bramblefoot
 

the smoggy sunrise over new los angeles is beautiful, in a deadly sort of way. clouds of pollution come from many small groundcars, and a police drone buzzes overhead, keeping its eye on the populace. the old-school windup radio kicks on in your sleeping cubicle  "gooood morning new angeles!"  a voice calls over the radio.  "the latest shootout in the slums cost three hundred lives, so if you had an office pool, nows the time to collect!"  the voice proceeds to natter on about other less important things, but you tune it out and get up.

will you describe charity and her little sleeping arrangement for me?
WindStruck
 
 Spoiler: Appearance 
This info has been copied over to the OOC thread as well.

Charity Bradley is a young woman with pale skin, blue eyes, and long orange hair like the color of carrots. Her body is thin and rather delicate. There are no signs of tattoos or cybernetics on her, nor is there any makeup, goth, punk, or otherwise. She wears a hooded white robe, sometimes over more casual clothes, but most times (because she is usually working or attending ceremonies) the full getup. When going outside, she will also wear a N95 mask to help protect herself from smog.

These images were AI generated, after numerous attempts.

 
 
 


Charity might wake with a start sometimes, but normally she ends up waking just a few minutes before the radio goes off. She'll toss and turn and sometimes gets up then, but often times wishes for a bit more sleep, only to be scared by the sudden voice of the radio just as she begins dozing off again.

Today Charity wakes at the hostel. Her own arrangements were significantly better than the other transient residents here.. at least from one perspective. Rather than a sleeping cubicle that is all too similar to cold lockers at a morgue, Charity has more or less a cubbyhole in the wall which she can freely roll into or out of, accidentally or not.

Storage space is available above and below the bed-cubby, and the room itself is cluttered with supplies: some more valuable like a small supply of food wafers and water. Other supplies were less valuable, like cleaning supplies and chemicals. There's even a gun somewhere in here. Regardless, anything that could possibly have any perceived value is kept in here, because druggies be crazy and desperate, and they'll even mug you for a cigarette.

Also in the room is a tiny and cramped showering unit, which Charity makes use of each morning. She doesn't always wash her hair, but she does always end up combing it a lot. Either way, it's not so much a living quarter as it is a storage space. There is a sturdy door and a window facing out, which is protected by solid metal shutters. Perhaps it was once some sort of living quarters/office.
bramblefoot
alright, so the first couple hours at the charity hostel are normal, until a badly beaten woman staggers in, clutching a brown paper bag. she clearly walked a long way to get here. one arm hangs limp at her side, and the other passes the paper bag to you  "take it and hide it"  she hisses, and then collapses to the ground

wdyd?

 
WindStruck
 'Three hundred dead..'  Charity thinks, shaking her head. What manner of violence had those ruffians done this time? Bombs? Did they demolish whole buildings? Shuddering at the thought, Charity phases out the radio, eventually outright turning it off, beginning her morning routine, opening the window shutters, cleaning what she can without waking anyone just yet. Things were going rather normally. Until...

- - - -

Charity is flustered by the sudden appearance of the woman. No, it wasn't the first time someone staggered in here half-dead, but it was perhaps the first time any such person seemed to be on a mission of sorts. The bag seemed really important, but she didn't know what it was. Drugs? Money? A bomb? Arguably, Charity  should  be suspicious and nosy, but with the beaten woman collapsing, there was little time.

Charity quickly stashed the bag in a box somewhere in the storage room, then kneeled down to check on the woman. She was severely injured and her arm seemed disabled. Charity attempts to diagnose her injuries.

 
 Spoiler: ooc 
I am a bit rusty here, and I'm not sure if I should be preemptively rolling stuff, for example Empathy, Notice, Medtech, Investigate, or if I should wait for you to ask for a roll.

I still plan to check the woman's injuries, however I am assuming that this automatically succeeds, and a Medtech roll will be asked to treat her later.
 
bramblefoot
gimme a medtech against +4 to save this womans life. she currently has the moderate consequence  through and through bullet wound 

as you look the woman over, you see a bullet wound in her shoulder. aside from that, shes had a rather rough day. there are contusions, and lots of other medical terms that i dont know the name for. all in all, someone did not want her getting here

roll the bones, and describe if you save her or not. dont forget you can also succeed at cost
WindStruck
Examining the woman, Charity quickly realizes why her arm was so limp: a bullet wound in the shoulder. The wound still had not been treated, and she had lost a lot of blood. At first Charity began panicking, thinking the woman would bleed out and die on the floor, but she soon thought of a solution, sloppy as it may be. She needed a tourniquet, albeit a large one. Maybe one that would fit over one's thigh.

