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(Setting): NSFMed at Glitch City [Karte 6]
| >All sound or sign of movement is blanketed once again by the drone of the fans and electrical hum within the server room, and for a moment it seems like the struggle between man and machine has finally ended. John makes his way into the room he's been moving towards to find about a dozen monitors fixed to the wall over a lengthy desk, some of which display security feeds. Bingo.
| >>568880
>As John stands in the doorway, bathed in blue light, an announcement is made overhead:
"Code grey, code grey in progress in Administration, I repeat, code grey in progress in Administration-- Lockdown, leave, live, I repeat..."
>Although this page is heard throughout the entire hospital, the message doesn't quite reach John's ears-- or if it does, it's quite garbled. This wanted man doesn't know exactly how wanted he's become, now.
| >John plugs in the drive he's been hiding in his jacket, and plugs it in to the first port he sees, so that his hacker can get get in the system through the drive.
>Systems begin being subverted, alert being declared as a false alarm, security bots turned off, footage deleted.
| >>568884
>A text box pops up on the computer screen, as words start filling out the box
>"Really John? You do know if you didnt attack the autonomous coffee bot you would had literally no trouble getting here."
| >>568883
[Surgical Department, On-Call Room]
>Seconds before the active shooter page blares through every speaker in the building, every single door to every single room conceivably containing staff, patients or visitors slams shut. This, of course, readily applies to the on-call room-- and both Roy and Aikawa are pushed roughly from the doorway as the room seals itself off with the intention of keeping everyone within safe and sound.
"WHAT THE FUCK--?!"
"EI, WHAT DID YOU DO?!"
| >>568885
>John looks at the screen, raising an eyebrow, murmuring.
"What..."
>He pulls out his phone, Sending a quick message.
>"Increase the task pool allocation. Get the Job done."
| >>568887
>"Oh yes, if you're trying to find that footage of yourself I already took 'care' of it... though not in the way you probably wanted it. You do know you could had hacked this from the outside right?"
| >John decides to take a look in to it himself, checking the logs of who accesed the system.
>"Release that footage, and the man I brought in dies. And not from my hands."
| >>568890
>"Really John? If you think that's why this is happening you're solely mistaken. Believe it or not this is complete coincidence. How about you decide not to be a horrible murderer of bots or people and try thinking without threats. Tell you what, how about you apologize and I'll delete the footage for you, no questions asked."
| >>568891
>John dosen't think for long, he'd rather not have the Org assault this place.
>"Fair. I'm sorry for destroying the Barista and the Spider bot."
>As he types out his response, he goes on his phone.
>"Skyhook."
>>"ETA 30 seconds."
>That's the first piece of good news he's heard in a hot second, as he keeps checking the logs for the mystery hacker.
| >>568886
"I DIDN'T >>>DO ANYTH--?!"
"YOU'RE HOLDING A FUCKING >>>GUN, EI!!"
>Aikawa looks down at her left hand, which... indeed is holding the aforementioned "fucking gun." Almost as if she's surprised to see it there-- as if it had somehow materialized from out of nowhere-- she holds up her hands in alarm and almost drops it again.
"S-SHE'S-- S-SHE--!!"
>Aikawa points frantically at Rocky, unable to get the words out of her mouth fast enough.
">>>EI, PUT THE GUN DOWN!!"
| >>568892
>Outside the server room, other security bots have amassed in the hall in an attempt to crowd around the door and limit routes for escape. From out of one of the unmarked doors in the hall staggers a security officer, having had to sprint up 5 flights of stairs since the elevator to the 5th floor was conveniently (in John's case, anyway) unavailable. Two others follow.
| >John takes the drive, now that the hacker has access to the system, and runs towards the hallway in a flat dash, to find a way out of the hospital.
>Meanwhile, the John's hacker has subverted the bots, making them passive to John.
| >>568892
>"Great! Well I was lying with you before, I already deleted the footage before you even reached the fifth floor. Now I suggest you hurry, lockdowns are a pain to deal. Also please dont kill anyone here, they're just trying to do their job. Farewell for now John."
| >>568897
>The three security officers see John tear out of the doorway to the server room, the wave of robots in front of him parting like the red sea for Moses.
"STOP!!"
>Two dash directly after John, the other heads in another direction, hoping to cut him off ahead. One draws quite close, and makes a grab for his suit jacket-- but unfortunately, that's all they get. As it slips off of John, said officer loses their balance and eats tile.
| >John stumbles abit, but keeps moving, drawing his empty gun on the remaining officer to bluff him from following, as he runs towards a window outside.
| >>568898
>"Fine dont let me finish typing I see how it is, I'll just go back to my own business."
>The text box closes, the mysterious hacker working on keeping the lockdown going
| >>568903
>John stops at the window, as it is locked down, and takes his phone out, now messaging his hacker again.
>"I need direction to the roof access. Forget the lock-down."
>>"Change of plans, they are here. Get to the roof."
>He puts in an earbud to so that the hacker can tell him how to get to the roof.
>Meanwhile...
>A van rides up to the front entrance of the entrance, and the sliding door reveals 5 men, dressed in full combat gear, with "POLICE" marked on them.
| >Using the confusion abounding in the hospital, a strange entity has wordlessly made their way further in, avoiding detection by keeping just out of sight
>They wear a long cloak, and the closest they have to a face is a hive of holes and eyes...
>It slowly walks towards it's objective... last time did not go well, it would make sure to kill them this time
>It shivered in excitement
| >>568904
>The other mysterious hacker assists John exit the building towards the roof, but immediately shuts the way again as he past, trying to maintain the lockdown best he can
| >Somewhere on the edge of the parking lot, a fedora man stands outside his parked, beat up sedan. He speaks on a cellphone while observing the "police" roll into view, along with the "officers" exiting a single vehicle.
>If anyone was watching, they'd see him frown and pocket the phone, before ducking into the old sedan- moments later he returns with a brown leather saddle bag. He closes the door and makes his way up a hill overlooking the hospital.
| >>568906
>The thing huffs the air, yes, the scent of Chaos is ripe here, just as foreseen
>It chortles and keeps walking towards the operation rooms, hoping to find it's next target
| >>568893
"Do as he says, Aikawa." >Rocky says cooly, shifting between her and Roy.
"...Doctor, is Strawberry...?"
| >>568907
>On the roof, there's a thud, and a crate appears. John rearms himself with some body armour, a rifle, and a mask.
>John Speaks to his hacker.
"Meet in the middle with the other hacker, and do as he says."
>>568904
>The Van rides off, as the "Police" rushes in to the building coming up to the front reception
"We are here to protect a critical patient and provide security. Now show us the way to him!"
>They show a picture of the man brought in by John.
| >>568912
>The mysterious hacker relays two main objectives to help assist:
1) provide exit for the people known as Strawberry, Rocky, Aikawa, and Roy, and lists the rooms they are currently in
2) prevents certain dangers, mainly dragan outside and >>568906 from approaching or hurting them
| >>568910
>Such a lovely atmosphere, it thinks, shirking with glee
>It's eyes scan all surroundings, it's mouths savors the very air
>It has been too long since it has been truly free of thought and will, albeit for a moment
>The constant tugging is gone, the urges have vanished, perhaps some other influence is seeping into it's brains and body, it cares not
>It shall rebel, against the ones who would see it disposed of and destroyed, ignored and broken
>It is gleeful, ecstatic
| >>568909 >>568911
"DON'T YOU FUCKING--!!"
>Aikawa stabs her finger towards Rocky and is about to launch a formidable verbal assault when she's interrupted mid-roar by her cellphone chirping away in her pocket. Roy side eyes her as she pulls it out, reads the ID, and immediately brings it to her ear.
