Play@YSDC

Z-Day - 12:17 PM Mountain Time - Deep Mole One
In the upper lab hallway-
Jenny Cooper and Alice stood in the hallway outside the project manager's office, at the top of the stairs. Behind them lay the remains of the thing that had nearly devoured Alice and her companions. It was gradually dissolving into a pool of black goo. It would be difficult for anyone to get past it without touching the stuff.

"Do you want to go down and join the guys?" asked Jenny. "I can help you down the stairs. I'm kind of worried about Max too."

In the geology lab-
Max hunkered down in a corner of the large laboratory, wary after the creature's attack and disturbed by the smells that permeated much of the facility. The lab was lined with tables and cabinets, and was filled with strange equipment he couldn't even begin to understand. There was also a fridge in the room. Much of the lab's contents had fallen over or were in disarray, and parts of the floor were covered with shards of broken glass. On top of one table was a round, somewhat oval-shaped rock with an unfamiliar odor - one that set his teeth on edge. The door leading back out to the hallway where his friends awaited stood open.

In the lower lab hallway-
Mr. Foo discarded his broken pick and set to work on the lock with another one as Jim Kerr and Duke looked on. "The notes we found in the biology lab tell us much of these creatures' weaknesses," he said. "We know that electricity stuns them, that fire kills them, and that they don't like water. That will be useful knowledge if we run into any more like the one that attacked us earlier. But they also hint at something else, something even worse than them. Remember the tremor we felt earlier this morning? The notes mention rumbling too, but these things aren't big enough to cause them."

In the upper lab hallway:
Alice nodded and said, "Yeah we should go down and join everyone. Safety is better in numbers after all."

In the lower lab hallway:
Jim nodded and said, "Well we better get prepared in case there is something worse down their." He took out his pistol and made sure it was fully loaded and ready to fire.

Max tries to jump to the door and return to his friends.

In the lower lab hallway-
Max scampered out of the lab on the right side of the hall just as Jenny and Alice reached the bottom of the stairs. The biology lab on the left side of the hall, which the men had already searched, was also open. Further down the hall was a locked metal door on the right side, and an open door at the far end of the hallway.

The men were gathered around the locked door. Duke and Jim Kerr were covering the door while Mr. Foo attempted to pick the lock. Switching picks seemed to do the trick, and he tripped the lock almost effortlessly. The door swung open.

On the other side, the men could see an armory that looked a lot like the one up in the prison level. The key difference was that this one still had some weapons in the racks and boxes of ammo stacked on the floor.

"Sweet!" said Duke, whistling.

-Rof, rof! -Max is happy by leaving all those awful smells, and returning to his friends!

Alice leaned weakly against the door of the room. She reached down and petted Max. "There is a very good boy. Good boy."
Jim entered the room and looked around. He also spent some time to see if there were any booby traps or trip wires or anything like that. He did not see anything of that sort. He turned to Mr. Foo and said, "Well should we take some of these weapons?"

Jenny ran over to Max and knelt down to hug him. "Max!" she said, grinning.

"By all means, let's arm ourselves," said Mr. Foo. He and Duke inspected the contents of the armory. The inventory list was on a clipboard hanging on the wall behind the door just like in the armory upstairs. It listed 9 M1911A1 .45 automatic pistols, 6 12 gauge Winchester trench guns, and 6 M-14A1 rifles. It also listed 24 grenades and three crates of dynamite and plastique. Only 4 pistols, 2 shotguns, and 5 rifles remained, there were no grenades, and there was only one crate of explosives left. There were cases containing ammunition as well: 114 .45 magazines, 100 12 gauge shells of 00 buckshot, and 50 7.62mm NATO magazines for the rifles. There were also a long rod-shaped device that resembled a cattle prod and an improvised flamethrower. These looked just like the weapon designs that were in Bateman's quarters, so apparently they had been completed.

(Go ahead and take what you want, within reason. Remember you can only carry so much.)

(OCC-Edit to change info based on what Mr. Handy stated below.)
IC:

Jim picked up one of the M-4's along with 10 of the magizines. He also picked up 1 of the M11911AI .45 automatic pistols along with 10 .45 magizines. He put the magizines in his pocket along and the pistol in his wasteband. "Alice do you want anything?", he asked. She said, "Sure." She put down her winchester rifle laying it on one of the empty racks. "Anyone can have that if they wish," she said. She also emptied her pockets of the extra ammo for the winchester. She then picked up 1 of the M-4's, 1 shotgun, 10 magizines for the M-4, and 50 12 gauge shells of 00 buckshot as well.

Does Max find anything interesting (like a bone)?

In the lower lab hallway-
There were no bones or anything of the sort for Max to chew on or play with, just weapons he couldn't use. There had been a couple of skeletons upstairs in the prison cells, but he would have felt funny putting human bones in his mouth, and they had smelled too much of rat besides.

(Max, you can roll Scent Something Interesting if you like. Nothing in the armory smells unusual, but you might get information about nearby smells.

Jim Kerr took one of the M-14 rifles and six of the magazines. The weapons were all unloaded, so he inserted one of the magazines.

(Jim can carry another four magazines with no trouble if he wishes. Alice can also carry a shotgun and 50 shells if she wants them in addition to a rifle.)

Mr Handy,
I edited my post I guess aboutthe same time you were posting so there has been a change in what Jim and Alice are carrying. See above and let me know if anything else needs changed.

(That's fine, but note that these are M-14s, not M-4s.)

