IC-UNDER-Trapped(All but Mr. Foo/Alice/Jenny/Duke/Jim)

[kabukiman]

Max is scenting as best as he can.

[kabukiman]

-Wof! Wof!
Max keep running.

[Mr. Handy]

In the living quarters-
All hell broke loose in an instant. The sounds of gunfire coming from deeper within the facility ripped apart the silence: fire from M-14s, a .44 Magnum, and an MP-5 on full auto. The noise was accompanied by terrified screaming. The sound had come from the same direction as the sloshing Michael had heard earlier. Max ducked into the closest cubicle, the first one on his right as he emerged from the upper lab hallway. Joe Barring unconsciously looked down the hall towards the sounds of gunfire, but it appeared to be deserted. The project manager's office door stood open on the left side of the hall, and that room appeared to be the source of the shooting.

"Game over, man!" moaned Hockey. "Game over!"

Sally went over to him, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Come on!" she said, pleading with her big eyes. "Get a grip on yourself! I know you're scared. I'm scared too, but we've got to keep going. We need you to protect us. That's your job, isn't it?"

Hockey pulled himself together. "Yes, ma'am!" he said, finding a new reserve of courage within himself. He went out into the living quarters hallway, his M-16 at the ready.

Kimberly helped Ellen to her feet and retrieved her shotgun for her. Both women followed Hockey out of the cubicle.

(Max, roll Hide if you wish to hide in here. The base skill is 10%, but even if you fail the roll it's possible you won't be detected if something wicked this way comes. Also, say where you want to hide. The only two places in the cubicle that you can see to hide in are either in the sleeping capsule or under the desk.)

In the meeting room-
"What now?" asked Kerry, fear gripping her at the sudden cacophony.

"We're probably all going to die," muttered Lynne.

"That sound like my husband's MP-5," said Mrs. Foo. "He fire a lot of bullets. Whatever he shoot have to be dead!" She nodded confidently.

"I sure hope so," said Rosie. "If that wasn't enough to kill it, what chance do any of us have?"

[OathinBlood]

Michael ducks behind some cover, gun still at the ready. He shouts out. "Hey! Whoever that is, we're over here and we have guns!"

[kabukiman]

Max tries to hide under the desk, even if a bit clumsy.

[Fearlessfred]

Joe raises his shotgun and heads to the room "What are you shooting at?" he asks those in the room.

[Mr. Handy]

In the upper lab hallway-
Kimberly, Sally, Ellen Cody, Hockey, and Willie all followed Joe Barring out of the living quarters. As they ran, they heard a loud whooshing sound and the crackle of flames, followed by a loud slap. Joe and the others reached the open door to the project manager's office, and within they saw a very disturbing sight.

A massive black creature that looked like a cross between a squid and an octopus with dozens of eyes all over its body occupied the area of the office just inside the door. It looked somewhat singed and charred, but its wounds did not seem to affect it much. Duke lay in one corner in the fetal position, while Alice and Mr. Foo were unconscious on the floor, a flamethrower at Mr. Foo's feet. Only Jenny Cooper remained standing. There was no sign of Jim Kerr. All of the people in the room except Alice had tentacles wrapped around their waists.

"It's another of those monsters!" called Jenny, her voice full of terror. "Guns don't hurt it! Fire, acid, electricity, and water do!" She slung her M-14 on her back and took out a flask of acid. She flung it at the thing with all her might, but her throw was off and it shattered harmlessly on the wall. "There's more acid downstairs in the geology lab, and another flamer in the decontamination chamber!"

There were stairs leading further down at the end of the hall. The only other exits were the office door on the left and the doorway to the living quarters.

