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Post by D on Mar 19, 2013 21:49:51 GMT -5
Kendall remembered waking up and helping a broad. Then after that he was off accompanying the same broad to do things. Once he got past the bitchiness, he realized that she wasn’t too bad. She had a humor that didn’t make him want to strangle her so that meant that she was ok. Even if she weren’t ok, offing her wouldn’t be a good option to pick. Whatever though. She didn’t seem like a threat at the moment.
After all the hunting and gathering, Kendall noticed a little color come back to Amanda. She seemed better, still sick, but definitely better than her almost dead self. He wasn’t sure how doctors and magic men did it, but that Kuse and Vanessa girl did. It was good to see that his old lay wasn’t going to die. Maybe later, if he asked nicely, she’d open up to him.
The early morning came and it was time for them to leave. Kendall stayed up for last minute preparations while Amanda pretended to sleep her annoyance away. In the night before, she was denied the option of carrying a gun. Clearly, she was skilled enough to use one, but the group deemed that it was safer for her not to have one.
“Kendall.” Vanessa called for him from the door. “Wake up, Amanda. We’re about to leave.” After that, she and the rest of the group headed to the vehicle and soon enough they were off. Meryl drove first and then Kendall finished the drive to New York. Of course, they had to stop the vehicle on the outskirts of the city, but it was better than having to walk the whole way.
Kendal turned off the engine and looked at the group. “Wake up! We’re here.” He announced.
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Post by B on Mar 20, 2013 1:00:47 GMT -5
"Wake up!" Meryl jumped at the sudden sound of Kendall's voice. "What? What happened?" She asked quickly. "We're here." Meryl rolled her eyes. Well she's definitely awake now. Before she opened the car door she looked around. There were a ton of cars here just sitting there, rusting. The smell was absolutely horrid and they didn't even have a window open. In front of them was Brooklyn. They would need to get through here first and make their way to downtown Manhattan. The Brooklyn Bridge could barely be seen over some of the scrapers. "This is a really bad idea..." Meryl mumbled. "Such is the quest of the Warrior, choose a path and walk it. Whether it is insane or not, we must walk it or face our own failures for never having tried." "Such is the path of the dead." Meryl corrected as she opened the car door and stepped out. There weren't many standing zombies but there were a ton stuck in their vehicles, some were stationary others were moving slightly. Either way, assuming their seat belts held, they would never be a threat again. Ignoring the stench, Meryl made her way to the back and started grabbing a few backpacks. She looked a little ridiculous having two strapped two her back, straddling each other, but it was necessary. Kuse took a bag, as well. The sounds of the moans were horrid. It was like a busy day at the stock market. "This really isn't a good idea..." With backpacks on, the group began moving towards the city. As they moved Meryl halted them and pointed up at a distant skyscraper. "You see that?" She asked. Indeed, a small red dot could be seen climbing the side of the building. There was even another that could be seen on another building. "Maybe we re-devise this plan?" She looked up at the sky, the sun was already 8 or 9 in the morning. Crossing through the city is going to take a long time. If they wasted time here hey may end up having to trek it in the dark later which would be an immediate death sentence. Amanda spoke up next, saying to fuck it and they're going. Meryl sighed and they continued their move towards the city.
The stench was unbearable. Hundreds of thousands of dead bodies all rotting away together. Old fires still burned in some areas, whatever they had in those buildings, people, perfume, deodorant, it all left a mixed horrid stench. In the streets there were undead everywhere, some areas they were shoulder to shoulder. A few zombies had caught sight of the group and were slowly making their way closer. "Alright, we need to get across that street, then that street..." And many more streets. Meryl shook her head again but someone tapped her on the shoulder and pointed out a tank in the middle of the street. Meryl shook her head. "How do we know it'll even work?" It didn't matter, she knew there was no walking this. There was no on foot this time around. Meryl took a deep breath then the group began moving. Kendall dispatched one of the incoming undead quietly. Meryl withdrew her knife and took one out, herself. Slowly, and as quietly as possible, they made their way to the tank. The thing about zombies were, if an individual sees you, he will proceed to come at you slowly, if a group sees you they become more aggressive. Their mindset could be seen as that of locusts. All it takes is one loud noise and their lumbering towards you like an undead tidal wave. Not to mention whatever was climbing those towers. As they moved they were gaining more attention. It was inevitable. More started to look and moan. The sound of the moan caused more to look and moan. Soon enough the street was closing in on them slowly, no locust effect yet. "Almost..."
Meryl whispered as she crouched and continued towards the tank. 2 long, long minutes later she had touched the heavily armored side of the M1A2. Kendall seemed to assist Amanda up on top of the tank, it has only been two days since she woke up from her injuries. on the other side, Kuse was helping Vanessa up. Meryl jumped and pulled herself up. Once they all crammed themselves in the, oddly roomy, tank, Meryl went to the controls. "Uh..." She fumbled around confused on how to turn it on, was there keys? a button? There was no blood and no body inside the tank. Kuse could only wonder why it was abandoned. He meditated, it was all he could do at this point. Collect his thoughts because there's no way he would know how to operate a tank. "Maybe this?" She pulled up on a lever, possibly a throttle. Nothing. She left the lever up as she moved to another button. She hit it, there was a loud "PSSST" noise then silence. Nothing happened on the inside of the tank. "Why is there a fart button?" She groaned in annoyance. All the while, Kendall was messing with the cannon. "Little help here?" Silence. She rolled her eyes and hit another button. Suddenly everything started turning on... and the tank immediately began rolling at top acceleration. Meryl Shrieked as they started rolling up over the cars in the streets and running over the undead. A screen display appeared that showed her... well... it didn't show her anything because the tank was covered by a smoke screen, likely due to the fart button. A large thump as they compacted another car under them and finally they were out of the smoke. Ahead of them was a building saying "hey, you're coming right for me and you're gonna hit very soon because you are dumb". "How do I turn!? I can't turn!" She shouted and suddenly felt a hand on her Arm. Kendall was tugging at her. She immediately scrambled out of the cockpit and he took over. He started by pulling back on the lever she had pulled up initially, the tank began to slow. Then he was turning a corner, seemingly knowing exactly what he's doing. "You... Are a dick..." She seethed as she composed herself then she started laughing. "Jesus... We're moving! Haha! This can be done after all."
Some vehicles couldn't be run over like others. Trucks and diesels signaled an "end of the road" sign. Kendall would have to back up and try a different street. The tank was rather loud. Zombies could be heard scratching at the side of it, following in large droves. Getting out was going to be an adventure in of itself. "Take a left here." Meryl said, holding the map that Amanda had drawn on. There wasn't many places for vehicle collisions in Brooklyn, there were just too many cars for anyone to drive fast. This meant that the road signs were well intact. Suddenly something shook furiously. "The spirits of this concrete jungle tell me... That is not a good sign." Kuse murmured. Meryl looked back and shook her head. "It was probably another car we ran over." A large crash could be heard and an enormous growl. "you were saying?" "Oh boy..." Meryl warily mounted the metal ladder to the top and opened the cap to see what it was but she didn't keep it open for more than a second. A vicious tongue lacked out and got stuck in the capsule. Despite that, it still locked. The pink tongue wiggled viciously until it waved submissively. "Do you remember me calling this a bad idea?" She grunted as she went to the cannon controls. This was easier to understand. Guns, she knew guns. She began turning the turret, the screen's display showing her. The mainstreet behind them was cracking slowly. "Oh... not again..." She groaned. She moved up to Kendall. "Full throttle. Stop for nothing. If you have to bust through a fuckin' building you do it! Keep heading for that fucking bridge. We may be able to drown it if it tries to follow us." She then stood up and moved to the back. THere were ear muffs, she needed a pair. While she put a pair around her neck, she looked to the others. "One of you, get on the cannon!" They looked at each other. "We don't have fucking time! Get on the fucking cannon. THe worst you can do is miss! Now is the time you learn!" She threw down her two backpacks, another crash. She then picked up a pistol and stuffed it in her pats on her stomach. She took another and did the same. She then grabbed a shotgun and slung it around her shoulder. She adjusted the ear muffs to her ears. She wouldn't be able to hear them down there but at least she wont go deaf from cannon fire. She began to climb the ladder again to the top. The tongue was still wiggling a bit. She used her back to lean on a gunner's nest as she pulled her shotgun ready. She took a breath then flung open the hatch and fired a shot right where she remembered the creature being. Whatever it was, its head smashed apart like an egg. She pulled herself all the way up on the nest and stood on it, prepping the 50. cal. The ground continue to crack behind them. The town should be falling apart from this thing, it should have ages ago but no. It was moving slow before, it was lying dormant, it must have been the vibrations of a heavy ass tank that made it angry.
The tank shook viciously as it rode on top of cars, Meryl glanced behind her to make sure he wasn't headed for a building. She'd have to do that a lot or else. The ground behind them broke, sending mauled cars and chunks of concrete everywhere. The worm showed itself, the same piece of shit that hassled her months ago. She aimed the 50 cal and began firing, her eyes didn't stay trained on the worm, she continued looking around at the sides of building and behind her. After all, there was no way she'd miss something that massive. "Fire the cannon!" She shouted, it seemed to be looking at the worm. There was a pause and then a WHAM! It hit the worm directly causing to squirm and burrow back under. The cracking of the ground signaled that its assault wasn't over. If Nessa fails to hit that worm then it is gonna devour the tank whole. Meryl took her hands off the machine gun and turned towards a zombie that had been crawling his way up the last few minutes. She withdrew a pistol and put a round in the man's head. Good timing, too, she was angled enough to see they were about to crash through a building. She immediately stepped back down. WHAM! CRASH! Glass shards fell down the hatch into the tank, raining on Meryl but causing no significant harm. When she saw the sky again, she pulled herself back up just in time to see the building completely collapse down from the worm. The cracking behind them stopped. Meryl turned away to make sure no other creatures were going to attack her. None yet, but a pile of zombies could be seen RUNNING after the tank. The cracks could be seen again, the collapse of the building might have put pressure on the worm, stunning it for a second. "Here we go again..." The worm resurfaced again for another charge. The bridge wasn't far now. They just had to keep it off of them long enough. Meryl had another idea but it'd have to wait. She began firing the gun at the worm again. The tank turret fired again as well but this time it missed by an inch as the worm contorted at the perfect time. "Shit..." Meryl gritted her teeth as the mouth began to descend upon the tank. It was as though everything went in slow motion. The turret slowly raising to match up with the mouth, Meryl's eyes wide and mouth agape as she fired the obscenely large machine gun into the creature's mouth. Layered teeth adorned the mouth which seemed to rotate like a drill, it was dirty and a car could be seen going down its throat. Meryl now closed her eyes but, like an action movie, the shot came. Its throat became charred as the armor piercing shell blew a hole through it. It screamed and burrowed in again. Even with a hole through it, it continued following. Meryl withdrew her shotgun and aimed it at one of the pink things. A licker, she believed it was called. It leaped as she had figured and landed on the tank only to be subsequently blown off the tank by a 12 gauge slug. Taking this moment she quickly descended the ladder. "Kendall, before we get to the bridge, go through another building!" She shouted to him and ascended again. He did as he was told and headed straight for a building, almost catching Meryl off guard. She slid down the ladder so fast she lost footing and ended up crashing at the bottom. Rubble began falling down the hatch as the building's wall was ripped apart like tissue paper.
