Aberrant: War Journal - WJ2: Day of Days

[Heritage]

September 24, 2056 0400 Hours. Somewhere deep under Virginia.

In a darkened room, a computer monitor is the only source of light; an older gentleman, impressive in his youth but now merely tired, leans back in a leather chair staring blankly at the screen. His uniform is neatly pressed and an untouched cup of coffee steams next to the monitor. On the screen is a prompt:

Do you wish to initiate Operation Trident? Yes No

The man sighs, rubs his face thoughtfully, and gazes up at the ceiling vent; when was the last time he breathed real unfiltered air?

Do you wish to initiate Operation Trident? Yes No

His coffee would soon be cold; he should get a fresh cup.

Do you wish to initiate Operation Trident? Yes No

Goddamn it, it wasn't going to go away; maybe this could be it, the begining of the end of this sad, sorry mess. At last, he spoke aloud to no one.

God help the ugly bastards.

Do you wish to initiate Operation Trident? Yes No

.

.

.

.

.

.

Yes

(OOC Note: No one should start posting yet - this is just me being melodramatic and giving myself a kick in the butt ::wink)

[Heritage]

September 24, 2056 0500 Hours. Greens Regular Army, 8th Battalion HQ

They called it the Well. A smooth shaft that dropped deep into the heart of the mountain, barely a meter across and fifty meters deep, designed to keep bad guys out of the way. At the bottom was a circular chamber five meters in diameter, with a white padded floor and walls sloped sharply back to the shaft; if you were taller than six feet, you bumped your head a lot. Dim illumination was provided by pale green flourescent strips in the walls. Small hidden vents misted the air with mox every three minutes; food was lowered via TK three times a day on a battered metal tray, all of it dosed with mox and other drugs to keep you confused and off your game. Only TK could get you in and out of the Well.

There was a trap door in the middle of the floor - beneath it was a blackened ceramic container for human waste. Once the trap was closed, intense heat vaporized the piss and shit, the foul stench almost instantly pumped away. Toilet paper came down on the metal tray, too. A small niche in the wall held a tiny sink, colorless soap and a sponge - the water was tepid and tasted metalic.

Havoc had been down the Well for over a week. Julia had written him every day.

Breakfast time, Havoc.

The voice hung in the air, sourceless: more eerie magic courtesy of the Engineers. The tray gently lowered down the shaft, glints of green light flashing off its polished surface. The meal was bland yet filling, if you cared to eat it. A small dried wildflower was clipped to the tray by a clothespin, which also held another letter. From Julia.

[Heritage]

September 24, 2056 0500 Hours. Greens Regular Army, Base X4

Early Sunday morning. Saturday night had been.... First Sergeant Marena Colby sat up in her bunk; what had Saturday been? She poked her head out and craned her neck to see if Scout Second Grade Lynn Epstein was awake yet.

I'm awake, Reena.

Colby couldn't help but grin.

Morning. Did I drink again last night, Lynn?

There was a pause.

No.

Another pause.

You inhaled.

Colby frowned, started flipping through her sheets and covers.

And yet I woke up alone? What did I do wrong?

Another long pause from the top bunk.

You hit on the captain.

In an instant, all the color left Colby's face, making her skin as pale as her bleach blonde hair.

Oh, you're shitting me - you have to be. I could not have been that drunk; there's not enough liquor in the world to get me that drunk!

There was slight creaking sound, and then the gorgeous, impish face of Epstein peered over the side - her eyes glowed with mischief.

Got-cha!

That brought the color back to Colby's face pretty damn quick.

You hellspawn! You fiend from below! Come down off the ceiling so I can strangle the life out of you!

The diminutive Scout shook her head from above, wearing Buzz Lightyear pajamas and still grinning like a maniac; she'd scampered up there so quick her bunkmate barely saw it.

Hell no, I'm staying up here - oh look, I can see your roots from up here! Eep!

The next pillow will knock your head clean off! Hey, get back here!

