Into Shadow IC

As Bill started to head for an exit, any exit, from this fragged-up scene, he felt a searing pain on the side of his head as some piece of debris caught in the maelstrom created by the vortex bounced off his skull, then only darkness. As consciousness left him, he was no longer able to resist the portal's pull, and so his body was dragged into the whirling vortex...

Ronin, White Fox, and Suspect materialize in a chamber that looks only vaguely similar to the one they left. Power feeds line the floor, emerging from a central platform and extending out to stations, but the similarity ends there. Instead of sensory-deprivation tanks, the stations more resemble form-fitting cocoons with sensory-conducting contacts placed in specific locations to facilitate the reading of nerve impulses throughout a person's body. The upper section of these stations are transparent, allowing an unobstructed view of the rest of the chamber. Display panels sit upon observation points along all four walls, with each configured to make optimum use of space, location, and relative proximity to each of the four stations. There is no one at these observation points. The only occupant, other than the three runners, is the minotaur whose imperative call brought them to this place.

The minotaur approaches each occupied station and, touching a lighted panel at one end of each which causes the upper section to lift upwards, moves from one to another until all three are open. At the same instant each 'pod' opens, you each feel a strange sensation at the nape of your neck, as though something 'disconnected' from your spinal column. Reaching back to investigate, you each find a 'jack' attached there. Looking at the pod where you just sat up from, you see a closed section of the seat about where your necks would have been positioned; presumably where the connector now lay hidden.

As each of you climb out of the pods, among many features around the chamber, both familiar and unfamiliar, you all notice that the fourth station is dark and still closed. There is no one inside. The minotaur, his expression showing curiosity but no real concern, stands looking down at this empty pod, his posture that of someone who has discovered something unexpected and pondering its implications.

posted.

Jeff is a bit disoriented from the transfer of places...he dosent quite know here he is and stumbles a bit as his eyes adjusts to real light..even tho he was in a fully light room a moment ago. He looked at the minautor takin a step back..not out of fear but out of instinctive mistrust...his eyes were now searching around the room for Ronin..when he spotted her he apporached her.

"You okay miss?" he said trying to gesture in a nice non agressive manner as he said that...he didint know if the cute asian girl spoke english at all considering she spoke in asian the whole..now officially virtual meeting..he tought it was japanese due to all the bow but he couldv been wrong.

Logan looked around warily and then climbed out of the pod. He saw the minotaur standing over an unopened pod and then glanced at the other two he'd seen in the game simulation.
"You okay miss?" the guy asked the girl.
'Good luck kid,' Logan smirked and moved away.

'Wasn't there another...?' he thought as he approached the pod the minotaur seemed to be studying.
Looking down, Logan saw that it was empty.

"What the frag happened to him? Where is he?"

Ronin [pod room]

Ronin’s pod opens and the Asian beauty pulls herself out and looks around the room. In a world of affordable beauty someone spent a lot on her. Her skin is clear and perfectly smooth, her face is perfect enough to grace the matrix sites dedicated to Japanese models, her breasts are perfectly formed, and her body smooth and toned. But no amount of nuyen help some things. It can be seen that Ronin was always a beautiful girl, she moves with a supple grace, her bare feet make no sound on the floor as she walks. She moves with the grace of a dancer… or a swordswoman. She wears short American jean shorts under a kimono tied with a sash. She moves and the movement is seductive, the kimono moves and hints at the beauty underneath.

She shakes her head a couple of times she doesn’t know what is going on or what to believe. It’s like waking from a bad dream only to find out that she is still dreaming. There are others and the demon that came out of the Johnson is standing there.

Her hand reaches for her Obi, to the spot that her sword was supposed to be. It wasn’t there. She was a samurai, a samurai without her sword, without her weapons. It felt like she was missing an arm. She felt exposed. Vulnerable.

{Japanese} “Demon, where are my weapons? Where is my gear?” She demands of the Minotaur. She looks around for anything that she would be able to use as a weapon. She felt worse than naked, she felt like her soul was exposed.

A young man approached her and asked her if she was ok.
{English} “No, my blades are gone.” She replies. Her English is accented but the words are clearly understood. She moves to position herself with everyone before her, especially the demon. She is a warrior and she will fight to defend herself if she has to.

