Aberrant: Dead Rising - Chapter 10a: Hell [Mature]

[Mr Fox]

Fox was very curious about the couple on the bench with their baby. They didn't look like they belonged in this place with is slaves and zombies roaming the other yard. Still he only had a little time and needed to make what he had count. He spent a few minutes watching the couple from a hidden vantage point, but then needing to move on headed for the secondary building that looked occupied, hoping that would be the most likely place for Hornsby to have his living quarters. Priority one was to find him to give the strike team the best bet of taking off the head of the snake.

[Jasmine Gentian]

As Bond got ready, Jasmine did as well, although the arsenal she carried was significantly lighter than his. There was the assault rifle that Jim had spent the morning drilling her in the basics of, pre-meeting. It probably wouldn't be her first choice, as she hadn't had a lot of chance to practice with it yet, but she'd shown a natural aptitude that had proven encouraging, so Jim had encouraged her to go ahead and equip it for this, just in case. She also equipped the transmission device, the irony of it settling in on her that if she could only manage to speak on radio frequencies as well as she could hear them, she wouldn't need a device at all. After a moment's hesitation, she chose to load the assault weapon with tear gas. Anything that required killing she could probably handle just fine, and she'd rather keep it quiet if she could.. but it didn't hurt to have crowd control ready, just in case.

Finally, she pulled out the wickedly-sharp machete, and gave a light spin, testing it's weight in her hand. She shook her head as she slid it into the standard government-issue style scabbard strapped to her back.

"I'm ready to go, just waiting on Fox."

[Mr Fox]

Fox moved to a position that should be pretty well concealed but near where he suspected the Warden's suite of offices to be. Once there he opened up the gateway back to the plateau and stepped through. Knowing that sound doesn't travel through the opening he called out, "Bond, Jasmine, Jules, you're up. Let's move. On the double!"

To everyone else, "Everyone be ready stand in groups ready to come through as the gateways open."

[Jasmine Gentian]

Jasmine nodded, and waited for direction from Jim as to how they should proceed. Finding Denali's body might have stirred her desire for revenge, but it only made her more determined that this went off as smoothly as possible. Rushing in blindly would only risk the entire mission's success.

[Dan Hawkins]

Dan's face was an emotionless mask. He simply readied his assault rifle, made sure his Pistos were ready, and he kept shaped charges he'd prepared earlier in the protective pouch at his belt.

He copied Morgan's order and visibly relaxed, a precursor to preparing to do something far different than what he'd been doing since Z-day.

[SalmonMax]

Myfwany got up onto her feet, largely because it was awkward being the only one sitting. As far as she knew, her role would come in after the combat situation was over. She put her hand on the plastic case at her side, stocked with as much medical gear as could be spared. Her healing talent would be used only on those that needed it most, so as to spread that precious resource over as many as possible.

She nodded to indicate her readiness, hoping that she understood the plan correctly.

[Courier]

James stretched out and tried to rest easy. He had two handguns, two knives, a shotgun, and a medical kit, all holstered. For combat he'd brought along a weight lifter's bar he'd use as a staff.

(Lamppost)

[Fox]

Bond nodded to Fox as he led Jasmine and Jules through the strange rent in space. The trio stepped into the night-shrouded compound and immediately moved to crouch in the shadow of the nearest building. From the looks of the place, it seemed to be the primary administration block. Ideal.

"Warden's offices are likely to be on the top level." Bond murmured to the other two. "Let's move around the building and see if there's a fire escape. If we come across a sentry, we'll ask them some questions." He grinned tightly, his eyes glinting, then led off, moving quietly as he listened to the night around him.

Click to reveal..

Dex + Stealth = 7 dice + 1 Mega

1d10=4, 1d10=9, 1d10=2, 1d10=4, 1d10=3, 1d10=8, 1d10=3

Mega Dex

1d10=4

2 Succs on stealth roll

Perception and Awareness roll = 7 dice (specialty Alert)

1d10=6, 1d10=6, 1d10=10, 1d10=1, 1d10=9, 1d10=10, 1d10=4

poppin' 10s

1d10=4, 1d10=10

and again...

