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."