[IC] MnM 3e - In the Shadow of Imperator: Deadline

[Camus]

Diego Gonzalez
HP: 1
CND: -1 toughness(lasting damage)
Form: solid

Diego had vouched for Hitori and the degree of control he thought the man turned monster had. Eating an enemy soldier, fine. Eating hostiles in the Undercity, fine. Eating traitors to the cause, fine. Eating two people who you were probably just asked to escort out of a hospital, not fine. There was other options. "My mistakes, however tactically unsound, nearly cost me only my own life if not for the Corporal saving me. When I made the ill fated trip, I went hoping I would be watched. Do not compare my mistake to yours. I never lied to any of our team about my motives for things of any importance. There is a reason smart serial killers don't stalk their own neighborhood and thief's of any repute don't steal from their neighbors. We have enough enemies without making them of the residences down here. Your actions imperiled our whole team because you were hungry.", begins Diego clearly getting agitated. Not so much at the act of eating the two kids, but the lie. He kept his voice low intentionally to do his best to not be heard.

"While they may not know what happen to the people who went in, it is probably known by now that some went in and never came out. This place will be under surveillance even more so than before. There was plenty of people down here who deserved the fate of being absorbed that would not be missed. People at a hospital came here for a reason and were brought by someone most likely. There was our team and Dr. Sokolov here and I would guess the ones watching this place know Sokolov wouldn't make some people who come here disappear without cause., continues Diego trying to convey the depth of the tactical failure of Hitoris lack of control. Not wanting to go anymore into it, Diego cut off the tactical scolding.

"If your hunger is not in control, what are you going to do if we leave the Undercity with all that life up there? What about if we rejoin the rest of Null's forces? What if no one else was around? Would you have absorbed Levi or Peter or Alex?", finishes Diego. The moral outrage and shock could be left to Sanders. Diego was more concerned about the tactical repercussions and effects on other endeavors to gain more allies at this point.

Hitoris face was that of a man that had enough. "You do not understand nothing do you? Of course I would have. It is not within my control. Where have you been this whole time? Or has ascension messed up your brain? I WILL consume EVERYTHING. I do not register you as food now, but before? You looked like a hot dog. That is why we need to secure this city under Nulls command, and then he can release me of this existence. Humanity should fear the macro virus, not Stronghold. This thing just wants to destroy everything Diego, it wont stop; I am keping it in check, if I mess up while doing so, sorry, not my freaking fault. Now shut up and lets get moving."

[mrdent12]

Diego Gonzalez
HP: 1
CND: -1 toughness(lasting damage)
Form: solid

Keeping a calm, yet assert voice devoid of any emotion Diego looked at Hitori. "You compromised the team. You lied about it. I understand your hunger and what is inside you is powerful and destructive. If that is all you are now and cannot admit to losing control without first resorting to deception, the man you were is truly dead with all that remains is an unreliable check on the destructiveness you harbor.", says Diego coldly and without threat or malice of any kind in his voice. he may have well could have been reading an assessment he wrote up on other soldiers like he did in his past. Letting it sink in a moment, Diego didn't even bother looking at Sanders who doubtless had her own thoughts on the matter.

"It is not my place to punish you or hold you to account for your failures. It does not mean I need to trust you on your own attestations anymore either. If your failure to control the virus inside you compromises a mission, a base, the team, or worst of all the cause it is not me who you will answer. You made your pledge. During my short time here, it has become clear that Praetor Null is not tolerant of failure. It is in Praetor Null's commission of you to inspire loyalty in his allies and those who serve him I will need to place my trust. If the virus in you does not make that possible, you will answer to him.", continues Diego only showing the slightest tinge of emotion at his faith in Hitori being betrayed.

Looking out at the path ahead of them, Diego nods to Sanders. "We are going into the unknown with the need for as much support as we can gather and I will need to trust in the Praetors judgement on Hitori. I cannot speak for you though.", says Diego clearly giving Sanders the choice if Hitori should be asked to stay behind after making his stance clear.

