Paranoia: My Name is Troubleshooter

[The Phantom Eyebrow]

Everyone,

Unless you have any (ahem!) bright ideas, you're going to be grappling in the dark with temporarily insane clones.  Declare your actions, please, if you haven't done so already.

[spoiler]Seeing as there is little that Numb can contribute in a free-for-all with insane clones, he will attempt to back up as much as possible, to try and put others between him and the hoarde.  [/spoiler]

Numb calls out to his fellow Troubleshooters "These clones have been living in the dark for so long that their other senses are probably highly sensitive by way of compensation.  Does the PA system / Boombox thingy still work?  They'll likely be much more sensitive to uncomfortable non-visual stimulii than we are...  sounds, smells and the like!"

[BlueBard]

Ah, bit of clarification... These clones have only been in the dark since all of the power in the vicinity went out.  In other words, they've only been in the dark as long as you have.  They're just not psychologically sturdy enough to deal with the concept of absolute darkness.

Being a Troubleshooter, your psyche is strong enough to cope with such things.  Theoretically.

[Panther_Gunn]

Just for a bit of further clarification, we're still in the main corridor, correct?  How wide is the corridor, and how far behind us (and on which side of the corridor) is the vacated stairwell?

[Spam]

[spoiler]Since I should be in the back of the group (I think), I'll just let everyone else just take care of those guys. Hopefully, everyone can take care of them, and I won't have to do a thing... of course I am worried about the dark, and where they might be...[/spoiler]

[BlueBard]

Just for a bit of further clarification, we're still in the main corridor, correct?  How wide is the corridor, and how far behind us (and on which side of the corridor) is the vacated stairwell?

You are in a corridor at the lower level of the stairwell.  This corridor is meant for human and light-duty bot traffic only, so it is not as wide as a main corridor would be, but it is not particularly narrow, either.

Since the light is out, you're working from memory.  The corridor is about 5 meters wide.  You just exited the stairwell, so it is (more or less) immediately behind you.  If you're intending to retreat into the stairwell you'll have to locate the door handle, but that shouldn't be too hard.  Whether or not you can find the door handle and get through it before you are attacked may be another matter.  And you already know that there's nowhere to go once you're trapped in the stairwell...

Because of the darkness, any movement may be hampered by disorientation.  None of you know exactly where you are in relation to the stairwell, each other, or anything else.  Intelligence checks, perseverance, and sheer dumb luck may overcome this to some degree.

And, just in case it has escaped anyone up until now, no equipment that relies on electrical power is currently working.  ArrMatee's hottorch is lit by spark and that does seem to work, so you're mystified as to why nothing works.  You have no idea how far this effect extends.  As you might imagine in such a high-tech closed environment as Beta Complex, this is fairly disasterous.  The normal airflow through the corridor has decreased considerably, if indeed there is still any airflow at all.

[BlueBard]

Well, enough stalling...

You all hear scuffling in the darkness, shouts of surprise, and grunts of pain...

Blo-R:
[spoiler]You are attacked.  No idea by whom.  You grapple with your attacker and you both fall down.[/spoiler]

Spyd-R:
[spoiler]You are attacked.  You manage to sidestep, however.  Your attacker stumbles past you and falls.[/spoiler]

...I'll decide whether to keep this going through the holidays depending on responses.

[BlueBard]

To Recap:

DTH Sector has been plunged into Total Darkness by a power failure in the middle of a training mission.  This inexplicable (*ahem*) power failure has affected even the battery packs in personal equipment.  The sheer magnitude of this disaster is yet to be discovered.

When last we left our intrepid band of Troubleshooter recruits, they encountered a band of mentally deranged Citizens who were driven temporarily insane from exposure to Total Darkness.  These deranged Citizens have attacked the Troubleshooters in an attempt to gain control of ArrMatee-R's hottorch, the only light source available. 

"L-l-l-iiiight!  G-get Liiiiight!" they moan.

