Call of the Void - Chapter 1: Adolescence [Closed]

[Spikey844]

18 hours ago, DaMadReaper said:

Much like dinner, breakfast had been a loud, energetic affair. The sound of cutlery scraping lightly against plates interspersed bouts of quiet conversation that layered to create a cacophony of noise. Still, there was some measure of comfort to be found in how people always managed to find the time to smile, even when the situation was as rough as it had been. 

As with all things, however, it had come to an end, and the newcomers had found themselves standing outside of the Homefront’s gate, awaiting further instruction. Looking around, they would see that aside from their own group of misfits, only a single other candidate was present, the woman who Gabby had blurted an introduction to earlier in the day. She stood a few steps away from the group, showing little interest in seeking further interaction.

Before any could make inroads to change that, they would be interrupted by Alexei, half-jogging his way out of the building, seeming as if every part of him had been dragged one direction or another, pulling at his metaphorical seams. Nevertheless, it took him only a second to shift tones, adopting his usual stance of authority before looking over all those present.

”I have to say, I’m… disappointed in the turnout.”

Lightly pursing his lips, the horned man appraised each member, holding his gaze on Gabby for longer than any of the others. 

”Well… It seems that you all will have to do. I don’t mean to come off as unappreciative, but our needs have far outweighed what we can supply for some time, and the additional hands would have been great, but… that just means more opportunities for you, eh?” 

The man looked around with a half-smile, hoping his attempt at humor would catch on, but eventually dropped it, moving on to more serious matters.

”Now, on to business. Before we can send you into the field, we need to test your abilities, see what you’re capable of, and what we can trust you to accomplish. To that end, we’ve set up something of a… training course. A cordoned off block of the city, culled to maintain a suitable difficulty of Infected. Your task is to enter the area, and to retrieve a small cache of supplies being held by the area’s pack leader, for lack of a better term.”

Reaching over to the map, Alexei produces a marker from his pocket, drawing a thick black square around a grouping of houses, tight alleys and paths leading between them like veins, all centred around the heart, a clocktower in the centre of it all.

”You will have an hour to plan, and will be provided with minor resources that you request. Inform me when your preparations are complete.”

With that, he steps back, allowing the candidates some time to get to know each other, and to consider their plan of approach.

Gabby.... probably shouldn't have been there honestly. She was only a child after all. Even as she tucked into breakfast with everyone chatting around and the clattering of cutlery. The food on her plate lasted all of two minutes before being devoured. Her cat ears had been constantly twitch as they took in sounds around them. It was weird honestly, essentially hearing from two different points. It was more noticeable if she concentrated on it, but her new hearing was definitely more sensitive than her human ears.

Guess it made sense honestly.

She followed after the group, quietly, slinking behind them when they went to the Operator briefing. Well, she tried to be sneaky anyway. She was wearing boots after all.

At first she kept quiet as a plan began to be discussed. Then the question of being bait came up.

"I could do." The words were blurted out. Gabby almost surprised herself with the words, but she rallied and quickly forged on. "I'm small, and fast, and I have claws so I can fight them off if needed. I think my new ears gave me better hearing too, so I'll be able to hear them coming." Her face was set in a defiant but eager expression. Convincing her to not come would be.... tricky.

[ShyFlameX]

22 hours ago, DaMadReaper said:

Much like dinner, breakfast had been a loud, energetic affair. The sound of cutlery scraping lightly against plates interspersed bouts of quiet conversation that layered to create a cacophony of noise. Still, there was some measure of comfort to be found in how people always managed to find the time to smile, even when the situation was as rough as it had been. 

It was nice, to be reminded that people can still enjoy their breakfast together in situations where even the following day looked grim. Halina couldn't resist the smile creeping up on her face, reflecting the emotions of those around her. She didn't need to exchange any words, simply being in proximity of others gave her the sense of clarity she needed to stay determined to join the operators.

22 hours ago, DaMadReaper said:

As with all things, however, it had come to an end, and the newcomers had found themselves standing outside of the Homefront’s gate, awaiting further instruction. Looking around, they would see that aside from their own group of misfits, only a single other candidate was present, the woman who Gabby had blurted an introduction to earlier in the day. She stood a few steps away from the group, showing little interest in seeking further interaction.

Finishing her meal early, Hali was among the first to show up at the gate to the repurposed complex, she waited patiently for the other volunteers to gather and for the briefing to begin. The rest of the initiates arrived seemingly altogether; it was a little strange seeing the sort of familiarity these strangers had with one another.

1 hour ago, Spikey844 said:

"I could do." The words were blurted out. Gabby almost surprised herself with the words, but she rallied and quickly forged on. "I'm small, and fast, and I have claws so I can fight them off if needed. I think my new ears gave me better hearing too, so I'll be able to hear them coming." Her face was set in a defiant but eager expression. Convincing her to not come would be.... tricky.

