Это СОВСЕМ не одно и то же. Можно было бы добавить отдельную кнопку в самой игре для глоссария, но я жутко не хотела захламлять экран ненужными кнопками. Будь моя воля, я бы и историю убрала с экрана, чтобы она там не мешалась и не портила впечатление чистого поля для арта (а не убрала лишь потому, что это единственный способ перечитать случайно промотанную строчку диалога). Делать гиперссылками - это заново прописывать под них функционал + рисовать ещё одно окно, что не гуд, учитывая, что новелла и так самобытно написанная под скрипты, то есть в некоторых местах подтормаживающая на старых сборках (у подруги на старом буке, к примеру). Именно это и случилось с первой сборкой, которую я брала из своей новеллы: после слишком ретивых добавлений она а) начала подтормаживать, б) в ней появился магический критический баг, скидывающий в последних главах прогресс. К тому же он был каким-то живым: появлялся лишь тогда, когда меня не было под рукой и крашил всё, что только можно, не давая пройти последнюю главу. Я рылась-рылась, и в итоге сдалась, придя к выводу, что проблема была в самой сборке v2.01, пришлось искать более старую версию и пиратить её у пиратов. :)
Но, к слову, у обоих героинь в этой ветки могла возникнуть определённая неприязнь к мужчинам, плюс, они, в целом, обе не боятся нарушать правила. Возможно, это и есть подобное отражение происходящего.
Нет, связь у Арлин с историей героини есть и очень даже обоснованная: весь сон-испытание Арлин это отражение сцены перед побегом из деревни, когда героиня вначале лишилась любимого человека, а затем её ещё в этом же и обвинили. Нет предпосылок только для бурной романтики с рыбачкой (вот именно она как снег на голову, потому в моём понимании выглядит притянутым за уши фансервисом или я, опять же, чего-то не понимаю).
А вот с "в этой ветки могла возникнуть определённая неприязнь к мужчинам" не соглашусь. Дядю - любила, относилась к нему как к отцу, сына старосты - любила, на помощь Данкану и Коннору после испытания Арлин героиня всё так же стремглав мчится. Ветка Арлин - саморазрушение до последнего уголька, но внезапной ненависти к попутчикам мужского пола героиня там не выказывает. Если она кого и ненавидит, то скорее - себя. Единственный посыл который я тут вижу: попытка забыть о потери в чьей-то постели всё равно окончится фиаско и внутренним выгоранием. Чёрт его знает, как-то так себе. Это единственная ветка, которую я не прошла, когда читала новеллу и ознакомилась с ней уже при переводе. Мб поэтому она кажется мне самой невразумительной (ну внутреннее выгорание и саморазрушение, да, окей... и что?..)
Наоборот, хорошо, когда человек готов подвергнуть себя опасности раж благополучия других (в данном случае младших братьев и сестёр).
Есть самопожертвование и забота, а есть... выходка и побег. На первый взгляд действия Арлин выглядят первым, но на поверку... оказываются вторым. Ей важнее не решить всё и заручиться благополучием (хотя это несомненно важно), а позлиться на окружающих и побросаться обвинениям в кого-то в своих горестях.
- Чтобы её вернуть я даже как-то бегал голышом по метро! - Да?.. И как это должно было помочь? - Не знаю. Никогда не задумывался! (с) Управление гневом
п.с. ок, прекращаю кусочничать. Если вы закрыли съезд, то отпишусь на днях, чтобы никому не портить впечатления своим отзывом.
Всем здравствуйте. Чисто ради интереса хочется спросить чужого мнения. Как вы думаете, у каких новелл самая симпотная рисовка?
Обожаю арт, который не боится быть артом. Конечно всё зависит от того, насколько визуал соответствует характеру самой новеллы. Купидона уже выше приводили в пример. Очень нравятся именно с точки зрения рисовки и как она великолепно играет на атмосферу визуальные работы по Маскараду.
Сообщение отредактировал Nevilla - Вторник, 13/Окт/2020, 21:54
Здесь когда-то обсуждали неполноценность выборов в новеллах. Не совсем здесь (точно не во флуде), но где-то в общалках. Так вот, ахем... просто не могу не поделиться.
История с выборами. Вводная: приключенческая история об обитателях обратной стороны закона. Заинтриговало с пролога, когда мою бедняжку из NYPD дважды подставили для перевербовки: первый раз организованная преступность, а второй раз ФБР, причём умудрились сделать это одновременно. Предыстория: агент под прикрытием, вынужденный вести двойную (а при некоторых вариантах выбора и тройную) игру.
Экспозиция
Сцена 1: начало конца. Действующие лица: Михаэль - глава теневой организации, которая занимается ограблениями, воровством технологий. Шантаж, убийства, пытки - да! Ребята развлекаются как могут. Пафосно называют себя Архангелами и берут себе их имена согласно положению в структуре банды, носят маски, творят всякую жуть и люто ненавидят других представителей организованной преступности. Параноидальный психопат. Габриэль - правая рука организации и координатор. Составляет всякие ударенные на всю голову планы по развитию бурной деятельности. Вигилант до шизотипического расстройства. Пытки он к слову тоже любит (хоть и пытается это внешне облагородить всякими там комплексами моральных ценностей), но скорее психологические. В целом отличный парень, есл согласно его моральному компасу вы не попадёте на полку плохих парней. Рахиль - поехавшая кошатница-ветеринар. Любит котиков, острые предметы и ненавидит людей. Есть подозрения, что кормит первых третими, посредствам близкого знакомства тех со вторыми. Маус, он же Мышь, дружище нашего героя(ни) со школьных лет. Помогает как может, но в порыве такой помощи зачастую всё становится только... сложнее. Помогает герою влиться в преступный мир, подзаработав при этмо деньжат и не получив по голове, а в нашем случае, сделать благое дело и влиться в ячейку банд формирования, закошмарившего Нью Йорк до такой степени, что Пять семей решили: ходите вы конём больные ублюдки... вернее те, кто от них остался. Наводчик, разведчик, записной гик. Ирис - героиня. Выбрала первое попавшееся короткое имя. Пофиг, герой всё равно полностью генерируемый вплоть до предысторий. В моём случае: агент под прикрытием. В свои 25 дослужилась до лейтенанта, а это я вам скажу говорит об очень многом. Либо тот, кто это писал вообще не знает званий в PD и как они зарабатываются, либо герой и правда крутой чувак. Судя по бонусным статам, которые прилетают исключительно в этой предыстории и тому, что герой-агент иногда вытворяет - второе. Единственная вменяемая предыстроия, которая не оставляет вопросов, почему какого-то зелёного бомжа с улицы поставили сразу командовать над ячейкой из 4+1 человек - он просто крайне эффективен и прирождённый лидер. Энтони Ревилль - наш кошмарный сон и ублюдок, который решил перевербовать героя под личные нужды. Естесвенно изрядно похерив нашему герою всё, что только можно. Вообще это всё естесвенно выдумки и для красного словца, чтоб было. но реальная история дейтсвительно знает и грязную вербовку, и хроническое нежелание, а то и отстувие взаимодействия между некоторыми структкрами правоохранительных органов, например, федеральным бюро и DEA. Прикидывается честным парнем, но камон. Честные парни так себя не ведут. Меган Хаус - агент Энтони. Отличается редким идеализмом вкупе со скудоумием. Крайне опасное сочетание качеств, но в остальном прекрасная, милая девушка. Очень горда тем, что она женщина. Не вздумайте звать её на свидание - это глубочайшее оскорбление гордой и независимой личности! Да! Рук и Бишоп - весёлые убийцы. Отличные ребята. Обладают шикарным чёрным юмором, полным отстувием вкуса в выборе стиля одежды и фургончиком-кухней для тако. Первая встреча с ними - попытка убийства (почти удавшаяся), вторая - хладнокровная пытка, но персонажи позитивные, излучают радушие, доброту, радеют за семейные ценности (в широком понятии смысла семьи), но при этом меняют стороны как портовые шлюхи.
In your sleep, your ears pick up the sound of a door opening and closing, and footsteps outside your door. Your mind quickly jumps awake. You stealthily reach under your pillow for your pistol before silently sliding off of your bed and walking to the door. You pause and listen. You can hear footsteps on the other side of the door, sounds like just one person. Then you hear the sound of your electric kettle being filled and heated.
You think to yourself, why would someone break into my apartment just to use my electric kettle? You decide to open the door, weapon drawn, and in the kitchen, you see Gabriel with an empty cup, waiting for your kettle to finish heating up.
He turns to you and says, "I find your lack of tea…disturbing."
Suddenly, the door to Mouse's room opens, revealing Mouse in his pajamas holding a short-barreled shotgun. "Who's there?!" he shouts.
"It's me, Mouse," Gabriel replies calmly. "Where do you keep your tea?"
"Oh." He lowers the shotgun and lets out a sigh. "It's in the cupboard next to the fridge," he says.
Gabriel walks over to the cupboard, opens it, and pulls out a box of teabags. "Take a seat, we're waiting," he says as he begins preparing the tea and milk. He looks over his shoulder and asks, "Tea?"
"Very well," Gabriel says, pouring the milk into all five empty cups, filling one of them to the top.
As you're about to walk into the living room, you see Michael in his usual three-piece suit sitting quietly in the armchair next to the sofa, menacingly intertwining his fingers.
You also see Raquel standing by the door with her shotgun, currently not in her usual suit and blue tie but instead wearing a black hoodie and blue shirt, along with her dark-grey hockey mask with purple cat whiskers. She stares at you and Mouse as the two of you take a seat on the sofa.
"Good evening," Michael says. "We're sorry for disturbing your sleep, but Gabriel has something for you." He leans back in his armchair.
A few seconds later, Gabriel walks out of the kitchen with a tray and four cups. He sets them down on the coffee table and grabs one of the cups, gesturing for you and Mouse to grab one. Raquel walks over, grabs a cup full of just milk, and walks back to her position in front of the door.
Gabriel, Michael, and Raquel all lift their masks simultaneously and take a sip from their cups. You and Mouse do the same. You sip your beverage. It's deliciously warm and wakes you up a bit.
Mouse's eyes widen, and he looks at Gabriel. "This is brilliant."
"It's just tea, nothing special." Gabriel shrugs as he pulls out a small titanium liquor flask and pours some of its contents into his own tea. He closes the flask and slides it back behind his suit jacket, then he picks up his cup of tea and takes a sip.
Michael hums in satisfaction and gives Gabriel an appreciative nod, then he puts down his cup and crosses his legs before laying his hand on his thigh, waiting silently as he stares at his cup of tea.
"It's nice to see you've settled here," Gabriel says, putting down his cup of tea.
"It's funny to see our old safehouse being occupied by someone else," Michael says.
"Your room was once Michael's," Gabriel continues. "Did you find any dead drug dealers in the closet when you first arrived?"
"No doubt they found your stash of porno mags first," Michael says, sneering at Gabriel.
