Play@YSDC

Z-Day - 8:50 AM Mountain Daylight Time - At the T-Bone
In the Café’s kitchen-
In the kitchen, Charlie Moon was working the grill and wondering when Hammond was going to help out, but Thomas knew that Hammond rarely worked the breakfast rush but would stop in during lunch and dinner. In the meantime, Thomas was alternating his time between doing the dishes and preparing food for the lunch and dinner crowd. Not that there was much of a crowd to prepare for.

Charlie called over to Thomas, “Hey Thomas, get me some eggs from the walk-in will ya? Also some English muffins.”

"Sure thing, boss man" Thomas says with only slight sarcasm, before grabbing the stuff and walking over to Charlie.

Charlie took the eggs from Thomas, with a grunt of acknowledgement. He was always hungover during breakfast service, hell Charlie was always hungover until he took his first drink of the day, right around noon. He started to crack the eggs into a bowl and whisk them as the smell of burning bacon caught his nose "Watch the goddamn bacon would ya!" he shouted, motioning to the flattop where rashers of bacon we quickly being cremated.

Thomas quickly sets to work rescuing the bacon, though not without protest.

"Chill dude,a lot of folks like their bacon a little on the extra crispy side. I do!" Still, he dutifully turns down the heat and waits until Charlie's back is turned before he flips him off.

8:52 AM
In the kitchen-
Charlie began cooking the eggs, keeping an eye on the time. It would take three minutes to finish them.

OOC,[b]Charlie[/b], please roll Cook.

Ignoring Thomas, Charlie drops the eggs into a hot pan and starts to scramble them.

[Spoiler-Button]Charlie - Cook:50%[dice]0[/dice][/Spoiler-Button]

8:53 AM
In the kitchen-
Charlie began to cook the eggs while Thomas watched the bacon. Ashley stepped into the kitchen and handed Thomas a slip of paper with an order on it. "Hey, sweetie," she said. "Got another order for a big omelette and bacon. Seems to be pretty popular around here. When you got that order for double scrambled and an English muffin for me, I'll take it out to the table. What do you think about taking a walk to check out one of them meteors after work?”

"H-- Hey Ash. Ashley." Thomas stammers.

"Sure, uh, it will be ready in a bit. And that sounds great, I'd love to! If you're uh, willing, I mean. No pressure."

This is the best day ever!

In the kitchen-
"Sure thing," said Ashley with a grin. "I'll meet you outside at three, when our shift ends." She inhaled deeply. "That sure smells good. We're going to have some happy customers."

Charlie Moon

Charlie starts to break more eggs for the omelettes."That piece of tail will burn you faster than that bacon" he mutters to Thomas, half hoping Ashley can't hear over the sounds of the kitchen and half not caring if she does.

"Heh, yeah.See you soon, Ash!" Thomas says, big goofy grin on his face.

He hears Charlie's mutterings but ignore it, determined not to let the bitter man ruin his mood. Now he just had to get through this shift.

8:54 AM
In the kitchen-
"Lookin' forward to it," said Ashley. She didn't quite hear what Charlie said, as she was too busy pouring coffee into a mug and setting it on a tray before adding the plate with the toasted English muffin. The eggs were nearly done, as was the bacon, and she had been right. They did smell good.

OOC,[b]Ashley[/b]'s Listen roll (50% skill) to hear [b]Charlie[/b]: [dice]0[/dice]

8:55 AM
In the kitchen-
"I bet it will be exciting!" Ashley said to Thomas as Charlie put the finished eggs and bacon on plates and loaded them onto her tray. "Finally something interesting happens in this godforsaken place. Now you made a promise and you can't go back on it." She picked up the tray and pushed her way through the door, returning to the diner.

OOC,[b]Ashley[/b] is moving to the thread linked below. Everyone else remains in the current thread.

Breakfast

"Wouldn't dream of it!" Thomas promises. He watches her leave, a dreamy smile affixed on his face.

8:56 AM
In the kitchen-
With the previous order complete, Charlie began to work on the new one.

OOC,[b]Charlie[/b], please roll Cook.

Charlie Moon


Charlie drops back into his autopilot with turning out the breakfasts. He's been working here so long he could pretty much do it in his sleep, and after a heavy night, practically did

Roll Cook 50%,[dice]0[/dice]

Thomas gets back to work, humming an upbeat if grating tune as he goes.

8:57 AM
In the kitchen-
Charlie got into his usual rhythm of cooking, and again the eggs and bacon were smelling mighty good. They'd be done in a minute, and Ashley would probably be right back to pick them up for her customer.

8:58 AM
In the kitchen-
Ashley sashayed back into the kitchen with her empty tray, brushing against Thomas as she passed, just as Charlie finished preparing the bacon and eggs.

8:59 AM
In the kitchen-
Ashley loaded the meal onto her tray and breezed out, winking at Thomas, leaving him and Charlie alone. There was finally a lull when they had no orders to prepare.

Smiling giddily, Thomas looks to Charlie. "You ever seen such a beautiful girl, Tommy? She is totally into me."

9:00 AM
In the kitchen-
Lynne entered the kitchen with Jenny and Michael's order. Charlie and Thomas were chatting. They didn't seem to have any work at the moment, but that was about to change.

Lynne:


Lynne pins up the new order, realising that Thomas was looking a bit giddy.

"Hey guys, what's up?

"So... Ashley's been spending a lot of time in here."

She turns her sluttiest look on Thomas, "Have you been touching her up Thomas?"

9:01 AM
In the kitchen-
Charlie chuckled as he took the slip of paper from Lynne: Two orders of French toast, coffee, and tea. "More like the other way round," he said, cracking some eggs in a bowl.

Rosie entered the kitchen. "Got another one," she said, holding out the order to Charlie. "Steak, medium rare, eggs, scrambled."

"I'll get the steak on the grill first, then make the French toast while it cooks."

OOC,[b]Lynne[/b] is dropping off the order, not picking up one. [b]Charlie[/b], please roll Cook.

"Not yet." Thomas replies confidently to Lynne. "But soon. We're gonna go see the meteor shower."

In the kitchen-
"They're planning to go off at three, after the shift's done, to see where one of those meteors came down," said Charlie. "There's one that fell a few miles to the north, but I wouldn't go off that way. Those crazy Nazis live up there, and they're a lot worse than regular white people. No offense, Thomas."

OOC,Everyone may roll Listen. The base chance is 25%.

"None taken." Thomas says, still grinning broadly.

Listen 25%,[dice]0[/dice]

Lynne:


"Ah, a romantic walk." Lynne nods knowingly.

"There were a couple of those Nazi jerks in here before. Hope you spat in their waffles," she winks at Charlie and starts to move back out of the kitchen (OOC: might stop depending on our listen checks ) .

Listen,Lynne - Listen (61%): [dice]0[/dice]

In the kitchen-

Thomas,[b]Thomas[/b] heard gunshots in the distance coming from somewhere outside.

Thomas' smile vanishes as he hears the shots.

"Did you all hear that? It sounded like gunshots coming from outside!"

9:02 AM
In the kitchen-
"Every chance I get," said Charlie to Lynne with a grin. He put a steak on the grill and promptly forgot about it when Thomas spoke. "Gunshots? Nope, didn't hear nothing."

"I did," said Rosie. "Two shots, somewhere outside. It's quiet now."

Thomas had also heard two shots, but the shooting had stopped now.

OOC,[b]Rosie[/b]'s Listen roll (60% skill): [dice]0[/dice] [b]Charlie[/b]'s Listen roll (67% skill): [dice]1[/dice] [b]Charlie[/b]'s Cook roll (50% skill): [dice]2[/dice]

Lynne:


"Shit! I didn't hear any shots."

Lynne looks worried.

"But those Nazis were out there, and Bo too.

He told me to lock the place down, but Hammond would kill me"

OOC,Are there any windows or exterior doors from the kitchen?

9:03 AM
In the kitchen-
No sooner had Lynne mentioned the Nazis than everyone in the kitchen could hear Horst roar: "What the f***?! Where's that Indian bitch?"

OOC,There are windows facing the rear, and there is also a fire door that leads outside.

"Oh man, what do we do?" Thomas whines.

Lynne:


"Oh f***! I dont know! What's he want with me?

Maybe I just made his coffee too black."

Reluctantly Lynne opens the kitchen door a crack to try and see what's going on in the diner.

Hide,Lynne - Hide (46%): [dice]0[/dice]

Spot Hidden,Lynne - Spot Hidden (67%): [dice]1[/dice]

9:04 AM
In the kicthen-
"Stay here," said Rosie. "I'll handle it." She slipped back out into the diner.

