NOTW XLVIII -- The DOOM Project, Episode II: The Orphans of Oblivion [Game Thread]

[choxorn]

You wont lynch me today. It is in fact a terrible idea to do so at any time, since when I die the next Day Phase will be skipped. And you will have lost the previous day lynching a townie.

That's why there wasn't a Day Four.

 

[Takhisis]

Please do not post!

That's why you shouldn't post.

 

[Dreadnought]

Grrrr....

 

[JohannaK]

I hope there is a story this time.

 

[Takhisis]

:suicide:

 

[Dreadnought]

Paris, France
December 25, 2014
1900 Hours Local Time​

Choxorn, spaceman98, and JoanK sat in the stolen police vehicle, parked a block away from the DCRI headquarters in Paris. Outside, a soft snowfall surrounded their car, drifting downwards from the overcast sky above. The team quietly prepared themselves for the infiltration ahead, loading their silenced pistols and reviewing their cover identities one last time.

“I hope you’ve been practicing your French,” JoanK quipped to break the silence.

Choxorn cocked his pistol. “Je parle français? Préfère utiliser mon arme à parler.”

Further down the block, in an unmarked utility van, BSmith1068, Buddhafish, and Ninjacow64 donned their bulletproof vests and loaded their heavy automatic weaponry. Their job was to provide any of the necessary evac in case the mission got dicey – and, knowing the location the team was about to infiltrate, they knew it would take a mass of bullets to overcome any resistance if plans went awry.

As spaceman98 parked the police vehicle outside the DCRI, BSmith’s voice cracked through the radio silence. “Remember: down a level, out to the right. Make the first left you can, then bluff your way into the evidence room. The items there are arranged in a rough chronological order. Sweep from right to left, front to back.”

JoanK replied, “Roger. Confirmed. Maintaining radio silence, over and out.”

The trio took one last second to compose themselves before pushing open the front doors and entering the DCRI main lobby.

Surprisingly, it was empty, save for a single individual behind the receptionist’s desk. He was an old man – odd, considering the low retirement age in France – and he wore a crisp black and white suit with a formal ebony overcoat.

Choxorn approached the desk, his forged identification in hand, but before he could speak, the old man muttered, “That won’t be necessary.”

“Excusez-moi?“ asked Choxorn softly.

“There’s no need for such … formalities. Please, relax.”

“Qui êtes-vous ?” replied JoanK.

“You may call me askthepizzaguy. I don’t think we’ve met before, which explains quite a bit about your current predicament. To be frank, I know who you are, and I know you aren’t a member of this police force.”

Choxorn’s right hand slowly and discretely moved towards his hidden pistol.

“Don’t worry. I’m not a member of this police force either; I am, however, a policeman of sorts.”

Spaceman98 asked, “Who do you work for?”

“Myself. Now, you could say I’m on an investigation, one that is intricately connected to each one of you. I have a few questions for you.”

“And if we don’t answer them?” answered JoanK quickly.

“That’d be a shame.”

* * * * *

Outside, in the van, Buddhafish was monitoring the progress of the trio using computer mapping and GPS. “They’re stuck in the reception area. I have a feeling things are getting dicey.”

“Give them a few more minutes,” BSmith replied. “If they give the signal, we go in.”

* * * * *

“You see, I’m merely here to find the answer to a couple of questions of intangible value. I’ve been following you since Mauritania. See, you’re in possession of something that is rightly mine, and while the circumstances dictate that you may or may not be a willing partner in such insidious ventures, I must solve my little mystery with haste and diligence. So, do tell me: what is the nature of your current mission?”

“We’re looking for evidence collected from a house in Monaco,” Choxorn answered hesitantly.

askthepizzaguy chuckled. “Such a blasé answer, one that I cannot contest as false. All the same, while I appreciate your cooperation thus far, I do ask that you provide more specific information pertaining to your mission as a whole.”

“We’re restricted by confidentiality agreements— ” began Spaceman98.

“I’m only going to ask one more time,” askthepizzaguy interrupted. “I am here for information, not for idiosyncratic babble. I understand your profession, I understand your lifestyle, but I can assure you it is in your best interests to divulge all the information you have.”

“Is that a threat?” asked JoanK assertively.

