Justin stands nearby, observing the interaction. His subordinate appears to have things well in hand, so he remains quiet for now.

Keeping the multicorder focused on the new man Copper asks ... For posterity ...  Tell the folks at home, what is your name ? ... Copper hopes that this new guy will divert the combat bots off in a direction differing than where they are going. ... Someone get him a laser. Damned, this is gonna get me a Clonie for sure, maybe two ! ... One for content and one for cinematic effects. ... And if he dies in a truly gory and loud manner I might even get one for audio !

If anyone is trying to convince him of something, or to do something, please indicate you will be using your management skill, and which management skill you will be using.  For example, you might use chutzpah, interrogation, or con games.  Then please put in a private line what your current management skill is.  I will roll and see if you succeed or fail.

Normally, you could also use perversity points to try to help a roll, but we are not using those yet.

Here is a link to the rules on skills and the different types of skills: link to a message in "Paranoia: They Really Are All Out to Get You"

Gene discreetly removes the barrel from his laser pistol and hands the unarmed weapon to the yellow clearance officer.  "I am just here to make sure everyone is clean and hygenic.  You must feel awfully dirty with that nasty wound.  I can clean it for you if you want."

Gene uses moxie to try get him to understand.

(Moxie roll failed.)

The yellow clearance man says, "My name is Max something, something."  He takes the laser pistol and looks at it.  "What?  No barrel in this pistol?  What do you think you're doing?  You're just a lousy red clearance clone.  Give me the barrel already.  That's an order.  And no, I don't need any cleaning up.  That's exactly what EVE said before they canned two of my coworkers."  He nods toward the coffin-like stasis container to indicate the meaning of "canned."  Then he holds out his hand for the laser barrel.

Copper continues to film "Max" ... I am here on the scene of a Yellow Clearance Citizen having been emergency revived from stasis. Ahhh Mister Max Something Something; do you feel any odd side effects that you would care to share with the audience ? ... Other than the odd notion of a missing laser barrel ?

Mark squeaks.  "We have a belt pouch marked yellow access only.  Could you open it for us?  It may help us to help you."  He indicates to whoever took the belt pouch to show it to the yellow citizen.

The yellow clearance clone, paranoia still showing in his eyes, takes the yellow clearance pouch and opens it.  From inside, he withdraws:

Two yellow crystals like the others the characters found
A shot of something called "Insta-Revive."
There is also a small computer chip (flash drive) and
A folded note.

The clone points his gun (without a clip) at you suspiciously as he steps back and reads the note.

He is stepping a few steps back from you.  "Project Merger!  It must be stopped.  Are you here to continue the project or destroy it?  Who sent you?"

OOC: I am trying to give everyone opportunities to post.  It feels like we've slowed down.  I will continue with whatever speed I think we can, but please check in and post so I know you are all still here.

To continue? No,
Our orders are to talk,
No more. We need to
Allow our information to walk
To the Computer through
The jungle, lest we balk
And risk destruction.

Justin spoke to the Yellow officer, but kept his eyes on the jungle, weapon ready in case another ambush occurred...

Copper points the multicorder at the yellow clone ... And here we are at the famous moment, the unveiling second only to Al-C-PNE's opening of his famous storage cubicle ! ... Oh what excitement ! ... Now he'a reading something and pointing a clip-ess gun at all us us. Oh how exciting, especially if he ever gets a magazine for the thing.

Vilfred listens to the revived yellow clearance clone, her face serious. "We are on our way to the central tower to investigate why communications has stopped," she says. "What we have seen of Project Merger so far seems decidedly anti-Computer, which I cannot stand for. Will you aid us?"

The man laughs.  "Anti-Computer?  Hah!  If anything, it is too much for the love of the Computer.  Can the Computer be loved too much?  I...I don't know what to believe.  You are all red clearance, right?  I hereby give you field promotions to Yellow Clearance, effective immediately.  You'll need it if you're going in there."  He points to the tower.  "But remember the numbers 34, 21, and 1.6190476."  He seems to have dropped his suspicions about you but is still rambling rather incoherently.

A sound up the trail catches his attention, and his head snaps in that direction.  "Oh, no," he says.  "Are they going to can me again?  Don't let them.  Nothing but nightmares."

Gene says, "Are those cans or stasis devices sanitary?  I am the hygeine officer here.  Are they clean?  Why do you fear them? And what's so important about those numbers you just rattled off?"

Copper taps the multicorder ... Got all right here. ... Only you me, us and everyone out in the viewing audience will know them, so they are perfectly safe.

"Thank you for the field promotions," Vilfred says. "Will you join us? Let's go to the tower."