Meryl looked up from her daze and saw the light again. Not letting herself a chance to fuck this up, she climbed up to the top of the ladder again. The building didn't collapse. She cursed. Then it did. It was a delayed collapse she guessed. They were going straight for the bridge. She looked back again and saw the worm had, indeed, been stunned again. She smiled and Kendall began climbing cars again with the tank. They were on the bridge this time. The cracks started up again. "Drown you bastard. Drown." Meryl hissed. It broke through the bottom of the wall that led down to a small boat pier. It whined and splashed in the water. Unfortunately, having the time to crash into one of the support pillars for the bridge, causing it to snap in half. The back side of the bridge began to collapse. Meryl watched helplessly, hoping the tank would go faster until they hit the safety of the next support beam. The road began to tilt. The tank finding itself unable to push itself over a Titan truck. "Nonono." Meryl looked down the hole and screamed. "GET OUT!" She pulled herself to the top of the tank and reached a hand out to help Amanda, who seemed to be the first one to start climbing. As the others got out, Meryl jumped from the tank and began running along the top of the cars. Undead also packed the bridge, none near the edge, any near the edges might have fallen into the water. When they were all safe to the next support bridge Meryl turned around to see... well... To see nothing really. The rest of the bridge didn't seem to collapse like she thought it would. "Well... There goes all our supplies." They didn't have time to grab the packs or the weapons. "I, for one, am not going over there. That road could still fall." Curious about their attacker, Meryl began making her way over to the edge of the bridge where there was a pedestrian walkway. They didn't have to worry about the undead attacking them here, a nudge and that zombie's going overboard. Meryl leaned over the railing. The body of the worm appeared to be sucking itself back into the ground until it was completely in and moving back inward to the city, defeated. "Well it's not dead... But neither are we." She said victoriously. Now they had to brave Manhattan without a tank and without supplies. As they walked on the pedestrian walk Meryl looked over at Kendall. "Good driving..." Then Vanessa. "And good shooting... Lets... Lets never do that again..." To their right, liberty island could be seen and lady liberty herself, untouched by the apocalypse and standing tall. "Freedom my ass." Meryl whispered to herself as she rubbed her arms. That fall hurt and her heart hurt and her brain hurt and her head hurt, that was too many close calls for one day. A distant crash then a sploosh. Apparently the piece of bridge did give way, with the weight of that tank, it was inevitable.
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Post by D on Mar 20, 2013 19:24:15 GMT -5
Their time in the tank was short lived, but it didn’t matter. They needed to push forward. Even though she was unarmed, Amanda was quick to start walking again. She had places to be and time was way too short. “We need to get to the subway.” She placed her hands on her hips and turned to look at what they would have to go through. It wasn’t going to be easy and it seemed that their battle with the gigantic worm had attracted unwanted attention. The undead seemed to be awake and were active again. From her quick look she could see that even the more dangerous types of undead were roaming around. She bit her lip.
Vanessa walked over to Amanda and stopped at the other scientist’s side. “Topside seems pretty dense with the dead, but I don’t think many would have thought to go to the sewers…” She looked at the scene before them. “Sewers could get us to the subway, yeah? We just need to find a manhole and get down it.” When no one else contributed another idea, Vanessa nodded and pointed ahead of them. “Let’s go then.”
Quietly, they found their way to a manhole that wasn’t surrounded by many of the undead. Kendall called Kuse over and asked to help him with the cover. It didn’t take that long for the men to get the cover off and as soon as they did, Kendall started to descend down the hole. “It smells just as wonderful as it smells up there… Even better.” He muttered and then he switched on his vest’s light. “Looks clearer than up there. Come on down.”
The group entered the sewers and judging from the lack of light, one of them had pulled the cover back on. While that act would protect them from the undead up top, it also meant that they had one less place to run to. “No resting.” Kendall nodded at the group, but he doubted that they could see him. Not that it mattered. “So on the wall map… We’re taking a right, left, straight, left, and then a right. I can’t tell how far we’re walking, but it’s better than nothing.”
While they walked, Kendall would occasionally tell them not to step in the water. Vanessa and Amanda knew why, but quietly, they both agreed that the man leading them didn’t. It was a nice source of amusement and distraction for the ladies. The fun and games came to an end though, when Kendall stopped the group from advancing. “Did you hear that?” He asked.
Vanessa looked to where she thought Kuse was. His shadow was still and she guessed that he was listening carefully to his surroundings. She gulped. When she was Kuse reach for her, she knew that he had heard something bad. It wasn’t long until she began to hear it too. Something was moving through the waters and it was getting louder.
Without saying another word, Kendall started moving again. Once they reached the door to the subway, it was up to the men to get it open again. “Meryl, hold the light.” Kendall unclipped the light from his vest and handed it to her so she could keep the light steady on the door. As the men worked on the door, the metal resisted their pulls and pushes while letting out groans and moans as they applied any pressure. Their actions were causing quite a bit of noise.
Because of how loud they were being, they failed to notice the sounds from earlier start up again. “Meryl…” Vanessa tapped the other woman and pointed to the water. “You see that?” She poked towards the two lights in the water. When Meryl shined the lights over the water, they saw that the lights were actually eyes that belonged to a large sewage gator.
Blinded, the undead gator roared and lunged at the group. Kendall pushed Amanda way from it and managed to save himself, but if they were going to open the door then they couldn’t have that thing near. “Get it away from the door!” He yelled at whoever could, but he kept a hand on Amanda.
The other scientist nodded and jumped over the stream of water to the opposite side. “H-hey!” Vanessa yelled at the monster. Without waiting to see if it had taken notice of her, she ran away from the door. “Come on! Follow me!” As she moved away from the group, Amanda looked to Meryl and told her to follow Vanessa. Everyone knew that Vanessa was unarmed.
It seemed to take forever for the boys to open the door but they eventually did. Luckily for them, there weren’t many undead near them on the other side, but when they loudly announced that the door was open so Meryl and Vanessa could hear, the undead in the sewers heard them as well. After pushing Amanda through the threshold, Kendall made sure to keep as many of the zombies away from the door. “Meryl! Other girl!”
Distracting and avoiding death by mutated gator wasn’t an easy task for someone without a gun. She was lucky that Meryl had come to help because if she hadn’t fired a few shots the thing would have taken a chomp out of her arm. When she heard Kendall’s call, she immediately started heading back to the door. Upon arrival, she could see that handfuls of the dead were gathering, so she was quick to move through the doorway. Once everyone passed the door, Kuse and Kendall pulled the door shut and slid the locking mechanisms in.
BANG!
The door rattled and shook, but it was clear that nothing was coming out of there. Vanessa sighed and leaned against a wall for a moment to catch her breath. “Thanks…” She nodded her head at Meryl. “Use all your bullets? Sorry…” She offered the younger woman a smile and then pushed herself off of the wall once she had regained her breath.
From there on, the group walked for a while through the debris and wrecks of the subway. Eventually, they reached a train control office and finally, Amanda felt like her available talents were useful again. To gain access to the Umbrella subway, she needed to do a simple puzzle. It didn’t take her too long to do, but she wondered why Umbrella enjoyed their little games. Whatever the case was, it didn’t matter. All that matter was that somewhere a portion of the subway wall moved out of the way and they now had access to the Umbrella train line.
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Post by B on Mar 20, 2013 22:06:45 GMT -5
Meryl didn't know whether Kendall's comment about the smell was supposed to be sarcastic but she actually did believe it smelled better in there than out on top. The decision to take to the sewers was probably the best one she ever heard, only because of the density up top. If they had tried to do that in Brooklyn, who knows what that worm may have done. Kendall switched on his light and Meryl could only pout at the fact that she lost hers. Kuse was the last one down, making sure to close the manhole before descending. "From riding a tank fighting a worm to riding shit fighting a... Well... Knowing us, I'm sure we'll find out soon enough." Meryl grunted. Kendall was studying a wall map, spouting directions. Meryl wasn't listening, she'd follow the group, she focused on staying close and trying to listen for any undesirables. Kuse put a hand on Vanessa's shoulder. "I'll be by you." He said to her, not being able to see her but he would stick close. Part of an adult initiation was being able to hunt without anything modern day at night. He's been through something similar, the only difference was, he was the one being hunted now.
Meryl and Kuse followed the group quietly. The quieter they were, the easy they'd be able to sense danger. Kendall was leading them, hopefully in the right direction. He mentioned hearing something and the group quieted up. Kuse heard a movement in the water and moved his hand onto Vanessa's shoulder, to make sure she was nearby and to let her know that there is, indeed, something around. Despite that, they had to be calm and continue moving so they did.
They eventually reached a gate they would have to pry open, turning back and trying to find a way around it would take too long and they've already assumed that there was something following them. Kendall asked if Meryl would hold the light, she took it quietly and held the light over them. A few seconds passed when she heard her name again and felt a tap on her shoulder. Meryl turned and looked over to where Vanessa said, of course she couldn't see anything. "Guys, I need to check this out." She whispered and moved the light off of the two. Kuse didn't mind, they had a grip over the door and zombies weren't known for being quiet. When Meryl shined the line her mouth began to drop. The gator instantly roared and charged. Meryl gave a slight shove to Vanessa to help the woman move out of the way, too. Vanessa seemed ready to distract and Meryl was asked to help. She followed the other woman without complaints. Meryl gave a whistle as she fired a shotgun shell at it. "C'mon motherfucker." She said as it began coming towards them. She fired two more shots to piss it off more. It roared and squirmed. Meryl cocked the gun and attempted to fire another, click. No more shells and no shells on her. Without hesitating, she tossed the gun into the water. Kendall shouted to them to come. "I'll cover you!" Meryl told Vanessa as she pulled out both her pistols with both hands. She moved up close and began firing bullets with both hands, her main goal was to blind it, not that that would've done much good in the long run considering the beast likely didn't use sight for hunting. Either way Vanessa was able to run by. Meryl started running two. She got tripped up a little by the gator's tail, sending one leg dunking into the shit water and one pistol to also take a swim. She quickly brought herself up and ran as fast as she could for the gate, catching up to Vanessa. She went in behind the other woman and it was closed. Seconds later, BANG! The gator furiously beat on it until it figured it wasn't getting through there. It sunk back into the water and relaxed, waiting patiently for the next meal in a year or so. Meryl and Vanessa fought to catch their breaths. Vanessa made a comment about her ammo and apologized. Meryl chuckled, looking at the surviving pistol, the bolt back on it telling her it was empty. "That's.. what it's there for.." She said between pants, smiling. "I feel more sorry for my pants." She chuckled, her right leg completely soaked with old ass shit water. I guess someone could get technical and say she "shit her pants", no, that was a bad joke and she knew it. She shook her head and continued following the group into the subway area.