Meanwhile, a man's voice came from the reel-to-reel recorder on the desk: "November 2nd- The hatch has been locked down by order of General Grey. Some of us were very upset about this, protested to the soldiers above, cursing them for leaving us here, trapping us. Craig tried to shoot the hatch, but it's bullet proof and he nearly wounded one of the team. But most of us seem resigned, as if we should have expected this to happen. No further information is coming. Duffy seems equally concerned and uncertain, but is following orders. What did they find? Niedler and Muth had a fight in the meeting room afterwards. Bateman says it's the things below. The thing? What thing? Everyone on edge, acting strangely. I have contacted Grey and Warren. They claim that by order of the President the lab needs to be placed into quarantine. He informs us that we are to continue to report our findings."

(Joe Barring and Hockey, roll Sanity. The Sanity loss is 1/1d10, so you lose 1 point even if you succeed and 1d10 points if you fail. If you lose 5 or more points, roll Idea. If you succeed at that roll, you go temporarily insane. If you fail, you don't fully understand what's happening and you remain sane.

If you stay sane, you may act freely. The creature has a 19 Dex, so you cannot act before it does unless you shoot at it with the gun you have ready - and Jenny just told you that won't help. If you want to do anything other than attack, you should also roll Dodge twice in case you are attacked. There is a -10% penalty to your Dodge skill because of your vest.)

In the living quarters-
Max hid under the desk in Cross's room, covering his eyes with his paws. Michael remained in Judith Reagan's room, where the long-dead woman's body sat motionlessly in her coffin-like sleeping capsule. Both of them heard the shouting and the voice of Kirby coming from the project manager's office.

In the meeting room-
Mrs. Foo rose up, shocked as she heard the noise. "My husband!" she called. "He okay?!"

"We've got to get out of here!" said Rosie. "If we stay where we are, we'll be trapped with no way out. We have to get past it and go down while we can!" She tried to help Lynne stand up.

"No!" cried Kerry. "Nooooo...I'm not going back down there, I'm not, I'm not..."

[Fearlessfred]

In the upper lab hallway-

Joe is shocked but knows he has to try and help. He tries to get to the stairs knowing that he would have to follow the instructions to try and save them. He just hoped it wasn't to late already.

[Mr. Handy]

In the upper lab hallway-
Kimberly was on the verge of panic, but Joe's steadfast example kept her calm. Sally was as unflappable as always, and Ellen did not break either. Hockey was also cool and collected, as was Willie.

Being in control of their faculties did not take them out of danger, however. As they ran for the stairs heading down, the creature's tentacles became more slender and elongated. They slithered out of the open office door with amazing speed. Three of them surged out. One nearly seized Willie, but he nimbly avoided it. Another missed Hockey, and the third fell short of Willie.

Then two more tentacles sped forth. The first wrapped itself around Joe's legs and tripped him up. He could feel it burn through the pants of his uniform and into his flesh. The other one took Kimberly. She nearly escaped downstairs, but the beast was just a little faster and it snagged her legs and began to drag her back towards the door. She cried out in surprise and pain.

Another tentacle lashed out at Willie, but he slipped around that one too. One last tentacle sought out Ellen, who couldn't quite avoid it. She too was brought down, her legs ensnared.

Sally, Willie, and Hockey made it down the stairs unscathed.

"The geology lab is on the right!" called Jenny. "I set aside the strongest acids. The flamer's straight ahead! Hurry!" She seized the dropped flamethrower near Mr. Foo with grim determination and sprayed the thing with fire. The flames only singed it around the edges, but its tentacles instantly released everyone they had grabbed and it did seem to be weakening some. "Yeah!" she cheered.

The tape recording continued to play: "November 3rd- I accepted and gave authorization orders to put Judith Reagan under sedation. Muth believes she suffers an infection and that it might be dangerous. He is conducting a study and will take X-rays. Bateman and Smith refuse to go below. I don’t blame them. I suspect there is something down there. And it knows about us and is displeased. I have heard the chanting now. When I close my eyes it is in my head. The others are not arguing about this. The elevator seems to be non-functioning. I suspect sabotage. I report all to Warren. They have been listening but can offer little help."

(Joe, you may try again to reach the stairs. Roll Dodge twice as before. You took 1 damage when the creature grabbed you.)

