* Threnody answers Kat as he walks, at a less frenetic pace than Roy or Leo.
"The bugs wouldn't need to encrypt communications. They share a hive mind,
remember?"
<Chamelaeon> <<You head down the steel hallways of the place! Mmm, grey.>>
<Threnody> ("Gunmetal"!)
<Leopoldo> (Gunmetal > Grey.)
* Katherine follows. She's still seeming not unhappy. "Right, which, says that
either they know how to block how bugs talk here, a bug really wants us to
listen to that music and message, or it's not a bug."
<Chamelaeon> (Someday someplace you'll be in will be gunmetal pink, and THEN
you'll be sorry.)
* Threnody tilts his head. "So... is this whole fortress really just a front for
Scientology? Are we going to find the Statue of Liberty half-buried in a crater
when we escape?"
* Threnody blushes at that string of nonsense, then clears his throat. "My real
question being what your theories on who it might be *is*."
<Chamelaeon> (Scientologists were killed back in 2020. Mass extinction. Like
lemmings off a cliff. Hubbard said it was Body Thetans in his wing-wang.)
<Threnody> (I am envisioning Space Scientology. It's FUNNY.)
* Katherine shakes her head. "If it's not a bug... I don't know. If it were from
outside the base, I'd think it were other humans. From inside the base?" She
looks thoughtful for a second.
<Leopoldo> Why would they be calling outside the base, then?
<Leopoldo> And why encrypted?
<Katherine> I don't know. Maybe they have a constant signal that bugs wouldn't
get that says, 'Hey, Humans! Come here!' It's not like you ASKED anyone.
* Threnody hmmms. "Well..." He knits his brow. "There's the possibility that
there are a number of installations just like this one, and they communicate
through encrypted transmissions to keep their troops in the dark..." He pauses.
"Psychologically, the best way to get a solider to perform is to corner him.
Think about it. If you believe you're the last bastion of humanity, won't you
fight that much harder?"
<Threnody> (To the last, his mother's son. He's in denial.)
* Katherine nods slowly. "If there's an AI in control of this place? I'd believe
that." She looks off into the distance, sorta unfocused. "Definitely believe
that."
<Fitzroy> Maybe it's data, rather than a plain message.
* Leopoldo stops and sighs. "There is no reason to start acting so agressive
again..." He glances around and concentrates once more, trying to get another
feel for the signal.
* Threnody comes to a halt. "Well, we're just speculating. It might be a very
old automated signal for all we know."
<Katherine> Yeah. Or maybe it's like a kid's toy broadcast thing, and it's all
garbage.
* Katherine chuckles a little and stretches as she walks. "At least it passes
the time."
* Leopoldo points a little off of the firing range. "Right there. And if you
don't think it will result in anything, you are more than free to go back to
watching Happy Days."
* Threnody blinks at Leo. "You seem a little on edge. Are you okay?"
* Fitzroy marks it.
<Chamelaeon> <<Vera catches up, as Leo et al are standing still.>>
<Chamelaeon> <<Just in a hallway a couple hundred feet down.>>
* Vera heads over to them.
<Leopoldo> I...  I just want to get out of here.  This place is driving me
crazy.  And Kat's pessimism in the matter isn't helping.
* Leopoldo continues, this time torwards the firing range.
* Threnody blinks again, looking at Kat for a moment, then shrugging and
trailing in Leo's wake.
* Katherine licks her lips. "Was just saying, since it's all vaguely possible."
She then chuckles. "Don't talk to any of the people around here if you want to
stay away from pessimism, though. Jesus."
<Leopoldo> If you haven't noticed, I've been keeping to myself.
<Vera> If it makes ya feel any better, I think it ain't that bad.  Sure, there's
the impending doom thing, but hey, free booze.
<Chamelaeon> <<Through the winding hallways you go, passing people who are
wondering why the hell you're moving so fast.>>
* Leopoldo doesn't pay them much mind. What, they've never moved quickly before
either?
<Threnody> (I wish I were a longer range TP. it would be a fun time to bust out
"I sense a disturbance in the Roch.")
<Leopoldo> (Mwehehe.)
* Katherine laughs a little, then says, "Guess that wouldn't hurt much. Well,
except for the hangovers. Do they have AntiAlc here?"
* Threnody says, sounding a little miffed, "I suspect they relish the hangovers,
in their own way."
<Chamelaeon> <<Down a few ramps, and around by a random vivarium you go! The
vivarium is quite nice, themed in Pacific Northwest.>>
<Vera> Can't have a hangover if ya don't stop drinking.
<Chamelaeon> (Actually you can, but.)
* Katherine shakes her head. "No thanks."
* Threnody actually stops for a second and peers in the vivarium before walking
onward.
* Leopoldo stops again, this time much closer to the firing range. He takes a
shot at locating the signal, much like before.
