We All Fall Down

September 29, 2005

George (ooc): Odd-numbered autocars are like odd-numbered Star Trek movies - doomed to fail.
Dick: Right. Autocar #2 pulls away from the transbot and slows down, leaving the boarding party to fend for itself, and fend for themselves they do. The two thugs facing off with Donald-R fire their slugthrowers at him.
Donald (ooc): I'm almost out of Pervs, so I'll just have to take it.
Dick rolls in secret - 18 and 10.
Dick: The one you actually hurt in a significant way is still seeing spots, so his slug flies wide. The second one plugs you in the gut, and the force of the blast knocks the wind out of you somewhat, but it doesn't have any real effect (Okay). The thug in the caboose does not take kindly to the demise of his buddy. He takes aim at Samuel-R with his slugthrower.
Samuel: 3 Pervs to defend myself.
Dick rolls in secret - 7.
Dick: The slug tags your weapon arm, sending a little spray of blood against the wall behind you (Wound). The thug in autocar #4 takes another shot at Alberto-R.
Alberto (ooc): I, too, am almost out of Perversity. I'll just have to take my chances.
Dick rolls in secret - 2.
Dick: This time, his aim is steady. The slug hits you in the torso grazing your lung (Down). Make me an Agility check.
Alberto rolls - 15.
Dick: Doubling over in shock and pain, you swan dive off the back of the transbot and face plant on the rail, breaking your neck as you tumble several meters at high speeds. Doing anything interesting, Condi-R?
Condi: Nope.
Dick scribbles a note.
Condi: Hold on. Wait! What I meant to say is...
Dick: Donald-R.
John (ooc): Wrong answer, Condi.
Donald: I smile at the thug in a way that says "you've just made the biggest mistake of your life" and grab him by the throat, I want to pick him up by the neck and throw him off the transbot next turn.
Dick: Unarmed, and have a point of Perversity for gloating over an armed opponent.
Donald rolls - 7.
Dick: You get a firm grip on his neck and lift him up, his legs flailing for purchase. George-R?
George: Has the thug in the caboose walked past me, yet?
Dick: Not completely, no. He might still be able to see you out of the corner of his eye.
George: I'm going let the Thymoglandin do my work for me and continue to play dead.
Dick: John-R? You're already feeling bored cowering behind a crate.
John: I'm going to end this by firing two shots from my laser pistol at the thug in the caboose. Spending 3 Pervs on each attack to raise the specialty to 19.
John rolls twice - 9 and 2.
Dick: He steps forward and right into your first laser, which decapitates him. For an encore, you cut him in half at the waist, neatly dividing him into three roughly equal parts.
John (ooc): Sweet.
Dick: Samuel-R?
Samuel: I'm going to chuck a grenade at the autocar behind us. Spending 5 Pervs to raise Thrown to 9.
Samuel rolls - 9.
Dick: The driver tries to swerve away from the grenade, but the shrapnel still showers him and the thug in the autocar with him, wounding both of them and ruining what's left of the autocar's paint job.
Dick: As the majority of the autocars drop out of sight of the Power Services sleeper, the technicians drop from mezzo forte to piano.
Condi: What the? Oh.
Dick: The Technical Services technicians are on their feet with weapons drawn and trained on you and Power Services technicians, who abruptly stop singing.
Tim-O: "Nobody move, and we won't have to hurt anyone. Everyone, please raise your hands above your heads."
Dick: Donald-R, the struggling thug fires at you again, as does his companion.
Donald (ooc): Don't have the Pervs to spend.
Dick rolls in secret - 20 and 7.
Dick: The hanging thug's slugthrower picks that moment to jam. His companion gets a decent shot in, but it fails to penetrate your kevlar. Meanwhile, back in the caboose, the thug with the slugthrower decides he doesn't want to swallow any more grenades and make a leap for the platform at the back of the caboose.
Dick rolls in secret - 5.
Dick: He makes it, but the extra inertia causes him to tumble between George-R and Samuel-R. Little announcement to those of you who are currently dead. You can still spend Perversity to help or hinder rolls. As soon as his buddy is on the transbot, the driver of autocar #4 slams on the brakes and lets the transbot race away. Condi-R, what are you doing?
Condi: Raising my hands, of course. (Condi sings) "Don't worry. Be happy."
Condi passes Dick a note: Using Charm to help defuse the situation.
Dick rolls in secret - 17.
Dick: Donald-R?
Donald: Throwing the thug off the transbot.
Donald rolls - 3.
Dick: He flails madly at the empty air before landing on the ground, rolling with rapid loss of speed as his body takes shapes that cannot be healthy for it. George-R?
George: So, his back is to me, right?
Dick: More or less, yes.
George: I'll stand up while his attention is on Samuel-R and line up for a nice clear shot at his head.
Dick: Have a point of Perversity. John-R, you're bored again.
John: I could finish this thug off with a quick zip of my laser, but then I'd be out of ammo and without anything to do for my second action.
Samuel (ooc): I don't like the direction this line of reason seems to be taking...
George (ooc): Hello? Crates full of WMDs...
John: I'll drop the laser and pull out a grenade, which I'll roll at the thug. Spending 5 Pervs to raise Thrown to 13.
George (ooc): Do the rest of us have any say in this?
Dick: But of course. Cap it at 5 Pervs apiece, but spend away, everyone.
George: Spending 5 Pervs to reduce Thrown to 8.
Samuel: Spending 5 Pervs to reduce Thrown to 3.
Dick: Anyone else?
Alberto: None here.
Donald: How many times have you died, George?