1d10=7

5 succs on Awareness roll

[Jasmine Gentian]

Jasmine nodded, closing her eyes for a brief second so she could expand her hearing.. somewhere between arriving and finding Denali it had faded away, but it never seemed to last too long of a time, perhaps listening to everything like that was too much for one person's brain to process, even someone with superpowers. She followed quietly behind Jim, trying to stay focused.

Click to reveal..

Activating Enhanced Hearing, -1QP = 21 QP

Rolling for Stealth: 5d10, 1st dice Mega → [7,8,9,2,4] = 4 suxx (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2296462/)

Rolling for Per/Aware: 7d10, 1st dice Mega → [1,2,4,4,2,1,4] = 0 suxx. (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2296477/)

Additional dice from Hyper-Enhanced Hearing: 3d10 → [6,5,5] = 0 suxx. (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2296491/)

Total Perc/Aware Roll = Botch.

...ow.

[Dawn OOC]

As the three moved quietly through the night, Bond heard voices ahead. "... believe he's still alive. Thought for sure Josh would have turned him loose in the pit already."

"C'mon, they were buddies before. 'Sides, he's in solitary."

"Yeah, with his toy. You know, he's using henna on her?"

"No shit? What a fuckin' wuss." There was a sigh, or a long exhale. "You know, she should be given to a real man."

"Whatever, she's too young for me. And there's a lot more fish in the pond." There was unpleasant male laughter. "Come on... let's find Jake and his toy before they get back to their room and lock themselves in for the night." Their voices began to fade into the night, though Bond could tell that his team could still catch them if they wanted.

[Fox]

The three infiltrators crept after the guard patrol, coming around the corner of the building behind them. Bond pointed at Jules and made motions for her to gag and capture the guard on the right. The Native American woman nodded grimly, and Bond motioned for Jasmine to hang back and keep an eye out as he drew one of his silenced Desert Eagle's. The gold-plated gun's silencer was the size of a beer can, and bulky, but it would stifle the sound of the .50 hollowpoint round inside to a light coughing noise.

The pair glided out from the shelter of the building's shadow, moving up behind the unwitting guards. As Jules went for the guard on the right, clamping her hand over his mouth and almost casually twisting his gun arm up behind his back in a paralysing pain lock, Bond put his pistol to the back of the other one's head and squeezed the trigger with about as much emotion as he would tie his shoelaces.

Blood, bone and brains sprayed out the front of the man's face as his skull part-disintegrated. Stooping, Bond grabbed the still-twitching corpse and dragged it into the shadows of the wall before moving back unhurriedly to Jasmine's lookout point, covering Jules as she did likewise with her prize.

Click to reveal..

Dex + Stealth = 7 dice + 1 Mega (mega dice is first)

1d10=10, 1d10=3, 1d10=1, 1d10=2, 1d10=4, 1d10=5, 1d10=5, 1d10=2

3 succs to sneak up behind the guards

Dex 5 + Firearms 4 + Mega Dex 1 to put a bullet in Lefty's head:

Bonus of 2 dice Acc because attack is from behind, plus another 2 from ambush stealth bonus. (First dice is Mega. Steady Hand quality in effect.)

1d10=4, 1d10=1, 1d10=7, 1d10=8, 1d10=6, ... 1d10=1, 1d10=9

re-rolling 10's

1d10=2

6 succs = 5 extra damage.

Damage Roll: 7d10 for Desert Eagle with HP rnds, + 5 from accuracy, + 2 for headshot. No lethal soak.

1d10=4, 1d10=3, 1d10=1, 1d10=6, 1d10=8, ...1d10=10, 1d10=8

7 lethal damage = Splat!

