Hellbender
Major
Mecha-Shai-Hulud
"Seriously."
Posts: 892
|
Post by Hellbender on Jan 20, 2011 19:53:45 GMT -5
Down below, the subway tracks are covered in muck from the sewer--but only in one direction. If our intrepid heroes follow the mucky tracks, they lead to another round hole in the side of the subway tunnel. The cut marks on this one seem slightly older, starting to accumulate a little grime though it is still fresher than the aged concrete lining the subway tunnel. Past this side tunnel, the tracks are (relatively) clean again. The side tunnel, on the other hand, is spotted with patches and streaks of mud.
The tracks vibrate slightly; perhaps a subway on the way. Perhaps something else. Faint echoes float up the side tunnel. Which way do you go?
Turn to page 38 if you take the side tunnel; go to page 32 if you continue down the subway tunnel; turn to 313 if you stand here and wait for something to happen.
|
|
Nightbeat
Minor
Eternal Foe of Kitsch
"Truth is revealed in the smallest detail."
Posts: 453
|
Post by Nightbeat on Jan 21, 2011 19:32:12 GMT -5
Nightbeat puts his head to the tunnel wall and listens. Super-detective hearing power go! "There's a train coming," he says, then he closes his eyes and gets a look of intense concentration on his face. "Something moving around down that side tunnel. Very faint." His eyes snap open and he dashes down the passage. "C'mon, before we lose it!" he shouts.
Nightbeat turns to Page 38 and hopes Jazz does the same.
|
|
Jazz [G1]
Rookie
Cool as an icicle in a snowstorm.
Posts: 177
|
Post by Jazz [G1] on Jan 22, 2011 1:42:36 GMT -5
Man, Jazz was already turning to page 38!
"Ain't gotta tell me twice, man! The mud was leadin' that way anyway!" Jazz follows suit, keeping pace with Nightbeat, but killing his headlights. If this thing is as big as it seems, it's better to at least try and have an element of surprise.
|
|
Hellbender
Major
Mecha-Shai-Hulud
"Seriously."
Posts: 892
|
Post by Hellbender on Jan 22, 2011 10:28:27 GMT -5
Page 38:
The tunnel winds a short way, then rises steeply, connecting to another sewer tunnel above the subway level. There's an circuit-grinding shriek of metal on ceramacrete somewhere in the distance, fading off to the right. The echoes fade away... or do they?
There's marks in the mud of the new sewer tunnel, like the marks you've seen before. Do you follow the marks down the sewer line (page 39), wait and see what happens (page 50), or turn back (page 95)?
|
|
Nightbeat
Minor
Eternal Foe of Kitsch
"Truth is revealed in the smallest detail."
Posts: 453
|
Post by Nightbeat on Jan 22, 2011 18:07:57 GMT -5
Nightbeat turns to page 39 and follows the marks down the sewer line, checking the power level on his plasma blaster. His face screws up in an involuntary grimace as he hears the horrendous scraping noise. It's almost as bad as having Siren shouting in his ear. Almost.
|
|
Jazz [G1]
Rookie
Cool as an icicle in a snowstorm.
Posts: 177
|
Post by Jazz [G1] on Jan 23, 2011 13:21:42 GMT -5
Page 39, ho! Jazz checks his rifle as well, and in addition, pulls his flamethrower from subspace. It attaches to his shoulder.
On one hand, it might not be wise to use a flamethrower in a sewer. Then again, neither is following the trail of an obviously large thing that made an entire structure explode.
|
|
Hellbender
Major
Mecha-Shai-Hulud
"Seriously."
Posts: 892
|
Post by Hellbender on Jan 25, 2011 15:42:17 GMT -5
That audial-tearing scream starts up again, this time much closer and to your immediate right. If someone puts a hand on the right-hand sewer wall, it's vibrating.
Loose bits of grime and scale fall from overhead pipes as the shaking gets worse, like a subway train passing close by.
|
|
Nightbeat
Minor
Eternal Foe of Kitsch
"Truth is revealed in the smallest detail."