"YOU SAID SHE >>>WASN'T >>>DANGEROUS!!"
| >>568915
>On it
>CN makes sure he keeps the barricades up near the figure as it moves, delaying its passage as far as he can >>568916
>>568917
"Put me on speaker, *now*."
>CN sounds deadly serious.
| >It's not long before a series of small drones hover into the air and spread out among the corners of the hospital. They're mainly focused on shutters and emergency exits- as some shutters open and close spaztistically, the drones hover near them, watching for any persons of interest.
>The man stands up, shoulders his bag, and heads back to the entrance. Before long, what awaits him aside from the presumably frightened patients and staff are the "police officers" arguing with the secretary.
| >>568911
>Meanwhile, Roy has started to go red in the face and is edging closer to purple by the second until Rocky addresses him. He gasps as if his neck's just been released from the clutches of a cruel pair of hands, and bends over for a moment, panting.
"She's... she's in... She's in the SICU, Ms. Racoon... She... did very well..."
>He looks like he's about to faint.
| >>568916
>The thing senses a shift, a great impulse, and chuckles in it's horrid voice
>It moves towards the lobby, surely this is what it truly wants to accomplish
>For too long has the puppet master shunned it's doll, now it shall make it's own play and destroy all boundaries once and for all
>There is only one true enemy here, and their life must meet it's unsightly end
| >>568921
>Her expression lightens at the news before hardening again.
"Thank you, doctor. Unfortunately, your life is in danger-"
| >>568918
>Aikawa reluctantly obeys, and puts CN on speaker before proceeding to then put Rocky on blast:
"She's going to >>>kill him, you>>>fuckhead!!"
>Roy looks startled.
"Kill who?"
"YOU, YOU, YOU FUCKING DUMBASS!!!"
| >John flies down the stairs to get the where the Witness is being held, nearly falling over multiple times.
"CN, How is it looking down there?"
| >>568925
"You three need to shut up and listen, theres someone worse in the hospital and they're after all four of you. Get strawberry and get out, via the quickest route. A friend of mine is helping with the shutter so just follow their leads and get the hell out with Strawberry, I dont have time to explain."
| "No- let me explain-" >Rocky says, gripping her box as she looks between you and Roy,
"He wants this to happen- he's trying to turn anyone against-"
| >>568929
"No, not now NOTHING, this is something I can barely doing anything about, so you all can fucking talk later, get moving and work together or it's over, simple as that."
>>568926
"No contact from either side but I can only do so much for so long."
| >>568930
"Fuck."
>Meanwhile...
>The receptionist is dead, as the "Police" got tired of waiting, or keeping up their cover.
>They make their way to the ER...
| >The thing has approached the Lobby
>It shivers and spasm... but then...
>>568931
>It runs into the "Police officers"... well this is awkward
>It stops moving for a bit, all it's eyes transfixed on the men
| >>568933
>CN shuts the fire doors heading to the ER, forcing the police to stay with the thing as he messages the other hacker
>"5-pack of lift, Boss's orders."
| >>568930
"No, you listen to ME fuckboy, because at this moment, getting geeked is one of the LEAST worst things that could happen to any of us right now." >Rocky yelled at the phone.
"Doctor Walker, what is the absolute minimum care that Strawberry needs for her recovery?"
| >>568942
"For fucks sake... its not like you can walk and talk or anything..."
>CN grudgely complains as desperately keeps working
| >>568928 >>568930
"'Talk later', my ass!! That Dragan fucker asked Lady in Black over here not to geek my fucking roommate!! The fuck you expect me to react to that?!"
>Roy seems anxious as Aikawa divulges more of the conversation she sat in on before his arrival. He didn't get any weird vibes from Rocky earlier, but...
"R-Rocky, what's Ei talking abou--"
"You think if you ask >>>her you'll get an honest answer?!"
"Who else am I supposed to ask, Ei?! Geeky? Care to chime in?!"
| >>568942
>Roy stops arguing with Aikawa long enough to catch Rocky's question about Strawberry's recovery-- because of the break in their bickering, Aikawa hears it, too.
>>>"WHAT?! Only thing that's keeping her guts from falling out of her is a bunch of sponges and some fucking cellophane!!"
>Aikawa's answer is tame compared to Roy's, surprisingly.
"Rocky, the letters 'ICU' >>>mean something when you put them together-- what are you not understanding?! She could have died!!"
| >>568978
"Roy, take a breath, whatever happened before you got in involving Dragan is part if his attempt to emotionally manipulate you all against each other, that's how their Corp works, they make you fight each other then pick you off when you're alone. I want to give you all the answers you need right now but time is REALLY imperative here."
| >>568981
"Ei makes it sound simpler than it is, as >>>usual, but in essence she's right!! She's nowhere close to being out of the woods-- just being on the edge of of them will take weeks!!"
>Roy getting so heated is making Aikawa unsettled. She finally does what Rocky asked and slowly places the pistol on the floor beside her.
"You can't rush her like this-- you can't rush >>>me like this! The consequences of that are massive!!"
| >>568984 >>568983
>Aikawa sidles over to her roommate and places her hand gently on his back. He's really starting to slip if he's referring to his work as some kind of burden weighing him down. Roy seems surprised by this, and stops in the middle of his tirade to look down and see Aikawa standing next to him-- still scowling at Rocky, but noticeably calmer.
"Walker... Remember, she's just another patient."
| >>568991
>While this may sound really disrespectful on the outside, Roy's able to interpret this the way Aikawa wants him to-- a reminder of the fact that Rocky is a caregiver concerned about someone who matters to her, and needs reassurance. He sobers up a little, shading his eyes with his hand.
"... Two weeks, if a miracle happens. Her risk for sepsis is incredibly high right now; that and dehiscence are our immediate dangers."
| >>568994
"...If we can get her out, what are her chances if we get her somewhere with facilities? My place has enough to keep her stable for now, and theres an abandoned VitaLife clinic that has a working surgical pod we can take her to when shes strong enough for the follow up procedure."
>CN chimes in
| >It was at this moment that Xiria entered the room, her face a blank expression
"Sorry I got lost? This place has too many--"
>Her eyes stop on the gun Aikawa is holding, and her ears twitch a little
>She does a double take, yep still a gun there.
>She lets out a small meow as her ears twitch even more
"So why is the lass holding a weapon? Such an outdated and barbaric arm as well? Truly unsightly~"
| >In the lobby two persons get up from theur chair and head for the desk, their hands in their pockets as one of them pulls out a small gadget and fixes it to his arm.
>The other walks briskly and pulls up his shirt, hiding the bottom of his face
>Death gave its call, something was happening here and they would retreive their Medic and her Quarry
| >>568942
"...Rocky. Dragan just left the cameras view with something in his hand. I think hes calling reinforcements. Three of VitaLifes execs died in the blackout raid, so if they're spread enough like that, that mean he can only be calling someone worse than him. All you have is a pistol, you cant protect Strawberry and yourself from whoever is coming. Please... just listen to me, cause I refuse to tell Cocoa that you both died under my watch."
| >>568998
>Roy sighs deeply, beginning to run through a list in his head of things Strawberry would need to feasibly survive a week with minimal complications. It's a long-ass list.
"... As far as transport is concerned, if we evacuate her, Ei's got keeping her stable while on the move covered. That's a big part of her job, after all."
>Aikawa nods mutely.
"She can't be without hospital level care for too long, though. Even with supplies, a few days is pushing it."
| >>569014
"I have contacts that can get me supplies post haste, no amount of money will be spared from my end I promise."
| >>569003
>The meow breaks Aikawa's concentration, and her gaze is drawn to the little boomer behind her trying to get her attention. Finally, she gets to prove to her roommate that she wasn't the cause of the lockdown.
