Turn 6: A Dark Secret Uncovered

The sixth mission. The marines are faced with a new horror that affects the mind and body.
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Corporal Hicks
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Re: Turn 6: A Dark Secret Uncovered

Post by Corporal Hicks » Wed May 18, 2016 1:59 am

The monster in the middle of the room struggled to its feet and charged blindly into their cross-hairs. The pulse rifles whined and the pistols thundered. It slowed and fell to its knees before its head was blown clean off by a burst of pulse rifle from one of the rookies, Private Terrence Dooropener.

The monster on top of Sergeant Forney tried to lift itself into a position to strike a deadly blow. It was deterred by a harrowing barrage of bullets coming from Morse's smart-gun. Second platoon was trying to fire while simultaneously not getting shot by crossfire from First Platoon. Corporal Hall's shot was well-aimed and hit the monster in the head as it raised its arm to strike. Suddenly it fell, limp, on the Sergeant.

The bullets stopped. The room seemed dark and all their ears were ringing. They panted as the adrenaline still rushed through their systems. Then they heard the static of the comms. "Lieutenant, what's going on in there?" It was Pope, their synthetic, who was still in the APC.
"What do you mean? We kicked their asses!" Maria grinned with relief and enthusiasm.
"Three of your life signs just went dead," came the response from Pope. This was followed by silence. "Lance Corporal Orlando, Private Cordiero, Private Chu," he said with what sounded like sympathy.

Morse hefted the creature off of Sergeant Forney with a massive grunt. He seemed to be unharmed. Private Leon Mercy had been hit by a stray pulse rifle bullet. His upper arm was bleeding profusely.

(Actions)
ImageSgtMaj. Danny Sykes - Platoon NCO
USCM Special Forces Recon Team
Serial Number: D26/TQ6.3.48412E9
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maxvale76
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Re: Turn 6: A Dark Secret Uncovered

Post by maxvale76 » Wed May 18, 2016 2:32 pm

After watching her carefully aimed burst hit the monster in the head and watching it collapse on top of poor SGT Forney, Hall let go a breath she didn't realize she was holding. She quickly looked left and right and saw that Giosso and Boothe were okay and she closed her eyes and said a quick prayer of thanks to whatever deities might be out there....


Moving over to the downed SGT, she helped him to his feet or dragged him away from the carnage (if he's conscious or not) and she shook her head a bit at the LT's naive 'we kicked their ass!' nonsense. Didn't she realize these monsters were probably either former personnel of this place or some of their own missing marines.

As if on cue; Pope's comments quickly confirmed Samantha's fears and she closed her eyes and bowed her head a moment as the knowledge that she had just killed a fellow marine hit her like a ton of bricks. Rationally, she knew she didn't have a choice; whichever former marine it had been would have killed Forney and in all likelihood the rest of them if it had the chance; but that still didn't stop her from feeling that this 'victory' of there's wasn't much of one at all.

Taking a deep breath, Hall snapped out of it and said to Mark; "Giosso; any signs of anybody else still moving around in this place besides us?"

<Tag Mark>
ImageSGT Samantha "Sam" Hall

M41A Pulse Rifle
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pants
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Re: Turn 6: A Dark Secret Uncovered

Post by pants » Fri May 20, 2016 8:51 am

Keeping his position Terence focused on the doorway through which the creatures had come. Didn't want any more of them to come through while they were sorting themselves out.

"What's the plan Corp? We holding here or moving forward?" asked Terence over the squad frequency. He was stressed and his voice revealed that.

<Tag Dirk, Morse>
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Corporal Hicks
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Re: Turn 6: A Dark Secret Uncovered

Post by Corporal Hicks » Fri May 20, 2016 6:53 pm

Lieutenant Gruber was shocked to find that the creatures they had just killed were her soldiers. The fear and adrenaline must have outweighed her sense. She shook her head, trying to clear her mind. There was nothing else they could have done.

"Colson!" she barked, regaining composure. "Private Mercy needs medical attention. Boothe, make sure Sergeant Forney is alright."