Pulling on a tattered robe, Colby chased Epstein out of the sleeping area, through the new med ward and into the main hallway, her eyes never leaving the young woman impossibly tearing across the ceiling. Moments later Colby dashed into the C&C, only to collide bodily with Corporal Daniels, who had just got up from monitor duty for a quick stretch.

Oof!

Down went Colby and Daniels - even though the big man had over a foot on her, all five feet of the first sergeant was muscles. Except for the pleasant softer bits...one of which was currently pressed into Daniels' face.

Oh, crap, are you okay, Danny?

The corporal's reply was slightly muffled.

Um, yeah.. I think I'm bleeding on your, well..

Epstein dropped down from the ceiling, landing in a graceful feline crouch.

Omigod, are you guys okay? I'm so sorry, I'm having one of my three year old days- oh wow.

Colby pulled herself up, clutching her chest and her side.

Ooh! 'Oh wow', what?

The young Scout pointed wordlessly at Daniels, who was tilting back his head and clutching a bloody nose, and then at Colby's chest.

You've got blood on your boob.

What? Oh for pete's sake-

As if one cue, it seemed the rest of the base woke up at damn near the same time. Chambers came in, saw the blood on both soldiers, and started to laugh his ass off.

Oh dear lord, Danny Boy cut hisself on Sarge's titty! It must have been cold in your bunk, sarge!

Epstein slapped his arm.

It's not funny! Get some paper towels from the break area - here, Daniels, take a seat and keep your head back. Remember, I'm the doctor until Lobe gets back, so....just do it.

OOC: Emma and Griffin can come in now.

[Grizzly]

A quite wrinkled looking Griffin comes into the C&C. He hasn´t been sleeping well in the last days since he came back from that Badland-Mission. He hadn´t been very talkative, too. He wears BDU trousers, boots and a T-shirt.

" What´s the noise, Folks?"

[Heritage]

Colby pointed at her chest and waved her hand vaguely at Daniels.

It was...nothing, stupid. I ran into Daniels and he...smacked his face up.

Captain Delcaroix stomped into C&C wrapped in a blanket, dark strokes of purple lightning boiling beneath his skin.

What the hell is going on in here? If I wanted to get up this early, I'd have stayed in the Army!

He took one look at the situation, and started to laugh despite himself.

Heh-heh-HA! Oh my goodness! This....this needs to be reported. Personnel injured on base...very serious. Specialist Mortimer - please interview the subjects and make a full report. I want this on it's way to HQ five minutes ago!

With a flourish, he made his way into the break room.

Who want's coffee? ::biggrin

[Grizzly]

It was...nothing, stupid. I ran into Daniels and he...smacked his face up.

"Ah, well. He´ll probably won´t be the first man who gets a bleeding nose when he sees you in that outfit, Reena" ::wink

Pointing with a nod to her "outfit". ::biggrin

Who want's coffee?

"Coffee? Sounds good to me!"

[Heritage]

September 24, 2056 0500 Hours. Greens Regular Army, WS Bravo

"The Underground City that Never Sleeps" - Bravo went by a lot of names, some of them unprintable, but it had a lot in common with the New York of old. The warpfloor was always in motion, always bustling with activity, the med ward was always patching people up, and the Engineers were always coming up with new ways to melt diamonds and slow time.

Tucked away in a back corner, just down the hall from the stinky realm of the Cobras, was a small set of rooms, once used for storage but recently converted into living quarters. The folks who slept there wore odd uniforms, or none at all; one woman wore some sort of blue-black jumpsuit that showed her curves off nicely, but she had a weird vibe about her...

This was where the Trans-D team was stationed, and they were bored out of their skulls; it had been a week since they'd come back from their first mission, and by all accounts it was a rousing success. So why were they still on the bench? One week of being questioned, tested, questioned again, immersed in a strange green liquid ("Hey, that's cold!"), tested again, and having needles stuck in every inch of skin. It was enough to drive you crazy!