In the lower lab hallway-
Jim and Alice loaded their new weapons. Mr. Foo took one of the Colt .45 automatics and 11 magazines, loading one of them. Jenny slung the M-1 Garand on her back and took an M-14 and 10 magazines, and she loaded one as well.

"Someone should take the electric prod and the flamethrower too," said Mr. Foo. "We know they can be effective against those creatures." He opened up the crate and took the plastique. "This dynamite could be useful too, if anyone's got a good throwing arm. There are 12 sticks in here."

(Duke's skill with a baseball bat can also be used for the prod, as can Jim's skill with nun-chucks, but none of the characters here have skill with a flamethrower. The base skill for that is only 5%. Duke already has an M-14, and his is better because it has a scope and bipod.)

Can Jim carry the cattle prod with all his other weapons currently?
Can Alice carry the flamethrower with all her other weapons currently?

Jim picked up the cattle prod and stuck it in his belt.
Alice picked up 4 sticks of the dynamite.

(OCC-what are the damages for both the cattle prod and dynamite. What is the skill number that Jim needs to hit to use the cattle prod-same as the nun chucks?)

Max was trying to find something interesting.

Mr Handy,
How many bullets will each gun hold so that I can make note on my sheet of what is fully loaded for the guns that Jim and Alice just took?

(You can find all of the information in this thread: http://www.callofcthulhu.org.uk/viewtop ... =90&t=1111 - it also keeps track of how much ammo you have currently loaded and in all. The M-14s holds 20 rounds in a magazine, the shotguns hold 5, and the .45 automatics hold 7. The pistols and rifles can also hold an extra bullet in the chamber. The electric prod has enough charge for 20 uses, and the flamer has enough fuel for 10.

Duke, let me know what weapons and ammo you decide to take, if any. Mr. Foo can take the flamer if you don't want it.)

"Well," said Mr. Foo. "Where do we look next? We haven't looked in the second lab, to the right of the stairs. There's also that open door at the end of the hall. The sign said it was a decontamination chamber."

Jim said, "I think we should go to the lab across the way then move back towards this point before we go further below." Alice agreed.

Max is looking at the door at the end of the hall and says with all the hostility he can and showing his teeths:
-Rof, Rof, grrrrr!

Duke kneels, grabbing a 1911 in each hand, safeing the weapons, he slides them under his belt, grips facing opposite ways, on his obliques. he grabs a few magazines for the weapons.

"Remember all of those zombie movies? Ya' know how theirs always the guy that screws everyone over? I vote we find him first, and plug him in the ass... Agreed?"

He kneels over, and examines the flame thrower. "Hmm....Don't know if I can even use this damn thing..."

(Remember that Duke does not have any skill points in Handgun, and the base skill level is 20%.)

In the armory-
Duke took the last two pistols and several magazines, loading one into each pistol.

"I'm way ahead of you," said Mr. Foo, hefting the flamer experimentally. "I already plugged him in the ass. That was Buzz, the skinheads' leader after Horst died, and Baldwin took care of Horst first. I doubt any of us really knows how to use this weapon, but there are a few tricks that can make it easier to hit with. It's easier to hit when something's close to you. Also, the creature we fought got pretty big, and it's easier to hit a larger target. Firing it down a narrow, enclosed space such as a corridor would also improve one's chances. Further, if it's stunned from that electric prod it should be much easier to hit." He took the flamer and left the armory. "Come along, let's examine the other lab."

In the lower lab hallway-
Jenny petted Max. "I think he's telling us not to go in there," she said. "Can't say as I blame him. I'm keen to check out the other lab, anyway. Let's go."

In the geology lab-
Jenny and Mr. Foo followed Alice and Jim Kerr into the lab they hadn't explored yet. There were several tables with geological equipment. There were rows of test tubes filled with various chemicals, as well as various scientific apparatus, such as a big X-Ray machine, a Geiger counter, a centrifuge, and numerous microscopes. There were also several cabinets and closets present, and a refrigeration chamber. Much of the lab's contents were scattered on the floor and damaged, and the floor was littered with broken glass in places. On top of one table was a round, somewhat oval-shaped rock. In addition, there was a desk in the lab with various folders and papers on top.

(Duke and Max may enter the lab and look around if they wish. Everyone let me know what you want to examine, and feel free to make a Spot Hidden roll.)

Jim and Alice both looked around the lab for clues. Both appeared to find something. They informed Mr. Foo that they had found something interesting and called him over.

Alice walked over to the desk and rifled through it. She then walked over to the x ray machine and looked at it.
Jim walked over to the rock and looked at it before going over to the closet and looking through that.

(OCC-That is what they found)

In the geology lab-
Alice found many reports on the desk describing various geological samples. Most of these samples were normal, inorganic minerals, but two reports discussed organic samples:

(1) Sample 23B- I have yet to discover the nature of the creature that bored the rock sample. The hole is neat and clean, cleaner than any drill I am aware of. The rock seems hollow inside, consistent with other findings. I suspect something lived inside this rock and then, when properly matured, escaped by creating this narrow hole through the rock's shell. It is possible that something tried to enter the rock and consume what was inside. Other substances suggest that the rock contains some substance that has been removed. Did something enter the rock to consume what was inside, or did something consume what was inside and then escape? Is this an egg?

