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Step by step, the Virus makes his way towards the City.

Agents keep coming at him. The System is in emergency mode now; Agents are taking any form of transport- with people within- and driving it out out the city towards the mountains, in order to try and get as many people onto the Virus as possible. A bus lays nearby, each person inside having been overwritten by an Agent and then killed.

The Virus waits once more. He is patient. He does not attack the Agents, he waits for them to attack him. His programming undoes the Agent's attack modes; he can see the weakness within each and can exploit it when they come, until the window comes where he can kill their host body. If necessary, he waits until the effect of the Virus weakens the host. The longer the fight goes on, the happier the Virus is.

He has been fighting his way to the City for hours now. he is out of the mountains, with only the countryside to cover. The best efforts of the System are slowing him, but his progress is inevitable.

If he reaches the City, every Human will die.

---

Whup-whup-whup-whup-whup

The blades of the Osprey turn over and over, biting at the air to give your vehicle the lift need to propel you towards your target.

Sennacherib said that the viral shield needs to be taken to a Pagoda to be found to the north of the Fortress. The Pagoda is an access point for the Matrix's weather control system. There you must meet the weather contro programme. His name is Melitus, and that is a name spoken with... interest by all of those who were on Dallas' last mission.

Those that were on the Philosophy Path are dying. The rush of adrenaline and mental attitude has staved off their symptoms, as Sennacherib said it would. Whilst their physical bodies fade, their self-images have not yet caught up. But with this reprieve comes a faster death sentence- the adrenaline speeds the work of the Virus, and so although symptomns are ignored now, death will come sooner.

It seems to manifest, mostly, in a horrible backing cough that brings up vblood. other than the noise of the rotors, a cacaphonous coughing is what can be heard.

"Ok," says Dallas, over the phone from the Shez's operator chair. "Pagoda, pagoda..." he says, staring at the lines of green code. He presses a button, and all the screens go completely blank. He waits a moment.

"Yup, I see it," says Dallas. "Y'all just carry on as you are." He hangs up and scrambles for a headset. "Finn... how do I turn these things back on?"

Azrael sits on his own in the corner. He is sicker than the others, but it is not just that. he is not looking happy with anyone.

---

Here we go then guys, the final Assignment. Like last time, this one is shorter than the others as all we are interested in is wrapping the whole deal up. Still, there is time for a few other aspects to be looked at first- I am sure some of you are interested in what Melitus has to say.

Right now... I think it is time you guys talked and preapred. The two Paths have been separated for a while, and perhaps people need to be filled in about what the bloody hell is going on and why...

(I am guessing Combat-y people don't know yet what happened when Philo guys went back to Sennacherib...)

"What happened with you guys back there in the Fortress?" San asks the Philo people.

Berserker coughs up some blood, "Well we had a situation involving a nasty Virus, a deranged General, and something out of a B rated Movie."

"Well, we know already about the Virus..."

"Yep that is definitely going into my list of things never to do again."

"Well, I know sentinels are definitely on my list of things I never want to see again..."

"Sennacherib is most likely dead, after we convinced him to help us, his own servants turned against him. He told us about the Pagoda and that we need to take the antidote to the weather control programme. His name is Melitus, it seems that some of you know him from the past." -Melkor speaks, trying to overcome his illness.

"Yep thats sums it up perfect..."

"I though you guys destroyed Melitus before all this happened..." Hawk says, speaking to the older crew members.

"We didn't do squat to the old man, the agents came before we could do anything. I guess they gave him a reprieve..." Cloud says, suddenly remembering something, "I seem to remember seeing something about an antidote in a weather control system before I was freed... I think it was a movie sequel to a tv series or something... This place sure works in mysterious ways, huh?"

"That's the..." Heph tries to say, but ends up hacking up his lungs with the vicious cough. He clears his throat, but only triggers another cough. "That's the Matrix for you," he finally says.

