Mission 1.3: Black Party Clean Up

Oddball sits alone about to have his meal. He heard rumours from others that the team that was sent out about a day ago is finally back. Something about needing to be decontaminated because The Face is full of fungus, or something. As a group of people enter the place, everyone seem to watch them as they recognise who they are...

Oddball will also explain back that he is also given a side job to help the boss, Samantha. And that very likely, she intended for you all to work together as well.

The current side job is to continue to investigate the cult. Or if the party doesn't think that's important, they can choose to fully recover first then find a local job to pass the time until something more urgent comes up.

The journey to the indoor park is a brisk one. The few people they passed seems busy with whatever they are doing or heading to. The usual technician or scientist can be seen, with one or two folks in office clothes passing by.

If Oddball wants to know the weather climate of the planet, it is the usual drab grey of clouds, but the sun seems to shine through better than usual, so the scenery of black and grey stones and dirt is visible out the windows with minimal shadows cast by the hills.

If its social climate, the people are quiet, with some looking even depressed. Collectively, everyone seems to have some level of fear and nervousness. A clear lack of friendly warmth is present in this place.

At the park, the glass roof shows the starry sky peeking through thick clouds. A variety of plants and trees are decorating the few patches of soil here, with benches running along the paths. Stalls selling "street" food and assorted equipment line the walls of this enclosed structure. The owners of the shops looking bored as no customers are presently queuing.

Here, 3 groups of people can be seen. A pair of players in casual clothes having a focused match of a classical board game on stone table and benches. A trio of workers maintaining the underground drainage system at a section of the park. And a group of four individuals sitting around a table talking with one another, with the topic of sleep and dreams.

The group of them seemed slightly surprised and offended that Oddball just comes in and interrupts their conversation. However, what the professors then says causes them to silently listen in with full attention.

The 30 year old man in a blue shirt and jeans listen with wide eyes and a slightly opened mouth.
The 40 year old man in a red shirt with glasses and shorts furrows his eyes with a downturned mouth.
The 30 year old lady in a casual green dress, has a similar expression as the red man, but she taps her finger lightly on the table.
The 50 year old man in a grey jacket listens with an opened eyed look that might be amusement or surprise.

The red man speaks first. "That's it? You stopped having those dreams? Sounds like baloney. Yours is the worst sounding one, but doesn't seem like you're as badly affected as us."

The grey man counters. "Now, now, Damien, you know you shouldn't judge other's dreams. Let's all trust that each one that we shared is real and that we coped with it in our own ways."

The green woman now comments. "I think it is true. I mean, compared to some rumours I hear, the shadows and skulls imagery are a huge coincidence lately. I think there may be some connections..."

The blue man lastly comments too. "I... um... think I need to go now. I think your nightmares are going to be shared with me tonight. I better take my pills..."

The grey man gently puts his hand out. "Woah, calm down there, Barry. We haven't fully sought out your issues yet, so sit with us a little longer, please."

Barry was about leave his seat, but then reluctantly settles back down.

Damien remarks back, but in a way more as to talk to himself than directly to Oddball. "Newcomer, eh? Could have been faking his symptoms of suffering like that very early..."

The gray man hand waves Damien's comment before answering Oddball. "Yes sir, we have a belief that our dreams, or rather nightmares, have some similarities and may have a connection. Of course, our collected data is very limited, but I feel a few of us has made our theories on this. Linda, why don't you share yours first."

Then Linda, the green dressed woman, next speaks. "Thanks Gabrien. I have been gathering stories from my close co-workers and from chatter made by the maintainence folks. Their dreams always end the same. They see some scene that should be normal for them, but they feel like their surroundings gets uncomfortably darker and then either white eyes or faces or skulls can be seen or felt watching them in the darkness or shadows. Sounds like too much of a coincidence to me, so I went to ask around a little more. Turns out Gabrien is also well aware of the strange coincidences. So we decide we could have casual small gatherings like this to both understand this mystery better and give therapy to others.

For me, I believe there is nothing supernatural about this. We got to stop spreading the rumours that there was something spiritual about this, otherwise irrationality and further distress may grow and further multiply this effect. Which leads to my firm belief that all this is hysteria. And this hysteria is caused by two factors. One is that the supernatural interpretation of the "face" site photograph have made people grow paranoid, and theories about an alien god being present by some of our less rational employees have made it worse.

Another factor I believe is not well confirmed yet, but I think it should be the air that we are now breathing. We don't get a lot of details on the mechanics of how the filtration system works for our dome interiors, but I heard experimental cheap chemicals are used. Could be that a side effect of this method is causing slight brain poisoning to some of our staff. Mostly the maintainence crew and sanitary workers. They seem to experience the effects the worst. The researchers and department managers have either no such nightmares or its very minimal. Now, I will not make a complaint this, because as I said, its just a theory so far."

