|
It's a little surreal to hold such a rational conversation when only
moments away from untold numbers of those things busting through. It
shows just how calm Booths and the doc really are, and how their
training is doing its part in keeping them cool under pressing
circumstances. One of the first things you learn at boot is to always
keep your head. Booths has made up his mind to get rid of some aliens.
Dangerously close to the stretched metal of the hatch, and cringing
his teeth with each pounding impact, he finds a big enough gap
between the hatch-mount and the door that's being steadily shoved
inward. In goes the grenade, and Booths turns toward Patwardhan with
a wild expression, the two of them instinctively covering their heads
while retreating down the hallway.
Vitelli struggles to find his way through the bridge, not really sure
where he's going or what he's going to do there. Doc and Booths said
something about a diagnostics lab, but there's so much screaming over
the comm right now that it's keeping him from thinking straight.
McKenzie screams something before opening fire with the smartgun.
That can only mean that the aliens have breached the sealed door on B
deck. In tight quarters, the three of them might be able to hold off
a few of the things. But it takes a lot of ammo to knock those things
down, and supplies are getting short.
The distinctive rattle-whirr of automatic weapons echoes through the
halls even without the headset amplification. Sarge and Morrison open
fire with their pulse rifles, yelling at each other to fall back, or
give cover fire, or watch the fuck out there's one right behind you.
An instant later, the hatch is knocked in. The room fills with
blinding light and a sound like a white-hot meteor smashing into the
sea, and the hulking shapes of the aliens, once filling the doorway,
are suddenly reduced to flakes of dust... but the reaction between
acid and white phosphorous is violent, throwing the hatch upward and
over the tops of Booths and Patwardhan's heads, landing to settle far
down the hall. The two marines collapse in the junction which cuts
across to starboard and the medlab while the deck steams around them.
The aliens that had been attempting to get through the hatch lay
smoking and burning in the hatchway, or blown completely to pieces.
But there's still some movement in the smoky haze behind the napalm
fire, as a second rank of aliens advances. Booths has bought some
time, but not much.
PVT VITELLI posted by Nino 2.8.2000
Vitelli still was working on the communications with the Gaines when
he heard the noise of metal getting pounded by some heavy forces. He
continued to work as fast as possible, trying to get a connection
with the Gaines. He kept his rifle closer to him now that the noises
seemed to of getting louder to Vitelli's ear.
He started to stand up and type away. He didn't like the fact of
sitting down and being a fish in a barrel if the shit did hit the
fan. He moved the chair he was using. Suddenly a scream could be
heard and the sound of a smartgun following close behind. Vitelli
couldn't handle being alone. His finished typing, sending a final
message to the Gaines telling them what happened here. His picked up
his rifle and electronic kit. He opened the door slowly and started
to walk down the hallways.
Vitelli felt naked. He was by himself. All he had was a pulse rifle,
and a full clip of ammo. He made sure his rifle was on single-shot.
He had to conserve ammo. He tried to remember the map he saw when he
working on the communications. He made his way down the hallways,
hoping to get to the diagnostics lab.
PFC PATWARDHAN posted by Max 2.8.2000
Aishwarya grabs Booths and hauls them both up.
Turning to look behind them, she can see that there is little hope of
stopping the alien advance now.
"Let's beat it back up top and make for the APC! We can use its
radio!" She yells over the comlink to anyone who is left. "If we
rendezvous in the rec area, we can take the access tunnel straight
there!" Half hauling Booths along, she starts for the ladder to B
deck.
PFC BOOTHS posted by Asmodean 2.9.2000
"Fuck!" Memories of very old entertainment films ran through Booths'
head. Like the ones where the evil overlord always had massive
amounts of troops, that no amount of ammo could kill!
He twisted out of Patwardhan's grip, totally ignoring the stabbing
pain that motion caused in his side. "Fuck!"
A thought played itself through his head. Back to the APC she said.
Booths grin nearly split his face in two. The Bitch was up there. All
of a sudden, Booths was the one that was hauling Aishwarya along.
"Oh, we gonna open a can of whoop-ass now!"
GM DAVE posted 2.9.2000
Vitelli runs into Aishwarya and Booths at the bottom of the ladder on
C deck, and nearly discharges the pulse rifle at them. The three of
them can't ignore the screams coming through their headsets. Moore's
voice tight: "Mac! Mac! Morrison, fall back to me!" Rattle of
gunfire, grunts of pain and exertion. Devilish screech of the aliens
torn apart, but hideously close to the receivers.
"Where's McKenzie?" howls the demolition man. "Sarge, where the
fuck...?" A smartgun is firing unstoppably, the trigger depressed, an
unholy hose of ammo... Booths can't imagine what MacKenzie's thinking
to be firing the gun that way. He's just holding the thing down,
firing at walls, aliens, anything, from the sound of it.
