Adventure! RPG: Heroes of Our Time - episode 2: Air Raid

[Andrew Murphy]

During this whole exchange Jameson has been unusually quite, standing off to the side and fingering his revolvers.

Almost as though he was speaking to no one in particular he says, "We need to do 3 things, we need to protect the device and the scientists, we need to rescue Tony, and we need to convince Zorbo that he's better off shoving off."

"Guys, I hate to say this, but we're kinda out of options. How fast can you guys climb? I'll stay here and buy some time, you guys go up and help Mr King. I'll meet up with you when I escape from these guys."

Jameson turns toward the group now his eyes coming into focus and he looks at Locky, "A very brave suggestion my friend but if we are to rescue Anthony then your skills may be needed at a premium.

"Though I don't look forward to being the chap left behind I'll volunteer to stay down here, I can grab a couple of these sub-machnieguns and mow down as many of Zorbo's men as I am able before switching to my own pistols. With luck I'll be able to hold them off completely, but worst case you'll have enough time to climb up and into that zeppelin without any of these unruly fellows firing at your backsides."

He pauses and thinks for a second.

"I agree with Rhiannon, we need to make sure that the scientists are safe as well, but we have no way to muscle the engine around in time before the next wave hits us.

"John you may be best suited to help guide the scientists out of the building. Even though you cannot render them unseeable you will have the best chance of successfully scouting the area ahead for them."

Jameson pauses and takes a deep breath, "That leaves the rest of you to climb up there, rescue Anthony and hopefully either defeat Zorbo or cause him to decide to flee.

"Anyways I'd say those are our best chances of getting our goal met, anybody have any other ideas?"

As Jameson finishes he picks up the two SMGs that he earlier discarded and begins to rummage for spare ammunition clips, readying himself to face down the onslaught of Zorbo's men.

[Rhiannon Lewis]

Rhiannon's face pales as Zorbo makes his announcement, then she bows to Jameson's greater experience.

"Kate, you and I are probably the ranking people here at the moment. What if we were to claim we were going to surrender as a distraction for the others to sneak onboard? Negotiations and all of that."

[Alex Craft]

[blaine on autopilot - I apologize for any misrepresentation.]

Blaine sticks his head out into the hall for a moment, then steps back into the lab, standing in the doorway. Reluctantly leaving the now-empty Thompson hanging from its shoulder strap, he picks up one of the fallen SMGs and checks its ammunition.

"I figure they haven't blocked both ends of this hall yet. If we moved fast, I probably can get the scientists out of here while you take the fight to Zorbo. We would have to leave the widget here, but like Kate said - we can track it down later if we need to."

Looking to John, he adds, "Think you could give me a couple of those smoke bombs or flash pellets of yours? Might be handy for keeping those guys at the end of the hall busy."

[/autopilot]

[Locky McKenzie]

Quote:

Originally posted by Jameson Bradford:
Jameson turns toward the group now his eyes coming into focus and he looks at Locky, "A very brave suggestion my friend but if we are to rescue Anthony then your skills may be needed at a premium."

Locky thinks. "Maybe, but everyone's got skills that are important right now. At least I know I can vamoose from these guys in time to help everyone else; I'm not sure about anyone else here."

"But if you really want to stay down here, that's fine by me. I'm not sure they'll fire if you surrender, like Ms. Lewis said. They may like the idea of taking more captives, to "break our spirits" or whatever..."

[Count Janos Rakozi]

"I didn't come here to give into this Zorbo character. My last orders were pretty specific. Save Kate, and the engine, in that order."

"If they have Anthony, well that's just too bad. I'm not going to second-guess his wishes. We can't take the engine with us, can't defend it, so we leave it here."

"There are too many of them around us, and they are too good. Our only option is out and up."

"Rhiannon, keep them busy as long as possible. Run, negotiate, lie ... do a jig if you have too. Someone should stay with you as back-up. Everyone else, let's go."

Janos heads for the ropes leading up and takes a peek.

"Does anyone know how to pilot an airship?"

[Dr. Mystery]

John nods in solemn affirmation at the idea of guiding the scientists and other employees out of the building.

"That would indeed be my forte. Although I would certainly prefer throwing myself in with the lot of you" John gestures at his wounded arm. "I doubt I would be of too much assistance."

John turns to Blaine, smiling grimly and giving him a handful of smoke bombs and flash pellets.

"Good Luck"

John turns toward Kate, his face all business as he tucks his cane back into his inner coat pocket.

"Do you reccollect the shortest way out of here that won't be likely to run us into Zorbo's men?"

