Cassia says "Goooooo Beneberak!"
Jewel shrieks and clings to the seat! "Akriel, does this thing have any heavy weapons?"
Akriel, peering at a tactical display and a menu, says "Maybe."
Phi and rho tempt Akriel, like little holographic Lilim.
Keiel yells, "Take that Sucker-Puss!!"
Akriel peers down, and looks reassured -- not necessarily by the Dirty Triad, but likely because Beneberak is no longer grabbed.
Cassia peers at the display over Akriel's shoulder.
Yuriel takes careful aim and lets loose with an actinic plasma bolt into the monster's eye!
Keiel waaahoooo's and lets loose another rocket at the open beak...
Cassia tries to figure out the display.
A tentacle bursts out from the ground by the Z3, wrapping itself around Yuriel's waist, even as a hole drills through the monster's head! Another pair of tentacles, flailing about, knock aside a small building in their pain.
<
Yuriel shrieks and tries to pry the tentacle loose! "Hey! Leggo!"
Another tentacle, aimed with eerie precision amid the monster's pained
writhings, slaps the rocket towards Beneberak!
Jewel clings to Shephi!
Akriel hastily stabs the tactical display with one finger, hopefully
selecting the rocket.
<
Keiel growls and leaps for the tentacle that has Yuriel and slashes at
the tentacle with a knife...
Yuriel tries to pry the tentacle loose enough to get to her tool
belt!
<
<
And Yuriel finds what she was looking for ...
Beneberak's windows and surface go dark, and a small pod drops from the
underside. It explodes just as the rocket hits Beneberak, rocking it
viciously -- but not going off. It's not clear what the explosion of
the pod did -- it was a kind of blue radiation.
Keiel's knife sinks deep into the monster, and it squeals unhappily!
Cassia catches her balance and eyes the controls again.
Akriel has discovered a small button with a picture of a weapon
coming towards the car and a big X around it.
Akriel eyes the menu display, and mumbles something about situational
menus.
Akriel tap taps the tactical display to reselect the octopoid.
Yuriel applies a cutting laser to the tentacle, producing a huge spray
of sparks and cloud of noxious smoke!
Keiel ew's!
The cutting laser flickers and goes out just as the tentacle gives
way!
Jewel and Shephi go tumbling as Benebarak shakes!
Jewel ends up on the floor boards under Shephi, against the far
door.
Jewel rolls to measure how compromising a position she lands in.
<
That's quite compromising.
Someone appears to be trying to get out of the back of the Z3, without
much success.
The octopoid starts to flicker like a badly tuned image.
Cassia blinks at the octopoid.
Yuriel wiggles out of the severed tentacle and opens the range! (That
is, runs!)
Keiel growls at the flickering octopoid, eyes Yuriel and then runs
after her!
Akriel says "Beneberak, um."
Akriel visibly dithers.
Cassia says "We might get out of here..."
The octopus flickers out, leaving only a handful of tentacles rising
from the ground. Then, asynchronously, those vanish.
Cassia says "Oh."
Shephi attempts to tug her dress back down without dislodging Jewel.
The street begins to crumble.
Cassia says "Uht oh."
Cassia says "Should we save the guy in the back of the Z3?"
Akriel says, brightly, "A good thing Beneberak flies, isn't it."
Cassia says "Very."
Buildings begin to shake.
Yuriel *leaps* away from the crumbling street to the Z3 with a dramatic
song, landing in the driver's seat!
The car doesn't start.
Yuriel pounds on the dashboard!
Akriel says "Um. Perhaps you should circle back towards them,
Beneberak. Just in case."
Yuriel's 'detect nonfunctional things' attunement
is bleeping like mad, pinging from everything all around except
Beneberak.
Jewel squirms under Shephi, trying to get out in one direction so she
can see what's going one while Shephi tugs the tangled skirt modestly
in the other direction, with the net result of a lot of fan service,
but not much progress.
The little black pod rests on the street.
Keiel sings desperately as she starts to push the car....
Beneberak circles back towards the Z3.
Yuriel adds her song to Keiel's!
<
<
Cassia says "Uhm... Beneberak what was that little black pod you
dropped?"
Cassia says "And should we retrieve it?"
Beneberak scrolls, neatly, "Technological nullifier."
Cassia says "Oh. Uhm.. Is that why the street is crumbling and the
buildings and things?"
The Z3 rolls very easily, but still does not start. Every now and again
it gives a light hop in the direction it's being pushed.
Akriel blinks. "Oh dear. We should probably pick it up. Can you do
that, Beneberak?"
Akriel says "Well, turn it off at least."
