Play@YSDC

Z-Day - 3:58 PM Mountain Time - Deep Mole Two
In the shaft room-
Sally sat upon the lift, her ears popping as it rose up the seemingly interminable shaft. Her body was still wracked with pain, though she was relieved to have a chance to rest at last. Still, she knew she wouldn't be able to relax for long. Above her, the underground facility below the PMS compound awaited, occupants unknown. Would she run into heavily armed skinheads, or zombies, or both? Below her, she knew the giant worm was still following. It had been hunting her ever since it had overturned the car and slaughtered her friends. If she hadn't rolled out of the vehicle before it struck, she would have died with them. Part of her couldn't help but wonder if she'd have been better off, but she was as determined as ever to survive. The cost was already high: she had lost her companions, had her leg broken by some bizarre creature's tentacle, had her body pushed to its limits and beyond, and had several brushes with death which she only escaped from by the narrowest of margins.

All was dark but for the light of Sally's flashlight. The only sounds were the hum of the rising lift, the pounding of her heart, and the hammering inside her head. But then she noticed a dim halo above her that grew brighter and larger as time passed. She was nearing the top, and there was light up there! It gave her hope that she could somehow make it out of all of this alive. After the ordeals she had already survived, she had no intention of dying now.

Finally, the lift reached the top of the shaft, stopping with a thump. The room looked just like the shaft room below the T-Bone. The door leading into the decontamination chamber was wide open, and the room beyond was well-lit but deserted. The room's only other feature was the lift mechanism itself. The steel rail upon which it had ridden reached up to the ceiling, operated by a series of cables and electrical lines. Cables and gears were attached to the ceiling above the elevator. A gear box had a switch that could send it up or down, identical to the ones on the elevator and just beyond it.

OOC,[b]Sally[/b], you are still suffering from the -10 skill penalty. The trip up the shaft took 5 minutes, and it takes a total of 30 minutes of uninterrupted rest (or 25 more) to remove the penalty. 15 minutes of uninterrupted rest (10 more) will reduce the penalty to -5. Walking into the decontamination chamber will count as interrupting the rest, which means you'd have to start over again if you wanted to rest again later. You may alternatively wait here until the penalty is reduced or eliminated. You know from the worm's earlier pursuit of you that it takes a long time to dig, so you can wait here until you recover without it catching up to you, but that will reduce the time remaining until it ultimately does. You still need to make your skill XP checks for the end of Chapter 3, which you can do in the new Chapter 4 OOC thread. The OOC thread in the Chapter 3 subforum contains the instructions; I believe they're on the next-to-last page.

With her pistol in her hand, Sally remains seated on the lift, resting while she can. Knowing the worm was digging feaverishly after her while she rested, she couldn't help but to grin when she thought of the looks on those skin head bastards faces when her terrible persuer broke into the middle of the compound.

In the shaft room-
Sally continued to wait and rest for as long as she dared. Nearly half an hour passed, and she knew the worm was beneath her and tunneling upwards all the while, but she remained undisturbed. Finally she felt she had recovered enough to continue.

OOC,[b]Sally[/b] no longer has any skill penalties, and she won't pick any up again unless she carries out more strenuous activities like hiking a mile or more on her broken leg. The time is now 4:23 PM, and she is free to act.

OOC: Can I attempt a Medicine roll or anything while she rests or will that interupt her rest? Can I attempt one now?

While taking a rest, Sally attempts to inspect her leg to see how much damage was done. Despite her best efforts, all she can tell is it's broken and it hurts. Badly.
After resting for a while, Sally begins to feel better. She's like to just lay her for ever and never have to confront the terrible world that awaits her, but she knows she must move on. She must keep going. All of the others would have died in vain is she were to just give up.
With a slight grunt of pain, Sally hauls herself up to the standing position and moves carefully to the decontamination chamber. She listens and looks around for any trouble as she approaches the decontamination chamber.

In the decontamination chamber-
Sally hobbled over to the decontamination chamber using one of her canes for support. She saw that it was indeed empty, and she heard nothing but the hum of machinery. The airlock-like room looked just like the one she had seen before leaving Deep Mole One. The door she passed through was open, but the one at the far end was sealed. This one also had showers and various gauges and meters, but there were no protective suits stored in this chamber, nor was there a Geiger counter. It felt roomier, but that was only because she had been with a large group of people in the other chamber. Now she was all too alone.

OOC: I thought I recalled there being a porthole type window in the decontamination chamber doors, correct?

OOC,I never described any, but both doors had been open in the other decontamination chamber, so there was no need to check at the time. [b]Sally[/b] is [url=http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/1877161/]in luck[/url], however.

In the decontamination chamber-
Sally did see a round glass window in the far airlock door. Peering through it, she could see the hall beyond. It stretched out into the distance. A short way down the hall there was a closed metal door in the left wall. Directly across from it, a skinhead sat in a folding chair cradling a shotgun in his lap. Fortunately, he appeared to be asleep at the moment. His head was lowered and his eyes were closed. Sally realized that she recognized him. He had been one of the skinheads who had attacked the T-Bone that morning. Beyond the door and the skinhead, the hall continued. Far down the hall were two large windows and doors, one set on each side, like the ones that had led into the labs in the other facility, though she was much too far away to be able to see inside them. At the extreme end of the hall, a flight of stairs led up.

Seeing the Skin Head in the hallway make Sally cringe. At least he was asleep...but for how long? Gently, Sally tested the door handle on the decontamination chamber to see how easily and quietly it would turn.

In the decontamination chamber-
The handle did not turn, and the door refused to open.

OOC,[b]Sally[/b], roll Idea.

An idea comes to Sally as she tried to move the stuck handle.

In the decontamination chamber-
Sally had previously noted this chamber's resemblance to an airlock, and she recalled that normally you cannot open one airlock door while the other is still open, as the door leading back to the shaft room was. The doors in Deep Mole One had both been open when she had gone through the chamber there, but someone or something could have overridden the safety measures.

Realizing that the other door must be closed, Sally returned to the open door and started to slowly close it. She started slowly to test how much noise it made.

In the decontamination chamber-
Sally closed the inner door leading to the shaft room and it sealed automatically. Closing the door made little noise, but there was a clunk when it locked into place. That wouldn't be a problem if she simply opened the outer door and left it that way. When she went back to the outer door and looked through the porthole, she saw that the skinhead was still asleep. The doors were fairly thick, so the outer door had probably muffled the noise of the inner door locking.

Sally tested the handle on the outter door and atempted to open it again. She cringed at each and every noise it made.

In the decontamination chamber-
The door opened relatively silently. The skinhead made no sudden movements. His chest continued to rise and fall, and Sally could hear him snoring. So far he hadn't heard her. The corridor stretched in front of her beyond the door. If she left the door open, he would likely notice the fact if he later did wake up, but if she closed it behind her there was a chance he'd hear it and wake up now.

OOC,[b]Sally[/b], if you're going to move down the hallway, roll Sneak. The base skill is only 10%, but even if you fail there's still a good chance he won't hear you. If you decide to shut the outer door behind you first, don't roll Sneak yet.

OOC: Can she close it most of the way. Basically leaving it slightly ajar. Enough so that a glance in that direction and he may not notice, but not so much that the lock kicks in?

Sally pushes the door almost closed. She does not want the door to lock, but makes it so that a glance in this direction will appear that the door is still closed.
That done, Sally limps forward on her bad leg as quietly as she can.

In the lower lab hallway-
Sally carefully crept forward, but with each step she took her cane echoed off of the floor. She got to within a few feet of the skinhead, getting increasingly nervous, but he continued to snore in blissful ignorance. Now that she had reached him, she could see that in addition to the shotgun he gripped with both hands, he also had a Ruger P-85 9mm handgun in a holster on his belt, and a ring of keys dangled from the opposite side of his belt. He sat facing the metal door on the left side of the hallway. The large lab doors and windows were still further down the hall.

OOC,If you want to try to steal an item from the skinhead, roll Conceal. The base skill is 15%. If you fail, you may wake him up. If you try to take the shotgun and fail, you will definitely wake him up. Each item you try to take requires a separate roll, but if you try this we'll resolve the first one completely before moving on to the next. You may check out the door here or proceed further down the hall without having to roll anything.

OOC: Is there a window to the door he is guarding?

As she stands in front of the sleeping guard, Sally leans towards the door and listens intently for sounds from within.

In the lower lab hallway-
All was quiet except for the skinhead's snoring.

Hearing nothing inside from behind the guarded door, Sally decides it best to continue on down the hall as quietly as she can.

As she moves, Sally tucks her pistol into her waist band and covers it with her shirt.

In the lower lab hallway-
Sally continued to the far end of the hall, leaving the dozing skinhead behind. When she reached the large windows, she peeked inside into the labs beyond. The one on the left, where the geology lab had been in the other installation, was filled with various tubes, flasks, burners, and other apparatus that one might see in a chemistry lab. That lab looked to have seen recent use, but nobody was visible inside it. The lab on the right, where the biology lab had been, looked to have a similar function currently. It was being used as a medical lab, which was obvious to someone of Sally's background. That lab had tables with sheets spread upon them and an X-ray machine, and more importantly a skinhead was inside wearing surgical scrubs over his clothes. Fortunately he had his back to Sally, as he was busy leaning over the only occupied table. Another skinhead lay upon this table, his chest cavity wide open. He was clearly dead, and the skinhead in the lab seemed to be conducting an autopsy. He was so engrossed in his work that he completely failed to hear the sound of her cane thumping on the hard floor of the corridor - either that, or it didn't concern him. The doors to both labs were open, and the stairway beckoned at the end of the hall. It looked clear from here, but she wouldn't be able to tell what was upstairs without going up them.

