Aberrant: Dead Rising - Chapter 9d: Harbringer

[Dawn OOC]

Nashwa looked sharply at Fox when he made his comment, and then looked at James. "I can show you," she said to James, and her tone was a little cooler.

Pat had started to walk back when she saw them return. "How did it go?" she asked Nashwa.

"It didn't," Nashwa said, dropping her eyes. "I think that it can only be done by believers."

"I had feared that was going to happen," Pat sighed. She looked at Fox and Myf and said, "You wanted to try again? If so, I need time to gather the coven."

"While they do that, we should go see the edge of the effect," Nashwa said to James. There was still that cool note to her tone, though.

[Courier]

From anyone else Fox's comment would have been a lot less annoying. In the larger sense he was right, James was attached and shouldn't be banging some random booty. However this was Fox. The reason James didn't have 'wives' was because Fox wouldn't permit it.

James replied with irritation, "Girlfriends. I'm not married, remember? You saw to that." *And if I were totally fair, two of them said 'no'.*

Quote:

"While they do that, we should go see the edge of the effect," Nashwa said to James. There was still that cool note to her tone, though.

James said, "Yes indeed. Did they all walk off the same direction?"

[SalmonMax]

Myfwany glanced between Fox and James and shook her head slightly. She focused on Pat instead.

"Certainly. Gather the coven. However it needs to work," the doctor allowed. "I'm curious though. When you do this spell, how does it work, exactly? What effect does it have on the zombies, and why?"

[Dawn OOC]

"Yeah, they did. This way," Nashwa said, waving in a direction. She and James started to walk. When they were well out of earshot of the others, Nashwa giggled suddenly and said, "'I'm sure your wives would get upset if you were eaten.'" The mimicry of Fox was unmistakable, even if it was poorly done. "I had a hard time not laughing when he said that. Is he always that self-righteous? Is he a fundie or something? I mean... come on! I'm a freakin' pagan! We invented open relationships." Blue eyes fastened on his. "You are in an open relationship, right?"

Pat smiled. "I'd be glad to explain," she said. "We raise a cone of power and focus our will toward creating a field of energy that is repugnant to the dead. That's an oversimplification, but essentially what's happening. The tools - the salt, herbs, circle - are all just to help us focus; they aren't really necessary to the truly powerful practitioner.

[Courier]

James shook his head in mock seriousness and lifted his hand with four fingers outstretched. He said, "Four open relationships. But there's less there than it seems. There's a serious sex imbalance. If a pretty girl isn't interested, maybe because she's just not into guys, a 'No' doesn't work as well as a 'James will kill you.'"

James choked back a laugh, "But it does drive the local fundies nuts. Morgan..." James pointed this thumb back at Fox, "...treats them way too seriously. Nothing is as futile as trying to regulate someone else's sex life. But I guess it's our nature to be interested." James gave Nashwa an interested look at that last statement.

[Dawn OOC]

"Do you really think it's interest?" Nashwa asked, her eyebrow rising pointedly. "You're a handsome guy, while your average fundie could wilt flowers with his appearance. And I bet your wives or girlfriends are pretty, while your average fundie's wife couldn't get a dog to fuck her unless she had a steak strapped to her shoulder blades." The pretty pagan laughed cynically and shook her head. "I think it's interest all right - interest in what you have, not interest in your sex life. Those fundies... it's all the same. None of their 'religious laws' have anything to do with anything other than making sure your neighbor doesn't have more than you." She grinned. "But it sounds like you already know that."

[Courier]

James frowned briefly with illumination and said, "You're right. I'd thought those laws were to let the priests order us around. But yeah, I do have a lot, I need a lot too. Not just the girls, I have an appetite like a fire." James gave her a glance that said multiple appetites and continued, "I bring in more than 20 normal men, I'd figured it fair I eat like three."

"But they're never going to accept me unless I get all pious and give what I have to the community..." James winked at Nashwa and said, "But then I don't lay awake at night worrying about their approval."

[SalmonMax]

"Well, maybe we could do a proof of concept at least," Myfwany suggested. "Rather than get everyone else involved, just do a small scale version of the spell here and now so I can see what's involved."

[Dawn OOC]

Pat stared at her, just long enough to be creepy. "Give me enough time to get my supplies I need, and I'll do that," she finally said. Without further discussion, she turned and walked away, leaving Myfwany and Fox alone to talk, if they wished.