"Ahhh! Shiiiit!" Moore's voice comes through as if he's on a roller
coaster. Clatter and clank, followed by static. Steady static
accompanied by a feeling of a hundred violin bows hovering over the
strings, buzzing.
PVT VITELLI posted by Nino 2.9.2000
"Fuck me!" Vitelli screamed as he listened to the battle. He was
losing it the other's thought. "We gotta get the fuck off this ship,"
he said to anyone who would listen to him. He didn't know what to do.
His heart was pounding. It felt like it was about to burst through
his chest. His breathing was getting raspy. Physically and mentally
he was tired.
Vitelli allowed Booths and Patwardhan to go up first and soon he
followed. He took up slack, watching their backs. He watches the
ceilings and the floor. He wished he had his tracker with him. Every
few seconds Vitelli would put his left hand on his right breast
pocket where his lucky Zippo was.
PFC BOOTHS posted by Asmodean 2.10.2000
Booths doesn't even flinch when Vitelli's greasy face showed up,
almost wetting himself from panic.
The sounds of battle echoed eerily, both through the ship and through
the com-sets. Unlike Vito, Booths paid very little attention to it.
This was *war*. No quarter, no mercy. And only survival counts.
And there was still a chance that no one had died. Booths held onto
that idea. Why else would they have been taken away, rather than torn
apart.
It was when Vitelli started to fly off the handle that Booths let
Aishwarya go, and rounded on the Private. A bandaged hand grabbed
Nino's armour, and pulled him face to face. Unholy fire lit Booths'
eyes. Nothing new about that.
"You start falling apart on me Private," He spat out the word, "and
I'll shoot you myself." -Who would've thought it? :) -
He released his grip as if he was holding a piece of garbage, and
rounded back towards his goal. He did not bother to drag the Doc
along again.
A crackle of a transmission comes through their headsets, as
something crashes in the galley above. The voice is faint, blocked by
the thick walls, but it's definitely Leon. "...dropship two. I
repeat, this is dropship two. I am holding parallel to the open
airlock hatch, starboard forward. Can anybody read me?"
PFC PATWARDHAN posted by Max 2.10.2000
"This is PFC Patwardhan," Aishwarya yells into her comset, "We are in
need of immediate extraction, repeat, immediate extraction. Situation
critical. All team members dead or missing except Booths, Vitelli,
and Patwardhan."
"Leon," she says, this time her voice a little more desperate, "We're
in a world of hurt and we can't get back to the APC or Shuttle. Any
bright ideas would be most appreciated."
She turns to her two surviving squad members, "Do any of you guys
know where we might find some spacesuits?" she asks, "I don't know
about you, but I have a hard time breathing vacuum, and right now
only a few feet of it is separating us from dropship two."
OOC: Did we search all the rooms in the corridor by the ladder? I
know that the airlock is immediately aft of the ladder, but what is
in the room aft of the mind bank, and the room opposite the door to
the galley?
For some reason, I don't have the airlock labeled on there,
but it is on B deck directly aft of the ladder. Logic tells you that
any pressure suits would be stored in one of the unexplored rooms
near the airlock.
PFC BOOTHS posted by Asmodean 2.10.2000
His ears picked up Leon's faint signal as it bounced out of both
Vitelli's and Aishwarya's com-sets.
He grunted and continued on.
The chain of command gets muddy when the only marines left
are privates or privates first class. Aishwarya has both seniority
(she's three years older than Booths) and experience (five years in
the corps as compared to Booths' four, and Vitelli's one), and doing
things by the book requires that strictly-combat personnel (such as
smartgunners) defer authority to technical specialists like a medtech
when they are of the same rank. If a rep from USCMHQ were here,
that's the way they'd dole out the responsibility. But since nobody's
watching, you folks are under no obligation to follow standard
procedure.
The three surviving marines huddle at the foot of the ladder, as the
sound of static works to drown out Leon's tinny voice. "I'm holding
eleven meters from the open airlock. I can't dock directly, and the
Korea's loading lock isn't responsive. You'll need to find pressure
suits to leap across. This is Leon in dropship two. Can anyone hear
me?"
The small comsets worn by Vitelli and Patwardhan are too weak to
transmit through the Korea's thick skin, though the dropship is
literally 15 meters away. The marines can visualize it there, with
its belly pointed toward them, its small emergency airlock an
inviting orifice. They can see many options from their vantage point
down here. They can see out into the starboard corridor on C deck,
which is dead silent, fore and aft. Something's faintly hissing way
back and around some corners, and an impossible chemical stench like
abrasive kitchen cleaner permeates the air. Booths, standing near the
door, has only the reflected light of Patwardhan's overpowered
flashlight to see by. With the hatch to the cargo bay blown open, and
that short corridor with easy access to the port side, the aliens
have a straight conduit up here. They should have been here by now.