[z-Jules WhiteElk]

Jules was impatient. She was glad that she didn't recognize this area; it meant that this was a new place, somewhere away from the 'play area'. She wanted to catch Hornsbeck sleeping, or on the toilet, or fucking a donut. She wanted to rise out of the darkness and grab him, ripping his sense of security away like the lives he'd ripped apart.

She could hear herself breathing too rapidly, and she forced the rage and pain down. Jules wanted, needed to prove to Morgan that his worry about her control had been stupid. She recognized the one that Bond was creeping up on, but she forced her attention on the one he'd told her to grab. Teeth bared, she ghosted up behind him and slapped a hand over his mouth. Her other hand wrenched his gun-bearing arm behind his back, pushing his joint to the breaking point. As he went to his tiptoes and began to whimper with pain, she shoved him into the shadows, next to the corpse at Bond's feet. The man's eyes widened as he saw his dead friend, and the casually armed Bond.

Jules shoved him into the wall, and looked at Bond, assuming he had something to ask the man.

Click to reveal..

Jules' Stealth roll (Mega last, as always): 5 sux

5,3,3,2,4,7,2,10,10

5

Jules' Martial Arts Attack Roll (Mega last): 9 sux (7 from roll, 2 from second roll)

6,6,5,2,2,10,8,9,10

7

Added Dice from Attacking from behind (+2), plus Stealth sux (+4): 2 sux

9,5,2,5,9,1

No damage, grappling

[Fox]

"I'm going to ask you some questions." Bond said in a low, conversational tone that was nonetheless one of the most dangerous sounds the frightened man had ever heard. "If you lie to me, you end up like him." He gestured at the corpse at his feet as his other hand levelled the pistol at the man's face. "If you speak louder than I am right now, you end up like him. If you prove useless, then you end up like him." Bond's cheerful smile was terrible to see. "In fact, you're going to have to work very, very hard to stay alive, sunshine. Do you understand?"

Click to reveal..

Charisma + Intimidate roll = 4 dice and 1 mega, + 2 for circumstances = 7 dice

1d10=5, 1d10=7, 1d10=10, 1d10=9, 1d10=2, 1d10=2, 1d10=2

3 succs to intimidate the schlub

The frightened man nodded, almost mesmerised by the huge dark bore of the gun pointed at his left eye.

"Good." said Bond. "Now, where's Hornsbeck? What sort of guarding does he have around him? Answer now, and quietly, and I won't shoot you." The Englishman's voice was sincere, his gaze steady on the other man's.

[Jasmine Gentian]

Jasmine's head was abuzz with noises from all over, and her mind was still reeling from the image of her brother's body. She could feel a cold satisfaction stirring as she heard the muffled noise of Bond's shot, and the slight scuffle from Jules' actions. Part of her wanted to listen, to hear not only what the man said but just how much they were making him hurt. Listening to their pain wasn't what she was here for, though, and she forced herself to focus on the sounds around them to try to filter out what was close or far away, and to glance around to make sure they weren't being observed.

Click to reveal..

Rolling Perc/Aware, 1st die Mega plus 3 dice for HEH: 10d10 → [6,9,3,2,5,4,10,6,6,2] = 2 suxx

[Dawn OOC]

"Josh's rooms are upstairs, where the warden's offices were," the man whispered, pitching his voice so low that Bond had to strain to hear him. His eyes fell on Jules, then widened with recognition. He glanced at Jasmine and seemed relieved to not know her. "He used to have Simon around him, but they've been fighting, and Josh doesn't like to have people around when he's with his special to- girl. The guards aren't... they watch the fence and the pit, but they don't guard the quarters."

"And who, pray tell, is Simon?" Bond asked with deceptive casualness.

"Simon is Josh's friend," the man said quickly, still in that soft voice. "They were buddies before the zombies, and Simon's his right hand. But they've been arguing - Simon keeps trying to get him to change the way things are run, to stop the pit fighting and start letting other men come into the enclave."