Nashwa led him over a ridge and stopped. "Here's where we did the spell," she said, pointing to their feet. Her dark eyes looked up at him coyly as she asked, "So what can you do? Normal guys aren't built like you." She ran her fingers up his well-muscled arm, her nails tracing the ridges and valleys of his musculature. "Can you fly, and shoot lazers from your eyes? Or are your talents more... interesting?"

[SalmonMax]

Myfwany glanced at Fox.

"Call me crazy, but she doesn't sound as happy to demonstrate this all of a sudden," she commented, folding her arms. "She'll like it even less when I ask some of the questions that are coming to me."

[Courier]

James replied to Nashwa, "The funny part is this is exactly how I was built during my body building days..." *which you weren't in the middle of on z-day* "...and I have the strength and stamina of a dozen men, I bounce bullets, and..." James ran his finger down Nashwas face and said seriously, "...I'm absolutely amazing in the sack."

James turned on his 'enhanced sex' power for that last part and then turned it off, just enough to let Nashwa know he was serious and truthful, not enough to influence her.

James looked around for a tall building. Spotting one he pointed and said, "Mind if I move us to the top of that? It looks like a place a great view..." *and a measure of privacy.*

[Mr Fox]

"I think you're right. Hold onto the questions until we see if it even works. If it does, and I'm betting it is a super using a zomb repellent power, then we can start figuring out how it works and trying to learn it."

He thought for a moment then added, "By the way, I have proven that powers are learnable. I specifically set out to figure out how to travel because I knew it was one of the most important powers we could use at our disposal. May make the difference between surviving or not some day. Anyway, I was able to figure it out. I'm also trying to learn to tell when people are lying and I think I'm starting to get a handle on that as well. That means if it is a super skill Pat is doing then we ought to be able to learn it."

He chuckled, "Although, it would be pretty cool if magic were real. I just won't believe it till I see it."

[SalmonMax]

"I already know magic is real," Myfwany says dryly. She nods at the sky. "I see it, all around. Any time I want. I can't explain it, so it's magic."

"But that doesn't mean we can't investigate it scientifically. Science is just a method of drawing conclusions about observed phenomena. Now that magic is observable, and repeatable, it's just as subject to the scientific method as astronomy is."

She looks at Fox.

"I'll wait to ask her, but here's something to consider about 'zombie repellants.' Those zombies have to go SOMEwhere. You clear out a whole city, that's hundreds of thousands, maybe millions, of zombies displaced. Where are they going to go?"

Myf looks around quickly to make sure Pat's still gone, then says more quietly, "One of the reasons humanity's survived is because the vast majority of the zombies behave very predictably. They stay in the cities. Indefinitely. Shove a million zombies out into the wilderness..." she shakes her head. "...you might upset a very, very fragile balance of forces that up until now has given humanity just enough of an edge to hang on."

[Mr Fox]

Fox grinned, "I wasn't thinking of shoving them out, but focusing them in. If you can fence them in and push them to where you want them to go so that they end up all in one place tightly packed, then it will be much easier to deal with them. And by the time you've done that you have also ensured that the entire city is clear of zoms and safe to move into. That changes the balance of power in our favor instead of theirs."

[SalmonMax]

Myfwany nods.

"But will everyone have that much foresight?" she asks rhetorically.

[Dawn OOC]

Nashwa looked impressed by his list and by his ability to enhance sex while just looking at her. When he touched her face, she pressed her cheek into his hand. "Move how?" Nashwa asked, still smiling coyly. "Can you actually leap tall buildings in a single bound?"

"Strength of a dozen men," James said, grinning.

"I guess you'll have to pick me up in those big strong arms and carry me, huh?" She didn't look upset at the idea.

[Courier]

James said, "Yes indeed" and effortlessly picked Nashwa up in his arms and held her close. Impulsively he said, "Up, up, and away" and leaped into the air, hopefully to the top of the building.

[Dawn OOC]

Nashwa shrieked a little as she was borne through the air, but it was a happy cry of delight. She was giggling as James set her down, smiling at him and pushing her windblown hair out of her face. She kept the smile until she looked out away from Norman; then it slipped off her face. "Huh, the zombies... they were just beyond that road yesterday," she said. "Now they're gone completely."

Pat returned to Myf and Fox, her face serene. A bag slung over her arm held many of the same supplies that Nashwa had carried. "I have called the coven," Pat said, "but there is a slight problem. Dreamrider is sick. Did I hear one of you is a doctor? And if so, could you look at her?"