[Locky McKenzie]

Locky pulls the rope, as if to test it's safety. He turns back to everyone. "I'm not gonna say goodbye, 'cause I know I'm gonna see you all real soon. Let's hope we see each other sooner than I think."

He waits for anyone else to move towards the ropes, then begins to hoist himself up, moving incredibly quickly.

[Rhiannon Lewis]

Rhiannon heads for a rope.

"In the heat of the fight I forgot that I had marked Mr King," she says. "I can find him once we're on the airship."

She begins to climb the rope.

[Alex Craft]

Locky moves quickly up and out of sight as Janos, Jameson, and Kate grasp the ropes. As he climbs, he notes a vaguely sickening sensation - a hollow feeling in his gut caused by the gentle drifting of the airship above. Soon, however, he adapts and finds a rhythm for the climb. Feeling more secure, he looks up at the massive ship hanging above him.

The airship above (doubtless Zorbo's flagship) is far from a standard dirigible. The most distinctive feature is the array of hydrogen balloons - eight huge, spherical bags supported within a doughnut-shaped frame easily as wide as the skyscraper it hangs above. While the entire structure is laced with access ladders, the inhabited core is built within and below the 'hole' in the doughnut of gas bags.

There are few identifiable features on the exterior of the ship. Propellers and their associated engines are spaced around the outside of the doughnut, and a few of what might be weapon emplacements are built into small operator shacks on the lower hull. The only other feature of note is what must be the command deck, a glass-walled octagonal room perhaps ten meters in diameter which protrudes from the bottom of the inhabited core, providing a master's view of everything around and below the airship.

As Locky climbs higher, moving above the highest elevation of 1 K.I.S. Plaza, he notes a second, more traditional dirigible some distance away - perspective reducing it to the size of a fist. This is the only other ship Zorbo brought to the party, and it is most likely intended to be little more than a fallback option.

The bottom of the ship's hull is spider-webbed with open catwalks, and it is into this network that Locky now climbs - the rope he is climbing wrapping around the axle of an electric winch welded to the frame. Scrambling up the last few feet, he jumps onto the nearest catwalk and checks for enemy activity. No crew members are immediately visible, but Locky judges it likely that someone has spotted the group's ascent from the command deck - a response cannot be to long coming.

Not far below, Janos, Jameson, and Kate haul themselves up toward the underbelly of the airship. Kate, somewhat surprisingly, seems to have little trouble keeping up with the two men (though she may be aided slightly by her light build). All three drag themselves onto the catwalk as the muffled sound of gunfire erupts, somewhere below them.

* * *

As the others disappear up the ropes, Rhiannon and John wait for Blaine to make his move. Blaine checks the ammunition on his scavenged SMG, then steps out into the hallway to throw John's flash pellets at the corner the raiders are using as a buffer. He averts his eyes as the brilliant flashes go off, then throws a smoke pellet after to further blind the raiders.

The remaining scientists run for the other end of the hall clutching reams of sensitive documents, the sound of their retreat covered by the sound of gunfire as Blaine fires randomly into the cloud of billowing, white smoke veiling the corner. As the last lab tech disappears from view, Blaine nods at John and Rhiannon through the open door, then runs off after the scientists with reasonable quiet.

Not long after Blaine's suppression fire dies down, the gathered raiders cautiously begin moving down the corridor toward the lab doors.

[Andrew Murphy]

Jameson hauls himself up the rope hand over hand, sweat pouring off of him. He grumbles as he climbs, and it becomes obvious to the other through his quite cursing that while Jameson is fit he is far from strong and seldom uses his muscles for such feats.

As he hauls himself over the railing and onto a catwalk he lets out a quiet groan and collapses dramatically for a moment, before springing back to standing.

Quietly he says, "I can only hope we find a better way down."

He silently draws his revolvers and deftly screw the silencers he carries for them into the end of thier barrels.

"Let me take the point position," he whispers gesturing to the silencers, "If I need to shoot no-one is likely to hear.

"I'm guessing that they've got Tony in there," he says indicating the central structure with the barrel of a gun, "And unless they're stupid he's probably locked up in a cell not on the observation deck."

With that Jameson begins to silently creep forward along the catwalk heading toward main structure.

[Andrew Murphy]

As Jameson prowls down the catwalks it suddenly occurs to him that the others may not have any scietific knowledge base like Kate and himself.

"Ummm Locky, Janos, it would probably be best if you were extremely ... judicious ... with your firearms. These zepplins tend to be filled with a rather explosive gas which keeps them afloat. A stray bullet could not only puncture the gas bag but cause an explosion."

