirmed target.
The sound of the gunfire is almost lost within the expanse of the artificial chasm. The enemy crawling up the wall is briefly slowed by the bullets striking its face and shoulders, but it begins to move again, apprently uninjured.
The water bearing wasps start trying to fly up, away from their attackers, heading back into darkness.
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Ares perches on the balls of his feet, seeming more than ready to leap into the abyss if it meant taking one of those white faced monstrosities with him.
Ace reacted with a slightly cooler head, trying to calm Ares down before he did anything rash.
Greven braced himself on top of the pipe and aimed his gun down into the boiling swarm. He saw one enemy clambering up the wall towards them, probably the same one that had seen them as it fell, and with a prayer to big brother, fired four quick bursts.
Gromitz braced himself at the mouth of the pipe, the targeting icon behind his eye almost overloading as it tried to sort through all the shifting targets in the dimness below, squeezing off a round whenever the icon confirmed target.
The sound of the gunfire is almost lost within the expanse of the artificial chasm. The enemy crawling up the wall is briefly slowed by the bullets striking its face and shoulders, but it begins to move again, apprently uninjured.
The water bearing wasps start trying to fly up, away from their attackers, heading back into darkness.
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[ Spoiler ]
"If we're not gonna kill'em, I suggest we move folks. You guys head up, I'll catch the rear.", Ares suggests as he starts pushing people up to the top of the pipe, offering his hands as a step for anyone, and keeping himself near the edge to make sure they don't fall while climbing up.
Fade works faster, attempting to open the hatch at an inhuman speed as adrenaline courses through his veins. "Hold on guys, I'm still getting it open. I'll tell you when I have the line anchored."
Whatever was moving around in there seems to have gone, but the farther open Fade gets the hatch, the worse the smell is.
Fully open, the hatch is wide enough to walk through, if you crouch while doing it, and in the room behind it he can see electrical boxes, control panels, consoles, wires, pipes, and conduits, nearly everything coated with a layer of filth, or slime that seems to be the source of the stench.
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Fully open, the hatch is wide enough to walk through, if you crouch while doing it, and in the room behind it he can see electrical boxes, control panels, consoles, wires, pipes, and conduits, nearly everything coated with a layer of filth, or slime that seems to be the source of the stench.
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[ Spoiler ]
Since bullets don't seem to affect it, Gromitz decides to holster his gun and draw the combat axe. He waits beside Ares until everyone else is safe, then gives ares a boost saying, "I've got the climbing harness, you go first and I'll clip in and back you up."
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Gromitz will use the combat axe 10S (if necessary), otherwise he will chip in the harness as soon as Ares is headed up and climb while keeping an eye on the enemy.
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Gromitz will use the combat axe 10S (if necessary), otherwise he will chip in the harness as soon as Ares is headed up and climb while keeping an eye on the enemy.
[ Spoiler ]
"I got the rear folks, get your asses up there and I'll be right behind.", Ares says, still unsure he wants to run from such a grand battle. True to his namesake, Ares holds his blades ready, but nonetheless, remains at the edge of the pipe until Everyone has climbed up, keeping himself anchored in a manner to aide anyone that needs help climbing. Lastly he also jumps up and climbs onto the pipe extension.
Though still concerned about his brothers, Ace wasn't keen on a fight. His training had been more about infiltration and people skills than combat. Taking the boost up from Ares, he proceeded to climb on up. Once he was up with Fade, he pulled out a dikoted throwing knife, and stood reading incase he needed to pick off any of the creatures following the others.
[ Spoiler ]
Breathing shallowly through his mouth, Fade finds a sturdy pipe to attach the line to. Tugging on the line to make sure it is solidly emplaced, he then radios to his team. "The line is secured guys, come on up. Be warned though, this place smells really nasty." He then proceeds to examine the control panels, trying to figure out what they are for. Those things were being careful not to get wet. If these panels control the water flow, maybe I can use them to drench those bug things.
Once he's inside, Fade realizes that something had been using the maintenance room as a lair, probably whatever it was he'd heard scrabbling around before, although there was nothing else in there with him now. The smell was caused by the waste and offal piled in the corners. Chunks of organic matter were strewn about the room, most of it unrecognizable, others all too clearly gnawed bones and chunks of meat of metahuman origin.
As he secured the rope, he realized why he had such trouble getting the hatch open. There was another manual release on the inside of the door, and from the bright streaks of metal shining through the imprints of fingers in the filth, it's looks like someone was attempting to keep the hatch from being opened. Above the hatch, stenciled in faded letters were the words K/S-2 Block 346 LV 2341-Water/Waste Pipe Access.