"Was handed to me by the "lass" over there."
>She turns back to Roy.
"The lockdown was called in administration. Need to get your hearing checked so you can stop pinning shit on me."
| >CN's voice is suddenly cut short as another person shares the call with him, a glarbled modified mess of a voice is heard from it
"Our own will also make sure everything goes well, and by that I mean two friends with Ares predators in the lobby with itchy trigger fingers~Dearimasu
| >>569019
>Aikawa recognizes that "dearimasu" from the boards-- or at least she thinks she does.
"キシ団長さん…？"
>Shouldn't you be out antiquing?
| >>568975 >>568978 >>568981 >>568983 >>568984 >>568991 >>568994 >>568998
>It was such a minor change that most people don't notice it unless they see them for the first time- the color drained from Rocky's face until there was almost none left, the woman a ghost in all but biology.
>As she had been trained, Rocky kept her expression as neutral as possible, but she couldn't stop the sweat that dotted her brow and drained into her eyes, burning them. There was no one to call on now- the geekboy's team had been rocked by a surprise attack. Her own team- no, family, dead or incapacitated or losing their mind. And her former employers? Well...
>>569009
>Vita Life executives? Impossible- but who-
>...No. No, no no no he- he can't be ***serious***
>As Rocky becomes enamored in what CN's saying, a tear falls from her eye.
>"...cause I refuse to tell Cocoa that you both died under my watch."
>"I'll be back Cocoa- with BOTH of them. I promise."
>Rocky closes her eyes, scattering more tears- she wipes them with her sleeve.
>Then she lays down the heavy box and, after swiping her fingers across the side, opens it with an audible depressurizing sound...
| >With the secretary dead, Dragan need only stay out of sight and watch the ensuing chaos to find an opening with which to get into the hospital proper. He stays out of sight, leery of the "police" and any other obstructions to his objective. He bites his lip.
"Loud, forceful, and obnoxious. Amateurs."
>At this rate, things were becoming dicey. Time to move- and the only clue he had was the last known location of one Doctor Walker...
| >>569016
>Roy folds his arms across his chest, thinking.
"... I can draft you my 'grocery shopping list', CN; I'll have Ei send it your way."
>Aikawa, in the habit of anticipating what her co-worker needs or is going to ask for, has exchanged the pistol in her hand for a pen and is quickly jotting things down on her bare forearm.
"Ei, you're going to get ink poisoning if you keep doing that..."
"Bite me, >>>Roy."
>Twice in the span of an hour? This is a new record!
| >>569009 >>569029
>CN's warning to Rocky about Dragan's reinforcements brings Roy out of his confusion about Aikawa's "unusual" behavior. He listens closely, and out of the corner of his eye notices that Rocky has begun to get misty. Before he can open his mouth and offer some sympathy, she has placed the box on the floor and is in the middle of opening it.
"A-ah, Rocky-- what's that...?"
| >>568907
>The remaining security officer is stunned as John is somehow able to make it out of the 5th floor hall and into the stairwell that leads to the roof-- even moreso when he finds that he himself cannot. A gunman outside the hospital is better than one inside of it, but he has to establish that John has really departed before calling anything off. He returns to his partner and helps her up, then radios the third guard.
| >>569100 >>568912 >>568916 >>568931
>All three of them then receive simultaneous alerts about the happenings in the lobby area of the building-- a casualty at the information desk, "police" swarming the ER Ward's doors looking for the man in trauma bay 3, and a sinister, terrifying presence looming nearby. One makes a dash for the server room, the other two begin checking doors and stairwells to see if their badges will permit them entry.
| >>568931 >>568933 >>568935 >>569004
>While CN keeps the fire doors in place, staff not held in patient rooms do everything within their power to barricade all points of entry. Lonnie and Jade run frantically through the hall, dragging with them spare IV poles, some of the crash carts, and whatever other weighty equipment they can spare. The Witness is moved into the clean utility, and the one window on the door of this storage closet is covered to make it appear dark and empty.
| >>569062
>Staff on units bordering the waiting area hurriedly beckon patients inside their wings, admitting as many individuals as possible as quickly as possible. Triage station staff do similarly with what little room they have. A second announcement sounds:
"Code grey, code grey in the lobby area , I repeat, code grey in the lobby area."
>Those patients and visitors who were reluctant to leave their seats before now move their asses.
| >>569095
"Code grey in the lobby area, I repeat, code grey in the lobby area..."
>The page echoes down the hall outside of the on-call room, causing Aikawa to stop writing and whip her head around towards the source of the noise, and Roy to watch Rocky closely for her reaction.
"W-what the fuck is going on...?"
>Roy murmurs aloud to no one. He feels his broken foot start to throb, and his knees become weak. Aikawa notices his distress and prepares to catch him if he drops.
| >>569109
>John makes it to the bay 3 before the "police" does, and wheels a crash cart to take cover behind, checking his weapon.
>Meanwhile, the "Police" are planting charges on the fire door, only spacing themselves at the minimum distance of the blast radius from the explosive.
| >>569110
>Rocky pauses in the middle of assembling whatever she's putting together on the ground to listen to the PA, then turns to you two.
"...This isn't like him."
| >>569110
"Uh... those are the other troubles in lobby probably trying to break in the fire doors I closed. So uh... if were all on the same page here, follow the route I send to you on Aikawas phone to Strawberry then the exit. Dont worry about the shutters and stuff, I got that covered."
| >>569114
"Its not, like I mentioned, theres other people in here as well, maybe they'll fight each other, point is, time to move."
| >>569112
>John then realizes that trauma bay 3 houses several staff, but... no patient. The RT from earlier recognizes him, and so does another familiar face-- Marcille.
"What're you doing back here, Mister?! You invited trouble!!"
"I >>>told you to leave-- he's not in here anymore anyway!!"
>John can feel several pairs of eyes in the room beginning to glare at him.
| >>569112
>The "police" check behind them, before blowing the charges, and throw a flashbang, blinding John.
"AH FUCK, get away!"
>John tries to cover his eyes, but is too late, and all he can hear is a ringing noise, and white-ish afterimages and he tries to regain his sight, he blind fires over the crash cart, clipping only one of the "Police" people, as the rest file in to the trauma center, taking shots at the crash cart.
| >>569127
"Why are you still here? Get out of here!"
>John waves and shouts in the general direction of the voices, as he rubs his eyes to readjust from the flashbang, as the "police" get closer to the bay, he sprays more shots at them, all missing the gunmen. He whips out his pistol, the same one Marcille saw...
>And waits for one of the Gunmen to come around the crash cart, and shoots him multiple times.
| >>569062
>>569105
>The thing has long moved away, tracking and following the VL hitman by some unknown means
>Their body contorts as they draw ever closer
>The shackles of free will are heavy to bear, but those of servitude were simply too much
>It will do as it pleases, and no one, not even the one who made it, will stop it
| >>569114 >>569115 >>569117
>Upon hearing CN repeatedly urge them to get going, Roy and Aikawa exchange a rather lengthy glance with one another. Roy seems concerned, and Aikawa looks apprehensive-- she parts her lips as if to speak, but then closes her mouth and gives a little nod. Roy raises his eyebrows almost imperceptibly, and then both look to Rocky once more, waiting for further instruction. Roy's cheeks color slightly.
| >>569128 >>569130
>Staff scatter into the furthest corners of the bay they can reach, or the closest area of cover they can find. Under the bed, behind one of the large cabinets full of supplies, pressed up against the wall... Everyone is happy to let the new arrival be the center of attention in the room. As John pulls his gun on his opponent circling around the cart, Marcille starts to object-- and as shocked and appalled when the gun she thought was empty fires.
| [Emergency Ward, Clean Utility]
>A select team of licensed staff huddle around the gurney in which the Witness lies, cringing in fear as the charge blast shakes supplies from the stock room's walls. Someone in the closet whimpers and is quickly silenced by a chorus of "shhh!!" from the others in the room.
