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 Submersible Witches Quest: Jailbreak 2 - Psionic Boogaloo 
   	You are CPO Kukyendall, Radio Witch and Torpedoman's Mate, and you have just been told your friend is still alive. This incredible turn of events catches your full attention, much to your cellmate's dismay. As you converse silently with Lt. Miranda Kellos, Lt. Rae Caulders waves her hands in front of your face, calls your name, and eventually gives up, settling for staring at the ceiling of your nondescript room. 
 	"Did you just say 'Henrieta'!?" you ask.
 	"Yeah, I was heading down to the infirmary when the Tullibee got hit, and-"
 	"Have they done anything to you two!?"
 	"No, not really. Henrieta's been rather shy about the whole ordeal. Your friendly Martian stared at me a few times, got me a bit frustrated a few times, but other than that..."
 	This is brilliant news. Two more people you thought were dead are still alive! Unfortunately, you realize that this is also a bad thing. They were still on the Tullibee; if they're here, Martians had to retrieve them... and two more witches in captivity means twice as many subjects to gather data from. 
 	For the rest of the "day," you talk with Miranda, getting back up to speed. You take occasional pauses to include Caulders, but she just grunts, annoyed that she can't directly take part. As best as Miranda can put together, the Tullibee got hit, ruining the rear of the boat. She was on her way to the infirmary (Captain's orders), close to the launch chamber. Frantic, she burst into the chamber, looking for a substriker to exit the sub with when she heard Henrieta's frantic pounding. Projecting a shield around the outer lock, she got Henrieta out and the two of them tested other launch tubes. Finding none still clear, they had a moment to think...before the doomed ship was boarded. 
 	Sighing, you bid the two of them goodnight, informing them of your intentions to escape. The coordination between your two groups will have to wait until tomorrow. Caulders is in the corner, still annoyed at you for being able to talk with the only other witches (you hope) on board.
 >What do you do?
-Talk to Caulders
 	You can't have Caulders distracted like this during your escape attempt. You better work through any group dynamic issues right now. You turn to her. "Caulders, what's up?" you ask casually.
 	She doesn't move and only answers after a short pause. "Nothing."
 	"You're not fooling the only other person in here, Caulders," you say. You're not going to let her leave it at that. If she has a problem, at the very least you should know about it.
 	"I said it's nothing!" she said, a little more forcefully this time. You continue staring at her, your eyes locked like a death ray. "...Fine!" she says, cracking under pressure. "I just...everything's happening around you, going your way. You got into the program first. You were the crew's favorite on the Tullibee. You survived with the least amount of damage. You found a way to talk with these...freaks that have us. You find that your friends are still alive against all odds, and you're the only one that can talk to them! Meanwhile, I nearly die, wait around for you to start our escape, and can only twiddle my thumbs in the hope that maybe, just maybe, I can drag my sorry ass out of here on your coattails!"
 	You're a bit surprised at this outburst.
 > Response?
 	She turns around, ashamed of her outburst. "I know a lot of that is out of your hands, but...it just isn't fair!" 
 	Carefully, you approach the witch. She never quite struck you as someone you could get along with, but...you can empathize. All around you, you saw others around you getting lucky, others having an easier time, witches making use of their special status and just all-around well-off people being...well-off. Meanwhile, you were working hard for your family, just trying to get by. You were frustrated, but you channeled that frustration into getting ahead. Caulders...she can't even do that. Not without your help.
 	You test the waters a little bit, slowly wrapping your arms around her from behind. When she doesn't resist, you keep going and give her a firm hug. No, you don't much like this witch, but you do like this person. As you hug her, she starts to cry. "I know you two didn't get along...but...Harumi was a good friend to me," she chokes. "We didn't know each other for more than a year, but we connected. Now she's gone." You don't loosen your grip. "It's all happening so fast, you know?" she says, managing a half laugh. "One day, I'm just a girl. The next I'm a witch. The day after...we're at war. And now I've lost a friend and might lose myself. I'm...I'm sorry."
