As Jade opens locker 3, you see something that shocks you.  The locker opens to a tunnel that goes about five feet deep into the wall and then opens up into a spacious room beyond.  The far room is lit, but you cannot see much about it because of the narrowness of the tunnel through the locker.

Methesulah looks surprised, then mumbles, "Mental note to self: we're not in Kansas anymore."  He gazes over Jade's shoulder and down the forboding corridor.  "Hmm, if that hallway doesn't scream trap, then slap some sunglasses on me and call me 'Agent'.  So who wants to venture down there first?"  All the while, his eyes scan for cracks or lines that would indicate panels or pressure plates within the locker.

Jade looks at Daredevil.  "Your name says it all.  You wanna go first?"

"Ooh." Fault says, steping forward into the open locker.

::visibly angry::

Fing bull#$&!, that's the complete opposite of every other combination lock in the world....

::goes through the door::
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:23, Mon 07 Mar 2005.

Screed pokes his head out after having hearing absolutely nothing unnerve him.  He sees the others starting to head into the other locker and says, "Oh, you found a better way?  I this one is a dead end."  He smiles sheepishly and gets in line to move in.  Glancing over at the honeymooners, he finally takes his turn and steps in.

Jade makes sure her automatic rifle is ready, and then she steps in after Screed.  "Weapons on the ready, guys," she says.  "We ain't back in Kansas yet."

Methuselah looks about, making sure the group stays together.  "I have a feeling that closing the door behind us won't deter the two constructs from following us.  Let's keep moving."  And he wedges himself through the locker opening, into the new hallway.

Fault, Daredevil, Screed, Jade, Methuselah, Demian, and Snow crowd through the space one after another, in that order.  The two AI constructs follow from behind.

You squeeze through to a large room, much too large to actually be inside the Luxor hotel hallway.  The spacial dimensions aren't right, and you realize that you have passed into some sort of bubble in the Matrix.

The room itself is about 50 feet wide by 80 feet long.  The ceiling is about 12 feet off the ground, and on the left and right are pillars spaced about 10 feet apart, six of them between you and the far end of the room.  The floors and ceiling appear to be made of a high quality marble, and the pillars are elegantly designed.

The last 20 feet of the room is a raised dais.  On it stand five men dressed in brilliant purple and gold silk garments with gold sashes.  They carry no weapons and are all perfectly bald.  They have no shoes on, and their hands are clenched into fists.  It is difficult to tell their race, neither black nor white nor of Asian descent.  Their heads are bowed.

Behind them is an entrance to a corridor.  A figure steps through and stands behind the five men as you finish filing into the room.  The figure is a man nearly seven feet tall, extremely muscular, and with chiseled features.  His long hair is pulled back into a pony tail.

The two AI constructs move to either side of the room and begin walking forward up the aisle.

The five bald men raise their heads.  The huge figure behind them is smiling.

Screed immediately moves left to be closest to a pillar as the group moves into the room.  You can see him wanting to duck behind it, but he keeps looking at the goings-on with intense curiosity.  His weapons are not out.

Jade's weapon is pointed at the men on the dais.  Her finger is on the trigger.  She is waiting for something to happen and ready to fire if threatened.

Snow walks towards the large figure. He'll have his hands out and be conscious of any movemnt from the figures on the dias.

I guess you know why we are here. To make you an offer... He says calmly.

::approaches silently hoping if this was a trap he'd know before anyone else, his hand near but not on his silenced glocks::

Methuselah shakes his head.  "That can't have been the only test to reach our target.  Stay on your toes."  He watches the two AI programs closely, since for some reason they seem content to not follow along with the group anymore.

The large man behind the group of bald men ignores Snow and instead briskly claps his hands together.  The five bald men step off the dais.  One breaks off to the left side of the pillars.  Another breaks off to the right side.  The other three begin to walk up the center toward you.  They then break into a light jog.

The two AI programs are quickly moving up the other side of the pillars.  They will reach the two bald men before the other three bald men reach you.