[Fox]

Bond smiled. "I see. Thank you. Now, kindly turn and face the wall, hands behind your back." Bond's free hand reached for his belt and withdrew some cuffs from a pouch. The man, though still frightened, seemed relieved somewhat now that the imminent danger had passed. He slowly turned, putting his hands together behind his back. Bond glanced at Jules and Jasmine, raised a finger to his lips, then drew that finger across his throat before jerking a thumb at the guy facing the wall. The meaning was unmistakable.

Kill him. Quietly.

[Jasmine Gentian]

Jasmine stepped up behind him silently, and glanced at Bond briefly before turning back to the man, her voice a patient murmur.

"We almost forgot.. last question. Black kid, about fifteen. Red T-shirt. Cornrows. Who killed him?"

He shook his head slightly, hands still interlaced behind it.

"I don't remember anyone like him. I swear."

Jas took his hands then, and jerked them down firmly as if she were going to secure his wrists with the handcuffs. They saw his shoulders slump in relief as he anticipated the click of the metal around his wrists.. and then, almost too quick to register, she grabbed his head with her hands and with a smooth jerk she wrenched the man's neck to one side. He slumped unconscious in her arms but her expression flickered with annoyance, and she jerked his head back to the other side. With a quiet, sickening snap he dropped to the ground, his head grotesquely twisted to the side. Her voice was quiet, no louder than a whisper, but they could both hear it clearly.

"Too bad."

She glanced back to Jules and Bond, her expression cold and business-like. Then she tilted her head slightly towards the door to indicate that she was ready to go.

Click to reveal..

Activating Quickness: -1QP = 20 QP

Rolling Str + Might for 1st attack: 7d10 → [1,4,7,5,2,2,4] = 1 suxx + 5 auto from M-Str = 6 suxx

Rolling Str + Might for 2nd attack: 7d10 → [1,3,5,3,8,6,1] = 1 suxx + 5 auto from M-Str = 6 suxx

Total: 12 suxx

[Fox]

Bond nodded and led the way over to the admin building's front door. Crouching out of sight from anyone in the lobby he peered around into the lobby area.

Seeing no-one he moved up to the doors and slipped inside, searching for a stairwell as he motioned to Jasmine, tapping his ear and pointing upwards questioningly.

[Jasmine Gentian]

Jasmine nodded slightly, and tried to focus on any noises from the upper staircase. Unfortunately, her enhanced hearing sense seemed only to blur all the sounds together, so that everything was an indistinct murmuring of noises that she couldn't make any sense of. She shook her head slightly at Bond and shrugged a little, looking a little aggravated at herself.

Click to reveal..

Rolling for Per/Aware: (18:59:27) ChatBot: (Jasmine) rolls 10d10 and gets 1,3,1,5,6,2,1,2,5,7 = 1 suxx

[Fox]

Bond shrugged matter-of-factly and gave Jas a reassuring lopsided smile. Raising his pistol and covering his front he started up the stairs at a quick but stealthy pace, the soft soles of his boots making little noise as he ascended to the second floor. Once there, he crouched at the corner of the stairwell and upper hallway and peeked round, looking for any signs of the alert and awake in addition to a door with "Warden's Office" or something similar written on it.

Click to reveal..

Dex + Stealth + 1 MegaDex = 8 dice, mega is first one rolled.

(00:47:35) ChatBot: (Bond) rolls 8d10 and gets [8],7,4,6,8,4,1,8.

5 succs to move silently.

[Jasmine Gentian]

Jasmine followed behind Bond, her machete clenched tightly in her hand and her footfalls quiet on the steps as they climbed.

Click to reveal..

Rolling for Stealth, 1st die M-Dex: (20:30:04) ChatBot: (Jasmyne) rolls 7d10 and gets 9,4,7,10,9,7,3, drop the last two b/c too many die rolled = 5 suxx

[Venus]

Originally Posted By: SalmonMax

Myfwany got up onto her feet, largely because it was awkward being the only one sitting. As far as she knew, her role would come in after the combat situation was over. She put her hand on the plastic case at her side, stocked with as much medical gear as could be spared. Her healing talent would be used only on those that needed it most, so as to spread that precious resource over as many as possible.

