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Post by Vitsheep on Nov 23, 2021 19:46:50 GMT -5
John raises his hand. Everyone looks at him. Zarv doesn't bother with such a signal and just takes up a pistol.
"I can help with some of the basic instruction," Mikoto says. "Why don't I help John while you work with the others.
"Um... It looks fun, but Anne's not s'posed to play with guns!" Anne Jean says.
"Well, that's fine," Texas says.
The Bulgarian holds up his hands. "Perhaps I'll try, but I'd prefer to watch for a few moments, first."
Zach thinks and watches the others before relenting. "I'd like to try, if you don't mind. Pa liked to hunt, but never got a chance to teach me how to shoot."
"Yeah?" Texas asks. "Well, hunters usually prefer a rifle fer the range 'n' accuracy. A pistol'll do ya fine at point-blank range, but soon as you start gettin' far 'nough away t' not spook an animal it gets tougher. Still, understandin' the basics of aimin', breath control, and most importantly safety'll do ya good fer learnin' how t' shoot a rifle later. K, I'll show ya some basic stance work then we can get our hands on. Ya'll ready?"
You spend some time practicing just standing and holding a gun with a lot of criticism about trigger discipline and aiming before you shoot which Valerie seems more than a little annoyed about. Texas is quick to remind you that you also should not go out on a shooting gallery unless everyone is aware.
"Shootin' knives outta people's hands? Aimin' fer kneecaps? Warnin' shots? Forget all that Hollywood nonsense. Ya made a choice when ya pulled out a gun 'n' not a different weapon. Aim fer the chest first. Two shots."
You practice with the dummies for a bit. Zack and Zarv both seem to take to shooting well enough, easily adapting lumberjacking stances and flexibility techniques to shooting. The Bulgarian, when he finally joins in, is also able to pick up on things quickly. John has a bit more trouble but eventually figures it out well enough to hit the close targets more often than not.
Valerie, on the other hand, is extremely bad at this and even looks down the barrel of her pistol at one point - Texas is quick to grab her arm and stop her from firing. "Phew... I hat t' say, Miss Valkyrie, that ya'in't great at this."
Mikoto shows that she does indeed know her way around a pistol and even joins in helping Texas a bit.
Anne stays in the back and cheers people on. |
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Post by Vitsheep on Nov 27, 2021 17:37:40 GMT -5
Texas seems satisfied with everyone's progress - and doesn't try to force Anne to join in.
"Hey, Alice?" Texas calls out. "We're runnin' a bit low on paintballs. Only got 'bout a dozen left. Are there any more in storage?"
"Yes. They will be restocked overnight," the computer's voice rings out over the speakers.
"Hm. Anyway... Ya'll did fine. Most o' ya'll did more'n fine fer first-timers."
Valerie blushes. Mikoto gives John a high-five.
Gain a Trust Fragment between Zack and Texas
You all head upstairs to dinner and find everyone gathered - including Francois for once. After everyone orders their meals and sit down, Zack speaks up. "So anyone got any interestin' news?" |
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Post by Vitsheep on Nov 28, 2021 1:47:00 GMT -5
"The stupid centrifuge is broken," Wildcat says. "Don't try to ride it."
"The painting of the first floor is mostly finished. That should make everything a bit more cheerful, I hope."
"The cosmos looks favorably upon the days. They tell me: as is the solar system, so too must we be in harmony to overcome the trial set before us. To this end I will be hosting a stargazing event tomorrow. All are welcome to come and go as they wish." Janean's eyes sparkle above her veil. "Such a once-in-a-lifetime view of the celestial sea, unmuddied by terrestrial pollution, should not be overlooked even in these dire circumstances. It is my hope basking in space's untamed glory will inspire all present."
"And I get to ask you all to enjoy your meal and remember that this facility will explode in 29 more days." AI-c1-e manifests itself and curtsies briefly before disappearing. "Tick, tock."
Francois looks like he wants to say something, then stops himself. Instead, he retreats to his room.
You all start to feel a bit tired and make your way back to your rooms. As usual, Wildcat and zer0 refuse to remove their masks. Wildcat takes her meal out of the cafeteria and downstairs, saying something about working on a few things. zer0 sits around until the others leave.
When you get back to your room, you feel even more tired. You don't even have time to write in your journal as you stagger into bed.
You jolt awake in the middle of a night as a horrendous smashing noise echoes throughout the facility, followed by a hideous, screeching, grinding noise.
"Emergency. Emergency. Fire detected in the vicinity of Lab: Wildcat. Beginning suppression... All residents advised to stand clear... Complete." |
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Post by Vitsheep on Nov 30, 2021 9:03:50 GMT -5
~Ding dong dong ding~
"A body has been discovered in the vicinity of Wildcat's Laboratory."
The lights switch from the dim night lighting to full on. |
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Post by Digi on Nov 30, 2021 16:12:10 GMT -5
ZP's eyes widen. He doesn't bother getting changed into regular clothes before rushing to the crime scene. His throat feels dry as he slows once he gets closer, scared of what he's about to see.
