09-28-2017, 05:24 AM
No sooner had the Primes fought their way to the swirling portal than a familiar descending shriek split the ravaged canopy. Mangroves, masonry, peat and palisades erupted in thunderous blossoms of bright orange flame as the latest barrage of explosive shells descended from on high. The Liberators charged and dove, dashed, blinked, and flew, sparing neither ability nor effort in their rush to escape the incoming bombardment.
Upon crossing the threshold, all were struck by a feeling of being briefly submerged in very warm water - and then a miasma of fresh paint, salt, sour sweat, engine-grease and gunsmoke barged its way into their sinuses.
This side of the portal was set into the wall of a moderately sized room with laminated concrete floors. Pipes, consoles and conduits crisscrossed the walls, feeding a ring of glowing purple circuitry surrounding the aperture through which the Primes had arrived. Unadorned steel crossbeams holding up a similarly cluttered ceiling. The only exit was a bulkhead door on the opposite wall, sealed tight, the locking-wheel in the center screwed firmly down. With the singular exception of the portal, and a set of flourescent iodine bulbs affixed to the ceiling, everything was painted black.
Below the floor, something mechanical was humming loudly.
"Where are we?" asked Cole. "I don't think this is their headquarters...?"
Blink, more experienced with spacial displacement, shook her violet head. "No. The shift was too smooth. We're still in the primary 'verse."
A resounding BOOM shook the floor, which tilted precariously for a moment before canting in the other direction, upsetting their footing. The room wobbled back and forth several times, eventually righting itself with a metallic groan undercut by a distant sloshing hiss .
"We are on a boat," observed the Vision, correctly identifying the sounds of moving water and the characteristic sinusoidal motion of the deck beneath his feet. He dialed up the volume on his vocal synthesizer in order to overcome what he calculated was his team-mates' growing tinnitus. "likely a dedicated artillery platform, judging by the report of the cannons. I would hypothesize it is the very same naval battleship which has been firing upon Sabaody Archipelago."
Cloud picked himself up off the deck and looked around.
"Wait a minute - where's that girl with the sweatshirt?"
The other Primes took a head-count and found that the spiky-haired swordsman was right. They were down by one Liberator - but her fate didn't remain a mystery for long.
The portal flared, its swirling surface bowing violently outward, and Belle came sailing through it amidst a rain of debris, trailing smoke as she bounced once on the floor and skidded against the far wall with a sturdy thud.
There was flash, a hiss, and the smell of burning silicon, and the spacial aperture collapsed, leaving only a scorched patch of wall behind.
Every liberator Aid beeped at once, and an icon pointing towards the door appeared on the display. The signal was faint, but it was there:
Another portal.
Upon crossing the threshold, all were struck by a feeling of being briefly submerged in very warm water - and then a miasma of fresh paint, salt, sour sweat, engine-grease and gunsmoke barged its way into their sinuses.
This side of the portal was set into the wall of a moderately sized room with laminated concrete floors. Pipes, consoles and conduits crisscrossed the walls, feeding a ring of glowing purple circuitry surrounding the aperture through which the Primes had arrived. Unadorned steel crossbeams holding up a similarly cluttered ceiling. The only exit was a bulkhead door on the opposite wall, sealed tight, the locking-wheel in the center screwed firmly down. With the singular exception of the portal, and a set of flourescent iodine bulbs affixed to the ceiling, everything was painted black.
Below the floor, something mechanical was humming loudly.
"Where are we?" asked Cole. "I don't think this is their headquarters...?"
Blink, more experienced with spacial displacement, shook her violet head. "No. The shift was too smooth. We're still in the primary 'verse."
A resounding BOOM shook the floor, which tilted precariously for a moment before canting in the other direction, upsetting their footing. The room wobbled back and forth several times, eventually righting itself with a metallic groan undercut by a distant sloshing hiss .
"We are on a boat," observed the Vision, correctly identifying the sounds of moving water and the characteristic sinusoidal motion of the deck beneath his feet. He dialed up the volume on his vocal synthesizer in order to overcome what he calculated was his team-mates' growing tinnitus. "likely a dedicated artillery platform, judging by the report of the cannons. I would hypothesize it is the very same naval battleship which has been firing upon Sabaody Archipelago."
Cloud picked himself up off the deck and looked around.
"Wait a minute - where's that girl with the sweatshirt?"
The other Primes took a head-count and found that the spiky-haired swordsman was right. They were down by one Liberator - but her fate didn't remain a mystery for long.
The portal flared, its swirling surface bowing violently outward, and Belle came sailing through it amidst a rain of debris, trailing smoke as she bounced once on the floor and skidded against the far wall with a sturdy thud.
There was flash, a hiss, and the smell of burning silicon, and the spacial aperture collapsed, leaving only a scorched patch of wall behind.
Every liberator Aid beeped at once, and an icon pointing towards the door appeared on the display. The signal was faint, but it was there:
Another portal.
Quote:Welcome to Nebula's flagship! It's a WWII-era battleship, with all the bristling armaments and over-wrought corrupte crewman that implies. Are you going to sink this sonnuvabitch, and/or attempt to loot whatever treasures it may hide, or simply attempt to leave as quickly as possible? The choice is yours!
You are currently in a locked room near the stern. Everyone has fourteen days and 900-1500 words each to escape the room and explore the vessel. Be aware, it is fully manned, so expect someone to come and investigate the sudden failure of the portal you just used. Also expect to meet resistance if you are less than stealthy.
Should you make it to the next portal, be aware, it will be guarded...
Everyone takes 1 damage from sundry flying debris and general tussling, except vision who takes 3, and Belle, who takes 7.