Play@YSDC

Z-Day - 2:32 PM Central Time - Airfield 10 miles SW of Kearney, Nebraska
On the fire escape-
Corporal Anthony Gardner dragged Erica Spears down the fire escape stairs as gunfire rang out below, pausing on the fifth floor landing to slap a piece of duct tape over her mouth. "I'd better not have any trouble from you," he whispered into her ear, just loud enough for her to hear over the fire alarm. "Remember, just because I want you alive doesn't mean I can't punish you, and all it will take is one word from me over the radio and Kathryn dies. Understand?"

Erica nodded reluctantly. Tears spilled unbidden down her cheeks. Gardner ran his tongue down her neck, and she cringed.

On the fire escape-
Gardner pulled Erica back towards the stairs. He almost saw the open warehouse doors out of the corner of his eye, but Erica and the zombies took away his attention. He merely shrugged as Dawkins took out the nearer of the two remaining zombies, leaving just one a couple of hundred yards east of the warehouses. Erica, however, swallowed in terror at the sight. Her whole situation was just too much to bear. Faced with certain knowledge that she would be raped or devoured alive - or both - Erica just let her mind go blank. She offered no resistance as Gardner dragged her down another flight of steps to the fourth floor landing.

On the fire escape-
Gardner still didn't notice anything out of place, as he had eyes only for Erica. He frowned deeply when he heard something on the radio and spun on his heel, pushing Erica back up the stairs ahead of him. When they reached the fifth floor landing, he called up to Dawkins: "I wish you hadn't gone and said that! We can't trust Flynn and Alvarez any more, they've been compromised and I don't want them knowing our position or status. Maintain radio silence from here on out."

(OOC: Gardner is on the 5th floor, one floor below the roof? Is he continuing up to the roof? Also, has Kathryn started down the stairs? I am going to try and spot Kathryn if he had not yet taken off down the stairs.)

"Shit Gardner! I didn't know we couldn't trust them" Dawkins said as she shouldered her rifle and watched Gardner ascent. Once he has ascended a little less that half way up to the roof Dawkins snaps her head toward the stairwell and exclaims, "Son of a bitch! That tramp made a run for it!" "Head her off at the 5th floor! I'll watch this bitch!" she yells while drawing her pistol and motioning for the 5th floor door near Gardner.

On the tower roof-
Gardner did not even slow down. He kept pulling Erica up the stairs in front of him. "You just lost the other one right after I left her with you!" he said, glaring at Dawkins. "Not a chance. She stays with me, and I'll go hunt down Kathryn. The fire doors don't open from outside, so I'll take the stairs. You stay here and keep an eye out." He reached the top of the stairs and dragged Erica onto the roof, then ran towards the central stairwell with her, glancing back as he went.

The shrill fire alarm finally stopped.

(OOC: is the penalty for aiming for a specific part of the body the same as aiming for the head (-5%)? No. I am not aiming for his groin, although I should. Once Gardners moved past me towards the door and has his back to me, I am thinking I am going to shoot him in the arm/shoulder he is holding his gun in.

(OOC: Would I be able to follow him to the door to hold the door open for him, and put the gun to his shoulder and fire? I'm sure I am over simplifying something that the rules probably don't account for.)

As Gardner makes his way across the roof to the stairs, Dawkins seeths with his mans very existance. Once he enters the stairwell and proceeds down, Dawkins makes sure the door closes firmly behind him (removing the pens if neccessary). Once the door is closed, she keys her radio: "Alvarez, Flynn. That bastard Gardner is on his way down the inner stairs from the roof. He has the pilot with him still. I assume you two are done following his crazy ass orders, seeing how you allowed the men to escape from the warehouse. I'm done following his orders too."
She walks over to the fire escape looking for a sign from anyone from below, and watching for Gardner in case he exits from there.

(To everyone since I assume Kathryn has not made it all the way down. I also want Gardner to know that he is on his own now.)

On the tower roof-
Dawkins removed the pens from the access door and closed it, automatically locking it. She could still open it from her side, but it was locked from the inside. She sent out her message on the radio.

(Dawkins, roll Listen. Remember that there's a -5% penalty due to your helmet.

Gardner and Erica Spears are moving to this thread: Tower of Terror. Dawkins remains in the current thread.)