Suggestions started to be thrown around promptly after Alexei finished explaining the initiation and Hali tuned out the discussion, brainstorming to herself. Moments passed before a high-pitched voice startled Hali out of her daze as her head snapped to properly look at the rest of the recruits.

There's a child here, is she really volunteering to be an operator?

Taking a moment to appraise the individuals she was with, Hali quickly recognised two of them. Earlier that morning, in the hallway adjacent to her sleeping space, the little girl that prompted her attention ran into her, she noted the unusual growths on her head when she introduced herself as 'Gabby'. The other was the woman with shoulder-length brown hair, who chased after Gabby during the incident and intervened before Hali had a chance to react, unfortunately she walked off without mentioning her name.

3 hours ago, 404Cygni said:

Then, we set an ambush, get rid of those we found, and move. Rinse anf repeat. What do you people think? A simple radio may do the trick.

She believed that the tall, freckled lady came up with a good idea, using a lure would likely be much safer and more efficient than the alternative of live bait. Not able to come up with anything valuable to add to the discussion, Hali refrained from verbally expressing herself, simply nodding in agreement as the girl spoke. She was prepared to go along with most ideas as long as they weren't excessively moronic.

Edited March 17, 2020 by ShyFlameX

[Drakeardian]

7 hours ago, 404Cygni said:

There's not much more to say as i follow the group to breakfast. Gabby sure is fast. Was I this active when I was a tyke?

The food is good. Filling, too. People smile and share a moment together. My plate quickly fills itself with food, both because I'm still hungry from yesterday and because something tells me I'm going to need the energy. And that feeling quickly proves itself to be true.

Hearing the tactical options offered, they sound feasible, but risky. I don't like the idea of risking someone as bait, but what else to...Oh. Of course!

"Cyriann, was it? I'll help with the frontlines. I have a shield to take hits, a weapon I'm familiar with and some close quarter training. Regarding bait...I don't think we should risk someone. Or this man's cat. If these creatures act somewhat like book and movie zombies...A persistent sound or smell should be able to bait them, yes? Then, we set an ambush, get rid of those we found, and move. Rinse anf repeat. What do you people think? A simple radio may do the trick."

5 hours ago, Spikey844 said:

Gabby.... probably shouldn't have been there honestly. She was only a child after all. Even as she tucked into breakfast with everyone chatting around and the clattering of cutlery. The food on her plate lasted all of two minutes before being devoured. Her cat ears had been constantly twitch as they took in sounds around them. It was weird honestly, essentially hearing from two different points. It was more noticeable if she concentrated on it, but her new hearing was definitely more sensitive than her human ears.

Guess it made sense honestly.

She followed after the group, quietly, slinking behind them when they went to the Operator briefing. Well, she tried to be sneaky anyway. She was wearing boots after all.

At first she kept quiet as a plan began to be discussed. Then the question of being bait came up.

"I could do." The words were blurted out. Gabby almost surprised herself with the words, but she rallied and quickly forged on. "I'm small, and fast, and I have claws so I can fight them off if needed. I think my new ears gave me better hearing too, so I'll be able to hear them coming." Her face was set in a defiant but eager expression. Convincing her to not come would be.... tricky.

Admittedly, Agnes' plan for a radio sounded a lot safer and then came a few words he didn't expect to here, especially from Gabby.

Staring at Gabby, Karl's eyes had grown in width by twofold and his face had become a lot paler in terms of complexion. Maybe it wasn't the best idea to have a TEN YEAR OLD GIRL WITH CAT EARS be bait for potentially dangerous creatures. He immediately turned to Agnes with a nod "Radio, absolutely. Good idea Doctor! The Anchor of this misfitting band." he answered with a thumbs up before he looked over to where Dino was then looked back to Gabby and Cyriann, quickly doing the sign of the cross and almost wanting to die at this point for even suggesting Someone should do it and not something.

The old Karl would've done it with no question but that Karl was dead and he didn't want any more blood on his hands.

Edited March 17, 2020 by Drakeardian

[404Cygni]

Il y a 6 heures, Spikey844 a dit :

 

"I could do." The words were blurted out. Gabby almost surprised herself with the words, but she rallied and quickly forged on. "I'm small, and fast, and I have claws so I can fight them off if needed. I think my new ears gave me better hearing too, so I'll be able to hear them coming." Her face was set in a defiant but eager expression. Convincing her to not come would be.... tricky.

 

...What. No. She's a child and, just...No. I shake my head.

"Absolutely not. Look, kid. It's not against you in particular. But...How do I say this? You're young. That makes you frailer than us, and using any of us grown ups as living bait is the kind of half...baked idea that could get us hurt. So we're not doing that unless absolutely nothing else works, and not with the frailer people of the group."

