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Post by Tomahawk on Jan 12, 2005 14:34:49 GMT
"Quickly, tell me what you know of this place! Don't bother asking whether I can be trusted, you don't have much choice."
There was an audible exhale, Hmpf! followed shortly thereafter with
“So ein scheiss ist… How am I to be knowing anything here? I am prisoner, captive, test subject. The doctors use those chairs and tables for… how you say? Interrogation. Please, I have done nothing- I am innocent woman! Help me!”<br> The menu popped up after a few seconds- evidently, this system must be keeping track of several things at once, otherwise it’s reaction time would be much quicker. Shrike quickly scanned and read the menu:
MENU-MAIN 1. RUN DIAGNOSTIC SCAN 2. INDIVSYS SCAN MENU 3. SYSCONFIG MENU 4. MASTER RESET 5. EM POWER OVERRIDE SHUTDOWN 6. COMMAND MASTER OVERRIDE
"If you want to help . . . then help! Otherwise shut up and let me concentrate on what I'm doing!"
“Pfah! Russians. The guards will come, you know- then you will have a cage like all the rest of us!”<br> Suddenly, Shrike's comlink started to cut in again.
"....fzzzzzztt... ike, this is Earthbound. If you read, please resp....fzzzzttt... ain building power still down. Guards on sec....fzzzt your way. Have you on Sat-Therm. Come... fzzzzzzzt... Do you read me? Over!" Janson's voice sounded practically frantic over the link, cutting in and fading out.
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Post by Silverback on Jan 12, 2005 15:28:25 GMT
Leo ignored the protests and comments from the 'inmates' of this . . . establishment.
"....fzzzzzztt... ike, this is Earthbound. If you read, please resp....fzzzzttt... ain building power still down. Guards on sec....fzzzt your way. Have you on Sat-Therm. Come... fzzzzzzzt... Do you read me? Over!"
Jansons voice was breaking up badly. There was no sure fire way to seek help from the security expert. Especially now time was becoming ultimately critical. "I'm here Janson, about to enter the individual systems scan menu, hopefully will be able to locate the data-packet through the back door. Over." Shrike tapped in the command and awaited the systems response.
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Post by Tomahawk on Jan 13, 2005 0:22:07 GMT
Shrike's PDA sprung to life, and came up with the individual systems menu.
INDIVIDUAL SYSTEMS MENU 1. CELL STATUS REPORT 2. STASIS POD STATUS REPORT 3. LIFE SUPPORT STATUS REPORT 4. EMERGENCY POWER STATUS REPORT 5. AUD/VID SECURITY LOG 6. DL SYSTEM DIAGNOSTIC-> USB_EXT_B
His comlink crackled back to life again, and he heard
"What? Nega...fzzzzt... ion specs! Objective is...fzzzzzzzttt... dent system. Repeat, the main...fzzzzztt... ot connected to...fzzzzzttt... puter. Access is one...fzzzzzzt... ub-basement lev...fzzzzzt... out of time! Over!"
Although it was difficult to make out exactly what Janson was trying to say, it was becoming more and more obvious by the tone in his voice that something had him more than a little bit concerned...
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Post by Silverback on Jan 14, 2005 14:56:08 GMT
Leo's finger crept over the computer face searching out the USB port. Locating the cavity he plugged the PDA's USB cable into the socket and selected the system diagnostic menu.
From the urgent tone of his voice, and the little fragments of message he actually received, it sounded like company was heading for the sub-basement fast. Whilst the computer was transferring data to the PDA in the background Shrike returned to the main menu and sought out the controls for the buildingd security systems and the energy field controls for the basement.
Whether they could be trusted or not would be discovered soon but he needed the help of the inmates in this jail of theirs.
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Post by Tomahawk on Jan 15, 2005 11:43:31 GMT
Shrike's fingers deftly navigated back through the various menus he had previously read, and he found the entry to deactivate the containment fields easily enough. When the computer responded with a prompt requesting a command code, he quickly switched the PDA's hacking system online, and let it do it's thing.
