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Aberrant: Dead Rising - Chapter 7: Revelations


Dawn OOC

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In the clinic

Pain was the first thing she became aware of: a sharp pain that made drawing breath difficult. Her eyes opened, squinting even against the muted light that came through the curtains. She could hear people moving around, the soft sounds of settlement and life.

Kiet wanted to return to blissful, pain-free sleep, but she hurt enough that sleeping wasn’t an option. She began to gather her random, drug-fogged thoughts into coherent, concrete statements, like, I hurt. That one was a bad thought. But when she had, I was shot. I saw the white tunnel pass through her head, she decided that the pain wasn’t so bad.

She was tempted to revise that assessment yet again when she saw the man sitting next to her bed. He was attractive, in a way that put her immediately on edge. She knew what that meant, and she also remembered Walker. A quick glance confirmed his still presence in the room, unseen until she looked for him.

“Good morning,” the red-headed man said, smiling a little. It wasn’t the kind of smile that was designed to make someone comfortable, and Kiet was, accordingly, uncomforted by it. “How do you feel?”

She tried to speak, but her voice rasped dryly. “Here,” a small red-headed woman said, stepping forward with a bottle of water and a straw. “Water should help with that.”

Kiet took the water, sighing a little with relief as it soothed her throat. “What happened?” she asked, noting that her voice sounded as bad as Walker’s. Had they just shot her? What else had they done to her?

Ira and Cassie

Ira woke up slowly, his woman in his arms, safe in his car. He didn’t have his Citori, but they hadn’t taken away the rifle he’d acquired last night. Around him, the refuge was going about its business, though most people were giving the area he was in a wide berth. Something about the burnt building seemed to bother them.

Ira glanced at the army trucks, fully visible in the morning light. Something was off about them and he stared until it clicked: the flags painted on the side were composed of mostly black stars in the blue field. Only two stars remained white. Crazy military breakaway groups…

Wait. Black and white stars? Stars were just distant suns…

Click to reveal..
RUS Flag:

RUS-flag.jpg

Ira’s Perc+Awareness: 2 sux

1d10=2, 1d10=9, 1d10=2, 1d10=7

Ira’s Int+Academics: 2 sux

1d10=5, 1d10=10, 1d10=2, 1d10=7, 1d10=6

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"Baby..." Ira gently woke up Cassandra, "Look, black and white suns." He pointed to the trucks as she looked up drearily, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

He was a little excited that he had figured out this puzzle, but at the same time, worried what the implications were by having the black and white suns inside this place.

Stay out of it Ira, white sandy beaches, warm oceans, remember?

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Myfwany watched her drink approvingly, then took the cup back and waited for the patient to swallow before answering.

"You were shot," she begins. "Someone we don't know tried to kill you. We'd hoped you might be able to tell us who, or why. But before we go into that, how are you feeling? Physically I mean. Are you breathing all right?"

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The morning had brought equal measures of despair and hope for James. Despair because he'd woken up blind. A big meal and a good night's sleep hadn't done the job. He'd been trying very hard to avoid the idea that his healing factor might not be up to the job when he'd found new reason for hope. His fingers were growing back. For the twentieth time he felt them, five buds.

Jill had found him a metal "cane", and now lady in arm, it was time to visit Myfwany and see how long this turtle was going to take to finish. James knocked on the clinic door and was let in.

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Fox watched and waited for he patient to recover enough to speak. He would not threaten or bully, he wanted answers and slow and easy might be the best way to get them. If it came to it later threatening and bullying might have to do. Given that this woman might just be responsible for the deaths of over a hundred innocent survivors more extreme measures might be called for, but that could wait until more civilized measures had been exhausted. He didn't like the idea of torture or any of that business. As a special ops member he'd been given a little training on how to deal with it and as a result had an idea on how to administer it, but that was not something he wanted to ever do if he could avoid it.

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Ira

Cassie blinked at it, then nodded. "Take the lead, Knight," she said softly to him. "I hear nothing." She looked at him quietly, trustingly.

