It’s Monday, August 19, 1991. Yesterday, Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev was removed from office in a coup arranged by hard-line communists in his government.
Protests against the coup are breaking out across the Soviet Union. Nationalist insurgents in the various Soviet republics are declaring independence from the illegitimate “State Committee for the State of Emergency.”
The Investigators are members of a Soviet Spetsnaz, or Special Purposes Forces, unit. They were selected for this elite military service due to their political reliability and physical fitness. After intense training and as much as two years of service in Afghanistan, they are hardened combat veterans. Many suspect that the coup plotters intend to use Spetsnaz units to bully the opposition into line. However, fate has intervened and the Investigators’ Spetsnaz unit has been kicked out of bed for a less political, but even more pressing, assignment
Melnikov notices the fuel trail, but his position in the plane stops him getting a view of their destination. At Victor's warning shout, he braces for impact, he's a good soldier who always follows orders and has learnt to trust Victor's instincts.
Although Victor's words might cause others to panic, Melnikov trusts that the highly trained pilots will know what they're doing. As he braces himself he takes a look at where his beloved PK machine gun, oiled and polished in readiness, waits and grins,
Melnicov thinking: Oh well the sooner we're down the sooner we begin
San Roll,50% 1d100 → [7] = (7) http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4397471/ (Yay!)
We do not see things as they are, we see things as we are.
- Anais Nin
All those years dealing with bombs are paying now; Nicolay a notices that something is quite wrong, but he still manages to control himself and prepares to the worst.
"Nice way to start a mission!"- He thinks.
The plane comes closer and closer to the ground. The less 'disciplined' soldiers start to panic, shouting and screaming about their situation. Several unbuckle themselves and four head forwards towards the pilots, a route that will take them past where your group are sitting. To try and stop them would mean your releasing at least part of your 'bracing for impact.'
Three of the four mighty engines splutter and die one by one until there is only the starboard outer engine running, and that is coughing and will not run much longer.
Those who head towards the rear of the plane descend into the cargo hold.
At the last moment the pilots raise the nose and there is a loud grinding noise as the rear of the plane hits the ground. Hard! Lights go out and most of the troops in the passenger cabin start screaming in outright terror.
As the tail hits the ground, the nose pivots down into the ground, deep beneath the snow. Those who were trying to get to the pilots get their wish as they are catapulted forwards. The jet's top speed is 537 mph, assuming the pilots were slowing it down and when the tail impacted the plane was doing 1/2 the speed, which I reckon would be at about 180 mph, which would have been the impact speed as they hit the windshield. This coupled with the impact stress of the crash simply shatters the nose of the plane, concertinaing the front cabin instantly, crushing it like a fly on a windscreen. Debris, snow, ice and rock have been forced through the gangway into the passenger compartment.
Those that went astern met what sounded like a similar fate to their forward bound companions. A loud screeching, followed by screams punctuated with loud bangs emanates from the rear of the plane. A lone voice whimpers. While it is intelligible you can all make out "Please Dear Holy Mother Save your son Yuri Zolnerowich." It soon degenerates into meaningless babbling. Yuri Zolnerowich served as a radio man with the 11th Detached Special Operations Brigade for a few tours in Afghanistan but was cashiered to the general army for knocking out a Major, with one single blow. The fact that Major fully deserved it did not matter a jot because he just happened to do it in front of a lot of witnesses, many of who had personal grudges against Zolnerowich. Hearing this costs you 1/D2 SAN.
There is a muffled whumph from outside, and flames can be seen from the few portholes available. The flickering light from the flames is the only illumination available inside the craft.
Playing;
Paris: City of Tears
Horror on the Orient Express
"Bozhemoi!" gasps Viktor, unnerved by what he hears, but not too badly. He heads for the rear as ordered to see if any of the rocket scientists have survived.
Kriptoshenkostares at the back of the plane, then looks to Kozlov with incredulous eyes. "Kapitan! I need to aid the survivors!" He doesn't wait for a response before he disobeys his orders and heads for the rear.
I'm a smooth criminal and a neurotic lawyer with a crush on a pretty-boy author, and I'm being controlled by my creepy older brother (twice!) while I worry about not having a can opener.
Melnikov snaps the belt open and rises to do as ordered. First though he checks his beloved 'Lara' to make sure that she has suffered no damage in the crash.