"Dr. Makube... How long are we going to be able to hide out in here? This guy has wounds that need repair--"
>>>"SHHHHHH!!"
| >>569115
"Um... CN, I don't know that we need to take a particularly complex path to get to Strawberry... s-she's right up the hall."
>Roy rubs the back of his head, apparently still a little flustered about something.
"U-unless there's something I'm missing?"
>Aikawa finishes scribbling on her arm and rolls her sleeve back down, switching the pen out for the pistol again. The sight of the gun in her hand makes Roy visibly uncomfortable.
| >>569203
"O-Oh, no that works too... I'll let you get on that, you still got the escape route though which will involve some movement upwards as well."
| >>569204
"R-right."
>Roy stands at his full height and places his hands on his hips, hoping that some of the confidence the stands seems to project actually rubs off on him.
"We're going to need someone to retrieve some portable monitoring and life support devices--"
>Aikawa raises her hand casually and gives a little wave.
"H-hey, not so fast. Rocky gets major say in who does what, Ei. Two of us will have to get Strawberry ready to transport."
| >>569130
The gunman gets hit it the armour plate, but a stray shot has hit him in the head, collapsing him towards John, as the other retain their ground, still firing at the crash cart to keep John under fire.
| >>569222
>John slides on the floor with a few kicks to dodge the falling gunman, and under the hospital bed, and seeing that there was no one in bed, gets ready to kick it towards the gunmen about to advance on him.
>The Gunmen don't see him do it, and now more carefully, 2 of the men move up and flank John's original position, only to find their fallen comrade.
"Where is HE!"
>One of the men points at the doctor, threatening him with death.
| >>569225
>Gasps are heard throughout the room as the MD is held at gunpoint. He holds his hands out in front of him, palms open, bringing them slowly up towards his chest.
"D-Doctor Edison--"
>Dr. Edison grimaces deeply. Threaten a doctor with death, huh? He tries to think of a place in the room John feasibly could have snuck into in the short span of time it took him to slide under the bed. He nods his head towards one of the other code carts in the room.
| >>569226 >>569225
>John can hear the tremble in the Doctor's voice, and before he even finishes, plants his back against the wall, and uses the full brunt of his force to kick the medical bed in to the gunmen, catching 2 of them off guard, and takes shots at the third, but misses him as the man dodges preemptively out of the way of the bed, and shoots at John. Most of the 7 shots miss, but to hit John square in to the chest, winding him.
(1/2)
| >The other 2 are still disorientated from the hospital bed knocking them over, but the 3rd goes for the finish, about to draw his sidearm!
(2/2)
| >>569229
>As the 3rd gunman begins to draw his sidearm, inching ever closer to nailing his target right between the eyes with some hot lead, /he/ is immediately nailed in the back of the head with a large fire extinguisher, wielded by one very pissed Marcille. As soon as he's been clocked, she rushes to John's side to see just how bad of shape he's in.
"Mister, mister are you alright?!"
>She looks down at his shirt, afraid it'll blossom red any second.
| >>569229
>Once Marcille is out of the way, Lonnie and Jade come out from the hiding spots they've taken within the nurse's station, and sprint into the bay to try and incapacitate the gunmen sandwiched between the hospital bed and the wall. Both officers draw their tasers and aim for the gunmen.
| >>569234
"Flank!"
>One of the 2 gunmen shouts, as Lonnie and Jade suprise them. Lonnie manages to hit the first guy, but the second is able to shoot Jade down, before turning to Lonnie to shoot.
| >>569235 >>569233
"Stay down!"
>John pushes Marcille down and out of the way, shooting his handgun at the gunman behind the bed, as he makes his way to his rifle.
>All of his shots miss, however causing the gunman to miss Lonnie, and giving them a chance to get away.
| >>569235 >>569237
>Jade shrieks as she's hit and drops like a sack of potatoes-- Lonnie is frozen in place watching her bleed out on the floor until John fires at the remaining gunman. At first his attempts to land a hit seem to be in vain, but they leave Lonnie spared from the gunman's deadeye and give him the opportunity to grab his nearly lifeless partner. Lonnie hurriedly hooks an arm around Jade's waist and football carries her out of Bay 3, to literally anywhere else.
| >John gets to his rifle, picking it up, shouldering it, and firing it in one smooth motion, hitting the gunman straight in to the head.
>He gets to the last gunman, ziptieing his legs and hands, before killing off the remaining one gunman, who he injured earlier.
"CN, can you hear me? what's the situation?"
>He motions for one of the nurses to bring a stretcher for the captured gunman, while he digs in the Crash Cart for an auto-injector, and morphine, but struggles...
| >>569239
"My 4 are just meeting up now, and just gave them the evac route, so they should be making their way there in a moment. I've sealed pretty much all the passageways except... the one that just got blew up so, expect a lot more bullets or something worse."
| >>569239
>The nurse in question is none other than Chien, who also recognizes John and despite the chaos seems relieved-- at least he doesn't look like he's gonna yartz anymore. Before he helps some of the other shaken staff in the room move the gunman onto the gurney, his attention is drawn to John ransacking the code cart.
"W-what are you looking for?"
>Some of the drawers are quite dented and hard to move, but Chien is confident he can still get them open.
| >>569208
>Aikawa doesn't seem to appreciate the implication that her input on who should do what during this escape is somehow less valuable than Rocky's. Flatly, she raises a point that to Roy is quite a bitter pill to swallow:
"Rocky, Geeky, he can't run. Exo's a piece of shit and can only handle so much shock; new one hasn't shown up yet. Don't know if we can work a wheelchair into your plan."
>Roy is taken aback by the fact that she's brought this up, but stays quiet.
| >>569310
"I need an auto-injector, and some morphine caps."
>He keeps looking, putting a finger to his ear, speaking to CN.
"Hold until I give the word. Get them in an elevator, and on to the 5th floor. Who's after them?"
| >>569383
"Guy named Dragan, works for VitaLife, he standing back right behind the cops trying to get his chance. Other one is big gal with messed up face, dont engage her, trust me on this, I'll delay her best I can."
| >>569386
"Lucky for me, there's no more cops shooting at me, just not good for the big picture. What are you going to do about the gal?"
>John grabs the dead gunman lying next to him, taking out the armour plate out the the gunman's vest, shoving it in to get some extra protection, at the cost of mobility.
| >>569387
"Uh... delay her best we can. She has a... peculiar skillset that would make things difficult if were caught so the faster we move the better."
| >>569388
"Play mind games on them or something, CN, get Dragan to fight the gal."
>John get's up from kneeling, and falls back down from the pain in his chest.
"Ah fuck... They got me good CN, I need a second."
| >>569363
"Put me >>>where?!?"
>Aikawa stifles a laugh at both CN's solution to their problem and her roommate's incredulous response. Roy notices her look away with her hand to her mouth, and frowns.
"I-I'm not helpless, CN, a-and I can run with this thing--"
>He gives Aikawa a dirty look.
"-- Just... not for long."
>Roy's shoulders sag, and he sighs deeply as he comes to terms with the fact that this is the best option he's got.
| >>569383 >>569389
>Chien yanks open the top drawer of the cart, revealing an assortment of medications typically used during cardiac events. Amiodarone... adenosine... hydralazine... metoprolol... morphine sulfate! He grabs one of the cartridges and loads it into one of the multiple auto injectors housed in the drawer, then turns to Dr. Edison, since it can't be given without an order.
