Dragon Friends - OKC #1.07 Cheeseburger Leads

Episode Date: June 9, 2023

Violence has broken out between the troubleshooters, but a temporary peace hangs in the air. Will the team galvanise towards a common goal now that they finally understand more about eachother's true selves, or will the tension boil over once more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I'm recording now so we can we can talk it's mics up what what what are you doing so there's so little of this still to do Ben can you just first the bad news the world is no longer habitable to human life now for the good news your new life starts today. You find yourselves in Lime 3 Tango, aka Lime Tree Tango, because I am not being consistent about that. A disused hab complex somewhere in Sector CYN and a dead zone from Level 3 up.

Friend computer cannot hear you. Friend computer cannot see you. You have a brief respite and a lot of you are dying. Now you've made your way up to the third story through past the gutters, through secret doors. You found yourselves inside strange guest bedrooms. There was a lot of things blowing up for a short while. Some people were briefly, we won't say who lost their minds. And in fact, even as you stand now in a central bar in the center of what is the scion safe house you can see the figures of six or seven

different operatives of scion standing around you as you hear a pneumatic a flush and then a very very wet very very drippy very very amniotic clone by the name of Buffcon, Rbuff5 walks down the stairs towards you. You're on your fifth life. You only have six, Hing, so this is your second last. Oh, hey, I'm back. Is he surrounded by the mutants who have us surrounded? They've got their guns trained on all of you. They've all stopped for a second,

and they want to know what's going on. You've just said that you're going to help them? Yeah, we are. We have returned to you. If you return to the guest suites, you will find your old friend Sykes returned to you. And we are here to parlay. All right. Obviously, one of them who seems to be wearing the red jumpsuits that a lot of them are wearing

but has kind of a leather jacket looks up at you from beside the bar. He's flanked by two different lieutenants, but he looks sort of like a head honcho. Dingo. Oh, sorry? Do I have the pleasure, Dingo, of meeting the head of this particular unit of the resistance? Technically temporary head, actually. But yes, that is the current role that I occupy.

I've got a little badge. I've got a little um... Well, not so little badge. Okay, well it's... It's... This is a literal badge? Yeah, it's got a little badge that he only wears inside. Okay. On Seth Collar. Yeah, that's cute. Yeah, it's inside his collar because it's a secret society.

So you don't... When you're wearing badges, you want to keep them hidden because if you walk outside and you've got a badge on you that says, oh, you know, I'm temporary head of the Scions Society. Dingo, dingo, dingo, you're rambling again. Well, that's fine, that's fine, that's fine. I'm talking, I'm dealing with it actually. Exerting leadership is about speaking concisely and... Who's got the badge?

You do, Dingo. Thank you very much. What's this you said about our ex-leader? Now, I'm glad that I have your ear before he... Current leader. ...enters the room. I understand, I understand. Now, double agents, triple agents, quadruple agents, quintuple agents, who knows what it's called after that.

But there's a chance that this man is not who you think he is. Now, I will leave it up to you to decide whether we are returning him to you, you with grateful arms, or whether you decide to do with him whatever you will, I will do that to you. We are just here to help. His eyes look at you appraisingly for the first time, like he hadn't realized how just willing to deal you are. All right, all right. Now this is good, this is good, this is good.

I can work with this. What did you say your name was? My name is Pikachu. And you? The Mule. And you? Clancy's leg kicks out and there's a hiss of steam. Oh, I see, the Mule, yes.

My name is Jellyfish. Jellyfish, yes, good, and? I'm a cop. What? Cop. Cop. I'm a cop. I'm a cop. What? I'm a cop. I'm a cop.

What? I'm a cop. It's because I can turn invisible. Now, I just want to be clear, because you came out of a tube a second ago with a cling-wrapped suit. You've unwrapped it and you've put on the jumpsuit? Yeah. Yeah, no longer naked. Great, wonderful.