Even now, the team is grappling with their attackers in Total Darkness... and at least one of the Troubleshooters is of highly questionable sanity.

"AHHH!  They're going to kill us and eat our brains!" Spam-R cries out in panic.

GM: We'll give it a try... inactive players will be run as NPC's for the time being.  Let the game begin... again!

[The Phantom Eyebrow]

By The Computer's Motherboard, but this is surely a tight spot!

[spoiler]Numb continues to attempt to execute his previous plan, i.e. he will attempt to back up as much as possible, to try and put others between him and the hoarde.  If he can find a handle to a door or an equivalent means of exiting from this dingy corridor, then all so much the better[/spoiler]

[BlueBard]

ArrMatee:
[spoiler]You are knocked bodily to the ground by someone who charged into you.  Your hottorch is knocked out of your hand and clatters to the floor. [Failed Dex check, sorry...] [/spoiler]

Numb:
[spoiler]You quickly locate the door through which you exited the stairwell.  However, you know that is a dead end and you could be trapped if you retreat there.  You continue to back away.  Your heel strikes something small that clatters across the floor.[/spoiler]

[Viking]

(OOG:  Ah, the issues with playing a character who isn't physically inclined...)

GM:
[spoiler]Well, let's see if I can turn this into a problem that my bluffing skills can solve!  Your description said that I was knocked down by someone who charged into me, but did not say that my attacker was on top of me.  I take this to imply that I am on the floor, but can get back up.

My plan is to have ArrMatee scramble back up, hopefully against a wall, and to bring out his bullhorn.  (Which, if I am correct, doesn't require electrical power.)  Using the vocal magnification properties of the bullhorn, ArrMatee plans to snarl and then growl, "GRRRR... GONNA EAT YER BRAINS!!!"

With any luck, this will scare the deranged Citizens into running away.  Probably Spam as well, but ArrMatee considers that to be an acceptable loss.[/spoiler]

[BlueBard]

ArrMatee:

[spoiler]Whoever hit you isn't holding you down... you're actually not sure where they went.

Unfortunately, you have one of those electronic bullhorns so no, it doesn't work.  This makes your bluff far less impressive as you might imagine.

You are correct on one score, however...[/spoiler]

You all hear ArrMatee-R shout this: "Grrr... Gonna eat yer brains!!!"

At which point you hear Spam-R shout:  "See! I told youuuu...!" as he runs off into the deep darkness.

[Viking]

ArrMatee curses loudly, but then tries to use the moment to his advantage.

"Confound it!" he shouts.  "Spam-R had the backup light, and now he's running away!"

[spoiler]Yes, this is another Bluff check, and hopefully a more reasonable one.  Let's see if this gets those Citizens to pursue a moving target.[/spoiler]

[BlueBard]

"Geeetttt Liiiiight!" the deranged Citizens howl in outrage.

There is the sound of stampeding feet, bodies careening off walls, cries of pain, scrabbling around, and general chaos and confusion.

Spyd:
[spoiler]You narrowly avoid being trampled.[/spoiler]

The spine-tingling howls begin to recede into the distance.

"Good thinking, Recruit," Shoot-O says.  "Whichever one you are.  Once those clones are out of earshot, let's get a little light in here."

[The Phantom Eyebrow]

At this juncture, and with the deranged denizens retreat into the darkness, Numb feels he can safely search the floor for any sign of the small item his heel struck.  And (indeed) he does so.  Search, that is.

[Panther_Gunn]

OOG:  Finally!  Got away from everybody long enough so I can hear myself think to properly post.

IG:  [spoiler]Blo will attempt to push his attacker off of him, hoping to roll them in the direction of the fleeing Citizens, so that he can scuttle his way down the wall away from them, and get to at least a crouching position.  [/spoiler]

[BlueBard]

Clarification:  Blo-R, your attacker left with the other deranged Citizens.