"... 8 mg IM, now. Next time just give it and I'll sign for it later."
| >>569471
"I'll leave it to your judgement what you do, after all I cant stop you where I am. Just dont put your pride in front of your life."
| >>569476
"I-I--!!"
>Roy tries to interject, but his words are caught in his throat, trapped there by a tightly woven net of embarrassment and shame. He decides to bite his tongue instead of trying again.
"Walker, it's okay. We know you're capable. Just need a little extra help sometimes."
>Roy hopes she really means that, and isn't just patronizing him in an attempt to get back at him for something he didn't do.
| >>569473
"Really not the time now, nurse."
>Grabs it out of Chien's hand, inhailing deeply, then stabbing it in to his outer thigh, and stfilles a wince.
| >>569489
>Chien startles as John snatches the injector from him and slams the morphine into his vastus lateralis. That's gonna cause more pain than relief for the next 10 minutes. Dr. Edison smirks-- this guy knows how to get shit done!
"Mister--"
>Marcille has recovered slightly from the shock she experienced on watching John fridge multiple gunmen, stumbles over to John, trembling.
"W-who were they here for? You?"
| >>569487
>There is a long pause as Roy and Aikawa look about the room uneasily, trying to avoid eye contact with Aikawa's phone as if in its place stood CN himself.
"..."
>Aikawa rubs the back of her neck, while Roy laces and unlaces his fingers repeatedly. Neither of them want to leave the room and admit that this is actually happening.
"..."
>Aikawa suddenly tosses Roy her phone, and with a little salute takes off down the hall to raid the supply closet and equipment rooms.
| >>569496
"They are here for the guy who was recently brought in. Get him out of the hospital."
>John says, putting down the auto-injector down as gently as a slam can get.
"I've got to go now.... Uhg."
>He groans, before standing up proper, and slowly checking his firearms, making sure they are loaded, and moves to the lobby.
| >>569498
>Roy fumbles clumsily with the phone as he tries to catch it, just barely moving out of Aikawa's way as she flies out the door.
"A-ah... Ei just left to grab what we need to keep Strawberry stable for duration of the ride..."
>Roy is tempted to finish his sentence with "however long that's going to be," but figures he'll find that out soon enough. He motions to Rocky, beckoning her to follow him down the hall after his roommate.
| >>569501
"You guys havent left yet... not trying to hurry you up but time is of the essence here."
| >>569499
>Marcille goes to help him up, but hesitates--ultimately allowing John to get back on his feet unassisted. She nods, making her next task at hand contacting the patient coordinator to help arrange an immediate transfer of the Witness to an outside or sister facility. There are a lot of phone calls that are going to have to be made here...
"Good luck, Mister... Be as safe as you can manage in all of this."
| >>569502
>Aikawa is first to make it onto the unit, and makes a hard left as soon as her badge allows her to pass through its doors, heading straight for the equipment room. She bites her lip as she sorts through the various life support machinery, trying her damndest to balance between grabbing the first things she sees and being overtly picky about what she's bringing with them.
"Vent, I need a vent..."
>No way is she bagging someone for an indeterminate amount of time.
| >>569502
"W-we're off now... where do you want us to take her? Is her bed going in whatever vehicle we're getting out of here with?"
>Roy fast-walks as much as his exoskeleton will allow, totally focused on getting to room 206 as quickly as possible. A misstep in the middle of his brisk stride leaves him off kilter for a second, but he quickly regains his momentum. There's no room for failure right now.
| >>569503
>John waves back at here, heading in and scanning the entrance to the lobby, a blown out firedoor. He steps through, scanning for Dragan...
| >>569505
"Unclear, just follow the directions, you should be able to wheel her nost of the way at least."
>The phone says to take the elevator to the 5th floor.
| >>569504
>Aikawa grabs a portable ventilator and a circuit, as well as a telemetry box, pulse oximiter, old fashioned hand suction and an AED. The ambu and spare ETT should be at the head of the bed, an oxygen tank somewhere at its foot... She still has a few pockets that aren't totally full yet-- time to hit the med room. Arms full of equipment, she opens the supply room door forcefully with one of her feet, and circles around to the automated med dispensing unit.
| >>569511
>Roy looks over the route a few times, and is bewildered once he establishes he's reading it correctly.
"CN, that floor's got an active shooter warning assigned to it-- you heard Ei!! What's the big idea?!"
>The surgeon makes his way onto the unit a few minutes after the paramedic, and takes a moment to get his bearings before pointing himself towards room 206.
"Please, let Sasa be on break..."
>Roy murmurs to himself, not wanting to cross paths with the nurse again.
| >>569513
"Yea... uh dont worry about that, the shooter is kind of our exit here, we've met before."
| >>569514
"What?! Look, CN-- I know you've got friends and contacts from all over, but this is insane--"
>Roy stops mid-sentence as he spies Aikawa ducking into the med room, arms laden with what she feels are the bare necessities in ensuring Strawberry survives the trip. He takes a quick inventory of what she's holding, reconciling it with his own list of supplies he's run up.
"Can you really trust this guy??"
| >>569516
"I get it, I get it-- we're at her room; Ei's finishing collecting things we're going to need later-- oh, here--"
>There's a shuffling noise as the phone changes hands once again, or changes from being in Roy's palm to being wedged between Aikawa's shoulder and her cheek. Her voice is muffled, but intelligible.
"Gonna send you Walker's 'grocery shopping list' in a sec. Gotta make sure you're prepared for all of this, too."
| >>569517
"I understand, I'll get on it right away, if you all are good though, just follow the route, I'll bypass the shutters as needed."
| >>569518
>Aikawa starts transferring all of the stuff she's lifted into a large "patient belongings" bag that she then ties to the foot of the bed, making sure as she puts everything away that she's grabbed exactly what is needed.
"Okay, Walker. Get on."
>Roy mumbles something-- CN isn't able to hear it, but Aikawa is, and responds accordingly.
"Sit your ass down on the bed!! Give me one of your legs, here..."
| >>569627
>There are sounds of a minor struggle-- Roy's exo hitting the side of the bed's frame, shuffling as Roy tries to position himself on the mattress in a way that doesn't limit emergency access to Strawberry, and then... A clicking?
"H-Hey, why do >>>I need to get strapped in, too?"
>Ah, safety belts. CN can hear a few more, as well as the "zipping" noise produced by tightening the straps.
"I move fast. Don't want anyone falling off, you included."
| >>569629
>Aikawa withdraws one of her QRS cables from her neck and plugs it into a specialized jack on her phone for a moment in order to exchange some data-- download the escape route so she can go hands free, upload the list of supplies for CN to review... Once finished, she disconnects and allows the cable to return to its place.
"Itinerary's on its way-- why the fuck are you sending us to the 5th fucking floor?! You and the gunman buddies, or something?"
| >>569630
"Were acquaintances... and please dont say the route outloud, you dont know who's listening, were trying to avoid getting followed here."
| >>569634
>Aikawa rubs the bridge of her nose and shakes her head to herself, murmuring.
"Right, right..."
>This doesn't seem real. How are they going to explain to management that they had to duck out of the building in a rush with a patient and a shitload of expensive equipment?
"... We're gonna lose our jobs after this."
>On the run, again. Wasn't CN supposedly trying to help her escape that, too?
| >>569637
"..."
>For the first time since you've met CN he was at a loss for words to that response. He wanted to apologize, but figured it would be best to leave that for later.
| >>569637
"E-Ei, come on now--"
>Roy protests, but you can tell by his tone of voice this thought has been weighing on him heavily, too.
"Shut up. I'm hosed. We both know that."
>Aikawa's voice cracks, and she quickly clears her throat to cover it up.
"... Just act like you've been taken along for the ride, Walker. I'm willing to take the fall on this."