The yellow clearance clone glances to you and then back up the trail.  That's when you see, in the distance, the approach of what must be robots, led by your former guide robot.

You remember the guide robot's words:

The robot says, "EVE is a divergent AI from the Computer.  EVE seeks to reunite with the Computer but operates independently from it.  The bots are approaching from the south along the road.  The stasis chambers will preserve all wetware indefinitely.  Do not resist or you may be summarily executed.  Have a nice day."

Stasis chambers.  Wetware.  Preservation.  And you resisted, right?

You also remember what you had seen on the far side of the crash of the jeep, things that you couldn't get to because the robot wouldn't let you cross the crash site:
The debris you had seen just past the jeep appears to be a knocked over lunch canister with some unidentifiable wrappers, some rotting food, a can of "Happy Slappy Juice" on its side, and a vial of "Flaxil Exuberance" pills to keep one happy in the service of the Computer.  There is also a human shoe.  Just one.  The left one.

And you remember the last words of the robot as you departed company:

"Don't worry.  We'll be right behind you." 

You can only surmise that the robots approaching from up the trail are the robots your guide had spoken of.  They are not normal robots.  Not at all.  Three of them appear more like small tanks, weaponized, and each dragging three empty stasis tanks like the one you just rescued the yellow clone from.  Two others have the arms and bodies of humans, combined with the heads and arms of robots in some strange cyborg type of merger.  They each carry a rifle.

"They're here!" the yellow clone screams.  He drops everything, including the laser pistol and the note, and runs off into the woods to the east.  That pretty much answers Vilfred's question about joining you.

You stumble over your options.  Wait for the approaching, ominous robots that clearly want to encase you in stasis or execute you outright for treason, or go to the west or east into the woods (you had come somewhat from the southwest to get to the trail earlier), or continue back to the main tower and see if you can make your way in.  There's also the note and laser pistol.  Maybe there's another option, if your mind can think of one.

You have about one minute until the robots reach you.

...59...58...57...

Copper films the approach of the robots ... This just in from EVE ... Yellow clearance clone turns  ... well Yellow ! And Killer Robots approach. More news on the hour ... if we live !

Mark squeaks in fear and says, "I'll bet you a credit we don't make it out of here alive.  Wait, that's not a smart bet.  I say we high tail it to the tower and lock ourselves in.  I mean, lock those robots out!"  *squeak*

The sight of the robots caused Justin no small measure of concern.
Run.
We'll figure the tower out.
But we don't run now,
There'll be little to do but pout
Once we're dead...

Gene laughs nervously.  "You are very wise, team leader.  We’re outnumbered! Why, there must be— wait a second, I’ll check. One... Two... Three... Four... Five... Six!  GAAAAAIGH!  Six robots trying to execute us.  Run!"  Gene runs after Mark and Justin.

Vilfred picks up the note and yellow clearance laser pistol and -- using the other escapees as a distraction (Distract Others Long Enough to Start Running) -- books it toward the tower. She tries to stay out of sight of the robots. (Stealth and Sneaking)

You are still near the tower entrance, since you had not strayed far anyway.  The robots are pressing down upon you.

As a reminder, here is the description of the tower entrance area.  You recall that the two screens to open the door are colored purple (on the left) and red (on the right).  They have slots to put crystals into them.

There are a set of steel double doors leading into the tower, large enough to bring vehicles in and out like at a garage.  They are currently closed.

The tower itself is shrouded in shrubbery, shreds of leaves, and shards of metal and glass.  It looks like some sort of combat took place here, but there are no remains.  The shrubbery appears to have grown over the tower awhile back, but of course, that is impossible.  You can't tell how large the tower is per se, but it rises about 3 stories up and is as large as a warehouse.  You don't know, however, how far DOWN it goes.

A small trail made by the feet of workers and robots goes around the building on both sides of the main trail you just came down.

On either side of the two entry doors are colored screens like the ones you saw on the other building and on the coffin-like stasis container with the yellow clearance clones.  The screen on the left is purple, and the screen on the right is red.  As with the others, there are three slots at the top of each screen that match the crystals you have found.
 

Laser pistol and clone prod at the ready, Justin set up a one-man rear guard, ready to hold the robots off...

Mark squeaks in fear and says, "We'll need those crystals.  I'll bet you a credit I can get them before the robots get us."  He then runs back to the stasis box, gets the crystals that hold open the lid, and runs back to the party at the doors to the tower.

Cooper stands by the door with his multicorder ready ... Snap ... crackle ... poppopcracklepoppopcracklepop ... With little to do he cracks his fingers back at an impossible angle ... Ooohhhhh that's so much better.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:20, Tue 13 May 2014.