Beneberak scrolls, "Negative. Estimate: street is crumbling due to
extensive undermining. Active sensors inactive."
Akriel says "Ah. Oh, right, the octopoid was under the ground, wasn't
it."
The street splits, directly under the Z3, leaving it hanging for just a
moment from Keiel's grip. That she has even a moment to react is a
testament to Dominic's belief in the moral benefits of physical
fitness.
Cassia says "Oh... dear."
Beneberak notes, "Affirmative."
Jewel finally manages to sit up, ending up still on the floorboards
behind Akriel's seat, with Shephi sprawled in her lap with her dress
around her waist. Jewel looks rather dazed.
Akriel says "Is there anything clever we can do?"
Akriel addresses the question generally, including both people and
Beneberak.
Beneberak sinks towards the pod. Two long metal items extrude from the
sides, and then fall neatly into place around the pod.
Keiel growls and sings a Song of Sheilds for the bottom of the Z3.
<
Yuriel just shrieks as the car plummets!
Akriel looks *very* nervous for a good five seconds or so.
Cassia says "Can we go down into the crack after them?"
In a rush of Essence, suggesting that extra was spent, the Z3 stops,
buffeted and held upright by the whirling winds of a Song of
Shields.
Bishlam, in the back, shrieks. Bezek looks resigned.
Beneberak takes a moment to compute.
Cassia says "Beneberak, would you please push the Z3 to safety on its
shields?"
Cassia says "Or can you?"
Benbeberak asks, "Delay deactivation of nullifier? Shields against
nullification will endure for 3 minutes."
Beneberak beeps. "Negative. Corporeal forces cannot penetrate Song of
Shields."
Cassia says "Ah. Hokay."
Akriel says "Uh. What's the consequence of delaying deactivation?"
Beneberak scrolls, "Deactivation must be completed within 3 minutes or
systems cannot continue to function."
Keiel starts yelling at the car, "Get OUT, I can't hold the Sheilds
forever..."
Keiel is yelling at the Z3...
Akriel says "Uh. What's the consequences of deactivation?"
Shephi blushes brightly.
<
Shephi senses ...
Keiel uses the yelling as part of the tone of the song...
Yuriel grabs up the two passengers and makes another *leap* (with
accompanying song) to the roof of a noncollapsed building!
<
Beneberak scrolls, "Deactivation will restart technological
effects."
Cassia hrms, "Probably the Octopoid comes back.
Akriel says "I don't see anything wrong with that, then. Lift us up
higher and deactivate it."
Keiel attempts to deactivate the Song at just the right time.
<
Beneberak begins to rise, as several nearby buildings collapse
completely into a growing (and rather large) pit.
Akriel nervously eyes the tactical display, which may or may not be
showing very much.
The Shields go off and the Z3 falls just as Yuriel and passengers leap
for the building. They perch there for a moment before that building
starts to crumble ...
Shephi murmurs, "Please do not arrange such things. It will happen when
the moment is right."
Beneberak accelerates, zooming for the clouds.
Keiel leaps for the building as well as the Shields go down.
Akriel opens his mouth, pauses, and just stays silent.
Yuriel drags the two passengers to the other side of the building and
leaps down and runs!
Keiel runs after, looking around for any attackers from behind as she
goes...
Jewel blushes, a barely perceptible deepening of the flush on her face
and chest. "When we're not being shot at, you mean?"
Jewel tugs at Shephi's skirt, to cover temptation, and pretends to be
paying attention to what's going on.
Cassia is utterly oblivious to Jewel and Shephi, frowning after the
fleeing figures being chased by destruction...
Shephi says, "When we have time to spare and you will be needing
additional Essence would appear to be the optimal time."
Jewel winces.
Akriel attempts to navigate buttons and menus in a search for sensors
and other status indicators.
And the Dirty Triad is out of there!
Keiel waaahooo's!
Beneberak scrolls, "Deactivation begun," as the street below, a webwork
of collapsing buildings and streets and exploding fire hydrants and
falling fire escapes, fades from our current PCs' sight.
Jewel can just barely see out the window from where she's sitting. What
is the street turning into?
Beneberak suddenly flickers and burns with a white-hot light. There is
a disturbance. Then it scrolls, in front of Akriel, "Please place hand
on panel."
The street is mostly falling into a pit. Not a bottomless one, just a
deep one.
Akriel places his hand on the panel, obediently.
Akriel asks Beneberak, concerned, "Are you OK?"
Jewel tries to see what's at the bottom of the pit, to distract her
from Shephi.
Beneberak flashes, "Attunement beginning." A little spinning symbol
turns.
Akriel blinks, looking puzzled, but keeps his hand put.
Jewel also senses ...