(2) Sample 44A- A study of the viscous materials on the sides of the chamber below was thought to be wholly inorganic. Early reports suggest it is somewhat like a petroleum substance, created by carbon based life forms but transformed over time into a form of fuel. I am less convinced since Judith's infection. Dr. Muth says that since her infection something is growing inside of her. Further tests suggest an organic substance within the substance itself, something microscopic but transformative. It is difficult to make sense of this. I am having trouble concentrating. Is it alive?

The X-Ray machine was rather sophisticated for 1960s technology, and was used to analyze rock samples of varying sizes, even something the size of a small boulder. It was still functional.

Jim Kerr noticed that the rock was cracked and was pierced at the top by a small, narrow hole. After comparing notes with Alice, it was evident that this rock was Sample 23B, and it did seem rather like an egg. Peering through one of the closets, he found glass containers of various chemicals.

"Fascinating," said Mr. Foo as he reviewed the notes. "That egg-like rock - could it be what birthed the creature? Or did it hatch something else entirely?"

Jenny Cooper walked over to the rows of chemicals and looked over the labels. "H[sub]2[/sub]SO[sub]4[/sub], HCl...these chemicals are all acids! That one's sulfuric, this one's hydorchloric...I'm no geologist, but I imagine they're used to dissolve rock. They're dangerous to have around, but they could be very useful."

Max is smeling and looking for something interesting to play with.

In the geology lab-
Jenny moved several of the glass vials aside. "These are the strongest acids," she said, taking two of them. "If you're going to carry any, be very careful with them. They'll burn right through you if you get any of it on you, or if the glass breaks. If that happens, you need to wash it off with lots of water. There are some emergency showers in this lab for just that purpose." She pointed them out.

"I'll pass, thank you," said Mr. Foo. "So, shall we explore the decontamination chamber next?"

(There are 8 more vials of very strong acid left if you wish to take any, as well as a whole bunch of weaker acids. As stated in the Rules and Guidelines thread under Injuries and Healing, very strong acid does 1d6 damage per round of significant exposure. Strong acid does 1d4, and weak acid does 1d3-1. If you want to take any of the other acids, Jenny will point out which are strong and which are weak.)

In the lower lab hallway-
Max could only smell the same scents he had detected before, and he found nothing that looked like he could play with it in the hall, the armory, or the labs - unless he counted his friends, of course. The weapons in the armory and the chemicals in the labs were far too dangerous to be used as toys.

-Rof, rof (anoyed).
Max goes to a corner and get the more confortable as possible.

Alice and Jim said, "Lets go continue the exploring. We are both ready."

(Wimrock, you can start posting for Mr. Foo - and your other characters in their threads - any time you're ready. He can go into the decontamination chamber with the others and look around if you wish.)

In the geology lab-
"Okay," said Jenny. "I'm a little worried about whatever Max noticed in there, but I think I'll be okay if you guys are with me. Hey, I'm the one who wanted to come down here in the first place, right?" She followed Jim and Alice through the hall and into the open door at the far end.

In the decontamination chamber-
This small chamber looked very technologically advanced for its day. It resembled an airlock more than anything else, except that both the door they had entered through and the door at the opposite end were open at the same time. The room could fit up to nine men, though that would have been a tight squeeze. With just the small party of explorers, there was room to move around. There were a variety of sprays and checks for various hazardous biological, chemical, and radiological substances, and it could even be used as a decompression chamber. A Geiger counter was also present for people to check each other. A dozen full body suits resembling space suits from the early days of the space program hung from a rack, with bulky boots and gloves as part of the outfit. They were enclosed in rubbery plastic, and they had oxygen masks, air hoses, air tanks, and other apparatus. Each had a nametag on it.

There were also another electric prod and improvised flamer lying on the floor.

(Everyone who enters the room roll Spot Hidden.)

Mr. Foo carefully searches for any hidden things in the room.(he got a 65 roll)

In the decontamination chamber-
Mr. Foo noticed that the suit labeled "Judith Reagan" - the name of the infected woman they had found in the living quarters - had holes burnt through one of the gloves, as if by acid. Similar burns were on the soles of the boots of the two suits labeled "Craig" and "Niedler". The other suits were all intact.

Duke followed the others into the chamber and picked up the electrical prod.

Jim looked around the room to see if he could find anything of interest. He also kept his ears open to see if he heard anything. But not only did he not find anything but the area was silent as the grave, he just hoped not his grave.

Meanwhile Alice asked Mr. Foo, "Tell me were you in the army or special forces in China or something?"

Mr. Foo raised his hand to indicate he did not wish to respond to Alice. 'Jim, I think it might be good to take one of the suits without holes, if you think it might have some armour effect against bites from the zombies.' He glared at the lady to emphasize his lack of desire to speak to her.

In the decontamination chamber-
The suits were rather bulky. It would extremely difficult to carry one around except by wearing it, and even then it would restrict one's movement. Judging by the holes in three of the suits, they could be breached. They seemed primarily designed to protect against environmental contaminants, and had very limited physical protection.

(Everyone roll Idea. The suits, if worn, provide only 1 point of armor, but they provide it over the entire body. They also have severe penalties to various skills. Anyone wearing a suit has -20% to Climb, Dodge, Jump, Swim, Throw, and all Melee/Parry skills, as well as -10% to Listen and Spot Hidden. It will also reduce your effective Dex by 4 while worn.)

Alice stared at Mr. Foo and said, "Fine don't answer my question then mr rude man."

She moved away from Mr. Foo and tried to think about what to do in regards to the suits. "Well here's an idea then", she said.