There was debris from old crashes. There was no doubt to Meryl there'd be many uninfected bodies in those trains. If people would just calm the fuck down and act rationally then these people might've had a fighting chance. "Are you okay?" Kuse asked Vanessa, making sure she wasn't harmed. She told him she was okay and he nodded. She was tough but he still had to be sure. They spent some more time walking, having to navigate around some more crashes. Finally they hit the area they needed to. Amanda worked some magic on a puzzle and a distant creak could be heard. "Alright. Lets go." Meryl said, moving beside Kendall who was still their main source of light.
The wall was open. "I wonder how many Umbrella officials got ran over by a train trying to enter their secret tunnel, or how many train conductors saw shady folk enter a station wall." She mused as she went in behind Amanda. It appeared to lead to another Elevator which didn't seem to have power. There was a floor panel, however. Meryl attempted to pull it open but to no avail. "Boys?" She asked. Kendall and Kuse had to do their stuff again and the panel was eventually pried loose and opened. Conveniently, there was a ladder leading down. "Kendall, light. I'll go first." She demanded and took the light from him. She placed it in her pants before starting to descend it a little. She then attempted to shine it down. "Oh boy..." She sighed, it was pitch dark even with the light hitting it. This was gonna be quite the ladder descent. "If you guys get tired, say something. We'll all stop for a small rest." She called up to them. Meryl was almost sure they wouldn't meet any creatures down here, there was just no way, it was as if this was the reason Umbrella built these tunnels. The ladder ride didn't last as long as Meryl feared but her arms did ache quite a bit. The door was also closed so the boys had to pry that open as well. "I sincerely hope this is all worth it." Meryl groaned. Kuse couldn't help but to agree. Finally they stepped out onto the Umbrella terminal. A beautiful train stood before them. Black with the Umbrella logo shimmering on every car. Red emergency lights were on letting Meryl turn off the light and give it back to Kendall. They one last hurdle to overcome, the lights to the train wasn't on, the track wasn't getting power. "Right, then generators." Both Meryl and Amanda began heading in the direction they deduced to be the right way. Those two probably had more knowledge of Umbrella than the other three combined. "Aha, there it is." A generator, it looked small but it was a mere panel. Likely, the large ass battery was in the wall, covered in dirt and completely protected. "Please no puzzle." Meryl begged and flipped the lever. The red lights switched off, the elevator door closed, and bright lights switched on. The train completely lit itself up. Meryl cheered, she didn't care if the others were or not but they earned this. "Amanda you are a genius." Like a child, Meryl moved herself into the train, hyper and quick.
They spent about 10 minutes exploring the train. An armory, which they didn't have a keycard for, a freezer which they could easily enter and exit, alcohol and... Meryl stopped and gasped from in the bathroom before rushing out. "Guys!" She shouted. "We have running water!" When all was said and done, Amanda ran off with a bottle of wine and the rest of them sat at a dining car. They haven't yet got the train moving, they'll get to that. For now, though, they deserved a rest and were completely safe at the moment. "Only a shot for me." Meryl told Kendall, holding up a tiny clear glass. "Someone has to get this thing started and make sure the tunnel isn't collapsed. " Kuse smiled and held his glass. Of course he was gonna get a drink, just because he is Native American doesn't mean he can't appreciate class. "I have been thinking." He started. Meryl took a sip and winced. It was strong. "When the soulless began walking the Earth, every person fought so hard just to get out of the city. They fought the soulless, fought each other, fought chance and luck. Most did not succeed." Meryl couldn't quite understand where Kuse was going with this but she listened anyways, unsure if she wanted to take another sip. "They were an army of people before. But us, 5 people. We have entered one of the most dangerous places on the Earth and have succeeded where so many have failed." His face wasn't that of success, he was looking blank, mask pulled up on top of his head. "And yet..." He paused. Meryl felt uneasy. "One of the group does not stop to celebrate with the group and you two." He gestured towards Meryl and Kendall. "I see you two occasionally eye each other. One expecting the other to stab them in the back." Meryl shook her head. "That's not..." She paused and glanced at Kendall. Okay, maybe he was right. She didn't trust him and she didn't trust Amanda but she was still following. Meryl then growled. "Why mention this? Are you trying to spoil this? We've earned this." Kuse took a drink of the substance and put the glass on the table. "That is my point. You have earned this because you all worked together. I fear the day where trust blinds your judgement," He then pointed at the door Amanda had entered. "When hopelessness halts progress." He then looked back at Kendall. "The day where you, sir, fail to take control of the tank." Then to Meryl. "Where you fail to organize the group." Then to the door. "When she stays quiet and allows the group to take on a city without regrets." Meryl chuckled slightly, pointing at him with the glass still in her hand. "You are a very pessimistic Indian. We're fine. He did take the tank, I did 'organize' the group, she did suggest the sewers." Indian... Kuse hated that word but he never allowed himself to get angry about it. He wasn't from India, he is not an Indian. Meryl was a fighter, not a scholar, she was ignorant and he wont hold it against her. He took another sip and put the glass down. He never once looked at them with any hint of rudeness, there was an air of respect around him, one that Meryl wasn't picking up. He looked at Vanessa then back at the two. "'The real primary diseases of man are such defects as pride, cruelty, hate, self-love, ignorance, instability and greed; and each of these, if considered, will be found to be adverse to Unity'." Meryl quirked an eyebrow. "Suuure... I have to get this train going." She took the whole shot and gasped. "Jeeze it's been a while." She shook her head and began making her way for the cockpit, leaving the three to themselves.
At the cockpit there was a, more or less, easy guide to getting the train moving. She lifted the throttle to suggested speeds and sat back, watching light after light pass by. She looked over to see what looked to be a computer that was on and working. "Hm... Ooh... They got music." It was a touch screen. She hit the music tab and looked at the songs. "Berceuse?" She hit it and throughout the train a chilling piano theme sounded. Meryl wasn't even aware it was broadcasting to the rest of the train. She didn't like it. It was too... Proper. Surely they had something with a little more beat. Finally she found the rock section and let it start cycling through, still completely unaware of it being broadcasted. She sat back and propped her legs up above the console, watching the track, enjoying the music. She definitely didn't think about the crap the Native American was spouting. Sure she and Kendall had their trust issues but look at the guy, so eager to help his... Girlfriend? die. He'd probably try to shoot her or lose her when they hit Alaska. "Good luck." She chuckled.
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Post by D on Mar 27, 2013 12:20:23 GMT -5
A genius?
The world didn’t need a genius. What they needed now was a way to survive and Amanda was certain that she wasn’t going to be apart of that. There was nothing that this ragtag group could do to save her. It was funny how much her initial desperation to live lead to a fast approaching end. If she had known that she was going to succumb to the virus, she would have never agreed to Jake. Oh well, she was only mad at herself. She should have never agreed.
All that was left in her life was dying. As soon as Meryl flipped on the generator, everyone moved into the train. They were quick to explore, but Amanda stayed back and examined the food. “Neat.” She grabbed a can opener, a can and a bottle of wine. When the group returned from exploring, Amanda nodded at them and entered another train car. She wasn’t in the mood for fraternizing.
“Yeah, we’re both dangerous things.” Kendall shrugged at Meryl when Kuse gestured towards him and her. “That’s the beauty though, chief. It’s amazing how things that are so dangerous manage not to kill each other right away, yeah?” He stretched, sat down, and leaned against the cushioned chair. “So… since we’re here… Ladies first. It’s been a while since you’ve showered at ARC, right doctor?” Kendall nodded at Vanessa.
Music started to play. Amanda looked up at the speakers and sighed. “What noise…” She took a swig from the wine bottle and lowered it to the floor. She turned to her side and closed her eyes. Maybe some shuteye would drown out the noise. It took a couple songs until she fell asleep.
“You know, something about wearing clothing that sports Umbrella’s logo seems so wrong.” Vanessa sat down after taking a needed shower. “But the clothing is comfy… It’s not too bad.” She looked over at the boys and then towards the dining cart. “Why don’t I make us something to eat?”
Three days were spent cleaning themselves up and relaxing. Vanessa spent her time preparing the food. Even though they were frozen and weren’t as good as she remembered it being, it was better from the lack of food they were all accustomed to. Amanda occasionally would quietly walk into the other compartments. She didn’t talk so much with the group, but what was there to talk about? Kendall, on the other hand, would switch with Meryl whenever she needed a break.
Maybe it was the third or fourth stop that things changed. Kendall was at the cockpit of the train when he noticed something strange outside the window. This station didn’t have the emergency lights on. It seemed that the generators were functioning and on. Kendall didn’t release the locks on the doors like Meryl would do so the group could stretch. Instead, he moved back to the car that Meryl was in. “The generators are on… Someone’s at this station.”
As the train rolled to a stop, a computerized voice announced its arrival. Signal lights in the facility turned on and a ping was heard. The facility was quiet except for the sound of security. A group of six equipped themselves quickly and soon they were headed towards the train. They had expected this train about 15 years ago, but it never came, so why would it come now.
When they arrived at the station, the black train rested on the tracks, unopened. Nothing had exited or entered the train. “Try to find a way in.” One of the security ordered.
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Post by B on Mar 28, 2013 13:46:21 GMT -5
The second stop the group made Meryl would open the doors like she did the first one. They would need to get the next generator up and perhaps some stretching would do nice. She walked out of the cockpit of the train and saw the others getting ready, too. "Shall we?" They stepped out. Meryl still had her empty pistol holstered, if need be it could scare. As they followed the red lights to where the generators usually sit, Meryl held a hand out to the others. "Woah woah woah." She then pointed to something shimmering in red, actually a pile of things. Upon closer inspection, they were bones that were still fully clothed with a hole through the skull. "Look at the uniform. Umbrella..." The clothes were tattered and torn, these bodies were likely eaten away by rats but if that were the case then they'd have infected rats attacking them down here but they didn't. "I think these bodies are very old." Meryl knelt down and began going about their pockets until she produced a keycard from a USS chest pocket. "I wonder if this will work for the armory." Amanda seemed to note that there was likely a struggle. One of the head wounds were more of a line than a circle. A knife, perhaps? "Whatever... Whoever they were running from caught up." Meryl pocketed the ID as Kendall got the generator started. Kuse shook his head. "The dead may have killed everyone initially but now it is just people killing people." Everyone boarded the train and Kendall took over with the watch duty. Meryl tested the armory with Vanessa. It seemed to open without any issues. In front of them were guns galore and armor. EVERYTHING had the Umbrella symbol plastered to it, even the guns. "This is... Beautiful..." Meryl gasped and ran around the room like a kid in a candy store. "The shotgun? The UMP? Ooh! Vanessa! A magnum!" Vanessa could only make a statement about how into themselves Umbrella was. "Huh? The logos? Yeah... I suppose that may be a problem but still... Mag-a-num." Meryl shook the large silver handgun with a smile on her face. Vanessa seemed unimpressed or just involved with the stuff around her. Meryl shrugged and began taking body armor off the wall. "Good to be ready I guess." As she tried the size she started speaking. "So what's up with you and Kuse? I don't mean how you met. He's awfully protective of you."
