Play@YSDC

Day 1
11th March 2189
18:00 Earth Central European Time
Barnard's Rest Colony, Titan

Isabella returns to the corporate suite to continue investigating the computer systems but the others take a few minutes to walk throught the main colony building to the Security Complex.

They are not sure where to find Montrose's quarters but as they arrive the first room they see is marked 'Security Office' and Security Officer Tyson hurries out to greet them, 'Saw you on the cameras' he says.

He invites them in to the Security Office which is a relatively small office with a five-by-five bank of monitors taking up a significant portion of one wall. Tyson explains that there is a network of security cameras throughout the colony and they can also access feeds from CENTRAL's cameras under certain circumstances.

He indicates a connected barracks where the eight security officers have their quarters and says 'There used to be more officers stationed here when we were strictly a penal colony, but with fewer and fewer convicts each year, there hasn’t been a need. Heck, there’s a weapons locker here full of riot gear that I don’t think has been unlocked except for annual cleaning in the past ten years. We just use shock batons when we have to. Don’t need more than that when the worst you deal with is a guy who can’t hold his liquor.'

While Tyson speaks, Kiara takes the opportunity to take a look at the security screens for anything suspicious.

Spot hidden 37,[dice]0[/dice]

"Well, that's great, but CENTRAL is unable to monitor Sergeant Montrose's lifesigns, so we thought we'd better check up on him."

'Uh, what? What do you mean?' asks Tyson in confusion.

"If CENTRAL can't confirm his life signs," explains Sam, "it could be because he doesn't have any!"

"So please could you show us to Montrose's quarters Officer Tyson?"

'Oh shit!' gasps Tyson who brings them through to the barracks area. In addition to the individual apartments there is what looks like a larger suite towards the end of the corridor. On the door it says 'Head of Security'.

Tyson activates the intercom on the wall, 'Sergeant Montrose, it's Tyson, are you okay?'

There is a prolonged silence.

Then the intercom crackles and a faint, gravelly voice says 'No I'm not okay, I'm sick. Now fuck off.' It clicks off.

OOC,Anyone can roll Listen

Listen 20 pass,[dice]0[/dice]

Kiara frowns. Perhaps something doesn’t sound right?

Kiara jerks her thumb towards Montrose’s door and mimes an exaggerated drinking motion to the others, crossing her eyes and sticking out her tongue as she does so.

“Um, we really do need to speak with you Sergeant.”

The intercom clicks back on, 'Go away, I'm not well, I'm dying...leave me alone, all of you, stay out of my head.'

"Do a security override on the door!" Sam tells Tyson. "He clearly needs help!"

OOC,Listen roll (20% base skill) to hear through the door: [dice]0[/dice]

Tyson looks flustered, 'Um, Montrose has given very clear orders to leave him alone.' He activates the intercom again, 'Er, Sergeant, I've got some people here from corporate, they're...um...concerned about you.'

Montrose's voice crackles back from the speaker, 'The voices, I can hear them all the time now, "you're so small, so weak, worthless", and the images, beamed into my head...'

He goes quiet for a minute.

'Ignore me, I'm sick, I think I caught something, just fever dreams. Leave me alone. I just need some rest.'

He leaves the intercom on and after a few seconds they hear a low moaning.

'It's inside me, eating me. Fucking Waystation. I should never have gone to fucking Waystation.'

OOC,Anyone can roll a hard Psychology or regular Psychoanalysis or Medicine

Speaking via the intercom, "David, this is Nicole Favre from the Marshals. Do you remember me? We are here to help. You need help."

Nicole moves her hand close to her holstered pistol, just in case.

"CENTRAL, open the door to Sergeant Montrose's quarters."

"Could he be infected with something?" wonders Sam aloud. "Maybe a parasite?" For all she knows, which isn't much, it could just be space madness.

OOC,Psychology roll (10% /2 = 5% base skill) about [b]Montrose[/b]: [dice]0[/dice]

Psychology 10 extreme success!,[dice]0[/dice]

”Waystation?” Kiara looks quizzically at the others, addressing them as much as Montrose. “What the hell is waystation?”

'I don't know if he's infected with anything' says Tyson, 'You'd have to ask the new doctor, but infectious diseases aren't usually a big issue out here - where'd we catch them from?'

