>>4356398
(cont.)
As you left him in the hands of the CIA, extracted via helicopter admitted entrance into the air-zone via an agreement made with the department of defense, you went off to track an airdrop left with equipment made for dealing with hazardous materials. Finding it to land on a school for the children of residential staff, you found a child who had been left in detention during the invasion, locking himself in a supply room. After riling up the marines, escorting the boy back to the infirmary is a far more difficult task than getting to the school. In order to avoid conflict with the military, you've taken a route past a massive specimen of alien flora. In only a day, a set of xenian tentacles has managed to erupt from the ground, through a concrete garage. However, the creature's only available stimulus is sound, being totally blind otherwise.

At the moment, both you and a fellow spy named Marietta Poskanzer are scouting the area ahead, while Dr. Richard Guttman stays with Enrico. As you prepare to enter the garage, you take your last opportunity to talk with your fellow spy. "Well did you get to do anything to help at all? What happened there." Asking about her referenced time in Africa, before being assigned to Black Mesa. Given that it's CIA business, you wouldn't be surprised if she responded with, "It's classified." You've been in the same position.

"Not really. Although apparently there are a lot more humanitarian agencies there now. Even if it wasn't classified I couldn't tell you whether or not that was our doing. Every target we eliminated was just taken up by someone else just as ruthless." She says before sighing. "Let's go. It's all classified anyway."

Going first, you slither below a broken garage door, immediately greeted by a massive alien groan, and the sound of tons of plant mass tapping against concrete. The ambulance garage is divided up by the remaining vehicles inside, some crushed, and some still with their lights on. Silent alien flora has grown along the wall, and zombified paramedics wearing the Black Mesa logo have been crushed underneath the massive tentacle.

(With every action, I will roll a 1d12. If it lands on a 3, the tentacles investigate north, a 6, they investigate east, a 9, they investigate south, a 12, they investigate west. With any other roles, they maintain their current position. Other options will be available to distract them, including grenades and noise making toys. It is currently investigating northwards, and you are coming from the south.)

You quickly and silently take cover behind an ambulance, while you wait for Marietta to move in beside you. Without speaking, you both survey the room. At the western end of the room sits a civilian car with its lights still on, meaning that it's battery still has power, meaning that an attempted break in, or anything that the sensors consider an attempted break in, could trip an alarm.
(cont.)

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Rolled 9 (1d12)

>>4356400
(cont.)
The center of the room opens into a pit, where you can see broken pipes below, some spilling out water to be sucked into the ground. Others are unbroken, but show flammable warning symbols over them. If they're able to take the violent thrashing of the xenian tentacles, you’d bet you’d need a hell of a force to bust those gas pipes open.

At the north end of the room is what appears to be a security checkpoint, with a locked door currently being tapped on by a massive xenian tentacle. Next to the door, a sign reads "Basement access." At the southern end of the room is the ambulance you're currently hiding behind. With no indication of power, you have no idea if the battery is running, allowing the alarm to trigger if you were to fail to lockpick it open.

At the room's eastern end is a massive armored military truck that, at some point before the creature's growth, used this room as a refuge from the war. When it attempted to fight the growing tentacled mass, it was crushed to pieces. You can still see the mangled corpses of marines inside.

Finally, at the northern end of the room, near the security checkpoint, is a massive garage door. You doubt that it has any power, but next to it is a rusted up, "Emergency Manual Hand-wheel." You doubt that you could turn it without alerting the colossal creature. You'd need to either destroy the creature, or somehow turn on the power.

>Distract the creature West. (Specify between shooting the alarmed car, using one of the two noise making toys you found earlier, one of your grenades, or the remote control car, which will require a 3d6 roll, over a 14 you can reuse that distraction. This action overrides the above roll. )
>Distract the creature East. (Specify between shooting using one of the two noisemaking toys you found earlier, one of your grenades, or the remote control car, which will require a 3d6 roll, over a 14 you can reuse that distraction.This action overrides the above roll. )
>Distract the creature South. (Specify between using one of the two noisemaking toys you found earlier, one of your grenades, or the remote control car, which will require a 3d6 roll, over a 14 you can reuse that distraction.This action overrides the above roll. )
>Try to pick open the ambulance you're hiding behind, find out what's inside. (3d6+2, above a 12 you get in, on a 3 or lower, the roll critically fails, and the alarm sounds, attracting the creature.)
>Head towards the civilian car, and pick it open. (3d6+2, above a 12 you get in, on a 7 or lower, the roll critically fails, and the alarm sounds, attracting the creature.)
>Head towards the security checkpoint, and open it up silently. (3d6+2, the door opens on an 8. The creature is currently here, and will attack you if you don't distract it first.)
>Try and find anything salvageable from the destroyed marine truck.
>Try to climb silently onto the roof. (Roll 3d6+2, you make noise below an 8 on the way up.)

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Previous threads are archived here:
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive.html?tags=Black+Mesa+Black+Ops+Quest%2C+Half+Life%2C++Collective+Game

>>4356403
Does the roll of 9 there mean the triffid will investigate south next turn?

>>4356438
Yes.

>>4356403
>Try and find anything salvageable from the destroyed marine truck.
May their remains help us succeed where they failed.

>>4356403
>Try and find anything salvageable from the destroyed marine truck.

Rolled 3 (1d12)

>>4356458
>>4356532
As you analyze your surroundings, your ears catch the distant rumble of another bombing run, and a chill runs up your spine. Thinking quickly, you decide on another position to migrate towards, and start signalling to Marietta. While she doesn't question the order, she does seem to be unsure as to why you're movements seem slightly frantic. That is until, as you both move out, the creature's loud groan is taken over by the sound of movement, so heavy it causes the earth around it to shake. Like a dinosaur hunting for prey, the creature swivels it's three heads around blindly, occasionally scraping against the concrete, until the head on your floor reaches the south side of the garage, and begins tapping on everything nearby. The ground shakes as it feels for an intruder in its path. Occasionally, the massive tentacle bumps against the ambulance, either forcing it's suspension into the ground, or tipping it slightly to the side.

Allowing the tendril to explore a place where you aren't, you both silently crawl up onto the wreckage of the marines armored truck. Immediately you're glad you didn't bring Enrico in here with the creature still a threat. If the shear scale of those tendrils didn't freak him out, this would've. The marines were clearly killed with one quick smash from the tentacle, given that their bodies are still inside. There was no suffering on their part, but the scene left behind is bloody, a few of the marine's left unrecognizable after the truck was crushed down on top of them. Gasoline spilled out, and mixed with the pool of blood below preventing it from congealing. A wretched smell emanates from it all, seeping through your balaclava. You look through the mess of scrap and blood, unsure of where to start, but with the skill of a mechanic, Marietta recognizes where the truck ends, and other devices begin.
(cont.)

>>4356592
(cont.)
Slowly, watching the creature as she does, Marietta begins pulling at a few of the pieces of scrap metal. She signals for you to come and help, and you join in, slowly, carefully picking away at the wreckage until you can also make out what she sees, a tripod. More and more of the device is revealed until you're able to pull a piece of metal up, holding it their while Marietta pulls out what, at first glance, might look to some like a strange, deformed camera. Working quickly, Marietta starts looking over the device. She pulls off certain parts that are clearly damaged, showing you them first. In front of your face she shows you a battery, smashed open and burnt out, and a radio transmitter, stabbed through by a chunk of metal. Finally, you get one last good look at the device, a laser designator. The metal you saw that had crushed over top of it, trapping the electronic segment inside, was its casing, which took the brunt of the damage while protecting the expensive laser inside.

If you were to get this device working, with a radio transmitter and a new battery, you could call an airstrike down on this creature, most certainly clearing it out.

>Distract the creature West. (Specify between shooting the alarmed car, using one of the two noise making toys you found earlier, one of your grenades, or the remote control car, which will require a 3d6 roll, over a 14 you can reuse that distraction. This action overrides the above roll. )
>Distract the creature East. (Specify between shooting using one of the two noisemaking toys you found earlier, one of your grenades, or the remote control car, which will require a 3d6 roll, over a 14 you can reuse that distraction.This action overrides the above roll. )
>Distract the creature North. (Specify between using one of the two noisemaking toys you found earlier, one of your grenades, or the remote control car, which will require a 3d6 roll, over a 14 you can reuse that distraction.This action overrides the above roll. )
>Head towards the civilian car, and pick it open. (3d6+2, above a 12 you get in, on a 7 or lower, the roll critically fails, and the alarm sounds, attracting the creature.)
>Head towards the security checkpoint, and open it up silently. (3d6+2, the door opens on an 8. The creature will be here by the end of the turn, and will attack you if you don't distract it first.)
>Try to climb silently onto the roof. (Roll 3d6+2, you make noise below an 8 on the way up.)
>Head back to the ambulance, and pick it open, find out what's inside. (3d6+2, above a 12 you get in, on a 3 or lower, the roll critically fails, and the alarm sounds, attracting the creature.)
>Write in any clever ideas.

>>4356593
>Head towards the civilian car, and pick it open. (3d6+2, above a 12 you get in, on a 7 or lower, the roll critically fails, and the alarm sounds, attracting the creature.)

>>4356593
>Head back to the ambulance, and pick it open, find out what's inside.
There's almost certain to be a two-way radio in there, which we can pinch the transmitter from. Else a medkit which we can always use, and the siren would make one hell of a distraction if it works. Also since the lowest roll we can get is 5 we literally can't critfail.

>>4356593
actually
>Distract the creature West
used the suppressed .45. Turn on the car alarm

>>4356668
double actually

>>4356642
this, but shoot a car to set off it's alarm to buy us some time. With any luck we might find some batteries.

>>4356593
How many spare empty batteries do we have?

>>4356633
>>4356642
>>4356668
>>4356678
Looking at the destroyed battery Marietta showed you, you wouldn't have anything powerful enough for the device with a charge. The suit battery you kept earlier might be able to do it, but you doubt those can be recharged just anywhere. The power supply she showed you could be replaced by something like a power supply unit on a computer, or car battery.

I've been forgetting about music.
https://youtu.be/iJy6gNGRn4A

As you look over the device you and Marietta recovered, you hear the distant, repetitive thumping of an M2 browning. The sound carries like a jackhammer, tearing away at some unfortunate alien. Even while muffled inside the concrete, both you and the alien can barely hear it. For a short second, you consider hiding, or silently fleeing from the massive creature, but quickly determine the sound is coming from the north, likely the same weapon you saw being set up only a moment ago. As colossal and awe-inspiring as the inter-dimensional plant before you is, you're glad that you're not at the other end of that gun as it fires.

Hearing the shots, the creature once again lurches its long, tendril like body around the pit it grew out of, before settling once again on the security door, banging against drywall, and knocking against a door you're surprised is able to stand. Despite the refined skill in whatever civil engineer designed that security room to allow it to remain standing against the gargantuan mass of the xenian flora growing out of the ground, the wall still dents with every touch, and the concrete around the roof, where another tendril feels for its prey, continues to chip apart and shatter, dust falling from the entire ceiling. Below, you can hear the third tentacle, feeling around, banging into metal and cement.

Taking advantage of the creatures change in direction, Marietta slings the unfinished laser designator over her shoulder like a rifle, and follows you as you signal her forward, to return to the ambulance. The both of you silently sneak back towards the vehicle, careful not to step on anything that may make noise, and keeping your breath calm, and steady in spite of the intimidating presence that the creature provides. You slide around to the driver side of the vehicle, take a quick look at the lock, seeing a simple mechanical lock built into the door. Grabbing the tools off of your belt, you give Marietta an affirmative thumbs up, and then get to work picking it open, feeling the reaction each pin gives you.

Four players roll a 1d6. The three highest rolls will be taken, and added into a 3d6+2. If the roll takes longer than 45 minutes, feel free to roll twice, however I will always take the roll of a player who hasn't rolled, over another players second roll.

Rolled 11 (1d12)

>>4356734
Just realized I forgot the random noise roll.

Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>4356734

Rolled 2 (1d6)

>>4356734

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>4356734

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>4356789

Rolled 7 (1d12)

>>4356803
>>4356809
>>4356829
>>4356832
Going pin by pin, you start by applying torque to the core, being careful not to bump hard against the ambulance door as you forcefully twist against the lock. Confident in the force applied, you slide your pick into the small keyhole, and start feeling each pin front to back, noting mentally how some simply slide freely, how some push up with a click that causes a chill to run up your spine each time. In spite of your training, your nerves are getting to you as you work on the lock. False sets and pins that refuse to move are getting to you, as the low sounds of existential danger that the massive beast provides.

Helping as much she can, Marietta provides a simple thumbs up as she peers over the hood of the ambulance, informing you of the creature's lacking awareness. It's not much, but it provides the small feeling of safety you need to give your full attention to the lock. As you grow closer, and more confident that you can safely open the door, you start to ease pressure on the core, not enough to drop the pins, but just barely enough to prevent it from turning wildly the moment the door unlocks. When you feel all resistance drop inside the core, you slowly turn it, physically fighting back against the locking mechanism at it tries to quickly turn itself, releasing the clunk noise of a car door unlocking.

With the door unlocked, you slowly pull it open, making sure that it doesn't make a sound, and look inside. You give Marietta a thumbs up, and a signal to follow behind as you creep into the cramped space inside. Across the dashboard is a two way radio, which upon seeing, Marietta pulls out a screwdriver, signals for you to buy her some time, and gets to work unscrewing the components from the dashboard.

While you're searching through the back of the ambulance, the first thing you find is another Black Mesa medkit, held in plain view of any paramedics, with a label above it's casing saying, "SINGLE USE, SAVE FOR CRITICAL PATIENTS." Knowing that there's no critical patients this ambulance will ever again serve, you take the medkit out of its case, and store it in you bag. When you turn back to Marietta, you see the spy taking out the whole radio, and shoving it into hers, perhaps with the idea that it's easier to take it apart when not under threat of being crushed. Fearing the same fate as the marines, both of you quickly snake out of the ambulance.
(cont.)

>>4356956
(cont.)
>Distract the creature West. (Specify between shooting the alarmed car, using one of the two noise making toys you found earlier, one of your grenades, or the remote control car, which will require a 3d6 roll, over a 14 you can reuse that distraction. This action overrides the above roll. )
>Distract the creature East. (Specify between shooting using one of the two noisemaking toys you found earlier, one of your grenades, or the remote control car, which will require a 3d6 roll, over a 14 you can reuse that distraction.This action overrides the above roll. )
>Distract the creature south. (Specify between using one of the two noisemaking toys you found earlier, one of your grenades, or the remote control car, which will require a 3d6 roll, over a 14 you can reuse that distraction.This action overrides the above roll. )
>Head towards the civilian car, and pick it open. (3d6+2, above a 12 you get in, on a 7 or lower, the roll critically fails, and the alarm sounds, attracting the creature.)
>Head towards the security checkpoint, and open it up silently. Will provide access to the basement. (3d6+2, the door opens on an 8. The creature will be here by the end of the turn, and will attack you if you don't distract it first.)
>Try to climb silently onto the roof. (Roll 3d6+2, you make noise below an 8 on the way up.)
>Write in any clever ideas.

>>4356958
Distract the creatures by making them attack a car. Have Marietta pop open the hood of the ambulance to extract the car battery so we can use it.

I suspect the door they were taking at earlier might have people inside.

>>4356958
Can we turn the ambulance siren on and book it?

>>4357004
I don’t see why not.

>>4357004
>>4357020
On second thought, I’d say it’d need a skill check to avoid any damage, because a noise that loud would incite a pretty violent reaction from the tentacles, and you’d be half inside the ambulance. I’d say you’d avoid all damage on a 13.

>>4357035
Would need people already booking it before turning it on.
If only we could hook a mosfet to a broken radio reciever and the switch for the alarm.

Strong enough voltage on the radio reciever would bridge the switch via the mosfet transistor for as long as voltage was strong enough. But even a little would be enough for remote signaling and a temporary alarm

>>4357251
Instead of that, why not use one of our noisy toys to distract the tentacles so we can use the car battery from the ambulance? A battery is all we need left to use the range finder.

>>4357297
If >>4356975 is correct and there's people in the security room, then we should investigate before blowing everything up. Even if there aren't, there may be interesting things in there worth getting in for, which means we need that distraction. Since it will likely crush whatever is making the distraction very quickly, the more we have available to us the better.

Just gonna tally the votes real quick.

It seems that there's two votes for taking the ambulance's battery, >>4357297 that wants to use one of the toys. >>4356975 that wants to use the car.

