Lazarus waits for Mitose to respond to his question.

Jade is zipping up toward the pulley which will likely mangle her arm at this rate and force.

Viper turns to the side, flattening himself against the wall, and the elevator falls harmlessly past him.  The whirr of the cables is loud as they climb at a rate of about 15 miles per hour.

The Agent grabs hold of the lower part of the disconnected stairwell and begins to lift himself up.

Roach runs back toward the dead marines.

The elevator with Mitose and Laz inside begins to creak and tilt more on its side.  It is sure to fall in a matter of seconds.  The hatch is still open from where Jade climbed out.  The elevator is tilted about 45 degrees, making the hatch easily accessible.

There is an audible snap as one of the many cables holding the elevator up snaps.
This message was last edited by the GM at 05:51, Tue 06 July 2004.

As Jade ascends, she holsters her pistol and makes sure her Thompson is securely over her back.  She looks for some sort of ledge or platform to jump out onto before hitting the pulleys at the top.
This message was last updated by the player at 03:20, Mon 05 July 2004.

Viper starts climbing the 'ladder' as quickly as possible, hoping to reach the others in time to be of some help.

Still running toward the marines, Roach wonders if he is trapped in slow motion.

Mitose turns back to Lazarus, "I'll have to! The service ladder is my only shot!"

He gestures for him to follow, "HURRY!"

Steeling himself, focusing his mind on a single task, jumping to the ladder, Mitose turns thought inot action and makes the leap.

Laz makes the leap after Mitose, confident that he will make it through this mission.

Mitose launches himself out of the hatch and grabs hold of the cable.  His fingers start to slip as the cable rushes through his hands...

Viper begins to quickly climb up the ladder as fast as possible. 

Jade continues to quickly approach the top of the elevator.

From the point of elevator 1 to the top of the shaft takes 25 seconds at 22 feet per second (15 mph).

Mitose's fingers find a grip and he is flung around like a rag doll for a second before quickly accelerating upward.  His grip holds.

Laz steps to the edge of the elevator, but the elevator finally gives a tremulous shudder and breaks free.  Tt begins to fall just as Laz is pulling himself out of the hatch.  Laz loses his balance as the elevator drops out from under his feet, and he has no firm point to jump from...

Roach makes it to the soldiers and begins taking their grenades.  He takes only a couple seconds to pull out 2 thermite grenades, 2 fragmentation grenades, and two smoke grenades.  As he makes his way back into the hall, he notices something moving in the shadows by the northern stairwell, but then he is out of the way and moving quickly to Lot.

Laz is able to reach up and grab the cable directly above him (the cables connected to elevator 1.  He successfully grabs the cable.  Just as it begins to lift him skyward, movement to his side distracts him.  It is the Agent.  Laz has fallen to the level of the Agent is staring at him eye-to-eye.  Then the Agent begins to disappear far below as Laz rises, but not before he sees the Agent step onto the railing of the stairs, eyeing the quickly spinning cable.

Roach arrives and sets the grenades out in front of Lot.

12 seconds until Jade reaches the top of the shaft (elevator 2 cable).
19 seconds until Mitose reaches the top of the shaft (elevator 2 cable).
26 seconds until Laz reaches the top (elevator 1 cable).

Lot chuckles, "Okay this should do it".  He puts away one of the thermite grenades as a reserve and prepares the other to burn through the elevator lock.

"Hang on to the other grenades Roach, sounds like they are our best weapon against this 'Agent'".

Carefully Lot positions the grenade as best as he is able near the lock where he gueses it will do the most damage.  He sets the grenade and jogs back down the hall a ways to get clear.

Jade, Mitose, and Laz continue to rise on the elevator cable as Lot pops out the pin, puts the grenade as close to the lock as possible and jumps back out of the way with Roach.

There is an explosion of phosporescent light, followed by a continuing his and low pitched rumbling.

Far below, Viper watches as Elevator 1 falls toward him from above as he climbs the ladder.