Akriel senses, resonating on Beneberak ...
Cassia peers quietly and sits in the passenger seat, looking between
the palm plate and out the window at the collapsing street and
buildings.
Akriel looks puzzled.
The street seems to have been undermined a *long* way down, but there is
a bottom to the pit. And something glittering there, as well as a lot
of rubble. Then, suddenly, there is nothing but a mass of tentacles.
Jewel wonders: Is she actually aroused/attracted, or just willing to
help me regain Essence even though it's through decadent Creationer
rites?
The GM informs her: Yes.
Cassia makes a sound that she'll deny later was a squeak. "The
tentacles are back! The hole is filled with them..."
Beneberak beeps happily. "Attunement complete."
Jewel says "Did you turn off the technology damper?"
Cassia says "Yes."
Beneberak adds, "Deactivation complete."
Cassia says "Looks like all that is technologically created... ow."
Ohab says, bluntly, "Jean."
Jewel says "I don't know. Tentacles seem more Vapulan. Or maybe that's
just the sort of Vapware that Andre ordered."
Akriel attempts to use his attunement to grok
Beneberak's controls, specifically any scanner systems. And if he can,
the implications of phi and rho.
Nothing leaps to mind, but Akriel notices that when he thinks of something
in particular, that control/scanner or something resembling it pops up
directly in front of him.
A small display, nowhere near Akriel's immediate field of view, but
still visible -- where 'unimportant' status lights are kept, Akriel
senses -- flashes up "Ohab." and then "Jewel." as the two speak.
Cassia peers at the wriggling masses, "It really does seem more
Vapulan. Lots more Vapulan... but that may be me."
Jewel says "I can't imagine giant burrowing octopi not being related to
mysterious earthquakes."
Jewel says "But related how?"
Akriel says, absently, "The cause of them?"
Cassia says "Maybe."
Jewel says "Maybe, but that doesn't explain the earthquake not
happening for us."
Cassia says "Those... uhm... whatever thingys... cracks... oh right
faults! maybe the octopi are getting into those..."
GM Notes, since a player asked: the octopus pit was on the border
of Hollywood.
Cassia sighs and settles back in the passanger seat and frowns
thoughtfully.
"Data Analysis, Power Source Location" appears on a small button on the
panel, in response to one of Akriel's thoughts.
Akriel taps the button.
A red beam descends towards the invisible street below.
It wobbles slightly.
Jewel props her chin on Shephi's shoulder (incidentally at the right
angle to see down her neckline) and thinks. "Okay. The octopus appeared
and disappeared, but I don't know if that's the same as the earthquake
appearing ex post facto."
Akriel switches his attention to the tactical/scanner display.
Akriel says "Let's see if we can get some sort of targeting lock on
this."
Shephi says, reflectively, "Human skin does not, at least, show a flush
as completely as Elohite skin does."
Jewel's Vessel skin shows a flush *very* well.
Jewel says "What are you locking onto, Akriel?"
Jewel can't see the dashboard from where she's sitting.
Akriel says "I believe that the octopoid is being materialized by
something that is technological in origin. Likely something from
Vapula."
Jewel says "And you're locking on to the generator?"
Akriel says "Beneberak and I are attempting to do so."
Beneberak scrolls, "Projected location of power generator: the Geologic
and Geothermal Sciences Center."
Jewel lifts Shephi off her lap and onto the seat so she can get up on
her knees and peer over the front seat.
Akriel says "Let us go there. As discreetly as you can manage -- can
you cloak your presence, Beneberak?"
Jewel says "Which is where the Cals said the local coordinator is,
right?"
Beneberak pops up a window in front of Jewel to note, "Correct,
Jewel."
Akriel nods.
Jewel blinks at the window. "Cool."
Jewel says "It's the rewriting history that I still don't get. Giant
holographic monsters, sure. Everyone knows Vapula was a technical
consultant on the new Star Trek."
Shephi observes absently, "Holographic monsters are unable to hollow
out a street. Or hit missiles."
Akriel says "Quite. That would seem to require solidity."
Ohab says, with a momentarily worried frown, "A Virtual Reality
system?"
Jewel says "You guys don't watch much TV, I guess."
Shephi says, mildly, "It is technically demonic."
Akriel blinks at Jewel. "I have never seen any." And at Shephi. "And I
do not think I will be."
Jewel stifles her next comment.
Jewel . o O ("Well, there wasn't much else to do between
tricks when I was a prostitute in Shal-mari" would really make Shephi
think so much better of me.)
Ohab frowns. "It seems that our opposition is working either with mind
control, reality control, or some kind of -- mass projection."