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Kuse went to the cockpit of the train and sat in the co-conductor's seat next to Kendall. "You have followed Amanda for a long time, haven't you?" The other man only muttered a simple affirmative. Kuse could sense a bit of discomfort. "You would do anything for her, wouldn't you?"
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"That's all? Whoever I've saved I don't follow them across the United States like a faithful guard dog. He's very culture-ish and what not but I don't think some spirit thingy connected you two and is forcing him to follow. C'mon, you've gotta have more than that." Meryl took down a gas mask that resembled HUNK's to the letter. It was kind of creepy, really. Vanessa instantly thought she was talking about sex. Meryl chuckled. "No no no, I didn't mean that. I wouldn't doubt he wears some sort of spiritual chastity belt, anyways. Do you have feelings for him?"
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Kendall muttered "She's getting sick. I can see it clearly. There are signs of those marked for death in her, signs that point at this plague. Yet it's slower." He looked away from the tracks and to Kendall. "Are we going to Alaska to save her or to comfort her?" Kendall told him that they knew there was no cure and it was the latter reason. Kuse nodded, understanding.
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She said she never really thought about it with the whole survival thing getting in the way. "I get ya. I was married once. We raised practically a kid and a half together. Robby and my daughter Anna. Robby made a mistake one day, we went out to find him. Only Robby and I returned." Meryl didn't seemed saddened by telling Vanessa this, likely a wound long healed. "Every time I look back on it there is pain of losing him but ya know what?" Meryl turned back and smiled. "It's better than it never having happened. What I mean is, if you get feelings for him, you should go for it. Losing the love emotion just because some rotton bastards are walking around is a tragedy." Meryl chuckled. "Sorry, it's none of my business. It's your choice to decide."
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"For what it is worth, I'm sorry. You're a strong man for sticking by her side. It would be best to keep telling Meryl that we're going to save her. When we hit Alaska, you should try to get Meryl to leave, she would not be so understanding of this. She's very naive. If you and Amanda ended up trying to sneak away, I will cover for you." The other man said that he would keep it in mind. Kuse handed him a bottle of alcohol and Kendall took it without hesitation. They were quiet for a minute until Meryl entered. She was wearing a USS uniform without the mask. A silver magnum holstered on her left side, a 9mm on her right and a UMP slung over her shoulder. "There is a crap ton of goodies in there, and Kuse, there was even a crossbow! You guys go ahead and claim your gear. I'll sit here until you get back." The two left for the armory while Meryl went back to her seat, cycling through the music again. It no longer played throughout the train, someone had informed her earlier of that and she found out how to turn it off. She was geared up for battle, of course she was, she was a survivor. She was more comfortable geared up than she was in soft clothing. This was the way the world worked.
--- UMP in hand, she lead the group to one of the doors. She opened it. There was orders coming from USS suited individuals. A swarm of them ran up and pointed guns at Meryl. "Hmph..." She stepped off. Vanessa took her right side and Kendall her left. "Stay in for a second." Meryl said back, talking to Amanda who was about to step off, Kuse behind her. "Who are you and why are you here?" A deep voiced man spoke up through his mask. Standing tall compared to the other soldiers around him. "I am One and I, gentlemen, am your Head of Security." "Wha-" "Shh." She put a gloved finger to the gas filter where her lips would be if not in a mask. "I haven't finished." She took a few more steps closer, the guards were paranoid but not finicky. "I am transporting Ms. Elizabeth Parker, a head research and VIP to Alaska. For what business is none of your concern. Now, I see a bunch of USS gathered here and USS doesn't gather unless they have something to secure. Now. It's my turn for the questions Mr...?" "Graves... Johnathan Graves." Meryl shrugged. "Fantastic. Now. Who are YOU and what are YOU doing here? Why are you not either dead or helping the corporation right now?" Graves looked at the others, a bit flustered after being ambushed with a question. "Well-" "Hold on. If you guys don't lower your weapons: the sounds of your screams will echo across the whole of the United States and Canada, I promise you this." They looked at Graves who nodded. They relaxed. "Good. Continue." Graves was silent a moment but then he eventually sighed and began speaking again. "15 years ago we were assigned to protect a VIP of our own. We came here and called the train but it never showed." "So you just hid here. Made yourself nice and cozy, starting a civilization of your own." "We sent out requests for assistance but only got silence. So yes, we decided to lay low." Meryl shook her head. "Who is the VIP?" "Dr. Harold Trainer." Meryl looked behind her towards Vanessa who seemed to give a slight shrug. "Who?" "His research was focused on G-Mutation." Meryl didn't understand what he meant and before she could ask, she heard Amanda speak up saying the name "G-Virus". Meryl has only heard mention of it from HUNK. Amanda had left the train now and Kuse was now standing guard at the door. Tall and quite intimidating, especially with the huge ass LMG. "Right, walk with me. We're going to your facility. I want to meet this Harold Trainer." "But-" "Is this kindergarten, Mr. Graves." "Sergeant." "Whatever. I'm going. Keep your lackeys here. You, myself, Dr... Parker, and Dr. Trainer are going to have a sit down. Oh and Two and Three will be attending this as well." Graves stated his dissent saying that he and Trainer would be outnumbered but Meryl didn't listen and kept walking.
The facility was small. More of an underground outpost. No research area and only a small medical area. Just a place for the USS to make camp when on a mission most likely. There was a meeting room which Dr. Trainer seems to have made into his office. You know you're self-centered when you decide to claim a whole room to yourself when everyone else is practically sleeping shoulder to shoulder in a small barracks. Dr Trainer was sitting at the meeting table which had other chairs present. He seemed to have just finished reading a book, the red leather square at rest on the table, a yellow tassel keeping the page he left off on. 15 years, Meryl wouldn't doubt he's rereading the book for the 10th time by now. "Who are-" He stood up from his chair and Meryl pointed down. "Take a seat Dr. Trainer and please be quiet." The man had balding gray hair. His face was chubby... too chubby for the current status of the world. How much food was here? How much is left? How much are the guards eating compared to this tub of lard? He also still wore a respectful business tuxedo which was rather clean. How much water wasted doing laundry constantly? In an outrage, he continued. "You can't speak to me that way! Do you KNOW who I A-" The large silver pistol pressed up against his temple. "Two" and "three" both turned their guns on Graves before he was able to react. "I'll not say it again." Meryl hissed. The man sat down in his seat quietly. Vanessa, or "Two", grabbed Graves' assault rifle while Kendall, or "Three", grabbed his pistol from the holster. "Have a seat Sergeant Graves. Same with you three." Meryl pointed to her companions as everyone but her took a seat at the large, oval table. Meryl walked over to Trainer's desk. The room was quiet as Meryl removed her helmet and balaclava. There was a square mirror on the wall. She used it to fix her hair. She then removed her gloves. All the while, Trainer was staring at Amanda, trying to place a name to the face. Meryl went to turn back around when she noticed a tube on the desk. She picked it up and popped off the lid. "Is this lipstick?" She turned back to Trainer, whose lips seemed to be more pink than it should be. He stumbled over some words, none of it coherent. "Doesn't matter." Meryl said, tossing the tube aside. "I'm going to get straight to the point Dr. Trainer because I don't like you. We're passing through on our way to Alaska with Dr...... Parker here." She had already forgotten the first name she thought up earlier. "Parker?... That's Amanda Masters. Who are you people?" The chubby doctor growled, looking at Graves whose arm appeared to be reaching down, probably for another concealed pistol. "Reach for that and both of you die. Then my man with the rather large gun outside will tear your men apart like a katana on bamboo." Meryl smiled as she walked towards her own seat and sat down. "Yes, this is ARC's Amanda Masters. She works for Umbrella now, has been for the last six months. We're going to Alaska, the ARC haven there. Well... it used to be ARC until they realized who really has the power. I'm escorting the good doctor here because she has a project that requires resources." "What kind of project?" Trainer demanded. Meryl looked to Amanda. Who started explaining the contents of some fake research project about using another virus to control the T-Virus. "That's imposs-" "Shh." Meryl shushed him. He quieted up obediently but still retained his hateful gaze. "To be quite honest Dr. Trainer, you're no longer a VIP. I'm afraid work on a virus that is no longer a threat nor an assistance, is obsolete." "I am a member of the committee and you will tre-" "Speak again and I will cut your motherfucking tongue out!" Meryl growled jumping out of her chair and sending it flying backwards. The man shrunk back with a whimper. "I am the Head of Security. Under 112b: In the event of containment or wide-spread infection it is under the authority of the Head of Security to take command. That makes me your boss, your CEO, your motherfucking god. Now shut the fuck up and listen." She completely made that up but 15 years is a long time without regulation. Graves didn't seem to comment, either, it's likely he was pretending like he knew what she was talking about just so he doesn't look stupid. "From here on out, Sergeant, you're taking command of this facility. Your orders are to take scouting parties out and train. No more hiding in a hole." "Wouldn't we be more useful coming with you to complete your objective?" He asked, his tone much more respectful than earlier. "Negative. I cannot trust any of you and furthermore we didn't get through Manhattan by steamrolling with an army." "You guys went through Manhattan?" Graves asked, his tone was very "wtf". "I'm very good at my job Sergeant Graves. Back to your orders. Train your troops, take as many survivors under your wing as possible. We will either need them for testing or for the simple survival of the human race." Dr. Trainer looked shocked. "Yes, Dr. Trainer, things have gotten that bad. Everyone human lost is an infected gain. We lose one, they gain one and the cycle is continuing. What's more is that the plagas are getting more aggressive. We're also dealing with a crazy ass fucking cult of plagas worshipers and Albert Wesker is playing a hand these days." Another shocked face. "Seriously Trainer, stop that. Roaches don't die. We'll deal with him when the time comes. Trainer, your orders, since you're not doing anything, is to learn how to use a fucking gun and join the ranks of the USS here." She looked back to Graves. "And for god's sakes portion out your food better." Meryl grabbed her balaclava and helmet then put them back on. She then slipped on the gloves that she had previous placed in a breast pocket. "You have your orders and I have mine. We're leaving now. We'll be in touch."