OOC,[b]Sally[/b], roll Chemistry or Pharmacy to see if you can tell what the equipment in the chemistry lab is being used for. In this case you'll want to roll Pharmacy, since that's higher. There is no need to roll anything for moving on, unless you actually want to enter the medical lab, as neither skinhead has heard you.

As she scans the lab, but is unable to determine what the lab is being used for. Based on conversations she heard from others, she can only guess that this is where the Skin Heads make their meth.
Sally moves as quietly as she can to the stairs and slowly proceeds up them.

In the upper lab hallway-
Sally reached the top of the stairs without incident and found herself in another hallway. On the right side of the hall was a closed door, this one made of wood. The hall opened out into a wider chamber further ahead, but she couldn't see any detail from here. It looked clear, though.

Sally approached the wooded door and listened at the door.

In the upper lab hallway-
Sally apparoched the door and put her ear to it, but she heard nothing on the other side.

OOC,[b]Sally[/b], roll Sneak again.

Sally tried to be as quiet as possible.

Moved the handle on the wooden door ever so slightly to see if it was locked.

In the upper lab hallway-
The knob turned. The door was not locked.

Quietly and slowly, Sally turned the know and cracked the door open enough to peek inside the room. She held her breath with apprehension as she did so.

In the upper lab hallway-
Sally opened the door a crack and peeked inside. On the other side of the door was an office, with a desk directly across from it. Seated behind the desk was another skinhead, bigger and tougher than the ones she had seen downstairs. She recognized him too from the attack on the T-Bone. He was the one that Bo had shot in the chest with his shotgun. His vest had saved him from a more serious wound, and he had received some medical treatment since.

The skinhead saw Sally as well when she cracked open the door, and she realized at once she had made a mistake. He stood up slowly.

OOC,[b]Sally[/b], if you're going to take some action other than talking (fleeing, drawing your gun, etc.), then you'll need to roll 1d100 for your initiative. This is because both you and he have DEX 16. He got an 82, and low rolls are good, so if you get 81 or less you can go ahead and act. If you roll 83 or more, he gets to go first. If you roll 82 exactly, you'll need to roll off, so in that case you'll roll another 1d100 and I'll roll a second time for the skinhead.

Startled, Sally opens the door fully and gets into a ready stance and says in a stern, commanding voice: "Say something! Say anything so I know you're not infected! So I know you're not one of those fuckers out there."

In the upper lab hallway-
"Easy there, honey," said the tall skinhead, holding his hands out to show her he meant her no harm. "There aren't any of those things in here. Up on the surface, yeah, but not down here. You're perfectly safe." He looked at her legs. "Standing on that can't be good. You'd better come inside and have a seat." He motioned to a chair on the opposite side of the desk from him, between it and the door. "While you're at it, you can tell me what your name is and how you got in here."

Sally visibly relaxed at the mans demeanor. "Thank god, it's safe here. I knew it would be. That's why I ricked my ass to get here. It's be safe here and that I'd be in good company." Sally moved to the chair but did not sit. Instead, she leaned heavily on the chair. Motioning to her leg: "I'd sit, but she kinks up if I sit too long. Say, you got a cigarette?"

Sally waits for a response before continuing.

In the office-
"I sure do," said the skinhead. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. He took one out of the box, walked around the desk, and handed it to Sally. She could see that he had an M-16 with an attached grenade launcher strapped to his back, as well as a Ruger P-85 and grenades hanging from his belt. "So, who are you and how did you get here? And how did your leg get broke?" He pulled out a lighter and ignited the flame, holding it out for her to light the cigarette.

Sally leaned forward, light the cigarette and took a long drag off it. She savored it for a moment that exhaled: "Why I quit these things, I will never know. God they're good." She put the cigarette between her lips and extended her hand towards the man: " Sally is my name. I escaped from those nigger lovers at the diner through the tunnels that connect these places. I was hoping to leave with you all when came to the diner initially, but that bomb went off and screwed things up. Anyway, I got injured trying to make my escape. Some fucking slime monster in the lab under the diner crushed my leg. I'm sorry about the men lost at the diner. I tried to save the one that the darkie clubbed, but there was nothing I could do for him. He seemed like a good man."

The thought of using such terrible words sickened Sally, but this was survival.

In the office-
The skinhead took Sally's hand, then kissed it lightly. "That was our leader, Horst," he said, a hint of sadness in his voice. "Man, I didn't think anything could kill him, and then some coon comes along and whacks him upside the head. It just ain't right. Then that chink at the motel took out Buzz, and that pig gave me a chest full of buckshot. It's a real pleasure to meet you, Sally. Everyone calls me Mutt, and I'm the leader now that we've lost our two top guys. I remember seeing you up on the roof of the diner this morning, and I'm real glad you got out of there. There's certainly room here for a white woman who's got her head on straight, especially one as beautiful as you. A slime monster, you say? We oughta have Doc check you out, make sure it didn't infect you or anything. You must have gone past his lab on your way up from the tunnels. Why didn't he or Spike come up with you? Hell, you should be resting up in the medical lab, not traipsing around all over the place."

Sally finished her cigarette and put it out on the bottom of her shoe. "Pleasure to meet you, Mutt. I appreciate you compliments, but I didn't come here to be anyones hussie. I'm good shot with a pistol, I'm a highly trained nurse and I've got more fight in me all of those fuckers back at the diner. I'm here to work and fight with fellow comradres. As for Doc and Spike; Doc was too busy with his work to notice me and I didn't dare talk to Spike as he was so soundly asleep I figured I'd startle him and he'd pump me full of buckshot on accident. "
"I'd love to have Doc take a look at my leg, but what I'd really like is some chow before I take a rest. How about you give me a tour of the place so I know my way around this place and show me where I can get some chow?"

In the upper lab hallway-
Mutt looked Sally up and down and nodded. "Yeah, you sure do have more fight in you," he said. "I saw you popping heads at the diner, and making it all the way on that leg proves you're as tough as any of the guys. And you're a nurse too! Wait til Doc gets a load of you, he's gonna love you. Too bad for him I saw you first. So Spike fell asleep while on guard duty, huh? Discipline sure got shot to hell fast with Horst gone, but I'll get him back into line. No more cushy guard duty down here for him, that's for sure. Well, let's start the grand tour, then. Lean on me for support and I'll walk you back downstairs." He put an arm around her waist and led her back out into the hall. "We'll start with the medical lab, since that's where you'll be spending a lot of time. I'll introduce you to Doc, and he can check out your leg while we show you around. While I'm down there I can also give Spike a good chewing out. We've got grub here, but it's mostly MREs. None of my guys can cook worth a damn, though. Don't suppose you can cook too?"

As they walk, Sally moves away from his touch. "Take it easy, Mutt. I just got here and I'm not that kind of girl," she said. "So, Mutt, what's the deal here and above ground? What when down here?"

In the lower lab hallway-
"Just trying to be helpful," said Mutt as he walked downstairs alongside Sally. "This morning we got attacked by a swarm of those damn mosquitos. Everyone they stung turned into one of those things, and so did everyone they bit. We had to hole up down here for now, but we're reducing their numbers with hit and run raids. At the current rate I expect the entire compound will be swept clean at some point tonight. So, what happened back at the diner after we left?" They reached the bottom of the stairs and entered the lower hallway. Spike still sat snoozing in his chair. Mutt raised his voice. "Spike! On your feet!"

The skinhead jolted awake and snapped to attention. "I wasn't sleeping, Mutt, I was just resting my eyes-" he started.

"Can the crap, Spike! If you'd been awake you'd have noticed this lady going right past you. Not only did you fall asleep doing what should be a very easy job, but you compounded it by lying to me."

"I'm sorry, it won't happen again-"

"Damn right it won't! You think you can rest down here where it's nice and safe while the rest of our boys are fighting topside? You're on ghoul hunting and corpse disposal duty until further notice. Now get up top and send Nitro down to take your place. Tell him to bring down some food for the lady too, she's hungry." Spike lowered his head and trudged down the hallway toward the stairs.

The skinhead in surgical scrubs poked his head outside his lab. "Hey, Mutt, what's going on?" he asked with a Southern accent.

"Doc, I'd like you to meet Sally. She's a nurse, and she came all the way through those tunnels from the T-Bone to join up with us. She'll be helping you out in the lab as needed, but she's going to need some medical treatment herself. I take it you've noticed her leg?"

"Legs like that I'm not likely to miss." Doc walked up to Sally. "Charmed to meet you, Sally. The name's Nathan Hill, but the guys all call me Doc. You can call me Nathan. Hell, you can call me whatever you like. Well, enough of standing out in the hall jawing. I'll show you my lab, and I can check you out and X-Ray your leg."

