Run #7: Through the Looking Glass

[John]

Max fires on the cyberzombie.

[Drew Buddy]

Doc launches a pair of grenades, set to detonate directly above the gurneys.

[GM Nick]

[ Deus = 60 ]
[ Max = 44 ]
[ Doc = 39 ]
[ Tyros = 15 ]

"Insect."

The nearest tentacle cuts through the air towards Max.

Melee Combat

[Attack (6) + Pilot (6) = 5]
1 4 6 2 2 3 5 4 6 6 4 5
[Unarmed Combat (3) + AGI (8) = 7]
5 6 6 2 5 6 5 3 3 4 5

The nimble elf vaults over the tentacle, just as it smashes into the wall behind him.

[GM Nick]

Ranged Combat

[Shotguns (8) + AGI (8) + Smartlink (2) + Engaged in Melee Combat (-2) = 3]
3 5 1 3 4 2 1 4 4 4 4 3 4 5 5 1

(( Cyber-zombie is restrained and unable to dodge. ))

Damage Resistance

[BOD (6) + Armor (6) = 4] (( 6P DAMAGE! ))
4 4 1 6 2 5 4 5 6 3 4 4

Max's shotgun takes a nice chunk out of the cyber-zombie.

[GM Nick]

Ranged Combat

[Shotguns (8) + AGI (8) + Smartlink (2) + Engaged in Melee Combat (-2) = 6]
5 2 5 6 1 2 1 4 4 6 1 6 3 6 4 3

Damage Resistance

[BOD (6) + Armor (6) = 5] (( 7P DAMAGE! ))
4 6 1 5 4 4 5 5 5 1 1 4

The cyber-zombie's head rolls forward as Max's second shot severs his vertebrae.

[GM Nick]

Ranged Combat

[Grenade Launchers (5) + AGI (7) + Smartlink (2) + Wound Modifier (-1) = 6]
5 2 5 5 3 5 2 4 6 2 4 1 6

Scatter Distance

[Scatter (2) = 1]
3 5

Doc's first airburst grenade detonates above the gurneys.

Damage Resistance

[BOD (6) + Armor (6) = 6] (( 4P DAMAGE! ))
4 5 6 6 2 5 3 1 6 4 6 2

Damage Resistance

[BOD (6) + Armor (6) = 5] (( 5P DAMAGE! ))
3 6 2 5 5 5 3 4 2 6 3 2

Damage Resistance

[BOD (6) + Armor (6) = 4] (( 4P DAMAGE! ))
4 1 5 4 1 2 6 1 1 6 6 1

Damage Resistance

[BOD (6) + Armor (6) = 1] (( 7P DAMAGE! ))
2 4 3 4 1 3 2 3 5 1 2 1

Damage Resistance

[BOD (6) + Armor (6) = 4] (( 4P DAMAGE! ))
6 2 4 1 6 5 4 6 1 1 1 4

[GM Nick]

Ranged Combat

[Grenade Launchers (5) + AGI (7) + Smartlink (2) + Wound Modifier (-1) = 3]
1 3 5 1 4 2 1 4 1 6 1 2 6

Scatter Distance

[Scatter (2) = 2]
5 6

The second airburst 'nade sails through the smoke and detonates.

Damage Resistance

[BOD (6) + Armor (6) = 3] (( 3P DAMAGE! ))
6 6 4 6 3 4 4 1 2 1 3 3

Damage Resistance

[BOD (6) + Armor (6) = 4] (( 2P DAMAGE! ))
4 1 6 3 1 3 3 5 1 6 6 2

Damage Resistance

[BOD (6) + Armor (6) = 3] (( 3P DAMAGE! ))
1 4 3 4 1 4 2 6 5 4 3 6

Damage Resistance

[BOD (6) + Armor (6) = 3] (( 3P DAMAGE! ))
1 6 2 3 1 4 4 1 3 5 3 5

Damage Resistance

[BOD (6) + Armor (6) = 4] (( 2P DAMAGE! ))
3 1 1 4 6 2 6 4 5 4 3 5

The inert cyber-zombies are in a grim state, all suffering from serious wounds. Smoke roils off their boiling flesh and several internal organs are clearly visible.

[John]

The smell of cooking meat mingles with the smell of Max's own singed hair and eyebrows as the smoke of the grenade explosions obscures his view completely. For a single terrifying moment, Max can see nothing. Gone are the gurneys pinning down the cyber zombies, but more alarmingly is the disappearance of Deus's wild, impossibly massive swinging tentacle. Max listens hard for the sound of heavy swaths of air being cut toward him should another swing be on its way, but the moment flits in and out so fast that no such swing comes.