Dawkins is seething for hate with for Gardner and formulating plans to take him down and hears nothing.

On the tower roof-
A loud explosion from below rang out, temporarily deafening Dawkins. The tower seemed to vibrate from the impact.

Dawkins stumbles as the blast rocks the tower. After steadying herself, she looks around in an attempt to determine where the blast came from.

"Alvarex, Flynn. Report. What's going on down there?" she barks into her radio.

On the tower roof-
Dawkins could hear no reply over the radio. While it was possible nobody had replied, it was far more likely that this was because she still couldn't hear anything at all, not even the sound of her own voice. The detonation had seemed to come from the floor just below the roof, and it had sounded like a hand grenade going off.

Son of a bitch, Dawkins thinks.

"Alvarez, Flynn. That sounded like a hand grenade and it sounded like it went off right below me. Get everyone out of the tower, now!"

With that, Dawkins shoulders her rifle once again and walks towards the fire escape. Alternating between watching from wathing for someone to exit onto the fire escape and someone getting through the stairwell door, somehow.

On the fire escape-
Dawkins made her way across the roof to the top of the fire escape. The access door from the stairs remained shut, and she saw that the fire escape was clear. It stretched all the way down to the second floor, at which point there was a ladder that could be lowered to the ground. The ladder was currently up, but it would be easy to lower it. She started down the stairs, quickly reaching the fifth floor landing.

(Edited to account for the post below.)

On the fire escape-
Dawkins turned around and headed back up the stairs, keeping an eye out above and below her as she went. She did not see anyone, and all the doors remained shut. While the fire alarm would go off automatically if someone did open one of the fire doors, she knew that she would probably be unable to hear it. Deprived of a vital sense, and unable to open the doors from the outside if it became necessary, she couldn't help but feel vulnerable. She reached the roof again.

(OOC: I actually want to stay on the 5th floor landing. What side of the building is the fire escape on? Can I see/get clear shot at the helicopter from here? If not, Dawkins would have stayed on the roof. Her goal is try and hide and cover the helicopter with her rifle as she suspects Gardner will go for the chopper.
Also, how long is she going to be deaf for?)

With here ears ringing, Dawkins, creeps to the west side of the tower roof and lays in the shadows of the radar mast, hiding herself.
She with rifle in hand, she watches over the helicopter and area between the helicopter and the tower.

She keys her radio and says "Alvarez, Flynn. I'm heading down the fire escape. I'll see you at the chopper." Knowing she won't be able to hear their response, she lays in wait for Gardner to poke his ass out.

Because she is deaf, Dawkins is going to have to rely on her eyes to warn her of trouble. She continually looks to the doors leading towards the stairs and towards the fire escape in the event anyone comes that direction.

Also, does she have rappelling gear and rope?

(Yes, Dawkins does have rappeling gear and rope. It can get her down to the ground faster than taking the stairs or the fire escape - or even the elevator since you'd have to take the stairs down one flight and possibly wait for it to arrive. You'll need to make a Climb roll to use it, but a normal failure will cost you time rather than cause you to fall. A critical failure could get you down to the ground even faster than a success, however...)

On the tower roof-
From her perch on the west side of the roof, Dawkins could not see the area at the base of the tower, though she could still see eveything from a few yards past it to the chopper and beyond. The chopper rested on the helipad twenty yards to the west, and its rotors were spinning, but she was of course unable to hear them. Stephanie Bridges and Dr. Brigetta Hausmann sat inside, on the rear bench seat. Standing near the helicopter were Bob Larkin, Dr. Bernard Smith, and Lucy Armstrong. The flatbed truck idled close to the helicopter. There was no sign of Gardner yet, and when she glanced back she saw that the access door remained shut and there was no movement from the fire escape.

Lucy, who was carrying an M-16 rifle, disconnected the chopper's fuel pump from the now empty barrel and put it away. Then she and Dr. Smith stood on the right side of the chopper.

Seeing the rotors on the chopper spinning, and realizing a quick escape is a must, Dawkins unpacked her rope and rapelling harness and got to work. She tied the rope off to the radar mast at the center of the tower roof and climbed into her harness (if she is not already wearing it). She set the untied end of the rope next to the edge of the tower were it coould be kicked off when the time comes to descend.
Then she lay back down and hide herself once again in the shadows on the tower roof. Waiting for Gardner to appear.