[Count Janos Rakozi]

"Jameson, head-off any reception committee, then."

"Locky, starting clearing away the rest of those lines, but don't forget to leave some for Blaine, John, and Rhia."

"Kate, come with me and let's see if you can figure out a way to sabotage this thing."

Janos then looks for a way up into this infernal contraption.

[Andrew Murphy]

"Right, don't worry about it," Jameson looks around and continues heading up toward the main structure.

"Locky," he calls softly, "You want me to stick around and give you cover? Or should I just keep moving and you'll catch up when all the line are cut?"

[Locky McKenzie]

"Don't worry about me," Locky says to Jameson, "I may not be able to disappear like Dr. Mystery, but I can make myself scarce if I have to."

Locky grabs a small, but rather sharp blade out of his belt. "Just make sure whoever they send out doesn't get here before I'm finished!"

Locky begins sawing through the ropes as fast as he can.

[Rhiannon Lewis]

In the lab, Rhiannon positions herself by the open hole, a gun at the ready. She has twisted a rope around her other hand, ready to start climbing as needed.

[Andrew Murphy]

"You got it kid! We'll both play to our strong sides, eh?"

Jameson continues to move along the catwalks heading toward the main structure and looking for the best route to the command deck where this Zorbo character is likely hiding.

[Dr. Mystery]

John places his cane in his jacket pocket, striding quickly to the hole in the wall, next to Rhiannon, grabbing hold of the rope himself, following Rhiannon's lead, as he wraps the rope around a hand himself, preparing to climb.

[Alex Craft]

Above the city, onboard Dr. Zorbo's flagship, Locky begins sawing through the numerous boarding ropes hanging down toward 1 K.I.S. Plaza. As he does so, the others move away - Jameson in one direction and Janos and Kate in another. Leaving two ropes intact for John and Rhiannon, he moves on, edging through the tangle of catwalks.

It is surprisingly dark among the airship's catwalks. The sun is near its zenith, and the ship hangs well above the city - far from the reflective surfaces of New York's buildings. As such, the catwalks are shrouded in gloom. This does make it somewhat more difficult for Locky to spot the anchors of the dangling ropes, but the darkness will likely help him more than hinder him should the raiders attempt to repel their unwanted visitors.

Not all that far off, Janos leads the way through the dim light, with Kate following behind him. Whispering, she warns him, "I don't think I'll want to use electricity up here - everything's made of metal. I wouldn't be hurt, but you might catch some of the current if it arcs to the catwalks. The gas bags might too, and that could kill us all."

As the two of them move toward the core of the ship, the space above gradually grows up as the frame follows the curve of the gas bags. This space is not open, though. Rather, it is filled with higher levels of catwalks, apparently providing access to a series of massive generators and fuel containers crammed into this extra space. Janos and Kate take a narrow, rail-less stair up into these higher levels and continue to work their way through the tangle toward the inhabited core.

Finally, they spot an open hatch in the steel-plated side of the core, but it looks to be guarded. From their vantage point back amid the pipes, wires, and rails, they can make out two raiders just inside the hatch. They are actively surveying the catwalks - clearly alerted to the presence of intruders. Down, and off to the right a good distance, Janos and Kate hear a sudden burst of SMG fire - the source impossible to pin down in the tangle of catwalks.

Jameson is suddenly being pelted with bullets - quick careful bursts calculated to minimize ricochet. The dark didn't work out so well for him - cloaking a few raiders from him, but clearly failing to conceal him from them. He's spotted them now: three men up on the next highest level of catwalks, a short distance around the circumference of the ship, and firing down at him - a hydrogen-filled gas bag behind them. They must have slipped out of the core to search out and destroy intruders.

Locky has made considerable progress - the chaotic tangle of the ship's catwalks being less of an obstacle for someone with his size and agility. Still, the cords are tough, and he has only made it about halfway around when he hears gunfire and sees muzzles flash in the dark. He worries that he's been spotted for a moment, then finishes processing the situation - the gunfire is directed at someone else.

Turning back to the rope he was handling, he is surprised to see it moving - someone is climbing from below. Looking down, he realizes that many raiders seem to be returning to the ship - just now starting to quickly pull themselves up the remaining ropes. This one is already weakened by Locky's sawing and snaps from the weight below - sending two raiders dropping towards the street below. However, he's only half done, and the raiders are already coming.

