Episode 76
Episode 76 - Baggage
The stress of braving a hazardous environment affects both the hardened professionals and the Agents alike.
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The Rescuers are played by the cast of 9mm Retirement Radio
- Seewolf: Lukas
- Pathfinder: Caius
- Warden: Max
- Echo: Mike
- Lifeline: Jan
Published by arrangement with the Delta Green Partnership. The intellectual property known as Delta Green is a trademark and copyright owned by the Delta Green Partnership, who has licensed its use here. Illustrations by Dennis Detwiller are reproduced by permission. The contents of this podcast are © GiggleDome Productions, LLC, excepting those elements that are components of Delta Green intellectual property.
Transcript
Hello?
Speaker B:What time is it?
Speaker C:Who is it?
Speaker D:I don't know.
Speaker C:Situation green.
Speaker C:Bodies get out.
Speaker E:Sorry, love, I have to take this.
Speaker F:So mid climb, Echo shouts, hold.
Speaker F:I'm not confident about the current markers.
Speaker F:The GPR is reading that there's an alternative route.
Speaker F:It seems safer.
Speaker F:I would like to try this route instead.
Speaker G:What's wrong with the markers?
Speaker F:Warden says, well, the GPR is indicating that there are weak points on the current markers that both you and Pathfinder have suggested.
Speaker D:Only she has access to those and she'll speak them to us.
Speaker D:Or.
Speaker D:How does that work?
Speaker D:Do we all see it or.
Speaker C:Yeah, so she's.
Speaker C:She's interpreting data on this complicated equipment and she's basically saying, okay, over to your left there.
Speaker C:That area is very, very sound.
Speaker C:Go ahead and drive it in through there.
Speaker C:She was saying that earlier.
Speaker D:Pathfinders through the comms to Echo says if you want to direct me through there, I can free climb and see if it's safe.
Speaker D:Otherwise I think we should just.
Speaker D:I don't.
Speaker D:I don't know.
Speaker D:I worry about taking more time.
Speaker G:We seem to be fine on the current path that we're on.
Speaker G:We should continue on how we are now.
Speaker D:But if there's a safer path.
Speaker D:Warden, you already fucked up the first part.
Speaker G:Oh, I fucked it up?
Speaker D:Okay.
Speaker F:Yeah, dude, I'd rather trust my equipment more than your judgment right now.
Speaker D:Pathfinder says, okay, guide me up it.
Speaker D:But if it takes longer than 20 minutes, we'll go at the already prescribed path agents.
Speaker C:You're hearing this argument as you again feel the weight.
Speaker C:Despite all of the meticulous and redundant rigging that's helping you lift up equipment along with your own bodies, you're feeling it.
Speaker C:And staying here halted strains your already sore and tired muscles.
Speaker C:Each one of you just wishes these folks would agree on something.
Speaker C:If you would like to, I will let you roll a persuade or a charisma minus 20% to try and calm the situation.
Speaker C:If you feel that's something that you would do.
Speaker H:Yeah, okay.
Speaker I:Yeah, I'll try it.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:I think.
Speaker C:If you're going to roll, you have to say something no matter what.
Speaker F:Just sit back, watch popcorn, and everybody.
Speaker E:At the same time speaks in one voice.
Speaker F:I said watch popcorn.
Speaker D:I did.
Speaker H:You did.
Speaker H:Yeah, you did.
Speaker F:Eat popcorn, stare at it.
Speaker F:Watch us tear each other apart.
Speaker I:Well, Dr.
Speaker I:Bolas, feeling empowered by his recent critically wonderful ideas, that's gonna lean into his natural charisma.
Speaker E:Oh, here it goes.
Speaker H:Which he has.
Speaker I:Which he has.
Speaker I:Yeah.
Speaker F:Roll that ship, boy.
Speaker I:My friends, my friends, please do not forget why we are here.
Speaker I:We are all experts in our field.
Speaker I:We've come here for a reason.
Speaker C:There's.
Speaker I:There's people that need help.
Speaker I:Please don't forget this.
Speaker I:We must hurry.
Speaker I:We must get to them.
Speaker I:Every minute counts, my friends.
Speaker I:Is that not what has brought us here?
Speaker C:Roll.
Speaker H:That was inspirational.
Speaker H:Or persuade, right?
Speaker B:Ooh, you don't even need us.
Speaker C:Dr.
Speaker C:Willis looks up and he yells this at you.
Speaker C:His McDreamy face silhouetted against the white snow and the jagged rocks of the moraine.
Speaker C:All three of you look down and listen to him.
Speaker C:I'll let you go ahead and respond to him.
Speaker C:You feel like you should listen.
Speaker C:You're still not so sure about him, but it's up to you how you want to play out what he Sundays.
Speaker D:Listen, there's two options.
Speaker D:We can go up the prescribed path.
Speaker D:It seems to be safe.
Speaker D:Or there's a secondary path.
Speaker D:It seems to be a little safer, but we haven't necessarily tested it.
Speaker I:Look, you are the experts here.
Speaker I:Just trust yourselves, okay?
Speaker I:You know what to do.
Speaker I:You can get us through.
Speaker C:Fine.
Speaker D:Echo, let's go up your new path.
Speaker G:I don't know about this.
Speaker F:You know what?
Speaker F:I.
Speaker F:I'm done.
Speaker F:I'm done arguing about this.
Speaker F:Seawolf, where are you?
Speaker J:Oh, I hate all of you that I have to decide this shit.
Speaker J:This is not what Seawolf says.
Speaker B:Clearly, it's not your first rodeo.
Speaker D:German.
Speaker C:Seawolf.
Speaker D:Just cursing in German.
Speaker J:So, yes, Seawolf over the comstan says, if the new route that you found is potentially safer.
Speaker J:Take that one we have.
Speaker J:I don't want to say baggage.
Speaker H:No, say it.
Speaker F:We have to say it.
Speaker C:Say it.
Speaker J:He wouldn't.
Speaker J:We have untrained personnel behind you.
Speaker J:Let's take the safest route.
Speaker H:Now, there was an awkward pause there where we knew.
Speaker C:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker H:Yeah.
Speaker C:Pathfinder, if you follow Zafe Wolf's instructions, roll an Athletics.
Speaker C:If not, continue the argument.
Speaker D:I mean, I think right now it depends on if Warden shuts the up, but Pathfinder will.
Speaker D:Will follow him.
Speaker C:If you start moving, roll an Athletics.
Speaker D:I start moving.
Speaker C:What do.
Speaker C:You can say what I'd say.
Speaker D:52 under 90.
Speaker G:Because Max depends.
Speaker G:Players dealing with nose feed right now.
Speaker G:So continue on.
Speaker E:Oh, this is a cursed recording.
Speaker C:You didn't have to hit yourself because of the 100.
Speaker C:You don't have to do that.
Speaker C:I don't think my players do that.
Speaker C:Dude, he does.
Speaker E:He does.
Speaker C:Let's.
Speaker C:Let's.
Speaker C:Let's keep.
Speaker C:Keep moving along here.
Speaker C:Pathfinder, you start scaling back down along the line, and as you do you test each anchor point?
Speaker C:You mutter a bit under your breath.
Speaker C:Because they're really secure, they're great.
Speaker C:But you go ahead and make your way down and work with Echo.
Speaker C:Echo does map out what looks like a decent alternative path.
Speaker C:But as you rebuild the rigging structure and the lifting apparatus to continue, which takes another 35 minutes of clinging to the side of this moraine, you know that it was fine.
Speaker C:Everything was fine before.
Speaker D:He doesn't say anything.
Speaker D:He waits.
Speaker C:Everyone is finally at the top of the meringue, including Seawolf, who came in at the very end all by himself, rappelling up deftly not having to bring anything up but his own kit.
Speaker D:As we have gotten up and Warden and Pathfinder are pulling back up our equipment, Pathfinder just very quietly says to Warden, I tested it and you were right.