I sigh.

"I probably should try and get you not to come, but I sort of gave up on that 'cause you're clearly not going to budge on that. It already makes me feel terrible, but I'll do everything I can so you won't get hurt. Please don't make it harder than it already is, alright?"

Edited March 17, 2020 by 404Cygni

[Denny2669]

20 hours ago, Drakeardian said:

- snip -

Dino found it difficult lately not to glare at every little thing the formerly rich man said. He didn't particularly always say something bad, but her personal disposition has only been going downhill since the day they met. This time she found the glare justified. Although she didn't say anything, she severely hoped he was volunteering, else he of all people had no business suggesting something like that. Though, she guessed it only made sense that the man who has been exploiting the masses his whole life would suggest someone to risk their life for his sake. She scoffed at his followup supporting the doctor's idea, only seeing someone trying to keep his public image intact like he practiced on TV.  Why the hell is he even here...

Funnily enough, he's exactly the reason why she joined the operators. It was also the sight of all the others wanting to join, but seeing this good-for-nothing trying to be a goody-two-shoes and heading for the front lines? She wouldn't have it. So she'll be there, to keep a good eye on the coot and keep the others safe. If this guy really seeks redemption, she'll sure as hell not make it easy.

Concerning the plan though...

"Bait or not, I don't think we can avoid fighting our way through some of them. I can take care of any stragglers. Not like they can bite these arms."

19 hours ago, 404Cygni said:

"I probably should try and get you not to come, but I sort of gave up on that 'cause you're clearly not going to budge on that. It already makes me feel terrible, but I'll do everything I can so you won't get hurt. Please don't make it harder than it already is, alright?"

So that is why Gabby was there. Dino thought she was just following the adults, not actually planning to join them on the field. She was hoping the traumatic experience of yesterday would dissuade her of facing it again. The child is either brave or blind, common things to see on a kid...

"This isn't really the same as beating up your bully, you know? These things... they're tough." spoke Dino "If you really wanna face them, you need to be tough too. I can tell you're smart, but you need to be strong, too." she gestured with her metal arms, which could easily crush a rock without sustaining any damage "I can help you get stronger, but until then, why don't you just sit back and watch for now?"

On 2020-03-17 at 3:17 PM, ShyFlameX said:

- snip -

There she was again, that woman Gabby approached in the morning. Dino was surprised and glad to see her too joining the operators, the more the merrier... usually. However, even after breakfast, the briefing and now planning, she spoke not a word. Is she like that woman they met in the sewers? What'd Gabby call her, Batwoman? The mutation doesn't seem to suggest that...

"Hey, I saw you this morning, didn't I?" she said, trying to spark a conversation "You can call me Dino. Mind telling me what you can... y'know, do? Anything that could contribute to the plan?"

[Cyriann]

I saigh squatting to Gabby's height. "You know, it'll be better if I play the bait. I'm bigger, so I attract more attention, and since you are smaller, you can sneak up on them while I can't." I give her a wink, essentially telling her to have my back.

"As for the rest..." I get back up looking to the others. "If I may ?" I try and get everyone's attention. "Maybe we should discuss of what we can do before deciding what to do ? I mean I proposed myself for a reason that I now realize I didn't showed you guys."

[Spikey844]

23 minutes ago, Denny2669 said:

So that is why Gabby was there. Dino thought she was just following the adults, not actually planning to join them on the field. She was hoping the traumatic experience of yesterday would dissuade her of facing it again. The child is either brave or blind, common things to see on a kid...

"This isn't really the same as beating up your bully, you know? These things... they're tough." spoke Dino "If you really wanna face them, you need to be tough too. I can tell you're smart, but you need to be strong, too." she gestured with her metal arms, which could easily crush a rock without sustaining any damage "I can help you get stronger, but until then, why don't you just sit back and watch for now?"

 

Just now, Cyriann said:

I saigh squatting to Gabby's height. "You know, it'll be better if I play the bait. I'm bigger, so I attract more attention, and since you are smaller, you can sneak up on them while I can't." I give her a wink, essentially telling her to have my back.

"As for the rest..." I get back up looking to the others. "If I may ?" I try and get everyone's attention. "Maybe we should discuss of what we can do before deciding what to do ? I mean I proposed myself for a reason that I now realize I didn't showed you guys."

Gabby's eyes narrowed. Literally, thanks to her new cat-like eyes. "I know they aren't just a school bully. I also nearly clawed one of their eyes out yesterday. Didn't see you do any real damage to them. Don't think anyone else apart from me really did." She looked down at her hands, claws extending from them. "I dunno why I got these, but if I can help, I'm gonna help, and you can't stop me."

Gabby's ears had pressed flat to her head in her defiance, and they remained low even as she looked back up at the group. "Maybe I'm just a child, but I'm also able to help. So I will."

