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All things considered, you didn't think this through very well. Darida's out cold, but... Uh. She's not in any condition to move by herself. That's natural. But you didn't think she would be this heavy.

You've got your AK-12 slung over the shoulder, you're carrying Darida in your arms and you're not looking forward to the next 2 hours. That's how much you've got, going by Evelyn's info. 2 hours to rush through this goddamn maze. Evelyn knows where the administrative offices are, which are high on your "avoid at all costs" list. You, on the other hand, know where the back exit is. Just one problem.

Huxley renovated. And by renovated, of course, one should understand "completely restructured the whole fucking establishment, god fucking damn."

Well, whatever. Let's analyze the situation.

1) You have 2 hours to get out. If you exceed this parameter, shit gets ugly. You can take the guards, but drones are a different matter. You also can't fight while carrying Darida, so you're either offering resistance or moving, never both.
2) You need to find the exit through which you will get out. It's there, but the way there is obscured. You only know that's you're heading in the correct general direction.
3) You mustn't set off the alarm pre-emptively, else you face the consequences outlined in point 1. Guards and cameras will be your most common enemies, but perhaps not the worst ones.
4) You have Evelyn at your side. She won't be able to carry Darida with those noodle arms, but she can be of help.
5) Open combat - that is, gunfire - is loud and hugely noticeable. You lack silenced weapons. Speaking of weapons...
6) You have an AK-12 and a handgun. Evelyn has a "Hexer" and a handgun.
7) If anything shoots at you, it shoots to kill.

You finish your info relay with Evelyn and stand before a three-way fork.
>[] Go North. There's a guard and no cameras. He hasn't noticed you yet. 15pts.
>[] Go East. There's two cameras. 10pts.
>[X] Go West. There's nothing. 3pts.

[3/150 Stealth]

You motion for Evelyn to follow you west. The guard up "north" has his back to you two. You move briskly through the rather long tunnel. You feel as though you are moving right past a large number of time-wasters. It is a good feeling.

Walking through the whitewashed, yet dimly lit tunnel, you think back on events only a few minutes prior.

"Well~, while you're venting, why don't I explain a little? I guess you won't pay attention, but that's alright! It's not like it matters much."

"I'm all fucking ears!"

"Professor has been looking to diversify his fund sources-"

"For how long?"

"A few months, maybe~? Long story short, he found Helen and she really wanted to help. So he let her."

"And?"

"Aaaand that's it!"

"How much does she know?"

"About as much as you?"

That, you remember, sent you over the edge, past the tipping point, across the fucking line. The thin, red line. Now you're here with guns and a mind to give Huxley what-for next time you meet him.

You come to another fork. This time, you've only got two choices.
>[] Go North. Two guards, a few odd recesses in the walls where you can hide. 20 pts.
>[] Go East. Three cameras and a guard. 25 pts.

If you don't want to use your firearms, suggest an alternative takedown method.

>>33419924
Yes. Been a while since I caught this quest live.

>[X] Go East. Three cameras and a guard. 25 pts.

>>33419924
>>[] Go North. Two guards, a few odd recesses in the walls where you can hide. 20 pts.

>>33419964
>>33420168
Alright, don't you guys go anywhere. We can do this segment right quick.

Writing.

>>33420213
dropped your trip

Rolled 1

>>33420250
Sure did!

>>33419964
>>33420168
[28/150]

You head East, motioning Evelyn to follow you once again.

"Can you get that guard?" You whisper.

"Most likely."

Your red-head companion braces the Calico-type pistol with wobbling hands. You sigh in silence, but focus your gaze in the guard instead of her only-technically-correct posture.

Bam!

It's an accurate shot. Color you surprised. The lab assistant lowers her arms, panting. You suppose she focused on her wandering sights and pulled the trigger once they aligned with the target. It might've been just a fluke, but if she knew the correct posture to take, perhaps she also knew to what extent pulling the trigger would've thrown her aim off.

Well, it was still probably luck.

You sling Darida over your shoulder and take out your M6D pistol. The two-plus-one of you run through the hallway, you plucking the cameras out of the ceiling. They almost blend into the background, being shiny white slopes next to the lamps. A little hard to see, but fragile.

The guards in the next hallway over might have heard you already.

>[] Head West, into the hallway where the guards are. They'll be coming in from behind you, having vacated their passageway. 10+?pts.
>[] Move East, empty hallway. One recess in the walls. 5pts.

>>33420402
sorry about that, net DC'd

>[] Move East, empty hallway. One recess in the walls. 5pts.

>>33420538
[33/150]

Your whole cadre snakes its way to the East, turning a right at the end of your hallway, then a left.

It's a dead end.

You have to do something about your pursuers.

>[] Shoot the guards. 10pts.
>[] Melee the guards. 5pts. Roll 4d6+-4. DC is 10.
>[] Custom. Point cost is lowered for custom choices.