>>4357251 for going full Macgyver to turn on the ambulance sirens.

Another vote >>4357626 to check out the security room, and saving the car for that.

Please let me know if I'm misinterpreting anyone.

>>4357841
If we can do the macguyvering then do that before going to the security room, else take the battery and trigger the car to get it away.
It sounds like there's at least several other vehicle wrecks in the room from which a battery could be salvaged rather than having to choose between the ambulance and the car.

>>4356975
>>4357004
>>4357251
>>4357297
>>4357626
>>4357867

As the creature pounds against the door to the security room, slamming again and again into drywall, bulletproof glass, and a metal door, you and Marietta sneak around to the front of the ambulance, keeping an eye and an ear out to track the movement of the colossal growth. You signal to your fellow spy, “Get the hood open,” with a quick, upward flick of your hand, while you mouth the word, “Battery,” after pulling up your balaclava from your neck for just long enough. She nods, and immediately gets to work, slowly prying the hood open after crawling up to the engine.

Trying to buy your fellow spy as much time as she could need, you reach into your holster and grab your silenced MK23 pistol. It’s not movie silent, if it were the only noise in the room you’d bet the creature would track it. However, if you got a shot on the civilian car on the other side of the garage, that sound would almost certainly overpower any interest in a subsonic shot from a suppressed weapon. You line up a shot into the car’s grill, glance over to ensure Marietta is ready to work under a time limit, and depress the trigger. The small sound of the gun spitting out a bullet is immediately overtaken by a deafeningly loud car alarm. The vehicle blares out it’s warning across the garage as the creature groans. The sound is deep enough to be felt in your ribcage.

Unconcerned for the ambulance, Marietta simply cuts the wires connecting the twenty pound automotive battery to its engine with two quick slices, then immediately gets to work yanking it out as the creature’s colossal head swings around the building.
(cont.)

>>4357867
I'll support this for the sake of investigating the security room, but we need a distraction nonetheless. Car or toy I care not which.

>>4357895
(cont.)
The first slam from the creature caves in the roof of the car, immediately shattering every window, the second, crushing the engine, and likely the battery, causing a small fire over the engine block. The sound of the alarm immediately begins to die as though it were a living thing, it’s sound wailing out one last time in an extended ring of the alarm, before being finished with one last slam. Watching this display of strength by the part of the massive alien lifeform, you turn to Marietta to see if she’s removed the battery, and see an assassin carrying a heavy block in her hands, putting it into her backpack. She gives you a small thumbs up, while her attention is focused on the remnants of the empty car, seeing how quickly it managed to destroy it.

>Distract the creature North. (Specify between shooting the alarmed car, using one of the two noise making toys you found earlier, one of your grenades, or the remote control car, which will require a 3d6 roll, over a 14 you can reuse that distraction. This action overrides the above roll. )
>Distract the creature East. (Specify between shooting using one of the two noisemaking toys you found earlier, one of your grenades, or the remote control car, which will require a 3d6 roll, over a 14 you can reuse that distraction.This action overrides the above roll. )
>Distract the creature south. (Specify between using one of the two noisemaking toys you found earlier, one of your grenades, or the remote control car, which will require a 3d6 roll, over a 14 you can reuse that distraction.This action overrides the above roll. )
>Head towards the security checkpoint, and open it up silently. Will provide access to the basement. (3d6+2, the door opens on an 8. The creature will be here by the end of the turn, and will attack you if you don't distract it first.)
>Try to climb silently onto the roof. (Roll 3d6+2, you make noise below an 8 on the way up.)
>Go drop off the equipment for the laser designator outside, then return to scout out more of the area.
>Leave the garage, and assemble the laser designator. This creature is the reason we have napalm.
>Write in any clever ideas.

>>4357899
>Head towards the security checkpoint, and open it up silently. Will provide access to the basement. (3d6+2, the door opens on an 8. The creature will be here by the end of the turn, and will attack you if you don't distract it first.)
Use a toy. That lasts for 2 turns dont it?

>>4357899
>Head towards the security checkpoint, and open it up silently. Will provide access to the basement. (3d6+2, the door opens on an 8. The creature will be here by the end of the turn, and will attack you if you don't distract it first.)

Rolled 5 (1d12)

I fell like I should explain my decision making when it comes to the macguyvering thing, just because I wanna be transparent with you guys. I wasn't really sure if it would work, but I could tell that whatever it was it would take a lot of time that might not be possible in your current situation, and since it was a tie, with one of the voters saying, "if we can't, then just do this," I just decided to go with the other thing.
Also I made a mistake in the prompt, it's still by the car unless random noise drags it over, that's my bad.
>>4357904
>>4358123
Seeing that Marietta has all the equipment she needs to repair the laser designator once she's in the clear from the aliens, you break her glare from the emaciated car. There's not much you need from it now that you have both a two way radio transmitter, and a car battery on hand. As the predatory plant taps at the wreckage around the car, feeling for anything still alive in its territory, you break your compatriot's gaze, signalling for her to follow along. She lugs the now total of thirty five pounds worth of equipment as she moves, still trying to stay silent.

Approaching the security room door, you have to once again take both your eyes and ears off the creature as you focus in on the lock. Thankfully no longer having to worry about the threat of anti-theft alarms, there's less pressure, and more room for you to focus on the individual pins, feeling each one systematically as you trust Marietta to keep watch for you. While the threat of distant noise attracting it is always present, it's not difficult to hear that the creature is still idling over it's territory in the western edge of the building, where one of the last functioning civilian cars was just a second ago, now a smoking wreck.

Four players roll a 1d6. The top three rolls will be added into a 3d6+2. If rolling takes longer than 45 minutes, feel free to roll twice.

Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>4358161

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>4358161

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>4358161
slow night?

Rolled 9 (1d12)

>>4358177
>>4358304
>>4358324
Never fails to make me silently panic. Either way, you're over the threshold now. Just want to let you guys know that I have work tomorrow, so there may not be many updates that day.

The lock is simple, few security pins, and something that a novice could pick open. The security assumed someone would be watching the other side of the door, likely someone killed by marine's long before the growth spurt of the plantlike creature behind you. With the only watcher of this room being blind, and having no loud noises to draw it's attention to you, it's not difficult to pick, simply clicking every pin into position one by one. With Marietta watching your back, you're never occupied by constantly looking over your shoulder, or listening for distant sounds.

In only twenty seconds, the core twists freely, which you take care to perform slowly, before moving to turn the handle as well. You quietly push the door open, creeping footstep by footstep into the guard box. With every smack of the xenian tentacles body against the building, more dust shakes down from the ceiling. A small staircase, labeled "Maintenance shop," is directly opposite to the entry. To your left as you crawl in is a desk, with a powerless computer, and other sets of office equipment. Immediately Marietta starts to slip past you, looking over it all for anything salvageable, possibly more easy to carry than a twenty pound car battery that could still power a laser designator. Right next to that is a set of simple lockers for the security guards, surprisingly large for such a small space. You could probably hide in there if you wanted to. You consider getting them open, but feeling you've had your share of locks today, Marietta takes one of the lockers.
(cont.)

>>4358456
(cont.)
>Distract the creature North. (Specify between shooting the alarmed car, using one of the two noise making toys you found earlier, one of your grenades, or the remote control car, which will require a 3d6 roll, over a 14 you can reuse that distraction. This action overrides the above roll. )
>Distract the creature East. (Specify between shooting using one of the two noisemaking toys you found earlier, one of your grenades, or the remote control car, which will require a 3d6 roll, over a 14 you can reuse that distraction.This action overrides the above roll. )
>Distract the creature south. (Specify between using one of the two noisemaking toys you found earlier, one of your grenades, or the remote control car, which will require a 3d6 roll, over a 14 you can reuse that distraction.This action overrides the above roll. )
>Have Marietta move out of the way, and have a master locksmith like you handle it quicker. These locks are so low security, there's little risk of failure.
>Go drop off the equipment for the laser designator outside, then return to scout out more of the area.
>Go down the stairs, into the maintenance room. You're currently safe inside the security box, but won't be in the basement, however there will likely be salvageable things down there.
>Write in any clever ideas.

>>4358457
>Go down the stairs, into the maintenance room. You're currently safe inside the security box, but won't be in the basement, however there will likely be salvageable things down there.

>>4358456
>Go down the stairs, into the maintenance room. You're currently safe inside the security box, but won't be in the basement, however there will likely be salvageable things down there.

The update might have to wait until tomorrow, I was writing and my boss just asked me to come in earlier than usual. Just want to keep you guys in the loop.

>>4358457
>Go down the stairs, into the maintenance room. You're currently safe inside the security box, but won't be in the basement, however there will likely be salvageable things down there.

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>>4358519
>>4358528
>>4360180
Deciding that Marietta is fine handling the lock on her own, you leave her to her own devices, feeling out the combination with a shim, or working out the many bypasses that these low security locks often have, you start heading down the stairs. As you do, you take care with every step you touch. With the earth around you upended, many of them are bent, and on unstable foundations. Each one has the potential to creak out loudly, and draw the beasts attention.

As you deliberately move down the stairs, you hear a distant, deep boom, and then feel the earth rumble. Unlike the sound you heard before, a low continuous rumbling, there's a strong base to this blast. The vibrations cause fragments of concrete all over the ground to shutter. Calling back on your training in warfare identification, you recognize this as the effect of tons of earth, steel, and now pulverized concrete. Somewhere distant, a bunker buster just annihilated a section of Black Mesa. The massive alien creature, agitated by this heavy sound from the south, releases another massive groan and causes the earth to shake even further as it traces after a non-existent intruder. It’s only a few seconds later when you hear the beast start to smack against concrete. Above, you can hear it pushing against the ambulance, while below, you can hear it tapping against another door.

Peaking your head out of the stairwell, you immediately see the base of the three stalks. One of the tentacle’s massive heads is currently reaching into the hole in a wall, with a sign labeled onto it, “TO INFIRMARY BREAKERS. AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY.” Judging by the fact that the infirmary still has power, you doubt that the creature’s head is smacking directly against the electronics, likely an extra hallway between maintenance and the rest of the building that heads south until you reach the actual breaker room. Considering Black Mesa once had a past life for storing nuclear weapons with a tiny relative staff , you wouldn’t doubt that the infirmary was much smaller, hence why the power breakers are kept in this small offshoot building, it was once the whole infirmary.

To the east is all the tools, and tool cabinets one might use to fix individual parts. Power tools mainly, alongside simpler screwdrivers. The corpses of a few zombified workers sit alongside the corpse of one massive zombified marine, all of whom were pummeled into the ground, damaging most of the powertools. You’d need to be lucky to find anything salvageable in the mess, but you can still make out old signs of life. A dart board hangs between two tool cabinets, with a chart to list off the infirmary maintenance crews high scores. There were three bodies of zombified workers, but four players in the most recent game of darts.
(cont.)

Thanks for your patience.
>>4360228
(cont.)
Finally, to the west, appears to be the tools specifically for working with electronics. Jumper cables hung up on the walls, multiple sets of rubber gloves, heavy duty power supply units, and finally, one of Black Mesa’s advanced power stations, complete with a paper sign written over it saying, “LIMITED USE, SAVE FOR EMERGENCY JUMPSTARTS.”

>Distract the creature North. (Specify between shooting the alarmed car, using one of the two noise making toys you found earlier, one of your grenades, or the remote control car, which will require a 3d6 roll, over a 14 you can reuse that distraction. This action overrides the above roll. )
>Distract the creature East. (Specify between shooting using one of the two noise making toys you found earlier, one of your grenades, or the remote control car, which will require a 3d6 roll, over a 14 you can reuse that distraction.This action overrides the above roll. )
>Distract the creature North. (Specify between using one of the two noise making toys you found earlier, one of your grenades, or the remote control car, which will require a 3d6 roll, over a 14 you can reuse that distraction.This action overrides the above roll. )
>Go back up the stairs, where Marietta is currently working away at that lock.
>Head west, check out how much power is currently left in the charging station. (Roll 3d25.)
> Head east, look through the bodies, and the tool cabinets, try to find something useful. (Roll 3d6+2, pass on a 13.)
>Head north, into the breaker rooms, and look for anything within there.(The creature is currently here, so you will need to distract it.)
>Write in any clever ideas.

>>4360233
>Head west, check out how much power is currently left in the charging station. (Roll 3d25.)
Can we use our brain power to tame it? I'll name it Cuddles

>>4360233
> Head east, look through the bodies, and the tool cabinets, try to find something useful. (Roll 3d6+2, pass on a 13.)
The charging station isn't a smart idea, those things make noise when you use them I'm pretty sure.

>>4360504
We could cause a distraction with something even noisier.

>>4360233
For clarification, is the triffid's actions on the upper level independent of its actions down here?

>>4360585
No, it all moves in the same direction. If there's a loud noise upstairs, then it'll change its head downstairs too.

>>4360594
According to the roll on the previous post, it should have moved its tentacles south, yet it's still up against the north door down here.

>>4360595
Oh, that was just my mistake in writing the prompt. The breaker rooms are to the south, you're currently coming from the north. Sorry for the confusion.

>>4360556
I think it still poses a risk.
Previously, we use a small amount of noise, albeit brief, to trigger a car alarm that lasted a longer amount of time. Using a charger would be more of an extended noise even if we set off a car alarm, and since this thing has multiple tentacles, it could investigate multiple noise sources if it wants to...
Not a risk worth taking, I'd rather bomb the critter first.

>>4360233
Any jerrycans down or metal barrels down here? If we throw an empty one of them to the other side it'll make an absolutely thundering amount of noise as it bounces along, even more with a few stones in it.
>>4360599
If we bomb the triffid with enough dakka to turn it into woodchip, we may well end up destroying everything else around here too.

>>4360605
And if we try to use the charger while the thing is alive, even with a distraction, we run the risk of potentially getting speared by a giant tentacle. Extended noise makes it way more likely to happen, I feel.
Better to just loot things that won't make noise, go back up, bomb the thing, and then check in later just in case the charger didn't get blown up. It's not a serious loss if it does go boom, though.

>>4360608
Oh, I'm not saying we should do it now, we shouldn't. Just noting that it may not be there after the sky falls on this place. Oh, and we should probably take our leave before we call down an airstrike on our own location as well.

>>4360605
There's probably a few of them down there, likely kept near the entrance where you are.

Rolled 2 (1d2)

Just gonna tally the votes real quick.

>>4360374 For heading to the charging station.
>>4360504 For heading east, to look through the bodies.
>>4360556 For heading to the charging station.
>>4360612 For using Jerry cans as a distraction, against heading to the charging station.

I guess in that case, I'll go for a tiebreaker roll. Is it common practice to accept "no" votes as a -1 vote?

Also, please let me know if I might have misinterpreted anyone.

1 for west, 2 for east.

File: gonome.png (307 KB, 397x355)

307 KB PNG

Rolled 2 (1d12)

>>4360374
>>4360504
>>4360556
>>4360585
>>4360595
>>4360599
>>4360605
>>4360608
>>4360612
>>4360695
Keeping close eyes on the creature as it bangs away at the breaker hallway, you carefully creep around the pit the massive hostile plant tore itself out of.

The reek of the invasive parasites handywork hits your nose, even under the balaclava. If it weren't for the trademark heavy sound of breathing from a gasmask, you would consider wearing it in this place. The smashed up bodies are leaking both human and alien blood, but what truly captures your eye is the body of the zombified marine. Built more like a linebacker than a solider, it's easy to tell this was not the body the marine had before being overtaken by the headcrab. Somehow, the zombie became stronger over time, big enough to pummel a full grown human. The tear in the chest has only gotten more decrepit, the chest growing more necrotic, but with broad, heavy shoulders, while the ribs sharpen into something that looks like teeth. You're glad the creature was dealt with before you got in here.

Before you start picking through the pockets of deceased soldiers, you take one last check over the group, making sure your earlier observation was correct. Three workers, one marine. The last game of darts, dated just yesterday, the day of the incident, had four players. You doubt that a man with orders to kill these workers would stop for a game. Setting that knowledge aside, you start carefully picking through the bloodied pockets, hoping for something of value beyond wallets, car keys, before then moving on to very deliberately checking the tool cabinets.

In the floor above, Marietta is still working on the lock, pulling on the shackle while she feels out the combination. Finally on the last number, she hears one final click, and the shackle swings free.

Four players roll a 2d6. The first is for your scavenging, the second is for Marietta. The top four of each is added into a 3d6+2, and pass on a 13, and 11 respectively.

