[Snowpocalypse] Open Sesame (L 2.6)

Rich

Lemma,

It's been a few days at least, getting things sorted. Kemper sent some guys around for the machine and press, so you had to drop everything to wrap that up. Then, Butter came by to bitch at you about the Sky Mote... how did you get past that?

So a couple days later, you get the tools and shit you need to crack that safe in the Russian sub. Did you bring Marmot? Did you bring her inside this time?

We pick up at the moment when the seal breaks. The air pressure whuffs out slightly and you know the baby is open, ready for you to pry it.

What do you do?

Transcriptase

Butter and the Sky Mote... Well, I've got admit, I'd let that stuff slide a little. Still, she could see it was all still there, and I've got some plans drawn up that I tried to talk her through. She left unhappy, but she came in unhappy, too. I'll have to try to have some progress made before next time.

It's hard to believe the Sky Mote could have slipped to second on my priority list. But here we are.

Oh, yes, we. Just carrying all the stuff I needed was a lot of work, and there's no doubt this is an educational opportunity. Marmot was less traumatized to start out with, and I'd successfully gone in and come out safe, so I was able to talk her into coming down.

Which was good. You try maneuvering a canister of acetylene through an abandoned submarine by yourself sometime.

I flick the torch off, flip up the mask, and pry the door off the room.

Rich

Lemma,

The door groans its metallic protest as you pull it from it's moorings. The damn thing was heavy, but you manage.

Inside is what you expected, a small room with tubes to the outside. Big bullets were put in those tubes to be shot underwater at enemies.

There's a skeleton here, still wearing his uniform, clutching a leather-bound book with golden-edged pages. At his feet are two large cases.



You open them up to find that one is full of books in several different languages, many of them journals written by hand, many hands. The other is a smaller cases, lighter, tighter. Inside are vials and bottles and instruments, all strapped neatly inside. Some of the vials are full of ruined and spoiled liquids, others still have junk in them. Nothing is labeled, many of them have wild colors. Also, in the smaller case, several crosses and the Star of David. Not that you'd know what they are, but yeah.

What do you do?

Transcriptase

I pack the cases back up to haul them out where I can look at them.

I reach for the book in the skeleton's hands, too. While I'm here, I'll go through his pockets, make sure I don't miss anything.

Before we leave, though, I want to take another look at the reactor. What would it take to get it out of here intact?

Rich

To Lemma,

You find a long-dead white device with a small screen, like stuff you've worked on before, but pristine. Also, some nice beads on a string with a little cross on it, some candies in waxy paper wrapping, and a small red pocketknife.

Marmot is behind you, "Whoah... that's really amazing." Hushed tones, like she doesn't want to disturb anything.

Getting the reactor out? You'd have to get a forklift down here to lift it out of the sub. Make a new tunnel to the surface for the lift and the reactor. It would take a fuckton of jingle, it would be very obvious and open, putting you and yours at risk. Like you said, might be easier to set up shop down here.

Transcriptase

"Yes. This is why we go into dead strange machines in the dark... things like this."

I'm packing up, looking appraisingly at the space around me. Enough room for a hold, and enough power for a city... it's a treasure I don't know if I have the strength to keep, but I can't turn my back on it.

I go in to start fixing the reactor.

Rich

Lemma,

That just takes time. You knew what you needed, I'll assume you had the seals, or can make do. The cooling rods take some work. It takes some work to figure out what to do with the spent cooling rods, but trial and error and some use of intuition, you get it ready to fire over the course of a few days. Lucky for you, you brought food, right?

It's evening, the reactor is pretty much ready to go, and you've been trying to decide when to flip it over. That's when there's a huge rumbling, like a small earthquake, sending icicles down like hail. A couple cracks in the ice above you form. Not enough to cause any real damage. But damn scary.

What do you do?

Transcriptase

Shit.

I'm not claustrophobic, but I don't want to die in an ice cave collapse any more than anyone else does. Also, I just put too much work into this to have it buried again.

There's this tingly feeling you get when you might die suddenly and there's nothing you can do about it, like a voltage spike into a circuit with no ground.

When that fades, I check out the cave's structure. It looked okay when I came in-- did something happen to shake it up?

It occurs to me that, if I'm going to be down here a lot, I'm going to need to shore the cave up to make sure it won't collapse again. And it should be easier to get in and out... but maybe not too easy. The task of claiming this place is stretching out in front of me.

Rich

To Lemma:

"What wuzzat?" Marmot asks, all nervous and skittish. "Are we moving down here now, Lemma? How're folks gonna get to us?"

Transcriptase

Can't blame her, on either count.

"I don't know, but it seems like some kind of big explosion up top. Unless there are a bunch more like it, I think we're okay."