Gabrien, the grey clothed man, nods. "Yes, that sounds right. Our poor co-workers are suffering from nightmares of a watching darkness. But what I disagree with is the rejection of a spiritual perspective. You see, working and living here is honestly no joy. The sky is always black, and the ground is always grey. This can affect the mind of a man, and their soul too. I am no priest, but I feel that I need to do my part to step in to help with a wiser touch. The maintainence, the sanitary, and all other roles that requires one to work under the pyramidal leadership of an uncaring super organisation, to be faced with the hardest and dirtiest of labours. I believe the Face's discovery is now causing an awakening of the devils inside. Devils, that could be eased out with careful enlightenment..."

"Ah, no offense, but I am not the religious type. But that might work for some affected. Speaking of which, Lenny, which of us do you think sounds more right to you?" Linda asks to the blue man, Lenny. He simply looks back and forth from Linda and Gabrien and whimpers a "I-I don't really know..."

Ms Linda looks somewhat relieved that another person has agreed that the current air filter is a health risk. She collects herself before speaking again. "I am glad that you are also willing to help me in solving the air issue. Maybe with our numbers we can now press for the authorities to investigate this."

As Nikolai implies that he wish to speak with the new spiritual movement to join them, Gabrien, the man in grey shirt, answers amused.
"Oh?... You're interested in the Visage Conversation Club?"
He glances at his surroundings for a moment before continuing.
"Conveniently for you, I am actually a member of it. I only joined quite recently, but I am already allowed to look for new members. Why it is very secretive and hard to find is because the management views it as too much of a distraction from work. Plus, the discussions that goes on in their meetings are very unconventional, but if true, would undermine everything that we know. But you folks look open-minded enough and curious about our nightmares, so I will invite you to our next meeting. It will happen in about an hour, right at that sitting area over there."

As Gabrien shares this, Linda can be seen rolling her eyes and shaking her head.

Gabrien chuckles at Nikolai's comment. "Oh ho ho! The branding... You're quite right about that. I heard the Club used to keep changing its name, but right now, our Club works best as you say, 'pretentious and mundane'. Anyways, see you soon!"

---

As the group approach the three workers, one of them take notice and asks aloud in a gruff voice. "What do you guys want? We are busy repairing this drain. Apparently someone dumped damaged batteries in here and now we have to replace the pipes all day."

The man that greeted was confused for a moment, until another worker in the drain poked his head out and spoke.

"The air filters for our base? Yeah, I heard a buddy of mine mentioned something about it before. He was responsible for installing a few of them. They had new experimental components, and the scientists were anxious to ensure that the machines were handled carefully. From what I heard, the science folks had conflicts with it being used, but the issue was settled in that it works and is safe. Beyond that, I haven't heard of complaints about the air being poisonous. If that is the case, then our doctors should be aware of that problem too. Sure, we can look into it, but upper management or the developers of the filter system may be unhappy if we start an unauthorised maintainence inspection."

To Nikolai: "Um... Ok. We have heard of nightmares being a frequent thing among our colleagues. But for the air, nothing seems to be bad enough to complain about. In fact, we are grateful for technology to be developed enough to allow for breathing Darst's air without coughing, or needing to use up oxygen tanks. Anyone who starts coughing is probably not doing so because of the particles in the air outside.

But I do have something else that is unusual. A buddy of mine occasionally complains of sleeplessness and having hallucinations while at work. But recently that issue changed when he went to a group called the Visage Conversation Club. He now not only says he is cured but he is now protected by someone called the Watcher. He kept smiling the whole day, a sharp contrast to a fortnight ago. Whatever is going on, that does sound unusual to you right? Though if there is something I want upper management to help with, is giving us more pay, or at least more psychological support. If things grow worse around here... then I guess a revolution may happen. And not by people who are stable, if you get what I am saying."

To Matsuki: "I don't have one with me, but I know if you really want to find any, it could be troublesome. Each dome and corridor have at least one installed. If we help you... it might cost you to make it worth our trouble. But if you want to try to look at one yourself, I know a section of the place that unlikely to have people passing by to catch you messing with the equipment. To the north, the base extension is still under construction, but some completed chambers, such as the utility room, are there with machines installed but not in use. I believe there, you can have a peek, but don't get caught by any of the workers or they will ask for your authorisation and kick you out.

Another option is to look at the science labs. The prototype locker room should have some filters and parts the creator of the filter still keeps. The question is, how will you get the keys to it? Good luck convincing him to let you study his prized project."

Matsuki goes to look for a hot cup of coffee. She chooses one with a strong name from the drinks stall costing 1 Credit, drinks it down, and hurries back to the park hub with new energy.

A small procession comes into the park. The leader of this group of 9 people wears a dirty hoodie and sunglasses as if trying to hide his face. His hands are very wrinkled as they swayed about as he walked with confidence. The 8 others are dressed in either work or casual clothes. Those in uniform seem to be technicians and construction workers. Gabrien, the man in grey, stands up and shakes the hand of the hooded man.