“I suggest you cooperate to the best of your ability.”

“I suggest you go fück yourself.”

Choxorn, taken aback by JoanK’s quick and hostile retort, pressed the hidden panic button located on the back right side of his belt.

* * * * *

In the van, Buddhafish noticed the panic notice take effect. “Gentlemen, we’re going in,” he ordered, cocking his KAC PDW.

The team swung open the van’s rear door and hastily proceeded towards the DCRI main entrance, attempting to hide their high caliber weaponry from plain sight.

* * * * *

“What a shame.”

There was a pause before askthepizzaguy continued. Though it lasted only a few seconds, it felt like an eternity as the tension in the room reached a boiling point. After this brief delay, askthepizzaguy said, “Well, I guess it was truly optimistic of me to assume cooperation from the likes of you. Your lives of greed and murder have clearly clouded your judgment."

Link to video.​

"I’ll be going now. Do enjoy your stay here in the DCRI; and, as you explore this building further, I hope what’s inside will serve as a vivid impression of my frustration.”

askthepizzaguy rose from the receptionist’s chair, gesturing towards the main hallway of the DCRI building with his left hand. With his right, he secured his cane and proceeded towards the DCRI main entrance, pushing open the door as he exited. He looked back one last time, shaking his head softly in pity before continuing into the darkness outside.

The trio stood silently inside the lobby, shocked by their recent experience. After a few seconds, the evac team stormed through the main entrance, brandishing their weapons and aggressively securing all avenues of weapons fire.

With no one else in the room, the team slowly lowered their weapons. “We got your panic call,” BSmith muttered, confused by the situation.

“Did the old man say anything to you?” asked JoanK softly.

“What old man?”

Choxorn spoke quickly. “He just left through those same doors you came through, the same moment you entered. He wore a suit, and an overcoat, and –”

Choxorn stopped as he noticed the perplexed faces of the evac team. “There was no one there,” Ninjacow64 asserted as he slowly turned his head back towards the main entrance.

The squad stood there for several seconds, unsure how to proceed. “Do we go further in?” asked spaceman98, referring to askthepizzaguy’s closing remarks.

“We have to.”

Ninjacow took point as they proceeded into the main hallway. Inside, they found the DCRI humming with activity, with numerous individuals at their desks or in the hallway moving from office to office. Except…

The entire squad paused, perplexed. Except…except none of them were moving. Not a single person showed any signs of life, even though they were positioned in such a way as to convey their lively work. They sat at their desks, stood in doorways, and even were in the posture of moving between moves, but none of them made any motion. It was as if the entire building was frozen in time.

“What the hell is this?” asked Buddhafish, who kept his weapon locked on the nearest target.

Ninjacow approached the closest standing individual and tapped him with the barrel of his gun. The man fell over, like his balance was immediately lost; however, instead of hitting the floor, his body seemed to fold in on itself, like a paper mâché. Ninjacow felt the man’s skin, and it felt real, but there was nothing corporeal about his body.

“Keep a look out,” Choxorn ordered.

As they passed more individuals, each exhibited the same effect: their lifeless bodies instantly caved to the floor, folding in on itself, if touched by the operatives.

“Shît,” BSmith muttered. “We need to get out of here, man, as quickly as possible.”

The squad proceeded downstairs to the evidence room. They quickly picked up the access card off the body of the nearby guard – which promptly fell to the ground like all the others – and swiped into the large chamber.

The room itself was separated by vast rows of shelves, each corresponding to a different case or identification. For an unprepared individual, finding a single piece of evidence unaided in such a room would prove to be a daunting task.

However, luckily for the operatives, the evidence they sought was situated conveniently on a table right in front of the entrance to the room, arranged in a manner as if someone had already expected the operatives to arrive for that evidence.

That was not the only thing waiting for them, however.

Surrounding the evidence they sought was a massive pile of entrails, bones, and bile, arranged in a circle around the table. The stench from such matter hit the operatives like a sledgehammer, causing them to gag backpedal, coughing as they did so. Each of these mercenaries had seen death before, certainly, but this amount of gore could only have come from hundreds of individuals at once.