Meanwhile, a barely audible Ping![/i] from the PDA let him know that the data he had been downloading had completed. He quickly disconnected the USB cable and stowed it safely away. A seperate Ping![/i] a second and a half later let him know that the hack program had discovered- and entered- an accepted command code.
Within moments, the energetic crackling of the fields holding the "inmates" ceased it's incessant background noise, and Shrike knew that he had successfully deactivated the fields, freeing those trapped behind the barriers. At the same moment, he heard very distinct and tell-tale sounds of movement- apparantly, the "inmates" had also noticed that they were no longer confined. In less time than it would normally take a person to count, Shrike's trained ears picked out the sounds of 5 seperate approximately human-sized beings moving, their footfalls to his ears awkward and untrained. There was another new sound as well, something moving, something considerably... bigger? Heavier? Several voices and sounds all bombarded him at once:
"Ja! Frei! Ich bin- ahhh! Was- What have you now done?!" The woman's voice was clearer now, without the distortion no doubt being caused by the energy fields previously in place. He could tell now that there was a certain silkiness to her voice which he hadn't detected before.
"You Kommunist knarr! You have opened all the containment fields! Now the- look out!!!" The sound of the man's voice reminded him of a seasoned old-timer, yet the tone itself seemed much younger. It made him wonder-ever so briefly- if perhaps some sort of modifications- how he hated the word- had been done.
The other voices were a cacophony of shrieks, exclamations in languages Shrike didn't have time to recognize, and other sounds which reminded him quite a bit of being at the Zoo.
He also heard the very distinctive Hssssssss[/i] of a door sliding open, and many curses being thrown out in german, as the men rushing through the door met with a wall of crates in their path.
But those weren't the sounds which really bothered him at the moment, rather it was yet another sound, a deep, throaty sound, which echoed through the chamber and practically battered him about with it's intensity.
"RRRRAAAHHHHOOOOAAAARRRRRGGGGHHHH!!!!!!!![/color]"
Whatever it was, it was big, and it didn't sound particularly happy, either.
"Shrike, this is Earthbound, do you copy? The target mainframe is on the second sub-basement level, on a system independent from the other computers. You'll need to use the retinal duplicator and card-key hack to get into the chamber. It's the only thing on that level, and it's hooked into the power supply in the level you're at now. Shrike, come in, do you copy? There's alot of chatter going on on their radios- they know something's up! Shrike? Can you hear me? Please respond if you copy- Over!"
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Post by Silverback on Jan 17, 2005 11:23:20 GMT
". . . have you now done?!"
". . . look out!!!"
*Hssssssss*.
"RRRRAAAHHHHOOOOAAAARRRRRGGGGHHHH!!!!!!!!"
". . . hear me? Please respond if you copy- Over!"
Shrike quickly picked up the tranq pistol from the keyboard. Keen hearing picked up tell-tale signals from his sonar bouncing off the large figure making animal type noises. His arms jerked slightly as he placed three closely grouped rounds, hopefully, into this potential adversary. The pistol made an almost inaudible pfft, pfft, pfft as the rounds were discharged under the power of compressed air.
"You . . . woman, follow me." He shouted as the presence of the guards and the message from Janson made him realise that he'd wasted too much time. "The rest of you, if you want out of here, help delay those guards. Only use force if they start shooting, they may be as innocent as you."
Without waiting he sprinted for the spiral staircase and opened the channel to Janson, "this is Shrike. The mission has been compromised . . . I repeat, the mission has been compromised. They reacted too quickly to our presence. I suspect we've either got a mole or sympathiser to deal with!" Leo paused slightly as he clattered down the metal stairs. Nearing the bottom he continued. "I'm now in the lower basement. I've freed several . . . 'prisoners' on the level above me. I'm going to get them all out after I've located the primary target. Over."
Without waiting for the reply he quickly scanned his surroundings as he called up the relief plan for the floor on the PDA.
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Post by Tomahawk on Jan 18, 2005 10:27:21 GMT
A slight thik, thik, thik, hardly audible over the barrage of sounds and noisesby any but the most heightened of senses let Shrike know that he had connected with his shots from the Tranq-pistol. Despite the fact that he knew he hit, he couldn’t detect any noticeable change in this large being’s movements. It almost seemed as if this ‘person’ hadn’t even felt the darts, much less their effects.