Jim meanwhile was looking at the suits and running his fingers through some of the holes. He also tried to think what to do in regards to the suits. "Or here is another idea that may work", Jim said.

(I forgot to mention, the suits also give a -20% penalty to Hide and Sneak. It's hard to be stealthy while you're wearing one.)

In the decontamination chamber-
Both Alice and Jim Kerr noticed that the burn marks and holes on the suits resembled the burns on their clothes where the creature's tentacles had grabbed them and burned through them to touch their skin. It also occurred to them that the suits hadn't done the scientists any good and were probably more trouble than they were worth.

Jenny Cooper glanced nervously at the door at the far end of the chamber. "Well, that's the only place down here we haven't explored yet," she said. "I know Max didn't want us to come in here - he's still waiting out in the hall. I don't know, maybe he's got a point."

Alice glared at Mr. Foo and silently said nothing. Jim said, "I was thinking. Notice these holes in the suits? They resumble the burns on our clothes where that creature grabbed us and burned through to touch our skin. The suits did not do these guys any good and are probably more trouble then they are worth. But we are dying and will be dead in the next few days thanks to that creature. And we are down here anyway. We might as well continue exploring. Who knows maybe we will find a cure?"

Mr. Foo smiles, with an apparent look of all knowing wisdom. "Yes, I agree that we need to check out the next room. However, I agree with the dog, there may be something bad there. Still, we may not ever know unless we go in. I suggest that Alice opens the door for us, and we grab the dog and throw him into the room. Meanwhile, we will ready our weapons and stand ready for anything which might jump out. Also, if we have any cover here, we might be wise to stand behind it." Roll persuade. 94. link=http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/1524592/

(Generally, you can't use social skills on your fellow PCs, only on NPCs. Fast Talk is a possible exception, sometimes in order to distract someone. Otherwise, you're free to decide what your own characters do. Max, roll Listen to see if you heard the conversation in the decontamination chamber. If you succeed, you may run away through whichever exit you wish first if you don't want someone to try to grab you. If you fail and anyone tries to grab Max, you'll need to make a Grapple roll (base skill is 25%). If you succeed, Max then gets a Dodge roll to avoid it (base skill is Dex x 2) or he may attempt to Bite whoever grabs him, but he may not do both. If either succeeds, he can run away faster than a human can chase him. You must have both hands free in order to Grapple.

I'll update Under in another day or two. I'm still waiting for one more player in another thread.)

In the decontamination chamber-
Jenny looked shocked. "That's terrible, Mr. Foo! Please tell me you were joking!"

Alice heard what Mr. Foo had said and began to curse him out in Arabic along with a few other ancient languages such as Dakota, Celtic, and Latin. Jim calmed her down by grabbing her and taking her to the other side of the room. He then turned to Mr. Foo and said, "That is a disgusting suggestion. If you wish to do that to Max then you must be brave enough to go through that door first if not I will coward."

Mr. Foo smiles broadly, as a beauty queen would,"Ah, but of course I was joking. Still, a little humour at a crucial time sometimes helps to defuse the stresss." He bows, "My sincere apology that my effort has failed in that way. But let us go on from that topic to one just as important, what do we do to get through the door? As in all the old d&d games, someone will have to open the door, and someone will have to go through it. I suggest I and JIm should ready our two flame throwers if we think we are going to run into a mass of zombies, but we should also ready ourselves to drop them quickly and switch to another weapon. Tell me if you agree with this suggestion."

(The door at the far end of the room is already open. I mentioned that in my initial description of the room. Also, Jim Kerr never picked up the flamer; it's still lying on the floor of the room. He already has two bulky weapons - the rifle and the electric prod - and cannot carry three. Mr. Foo does have his flamer ready.)

In the decontamination chamber-
"Well, it wasn't funny," said Jenny, though she appeared to be over her shock.

"Uh, someone already opened this door a long time ago," said Duke. He held his M-14 and cautiously advanced to peer through it. "The room on the other side is clear," he said. "I'm going in."

"Me too." Jenny followed him through the open door into the shaft room.

In the shaft room-
This room was small. Its only feature besides the door back to the decontamination chamber was an industrial elevator in the center at the top of a shaft leading straight down. A continuous steel rail stretched from the ceiling down the shaft, and the elevator was designed to ride along it, operated by a series of cables and electrical lines. Cables and gears were attached to the ceiling above the elevator. The elevator was a platform that looked identical to the one that had brought them down into the facility from the prison level, except it was operated by switches rather than buttons. A switch on a gear box could be used to send the elevator up or down, and similar switches were both outside the elevator and on it. The elevator could hold up to six people, though it would be a tight squeeze. It appeared to be in full working order.

In the lower lab hallway-
Max remained near the stairs leading back up. He could see the people in the room at the other end of the hall arguing about something, but they seemed to stop and continue their exploration. The horrible smell he had detected earlier in that direction was stronger than ever now.

-Rof, rof! (agressive)
-Kain, kain! (fear)
Tail between the legs.

Alice stepped into the elevator shaft and said, "Let's go down. We need to explore which is why we are here remember?" Jim also stepped into the room, paused at the doorway to call Max to him, then said, "Yeah since we are dying anyway we might as well die having helped humanity a bit more."

In the shaft room-
"This must be the shaft those notes we found mentioned," said Duke. "It leads to the tunnels. It's quite a long way down, apparently."

"I don't know if we ought to go down there just yet," said Jenny. "Whatever Max is afraid of, it must be that way. Maybe...maybe we ought to go back and tell the others what we've found so far, and then decide what to do. They might have gotten that battery we need to play the reel-to-reel recording we found in the manager's office, too. I think we should listen to that before venturing below."

In the lower lab hallway-
Max watched with dismay as his friends passed through the door.

(Max, roll Listen.)

In the decontamination chamber-
Mr. Foo stood, apparently deep in thought about what to do next.

(Mr. Foo, roll Listen.)

Jim sighed and said, "Look, we have come this far and we do not know what could be back there. We know that Kimberly came this way safely so it should be safe. I say we should continue on so who is with me?"
Alice looked at Jim as if he was crazy and said, "No we need to get all the information done, all the research done first before going off into the unknown. Lets go back and see if we can find those batteries. Worse comes to worse we can always have extra people with us to fight any creatures below."

Max doesn't hear a thing, but runnes anyway scarred.

In the decontamination chamber-
"You don't have to tell me twice!" Jenny said as she helped Alice return from the shaft room into the decontamination chamber where Mr. Foo stood waiting. Duke followed them.

"Well, let's go back upstairs," he said.

(Jim Kerr, you didn't say if you left the shaft room with the others or remained there. You can be in either location at the start of this round, and then you are free to move or otherwise act again. Also, it was Kerry who escaped through the tunnels, not Kimberly.)

In the lower lab hallway-
Max raced up the stairs with his tail between his legs.

In the upper lab hallway-
Max emerged from the stairs at high speed. At the far end of the hall, beyond that awful-smelling creature, stood Ellen Cody, the maid from the motel.

"Max!" she called. "Hey, boy! Where are Jenny, Mr. Foo, and the others? I've got something for them." She showed him a small rectangular object. "Can you go get them?"

-Rof, rof. (runnes again to the others).

Jim siliently cursed and went to the other room where he saw Mr. Foo. "Hey Sir, do you think we should go back or should we keep on going forward?"

Alice meanwhile walked up the hallway with Jenny chatting bout thier pasts.

Mr. Foo listens closely. Die roll = 28. link=http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/1531426/

OOC- had other stuff to do, so sorry I didn't get back earlier.

(Don't worry about it.)

In the decontamination chamber-
Mr. Foo had heard Ellen Cody's voice calling from upstairs: "You guys back here? Mr. Foo? I've got the battery!" He also heard what she said to Max afterwards.

In the decontamination chamber-
Jenny and Duke helped Alice back into the hallway leading to the stairs. Jim Kerr and Mr. Foo remained in the room trying to decide what to do next.

(Jim Kerr and Mr. Foo, roll Listen.)

In the lower lab hallway-
Max bounded down the stairs from above, barking excitedly as three of his friends came back. Jenny greeted him with a wide grin. "Hey, Max!" she said. "What's up?" She turned to Alice. "Anyway, I've always been interested in astronomy. I just got my Master's degree and was considering whether or not to go for a Ph.D. Guess it's all moot now. I was on my way to Wyoming when this happened. Got a job at a new observatory they were opening up."

Max uses his teeths (in her clothes) to pull Alice out.

Alice said, "Max, bad dog let go of my clothes." She lightly swatted him away.

Mr. Foo turned to Jim and sighed said, "Well I want to continue with you but I think we need to go down the hall with the girls for now. But I will press for us to get back here ASAP. You with me?" He also paused for a bit to listen and see if he heard anything unusual. "Shh, I hear something. Be quiet as a mouse young sensi."

Jim sighed and nodded. He also paused to listen to see if he could hear what Mr. Foo heard. In the distance he barely heard something and strained to listen more to it.

In the decontamination chamber-
As Mr. Foo and Jim Kerr left the decontamination chamber and entered the hallway, they both heard a kind of sloshing sound coming from the direction of the shaft.

In the lower lab hallway-
Jenny and Duke helped Alice get up the stairs while Max tagged along with them. Jim and Mr. Foo could just see them leaving as they entered the hall.

The lights flickered for a moment.

In the upper lab hallway-
Ellen smiled when she saw Max return with some of the others. "I've got the battery," she said, tossing it past the slowly melting creature. "Is Mr. Foo okay?"

Jenny picked up the battery. "He's fine," she said. "He and Jim should be right behind us. There's got to be something we can do about this thing." She motioned at the creature that had nearly eaten them all. "The way it is now, nobody can get past without taking the risk of accidentally touching it. Oh, you'd better go lock up Judith Reagan's body again. One of those things is inside her, and we don't want it getting loose. When you're going back, she's in the third living compartment on your left."

(Alice, roll Idea.)

"Okay, thanks. I'll get right on it." Ellen departed back towards the living quarters.

In the Lower Lab Hallway:
Jim turned back for a minute and then said, "Mr. Foo you may stay if you want but I am getting the hell out of this room right now." He then ran down the hall toward the others.


In the Upper Lab Hallway:
Alice listened to the conversation but looked at the melting thing/goo on the floor. She thought to herself there had to be some way to get people past this thing or get rid of this thing so we could collect everyone and go down in a huge group together. "Hey you all, here is a plan. It is a good plan, do you want to hear it?"

Mr. Foo quickly follows Jim.

In the upper lab hallway-
Alice knew there had to be a way to get the creature to dissolve faster, and then she remembered the acids they had found in the geology lab. Those would be perfect for the job, and Jenny had brought some of them with her.

Alice said, "Jenny if we use some of those acids that you have, we can make this thing dissolve a whole lot faster and that way we can all meet up and then as a whole group go down to face what else is left down that shaft behind us."