Klez watches the passing landscape, coughing every once and awhile, surprised that he is not the most ill.

"Every Agent that we had run from in the Monastery," Klez tells them, "was destroyed by the Virus. It was absolutely astounding. I'd never seen anything like it! Sennacherib was a genius..."

"You never met Neo," Mors responds to Klez.

Mors watches helplessly as the men and women they just rescued, his friends and fellow soldiers, cough themselves to death.

"Is there nothing we can do to stop the Virus?" Mors asks. He holds the vial containing the Cure in one hand, before slipping it into his coat pocket.

Ares just keeps on piloting.

"The only thing we did to Mel was to expose his shit," Ares replies. "His whole building was invisible in the Matrix until Ariadne hacked us a new way of looking at things. And then we showed the System."

"So you ruined his little private resort huh I wonder how willing he would be to help us now and as for your question Mors as far as the King said once you are infected there is no cure."

"It is hard to accept that you are dying, isn`t it?"- Melkor tries to laugh through his bloodcough.

"You're not gonna die..." Cloud says in a cheerful manner, with an unfounded confidence, he still doesn't know the truth "If we could hold off an army of sentinals without too much of a problem, we can get you guys fixed right up."

"Hey I'm fine with it not everyday you get to save the whole human and machine race from utter destruction." Berserker lets out a hearty laugh although it ends with just as hearty a cough.

He regains himself and adds "Besides we have more important things to talk about so is this Mel guy gonna be nice or mean when we get to him?"

"Who knows. Melitus never seemed to think anything was more than a game, at least that's how it seemed to me. And hey, getting out of weird situations seems to be our thing."

Mors sighs. "Let's hope we continue to be lucky. Otherwise..."

He cuts himself off in mid-sentence and goes to San.

"I think we should talk to Azrael," he whispers to her, making sure none can hear him. "He seems rather...out-of-it. Moreso than the others."

Melis grabs on to Klez tightly.

"I'm glad you're alright," she says, quietly, though she knows that the Virus is keeping him from really being fine.

Berserker leans back in his chair there is still more to do and he needs to keep his emotions high something he is a natural at. He closes his eyes and thinks back to the older days when he was hooked into the Matrix the days he really was a Berserker.

"Probably a good idea but I have no idea what I should say..." San replies quietly to Mors. "They haven't told us everything that happened, though, and I'm sure it's something they haven't said yet."

Fine, Burn, taking a break from piloting is sitting in the back with the rest of the crew.
"So yea, I don't get it. First we release this virus, then we get popped back into the real world, get the shit beaten out of us, then have to come and rescue you guys. Something gives, where is the Virus-boy?"

"We weren't part of the plan," Heph says. "At least not from Lo Qi's point of view. It's hard to explain, but basically he wants to shut down the Matrix to progress evolution. He could have done it without us, opening the Door, since he's got Jericho..."

Heph sighs.

"But basically, the Virus is faster than any Agent I've met. Try killing him? He walks around bullets. He destroyed a dozen Agents, and since he's heading towards the City, he's probably destroyed dozens more.

"If we don't get the Shield to our old friend at the Pagoda, then the Matrix will die."

That seems to sum it up.

Any other business or any other questions?

Any news on the disadvantage San and I will be facing?

Originally posted by SpikeSpiegel
Any news on the disadvantage San and I will be facing?

Mind-reader!

-1 to all dice pools.

I was expecting worse, so yay.

Wil teh samething be happening to the Philo guys?

Nope

That's good to hear.

I'm trying to work out if Azrael's still sulking.

Ah well- either way, he has a cryptic message to think on, which is highly important.

Yes he does.

"Indeed," Mors replies. "Something's not right. Still, up to you. You're his First Officer."

Klez holds Melis tight against him.

"Far from alright, my dear, but I'm glad to be among friends. And with you."

"Yeah, you're right. I may as well try." San replies to Mors, before moving over to where Azrael is sitting by himself.