'Nicole? Nicole! Is that really you? You need to go, I don't want you to see me like this. And it's dangerous, you shouldn't be here. You need to get off Titan now.'

Shortly after Nicole issues her instruction to CENTRAL an intermittent alarm starts sounding from within Montrose's quarters, 'Who the fuck is trying to open my door?'

CENTRAL's electronic voice floats around the corridor,
'Hello Marshal Favre. Sergeant Montrose has placed an override and alarm on any attempts to open the door to his quarters.'

The intercom buzzes back into life and the sound of the alarm can be heard loudly. Montrose's gravely voice comes from the speaker, 'Anyone tries to open this door again and...and...well I'll do something and you won't like it. This is followed by a mechanical sound.

Anyone who passed Listen earlier,That was the sound of a large firearm like a rifle or shotgun being cocked.

'Shut up, shut up, I'm not going to Waystation...I'm not going outside.'

Another period of low moaning.

Montrose starts speaking again, his voice plaintive and carefully articulating some strange names despite the slurring. 'The gate, the gate is across the sea, across Ligeia Mare, that's where I'll find ta-wil-at-umma. I need to find the court of hi-rada-the-ka-pan-aka...

No, no, I will not join you ee-ka-gal-aa, you are not me, I am me...me...me...'

He sinks into further silence interspersed with moaning and coughing.

Anyone passing the hard psychology roll,The things he's saying sound an awful lot like the symptoms of paranoid schizophrenia, he certainly seems to believe what he is saying even if it makes no sense

“The guy obviously doesn’t want to be disturbed.” Says Virgil. “It sounds to me like he’s paralytic; boozing on the job. I can’t believe it; head of security? Not for much longer if I’ve got anything to do with it.” He fumes.

Rolls,Listen 50 [dice]0[/dice] psychology 65 [dice]1[/dice]

Then he hears a noise from within and he barks,
“Tyson, don’t tell me that personnel are allowed firearms in their private quarters!”

Tyson looks sharply at Virgil. 'Apart from Marshal Favre's weapon there are seven semi-automatic shotguns in Barnard's Rest. For riot control. That's it. If the Head of Security choose to take one of those into his room that's his call. Do you want to take it up with him?'

“Never mind being drunk; the guy’s mentally ill: proper paranoid schizophrenia!” Kiara glares at Tyson, demanding he do something. “If he’s armed he needs to be restrained for his safety and that of the whole base.”

She frowns; something else nagging her mind for attention.

“Those weird things he’s saying: they phonetically match the words written by Dr. Holzer before he died...”

'Well how do you suggest I get the door open without him shooting someone?' asks Tyson incredulouly. 'I mean, well, they should only be loaded with riot rounds, but I don't really want to push my luck.'

He presses the intercom button, 'Hey Dave, would you like me to get you a drink?'

There is a long silence then David Montrose replies in a quiet voice, 'Whiskey, I'd like some whiskey.'

Good thinking, thinks Sam with a nod, knowing he'll have to open the door to get the whiskey.

'Okay' says Tyson, 'I'll get some whiskey, don't do anything stupid while I'm gone.'

"I will take in the whisky," says Nicole. "I doubt he's going to actually come to the door."

She considers for a moment and then draws her handgun, offering it to her companions, "Does anyone know how to handle this? He is going to be suspicious and I'd prefer not to shoot my old friend anyway."

"Can we get sedatives from the medical centre?"

"Thank you, I've had firearms training," says Sam, accepting the pistol. "I'm sure I'm not as good a shot as you, but I'm decent enough. I just hope I don't have to use it."

“I’ll go back and get some sedatives from the Doc,” whispers Kiara.

Virgil shakes his head at the proffered handgun and then moves back away from the door. He doesn’t want to be in firing range when that door opens.

Nicole paces impatiently while awaiting the return of Kiara and Tyson, wondering exactly what awaits inside the apartment. The David Montrose that she knew was a good instructor - self assured and knowledgeable, someone to respect - and a good friend. The haunted, crazy talking David Montrose drinking away his demons beyond the door is not someone she looks forward to meeting.

And he's holding a shotgun.

"CENTRAL, when did Sergeant Montrose last enter his apartment? Who did he last speak to outside of the security centre? And when did he last leave this complex?"

