[GURPS 4e, IC] The Dying of the Light — Infection

[xen0phile]

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Ese won't make any attacks, but rather just try to hold the guy as still as possible so Morten can get a clear shot, and not accidentally hit Ese.

[Inglenook]

STEVE

Lurch steps backward, clutching his chest. "What the hell?!"

"She's one of those things!" Yolanda yells. You grab the woman from the side, wrapping your arms around her torso to keep her from moving. As you do so, Yolanda delivers a swift kick to the woman's leg with her shiny black shoes.

The woman tries to claw at you with her free hands, and you feel sudden pain as her nails dig into your inner thigh.

[dekova]

In as a commanding voice as he can muster, Steve yells at the woman. "Stop fighting me! I'm trying to help you!"

Shifting his weight, he tries to power the woman to the ground.

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Trying for a typical takedown.
Grappling skill is 13
Strength is 12 for purposes of grappling checks.
(3d6)[1][2][2](5)

This is the first time Steve's gotten more than a glimpse of one of these 'things'. I'll let you handle the medical or intelligence rolls to start cluing him in that he may be dealing with something other than fever induced aggression.

[Inglenook]

ESE

The security guard roars and struggles in your arms. If only you can keep him still for a couple more seconds …

Morten raises the pistol with both hands, aims, and fires.

The security guard's head explodes, spraying brains all over you and the elevator. Your ears ring painfully.

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Post-Combat Shakes (CR 12): (3d6)[12]

You are in the elevator clutching the body of the dead security guard. The doors will close in 1 second.

[Inglenook]

STEVE

You try power the woman to the ground, but she's incredibly strong; you can feel her muscles twitching and trembling under her skin. She thrashes so violently that you lose your grip and are sent tumbling to the ground.

Yolanda and Lurch strike at the woman's back, but the she hardly seems to notice. Standing over you, she lifts her leg high and stomps down upon your stomach … but you roll expertly out of the way.

You've only heard of behavior (and the ability to shrug off pain) like this with people who have taken drugs like PCP. It becomes more and more apparent to you that this isn't a normal sickness.

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The lady rolled a critical success to buck you off, but you then rolled a critical success to dodge her attack.

You are prone on the floor, if that factors into what you do next.

[dekova]

Impossible.

Wide-eyed and stunned by the woman's strength and aggression, Steve scrambles to get his feet back under him.

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Taking a change posture action to move to kneeling position.
Kneeling will give him -2 to defense, best defense will still be dodge of 9.

[Inglenook]

STEVE

While you begin standing, Lurch and Yolanda continue their onslaught.

The woman turns to Yolanda, who is the closest of the two because of her short arms, and slams into her. Yolanda is thrown hard into the wall of the corridor, and she falls to the floor.

[dekova]

Extremely scared and unsure of what to think, Steve does what comes instinctively. Regaining his feet, Steve launches himself at the crazed woman.

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Okay, book say that you can go from kneeling to standing as a step with another maneuver, does that mean Steve can use all out attack?

If not, no worries. If so, he's going for a determined all-out attack (+4 to hit), boxing skill = 13, Effective str of 12 for dmg.
(3d6)[11]

Steve's going to try to maneuver so that he and Lurch are on opposite sides of the crazy lady.

[Inglenook]

STEVE

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Yep! You can do half your Basic Move during an All-Out Attack, and since a step is less than half your Basic Move, it should be okay.

Getting your feet, you throw yourself at the women, punching her hard in the side.

That does it. The woman gurgles as something inside her seems to rupture, and she coughs up a mouthful of blood before falling to the ground motionless.

[xen0phile]

Horrified and disgusted, Ese drops the body, along with a string of profanity. Noticing the door beginning to slide close, he obstructs it with his foot, leaps out, and starts to brush away, from his face, bits of brain matter using his sleeve. Thinking of security guard's other crazed companion, the woman in the dress, he shouts, "Where's the other one?!" his voice raised several decibels more than necessary due to adrenaline and his injured hearing.

