Track 7:San Francisco-Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair

[Starspawn338]

Lew will fill in the others with what he's found.
"It's not much. I think the sublevels are recent. It's possible that they could be using other buildings to tunnel down but we'd have to do a quick sweep of them to be sure."

[VictoriaSilverwolf]

Vicki,Thinking back to the picture she picture she drew, Zara figures this means they want to take out her ovaries - or rather Kitten's. That thought scares her almost as much as the fate the British guy says he saved her from. On the other hand, she also figures they'll realise she's not Kitten if it gets that far. She wonders if this means they can put a baby into someone else. And if that's what they had planned for Mo. And if that's what they'll decide for Zara when they figure out who she is. The train of thought leaves her shaking more than she can hide. But if they're going to need her to fast, then about all she can do to play for time is eat, so she makes for the kitchen to cook up something elaborate.

Zara,After a full meal and some restless sleep, several large, muscular, very hairy men with rugged features, although dressed in scrubs and wearing face masks and rubber gloves, arrive with a hospital gurney. "You get on," one says in a deep, rough voice. "That is the Law." "That is the Law," the other chant in unison.

[VictoriaSilverwolf]

Unaware of what might be happening to the disguised Zara, the other investigators have the choice as to whether they should attempt to use the elevator, or explore either the tavern on one side of the building, or the cafe on the other. Should they stay together or split up? None of the possibilities seem very promising.

[jp1885]

“Hmm, I think we’d better stay together, don’t you?” Tony asks the others. “A frontal assault down the elevator might not be the wisest option. Shall we try the tavern?”

[SunlessNick]

Zara,After a full meal and some restless sleep, several large, muscular, very hairy men with rugged features, although dressed in scrubs and wearing face masks and rubber gloves, arrive with a hospital gurney. "You get on," one says in a deep, rough voice. "That is the Law." "That is the Law," the other chant in unison.

Vicki,"[color=#004000]His law?[/color]" Zara asks in Kitten's accent. "[color=#004000]What right does he have to order you around?[/color]" [If she can get them talking, she will - if it looks like they're going to just going to force her, she'll get onto the guerney without resisting, but she won't undress unless they make her]

[Mr. Handy]

"All right," says Liz. "I can't think of a better idea."

[VictoriaSilverwolf]

Vicki,"[color=#004000]His law?[/color]" Zara asks in Kitten's accent. "[color=#004000]What right does he have to order you around?[/color]" [If she can get them talking, she will - if it looks like they're going to just going to force her, she'll get onto the guerney without resisting, but she won't undress unless they make her]

Zara,The first one who spoke says, "Not to follow the Law means the House of Pain!" There are agitated responses from the other. "I am the Sayer of the Law! You go, now." At this point, they begin pushing you, not too hard, to get on the gurney, fully dressed. This means a ride through multiple corridors, turning this way and that, sometimes in darkness, until you reach a small room, resembling a hospital room, containing only a cot. "No eat, no drink," says the first one. "That is the Law." "That is the Law," repeat the others. They then leave you locked in the room. In order to make sure you go without drinking, there is only a chemical toilet and sanitary wipes instead of running water. Of course there is nothing to eat. No doubt someone will comes back after several hours to take you to surgery."

[VictoriaSilverwolf]

The tavern, closed for business for some time, it seems, still contains most of the stools and tables and bar equipment, but without any of the booze. Dust covers everything. There's a cracked mirror behind the bar, through which a dim light shines. No doubt this draws curiosity, so the investigators take a close look and find out that there's a shaft, through which cool air blows, leading far down into darkness. It seems that this keeps fresh air circulating for what must be an underground area of some sort. A flashlight reveals that there are lots of projecting structures along the side of the shaft, as far as one can see. It's a long way down, but, with enough care, it might be possible to climb down and see what's at the bottom.

[Starspawn338]

"I think this is our ticket down. We should get some rope and a climbing harness and be on our way."

[SunlessNick]

Zara,The first one who spoke says, "Not to follow the Law means the House of Pain!" There are agitated responses from the other. "I am the Sayer of the Law! You go, now." At this point, they begin pushing you, not too hard, to get on the gurney, fully dressed. This means a ride through multiple corridors, turning this way and that, sometimes in darkness, until you reach a small room, resembling a hospital room, containing only a cot. "No eat, no drink," says the first one. "That is the Law." "That is the Law," repeat the others. They then leave you locked in the room. In order to make sure you go without drinking, there is only a chemical toilet and sanitary wipes instead of running water. Of course there is nothing to eat. No doubt someone will comes back after several hours to take you to surgery."

Vicki,I look for air vents or anything else that might offer a way out. Failing that, there's nothing I can do but wait and hope the others find a way into this place. As a way of keeping calm, I think back through the route I was taken, to see if any doors I passed gave hints of what was behind them.

[Mr. Handy]

"Yes," says Liz, "we need mountain climbing gear. We can rope ourselves together before we climb. That way, if one of us slips, it won't be fatal."