The smoke begins to clear in an instant and the carnage unfurls itself before him. There seems almost to be a dreadful calm settling over the room-- the tentacles and harpoon-sized hypodermics are all but frozen in time and the inert ghouls are cooking impassively under their restraints. The sound goes distant and the scene goes gray for the ringing in the elf's ears and the haze settling over the destruction.

Max has flashes of his family. He remembers the way his wife would make breakfast on Sunday mornings-- pancakes with sugared strawberries-- and how his daughter had recently taken a shine to a boy in her class-- forcing the family go to his baseball games so she could watch him play the infield. He remembered Christmases and birthdays-- summer vacations and interminable family road trips.

The gentle moment passes in the blink of a cybernetically enhanced eye, disappearing like a sigh in a hurricane and revealing the bedlam before him. The sounds of cranking machinery and raining rubble rush back in with the smells of burnt flesh and cordite. The team is going toe to toe with a minor god and could have become no more prepared for the task given another ten lifetimes of bloodshed.

[Elliott]

Tyros dances into the room, claymore spinning in his hands as it slashes through one of Deus' tentacles.

[GM Nick]

Melee Combat

[Swords (7) + AGI (4) + Power Focus (2) + Reach (3) + Sustaining (-2) = 3]
4 4 2 2 4 5 2 3 3 6 2 5 1 2
[Attack (6) + Pilot (6) + Attacker Unseen (-6) = 3]
5 3 6 4 5 4

The tentacle whips out of range, just as the claymore grazes it.

[John]

(( SHENANIGANS! ))

[GM Nick]

[ Deus = 54 ]
[ Doc = 37 ]
[ Max = 25 ]

"Your organic body is not worthy of its augmentations."

Cybercombat Test

[Cybercombat (6) + LOG (6) = 4]
1 5 4 2 3 5 2 1 4 1 6 5

(( Max is unable to resist. ))

Max feels a tingling sensation. A cross-hair appears in his vision as his smart-link activates and seeks out Doc. All of the servos in his wired reflexes begin activating of their own accord and the elf finds himself unconsciously raising his gun towards his comrade!

[Drew Buddy]

Doc hears Deus, and sees his friend's response. It's terrifying, but not hard to figure out.

Still standing at the doorway, he dives away from the opening and out of Max's view. He shuts down his own PAN in the hopes of thwarting a similar takeover by Deus.

[John]

Max fires first at the tentacle that swung at him.

[GM Nick]

Ranged Combat

[Shotguns (8) + AGI (8) + Smartlink (2) + Deus' Influence (-4) = 3]
2 1 4 3 2 2 2 3 1 6 5 3 1 5
[Pilot (6) = 3]
6 1 4 5 3 6

Max raises a trembling arm, fighting against his own wired reflexes. He fires the Remington, albeit a second too late. The slug ricochets ineffectually off one of the tentacle's armored panels.

[John]

Cursing the control Deus is exerting over him, Max fires again.

[GM Nick]

Ranged Combat

[Shotguns (8) + AGI (8) + Smartlink (2) + Deus' Influence (-4) = 3]
4 3 2 1 3 4 1 5 3 3 5 3 1 5
[Pilot (6) = 1]
4 4 5 3 1 1

Max manages to score a hit on his second shot.

Damage Resistance

[BOD (8) + Armor (14) = 8] (( 2P damage! ))
3 4 4 3 3 6 5 1 3 6 1 2 5 1 5 1 5 3 3 6 1 6

A shower of sparks erupts as Max blasts off one of the armor panels.

[Drew Buddy]

(( Is one of the armor panels actually off? Are there exposed electronics underneath? ))

[John]

The second shot fired, Max deactivates his smartlink.

[Drew Buddy]

(( I think I might have a simple action left ))

Poking his head around the corner, Doc fires at the exposed panel on Deus.

[GM Nick]

Ranged Combat

[Sniper Rifles ( 7) + AGI (7) + Smartlink (2) + Wound Modifier (-1) = 6]
3 4 6 5 1 2 6 4 6 1 6 1 3 6 4
[Attack (6) + Pilot (6) = 3]
1 6 6 6 4 4 2 4 4 1 4 4

Doc's rifle makes a deafening sound as it discharges. The armor piercing round severs the tentacle!

[GM Nick]

[ Deus = 50 ]
[ Doc = 39 ]
[ Max = 30 ]
[ Tyros = 12 ]

Willpower Test (3)

[WIL (3) = 1]
5 2 2

Deus attempts to grab Max with a free tentacle.