[Asherion]

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I know I was pausing, but it seems appropriate to respond?

Maxwell turns, heart racing, to the two next to him. "We got out of the elevator, after it attacked Brenda, here, and someone called it downstairs." he shrugs, "Someone else's problem now, but... there's definitely something wrong with these people..."

[Inglenook]

ESE & MAXWELL

ESE:

The elevator door closes behind you, heading up.

A man's voice answers you and you jump, realizing for the first time that there are others in the room aside from you and Morten. A man and two women stand in front of the other elevator, all three of them spattered with blood. The man carries what looks like a giant awl. The younger woman has a pretty but serious face and looks incredibly ill; the serrated knife in her hand is clutched close to her chest. The other woman is a haggard, bug-eyed lady who face is covered in bleeding scratches. She massages her throat and winces.

You realize that if the woman in the sundress was sent down via the elevator, there's only one place she could have gone: the engine room. And Lurch and some others were on their way up to meet you …

As if on cue, Lurch's voice crackles through your walkie-talkie: "Ese, you need to get down here like, uh, now. I don't think it's safe up there with all the sick people."

---

MAXWELL:

Brenda coughs and rubs her neck where the woman punched her. When she speaks, her voice is creaky and hoarse: "The security office doesn't look too secure."

She points at the door, thrown open and smeared with gore. What you can see of the inside from where you're standing doesn't look promising either.

---

BOTH:

Captain Morten Rendahl (Maxwell recognizes him from the introductory meeting/dinner on the first night of the cruise) moves quickly to the door of the medical facility. The blonde doctor has been fumbling with the lock for a few moments; apparently the sick people beating on the door jammed it slightly.

"Anna, skynd deg!" Morten shouts to the woman. With a click the door comes unlocked and the woman throws it open, gasping. The name tag on her smock reads "DR. HOLM".

The other doctor is still inside the medical facility, pushing against a door that rattles and groans and threatens to burst inward. His glasses have fallen down his nose and his face is red, frantic.

"Roger!" Dr. Holm screams, "Come on!"

"I can't, they'll break through!" the other doctor, Roger, shouts back.

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Ese and Maxwell, you may combine your parties if you'd like.

You are all standing inside the lobby except for Roger, who is inside the medical facility. The door to the medical facility is in the wall in front of you to your right, and the door to the security office is to its left.

Behind you are the elevators, and in between the elevators is the main staircase, which leads upward. Ese, you know that there's a hatch to the engine room maintenance tunnel that's located just to the right of the elevators. It will open only with your keycard.

The door that Roger is bracing shut looks as if it will break open at literally any moment.

---

1
TAL

The elevator finally arrives and opens with a ding. You and the family step back, horrified by what you see inside. Emma screams and clutches her father.

Inside the elevator a man lies crumpled to the floor. He's wearing a black uniform, but his most noticeable feature is that his head appears to have been blown off at point-blank range.

On his belt you spot what looks like a taser.

Suddenly you hear a roaring from very close by—two people, it sounds like, possibly the ones that responded to the woman in the business suit a couple of minutes ago. The pitter-patter of feet is quickly approaching, and it sounds like they might be coming from the dark renovation area behind the plastic sheeting, which is only thirty feet away.

[Asherion]

Maxwell would like to hurry into the security office and yell "Anyone know if they keep any weapons in here? We need to get whatever we can and get out of here. Can anyone help them hold that door for a moment?"

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Maxwell is fine with grouping if they are - the more, the merrier

As he goes, he also yells to Brenda "Are you all right, there?"

[Inglenook]

MAXWELL

"I've been better," Brenda croaks as you run past.

You rush into the security office. The floor is slick with blood. There's a desk here and some filing cabinets, but the door that seems to lead into the office proper is locked with a card-key mechanism.

Captain Rendahl skids in. "There are weapons but you need the card to get in." He fumbles at his belt and looks suddenly furious with himself. "Fy faen! I left it on the bridge!"

