EVENT: DUPRR ▒ THE SECONDARY SHUTTLE BAY

[ataraxites]

CHARACTERS: Ensemble production!
LOCATION: The secondary shuttle bay
WARNINGS: Violence, injury, graphic imagery, death etc.
SUMMARY: Discovery of the secondary shuttle bay and rescue or not of the DUPRR NPCs inside.
NOTES: March 30 onwards.

The doors are torn open as you arrive, metal ripped back like the skin of a fruit. Improvised barricades of tools and carts, shuttle pieces stand as obstacles to be carefully climbed through before you can stand in the shuttle bay itself. The space is vast, flashlight beams penetrating only a certain distance into the dark, but enough to sweep the floor, find the scattered, gored remains of at least three human bodies. The ship stands as the only complete vessel in sight - or, at least, it was. Windows smashed, the hull torn at, access doors ripped open. The inside empty. The shuttle bay is silent. But is that the silence of a catastrophe already passed, or of someone hiding, holding their breath?

Comments

[decretorium]

[ The bullet ricochets off the metal of the hallway, and Juri raises her arms above her head, recoiling instinctually to a crouch and glancing back and around. Gogo's shout comes immediately thereafter as she dives between Juri and Davis. The DUPRR agent moves through the interior shuttle bay doors into the main hallway to get cover, looking to whatever sane people are left. ]

What the hell is he doing?!

[lostsoldier]

[ Not stopping, apparently.

Sparks burst to light where Gogo's carbon disc hits metal hand and metal rifle, and the latter goes careening off into the darkness. But as soon as it's out of his grasp he's reaching to his leg for his sidearm, gun pulled from holster with an unnatural absence of hesitation, and head ducking behind metal forearm to block any incoming fire as he bolts after his target.

Juri is what's important. The rest are just obstacles. Collateral damage.

(Like Philadelphia? Is there a difference between ten and two hundred? Didn't he used to remember the answer to that? He used to remember—) ]

[oversight]

[ The second it takes for Gogo to react is a much better time than Blake can manage, but thankfully she's there to serve as an adequate buffer. Quick to offload Selina, John's attention wholly focuses on the commotion ahead of him, at the unexpected aggressor.

Blake can see Juri moving away out of the corner of his eye as he closes the distance to James, intercepting him with a considerable amount of confidence for a guy in such a small package. No words, no warning, just as much speed and efficiency as he can pack into this moment because decisiveness is what's going to save lives.

Striking out, he swats downward at the leading arm to disrupt the man's aim while the other hand twists the firearm against his grip. Maybe a broken finger wouldn't mean much to James, but it'll certainly require him to change hands before firing again and that buys them time. ]

[familybusiness]

I don't know.

[It's a miracle that the bullet missed, because he's seen 'Davis' in action, and it's probably only the fact that they were running from an army of monkies that he missed at all.]

Stay ahead of me. Keep your head down.

[It wouldn't be the first time he acted as a meat shield. The others seemed to have taken it upon themselves to try and subdue him (and he didn't want to shoot and strike any of them on accident), so Sam would keep acting as her bodyguard, keeping his body in between Juri and her new attacker, and act only if he rushed him or acted against him personally.

[lostsoldier]

[ Maybe the first shot missed because of the monkeys, or the explosion — and maybe the second ricochets off the floor because Blake knocked his arm down in time, and maybe he can't hold onto the handgun any longer because his fingers break in the twist of Blake's grip — only he doesn't so much as flinch when the bones snap, the gun just– slips. He doesn't reach for another.

(Kate would never agree with killing them. Not when there was any other option. That's not her.)

The tell-tale rev of an internal motor heralds the swing of a steel fist in Blake's direction instead. They never did spar, but if they had Blake wouldn't have seen him like this, swift and ruthless and trading blows as easy as breathing. Each action is a reflex more than a decision. He isn't thinking; he's killing.

(This isn't me.)

His eyes widen. For a split second, he catches Blake's eye, and there's no anger or violence or murder-fueling hatred in his gaze, there's just a hardening determination. The setting of teeth. The next punch Blake throws, he doesn't block. ]

[overdraws]

[ Allison was locked and loaded with her stun baton the moment she heard something coming down the corridor, and she's prepared for more monsters.

Not a member of their team attacking the person they were trying to rescue. The world moves in slow motion for her. First, Gogo throws her disc, then Blake lunges for Davis, aiming for the weapon in his hand. Allison spins her gaze towards Sam and Juri, and when she sees that they're both fine (or at least, they both look fine), she makes her move.

Stalking forward, Allison flicks her wrist and the stun baton crackles to life. She picks up the pace as she gets close, and she (hopefully) doesn't give him time to react, just swings and slams the baton and all 20,000 watts of it into his left arm.

The world catches up, and Allison steps back. ]

[lostsoldier]

[ He doesn't — can't — cry out. The current flows from metal arm though metal socket and bone anchors down his spine to the ground, and every muscle contracts along its path. His back arches. When Allison withdraws, and 260lbs of dead weight drops to the deck. ]

[oversight]

[ That last glimpse of consciousness is rattling, the sensation it leaves settling heavy on John's chest. He's momentarily stunned as the soldier heaps heavily to the ground. It's not even a full second before he's focusing his dark eyes on the rest of those in the party. ]

We can't leave him.

[ As much as they'd all probably like to, John's not about to allow that. ]

We'll have to carry him out for now...

[ Yeah, good luck with that. ]

[decretorium]

He was trying to kill me!

[ Implicit in Juri's outrage as she steps out from behind Sam is the insinuation that carrying him out is unwarranted. ]

[overdraws]

[ Allison's knelt down next to Bucky's body to make sure he's still alive (killing him was not her intent), and she looks up at Juri sharply. ] So leaving him here to die is the right answer? He needs to be punished, but we don't have to kill him.

[oversight]

[ As far as Blake's concerned, if they're willing to go this far into the ship to save strangers, then they're damn well going to bring back the people that aren't. ]

She's right.

[ He follows her example, crouching on the other side of the body. Tilting his head, he goes looking for a way to release that heavy mechanical arm from the rest soldier. Might as well make this as easy as possible. ]

Get 'im to safety at least. Once he wakes up he can walk himself outta here.

[familybusiness]

[Sam's not going to argue with that. He's not for wanton violence, and they can't question him later if need be if he's dead.]

We should take his weapons off of him for now, in case he wakes up on the way.

[Sam himself will take his discarded rifle. It could come in handy on the trek back to 'civilization.']

[decretorium]

[ Disgruntled but resigned to the decision, Juri just watches them mill about warily to collect Davis and start carrying him and his stuff back. She's giving particular scrutiny to the rifle, like ... ? ? ? que ?? ? ]