In the lower lab hallway-
The three survivors who had made it past the creature looked around the hall. There was a lab on each side visible through glass. Each had a door that could be sealed airtight, but both were currently open. Further down the hall, there was an open metal door on the right and another open metal door at the far end of the hall.

"Okay, let's split up and grab what we need," said Sally.

In the meeting room-
"Come on, Kerry," said Lynne. "We can't stay here. I don't want to go into the tunnels either, but it'll be okay if we just go down to the lab. We're sitting ducks here, and Mrs. Foo needs you to help her walk."

Kerry calmed down. "O-okay," she mumbled, taking Mrs. Foo by the arm and helping her walk into the living quarters behind Rosie and Lynne.

In the living quarters-
"Come on!" called Rosie when she saw Michael. "We have to get past that thing and downstairs before it traps us here!"

Max continued to cower under the desk.

[kabukiman]

Is it safe to get out of here?

[Mr. Handy]

(Nothing is safe, only safer. It's your call whether you think it's safer to stay where you are or to try to run past. Max can smell the monster in the project manager's office. That was the source of the very horrible smell he had detected downstairs, and it is no longer down there. The other bad smell he detected nearby hasn't moved.)

[OathinBlood]

Michael grabs Rosie's hand, and motions the others to follow on his cue.

"Ready?" he asks Rosie.

[Mr. Handy]

(I have some time tonight, but don't have much during the week, so I'll go ahead and update now in the interest of moving things forward. I'll assume Joe is trying to get downstairs again. No Dodge roll was needed.)

In the living quarters-
Rosie nodded. "Here, take Lynne's other hand instead," she said. "With her broken leg, she needs help more than I do. Kerry, you help Mrs. Foo." Once everyone had gotten ready, she continued. "Okay, go!" The five of them ran into the hallway leading to the stairs.

In the upper lab hallway-
Jenny sprayed another gout of flame at the monster, only for the flamer to sputter and die. "No!" she cried, staring in horror at the failed improvised gadget in her hands and the creature poised to attack her. A tentacle whipped out and smacked her across the belly, but not as hard as it could have. She cried out in pain, but remained standing.

Three more tentacles out in the hall lashed out at the three people there. One of them snagged Ellen again, and she had no chance to escape. Another got tangled up in a failed effort to grab Kimberly with the third tentacle that had been grasping for Joe Barring. Both of them made it downstairs.

Michael, Rosie, and Lynne hurried into the hall, with Kerry and Mrs. Foo following them. All of them caught sight of the creature as they passed the open door - and it saw them too!

Kirby's voice kept speaking on the reel-to-reel: "November 4th- I don't go near the shaft. Every time I close my eyes for more than a few moments I dream of Cross in the shaft, coming up like some mixed amphibian man. Everyone is working to understand what we've found. Organic and inorganic substances. Biological in some ways but inorganic in others. Whatever they are, they are large and they are below us. Some of us are of the feeling that we need to confront them, to fight them. Bateman blames me for not abandoning the project. He says I have doomed them but now we must fight. That we have no choice. It's this place, it must be. Or maybe it's them. Starsia has a theory and is scared. We continue to send our reports. Warren has not been responsive. They only ask that we continue to report."

(Michael, roll Sanity. Sanity loss is 1/1d10. If you do not go insane, you may try to run down the stairs. Roll Dodge twice in case you are attacked. Dodge has a base skill of Dex x 2.

Max, you may also try to run through the hall and downstairs if you wish. If you do, you must roll Sanity as described above and, if you stay sane, two Dodge rolls.)

In the lower lab hallway-
"Dibs on the flamethrower!" called Hockey as he raced down the hall and through the door at the far end. Willie followed Sally into the lab on the right.

Kimberly and Joe rushed down the steps, panting for breath.

In the geology lab-
Sally quickly found the flasks of acid Jenny had mentioned. There were 32 in all, with eight of them set aside. She passed two of those eight to Willie and grabbed another pair for herself.