Turning to Mutt, "While I get my leg checked out, do you think you could grab me a change of clothes? Fatigues and a pair of boots, size 7, if you can? By the way, what is ole Spike guarding over there? You don't have any of the infected down here, do you?"
With an ice cold stare right into Doc's eyes Sally said: "Take a good look at my feet while you're at it too, Doc, cause I'll be stomping them up your ass if you talk about me like that again." She smiled, then said, "Got it?" " Now that we have that out of the way, let's take a look at the lab you have here and see how I can help you."

In the lower lab hallway-
"Got it," said Doc with a grin.

"That door?" said Mutt. "That's an armory, but Spike was there more to guard the entrance from the tunnels. Don't want anything nasty coming up to bite us in the ass. Of everything that could have come up from there, you have to be the best case scenario." He called over his shoulder to Spike as he started upstairs. "Spike, tell Nitro to bring the lady some clothes! Size 7 if we've got 'em!"

Spike nodded and went on his way.

"I don't think we've got any guys quite that small," said Mutt, "so they might be a bit big on you, but we'll see what we can come up with."

"I've got some extra scrubs in the lab you're welcome to use if you want," said Doc. "Those clothes should probably be burned. I'm serious. Who knows what got on them down in those tunnels? I'd say you should take a shower too, but you ought to get off your feet. A bath would be better. We can fill a laundry tub for you. Well, come on into the lab."

In the medical lab-
Doc led Sally into the medical lab. The skinhead corpse was still on the table, and now that Sally was closer she could see two bullet holes in his head. "Yeah, I was just doing an autopsy on poor Fritz there," he said. "Couldn't tell much from it, but a fresh pair of eyes will really help. There will be time for that later, though. He's dead and he ain't going anywhere - those holes in his head made damn sure of that. You're alive and you come first. Here's the X-Ray machine." He showed her the huge machine, which looked to be about fifty years old. "This used to be some government lab, but they closed up shop and abandoned it before it ever saw use. They left this here. Guess they figured it would be less trouble to buy a new one than to haul this one out. They left a bunch of stuff down here. This thing still works just fine. Nitro keeps it in good shape. Just lie down on the table here." He picked up a lead apron hanging on a hook on the wall nearby. "Cover your chest and belly with this, but leave your legs exposed."

Sally enters the medical lab and surveys the area. She walks up to the body on the autopsy table and examines the body.

In the medical lab-
Sally hobbled over to the autopsy table and examined the body. Doc put the apron on the X-Ray machine's table and joined her, while Mutt returned from the lab across the hall carrying a large, oval-shaped aluminum laundry tub. Mutt brought it over to one of the showers in the lab that were the sort used in case of accidental exposure to hazardous chemicals or biological materials. He placed it on the ground beneath the nozzle and turned on the water, and the tub began to fill.

"All right," said Doc. "If you insist, we'll look at Fritz first. He originally turned about four hours ago, maybe five. He was plugged an hour back, a bit too close to the entrance for comfort. We've been burning most of the bodies, but maybe we can learn something from them, so we saved this one. See anything interesting?"

Sally was able to tell a lot about the dead skinhead just from examining him for a minute. There were bite marks on his arms and legs, apparently made by human teeth. Based on the rate of decay and how stiff the corpse had become, she estimated that the time of death was around noon. Stomach contents were barely digested at all, suggesting he had just had lunch not long before he died. The bullets in his brain were 5.56mm NATO rounds, but they weren't what had killed him. He had died from extreme blood loss due to a ruptured femoral artery in his right leg.

"Not much to glean from this one," Sally says while looking over Fritz. " Looks like he was attacked, then bled out and died and then had to be put down again. Pretty much what you said. Perhaps a more indepth examination will give us more information about the infection and even how to prevent it."
Turning from the table and walking towards the x-ray machine, says: "So, how many casualties were suffered here? How many of you were able to survive and make it down here?"

In the medical lab-
"Between the mosquitos and the ghouls they made here and the losses we suffered at the T-Bone, we've lost more than half of our guys," said Mutt, adjusting the water temperature. "Don't you worry, Sally, we've got enough left to finish retaking the compound and then hold it. How many survivors are left at the T-Bone and the motel, and what happened there after we left? You never said." He walked back to the lab door and stood there.

"So the dead really are being reanimated," said Doc, leading Sally over to the X-Ray machine. "I didn't want to believe it, but if you're right about him bleeding out when the ghouls were munching on him there's no other explanation."

"I told you, Doc. None of them touched Buzz, or even came near him. He was gunned down and got right back up a minute later. Damnedest thing I ever saw. If I hadn't seen it, I wouldn't have believed it myself. What's causing it?"

Doc shrugged, loading a photographic plate into the X-Ray machine. "Here, Sally, let me help you up onto the table. What happened to your leg?"

"She said it was a slime monster in the tunnels."

Doc whistled. "Hope nothing like that comes up here. You'll have to describe it fully for us."

Sally hops up onto the table and lays the lead apron over her upper body. She leans back on her hands, but does not lay down.
"My recollection may be a little foggy, but a whole mess of the folks at the diner were injured or killed when the bomb when off. A big ol' wave of infected attacked and after hearing that the complex under the diner connected with the you guys, I knew I had to make a break for it. Being amongst friendlies was the only way I was going to make it though this. So I headed underground and some of the otehr folks started following me. The rest got to the roof of the diner. Not sure what happened to them. Anyways, me and several others were making our way though the complext under the diner when this big pile of goo attacked us. You know, like the blob. It started grabbing people and eating them up. It went after me and broke my leg, but I was able to slip free. It must have killed half our group. The rest of us, about 5 in all, made it to the decompression chamber and locked ourselves in before heading down into the tunnels below. We walked for what seemed like ages before getting lost and ending up on the surface. Just as we were getting our bearings, we were attacked again by a big worm creature. I was able to dodge out of the way while it feasted on my tag alongs. I slipped back into the cave unnoticed and made my way through the tunnels to the lift that lead here. That's pretty much how I got here."

In the medical lab-
"I'm just glad you survived all that," said Doc, placing a pillow on the table and positioning Sally's broken left leg carefully on it. "We're all lucky you made it here. Seems like there's a lot of nasty stuff out there, and that makes guarding our back door more important than ever. Now let's have a look at that leg." He inspected it as he swiveled the X-Ray machine's tube over her calf. "Yup, it's broken all right. Luckily it's below the knee. You're young and healthy, so it should mend quickly. You did a good job setting the bone and putting on a splint, but we'll put a proper cast on it after you've had your bath and cleaned the wound." He walked behind a tall lead screen nearby, with a glass window at head height. "We'll take two exposures. Okay, Sally, hold still." He pressed a button behind the screen, and there was a buzzing sound for a fraction of a second. Then he returned and adjusted the tube, this time pointing it at the area around her knee, before replacing the plate and going back behind the screen and repeating the process.

Mutt looked out into the hallway toward the airlock. "Yeah, we better make sure that entrance stays secure," he said. "I was more concerned about people coming up that way, but these monsters could be real dangerous. That door's still open a crack. I'll go lock it." He walked down the corridor.

"You know, Doc, one door cannot be opened if the other is open. So if the inside door is open, the outside door cannot be opened. At least that is how the outside door works. If that's the case, leaving the inside one open may be help to secure the inside one. We can test it out, if you want."

In the hallway-
"Yeah, maybe," said Doc, "but you'd better stay off your feet as much as possible. It looks like you've put some wear and tear on your leg with all the walking you did to get here."

Mutt paused outside the window. "I'll check it!" he called back. "Leaving the outer door open will help keep people out, but monsters would be more likely to open a door by smashing through it. Still, we should be able to seal the outer door if the inner one starts to give. If one won't hold forever, the second won't either anyway." He headed away down the hall toward the decontamination chamber.

In the medical lab-
Doc took the X-Ray plates into a dark alcove sealed off with a curtain. After about thirty seconds he returned. He took off his surgical gloves and threw them in a trash can for medical waste, washed his hands in a sink against one wall, and then put on a fresh pair. "I was using that pair to examine Fritz," he said. "Don't want to be unsanitary when I look at your leg. Your X-Rays will be developed in about twenty minutes. Let me take off that splint and have a look at the wound itself while the tub's filling. Try to keep your leg still as much as possible."

"Yeah. I guess two sealed doors are better than one." Sally said as she tried to relax amongst these men who she truely despised.
While doc examined her leg, Sally looked around and tried to see if the layout of this bunker was the same as the one under the diner.
"If one those slime things from the other lab makes it way here, we'll need all the time we can get."

In the medical lab-
"Yeah, that's a good point," said Doc as he carefully removed the splint from Sally's leg. "Having both doors closed will give me enough time to get you to safety if something comes through, and it'll give us enough time to prepare our defenses." He whistled when he saw the injury. The skin around the break was badly bruised, and there was a slim line of discoloration on the flesh where the tentacle had torn through the leg of her pants. It looked black and burned around the edges, but it wasn't as bad as it had been right after it had happened. In fact, it had almost completely faded. "It looks a little burned, almost like an acid or other chemical burn. That slime must be corrosive."

Looking around, Sally did see that the layout of this place was identical to that of Deep Mole One, at least as far as she had seen. Just the contents of the rooms were different.

"The burm marks make sense now that I think of it. The thing grabbed people and ate them. It must have simply digested them with it's body and absorbed their nutrients." Sally grimmaced as she thought about it. Knowing she needed to get fixed up and ready to roll if the worm came back, Sally decided it best to hurry things along.
"Lets clean this wound real quick, then I'll get cleaned up in the bath before we fully bandage and cast my leg. What do you think?"