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Post by Vitsheep on Dec 1, 2021 13:18:13 GMT -5
You make your way outside, waiting for others to form into a group. A few of the others join up and head towards the stairs. As you descend and the smoke starts to clear, you find yourself moving with Jill, Valerie, Calum, and Zack. When you get downstairs, you find most of the others already present. The only ones missing are zer0, Wildcat, and Francois...
The hallway is lined with puddles shining with an oily sheen, water pooled from the extinguishers. Some of it stained bright red. A trail of metal scraps leads out from the lab. At the end, sitting partially lodged into the metal of the central wall of the hallway ahead of you, is the centrifuge capsule. Janean and Texas are working together trying to pull it open.
Sammy and Anne are frozen in shock, barely turning to look as you all arrive.
Zarv punches the wall. "I am sorry. I have failed you." He wanders down the hall towards the lab, watching the scraps. The Bulgarian watches him for a moment, then follows along.
"Mikoto, she's still breathing. Our body is somewhere else... Texas help me out here, the rest of you there's still a body somewhere," Janean says as she struggles to pull a blonde-haired girl free from the wreckage.
"Hand her here...!" Mikoto says. She tosses the girl over her shoulders and starts making her way to the medical room. Janean and Texas go running after them.
Larissa goes to look at the wreckage, then stumbles back and screams. She falls on her back, scrambling back and pointing at where the wreckage meets the wall. "Th... The... There's... body..." |
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Post by Digi on Dec 1, 2021 17:16:16 GMT -5
He'll hesitantly look, feeling nauseous. His movements are weak and unsure. "I-I-I don't know if I can look..." He almost collapses to the ground.
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Post by Vitsheep on Dec 2, 2021 15:16:14 GMT -5
Zack and Jill both move closer to examine where Larissa was looking. Zack almost falls over and retches while Jill winces, then starts trying to shift the wreckage. "Hey, someone give me a hand here..." she mutters. "Ugh... Heavy."
"Nobody touch the body. I am going to see if Wildcat, zer0, and Francois are in their rooms. He walks over to Sammy and Anne. "One of you, please accompany me."
"Uh... Yeah, sure," Sammy says. "Come on, Anne."
She nods, and the three jog back upstairs.
The body under the capsule is completely ruined. Most of the lower body is gone, smashed to bits. The upper body is still largely in one piece, but hard to see with all the wreckage in the way. You find a few pieces of something brown and fibrous mixed in with the viscera. One of the larger pieces, you can make out as a rope.
EVIDENCE: ROPE FRAGMENTS |
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Post by Digi on Dec 2, 2021 15:38:07 GMT -5
"That's weird... I-uh- sorry, just give me a minute..." ZP tries to catch his breath, taking a few deep ones before standing up and weakly looking over it all. "What do we even do..."
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Post by Vitsheep on Dec 4, 2021 12:00:47 GMT -5
"Figure out who did it," Jill says, giving up trying to move the wreck. "Or die, I guess." With that, she turns and heads towards Wildcat's lab.
Valerie follows after her.
"...I'm... going to see if I can make some kind of lever thing to move this stuff out of the way," Larissa says. "...Telescopes, there were some telescopes in Janean's lab..." She walks off to the north.
Calum scratches his head. "I don't know what to do... I guess I should go look around?" |
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Post by Digi on Dec 5, 2021 22:54:58 GMT -5
"I'll go with you..." ZP takes a few deep breaths and refuses to look back as he follows Calum.
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Post by Vitsheep on Dec 12, 2021 17:17:58 GMT -5
You follow after Calum.
"Aye, let us see... Hm... Where shall we wander..." he mutters to himself. He turns back and walks off towards Sammy's lab. You follow, and find no one else in the lab. Everything looks exactly the way you left it, with half-empty paint buckets sitting around the machine and rollers and brushes still waiting to be cleaned.
But something about the paint is bothering you. You think there might be more buckets than there were yesterday. And you don't recall any rooms being painted a bright pink. |
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Post by Vitsheep on Dec 17, 2021 0:04:12 GMT -5
"I don't see anything useful," Calum says. He turns and leaves you staring at the paints. |
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Post by Digi on Dec 22, 2021 18:41:27 GMT -5
Investigate the paint then go find the others.
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Post by Vitsheep on Dec 30, 2021 23:02:57 GMT -5
You investigate the paint. You find that most of the cans show signs of having been used, but you find a can of yellow and a can of pink that both look fresh.
You leave and head back out, making your way south to the medbay to look for people. You find Larissa running inside as you get closer. She doesn't seem to notice you. By the time you get in, you find her, the injured girl, and Texas. Texas is sitting on the edge of one of the beds, the injured girl passed out beside him. He's rubbing his chin in thought. "Yep, I reckon so," he says.
"Great!" Larissa says. "Well, not great. 'Cause. Y'know. Murder. But a useful clue!"
Larissa turns to leave as fast as she came and stops just short of slamming into you. |
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