As Fault and Mitose are dragged up, the two strangers introduce themselves as Elle Draney and Ted Chung, both researchers on the Matrix project who escaped.  Nearby is a wounded and unconscious researcher, Yusaku Kamakura.  He is bandaged from head to foot and has scratches and tears in his clothing.

Ted says, “Don’t step outside that white line.  Never.  It’s all that protects us from them.”

Looking around, you see that you are standing on a cement floor of some kind.  The dome and dim light from above barely give you anything to see by, but flashing your lights around, you get a picture of the room.

It is roughly rectangular, about 200 feet in length by 100 feet in width.  On the south side, the floor suddenly drops out just outside the white painted circle.  There are train tracks there running east to west about eight feet down from floor level.  They run into the room from one side and out the other.  The northern side is the same except it has been damaged and flooded.  It is from the northern side that Fault and Mitose barely escaped.  In the center of each wall on the west and east are stairs that lead up and then T-off to the north and south walls.  Behind the stairs on each side are double doors leading out.

There are objects littering the floor.  Chairs, some tables, a broken kiosk.  At one time, this may have been a thoroughfare of some kind.  A time before the machines ruled the earth.  In the center of the white circle is a metallic structure.  Lot rubs his wounds, remembering being slammed into it.  About four feet high, it is a twisted group of wires, metallic parts, and buttons.

As you settle down and finish first aid, Elle explains the situation:

”There were eleven of us in all.  We knew that the machine enforcers—these Agents—were onto us.  We had to escape, and quickly.  Ted here found an area where the machines did not enter, a black zone of high EM emissions.  A blind spot.  So we told the others to meet here at the Eastern Rim of Oxland 2.  Only four of us actually exited.”

She nods to her two companions. ”Us and Sam.  The other seven were fleeing inside the Matrix, each with their own plans of how to escape the Machines.”

Ted jumps in, ”But when we got here, we found out why the Machines don’t come here.  There’s a building across the street.  That’s where we got this.”  He nods toward the metal structure on the floor.

Elle holds up her hand.  ”Don’t get ahead of yourself.”  She looks back at you.  ”The building across the street was used by the military for experiments in the war against the Machines.  Just about the time they were blotting out the sun, they were also developing something else.”

“Mutants!” Ted says.

”Biogenetically altered,” she corrects.  ”They were human…at one time.  They were developed to emit natural EM radiation to repel the machines.  Our last defense once the humans realized they would become the new energy source.  But their research notes showed that it didn’t go well.  The…creatures…lost all human intelligence.  Their nails grew long, their faces flattened.  Their hair fell out, and their skin started to darken and harden.”

“I don’t know how long they’ve been breeding here,” Ted says, ”But they’re everywhere.  They’ll kill and eat just about anything.”

“The scientists had built that machine over there, originally to test against the machines.  Once their…test subjects…revolted.  Well, they found that the poles repel.  Like any magnet, EM has a positive and negative charge.  Like charges repel.  So this machine over here is all that has kept us from being attacked and eaten alive.”

Ted says, ”We had to drag that thing over here to find food and water.  We painted the line to know the boundaries.”

“But Sam went looking by himself.”  Elle nods down the train shaft to the south.  “There’s still a working train or subway car down the shaft a little.  Sam had spent the most time looking at the charts and maps.  He believed if we could ride the train far enough, we could outdistance these creatures.”

Ted shrugs.  “Of course, the downside is that then we’ll be fresh meat for the machines.”

“We’ve been here six, seven, maybe ten weeks.  Yusaku was attacked a day or two ago trying to run down the tracks.  He confirmed that there was a train down there, but at such a cost.  He’s been unconscious ever since.  We distracted the creatures and Sam ran down to the train.”

Ted winces.  ”That was at least ten hours ago.”
This message was lightly edited by the GM at 06:45, Thu 02 Sept 2004.

Laz listens to all of this, a look of shock on his face as everythig he hears sinks in. "Well, the Hyperion will be back, the question is can we hold out?"

Jade says, "But what about Sam?  We can't leave him to die out there."

 "Not demons..." Fault manages to say as he gasps for breath. He rolls onto his back and yelps in pain as the wounds touch the cement. "Wh-argh-why couldn't they be demons? We could've handled demons."

Sensing that they're safe for the moment, Jade says, "Anyone have any ideas what we should do with the medical supplies?"  Not an expert herself, she holds out the medvest for the others to comment.

Snow continues first aid, all the while trying to look around and spot the rest of his team.
This message was last edited by the player at 08:33, Thu 02 Sept 2004.

As Ted and Elle are telling the story, Lot and Snow are finishing their first aid.  (+1 HT to each).  Snow is in particularly bad shape.

Snow scampers over to the dark water, watching all around as he does so.
This message was last edited by the GM at 09:01, Thu 02 Sept 2004.

