Aberrant: Dead Rising - Zeke Gets His Ass a Job [Complete]

[Zeke Ryder]

After getting a sizable amount of grub in him (more than he was used to, but not enough to stop feeling hungry), he went on a hunt for either that Priest fella, or Julia White-Elk. He went nosing around the compound, looking for info on where this Fox guy was, hoping that this WhiteElk broad wouldn't be too far behind. Besides, he felt that some introductions should be made to the guy who was running the show.

He found Fox's office, only to find out that Fox had flown away on patrol or something, so he had to go hunting up Julia.

[z-Jules WhiteElk]

Jules had her head on the desk. She was tired. Not physically tired, but what she thought of as 'zombie fatigue'. It wasn't an official name, by any means.

She heard footsteps in the hall and lifted her head, getting back to work. She heard the person pause in front of Morgan's office, then continue on. Morgan must be out, which meant that she was the default person. She wondered if she'd ever be seen as first in anything here, or if she'd always be Morgan's 'fallback girl'.

Nevertheless, she was smiling pleasantly when the ruggedly handsome man arrived at her door.

[Zeke Ryder]

Zeke leaned in, and tapped his knuckle on the doorway.

"Pardon me, you Julia WhiteElk? I got some questions I need to ask someone, particularly 'bout earning my keep. Y'all got any scheduled scavenge runs or zak-splats...uh, zombie parols? I think I'm what you call a 'super' and I'm kinda suited for combat."

DAYAM! was what was running through his head, although he was trying like a saint to bite his tongue and keep his cool.

"Uh...hey, do you also got a craftsman around here? Had an idea about something I wanted to float past him."

[z-Jules WhiteElk]

"Well, we have a raid coming up, soon," Jules said, nodding and trying to keep the impatience out of her voice. She wanted to get to New Mexico bad, and show Hornsbeck what he'd sowed.

"First, what kind of craftsman? Wood? Metal?" Jules asked, folding her hands on her desk. "Second, I'd like to test your combat prowess, if you don't mind. And third, what's your name?" Her tone was teasing on the last question, designed, in her charming way, to get his name without making him feel awkward about not giving it before now.

[Zeke Ryder]

"Oh yeah, a name. Guess "hey you' would get old after awhile. Name's Zeke Ryder, ma'am." Of course, if you weren't staring at her boobs, you wouldn't be making yourself into one. Wake up, Zeke!

"So, you got a raid coming up? Good. I'll be happy to show you what I can do. Got a training area set up? Don't mind stuff being wrecked a bit?"

"Oh, I'm looking for someone who can do metal. I'm getting up some ideas about making a Doab, and I wanted someone who knew more about what they were doing to give me a hand making it."

[z-Jules WhiteElk]

"We're short on 'stuff'," Jules said with an amused tone, "and rather long on people who can take a beating. Like me. So we'll take care of that, in a moment.

"For now," Jules said, "follow me." She led him back outside and past the cafeteria, her shapely form moving without fear through a town where women huddled by their men. As they cleared the cafeteria, she pointed at a building on the edge of the current cluster of buildings. "That's Violet's place. In that building is Jill's shop; she's the blacksmith and V's girlfriend." Her casual tone made it clear that this was not to be considered abnormal.

"Now," Jules said, turning and heading back toward HQ. "Would you be willing to do work on the wall, as well as patrol and possibly do bodyguard work?"

[Zeke Ryder]

"Whatever you need. I don't want to be the one that some of these people are complaining about. You did here how people are complaining that supers eat too much, right?"

"Oh, that reminds me: I need to warn you about some thugs coming from up-country. One guy, the leader, is a real brainy type who's also a genuine asshat. They're more bandits than scavengers. Leader's name is Brody, and I wouldn't be surprised if he was a super."

"Anyway...sure, whatever you need. Who do I report to for wall-detail, patrol, and the rest of it?"

[z-Jules WhiteElk]

Jules winced. "We bring in more than we take out," she muttered angrily, scowling. Shaking her head, she nodded as his warning. "We'll keep an eye out for this Brody. He'll get a nasty surprise if he thinks we're an easy target, super or not."

She skirted a mud puddle and continued, "For the wall, just go there and start working. For patrol, find Ger. For going out with Priest on a scavenger mission, talk to Priest, but he's got his own thing. The rest of it is Fox or me. Everything has to go through Fox, but I've got some authority." Though God only knows how much.