"If they did, it must've had Raquel's name on it," Gabriel says, and both he and Michael chuckle. Gabriel looks to Raquel, who replies with only an irritated glare. "Sorry," he says, taking a sip of his tea.
> "Why are you here at two in the morning?"
"Well…" Gabriel takes a sip of his tea. "A few days ago, Raquel was monitoring the outgoing and incoming calls from your phone. She intercepted a couple of calls coming from a number we've had on watchlist for a few months now."
You heart nearly sinks at his words. You start to wonder, did she hear everything? Every conversation you've had with Anthony? But how could she? Isn't your phone encrypted by Mouse? You look to Mouse, and he shares your face of confusion.
"However, we were unable to actually decipher the actual call," Gabriel says.
You internally breathe a sigh in relief.
"Which is why I'm here today, in the hopes of catching the call again. Judging by the pattern, I believe they'll call in about a minute or so," he says, taking a sip of his tea.
You continue to wait, more than a few minutes. And then, suddenly…
Your phone starts to ring from behind you. You turn and see your phone vibrating on top of your cupboard. Gabriel stares at your phone before looking back at you and saying, "May I, please?" He puts his hand out.
You walk over to it, grab it, walk back to Gabriel and hand it over to him, still vibrating and ringing. Raquel immediately pulls out her laptop and sets it down on the table. Gabriel sets the phone down next to the laptop and connects it via USB, then answers it and puts it on speaker.
You hear the all-too familiar voice of Anthony Reville. "Iris?"
"Anthony," Gabriel replies.
There's a stretched-out pause that holds the tension in the air before Anthony replies. "Gabriel."
"Anthony, how have you been?" Gabriel asks.
"Been having sleepless nights, trying to catch you," Anthony replies.
"I'm flattered," Gabriel says as he takes a sip of his tea.
"You won't be when I have you behind bars," Anthony says.
"I sense an aura of hatred between you and Gabriel, Anthony," Michael says.
"No shit, Sherlock," Anthony says. "So Michael's there too, eh? Is Iris there?"
Anthony doesn't seem to reply as Gabriel continues. "It's a bit creepy for you to be calling my colleagues in the middle of the night. Is it lonely at the FBI?" Gabriel turns his eye to Raquel, who's continuing to trace the phone call on her laptop.
"I'm creepy? Says the man who robs armored vans with a smiley mask," Anthony says.
"Touché," Gabriel says. "How's the hunt?"
"You're elusive as always. Mind giving us a break?" Anthony asks.
"Nah, it's much more fun this way," Gabriel says. "Besides, I'm doing your job for you. Notice how fewer and fewer Outfit members are active now? You're welcome."
"You think playing judge, jury, and executioner makes you the good guy?" Anthony asks, his tone growing angry. "I know you've been leaving trails of dead Outfit members left and right, no trial, no evidence, nothing but bullet holes and the occasional civilian casualties."
"Hey, I try my best to limit that," Gabriel says.
"Oh, yeah? Well tell me, what happened at VAMcorp Tower?" Anthony says. "All those guards had nothing to do with the Outfit."
"They signed a contract, they knew what they were getting into. Besides, I barely got out of there alive…hell, I actually sort of died," Gabriel says, rubbing the wound on his chest.
"Too bad you didn't stay dead," Anthony says.
"Ouch…that was hurtful," Gabriel says, putting his hand over his heart.
"Mr. Reville," Michael says, causing a moment of silence in the room before he continues. "How much for you to leave us alone?"
"You think you can bribe me with your dirty money?" Anthony says. "I'm not in this for the money, I'm in it for the glory of taking you all down."
"I see you're that kind of person. Are you willing to die for it?" Michael asks, looking at Raquel, who's still working on it.
"Either I'm putting you in jail, or I'll die trying," Anthony says.
Raquel gives Gabriel a thumbs up. Gabriel picks up the phone and says, "I'll help you with the latter." He immediately hangs up and quickly jumps from his seat and signals for both you and Mouse to follow. "We have his location, come on!"
п.с. никогда не говорите психопату, руководящему теневыми структурами о своей готовности погибнуть за любимое дело. Он тут же примется проверять на вшивость.
Сцена 2: в танце с волками.
Lincoln Park - Sometime Around Midnight
It's not that long of a drive, and when you arrive, you spot a tactical sports motorcycle parked not too far from where you're supposed to go. You hop out of the SUV and walk over to the north side of the park.
In the distance, you spot what appears to be Gabriel, along with Rook, Bishop, Raquel, and Michael, standing behind what appears to be a taco van.
"Ah, there she is," Gabriel says as you walk up.
Michael looks to you and says, "Glad you could join us."
"Iris! Remember when we tried to kill both of you? Well, we have a little 'I'm sorry' present," Rook says, banging on the back door of the van.
Raquel opens the back door of the van, and Michael walks over and pulls a familiar woman in a suit, tie, and FBI vest from the back of the van. She's blindfolded and is wearing what appear to be noise-canceling headphones.
Gabriel sets her down, and you hear her muffled grunting for help as Gabriel whispers to her, "Hey, it's gonna be okay. We won't hurt you unless you do something stupid, you understand?"
Michael looks to you and says, "Rook found her staking out your safehouse from afar with binoculars. Seems like Anthony wants to keep a close eye on you."
Gabriel takes off her headphones and blindfold. "I never took Anthony to be the stalker type," he says.
"She's been following you for quite some time," Rook says.
As soon as Gabriel takes the gag out of her mouth, she coughs and spits on the ground, saying, "Screw you!"
"We haven't even asked you anything yet," Gabriel says, going through the pockets of her suit and FBI vest. He pulls out an FBI badge and reads it. "Megan House, eh? I've heard of you…Anthony's assistant, right?"
"I'm not his assistant, he's my supervisor," House says.
"What's the difference?" Michael shrugs.
House looks around, and when her eyes meet yours, she finally realizes what's going on and looks back at Gabriel. "L-look, whatever you want, I'll tell you what I know. Just please don't kill me," she says nervously. (ещё бы, ведь эта дурочка попалась именно тогда, когда я выпросила отозвать поддержку для сохранения конспиративной работы, рискуя собсвенной шкурой, только бы не убить прикрытие, для поддержания которого пришлось идти на радикальные меры, включающие даже... хм... крайне нездоровое сближение с правой рукой босса организации. Таких унижений не знала Земля - во всём виновата косая свинья!)
Gabriel cocks his head to the side and says, "That was quick." He scoffs. "I was expecting some form of resistance." He walks over to her.
"How much do you know about us?" Michael asks.
House chuckles and says, "About the Archangels? Not much, besides your names. Except for you three." She looks to Gabriel, Raquel, and Michael. "We don't know shit about you. But you…" She gestures to you. "We know a thing or two about you. I've been following you for quite some time now. We just don't know where you live yet." She smirks.
"What do you think Anthony is trying to do?" Michael asks.
House shrugs and says, "I honestly have no idea what that guy has in his mind. He disappears most of the time, saying he's got 'contacts' to meet."
"Let me rephrase that question. What is Anthony planning on doing?" Michael asks.
House thinks about it for a few seconds before answering. "He plans to wait."
"Until?" Michael asks.
"Until you've all taken down the Outfit. And then he'll make a move," House continues
"Smart, as always. At least he knows we're doing his job better than he is," Gabriel says.
"By killing people?" House asks. "Kill a murderer, and the number of murderers in the world stays the same," she says.
"That's why I don't stop at just one," Gabriel replies. You're already imagining him wearing a proud smirk behind that mask as he says it.
"See? That wasn't so hard," Michael says. "However, I think you know more than you're letting on." He comes closer to her.
"That's all I know, I swear," House says, looking away from him.
"Look me in the eye and say that again," Michael says.
House reluctantly looks up at Michael and says, "I swear…that's…all I know." She trembles as she says it.
"No, it's not. Tell me, what else do you know?" He aims his revolver at her chest.
House stares back at him, mustering all of her strength before saying, "I'd rather dig my own grave."
помните о том, что не нужно говорить психопату и просто серьёзному человеку о своих ассасинофилитических желаниях. Так вот, копка собсвенной могилы входит в их число. Ожидаемо...
You, Gabriel, Michael, Rook, Bishop, and Raquel find yourselves standing around the edge of a shallow hole in which House is currently digging her own grave. The shovel she's using reeks with the horrible, pungent smell of feces.
"You must feel really dumb for saying that a few minutes ago," Rook says with his arms crossed.
"In the future, you might want to watch what you say," Gabriel adds.
"How very manly of you, making a lady dig her own grave," House says, sweating as she continues to dig the dirt out from under her.
а жизнь нас ничему не учит, да?
"Your gender has nothing to do with this. Your stupidity and ignorance, maybe." Michael gives her a cold shrug.
"Sure," House says sarcastically. "You must feel really strong right now."
"I honestly don't care what you've got hidden in your pants, or what race you were born. I only care about the fact that you're not talking. I could shoot you right here, right now, my bullet wouldn't care," Michael says, pulling out his revolver. "The thing with some people, is that you seem to think that your gender and race determine what social status you have in society…they don't. It's what you do with them that matters." He points his revolver at her.
"You must feel really empowered with that gun," House says.
Michael flips his revolver, dangling it from his index finger, practically handing it over to her. "There are many ways I can make you talk. I don't really need a gun," Michael says, dangling the revolver closer to her. "Go ahead, take it, I dare you."
House simply stares at Michael for a few seconds, digesting what he just said. She looks around, seeing Rook and Bishop with their hands on their pistols, ready to draw as soon as she does something stupid. She sighs and continues to dig her own grave.
"Now the only difference we have…is that I have a gun, and you have a shovel that smells like shit," Michael says.
Rook looks over at Gabriel and asks, "Hey, why do you keep a shovel on your motorcycle?"
"A habit. You never know when you'll need to take a shit in the woods." Gabriel shrugs.
House suddenly stops shoveling as she realizes why the shovel smells so horribly familiar. "Oh god," House says as her skin turns flushed, almost greenish.
House turns to Gabriel and says, "The FBI are going to make you pay."
"They won't come for you, they never do. If I know anything about the FBI, they value information more than their agents," Gabriel says.
"No, you're wrong." House shakes her head in disbelief.
"Am I? How many times have you had to sacrifice an agent to keep a secret?" Gabriel asks as he takes a seat by the edge of the shallow grave House has been digging for herself.
"None, it's not my call to make. Anthony's the one who can make that kind of decision," House says.
"And how many times do you think he's had to choose to sacrifice the life of an FBI agent in order to keep a secret?" Michael asks, cutting in on Gabriel.
"A couple of times," House answers reluctantly.
"Which means they'll sacrifice you too, to keep a secret. To them, you're just a pawn, a tool of information gathering," Michael says, holstering his revolver. "And as it turns out, you're not so good at your job. For all you know, your life is worth whatever secrets they have," he continues, dropping down into the hole with her. "We've seen you taking care of a little girl. You seem to love her very much. It would be a shame if she lost her caretaker," Michael says in the coldest, most intimidating way possible in his deep, electronically distorted voice.