She nodded to indicate her readiness, hoping that she understood the plan correctly.

Violet remained quiet and concentrated ever since they arrived at the scene. She was still nervous and trying to keep her anxiety in check. Visions of the last time she went with the team still haunted her and she didn’t dare to look at James out of several reasons. This will never get any easier – face it Violet. You’re responsible for yourself and what you do and these people need your help so just focus on the task and stop being so selfish….

It sounded easier in her mind than it actually was. Even now Violet’s major concern where focused around Dan and herself and less about the prisoners or the others around her… with the exception for Jasmine and Jules of course.

The buxom and totally misplaced beauty nervously held on to the plastic case like Myfwany did mirroring her actions somewhat and sighed in anticipation. Focus, Violet. Concentrate on the wounded – ease their pain. Think about everything else later. Just don’t panic – don’t panic…

[Dawn OOC]

The long hallways had lots of doors. Bond could see that the one at the far end of the hall had once had letter's glued to the frosted pane, but they had been removed. The first letter might have been a 'W'.

As Bond peered closer, one of the other doors opened. "God damnit," the man muttered as he stalked out of the room, wiping his hands with a towel. Bond's gut tightened as he realized that the man's hands were bloody.

He stalked to a phone mounted on the wall and picked up the receiver, standing in profile to the watching super. "Tony, I think I've got a cold one. Yeah, I haven't worked out a good level of force yet. Mind sending someone up to take it out? Thanks, buddy."

[Fox]

Some would have flown into a rage right there. Others might have shrank back from the caricature of humanity standing there calmly talking about a 'cold one' as though the former human being in the room behind them was simply trash. Bond's already cold blood turned to liquid nitrogen in his veins. He drew back enough to turn to Jasmine and motioned for her to keep watch back the way they had come. Jules he signalled to watch his back, then as the bloody-handed man turned back towards his room Bond moved.

He ran smoothly and on the balls of his feet down the corridor, making little noise. But the man in front of him tensed and whirled around, alerted by the faintest of squeaking sounds from Bond's boots, or maybe simply the sense of air moving behind him. His face slackened for a second, then his eyes went wide and he opened his mouth.

"Raiders!" he hollered, then Bond was on him. The Brit mercenary brought his knee up sharply into the man's gut then, as he doubled over, brought one fist over and down in an overhand strike to the side of the head that knocked the man to the floor. He was still groaning weakly and cursing, but Bond was moving on, eyes fixed on the frosted panes of the warden's office door, trusting those behind him to do their parts. He raised a hand and pressed his radio switch as he moved.

"Fox, get everyone ready to step up. We've been made, but we'll have the target in hand in a second." The cat was well and truly out of the bag, but they still had the element of surprise.

Now if they could just keep it.

Click to reveal..

Dex + Mega Dex + Stealth = 8 dice (1st one is mega)

1d10=5, 1d10=8, 1d10=4, 1d10=5, 1d10=5, 1d10=4, 1d10=5, 1d10=9

2 succs (failed, other guy got 4)

Init Roll

1d10=7 + 12 base init

= 19

Multiple Action: Kneeing the guy in the stomach then hitting him over the back of the head as he doubles over.

Dex + Mega Dex + Martial Arts -2 for Multiple Action = 8 dice (1st one mega)

1d10=10, 1d10=5, 1d10=3, 1d10=10, 1d10=2, 1d10=9, 1d10=1, 1d10=5

5 succs -1 for diff mod (Kick attack) = 4 succs.