The train was moving again. Meryl's hand was shaking. "I think I need to go lay down..." She said shakily. The lies didn't catch up with her this time. The soldiers there weren't green but they were probably happy enough to have someone from "Umbrella" there giving orders again. To know that they weren't the only ones. Meryl didn't want to admit it but she was scared through the whole ordeal. It worked out though, they were moving and they even have contacts. They might be useful in the future, especially if they do start training instead of hiding now.
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Post by D on Apr 10, 2013 23:36:43 GMT -5
At one point, the group got access into the onboard armory. Upon entering, Vanessa was quick to notice that everything had the Umbrella symbol on it in some way or form. “They must really enjoy themselves…” She muttered as she picked up a weapon. She traced the Umbrella emblem on it and then placed it down before moving on to look at something else.
Kendall leaned back in the conductor’s seat. Man, it was comfy. He closed his eyes for a moment, but heard the door behind him slide open. Quickly, he sat up and turned to see Kuse. “Oh, it’s just you.” He said, relieved. It didn’t take long for the Native American to ask a few questions. “Yeah.” Kendall nodded slowly and leaned against his chair again. “Yeah, I’d do anything for her.” He muttered.
Vanessa was looking at body armor when she heard Meryl ask a question. “He saved my life.” She left it at that and listened to what the younger woman had to say. “There’s nothing more, Meryl. We’re not sleeping together if that’s what you mean.” She raised a brow at Meryl when the other woman chuckled. “I’ve never really thought of that…” Vanessa shook her head and let out her own chuckle. “I’ve been too busy trying to survive.”
The Native American told her that he could see Amanda’s sickness. It was obvious and there was no way a person couldn’t know. Amanda was dying. They all knew it, but this was the first time someone said anything about it. “We all know there isn’t a cure. It’s the latter.” Kendall ran his hand through his hair and sighed.
“I haven’t lost the emotion of love.” Vanessa crossed her arms and glanced at the ceiling as she thought. “Or maybe I have… I don’t know. Intellectuals, scientists, doctors… the like. Something about this event dehumanizes us. I guess I’m not as bad as the others.” She uncrossed her arms and shrugged. “My choice, though? Did Kusegra tell you anything?”
Kendall nodded at Kuse. “Yeah, I’ll keep it in mind.” He took Kuse’s offer and then took a swig of the alcohol. They shared silence, but that was quickly interrupted when Meryl barged into the cockpit. She told them to check the armory and so the two men departed.
It was a few stops later when the group was faced with the threat of old Umbrella. Kendall and Vanessa dressed themselves in Umbrella armor, while Amanda played the roll of a VIP scientist. Normally, Amanda would have talked her way out of this situation, but as of late, she felt so drained. Maybe she was nearing her end? Amanda wasn’t sure, but it seemed that Meryl was capable enough. Of course, like most human beings, Meryl faltered at the mention of the G-mutation, but quickly, Amanda covered with a simple comment. “Ah,” she slowly nodded, “the G-Virus.”
They met with the VIP and Amanda looked down on the man who seemed to be afflicted with something far worse than what she had. “Interesting…” She muttered. Again, she allowed Meryl to drive the conversation, but like the last time, Amanda was called to cover a bit. “Clearly one of use, doctor. The T-virus is growing out and mutating quickly, so this project is meant to control it. A virus capable of controlling this one.. Why not fight fire with fire? The rest, however, is classified. You don’t have clearance.”
The rest from there seemed to be smooth sailing, but when they returned to the train and got it to move again, Amanda noted the slight shake in Meryl’s hand. It seemed that even Death’s pupil had something to feel anxious about.
The next couple days were spent on the train and the occasional stops. At one of the stops, they found a way to break to the surface. They discovered that above the tunnel that they were travelling in was a snow filled world. In the top station of the stop, they discovered frozen corpses that showed signs of T-virus infection. Vanessa wondered out loud if the virus could survive after the corpses thawed out. Kendall responded by taking the butt of his rifle and smashing the heads in. “Just in case.” He said. Within the topside station were communication devices and consoles. It was probably the way old Umbrella used to communicate with each other. Maybe some of it still worked.
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Post by B on Apr 13, 2013 20:12:28 GMT -5
Meryl did go to sleep. When it came to pretending to be a high ranking official in a long-dead corporation or simply running in guns blazing, she'd prefer the latter. It was simple just pointing a gun and firing off, even if there was no hope, it was simple. But they had to survive, and it didn't matter how ignorant those USS members were to the new mutations, they excelled at killing humans. They were trained to. She had to drop it, though. She closed her eyes, emptied her thoughts, and fell asleep.
---
The next day(?) came. Meryl stepped out and made a large stretch. How long was she out? It was a great sleep, though, she was sure the others were appreciating the comfort as well. Meryl slipped on the boots with the blatant Umbrella symbol at the top (what didn't they slap their insignia on?) and stepped out of her room. They were still moving nice and easy. Meryl grew a liking to the bump. Hell, if there wasn't a fear of cave-ins or the generators dying, Meryl would suggest making the tram a base. That probably wasn't possible, though. Meryl stepped passed Amanda's door and hear a cough from inside. She had the urge to knock and have a conversation but who was she kidding, There wasn't any chance of friendship or pleasant conversations with that woman. Sighing, Meryl continued on.
"I do not think they were that ignorant." Kuse told Vanessa, looking more relaxed than he's looked in a while whilst leaning back in the leather seat. They were discussing the situation they had with the USS. "I believe Meryl's ploy only worked because they felt lost. If the man they were taking orders from was as... Unappealing" Leave it to Kuse to mitigate an insult. "as you mentioned, then perhaps they were looking for an excuse." The door opened up behind them and Kuse turned. "Oh hey." Meryl said, surprised to see them and not Kendall. Made sense, though, couldn't expect to keep a perfect rotation. Kusagra and Vanessa were capable enough. "Hello Meryl, we were just discussing our last encounter." A shiver ran down Meryl's spine. "Yeah... Lets just leave it at 'never again', okay?" Kuse picked up on her fear and shook his head. "You do not have to fear diplomacy, even if you are recruiting the dark spirits themselves. You made a choice and not a drop of blood was spilled." Meryl shrugged, does this guy ever stop? "Yeah, well never again." She laughed and left the control room. She would eventually move her way to the kitchen and utilized some powdered egg. normally they wouldn't have a shelf life to last this long but this was different, more like egg crystals, maybe a more advanced method of preserving it. She didn't know and didn't care, food was food and food that wasn't bad was even better food.
---
Looks like it was time to pop on another generator. Meryl figured everyone was happy to have a generator that didn't work, then again, they might have already turned one on when she was asleep. Meryl decided that she wouldn't wake Kendall up, they hadn't woken her up, might as well let him sleep. Meryl picked up her SMG and went towards the train's cockpit where Kuse and Vanessa were already getting ready. "Shall we?" As they left the train, a door at a farther car opened. Kendall and Amanda stepped off, ready to get it done. "Okay..." Vanessa got to work on the generator as Amanda and Kendall got in conversation distance. "Hey, I was thinking maybe we can go topside for a little bit. The train is fantastic but I think all of this dark tunnel stuff is makin' me a little stir-crazy." She admitted. They, well, Kendall seemed up for the idea while Amanda remained as unreadable as ever. The elevator was a clone copy of the one that was in Manhattan, the only difference was that they got to ride this one.
When they hit the top, the floor slid open to bring them up to a fake electrical substation room. Probably a cover for the Umbrella station. When the group stepped out of the room and back into the world they could see it was, indeed, an electrical substation. The next thing they would notice is the cold and the gentle snow that fell on their heads. "Burr... I should've grabbed a jacket." Meryl grunted. Kuse seemed to not flinch at the cold which was odd, didn't he come from a desert-like area? Meryl didn't understand but didn't care, she saw what she wanted. "Hey, there's a communication tower on that hill over there." She pointed. And sure enough, there was a tower. It'd take a small hike but Meryl didn't care. Below the mountain they were on, a small town could be seen. They probably wouldn't want to get to looting that place. After all, there appeared to be some straggling bodies out here. They were still but likely dangerous. Before Meryl even had to tell them to be careful around the bodies, Kendall started bashing their heads in. "Good, the cold don't kill them." She said and began walking, it seemed the group was following her. "I used to wonder that... If we ever get things better again.. Centuries go by and someone unearths a frozen body. Like ignorant bastards, they thaw it in order to run tests and then..." One of them mentioned that this whole thing would happen again. Meryl nodded. "If I live through this, remind me to write a fuckin' textbook."
"Snow was very rare in my village." Kuse said, watching Kendall bash another head in. They were halfway up now, it wasn't steep at all but the snow was getting noticeably thicker. Vanessa had suggested they stick close together, in case they find a sinkhole of snow they could help each other out of it. Not having snow shoes was making things difficult. Maybe that explained the bodies up this far, people thought it would be good to climb up to try to impede the infected. Either way, it either killed them or worked. "We believed that nature had a balanced temperature. If day was very hot then night would be very cold. Naturally, that's not exactly true. Where our village sat, however, it would be very hot during the day and very cold at night." "So the snow doesn't bother you?" "It does, I just learned to understand the pain yet not let it hinder me."
The group were panting now. They had been walking for a good hour and the deep snow made it quite the workout. Someone asked why they were going to the communication tower. Meryl turned back. "Because.. I have to talk to my daughter. Besides, I have people to inform of a few things." No doubt Amanda knew exactly who the people were and what was to be informed. Meryl knew she knew this and turned back again. "Don't worry, I'm going to stick to your plan. I just want him to know the situation." She didn't want to say it, but the snow was making her miss him a bit, too. They didn't even know if the communication tower would work but if Umbrella was smart it would be wired to the substation which, in turn, would be wired to the generator they had started.
There was a metal fence around the tower, of course there was. In addition, it was chained up and locked. "I guess they never made it this far." Meryl said, referring to the corpses. If anyone made it up here, the lock would likely have been broken. "Does anyone have..." Kendall stepped up with wire cutters and the chain was broken minutes later. That done, they all walked to the small building underneath the tower. Inside was a small place with a lot of computer consoles. Also there were three blue jackets with names of workers who were likely long-dead. "Thanks Jeremy." She grunted and slipped the bright blue jacket around her, it was unsurprisingly uncomfortable. Meryl moved to a console she recognized and started messing with the controls. Kuse watched out the window, his face hidden by his mask.