House stares at Michael before looking away, down at the hole she's dug for herself. You can see her emotions breaking down, and she hangs her head in despair, trying desperately not to look you in the eye, and she sighs and closes her eyes. She seems ready to burst into tears, but she maintains her composure. "The FBI…has an informant," she says in the most regretful, quiet voice she can muster.
Your heart sinks, and your body tenses up as you hear those words come out of her mouth. You stare at Michael and House as they stare at each other, awaiting your fate. Your heart beats faster, ever so slightly.
"Who's the informant?" Michael asks.
"I—I don't know," she says.
"House," Michael says, pulling out his revolver.
"W-wait! I swear to god, I don't know!" House puts her hands up to him.
"Are you sure about that?" Michael says, pointing the barrel of his revolver directly at her face.
"Whoa!" Gabriel says, his hand instinctively reaching for his own pistol, still in its holster. "Michael, what are you doing?"
House's face freezes in terror as she stares at Michael. She kneels and says, "Please, believe me, that's all I know!" She looks deep into his eyes.
Michael continues to hold his aim directly between House's eyes as he says, "Then you are no more use to me."
Gabriel immediately pulls out his own pistol and holds it beside his thigh as he says to Michael, "We're not here to kill her, Mike. If she dies, the whole FBI will be after us."
"Please…I have a niece," House says, looking back and forth from Michael to Gabriel. "I'm the only thing close to a mother that she has," she says.
Michael keeps a firm grip on his revolver, continuing to aim it at House. "No loose ends, right?"
"Michael!" Gabriel raises his pistol at him. Gabriel looks around, seeing Rook and Bishop backing off from the confrontation. They don't want anything to do with what's going on. Gabriel finally looks at you expectantly.
оказывается, ангелы здесь всё ещё живут... но ситуация из плохой превратилась в кошмарную.
Perhaps you should do something?
> Pull out my pistol and point it at Michael. (Hard Intimidation) > Pull out my pistol and point it at Gabriel. > "Michael, we don't need to kill her." (Hard Persuasion) > "Just shoot her." > Do nothing.
> Pull out my pistol and point it at Michael. (Hard Intimidation) а что ещё остаётся делать, если он спасает эту идиотку, которую на мою голову выписали контактором моей героине, рискуя при этом собственно... всем.
You pull out your pistol and point it at Michael. Gabriel gives you a nod of gratitude, and Michael scoffs at your move. "Really? Are the two of you going to shoot me now?"
In the corner of your eye, you see Raquel pulling out her own pistol, a CZ-75, and pointing it at Michael.
"I wouldn't want to," Gabriel says, firmly holding his pistol up at Michael.
(Rolling D20 (8) + Intimidation (6) + Luck (12) | DC = 19 or above)
"After all the years we've been through, you're gonna shoot me now?" Michael says.
"To be fair, it won't be the first time I've shot you," Gabriel says. "Put it down, Michael. Remember our deal, we only kill if we have to," Gabriel says.
Michael sighs and asks, "Why won't you let me have fun anymore?"
"Because I'd rather not have to fight the whole FBI before our mission is even completed," Gabriel says.
Michael stares at House, pistol in hand, pointed at her. He reads her face for a few seconds before finally lowering his revolver. "What's her name?"
"Hanna," she says, sighing in relief, slowly lowering her hands.
"Tell Hanna that her aunt is grateful to be alive. Take good care of her, and treat her right. Remember to have patience, for it was once what determined your life and death on this day," Michael says, holstering his pistol.
House sighs again, then smiles with relief. "I will," she says.
Michael groans in annoyance as he turns around and hops out of her shallow grave. "Try not to say something stupid next time," he says, taking the shovel from her hands.
Gabriel finally lowers and holsters his pistol, then he sighs and says, "Thank you."
да нет, Thank you! - ты уже не первый раз прикрываешь бардак, который устраивает моё ударенное на всю голову начальство
Rook looks around, confused, then stares at Gabriel and says, "What just happened?"
Gabriel stares at Michael as he walks past, the two of them engaging in what appears to be a debate by gaze. It's as if they're communicating via staring, and you can feel the tension rise between them, before finally, Michael scoffs and looks away.
Gabriel sighs, pulls out what appears to be a burner cellphone, and tosses it to House, who fumbles to catch it. "Call 911 once we leave. You have a good night." Gabriel nods. He looks around at everyone and says, "We're done here. Go home, get some rest."
You nod and walk away toward the SUV. You look back and see Gabriel and Raquel walking off in a different direction, toward the motorcycle you saw parked not far away.
Everyone else gets into the van, which drives off, leaving House there in her hole.
House can't bring herself to look you in the eye; she just continues to look down at the ground beneath her. As you walk away, you hear her whisper, "I'm sorry."
Your heart beats a little faster, but you try your best to remain calm. You hear sirens in the distance, so you quicken your pace.
You get into your SUV and drive away from Lincoln Park, taking detour after detour to lose any possible tail you might have. After you're satisfied that you're not being followed, you make your way back to the safehouse.
"Hey, Pennywise! Look who we decided to bring!" you hear Rook shout from across the loading bay, and you turn to see him carelessly dragging the body of an unconscious Outfit soldier.
Gabriel turns around, looks at the unconscious body, and shouts, "Drag him to the table in front of the office!" Then he goes to the office, opens the door, and limps inside.
Rook drags the body over, and as he passes you, he says, "Hey, where is everybody?"
> Help him drag the body.
You help Rook drag the body all the way to the table.
Gabriel comes back out carrying a wooden chair, dragging it out of the office as he limps to the table out front. He sets the chair down beside the table, and Rook sets the unconscious soldier onto the chair and begins tying him up with his arms behind his back.
Rook steps back as Gabriel walks back into his office. The Outfit soldier slowly wakes up, weak and weary, and he opens his eyes to see you standing in front of him. He looks around and sees Raquel standing beside him, Rook and Bishop to his right, and Mouse hiding behind you.
He stares at you nervously. "Oh, shit."
Behind him, Gabriel walks back out of the office with his suppressed Browning Hi-Power pistol in one hand, the cane in the other, and his FN FNC rifle slung around his back. He limps up behind the soldier and plants the cold iron of the pistol against his cheek.
He pulls away in surprise at the sudden appearance of the pistol as it touches his cheek. Gabriel pushes the suppressor of his pistol against his knee, saying, "Name."
"Wh-what?" the man asks nervously.
With a quiet but powerful THUMP, Gabriel fires a bullet straight through the man's knee. With a burst of red mist and specks of flesh flying, his leg bends to the side in an unnatural way.
The man leans forward and screams in horrible pain before Gabriel places his gloved hand over his mouth and pushes his head back, silencing him as he sobs, groans and cries, trying to wriggle free.
"When I open your mouth, I want to hear your name, and who you work for." Gabriel slowly pulls his hand away to reveal the snot that's come out of his nose and the painful moan he lets out.
The man sobs and says, "P-p-please don't k-kill m—"
THUMP! Another bullet goes through his stomach this time. The man leans forward, groans, and continues to sob. Snot and drool drip down from his mouth and nose.
"That wasn't your name, was it?" Gabriel asks. "Let's try again."
The man leans forward, head hanging from his neck weakly as he continues to sob. "M-my name's J-Jeremy Nelson. I-I work for the Chicago Outfit, p-please don't kill me." He closes his eyes, grunting at the pain.
"Now tell me, what was the Don thinking, going after the Archangels directly like that?" Gabriel asks as he leans in closer to Jeremy.
Jeremy looks away and says, "I don't know. I w-w-was just following ord—"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. You're just following orders. I've heard that a million times already," Gabriel says, then he begins searching his pants, pulling out all of the contents of his pockets. He finds a picture of a young woman with a signature in the corner, an empty pistol magazine, a smartphone, a wallet, and a note.
Gabriel examines the note, reading it aloud. "12th Floor, Room 415. Dead if possible, alive if necessary." He chuckles, then he looks up at you and says, "They really want me dead."
"The Don wants all of you d-dead, h-he doesn't wanna show it, b-b-but he's afraid," Jeremy explains.
"Afraid? Of what?" Gabriel asks.
"Of all of you. He went into hiding j-just a few weeks ago. He's afraid y-you all might find him and k-kill him," Jeremy says.
"Where is he hiding?" Gabriel asks.
"I-I swear to god I don't kn—" Before Jeremy can finish his sentence, Gabriel points his pistol at his head. "WAIT!" Just then, you hear the roar of an engine so powerfully loud, you almost mistake it for a gunshot.
You turn to the source of the sound, and you see a gunmetal-grey muscle car with black racing stripes rolling through the gate to the Mill. It comes to a stop at the edge of the loading bay. Through the windshield, you can see someone in full Archangel uniform, wearing a mask that's the same color and pattern as the muscle car they're driving, a gunmetal-grey mask with black racing stripes. The Archangel promptly turns off the engine and hops out.
"Enigma! Where were you?" Gabriel shouts happily from across the loading bay.
On the other side of the muscle car, the door pops open, and out comes a man in a three-piece suit, wearing a black mask with a golden fleur-de-lis. It's Michael!
"Michael! What happened?" Gabriel shouts, his tone turning from happy to concerned.
"I got away when they all turned to chase you," Michael says as he walks over to you and Gabriel. Enigma pulls out a Remington 700 sniper rifle with a custom AX AICS stock and slings it around her back before following Michael.
"Why didn't you come straight to the Mill?" Gabriel asks.
"I went off to meet with the Corigan at the Corp. Asked a few questions. Ditched the car when it got too hot. Called Enigma to pick me up," Michael says, walking up to Gabriel with Enigma behind him.
"Hey, Emily." Gabriel nods to Enigma, who nods back in reply. "What did you find out?" he asks Michael.
"Enough," Michael simply says, then he puts his hand out. "May I borrow your rifle?"
О да, быстрые и эффективные пытки - это Михаель. Он за это даже в отношения плюсует... если жертва кричит позаливистей, конечно.
Gabriel cocks his head curiously, but eventually slings his rifle around to the front as he says, "Yeah, sure." He hands his FN FNC assault rifle to Michael.
Michael grabs it and flicks the safety off.
"Michael, what's goin—"
Michael raises the barrel to Jeremy's face, and BANG!
Jeremy's face explodes in a confetti of blood and gore as his nose caves in from the impact of the bullet. His head flails back as his body tenses for a quick second before falling limp, tied up on the chair.
With Gabriel and the rest of your crew in a state of shock, Michael raises the barrel toward you and…
Следовало ожидать... тройная игра - лекарство против морщин.
BANG!
All the air escapes your lungs as you feel something hit you in the stomach. You feel yourself floating for a few seconds, then the back of your head slams into the pavement. You stare at the ceiling as the lower half of your body goes numb.
You reach out to touch your stomach, and you feel the hardness of your body armor, but you also feel the warmth of your blood. The bullet's gone straight through. You're on the ground, on your back, bleeding, and you see Gabriel jumping in between you and Michael.