CENTRAL answers Nicole, 'Hello Marshal Favre. Sergeant Montrose last entered his suite on the 28th of February at 4.15pm Earth Central European Time. He last left his suite at 8.15am on the 28th of February.'

There is a barely perceptible pause and then it continues,
'My records do not indicate that he has been visited by anyone other than Security Officer Tyson since he last entered his suite. I am unable to determine the last person he talked to outside the security centre as he was outside Barnard's Rest between 8.43am and 4.03pm on the 28th of February. He has only had remote communication outside of the security centre since then. I am sorry, I am unable to disclose with whom he has communicated remotely due to my privacy protocols.'

-----

'Uh, shouldn't we let Administrator Kingsley know what's going on?' asks Moses, looking distinctly unhappy with the talk of guns.

“I’ll find Administrator Kingsley and tell him.” Virgil volunteers. “Er, too many people in the corridor might upset Sergeant Montrose anyway.”

"Can you override the privacy protocls?" Sam asks Nicole and Tyson.

Virgil,You can head here to see Kingsley: [url]https://www.callofcthulhu.org.uk/pbp/viewtopic.php?f=472&t=7247#p242528[/url]

Nicole,You don't know if you can override the privacy protocols on CENTRAL. It depends how much access you have been granted by Kingsley

Tyson has not yet returned with the whiskey.

Shortly, Kiara returns with the sedatives.

"Here, I've got them. Has Montrose said or done anything?" she whispers.

Pacing around anxiously a few metres from the door, Moses whispers, 'Nothing, he's not said anything. And, Tyson isn't back with the whiskey.'

Kiara frowns. "CENTRAL, please locate Security Officer Tyson."

'Hello Science Officer Khan. Security Officer Tyson is currently on the top floor of the administrative complex,' responds CENTRAL's synthesised female voice.

"CENTRAL, I consider this information pertinent to my investigation," says Nicole.

"I authorise you to bypass your privacy protocols to establish who Sergeant Montrose communicated with."

ooc,[ooc]Only one way to find out.[/ooc]

'Colonial Marshal security override request accepted Marshal Favre. Sergeant Montrose has communicated remotely with The Claim Jumper bar on five occasions since entering his room and with Administrator Kingsley on three occasions.' answers CENTRAL.

Jojo goes up to the door.

"Sergeant Montrose? Doctor Johnson here. Is there anything I can do to help you? Some people are concerned about you out here and we want to make sure that you have the opportunity to let us know how we can help."

Feeling somewhat redundant, Kiara hands the sedatives back to Jojo and opts to find out what’s keeping Tyson.

The gruff sound of David Montrose crackles over the intercom. 'Doctor? There's nothing you can do. It's too late for me, I'm dead already. I just need something to stop the voices.'

Kiara,You heading over to the admin complex looking for Tyson?

'Doctor? There's nothing you can do. It's too late for me, I'm dead already. I just need something to stop the voices.'

"Well, I've always said that patients shouldn't do their own diagnoses." Jojo replies to the distressed man. "It really makes my job harder when you think you know more than me. However if you want to stop the voices, I can help you with that. I've got some pills that will do just that." Jojo continues. "And they're fast acting."

Jojo will take out the medicine cup with the sedatives he portioned out earlier as he talks to Sergeant Montrose. "I've got them with me. If you open the door, I can give them to you. Or I can put them in a medicine cup and leave them outside the door if you'd feel more comfortable with that."

Sam nods, already thinking along the same lines.

Keeper,Keeping quiet, [b]Kiara[/b] squints in the half-light, trying to make out the figure. Spot hidden 37 [dice]0[/dice] Unable to see properly, she whispers: [color=#800000]“Officer [b]Tyson[/b]?”[/color]

Montrose shouts through the intercom, 'I don't want your pills, I want my whiskey. Where is it?'

Jojo,Roll Persuade to get him to open the door, with advantage/bonus die as he might like some sleepers

Kiara,The figure doesn't turn or otherwise respond to what you say and moves further into the dark foyer.

Keeper,Puzzled, [b]Kiara[/b] follows after the figure.

Nicole leans close to Jojo and says quietly, "Doctor if you get him to take them then that isgood. We were thinking of putting the sedatives in the whiskey, but officer Tyson is taking too long.