Damage: Str 4 + 3 extra succs + 3 Kick - 3 Bashing soak = 7d10B

1d10=6, 1d10=6, 1d10=5, 1d10=5, 1d10=7, 1d10=8, 1d10=3

2 Bashing.

Second Attack

Dex + Mega Dex + Martial Arts -3 for Multiple Action = 7 dice (1st one mega)

1d10=10, 1d10=10, 1d10=7, 1d10=1, 1d10=9, 1d10=1, 1d10=5

5 succs to hit - 2 for head shot = 3 succs

Damage: Str 4 + 2 extra succs + 2 Strike + 2 Location - 3 Bashing soak = 7d10B

1d10=3, 1d10=9, 1d10=8, 1d10=2, 1d10=7, 1d10=6, 1d10=5

3 Bashing damage

Total 5 Bashing damage.

[Jasmine Gentian]

Instinct told her to run, to follow Bond right into that room and knock the shit out of anyone who tried to stop them, but she didn't. That wasn't what she had be told to do, and instead she slipped around the corner from the stairwell, where she would be able to see someone approaching from the downstairs area and get a surprise attack on anyone trying to approach from the downstairs area.

Click to reveal..

Rolling for Init: 1d10 → [7] + 10 Base Init = 17

Rolling for Stealth, 1st die M-Dex: 5d10 → [3,8,8,6,6] = 2 suxx

[Courier]

Violet remained an eye magnet for James.

*You could walk over there and talk. We probably should.*

*Sure. Think you could stay calm and collected?*

*...Actually yeah, I could.*

*Think she could? Think everyone else would? That no one else would jump in?*

*At any minute we could walk into combat. This isn't the time or place for a fight, or even a talk, with the ex-girlfriend.*

[Atomicweasel]

From behind the tallest sagebrush she could find, a young girl squatted on the heels of her Adidas sneakers and watched the group assembled upon the plateau...

...it was the strangest group of people she had ever seen. Gathered around their Humvees the girl could make out a huge wide shouldered man, an impossible freak of nature who looked like a Barbie Doll made flesh, and a man who twisted warping shapes of hazy ether out of thin air, rending the sky as if it were made of cheap and flimsy paper. There were others as well, and the girl squinted to make them out. She followed their gaze to the prison down below them, shifted her weight from one sleek coltish leg to the other and chewed her lower lip as she tried to make up her mind.

The girl was hungry. Hungry and tired and most of all thirsty. The last drops of the Evian water bottle she’d found in the abandoned Jetta were gone. Drank last night. Her stomach was a tight knot of hunger, her legs were sore and burning from the dull ache of walking and walking and walking some more. Her throat felt like she had a piece of sandpaper lodged in it. No matter how much she swallowed it stayed dry and tight and uncomfortable.

She’d seen the prison from the road in the early hours of the morning and she’d been walking towards it all day. Only now she saw the squat ominous buildings for what they were. Only now she saw the imposingly tall wall. Only now…it was too late. She was here and she was out of food and drink…with nowhere else to go.

The girl shifted again, settling back on her heels, shrugging her backpack an inch higher. She stuffed her hands into the thin black hoodie to feel the reassuring weight of the cold steel, to wrap her slender little fingers around the thick rubber grip, to trace the slope and curl of the trigger. What should I do? The girl wondered for the umpteenth time. What should I do?

[Venus]

Originally Posted By: Courier

Violet remained an eye magnet for James.

*You could walk over there and talk. We probably should.*

*Sure. Think you could stay calm and collected?*

*...Actually yeah, I could.*

*Think she could? Think everyone else would? That no one else would jump in?*

*At any minute we could walk into combat. This isn't the time or place for a fight, or even a talk, with the ex-girlfriend.*

Violet’s nervous eyes suddenly found James’ and she hesitated for a short moment. He was looking at her, watching her.

Is he watching me? I feel so… guilty and it’s all my fault., the flesh become mens wetdream shifted her stance and reached for the plastic case with both hands now holding on to it like a safety handle. Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on your pov) holding the case like that had the side effect of mashing her mighty breasts even tighter in her bodice which made them bulge with abundance and thus generating the deepest cleavage mankind has seen.