Speaker D:It was fine.
Speaker D:I'm sorry.
Speaker G:It's okay.
Speaker D:This is making me crazy.
Speaker D:I.
Speaker D:I think I'm gonna get Lifeline to give me an anxiety med.
Speaker C:This is.
Speaker D:This is fucking bonkers.
Speaker C:Alright.
Speaker J:With Pathfinder and Warden already standing there, Xebuf will step to both of them.
Speaker J:Slight underhand wave at Lifeline and Echo to join them.
Speaker J:Alright team, I know this is stressing you the fuck out, but we are the professionals.
Speaker J:Let us not get down by those mistakes.
Speaker J:We are not yet in the Castle guard system.
Speaker J:We gotta keep our cool.
Speaker J:If anybody needs anything from Lifeline, then take it now.
Speaker A:At that point, Lifeline will actually cut in a bit and say.
Speaker A:I think we're all just a little bit rattled after what happened, what happened yesterday.
Speaker A:I think some anti anxiety is in.
Speaker F:Order for all of us.
Speaker A:We need to be focused.
Speaker A:We are the ones who are gonna get these people out alive.
Speaker A:Not them.
Speaker G:You're absolutely right.
Speaker D:Pathfinder nods.
Speaker D:I don't know why I'm more rattled about this than.
Speaker D:Than anything that we just went through.
Speaker D:But we got through that.
Speaker D:We'll get through this.
Speaker D:And this time it should be normal.
Speaker D:So.
Speaker A:Exactly.
Speaker A:Well, as normal as one of the most lethal places on Earth can be.
Speaker D:Well, should be stuff we're used to.
Speaker F:I'm just under so much pressure right now.
Speaker F:More than I have ever been.
Speaker F:I saw it in my dreams again last night.
Speaker J:We can talk about this later.
Speaker C:For now, Agents, I need a human intelligence from you.
Speaker C:Fuck all of you.
Speaker C:It's a perfect time right now.
Speaker C:Wow.
Speaker C:I'm gonna allow Dr.
Speaker C:Kramdis and Dr.
Speaker C:Jomp to roll human intelligence plus 20% because they passed the Pravis one.
Speaker E:I succeeded a 36 of 40.
Speaker B:Did I get a wreck.
Speaker I:I'm failing.
Speaker H:Success.
Speaker H:30 out of 35.
Speaker B:Chomp.
Speaker B:Success 38 out of 77.
Speaker I:I think I put all my success into the one role.
Speaker I:And then no more.
Speaker C:It was a good one.
Speaker I:Saved our asses.
Speaker C:Dr.
Speaker C:Hoople, Dr.
Speaker C:Jomp and Dr.
Speaker C:Kramdis.
Speaker C:You're watching another hushed huddle.
Speaker C:And this one unnerves you.
Speaker C:Again.
Speaker C:Dr.
Speaker C:Bolas.
Speaker C:You're too busy looking at yourself in a mirror right now, McDreamy.
Speaker C:But yeah, the other three.
Speaker C:It's either the natural strain of this environment or something more sinister affecting these rescuers psyche.
Speaker C:But something turned these seasoned professionals into bickering novices before your eyes.
Speaker C:And they continue to bicker even though they're a little bit set apart from you.
Speaker C:As they are reattaching litters to their waist and getting ready to move on to the next stretch of this trek.
Speaker C:But something is very wrong.
Speaker C:You three.
Speaker B:It was Lifeline that had all the medication right?
Speaker A:Correct.
Speaker B:Dr.
Speaker B:Jap is going to go ahead and unfortunately yell into the comms again.
Speaker B:Everyone get it together.
Speaker B:Pull yourselves together.
Speaker B:We are relying on you.
Speaker B:And you are relying on us to rely on you.
Speaker B:Lifeline, help these guys out.
Speaker B:You have.
Speaker B:You have what we need to calm down, right?
Speaker B:We can get through this.
Speaker B:We trust you.
Speaker B:We're gonna listen to you.
Speaker D:Pathfinder is so.
Speaker B:Let's do this.
Speaker D:So obviously immediately, like he was calming down, you could see he's immediately so angry he turns to you, his face is red, shakes his head and puts his hand out to Lifeline.
Speaker D:Men.
Speaker D:Now.
Speaker D:I'll kill.
Speaker D:I'll kill them if they.
Speaker C:If they.
Speaker D:I'll kill them if they don't kill us.
Speaker D:I'm so furious.
Speaker A:Lifeline will dart a little bit in.
Speaker A:As much as you probably want Pathfinder Lifeline to give you half Walgreens, she's just gonna put two in your hand and say two now, two later.
Speaker A:We need you feeling good and we need you being sharp.
Speaker A:But we don't need you loopy or getting a little too mellow.
Speaker A:Got it.
Speaker D:Siv Wolf, can you tell them to hop off our fucking chalk for a second?
Speaker B:Like we didn't just hear you say that.
Speaker D:We're not talking in comms.
Speaker D:Our comms have been off.
Speaker B:We're mad with the comms saying on or off.
Speaker B:Maybe we should say that out loud.
Speaker D:Yeah, I think if we're talking our.
Speaker C:Comms, we'll say over.
Speaker B:Thank you.
Speaker C:Oh boy.
Speaker D:I'll say this.
Speaker D:I will indicate if I'm speaking in comms.
Speaker D:I will say Pathfinder, Warden is Gonna.
Speaker G:Activate the comms and say Dr.
Speaker G:Jump.
Speaker G:You don't need to yell.
Speaker G:We can hear you if you talk normally just fine.
Speaker B:We're worried about getting up this safely right now, so let's just do this already.
Speaker G:Gordon's gonna click his comms off and turn to the rest of his team and say we need to get our shit together.
Speaker C:And with that, traveling from the top of the moraine to the cave entrance is much, much easier.
Speaker C:The terrain here is actually very flat on top of this steep cliff that you've just ascended.
Speaker C:It's taking you through a pine forest that springs up from this stunning azure escarpment of ice.
Speaker C:It's blissfully easy, blessedly easy compared to what you just dealt with.
Speaker C:Again, your muscles are sore and aching.
Speaker J:Seawulf then speaks up, says the moraine was the worst part when it comes to Kazakhd's approach.
Speaker J:This is now behind us.
Speaker J:We are now traversing the meadows up until we approach the entrance.
Speaker J:It shouldn't be that hard again.
Speaker C:And after several more hours of this hiking, you all arrive at the massive opening in the side of a looming mountain shadowed by a low overhang.
Speaker C:It's a large, strange looking portal partially hidden by a screen of rocks and ice.
Speaker C:But it's unmistakable as you all close in.
Speaker H:Now for our listeners, this is not a very welcoming cave entrance with these bars.
Speaker H:Is that pack there or is that just kind of the picture?
Speaker C:That's just a fun little flavor picture for you, but that is actually the entrance to Castleguard Cave and I'll describe it soon.
Speaker F:Is that like a few meters past where the snow has to be dug out and stuff?
Speaker C:Right, Exactly.
Speaker C:But it's a little bit different right now and I'm going to get to explaining it.
Speaker C:So Safewulf chooses a snowpack spot on a rocky outcropping just a few meters from the entrance.
Speaker C:And that's where Echo begins to direct you to assist her with unpacking some of the heavier generator gear that you've just lugged up a vertical ascent and trekked across miles of glacier.
Speaker C:Heavier provisions and equipment are planted firmly and tarped with everyone's help and larger tents are quickly erected.
Speaker C:Comm setup is the next step and Echo begins the long process of establishing satellite connection to the outside world.
Speaker C:And this is most eminently to receive weather updates.
Speaker C:Everyone breathes a collective sigh of relief when she announces that their no hints of a storm for the next 72 hours.
Speaker J:Then Staywolf, as the rescue team prepares, just basically goes over safety protocols again.
Speaker J:Really emphasizes to the agents.
Speaker J:If you get any orders from anyone, doesn't matter if it's a lifeline.
