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You stare in horror as a man whom you'd always thought to be some kind of invincible badass lies motionless on the floor, his blood pooling at an alarming rate. The security detail that had been with him doesn't seem any better-equipped to deal with this loss, as some simply stand there, mouths agape for a few seconds.

Thankfully, they snap out of it and turn to open fire on another one of the rogue drones, sustaining more injuries, but eventually managing to put it down after a considerable amount of gunfire. They are tired, angry, sad and panicked at the same time and have no real plan of action without their leader.

You might be able to snap some sense into them, but you're no tactical specialist. Who knows what your instructions could result in.

>Tell them to check on Ares
>Tell them to check on Pandora
>Tell them to check on R&D
>Stay with them and let them take the lead
>Other (write in)

>>678864
>I'm going to check on Pandora. You all coming?
Did Elpis ever even meet Pandora as a ball?

>>678864
>Ask which Android was the one trying to get out.

Nice to see you back AM.
Unfortunately I have to go to family's for dinner in about an hour, but I'll try and post.

>>678899
No, the only AI that met Pandora was Ares. Until recently, the other AI had never been out of the R&D room.
>>678900
Thanks, glad to be back, anon!

>>678900
I suppose we could ask this and then go to Pandora's room anyway.

>>679054
Alright, a mix of the two, then. Roll 1 d100 to convince them to follow your instructions. Best of 3.

Rolled 89 (1d100)

>>679137

Rolled 89 (1d100)

>>679137

>>679171
>>679207
Does this mean we win?

>>679214
it means neither of us will want to risk a critfail

Rolled 34 (1d100)

>>679137
Here goes.

>>679171
>>679207
Dubs?

Writing!

"I know it's probably not the best time to ask this, but uh..." you scratch the back of your head, looking at the still warm corpse of Richards, "do you guys happen to know which of the AI is the one about to knock the door off it's hinges?"

They all silently stare at you for a moment, some are scowling, some are still in shock, others look like they're one stubbed toe away from having a complete meltdown. One of them eventually speaks up.

"Are you saying..." he says slowly, walking up to you, "that BOTH of those things have the strength to knock a three ton door off it's hinges? Because if they're both capable of that, I swear to god..."

He hoists his rifle, but is quickly stopped by the others and calmed down. Now that you think about it, you can't imagine Pandora doing anything of that magnitude. Especially with her aversion to any kind of physical violence. But if it is Ares, how did he wake up? And how is he able to access his full strength without your allowing him?

"We need to get to Pandora ASAP." you say, quickly changing the subject, "She's bound to be scared by all this. Not to mention if he tampered with her before, there's a chance Snowglobe...uhhh, the guy who released the other AI, might have done something to her as well, or is using all this chaos to get to her..."

There's grumbling among the security team, some outright say no, some just resolve themselves to it. Looks like most will go with you, but several are simply choosing to stay there and hole up behind a barricade until backup arrives. You won't be coming back here once you leave.

To get to her room, (you are currently in a small room next to check-in) you'll have to either head through the Main Hall which is very wide-open and doesn't have many places to hide or take cover, or take a detour through the Gym. It's out of the way and will take a little more maneuvering and has a lot of places for the little drones to hide, but it sounds like most of the fighting is taking place away from it and has lots of equipment to hide behind if need be.

>Head through the Main Hall
>Head through the Gym

>>679351
>>Head through the Gym
Grab a shake weight while we're there in case the drones come after us and we need to defend against them.

>>679351
>Head through the Main Hall
I'm concerned that Pandora is already hiding and she might accidentally hit us if we spend too much effort skulking around.

>>679351
>Head through the Main Hall

>>679449
>>679383
Writing!

You decide the direct path through the Main Hall is the best course of action. Shortest path between two points and all. Though you have a bad feeling about this...

Your group readies up, checking their ammo, making sure everyone's patched up if they need to be. You collectively take a deep breath and push open the door to take in the view. The number of security officers in the Facility isn't exactly an army or anything, but after the science teams they're the most numerous. They're putting up a hell of a fight, but the drones are too small, fast and armored to take down easily. They don't seem to be attacking at random, either. They're focusing fire and, with the exception of having no regard for their own safety, they're employing some semblance of tactics. Is someone controlling them?