Posts: 453
|
Post by Nightbeat on Jan 25, 2011 20:24:09 GMT -5
Nightbeat barely even remembered Jazz had a flamethrower. The detective does indeed put a hand on the right wall of the tunnel, then steps back quickly, moving down the passage. "We should get out of the way," he says simply but urgently.
|
|
Jazz [G1]
Rookie
Cool as an icicle in a snowstorm.
Posts: 177
|
Post by Jazz [G1] on Jan 27, 2011 0:03:09 GMT -5
Heck, Jazz usually forgets he has a flamethrower! He forgot about it for two whole seasons and a movie, but then he disappeared.
At Nightbeat's suggestion, he jumps back several feet, rifle ready.
|
|
Hellbender
Major
Mecha-Shai-Hulud
"Seriously."
Posts: 892
|
Post by Hellbender on Jan 27, 2011 11:37:39 GMT -5
The right-hand wall explodes outward in a shower of concrete and dirt! Large metal grinders protrude at right angles from an wide conical dark metallic nose, still spinning furiously. The nose swings from side-to-side, widening the hole and swiping at anyone standing close by with those vicious grinders, grinders that will mangle metal as well as rock*.
--- *Hellbender's rock cutters will chew up light metal shells as well, but can't penetrate hardened heavy armor like Omega Supreme's hull or Brawl's armor
|
|
Nightbeat
Minor
Eternal Foe of Kitsch
"Truth is revealed in the smallest detail."
Posts: 453
|
Post by Nightbeat on Jan 27, 2011 21:16:52 GMT -5
"How is it that even when we're on a foreign planet, a planet famous for its scum and villainy, it's always the usual suspects?" Nightbeat says, backpedaling and lining up a shot to try and take out one of the Pinecones of Death.
"Any chance you're gonna come quietly, Hellbender?" he asks rhetorically as he fires.
|
|
Jazz [G1]
Rookie
Cool as an icicle in a snowstorm.
Posts: 177
|
Post by Jazz [G1] on Jan 30, 2011 9:48:46 GMT -5
Jazz backs up more, and aims his photon blaster at a different grinder - specifically, aiming for one of the sides that encases the rotating part, to try and disable it. "As the earthlings put it, Nightbeat - that's how the cookie crumbles - or at least in this case, the sewer wall!"
|
|
Hellbender
Major
Mecha-Shai-Hulud
"Seriously."
Posts: 892
|
Post by Hellbender on Jan 30, 2011 10:04:10 GMT -5
Hellbender responds with a deep chuckle. "Nice of you two Autobots to come down here alone, where there are no witnesses. Ah can finally drop this Decepticon Nice Guy slag and do my job proper-like."
He has enough of his forebody into the tunnel to turn and lunge directly toward the Autobots, twisting and turning his head to throw off aiming, as well as to catch important body parts with a sidewise swipe. The rolling throws off Nightbeat's shot, which splashes on armored hull, but Jazz's shot connects near where he aimed, blowing teeth off the grinder and bringing its spin to a sudden, brutal halt. Hellbender retracts that cutter beneath its armored cover.
Did Jazz stand still too long to aim that shot?
|
|
Nightbeat
Minor
Eternal Foe of Kitsch
"Truth is revealed in the smallest detail."
Posts: 453
|
Post by Nightbeat on Jan 30, 2011 22:51:56 GMT -5
Hellbender catches Nightbeat with his sideways swipe, knocking him back into the wall hard enough to leave a crater. If the detective had lungs, he would have had the air knocked out of him. As it is, he's just had some connections shaken loose and needs a moment for a few subsystems to reboot. Unfortunately, one of the connections that got broken was the one between his hands and his gun. His back also really, really hurts.
Fortunately, he has two more guns. He pulls a photon pistol from subspace and takes careful aim at Hellbender, steadying the weapon with both hands as he squeezes off a shot at another cutting head.
|
|
Jazz [G1]
Rookie
Cool as an icicle in a snowstorm.
Posts: 177
|
Post by Jazz [G1] on Feb 2, 2011 18:28:34 GMT -5
Jazz did not stand still long! In fact, he's still backing up while firing at the same cutter that Nightbeat's aiming for.
"Well, it doesn't take too many guys to do a little bit of pest control, after all!"
//You alright, Nightbeat? That looked like it hurt, to totally understate it.//
|
|