The large man is standing just in front of the doorway.  He crosses his hands and watches the spectacle.

It does not appear that the three bald men jogging toward you are going to be speaking to you.  Their hands are curled into fists and they move with cat-like grace.

Taking the lack of talking as his cue, he ducks out of sight behind the pillar he is next to and pulls out his weapon.  He then checks the ammo and releases the safety as he slides further around the pillar.

OOC:

Please note that I have copied your character sheets into the notice board as private messages.

Some of your character sheets are much easier on the eyes than others.  Some of you also have not listed your Codebreaker Skills or have mixed them in with the others.  If you have not already done so, please make sure you have separated out your character sheet into:

Skills
Example:
Judo 13
Karate 12

Codebreaker Skills
Focus - Speed 3
Decreased Life Support
Sixth Sense - Level 1
Absorption - Level 3
Chi Mastery - Level 2
Enhanced Concentration - IQ (indicating IQ roll)
Penetrating Vision
Chambara Martial Arts (see below)

As you can see, some of these have skill levels associated with them.  If so, please indicate.  If they require a certain roll for success, please also indicate (such as IQ above).  If you have chambara martial arts, please have a separate listing for Chambara Martial Arts Skills.

Please remember that you all start with a Focus of Speed 3, so that should be listed on every character sheet.  (If you are confused about focus because of previous postings or rules, please remember that the previous "Focus Rule" was replaced once I introduced the codebreaker skills, so it was turned into a Focus 3 and the old rule is no longer used.)

If you do not remember how CB Skills work or what they do, click here:  http://www.fortunecity.com/riv.../693/matrix/id99.htm

If you need to update your character sheets because of this information, please do so by including a PM directly in the Notice Board for Character Stats, and I will make the appropriate updates.  If you entirely redo the organization of your character sheet, then do the same thing, and I will transfer it over.  Also update your personal character sheets as well.

NOTE:
Whoever gives me the best organized and put together character sheet will have that character sheet posted as the "ideal example."  That character will also receive 2 extra CBP's at the end of the adventure.  (Any other really good ones will receive 1 CBP for the effort.)

Time is of the essence.  Once I receive the "ideal example," I will post it and later entries will be excluded from consideration...although they will still be eligible for 1 extra CBP if put together well and following the ideal model version or something equally as good.
This message was last edited by the GM at 06:22, Fri 11 Mar 2005.

OOC:
I also wanted to address a few rule technicalities.  Because the Codebreaker Skills are completely my creation and have not been subject to exhaustive playtesting, there may be times when a clarification from me is required.

First, regarding the Sixth Sense ability, there are three aspects to it:

(1)  The "impending" of "impending attacks" is the key.  Basically, this means that while being attacked, the hacker gets 2 added to his PD to account for the ability.  Think of it as intuitively ducking or moving aside.  It is not the same as a "danger sense" or something like that, so there's no real understanding if something may attack it in the near future.

(2)  A hacker is aware of an AI passing within 30 feet of him.  This requires him to concentrate momentarily (i.e. send a post to me saying he is trying to be aware of it).  --My initial intent was to not have this requirement, but it's too hard logistically for me to remember to apply it all the time.

(3)  The hacker gets an enhanced sense of deja-vu for any changes in the code perpetuated by Zero-One.  This also requires a concentration (i.e. notice to me), although I may sometimes say that the hacker is aware of a certain change.

CODEBREAKING FATIGUE
In your character sheet, make sure you have two attributes listed:
Example:
Fatigue: 10/13
Codebreaker Fatigue: 9/13

(Remember, your basic fatigue is your basic Strength Score.  How much fatigue is used for each use of a skill is listed under that attribute.  Use of CB Fatigue does not affect regular fatigue, which is handled the same as in the GURPS rules.)
Please see: http://www.fortunecity.com/riv.../693/matrix/id58.htm

One house rule we modified from the site is this:
If you use all Codebreaker Fatigue points and still need to use Codebreaker Skills, then you can tap into your regular fatigue, but it will physically fatigue you as it does in the regular GURPS rules.  In other words, you get your strength points worth of CB fatigue for free, but after that it starts affecting you.

