Turn 6: Hotter the Fire

[Corporal Hicks]

Roberts liked Corporal Hall's idea better. He slipped the four grenades into his Utility Hold-All and pulled the personal welder off his belt. "Cover me. I'm gonna try to burn through the floor." Roberts knelt down and started cutting into the floor to see if it would work, and to gauge how long it might take. "You might wanna get those burns checked out Corporal," he added to Samantha.

<Tag Hall>
(Roll: Portable Welder Skill)

[MarcusOTerra]

Sal had a chance to catch his breath, and look around. The fire was illuminating everything in the once dark corridor, inlcuding.

"Fire extinguisher." He laughed as he motioned with his left arm, which hurt. "OH, burns." He switched off his flamer and detached the first aid kit from his pack. The burn creams were there, where he'd left them, and a quick application would keep the burns from getting infected, hopefully.

<Roll Medicine>

The others were discussing ways to get through the floor, Sal laughed.

"Aren't there windows or something? Blast one out and go down on a line." <Roll Awareness>

He winced through the pain of the cream. "Oi, who else is medium rare?" He held up the cream, and saw the burns on Sam, "Figured." He moved up and quickly swabbed the visible burns with the cream. "This'll hurt." He said after the fact,

<Roll Medicine again>

[eyeball]

Eyeball ready the vehicle mounted weapon, checked spare ammo and secured himself into the safety harness, he figured that this ride could get a bit hairy and if he fell out he would be lunch.

Morse came out of the building dropping a spent ammo box and reloading a fresh one.

Morse issued instruction for a strafing run to buy some time for the rest of the marines, eyeball swallowed hard, " ok Corp locked and loaded back here"

<tag Morse + Colson>
<roll attacks to support Morse>

[Corporal Hicks]

Eric hadn't noticed the fire-extinguisher. "Creed!" he said loudly, "Get that extinguisher and try to put out the fire." The new guy nodded. Having a task might cool his nerves, Eric thought. He looked pretty shaken up. Eric went back to cutting as Creed went to put out the fire.

(OOC: Since Creed is inactive I'm going to say he follows my order. Attempt to put out the fire.)

[MarcusOTerra]

As long as people were taking his suggestions, Sal thought. He'd heard the on the chatter that the APC was on it's way, with what's his name, Pastor? Pope, at the wheel. As he applied the cream to Sam's arms, he spoke up.

"Might be smart to blow some holes in the tower if we can't get past the fire, jump out and take our chances in the mud."

Realistically they'd fall from the tower, to the roof of the next building. But it was a nice visual. He was feeling the adrenaline taper off as the numbness in his arms caused them to shake.

[Dirk Pitt]

The queen dead and the battle over, for now, Dirk had a chance to check his injuries. A quick inspection showed him that the acid burned through his cammo and took a layer of skin off. The only thing that saved him from serious injury was the amount of blood he was coated with. The heat burns on his right side was much less severe. Looking out the door he saw that the flames were still burning, cutting them off from the rest of the platoon.

"This is Pitt. We're still cut off up here. Someone get on a computer and find the plans to this place. What is directly below us and where, in relation to my position is the main computer control center. If we can still accomplish this mission I want to do it now so we don't have to come back. Also, someone get on a damn motion tracker and keep your eyes on it. I don't want those things sneaking up on our positions." Dirk said over the comm.
<Tag everyone>

"What do you think Sir? With Duncan down and out should we fall back or press on and get the data?"
<Tag Quinn>

Lighting a cigarette with his old battered Zippo. Dirk took the time to look around the room that the three Marines found them selves in. If there was anything of interest, he would find it.

(Roll awareness)

[Pale Rider]

Suddenly the fire suppression system finally kicked in. It doused the flames and all the marines still inside with a flame retardant foam. The fires were out and the way was clear to proceed downstairs. Or was it? Upon closer inspection the stairwell was still there but caution would be needed.

The strafing run diminished the swarm by 15. However, the queen turned and closed on the buggy she raced 10 yards behind them and closing fast!

<Actions>

2 MINUTES

[MarcusOTerra]

Sal had just finished covering Sam's and his own arms with bandages when the fire suppression kicked in, and he noticed that the thick foam saturated not only the flames, but also the cigarette of one of the marines.

He'd laugh if the foam didn't smell so bad. He cringed and saw the way to the stairs was free, but with all those acid filled creeps dead on the steps, how safe would the steps be.

