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<blockquote data-quote="Sniktch" data-source="post: 1444010" data-attributes="member: 7704"><p>“Edward Chang!” barked the voice and Eddy stood up and slowly approached Stephen on the mat. When he was five feet away he suddenly sprang and spun in the air, trying to deliver a brutal kick. Stephen sidestepped the move with laughable ease, caught Eddy around the waist, and slammed him into the mat. Eddy hit the mat hard and had the breath forced out of his lungs. He rolled over, gasping and trying to shake away the hit, his cheeks burning with humiliation. Stephen had stepped away and was already calling the next person from his list, so Eddy took his place amongst the students who had already been called and stared at the floor, not meeting Jimmy’s gaze.</p><p></p><p>Jimmy waited a bit longer. Finally, Stephen got to “Robert Lane” and Bobby stepped out, going down even quicker than Eddy, if possible. “Jim Lee,” called the voice and Jimmy stepped forward, breathing slowly and trying to empty his mind.</p><p></p><p>He hit ‘the zone’ and started to run, charging towards Stephen and raising his fist as if to swing, only to stop at the last minute, just outside what he hoped the bigger man’s range was. Stephen, unprepared for the feint, lashed out with his fist, striking only air and stumbling slightly as he over-extended. Jimmy saw the opening and his foot snapped up, catching Stephen full in the chest and forcing him back a step.</p><p></p><p>It didn’t phase him. Before Jimmy’s foot hit the ground Stephen had recovered, reached out and pulled Jimmy off-balance, driving his knee into Jimmy’s gut and sending him sprawling to the mat. The youth groaned and held his midsection as he heard, “My, my, Mr. Lee, I am impressed. Looks like one of you has potential after all. Don’t expect me to underestimate you again.”</p><p></p><p>None of the other students were able to match Jimmy’s success, and Eddy grudgingly paid the bet.</p><p></p><p>*****</p><p></p><p>Later that day the kids were separated into groups and given a regular schedule. Physical training was at a certain time, tests at another, the daily physical, etc – it was all scheduled group by group now. Jimmy’s group included himself, Eddy, Bobby, Kate, Roxy, and the quiet goth Deacon. They began to settle into a routine, the days blurring together. Jimmy and Kate still complained of severe headaches and sometimes couldn’t sleep because of them, and his roommate Alan’s condition continued to deteriorate. Jimmy and Roxy met frequently at night to crawl into the air vents and hang out in the little space, smoking and talking until weariness finally overtook them. They let Eddy in on the secret too, and sometimes he joined them.</p><p></p><p>There were other pleasant finds along the way. They discovered a game room near the cafeteria that had pinball machines and a pool table. They also found out that the facility contained a swimming pool on the floor above them, and that they could request pool passes when they had free time on their schedules. They never completely forgot that they were essentially captives – they had plenty of tests and their daily physical and shot to remind them – but overall it started to feel a little more like a camp and a lot less like a prison.</p><p></p><p>Until Saturday, that is, one week after they had arrived at the facility. That Saturday everything would change forever: </p><p></p><p>They had a lot of free time that day and they decided to go swimming at the pool after lunch. As they departed the cafeteria Jimmy realized he had forgotten his towel and started heading back towards his room, promising to catch up with everyone else in a couple of minutes.</p><p></p><p>He stopped as the door to his room swung open, the smile vanishing from his face. Alan was sitting on his bed looking worse than Jimmy had ever seen him. Sweat gathered on his brow and trickled down his face to drip on the sheets, his skin was very pallid, and Jimmy would even swear that it was softly glowing.</p><p></p><p>“Uh… hey, man – you alright?”</p><p></p><p>Alan looked up at him with clouded features, “Hurts… so… bad… can’t… take… much… more…” His voice trailed off weakly at the end.</p><p></p><p>Jimmy’s mind raced, “Can I help? Should I get a nurse?”</p><p></p><p>Alan didn’t respond but Jimmy thought he saw his head nod feebly. Jimmy backed slowly out of the room and turned, racing towards the nurses’ station, ignoring the looks of other students happening by in the hallway. Something was seriously wrong with his roommate. </p><p></p><p>He rounded the corner and nearly ran into the squat, bulldog looking nurse from the first day. “Please,” he gasped. “There’s something wrong with my roommate – he looks real sick, and I think he needs help. Like, right now, help!”</p><p></p><p>The nurse looked at him curiously for a moment, then her eyes widened slightly as she realized he was being sincere. She grabbed a first aid kit and started following Jimmy back through the halls. On the way they passed two of the guards, who took one look at the nurse’s expression and fell in beside her. As they approached the door to his room Jimmy realized he had left it cracked, and a strange magenta light was spilling through the opening and into the hallway. Several students had gathered nearby but none had been bold enough to look inside yet.</p><p></p><p>Jimmy slowed down, a feeling of dread welling up within him, and the nurse and soldiers overtook him before they reached the room. “Stay back,” she commanded and swung open the door, bathing the hallway in the strange sickly light</p><p></p><p>Alan looked up as she entered, his face a mask of anguish. Jimmy stopped in his tracks – the room looked much different than a few minutes ago when he’d seen it last. The furniture was gone, the walls blasted and dark, and Alan was sitting in the middle of the empty floor. Some debris littered the room, but otherwise, all of the furniture, posters, chairs – everything in the room was gone. The soldiers pulled out handguns and leveled them at the figure on the bed as the nurse withdrew a syringe and vial from her bag and began to prepare an injection. Thus armed, the trio approached the bed as Jimmy watched in confusion and growing alarm.