Contract #3: I, Robot?

[Drew Buddy]

Doc stops in his tracks.

"What kind of failsafe? How long do you have?"

[GM Nick]

"The crown was connected to a toxin sac in my medulla oblongata. My glial cells are breaking down. I have approximately 8 hours before my nervous system shuts down and I experience brain-death."

[Drew Buddy]

Should I be feeling concern about this? I'm not even sure if he's really self-aware... Ah, frag it.

"Hold up." Doc says to the android. "Let me at least take a look; Maybe this is something I can treat, or at least slow down."

He starts to rummage for his medical toolkit.

[GM Nick]

"Intervention is impossible, the toxins have bound to the cells and cannot be removed without deconstruction."

[Drew Buddy]

Adams slides his hand out of the pack, and re-shoulders his weapon.

"Yeah, I should have figured as much. I'm not even sure how your biological components differ from ours," he says with an air of defeat.

[GM Nick]

Just as Alpha steps into the hallway, a group of enforcers rounds the corner.

"It's the android! Open fire!"

Alpha sprints towards the heavily armored opposition, shouting as he does.

"We must remove these obstacles!"

[ Alpha = 60 ]
[ Max = 56 ]
[ Doc = 45 ]
[ Enforcer 4 = deceased ]
[ Enforcer 2 = deceased ]
[ Enforcer 1 = 39 ]
[ Tyros = 38 ]
[ Enforcer 3 = 35 ]
[ Val = 31 ]
[ Sinjin = 30 ]

[GM Nick]

The android's movements are a blur. He's among the enforcers before they have time to react.

Melee Combat (Alpha)

[Unarmed Combat (6) + AGI (12) = 7]
6 5 4 1 1 6 6 3 6 4 4 4 4 4 2 4 6 5
[Unarmed Combat (4) + AGI (6) = 5]
6 5 2 5 2 6 5 3 2 2

Damage Resistance (Enforcer 3)

[BOD (6) + Armor (8) + Bone Density Augmentation (1) = 3]
3 3 4 3 4 6 4 4 5 1 4 4 5 4 4

(( 5S DAMAGE! ))

Alpha grabs an enforcer by his chest-plate and hurls the man into a plasteel wall panel.

[John]

Max ducks behind nearby cover and fires a volley of armor piercing slugs in a narrow burst at Enforcer 4.

(( + 4 DV again, please. ))

[GM Nick]

(( Messed up my copy paste. It was 5 hits. ))

Damage Resistance (Enforcer 4)

[BOD (6) + Armor (8) + AP (-4) = 4]
4 4 6 1 4 6 4 5 5 4

(( 14P DAMAGE! ))

Max's first burst explodes the enforcer's chest plate and removes him from the mortal coil.

Ranged Combat (Max)

[Shotguns (8) + AGI (10) + Called Shot (-4) + Smartlink (2) + Cover (-2) + RC (-3) + Multiple Targets (-2) = 4]
6 3 3 5 5 3 4 4 5
[REA (7) = 2]
2 3 6 3 4 6 2

Damage Resistance (Enforcer 2)

[BOD (6) + Armor (8) + AP (-4) = 3]
1 1 3 6 4 5 3 6 4 1

(( 15P DAMAGE! ))

Max's second burst blows gray matter out of the back of the enforcer's helmet.

[Drew Buddy]

Adams dives behind cover, and opens up on enforcer 1.

[GM Nick]

Ranged Combat (Doc)

[Battle Rifles (8) + AGI (9) + Smartlink (2) + Cover (-2) = 9]
6 5 1 4 1 4 5 5 5 2 6 6 6 4 6 2 2
[REA (7) = 1]
1 6 3 4 1 3 3

Damage Resistance (Enforcer 1)

[BOD (6) + Armor (8) + AP (-4) = 2]
6 5 3 4 2 4 2 3 2 1

(( 15P DAMAGE! ))

Doc lays one right between the eyes and Enforcer #1 keels.

[Drew Buddy]

Adams sights in on the third and final enforcer, and hesitates. Alpha is too close.

"I don't have a clear shot! Tyros, can you take care of this?"