Speaker J:Doesn't matter if it's Warden Pathfinder Echo.
Speaker J:Treat them as if I made that order.
Speaker J:They are to be followed.
Speaker J:Khazgar Cave is very deadly.
Speaker J:Keep that in mind.
Speaker I:Dr.
Speaker I:Polis smiles and just says.
Speaker C:The air is otherwise silent besides the sounds of grunts and machinery being put together.
Speaker C:But the scent of damp earth emanates from the cave's entrance.
Speaker C:As you glance deeper within, you can see a thick barred steel gate that completely cuts off entry into the cave's hazardous environment.
Speaker C:You also see several Parks Canada signs warning of the lethal dangers within and listing a dire chronology of fatal spelunking events.
Speaker C:Here.
Speaker C:These are posted as well on the locked gate itself.
Speaker C:As you can see now, there are no sounds of rushing water.
Speaker C:But there are long frozen flows of dirty silt stained ice stretching out from the cave entrance like rigid gray fingers.
Speaker C:This is your reminder of the watery fates of the Percy expedition.
Speaker A:Right?
Speaker A:And as the teams, the two teams are getting their gear unpacked and going through the gear check again.
Speaker A:Lifeline will be going between each and every one of them and insisting on doing a full panel.
Speaker A:Heart rate, respiration, making sure everyone is as good as they can be before we begin the descent.
Speaker A:Because once we go through that gate, there is no other way back until we get to Percy and what remains of the expedition.
Speaker C:I need each agent to now roll a constitution.
Speaker C:Minus 20.
Speaker C:Y' all are tired.
Speaker B:Oh boy.
Speaker B:I love when we do things, but we don't like do things and we just get told what to do.
Speaker B:That makes sense.
Speaker H:Is that it's at the seal rail.
Speaker C:Holy.
Speaker H:A railway Hell yeah, sure.
Speaker E:I thought you meant like cocaine.
Speaker D:Amazing.
Speaker A:Damn.
Speaker B:Damn.
Speaker A:Jump.
Speaker B:Wow.
Speaker B:Jump, jump around, giggle, giggle, jump around.
Speaker B:1 out of 50.
Speaker B:Critical success failure.
Speaker H:Sick little bitch.
Speaker H:I'm a sick old man.
Speaker D:Oh God.
Speaker E:I succeeded.
Speaker E:12 of 40, doc.
Speaker I:Dr.
Speaker I:Bowles is not adapted to the cold.
Speaker I:He's a 68.
Speaker A:Failed.
Speaker A:Yeah, so?
Speaker A:Especially with Dr.
Speaker A:Bolas and Dr.
Speaker A:Kramnis.
Speaker A:Lifeline is very fussy and basically at the end of it, she tells you both.
Speaker A:All right.
Speaker A:Right now you're getting a double dose Diamox.
Speaker A:Before we go any further, I'm not going to have you two passing out on us as we get down that cave.
Speaker A:And for that matter, I'd probably go ahead and get some ibuprofen, some hydration salts.
Speaker H:What do you say, Doc?
Speaker A:I'll dole them out, doctor.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Dr.
Speaker A:Hoople, being in relatively bare condition, Lifeline will only insist that he take yet another Diamox.
Speaker A:Just again, get that.
Speaker A:That blood oxygenated?
Speaker A:Yeah, we're going full Lance Armstrong here.
Speaker C:You're noticing Dr.
Speaker C:Jump is exhibiting the heart rate of someone who is at rest?
Speaker C:Yeah, she actually has a heart rate that's similar to Pathfinder's.
Speaker A:And even like, definitely less concerned about Jaunt.
Speaker A:Even so, she'll insist that she also take another Diamox.
Speaker A:But then, you know, turns to go, kind of puts a hand on her sword and says, well, never sent a man to do a woman's work.
Speaker H:When we are doing our equipment check, I would like to settle next to Echo and just kind of have a small conversation.
Speaker F:How is the satellite connection out here?
Speaker C:It's spotty, but that's to be expected.
Speaker C:That's why it takes such sophisticated equipment and acumen to set something like this up.
Speaker C:It will probably require calibration, which means you'll probably be returning here either by yourself or with somebody.
Speaker C:Say, Wolf assigns to you periodically, unfortunately, especially if the weather changes.
Speaker C:But right now it's clear skies.
Speaker F:Well, that's good.
Speaker F:Echo is going to remind everyone on comms now, we're here for the rescue mission and I know you're attached to do your speleological studies.
Speaker F:Let me just assure you, if there is an emergency, they are going to have to send out another group.
Speaker F:So let's try and maintain our footing, watch where we're going, be professional.
Speaker H:So, Dr.
Speaker H:Kramdis, after this, this message that goes through in person just kind of leans in.
Speaker H:Oh, that.
Speaker H:That was.
Speaker H:That was very inspirational.
Speaker H:Thank you.
Speaker H:I definitely needed that.
Speaker H:Hey, by the way, you said you were having some bad dreams.
Speaker H:You know, I was.
Speaker H:I've been having some bad dreams, too.
Speaker H:I'm curious, you know, I'm not a big believer in dreams and all that, but it's kind of fun, you know, like, what was your dream?
Speaker H:If I need to roll a persuade.
Speaker C:Because I was going to say, I typically don't allow persuades between players, but Echo, if you want that as a narrative prompt, I can allow it.
Speaker C:In this case, it's up to you.
Speaker F:Echo immediately thinks, I did not mute my comms when I said that, didn't I?
Speaker F:But she looks at you and is like, that's kind of personal.
Speaker F:Why are you so interested in this?
Speaker H:I want to make sure that we're all on the same page.
Speaker H:And, you know, like you said, we all have to be professional here.
Speaker H:But also, that means being honest.
Speaker H:I told Lifeline there that you Know I wasn't feeling too hot.
Speaker H:I'd feel more comfortable.
Speaker H:I'm nervous, I'll tell you that.
Speaker H:If I knew what you're kind of running around your head, it might kind of come come my nerves.
Speaker H:Dreams.
Speaker H:Dreams say a lot about a person.
Speaker H:Or not.
Speaker H:Or the opposite, you know?
Speaker F:Okay.
Speaker F:It was about the previous expedition we had.
Speaker G:Warden is gonna walk up to Echo, put a hand on her shoulder and just look her in the eye.
Speaker G:Just shake his head and then move on and continue checking, rechecking and triple checking all of his different pieces of equipment.
Speaker F:Echo is going to mutter under her breath, jackass, what is that?
Speaker H:Your dad?
Speaker H:You gotta do everything that he tells you to do.
Speaker H:You're not your own person.
Speaker F:She is extremely pissed now.
Speaker F:At both of you.
Speaker H:That's fine.
Speaker E:Classic Marconi.
Speaker F:Echo, with a furrowed brow and the full rage of a small petite Chinese woman, will say, just watch your own back.
Speaker F:Get up and go do her test somewhere else.
Speaker H:Just trying to make conversation.
Speaker H:Just trying to ruin you doing your job.
Speaker D:Pathfinder will go up to Hoople.
Speaker D:Listen, we all know about the Percy expedition.
Speaker D:They sent down experienced cavers and speleologists.
Speaker D:Now what they had was a freak accident, but we might have one as well.
Speaker D:I would like to know how much expertise you have regarding cave systems.
Speaker D:Have you spelunked before or do you just study it?
Speaker E:Unfortunately, my experience is limited to the academic aspects of speleology.
Speaker D:Okay.
Speaker D:Are you or any of your friends claustrophobic?
Speaker E:I am not.
Speaker E:I do not know for certain about the rest of my team.
Speaker I:Dr.
Speaker I:Bol says.
Speaker I:Well, I suppose we're going to find out, aren't we?
Speaker D:We should know ahead of time so that lifeline will know how to medicate you.
Speaker I:That's fair.
Speaker I:I don't believe so.
Speaker C:No.