The number of casualties is mounting and one of the officers taking cover behind a knocked over vending machine notices you. He's shocked, then relieved. He shouts to the others that backup's arrived and there's a smattering of "Ooh-rah!"s that you can just barely hear over the gunfire. You weren't really planning on being backup, but they sure as hell could use the help...

You could have the others stay and help, which would probably save lives, but you'd be all alone for the rest of your trek...

>Give them backup
>Take the security team with you

>>679622
>>Give them backup
being alone may not necessarily be more dangerous.

>>679622
>>Give them backup
Keep a meathead in our reserve for the muscle-y things.

>>679634
>>679639
Alright, now roll 1d100 to make it across the hall without getting shot sans meat shields...I mean protection. Best of 3.

Rolled 84 (1d100)

>>679664

Rolled 58 (1d100)

>>679664
Welp.

Can we still keep a pet meathead after this?

>>679683
Depending on how the last roll is, they might actually BE meat!

Rolled 62 (1d100)

>>679664

>>679669
>>679683
>>679721
Ah, the curse of "never failing a roll in Pandora" has continued after all this time. Writing!

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>>679704
Congratulations. Your comment helped me find a use for this picture that I thought I would only need once.

You tell the men to stay here. Their fellow soldiers need the help and you'd only get in the way. They nod, though the exchange is short, as they need to get into the fight quickly. You will say this about the security team, they're more than just generic MPs who just sit around doing nothing all day. These guys are trained well. You make a mental note to maybe get to know some of them after this...if there is an "after this".

You take a deep breath and charge out, weaving through various debris and obstacles. It takes a few precious moments for the drones to notice you, but once they do the terrain around you erupts into a hail of bullets. Potted plants and benches explode and any cover you try to take is reduced to it's base components pretty quickly. They're targeting you specifically. Whatever is driving these things has a personal vendetta against you.

Eventually, after a series of terrified leaps of faith and mad dashes, you make it to the door and frantically scan your ID to get inside. The agonizingly slow mechanism opens at a snail's pace and just to get you into the security checkpoint...and the moment it's in there you have to dive for cover once more. Someone is firing on you from behind the door.

You look over and see one of your own team, Kevin, holding an assault rifle next to several dead bodies and destroyed drones. At his feet is Robert, his boyfriend, covered in blood. Kevin has a crazed, frenzied look in his eyes and his hand is very much on the trigger of the weapon he's holding.

"Get out!" Kevin's voice wavers, his hands are shaking and tears are streaming down his face. He's not mentally stable and very much liable to shoot.

>Leave and try your luck elsewhere (write in)
>Charge him and try to take the gun away
>Try to talk him down
>Throw something at him
>Other (write in)

>>679881
>I'm looking for Pandora and Ares and if you follow me I can probably get whoever is shooting you to stop shooting you let's go get Robert to the Medical Bay please while the guards are still alive shooting the bots.

>>679881
>Try to talk him down
I thought this was a nice quest.

>>679984
It was.

Then everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked.

>>679993
but this is what I CAME here for at the start!

>>680001
The times, they are a'changin', anon.

Roll 1d100 to try and talk down the crazed gunman, best of 3.

Rolled 8 (1d100)

>>680023
I don't think you understand.

I came here FOR the dark undertones of heavily controlling the creation of AI and the risks of robot uprising.

Rolled 94 (1d100)

>>680023
A wild lurker appears

>>680033
Oh, well then, are you in the right place!

Rolled 25 (1d100)

>>680023
Oh, Christ.

>>680042
You guys just won't let me write any failure scenes, will you?

Writing.

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>>680042
You saved the world anon.

Sorry I might personally not be super participatory, sorting out some.. morbid business.

Time to put out fire with gasoline.

>>680108
Never!
I missed you OP.

You put your hands up in a sign of surrender, stepping back slowly. You try to calm him down a little. "Okay, okay, let's not be-"

"Get OUT!" Kevin repeats, his shaking hands only getting worse, but the gun's ever-present threat isn't showing any signs of going away. "This is YOUR fault! He's dead because of YOU! You and your need to play god! You could have just left well enough alone, but you had to try and create life! You never cared about the consequences! You never cared about anything but becoming the next big name! Who gives a fuck about the little people that have to suffer along the way?! I should..." he chokes up, looking at Robert's body.