"Just be careful getting near the door, David has a shotgun."

ooc,[ooc]Apologies everyone, I'm having a little trouble posting daily at moment.[/ooc]

Listen 20,[dice]0[/dice]

Unable to hear what’s been said, Kiara takes the whiskey and, somewhat bemused, returns to the others.

OOC:   I just took it out the spoiler tags so everyone can see the whiskey has arrived. Meph

OOC,Can I try a Fast Talk 50 instead of Persuade 10? [dice]0[/dice] Bonus Tens Die [dice]1[/dice]

"I'm sorry, you said you wanted to stop the voices in your head, not get drunk. Besides, I don't keep whiskey in the med clinic but it's coming." Jojo replies. "I'll leave the pills outside the door. If you must wait until the whiskey shows up, only take half of the pills because the whiskey will accentuate the effect."

Sam keeps the gun out of sight, in case Montrose opens the door.

“Tyson’s given me the whiskey,” says Kiara. “He came out of Kingsley’s office and was acting kinda weird himself.”

Montrose says nothing for several minutes, then they hear the locking mechanism disengage. As the door slowly starts to open a musty smell wafts from the narrow opening. It is unpleasant and almost faeculent...

-----

Everyone suddenly feels the ground shifting under their feet. This is accompanied by a high pitched whine as if metal bulkheads are twisting or shifting.

Montrose slams the door shut. 'Don't try and fuck with me' he shouts out.

After twenty seconds the lights flicker then go out. Everything is in darkness for what seems like an eternity, but is probably only a few seconds. The dull green emergency lighting comes on.

"David wait! We are not messing with you," shocked Nicole asks, "CENTRAL what the fuck just happened?"

'Unexpected tectonic activity has disrupted energy supplies from generator pylons in the upper atmosphere Marshal Favre. We are currently running on emergency power' responds CENTRAL.

“What the-!?” exclaims Kiara, putting a hand out to steady herself.

Regardless of what CENTRAL tells Nicole, the scientist isn’t sure she can trust the computer.

“I need to look at the latest readings. I’ll try to connect my datapad to the sensors wirelessly.” she declares, retreating to a quiet corner.

Computer use 65,[dice]0[/dice]

"Maybe I should get to Engineering and see if I can help," says Sam.

"CENTRAL, what are the co-ordinates of former pumping station six?" asks Kiara, comparing the answer with to that of the epicentre.

"I think they dug something up during this Project Waystation. These tremors are a part of it," she tells the others. "and it's having an effect on people here; driving them crazy."

"Okay, I'll take my gun back then," says Nicole, "does the intercom still work?

She tries anyway, "David, the whiskey has got here finally. Let me in."

ooc,[ooc]I don't think Montrose took the pills when he opened the door?[/ooc]

Kiara receives no response from CENTRAL.

-----

Nicole presses the intercom outside Montrose's quarters and it still seems to be working. After a few seconds Montrose's gravelly voice comes through, 'All of you, get away from the door. Nicole, tell me when they're all clear.'

"That definitely should not be happening. How am I expected to provide medical care in these circumstances?" Jojo mutters to himself.

"Can anyone stop that?" He says louder to the others around.

If Nicole still wishes to have the gun back now that Montrose is going to let her in, Sam will return it to her. Then she will stand well back from the door. "Once I'm no longer needed here, I'll head up to Engineering and see what I can do," she says.

Feeling somewhat invisible, Kiara mutters something about returning to her room to run some modelling on her data pad using the sensor data, in order to work out the cause of the tremors.

OOC,I will assume Sam is heading to engineering and Kiara to the corporate suite unless you say otherwise

Once the doorway is clear and Nicole lets him know, Montrose again starts to slowly open the door. The smell returns, stronger. It is musty, mouldy even, with hints of faeces and now, clearer than before, an odour of putrescence, like something is rotting.

Montrose's face appears in the darkness of the doorway, bathed in the green glow of the emergency lighting. He looks desperate, his eyes are sunken and bloodshot. His face is pallid and mottled with patches of erythema. He reaches out and takes the pills, the hand emerging from his grubby uniform appears withered.

He croaks, 'Now give me the whiskey.'

Kiara,You're moving here: [url]https://www.callofcthulhu.org.uk/pbp/viewtopic.php?f=472&t=7257[/url]

As Sam heads off to engineering Moses mumbles something about wanting to check on things and follows her out.

