This is the fourth part of an adventure series where YOU determine the next step in the story. Read part one, part two, and part three.
You decide the laboratories would be more productive. Following the map, you backtrack to the south staircase and walk down three flights of stairs. There’s a closed metal door at the bottom.
As you step onto the landing, some of the metal tabs on your belt flip outward toward the door. You hold up a closed fist, calling for a stop.
You check the symbols emblazoned on the active tabs. Before you can read them all, the tabs slip back in with the rest of the jumble and new tabs emerge. You’re able to read the first three before they change again. Death is the only recurring symbol, but one symbol isn’t enough to tell you what’s on the other side of the door.
You ready your weapon and grab the handle. The tracker stands near the opening and the sniper lines up behind her. Using your fingers, you count down from three.
On zero, you crack open the door. The tracker leans forward to step outside. Her eyes widen and her head snaps back. You release the door. It closes with a soft thud.
“It’s the sword!” she whispers.
You respond with an incredulous look. The sniper responds by raising his pistol with one hand and grabbing a grenade with the other.
In this situation, you’re more equipped to lead the charge. You switch positions with the tracker. This time, she counts.
3… 2… 1…
You rush into the hall. The sniper is right behind you. You’re standing at the end of a long, carpeted hallway. The red emergency bulbs continue to pulse their warning, flooding the space with sanguinary light. The sword is nowhere to be seen.
“I swear it was here,” the tracker whispers. She points at the blank wall in front of you. “Right there.”
The sniper glances down the hall.
He whispers, “There’s no way something could have grabbed it and gotten away so fast without us hearing.”
It’s not possible unless something was controlling the sword remotely. You decide it’s best to keep that thought to yourself.
There’s another emergency map on the wall. You take it and start down the hallway.
There’s an office ten feet from the stairs. Under the red bulbs, the splotches of blood on the walls and carpet appear as ominous black clots. The scent of decay is heavy.
You’re smelling corpses and they aren’t fresh.
You pass a few workrooms filled with cubicles and desks. There’s more blood. Black streaks and heavy splatter mar the walls and the scent of rotting flesh thickens in your nostrils.
You find the first two bodies in a large conference room. The first is chest down on the conference table, its head hacked off and mounted on a flip chart frame like a trophy. A small fire axe lies discarded under the table. A second body is slumped in a corner. You reach down and lift up the head. A ballpoint pen is jammed in her eye.
The sniper says, “Maybe they went crazy from the confinement and killed each other?”
It’s not unheard of. After the invasion, the remnants of humanity went underground fast. There wasn’t time to worry about aesthetics; survivors were crammed together in makeshift cities that felt like tin cans. Some people didn’t react well to their new dreary environment.
You look around the otherwise-plush conference room. You’re not convinced of the motive. This place is nicer than your dorm.
The main laboratory isn’t much farther and might give you answers. As you turn to leave, a tall, black column by the door brings you to a sudden stop. The sword is leaning against the wall, dangerously close to your only exit.
What do you do?
A: Swing the fire axe at the sword.
B: Quickly slip through the door without touching the sword.
Vote in the comments or on Twitter at #site27. Voting ends Tuesday night. The highest vote will be the next step in the story, posted on Fridays.
Image courtesy of A Gude.
UPDATE: Voting is now closed. Thanks to everyone who participated! See you on Friday for Part 5.
Jen Kirchner 
That sword is our bane right now. I wish we could grab it and use it.
I don’t think I want to make it, or whatever is controlling it, angry. At the same time, I don’t think we could sneak by that easily…
Let’s take a chance and sneak by: B
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Whether I vote A or B, I would like to propose that someone ELSE do it. I’ll stand watch. I say the sniper. I’m a pretty good shot, right? Plus, I get the feeling that bullets aren’t going to help me against a RC Sword (coming soon to a Walmart near you!)
Also, this totally sounds like a meeting I once had. We were on the phone with big corporation and I was threatening to stab someone in the eye.
It’s like you’re in my head making my dreams come true. sniffle
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Umm…pre-coffee rambles. I didn’t actually vote, did I?
Make the Sniper slide through the Exit. 🙂
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I’m telling you, something is up with that sniper. I bet his name is Snape. Snape the Sniper. Snape the Sneaky Sniper. Snape the Sneaky Suspicious Sniper.
I TOTALLY once worked for an old goat boss whose eye I wanted to stab with a ballpoint pen. Or any sharp object for that matter.