As he rises he hears a babbling from the rear. He has heard worse, and pays it little mind. He watches as the medic starts to move back to the rear and shrugs, Kriptoshenko knows his buisness. Still seemingly unnafected by the screams and moans that fill the smashed fuselage, he follows the medic towards the rear, where the equipment would have been stashed.
OOC: I presume that the plane has rear loading and that most of the equipment would have been there?
-Da! Nicolay opens the belt, take his gear and go see if any of the people of the rocket personnel is still alive, tring to ignorate the screams, but he is affected.
A loud crack emanates from the bulkhead above and electrical cables sweep down showering sparks wherever they touch a convenient earth point, Sometimes it is the deck, other times a soldier, and as they scream in muffled agony as the cable ends burn deep into their flesh or causes them shock damage in other ways, through their helmets for example, then the smell of feces and burnt flesh hits you in waves. Some fool had his finger on the trigger of his AK-47, which fortunately was not on continuous mode. As his muscles contracted due to electrification, his gun went off at random instances adding to the death toll. Fortunately whoever was near him managed to knock the cable away from where it had made contact with him, probably saving numerous lives. Suddeny several loud bangs, followed by a hissing sound can be heard, just under the panicked shouting and screaming in the confined space.
Now you can hear several agonised cries as something slick and slippery coats the deck, a light fog is starting to fill the passenger compartment, and it is getting denser, starting to coalesce upon your clothing.
OOC: Can I please have two Idea rolls from Kozlov and Viktor.
Kozlov,Having ordered you men into position, what are your actions. As you look around you can see a lot of dead people, but a lot of living as well. Of the 80 passengers that the plane carried, you guestimate that less than 1/3 have survived. A soldier three seats down from you is waving what appears to be the stump of his leg in the air spraying blood in all directions as he screams and vainly tried to apply a tourniquet to staunch the bleeding. His other leg is crimson and the amputated part of his leg lies some distance from where he sits.
Viktor,Following Kapitan Kozlov's orders, you make your way aft to check on the scientists managed to survive. The floor is slick with something wet and greasy and the all too familiar coppery smell of blood fills your nostrils. You find some of the scientists still alive, though badly shaken. There is a crack and electric cables start to dance across the floors and walls of the cabin. Suddenly shots ring out and you 'feel' a bullet rather than see it as it flashes directly in front of you. It strikes the cabin wall and the chill wind howls through the hole the bullet created. Half a step further and you would be dead. As the pops suddenly go off you can see one of the scientists suddenly clutch his leg, which promptly falls to the floor, A vapour starts to fill the cabin.
Kriptoshenko,You head back to the cargo hold and see total chaos. It takes you a few moments but floundering around in the dark, and following your ears you manage to eventually find the mewling Zolnerowich half buried under the tracks of one of the MT-LBV's. You quickly determine that both his legs, his right arm and a good part of his lower intestine are pinned under the tracks of the vehicle. From what you have seen, there is absolutely nothing that can be done for poor Yuri.Whilst you never had too much time for him, he was a comrade in arms and your prime aim is to save life. What are you going to do? Suddenly you hear a noise behind you and see the familiar shape of a Spetsnaz soldier, probably Melnikov assessing equipment.
Melnikov,Having checked 'Lara' and finding nothing amiss He follows Kriptoshenko to the cargo hold. Melnikov was doing his usual thing, looking after the wounded while he goes more to check the equipment and it's condition. Just as you start to descent to the cargo hold you hear the crack and spatter of the arcing electric cables. Having seen this you continue your descent into the cargo bay. It is immense but some of the MT-LBV's have come free of their moorings and look to be beyond repair. Some may be salvaged, but they would probably be in the middle of the hold you reckon as the tail hit down hard and the vehicles near the front have slid forward.
Playing;
Paris: City of Tears
Horror on the Orient Express
Surveying the mess, Melnikov turns to Babenko, "This is going to be fun Comrade Lieutenant. Perhaps we can open the cargo doors and allow gravity to move the damaged vehicles first?"
From behind and above him the screams and cries of the wounded seem to increase,
Melnikov thinking: What the hell is [b]Kriptoschenko[/b] doing to them? A bullet might be kinder
We do not see things as they are, we see things as we are.