"As for moving... You're right, it's hard to get down here, and nobody knows where to find us. And there's a lot of work to be done. But... eventually, I think everyone will know where this place is."

"The shop's still home for now. In fact, I'd like to get back to it. Let's just see how this works..."

I make my way to the reactor and throw the main switch.

Rich

To Lemma,

The reactor kicks on, and the turbine starts spinning. It takes a few moments for things to kick in, and it sounds worrisome until things fire just right. But you know your shit. The reactor comes on.

All the lights flicker on, in this room, the other rooms nearby, gauges, dials, moving. Hell, even the circulated air starts working.

Marmot starts laughing, surprised, then amazed. "Holy shit! Holy shit, Lemma!"

Transcriptase

I let out a deep breath and laugh with her.

"Whatever else we need to do down here, we can do it with light and heat."

I put a hand on her shoulder.

"It's been a long few days, and I need to think about where we go from here. Let's go home."

I take a couple more seconds to enjoy the light, the air, the thrum of the turbines, and then start the shutdown sequence.

We pack up and work our way out the tunnel. At the place where I melted the entrance, I stop and set up a simple trapdoor: a circle of scavenged metal with a handle on it, wedged into the ice. I throw some chipped ice over it. It wouldn't fool a determined seeker, but it should keep any casual visitor from wandering in.

I head back to the shop, with two suitcases full of mysteries and a whole host of new projects to plan.

Rich

To Lemma,

Marmot watches close as you work the reactor, carefully trying to memorize what comes naturally to you. When the power finally dies out, she muses, "Dang. First time I felt warm in weeks."

Then she's picking up your gear with you and heading out. The long trek up is exacerbated by lugging those bigass cases.

When you finally get up into the Underlake Mine proper, past the memorial towards the outside. But, Lemma, when you get out of the small ice cave and into the tunnels, you get a weird feeling. In the pit of your stomach. Something is wrong.

It isn't back at the sub or anything, it's actually in the mine proper. Just, weirdness, and familiarity, like a scent you can quite place for a flower, but different.

Marmot is lugging her case on, oblivious.

What do you do?

Transcriptase

I've learned not to ignore that feeling.

I stop, suddenly, and hold a hand up a Marmot. I wait a beat, listening, and my eyes dart around the cavern, looking for something out of place.

Transcriptase

Read a sitch:

(Rolled: 2d6+1. Rolls: 3, 5. Total: 9)
Sharp, 1 XP

Transcriptase

What should I be on the lookout for?

Rich

To Lemma:

Marmot stops, she's learned to shut up when you say, and she's curious what the what anyways.

You hear the crack of a whip, then moments later, the crack again. You could find them, you're pretty sure.

Someone is about to give up Seatbelt to Stink Bug's gang. If those gangers get out of Underlake, then Seatbelt is a dead man.

Transcriptase

Shit. I'm moving already, eyes in the middle distance.

I go over to our pile of equipment and pull out my rifle. While I'm rummaging (I keep it around, but I rarely expect to use it, so it's at the bottom of the pile), I tell Marmot, "One of the jobs I ran without you is in the process of going south. It could be dangerous, and you have no obligation to follow me into this. Stay safe, and get this stuff back to the shop. I'll meet you there."

I sling the strap over my shoulder and head into the tunnels at a slow jog, following a trail only I can see.

Rich

To Lemma:

You hear a rifle shot first. Then screaming. Sounds like Silica, echoing from up ahead through the twisty, windy tunnels: "goddamnit Squirrel! You fucking shit!"

Two more shots fired, smaller caliber.

Running, someone running your way. I assume you have the rifle up, just in case. A dark-skinned teenage boy dressed for outside is running your way, eyes wide, full of panic. He sees you, and with no side passages, there's nowhere for him to go. Looks like he's going to try and stop, maybe turn around.

What do you do?

Transcriptase

A few seconds ago, I had a clear picture of what was going on. Now? Chaos.

Damn it, I really prefer clean solutions, but I'm not gunning down some scared teenager unless I know I have to.

I bark, "You. Stop. Walk with me." Rifle's still up.

Rich

To Lemma:

The kid, you think his name is Nose. He looks at the rifle, not you. "There's... guys with guns back there," His voice is low, like he's afraid to alert somebody. "They killed Footie an Squirrel both." His hands are up, he hasn't turned around, but if you push the issue, he'll lead you back.

Gun in the back worth more than two in the... something or other.

So we're clear, Marmot did head on to the shop with the cases.

Transcriptase

Oh, Nose. Yeah, I remember him from the job. I let the rifle down and wave him past.

Squirrel and the kid dead? And I still can't let these guys out of here knowing where Seatbelt is. I move on, more careful, trying to strike a balance between getting there and being quiet.

Rich

To Lemma,

Please go here.