On the tower roof-
Dawkins saw Bob get into the pilot's seat and strap himself in, while Lucy got into the co-pilot's seat and Dr. Smith climbed into the rear seat. They closed all the doors, but did not take off yet. She could hear a very faint ringing in her ears, and it seemed that her hearing was starting to return.

(Dawkins, roll Listen at 1/4 skill, with an additional -5% penalty for your helmet after your skill is quartered. This means you'll succeed on an 11 or less. You did not need to make a second Hide roll, as you're using the same hiding spot. By the way, when the time comes to make a Climb roll, you'll be at a -10% penalty due to your armor.)

(Since you haven't posted, I went ahead and rolled Listen for you.)

On the tower roof-
Dawkins finally was able to hear something. The ringing in her ears was quite real - it was in fact the fire alarm! She could also hear the faint sound of the helicopter's rotors and engine behind it, and possibly something else - though she couldn't be sure. The helicopter was apparently ready to leave, but the people inside just waited there for now.

(Dawkins, roll Listen again. Normally you'd need to roll 1/4 Listen at this point, but your skill is halved again because of the alarm. This means you must roll 1/8 of your skill or less, with an additional -5% penalty from your helmet, so you'll succeed on a 3 or less.)

Dawkins head was ringing, as was the fire alarm. She strained to make out any other sounds, but was just not quite able to.
She does see the helicopter preparing to take off, but something is preventing it from doing so. She uses her scope to peer into the cockpit of the helicopter and [url=http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/1581965/ can clearly see the occupants. [/url]

(OCC: Oh so close! Can Dawkin peer over the edge of the tower roof to look straight down?)

While assessing the situation, but not seeing Flynn or Alvarez, Dawkins keys her mic on and off in succession: . . . - . . . Morse code for S.O.S.
She repeats this three times.

(The tower roof extends beyond the width of the tower, so you cannot see what is directly below unless you lean over the edge. If you do, you will leave your hiding place and risk being seen.)

On the tower roof-
Dawkins could see expressions of fear on the faces of the helicopter's passengers.

Only Gardner can make people afraid like that, Dawkins thinks to herself. Gardner is probably not stupid enough to come out into the open with me and my rifle out here.
Dawkins looks over the edge, straight down towards the door at the base of the tower. Hopeing to catch any glimpse of Gardner or the girls.

On the tower roof-
Dawkins could see the police cruiser parked right outside the front doors of the tower, but nobody was standing outside. It was impossible for her to see inside either the tower or the vehicle from her position, however.

OOC: Can I get a spot check for when I look down to see if I see anyone?
Dawkins peers down intently ant the tower door, her vision sharpened due to her lack of hearing.

(I thought that your first Spot Hidden roll covered that, but I'll give you this since your second roll was so good.)

On the tower roof-
Dawkins couldn't see anyone inside the building from her perch on the roof, but when she had leaned over she did see the shadows of one or more people standing just inside the door.

'Fuck it,' Dawkins says to herself as she stands up, sounders her rifle and hooks into the rappelling rope. She throws the unattached end of the rope out across the roof so that she can feed it through the belays as she descends, but doesn't have to have it hanging down in sight.
(OOC: If she cannot do this she'll want to keep the rope well off to the side of the door so it does not give away her descent.)
Drawing her pistol, she walks out over the edge and begins a tactical, face downward walk down the wall with her pistor aimed at the door, and her eyes looking for any movement at the door.
Spot Hidden
Climb

Dawkins is not as quiet in her descent as she would like to be.

(Yes, you can do this. If you had descended normally, you could have gotten to the bottom in two rounds. By walking face first, you can progress one floor per round. You're outside the fifth floor now, so it will take an additional four rounds to reach the bottom. You only needed to make one successful Climb roll, so you don't have to roll it again. Keep in mind that the western end of the ground floor consisted of a large glass front which was broken before the chapter started, so there is no footing to be had there and you would be visible during the last part of your descent. You can, however, climb down slightly to one side of this.)

Climbing down the tower-
Dawkins swung over the lip of the roof and her booted feet connected with the tower wall. She began walking carefully downwards. As she went, she saw the rotors of the helicopter slow down somewhat, though it was still idling. The pilot then opened his door and stepped out, placing a pistol on the deck. The shadows remained where they were. She reached the bottom of the fifth floor.