Screaming comes from the lobby behind you. "They're almost through! Come on, there's no time!" Rebecca yells. No one appears to be willing to risk helping the doctor hold the door shut.

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Unless Ese decides to.

"Roger!" Dr. Holm continues to yell. You hear the sound of shattering wood.

[Asherion]

Maxwell swears in frustration. "All right, let's get out of here." He looks to the Captain, and to Ese, who appear to be some kind of staff. "Do either of you know where we can go? I think we'd better get somewhere safe, somewhere with guns, or get the hell off of this ship."

[dekova]

Steve stands over the crazy woman for a moment to see if she's really stopped moving, then he turns his attention to Yolanda and Lurch.

"You guys okay?" he asks, checking Yolanda and then Lurch for injuries.

As he's checking Lurch, he quietly adds "if this is what's happening to the sick, well... there were lots of sick folks up in medical. Get on the radio quick and warn the others."

Steve takes a long look up and down the hallway before bending to check the condition of the crazed woman, being cautious in-case she regains consciousness.

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Steve's checking the hallway to make sure they're alone and half-hoping that there's a "In Case of Fire" cabinet with a nice hefty fire axe in it. Or a valve wrench for closing valves in an emergency... etc.

If you need to do some rolls:
First Aid 13
Perception 12

The fire extinguisher just seems too unwieldy to use as a weapon.

[Inglenook]

MAXWELL

Spoiler

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Slight delay until xen0phile posts.

---

1
STEVE

"I'll be fine," Yolanda says, sitting on the floor clutching her side.

Lurch nods. "Me too, I think."

Yolanda looks slightly embarrassed as she lifts up the top of her black-and-white maid uniform so you can see her side. It's already beginning to bruise, and though she's going to be sore as hell for a while, you don't think anything's broken.

The scratches across Lurch's chest are shallow thanks to his engineer's uniform keeping her nails from biting too deep; he doesn't appear to be bleeding much anymore. At your instruction he radios his roommate: "Ese, you need to get down here like, uh, now. I don't think it's safe up there with all the sick people."

Your own scratches on your inner thigh look pretty minor too. But as with the others, there's not much you could do anyway without a first aid kit or something.

You run up and down the corridor, but it's really only a maintenance tunnel. Pipes line the walls, but no tools or weapons to speak of. One end of the tunnel stops just past the elevator and ladder, the other stretches back toward the laundry room and the room Lurch was in when you first came down here. Past that, it turns a slight corner and goes further back toward the stern.

Checking on the woman in the sundress, you realize that your caution is needless. Whether you caused it or just accelerated something that was already happening, it's quite clear that the woman is dead. No pulse, no breath.

[Stegyre]

The elevator finally arrives and opens with a ding. You and the family step back, horrified by what you see inside. Emma screams and clutches her father.

Inside the elevator a man lies crumpled to the floor. He's wearing a black uniform, but his most noticeable feature is that his head appears to have been blown off at point-blank range.

On his belt you spot what looks like a taser.

Suddenly you hear a roaring from very close by—two people, it sounds like, possibly the ones that responded to the woman in the business suit a couple of minutes ago. The pitter-patter of feet is quickly approaching, and it sounds like they might be coming from the dark renovation area behind the plastic sheeting, which is only thirty feet away.

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OOC: Thanks a lot for mucking up the elevator, guys!

Tal ushers the family quickly into the elevator. "Too late to change our minds, now. I don't think we can outrun these people." He steps carefully around the body, trying to avoid it and the blood. He will push the 11 and the "close door" button and wait for the doors to close before bending down to look at the taser.

Tearing off another piece of the bed sheet, he uses it to pull the taser out and wipe it off. "Either of you know how to use one of these?" he asks the two adults.

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If neither expresses any skill, he will hand it to Danielle. "Me neither. Let's hope it's as simple as point and pull the trigger."

[xen0phile]

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Will Ese's keycard work for the security room? If so, he will shout, "I can get to the weapons, just help me hold that door," and then run to brace the door.