[OOC: Cosmetic modifications to Ronin: Advanced Biosculpting, Breast Implants, Smooth Skin, Taylored Pheremones. And that's just what people would be able to see/detect at this point.]

At Ronin's mentions of her gear gone he taps himself to look for his and noticed his Ares IV was gone...as we his comlink.*Jeff is wearing sneakers a "Aces"Diamond Ace Jacket and some black cargo pants* The readiness of the girl hints him that she dosent trust any of them...wich was normal in the shadows..but this was was even more weird then usual. In an attempt to reassure her that he wasent a threat to her he turns around and does one stop toward the Minautor putting himself between her and him enough for protect her if the stranger decided to attack but with enough space for her to see him as well.

"So "chummer"...whats all this about?"



(OOC my guy is no Casanova but he tries his best to act like a gentleman..especially with pretty asian girls )

The minotaur; looking as if he had just come off the frontline of a battlefield in tattered and worn camouflage suit and jacket; his boots scuffed and dirty, spun about to face the runners, his piercing glare scanning each of you so intently that it seemed you were each weighed and measured to the inch. When he spoke, his rumbling bass voice seemed suspicious, as if the failure of one of your party to materialize was some sort of threat.

"This one did not come. Is he not like us? You three may be partially infected, but your true natures remain active. Explain."

Though his expression gave away little indication as to the nature of his concerns, his posture and the red glow of his stare were enough to convey the magnitude of his queries...at least to him. He wanted an answer, and a good one. To further emphasize his demand, the twin horns lowered until his red-eyed glower seemed to radiate from between two target sights.

(the minotaur is 2.5 meters tall and weighs approx. 265 kg.)

Jeff makes himself ready in his mind for battle if the minautor dosent like his answer.


"Err...Infection?..True Nature?...what the hell are you babbling about?

If the Minautor tries to see if Jeff is lying thru anyways magic or regular he will see that Jeff as no fracking idea what he is talking about

Head turning slightly to focus on the speaker, the minotaur's smouldering gaze seems to pin White Fox where he stands. After a brief moment, the minotaur says:

"Vocal stress patterns and biological responses indicate confusion and suspicion, but also truth. This unit has erred. Further disclosure is required. Follow me."

With that, the minotaur's horns returned to their normal position and, his intense red stare dimming to a lighter glow, he turned and strode across the chamber toward an exit. Without another word, or looking to see if the runners followed, he passed through an open doorway into darkness.

Logan's armored leather jacket creaked as he crossed his arms. He wasn't grepping everything the bull-thing said, but one fact rang loud and clear. 'We're not in Kansas anymore,' he thought grimly. 'Ferdinand the Bull' looked about ready to charge at them when he abruptly turned and left the room.

'What the frag...' Logan thought and glanced over at the other two.
"Either of you know what all this drek is about?"

Jeff dosent even turn to Logan and he replis to him his eyes are focused on the stranger

" I aint got the faintest-fracking idea....but all things considred i think we should follow him...to get some anwers..but more importantly get back out gear.."

Jeff goes after the Minautor keeping an eye on the corner of his eye on Ronin to see if she follows..he wouldnt want to leave her alone behind

"You got that drek right," Logan replied, also without looking at the guy who spoke. There was nothing else to say. The point was made. Staying in this chamber was useless, and they had no other course available. Not, at least, one that made any sense.

Never having been much of a follower, Logan headed after the bullman, setting a pace he figured would catch him up with the Terminator reject in as short a time as possible. He wanted some answers and he didn't plan on waiting long to get them.

Ronin, The pod room.

Ronin looked around the room for something she could use as weapon if the drek hit the fan. She will continue to feel naked and exposed as long as she doesn't have her katana at her side. Looking at the power cables running from the hub to the pods she made up her mind. It was no Kusari-Gama or even a manriki but anything was better than nothing right now.

Walking over to the hub she grabbed one of the cables connecting it to the pod. With a strength that someone wouldn't expect from her lithe body she pulls hard. In a shower of sparks the cable is pulled free. She does the same thing at the pod end.

Taking a few practice strokes with the whip she shakes her head, it doesn't move well and she will have a hard time defending herself with this. She prays to her ancestors to protect her so that she doesn't have to depend on this power cable for defense.

