SLA Industries: Hunting the Machine

[Dog Pants]

Want us to stop them dying?

He gestures to some of the regular Shivers, then the injured civilians.

Make sure none of them are employees.

[deject]

wait is he asking me to check if they're employees?

[Dog Pants]

Heh, no sorry, the other Shivers.

[deject]

If you could make sure this guy here isn't going to die any time soon I'd appreciate it. We need to extract some information from him so not being dead would help.

[Dog Pants]

Got it.

The medic goes to work, using a small computer to diagnose the injuries. He takes a small circular device with a sharp metal tube coming from it and rams it into the man's chest. He screams.

He's got a punctured lung from a broken rib penetrating it. That'll stop it collapsing. If he starts coughing up foamy blood check it's clear. He's got a few other injuries but they're not life threatening.

It seems none of the other people are SLA employees, so the Shivers ignore them.

Booper should be here at some point. They'll patch up what's left of the rest of them, if they live that long.

They start packing up and heading for the APC.

[deject]

deej responds in a cold, not quite but almost sarcastic tone:

Thanks for the help.

I really think we should just had this guy over because if he's this banged up, he'd be better off in the Company's hands IMO.

[Dog Pants]

There's a bit of a crowd starting to gather now. Most are just watching, but a few are making it known they're pissed off at either Ops trashing their town or nobody helping the dying people caught up in it, or both. An atmosphere is starting to build up.

[Joose]

I really think we should just had this guy over because if he's this banged up, he'd be better off in the Company's hands IMO.

Better off in what sense? If he lives, it'll only be so they can get information from him. Until he is terminally broken by the information removal techniques.

Heres your choice, chum. You can go with these nice Shivers, probably never to be seen again. Or, you can come with us, tell us what we need to know and take us where we want to go, and we might lose track of your current location whilst our attention is focussed on bigger matters. I would prefer the latter, less work for us.

[deject]

Better off in what sense? If he lives, it'll only be so they can get information from him. Until he is terminally broken by the information removal techniques.

I kinda thought that was the point, to get information from him.

[The Shutting Downs]

True, but once eraser has the information, the guy will be in no real condition to take us anywhere if needed.

Torture for fun and profit.

[Joose]

I kinda thought that was the point, to get information from him.

Yeah, but that will take time. He will need to be taken back somewhere, healed up enough so he doesn't keel over dead before they can ask him anything, then no doubt he would need to be scheduled in for the next available torture slot, they will take their time to make sure they get everything they can out of him, then there will probably be all sorts of forms and reports to fill in which would need us to fill in some sort of information requisition form, etc, etc. By which time, if they have any brains at all, his mates will have packed up shop and fucked off somewhere else.

Or we could get the information off him now, and potentially get the drop on them.

[deject]

OK, fine. But we should probably not stick around unless you want me to start triaging all these dying civvies.

[Joose]

Absolutely. If nothing else, I think the natives are getting restless.

[deject]

Want me to help load him into your limo?

[Dog Pants]

A belated reply from the TT guy;

I'd rather take my chances with you than your department of extraction.

[Joose]

Sound. You get in the jam jar, tell me where we are goin'. You can fill us in on details on the way. Mr Deject, keep close in case of funny business, yeah?

I'll make sure to check him over for weapons and get some handcuffs or similar off the Shivers and on him before I bundle him in.

Looks like we might have a location. As soon as this fella squeals I'll pass it on, you guys can meet us there.

When I do get him in, im going to make a point of fastening my seat belt, and not his.

[Dog Pants]

There's a maintenance bay at the geo-power shaft on the east side. We.. They've got a lab there, surgery and repairs.

[deject]

Before we leave, I'm going to search the dead guy, take his gun and whatnot.

Detect (4): 9, 9 + 4 = 22

[Dog Pants]

You can't find the gun and his pockets are suspiciously empty. You do find a notebook with techno-gibberish in it. You could make an Electronics, Industrial roll if you wanted to interpret it, if you had the skill.

[deject]

Hmmmmm, interesting. I'll pocket the notebook and then we can get out of here. I get the feeling these two weren't the only ones, though I guess it's possible some unrelated 3rd party just searched him while we were occupied.