If not, he will point out the hatch, "we can get to the engine through here", swipe his card, open the hatch, then radio Lurch, "Lurch, we're coming down; you did get that crazy lady in the dress, right?"

[Inglenook]

TAL

The elevator reeks of blood.

Both of them shake their heads when you ask if they know how to use it, but Danielle accepts it with a grimace.

The ride up to Deck 11 is mostly silent. Pete shuffles awkwardly. "Thanks again for helping us back there," he says. "I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't shown up."

Danielle chimes in. "I don't suppose we ever introduced ourselves properly either. I'm Danielle Carver, and this is my husband Pete and my daughter Emma."

Emma waves at you.

Deck 11 is quiet as you arrive. The map is posted beside the elevator door. You saw part of this deck earlier from above while you were on Deck 12.

You are at the main port-side elevator on Deck 11, near the bow. Directly in front of you is the main starboard-side elevator. To your left is the main staircase leading up to Deck 12 and down to Deck 10. To your right is a doorway that leads out into the the pool area.

The arcade, where Emma claims her brother is, is located near the stern.

[Stegyre]

Tal and the Carvers will head straight back (stern-ward) toward the video arcade, through the pool area. "You take the lead," Tal whispers to Paul, "Since you know your son and he knows you. I will bring up the rear. All of you, keep as quiet as you can. I think the infected are attracted to noise."

He listens at the door to the pool area before opening it.

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Perception (3d6)[10]

[Inglenook]

ESE & MAXWELL

ESE:

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Your key card works only on engineering areas, sadly. Oh, and did you want to merge your group and Max's?

You open the hatch with your card and radio Lurch, but it turns out not to be necessary; his voice echoes up through the hole in the floor: "Oh, hey. Yeah, we met her."

You look down through the hatch and see Lurch standing almost directly under you, along with two others: a small, skinny woman in a maid's uniform and a tough-looking young man in the white shirt and blue pants of a paramedic.

---

MAXWELL:

"I … I think we may have to leave the ship," Morten says, staring horrified at the cracking door that Roger's pushing against. "But for now we need to get somewhere safe."

---

BOTH:

Rebecca moves past Ese and climbs quickly into the open hatch and down the ladder to the maintenance tunnel.

Everyone else is backing away from the medical facility, their eyes focused on Roger who is bracing the door inside; tears stream down the man's face and his glasses fall to the floor.

"Please, Roger! You still have time!" Dr. Holm yells. "We have the hatch open; we can make it down there!"

"Go on, Anna!" Roger yells. A twitching hand breaks through the door behind him and clutches at his shoulder; he cries out in pain. "Shut the front door! It'll buy you a few seconds!"

Brenda immediately rushes forward and slams the door that connects the lobby and the medical facility. It's not locked and it's made of plexiglass, but it might hold for long enough.

Morten grabs Dr. Holm's shoulder and pulls her in the direction of the hatch. "We have to go, Anna. Now."

The door behind Roger shatters, and the things on the other side burst through. Dozens of them—passengers in pajamas and formal clothes, crewmen with their white uniforms stained red, a muscular man with his entire torso wrapped in bandages, children and old people, fat and skinny. But they all have one thing in common: on their faces are identical looks of fury. Roger has no chance; they fall on him in an instant and his dying screams ring throughout the lobby.

There must be fifty or more infected people spilling into the medical facility. Several of them begin slamming against the door to the lobby, and the plexiglass starts to crack.

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Rebecca is in the maintenance tunnel with Steve, Lurch and Yolanda. Ese, Maxwell, Morten, Anna and Brenda are still in the lobby. You may have only seconds until the infected break through the plexiglass and are in the lobby with you.

[xen0phile]

Quick! Before they come through! he shouts, holding the hatch open.

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Yes, we'll join parties.
Ese will remain at the hatch entrance for now. If everyone makes it through, he will obviously come through himself and close it. If the infected get too close, he might decide to close it prematurely.