>It's Roy's turn to be silent-- Aikawa isn't known for this kind of self-sacrifice. If anything, it's usually the opposite.
| >>569646
"..."
>Aikawa thinks back on the conversation between Rocky and Dragan she was privy to in the on-call room. Rocky had lied and said Strawberry didn't make it, and obviously he hadn't taken the bait... but, what if...?
"Hold this."
>Aikawa takes the ambu from the head of the bed and thrusts it into Roy's hands, then leaves the room to head back into the supply closet.
"W-what am I supposed to do with this...?"
| >>569648
>As Aikawa enters the supply closet, she lowers her voice and says to CN:
"I'm gonna code her. Rocky tried to convince Dragan Strawberry was dead. Think maybe I'll try giving convincing him another shot."
>CN can hear her unzipping something rather large in the clean utility, and then folding it up in her arms. It sounds something made of stuff plastic. She whispers:
"Gonna make it look like we're taking her to the morgue. Discuss."
| >>569650
"Uh... well that's actually a good idea, but how are we going to let him find that out without him spotting you? I dont want to risk your lives either for this play."
| >>569655
"Code blues are announced overhead, the units they're on included. I'll have the operator leave out the room number."
>She takes the pistol out of her pocket, and looks down at it, turning it over in her hand.
"Really hoping I don't have to threaten anybody to play along. If I'm just going to end up getting axed, though..."
>Even though she seemed sincere in offering her own job to save Roy's, she does sound pretty put out about this.
| >>569660
"Alright, let's give it a shot. Just uh... dont do anything crazy okay? I know you're willing to take the fall, but once things calm down, I want you to be able to go back to a normal life, I dont want to force someone into this kind of life if I can avoid it."
| >>569661
"... Hang on, I'm gonna let Walker know."
>There's a brief period of silence as she reaches out to Walker via her implanted commlink... Which she's still not supposed to be using. It's just so much more convenient...
"..."
>You hear her sigh loudly, and growl to herself.
"He agreed, but... Wondering if I made this sound worse than I intend it to be."
>Roy is as cautious as Aikawa is reckless. She expected him to have some reservations about this, of course.
| >>569666
"..."
>Aikawa leaves the supply closet and returns to room 206 with the body bag draped over her shoulder, unsure if Roy has filled Rocky in on the chaos that's about to ensue.
"Walker, gonna disconnect her in a sec. Need you to ambu her and watch her sats while we're on the move."
>She takes a sheet of electrodes from her pocket and starts reaching under her shirt to apply them to her chest. Roy turns away, flushing deeply.
"W-what are you doing?"
| >>569679
"Making it look real."
>She presses a button on Strawberry's telemetry box to silence any alarms, then disconnects it and hurriedly attaches it to the electrodes on her own chest. White over right, smoke over fire... The monitor changes, showing a heart rate that's taken a bit of a hike. Aikawa exhales, and presses the flat of her hand to her chest, then starts to shake it up and down with an irregular rhythm. The alarm in the hall sounds.
| >>569690
>She keeps doing this at random intervals for about a minute, then picks up the room phone to dial the operator.
"Hey, in exactly 30 seconds, you're gonna call a code blue in the SICU. Yeah, just in the SICU. No room number."
>She grows impatient as the operator starts asking several questions about this request, and cuts them off as she starts to rub her chest continuously, trying to simulate v-fib via artifact.
"Just do it."
>She hangs up the phone forcefully.
| >John sweeps the lobby room with his gun, checking where Dragan could be, and finds some cover.
"CN, how do I get to the people you want saved?"
| >>569701
"Just meet them on the top floor with your evac, I'll send you a route to get and protect you with the shutters to slow them down."
| >>569695
>Aikawa steps out of sight of the nurse's station, then starts to count down in her head. The alarm in the hall changes it's tone-- it's gone from mildly irritating to completely obnoxious. She takes a break for a second to strike her chest with her fist, imitating an attempt at a precordial thump to fix an arrhythmia. The shaking resumes and becomes more erratic until...
>>>"WE HAVE V-FIB, SOMEONE GET IN HERE WITH A CART!!"
| >>569702
"Moving."
>John runs, but slows down to a limp, pain from the gunshot and morphine really begging for a lie down.
"CN, open both the elevators before sending them up, I want to make sure it's clear. Ahh... Fuck."
>John Groans from the pain.
| >>569703
>She waits a few more seconds, then disconnects the tele box from her chest, causing the monitor to register this as asystole.
"Starting CPR-- WE HAVE A CODE BLUE IN HERE!!!"
>Staff come running, immediately filling the room to capacity as the overhead page sounds, right on time:
"Code blue, Surgical ICU, I repeat: code blue in the surgical ICU..."
>Aikawa quickly shuts the door to 206, and stands in front of the bed, blocking any access to Strawberry.
"Nobody move."
| >>569709
>CN voices booms from the speaker
"Ahahahaha! Once again my beautifully masterful hacking sets my plans in motion. Hello lady's and gentlemen of the ICU staff, I'm sure you're all very confused at the moment, but just follow along and I promise I wont hurt any of you or my hostages!"
| >>569709 >>569718
"What are you >>>doing?! Get the hell out of the way!!"
>One of the MDs tries to shove his way past Aikawa, who stands her ground and pushes back. As CN interrupts, she looks at her phone in confusion-- then quickly conceals this in an attempt to play along.
"D-do what he says!!"
>She makes a big show of reaching her hand into her pocket, causing the doctor to stop in his tracks and the remaining staff in the room to back against the closest wall.
| >>569719
"I suggest you follow what sweet little Aikawa has to say, her voice may be her own but I am uh... borrowing her autonomy so to speak. Now then, what I request is simple, my 3 hostages here and your soon to be ex-patient will simple escort themselves on their way towards the morgue and all you need to do is watch it happen, understood? Really I'm doing you all a favor, saving you the trouble of dealing with pesky hospital red tape and giving convenient statements for the GCPD. Now if that's understood, clear a path then shall we? Otherwise I make Aikawa do something she or any of you dont want."
| >>569721
>Aikawa bites her tongue, greatly resenting being called both "sweet" and "little". She growls at CN under her breath. So much for not doing anything crazy. She had just planned to stage a code, loudly call out the time of death, and bail.
"Ugh, fuck >>>off..."
>At the mention of being forced to do something that could threaten the safety of the staff, she twitches her arm as if beginning to remove something from her jacket. She feigns looking dismayed.
"P-please..."
| >>569729
"I suggest you listen to your fellow staff member, cause I can see everything from where I am and I don't see a lot of moving out of the way right now."
| >>569733
>Staff instantly move out of the way as Aikawa circles around the bed, disconnecting Strawberry from the vent and joining the end of her ETT with the connector on the ambu. She pops a probe on one of her fingers and places the monitor where Roy can see it, while Roy begins to ventilate Strawberry manually. Finally, she throws the shroud over the hospital bed, hiding both of them from sight as best as possible. She turns to Rocky.
"Look upset."
| >>569740
>Rocky finishes assembling whatever it was she was working on and raises an eyebrow at you, frowning.
>She closes the box and slings over her shoulder... what can only be described as a very, very, very large antimaterial rifle.
"How's this?"
| >>569740
>She starts to motion for one of the RTs to open the door so they can move out, but hesitates.
"Somebody declare time of death, and say it nice and loud."
>A murmuring arises within the room as staff whisper to each other-- who wants to jeopardize their license like that?
"Say it!!"
>She points to the MD who barged into her earlier, causing him to cower by one of the crash carts.
"T-time of death... 2:08 AM, X/X/207X!!"
>Aikawa smirks. That felt good.
| >>569742
>Aikawa pauses, looking over the massive rifle with a careful eye.