(( Delay action ))

[GM Nick]

Despite the throbbing in his head, Tyros charges into battle. The lethal Scottish claymore sweeps through the air.

Melee Combat (Tyros)

[Blades (7) + AGI (4) + Weapon Focus (2) + Reach (4) = 4]
1 4 5 1 4 6 4 6 5 2 3 4 2 4 2 1 2
[Unarmed Combat (4) + AGI (6) + WM (-2) = 1]
1 2 4 3 5 3 1 4

Damage Resistance

[BOD (6) + Armor (8) + AP (-3) = 4]
1 2 5 4 2 4 4 5 6 5 2

(( 7P DAMAGE! ))

The 2 meter sword leaves a large gash in the man's torso, spraying blood a midst his strangled cry.

(( Val's up. ))

[Stephen]

Val levels his rifle at the enforcer whom Alpha tossed across the hallway like so much unwanted rubbish before the ragdoll figure is even finished bouncing off the wall and onto the ground. He squeezes the trigger and his rifle stutters quietly.

(( I'll direct the second burst at the least wounded enemy. ))

[John]

(( There's only one enemy left as is, and he's at 7P. ))

[Stephen]

(( Then I'll nuke him with a complex action. ))

[Elliott]

((Sorry for being absent. Thanks for going for me. No invis modifier on that last melee attack? I've still got invis, improved reflexes and deflection up through my sustaining foci. Also, these guys have both 8 ballistic and 8 impact armor? Usually impact armor is less, no?))

Even in the midst of battle, Tyros can't help but have his mind wander to the question of the android. It's existence is not natural. The troll has some sort of visceral reaction to the very idea of a machine being indistinguishable from a human. And it's strength! Asimov's law is little comfort. Tyros is glad the thing is dying. This is technology that should never see the light of day. Once Tyros wanted to steal the tech and sell it to the highest bidder. No longer. If there is another one of these...things, it must be destroyed as well. What to do about Takahara? He can create more afterall. Obviously, the team still has to rescue him, but the troll starts to wonder of there isnt some way to prevent the scientist from making another one of these monstrosities.

[GM Nick]

Ranged Combat (Val)

[Autoamtics (5) + AgI (5) + Smartlink (2) = 5]
4 6 5 6 4 6 2 3 3 2 3 5
[REA (7) + WM (-2) = 1]
1 3 2 5 4

Damage Resistance (Enforcer 3)

[BOD (6) + Armor (8) + AP (-1) = 4]
1 3 4 5 1 2 4 6 3 3 6 4 5

(( 7P DAMAGE! ))

The burst from Val's assault rifle riddles the enforcer, who slumps against the wall--dead.

[GM Nick]

"Your combat efficacy is noteworthy," says Alpha flatly. He begins to jog down the hallway.

[John]

Without a moment to catch his breath after the arresting but brief firefight, Max takes off after Alpha.

[GM Nick]

Alpha rounds corner after corner, leading the group further into the research quarter. The hallways are labyrinthine. Identical. The environmental strobes have ceased their flickering; evidently Takahara is no longer using the laboratory safeguards to his advantage. The android slows to a walk and then stops in front of a massive blast door.

"This is the hydrogen storage area. The entire room is full of hydrogen tanks. Your firearms must not discharge inside or the resulting explosion and chain reaction would kill us all. I am no match for Omega's physical strength. Father-creator was forced to make Omega faster and stronger--forced to push the very limits of the materials used in his construction. I will require assistance from two of your people who are the most proficient at hand-to-hand combat. We will distract Omega. The others should seek to secure father-creator."

[Stephen]

Val nods curtly, slightly glad to be automatically excluded from hand-to-hand combat with a superhuman android.

"Guess that puts me on hostage rescue duty. I'd suggest Sinjin and Tyros to be our melee champions."

[Drew Buddy]

Adams nods to Val, "you and me both," he says.

"Anyway, I'm not too hot on the idea of going up against an enemy I can't shoot."

[Elliott]

The excitement in Tyros' disembodied voice is evident, "My sword and I are ready."

[Conway]

"A chance to fight an invincible wall smashing super android? Wouldn't dream of missing out. I love toys."

