Aberrant: Dead Rising - Chapter 5a: Zealotry

[Venus]

Violet kept herself close to James feeling much safer right next to him. It was hard to keep focused, excitement and anxiety let her control slip a little and she randomly scanned the emotions around her. It was an odd mix of feelings - concern, determination, grief and even a strange kind of reproach and denial. Part of this was also due to a late increase of her powers which she still had to learn to keep under control. At least she had stopped echoing her emotions like a radio broadcast to anyone in her vicinity.

Then there was Gabrielle that came closer to her than she liked her to be. The young girl kept Violet weary and on the edge. She was like the anti-thesis to Violet. Innocence given shape in the most beautiful face one could imagine. Violet didn't know if she was able to 'work' next to her.

"I hope we can finish this swiftly - I feel uncomfortable already and we haven't even lifted off, yet.", she said to James looking at him through her hooded cloak. He couldn't see her face but her eyes glowed dimly.

[Fox]

Bond glanced at Primal, his eyebrows raised questioningly. The you're kiddin', right? stare he recieved in return almost prompted the flowering of his half-smile into a full fledged grin. As it was, he took a sip of water before answering.

"That is a fine offer, Elijah. I cannot speak for Primal, of course, but I'm not the type of man to settle down to such a life. At least," he amended with a smile, "not yet. Perhaps when I am older."

[Dawn OOC]

"Yes, there's always later, isn't there?" Elijah said softly, sitting back in his chair. There was, to Bond and Primal both, a sense that Elijah had just written them off. Apparently, if you weren't willing to be his followers, there wasn't much place for you in his world-view. "This world is coming to an end - the Lord's judgment is upon us - but what does this crazy old man know?"

He poured more water from the pitcher as another woman, this one younger and fairer, brought out three bowls. Her hands shook as she passed out spotless cloth napkins and shining silverware. She scurried away without making eye contact, her long braid swinging almost to her knees.

"What do you have in trade?" Elijah asked. "We have been making clothing goods, staring to use flax and wool to replace that which is gone with the fall of industry."

[Primal]

Primal sat and listened. It's all he had to do, if things got sour the man-beast could close the distance on Elijah and tear his through out before the old man took take his God's name in vain as he crapped himself in disbelief.

Quote:

"What do you have in trade?" Elijah asked. "We have been making clothing goods, staring to use flax and wool to replace that which is gone with the fall of industry."

"Well," Primal spoke up. This voice demanded attention as it was mixed at the start with a grown from deep within his chest akin to the lion he venerated so closely. "We got all kinds o' things padre 'cept the one thing you Bible Thumpers seem to be missing around here. That'd be: a fucking clue."

He stood and it was almost perceived as a hostile action until they saw him turning to face Jim. "Let's get this shit over with, this place is making my skin crawl and that ugly bitch caused my dick to shrivel. None of this spells 'a good place to be'."

He tapped his partner on the shoulder to indicate it was time to 'open up shop, trade, and get the hell out of Dodge.' "C'mon..."

[Fox]

"Ahh." Bond shrugged with that faint smile still in place. "I'm afraid my companion is wanting to move on, Elijah. To be honest, I'm inclined to agree with him on the mood, if not the specifics." The Brit likewise uncoiled from his seat. "I am very sorry, but we're not textile merchants. Too bulky, you see."

Elijah's face had registered a tick at Primal's words, and now ticked once more, a sign that the man was struggling for control. Bond smiled apologetically. "Still, I think the shared news was plenty compensation for a little rest and some water. And if I meet anyone who might be interested in cloth, I'll send them your way." Ever the courteous guest, Bond tucked his chair back in under the table, aware of various sets of eyes on him.

"I think we'll be leaving now, Elijah. If that is all the same to you."

[Dawn OOC]

"We also have gasoline, medical supplies and medical equipment," Elijah said. "It is poor form to agree to a meal, then leave when the food for you is already in preparation."

His voice was stiff, as was his body, but he didn't stand, or make a move to stop them.

[Dan Hawkins]

Dan finishes securing his lift harness for the sled and looks to Fox. "Let's get going. We've got a ways to go."