"Okay, folks." Sal spoke up, "I don't know about you all, but I am sick of this place. He drew his rifle and headed toward the stairs. Moving so as to avoid any remaining acid that might not have ignited in the flames. That'd be doubly hard with all the foam covering the ground.

<Roll Awareness for a safe path through the foam/fire/acid?>

"Let's try not to lose our feet, shall we?" He said, "Literally, I suppose."

<Rolling awareness, moving at walking speed through the foam, toward the stairs, heading down as able>

[Corporal Hicks]

Roberts gave up on his cutting and followed Sal. Two dead marines and a xenomorph army headed their way. His mind was running over possible ways they could survive this situation. They had to pray for a successful APC rescue. He said a silent prayer in his head that nobody else would die. "Somebody cover the back," he said to the six people behind him.

(Roll Awareness)

[Whisky]

The strafing run diminished the swarm by 15. However, the queen turned and closed on the buggy she raced 10 yards behind them and closing fast!

As he approached the horde Colson paled, the swarming xeno's created a wave of chitinous black claws and snapping teeth being led by the biggest, nastiest one yet. The combined weapons fire tore a chunk out of the swarm as Colson veered to the left allowing the Marines a strafing run, what he didn't expect was the sudden surge of speed that largest alien had. Monstrous in size beside it's smaller kin with a large crest, its sudden burst brought it right on their asses. So much for keeping their distance. In the rear view viewer she was gaining, Colson tried to get as much out of the buggy as he could.

By now his hands were slick with sweat, his skin a pasty grey colour. Panic was threatening to overwhelm him. The colonies knew alien lifeforms but there had never been mention of monstrosities as the likes of these! Morse might be able to lose himself in a blood craze but Colson had never been wired that way. Right now he was scared shitless, on an alien planet for the first time, fighting some spawn from hell and trying to keep an unfamiliar vehicle upright in difficult terrain while been chased by the biggest fucking one of them yet. Gritting his teeth he did what he could to keep that bitch at bay.

<Vehicle Operation - Keep that bitch away!

[maxvale76]

Samantha had closed her eyes in pain at hearing about the loss of Louis the smartgunner. The man had been near-silent; but still; he was a member of her squad and he was gone. Hearing Morse talk about doing something crazy and insane; she sent up a quick prayer for his; his squad's and most especially Giosso's safety.

The pain of her burns had kicked in and she gritted her teeth as Boothe came over and applied some burn cream. A few moments later the soothing nature of the salve kicked in and she felt a few moments of relief. "Thanks"; she said to Boothe.

Moving around the other marines; she did what she could to help and closed her eyes and said a quick prayer upon seeing poor Duncan's body. Seeing and hearing the fire extinguishers kick in; she moved over to the staircase and saw the state it was in and gave a quick; "Be careful"; to Roberts as he moved to test the stairs.

"Any marines on the lower level; this is Sam. Roberts is on his way down; be advised the stairs might not hold up.....so don't shoot him and watch out for any falling debris" she finished up on the platoon wide comm.

That done; she moved to help any of the other marines any way she could and offered to carry/drag poor Duncan's body down the steps; as after all; marines never left their people behind; no matter whether they were breathing or not.

<Tag Boothe, Roberts, everybody still in the building>

[Quicksilver]

Opening one of the side cabinets during his search, Giosso discovers and withdraws a small, high-end datapad. With a somewhat incredulous look, he turned in on. The device quickly asked for a password. Reaching over to his left wrist, Mark unhooked a wire that was linked back to the Intelligence Unit in his backpack and plugged it in. A few taps later the USCM grade cracking programs made short work of the low level commercial security. The tablet opened up to the last used program – come kind of personal log or notebook.

Today they installed a prototype defense system. The eggheads have taken to calling it Beekeeper’s smoke, this device is supposed to shuts off the very unique impulses of what the Alien passes for their nervous systems. It causes them to “sleep” or any form off deep coma that fits the description. The Suppression system spreads fifty feet away from the transmitter in every direction. I'm not sure how effective it will be but anything's better than nothing. The controls are upstairs in the executive's office.

“Shit.” Giosso vocalized. With a weary sigh, he started running again for the stairs as he flipped the vox back on his radio. “Sam, the Corps put some kind of bug-knockout gas in the tower, controls are upstairs, ma'am, I’m coming back up.