Jewel says "But which? We know where the center is, and it's not likely
to go anywhere. Maybe we should try to find a human to question?"
Akriel says "It might be prudent to do that before barging in to this
center."
Jewel says "Among the five of us plus Bennie, we should be able to find
out if this is actually mind control, or really history control."
Shephi says, sadly, "I do not know of any current Soldiers. Although
--" She reflects.
Jewel says "The problem is, there's a curfew."
Jewel realizes that she has never heard of the Center as a Tether.
Jewel says "Bennie, I don't suppose you have a map of all the Tethers
in the area?"
Shephi murmurs, "There were the -- actors -- who visited Thummim's
room."
Jewel says "Yah, but do we know where they are now? And, I'm not sure
they're unbiased reporters."
Akriel says "I suspect Beneberak can manage a map of all of our
Tethers. Theirs seem more unlikely."
Jewel says "Although there may be more information we can extract from
them."
Shephi says, "It occurs to me that their faces might be -- locateable.
If you are looking for a human who has supernatural knowledge. One that
does not -- this is easy to obtain."
Beneberak casts up a map in front of Akriel, with a notation below it.
"Best effort," it reads. "Starred Tethers are hypothesized. Touch a
Tether for its allegiance."
Jewel says "Okay. How are you planning on locating their faces?"
Jewel looks the map over to see if the Geo Sci Center is on it.
Akriel starts touching Tethers to see what can be seen.
Shephi says "They have probably been in B-movies, or pornography, if
they are intending to become real actors. Thummim had books on the
first; if any stores are open under the circumstances, it will be those
that might describe the second."
Various Tethers display the names of various Superiors, when
touched, but none of them seems to be the Geo Sci Center.
Jewel says "It's worth a try, although in the second category you don't
often get an unobstructed view of anyone's face."
Shephi nods. "I would be hoping for a face book, but a body book is
more likely. Did you have the chance to strip any of them?"
Jewel shakes her head.
<
Shephi sighs. "Alas. I hope you humiliated them in some other fashion,
then; I could not leave the building for the finale."
Jewel says "We just chased the Soldiers off. The Shedite got sent home,
though."
Jewel says "Things came up."
Akriel fiddles with the map and various things, and seems to be
counting Tethers on each side.
Shephi nods.
Hellish Tethers: 152. Heaven Tethers: 128. (Of those close enough to
influence Los Angeles events.)
Jewel says "Wow. I never realized there were so many."
Suddenly Beneberak beeps. "New data downloaded."
Jewel says "How many of them are Nybbas, though?"
A new dot appears on the map.
Akriel looks askance at the result, and then resigned: "Let's see it,
Beneberak." He touches the dot.
It's the Geo Sci Center. Listed as: "Baal's."
Akriel says "Oh dear."
Akriel says "I don't think we want to go there without help."
Akriel says "Does the new data list how this was discovered?"
Jewel says "Um, no. Not unless Bennie is a lot better armed than we
think."
The listing changes. Now it reads, hopefully, "Furfur's?"
Akriel says "... Uh."
Jewel says "Bennie, where did the data come from?"
(Furfur is a new, weak Prince, associated with 'Hardcore'.)
Jewel . o O ( Furfur is a *loser*. )
Beneberak hesitates, then scrolls. "Seneschal Macore, Las Vegas."
Beneberak adds, "Via data management systems, Heaven Central."
Jewel says "When did you get the data?"
Akriel says "Just now, I think."
Jewel says "I mean, when was the data input?"
Beneberak indicates, "Within past 60 minutes. Exact time in that range
indeterminate."
Jewel says "Why did you change the display from Baal to Furfur?"
Beneberak beeps. "Pardon?"
<
Jewel senses ...
Jewel says "When you first displayed the data for that tether, it said
Baal. Now it says Furfur. Why?"
Akriel looks thoughtful.
Beneberak hesitates. "Statement incompatible with known data, Jewel."
Jewel says "I see. Thank you, Bennie."
Akriel says "How so, Beneberak?"
Beneberak states, "Display did not change from Baal to Furfur, except
when moving from 41st street through Novalis' Morgan Gardens to the
Nightwire Club."
Akriel blinks. Repeatedly.
Jewel blinks, but only once.
Jewel looks at the display again.
The display shows, firmly, "Furfur," for the Geo Sci Center.
Jewel is thoroughly in lust, but is aware of the crisis.
Shephi is flattered, but busy and a little embarrassed.
Actually, he doesn't sense anything. Trying to -- it's like it puts that
white-hot light in his mind. (Not painful, but metaphorically blinding.)
Ohab is vaguely alarmed. Specific emotions: sorrow, fear, a bit of anger.