Sam,You're heading here: [url]https://www.callofcthulhu.org.uk/pbp/viewtopic.php?f=472&t=7258[/url]

Nicole holsters the gun when Sam hands it back.

She steps warily towards the door, whiskey in hand, but well out of Montrose's reach for now. She makes sure this time that her hand is nowhere near the gun, to avoid Montrose getting spooked again. Nicole tries to remember whether she's smelt anything so bad before that wasn't a murder scene, nothing comes to mind.

Gesturing to the bottle, she says, "Got any glasses David? Let me sit down with you for a minute, then I can get the hell off this rock."

Montrose's eyes rove about restlessly until he meets Nicole's gaze. He looks directly at her holstered sidearm for a second and then back at her face.

He rolls a shot glass across the floor to Nicole. Emptying out the tablets from the cup he throws that to her as well, 'Hit me.'

Sitting half in the shadows of the doorway it is noticeable that he is only using his right arm, the left hidden in darkness.

OOC,I don't think anyone added any pills to the whiskey. If you want to have done so roll Luck. Roll Medicine to get a sense of Montrose's health now you can see him

OOC,No, we didn't put the pills in the whiskey. When he emptied the pills out of the cup, did he take the pills as in ingest them? Medicine 80 [dice]0[/dice] Hard success.

Jojo will try to get a view of Sergeant Montrose to see what is happening to him. The smell alone tells him something is seriously wrong.

OOC,Montrose didn't take the pills, he just emptied them on the floor

Anyone passing Medicine,Montrose does not look well. He has pallid, mottled skin, sunken eyes, and a haunted haggard face. The veins in his face and arms seem distended yet the flesh is shrivelled, there are patches of erythema and a strange powdery rash. Together with the smell of decomposition it is clear that Montrose is gravely ill, probably close to death. At a guess end stage cancer comes to mind.

ooc,Yes, unfortunately the whiskey arrived too late.

"So what is the deal with Kingsley, David?"

Nicole glances at her old instructor and at the bottle, fills both the glass and the cup, then starts to move closer to the door carrying both. She edges a little to the left, to try and see what he's hiding.

"Tyson brought this bottle straight from Kingsley's office, do you trust him?"

Spot Hidden - Pass,Spot Hidden Roll in case it's a possibility (I won't be pushing the roll if it fails) Spot Hidden (60%): [dice]0[/dice]

Nicole,Perhaps unsurprisingly, Nicole can see Montrose is holding a gun beside him, probably a shotgun, hidden in the shadows. He looks pretty damn rough, hollowed out and a shadow of the man she knew. His hands and face seem to have patches of discoloration, some kind of rash, it's powdery, like a fine sand or dust.

Montrose puts out his free hand to take the cup, 'Kingsley? Typical corporate type. All he's interested in is money. He's in over his head and doesn't even realise it. The works at Waystation, they uncovered something, something...alien. I don't know, I can't...can't remember. There's something there, it's, it's talking to me...' Montrose falls into silence.

"I can see why you want the whiskey and not to be knocked out with the pills." Jojo interjects. "It looks like you were exposed to something at the Waystation. How long ago was your first contact with it? Do you know if others have been infected? " Jojo continues.

He's now in clinical mode as he steps around to get a better look at Sergeant Montrose. Jojo is non-threatening and appears to not be cognizant of any potential danger from Sergeant Montrose.

OOC,Spot Hidden 50 [dice]0[/dice]

As Dr Johnson steps around to get a closer look at Montrose he sees that the security chief is clutching a shotgun, hidden in the shadows. His hands and face have red sores alternating with a powdery rash, like a fine sand or dust, giving him an odd patchwork appearance. Through his open shirt collar Jojo can see a lattice-like network of fine red lines spreading out to his neck. This does not look like any infection that Jojo is familiar with but the odour of putrescence confirms his suspicion that the Sergeant is not long for this world.

Keeper rolls,Luck 31% [dice]0[/dice]

When the doctor edges around Nicole and into Montrose's full view his eyes widen in panic, 'You're not taking me' he hisses, scrabbling backwards into the darkness of the doorway

Jojo stops and doesn't go any closer as he continues speaking.