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A. We either need to destroy that sword or figure it out, and letting it chase us around isn’t helping.
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HOLD THE PHONE. What is up with the sniper!?!? Did he not just see the tech disappear in the other room when the sword appeared/disappeared? (Obviously a Red Shirt tech). Now he’s saying there’s no way it could have disappeared? Hmmm… sounds a little sketch to me.
I would definitely swing the fire ax at the sword – fire always beats metal right? Oh, it’s not a literal FIRE ax?
Yeah don’t be sneaking by that thing – it already nommed up the tech! Hit it with the ax! Maybe you will break an evil spell or something and discover that the sword isn’t evil at all but holds the key to this crazy, severed-foot-infested hellhole.
“A” PEOPLE! PICK “A”!!
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I vote A. I wanna see what the sword does and I definitely don’t want to get too close until we’ve got it figured out better.
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Oh oh! I want to swing the axe at the sword. Hitting inanimate objects is better than hitting people–well, in most cases. Maybe not this time. The sword could bite back.
sigh I vote B, sneak past it. Attacking the sword would be a really stupid thing to do. You could be disintegrated on contact, or there could be an explosion of power and you end up completely flattened on the wall. Better not to touch. sigh
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Just because the axe is swung at the sword, doesn’t mean it’ll get smashed. Still, I want to see what happens if someone tries.
A
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A – That sword is pissing me off.
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I’m Man enough to beat up on a normally inanimate object with an even larger inanimate object. Of course…if we piss the sword off, it could easily make it so I’m not Man at all anymore…but still…
Bah, screw t. Kill the sword! Death to Bladey! A.
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A. Beat the crap out of the sword, or vice versa. Either way, violence is always the solution, it’s just a matter of using the proper amount of force. Besides, why try sneaking past a hunk of magical metal with no eyes?
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A… yes A.
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Kill the sword. Why not? Not every day you get to do that, is it?
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Hmm, what to do???
Swing the fire axe at the sword and potentially piss it off so it tries to chop us all to bits at once or try to quickly slip through the door without touching the sword?
I’m thinking that trying to sneak past it won’t work. Letting it pick us off at one at a time doesn’t seem to be working so great for us either. Throwing shit at it might get it “mad” but we would all be together to defend the group as a unit. I’m sure it might start some kind of shitstorm but let’s toss that axe and see what happens….
1…. 2….. 3…………
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I had to ponder my decision over the weekend. It’s that tough.
I just don’t think hitting the thing with an axe is gonna help. Maybe it didn’t see us? Maybe? I’ll take that chance. I’m going with B, sneakin’ on out, nothin’ to see here.
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You’re gonna be sorry when it hacks off your foot as you try to sneak by. Just sayin.
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Going to have to go with A. It’s not going to break the sword, that would be too easy. It will spark some excitement though. Swing away.
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B: caution much better, the sword could be leading us
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The sword is just a mama bear seperated from her obsidian shard baby bear we saw on a desk a few rooms back. She’s just a little distraught is all. I vote B, and run just fast enough to not be the first, nor last, one out.
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B.
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Hello? SNIPER? Shoot the sword! Everybody stand in a line, hold hands (except the sniper – grab his shirt) and that way, if anyone disappears, the whole line can do the rope-thing and pull back. But really. Sword vs. gun vs. axe. GUN!!!!
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I would imagine that touching the sword, axe or no, would make you disappear like your leader did when he touched a piece of it earlier. I choose B, but make someone else go first just in case.
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I’m awfully sneaky but since I have an axe why not use it. A all the way.
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Hrm, I’m torn on this one. I’ll vote B.
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B. Stormbringer-like scary sword > stupid axe.
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I am erring on the side of caution here; it may be fleeting… (B)
I am beginning to get a tremendous “bleeding lance / spear of destiny” vibe. *** Remember # 27 from the opening salvo? Count the letters… Know Roman history, then, onward 2 thousand years? Broken Bones / shattered feet were objective purpose of “The spear of Longinus”, along with blood upon steel (the hatch) becoming this supernatural result = the ‘power’ belonged to the bearer of the lance, as spoils transfer to the victor: malicious / auspicious personages nor ulterior motives mattered not. I am moonwalking right on by until I sense: ~ is this a matter of some one / or some entity deceptively doing the right action for the wrong reason… or some one / some thing doing the seemingly wrong thing for the greater good?
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Sick of sneaking around… Going with A.
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The voting for part 4 is now closed. Thanks to everyone for your participation!
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