She climbed onto a table in the middle of the room and glanced from face to face. She saw confusion and skepticism on their faces. "Soldiers," she said loudly, "I may not have been the best CO so far. To be honest I've never faced a situation like this in my career." The skepticism remained on their faces. "When they assigned me to this unit I was afraid I would let you all down. Your reputation proceeds you. Some of you were already legends when I was in Officer Training School." She made eye contact with Corporal Pitt and Lance Corporal Morse. "The fact is, you are some of the meanest mother-fuckers in the whole damn Marine Corps. I may not be good enough to lead the Easy Eights, but I'm as proud as I could ever be!" She was building momentum. "I'm asking you to trust me one more time! Now let's go kill the fuckers that did this to us!" She grinned.
ImageSgtMaj. Danny Sykes - Platoon NCO
USCM Special Forces Recon Team
Serial Number: D26/TQ6.3.48412E9
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Quicksilver
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Re: Turn 6: A Dark Secret Uncovered

Post by Quicksilver » Mon May 23, 2016 5:48 pm

"On it, Ma'am." Giosso responded automatically. He holstered the pistol he'd never even managed to fire in the chaos and dropped back down into the computer chair. He tapped the keyboard to wake the machine up, then took a moment to pull out the portable motion tracker and place it on the table. Despite being designed as a hand-held unit, it still worked far better resting on a steady surface. Mark dialed up the sensitivity and let it ping away in recalibration while he took back to the computer.

When fighting in urban environments, Colonial Marines fought in a lot of places with security systems. Thus, Mark's training had included both how to subvert them, but also how to turn them to his own use. He used the latter part of the training now, working to access the bases internal systems and use them to quickly search the facility for more of the… creatures.

A corner of his brain was listening as Lieutenant gave her little speech. He had to give it to her, she was certainly more inspiring then the last couple who had gone through. He added in his own "Ooh Rah" at the end, though without looking up from the screen.

<Motion Tracker> (2 Actions)
<Security System> (Remaining Actions)
Pvt. Mark Giosso
3rd Bn, 2nd Reg, 1st Co, 8th Plt
Security Systems Master
Communications / Computer and Motion Tracker Operation Expert
Surveillance Equipment Operation Professional

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Dirk Pitt
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Re: Turn 6: A Dark Secret Uncovered

Post by Dirk Pitt » Tue May 24, 2016 12:14 am

pants wrote:Keeping his position Terence focused on the doorway through which the creatures had come. Didn't want any more of them to come through while they were sorting themselves out.

"What's the plan Corp? We holding here or moving forward?" asked Terence over the squad frequency. He was stressed and his voice revealed that.

<Tag Dirk, Morse>
Dirk looked around at the room seeing the stressed faces of his fellow Marines look back at him. This was something new for them, but he would trust each of these men and women with his life, and had done just that more times than he could remember.

"Hold up here. We'll wait for orders."
<Tag Terence>

"Command, this is Pitt. We need orders. We have command, and will hold it. But this mission is FUBAR and I we need a direction." He said as he lit a cigarette.

"First chain smoker on Pluto. Knew I'd get in the history books some how."
<Tag Anyone>
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Medic Guy
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Re: Turn 6: A Dark Secret Uncovered

Post by Medic Guy » Tue May 24, 2016 12:52 am

Wow, that's some kind of fraked up situation Clint thought to himself looking at a wounded Mercy and Forney. He absentmindedly checked his ammunition as he listened to the Lt give an encouragement speech. Clint kept the shotgun slung and approached the one of the damaged doorways that the creatures had come through. He brought the rifle up and used the optic to assess the hallway past the opening.

"So what's the plan now?" he asked to no one in particular but loud enough to be heard by the others in the room.

Tag Eights

Awareness, Scouting
ImageCorporal Clint McKenna
USCM Special Forces Recon Team
Serial Number: L69/EA5.2.31782M9

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Pvt. Isabel Orozco - Rifleman; formerly of the U.S.S. Shiloh Marine Detachment, currently on public relations campaign.
Private Dave Halbert - unknown location

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Morse
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Re: Turn 6: A Dark Secret Uncovered

Post by Morse » Tue May 24, 2016 5:49 am

To Morse’s surprise the Sergeant was alive. In so many words he thought of it only as luck. What else could it be? Morse and the others had unloaded into the creature, and even if they were attempting not to hit the man, they couldn’t control all of the hundreds of rounds. And even a single slip would leave the sergeant with a missing limb.