"You . . . woman, follow me."
“Wie Bitte? Why- Oh! Ok, ok, you lead the way!” the woman with the silky voice replied, obviously a bit hurried, and more than eager to be anywhere than where she was at the present moment.
The cries of response to Shrike’s other commands directed towards the ‘inmates’ of this place were quickly lost in the ensuing barrage of noises. Evidently, they were more intent on running for cover from this larger being than they were in showing any signs of bravery.
As Shrike and the unknown woman(?) made their way swiftly down the metal staircase, They could hear echoing from the chamber above them tell-tale sounds which Shrike immediately recognized.
brrraaaappp- braaappp- brrrrrrrrrrap![/I]
His mind quickly registered: AK-47. Well, at least he knew a bit better to what extent these guards were armed, and of what they were capable- and willing- to do.
Shrike’s PDA quickly pulled up a very brief “File Not Found” error in his request for a map of the sub-basement level 2. He quickly assessed the situation, and found that a map, in this case, would be totally irrelevant. Unless his sonar-senses were completely deceiving him, the door to the chamber he was sent here to infiltrate lay no more than ten feet in front of him.
“BAAAAHHHH-ROOOOOOOOOOGH”<br> The voice- or better put, sound coming from above was one of rage, and of such an intensity that Shrike’s hearing was practically overwhelmed, even being an entire floor below. Above could also be heard sounds of things shattering from some sort of impact, cries and screams mixed with gunfire, and something very large, very ticked off.
“Copy that. I’ve lost you on my scanners- you must be too deep. Wait a sec- prisoners?? That wasn’t in the mission briefing! What the hell is going on in there??”<br> “Not that I am being not happy for being rescued from this place, but are we not going the wrong way to be getting out of here, mein Herr?” The woman’s voice interrupted Shrike’s thoughts, a bit calmer now, but nonetheless harried.
“fzzzzzzt…ike! I’ve found another escape from the level just above you- it’s on the other side of the elevator shaft- you’ll have to send the elevator up, and then…fzzzzttttt….” Janson’s voice was obviously excited, but something seemed to once again be interfering with their communications frequency.
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Post by Silverback on Jan 21, 2005 13:13:38 GMT
“. . . hell is going on in there??”<br> “. . . getting out of here, mein Herr?”<br> “fzzzzzzt…ike! I’ve found another escape from the level just above you- it’s on the other side of the elevator shaft- you’ll have to send the elevator up, and then…fzzzzttttt….”
Leo ignored the chattering woman and made a mental note of the hidden entrance mentioned by Janson. The sound of semi-automatic rifles in the room above was a worry but for the moment he had to concentrate on finishing his mission. As he quickly stepped up to the security door he tossed the tranq gun and cartridges to the prisoner. "Here, change the cartridges and shoot anyone who comes down those stairs. Anyone you don't know that is."
Without waiting for a reply he slotted the PDA hack card into the security slot and presented the retinal duplicator to the optic security system. As he waited for the devices to perform their routines he opened a channel to Janson. "If there's a transmitter I'm going to upload the data directly to you. Repeat. If there's a transmitter I'm going to upload the data directly. Out."
As he completed the transmitter the door slid open with a silent hiss as the security system beeped in welcome. "Find some cover and make sure you've got that door in your firing arc. I've got some work to do!" Shrikes sonar painted the room with echoes and rebounding sounds until he located what could only be the mainframe. Pulling a chair up to the terminal he plugged in the PDA and set to work.
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Post by Tomahawk on Jan 24, 2005 12:30:47 GMT
As the door started to slide to a close, Shrike could hear sounds reminiscent of demolitions echoing down from the chamber above. Gunfire mixed with screams in a macabre symphony of destruction of colossal proportions, at least from the sound of things. One sound troubled him more than the others though, that being a hardly- audible squitchhh which reminded him of a handful of grapes being effortlessly crushed, however from the sound itself, it led him to believe that it was something other than wine that was being pressed in the chamber above. Whatever was going on up there would have to wait, however- he had work to do.