And actually, have you? But does he still have his device? No, no, no. Well, then go and turn invisible I want to rephrase what I just said I am mutant I think we all just noticed something that I could do I just made this bloody galah over here relax

When he was going absolutely bonkers And everyone else in this room chilled the fuck out Sorry, you guys might not Mr. Chill I guess Mr. Chill is it, I'd say I certainly felt it Yeah, so you used your tone of command mutant ability Mr. Chill. I guess Mr. Chill is it, I can say. I certainly felt it. Yeah, so you use your tone of command mutant ability on the now very dead body of Bofcon Mark IV.

Bofcon V, have you dressed yourself? Yeah, we arrive in our jumpsuit, right? Well, no, because you're in a dead zone, you're being fired out of a pneumatic cannon in a capsule and then you sort of come out and then you get a cling wrap jumpsuit so you've got it if you want. You can also have your old outfit if you want to be a cool punk. If you want to

just strip the body that's on the ground in front of you. Well that would be cool. I'll just wear the red jumpsuit. Okay now it doesn't come with any equipment because again you're in a dead zone. But I can steal that off my old body. Yeah so as long as you lose a point of moxie but you can sort of sit there and start rifling through the equipment of your dead body trying to look not to look your dead eyes in the face.

And yeah, you can take all that stuff back. All right. Why don't you guys just wait here? I've just got to get something from my, well, not my, my temporary office. Wait, which one are you? What's your name? Dingo. We just had a whole conversation. Sorry, I forgot which one you were. Dingo, let me come with you to the office. Wait, which one are you? What's your name? Dingo. We just had a whole conversation. Sorry, I

forgot which one you were. Dingo, let me come with you to the office. Why? Because I am because I have something

I need to tell you away from everybody. I know, boss. The way he said that suggested to me not... It was super weird. That was a strange one. Please excuse my friend. He's a baby. He's just...

He's a bit befuddled. He's just come out of his tube. I think, boss, if I mean to say... Yeah? Jellyfish? We need to have a little tete-a-tete-a-tete. The four of us need to discuss

what just happened. As you can see and you know, organisations can be awfully complex. Oh my god, payroll? You ever tried to do payroll with single touch? A nightmare. And then they tell me that they're changing it. And then MR, Mutant Resources

Absolutely, oh don't get me started. Dingo, Dingo, you rambling again? And then they tell me that they're changing it. And then MR, Mutant Resources. Absolutely. Oh, don't get me started. Okay, listen. Dingo, Dingo, Dingo, you're rambling again. I understand that I am. They don't need to know about payroll. Okay, well. Look, look, look, it's very simple, all right?

There's six of us here. We've got our guns trained on you. You seem to be equipping yourself. What is that? Is that a rocket launcher? Oh, yeah. Do you want me to use it? No.

I can show you how it works. You say you need to have a conversation with your friends. Obviously, there's some kind of breakdown of communication. So how's this for a deal? Maybe you're mutants. Maybe you're not. Maybe you're here to help us. Maybe you're some kind of double agents.

Who are you, by the way? My name's Camry. I'm the sort of... I was the third in command. And now Dingo, who really needs to stand up for himself, is boss no matter what he says. And that makes me second in command, all right? I've got a mutant power too, by the way.

I just go up to Dingo. I was like, I'm not going to tell you how to lead, but I think you need to get that man in order. Well, this is something that maybe me and Camry will have a chat about. Camry, my office now. But I just want to make sure that they're not armed. I close the door behind them. All right, they walk away. So you can hold on to your guns for now, but you can use a booth if you want will have a chat about. Camry, my office now. But I just want to make sure that they're not armed. I close the door behind them.

All right, they walk away. So you can hold on to your guns for now, but you can use a booth if you want to have a chat. The other guards don't know what to do without the leadership there. So they sort of stand around keeping an eye on you with their guns sort of semi-trained in your direction. But without orders, they don't know what to do.

Friends, let's squish in. So we're official. All of us or four of us? It's like a rounded bonkette kind of thing. Now, my status as leader here is absolutely up for question. But it seems to me we are in a predicament. We cannot go back. Many of us may. We cannot go back. Many of us may not want to go back.

