Polka you Pussy!
Come and get me!
Come and get me!
As he is unable to read, he passes the inscription with a shrug and enters the top of the tower, a large circular room, with rows upon rows of rotting computer consoles and cracked screens. Fine dust is everywhere. While the rest of the group finishes off the remaining whipstars in the courtyard, Carlos searches the control tower. Most of the relics crumble to dust when touched, but some valuable HiTek might remain inside the dusty consoles. Close to the northern windows, which have long turned opaque, a mummified corpse sits wrapped in a blackened uniform, cradling a scoped rifle, now rusted. His nametag reads "Cpt. Pepper". Carlos also turns up a few booklets filled with handwritten notes which do not crumble at first touch. Bored, he prepares a surprise for his friends.
Finally, the others move up the staircase. As they walk up the last steps, the desiccated corpse of Captain Pepper flies at them - a practical joke by Carlos, with some added spice, as the stairs have no railing. No one is truly shocked, and no one is really amused. Mal even pulls a gun on Carlos, but the others just shrug. Carlos is such a cad!
The command tower yields no spectacular loot, although Ben - having recovered the use of his leg - thoughtfully pages through the old notebooks. Mal climbs through a hole in the ceiling and takes a good look at the desolate airfield lying under the cold stars of the western desert. The Pla'Thun must have heard the gunfire, but Mal does not see a single person approaching the tower. Maybe Dan is right, and this place is taboo for the ferales.
Leaving the top of the tower, the group decides to take a look at the large trapdoor in the ground floor. The wings of the door are rusty and big enough to allow a small car into the the entrance. Broad concrete stairs lead into the murky depths. The chemsniffer shows some toxins, but nothing too poisonous. The adventurers ready their flashlights, check their weapons and gasmasks and descend into the underground of Wellspring Airfield.
The ramp leads them into a corridor broad enough for a large car and three meters high. The ceiling is covered with cables, wires, pipes and conduits. Puddles of oily water stain the concrete floor, and everywhere, molds und funghi are growing. The air smells musty and dank. Detritus covers parts of the floor: rotten barrels, lumps of concrete fallen from walls and ceiling, an old forklift. Colourful stripes cover the wall in front of the travellers, showing the way to the different parts of this large underground facility: "Command 1", "Defense Grid", "Living Quarters", "Testing Range", "Fuel Depot 1" and many others. Ben's eyes light up, and the others also quietly shelve their plan to return to their camp after "one quick peek". This thing must be full of priceless artifacts and the wonderful devices of the Long Ago.
As one, the group decides to have a look at the part called "Command 1" and follows the colored band. It is quite along walk. The ceiling is sagging in places, moldy water drops from the pipes, and the flashlights are the only illumination in the inky darkness. The explores stumble across small electrical cars, and even bicycles, which the old inhabitants used to get around the huge place. After some time they reach "Command 1".
This is a large room, 50 by 50 meters, with two extra entrances on the western and eastern walls and a high ceiling. It is built like an amphitheatre, with two large steps and a groundfloor facing the northern wall. This wall is covered with large screens, the centre one being as big as a tennis court. "A screen big enough to watch the whole world," Ben thinks as he and the other enter this cavernous hall. The steps are covered with working stations, office tables and computer screens. At some places, coffee cups, note pads and clipboards remain. In the Long Ago, more than a hundred people would have been able to work here.
The members of the group mill around, looking into drawers, poking the ancient juice brains, looking for some scavv to pick up. The equipment seems to be in better shape than the stations in the control tower, apart from the equipment on the lowest floor, which is covered with brownish water. Strange, ovoid shapes float there, as large as fists.
Then, suddenly, something heavy and squirming falls on Carlos' shoulder. It is a centipede, black as night and a bit longer than his arm. Dozens of sharp little legs try to dig into his body, and sharp mandibles start to cut into his armor. All over the hall, centipedes start to drop from the ceiling, from their hiding places among the wires, tubes and valves, a black, lethal rain of chitin and clicking pincers. Some of the travelers get away, but some are hit by the attack. Ben and especially Carlos are covered by the centipedes. For a few seconds, confusion reigns, as the men try to rip and shoot the creatures off their backs. Long bursts of automatic gunfire fill the hall. Dan and José, who wandered away from the others, frantically try to regroup at the entrance of Command 1, with a host of the creatures scuttling after them. Ben and Carlos try to get rid of the insects crawling on their arms and legs, but the creatures are wriggly and strong. They burrow through leather and kevlar, the mandibles sinking deep into the flesh, grieveously injuring both men. For a moment, Carlos, weakened by his many injuries, seems to topple.
Only after Dan and José return to the others from the northern end of the large hall, the group regains control of the combat. Now single shots ring out, as Mal and the others pick off the centipedes, sometimes even shooting the critters right off Carlos' back. Even through the haze of pain and blood loss, Carlos is quite sure that these shots are somehow a comeback for his little harmless prank earlier in the day, and he thanks the gods that he wears kevlar.
Just as the group finishes the last creatures, another swarm seems to head into the hall from the corridor, their chittering filling the air. Dan curses and throws a frag grenade into the entrance. A second later, the first of the new arrivals appear in the beams of the group's flashlights, only to be cut down by accurate single shots. Then a powerful explosion fills the corridor, shrapnel whines past the heroes, then, an ominous creaking, a loud rumbling - and the entryway, weakened by decades of rot, collapses. A dust cloud billows into Command 1, the rubble rolls to a standstill and, finally, the hall goes silent. The group is cut off from the original entry to Wellspring's underground, in the growing dark, hounded by thousand-legged creeps.
people met
- none
people met their demise
- lots and lots of black, chittering critters
- Ben and Carlos are covered with deep bites and cuts. While Carlos is still able to move and fight, Ben reels from his wound and staggers along - even after being patched up.