Rolled 4, 3 = 7 (2d6)

>>4360765

Rolled 3, 6 = 9 (2d6)

>>4360765

Rolled 3, 3 = 6 (2d6)

>>4360765

Rolled 1, 1 = 2 (2d6)

>>4360765
Can we still use the charge station? We can just throw a flashbang down the alien pit to stun and distract it.

Rolled 5 (1d12)

>>4360976
As long as the machine is still there, the option is still open. The amount of time you will need to distract it while using the charger depends on the amount of power left, which you're still not sure of.
>>4360782
>>4360804
>>4360973
The bodies of both the workers and soldiers were unfortunately both annihilated by the massive, claw like head of the xenian tentacle. This means that the equipment on them was ruined as well. The marines guns, clearly already having been gummed up with the mass of flesh that grew out of his corpse, was cracked apart like a toy. Any of the tools left on the workers, and even another gun likely taken from a security guard had the polymer blown apart on them. Most disappointing of the destruction is buried under the marine. Slowly pulling its heavy body upwards, you peak onto its back, seeing a detonator that immediately gives you the promise of plastic explosives, however, searching the body finds that the once combat engineer seemed to have used up all of his explosives before being overtaken by the parasite. The best you can gather from the mess of bodies is by removing nine millimeter rounds from their broken clips, getting enough to fill a clip, and making sure they're decently clean before placing them among your existing supply of ammunition. Moving on to the tool storage, the things still standing are the simplest of tools, hammers, boxes of nails, and screwdrivers. Feeling like you'd enjoy a little more range of use than the dinky screwdriver on your swiss army knife provides, you take one of the larger tools.

(You now have a total of 154 nine millimeter ammunition.)

Meanwhile, as she's about to open the locker to see what's inside, Marietta stops herself. The sounds of the creature smacking against things made it harder for hear to hear, and the constant distant gunfire and explosions don't help either. However, having listened in for a slight click in the low security combination lock, having unable to find a quicker bypass, she noticed another sound, a low but quiet breathing. At first, she looked to the right, expecting to see you coming back up, but the stairs were empty. It wasn't coming from behind her, so it couldn't be the alien, and she could distinctly hear her own, higher pitched breaths among it.

The locker's are probably big enough to squeeze someone inside. You have no idea who though.
(cont.)

>>4361079
(cont.)
(Gabby.)
>Distract the creature North. (Specify between shooting the alarmed car, using one of the two noise making toys you found earlier, one of your grenades, or the remote control car, which will require a 3d6 roll, over a 14 you can reuse that distraction. This action overrides the above roll. )
>Distract the creature East. (Specify between shooting using one of the two noise making toys you found earlier, one of your grenades, or the remote control car, which will require a 3d6 roll, over a 14 you can reuse that distraction.This action overrides the above roll. )
>Distract the creature North. (Specify between using one of the two noise making toys you found earlier, one of your grenades, or the remote control car, which will require a 3d6 roll, over a 14 you can reuse that distraction.This action overrides the above roll. )
>Go back up the stairs, where Marietta is. From this point, you can also use an empty gas can as an extra distraction.
>Head west, check out how much power is currently left in the charging station. (Roll 3d25.)
>Head south, into the breaker rooms, and look for anything within there.(The creature is currently here, so you will need to distract it.)
>Write in any clever ideas.

(Marietta.)
>Open the locker, prepare for a fight, but also know that the person inside might be friendly.
>Open the locker with your gun trained on it. It'll probably scare the person inside, but it'll keep you safe.
>Gabby's probably away from the stairs by now. Try talking to the person inside. It'll attract the creature north, unless another deliberate distraction is made.
>You're not playing this game, shoot through the locker door.
>Write in any clever ideas.

>>4361081
>Go back up the stairs, where Marietta is. From this point, you can also use an empty gas can as an extra distraction.
>Open the locker with your gun trained on it. It'll probably scare the person inside, but it'll keep you safe.
No guarantee they're still a 'person'. You know?

Sorry for the delay.
>>4361104
Wanting to meet back up with Marietta, you slip back past the broken and expended equipment, disgusted at the lingering smell of the dead zombies, but glad you got at least something out of the scavenging. You quietly creep through the room, confident that the massive creature isn’t being drawn about by any other sounds that may cause it to attack you.

However, your confidence in that fact is broken when you hear a shout from the room above. A floor above Marietta opens the locker on a worker The man, having just a moment ago been ready to deck whoever was trying to enter, immediately sees a gun already drawn. Abandoning the plan, he throws up his hands and says, “Unarmed! Unarmed!” and shows his rather callused hands. With no way of knowing another spy was downstairs, the man assumed the two of you were fine inside of the well crafted security room, and prioritized the current threat of not being shot.

Marietta quickly responds by shushing the man. He’s only barely able to hear it as the creature loudly groans at the sound. Down below you immediately start to sacrifice some of your silence for pace, trying to reach the stairs before the massive claw-like head is able to swing itself around, and begin smacking away at things. The creature is heavy, but it has massive amounts of power in its stalk like body, you may not be able to avoid it entirely unscathed, even if you are rather lithe.

(Gabby.)
(You currently have 59/100 health, and 19/50 armor power, and 19/50 cloak power)
>Get this thing off of you, throw a distraction. (Specify between using the fuel can, one of the two noise making toys you found earlier, one of your grenades, or the remote control car, which will require a 3d6 roll, over a 14 you can reuse that distraction.This action overrides the above roll. )
>Save your distractions and risk getting hurt, try dodging it. (Roll 3d6+2, every point below a 14 is 7 damage, up to 35.)
>Don’t go upstairs for now, it’s not worth it. Go west instead.
>Don’t go upstairs for now, it’s not worth it, go south instead.
>Write in any clever ideas.
(Marietta.)
>Signal for the man to get on the ground, and quietly drown. He might not be fully unarmed.
>Try to signal to the man that there’s two of you, so maybe he’ll never do that again.
>Knock the guy out. Sure, he was scared of having a gun pointed at him, but you want him to never do that again.
>If this guy is shouting, then that might mean Gabby’s in trouble, go downstairs and try to help her out. That means leaving this guy alone. (Maximum damage tentacle can do is reduced to 21.)
>Write in any other clever ideas.

>>4361436
>Don’t go upstairs for now, it’s not worth it, go south instead.
Shit.
>Signal for the man to get on the ground, and quiet down. He might not be fully unarmed.

>>4361436
Gabby
Throw a noise toy

>>4361675
this too

>>4361436
Reeeeeeeee
Do these things have babies? I hope we fan grab some eggs to grow.

Rolled 10 (1d12)

>>4361675
>>4361736
>>4361880
You don't see any eggs, or adolescent creatures, but in the new game there small tiny tentacles on the wall.

Almost instantaneously, Marietta starts signalling for the man to shut up, just as the creature begins to smack its head on the bulletproof glass and drywall of the creature.

Meanwhile, the floor below, you abandon your path. It’s not worth risking getting injured by that massive interdimensional abomination. It’s far bigger and stronger than you, and running into its path won’t bring any good. Marietta can handle herself up there, but you do wonder who yelled.

Your fellow spy throws out a quick, downward signal with the hand not currently on her gun. Returning it to the grip, she tracks the man as he crouches down, then throws another gesture saying to go prone. Smart enough to know not to question the person with a gun to his head, the worker lies down on his stomach. Keeping her eyes on the side of the room the tentacles are currently bumping and smacking against, Marietta kneels down.

Fearful of any additional shouting or even possible gunshots to further attract the creature, you back off into the southern hallway, heading into the breaker room. Knowing how far the plant like beast can reach into this straight corridor, you continue all the way down, ensuring that the creature as you round the corner. The breakers, fuses, and wiring all seem to be only minorly affected by the chaos, Some of the boxes have buckled as the floor itself moved, but with the wiring mostly still in place, the power still flows. With your lack of electrical expertise, you wouldn’t want to mess with it. You don’t know if any of the wires have been stripped of their insulation somehow, ready to shock you. If you really wanted to mess with it, then it might be a good idea to bring Marietta down here, if she’s able to handle whatever is going on upstairs.

Patting the man down, Marietta feels boxy metal and polymer at the waist of the man’s jeans. Pulling up the guy’s shirt, she finds a Desert Eagle. The safety is left on, but the clip is full of all but one bullet sitting in the chamber, and the man was certainly not able to reach it in the tight confines of the locker. He’s a large guy, so it’s rather impressive he was able to fit himself in there in the first place. The man wouldn’t have been unable to shoot Marietta, but he was lying about being unarmed.
(cont.)

>>4362338
(cont.)
Continuing to search the breaker room, you notice another panel, similar to a ventilation shaft, but without the grill. Reading the small text on the top edge of the face reveals, “MAINTENANCE ACCESS. AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY.” Engraved along with the text is a small map of the wiring tunnel, showing it leading to the infirmary generator, which in turn leads to the infirmary. If you brought Guttman and Enrico along with you, you could have the whole team move through here. Of course, that would rob you of the satisfaction of mulching this alien thing, and bringing a child through here would still be risky. On the flip side, it would mean there’s no unexplained bomb target that can be traced back to you.

From this distance away from the creature, you can probably get away with whispering.

>Distract the creature South. (Specify between shooting the alarmed car, using one of the two noise making toys you found earlier, one of your grenades, or the remote control car, which will require a 3d6 roll, over a 14 you can reuse that distraction. This action overrides the above roll. )
>Distract the creature East. (Specify between shooting using one of the two noise making toys you found earlier, one of your grenades, or the remote control car, which will require a 3d6 roll, over a 14 you can reuse that distraction.This action overrides the above roll. )
>Distract the creature West. (Specify between using one of the two noise making toys you found earlier, one of your grenades, or the remote control car, which will require a 3d6 roll, over a 14 you can reuse that distraction.This action overrides the above roll. )
>Unscrew the maintenance hatch, and scout out the maintenance shaft as an alternative to flattening this creature.
>Head west, check out how much power is currently left in the charging station. (Roll 3d25.)
>Head north, recoup with Marietta. (The creature is currently in this direction.)
>Call Marietta on her radio, figure out what’s going on, and get a talk with whoever just screamed out.
>Write in any clever ideas.

>>4361880
>>4362338
The new game being half life alyx, just to avoid confusion. There are little tiny xen tentacles in it scattered about as a reference to the first game.

In character, now that you think about it, you have seen a few of the little adolescent things growing amongst the xenian fungi.

>>4362339
>Unscrew the maintenance hatch, and scout out the maintenance shaft as an alternative to flattening this creature.

>>4362339
Throw down a distraction toy and get to charging you armor and invisibility. We're low on those and health.

>>4362352
GIVE ALIEN BEBES. If anything, if the small tentacle things are harmless enough, we could take those as samples to hand over to the exfiltration teams. I also at some point want to get one of those barnacles of a grappling gun.

Rolled 2 (1d2)

>>4362359
>>4362412
Tiebreaker roll.

File: hl2eastereggsuitcharger.jpg (358 KB, 1440x900)

358 KB JPG

>>4362359
>>4362412
>>4362544
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GP58naXATTI
Leaving both the breakers and the maintenance hatch alone for now, you peer out the doorway you entered through, who's door first buckled off its hinges, then was beaten down by the massive creature outside. At the end of the narrow corridor, you can see the green tendrils feeling for intruders, possible predators, or perhaps food to trap at the bottom of the stairs, checking the entire northern face of the building. Making use of it's occupied attention, you snake down through the hallway, stopping again once your at the other doorway.

To your right, the westernmost face of the building, features Black Mesa's solution to charging high watt batteries in a limited timeframe, unfortunately with an absolute behemoth in the center of the room sensitive to all noise, you still don't know if its quick enough. While you're plugged in, the creature could easily lurch around and start banging away at the device, possibly reaching further than its usual tapping pattern to crack open the console and allow the ionized liquids inside to spill out.

Unable to even consider reading the small text of how much power is contained inside of the port from here, you start to slowly creep forward, step by step across the ruined maintenance room, getting slowly closer to the sensitive head of the creature. Once you're up against the electrical handling equipment, you creep along the wall until you reach the charging station.

Four players roll a 1d25. The top three rolls will be added into 3d25, which will be the amount of total power inside the device. If the roll takes longer than 45 minutes, feel free to roll a second time.

For every HEV battery's worth of power (15 units), there will need to be a distraction provided, or already being provided, to prevent the creature from tracking the sound of the charging station. You will also be able to choose to leave power in the station, even so far as to leave all of it.

Rolled 15 (1d25)

>>4362596

Rolled 15 (1d25)

>>4362596
not a dice you see often

Rolled 14 (1d25)

>>4362596

Rolled 10 (1d25)

>>4362596
>>4362596

Rolled 1 (1d12)

>>4362599
>>4362603
>>4362816
>>4362872
Flicking through the small display, you find a number reading "44% OF MAXIMUM HEV POWER" written in bold orange text. It's a decent amount, but not enough to fill up all of your equipment. Of course, with the goliath of a hostile plant still in the room with you, it's not going to be totally safe to plug in. You've heard these things running in the anomolous materials labs. Its a heavy, industrial sound as absurd amounts of power is transferred over in a short timeframe. If you wanted to use this thing now, you'd need to use some of your distractions. Pressing your own body up against the box as you charge your suit would help absorb some of it, but not enough to silence it completely.

(You currently have 59/100 health, and 19/50 armor power, and 19/50 cloak power)

The most reliable option of course would be to focus on recharging your armor. It only runs out when it's hit, meaning that it tends to last longer than your cloak. On the other hand, that also means that your cloak needs it more, and being able to turn invisible is not only a wonderful feeling, but tactically advantageous in every way, especially when facing the kind of absolutely massive threats that won't be slowed much by your light variant PCV. Finally, you also have the option to recharge the portable battery currently in your bag. While it might seem less useful than putting power into your equipment now, you might come across something that needs to be jumpstarted, or powered up, later on, or perhaps you could simply make the decision of where to expend the power later, putting it into your armor or cloak based on necessity.
(cont.)

>>4362977
(cont.)
>Distract the creature South. (Specify between shooting the alarmed car, using one of the two noise making toys you found earlier, one of your grenades, or the remote control car, which will require a 3d6 roll, over a 14 you can reuse that distraction. This action overrides the above roll. )
>Distract the creature East. (Specify between shooting using one of the two noise making toys you found earlier, one of your grenades, or the remote control car, which will require a 3d6 roll, over a 14 you can reuse that distraction.This action overrides the above roll. )
>Distract the creature West. (Specify between using one of the two noise making toys you found earlier, one of your grenades, or the remote control car, which will require a 3d6 roll, over a 14 you can reuse that distraction.This action overrides the above roll. )
>Head south, and unscrew the maintenance hatch, and scout out the maintenance shaft as an alternative to flattening this creature.
>Head south, back into the room with call Marietta on her radio, figure out what’s going on, and get a talk with whoever just screamed out.
>Head north, recoup with Marietta. (The creature is currently in this direction.)
>Write in any clever ideas.
(If you would like to use the charging station, please specify how you would like to distribute the power. If you have a preference, please specify how you would like to distract the creature, otherwise, two toys will be used.)
>Cloak first, then armor.
>Cloak first, then battery.
>Armor first, then cloak.
>Armor first, then battery.
>Battery first, then cloak.
>Battery first, then armor.
>Write in any other distributions.

>>4362980
>>Cloak first, then armor.
>Head south, and unscrew the maintenance hatch, and scout out the maintenance shaft as an alternative to flattening this creature.

>>4362980
Isn't the car scrap metal already?

(note to self: stop fucking forgetting to turn off your name)

>>4363125
Yeah, that’s my bad, it isn’t even meant to be on the same floor. Sorry for the confusion.

>>4362980
>Call Marietta on her radio, figure out what’s going on, and get a talk with whoever just screamed out.
Keep voices down, of course. Using the charger should be the absolute last thing we do before bugging out in case we need the distractions for anything else. As much as I'd love to turn the triffid into mulch, I'm sure the jarheads will later. In fact, if Marietta fixes the targeter we can keep it for later as "one (1) free* airstrike token".

*No monetary value. Target must be on the surface. The USMC takes no responsibility for any injury, death or broken windows that may result from use of this device. Recharges sold separately.

Rolled 1 (1d2)

>>4363049(1)
>>4363405(2)

Tiebreaker.

>>4364085
I'm just confused so i'm staying out

>>4364156
Sorry about that, can I ask what you're specifically confused about, so I can try clearing things up?

