Clusterfrag

<The fiber optics will eventually terminate at the sub-matrix base. Follow the cable and it'll lead you there.>

One of the canvas sheets shuffles as something beneath it moves.

Max jumps a little at the movement before whipping off the sheet to expose what's underneath.

Doc turns and assumes a defensive posture.

Max's skin crawls at what he finds underneath the sheet.

Any humanity in the creature lying on the examination table lies only in traces of what once was. The shriveled head bears empty eye sockets, two tear-shaped slits for nostrils and a retro-fit cyberjaw. The man's flesh has been mummified and bears a bloated, pasty blue-white color. There are multiple incision wounds--tell-tale signs of cyberware implantation.

The cyber-ghoul makes a creaking sound, like the grinding dirge of a tomb door being flung open. The dessicated head turns and stares at Max without looking.

Doc flinches at the grim creature, becoming all too aware of his own copious implants.

Max's empty stomach turns as he looks away in horror. As disgusting as the creature is, he can't help but feel some sympathy for it. Whomever he was, he didn't ask for this. Turning to Doc's more clinical understanding, Max asks,

"Jesus. What is it, Doc? What the hell were they doing down here?"

The sound of canvas sliding fills the air as the ghouls begin shedding their death shrouds and stirring to (relative) life.

Doc stares at the thing, trying to deduce any information from it. (( Roll Biology, or perhaps Engineering ))

"That unfortunate creature looks like a cyberzombie to me."

It dawns on Max that the ghouls aren't restrained. This is about to get ugly! Max does a quick scan to survey how many they will have to deal with.

From Max's quick math, he deduces that there are 10 or so tables. Assuming each table houses the dearly departed, it's safe to say they'd be up against the same.

Not liking the odds, Max searches frantically for another escape from the room.

Doc backs up to the door that the cables were leading to, and opens it.

"Max, over here!" He hisses.

He turns to the closest cyberzombie to Max. Hoping that the stories of their phobias are true, and that he can find the right one, he says to it,
"You've got something crawling on your back."

Max runs to the door that Doc is indicating and indiscriminately storms through.

The cyber-zombie, unwilling or unable to hear Doc, swipes a clawed hand at him.

The room through which Max has just plunged appears to be a computer room of some kind. The optical cables wind their way to the base of a large dome, covered in glittering LED lights and emanating a low-pitch hum.

Max shouts to Doc,

"Get the frag in here! Hurry! I'll get the door behind you!"

Doc jumps backward into the room, and slams the door shut. He starts looking around for something to bar it with.

With Doc in the room, Max slams his body up against the door and braces it with all his weight.

Though the door is sturdy, Max can clearly discern the noises of the cyber-zombies heaving their frames off of the tables and beginning a shuffling congregation.

With his weight still pressed firmly against the door, Max looks frantically around the room for something with which to secure the door.

Doc opens the comm,

< Milly, we're here! Anything I need to do? Or just crack it open? We seem to have activated an, um, rather unpleasant part of the base's security, so the quicker you can sieze control, the better! >

Doc connects wirelessly to the node, and boots up the Pocket Hacker.

<Okay, you need to find the primary control board. There should be a backup satellite up-link modulator near it. You need to jumper the board to the backup modulator from the primary. During the fail-over sequence, you need to key in my frequency. With any luck the backup modulator will never have been configured and you can use the manufacturer's default security passcodes.>

Doc's eyes drift to a panel at the base of the sub-matrix station, affixed by a number of screws.

The door shakes as a cyber-zombie begins pounding on it.
Using his frame to hold the door shut, Max estimates he can last 5 minutes before he exhausts.

As the horde bangs against the door, Max yells over to Doc,

"Make it quick, amigo! I think these guys took a shine to you!"

Doc starts tearing the room apart, looking for a toolkit or a screwdriver.

"Me? You're the one with the enhanced pheromones! They definitely want a piece of that!"

Max grunts against the door and blurts,

"Drek! I know I shouldn't have gone for the 'Chummer Your Chummer Could Smell Like' package!"

Doc finds a screwdriver on the floor near the base station and sets to work unscrewing the panel.

"Keep that door closed!" Doc calls over to Max.

"How many fraggin' screws do they need to hold this thing on?" He mutters to himself as he twists another one out.

(( 1 minute has elapsed. ))

Doc grabs the access panel and tosses it aside. Now that the guts are accessible, he sets to work locating the auxiliary up-link modulator.

Max belts out to Doc,

"What's the status over there? Your new friends want to know!"

"Tell them that there's plenty of ol' Doc to go around!" Doc replies.

"Almost there."

He traces cables and looks closely at manufacturer names on the various boards and components, looking for the correct part.

Max's arms are beginning to burn from the strain of holding the door. A violent shake nearly dislodges him.

(( 2 minutes have elapsed. ))

The time for jokes has passed. The physical exertion of keeping the ghouls out is taking its toll and Max can no longer feel or inject any levity. All the elf can do is blow the dripping sweat off the tip of his nose, gnash his teeth, and try to live through the burn slithering its way through his trembling arms.

Doc hurriedly works his way through the guts of the machine, all too aware that the clock is running down.

Doc finds the correct piece of hardware and connects the jumper. He quickly resets power to the main-board.

<Connect to the frequency 170.32 with your comm-link. The default password for the modulator is reindeer flotilla. Once it's online, set the broadcast frequency to 978.231.>


The creaking of the cyber-zombies echoes from the laboratory room--a scene right out of a horror movie.

Doc taps his foot impatiently as the board powers up. He enters the password, and holds his breath.