"Got any more questions?"

[Zeke Ryder]

"Ger it is. Thanks. I'll see what the wall needs when I'm squared away for patrol. And thanks for pointing me in the direction of the blacksmith."

"Any other advice you got for me? Anyone to watch out for here? I can handle myself, but I don't want to piss off any more people than I gotta."

[z-Jules WhiteElk]

"Just don't go sniffing around another man's wife," Jules said honestly. "Also, don't hurt other people in any way and you'll be solid with Morgan. But the most important thing is to not try to poach women, food or supplies."

She opened the door to the HQ and walked him to a room with padded mats on the floor. She stripped off her shirt, revealing a tank top. She pulled her hair up, and Zeke got his first good look at the scars that ranged over her arms, shoulders, and neck.

Turning, she smirked at him and said, "Ok, Zeke, show me what you've got." She dropped into some kind of martial art stance and waited for him.

[Zeke Ryder]

Oh shit. Oh, shit! The scars. She's serious. Don't flinch or stall, these broads hate that, she'll kill you, shit shit shit!

Zeke took a breath, then ran, amping himself up because if she was willing to fight him, she was probably a hardass herself and losing to her meant he'd not get taken seriously. And he was just enough of a sexist pig that getting beaten by a girl, no matter how badass, was not acceptable. Full speed it was NOW!

Click to reveal..

Turning on Quickness, and putting up Crush without making it extra, just lethal. You want to roll the dice?

[z-Jules WhiteElk]

The world seemed to slow with a burst of energy, and Zeke came at her in slow-motion - but only to her mind. Jules grinned as he rushed her. It was a street fighters mistake, not something that a real fighter would do. Her plan was use his momentum to toss him into the wall, but his strength caught her off-guard. Even though she managed to grab him and push him toward the wall, he caught her with a steel arm and took her with him.

They hit the padding hard, but instead of pinning her there, he stepped away, still holding her, and punched her in the back of the head. Her brain rang with the impact, and she twisted against him with impossible flexibility. She hooked a leg behind his, and with a shout, threw him to the floor. He was still holding her, and pulled her down on him. She didn't mind; this was fine for her. Rearing back, she rammed her head into his nose with violent abandon.

Click to reveal..

Using Multitasking for 2 extra actions.

[Zeke Ryder]

Originally Posted By: Jules WhiteElk

The world seemed to slow with a burst of energy, and Zeke came at her in slow-motion - but only to her mind. Jules grinned as he rushed her. It was a street fighters mistake, not something that a real fighter would do. Her plan was use his momentum to toss him into the wall, but his strength caught her off-guard. Even though she managed to grab him and push him toward the wall, he caught her with a steel arm and took her with him.

They hit the padding hard, but instead of pinning her there, he stepped away, still holding her, and punched her in the back of the head. Her brain rang with the impact, and she twisted against him with impossible flexibility. She hooked a leg behind his, and with a shout, threw him to the floor. He was still holding her, and pulled her down on him. She didn't mind; this was fine for her. Rearing back, she rammed her head into his nose with violent abandon.

FUCK! fuck fuck fuck!

Ryder, now hurting like fuck and pissed at his simple rookie-ass mistake ('cause a zombie would have bitten his face off), spun around, still hooked around her, wrapped his other arm around, and squeezed for all he was fucking worth. No way could he let this bitch back on her feet: she was damn fast!

[z-Jules WhiteElk]

His strength was about even with hers; then he did something and Jules felt her ribs collapse under the pressure. Her cry of pain wasn't feigned but she didn't stop fighting. Grabbing his hair, she twisted his head back away from her, and compelled him to turn that twist into a roll by slipping a leg between his and kneeing him in the groin. The angle was bad, but you didn't need a lot of impact to be felt, in this movement.

When he rolled off of her, she found it easier to not move. A cough brought up blood, and pain with each inhale told her she'd be in deep shit were she not super. She could already feel herself knitting. "Ok," she wheezed around the blood in her throat, "you have skills."

[Zeke Ryder]

"Fuck. FUUUUCK! I'm glad you think so, because if you'd been out to kill me, I'd be dead. Ain't met a zombie that fought like you did, and I'm fucking grateful."

Zeke pounded his fist into the mat. He felt something crunch when he did. Sumbitch. "Are you all right? You took off your shirt, I saw the scars, I freaked out. Never fight a woman who's got scars; I grew up in a trailer park." The dead seriousness of Zeke's voice told her that that made perfect sense to him.