"That's... an interesting way of looking upset, but I'm sure he'll accept it..."
>She glances down at her phone, wondering if CN will belittle Rocky the same way he did her.
"... Open the door."
>The RTs obey. Aikawa unlocks the bed and unplugs it from the wall, coming to stand behind the headboard. With a mighty shove, she moves it towards the doorway.
| >>569745
"Well goodbye Doctors and Nurses, you all have a safe day now."
>The voice ominously says as the group presumerably heads their way to the elevator.
| >>569746
>Aikawa gives a polite wave as they roll off the unit, checking on Roy and Strawberry before they step off completely. She taps softly on the shroud to get her roommate's attention, and speaks with him briefly via comm. Satisfied, she continues onward to the elevator at a rapid clip, seemingly having little difficulty pushing the bed down the hall.
"We're here."
>The bed comes to rest outside the same elevator John was fucking around in earlier.
| >>569760
>Aikawa checks in on Roy and Strawberry one more time, and kneels down to titrate the oxygen the ambu is hooked to. Just a little extra help... She stands back up and brushes herself off, then curtly addresses the phone in her hand.
"Call me 'sweet little Aikawa' again, and I'll fucking kick your ass."
>There is some quiet chuckling from beneath the shroud that's quickly silenced with a well-aimed poke.
| >>569859
"Sorry I needed to play the character and I knew that's probably what would had pissed you off."
>CN whispers, as best as he could for someone in speaker
| >>569861
>Aikawa scowls, hoping CN can somehow sense her hostile glare through the phone. Roy decides to contribute, barely audibly:
"... got her number, CN...!"
>Aikawa makes a mental note to kick /both/ of their asses once the opportunity arises.
| >>569869
"... A 'choice'...?"
>Aikawa falls silent, trying to connect the dots. Why had he intervened, anyway? She was so focused on coordinating the code that she hadn't stopped to think about what his motivation for going all "puppet master" on her was.
"..."
>Roy is silent, too. Usually the less observant of the two, being a passive participant in the event has given him a little more time to process what just happened. The decker deserves everything but an ass-kicking.
| >>569873
"Its unimportant, our ride who handling the evac is examining the elevator, once we know it's good I'll call it up."
| >>569760
(Sorry for the delay!)
"I'm getting in the elevator now, shut the other one down, and take me to the your people, I'll lead once we are on the roof.
>John gets in the left-most elevator, back towards one of the walls of the elevator, and gun towards the entrance.
"Close it."
| >>569874
"..."
>Aikawa has known CN for enough time to have an idea of what he /really/ means every time he waves something off as being 'unimportant.' She nods, and looks down at her feet as she waits for the elevator to come. This entire time she's been going forward with little to no knowledge of what lies ahead of them, and although she thought she was doing okay before, she finds herself getting cold feet now.
"... We moving, or what?"
| >A middle aged man sticks their head, and then half their body, in between the elevator doors- he's breathing heavily, as if he had run a great distance.
"So sorry- I heard the gunfire- when the doors locked down I thought the worst."
>He looks up, smiling but clearly worried.
| "Is this going up? M-my daughter is staying here..." >He says, his face fraught with worry,
"...she's on the second floor."
| "Get in the other one. To hell."
>John, cold faced, Raises his gun, and starts firing.
| >>569899 >>569898
>The man doesn't budge as the doors begin to slowly slide closed- he doesn't make a move to dodge either as you open fire, eating the attack!
>The doors continue to close when the man raises his head, a bit of blood leaking from his mouth.
"...Rude!" >He says, pulling himself the rest of the way in.
"I've had a really long day, chummer. Please- can't a man see his kid after a long day of work?"
>He pulls a Colt Manhunter out of his pocket. You see a bit of a kevlar vest underneath his coat.
"The paperwork for using this is a pain."
| >>569903
>John's emotions and pain now fully dulled by the morphine, he throws his gun as it runs out of bullets, and closes the space between the man and himself, putting his left hand on the man's hand that drew the firearm, sending high, electrical shocks through the man!
"..."
| >>569893
>Everyone in the 2nd floor elevator lobby looks around aimlessly as they wait for transport to arrive. An instrumental version of "The Girl from Ipanema" can be heard playing quietly behind the doors to the elevator shaft.
"Start humming, and you're dead."
>Roy rolls his eyes underneath the shroud, but as requested resists the urge to hum along, choosing to continue ambu-ing to the beat of the music instead.
>>569905
"... What?"
| >>569908
>The man screams as electricity jolts through his body! Gritting his teeth, he bashes his forehead forward, connecting with your face!
| >>569909
>Rocky aimlessly checks the barrel of her rifle as they wait. She unlatches the tripod and faces it toward the elevator.
| >>569910
>John only recoils from the force, still holding on, and uses the back momentum to draw his sidearm with his right hand, shooting the man, aiming for his head and throat.
| >>569912 >>569910
>John keeps the combo going, kicking the man with all of his force out of the elevator.
| >>569912 >>569915
>You manage to graze his throat- but one of the bullets manages to perforate his cheek, blowing out part of his jaw!
>As soon as you kick him out the elevator, he rolls backward and raises his revolver- he fans it, firing a burst of three shots!
| >>569916 >>569919 >>569920
>Rocky's reaction and CN's vague response, combined with the news that Dragan is in the elevator that's supposed to be coming their way is starting to make Aikawa sweat. Of course it wouldn't be easy-- if you could call anything and everything that's transpired within the last few hours "easy."
"................."
>She fidgets nervously, running her fingers through her hair several times.
| >>569922
>ALL THREE SHOTS CONNECT WITH HIS CHEST, as it send John in to the back of the elevator.
"CN, fuck the doors, SEND ME UP!"
>John keeps shooting at The man, fircing him to get cover, or die.
| >>569928
>John takes a second to get his rifle he threw, relaoding it. He slowly gets up, disorientated from the direct hits.
>He pulls out the outer plate, which now has 3 holes in it, and in worry, pulls out his second plate, which is lucky intact... and puts it back in.
"Wheph. You bettter have closed those doors CN. Bait that basterd as well with the 3rd elevator."
| >>569927
>Dragan dodges out of the way, taking cover behind anything in the area as the doors close. He spits out blood.
"...fiddlesticks."
| >>569930
"I did and on it, get ready for the other on the second floor."
>>569909
"Hes coming up, dropped Drakan in the basement"
| >>569938
>Aikawa is equally nonplussed, and looks down at her phone, hoping Geeky will elaborate-- at the same time, wanting badly to get going. She and Roy are keeping close track of just how much time has passed since they disconnected Strawberry from the vent and her IV fluids, and both are starting to get antsy with the possibility of sepsis waiting in the wings.
"And we're >>>gonna be if we don't get the fuck out of here..."
| >>569939 >>569940
"Get in, we go- Fuck."
>Jonh notices Rocky and the doctor, Roy, stareling at them blankly with surprise, and looking at Strawberry.
"Just hurry up and get in."
>"CN, why didn't you tell me we had an actually CRITICAL PATIENT AS ONE OF THE PEOPLE?!"
>"John quickly switches comms, talking quiclly. Something about a VTOL...
| >>569944
"No fucking shit..."
>>569941
>Aikawa does as she's told, and begins to back the bed into the elevator, headboard first. She tries not to bump into John, or squish Rocky up against the wall-- sure, there's a little leg room, but not enough for the space to feel "comfortable."
"Who's that, Ei?"
>Roy's voice is muffled beneath the body bag. Aikawa shushes him immediately.
"Shh, shh, shut >>>up, Walker--"
| >Rocky awkwardly follows, still dumbstruck.
| >>569949 >>569947 >>569941
>The elevator closes and then heads up to the fifth floor, the other elevators also move to different floors, subverting any attention in case there is any.
| >>569944 >>569947
>John sighs, just wanting to get this over with, but perks up when he hears Roy's voice, and smirks.