Many of us may not have wanted to be with Amigo at all. Now, circle of trust. Sure, there's a glass in the booth. You can all spit into a disgusting glass and have a little sip if that's what you freaks want to do. Yeah, that's what we want to do. Bof?

Yes? You have powers. To want me to make you shoot him again? Beetle, you have powers. You? You have powers. I do. What?

You have powers as well? Yes, I do. What are your powers? Well, if we're all spitting in each other's mouths. I can slow down time. I'm yet to use it. I'm just feeling it come back to me like so many other sensations. Like what?

And memories You were really hanging out with that wood earlier on today, weren't you? What kind of memories? Something I must tell you When I ran my hands over that wood I felt as though Not me, but perhaps the original version of me Worked with wood Yeah, you actually

I have a memory I was Jesus Christ, the carpenter No, no, no no no you do have Sort of memories they're coming back to you Like all of the memories that are resurfacing A lot of them are as being infrareds But you have a strange one where you saw that desk Which is you imagined yourself at a desk

Just like it And in front of what seemed to be a strange terminal With processed vegetable matter Sheets in front of you And you were staring at them, looking at them, not like the sort of flimsy wax readouts that you get all over Alpha Center, but something like rich paper, and you used to work at a desk just like that. You wore clothes of different colours and fabrics,

and you were in a room that seemed to be made of moor woods and mortar and strange materials whose textures all seemed wrong, but you remember being very happy. Yes, I used to eat something called a hamburger at my desk because I couldn't leave for lunch because my job was very important. But on my desk, I remember... What was your job?

I don't know. I think I was some sort of hamburger salesman. Hang on. So they would make you eat hamburgers at your desk as a hamburger salesman. Yeah, so you'd be fresh. No, because you were so important, she said. I just tried to put this all together. I mean, seconds ago, I couldn't even tell you what a hamburger was.

What's your memory? Talk us through your day as a hamburger salesman. Like a door-to-door salesman? It was over the phone. I had to call people. You were calling people and saying, Hey, do you want a hamburger? I had to ask them,

Are you interested in buying a hamburger? And what did people say then? Usually they said, I'll just buy one myself. It was a cold calling hamburger sales app. Sorry, and Sykes is also here. I couldn't help overhearing. So was it a specific kind of hamburger?

Or just the concept of hamburger? Just say, I buy a hamburger. How does it get to me? Do you then go and make it, or is that someone else's job? Or do I have to go to a restaurant that you contact as a third party and pick it up from there? Were you paid by commission?

Was it like cheeseburger leads and there's some leads that were better than others? No, I was. I was paid by commission. But I had to say, I would call someone and say, are you interested in are you got a party to cater for in the near future that I can sell you a dozen pack of hamburgers.

I'm sorry to interrupt, but let me think. What is this? There's a beautiful world outside of here! And he's sobbing. A world where people are buying and selling hamburgers. I'll be honest, this doesn't sound like a beautiful world. I have two things to say. One, what is a hamburger?

And two, while you're all sharing, I need to share as well. Sykes, please go to the other side of the room, please. Oh,

fuck me, I guess. Bye. Sykes walks over and pours himself. You didn't spit in the cup. Pours himself a contraband whiskey,

a sort of a mash steel whiskey. I, Circle of Trust, do not have powers. I am not a mutinier. I am a guy who found himself here, and I was the leader of this ragtag ramshackle crew, and I can never go back. So. But you could go back.

I am, by nature, a curious, cheeky, impulsive man. So cheeky. But, very quickly I learned that in the world of Alpha Complex I could not be myself and maybe

this is an opportunity to be who I am. Either i'm with you i'm stuck with you so let's make the best of this situation i am no longer your leader i'm your equal well it sounds right now like we have a decision to make whether we stay here we work with the mutants you with the mutants we as mutants or we use what we have and we go back and we work as double agents not for amigo but against him there's a scream and sonic sort of whoosh as you all of the curtains alongside the outside wall of the bar flutter and you can suddenly feel that there's a great hovering shape has pulled up alongside

the wall and then of some kind of anchors being fired into the wall as one of the other mutants runs and goes off into the spare room to tell dingo and camry oh they're gonna want to hear about this i gotta go is what he says i mean is this all of our are we unloading all of our secrets or just these ones I think if you've got secrets yeah

probably now okay good quickly I'm a member of the church oh you son of a bitch I don't even remember why really but I look I know that there is a box that they want me I don't even remember why, really.