- Anais Nin
Viktor,The high pressure hydraulic lines must have blown which means that the fog in the air must be the hydraulic oil or whatever they use nowadays.
Melnikov,As you reach the rear of the plane you can see that the rear doors are mangled. Perhaps you can manage to get them open, but it would take hours of work, hours you may not have the luxury of spending as you remember [b]Lt. General Suslin's[/b] words about time "[color=#FF4000]I have to stress how critical time is ... this mission must be completed within the next two and a half days." [/color]
Playing;
Paris: City of Tears
Horror on the Orient Express
Cearlan,[b]Kozlov [/b]goes to the wounded man, steadily progressing on the slippery floor. As he nears the man he puts his hand on his shoulder, squeezing hard and forcing him to look into his eyes.
"[color=#0000FF]You're a brave man soldier, you stayed in position when lesser men fled.[/color]"
With that he drives his dagger through the man's heart, glad to have eased his suffering.
Kozlov looks around the place one final time and makes his way to the forward section, casting a quick glance through the door.
"He said we were all cooked but we were all right as long as we did not know it. We were all cooked. The thing was not to recognize it."
"That mist must be hydraulic fluid!" says Viktor. "The lines must have been broken." He makes his way over to the scientist with the leg wound to render aid.
Melnikov stands legs apart hands on hips and surveys the carnage of the cargo hold, "Hmm" he speaks quieltly as if more to himself than his superior officer, "It will take too long to clear the doors, and" he sniffs the odour of hydraulic fluid in the air, "I don't think the doors will open any time soon"
He turns back to Babenko, "Perhaps we could blow an opening in the hold?"
We do not see things as they are, we see things as we are.
- Anais Nin
OOC: Apologies Kabukiman, my head's a shed at the moment.
Nikolai,You make your way aft of the crushed cockpit following Kapitan Kozlov's orders, you follow Viktor as you check on the scientists managed to survive. The floor is slick with something wet and greasy and the all too familiar coppery smell of blood fills your nostrils. You find some of the scientists still alive, though badly shaken. There is a crack and electric cables start to dance across the floors and walls of the cabin. You see Viktor flinch slightly and a sudden chill wind howls through a hole in the fuselage. As the pops suddenly go off you can see a vapour starts to fill the cabin.
[ooc]Two Idea rolls please.[/ooc]
Kozlov,As you move forwards, you can see in the dim lights cast from the arcing electric cables and the flames from outside that your way is blocked by a mixture of thick broken glass, snow, frozen compacted earth ice and rock. In places this is smeared a ghastly red colour and as you peer closer, your stomach churns and ice runs down your spine as you can see one of the pilots arm and shoulder sticking out of the debris in front of you, your way forwards is totally blocked.
Melnikov,The rear doors will not be opening in any time soon in your opinion. Perhaps Korovin may be able to work some of his magic, but who knows what lies beyond the rear doors?
Kriptoshenko,As you cradle the man's head in your lap, you can see the last breath come from deep within his soul. You content yourself with the knowledge that there was nothing you could have done anyway. Still, not a good omen to start a mission with.
Viktor,As you head towards the scientists, one of them hears your comment about the hydraulic lines being blown. his already pale face drops and he stammers... "If they have indeed blown comrade, then we have got to get out of here as quickly as possible. Some of the oils used are highly inflammable, others toxic, especially in vapour form."
Playing;
Paris: City of Tears
Horror on the Orient Express
Kriptoshenko slowly exhales and gently lays Zolnerowich's head down on the ground. He is angry with himself for his unnecessary insubordination, and the time he's wasted on a dying man, but beating himself for it will help nothing. He stands and tries to refocus on the rest of the surroundings.
I'm a smooth criminal and a neurotic lawyer with a crush on a pretty-boy author, and I'm being controlled by my creepy older brother (twice!) while I worry about not having a can opener.
"No flames, no explosives!"Viktor calls as he helps the wounded scientist to stand and supports him. "The hydraulic fluid could blow any second!" He nods to the scientists. "Then let's get out of here, Comrades." He leads the way to the nearest exit from the plane.
OOC,Does the passenger compartment have a door through which we can leave?
Melnikov notices the fuel trail, but his position in the plane stops him getting a view of their destination. At Victor's warning shout, he braces for impact, he's a good soldier who always follows orders and has learnt to trust Victor's instincts. 