After Fox acknowledges him, they do a countdown and lift off in synch, and continue on that way at a fair clip, but not fast enough to be unsafe.

(OOC 2 q spent for flight 20 left)

[Jasmine Gentian]

Jasmine steadies herself on the sled as they lifts off, close to Fox so that he has his guns close by if anything happens and he needs them. She helps hold down the tarp in a way that covers the other people on that particular lift as best as possible, and glances down a bit curiously as they lift off, drawing in a nervous breath as the wind begins to whip through her hair, tugging strands of curls free from the braid to fly around her face.

The thought briefly flickered through her mind that she's done a lot of flying in her life.. but never QUITE like this..

(Edited to correct visuals)

[Fox]

"You're right there." Bond nodded, his face sober. "And I apologise for it. However, my companion is no longer interested in eating, and as you can doubtless tell, he is not the sort of man to coerce." He shrugged. "But we can trade for gasoline and medical supplies, certainly, if you would care to accompany us out? We have technical manuals of all kinds, firearms and explosives, various other goods including food seasoning packets and condiments." Bond smiled now. "You know. All those little things that make life more bearable."

"Shall we go down and trade? I do not wish to leave ill-feeling behind me."

[Dawn OOC]

"I have interest in more weapons," Elijah said softly. "They are always necessary and appreciated, in these dark times. Before we go downstairs, let me show you what we have. We have some larger equipment you're probably not going to want, but if you could pass on word of what we possess, I'd be grateful. As for what you might be interested in..." Elijah continued to talk, laying out what portable, mostly emergency, supplies he had for trade. "I'm afraid our gas is getting low - you are not the first traders to come this way - and we may ask you to trade more dearly for it than you're comfortable with." He smiled at them, a lackidasical expression that was somehow incredibly grating at the same time.

He took them to several rooms, where they had gathered supplies; in addition to the medical supplies, there was canned food, some non-medical emergency supplies such as flares and even a couple of extra CBs. Elijah didn't offer them for trade, instead allowing them to pick over the medical supplies that they could spare, which was all gathered in one cabinet near the door.

[Fox]

The medical supplies were all still in sterile packaging, and worth a fair price in kind. The gas was definitely steep, but after taking stock Bond realised that he only needed one can filling up.

The bartering took a little while. Elijah was certainly shrewd for a holy man, but after demonstrating the weapon's various features and letting a couple of Elijah's men test-fire the sample one he kept by, Bond managed to persuade his host to accept three M4 Carbines still in their packing grease, along with 300 rounds of ammunition and 5 spare clips for each rifle, in exchange for a full large can of gas and all the spare medical supplies.

"Profitable enough." he murmured to Primal as they packed away the rest of their gear and stowed the refilled gas can next to the other two. The medical supplies included insulin and other much-needed drugs, in addition to sterile needles and bandaging. "We made out well there."

"Great." rumbled his partner. "I'm happy yer fuckin' happy. Now can we go? That guy is makin' my claws itch."

"Of course." Bond turned to bid their host farewell.

* * * * *

Roughly half an hour later they were rumbling south. Arkansas was southeast from Elijah's frankly creepy enclave, and Beaver Lake was easy enough to locate on the map. The interstate led south, however, and in the interests of fuel conservation and the possibility of finding more fuel at gas stations, Bond made a habit of sticking to the roads where practical.

The Hummer tanked along happily at it's cruising speed of 50mph, the windows down and hip-hop blasting from the expensive sound system Bond had looted and installed a couple of weeks back. Both he and Primal had cracked open a bottle of beer each and were in cruise mode themselves, alternating between occasionally arguing about what the hell the artist had just said on the CD and whether it was actually a word, to joining in with gusto as Mystikal told the ladies of the world to "Shake Dat Ass".

Abruptly Bond leaned over and turned the music down a few notches, his pale blue eyes narrowing as he gazed out of the windscreen. Primal looked at him for a second, then turned to glance ahead also. They both stared in silence for a long minute before Bond spoke, his voice casual and a faintly bemused smile on his lips.

"Primal, what would you say that is?" His partner scowled, his voice coming out as a low growl.

"Well, that ain't fuckin' Santa's sleigh, and those sure as hell ain't weird lookin' reindeer." Bond nodded slowly.