Your CB Fatigue is fully regenerated each time you enter the Matrix.

More OOC:
Many of you are not aware of how the regular fatigue points work.  Here's a basic summary:

Battles
After a battle lasting more than 10 seconds, fatigue is calculated on a 1-5 point basis depending on your encumbrance.  A very long and/or strenuous battle may cost more based on GM discretion.  Other modifiers (such as fighting in heat) may also apply.

Marching
For each hour of road travel, fatigue the same as above.

Running or Swimming
After 100 yds, roll v. HT.  A failure means lose 1 fatigue.  (Not affected by encumbrance, as that only affects speed.)

Overexertion
Too much encumbrance, pushing/pulling a heavy load, etc. costs 1 fatigue per turn.  Some cost 1 fatigue per attempt.

Losing Sleep
5 Fatigue for a night without sleep.  Half night costs 2 fatigue

Fatigue can be gained back by resting quietly; 10 minutes per point of Fatigue.  Lost sleep fatigue is regained by a full night's sleep.  Drugs and other things may also affect fatigue.

PM

Screed continues to be wary and out of sight.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:02, Fri 11 Mar 2005.

Have it your way Snow says calmly as he reaches for his pistol.

PM
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:26, Sat 12 Mar 2005.

The two bald men on either side of the pillars engage the two AI programs in melee combat.  They are using martial arts techniques and appear to be quite skilled.

Snow pulls draws his pistol.

It appears that the three bald men approaching are not about to talk or engage in small talk.  They mean busines.

::pulls out his glocks and waits for the action to come to him::

What ever happened to talking first, we really need to give these programs the supervillian routine....

::smiles a bit at that comment::

Demian snaps out of his brief reverie when he sees the men charging them.

“And I thought the AI programs were going to let us bypass the defenses…so much for that idea,” Demian says as he draws two glocks out from their shoulder harnesses, his long black coat flying open. He takes aim, center mass, on the center bald man.

“Meth, step behind me if you want some cover.”

If you have not yet posted your actions for the upcoming rounds, please do so soon.  The mean, bad bald guys aren't going to wait for your indecision, and this may...hint, hint...be a critical decision affecting your character's life.

Since we are moving into action here, also keep in mind that 1 round=1 second in GURPS.  Therefore, keep things like your movement speed and other actions in mind as 1 second intervals.  I like to do 3 seconds (i.e. 3 rounds) at a time in any action sequence.

The 3 bald men will reach the group in 3 seconds.  The two (one on either side of the group) on the side of the pillars will reach the AI's in 1 second.  Screed is about 30 feet ahead of the group (about halfway to the dais) and is approaching stealthily from behind the pillars.  The three bald men are about to pass him in 1 second.

To refer to the bald men, you can refer to them as B1 through B5, going from left to right (B1 with the female AI, B2-B4 approaching you, and B5 on the right side of the pillars with the male AI).

PS

PM

PU

Jade levels her M-16 at the center bald man and fires.

Methuselah gets behind Demian.  "I worry that this may be a test, some phrase we're supposed to utter to reflect that we adequately understood the riddle."  He watches the approaching men, "We may die if we only fight."  That said, he takes a defensive stance and watches carefully as the bald men advance.

::points his guns at the b3 and waits for a moment::

If the programs are fighting, it's a good indication that we are meant to fight...

::resists activing his enhanced dex and str right now, trying to test the program out, and begins firing his glocks::

PM

Screed has to duck behind the pillar and wait as the bald men approach.

Your attention is momentarily distracted by the martial arts skills of the AI's versus the bald men.

The three bald men in the center continue forward toward Demian, Jade, Methuselah, Snow, Fault, and Daredevil.

Round 1
Demian holds two glocks up and aims at the center man.

Daredevil also pulls out his two glocks and aims at the center man.

Jade pulls up her M-16 and aims for one second.

