Cities of the Future

[Stampede]

"I think we should make our way to the kitchen area, sounds like everyone is gonna have their hands full right now."

 

Knocko kept thinking about movies he had seen or books he had read where people had put whole groups of guys to sleep by spiking their food. Unfortunately, he did not have anything now to even put out one guy. Except his fists. Besides that, he doubted everyone at the base ate at the same time.

[PurpleXVI]

(OOC: Posting since Andy hasn't been around all day.)

 

The door to the kitchen store rooms glid open noiselessly as they approached. Beyond was a well-lit room packed full of crates, jars, bottles and barrels. A metal barrel full of ipecac syrup sloshed lazily as Knocko accidentially hit it with his knee, there wasn't much space in there. The only places where a person could stand were in the aisles between the shelves stacked full of various things

 

No one else was in the store room, and judging by the silence coming from the doors to the kitchen and mess hall, no one was busy preparing or eating food at the moment.

 

It seemed they were short on storage space, a few medical and engineering supplies were in the kitchen stores along with the other contents. Located in one corner were a trio of ominous metal cylinders with Biohazard markings on them. There was nothing to indicate what dangerous materials they contained, just stickers indicating that they should not be exposed to any sort of temperature extremes, knocked over, punched, kicked, shot, stabbed, blown up, set ablaze, covered in acid or anything else. It seemed that the only way to keep them safe would be to entomb them in lead and leave them at the bottom of an ocean.

 

Whatever genius had placed the containers in the kitchen stores had also put them next to a large freezer full of frozen chickens. Most likely Synthmeat*.

 

(OOC:

 

*Not all planets have the right conditions for traditional farming, and some larger spacecraft often travel for months, occasionally even years, without ever getting near a planet where they can resupply. Carrying stores of food takes up valuable space and if the supplies go bad the crew are, to put it bluntly: vulked. The same goes for outposts whose supply convoys are delayed, waylaid or destroyed. Some method of creating a food supply without involving farming or cannibalism had to be invented.

 

Early methods utilized Waste Reprocessors** to create Nutribars(gray, horrible bars packed full of all sorts of lovely nutrients, if enough water is present, Nutribars can sustain a person indefinitely. However, subsisting for more than three months on Nutribars has been shown to cause insanity in 52% of all subjects.) and clean water.

 

They weren't exactly popular, and so it was inevitable that something better would be invented, enter the Synthfood vats. They didn't quite create real food, and still relied on human waste to create it, but at least it didn't taste like gravel and could be vaguely recognized as beef, pork, chicken or mysterious green vegetable-y stuff(While the clumps of meat are usually either flat sheets or cubes when they're straight out of the vat, they tend to be carved to resemble actual cuts of meat.).

 

(**WR's are still in use on spacecraft not large enough for Synthfood vats, old spacecraft or spacecraft whose owners aren't rich.)

 

Most of Silver Rock's food is either Synthmeat, grown vegetables or nutribars. Few but the richest, luckiest or those who have few scruples, are likely to have eaten real meat. What little real meat exists is usually shipped in from neighbouring Wolf 971.

 

While Synthmeat has caught on extremely well, especially as entire generations grow up having never known anything better, Synthgreens are less common. Plant farms require less space and effort than animal farms, and so can be set up on most planets. Generally Synthgreens taste like boiled carrots, and have much the same consistency.)

[Captain Andy]

Travis pulled out his PDA and began looking through the map.

 

"Alright, we're gonna need to figure out how to get from here to that computer. Any ideas of sneakage?"

 

Travis realized how hungry he was from earlier. He pondered getting something to eat, wondering if now was the right moment.

 

"Knocko, I'm eating something, I need food. Or else I will devour my arm and possibly your's."

 

He took a look around and found a packet of crackers and ate a few while staring at the map.

[Stampede]

"Food sound like a good idea buddy, let me know if you find anything...just make sure it does not turn us into isotopes."