Lynne could see that Horst was standing in front of his table, glaring at a bowl of soup in front of him with a mound of salt and the top of the salt shaker floating in it. He gripped the rest of the shaker in his trembling fist. Apparently someone had unscrewed the top so that it came off when he had tried to sprinkle some salt on his soup. Fortunately, he hadn't spotted her.

"I'll, uh, go put your order in," said Ashley to a family of four, hurrying into the kitchen. She passed Rosie on her way back out to the dining area.

"Easy, man," said Flip to Horst around a mouthful of waffles. "She'll get hers soon enough. They all will. We just have to be patient a little longer."

"Easy for you to say," mumbled Horst. "You got your food."

Rosie made her way over to Horst's table. "Can I help you, hon?" she asked.

OOC,[b]Rosie[/b] is moving to the thread linked below:

Breakfast

"I hope she knows what she's doing," Says Thomas.

When he sees Ashley come in, he brightens.

"Ash! You hear those gunshots? Something's going down outside; we need to get out of here!"

Lynne:


Lynne walks over to the fire exit takes a look outside.

"Might be more dangerous out there. Bo said we all should stay in here. He acted like those crazy rioters might be coming this way."

9:05 AM
In the kitchen-
"Rosie can sweet talk an alligator," said Ashley. "Of course, Horst is worse than an alligator. I didn't hear the shots, but a couple of the customers did. One of them said it came from the junkyard, and the other said it was probably just someone shooting a varmint. I wouldn't worry about that. But those guys on TV..." She shivered.

Charlie continued to prepare the two orders of French toast. They were almost done.

OOC,If anyone wants to try to convince [b]Ashley[/b] to leave, please roll Fast Talk or Persuade. The base skills are 5% and 15%, respectively.

"I guess," Thomas says, not wanting to push it and make Ashley think he was lame. "I'm just glad we're not where all this rioting is taking place."

In the kitchen-
Looking out the fire door, Lynne could see high grass to the north beyond the edge of the asphalt some forty feet away. There was nothing hiding in the grass. West of the T-Bone was a dirt road that ran south to the interstate highway and north toward Route 30. A few miles beyond that was the turnoff to the PMS compound.

OOC,I'm sorry, I had missed that you were looking out the door. :oops:

9:06 AM
In the kitchen-
Rosie came back into the kitchen carrying a bowl of soup, followed by Beth. "Everything's okay now," she said. "Someone unscrewed the top of Horst's salt shaker, and when he went to sprinkle some in his soup, the whole mess spilled in."

Charlie chuckled. "Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy," he said.

"No argument there, but we need to keep him calm. That means getting him a fresh bowl of soup pronto, and make it good. Everything else can wait."

"Well, the French toast is done, and the steak is practically cooking itself. I'm sure Thomas can flip it when the time comes in a couple minutes. I'll get right on that soup."

"I'll take the French toast out," said Ashley, putting it onto plates and loading them on a tray.

Just then, there were two shotgun blasts, the first louder than the second. After that, there was silence.

OOC,Everyone may roll Listen to try to determine the source of the shots. The base skill is 25%.

Listen 25%,[dice]0[/dice]

Thomas lets out an unmanly yelp.

Lynne:


"Oh shit, I heard them now! What's goin' on?"

Listen,Lynne - Listen (61%): [dice]0[/dice]

9:07 AM
In the kitchen-
Charlie began to cook the soup, while Ashley took the tray back out to the diner. "I don't know what's going on," muttered the Indian, "but I better make this order as if my life depends on it - because it just might. As long as there's no shooting here..."

OOC,[b]Charlie[/b]'s Cook roll (50% skill) preparing the soup: [dice]0[/dice] [b]Ashley[/b] is moving to the thread linked below:

Breakfast

Thomas tries to concentrate on his own job, but it's clear the kid is rattled. He keeps an ear out for further gunfire.

In the kitchen-
"This is Beth," said Rosie, indicating her. "She's our new waitress. Be nice to her. Beth, let me find you a waitress uniform. I think we've got one in your size." She rummaged through a closet and pulled one out of it. "There's a bathroom for the staff where you can change. I wouldn't recommend using the customers' ladies room. It...gets messy."

Distracted by all the gunfire, Thomas gives a small nod to Beth but seems unwilling to be his usual friendly self.

What if they come in here and start shooting?

9:08 AM
In the kitchen-
Rosie handed Beth the uniform and showed her the bathroom, which she entered.

Charlie finished cooking the soup and dipped a spoon in it, taking a taste. "Excellent," he said, "if I do say so myself."

Rosie took one too. "You know, I think this might be your best work yet," she said.

"That's an 'Inglorious Basterds' reference," Charlie grinned, showing off his teeth. "Man, I'd love to carve a swastika into Horst's forehead with my knife here."

"Well, you'd better hold off on that. He might get the wrong idea."

9:09 AM
In the staff bathroom-
Beth finished undressing and then started to put on the waitress uniform.

In the kitchen-
Rosie headed out to the diner with Horst's soup, and right afterward Ashley entered, handing another order to Charlie. "Pancakes, waffles, and two coffees," she said.

OOC,[b]Rosie[/b] is moving to the thread linked below:

Breakfast

"How's it looking out there?" Thomas asks Ashley, still nervous about all the gunfire.

Charlie wrote:"Man, I'd love to carve a swastika into Horst's forehead with my knife here."

"He'd probably like that, once he got used to it."

Thomas wrote:"How's it looking out there?"

"Yeah, do you think I can go back out there without Horst killing me?"

9:10 AM
In the staff bathroom-
Beth quickly got dressed in her new waitress uniform and transferred her things from the pockets of her clothes.

In the kitchen-
"I think Rosie's got things under control," said Ashley. "She's bringing out Horst's soup, and she should have him eating out of her hand. Well, not literally. Ew, that would be gross. I guess you could go out now, Lynne, but nobody would blame you for staying here until Horst leaves. Well, Hammond and Rita would, but I'll cover for you. He's gotta leave soon, right? I mean, the way Flip was wolfing down those waffles, it looked like he was almost done, and it doesn't take long to eat soup." She poured the coffee while Charlie started on the pancakes and waffles.

OOC,[b]Charlie[/b]'s Cook roll (50% skill) preparing [b]Robert[/b]'s and [b]Duke[/b]'s orders: [dice]0[/dice]

"Wow Charlie, you really are good at cooking under pressure." Thomas marvels. "You should be picked up by somewhere way better than this, man."

He feels a little better now that the gunshots seemed to have stopped. Plus, he still had his hot date with Ash later.

Lynne:

"I'll stay in here for a minute or two, see if they leave.

"What do you think the shooting was, if it wasn't Horst?"

9:11 AM
In the kitchen-
"Thanks, kid," Charlie said to Thomas. "Yeah, I should be working at Le Cordon Bleu, not this dump. Damned if I know what those shots were. There were only a few of them, though, and that was a while ago."

Ashley inhaled deeply. "I bet it tastes as good as it smells, Charlie."

Rosie came back into the kitchen. "Well, I think it's under control," she said. "Horst loves the soup, and Flip finished his waffles - but now he wants more."

Ashley frowned. "Won't those two ever leave?"

"I hate to bump him to the front of the line," said Charlie, "but if it'll get them out the door sooner...these waffles were for another customer, but they'll be done in a couple minutes."

Beth emerged from the bathroom, looking beautiful in the tight waitress uniform. "Anything I can do to help?" she asked.

If the fire door is Not alarmed,Charlie will make a show of puttering around the kitchen. He will scrape the flattop grill with his spatula and finish the food so that it just has to be plated after cooking a few more minutes. When no one is looking he will take a large kitchen knife and hold it by the handle along the inside his forearm so that it is on the other side of his body from everyone else.[color=#008000]"Hey you got this right? I need a smoke."[/color]Without waiting for an answer he will slip out the back door. When he gets outside he looks around before squatting down. He sets the knife down, fishes for the half cigarette he had left in the old coffee can by the door before sparking it with a match. He puffs it once to get it going then casually picks up the knife while standing and with his back to the wall carefully tucks the blade at an angle into the small of his back under his shirt and takes another look around.

If the fire door is alarmed,Charlie checks on some food then moves a few dirty dishes over to the sink. When hes confident no one is looking he will grab a sharp pointed kitchen knife along with a few plates. He puts the plates in the sink and after checking again that no one is paying attention he slips the knife onto a shelf out of sight but where he can grab it quickly. Straightening back up with a sigh he moseys over to the window putting his face close to it so he can see outside the building at a wide angle.