[Camus]

"You dont know me, you didnt know me. You werent even here in Hadron city. Your words are too big for a rat that ran in the sewers, so keep them in your mouth, as you say it is not your place to judge me. Trust me what you like, I couldnt care less." Hitori barks back. The man was as proud as they came, and if Diego would have known that, he would have known that pressing the issue of Hitoris lack of confidence in his own ability to control the virus would only lead to an escalating confrontation with the man-beast

[Sakuro]

The Corporal's brow furrowed as she listened to the two men exchange words. His eyes move back and forth between them. Eventually she couldn't help herself from interjecting. It was to both, not just Hitori, that she spoke.

"You get that two people were killed, right? They were killed, off the battlefield. They were non-combatants. It wasn't a matter of self defense. That's murder. You get that, right? We're supposed to be protecting those people. Saving them from themselves. From the horrible system they're stuck in. I haven't heard a single word of remorse over these deaths either. That's sad … and frightening."

At those last words Sander's lips curve downward into a frown. Then she shifts her big brown eyes to Hitori and addresses him directly.

"I don't know what your going through. You say you can't control yourself. That you can only keep your … .. hunger ... in check. It isn't enough. Both of you are my superiors. But Master Zanzo, once we're in the field together, if you can't stop yourself from hurting innocent people I'll stop you. For your sake and their's."

The dark skinned woman forms a fist with one hand and places it in the palm of her other, at chest height, then she bows to Hitori. A gesture meant to show she was try to be respectful both to her superior, and her own sense of morality. Not posturing or threatening. She had no idea what he was capable of though. There was no way she'd be able to stop him. More likely, she'd try and he would kill her. Corporal Sander holds the bowed posture for five seconds then straightens out and lowers her hands to her sides.

[Camus]

Hitoris angry-ridden face relaxes at Sanders words. "It is sad, Sanders-san. It is indeed very sad. What wouldn't I give to go back to be my old self, where those feelings were possible. Alas I cannot. And it is also impossible for me to feel pity upon those I consume, much like you wouldnt feel nothing for a carrot. The virus has almost effectively killed who I used to be. I can only be myself after I have consumed someone, then, the remorse kills what is left of me." He sighs as Sanders bows, bowing himself in respect. "I value that corporal, how would I love you to be able to do that, and put me out of this dreadful existence."

[mrdent12]

Diego Gonzalez
HP: 1
CND: -1 toughness(lasting damage)
Form: solid

Taking it all in Diego adjusts his approach. Hitori clearly could not take critical notes when it came to his pride. If Diego was going to continue a leadership type position he had assumed previously and push the cause forward, he would need to tailor his approaches. "The old self of you I knew was not known by me for long, but what I did see was a honourable and disciplined warrior who was master of a sword. Admitting failings is not a dishonour if you work to correct them. Consuming innocents is counter productive and on top of the acts we have done to get to this point will only chip away more at what remains of your previous self. Instead of a curse, you can harness your hunger as a weapon.", says Diego without changing from his calm and assertive voice. It felt more natural than any with hints of emotions.

"Our enemies are numerous and by numbers will not fall through physical force alone. What remorse is there in devouring enemy soldiers? Who will complain if you remove a rapist or murderer from the Undercity? Fear of you may even work as a formidable weapon if you apply the same discipline and will to training in the use of your virus as a weapon for the cause.", continues Diego. "There is plenty who would end your life, Null included as he promised, if you completely lose control. In the battles ahead, there will be plenty of enemies for you to devour. Praetor Null has even made arrangements for you. While I may not trust you now, Praetor Null does and I used to. None of that matters tough if you cannot trust in your training.", adds Diego attempting to appeal to previous hardened fighter he once knew.

Turning his attention to Sanders Diego nods at her. "My choices here and recent events have numbed me to the innocents as being more than tactical pieces. Your reminders of humanity are always valued rank or no rank. In this fight, I do not view you or any fellow soldiers as below me in rank. We are all in this fight for the same reason. Remorse is one of the emotions I have sacrificed, but with your reminders may regain.", says Diego with a softness in his voice this time that wasn't there when talking to Hitori.