Clinic

Dr. Singh, looking tired still from his rough, long night, met James as he entered. "Hello," he said softly, his accent more apparent in his tiredness, "how can I help you?"

Kiet looked at Myf, understanding that she was a doctor, not a nurse, despite waiting on her. Blinking, she processed the information she was told, then sighed. "Hurts to breath," she admitted. "I think that's just the pain of moving my chest. Hurts less between breaths." She wouldn't beg for painkillers. She hoped.

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Originally Posted By: Dawn, OOC
Ira
Cassie blinked at it, then nodded. "Take the lead, Knight," she said softly to him. "I hear nothing." She looked at him quietly, trustingly.


"Oh no baby, only place I'm leadin' us, is to a bungalow overlooking paradise." he said shaking his head, "Not gonna get caught up with another quest. First one had me attacked by Fuzzy McDick and nearly turned into cheap bar-b-que. I say we gas up and start headin' south til we hit warm saltwater."
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Originally Posted By: Courier
James was wearing the pair of sunglasses Jill gave him this morning. He said, "It's Dr. Singh isn't it? I thought... I mean I'd like to know... well... how long will it take for these to heal?"

James took his sunglasses off.

He heard Dr. Singh inhale, then let a breath out. "To be honest," he said, "I do not think they will. I am sorry, sir. But they have been badly damaged."

Originally Posted By: Ira Sagebrush
"Oh no baby, only place I'm leadin' us, is to a bungalow overlooking paradise." he said shaking his head, "Not gonna get caught up with another quest. First one had me attacked by Fuzzy McDick and nearly turned into cheap bar-b-que. I say we gas up and start headin' south til we hit warm saltwater."

Cassie nodded. "I am a miser," she murmured, resting her head on his chest. "I will defy them." She smiled at him. "We will find white sands." Her eyes went distant, but she didn't say anything more; a soft shudder passed through her.
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Myfwany nodded at that. The shot had all but destroyed one of her lungs as she recalled. Even after she'd done whatever she did, it wasn't enough to completely reverse that much damage.

Her cheeks pinkened slightly. This was a bit unethical...tantamount to using an experimental procedure on an unwitting patient...but she needed to know if she could further refine what she'd done. Perhaps speed up recovery times if she couldn't always just make the injury vanish entirely.

"All right, I want you to close your eyes for a second and tell me when where I touch you hurts."

She gently probed Kiet's abdomen, working her way up and to the side towards where her entry wound was.

When Kiet spoke up, Myfwany concentrated. The world seemed to dull to greys...and then fill with vibrant color. She was careful to concentrate on Kiet, so as not to get wrapped up in the strangeness that surrounded her.

Gold green ribbons of light writhed among one another in a dizzyingly complex weave in Kiet's body. They crisscrossed the air too, but dimmer and far fewer in number. And yes, she could see places where, in her haste, she could have done a better job. How she knew what the weave was 'supposed' to look, Myfwany had no idea. The sensation was something like plucking out a tune on a piano after hearing it for days on the radio. You didn't necessarily remember where you'd heard the song...you just knew how it went.

(Givin' Kiet another dose of 2HL healin!)

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Kiet drew a deeper breath and her face was surprised. "Yes.. that's better," she said softly. "And my throat... feels better, too." She looked at Myf, her face afraid. "Are all of you enhanced?" she asked wearily.

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Originally Posted By: Dawn, OOC
He heard Dr. Singh inhale, then let a breath out. "To be honest," he said, "I do not think they will. I am sorry, sir. But they have been badly damaged."
*Wonderful. I'm going to be giving him an education. OK, not a problem. I've got the time and I'm not relying on him for the business part of this. I play lab rat and he gives me an answer.*

James paused, then chuckled and pointed a half finger at where he thought the Doc was and said, "Wrong answer." Sometimes you have to laugh because otherwise you'd cry.

James continued in an amused but serious tone of voice, "Doc, I used to be a first responder and I've seen bad burns. You and I both know there's all kinds of stuff that never heals. But never isn't going to last all that long in this case."

