Staredit Network > Forums > Null > Topic: The Temple of Abocachu
The Temple of Abocachu
Jun 25 2010, 4:46 pm
By: CaptainWill
Pages: < 1 « 12 13 14 15 16 >
 

Mar 8 2011, 3:02 pm NudeRaider Post #261

We can't explain the universe, just describe it; and we don't know whether our theories are true, we just know they're not wrong. >Harald Lesch

Cut the bag open with your small knife. (Lol why would they let you keep it when they put you in there.)
Then refer to previous actions:
Quote
Try to find a door or a loose cover or whatever to gain a glimpse of the outside. Find out if you are trapped and search the truck for anything useful.





Mar 8 2011, 3:57 pm Fire_Kame Post #262

wth is starcraft

Quote
Sean looks angry.
"That's unacceptable! You have no problem battering one of my men almost to death yet you won't even shoot someone who betrayed you?"
THISx10000000!

I guess Nude already responded, but if there's a hole I'd be cool with chilling in the airbag until we know what's going on outside the bag.




Mar 8 2011, 5:21 pm CaptainWill Post #263



Maybe they thought you were already dead, or they were just so confident that they didn't think to search you, or maybe I wanted the solution to be very obvious. :P
-----------------
You take out your small knife, stab it into the plastic material and pull downwards, ripping a large hole. You reach through the hole, find the zip and pull it down. Making as little noise as possible, you climb out of the bag and take a look around. You seem to be in one of the trucks you saw earlier from your bedroom window and from the packing room.

The cargo compartment consists of a metal skeleton with canvas stretched over the top, and a rear door about 4ft high. You can see the packing room over the top of the door - it seems to be empty. Straps are attached to the metal skeleton and securely hold in place several closed crates. Lying on the floor of the truck are five other bodybags, all of them closed. There appears to be no access to the cab from the cargo compartment.

You can hear men talking about shipping out to a place called "Abocachu" in a few minutes. It is dark outside but you have no idea how long you have been unconscious for.

Focus: 5/12



None.

Mar 8 2011, 5:29 pm NudeRaider Post #264

We can't explain the universe, just describe it; and we don't know whether our theories are true, we just know they're not wrong. >Harald Lesch

Check the other bodybags




Mar 8 2011, 5:50 pm CaptainWill Post #265



You have a horrible feeling that you know what you will find in the other bodybags. You grab the zip of the first bag and open it. Inside you find Carlos, the guy you beat senseless with a wrench earlier. He's not looking too good - the colour has gone out of his face and his skin is cold. You can't be certain, but you're pretty sure that he's dead.

You don't have time to dwell on the death of an enemy, so you move to the next bag and carefully unzip it. It's a young man that you don't recognise - your best guess is that it must be Ryan. His eyes stare blankly at the ceiling of the truck and he is most definitely dead - a small hole in his forehead suggests he was shot in the face with a small calibre bullet. The shot was fired at point-blank range - you can see powder burns on his skin.

Turning aside with disgust, you open the next bag. It's Jess. She seems to be in the same state you found her in earlier - unconscious. At least, you assume she is because her body is warm. Opening the next bag, you find George's dead body. Like Ryan, he has been shot in the forehead. You guess Sean decided to kill George after all - he wasn't kidding.

You know who must be in the last bag, and you pull the zip with slightly trembling hands. Sure enough, Sandra lies inside on her back. You feel relieved - you see no bullet hole in her head - but she appears to be unconscious. Shaking her doesn't seem to have any effect - you wonder if she has been drugged like Jess.

Your head is really starting to hurt now. The pain seems to be getting worse rather than better. You sit down on the floor of the truck and think about your next move.

Focus: 5/12



None.

Mar 8 2011, 6:01 pm Wing Zero Post #266

Magic box god; Suck it Corbo

See if Sandra has any medicine on her person




Mar 8 2011, 6:11 pm Fire_Kame Post #267

wth is starcraft

Shake Jess, she was drugged earlier, so if she's alive she'd probably come to faster. I'd also see if you can find somewhere to hide, because if you drop unconscious suddenly its better so that they don't find you.




Mar 8 2011, 6:20 pm CaptainWill Post #268



You rifle through Sandra's pockets. She may be a medical student, but she doesn't seem to keep any medicines on her person.

You shake Jess, hoping that she might wake up if, as you suspect, some time has elapsed between you being knocked out and waking up. You can't get a response from her.