In the medical lab-
"I agree," said Doc, taking out some rubbing alcohol and a wipe, "that sounds like an excellent plan." He began to rub the alcohol gently on Sally's injured leg. It stung a little, but after the pain she had already endured it was as nothing.

Mutt returned to the lab's entrance. "I just checked, and the door on the far end wouldn't open while this one was open. I decided to leave the door on this side as it is for now. That'll keep anyone hostile from getting in, and if any of those creatures like you encountered try to smash through the far door one of us can dog the near one quick. When Nitro gets here he can take over guard duty. He may be a little while getting here, since we're pretty far down. If he's out on a ghoul hunt, it'll take even longer, but he should still get here before you're done."

Sally looked over to the tub, and looked to see if a curtain surrounded it for her bath.

In the medical lab-
The washtub was out in the open underneath the emergency shower. No curtain surrounded it, as it was meant to be used in the event of accidental exposure to hazardous materials. The tub itself was about a foot and a half high with no rim to speak of, and it was big enough that Sally could either sit or lean back comfortably in it. The water was filling it quickly, and it would be nearly full in a few minutes.

Doc finished washing and disinfecting Sally's wound and the area around it. The discoloration was now no longer even visible. "There, that's all taken care of," he said. "I'll prepare the materials for your cast while you're bathing."

"Doc, do you have any curtains or anything to put around the tub?" Sally asked, as she gingerly hopped off the table.

In the medical lab-
Doc took Sally by the arm and walked her over to the tub. "Curtains?" he said. "The only curtains in here are the darkroom curtains. The tub's too big to fit in there, and I can't remove the curtain without ruining the X-Rays." He pulled out a chair and helped her sit down on it. The tub was more than two-thirds full now. "I know, I can slide the lead screen over this way. It's on wheels. It'll block off this corner of the lab and give you a little privacy."

"That would be great, Doc." Sally said with a smile. "Could I get a towel or two as well?"
Once the screen was in place and the tub full, Sally began to disrobe. Making sure she wasn't being watched, she removed her pistol from her waist band and laid it within reach, on a table or the floor, then covered it with her shirt. She slid her pants off, wadded them up and discarded them. She slid into the tub with her undergarments on to make sure anyone who snuck a peek did not get too much of a thrill. Once submerged, she took off her panties and bra and gave them a quick scrub in the soapy water before wringing them out well and laying them to dry. The hot water and soap felt amazing and for a moment, she forgot about all the terrible that surrounded her.

OOC,Those actions will take more than one turn, but since you're the only PC in this section right now that's okay. I'll have to insert some stuff in between those actions, but it should all even out.

In the medical lab-
Doc smiled back as he crossed the lab and began to wheel the heavy lead screen over. "We haven't got any towels in here," he said, "but I can give you a couple of clean linen sheets that should work just as well." He slid the screen diagonally a short distance past the tub, leaving enough of a gap between it and the walls that someone could walk around on either side. There was still the glass window in the screen, but Sally was confident that anyone looking through wouldn't be able to see beneath the surface of the water. Doc checked the water level as the washtub continued to fill. "You might as well get undressed now. It'll be full by the time you're done." He saw her hesitation. "It's okay, you can take off your clothes in front of me. I'm a doctor, remember?" He paused. "I guess you're shy. That's all right, but you're going to need help getting in and out of the tub with your leg broken. You can't risk slipping, or you could make it worse. Tell you what. Why don't you take off your clothes while I'm getting the things for your bath, but you can leave your underwear on until I help you get in. Then you can take it off after I walk back around the screen."

Doc walked beyond the screen. Once he was gone, Sally removed her shoes and stripped off her blouse and what little remained of her slacks. She placed the gun between the wall and the tub and lay her top over it while just tossing her shorts on the floor out in the open. A minute later, Doc returned with two neatly folded white sheets, a sponge, a small washcloth, and a bar of soap, which he placed neatly beside the tub. It was now nearly full, so he shut off the shower to keep it from getting so high that the water would overflow once she was inside. "Don't worry, Sally," he said. "I'll be a perfect gentleman, and I'll try to refrain from mentioning how beautiful you are." He slipped one arm beneath her knees and supported her back with the other, then carefully lifted her off of the chair and eased her slowly into the bath in a sitting position. "I'll leave you to it, then. Call me if you need anything, or when you're ready to get out. I'll let you know when the X-Rays are done and when Nitro gets here with your food and clothes.

Doc then went back around the screen once more. Now that Sally had privacy and was in the water, she slipped out of her undergarments, washed them, and laid them out to dry next to the tub. The water was hot, but not too hot, and it soothed her aching muscles as it permeated her pores. It was exactly what she needed. She wished she could just stay there forever.

"So, Sally, why don't you tell me about yourself?" called Doc from the other side of the screen.

"Well, there is not much to say, actually. I'm a small town girl who wanted to get out and see the world. I saved up and went to nursing school and as soon as I graduated, I stared hopping around the country taking nursing jobs at various hospitals. After traveling for a bit, I decided that the small town life i was running from was actually what I loved most. You know how it is in big cities. All affirmative action and political correctness. Good old honest, small towns is where it's at. What about you?"

In the medical lab-
"I hear you," said Doc. "I'm from Atlanta myself, so I know what you mean about big cities. My family has always been one of proud Southerners, and my great-great-great-great-grandfather was Confederate General D. H. Hill. My life as a doctor was going rather well until the day I refused to treat a black man who didn't have insurance. He ended up dying that night, but nothing about his condition had seemed life-threatening. That probably wasn't even what killed him. If he'd been white nothing probably would have come of it, but his family got some fancy pants ACLU lawyer from New York named Goldberg and sued the hospital, claimed I violated his civil rights or some such. Eventually they settled and the hospital threw me under the bus. I lost my medical license, and that's when I started traveling myself. It's interesting how much we have in common, Sally. I've seen a lot of this great country of ours, but I couldn't find a state that would allow me to practice medicine legally. I was blackballed everywhere I went. I came to Nebraska because I thought I was finally going to catch a break and get a medical license, but they pulled the rug out from under me at the last second. I know it was because of what happened in Atlanta. I had hit bottom and was out of funds, and that's when I met Horst and Buzz. They made me an offer I couldn't refuse. They needed someone with medical skills, someone who could mix pharmaceuticals for them, someone who would treat a gunshot wound without asking questions. I needed to be a doctor again. I figured it would be like that movie with David Duchovny, you know. It's taken a lot of getting used to living here, but I think it was worth it. If I hadn't been here, I never would have gotten the chance to meet you."

"Whoah, whoah. Slow down there, Doc." Sally said. "If you weren't here, you would be out there and would probably be dead. I am another soldier in this army. Just like everyone else."
Sally was finished bathing and asked Doc: "So, do we have an ETA on those clothes?"

In the medical lab-
"Yeah, you're right," said Doc. "We'd both probably be dead if we weren't here. This is the only safe place for a long, long ways. Hey, Mutt, when are those clothes getting here?"

"I'll find out!" Mutt shouted back from the lab entrance. "Nitro, what's your twenty? Over?" He paused. "Nitro just entered from the surface. He should be down here with the clothes and food in another five or ten minutes."

"By then the X-Rays ought to be done too. I've got family back in Atlanta. I don't know how far this thing has spread, so I don't know what's happened to them. I had a girlfriend there too, but she up and left me after I lost my license. She ran off with my best friend and the dog - pretty much every country music cliche in the book. I'm better off without her anyway. You got anyone out there, Sally? Family, a boyfriend?"

Hearing the clothes are 10 min off, Sally decides to enjoy the bath while she can. "Well, I am not sure if they are out there anymore. I've got my parents and brother back in my home town, I can only hope they are okay. As for a boyfriend, well.... I travel too much for that."

Sally makes sure her pistol is within easy reach should things go bad.

In the medical lab-
By dangling her arm over the side of the washtub, Sally was able to ensure that she could snatch up her pistol at a moment's notice.

"I hope your family is all right too," said Doc. "At least in a small town they'll have a better chance. What's happening is a lot worse in big cities. Yet another strike against them. I know exactly where you're coming from since I'm a traveling man myself. I haven't had a steady girl since I left Atlanta. I all but gave up hope of ever finding someone, especially once everything started going to hell this morning. Now that you're here, though, maybe we both have a chance. Do you believe in destiny, Sally?"

"Doc, don't you think it's more than a little premature to start thinking about things like that? Survival is all we need to be thinking about. Making it through the next hour is about as far ahead as I'm thinking right now. Once I do that, I try and get though the next one alive. We are at end of times right now. Sure, we may be safe down there now, but there is more out there than the zombies. We've got flesh eating blobs and big ass worms that can burrow through stone. Chances are, one, if not both, will show up here too and when they do, we'll be right back to chaos and survival."

In the medical lab-
"They can burrow through stone?" asked Doc, alarmed. "Yeah, I guess you're right. I've been thinking we were safe here, but that's a good point. We do need to stay focused. Hopefully we'll both survive long enough to get to know each other. You saw the blob and the giant worm. What else can you tell us about them that could help us defend against them? How many of each did you see? What are their capabilities, and do you know of any weaknesses they have?"