Melee Combat

[Attack (6) + Pilot (6) = 5]
1 1 5 2 6 1 3 5 5 2 5 4
[Unarmed Combat (3) + AGI (8) + Deus' Influence (-4) = 2]
1 2 2 4 5 4 6

Max is constricted in the tentacle's grasp! The coils cinch together, trying to crush the elf.

Damage Resistance

[BOD (4) + Armor (6) + Orthoskin (1) + Toughness (1) = 4] (( 3S DAMAGE! ))
4 1 3 5 3 6 4 5 5 1 4 1

The wind is knocked from Max's lungs, but his ribs hold fast.

[GM Nick]

The cargo elevator bearing the fatally wounded cyber-zombies sinks once again, creating a massive hole in the floor of the cathedral.

[Drew Buddy]

Doc lets out a dismayed shout. Now out of immediate danger of being shot by Max, he remains in a firing position.

Choosing his target carefully, so as to not hit Max, he aims at the base of the tentacle and fires.

(( Called Shot ))

[GM Nick]

Ranged Combat

[Rifles (7) + AGI (7) + Smartlink (2) + Called Shot (-3) + Wound Modifier (-1) = 6]
6 5 1 4 6 3 4 5 6 5 4 2
[Attack (6) + Pilot (6) + Engaged in Melee Combat (-2) = 5]
1 5 5 6 4 1 5 2 6 4

Damage Resistance

[BOD (8) + Armor (12) + AP (-3) = 3] (( 13P DAMAGE! ))
1 5 3 1 2 4 4 6 2 2 4 2 2 6 4 2 2

The tentacle is severed by the high velocity round, dumping Max on to the floor.

[Drew Buddy]

Doc aims center mass on the console, and lets loose another round!

[GM Nick]

Ranged Combat

[Rifles (7) + AGI (7) + Smartlink (2) = 5]
2 4 5 5 2 6 5 1 3 2 4 3 6 2 1 4
[Attack (6) + Pilot (6) = 4]
6 2 2 5 1 2 1 4 6 4 5 4

Damage Resistance

[BOD (8) + Armor (16) = 11] (( 7P DAMAGE! ))
3 6 2 5 6 5 5 2 3 6 6 2 6 4 1 4 5 2 6 4 6 2 1 1

The terminal sways from the kinetic force of the round. A shower of sparks cascades from the bullet hole, but the technological monster keeps moving.

[John]

Max sees the shower of sparks erupt from the site of Doc's rifle blast and aims for the heart. Switching his smartlink back on, Max fires.

[GM Nick]

Ranged Combat

[Shotguns (8) + AGI (8) + Deus Influence (-4) + Engaged in Melee Combat (-2) + Wound Modifier (-1) = 4]
6 1 2 6 6 6 1 4 2
[Attack (6) + Pilot (6) = 4]
2 5 4 3 3 5 2 6 2 6 1 3

Max doesn't bring the shotgun around quick enough and the slug ricochets off the terminal's frame.

[John]

Frustrated, Max smashes his commlink on the ground.

(( Max's commlink is external. ))

[GM Nick]

Max's vision immediately scrambles as his comm-link is destroyed. His PAN is rebooting, and his cyberware is going haywire!

[John]

His senses going screwy on him, Max calms his breathing and listens hard. His hearing, having been functionally unmodified, still serves him. Max listens to the bangs in the room and attempts to pinpoint the mechanical monstrosity. Breathing steadily, Max fires on what he believes to be the center of the beast.

(( Burn ALL karma on this shot-- all unspent karma from last run and all accumulated karma from this run-- and bypass armor. ))

[GM Nick]

Ranged Combat

[Shotguns (8) + AGI (8) + Blind fire (-6) + Karma (27) = 16]
5 6 6 4 5 1 2 3 2 6 1 5 6 4 6 5 4 4 1 1 5 3 3 2 5 6 6 2 4 2 5 2 4 5 3 6 1

Damage Resistance

[BOD (8) + Armor (16) = 9] (( 12P DAMAGE! ))
4 1 4 2 4 6 6 6 4 5 5 5 5 4 2 2 1 6 5 2 3 2 4 2

Max's eyes are unnerving pattern of electric impulses and irritated blood vessels. He turns his static gaze to Deus and raises the Remington in a rock-steady arm.

For an instant, his ears can hear every minute detail of every sound in the room. This is when he pulls the trigger.

The carbon-headed slug twists its way through the innards of the terminal and passes through the core power conduit.

Deus' tentacles stiffen and contort as he begins to lose power.

"The probability of this was infinitesimal..."

[GM Nick]

<You did it! I have control of the system! I... oh, frag!>

[GM Nick]

The image of a motionless, smoking terminal is the first thing Max sees as his vision comes back online--his PAN, rebooted.