Speaker D:All right.
Speaker D:If we get in a tight squeeze and you start to panic, we will get in a tight squeeze.
Speaker D:There's endless oodles amounts of them in cave systems.
Speaker D:A couple things to keep in mind.
Speaker D:One is that if your body is already there, you can keep going.
Speaker D:You can go back.
Speaker D:If you got in, you can get out.
Speaker D:If you need to get out, don't start yanking yourself out.
Speaker D:Tell one of us you need to get out.
Speaker D:Otherwise you will very easily kill others or yourself.
Speaker I:Understood.
Speaker D:If you slip, if you're scared, if we are arguing and that makes you nervous, tell us.
Speaker D:But also trust us.
Speaker D:We have done missions before.
Speaker D:We are a very well oiled group.
Speaker D:We know each other quite well.
Speaker D:We know our strengths, we know our weaknesses.
Speaker D:I hate that I'm saying this, but trust matters.
Speaker D:And while you are trusting us quite a lot, we have to put a lot of trust into you to not fuck this up as well.
Speaker E:Understood?
Speaker D:I don't think it's a secret.
Speaker D:I'm not happy that you're here.
Speaker D:None of us really are.
Speaker D:I'm sure that you're not very happy that you're going into a death cave either.
Speaker D:Our priority is rescue.
Speaker D:My ethos as a rescuer is bodies get out teams are secondary.
Speaker D:So all of our lives matter matter less to me the moment we step foot in there.
Speaker D:Okay, I know the rots very well.
Speaker D:Listen to me when I say where to go.
Speaker D:Listen to Seawolf, listen to Warden, listen to Echo, listen to Lifeline.
Speaker D:We'll get you through this as long as you do what we say.
Speaker E:Hoople nods.
Speaker I:Dr.
Speaker I:Bolas sees, sees Dr.
Speaker I:Hoople nod as he's looking at him, then looks back, nods as well.
Speaker D:And then Pathfinder just walks away.
Speaker F:Echo's going to say through comms, all right, scientists, do you need help setting up your equipment since you are not prepared at all for a caving expedition?
Speaker F:It's going to be tight in there and I want to make sure that everyone's equipment is watertight and not going to get stuck in any of these small places.
Speaker F:We're going to have to squeeze through.
Speaker E:I am confident that my equipment is good.
Speaker G:As part of his checks, Warden's going to wander up and he is just.
Speaker G:He's going to look at you.
Speaker G:Hooper Hoople.
Speaker G:Hoople.
Speaker G:I want to say Hooper Hoople.
Speaker F:Jesus.
Speaker E:To Hoople you've been Chris.
Speaker H:Yeah, that's on purpose.
Speaker I:We all rather say Hooper.
Speaker G:One of.
Speaker H:The seven names of Chris names.
Speaker G:Warden going to say what Echo is saying is correct.
Speaker G:And furthermore, when I say we move, we move.
Speaker G:Just in case.
Speaker G:Last expedition we were on had a nearly fatal cave in occur.
Speaker G:So I'm always on the lookout for such things.
Speaker G:So when I say to move, don't hesitate.
Speaker H:Move.
Speaker H:Got it?
Speaker D:Yes.
Speaker G:Good.
Speaker G:He'll pat you on the shoulder, take a look at like if you got any sort of like he notices like something like on your equipment, like slightly out of place, he'll adjust it and move on to the next group as well as checking his own stuff.
Speaker J:Same with seeing that the checks are all done.
Speaker J:Says all right, let's go through the agenda one last time and then it'll be time to go in and follow the routes.
Speaker J:That perceives the agenda.
Speaker J:And he goes through the whole spiel again of listen to everything.
Speaker J:If we say we move.
Speaker J:We move.
Speaker J:When Seawolf is done with that, we will start the expedition.
Speaker C:Yeah, so Seawolf, he mentions that the Percy expedition's agenda is your agenda.
Speaker C:And so you're going to be looking for targets along that pathway pretty much exclusively because of the danger involved.
Speaker C:And that's when your team starts moving.
Speaker C:Gravel and rocks crunch under your feet as you all begin to move through a fairly large passageway.
Speaker C:And these first 200 meters are honestly fairly unremarkable.
Speaker C:Natural rock, well worn with time and the passage of others.
Speaker C:You see that there are a series of small warrens and side tunnels, but Ziv Wulf keeps you on track.
Speaker C:Most paths lead onwards into the cave system, the greater cave system itself, and onto the trail of the Percy expedition.
Speaker C:There's a cool wind that suddenly blows through the cave.
Speaker C:You all turn on your lights as the.
Speaker C:As the sun behind you dissipates into darkness.
Speaker D:As we continue forth.
Speaker D:Pathfinder stops and cocks his head.
Speaker D:These kinds of winds indicate there's either a second exit to the cave or there's water nearby, or potentially both.
Speaker D:Keep an eye out.
Speaker D:If it gets stronger, we'll be getting closer to either of those features.
Speaker G:Warden will say.
Speaker G:Yeah, I'm making sure that we're taking every precaution that we can so that we avoid getting trapped by either sudden ice melt or dispersal of warm water, which would be very much present here.
Speaker G:Don't worry, I got that in check.
Speaker H:Is this another peeing thing?
Speaker F:Jesus Christ.
Speaker F:If you're going to pee, make sure it gets captured in a bottle.
Speaker F:Do not pee in the cave as you continue.
Speaker C:The only diversion near the entrance is a path that leads a 45 degree angle down.
Speaker C:You all kind of glance over at it as you walk by.
Speaker C:Directed by Seawolf to ignore it.
Speaker E:Ignore that.
Speaker J:Seeing this, Sewolf speaks up and says it's one of the basically the only diversion near the entrance.
Speaker J:A path leading down to Boone's Sump, an underwater crevice more than 300 meters long and connects us to another part of the cave system.
Speaker J:Attempting to dive this sump is too hazardous for the drysuits that we have packed.
Speaker J:They're going to be easily torn underwater maneuvering due to sharp formations under the water surface.
Speaker J:So we are going to ignore that and move on.
Speaker C:You all follow his lead and continue the going here.
Speaker C:Seems fairly simple for the rescue team.
Speaker C:For you agents who have little familiarity, the shifting ground, the different formations you have to contort yourselves through, well, it's challenging.
Speaker C:You're starting to get tired Although the rescuers breaths are measured and slow, yours are quickening in pace.
Speaker C:I need each one of you to roll an Athletics or a dexterity -20%.
Speaker C:Whichever is is higher.
Speaker F:Are there cave spiders in Castlegar cave?
Speaker C:It's an RPG.
Speaker C:There are spiders.
Speaker E:100, you said an athletics -20.
Speaker F:There's all over.
Speaker C:Yeah, it's either an Athletics or a dex minus 20.
Speaker C:Please.
Speaker I:Dr.
Speaker I:Bolas succeeds nice.
Speaker E:Rarely fail.
Speaker H:Doctor.
Speaker H:Dr.
Speaker H:Kramdis puts his hand in the spiders.
Speaker C:He fails.
Speaker C:Now that's a success.
Speaker F:It's more like for the spiders.
Speaker F:The spiders are just all inside of your clothes.
Speaker C:All right, so it looks like I've got a B boy gets the spiders out.
Speaker C:I've got a hoople of Kramdis and who failed.
Speaker C:Is that correct?
Speaker B:Correct.
Speaker C:Both of you at different points stumble and falter on uneven terrain that you really ought to be able to handle.
Speaker A:I think Lifeline will actually snap for the first time.
Speaker A:She's been tamping down, you know, being the medic, being the one who needs to try to maintain a good rapport with the most people.
Speaker A:She just turns around and snaps.
Speaker C:Watch your F cking step, Dr.
Speaker C:Kramdis.
Speaker C:At that you actually slip as well and fall in a very similar sprawled out pattern as Hoople.
Speaker C:Again.
Speaker C:Startled by this snapping, Hoople's face contorts.