"Flying people... And they're heading north carrying others. To that enclave, perhaps? Tell me, do you think Elijah's been naughty or nice?" He grinned tightly, even as he slowed the vehicle to a steady 30mph, getting ready.

"Ho-fuckin'-ho-ho." Primal growled. "I'm more worried about them decidin' we're easy meat."

"Let's stay calm. Perhaps they're not interested in mobile targets. It strikes me that high speed pursuit isn't best when carrying passengers." Bond smiled as he tightened then relaxed his hands on the wheel, his beer bottle between his legs. Both men noticed the weird flying amalgamation change direction slightly. Bond frowned slightly.

"Hmm. They're heading this way."

"You get on Santa's naughty list, Jim?" Primal chuckled, glancing at the Englishman as Bond flipped the safeties off his guns. Bond shot him a devilish grin, that wild light coming into his blue eyes.

"I don't recall. Does he have a pretty daughter? In that case it's possible."

[Mr Fox]

Morgan saw the vehicle heading south away from the direction of Elijah's cult. He yelled out over the wind as he slowed coordinated slowing down with Dan. "I don't think we should take the risk of letting that Humvee go past. They could be from that cult on their way to infect another enclave. Let's investigate, we need to kill some time before dark anyway, we don't want to fly in when they can see us coming." With a little effort the two flyers moved toward the ground and into the path of the vehicle. They settled the platform to the ground just off the road and unhooked, "Jasmine, I'll take the smaller case if you please." After she handed it to him he pulled out his machine gun and made sure he had a full clip in, a round chambered and the safety off before positioning himself at the side of the road. "Dan you mind covering the passengers side?" He waited for the vehicle to come to a stop to see who these people were.

[Dan Hawkins]

Dan nodded and brought around the Battle Rifle he'd been using. He too was ready for anything. He looked to Preist and the others. "Be prepared for anything."

He waited there With Fox, covering the passenger side. He kept the rifle ready and aimed, honestly hoping he wouldn't be forced to use it yet. "I'd hate to Alert them to our coming by shooting. talk about giving away the element of suprise. Let's dial things back a bit, just this once."

With that he drew up the Rifle and held it muzzle-skyward, hoping Fox would do the same.

"This is either really smart, or really stupid. I'm hoping the former."

He walks over next to Fox. "Let's play this one to your Strengths as a commander and officer Captain. We've got a big advantage over that compound. Firing will give them forewarning. Besides, by this point they could have already squawked us back to the place in which case we're goin in hot anyways. You talk to them I'll watch for anything funny."

[z016]

Gabrielle had gotten off the platform to stretch and peeked down the road at the car coming towards them. "That's not one of our vehicles. They're either traders or people just passing through the area." She bit her lip, remembering what she'd seen when Elijah had infected her, and the rumors that she'd heard in the women's quarters about the 'special' food just for visitors.

"We should try talking to them. Before pointing guns at them, preferably." With that she stepped up to the side of the road, waving her arms to flag the car down.

[Primal]

"Sweet fuckin' Jesus," Primal sat up in his seat. "Do they honestly think this trick will work? The old Daisy Duke... Christ people, let it die already."

The Hummer slowed to a halt and soon enough "1KFALCON" was large and in charge in their face.

"You could have just kept going, I'm sure she wouldn't scratch the paint." Primal growled.

"You are right irritable today my friend." Bond grinned, his blue eyes glimmering in the confines of the large vehicles cabin. "Let's at least see what she wants, you know me and damsels."

"I'll handle this, back me up." Primal opened the door to the vehicle and stepped out. It wasn't long before the immense giant was towering over the hummer and looking down on the 'raiders'.

He walked out and stood in front of the Hummer, his boots crunching the gravel with each step. His brown leather pants reflected the sunlight and nearly matched his skin tone he was so dark from days under the open sky.

"Nice trick, with the flying." He said, the words spoken in sync with a threatening growl. "But you picked the wrong fuckin' people to raid today."

From the tips of his finger his black talons grew slightly longer with a sickening sound of cracking sinew and stretching tendons. He snarled again, growling, as his canine extended slightly as well, perfect for rending meat from his prey.