"Well, I spent most of my time running, to be honest. Let's see.... the blob seemed to be hurt most by fire and acid and such. If you have any strong acid in the lab here or anywhere, you should probably get it ready and maybe even handed out to the men here in the event of an attack. As for the worm, I have no idead of any weakensses it may have. It was big and strong and could burrow through the stone rather quickly. I'd think that heavy weapons would be most effective against it."

In the medical lab-
"We've got some acid stored in the other lab," said Doc. "As for heavy weapons, we've got plenty of those. Explosives should be effective too. I hope those creatures don't come up here, but we'll need to be ready for them if they do. This is the first time I've ever heard of anything like them. They must have been living extremely deep underground all along, and have probably only showed themselves because of today's events. I wonder if there's some connection."

"I'll go get the good stuff out of the armory," called Mutt from the lab entrance. His footsteps walked away.

Sally relaxed a bit as he left the room, how the hell did you get yourself into this mess, Sally. More importantly, how the hell are you going to get youself out of it? she thought to herself.

Once Doc returned to the lab, "I am not sure if they are connected or not but there was some creazy shit going on in the caves under these complexes. Some real freaky shit. I am not sure that they were doing down there, but I think they were doing some very deep earth probing or something. When we were down there, we heard this terrible chanting that seemed to permiate the cavern. Really spooky shit, now that I think about it. At the time is was just unnerving as we were fleeing the walking dead and a blob monster, but now that I think about it, it was bad down there. Maybe they are all related"

OOC,[b]Doc[/b] hasn't gone anywhere. It was [b]Mutt[/b] who headed for the armory.

In the medical lab-
"Yeah, that makes as much sense as anything does," said Doc. "I wonder how far those tunnels go. We haven't actually explored them, and we didn't even know they connected to the T-Bone until Hammond told Horst. Do you know how far what's happening has spread? Heard anything about what's happening in the rest of the country, and the world?"

OOC : Sally was not there when the soldiers arrived, right? I don't think she knows much of what is going on all around.

" You know, I've been down here quite a while so I am not completely sure what is going on, but I do know that it appears this is happen all across the world. A real end of days, you know?"

In the medical lab-
"Yeah, that's what I thought," said Doc. "It's a good thing we're in a great position to survive. Better than most of the rest of the world, that's for certain. We've been prepared for the end of civilization for a long time, but we never imagined it would happen like this. We got hit hard, but we'll get through this - especially with your help, Sally. Meeting you gives me real hope for the future. Do you know of any other groups of people that are holding their own out there?"

" I think there was a group in Omaha that was holding out, but that was back when I was at the diner. One of the women there was a doctor or something and she was working on a cure for the infection. She had some data that she had to get back to a lab in Omaha and they were apparently still up and running and secure. Whether they still are now, though, is doubtfull."

In the medical lab-
"From what I hear, it's worst of all in big cities," said Doc. "I can't imagine anyone in Omaha holding out for long, let alone however long it would take to find a cure - if there is one. The only true cure is a rapid injection of lead directly into the brain. They take two and they don't call you in the morning."

Just then there was a mild tremor. Sally felt the washtub rattle slightly, and the surface of the water briefly sloshed back and forth. It was over as quickly as it had begun.

" Whoah! A little earthquake or something. Are those clothes about ready? I'm ready to hop out of here. If not, how about some scrubs?"

In the medical lab-
"Nitro should be here in just a few minutes," said Doc, walking around the lead screen and behind the tub. "By the time I help you out of the tub and you dry off and get the scrubs on, he'd probably be here anyway. We've been feeling tremors like that all day, but they never caused any damage. Here, I'll lift you up by the arms and set you down in the chair, Sally. Keep your leg still."

" I appreciate the offer, but I can get up on my own. I've been on this leg all day; 1 more min won't hurt. How about some scrubs until Nitro gets back?"

In the medical lab-
"It won't be easy for you to get out of there with a broken leg," said Doc. "I don't want you to injure yourself further, but if you're sure you can do it, go ahead. Don't be ashamed to call me if you need help. I'll go get the scrubs." He went back around the screen.

OOC,[b]Sally[/b], roll DEX x 3 to get out of the tub without help.

OOC: Can Sally stand up and put a towel around her without help?

OOC: Sorry, I forgot it was my turn.

With Doc turned away, Sally was able to stand up and wrap the bed sheet around herself. She waited patiently for the scrubs to arrive.

OOC,That's okay. Since you're currently the only PC in this section, it can move at your pace for now.

In the medical lab-
Sally balanced herself precariously by gripping the rim of the tub with one hand and standing on one foot, then snatched up a sheet with her free hand and wrapped it around herself. Once she had done so, she was able to hold the rim with both hands.

Doc came back around the screen carrying the scrubs. "Here, let me help you into the chair," he said. He put down the scrubs and helped her emerge from the tub and slid her into the seat. "I'll let you dry yourself off and get dressed. Your X-Rays should be done in another minute or so. I'll go check on them. Call if you need anything, Sally." He walked away again.

"I just rigged a satchel charge on the inner airlock door," called Mutt as he returned to the lab entrance. "If the door is opened or breached, it'll detonate. Then I sealed the outer door behind me to contain the explosion to that chamber. Nitro should be down here in a couple more minutes."

Sally dried herself off and slipped into the clean clothes. It felt great to be clean again. Sally went over to there she laid her pistol and retrieved it while the others were not looking. She tucked the pistol into her waistband and covered it with the tops to the scrubs.

Was Sally wearing a belt before? If so, she is going to put the belt on under the scrubs to hold the gun better.

OOC,Yes, [b]Sally[/b] has a belt.

In the medical lab-
Sally scrubbed herself dry with the sheets and wrung out her hair, then hobbled over to retrieve her gun and ammo, using her canes as crutches. She put on her underwear and belt first, tucking the gun into the belt and putting the magazines in the pockets of the scrubs, which she put on next. They were somewhat loose on her. When she was fully dressed, Doc returned with the X-Rays in hand, his brow creased in thought. "Sally," he said, worry on his face. "I don't quite know how to explain this. I guess you'd better see for yourself." He showed her the results. "The bone is broken cleanly, but that's not what troubles me. It looks like there's a kind of...growth...inside your leg." He showed her the X-Ray of her calf and pointed out a thin black line coiled around the bone, very difficult to discern. It stretched from the site where her leg had been struck upwards, and there were what looked like tiny tendrils branching off from it every so often. Then he showed her the other X-Ray. The line continued on its way past her knee and up into her thigh, beyond the edge of the exposure. "The strange thing is where the two X-Rays overlap. In the second one, the line seems to come to an end right near the border of the area covered by the first one. I think we'd better get an X-Ray of your thigh too and see just how far this thing goes."

OOC,[b]Sally[/b], roll Idea. Also, roll Conceal (base skill of 15%) to see how well you hid the gun.

"Hey, Mutt, I've got the clothes and food," called a German-accented voice from outside the lab. "So where's this gorgeous nurse? Can't wait to meet her!"

"In there," replied Mutt's voice.

Looking at the x-rays gave Sally an idea.
She nearly threw up in her mouth at the words exchanged between Nitro and Mutt. If it comes to a head, she is going to look forward to seeing these scum die. The weight of her concealed pistol reassured her somewhat. That black slime monster had deposited something in her. If she could not get rid of it, she planned to take as many of these fuckers with her as she could.

In the medical lab-
Sally's thoughts of killing and dying did not distract her from a potential solution to the problem at hand. The second X-Ray had covered some of the same area that the first one had, yet the foreign growth in her leg was no longer there by the time the second one had been taken. Could the X-Ray have destroyed that part of the growth that had been exposed to it? That might have been caused by the radiation. Then there was the fact that the growth only extended upwards from the site of her injury, not down toward her foot. It was as if it were trying to reach a specific part of her body rather than spreading out in all directions. Just thinking about this thing inside her was disturbing, but she still had hope she could do something about it. She hadn't come all this way and endured so much just to die now.

Doc continued to look at her with concern. "Are you experiencing any symptoms, Sally?" he asked. "Fever, chills, anything unusual?"

Sally felt weary more than anything else, and all of her muscles ached. But was that due to the ordeals she had suffered, or because of the contamination inside her? She did feel a twinge in her stomach, but she couldn't be sure that it wasn't due to this startling revelation rather than caused by the substance itself. Now that she thought about it, her forehead did seem a little warm. Was it just the power of suggestion, or something more?"

"Here, Nitro, I got you a LAW and a satchel charge out of the armory," came Mutt's voice. "Also some more grenades. That giant worm thing Sally survived might need some heavy firepower to bring down if it shows up here. Hey, Doc, can we come back? Is the lady decent?"

"Yeah, she's got some of my spare scrubs on," answered Doc.

Mutt came around the screen and joined him, followed by a shaven-headed man even bigger than he was who could only be Nitro. Mutt now had an M79 grenade launcher on his back and additional grenades on his belt. Nitro had a backpack and a LAW rocket on his back and an AK-74 over his shoulder, and he was carrying a pair of khaki shorts, a white tank top, a pair of boots, a utility belt with a holster, an MRE, and a can of Coors beer. His own belt had several grenades, as well as a Desert Eagle in his own holster. "You must be Sally," said Nitro as he put the things he had brought down. "Wow, Spike wasn't kidding when he said you were hot!"