>>4363049
>>4363405
>>4364085
You quickly and quietly get yourself set up right next to the charging station. First, you quietly unzip your bag, and pull out your cover, two small noise-making toys. Keeping them on hand, you map out where you want to throw them. Deciding on the opposite side of the room, where a pile of corpses you just looted still sits, you grab the two seperate ports for the suit, the first for your cloaking device, and the second for your armor.

You keep close wath over the creature as you get ready to start charging your suit. Tossing the toy in your hand for a second to feel the weight before throwing it, you move your thumb over the button. As you click it in, you immediately fling it across the room. The small plastic plane blares out the sound of computerized gunfire, bombings, and the revving of a jet engines as it flings like a stone across the room. Before it even hits the ground on the other side, you’ve turned around, placing the first charging wire into the wall mounted station, and then leaning up against it.

Knowing just how much power it takes to turn invisible, and to soak up bullets like your suit is able to, you would be impressed by the rapid speed of Black Mesa’s energy transferring system, but as the massive creature swings its head around to attack your distraction, your eyes swapping between the power meter on your wrist, and the noisemaker, you can’t imagine it going any slower. Thankfully however, your cloak battery fills up before the toy is crushed underneath the heavy claw of the xenian tentacle. While the creature scouts out the location further, you prepare to swap over the port, and drain the rest of the power into your armor’s battery. Repeating the process slightly more comfortably, you fling another noise making toy just before you swap the cables, once again leaning against the panel to act as a human suppressor. You can almost feel the whirring industrial sound, like some sort of future vacuum, emanating loudly from the device. This time, while the toy is halfway through its audio loop, the panel simply stops with a small warning sound telling you its empty. Wanting to take advantage of the continued survival of the toy at the other side of the room, you unplug your suit and start moving back to the southernmost room.

(You currently have 59/100 health, and 32/50 armor power, and 50/50 cloak power)

Able to move quicker as the creature is occupied by the sound of a doll loudly singing with an uncanny computerized voice that certainly doesn’t help your incessant head-pain, you’re already down the corridor when the alien beast finally smashes the toy apart. It’s mass makes its claws particularly unwieldy against the small target the toy provides.
(cont.)

There won't be many updates today, work later.
>>4364170
(cont.)
Back within the relative safety of the breaker room, you slow down. There’s still the maintenance hatch, and having successfully recharged your cloak at the cost of your cheaper distractions, you feel a little more safe heading down a dark, tight passage. You take out the screwdriver you took earlier, remove the four bolts holding the panel in place, and take a quick look down the dark passage before climbing up inside.
Crawling along sets of tied together wires, you move with the careful intention of not banging against the confines of the vent, crawling prone until you reach the other end, another solid panel. In total darkness, you have to feel for the nuts holding it in place, and slowly removing them. Unsure of what kind of creature is waiting on the other side, you’re careful to ensure the panel doesn’t drop to the floor, instead gathering an awkward grip from the wrong end.

Slowly lowering the panel, allowing the dim emergency light of the generator room to filter in to the maintenance shaft, you start scouting out the path. Front and center in the room is the infirmary’s generator, independent from the hydroelectric dam Black Mesa usually runs off to ensure no patients are cut off suddenly from life support, you can still hear a low whir emanating from it. The walls are once again covered in the rank xenian fungal material, some of which you recognize as smaller versions of the tentacles in the last room, likely with less water, and less nutrients. More tactically important is the two alien grunts sitting at the other end of the room, standing stock still like soldiers at a ceremony. Having not noticed you yet, you have the option to pull back, or engage them. Away from the xenian tentacle at the moment, you know you can afford to make a bit of noise here once again.

>Move in, sneak in closer to the grunts, and get to clearing them out. (Roll 3d6+2, every point over an 11 adds a +1 to the first shot. If you have a weapon preference, please specify.)
>Pull back and call Marietta so you can recoup with her, get a talk with the person upstairs, and discuss a plan.
>You don’t want to fight these things on your own. Pull back, and consider heading somewhere else.
>Write in any ideas.

>>4364172
>Pull back and call Marietta so you can recoup with her, get a talk with the person upstairs, and discuss a plan.
Recon complete.

>>4364172
>Pull back and call Marietta so you can recoup with her, get a talk with the person upstairs, and discuss a plan.
No reason to take them on on our own

>>4364172
>Pull back and call Marietta so you can recoup with her, get a talk with the person upstairs, and discuss a plan.

>>4364172
>Pull back and call Marietta so you can recoup with her, get a talk with the person upstairs, and discuss a plan.

>>4364199
>>4364202
>>4364222
>>4364657
Sorry for the delay.
Not interested in soloing a pair of two evolutionary anomalies, you leave the panel removed, but slowly shuffle back through the maintenance shaft. You’re agile, but no contortionist, you have to awkwardly move backwards through the tight tunnel as you crawl slowly, relying on only sounds to ensure no roaming headcrab starts biting at your feet. When you clamber backwards out of the maintenance shaft, you’re relieved to find a still empty breaker room, the sound of the creature banging against metal and concrete by the tool cabinets reassuring you that it’s not interested in your direction.

Decently far from the creature, you pull your radio out, confident that Marietta is safe in the security room, and that it won’t hear you in the distant breaker room. Quickly resetting the encryption, and finding the right frequency, you toggle the small device on, allowing it to silently signal itself to her before she picks it up. It waits for a moment longer, likely as she ensures both the civilian subject is secure, and the creature can’t attack. When she picks up her voice is low enough that the creature doesn’t even groan before it moves. It simply starts to slowly maneuver its head around, still tapping at the space inbetween as it turns north.

“Gabby, are you alright? This guy didn’t get you caught by the creature did he?” She asks.

“No.” You whisper back, inciting a very quiet breath of relief. “I was about to head up to investigate the noise, but there was a close call, and I decided to let you handle it.”

“Got it.” She responds, returning to a more professional tone. “The subject was a civilian, armed, but unable to access his weapon. He was hiding, and I uncovered him with a weapon out, and he shouted. He’s subdued, and unarmed at the moment.”

“Was he a marine?” You ask, assuming that out of the “armed” status.

“No. Just a worker, but he likely pulled the weapon off of a soldier.” She explains. You think back to the hideously mutated soldier you saw. You had assumed it had just been lost, but it makes sense that the worker would take the former marine’s weapon.

>Tell Marietta to give the worker the radio, and start asking him about his identity.
>Tell Marietta to give the man his gun back, and start making their way over to the breaker room. You need help clearing out hostels.
>Tell Marietta to bring the man back to where Guttman and Enrico are waiting. It’ll be harder to move around quietly with a civilian in tow.
>Tell Marietta to wait there, while you come over to meet them, you want to talk to this guy in person. (Since the creature is currently turning north, you will need to provide a distraction.)
>Write in a response or question.

>>4365776
>Tell Marietta to give the worker the radio, and start asking him about his identity.

Now is not the time for gun shots

then
>Tell Marietta to bring the man back to where Guttman and Enrico are waiting. It’ll be harder to move around quietly with a civilian in tow.
after the fact I guess.

>>4365806
I can second this.

>>4365776
>Write in a response or question.
Tell her about the grunts. We can probably take them out stealthily if we dial akibo out supressons on them one target at a time.

>Tell Marietta to bring the man back to where Guttman and Enrico are waiting. It’ll be harder to move around quietly with a civilian in tow.
For now. It wouldnt be good for the alien to wander into them while waiting for us to handle the grunts.

File: cutworker.png (211 KB, 332x766)

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>>4365806
>>4365896
>>4365994
“Good work. You’re gonna have to send him back to the outside though.” You explain quietly. “I managed to sneak around, find another route out. The only issue is that there’s two alien grunts in the way.”

“And that we’re going to have to bring a child past a creature the size of a house.” Marietta says. “Are you sure you don’t want to just flatten it.”

“It might be more useful to have a free air strike for later.” You respond. “We can sneak past this one, we might not be able to make it past the next.”

Marietta sighs, not exactly on board with the idea of moving a scared child through a massive building, but also seeing your point. “Affirmative.” Is all she responds with.

“Before you escort the worker out, do you think I could get a talk with him?” You ask.

“You got it.” She responds, before you hear the sound of the receiver bumping against hands as it's passed. The line stays silent for a moment, waiting for you to open.

“Hello, can you tell me your name?” You start.

“Mark. Erm… Shaffner.” He starts. “Look man, er… Ma’am, I’m just an electrician, I don’t know anything about aliens, I just work here.”

“Don’t worry.” You respond with a soothing, but quiet tone. As you say that, you hear the tapping on the glass get louder, and then the sound of Marietta saying “shush.”

“I’m not working with the marines.” You continue. “I’m not killing civilians, and I’m not participating in the current cover-up.” As you talk, another thought pops into your head, how much you hope that that order doesn’t change. You know all too well that the CIA is just as willing to abandon those preconceptions as the marines. “You just need to stay calm, and we’ll try and get you safe. You got that gun from a marine, right?”
(cont.)

>>4366117
“Yeah… uh.. the big bloated one. The zombie downstairs. I pulled it off him before the whole world started shakin’. Fuck, I’ve been in that damn locker for hours.”

“And what happened after the building shook? Is that when the tentacles started coming out of the ground?” You ask.

“Is that supposed to sound like you’re asking me about a movie?” He quips. “Jesus this is insane but yeah. It got the uh… other things down there too right?”

“Yeah. You don’t have to worry about the zombies anymore.” You respond.

“Good.” He says distantly. “You said you’re not working with the marines right. Are you apart of Black Mesa? Who do you guys work for?”

Looking out the corridor, into the room, the creature is currently pointing north. It might be a good idea to provide a distraction for Marietta if you don’t want her to waste a grenade.

>Before Marietta takes back the waiting point, reveal to him that you work for the CIA.
>Keep it decently vague, do let him know that you work for the government, but nothing specific.
>Just tell him you’re one of the administrator’s “contacts.”
>Tell him you do work for Black Mesa security, and that you stole these suits. You happen to be a very well paid security guard.
>Just tell him you’re not going to answer that, and leave it as it is. Allow Marietta to get him to temporary safety.
>Write in a response.
(Optionally, choose what to do after Marietta hangs up.)
>Use one of your own distractions to get the creature out of the northward path, and no longer banging on the security room door. (Specify between one of your own grenades, and the remote control car, which will require a 3d6 roll, over a 14 you can reuse that distraction.)
>You should meet her halfway up there, back up north.
>You should also return to the entrance point, just so you can recoup the whole team, possibly talk with Guttman or enrico.
>Clamber back into the maintenance shaft, and take another look into the generator room.
>Write in any ideas.

>>4366119
>Just tell him you’re one of the administrator’s “contacts.”
>Leave your radio where the tentacles can't get to it, with the volume maxed out. Then, go return to the entrance point. Make sure that Marietta knows this, and have her give you a few moments to relocate before she uses your radio as a distraction tool.

So she can save a grenade, essentially.
And so we can draw the critter's attention in that direction when we come back with the full group. A way to get to the locker room, which I believe was safe, without issue.
Sound good?

>>4366119
>Tell him you do work for Black Mesa security, and that you stole these suits. You happen to be a very well paid security guard.

>Use one of your own distractions to get the creature out of the northward path, and no longer banging on the security room door. (Specify between one of your own grenades, and the remote control car, which will require a 3d6 roll, over a 14 you can reuse that distraction.)
The toy car.

>>4366135
You mean the radio we need to contact our handler and various other contacts? That's a terrible idea.

>>4366146
We'll be gone five minutes at best, and Marietta would still have her own. And we could easily slip it onto a non-compromising channel for the purposes of using it as a distraction tool.
It'll be real quick and easy to collect it afterwards.

>>4366150
It's going to be hard to use a radio after it's been crushed to a pancake. This is a waste of our radio when we have other, much more replaceable distractions we can still use.

>>4366165
Did you even read the part where I said to place it where the tentacles can't reach?
For example, where we're currently standing. The noise just needs to be loud enough to drift into the other room, which a radio can easily accomplish.

>>4366233
Uh, no I didn't. Point conceded regarding my skimreading, but are we sure there is anywhere in here the tentacles either can't reach or smash their way to?

>>4366251
100% sure? Probably not. But gabbi could probably find a spot pretty easily based on what doesn't have huge holes gouged into it, or what materials have held up against it so far.

With a war raging around outside, it's probably been attacking pretty much every direction at random, reaching as far as it can.

>>4366263
Do keep in mind that you'd still have to get it back from under the tapping of the creature.

>>4366150
Wasting the radio is shit when theres a chance to recover the RC, where as using the radio means we cant use it again since we'd be leaving it behind.

>>4366146
>>4366150
>>4366165
>>4366233
>>4366251
>>4366263
>>4366299
“I’m a part of the security team.” You start, in response to his sensitive question. You hope to give him half truths, just enough information to keep him satisfied while keeping it all believable. “I know we don’t exactly look the part with the goggles and black gear, but trust me, I even have my ID.”

“So then where did you get the suits from?” He retorts.

“Dr. Breen has friends in high places, I’m working for them. I was in standard attire until all of this broke out, and I had to give up my old cover. I happen to be a very well paid security guard.”

“Shit.” Is all Shaffner responds with. “I don’t really trust that guy, but you guys aren’t shooting me.” He takes a deep breathe, with a very small tinge of nerves, and then adds, “And you probably could.”

“Don’t worry.” You say once again, trying to keep him reassured. “We’re gonna take you back to the infirmary once we can get past this thing. First we’re gonna try and get you to meet up with another staff member, he’s a neurologist, but he’ll be wearing armor he took off the soldiers, so don’t be alarmed. You can hand the radio back to my compatriot.”

“Alright.” He says, more out of compliance than any respect for your wishes.

“Are we good to go Gabby?” Marietta asks, and you can hear the light sound of her fiddling with something on her belt.

“Give it a second.” You respond. “I’m gonna buy you guys a cheaper distraction than a grenade.”

“Understood.” She responds, before disabling her receiver. Not wanting to lead the creature in the wrong direction, you do the same for yours before reaching into your bag and feeling for a remote control car, and its controller designed for smaller hands than yours. You click both power switches on and then, with the toy still in your hand, creep to the end of the hall where you place it down on the ground. After you partially retreat into the hallway, finding a compromise being distance from the creature and line of sight, you depress the tiny trigger that acts as the pedal, keeping your other hand on the tiny wheel. The car immediately starts to release a high pitched, electronic sound as it speeds off. In response, the beast groans, and starts to swing its heads towards it.

Four players roll a 1d6. The top three rolls will be added into a 3d6+2. If rolling takes longer than 45 minutes, feel free to roll twice.

Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>4366597

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>4366597

File: 1332415.jpg (24 KB, 540x472)

24 KB JPG

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>4366299
>tfw people STILL don't understand the actual idea and are having misconceptions about it
Oh well, that vote's over with by now. I don't know why it's that difficult for everyone else to conceptualize it.

>>4366604
>>4366607
>>4366627
The car immediately zips away from its starting point, the plastic suspension springs allowing it to smoothly carry over the debris covered, uneven concrete floor. The light frame of the cheaply made toy lets it turn easily, and its small size makes it difficult for it to track. You quickly race it over to the tool cabinets, then give the pair above the time they need to maneuver past the massive blind monster that has inhabited the garage.

In the floor above, Marietta keeps the man’s Desert Eagle in her hand, not yet trusting him enough to hand it back. The two of them watch as the creature suddenly retracts from its investigation, releasing a loud, bassy groan they can feel in their chest as it swings around, frantically tapping elsewhere. With a signal of her hand, Marietta begins to move forward, crouch walking past the now destroyed car.

Below, you loop the vehicle around, watching as its unwieldy claws struggle to hit a small, but fragile target. With luck, and a bit of good driving on your part, your able to keep the creature occupied until you feel a signal from your radio.

Waving the electrician under the buckled garage gate, Marietta allows him to pass through first, before snaking below the garage door herself. Telling you she no longer needs a distraction, she clicks her radio a few times. Recognizing this, you drop your finger off the trigger, and allow the vehicle to coast down under one of the tool cabinets. With the last heard sound being east, the evolutionary abomination is out of the way. Still having the controller, you can still divert the creature in another direction, or try to recover the car, but of course that would draw it in your direction.

Leaving the vehicle under the cabinets, you pull out your radio, heading further south back into the safety of the breaker room. Flicking the receiver on once again, and whispering into the microphone, you ask Marietta, “Are you clear?”