9:12 AM
In the kitchen-
"Not just yet," said Rosie to Beth. "I'll bring the waffles out to Flip when they're done. I wouldn't want to send you out to handle that table on your first day. Don't worry, there'll be work for you soon enough. This is the morning rush, and we've got a bunch of orders backed up."

There was no alarm on the fire door, as Lynne had opened it earlier. Charlie could see high grass to the north beyond the edge of the asphalt some forty feet away. There was nothing hiding in the grass. West of the T-Bone was a dirt road that ran south to the interstate highway and north toward Route 30. A few miles beyond that was the turnoff to the PMS compound. He stepped outside, knowing that he'd hear the waffle maker beep when it was done, which would only be a minute. Charlie lit up his cigarette and puffed away.

Thomas keeps himself busy, at least happy no more gunshots had rung out.

Finishing his cigarette Charlie returns to work, moving a bit more stiffly than before.

9:13 AM
In the kitchen-
Charlie returned to the kitchen as the waffle maker began to beep. The waffles were now done. Rosie got her tray ready for Charlie to load them.

Charlie plates up the waffles and passes them off to Rosie. Clearing off the ticket he continues his work.

9:14 AM
In the kitchen-
Rosie took the tray with the plate of waffles and left the kitchen.

Beth sniffed the air. "Is something burning?" she asked.

The source of the odor was easily traced back to the grill, and Charlie realized that with everything that was going on, he had forgotten to flip the steak. It was supposed to be medium rare, but it was now well done on the underside and hardly cooked at all on top.

OOC,[b]Rosie[/b] is moving to the thread linked below:

Breakfast

Thomas wrinkles his nose in disgust. Waste of a perfectly good steak.

"Damn it. It's fine I'll just use it for the steak salad." Flips the steak and quickly puts a new one on.

9:15 AM
In the kitchen-
The waffle maker hadn't beeped again yet, but the second order of waffles was nearly done to judge by the smell.

"I actually like steak well done," said Beth. "If nobody else wants it..."

Thomas looks at Beth, silently judging her.

I bet Ash likes her steak medium rare...

Lynne stares at the damn waffle maker. The sooner the waffles are done, the sooner the sooner the skinheads will be gone!

9:16 AM
In the kitchen-
The waffle maker finally beeped, and Charlie put the waffles on a plate, which he placed on the tray with the rest of the order that Ashley had to take out to other customers. The previous serving of waffles had been intended to be part of that order, but Rosie had taken it out to the skinheads instead.

Rosie returned to the kitchen, lowering her voice. "I gave the waffles to Flip," she said. "He was happy to have them, but Horst keeps looking at his watch, and before I reached his table he said it shouldn't be long, maybe five minutes or a little more. That was a couple of minutes ago. I don't think he was talking about the waffles, either. He's waiting for something to happen, and it's less than five minutes away now."

"That doesn't sound good," Thomas notes. "Do you think he's, like, dangerous or something?'

In the kitchen-
"Honey, I ain't never seen a more dangerous man," said Rosie with a shudder.

"Oh." Says Thomas. He shuffles back and forth awkwardly.

"Should we... do something? I mean, I don't know what we can do, but if he's planning something and you think he's dangerous..." He trails off and looks at Charlie for support.

9:17 AM
In the kitchen-
"I guess we're all going to die, then," said Beth with a shrug.

"I know what we can do," said Charlie. "We can kill that old Nazi." He drove the point of his knife into the cutting board.

"What?!" said Beth, her eyes goggling. "You can't mean to stab him to death in a room full of witnesses!"

"Nah. Just put a little poison in his soup, instead of a lot of salt."

"Don't even joke about that, Charlie," said Rosie. "I wouldn't mourn him, but killing Horst would enrage all those guys who follow him, and they'd take this place apart."

"I'm going out there anyway," said Ashley, taking the tray. "I can go warn Rita and Hammond that trouble's coming." She exited the kitchen.

OOC,[b]Ashley[/b] is moving to the thread linked below:

Breakfast

Thomas agonizes, torn between his desire to protect this place from what he feels is impending disaster and his innate cowardliness.

9:18 AM
In the kitchen-
"Some first day on the job this is turning out to be," muttered Beth.

"Say what you will about them," said Rosie, "Hammond and Rita won't put up with any nonsense. They won't let anything happen once they're made aware of the situation."

"I hope you're right Rosie," says Thomas. "That shooting earlier has me a bit nervous."

9:19 AM
In the kitchen-
"I hope so too," said Rosie, checking her watch. "Whatever's going to happen, it won't be long now."

"I hope Ashley's going to be okay out there," said Beth.

OOC,Everyone may roll Listen at half skill. The base skill is 25%, which would effectively be 12.5%. This means you'd need to roll 12 or lower in order to succeed.

Listen 13,[dice]0[/dice]

Thomas nods, absentmindedly chewing on his nail.

9:20 AM
In the kitchen-
Lynne's ears perked up at something nobody else heard. "Did you hear that?" she asked. "Two vehicles, coming from then dirt road to the north. They're heavier than cars."

"Trucks?" asked Rosie.

"No, not as heavy as a big rig."

"But they're not coming from the highway?" asked Beth. Lynne shook her head. "But what's up that way?"

"There's only one thing up that way of any note," said Charlie. "The Prairie Militia Society compound. That's Horst's buddies. He must have given them a call. Dammit, I knew we should have killed that ugly old bastard."

"And what do you think they'd do us if they found out he was dead?" asked Rosie.

"Might not be any worse than what they'll do to us now."

"I hear them stopping," said Lynne. "They're about halfway between the T-Bone and the motel."

OOC,[b]Rosie[/b]'s Listen roll (60% / 2 = 30% skill) in the kitchen: [dice]0[/dice] [b]Charlie[/b]'s Listen roll (67% / 2 = 33.5% skill) in the kitchen: [dice]1[/dice] [b]Lynne[/b]'s Listen roll (61% / 2 = 30.5% skill) in the kitchen: [dice]2[/dice] [b]Beth[/b]'s Listen roll (75% / 2 = 37.5% skill) in the kitchen: [dice]3[/dice]

Thomas yelps, but finds the danger offers him a temporary and uncharacteristic backbone.

"They may be here to rob the place or worse. One of us needs to get Ash, now. We bring her in here and fortitude the room. Then we find whatever weapons we can and hide, and if they come in..." And here the backbone fades. "Um, well, we uh... do something."

9:21 AM
In the kitchen-
"I'll go get her," said Rosie, ducking out into the diner.

"They're getting out of their vehicles now," said Lynne. "I hear a lot of footsteps!"

OOC,[b]Rosie[/b] is moving to the thread linked below:

Breakfast

"Quickly, we need to find some weapons!" Thomas looks around for something, anything he could use as a weapon.

Spot Hidden 44,[dice]0[/dice] Not sure what I should roll here, so please feel free to change the skill roll if you think search fits better.

9:22 AM
In the kitchen-
In addition to frying pans that could be used as small clubs in a pinch, Thomas spotted a block with several large knives in it, about as deadly as the one that Charlie had, which he had snatched up again. Lynne and Beth helped themselves to a knife each.

OOC,[b]Thomas[/b], you are free to grab whichever weapon you prefer. Both do 1D6 damage, though the kitchen knives are capable of impaling and the frying pans are not. However, the frying pans are capable of knockout attempts, which the knives are not. The base skills for Small Club and Knife are both 25%.

Unless there is burning cooking oil or some such, Thomas ops to go with a frying pan. He desperately hopes he won't have to use it, especially given his lack of experience with it as a tool of violence.

He looks towards the door. Rosie and Ash should have been back by now, surely? But he hadn't heard any sounds of yelling or violence, so that had to be a good sign. Closing his eyes and trying to keep his voice from shaking, he exhales.

"Okay, Lynne, Beth, you guys should find somewhere to hide. Be ready to attack if one of those militia goons comes in here and causes trouble. Charlie, mind helping me block the door when Ash and Rosie get back?

9:23 AM
In the kitchen-
"I call the bathroom," said Beth, ducking inside and locking the door behind her.

"Liquor closet," said Lynne, slipping into it and shutting the door.

"Sure thing," said Charlie, standing ready.

OOC,Everyone, please roll Listen. The base skill is 25%.

Thomas Listen 25,[dice]0[/dice]

Thomas continues to keep an eye on the door, his heart pounding.

9:24 AM
In the kitchen-
"S***, they're here," whispered Charlie. "One of them's standing right outside the kitchen door, but nobody's coming in here yet." His ears perked up again, and he glanced over at the liquor closet. "What's she doing in there?"