Finally, the others move up the staircase. As they walk up the last steps, the desiccated corpse of Captain Pepper flies at them - a practical joke by Carlos, with some added spice, as the stairs have no railing. No one is truly shocked, and no one is really amused. Mal even pulls a gun on Carlos, but the others just shrug. Carlos is such a cad!
The command tower yields no spectacular loot, although Ben - having recovered the use of his leg - thoughtfully pages through the old notebooks. Mal climbs through a hole in the ceiling and takes a good look at the desolate airfield lying under the cold stars of the western desert. The Pla'Thun must have heard the gunfire, but Mal does not see a single person approaching the tower. Maybe Dan is right, and this place is taboo for the ferales.
Leaving the top of the tower, the group decides to take a look at the large trapdoor in the ground floor. The wings of the door are rusty and big enough to allow a small car into the the entrance. Broad concrete stairs lead into the murky depths. The chemsniffer shows some toxins, but nothing too poisonous. The adventurers ready their flashlights, check their weapons and gasmasks and descend into the underground of Wellspring Airfield.
The ramp leads them into a corridor broad enough for a large car and three meters high. The ceiling is covered with cables, wires, pipes and conduits. Puddles of oily water stain the concrete floor, and everywhere, molds und funghi are growing. The air smells musty and dank. Detritus covers parts of the floor: rotten barrels, lumps of concrete fallen from walls and ceiling, an old forklift. Colourful stripes cover the wall in front of the travellers, showing the way to the different parts of this large underground facility: "Command 1", "Defense Grid", "Living Quarters", "Testing Range", "Fuel Depot 1" and many others. Ben's eyes light up, and the others also quietly shelve their plan to return to their camp after "one quick peek". This thing must be full of priceless artifacts and the wonderful devices of the Long Ago.
As one, the group decides to have a look at the part called "Command 1" and follows the colored band. It is quite along walk. The ceiling is sagging in places, moldy water drops from the pipes, and the flashlights are the only illumination in the inky darkness. The explores stumble across small electrical cars, and even bicycles, which the old inhabitants used to get around the huge place. After some time they reach "Command 1".
This is a large room, 50 by 50 meters, with two extra entrances on the western and eastern walls and a high ceiling. It is built like an amphitheatre, with two large steps and a groundfloor facing the northern wall. This wall is covered with large screens, the centre one being as big as a tennis court. "A screen big enough to watch the whole world," Ben thinks as he and the other enter this cavernous hall. The steps are covered with working stations, office tables and computer screens. At some places, coffee cups, note pads and clipboards remain. In the Long Ago, more than a hundred people would have been able to work here.
The members of the group mill around, looking into drawers, poking the ancient juice brains, looking for some scavv to pick up. The equipment seems to be in better shape than the stations in the control tower, apart from the equipment on the lowest floor, which is covered with brownish water. Strange, ovoid shapes float there, as large as fists.
Then, suddenly, something heavy and squirming falls on Carlos' shoulder. It is a centipede, black as night and a bit longer than his arm. Dozens of sharp little legs try to dig into his body, and sharp mandibles start to cut into his armor. All over the hall, centipedes start to drop from the ceiling, from their hiding places among the wires, tubes and valves, a black, lethal rain of chitin and clicking pincers. Some of the travelers get away, but some are hit by the attack. Ben and especially Carlos are covered by the centipedes. For a few seconds, confusion reigns, as the men try to rip and shoot the creatures off their backs. Long bursts of automatic gunfire fill the hall. Dan and José, who wandered away from the others, frantically try to regroup at the entrance of Command 1, with a host of the creatures scuttling after them. Ben and Carlos try to get rid of the insects crawling on their arms and legs, but the creatures are wriggly and strong. They burrow through leather and kevlar, the mandibles sinking deep into the flesh, grieveously injuring both men. For a moment, Carlos, weakened by his many injuries, seems to topple.
Only after Dan and José return to the others from the northern end of the large hall, the group regains control of the combat. Now single shots ring out, as Mal and the others pick off the centipedes, sometimes even shooting the critters right off Carlos' back. Even through the haze of pain and blood loss, Carlos is quite sure that these shots are somehow a comeback for his little harmless prank earlier in the day, and he thanks the gods that he wears kevlar.
Just as the group finishes the last creatures, another swarm seems to head into the hall from the corridor, their chittering filling the air. Dan curses and throws a frag grenade into the entrance. A second later, the first of the new arrivals appear in the beams of the group's flashlights, only to be cut down by accurate single shots. Then a powerful explosion fills the corridor, shrapnel whines past the heroes, then, an ominous creaking, a loud rumbling - and the entryway, weakened by decades of rot, collapses. A dust cloud billows into Command 1, the rubble rolls to a standstill and, finally, the hall goes silent. The group is cut off from the original entry to Wellspring's underground, in the growing dark, hounded by thousand-legged creeps.
people met
- none
people met their demise
- lots and lots of black, chittering critters
- Ben and Carlos are covered with deep bites and cuts. While Carlos is still able to move and fight, Ben reels from his wound and staggers along - even after being patched up.
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