What if he comes over and talks to me?, she kept asking herself while her eyes remained locked with his’.

[Courier]

Violet made eye contact. Neither of them looked away. Stray thoughts ran through James mind. The most beautiful woman in the world, and she used to be mine. Is that an offer I see in her eyes? Regret? Would she undo things and go back? Would I? ...Do I want her back?

Dozens of sexual encounters and the intense feelings that went with them crossed James memory. Yeah, I guess I do.

James took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Sorrow. Regret. Remembered pain. ...All part of the package.

Yeah, I guess I do. Not the time, not the place, and... even if I want her back, I shouldn't.

James turned around and walked away.

[Dan Hawkins]

In the preparation for Battle, Dan looked back to Violet and actually smiled. He tapped his head once and mouthed "It'll be alright." He turned back to his preparations and looking out towards the Prison.

It would be easy, provided everything went halfway according to plan. He was as calm as he could be, and he knew that soon he'd be doing a soldier's work. Protecting the weak, taking down the enemy.

[Venus]

Originally Posted By: Courier

Violet made eye contact. Neither of them looked away. Stray thoughts ran through James mind. The most beautiful woman in the world, and she used to be mine. Is that an offer I see in her eyes? Regret? Would she undo things and go back? Would I? ...Do I want her back?

Dozens of sexual encounters and the intense feelings that went with them crossed James memory. Yeah, I guess I do.

James took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Sorrow. Regret. Remembered pain. ...All part of the package.

Yeah, I guess I do. Not the time, not the place, and... even if I want her back, I shouldn't.

James turned around and walked away.

In a matter of seconds Violet read James surface emotions. There was confusion and uncertainty but it quickly got replaced by pain and resolve. Then he turned around and walked away breaking eye contact with her.

Violet gasped and had to fight back tears and shook her head to clear her head and get rid of the emotions she sensed. Dan’s warm voice helped a lot to bring her back to her senses although she instantly was afraid that he noticed how she had eye contact with James.

Originally Posted By: Dan Hawkins

In the preparation for Battle, Dan looked back to Violet and actually smiled. He tapped his head once and mouthed "It'll be alright." He turned back to his preparations and looking out towards the Prison.

“I’m ok…”, she answered answering a question he hasn’t asked.

[SalmonMax]

Myfwany's attention was on the prison, and most of the seething angst between James, Violet and Dan was lost on her. Even so, she sensed that she was something of a fifth wheel in their presence, and instinctively drifted away from the humvee, over towards an outcropping of rock that she could sit down on and twiddle her thumbs as she waited to be needed.

[Atomicweasel]

Originally Posted By: SalmonMax

Myfwany's attention was on the prison, and most of the seething angst between James, Violet and Dan was lost on her. Even so, she sensed that she was something of a fifth wheel in their presence, and instinctively drifted away from the humvee, over towards an outcropping of rock that she could sit down on and twiddle her thumbs as she waited to be needed.

The woman was coming right towards her. She would be seen, the girl was sure. She would be spotted and then she would be at the mercy of these strange people. Maybe they would want to load her into one of the Humvees. Maybe they would want to take her things and leave her stranded. They might be slavers or raiders waiting for people to leave the prison so they could ambush them. The woman coming towards her didn’t look like a cold-blooded killer, the girl thought, but you could never know. So many things had changed. You couldn’t count on anything. On anyone.

The girl bit her lip and held her breath as the woman sat down on a rock, right next to her sage brush. She couldn’t just sit still and hope for the best. That was stupid. There wasn’t time to think. She had to act.

Myfwany had just settled down atop a comfortable flat rock when a figure burst out from the sage brush to her left and screamed “FREEZE!” Standing behind her, placing Myfwany squarely between her and the group on the plateau, stood a young Asian girl in a knit cap, wearing a black zip-up hoodie, some torn and dirty jeans and a pair of Adidas sneakers. In her trembling hands the girl held a bulky, snub-nosed hand-cannon, a .38 special from the looks of it, sleek and chrome and dangerous.