"Hello... This should be the frequency." It's been about 15 minutes now, she's been trying to get a hold of someone through a single frequency for a while. Someone asked if maybe the frequency was wrong. Meryl shook her head. "No, it's the same one I've been using. If anything it should be a stronger signal because I should be closer. Everything seems to be working fine, too it's just-" The voice came up. The voice was male and young. Meryl cocked an eyebrow. No, it wasn't Robby, Robby had a light voice but this one was slightly lighter. "Uh, hello? Who is this?" Meryl asked. The boy told them he was Daniel, Robby's friend. "Oh... Right. The ARC boy." Meryl shrugged before speaking again. "Hey, can you get Jake?" There was silence and more silence.
"A wolf." Kuse said, pointing out the window. Indeed, a wolf was picking through the snow, his fur was clean, he wasn't undead. "Even nature learns to avoid infected flesh. They learn the scent." The thought was cut off by Jake's voice Meryl smiled. "Hey, it's been a while. I found her... No... No I'm not coming back with her. We're going to Alaska... Yeah, the ARC separatist base there. I'm not sure why... You know Amanda's right here maybe you want to-.. Oh. Okay. Has anything changed since I've been gone?" Everything that Jake was saying could be heard by the others. Jake mentioned the people who have been coming, most of them saying that they've seen Meryl. Meryl smirked. "Yeah, I've been busy. You just keep an eye on them, not all of them seemed like decent people. How about food?... Farms? Really? In that area? Wow. Just gotta keep hidden from the plagas for now. So uh... Hey can you... Go get Anna?" He agreed and left then the silence came. Meryl shrugged to the others. "I have to, you'd understand if you had a child."
"Mom?" "Hey!" "Hey! Where are you?" "Canada." "Oh! Sen calls it America's hat." Who was Sen? Maybe someone who came in? Well it's good that Anna is making friends at least. "Yeah, yeah. Haha." "Are you coming back soon?" "I can't yet. I'm helping a friend right now. When I'm done hopefully I'll be able to show you a cool train I've been riding on, okay?" "Oh okay. You killing monsters?" There was no disappointment in the little girl's tone. No ounce of worry. One could only imagine how often that conversation happened. Either way, the little girl knows she wont see her mom for a while but has no doubt that her mother will return. "Lots. A worm, actually. A VERY big worm." Meryl looked up at the others and gasped. "Oh, well. We didn't kill it. Got close though. We had a tank." "Really? How did you-" "Anna, we can't talk for too long. Just wait, I'll tell you all about it when I get back to you, okay?" "Oh okay. Do you want to talk to Jakey?" "Yeah, put him back on." Jake's voice came up again, seeming to ask if the worm was the same one they had seen. "Oh the very same. I think it remembered me, too. So hey, if Alaska is friendly and has a comm tower I'll try to get a hold of you there. For now, though, we gotta go. Okay?..." Meryl glanced at the others who appeared to be looking out the window now, there were more wolves that seemed to be scrounging. They smelled something worthwhile. Meryl leaned in to a whisper. "Hey... Whatcha wearin'?... Lame, take off your shirt for once." Her voice picked up. "Erm, well we gotta go. Tell Robby I said hi. Oh and Jake. There might be a generator and an underground railroad under the city. Find it and make sure there's no rubble, okay? Thanks, see ya." The line closed and Meryl stood up. "Right-o. We ready?... What are you guys looking at?" She moved up to the window and saw a pack of at least 10 wolves outside. Some of them were gazing at the building curiously, noses flaring. "... well shit."
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Post by D on Apr 14, 2013 14:17:46 GMT -5
Kendall nodded his head at Meryl’s idea and then looked to Amanda, who seemed to have no opinion on the matter. “I think it’s good.” He nodded again. The group took the elevator up to the surface and eventually they stopped at a fake substation. They were met by snow and the cold at the top. Amanda felt the air caress her body and she shivered. She wasn’t accustomed to this kind of weather. She spent a lot of her time and research in the African continent.
It didn’t matter though. It seemed that even if she didn’t want to, they would have to travel to through the snow. It was a long trek and it definitely wasn’t easy for her to get to the tower. They probably would have moved faster without her, but Amanda could see why they didn’t leave her. Maybe some of them had fears of being marooned. In this snow and isolation, it was likely that they’d be trapped, but luckily for them, she didn’t want that. They still had some use.
Eventually, they got to the tower and managed to get inside. The group watched as Meryl fiddled with the gear. Vanessa raised a brow. “Is the frequency wrong?” She received a no and slowly she nodded her head. She wasn’t going to be the one to blurt out the potential bad news and besides, she expected Amanda to fill that roll. Vanessa believed that if Amanda wasn’t causing the bad news then she was the harbinger for it.
“Hello.” Said a voice from the radio. “I’m Daniel, Robby’s friend. Yeah… That’s me… Uh… sure. I’ll need to go find him. He’s kind of busy.” Then silence came over the radio.
Vanessa looked out of the window with Kendall and Kuse. “I haven’t seen a live one in a while.” Kendall commented and Vanessa nodded in agreement. The few wolves she dealt with were infected ones and they were in cages. “Maybe we’re lucky and we don’t have to kill a healthy thing.” Kendall sat on a table and crossed his arms for a little more warmth. “That’d be swell.”
“Hey, Jake’s speaking.” Amanda raised a brow at the voice but then turned away, no longer interested. “You found her? You’re not coming back… and…don’t worry about it. It’s fine.” A little static played through the radio. Maybe it was the snow. “People have been coming and most of them have seen you, and I have been. As far as leadership goes, I think I’m doing ok… some old farmers are in the process of making up farms. I don’t know how they’ll do it, but it seems to be working…And Anna? Yeah sure.” More silence came and then a little girl’s voice sounded.
Amanda turned herself away from the noise even more. She wondered about her own child and hoped that she was doing well in Redwood’s hands. Her wondering ended when she heard a familiar name, but she quickly dismissed it. She probably had heard it wrong.
“Same worm?” The voice was quiet while the person on the other end listed. “ Alright… I’ll see you a while, yeah?” There was a laugh. “A clean shirt, we managed to-Oh... Maybe, I will.” Another laugh and then the voice settled into a chuckle. “Right. We’ll check it out and I will.”
Amanda looked at the window and smiled. “They won’t be a problem.” She muttered. “Let’s go.” Kendall went out first and a few of the wolves started to snarl. He raised his weapon, but Amanda seemed unfazed. They could smell the infection and her cells dying. They felt threatened. Amanda knew that the wolves could smell it and that was what made them hesitant to charge, but there were four others who were healthy. She wondered if they were gong to risk it or play cautiously.
The time that it took the group to move passed the pack was the most intense. It was clear that the wolves were hungry for their flesh, but they chose not to attack. The travel back to the train was as hard, if not harder, than the travel to the tower, but when they got into the train, it was clear that the group were glad to be inside. Without much conversation, the train started and they were moving again. A few hours had passed before Kendall put the breaks on. They had reached their endpoint but luckily for them, they weren’t so far away from the ARC haven.
“Sir.” A woman raised her hand and waved it to her commanding officer. “Sir!”
“Put your hand down. You’re not in school anymore. What is it?”
“Uh… remember that dead tunnel? A few of the motion sensors went off.”
The officer leaned closer to the screen and looked. “A few? That’s more than a few. Richardson!” He turned and looked over at another person. “Send word to the Commander.” An ARC solider ran out of the room and sped over to the central hub.
“Commander Williams! Commander Williams!” He pounded the door until the commander opened it. “Movement in sector 6. Underground. The Dead tunnel.” Williams looked down at the soldier and then went back to his desk without another word. He sat down and pulled his keyboard closer to him. He sent new objectives to the surveyor team and two of the security teams.
The red lights turned on and the leaders of the teams checked their urgent messages. Williams had sent them off to check sector 6. Garcia was the appointed leader of the three groups for this mission. She looked them over. “Alright, pussies, let’s check this shit out.” In less than 20 minutes they were ready and in about ten minutes more, they were out of the haven. They sped over the slopes and were heading to Sector 6, hoping that whatever was there wasn’t what they feared. They hoped that Umbrella wasn’t active again.
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Post by B on Apr 15, 2013 1:15:07 GMT -5
"Well that could've ended bad." Meryl murmured when they got back to the train. "They were desperate but they knew we were too dangerous. They also know the diseased too well." Kuse replied. Meryl shrugged it off and boarded the train. Kendall went up to take the helm, Meryl decided to go up and sit in the co-conductor's seat. They didn't really exchange conversation but the air was pleasant at least.
---
Hours later, Meryl pointed out to Kendall the area where they were on the map. "Next stop is the end of the line." She grinned. He slowed the throttle but they realized he wouldn't have had to, the generator there wasn't active. The train slowed itself and stopped like it did every time they reached an unpowered generator.
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"Look, if you're not going to listen then maybe you should just let me do this." The young, brown haired man seethed. A younger man of asian decent looked up at the other man. "I'm trying Howie." "Don't call me that." "If I do what you said, I'm going to get shocked." The brown haired man closed his eyes and shook his head. "Go." "But I can lea-" "Goooo..." The man's Howard Boyd, or "Howie" if you're feeling adventurous. While he seemed rather annoyed, he didn't raise his voice. He put his hand on the other man's shoulder and gave a very gentle push. "Go learn to repair clothing with the ladies. You're gonna get people killed working on the fence." Howard grunted and watched closely as the other man left. "Fuckin' finally." He sighed. The sad part is, the other man was doing EVERYTHING right the problem was that he wouldn't shut the fuck up about his girlfriend and the 1st world apocalyptic issues they were having. After Howard's failed attempts at getting the other man shocked enough to go crying home, he finally decided enough was enough and just say he's horrible at things. "A month and a half." He growled to himself as he bent down to cross a wire back in place. "Just a few more weeks. Then I get to go home to a slightly less annoying group." He bitched, crossing another wire. Then his radio boomed. It was Garcia, she was gathering two teams of security and a survey team. She mentioned sector 6. What was in sector 6? There was just that old market and... He closed the hatch to the electric generator and slipped on his black ARC military cap. "What the fuck are you doing, Vector." He growled and pulled his radio from his waist. "Boyd here, on my way." He spoke into his radio and then placed it back to his belt.
The teams were gearing up. Howard decided to go with a simple .45 and an AKS-74u. "Gotta love the Russians." A gentleman was gearing up beside Howard, taking a similar loadout. Muscular but not at badass level yet. Howard nodded but didn't speak. "So whatcha think, Howie? You th-" "Please don't call me that." "... You think we gonna find someone?" "Probably not." The man started speaking again but Howard was already geared up and walked away when the other man was in mid-sentence, even with Howard away, the man took the time to finish his sentence as if he were talking to himself.