"You're right. I'm not going to take you." Jojo replies. "I'm not going to force you to get treatment for whatever you got exposed to. I do require you to let me know as much information about this as you know so I can do what I can to help anyone else that comes into contact with it. Now again, how long ago was your first contact with it? Do you know if others have been infected? "

ooc,Call of Cthulhu, the game when you're relieved that the crazy guy is only hiding a shotgun. :shock:

"We don't need to take you anywhere David," says Nicole, "please let Dr. Johnson take a look at you and then you should lock yourself back in here.

"How many workers are there at the waystation? They could all be infected."

Montrose sits quivering in the dark. He looks terrified. 'I don't, I don't remember' he says, his voice unsteady.

After a minute or so of silence he says, 'There's twenty, maybe thirty convicts at Waystation, something like that. I don't know if they're sick. I don't even know what happened to me. But something's there. Looking at me. Calling me. Summoning me. Aaagghh. I can't think straight. make it stop!'

"If you won't accept my help, I can't make it stop." Jojo says to Montrose. "To be honest, I'm not sure I could make it stop if you let me try to help you. I've never really seen anything quite like this."

Jojo bows his head and looks at the ground in front of him. "I'm sorry."

"Doctor, you must try something, please."

Moving a little closer to Montrose she pleads, "David! Please put the gun down for a minute and let Doctor Johnson help, while there's still a chance to get you out of here."

She passes him the whisky bottle.

"Calling you? What is it saying?"

Montrose drinks deeply from the neck of the whiskey bottle. His gravelly voice becomes higher pitched '"You're so small, you're so weak and worthless. Nothing in the eyes of Ëka-Galä, who the fuck is Ëka-Galä?'. He emits a wail, 'I'm not worthy of attention, "Cross the sea, find the gate!", prove myself...'. Before he can finish the weak illumination from the green emergency lights blinks out. The corridor is pitch black and completely silent. 'Not the dark' whimpers Sergeant Montrose.

-----

After a few seconds of quiet they hear 'Nicole, I'm sorry' followed by the loud crack of a shot. It echoes through the corridor as warm liquid splatters onto the faces of Nicole and Jojo. This is followed by a thud then complete silence.

-----

After about ten seconds floor level LED lights come on, bright pinpricks of intense white light that flash progressively indicating the direction to follow for evacuation towards an assembly point. After another minute there are red flashing beacons spaced widely along the walls and a whining siren starts.

"Well that was unfortunate." Jojo says without emotion. He retrieves the medicine cup. "I need to get a sample of this before we leave."

Jojo will go to Montrose's body and will attempt to get a sample of the fine powder from the rash, taking care not to infect himself.

Jojo wipes out the whiskey residue and tries his best to scrape a sample of the powder into the cup. It is difficult to see in the poor illumination but he thinks he managed to get a sample. The powder has an odd consistency, like a soft sand. He wonders if it might be some kind of mold.

Keeper rolls,[dice]0[/dice],[dice]1[/dice]

------

The temperature seems to drop and Nicole thinks she can see her breath condensing into misty water droplets.

Jojo will store the sample as best he can and then head back to the medical clinic if he is able to. He wants to secure the sample for further study before leaving the building.

Jojo is not sure he can find his way back to the Medical Clinic under these circumstances. At least, he knows how to get there, but in the low light and noise he would find it a challenge.

Jojo,To find his way back to the clinic he could roll Navigate with a bonus die, or Spot Hidden with a penalty die

OOC,Spot Hidden 50 [dice]0[/dice] Penalty Die [dice]1[/dice]

Jojo tries to find his way back to the medical clinic but he doesn't know his way around well enough. Realizing he is lost, he calls out.

"Central, please direct me to the medical clinic."

There is no answer from CENTRAL. Jojo seems to have taken a wrong turn and finds himself in what looks like a commercial district. A dark neon sign nearby reads 'The Claim Jumper' above what looks like a bar.

As he is lost, Jojo will go to the Claim Jumper and see if there is anyone there who could help him find the medical clinic or tell him what's going on.

"No!! David!"

Fearing the worst, Nicole dashes to where Montrose's body fell.

ooc,[ooc]Sorry, totally out of sync now. :oops:[/ooc]

Nicole rushes into Montrose's room. She struggles to see in the poor light but her hands touch a pool of something that feels sticky. The smell this close is overwhelming, sickly sweet, putrid, sulphurous, she gags on the taste, like rancid meat.