There is a loud pop! and the entire elevator door explodes inward from its hinges, flying out into the narrow elevator shaft.  It hits the elevator cable and begins to topple and spin and bounce off the walls.

The huge door hits the cable where Laz is ascending and falls directly on him.  (12 HT damage--1/2 damage because dodging check made=6 HT dmg).  Laz makes his check and maintains his hold on the cable.

The elevator doors go spinning down into the darkness.

The grenade fizzles out.  The bright light above Jade fades as she quickly approaches the doorway for the elevator exit.  A small footway leads about 6 inches into the elevator shaft.  With the doors gone, she will need to jump out onto that plank and propel herself through the open doorway...or come up with another plan.

About 10 feet above the elevator doorway, the sheave (a pulley with grooves) is quickly leading the cable through at a fast rate.  But you can barely see the sheave because there is a flat slab of concrete and metal runners in a kind of makeshift ceiling.  The runners run crosswise from one side of the shaft to the other.  Theoretically, it might be possible to jump out and catch onto one of the metal runners...theoretically.

On the other side, the stairs lead to another door that is closed.  But it would probably only be possible to jump on the stairwell from the cable of Elevator 1.  Interestingly, the stairs continue up one more level onto a second floor.

3 seconds until Jade reaches the top of the shaft (elevator 2 cable).
10 seconds until Mitose reaches the top of the shaft (elevator 2 cable).
17 seconds until Laz reaches the top (elevator 1 cable).

...a long time before Viper climbs to the top.

Jade will wait until she is just above the doorway and then jump down into the open doors and onto the footing there.

As she does so, she yells out to Roach and Lot, "Okay, boys, get ready to catch me please!"

Viper crouches down on a rung of the ladder before shoving himself out and jumping upwards as much as he can to minimize the cutting effects of the cable on his hands. What I wouldn't give for a pair of work gloves.

With a raised arm Lot shields his eyes against the blinding flash.  After the grenade flickers out he approaches the now open elevator shaft and takes a look down.

"Okay, boys, get ready to catch me please!"

Carefully Lot's hand hovers near the edges of the elevator shaft feeling for heat.  It might become necessary to brace himself in order to catch Jade if she misses her leap.  "Im going to need help over here if she doesnt make the jump Roach. Ill lean out and try to catch and pull her in if you can support me by the back of my belt".

Jade jumps down and into the helping arms of Roach and Lot.  She stands on firm ground again.

For this action, I am using an acrobatics skill with -3 penalty due to the speed of ascent and the jump involved.  However, I am adding a +1 bonus for each person helping (up to +2 total).

Viper jumps for the rope...his grip is not so good...

12:49, Today: GM Heath, on behalf of Viper rolled 15 using 3d6.  Per my earlier rule, the check must be made at Acrobatics -1.  Viper has a 15 acrobatics. 

Laz and Mitose continue to rise.  They will need to decide very soon what they will do.

5 seconds until Mitose reaches the top of the shaft (elevator 2 cable).
12 seconds until Laz reaches the top (elevator 1 cable).

Viper cannot get a grip and begins to fall down the elevator shaft.

NOTE: I believe under GURPS rules that Viper gets another check every 5 yards he falls with additional modifiers, but I will have to look that up tonight when I get home...sorry for the added suspense.

Laz knows that he has to jump, he starts looking for a place to go or even someone to help.

Roach helps Jade onto solid ground once again and gets ready for the next person.

Without so much as a hello Lot gets right to the point after helping Jade out of the shaft.

"The computer is up and running not far from here but it has some security locks.  Someone needs to begin preping the computer for the upload."  It is clear by Lot's steady gaze that his general statement of need is directed at Jade.

"Roach, show her the computer room."  Barks Lot without so much as a please or thank you.  With time running out and danger drawing closer with every passing second Lot wastes no time establishing pecking order.  The teams last strong leadership element had fallen down the shaft with Grid and Lot seems determined to pick up where he left off.

Viper falls about 15 feet (5 yards) and then catches a grip.  Unfortunately, the cable rips through his hand.  (2 HT dmg).