"Greetings, Mister Petrov! I have some poor colleagues in need of the enlightenment that you offer. It is the usual; nightmares of darkness or watching eyes. I hope they too can be a member of your club."

Petrov offers a filthy grin as his head slowly turns to face everyone that is new. When he speaks, his voice is coarse but has a presence of power too.
"I am glad. I am glad for more sheep to come into my fold. Our Watcher blesses us with more lost souls to salvage. Come, help me up to allow my voice to reach all who will listen..."

Gabrien and another member support Petrov as he climbs onto a table facing the wide pathway of the park...

As Petrov begins to speak, a few security guards approach the gathering. They kept their distance as a couple of the fitter-looking members act like bodyguards by sternly glaring at the officers and forming a circle around the makeshift stage. Seeing how the officers remain at the corners of the park shows that they are powerless to stop this event from happening.

"Greetings, my dear children. I am excited to share good news of our recent developments, but first things first, allow me to introduce myself to our new listeners. I know I just called you children, even if some of you may be about my age or even older too. But I consider myself as a father figure, considering that I am the creator of this blossoming club. Now, you may have heard all sorts of rumours about what this club is, but the truth is that it have never strayed from its original mission; to create a welcoming space to discuss the true nature of The Face. Unfortunately, our club activities are not welcomed, but now that we are well-grown, we too have grown unafraid of hiding our voice. We mean no harm to the status quo, but just to share the news that the secrets our overlords have been hiding from us may not remain as secrets much longer."
He says this last point while looking directly at the displeased guards.

The hooded prophet continues.
"I shall share of my humble beginnings again. I was once Petrov, a nobody janitor that hopes for a better pay by being stranded in this glass cage on a dark and dusty rock. One day, I received news that my wife passed away back on Darst, and I fell into a terrible grief. I had nightmares of my wife coming to visit me on this station, complaining to me that I have failed to be with her for the past decade. One night, when I have burnt my salary on the over-charged alcohol, I think I was about to take my life, but I was saved at the last minute by a vision. I saw the ghost of a man in a vacsuit, and he told me he have chosen me for an important mission. He told me that aliens exist, and that they are like that of benevolent angels. Their only desire for Mankind is to ascend us, to make us join them in their heavenly choirs amongst the stars. He appointed me to be the speaker for these aliens, a prophet for the angels, if you will. He then gave me proof that what he say is true because he himself have ascended, and now offers me a part of his mortal body that he no longer needs so that we may continue to be in contact.

Children. This is a miracle that I had been forced to keep a secret about for a month now, and it is now revealed for you listeners to know. With this knowledge, I too can explain why you have been having nightmares. They are the divine visions sent to you by the aliens. Ones that show hints of their glorious forms. Be not afraid of the darkness, or the eyes, or the skulls, for they are the faces the Watchers present to us mortals. They are a simplified form of the bigger truth of what they are..."

A wave of fear creeps out amongst the listeners, hallucinations start to form at the corners of their eyes. Nikolai and Matsuki sensed it too. Unfortunately for the electrician, he also saw the shapes of unnatural smiles.

As Nikolai asks this, he will notice that Matsuki is already moving. By now the hallucinations should die down as Petrov transitions his topic.

"The Watchers is what we call them, for they watch everything we do. Their eyes are upon all, and their touch is felt through our sleep visions. I see some of you are starting to see them too. Isn't it amazing? They are not physically here, but they communicate their will through our minds in this way for the uninitiated. If you want to stop seeing their basic forms, we can train you to understand their truth more privately..."

A few listeners seem to be having a breakdown, while others including the security personnel, just fidget in their place, clearly uncomfortable but trying to remain cool. As for Matsuki walking away, she seems to have witnessed something from her memory. Something that she wants to take a moment to reflect on by leaving the indoor park section.

Matsuki goes through her memories of her betrayal, and how very similar this "speaker for the aliens" is to her employer. The promise of a loyal family that is united through the cunning defiance of the oversized society that forgot about the common man. However, despite how much it had been preached that each individual is special and valued, upon any mistake in the field, the leader will cut all ties to save themselves and the cause. And for the case of Petrov, the follower's fate for failure might be even worse than being thrown to rot in jail...

With that grim understanding, what might be the next course of action now?

Looking for a map, Matsuki finds one for emergency evacuation. The North and West have zones labelled as "under development". Seems that the park, cafeteria and working and living spaces are in the middle of the base while the hangers for land and space vehicles are to the East.
It appears that the North will link with the nearby mining operations, while the West will have more residences and other facilities.

The group now heads towards the residential area that is under construction. With Nikolai taking the lead, it seems that everything will go well.

At the border, there isn't any guards, perhaps they are all busy handling the potential commotion at the park, or even that they doubt anyone would want to illegally intrude.

As the Spacers make their way worming around the stacks of materials and scaffolding, they can hear a set of boots making their way towards them...