Speaker E:Like he wants to say something but ends up biting his lip helping crammed us up.
Speaker C:Lifeline, I need you to roll a human intelligence, please.
Speaker A:Absolutely.
Speaker A:I will absolutely roll human intelligence.
Speaker A:Give me.
Speaker A:Yeah, I'm good at that.
Speaker A:I'm not good at that.
Speaker C:What a hapless failure.
Speaker C:83 over hapless buffoon.
Speaker C:You think?
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:I've been trying to be nice this whole time, but these shitheads are really starting to get on my last nerve.
Speaker H:Chris, I'd like to quietly say something to Dr.
Speaker H:Huple as he's helping me up on comms.
Speaker H:No, not on comms.
Speaker H:Off comms.
Speaker A:Quietly mute that mic.
Speaker H:I whisper quietly into the comms.
Speaker H:I think.
Speaker H:I think there's something in here affecting them.
Speaker H:Might be what happened to the last crew.
Speaker H:They seem to be acting.
Speaker H:These are professionals.
Speaker H:They don't act like professionals right now.
Speaker I:Dr.
Speaker I:Bolas kind of speaks up towards them and says, hey, my friends, I'm not certain, but if there were survivors, would we have seen signs of them by now?
Speaker D:There's an uncomfortable pause and then Pathfinder turns and says, there are bodies.
Speaker D:There are survivors in this cave.
Speaker D:We know that they were on this expedition for quite a while.
Speaker D:They went quite deep in if they were being careful and they were seasoned explorers, you shouldn't be seeing a trace.
Speaker D:No, just like how we are not leaving a trace behind us and then say wolves us.
Speaker J:This is exactly why we need to keep.
Speaker J:Keep our eyes sharp.
Speaker J:Anything down here that didn't grow out of a rock likely belonged to the Percy expedition.
Speaker J:So as I said, keep your eyes sharp.
Speaker J:Any scrap, however small, could point us toward the missing.
Speaker J:Don't overlook a thing, Dr.
Speaker J:Bollocks.
Speaker I:Just sort of nods, smiles in a very charismatic way.
Speaker C:Oh, nice.
Speaker C:Okay.
Speaker C:Yeah, I wasn't really buying anything.
Speaker C:Thank you.
Speaker J:Yeah, easy.
Speaker C:So, yeah, this is relatively effortless and mostly explored area, as the rescuers seem to mention more oftentimes than they.
Speaker C:Than they have to, as you continue going down deeper into this hazardous cave.
Speaker C:But yes, so far, nothing left behind to indicate the passage of anyone.
Speaker C:You enter a new and different area of the cave.
Speaker C:After a few more minutes of trudging along and you see as your headlamps and the additional lights you have pinned to your harnesses play over the scene, you see a long horizontal swath of low ceilings.
Speaker C:They're generally just over a foot high, fairly uneven.
Speaker C:The floor is of intermittent ice and rocky slush.
Speaker C:You can see that this is the only way forward.
Speaker C:And Pathfinder tersely says, everybody, get on your bellies.
Speaker D:Get ready to slide through.
Speaker D:This is gonna be uncomfortable.
Speaker B:Do you have any sort of lubricant or something to make this easier?
Speaker F:No, I'm sure the ice will do that job just fine.
Speaker E:Nobody wants to goop you up.
Speaker C:Not goop.
Speaker C:You goop.
Speaker H:Just like that.
Speaker B:I mean, like, you see Dart, Vaseline.
Speaker I:See Dr.
Speaker I:Bolas, like quietly sneaking some ky back in his pack.
Speaker I:I guess we don't need that.
Speaker B:I thought that that was a perfectly scientific question.
Speaker B:I'm sorry.
Speaker C:No.
Speaker D:That's so crazy.
Speaker D:You need it.
Speaker D:Can I roll something for that?
Speaker D:Because she's supposed to be accustomed to this kind of stuff.
Speaker C:So again, we're in this new section of the cave.
Speaker C:I described it already as this kind of squeeze.
Speaker C:It's a low, long horizontal swath.
Speaker C:Hopefully y' all saw the little picture of it.
Speaker C:So the.
Speaker C:The floor is mostly ice.
Speaker C:Now, one thing I didn't mention is that the icy floor, it goes along this extreme, I guess, length or breadth.
Speaker C:If you were to, say, slip off course or find yourself going in one direction rather than the other based off of where the group is headed, you could slide into pitch black uncertainty.
Speaker C:Save wolf.
Speaker C:Pathfinder, make it very clear that you are to move slowly on Your stomachs two abreast in a straight line, allowing your scout to forge the way forward.
Speaker C:The person who has studied the maps of Castlegard the most.
Speaker C:And so you do.
Speaker C:Now, ordinarily, each caver would probably have their own ice breaking gear, but you don't need it today.
Speaker C:The height of the gap is high enough where you can all move through with some difficulty, but it's nothing more than that.
Speaker H:I do want to point out that this does look terrifying sliding inside of a gap where we literally can't even crawl.
Speaker H:We have to pull ourselves through it.
Speaker C:Now, although, agents, you've racked up quite a few traumas.
Speaker C:I don't think anybody has anything akin to claustrophobia.
Speaker C:So that's lucky.
Speaker D:Chris, we are currently sliding through.
Speaker D:Or we're about to.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:So you.
Speaker C:You are about to enter in the proposed formation.
Speaker D:Pathfinder looks the grip.
Speaker D:Okay, the four of you, let's link you together with some rope.
Speaker D:It'll be easier to get you if somebody slips off course.
Speaker D:We can, we can pull you across the ice as we go forward.
Speaker D:Should help with stability.
Speaker D:Is everybody okay with that?
Speaker D:And he's looking.
Speaker D:He's not looking at you.
Speaker D:He's not asking the agents if they're comfortable with it.
Speaker D:He's looking at his own team.
Speaker G:Warden also nods and yeah, no, that makes sense.
Speaker F:That's fine.
Speaker A:I'm with you.
Speaker D:And he will start tying together the agents very securely.
Speaker C:You all begin this very uncomfortable slow slide as the cool ice presses against your winter protective gear.
Speaker C:The jagged rocks above you scrape against the hard plastic of your helmets and your harnesses.
Speaker C:And you end up almost flinging your bag of equipment along next to you, letting it slide a bit until you catch up to it slowly writhing through this immeasurably long squeeze.
Speaker C:A length that Pathfinder promises does have an endpoint.
Speaker C:But as you go through it, it seems less and less likely.
Speaker C:I need each agent to please pass luck if possible.
Speaker D:That's.
Speaker E:Oh, here goes.
Speaker D:50.
Speaker D:50, baby.
Speaker C:I mean, if y' all will get your together.
Speaker I:I do not have my together.
Speaker E:64 out of critical success.
Speaker C:Holy.
Speaker C:No, no, no.
Speaker C:You guys don't understand.
Speaker C:That's.
Speaker C:That's the secret role.
Speaker C:I pull over the call of Cthulhu rules for that Dr.
Speaker C:Jump failure.
Speaker C:95.
Speaker B:50 on that luck.
Speaker I:Hoople's getting some specials.
Speaker C:Who got that the last time?
Speaker C:Was it Michael?
Speaker C:Michael got it like twice.
Speaker C:He was like.
Speaker C:He was going full sorcerer, if I recall.
Speaker I:I got it.
Speaker I:We were in that club, if you remember.
Speaker I:Where did you call it?
Speaker B:The character's trying to, like, squeeze, by the way.
Speaker B:Sorry, I just saw that on the map.
Speaker C:Yes, it is called the squeeze.
Speaker C:Actually, that is what it's called, squeeze in real life.
Speaker H:Irl.
Speaker C:Sorry, I'm trying to read the Call of Cthulhu seventh edition book real quick.
Speaker C:All right, Eric, are you ready?
Speaker E:I am so ready.
Speaker C:Okay, Eric, Eric, go ahead and roll a power for me, please.
