Subj: [ffml] [MW] The Lair
Date: 99-11-30 02:52:18 EST
From: magus@cyberverse.com (Daniel Polcari)
Reply-to: ffml@onelist.com
To: ffml@onelist.com
In the faint green light eminating from his fist, E'ris could see the enormous metallic
cylinder only well enough to guess what it may be. What mattered to him was that he had
found direct evidence that a civilization from the past existed.
Looking over his shoulder, he could see the bundle of gossamer wires filter together
into one 2" thick cable with four prongs on the end of it. Sitting obviously on the wall
adjecent to its dangling point was a round slot with four holes marked by a symbol of
a lighting bolt. Not expecting results but rather only messing around, he plugged the
cable into the wall and stepped back as blue sparks shot from the top two prongs for a
few seconds, no doubt evaporating moisture which had collected there some thousands of
years ago. Moments later, the sound of several banks of relays engaging met his ears
just before a clean-looking cylinder of metal shot up from a nearby control panel.
A few of the mercury-vapor light tubes which sat unbroken behind the clear shielding
(which E'ris somehow knew was meant to protect them from heat and explosion) flickered
on and began casting an eerie swamp-light on the room. It was about 40 feet in diameter,
with what remained of the scaffolding cursing upward in a crooked spiral around the
bulky metal cylinder in the center of the shaft. Along the shaft's entire vertical
length, E'ris could see a light here and there come to life. They reached beyond his
vision, even with the light they cast. Those pieces of the scaffold which had given up
their attempt to hold on lay in a crumpled heap alongside the "cylinder," each obviously
from a different level of the shaft.
E'ris casually examined the silver cylinder, discovering a red button along with two
dials and a slot which he assumed was for some sort of key device. Printed in an odd
language along the bottom was the mysterious legend:
"Übersteuerung des Kommandanten - Wenn Silo eingedrungen wird, betätigen Sie diese Taste."
E'ris could see the outline of a door in the rust-stained concrete wall opposite the
panel with the button. It did not appear to be overly delapidated, but his efforts
to open it met with failure. It appeared that a hydraulic cylinder was holding the
door shut, as even attacking it only caused it to slam open a little before thudding
shut again. He decided to push the button. Under normal condition, this switch (whose
inscription would read "Commander's Override - If the silo is penetrated, press this button!")
the button would have required two combinations and a card key to initiate any sequence
at all. As luck would have it, E'ris managed to push the button long after the security
circuits which accompanied it had gone tits up. There was a long, loud hissing sound
before alarm klaxons began ringing out from somewhere above him and hidden siren-lights
began to pulse red carpets of light up into the silo's depths.. More accurately, he
was In their depths, but at the edge of them. Before he could contemplate what had
happened, the ground was absolutely thudded with the shockwave of several immense
explosions in the walls. Not in the walls, accurately, but in the Earth around the
walls. He looked up in time to see several 100-pound chunks of concrete plummet to the
bottom of the silo, the largest slamming into the polished nose of the missile and
breaking its fuel tank. The missile hissed angrily as it spewed Hydrogen and it began
to fall over. The adjoining door suddenly opened as if it had been having a laugh
with him and thought enough was enough. He skittered through it as another deafening
explosion rocked the silo and sent more concrete -- and this time, dirt as well --
falling in on the terminals. As soon as he was through the door, he expected it
would close and he would be protected by six inches of steel. The door did not close,
and presently he was being showered with chips of concrete and flecks of ancient rust
from parts of the scaffold which had been loosed. He began to blindly run down the hall
which now lay before him and fell on his face as a third explosion -- one which easily
contained more power than the other two combined -- pushed most of the silo's walls
in on themselves. He was sure the hatch at the surface was the first thing to go, and
that by now it was only a mildly smoking crater, perhaps with a few pieces of rebar
sticking out of it, signaling the detritus which had once lain below.
The final blast had tossed a chunk of concrete the size of a rolltop desk 10 feet
down the hall at him, but nothing other than dust and chips struck him. He stood and
rubbed the powder off his face, sniffing the air and smelling the remnants of what
could only be Kesgerlan -- Carbon 4. The walls of the silo must have been lined with
it so that if it was discovered, its owners' secrets would not be found. E'ris whistled
briefly in the direction of the wreck. "Now that was bitchin'..."
