Mithical

thank you everyone!

And we shall pick up here in... two weeks! :)

---

On the floor is the crumpled figure of Dr. Terrence Antonelli, motionless.

Everything pauses for a second, and then the door swings open.

He moves to the second lock, and finds another key. Click.

The guard picks through the ring, and selects a key. He inserts it into the lock. Click.

Back outside Antonelli's door, Jack and the guard have been joined by another guard, holding a large ring of keys.

@bobble Alex is poking through Brune's office, keeping an eye on everything going on.

She stands up. "I'd like to think not right now, considering all I've done to make it stop. Let's go check on Terrence."

@Sciborg "I'm fine," she says, waving a shaky hand dismissively. "What's with Terrence? Is something wrong?"

The guard sighs, pulls out a walkie-talkie, and mumbles something into it.

@bobble Hey, just because you don't already know her doesn't mean you can't put on the charm.

@Sciborg She starts. "Brune. What are you doing... doing here?"

@AncientSwordRage The guard crosses her arms. "Dr. Abernathy made the appointment for you? And he accompanied you, and went to go find a key?"

@bobble Roll a d6. Even, yes, odd, no.

@Sciborg She is in her office, sitting. Her face looks gaunt, the bags underneath her eyes dark and heavy. Her hands are visibly shaking. She keeps almost nodding off before shaking herself awake again. She doesn't immediately notice you.

"I don't see any office hours posted, sir. If you haven't made an appointment, I don't see why he would let you in."

The guard squints at the name by the door, confirming that it does say Dr. Terrence Antonelli. Make a Persuade check, please, just to see how simple this will be.

@AncientSwordRage A security guard approaches from down the hall. "Sir, is everything okay? Is there a problem?"

@bobble Alex can't hear the rustle of the bag as it's snatched away, not that it would have made a difference. The snacks are yours.

@AncientSwordRage If you want to try to break the door down, that would be a STR check. Otherwise, people are about to show up, and quickly.

@bobble Dust and crumbs on Alex's shirt indicate that most of the snacks have been consumed already. However, there is a bag of cheese-pretzel-sandwiches that has not quite been finished yet.

Alex wanders back in. "Did you know that that vending machine has multiple vulnerabilities, just waiting for someone to take advantage of? If you're going to program a vending machine, at least do it properly."

If you'd like a few suggestions: you can wait out the insanity and/or the deafness; you can go find a way into Antonelli's office and find out what's going on; you can have more people go insane; you can go speak to Dr. Klaus or someone else who might know where Antonelli is; or you can indulge Brune and go down to the water.

Regular success, which does not meet the Hard success criteria. There's something off. Something's not right, and the goggles gave you a brief glimpse... but the specifics are eluding you.

@Sciborg Make an INT check. You need a Hard success or better.

It would be extremely difficult.

The janitor has moved along, but it shouldn't be too hard to find him or someone else performing the same duty.

You can, for instance, try to get inside the office - such as by finding a key or picking the lock - or talk to someone who might know where he is or how to get into his office.

You know that he was in today, as you confirmed with the secretary, but his office is closed and locked, with no response, and you have not seen him around.

You have not.

Yes, you've been there multiple times today and passed by it a few minutes ago.

Brune, the blood starts rushing in your ears again. Like the spiders.

"Can't hear you! If we have to deal with the end of the world, I get to take a rainbow cracker!"

@bobble Alex steals one.

Jack wins the opposed checks. Brune is stopped short.

Or opposed Brawl checks if you prefer.

Go for it. Brawl vs Dodge.

Failure. Someone has clearly gone through your stuff. It's all wrong. The pictures are different. The tape is all gone. The books have been moved.

@Sciborg Roll a SAN check.

Alex has wandered out of the room and is standing by a vending machine.

You were going insane. It's possible.

@Sciborg You think back to what you saw through the goggles... did you see Antonelli there?

The security folks enter the now-empty room as you turn corners, vanishing from sight. Winding through the halls, passing the occasional medical professional, you find your way to Brune's office - passing Antonelli's office along the way, still locked and silent.

Seconds after you exit the room, a security detail rounds the corner at the end of the hall, walking quickly but not running.

Darri, where are you dragging Alex?

@AncientSwordRage Success. On the way out, you grab a white blanket, spreading it over Brune's legs. While you don't look much like a nurse, with a confident enough "acting-like-I-belong-here" stance, you trundle off with Brune in tow.

@bobble Failure. Unfortunately, you haven't been around here recently enough to know of any clever exits at the moment. In the meantime, the footsteps and voices are getting closer.

@AncientSwordRage I'm going to call this a Charm check.