StarDestroyer.Net BBS

Sheppard sighed and put down his well-worn copy of Guns and Ammo and headed for the elevator. What the fuck was it now? The neighbors complaining of his firing range that he had constructed in his room using a steel trap and low powered cartridges?

( Sorry for the lateness, had a V:tM from noon til 3:00 a.m.) Floyd finishes showering, gets dresesed, and says goodbye to Tammy, "Hey ill be right back, so keep the fire lit." Floyd heads down to level 4 for the meeting.

The three Vault-dwellers run into each other in front of the elevator. The rolling hum of its ascent up the shaft is only slightly louder than the hum of the Vault's various ventilation and piping systems. They step in and take the brief ride down to the 4th level.

"Floyd, you're part of security. Got any idea what this might be about?" asked Paul.

"I think they're opening the damn door today, that's why they picked a gunbunny like me" chimed in Sheppard.

((Setting and Connection to Characters note: Neither Paul noy Floyd have heard anything about what Mark is suggesting/assuming. They're all familiar with Vault 60's original orders of staying closed to protect its inhabitants. Knowing Mark Sheppard, he's probably once again jumping to conclusions and being wishful of the hope of getting to see the outside world, find pre-war gun relics, and other things he's obsessed with.))

"Don't blow your load so quickly Mark, I have no idea what this is about. Maybe they are kicking you out."

"Oh, he'd love that. Him versus the world, just like in those damn war movies he always watches."

DPDarkPrimus wrote:"Oh, he'd love that. Him versus the world, just like in those damn war movies he always watches."

"You got something against war movies?" coutnered Sheppard. "I'd love
to know what happened to the 43nd Powered Infantry Division in China
when the bombs fell." he said, referring to the division made famous in
the movie "To the Yalu and Back"

"I've got nothing against war movies, as long as the people who watch them don't go around imitating the characters." countered Paul. "There's also the issue of you watching them at three in the morning..."

DPDarkPrimus wrote:"I've got nothing against war movies, as long as the people who watch them don't go around imitating the characters." countered Paul. "There's also the issue of you watching them at three in the morning..."

"So? Who the fuck else should I imitate? The damn overseer? 'oh no, we
can't go out, it's ORDERS'...never mind that these orders are from a fucknut
long atmoized for the last eighty years. And what the fuck do you expect
us to do in this damn Vault besides eat, sleep, watch movies and fuck?"

"'Fuck'? Sorry Shep, lubing your gun barrels doesn't count."

"Besides," Paul said, changing the subject. "Most of us are just as anxious to see the outside as you are. Of course, most of us don't want to shoot everything that moves, either."

((Christ, this is a slow elevator.))

MKSheppard wrote:

DPDarkPrimus wrote:"I've got nothing against war movies, as long as the people who watch them don't go around imitating the characters." countered Paul. "There's also the issue of you watching them at three in the morning..."

"So? Who the fuck else should I imitate? The damn overseer? 'oh no, we
can't go out, it's ORDERS'...never mind that these orders are from a fucknut
long atmoized for the last eighty years. And what the fuck do you expect
us to do in this damn Vault besides eat, sleep, watch movies and fuck?"

"Hey, I enjoy the fucking, there is nothing better in life. That and a good beer."

Paul, Floyd, and Mark looked up and finally noticed they had already arrived at the Command Center. They had aparently too engaged in their quarrell to recall having stepped out of the elevator and walked down the hall to get where they were now at.

The room was fairly large, large enough at least to house dozens of computer consoles and work stations, but the number of vault occupants was too small to use all of them at once. Three of the regular technicians scurried back and forth between various control panels, checking systems and keeping things in working order. Off to one side near the banks of storage drives stood the Overseer; a scruffy-faced and rather pudgy middle-aged man. He intently watched the actions of technician Benson, currently stucking his head and both arms into an open computer maintenance panel and rooting around inside. A tool box and its scattered contents lay near his side.

"Ah, there you are. Good," the Overseer said to the new arrivals with only a quick glance in their direction.

Floyd stops his "conversation" with the others and begins to listen to the overseer.

"What do you want with us?" asked sheppard.

Darth Utsanomiko wrote:Paul, Floyd, and Mark looked up and finally noticed they had already arrived at the Command Center. They had aparently too engaged in their quarrell to recall having stepped out of the elevator and walked down the hall to get where they were now at.