Matsuki climbs the pile of white tilings and finds a space to easily hide behind. Meanwhile, Nikolai finds himself ready as the worker walks into view, half distracted by a clipboard he is reading in hand.

Nikolai's acting as a safety inspector is really convincing, as the worker, looking to be aged about 30, gets anxious trying to answer the unhappy inspector's questions and accusations. Apparently, the safety regulations for the facility construction here are indeed lax, as the worker only apologised and asked what he can do for Nikolai. The worker is trying to keep Nikolai from entering deeper by saying that there is no need to. Whether he doesn't want to trouble his boss, or he is a member of the cult hiding inside, is difficult to tell right now.

Matsuki will move forwards through the poorly placed barriers and stacks of containers. It seems no one is here, perhaps its also break time their, or that the construction efforts is purposely slow. In any case, the residential units can be easily found by their rows of doorless rooms stacked on top of each other accessible by stairs for each level. Large tubes seem to connect to one small storage room. Another such room has bundles of cable leading to it. Another thing to note is that one of the residential rooms have a spray paint on the wall that reads "DO NOT DISTURB".

---

Meanwhile, Nikolai will get a response from the scrawny worker.

"Ah? Oh, yes. I do hear about quite a number of my colleagues feeling awful. I personally don't get it, but it seems to affect people badly enough to change their personalities. Some more depressed than usual, or maybe more scared. Some have become more confident in a... strange way. I think it is because of some club activity they are joining. So far, they are not willing to call in sick, since they act as if it is nothing. But those that are concerned talk about some kind of repeating nightmare.

But between you and me, I recommend that you don't ask anyone else about this issue. Some will start looking at you like a ghost, or maybe they will ask you to join a secret meeting with their friends. I don't care for club activities that involve topics unrelated to me."

The worker thinks about Nikolai's question before answering."Yeah, I do hear some complaints about the pay gradually lowering or being stagnant. Our company all the way back home have decided that sending more workers to expanding colonies will make us less important somehow over time and chose to subtly lower our salaries. I know my older construction team members feel resentment to new comers, especially the scientists as each new invention meant less of us are needed.

Those who complained about this the most seem to join this club. They already have their own circle of friends, but they seem to be more... unfriendly than usual. I mean that they collectively choose to do less work and making us young ones handle more of the work. If you do do something about this, please don't mention me, or else... they will make me take a week off."
He gave quick winks before continuing.

"Anything else? As for the ventilation, we had to handle working with the outside air when installing the new sections. So we had to get used to the unfiltered air. I am still not fully used to it, so I mainly work in installing the electrical systems. Even if I do this, I am not told everything about the new machines. Especially the machine responsible for filtering the air. That is top secret, so I can't touch such things. Only the architectural higher ups get to understand how they all work.

As for safety, we are pretty lax. So I am kind of surprised to see an inspector like you here too. I guess our standards will have to return to being strictor, huh? And our shift time is decent. Because we are not in a rush to complete our project, our seniors get to push their work onto us without suspicions from the management. Oh well, such is life on the frontier..."

---

Meanwhile, Matsuki goes to the room with tubes connecting it. Peeking inside, it is lit up by a dim light bulb. Along the walls, the tubes go through a series of bulky and boxy devices. The one that stands out the most is smaller than the others, with ribbons of black and yellow stripes, and warning signs not to touch the equipment otherwise the worker can be fired.

Before she fully step in, Matsuki the corporate spy manages to spot a figure slumped against one of the bulky machines. The man is wearing the construction clothes, and a bottle is held in his hand. He seems to be asleep, his snores hidden under the motor noise.

Matsuki managed to successfully stealthed her way through. She makes sure she is completely silent, that every step and tampering with the filtering machine is quieter than the snores of the napping worker. Gentle yet quick, she easily removes the outer casing that reveals the rows of multicoloured large wafers. They have an odd chemical scent, but nothing too strong so as to irritate one to cough or awake.

A writing on the side of the filter frame is made in marker: "Property of Dr Wu Kehui. Please do not steal my design. I can send you to jail back home."

There are also various tubes carrying liquids that connects into or out of a few of the framed sections. Further labeling done in cursive marker writing can be seen on opaque scotch tapes.
While the device is new to her, she is able to tell that one of the wafers are missing due to an empty slot.

---

The worker, whose name is Conor McCarthy, as seen on his tilted name tag, agrees to follow with the friendly inspector for the coffee and interview.

Matsuki looks around the room for anything that looks like those filters. She manages to still avoid waking up the worker, but her examination did not reveal any of the wafer-things. However, Matsuki now notices that the sleeping worker's name is "Ingo Schultz" from his name tag, and he have a tattoo on his arm, which is mostly covered by his uniform sleeves. The lower half of the image is that of lines converging into a knot at the base...