Ninjacow looked back, towards the lifeless guard outside the room, whose body had now folded in on itself as it lay against the wall. “You don’t think…”

BSmith shook his head. “I think we can reasonably guess where all this shît came from.”

* * * * *

A knock on Backward Logic's office door diverted his attention from his computer screen. "Come in."

An aide quickly shuffled through the doorway and handed him a manila envelope before retreating again.

Backward Logic opened the envelope and viewed the documents inside it. There were pictures and travel information of a single individual, who had just landed in New York City.

Verarde.

I thought Verarde was dead, Backwards Logic thought silently to himself. With the utmost of urgency, he picked up his phone and dialed a familiar number, circumventing typical corporate communication parameters.

"We have an issue," he said into the phone. "I think Verarde's been lost."

"What do you suggest we do?"

"We have to take him out, definitively."

 

[Dreadnought]

End of Night 4.​

During the Night, Buddhafish was Arrested!

Spoiler :

He was a member of the BLUFOR team. He was represented by the character Mergle.

During the Night, Visorslash was Eviscerated!

Spoiler :

He was a member of the OPFOR Law Enforcement. He was represented by the character Optical.

On Visorslash's corpse, you discover a Firing Mechanism. Perhaps someone has a use for it.

The following Mission Locations are available for movement orders:​

Blackwater Corporation
North Carolina, United States
Discretion Required: Very High (too high to estimate)
Wanted Level Increase: High
Reward: Superconductor
Notes: The Blackwater Corporation has acquired a Superconductor which they are utilizing for railgun research. There is no rush to infiltrate the corporation -- the Superconductor won't be going anywhere -- and perhaps it may be best to acquire more equipment before traveling here.

Russian Naval Headquarters
St. Petersburg, Russia
Discretion Required: High (~18+)
Wanted Level Increase: Moderate
Reward: Objectives Related Information, and each Operative will receive:4 Credits.
Notes: The Neutron Inducer has been transferred into the control of the Russian Navy. We have no idea where it currently is, and do not have the means of identifying where it could be. We have to get inside their networks and personally track down the data before we can move to secure the device itself.

Antarctic Research Base
Ellsworth Land, Antarctica
Discretion Required: Moderate (~10+)
Wanted Level Increase: Moderate
Reward: Objectives Related Information, and each Operative will receive: 3 Credits.
Notes: Our esteemed colleague was apparently wisped away at a moment's notice to provide insight for a new discovery made in Antarctica. The research base shouldn't pose much of an issue to infiltrate. The only issue regards the proprietor of the base itself: it is under the jurisdiction of the United States government.

Verarde's Return
New York City, United States
Discretion Required: High (~18+)
Wanted Level Increase: Moderate
Reward: Each Operative will receive: 10 Credits.
Notes: Intelligence has spotted Verarde in New York City. This is naturally a cause for concern, seeing as we lynched him several days ago. Command estimates an intense effort to capture or eliminate Verarde is being mobilized as we speak. Perhaps we can be of assistance in this regard.
This Mission is not Objectives Related.

The Safehouse
Mosul, Iraq
The "abstain" option, the equivalent of choosing not to go on any Mission.

There are two items for sale on the Black Market:​

Spoiler :

Integrated Network Overrides: +6 Discretion. This item will be sold in an auction style format. Let the bidding begin at 6 credits.

Fragmentation Grenade: +5 Strength. Only usable in one instance of combat; automatically used if attacked. This item will be sold in an auction style format. Let the bidding begin at 5 credits.

The Squad's Wanted Level is: Moderate.

Vote to Lynch a Player in Bold.
Provide a Movement Destination in Green.
Vote for someone to have the Firing Mechanism in Blue.​

​

 

[Dreadnought]

14/20 Operatives Reporting for Duty

BSmith1068 -- BLUFOR Codename Goose
Choxorn -- BLUFOR Codename Platinum
classical_hero -- BLUFOR Codename Fortress
dcmort93 -- BLUFOR Codename Patriot
johnhughthom -- BLUFOR Codename Python
Mat93 -- BLUFOR Codename Saber
NinjaCow64 -- BLUFOR Codename Fox
Nintz -- BLUFOR Codename King
Optical -- BLUFOR Codename Cipher
Ravus_Sol -- BLUFOR Codename Ultra
robbiecon -- BLUFOR Codename Fang
SouthernKing -- BLUFOR Codename Felix
Takhisis -- BLUFOR Codename Scipio
Zack -- BLUFOR Codename Spoon