[Denny2669]

7 minutes ago, Cyriann said:

"As for the rest..." I get back up looking to the others. "If I may?" I try and get everyone's attention. "Maybe we should discuss of what we can do before deciding what to do? I mean I proposed myself for a reason that I now realize I didn't showed you guys."

"Your logic is sound, kid." replied Dino with a smirk "Though maybe you'd work better as the guy who places the bait. If it fails, you'll just take its place. I can tell you're not dumb enough to bite off more than you can chew. And if you do, I'm gonna kick your ass, got it?" her smirk turned somewhat wicked, almost menacing. But surely she just meant it in a friendly way... right?

5 minutes ago, Spikey844 said:

"I dunno why I got these, but if I can help, I'm gonna help, and you can't stop me."

Gabby's ears had pressed flat to her head in her defiance, and they remained low even as she looked back up at the group. "Maybe I'm just a child, but I'm also able to help. So I will."

Dino looked down at the child. Stubborn, of course, all kids went through such a phase. She did too... all the fights she got into, for herself and the sake of others... how often the intervention of adults and third parties only made the anger worse... Dino smirked. This kid's more than just cute.

"... alright. But you're not taking a step without us, got it? You'll need someone to show you the ropes." she declared, lightly patting the child on the back. Though, lightly might not be the best way to describe a pat with her arms "Buckled up, we'll turn you into a tiger yet."

[Spikey844]

On 2020-03-18 at 3:58 PM, Denny2669 said:

Dino looked down at the child. Stubborn, of course, all kids went through such a phase. She did too... all the fights she got into, for herself and the sake of others... how often the intervention of adults and third parties only made the anger worse... Dino smirked. This kid's more than just cute.

"... alright. But you're not taking a step without us, got it? You'll need someone to show you the ropes." she declared, lightly patting the child on the back. Though, lightly might not be the best way to describe a pat with her arms "Buckled up, we'll turn you into a tiger yet."

Gabby bounced slightly in place when Dino said she could help, ears perking up once more. "Thank you!" she said with a wide smile, "thank you thank you thank you thank you." She wrapped her arms around Dino's waist and gave her a tight hug, before releasing and looking in at the map.

Part of her mind was dealing with the seriousness of the situation, giving it the proper respect that it was worth. A small section, however, was busy giving the 'superhero' version, flashy and colourful, with faintly ridiculous things occurring.

Give a kid a break, alright?

[ShyFlameX]

On 2020-03-19 at 1:17 AM, Denny2669 said:

"Hey, I saw you this morning, didn't I?" she said, trying to spark a conversation "You can call me Dino. Mind telling me what you can... y'know, do? Anything that could contribute to the plan?"

"Y-yes" Hali started, the question catching her unexpectedly produced a stutter. "I uhm, I think that we should sensibly approach luring the creatures to us, and I definitely don't believe using a child for that necessarily meets that criteria." She nudged her head toward Gabby as she pronounced the word. She then proceeded to brush the hair out of her eyes and looked off into the distance, thinking. "I don't personally think I add much to our current efforts, all I can really do is confuse things I touch, I think. But I'll can still be there as extra manpower right?" She smiled slightly as she attempted explaining her ability, knowing little as she did about her peculiar defects. "Anyways, I agree that we should employ noise in order to lead them to an ambush, I'm just not sure if we can facilitate that. Can we?" She raised an eyebrow at the man with the alien right arm made seemingly of something crystalline.

On 2020-03-19 at 1:58 AM, Denny2669 said:

"... alright. But you're not taking a step without us, got it? You'll need someone to show you the ropes." she declared, lightly patting the child on the back. Though, lightly might not be the best way to describe a pat with her arms "Buckled up, we'll turn you into a tiger yet."

She wasn't as bothered about the fact that a child will likely be fighting alongside her in the near future as she probably should be. Hali didn't have enough of a moral high ground to believe this to be detrimental to the girl's health or psyche, granted the people with her are as capable in combat as they are confident in demeanour.

"... And it looks like the kid's staying huh."

Edited March 20, 2020 by ShyFlameX

[kyrozon]

On 2020-03-18 at 4:40 PM, Cyriann said:

"As for the rest..." I get back up looking to the others. "If I may ?" I try and get everyone's attention. "Maybe we should discuss of what we can do before deciding what to do ? I mean I proposed myself for a reason that I now realize I didn't showed you guys."

 

23 minutes ago, ShyFlameX said:

"Anyways, I agree that we should employ noise in order to lead them to an ambush, I'm just not sure if we can facilitate that. Can we?" She raised an eyebrow at the man with the alien right arm made seemingly of something crystalline.