“Yes.” She responds with a slight heave of relief. “We’re outside with Guttman and Enrico again. Are you sure you want to go back through the maintenance hatch? I don’t know if Guttman is on board with bringing the kid past that creature.”
(cont.)

>>4366723
(cont.)
>On second thought, you’re gonna come up there, set up the designator, and flatten the thing.
>Have Marietta hand the radio over to Guttman, so you can explain the plan and ask what he thinks of sneaking enrico through.
>Tell Marietta to come down now, so you can get to clearing out the grunts.
>Tell Marietta to sneak the crew past the tentacle, and into the security room. (Roll 3d6, without a distraction, a 15 is needed to escape unscathed. With a distraction, a 10 is needed.)
>Write in any ideas.
(Distraction options.)
>Recover the car. (Will bring the creature south.)
>Use the car to further distract the creature. (Roll 3d6, the car breaks below a 14. If you have a preference, specify north south east or west.)
>Use a grenade to distract the creature. If you have a preference, specify north, south, east or west, or if you want to use a grenade other than flashbangs.
>Write in any clever ideas.

>>4366725
>Tell Marietta to come down now, so you can get to clearing out the grunts.
Clear the exit before needing to use it. Also, are those two really that noisy?
I'm not happy with bringing the kiddo past the triffid either, but if we keep our heads down and play our cards right the threat it poses is significantly less than it appears. There will be plenty of creatures out there we'd need heavy ordnance to take down, and we'd sorely wish we'd kept our trump card when we meet them.

>>4366750
“I’m not really happy to be bringing him past the tentacles either.” You explain. “However, the creature’s big and intimidating, but it’s weakness plays to our strengths. If we play our cards right, it’s not as much of a threat as it looks.”

“The issue is when a kid doesn’t know that.” Marietta begins to explain. “He’s eight years old, already nervous, and scared for his life. He could freeze up, or scream in there.”

“I understand.” You say. “But we can prevent that. If we can hold onto an airstrike though, we might be able to fix the things we can’t sneak past. The next giant monster might not be blind, so we’re better off turning that one into paste instead. There probably won’t be a convenient strategic bomber or tank the next time we come in contact with one of those gargantuan blue creatures. That’s when we’ll need our trump cards.” For whatever reason, your pulsating headache doesn’t seem to like that sentence.

“You make a fair point.” Marietta says, not wanting to argue any further. “Just keep the kid safe, if mostly to keep Guttman from killing you. He’s currently teaching the kid how iron-sights work on that toy you gave him.”

You smile, and then explain. “Leave your radio with Guttman, so we can call them down when we need. Until then, sneak down here while the creature is still distracted, I want to clear out our path before we need to use it. Head through the basement, then south until you enter the breaker room.”

“Affirmative.” You hear Marietta say “You said you were in a breaker room. Are the breakers still functional?”

“I wouldn’t know.” You respond. “I haven’t touched them.”
(cont.)

>>4366884
(cont.)
“I might take a look at them then, messing with them might let us make some extra noise.” Marietta explains, before the receiver flicks off. You peer out down the breaker room corridor for a few minutes, waiting with nerves buzzing as you wait for a black silhouette with red eyes to pop around the corner. You can barely make out as she does, but you watch Marietta creep down the stairs, signal your position to her, and keep a close eye on her as she swings around the creature, its heavy body constantly tapping against both the concrete, and the steel tool cabinets.

As she slips down the corridor, she briefly pulls her mask off to point at the currently damaged breakers, then mouths “Alarm,” before pretending to tap together two imaginary wires. There’s an alarm upstairs, and she wonders if she can trigger it for a distraction.

>Head down the maintenance shaft, get ready to attack the two grunts. (Roll 3d6+2 for both yourself and Marietta. Every point over an 11 gets a +1 to the first attack.)
>Have Marietta look at the breaker room, and see if she can get it to a point where she can trigger the alarm when she needs. (Roll 3d6+3, below a 12, Marietta takes 8 damage, above a 13, an extra distraction will be available while in the breaker room.)
>Write in any clever ideas.
(Distraction options.)
>Recover the car. (Will bring the creature south.)
>Use the car to further distract the creature. (Roll 3d6, the car breaks below a 14. If you have a preference, specify north south east or west.)
>Use a grenade to distract the creature. If you have a preference, specify north, south, east or west, or if you want to use a grenade other than flashbangs.
>Write in any clever ideas.

There's a chance I might take a break tomorrow, but that's my last update of the day. Goodnight guys.

>>4366886
>Have Marietta look at the breaker room, and see if she can get it to a point where she can trigger the alarm when she needs. (Roll 3d6+3, below a 12, Marietta takes 8 damage, above a 13, an extra distraction will be available while in the breaker room.)
After we deal with the grunts and people get to sneak through, we could probably try to recover the toy car.

>>4366886
>Have Marietta look at the breaker room, and see if she can get it to a point where she can trigger the alarm when she needs. (Roll 3d6+3, below a 12, Marietta takes 8 damage, above a 13, an extra distraction will be available while in the breaker room.)

I think I am gonna have to take that break today, I've got some family issues I have to attend to. Updates will hopefully return to normal tomorrow. In the meantime, I'd always love to hear any feedback you have. Please don't be afraid to let me know if you have any problems, I always want to see where things can be improved.

>>4367805
be seeing you tomorrow then mate.

>>4366968
>>4367023
>>4368301
Thanks for being patient guys.

You quickly give her a silent go ahead to go ahead and start working on the breakers. Responding with a thumbs up, she moves over, pulling over the panels, and then tracing out the separate wires and finding the distinctions in their labels.

As she works, she pulls out a few tools she’s saved from her work in the robotics lab. Cutting open the wires, and then stripping them carefully, she starts to work on a bypass to the power lines to allow her to send a heavy jolt of electricity from the heavy emergency generator into the alarm system, making it blair loudly before having its systems blown out by uncontrolled electricity. Taking great care to not accidentally send that power into her own arms, she works on the system to get it running. With a more dedicated electrician, this might be easier and quicker.

Four players roll a 1d6. The top three rolls will be added into a 3d6+3. If rolling takes longer than 45 minutes, feel free to roll time.

Also, for the sake of time saving, feel free to choose your next action now.

>Head down the maintenance shaft, get ready to attack the two grunts. (Roll 3d6+2 for both yourself and Marietta. Every point over an 11 gets a +1 to the first attack.)
>Call the crew above, and tell them to make their move to the security room. (Roll 3d6, without a distraction, a 15 is needed to escape unscathed. With a distraction, a 10 is needed.)
(Distraction options.)
>Recover the car. (Will bring the creature south.)
>Use the car to further distract the creature. (Roll 3d6, the car breaks below a 14. If you have a preference, specify north south east or west.)
>Use a grenade to distract the creature. If you have a preference, specify north, south, east or west, or if you want to use a grenade other than flashbangs.
>Write in any clever ideas.

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>4369734
>Head down the maintenance shaft, get ready to attack the two grunts. (Roll 3d6+2 for both yourself and Marietta. Every point over an 11 gets a +1 to the first attack.)
I don't suppose we can turn the shutter on as well?

>>4369751
You'd need the electrician, Shaffner, on hand, since the mechanism controlling it is a bit more complex. Marietta is mostly just a mechanic.

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>4369734
>Head down the maintenance shaft, get ready to attack the two grunts. (Roll 3d6+2 for both yourself and Marietta. Every point over an 11 gets a +1 to the first attack.)

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>4369734
>Head down the maintenance shaft, get ready to attack the two grunts. (Roll 3d6+2 for both yourself and Marietta. Every point over an 11 gets a +1 to the first attack.)

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>4369766

>>4369780
>>4369873
>>4369934
This is pain

>>4369751
>>4369780
>>4369873
>>4369934
>>4369937
Nimbly avoiding getting a shock herself, Marietta cuts at away branches of the main wires, through which a heavy amount of electricity flows uncontrolled into systems that regulate, switch, and stem the power as needed. Surpassing the emergency fuses, Marietta strips the two wires with careful fingers, trying her best to ensure she doesn’t become a part of the live system. Having chosen a smaller section of the wiring, it wouldn’t be the worst thing that could happen to her out in Black Mesa, but it would certainly hurt like hell.

Unable to test it without spending the distraction, Marietta simply has to trust that the wiring is good enough to be tapped together, at which point it will become live. However, she does test the power source itself, testing to make sure it activates by pulling around the charging port of her suit. While the power is far too slow to recharge the suit in any reasonable time, there is a notable charging indicator that, despite being correctly connected up to the power source, fails to activate. The line she chose for its safety is totally dead. Marietta turns back to you, and shrugs.

Having seen the lights work in the other rooms, you’d know that the larger power lines still work. However, with Marietta’s partial electrical expertise, it’d be foolish to play with that kind of power on a live wire. You’d need an electrician to further mess with the breakers., which you do have waiting a floor above, and happens to be rather quiet given that he was only barely noticed by Marietta.

With a wave of your hand to signal Marietta to follow, you start to clamber back into the maintenance shaft. You don’t hear Marietta follow, but trust that she’s behind you as you slowly and deliberately move through the tight metal chamber. Wires, thankfully still insulated in spite of the destruction brought about by the massive creature, surround you on either side running from the generator and into the breaker room.

Reaching the other side, you climb out first, taking point and cover as you duck behind the large, whirring generator. Marietta soon follows suit, and you see her goggles first, then her black silhouette second as she crouches beside you. Signalling to line up your shots, you both start to get in the best position possible, while keeping track of the targets.
(cont.)

>>4369978
(cont.)
Four players roll a 2d6, the first is for you, and the second is for Marietta. The top three rolls of each will be added into two 3d6+2s. If rolling takes longer than 45 minutes, feel free to roll twice.

Also, if you have a weapon preference other than the silenced pistols, please specify:
(Gabby.)
>Glock. (Small, weak, but good for saving a bit of ammo.)
>SMG. (All around multitool, chews through ammo, includes a small grenade launcher that you have no grenades for.)
>Revolver. (High wound threshold, low kill threshold.)
>Hivehand. (Generally low stopping power, but low wound threshold, and infinite ammo.)
>MK23 USP. (Stopping power lower than the revolver, but also makes no noise. Built in aiming assistance provides a bonus.)
>Shotgun(Close range, reliable.)
>Rifle(Powerful, but unwieldy while close and very loud.)
(Marietta.)
>Revolver. (High wound threshold, low kill threshold.)
>Shotgun(Reliable close range.)
>Grenade launcher. (Loud, and deadly towards armored targets.)
>SMG. (All around multitool, chews through ammo, includes a small grenade launcher that you have four grenades for.)
>USP. (Stopping power lower than the revolver, but also makes no noise.)

Rolled 2, 5 = 7 (2d6)

>>4369981
>Revolver. (High wound threshold, low kill threshold.)
>Revolver. (High wound threshold, low kill threshold.)
bazinga

>>4369981
How much ammo do we have for the shotguns?

Rolled 2, 6 = 8 (2d6)

>>4369981
>>4369984
This

>>4369986
Marietta has a full tube, with 6 in reserve, and you have I believe a full tube and eight shells.

Rolled 5, 4 = 9 (2d6)

>>4369999

>>4369984
>>4369986
>>4369995
>>4370029
If anyone wants to throw in one last roll, I'll get to writing.

Rolled 6, 1 = 7 (2d6)

>>4370123

>>4369984
>>4369986
>>4369995
>>4370029
>>4370139
You quietly acquire a bead on the creature, slipping behind a few wooden supply crates with military tarps placed over them. Peering about from this position, you don’t see any corpses that may have left these here.

Moving in synchronous with you, you watch as Marietta takes a slightly riskier position, watching for one of the two massive creatures heads to twist slightly, before she moves over to a control panel in the center of the room, where she lines up her own sights.

The both of you create an image of that first shot in your heads, line up your two possible targets before taking any shots, simultaneously considering grenades. Wanting the extra stopping power, you pull out your hefty Colt Python, then glance over to Marietta with it visibly in your hand, to tell her to do the same. The powerful magnum won’t be slowed down by their massive size, or natural carapace.

(Gabby)
(You currently have 59/100 health, and 32/50 armor power, and 50/50 cloak power)

>Throw a grenade at the grunts.(Specify between Frags(3), damage or wounds, concussion(3), stuns or incapacitates, flashbang(5), stuns or reduces aim, all vortigaunts will have to roll to avoid, taking the major effects below an 11, taking lesser effects below a 14. Avoiding grenades always cancels certain actions. Throwing grenades will not nullify your ambush bonus.)

>Fire at the first or second grunt. (Roll 3d6+6, every point above a 10 reduces the threshold. Threshold reduction is doubled above a 13, and the grunt will be given a -2 to any melee attacks.. The creature dies on a 16. -1/6+11 ammo. Specify if you have a preferential target.)

>Cloak(+4 defense +2 stealth, -3 Cloak power per turn. Can be done alongside any action.)
>Pop smoke. (-1/3 smoke grenades. +3 to defense, +3 to stealth.)
>Use a medkit on yourself. (-½ medkits, +15 health.)

(Changing weapons can be done alongside any action that does not require two hands.)
>Glock. (Small, weak, but good for saving a bit of ammo.)
>SMG. (All around multitool, chews through ammo, includes a small grenade launcher that you have no grenades for.)
>Revolver. (High wound threshold, low kill threshold.)
>Hivehand. (Generally low stopping power, but low wound threshold, and infinite ammo.)
>MK23 USP. (Stopping power lower than the revolver, but also makes no noise. Built in aiming assistance provides a bonus.)
>Shotgun(Close range, reliable.)
>Rifle(Powerful, but unwieldy while close and very loud.)
(cont.)

>>4370195
(cont.)
(Marietta.)
>Throw a grenade at the marines .(Specify between Frags(4), damage or wounds, concussion(4), stuns or incapacitates, flashbang(6), stuns or reduces aim, all vortigaunts will have to roll to avoid, taking the major effects below an 11, taking lesser effects below a 14. Avoiding grenades always cancels certain actions. Throwing grenades will not nullify your ambush bonus.)

>Fire at the first or second grunt. (Roll 3d6+6, every point above a 10 reduces the threshold. Threshold reduction is doubled above a 13, and the grunt will be given a -2 to any melee attacks.. The creature dies on a 16. -1/6+6 ammo. Specify if you have a preferential target.)

>Cloak(+4 defense +2 stealth, -3 Cloak power per turn. Can be done alongside any action.)
>Pop smoke. (-1/6 smoke grenades. +3 to defense, +3 to stealth.)
>Use a medkit on yourself. (-½ medkits, +15 health.)


>Cloak(+4 defense +2 stealth, -3 Cloak power per turn.)
>Pop smoke. (-1/3 smoke grenades. +3 to defense, +3 to stealth.)
>Use a medkit on yourself. (-½ medkits, +15 health.)
(Changing weapons can be done alongside any action that does not require two hands.)
>Revolver. (High wound threshold, low kill threshold.)
>Shotgun(Reliable close range.)
>Grenade launcher. (Loud, and deadly towards armored targets.)
>SMG. (All around multitool, chews through ammo, includes a small grenade launcher that you have four grenades for.)
>USP. (Stopping power lower than the revolver, but also makes no noise.)

>>4370195
We fire on first grunt, mari fires on second.
Ez pz

>>4370195
Gabby
Magnum to the first

Marrietta
Magnum to the second

Pop invisibility and line your shots if that helps.

>>4370222
>>4370264
With the bulbous, but rather low profile heads of the alien creatures alligned within the iron sights of both of your guns, you pull back the hammer, and can just barely hear Marietta do the same over the sound of the generator whirring. With a powerful .357 round waiting in the cylinder below, you depress the trigger. The short, crisp trigger pull of the revolver the revolver is met with a deafening bang as it releases a high energy round into its unaware target. A few milliseconds later, your fellow spy releases her shot as well.

Four players roll a 2d6. The first is for yourself, and the second is for Marietta. The top three rolls will be added into a 3d6+6 and a 3d6+8 respectively. If rolling takes longer than 45 minutes, feel free to roll twice.