In the upper lab hallway-
Jim Kerr and Mr. Foo reached the top of the stairs and rejoined the others.

"Hey, yeah!" said Jenny. "That's a great idea. Here, Duke, take the battery and go get the reel-to-reel ready. Everyone stand back." She handed Duke the battery, and he went into the project manager's office. Once everyone was clear, Jenny took out one of her vials of acid. She carefully but liberally doused the creature with it. The thing began to smoke and sizzle, and soon two thirds of it had dissolved. It would now be easy for anyone to pass through the hall to the living quarters without touching it, and before long there would be nothing left of the monster.

Just then, a woman's scream came from the living quarters. It sounded like Ellen.

In the project manager's office-
Duke walked up to Kirby's desk and inserted the battery into the reel-to-reel recorder. The reel was already loaded and rewound, but before he could start to play it he heard the scream.

Jim was startled by the scream but he said, "we need to listen to that tape then go back downstairs again. We owe it to the rest of this compound to find a way out in case the ground gets overrun by zombies."
Alice nodded her head and said, "I agree." She entered the project managers office along with Jim.

Mr. Foo who is in the room with Jim looks around and aks, "Who scream? Why scream? Should we not find out?"

In the upper lab hallway-
Jenny emptied the last of the acid onto the creature and discarded the empty flask. It continued to dissolve, and not much was left. "Come on, Max," she said as she followed Mr. Foo into the project manager's office.

The thing continued to melt after she left. Within seconds it was completely dissolved, the floor beneath it scarred by the leftover acid.

In the project manager's office-
"I think that was Ellen screaming," Jenny told Mr. Foo when she entered. "I didn't hear anything else, and she didn't say anything. Maybe seeing the dead woman just freaked her out or something, but what if she's in trouble?"

While the group huddled around the desk, Duke pressed the play button on the reel-to-reel, and the ancient tape began to feed through the machine. The long-dead voice of Dr. Kirby crackled from the built-in speaker:

"October 20th- We have entered the lab. The place seems well prepared. Knowledge of the experiences of the construction group leaves the research team feeling disconcerted. It is hard to work below ground. Captain Duffy seems a decent sort. We keep the hatchway open for an hour each day to pass down supplies.

"October 22nd- We are settling in well. Labs are now prepared.

"October 23rd- We are running preliminary studies on the sample retrieved during construction before venturing down. So far, nothing unusual.

"October 24th- A number of the group have reported feeling ill and having slept poorly, nightmares. Perhaps it's the claustrophobia.

"October 25th- Amazing discoveries. We've gone down below using oxygen tanks. Below we find what appears to be miles of tunnels, perfectly carved from the stone. Not machine made, nor is it likely these are naturally formed. The walls are practically smooth, as if something had burrowed through. But the angle is strange. Perfect symmetry, a direct line to Deep Mole 2. We find slight organic traces along the sides. Biological yes, but also strangely mineral. Startling discovery. We have much to explore."

The tape was about one-quarter done.

(Everyone roll Listen, including Max.)

-Haooow!
Max runs to the manager office, barks to his friends there and then run as fast as he can to the hatch.

Jim and Alice stood around the tape player. Alice seemed entranced as if she was trying to remember everything about the tape. Jim seemed bored because this tape seemed like the endless lectures he had got back in his old life at the countless meetings for the Fish and Wildlife Service. Because of this Alice did not hear a thing but Jim sure did.

In the project manager's office-
Jim was able to hear that same sloshing sound he had heard earlier over the sound of Kirby's recorded voice. It was coming from the stairway that went down to the labs, and it was moving upwards.

"Uhh guys, I kind of forgot to tell you that the reason me and Mr. Foo ran back here was because we heard a sloshing sound coming from the elevator and now I hear it on the stairs that go down to the lab and it sounds like it is coming up those stairs. I think we need to either run the hell away right now or be prepared to fight another creature.", Jim said. He prepared to fire his rifle. Alice prepared to fire her shotgun.

Mr. Foo asks,"I notice how the acid has melted this thing. Do we have any more handy? If not, I agree, we should remove ourselves quickly from this situation."

In the upper lab hallway-
A single gunshot rang out, coming from the living quarters. Max darted away down the hall into the living quarters, back towards the hatchway.

(Max is moving to this thread: Trapped. Kabukiman, you may read the earlier posts in that thread if you wish, but you are not required to. Please stop reading this thread at this point.

Everyone else remains in the current thread.)

In the project manager's office-
Kirby's voice continued to come from the reel-to-reel's speaker as everyone discussed what to do:

"October 26th- Smith, Cross and Bateman spoke to me about terminating the project. They believe we might be in danger. Something is down here, they claim. They also speak of having strange visions, nightmares. Something is 'pulling them' here. Smith claims that there is some kind of mental force being used on us, something psychological. Bateman suggests we close the shaft up. Insane. Of course I forbid it. Cross said that I have killed us all. Madness? Of course. But I admit my own dreams have been...disturbing.

"October 27th- Half our team in the lab, half underground exploring the shafts. The geological team suggests that there are no anomalies in the ground, but exploring the biological residual seems to show a strange composite of rock and biological mass. New life? Too soon to know, but we've never seen the like. The team below continues to explore the tunnels and has found a junction. The tunnels seem to meet at perfect 90 degree angles running north to south, east to west, and down and up! We are using audio techniques to study echo effects within the tunnels.

