Log:Riftgate - Surlan's Holocaust

Riftgate 2 - Surlan's Holocaust 2008/09/01 	 Sable Rebound Xing-Liu Lorelei Jennifer 1

Location
Lobby - CBSU Hospital: The hospital is a multi-story structure laid out in the shape of a cross. The top of the cross depicts the main entryway into the hospital in which automatic glass siding doors constantly open and close as people pass through it's threshold. A receptionist greets you and directs you to the appropriate wing and level. Just past the intersection of the hallways and down one is where the elevators are located, along with a doorway that leads into the flight of stairs leading upwards. The walls are painted off white with a stripe of a certain color halfway down the wall going along the full length of the hallways to depict the different wing. There is a sign directing that the Red hallway is the emergency section, while the Green hallway is the administrative and cafeteria section. The Blue hallway directly in front, leads to the lab, xeno-biology area, and x-ray facilities. The floors are of synthetic flooring found in most of the newer hospitals. That ever-present disinfectant odor wafts through the air, like ghostly reminder of a germ free atmosphere. Recessed florescent lights help provide the illumination to brighten up these long passageways. A scurry of nurses and doctors are seen hurrying on towards their next task.

Scene
Jennifer is visiting a ex-Starguard Delta trooper in the hospital for an operation. She invites Alex and Sable to come along with her.

Alex shows up at the hospital to provide support. He's wearing his usual corduroy blazer, with a tie for a change.

Regan moves along at Jennifer's side, her lips curled into a soft smile as she moves throught the cooridors of the hospital, boot-heels clicking as she strains to keep up with the taller woman.

Jennifer is chatting to Alex and Regan on the way to the ward where the trooper is recuperating when two of the hospital's security guards race past running towards the elevator.

Jennifer says, "That looks like trouble. Alex, Regan, I think you ought to go find somewhere safer than the corridor. I'm going to see what's up."

"Woah!" Alex says, as one of the gaurds bumps him in the shoulder. He stares after them as they continue on. "What the..." He hears Jennifer's suggestion and he nods. "Right."

Jennifer activates her force armor and begins to run after the guards.

Regan steps out of the way of the rushing guards, her brow furrowing. "That sounds like very good advice, I'm going to find a closet to cower in."

Alex nods. "Ok..."

Alex think. o O ( Phew! That saves me the trouble of coming up with an excuse to ditch Regan... )

Jennifer catches up to the guards, Seeing the force armor the guards recognize Jenn as a heroine and tells her, loud enough for it to be overheard, "There's an intruder alert in the drug store. Seventh floor. The guard on duty there isn't responding to calls."

Alex says, "I'll uh... hang out of the way..."

Alex departs to find some place to change. He settles on slipping into an open hospital room during the commotion and drawing the privacy curtain to cover himself as he slips into his costume.

The two secretive heroes quickly locate positiions out of sight where they can change into a more suitable persona for encountering law-breakers.

Regan runs across the hall and opens the door of a janitorial closet which she slams shut with a loud emphatic thump.

For good measure, Rebound leaves his hospital room by the window, and slips into the hospital by another window. He tries to catch up with Jennifer.

Rebound arrives in the vicinity of the disturbance, on the seventh floor.

Sable by contrast navigates through some air-conditioning ducts before emerging back into the corridor and racing up the stairway.

 Sable says, "Emergency at the hospital, Sable responding, am on-scene"

Up on the seventh floor the location of the disturbance is clear. The drug store door is hanging off it's hinges and leaning at a crazy angle into the hallway. On the floor just outside the door to the drug store are the still forms of three security guards and Jennifer. None of them look injured. There's no blood. But they aren't conscious.

Rebound nods to Sable then turns towards the scene, his eyes darting between the unconscious individuals and his friend. He holds up his hand signalling for Sable to wait, and he begins to talk over his radio.

 Rebound says, "I can't think of anyone who could floor Jennifer that quickly..."

 Rebound says, "At least not by physical force. It's got to be something else. Stay on your toes."

Sable moves to step forward to assist Jennifer but stops at Rebound's single, her lips pursing as she turns to regard the corridor before nodding. "Understood. Should we check her condition?"

There's a cold breeze coming from the door of the drug store, which is odd seeing it's located in the hospital with no external walls. The air has a taint to it, a smell of decay and old damp ashes. From inside you can hear voices, several, all male, speaking with slurred accented words, although the accent is more akin to a drink damaged hobo's speech than anything foreign.'

Rebound nods. "I'll check on them. Can you sneak into the pharmacy and see what's going on? I can hear somebody talking in there."