Last night the uber-nerds from every branch of the RA finally signed off on them; they were free to move about the cabin. Which in this case led (predictably) to a night of wine, women and song at Downstairs, the only bar in Bravoland; even uptight Dr. Katherine Vanderlay let her hair down, which just went to show how cooped up they'd been.

And now, the morning after. Dear God, the morning after...

There were four rooms with bunk beds, all of which opened onto a central room maybe six meters by six, with a well-worn coffee table and two couches. A flatscreen TV on the far wall was playing Looney Tunes off of a local cable feed, and 'Kat' Vanderlay was sprawled out on a couch, staring at it with gummy eyes. The zipper of her jumpsuit appeared to be broken, and her hair was a tangled mess.

Hey, Tweety - I always hated you.

In other parts of the station, life continued on - in the family center, brightly colored walls with paintings of cartoon characters looked down on sleeping children snug in their bunks. And in the Cobra dorm, overgrown children with arms like tree trunks snored like behemoths, in bunks make of reinforced steel.

OOC: Any who wish to start in Bravo can do so now.

[archer]

Thoughtfully tugging at his beard, the newcomer from Permafrost who called himself Rourke wondered what was next. Warping to Carson had been strange enough, and the journey back to this place they called Bravo had been even stranger, but oddest of all were the people themselves.

They all seemed incredibly driven and focused, but joked among themselves with a rough humor that belied their apparently military culture. He'd run into a few hard-asses in the scattered towns of Permafrost, even a few who'd given themselves military ranks and had their own miniature paramilitary groups...but they were nothing like the people from this world.

What had kept him up all week was the familiarity he felt around them, and being here in this place. He'd pretended to sleep these past few nights, and even pretended to be drunk during last night's activities, but he felt less and less that he had to hide his abilities from them.

Hell, enough of the folks here had shown some bizarre power or another that he'd begun to suspect that his own talents would barely be noticed.

And then of course, there was the other problem. When the lost team returned, at least of couple of them spent some time talking with their superiors, and there had been more than one pointed glance in his direction, followed by a usual expression of disbelief on the superior's face.

At least one of the original team's members had tried to convince him earlier that he was one of them, that he was actually from this world, and not the icy world he knew. Apparently they were sharing their misguided beliefs.

He shook his head. He just didn't know what to think anymore. But one problem at a time. He knew he was hungry, and he knew from the way some of them ate, there was more than enough food around here.

Sliding easily from his top bunk to the concrete floor, and still scratching his beard, Rourke walked quietly out to the central room.

"Hello, Ms. Vanderlay."

[Heritage]

"Hello, Ms. Vanderlay."

←

Kat raised her head as High up from the couch as she could muster, a good three inches, and frowned at the shaggy man.

That's Doctor Ms. Vanderlay to you.

She grinned, but that seemed to be a bad idea judging from her wince; she slowly lowered her head back to the armrest and threadbare cushion.

Ohhh....good morning, Rourke. Boy, that'll teach me to go drinking with a bunch of eximorphs; you guys really know how to metabolize your liquor.

[BlueNinja]

Ohhh....good morning, Rourke. Boy, that'll teach me to go drinking with a bunch of eximorphs; you guys really know how to metabolize your liquor.

Judy comes in from one of the other rooms, and slides her sawed-off into the holster on her back. "See, the smart thing to do would be to cut that alcohol with a few water glasses in between. But then, having a medical degree doesn't actually come with intelligence." She smirks and winks at the good Doctor Kat, then glances at the door to the hallway. "I don't suppose you know what's for breakfast, do you? I've been up for an hour going stir-crazy because I thought everyone was asleep."

Smiling at Rourke, she claps him on the shoulder as she heads out into the hallway to head for the mess hall.

[ezekiel]

Havoc had been down the Well for over a week. Julia had written him every day.

Breakfast time, Havoc.