(Dawkins, roll Listen at 1/8 skill again. As before, you'll need a 3 or less to succeed.)

Over the fire alarm and her deafness, Dawkins was only able to hear the crashing of her heart as she steadied herself for what lay ahead.

Thinking through the situation below, Dawkins formulates a plan. She holsters her pistol and pull a grenade from her belt, making sure the pin is still in the grenade.

Climbing down the tower-
Dawkins knew that without a gun in her hand, she was even more vulnerable. If Gardner saw or heard her climbing down, he'd get off the first shot and she might not survive to carry out her plan - though if she was hit she would probably drop the grenade inadvertantly. She reached the bottom of the fourth floor. Nobody else had moved, and the shadows remained precisely where they had been.

(Dawkins, roll Listen at 1/8 skill again.

Also, a second Climb roll will be required soon, but not yet. After looking at the rules for Climb, I saw that you'll need to make a roll every 10-30 feet. In this case, I'll call it 30 feet since conditions are good, so you'll need to roll again when you're halfway down.)

Dawkins continues to quietly andcarefully walk down the wall. The ringing in her ears preventing her from hearing much.

(With that Climb success, you can get the rest of the way without making any more Climb rolls.)

Climbing down the tower-
Dawkins saw Bob gesturing and arguing as she walked down the tower wall to the third floor, but she could not make out any words or see with whom he was arguing. She was now only two floors above ground level. Suddenly, Bob got a third, red eye in his forehead and he fell, all seemingly without a sound.

The helicopter's passengers opened their doors and climbed out. The two female scientists got out on one side, and Lucy Armstrong and Dr. Bernard Smith emerged on the other. Lucy gently put down an M-16, and Dr. Smith placed a handgun next to it. The blonde scientist in the white lab coat handed a laptop to the female doctor and put her Grease gun down. The lady doctor knelt over Bob and checked his pulse, then looked at the blonde sadly. Lucy began to shudder.

(Dawkins, you may roll Listen at 1/8 skill again.)

Dawkins stops and watches in horror as Gardner kills the big state trooper. She knows now that she has to protect the pilot or everyone is FUBAR. Rage wells inside her causing her to focus on the task at hand. She hears nothing.
She focus on the doorway below, but see's nothing.

(OOC: Am I within range to swing through the door in one swoop? Also, is Gardner doing all of this from within the tower?)

'Now or never, Simone' Dawkins thinks as she readies herself. She throws the grenade in her hand towards the doorway of the tower. The pin of the grenade is IN, however, she hopes Gardner will spend more time ducking for cover when he sees the grenade, than looking for the pin. Her throw does not exactly where she had hoped. (OOC: Are there throw scatter rules I should use for a miss? Waiting to see where the gredade lands per your description before completing the rest of her action.)

(When you miss with a grenade or other thrown object, I decide where it lands based upon how badly you missed. In this case, you actually missed by 16 since your armor also gives you a -10% penalty to Throw. For the rest of your action, you may walk stay where you are, quickly rappel down to the ground, or swing in through the door. You do not get to Dodge since the Throw roll counts as an attack.)

Climbing down the wall-
To her dismay, Dawkins saw the grenade bounce off of the wall not far from the open front of the tower. It hit the ground and rolled a short distance to the northwest.

Not sure if anyone saw the grenade, Dawkins draws her pistol and prepares to rappel though the door.

In the tower lobby-
Dawkins swung through the shattered tower doors as she drew her pistol. A few feet inside the entrance, Gardner stood with his M-16 pointing outside and smoke still coming from the barrel. In front of him were Erica and Kathryn, both of them with their arms bound behind their backs with duct tape and their mouths sealed with the same. Kathryn had blood on her blouse, but she did not appear to be injured.

Gardner instinctively opened up on Dawkins with a three round burst that was deadly accurate. All three bullets hit her: one in the right arm, one in the chest, and one in the gut. They cut through her body armor like it wasn't even there. She was dead before she hit the ground.

(Sorry, but it seems like Gardner keeps getting all the luck. Even if it had been a normal impale, the extra 2d8 from the first bullet would have killed her as well even with minimum damage and the reductions due to armor. Since you threw the grenade, you don't get to roll Dodge.)