Still he was alive. And while Morse wanted to start his usual ranting of how the mission was already lost and it was time to leave, he took it as a good sign. Though he still believed they should leave, at the very least there was a sign that the group was winning.

He had hefted the creature off of the Sergeant, which was even heavier then it looked. He looked around, unsure if they were about to receive a new visitor or if they were getting new orders.

”Fuck knows, Doorfucker.” Morse replied. ”Watch the door.” He pointed to the vacant door that he had been watching that was now fully breached.

He looked around in relative silence with the others, generally accepting the disapproval of their mission, orders, and commander.

As always, he saw her as a one mission wonder. Here today, gone to then next unit after they were done messing things up for the Eights. Either they died, or they left with a moderate success, having helmed the infamous Eights for a turn.

But then she stood up on a table. She gave a rousing speech. She attempted to raise morale.

Morse paid attention, but was not terribly uplifted. He did approve of being referred to as the meanest. They were a rather unforgiving unit, especially while Morse was there. And he certainly approved of the mission statement to slaughter the things, whatever they were.

”Hell yeah.” Morse muttered. He adjusted the tribal gauntlet on his arm, a fine trophy from the last newly discovered species they encountered. He was already wondering if he would be able to take a new one off of these enemies.

For a moment he considered Sgt. Honeysett, and his habit of drawing a bloody happy face on his armor for those killed and lost in battles he’d been in. Morse used to call him crazy. But in the years since he’d seen him, he’d started to understand it more and the concept of trophies and was now more then willing to engage in such an act.

”Give us a slaughter point, sir.” Morse said to the commander. ”We’ll clear it out.”

Morse checked his ammunition count, and reset the grenade he’d picked up earlier back onto his belt. He was ready for some actual fight for once, but orchestrating a massacre would be even more satisfying.

< Tag anyone.
Image-SSG Allen Morse - Squad Leader
-3rd Bn, 2nd Reg, 1st Co, 8th Plt
- DEVIL DAWG
- M41A Pulse Rifle - M4 Pistol - Med Kit
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maxvale76
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Re: Turn 6: A Dark Secret Uncovered

Post by maxvale76 » Tue May 24, 2016 2:20 pm

Samantha shook her head a bit and sighed. An over-eager LT, Morse and a some new marines all wanted to just go out there and shoot stuff.....never mind the fact that the last things they had just shot used to be some fellow marines.

"Uh, El-Tee....I don't mean to sound like Debbie-Downer or anything and I'm certainly no Doctor; but seeing as how the creatures we just shot to pieces used to be some of our fellow marines....maybe we should get some kind of blood test or something to make sure more of US aren't about to become THOSE things-"; she gestured at the bodies; "-before we go deeper into the complex. I mean, I'm ALL for taking out whoever or whatever is behind all this....but I'd like to know if any more of the platoon are likely to go all.....were-wolf or whatever, first. Just a thought ma'am"; she ended it respectfully.

As she was talking, she ejected the clip she had used in the attack and replaced it with a fresh one. She was HOPING the LT would follow her suggestion, but she pretty much thought the 'leader of the meanest bunch of fuckers in the Corps' was going to disregard her suggestion; probably think that her fellow female in the Platoon was a coward and immediately order them to glory. Hall closed her eyes and said a quick, silent prayer that her former squad-mate Roberts was doing okay.

<Tag LT Gruber>
ImageSGT Samantha "Sam" Hall

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Corporal Hicks
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Re: Turn 6: A Dark Secret Uncovered

Post by Corporal Hicks » Wed May 25, 2016 4:22 am

Giosso's scan found nothing moving in the complex except for them.
”Give us a slaughter point, sir.” Morse said to the commander. ”We’ll clear it out.”
Maria chuckled and winked at him. "I have no doubt, marine." Then she turned to Corporal Hall.
maybe we should get some kind of blood test or something to make sure more of US aren't about to become THOSE things-"; she gestured at the bodies; "-before we go deeper into the complex.
Gruber looked down at Samantha as she spoke, her face expressionless. After Hall finished, she stared blankly for a few seconds. Then, "Pope, did you hear that? What do you think? Can you do that?"