The continuous proposal of using a distraction, mixed with the younger man's question about what powers they might have made an idea click in the back of Martijn's head. It might not be the best idea, it might not even work, but it was worth a shot. He scrapped his throat, hoping to get some attention as he pulled at one of the bone-claws on his hand. "I might be able to turn one of those corpses into an ally of sorts. Could put a radio in its hand and tell it to go back and forward." 

It felt... weird to admit he could do something like that. He wasn't quite sure how exactly it worked. Just that it had worked on Maya, that it had turned the cat into what it was now. Felt like admitting that he had infected the feline. Now that was a thought that made his stomach turn. That drew out a habit he had for the past few days though, softly mumbling 'pace' to the cat sitting at his feet. Kneeling down and pulling out tether connecting the two, leaving the feline to wander a few meters away. Never out of sight though.

"Not the nicest idea, I know, but hey better than risking one of our hides?" He sheepishly adds, as he rises back to his feet. Should've waited for the crystalline guy to do his tell, but both Karl and the doctor seemed in favor of using something over someone. This could offer that thing. 

[DaMadReaper]

On 2020-03-17 at 3:00 AM, MetroFallout said:

Tara, frowned and tapped her chin in thought before flagging Alexei down to ask him a question. The question would be quite important in formulating a plan of course, since it'd inform them of how they could get to the cache.

"Excuse me, I must ask before we start planning. What's the sort of infected we'd be facing?" asked Tara, summoning her bow. "Like... in terms of size, how big are they and how tough are they? It would be... I suppose... somewhat crucial to know."

A guide as to what the infected that they'd be facing would be like would be tremendously helpful in figuring out their tactics and capabilities in taking the infected down and maximizing their chances of a complete mission success in retrieving the cache. Her bow's effectiveness is directly affected by size and toughness as well so knowing as much as she could about the infected will help in her helping everyone else kill them dead with as little risk as possible.

As the first of the batch brings to him a question, Alexei can't help but quirk a smile. While it was refreshing to see someone immediately attempt to extract as much information as they could get their hands on, the exact nature of the question was... not what he had been expecting. That said, he had a job to do, and initiative like that deserved reward.

"Under normal circumstances, I would decline to answer, talking about how you need to gather your own information, and that some missions will have you running blind..."

He crosses his arms, taking a stance of faux strictness, before quickly melting back to his regular posture.

"But, seeing as how you're the only one in the group who's asking, I'll give you a freebie. They're meant to be a challenge, but mostly possible for you to handle. Shouldn't be taller than, say, your waist. Simple, right?"

[MetroFallout]

1 minute ago, DaMadReaper said:

As the first of the batch brings to him a question, Alexei can't help but quirk a smile. While it was refreshing to see someone immediately attempt to extract as much information as they could get their hands on, the exact nature of the question was... not what he had been expecting. That said, he had a job to do, and initiative like that deserved reward.

"Under normal circumstances, I would decline to answer, talking about how you need to gather your own information, and that some missions will have you running blind..."

He crosses his arms, taking a stance of faux strictness, before quickly melting back to his regular posture.

"But, seeing as how you're the only one in the group who's asking, I'll give you a freebie. They're meant to be a challenge, but mostly possible for you to handle. Shouldn't be taller than, say, your waist. Simple, right?"

"So roughly the size of a large dog, presumably relatively fast... and considering what you're saying... probably not as tough as the things that chased us here if they're meant to be possible for us to handle." mused Tara, tapping her chin. "From what you're telling me, if we manage to evade it's ability to detect us, we stand a decent chance at actually putting one of the infected down. That's really good to know, thank you Alexei."

Looking at the rest of the group and armed with this new information and perhaps guiding principle behind how they could, or perhaps more accurately should, engage the infected, Tara looked to the others for ideas as to how they should handle the mission.

[Denny2669]

On 2020-03-20 at 12:09 PM, Spikey844 said:

Gabby bounced slightly in place when Dino said she could help, ears perking up once more. "Thank you!" she said with a wide smile, "thank you thank you thank you thank you." She wrapped her arms around Dino's waist and gave her a tight hug, before releasing and looking in at the map.

Part of her mind was dealing with the seriousness of the situation, giving it the proper respect that it was worth. A small section, however, was busy giving the 'superhero' version, flashy and colourful, with faintly ridiculous things occurring.

Give a kid a break, alright?

Suddenly, even if for a moment, Dino's legs felt like they were holding up a much heavier weight, overtaken by a slight weakness. That weakness being the cat-like girl currently hugging her waist. The others could probably noticed the wide eyed look breaking through her mask. Well, who wouldn't be surprised in her place? Someone else might be struck with the guilt of allowing such a bundle of joy and innocence tag along for such a dangerous task, but her mind's a bit of a mush right now.