Rebound creeps forward to check on Jennifer and the others. He's trying to be sneaky, but his priority in to check on the condition of the unconscious people.

Sable cautiously approaches the doorway, her footfalls slow and measured as she silently creeps toward the doorway. One hand slips to the belt around her waist to remove a small mirror which she uses to glance at the closet's interior.

The quick approach and mirror trick of Sable's is effective in gaining a view of the interior of the drug store without being seen. There's four men in there. One is standing facing the doorway seemingly on guard. The others are working on clearing some of the shelves in the room and passing the boxes, bottles, and cartons through a rectangular portal. The portal is opaque so nothing can be seen of the other side. The four men have the look of survivors in a post holocaust movie. Thin to the point of malnutrition, dressed in ragged dirty clothes and a few furs, bearded, exposed skin marked with scars and seeping sores.

Sable holds up a hand and raises four fingers, then another one and points to her eyes. She turns to Rebound for his response.

As Rebound sneaks forward to check on the condition of Jennifer and the guards he casts a shadow across the doorway on passing in front of a illuminated sighboard.

The men are armed. Knives at belt for all. One has a roughly made crossbow in hand. No sigh of any armor.

The man on guard looks alerted by the movement of a shadow on the doorjam. He starts moving towards the door to see what it is.

Rebound checks on Jennifer, then the guards, thinking that he's managed to evade detection.

The man moving to the door gets into a position where he can see Rebound. He stops there and watches silently.

Sable pulls back her mirror and flattens against the wall waiting for him to approach with range.

Rebound finds the guards and Jennifer are unconscious, decent color, good pulse, a little cool to the touch, no evidence of ohysical injury.

 Rebound says, "Pulse is good, breathing... they feel a little cold. I can't tell what's wrong with them, yet."

The footsteps on the man watching stop when he is still inside the drug store.

Sable steps around the corner, her gloved hand lashing out to drive a thumb into the nerve cluster inside the man's collarbone, her free hand reaching to his arm to stop him from falling if the attack works.

Even when taken by surprise from the sudden appearance of Sable the man evades her nerve strike.

Sable pauses momentarily, apparently surprised by her target's agility (and grateful she put her level in DCV)

Drifter turns his evasive maneuver into a half spin coming up onto one foot as his other legs sweeps around at Sable's flank.

Sable's torso twists and flexes as she spins to the side to steer clear of the kick but still has to abruptly jerk backward to yank herself free of the kick's arc. "Holy...."

Rebound says, "Careful... we still need to find out what they did to Jen and the others."

Sable says, "She probably fainted away when she saw how good this guy is."

Drifter follows up on Sable crowding her and striking out with a flurry of straight hand strikes to nerve centers.

Sable dances and twists, weaving and jerking herself out of the way of the blows, managining to stay a fraction of an inch clear of the rapid fire attack, sweat glistening on her brow.

Drifter keeps up his attacking stance moving close to the dodging Sable and unleashing a fast punch that blurs with the speed of its motion at her abdomen.

The fist misses, the style of the strike a little awkward.

Even under the mask Sable's expression of undiluted horror is transparent. "Holy snapping duck$#@"

Rebound stretches his open palm towards the martial artist. By the time the palm reaches its target, it's grown to that size of a large door

Sable's knowledge of the martial arts informs her that the martial art Drifter is using is effective, but some of the movements don't look like they were intended to be performed by a human body. Those are the moments when his style gets ragged.'

Drifter is slammed back through the doorway along with Sable, both crashing against shelving and bringing it down in a shower of falling boxes and cartons.

Lorelei has been at the hospital visiting somone. She's on the way out as she hears a commotion...

Inside the drug store the other three are hurrying to toss through the portal more boxes of drugs.

Rebound says, "They're stealing... medicine?"

Sable twists as she is hurled through the air, struggling to minimise the impact of the collision with the wall and stay on her feet.

Rebound steps into the store room. "Alright everybody. Let's stop fighting and see if we can figure this out peacefully. Can you understand me?"

Lorelei comes running up to see what the trouble is; on hearing Rebound she asks, "What's going on?"

The three men tossing the boxes and cartons through make a break for the portal themselves on Rebound's entry. They shout 'Throw them over here' through the portal in their slurred broken and almost incomprehensible speech.

Rebound says, "Looks like maybe another rift. They're stealing medicine, but by the looks of it, they need it! But they also took out Jennifer, and I don't know how he did it, if it's poison or mind control or what."

Rebound tries to spot a box of antibiotics. If he can find one, he pulls it off the shelf with stretched arms, and he offers it to one of the departing men. "Take this. It'll help fight infection."