His PDA’s encryption cracking software made short work of the passcodes for accessing the mainframe- thanks, no doubt, to the intel gathered from the courier. Checking his own systems diagnostics quickly, he found that sending and receiving transmissions from this room was not going to be an option- it seemed to somehow be sealed from outside radio contact. That meant he couldn’t contact Janson with the data for upload, and Janson wouldn’t be able to radio him with any updates he had from his Sat-Therm imaging, or from his vantage point outside.
No matter, he had all the necessary equipment on hand to complete the data download and the virus upload.
In a matter of less than a minute which felt more like hours, the work was done. Shrike had downloaded the data onto the MemStick and implanted the virus which would erase the mainframe’s systems irrevocably. Pushing himself away from the terminal and making his way to the door, Shrike opened it and was practically run over by the woman, pushing desperately from the other side. His sonar quickly painted a picture of the corridor strewn with rubble, and instead of the sounds of destruction which he’d heard before, there was an eerie howl of wind in it’s place. He could also make out vague sounds of movement still coming from the chamber above, but it was decidedly much stiller than it had been before.
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Post by Silverback on Jan 26, 2005 12:32:02 GMT
"Tvoyu mat'!" Shrike shouted in shock and surprise at the cacophony of noise emanating from the floor above. 'Damn well sounded like a combat zone!' With a sense of relief the PDA beeped an indication that it had successfully completed its task and, shoving the PDA into its holster, Leo ran to the exit and was almost bowled over by the female rescuee barging through the security door.
Catching the woman he noted the rubble-strewn corridor beyond. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?" He shouted at the woman, grabbing her arms she managed to focus on him, and nodded her head in way of reply.
"Stay close to me and follow me up the stairs okay?" Only releasing one arm he goaded the half-reluctant woman into action. As they approached the cluttered stariwell he listened intently for signs of life and movement on the floor above. He cautiously climbed the stairs waving silently to the woman that she should have the tranq gun ready.
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Post by Tomahawk on Feb 5, 2005 10:44:03 GMT
Half-reluctant was putting it mildly, Shrike noted to himself- it appeared that the woman was in a slight form of shock. Whatever sounds and impressions of the devastation taking place above which he had received and perceived, she had just lived through it first hand, without the benefit of having a sliding door coming between her and… whatever was the cause of the disturbance.
The whipping sound of the wind whistling in from above was unsettling, especially considering the fact that they were in a basement level, well below the earth. If the sky and wind were somehow now exposed, that could only mean that whatever had been in the room prior had made some modifications- most notably a skylight- through at least two floors worth of stone and steel. Another sound mingled with the wind, almost sounding like wind itself, which Shrike failed to instantly recognize, until his attention snapped to and he recognized the faint Fssss…hssss….zzzzzzttttt….[/color] as the sound coming through on his Communications Link with Janson. The channel was open, and he was receiving a transmission from his comrade, but all that was coming through was the faint white noise of static.
The floor above was, for the most part, quiet. Shrike quickly noticed that there were no entities standing, aside from himself and the woman he was half-dragging behind him. He could make out shapes which he decided were at one point guards, many of which were mangled, crushed, and… broken beyond any sort of recognition.
Focusing his heightened senses, he made out a sound of heavy breathing punctuated by sporadic coughing coming far off to his left- near the exit to the elevator shaft- probably human, possibly not. The Stasis pods which had been bubbling beforehand no longer made their tell-tale gurgling sounds, and from at least two of them, Leo could make out semi-sloshing sounds of motion. Slowly, other sounds of movement started coming to him, most from the same general direction as the breathing sound, and he made out at least four other human or human-sized beings moving ever-so-slightly.
From behind him, a very soft, hardly audible sound coming from near the power generators disturbed him more than anything else- a faint, digital deet… deet… deet… steady, but slowly increasing in it’s speed. Shrike’s trained instincts immediately registered “countdown”.
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Post by Silverback on Feb 8, 2005 11:10:10 GMT
"Zaebis'!" he cursed at the devastation that lay all around him. The crackle of static over his handset told him one thing straight away - Janson was out of action, possibly even dead. Leo would have to worry about that later. He had more immediate concerns.