If you had been a little more specific about what we could and could not do, I would have had us at the Overseer a while ago.

The Overseer kept watching Benson's rather uneventful actions, rubbing the stubble on his chin. "We have been having... some kind of a problem here, just recently... well, where do I start?" he trails off while slowly letting out a frustrated sigh.

"We came across some kind of scheduling error in the main computer," a muffled version of Benson's low and nasally voice interrupted. "Pure coincidence really, just randomly checking the operational codes for its long-term quque- no more than five months from now, and found out it had added in craziest set of commands to open the vault exterior doors and shut down every single son-of-a-gun system we've got."

"Yes, yes, that's what we're dealing with here, it's got us in a complete panic and we've been trying to fix it without letting anyone find out about it. We've been at it for days and days now, but we can't fix it; everytime we try to remove the commands the damn thing just keeps putting them back in the same spot."

(Shit, the vault expermient has started) <---- posts like this are out of character.

"Shit, is there anything we can do about it."

"Yes, right, that's where you three come in. I was getting to that," He turns to the three and scratches the back of his head, looking for the right words.

Benson reached for something in the toolbox and interrupted again. "...What we serriously *need* to do is reset the Vault's automated shceduling system, and wipe the slate clean. We can't do that right now because we weren't supplied with any holotapes with the Tault-Tec software in order to get the computer back to its original state. Shutting it down and wiping its memory without them would just leaves us with a blank system that does nothing."

"Right, and so our only real option is to see if someone can find any one of those tapes out there; outside on the surface. The only way we can clear out the system is to find another copy of those Vault main system softare tapes. I had to take a while to think about it, but I finally feel now that with you three, out of anyone else here, should be able to go out and find one." The Overseer takes a breath.

"Ah shit, why me. I suppose I will go, but I am in charge not nutjob over here." Ponits at Mark.

"Hold on a second there, Floyd. You might be a security officer, but Shep knows just as much about tactics as you do. I'm not trying to act self-important here, but we need someone who can get through situations with people without having to resort to shooting them."

"Do we get full access to the armory then?" asked Sheppard with
a sadistic grin.

DPDarkPrimus wrote:"Hold on a second there, Floyd. You might be a security officer, but Shep knows just as much about tactics as you do. I'm not trying to act self-important here, but we need someone who can get through situations with people without having to resort to shooting them."

"Oh, I agree. The best way to difuse a volitile situation is not through force, although there are thimes when force is necessary. Mark may know tatics, but he is rather unstable. Yes, i'm sure we will have acess to the armory, but we don't have much here."

"Well, I did know I could rely on Mr. Jones, as he has done qute a good job on keeping things running smoothly between people here, but I also knew you two had the capabilities and reliability to accompany him," the Overseer replied. "I'm quite sure Carl and Ellen can to alright to pick up the slack in his abscence, though."

"Now then," He walks over to a counter, picks up small data tape, and holds it out to Floyd. "I've loaded some information you'll need for your search, as well as your clearance for picking up your 'leaving-the-vault' equipment ((you remember the training videos; your Vault-issue handgun and 2 boxes of ammo, your Pipboy computer, utility knife, multitool, protective goggles, flares, Stimpacks, and several days worth of concentrated rations. All by the books.)). It also contains a map of the pre-war highway and road way systems surrounding this area, as well as some schematics on the Vault-Tec system tapes. You can load this info up on your Pipboys when you receive them from Ron, down in the Armory.

"Now, while we don't have a sure list of Vaults within the area or even this region apparently, you should probably look for the tapes in near where the larger cities in the region were. If Vault-Tec didn't biuld any more Vaults in these areas, they more than likely still kept their extra supplies and equipment in their offices and contracted buildings there. They might have been hit hard in the war, thoughm so be careful of any radiation still present in such places."

He handed the tape to Floyd Jones and took a step away. He gave them all one last serrious look. "We don't know what's out there. The air and temperature is all tolerable and there's no harmful background radiation, but otehr than that we don't know. Anything could be out there, nothing could be out there. All I can say now is that if you can't find anything out there to survive on and you simply don't have the supplies to go on, return here and we'll supply you with more food or better equipment. You don't have to do this, but it really needs to be done, and I don't think anyone else in this Vault has the ability to deal with the outside."