Rolling up the cable she moves towards the door that the demon told them to follow him down, walking cautiously alert for danger.

Ronin, Suspect, and Fox trail through a dark and foreboding corridor, following the sound more than the sight of the minotaur. By frequently touching the walls and treading lightly so as to avoid tripping over any unseen obstacles, the runners manage to make their way along with no mishaps.
Abruptly, the walls end and you all sense that the passage has opened up into a room or another chamber.

The minotaur continues to a wall-mounted jackpoint and, pulling the coupling from the wall socket, plugs the tip into the jack in the back of his neck. Immediately, a couple of overhead lights flicker on and the room is bathed in their dim glow. The area looks to be some sort of control room, with several computer terminals lining a countertop and what appear to be form-fitting seats arranged before them.
One of the terminals blinks on, a test pattern followed by a series of synchronization processes flash across the screen. Following this, a vid file begins running its audio track as lines of text interspersed with photos scrolls from bottom to top.

---03-28-2272 File: 75A287 Virus Propagation Predictions

Report Submitted by: Drs Connely and Fredericks

Despite efforts to contain the HMHVV epidemic, estimated infectees now at 75% total population.
Law enforcement as well as military forces have been completely neutralized. Those remaining uninfected have splintered into small groups seeking safety and shelter wherever they can find them.

Estimated time until total population infected: 3 months on the outside. Infected are driven to hunt prey constantly due to shortage of available supply of fresh metahuman blood and flesh. This factor increases the risks of encountering the infected as many suffer from severe depletion of Essence and will kill on sight. In addition, the virus seems to have mutated with such concentrated and widespread contamination; victims have been described as having adverse reactions to having any bodily fluid from an infected coming into direct contact with skin, eyes, or nose and mouth. Bites inflicted by an infected are certain to infect a victim, but tissue contact can cause a variety of symptoms from infection to toxicity to various diseases. A complete list of conditions brought on by tissue contact has been difficult to gather, as subjects are too often bitten or killed before they can be acquired for testing and observation.

This facility is the last left uncompromised, but it is only a matter of time. They are too many and this facility was never designed to support life for an extended period of time. Already our supplies are low and plans are being drawn to scout for replacements. So far we have been able to keep the infected from getting inside, but eventually...

The minotaur unit; designated Gor, has been given additional programming to the effect that, should those still left alive and uninfected perish, to activate the quantum wormhole and attempt to bring help from the other dimension. There will be no way for us to know if Gor has been successful. For us, it will be too late. But perhaps they will be able to prevent this same horror from destroying their own world in their own time. Quantum physics suggest a multitude of possible futures from every action taken. If they are lucky, and can prevail where we have failed, they may save their home before it is too late.

---End File---

From the few photos, it is grimly obvious that the above report file leaves much to be desired in the way of describing the nightmare images revealed in them. Hordes of HMHVV infected are displayed running through the streets and attacking their prey with overwhelming numbers. Though all the photos were taken from distances (for obvious reasons), the raging violence with which the victims are torn apart and consumed is nothing short of sickening.

Jeff raises an eyebrow and as a long pause.


"Tch...75% of world population are vampires?...How is that even possible...it sounds like out of some bad horror movie..and what the hell is this stuff about "other" dimensions?"


Jeff look at "Gor" for some answers...how ever if Jeff was nervous people couldnt tell

Ronin [Whatever room they are in]

Ronin relaxes a little at the news. The danger was alive and real but at least it wasn't here and now.

HMHVV, there was something about that phrase, something in the back of her mind. She couldn't place it couldn't bring it into her consciousness. It was like half remembering a dream, you know its there but nothing more.

There were many things about this situation that disturbed her but her training, her programing, came into play: she looked relaxed and ready for action.

{Japanese} "Demon. When did this...plague start? 28 days ago?" [OOC: Sorry Jagger, couldn't resist]
{Japanese} "More importantly if we are to battle this horde for you we will need gear. Weapons, armor, medical gear, transporation. Also I will need something to keep the gore off of my skin, I trust you can provide that."

Suspect glanced sideways at the woman. No hesitation even in the face of overwhelming odds, she'd been concerned only with weapons and armor. The girl had guts, he had to give her that. With no word but only a slight nod, Suspect conveyed agreement and acceptance of her unspoken commitment to see this thing through.