* Leopoldo points off slightly apart from the range again. "That direction." He
glances at Roy.
* Threnody also glances Royward, catching up. "Any luck decoding it yet?"
* Fitzroy marks it again.
<Fitzroy> Well... Looks like those directions cross at a storage closet next to
the range.
<Leopoldo> There we go.
<Fitzroy> Still nothing on decoding it though.
<Katherine> A storage closet.
<Leopoldo> Too obvious?
<Vera> The obvious one is usually the right one.
* Katherine chuckles a little and says, ""Nah. Well, time to satisfy your
curiosity?"
* Fitzroy shrugs.
<Leopoldo> Sure.  Signal's gonna be over soon, we might catch whatever it is in
the act.
* Threnody shrugs. "A storage closet has served at least once as the perfect
hiding spot."
<Leopoldo> (Um, how close is the range, anyways?)
<Chamelaeon> <<Now? About thirty seconds way if you run.>>
* Katherine blinks, and then snaps her fingers. "Duh. Space jesus."
* Threnody tilts his head, then blinks at Katherine. "...I was just kidding! You
don't actually think..."
<Leopoldo> Come on.
* Vera shrugs, then makes a run for it.
* Leopoldo starts running to the firing range and the closet.
* Katherine looks over at Thren and says, "I'm having trouble 'thinking' at all,
but why the fuck not?"
* Fitzroy chases after Leo
<Katherine> ... hey!
* Threnody jogs. Dum de dum.
* Katherine chases after them all, keeping Thren's pace, saying sarcastically,
"NOW they're excited and want to do things."
<Chamelaeon> <<A mad dash to the range, which is mostly empty except for a few
people who look up at you when you run in but quickly go back to their shooting,
and you're there. The only problem is, you don't see a closet>>
* Fitzroy checks the map again..
<Fitzroy> Behind some ammo crates? *he looks around*
<Leopoldo> Or maybe inside some ammo crates.
<Fitzroy> (behind ~the~ ammo crates.. rather)
<Leopoldo> (assuming ammo crates come in size XXXL.)
* Threnody frowns. "If I didn't know better, I'd say look for a suspicious rug."
<Leopoldo> That'd work too.
* Katherine looks around. She knows this place sorta well.
* Leopoldo starts looking around in the general direction that said closet's
supposed to be in.
<Chamelaeon> <<There are some ammo crates in the room!>>
<Fitzroy> It should be behind these crates. Leo, can you move them?
<Chamelaeon> <<They are, in fact, XXXXXL. They're sticking out in a row
perpendicular to the wall, blocking your view of what's behind them.>>
* Fitzroy actually decides to just go around them and does so, "Never mind."
* Leopoldo looks at himself. "I would if I was feeling like myself."
<Chamelaeon> <<Behind them is ... the closet! It's closed.>>
<Fitzroy> (just a tad bit of description confusion.. )
* Fitzroy tries the door.. is it locked?
* Katherine chuckles a little at Leo's comment, and then follows Roy.
<Chamelaeon> <<The door opens under Roy's ministrations!>>
<Chamelaeon> <<Inside IS!.... nobody. And nothing. Well, almost nothing. There's
some more ammo, and also a few gun parts.>>
<Chamelaeon> <<Oh, and there's that funny-looking stick-thing.>>
* Katherine eyes the inside of the closet, if she can see it.
<Leopoldo> (You mean an antenna?)
* Threnody eyes the stick thing. He hates teh guns.
<Chamelaeon> <<Closer examination says yes, it is, in fact, an antenna. But just
an antenna. But not a radio, or wires, or microphone. It's also not really
metal.>>
<Vera> ( Is it tinfoil? )
<Chamelaeon> (Tinfoil == metal)
* Leopoldo walks into the room (going past Roy if necessary) and looks around.
<Leopoldo> (Uh, yeah.  Tinfoil is metal.)
<Vera> ( I has the solution. We wear tinfoil hats and that will ward away the
bugs. )
<Chamelaeon> (VERA WINS)
* Fitzroy hasn't gone in.
<Chamelaeon> <<The rest of the closet is just like the initial view of it.>>
<Vera> ( What is it if it's not metal? :P )
<Chamelaeon> (Try picking it up first.)
<Vera> ( It's the third-rate substitute of this dimmension: Smetal! )
<Katherine> (Ha.)
* Katherine continues looking 'around' the two people, since closets aren't
known for their size. "... So, what's in there?"
* Vera peers. "An antenna.
* Leopoldo peers at the antenna-thing, and assuming it's not bolted to the
ground, picks it up. "Some weird antenna."