Looking back at the monster turned into old man, he gives his final words. "Time is short and where we are headed may test your control. Failure to control your hunger could very well result in the death of Corporal Sanders, Colonel Costas, and possibly the whole world if it causes our mission to fail. Praetor Null has trusted you as his sword. I am trusting his judgement and hoping enough of your hold self is left. If you do not think you can control your hunger enough to not put the whole world at risk now is the time to say so.", finishes Diego going back to the calm assertive voice tone.

[Camus]

"I have been trying to do just that Diego. Please, cut it with the cheap inspirational speeches, time is short, we can agree on that." Hitori turns to say that, evidently done with the conversation.

[mrdent12]

Diego Gonzalez
HP: 1
CND: -1 toughness(lasting damage)
Form: solid

Hitori was clearly giving in to his biggest weakness, his pride, again. It was a gamble to bring him along, but if they ran into a contingent of soldiers he would be of use.

Getting a post up as I am not sure of my time tonight.

[Sakuro]

So the three of you set out: a monster pretending to be a man, a machine with only a shadow of emotion, and a woman as their guide through the ruins of the Under City. For Hitori the tunnels and plazas were a work of heat patterns and flickers of animal life or glowing lamps of human beings. For Diego, it might as well have been day light. Sander was the only one who needed a the aid of a flashlight to see in the darkness. The Under City is a confusing maze, trapped, and populated by hostile bands of aggressive and oft time mentally unstable threats. Sander seems to know where she is going, but this doesn't prevent you from encountering dangers. Along the way you stumble upon a stretch of space that has been exposed to some volatile chemicals that seemed to recently seeped into the area from another, more contaminated, area. The Corporal has to hold her breath and turn off her flashlight while allowing Hitori or Diego to guide her out of the stretch of tunnels. Fortunately both of them are fast and either immune to the threat or able to endure it without ill effect.

As soon as you breach the Under City and reach the sewers Sander takes out a communication device that looks similar to a smartphone and gets in contact with someone, asking about a vehicle. In the end she arranges for one to be left at a nearby location, which she guides you to via the sewers. When you surface it is amidst the rubble of a fallen sky scraper. Sander, at least, has the weave her way through the ruin before getting to the exterior where, hidden under some urban camouflage consisting of light rubble, trash, and a tarp, you find you ride. A bland and nondescript van. From there, with a combination of Diego's gut guiding you and Sander's knowledge of the city helping you to avoid the riskier areas, you make yu way closer and closer still to you destination. Until come into sight of the edge of Hadron City and the security perimeter. The sky overhead is over cast. In the distance you can see dark clouds growing closer. The wind is picking up by the minute and the streets, normally clogged with traffic, have only a trickle … most of which is trying to leave Hadron City in fear of the coming storm.

Seeing the security check point in the distance … he knows the he needs to keep heading East. Outside the city.

[Supernaturalist]

Iona
HP:0
Cnd: Normal
PP:0

Iona places all her tools, cleaning supplies, and biohazard containers on large push cart. "I'll be back in just a moment." She says to no one in particular.

Taking the equipment back to a large storage room just off the main hall, Iona secures all the necessary instruments before returning to the main laboratory.

Upon returning, stops by Colonel Costa's former Ascension chamber one last time unlocking the mechanical bolt. Opening it up, she takes notice of the extraordinary damage incurred by the interior. Scanning it over for a few moments until she is satisfied, she closes the door once more and locks it.

Passing by Colonel Costa's makeshift-container, Iona checks the diagnostic readings. Yes. Her general temperature is rising within the expected rate...for now.

Iona then strolls around the lab in order to orient herself to the other controls and consoles at her disposal. Hmmm...I wonder what other equipment is at the Good Doctor's disposal here in the lab.

Per Sakuro, my Perception roll: Supernaturalist:1D20+10 → 14(4 + 10). So, a 14. Then my Technology roll: Supernaturalist:1D20+9 → 12(3 + 9). So, a 12. I'll use a HP on this one as it's more important. My re-roll:Supernaturalist:1D20+9 → 15(6 + 9). So a 15 +10 for the HP. That becomes a 25. Finally, there is my Deception roll with my Attractive advantage taken into account: Supernaturalist:1D20+11 → 24(13 + 11). So, a 24.