[Inglenook]

TAL

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Stealth Checks:

Tal: (3d6)[14]
Pete: (3d6)[10]
Danielle: (3d6)[7]
Emma: (3d6)[14]

Through the door you hear nothing but the splashing of waves, the gurgle of the hot tub, and the low thrumming of the engine.

Pete takes point, leading the group across the still deck. You notice that the attractive woman you saw earlier from Deck 12 is now gone.

Pete comes to a sudden stop. "Danielle, cover Emma's eyes," he chokes out. As you continue walking, you see what stopped him. An elderly woman floats face down in the bubbling hot tub, the water stained red. Perhaps ten feet away an elderly man is sprawled out across the deck in a pool of blood. You hurry past.

You move to the starboard side of the ship and enter "The Living Room" without incident. It's a lounge-ish area with lots of squishy chairs, tables and a juice bar. No one is there.

"Adam!" Danielle hisses. She runs into the next room, the Video Arcade. Pete and Emma trail closely behind.

You begin to follow … but you hear a noise. It seems like it came from behind the door to your left; the sign on it reads "FUEL: Teen Disco!" It appears to be an 18-and-under dance club, but you can hear no music playing. Just that sound, almost inaudible: a wet smacking noise and a low moan.

[Inglenook]

ESE & MAXWELL

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If Ese's going to go in last, then Maxwell just needs to decide his own place in line. If you're going by who's closest to the ladder, the climbing-down order would be: Anna, Morten, Maxwell, Brenda, Ese.

It will take each person about 4 seconds to climb down enough for the next person to go, and the plexiglass will break very soon.

[Stegyre]

Tal curses himself - quietly - as he trips over one of the deck chairs.

You begin to follow … but you hear a noise. It seems like it came from behind the door to your left; the sign on it reads "FUEL: Teen Disco!" It appears to be an 18-and-under dance club, but you can hear no music playing. Just that sound, almost inaudible: a wet smacking noise and a low moan.

Could be someone in need of help; could be some real trouble, he thinks, as he looks at the door to the disco. Now is not the time to find out which. Adam sounds too young to be interested in a disco. We'll check it out once the family's together. The last thing we need is for me to unleash some more crazies on us while we're still trying to find the boy.

He backs over to the arcade door. He'll take just a quick look inside to make sure the Carvers haven't found trouble and then keep watch out the doorway for anyone approaching.

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Another perception check, just in case: (3d6)[13]

[Inglenook]

TAL

The arcade is about the same size as the Living Room, full of the beeping and pewpew!ing of arcade games and pinball machines. A GameCube plugged into a large-screen TV sits in the corner, surrounded by bean bag chairs. The TV is on, showing a paused game of Super Smash Bros.—human players Fox and Mr. Game & Watch vs. computers Samus and Donkey Kong.

Emma and Pete are looking behind some of the larger arcade games as if Adam might be hiding behind them.

Danielle looks frantic. "He's not here!"

[Asherion]

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maxwell will follow down the ladder, as quickly as possible without pushing someone else out of the way

[xen0phile]

Horrified, Ese begins to realize there is probably not enough time for everyone to clear the hatch. He grabs his wrench as a makeshift club, should he need to defend himself. "Dios te salve María, llena eres de gracia," he quietly prays.

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once Anna gets to the hatch, he will yell at everyone else, "No time! Go up the stairs!" while motioning to the staircase between the elevators

[Stegyre]

Danielle looks frantic. "He's not here!"

"Keep calm. If he was chased by any of the infected or saw an attack, he is probably hiding. Keep looking and call to him -- quietly. If he's really not in here, we'll try some of the other places.

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Tal will stay at his post, keeping watch and let the Carvers do the looking. He will glance around from his position at the door for two things: (a) to locate an emergency exit or back way out, and (b) to identify heavy furniture they could use to barricade the door, if necessary.

If the boy really isn't there: "I think I heard something in the disco. Let's check there next." He will ask Danielle and Emma to keep watch from the door this time, while he and Pete enter first.