No one had any trouble recognizing what a poor tactical position they were in. If you were chased back into a pipe, it'd be a straight run with no other way to retreat, and not even Ares wanted to think about what would happen if more of those _things_ caught up while you were all clambering around on the walls. Ace was the first up the rope behind Fade, then Greven. Ares stood at the bottom, watching the white faced abomination rapidly scale up the wall, now more than halfway, until Gromitz gave him a boost up the rope. If you moved fast, you'd be through the maintenance hatch before it reached the pipe.
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As he secured the rope, he realized why he had such trouble getting the hatch open. There was another manual release on the inside of the door, and from the bright streaks of metal shining through the imprints of fingers in the filth, it's looks like someone was attempting to keep the hatch from being opened. Above the hatch, stenciled in faded letters were the words K/S-2 Block 346 LV 2341-Water/Waste Pipe Access.
No one had any trouble recognizing what a poor tactical position they were in. If you were chased back into a pipe, it'd be a straight run with no other way to retreat, and not even Ares wanted to think about what would happen if more of those _things_ caught up while you were all clambering around on the walls. Ace was the first up the rope behind Fade, then Greven. Ares stood at the bottom, watching the white faced abomination rapidly scale up the wall, now more than halfway, until Gromitz gave him a boost up the rope. If you moved fast, you'd be through the maintenance hatch before it reached the pipe.
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[ Spoiler ]
Ares finishes boosting Greven up, then quickly scales up through the pipe himself. Once up, he reaches down while laying on his belly in the slimy filth, offering a hand to Gromitz. "We need this hatch closed and fast. The bugs don't seem to be doing all that well, and we're the next obvious target", Ares adds as he waits for Gromitz.
Gromitz climbs quickly and begins to pull the hatch closed after he is boosted in. "Shit guys!, we need something to seal this door. Those predator things have pulled this hatch open before!"
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Gromitz yanks on the hatch with all his strength while looking around for a rigged up lock or way to bar the door.
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Gromitz yanks on the hatch with all his strength while looking around for a rigged up lock or way to bar the door.
[ Spoiler ]
Gromitz wrenches the wheel with all his strength, stripping the gears with a shriek of stretching metal. There's a serious feeling of deju vu as you find yourselves once again locked in a room without a working door.
There is a gentle tap-tap-tap from the other side of the door. Sounds like someone would like to be let in.
There is a gentle tap-tap-tap from the other side of the door. Sounds like someone would like to be let in.
Ares smiles as he faces the door, his hand waving the rest of the team forward as he prepares to hold the enemy at bay if needed. He doesn't consider it risking his life, just his way of life. He'd make sure that nobody got past, giving the team as much time as they needed to run, then run behind them once there was an all-clear.
Gromitz wipes the sweat from his forehead and massages his now bruised hands a little to restore the circulation.
Seeing that Ares has taken up a defensive position and everyone else is safe he unslings his axe while holstering his gun. He goes to inspect the second door and investigate the rest of the room for possible weak points and exits. He also appears to be searching for anything that may be useful later on.
"Hold tight guys, I want to check this place out, It looks like a control room for a water treatment plant I once saw the plans for. I wonder if it could still run if it had power."
---------------------------
Seeing that Ares has taken up a defensive position and everyone else is safe he unslings his axe while holstering his gun. He goes to inspect the second door and investigate the rest of the room for possible weak points and exits. He also appears to be searching for anything that may be useful later on.
"Hold tight guys, I want to check this place out, It looks like a control room for a water treatment plant I once saw the plans for. I wonder if it could still run if it had power."
---------------------------
[ Spoiler ]
"I'll come with you Ares."
[ Spoiler ]
The tapping from the other side multiplies after a minute or so, more of your Enemy apparently having come to investigate. You all hear metal banging against itself as one of them tries to turn the manual wheel on the other side, stripped gears spinning uselessly, then the scream of tearing metal as it is ripped right off. They start banging against the hatch so hard that those standing across the room can feel vibrations shivering through the floor, but the metal hatch is more than strong enough to bear up to the abuse. The sound of the pounding grows to be almost unbearable, the noise amplified by the confines of the small room, and then suddenly it stops.
Not a single noise can be heard coming from the other side. Ares is almost disappointed as the silence stretches on. The thought of tearing one of those blank faced bastards apart had been very appealing.
Gromitz examines the controls, then the other door out. Wiping away a bit more of the slime, it becomes apparent that enigmatic labels aside, the controls are all simply "on/off" switches for various pipes. Since the wasps seemed to be collecting water, it seems likely that they were trying to find a pipe spilling clean water, and avoiding any mixed with sewage or other contaminants.
As he moves on to the door, he sees that someone did a very good job of wrecking it, quite permanently. The control panel set into the wall next to it is quite dead. Even if it had electricity flowing into it, the insides had been completely torn out. The plate in the wall covering the hydraulics had been pried off, and some sort of small explosive device left inside.