The voice hung in the air, sourceless: more eerie magic courtesy of the Engineers. The tray gently lowered down the shaft, glints of green light flashing off its polished surface. The meal was bland yet filling, if you cared to eat it. A small dried wildflower was clipped to the tray by a clothespin, which also held another letter. From Julia.

Down in the Well, Havoc moved his massive bulk closer to the tray. He eyed the food a moment and ate it. He didn't eat out of hunger, they fed him well enough, but at least it gave him something to do. The worst about being in the Well was the seclusion...being alone in a hole he couldn't even stand up in...except at the shaft itself where he stood to stretch his legs every now and then. There was no sense in trying to escape, he knew they'd let him out soon enough...

Havoc grabbed the envelope and tore it open, sniffing at its contents. Most would miss it but he was sure he could smell her. The envelope was tainted, but the letter itself was all her. Thick fingers gently pulled the letter out of the envelope and he devoured the words. A quick read...then slow, trying to drag it out as much as possible...

The nova grabbed the metal tray and put it on his knees. A glimpse of his reflection on the polished surface made him wince. The burnt flesh was no longer masked and he never liked seeing himself since the incident. He quickly covered the image with paper and soon all that could be heard was the scrawling of a pen...

[Asbjørn]

WS Bravo

"57 minutes." Hood mumbles as he returns from the shower room, with only a towel wrapped around himself and drying his short cropped hair with a second. The vague scent of soap and disinfected water hangs about him, but he doesn't care if it's recycled. The luxury of baths and showers remind him far too much of home to skip it.

He glances after the leaving Kaprinski, nods at Rourke and Kat - who he keeps referring to and adressing by first name - and slings the smaller towel over his neck as he heads over to the table to pick up a cup and some tea bag probably well past its sell-by date. Pouring himself a cup with a wide yawn, he blinks a few times and looks at the TV screen in silence for a few seconds.

"You know... I never understood this stuff," he says, gesturing with the cup to the ongoing battle between the bird and the cat.

"Stupid bird, stupid cat... Is there some kind of tradition or cultural element I've missed, or is it just bad?"

He glances at the doctor for an answer and adds, his gaze focused somewhat below eye level

"By the way, Kat, your zipper's broken... Did I have anything to do with that? Or was it you, Rourke?"

[archer]

That's Doctor Ms. Vanderlay to you.

Rourke grins. "Yes ma'am. I'll try to remember."

Ohhh....good morning, Rourke. Boy, that'll teach me to go drinking with a bunch of eximorphs; you guys really know how to metabolize your liquor.

Still not quite sure what the good doctor was saying half the time, with all her jargon thrown in, Rourke nods politely and smiles."I'd say you kept pace well enough...", he cuts off as Judy comes in and harasses Vanderlay, then pats him on the shoulder before leaving.

Glancing after her, he opens his mouth again, then closes it when Hood arrives.

"By the way, Kat, your zipper's broken... Did I have anything to do with that? Or was it you, Rourke?"

The tall man chuckles, half-scandalized. "No no...not that I remember anyways. I can make you a new zipper-pull for that, Doctor Ms. Vanderlay, if you like." ::smile

[Asbjørn]

WS Bravo

The tall man chuckles, half-scandalized. "No no...not that I remember anyways. I can make you a new zipper-pull for that, Doctor Ms. Vanderlay, if you like." ::smile

"That's the trick, ain't it. Remembering..."

Taking a sip of his bitter tea, Hood adds

"Can't say much for the taste of the booze they've got Downstairs, but it's sure got a kick in it. I could use a few hours sleep myself..." ::wink

[phoenix]

Bravo Station:

Hey guys.

Sex seems to fill the air as the quintessential image of the gorgeous Native American girl saunters into the room, wearing baggy camouflage pants and a well-fitting T-shirt printed with the words "SNAKE EYES!". Sarah Adoette, the most sociable of the team's Cobra neighbors, has made a habit of coming over to visit from time to time.

Glancing at the TV, Sarah grimaces and plops down onto the sofa next to Rourke.

Why are you all watching this?