[jp1885]

"I'll make some calls and have some brought here before you can say Jack Robinson. Failing that, I daresay I could transport myself down. Means going on my own though."

[VictoriaSilverwolf]

Thinking over matters, Tony realizes that the shaft goes down far enough that the limited range of his teleportation ability would wind up with him only a short way down; a dangerous situation indeed.

Spoiler:

Let's do general DEX rolls to see who is actually able to get down safely, the other(s) having to remain above; assume the person(s) tested the equipment and just couldn't handle it. Liz = 12, Lew = 10 {assuming you wanted to up your Dex as stated], Tony = 14[dice]0[/dice]

Once the proper equipment is assembled, Liz is able to scamper down easily. After a few tests of the ropes and such, there is general agreement that Lew might best remain above, possibly discovering something else of interest in the area. Tony follows Liz, just barely managing to reach the bottom of the shaft without serious injury.

The intrepid pair find themselves in a maze of unlit corridors. There are sounds of heavy breathing and inarticulate grunts coming from various directions. It's difficult to tell exactly where. The tracking device still within Zara's body reveals her current location, in an as-the-crow-flies sort of way, but not exactly how to navigate one's way there. Flashlight reveal that the labyrinth of intersecting corridors are made of seemingly seamless metal, reflecting the light in complex ways. There are thin lines here and there that show where doors, apparently without handles, are located, in various places as one wends one's way through the maze.

[VictoriaSilverwolf]

Vicki,I look for air vents or anything else that might offer a way out. Failing that, there's nothing I can do but wait and hope the others find a way into this place. As a way of keeping calm, I think back through the route I was taken, to see if any doors I passed gave hints of what was behind them.

Zara,There were some rooms with large glass windows that allowed you to clearly see what appear to be surgical areas. Other doors, without apparent handles, kept their secrets hidden, for now. There is an air vent in the room, located at a very high level, through which one might be able to squeeze, but it would be a very tight fit indeed. It might even require removing the body-shaping undergarments that gave you Kitten's figure.

[SunlessNick]

Zara,There were some rooms with large glass windows that allowed you to clearly see what appear to be surgical areas. Other doors, without apparent handles, kept their secrets hidden, for now. There is an air vent in the room, located at a very high level, through which one might be able to squeeze, but it would be a very tight fit indeed. It might even require removing the body-shaping undergarments that gave you Kitten's figure.

Vicki,Even if I can't see a camera, I'm sure there has to be one - if the vent's that high up, I don't rate my chances of climbing up to it and getting in before those guys come and stop me. And if I give away I'm not Kitten, I guess they'll figure out I'm a distraction and expect the others to show up - they'll have to undress me before doing the operation at which point they'll know I'm not her. So I'll leave the vent, tell myself I'm not really in danger of getting my ovaries cut out, and keep playing the part for as long as I can. I won't bother trying not to look scared.

[jp1885]

Tony scans the corridors for any signs of Zara's presence, also listening out for any telltale sounds.

OOC: Can I assume we're in radio contact with Lew?

[Mr. Handy]

"I know the time-honoured means of solving a labyrinth," whispers Liz. "These doors may complicate matters, as will any monsters roaming about, but all you have to do is follow either the left or the right wall and stick to it, going around corners or through doors as necessary, if we can even open the doors. You'll eventually reach an exit, unless there's a loop in there." She checks the tracker to see which direction leads toward Zara's location and leads the way.

[VictoriaSilverwolf]

Tony scans the corridors for any signs of Zara's presence, also listening out for any telltale sounds.

Spoiler:

OOC: Can I assume we're in radio contact with Lew?

That's fine, if you want to run the risk of the signal being intercepted.

[VictoriaSilverwolf]

Not long after investigating the nearest areas of the labyrinth of corridors, the investigators are fortunate to locate a map of sorts. It takes the form of a very small, difficult to read diagram, best described as dark gray on black, with some tiny white lettering.



It is evident that the investigators made their way down via "Exit A", and it seems likely that "Exit B" is the elevator. The other designations are nearly impossible to read. The black lines seem to indicate places where there is one of the unmarked doors; some obviously just lead to a continuation of the corridor, others into rooms containing who-knows-what. The first door, next to Exit A, opens easily; there is some evidence, based on the amount of dust and trash near this exit, that this entryway has not been used for some time.

The tracer indicates that Zara is currently in the room pictured at the top of this not-very-helpful map. There is obviously more than one path one could take to get there. Would it be worth while to explore some of the other rooms not lying directly in the way? That's hard to say.

[jp1885]

"Hmmm... I daresay there are many secrets to discover here..." muses Tony, squinting at the map. "But perhaps we should focus on rescuing Zara."

"Oh, here's a thought: do you think you could rig one of our radios to emit a high frequency noise? If these animal-hybrid chaps, or whatever they are, have sensitive animal hearing, we could use it to fend them off."