OOC,[b]Charlie[/b]'s Listen roll (67% skill) in the kitchen: [dice]0[/dice]

In the staff bathroom-
Beth sat down on the toilet, buried her face in her hands, and began to sob.

In the liquor closet-

Lynne,[b]Lynne[/b] knew all about the secret warehouse beneath the T-Bone, as [b]Earl[/b] had showed it to her during one of their...encounters. There were plenty of places to hide down there, and useful stuff as well. Possibly even weapons, if she could find where they'd stashed them. All she had to do was move the keg that was covering the trapdoor. That proved to be easier said than done, however. She grunted with the effort, but it wouldn't budge an inch. [spoiler][b]Lynne[/b]'s STR x 5 roll (50% stat) trying to move the keg: [dice]1[/dice][/spoiler]

Thomas bites his lip, unsure what to do now. Every fiber of his being wants to go out and try to find Ash, but he also knows there's little he can do.

He looks to Charlie. "Let's try and block the door. If these people are here to start something we don't want to let them in here."

Sorry Ash...

9:25 AM
In the kitchen-
Charlie nodded and helped Thomas move the table over to block the door to the diner's front area. Between the two of them, they had no problem. "That must be what Lynne's trying to do," he whispered, "block the door to the liquor closet. Only, she's not as strong as us, so she isn't managing it. We can still get out through the fire door if we have to; of course, they may already be out back, and they could get in that way too." He glanced over at the bathroom door. "I don't think the new girl's taking things so well."

OOC,Everyone, please roll Listen. The base skill is 25%.

In the staff bathroom-
Beth wept and wept. She thought she had accepted that death was inevitable, but now she realized that she didn't want to die after all.

In the liquor closet-

Lynne,[b]Lynne[/b] rested for a minute and tried again. This time the keg slid aside, revealing the trapdoor beneath. It was locked, of course. [spoiler]Lynne's STR x 5 roll (50% stat) trying again to move the keg: [dice]0[/dice][/spoiler]

"Well yeah," Thomas says. "She's a girl."

"I think we either have to try and hide with one of the girls or try and wait for one of them to burst through the door and hope for the best. What do you think?" He asks Charlie.

In the kitchen-
"Hiding sounds good to me," said Charlie. "There's only room in that bathroom for one, though, so it'll have to be the liquor closet. Sounds like Lynne finally got something moving in there."

Thomas does not need to be told twice. He heads towards the closet.

"Lynne? It's us. We're coming in." He whispers and tries the door.

9:26 AM
In the staff bathroom-
Beth could hear high-pitched screaming in the distance, coming from the direction of the office. She recognized the voice as Hammond's. While part of her was glad that the slimy pervert was getting what was coming to him, another part of her couldn't help but worry.

OOC,[b]Beth[/b]'s Listen roll (75% skill) in the bathroom: [dice]0[/dice]

In the liquor closet-
Thomas and Charlie slipped into the liquor closet and shut the door behind them. There was enough room in here for the three of them. Lynne had moved a keg aside, but she hadn't blocked the door with it yet. Instead, she knelt over a locked trapdoor in the floor, which had previously been concealed by the keg.

A high-pitched scream came from the direction of the back office, followed shortly by another. Everyone but Charlie recognized the voice as belonging to Hammond, and he sounded downright terrified - and in pain.

"What the hell?" said Charlie, looking at the trapdoor.

"Earl showed me this place once," said Lynne. "We've got to get down there."

"He's probably got the key, then."

"Keys are for losers," said Lynne with a grin. She took a rolled up piece of fabric out of her purse and unrolled it, revealing several long, thin metal implements. She held a finger to her lips and began to fiddle around with them in the lock. "Almost got it. Gimme another minute..."

"NO!" screamed Hammond in the distance, though Charlie couldn't make out the words that followed. "No, please, I'll talk! I'll tell you where the guns are!"

OOC,[b]Charlie[/b]'s Listen roll (67% skill) in the liquor closet: [dice]1[/dice] [b]Lynne[/b]'s Listen roll (61% skill) in the liquor closet: [dice]2[/dice] [b]Thomas[/b]'s Listen roll (25% base skill) in the liquor closet: [dice]3[/dice] [b]Lynne[/b]'s Locksmith roll (48% skill) in the liquor closet: [dice]4[/dice] [b]Lynne[/b] and [b]Thomas[/b], you may both roll Idea.

idea 65%,[dice]0[/dice]

"I'll get Beth," says Thomas. "I don't want to leave her here alone." He prepares to rush out unless one of the others stops him. But something also occurs to him.

Thomas gulps. "Is that where the boss keeps those guns he's yelling about? It sounds like he's going to tell them any second now, we need to hurry! Oh crap..."

He rushes out of the room and tries to reach Beth.

ooc,Not sure I have time to do all that in one turn, so I paused it there. If he does, Thomas is just going to knock on the door and tell Beth they found a better place to hide, and try to lead her to the others.

9:27 AM
In the liquor closet-
"Hammond and Earl keep all sorts of stuff down there," said Lynne, still working on the lock.

"Where?" came Horst's voice through the walls.

"Liquor closet!" cried Hammond. "Trapdoor! They're in the crates marked pots and pans!"

"You're gonna show me. Get up!" ordered Horst. "We're all going there."

"My finger! It moved!"

"I saw it too!" Flip shouted.

"It doesn't matter, let's go," said Horst. This was followed by the sound of a door opening and footsteps walking.

"Better hurry, they'll be here soon," said Charlie. "That barricade won't hold long, and those guns are our only chance to turn the tables. Why do you have a set of lockpicks, anyway?"

"For picking locks," said Lynne as she tinkered.

"Of course. Ask a stupid question..."

"Finally," whispered Lynne, pulling up the trapdoor. "Got it."

OOC,[b]Lynne[/b]'s Locksmith roll (48% skill) in the liquor closet: [dice]0[/dice]

In the kitchen-
Thomas darted across the kitchen and knocked on the bathroom door. Beth, having heard his voice and recognized it, opened the door and stepped out into the kitchen. "What do we do?" she hissed, clutching her knife. They had both heard what was happening with Hammond through the walls, and several pairs of footsteps were approaching the kitchen from the diner. "They're almost here..."

"Lynne's found us some guns the boss has." Says Thomas. "If we can get to them we should be able to scare Horst and his men off. I'm pretty sure they did not come here expecting a fight." He's not sure he fully believes this, but Thomas knows he'll feel better holding the guns rather than letting the skinheads take hold of them and do God knows what to the rest of them. "C'mon, hurry!"

9:28 AM
In the kitchen-
Beth nodded and hurried with Thomas into the liquor closet just as someone tried to open the kitchen doors. The table, on its side, was in the way, but it was slowly being shoved aside.

In the liquor closet-
Lynne and Charlie started down the stairs below the trapdoor. There was a lightbulb dangling from the ceiling below, a short distance from the trapdoor, with a chain hanging next to it. Lynne pulled it, which lit the bulb and relieved the darkness somewhat.

Thomas and Beth entered, and Beth quickly shut the door behind them.

On the stairs-
The stairs descended to a landing, where another flight led further down. "How deep does the rabbit hole go?" asked Charlie as they reached the landing.

"We're about halfway down the stairs," said Lynne, "but there's a lot more to this place than that. It's some kind of old facility from the Cold War, Earl said. The T-Bone was built on top of it."

Holding onto Beth, Thomas quickly starts down the stairs.

"Hopefully we can find the guns quickly. Otherwise we may have to just hide and hope for the best, but I prefer our chances armed."

9:29 AM
On the stairs-
Beth followed Thomas down the stairs, closing the trapdoor behind her. They soon reached the landing halfway down, where the stairs turned a corner before continuing.

Below, Lynne and Charlie reached the bottom of the stairs.

In the fallout shelter-
Lynne and Charlie found themselves in a larger room that had many boxes of both wood and cardboard. A quick look around revealed that there was another exit of the room leading to another stairwell down.

The place was some kind of storage room. The boxes were all marked: VCRs, Levi's Jeans, Liquor, Cigarettes, Watches, Expensive luggage, DVD players, Sweaters, Beer, Cooking supplies, Leather jackets, televisions, cellphones.

The shelter was not earthen but seemed hardened and old, concrete and wood with materials unlike that of the rest of the diner.

"Hammond said the guns are in crates marked 'pots and pans,'" Lynne told Charlie. "Let's start looking for them."

