"Twitch?  He's not from our ship, but get any survivors over here.  The Nautilus is out of commission.  A total loss.  Make your way to the port umbilicals, pronto.  We've got less than a minute before we're covered in squid."

Screed replies, We're trying and Twitch is supposed to be from the Nautilus.  We're separated from Jinx and Codec."  He proceeds to pass on the information as to their location and direction as they run along.

"Can't introductions wait until we are aboard?  I really dont wanna be squid food."
Shadow nearly drags Twitch along in an effort to get to the ship quicker.
"Hope Jinx makes it here with that disk, or all that we just did we go right down the toilet."
Looking at Screed "We lost too many as it is."

Codec starts toward Communications.  Just then, he hears yelling behind him.  "Over here!"  He turns back and sees Jinx at the intersecting corridors.  Apparently, Communications is not the right way.  "Where is everyone?" Jinx yells.  "We have to hurry."  He points down toward the Portways and begins to lead Codec away.


Meanwhile, the others follow Twitch.  "We have to go through here," he says, pointing to a narrow engineering cavity.  He turns sideways and begins to squeeze through.

35 seconds.

Screed continues to report their location and progress to X for tracking and verification.  "Okay looks like a tight fit here."  He scrambles through as best he can.

X is reporting back, "We have to hit the EMP by the time the Sentinels reach us.  You've got to hurry or all power will be off and the umbilical will become unstable.  I don't know what will happen to you in that case."

Shadow looks at the narrow cavity

"Through there? Are you crazy?"

Sighing to himself as the others pass through.

Shoulda skipped lunch...

And then proceeds to squeeze himself in and, hopefully, out the other side.

Dracos reach out to grab Screed, before he goes through, "He's injured, let him go first..." he motions to Twitch.

"Please go on, we'll make sure you don't get stuck by following you in," he said, looking to Twitch.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:31, Wed 31 May 2006.

Screed scurries into the hole.  "Scrawny as I am, I'm not getting stuck," he says as he heads first into the hole, leading the way.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:50, Wed 31 May 2006.

Twitch has already started through the narrow opening.  Screed follows closely behind, followed by the others.  You have to hold your guns at your side to fit through.

Twitch makes it through and coaxes you forward.  Just then, you see something mechanical moving.  Twitch turns, horror etched on his face.

Then you see it.  A sentinel is rising up from the rubble, its red eyes glowing and focused on Twitch.

"Noooo!" screams Twitch, but it is too late.  The sentinel leaps on him, and he collapses dead to the ground.

Screed, Dracos and Shadow are squeezing through the narrow opening.  The sentinel turns toward the opening, its red eyes fixing on Screed, who is almost through.

Screed can see a sign on the other side of the sentinel.  It reads:  "Umbilicals."

Codec and Jinx are running down the corridors in another section of the ship.

28 seconds

Shadow yells to Screed

"Decision time boss. Forward or back ?"

What a horrible spot for a gunfight with a squiddie.

Shadow stops and waits on which direction the others will go.

"Forewards, we either all attack while it gets Twitch, or we get to the ship," Dracos tosses in his two cents.

"God DAMN SQUIDS!"

"No time for talk!"  Jade pushes through, even though that means pushing her friends through toward the squid.  "Guns ready!" she yells.

Dracos nods and aims at the squid as well after he's out, he wasn't that good with guns in this world but it was better than nothing...

Great!  "Kill it!" Screed drops to the ground allowing whomever was next to fire over him, aims, and fires at the sentinel twice.

OOC: Sorry, was gone unexpectedly, am back now.

Jade  pushes everyone out.  Screed falls to the floor as Dracos and Shadow stumble over him.

Jade reaches around to fire the EMP rifle while the Sentinel is finishing off Twitch.  Dracos, Shadow and Screed follow in kind.

Jade fires and hits but does not finish it off.

The Sentinel turns to you.  Tentacles shoot out at Jade.  One hits her.  (5 ht dmg).

Screed makes a dead on shot and takes the Sentinel out.  It crumples to the floor.