As Gromitz works his way around the room, Ace hears a whimper from the ceiling above him. Looking up, he sees a face with bulbous eyes, and a wet, slobbery mouth partially concealed in the pipes above. It squeals when it realizes it's been spotted, and then scrambles through a hole torn into an overhead ventilation duct.
Not a single noise can be heard coming from the other side. Ares is almost disappointed as the silence stretches on. The thought of tearing one of those blank faced bastards apart had been very appealing.
Gromitz examines the controls, then the other door out. Wiping away a bit more of the slime, it becomes apparent that enigmatic labels aside, the controls are all simply "on/off" switches for various pipes. Since the wasps seemed to be collecting water, it seems likely that they were trying to find a pipe spilling clean water, and avoiding any mixed with sewage or other contaminants.
As he moves on to the door, he sees that someone did a very good job of wrecking it, quite permanently. The control panel set into the wall next to it is quite dead. Even if it had electricity flowing into it, the insides had been completely torn out. The plate in the wall covering the hydraulics had been pried off, and some sort of small explosive device left inside.
As Gromitz works his way around the room, Ace hears a whimper from the ceiling above him. Looking up, he sees a face with bulbous eyes, and a wet, slobbery mouth partially concealed in the pipes above. It squeals when it realizes it's been spotted, and then scrambles through a hole torn into an overhead ventilation duct.
Today was not a good day to die anyhows. Ares wanted to be on the surface when his day came, but as long as he died in combat, he was happy. He sheathed his blades at his thighs, as he turned to join the rest of the team. Although he was saddened by the loss of combat oppurtunity, he was glad he'd be around to fight on better days.
"I hear you knocking, but you can't come in." Ace taunted as the enemy banged on the other side of the hatch. When it was proven that they couldn't get through, and had apparently given up, the others scattered to look around. He was wondering what they were going to do with water processing plant controls, when he heard something up above. Looking up, he saw a pitiful wretch of a thing that quickly retreated back into the hole it had come out of. "What the..." he said as he attempted to climb up after it.
[ Spoiler ]
Ace continued to follow the creature, hoping that even if he couldn't catch it, perhaps it would lead him to something useful...like a way out of this place. He was getting tired of pipes and vents and such.
As Greven and Fade catch their breath from the quick scramble up the side of the chasm, Gromitz finished his inspection of the doors. "They've been torn up pretty good-"
"What the!" Ace interupted, spotting movement as something darted back into a large hole torn into a ventilation duct, that had been concealed behind some hanging pipes. He climbed up a control console and dissapered, leaving a set of prints in the muck covering it almost identical to the set already there.
The duct makes a sharp turn to the right, then the left. The thing seems to be drawing ahead of Ace, although it hasn't paused in gibbering to itself since the chase began. There is a loud clang, like a grate being dropped to the floor, then the thud of a body following it. He had to switch his shades to thermographic to see in the darkness of the duct so it took him a few seconds to realize that there was light coming into the duct. It looked like artificial light, but it was still the first light he had seen in days that had not been carried by either himself or his brothers.
"What the!" Ace interupted, spotting movement as something darted back into a large hole torn into a ventilation duct, that had been concealed behind some hanging pipes. He climbed up a control console and dissapered, leaving a set of prints in the muck covering it almost identical to the set already there.
The duct makes a sharp turn to the right, then the left. The thing seems to be drawing ahead of Ace, although it hasn't paused in gibbering to itself since the chase began. There is a loud clang, like a grate being dropped to the floor, then the thud of a body following it. He had to switch his shades to thermographic to see in the darkness of the duct so it took him a few seconds to realize that there was light coming into the duct. It looked like artificial light, but it was still the first light he had seen in days that had not been carried by either himself or his brothers.
As he followed the creature, Ace wondered if coming up here alone had been such a good idea. No telling what he might be running into. At least there weren't too many turns, so it shouldn't be hard to find his way back to the others if this turned out to be a wild goose chase.
It was interesting thus far, especially when he spotted the artificial light. From what he had heard, apparently that was where the creature had exited. He proceeded a bit more cautiously, unsure what he would find when he exited the vent.
It was interesting thus far, especially when he spotted the artificial light. From what he had heard, apparently that was where the creature had exited. He proceeded a bit more cautiously, unsure what he would find when he exited the vent.
Ares waits til everyone else went up the hole before following, sticking to his guns as the rear-protection for the brothers. Until then, he maintaines a defensive positioning, and offers help to anyone trying to get up the hole, following as the last make it up.
[ Spoiler ]
Gromitz looks around at the commotion and follows into the ventilation pipes thinking, "I'll never get the chance to do this again...yeah right!"
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