You hear raised voices outside. It seems like the driver is preparing to leave and is calling for the gate to be opened.

Focus: 5/12



None.

Mar 8 2011, 6:22 pm Fire_Kame Post #269

wth is starcraft

Well I want to get to the temple...so I want to stay in the back of the truck...perhaps listen to the voices to see if you can find out any info about the men or Sean.




Mar 8 2011, 7:13 pm CaptainWill Post #270



You wedge yourself between two crates and strain to listen in on the conversation outside.

"Yes, we have to leave now. Apparently there are problems - the boss isn't happy."
"What?"
"The American disappointed him. He still needs him though so I've loaded him into the truck with all the others. I have to go - he's in a bad mood so I'd rather be at that infernal place than here."
"Right - have a safe trip."

You hear the sound of someone getting in the cab. The door slams and the engine revs up. Soon the truck is moving forwards out of the gate, and you are just about to resign yourself to a long, pain-filled journey when a massive explosion rips through the yard behind the truck. The hot blast wave rushes through the cargo compartment, rippling the canvas and the straps. From your vantage point you see an orange and yellow ball of fire expanding rapidly from a point along the right-hand wall, knocking it down and flipping the other truck onto its side. Crates and broken glass fly across the yard, and burning debris spills into the packing room, setting the house on fire.

The driver slams on the brakes and the cab door opens. Over the sound of roaring flames you hear the sound of a motorbike engine getting closer.

"What the fu-" The words of the driver are cut off by the noise of a short burst of automatic gunfire. Outside the truck you hear the sound of a body falling to the ground and feet running around to the cargo section.

"Hiya Tom!" says Steve cheerfully as he pokes his grinning face into the back of the truck. "Fancy riding up front in the cab?"
"Wha-"
"There'll be time for talking later. First thing to do is we have to get out of here - these are desperate people. I'll explain everything when we're on the road."

You let Steve help you down from the back of the truck and get in the passenger seat of the cab. Your ride, still carrying its cargo of crates and dead and living bodies, turns quietly out of the dusty square behind the burning townhouse and disappears off into the San Fernando night. Where you're going you have no idea, but anywhere would be better than this terrible place. Steve advises you to get a bit of rest and gives you some sedatives from a medicine box he keeps in his bag. You quickly fall into a dreamless sleep.

To be continued...



None.

Mar 8 2011, 7:33 pm NudeRaider Post #271

We can't explain the universe, just describe it; and we don't know whether our theories are true, we just know they're not wrong. >Harald Lesch

what?
Why haven't we taken Jess and Sandra with us?!




Mar 8 2011, 7:43 pm CaptainWill Post #272



You're all in the truck together. You're riding in the cab with Steve.

Just realised one of those last lines was a bit ambiguous.



None.

Mar 8 2011, 7:44 pm lil-Inferno Post #273

Just here for the pie

When you wake up ask Steve if he has any painkillers (if so take them) and ask what the hell just happened.

Unrelated: Steve is fucking badass.




Mar 8 2011, 8:09 pm Fire_Kame Post #274

wth is starcraft

da da da daaaa...DEM to the rescue!

(Actually I'm quite happy that Steve is back. Did he have an IED?




Mar 8 2011, 8:56 pm CaptainWill Post #275



You wake to the rumble of the road under the truck's tyres. Opening your eyes slowly you see that it is daytime. The sun is rising in the east and you're cruising across the Ebianovan countryside; agricultural estates and dusty scrubland pass by your window. Fresh air, sun and open spaces are a welcome change from the stress and horror of your time in the house you left to burn the night before. You wonder about Sandra and Jess.

Steve is behind the wheel, wearing a pair of sunglasses and the same panama hat you saw him in yesterday at the airport. Occasionally he takes a puff on a cigarette, blowing the smoke out of the window. Your head still hurts from the blow inflicted by Sean the night before, though not so badly, and you ask Steve if he also has painkillers in his medical box.

"Sure."
He throws a packet of strong painkillers to you.
"Don't take too many of those!"

You swallow a couple of tablets and ask Steve what the hell happened the night before.

"Well, it's a pretty long story. Basically you should know that I work for the United States Government - a special subdivision of the NSA. We're interested in the kind of stuff people tend not to believe in - paranormal things. Myths and legends. We've been interested in events going on in this backward country for a number of months now, ever since one of our satellites detected a massive burst of a new type of elementary particle from a location somewhere in the rainforest.