>>33420591
can't think of a decent custom that does not involve shootan so
>[] Melee the guards. 5pts. Roll 4d6+-4. DC is 10.

where'd the other anon go?

>>33420591
Ate dinner, finished now.

Darida is wearing a hospital gown-ish thing, right? Can we flash the guards? I kid, I kid.

>[x] Shoot the guards. 10 pts.

Rolled 2

>>33420676
dice+4d6+-4 is your ticket to victory.

Meanwhile, rollan.

>>33420683
She's wearing a white shirt and baggy orange pants. Last thread, she stitched together several gowns into a full cloak.

If not for her long hair, it'd be hard to figure out who it is on Darius' shoulder.

Writing.

>>33420676
>>33420683
[43/150]

You shift Darida's considerable weight on your shoulder and reach for your rifle. Unfortunately, it's the stock model, without modifications. A vertical forward grip and a drum mag would be nice.

No sense in daydreaming about that. You duck into the only recess you can see - fortunately, it's in the left wall. You sit on one knee, place your rifle mag-first on said knee and try to aim down the sights. The position you're in will only let you carry out a single shot, so Evelyn will have to pick up your slack.

"Hey."

"Yes?"

"I'll take the first one that shows up. You take the second. Got it?"

"What am I to do if they both appear? Simultaneously."

"Take the one on the left, then. But just ignore the first guy."

You take aim. Footsteps ring out. You approximate that the guards are around 15 meters away from the corner. In a few seconds, they show up. Or, more precisely, they don't. The footsteps stop just as they're about to enter sight.

From behind the corner, one leaps forth (headshot!) and tumbles into a somersault. Before his body comes to rest, another burly man in a black suit appears, this time slowly, and manages to take aim. It takes all you've got to not yell "Fire!" and this turns out to be the right decision. Just as he levels his gun at your head, Evelyn places a shot right in his chin.

It shatters his jaw, burrows through his windpipe and smashes his spinal column. Two satisfying CRACK!s merge into one, set apart by mere milliseconds, as blood splatters on the walls nearby and especially the wall behind him. The bullet lodges itself firmly in the wall, forming a small spiderweb of cracks. Its mission has been done.

You backtrack through the halls and take the West tunnel.

[46/150]

>[] What was it that Tina told you back then? It was something along the lines of...
>[] There's something I need to ask Evelyn. [If Darida can help? Other? Specify.]
>[] At this point, Darida might not be such a hassle. Wakey-wakey.

>>33420976
>[43/150]
>[46/150]
wut?

>[] What was it that Tina told you back then? It was something along the lines of...

>>33420976
>[X] What was it that Tina told you back then? It was something along the lines of...

>>33420976
>[] What was it that Tina told you back then? It was something along the lines of...

Just woke up, but off to class soon. Maybe if it's not too much of a hassle I'll vote with my phone, but those tend to show up 30 minutes late.

>>33420993
You met a dead end, so your only choice is to go back. This takes time and forces you to spend Stealth points.

>>33420993
>>33420995
>>33421010
Look at all that unanimity!

Writing.

>>33420976
>[X]What was it that Tina told you back then? It was something along the lines of...
So why are we choosing hallway by hallway? Why don't we or Evelyn know a good route out?

>>33421020
I actually wanted to wake up Darida, but that would mean we originally knocked her out for no reason and would make us look kind of silly. Still, having to carry her around is a bit of a hassle.

>>33421043
Carrying her is a hassle, but having her awake would probably be a bigger one.

>>33421023
Evelyn, like the rest of the employees, uses the front door. The back exit is an emergency thing, to be used in case Imperials show up to shut it down.

>Huxley renovated. And by renovated, of course, one should understand "completely restructured the whole fucking establishment, god fucking damn."

>>33421067
Ah, okay. It wasn't clear to me that we were heading for the back door. Probably what I get for not reading carefully.

>>33421067
>The back exit is an emergency thing, to be used in case Imperials show up to shut it down.
well the employees can't use it when they don't know where it is...

>>33421086
The employees are expendable. You can always hire more.

But questioning them is still an option, right? Huxley wouldn't be so careless as to leave witnesses.

How suspicious.

>>33420993
>>33420995
>>33421010
>>33421023
[46/150 Stealth]

What was it that Tina told you back then? It was something along the lines of...

"Well~, it's not like you'll pay attention, buuuut I think I'll tell you anyway."

"What?!"

"A couple months ago, I think?, the Professor started looking for other sponsors. You weren't really cutting it."

"The fuck's that supposed to mean."

"You're a crazy~! A looney! You're a nutcase."

"..."

"So then he found Helen, and she was really into it-"

"Did he tell her about-?"