OOC,Everyone in the shelter may roll Idea, Spot Hidden, and Listen. The base skills for Spot Hidden and Listen are 25%. [b]Thomas[/b], if you continue down the stairs, please roll as well.

Thomas continues to move down the stairs as quickly as he safely feels he can.

He reaches the bottom of the stairs and looks briefly surprised by the number of boxes, but focuses on finding the guns. He had to assume the skinheads were right behind them.

Idea 65%,[dice]0[/dice]

Spot Hidden 44%,[dice]1[/dice]

Listen 25%,[dice]2[/dice]

9:30 AM
In the fallout shelter-
"This place is definitely older than the T-Bone," said Charlie, "and that dates back to the seventies. You know what it reminds me of? Those old missile silos they've been turning into private residences. It must have been built by the government back in the fifties, when the Cold War was heating up. They did a lot of work in this area at the time. If this is like those missile silos, it may go down very far. But if it's not, what is it?"

"Found the crates," said Lynne, pointing out three crates labeled "pots and pans." All of them were nailed shut. She also located a crowbar, which she handed to Charlie. "Here, see if you can get them open."

"If we open them here, there's gonna be a confrontation. We'll have guns, but I don't think they'll be loaded when they're packed away. Maybe we should just try to carry the crates below. They could search this room a long time before they realize the crates aren't here." Then Charlie held up a finger. "Shh. Hear that?" Lynne shook her head. "It sounded like screaming, from below, but distorted somehow.

"I heard it too," said Beth as she and Thomas reached the bottom of the stairs. He also heard the screaming, which sounded like a woman's voice, hoarse and weak. In addition, he could hear a low moaning from the same direction.

Lynne examined the dust. "Looks like someone's been dragged across the floor and further down the stairs." There was an old, ragged curtain that had been pushed aside in front of the stairway.

"Why would someone have done that?" asked Beth.

Lynne shook her head. "Earl and Hammond maybe. You have no idea what they were up to. This stuff here, probably all stolen. Considering how deep this thing is, hell, there could be someone down there."

Then Thomas heard the trapdoor opening far above.

OOC,[b]Charlie[/b]'s Idea roll (65% stat) in the shelter: [dice]0[/dice] [b]Charlie[/b]'s Spot Hidden roll (25% base skill) in the shelter: [dice]1[/dice] [b]Charlie[/b]'s Listen roll (67% skill) in the shelter: [dice]2[/dice] [b]Lynne[/b]'s Idea roll (45% stat) in the shelter: [dice]3[/dice] [b]Lynne[/b]'s Spot Hidden roll (67% base skill) in the shelter: [dice]4[/dice] [b]Lynne[/b]'s Listen roll (61% skill) in the shelter: [dice]5[/dice] [b]Beth[/b]'s Idea roll (85% stat) in the shelter: [dice]6[/dice] [b]Beth[/b]'s Spot Hidden roll (50% skill) in the shelter: [dice]7[/dice] [b]Beth[/b]'s Listen roll (75% skill) in the shelter: [dice]8[/dice]

"Guys!" Thomas says, his eyes darting up the stairs. He heads over to one of the gun crates and attempts to lift it, then attempts to head to the stairwell. Hopefully the skinheads would get distracted searching the room for long enough for the rest of them to get to safety. And maybe help free that woman that was apparently being kept prisoner.

Thomas,[b]Thomas[/b] could hear a single rifle shot coming from far above.

OOC,[b]Thomas[/b], please roll STR x 5.

Str 50%,[dice]0[/dice]

Thomas figures the shot means Horst's men have started executing people. He tries to move as fast as he can. But the box is too much for him to lift in his current condition, and he hisses in frustration.

"C'mon, C'mon!"

9:31 AM
In the fallout shelter-
Charlie and Beth each picked up one of the crates, and they had no problem with them. Lynne helped Thomas with his crate, and between the two of them they were able to manage it. The four of them carried all three crates down the stairs, Beth drawing the curtain shut behind them.

OOC,[b]Charlie[/b]'s STR x 5 roll (75% stat) trying to lift a crate: [dice]0[/dice] [b]Beth[/b]'s STR x 5 roll (60% stat) trying to lift a crate: [dice]1[/dice]

Thomas,A second rifle shot rang out seconds later, then silence. "Where's the explosion?" asked an unfamiliar man's voice. "I told [b]Nitro[/b] to blow up the pumps if he heard a shot, and that's two of them." "It was probably just [b]Deadeye[/b] taking care of some trouble," said another unknown man. "I guess [b]Nitro[/b] must have thought it wasn't necessary yet." "Dammit, he's not supposed to think, he's supposed to obey orders. I'm gonna have to have a talk with him later." "Never mind, let's just get the guns," said [b]Horst[/b]. Then [b]Thomas[/b] could hear eight people start walking down the stairs from above. He could still hear the screaming and moaning far below.

On the stairs-
Everyone continued to move down into the fallout shelter, entering the next corridor and another set of steps leading down. They were narrow, so they could only descend in single file.

"How big is this thing?" asked Beth.

Charlie looked down the stairs. "Hell, this thing could go on forever."

Lynne standing behind them nodded. "You bet. This is real old, something the government made back in the day. I don't think Earl or Hammond ever explored it all. There's even a laboratory down there, and some rooms, and bunks. I think there's even jail cells too. Also there is the elevator...but I never did trust that."

The four of them had carried the crates down one flight of stairs so far, reaching a landing beyond which they kept going down. The temperature had dropped since they had started descending.

"Thanks Lynne," Thomas is pretty embarrassed a girl needed to help him with his crate, but he puts his ego aside when he hears what the others are saying.

"I heard another shot from up above. Sounds like the skinheads are planning to blow the gas pumps too if they hear a shot! They've not gone up yet, but it's something that could happen. I don't think getting caught by them is something we can afford, I think they're gonna kill us all when they get the guns."

I think all we can do is keep going down and hope they get distracted searching upstairs."

9:32 AM
In the fallout shelter-
"No sweat, Thomas. Yeah, they could keep searching forever and never find them," said Lynne with a smirk as they proceeded down another flight of stairs carrying the heavy crates.

"How far down is the bottom?" asked Beth.

"The bottom of this whole place? I don't even know if it has one. Could go all the way to the center of the Earth for all I know. But we'll get to the bottom of these stairs after one more flight."

"Well let's keep going. The more space we can put between us and them the happier I'll feel. Though I am worried about Ash and everyone else. If those skinheads don't get what they want are they going to start hurting them? I hate to leave them, but I'm not much of a gunslinger and I don't want to get any of us hurt, either."

9:33 AM
In the fallout shelter-
"They'll probably take it out on Hammond first," said Lynne. "I won't be too sorry about that."

"Yeah, but I'd hate for innocent people to get hurt," said Beth. "Especially Rosie and Ashley, they're nice."

"Well, once we down there," said Charlie, "we can break these bad boys open and get those guns for ourselves, even up the odds. I'm a good shot with a rifle."

Everyone continued to follow the footprints lower, noting that there was some old wiring throughout the facility. However, at the end of the long stairs going down, they found a gate with a padlock. The foot trails went under the gate and continued further. At this point everyone could hear the screams and the moans, coming from somewhere beyond the gate.

"Um, I'm decent with a pistol, I guess. I mean, not enough to feel confident if it came to a fight with der fuhrer back there, but if I had to I could maybe help. And yeah, I don't want to think what they'd do to everyone."

"That doesn't sound good," Thomas says, stating the obvious. "Sounds like someone is in trouble or injured. Can anyone open up this lock?" He tries not to look at Lynne but fails.

9:34 AM
In the fallout shelter-
"Sure, just give me a minute," said Lynne with a smile, setting to work on the lock with her picks. She frowned as she fiddled with it. "Or two..."

Charlie wedged his crowbar under the lid of the nearest crate and pried it off with ease. Pushing the lid aside, he tore off the wrapping paper and whistled when he saw the small arsenal within. It was a soldier's dream, containing vintage weapons dating back decades. The contents were very impressive. There were two M-16A2 assault rifles as well as two M4 carbines, with 14 30-round magazines of 5.56mm ammo for each. There was a pair of semi-automatic 12-gauge shotguns and 400 shells for them. Finally, there were two M3A1 Grease guns with 7 30-round magazines of .45 ammo for each one. All of the weapons had been packed in grease, but it would be a simple matter to clean them using the wrapping paper inside the crate. It would just take time.

Charlie whistled. "If that's what's in here," he said, "I wonder what's in the other two. I've got dibs on one of those M-16s."

