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SRM-05: A Dark and Stormy Night |
It was a dark and stormy night - traveling near Glow City in the Redmond Barrens during a hail storm is
not your idea of a good time, especially when things go bump in the night!
Part One: A Dark and Stormy Night [180KB] Part Two: Player Handouts [112KB] |
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SRM-05: Dark and Stormy Night - "It was a dark and stormy
night..."
Introductory fiction by Rich Osterhout
...the chill of the night air could be felt even
down here on Level Four, even though the lab was
completely sealed and the facility had its own air
circulation system. Maybe it had something to do with the
room's inhabitants. Kat almost jumped off her stool as her
cell phone began vibrating. As one of the leading mages
working here in the depths of the latest research lab of
Ares Arms, she was not supposed to have her cell phone
on her - a security violation that could get her dismissed
from the project. As an independent consultant for Ares,
she was awarded some degree of latitude, but security was
something that could not be dismissed, especially here,
especially now. But she knew that Stella worried about
her, and would often call to check up on her - like she
really needed checking up on.
It's just that Stella couldn't understand why Kat
couldn't talk about her job; she just didn't grasp the
concept of classified projects and why people needed to
hide things. That's a Dog shaman for you, always trying to
be one big happy family. As a follower of the hermetic
tradition, I cared only about one thing - money; and Ares
was offering plenty of it. Classified jobs paid even mo re,
and this one was just through the roof, and with good
reason.
The large insectoid form now on the table in front of
her looked just like a 2 meter tall carpenter ant. Its large
black mandibles shone under the harsh fluorescent lighting
of the lab. Kat was not in the least bit worried - the
abomination was strapped securely to the table with Kevlar
woven straps, and it had been stunned senseless by her
mana based magics. And the wards - a quick glance to the
left revealed the glowing cartouche that indicated that the
ward was holding and strong.
Her attention was once more drawn back to the
vibrating cell phone. She turned and addressed the two
scientists in the lab with her, "I need to prepare a further
binding ritual on the subject to ensure its complacency
during the testing. Why don't you two go and get a cup of
coffee or something before we begin the testing." It
seemed like a good enough excuse for the two mundanes
to leave the lab and the insectoid form on the table behind
them. They quickly left Kat alone in the lab.
"Stella, I thought I told you to call me only in an
emergency! You don't realize how much trouble I could
get into by talking to you right now!"
Stella's voice sounded frantic across the wireless gap
between them; "But I was worried! It's been nearly 14
hours since you left the house! You've never been gone
this long before without calling!"
Kat's calm voice reassured the shaman; "I told you I
would be working late today. We're on the verge of some
important experiments, and I'm very busy. Stella, I
promise I'll call you as soon as I'm done and ready to
come home."
The scrape of chitin on metal raised the hackles on
Kat's neck as she turned back around to the subject on the
table. The large ant-like creature had awoken and was
straining at its bonds.
"Stella, I'll have to call you back!" she hoarsely called
into the phone and dropped it on the counter, not thinking
to push the disconnect button.
The ancient tongue came difficult to Kat, but she
continued her chant, building the astral energies and
preparing to release them into the creature.
An unholy screech sounded from the insect as it
focused all its power into the formidable limbs, cutting
through the tough Kevlar that held it down. Another
screech to celebrate its progress, and it began the fight for
freedom.
Kat began to release her spell, but was distracted at the
last moment as the two scientists rushed through the door
of the lab, intent on discovering the source of the alien
noises they had heard. They stood frozen in the door at the
sight before them - the ant-creature sitting upright on the
table, its mandibles and forelimbs working on cutting its
remaining bonds. Kat stood off to the side, and spun at the
entrance of the scientists, releasing her spell energies
prematurely.
"Don't just stand there!" she shouted, "get the
sprayers!" But it was all too late - the abomination severed
the final bond and broke free, leaping off the table towards
the scientists at the door. It grabbed the one on the left, and
ripped the scientist's body in half, dropping the legs to the
ground as it flung the upper torso towards Kat. She quickly
cast another spell, this time a bolt of powerful energy. But
her attempt to dodge the bloody upper half of the scientist
caused her to miss, and the bolt struck the transom above
the door. The insect turned back to Kat and released
another shriek as it leapt towards her. Kat screamed one
final time as she tried to turn the fury of the insect,
noticing almost ironically before being rendered apart that
the glyph above the door had flickered and died...