"Okay, I know you guys haven't told us everything that happened in here, and I know something happened because here you are sitting off alone. So I want to hear from you what happened with everything." San asks him.

Azrael looks up through another racking cough,
"You know the important parts, I think. We released a virus that is now going to destroy the world. Jericho told the others it was a plan of mine, and I suppose the others were desperate enough to believe him. Still, I can't pretend I don't feel betrayed by my so called crew.

"Then the Oracle turned up and let us out leave. We had little chat, too. She said something that I really don't understand. It's frustrating, all comes back to what she said the first day I met her."

"The rest was just Sennacherib again, and you know that bit."

"And they believed Jericho when he said that, despite the fact that none of us had any idea what was behind that door and had no way of finding out? Heph at least should have known better, he'd met Jericho before and he was the one that grabbed the key to begin with."

What Jericho said was very true, in many ways.

"Life's a *****, eh?"

Mors, standing beside San, seems skeptical.

"Why would Jericho pin this on you?" Mors asks. "I don't see why it would give him any gain."

"Trying to win people over to his way of thinking, maybe...he tried that before with us, remember."

Mors shakes his head.

"No, I don't think that was it. He's an undead glitch in the Matrix, and currently goal had been achieved by the time he had said this. I don't think he was trying to win anyone over."

"But we're going to try and stop this Virus. With how dedicated to trying to destroy the machines and end the war he was...he probably would not have agreed with stopping it. The ends justifying the means. But in all honesty...no, I don't know."

The Pagoda is coming into view in the distance- a wooden structure built in the Chinese style, set into the side of one of the mountain slopes.

"Well, time to meet Melitus again and hope things go well..." San says, watching out of a window.

Well then... last time for this...

---

Encumbrance sizes work as follows:

Tiny: 0, but two Tinies count as a Small.
Small: 1
Medium: 2
Large: 4
Very Large: 8


Barehanded: Damage 1, Type- Barehanded

Knife/knives: Damage 2, Small, Type- Knife

Katars: Damage 2, Small, Type- Katar

Nunchaku: Damage 2, Small, Type- Nunchaku

Dual Staves: Damage 2, Small, Type- Twinned

Sais: Damage 2, Medium, Type- Twinned

Hook Swords: Damage 3, Large, Type- Twinned

Twinned Swords: Damage 3, Large, Type- Twinned

Staff- Damage 3, Large, Type- Spear

Sword- Damage 4, Large, Type- Sword

Spear- Damage 4, Very Large, Type- Spear



Light pistol (e.g. Glock 17)- Damage 1, Small, Ammo 6 (tiny clips)

Light Machine Pistol (e.g. Glock 19)- Damage 1, Small, Ammo 3 (tiny clips), Burst Fire

Machine Pistol (e.g. Uzi, Ingrams, Extended Glock)- Damage 1, Medium, Ammo 5 (tiny clips), Burst Fire

Large Pistol (e.g. Desert Eagle)- Damage 2, Medium, Ammo 3 (tiny clips)

Sub-machine gun (e.g. H&K MP5)- Damage 2, Large, Ammo 5 (small clips), Burst Fire

Shotgun- Damage 3*, Large, Ammo 8 (medium clips), bonus die pool at close range

Assault Rifle (e.g. M16)- Damage 3*, Very Large, Ammo 5 (small clips), Burst fire

---

As ever, try to get it right first time.

Twinned swords for me cheers

Two knives, as always.

I'll have a twinned swords, double Glock 19 combo, hold the tomato, with 9 tiny clips on the side.

6, 2, 1 2 3 4 0! 12 Encumbrance total.

The usual katana, the sais, the dual hookswords, and an extended GLOCK18 machine pistol.

4 + 2 + 4 + 2 = 12

Two Knives

One Thompson SMG (4) with 2 clips (2)

One MAC10 machine pistol (2) with 8 clips (4).

That should do it.