"Look, I didn't do this." you say slowly, "This isn't what I wanted. This isn't what I was hoping for. Snowglobe, that bald guy from R&D, this is his fault. He's the one who started all of this. He's the one who wanted all this entropy to happen, not me! I just wanted to push technology to new limits! I wanted to-"

"I wanted to smack that smug look off your goddamn face from day one!" Kevin shouts, cutting you off. "I wanted to see you fired! You started this project with some...sick machine fetish you wanted to fulfill! You're letting others suffer because of your precious fucking...robot daughter! She's made of metal and wires! She's artificial! Robert was real...he was human..."

"And if I could take it back, I would, alright?!" you shout, almost as angry as he was about all this, "I just...I made something. Something that can help mankind, and someone else wanted to ruin that! I just wanted to make others happy, but someone soiled that dream! Now I'm going to be known as a failure and an idiot because of what he did! I'll be ruined and people will die because he was angry, just like you are now! Do you really want to be just like the bastard that got Robert killed?! Do you really want to continue that cycle?!"

Kevin stops at this and simply stares at Robert's corpse, the gun still held up, but not quite shaking as much. The tears continue, the breathing still ragged, but he is silent now. You might have a chance to grab the gun.

>Try to slowly approach him and take the gun away
>Punch him
>Stay where you are and wait to see what he does
>Other (write in)

>>680269
>Try to slowly approach him and take the gun away

>>680269
>Try to slowly approach him and take the gun away

>>680269
>Try to slowly approach him
>I didn't want anyone to suffer. I wasn't trying to make people less than robots.
>Let him keep the gun, keep going to Pandora's room.

>>680309
>>680322
Writing!

You slowly approach Kevin, his focus entirely on Robert right now. You try not to make any noise as you do, more as not to startle him than in an attempt to sneak. You step over fallen guards and broken machines, hands outstretched and ready to grab the rifle as soon as you get within range, but also ready to dive out of the way should he decide to open fire. The entire time Kevin doesn't seem to either notice or care about you. He's deep in thought, perhaps regretting things, perhaps realizing what he's done or said. Either way, it's giving you an opening, so you won't question it. However, just before you're close enough, he speaks up.

"I don't care..." Kevin's gaze shifts to you, a profound sadness in his eyes lets you know that no amount of talking is going to get through to him right now, "All of this...all these years of work...I don't care. I have nothing. Why should I give a damn anymore? What happens to me, or you...especially you...you don't know what loss is. You don't know what it's like to have someone you care for, someone you love unconditionally, taken from you by some selfish prick who thinks he's something special..." the gun is lifted to your face and you freeze. "But I think...I can show what it's like."

Without any warning, a pain to your temple and you're on the ground. Your head is screaming and the world is spinning around you, but you're still awake. Awake enough to see Kevin taking your ID badge. Awake enough to see him walking over to the door to Pandora's room. Awake enough to see the gun in his hands. Awake enough to realize what he plans to do.

>Attempt to tackle him
>Grab one of the fallen guards' guns and shoot him
>Beg him not to hurt her
>Threaten him
>Other (write in)

>>680431
>>680431
>Beg him not to hurt her
But if he doesn't listen
>Grab one of the fallen guards' guns and shoot him
Why am I voting for Doc to hurt someone?

>>680462
All it takes is one bad day.

>>680431
>The hell do you think that'll accomplish? You think I'll stop believing in technology because you killed it? You'd only make a martyr out of her.
>Shout at Pandora to defend herself

>>680483
>>680462
Bit of an impasse. Any tie breakers?

>>680431
> grab a gun and shoot him
It's for the greater good!

>>680431
>Grab one of the fallen guards' guns and shoot him
Sup AMPM

>>680570
Hi anon!

Writing!

You don't have time to think. Something in you pushes reason out of the way and instinct takes over. You shake the grogginess out of your brain and grab a single handgun laying on the ground and time slows to a crawl.