For a brief instant at the rescue, there's a crack in Mitose's usually inscrutable countenance.  When he sees Fault's struggle, and the creatures trying to pull him down beneath the dark water, there is a bried look of fear in his eyes, that instantly subsides when Fault and he are across the white line.

Now, during the researchers' expalantion, Mitose is silent, until they are done.  Feeling more composed, he asks, "What would an EM weapon do to one of those...things?"

Elle considers for a moment.  "I theorize one of several possibilities.  One, the polarization would cause the EM emission to reverse on the person shooting.  Two, it might absorb the energy and slack off what it doesn't need.  Three, it might do some damage.  Or four, any combination of the above."

"Anyone have any ideas what we should do with the medical supplies?"

"I dont relish the thought of leaving anyone behind. If this Sam fellow is still alive he might need those med supplies.  The train sounds like a good idea anyhow. Who knows what will happen to the Hyperion if those things follow us to our extraction."

"I theorize one of several possibilities.  One, the polarization would cause the EM emission to reverse on the person shooting.  Two, it might absorb the energy and slack off what it doesn't need.  Three, it might do some damage.  Or four, any combination of the above."

Lot grins and straps his EM rifle to his back. "I dont like the sound of that.  Hey Mitose, let me know how that works out for you.  I think I'll stick to old school."  For emphasis Lot picks up his sniper rifle and puts it to his shoulder in mock aim.

Fault struggles to his feet, biting down on his lip as he puts weight on his injured leg. "Could we reverse the polarity of the EM Rifles?"

"Theoretically, yes.  However, someone would have to test them first to see what their polarity is set at.  Each rifle is different, so it may end up destroying the rifles and shooters first.  I wouldn't advise it.  I'm not really sure what effect changing the polarities would do either since these creatures are full of EM energy."
This message was last edited by the GM at 01:47, Fri 03 Sept 2004.

"We cannot alter the EM rifles, we may still need them for The Sentinels." Mitose shakes his head. "A shame I cannot get a katana in this world..."

"Let's do what we can for the injured.  And let's look around for material we can use to make a stretcher or travois, so we can carry the unconscious fellow to a likely rendezvous point."

Laz nods his head as Mitose finishes talking. He starts looking around for material that they can use.

The kiosk has a tarp-like covering and several poles that held the tarp up like a tent.  There are planks of wood as well.  Not to mention all the aluminum cans lying around and the chairs and short coffee tables.

"We can take this with us," Elle offers, pointing to the EM emissions device.

Ted nods.  "Yeah, we got it this far.  Weighs about one-fifty.  We bolted it to the floor."  He holds up a toolbox.  "I gathered some tools from the lab when we were there."

He holds up an electric drill and pulls the trigger, and you hear scurrying from back in the darkness.

"They hate this," Ted says with a wicked smile as he lets go of the drill trigger.

"As much as I would love to haul that EM device with us we are rather pressed for time.  I think it would be better to send a couple of runners out to fetch the train.  Follow the tracks and make sure they are clear of debris, bring it here to us then load the EM and the wounded.  Much faster than carrying 150 pounds of machinery and potentially two injured scientists.  We dont even know if we can safely extract with these mutants around, we need to get clear of them."

Lot scans the faces around him to see if anyone agrees or has a different idea.

"Elle, you said their skin hardened? Do we know just how much harder it became?" Fault asks, hobbling over to the edge of the white line and drawing the handgun from the waistband of his pants. "Is it possible that they'd still be affected by, say, high-velocity lead projectiles?"

Las smirks, and shakes his head. "Maybe we should stay here, it seems the safest lace to be."

Elle looks at Laz a moment.  "I thought this was a rescue operation.  Some rescue if you leave the most important member of our group out in the most danger.  If you don't want to go, at least give us some guns, and we'll go."

Mitose looks thoughtful, "Normally, I'd say the plan you have outlined makes good sense...it is safe, keeps the programmers safe, with armed assistance, and allows the two scouts to move, unencumbered, with all speed." Then he rises and gestures to the water, "But these...man-eels give me cause for concern.  Their numbers are already greater than our own, two scouts, armed or not, would make easy meals.  Elle has already explained that anywhere beyond the generator's field is their hunting ground, and that at least one man that went for the train fell to their predations." He pauses, so as not to seem disrespectful of the sacrifice, "And while it is possible that Sam made it, it is also possible that he did not."

He stands and stares in the direction of the aforementioned train, "One thing is certain.  We cannot stay here."

Mitose looks to the team, "I'd rather not risk anymore of us, if we can help it, at least not before we exhaust any other options."

Mitose turns to Elle, "At your best estimate, how long would it take for the Eel-men to notice the absence of the field, and come for us?" A brief pause, "You said you scavenged the generator, is it possible to cobble a more portable version together?"