"Everything? Yes~! Because he told her about everything. More or less, anyway. But she didn't care. Huxley didn't care much for her, either, since it turned she's as crazy as you."

"Thanks."

"Nooo problem~! So now your friend is swimming in money but doesn't have a reliable source still."

"..."

"Are you upset?"

"Just fuckin' dandy."

"Well, if you want to do something about it, I suggest doing it now! I mean, goodness, just look at this mess. I wonder who could've smashed a dozen monitors with his bare fists? Sure is a long list~"

"...All this. How do you know about all this?"

"A true spy never reveals her sources!"

"I'm not in the mood. Start talking."

"I work here 'part-time.' Accounting, all that. Satisfied?"

"Yeah."

Around then, you decided to leave in a huff. To get your guns, mostly. Pussyfooting around the issue of breaking Darida out stopped being an option the moment you stopped being a key part of this establishment. It was time to act.

You find yourself having reached the end of the "West" hallway that you chose to forgo before.
>[] Go North. Nothing. An office in the middle. 3pts+10pts if you visit the office.
>[] Go West. Nothing. 3pts.
>[] Go East. Three guards and a camera. 35pts.

>>33421608
>[X] Go North. Nothing. An office in the middle. 3pts+10pts if you visit the office.

>>33421608
Didn't we come from the west?
>[X] Go North. Nothing. An office in the middle.

>>33421659
You're moving forward, constantly. Imagine parallel hallways. It's like that.

>>33421608

>[] Go North. Nothing. An office in the middle. 3pts+10pts if you visit the office.

>>33421608
>>[] Go North. Nothing. An office in the middle. 3pts+10pts if you visit the office.
I'm heading to bed now, good luck anon

So nothing means if you don't visit that lab we waste 3 points and have to back track? Seems like east is the way we need to go.

>>33421807
Of course I mean the office.
>>33421608
I'll be the one guy to vote east.

>>33421807
Nothing means there aren't any security measures. You'll have to go down the hallways to find out which ones are dead ends.

>>33421608
>[X] Go North. Nothing. An office in the middle. 3pts+10pts if you visit the office.

>>33421608
>[] Go North. Nothing. An office in the middle. 3pts+10pts if you visit the office.

I'm here for you, OP
Darida is still moe

OP is deaderererererererered

Rest in pizza

OP PLZ

>captcha:AbbyQue ancient

>>33421643
>>33421659
>>33421727
>>33421736
>>33421857
>>33421908
>>33421932
[59/150]

You choose to proceed directly North. Along the way, you crush a syringe underfoot. The crunch is satisfying, but... You frown. Somebody must have been here recently, for something like that to be lying on the floor.

"What is the matter? Why have you stopped?"

"Nothing. See that door? Check it out."

Evelyn nods and complies, jogging towards the door and poking her head in. A wry smile stretches across your face. She's not Operator-like in the least. Then again, it's not like there might be a paranoid Operator in there, just waiting for somebody to take a peek then blow their brains out.

Maybe you're the one who's wrong.

"There is quite a mess, but nothing else appears odd."

"What kind of mess?" You press. You don't wait for an answer and approach the scene yourself.

An odd little cabinet. A bed, a desk, some shelves, a few curtain-holders. Everything that could be has been toppled, sheets and curtains are strewn about and drawers - both empty and paper-filled - litter the floor. Somebody was looking for something. They don't seem to have found it. When you look at Evelyn, she looks to have reached the same conclusion.

"Any idea what they wanted to find?"

"Not the foggiest."

You sigh softly.

"Should we bother searching?" You ask, despite knowing the answer.

"What would we be searching for?" Evelyn shakes her head. "Anything of note would have already been taken."

She's right. But maybe...

You tell Evelyn to look for any meds that could be useful. Tranqs and the like.

Roll "dice+4d6+-4" to determine how many you find.

DC is 4/8/10/12/14/16.

I'm sorry for being so slow, anons. Have heart.

Rolled 4, 6, 6, 5 - 4 = 17

>>33423658
GOGOGOG

>>33423700
Shit!

Rolled 3, 5, 6, 2 - 4 = 12

>>33423658

>>33423700
>>33423747

I-

...

Writing.

Rolled 5, 5, 4, 6 - 4 = 16

>>33423658

Rolled 4, 2, 6, 3 - 4 = 11

>>33423658
Hot damn we broke the DC on the first roll, rolling for fun and potential disaster.

>>33423658
What are the chances of getting Nat 1s in a row?

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18 KB PNG

That was fun.

>>33423797
0.39% for one roll. 0.1521% for two in a row.

Rolled 3, 3, 1, 3 - 4 = 6

>>33423658
Will I rise like a rescuing phoenix of life from the ashes, or will I add to the misery inflicted upon thee? RNG, speak thy fell word!