[SalmonMax]

"I am," Myfwany says with a nod. "I'd be happy to look at her." Right away she's in business mode; one can almost hear the tense music from Rescue 911 in the background. "Where is she? What symptoms is she showing?"

[Courier]

When they landed on the roof, James professionally scanned the roof. It was your typical, boring, tower's roof, flat, no zoms, one service entrance that was closed.

James thought, *We could have sex up here.*

*Yup. We could. And a strong pass right now would be?*

*...*

*This building probably has zoms wandering inside, they couldn't leave because they're too dumb to open doors and are stuck. That service door is probably locked. So she's stuck up here without you. A heavy pass could be read as a 'have sex with me or die' statement.*

*Jill and Jo...*

*That situation wasn't your creation and they initiated the relationship. They made a choice free of coercion on your part. So far Nashwa hasn't. You don't know her well enough to judge how'd she take this.*

*She wants me, that 'enhanced sex' skill would do the trick.*

*She might just be flirting, reading the female mind is the stuff of legend. Also so far you've only used that skill to deepen existing relationships or make favorable impressions, like just now. Consent, remember? To cap it off, you're not a tom cat. She's pretty, and open minded, and maybe even a super, there's no rush.*

*And maybe we should be thinking with our other head?*

James moved next to Nashwa and looked at the road with her. He said, "This book I found claimed Norman had 100k people. Maybe half survived z-week as zoms. Maybe half or a quarter of that were in the city center. Call it somewhere between two and twelve thousand zoms."

"So they go to the edge and keep walking? When you saw them yesterday, were they just standing at the edge?"

[Dawn OOC]

Pat frowned, just a little. "High fever, trouble breathing," she said. "She's an older woman, and hasn't been in good health since the zombies came, so we've been taking special care of her. But last night she started coughing, and she's gotten worse despite treatment."

"What have you been doing?" Myf asked quickly, visions of Pat shaking rattles over the woman's head dancing behind her eyes.

"We've been treating the symptoms - trying to keep her fever down. We gave her some cold medicine just a couple of hours ago."

Pat showed her to a small house. Inside, an older woman was on a cot, breathing raspily, shivering. "It's alright, Autumn," Pat murmured to the woman. "We have a doctor to see you."

-=-=-=-=-=-=-

"Yeah, they were," Nashwa said, frowning. "I mean, they're always pressing against any barricade they can find."

Behind them, something thumped on the door to the roof.

[Courier]

James glanced at the door without concern. *That was quick. I don't think it/they can knock it down, but if they do I'll grab Nashwa and just leap. Not much point in fighting, there's always more where they came from.*

James glanced at Nashwa to see how she was taking the arrival of their "admirer" then turned back to the task of finding the missing zoms. James looked on the ground for the missing zoms, or any zoms at all, and speculated out loud, "If they broke through, or if the barricade just went away, then I'd think you'd find out about it pretty quick. If they spotted someone or something on the other side, you'd think we'd see a crowd if not a wall."

"I guess someone could have come by in a car or something and lured them away." James sounded doubtful. Short of Dan or Morgan hovering, it would be a real challenge to lure away thousands of zoms.

James added, "I think I should move us to where they were, that many zoms would leave a big trail... unless there's something else you'd rather do?"

[SalmonMax]

Myfwany came in with her gentle doctor's smile and knelt down beside Autumn.

"Hello Autumn," she said, "I'm Dr. Shattuck. I'm just going to take a quick look at you and see what I can do to help you, okay?"

As she talked, she felt the woman's forehead and got a quick pulse...then steeled herself and concentrated on her other senses. She wasn't sure if her sense of living things was sensitive enough to pick out invading microbes...the human body was FULL of pathogens, some symbiotic, some harmless, and others controlled by the immune system. Trying to see which of those was doing damage...she wasn't sure that was possible. But it might be. Just for completeness sake, she also peered into that other realm where the 'super' energy could be seen as arcs and flares of yellow light.

(Activating Lifesense and Quantum Attunement. Lemme know if a Medicine roll or whatnot is needed.)

[Dawn OOC]

Nashwa was pale, her body twitching with each noise from the door. "There were only about seventy or so," she said softly, "at least that could be seen from here. But they had all been crowding the line, before. I'm not sure what it means, but it freaks me out." The whites of her eyes were showing as she hugged herself.