A few moments of silence, then the synthetic's voice came over the comms. "Yes ma'am, I think I have isolated the virus in Roberts' bloodstream. It seems inefficient...man-made. It doesn't seem to have a very high rate of success. Only three of our unit were fully affected. Other than them, Roberts seems to have gotten it the worst, but I think he has fought it off somehow. To answer your question, I can do a simple blood test as soon as we meet back up."

Gruber smiled. "You're a life-saver, Pope. What would I do without you?"

Giosso was still working at the terminal when he finally isolated the signal going out from the cameras. It was going to the far side of the planet.
ImageSgtMaj. Danny Sykes - Platoon NCO
USCM Special Forces Recon Team
Serial Number: D26/TQ6.3.48412E9
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Morse
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Re: Turn 6: A Dark Secret Uncovered

Post by Morse » Wed May 25, 2016 2:41 pm

Having lost the more analytical part of himself long before he lost his leg, Morse heard Sam’s skepticism and threw it out immediately. Though he did not dispute that there was something spooky about having marines turned into those things, he did not read it much different then the Xenomorphs encountered for the years prior. Watching people being made hosts and then being ripped apart from the inside out. There was little real difference to Morse. He knew modern medicine to know that if someone was turned into something like that then there was no coming back.

”It’s a little late to start chuckin’ on breathers.” Morse remarked in regards to the preparation they had.

When they news came up about the virus being less then effective, Morse felt an even stronger boost in his generally lacking morale.

”There, see. Our innards are just chuggin’ stronger. Now lets go tear theirs out ‘fore they git to figurin’ were commin.”

Morse was somewhat eager to keep momentum going. Everyone knew that he had a strong interest in enacting a slaughter, but for the moment it was more battle strategy then self preservation.

< Tag Anyone
Image-SSG Allen Morse - Squad Leader
-3rd Bn, 2nd Reg, 1st Co, 8th Plt
- DEVIL DAWG
- M41A Pulse Rifle - M4 Pistol - Med Kit
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Quicksilver
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Re: Turn 6: A Dark Secret Uncovered

Post by Quicksilver » Wed May 25, 2016 5:56 pm

"Ma'am." Mark announced, interrupting the conversation to get someone's attention. "I think I've isolated the location of our observer. It's clear on the other side of the planet, though."

Mark continued typing away, trying to pull up the local maps and other useful information. "I'll see what options I can find for landing zones. Whoever it is though, he'll probably see us coming."
Pvt. Mark Giosso
3rd Bn, 2nd Reg, 1st Co, 8th Plt
Security Systems Master
Communications / Computer and Motion Tracker Operation Expert
Surveillance Equipment Operation Professional

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Whisky
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Re: Turn 6: A Dark Secret Uncovered

Post by Whisky » Wed May 25, 2016 6:09 pm

"On it" Colson responded to his orders. Moving over Sargent he pulled round his med kit as Morse pulled the corpse off.

"Hold still sarge, I'm not known for being gentle." He said as he started to tend to the Sargent's wounds.

As he was concentrating on the job at hand he didn't really hear the rousing speech, not that it would have had much effect.

<Roll Medical Aid.
Pvt. Thomas Colson
2nd Squad - Medic

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pants
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Re: Turn 6: A Dark Secret Uncovered

Post by pants » Wed Jun 01, 2016 11:22 am

Dirk Pitt wrote:Dirk looked around at the room seeing the stressed faces of his fellow Marines look back at him. This was something new for them, but he would trust each of these men and women with his life, and had done just that more times than he could remember.

"Hold up here. We'll wait for orders."
<Tag Terence>
Morse wrote:”Fuck knows, Doorfucker.” Morse replied. ”Watch the door.” He pointed to the vacant door that he had been watching that was now fully breached.
"Hurry up and wait. Aye, aye Corp!" replied Terence as he kept his focus on the door.

<Tag Anybody>

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