* * *

Downstairs, Rhiannon and John are acutely aware that not all of the raiders are pulling back yet. Rhiannon's pistol spits at the doorway, but the raiders are pouring in too quickly. Even now, a few break cover to dive into the room and fetch up out of sight among the lab tables. There's no way the two heroes can hold out any longer - it is past time to go.

Yet, for now the only thing keeping them from being riddled with bullets is the nearest lab table, which Rhiannon and John are crouched behind as best they can manage. That, and maybe the generator. It seems like the raiders are being rather careful directing gunfire your way - probably because they don't want to hit the machine. Regardless, it won't be possible to climb up and out of sight quickly enough to avoid getting shot, so it would seem that some kind of distraction is in order.

[Dr. Mystery]

Crouched behind the table, John turns to Rhiannon grimly, handing her a flash pellet. His brow furrowed, he whispers to her.

"I believe this is my forte, ma'am, set off the flash before I make my distraction to draw away gunfire, and escape while I provide the distraction itself."

After a large portion of the raiders enter the room, John rolls unseen to the side, out of the cover of the table, leaving a trail of smoke bombs beginning to boil out their smoke in his wake. He Rises as the smoke begins to billow around him. Closing his eyes, he sets off a flash pellet to draw the attention of the raiders.

His visage, more fearsome than ever, peers out from the smoke, laughing maniacally. His voice growling dramatically.

"I call Baron Samedi of Guédé, the Loa of death itself to carry your damned souls to the very gates of hell!"

John sneers disturbingly as he tosses some flash pellets toward the raiders through the smoke, dropping, and scurrying through the thick smoke toward the hole.

[Rhiannon Lewis]

Rhiannon throws her own pellet and bolts for the rope like a rabbit, trusting in John being able to escape on his own as she grabs the rope and shinnies up it.

[Andrew Murphy]

Jameson curses as he throws himself to the side on the catwalk and out of the incoming fire. He peers up through the tangle of metal at his attackers and swears at his misfortune.

Damn! If I miss we'll all be so much toast, he thinks as he rises from his crouch into a full run. Jameson races down the catwalks, bullets pinging the metal behind him as the gunmen track his movement. He turns a corner and throws himself down and prone on his back his gun raised before him.

The gunmen now at a more desirable angle Jameson takes a series of carefully aimed shots at the gunmen. If his aim is true the bullets will bury themselves deep into the gunmen's chest with little chance to penetrate and possibly damage the hydrogen filled sacs behind the three men.

[Locky McKenzie]

Locky looks down.

"Oh oh. This ain't good"

Locky looks at the end of the half-snapped rope, and suddenly gets an idea.

"Stupid me!" he whispers to himself, "I don't have to cut all the way through!"

Locky grabs his blade and begins cutting ropes only so far, trusting the weight of the raiders to snap the ropes the rest of the way. He anxiously looks down at the returning raiders, reminding himself to get out when they get too close...

[Count Janos Rakozi]

Quickly, Janos comes up with a plan. Whispering to Kate, he has her raise her hands and stand in front of him while he remains in a dimly lit area. Giving a silent prayer to God, he says (in German)

"Guards! Hurry! I have captured one of them here. Keep her with you while we round up the others."

[Alex Craft]

Disappearing into the billowing clouds of white smoke, John silently runs back to the hole - finding Rhiannon already climbing. The raiders cautiously spread into the room, for the moment uncertain of John and Rhiannon's location. The misdirection only holds out so long, though, and John soon hears a shout from the hole below as one of the raiders spots the ropes twisting and waving as he and Rhiannon climb.

Rhiannon is making decent progress, with John lagging a little behind - he is the faster of the two, but he is slowed by pain shooting through his wounded shoulder. Below, there is a quick debate of some kind (perhaps the raiders are leery of shooting upwards, at their ship), and then several of the raiders follow John and Rhiannon up the remaining two ropes.

A few moments later, Rhiannon reaches the the ship and swings from her rope to the neighboring catwalk. John is just behind he, landing on the decking with somewhat less than his normal agility. His shoulder throbs with pain, and should he pause long enough to check he would find that his bandages are stained with blood.

[1B damage to John]

He recovers his focus quickly, though - noting that the raiders, being more adept at climbing that he and Rhiannon, are only a couple meters below the catwalk.

* * *

Elsewhere on the ship, Jameson's back hits the gridded steel of the catwalk decking. He has a quick space of breathing room as the raider squad adapts, and he makes the most of that time. Two of the raiders drop immediately, with the third taking a round in the shoulder - not lethal, but enough to send him somersaulting over the catwalk railing. He catches hold of the edge of a lower catwalk, but is in too much shock to maintain his grip. Instead, he falls - dropping two stories to the roof of 1 K.I.S. Plaza and laying there, dead or unconscious.