"Easy there, big guy," said Doc, putting a hand on Nitro's arm. "Sally doesn't like guys being too forward with her, so give her some space. We'll give you some privacy now so you can change, Sally. After that I'd better give you a complete physical."

Mutt noticed the bulge on Sally's hip. "You do look nice in scrubs, Sally," he said, "but you'll find these clothes a lot more functional, and that belt holster will be much better for holding your piece. Come on, guys, let's give the lady a little breathing room like Doc said." He led Doc and Nitro around the screen and back into the main lab area.

Sally patted the pistol in her belt: "Yeah, that holster will come in handy for sure. I'd set this little guy down but she's the reason I am still alive. We've been through a whole lot today and I have a feeling, it's not over."

With the privacy the guys gave her, Sally slipped into the shorts and boots she was given. She pulled the tank top on, then pulled the scrubs top over the tank top for more coverage.

She then approached Doc and said, " You know, I think that thing is spreading, but it looks like the xrays maybe damaging or killing it. If you look at the two shots, you can see it is traveling upwards. I am going to guess that it is heading towards my heart, or more likeyly, my brain since all those infected require head shots to kill. Lets get back to the xray machine and take some more pictures and see if my hypothesis is correct."

In the medical lab-
"Yeah, that's a good idea," said Doc. "Let's get you back to the X-Ray machine." He walked Sally back and helped her up onto the table. "I've got the materials for your cast ready, too. Let me put that on your leg now." He wheeled over a cart with the plaster and bandages on it. "Got a preference for which body part we should X-Ray first? I'm thinking a chest X-Ray. If it's going for your heart, we'll see if it's anywhere near there, and if it's after your brain, it'll have to go through your chest to get there anyway." He began to apply the cast to her leg.

" Lets go ahead and start on my chest and see what is there. From there we can choose which way to go. "

In the medical lab-
"Sounds good to me," said Doc. He finished applying the cast, then placed a pillow under Sally's leg and another behind her head. "Lie back and keep your arms away from your sides. I'll cover your lower body with the apron." He laid the lead apron carefully over her abdomen and upper legs. "How long ago was your leg broken? Maybe we can measure the progress of the growth. I'm thinking of giving you antibiotics as a precaution, but I don't know if they'll work or not. Frankly, I've never seen anything like this. You have any allergies to any medications?" He felt Sally's forehead. "Your head does feel a little warm. I'd better take your temperature too." He took out a thermometer and placed it in her mouth, sliding it under her tongue. "We need to move the screen back into place now."

"I got it," said Nitro, wheeling the heavy screen back into its place.

"let's forget the apron" Sally said. "If the radiation kills it, let's not prevent any radiation from hitting me. "

In the medical lab-
"We don't know if radiation kills it or not," said Doc, "but if you're willing to take the risk, okay." He removed the apron and laid it aside, then loaded another plate into the X-Ray machine. He adjusted it so that the beam would hit Sally's chest. He took out the thermometer and read it before putting it away. "It's reading 100.1, so it looks like you are running a slight fever." Then he squeezed her hand. "Sally, don't be afraid. We're going to beat this thing - together." He walked around the screen that Nitro had pushed into position again. "Hold your breath until I tell you to release it." When Sally was ready, he activated the machine, and it buzzed briefly. "Okay, you can breathe again. You never said when your leg was broken."

Sally recalled that it had been a little past 12:30 PM.

Knowing it was now 12:30, Sally did the math back to when she was attacked to determine how quickly the 'thing' seemed to be spreading. She let out her breath and said: "Antibiotics are not a bad idea seeing how that wound was exposed for a while. I feel fine but I'm not surprised I have a feaver seek g how it appears I have something foreign in my body that it's trying to fight off. "

OOC,It was past 12:30 when the monster broke [b]Sally[/b]'s leg. Currently it's almost 5:00, as [b]Sally[/b] can tell by looking at her watch.

In the medical lab-
"I'll go get you some, then," said Doc. "Let me start developing the X-Ray first." He removed the plate and returned to the darkroom. Nitro went back into the hall just outside the lab entrance and took up his post, standing guard and watching the airlock door. Mutt walked over to just inside the door.

OOC,[b]Sally[/b], roll Listen.

Try as she might, Sally was not able to hear what was said

In the medical lab-
Doc emerged from the darkroom and handed Sally the MRE and the can of beer. "You can sit up now," he said. "You might want to chow down while we wait for the X-Ray to develop. We don't know what this foreign substance is, so I'm not sure which antibiotic would be best. Let's try penicillin to start with. I'll go get it; it's in the pharmaceutical lab across the hall. You'll take two pills to start with and then one per day until they're gone. Don't stop taking them before that, even if this stuff clears up. The last thing we want is for it to come back. I'll be right back." Doc walked out of the lab and into the one on the other side of the hall.

After Doc left the room, Sally got up and tested the new cast she was fitted with. She wanted to see how standing felt in the event she needed to flee for one reason or another. She also scanned the lab for a scalpel of other insturment she could grab quickly and hide on herself. She wanted to have another weapon on herself that the others did not know about.

Sally scanned the area

In the medical lab-
Sally examined the tray, but there were no scalpels, hypodermics, or other sharp objects upon it. She looked around the lab as she limped around, but so far she had found no weapons lying about. Before she could continue her search, Doc returned with a small, unlabeled pill bottle. "Here you go, Sally," he said, handing it to her. "Good to see you on your feet - well, foot. You can down the first two with that beer, or I can get you some water instead if you prefer."

Suddenly, there was another tremor, stronger than the one that had hit earlier. Sally recalled with horror that the tremors were only this intense when the giant worm was breaking through the earth and rock. Sure enough, she could hear the sound of rock being smashed in the distance, coming from beyond the airlock door.

"Doc, get Sally upstairs!" barked Mutt, bringing up his M-16, stepping into the hall, and facing the airlock. Nitro stood beside him, his own weapon pointed at the door.

Sally clutched the pain pills tightly and, with of look of panic on her face, began to hustle off with Doc upstairs. Silently, she hoped that worm killed all of these bastards. Each and eveyone of them.

OOC,They're antibiotics, not pain pills.

In the medical lab-
"Hurry!" said Doc, grasping Sally's arm and pulling her out the door and into the hall.

In the lower lab hallway-
Doc and Sally passed behind Mutt and Nitro. "It'll be faster if I carry you," he said. He tried to lift her, but he simply wasn't strong enough. As they hurried toward the stairs leading up, there was a terrible sound of metal being crushed coming from beyond the outer airlock door, though that door was not damaged.

Sally was sure to take in her surroundings as she hurried through the underground bunker. She paid attention to the number of men present and the layout of the bunker.

In the upper lab hallway-
Doc helped Sally upstairs quickly, as more noises came from below. She had seen this hallway before. The door on the right led to Mutt's office, and the hallway continued straight ahead. "Hang in there, Sally," he said. "We're going to make it through this."

" I hope we do," Sally said. "Lets keep moving. What is the status of the surface? Are there vehicles here if we need them?"

In the upper lab hallway-
"There are still some of those ghouls up top," said Doc as he led Sally onwards. "Some of the other guys are sweeping the compound and hunting them down. We do have vehicles up top if we need them, but I'm hoping we don't." They proceeded down the hallway.

In the living quarters-
The hallway passed through a living quarters area much like the one under the T-Bone in Deep Mole One. There were eight cubicle-like rooms, four on each side. However, these rooms showed no signs of having been lived in. They did have those coffin-shaped capsules, as well as desks, chairs and bookshelves, all empty. The hall ahead led into a meeting room, which also looked deserted. From behind Doc and Sally there came a loud thump, followed by a massive explosion! The hall shook, but they were otherwise unaffected. There was a hideous, inhuman screech from well behind and below them, followed by silence.

"That must have been the satchel charge Mutt rigged." Sally paused, listening. "It sounds like if killed the beast. We should go and check on Mutt and Nitro. They could use our help if injured. "

In the living quarters-
"Yeah, you're right," said Doc. He escorted Sally back the way they had come.

In the upper lab hallway-
As Doc and Sally headed back down the hallway, Mutt came up the stairs from below with a huge grin on his face. "You and Nitro okay?" asked Doc.

"We're great," said Mutt. "That satchel charge worked like a charm. It was that giant worm thing that Sally told us about, trying to break in through the airlock. Its carcass is now blocking the airlock entrance, so at least nothing else can get in that way. The outer door got blown clean off its hinges too, but there's no damage to the armory or the labs. The blast was contained. We'll have to be on alert in case any more of them show up, since they can burrow through stone and could still potentially get inside. Sally, I can't thank you enough for the heads up. If you hadn't warned us, we'd have been caught with our pants down. Come on, let's get back down to the medical lab."

"No thanks needed," Sally said. "Like I said, this is no time to fuck around. It's end of days and the only way we, or anyone for that matther, will survive is to work together."
Sally followed doc back down to the medical lab and saddled up to the food they had brought her.
[Spoiler-Button] Was the MRE they brought her opened? [/Spoiler-Button]

OOC,No, the MRE is still sealed. The beer can hasn't been opened either. You're not quite back to the lab yet, but you can enter it now. There are events happening in the other thread, and I need to keep them in sync now that there's a second PC in Sword.