Lorelei says, "Jenn! What did you do to Jenn?! Will she be all right?!"

The man looks surprised but grabs the box from Rebound before jumping out through the portal. As the three men jump out some objects are thrown into the store from the portal. They are roughly brick shaped lumps of something that makes a solid dull thud as it hits the floor.

Drifter watches the handover from Rebound from his position at the foot of the collapsed shelving.

Sable twists her ligs into a kicking spin which brings her onto her shoulders and she folds smoothly in half, bringing her feets onto the floor and she straightens.

Lorelei points to Jennifer and says to Drifter, "Tell me what you did to her! Will she be ok? Talk!"

Drifter opens his mouth to reveal broken and decaying teeth and a twisted lump of flesh instead of a tongue. He points to Jennifer and motions striking at the air with a flurry of fast strikes.

Rebound winces slightly, looking at the man.

Lorelei tries to avoid the wincing, and hopes this means Jenn will be al right... she can take punches, generally...

Sable holds her gloved hands palm upward toward the Drifter. "I'm sorry for attacking you like that. I should have been more understanding."

Rebound says, "Jennifer's life signs seem ok. She was just knocked out."

Drifter gets back to his feet, rocking his torso and then slapping the floor with the palm of his hands twice to bounce him upwards in very short time. Looking at Rebound he nods and then turns to Sable and repeats her gesture back to her. Turning to step through the portal he is nearly struck by a sizzling energy beam that shoots through it from the other side and digs a burn mark in the wall by the doorway. A body fall through the portal, looking like one of the three men. There's a charred hole in the chest and back. Then the portal shuts with a flare of electrical sparks.

Rebound looks to the others in shocked silence.

Lorelei looks in shock as the body drops through.

Sable blinks at the disappearing rift in reality, falling silent for several moment before asking. "Are we aware of any aliens with two pairs of arms?"

Drifter rushes over the the fallen man and kneels to quickly check him. Then he stands and shakes his head moaning in anguish.

Lorelei says, "He's dead? D -" Lorelei calls for a doctor just in case it's not too late. Then thinks to ask Drifter, "Can you write?"

Sable moves over to place an arm on Drifter's shoulder, her expression sombre. "We can help you and your friends."

Drifter kneels again and writes a big 'X' on the floor while shaking his head.

Lorelei nods. "Well, we could try to arrange for a telepath to communicate with you, if you're ok with that?"

Drifter nods to Lorelei.

Lorelei says, "THe fighting's stopped, but there's a man down - dead it seems."

Sable says, "It's safe."

Sable says, "He clearly understands us, we should get him some treatment."

Lorelei nods.

The doctor and a pair of nurses hurry up. They check the man down in the store but the doctor confirms he is dead. Then they check Jennifer and the guards, "Their temperature is a little low but life signs are strong."

Sable gestures to Drifter. "Is there anything we can do to treat him?"

The doctor examines Drifter who doesn't object. "Yes, you should be in a bed. Malnutrition at least. Those look like radiation burns on your face." The doctor tells Drifter.

Sable says, "From his fighting style I think he learnt his martial art from people with four arms. Would that be right?"

The doctor looks confused but Drifter himself nods to Sable.

Lorelei says, "I think he's from another Earth - and it looks like things aren't good there. Probably best to have him checked out thoroughly."

Bending down Drifter picks up one of the objects that were thrown through the portal and offers it to Rebound. It's a discolored brick of gold that looks like it was half melted and then resolified. There's a US treasury mark on it, dated 2018, and the word Knox can be just made out.

Lorelei looks at one of the other objects to try to determine what they are.

Lorelei says, "Looks like they're paying for what they took anyway. And if I had to guess, they're from a world that fought a nuclear World War III...."

Sable says, "We have some capacity to travel to alternate earths but it is limited. We will have to do some tests and in the meantime you should get some treatment, that way you'll be in a better position to sort things out when we get you back home."

Sable says, "Or faced an extra-terrestrial invasion."

Sable's shoulders lift slightly. "We'll be able to find out more if we can fix the soft-tissue damage to our new friend's tongue."

Jennifer moans and stirs a little, seeming to be coming back to consciousness.

Lorelei rushes to Jenn's side. "Jenn! Are you ok?"

Jennifer grunts, "Ugh. What hit me?" She tries to sit up and manages it after a couple of tries. "Oh, yes, now I remember. Watch out. there's a hobo guy around that's like Xing on speed."