[z016]

She kept her hands up in the universal sign of 'I have no weapons and am easy mark'. "We're not here to mug you, but we do need to know if you came from the hospital in Hayes."

Her eyes shone with apprehension and an odd sense of sadness. Her brow furrowed at his animalistic features, eyes flicking from claws to fangs and finally up to meet the giant's eyes.

"Ariel?" She might have been speaking to him, or just musing to herself.

[Primal]

She seemed sensible enough, but that's the way people were these days, do what you had to to survive. Waggin' yer ass on th eroad to slit a throat for dinner... hey, if it kept you goin', right?

Nice tits though...

"And if we did?" He snarled. "Fuck business of it is yours?"

[SalmonMax]

Myfwany looks from Fox to Gabrielle, and hesitates. The big one with...claws...was pretty scary looking, and Myf knew too well how vulnerable she was. But she couldn't let Gabby face him alone.

She starts walking up to join her.

[Venus]

As the large man exited the Humvee Violet immediately felt how his aggressive nature spread like a massive wave over the area. It made her body tingle and sent shivers down her spine. That man was intense. Unlike anything she has felt before. It felt like gazing at the Abyss of ultra violence and she felt strangely drawn to him.

Violet squirmed next to James craning her neck to get a better view of the giant which set her on fire. She started to feel light headed and James could tell by the way her eyes remained transfixed on Primal that she was really into him. It was as if she was hypnotized. Violet licked her lips and had that smile on her face she only had when they were having sex.

oh... my... god...

I need to..., her breathing got agitated and she slowly removed the hood of her cloak. Too much heat.... She had to suppress the urge to stand up and walk right over to him and give release to her inner fire.

[Mr Fox]

Fox frowned at the women interposing themselves in the way of what could be a battle. "Raiders? We're not raiders..." He stopped himself, that wasn't exactly true. "Well, ok, today we are raiders, but for a damn good reason, and not here to raid you. We are on our way to that cult up in Hayes. I don't know if you fellows come from there or just came through but we need to know. Those bastards are infecting children with the Z and sending them into other enclaves to infect people. You have any part in that or know anything about it?" That was a load to dump on someone, but Fox figured if they didn't know they then they would be pretty indignant hearing about it, if they did know then they'd play it way too cool. Hopefully they would give themselves away if they were, but given the guy growing claws he figured they weren't Gabrielle would have known about someone like that.

[Jasmine Gentian]

Jasmine stayed back, watching what was going on, trying to take in every moment of it. She caught Violet's reaction, though she didn't entirely understand it.. her attention was mostly riveted on Fox and the two strangers.

[z016]

Gabrielle's eyes widened at the man's hostility, but swallowed and asked anyways, "Did you eat any of the food or take any supplies in trade? I never knew for certain, but the matrons told us that they'd been given special instructions of food for visitors and supplies that were only for trade, not for the use of the faithful."

This man made her nervous, but he was obviously different and she hoped he was another like them. Another angel sent from God.

Not angels were peaceful. Even in Heaven, some angels walked with swords and spears, one wing dipped in blood.

She swallowed nervously again, hoping to stem off pointless violence, "We're not here to raid you. We're going to free my friends and family from Elijah's madness."

Click to reveal..

Using Soothe. 5d10 → [3,9,1,5,9] 2 suxx, everyone within 10 ft. of Gabby must make a Wits roll and get at least 3 suxx or spend a point of willpower to attack or take any hostile action.

[Primal]

"Nope." Was all he offered. It didn't make much sense to him why he wasn't already tearing them apart considering they had the guns and the numbers and had admitted to being raiders, but 'nope' was about all he was permitted.

[Mr Fox]

Fox could see his little joke had fallen quite flat, this guy must have as big an issue with Raider's as he did. In his head it had been funnier...

"Look, we're not raiders. We are from the south. I'm the leader of an enclave, and we're here to protect that and try to save as many of those cultist from their demented doomsday preaching messiah. If you know anything that would help it would be appreciated if you would talk to us. My name is Captain Morgan Fox of the US Air Force, or was back when we had a US."