OOC,[b]Charlie[/b]'s STR x 5 roll (75% stat) trying to pry open a crate: [dice]0[/dice] Which crate did [b]Charlie[/b] open? [dice]2[/dice] [b]Lynne[/b]'s Locksmith roll (48% skill) trying to pick the lock: [dice]1[/dice] Anyone may claim a weapon and ammo. You can clean off one weapon of your choice given one minute, as well as load it. The M-16s and M4s use Rifle skill, the shotguns use Shotgun skill, and the M3A1 Grease guns use Submachine Gun skill.

Thomas tries not to grow restless as Lynne struggles with the lock. But all he can think is that those goons were right behind them. Another second and they'd have caught them up there. What if they had made too much noise and the skinheads had heard them? Even now, they could be coming down here. And they'd be sitting ducks.

Seeing the guns made him feel slightly better though. "Woah, awesome! But I've only fired a handgun, I don't think any of these would really be easy for me to shoot. I mean, they're better than nothing, if worse comes to worse we could bluff them I guess. But hopefully one of the other crates holds a handgun."

9:35 AM
In the fallout shelter-
"They're coming down the stairs above us!" hissed Beth. "A bunch of them." She grabbed one of the M-16s and cleaned it off, then loaded it with one of the magazines.

Charlie nodded. "I recognize Flip's voice. And Rosie's. They must have her with them." He pried open the second crate. Within it he found an M79 grenade launcher with 20 rounds, as well as 20 hand grenades. "Well, that's pretty cool, but not the most useful in an enclosed place like this."

Lynne was too focused on trying to pick the lock to hear anything. "Almost got it..." she muttered. "So close..."

OOC,[b]Charlie[/b]'s Listen roll (67% skill): [dice]0[/dice] [b]Charlie[/b]'s STR x 5 roll (75% stat): [dice]1[/dice] Which crate does he open? [dice]5[/dice] [b]Lynne[/b]'s Listen roll (61% skill): [dice]2[/dice] [b]Lynne[/b]'s Locksmith roll (48% skill): [dice]3[/dice] [b]Beth[/b]'s Listen roll (75% skill): [dice]4[/dice]

"Crap!" Thomas says. He grabs one of the M3A1's and starts to clean and load it. Hopefully by the time the goons showed up he'd have a fully loaded weapon capable of making Horst and his men back off.

"We should all grab a weapon," he suggests. "I don't want trouble, but 4 of us armed might convince them to leave. And I don't think they're going to stop coming even if we get that lock open."

In the fallout shelter-
Even before Thomas picked up the Grease gun, the tumblers finally clicked into place and Lynne opened up the padlock and flung the gate open. "Quick, let's pick up the crates again and drag them through, then lock it behind us!" she hissed.

OOC,[b]Lynne[/b]'s Locksmith roll (48% skill) trying again to pick the lock: [dice]0[/dice]

That worked for Thomas- he goes to lift up the same crate once again and hurry through the gate.

9:35:24 AM
In the fallout shelter-
Charlie and Lynne grabbed their crates, while Beth helped Thomas with his, and they scampered through the gate, which Charlie shut once they were on the other side, temporarily setting down his crate so he could reattach the padlock. It would seal them in unless Lynne could pick the lock again, but hopefully it would keep anyone else out. Just past the gate, the corridor rounded a corner to the left, and they vanished out of sight as the sound of footsteps on the stairs got louder behind them. There was little light from the stairway in this dark hall. The screams were clearer now. No doubting them. There were human screams. And something else. The moaning and hunger of something not quite human anymore.

OOC,Everyone, please roll Spot Hidden.

Thomas breaths a sigh of relief at having eluded Horst and his friends for the moment, but the sound of those screams reminds him that he's not out of the woods yet. Even worse, some of them did not sound human. was there some kind of animal down here? If so, Thomas had never heard this one before. But it hardly sounded friendly.

He tries to keep an eye out as they go down the corridor.

spot hidden 44%,[dice]0[/dice]

9:35:36 AM
In the corridor-
Charlie instantly saw a switch box on the wall and opened it. The thing did not seem to have been opened in a long time, its hinges squeaking as he opened it. Inside he found a lever. "There's also a few signs here near the gate," he said quietly, his eagle eyes able to see in the near darkness. "The top one says: 'Welcome to the Geronimo Federal Detention Center. Use of Deadly Force is Authorized.' The middle one says that the facility was built in 1953 by the Department of Defense and the U.S. Bureau of Prisons. The bottom one says: 'Reminder - This is a TOP SECRET facility of the U.S. Government. Failure to abide by all TOP SECRET protocols is subject to felony prosecution and imprisonment.'”

“So what do you think about the lever?” asked Lynne.

OOC,[b]Charlie[/b]'s Spot HIdden roll (25% base skill) in the corridor: [dice]0[/dice] [b]Lynne[/b]'s Spot HIdden roll (67% skill) in the corridor: [dice]1[/dice] [b]Beth[/b]'s Spot HIdden roll (50% skill) in the corridor: [dice]2[/dice]

"What is this place doing down here?" Thomas asks, confused. "I don't really know if we should go any further. I don't want to trespass on federal property- especially if they'll use deadly force to prevent it. But we do need to find out where that screaming is coming from. Someone's in trouble and we might be able to help."

9:35:48 AM
In the corridor-
"Relax, this place hasn't been in use for decades," said Charlie, throwing the switch. "Earl's family bought the land from the Feds. The only prisoners here are whoever they might be keeping locked up." Then he hoisted his crate once more.

The lights began to come on slowly down the hallway, flickering on and off, then a bit stronger until the lights became steady. One bank of lights went on and then another, as if the facility were an old man getting out of bed feeling its bones creak as he wakes up. The hallway was lined with tiles, and they went down at an incline toward an office at the bottom of the low slope. Now the signs Charlie had mentioned were visible to all of them.

"And us," said Beth in a soft tone. "I mean, we can't exactly leave now."

As the lights continued to go on, for a moment both the screaming and the strange moaning seemed to stop.

"We should keep moving. If they can get through that gate, we're sitting ducks here. Hopefully if we go a little further in the complex we can lose them completely. Even of not, we'll have the time to fully arm ourselves.

"That's strange, the screaming stopped." Thomas wanted to shout out to the voice to tell them where it was, but he also did not want to alert Horst that anyone was down here. Hopefully the man would see the locked gate and decide no one had gone this way. "We should head for that office and see if anyone's in there. We should get armed first though; that animal might be hostile, given the screaming."

9:36 AM
In the corridor-
"Yeah, we better keep moving," said Charlie. They all carried their crates down the hall toward the office at the end of it.

The lights came on and the detention center began to buzz.

"What's the deal with this underground detention center?" asked Beth quietly as they walked.

Lynne shrugged. "Don't ask me," she replied. "I never heard of this. And my folks were Indians around here and we didn't know about it."

"Neither have I," said Charlie.

Beth looked around and touched the dust on the wall as she went past. "It looks like it's been abandoned by a long time."

At that moment the screaming began again from somewhere in the facility.

Soon thereafter began a mournful wailing that wasn't quite human.

"Apparently not quite abandoned," she added.

In the reception office-
The group proceeded down into the reception office. Beth kicked the door shut behind them. A doorway at the back of the office led down a hallway to what seemed to have been a guard room. There were two other doors on each side of the hallway. The reception office contained a desk, bare bookcases, and filing cabinets.

"At least we should be able to lose them in here," says Thomas. "Do you guys think we should move a bookcase or two in front of the door? It blocks our way out, but it will also buy us more time if they get through the gate.

"Can anyone hear where the screams are coming from?" As he asks, he cocks his own ear to listen.

listen 25%,[dice]0[/dice]

In the reception office-
The screams were coming from somewhere down the corridor, in the distance.

Thomas,[b]Thomas[/b] could tell that the screams were coming from somewhere beyond the guard room at the end of the hall. He could also hear several people back past the gate, even with the door closed behind him.

"Guys, they've reached the gate. I hear them back there. At least they've apparently not broken through it yet."

"I thin the screams are coming from somewhere past the guard room. Not sure where yet though, we'll need to get closer."

9:37 AM
In the reception office-
A single gunshot rang out back the way they had come, and Thomas could hear footsteps entering the hallway behind them. "Let's go, fast," hissed Lynne, leading the way down the hall ahead of them.

In the central hallway-
The group passed what looked like a staff room to the right. A few bunks were visible through the open doorway. Across the hall from it on the left was another open doorway, through which what seemed to be a mess hall could be seen. They hurried past another pair of doors on either side of the hall, both of them closed. The screams were coming from further ahead, so the group proceeded down the hall, into the guard room.