In the dark she scrabbles over Montrose's body which feels shrivelled and wasted through his clothes. She can just about make out his head and she grasps it in her hands. Her fingers stretch up the side of his face and the tips feel a sharp and jagged ridge. Gingerly she slips her fingers higher, where the top of his skull should be is something yielding and repellent.

Nicole,Roll Sanity 1/1d6

OOC,Damn, sorry I'm quite embarrassed that another week has passed. RL :oops: If it's okay with you, lets say that Nicole botched her SAN check, lost the full 6 points and then blacked out until now (whenever that is). She comes back around with her hand still in Montrose's brains - yuck. So 49 Sanity remaining. I'll change this if you prefer. Sorry again. :oops:

Nicole comes back to her senses with her hand inside something sticky, it takes her a moment to remember that it's the gory remains of David's head.

She quickly withdraws her hand and sits up shakily.

"CENTRAL what happened? Where is everyone?"

OOC:   Are the lights on?

The last thing Nicole can remember is the almost complete darkness of Montrose's room and the yielding, jellylike sensation of her fingers dipping into his shattered brain tissue.

-----

Slowly she begins to regain her awareness. Her head throbs, a faint light begins to spread in her vision, or is it just in her mind?

...

Gradually, painfully, Nicole forces open her eyelids, the lights are on in Montrose's room and her gaze is drawn to the red lens of CENTRAL.



"CENTRAL what happened? Where is everyone?" she asks.

The cool, emotionless voice of CENTRAL, 'Hello Marshal Favre, welcome to Barnard's Rest. There was a temporary disruption to power supplies but these are now operating within normal parameters. Your colleagues are currently in the Commercial Sector.'

Nicole gingerly pulls her hands away from the mess that remains of Montrose's head. She can barely recognise him, not least because the whole top of his skull has been blasted off leaving a ragged bloody hole and a matching entry wound at the base of his neck. A shotgun lies in the middle of a pool of congealed blood and Nicole can see bits of tissue and blood smeared across the ceiling and hanging down in stringy chunks. To the side of the body are several shotgun cartridges which appear to have been opened.

The smell is as bad as she remembers, a mixture of rotting meat and something sweeter but even more repulsive.

Looking over Montrose he is wasted compared to the well built man she knew. His face looks emaciated, pallid, his eyes sunken pits. There are red patches on the skin, welts and sores, at the base of these she can see an almost mineral-like scaling. But what is striking is that parts of his face, most of his arms, and what upper chest she can see above the open collar of his shirt are covered with blotches of a strange powdery substance, an olive or even khaki colour, it looks to have a texture like fine sand or dust but with a slightly filamentous surface, like microscopic hairs.

OOC,Okay, let's say Nicole lost the full 6pts, went temporarily insane, and now, not unreasonably in the circumstances, has developed Scotophobia: Fear of darkness or of the night. Roll Firearms Rifle/Shotgun to interpret what happened given there are only riot shotguns supposed to be on Titan

OOC,Firearms - Rifle/Shotgun (35%): [dice]0[/dice] Failed the test.

Nicole takes a few photos of the scene, including closeups of the fibrous growths, which she's no expert on. Then she will queasily take a look around all the rooms of David's apartment.

She holds her handgun in her right hand and her datapad in the other to capture video footage of all the rooms.

OOC,I'll roll a single spot hidden here in case there's anything hard to spot. Spot Hidden (60%): [dice]1[/dice]

Searching Montrose's quarters does not reveal much out of the ordinary except for a dozen empty bottles of whiskey. It is a fairly standard corporate apartment, furnished like the suite Nicole was given. It is generally untidy and it is clear Montrose has not had anything other than junk food for days, probably hasn't even moved out of the bedroom from the look of it. The apartment smells stale (where it doesn't smell of putrescence), the bedding is crumpled and frankly looks soiled, and not just with blood. However, lifting the mattress Nicole finds a loose bundle of papers covered in handwritten notes.

OOC,Good roll, here's the link to Montrose's notes: [url]https://www.callofcthulhu.org.uk/pbp/viewtopic.php?f=472&t=7217&p=244634#p244634[/url]

Nicole photographs the notes, then puts them into an evidence bag and pockets them.

She closes the door and begins making her way towards the Commercial Sector.

"CENTRAL, Sergeant Montrose's apartment is a crime scene, no one is to access it without my authorisation.
Please connect me to Nurse Richards."