“I’ll shoot!” the girl threatened, her voice wavering, looking scared and uncertain. “Don’t try anything!”

[SalmonMax]

As she often did in a crisis, Myfwany felt herself go numb, emotionally. It left a prickly, tingly feeling along her arms, on the inside. When she spoke, it felt like someone else talking.

"Okay," she said, "I'm frozen. You got me. What do you want me to do now?"

[Dan Hawkins]

Dan heard someone yell freeze, but it didn't sound like a Man's voice. He nodded once and moved off to investigate. He looked around and saw Myfwany seated on a stone, with a younger somewhat dishelved woman holding a gun at her.

He let the battle rifle hang on it's strap and held his hands, speaking in a calm quiet voice.

"I don't know who you are but if you put that gun away, I'm sure we can come to a peaceful resolution here. Nobody wants to get hurt, not you, not my friend, not me."

He nods. "So let's put away the gun and talk."

[Atomicweasel]

The girl stared in turn at Dan and Myfwany, the revolver moving with her eyes, huge in her small shaking hands. “Don’t...stop there!” she told Dan, noticing the menacing rifle hanging from his shoulder. Shit. She felt stupid. Very stupid. She should’ve tried to sneack off. This couldn’t go anywhere good. She didn’t think she could hit the man if she shot at him now and she didn’t want him to come any closer. She only had three bullets left. And she wanted to save the last one for...

“I’m hungry,” the girl blurted, blushing furiously. She felt like an absolute idiot. She was pointing the gun at Dan now.

“Put that rifle down!” she added, trying to sound the opposite of what she felt. She jabbed the gun in the air at him.

“Do it, put it down!”

[Dan Hawkins]

Dan nodded.

In an easy motion he unslung the rifle almost to fast to be seen and set it on the ground. "Well most of us didn't bring any food on this expedition."

"That said perhaps we can come to some sort of arrangement. You need to put that gun down though. Marines don't like being held at gunpoint." He hoped Myf would either join in reaffirming his assertions, or that she'd remain relatively calm. He didn't want to have to disarm her forcefully.

he looked at Myfwany. "Did you happen to pack anything in the Humvee?"

He looks at the young girl. "If you let her go get it I'll stay here." Fair trade in his mind, and she'd be able to go either actually get her something to eat, or get Fox who had more of a compelling aura about him.

[SalmonMax]

"Look in the medical kit," Myfwany instructs Dan. "Under the bandages should be a peanut butter chocolate bar in a foil wrapper."

She cautiously looked around behind her, and her heart skipped on seeing the skinny, young urchin standing there. Pure pity, chasing even the fear away.

"You don't have to be afraid," she said gently. "We're not going to hurt you. Did you escape from the prison?"

[Atomicweasel]

“You’re a marine?” The girl asked Dan. She swallowed back the thickness in her throat and gave him a searching look that took in his fast confident movements, his strong build, the rifle on the ground, and the lines of his face. She wanted very much to believe him. The girl’s arms sagged and her revolver dipped, dropping to her waist line. The gun felt so heavy.

At the mention of peanut-butter and chocolate, the girl’s eyes went wide with hope. “No, I didn’t.” She answered the woman, turning slightly to look at her. Why were they being so nice to her? She bit her lower lip and scowled a little.

“And I’m not afraid, okay?” the girl lied.

[Dan Hawkins]

Dan nods once, slowly reachin into his fatigues and under his shirt and withdrawing his dogtags. "One of the last ones still fighting the good fight I sometimes think."

He nods. "never said you were affraid. Now are you gonna put away the gun so we can all rest a little easier? We can go get that chocolate She was talking about."

He was wearing one of the several spare sets of BDu's he had, and not his actual ones that had his his name and unit on it. He cursed inwardly at his unpreparredness.

"My name is Dan. What's your's?"