Speaker I:Can I be your hype man for this?
Speaker I:I'm just excited for you, that's all.
Speaker C:Oh, hell, yeah, man.
Speaker I:Okay.
Speaker E:That's a goddamn critical failure, which is what you want.
Speaker G:We love to fucking see it.
Speaker F:Oh, the duality of man.
Speaker C:All right, I want you to go ahead.
Speaker C:This is so dumb.
Speaker B:Critical failure.
Speaker B:If you guys didn't guess that.
Speaker I:Wait for the audience.
Speaker I:Can we be clear about what just happened?
Speaker I:I don't think.
Speaker I:I don't think that was clear enough.
Speaker I:What just happened.
Speaker E:I became a wizard in front of everyone.
Speaker H:There's also my eyes.
Speaker I:Eric, what did you just roll?
Speaker E:I rolled a 66 of 65 right.
Speaker G:After rolling a one.
Speaker I:Yeah, you did.
Speaker H:Critical failure.
Speaker C:Go ahead and roll.
Speaker C:So, typically, you would gain one point of power having enacted your own will upon reality and exercising a muscle that you should not have access to.
Speaker C:Right?
Speaker C:That's the idea.
Speaker C:But with a critical failure, I feel like I should give you a chance for a little extra extra.
Speaker C:So roll a 1D2 for me, okay?
Speaker C:Okay.
Speaker C:Oh, nice.
Speaker C:Today's my day.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker E:That's a two.
Speaker I:That's my boy.
Speaker C:Because of the way Foundry does the stupid 3D dice, the coin for me landed on the edge, perfectly on its side.
Speaker I:No fucking way.
Speaker C:Which is even more incredible.
Speaker C:Never seen that before.
Speaker C:All right, cool.
Speaker C:Go ahead and add two power permanently to your statistic of the same name.
Speaker D:Oh, my God.
Speaker J:What the fuck?
Speaker C:It's called.
Speaker D:Wait, wait, what?
Speaker D:Homebrew rules.
Speaker D:Are you using Cthulhu?
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker D:Oh, okay.
Speaker D:I'm.
Speaker D:I'm so many episodes behind.
Speaker D:I don't know.
Speaker C:No, no, no.
Speaker C:You're good.
Speaker C:So Call of Cthulhu, you know, is kind of.
Speaker C:What?
Speaker C:Delta Green's a spin off of the original Call Cthulhu.
Speaker C:Yes.
Speaker C:I was playing the Delta Green Call Cthulhu for a long time, and that was always.
Speaker C:That was in it, right?
Speaker C:Because it was from the original Call of Cthulhu.
Speaker C:When Delta Green rebranded, they got rid of it because they're like, that's a silly Call of Cthulhu thing.
Speaker C:We're not doing that.
Speaker C:But I was like, man, it was so fun every time that happened, though.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:Like A love one.
Speaker C:Never.
Speaker C:It never happens anyway.
Speaker C:But like, it's just a fun little flavor.
Speaker H:Here we are.
Speaker D:That's sick.
Speaker D:I like it.
Speaker D:The flavor.
Speaker C:All right.
Speaker E:And thank you for writing that into the script, Chris.
Speaker E:I couldn't have asked for a better.
Speaker C:Yeah, no problem.
Speaker C:Blah, blah, blah.
Speaker C:I'm going to have Dr.
Speaker C:Huple do something weird in the next scene, so give me a second.
Speaker C:I'm still thinking through this.
Speaker C:Dr.
Speaker C:Kramdis, Dr.
Speaker C:Jopp and Dr.
Speaker C:Bolas, who all failed their there laps.
Speaker C:I need you to all roll an athletics check, please.
Speaker B:No minus anything.
Speaker C:Nope.
Speaker I:I checked my athletics.
Speaker I:There you go.
Speaker B:Jump.
Speaker B:She succeeded.
Speaker B:14 out of 32.
Speaker H:12 out of 54.
Speaker C:You begin sliding out of control as you move towards one of the dark uncertainties to your left.
Speaker C:Dr.
Speaker C:Bolas, Dr.
Speaker C:Chomp.
Speaker C:You have a similar.
Speaker C:A similar thing happen to you at nearly the same time.
Speaker C:But you're able to use all of your tired muscles to find a rare spot of non ice covered rock above you to stop yourself from careening away from the line of the others as they are slowly crawling through, throwing almost haphazardly their rucksacks in front of them, sliding again along the path in a straight line.
Speaker C:But let's see here.
Speaker C:Actually, that was Dr.
Speaker C:Kramdis and Doc.
Speaker C:Not Dr.
Speaker C:Bolas.
Speaker C:Dr.
Speaker C:Bolas.
Speaker B:Wait, wait, sorry.
Speaker B:Who found the spot?
Speaker B:Was it me?
Speaker C:Yes.
Speaker C:Okay, thanks, Dr.
Speaker C:Kramdis.
Speaker C:You are also able with your weak, feeble old man body to stop your careen into darkness.
Speaker C:And with a deep breath and exhalation, you begin crawling again back towards the line of the others.
Speaker C:The rescuers, of course, take note of this and encourage you to stop yourselves from sliding into what could be a greater hazard.
Speaker C:But they're unable to do much for you.
Speaker C:Everyone's pinned in between.
Speaker C:I mean, immovable earth.
Speaker C:But it's Dr.
Speaker C:Bolas who finds himself crawling along a slant.
Speaker C:The ice pitches to the right and you begin finding that you can't move in a straight line.
Speaker C:Your boots don't grip this glossy, almost frictionless surface.
Speaker C:And you're glad you did not lube up earlier with your Kyle, because you start.
Speaker I:Well, I'm glad that's an opinion, but that's fine, keep going.
Speaker C:You start careening into the darkness and you feel gravity begin to pull you through this squeeze in a direction that will take you far away from the others.
Speaker C:It's only Dr.
Speaker C:Huple who notices this.
Speaker C:You're grunting, but so is everyone else as you begin to feel fall away.
Speaker C:And you, you think maybe towards Some sort of deep crevasse that is again, something you can't see.
Speaker C:You look up, the light on your helmet flashing inside of Dr.
Speaker C:Huples, Dr.
Speaker C:Hooples face.
Speaker C:He turns towards you, his eyes glittering black, much like they did when you first met him in the airport.
Speaker C:And he says to you.
Speaker C:Oh.
Speaker C:It stops lighting the words although said from far away, as again, you are hopelessly, hopelessly sliding into the dark.
Speaker C:They seem to be next to your left ear, whispered harshly, but with a command that you.
Speaker C:That you can't ignore.
Speaker C:And your arms slam down into the glossy ice at the same time as your boots.
Speaker C:You stop sliding with great effort as sweat begins to pool across your brow and pour into your goggles.
Speaker C:You begin moving inch by inch back up towards the line.
Speaker C:It's at this point that Warden notices that you're struggling and he squeezes his way towards you, extending a gloved hand, helping you back up onto more stable, flatter areas.
Speaker C:I got you of this squeeze with.
Speaker C:With great relief, you find yourself rejoined, but now three abreast.
Speaker C:Takes some changing of formation to get you to rejoin.
Speaker C:But soon all of you are back in line.
Speaker D:Quick question.
Speaker D:Did any of us, the rescuers, hear that distinctly?
Speaker D:Australian accent coming from behind us?
Speaker C:Yes, for sure.
Speaker B:No, because nobody's Australian.
Speaker D:Yeah, Nobody's prevent accent.
Speaker E:No.
Speaker D:What is it?
Speaker A:I was gonna say, I'm pretty sure.
Speaker A:Pretty sure there was a South African.
Speaker D:Accent behind us anywhere.
Speaker D:But what was it?
Speaker D:Can somebody tell me?
Speaker H:Old England.
Speaker C:Huh?
Speaker C:Damn.
Speaker D:Oh, it's England.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker D:I'm so sorry.