She was about the pat Gabby's head when she broke off from the hug, turning her attention to the map. Dino stayed her hand, still unsure if she's capable of holding back the necessary force. Her expression turned back to normal, though she was smiling idly with a fading blush, looking over the kid at the map. It's probably good to clear her head with some practical thinking.

"So, we going with the radio strategy?"

[DaMadReaper]

Alexei couldn’t help but muse to himself as he watched the group hash out their plan of action. A ragtag band of adults, a small child, and one conspicuously avoidant addition to an already formed group… The questionability of the setup hadn’t escaped him. A small, nagging part worried that he had just signed someone’s death warrant, only to be forcibly stuffed into a corner by the reminder that he had warned them to only go as far as they felt comfortable. A quiet scoff exited his lips at the flimsy justification. Nevertheless, they seemed… more or less ready to go. 

Under his breath, he muttered a quiet prayer, before leading them to the entrance of the training field.

---

They walked in a group, Alexei keeping up a light conversation to stave off the nerves that seemed to have gripped him alongside the newcomers. Step by step, as they ventured further from the commercial district that the Homefront had been located in, the modern-seeming shops gave way to houses, built so many years ago, protected by the city’s council as signs of their heritage. Bit by bit, the planned growth of parallel streets and regulation-sized roads shifted in tone, the paths turning brick, sprawling in this direction and that, as if all vying to escape each other at odd angles. By the time they reached the chain link fence that signified the entrance to the training area, most of the Infected were fairly sure they wouldn’t be able to find their way back, even in broad daylight. 

Still, they had come here for a reason, the black tarp that removed any visibility from the other side of the barrier a stark reminder that it was time to take this all seriously. With one last reminder of their mission parameters, the group were shooed inside, gate slammed shut behind them. 

Immediately, their minds would kick into high gear. The closing of the gate had been loud, most likely intentionally so. They had precious little time to think before they would be forced to act. Amidst rows of samey houses and streets branching off like fractals, few landmarks stood out but the massive clocktower whose face loomed over them, standing at the center of the fenced off area.

Edited March 29, 2020 by DaMadReaper

[Spikey844]

Gabby jumped slightly when the gate slammed shut behind them. Totally not in an ominous fashion. Not creepy at all. Nope.

Her ears flattened for a moment, before perking back up, twitching and swivelling to take in the sounds echoing around. Her hands twitched slightly, claws almost sliding into the open, before she pushed them back. Better to keep them in for the moment. If something tried to come for them... well, then they could come out.

Besides, with her habit of waving her arms around, she might slash someone by accident. Best not to.

"So.... what are we gonna do now?" She asked, bouncing slightly on the balls of her feet. Then she got an idea. "Ooh, I know, I'll go scout ahead!"

Quick as a flash, she darted forward up one of the streets, eyes and ears peeled for trouble.

Edited April 1, 2020 by Spikey844

[Drakeardian]

On 2020-03-29 at 6:58 PM, DaMadReaper said:

Alexei couldn’t help but muse to himself as he watched the group hash out their plan of action. A ragtag band of adults, a small child, and one conspicuously avoidant addition to an already formed group… The questionability of the setup hadn’t escaped him. A small, nagging part worried that he had just signed someone’s death warrant, only to be forcibly stuffed into a corner by the reminder that he had warned them to only go as far as they felt comfortable. A quiet scoff exited his lips at the flimsy justification. Nevertheless, they seemed… more or less ready to go. 

Under his breath, he muttered a quiet prayer, before leading them to the entrance of the training field.

---

They walked in a group, Alexei keeping up a light conversation to stave off the nerves that seemed to have gripped him alongside the newcomers. Step by step, as they ventured further from the commercial district that the Homefront had been located in, the modern-seeming shops gave way to houses, built so many years ago, protected by the city’s council as signs of their heritage. Bit by bit, the planned growth of parallel streets and regulation-sized roads shifted in tone, the paths turning brick, sprawling in this direction and that, as if all vying to escape each other at odd angles. By the time they reached the chain link fence that signified the entrance to the training area, most of the Infected were fairly sure they wouldn’t be able to find their way back, even in broad daylight. 

Still, they had come here for a reason, the black tarp that removed any visibility from the other side of the barrier a stark reminder that it was time to take this all seriously. With one last reminder of their mission parameters, the group were shooed inside, gate slammed shut behind them. 

Immediately, their minds would kick into high gear. The closing of the gate had been loud, most likely intentionally so. They had precious little time to think before they would be forced to act. Amidst rows of samey houses and streets branching off like fractals, few landmarks stood out but the massive clocktower whose face loomed over them, standing at the center of the fenced off area.

The hour was upon them. It was time to work.

After grabbing two walkie talkies to use as bait, Karl entered the training zone and began looking at the perimeter around him as best as he could, thinking on where to create this trap of theirs or how to use the environment around them to their advantage. He knew they'd have to work together despite one person disliking him and the others having neutral opinions about him. He started by pulling his gloves off to let his claws come out then rolled his sleeves up to make sure they didn't get damaged by their targets. Of course, as he was rolling his sleeves up, he noted that Gabby was already running off. 