But look, I know that there is a box that they want me to get from the free enterprise. And I have suspicions that you, Buffcon, are involved in the free enterprise. You already got your fucking box. What? When we were at the other one, you got your box. No. How many boxes are there? No, this is the same box.

But a member of the mutants got it from the computer and I've got to get it back from the mutants before they give it to the free enterprise. And does that word mean anything to you? Probably. I haven't been paying a lot of attention. Sorry. Did you mean this box? You turn around and you see that Dingo, flanked by Camry, is now holding... Pointing to his penis.

A black lacquered box with a strange symbol on it that you recognise very much, Clancy. And as you will see it, there is only a high-pitched whine and you hear a sound as a high stream of some kind of highly corrosive liquid starts cutting a rectangle very, very slowly through the third-storey wall of the bar while all of the other clones stand well back.

This is our ticket out of here. We're trading this box to the free enterprise for extraction. So if you guys want it, well, you can't have it. For what? For extraction out of here. Relocation. I'm going to relocate to another part of Alpha Complex with a new, I think I'll be called, Monsieur Big Dick. Firebrand hears all this, by the way, particularly the last bit.

And Firebrand hears all this by the way Particularly the last bit And Firebrand's like You have no idea How powerful that box is You cannot just trade it as a trinket You need to listen to me now Whatever the free enterprise has offered you Turn them down We cannot have it fall into their hands

This rectangle is about 60% cut now Obviously there's some kind of vast flying craft on the other side and they're cutting a doorway into this third story wall. I'm going to use my mutant power and I'm going to time jam. Time slap. Slow jam! Can you bring anybody with you?

I can slow time around you. Good question. Yes, so I can do this. Oh, yes, I've got enough moxie points. Yeah, I can do five actions, one after another, depending on how many moxie points I use before anyone else can even blink. Unfortunately, you only have four moxie points before you lose your mind. So that's a maximum of four actions and that would send you on a break.

But you can do three actions and still keep some small measure of your wits about you. All right. I'll do three things. All right. So time slows still. The only one that can move is Clancy. Clancy, what do you do? Okay.

I'm going to grab the box. Yeah, you run forward. You grab the box out of Dingo's hands. Ripping it out at slow speed means that two of his fingers are ripped off and flop slowly in the air but he hasn't even reacted because time is still slow. Gross.

Do you think time's slow or she's fast? I think that it's only a question of relativity. Yeah, well, I'm just saying. Yeah, I'm slow.

I have slow time. Oh, you were saying outside the building what's happening. Is it localised? No, I think that she can actually access a faster mode of movement. So the entire, everywhere, alpha complex brain computer is moving slower right now.

Okay. I mean, what counts as one action? Can I... That was your first action. Can I jump on board the ship? It's the door. At the moment, the door is about 60% cut. So you could jump through the window and you could free fall three stories

if you want to try and grab onto the side of the plane or something. But this doorway isn't cut yet. All right, well, I'll jump out the window then. Okay, that's your second action. So you're going to grab the box. You're going to jump out the window. Yeah, and I'm going to, as I fall, I'm going to shoot at the window with my rifle so I can land in the driver's seat. Of the ship? The window of the ship?

The ship is pointing sideways, you've jumped underneath it. Is that right? Have I? I thought you meant I could go to a tall window, jump out the window and jump into the driver's seat. I think there's a tall window. I don't know if you can get into the driver's seat, but you can get onto the Thunderbird. But of course, this is a pretty impressive piece of athletics.