"I can't feel the scars from the burns I got yesterday any more. The fingers I'm missing, I can feel them growing back. I know I'm not asking a fair question, but worse case maybe you could give me a really good exam right now, and then do the same thing again tomorrow and see how much improvement there is."

*I'd love to think I'll be better tomorrow but the fingers aren't growing back all that quickly. It's almost possible I'm fooling myself and they're not growing back at all.*
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"Not all of us," Myf answers carefully, remembering that this woman isn't an ally. Best not to give specifics.

"Some. What do you know about 'enhanced' people? And while you're at it, do you know why one such person was trying to kill you last night?"

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Dr. Singh wanted to brush the man off, but he refused to do that since he was twelve, when he'd had a doctor brush him off. But he didn't have time to deal with this delusional man. "If you really think you are regenerating, sir, then I will have Dr. Shattuck look at you. Please wait here; she is with another patient."

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Originally Posted By: Cassandra
Cassie nodded. "I am a miser," she murmured, resting her head on his chest. "I will defy them." She smiled at him. "We will find white sands." Her eyes went distant, but she didn't say anything more; a soft shudder passed through her.


Now he felt guilty, and he was sure he had heard 'miser' before, why did that sound familiar, almost dejavuish.

"Baby, don't be like that, if its gonna hurt you, I'm not gonna drag a migraine-ridden hotty down to Cabos. But we gotta work out more of what you're sayin'." He said propping himself up on his arms.

"When you go all space cadet, you remember what you say right?"

She nodded.

"Do these voices show you anything, or is it just words?" he asked, pulling aside some honey blond hair from her face as he continued, "Cuz if we could draw some of this out, or maybe try and translate what you're spouting it would go a long ways to figuring all this shit out sooner, and hopefully with less potential bodily harm."
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Originally Posted By: Dawn, OOC
Dr. Singh wanted to brush the man off, but he refused to do that since he was twelve, when he'd had a doctor brush him off. But he didn't have time to deal with this delusional man. "If you really think you are regenerating, sir, then I will have Dr. Shattuck look at you. Please wait here; she is with another patient."
*Who..? James asked, "Do you mean Myfwany? She'd be fine, she was there when it happened."
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In the clinic

"Don't be coy... Doctor? Close enough," Kiet said, letting her head drop back to the pillow. "The three of you are enhanced. Walker with his arms, Red over there being too beautiful, and you, Doctor. Your healing touch is a give-away. You are all enhanced."

"I wasn't speaking of just this room," Myf said softly. "Most of the people in this refuge are not enhanced, which brings me back to my question. Why would an enhanced person want to kill you?"

Kiet closed her eyes. "Liability," she muttered, then gave a short laugh. "That's irony. I got my silver eagles for being knowledgable and holding things together, and now I'm a liability for knowing too much." She sighed listlessly, lines of pain etching themselves into her face as more of the morphine wore off. My father was right; the military has a crappy retirement plan."

James

"Yes... ah. The attack in Kansas," Dr. Singh said, and there was a note of distaste in his voice. "Well, Dr. Shattuck should be able to see you soon. Please wait here."

After he left and silence fell, James realized he could hear voices nearby, and one sounded like the good doctor's.

Ira

"I am driven to speak," Cassie said softly. "I should; I should scream until I bleed. My words... they are waiting for ears to hear, and hands to act." She sighed and added, "The whole of it is: we will find white sands and see them turn red." She pressed her hands to her face. "I am lashed until I run, and the Voices do not care if I falter or cross the finish line."

Her purple eyes were hurt as she looked at him. "They... plant the things that will come in the soil of my mind, and let the thorned greens grow there. My gardener is cruel and hurtful. My sweet knight is the only one who soothes instead of burns, who holds instead of demands." She sighed as she watched him. "I am laying down a deep fog around the coast, aren't I?"

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James had never been overly burdened with impulse control, nor was he blessed with exceptional abilities to withstand boredom.

Even so James waited patiently for the Doctor for a long time, 20, perhaps even as long as 30 seconds. Then he moved so he could listen better... just so he could be next in line... then when no one stopped him he moved down the hall towards the voices.