"No! wait! Gabby! We need to stick-" but she was already off. "-together..." he finished pathetically. He then turned to the others "We should get the trap set up as fast as we can." he advised, not wanting to instruct or order like he used to.

Edited April 1, 2020 by Drakeardian

[MetroFallout]

23 hours ago, Spikey844 said:

Gabby jumped slightly when the gate slammed shut behind them. Totally not in an ominous fashion. Not creepy at all. Nope.

Her ears flattened for a moment, before perking back up, twitching and swiveling to take in the sounds echoing around. Her hands twitched slightly, claws almost sliding into the open, before she pushed them back. Better to keep them in for the moment. If something tried to come for them... well, then they could come out.

Besides, with her habit of waving her arms around, she might slash someone by accident. Best not to.

"So.... what are we gonna do now?" She asked, bouncing slightly on the balls of her feet. Then she got an idea. "Ooh, I know, I'll go scout ahead!"

Quick as a flash, she darted forward up one of the streets, eyes and ears peeled for trouble.

"Damn it, no!" called out Tara after Gabby as she saw the little girl dash away at the maximum speed her shorter, child-length legs could afford her and tried to catch her with an outreached hand, grabbing on to thin air as she'd just missed her by mere centimeters. "Don't run off on your own!"

Using her height and agility to her advantage, she went after the girl who was surprisingly fast despite her shorter stride. It took Tara a full minute's worth of sprinting after Gabby to actually catch her and wrangle an overly excited and uncooperative kitten-girl into submission and get her back to the main group.

"Please don't run off on your own. It's how they get you and eat you." said Tara, looking down at Gabby while holding her hand as she walked them back to the main group. "Or eat the rest of us really. Let's try not to go off on our own without a real plan again, alright? I have some ground rules that I will need to share with you but the others will need to hear it too since they need to know the rules as well."

[Cyriann]

Le 01/04/2020 à 13:16, Spikey844 a dit :

"So.... what are we gonna do now?" She asked, bouncing slightly on the balls of her feet. Then she got an idea. "Ooh, I know, I'll go scout ahead!"

Quick as a flash, she darted forward up one of the streets, eyes and ears peeled for trouble.

I sigh seeing Gabby running off. "We can't deny she is eager at least." There is a little smile to it, her positivity is doing me a great good in this horrible place.

il y a 50 minutes, MetroFallout a dit :

"Please don't run off on your own. It's how they get you and eat you." said Tara, looking down at Gabby while holding her hand as she walked them back to the main group. "Or eat the rest of us really. Let's try not to go off on our own without a real plan again, alright? I have some ground rules that I will need to share with you but the others will need to hear it too since they need to know the rules as well."

"Good initiative Gabby, but bad timing." I say aloud hoping the two will be returning fast, then I turn to the others.

"I got the radio we'll use to set up the trap, but with the loudness of the gate, once Gabby and Tara are back we should hurry and move quickly, maybe even make our way in the direction they took, then make our way to the clocktower and place the radio. Sounds good to everyone ?" I ask knowing perfectly that at this time, all that matters is to move, infecteds can be deceiptively fast, even to me, so we need to get a move on.

Edited April 2, 2020 by Cyriann

[Denny2669]

On 2020-04-01 at 1:16 PM, Spikey844 said:

"So.... what are we gonna do now?" She asked, bouncing slightly on the balls of her feet. Then she got an idea. "Ooh, I know, I'll go scout ahead!"

Quick as a flash, she darted forward up one of the streets, eyes and ears peeled for trouble.

"Oh no you don't-!"

Dino thought she was keeping a good eye on the little kid until now, staying aware of anything that may be a threat, generally sticking by the responsibility they all chose to uphold. But when she darted off, she barely had a moment to react. She tried to catch her by the shoulder, extending her arm to reach for her. And it extended and extended... it was almost on instinct that the metal arm disconnected from her shoulder a kept going a good distance. It was then that she did something she didn't even know to do, her disconnected hand moving it's palm and fingers as if to snatch the running kid by the shoulder. Alas, the kid was just a bit too quick, and all she ended up snatching was empty air. The arm returned, but Dino didn't have time to ponder this new ability before seeing the other woman run off after the kid, tagging along as well.

"Oh you little...!"

Running after the kid, she found herself to be lagging behind quite a bit. Her feet felt heavy, not exactly exhausted, just sluggish.

On 2020-04-02 at 1:00 PM, MetroFallout said:

"Please don't run off on your own. It's how they get you and eat you." said Tara, looking down at Gabby while holding her hand as she walked them back to the main group. "Or eat the rest of us really. Let's try not to go off on our own without a real plan again, alright? I have some ground rules that I will need to share with you but the others will need to hear it too since they need to know the rules as well."