In the guard room-
The guard room contained two bunks, a desk, a table, and a filing cabinet. Beth shut the door behind them with her foot again. Another door led onward ahead of them, this one closed. The screams and moans were coming from somewhere behind it.

"Wait!," says Thomas. "We should try and barricade the door. Might buy us a few minutes." First he checks to see if the door can be locked. Then, if others are willing, he tries to move a bookcase in front of the door. If no one else seems willing to help he will abandon the plan and hurry into the hallway.

9:38 AM
In the guard room-
There was a lock on the guard room door, but it was designed to be locked from the outside, as this facility was clearly designed to keep people in rather than out of it. However, there was plenty of furniture they could use to barricade the door. There were no bookcases in this room, but the four of them set down their crates temporarily and pushed the desk against the door. Then they stacked the filing cabinet and the table on top of it.

Beyond the now barricaded door, Thomas could hear a door opening and footsteps approaching. They were now in the reception office.

"Nice work," Thomas said, his heart pounding. He grabs one of the grabs one of the M3A1's and starts to clean and load it, wanting to have some weapon if things went south.

"We should keep moving. Charlie, I think you better go first. And be ready to fire. Whatever animal is making those sounds sure doesn't sound friendly."

9:39 AM
In the guard room-
Thomas picked up, cleaned, and loaded one of the Grease guns, and Lynne did the same with the other one. These submachine guns looked simple enough to use, though they were decades old and they lacked a fire selection switch. The were capable only of fully automatic fire, not of single shots. Meanwhile, Charlie took the remaining M-16, cleaned it, and loaded it. All of the weapons had attachable straps that allowed them to be slung over the shoulder. As they did so, they noticed that the walls of the guard room were decorated with 1960s pinups. Beth tried the door at the far end of the guard room and opened it, poking the barrel of her own M-16 through the opening. On the other side of the door was what looked to be an interrogation room. The room was empty except for a table and two chairs. One of the chairs seemed to be equipped with restraints. There was a rather strange electrical generator in the room as well, and an empty bucket once used for water. At the far end was another door, this one closed. It was beyond that door that the screaming and moaning could be heard. Beth picked up her crate and slipped into the room.

Beyond the barricaded door, Flip's loud voice could be heard: "Where'd they go?! They were just here. I heard 'em, boss." Then there was a pause before he shouted again: "Open it! Now, you dotty bird!!"

In the interrogation room-
Beth tiptoed through the interrogation room and sidled up to the door at the other end, setting down her crate, positioning herself against the wall beside the door, and gripping her M-16.

Thomas slips into the interrogation room, waiting for Charlie and Lynne to join. He stops at the door at the other end of the room, takes a deep breath, and then opens it.

9:40 AM
In the interrogation room-
Lynne helped Thomas carry his crate, while Charlie managed his on his own. Thomas opened the door, which was unlocked. It revealed a hallway stretching into the distance. Twelve doors lined it, six on each side. The doors were made of solid metal, though there was a sliding panel at eye level on each of them and a narrow slot at the bottom for sliding a tray of food underneath. Each door had a number stenciled on it from 1 to 12. The odd numbered doors were on the left side of the hall, and the even ones were on the right. The numbers started at one and two and increased as they went. At the far end, a doorway led further. Everyone proceeded into the cell block with the crates.

In the cell block-
Beth shut the door behind them. The screams were getting louder and more desperate. The hallway echoed with them, and it was difficult to tell exactly where they were coming from.

OOC,Everyone, please roll Listen. The base skill is 25%.

Thomas tries to listen and pinpoint where the screams are coming from.

Listen 25%,[dice]0[/dice]

He shakes his head. "I can't tell where the screaming is coming from. How about you guys?"

In the cell block-
"It's coming from number 4," said Lynne. Charlie nodded.

OOC,[b]Charlie[/b]'s Listen roll (67% skill) in the cell block: [dice]0[/dice] [b]Lynne[/b]'s Listen roll (61% skill) in the cell block: [dice]1[/dice] [b]Beth[/b]'s Listen roll (75% skill) in the cell block: [dice]2[/dice]

Thomas points to the door. "I'll open the sliding panel and see what's causing that moaning. If I see anything dangerous, one of us needs to try and get a shot through the hole. I don't want to open until we know we'd be safe."

He approaches door 4 and attempts to open the panel.

Thomas san 60%,[dice]0[/dice] Possible loss [dice]1[/dice] Idea 65 [dice]2[/dice]

Thomas looks in the panel and his mind shatters.

9:41:12 AM
In the cell block-
Thomas began to scream in unison with the woman in the cell, paralyzed with fear.

"Good thing Ashley isn't hear to see this," said Lynne, elbowing Thomas aside and fiddling with the lock. She had it open in less than half a minute and threw open the cell door to reveal a horrifying sight which made her scream too, albeit briefly. The walls were made of thick, old stone. Two young women were manacled to opposite walls, wearing only their underwear. One was alive and screaming, straining to break her chains free from the right wall. The other was dead and moaning inhumanly. She was also pulling at her chains from the left wall in an effort to reach the living woman - and she was a lot stronger. Lynne scrambled into the cell, hurried over to the living woman, and began to try to pick the lock on her manacles. The other woman's chains finally snapped free. She turned to look at the newcomers, then surged across the cell toward Lynne, whose back was to her.

"Lynne, look out!" shouted Beth.

Lynne spun around as the dead woman charged her, barely having enough time to raise her Grease gun and fire at full auto. The bullets sprayed all around the dead woman, but none of them hit due to her lack of skill with the weapon, even at such close range. The woman rushed forward and wrapped her arms around Lynne, crushing her with inhuman strength! Beth raised her rifle and snapped off a single shot from her M-16, not wanting to risk hitting Lynne with stray bullets by firing a burst. The bullet struck the dead woman square in the head, blowing a massive hole in it and dropping her like a bad habit.

OOC,[b]Thomas[/b]'s temporary insanity type: [dice]0[/dice] [b]Thomas[/b]'s temporary insanity duration: [dice]1[/dice] [b]Thomas[/b] is having a screaming fit. The duration is six rounds, but they have now passed, so you may act freely again. [b]Charlie[/b]'s Sanity roll (current level 50) for seeing the zombie: [dice]3[/dice] [b]Lynne[/b]'s Locksmith roll (48% skill) to pick the lock on the door: [dice]2[/dice] [b]Lynne[/b]'s Sanity roll (current level 45) for seeing the zombie: [dice]4[/dice] [b]Lynne[/b]'s Sanity loss: [dice]6[/dice] [b]Beth[/b]'s Sanity roll (current level 80) for seeing the zombie: [dice]5[/dice] [b]Lynne[/b]'s Locksmith roll (48% skill) to pick the lock on the living woman's chains: [dice]7[/dice] [b]Lynne[/b]'s Submachine Gun roll (15% x 2[point blank] = 30%[burst with at least 6 bullets] + 30% = 60% base skill) shooting at the zombie, point blank, full auto: [dice]8[/dice] Zombie's Grapple attack (25% chance) on [b]Lynne[/b]: [dice]9[/dice] Zombie's Bite attack (30% chance) on [b]Lynne[/b]: [dice]10[/dice] [b]Beth[/b]'s Rifle roll (50% x 2[point blank] = 100% skill) shooting at the zombie, point blank: [dice]11[/dice] Hit location: [dice]12[/dice] Damage: [dice]13[/dice]

Thomas screams his head off, fully comprehending the sight in front of him. That woman had to be dead. It had to be dead. But it wasn't, and worse was that it was moving with such purpose.

He continues to scream, only being dimly aware of Lynne getting the lock open and rushing into the room. He screams louder when the thing grabs her, and only quiets down when Beth gets a shot off and brings it down, this time for good (he hoped.) He looks around, shaky and embarrassed for how he had acted. But honestly, he'd rather focus on that then what he just saw.

"You alright, Lynne?" He says, still not being willing to get closer. "Nice shooting, Beth. Sorry I couldn't help, but I was...really not expecting that. The government's keeping dead people down here?"

ooc,I have a feeling we got VERY lucky there.

9:41:24 AM
In the cell block-
"Thanks," said Beth, finally exhaling. "Didn't know I had it in me."

"Just...just shaken up," said Lynne. "I'm not hurt. We have to get her out of here fast!" She went back to work on the manacles. "I hear them trying to break through the barricade we made, and they're screaming. There was also gunfire coming from that direction."

"It's not the government keeping people down here, it's Hammond and Earl," said Charlie. "I doubt she was dead when they chained her up."

