Some Assembly Required -IC

As they talk, Jhon notices Sparks looking intently toward the ceiling of the elevator. Following the kid's gaze, Jhon sees nothing but the walls and ceiling.

Keeping his voice low and moderate so as not to cause undue alarm in the rest of the group, Jhon asks, "What are you staring at?"

"One of the things you and Meera attracted when you flipped out." He tests it in his own way, to see if it's intelligent, "Why I said biomonitor tags. Elevated pulse and blood pressure can mean many things, from pain to excitement. Two or more biomonitors pop well above baseline for the individual, and there may be an accident or collapse that the other monitors missed."

Resisting the urge to look back at the ceiling, Jhon lets his gaze wander randomly as though he and Sparks were discussing nothing of any real significance.

"You mean there's something in here with us?"

He patterns his reactions to that of the kid, calm and easy.

"What have you learned about it - anything? Can it understand us - our speech?"

This is not a drill. Those words flooded Shu's mind and kept cycling in there, over and over. If this is not a drill, then where am I? How far am I away from home? His jaw slacked, and his arms felt heavy. He paused to look down at his bloodstained sleeve, and the bloodstain on his cyberarm's knuckles. This...this is chaos. He raised his eyes to the ceiling and pondered his emotional state. I believe I am having a panic attack. His heart raced and his breathing quickened. Yes, I do believe I am. I should probably do something about that. Then his mind...fractured. He had effectively become temporarily mentally broken. He followed orders, moved in silence, and generally zoned out. His brain was knocked back into place, relatively, when the elevator door opened to reveal the machine and the creatures. His eyes refocused out of the far middle-ground and onto the actions of the crawling creatures. Such efficiency. He gazed wide-eyed as they turned together to look at the fugitives. Such harmony. He felt tears spring to his eyes as they all took a single step towards them. He thought out loud, "This is Wu Xing."

Jhon wrote:

"You mean there's something in here with us? What have you learned about it - anything? Can it understand us - our speech?"

"You don't get it, do you? Of course it can't understand us, just as we can't understand it. They represent order. Us? Well, look at us. Arguing over everything, spewing hatred, performing verbal and physical attacks on each other. No, we...we are chaos. They are perfection. How can gods understand the words of the worms below them? And how can the worms possibly hope to understand the gods? As worms, we have but one choice. To prostrate ourselves before them and beg for forgiveness." He begins to kneel.

[OOC: Shu is feeling a little deranged, but he is not totally past the brink. He is merely having a small dissociative breakdown. Somebody could probably still talk some sense into him - or beat some into him.]

Atashi looks at Shu and is for once speechless as for something to say When you pass away and people ask me what the cause of your death was, I'll say it was your stupidity she just shakes her head and returns to contemplating the specter, perhaps if she studies it some more she could figure something out

Shu's eyes took on a far away glow, and he prepared himself for a rebuttal monologue. "Ah yes, and certainly all present shall pass away, for we are mere mortals. But you saw it yourself. These beings have surpassed death, they have reined in the one thing that we worms could never do. They cheated life! Before us you see more of our kind, floating in suspension for a virtual eternity, to die, only to be reborn! Surely this is their gift. Who are we to scorn it?"

Sparks looks at Shu for a moment, "Right, the ancient fragger is no longer allowed to speak. Ever." He goes back to studying the being on the ceiling, "As far as I can fragging tell, it's a watcher. It won't know what we're saying, but it'll report it to the security node. Frankly, everything here seems to be using a different base programming language than we do. It's like an old Mac and PC trying to share files. Give us time, and we might be able to do something other than a blunt force try on it, but until we get that time, it's really all we've fragging got."

"Frag, frag, frag. We're fragging wired for fragging sound." He closes his eyes, and threads a more powerful Scan program[6d6.hits(5) → [3,1,6,5,2,2] = (2) two hits, 8d6.hits(5) → [1,3,2,1,6,2,1,5] = (2) and no physical damage from Fading!!!] to look for the tags on them[10d6.hits(5) → [5,4,5,1,6,4,5,4,3,2] = (4) four hits, so far.] swearing in Yiddish the whole time.

Leaving Sparks and Atashi to deal with whatever is in the elevator with them, Jhon approaches Shu. Unsure if the old man has lost it totally or not - and still somewhat shamed by his own faltering control, Jhon still has to make the attempt to dissuade Shu from doing something that could jeopardize their escape.

Stepping close and looking intently into the man's eyes, Jhon rests his hands on Shu's shoulders in what he hopes to be a comforting, comaradic gesture.
"You are wise, omae, and have done well. Your intuition and logic will surely be rewarded. But there is one thing you fail to recognize."

Here Jhon squeezes the man's shoulders reassuringly.

"But all is not lost...not yet. The 'gods' you saw are indeed powerful and far above our ability to fully know or communicate with, but they are also benevolent and wish to see us conquer our faults and overcome our captivity. Therefore, it is imperative that you, as one of us, put forth your effort to aid in our struggles. The objective is to find the way out of this place. Do you understand? Are you strong enough and determined enough to win the 'gods' favor and help us succeed?"

Charisma 3 + Con 3 + Edge 2
Result= 8d6.hits(5) → [4,6,5,4,6,3,4,1] = (3 hits)

reroll 6s
Result= 2d6.hits(5) → [3,4] = (0 hits)

Sparks keeps scanning[10d6.hits(5) → [4,5,5,6,5,5,1,3,1,4] = (5) up to a total of nine hits] looking deeper intot he streams, still searching, knowing there's something else here, something he's not seeing. While the spectre examines him, he keeps looking[10d6.hits(5) → [5,1,5,6,4,3,3,3,1,2] = (3) twelve hits] hoping Atashi gets a clue and starts hacking this thing. Still wary, he keeps scanning[10d6.hits(5) → [4,5,1,4,5,2,5,2,5,5] = (5) seventeen total] and sends all the data he's collected so far to Atashi, since he can't really store any of this to pick apart later. [5d6.hits(5) → [2,2,3,3,5] = (1) matrix perception 7d6.hits(5) → [2,4,1,2,1,1,4] = (0) Surprise test, No hits, unless I got a bonus from the Matrix perception.]