Or I guess throw. What do we think? Is it athletics or throw? Either way, dealer's choice. But it's definitely a bit of chutzpah and athletics or throw. All right. So you need to make the roll and because you're bursting through the door as well the moment you break through the window the computer goes ah there you are your hud lights up and i need you to roll the computer

dice as well but the computer would be very slow yeah yeah yeah no it's just connect managed to connect to you all right i've got a computer six you've got a spit you also have and i got a success all right so you suddenly is your third action you grab the box all of you see suddenly a All right, I've got a computer six. But you also have another six. And I've got a success. All right, so you suddenly, as your third action, you grab the box. All of you see suddenly a whir. Dingo screams in pain as some of his fingers just flop out. The box is a blur and disappears, as is Clancy. And then suddenly you hear a shattering behind you,

and you turn around just in time to see that Clancy clambering onto what is a Thunderbird attack craft. It's a large troop transport. It can hold about 12 different people. There are other figures inside the transport. And they're spinning around. There's chaos. And Clancy is grappling with them. So very quickly, what are the rest of you going to do?

I'm going to throw a smoke grenade down in the room to lower visibility and run towards the open door to jump onto the plane. Okay, you grab a smoke grenade. Can you roll a dice for me very quickly? Yeah, do I do operate? No, just a six-sided dice. That's a four. All right, great. You grab a smoke grenade and you throw it into the room

and suddenly smoke explodes everywhere. No one can see anything. As everyone shouts in confusion and panic reigns. What do you do, Beetle? I run over as well. How is the door open? Yeah, the door is just just one good kick i reckon and you can smash it backwards into the thunderbird if you want yeah i come down and i kind of

shoulder barge it all right you shoulder barge it making me a violence check violence athletics unfortunately no re-roll but it will cost you moxie. Hey, just a quick question. Alex didn't have to use moxie for her skill. Yes, I did. Sorry, you didn't have to roll for your moxie, and I just wanted to maybe just change the way my one works. I think, I don't know, you made me roll for whether it succeeded every time, and I think mine is, it does always succeed,

but it's an extra moxie if I want to add a word. So if it's literally one person, one word. Okay. Well, it succeeded anyway, so that's fine. Is that okay? Just because, well, I'll just take off just so I have less before I use so much more. Yeah, sure. Okay.

Yeah, I'll reroll two. That's a five. All right. One five is success is enough. It's only just enough though. It means a concrete smashes over and the entire gunship lurches to the side knocking people over who were coming towards you with guns their guns scattering wildly you can now see that these are very slick looking foreign sector operatives all of them are wearing what look at first like regulation jumpsuits but they all have some strange gold accessories and flash collars this kind of strange contraband flair decorating them.

And you know, you've seen these before. These are members of Free Enterprise, one of the more shadowy members of the Grey Culture Clubs that you had forgotten about until now, as more and more of your memories are surfacing. Meanwhile, Bofcon? I need that damn box If I use My mutant power

Do I And that succeeds Will the person I'm possessing succeed In their attempt to do something Or will they need to do a secondary role No like I didn't let him roll for the guns You will do it for them by proxy Can I see I didn't let him roll for the guns. You will do it for them by proxy.

Can I see... Can I see Clancy? Yeah, you can see Clancy scrambling with a bunch of free enterprises that are sort of fighting on a rumble. She's got the box in her hand. I'm yelling, come on! I'm just... Then I'm going to puppeteer Clancy to throw the box back to me. Okay, great.

How much moxie are you spending? I'll use three then. Great, all right. And there's no computerized with this because I'm inside the kind of silence. You're still inside, yeah. That's three failures. Then, okay. You can do a re-roll if you want.

I'll go insane again. All right, suddenly you feel... Oh, fuck it. Yeah, I'll do it. I'll go insane. Who cares? And that's a failure as well, but I'm insane now, Dave. Cool, but it's a re-roll, so you actually can re-roll the dice. You did, didn't you? I did. I added the extra dice. You didn't add an extra dice. It's a re-roll. You can re-roll all the dice.

Oh, right. Oh, shit. Oh, so you don a re-roll. You can re-roll all the dice. Oh, right. Oh, shit. Oh, so you don't re-roll. So I've got two more chances then. They're also failed. Okay, great. We've achieved it. So suddenly you spin around as your hand goes wild and you feel like tendrils are pulling it. You turn around and you see with his eyes looking at you a strange expression, Bofcon lurching at your hand, but you pull it back.