 	The rest of the night is uneventful, except for the occasional hiccup and cry from Caulders. She's been through a lot and you're surprised you haven't had a breakdown like this yet, either. You get a solid block of sleep, dreaming of your aunt, the one who told your family to come to America when you were but 5 years old.  She was a good woman, but there was little she could do to help during the depression. 
 	You're abruptly awoken by armed guards, you and Caulders unceremoniously tossed to the floor, bound, and dragged out of the room. Confused, you struggle to understand what's going on. Ahead of your "escorts" is a Martian you suspect payed you a visit yesterday, behind the glass. Behind you is a small platoon of armed aliens, all alert and ready to move. 
 	"Kukyendall, what the hell is going on?" asks Caulders as she struggles to get on her feet and walk.
 	"I have no idea, Socks isn't here or anything."
 	You're led through a maze of corridors and bulkheads of strange and geometric design. As you pass by a particularly thick wall, voices begin to fill your mind. Abruptly they grow louder and larger in number. Crowding your head, they become so loud you can hardly even hear yourself think. You blink a few times, trying to ignore them, but the voices take no note of your struggle. A thousand emotions, all conflicting, complex, and alien fill your consciousness.
 	Gritting your teeth, you try to bear it, but it's no use. Words you don't understand pound your head with increasing ferocity, causing physical pain. You don't even remember the Martians tying yourself and Caulders to beds in the middle of a large observation room. You struggle against your bonds, but your hands, feet, and head are secured with military precision. How you long to cover your ears in a vain attempt to block them out. You find yourself vocalizing, yelling, screaming to try and drown them out. You writhe, twist, and turn, but you cannot free yourself. If you were a little more in control of yourself, you might have noticed Socks being brought in front of the alien commander through the observation window in the upper part of the room.
 	Socks initially seems calm and collected, but the moment he glances through the window at your gyrating form he again engages in verbal argument with the commander. You can feel his mind come to the forefront of the torrent of thoughts, giving you relief, however slight, from the onslaught. You try to reach out and communicate with him, but your concentration is broken by the storm of thoughts. Instead, he feels around, trying to ascertain your current state. When he finishes examining you, you feel his rage increase. His argument escalates into a shouting match, booming louder than the other voices. Your mind translates.
 	"-and time again, you and your,"-your brain uses the word 'family,' but you know that this isn't entirely correct-"make grave mistakes! It should have been clear from the start that this one would be susceptible! You are torturing one of our only samples, the most unique one at that! How am I supposed to do my job with a broken subject!?"
 	The commander responds, but so little attention does Socks place on his words that you cannot hear them above the storm.
 	"Me!? My"-there's that 'family' again-"did not get us into mess! Yours continuously barges in where it is not only unneeded but unwanted! Your family pays no regard to our research and findings unless you think it can be twisted to your own devices! What can you possibly hope to gain from this?"
 	Again, the commander speaks, but you cannot hear.
 	"WHAT!? You dare accuse me of incompetence!? I question the competence of not only yourself but your entire family! Immediate war was a mistake! Underestimating these Pseudo-Psionics was a mistake! Bringing them aboard was a mistake! Everything you do screams of incompetence and excessive force! We need not torture this one! I am tired of you. I am an expert in Psionics and Xenobiology, yet you seem to think you military types know better? I am through with you, and through with this project. Get them out of here!" he says, gesturing wildly. The commander speaks and his armed guard moves in to take care of Socks. "NO YOU WILL NOT!" Socks bellows, sending out a psionic blast, knocking the guard and commander to the ground.
 	At the exact same moment, you release a burst of energy, breaking free of your bonds and denting the table. As you cover your ears, slamming your head into the ground to try and get relief, everyone in the observation room turns to look at you.
 >What do you try to do?
-Assault commander with a torrent of hate, try to free Caulders
 	You struggle to find the commander that Socks so detests with your mind. It isn't easy. Finding a voice you think is his, you yell back at it as hard as you can, radiating hatred and anger. You can't tell if it's doing anything, but it certainly feels good...and gives you something to concentrate on besides your pounding head. You find yourself in a brief moment of clarity, standing back up and stumbling back to Caulders' bed.