You also see Gabriel behind Michael, quickly pulling out his Browning Hi-Power and pointing it at the back of Michael's head. Raquel follows suit, raising her pistol at Michael. Your vision begins to blur as you start to lose blood. Gabriel quickly steps in front of you, still aiming his pistol firmly at Michael.
Mouse rushes over to your side as he cries out, "Iris! Oh god, Iris, stay awake. Please!" He looks at Michael and shouts, "What was that for?!" The rest of your crew take a step back.
О, нет, Мышка... только не ты... С тебя же всё и началось... Не вздумай меня защишать, дурында! Он тебя сожрёт.
"Yes, Michael! What the hell was that for?!" Gabriel shouts.
"Let me explain," Michael calmly says, pointing the FN FNC away from you.
"Please do!" Gabriel quickly grabs the rifle and pulls it away from him before flicking the safety on and training it on Michael.
"I went and had a little chat with the Corigan. Remember when that FBI gal Megan told us that the FBI had an informant? Well, I decided to ask the Corigan herself whether or not she knew," Michael explains.
Кто бы сомневался, у тебя и за координатором федералов слежка налажена... Да завербуйте уже его и мы дружно ипанём по Картелю!
"And did she?" Gabriel asks, slowly lowering his rifle as Raquel follows suit.
"Yes, she knew everything. She even knows who we are," Michael says, looking over at Gabriel and Raquel. "She told me that there are only two possibilities as to who the informant might be. And I'm very sure about one of them," Michael explains, looking at Gabriel before slowly looking down at you. "But not the other."
"You didn't have to shoot her!" Gabriel shouts. "Jesus, talk to me first, for fuck's sake!" Gabriel groans angrily, still pointing his rifle at Michael. "Iris's not the informant!" He defends you without a second thought.
В этот момент я чувствую себя такой тварью...
"Are you sure about that?" Michael says calmly, despite the guns being pointed at him from nearly all sides.
Enigma takes a few steps back from Michael, unsure what exactly is going on or who to support.
"Yes, I'm goddamn sure! Now give me a reason not to shoot you!" Gabriel shouts, still pointing his rifle at his partner. Michael appears outnumbered in this argument…but he's not wrong.
Даже хуже... мразью...
Michael looks at you and says, "Anthony contacted you last night. What did he say?"
"Wh-what are you talking about?" Gabriel asks, looking back and forth between you and Michael. "She's not an informant!" He stands firmly between you and Michael.
>"I don't know what you're talking about." (Very Hard Persuasion) >"Shoot me, I dare you." (Near-Impossible Intimidation) - это выбор для тех, кто не усвоил урок о правилах хорошего тона с психопатами >"Gabriel, stand down." >"The FBI are coming to attack us." Tell them I'm an informant. >Don't say anything, just hold onto my wound. >Pull out my pistol and shoot Michael.
Молчу... А что ещё делать, пока Мышка в комнате моё признание - его смертный приговор.
You keep your mouth shut as you hold your bleeding wound shut.
"Your silence won't save you here, Iris. Answer me," Michael says.
"Gabriel, stand down." - пытаюсь вывести хотя бы одного дорогого человека из этого уравнения кошмара
"No! I won't!" Gabriel protests.
И чувствую себя ещё большей мразью...
"Listen to Iris, Gabriel," Michael says.
"No, you listen to me! She's not an informant!" Gabriel shouts.
Что там хуже последней мрази.. да, верно, это я. Теперь мне чтобы спасти одного нужно сознаться во всём наедине с Михаелем (причём я всё равно собиралась это сделать, чтобы предупредить вас о масштабном рейде. Вашу ж мать, я ваш двойной агент, просто завербовал меня Кайден, который свалил отжимать трафик через Лос-Анджелес у Картеля), а чтобы спасти другого - ни за что не признаваться. Выбираю самые нейтральные реплики, чтобы он уже либо пустил мне пулю в лоб, либо включил мозг и наконец-то него дошло чей я агент.
"I don't know what you're talking about," you say, exaggerating the amount of pain you're feeling, holding your wound as you groan in agony.
(Rolling D20 (8) + Persuade (5) + Relationship (-1) + Luck (12) | DC = 20 or above)
"Hmm…curious. I never would've thought…" Michael says. He looks over his shoulder at Gabriel. "Gabriel?" he says accusingly.
О, кажется начало доходить...
"Michael?" Gabriel replies curiously.
"That moment when we interrogated Megan, your 'reaction' piques my curiosity," Michael says, slowly turning to his partner. "And the fact that you almost always scold me for killing innocents—forgive my rudeness, but…it makes me suspicious of your standing."
Вааат?.. Ну да, а я-то совсем упустила из вида, что картина мира Михаэля состоит из паранойи и пыток, пыток и паранойи. Дошло, но в очень своеобразной форме.
Gabriel takes a few steps back, holding his rifle at the ready, and says, "I'm the second possibility that the Corigan mentioned, aren't I?"
"Yes, yes you are." Michael raises his revolver at Gabriel.
Михаэль... ты идиот! Тебя не зря попёрли оттуда, откуда попёрли.
Gabriel replies by raising his rifle at Michael. "How long have we known each other? Eight years, right? Why would I turn on you now?"
Действительно...
"We've been friends for that long, true, but we both know that you and I have our differences. Many differences," Michael says, slowly closing the distance with his revolver trained at Gabriel.
"We both know how this will end, don't we?" Gabriel asks with a sigh.
"Yes, yes we do," Michael says, walking right up to the barrel of Gabriel's rifle, then lowering his revolver and holstering it.
"Good, so let's get this over with." Gabriel says.
With a quick and powerful swing, Michael punches Gabriel in the left side of his mask as he uses his other hand to push the barrel of Gabriel's rifle away before grabbing it and pulling it, yanking the upper half of his body toward him.
Gabriel regains himself quickly as he pushes forward and pulls back with his right arm before dodging another one of Michael's quick jabs by simply ducking, then countering with a powerful slam of his elbow straight into Michael's stomach.
"Ugh!" Michael groans as his whole body is pushed backwards from the elbow to his stomach.
Gabriel suddenly lets go of his rifle, then reaches out and tries to grab the revolver out of Michael's hip holster. Michael pulls back, holding Gabriel's rifle, and kicks Gabriel away just as he manages to pull Michael's revolver out of its holster.
Michael pulls back, raises Gabriel's own rifle, and points it at him with a chuckle. Gabriel freezes, still holding Michael's revolver by the cylinder.
"Sorry, Gabe," Michael says as he pulls the trigger, and…
CLICK! Nothing happens.
Michael checks the rifle and realizes that the safety is still on. He sighs as Gabriel raises Michael's own revolver at him. Michael lowers the rifle, saying, "You were always the sma—"
BANG! Gabriel fires a round straight at him. The bullet ricochets off his mask, denting it and sending sparks flying as Michael reels back before falling to the ground.
Enigma rushes over to check on Michael. With a painful groan, he confirms that he's alive.
Gabriel lowers the revolver and says, "That's for ever doubting me." He walks over to his partner and offers him a hand.
Michael takes his hand and pulls himself up, then sends a long, powerful uppercut straight up at Gabriel. Gabriel sees it coming and easily dodges it, but then Michael brings a lightning-quick hook with his other hand, and with a loud DING, it slams into the side of Gabriel's mask.
Gabriel falls to the ground, limp. Raquel rushes over and checks on him. With a painful sigh, Gabriel confirms that he's still conscious, and Raquel helps him up.
"That's for shooting me in the face," Michael says, then he turns to you. "Now that I know you're not it…time to finish this." He forcefully grabs his revolver back from Gabriel and raises it at you.
Дубина, я всё равно скоро кровью истеку: 5% хр осталось из 100. Задай ты уже мне правильный вопрос! Ну или не задавай, и пусть Картель тебя поимеет через грязных федералов из Иллинойса.
"No," Gabriel says firmly.
Michael sighs in frustration. "Gabriel, we know Iris's an informant already, let m—"
"I know," Gabriel says quietly.
Michael turns to Gabriel and stares at him in surprise. "You do?"
"Yeah, I knew, the whole time." Gabriel sighs.
Твою ж... Габи, не надо себя топить из-за того, что моё грёбаное начальство не умеет решать вопросы с кадрами и развело грязищу на местах :(
"Wh-what?" Michael asks.
"I had my suspicions after you left for Chicago, so I contacted VAMcorp to see if they knew anything about you, and soon after that, I knew exactly who you are," Gabriel says as he walks over and kneels beside you, holding your hand and your wound.
Габи, сделать вид, что знаешь на копейку - это, конечно, гениальный финт ушами. Но он не настолько дурак.
"Y-you didn't care to tell me?" Michael asks angrily.
Gabriel sighs as he turns to Michael. "It didn't matter at the time, because I knew the FBI wouldn't attack us directly. And I knew that if I told you, you were to going to shoot Iris on sight." Gabriel looks back to you.
"I was going to give you a chance to double-cross the FBI and join the Archangels. And I'll never regret bringing you in," Gabriel says with a sense of loving support that brings you up, but with a hint of disappointment in his voice that crushes your heart, and his own.
Серьёзно, мы просто сделаем вид, что ты сейчас меня завербовал... и всё?
"I trusted you, Iris," he says as he takes over for Mouse, holding you in his arms as Mouse steps back in surprise, unable to process the intimacy between you and Gabriel. "I still trust you."
"Gabriel?" Michael asks in confusion.
"I'll give you one last chance," Gabriel says, his light-blue eyes staring down at you with a look of genuine concern. "Please, I don't ever want to hurt you."
Ой, не могу. Теперь я понимаю, почему Рук называет тебя Пеннивайзом :) Это грусно, смешно и гениально.
You feel his arms pulling you in closer. You know he wants you to make a choice: to completely join the Archangels and betray the FBI, or turn your back on the Archangels and face the consequences.
You know that Gabriel wouldn't hurt you. You can see it in his glimmering, light-blue eyes as he stares down at you, awaiting your decision.
>"I'll fight the FBI." Join the Archangels, and betray the FBI. Пфф... Будто есть какие-то сомнения. Чем по-вашему всё это время занималась, попутно кошмаря теневой бизнес местного Крёстного отца, который умудрился лечь под Картель и ещё получить при этом удовольствие! >"I'm sorry, I can't." Leave the Archangels, and stay with the FBI.
You see him slowly squinting, and you can imagine the smile behind his mask. "Thank you," he says, then he pulls out a first-aid kit from his vest and begins patching you up.
"Gabriel?" Michael calls out to him.
"Don't ask," Gabriel says, gesturing for Raquel to come over and help.
Raquel rushes over and quickly begins helping Gabriel stitch up your wounds, along with Mouse.
"We may have gotten past the fact that you were working against us, but I have no say in whether or not your crew will accept you back," Gabriel says, then he looks back at your crew.
You look over at your crew, and they're all staring at you and Mouse.