Rolled 1, 1 = 2 (2d6)

>>4370312

Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>4370312
good start there

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>4370339
and forgot Marietta's roll

Rolled 5, 4 = 9 (2d6)

>>4370312

Rolled 1, 6 = 7 (2d6)

>>4370312

I wonder if I should up the thresholds on grunts, they do eat shit in the games.
>>4370319
>>4370339
>>4370343
>>4370379
Instantly the barrel of your gun jumps up, the sound booming through the air. Despite the grunts massive size and sheer resilience, two carefully placed magnum rounds are able to tear through the small space between their more helmet like carapace, and the material covering their backs. The bullets, traveling at magnum velocity, tear through their thick bulbous necks. First, the initial grunt's neck explodes explodes open, splattering out yellow innards across the exit door it guards. The other creature, not expecting anything to come from the rear quickly turns around. It's strange, square maw releases an inhuman war cry before its suddenly met with a round going right into the head. It's own armor acting against it, the carapace surrounding the creatures skull prevents the magnum round from overpenetrating, lodging into the creatures large brain stem.

More distantly this time, you hear the creature groan out loudly once again. The heavy blasts of the revolvers managed to reverberate down the maintenance shaft, and pulled the creature south. You can hear it now, tapping away at the breaker room.

Within the generator room isn't much of note, a large generator that supplies both the emergency power and the full infirmary power for the surrounding area. A door takes you down another one of the facility's many maze like maintenance hallways that you could likely track back into the infirmary when you have the entire party down here. The two grunts have at some point beaten a mindless zombie into a pulp. Looking from here you can see that anything that would be salvageable is already gone.

As you consider your options however, you feel the radio vibrating. Taking a quick check of the signal, you see the contact frequency the medic you employed as a mole earlier. It might be a good idea to wait, but you are curious as to what exactly they have to say.
(cont.)

>>4370473
(cont.)
>Call up the crew above, tell them to move up to the security room. (Roll 3d6, without a distraction, a 15 is needed to escape unscathed. With a distraction, a 10 is needed. Due to the creatures current position, you will need to provide a distraction. )
>Just call the electrician you met earlier forward. Have him take a look at the breakers before moving the whole party forward. (Due to the creatures current position, you will need to provide a distraction. )
>You're especially curious about whatever the medic has to say, and you never know if its , pick up the call now.
>Write in any clever ideas.
(Distraction options.)
>Head back into the breaker room, and recover the car. (Will bring the creature south.)
>Head back into the breaker room, and use the car to further distract the creature. (Roll 3d6, the car breaks below a 14. If you have a preference, specify north south east or west.)
>Use a grenade to distract the creature. If you have a preference, specify north, south, east or west, or if you want to use a grenade other than flashbangs.
>Write in any clever ideas.

>>4370474
>You're especially curious about whatever the medic has to say, and you never know if its , pick up the call now.
We're in no hurry

>>4370474
Were there any med stations around that we missed?

Gabby
>You're especially curious about whatever the medic has to say, and you never know if its , pick up the call now.

Marietta
Get the RC controller from Gabby, call the crew down, as for a distraction try to turn on the alarm

>>4370474
>You're especially curious about whatever the medic has to say, and you never know if its , pick up the call now.

Rolled 1 (1d12)

>>4370484
>>4370488
>>4370491
“Good work.” You say to your fellow spy as you look over the remains of the two creatures. Having been killed swiftly, they had no chance to harm you. With Guttman, Enrico, and now Shaffner waiting outside, away from the creature, you decide that you ought to not make your mole wait to give up his information, less he loses his opportunity to contact you.

“It’s good that we took them out quickly. If they’re head’s hooked up to the alien’s communications, we might have made it less likely for them to call for backup.” She mentions as you look at your radio.

Glancing over to Marietta as she looks at it curiously, ready to ask who’s calling, you explain, “It’s our medic from earlier calling. The one we recruited.” Before flicking the receiver on, and quietly saying, “Are you in a secure position?”

The line is silent for a minute, then you hear the medic respond. “Yeah. You’re good.”

“No one else is with you?” You expand.

“You’re fine. There’s no one listening.” The medic says, sounding almost irritated.

“Go ahead.” You say, allowing him to continue.

“Alright.” He says before taking in a heavy breath. You wouldn’t be surprised if he were in some sort of stuffy closet, where breathing is difficult. “After my squad was wiped out they rotated me back into reserve. Thanks for that by the way.” Before you get any chance to respond, he continues on. “Anyway, I’ve been hearing a lot more about what the brass has to say about all of this over here. The tones shifted pretty heavily in the past hour, especially since they’ve been getting more information. They’re liking the idea of pulling out more and more.”

“Why is that?” You ask. “Do they have a fallback plan?”

“I don’t know, but whatever’s happening, they’re going to do it soon. I’ve been overhearing a lot of buzzwords, like ‘shifting to counter-intelligence’ and all that. Whatever the plan will be, it’s eager. Buddy o’ mine said he heard one of the majors talking about an ‘abandonment deadline.’ Don’t really wanna know what happens to people who miss it.”

“So they’re thinking of falling back, and quickly, right?” You ask for the sake of confirmation.

“I guess so. None of them seem too happy about it though.” He explains. “I guess it makes you seem like kind of an asshole.”
(cont.)

>>4371806
(cont.)
>Suggest the possibility that they’re being coerced by other governmental forces. Has he seen anyone shady walking around the forward base?
>Just ask if he's seen a man in a blue suit, with sunken eyes anywhere around.
>Ask if he’s seen any changes of personality, odd behavior, or lapses of memory among the brass.
>Ask if he’s seen any changes in the kind of wounds the incoming casualties have been receiving as a medic. Embedded spikes like the sergeant mentioned? Forty-five rounds that Black Ops would be carrying?
>Write in a response or question.
(If you would like to end the talkl, pick one of the options below.)
>Call up the crew above, tell them to move up to the security room. (Roll 3d6, without a distraction, a 15 is needed to escape unscathed. With a distraction, a 10 is needed. Due to the creatures current position, you will need to provide a distraction. )
>Just call the electrician you met earlier forward. Have him take a look at the breakers before moving the whole party forward. (Due to the creatures current position, you will need to provide a distraction. )
>Write in any clever ideas.
(Distraction options.)
>Head back into the breaker room, and recover the car. (Will bring the creature south.)
>Head back into the breaker room, and use the car to further distract the creature. (Roll 3d6, the car breaks below a 14. If you have a preference, specify north south east or west.)
>Use a grenade to distract the creature. If you have a preference, specify north, south, east or west, or if you want to use a grenade other than flashbangs.
>Write in any clever ideas.

Updates are cutting off before 4 once again, forgot to mention I have work.

>>4371808
>Suggest the possibility that they’re being coerced by other governmental forces. Has he seen anyone shady walking around the forward base?
>Just ask if he's seen a man in a blue suit, with sunken eyes anywhere around.

>>4371808
>Ask if he’s seen any changes of personality, odd behavior, or lapses of memory among the brass.
>Ask if he’s seen any changes in the kind of wounds the incoming casualties have been receiving as a medic. Embedded spikes like the sergeant mentioned? Forty-five rounds that Black Ops would be carrying?
>Ask him about one Corporal Adrian Shephard. You'd like to know if he's been involved in any of this, in case that could lend you any clues as to the suited man's interest in him.

>>4371880
this

>>4371808
>>4371880
supporting

>>4371866
>>4371880
>>4372227
>>4372248

“I can see why they’d be unhappy about withdrawing.” You start. You know enough about military strategy to know how terrible retreating can be, oftentimes it’s the bloodiest part of any conflict. “But has there been any other strange changes in personality? Have the officers been acting in strange ways?”

“Well other than the fact that the brass, as usual, is chock full of geriatrics, no, I don’t think so.” He says, nonchalantly dismissing the fact as simply his leaders being idiots.

“What do you mean by that? Geriatric?” You ask.

“Ah... It’s command being command. They’re used to sitting back and reading this stuff through reports. When the new intelligence came in, I think it screwed them up. Started seeing what we’ve been seeing and now they’re out of it. The high ups don’t seem to be paying attention to their own briefings anymore. They just seem out of it.”

Having seen first hand how the aliens can creep into the mind of a person, you doubt that what they’re experiencing really has anything to do with psychiatric trauma. You don’t get that high in the ranks without a decent amount of mental fortitude. Not wanting to forfeit sensitive information, you don’t mention it to the soldier.

“Alright, well how about any changes in the incoming casualties. There’ve been reports of aliens I haven’t come into contact with yet. Have you seen any embedded spikes in marines?”

“Yeah. Shit’s getting even crazier. Saw one guy with something like that jammed in his leg. Another guy we thought was hit by a grenade, or mine or something, but there were these green spores growing all in the wound.”

You’ve seen plenty of xenian spores from all the alien growth that has been viciously invading Black Mesa, but you haven’t seen any green ones. If it was combined with an explosive injury, you can only expect another weapon.

“Black Mesa security usually uses nine millimeter, three fifty seven, or buckshot, and anything taken off the marines and used against them would be pretty similar. Have there been any other types of rounds that don’t really fit?” You ask.

“Yeah, a clip’s worth of forty-five. Have I said thanks for that yet?” He responds sarcastically. If he hasn’t seen any other CIA rounds beyond yours, that doesn’t mean other members of the CIA aren’t present, it just means they’re doing a very good job of hiding that fact.
(cont.)

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74 KB JPG

Rolled 8 (1d12)

>>4373269
(cont.)
Not wanting to get bogged down in an argument about what was an act of self defense, you just continue on with your questioning. “One more question.” You start. “Do you know anything about one of the divisions NCOs? A corporal, Adrian Shephard? Has he been involved in anything strange, before or after deployment.”

“I think he went missing yesterday.” The medic responds. “Bird’s went down, and they never heard anything about it. I wouldn’t know if they regained contact or not. I just heard people bitching about the crap jobs.”

“Have any of the suits shown an interest in the corporal back at Santego?” You ask.

“Well I remember he got kicked way up the list on training. Other than that, I think I heard something about a sex offender looking him up and down. You know the type, probably working for Lockheed or Boeing. Wears a nice ironed blue suit while looking twenty years older than he actually is.”

You do know the man, but you don’t mention that to the medic. All you say is, “I think I understand. Are there any easily accessible records on the soldier?”

“Well yeah. There’s all his documents as a soldier. That can be hard for someone like you to access.” He suggests. He’s right, your handler probably already has a line into the database holding it. It wouldn’t reveal much though, medical histories and test scores. That’s not why people get contacted by shady government types.

“Is there anything more private?” You ask.

“I think the guy had a diary.” The medic responds. “It’s probably still in his footlocker back at Santego though. You’d have to get someone in there, but those locks they give us are so shitty, you can usually just smack them with your gun when you lose the key.”

It probably wouldn’t be too hard to convince your handler to have a spy retrieve it for you. You have no doubt he’s already looking over Santego closely with on-site agents. Retrieving a notebook from a footlocker is not a difficult task.

>Write in any further questions for the medic.
>Call up the crew above, tell them to move up to the security room. (Roll 3d6, without a distraction, a 15 is needed to escape unscathed. With a distraction, a 10 is needed. Due to the creatures current position, you will need to provide a distraction. )
>Just call the electrician you met earlier forward. Have him take a look at the breakers before moving the whole party forward. (Due to the creatures current position, you will need to provide a distraction. )
>Head back into the breaker room, and recover the car. (Will bring the creature south.)
>Head back into the breaker room, and use the car to further distract the creature. (Roll 3d6, the car breaks below a 14. If you have a preference, specify north south east or west.)
>Use a grenade to distract the creature. If you have a preference, specify north, south, east or west, or if you want to use a grenade other than flashbangs.
>Write in.

>>4373272
>Call up the crew above, tell them to move up to the security room. (Roll 3d6, without a distraction, a 15 is needed to escape unscathed. With a distraction, a 10 is needed. Due to the creatures current position, you will need to provide a distraction. )
>Head back into the breaker room, and recover the car. (Will bring the creature south.)
Us recovering the car counts as a distraction since it moves the creature's location, right?

>>4373289
Unfortunately not, the creature is currently facing south already, which is where the party will be entering from.

File: 9f9.png (1.49 MB, 1065x902)

1.49 MB PNG

>>4373290
gotta alter your votes when you re-use them, broseph, otherwise confusion happens
In this case I'll change my vote to
>Call up the crew above, tell them to move up to the security room. (Roll 3d6, without a distraction, a 15 is needed to escape unscathed. With a distraction, a 10 is needed. Due to the creatures current position, you will need to provide a distraction. )
>Head back into the breaker room, and use the car to further distract the creature. (Roll 3d6, the car breaks below a 14. If you have a preference, specify north south east or west.)
West, I think.

>>4373302
Concur with harold

>>4373290
Can we get samples of the baby tentacle things? If we can use bc barnicles and hive hands as tools, then maybe we can do the same for the little guys.

>>4373272
>meaning that an attempted break in, or anything that the sensors consider an attempted break in, could trip an alarm.
Trip the alarm to give a distraction. We'll retrieve the toy car then get everyone moving.

>>4373289
>>4373302
I should have been more clear with that. I apologize. I should have wrote, "will keep the creature north."
>>4373375
>>4373386
>>4373440
That was for the civilian car you set off earlier. It was destroyed by the tentacle when you set off the alarm.

"Alright. I'll have it looked into." You say, being as vague as possible with your last sentence. "That's good information, thank you." You finish, before shutting off the reciever.

Before the medic closes up his comm, you hear him exclaim, "Shoot something ugly for me." You'll get to that, but for now you swap over frequencies quickly, returning to the radio given to Guttman. Before you start talking, you decide that it might be a good idea to collect samples of this creature. There are occasional juvenile versions of the beings in the breaker rooms.

"Guttman, is everything going all right up there?" You ask. You signal Marietta forwards, waving her up as you start to climb back into the maintenance shaft.

"Kid can't even be patient in the middle of a warzone, but yeah." Guttman explains. "We've kept out of site, and Mark's not done anything stupid yet."

"Good." You respond. "I'm gonna need to bring you through the building. If the three of you crawl under the shutter, you should see on the other side of the room is a security outpost. Make your way over there, and you should then have basement access. Head downstairs you should see me at the other side of the room."

"We have to cross two rooms with this affront to biology?" Guttman sighs. "That's our luck."
(cont.)

>>4373504
Will keep the creature south, I'm retarded.
(cont.)
"Don't worry. Just keep Enrico calm, and it will be fine. I'll have a distraction running for you. Wait until it's occupied." You explain as you snake your way out of the maintenance tunnel and back into the breaker room. Now whispering as you listen to the sound of the creature tapping on the connecting hallway, you add "And if you're gonna get heard, do it on the bottom floor, where I'll be able to help you." As you talk, you move the radio inbetween your chin and your shoulder, pulling out your knife, a small containment bag the CIA supplies in your standard kit for sensitive items, and find some of the more healthy looking tiny xen tentacles. While they aren't too uncommon in the alien growths, many of them clearly lack nutrients, being withered and colorless.

"I'll schedule it accordingly." Guttman says sarcastically. "I bet the Geneva convention is really wishing they didn't make agent orange a war crime now."

Four players roll a 2d6. The first d6 is for Guttman, Shaffner, and Enrico to sneak past the creature, and the top three will be added into a 3d6. The second d6 is to keep the remote control car alive as you use it as a distraction, and the top three will be added into a 3d6. If rolling takes longer than 45 minutes, feel free to roll twice.

(Optionally, respond to Guttman before he sneaks into the room.)
>Be glad that they haven't used any chemical weapons on the site. Modern bombs might be accurate, but we're well within danger close of rainbow herbicides.
>The more of these aliens you see, the more on board you become with the nuclear option.
>"After being shot at by your own countries soldiers, what in the world makes you think the Geneva Convention is stopping anybody?"
>You don't know. Maybe you could domesticate these things somehow, use them to smack seagulls out of the air at the beach when they steal someone's food.
>Write in a response.

Rolled 6, 3 = 9 (2d6)

>>4373505

>>4373505
forgot my vote
>You don't know. Maybe you could domesticate these things somehow, use them to smack seagulls out of the air at the beach when they steal someone's food.

that's hilarious

Rolled 2, 3 = 5 (2d6)

>>4373505

Rolled 5, 1 = 6 (2d6)

>>4373505

>>4373505

Rolled 1, 6 = 7 (2d6)

>>4373505
fucked up my dice roll

>>4373508
>>4373509
>>4373529
>>4373538
>>4373645
“You’re thinking too narrowly Guttman.” You reply with a smile under your balaclava. “We should be domesticating these creatures. If we can tame elephants then we can tame these things. Plant them along the beach and smack seagulls out of the air. Maybe the little rats will stop trying to take people’s food.”

Guttman doesn’t respond, his receiver is off. You would bet that he’s likely clipped it onto the PCV while he preps Enrico on how he needs to stay quiet. You hear Marietta chuckle at the quip however, a small ego boost among the extradimensional insanity.