[archer]

"That's the trick, ain't it. Remembering..."

Rourke gives the scout an odd look, then moves to the sofa and sits down, leaving some space between himself and Vanderlay out of politeness.

Glancing at the TV, Sarah grimaces and plops down onto the sofa next to Rourke.

Why are you all watching this?

The open space now taken by Sarah sitting right between himself and Vanderlay, Rourke sighs mentally and leans back against the cushions. "No idea, it was on when I came out. You didn't catch a whiff of any hot joe from the mess on your way in, did you?"

[Alex Green]

'WS Bravo'

The teleporter goes off,

And out steps Lieutenant Alejandro Muñoz, aka “Vlad”, aka “that tunnel guy”. Vlad is a ‘young 20’s’ Hispanic male whose physic and chiseled good looks brand him as a nova. His hair is very short and his eufiber is in earth tones.

“Yo” He says to anyone present.

“Lieutenant Muñoz reporting for duty.”

[Asbjørn]

WS Bravo

Glancing at the TV, Sarah grimaces and plops down onto the sofa next to Rourke.

Why are you all watching this?

"Cause someone's brain has got an alcohol malfunction..." Hood replies, with a gesture to the doc.

Turning his eyes on the sexbomb that just sauntered into the room, he's quickly reminded he's not exactly in uniform and adds "Anyway, I.. er.. I was just passing through. Be right back." ::blush

With that he returns to his sleeping quarters - leaving the door open so he won't miss any conversation - and pulls on his green standard fatigues and a washed out, originally black T-shirt. Hanging his weapons rig and gear ready for a red alert he then puts his boots on and returns to the common room.

"So what brings you over, Sarah? Nothing that needs blowing up today?" ::sly

[phoenix]

Bravo Gelato

The open space now taken by Sarah sitting right between himself and Vanderlay, Rourke sighs mentally and leans back against the cushions. "No idea, it was on when I came out. You didn't catch a whiff of any hot joe from the mess on your way in, did you?"

Sarah shrugs and cocks her head back, affecting mysteriousness.

I nevair dreenk.. joe. ::sly

She flashes teeth in a grin.

"So what brings you over, Sarah? Nothing that needs blowing up today?"

::laugh Sarah feigns a look of shock as she checks the time.

It's like 5 in the morning mate. You special ops types may do your rough-and-tumble this early, but Cobras sleep 'til noon.

She pauses thoughtfully.

Please tell me this is you guys, up early, and not just you guys, up late.

[Asbjørn]

WS Bravo

It's like 5 in the morning mate. You special ops types may do your rough-and-tumble this early, but Cobras sleep 'til noon.

"Which brings me back to my question..." ::wink

She pauses thoughtfully.

Please tell me this is you guys, up early, and not just you guys, up late.

"Late, early... who cares? I haven't done much but sleep the last week anyway... " ::rolleyes

Hood grins as he slumps down in the other couch, sipping his tea. Running calloused fingers over his newly shaved jaw, he adds "Abwoon, I hope we get back out soon. I hate being cooped up like this..." He glances at the others and smiles.

"Nothing wrong with the company, but I'd prefer being out doing things..."

[Alex Green]

Bravo Station:

Hearing voices, Vlad tracks them down and wanders into the room. He drops his duffle bag next to a wall. It's 5 am but he looks fresh out of a shower. Vlad is a extremely hansom ‘young 20’s’ Hispanic male, although his appearence isn't quite 'nova' level it's close. He wears his eufiber well, and between his looks, eufiber, and pronounced muscles he's obviously a nova.

”Hey there. I’m Alej, but everyone calls me Vlad. And you are…”

‘Vlad’ looks around the room and spots Sarah,

”…gorgeous.” ::blink

[phoenix]

"Which brings me back to my question..."

Sarah shrugs.

Just kidding. I don't really need that much sleep. In fact I've never met one of us who did.

I mostly just got tired of beating Komodo at backgammon, so I thought I'd come see what you lot are doing.