Ах, ну да, это та часть, где все дружно будут делать вид, что они все в белом и не понимали откуда у их Рафаэль спец подготовка, включая стратегическое планирование, почему местные копы ни разу не впились им в зад, а сам Рафаэль всячески избегает жертв среди гражданского населения.
Justin stares you down disappointedly, then sighs and smiles. "I'm with you. Just…please don't stab me in the back."
Charlie sighs with disappointment. "Don't really have much of a choice. You're the only Raphael left here."
Hayne shakes her head at you disappointedly, then smirks and chuckles. "You better buy me bottle of whiskey after this."
Rook chuckles. "Hey, I know I'm not part of your crew, but I'm willing to forgive and forget." He gives you a reassuring nod. "After a bottle or two." He winks.
Gabriel looks at you and says, "Well, it looks like you won't have to worry too much about your team accepting you back."
"Well, now we know that the FBI are coming, with a whole lot of reinforcements," Michael says, looking to Gabriel. "How do you suppose we work through this? You always have a plan."
"Like we always have when we eventually get our asses handed to us. We improvise," Gabriel says as he walks back over to the table. On his way, he stumbles and tries to catch himself, but as his foot stops his fall, you hear a tiny crack followed by Gabriel grunting in pain. "Agh, dammit, I keep forgetting I have shrapnel in my leg," he mutters angrily.
"You okay?" Michael asks.
"I'm good. Just…need to gather myself for a few seconds," Gabriel says as Raquel limps up behind him and puts her hand on his shoulder. "I'm good, Raquel, thanks."
"What happened?" Enigma asks.
"Long story, I'll fill you in later. Thanks for coming, Emily, I'm sorry you had to see all of that," Gabriel says as he looks around the loading bay, scanning the structure. "But I need you to go find a vantage point and be our over-watch for a while."
"Expecting trouble?" Emily asks as she too begins looking around the Mill.
"Lots of it," Gabriel replies.
И самоё весёлое: бой с 20%хр без тактической брони. Теперь можно отлететь от любого неверного выбора. Спасибо Михаэль, что превратил единственного Рафаэля, который к тому же располагает стратегической инфой о предстоящем штурме, в ваншотную тряпку с дикими штрафами на физ характеристики.
Gabriel looks to Bishop and says, "Bishop, I need you to take cover somewhere and give us suppressive fire with that machine gun of yours."
Bishop nods as he caresses his M60. "I'll try not to hit Rook by accident," he says as he walks off to the back of the loading bay and settles behind a concrete barrier.
Gabriel then looks at Rook and asks, "You know what to do?"
"Taco?" Rook asks.
"Taco." Gabriel nods.
Rook grabs his AR-15 and rushes to the other side, parallel to where Bishop is, taking cover behind a concrete pillar. He pulls a wrapped taco from under his armor and takes a quick bite before putting it back in. He taps his earpiece and says, "Bishop. Taco, taco."
You look and see Bishop tapping his earpiece. "What's our filling?"
"A hot batch of FBI agents," Rook says.
"Spicy?" Bishop asks.
"Extra spicy," Rook replies.
You see Bishop pulling out a few grenades and setting them up on his vest, ready for use.
Gabriel looks at Mouse and says, "Mouse, go to the office, call Greg, and tell him I'm invoking Order 34, and that we'll be coming in, possibly with heat. After you're done, I need you to access the Mill's CCTV system and call out enemy positions."
Mouse nods readily and rushes over to the office with his backpack. He goes through the door, and you see him beginning to set up his laptop before picking up the phone.
Finally, Gabriel looks to you and says, "Iris, I want you and your crew to hold a defensive position in the loading bay. Don't let anyone through." He puts his hand on your shoulder. "They'll fire down on you hard, but you've proven your skills as an Archangel."
Just mere moments ago, he was the most furious you've ever seen him. But now he seems calmly assured and content. You catch the gleam of his bright-blue eyes as he nods to you and says, "I believe in you, Iris."
There's a sudden blissfulness that flows through you as his words fill you with confidence. The pain in your body subsides, and even though you still know you're hurt, you can ignore it for the moment. You don't know what this feeling of confidence is, but you don't question it, as your strained muscles begin to relax and your mind goes calm.
Your muscles are tired, but your spirit is lifted. You feel like you could take on an entire army. Your body gives in as your mind takes over. You are ready.
(Your Luck has temporarily increased!)
> "Gabriel, I know who's coming." Tell them what I know. Ещё бы, я ради этой инфы рисковала шеей... и не только своей. Спасибо Энтони.
"Gabriel, I know who's coming," you tell him.
"How many?" Gabriel asks.
"Illinois state troopers involved, so there's gonna be a lot. ERT and FBI SWAT have already mobilized," you tell him.
Gabriel pauses and looks down for a moment, as if running through numerous scenarios in his mind before looking back up and nodding. "Understood, I'll adjust accordingly."
"Just like old times, eh?" Rook says to Gabriel.
"We weren't on the other side of the law last time." Gabriel chuckles.
"We weren't on any side of the law last time," Bishop corrects him.
> "Stay safe, Gabriel."
"Stay safe, Gabriel," you tell him.
"You too." Gabriel nods and readies his FN FNC assault rifle.
"What are you going to be doing?" Mouse asks through the earpiece.
"If they want to take me down so bad, then they can have me," Gabriel says as he takes off his white gloves, showing the skin of his hands for the first time, before shoving them into the pocket of his suit, pulling out a pair of black tactical gloves from the other pocket, and putting them on.
"Um, what exactly are you doing?" Emily asks.
"I'll be your distraction. Don't worry about me, I'll be out of here before they even realize it. You should all be worrying about getting out of here and making your way to Greg's church," Gabriel says as he takes off his suit and tie.
"You're not doing what I think you're doing," Michael says.
"I haven't done this in a while, but I hope I still remember how," Gabriel says as he sets down his suit jacket and tie by the table before taking off his black vest.
Raquel walks over and puts her hand on Gabriel's shoulder as Michael says, "You're hurt, and full of holes. You're practically a walking blood fountain. Don't do this."
"You should listen to Michael on this. Unless you're just stripping to your undies; then by all means, be my guest," Rook smirks.
Gabriel ignores them as he unbuttons his shirt, takes it off, and turns it inside out, showing the black interior as he puts it back on. He;s now wearing a black shirt, black pants, and black gloves. If not for his mask, he almost looks like he's on a SWAT team, but without the patches or body armor.
He looks over at you and says, "Get yourself ready. I need to prepare myself."
"This is it, time to stand by my choice," you think to yourself as you look around the loading bay of the Mill, then at your crew. They all stand at the ready to receive your commands. You're about to betray the FBI in order to be with the Archangels. This won't be easy.
Justin unscrews the suppressor of of his Mini-14 rifle, checks the chamber, inserts a fresh magazine, and chambers a round before picking up his M1911 pistol and holstering it on his hip. "Ready," he says.
Charlie picks up his Glock-19 and playfully spins it on his index finger, cowboy style, before holstering it on his belt. Then he picks up his MP5K and slaps the bolt forward, chambering a round. He smirks as he says, "Ready when you are, guv."
Hayne detaches the suppressor of of her Walther P99, inserts a fresh magazine, and chambers a round before holstering it next to her Beretta 93r. She grabs her Diemaco C7a2, which she seems to love very much, and checks the chamber before loading a fresh magazine and chambering a round. "We're ready, Iris."
You prepare your Browning Hi-Power pistol, making sure it's full of ammo before holstering it. You pick up your Remington M700 sniper rifle, inspect the chamber, and chamber a round before slinging it around your back. You grab your telescoping baton, bash the air as you test it out, then holster it.
Rook watches from a distance before saying, "You all look like the adult version of Power Rangers." He chuckles.
Just then, you hear Mouse's nervous but excited voice over the earpiece. "All Archangels, armored FBI and SWAT vans coming in from the north, I repeat, the north! Lots of 'em!"
"All right, Iris, set up your perimeter and hold. Don't let anyone through. Enigma, cover the entrances and help Iris however you can. Rook, Bishop, suppress and distract. Mouse, keep your head down and wish us luck," Gabriel says.
"Good luck!" Mouse says.
As everyone gets themselves behind cover, Gabriel sets his wooden cane and his rifle down on the table in front of the office, then walkS past everyone to the center of the loading bay, toward the entrance, calmly.
Rook looks at Gabriel and asks, "The hell is he doing?"
Bishop shrugs and says, "Taking a stroll?"
In the distance, you hear the sound of multiple engines roaring loudly and tires rolling over the dirt outside the Mill. You hold your Remington M700 firmly in your hand as you anticipate the convoy of FBI agents.
"Everyone, hold your fire and hide," Gabriel calmly whispers through the earpiece.
You see your crew lowering themselves behind cover. Raquel and Michael continue to rush in and out of the office with document after document getting dumped into the back of the van in the far corner.
You turn and see Bishop pulling back from his concrete barrier to hide, pulling his machine gun down behind it. You turn to your other side and see Rook casually hiding behind a pillar, eating a taco.
You look around, taking in your surroundings before deciding where to hide. Your mind races as you hear the metal gates outside the Mill breaking apart as the chain-link fence rattles loudly. The FBI is here.
There's a concrete barrier close to where your crew is, in the middle of the back end of the loading bay. You'd be properly hidden and fully behind cover, but it's a bit far away from the entrance.
There's also a half wall to your left, which you can get to without having to run very far. You'd be close to the entrance and somewhat hidden, but you wouldn't be fully covered.
So where are you going to go hide?
> Look for a better position. (Perception) Потому что нужно прикрывать и умудриться при этом не отлететь.
You look around and scan the whole area, looking for a place where you can see everything but be behind cover.
(Rolling D20 (14) + Perception (5) + Luck (14) | DC = 12 or above)
There's a shipping container which you could climb, then take cover behind the huge metal pipes stacked on top of it. You'd have a full overview of the loading bay, and be fully covered.
You quickly rush over and climb up the crates in back of it, making your way to the large metal pipes stacked in a pyramid on top. You crouch down behind them and ready your weapon as you hear the heavily armored vehicles rolling through the front gate toward the Mill.
You peek out from behind cover and see Gabriel, still and calm, is standing in the middle of the barren loading bay, and he slowly raises his hand. You look to the left, through the entrance to the loading bay, and you see two heavily armored police vehicles sitting in front of about five police cruisers. Their lights flash red and blue across the rusted walls of the loading bay, but no sirens can be heard.
The backs of the armored vehicles open up, and a fully geared and armed FBI SWAT team, around fourteen in total, wearing full black tactical clothing, hops out of the back of the vehicles and begins making their way into the loading bay of the Mill, weapons drawn. "FBI! HANDS UP! GET DOWN ON THE GROUND!" they shout as they point their weapons at the first person they see, Gabriel.