[Panther_Gunn]

Clarification:  Blo-R, your attacker left with the other deranged Citizens.

I had guessed as much, but wanted to make sure, just in case.  Will continue with the rest of my action, to help get my bearings.

[Viking]

In the dark, ArrMatee makes a soft yelp that trails off into a whimper, and then silence.

"Apologies, team," he says after a brief moment.  "Must have run into something.  I'll keep talking quietly so that you know where I am as I search, okay?  And... arr.... maybe my fellow Trainee Troubleshooters could do the same, so I don't bump into them?  Arr?"

ArrMatee proceeds to carefully crouch to the floor in search of the fallen hottorch.

[BlueBard]

Numb-R:
[spoiler]You observe the human-shaped blob of reddish glow that identified itself as ArrMatee-R get down on his hands and knees and feel around for something. (See PM if you need clarification on this...)[/spoiler]

[Viking]

An idea comes to ArrMatee as he searches fruitlessly along the floor.

"Team?" he calls out quietly.  "I've an idea.  I've got a couple of meters of Plasticord here.  If two of us stretch it out along the length of this corridor and start dragging it along the floor, we should feel or hear something when it catches up to the hottorch."

ArrMatee pauses.

"Presumin' that our other Teammates don't stand in front of the Plasticord as it's bein' dragged, o' course."

ArrMatee starts digging through his belongings for the Plasticord.

"Someone speak up if you want to help me implement this idea, okay?"

[BlueBard]

"Are you saying you lost the torch?" Shoot-O growls.

[The Phantom Eyebrow]

Suddenly, a voice pipes up in the darkness...

"Hey, what does this button do?"

(Numb activates the object he has found)

[Panther_Gunn]

From somewhere not exactly nearby, Blo speaks up: "I would be happy to assist you, citizen ArrMatee, in locating our only light source that you seem to have lost.  I'm sure that is exactly what the Computer would want.  Keep talking, and I will attempt to make my way over to you."

GM: [spoiler]Blo will slowly stand up against the wall, and attempt to determine ArrMatee's location by the sound of his voice.  If he seems to be on the other side of the hallway, Blo will *slowly* cross over at a right angle, carefully sliding one foot out in front of the other, just above the surface of the floor, to make sure he doesn't trip over something.  If his foot strikes anything (other than the opposite wall), he will crouch down for a tactile examination of the obstruction.  Once he seems to be on the same side as ArrMatee, he will walk along the wall towards him in the same manner, with one hand always on the wall.[/spoiler]

[BlueBard]

The hottorch suddenly lights the corridor.  Numb-R is holding the hottorch.

The sudden light hurts everyone's eyes, but you quickly adjust.

[Panther_Gunn]

"Ah, well, I suppose that takes care of that.  Good job finding the torch, Citizen Numb.  I'm sure that you must have stumbled on it randomly in the dark, because only a Traitor would have taken it from Citizen ArrMatee on purpose."  :D

"Did anyone take an injury from our poor, deranged fellow Citizens?"

[gdaybloke]

Spyd-R squeals like a schoolgirl and shoves himself against the nearest wall he can find

[Viking]

"Problem solved!" says ArrMatee brightly.  "Shall I carry the hottorch, or do you have a preferred Citizen in mind, Citizen Shoot-O-LOT?"

[BlueBard]

"Problem solved!" says ArrMatee brightly.  "Shall I carry the hottorch, or do you have a preferred Citizen in mind, Citizen Shoot-O-LOT?"

"Who signed for it?" Shoot-O asks pointedly.

[Viking]

"I filled out the requisition forms and it was issued to me," answers ArrMatee truthfully.

[BlueBard]

"I filled out the requisition forms and it was issued to me," answers ArrMatee truthfully.

"So you're responsible for it, Recruit," Shoot-O glares.  "You're lucky Numb-R here found it for you.  You would have been fined for it if you had lost it."

Shoot-O changes the subject.

"Now. Let's get some water in that exoskeleton."