Askthepizzaguy -- Neutral Codename Razor -- Lynched D2
Buddhafish -- BLUFOR Codename Romeo -- Arrested N4
JoanK -- BLUFOR Codename Wolf -- Eviscerated N3
Seon -- BLUFOR Codename Buffalo -- Arrested N3
Spaceman98 -- BLUFOR Codename Dragon -- Arrested N1
Visorslash -- OPFOR Law Enforcement -- Eviscerated N4

Day 5 has begun.​

Time until Day 5 ends: [TIMER="7/03/2013 10:59 PM EST ; Day 5 is over."][/TIMER]


Danger Zone: Zack -- please PM me to confirm you're still in this game. If not... then things could get bad.

I am actively seeking a replacement for Mat93. If none can be found, he shall be dealt with accordingly.

I will send out necessary stat PMs once I reach my home computer.

 

[Takhisis]

I, Takhisis want the firing mechanism, seeing as no one else claims to be able to construct things out of items.

What the hell's askthepizzaguy doing in DCRI?

 

[Buddhafish]

Well damn, that sucks.

Thanks to Dreadnought for the game! I was really looking forward to trying to finish this one out.

 

[choxorn]

Where the hell did everybody go? We're halfway through day five and hardly anybody has said a word.

 

[dcmort93]

I'll Move to Antarctica for now.

 

[Takhisis]

Objectives related info? OK, let's go to Antarctica.

 

[NinjaCow64]

Vote: No Lynch Move: New York Item: Takhisis Bid: Integrated Network Overrides

I know that we probably have enemies still within our group, but I believe it would be folly to lynch anyone considering that many of our group have yet to report in, we will need all the strength we can get. I assume that there are two groups enemies within our squad, the late Ghost's (Visorslash) friends and whoever killed him in such a brutal manner.

Comrade Scipio (Takhisis), you imply you have have a use for our late foe's device, am I correct in assuming you do?

Although it may not be strictly relevant to our primary objective, I believe that recapturing Verarde is of upmost importance. However, considering that half our group have failed to report in, this may be folly, if I do not have backup then I will just have to leave that operation in the capable hands of our comrades.

OOC: I will switch operations if nobody joins me soon, but damn it I want to know what's happening with Verarde.

 

[choxorn]

Vote: No Lynch
Move: New York
Item: Takhisis

 

[classical_hero]

Well it is a bit hard to organise while we haven't been updated. From now it should be that most people have a high discretion of at least 6 so that means we have our required number for Antarctica, so we don't need any more for that mission, or we could for safety have one more person.

So here is how we can split up the missions 3 go to Antarica, 5 go to New York and 6 go to Russia. Considering that we are missing two from duty who haven't showed up for awhile, we should then make sure we have two for New York and 5 for the other missions. if everyone shows up then we have a good chance of doing all three missions.

 

[NinjaCow64]

Well it is a bit hard to organise while we haven't been updated. From now it should be that most people have a high discretion of at least 6 so that means we have our required number for Antarctica, so we don't need any more for that mission, or we could for safety have one more person.

So here is how we can split up the missions 3 go to Antarica, 5 go to New York and 6 go to Russia. Considering that we are missing two from duty who haven't showed up for awhile, we should then make sure we have two for New York and 5 for the other missions. if everyone shows up then we have a good chance of doing all three missions.

I think kist doing New York and Antartica is the safer option. However, we should be fine with two people going to New York as long as no one else bids on the INO.

 

[Takhisis]

Yes, Comrade Fox, I do have a use. I don't have any 'targetting' ability for nights, but I can make items out of other items, provided they're adequate, in a way similar to what Dr. Hawkins does in the MDK games.

 

[SouthernKing]

Vote: Ravus_Sol
Move: Antarctica
Item: Takhisis
Bid: Frag Grenade

 

[BSmith1068]

Vote: SouthernKing. Surely you have some reasoning for your votes at this point in the game?
Move: Antarctica
Item: Takhisis