[EnigmaticOne]

Peter Ezima
HP: 2->1

Peter took up a seat next to the scanners with Costa's readings, where he could respond if any sudden shift occurred. He laid back as if taking a rest, while letting his hand drift slightly, beginning to draw up a list of access ports and systems. Sokolov's computer systems here.

At this point it was time to take the plunge and begin a cautious probing to see if he could hack into them and the doctor's secrets without too much risk of detection.

Expertise: Computers: 1d20+16 22
HP reroll...
Expertise: Computers: 1d20+16 17+10 = 27
Deception: 1d20+2 18
Insight: 1d20+8 27

[mrdent12]

Diego Gonzalez
HP: 1
CND: -1 toughness(lasting damage)
Form: solid

The voyage through the Undercity was this time uneventful for Diego. Yes, there as the usual issues of maze like corridors, traps, some eyes belonging to people who didn't look safe to be around, and of course traps. This time though, Diego wasn't as concerned. Sanders knew what she was doing, he could just become a cloud to hide in the darkness, and Hitori would just eat the attackers. Even when they ran into the chemicals, Diego hardly noticed. His nannites registered something, but they seemed to indicate not to worry about it at all. All in all, he wasn't nearly killed. So it was better than his last trip immediately. He had to remember to get Sanders to show him some maps she might have or paths he could travel sometime now that falling rocks didn't really concern him too much.

Outside of the sewers and Undercity, Diego was a bit worried. Hitori wasn't completely in control as best Diego could tell. There was no telling what he would do if he saw some homeless people or innocents scouring for help. Luck was on their side though. Hitori got into the waiting van without incident. Sanders was proving very resourceful. If she wasn't already reporting to Colonel Costas he might have tried to recruit her into being his second in command for a spy network he was thinking of getting going. Giving up such a valuable soldier wasn't something he could see Costas doing though.

As they drove through the city, Diego found it obvious people were hunkering down if not leaving. He couldn't blame them. The storm coming their way was nasty and liable to tear the city apart. Diego also had the unfortunate knowledge to know that the storm was more than just an ordinary storm. It was fueled by energies that made him shiver, even in his new form. There was also the lingering fear whatever it was he saw in his vision might have been behind it or the same origins.

There wasn't time for speculation of the origins now though. They had to get through the security heading out of the city. "Do you know the protocols for leaving the city? I am feeling a pull towards the east, outsie of the city. Hitori and I lack paper despite being in faces that will hopefully not trigger security immediately.", inquires Diego. As he asks, his eyes scan the horizon as best he can for how heavy the traffic leaving the city is, how thorough the checks are of the people leaving, and anything else useful his years of getting out of tight spots might help.

Perception 12 or if spycraft comes into a play its 13. Either way I doubt its useful.

[Sakuro]

As Peter considers his next move he watches as Iona leaves the room with her supplies of cleaning equipment and biohazard containers. She really put herself into her work, he realized. She'd been climbing into the chambers and ... though he couldn't see exactly what she had been doing, she was very thorough about it. It was odd though, that she neglected to use some of the thing he associated to sterilizing medical equipment. Even though she was making use of biohazard containers. As she exited the room, he couldn't help but wonder where all those soiled items she had gathered up were being taken … In any event, Peter settles in and makes use of Iona's absence to begin probing the lab's defenses. It seemed like an opportune time, though he knew he would not be able to finish before she returned. Not if Dr. Sokolov's cyber security were have as good as he thought it was. He'd just have to be subtle about his hand movements. Maybe hide them under a table.


After returning to the lab used for the Ascension process Iona makes her second inspection of the chamber Colonel Costa had been confined in. She sees the bent needles. The interior scorch marks and the exterior melting of plates. She notes some of Peter's attempts to repair the hardware, but the materials he has conjured from nothingness don't mesh with the material composition of the chambers. She takes a moment to remove some of the plating and inspect the interior hardware, and is able to confirm what Peter found concerning the damaged crystal lattice. There are signs of Peter's efforts to repair the more mundane elements of the electronics, using materials that Iona had earlier provided. The work is incomplete, but it is likely the best he could have accomplished without a proper understanding of Dr. Sokolov's work.