Nikolai and Connor hit it off pretty well. Any trace of discomfort by the sudden inspector have faded. In fact, the air about Nikolai reminds him of a wolf. One that is not a frightening predator, but instead, is a fiercely loyal companion. And if there is any thing that Nikolai needs, Connor is willing to help within his abilities and risk.

While having the chat in the corner(or at the cafeteria), it seems that the club's leader's preaching have ended, and now the gathered members old and new start to make their way pass them. They seem to be heading to the direction of the north, where the base expansion sites are. That could be a coincidence, or maybe not...

Matsuki sighs slightly. She decides to leave the worker alone for now and to search the area for the filter wafer or at least any trace of it like packaging or installation instructions.

Matsuki finds nothing of the sort in the air filtering room. She takes a step outside and after a brief search, it doesn't reveal anything along the corridor or in the doorless rooms. The next option could be to open the door to search either the electrical room, or the utilities room with the graffitied message to "keep out". Or she can continue deeper into the construction site, and potentially exit into the unsheltered areas.

Matsuki tries to open the door to the utilities room, but it seems to be locked. It is a regular door, not the ones intended to have electronic locks and card sensors the doors for the residential rooms seem to have. Matsuki have some tools to pick through the door's lock, so the question is is she ready to see what is inside?

As the lights in the corridor are shut off, shouts of surprise and confusion can be heard. Nikolai can't immediately tell how effective he is, but the sounds of yelling can be a good indication.

"Mister Petrov!"

"Sir, are you here? He is still with us!"

"What is going on?"

"Must be a short circuit."

"Quick, either solve it or find us another path."

"I have a torchlight!"

"Hey, I think Nickson made it to the other side of the door."

Nikolai's tampered electrical panel is at a unseen angle from the position of where the cult group is. He will have a brief moment to decide on what to do before someone makes their way to him. Also, no-one was immediately around to witness what Nikolai did.

MatsukiThe door squeaks open. What Matsuki saw first is the red painted circle on the ground. Scribblings that look like words surround this circle. Words that strangely irritate the eyes to look at.
"... make connection to Watchers that live in Web of Balloons tied to the whispering shadows and the preparation of mankind's invitation to the Black Party..."

Other than the nonsense on the floor, the room seems to have shelves and lockers along the walls, with images of balloons randomly drawn about. There is the 1st and second lockers locked, while the 3rd is open and empty. The shelves are mainly bare, except for what looks like a red paint bucket and brush, and a notebook.

Nikolai

The electrician mercenary hides away into another corridor that has its lights shut off too. The beam of light from a cultist's torchlight soon crept its way over to the electrical panel, it's revealed state of being shredded causing further confusion and alarm.

"How did this happen?"

"Damn it! This must be a sabotage by one of our enemies!"

"You think it is one of Samantha's helpers?"

"That bitch is probably a few steps ahead of us. We need to skip our club initiation."

"We are not joining your group today?"

"No, you six to need wait first. We have an emergency to solve."

Nikolai will see a group of 4 men and two women walking away in the dark towards the cafeteria that is still lit up. They notice him. Then the aged leader Petrov and three of his bodyguards can be seen alone with the electrical panel. One of the bodyguards he now notice is actually Sabe Ruth, his creepy electrician colleague.

Matsuki wastes no time to grab the notebook without looking at it too much before putting it into her inventory. She then starts to work on the lock. The lock is more complicated than the earlier one, and it broke a few lock picks finally opening up to reveal...

A large dufflebag. It seems to contain something quite big judging from the way it bulges. That is when it starts moving slightly...

---

Nikolai commentary distracts the group for the moment.

"Yes, this place is getting on my nerves. Having blackouts now might be the last straw for me working here."
A lady in casual clothes says.

"Well, you did say that your hallucinations are triggered by darkness. Did you see anything wierd there?"
A guy asked.

"Hey, that's not funny to ask that. We all had our own issues, and I don't think you enjoy your nightmares."
The other lady scolded.

"Well, I actually do find my nightmares fun. Eh, funny. The creatures like to say wierd shit like-"

The first guy is then interrupted by another in red shirt, who you recognise as Barry.
"Hey, could you just quickly fix the electrical problems? My break time is running out and I want to see what this Petrov guy have to tell us in his club room."

Barry the grumpy man, Gabrien the existing club member, and Damien the nervous dude are here. There is also the annoying guy and the two other women who are new to Nikolai.

Matsuki checks that noone have sneaked behind her. As she opens up the bag, perhaps anticipating a zombie inside, her rifle is pointed just enough at it. Such awkward holding of her gun in one hand at a close range target would not be effective, but its better than nothing.

Fortunately, it is not a zombie. Unfortunately, it turns out to be Samantha herself! She is gagged and blindfolded, and her hair is a mess over her face. Sensing as the bag she is inside is open, she starts to give muffled yells and squirm harder.

Just as Matsuki relaxes, distant voices can be heard. Sounds like two or more men are approaching, talking aloud with each other.