The other problem is that his only way to catch the cable was to catch the opposite cable.  He is now going DOWN at 15 mph.  He will need to switch cables to go up...

Mitose keeps his grip and using the mind trained through years of Martial Arts, bends his will to making his small part of the world his own.


As much s he can, Mitose pulls his body up into a ball...and sets himself swinging, when the elevator reaches the top, he will use the momentum to swing and somersault clear of the wreck and the shaft.
This message was last edited by the GM at 14:22, Fri 09 July 2004.

Viper stifles a cry and closes his eyes for a second against the pain. Opening them with the realization that he needs to do something else likely to cause pain, he pushes the thought behind him and reaches out to switch to the other cable. With only a slight hesitation, trying to remind himself that it's not really real, he lets go of his cable and grabs for the upwards-moving one.

Lot peers down the elevator shaft to see how the others are progressing.  By the look of things he can see that everyone plans to reach the top by use of the elevator shaft.  No more use for the stairs then.

Lot steps over to the stairwell and examines them closely.  Perhaps his last thermite grenade has the potential to rid them of the agent threat. Lot's eyes open wide as an idea pops into his head.

"Roach, I have an idea.  I have a nasty surprise for that agent when he reaches the top.  I need one of your tear gas grenades."

Laz saw quick hands and a face reach out to grab Jade; with a quick intake of breath his voice echoed through out the elevator, “You got one more coming up.”

Viper jumps to the other cable.  There is a 30 mph differential between the two cables.  It rips his left arm, tearing muscle and cartilage (1 HT dmg), and the sudden jerk is too much for him.  He begins to lose his grip...

Mitose leaps...and easily dashes across onto solid land again, not even needing help from his companions.

Lot examines the stairwell closely.  (Note: The following is a crude representation, but it was about the closest thing I could find.  The far left shows the elevator shafts with the stairwell on the far left.  It is like an emergency stairwell made completely of metal, similar to that shown on the right hand side of the picture.)



Laz leaps...and falls comfortably into waiting arms from Elevator Cable 1.

Viper finds a solid grip with both hands and holds tight as he begins to rise at 15 miles per hour.  However, he is having problems locking his feet around the cable for some reason.  He is not sure how long he can simply hold on...

Viper made his roll...barely.  One higher and he would have been a goner.

Viper looks down, wondering why his feet can't grip around the cable.  Then he realizes in horror what has happened as something pokes him in the stomach.  He stares down, only to see the end of the broken cable, wires splayed from the sudden snap.  He is at the very end of the broken cable.  The only other cable is the one going down.

But there's more.  As the elevator is increasingly gaining momentum in its downward fall, the cable is picking up speed.  After only a couple seconds, Viper realizes that he must be going at least double.  At 30 miles per hour, jumping to the open elevator door will be all the more difficult.

But the good news:  he will reach the top sooner.  The bad news is that it is still accelerating.  Luckily, friction is keeping him from reaching anything close to the speeds he might otherwise reach.

41 seconds (or less) until Viper reaches the top.
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:15, Sat 10 July 2004.

Quickly recovering from her daze and the arduous journey up the elevator, Jade grabs Roach by the collar and points him toward the computer.  With Roach and Laz together, she says, "Both of you.  Go in there and start getting those disks uploaded ASAP.  We don't know how long until the marines or the Agents get here.  Not a second to waste!"

Then she turns back to help Lot with Viper's ascent.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:15, Sat 10 July 2004.

Laz smiles as Lot helps him up, nice to have a helping hand." He dusts himself off; weariness quickly over taking his smile and he says as Jade finishes, "She is right, we need to get these uploaded pronto," he taps his left breast pocket to empahsize that he has the disks.

Leaving Viper in Jades capable hands Lot begins the head down the stairwell.  He had spotted what he was looking for, a vulnerable location to place his grenade.  He takes a moment as he descends down the stairs to look for any signs of movement below.  With any luck he would still have enough time to finish his work.