 	"Kukyendall? Uh, Cleo? H-hey, you alright?" she asks nervously. You're too focused to respond; the slightest distraction might see you fall back into a raging sea of thoughts and emotions. You tug at her bonds, trying to loosen, rip, or unhook them to no avail. Whatever helped you break free isn't helping you now. "If you're going to untie me, you better hurry up," she says impatiently. "Come on come on come on-"
 	Still struggling with bonds that won't come loose, you ignore the door opening and letting inside a group of guards. They tear you away from Caulders' table. As they attack you, you look back at the commander, sending forth a new wave of pure hate. Again he doesn't seem to respond, but you can feel a little bit of satisfaction coming from Socks. The guards manage to knock you unconscious, a desperately wanted relief from the voices in your head. Releasing Caulders, they take the two of you back to your cell.
 	You awake with a horrible headache and some bruises. As you stir, you slowly bring your hand to your head, trying to steady yourself. You groan with pain, sleepiness, and soreness.
 	"Hey there, sleepy-head. You finally staying up?" comes a voice. "I healed the worst of it, but you really did a number on your head with that bang. God, you sounded like you were possessed by the devil."
 	"I wish it were just the devil, Caulders," you answer weakly.
 	"Rae. Call me Rae. I think I owe you at least that much."
 	"Alright, Rae," you say. Lt. Caulders seems to be acting a bit more friendly. "So, what'd I miss?"
 	"Honestly, I think I should be the one asking that question. The hell was wrong with you? The moment we walked passed that wall, you started going crazy."
 	You sigh. "It was like...I dunno. You know how Socks can talk to my head?" Rae nods. "It was like that, but...everywhere. A ton of them. All yelling, flooding my head. It...I just hope no one else has to experience that." You shiver as you remember a sliver of what it felt like. "But like I was asking, what'd I miss?"
 	"Before or after you went Superman and blasted your bonds apart?"
 	"What?"
 	"Well, at about the same time Socks did, you also did a thing, breaking shit and denting the floor."
 	"A..thing? I don't remember that." You try to think back, but you can't seem to recall ever actually breaking free. You were just in bonds, then...not.
 	"Either way, you did a serious number to all that alien tech. Enough to distract everyone in the observation room. By the way, did you manage to catch any of that? Looks like they had a heated...discussion."
 	"Oh, yeah, actually. Well, just Socks' side. Apparently that commander and Socks have a big problem with each other. Socks is some sort of civilian researcher and the military is bossing him and his people around."
 	Rae laughs. "I guess they're more human than I thought."
 	You laugh too. "Yeah, I guess so. Socks was particularly displeased with the commander bringing us out there without telling him. I think...he knew what would happen. To me, I mean. Not any feat of Superman strength like you're talking abo-"
 	The wall opens again, interrupting you. Socks walks in, alone, with three large bags. He looks at you and Rae.
 >What do you do?
-Talk
 	"What the hell does he want, Cleo?" Rae asks.
 	"That's a damned good question."
 	You feel a familiar sensation, the introduction of emotions and thoughts that aren't your own. Thankfully, they don't overwhelm your mind this time, only Socks' coming through. He's tense, nervous, but also determined.
 	[Socks, what's up? They're not going to...] you trail off, trying to block out the blurred memory of pain from yesterday.
 	[No. I'm taking you out of here, the commander be damned.]
 	[What?]
 	"What?"
 >What?
-Positive response, ask what the fuck
 	"What?" echos Rae.
 	"He said he's here to get us out of here."
 	"What?" she repeats.
 	[Socks, what's going on? You mean..."out" out? A full prison break?]
 	[Yes. I am tired of their arrogance and I will not let him profit from my research by just bringing in another researcher like myself. Perhaps he will soon learn to value my and my family's expertise once he no longer has access to it.]
 	[Then...the data you collected?]
 	[I have the only copies] he says, gesturing to his bag. [You will find what is left of your equipment in the bags I have brought. Be quick, they will find that the guards cannot respond to their calls soon.]