The tendrils snap and the feedback causes you to howl in pain as you get hurt and something snaps inside your brain as you lose it. Now how does that work for you? You're in the middle of a gunfight, this is a different psychotic break. I guess the most... You have a rocket

launcher? Well I guess then because Clancy stole the box, I'm gonna shoot Clancy stole the box, I'm going to shoot Clancy with the rocket launcher. Okay. Is that what you want to do? I guess. Alright, great. Make for me a violence and guns check.

It's two successes. All right, two successes means that a missile is slammed into the rocket launcher and it fires and the gunbird winds as the wing smokes. Can you very... No, in fact, I'm sorry. You rocket to the side, you take two points of damage as the gunbird spins, its copters go crazy and it smashes into the side of the building and everybody falls to the floor as every member of free enterprise that was on the only escape ship out of town dies and Clancy, you die with them.

And the box falls down to the ground on the outside of the hab complex as firebrand screams and runs forward to the window and starts trying to climb down the side of the building, chasing it. Meanwhile, what do you do, Strawberry? That's a good question. I am going to grab Boffo and throw him out the side of the building.

Okay, you grab Boffcon and make for me an athletics throw check. A violence throw. Violence throw. So that's one, two, three, four, five. Now because. And that's two success, three successes. That's three successes. Now, because this is up close and personal, if you want to try and avoid it, you can make

yourself a violence athletics check, but you need to get more than three successes. I. It may not be possible. What if I, wait, what if I try and fight back against being tackled? That would be violence melee, not violence athletics. Yeah, make a violence melee check. And I need how many successes? Three successes.

Okay. Well, four, actually. You've got to beat him. No, they're all four. All right. You try to kick his legs out from under him, but he grabs you, scoops you up by the middle of your waist and throws you out the window.

Another window, unbroken. Every time someone goes out a window, to be really clear, they're all choosing a new... There's also two mutants carrying a pane of glass across the street. As your body goes screaming, you fall out the side. This is still... This is three stories.

Question, three stories. Who thinks they could survive a three story fall? I think it would be pretty difficult. Do we think maimed story fall? I think it would be pretty difficult Do we think maimed or dead? I don't want to be unfair here I feel dead is my intent Dead, dead, dead Alright, unfortunately

Like falling out maybe But thrown out I think you're going to land on your head You'll get a lot of like Yeah Bofcon, bof, five Also he's probably falling on the wreckage of a helicopter So

Also the wreckage of a lot of glass Right, he's very, very, very dead. You, however, saw this. So beetle, what do you do? Just a question.

I knocked that door down. Did I go through the door and onto the ship? Oh no, no. You only said you knocked it down. You just said you wanted to go. okay. So you actually,

you knocked the door down. You were about to dive into it when a rocket went past you and the ship went smash. And I kind of bend backwards. Um, is there something like a drainpipe or something I can kind of like. You have a great view of Firebrand who is scurrying down the only remaining drainpipe on this side

of the building and he's racing down and you can see what he can see which is just on the second floor just one floor below you where there's an old junction box the somehow impossibly the black lacquered box has wedged itself on the junction box and is sitting two stories up above the ground firebrand is desperately reaching for how far how close am

i to one story up okay so i'd say it's within range of my mutation so i scream freeze which is just like a single word while he's climbing while he's climbing yeah yeah okay he does it work oh yeah i think it's just one word It's every word It's only a few seconds He freezes like a cat startle and then just like

peels back off the wall completely rigid and you can hear him going Oh I've got a stiffy all over You don't see what happens to the body but he collapses down two stories

and lands on the ground Meanwhile what are you doing Clancy? I'm dead You're dead You hear a from the body, but he collapses down two stories and lands on the ground. Meanwhile, what are you doing, Clancy? I'm dead. You're dead. You hear a thump from the distance and you know that Clancy will be with you soon, but you have a chance for another action. The other mutants, meanwhile, suddenly panicked in the gunfight, having seen that their only transport has blown up. Grab their guns and they start descending towards you, ready to fire. What do you want?

