Log:Space Team, Scene 15

Space Team 2015/09/21 Breach Griffin Quiet Malcolm 15 After turning the corner, the guarded civilian caravan double times it to the lit area of the corridor. Straight ahead is the airlock to the shuttle bay where the explosion sounds, which were going off in sequence, have stopped. But the airlock doors are still locked shut!

Griffin turns to the others with a look on his face like he has an idea.

"You got a plan, Griff?" inquires Breach. He gestures for elaboration as he keeps on the look out for monsters.

Quiet's plan at the moment, after reaching the vicinity pf the airlock, is setting down her charges and, well, banging on the door. It can't hurt to knock?

"Well I dunno if it's a plan- but it's better to say what we're thinking now while we've got a moment." Griffin says. "We can open this door easy- but what do we do with the civies? They're hurt, and it's obviously a hot zone in there."

He walks towards the most able-bodies survivors and hands them each one of his Mantlet Dropshields.

After each has one he shows them how they work and tells them to keep the others safe with it.

"I say we leave them here. They can throw one of the Mantlets here to block up the hallway to slow down anything trying to get through. IF something comes- they should have enough time and Mantlets to unlock the airlock door and close it behind them. In theory whe should have enough time to at least give them a safe area to fall back to." He shrugs and looks the the Head of Security.

Quiet spares a hand from her weapon long enough to rapidly type. THE CREW ARE THE PRIORITY. WE NEED TO GET THEM TO THE SHUTTLE. IT'S THE ONLY WAY HOME.

Pollox accepts the first mantlet and studies it with interest as Griffin explains. He's an engineer, so he gets it right away. "Alright. Thanks. This should help while you lay siege on the shuttle bay." He gathers the other civilians to fall back enough to give the demo crew room.

Even though Quiet banged on the door, nobody opens the door for her.

"Sounds like a workable plan to me," comments Breach. He steps up alongside the door's control panel, particle revolver gripped in the hand that still has a glove. Breach's bare hand floats over the door unlock/open button that Indira showed him and Griffin earlier in the trip. Looking to Quiet, Breach silently makes a readiness check.

Quiet returns her weapon to a ready position. She didn't expect someone to be ready to welcome them from the sounds on the other side... but there is no fault for small favors. They could really use a break. Now ready, she sidesteps to the door controls and then looks to the others for readiness, sparing a hand again, this time towards the controls.

Griffin looks to the rest of his makeshift unit. He couldn't have better allies, and he beams with confidence and comraderie. He tries to make sure he speaks loud enough for the civilians to hear him.

"One last push & we're homefree. So let's make sure we give these civilians a good story to take home to their friends."

Griffin checks his mags. He looks to the Quiet and Breach & says, "Check."

Quiet does a rapid second look on herself, nods to the others, then takes aim at the door before giving Breach the go-ahead nod.

Breach nods to Griffin and Quiet in turn, bringing his bare fingers down on the unlock button. There is the usual sound of heavy, metal mechanics grinding into action and the eventual, chest-reverberating *KTHUNK* as the lock slides completely open. Waiting a second or two, Breach then presses the open button as he lifts the particle revolver as well. Both hands come to grip the weapon as the door's machinery takes over automatically, allowing the door to creak open.

Considering the clear path forward, Griffin walks forward re-establishing point. If anyone is going to wear those easy first shots, it'll be Griffin. Though maybe the guy that'll grow back the lost parts might be a better choice. Too late to second guess, he draws his weapon and walks into the hangar looking down his sights for any sign of movement.

As the door creaks open with the sound of ungreased mechanisms, the door grinds upwards. And halts. Leaving a one and a half foot gap underneath. Well isn't that just prime?

The sounds of insectish whines mixed with roars and a clash of metal can be heard very clearly now.

Quiet is primed to move after waiting the few tense moments for the locks to disengage. As soon as the door starts to rise, she's ready. Until it grinds to a halt. Now she's less ready and more ticked, not to mention cursing. Silently in her head, of course. She nearly gives the door a kick, but, instead, drops low to try and get a view through the gap.

Griffin groans as the door stops partway up, and it appears he's gonna have to stop or at least slow down his awesome confident stride. Yes for a normal man- this would be crawling territory.

And it is that time for Griffin, super-powered everyman. He can't argue the tactical advantage a preview might provide. So he stoops down low besides Quiet.

Breach would join Griffin and Quiet in spying on the goings on in the shuttlebay, but his helmet catches on the door itself with a loud *CRACK*. The Undead Soldier stumbles backward and away from the door with a grunt of frustration, waving his gun at the ceiling. GOD DAMN CEILING, WHAT GOOD ARE YOU?!

Knocking may not have been be the best idea. Neither Quiet or Griffin hear anything beyond the fighting that must be going on inside, but when they look, they can't see anything. It's dark. And in infrared, it's all one giant cool spot of purpleish-magenta. And the the darkness uncurls and looks wet, the color roils with different shades of cool, and Quiet's motion detector beeps ominously once it's too late. Two mantis-like appendages snap forward in an attempt to snag Quiet like a cricket to be eaten.

The claw-like apendages snap onto Quiet's upper arms as she lies prone with her rifle. A split second later, Quiet is yanked completely underneath the broken airlock gate and is lifted out of Griffin's view, save for her dangling feet. From Breach's perspective, he just sees the limbs clamp on her, and Quiet disappear completely beneath the door.