"I wasn't holding back. I hope to hell if I went too far you got a medic." He could feel himself blushing, and he was pissed at himself.

He straightened up. Already his nose and balls were going numb.

He saw her, with a bit of blood running out of her lip. "Aw, FUCK! I'm sorry, I'm used to fighting with a shovel. I got carried away." He began to run to yell for a medic.

[z-Jules WhiteElk]

"Zombies wouldn't use Aikido to knock you down," Jules said, wincing as the effort to breathe left her in pain. "Just overwhelm you."

She had to laugh when he mentioned fighting a woman with scars. "I've gotten most of these since z-day," she laughed. "Ow... most of them are fading see?" She pointed out a bite mark that looked years old. "Got that a couple of months ago. My body is healing them, just more slowly than normal."

She waved away the offer of a medic. "I'll be fine," she said, "I can heal myself."

[Zeke Ryder]

OH THANK GOD AND BABY JESUS!

"Okay, okay good. I'd heard you were a super. I hoped so." Zeke's breathing had gotten back to normal. "So, despite the fact that I'd be piss-poor at taking prisoners, and I'm not so hot at fighting hand-to hand, you think I got what it takes to do patrols and raids and shit? I kinda need your stamp of approval."

"Good news is: I regenerate too. Not real quick, but I can, and that's what counts. I'm also a good shot, but I'll ask you to take my word for it, unless you're not gonna volunteer to test that our personally," and he started laughing, "in which case I'll demonstrate as long as...as long as I got ammo." Nervous laughter overtook him.

"I'm sorry, I really am, but I was afraid I'd gone too far, and I didn't want anyone dead my first day here, and I got a wacked sense of humor." Tears welled up in his eyes. "Oh, lordy."

[z-Jules WhiteElk]

Jules felt better, and she pulled herself up so that she was sitting. Her still-healing ribs ground together and she winced, but the pain was tolerable. "Oh, god..." she said, her eyes widening as she saw the tears. "Did I hurt you?"

She honestly looked concerned as he laughed on the verge of tears.

[Zeke Ryder]

"HA ha ha...Just, I was thinking back to when I was 16 and had an extra helping of dumb-shit, like any kid. And there was this brand-new CVS just opened up, and my old man was riding my ass to get a job since I wasn't doing all that good about showing up to school.

"And, anyway, I get all dressed up, write up my job application, get an interview. And I was doing good, I could tell. This manger, she was all grandmotherly and nice, and I was always good at snowing that type. Hee hee...I knew I had the job, so I got myself a bit too relaxed, shooting the breeze, just waiting for this old bat to offer me some chocolate chip cookies or something.

"Then I see this picture on her desk. This girl, she's a real hottie in a cheerleader outfit, big plastic grin, doing a split. And I look at the old sweetheart who's interviewing me, without a second's pause, and I ask her, 'Who's the sweet piece of ass?' It was her grand-daughter. She was about fourteen. I didn't get the job.

And...here I was..just thinking to myself, 'Damn, Zeke! You finally topped that CVS clusterfuck for stupidity! Go in to apply for security, end up killing the gal who's interviewing you. Good job, dumbass!' HA ha ha ha ha..."

It would take Zeke a bit to calm down enough to breathe regular.

[z-Jules WhiteElk]

"Oddly," Jules laughed, "I had something like that too... but didn't quite work out the same. See I was trying to get hired at the local gas station - by local, I mean the watering hole for fifty miles. I am all prettied up, nice application, doing good... right until the owner's son, who I had a huge crush on, came into the office. I was babbling, looking dumb, blushing... and I got the job anyway. Owner thought all my silliness was cute." She grinned at Zeke. "Just goes to show how much further you can get with nice boobs. Just ask Violet." The last was said without rancor, just as a statement of fact.

She rolled to her hands and knees and then climbed to her feet. Her ribs still hurt, but they were definitely in one piece. "Come on, Zeke. Let's find Ger for you." She picked up her discarded shirt and dug a walkie-talkie out of it. "Ger, where are you?"

"Quarantine," he replied.

"Sending the new guy over," Jules said. "He wants work." She smiled at Zeke. "Thanks for the spar, and good luck."

[Zeke Ryder]

Zeke just nodded, smiled, and walked over to the quarantine area.