The dead woman was young and African-American, with dark hair. She was so skinny that her rib cage was visible. The living woman was blonde, also skinny, and still screaming her head off.

OOC,Yeah, you might say that (especially in [b]Lynne[/b]'s case). Also, [b]Beth[/b] is awesome.

Thomas tries to put the dead woman out of his mind and focus on the monsters he knew were right behind them. "Yeah, maybe... maybe she was, like, crazy with hunger or something. Look how thin she is.." He is entirely unconvincing, even to himself.

"Once we get her free, I think we need to prepare for a confrontation. If Horst is still following us he and his men are not going to give up. I don't want to fight, but honestly with what we've just seen? I'm pretty sure if Horst does not try to kill us Hammond will. There's enough down here to send him and Earl away for a long time." .

9:42 AM
In the cell block-
"Let's move these crates along now," said Charlie. "This hall's not a good place to fight them, but maybe we can ambush them from the next room." He and Beth each grabbed one of the full crates and lugged it through the doorway at the end of the cell block. The remaining crate only had two rifles and most of the ammo in it, so Thomas would be capable of carrying it on his own. Lynne kept working on the manacles.

In the shower room-
This was a larger room that was intended for the prisoners to shower and relieve themselves. There was no privacy here, just showers along the left wall and urinals and toilets on the right. At the back of the room was a doorway leading to a common area for the prisoners. Charlie and Beth each moved along a wall around a corner and set the crates down out of view of the hallway. "This isn't the best spot," said Charlie, "but we can lean around the corners and fire our rifles down the hall if we need to. Ideally, we'd want to move further so we can get a better range advantage, but we don't want to get too far ahead of the others."

Thomas follows the others, bringing his crate along and similarly hiding it..

"I wish we could chuck one of those grenades down the hall and call it a day, but they probably still have hostages." His heart sinks when he thinks of Ash. "Hopefully we can get enough distance to drop the skinheads and Hammond and Earl before they can threaten any of us with return fire. Man, I feel sick even thinking this, but these guys are monsters, and I don't think they're going to just let us go."

In the shower room-
Thomas carried the crate into the room, following the others, and set it down out of sight. "I just heard the barricade go down," Charlie said. "Lots of screaming and shouting. Yeah, these rifles give us the edge we need."

In the cell block-
Lynne kept working on the manacles, so far without success.

OOC,[b]Lynne[/b]'s Locksmith roll (48% skill) trying again to pick the lock on the manacles: [dice]0[/dice]

Thomas anxiously calls out to Lynne.

"If you can't get the lock off leave her, Lynne! They'll be here in a few seconds!" He reasons that with the insane other captive dead, the screaming woman was safe for the moment. Horst only cared about the guns.

Fast Talk,Trying a roll to convince Lynne if needed: [dice]0[/dice]

9:43 AM
In the cell block-
Lynne gave up on the lock and bolted down the hall at high speed, entering the shower room to rejoin the others.

In the shower room-
"I heard shooting back there too," said Lynne.

"Let's put some more distance between us and them," said Charlie. He and Beth each picked up a crate and continued through the doorway to the common area.

In the common area-
This was a large area where prisoners could gather outside their cells for exercise or socializing. A metal door stood at the far end with a sign over it that read: "Lab Entrance. No Unauthorized Entry Beyond This Point."

"So unauthorized entry up to this point is okay?" said Beth. She ducked around the corner to the left, while Charlie went around the corner to the right.

"We can lean around the corner and see down the hall from here," said Charlie. "That'll give us a good shot with our rifles, and probably nobody without one will be able to hit us from the cell block."

Thomas follows, dragging his crate with him. He also goes around the right corner and gets his gun ready.

"I guess it's too late to hope we can convince them to back off, huh? Maybe after we take out Horst."

9:44 AM
In the common area-
Lynne darted around the corner to the left, joining Beth. "They're almost here," she hissed. "I hear them coming, right outside the cell block."

"So do we yell out a warning first or..." Thomas trails off. He's not eager to kill anyone in cold blood, even a monster like Horst or Hammond. "I mean, we have rifles. When we see them can't we just tell them to, I dunno, freeze? If they still try to attack us they'll have to get closer, and we'll be able to shoot them down before they have a good chance of hitting us."

"But I'll go with what the rest of you think. We're all in danger here, after all."

9:45 AM
In the common area-
The door to the cell block opened, and two skinheads cautiously entered, one with an M-16 and the other with a large handgun. They were followed by Horst, who Thomas saw to his horror was gripping Ashley about the waist and holding her in front of him, with a pistol in his free hand and a shotgun slung over his shoulder. Next came Flip and Rosie, and then Earl. The women looked terrified, but they seemed to be unhurt. They were followed by more people, but it was hard to see through the crowd in the narrow hall.

OOC,Everyone, please roll Spot Hidden. The base skill is 25%.

Spot Hidden 44%,[dice]0[/dice]

Thomas' eyes widen when he sees Ash, but he forces himself to focus on the goon with the M-16. He aims for him but holds his fire for the moment, still not certain if he should shoot but ready if he needed to. Hopefully the screaming would distract the skinheads.

9:45:12 AM
In the common area-
Thomas saw to his dismay that the Grease gun did not appear to have a fire selection switch. There was no way to fire a single shot, only a burst. If he fired down the narrow cell block hallway, there was a good chance he'd hit someone innocent, such as Ashley. Lynne's Grease gun was no doubt identical.

"Hold your fire," whispered Lynne. "They've got Ashley and Rosie." Then a shot rang out in the far distance, back the way they had come, but only Lynne could see the source of it. "It's Hammond, all the way back at the gate. He's shooting at..." She gasped. "He's been bitten..."

"I see you!" called a skinhead standing behind Earl with a large pistol pointed at his back. "Throw the weapons down now, or someone dies!"

Lynne dropped her Grease gun and curled up in the fetal position on the floor, whimpering softly.

OOC,[b]Charlie[/b]'s Hide roll (43% skill): [dice]0[/dice] [b]Charlie[/b]'s Spot Hidden roll (25% base skill): [dice]1[/dice] [b]Lynne[/b]'s Hide roll (46% skill): [dice]2[/dice] [b]Lynne[/b]'s Spot Hidden roll (67% skill): [dice]3[/dice] [b]Lynne[/b]'s Sanity roll (current level 42) for seeing the zombie: [dice]7[/dice] [b]Lynne[/b]'s Sanity loss: [dice]8[/dice] [b]Lynne[/b]'s Idea roll (45% stat) to avoid temporary insanity - failure is good: [dice]9[/dice] Type of temporary insanity: [dice]10[/dice] Duration of temporary insanity: [dice]11[/dice] [b]Thomas[/b]'s Hide roll (10% base skill): [dice]4[/dice] [b]Beth[/b]'s Hide roll (10% base skill): [dice]5[/dice] [b]Beth[/b]'s Spot Hidden roll (50% skill): [dice]6[/dice]

"Lynne?" Thomas says, watching as she drops her gun. "What are you doing?'

The skinhead's warning along with his inability to fire a single shot causes him to hesitate, and he looks towards Charlie, unsure what to do. He does not want to risk hitting one of the hostages; especially Ashley. But how could they trust that they wouldn't just be killed after giving up? He decides to go along with whatever Charlie does here, reasoning he knows better.

9:46 AM
In the common area-
Charlie's lip curled with barely suppressed rage, but he held his fire. Finally, he threw down his M-16, knife, and crowbar, and Beth did likewise with her weapons. Thomas followed suit with his Grease Gun and frying pan.

"Good!" called the skinhead with the large pistol who had spoken earlier, who wore a red beret. "Now keep your hands up and move away from the weapons, but stay where we can see you! One wrong move and..." He glanced back for a second. "That Marine took care of the dead guy, but Hammond got away."

Charlie, Thomas, and Beth did as they were told. Lynne remained curled up on the floor, sobbing.

"Never mind," said Horst. "He's just one man. What can he possibly do? Anyway, we got his wife and his brother here." The group advanced through the cell block, stopping outside the open door to cell number four where the girl was still screaming. "She ain't going nowhere. We'll get her on the way back. Keep moving, I want those guns." They proceeded through the cell block and into the shower room.

Thomas' heart sinks, but he follows Charlie's lead. He knows he does not have it in him to get into a gunfight when the other side had hostages. He hates himself for it. He could-not defend his mom from his father, and he couldn't even defend Ash either.

He does as the skinhead says, feeling intense self loathing and sorry for himself. So much for being the hero.

OOC,Everyone is moving to the thread linked below:

Guns and Ammo