</p><p></p><p>“No, stay… back,” Alan rasped. “I’m… warning… you, stay back! Oh, please, God, stay back! GET AW*” <strong>CRACK</strong> </p><p></p><p>Alan’s voice cut off as there was a tremendous noise and flash of light, blinding Jimmy where he stood in the doorway. He felt several solid objects strike him, along with a sudden sticky wetness. He blinked rapidly to regain his vision, then dropped to his knees and retched uncontrollably as his sight returned. The nurse and soldiers… what was left of them… were strewn about the room in chunks. Jimmy was bathed in blood and gore from head to foot.</p><p></p><p>He looked up and caught sight of Alan, one hand still holding his head, the other… the other hand held one of the soldier’s pistols, slowly bringing it even with his own head, his arm and hand shaking wildly.</p><p></p><p>Jimmy fought to control his rising gorge. “Alan, no, don’t do it!” he cried.</p><p></p><p>“’m… sorry… Jimmy… hurts… too… much… can’t… take… anymore.” The pistol finally steadied, Alan reaching out with his other hand to hold it. Everything seemed to slow to Jimmy; he dove forward at the weapon, trying to knock it away; there was a loud report and Alan began to fall backwards, a sightless third eye showing in his forehead, a blossoming flower of blood, bone, and brain erupting from the back of his head. A loud clatter and thud as the pistol slipped from nerveless fingers and fell to the ground, followed by the corpse.</p><p></p><p>Jimmy fell to his knees sobbing raggedly, his gorge rising again. There was a flurry of movement as two more guards entered the room, one of them lifting Jimmy and half-pushing, half-throwing him into the hallway. Jimmy collapsed and vomited on the hard metal, then pushed himself to his feet and started running, away from the horror and madness he’d just witnessed. Ignoring the looks and shouted questions of his fellow students, the gore-spattered youth raced through the halls, past the cafeteria, to his secret hiding place. He crawled inside, replacing the grate behind himself, crawled several feet and collapsed, curling into a fetal ball. He did not emerge for a long time.</p><p></p><p>Next: Consequences and changes…</p><p></p><p>*****</p><p></p><p>I hope I've captured some of the intensity of the session here. I was very proud of the way my players were role-playing their characters at this point, and I wish I had their reactions to Alan's demise on tape. One of the few times I've been able to bring about complete silence in our gaming room, as the players gaped at me across the table with a mixture of shock and horror. Truly one of the best sessions we've ever had...</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Sniktch, post: 1444010, member: 7704"] “Edward Chang!” barked the voice and Eddy stood up and slowly approached Stephen on the mat. When he was five feet away he suddenly sprang and spun in the air, trying to deliver a brutal kick. Stephen sidestepped the move with laughable ease, caught Eddy around the waist, and slammed him into the mat. Eddy hit the mat hard and had the breath forced out of his lungs. He rolled over, gasping and trying to shake away the hit, his cheeks burning with humiliation. Stephen had stepped away and was already calling the next person from his list, so Eddy took his place amongst the students who had already been called and stared at the floor, not meeting Jimmy’s gaze. Jimmy waited a bit longer. Finally, Stephen got to “Robert Lane” and Bobby stepped out, going down even quicker than Eddy, if possible. “Jim Lee,” called the voice and Jimmy stepped forward, breathing slowly and trying to empty his mind. He hit ‘the zone’ and started to run, charging towards Stephen and raising his fist as if to swing, only to stop at the last minute, just outside what he hoped the bigger man’s range was. Stephen, unprepared for the feint, lashed out with his fist, striking only air and stumbling slightly as he over-extended. Jimmy saw the opening and his foot snapped up, catching Stephen full in the chest and forcing him back a step. It didn’t phase him. Before Jimmy’s foot hit the ground Stephen had recovered, reached out and pulled Jimmy off-balance, driving his knee into Jimmy’s gut and sending him sprawling to the mat. The youth groaned and held his midsection as he heard, “My, my, Mr. Lee, I am impressed. Looks like one of you has potential after all. Don’t expect me to underestimate you again.” None of the other students were able to match Jimmy’s success, and Eddy grudgingly paid the bet. ***** Later that day the kids were separated into groups and given a regular schedule. Physical training was at a certain time, tests at another, the daily physical, etc – it was all scheduled group by group now. Jimmy’s group included himself, Eddy, Bobby, Kate, Roxy, and the quiet goth Deacon. They began to settle into a routine, the days blurring together. Jimmy and Kate still complained of severe headaches and sometimes couldn’t sleep because of them, and his roommate Alan’s condition continued to deteriorate. Jimmy and Roxy met frequently at night to crawl into the air vents and hang out in the little space, smoking and talking until weariness finally overtook them. They let Eddy in on the secret too, and sometimes he joined them. There were other pleasant finds along the way. They discovered a game room near the cafeteria that had pinball machines