”Hey there. I’m Alej, but everyone calls me Vlad. And you are…”

‘Vlad’ looks around the room and spots Sarah,

”…gorgeous.”

Sarah regards Vlad with less awkwardness than might be expected after a remark like that.

Thanks Vlad, you too. Sarah, Hood, Rourke, Doc Vanderlay.

She points out each individual as she says their name.

[Alex Green]

Sarah regards Vlad with less awkwardness than might be expected after a remark like that.

Thanks Vlad, you too. Sarah, Hood, Rourke, Doc Vanderlay.

She points out each individual as she says their name.

Vlad reddens a bit but doesn’t seem as embarrassed as he might be.

”Sorry, you probably get that a lot. I was just thinking you’d make a great sculpture. Hello everyone.”

Vlad nods to each in turn.

[Asbjørn]

Hood nods to the newcommer, wondering if this is some new cobra he doesn't know or if he's just lost...

"Vlad? That's not a hispanic name, is it?"

[archer]

Vlad reddens a bit but doesn’t seem as embarrassed as he might be.

”Sorry, you probably get that a lot.  I was just thinking you’d make a great sculpture.  Hello everyone.”

Vlad nods to each in turn.

←

Rising from his seat and stepping forward, Rourke offers his hand for a shake. "Nice to meet you Vlad." His face still mostly hidden by the massive red beard, the look in his green eyes supports the friendly smile peeking through.

Big hands meet Vlad's in a powerful, but not crushing, grip.

[Alex Green]

Rising from his seat and stepping forward, Rourke offers his hand for a shake. "Nice to meet you Vlad." His face still mostly hidden by the massive red beard, the look in his green eyes supports the friendly smile peeking through.

Big hands meet Vlad's in a powerful, but not crushing, grip.

Vlad shakes Rourke’s hand and then answers Hood,

Hood nods to the newcommer, wondering if this is some new cobra he doesn't know or if he's just lost...

"Vlad? That's not a Hispanic name, is it?"

"Actually that's my nova name. It's less of a mouthful than Alejandro Muñoz so I use it as a nick name too. “Vlad” is short for ‘Vlad the impaler’. It’s, well…”

Vlad looks a little embarrassed but it’s obvious he’s had this conversation before.

” The original Vlad was a warlord who was big on pain, so he ran around impaling hundreds of people. I’m not, but that’s kind of the way my powers work. I’m an Earth mover, walker, shaper, and that sort of thing. If it weren’t for the war I’d be out making statues or building things.”

“As it is, tactically, I don’t really have a choice. I can make spears of rock and send them up. And when I’m in the ground mostly I sense where people’s feet are. So usually what I do is just aim between their feet.”

[Asbjørn]

[small admin/moderator bummer there, Archer? Not nice to edit people's posts, you know... ::wink ]

Hood makes no comment about Vlad the Impaler, but loks around at the others to see if they're familiar with the name.

Nodding at Rourke's assessment, he adds "Impressive and nasty... I think I prefer the statues." ::smile

"So you're a recent transfer? New Cobra, or what?"

[archer]

((DOH!))

Unable to suppress a wince at the last sentence, Rourke goes back to his seat between the ladies. "Well, that's an impressive talent you've got there. Remind me to watch my step if you get upset." ::smile

[BlueNinja]

Wandering around, and asking a few familiar people where the mess hall is, Specialist Judy Kapriski finally sits down at a table, munching on a bolw of dry cereal and scratching at one of the burn scars covering her face. "Years," she mutters to herself, sipping on a cup of coffee before making a face and picking a few marshmallows out of her cereal to drop in it. "I've been away from here for years, and yet, there's still something about it ... " She makes an odd picture, sitting in the corner and watching faces intently, occasionally nodding as a person's memory comes to her, mostly engineers that she worked with before accidentally finding out about the cross-dimensional travel and being sent through. Finally, in a normal tone of voice to no one in particular, she exclaims, "This bites."