Myf's world went green when she used her powers - green lines showing all the life connections to one another. She was used to the various colors that indicated damage and disease, but she was not prepared for the lack of color in Autumn's lines. They should have been showing something, but they were transparent, with only the faintest of outlines showing their presence at all.

A terrible instinct made her lift her head and look at the other resident of Norman in the room. Patty's lines were faded as well, though there was still some green in them.

[Courier]

Nashwa's fear struck a protective cord in James. He reached out and gripped her shoulder, waited till she made eye contact, then he tried to reassure her by speaking calmly and confidently,

"Nashwa, you're safe from them right now. I've been in this situation dozens of times. It's what I do."

"I could open that door, kill the zom behind it, then the one behind him, and the one behind him, and so forth until they're all gone. If I screw up and get bitten, well, that's something else I've done dozens of time. No big."

"I can't make them leave, but if those 70 show up with 1000 more, they wouldn't be able to get up here. Even if they could, I'd just pick you up and leave. I can't speak for tomorrow, but for right this minute there's nothing they can do."

[SalmonMax]

"Oh my god," Myfwany breathed in horror. "Oh my god what have you done?"

With only that momentary lapse, she stuffed her shock down where it wouldn't get in the way and said, "We need to move her outside the area you...ritualized. Whatever you did here, it's weakening your...your life, for want of a better word. It's draining it all away somehow."

[Mr Fox]

Fox registered the look on Myf's face before she spoke and knew that the other shoe had fallen. If it sounds too good to be true then it probably is... He remained quiet to see how this would play out but he was prepared to strike out at Pat if threatened and protecte Myf.

[Dawn OOC]

Pat frowned, staring at Myf. "That's not possible," she said, her voice firm. "The spell has nothing to do with life energy. It's designed to repel the zombies. I don't know why you're saying that, but it's not true." She believed what she was saying; she had full faith in her spell.

Nashwa met his eyes, studying him for the truth of his words. Suddenly, she leaned into him and hugged him. "Ok," she said. "I believe you. Sorry, that just freaked me out." She smiled up at him. "Thanks, I feel better. Did you go after the zombies, or did you have a better idea in mind?" She seemed to be recovering from her fright.

[Courier]

James hugged Nashwa back. James said, "No problem. Everyone loses it every now and then. Glad I could make you feel better." In his eyes there was the clear thought that he could think of much better things to do than chase zombies.

James made no move to let Nashwa go but added reluctantly, "I'm a little worried."

James nodded towards the door and said, "We're inside the safe zone but Chuckles seems interested in us. No zoms at the edge. Your lookout guy at Lowes' isn't looking out. Before I go looking for zoms I should check up on the people. Shall we survey the perimeter and see if it's like this on the other edges?"

If Nashwa says yes James will leap to whatever building she points out.

[Dawn OOC]

Nashwa nodded. "Ok," she said, her eyes worried as well. While the concern she was feeling was clearly sapping some of her natural confidence, she still gave him a quick smile. "We can explore the edges and see what's up. Though... if we find some and decide to piss them off, I know the way to do it. Sex. Most life-affirming thing you can do, and it drives them nuts." She was grinning as she said it, her eyes sparkling despite - or perhaps in spite of - the serious topic they'd just been discussing.

[Courier]

James lifted an interested eyebrow and said, "Hmm... now that I have to try. We'll just check out some more roof tops and see what comes up. "

James picked Nashwa up again, picked a promising looking building, and leaped away.

[SalmonMax]

"It's true," Myfwany insists. "One of my powers is the ability to..." she taps her eyes gently, "see some kind of energy that's related to living things and their environment. It looks like green light that connects living creatures and the things they interact with; the ground and the air and so on. I don't know -exactly- what it is, but I know one thing...the only things I've ever seen that don't have any of this energy are zombies."

She puts a hand on Autumn's shoulder. "But it's fading from you, and it's nearly gone from Autumn. There's no infection that I can see. Maybe that's why the zombies all leave, for that matter. They can't...sense you anymore. But it seems like it's dangerous. Have you had any others suffering symptoms like this?"

[Dawn OOC]

"You're just jealous," Pat said, her face twisting just a little. It was the first negative thing they'd heard her say.

But even as she spoke, another woman said, "Robby, my sixteen month old, took sick like this this morning. Is he... is he going to die?" The stark fear in her voice was like an electrical shock to those listening.

Autumn shifted, and Myf caught a slight smell of decay. With that symptom, it confirmed Myffany’s initial diagnosis: z-virus.