and a pool table. They also found out that the facility contained a swimming pool on the floor above them, and that they could request pool passes when they had free time on their schedules. They never completely forgot that they were essentially captives – they had plenty of tests and their daily physical and shot to remind them – but overall it started to feel a little more like a camp and a lot less like a prison. Until Saturday, that is, one week after they had arrived at the facility. That Saturday everything would change forever: They had a lot of free time that day and they decided to go swimming at the pool after lunch. As they departed the cafeteria Jimmy realized he had forgotten his towel and started heading back towards his room, promising to catch up with everyone else in a couple of minutes. He stopped as the door to his room swung open, the smile vanishing from his face. Alan was sitting on his bed looking worse than Jimmy had ever seen him. Sweat gathered on his brow and trickled down his face to drip on the sheets, his skin was very pallid, and Jimmy would even swear that it was softly glowing. “Uh… hey, man – you alright?” Alan looked up at him with clouded features, “Hurts… so… bad… can’t… take… much… more…” His voice trailed off weakly at the end. Jimmy’s mind raced, “Can I help? Should I get a nurse?” Alan didn’t respond but Jimmy thought he saw his head nod feebly. Jimmy backed slowly out of the room and turned, racing towards the nurses’ station, ignoring the looks of other students happening by in the hallway. Something was seriously wrong with his roommate. He rounded the corner and nearly ran into the squat, bulldog looking nurse from the first day. “Please,” he gasped. “There’s something wrong with my roommate – he looks real sick, and I think he needs help. Like, right now, help!” The nurse looked at him curiously for a moment, then her eyes widened slightly as she realized he was being sincere. She grabbed a first aid kit and started following Jimmy back through the halls. On the way they passed two of the guards, who took one look at the nurse’s expression and fell in beside her. As they approached the door to his room Jimmy realized he had left it cracked, and a strange magenta light was spilling through the opening and into the hallway. Several students had gathered nearby but none had been bold enough to look inside yet. Jimmy slowed down, a feeling of dread welling up within him, and the nurse and soldiers overtook him before they reached the room. “Stay back,” she commanded and swung open the door, bathing the hallway in the strange sickly light Alan looked up as she entered, his face a mask of anguish. Jimmy stopped in his tracks – the room looked much different than a few minutes ago when he’d seen it last. The furniture was gone, the walls blasted and dark, and Alan was sitting in the middle of the empty floor. Some debris littered the room, but otherwise, all of the furniture, posters, chairs – everything in the room was gone. The soldiers pulled out handguns and leveled them at the figure on the bed as the nurse withdrew a syringe and vial from her bag and began to prepare an injection. Thus armed, the trio approached the bed as Jimmy watched in confusion and growing alarm. “No, stay… back,” Alan rasped. “I’m… warning… you, stay back! Oh, please, God, stay back! GET AW*” [b]CRACK[/b] Alan’s voice cut off as there was a tremendous noise and flash of light, blinding Jimmy where he stood in the doorway. He felt several solid objects strike him, along with a sudden sticky wetness. He blinked rapidly to regain his vision, then dropped to his knees and retched uncontrollably as his sight returned. The nurse and soldiers… what was left of them… were strewn about the room in chunks. Jimmy was bathed in blood and gore from head to foot. He looked up and caught sight of Alan, one hand still holding his head, the other… the other hand held one of the soldier’s pistols, slowly bringing it even with his own head, his arm and hand shaking wildly. Jimmy fought to control his rising gorge. “Alan, no, don’t do it!” he cried. “’m… sorry… Jimmy… hurts… too… much… can’t… take… anymore.” The pistol finally steadied, Alan reaching out with his other hand to hold it. Everything seemed to slow to Jimmy; he dove forward at the weapon, trying to knock it away; there was a loud report and Alan began to fall backwards, a sightless third eye showing in his forehead, a blossoming flower of blood, bone, and brain erupting from the back of his head. A loud clatter and thud as the pistol slipped from nerveless fingers and fell to the ground, followed by the corpse. Jimmy fell to his knees sobbing raggedly, his gorge rising again. There was a flurry of movement as two more guards entered the room, one of them lifting Jimmy and half-pushing, half-throwing him into the hallway. Jimmy collapsed and vomited on the hard metal, then pushed himself to his feet and started running, away from the horror and madness he’d just witnessed. Ignoring the looks and shouted questions of his fellow students, the gore-spattered youth raced through the halls, past the cafeteria, to his secret hiding place. He crawled inside, replacing the grate behind himself, crawled several feet and collapsed, curling into a fetal ball. He did not emerge for a long time. Next: Consequences and changes… ***** I hope I've captured some of the intensity of the session here. I was very proud of the way my players were role-playing their characters at this point, and I wish I had their reactions to Alan's demise on tape. One of the few times I've been able to bring about complete silence in our gaming room, as the players gaped at me across the table with a mixture of shock and horror. Truly one of the best sessions we've ever had... [/QUOTE]
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