It was a dark and stormy night. The rain was beating a
deafening crescendo on the window to her left. Stella sat in
horror as she listened to the strange alien shrieks and the
frantic yelling of Kat on the other end of the line. What
seemed like an eternity took only seconds, and by the time
she could respond, only silence greeted her through the ear
piece. She had the presence of mind to keep the line open,
and went to the telecom to contact a close friend. She had
known Manny for many years, and she knew that she
could turn to him for help. The fixer picked up on the
second ring, and Stella immediately started crying into his
waiting ear. "Manny its Stella I don't know what's
happened but something terrible has happened to my friend
Kat I just know it I just know it I was talking to her and
then I heard some screams and something awful oh just
awful that I've never heard before oh I don't even know if
she's still alive oh Manny you've got to help me you've
got to help her!"
"Whoa, calm down Stella, calm down. OK, Manny is
here to help, where is Kat now?" the fixer calmly asked,
hoping to calm down the frantic woman.
"I don't know she just wouldn't tell me I've asked her
a lot but she just says she can't tell me it's classified and
oh I don't know but I was on the phone with her and I
dropped the phone and kept the line open..." the shaman
responded.
Manny used his many years of experience to quickly
assess the situation and responded "Don't worry Stella,
I'm contacting an associate of mine right now and feeding
him your cell phone number. Don't worry, this guy is
good, and he'll be able to lock down a position if the
phone is still open and has a strong enough signal." His
fingers flew across his telecom unit as he dialed up one of
his star deckers and put him in another window on the
screen. The data flew across the bottom of the window as
he relayed Stella's cell phone number and the request for
tracking it down ASAP. A few moments later, and Manny
had his answer - he knew he could depend on this console
cowboy. "OK Stella, you can hang up the cell phone now,
we've got it...you should hang it up so that nothing can
track back to you. Let me handle things now and you try to
get some rest."
The shaman visibly calmed as she responded, "Thanks
Manny, I knew I could count on you - I'll pay whatever it
takes - just get Kat back to me..." Manny immediately
began scanning for who was available and ready to take on
a quick rescue mission into the heart of the Redmond
Barrens and The Glow...
It was a dark and stormy night. But here, in this
underground facility of Ares Arms' research division, the
sound of their footsteps on the tile floor was the only thing
anyone could hear. Sergeant Colby had only another 20
minutes to go before the end of his shift. Both he and
Corporal Rachovsky had been tasked with making the
security rounds on Level Four - where the main labs were.
Everyone had their own ideas of what was going on down
there. As security guards, they were only cleared for
patrolling the hallway and not allowed in the labs
themselves unless an alarm was triggered. That was fine
with Colby. Talk of everything from mutants exposed to
The Glow to space aliens recovered from the crashed
suborbital to even stranger tales of things that go bump in
the night...
He pushed the button to call for the elevator, and
alarms above his head sounded their claxon roar. "What
the hell is going on?" he asked Rachovsky. The corporal
could only shrug as the elevator opened before them. They
waited for a second as the speaker system activated;
"Attention all hands, Attention all hands, This is NOT a
drill, This is NOT a drill, There has been a breach in
Laboratory B, Level Four, Hostile subjects are extremely
dangerous, Activate protocol CHARLIE, All security
teams report to duty stations and load chemical rounds!"
The speaker continued to bark out orders as the two
nervously got into the elevator and proceeded to the
bottom level of the facility. Colby was not happy! "Why
does this drek have to always happen when I'm about
ready to get relieved??" Both of them checked their
magazines and ensured that the special chemical rounds
had been loaded. They had no idea what the chemicals
were, but they had been told that it was necessary to use
such ammunition rather than standard lead bullets here in
the facility. It didn't matter to him, as long as they worked,
and they had better work!
The elevator doors opened, and the two Ares Arms
guards immediately reacted to the combat scene before
them. It was readily apparent who the bad guy was - one
of the scientists had just finished firing one of the special
spray weapons, little more than a fire extinguisher, at what
could only be described as a giant carpenter ant! The black
body was covered in white foam, and it let loose with an
alien screech that caused the two warriors to respond with
screams of their own. The scientist could only stand by
helpless with the empty dispenser as the ant swept
sideways with a powerful forearm and pinned the human
to the wall. The guards opened up their weapons on full
automatic mode, emptying their clips in mere seconds.
With luck on their side, the insect finally collapsed as
green ichor oozed from its mouth. A few moments later,
the elevator opened behind them and a squad of guards
poured forth, quickly securing the area. Another of the
facility mages moved forward and inspected the lab and
the surroundings, paying particular attention to the door at
the far end of the lab. "Everyone! We need to secure the
facility! We'll need to go into lock-down until backup can
arrive! Sergeant Colby, you and your partner oversee the
lockdown efforts. The rest of you, proceed to the entrance
of the facility for further orders. We need to hold the fort
for about an hour before the pros get here. And Colby,
make sure you reload..."