When she finally caught up, the other woman had already caught the kid, now on her way back to the group. Dino took a moment to catch her breath, in disbelief at how slow she has become. This sickness just keep taking and taking...

"Fu-... Heck girl, what was our one condition? Not one step without us." Dino spoke, giving her a stern look. Though, then she laughed lightly and pat her on the back "It ain't worth being awesome by yourself if nobody's there to see it, y'know?"

[Spikey844]

On 2020-04-02 at 12:00 PM, MetroFallout said:

-snip-

Gabby looked at the ground, shuffling her feet. "Sorry. I just.... I wanna help." Her ears drooped. "I know I'm not the strongest, or the most experienced... but I still wanna help."

1 hour ago, Denny2669 said:

-snip-

Gabby's ears went completely flat at this point. "Alright, I get it, I messed up." She shook herself free of Tara's hand and stepped clear of the taller woman. "And I'm eleven. I'm not a baby who needs their hand held."

She stomped off, grumbling under her breath.

[Denny2669]

3 hours ago, Spikey844 said:

"And I'm eleven. I'm not a baby who needs their hand held."

She stomped off, grumbling under her breath.

Well, look at the attitude of that one. A child through and through, she thought. Instead of scolding her further, Dino simply laughed and let her be. Children as so relatable sometimes... and adorable... way, way too adorable...

"Hey." she said, looking at the other woman "You seem to know what you're doing. Maybe you should do the scouting? Or maybe that Cyriann kid might be up for it."

[MetroFallout]

11 hours ago, Denny2669 said:

Well, look at the attitude of that one. A child through and through, she thought. Instead of scolding her further, Dino simply laughed and let her be. Children as so relatable sometimes... and adorable... way, way too adorable...

"Hey." she said, looking at the other woman "You seem to know what you're doing. Maybe you should do the scouting? Or maybe that Cyriann kid might be up for it."

 

15 hours ago, Spikey844 said:

Gabby looked at the ground, shuffling her feet. "Sorry. I just.... I wanna help." Her ears drooped. "I know I'm not the strongest, or the most experienced... but I still wanna help."

Gabby's ears went completely flat at this point. "Alright, I get it, I messed up." She shook herself free of Tara's hand and stepped clear of the taller woman. "And I'm eleven. I'm not a baby who needs their hand held."

She stomped off, grumbling under her breath.

"I might but before that, let's get back to the group. You may have caught the tail end of what I was saying to Gabby but I'll say it again. I'll need to talk with everyone and make sure they understand some ground rules about working together so that we don't... you know... get eaten." said Tara to Dino, more than a bit put off by Gabby when she shook her hand free of hers and frowning under her mask at her. "By the way Gabby, the only reason I was holding your hand was to make sure you don't run off again. If you want to be a big girl, be my guest and demonstrate that you can be one."

[kyrozon]

Martijn looked after Gabby dart off, soon to be followed by Tara and Dino. This was off to a great start. Taking a deep breath to calm some of his nerves. It was going to be okay, everyone survived out on their own this far, so they'd be able to do this together, probably. His attention shifted to Cyriann as the boy spoke.

On 2020-04-02 at 1:48 PM, Cyriann said:

"I got the radio we'll use to set up the trap, but with the loudness of the gate, once Gabby and Tara are back we should hurry and move quickly, maybe even make our way in the direction they took, then make our way to the clocktower and place the radio. Sounds good to everyone ?" I ask knowing perfectly that at this time, all that matters is to move, infecteds can be deceiptively fast, even to me, so we need to get a move on.

"So head towards them so we meet in the middle, and just keep moving?" Martijn suggested, taking a half step towards the trio that was already coming back towards them. The advantage of stealth seems like it'd have been lost already anyway, with the gate crashing close that loudly. It wasn't the start that he had hoped for, but they'd make do. With one hand he scratched behind his cat's ears. Maybe he'd get some more use out of the little creature here. Just had to get the commands right... Well - if this thing could take out an infected again that is.

[Cyriann]

il y a 2 minutes, kyrozon a dit :

"So head towards them so we meet in the middle, and just keep moving?" Martijn suggested, taking a half step towards the trio that was already coming back towards them. The advantage of stealth seems like it'd have been lost already anyway, with the gate crashing close that loudly. It wasn't the start that he had hoped for, but they'd make do. With one hand he scratched behind his cat's ears. Maybe he'd get some more use out of the little creature here. Just had to get the commands right... Well - if this thing could take out an infected again that is.

"With everyone jumping after Gabby that's out best bet I guess." I sigh following him with a hint of deception, and here I thought was going to try and stick together after we had even drawn out a rough plan...