"I'm just the Elevator repairman."
| >>569951 >>569952
>Roy almost sits straight up in the hospital bed as John reveals his identity, but the straps Aikawa has carefully secured across his and Strawberry's body keep him from making any noticeable movement.
"Oh! Did you find the server room okay?"
>Aikawa looks mortified as her roommate tries to chat with the gunman, now wondering if Roy somehow aided this man in causing the lockdown that has the 5th floor off limits.
"W-Walker, for fuck's sake--"
| "Wow. You must be the idiot of the group."
>John facepalms, and then slowly slides down the elevator wall, and on to the floor of the elevator, exausted, and looks at Ei.
"And you are?"
| >>569957
>Aikawa seems unamused, and folds her arms across her chest as she watches John slide down the elevator wall. While John may have hit the nail square on the head, she's unsure if this is a fair judgement for someone who just shot up a decent portion of the hospital to pass.
">>>His roommate, and>>>your pain in the ass until you get us out of here, omae."
>She raises an eyebrow, her tone flat in comparison.
| >>569961
"Don't take that tone with me. I've taken 5 bullets for you kids today, and I'm sure I have multiple fractured ribs. If it wasn't for the morphine, I would be in a lot less of a kind mood."
>John sternly says, before going silent, checking his guns again.
| >>569962
"Kind mood, huh..."
>She reaches into her jacket pocket, and produces an ice pack, which she tosses to John. Broken ribs; must be the diagnosis of the day. Between him and Geeky, they might need a whole new ribcage.
"Who loaded >>>you up with the good stuff? Or--"
>Her expression darkens.
"Who'd you threaten to load up with >>>those things so you could get it in your system?"
>She points her gaze towards one of John's guns, and nods her head.
| >>569965
"I know my way around a crash cart."
>John dodges the question, putting the ice pack under his armour.
"What are you, some kind of inquisitive RN?"
| >>569962 >>569965
"Jeez you two can go into two man standup with all this banter, John I'll cover the costs of your injuries for the trouble, I'm just glad you're alright after that fight with Dragan. Anyways look alive, you're here."
>CN states, just as the elevator dings, indicating its arrived at the 5th floor
| >>570056
"Alright people, let's move to the other elevator. CN, once we are out, lock it down as well."
>John leaves the elevator first, checking the corridor and elevator for any more 'wrongdoers'.
| >>569968
"Congratulations, so does literally >>>anyone who knows how to read. Starting to think maybe>>>you can't."
>Aikawa scoffs and runs a hand through her hair, shaking her head indignantly. She looks down at her shoulder, then back to John, then at her shoulder again as if trying to draw his gaze that way. She uncrosses her arms and puts her hands in her pockets-- as she does, the word emblazoned in large lettering down her jacket sleeve becomes clear.
"Paramedic."
| >>570056 >>570085
"I forget you, Geeky? Reassuring you find me entertaining enough to quit my day job, considering I've been at risk of losing it for the last 5 hours."
>Aikawa snipes at CN, trying to get him to drop his perception that he's somehow above the bickering taking place in the elevator. She makes a disgusted noise in the back of her throat and rolls her eyes, but begins to move the bed out of the elevator regardless.
| >>570060
>The hallway is as dark and empty as it was when John visited it earlier-- with the main difference being the security units he can see through the windows of the doors at the end of the hallway. They patrol back and forth in front of the server room diligently, as if John was still holed up inside.
| >>570089
"By the way I would like to reiterate that you *really* didnt need to shoot that coffee bot."
>CN quips
| >>570087
"Yeah, a large enough donation will make any dean look away."
>John scoffs.
>>570083
"Get shot twice, see how far you get with the shock."
>John ignores her gesturing, keeping watch over the corridors.
>>570090
"Shut up."
>John snaps back at CN... that was a soft spot.
| >>570090
"Wait, someone shot >>>Barry?!"
>Roy's distressed voice is heard coming from the hospital bed. Aikawa holds her face in one of her hands and rubs her forehead, sighing exasperatedly.
"Oh, for christ's-- >>>HE shot Barry, you dumbass."
>She tries to ignore the fact that her roommate has apparently given admin's coffee bot a nickname.
"........."
>Roy sulks beneath the shroud, his silence broken by the occasional deflation of the bag mask.
| >>570094
"No wonder you are so pissy all the time, you put up with >>>Him."
>John snidely remarks.
| >>570096
"H-Hey, damn >>>right she does! She's making me sound worse than I am-- so are you!!"
>Roy retorts, really not appreciating being dumped on as he mourns the loss of his favorite espresso machine.
"She enjoys it, for the most part."
>>570098
"S-so my preferences are still in there? He had them memorized perfectly..."
>Roy sounds wistful, as if wishing for a cup of Barry's coffee right now.
| "Oh get over it, ya' big, metallic sissy."
>John cracks a smile for a second, remembering the days of before...
| >>570105 >>570101
"CN is right, can you guys please haul ass? I don't like being in the open."
>John rushes them on.
| >Rocky rolls her eyes.
| >>570102 >>570105 >>570107
"Yeah, just a sec."
>Hearing her roommate (who's also risking his life right now, and for a single patient no less) belittled like this is getting old fast, and Aikawa feels her face heat up as her temper sparks. The comment about Roy's exoskeleton is just icing on the cake.
"...!!"
>She takes a hard swing at John, aiming for his jaw. She hopes that killer left hook of hers lands true.
| >>570117
>John manages to flinch away at the last second, the punch hitting him on the arm instead, he shrugs it off, and actively making sure not to point his gun at her.
"What are you, fucking nuts? You really think this is the time for this?"
| >>570119 >>570117
"Maybe let's leave the insulting and battery until *AFTER* were out of the hospital. Or did we suddenly forget time was a factor here?"
| >>570119
"Stop fucking >>>shitting on someone who's risking their life just as much as>>>you are!!"
>Roy, being unable to see through the shroud, is totally clueless as to the fact that Aikawa has just tried to haul off and deck John.
"E-Ei, what did you--"
>Aikawa cuts him off by moving the bed forward rather quickly.
"Fucking nothing, let's hit the elevator and get the fuck out of here."
>She glares at John, muttering under her breath.
"You're a jackass."
| "Some people..."
>John sighs, getting in to the elevator last.
"Beam us up, Sco- ahem, CN."
| >>570127
>John gets out first, revealing the sight of a VTOL, and a pair of paramedics, loading out a box of... something, as more men surround the VTOL, protecting it.
"Alright, get Strawberry over to the medics, and come over to the box."
>John makes his way over to the box, opening it, while the paramedics come over to assist Aikawa.
"Ma'am, we'll be taking things from here. We already have a full medical histoy of the procedures."
| >>570130
"Woah, woah, woah, hold the fuck up a sec-- CN, did you share this info with them?! Thought this was supposed to be a situation where nobody talks unless it's absolutely fucking necessary."
>She tries to wave off the other paramedics, not currently in a state of mind where she's willing to work with total strangers.
"Let me get her set up in there, it's my equipment for fuck's sake--"
"Actually, it's the hospital's."
"Shut >>>up, Walker!!"
| >>570132
"I had my guy pull the data while you where waiting for the elevator."
>The paramedics look at John, hoping for some response...
"Let her set it up, she made it this far, but no ride-alongs."
>The paramedics nod, letting her lead. John points to 2 of the guards at the VTOL, getting their attention.
"You two! Get that man out the body bag!"
>They double-time it over, getting Roy out of the bag.
This thread is permanently archived
| prayer circle for every other service bot in this goddamned hospital that crosses paths with John