To Gor he said, "Aright, assuming we weren't brought here just for vampire fodder, why don't you give us the real deal, eh chummer?"

A series of files begins rapidly flashing one after another on the terminal screen while Gor's red eyes pulse rhythmically. It appears he is downloading a vast amount of data and is either unwilling or unable to communicate during this process.

Suspect, you catch a noise from behind you. It seems to originate from back down the corridor that brought you to this room. Ronin, you hear something also but a moment or two after Suspect. The sound is faint and difficult to identify.

Ronin [Room 2]

Ronin watched as the Robotic Demon seemed to ignore her request for gear. Her ears picked up a sound from the way they came. Maybe it was the missing team member, maybe it was some of those creatures. She didn’t know but she wasn’t going to wait to find out.

{Japanese} “Do you speak Japanese?” She asks the others in the room. She doesn’t wait for a response, “Follow me, watch my back there is something this way.” She heads down the corridor hoping that her companion understands, also hoping against hope that her power cable will make a sufficient weapon against whatever she is about to find.

[OOC: Using Stealth, Jagger, please roll or assume successes for me if it become necessary, I do not have my character sheet here at work]

With a curse, Suspect spun about-face and glared at the dark passageway behind them, titanium claws erupting from his clenched fists. He made no move to protect the female. Unlike some men, he had no illusions about women being the 'weaker sex.' Her commandeering the cable she now brandished as a weapon proved she at least intended to fight her own battles. Whether that would prevail her - or himself, for that matter - remained to be seen.
Neither did he voice any complaint when the girl plunged headlong down the corridor ahead of him. With a reach weapon, she'd be able to keep a potential opponent at a distance; something his claws could not afford him. And, if necessary, Suspect could move in close when the opportunity arose, or if there were more than one foe.

All this flashed through his mind in the time it took the woman to fade into the darkness of the corridor and, throwing a mistrustful glance over his shoulder at the minotaur, he ran after the sammy-girl.

Leo crept carefully through the gloom, squinting to try and see better in the bad light, but he couldn't see much.
He heard the voices go quite, and so he figured, that it might be a good thing to say something, to let them know that he meant no harm.
Maybe they could tell him about what what going on. He hadn't seen his teammates for ages!!!

He stuttered,"What if it's a trap?", his thoughts were racing, pushing themselves in and out of his head. The excess of the deep-weed he'd smoked earlier seemed to be going away. Nonetheless, he cleared his throat and called out into the dark, "Hey monz, strangas! You dun hav to be scar' o' I. I come in peace, no weapon by my si', no harm inflictin' upo' youse! I beg youse, call ou' so I know I'm not hallucinatin' anymore!!!"

Ronin [Dark hallway]

Ronin heard the man call out. She had no idea what he was saying but knew that it was “bbbrrrrraaaaaaiiiiinnnnsss” Of course that wasn’t as reassuring as it should have been. She knew nothing about the enemy, the enemy could very easily say more than express their hunger from her gray matter.

She pauses and lets the man with the claws catch up to her.

Whispering: {Japanese} “Do you understand what it said? Can the enemy, the hoard speak?”

Then realizing that she was speaking her ‘native’ tongue and the man may not understand her, she switched to her broken accented English.

Whispering again: {English} “What he say? Is it enemy or trap? Can enemy speak?”

At the sound of a voice other than his own or the girl's, Suspect activated his eye light system, which enabled his low-light function to give him a somewhat better view of the dark corridor.
What he saw brought him up short, and he retracted his claws with a disgruntled groan.

The girl seemed unsure by her tone, though he could not make out a word until she spoke in broken English, to which Suspect responded, "Is no enemy. Is missing team member."

To the new arrival, he said, "What happened to you? Wait, check that. Let's swap stories in the computer room. I don't like leaving Bullwinkle out of my sight for long."
And so, turning away from both the samurai girl and the dark-skinned elf wearing a perpetual grin that grated on his nerves (though the human mercenary could not have said why,) Suspect headed back toward the place where they'd left the bull-thing.

Ronin [Dark Hallway]

Not fully trusting the newcomer with the strange speech but trusting the clawed man's instincts Ronin relaxes a little and returned to the demon with the clawed the human. She kept an eye on the strange elf looking for any sign that he may be one of the enemy.