Then she takes the time to work at the terminal that was wirelessly connected to the chamber to ensure the software relating to it was not corrupted. During her digital inspection she notices a trail of activity that shouldn't ben there. Neither Dr. Sokolov nor herself had used chamber's interface at the listed time stamps, but there are still signs that someone had made a thorough review of the software. There was no sign of alterations to programing or any malicious additions to the software, but the digital footprints were still there. It is as she is considering this that an alert pops up into her vision. The was Dr. Sokolov was able to forward information directly into her senses. The alert came from the lab's cybersecurity suite. One of the local computers was being hacked. Or at least someone was attempting to do so. A map displayed in her vision, leading her to this very room and, as she looked around, she could see an alert icon hovering over the computer terminal Peter was sitting next to. Yet he wasn't using it …


… the security was a lot tougher than he could have imagined. The security system didn't react like software. It was faster than he could move or think to move. His actions, even the sneakiest and subtlest, seemed to be predicted and countered even before Peter had finished forming a thought. Let alone fully implemented a course of action. Then, abruptly, the icons he was manipulating seized up. It was as though there were physically immobile. He could apply pressure and feel the resistance. Then, without any further warning, the air grew cold around him. His automatic muscle memory of breathing created a chilled fog in the air that only he could see and feel. Ice formed around him. Creeping in. Closing about him. It was going to entomb him!

Both Iona and Peter have been doing some sneaky things. Now we'll see if it comes to a head.

- Iona does not notice anything out of place with the chamber's hardware other than the damage it has sustained.
- After looking at the software, she notes that someone has recently looked through it digitally. Nothing has been copied or altered, but someone could certainly try to commit some things to memory.
- Iona is pinged with an alert from the lab's security system. There is a local hacking attempt … at the computer terminal Peter is sitting next to. But he isn't doing anything that would warrant the alert she received. He isn't even using the terminal.

-Peter notices that Iona has been very thorough in her cleaning of the Ascension chambers. Yet she has not used any substances that might harm micro-organisms. In addition, she clearly has made use of biohazard containers that she has stored soiled items in, and carried to some unknow location outside of this room.
- Peter is able to see icons throughout the laboratory indicating a number of things he could interface with through Augmented Reality. Computer terminals, the Ascension chambers, some data pads, the cryo-unit/ascension chamber hybrid he and Iona cobbled together, and the advanced medical tables all have icons indicating possible AR interactivity.
- When Peter begins to probe the laboratory's cybersecurity, he doesn't get far before the Augmented Reality icons he is manipulating lock up and the lab's cybersecurity reacts. Peter is connected the AR world through his Powers, and he is dealing with a super scientist's security system. As far as Peter is concerned he is being physically attacked. Make a Will check.

I am going to give Camus a little more time to respond. I'll get a response up tomorrow for the other group's scene, unless Camus posts earlier.

[EnigmaticOne]

Peter Ezima
HP: 1

Damn, damn, damn! Peter should have heeded his earlier caution. He jumped, trying to get clear of the ice while trying to run away and break the connection.

Will: 1d20+12 28

[Sakuro]

For an few seconds his hands are stuck in lace on the AR icons he had been interacting with. His hands wre cold. Ice had formed around his hands. Coating them and the interface he had been using. Then the ice recedes, just before the air around him turns from gas-vapor to solid ice. With a desperate jerk he rippes his hands free of the last remnants of ice and leaps clear of the chair he had once leisurely occupied and runs to the opposite side of the room. The air crackles as the area where he had once been turned to a block of frozen water. Feeling himself become distanced from his attempted intrusion, Peter disconnects from the system and, as he does so the ice melts. The AR layer of his experience fade. He's left facing the soberness of reality as most people live it, though the cold memory of Augmented Reality chills his bones.

Peter feels damn cold, but suffers no mechanical effect. He is able to safely disconnect from the lab's systems. Though he gets the feeling that the lab security could have forced him to stay connected. He was allowed to disconnect.

Iona and Reaper do see how Peter reacts. Though they don't witness the Augmented Reality effects that Peter experianced.