Checking around for more hostiles, Jameson sees no one. However, he does spot an open hatch in the side of the central core - faint illumination from within defining the opening in the dim underbelly of the airship.

Further up in the dark guts of the ship, Janos' bluff bears fruit as one of the two guards cautiously steps out of the ship - the other hanging back in the open doorway. Janos doesn't seem to have gained their trust, exactly - they check for an ambush and keep their weapons trained on our hero. Fortunately, their trust is not required, and - as Kate stumbles forward and drops to the deck - Janos opens fire. The two men jutter as they are sprayed with bullets, then limply fall to the deck.

Locky continues with his work - moving a bit more quickly, now. The sound of sporadic gunfire makes its way out of the deeper areas of the maze of catwalks, but none of the action appears to be spreading this far. Reaching out and grabbing one of the last few boarding ropes, he scores it deeply with a flick of his knife. Peering around, he spots another hanging rope and begins making his way in that direction.

Nearly there, he begins walking out onto a spar of catwalk passing near to the winch, but stops in a moment's uncertainty as a the first of a few raiders suddenly heaves himself into sight. It seems that Locky miscalculated the speed of these guys' ascent.

* * *

After hustling Kate's subordinates to the nearest staircase, Blaine turns back to the skirmishing over the 67th floor. Guessing that returning back to the lab will just put him smack dab in the middle of a large group of Zorbo's raiders, he looks elsewhere - figuring that there should still be a number of ropes hanging elsewhere around the building.

He quickly realizes that this floor is getting far too hot - he nearly bumps into several squads of raiders. He is starting to grow worried about getting cornered when he spots a familiar flight of stairs - the same flight that he and the others had taken down from the upstairs lounge earlier in the fight. Hoping that things have calmed down on the 68th floor, he cautiously makes his way up the stairs and into the lounge.

The entire room is in shambles. Every surface is riddled with bullet holes - most of the furniture is either scrap or so damaged that Blaine wouldn't trust it with his weight. Likewise, spatters of blood characteristic of bullet wounds liberally adorn the room, indicators of a massive and extended gunfight. There are no bodies, though - the raiders must have removed their casualties when they got King. The fantastic thing is that all of this havoc is derived from what should have been a very quick, one-sided fight.

Hearing noise from the wreckage of the conference room, Blaine edges through the doorway to check it out. No one is in sight, but the ropes hanging outside the shattered window are thrashing back and forth as if several people where climbing them rapidly. Sticking his head out, he sees about six raiders framed by the edge of a massive airship hanging over the building. They seem to be climbing back to the ship - probably reinforcements against whatever kind of trouble the rest of the group is causing. They don't seem to be paying attention to what's behind them, so, shrugging, Blaine reaches out and begins to follow.

[Count Janos Rakozi]

Janos hauls Kate up and moves to the hatchway. He puts in a spare clip and readies the weapon. Keeping his eyes forward, he asks Kate,

"My apologize, Doctor, and would you please let me know if you see anything of importance we should smash along the way. For that matter, do you have any idea were we should be going from here?"

His voice remains calm and confident.

While saying this, his hand gropes out to pull the spare clips for the closest fallen raider, and then he hands Kate the man's SMG.

"I hope these two were guarding something more than a chokepoint."

[Andrew Murphy]

Checking around for more hostiles, Jameson sees no one. However, he does spot an open hatch in the side of the central core - faint illumination from within defining the opening in the dim underbelly of the airship.

Jameson pauses a second on his back, guns pointed toward the opening and catches a few relaxed breaths. Noting that his best bet is to move forward with all possible speed he notes the expended ammunition (2 from the right 1 from the left) and rises to a crouch.

He peers about the catwalks one last time to make sure there are no additional raiders in sight and proceeds quickly to the open hatch. He peers inside, his head an guns the only things visible from the interior passage, before moving fully into the structure. Jameson quickly orients himself and begins heading in the direction he feels would most likely lead him to the command deck.

[Blaine]

Blaine looks up the long climb to the air fortress.

