The
four began the Danger Room "exercise" cautiously, realizing stepping
on any of the squares could trigger problems, Able using his "Fix"
skill disabled the panel in front of him rendering it safe to step on. Bras
Hombre tried to do the same, but he was no tech. Osric took a few
tentative steps into the room, only to come face to face with a robot popping
up from the floor in front of him and beginning to activate it's taser hands. Osric swung his melee
weapon and beheaded the robot. Varlo stepped into the room and jumped back
avoiding the pit trap that opened up beneath him. Soon more robots were
triggered. Then the thing...the Hybrid Mergence MOVED! It scuttled across the
room quickly, triggering traps as it moved, another robot popped up and then
some form of thick vision obscuring fog, then the Hybrid Mergence triggered a
pit trap and fell into the trap.
The Hybrid Mergence
Able
decided this was his chance and dashed across the room and dove into the pit
after the thing. With each step he made a loud click occurred...multiple robots
appeared, a Gatling gun popped up in the corner and whirred into life, barrels
of some sort of flaming substance shot out of the wall and fire spilled out
into the room approaching the edge of the pit containing Able and the
thing.
Then
things went really wild, the robots that activated the prior round now moved
towards the four. This trigged explosions, more robots, including a life-like
robotic version of Stalin (who drew its pistol), a crevasse appeared dividing
the room, and an Energy Cannon appeared. Varlo nearest to the Gatling gun, safely got to
the Gatling gun (although a robot was now activated right beside Bras Hombre). Varlo hacked into the
Gatling gun's system and was able to manually take control of it (he rolled so
well with his skill check that he altered the things programmed damage output
and rate of fire). Bras Hombre was locked in combat with a robot, while Osric used his psionic
powers to telekinetically lift Able (now holding the Hybrid Mergence) out of
the pit and towards the exit. Robot Stalin popped off a shot at the airborne
Able hurting him but not "killing" him. Just as a flaming barrel
emerged from the wall and melted robot Stalin into slag. The Plasma gun
activated, misfired and overheated blowing up. Bras Hombre had managed to pry
up a floor panel giving him some cover from all the chaos. A blizzard of ice
and snow(WTH?!!) activated in the middle of the room spilling over into the
crevasse and mixing in with the flames from the burning barrels, steam made
visibility even harder. As robots were taken out more appeared in their place.
The words of the robot announcer at the start of this fiasco echoed in their
heads...this was an "Introductory Scenario" to the danger
room?!
Unbeknownst
to the party, their encounter was being broadcast on more channels across Riot,
and even a few bars on the orbiting Outlaw Station. Varlo then used the
reprogrammed Gatling Gun to unleash a massive volley of "bullets"
across the room, robots were taken out... along with Able and Bras Hombre!! In
all this chaos it was friendly fire that took out half the party. The party
couldn't hear it but bar patrons cheered as Val (unintentionally?) took
out two of his teammates. Osric knowing they were
about to go down in flames (literally?) dashed to Able's fallen form,
retrieved the Hybrid Mergence and was able to open the exit door. The program
ended, the fires, fog and blizzard dispersed. The simulation was ended.
Bras Hombre and Able shook their heads, groggily waking up, bruised but alive
and with bad headaches.
The
robot announcer instructed the four that the exercise was over, and directed
them to the freshers and to return the Hybrid Mergence to the containment cube
now appearing in the room. Osric started in that direction, but then he
sensed something. The Hybrid Mergence was a living thing! And it was projecting
emotions to Osric...fear, sadness,
most of all it wanted to escape this place! Osric realized it had
some level of sentience and some level of psychic ability...at least some level
of empathy. At the last minute Osric swapped out a small ration pack from his
gear while stowing the creature in his clothing he dropped the ration pack into
the containment cube, acting like he was returning the Hybrid Mergence, which
now was secreted under his clothing and then excited the Danger Room. Varlo grinned from ear
to ear, while Able gave him a menacing glare and Bras Hombre shook his head.
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