[Aftermath!] GURPS Operation Morpheus, Session 4, Part 2

Session Four: Part 2: "Itsy Bitsy Spider" (April 4, 2104)

Important PCs: James (S), Bill (X), Bob (E), Alexis (C)

Important NPCs: Robbie the PolRob, Nasdaq the Robot, and assorted Giant Spiders.

The Carslaw Building, as they found out by doing some simple research, houses the Student Union, as well as some Administrative and Math Department offices.

Group B again gets in the saddle and prepares for action. They load up their Land Rover again with the electrical generator and also bring along food and water, not knowing how long they will be out. With Robbie the PolRob and Nasdaq the Robot along, Group B leaves Anderson Stuart at 9 AM and drives to the Carslaw Building, only a few blocks away.

Carslaw is a large four-storied L shaped building with a separate auditorium out-building. They drive around Carslaw and notice that all the ground floor doors, with the exception of the main front doors, are sealed with heavy plates welded over the doors and that all the first floor windows have metal shutters also welded shut. The second and above floor windows just have sealed metal shutters, probably bolted from the inside.

Parking between the auditorium and the main building, out of sight of the main road and in a relatively secure spot, Group B disembarks and leaves Robbie to guard the car. The Group gets into a short discussion about Robbie's verbal orders concerning the car and who should be allowed access to it. With that issue ironed out, they decide to check out the auditorium first.

Entering the auditorium, with James in the lead and the rest following, the Group finds an old, makeshift field hospital. Scores of body bags, most filled, are piled everywhere around the floor. Used medical supplies - needles, empty bags of medical fluids, syrettes, bandages, scalpels, surgical scrubs and more - are scattered among the many surgical tables. Powerful battery-powered halogen lamps are placed above the tables, their batteries now run down.

Bob expresses interest in opening some of the body bags to determine how the occupants died but is quickly shouted down by the rest of the Group. Both Bill and James believe that this was a combat hospital - the sheer amount of shredded and age-blackened uniform battle dress bear this out - and that this was used during the defense of the University, 100 years ago.

Looking around, James finds several pieces of unknown combat armor. On the inside of the armor they find Russian letters. James says that it was probably Spetz-Naz issued armor. Finding nothing of value in the auditorium, the Group heads to the main building.

Opening the wide, wooden double front doors, they enter the dark recesses of a large foyer/hall with openings leading to the rest of the building in each wall. Flashlights out, James leads the way with Bob second and the rest following, the Group head towards the opening opposite the front doors.

Looking through the opening, they all see that, with their limited flashlights, a majority of the building is an empty shell. Across the building, they see one huge hole in the ceiling and several smaller holes, each illuminating a pile of roof debris with sunlight.

Believing that there may be some of the upper floors still intact in the darkened areas of Carslaw or that there may be a bunker, the Group decides to explore a little. Bill and Alexis stay by the foyer, while James, Bob and Nasdaq walk towards the largest pile of sunlit debris. Nasdaq turns on its personal spotlight.

Half way across this cavernous floor, James leaves Bob and Nasdaq and continues on towards the debris alone, holding his Gauss Needler at the ready. Bob covers James with his M16. James approaches the large debris pile and almost goes completely around it but realizes it will cut him off visually from Bob and company. He turns to come back and is knocked to the floor by a sudden attack!

Bob sees a giant thing jump from the shadows onto James' back and knock him to the ground. James quick-draws his pistol and fires over his shoulder at his attacker, shooting three rounds off right next to his ear. Filled with horror and disbelief at seeing Giant Spider #1 jump on James, Bob nonetheless opens fire and kills Giant Spider #1. Bill, seeing James get attacked, rushes toward him to render medical aid.

Suddenly, all around them they hear the sounds of many, many, many Giant Spiders moving. Bill drops, completely fainting at such a horrific noise. James drops his pistol and lies stunned by the sheer horror of it all as Bob orders Nasdaq to go get James.

Taking short steps backward, Bob brings his M16 to bear all around him, keeping moving to avoid being a tempting target for these 8-legged horrors. Alexis moves up to Bill and, with Bill's collar in one hand and her M16 in the other, slowly drags Bill towards the foyer and escape. Bob quickly radios to Robbie to come assist them.

James recovers his senses and his Needler as Nasdaq grabs his collar and lifts him to standing position. The two of them start walking back to the foyer, with Nasdaq covering Bob and James watching both their backs. Bob, meanwhile, notices two Giant Spiders (#3 and #4) descending on Alexis and Bill and opens fire, striking one but only wounding it. The wounded Giant Spider #2 drops on Alexis and she uses her Judo training to smash it to the floor under her. It grapples her, pinning her arms to her sides. Giant Spider #3 lands on Bill and quickly gets him lifted to carry off.

As two more Giant Spiders (#5 and #6) descend on Alexis, causing her to freak out, Bob, still taking short steps toward the foyer, fires at Giant Spider #2, killing it, then turns his gun on but missing Giant Spider #3.

Suddenly, Nasdaq fires his built-in Gauss Needler full burst, killing Giant Spider #7 hanging above Bob's head. Giant Spider #7 drops onto Bob, striking him but not knocking him down.

Giant Spiders #3 and #6 get Bill in their clutches and start dragging him off as Giant Spider #5 wrestles Alexis to the ground. In it's many arms, Alexis is helpless as the spider drags her toward the darkness. Bob fires on Giant Spider #5 and kills it, freeing Alexis, as James turns around and has Nasdaq cover their backs.

Alexis amazingly still has her M16 and both she and Bob kill Giant Spider #6. Alexis is the only one close enough to hear Giant Spider #3 cry "No, Mommie!" as Giant Spider #6 dies. Shaken but resolute, Alexis brings her gun to bear on Giant Spider #3 as James fires the killing shot from his Needler into Giant Spider #3.

With seven dead Giant Spiders around them, Group B opts for a tactical retreat - quickly crossing the foyer and getting the hell out of Carslaw.

Once outside and together with Robbie, Alexis tells the others what the spider said and believes that they are intelligent! James wonders where he dropped his pistol. Suddenly, the Group realizes that they are being observed from the rooftops by the spiders and James spots something!

End Session Four.