Speaker E:No, you're good.
Speaker D:That's my bad.
Speaker E:I've been working so hard at disguising my accent that now I can't even remember my accent.
Speaker C:So everyone heard the.
Speaker C:The oi and the stop sliding for sure.
Speaker C:And it did sound distinctly.
Speaker C:Let's.
Speaker C:Let's just give it to him distinctly.
Speaker C:Break British.
Speaker I:Dr.
Speaker I:Bolas kind of looks up to him and just mumbles, thank you so much.
Speaker I:Thank you.
Speaker E:And Hoople nods and kind of looks around at everyone.
Speaker E:Guess let's carry on.
Speaker D:A butterfly just pops up at the corner of the screen.
Speaker D:The rescuers will remember this exactly.
Speaker J:I think the rescue team just shares a few looks.
Speaker I:We'll see who the real rescue team is by tomorrow night.
Speaker C:Boom.
Speaker J:Oh, let's go.
Speaker C:So as each one of you slowly crawls out and ceremoniously or unceremoniously plop yourselves down at the other side of this squeeze, you all look around, some of you breathing heavier than the others.
Speaker C:Dr.
Speaker C:Bolas looking pale but eyes focused.
Speaker C:You realize you're in a.
Speaker C:At least to Pathfinder and Seawolf's eyes, a familiar chamber.
Speaker C:From watching lots and lots of footage of prior explorations of the Castlegard cave system.
Speaker C:This is what's called colloquially by explorers, the subway.
Speaker C:And it's a very long passageway.
Speaker C:It's about 3 meters by 2 meters wide at most points.
Speaker C:And it is a massive underground tube carved by water perhaps over many, many millennia.
Speaker C:And compared to the squeeze.
Speaker C:Well, traversal here is straightforward.
Speaker C:It is a breath of fresh air, quite literally in fact.
Speaker C:You can feel chilling breeze from deeper within the cave system.
Speaker C:And it whips coolly across your faces and past you.
Speaker C:There's not really a comfortable place to sit or lie down, but it does look like jagged rocks and vicious looking crags are just not present here.
Speaker C:The walls are smooth and all you have to do is walk forward in a straight line.
Speaker C:You all feel a little bit of relief.
Speaker C:Perhaps.
Speaker C:However, it might be a good time to check on those scientists who nearly slid off into the darkness.
Speaker A:And Lifeline will absolutely go through, making sure each and every one of them is still, at the very least unhurt to begin with.
Speaker A:And then from there checking vitals.
Speaker A:Lifeline will very much single out Hoople.
Speaker A:That was a close call back there.
Speaker A:You gotta be more careful.
Speaker E:I feel like I did just fine.
Speaker A:Is that right?
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker A:Well, I don't.
Speaker A:Kay, listen to me.
Speaker A:We're not leaving behind any more bodies in this cave.
Speaker A:At least I'm not.
Speaker A:Are you going to pay attention and listen to me or are you going to keep doing what you're doing?
Speaker E:I feel like you should be having this conversation with Dr.
Speaker E:Bolas.
Speaker A:Oh, trust me, I will.
Speaker E:Okay.
Speaker A:I think also sounds to me like we could all use another round of anti inflammatory.
Speaker A:I know.
Speaker A:I'm certainly sore after coming through all that.
Speaker A:And also some anti anxiety.
Speaker J:Sable speaks up after that.
Speaker J:Sounds like a good idea.
Speaker J:We gotta get ourselves back in order.
Speaker J:Everybody check your gear.
Speaker J:Make sure nothing got damaged.
Speaker J:Nothing got lost.
Speaker J:You almost sliding off.
Speaker G:You got it, boss.
Speaker J:It's gonna get way worse.
Speaker J:So please get focused.
Speaker J:Keep focused.
Speaker G:Yeah.
Speaker G:Warden's gonna be checking his equipment and making sure everything is in order.
Speaker G:And then go around to the rest of the team and to the scientist.
Speaker G:It's just gonna be moving between them.
Speaker C:Sure.
Speaker C:Everything looks.
Speaker C:Looks fine.
Speaker E:Hoople begins going through his stuff and pulling out a few items to begin surveying the cave.
Speaker E:Measuring strata.
Speaker C:Exactly.
Speaker C:You reach into your kit provided to you by Mackenzie and you bring out a rangefinder and a couple other gizmos and Gadgets that she specifically said might keep up appearances.
Speaker C:You go ahead and start just pointing them at parts of the wall and nodding sagely.
Speaker B:And on that note, Dr.
Speaker B:Jump is gonna look over at Dr.
Speaker B:Hoople and say yes, this is the right place to start.
Speaker B:She's kind of wide eyed in this crazy really smooth would you say is like a tunnel that we're in?
Speaker B:Sort of just.
Speaker J:It's a subway.
Speaker B:Subway.
Speaker C:And she's gonna say eat fresh.
Speaker C:She's gonna say, yeah, Tano.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:She's going to say, fascinating.
Speaker B:Look at this calcite deposit.
Speaker B:It's very natural.
Speaker B:I need a sample of this heavy metal leaching.
Speaker B:This could be a real nightmare for the watershed.
Speaker B:She's also more concerned right now about taking samples than medication.
Speaker F:Echo would like to look at the equipment that Dr.
Speaker F:Hueple is currently trying to deploy in the subway.
Speaker F:Are they using this correctly at all?
Speaker C:Right now he's pointing a rangefinder as if he's taking measurements.
Speaker B:Sounds like the right way to use it.
Speaker C:Reading centimeters from his body to the side of the wall.
Speaker C:And he's nodding.
Speaker C:He looks really engrossed.
Speaker E:He's also writing on a clipboard.
Speaker C:He's got like a waterproof notepad and pen that he's jotting notes down.
Speaker G:Warden's gonna sidle up next to Dr.
Speaker G:Kramdis and say you said your name was Dr.
Speaker G:Krampus, is that right?
Speaker H:Dr.
Speaker H:Cram.
Speaker G:Oh, Dr.
Speaker G:Cram.
Speaker G:Diss.
Speaker G:I'm sorry, my mistake.
Speaker H:Yeah, very common name.
Speaker G:Right.
Speaker G:You're the geologist amongst your team, right?
Speaker H:You are correct, yeah.
Speaker G:What kind of.
Speaker G:I'm just curious because I'm also the rock guy on our side, you know, having to keep in mind the various different surfaces of where we're.
Speaker G:I gotta chisel out stuff and things of that nature, but what kind of experiments do you plan on doing with the rock formations here?
Speaker H:Well, I mean, to be honest, I'm not a.
Speaker H:Not chiseler per se.
Speaker G:You guys ever worked with malachite or azerite or galena or pyrite before?
Speaker B:It's a weird question.
Speaker H:My specialty is petroleum, so finding reservoirs and whatnot.
Speaker H:Which translates here with, you know, trying to find spatial differential within the rock so that we could see if there's a.
Speaker H:An actual cavity there or not.
Speaker H:I'm not a.
Speaker H:I'm not a scientist.
Speaker H:I'm more of a technical guy.
Speaker G:Understood.
Speaker J:Sounds very interesting, says Sebuff impatiently.
Speaker J:This is the easiest traversal throughout all of Castlegard team.
Speaker J:All of you.
Speaker J:We need to move.
Speaker J:You can talk while moving?
Speaker C:Yes.
Speaker C:Sir.
Speaker J:Get your stuff back together and let's go.
Speaker G:You got it, boss.
Speaker C:Everyone moves to pick up their equipment with.
Speaker C:With that snapping to attention.
Speaker A:Before we move forward, I would like to ask, would Lifeline have noticed that Jump is not taking her medicine?
Speaker C:Go ahead and roll an alertness.
Speaker A:Yeah, you bet I will.
Speaker G:That sounded real menacing.
Speaker A:I'm not going to have some stupid forest jeopardizing.
Speaker A:God damn it.
Speaker A:Jeopardizing the.