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Morgan smiled knowingly at Kiet's last words, "You've got that right lady." He stood and walked closer to the bed. "I'm Captain Morgan Fox, and I'm trying to keep this group of survivors alive. Help me do that by sharing with me what it is that they tried to kill you for knowing." There was something about the way he said it that seemed to imply that he knew some of it already.

((Using Persuader to get her to talk.))

Click to reveal..
(12:45:50) ChatBot: (Captain_Morgan) rolls 6d10 and gets 5,9,5,10,4,2. 2 successes
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Kiet looked at him for a moment; her eyes were a bit dazed. Finally, she murmured, "I know where bases are, supply stashes, things like that. Very dangerous for others to have knowledge of. They'll be moving things soon, once they know I'm alive. But for now, I'm very dangerous to the RUS."

"Russ?" Fox asked, his tone encouraging her to continue.

"Reclaimed United States," she said after another moment. Her voice was slurred slightly and her blinks were coming slowly. "Colonel Mali Kiet, serial number 945332."

Click to reveal..
Kiet's WP roll (with penalties for wounds and being drugged): 2 sux, failure (Fox got bonus sux with Persuader)

1d10=7, 1d10=8, 1d10=4, 1d10=6

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"What, are we at war?" Priest only half joked as he walked in. He had come for more of Doc Myf's magic healing touch, but this seemed to be something of more immediate concern. If the enclave was about to be fighting another one, lives and trade were on the line.

Instinctively he reached out with his senses to sense the level of danger around the hospital.

Click to reveal..

Premonition, Affect Others - 10M radius in effect.

Q: 26/23 Down three health levels

Priest was relieved to feel no danger in the immediate vicinity.

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Walker listened intently as Fox persuaded and Kiet spoke. Finally, they were getting somewhere. He glanced up as Priest entered and, in answer to his question, rasped, "Close enough. We're being conquered. Reclaimed."

Then he returned his attention to the interrogation. He stepped closer to Kiet and asked, "What did you want at Roff?"

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Priest nods at the strange mutant before him, silently thanking him for his explaination.

The question next asked clarified something then. Looking to Fox, he asked.

"What about the survivors we found in Roff? Could their husband/father be amongst the group that came in while we were gone? They might want to be reunited with people they know."

Click to reveal..

Using Quantum Attunement to scan the people closest around him, burning 5Q to do so. For instance, is James healing? What are the effects of healing on the Colonel? ect.

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Fox frowned at the question but looked thoughtful, "I don't think so, but I will have Ger question everyone who came in while we were gone just to be safe."

Turning back to Kiet, "So please answer our questions. We are obviously opposed to the RUS, so you might find protection here if you cooperate. Tell us about Roff and these other bases."

Click to reveal..
Using persuader again.

(10:49:46) ChatBot: (Captain_Morgan) rolls 3d10 and gets 3,9,10.

2 successes + [2] = 4 successes on persuader.

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Kiet looked at Walker, and there was fear in her face. After a moment, she looked at Fox. "I'd like to defect, Captian Fox. I'll tell you what I know, in exchange for protection, but I want to establish that before I start to speak. I know that the survivors at Roff will be angry at me, but RUS is going to be even more determined to kill me." She swallowed hard and looked torn as she said, "I'm formally requesting asylum here at the Refuge."

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Sensing that her part in the proceedings had reached its end, for now, Myfwany got up and quietly moved over to where Priest and James lurked. She didn't say anything, not wanting to interrupt Fox and Kiet, but with a glance at them both she tried to indicate that she was ready when they were.

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"I'm ready when you are Doc. I would like to see what you do when you work on James as well. It helps me understand how the power flows around us, out of us, and into other people. I wish I had had the strength to observe you at the Compound. If you ever feel like exercising those muscles again, let me know so I can put my peepers on you. That has to be something amazing to observer."

"As it is, Lay thos Hands upon me. It still hurts when I breath ... and stand up ... and turn around. I won't tell you how much fun the shower was."