Along the way, he passed one of the "friendly" watchers. "Back so soon?", she cracked. "Well, actually, I'm looking for Ger. I gotta talk to him about getting on the security detail. Julia WhiteElk seems to think I've got what it takes to cut the mustard."

Her eyes went up a bit at that, but she shrugged and pointed to another room, where it sounded like there was some sort of yelling and screaming going on.

Well, Zeke, let's see how badly you can bitch it up, after getting so close. Zeke squared his shoulders, and walked on in.

[Dawn OOC]

Only one man was screaming. It was not the man behind the mostly-clean desk, his hands folded over a small pile of papers. The man standing was the one screaming, howling about the 'devil's den' and 'the Whore of Babylon'.

It was time, in Ger's world, for the daily Violet complaint. They varied from day to day, but the woman just was not trusted. Or liked. Lusted after, maybe even loved by a few men, but certainly not liked. Ger did not envy her. He was waiting out the rant, his eyes flicking to the new visitor. He held up a finger and waited for the man to wind down.

[Zeke Ryder]

Zeke waited. And waited. Holy shit, this guy's ready to blow a head gasket over some broad he ain't ever gonna nail! Zeke made it a point to not dwell on things that he couldn't change; anything else seemed like a recipe for an ulcer or a breakdown. And what was this asshole doing dragging God into the picture? Didn't God have enough shit on His plate trying to deal with the zombie problem?

(Zeke wasn't much of a believer. He was willing to entertain the idea that God existed, but that He was, in the end, some glorified celestial janitor whose only real job was to keep the joint running and mostly tidy. Anything else was just people trying to get in good with the Powers-That-Be, trying to angle for some of that omnipotence by way of currying favor. Zeke couldn't imagine a Creator worthy of the name who'd hang around some of the passive-aggressive asshats who called themselves 'sincere followers.')

The guy behind the desk looked like Zeke felt, and Zeke tried to vibe him some empathy, show him some support. Zeke almost imagined that this guy probably felt kinda like God did every time He clocked in for work.

Finally, the guy wound down, and maybe felt real good that he'd made this poor dude behind the desk "see the light." Zeke stepped in and tried to smoothly introduce himself.

[Dawn OOC]

"Ryder, good to meet you," the man behind the desk said, taking his hand. "I'm Ger." No last name was offered, nor needed, by Ger's bearing. "This is Marley Brodin. He's a..." The pause was long enough for Zeke to come up with several colorful suggestions, though he kept them to himself. "Member of the community. A very vocal one."

"I have a right to complain about problems I see here," Brodin snapped.

"You do," Ger said. "But you and I both know that this isn't a security issue, and the only reason you're telling me is because Fox won't listen to you. The only reason I'm listening to you is because I know that you can't do anything, so I'm giving you an ear to speak into. I'll look into her being indecent... though you realize the trouble she has getting clothes that fit her..." Ger waved vaguely at his own chest.

"Sin pillows?" Brodin supplied, causing Ger to crack up.

"What, really? I haven't heard that used in a long time, Marley. I swear you look up the oddest possible names just to mess with me. You kill me, man," Ger said, standing and guiding him toward the door. "Now if you don't mind, I have someone here to see me. I'll see you again tomorrow."

After Brodin was gone, he dropped back in his chair and looked at Ryder. "What can I do for you?"

[Zeke Ryder]

Zeke couldn't help but chuckle. "Damn."

"Well, I need to be put to work to stay here, and my talents line up best with beting zombies until they don't get back up. I got put to the test by Julia WhiteElk, and she says I got what it takes to go on raids, patrols, wall duty, whatever. I hit quick, I hurt when I hit, and I heal up quick. I'm kinda a super."

"Now I know that means a mouth to feed. I know food's scarce; I'll do what it takes to earn my keep."

[Dawn OOC]

"Our food's good, better than most," Ger said. "We have scavengers doing regular runs all the time." He leaned back and eyed him. "So Jules gave you the all clear, huh? You fight her?" He smirked. "What's why you've got a bit of blood under your nose?"

[Zeke Ryder]

Zeke gave his best "cool man" stare. "I held my own." He wasn't about to say he busted the boss-man's woman's ribs. Quick heal or not, there was no quicker way to inject a note of rancor than to go around admitting you hurt a woman, fair fight or not.

"So, Where you need me?" Zeke was getting tired of things moving like quicksand around here.