You wait for a moment, then hear Guttman say, “We’re good to go,” pause a moment, then add, “Then people will be feeding these things their fries. Children too.”

You release one small chuckle as you retrieve the controller from your bag, producing it, then planning out a small circle to track it around unpredictably before you depress the trigger. You have to peer around the massive head of the alien plant while you do, just barely able to see the vehicle as it moves out of its position with a high pitched whirring sound emanating from its small electric motor. The creature once again moans, and begins to pull its head away from the hallway, retreating as you drive the vehicle westwards.

Above, Guttman keeps a close eye on Enrico, keeping his head turned far away from the carnage and bodies that were left by the creature smashing apart the military truck. The eight year olds breathing is heavy and frantic, but Guttman moves quickly, with Shaffner moving up ahead to reopen the security room door.

First Shaffner, moving at a pace quicker than Enrico and Guttman, appears at the top of the stairs. He quickly maneuvers around as the creature's unwieldy talon taps away at the vehicle spinning around on the ground. Then, as Enrico and Guttman follow after him, the small toy smacks into the side of the talon as it smacks once more into the concrete. It’s light frame bounces off, and the steering causes it to flip over. For another second, it continues to spin its wheels against the open air before the head slams down against it, scattering it into parts.

As this is going on, Guttman and Enrico continue on towards the breaker room. Enrico stares back at the creature as he does. Guttman having assumed the boy was still right behind him allows the boy to lag behind for just a second at the doorway. Enrico’s eyes glance over to the massive creature as it feels the debris left behind by the plastic car, then looks over to the zombified bodies. Right when you touch his shoulder to gently tug him into the breaker room, he looks up at you with genuine fear in his eyes. You can’t help but remind yourself of the fact that he’s not even looking at your face, just the balaclava and red-eyed optics.
(cont.)

>>4373776
(cont.)
With the entire party in the breaker room, through which you can easily leave the area, you start climbing one by one with the tunnel, starting and ending with the two people familiar with the maintenance shaft, yourself leading, and Marietta trailing the rear. As you help Enrico crawl out of the tunnel right after Guttman, you hear him quietly exclaim “Woah…” at the two grunt corpses, and the mess of gore the magnum rounds produced.

It’s now just a walk through old maintenance halls back to the infirmary. You don’t hear anything ahead. The halls are probably empty of anything you’d really have issues handling. You do have time to simply talk with your compatriots, new and old.

>Talk to Guttman about Enrico. He seems experienced with handling children. How is the boy holding up through all of this? What happens if his parents are nowhere to be found?
>Ask Shaffner about his story. What was going on with that massive zombified marine? How was he making out before the tentacle arrived? How did that creature get here?
>Ask Marietta about the specifics of your new acquisition. How exactly should one go about using a coupon for one free air strike.
>Write in anything you want to say or ask your party.

>>4373777
>Ask Shaffner about his story. What was going on with that massive zombified marine? How was he making out before the tentacle arrived? How did that creature get here?
I'm actually interested in this the most, because damn...he's lucky to have survived both a marine AND headcrabs/zombies showing up

>>4373777
>Ask Shaffner about his story. What was going on with that massive zombified marine? How was he making out before the tentacle arrived? How did that creature get here?

>>4373777
>>Ask Shaffner about his story. What was going on with that massive zombified marine? How was he making out before the tentacle arrived? How did that creature get here?

>>4373788
>>4373839
>>4374257
Work again today unfortunately.

As you peer around corners with your weapon ready, you talk to the electrician you’ve only recently met, asking, “Shaffner,” his attention quickly flicks over from his prized gun, which he’s currently checking over, towards you. “What’s your story down there? You said you were just an electrician. How’d you manage to survive marines and headcrabs. And that’s even before it tore out of the ground.”

The electrician is quiet for a moment, before he says, “I strangled them all with my bare hands. I used to practice on gorillas.”

“Then why don’t you hand that gun over to people who need it more?” Guttman mentions.

“Yeah sure just come over... “ Whatever rude, witty thing his tone indicated he was about to say trails off as he remembers that the three people around him are both his only way out, and outgunning him. “I think I’ll keep it.” He says instead. “But jokes aside, grew up in kind of a shitty neighborhood. Not the first time I’ve been around people who wanted to shoot me. Marine’s aren’t that different, they just got bigger guns and cooler heads, keep your head down and they shoot the loud-mouths first. Now, it was my first time up against a seven foot tall linebacker with a crab on his head.”

“And how the hell did you kill that?” You hear Marietta ask.

“I didn’t. The security guard did. The guy working yesterday’s shift was still with us, and had his gun. I stayed the hell back from that chaos. I just took the marine’s gun when more crabs started actually materializing out of thin air. I would have probably shot them, but when I saw them teleport right on top of a guy, it was goddamn judgement day. Turned tail, and locked myself in the security room. Became an even better idea when the marines started making camp, that’s when I got in the locker, and the beanstalk arrived to beat everything to a pulp.”

>Accuse Shaffner of cowardice. He left staff behind to cover his own hide.
>Tell Shaffner that he seems to be fairly smart, knowing when to duck or run.
>Don’t say anything to judge the guy. It’s cold, but you’ve been in that situation too.
>The real crime Shaffner committed was just taking the gun, and not the zombified marine’s high yield explosive charges while they still worked.
>Are you getting the full story here? What happened to the ambulance drivers, and the EMTs, they still seem unaccounted for.
>Write in any response or question.

>>4374651
I'm retarded, I've had my name and trips off this whole time.

>>4374651
>Are you getting the full story here? What happened to the ambulance drivers, and the EMTs, they still seem unaccounted for.

>>4374651
>The real crime Shaffner committed was just taking the gun, and not the zombified marine’s high yield explosive charges while they still worked.
>Are you getting the full story here? What happened to the ambulance drivers, and the EMTs, they still seem unaccounted for.
Zombies and alien food?

>>4374682
>>4374722
“I didn’t see the bodies of any paramedics or ambulance teams out there.” You ask, wondering if you’re getting the full story. “What exactly happened to them.”

“They left when the helicopters came. They would’ve been dancing if they weren’t so tired. Lotta people were saying over the walkie talkies that the government was called to pull us outta here.”

“You didn’t trust them either?” Guttman interjects.

“I’ve seen too many movies with this stuff man.” Shaffner replies. “The boys did too. We all sat back, and waited to see what happened to them. Really wish I was wrong about that crap for once. They started trying to wave down one of the helicopters, stared at it for a few minutes, then the soldiers started shooting. That’s when we all ran downstairs. I didn’t even see them take the hits, just started turning around when the first shot hit the ground.” He takes in a deep breath then sighs. “What are ya gonna do? Tried to talk ‘em into staying in the garage and watching how things go, but these guys were just like the science teams. Some stuff you can’t teach in school.”

You notice Enrico’s attention has moved to Shaffner, with a face like a child watching a horror movie he’s far too young for. “What if they got away?” He asks Shaffner.

Shaffners glance jumps over and down to see Enrico as he waits expectantly for an answer. You watch the electrician juggle his thoughts around in his own head for a few minutes before saying, “Yeah eeeurrgh, maybe they did. They’d probably be back in the facility somewhere, or made it to the infirmary.”

It doesn’t take psychological training to tell that he’s only saying it to make Enrico feel better.
(cont.)

>>4376308
(cont.)
As this conversation happens, you start leaving the dingy underground maintenance tunnels that, judging by their state of cleanliness, are probably only traversed by a single technician once every week. A security room takes you from the infirmary to the generator. On the other side of bullet proof glass is a rather impatient looking security guard, who sees you as you approach the glass. “You with the men in black?” He asks, and you nod affirmatively. “Come on through, they’re leaving soon. I’m just waving through any last civilians.” He opens the door with a quick scan of his ID. “Lotta people suspicious of you types.” He says as he urges you through the room. “People are wonderin’ if you really do wanna take us to safety. Thought you guys oughta know.”

You watch Shaffner shrug as the guard says this.

As he says that, getting a suspicious glare from Marietta, you start to consider your options now that you’re back in the infirmary. The extraction team is leaving rather soon, so anything you want to do before they leave, you should do now.

>Go leave Enrico with the Black Ops extraction team. Leave the boy’s safety and well being in their hands.
>Tell Shaffner to go with the extraction team. One civilian is enough for your team at the moment.
>Go check up on Kirchoff and Reilly. You owe Kirchoff a thanks, and Reilly may be feeling better.
>Find your vortal ally alone, see how it’s doing, perhaps further your vortal communications.
>See if you can get any last word in with Kleiner before the extraction team leaves. Perhaps get a trusted opinion on the Black Ops team.
>Call your handler, you received some decent information in that trip, it would be helpful to send it up the chain.
>Check out the anomalous storage facility, decide who, if anyone you will bring with you to the anomalous materials labs, or choose to hold off longer.
>Write in anything else you might want to do.
(Optionally, respond to the security guard.)
>The CIA can be ruthless, the guard is welcome to stay here if he’d like, but that’s not exactly a good option either.
>They’re certainly intimidating, but they’re no brutes. The black ops teams know that the staff are too important of an asset to waste.
>Lie to make them seem better. History gives the CIA a bad wrap, he can definitely trust them.
>Write in a response.

>>4376311
>Go leave Enrico with the Black Ops extraction team. Leave the boy’s safety and well being in their hands.
>Go check up on Kirchoff and Reilly. You owe Kirchoff a thanks, and Reilly may be feeling better.

>Write in a response.
We wouldnt be putting in the efforts to pull an extraction if we didnt think otherwise.

>>4376311
>Go leave Enrico with the Black Ops extraction team. Leave the boy’s safety and well being in their hands.
>Inform Shaffner about the extraction team. Leave it up to him if he goes with them, stays with you, or decides to go his own way.
Then
>Go check up on Kirchoff and Reilly. You owe Kirchoff a thanks, and Reilly may be feeling better.

And seconding the response of
>We wouldnt be putting in the efforts to pull an extraction if we didnt think otherwise.

>>4376311
Shouldn't we ensure one of the vortigaunts are extracted? Give us a secure channel to others in the CIA holding facility that even the cia won't know about 100%.

>>4376578
You can choose to tell the black ops team to take the vortigaunt with them if you wish.

>>4376603
sure

>>4376603
i wouldn't

Sorry for today’s slow update rate, been really tired.
>>4376578
>>4376711
>>4376726
Since this is something that could affect the plot quite heavily, I’m gonna run a more formal vote for it, with a small explanation of the consequences. For that vote, I’ll be assuming that your votes here are what you vote for on that, so you two don’t have to vote unless you change your mind.
>>4376480
>>4376505

“We wouldn’t have put the effort in to perform an extraction if we didn’t trust the Black Ops team. These people are cool headed, and hand picked.” You explain to the security guard, who looks partially uninterested.

“Not really arguing against it, miss. Don’t have much of a better option at this point, so I’ll trust them either way. Just thought that I should let you know about it. People are going a little crazy.”

It seems that being told to watch a door for the past hour or so has caused the man to return to the old habits of “observe and report,” even in an alien invasion being a security guard is incredibly boring. Doubly so when your supervisor has extra-constitutional authority, and your job still seems mundane. You continue on, leaving the guard to his post, likely to be called back to the group when the extraction team moves out. As you trek through the hospital, you notice immediately how much more lively it’s become. People are running about with containers full of medical supplies, while others run in the opposite direction with empty bags. The extraction party intends to use the full volume of staff before reusing Rosenberg’s teleportation equipment.

Following those with medical equipment already looted, you and your compatriots are led to a large crowd of doctors, scientists, and administrative staff crowded amongst Black Ops units directing them all. Occasionally, Ruppelt’s squad shouts further instructions, simple reminders like “Keep yourselves light,” and “The healthy have top priority on firearms.”

It’ll certainly be difficult escorting a group that large. Surface paths will be simply asking to become the target of an aerial machine gun, noise discipline will have to be enforced strictly, and much of the white lab coats and constrictive business suits will have to be abandoned.

“Shaffner, this is your choice.” You explain to the electrician. “I’ve called in a team of special forces to get Black Mesa staff clear of the facility. I won’t stop you if you want to stay with us instead, or even go off on your own.“
(cont.)

>>4376731
(cont.)
Shaffner looks over the crowd, reading their faces. “I don’t really like the idea of travelling with a bunch of einsteins.” He explains. “All the eggheads have the same problem as the EMTs. I’ll stick with you if I can leave anytime.”
“Fair enough.” You respond before you kneel down to meet Enrico. “You did good out there Enrico, but this is where I have to go. This place is really dangerous, so these men will take you to somewhere safe.”

“Where is that?” He asks curiously. “Will my parents be there?”

You can’t really promise either way, so all you say is, “They might. You’ll be going to a machine that will take all of you far away, just like in the movies. Then a helicopter will pick you up.”

As you’re about to stand back up, Guttman leans over, and says, “What do you say I go with him?”

The sentence takes you by surprise. Marietta immediately chimes in, “I think you’re a little more than a civilian at this point Guttman.”

“Yeah well, I came with you guys for a way out, and this is a way out.” Guttman retorts. “But more so, the kid. People in ski masks ordering him around in a big crowd with aliens will freak him out. I think he should have someone at least somewhat familiar to go with.”

As you consider your response, you can’t help but think of the fact that Guttman has filled a rather critical purpose in your team, keeping people alive. The man saved Reilly’s life, has kept you healthy after taking both alien bee stings and gunshots, and has neurological knowledge that has proven rather useful in the path to understanding your pounding migraine.

It could be easy to say, "there's nothing keeping you here," but it wouldn't really be true. Guttman's been in close proximity to classified information, and that means he isn’t really in much of a place to make these kinds of decisions. Without the ignorance of Shaffner, saying “it’s up to you,” would probably just cause him to choose whatever he assumes the CIA wants, being that him taking a bad route could mean being silenced by your superiors.

>Kleiner and Wythoff are in the group already, you could fill that role by introducing Enrico to either of them, they’re both rather nice people.
>Marietta’s right, Guttman is more than a civilian. He’s worked closely with you long enough that he has a position with the CIA that, with some of your own pull, could probably become official. He should stay with you for his own sake.
>The extraction group has plenty of medical professionals, even pediatricians, your party only has one medic, and that’s Guttman, he stays.
>Guttman’s right, he should leave with the extraction team. He already offered up one seat for your supply drop in the apartment.
>Guttman’s a scientist, and that means his skills will be useful more in a lab than out in the field, he ought to go back and put them to use.
>Write in a response.
(cont.)

>>4376734
(cont.)
Guttman suggesting he leave the facility also brings to mind another thought. The vortal test subject you spoke to earlier is still upstairs, and given that the Black Ops team is leaving soon, now is your last chance to send him off with the extraction team. On one hand, sending the creature to the CIA would open new avenues of study, but on the other, you did note that the creature had an interest in the anomalous materials lab. Sending him away now may prevent you learning what exactly the creature wanted from the anomalous materials labs, and you don’t yet know the importance of what it wanted with the place. There's no telling what you may find in the test chamber, but the same could be true for what the vortigaunt could teach the CIA about its knowledge, and what the creature might tell you about the CIA, if you can find another vortigaunt to speak to it through.

>Send off the vortigaunt with the extraction team. Will be useful for keeping track of your handler, and for understanding vortal neurology.
>Keep the vortigaunt with you. May help you in understanding the anomalous materials laboratory.

>>4376731
>>4376578
>>4376711
>>4376726
>so you two don’t have to vote unless you change your mind.
Just to be more specific, I mean the second vote with the vortigaunt, not the one with Guttman. Also I meant to say you three.

>>4376734
>>4376736
>Marietta’s right, Guttman is more than a civilian. He’s worked closely with you long enough that he has a position with the CIA that, with some of your own pull, could probably become official. He should stay with you for his own sake.
I would hate for Guttman to be blackbagged once he reaches CIA hands. The extraction team is not an ideal way out that would allow him to go innawoods afterwards as suggested all those threads ago.
I've changed my mind on my vortigaunt vote,
>Send off the vortigaunt with the extraction team. Will be useful for keeping track of your handler, and for understanding vortal neurology.

I think if we find another vort we could ask what this vort wanted with Anomalous Materials, alongside the other benefits of sending a vort to the CIA.
The vortigaunt also has cool superpowers to help keep Enrico safe.