Klez takes two HK MP5K machine pistols with 16 clips. Should be twelve.

Sirin wants an M16 assault rifle and four Beretta 93R light machine pistols. Lots of bang.

Melis takes her spear and an MP5 for kicks.

Have fun trying to hit anything with that...

Heph takes...absolutely nothing.

I'm amused by Sirin's assault rifle, Melis's MP5, Mors the human weapons rack, and the fact that Heph never takes anything.

I'm amused by the fact that Zink was contemplating taking a shotgun...

Heph shoots worse than a drunken mook. It's all about the hands...those empty, non-stabby hands...

Heh,
Hmm I do believe I will go Classic rather than switching it up.
One Uzi (2) and 8 Clips (4)
One Shotgun (4) and a Clip (2)

Ah, to hell with it. I'll take another set of twinned swords too, just incase. If we're gona go down, may as well go down swingin'.

Okidokey then!

You can set down on a clearing some three hundred yards from the Pagoda entrance. What's the plan?

Azrael takes four Glock 19s (light machine pistols) and four light pistols with four ammo for each.

4 + 4 + 2 + 2 = 12.

Mors steps out of the Osprey.

"Here we are, then," Mors says, drawing a breath and letting it go slowly.

Mors has everyone form into a mass behind him and heads towards the Pagoda.

Very well, you have reached the Pagoda. No-one dead yet!

Huge success! ermm

Someone should probably open the door now.

Do our phones work here? Because I remember they did at the Monastery but not so much in the Fortress...

If they do, San will call Finn and see if there's anything waiting to kill us or anything like that.

"Err, hard to tell," he says. "That's a small shed you are walking into. No-one inside."

"So nothing's going to jump out at us, apparently...alright, thanks." San says into the phone, before turning to Mors.

"May as well go in." she says, and opens the door.

Mors nods in response and moves in alongside San, his machine pistol raised.

"Wait...wait..." Cloud suddenly says, "should we really all walk into a small area to see Meltius, remember what happened the first time we saw him. We were stuck in here 'til Aradnie worked out a work-around for us. Maybe those who weren't with us then should stay outside, just incase?"

Hmm, I am bit busy right now, so I will take the same loadout as before.

What does staying outside achieve?

Door doesn't open, San.

Mors calls Dallas.

"Captain, are we getting any weird vibes from the door, or is it just locked?" Mors asks.

I'm having a sudden memory of Heph vs. a door...

"Maybe we should Knock?" Berserker suggests in a half jokingly manner.

Originally posted by Ushgarak
What does staying outside achieve?

Door doesn't open, San.

I thought that if anything like that happened again, then those who were given the cure last time would be immune to it this time, and those who weren't would be outside, safe from it so then we can all get out. Also, they could be a good lookout for any trouble.

Being a lookout is no good if you cannot inform anyone.

-

"Errr... i'm just scanning the general area right now," says Dallas. "I'm sure you'll work it out." He hangs up.

"I don't know about you, Cloud, but there's no way I'm waiting outside..." San replies.

"And sure, why not..." she says in response to Berserker.

Knock on the door

Well in that case... a few moments later the door opens.

It reveals a tall man, well-dressed in a dinner suit. He has a smart, elegant look about him, but only as much as you can tell by his manner of dress, for his facial features are covered entirely in a plain white mask.

"Good afternoon gentlemen, ladies," he says. "My master is expecting you."

Mors conceals his pistol.

"I'm sure he is," Mors replies, recognizing the man as Melitus' butler. "Lead us to him."

Seeing Mors lower is pistol, Burn contemplates doing the same with his weapon.
But he takes another look at the Butler and decides to simply lower it to his side.

"I remember you," Heph says, glaring at the Butler. "Found replacements for the string quartet, I trust?"

"If you would care to follow me," he says. He starts to walk slowly into the gloom beyond.

"Yep definitly has that whole Adams Family thing going on." Berserker continues to joke around.