Vitelli, having just run past the airlock up on B deck and leapt down
the ladder, stands with his rifle aimed up through the ladder-hole,
although his shoulder lamp doesn't penetrate far into the darkness
beyond. Sarge, Mac, Morrison, they might have blasted some of those
things. Probably took down three or four each. From what was seen in
the cargo bay, that wouldn't leave too many. Add to that the aliens
that Booths just vaporized... But Mac left the hatch at the end of
the hall open. Vitelli saw that as he dashed between the bridge and
the ladder down to C deck. That leaves the aliens up there with a
straight conduit here as well. Where are they?
Next to him, Aishwarya is trying to remember the fuzzy deck scans,
her exploration through B deck with Sarge, Berliner, Morrison... all
gone. She doesn't remember seeing anything, but common sense dictates
that the pressure suits will be stored close to the airlock. Either
right across the hall, or in that larger room to aft. That means
getting up to B deck, quickly. It means avoiding the aliens, and
watching each other's backs. It means life or death.
Booths finds that he's shaking. Strung out. The wound in his side has
opened again, and he can feel his own hot blood oozing. Stinging
sweat rolls into his eyes. His deformed toe throbs, aches, itches. He
swipes a sleeve across his forehead. Something grates, metal on
metal, behind him, toward the cryo bay. Booths spins to face the
darkness. In the hatchway to cryo, silhouetted against some blinking
diodes on the crew freezers, is one of those nightmare figures. Four
meters. Its tail-stinger dips down at him. Booths can't find the air
to shout a warning.
PFC PATWARDHAN posted by Max 2.10.2000
"Vitelli," Patwardhan asks, hastily, "Unless there's anything you
feel you need down there with our friends, I'm going to weld that
swing-hatch shut over the ladder--"
PVT VITELLI posted by Nino 2.10.2000
Vitelli didn't like getting pushed around. Especially by some grunt
with a smartgun. He let Booth's have his fun, but he was also happy
to see someone caring for him. For the last few minutes, Vitelli was
alone and now someone was watching over him. He hid his feelings
well, and just turned away from Booths when he let him go.
When they heard Leon's voice a small grin appeared to Vitelli. Maybe
the last message he sent got through? Vitelli peered up at the
ladder. The weak beam of sun coming from his lamp gave him little
view of what was up ahead. As he continued to look, he felt something
near by. Then the sound of metal scratching upon metal...
Vitelli has to move out into the corridor to get past Booths.
The two are practically standing shoulder to shoulder in the dark
hallway, leaving Patwardhan alone in the ladder access room.
Vitelli's lamp shines on the monstrosity.
He turned around to see an Alien standing four meters away from
Booths. Vitelli aimed quickly, and fired at the Alien (results being
sent), hoping to hit it with a clean shot so the acid does not strike
Booths. Hopefully Patwardhan realizes what Vitelli was doing and
pulled Booths away. Vitelli wished this would happen, but all of his
attention was focused at shooting the Alien.
GM DAVE posted 2.10.2000
Vitelli's quick reactions put him in a perfect firing position.
Booths almost seems lethargic about the whole ordeal, slumping
sluggishly against the cool metal wall as the comtech's pulse rifle
cracks a single round into the alien. One side of the thing's head
shears off with a spray of yellow acid. Internal organs pulse and
glisten as it staggers momentarily, but the monster extends its legs
beneath it and lurches forward, claws flailing.
Patwardhan's heart jumps into her throat, her pulse pounding
dangerously fast. Vitelli rushed out of the room so fast... and what
the hell is he firing at?!... and it seems a shadow follows him. The
movement happens so smoothly. Another alien pulls itself head-first
down the ladder, twisting to display its dripping fangs, hissing and
snapping in the harsh light of the medtech's hand-lamp. It reaches
out a clawed, misshapen hand toward her throat.
PFC PATWARDHAN posted by Max 2.14.2000
Aishwarya with the kind of dead calm and stone face that only comes
with severe shock, raises her nearly forgotten flare pistol and fires
it point blank into the alien's face. She then dives out of the room
and into the hallway because she suddenly has a problem remembering
whether flares from a flare gun simply go WOOOSH-hiss, or have the
more distinctive sound of WOOOSH-BOOM.
Either way, she doesn't want to witness the results. Diving out of
the room and to one side (preferably one not occupied by an alien or
squad mate) she stuffs the flare gun into her jumpsuit and draws her
VP70 to take out the thing as soon as it sticks its ugly head through
the doorway. Assuming it still has a head at that point. She hopes it
doesn't.