 

Knocko then began scratching his bald head rather comically while the little gears inside his brain spun towards an idea.

 

"Hmmm...ok, after much careful planning and by looking at our past progress...here's my brilliant plan. We sneak, peak around corners, follow your map and if anyone stops us, we thump them and stuff them in a closet. Let's face it, we're up poo creek, I'm not so worried about getting to that download...what I'm worried about is how we are going to get home."

[Captain Andy]

"Dude, we're in the middle of a kitchen storage room. There's some food right behind you."

 

Travis pointed behind Knocko at a some bread and went back to his map. He smiled at Knocko's plan.

 

"That's brilliant, man. I'm all for it, let's just hope we don't get shot. You ready to go?"

 

He brought the map over to Knocko and showed the quickest way to the computer, reminding him that Candiru One and Four were near the Main Armory.

[Stampede]

Knocko sniffed the bread cautiously, slightly nervous about all the chemicals that were in such a close proximity to it.

 

He then cracked his knuckles and said.

 

"I'm ready to go. Those guys can meet us at the goal. That other kid is too much of a hothead for my liking. Let's move."

 

Knocko began proceeding cautiously out of the storage area, taking his lead from Travis as to where they should go.

[PurpleXVI]

The coast was clear as the two left the storage room and started making their way towards their goal. The main database was two floors down and on the other side of the base.

 

Thankfully shoring up the base for the storm and checking the extremities was keeping most of the crew busy, the corridors were practically completely abandoned. They made frequent stops to ensure that they didn't get lost, Travis checking the map while Knocko kept an eye out. Once they had to hide in a bathroom for a few minutes while a group of soldiers carrying welding tools marched past, apparently there'd been a breach somewhere.

 

There were a few other close calls, but they managed to get out of sight before they were spotted each time.

 

Eventually they reached the elevator that would take them down to the appropriate floor. It was in a very exposed location, at the end of a long corridor with no niches, doors or vents to hide in. Checking that there was no one in the area, they called the elevator, which was three floors below them, up.

 

Just one floor below them, it stopped. Clearly, someone was getting on. There would be no time to hide before it reached their floor.

[Captain Andy]

Travis pulled out his pistol and stood against the wall beside the elevator, signaling for Knocko to do the same on the other side. He watched the elevator door like a hawk, ready to strike whenever their 'victim' walked through.

 

"Get ready, Knocko. I think we're gonna have to bash the poor male without a father who walks through here."

[Stampede]

Knocko stood in front of the door, muscles tensing. As soon as he was able to he would hurl his bulk into the elevator and attempt to punch out whoever was inside it.

[PurpleXVI]

Time seemed to pass with horrible slowness. It was as if every second was stretched out to an hour. Knocko felt adrenaline working it's way into his system from the pure stress of it. He almost leapt into the ceiling when the elevator's arrival was announced by a jaunty little "ding!"

 

The large man barely had time to register two human shapes inside before he threw his bulk forwards. A well-thrown punch sent the nearest clattering to the floor, some large metallic object he was holding made a thunk as it followed him. Something zipped noiselessly past Knocko's ear, a split-second later he realized it was a bullet, the pistol that fired it had been silenced and was now pointed right at his nose.

 

It was lowered and the holder sighed, "Goddammit you two scared me," said Candiru One, as Travis looked into the elevator, "But," he added, "Probably not as much as you scared Four," this was accompanied by a gentle prodding from the tip of his boot, "Don't worry, I'll find a place to hide him and this," he tapped the metal canister, marked as containing tear gas, "Until he comes to. Oh, and don't use the vents unless you really have to, I think they're on to us, there is a suspicious amount of maintenance engineers in there. Give me a call when you need that distraction. Don't make me have carried this vulking container for nothing, it's heavy."

 

Rather than staying to chat, he dropped the gas container on top of Arodom and dragged the unconscious agent away.