When the teams were ready, they all jumped into jeeps and started off for the 10 minute drive to the small town. The town was almost completely clear of any zombies, having a population of 80 or so tends to make things easy. Oh Alaska, you crazy. ARC had taken notice of the train system through their looting. One of their specialists came and cracked Umbrella's puzzle. The tunnel wasn't too useful, it was only decided to be used as a means of escape should plagas or something else catch whiff of them. Garcia ordered everyone to leave the vehicles and have weapons readied at all times. Going in wasn't necessary, they'd make a perimeter outside of the little antique shop first. Then they would wait. Howard inched back a bit, looking slightly cowardly as he took a distance from the others. This was new for him, some of the group were confused, a few of the smarter ones believed he was doing it for a better perspective. His gun wasn't completely pointed at the shop, in case it was someone he'd recognize.
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"Up we go." Meryl grunted and hit the elevator up button. "In a way I'm sad to see the train go but in a way I'm happy to have something happen again." Someone reminded her that it was Alaska and that she probably wont be experiencing the same sort of adrenaline as that of New York. Meryl shrugged. "When has trouble failed to follow us?" When the floor slid open to produce the back room of the shop, the group left the elevator. "You think they'll welcome us?" "No." Kuse was quick to say as he was the first one to open the door. He could seem them outside the windows of the shop, forming a ring around the front of the building. Meryl smiled giddily. "Told ya." Meryl's grin then turned to a slight a frown and she let out a sigh. "Well, drop yer guns. I'll go out first." She disarmed herself completely. The ARC separatists were known for their protective nature, she didn't fear them open firing on an unarmed person, even if that person is wearing Umbrella clothing. A lady spoke out over a loud speaker, demanding everyone to exit with their hands up. Meryl put her hands out and slowly pushed open the door. Everyone was at the ready when she took a few steps out. "Hiya." She said, none of them would hear her as the loudspeaker drown her out by demanding the others to come out. Meryl beckoned them with her fingers. Everyone was out then. The woman left the loudspeaker and approached them. "You fuckers Umbrella?" "No." Meryl looked at her with a straight face. "Then who the fuck are ya and why are you wearing Umbrella gear." She was impatient, people like that were normally very efficient, however. "We knew of this railway as a few of my companions were part of ARC like yourself. When we found ourselves on the train we decided that clean and sturdy Umbrella gear beat the shit out of our ruined, shit-crusted gear we had." "You tryin' to be-" "I'm afraid the lady is telling the truth." A scholarly gentleman spoke out. Part of the survey team, it was their job to know things or to learn them. "This young lady resembled Amanda Masters. Oh and... You look familiar." He pointed a stubby finger at Kendall. "Apologies, ARC has quite the list of prominent figures that it gets difficult to recognize them all. And you my lady, you resemble that of Vanessa Korrein? I heard you were killed-" "Yeah, yeah. Glad we can all get acquainted. Earl, could you step back now before they pull a gun on you, slit your throat with a knife, or cough infection all over your face, please?" Garcia growled. The old man nodded quietly and backed off. "You don't look armed but she looks sick as fuck. Keep your hands up." She whistled. Five soldiers came up and started frisking the group. A second later one of them spoke up. "This one's got a knife." Meryl smiled innocently and shrugged. "I hide so many on me it's hard to remember where I left them all." Garcia shook her head. "I think you should follow me." "Great... strip search..." Meryl grunted and followed Garcia to the side of a van. Geeze, not even allowing her much privacy. "The rest of them are clean, Jose, get the dogs over here." One of the guards told another. A cage opened and two dogs followed their master obediently. When they were close they began sniffing the shit out of them. Both dogs sat down when they reached Amanda, giving the signal that this one wasn't clean. "Tell the surveyors to get a hazmat. This one's infected." The others were handcuffed, when Meryl was dressed again, she found herself handcuffed, too. They had found two more knives on her. Garcia already found the person she didn't like in this merry group of train hobos.
---
Hours passed. They had Amanda in quarantine and the others in a rather comfy cell. They were told they were there for processing and an "interview". "Doctor, I'll offer security while you speak to the patient." Howard volunteered. The old man gave a curious glance but decided it for the best. "Okay, put on this suit and..." He taught Howard how to put on the hazmat suit, something he already knew; how to seal it properly, something he already knew; and how to make sure there was clean oxygen running through the tube leading from outside the room and into the suit, again, something he already knew. Still though, it was entertaining to feign ignorance. The two stepped in. "Hello my lady. I apologize for the wait and for having to keep you here. You told one of the guards that you're here for the DNA bank, is that correct?" Amanda said that it wasn't located here. "Quite quite. We need to understand what stage of infection you're at before we can give you any freedom of movement around the facility. Safety is held to the highest regard here. Now now-" Amanda coughed, the doctor's head picked up quickly with a gasp. He glanced at Howard who feigned a mock face of fear. "She may be sicker than you thought. If you can't handle it doctor give me your pad, I'll ask her the questions." The doctor looked at Amanda who let out another cough. "Right, right. Be easy with her, remember she is a guest." "I'm not as goony as Garcia, Earl." He reassured the older man who nodded, handed Howard the clipboard then left whilst saying a thank you to "Howie". Howard shook his head, not wanting to say it again. When the door closed and sealed with a airtight sucking noise Howard grinned. "I love those cameras. All video, no voice. This room is completely soundless." She said there was a recorder that was of use. He didn't really understand what she meant but he let out a chuckle. He gasped. "Oh! I apologize Miss Amanda Masters. My name is Howard Boyd I am security here, as you may have noticed. But lets not talk about me." He tossed the clip board aside. "You've been infected for a long time. Curious, how did that escape common knowledge. Well I guess it has something to do with the whole tug of war thing that went on with you, naturally you'd want to hide it. But there are very few things that slow the infection, maybe you have a weakened strain. Not created by you, you were working on something else with children." He appeared to be talking to himself now. "Vanessa had her own project and I doubt it was messing with the virus like that, otherwise it wouldn't be that hidden. Who infected you and why? Who was close? Why infect? Why would you allow infection? AHA! Jake King's attempt at a working vaccine!" Howard pulled off the Hazmat mask. "Damn thing is distracting." He then quickly hit the internal lock on the door before Earl could come back in and yell at him. Amanda was letting the man have his moment. "It has to be that. You didn't get infected coming here, you'd be long dead. That station runs around the US and the last time we got a..." He paused and decided to move on. "But why would he test his own cousin. Sure it worked on some animals but there was no guarantee it'd have the same effect with humans since it didn't work on the primates. Ahh..." He smiled and pointed at Amanda. "He was desperate. No... No.. He wouldn't have chosen you. AH!" If this were Jimmy Neutron, he'd have yelled Brainblast. "You were already infected. He tried to save you and seemed to have worked for the most part, after all, you're still here and yet it didn't completely. It was weakened and was just slower. But even then, a weakened virus... It'd just revive itself. You had to have something to slow it this whole time.. Well... Until now, obviously." There was some banging on the door. "Shit. Look, I don't know if your blood will be useful. But your brain still is. I've already connected enough to know that you came here to die. You fell off the grid after Albert Wesker attacked you. Then you end up here." He smiled and pointed at her again. "But it doesn't have to be like that. I'll be back, you wont be stuck in here too long, I promise. Sorry we couldn't talk more. Well... I... Spoke. I'll be back." He put his hands out, gesturing the "Don't go anywhere" gesture. he seemed much too excited than he should be. He hit the lock and smiled at the doc who had gotten another security officer.
"Relax her coughs were fake, besides, she was riding a train with four others, likely for a long time and they're just fine." He assured the others. Still, though, he had to submit to an immediate blood test which came out negative. The next part was the fun part. He ran to his room like an excited child on Christmas and started attaching some things to his radio, as well as an antennae extension. He played with the frequency and spoke. "Guys get ready. I found us a diamond..."
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Post by D on Apr 15, 2013 12:49:13 GMT -5
It wasn’t surprising to Amanda that they’d be so cautious. That was what isolation and the state of this world did to people. Amused, Amanda stepped out from the protection of the shop. A loud woman approached them and started yelling like an old world drill sergeant. Naturally, Meryl responded calmly while Amanda watched silently, still amused by the change in pace.
When an gentleman stepped from the crowd and identified a few of the group, Amanda’s amusement subsided. It seemed that the European branch hadn’t locked the separatists out completely and because of that Amanda knew that what she was going to do wasn’t going to be easy. Like she thought, the search began and they checked the group. Amanda was unarmed thanks to the group’s policy of not allowing her weapons, but when the dogs came out, she knew that she wouldn’t make it to where she wanted to go.
Good dogs.
They handcuffed the group and they were forced onto snow vehicles. Somehow they got into the base and Amanda was separated from the group. The halls were well maintained and cleaned. They seemed to lose their color and become white as they neared quarantine. Everything seemed sterile. This part of the haven reminded her of ARC NA base before she brought ruin to the place.
Because of her status, they were kind enough not to push her into the containment unit, but she was infected so there was nothing inside the quarantine area. There was a chair, a bed, and a table. Everything was screwed down and she suspected that the walls could contain a mutated zombie. When they closed the door, she walked around the room and examined it. It wasn’t the type that she would use, but she supposed that this was their most comfortable and most safe unit.
She thought that she had more time to herself, but she heard the door release some air and the heavy steps of suits entering behind her. She looked over her shoulder and saw two men in suits. “Oh…?” She turned to face them and watched the door behind the two close shut. It was so quiet she could hear the air behind the door recycling itself. Immediately after the door shut, a doctor, she guessed, started to ask her questions. “It isn’t located here.”
The doctor responded and continued to speak. Amanda nodded and before he could continue she coughed. “S-sorry.” She coughed again and the two exchanged a few words. Eventually the doctor left and Amanda rolled her eyes. All that was left was the other man who had entered. He made a remark about the camera, but there was no way that she going to talk to him. “There is still one useful recorder.” He chuckled at her, but she could tell that he didn’t understand. Amanda wondered if she was dealing with another security oaf.
However, when he started to babble, she realized that he wasn’t. She watched and listened to him, intrigued. Who was this man and where did he come from? If a person knew this much then, in her opinion, he wouldn’t be in such a lowly position. Amanda sat down and placed her hand on the table beside of her. She started to tap it. He spoke of her blood and her mind before telling her that she wouldn’t be stuck in quarantine for too long, but they weren’t simply going to let someone like her off the hook. No, something odd was going to happen.
Kendall and Vanessa quickly got out of the “interview” and the check up because they knew of ARC procedures. Vanessa was given civilian clothing and she chuckled. “What a subtle punch in the face.” She muttered and Kendall shrugged at her. “I don’t even get access to the labs. Oh well, I’m not planning to stay, but getting an audience with this base’s commander will be harder.”