"Keep an eye out," Mors says to the others before following the butler.

Ares follows, hand in his coat pocket on the grip of his MAC10.

Azrael trails along, hanging at the back of the group.

"How do you think Melitus will act- will we experience any more of his games?" -Melkor asks Azrael.

This corridor is much more spartan from what you remember of Melitus. In fact, it is built not unlike the Monastery, mostly just wooden construction all around. At the end is another door, which the butler opens. iIt leads into darkness.

"Please proceed inside," says the butler. "There will be a short period for disinfection. My master is very concerned about the effect of contamination on his health.

"I also crave your indulgence with the darkness. Certain developments have left my master very sensitive to light. Illumination will be provided gradually once you are inside the chamber."

Oh no not that disinfection thing again...

Mors, in one smooth motion, draws his katana and holds it at the butler's throat.

"Not a chance in hell," Mors says. "We have gone through his disinfection process before; we won't be doing that again. Show us another way through."

Aww you beat me to it..
Fiine...
Burn will also drawn his weapon and point it point plank, at the butler.
"What he said. No disinfection. I will blow whatever matter you have filling your skull all over these clean white walls."

BTW, I DID call dibs on freaking out, ask lana...

Yeah he did.

"We do remember doing this before. And how it didn't turn out well for us."

"What`s so scary about desinfection, people?"

Klez simply watches with keen interest, guns still concealed.

"Because last time it did something to our code that left us unable to leave the Matrix. There's no way that's happening again."

"There is no other way. sir."

"Well I could care less right now what this disinfecting thing does we need to see this guy as soon as possible," Berserker looks around.

"If you guys don't want to go in then you can wait out here and I'll go in by myself."

Berserker walks in without waiting for anyone. Thinking he is already dead so it doesn't matter whether he can get in or out of the Matrix.

Melkor sighs and follows Berserker.

Mors snaps out his cell phone with his free hand, to check reception.

None.

Just as before... Mors sighs.

"Fine," Mors says, lifting his blade. "Lead us in."

He turns to the others.

"Getting the Shield functioning is more important than whatever happens to us," Mors tells them. "Besides, I'm almost positive that Ariadne kept that override program in the Shez's files..."

"This is complete bullshit. I'm not having any of it."

"If it's the only way in..." Hawk shrugs, ready to follow Mors.

"Yeah, sure, assuming that if this does something to us it's the same effect it was before..." San comments to Mors.

"Ah, to hell with it." Cloud says walking through, "It's either do this or destroy the human race..."

Well, if anyone wants to stay out they can, but there might not be much happening out there.

Melis heads through the door, agreeing with Mors that there are more important things to do than worry about themselves.

"Fine. Let's go." San says, going through the door.

Heph shoots the Butler an unhappy frown before heading into the 'decontamination' room.

Burn is royally P.O'ed as he is ushered into the room, Still holding his Ingrams.

Azrael walks into the disinfection room.

The door closes behind you.

Well... it's very dark in here...

Surprising. But hey, this seems to be the exact opposite of the last decontamination room we were in. That one was so bright that we couldn't define the floor from the wall.

All we can do is wait, then.

Creepy...

"Why is it that we never bring flashlights?" Ares asks.

"Why is it we're always in the dark when it comes to Meltius?" Cloud jokes, trying to bring some humour to the situation.

"I get it. 'Cause he likes keeping us clueless and we're in...a dark room..." Ares says, realizing the lameness of the pun and how he just killed it further.

"I feel inclined to make a comment about him being a cripple," Heph sulks, "but I can't think of a good, relevant pun."

"Well, that joke is now nice and dead..."

"Okay, you guys are all fired from the Joke Squad now." Hawk peers through the darkness trying to make out the room around them.

There is a click noise, like sokething small sliding along.

Then you hear a laboured noise of breathing- hahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

"Melitus?" Mors asks, into the darkness.

hahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

"So. You have returned."