In the upper lab hallway-
"Well, I'm still impressed, Sally," said Doc. "I could kiss you, but then you'd shove your foot up my ass, and I don't want you to injure your leg again." He and Mutt led her back downstairs.

In the lower lab hallway-
The first thing Sally noticed when she returned downstairs was that the outer airlock door had been blown off of its hinges and several feet down the hall. In the decontamination chamber, she could see that the inner door had been smashed to pieces as well as blown up, and the enormous body of the giant worm blocked the way to the shaft room. Even if she wanted to go back down there, it wouldn't be possible. The corpse had to weigh several hundred pounds. Nitro stood guard outside the lab, staring at the dead monster.

"I grabbed a couple of Claymores when I was in the armory," said Mutt. "It doesn't pack quite the same punch as a satchel charge, but it's still pretty deadly, and the explosion won't blow back down the hall. Now that the doors have been breached, any detonation wouldn't be contained. I'll go plant one at the other end of the hall, just in case."

"That's right!" Sally said to Doc. "Besides, who's to say I would take advantage of this cast and put it up your ass?" Sally said with a light chuckle.
After she entered the lab, Sally went up to the MRE and beer and opened up both. She took a long pull off the beer; "Ahh. Now that tastes good." As she started on the MRE, she looked to Mutt and said: " Say, Mutt, do you mind if I poke around in the armory and look for a piece to accompany this baby?" she patted her pistol to punctuate the sentance. "At the very least I could use a few spare clips and ammo."

In the lower lab hallway-
"You should get some rest and chow down," Mutt told Sally as Doc led her into the medical lab. "I'll go get you another .45 and some extra mags from the armory. We've got some in there." He proceeded down the hall. First he took out a Claymore and positioned it in the blasted-open doorway to the decontamination chamber, which had been thoroughly ruined by the explosion. It took him a while, but eventually he armed and readied it. Then he unlocked the armory and went inside.

In the medical lab-
Doc helped Sally over to a cot and sat her down on it. "I'll bring you your grub," he said. "Just take a load off." He brought her the MRE and the beer. Her stomach rumbled. She hadn't eaten lunch. How long had it been since she'd had any food or drink at all? Hungrily, she tore open the packaging, popped the tab on the beer, and began to greedily devour them. "Don't forget to take those first two penicillin pills. Oh, and your X-Ray should be ready in another ten minutes or so."

"Thanks, Doc" Sally said as she picked up the antibiotics. She rolled them over in her palm and inspected the rumbers tamped into the pills to make sure they were in fact antibiotics and not something else.

Sally is easily albe to determin which kind of pills she had in her hand.

In the medical lab-
Sally could tell by the numbers on the pills that they were, in fact, penicillin.

Sure that she was not being drugged, Sally downed the pills with a swig of beer and continued to eat the MRE.

In the medical lab-
"Any time, Sally," said Doc. "Hold onto the rest of the pills. You'll take the next one tomorrow evening. Man, that worm monster is something else, huh? I've never seen anything like it before. I wonder what makes it tick. Maybe we can examine it later."

In the lower lab hallway-
Mutt emerged from the armory and locked its door behind him.

" I think I've had enough of those worms for a long ass time, Doc, but I could assist you, I suppose. Any update on those xrays?"

In the medical lab-
"Should be about another seven minutes," said Doc, glancing at his watch. "I'll go check on them now." He returned to the darkroom while Sally continued her meal. As she did, she saw Mutt walking back up the hallway on his way back from the armory through the large window.

OOC: can Sally look around for a scalpel again?

Sally scanned the room again for a scalpel, however, she was not able to spot one.

In the medical lab-
Sally still could not find any scalpels during her search of the lab. Mutt entered, holding a fully loaded Colt M1911A1 .45 automatic in a holster that could be clipped onto her belt and an additional 9 magazines for it. "Here ya go, Sally," he said, holding them out to her.

"Thanks, Mutt" Sally said, putting down her MRE and taking the pistol and ammo. "Hopefully I won't be needing it, but you never know" she said with a smile."
Sally stood up and clipped the pistol to her belt and tucked away the extra magazines. "Well guys, I am nourished, casted and ready to go. What can I do to get to work and help out around here?"

OOC,You've been eating for less than ten minutes. Even as hungry as you were, you haven't actually finished your meal yet. If you examine [b]Fritz[/b]'s body some more, you don't need to roll Medicine again. You already rolled when you first looked at it, and that roll was also a critical success.

In the medical lab-
Sally clipped the holster onto her belt, and now she had a .45 on each hip. She placed the magazines into her utility belt's pouches and her pockets.

"You're very welcome, Sally," said Mutt. "If you like, I can show you around the place. You can finish eating while we walk and talk. I'm sure Doc has a bunch of stuff that needs doing too."

Doc emerged from the darkroom. "It'll be another five minutes before the X-Ray is done," he said. "You can give the corpse here a longer look if you like, but I'd recommend not eating while conducting an autopsy. We can also go take a look at that dead monster in the airlock, but again you might want to finish your meal first."

"I'll go ahead and take the tour while I finish my chow, then we can take a look at that dead worm in the airlock." Turning to Mutt: "I'm ready when you are"

In the medical lab-
"Okay, let's go now," said Mutt. "We'll start in the pharmaceutical lab across the hall. Doc, you should come along too. You know more about it than I do."

Doc nodded and went with Sally and Mutt out the door and into the other lab.

In the pharmaceutical lab-
The lab tables were taken up by all sorts of apparatus: distelleries, burners, centrifuges, tubes, and more. A large refrigerator dating back to the 1960's stood at the back of the room, and shelves contained old scientific equipment and instruments which were covered with dust. There were also multiple fire extinguishers placed throughout the lab. "This is where I cook up the medicine we need," said Doc. "Some things, like the penicillin you've got, we obtained from outside, but I make a lot of what we use right here. You have to be careful in this room. A lot of the chemicals are volatile, and some are highly flammable as well. Absolutely no smoking anywhere near this lab. You have any pharmacological training, Sally?"

"I've got some training from nursing school, but nothing extensive, you know. Mainly enough to be able to administer drugs and know their effects. " Sally said as she examined the room. Sally had heard rumors of the skinheads cooking meth down here and she suspected that this as where they were cooking it. She thought that she'd have to make a note regarding the volitility of this room. Okay, where to next?"

In the pharmaceutical lab-
"Back to the hall, and then upstairs," said Mutt leading Sally and Doc back. "You already know about everything that's down here."

In the lower lab hallway-
"I'll take it from here, Doc," said Mutt. "You should get on back to the lab and finish up with that X-Ray."

Doc nodded. "It should only be a few more minutes, Sally," he said. "If you want to stick around until it's done, you'd be welcome to. Otherwise I'll try to catch up to you."

"I might as well finish the tour before we get started with what ever is in me"

In the lower lab hallway-
"All right," said Doc. "I'll go finish developing the X-Ray, then." He returned to the medical lab, while Mutt guided Sally upstairs. Nitro remained at his post, standing guard.

In the upper lab hallway-
Mutt and Sally emerged in the upper hallway again. The door to Mutt's office was on the right, and the hallway continued straight ahead. "You've already seen my office," said Mutt, indicating the door. "My living quarters are in there too. Of course, they weren't mine until today, when we lost both Horst and Buzz. Let's keep going." He motioned to the hallway ahead.

"Good men, both of them" Salky said as they passed the office. "When we fled the worm earlier I think I saw some other quarters up here, correct?"

In the upper lab hallway-
"Yeah," said Mutt as he led Sally onwards. "There are more living quarters through here."

In the living quarters-
Sally saw the same eight cubicle-like rooms in this section of hallway, and the meeting room she had seen before was visible at the far end. "The one in my office is a lot like these, but bigger and better," said Mutt. "The guys don't actually use these chambers, they sleep in the barracks upstairs. We-"

The crackle of his radio interrupted him, and a man with a voice similar to Mutt's spoke: "Hitch, what was that shot?" There was a pause for about a second. "Hitch?! Guys, we've got a shot fired and Hitch ain't responding."

"Check it out, Jeff," answered Mutt. "I'm on my way up." He released the talk button. "Sally, get yourself back to the medical lab. I don't know what's going on, but I'll let you know when it's safe." He ran toward the meeting room.

"Is something going on in here or outside? Should I warn anybody else?" Sally asked with concern in her voice.

In the living quarters-
"Sounds like inside," called Mutt as he ran off. "Nitro already heard it on his radio, but you can fill Doc in if he hasn't already."

"is there an extra radio for us so we can listen in and prepare if needed?" Sally hollared to Mutt as he ran off.

In the living quarters-
"No, the extra radios are all upstairs!" called Mutt as he disappeared into the meeting room. "Just stay near Nitro, he's got one!"

With that, Sally hustled back down to the medical lab.

In the upper lab hallway-
Sally made her way back into the upper lab hallway while Mutt raced through the meeting room. The stairs leading back down to the labs were ahead of her.

OOC,This is as far as you could get in the previous round. Next round you'll make it down the stairs to the lower hallway.

OOC: Okay. Let me know when I get there.

In the lower lab hallway-
Sally made her way carefully down the stairs to the hall where Nitro stood guard. Through the medical lab's window, she could see Doc emerge from the darkroom with the X-Ray in his hand. He examined it intently, then looked up and saw her. He waved her over with a smile on his face.