<Chamelaeon> <<It is, in fact, not. It's a straight antenna, much like a TV
aerial, but there's a little cupped node at the end of it. The material is
strange... it seems like some kind of rock, but normally rock isn't what one
would call conductive. It's also only about two feet long.>>
<Leopoldo> What do you make of this?
* Leopoldo holds it out for the others.
* Katherine looks at it carefully, now that she can see it! "Is it still
broadcasting?"
* Vera shrugs. "Beats me."
<Leopoldo> I... doubt she was asking you.
<Leopoldo> But, no, it's not emitting any signal anymore.
* Threnody tilts his head, then frowns and looks at the antenna. "Well... that's
a bit of a bust. Maybe we should hold onto it until it starts again?"
<Leopoldo> I'd say so.  It's strange, though.  It's definetly rock-like, but
still conductive...
<Fitzroy> Somebody'll probably come looking for it.
* Threnody hmms. "The Bugs are capable of extruding radio communications
equipment physically. The Hippies used it."
* Katherine blinks, and nods slowly. "I was thinking it looked Bug, yes. But
that would have to mean that bugs are free, in the base." She pauses for a
second, then finishes, "But who are they trying to talk to?"
* Katherine tries to edge her way into the closet.
<Chamelaeon> <<CLOSET IS FULL! BEAR IS DRIVING!>>
* Leopoldo lets her in. "Could just be a bug in the system, if you will."
* Threnody nods. "It might just be coincidence, but..."
<Vera> Doubtful.  Someone had to find the thing and put it here.
* Katherine looks around in the closet, which includes trying to open boxes and
look everywhere. Much to lack of success.
* Fitzroy , not being in the closet, goes to peek around the ammo crates to see
if anyone's out there.
<Chamelaeon> <<There's some people firing guns. No real big surprise.>>
* Katherine stands up. "Just nothing. Leo, lemme through?" She tries to get out.
* Leopoldo nudges his way out of the closet, the metal-thingie inside his coat,
or someplace where he could hide it without anyone noticing. No, pants are not
an option.
<Leopoldo> That's about it.
* Katherine gets out and looks around the shooting gallery, murmuring, "If there
are bugs, where are they coming from..."
<Leopoldo> Put two and two together, though.  If a hippie was somewhere on the
base, they'd want to contact the bugs about anything and everything.  And to do
that, they'd need to encrypt the information so nobody catches wind of it.
* Threnody tilts his head. "Do the hippies even exist anymore?"
* Vera shrugs. "Maybe some formers got drafted.
<Katherine> ... If they do, they're NUTS. They could almost fake it mattering
then. There's no companies to take out now!
<Leopoldo> Alternate universe, remember?
* Vera shrugs. "If all of humanity's gathered here, chances are the survivers
are nuts. Hell, look at us."
<Fitzroy> Well, from what I can see the bugs double-crossed the hippies and got
rid of them all.
* Katherine bites her lip and looks over the ammo crates and nearby wall. "Now
that sounds more like it."
<Threnody> They were just a means to an end in our reality anyway. It's not so
unbelievable.
<Fitzroy> This was quite some time ago. It's not likely that anyone would want
to work with the bugs again after that.
* Leopoldo nods.
<Leopoldo> But you know how some people can be.
<Leopoldo> All it would take is one.
* Katherine rubs her head. "Yeah."
* Threnody frowns. "I think we should focus on figuring out the transmission."
<Leopoldo> Then let's concentrate on that.
* Leopoldo starts torwards a place where they could do just that!
* Threnody follows! For great decoding!
* Vera follows.
* Fitzroy follows, "Leo, how often does this message appear?"
* Katherine looks at one of the boxes and says, "Whoa, whoa, hold it!"
<Leopoldo> Last night, this one today, so maybe twice a d- Huh?
* Leopoldo looks back at Kat.
* Katherine moves out around the boxes if people have already wandered well
away, so she can see people.
* Katherine then gestures at one of the ammo cases, "One of the ones out here is
open."
<Threnody> Well... it *is* a firing range.
<Leopoldo> What else about it?
<Chamelaeon> <<Anybody who came back and is looking at it, sense(smell).>>
<Leopoldo> (Pfft, time to blow a roll.)
* Vera looks at it.
<Katherine> (Ha, no.)
* Threnody takes a look anyway.
* Leopoldo walks back, taking a better look.
<Vera> ( Got it )
<Leopoldo> (Nope.)
<Threnody> (Yep.)
* Katherine rolls her eyes. "Yeah, yeah."
<Fitzroy> (no)
<Vera> Something smells funny.
* Threnody nods, tilting his head. "Like... acid? In the box." He looks between
Kat and Vera. "Is that normal for bullets?"
<Vera> No.
* Katherine smirks for a second at Vera's statement, then decides to draw her
gun, because she's the thug. "Not when we're using energy weapons."