I'm going to throw a grenade at them. There's smoke everywhere, which has bought you so much time, but this time you want? I'm going to throw a grenade at them. There's smoke everywhere, which has brought you so much time, but this time you want to do a high explosive? Yep. Alright, make for me a throw attack. Throw attack. Violence throw. With one less dice than normal, because you can't see because of the low vision.

Okay. Cool. That's a success. So the bar blows out, there's an explosion, you see bodies raining everywhere. You hear Dingo barking above it all, trying to get attention. And you also hear at least one of the other mutants who's got a little more compass mentis. Is that a word, compass mentis?

Yeah. Then the others grab what looks like a heavy, bulky pack with a visor and slam it over his head. His eyes glow as he starts moving towards you, Beetle, because he can see. And all you can see is the red of a visor and slam it over his head his eyes glow as he starts moving towards you Beetle because he can see and all you can see is the red of his visor

but he's on the side of the building right yes hang on who's sorry no the last one is Buffcon he's just he's working towards you

Buffcon's dead he's been thrown off the building we haven't done three dimensional fights like this with multiple clones before are you the only person in the building yeah I mean

this could be trouble for you I'm getting to climb down alright so in that case you and you're still in the building I'm just kind of on the could be trouble for you. I'm going to have to climb down. All right, so in that case, you... And you're still in the building. I'm just kind of on the edge. I was, yeah. So I guess I'm still in the building.

I don't know if I'm... I'm sorry, I'm really... Yeah, the visor figure is heading towards you in front of the blown-out door on the side of the building. Yeah, big trouble. How close is the stairwell,

like, the one way down that you said? The gutters, you can give it a go if you want. It'll be an athletics check. Yeah, that's athletics for me. Yeah, it's because you need to know that it's checking, you can make this brains or violence,

depending on how you want to approach the climb. Yeah, one, two, three, four, five. Yeah, that's good. Come on, lucky number six. I got one. Is that a six? Yeah, one, two, potentially three. All right, three success. you scurry down very very efficiently

grab the box as you do and then you hop down and you see that there's actually fire escapes which is very a weird anachronistic the front computer is built inside a building that can never be on fire but you're able to jump run those down to the surface meanwhile you see that visor figure turn around towards you. Strawberry. Is Firestorm, what's his name? Firebrand, is he... He's dead and disappeared at the moment. Presumed dead. We don't know where he is.

He fell down the side of the building. Oh, right, yes. Two stories. Okay, cool. I'm going to start climbing down after... You're racing plus the visor one who lunges out to grab you, so quickly make for me a violence athletics check.

Get out. Strawberry, you see... It's a failure. Alright, and you're not re-rolling or anything. So in that case, he grabs you and he lunges and your head cracks against the side. What are you carrying on you? You were just throwing grenades. I've got heaps of stuff.

So you have a strap of grenades, I think. Can I do a... Did you say he grabbed onto me? He grabbed onto you and you brained yourself on the side of the wall over... Yeah, I'm going to brain his arm. Well, let me just tell you what happens because you rolled a failure. So you lunge, you try to grab onto the side of it.

You're dizzy and concussed and the capsule of grenades that you were pulling out clatters over the side and you see pins disappearing, clip, clip, clip. How many grenades do you have on you? Two more explosive grenades. And two more smoke grenades? And two more smoke grenades? And two more smoke grenades. As they disappear below into the foundations of the building, and you hope that that's not going to be a problem for you later,

but you also take a point of damage. Now, how did you want to react? I'm going to... He's grabbing onto me. I'm going to grab his arms with my electricity gauntlets, and I'm going to, like, throw him. If I actually knock, I'm going to, like, put them in front of me and, like, blast him off me.