Gabriel calmly continues to raise his hands as seven of them converge upon him, weapons drawn. The SWAT team circles around him, then one of them approaches him, shouting, "I SAID, DOWN ON THE GROUND!" As he points his submachine gun away and reaches out to grab Gabriel's shoulder, in a blindingly swift move, Gabriel catches the man's hand and quickly pulls him around, using him as a human shield. He starts trying to unstrap the vest off of the man.
"Enigma, shoot whoever's shooting at me," Gabriel says over the radio as he disassembles the vest.
Two other SWAT team members quickly open fire, hitting their own teammate in the process. Plumes of smoke erupt from the vest of the man Gabriel has held up in front of him. He pulls him back and successfully takes the vest off.
The man falls to the ground from the shots, and suddenly, BANG! A loud gunshot rings out through the Mill as one of the men who fired at Gabriel falls to the ground from a sniper shot. Gabriel takes the time he has to put the vest on himself.
One SWAT team member behind Gabriel quickly wraps his arm around him, then tries to wrestle Gabriel to the ground, as the another raises his rifle at Gabriel. BANG! Another loud sniper shot rings out, and he promptly crumples to the ground, motionless.
Out of the original seven, only four are left standing. One of them, the biggest one out of the four, is grabbing hold of Gabriel from behind. Gabriel quickly turns around in his grasp and sends an elbow directly into the side of his head, knocking his whole upper body to the side, amd you can see him fiddling with the straps of his helmet as the large man reels away from him.
Gabriel takes off his helmet and holds it with one hand as his other hand reaches for the smoke grenade inside his vest. He pulls the pin, the spoon flies off, but the grenade stays inside the pocket of his vest, and a with a loud WHOOSH, smoke begins to pour out of his vest. Gabriel pulls back and kicks him, bringing him to the ground. You see Gabriel limping away, holding his leg as he grunts in pain.
The smoke coming from the vest grows and envelops Gabriel and the last three standing SWAT team members as Gabriel methodically tries to disarm all of them. You hear a scuffle, a couple of gunshots, muzzle flashes, followed by a painful grunt. You can't see anything through the smoke, but a few seconds later, Gabriel's mask is thrown out through the smoke. It clatters against the concrete floor and lands face up, staring at the ceiling with an empty gaze.
You don't know what happened to Gabriel, but before you can guess, you see that the other seven SWAT team members have spotted one of your crew, Hayne. "FBI! HANDS IN THE A—" BANG! BANG! BANG!
Hayne replies with her weapon, shooting one of them in the head as the rest scatter for cover. In your current position, you have a clear overview of the battlefield, and you can see one of the SWAT team members taking cover behind a pillar, unknowingly exposing his back to you as he tries to take aim at Hayne.
But in the corner of your eye, you spot another one who seems to have spotted you, as he raises his rifle up at you, ready to fire a round. Your mind races, your heart beats faster, and everything else slows down...
(Rolling D20 (7) + Will (18) | DC = 24 or above) Чеки на то, чтобы не потерять сознание после кровопотери.
You're focused.
Time to do something.
> Try to shoot both of them. (Hard Accuracy) При всех альтернативах (там около 5-7ми выборов на каждое действие, вплоть до ничего не делать) выбирать приходится самые сложные, иначе у кого-то будет минус лицо в тиме.
Which weapon would you like to use?
> Remington M700 sniper rifle
You raise your sniper rifle out of cover and fire suppressively at the two SWAT team members, hoping to force them to take cover themselves.
THUMP! You cycle the bolt. THUMP! You cycle the bolt. THUMP! You cycle the bolt.
(Rolling D20 (15) + Accuracy (7) + Weapon Accuracy (11) + Luck (14) | DC = 18) Жуткие штрафы на точность из-за физы, но оптика и спецподготовка тащат.
Like the skilled marksman you are, you fire your shots and see both of them drop to the ground, one after the other. You look back and see Hayne turn toward you and give you a thumbs up and a "thank you" through the earpiece.
You see the rest of your crew fighting back as Michael and Raquel rush out of the office and dash around to the back of the loading bay, where another SUV awaits, right in front of your grey sedan. They throw the documents inside and go back to the office to pick up some more.
As you're watching this, you hear shots ring out behind you, followed by the crack of a bullet flying past you. You tuck in behind cover as you hear the gunshots getting drowned out by louder gunshots, sniper fire from up above.
You peek out of cover, and where there were once seven SWAT team members, now there are only three, as the others are either dead or incapacitated. However, you hear Mouse in your earpiece saying, "They're sending reinforcements into the loading bay!"
Out of the corner of your eye, you spot a handful of men rushing out of the back of a van outside the Mill and making their way to the loading bay.
You hear Rook over the radio excitedly saying, "Taco!"
And Bishop unenthusiastically replying. "Taco."
You see the two of them move forward, flanking both sides of the SWAT team in the loading bay as Enigma snipes any of them who dare to peek out of cover. Rook quickly rushes to the gigantic sliding metal gate that's currently open, leading outside to where the SWAT vans are parked, and where the reinforcement SWAT team is running in from.
He ducks from cover to cover as the SWAT team opens fire at him. But their gunshots are quickly silenced by Bishop, who mows them down from the other side, spraying his machine gun all over the place, nearly hitting Rook in the process.
"Watch where you're firing! You almost shot the only person who can beat you at chess!" Rook shouts over the radio.
"What?! I can't hear you over the sound of my machine gun!" Bishop replies as you hear the echo of his machine gun firing loudly through the radio, and in real life.
"Kids, stop playing around, please," Enigma says through the earpiece.
"No, really! I can't hear you through all this gunfire!" Bishop shouts as he continues to rain fire and lead at the SWAT team, his machine gun slowly deteriorating their concrete cover.
You hear a sigh from both Rook and Enigma, then Rook quickly dashes out of cover and slams his fist onto the big red button by the side of the sliding gate, and you hear the sound of metal gears rolling and clanking as chains begin to rise and fall, and the gate slowly closes.
The SWAT team outside quickens its pace and tries to rush into the loading bay. However, Enigma shoots the leaderr in the head. Their body falls to the floor, and the teammate behind him stumbles over it as Enigma continues to snipe them down one by one before they can even reach the gate.
Bishop eventually runs out of ammo and pulls back behind cover to reload.
The remaining SWAT team members inside the loading bay take this opportunity to fire at Enigma up on the catwalk. They open fire with their rifles, and you hear Enigma grunting, followed by the sound of metal crashing against metal as sparks fly from the catwalk that Enigma is sniping from.
You turn and see that a couple of the ones still outside have gotten close to the closing gate. Rook has no clue that they're right on the other side of the gate, and at the pace they're running, they could possibly make it into the loading bay.
(Rolling D20 (13) + Will (18) | DC = 24 or above) Всё ещё в строю.
You're focused.
Your mind races once more, and like before, the world around you slows down, waiting for you to make your move.
> Think of a way to deal with both. (Tactics) И снова если хочется спасти всех - приходится выбирать самый сложный путь, героиня - кремень.
You try to think of a way to deal with both threats.
(Rolling D20 (16) + Tactics (8) + Intelligence (13) + Luck (14) | DC = 18 or above)
You have it! You turn and shout to your Ramiel. "Ramiel! Cover Rook!"
As soon as your Ramiel, Hayne, opens fire at the men about to rush in through the gate, you hop out of cover and open fire on the ones in the loading bay who are shooting at Enigma.
THUMP! You cycle the bolt. THUMP! You cycle the bolt. Your sniper rifle locks open, signaling that you've fired your last round.
You fire your shots, and you see the men in the loading bay fall to the ground. The rest scatter and rush behind cover.
Out of the corner of your eye, you see Hayne opening fire with her Diemaco C7a2. Each shot strikes with precision, and the two men quickly fall to the ground, right as the gate closes behind them.
Just then, you hear a barrage of machine-gun fire as Michael guns down all of the remaining SWAT team members still up and fighting within the loading area. He unloads his whole ammo belt, and soon, none of them are left standing.
A quiet stillness fill the inside of the Mill, a cloud of smoke floating in the middle of the loading area. "Gabriel, you there?!" Michael shouts to his colleague.
The smoke finally rises, revealing a pile of dead, unconscious, and heavily wounded bodies on the ground, a few of them missing their gear. One is missing his helmet and goggles, another is missing his vest, and another is missing his elbow and kneepads.
At first, Gabriel seems to have vanished into thin air, but then you realize, there are eight bodies. You quickly guess that one of the wounded bodies is Gabriel, but which one?
Before you can find out, Michael shouts, "All right, we're leaving! Everyone get to your respective vehicles!" You look up and see Enigma climbing down the ladder from the catwalk with her sniper rifle on her back.
You turn and see Rook rushing back to Bishop. "Did you have a hard time hitting me?" he asks with a smirk.
"You know, it'd be real easy if we were shooting the enemy instead of each other!" Rook shouts before sighing in frustration. "Never mind that, we need to get out of here. Where's Gabriel?" He looks over at the pile of bodies on the ground and says, "Oh, wait."
Raquel rushes over to Michael. Michael says something to Raquel that you can't quite hear from so far away, but Raquel nods and runs over to the SUV that they've been piling documents into. "Mouse, when you leave the office, go to the desk and grab the brass pen."
"Oh, um, okay?" you hear Mouse over the radio, and a few seconds later, you see him emerge from the office with a shiny brass pen.
"Raphael!" Michael calls out to you as his electronically distorted voice booms out. "Get your crew into your vehicle and make your way to Father Murdock's church!"
"You mean Gregory's Glorious Goods?" Charlie asks.
Michael nods before turning to Rook and Bishop. "You two! Get your taco vans and disperse! Meet us at Gregory's shop. You know where that is?"
"You mean the totally not suspicious church-slash-black market run by a possibly insane friend of Gabriel's who has little to no actual interest in being an actual priest besides anonymously donating a ton of money?" Rook asks.
Michael stares at him for a few seconds before nodding. "Yes."
"Then yeah, we know the way." Rook nods.
"We must depart!" Bishop shouts.
"Will you let me drive?" Rook sighs.
"Never! To battle!" Bishop replies as he walks over to the taco van.
Michael sighs and turns to Enigma. "Enigma, get in your car and follow behind everyone. Keep watch on us and try not to get shot up before you reach the church."
Enigma nods and looks over at the pile of bodies. "What about Gabriel?"
"He can handle himself, I'll pick him up tonight—if he actually calls me," Michael says before walking over to a newly created room beside the office that leads to the back of the Mill. You remember that a few days ago, there used to be a wall there, but now the wall appears to have been demolished.
Through the non-existent wall, you can see Michael walking over to what appears to be another wall, which if you remember correctly, leads out to the back of the Mill. You see Michael pull a long piece of yellow cord from his pocket, and he begins placing it on the wall, creating a circle. You realize he's about to make a really big hole.
You look back and see Enigma hopping into her beautiful gunmetal-grey muscle car. You also see Rook and Bishop arguing over who's driving as they make their way to the taco van. "Last time you drove, you almost accidentally crashed into a Taco Belle," Bishop says.
"It wasn't accidental, and unfortunately I didn't hit anyone," Rook replies.