"Indeed, and we are only hope to save Matrix. Do you support our goal?" -Melkor speaks warily.

"You know the answer to..."

hahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

"... that question Melkor."

"Well, I don`t know you, but I assume that you care about your existance.

Do you know me?"- He asks, wondering how much Melitus knows.

"You seek answers about the nature of..."

hahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

"... Machines. But you will never be satisfied. The rest of you should watch this one."

"Watch?!"- Melkor laughs.

"What you speak of is irrelevant now. My existance is almost at end, and I can only hope that my current quest is finished before I die. Which is soon." He stops laughing as he coughes blood again.

Berserker stands in the Dark wondering where Melitus is and what else may be in the room.

"Oh Melkor. You have lost your faith."

hahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

"I suspect you are not the only one."

In contrast to Sennacherib, Melitus speaks quietly, with a kind of drab certainty behind everything he says, not unlike a schoolmaster.

"What has he lost faith in," Berserker asks.

"Survival"- Melkor speaks to Berserker, seeming more thoughtful and uncertain suddenly.

"Do you know of any means of survival for us?"

"You... many of you... are losing faith in many things. In victory. Your lives. Maybe the Oracle. For Melkor..."

hahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

"...even the cause he fights for. But what about faith in your friends... Azrael?"

"Yeah oddly enough that sounds right," Berserker waits for a second, "Melkor never told you his name, you must know a lot of things."

"Maybe your friends have something to..."

hahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

"... say on that matter. I am not, after all, the first you have..."

hahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

"... met displaying such knowledge."

"Faith....faith is belief beyond reason, I try to avoid this.

But I am convinced that we have a chance to achieve victory- to prevent the death of almost all sentient beings, humans and machines alike. This is all I have left right now!"- Melkor`s voice is growing louder.

"I am unconvinced your attachment to many of those lives is..."

hahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

"... not beyond reason either. Certainly those guided by..."

hahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

"... reason alone supported such means, long ago."

Berserker kind of lowers his head in the darkness none of the others can see it. He thinks about Azreal he does feel bad about how quickly he turned on him.

"So then what are we going to do now?"

"Reason and feelings are not mutually exclusive, aren`t they?"

Melkor shakes his head -"But you are right, I am not sure about great many things and I will propably never have time to consider it... but still, reason dies alongiside sentience. Genocide is not reasonable. I don`t want millions of sentient beings to die, and it is one thing I am convinced of."

Ares raises his MAC10 to the darkness.

"Enough of that, Mel," Ares says. "Yeah, we're back. You know why we're here, no need to really talk about it."

"Your breathing," Heph comments. "It sounds different."

"No, they are not exclusive, Melkor. But..."

hahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

"... that puts your statement about faith into a different context. Of course..."

hahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

"... as it is partially your fault that they are to die, some may say your..."

hahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

"... claims may lack some conviction; that this is personal. Ares... I see..."

hahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

"... you are no more patient. There is little you can do whilst you cannot see. But my dear Hephaestus, you..."

hahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

"... are correct."

The light is increasing very slowly. You guys are in a fglass partitiion of a large and very long room; Melitus is talking from the far side of that room but you cannot make out anything down there yet.

"What has changed since we last met?" Heph asks as the light steadily increases.

"It is hard not to lose faith," Klez comments, "when all you have fought for leads to your inevitable death, especially when I had not wanted anything to do with the Door by the time we reached it."

"You did not stop your friends, Klez. The..."

hahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

"... responsiblity is, I am afraid, collective. That is the nature of teams such..."

hahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

"... as yours. You are happy to claim the benefits; you must also accept the consequences. Hephaestus... much has..."

hahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

"... changed, some of it the doing of you and your friends. A shame, I feel, that you did not..."

hahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

"... talk with me more last time. I woulkd have killed you, but you..."

hahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

"... were too impotant."

There's a large object down the far side of the room- larger than an iron lung, A major furniture feature.