"Crap." he mumbles. "I hate heights.". He also notes the large amount of men on the only rope in reach. He smiles grimly and pulls out his gun, having run out of fallen machine guns from the raiders and takes aim at the lowest one on the rope. "Like fish in a barrel." he mumbles and is about to pull the trigger, then pulls his hand back and lowers the hammer carefully. "Dammit! I'll hit the balloon if I miss." he puts the gun away and secures it snugly, then grabs the rope. The smile returns as he gets a good solid grip on it with both hands, the knotty knuckles turning white from the strain. Suddenly he runs as fast as he can back into the building, and when the rope runs out of slack he heaves with everything he has, the veins bulging in his neck and forhead, outside cries can faintly be heard along with a few muffled thumps as the raiders slam into the side of the building.

[sorry, a little revision if you don't mind. Blaine will spend an Inspiration point to double his pool, and if he needs to, another point to make the revision and take this action before he starts climbing.]

[Rhiannon Lewis]

Rhiannon swings over the rail onto the balloon, then swears in Welsh under her breath as she spots a coming raider. She grabs the nearest rope with a raider attached and begins to shake it in an atttempt to make him fall.

[Dr. Mystery]

John turns, somewhat slower than usual, groaning in pain, one arm limp at his side for the moment. The other arm pulls his cane from his pocket. John manages a weak smile at Rhiannon.

"Let me take care of this."

He swipes his cane at the ropes. Leaning against the rail, he sighs heavily.

"Well, what is the plan of action from here, Ms. Lewis?"

[Locky McKenzie]

Locky's quick mind prevent him from panicking - too much, anyway. Locky quickly looks around, finding a small shadowed nook. Padding as silently as one could (possibly moreso) Locky desperately tries to reach the nook before the soldiers get to him...

[Alex Craft]

Kate waves away Janos' hand, easily rolling to her feet. She takes the gun but holds it somewhat awkwardly, unfamiliar with this kind of weapon.

Standing just inside the hatch, Janos does not see or hear any signs of enemy response. Perhaps Zorbo's men are spread more thinly than he initially thought. Or perhaps more men are simply fortified further into the ship. After all, even if Zorbo only kept a flight crew onboard for the initial raid, he should still be reinforced by however many raiders returned intact from capturing King.

Answering Janos' question, Kate says, "I've no idea where they might have Tony. This ship doesn't follow any design I've heard of. Maybe ... wait - do you hear that?"

*... chung ... chung ... chung ...*

A steady, rhythmic sound has just begun - a heavy, metallic noise like a hammer on an anvil. It seems to be coming from deeper in the ship, resonating through the sheet metal walls and decking. The origin is difficult to pinpoint, but it is probably somewhere on this deck and is definitely from somewhere closer to the center of the core. (This deck of the ship is all corridors and small rooms - probably storage.)

Elsewhere, the two remaining ropes part easily (rather surprisingly so) against the side of John's cane - the raiders climbing up just below falling to their rather definite dooms. Releasing the short length of rope left hanging from the winch above, Rhiannon glances around to get the general lay of the ship. Tony is somewhere within the inhabited core - she can make out a hint of the whirling chaos that is his mind, the feeling subdued by distance and lack of focus.

* * *

As Jameson steps up to the open hatch, he catches sight of what must have been the raiders' shipboard barracks. The entire bottom deck seems to be a single doughnut-shaped room filled with tightly packed bunks. The central axis of the core appears to be filled by a wide axial pillar (most likely space for ventilation and electrical conduits). Jameson also sees ladder shafts built into the axial pillar, leading both up (to the upper two decks of the ship) and down (to the command deck).

The barracks deck, while probably always crowded, is now almost claustrophobic. It looks like the entire deck has been given over to a triage floor, with a large number of wounded raiders (maybe twenty? more?) being treated by a few of their uninjured fellows. Beyond the suffering, many bunks hold bodies - inert forms with blankets pulled over their faces. Some of these may be injuries inflicted during the group's charge for the lab, but there are far too many casualties here to be accounted for by the fighting Jameson's seen.

The caretakers and some of the wounded make a move when they see Jameson but then hesitate - none of them are bearing weapons, and many of the wounded are physically unable to put up a resistance.

* * *

Blaine's indirect attack on the raiders moving above has mixed results. Of the three raiders who slam up against the side of the building, one loses his grip entirely - falling past the shattered conference room window and toward the street below. A brief burst of gunfire rains down from above (but can't possibly reach Blaine while he is in the room), but quickly ceases.

A quick peek out the window shows Blaine that the upper of the two gunmen is thrashing for a grip - hanging onto the rope by one hand while he swings uncontrollably. The lower of the two has held on much better, and was probably the source of the gunfire. Now, however, he has slung his SMG back over his shoulder and pulls something from his waist. Reflected light on a knife blade stands out distinctly against the shadowed underbelly of the airship.