Sinjin stretches his shoulders and rolls his neck side to side. Cracking his knuckles, he smiles at the almost human robot and says "Ready when you are. I hope this Omega's not too ticklish."

[John]

Max pulls a stimpatch from his pack and holds it blindly out in front of him-- not knowing just where Tyros currently is-- and says,

"Might want to use this, big fella-- you sound like you're having a rough time of it after that orgasm of kinetic energy you let fly earlier. No judgment-- I always get tired after I blow too."

The good nature in the elf's voice is plain.

[Elliott]

Tyros makes an invisible gesture (centering) and brings his magic to bear on himself, putting the pounding pain in his head into a box and locking it away in the corner of his mind (resist pain, f5).

The edge in Tyros' voice is gone, replaced by an unpained tone, "Thanks Max, but i've got it under control."

[Drew Buddy]

Adams reloads the rifle, and checks his gear.

"Okay Alpha, you know this area better than we do, and you seem to have some idea of what's gone on recently. Where should we start looking for your creator?"

[GM Nick]

Wordlessly, Alpha places his open palms on the door and roots his feet in place. The sinew pops out all over his arms and back and his core muscles shake with the effort. The blast door retreats slowly into its shutter, yielding to his uncanny strength. The android steps into the room, his feet disappearing in the cooling vapors that cover the floor like a roiling, blue-gray carpet.

[Stephen]

Val waits his turn to enter at the back of the team. The effort required not to swing his rifle up from its resting position as he steps forward is staggering. It feels decidedly wrong to wade into danger without the hard grip in his gloved hand. He concentrates on breathing normally, and putting one foot in front of the other.

[GM Nick]

Resist Pain (f5) (Tyros)

[Spellcasting (6) + MAG (6) + Power Focus (2) + WM (-2) = 4]
1 1 5 6 4 1 1 6 5 3 1 1 **Glitch!**

Resist Drain (1)

[WIL (4) + LOG (6) + Focused Concentration (2) + Centering (4) = 3]
1 4 2 3 5 4 2 3 2 1 1 2 5 6 4 2

A spare spark of magical energy singes Tyros' eyebrow.

(( Now ignoring both wound modifiers. ))

[GM Nick]

The hydrogen storage room is lined, wall-to-wall with 3 meter tall hydrogen canisters. Several rows of canisters fill the center of the room as well and everywhere hangs the pervasive layer of mist from the cooling apparata. Alpha walks through the maze of titanium cylinders slowly, silently, while his eyes flick in different directions.

[John]

Max slings Marlowe over his shoulder and pulls his shock glove out of his pack. Max fans his fingers out and then closes them into a hard fist-- the crack of the knuckles just audible with the snaps of current flowing over the glove's surface. Max steps into the room behind Alpha and waits for direction on where to head in search of Takahara. The canisters and the haze make it claustrophobic. The quarters are very cramped for the team to be on high alert looking out for a massive, murderous, super-powered android.

[Drew Buddy]

Adams looks at the canisters, and takes stock of his ammunition.

(( Roll firearms knowledge to determine if stick-n-shock rounds can be used safely, or if they'll penetrate the canisters ))

[GM Nick]

A figure that had been laying flat and dormant in the ankle high mist springs forward, delivering a right hook that Alpha anticipates and feints at the last moment. The two androids lock arms and struggle to overpower one another. They are nearly identical, save a Mitsuhama tattoo that has been applied to Omega's chest.

"Go and find the father-creator! Fellow combatants--strike now!"

[ Omega = 58 ]
[ Alpha = 52 ]
[ Sinjin = 31 ]
[ Tyros = 31 ]

Omega breaks free from Alpha's arms and delivers a lightning-quick spinning roundhouse.

Melee Combat (Omega)

[Martial Arts (8) + AGI (16) = 8]
3 6 6 2 6 6 3 3 4 6 4 3 6 4 2 1 1 3 3 5 1 1 5 4
[Unarmed Combat (6) + AGI (12) = 7]
1 4 6 4 1 6 6 3 4 6 3 6 1 4 4 3 6 6

Damage Resistance

[BOD (12) = 4]
1 2 3 2 2 1 6 3 5 1 5 6

(( 3S DAMAGE! ))

Alpha staggers backwards from the force of the blow!