>>33424083
HAHAHAHAR

>>33424083
Not so much a phoenix, more like a fried chicken.

>>33423658
You rummage through the piles of papers and furniture closer to the door, while Evelyn searches further away. Your search turns up a whopping two syringes.

Evelyn finds four. But the odd thing is: hers are a bluish green, while yours are emerald with blood-red swirls.

Evelyn asks to see your findings and inspects the numbers on the side carefully. These are tranqs as well, according to her.

"I am not without my doubts, however..."

"Well, there's an easy way to check," you offer with a wink.

Evelyn smiles softly. "I suppose there is."

You exit the room, content with what your rummaging has turned up.

You go down the rest of the hallway, and are faced with another choice.

>[] West. Four guards, two of them jogging towards you. 40pts.
>[] North. Nothing. 3pts.
>[] East. Three guards, two cameras. One of them is heading towards your position. 40pts.
If your hunter's sense is right, you've covered about half of the distance to the exit.

>>33424274
>[X] West. Four guards, two of them jogging towards you. 40pts.

>>33424274
>>[] West. Four guards, two of them jogging towards you. 40pts.

>>33424274
>[] West. Four guards, two of them jogging towards you. 40pts.

>>33424274
>[] North. Nothing. 3pts.
Shiet

Level ups and exp when OOQ?

>>33424274
>>[] North. Nothing. 3pts.

>>33424274
Changing my vote (>>33424453)
to North

>>33424274
>[] North. Nothing. 3pts.

>>33424274
North

>>33424350
>>33424388
>>33424466
>>33424494
>>33424529
>>33424645
>>33425210
North wins. Another storm rolling in, and with it, another outage. We should be able to finish up, though.

>>33424479
I've been keeping track, but we haven't yet hit level 3. We'll start next thread by selecting a skill, since this escapade will give us at least a couple EXP.

Writing.

Surely this is a test of patience.

[62/150]

You advance directly forward, without heed for the hallways beside you. The nagging notion that those guards were headed directly for you refuses to leave your mind, but if you're quick enough, you can leave them in the dus-

Ahaha. Dead end.

Fuck.

You put Darida down. Evelyn looks at you nervously. Her purple eyes glisten like the late sunset. You grab her chin, look her in the eyes and speak.

"I need you alive. Not want - need."

She nods. She understands.

"Now take your 'Hexer' and watch my flank. I'm going in."

You get that little bit of coaching out of the way. It's a trick Helen taught you, long ago - hypnosis. Mundane hypnosis. The sort that exploits a person's heightened emotional state, the sort that suggests feelings to an individual already receptive of their environment. Some call it "manipulation."

You grab your AK and dash. With strong, powerful strides, you cover the 20 meters of distance between you and the wall at the end in no time flat. You jump and land on the wall. It's T-shaped crossroads, but with you sitting on the wall, you've got the West corridor in front of you, the East corridor behind you, and the North corridor above.

The fire selector is on 3-round burst. Your weight begins to shift and your stance becomes forced, you must act. Gravity grasps you, but you slip between its fingers, pushing off the wall just as you see two black suits come out from behind the corner - that is, descend on you from up above.

You sail through the air. Rat-a-tat-tat. Tat-tat-tat.

Six bullets split the air and harpoon muscleheaded men that harbor ill intent for you. Two targets, done. Yet Newton claws at you and clutches your body, pulling it to the floor. You do not smash against it, instead rolling into a crouched position, pivoting to lock on to the other enemy.

You are too late.
[1/2]

>>33429587
You are too late, and your eyes narrow in light of the situation's intensity. A handgun, leveled squarely at your head, red-dot sight likely pointing at the bridge of your nose. But of course.

You must win.

You raise your rifle - slowly, too slowly - to offer resistance. You need only raise the front, you can deal with bruising your wrist, you just have to not die.

...And then it's over.

A pink mist fills the air, red droplets splash against the walls, blossoming into fateful roses. Broad strokes of paint on a white canvas, substance that used to usher in thought now decorates the environment. You don't see any of this, of course. You can't. A lifeless body lies on the floor, eerily at peace. It is not broken, no - it is strong and youthful. It lies, not mangled, but sprawling on the white floor. Blood pools beneath it.

You never knew how quickly warmth might leave a reckless man. That's what you deserve, isn't it?

Well. At least it's not you. Evelyn pulled through for you once again.

"Thanks for tha-"

"Behind you!"

Click.

Cold steel against your neck.

Thread end! Tune in for the exciting resolution later this week!

Operator Operator Quest #10: Ops and Tactics will air on Monday at 8 AM GMT/UTC. I'll see you there.

>>33430040
Thanks for the thread, cya in the next one.

>>33430040
But Monday's next week... That means sidestory?

>>33430820
Fuck, I meant Sunday! I'll announce it on twitter to avoid misunderstandings.