Almost directly above, Locky quickly and quietly moves back into the guts of the ship. Given that the catwalks are mostly just open decking and railing hanging over emptiness, there aren't too many corners to hide in - unless ...

Glancing back as the two raiders help a third up onto the catwalk, Locky crouches and jumps straight up to grab ahold of one of the frame elements wrapping around the gas bags. Jackknifing and jerking himself upward, Locky lofts himself up into the struts supporting the doughnut-shaped array of gas bags. Swinging a leg over the joint of a couple of steel rods, Locky settles himself - fairly confident that he had moved before the raiders spotted him.

His confidence proves well placed as two of the three raiders begin moving further onto the catwalks, searching for intruders - but not for him, specifically. The third raider remains out on the spar and shoves the lever on the electric winch, causing the rope to slowly retract. The other two raiders are now passing just below Locky, who intensely hopes that they don't look up.

[Andrew Murphy]

The caretakers and some of the wounded make a move when they see Jameson but then hesitate - none of them are bearing weapons, and many of the wounded are physically unable to put up a resistance.

Jameson brings his weapons to bear and says in a level voice tinged with a leathal edge, "Anybody who moves for a weapons is a dead man. And if that isn't enough of a deterrent I'll kill one of you injured comrades as well," he pauses and sees that these men are in no situation to fight and do not appear to be attempting anything stupid.

Jameson quickly scans for any weapons and weapons lockers and instructs one of the soldiers to gather up the weapons and throw them out off the catwalks. He observes this from the doorway, a gun trained on the soldier doing the work and the other on the wounded men closest to the door.

Once the weapons have been removed he speaks once more to the assemble soldiers, "I don't want any funny stuff from any of you. I've killed a number of men and I won't think twice about adding a few more so sit tight and don't do anything stupid and you should live through this."

As he says this he walks down into the barracks, heading toward the entry to the lower command level. He checks the entry to make sure he won't be greeted with any gunfire and then heads down and into the command deck.

[Blaine]

Blaine risks a quick glance out the window and asseses the situation. "Crap." he mutters again. "I'm going to have to risk shooting.". He coils the rope around his left hand good and tight and pulls out his gun with the other. He crosses himself quickly and then hurls himself out the window, trying to swing as far away from the building as he can, hopefully dislodging the one with a shaky grip, and then takes quick aim at the one with the knife and snaps off three shots.

[i'm hoping that by getting this angle, any misses might also miss the balloons above, and I also hope it might require them to check their grip again. Blaine has the Fists of Stone ability, that should be good enough for him to keep a solid grip on the rope, even with one hand I'd imagine.]

[Rhiannon Lewis]

"Finding Mr King. Let's go." Rhiannon heads off towards the core, but not after reloading her pistols.

[Count Janos Rakozi]

Janos turns quickly to Kate and gives her a wolfish smiles.

"It's making noise. Let's go break it."

Janos stops to get his bearings, then nods and says,

"This way, I think," and heads off toward the 'chunging' noise.

[Locky McKenzie]

Locky holds his breath anxiously, trying not to make the slightest noise that could give his location away.

As the guards move on, Locky decides that the best way out of this situation is up - through the struts. With practiced effort, Locky makes his way through the struts and ropes, attempting to move towards the central platform of the airship.

[Dr. Mystery]

John bows courteously at Rhiannon, teeth showing in an amused smile.

"That, indeed, sounds like a reasonable plan of action. Shall I scout ahead?"

John tucks his cane into his coat, preparing to slip out of sight, should Rhiannon give the word.

[Alex Craft]

As Blaine hurtles out the shattered window, his sudden weight and movement cause the rope to lash unpredictably for the raiders. The higher of the two loses his tenuous grip and falls away from the building - dropping past Blaine silently, a shocked expression on his face. The other again proves quick enough to keep his grip, his blade flashing again as the rope moves under him. Even as Blaine arcs out into the air, he goes back to trying to saw off Blaine's part of the line. Unfortunately, it seems that he has brought a knife to a gunfight.

It is almost impossible for Blaine to get a bead while swinging through the air, so he sacrifices elegance for utility and simply sprays bullets at the building above him. Most of them merely strike chips from the stone of the building's flank, but at least a one finds its mark - a line of blood suddenly flicking away from the raider's shoulder. The raider holds on for a moment, then goes limp as the rope begins to arc back toward the wall. He and Blaine both slam against the face of the building, but this time only Blaine holds on, and - like the others - the raider falls.