---

Nikolai will see that the group relunctantly accepts that whatever meeting they were hoping to have is postponed. As they walk away, Gabrien continues to talk about how his experience with the club is like, albeit carefully avoiding too much details about what he says he can't share yet.

Meanwhile, peeking back to the cult leader and gang, Nikolai can tell that Sabe Ruth is trying to to use his similarly-designed gauntlets to poke at the sparking panel. He quickly draw his hand away as another spark shot out of a shard of the controls.

"Yeesh... Sorry boss, but I can't return the power in time with the state of this electrical panel." Sabe says in defeat.

"We don't have time. If this is an attack against us, we need to make sure all our assets are safe." Another cultist says.

"My children, we don't need to panic. There are other ways to reach our destination. I have been a janitor here for years, and I know a path that won't require electricity to pass through..." Petrov says in his weak but sage-like voice.

The group takes a moment to agree before Petrov starts leading the way, towards the direction of Nikolai, but the group doesn't seem to see him yet.

Nikolai can see that the group is about to take the maintainence route. With the group taking a leisurely walking pace, he manage to outrun them out of sight.

[note="The Maintenance Tunnels/Engineer's Maze"]
While everyone who works here is a working staff of the space program, the design of the base intentionally hides away sections for electrical and pipe maintenance from the main public routes where motor carts and forklifts can be driven on. Perhaps it is in preparation for when the base expands from a town to a city and the need to make the uglier parts of the complex unseen for important guests.
[/note]

As he sprints through the narrow maze, he enters into a break room he didn't get to use often. And it seems that some kind of business was interrupted whe he bursts in...

---

Matsuki frees Samatha's bindings, who had calmed down upon hearing who is rescuing her. The office lady quietly pulls herself fully free while Matsuki peeks to see out the door. By now, the conversation of the group can be heard coming near now. Up the stairs to the second level row of units, a buff worker leading the way can be seen talking with two other gentlemen. Fortunately, they don't notice that she is looking at them yet.

"I still don't understand why you guys are afraid of giving us more information. I thought we are a just a private forum for discussing our issues, Nickson sir."

"We are more special than that. But I assure you it is definitely important that we continue to talk back at our club room."

Matsuki's area map:
(Cultist workers: Red, Mat and Sam: Green. Neutral: Blue.)
2nd Level Walkway Corridor:
West Stairs <-> Central <-> East Stairs
Ground Level(Contains that sleeping worker.) (Either Stairs connect to this.)
The Unshelter Site (Leads outside. Is connected with East Stairs.)
The Northern Construction Maze (Leads back to where you enter the construction site from. Is connected with Ground Level.)

(Running let's you move through 2 Areas. Otherwise, your turn is move to another Area and perform an action such as attacking.)

Wolf and his new friends stepped through the temporary passage into the construction site. Half-built walls and towering scaffolding fill the place, creating convenient spots to hide in or take cover. A nearby worker on a smoke break leaning on a wall quickly put out his cigarette as the group passes by him. He soon relaxes as he find that they are not his boss.

From here, Nikolai have 3 options. Head left, forwards, or right. If he is confident, he can run ahead and cover more ground. Or he can check with the surprised worker or his new companions or with Matsuki about how to reach her.

Wolf and gang

Upon being told to leave, the worker that was questioned didn't waste his opportunity to quickly escape the intimidating group of 4 men. He disappears behind the doors into the maintenance corridors before he heard of the question regarding the B-52 area.

The group swiftly cuts a corner towards their left direction. As they do so, they heard the running coming from their right. Now at their present location, they can see the half-built space leading towards a large hallway of residential units. A pair of men in overalls was running and stopped infront of Wolf's group.

"Hey! Get the hell out of the way! The one with the name tag "Nickson" yells. "Who are you guys even?"
The one named "Ingo Schultz" is carrying a wrench in hand. The scent of alcohol is strong on him.

Behind Wolf's group, one of the members manage to spot the crane and the numbers "B-52" in the distance.

---

Matsuki

Matsuki managed to continue on, slowing a bit to take note of her surroundings. As she does so, she can hear the distant commotion again behind her. Somehow the two chasing her have been blocked by another group.

Matuski:

Matsuki and Samantha are now hidden really well. If she were to start shooting, it will seem as if it came from nowhere. (but for 1 round only.)

---

Wolf and gang:

Seeing as the 4 men won't back away, the 2 "workers" grew even more frustrated.

The one named Nickson speaks. "Oh? You think you scare me? Those bitches at the top have lost their grip on us. If they think the threat of firing us or even robbing us of our money will stop us, think again. We now serve a higher purpose..."

As he speaks, he walks over a nearby pile of pipes, and pulls one out. Turning around, he begins to beat his other palm rhythmically with it.
"One that you administration dogs will not live to see the fruits of. Get them!"

The two thugs now rush over to fight their obstacle, but the 4 men are prepared for it...

