Outside (Johnny)

[aine]

"Thank God." The usually cocky pilot sounds worried and stressed. "Look Robert, there's an unknown man wandering around out here with a sniper rifle. Janet saw him but I wasn't sure at first. But he's broken into the helicopter and stolen the rifle from its locker. Is everyone else back at the station?"

[Dave Syrinx]

"Bloody hell!" says Robert. "Janet, Harrison, and Walther just came back inside, but I can't see how they could have slipped a rifle past us without someone noticing. Eric also spotted three people in red parkas outside. I'm not sure how they got here. McMurdo is planning to send a team, but they couldn't have gotten here already. I'm not sure if anyone else didn't come back yet besides you. Can you get back inside safely?", comes over the radio.

[aine]

"Feck." Johnny does not relish leaving the helicopter. "Robert, it wasn't any of our lot. It's someone else, and I don't know how the hell they got here. Over the ice from somewhere? I'm worried about the helicopter- sabotage would be a disaster."

[Dave Syrinx]

"I was worried about the chopper too," replies Robert. "We saw someone heading for it earlier, and they might have messed with it already. I don't know what we can do about it other than inspect it carefully before trying to lift off in it, but if there's a sniper out there..." All the while, Johnny tries to steal a glance out the door window to see if anyone is approaching.

Only white out there.

[aine]

Johnny considers checking the bird over now but then there is no way to protect her from further attacks. He depresses the send button, "Robert, do me a favour. I'm going to make a run for it back to the station. If I'm not banging on the door in three minutes then something's happened to me: send out the search parties will you?" He takes one last look around the cabin while he waits for Robert's reply.

OOC,I'm assuming two minutes is a sensible timing, edit otherwise.

[Dave Syrinx]

There is no reply over the coms. Just a rustling and whining noise.
Outside the snow is making it hard to make out the structures of the base. That grants it to be as difficult to use a rifle at any good rate.
Johnny is undecided whether to run or wait for a reply. Surely the message must have gone through?
Something more pressing might be tugging at the radio man.

Staying or going...testing the chopper...?

Sorry for the long wait. I guess it was brisk out there.

[Dave Syrinx]

"Ah ...right... careful," Comes between the noise.
It had gone through.

[aine]

There is no point in checking the chopper unless there is some way of protecting it from further harm. Johnny considers flying it somewhere but the snow is coming down fast and it would be suicide without a weather report. He turns off the power, opens the door, climbs out and locks the door behind him. He reorientates himself and then walks quickly in the direction of the station, scanning his surroundings all the time.

Spot hidden,[url=http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3802207/]1d100=12, success[/url]

[Dave Syrinx]

The time is 16:59.

Outside-

South of the main building, Johnny starts his jog to reach the same door the trio is standing on. As he gets a bit closer he can clearly see the three figures on the landing. They wear red parkas, if they hadn´t Johnny wouldn´t have spotted them.
To the left of Johnny, hidden by blowing snow he hears the crack of a rifle being readied. Distance to the sound should be ten to fifteen meters. (30-45ft)

[aine]

Johnny stops. And curses silently. That helicopter rifle is his responsibility and someone is playing silly buggers with it. Or worse. He assumes that the guy with the rifle can see the red parkas and has just loaded a round to shoot at them. (If not them then who else? He's fairly sure he's hidden by the snow.) Johnny starts to pad quietly and quickly, curving around to the left of the sound to come up to it from behind, hoping that the marksman will be concentrating on his target long enough for Johnny to surprise him.

[Dave Syrinx]

Suddenly, Johnny realizes there are only two parkas on the landing. The third is coming at his position down the path, jogging. He´s brandishing a handgun. “Whose There?” he shouts. He swirls around at the direction of the rifle.

[aine]

At least the parkas have been alerted but that hand gun doesn't look too friendly and Johnny doesn't know if it's friend or foe. He decides to let the sniper and parka fight it out. He pads slowly backwards towards the storage barn, keeping the rifle-sound place between him and the descending parka and praying for continual snow.

[Dave Syrinx]

From his hiding place Johnny hears a shot go off. It is followed by the sound of an expertly performed reload. Then, a short sprint away from the location.