Snow pulls out his pistol and aims for one second.

Methuselah takes a step back and is ready for defense.

Fault takes a step back with Methuselah.

Round 2
Demian, Daredevil, Snow and Jade all fire at the center bald man.

The bald man, having seen you aim, suddenly begins moving in a blur.  Demian and Daredevil miss with both guns.  Jade also misses with her automatic weapon except for two rounds that land with a thwack in his left upper arm and shoulder.

The other two bald men on his side also turn into a blur of movement as they rush you, reaching you in less than a second instead of the two you expected.

Faster than you can respond, they are attacking Demian, Daredevil and Jade.  Snow is crouching to jump over them, but they are still moving faster than normal time...

[Obviously, they are currently in bullet time.]

Round 2 continued
All within this same second, the bald man (B2) is suddenly in front of Demian.  He whips out with faster than lightning hands, slapping away one of his glocks.  While the pistol is still flying through the air, the man grabs Demian, twisting his arm and stepping behind him.  Demian now is in one-armed hold from behind with a gun in his other hand and the man standing behind him.

Daredevil feels the center bald man (B3) kneel and slap at Daredevil's hand.  Daredevil by instinct moves it away, but another hand from B3 moves faster than Daredevil can respond, grabbing one of the glocks from Daredevil and holding it himself.  His movements are so fast that when he is through partially disarming Daredevil that a droplet of blood from the man's fresh wound has still not touched the ground.

B4 instantly appears before Jade.  He grabs the M-16 with little effort, hits Jade in the chest with the weapon (2 HT dmg) and then maneuvers behind her before she even falls back from the blow.  Catching her from behind, he drops her weapon and skillfully puts her in a sleeper hold before the weapon even hits the ground.

Snow, Meth, and Fault cannot even respond it all happens so quickly.

PM

PM
This message was last edited by the GM at 09:11, Thu 24 Mar 2005.

Jade moves into bullet time, using all of her energy and training to dislodge herself from the sleeper hold.

PM

 Fault steps away from Methuselah and heads toward the nearest bald man.

“Doh!” Demian thinks to himself. Somehow, training never really prepares you for the real thing.

Closing his eyes for an instant, Demian feels the differences in the world of electrical impulses and code. He moves to match the speed of these bald men – first, attempting to wrench his arm away from the man behind him.
This message was last edited by the player at 05:09, Sat 26 Mar 2005.

Methuselah, from his vantage point behind Demian, continues his defensive stance.  Something bothers him about the battle, and he tries to piece together what he's seen so far.  "Yes, they're fast, but how long can they keep this up?" he ponders aloud to himself.
This message was last edited by the player at 02:29, Mon 28 Mar 2005.

PM:

I need to remind everyone of the 48 hour rule.  It becomes most important when battle begins because the battle cannot progress without knowing what everyone will be doing, although I recognize that weekends can sometimes be difficult.

Snow tilts his head as the men unnaturally accelerate. He raises his pistol, waiting and aiming until he gets a clear shot.

PM
This message was last edited by the GM at 08:12, Mon 28 Mar 2005.

For technical purposes, you can consider that the bald men are moving at Focus Skill, Level 6, although you don't know the extent of their capabilities.

Screed concentrates.

PM

Round 3

Screed is moving discreetly toward the man on the dais, hiding behind the pillars as he moves.

Snow is aiming his gun.

Methuselah stands his ground, preparing for defensive maneuvers.

Round 3.1
B4 continues to hold Jade in a sleeper hold.  She struggles but fails to get out since he is moving much faster than she is and easily compensates for it.

B3 moves in close to Daredevil, only inches away, and begins martial arts maneuvers, hitting Daredevil in the chest with two pointed fingers skillfully aimed... (1 HT dmg)  Daredevil finds himself paralyzed by the attack.

Demian slips into bullet time.  He finds that he is not skilled enough in the Matrix to match their speeds.  He can still only half match them.  Demian attempts to wrench his arm away...

The two AI are battling the other two bald men with lightning speed.