Speaker C:Yes, you are.
Speaker D:I will.
Speaker A:I will be allowing a scientist to jeopardize us by not taking her medicine.
Speaker A:63 over 60 failure.
Speaker D:I will also note that Pathfinder is not taking his medication either.
Speaker C:Betrayal.
Speaker C:So Lifeline, you're going to now with Eagle Eyes watch John because you think maybe there's something going on.
Speaker C:But you just.
Speaker C:You're not sure yet.
Speaker C:You're not ready to call her out.
Speaker C:Maybe that goes for the rest of them and hell, maybe your team too.
Speaker C:You're noticing that people don't seem as willing to quickly knock back those pills as they were above ground.
Speaker A:We'll see about that.
Speaker A:Wait until you're having a panic attack and you want anti Anxiety to help you then no, you weren't going to take it before, so why should I give it to you now?
Speaker C:Save that for in character.
Speaker C:When you do notice and can definitely make your case, get that anger bottle for me and open it up.
Speaker A:I can hold a grudge, Chris.
Speaker A:I can hold a grudge.
Speaker C:Good.
Speaker C:Yes.
Speaker C:Keep that grudge intact for later.
Speaker F:Before we continue through the subway as Bolas is putting back his equipment.
Speaker F:Wait, did he have out his equipment?
Speaker C:Actually, he didn't have it out like everyone else.
Speaker C:You were kind of flinging it through the Squeeze as you crawled after it like a snake to make your way through that icy, icy crevice.
Speaker C:So yeah, at the end Warden went through and just made sure everything wasn't busted or it shouldn't be.
Speaker C:But this is what you do.
Speaker C:You make sure you are not stranding yourselves below ground.
Speaker I:Dr.
Speaker I:Bowles has been standing here basically with his hands in his pockets, just sort of uncharacteristically trying to not be noticed in the small cave that we're all in.
Speaker C:It's impossible though, because of how dreamy he is.
Speaker I:Oh, that fucking McDreamy.
Speaker I:Top tier.
Speaker F:He was the one who slid in the.
Speaker F:In the crawl.
Speaker C:Yeah, he almost perhaps, you know, because the squeeze, it's not like completely horizontal from like horizon to horizon of the earth.
Speaker C:It does drop off in areas.
Speaker C:You might end up in a deadly ravine there.
Speaker C:So he may have Been on his way towards one of those.
Speaker F:Echo is going to say to Bolas, hey, you're supposed to be better than this.
Speaker F:I don't want to see any more fuck ups like that.
Speaker F:Warden gave you orders to follow the damn team.
Speaker F:You want to go take your measurements down at the icy crevasse?
Speaker F:You could stay down there.
Speaker F:I'm not coming for you.
Speaker I:Hmm.
Speaker I:Noted.
Speaker F:Take your fucking measurements.
Speaker F:But we're moving.
Speaker F:And Echo is gonna step away and go behind Seawolf.
Speaker C:I need my agents to go ahead and roll a dexterity or an athletics, whichever is higher, please.
Speaker B:That's us.
Speaker B:Success.
Speaker B:91 out of 65.
Speaker H:Which one's the highest?
Speaker H:Hold on.
Speaker B:Oh wait, that's not me.
Speaker I:Whose did I read has failed 91 overseas?
Speaker B:Oh my gosh.
Speaker C:No.
Speaker G:You rolled.
Speaker H:Failed.
Speaker B:26 out of 40.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker I:Oh good, I am able to walk down the hall.
Speaker E:What's up?
Speaker E:I got another one again.
Speaker C:Nice.
Speaker C:So you're hopping from safe ledge to sturdy outcropping as you make your way through the subway.
Speaker C:And you notice at several junctures, Dr.
Speaker C:Bolas falter.
Speaker C:You grab his arm, steady him.
Speaker C:You turn and Kramtis almost trips on the same outcropping.
Speaker C:You help him as well, Dr.
Speaker C:Huple.
Speaker C:Nodding silently in the darkness.
Speaker C:They acknowledge you back without a word.
Speaker C:All four of you continue through.
Speaker C:Despite the cool air in the subway, there's a tension now.
Speaker E:Deep, fresh.
Speaker C:There's a split between these two groups.
Speaker C:Seawolf, go ahead and rule your human intelligence, please.
Speaker J:Yes, sir.
Speaker J:That is a 52 under 80.
Speaker C:You notice this as well?
Speaker C:You're not going to say anything yet, but you do not want this to exacerbate the antagonism between those you've trained with over the last few days.
Speaker C:And these new tagalongs could get someone killed.
Speaker C:But you feel like now's not the right time for any level of admonishment.
Speaker C:But you're going to keep this in mind, that there's a growing rift between these two groups that could become a mission critical issue.
Speaker J:Yeah, they're all behaving like bitches.
Speaker C:I meant to say that.
Speaker C:Fuck, man, you got such a talent for brevity.
Speaker H:You use too many words.
Speaker C:I know.
Speaker E:All right, Milchek, at some point along the way here, Dr.
Speaker E:Simi Hoople is going to slow down and just shoulder to shoulder with Kramness.
Speaker E:Simi's gonna kinda under his breath.
Speaker E:Say, you mentioned the cave.
Speaker E:Seems to be getting the team there.
Speaker E:I noticed that too.
Speaker H:Yeah, I think you weren't at the last mission, but no, there was an object that was driving them to madness, and this is a similar crash situation.
Speaker E:Do you have the Carter Clare memorized, Chris?
Speaker H:Do I.
Speaker H:I assume yes.
Speaker C:Yeah, you've been using it for the last year.
Speaker C:It's totally fine to me.
Speaker C:I'm not going to like, make you roll for remembering a handful of sentences that you've used probably dozens of times now.
Speaker H:Yeah, yeah, yeah, I do.
Speaker H:But I'm not sure there's bugs inside of them.
Speaker E:That's what it's for.
Speaker H:But the, the citizens, the people of the town, they didn't have bugs inside in them when they were affected.
Speaker H:Well, hell, I.
Speaker H:I guess I don't know that for sure, but.
Speaker E:Look, I don't know what you're referring to, but we have an opportunity to dig at them.
Speaker C:Now, keep in mind, administration of this test does take about two hours for a positive or.
Speaker E:Yeah, but we, we have them for positive, foreseeable hours and hours and we can just pick at them with this stuff as their.
Speaker C:Yeah, it's not.
Speaker C:I, I hear where you're going.
Speaker C:I'm not discouraging you, but like the ideal situation is you're like literally Blade Runnering them.
Speaker C:You're sitting across from them and they can't go anywhere.
Speaker C:And you're watching them, very scrutinizing them.
Speaker C:Gotcha.
Speaker C:Doing it like as you're trying to do acrobatics through a dangerous cave.
Speaker C:I can't guarantee that's gonna be great.
Speaker E:Fair enough.
Speaker C:Or gonna work.
Speaker C:And you would probably be like, if we get an opportunity, let's try it.
Speaker C:But you would.
Speaker C:You would also probably temper that with, I know this ain't the best place, but if we get a chance, we should try to see if anybody here is susceptible to those questions and showing signs of infestation.
Speaker E:Sounds good.
Speaker E:Okay.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker E:Okay, I'll walk that back in a bit.
Speaker C:Yeah, yeah, no, no, go ahead.
Speaker C:I just wanted to kind of give.
Speaker C:Because you would know that, yeah, sure.
Speaker E:These aren't the ideal circumstances, but given an opportunity, we may be able to exercise that.
Speaker H:I mean, yeah, we could try, but I'm more scared of the fact that they're the only people who know how to get in and out of this place in a surviving kind of way.
Speaker H:If they go, we're fucked.
Speaker E:We'll worry about that when it comes.
Speaker E:And he elbows you in the ribs.
Speaker C:The ribs snap.
Speaker C:Too much power.
Speaker F:Sucks to have glass bones.
Speaker C:Sa.