James hopped to another roof, leaving Nashwa gasping in his arms. "Wow! That's amazing!" she said. She laughed and wiggled a little in his arms so that her near breast pressed against him a little more firmly. "Think I could do something that awesome someday?"

[SalmonMax]

Myfwany froze at that realization and for a moment had to fight the beast of panic back.

"I need everyone out of here except Pat and Fox. We need to talk, because something's going on here and I've never seen anything like it...I may have spoken too soon, Pat, and I'm sorry about that. There's definitely -something- going on here, and we need to work out what it is, okay?"

[Courier]

Quote:

James hopped to another roof, leaving Nashwa gasping in his arms. "Wow! That's amazing!" she said. She laughed and wiggled a little in his arms so that her near breast pressed against him a little more firmly. "Think I could do something that awesome someday?"

James thought, *Casting spells that control zoms is pretty amazing, but if that wasn't you it'd be cruel to say so.*

Without putting Nashwa down James said with a gleam in his eye, "Well... I don't see why not. Of course you'd have to contract whatever it is that makes me a super."

James added almost as an after thought, "How do the zoms spread their thing? Isn't it bodily fluids?"

[Dawn OOC]

Nashwa laughed and clamped a hand over his mouth. "No biting, buster," she giggled. "I'm not that kind of girl." Her eyes softened a bit, as did her smile, and she leaned her head forward and kissed him - though her hand was still in the way and her lips never touched his. It was oddly cute and charming. "Do you always sweep in and leap girls away to safety like this? Or am I special?"

She removed her hand so he could talk, and the glint in her eyes said that she was aware how dangerous her question was.

----

"Let's go outside to talk," Pat said, "leave Autumn to rest." She had relaxed the moment that Myf had relented in her statement. "Unless you did want Autumn here?"

[Courier]

James decided to answer Nashwa seriously and said, "Dangerous question. A bit of both. I sweep in and leap specific girls to safety, and I think you could be special. Nashwa I..."

James decided that while it'd be a bit of a downer to talk about this, but she needed know. James continued, "I can save anyone, but not everyone. Dallas was bad. When I've had to pick..." *God help me. 'Bad.' 'Had to pick'. Such a trite way of saying I saved a handful and stood by as hundreds of thousands of others died.*

James gulped and continued, "...when I've had to pick, I've made my ladies a priority. I still do." *I know it's not fair, but after I accepted there was no fair way to choose I decided no way in hell was I going to let a woman who might be carrying my child to die so someone I barely know can live. I did the right thing, I'd do it again.*

James struggle to turn away from the ghosts of his past, and focused back on Nashwa to see how she was taking this.

[SalmonMax]

Myfwany looked at Autumn, conflicted...then decided. She had to try.

"One second, then we can leave her alone."

She knelt down by the older woman and put her hand on her forehead.

"This can be kind of intense...don't be afraid."

Curing the z-plague was impossible, Myf knew. But she'd seen it done once before, and by her hand. She had to try again. She concentrated, then reached out for the linelines...seeking energy that could replenish what Autumn had lost so much of; trying to understand what was happening to the old woman, even as she tried to repair it.

[Dawn OOC]

"So you pick your loved ones over strangers?" Nashwa asked; when he nodded, she shook her head, looking serious. "Put me down a moment." Reluctantly, he did so, sure this was the end of the fun. "Look, James, I don't know who's been messing with your head, but most people would picked their loved ones first. And those who wouldn't probably need to reassess whether they really love those people." Her dark eyes were serious as she stared at him. "Honestly, do people expect you to feel bad because you saved people you've made your family?"

---

Green light flood from Myf's hands into Autumn's body, filling her lines with color again. They weren't as bright as they should be, but it was a start. Sitting back on her heels and watching for a moment convinced her it wouldn't be enough. Autumn would keep weakening, so long as she was around whatever was doing this to her.

[Courier]

James nodded in agreement and commented, "Thank you. Family Comes First." James made that statement sound like the Law of Gravity. He shrugged and added, "I try hard to keep my head straight. Don't pick up other's luggage, don't feel guilty for surviving, or for having what others don't."

James gave a rakish smile and said in a transparent effort to lighten the mood, "If I were them I'd envy me, every man is the center of his universe and all that. And enough about me, what do you do when you're not casting spells that make zoms flee? Is Pat your literal mom? What were you, ah, before everything?"