Kevin takes a step. In his hand is your ID badge. In two more steps he'll be at the door. You raise the pistol. Kevin takes another step. You grit your teeth. Kevin turns to look at you. Your body screams to protect yourself and Pandora. Your mind screams to not become a killer. Kevin's eyes go from grim to surprised. He raises his own gun. You panic. Kevin panics. You squeeze the trigger. So does Kevin. The first shot hits it's mark and digs into Kevin's chest. His own gun barks out a short burst of bullets. You feel immense pain. You collapse. You feel warm. That warmth melts into cold. Your body is going limp. You hear the sound of a small motor. A little round robot wheels it's way into your vision. Your vision begins to fade. You hear one last word before everything goes black.

"Rectified."

And that's that for this week's quest. Hope you guys enjoyed it, and if you did, please remember to vote for it on the archive and follow me on Twitter! Sorry about the long absence, hopefully that won't happen again. I've missed running this and have been excited to finally come back! If you have any questions about anything, I'll stick around for a little bit to answer them. If not, have a good night and thanks for playing!

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Oh and if any of you have Discord and would like to add me, my ID is AM-PM#6725. I'm not on that much, but if you'd like to harass me personally, feel free! With BitS sadly cancelled, if you'd like to know anything about what would have happened or anything about that, feel free to ask there.

>>680596
>>680603
>That pic
Always gets a laugh. Thanks for thread AMPM

I did not enjoy it. This isn't teaching androids feelings or awkwardly dating an Indian cyborg. Overall I feel sad and worried.

Thanks for running AM.

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>>680625
Strap in, anon. You're in for a hell of a ride.

>>680596
ha, not surprised.

>>680625
well this is what happens when anons aren't being genre savvy.

>>680626
It'd be easier to strap in if you managed to run more than once a month.

>>680603
where was that uhh forgot his name. Bandit boss guy. How skilled was he really, to be packing some expensive death drugs? Was he just backed by some powerful shadowy figures?

Was it ever possible for el Captain to actually git gud? General ship navigating, close combat, etc?

>>680663
Like I said, unforseen problems kept me from running. I'm back now, though, and plan to return to my original schedule of once a week.
>>680668
You'll have to ask me those in private (either via Discord or Twitter DM), anon. Some people might prefer to stay ignorant of it. Plus it would take a loooot of explaining.

Anon peeling into the thread from rushing the archives today.

Yo, what the fuck happened. I started with some cute slice of robot life and now everything has gone to shit.

10/10 quest. Sad I missed it today.

>>680683
I’ve caught up again. Stopped reading about 5 threads ago because of how frustratingly terrible the suggesters’ decision making was. I’m glad we got some consequences.

General Richard’s death seemed very out of place. He was suddenly killed, at a "dramatic" moment. I’m still not sure *what* has killed him, since all the security droids had already been dispatched. Also, whatever killed him immediately stopped shooting and vanished!? None of the others act as if they were in any danger at that moment, so how did he die and why were all the others kept alive? Not to mention that killing at that point him seems a weird choice from a storytelling perspective.

At least the little one now knows that we truly care about his brethren, which should help. That one idiot researched going insane seems weird to me, but people are known to snap in certain scenarios, so whatever.

>>693495
>how frustratingly terrible the suggesters’ decision making was
btw, that trends has continued over last few threads, though I think "extremely suboptimal and simplistic" fits better than "terrible". Too bad I’ve not been here for most threads, so I’m pretty much just complaining from the back seat.

>>693495
you're complaining about bad decisions, but are yourself terribly out of touch with what is happening.

Pot, Kettle.

>>694266
From what I see:

>They come and kill the rogue drone.
>Stand around in the middle of the room and talk.
>He is suddenly shot.
>Everyone is shocked and stands around for a few seconds (while the attacker waits?)
>They turn around and finally attack the drone.

If this is inaccurate, please tell me what happened. I have made reading comprehension mistakes before, though that was not what I was complaining about, so I don’t quite see the Pot, Kettle stuff applying, even if I did misunderstand the post.

Besides, I can complain about subpar decision making skills even if I don’t make great decisions myself. I’ve mostly been comparing it to the group decisions reached in other quests I’ve been reading.