George whistles innocently.
Donald: 2 Pervs to raise it to 5.
Condi: We must be close to the end of the mission, by now. 5 Pervs to raise it to 10.
Tom: I've died three times, so far. 5 Pervs to raise it to 15.
Dick: Roll it, John.
John rolls - 4.
George (ooc): Dammit! I give you a combat booster, and this is how you repay me?
Dick: The grenade rolls between George-R's legs and into the thug's foot. He looks down with a panicked expression and kicks it away from the group of you. The grenade sails to the front of the caboose, and Samuel-R instinctively recognizes the threat and takes a few steps toward the other two. The grenade bounces off the wall and would probably have stopped there, but the weight of the stuff in the crates has warped the floor such that the grenade rolls quickly back to the three citizens near the back of the caboose, stopping at their feet just a moment before it explodes, ripping the legs off all three of them so they bleed to death in a matter of seconds.
Alberto (ooc): Triple kill!
Dick: Condi-R, the technicians seem to consider your solution for a moment before everyone on both sides draws their lasers and starts shooting each other.
Dick rolls in secret - 13 and 11.
Dick: Two Power Services REDs (Pete-R-RNM and Jim-R-RMO) and one Technical Services RED (Jeff-R-DNM) drop during the first turn of the firefight. Now the teams are tied. The surviving thug in the Technical Services car throws down his weapon and holds up his hands. "Brick dude, sir, I surrender. The Karma is strong with you, man." John-R?
John (ooc): I have things I want to do, but they can wait until you finish this conversation with Donald-R.
Dick: Sounds good. Donald-R?
Donald: "Give me one reason why I shouldn't execute you on the spot, traitor!"
Dick: "Because you want what my boss has. It's amazing the relics of Old Reckoning you find when your sector descends into anarchy..."
Donald: "Who is your boss?"
Dick: "Isn't it obvious?"
Donald (shouting): "No!"
Dick: He covers his ears. "You don't have to shout. Osama-B."
Donald: "Why did you attack the transbot?"
Dick: "Someone has to distract Tim-O and his cronies long enough for the transbot to reach the nuclear reactor."
Donald: "Are you saying Tim-O wants the mission to fail?"
Dick: "Who do you think programmed the killer bots?"
Donald (shouting): "That's a rhetorical question, isn't it?!?"
Dick: "Ouch. Yes. He would have succeeded, too, if it weren't for that annoying John-R-KRY and his Commie mobs."
Donald: "Where can I find Osama-B? I've heard stories about his...collection."
Dick: "Help me stop Tim-O from sabotaging this mission, and I'll make sure you meet him."
Donald: "Why do you want our mission to succeed?"
Dick: "IRQ Sector is in complete chaos. Food is short and there is violence in the corridors. No one really wants to live under these conditions, myself included."
Donald: "You tried to kill me."
Dick: "I couldn't be sure you weren't on Tim-O's side in this."
Donald: "How do you know I'm not?"
Dick: He shrugs. "You shouted at me whenever I asked a question, even rhetorical questions. Osama-B has heard of you Donald-R and believed you might be amenable to a deal."
Donald: "What is your name?"
Dick: "There's no time. Now that our distraction is done, Tim-O is almost certainly causing trouble, again. Where are the technicians?"
Donald (shouting): "This way!" I point in the direction of the Power Services sleeper and let him lead.
Dick: He leads. When you reach the Power Services sleeper, you can hear the sounds of battle.
Dick passes a note to Donald: The thug opens the door slightly and rolls a grenade inside.
Dick: John-R?
John: I search the thugs' bodies for anything identifying his loyalties.
Dick passes John a note: You find a few miscellaneous odds and ends. One has a small, paper envelope with something solid inside.
John passes Dick a note: Stepping out onto the landing at the back of the caboose and examining the contents.
Dick rolls in secret - 5.
Dick passes John a note: There is a red token that looks a bit like a plasticred but not enough to fool anyone. There is also a note that reads - "Board and defend the caboose. This token will ensure you control the situation at the reactor until I arrive. - O"
John (ooc): Greaaat...
Dick: Condi-R, what are you doing?
Condi: I'll hose them down with Gelgernine and try to convince them to sing some more.
Dick: Unfortunately, it would appear you've exhausted you supply of Gelgernine aerosol.
Dick roll in secret - 15 and 1.
Dick: The Technical Service technicians drop Lisa-Y and Gordon-O, this turn, as well as Jim-R-RKY and Conrad-R-RMT, without taking any serious injuries themselves. The three remaining RED Power Services technicians drop their weapons and surrender. Tim-O points his laser at you. "I suggest you follow their example, Troubleshooter." What are you doing?
Condi: I, um, follow their example.
Dick rolls in secret - 10.
Dick: At that moment, a grenade rolls into the crowd of technicians from the back of the sleeper car. It explodes, showering everyone in the car with shrapnel (Wound). If the technicians weren't behaving chaotically before, the certainly are now.

GM - Vice President Cheney
Alberto-R-GZS-1 (Alberto) - Attorney General Alberto Gonzales
Condi-R-ICE-1 (Condi) - Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice
Donald-R-UMI-1 (Donald) - Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld
George-R-BSH-1 (George) - President George W. Bush
John-R-SNO-1 (John) - Secretary of Treasury John Snow
Samuel-R-BMN-1 (Samuel) - Secretary of Energy Samuel Bodman
Tom-R-IDG-1 (Tom) - Former Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge