Mercenaries

Heontris wrote:

>Sit up.

You make an honest effort, you really do, but a stately solid glove plants itself on your chest and thrusts you back down onto the bed.

All that you can make out from the other end of the gloved arm is a pair of glowing pink eyes before their owner is hit over the head with some sort of blunt object and the room is plunged into some substate of chaos.

>Roll off bed and under it for safety.

Heontris wrote:

>Roll off bed and under it for safety.

Freeing yourself from the covers, you roll yourself neatly off of the bed. Sadly, however, it is too low to take cover underneath.

Rising to your feet, a wiry man stumbles into you and grabs your shoulder. "You! You must come with me, they're going to kill you," he explains before being shoved to one side by the gigantic man with the suit and fedora.

>Scramble after thin man.

Heontris wrote:

>Scramble after thin man.

Quickly sidestepping the [g]gigantic man[/b] who yells at you in his booming voice, you help the wiry man to his feet.

Taking stock of the state of chaos, it appears that the room has taken sides. Adjacent to you are the wiry man and an old woman with long, braided black hair who stands at surprising height and sweeps her cold gaze at your opponents.

Namely, these opponents consist of the gigantic man in the suit, the man with the pink eyes, the white-handed woman (who avoids your eyes), and the gas-masked man from the train ride.

>Ask what in the world is happening.

Jalines wrote:

>Ask what in the world is happening.

You feel that now is the perfect moment for a little friendly moderation. Stepping between the two groups of people, you outstretch your hands and inquire as to what the blazes is going on.

The pink eyed man is the only one to respond. He removes his hat and, calmly dusting it off, answers in a matter-of-fact tone. "We no longer require your services."

He replaces his hat, turns around, and walks out through the open doorway with measured footsteps.

As the giant man and gas-masked man take menacing steps towards you, the wiry man leans in to whisper something in your ear.

"Be very careful about who you trust," he says, and, displaying surprising strength, throws you from the window.

>Scream in terror and desperately try to cushion the fall with your arms.

Jalines wrote:

>Scream in terror and desperately try to cushion the fall with your arms.

You do so, and so convincing is your act that it is several moments before you realize that you have simply been thrown into a different room.

The window appears to have been false, and in this small domain there is nothing but bright lights (one of which you've smashed) and a side door, hidden from view until one has entered the room.

>Get up and go through the side door.

Jalines wrote:

>Get up and go through the side door.

You quickly do so, and sounds of combat follow you as you plunge down a dimly-lit gray corridor - familiar to you by now.

Before long you have found yourself spit out into the main dormitory nexus, and a rather annoying siren is yowling from wall-mounted foghorns.

Perhaps an escape would be in order. Footsteps and shouts are heard in all directions.

>Attempt to locate an exit.

> Dodge giant man who nearly squashes you with rolls of fat.

Jalines wrote:

>Attempt to locate an exit.

You can still recall the route to the train station and hastily make your way through the corridors.

Heontris wrote:

> Dodge giant man who nearly squashes you with rolls of fat.

If only you had seen him coming...

Out of nowhere, a wall of fist connects with your stomach, smashing whatever breath you had in you to bits. Crumpling to the ground, your only thoughts for several seconds are of simple, mindnumbing pain, and the large man stands over you cracking his knuckles. He appears to have lost his hat, and his suit is looking a little scuffed-up.

>Plead for mercy.

Jalines wrote:

>Plead for mercy.

Wait, you're still recovering yourself...

...

...Okay, now you think you can talk, if a bit pathetically and wheez-

The man grabs you by the scruff of your neck and hoists you into the air, looking straight at you with his beady brown eyes. "WON'T. KILL," he booms, "FIND. SOME. ELSE."

He sets you back down now, but does not let go, and proceeds through the facility dragging you along behind.

> Lay there, catching breath, waiting for perfect opportunity.

Heontris wrote:

> Lay there, catching breath, waiting for perfect opportunity.

This appears to pay off, as in order to push an elevator button, the man releases his grip on you. Perhaps he's prejudiced against using his left hand? Or, more likely, he is just rather stupid.

Either way, you are off down the corridor like a shot, and the man roaring and tumbling after.

>Head back toward the train station.

Jalines wrote:

>Head back toward the train station.

Luckily, you are able to make it to the familiar gray station without further incident.

It is oddly quiet, probably because there is no train here. Instead, a quiet aura of gloom surrounds you as you peer out into the brightness of the sun which stares down the length of the exit tunnel.

The way looks clear, as far as you can tell, but no telling what it's like at the other end.

>Cautiously proceed through the exit tunnel.

Jalines wrote:

>Cautiously proceed through the exit tunnel.

The egress, though unnerving through such a large and unlit tunnel, proceeds largely uneventfully.

However, just as you are about to step foot outside into the sunlight, a rhythmic beeping noise halts you. Glancing about, you locate several cameras, pivoting back and forth on the walls.

((So sorry for the massive delay - I've honestly been unsure of what to post here for a while, when I haven't been distracted by other things. This probably isn't the wisest choice, but...))

>Stay against one wall to avoid the cameras on it, then dash out as fast as possible to minimize the time for which the other cameras see you.

[[S'alright, I don't mind xP]]

You are able to escape without incident, though the multiple cameras almost certainly detected you. Perhaps you'd better keep running.

But then again, where are you going? You stop to examine your surroundings.

You, and the entire facility, appear to be on a dry plateau in the middle of a vast desert. The railroad tracks stretch out as far as the eye can see, in multiple directions, embraced by the dusty haze that obscures the horizon and makes the pale yellow stone seem one with the clear gray sky.

>Follow the set of tracks closest to you.