Round 3.2
B4 continues to hold Jade in a sleeper hold.

B3 follow up against Daredevil with a cross cut across the chin, hitting him skillfully and making him see lights while he is dazed.

B2 strikes out to prevent Demian from wrenching his arm away...but is unsuccessful.

Round 3.3
Jade continues to struggle against the bald man, but she is being held too tightly.

Daredevil falls a step back, seeing only lights.  Then he collapses to the ground, his body shaking in paralysis, yet he is fully conscious.

Demian successfully wrenches his arm free.  B2 kicks down faster than Demian can respond.  Pain shoots through Demian's head as his shin feels the impact.  (1 HT dmg)

Round 3.4
B4 continues to hold Jade in a sleeper hold.

Before Daredevil even hits the ground, B3 is moving toward Snow and slapping his hand out.  Snow loses his aim as his arm is slapped away and B3 moves in for martial arts attacks.

B2 grabs Demian's wrist and twists it behind his back.

Round 3.5
Demian again attempts to break free...and succeeds, turning to face B2 face to face.

Jade again continues to break free of the sleeper hold, but is again unsuccessful.

Snow is not in bullet time and is helpless as B3 grabs his wrist, snaps it one direction, and the gun begins to fall to the ground.  Pain shoots through Snow's wrist.  (1 HT dmg).

Round 3.6
B4 still holds Jade in a sleeper hold.

B3 twists Snow's wrist and moves behind him.

B2 strikes out with a flat palm, hitting Demian in the stomach.  (1 HT dmg)  Demian feels the air leave his body and is unable to breathe.


The two AI who came with you appear to have defeated the two bald men they were fighting.  They step into the center and run toward where you are fighting.
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:08, Thu 31 Mar 2005.

OOC:  Not sure how I should take this ominous silence...

OOC: I think it's a collective 'now what?' sort of thing.

Methesulah steps forward to try and prevent the bald man (B2) from killing Demain.  Drawing his knife, he tries to move into a position on the other side of B2 from Demian and attacks.

pm
This message was last edited by the player at 16:43, Fri 01 Apr 2005.

PM

Screed continues.

Screed moves closer toward the man on the dais.

The 8 foot tall man on the dais begins to say something while his bald minions continue.  His voice is booming.  "Sometimes..."

Round 4.1

B4 drops Jade, who starts to fall gasping to the ground, and B4 turns to one of the two AI's approaching.

B3 twists Snow, who resists...and successfully avoids the sleeper hold.  Snow strikes out, but B3 dodges the blow.

Demian attempts karate on B2, who uses active defense to block.  Demian hits the man, whose head snaps back in surprise.

Methuselah steps toward B2, thrusting with his knife.  This time, the bald man successfully evades the thrust.

B4 and one of the AI's engage in mind-numbingly fast martial arts.

Round 4.2
B3 puts Snow successfully in a lock, holding him there.

B2 strikes out simultaneously with each hand.  One strikes Demian in the gut (1 HT dmg), and the other strikes Methuselah in the neck (2 HT dmg).

Round 4.3
The man on the dais is continuing his sentence.  "...losing ..."

B4 is taken down by the AI.

B3 pushes Snow away, releasing him, and faces the two AI's.

B2 grabs Demian in a Judo lock, and Demian's martial arts training does not allow a parry.

Demian attempts to retaliate, but B2 is too strong.  Methuselah strikes out with his knife...hitting the bald man in the side.  His attack draws blood.

Snow is regaining his balance and kicks out at B3, hitting him in the shin.

Round 4.4
B3 stumbles, and the two AI's are upon him, moving in lightning-fast speed.

B2 pushes Demian away forcefully, and Demian finds himself falling towards one of the pillars.  Then B2 turns toward Methuselah.

Round 4.5
The man finishes his sentence.  "...is winning."

Methuselah strikes with the knife, but this time B2 is wary and easily dodges the blow, instead grabbing Methuselah in an Aikido grip by the wrist and spinning him.