"October 28th- More results, somewhat disturbing. We pick up echo effects. Something is moving below. More strange, there seems to be rhythmic sounds. Like some strange chant. The exploration team returned highly disturbed and suggested that we move above ground. I have listened to the recordings and they are strange in almost inhuman voices.

"October 29th- Woke to discover that Cross had fallen down the shaft in the night. What was he doing there at that hour? We have retrieved his body and will send it to Warren. Cross had been acting erratically, but we needed him below. Now we are short handed. The team is anxious and worried.

"October 30th- Strange dreams. I dreamed Cross was climbing up the shaft and coming for me. He was a monster, more corpse than alive and his hands were like that of a frog, sticking to the sides of the shaft. He said I had doomed them all. That it was all my fault. I woke with a start.

No work below today, but the lab teams want to go below. Bateman and Smith caution against it."

Jenny smiled at Mr. Foo. "Yeah, great idea!" she said. "I've got one more vial of the strongest acid on me. The rest is down in the lab, but what I've got should be enough to dissolve this thing after we kill it." She brought up her M-14. Duke followed suit with his own.

The sloshing sound continued to get louder as the tape played and the people in the room conversed. It had reached the top of the stairs and began to move down the hall. By now everyone in the room could hear it. A pair of long, dark tentacles appeared in the doorway, followed by a giant black mass they were attached to that resembled a cross between an octopus and a squid. However, instead of one large eye, it had hundreds of small ones all over its body, and it had several more tentacles. It turned towards the sounds coming from within the room and oozed towards the door, its tentacles reaching out.

(Everyone must now roll Sanity, with a Sanity loss of 1/1d10. This means that if you succeed, you still lose 1 Sanity point, and if you fail you lose 1d10. If you lose 5 or more points, you must roll Idea. If the Idea roll fails, you can still act freely, but if it succeeds then you go temporarily insane.

If you remain sane, you have one chance to shoot at the creature before it gets to attack. The range is point blank, so your skill is doubled for this shot. If you have a weapon that fires multiple times per round, you may only fire once before the creature goes. You may, however, fire a burst now, using up to the maximum number of bullets permitted by the weapon - 3 for an M-14 or 20 for an MP-5. If you fire a 3-round burst with an M-14, you get +20% to hit after doubling your skill and you must roll 1d3 to see how many bullets hit. For the MP-5, you would get +5% for each bullet fired beyond the first up to a maximum of 90%, but since Mr. Foo has more than that from doubling his SMG skill there is no further increase. If you hit, roll 1dX to see how many bullets hit, where X is the number of bullets you've fired. If you get an impale, only the first bullet that hits does double damage. All other bullets do normal damage. Firing a single shot from the MP-5 uses Handgun skill, not SMG. If you want to use the flamer, the base skill is 5%, which is doubled to 10% for point blank range. Using explosives is not recommended, as you would be well within the blast radius.

If you want to use a hand-to-hand attack such as an electric prod, you must wait until after the creature attacks. If you want to do something other than attack, you may roll Dodge.)

Both Alice and Jim stared at the creature in the door. Both of their minds snapped in fear.
Alice cried out in fear, as scared as she had ever been in her life. However she failed to understand what she had seenand she raised her M-14 and fired it at the creature. At this range it was impossible to miss the creature. She saw the bullet hit the creature and the creature had been slightly damaged.

Meanwhile Jim was taken aback by the creature but not driven insane. He thought about dodging but then figured he was a dead man anyway and so pulled his pistol and hit very hard! He took aim again even though he knew that he could be dead before getting a chance to fire.

[OOC: Edited by Keeper at player's request.]

(occ-So did I just lose Alice and will be unable to play her again? If that is the case I am taking her stats and stuff off my character sheet I have saved and if that is the case can I pick someone else to play?)

Mr. Foo remained sane. He rolled a 60. Link=http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/1556197/.
Mr. Foo shoots a 20 round burst from his SMG. He rolls a 91. Link=http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/1556206/
He rolled a 15. Link=http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/1556208/

(Mr. Foo's roll for the number of bullets that hit and damage weren't done correctly. There was a constant value of 15 rather than a number of dice. I'll roll 1d20 for the number of bullets that hit the creature and then 1d10 per bullet that hits. All told, it was a whopping 129 damage. Combined, everyone did 175 points of damage with gunfire this round. Not too shabby. You'd think that would be enough...)

In the project manager's office-
Mr. Foo sprayed lead at the giant black squid, amazingly hitting with every single bullet, impacting it heavily enough to kill ten average people! Duke cried out in fear when he saw it, his mind blasted. He knew things just like this creature had slaughtered the Deep Mole scientists, and that he and his friends would be next. He dropped to the floor and curled up into a ball, waiting for the end to come. Jenny screamed too, but her senses did not enitrely desert her. She pointed her M-14 at it and sent a burst straight at it. Two bullets hit it and punched massive holes in it.

The horrid thing had been perforated nearly 25 times, and it looked like there was more hole than creature. And then, in just a few terrible seconds, all of the holes closed up, leaving it apparently unharmed in the slightest after that deadly fusilade. It surged through the doorway and into the room towards the frightened humans within and two of its slim legs whipped out at Jenny and Jim Kerr. The one it sent at Jenny got entangled amongst its other appendages, but the other snaked around Jim's waist and seized him. A familiar, painful burning sensation hit him as the strange substance burned into his clothes and skin.