All the while he is grinning, the look of a man who is pleased to be alive.

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Fox turned his back to Kiet and gave Walker a serious look and a wink before turning back. "We can take you in and give you asylum from the RUS, but in return we need to know everything you know. Doing so will make us a powerful enemy from what you say and we'll have to protect ourselves so aside from the information you know about what they are up to we need to know all the hidden supply caches, and what territory the RUS claims and it's material strength, personnel, everything. You are asking a lot of us so we need everything you can give us."

Click to reveal..
Persuader again.

(13:29:59) ChatBot: (Captain_Morgan) rolls 3d10 and gets 10,1,2.

First die is mega.

3 successes + [3] = 6 total He is not lying about the asylum. He will not give her up to the RUS.

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Kiet relaxed a little. "I was commander of the Western Tennessee Outpost of the Reclaimed United States," she said. "My mission was to maintain a foothold on our western front, which meant finding and securing what supplies that could be found. We also occasionally tested weapons and equipment on zombies, and reported back to the Pentagon.

"For my part in Roff, my base was the jump-off point for the attack. Captain Ted Mousmein lead the attack on Roff; his team was with us until their departure, and we were to hold the prisoners until he returned. Last I knew, he'd remained in the area of Roff, seeking another enclave that he'd heard of from the scientists. We were expecting him to return within a couple of days."

Her eyes flickered to Walker. Her voice was softer, weakening as she spoke. "When I reported the results to the Pentagon, they ordered me to question Walker and send him on immediately." Her eyes closed as she said, "Command has a keen interest in the Enhanced."

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Originally Posted By: SalmonMax
Sensing that her part in the proceedings had reached its end, for now, Myfwany got up and quietly moved over to where Priest and James lurked. She didn't say anything, not wanting to interrupt Fox and Kiet, but with a glance at them both she tried to indicate that she was ready when they were.
Unsurprisingly James didn't notice on Myf's signal. cool

Originally Posted By: Priest
"I'm ready when you are Doc. I would like to see what you do when you work on James as well. It helps me understand how the power flows around us, out of us, and into other people. I wish I had had the strength to observe you at the Compound. If you ever feel like exercising those muscles again, let me know so I can put my peepers on you. That has to be something amazing to observer."
*Myf is here and ready?... and Priest might know more about this than she does.*

James said, "That sounds good to me."
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Originally Posted By: Dawn, OOC
"For my part in Roff, my base was the jump-off point for the attack. Captain Ted Mousmein lead the attack on Roff; his team was with us until their departure, and we were to hold the prisoners until he returned. Last I knew, he'd remained in the area of Roff, seeking another enclave that he'd heard of from the scientists. We were expecting him to return within a couple of days."


Priest's jovial demeanor fades and he pales somewhat under his deep tan.

"Ted Mousmein? Six-two, hair turning to grey by now? Keeps in good health and chews nails and new recruits for fun - Mousmein?"

He looked down and chuckled.
"Of all the bastards that could have survived, I should have known. Last time we met he swore he would bury me in an unmarked grave. I guess he'll get his chance now."

He looks around the room.
"Sorry, I need to finish this up asap. I need to tell Sarah her grandpa is still alive."

Priest doesn't sound overjoyed.
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"After all that's happened, I guess it's still a small world," Myfwany says, and closes her eyes as she puts her hand on Priest's shoulder.

The feeling is lightning and fire, without quite being either. His muscles clench and a sensation of heat passes into him, spreading out from her palm. Priest can feel things inside him shifting slightly, and while it's not painful it is a peculiar and unnatural feeling.

But when it's over and Myfwany takes her hand away, it feels like cool water poured on a fresh burn. Relief from a thousand aches that had been so persistent that he'd stopped feeling them individually.

She eyed him critically, then said, "There's still a little out of place, but lets give this some time to 'settle' before I try again."

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He leaned forward and kissed her ... on the cheek.

"Thanks Doc. I would have been months getting over this without you."

His eyes still burned with that inner fire, as he turned to watch her work her magic once again.