[Zeke Ryder]

Suddenly, Lawton busted into Zeke's consciousness, and he remembered the other reason he wanted to see someone in charge.

"Hey, before this escapes me again, I was wandering up near Lawton way, and I was scavenging for shit to hold me over. I ran into zak...sorry, zombies...anyway, one of them was nasty as shit. Fucker could use what was left of it's guts as weaponry. And to top shit off, I took it's head off, and the guts followed, and animated the head. I had to get a good shot and pop it's skull before it collapsed. And this weren't no video game, fucker didn't have nothing worth taking."

"But I wanted to tell you: anyone goes out, be prepared for anything. I think the fuckers are evolving."

[Dawn OOC]

"Fox and some others ran into 'super-zombies' on their raid to Lawton," Ger said, nodding. "They thought they'd gotten them, and it doesn't sound like what you fought, so that's good to have that news."

He sat back in his chair and thought for a moment. "Let's start you with inner perimeter," Ger finally said. "That means you'll be doing single-man patrols within the fence for a few days to learn the place and meet some people." He smirked. "Well, people beyond ladies who'll bust your ass on the training mat."

[Zeke Ryder]

"Is this one of those dusk-to-dawn things? You guys got a schedule or something worked out? And how soon do you need me out there?" Zeke wasn't even rising to the guy's bait about Julia WhiteElk; people could find out soon enough just how he could dish it out if he was so inclined.

"Oh, and something I've been neglecting: How do you do living arrangements here? Where do I put up my boots? Are there rations on food and showers and that shit? 'Cause if so, I need to know that. I don't need to start off my time here stepping on someone's nuts."

"Oh, yeah, and one last thing: If there's a place to sign up for scavenge runs or something like that, I wanna know. I wanna be considered. I've been doing it solo for awhile now, and I like to think I've gotten good at it."

[Dawn OOC]

"We do six to eight hour shift, trying to give our guards a day a week off and two six hour days. Burnout's a problem, though since you're immune to the z-virus, I expect you to hang on longer," Ger said, getting serious. "You'll need to do more and be better since you're going to be eating more. Not trying to bust your balls, but that's a fact. Gotta put in more than you take out. Just ask Violet. She's fixing that, and people are noticing.

"We have one of the dorms. Being the front line between people and the dead has its perks. I'll find you a bunk there," Ger said, reciting it as if running down a checklist. "You don't have a ration, but if you eat too much, you'll get a talking to, probably by Fox. Don't abuse shower priliveges.

"For scavenger runs, you'll be asked. If you want to hop on board with Priest... well, I won't like it, but he's a good crew."

[Zeke Ryder]

"Well, then it sounds to me like I'm all set. You need me to start marching right now? I had a rest, and a shower, and my shovel and gun is all I need to patrol."

Zeke was feeling hungry, but he was more eager to get out there and have some time under his belt, that way when he ate enough to feel full, no one could complain without getting slapped down. He knew his body was running rich, and probably his quick healing had something to do with it.

[Dawn OOC]

"Find Ross Michaels in the dorm," Ger said, glancing down at the desk, which had his next task. He was already half-dismissing Zeke. "He's due to start a patrol in about an hour; you'll share his shift and he'll show you the ropes."

[Zeke Ryder]

Ross Michaels came across as a surly son of a bitch, but in no time Zeke had warmed him up enough to get him laughing, and Ross wasted no time introducing Zeke to the ins and outs of walking a wall, where the unofficial outhouses were, who you could trust to get you some homemade hooch or even some hand-rolled cigarettes, and some of the more interesting rumors floating about the denizens of the compound. He was impressed with Zeke's strength and speed, and admitted he felt as comfortable with the 'newbie' as he did with some of the seasoned pros.

It became obvious to Zeke that the Enclave had a love/hate/fear/awe relationship with its supers. As long as you were one of the good ones, you were a golden god. If not, it was easy to get the natives grumbling. And apparently, neither side had made any big errors by asking too much from the other. That was good, because Zeke had seen super-abuse before with Rory's crew, and could imagine a super snapping real quick between too many demands and too many zombies.

All in all, he pulled a 12-hour shift, only stopping because his stomach was growling something fierce. Only whacked one-half a zombie (upper torso) the whole time, and apparently that was super-rare. Kid-sized one too, which made Zeke feel sad, but didn't curb his appetite too much. Not a bad day.

[Zeke Ryder]

DONE!