"Still no, I'm driving," Bishop says, nursing a wound he's been holding the whole time as he limps to the van.
"You can barely walk! Just sit in the back, grab some tacos, and get some rest!" Rook says, going over to the back of the van, opening it, and gesturing for Bishop to get in. "In you go, Mr. Cuddlepuff! Plenty of tacos inside!"
Bishop scoffs as he walks past Rook. With a blur of his hand, he slaps Rook's crotch, sending Rook reeling backward, coughing and squealing, then he climbs into the back of the van and closes the door, leaving Rook outside to slowly regain his composure, gasping for air.
"C-Carajo! Not cool, hermano!" He curses as he walks around the side of the taco van, propping himself up against the wall as he hops into the driver's seat.
Mouse comes up to you and asks, "Should we be going?"
You turn to your team and see everyone preparing their weapons and gear, ready to leave at your command. Your Sariel, Charlie, walks up to you and asks, "You want me to drive? Or do you want to drive?"
You think about it for a second or two. Someone will have to drive the grey sedan to Greg's church. You'll probably get chased by the FBI. Who will drive the crew?
>I'll drive. Как любой нормальный Рафаэль в экстренной ситуации выбираю себя (но можно отдать управление машиной напарнику и сцена будет иной)! Вести придётся жёстко, а мальчишка-драйвер в тиме хоть и гоняет быстро, но быстро теряется и любит повыпендриваться, вечно заехав куда-то не туда. А ещё водительское место во время погони - это практически место смертника (ну или так считают те, кто ставил чеки на сейф броски в этой новелле).
You look at your Charlie and point to the passenger door. He nods and rushes over to the grey sedan.
You look over at the rest of your crew and address the situation. "Everyone! Get to the Sedan! We're leaving!" And in unison on your command, your crew raise their weapons and quickly make their way to the Sedan.
You follow suit, jumping into the driver's seat, with your Sariel right beside you and everyone else in the back. Mouse rushes over to you as you hear Michael shout, "Mouse! Push the pen!"
Mouse stops and turns to Michael, confused by the request at first. "Oh!" He takes the brass pen out of his pocket and slams his palm against the top of it.
BOOOOOOM! With a sudden shockwave, the office implodes. A large fireball shatters the glass as it erupts, fire beginning to pour out of the office as Mouse quickly hops into the back of the Sedan.
Michael runs away from the circle he just made on the wall with the rope. He hops into the SUV next to yours with Raquel and immediately drives up to the circle.
Their tires screech over the concrete floor, and the SUV seems like it's about to crash into the wall, when another, less intense BOOM erupts from the wall, sending a plume of smoke and dust into the air. You see a circular shaft of light appear as their SUV pushes through the newly created hole in the wall.
You release the handbrake, and the Sedan leaps forward. Everyone, including you, quickly grabs onto something as the grey sedan burns its tires before launching off behind the leading SUV.
Your vision blurs from the dark interior of the loading bay to the bright and shiny after-rain weather outside the Mill. The sun hits you in the eyes, blinding you for a few seconds before your retinas adjust.
As your vision clears, you see the SUV in front of you bursting through the fence that protects the back of the Mill, beyond which is a stretch of road parallel to it that leads away in either direction.
You decide to reload your weapon. You grab a few rounds and reload your Remington M700.
Michael and Raquel's SUV drives over the bent fence and onto the grassy field that's between the fence and the stretch of road. The SUV clambers for a few seconds against the off-road terrain before drifting onto the asphalt, sending dust, dirt, and rubbery smoke into the air before launching off to the left, toward the city.
You hear the clattering of metal as the fence scrapes the sides of your vehicle, and soon after you feel the Sedan jittering over the grassy-rocky terrain. Unfortunately, your vehicle wasn't made for this terrain. You hear the suspension system crying as it jumps around on the patches of grass and rock. The front wheels hit the asphalt, and your vehicle jumps onto it. As per Michael's command, you are to disperse and meet everyone at Gregory's church. But which way should you go?
Both paths lead to the downtown area, though going left will take you to a faster route to Greg's church. Going right will make sure you have no tail, but it will also mean that you'll have to circle around a longer route. There's nothing but a wall in front of you on the other side of the road.
The world around you slows down as the Sedan hovers in midair, awaiting your answer. Повезло: свободное действие для героя.
> Right! Потому что нам приказано прикрывать отступление Михаэля: нужно подобрать и увести возможные хвосты. Мы далеко не на самой медленной машине + у нас хороший корпус. Очень хороший шанс оторваться или расправиться с возможными преследователями. Да и героиня за рулём. Но скорее всего этот выбор приведёт к смертельной западне. Зато в неё не попадут другие и та информация, которую подчищал Михаэль.
You slam the steering wheel to the right and let the back of your grey sedan fishtail out as it drifts onto the road, sending a plume of dirt and smoke into the air before it straightens out.
You look in the rear-view mirror and see the gunmetal-grey muscle car following right behind you as it climbs out of the grass and onto the street. Then you see Rook and Bishop's taco van swerving off behind Enigma's car, following it with you as the leader of the convoy.
And lastly, your heart races as you see four black sedans that you recongize as Chicago Outfit interceptors come out and chase you. They must've been waiting for you the whole time. There are now four Outfit interceptors chasing behind you, Rook, Bishop, and Enigma.
Ну привет, стервятники.
Two of the four Outfit interceptors drive up to you, then pass you, chasing Rook and Bishop, who you're guessing is their top priority.
However, Enigma crashes into the leading interceptor, pushing them off the road. The interceptor swerves off and tumbles into a ditch, sending dirt and debris flying up into the air.
The other interceptor chases behind Enigma, but is cautious enough to keep their distance as everyone approaches an intersection.
Rook and Bishop abruptly turn at the intersection, and Enigma follows with a beautiful drift across the wet asphalt, sending a spray of water into the air, casting a rainbow trail behind her car.
The interceptor gives chase and turns the corner. However, the last two interceptors are still hot on your tail.
You step on the gas, and the interceptors fall behind for a few seconds, then speed up again to catch up. One of them is almost right behind you, and is about to try to do a PIT maneuver.
(Rolling D20 (17) + Will (18) | DC = 28 or above)
Time slows down once more, prompting you to do something.
Quick! Do something!
> Slow down and slam into the interceptor! (Driving) При всём богатстве выборов и желании сделать ноги как можно скорее - нужно выносить погоню, потому что если им в плен попадут Рук или Бишоп - это сразу билет в один конец. За их головы назначена награда, и назначена она за то, что они после жарких переговор во время погони, пары пуль в заднице Рука и увесистых аргументов моей снайперки в духе Враг у ворот, отказались от заказа на Габриэля и перешли на нашу сторону. Сцены с пытками друзей я даже читать не хочу.
(Rolling D20 (18) + Driving (3) + Luck (14) | DC = 14 or above)
You slow down a bit and see the interceptor catching up, their engine roaring as they give chase. However, you slam on the brakes as they're about to PIT the rear of your vehicle and swerve right into the side of the Sedan.
You feel the cabin get jostled. You hold onto the steering wheel as you try to pull further back, giving you the position you need to PIT the side rear of the interceptor. Time for payback.
You pull away, and at the last minute, you slam the steering wheel back toward the interceptor. You can feel the steering wheel fighting back as you slam the front of your Sedan into the side of the interceptor.
The interceptor turns into a drift, and for a moment, you can see the look of terror on both the driver and the gunner inside the car as you slam right into their side doors. Sparks and shards of glass fly everywhere as the interceptor is dragged sideways by your vehicle before it finally slips away and falls behind.
You mentally pat yourself io the back, but you soon realize you have another interceptor to deal with as you see the last one interceptor driving up closer.
An Outfit agent leans out the passenger side of the interceptor with an HK416 carbine and opens fire at you. You helplessly take cover in the driver's seat as they fire at your door.
А вот и попытка снять водителя, правда слабенькая. Хорошо, что за рулём моя героиня, а не Чарли. В этот момент всё могло стать очень невесело. (Rolling D20 (20) + Agility (5) + Luck (14) | DC = 6 or above)
You hope for the best and wait helplessly as the bullets pierce through the side of your Sedan. Thankfully, none of the bullets hit you. However, you look in the rear-view mirror and still see the last interceptor comes back into view. Damn it!
You may have one less problem to deal with, but you still have one left.
You see the last interceptor chasing right behind you, and when you turn back to the road, you see that you're coming up to a T-shaped junction.
You're going to have to make a turn. You quickly slam the wheel to the left and pull the handbrake, letting the Sedan drift across the asphalt as you turn the corner.
You tighten your grip on the steering wheel as it tries to twist out of your control, but you hold it firm and steady. Just then, you feel a sudden CRASH! Your body jolts to the side, causing you to instinctively hold onto the first thing your hand finds purchase on.
You look back and see that the interceptor has slammed head-first into the rear end of the grey sedan, pushing the backside as the vehicle pivots and rotates across the asphalt to face the interceptor. You can hear the tires and brakes screeching in protest as you slam the gear into reverse and begin driving down the road backwards, not wasting any time to rotate back.
You look back and see the road leading to downtown Chicago. You look ahead and see the other interceptor just as it slams into the front of the Sedan. Your body jumps forward, and you hold yourself in your seat as the interceptor is now pushing you into oncoming traffic again.
You can see the driver, alone in her cabin, slamming her interceptor into top gear. Her face shows that she's as desperate to end this as you are.
(Rolling D20 (11) + Will (18) | DC = 26 or above) Всё ещё в сознании. Отлично!
Quick! Do something!
> Try and slip away from her! (Hard Driving) Сложный манёвр, потому что оно упопротое и судя по описанию камикадзе. Скорее всего все лобовые варианты приведут к печальным последствиям. Стрелять в неё тоже бесполезно, машину на скорости выстрелом не остановить, а эта дура и сама благополучно убьётся.
You look back and forth between the front of the Sedan and the rear-view mirror, trying to slip away from the interceptor.
(Rolling D20 (15) + Driving (3) + Luck (14) | DC = 17 or above)
You slam the steering wheel to the right, letting the interceptor pivot to the left and into the oncoming lane.
Да, вот что она хотела сделать - вытолкнуть нас на встречную.
You quickly hit the brakes and let the interceptor slam into your grey sedan's side door, then you complete the rotation and push the interceptor into oncoming traffic.
With a flash of light, a loud horn, and a deafening CRASH, the interceptor slams head-on into a garbage truck. The small interceptor is not only stopped right in its tracks, it gets pushed back by the truck. You see a spurt of blood spraying onto the cracked windshield.
You don't think anyone could survive that, at least not without a few broken bones, and possibly some brain damage.
And with that, you're no longer being chased!
You and your crew sigh in relief, knowing that you're now safe. "That was awesome," Justin says from behind you, followed by a chuckle from Hayne, then one from Charlie. Not being chased seems to have lightened the mood, and so you chuckle along with them at the fact that you've at least survived.