There´s no sound from the pistol wielding parka....

Snow is continuing to fall. Johnny estimates that both persons carrying guns are between himself and the main building. To cross the deep snow and get to the semi domes would be hard work but should keep him further away from the line of fire. He then could access an emergency trap door below the lab.
Alternatively he can try to hide inside the container he is hiding by. It is lockable from the inside...
There´s always the option to retreat.

The chopper will give him some cover and he has a way to communicate. Even staying behind the helicopter it will make some cover from the wind and snow.

[Roll 1d2 for cold exposure, please!]

[aine]

"This is crazy." Johnny mutters under his breath. His teeth are starting to chatter from the cold. (1d2=2) If the bullets don't kill him, the cold will. He starts to make his way towards the semi domes and warmth, loosely curving into the deeper snow to avoid the gunmen. His pace slows down as he high steps through the powder. It's strenuous work and keeps him warm but at a price; tiredness and sweat will cause problems if he stays outside.

[Dave Syrinx]

Johnny trudges on through the snow. Behind him, he hears two shots fired in rapid succession. Then the familiar sound of the station´s front door slamming shut. Now, only his heavy breathing fills his ears.
As he continues on he almost stumbles when there´s a set of deep holes in the snow moving diagonally from his trajectory. Towards the helicopter, from the semi domes.
The upside to this is that it will be easier to wade through the snow.

To the east of the area comes a howling from a dog. It must be a dog right? On a continent with only fish and penguins for wildlife he´s glad to not share the snowy ridges with Polar bears or wolves...

Twenty meters along the crude path lie the three semi domes. Behind them the C-130 the newcomers arrived in. Beacons of light shine through the white of the brewing storm.

[aine]

Johnny steps slowly into the deep holes and then follows them towards the semi domes. He's keen to get out of the snow; if he can't make it to the lab trap door, at least the semi domes will be sheltered. And there's the chance he might find one of the team there. Johnny is beginning to get a bit freaked out wandering around in the blizzard with two invisible gunmen and an unlikely dog. He remembers the whisky inside his coat and hurries on towards shelter. As he goes he tries to make out if there is anyone on the runway by the light festooned plane.

spot hidden,[url=http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3830225/]1d100=6[/url]

[Dave Syrinx]

From what he can see, the runway is void of any movement. As he scans the area surrounding him, three meters away from the row of semi domes, he feels suddenly alone. No gun fire. No shouts. No dog.

Remembering what Arthur had said and how he´d acted, Johnny starts to second guess the entire event that had been played out out here.
Maybe it´s just the mind playing a trick from being exposed to the cold?

[aine]

Johnny shakes his head, "I'm going crazy out here." He reaches the semi domes and tries to enter the first one. He'll lie low for a bit, try to get warm, have a drink and then try for the station again. He's aware his three minutes must be up but there's no way he's going to risk getting shot just yet - or bumping his head like Arthur. He wonders if Arthur might have been right after all.

[Dave Syrinx]

The doors to the warehouse semi dome open without trouble. An automatic light flickers on and illuminates rows of shelves. To the right side of the dome, a huge tank is located. Johnny shuts the door quickly behind him. From a speaker in the top of the ceiling, crackle as someone is readying a broadcast.

As in all the semi domes, this dome has a small first aid cabinet with band aids, alcohol vials and other necessities. The shelves in the ware house are organized by date the merchandize were received. Something Naumann insisted on. Essentially that makes it almost impossible for anyone but him to find anything fast. On the upside is that almost anything Johnny would need to fix something at the station or the vehicles, he could get it in here.

The respite from the elements feels welcome. Not that it´s a direct difference to the cold nerves in his face, it´s more a psychological relief. The knowledge of not being in direct danger of getting frozen stiff. Or rather, a frozen stiff!

[aine]

'Okay, now we're talking!' Johnny heads over to the first aid kit area and pulls up a box to sit on. He also looks for a torch to keep handy as he's paranoid about power cuts. Then he settles down, pulls out the bottle of whiskey from his coat and takes a welcome swig while he listens to the broadcast.