The

Hui Zhili macks Nickson in the face with his bong, causing teeth to fly out. Just as his furious face turns back, Wolf clawed at him, causing him to stumble back. Turns out, his wounds now is enough for him to fall to the ground defeated.

Meanwhile, the other attacker is getting assaulted by the blowtorch by Grant Traft. This guy manages to jump back, though his work clothes is slightly singed.

"Mmh! Arhh... Brhsterds..." Nickson says as he squirms on the floor.

"Black mold? What are you all... You mean you also saw the rotten birthday room in your dreams? Then why are you not wanting to join us to help the Watchers?"
This guy Ingo Schultz seems to be clearly confused. But he still isn't surrendering yet.

Enemy turn:

Ingo Schultz now raises his wrench, and proceeds to attack Grant Traft with it...Grant falls from the blow, similarly to the attacking Nickson. His welding torch continue to blow fire, turning the floor red with heat.

Meanwhile, a set of doors can be heard opening in the distance. It's coming from the door leading to the maintainence tunnels. Nobody from their current positions(including Matsuki) can see who exactly entered the site, but it definitely is a group.

The thug with the wrench stumbles back in pain from the claw attacks. Just as he steadies himself, a distant "bang!" can be heard, and a bullet tears into the leg of the man. He crumples onto the ground, groaning in pain from the injuries. The bullet narrowly misses the legs of Wolf, and it came so suddenly, such that noone knows where it came from. But such an attack is likely from a sniper rifle.

"This is... not the end... My brothers will stop you..." The thug with the pipe spits out.

Enemy turn:

As Matsuki runs up to join up with with Wolf carrying Grant, footsteps come up from the direction behind her.

"Hey! Isn't that our officewoman?"
A voice shouts out.

"Master Petrov, we need to stop them from escaping here!"
Another voice says.

The group turned around the corner, entering into the central corridor for all to see. It is Petrov, the aging cult leader, and his two body guards. One of them is Sabe Ruth the electrician.

"This is not good. The servants of our oppressors have begun their attack on our work. Don't let them escape." Petrov says, his voice pained but clear.

Now is your turn again!
(Arrows mean you can move through and see through. Cross line means you can move through but not see through. I only draw the connection lines for the construction maze, but the rest is can see and move through.)

One of the bodyguards of Petrov saw the rifle being aimed and instinctively jumps in front of his leader to take the shot...

His attempted sacrifice is a failure, and the bodyguard yelled out in shock as his dear master took a bullet in-between the eyes. As the elderly janitor collapse to the ground, the other cultist workers glare with heightened rage at the shooter and her friends.

"You have done fucked up, wolf buddy!"
Sabe Ruth says as he brandish his own clawed gauntlets. Instead of the blades attached to the knuckles, the blades are on the finger tips.

Wolf charges up like a ferocious predator. Sabe Ruth's expression is less enraged and more sadistically maniacal. With a pose like some tiger, he gauntlets clashes with Wolf's. Some of the claws scratches through Sabe's work clothes, but he didn't show a flinch.

Meanwhile, "bong guy" Hui Zhili grabs the torch to turn it off, puts it back into Grant Traft's pocket, and lifts him up to head towards the direction they came from. Matsuki, Samantha, and Nicky follows too.

(They are now in West Section. Wolf and the Cultists are now in the Central Section.)

Enemy turn:

Sabe Ruth returned the blows with swipes of his own. As he wrestles and dance with Wolf, he let out a laugh.

"Ah haha! I always... I wanted to fight you! Especially with these cool weapons! It's always unfair how you get to custom make your tools, but -ngh, when I do it I am called a copycat! But now, I can finally defeat you, put you down like the, -urgh, like the filthy dog you always are!"As the two electricians battle each other, the other cultist runs by, chasing after the group. Fortunately, he doesn't try to take a short cut, but with his sprint, and Hui Zhili being slowed by his carried load, the cultist manage to catch up close.While Wolf is fighting, he may notice movement in the corner of his eyes. Head-Shotted Petrov's limbs start to flinch and shake...

Your turns again!

The group carries on through the doors into the maintenance tunnels at last. Wolf distracts Sabe with his twitching leader, where he catches up behind the the group. As he stands at the exit, the other cultist slows to a stop as the new obstacle comes between him and the escapees.

Enemy turn:

"I had no reason to fight you. During my time of ignorance, I believed I would always lose to you in a competition of technical wits or physical brawl. But now, as a student of the mysteries of the Void, I now know the potential of greatness is within my grasp, and the proof of the aliens' support shall be your fall!"
The electrician cultist spits back in glee.

---

"Master?" Sabe Ruth asks aloud once his opponent have ran away. He ignores his rival's jests to approach and kneel down to his bleeding Prophet.
"Petrov, are you... are you ascending? Are you finally joining your consciousness with the Watchers of the Void?"