In the middle of the celebration, your phone vibrates. You pull it out of your pocket, while focusing on driving. Mouse actually helps you get it out as you hold the car steady. He hands it to you, then you put it up against your ear.
But before you can say anything, an unfamiliar voice says, "Raphael, this is Don Lavadechi. I heard you ran into some trouble with the Feds."
А вот это очень плохо... Откуда бы Дону знать мой ранг и телефон?!
"Who is it?" Mouse asks.
Don Lavadechi…he seems to know that you just left the Mill after getting attacked by the FBI. "If you survive, tell Michael I wish to talk," he says with a sigh of…disappointment? No, defeat. The Don sounds frustrated, and you wonder what's been going on.
The call ends, so you pull the phone back to look at the number, and your heart beats faster when you realize that it's Greg's! You have to tell Gabriel or Michael! Or anyone! You need t—
Вот и ответ. Это ужасная новость. Грег наш союзник, поставщик различных услуг и владелец того укрытия, куда мы собственно и едем! И уже уехали те, кого я должна была прикрывать! Михаэль, твоя разведка просто в тёмном глубоком месте.
"Iris!" you hear Mouse scream as you look up to your right and see something in the window behind Mouse, a reflection of something huge and blue, right behind you. You turn around to your left and see a huge garbage truck heading straight toward you—oh, shit.
(Rolling D20 (2) + Will (18) | DC = 28 or above)
You don't have time to react as the entire Sedan is suddenly pushed to the right, and your brain takes time to register the inertia. You do your best to cover your head as you suddenly feel a sharp, horrible pain in the left side of your body as you slam into the shards of glass that was your window and the metal protrusion that is your door.
You feel your head twisting around before it SLAMS into the side of your Sedan, and suddenly everything around you —goes black.
Кубик - тролль. :) Я практически уверена, что это последняя или предпоследняя провка в сцене :) Но проверка - объективно сложная (что логично, в таком-то состоянии с ранением и после конской потери крови, боя, погони и известия о том, что второй базы по сути уже нет - сохранить самообладание), так что думаю у большинства будет именно такое завершение у этой сцены, если вы коп, если выбрали правый путь и решили не уматывать поскорее, а защитить союзников.
Everything hurts—no, wait, nothing hurts. You can't feel anything at all. Your whole body is numb, and you can't tell if you're dead, hung over, or both. But right now, you can't feel anything, nor see anything, nor smell anything, nor hear anything, aside from the ringing silence in your ears. Maybe you are dead—or asleep.
Your eyes flutter open, and you find yourself in the driver's seat of your Sedan. You feel gravity churning you to the right. You look out the window to your left and see the sky, then you look to the right and see the asphalt through the cracked window. Your vehicle is on its side. And come to think of it, you don't hear the engine either.
You feel the softness of the padding in your mask, and you see a smudge of paint on the steering wheel in front of you, and on the door to your left. Your mask must've saved you from a fatal concussion. The ringing in your ears continues to deafen you, so you think you might have some sort of concussion.
There's a painful headache everywhere inside your head. You feel as if you're floating along a lazy river, with the world spinning around you as your body stays perfectly still.
You almost feel as if you're about to throw up, though you think that if you did, the only thing that would come out would be blood.
You can't move, you can barely even lift your finger. But your neck is dangling against your seat. With the help of gravity, you turn your head and try to look at your surroundings, grunting as a sharp pain jolts up your spine. Something is definitely broken.
You look around and see your crew, either dead, unconscious, or moaning in agony. For the first two, you're not quite sure, but the latter, you're quite sure, as you feel and hear yourself also moaning in horrible, horrible agony as you try to get up.
You look through the windshield, and you can see them. About twenty-five Outfit soldiers carrying assault rifles and shotguns, making their way toward you as they park and hop out of their vehicle about fifteen feet away.
They seem to be in a firefight with the FBI on the other side of the road. And from what it sounds like, the FBI are pulling back, as they're outnumbered. They're going to let the Outfit close in on you.
You're all alone, injured, and you can't do anything at all. You're bleeding out. Is this how you die? Did you really go through all of that just to die with your crew, with no one to come and save you?
You don't see Michael or Raquel's car anywhere, nor Enigma's. And you remember that Gabriel was left behind back at the Mill.
This is it, you're truly all alone.
You can hear their muffled shouts as they close in, and you don't think anyone's coming to get you. Right now, you just hope that they'll take you as a prisoner and not kill you as soon as they see you.
Suddenly, you feel your whole body shivering. It's cold, very cold. You feel the warmth of the blood pouring out of your wounds. You feel dizzy; you should take a rest.
And with that, you close your eyes, hoping to open them again later on to a different, friendlier sight.
And then everything fades to black again.
(Rolling D20 (8) + Relationship (5) + Luck (14) | DC = 24 or above) Последняя проверка. Спасла любовь, буквально: набафом лака и бонусом отношений.
Are you awake? "Is she awake?"
You sure hope so.
"I sure as hell hope so, Gabriel's gonna be pissed if she's dead."
You hear them, a conversation, and you try your best to open your eyes again, but all you can see is gray and red. Everything is blurry and hard to make out, but then your eyes clear out as the blurriness slowly creeps away. It still lingers, but not enough to obscure your vision.
You see a bird—no, wait, a plane? Oh no, wait, it's just a cloud. You wonder why the sky is so gray, and then it hits you: you're running out of blood. Your whole body is numb, you can't feel anything, the color in your vision is fading, and you're pretty much on the edge of dying…yet it's so blissful.
The Angels are here...
А всё могло быть иначе. Герой-коп мог (и, возможно, должен был) остаться верным фбр. Или вообще не оказаться в такой ситуации (и в таком случае там бы раскрылся другой блок интриг из общей картины). Спасаешь кому-то жизнь - а через главу встречаешь этого персонажа. Рука и Бишопа можно вообще убить и даже не понять, что они ваши потенциальные спутники...
п.с. я это всё к чему... те кто любит нелинейность, посмотре на игрокниги от choiceofgames. Иногда там попадаются любопытные вещи, редко, но всё же.
Символизм с кубиком тоже не дожатый: ---- Чёрт, да из этого куба можно было целый макгафин сделать.
Не буду сильно пакостить в приличных темах, но конкретно по этому вопросу...
Куб показался мне пасхалкой/отсылкой к... синей коробочке Линча. Которая тоже куб, но синий... ...и символизирует то же самое, на что кому-то в комментариях указали создатели Встреч :) И сцены с ней криповые, и её бы по-хорошему героине выбросить и никогда уже не просыпаться (чесслово, всем, включая зрителей, сразу бы стало легче).
Подчёркиваю слово "показался", но если я верно восприняла отсылку, то в текущем объеме одних упоминаний о кубе достаточно.
Сообщение отредактировал Nevilla - Среда, 18/Ноя/2020, 19:52
Зачем вы это делаете? Ладно, пафосное британские разработчики звучит, возможно, лихо, даже несмотря на то, что они сами о себе пишут: "Crow Tree Entertainment LLC, was started by two girls over a cup of coffee and a mutual love for Jane Austen!.." и у них до этого не было ни единой игры, новеллы, приложения для планшета, именного платочка (нужное подчеркнуть), а то, что вы дали на скрине кусок не особо большой демки, в которую буквально вот только на днях хотя бы звук добавили. :) Но какого чёрта они британские? 1385 Dow Street Christiansburg Virginia 24073 тыц Кристиансбург, Вирджиния, США.
Как две девочки из Вирджинии с кофеём и фанфиками на Остин превратились в британских разработчиков?
Уже несколько раз заглядывала в тему и каждый раз наталкивалась то на упоминание каких-нибудь огрызков, которые естественно никому не могут быть известны, т.к. они ещё сидят на стадии допиливания демки, то на откровенный виноград и дезинфу. И у меня всего один вопрос: люди, за что вы так друг друга ненавидите? :)
Сообщение отредактировал Nevilla - Воскресенье, 22/Ноя/2020, 18:50
на реддите, где девушки тизерили демо, они были british
однако загадочно (возможно ли, что под british имелся в виду не "разработчик"?), но такие подсказки всё равно просто сбивают с толку, особенно учитывая все остальные обстоятельства.
Цитатаanimukonata2019 ()
любителей без намёка на работу в геймдеве приходится называть разработчиками
О времена! О нравы! Да, именно в этом моменте моя тонкая душевная организация не выдержала накала страстей.
п.с. нет-нет, пусть завсегдатаи темы угадывают дальше, я лишь указала на момент, который вводит в заблуждение.
В новом году на "каникулах" добралась таки до Эхопраксии. Ну а чо, нужно же деградировать стильно. Господи, 10 вампиров в космосе из 10! Те, кто говорил, что роман нудный и вторичный... шли бы вы на... модификацию.
А тут ещё фанаты не дремлют, прямо в кокоро же.
Это всё к чему? Да собственно ни к чему. С Новым годом, господа! Будьте счастливы в новом году и не будьте теми, кто говорит, что Эхопраксия нудная и вторичная...
Вопрос первый: как вы смотрите на такое "усложнение", как выбор варианта ответа на время?
Крайне положительно, потому что это открывает две потенциальные опции: а) внедрить естественным образом возможность героя отмалчиваться (не тогда, когда игроку в лицо нагло ткнули три точечки, а интуитивно и в каждом выборе), что способствует "погружению"; б) сделать экшн сцены более живыми.
ЦитатаKatruna ()
А второй вопрос: как вы смотрите на невозможность откатить совершенный выбор ответа?
Прекрасно. Особенно если от этих выборов может не просто измениться описание сцены или пара реплик, а ещё и прилететь сюжетными последствиями по мягкой попе протагониста. Есть целый подвид игровых книг (CoG) разной степени паршивости. Так вот там сохранения идут только между книгами (или частями), при том что сами книги могут доходить объемом до 500к символов (чаще 250-300, хотя изредка попадаются даже миллионники) и внезапно это работает только на погружение. С отсутствием загрузки как-то невольно начинаешь задумываться над тем, куда жмакаешь, и чуточку больше ценить жизни персонажей (ведь перелистывание со смерти любимого напарника повторяя все предыдущие выборы может занять минут 20, если не все полчаса, а когда там ещё броски кубов... ууу... я смотрю на тебя A Study in Steampunk, ты мне пары седых волос стоил со своими вотэтоповоротами!).
Другой вопрос: а каждой ли новелле оно надо? Если новелла - ламповый слайсик, мягкий и пушистый, то ей, имхо, не нужно ни первое, ни второе. Первое будет мешать читателю хрумкать печеньки с чаем за чтением, второе так вообще вгонит в тоску, т.к. в откровенной лампе игрока наказывают крайне редко, и читатель это очень быстро смекнёт. Но если делать приключения с погонями, интригами, недомолвками, расследованиями и возможной потерей второстепенных героев посреди сюжета - вот тогда эти "механики" начнут работать на погружение в историю.
Сообщение отредактировал Nevilla - Вторник, 23/Фев/2021, 02:19
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