[Courier]

James said, "Ahem", and put his arm around V's waist while stepping between her and Primal.

[Dan Hawkins]

Dan nodded. "I'm his second in command on this Expedition, Captain Daniel Hawkins, Uniteds States Marine Corps."

[Fox]

"Well, I think we've established that neither party are either habitually raiders or Typhoid Mary-religious lunatics..." He'd been listening from behind the slightly ajar armored door, and now the educated English drawl cut across the tension as the handsome blond man released his grip on the auto-shotgun inside the hummer's door and stepped out, an easy smile on his features as he stepped up to Primal's side, looking from Gabrielle and Myfwany to Fox and Hawkins. He was dressed in dull grey-green and black camo armor festooned with webbing, two gold-trimmed gun hilts visible in low-slung rigs under his arms. The new face quite clearly radiated innate calm and the casual competence of a man used to living by wit and gun, though his laid-back aura of sophistication seemed completely at odds here amidst the ruins of the world, particularly next to the glowering blond giant next to him. Perhaps most strangely of all, that peculiar half-smile seemed never to left his lips, and his blue eyes danced with a devil-may-care merriment as though, somewhere deep inside, he found everything amusing on one level or another.

Even men with guns.

"We drank some water, which we had determined was clean, and took some gasoline and sealed medical supplies. We decided not to stay and eat, due to the pervading scent of self-righteousness putting my sensitive friend here off his lunch. From what you say, that's probably fortunate." Bond gave the small group of people a wide smile that was equal parts polite, grateful and in the case of the women, mildly flirtatious before glancing at the huge man next to him. "That's another one I owe you, my friend."

He looked back the two ladies standing before him and Primal, his head tilting as he considered them both. "Seeing as you say your intentions towards us are peaceful, I think introductions are in order. My name is Bond." He offered them a hand and a charmingly crooked grin.

"James Bond."

[Priest]

Priest had ungracefully fallen off the back of the sled when it had landed and had spent several crucial moments when things had almost gone to shit. Then he heard the accent ... and the name.

Coming around the others, dusting himseself off with one hand while dusting off the other, he grinded at the Brit.

"BOND! You old horse-thief. How are you doing?"

To Fox he goes,

"I know these guys. They are legit traders like me and mine. His name really is James Bond - now. The Big Monster is Primal. Don't shake his hand unless you have a love/hate relationship with your fingers."

He steps up, giving Primal his due space as a righteous killer, and shakes Bond's hand as a sign of good faith.

[Fox]

"Raphael!" Bond's roguish half-smile became a more genuine grin as he shook the man's hand. "Travelling in strange company these days, aren't you?. Good to see you remember Primal, but seriously, he's not all that bad." Still grinning, he winked at Gabrielle and Myfwany. "Don't believe anything this man tells you about us. He's a shameless flatterer."

"Well, this puts a different complexion on things." he went on. "I thought matters were going to get unpleasant there for a few moments. So how's your lovely daughter, by the by? Still having a love affair with red licorice?"

[Mr Fox]

Morgan had never actually been pointing guns in the direction of the vehicle or it's occupants just holding them ready, but when Priest announced knowing these guys he visibly shouldered his weapon and relaxed. He grinned, "Nice to meet you Bond James Bond. If you guys ever get down a bit further south keep your raidio peeled for Fox's Refuge broadcasting. We're trying to rebuild society as much as can be under the circumstances. We're a good place to trade too as Priest here can tell you." His face lost it's grin as he finished, "I'm afraid we're on grim business today though. That Cult leader is about as nasty as they come, he's already wiped out at least one other enclave and possibly one group of scavengers we know about. If you are friends of Priest, you'd be welcome to join us, in fact I'm not ashamed to admit we could use the help."

[Priest]

Priest holds his gun by the barrel and rests it on his shoulder. His face gets a bit grim at the mention of his daughter.

"Yeah," he says sadly, "she's with the team back at Fox's Refuge, which brings me to the current cock-up. We are in a fix. Care to hear us out? It's pretty creepy and bad for business."

"I don't know, but maybe it has something to do with Zeke's disappearence. I found his lucky sign back in Lawton. You know, the one he'd never wager, not even to get his truck back?"