As she moved over to the medical lab she spoke to Nitro: "Nitro, Mutt sent me down here due to a disturbance somewhere in the complex, do you know what is going on? Has he updated you on the situation?"
Takingin Nitro's response as she moved, she stood in the door of the medical lab: "What's the smile for? Good news?" she asked Doc.

In the lower lab hallway-
"Yes, very good news," said Doc, emerging into the hall. "Your X-Ray came back totally clean. Not a trace of any foreign organisms anywhere in your chest area. Aside from a couple of bruised ribs, it looks perfect. You've got the best chest I've ever seen, Sally."

"I don't know what's going on," said Nitro. "I haven't heard anything yet-"

He was interrupted by Jeff speaking on the radio: "That slant broad somehow got loose and shot Hitch, but I punched her ticket. I'll make sure she stays down too. Hitch is alive, but only barely. The area is secure."

"Thanks, Jeff," replied Mutt. "Nitro, send Doc and Sally up pronto. I'm on my way up right now."

"Well, you heard the man," said Doc. "Let's go."

" Lead the way," Sally said and followed Doc.
Her mind reeled at the implications of what her had overheard on the radio: 'Slant broad. Slant broad' she repeated over and over in her mind. Sally nearly vomited at what was surely the rape den she had had described to her. She could not, and would not allow this to continue. Sally was determined to give these skum bags what they deserved. But how?

In the lower lab hallway-
"Hold down the fort, Nitro," said Doc. "We'll be back with Hitch as soon as we can." He helped Sally up the stairs.

In the upper lab hallway-
Doc led Sally down the hall and toward the meeting room. "Dammit, we can't lose Hitch too," he said. "He may be a bastard, but he's our bastard."

"We'll have to be careful. We don't want him getting back up if we do lose him. Let's go!"
After Doc started off, Sally said: "Hang on, let me grab us some gloves. I'll be right back." Sally turned and ran back to the medical lab and looked for a box of latex gloves. She also looked around for a scalpel or any other implement she could grab really fast and hide on herself.

In the upper lab hallway-
"Don't worry, Sally, I've got extra gloves in my medical kit," said Doc before she could turn back. "We can't take the time to go back to the lab now, anyway; Hitch needs our help now! If he does go, yeah, we'll have to back off and let Mutt finish him. Come on, let's keep moving."

Sally hesitates for a brief moment, then follows Doc as quickly as she can.

In the living quarters-
Doc and Sally hurried along down the hall and past the living quarters. "Well, at least you'll finally get to see more of this place," he told her, "though this will be a bit more rushed than the guided tour you were going to have."

"Lead on" she said. Her mind raced through a thousand scenarios. She had to help these girls, but how?

In the meeting room-
Sally followed Doc into the meeting room. Like the one in Deep Mole One, it had a large conference table surrounded by chairs. Unlike the other meeting room, this one was kept in pristine condition. There was an alcove off to the right, and she remembered that there had been a small kitchen area in this room's counterpart in the other facility. However, their course took them past it and toward the exit at the far end of the room.

"The elevator's this way," said Doc.

OOC,[b]Sally[/b], roll Idea.

An idea comes to Sally as she follows Doc

In the lower hatch chamber-
Sally's mind raced as she followed Doc into the room beyond the meeting room. It was also identical to the one in Deep Mole One, but without the graffiti or the list of employees. Writing did say "Welcome to Deep Mole Two" on the tiles near the elevator. A shaft with a ladder on one side ascended to an upper level. Sally knew that brute force would never work against these guys, and she'd have to be subtle about how she went about her plans. She was badly outnumbered and outgunned, and she had a broken leg. If she blew her cover, they could kill her - or take her alive and add her to their harem. In a way, she regretted having given them the information they had needed to know that the worm was coming and to figure out a way destroy it. It would have made an ideal distraction had it lived, but if it had killed all of the skinheads she would have been hard-pressed to escape. Then she recalled how divisions had nearly doomed everyone at the T-Bone. Perhaps there was a way to use that as a weapon, to turn the skinheads against each other.

Doc got onto the elevator and held out his hand to Sally. She now saw him not just as a hated enemy and potential obstacle, but also as a possible tool to be manipulated. She had an opportunity to talk to him alone now, without the others present. But how could she use him? How much could she open up to him without running a terrible risk?

OOC,[b]Sally[/b], roll Psychology.

As Sally had some time to think, she recalled some of her psycology training from school.

"You know, Doc, you're alright. I'm glad you are down here with me" Sally said with a smile.

In the lower hatch chamber-
"Thanks, Sally," said Doc, helping her aboard the elevator. "I'm real glad y'all are here too. You're even better than all right." He pushed the switch that caused the elevator to rise. It was a much shorter trip than the elevator ride up from the tunnels had been, and soon they reached the top.

In the upper hatch chamber-
This room looked just like the hatch room in Deep Mole One. The hatch, which was open, had the same warning notice and window of bulletproof glass, and it also could be locked or unlocked from above - but not from below. Sally couldn't help thinking of the possibilities. If all or most of the skinheads were below at the same time, she might be able to seal them in - as long as nobody who was still above opened the hatch to let them out. Two metal doors led out from the chamber, one of them closed and the other open.

"That's the generator room," said Doc, indicating the closed door. Then he started for the open one. "This way leads into the rest of the facility. It was apparently designed to be a radar station originally. The lab appears to have been added later. Let's keep moving."

"Do you like it here, Doc? I mean, you seem different that the rest of the men down there. Umm... not different, but kinder. Nicer."

In the upper hatch chamber-
"Thanks, Sally," said Doc. "Yeah, I guess I am. Some of these guys are real rough around the edges, and a few can be downright bastards. I'm all right since I stay on their good sides and do my job well. I don't agree with everything they do here, but I suppose I'm not really cut out to be a leader. I don't have the military training that Mutt does, so I didn't push matters when he wanted command of this place after he returned without Horst, Buzz, or Flip."

In the control room-
Doc led Sally through the open door into a large room filled with dozens of workstations in cubicles. Each one had a desk with an uncomfortable chair and a powered-down radar screen. "This was intended to be a radar station," he said. "At least, that's Hitch's best guess. They never finished it, so none of this stuff actually works. Don't know if it would any more anyhow; it's got to be near fifty years old by now." He pointed to an open doorway on the opposite side of the room. "This way, Sally. We'll be there soon."

"Okay, lead on," Sally said as she followed Doc. She liked the idea of locking the others down below, but she's have to be careful about it since they had explosives down there and may be able to blow the hatch if needed.
"Rough around the edges is an understatement, Doc. Some of those guys seem like real bastards. Not you, though. I don't know what I would do if you weren't here."

In the control room-
"Thanks, Sally," said Doc. "I try to be the voice of reason around here. Don't worry, I'm not going to let anything happen to you." He led her onward.

In the shower room-
The next room was a large area with many shower stalls, similar to the one she had seen in Deep Mole One. Another doorway led out of the other end of the room into a hallway. "These are the showers," said Doc. "The hall up ahead has a bunch of rooms originally intended for storage." He looked down at his feet before continuing. "They've been converted into small bedrooms. Horst has, uh, been keeping a stable of women here. I guess you gathered that from what you heard on the radio. I never touched those girls myself, though."

OOC,[b]Sally[/b], roll Listen.

Sally hoped her utter revulsion at what Doc had told her was outwardly apparent. The actions of Horst were utterly disgusting. She she ran with Doc, she tried to pick up any outward
sounds she could.
" A stable of women?" Sally questioned and looked at Doc a little saddened. "Doc, is that all women are to you too?"

In the shower room-
Sally could hear women's voices from ahead. A couple of them were talking in a foreign language, and a third voice hissed in accented English: "Shh! Someone is coming!" There were a few more whispered words from the first two voices, and then silence.

"No, of course not, Sally!" protested Doc. "I adore women, and you're the finest lady I've ever met. You mean the world to me. I never approved of what Horst was doing. Maybe things will change now that we're under new management." He led the way onwards.

In the corridor-
The corridor that Doc and Sally passed through had eight featureless metal doors, four on each side. It opened up into a room with a desk at the other end. "Hitch should be right through here," said Doc as he continued down the hall. Sally could hear people moving around in the room ahead, but she couldn't see them yet.

OOC,[b]Sally[/b], roll Know to identify the language and the accent.

Sally looked around and gently grabbed Doc's arm and pulled him to a stop. "Doc, I knew you would never condone anything like this. I just knew it. You're too gentle of a soul. I don't think things will change with Mutt at the helm. I've seen the way he looks at me. He looks me up and down like a piece of meat. Not like the way you look at me; kindly and lovingly." Sally stared into his eyes and leaned into him as she said the last sentence.

Sally did her best to place the accent.

In the corridor-
Sally recognized the language as Spanish, and the third woman's accent was Russian.

Doc put his arms comfortingly around Sally, gazing into her eyes. "I do love you, Sally," he said. "I thought I'd never find a woman who could make me feel the way you do." He kissed her quickly on the lips. "I wish we had more time to be alone together, but we have to help Hitch first. Mutt's probably with him in the next room. We'll talk more about this later, when we have some privacy." He took her arm and walked out of the corridor with her.

OOC,[b]Sally[/b], you're now moving to the following thread.

Medical Emergency