Now there's not much that you need to know about these particles, other than that they are associated with exactly the kind of things that we're interested in. Usually, whenever these particles show up in large numbers it spells trouble. We then send in agents to investigate, report on and neutralise any threat if necessary."

"So what does this have to do with MOA? What the hell was that house I was in last night?"

"MOA are a bona fide organisation. They apparently made the original discovery of this temple in the rainforest and began making plans to get the area preserved as a national heritage site and museum, and made contact with the Ebianovan government for that purpose. Unfortunately the government here is rather corrupt and the information was leaked to a third party - a group of mercenaries who specialise in plundering archaeological sites and selling off the treasures. This group is known as Heart of Darkness and according to our mole in their organisation they don't just sell artefacts - they have been looking for the tomb of an old African "living god" called Abocachu.

You've probably noticed that we're not in Africa. Well, the legend is that Abocachu was an immensely powerful but manipulative and tyrannical god. He had the power to assume control over other people in various ways. He was compelled to leave Africa at some point and sail to the west. Heart of Darkness believe he ended up in Mesoamerica and was worshipped by one of the Mayan civilisations as one of their own gods until, fed up with his murderous nature and his treachery, his high priests commissioned a temple in his honour which was actually to be his tomb. Once Abocachu was in the middle of the temple, a series of traps and obstacles prevented him from escaping. Tons of earth were then piled on top of the building, burying it forever, or so the priests hoped.

Heart of Darkness stormed MOA's headquarters in the country a couple of months after the temple was discovered and captured all the staff. One by one they've been taken into the rainforest and not come back, apart from Sean Harcourt, who has been carrying on as if no takeover had ever happened. Before we lost contact with our mole three weeks ago, he sent a garbled report about how Sean Harcourt had been killed and his identity assumed by a man who looked almost identical to him. We weren't quite sure what to make of that, but I've had a look through your belongings and seen the photographs and the driving licence, so it seems the mole was telling the truth. I don't know who the man answering to the name of Sean Harcourt is, but he definitely isn't the same Sean Harcourt who was running MOA's operations in Ebianova, and he almost certainly works for Heart of Darkness. Maybe he's someone high-up in the organisation - maybe he was sent to this country to take care of business. Hopefully we'll be able to find out."

This information fills in some of the gaps, but you feel confused.

"Why were they so interested in me? Why did they continue to take volunteers? Surely the families of the people going out here would get suspicious?"

"Good questions. They're interested in you because they believe that firstly, you have the knowledge required to overcome the obstacles in Abocachu's temple, and secondly, that you have some sort of innate gift or mystical power. If that's true then I'm sure my division of the NSA would be very interested in you as well. You're right in saying that "MOA" has been receiving volunteers since it was compromised, but until a few weeks ago they all returned safely and apparently none the wiser that their volunteering trip was being run by mercenaries. Only the last batch of volunteers seems to have "disappeared", and it looks like you and your friends were heading the same way. I can only assume that this means Heart of Darkness are nearing their goal and now don't care about the consequences of their actions. Again, we'll have to see when we get there."

"Let me guess, we're going to this Temple of Abocachu." You feel annoyed, but somehow excited.

"Sorry, Tom. The government has to get to the bottom of this, and just as you seem to be a key piece of the jigsaw for the bad guys, so you're a key piece for us. We should be arriving at the government checkpoint controlling access to this part of the rainforest in about half an hour."

"Whoa, wait a second. There are dead bodies in the back! How are we going to explain that? Also, how are Jess and Sandra?"

"They're going to be just fine. In fact, I administered an antidote so they should be waking up soon. Two of the male corpses are US citizens so I'm not happy about dumping them, but I ditched the bodies once we were out of San Fernando. It's the only way we can avoid suspicion at the checkpoint. I didn't have time to get a look at that piece of paper in your pocket but it's probably important so maybe you should read it while we drive to the forest."

Focus: 6/12

Trait lost: In Pain



None.

Mar 8 2011, 9:34 pm lil-Inferno Post #276

Just here for the pie

Read said piece of paper.

(PS: How do we lose the trait "Bit of a Jerk"? :P)




Mar 8 2011, 9:41 pm Fire_Kame Post #277

wth is starcraft

Quote from lil-Inferno
Read said piece of paper.

(PS: How do we lose the trait "Bit of a Jerk"? :P)
Hit on Sandra again, then you become Douche :awesome:




Mar 8 2011, 9:49 pm NudeRaider Post #278

We can't explain the universe, just describe it; and we don't know whether our theories are true, we just know they're not wrong. >Harald Lesch

Be a gentleman.