Noone except Sabe can see this now. Petrov is twitching harder, the blood pouring from his head is turning from red to black, and black stalks start to emerge from the opened mouth of the corpse.
"Ggyes... I see... them all..." A brutally damaged voice comes out.


Seeing Wolf in the way, the bald-headed unnamed cultist pulls out a switchblade from his trouser pocket. While clearly not as deadly as the clawed gauntlets, he still charges into the human barrier, attempting to stab at any opening he sees.Your turns!

Within the tunnel, you will see that the unfinished section is to your right. Then to your left, the tunnel leads past the entrance to the break room, the one where Grant, Zhili and Nicky were at. You remember that there is an emergency first aid kit within one of the cabinets, and a wall device to call for emergency services, whether it is for the local doctor or the security guards.
(The Break Room is 1 Area away from the group's current Area.)

The group moves on, entering into the break room. There, no one else is immediately present. But with all the space and options to resolve the situation, the current crisis is almost over.

Enemy turn:

The bald dude scowls at the suggestion by Wolf. However, there is some hesitation underneath the determination by the cultist, as the end result of the confrontation is growing clear the further the escapees went.

"Grr... Crap..." He goes for another swing with his knife.
It manages to miss, but the back swing with the knife's butt clocks Wolf in the head. Everything seems somewhat blurring and pained.


Meanwhile, the awakening corpse starts to find its strength. Petrov pushes himself off the ground, with the help of Sabe. Looking towards the exit to the maintenance tunnels and the fighting with Wolf, Sabe speaks.
"Master, we have failed to stop them. We are now running out of time before our next work shift starts. Plus, you have... you have become..." He losts his words to describe what he is now seeing.

Petrov, with his eyes and mouth leaking black fluids, speaks.
"I have ascended, as you said boy. My body is now the gateway to our voidly supporters. Our plans must skip to the end. Humanity will never accept our dream goals... Eh... Cough cough!" Black spit fly onto the face of Sabe, who flinched from it but decides not to complain.

Players' turn!:

Wolf jumps back from the fight and runs through the doors into the tunnels. The last thing he can atleast see from the cultists is that they are no longer mad, but anxious at the understanding that they are defeated today. What happens next, Wolf won't know.

---

Battle is over!

Wolf enters into the breakroom, seeing the rest of his gang safely either making calls to security or patching up injured allies. He may try to stand on guard in case the cultists may try to follow after him, but after a good while, nobody have come into the tunnel.

Just as Grant Traft regains consciousness and can stand on his own, though still in pain, two security officers burst into the break room. Pointing their tasers around, they see that no threat is present and calms down.

"Madam, what is the situation now?"
A male black officer asks Matsuki.

Samantha goes ahead to speak too, towards the female officer
"I am currently alright, thanks to these heroes. But the thugs that tried to kindap me are still out there. Hurry and look for them, they have a secret meeting place in one of the residential units in the construction site. Don't worry, I am protected by these brave workers here..."

The female officer nods and leaves into the maintenance tunnels towards the site while calling on her fellow officers on her radio. The black officer remains on standby.

Samantha then turns to her heroes.
"I want to properly thank you for rescuing me. I know I promised payment for helping with investigating the cult, but I now wish to add on an additional bonus for making sure I wasn't sacrificed or tortured in time. I underestimated the audacity of the cult to go after me, but I will be sure that won't happen again with having security accompanying me at all times from now on."

The payment for Matsuki and Wolf will be 200 credits each for the original work.
Then 200 credits to each member of the new party as reward for the rescue. There will be additional local support of free items or service for each member too, roughly worth 100 credits.

Samantha eyes widens with horror at Wolf's explanation of the urgency of the situation. She turns to the remaining guard, and barks out to him.

"Shit! You there! Call for an emergency lockdown! Call for more back up, whatever! We now have a biohzard leak on our hands in additional to this cult... terrorist group running about. Please tell your security friends of this danger of alien mold contamination in the residential development site. Meanwhile, I need to have a meeting with the old man. This time, he should be unable to deny the severity of our threat. But first... we need sanitisation."

Samantha called up a sanitisation crew. It took awhile for them to arrive, and it took more time for them to do tests and on the spot cleaning. After confirming that everyone is safe, they move on to sterilising the work place. A quick report by the security guards revealed that the thugs are yet to be found, but a trail of black spots leads out into the exterior of the colony base. From there, the dusty earth makes finding their path difficult. Also, onsite medics have carted the bodies of the injured brutes to their clinics.

In the meantime, everyone has the freedom to do whatever they like for the moment. Except that now the guards are more active, doing checks on everyone while selected staff help with doing additional safety health checks. This have cause some frustration with delays of doing work, but the seemingly absent presence of club recruitment and The Face-induced nightmares have made everyone slightly calmer.During your rest, you will be told about the recent research discoveries on the mold. This mold was collected off your vacsuits when your team returned from the exploration of The Face.