Sable looks to Drifter. "Does that sound okay?" She looks to Jennifer. "Rebound made friends with him by offering him some antibiotics. But he's like blinding fast isn't he?"

Lorelei says, "It's ok. He stopped fighting, and the doctors are looking at him. I think he's from a world that had a World War III. To do them justice, they were here to take medicine, and they left payment behind."

Jennifer nods to Sable, "Yeah. After all my warnings to others never to assume anything, I just assumed he and his friends were down and outs trying to score some drugs. I was wide open and hit a half dozen times before I could react."

Lorelei grins to Jenn. "Just shows you're human. Well, mostly."

Sable says, "Well, it's not often I flat out miss someone when I've got the drop on them. Anyway one of his colleagues was killed and their portal closed by what seems like hostile action on the far side."

Rebound says, "Well, we might have walked into it too, if we hadn't seen that you where knocked out. I mean, you wrestled a ~dinosaur~ not to long ago. If they took you out, they have to have some kind of trick."

Sable says, "Not so much a trick as overwhelming speed and skill."

Jennifer nods, "He hit nerve centers. Slowed my muscles as well as knocking me out.

Lorelei says, "I'm *impressed*. Just tagging you isn't that easy, let alone targetting nerves."

Sable nodnods. "Well we have two priorities. One is to find a way to get our friend home and see if we can help him out. The other is to get our friend some treatment."

Jennifer says, "Lorelei, compared to that guy I'm still life. I mean it. He's at least as fast as Xing-Liu is."

As though summoned, Xing-Liu appears in costume, hearing about the commotion and deciding to see what she could do about the resulting mess. Pleased to see familiar faces gathered into one spot, she heads right over.

Lorelei nods.

Jennifer blinks, "Hi. Where were you ten minutes ago. I could have used your help." She rubs a couple of spots where she was struck. "Good to see you anytime though."

Sable says, "Perhaps there's a room or somewhere our new guest can stay?"

Rebound says, "They should be able to fix up a cot for him at Transmat XD. I think it might be good to keep him out of the general public for a bit. That is, if it's safe to remove him from the hospital -- he might need medical care."

Followup
There's a complication when it comes to Drifter's treatment. During his initial examination Drifter panicked at the sight of ECG headband and fled from the hospital. A Sans Mena telepath who was in mental contact with Drifter at the time attempted to reason with him but the level of panic was too intense. The telepathist observed in Drifter's thoughts that he was afraid of being made into a mindless slave worker. From the mental images in Drifter's thoughts the ECG headband was nearly identical with a device used by the rulers of his world to perform that operation.

The medical results obtained before Drifter fled confirms he is suffering from malnutrition, The open sores on his skin are the result of vitamin deficiency not radiation sickness. Not only is Drifter not suffering from radiation sickness; preliminary analysis of his DNA indicates he is dependent on a significant level of radiation exposure. Drifter is in need of extensive dental restoration and surgical rebuilding of his tongue. There are several healed burn scars indicative of being struck by directed energy weapons on his torso and limbs.

The telepathist's communication with Drifter was curtailed but some information was gathered. It's not possible to determine with any accuracy the date on Drifter's world as he does not know what year it is there. It seems probable, however, that his world is contemporary with ours. Likewise Drifter's knowledge of his world's history is sparse; but the telepathist pieced together the following sequence of events with some degree of certainty.

Drifter's Story
Roughly two generations ( 40 years?) ago an alien spacecraft crash-landed on Earth. It came down in a small nation friendly to the USA but bordered by Russia and China. Fighting broke out over access to the advanced technology of the alien spacecraft. The fighting escalated to an all out nuclear exchange. But while the major nations were blasting each other back to savagery a group (possibly his world's version of VIPER) stole the craft. This group used a protective device from the spacecraft to shield themselves from the effects of the war. When the fighting came to a halt the group were the only possessors of technology left on his world. At that point achieving global dominion was straightforward. The impression the telepathist reports is a small number of individuals with immense power living in ultimate luxury, each with a effectively slave based region of control. The remainder of the world in a state of post-holocaust savagery.

The alien who's crash landing initiated the war escaped from the group who stole the spacecraft and is on the run from them. The alien is a hexapod, two feet and four arms. It roams through the world aiding the survivors not involved with the group and has organized a limited and largely ineffective resistance movement. Drifter is working with the alien and was taught the alien's martial arts techniques.

The portal to the hospital is one set up by one of the rulers. It is used to supply the ruling class with drugs and medicines. Drifter and three of the resistance sneaked into the portal facility to try and obtain medicines for the resistance. Drifter knows there is someone at the hospital working for the rulers but not who it is.