Laz shook his head and looked at Elle, "I'm sorry it is just that we lost a fair number of people in our last little adventure and this one seems just as bad."

"Enough talk.  I dont see the need to endanger us all but we cant get through this situation without a degree of risk.  The hyperion can't run from squidies all day so im going to take the fastest way out of here."

Lot holds his sniper rifle out towards the assembled group. "Whoever can handle this should stay here and cover our backs.  Give me a pistol and one or two volunteers so I can fetch that train.  Who is coming with me?"

Elle responds to Mitose.  "Those may have seemed like eel men, but there is only one type of mutation we have seen.  They are just very fast, both in and out of the water."

Jade stands next to Lot.  "I'm with you."

She holds out her hand to Ted.  "Can we have that drill?  If these mutants hate the sound of it, then it might just help us.  And make sure we have all the flares and lights we can get.  I don't want anything jumping out of the shadows at us."

Laz looks up at Lot as he asks for volunteers and says, "Count me in."

Ted holds out his hand.  "I will take the sniper rifle.  I haven't fired this model, but I went through boot camp in officer's training back in my military defense research days."

 Fault shakes his head. "I can't run with my leg torn up. I guess I'm staying here with Snow and the scientists."
 He winces as he steps back from the line and turns to face Lot. He solemnly hands him his handgun. "I'm not very good with firearms, and you'll need it more than I will."

"Keep a walkie-talkie for each group," Jade says, handing Fault hers.  "We'll need to keep in very good communication."

She steps to the edge of the white circle, peering out into the darkness and scanning the train tracks with her flashlight.

Lot hands the rifle to Ted and claps Fault on the shoulder as he accepts the handgun.  "Unbolt that EM machine before we head out, in case we lose the drill along the way.  Continue to wait here for our return and keep your eyes open for a flare.  It will mean that we have failed and wont be coming back.  I dont expect the walkie talkies to work until we are clear of these beasts."

Lot looks at Jade and Laz then chambers his pistol.  "No doubt those things have been watching us the whole time from a distance so lets not play any of these stealth games.  We travel light and fast so dump any extra weight you are carrying.  We stay moving at all times and we dont fight until we are pinned or they are on top of us.  Unless you have anything to add let get moving."

Here's the party's equipment in case you need to make any swaps:

1 EM Rifles for each player
1 Satchel
12 Flares
Ordnance with timer for charges
1 flare gun with 3 flares
2 coils of 50 foot rope
2 extra Walkie Talkies to communicate with the Hyperion
A fireproof blanket
2 archaic pistols with 17 rounds each (Taurus PT-945 ACP .45 handguns) (2 magazines plus one in chamber)
1 Sako TRG-41 (Sniper Rifle) with 2 magazines (10 shots plus one in chamber)
1 Benelli Super 90  M3 12g (Shotgun with pistol grip) with 1 magazine (7 shots plus one in chamber)
1 LAW 80 94 mm (Rocket Launcher) with 2 rockets
Military Issue Bowie Knives (enough for all)
2 machetes

1 Widelens Flashlight each
1 Heavy Duty Lantern (held by Snow)
1 Medkit Vest (held by Jade)


[I am still not sure what you guys are doing with the medvest supplies.  Any shots or anything else?]
This message was last edited by the GM at 01:12, Tue 07 Sept 2004.

Seeing that Fault will remain behind, Ted says, "Maybe you should take the sniper rifle then.  Maybe you're a better shot than I am."

Snow nods and agrees to stay behind. He offers his own shotgun to anyone who wants to take it instead.

 "I doubt it," Fault says, shrugging, "holding that handgun was about the closest I've ever come to using a firearm. I wasn't really allowed near them back in the Matrix... If you've got any training at all, you should probably take it."

Laz looks at Fault strangely as he hears what he says.

"What about you?" Ted says to Snow.

Mitose sighs, "I think you are rushing ahead without seeing to all the variables." He shrugs very slightly, "But I cannot prevent you from doing so.  Perhaps I should be a part of the scouting party, out of the water, I should be able to handle even a hand to claw encounter with one of those creatures.   We should leave some firearms with the wounded, just in case."

He turns to Elle, "Should the train not be viable, you may want to continue to explore the notion of making that generator man-portable."

Elle nods.  "Okay, but I'll need this."  She takes back the drill and begins undoing the screws while you figure out your next course of action.  Then she hands it back to Jade.  "All portable, but it'll take some strength to move.  That's for sure."

Just to move things along, I understand that Mitose, Jade, Laz, and Lot will be going down the train tunnel.  Snow, Viper and Fault will stay behind with Elle, Ted, and the injured scientist.  If you want to make any changes, let me know ASAP.

If there is anything else the characters do before stepping out of the circle and hopping down about 8 feet into the area cut out for the subway train, let me know.