Click to reveal..

Watching her work on James, checking to see if ther is any progress on the eyes.

(17:37:57) ChatBot: (Adrian) rolls 7d10 and gets 9,6,8,3,8,8,5=4 successes

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Myfwany blushes visibly, but keeps her composure at the kiss. She clears her throat and says, "I'd be a poor doctor if I didn't do whatever I could to help my patients."

Then she turned to look at James.

"Speaking of which...stand still, James. Let me take a look at you."

She reached out to put her hand on the ample bulge of James' bicep, then closes her eyes again. A moment later she frowns.

"Hmm...that's new..."

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*That didn't sound good... or maybe it did. I didn't hear a flashlight coming on... maybe she already had one for looking at the RUS chick.*

James wiggled his finger stumps and said half hopefully, "You mean these? How good of a look did you get of them before? They're longer now, right?"

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Fox looked over at Priest and the others listening. The military was big before the plague, but we did all kinda run in the same circles so to speak especially the spec ops folk, and we tend to be pretty good survivors so the small world thing isn't too surprising." He looked back to Kiet, "That's a good start, and we appreciate it, but we need details. Give me a sec and I'll get my aide in here to take down the locations and specifics."

He took a moment to call in Ger and have him take some dictation then settled in for what he hoped would be a long session of questioning and information sharing.

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What are the places and locations for bases and operations?

“I know of my outpost in Tennessee, of a place in Kentucky, another outpost in West Virginia, and then we hold parts of Virginia and Maryland. Headquarters are located in the Pentagon, and we hold some ground in D.C. and Andrews, with safe corridors. When I was last in D.C., they were cleaning out city blocks of zombies and setting up fences to stop their progress.”

What can you tell us about Capt. Mousmein?

“Capt. Mousmein is a driven officer, good at his assigned duties, if overzealous in some ways. I’d heard complaints about his conduct at Roff; some of his subordinates suggested he had a personal grudge with someone named Raphael and thought he’d be there.” She looked at Priest. “Is that you?”

What resources does RUS have?

“Limited compared to what they did have, but more than anyone else that they’ve found. Mexico is in shambles; the drug lords have taken over the country and broken it into kingdoms. They don’t sell drugs so much anymore, but they do barter in everything else, including people. Canada suffered during the winter; while it slowed the zombies, it gave people few chances to survive. RUS has the advantage of rising from the heart of what remained of the US military, and they have a lot of hardware.”

What are their supply locations?

“Aside from the ones I know of in Tennessee, I know that there are supplies kept at Andrews, the Pentagon and in abandoned houses throughout D.C. and the Capitol area. As I said, though, if they can move the small stashes, they will soon.”

How many supers does RUS have and what do they do with supers?

Kiet was quiet for a moment, then she said, “The President, Maxwell Grant, is Enhanced, super… I’m sure of it. Beyond that, I don’t know. I’m not with R&D, which is the Department that all captured Enhanced were to be sent to.”

What did they want at Roff?

“The scientists at Roff had been part of RUS, but they broke away not long after the emergency election of President Grant. They stole government research and equipment. It was decided to retrieve it.”

What was so special about Roff that it would be attacked like that?

“It had the bad luck to take in the wrong scientists, that is all, as far as I am aware.”

Why are they attacking other settlements in the first place?

“They are only attacking Roff, that I know of. I’m sure if they realized that this place was now harboring the survivors of Roff, that they would come here, next. Fortunately, you have some time to prepare, unless Mousmein has found you. He didn’t return with the others after the attack. He said he was looking for the other enclave in Oklahoma.”

Why not engage in trade and/or diplomatic relations with Roff and other settlements? What is it that the RUS believes that precludes friendly relations with other enclaves?

“RUS might open friendly relations; I don’t know what our current policy on them is. Any enclaves we learned about were supposed to be reported up the chain. I’m sure that the diplomatic corp was somehow involved at some point, but Roff was the only attack I heard of. Of course, I was stuck out on the western edge of what was considered safe control.”

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