[Alex Green]

Nodding at Rourke's assessment, he adds "Impressive and nasty... I think I prefer the statues." ::smile

"So you're a recent transfer? New Cobra, or what?"

Vlad smiles and says,

"Just came through the gate today. And that’s ‘Or what’ mostly. On paper I'm an engineer. Mostly I make tunnels, or rip up buildings or other stuff that's on the ground. Sometimes I transfer someone from point 'A' to point 'B'. I can earthwalk with one person, but it's pretty close to total sensory depravation so it gets on other people's nerves pretty quick."

[archer]

Vlad smiles and says,

"Just came through the gate today.  And that’s ‘Or what’ mostly.  On paper I'm an engineer.  Mostly I make tunnels, or rip up buildings or other stuff that's on the ground.  Sometimes I transfer someone from point 'A' to point 'B'.  I can earthwalk with one person, but it's pretty close to total sensory depravation so it gets on other people's nerves pretty quick."

←

"I can imagine." ::indifferent Rising again, the Permafrost newcomer stretches and says, "I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm famished. How about we all get some breakfast?"

[phoenix]

"I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm famished. How about we all get some breakfast?"

Sounds good to me.

[Alex Green]

Vlad shrugs and lets the others lead.

[archer]

"Okay then." Nodding to everyone else who's staying behind, Rourke heads off to the mess. Spotting Judy sitting by herself, he grabs a couple plates of food and a cup of coffee and makes his way over to her table. "Mind if I sit?"

[BlueNinja]

"Okay then." Nodding to everyone else who's staying behind, Rourke heads off to the mess. Spotting Judy sitting by herself, he grabs a couple plates of food and a cup of coffee and makes his way over to her table. "Mind if I sit?"

"Hey, iceman. Would I really stop you if I could?" She waves at the other chair at the small table, part of her wanting the others to sit nearby, and the other part causing her hand to flutter at the mask and goggles she normally wore to hide the burn scars and the silver strands that now ran through her eyes. "I'm just hoping they all tell us what we're going to be doing now, yanno? I'm a girl of action, I don't want to sit around here in some bunkroom they put in a corner as far away from everyone else as they could manage." Her right hand drops away from the goggles hanging around her neck, and as she passes it back and forth along the table lines of dominos spring into life. (OOC: Matter Creation. I doubt I can fail to get one success.)

[Alex Green]

After he picks up a baseline's portion of food, Vlad sits and nods to the woman.

"Hey there. I'm Vlad."

[BlueNinja]

Judy nods back, sending a loop of dominos around the handsome man's cup. "Specialist Judy Kapriski. Any idea when we'll be getting new orders?"

[Alex Green]

Judy nods back, sending a loop of dominos around the handsome man's cup.  "Specialist Judy Kapriski.  Any idea when we'll be getting new orders?"

Vlad answers, "Nope. Mine were just to come here. I assume we'll get some soon. It's early yet, maybe today some time."

Vlad watches the dominos build for a moment.

"What happens when the last one falls over?"

[BlueNinja]

"Mwah?" Judy blinks, and her left hand bumps one of the dominos, sending them cascading across the table, climbing over her plate and down around Vlad's cup to end with the last one knocking Rourke's spoon onto the floor. "Um ... I think that means I have to get iceman here some new silverware." Blush showing in the unburned parts of her face, she pulls a spoon out of her sleeve and hands it to him. (also MC'd) "Sorry about that."

[Prince of Boredom]

"Hood?"

A tall, muscular man leisurely walks into the Trans-D breakroom and heads towards Hood. His well-worn combat boots seemed covered by a perpetual dust that seems to cling to them. Camoflage pants hang comfortably on him, topped by a black t-shirt with the words "T&S Scroungers", a picture of a pack mule with it's legs kicking behind it, and the words "We Kick Back".

John pushes his long, dirty blonde hair out of his face, then extends his hand to his friend, "Hey, I heard they finally let you guys loose. Looks like you guys made the most of it last night."