(sorry I didn't progress much today, I'm tired :)
+----------------------+
| Daniel Steven Polcari|
| magus@cyberverse.com |
| Nemesis^ on IRC |
+----------------------+
--------------------
In the faint green light eminating from his fist, E'ris could
see the enormous metallic
cylinder only well enough to guess what it may be. What
mattered to him was that he had
found direct evidence that a civilization from the past
existed.
Looking over his shoulder, he could see the bundle of gossamer
wires filter together
into one 2" thick cable with four prongs on the end of it.
Sitting obviously on the wall
adjecent to its dangling point was a round slot with four
holes marked by a symbol of
a lighting bolt. Not expecting results but rather only messing
around, he plugged the
cable into the wall and stepped back as blue sparks shot from
the top two prongs for a
few seconds, no doubt evaporating moisture which had collected
there some thousands of
years ago. Moments later, the sound of several banks of relays
engaging met his ears
just before a clean-looking cylinder of metal shot up from a
nearby control panel.
A few of the mercury-vapor light tubes which sat unbroken
behind the clear shielding
(which E'ris somehow knew was meant to protect them from heat
and explosion) flickered
on and began casting an eerie swamp-light on the room. It was
about 40 feet in diameter,
with what remained of the scaffolding cursing upward in a
crooked spiral around the
bulky metal cylinder in the center of the shaft. Along the
shaft's entire vertical
length, E'ris could see a light here and there come to life.
They reached beyond his
vision, even with the light they cast. Those pieces of the
scaffold which had given up
their attempt to hold on lay in a crumpled heap alongside the
"cylinder," each obviously
from a different level of the shaft.
E'ris casually examined the silver cylinder, discovering a red
button along with two
dials and a slot which he assumed was for some sort of key
device. Printed in an odd
language along the bottom was the mysterious
legend:
"Übersteuerung des Kommandanten
- Wenn Silo eingedrungen wird, betätigen Sie diese
Taste."
E'ris could see the outline of a door in the rust-stained
concrete wall opposite the
panel with the button. It did not appear to be
overly delapidated, but his efforts
to open it met with failure. It appeared that a hydraulic
cylinder was holding the
door shut, as even attacking it only caused it to slam open a
little before thudding
shut again. He decided to push the button. Under normal
condition, this switch (whose
inscription would read "Commander's Override - If the silo is
penetrated, press this button!")
the button would have required two combinations and a card key
to initiate any sequence
at all. As luck would have it, E'ris managed to push the
button long after the security
circuits which accompanied it had gone tits up. There was a
long, loud hissing sound
before alarm klaxons began ringing out from somewhere above
him and hidden siren-lights
began to pulse red carpets of light up into the silo's
depths.. More accurately, he
was In their depths, but at the edge of them. Before he could
contemplate what had
happened, the ground was absolutely thudded with the shockwave
of several immense
explosions in the walls. Not in the walls, accurately, but in
the Earth around the
walls. He looked up in time to see several 100-pound chunks of
concrete plummet to the
bottom of the silo, the largest slamming into the polished
nose of the missile and
breaking its fuel tank. The missile hissed angrily as it
spewed Hydrogen and it began
to fall over. The adjoining door suddenly opened as if it had
been having a laugh
with him and thought enough was enough. He skittered through
it as another deafening
explosion rocked the silo and sent more concrete -- and this
time, dirt as well --
falling in on the terminals. As soon as he was through the
door, he expected it
would close and he would be protected by six inches of steel.
The door did not close,
and presently he was being showered with chips of concrete and
flecks of ancient rust
from parts of the scaffold which had been loosed. He began to
blindly run down the hall
which now lay before him and fell on his face as a third
explosion -- one which easily
contained more power than the other two combined -- pushed
most of the silo's walls
in on themselves. He was sure the hatch at the surface was the
first thing to go, and
that by now it was only a mildly smoking crater, perhaps with
a few pieces of rebar
sticking out of it, signaling the detritus which had once lain
below.
The final blast had tossed a chunk of concrete the size of a
rolltop desk 10 feet
down the hall at him, but nothing other than dust and chips
struck him. He stood and
rubbed the powder off his face, sniffing the air and smelling
the remnants of what
could only be Kesgerlan -- Carbon 4. The walls of the silo
must have been lined with
it so that if it was discovered, its owners' secrets would not
be found. E'ris whistled
briefly in the direction of the wreck. "Now that was
bitchin'..."
(sorry I didn't progress much today, I'm tired :)
+----------------------+
| Daniel Steven Polcari|
|
magus@cyberverse.com |
|
Nemesis^ on IRC
|
+----------------------+