The low sound of moans and groans emanated all around him from the prone figures crippled by the events of the past few minutes. Whatever had caused it was going to be a problem. 'Maybe it had made its own exit." A small shiver ran down his spine at the brute force required for such an action.
Grabbing the woman by her arms again he forced her to look straight into his visor. "These people need help. Understand?" He gently grabbed her chin, "hey!. Focus. These people need our help!" He was pleased as she began to nod in understanding.
"Go to the elevator and send the car up to the next floor. Prise the doors open and you should find another way out of here okay?" He paused as she nooded once again. "Good, I'm going to get these people . . . " A noise caught his attention.
deet… deet… deet…
"HURRY!" He shouted as he ran to where, what he assumed to be an explosive device, the source of the noise was located. Hoping for a placed charge he might have time to use the secure room below to deaden the blast.
In the background he heard the whir of elevator motors as the ex-prisoner acted upon his instructions. 'Now to deal with this device.'
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Post by Tomahawk on Feb 9, 2005 13:29:07 GMT
Shrike quickly ran over to the source of the sound- hardly audible over the groaning and moaning of the power generators, obviously somewhat damaged in the chaos that had so recently engulfed this chamber. In a matter of milliseconds, he located the device itself, a box about a foot and a half square, attached to the center generator. Using his sonar-enhanced senses to map out the depth of the cables attached, he discovered that they seemed to run directly to each of generators. A faint yet distinctive whining sound coming from the device led him to believe that chances were good that this device was somehow remotely activated.
Shrike found himself wishing he’d taken the time to enlist in that Demolitions/ Dem. Disposal course after all…<br> Behind him, he could hear that the former prisoners were making progress along the escape tunnel, which had been left open in their haste to escape.
The slight beeping sound began to speed up, going from one beep per second to one per half second…<br>
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Post by Silverback on Feb 10, 2005 14:15:49 GMT
"Oh god, no!" He disclaimed in disbelief at his bad luck! Why couldn't the damn thing have been a shaped charge?' There was no way he'd be able to deal with the device without cremating himself. He was left with only one option.
"Leo this is a good day to survive!" With those words the russian sprinted for the elevator shaft, hoping he had time to get to safety. 'What to do?'
He quickly formed a plan that may help him, and the prisoners, escape without serious injury. Arriving at the wide open doors he quickly slapped the call button and quickly yanked out the scissors holding them ajar. Hopefully he'd be able to get through the exit and underneath the descending car before the charges detonated. 'Hell, I may even get out alive!'
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Post by Tomahawk on Feb 13, 2005 8:42:59 GMT
Leo slammed his fist on the ‘call’ button while yanking the scissors holding the doors ajar free with his other hand. As the doors began to close, he swiftly ducked between them into the elevator’s shaft. With a loud whrrrrump! and Ca-Chink Chunk! the elevator car readjusted and responded to it’s new commands- much quicker than Shrike had anticipated. Fortunately, he was exceptionally well trained for such quick-acting situations, and he deftly somersaulted through the open escape tunnel, landing fully on his feet at a dead run. Behind him, he could hear the Bing! of the elevator reaching it’s destination, as well as the Ca-Chunk! of the mechanisms locking it in place on this floor. But Shrike had little time to waste listening in on the subtle sounds of the situation.
He ran quickly down the escape tunnel, his sonar mapping out his immediate surroundings. The tunnel itself seemed clean and empty, a semi-circular tunnel with a flat walkway bottom, approximately five-foot radius, were it to be a completely tubular affair. In a matter of moments, he caught up with the last of the escaped prisoners, and near as he could tell many if not most of these beings were horribly misshapen- no doubt a result of the “experiments” that had been taking place in that awful chamber he’d left behind.
A muffled Whuuuummmpp and shaking of the tunnel let him know that the explosive device had detonated- fortunately he was correct in his assessment, and the elevator had taken the brunt of the damage and prevented the fiery devastation from reaching out with it’s greedy tendrils into this hatch. Overtaking the former prisoners and assuming the lead position, he came into a circular chamber approximately ten feet in diameter with a metal ladder affair driven directly into the concrete walls, leading up to a submarine-like sealed hatch above.
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