Mar 8 2011, 9:51 pm Fire_Kame Post #279

wth is starcraft

Quote from shoutbox
CaptainWill -- Steve did not have an IED. He had some plastic explosive. He also has some stuff you can purchase with your money

ASK TO BARTER.

By which I mean ask him if we can casually peruse his goods for purchase :awesome:




Mar 9 2011, 10:04 pm CaptainWill Post #280



You take the piece of paper out of your pocket and unfold it. It seems to be a printout of an email conversation.

Quote
Dear Jason,

I am writing to you in confidence on a matter of some delicacy because of your long service with our organisation and because, I hope, we regard each other as friends. I have been concerned to hear reports that our new manager of operations on the ground in Ebianova has been disobeying direct orders from the Governor General in Council. While we are generally pleased when our members use their initiative in furthering our cause, I find the attitude of the man who now calls himself Sean Harcourt rather disconcerting. The items shipped to our clearinghouse in New York do not match up with what he claimed to be sending to us and we believe he may be selling artefacts for his own personal gain. This sort of thing can be overlooked and the progress Dr. Harcourt has made in excavating the site has been spectacular, but his response to our last despatch requesting he file a report of his progress was quite simply rude.

I hope you will be able to provide a report on how things are faring in Ebianova.

I am, etc.
John Delane Montagu
Director of Human Resources, HOD Corp.

Quote
Dear John,

I too am concerned by the behaviour of our new manager. Although I would hate to question the wisdom of the Council, I do wonder if it was wise to employ this man who apparently seems to have come from nowhere. I sometimes think about the fact he turned up at our HQ here unannounced and displayed intimate knowledge of all our operations here before offering his services, and I worry. The men both respect him and are afraid of him. He scares me as well - his behaviour is so erratic that I'm not sure what he'll do next. One moment he'll be warm and understanding, and the next he's beating the hell out of someone because a delivery was five minutes late. Also, I know it was strange in the first place that he looked so much like Dr. Harcourt, but I swear he looks more like him now than when he first arrived. I don't know how to describe it, but he seems tainted by something.

Progress has been going along as expected - that is to say extremely quickly. We have cleared the chambers completely of mud now, the government is paid off and we have shipped out the majority of the artefacts. We knew that the temple would be full of traps and I am sorry to say that we have lost a number of employees to various devious devices. Many of these have now been disarmed but morale has been low among some of the men as a result. A couple of weeks ago Sean decided that the current batch of MOA volunteers, being university graduates most of them, should be compelled to help with figuring out the puzzles of the temple. We had some success and were able to unlock one of the locks on the main door in the entrance chamber. Unhappily, all of the volunteers died in the process, killed by some kind of gas that got released during the unlocking. After extracting the air from the chamber we gave them a burial in the rainforest. The American mole was taken away personally by Sean to the temple. I have no idea what happened to him or to Dr. Harcourt. Again, this is very unsettling.

J

Quote
Jason,

Sean was absolutely not authorised to use MOA volunteers on the temple project and I am surprised that you let him do so. We have always operated covertly - letting these people die is going to be a huge PR problem! We sent him a reprimand and he sent us back a scanned photograph of a piece of dog shit with the word "LOL" written on it in MS Paint. We cannot shut down the operation when we are so close to finding Abocachu, but I am becoming convinced that Sean is a rogue. The Council authorises and requests that you assume command of operations in Ebianova as quickly and discreetly as possible.

John Delane Montagu

Quote
John,

There is no way I can take over operations from Sean now. He has all the men completely loyal to him. He rarely sleeps and never keeps the same routine - so far it has been impossible to catch him off his guard. I will continue to monitor the situation. Five new volunteers are scheduled to arrive in two days time and Sean I think intends to do the same with them as the last lot. He seems more excited than usual though, so maybe he has something different in mind this time. Whatever it is, I expect it isn't good.

-J

Quote
Jason,

You must do everything you can to prevent the volunteers being killed! How are we supposed to explain something like that? We have enacted an emergency resolution and despatched an agent to San Fernando to resolve the situation. They should arrive at around the same time as the volunteers and they are a proven troubleshooter, so Sean Harcourt should be out of the equation before long. In the shit really does hit the fan then we have Group S waiting on standby at the border. The agent will know what to do.

Good luck.

JDM.
-----------------

Interesting. So Sean is considered a rogue by his own organisation.



None.

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