PFC BOOTHS posted by Asmodean 2.14.2000
Booths felt the cool metal wall against the back of his head. It had
all become so surreal. And he was tired as hell. The adrenaline had
finally given out. Every sound came to him overlaid with a rushing
sound, and he was having trouble focusing on anything in his field of
vision.
Curiosity filled him as Vitelli smoothly shot the creature. The acrid
smell of propellant filled his nostrils, as well as the tang that
seemed to hang around these black bastards. With almost detached
calm, he turned his head, and saw Aishwarya beset by another alien.
A sharp click. He moved as if through water, his thumb having
disengaged the safety on the Browning. Even as the creature lunged
towards Vitelli, the shotguns' barrel moved up, trying to zero in on
the alien. Booths tightened his grip on the trigger. Something far
off seemed to roar.
The world seemed to be moving up at astonishing speed, and then he
found himself sitting on the floor, legs folded up under him. Dimly
recalling that Patty had another of the fuckers facing her, he swung
the shotgun the other way, cocking the handle, hoping for a clear
shot...
Before Vitelli can fire off another round, the end of the hallway
leading to the cryo bay erupts into sparks as Booths' microexplosive
shotgun pellets ricochet off walls, floor, ceiling, alien. In the
confined quarters, the micro bursts rip through the alien's tough
armored skin and it rolls back on shattered arms and legs, sizzling
with its own acid. Terrible reek of metal being dissolved. Vitelli's
own built-in motion tracker goes on alert, as the hairs on the back
of his neck stand on end. He spins to face down the opposite end of
the hall, holding his pulse rifle steady while Booths turns toward
the medtech.
Patwardhan lights the small ladder-access room a brilliant pink as
the flare cartridge hits the alien somewhere under its "chin" before
bouncing wildly off to one side. The medtech tumbles backward,
shoving against Booths to find space out in the hall. Her flare gun
and industrial-strength hand-light hit the hard metal floor in the
access room. The alien steps over them in pursuit. Deliriously, the
medtech admires the glittering pink reflection off the thing's glossy
black skin. The alien, dripping yellow acid from just beneath its
fangs, propels itself toward the doorway, just a meter from the
marines. Patwardhan yanks her 9mm from its holster as the demonic,
skeletal form opens its nightmare mouth, and begins to extend a
second jaw from within.
Through the hiss of the burning flare in the next room, the ringing
in his ears from the shotgun's report, and the pushing and shoving in
the tiny space in the hallway, Vitelli senses movement in the shadows
behind them. Two glistening shapes can be seen faintly, having
silently crept to within five meters before suddenly launching into a
sprinting lope.
Only Vitelli retains his nifty shoulder-mounted lamp, though it
hardly ever points to what you want to be looking at. Patwardhan had
been carrying around an oversized flashlight bunched between her
injured arm and chest, but she's since dropped it, along with her
flare gun, into the ladder-access room, behind the alien. Booths has
likewise run out of portable light sources. No worry about
illumination in there, though, since the flare is still burning very
brightly. When Vitelli turns his light toward the two aliens
advancing from the aft section, the cryo bay and that end of the hall
plummet into darkness as a result. You can't shoot what you can't
see. However, with the hulking dead shape of the alien blocking the
way, it would be tough to move through there.
PVT VITELLI posted by Nino 2.14.2000
His fear was soon overcome by his will to live. Vitelli trigger
finger was itching to fire off another round. He quickly turned down
to the end of the hall near the Medlab, his light allowing just some
sight to see the glint of the two aliens.
Vitelli quickly kneels down to get better aim, and flicks off his gun
to three shot burst. He aims, breathing only through his nose. His
right eye closed, his left squinting at the targets. Vitelli's gun
locked on his shoulder. He fires a burst at each Alien, his fingers
squeezing quickly to make each round count.
PFC PATWARDHAN posted by Max 2.14.2000
Aishwarya drops to one knee as soon as she sees the beam from
Vitelli's lamp swing around. She figures that being out of his line
of fire is the best thing. In one smooth motion she braces her VP70
on her bandaged forearm and fires at the alien emerging from the
ladder shaft. Knowing that if she isn't successful there won't be a
chance to worry about ammo, she holds the trigger down and empties
the clip into the alien in the few short seconds it takes for the
automatic pistol to rip through 17 rounds. She figures that at this
range she can't miss, and if she does, there won't be a second chance.
Assuming she's still alive, Patwardhan drops the pistol and unslings
her shotgun in an attempt to get a round off at the aliens advancing
from aft.
PFC BOOTHS posted by Asmodean 2.15.2000
Booths depressed the trigger again. Blood rushed in his ears, and he
was astounded that he did not pass out from the pain in his side, as
the recoil jolted his body.
A heavily expelled breath, and he worked the slide. Strangely the
clink of the shotgun shell hitting the floor reached his ears clearly.
|