Demian catches himself at the pillar and spins to face B2 again.

B3 looks almost dead from the savage attack of the AI's.

Round 4.6
B2 easily gets Methuselah in a lock with both hands behind his back.  Then he pushes Methuselah at Demian and turns to face the two AI's.
This message was last edited by the GM at 06:12, Mon 04 Apr 2005.

Jade, still in Focus, lunges for her weapon and tries to fire at B2.

Snow will focus then jump on B2, trying to get him in a hold and snap his neck.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:36, Wed 06 Apr 2005.

Screed continues to continue.

Snow enters focus.

Jade jumps for her gun.

The AI's entangle the last of the bald men in combat.

Snow fires...hitting one of the bald men!  Then the woman AI finishes off B2.

The last AI finishes off the last of the bald men.  They are scattered about you on the ground, unmoving and unbreathing.  You can't recall if they were ever breathing at all.

By the time Jade reaches her M-16, it is all over.

Screed is getting close to the dais.

Putting his weapons away after seeing the other fighting is over, Screed looks at the man on the dais.  Entering Focus Speed, Screed is almost a blur as he steps out, bows with both hands open, and says, "Good evening, kind sir.  Dr. Livingstone, I presume."  He finishes with a wry smile.

The man says, "You may call me Dr. Livingstone if you like.  You have not yet entered Digital Fortress.  You are all intruders, and Dr. Giovanni has not invited you."

Methuselah walks towards the dias, carefully giving wide berth to the prone figures on the ground.  "On the contrary.  We have a rather lengthy invitation from your master, although I'm beginning to doubt he ever thought anyone would try to meet him.  Nonetheless, it is imperitive that he grant us an audience."

Snow keeps an eye on the AIs whilst the others talk, not sure about their true intentions.

The being didn't attack outright though time had passed.  Screed follows Methuselah up with, "The invitation by default requires intrusion and therefore, yes, we are intruders.  But the difference is that we mean now harm.  In fact we come to help in defense of those who are coming to harm.  I don't know the particular details, though other's here do, if you would like to hear them" he adds hopefully.

GM due back on the 17th or so, I believe.

OOC:  Okay, I'm back in town now.

The figure looks down at you -- literally, given his height -- and says, "Any construct of Zero-One can make such a plea.  Words are irrelevant.  Only those who successfully pass the test may enter Digital Fortress.  That is the only way we can determine who is not an agent of the enemy.  You have defeated the sentries guarding Digital Fortress.  Therefore, you have failed the test."

He holds up his two hands, palm outward.  "It is time to destroy the intruders," he says.  Two bright lights flash from his palms, striking the two AI's that accompanied you into Digital Fortress.  The two AI's scream in pain before being disintegrated entirely.

"You who remain," the man says, "failed to defeat my sentries.  You must be mere mortals.  You may enter."  He turns and walks through the doorway without another word.

Jade says, "Well, let's see if we've made it through this finally."  She begins walking toward the dais, her M-16 at the ready.  She checks to see if anyone follows her.

Snow holsters his pistol, rubs the back of his neck where a dull pain has just started and walks towards the doorway.

Being close to the Dais, Screed steps and hops up.  Then thinking better of it, stops and allows others to catch up so he is not the first through.  Chuckling nervously as he follows Jade and Snow through, he says, "So losing is winning.  I guess that means if we had died we'd have made the hall of fame."

Hearing Screed's comment, the large man turns and says, "You would not die, for they cannot kill.  Death is forbidden in the Digital Fortress."  He continues through to a dark hallway past the doorway.

Methuselah looks at the fading wisps from where the AIs once stood.  "Score one for the suspicious old farts," he mutters to himself.  As he follows the figure down the hallway, he asks a bit louder to their guide, "Sure the bald guys couldn't kill us, but there's an awful lot of pain that can be inflicted before you die.  Any chance you got a doctor hidden down here somewhere?"

No death? Interesting.  Screed thinks, listens and then comments with a hopeful smile, "Or maybe a chef?"