Quiet's initial reaction is what one might expect. Surprise. Fear. A great deal of thrashing and kicking feet against the door that's ajar. After a moment, however, the reflex passes and training kicks in. A quick command to her suit and the gravitics spin up to a sudden, peak discharge. The gravitic sheer creates an Einstein-Rosen bridge, folding space so that two points co-exist. It then snaps back, taking her with it to a spot not even a meter distance. Just. Not. Held. Her weapon alters and grows, bore growing to well over 5 centimeters... and levelled right at the thing. She keeps it handy. For close encounters.

"Holy shi-"

Breach is utterly shocked by the sight of Quiet disappearing under the door. He stumbles forward and down into a prone position, beyond the door. Frowning sourly, Breach brings his gun up as Quiet vanishes in a twist of spacetime. Cocking the hammer on the particle revolver, the pilot beam lances out to paint a paint straight to the bug monster as Breach murmurs a prayer to St. Ridley, Patron of Alien Killing, under his breath.

St. Ripley, Patron Saint of Alien Killing, looks fondly upon Breach despite invoking her name incorrectly. The mysterious steam clouds rising up from the deck plating part, giving Breach a prime shot of the alien and forcing it to scream. Its many legs clatter and reposition themselves to stay standing.

Griffin watches his detachment disappear under the door, and his brilliant little plan is up in smoke.

He turns and sees the fightened crewmen. He gives them a thumbs up. "Halfway home guys."

He takes a run at the door and slides under on his butt, feet first- gun propped up and ready to fire at whatever he finds on the other side of that jammed door.

Griffin watches his detachment disappear under the door, and his brilliant little plan is up in smoke.

He turns and sees the fightened crewmen. He gives them a thumbs up. "Halfway home guys."

He takes a run at the door and slides under on his butt, feet first- gun propped up and ready to fire at whatever he finds on the other side of that jammed door.

He aims for the bugger that's still screaming and skittering.

The crew may not be as confident as Griffin, but his thumbs up is some consolation after watching Quiet dragged kicking and (not) screaming under the door. Griffin catches the alien's tender underbelly with his power slide. It lifts the alien a causes it to stumble, but it stays standing. It stamps its many legs and chitters with a whine.

With the steam from the grates finally clearing and, you know, Quiet already on the opposite side of the door, the artist of this issue of Colonial Bay Mercs decides that it's time to show what's going on in the shuttle bay.

An aerial view gives a wide angle on the utter destruction of the labyrinth that Breach and Griffin left behind to help guard the shuttle. In part, this destruction is due to four smoking craters that have thrown the giant storage containers sailing in all directions. Two of the worker aliens are perched on the top/side of the operational shuttle, the U.S.S. Pyle, and working hard to open the surface panels to presumably "work" their way into the interior of the ship.

Strewn wildly around the Pyle are at least two of those stinger aliens and a smattering of the smaller, chaser aliens - FACEHUGGERS?! - in various states of abject destruction. One of the stinger aliens has had its tail removed, possibly surgically, and is stuck to a cargo container by a biometallic katana. All three of the visible chasers are impaled on a lone, disembodied stinger tail. Forge's metal body is, in fact, standing on top of another stinger alien, his left foot squishing messily around inside of its crunchy exoskeleton while his other foot grinds metal spikes into its carapace for purchase while he fends off /TWO/ of the warrior aliens - that's twice as many warriors as our heroic(???) mercenaries are facing right now - with all eight of his metal cables extended and lashing about like wild things.

Thick columns of green-black smoke are rising from Forge's shoulders and fists, apparently resisting the effects of the aliens' acidic saliva because METAL POWERS. One of the warrior aliens raises a mighty battle roar as Griffin uses the unstoppable power of Slide Kick on its brother(?) by the door, bellowing its fury at someone, and promptly slashes at Forge with both of its mantis-like claws.

Forge's smoking hands come up - his metal cables currently engaged in tangling up the claws of the other warrior he's fighting - and wrap around metal batons that extrude themselves from his palms. Swiping lift and right as fast as he can, Forge intercepts murderous slashes from the beast with one resounding *KRANG* *CLINNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGK* *WHOOOOONNNNNNNNG* after another, sparks flying left and right from what amounts to a raging speed metal competition.

On his other side, Forge is just barely keeping up with the other warrior alien. Its own mantis claws keep slashing out, but keep getting intercepted by knots of metal cable erupting from Forge's abs, lower back, and ribs. Sparks fly here and there as well, but Forge seems more interested in tangling and wrenching aside strikes as fast as he can. Everything about this effort is less coordinated than against Roary McRageclaw.

"HURRY UP AND HELP ME," roars Forge over the din of battle as he hears the distinctive sounds of a raging gunfight coming from the space station end of the shuttle bay.

In that moment, both of the warrior aliens sense weakness and coordinate their attacks to overwhelm Forge's defenses. Forge's eyes widen as lengths of metal cable and half of a metal baton get sliced neatly through, scattering wildly across the floor of the shuttle bay. He sweeps backward, flowing fluidly into a strange imitation of a Crane Stance, bringing up open metal palms before he lunges forward again into the whirling chitin combo blender facing him.

"ANY TIME, GUYS!"

Anything else Forge might have to say is overwhelmed by the horrific impact of alien chitin against metahuman biometal as Forge intercepts one pair of mantis claws with crossed forearms. Forge's left legs whirls around into a crooked roundhouse that abruptly wheels backward to slam one mantis claw into the deck before plowing sole-first into the main joint of the other mantis claw, interrupting its horrific slicing action.

"Very" Special Agent Forge is holding his own, for the moment, but only just. Someone should, however, be recording this so they can make a billion bucks on the sci-fi/wuxia theater adaptation of this Real Story.