 	[What about the others?] you ask, remembering Miranda and Henrieta. You'd hate to leave them behind yet again.
 	[We will take them too. If they stay, he will merely restart the project.]
 	You tell Rae to get geared up, filling her in on Socks' intentions. He waits impatiently, tapping a few tentacles on the wall. "Wait, Cleo, shouldn't we try to do some damage on the way out? I mean, we are in the middle of a Martian base, with no one expecting an attack..." says Rae, always thinking about attack.
 	"One second." [Um, Socks...] you begin, but he quickly interrupts.
 	[My feud is with that ignorant commander, not my friends and colleagues. If you harm them unnecessarily, I will leave you to them. Besides, I don't think you could do much damage to something this large.]
 	[I understand.] "He won't help us if we hurt anyone besides that asshole commander."
 	"Figures." Rae shrugs, then continues going through the bag, finding a few sidearms, explosives, and the strikers the Martians recovered. "Well, I think we should pop these," she says, setting them up to explode.
 	[Wait, Socks. What are you going to do?]
 	[I will come with you. I'll have little choice and will likely be in a reciprocal situation, but it must be done. My people are doomed if they continue to let themselves be commanded by the likes of him,] he says somberly. He must have been chaffing underneath this guy for a long time.
 	[Well, I can't say I'm glad to have met you, but I am glad to see there's some hope for cooperation between us,] you reply optimistically. Socks doesn't respond to that comment, dismissing it as absurd optimism. 
 	"Well, charges are set. You good to go?" asks Rae.
 	You look at Socks, who gives you a nod.
 >Blow up the equipment and GTFO, letting the confusion distract from the Martians' inevitable chase.
->Set the charges to go off on a timer of 10 minutes and try to stealth your way through
>Other
 	"What'd you set them to?" you ask.
 	"10 minutes. What, you want shorter?"
 	[Socks, think 10 minutes will be enough on these charges?]
 	[Minutes?] he asks, searching through your mind for an answer. It's a relief that the only Martian that has managed to so readily pluck information from you is coming along. [Yes, that should do nicely] he says, nodding. You spend a brief moment wondering if that's a natural Martian gesture or if he picked that one up from you as well.
 	"No, that'll work. Let's go." M1911s drawn, you and Rae cautiously step out of the cell. You can't help but imagine the wall closing as you're stepping through; it wouldn't be the worst luck you've had recently. Clearing the long corridor, you wave Socks out. He scurries past the unconscious guards slumped at either side of the opening.
 	[This way] he says, pointing. He makes his knowledge available to you, letting you take the lead as if you knew this place like the back of your hand. After about 5 minutes, you come to where Henrieta and Miranda are being kept. Peeking around the corner, you can see that there are two guards about 7 meters down the hall. If you fire, your shots will echo for who knows how far...and that goes for the guards' weapons too.
 >How to take them down?
 	[Hey, Socks?]
 	[Yes?]
 	[Can you do to them what you did to the other guys?]
 	Socks walks around the corner, bag in hand. He walks right up to the guards and waits. They turn to the wall, backs to him, and open the door. Before they can turn around, he smashes their heads forward into the geometric patterns. As they fall, he stomps on them as best a Martian can do. Thoroughly satisfied that they are knocked out, he gestures. [The path is clear.] He's fucking right it is.
 	[I thought you didn't want to harm your friends?] you ask, concerned.
 	[They are the commander's dogs, not friends of mine.]
 	Inside the cell, a very confused Lt. Miranda Kellos and Sub-Lieutenant Henrieta Falkowska are cautiously watching the door. Stepping aside, Socks watches the hallway, along with Rae. You enter the cell and the two witches' faces brighten.
 	"Cleo! I thought I'd never see you again!" yells Yetta, tackling you to the ground. 
 	"Goodness, Cleona, you certainly know how to make an entrance," comments Miranda. "I suppose our friend must have gotten much friendlier, huh?"