<Chamelaeon> <<The box sits there. The rest of you can smell it, now. It's
slowly getting stronger.>>
* Katherine stares at the box. Maybe it's a mimic, and it's going to eat us.
"Someone want to open that?"
* Fitzroy backs away from the box. Kat drawing a weapon is not a good sign.
* Katherine 's off hand drifts to the back of her suit and slips a plug into her
TSM jack quickly.
* Leopoldo huffs. "Oh, bother." He goes to finish opening it.
<Katherine> (Leo the Pooh. Leo the Pooh.
Doot-dee-dee-dee-doot-doot-dee-dee...o/~)
<Leopoldo> (Actually, I was thinking Potter Puppet Pals.)
<Leopoldo> (Botherbotherbotherbotherbotherbotherbotherbotherbother...)
<Chamelaeon> <<Inside is a bunch of rapidly melting something that looks kind of
like plastic and smells like it, too, though with the box open you catch a whiff
of real flesh putrefaction. That's what it is. What it LOOKS like is someone's
spare set of skin.>>
<Chamelaeon> <<Except for the bleeding, that is. And the melting. Which is
really kind of nasty. Let's have that psyche roll, -2.>>
<Threnody> (Dumb question: -2 penalty, or -2 bonus?)
<Leopoldo> (Either way, I made it!)
<Chamelaeon> (Bonus)
<Katherine> (I missed by 1. Sigh.)
<Threnody> (Hm. I can't tell if that fails or not.)
<Threnody> (What's Psyche based on again? Average of mind and soul?)
<Leopoldo> (Yeah.)
<Katherine> (... That's funny. The combat types are gonna wig, the non-combats
aren't.)
<Threnody> (Um... I guess I failed, then. By 1.)
<Fitzroy> (I made it)
<Leopoldo> (I made it by a lot.)
<Threnody> (Although really, even if Thren made it he'd have freaked out.)
<Chamelaeon> <<Thren and Kat are afflicted with a sudden and severe case of
nausea, and also are more than a little disturbed over this.>>
* Leopoldo eyes the skin and backs away. "Uh... I suppose that answers one
question."
* Katherine 's gun drops off of pointing at the box and she makes a nauseated
face, taking a step back. "Maybe I shouldn't have eaten breakfast today. God.
That answers it."
* Threnody makes a noise that could only be called 'strangled' as he takes a few
careless steps back and rams into the wall, hand over his mouth. He looks
seriously, seriously pale. You can actually *hear* (in your heads) the mental
"OhmygodohmygodOHMYGOD" when his control slips.
* Katherine shudders visibly.
<Leopoldo> (Mmmm...  Roy and my psyche values go up by 1 too.  ^^)
* Fitzroy ughs.. he almost loses it.
* Vera peeks in. "Uh... Yuck." She peers at it. "Hmm."
* Leopoldo , amazingly, doesn't look *that* disturbed by it, but glances at the
others.
* Threnody slumps onto the floor. He still looks pretty upset.
* Katherine suddenly looks more sick, drops her gun, and tries to lean against
the wall. She whispers, "Fucking Space Jesus, Thren."
* Leopoldo shuts the ammo case, holding his breath as he does so. "You need to
rest for a bit?"
<Chamelaeon> <<The face, for the record, was goateed (well, more of a vandyke)
and looked kind of like Edward Norton if he'd been hit in the face with a bat a
lot.>>
* Threnody reluctantly shakes his head, but shake it he does. "No, but..." He
stands up, shakily, though it seems more due to his being unable to gauge where
and what he's grabbing for support than anything else. "Sorry. Just brought back
some decidedly unpleasant memories."
<Chamelaeon> (FInish up omgz)
<Vera> Ever see a guy chop off his limbs so he can grow new ones?
<Leopoldo> In a movie once.  Once.
<Leopoldo> (Answer to everything.  I saw it in a movie!)
* Katherine takes a deep breath too, but doesn't stand up. She chuckles weakly
at Vera. and says, "No. Can't... say I have, really." NOW she stands.
* Threnody looks at the thing as best he can, though he's still pretty pale.
"But what does this *mean*?"
* Vera peers at the skin without looking up. "I have. Oh, this probably means a
bug is dressing itself up in human skin, is all."
<Chamelaeon> (Hokay. Last poses.)
* Leopoldo nods.
* Katherine nods a little, still looking a bit sick, and crouches to re-pick up
her gun. "Well, Leo, you were sorta right. Wasn't a wild goose chase at all."
<Vera> Now, where's the bug?
* Leopoldo helps Threnody up and nods to Kathrine. "No clue."
<Chamelaeon> (Done?)
<Leopoldo> I think, more importantly, is finding a place to talk this over.
<Leopoldo> (Done here.)
<Todd> (I done!)
<Chamelaeon> <<ATC2 File 22, Closed!>>