In the decontamination chamber-
Hockey slung his M-16 on his back so he could pick up the flamer, which he easily saw lying on the floor. "Now we're cookin'!" he said.

[OathinBlood]

Michael stays relatively calm, yet only manages a clumsy jog past the monster.

[kabukiman]

Max stays quiet

[Fearlessfred]

"Which one is the lab?" asks Joe still trying to catch his breath and get over his close call.

[Mr. Handy]

In the geology lab-
"In here!" called Sally from within the lab on the right of the stairs, already on her way back.

[Fearlessfred]

Joe enters the lab and goes to grab some of the acid.

[Mr. Handy]

(Michael's Dodge of Dex x 2 is 28%, not 35%. The rolls weren't needed anyway, as none of the attacks targeted him.)

In the living quarters-
Max remained where he was, the sounds he was hearing disturbing him greatly.

In the upper lab hallway-
With a surge of adrenalin, Ellen Cody somehow broke free of the tentacle's grip and broke for the stairs at around the time the others entered the hall. Rosie barely kept it together, but Lynne freaked out, stunned by the horror in the office. Knowing she and all her friends were doomed, she went limp. Mrs. Foo did not waver much. Kerry, however, was terrified, being reminded of something she had seen in the tunnels. Her sense of self-preservation kicked in, though, and she hurried on.

The abomination sent forth two more tentacles, which thickened as they swept at their targets. One seized Jenny, who failed to get out of its way. The other missed Lynne badly. One more tentacle tied itself in knots going after Kerry. Yet another one tried to grab Ellen, who barely escaped its grasp.

Three new tentacles slid out of the office. The first wrapped itself around Lynne several times, and she offered no resistance. The next just barely found Kerry, and she nimbly hopped over it before it could touch her. The last one nearly recaptured Ellen, but she evaded it. She followed Kerry and Michael, helping Mrs. Foo downstairs.

"Lynne!" cried Rosie, trying to pull the other waitress free of the tentacle without success. "I'll come back, I promise!" She too fled downstairs.

In the office, Jenny dropped the flamethrower and desperately crawled over to where Duke lay curled up in the corner. With the tentacle wrapped around her legs it was hard for her to make any progress, and she couldn't free herself, but by stretching out her arm to its utmost she managed to wrap her fingers around his electrical prod.

Kirby's recorded voice continued: "November 5th- Bateman is working on the shaft, thinks he can have it fixed. Everyone on edge, expecting something. Starsia claims that what is below has a psychological power, some form of mind control. What if it comes to the surface? What if these things are even now beneath our cities? We are busy working and most of us try not to sleep, only getting a few hours. When we sleep we dream and when we dream…… I see Cross. Judith has been sedated and placed in a chamber. Muth claims there is something inside her, like a tapeworm that is growing inside the walls of her stomach. The capsules allow us to slow down body functions of those inside, thereby allowing those in the capsules a greater chance of rescue. Her heart rate has been slowed, but we can only sustain her in this way for three months before oxygen runs out. We can attempt a freeze. It's been tried before, but only on animals. I am not sure. I'm scared. I think we don't have much time. Warren is silent."

In the decontamination chamber-
Hockey returned to the hall at a run, cradling his new flamethrower in his arms.

In the lower lab hallway-
Hockey, Sally and Willie ran back in as Michael, Kerry, Ellen, Mrs. Foo, and Rosie entered from the stairway. Kimberly ran into the geology lab with Joe Barring.

"It got Lynne!" said Rosie. "I have to go back and save her!"

"Here!" said Sally, handing her the two flasks of acid. "I'll go back for more!"

In the geology lab-
Kimberly reached the table with the acid first and grabbed a pair of flasks from the group that Jenny had moved aside. Joe got the last two of them, leaving two dozen other flasks of acid that wouldn't be as strong.

[OathinBlood]

Michael dives into the nearest cover, pulling Rosie with him. If safe, he'll peek out to get a view of the situation.

OOC - His character sheet states otherwise - he must've put some skills into Dodge.