All right. You activate the switches again and you feel something click and break as the switches on the mat activate but then jam. So now your gloves are staying on. But they're electrical and they fire hit him and he smashes backwards and slams into a painting that I never thought to mention. A bunch of dogs playing poker. That's just behind the bar. And he's free as dingo starts trying to crawl towards everyone's pandemonium in the smoke nobody can see none of the mutants that have any

mutations that would help seeing through smoke are helping and you're able to scurry down after your friends my gloves are still on yep crucially um and i can climb with electric hands they're insulated so the what you're doing is you're electrocuting the entire gutters. But luckily, because you're doing this so much later, you'll manage to get into the ground before you get onto the rails. Can I use an operate to see if I can turn them off? Yeah, absolutely. So a mechanics operate?

Yep. It'll be pretty rough and ready. We'll stop them from blowing up. That's it. One, two, three successes Three successes is a lot So you manage to keep jamming, jamming, jamming the switch And then you hear something break

And the gloves go down And they're just insulated gloves now But they're no longer electrocuted So you scurry all the way down And then just as you're about to hit You reach to the ground Just as you're about to get onto the fire escape Suddenly you feel plop plop plop

plop as things fall around you i immediately bolt all right you just completely make an athletics check for me violence no you know brains and athletics brains and athletics well i think it's a brains and athletics yeah that's fair so that's just a uh just two that's a one one so stupidly you look around for a second trying to work out what you want to do as two high explosive grenades explode at your feet destroying you instantly leaving nothing but a smear of smoking boots as

you somewhat sheepishly land down between him and see the dead body of your friend and then look across the road where you can see a bus stop standing next to a clone supply depot where two very wet operatives, Boffcon and Clancy are standing. Hello, hello.

All going well in there, I hope. Hey, you killed me. Does anyone know where that box is? You've got the box? I'm dead. I just got exploded. You look down on the ground and you see, and this was what looked like an old, fragile wooden box, but impossibly between his boots,

it seems like the box, there's not even a scratch on it, as if it's impervious to damage. I have a box. You pick it up, you turn around, and you can see the figure of Strawberry holding the box. You hear a vroom behind you as a very naked Beetle III emerges from the tube, gets stuck halfway, and then has to crawl out for the fluid,

clutching a jumpsuit in his hand and a gun in the other because you are back inside Alpha Complex, back inside Sector CYN, having escaped the zone with the box for now and a difficult decision ahead of you because you are now back in the world of Friend Computer. You have done much to get here and it seems that you've suffered but not enough to stop.

So the question now for you is, do you return for your just desserts or do you take what little measure of defense you can and try and find a new life for yourselves amongst the radicals that lurk beneath Alpha Complex? Woo! Woo! Starts today.

The cast of this week's episode of OK Computer is Alex Lee, Simon Greiner, Michael Hing, and Tom Carty. Our Dungeon Master and friend computer is Dave Hartman. The NPC voices provided by Ben Jenkins and music provided by Tom Carty. Shakira Khan is our producer and the podcast is edited, mixed, and mastered by me, Hugh Guest. OK Computer is brought to you by contributors to the Dragon Friends Patreon

who get early access to ad-free episodes as well as other exclusive content for just $5 a month. Until next time. Alex is being very careful of what she drinks, which is why you just found yourself some mystery cream in the fridge. Yes, somehow I give it a good sniff. And I've actually, my mutant power as a pregnant person is enhanced sense of smell.

You do? I don't really have. So I can smell if things are off and this wasn't off. I don't have dairy in the house. So I never smell off milk. But if you're given whiffs to things on the reg to see if they're off, how often are you smelling something that's wrong? Well, not often because I usually will throw out my milk

Before it's used You've been a hovel Yeah Oh, I see You've never smelled off milk? She's also a dirty horse Oh, probably not actually I can't think of a time

I mean, I think I can imagine what it smells like So I must have smelled that at some point But I can't think of a time I have opened some milk And gone to check And then it's gone Yeah, my parents were so

Scared of anything ever being off Yeah That then it's gone yeah my parents were so scared of anything ever being off yeah that like let's do a quick poll if it's the day of the use by day throw it at a truck do you drink it dave yes sniff and see no no no no sniff and see okay so i don't even sniff and see because i'm terrified of sniffing um off milk i am so i mean i obviously after like a day or two i i obviously smell because but i in my experience no we're friends nobody's going to take that and use that against me