“I don’t read up dossiers on you, but they thought you were dead. You’ll probably have to go through a screening to regain access.” Kendall shrugged again and got his clothing. “Me. I’m from Europe. Right now, I’m as dangerous as a spy to them.” He smiled. “Chin up, love, you’re still closer than I am to an audience.”
They exited the clothing station and saw other buildings around. Even though this was Alaska, the haven wasn’t exactly a small place anymore. People had come and expanded it. Maybe it wasn’t a city, but it certainly wasn’t a village. People had adapted and created a safer place than what was outside. It was clear from what existed in front of them that they had been here for years.
“Meryl and your silent warrior have got to see this.” Kendall nodded and he heard Vanessa chuckle.
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Post by B on Jun 25, 2013 18:14:55 GMT -5
"The fuck you mean?" "I mean, if you keep shitting out yo mouth, you gonna get us kicked outta dis joint." "That shit wasn't my fault. She was lookin' at ME." "That bitch was pregnant and dancing with her husband."
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"It is better to bide your time and think rather than act." "Yeah, well if I ever stopped to think then I'd be a corpse." Meryl grunted. Their weapons had been taken and was told that it would be held "pending investigation". That was a covert way to say "thanks for the gear". Meryl was already creating a plan to get Amanda out. Whatever Amanda came for, she wont be able to get it done in quarantine, they'll just wait until she dies anyways. "To act against a greater strength than yourself, such an act must be done right, not fast." Kuse argued calmly. He's been with her long enough to know that she wont listen either way but he'd feel irresponsible if he didn't try. Maybe he can at least buy some time. "Let us find Kendall and Vanessa. Maybe they can help formulate a better plan." Meryl grunted and shook her head. "Vanessa would ask to see the leader and try to talk her out, then fail, miserably. Kendall would be his normal, apathetic self and probably just say he'd help then do nothing. But fine, go find them, I'm going to scope the place out." Kuse knew she was just trying to get rid of him and he decided it was for the best. He left Meryl to do, whatever she was thinking. She wasn't his problem, neither was Amanda. Vanessa got them here, she had done what she wanted. It was time Kuse asked about their next plan of action. He didn't know whether they'd be of anymore use to Amanda. He slid his mask down over his face and walked out. He was wearing the average civilian clothes handed to him but he stood firm to them taking the mask. After a thorough checkup up on the item, they decided they would just appease him and not stir unnecessary conflict.
He stepped out of the building and looked out to the small city. There were some rather advanced looking walls around it. There also appeared to be quite the amount of guards posted. Protection appeared to not be a problem. People walked all over the place, too, some with smiles. This was a large community and it appeared that the soldiers weren't all "martial law". There were likely things he wasn't seeing, things that were necessary to keep the town safe, there always were. All he had to do now was find the fanciest building, the only thing noticeable was a four-six story building in the distance, the largest building. Of course there wouldn't enormous buildings, too much cold winds.
It didn't take him long to get to the area. Meryl was right when she said that Vanessa would probably seek the leader of this civilization and he had no other plan to find people in this mess. Finally he got there, he saw them standing outside. It appeared that they were denied the ability to see the leader judging by the annoyance on Vanessa's face. There were a lot of people around here. People in business suits, people going to stores just across the street, it was strange. Even if the world hadn't gone to hell, this would be strange to him. "Meryl is going to do something... less intelligent." No greeting, just that. Two people appeared to be approaching, one of them weren't paying attention, he was a child. "Oh yeah? Well he was fuckin' douche. Did you see those eyebrows? I'd need a ... a... A big knife just to get passed him." "A machete, fuck-wad. And you walked up and threw bowl of water at them." The boy adjusted his hat. The larger man sighed, running a hand across his bald, black head. "I got hi-augh." He walked right into Kendall, having not paid any attention where he was walking and focusing mainly on his hat which had been giving difficulty in getting into the sweet and comfortable spot. His hair was getting longer and shaggier. "Watch it, fuck face." The kid growled like a chihuahua. The black man nudged the kid. "Man, that dude'd squash you." "Oh yeah?" The kids eyes flared as he glared at Kendall. "He jes looks like some queer asshole." The kid grunted. Nothing. He repeated himself, he wanted a reaction.
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Post by D on Nov 29, 2013 2:40:01 GMT -5
“Less intelligent?” Vanessa raised a brow before sighing. “I wouldn’t be concerned if we weren’t grouped with her.” She crossed her arms and shifted her weight to one leg. At the moment, she wasn’t sure what kind of trouble Meryl could cause, but if there was one thing she knew then it was that broken people were creative. She scratched her chin and looked over at Kuse. “I guess all that’s left is hoping.”
Kendall grinned and patted the woman’s back. “Hope. Right… because that’s what’s going to keep the big bad Meryl from…” He pulled his hand from her and gestured at their surroundings. He wasn’t sure what Meryl was planning but there was no way that this place would survive without a scratch. Something would have to break. “…you know.” He tilted his head and took a step back away from Vanessa. “Don’t worry, silent one, I’m not getting too chummy…”
He looked over at Kuse and decided to tease him a little bit. There was a heaviness that hung around their group and in a situation like this he preferred it if the morale wasn’t so terrible. “Not yet… anyways…eh?” Kendall blinked and looked down at the child who had bumped into him. “Well, I am European and you know what they say about Europeans…” He chuckled, but no one else seemed to laugh with him. “Guess you’re all too young for that… It was from another time.”
Vanessa shook her head at Kendall and then squeezed the bridge of her nose. “I’m going to fill in paperwork for a proper screening. Have fun with…your new playmate…” She turned quickly and walked away from Kendall. Truth be told, she wasn’t sure were to even start, but she figured that it was better to be away from people who bothered her.
Amanda broke her stare with one of the cameras. She knew that they couldn’t hear her, but still, it helped to hear something. The silence made her anxious and gave her too much time to think. She wondered if it would have had the same effects on others. On Wesker? She sighed and looked back at a camera. Maybe someone could read her lips. “How many have you watched?” She said slowly. “Is it fun watching someone turn? Sometimes it is.”
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Post by B on Nov 29, 2013 3:43:04 GMT -5
"Hey, where's Howie?" "Not sure, why?" Two men were standing together, one with a clipboard. He seemed to be part of the maintenance crew. "We had an odd power surge to his fence a few minutes ago. The system shut down for a second but we managed to get it back on." "So...?" The other gentleman was dark skinned and was wearing plain civilian clothes but his demeanor was that of someone with authority. "So... We ran a check of the system and we're getting double the watts. Aside from draining power, it's gonna fry the rest of-" "Hey Cecil, what's up?" A voice spoke behind him, it caused the engineer to gasp and drop the clipboard. He looked back and saw it was the man he was looking for. He scrambled to pick up it up while speaking. "Well there's a problem with the fence. It-" "Yeah, okay okay. Lets go talk about it. I have some coffee brewing in my room. I was going to save it for later but I love having a cup while talking about work." Howard gave a gentle and sincere smile. Cecil looked oddly at the man who usually wanted nothing to do with issues involving the fence but it didn't matter. "O-okay thanks Howie. Lets go." "Hey sure thing, bud. I'll take care of this, sir." He saluted the man in plain clothes who had already zoned them out, deep in thought about something actually important. Technical issues with electricity was less important than the arrival of newcomers, one being flagged even.
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It wasn't like she was gonna start a war with the place. She just wants to scope out the area and find a sneaky way of breaking Amanda out. No need for theatrics or rampages. She glanced at the ventilation ducts. They were well-crafted but didn't appear to have much security on them. She didn't understand this, a B.O.W. may not be found inside but humans were still a danger. They shouldn't have overlooked this. Right, so she had an entrance. They likely have more security in the ducts at quarantine but she only needed to look. For now, though, she'll need gear. But where? "Pardon me, ma'am. You're with the new group?" Meryl frowned at the presence of the man who was clearly wearing security gear. "Yeah, what?" He shrugged. "I just wanted to ask where you came from. Maybe get you a bite to eat." She grinned at the muscular gentleman with long (awkwardly well-permed) hair. "Sure, then maybe after, you can show me to my room."
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The boy's brown eyes went blank. "Huh? That's dumb. You're dumb." He grunted, not satisfied with the reaction he got. The black gentleman accompanying the boy chuckled. "You dumb, foo." He said to the boy who only glanced at him confused. "I ain' gonna splain. Yo dumb ass wont get it anyways." Then her voice came into focus. That sweet, angelic voice. Sassy and sexy. A voice just dying for attention. Paperwork? No. It was "Come with me to my room I need your help with it and a... proper screening". A hint of drool rolled slightly over the boy's lip as he watched the woman start to walk away. Before the silent man could follow after, the boy broke out in an instant sprint towards her and hopped in her way, spinning his hat backwards. "Hello sweet thang. They call me Six. A woman as damn beautiful as you shouldn't be doin' no paperwork. I can show you everythin' you need ta know about this place. The best parts." He winked. Despite his forwardness, his hand shook a little. Either the cold or nervousness. Either way, from his smooth voice, it was easy to tell that he had done this often. Kuse, confused, began to walk over there. The black man followed, chuckling like a jock laughing at a crude joke.
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Post by D on Nov 29, 2013 4:19:23 GMT -5
Vanessa stopped walking when a child jumped onto her path. “Six?” She smiled, almost flattered, but she didn’t want to waste time. She had little experience with children and considering that, it was easier to just avoid them. “Charmed, but I’ll have to kindly decline your offer.” She stepped around Six and started to walk again, but she stopped once more so she could face him. She didn’t want to seem rude. “I doubt that you’ve had the chance to come across this kind of protocol… Still, thank you.”
She gave the boy a nod and continued on, but it wasn’t long until another boy stopped her. Vanessa rolled her eyes and gently pushed Kendall aside. “I’m not planning on staying here indefinitely, but if you want to, then you can go explore this place.” She looked around and spotted a lone security guard. Even though the environment was different from typical ARC bases, she figured that the security wouldn’t function too differently. Usually, they were the ones ‘civilians’ would go to for directions.
Kendall frowned. “Well obviously…” He followed after her as she approached a security guard. “Oh hi!” He greeted the guard before Vanessa could open her mouth. “I’m public enemy number one and this is my partner in crime, Doctor K, and we’d like to know where-“
“Please shut up.”
“But he hasn’t answered the question yet.”
“I’m not his partner in anything. But I would like to know where I can fill in paperwork… legal screenings and su-“
“They already did the body search, I heard.” Kendall grinned.
“Shut up.”
The guard eyed them and adjusted his hold on his rifle. From what he knew they were from the new group. If they had gotten this far then they weren’t infected, but they were weird. While the two bickered, he decided to walk away. He still had to finish his patrol and work was easier when civilians didn’t talk to him.
“You made him leave.”
“I didn’t.”
“What did she ever see in you?”
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