"Come on!"  It is X's voice.  "Almost out of time!"

20 seconds

Dracos starts to sprint towards the ship, dropping his rifle to allow for more speed.

Shadow follows the others towards the ship

"What about Codec and Jinx? Did they make it yet?"
This message was last edited by the player at 15:48, Mon 05 June 2006.

Screed stumbles up fairly adeptly, helping others as he can.  He checks on Jade to make sure she can still make it and helps her along if she is having trouble.

You begin running down the path.  Jade is up to it.  Unfortunately, the delay took longer than Twitch could have guessed.

Codec and Jinx run up the umbilicals, climbing into the Hyperion.  "Where are the others?" he asks.

X is waiting there.  "On their way, I guess," he answers.
10 seconds.
You see the end of the umbilical and begin running harder.
9 seconds
"No time!" X yells.

You run harder, but it seems so far away.
8 seconds
Above, you can see hundreds of Sentinels descending on the ship like killer bees.  Their buzz is deafening.  You continue to run.
7 seconds
"Hit the switch!" X screams to Silicon as he sees the swarm nearly to you.

You are running through the umbilical, which is a long round platform connecting the semi-permanent Nautilus to your ship, the Hyperion.  It is a soft, semi-permeable tunnel, like you are running through a clear plastic bubble or hose.
6 seconds
You can see Silicon's face and X's face.  Silicon jumps back to go hit the EMP button.

You are not going to make it.  The tunnel is 100 feet long.  Yet you run harder.
5 seconds
The Sentinels are fully in view.  You can see their many eyes and tentacles as they propel themselves forward.

You are nearly halfway across.
4 seconds
You keep running.  Several Sentinels land on the Hyperion.  You hear many clunk against the Nautilus behind you.

Others are aiming toward the umbilical.
3 seconds
40 feet to go and 3 seconds, but you still have to climb up the ladder and close the hatch once everyone is inside.

Screed is in front, followed by Dracos, then Shadow, with Jade pulling up the rear.
2 seconds
20 feet to go.

A Sentinel slams into the back part or the umbilical, breaking through it.  The whole thing shakes, knocking you off balance.

Screed falls to the ground (2 dmg)...Dracos manages to keep steady...Shadow manages to keep steady...Jade falls to the ground (1 dmg).

Screed and Jade feel the slam of the metal walkway.
1 second
You hear the EMP charging up.

10 feet to go.  The fall and impact has slowed you down.  Jade has 20 feet to go while Screed has 10.

Screed and Dracos jump into the ship.  Another Sentinel slams into the umbilical just behind Jade.  Shadow is knocked to the ground. (2 dmg)  Jade is again knocked to the ground. (1 dmg)  The Sentinel turns on Jade...
0 seconds
The EMP flashes above you, and its impulse reverberates.  The whole ship goes off.  The Sentinel above Jade drops to the ground.

But this has left open the Nautilus to its fires without containment.

"Hurry!" X says.  "It's going to blow!"

He reaches out to help Screed and Dracos climb up.
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:23, Wed 07 June 2006.

OOC:  Cool...  I need an explanation, though.  What is the danger?  The ship is shut down when the EMP goes off, correct?  What are the fires?  Thanks...  :)

The Nautilus was seriously damaged in the first wave, and some of its fires were contained through EM and shielding.  There is a third wave on the way.  The Nautilus is now open to its fires and will soon explode.

You are in danger from both the third wave (and the Hyperion has to be up and running before then) and from the imminent explosion of the Nautilus.  As you can see, had you not made it to the umbilical in time, then you would have also faced difficulty in getting from the Nautilus to the Hyperion.

Thanks.

Screed pauses not a bit in his climb.  He attempts to clamber as quickly as he can up and out of the way so the others reaching down can hurry Jade in.  "Let's go, let's go, let's go."  His eyes are wide with worry tinged with fear.

Shadow pulls out his rifle and covers those still in the umbilical.

"Hurry up, we HAVE to go NOW!"

He waits for Jade, before slamming the door shut behind her and heading to the nearest terminal to help start getting the ship up and running.