<Athletics to go back upstairs>
(Also, if I don’t manage another post this 24hrs)
<Security Systems to activate the defense system.>

[MarcusOTerra]

(If I didn't make my stair rolls I'll amend this.)

Sal had reached the bottom of the steps when the comms man, Giozo? Came up to him, looking to pass. He'd said something about smoke or gas.

"Watch out for the middle steps, he said loud enough anyone in the stairwell could hear him, "They creak, and SAG! The metal is SAGGING."

He quipped that over his shoulder as he ran out into the sunlight.

"Holy fuck, that ugly sky is-" The he saw the horde moving toward them. His jaw dropped at the sight. He saw the buggy, literally shooting a super sized queen in the face and just skidding off like kids throwing eggs on the headmistress's car after graduation.

"That's not fair." He managed, before looking one way and another.

He saw the APC roaring up in the distance, and while he wanted to run up to meet it, it would be better to stay here so it didn't have to stop to pick him up.

"COME ON!" He growled, memories of a hungover pre-med, waiting for the tram out of work, flashed in his head. "Never absinthe. Never before a double shift." He muttered from memory.

<Continuing downstairs... catching my breath>

[Morse]

The speed in which they closed the gap on the Xenomorphs almost made Morse uncomfortable. This was the first time he’d ever charged head long at an enemy that so entirely outnumbered him. The closest thing he had to this attempt was when he drove the APC through a wall to save half the platoon, but that was to take fire for just a moment and get them to evacuate, and even then the vehicle was far more armored and the enemy far less dangerous.

Charging straight at a massive army of the bugs with a completely exposed vehicle with just three men on it almost fit into Morse’s idea of suicide. And contrary to the action, he was never a fan of the idea of dying, nor living dangerously. He actually had a lot of confidence in the idea that they could get away if they needed to. At least he did till he saw how fast they closed the gap.

”Shit this fuckers fast!” Morse said with a nervous grin, still holding his M56 Smartgun out the door and hosing down their enemy. It was actually a bit impressive how efficient the vehicle was for this. Still Morse did not know how long they’d keep it up, or if this would even work as a distraction.

He heard more talking coming through the com channels, and not giving a sign of fast movement. ”I’m figurin’ you fuckers aint hearin’ us!” Morse yelled into the com. ”Big ass swarm! ETA on you. 2 Minutes! Get yer asses…. OH FUCK!” Morse yelled stopping what he was saying. ”That’s a big ass fuckin’ bug!” Morse realized his com was on and shut it off.

< Tag everyone inside

He looked around and saw one of the largest Xenomorphs he’d ever seen rapidly approaching them. It was horrifying. She alone could tear them to pieces, regardless of the massive group of monsters.

”Hard n’ fast Coleslaw! Hard n’ fast!” Morse repeated about their current movement, though he didn’t actually need to tell him that.

< Tag Colson

Morse then brought his Smartgun in, and as he frequently did, he disconnected the weapon from his harness and set it down. He would not be able to do his next move effectively with it on. He then hefted up the M5 Rocket Launcher, and undid his seat belt. ”Time fer more crazy bullshit.” Morse muttered to himself. ”Eyeball! Do not fuckin’ shoot me!” Morse ordered as he began to stand up.

< Tag Eyeball

He slung his arm through a handle bar on the side of the vehicle just behind his seat to steady himself, and put his foot between and open part of his seat and used it like a stirrup.

Finally he brought the M5 Rocket Launcher to bare, and looked through the targetter. He’d used these before, but never in combat. Fortunately he had a large target that was close by. The M5 could break through a small barricades position, light armored vehicles, even some light tanks. But was utterly useless against heavy tank armor. He was not expecting to kill the large bug, but was definitely hoping to damage it enough to get it to stop.

”Eat it, bug!” Morse yelled as he squeezed the trigger, releasing the rocket at the Queen.

< Roll M5 Rocket Launcher

[Dirk Pitt]

Quickly moving over to the computer by the observation window Dirk spared a moment to look at the rapidly approaching hoard of Xenos. They were being whittled down by the marines in the buggy, but they were too many for the them to stop. Activating the computer, Dirk tried to learn what was on the system. He hoped that the information that they were sent to get was on here. If not that then something that would help.

"I have a computer up here. I want a comtech up here on the double" Dirk said over the comm.
<Tag everyone>

"Morse, report! You do know that that buggy is filled with enough C-4 to blow it back to earth." Dirk said, seeing the buggy's mad track.

(Roll Knowledge for getting information)