'Hello Marshal Favre, I am placing Sergeant Montrose's apartment under a Colonial Marshal Service cordon. Placing a call to the Medical Centre...' answers CENTRAL.

After a momentary delay she hears 'Nurse Richards here, how can I help?'

"Nurse Richards, I am afraid that Sergeant Montrose has taken his own life," Nicole pauses for a moment to keep emotions out of her own voice, "I'd like you to have his body moved to the morgue, but it might constitute a...

"...a biological hazard. Are you equipped to store his body safely?"

ooc,I don't have any surprises to spring in this conversation, and once it's wrapped up I'm hoping to rejoin some or all of the others. She'll make her way to commercial sector.

Nurse Richard's voice comes over the speakers, 'What happened? I mean, yes, yes, we have a Level 2 biological safety rating. That should cover most pathogens. Why, what is the biological hazard?' He pauses for a second, 'Look, I think I'd better discuss this with the doctor, he's here with me...'

There is some indistinct conversation then Richard's voice again comes over clearly, 'Marshal Favre, I will initiate a Level 2 biological incident and collect Sergeant Montrose's body. Unless you have any objections Dr Johnson?'

After securing the scene, Nicole makes her way over to the Commercial Sector. The walkways have returned to their usual level of traffic with dolled up administrative staff and off duty methane miners heading out for the evening. CENTRAL's ARMs buzzing around the corridors.

The commercial district is much more brightly lit than the usual corridors but the odd oily smell that permeates the colony seems even stronger here. There are a number of shops selling clothes, groceries, and so on but it seems the options for refreshment are somewhat limited. There are a number of off-duty colony staff milling about, from the way they're swaying quite a few seem to be half-cut already.

A utilitarian building branches off from the middle of the street, above the entrance is a sign stating 'Refectory' in the standard corporate font of Richter Dynamics used throughout the colony. A number of people are heading in and out of it.

At the near end of the wide corridor stands a half-lit neon sign saying 'The Claim Jumper' above a dull metal building with small, grubby windows. Presumably it is some kind of bar and a few men stand outside smoking.

The far end of the street looks a bit grimier than the near side, the most obvious feature is a gaudy sign that reads 'Jack’s Play' alongside two figures in neon, a man and a woman both half clothed. The building itself is brightly painted in pink and white but the windows seem blacked out and a man dressed in a black suit is stood outside.

The nearest CENTRAL fish-eye camera lens is a few feet away, fixed to the corridor wall. CENTRAL's synthesised feminine voice responds, the sound seemingly projected from the walls to a focal point around where Nicole is standing. 'Hello Marshal Favre. Doctor Johnson is in the Medical Centre. Pilot Ling and Safety Inspector Goodkind are in the Visiting Corporate Apartments. Systems Engineer Garcia, Executive Officer Steinmann, Engineer Golightly, and Science Officer Khan are in the Commercial District. Please indicate if you would like to override privacy protocols to obtain an exact location in the Commercial District.'

OOC,I think that's right!

"Yes please CENTRAL, I need to locate those who are the commercial sector."

OOC,Metagaming, I'm expecting some or all of them to be inside Jacks Play - purely from the thread titles. If everyone is in there, Nichole will immediately walk across to the men stood outside, say who she is and who she's looking for. If they're split up, those in the commercial sector are split up, then I'll wait and see who is where before moving.

'Executive Officer Steinmann, Engineer Golightly, and Science Officer Khan are in 'Jack's Play'. Systems Engineer Garcia is in 'The Claim Jumper.'

While Nicole is taking to CENTRAL she sees the bus-like vehicle she took from the shuttle. It parks outside Jack's Play and two men get out. They look like security officers.

OOC,Spot Hidden please

Nicole Spot Hidden 60%,0

The two security officers seem to be having an argument with a man who is trying to enter Jack's Play. There is a scuffle, they seem to strike him with something, and he goes down. Several people come out of Jack's Play and start talking with the security officers. They look an awful lot like Kiara and Sam and they're shortly followed by a man who could well be Virgil. Now she looks more carefully, Nicole thinks one of the security officers is Tyson.

Nicole jogs over to where the others are gathered.

OOC,Just going to NPC Nicole to join the others in this thread: [url]https://www.callofcthulhu.org.uk/pbp/viewtopic.php?f=472&t=7334#p246301[/url]