 	You shrug. "In one sense of the word. Come on, we've got to get moving. We'll have a distraction in about two minutes," you say, trying to escape Yetta's grasp. It's great to see her again. You open up your bag and arm your two comrades with their M1911s and utility knives, and zip it back up. "We'll have time to talk later."
 	You all exit the cell, ready to make your escape. Your group quickly rounds the next corner, coming to the same kind of wall you passed by yesterday. Flashbacks to pain fill your head, and you stop in your tracks.
 	"What's wrong?" asks Rae. "Oh, wait. Yeah...this is a problem."
 	[Here.] Socks pulls out a large helmet obviously meant for Martians. [This will block the normal psionic workings of the ship. Just be aware...you will no longer be linked with me with it on.]
 >Leave it off and try to force your way through the pain
>Put it on; Miranda's a radio witch, have her link and lead.
->Other
-Test
 	You could try to bear the pain of all that shit in your head, but you'd slow them down if not outright stop them. You could wear the helmet, but you'd be out of contact with the alien that knows this place and potentially leave Miranda out to be swamped by the psionic noise. You could share it, but then the only other person that could potentially get directions out of Socks would also be cut off.
 	You decide to be smart and test the waters. "Rae, Yetta, step through the wall, checking for enemies." They comply, stopping just a short distance through the hole. "Miranda, be careful but slowly walk through." She looks at you strangely, then proceeds. As she walks through, she shakes her head as if to clear it, then makes as if to get rid of water in her ear.
 	"Um, am I the only one whose head is feeling woozy?" she asks. Perfect. Now you just need to ask Socks something.
 	[Socks, can you link with Miranda, too?]
 	[Not nearly so well. It's a curiosity I hope to examine one day. Why is it that you ar-]
 	[Then do it. She can lead,] you say, donning the helmet. As you do, you hear an explosion from far off. Looks like those strikers are taken care of.
 	Miranda's eyes widen for a moment, turning back to you and Socks. You give her a nod. "He's linked with you. You should feel like you know this place and where we're going."
 	"Uh, yeah. I do. I think. Um, this way," Miranda says, pointing. Your group makes its way through the main hallways, dodging Martians darting this way and that. Your explosives seem to have really confused them. "Right through here!" Miranda exclaims after 10 minutes of walking. She quickly turns the corner...and comes face-to-face with 5 armed Martians.
 >What do you do?
-Attack
 	"Get down!" you yell. Miranda drops to the floor, popping out a shield at an angle. The Martians start firing their strange weapons, more miniature rocket than bullet, at a startling rate. As they pop and explode against Miranda's shield, you can see that she wouldn't be able to keep it up for much longer at such close range. Unfortunately for the Martians, however, she's not alone. You, Rae, and Yetta open up, not missing more than a shot or two at such close range. One of the guards manages to swing his weapon forward before being taken down, popping off a shot. It goes wide, exploding against the wall. It reverberates with a metallic sound. 
 	"MIRANDA! Be careful! We're on enemy territory!" you exclaim, worried.
 	"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! It's just that we're so close!" she says. Throwing her thumb over her shoulder, she gestures to the door behind her. "Our way out is in there!"
 	A quick look around at everyone shows that your group is ready. On the count of three, you all bust through, guns ready. A glance at your new location convinces you you won't quite need to fire just yet. You swap magazines.
 	"...Where the hell are we, Miranda?" Rae asks, bewildered.
 	"Um...the main hanger, I think."
 	This expansive room stretches on for nearly 500 meters on its long axis, about 200 meters wide. It is many stories tall, with little obstructing the middle of it. Below you, in the center, is a long set of walkways and docking equipment. Nestled between them, in open water, are small submarines. However, it's not the sheer size of the room nor its contents that makes everyone pause. The ceiling is bright with sunlight distorted by about 10 meters of clear water...and it looks like it's moving.
 	"What in the world are we on?" asks Yetta.
 	"...Well, he did say 'ship' earlier..." you say.
 NEXT TIME ON SUBMERSIBLE WITCHES – ON ENEMY'S WINGS
Aiming for Monday, 9 PM EST, 8 PM CST. Be there or be unsubmerged.