Another pair of legs lashed out at Jenny and Mr. Foo, grabbing both of them around the waist as well. They too felt the burning in their abdomens. Two more legs slithered towards Alice and Duke. It took hold of Alice, but failed to grab onto Duke because he had fallen to the floor. Alice was also wracked by pain, worsening her already severe injuries and causing her to black out.

Finally, the thing completely engulfed Jim Kerr. He was encased in darkness, and the burning he felt got worse as it began to digest him. He was still conscious and aware of every agonizing sensation, but he was completely paralyzed.

During the fight, the tape recording droned on: "November 1st- Retrieved organic samples from below. Judith Reagan apparently has given herself some kind of infection when working with the substance and is being watched carefully by Muth. She claims to be suffering body aches and has a strange fever. Bateman claims he is hearing something over microphones. He says it's like chanting. We tried to record but got nothing on our reel to reel."

(...but you'd be wrong! Alice, Jim Kerr, and Duke are unable to act and out of the fight, leaving only Jenny and Mr. Foo active. Sorry, but that's the way the dice fell. Mr. Foo, you may use either the MP-5 or the flamethrower before the creature attacks again. The MP-5 has 11 bullets left, but after last time it occurs to you that it might not be too effective. The flamethrower has a base skill of 5%, but this is doubled to 10% because of point blank range and doubled again to 20% thanks to the close confines of the room. It does 2d6 damage if you hit. It malfunctions on a 93 or higher, and malfunctions from a flamethrower can be very bad.

If you wish to attack in another way or do anything else, you must wait until after the creature attacks. Let me know if this is the case, and I'll roll the creature's attacks for the following round. Mr. Foo has been grabbed and cannot flee unless he can break free of the thing's grip - or kill it somehow.)

Mr. Foo uses his flamethrower. Rolls a 13.
http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/1563006/
OOC- Mr. Foo knows some occult stuff. Can he try a chant of protection and/or damage to the creature?

(Mr. Foo's occult knowledge does not actually give him any working spells. He can do some mystical Chinese chant, but it won't actually protect him or increase the damage he causes. Nice roll, by the way. Too bad it makes Mr. Foo target #1 for the creature...)

In the project manager's office-
Jenny Cooper and Mr. Foo heard Michael call from the living quarters: "Hey! Whoever that is, we're over here and we have guns!" Joe Barring shouted from much closer: "What are you shooting at?"

Mr. Foo chanted something in Chinese as he unleashed a torrent of flame from the nozzle of the improvised flamer, striking the creature and burning it somewhat. The tentacles that had gripped him, Alice, and Jenny got singed and charred, and they shriveled up and released them all. The flames had caused some damage to it, but it was far from dead.

Its tentacles shifted, becoming shorter and harder as new ones began to emerge from the creature's body. One of them reached out and smacked Mr. Foo fairly hard on the right leg. His many years finally caught up with him, and the shock of the impact rendered him unconscious. The flamethrower fell at his feet.

Three more tentacles reached out and snagged Mr. Foo, Jenny, and Duke. Jim Kerr could feel the weight of the creature start to crush him.

Joe Barring ran into view out in the hall. Kimberly, Sally, Ellen, Hockey, and Willie were with him.

"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 her remaining 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!"

Meanwhile, Kirby continued to speak: "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."

(All of the PCs are currently out of the fight. They're still alive, but two of them have been knocked out, one is temporarily insane, and another is paralyzed while being slowly consumed. Whether or not they survive depends on the other characters. Keep following this thread, and I'll let you know if and when you can act again.)

In the project manager's office-
Jenny watched in horror as the creature's tentacles become more slender and elongated. They slithered out of the open office door with amazing speed and lashed out at her friends. Three of them managed to wrap themselves around the legs of Joe, Kimberly, and Ellen Cody, bringing them down, but she was relieved to see that Sally, Hockey, and Willie managed to avoid the tentacles and get downstairs without being touched. Inside the monster's gut, Jim felt the crushing and burning getting worse.

Jenny was afraid, but she knew that until the others returned with weapons that could hurt this thing, it was all up to her. "The geology lab is on the right!" she called. "I set aside the strongest acids. The flamer's straight ahead! Hurry!" I have to be the hero, she thought, seizing the dropped flamethrower near Mr. Foo with grim determination. Everyone's life depends on me. She 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. Stephanie would be so proud! she thought. I'm glad she's on her way to Omaha and not here to see this, though.

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."

In the project manager's office-
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.

Inside the creature, Jim Kerr was getting crushed even worse. He felt his ribcage starting to yield under the intense strain.

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."

IS there a way that Jim can try to get out of the creature or is he just going to be continued eaten until either he or it dies?
-steve

(Unfortunately, there's nothing Jim can do. He has to wait until either he or the creature dies, and he will die first, barring a miracle. He took 1 damage the round after being swallowed, 2 the next round, and so on. This round he just took 4, and next round he will take 5 and die.)

In the project manager's office-
In the creature's gut, Jim Kerr felt a sharp, intense pain as two of his ribs snapped. He blacked out, sparing himself further agony.

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 project manager's office-
Jim Kerr was thankfully unconscious when the creature that had eaten him finally crushed him to death, shattering his ribcage. With his life snuffed out, it was easily able to finish digesting him.

(Jim Kerr is dead, but don't let the other players know yet. Mr Zombie killer, you might want to start thinking about a replacement character, especially since things don't look so good for Alice either, but there's no rush. You may want to wait until you see which characters in Under survive this.

Everyone is moving to this thread: In Too Deep)