OOC: Just need a move from Dracos now.

Dracos readies his gun to fire at one of the small creatures...

Screed is working on the EMP gun to reverse its polarity.

Jade lights up the blowtorch and starts the drill simultaneously.  The flash of light from the blue flame illuminates the mutant creature that once...maybe...had come from human stock.  But now it is alien in appearance, its ears pointy, its face hairless, with large eyes, sharp teeth, and razor-like claws.

It screeches a high-pitched scream when the drill starts, and it jumps up with amazing strength to get lost in the wires and pipes of the ceiling, out of range of the light of the blowtorch.

Dracos and Cistron fire at the creature, but their shots miss because just then, Shadow punches the acceleration, and the ship lurches up.  The sudden motion dislodges the creature, which falls 12 feet down to the floor about 7 feet in front of you.

Shadow's driving, however, is right on, and the Hyperion misses the ceiling of the tunnel structure and begins marching forward.

The creature, however, is not happy.  The instant it hits the ground, it rolls.  Cistron and Dracos manage to fire off two more shots, but the creature has moved out of the room and is apparently hiding in the computer control room.

Dracos and Cistron are both thinking the same thing...that they'd probably hit the creature if only they had been in the Matrix.

The light on the blowtorch picks that moment to start to go out.

Jade has 10 seconds left of blowtorch fuel.
It will take 1-3 seconds to move into the far room and perhaps spot the creature.
Screed must make 5 successful skill checks (one allowed each second) to change over the polarity of the gun.
Shadow sees that the sudden energy boost and the creature attacks have left the Hyperion's tanks with a slow leak and limited fuel.  Up ahead, he can choose to take the short and dangerous path towards Zion or the longer and safer one, the latter for which may or may not put you within radio contact of Zion.  (Both depend on skill checks.)

Screed works as hard as he can moving as quickly as he can.  "Keep going, don't wait on me!"

PM

PM

Jade says, "Do we have any flashlights or alternative light sources."  She turns off the blowtorch temporarily while they decide how to approach the creature in the far room.

"No point in playing safe here.  Go the long way and they'll eat us, go the short way and we might have a chance."

Shadow is muttering to no one in particular and has already decided which way to take the ship.  Over the radio he speaks,

"Gonna try and go back the quick way and get us back.  Hold on."

Reaching for the controls he steers the ship towards the quicker route.

Shadow gets you going the short way...so far, so good.

Screed is having awful luck with the EMP rifle.

Jade turns off the blowtorch.

Everyone is standing around not wanting to go into the next room where the mutant is.

Cistron is able to pull out a flashlight from a nearby bin.

You hear a scream in the next room.  It is too harrowing to tell who made that scream, either X, Hammer, or Jinx.  Whoever it was must be dead, or almost so, by the sound of that scream.

9 seconds on blowtorch. currently off

Cistron places the axe on the floor and grabs the flashlight"I got a flashlight, on my mark everyone move in...I'd rather not be the only one fighting this thing."

With the flashlight off, Cistron alligns herself as close to the door as possible; Waiting to hear any nearby movement. She looks to the others and forms a fist and nods, then rolls as prone as possible into the room; using the light to blind the creature while she fires off a few shots.

Screed quietly curses as he works.

Dracos readies the gun again and follows Cistron.

Jade follows along behind Cistron, ready to use the drill if things get complicated and the blowtorch if it gets close to them.

All except Screed proceed through the doorway.  Cistron's flashlight lights upon blood on the ground and the body of Jinx.  Then it scans over to movement.  The mutant creature, its claws covered with blood, howls and moves toward you.

Dracos and Cistron fire their guns.  One of them, you're not sure which, hits the creature while Jade starts up the blowtorch and drill.

The creature jumps erratically from wall to wall as it moves quickly away from you.  Both Dracos and Cistron get off another shot, but neither hits.

The creature moves down the hall and to the left...toward the bridge.

Shadow is doing well driving the ship.  Locke pats him on the shoulder.  "Good work," he says.  "I didn't know what we were going to do without Silicon."

Jade says, "Let's go!" as she runs off after the creature, drill and blowtorch ready (but currently switched off).

He hits the com system, "Locke, Shadow, mutants are heading your way, arm yourselves."

Then he moves with the others, though he covers the area they're leaving as they go so nothing can sneak up.

Cistron utters a few choice explatives, and quickly follows the others down the corridor toward the creature. -Keeping the flashlight on the ready. 'There has to be an easier way of doing this...', she thinks to herself. 'This is turning into a wild turkey shoot.'

She checks her ammo clip, and makes a final preparations before converging on the creatures.

You move up after the mutant creature, but it is very fast.  It reaches the bridge first, bursting in on Locke and Shadow.

Locke turns, mutters a curse, and then jumps on the creature to tackle it.  From behind, the others enter the room, finding their captain entangled with the creature below him.  Locke is injured and fighting, and it is obvious the creature can tear him to threads with its claws.
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:10, Thu 24 May 2007.

Jade puts the drill and blowtorch close to the mutant and turns both on, hoping to scare it off of Locke.

"Don't play with it... hit the damn thing Jade!" he yells as he aims for the monster, waiting for a clear shot.

Jade says, "With what?  All I've got is a drill and a blowtorch!"  Nevertheless, she tries to sear the back of the mutant with the blowtorch without hitting Locke.

Cistron takes a few moments (rounds) of careful aim, to target what she suspects might be the mutant's critical system (head)

"Hurry, shoot the damned thing befor eit kills us all!"

Shadow releases his restraints to be able to move should things get worse.

Shots are fired, the blowtorch lights things up in a flash as Jade strikes the creature.  It screams, hit by Cistron and Dracos and by Jade's flame, and it launches itself out the hole in the window put there by the Sentinel in the previous attack.

The mutant is gone, but you look down and see that Locke is dying, blood seeping through his wounds.

Just then, there is a sharp turn, and with the Hyperion in badly damaged condition, Shadow cannot turn it in time.  It strikes it sideways, and everyone is thrown to the side violently, including Shadow, who has now taken off his restraining harness.

The Hyperion begins to plummet...but Shadow is able to jump in the seat and regain control.

"He's dead!" you hear X say.  He comes running to the front.  "Hammer's dead.  He was working on fixing the damage, and the sudden jolt knocked him against the...broke him in two and..."  X stops as he catches his breath and looks down at Locke dying.  His mouth hangs agape.

Locke is struggling for breath.  "Get back to Zion," he says, reaching down for something.  He pulls out a small disc, now bloodied in his hand.  "Give them this.  It is from Jinx.  Got it before we left."

Locke takes a couple more breaths before dying.