Initiative (2) = 7

[color=orange]Atashi saw the specter move she knew she was to late but was going to attempt to do what she could anyway, witnessing the shadow fall onto sparks she yelled out to the group Protect my body and she slumped down on the ground an instant later as she immersed herself fully into the VR around her to speed up her actions. Matrix Initiative; 4hits = 13 before her body completly relaxed ehr mind was allredy racing as she booted up her exploit and armor programs and sent out her feelers on the image (1 edge for more dice Breaking in - on the Fly; 9hits)

[Now wait just a sec! Even if it is a surprise attack, he has to make an initative roll! He may get some bonus, but if he cannot beat someones ini, then that person is not surprised and can act before him. Also if Sparks and Atashi stared at him hard and knew he may be dangerous then it's not really a surprise! Rules specify that you have to be compleatly unaware of the attack to be helpless against it. So I think he may only get some bonus situational modifier to his first attack.

Also, Atashi has to make an ini before she can act, and going full VR is I think at least a simple action, and so is loading programs into her persona. So hold your horses until it's your turn to attack I say.]

(OOC: did I miss the post where St Nougat relinquished his GM status to Alith?)

[I'm trying to reasonably defend Sparks here! I'm the devil's advocate! And why on the matter, when did Jaeger got promoted to the GM-s public defender? I suggested something, Nougat can easily say "no" or even delete my post. He has the power, and he feels it too ]

[I already made the rolls, and since I'm out of Edge....]

Sparks throws his virtual hands up to defend himself[10d6.hits(5) → [3,5,6,6,3,1,5,5,1,3] = (5) five hits on defense, 6d6.hits(5) → [4,3,6,4,5,5] = (3) three hits to resist damage, 9d6.hits(5) → [1,6,6,5,2,2,6,4,4] = (4) our hits on Matrix initiative for Matrix Init of 13] while screaming, "Stop the fragging elevator!!!!"

"Jesus Christ! What the hell is that?!?"

[so yea my initiative is gonna be 6]
[INIT(5)]
[5d6.hits(5) → [4,3,2,6,1] = (1)]
http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3248262/

OOC: Just assume I go last. My init+Combat paralysis suck/

[This is a retro-active post in response to Jhon's encouragement.]
Shu thought hard about Jhon's words, and came to a conclusion. "Yes, yes, you are right. We may be but worms, but that does not mean we may simply wallow in the mud." He stands back on his feet and his chest swells with pride. "I shall prove myself worthy of order and servitude. I shall endure these trials that they have presented. I shall win this audition in the name of harmony. I apologize for my defeatist attitude. I will strive to perform my duty to my full potential, so that we all may reap the benefits of service in the name of unity." But something deflates his spirit. If these gods are so benevolent, then why is this girl filled with so much chaos? Did she fail the trials? Why is she so distressed? Perhaps...this is her chance at redemption.
Suddenly, a beast materializes and attacks Sparks. Shu is filled with confusion. Why? Why would they attack one of ours? Surely, he is the most chaotic. Is this their punishment? He looks on in horror as Sparks screams, but he cannot move to protect him in time. What sort of punishment is this? They would create division within our ranks? This...this is not order. This is turmoil! They are not gods! Shu struggles to form the words in his throat. They stick in the back of his mouth like mud. He manages to spit out the syllables. "They...are...demons!" His eyes harden, his brow lowers in anger, and he prepares to defend his new friends.
[Actions will still take place in turn.]

After the doors are closed, Tokko finally has a little time to think. His head hurts from frustration, unanswered questions, stress and just from the bizarreness of the situation. So he decides he will do something unusual himself, which was in his training, but not the "beat 'n' shoot" he received in the arcology. That training was meant to be used in there, the rules of it were sterile, 90 degree rules which fell apart in unforeseen conditions. He used the training that was polished through generations by different people and evolved through eras of peace and war. It was the teaching of Wado-Ryu that helped him with it's diamond clear yet fluid rules, and sayings like: "When your life turns to chaos, return to the beginning and choose a new path", "Don't concentrate on what you don't know, mind what you do" and his favorite "If you cannot see a path in the forest, build a tower. You've got enough wood around you anyway."

So he did something he would never have done before in a hostile environment: he started a form of meditation meant for clearing the mind. He squatted down, back and head supported by the wall, guns dropped on the ground on each side, gazing at the point everybody gazed to, and slowly, he breathed. He forgot about the kidnapping, the alien looking place, the zombies and the frustration. He saw his surroundings and his companions, he really SAW them for the first time since they got out from those cells, and realized they must be as scared and frustrated as him, or even more, because they aren't accustomed to danger not even as remotely as him. He saw the women, small framed and fragile, doing what they did for thousands of years when in danger - speaking, using words and their voices as shield and spear to defend themselves. He saw the men, from young to old, coping with the situation the best they can, realizing the pillars that supported their lives are gone. He came to understand, hate or love, these PEOPLE are the only ones he can depend on and vice versa.

He recalled the moment he nearly shot Sparks. He asked himself: could you really do it? Could you look in his eyes from this close and kill him? Could you let anyone from here taken and deformed into one of those things? Could you let them die, and live your life after that like nothing happened? He looked at them, at their faces and he had his answer. He smiled...and this was the moment the Specter attacked Sparks!