* * *

Whether John is visible or not, he and Rhiannon do not encounter any raiders on the catwalks. Listening to the echo of Tony's mind, Rhiannon leads them on - taking as direct a course as is possible among all of the supports and machinery clasped to the bottom of the ship. They move quickly, but quietly - hoping to avoid unnecessary fighting.

Ascending to a higher catwalk and approaching the side of the cylindrical core, they find an open hatch with the bodies of two raiders slumped nearby. It seems that others of their group have passed this way already. A faint, rhythmic sound can be heard issuing from within the core:

*... chung ... chung ... chung ...*

Not far away at all, Janos and Kate moves through the claustrophobic confines of the core's second level. The narrow corridors are dimly lit with occasional light bulbs, and exposed pipes and wires hang overhead. Surprisingly, our heroes encounter no more guards on this floor, though shortly after entering they hear the metallic clang of a bulkhead door being slammed shut.

At the center of the level, they find the probable source of this last sound. It looks like the central axis of the ship is occupied by a cylindrical shaft for ventilation, electricity, and floor-to-floor movement. A couple of heavy bulkhead doors in the side of this axis are sealed shut - locked from the inside. Zorbo's men have retreated, cutting off this level (at least) from more sensitive areas.

The chung sound is louder now - certainly not far off from the axis. Closer up, it sounds less and less like something mechanical; there is no background noise, no rumble of machinery. Just one sound, repeated over and over. Unfortunately, the echoing confines of the corridors carry sound too well, and it is proving difficult to pinpoint the sound's origin.

As Janos and Kate attempt to determine which of the corridors leading off of the axis to follow, they hear a different sound: approaching footsteps. They go on the alert, but fortunately hesitate long enough to identify the newcomers as friends - Rhiannon and John coming up on Janos and Kate's heels.

Rhiannon is still following her impression of Tony's presence, and she is very close, now. In fact, she can now identify exactly where Tony is in relation to her - apparently just a little ways down a nearby corridor.

* * *

The wounded raiders and their 'nurses' don't give Jameson any trouble - as far as they're concerned, the fighting is over. While someone could decide to be a hero, it looks to Jameson as if these men are actually rather demoralized. Odds are, they've never before taken these kinds of losses.

Outside, Locky works his way through the struts - keeping a sharp eye out for the raiders he saw earlier (or any others). Nearing the core, he spots an open hatch on the level below him. He hears movement, making him initially reluctant to check the hatch out, but then catches a familiar voice - Jameson, saying with finality, "... don't do anything stupid and you should live through this."

A quick look reveals a large, open barracks with wounded and dead raiders scattered about, as if in a battlefield hospital. Locky can see Jameson stepping into the room from another hatch - his guns at the ready as he slowly moves toward another hatch built into a massive pillar at the center of the room. The raiders don't seem to notice Locky (focused as they are on Jameson), but Jameson is scanning the room carefully and sees him peering around the side of the hatchway.

[Blaine]

"WHOOF!" Blaine grunts as he slams one more time into the building, the rope digging into his leathery hand. He holsters his gun and gives a quick salute to the fallen goons, then steadies his grip with the other hand, allowing blood to flow back into his left hand. Then he puts both hands on the rope and pushes off the building, climbing hand over hand without the assistance of his legs. Almost as an omen, a sudden gust of wind blows his hat off, and it sails lazily to the ground far below.

"Crap." he mutters, not looking down, but continuing to climb with grim determination.

[Andrew Murphy]

"Come on in Locky, these fine gentlemen are co-operating quite well, and I could use somebody to cover my back," Jameson speaks out plainly.

He is now standing by the hatch down to the command deck with the door directly to his right and his pistols covering the soldiers.

"This is the passage down to the command deck is it not?" he asks out loud. Getting confirmation from one of the soldiers Jameson spares a look towards Locky, who is hopefully now entering the room.

"We're going to commandeer this vessel Locky, I'd appreciate it if you could help me do so." Jameson flashes one of his patented goof-ball smiles and winks at his younger friend. "I think that this will make a nice concession to Tony for all the damage these gents did to his nice building, what do you think?"

As he says that Jameson holsters one of his pistols and begins to open the hatch to the command deck, trusting that Lockly will warn him of anything behind him. Jameson opens the hatch and peers into the command deck with his pistol in the lead. Assuming he doesn't get shot at he takes an inventory of people in the command area and stations where people should be in the command area, no use being startled by somebody hiding in a closet.

Once (if) Jameson has determined the command area to be either safe or capable of being captured he will draw his other gun and charge in to take the ship over.