Priest shakes his head,

"Anyway, the Captain made his case, and we could really use the help in dealing with this compound. Think about it a bit. Talk it over with Primal here and let us know what your decision is."

He walks over to Primal,

"Keeping Bond honest? How you been, and what's this I hear about Carson City?"

[Venus]

Originally Posted By: Courier

James said, "Ahem", and put his arm around V's waist while stepping between her and Primal.

Violet bit her lip and sighed heavily. She looked at James for a moment and forced herself to focus back on him. Shaking her head she whispered to him, "That...beast is incredibly aggressive. I never felt anything like it before."

She was strangely caught between excitement and fear and decided to stay behind in relative distance to the newcomers.

Calm down Violet... calm down.

Click to reveal..

Spending one Willpower and roll WP to stay calm and refocus on James. Willpower roll to stay calm and in control (6d10.hits(7)=3) 3 suxx

[Primal]

The beast folded his arms and leaned against the front of the Humvee. The dark talons slid back to whatever housed them within his fingers. He growled at the entire group.

He wasn't pleased, he just had a fight stolen from him. Rage and aggression burned like a furnace within him, perhaps killing the bible thumping tard back a few miles would make him feel better.

[Jasmine Gentian]

Jasmine relaxed a bit, and stayed back with the rest of the group, listening silently to the conversation. After all, she was a newcomer to this group, and her part was back here, doing what she did best - staying alert. It appeared that everything was going to remain calm for now, and she was relieved.. but she stayed on guard, nonetheless.

Click to reveal..

Activating hyper-enhanced hearing for 4 turns, spending 1QP. Current QP = 21

[Fox]

"Well..." Bond gauged the mood of his friend with an inquisitive look, and then turned back to Fox. "I'm sure we could work something out for our cooperative assistance." The pale blue eyes became a little chilly, despite the smile.

"I say cooperative, because now that you've told us what friend Elijah does with traders passing through, I'm certain both my partner and I are inclined to go back there ourselves, force-feed him the medical supplies he traded to us and take anything we fancied." Bond shrugged, still smiling. "Of course, if we were offered an incentive, we could be persuaded to exercise restraint and work with you, Captain." Bond's grin was pure roguish opportunism. "Shall we say first pick of the loot in exchange for our help?"

[Courier]

Originally Posted By: Violet

Violet bit her lip and sighed heavily. She looked at James for a moment and forced herself to focus back on him. Shaking her head she whispered to him, "That...beast is incredibly aggressive. I never felt anything like it before."

She was strangely caught between excitement and fear and decided to stay behind in relative distance to the newcomers.

Either not understanding or deliberately choosing not, James replied, "It's ok, I'm here."

[Dan Hawkins]

Seeing that things were relarively disarmed he shrugs and then nods to Fox. "Might as well. More people going in works better for all involved."

[Primal]

"We're about at capacity Jim," The blonde behemoth's voice was low and every word seemed to be echoed with the growl of a predatory cat. "These people aren't our problem, If you want me to take this Elija guy out and then loot him blind, I'm all for it, but c'mon, look at these people, I doubt they got anything we'd be interested in."

[Mr Fox]

Fox looked back and forth between Bond and Primal appraisingly. "You can have the pick of what that cult has, we didn't come to loot and won't be taking anything from them." Unless we have to kill them all, but best to leave that unsaid and hope that it didn't come to that.

"After this is all over we can discuss trade. Honest traders are welcome at the refuge and there are a list of things we could use."

[Jasmine Gentian]

Jasmine had been listening quietly to the conversation, and she stepped up quietly, looking serious. She cleared her throat politely.

"Captain Fox? Perhaps they should be given the details about the nature of what's going on with the other people there, about how we're going to try and help who we can in regards to the.."

She hesitated for a moment, a bit nervous at being the first one to speak up about it. But her eyes flickered to Primal for a moment.. she considered how he might think to handle all those people, including the ones who'd possibly been brainwashed by this man. She glanced over at Gabrielle again, picturing the girl's family, and her resolve stiffened. She drew in a breath, and tucked a strand of wind-blown hair behind her ear.

"..the deprogramming?"