>>4376734
>Marietta’s right, Guttman is more than a civilian. He’s worked closely with you long enough that he has a position with the CIA that, with some of your own pull, could probably become official. He should stay with you for his own sake.
>has "combat" experience
>proven to be able bodied in the field
>has killed aliens
tbf he's building up a pretty good portfolio. If things go well he could probably have a place in the CIA with probably better benefits than he had at Black Mesa. Some food for thought Guttman.

>Keep the vortigaunt with you. May help you in understanding the anomalous materials laboratory.
best friends!

>>4376734
>>4376736
>>Guttman’s right, he should leave with the extraction team. He already offered up one seat for your supply drop in the apartment.
>Keep the vortigaunt with you. May help you in understanding the anomalous materials laboratory.

Rolled 1 (1d2)

>>4376747
>>4376757
>>4376915
>>4376578
Bit of a late start today, appointment went on longer than I expected.
There's two for keeping the vortigaunt, and two for sending him off. Gonna do a tiebreaker. On a 1, you keep him with you, on a 2, you send him off with the extraction team. Either way, 2/3 votes ask Guttman to stay, so that roll will not affect the decision.

>>4376578
>>4376747
>>4376757
>>4376915
>>4377949
“If you go with them Guttman, you’re gonna get black bagged, and then become just another civilian asset to handle.” You start. “You’ve got a good portfolio with the CIA by now. I can get you a more solid position with us that you could help a lot more people with.” You watch his face as you say this, and can immediately tell that he’s thinking of his own son.
Guttman chuckles, saying, “You’re offering me a long term position? Has this all been the CIA equivalent of an unpaid internship?”

“It is now.” You say jokingly. “I like my coffee with milk and no cyanide.” Before Guttman attempts to get the last laugh in with some other comment, you continue. “But I’m serious. You’ve killed aliens, you’ve performed a brain scan on anomalous subjects, and are suitable for field work. You could do good work in the CIA. Enrico already has highly skilled agents surrounding him, you’ll be better off as a field agent.”

“I can’t imagine there’s any easy way to keep this entire incident in the past is there? Get a nice trip to an island nation somewhere I’m too busy not caring about the rest of the world to leak it to the press.”

“This isn’t the kind of information the CIA easily forgets.” Marietta interjects. “Agent Oppenheimer’s offering you a pretty rare opportunity, Guttman. If you get away, you’re either going to spend your life under federal watch, or you can be the watcher.” Said rather poignantly, you and Marietta seem to have Guttman genuinely considering it.

Guttman takes a deep breath, then says, “Sure. I’ll stay. The CIA seems to be the only people who at least know what they’re doing for the moment.” He glances down to Enrico, then back up to you. “I still want the kid to have someone I trust with them. You go on ahead, I’m gonna find someone I know from the infirmary for him to stick with. I’ll meet back up with you.”

As one of the Black Ops shouts out, “Hey, grab the security guards,” tapping his wrist watch, “we need to move out soon,” Guttman starts looking over the crowd for the paramedics.

As you see him spot one of the medics in the crowd and start trying to get his attention, you decide on what you want with the vortigaunt. There will be future opportunities to extract the creature, even if he has to ride alongside your own ticket out of here when this is all done, but you don’t know if there will be safe opportunities to ally with more vortiguants along the way. As well, the anomalous materials labs are unpredictable to their fundamental physical laws due to the resonance cascade, having a guid who understands it immensely will be useful, not to mention how he could help your own mind. As Guttman explains to Enrico who he’ll be going with, and that he can trust this person, you once again consider your options.
(cont.)

>>4378071
(cont.)
>Write in any last things you want to say to Enrico before he heads off with the extraction team.
>Go check up on Kirchoff and Reilly. You owe Kirchoff a thanks, and Reilly may be feeling better.
>Find your vortal ally alone, see how it’s doing, perhaps further your vortal communications.
>See if you can get any last word in with Kleiner before the extraction team leaves. Perhaps get a trusted opinion on the Black Ops team.
>Call your handler, you received some decent information on that trip, it would be helpful to send it up the chain.
>Check out the anomalous storage facility, decide who, if anyone you will bring with you to the anomalous materials labs, or choose to hold off longer.
>Write in anything else you might want to do.

>>4378074
>Call your handler, you received some decent information on that trip, it would be helpful to send it up the chain.

>>4378083
Allowing Guttman to take a moment to ensure Enrico’s safety among the extraction crowd, you pull your compatriots away from the crowd. The hallways are rapidly starting to thin of human life as Black Mesa staff answer the last call for leaving with the group. A few nurses carrying prescriptions for scientists along the trip run past you, and security guards leaving behind their posts follow by as well. Abandoning one of the last few bastions for Black Mesa staff will mean that this place will probably soon be just as infested as everywhere else, be it by marines or by aliens.

Pulling the group into an unoccupied room, you quietly tell Marietta, “Keep Shaffner out of earshot,” before you touch your radio, “Guttman too when he gets back.”

You carefully set the encryption codes to ensure that no prying ears in the military can tap into your discussion, then set the frequency. Rather quickly a younger, exhausted voice picks up amongst the sound of people making calls, shredding papers, and discussing strategies. He goes through a set of security checks before handing the receiver over to your handler.

“Oppenheimer?” The gruff voice of your handler responds. “Did you get your supply drop before the DoD?”

“Affirmative.” You respond.

“Good. That equipment you got is expensive stuff. I can’t blame you for asking for it, but make good use of it down there. Moving it doesn’t come cheap.” He responds sternly.

“Understood, I intend to.” You respond. “I’ve got some things to report however.”

“Go ahead.” Your handler says. You can hear him grab something, perhaps a notepad.

>Negotiate giving Guttman CIA privileges with classified intel, allowing him to be more in the loop with these things. (Roll 3d6+2, pass on a 14.)
>Report the attention Colonel Shepherd gathered from a certain “Investor,” and ask your handler to attempt retrieval of the soldiers journal from Santego for more information. (Roll 3d6+2, pass on a 10.)
>Just report the interest Black Mesa’s “Investor” has had in a certain Colonel Shephard.
>Report that the marines are evacuating the facility some time soon, and that they will be doing it fast enough to leave some behind.
>Write in anything you’d like to report or request.

>>4378281
First thing's first.
>Report the attention Colonel Shepherd gathered from a certain “Investor,” and ask your handler to attempt retrieval of the soldiers journal from Santego for more information. (Roll 3d6+2, pass on a 10.)

>>4378281
>Report the attention Colonel Shepherd gathered from a certain “Investor,” and ask your handler to attempt retrieval of the soldiers journal from Santego for more information. (Roll 3d6+2, pass on a 10.)
>Report that the marines are evacuating the facility some time soon, and that they will be doing it fast enough to leave some behind.

>>4378281
>Report the attention Colonel Shepherd gathered from a certain “Investor,” and ask your handler to attempt retrieval of the soldiers journal from
Santego for more information. (Roll 3d6+2, pass on a 10.)
>Report that the marines are evacuating the facility some time soon, and that they will be doing it fast enough to leave some behind.
>Negotiate giving Guttman CIA privileges with classified intel, allowing him to be more in the loop with these things. (Roll 3d6+2, pass on a 14.)

File: forgetaboutfreemantank.png (611 KB, 604x421)

611 KB PNG

>>4378287
>>4378288
>>4378313
“A mole I’ve recruited has finally gotten back to me.” You say. “A medic was sent back to reserves when his squad was injured. He claims to have been hearing reports down from the brass while he was there. It seems that the situation is finally starting to look too hot for the military to handle. They’re planning to drop the cover up at an unknown time, and anyone who misses the bus out stays behind.”

“That’s not as good as it sounds.” Your handler says. “Freeman is bad enough as it is. The department of defense leaving their own behind could mean a platoon of rogue elements with their own weapons training. It’ll also mean we can’t help out with keeping our operative’s zones clear, playing the books to swap out the heavy armor and aerial bombers with infantry wherever we know our people are working. If they leave tank crews behind, you might meet them.”

“That’s not all.” You state. “Are there any previous reports of Corporal Adrian shephard?”

Digitized by both the receiver, and your encryption process, you hear a small click.

“I recognize the name.” Your handler says, clearly unsure of it. “But that was probably just over radio chatter.”

“According to some of the marine’s, the investor Dr. Breen told us about has an interest in him, just like he does Freeman.” You explain. “I don’t know much about the man, but I’ve been told he keeps a diary. Sources say he most likely keeps it in a footlocker back at Santego base. Would it be possible to acquire it?”

Four players roll a 1d6. The top three rolls will be added into a 3d6+2. If the sum is greater than or equal to 10, your handler will attempt to retrieve it.

Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>4378420

Rolled 2 (1d6)

>>4378420

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>4378420

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>4378420
Second roll

>>4378437
>>4378474
>>4378519
>>4378623

Your handler takes in a deep breath, allowing it to slowly filter out of his lungs as he considers the idea. "I'm not exactly in love with the idea of putting undercover agents at risk to learn about a marine's feelings."

"Sir, with all respect, I doubt that it's just things personal to merely him. It's likely more often used as a collection of deals, arrangements, and recordings of his training regiment at Santego." You explain, having personally stolen similar documents. Being an NCO, one with the interest of the stranger you met earlier, means he's likely a decently intelligent man, but even smart soldiers often trust too easily in poor security. "I should also note that military footlockers are incredibly low security. There are many oppurtunities to be alone, and most bypasses require little time and skill."

Your calm and confident explanation of your motives makes his rather surprising reluctance seem unjustifiable. Your handler simply responds, "I guess I can't argue. I'll try and get it sometime soon, but it's the agents choice of when they do it. It might take some time to get alone in the colonel's barracks."

"Thank you." You respond cool, and professionally. Once again, you hear a click beyond the reciever.

"Anything else?" Your handler responds.

As he says this, you see Guttman approaching Marietta, where she's currently occupying Shaffner to prevent the civilian from prying on your current conversation.

>Negotiate giving Guttman CIA privileges with classified intel, allowing him to be more in the loop with these things. (Roll 3d6+2, pass on a 13.)
>Report that the evacuation may not be all the idea of the brass, as your source reported numerous psychological symptoms in the officers at base.
>Write in anything you’d like to report or request.
(If you would like to end the call, please pick one of the below options.)
>Go check up on Kirchoff and Reilly. You owe Kirchoff a thanks, and Reilly may be feeling better.
>Find your vortal ally alone, see how it’s doing, perhaps further your vortal communications.
>Call your handler, you received some decent information on that trip, it would be helpful to send it up the chain.
>Check out the anomalous storage facility, decide who, if anyone you will bring with you to the anomalous materials labs, or choose to hold off longer.
>Write in anything else you might want to do.

>>4378686
>Report that the evacuation may not be all the idea of the brass, as your source reported numerous psychological symptoms in the officers at base.
>Negotiate giving Guttman CIA privileges with classified intel, allowing him to be more in the loop with these things. (Roll 3d6+2, pass on a 13.)

>>4378437
>>4378474
>>4378519
>>4378623
Can I just be amused by counting?

>>4378790
This

>>4378686
Inform Handler that we grabbed a little tentacle creature sample that's still fresh. It's mature form is massive and spans an unknown length underground. For the most part its blind or has extremely poor eyesight, and relays on sound to find prey. I dont know how useful it will be to you guys, but it's something. I wish I could get more.
Ask Handler if they would like to examine and study the Hivehand. It's an organic weapon that fires angry bees, but on steroids and meth. It seemingly had an infinite amount of munitions. The Hivehand and Tentacle samples might be worth something to the CIA IF their agents haven't already retrieved some of those samples.
Ask if there are any high priority land based alien threats then need to worry about. We might have something that can take care of it.

>>4378790
This

>>4378790
>>4378875
>>4378935
>>4378982
“Yes.’ You say in response to your handler's question. “The military’s division command might not be in the right mind for operation. My sources are reporting psychological symptoms among command. His descriptions were vague, but I’d like to put forward the possibility that they may be affected by the same manipulation we saw in the ambush team this morning.”

“It’s not an easy thing to prevent when it’s impossible to record.” Your handler responds. “It's good to have at least an idea. We’ve been amping up our automated security in the hopes that they can’t get into that.”

“I’ve also received a few fresh biological samples from the invaders.” You explain. “Specifically, the infantile form of a large plant-like tentacle that can grow to the size of buildings. Without any nutrition it will likely be safe. I’ve also acquired and have been using one of the alien’s own weapons, a creature roughly the size of a pillow, that produces small insectoid projectiles to be fired at high velocities and burrow into the skin of targets.”

“I’d say keep them on you for now.” Your handler responds. “Every sample we’ve brought back has the biologists scratching their heads. It’d take months for any helpful analysis. If you think you don’t need them, hand them over to the next black hawk you come into contact with.”

“Understood.” You say calmly. “One final thing. I’ve been working closely with a civilian neurologist, who twice now has neglected evacuation. He’s been helpful in the field, especially with understanding certain alien phenomena and has a useful place as a medic. I think he should be given permission to be informed of classified intelligence.”

Four players roll a 1d6. The top three rolls will be added into a 3d6+2. If the total is greater than or equal to 13, the roll succeeds. If rolling takes longer than 45 minutes, feel free to roll twice.

>Optionally, write in anything that might show Guttman as being unwilling to leak important information. Be specific, past actions taken, or responsibilities given. Good arguments will lower the threshold.

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>4379192

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>4379192

>>4379192
Oh, right. The arguments.
The best argument I can think of at the moment is focusing on the fact that, according to the facility's documents, he's had plenty of experience dealing with abnormal brain activity associated with people who have had contact with the xenos. When you have memory-altering aliens running around, that's the kind of man you want on your team - and informed, to boot. The more information he has to work with, the more he'll know about what to do, what they fucked with, and how to fix it.

The information about his specialty was never actually revealed to us by him, it was something we had to specifically seek out and discover through facility documents. That shows an ability to be discrete and keep secrets.

>>4379208
The main concern of your handler at the moment is whether or not Guttman can be trusted to hold onto information, so explaining his usefulness I'll say is only a +1, however focusing on the fact that you had to find that out yourself, rather than him revealing it to you at any point, raises it to a +3, making the DC a 10.

If anyone wants to throw in one or two final roles, second roll or otherwise, I'll try and get to writing the next update.

Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>4379192

Rolled 2 (1d6)

>>4379192
'Scuse me, that wasn't a d6. Too used to rolling d100.

Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>4379292

>>4379292
Can we ask Guttman after that call, if there exists some sort of portable Black Mesa brain scan device?

>>4379208
>>4379371
You could certainly ask, but you'd be rather surprised if there was, Guttman would probably have mentioned it earlier.
>>4379198
>>4379200
>>4379345
>>4379358
It's all good.
>>4379368

"And how do you know you can trust this guy?" Your handler responds. "What makes you think he's safe to be taken beyond a need to know basis?"

"Dr. Guttman was the neurologist assigned to handle classified neuro-imaging for scientists in contact with the aliens before the incident." You explain calmly. When working with the CIA, there's a fine line between making a case and questioning orders, and its mostly determined by tone. "There are people in our own team who were affected by the aliens counter-intelligence, and numerous marines and Black Mesa staff who have likely been manipulated as well. We need someone like this working with us, and he'll work far quicker with the full picture."

"The man's expertise isn't as important as his mouth." Your handler quips in response. "Your right, he is useful, but if he told you all of that, then there's no telling who else he might tell our secrets."

"He didn't tell me that. I had no suspicion of it, and was completely in the dark to the work he performed with the lambda labs until coming across a set of documents outlining the fact, documents whose security was not under his control." You explain to your handler. "When asked why he had been trusted with the information, he revealed that he was apathetic to any ethical obligations the information might bring him. With enough incentive from the CIA itself, he'd be willing to keep quiet with little oversight."

"Hmm." Your handler seems to say, genuinely considering it. You stated it professionally, and calmly, as he would expect. "Alright. But until we can get a full interview and background check with the man, anything out of his mouth is your responsibility. You're clear for a briefing."

"Thank you sir." You respond.

>Write in any last things you’d like to report or request.
>Now that Guttman is cleared for classified information, it's time to brief the man on what you haven't been telling him.
>Go check up on Kirchoff and Reilly. You owe Kirchoff a thanks, and Reilly may be feeling better.
>Find your vortal ally alone, see how it’s doing, perhaps further your vortal communications.
>Call your handler, you received some decent information on that trip, it would be helpful to send it up the chain.
>Check out the anomalous storage facility, decide who, if anyone you will bring with you to the anomalous materials labs, or choose to hold off longer.
>Write in anything else you might want to do.