Ch.2 Exxon Pumping Station #31

[Philulhu]

“Arrgghhh!” came Boyd’s reply from the top of the stairs. The blood! The smell! He had to get away! He turned and started to run down the stairs, pushing Gavin and Harold out of the way, heading for the door…

Benjamin and Amanda were taken by surprise as Boyd bolted and could only watch as he flew down the stairs…

Downstairs, Randy carefully pushed open the doors to find they both led to the same room, the pump room for the base. Two shuttered doors led outside to the left and right, and a large oil pipe entered from the left wall, connected with the huge industrial pump, and exited through the right wall.

The pump wasn’t operating and the room was eerily quiet. An angled control panel of switches, gauges, and lights stood dormant in front of the pump housing. On the wall adjacent to the door through which he had entered, Randy could see a master electrical panel with a red kill switch to shut down the pipeline in the event of an emergency.

That seems like a reasonable response, in the circumstances!

[kabukiman]

OOC: Sure!

Boyd is looking for fresh air, and trying to get out of the building, at least for a while.

[Mr. Handy]

Was I able to find the radio?

[Snapper]

Randy back-tracked to the base of the stairs to call up to the others. "OK, the pump room is down here and is clear but the pump is off, obviously. There's a kill switch for the pump in that room. Someone with mechanical or engineering skills might want to look."

"There's a grate covering an access shaft goes down six or so metres to some kind of basement level. We got machinery running down there and warmth coming up."

[BoyBlunder78]

Looking at where Boyd had just bolted too, keeping his eyes on the doors, Gavin hollers up the stairs, "Everything alright up there....?" while waiting for a response he turns to Randy, "You know wild animals will search for warm places to chill out" He says as his hand tightens on his pistol.

[Snapper]

Randy looked back to Gavin. "Well that's a cheery thought. Bad news for these rooms, seeing as the door was busted open, not to mention the station's gates before it."

"Good news for the basement though is there's a grate. Should limit intruders to creepy-crawlies and snakes. And hopefully what snakes there are in Canada are asleep over winter."

[BoyBlunder78]

Gavin grunts, shrugs his shoulders. " Hey, wheres the new guy?"

[Snapper]

"I told him to wait in the other room while I checked the Pump Room. I couldn't watch him and do room sweeps at the same time."

"Hey Harold, if you want you could check the Pump Room controls, see what has happened to the pump and all. I cleared the room, nothing alarming in there."

Is Bill still about or has he wandered off out of the current building?

[Mr. Handy]

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"The radio room crew's been slaughtered, just like in the camp!" calls Benjamin. "No sign of whatever did it!"

[Joajackson]

"An insane mountain lion, a pack of rabies-full wolves, or some kind of wendigo. This shit is too wild. If anyone screams like an insane person, presume they are being attacked by the yeti and help out."

Amanda was really unnerved with all this shit. Animals ate their victims, they didnt display them.

[Snapper]

Randy had been hugging the rifle tight, barrel pointed down, but after hearing the news from above he brought the barrel up again, putting his back to the stairwell leading upwards. For now, wherever Randy looked, the rifle pointed, dropping aim only to avoid members the team.

"Copy Ben. It's still clear down here. Is it safe to send Harold up to look over the radio? Or is it trashed?"

[Philulhu]

The ice-cold air was like a slap in the face to Boyd as he ran out of the building and into the compound. He stood panting, hands on his knees, trying not to be sick. There was no way that he wanted to go back inside!

Perhaps Boyd isn’t the most likeable fellow but your colleagues’ lack of concern is truly touching! ‘Where’s Boyd?’ ‘Oh, he ran outside into the freezing cold, where the monsters are.’ ‘Oh, Ok…’

For now, it will take some convincing to get Boyd back inside that particular building.

A shortwave radio sat on the desk next to the stairs where the body was found. Along that same wall were a number of shelves with large CB hand radios on charging brackets. On the opposite wall were shelves of electrician’s tools, voltage testers, spools of wire, spare breakers, fuses, and so on. In the far corner was a bank of meteorological instruments that appeared to be hooked up to a dedicated NOAA modem. A red light indicated that was currently offline.

The radio equipment and CBs looked to have sustained damage as a result of a sustained assault, with wiring torn loose and great rents torn in the casings.

The door leading outside, through which Boyd had fled, stood open and flurries of snow blew in, creating a slowly spreading white carpet.

From the pump room, there was a heavy metallic clattering sound and Bill could be heard saying, ”Someone’s done a number on this!”

[BoyBlunder78]

Gavin hobbles to the open door, looking out into the wilderness, scanning for Boyd. "OI! HEY BOYD get your ass back in here! Your letting the cold out!!"

[Snapper]

Randy looked back at Gavin. "I found Bill."

"Hey Bill! Done a number on what?! The pump thing?!"

[Mr. Handy]

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"Radio's been damaged!" calls Benjamin. "No hostiles up here. Send Harold up to see if he can fix it!"

[kabukiman]

Gavin hobbles to the open door, looking out into the wilderness, scanning for Boyd. "OI! HEY BOYD get your ass back in here! Your letting the cold out!!"

"I'l return in a couple of minutes, I'm just taking some fresh air"

Boy will take a look at the gates to see what could have push them so hard (with the pistol in his hand)


OOC: yes, I know, Boyd is doing a huge mistake, but I guess it makes sense in his present state of mind.

[Philulhu]

Kneeling down in the snow to examine the gates, Boyd could see that they were buckled and the chain links torn. Something with quite significant strength had grabbed them and bent them out of shape, tearing them clear off hinges that had held them in place.

He found his eyes drawn to the gap in the fence where the gates had once stood, studying the dark treeline from which they had recently emerged.

OOC:   Make a POW roll, please.

OOC:   Just waiting for a response from Harold, but feel free to act in the meantime, if you wish.

”Someone’s had a go at the pump and the control panel!” came Bill’s voice from the pump room.

[BoyBlunder78]

Gavin gets up and hobbles towards the room where Bill is, to inspect for himself. "When you were out there, dud you see any sign of these crestures? Anything outta the ordinary?"

[kabukiman]

Boyd power: 40%

[Snapper]

"Hey Harold, they've asked for you upstairs!"

Randy followed Gavin back to Bill in the pump room, still being very cautious.