Wrapping the tourniquet under the woman's armpit and between the shoulder and neck, Charity tightened it and frowned. This was probably not wise or effective, but still it had to be better than nothing. Running to the back of the cramped hostel where their outdated medical equipment was, Charity begins rolling a gurney out to the front, yelling,  "Make way! Make way!"  at any who still slept on the floor.

The woman's life was saved for now, and a couple nice blokes even helped put her body on the gurney. Since it was just Charity here at this time, she dials on a phone at the front to contact her associates. Maybe someone at her congregation would be available later to offer Charity a helping hand, otherwise she felt she would have a difficult time patching up the woman and running the hostel at the same time.

 
 Spoiler: ooc 
Medtech +2
Fate Dice +0
Invoking Apprentice Holistic Physician for that additional +2
 

 
 Spoiler: stats 
  Stress  
Physical: [ ] [ ]
Mental: [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]

  Consequences  
mild: -
moderate: -
severe: -

Refresh: 3
Fate Points: 2/3
 
bramblefoot
the woman is stabilized, and left on the gurney to sleep of the diy surgery you just did on her. the person at the commune will answer on the first ring, and tell charity they will send over an acolyte ASAP. as you're on the phone, a suited man with sunglasses and a smartgun on a three-point sling stalks inside the hostel. he scans the people around, and will move up to the desk where charity sits. this man practically exudes an aura of menace, and people shrink away from him. he looks at you, and in clipped curt tones says  "the woman who came in here. where is she"  you get a feeling this man is not to be trifled with

 
WindStruck
As the man walks in, Charity is already getting bad vibes. She says on the phone,   "W-wait. Hold on..."  

Charity slowly sets the phone down onto the desk and peers up at the man.

Well, crap. It's one thing to be helping everyone and anyone, but this has clearly escalated into a conflict that she cannot afford to be a part of.

Charity says,  "She's.. injured. Resting..."  as she points to the hallway with a shaky hand. She decides to stand and make her way to the back, extracting a magnetic keycard from her pockets to unlock the door for the goon, so he may be less inclined to shoot anyone or bust down the door.

Standing just inside the dimly-lit room, she nervously waits to see what the man will do. This honestly wouldn't be the first time anyone was killed here, but God, she did not want to witness it or have any part in it!
bramblefoot
the man walks in, puts a smartgun round through the recovering womans head, and walks back out. he ruffles your hair as he leaves, saying  "dont say a word about this, or ill be back"  a half hour later, the recyk truck rolls up, and the body is put inside for disposal. the suit didnt ask about the bag she was carrying. are you gonna open it up and find out whats inside?
WindStruck
Charity turns away and flinches as the man begins to put his gun up to the woman's head. The sickening, muted pop of the gun is disturbing. When the man ruffles her hair, she feels an overwhelming feeling of revulsion. She just stands there shocked, watching as the man casually leaves. She looks at the body, feels sickened, and briskly walks to the front, shutting the door behind her.

Shakily picking up the phone again, Charity whispers,   "N-nevermind. D-don't send an acolyte. It's.. no longer needed..."  

Without giving any further explanation, she says,   "I, I can't.."   and hangs up.

Charity is in a daze, sharing concerned looks with others, some who maybe decide life here really sucks and they should strive for something better. She's not really productive for those thirty minutes, as she fiddles with her small cross pendant, silently uttering prayers and reviewing bible passages in her mind. Only when the recyk truck arrives is she forced to deal with the reality of the situation again, once again having to unlock the door and wheel a bloodied gurney out. She is able to recover the blood-speckled tourniquet, but leaves the rest to the corpse collectors.

God, there was blood everywhere. The acrid stench of bleach pervades the hostel as Charity works to soak up and scrape off the blood with gloved hands, frequently checking with the front.  'Maybe,'  she told herself,  'now it wasn't too different from cleaning up after a messy operation.'  But she damn well knew the truth.

Finally, she finished, well into the afternoon. Charity was getting hungry (well, technically people were always hungry, so I guess she was just starting to feel weak) and ducked to the back to get one of those food wafers. Then she remembered the paper bag, clutched in the woman's good hand. Reluctantly, she retrieves the bag from the box and begins to peer inside.
bramblefoot
the paper bag contains a pair of old seed packets, faded and wrinkled and barely legible. tell me what seeds they are, and what use they may have for the commune.
WindStruck
Charity curiously examines the packages. The seeds are none other than pumpkin seeds and carrot seeds. Of course, when grown, they become quite edible. More food for everyone, assuming they could get the soil and compost. But Charity isn't entirely sure about this herself. All she has had experience with is the secret fig tree, and it's not like she really tended to it or anything..

briefly, she wonders where these seeds came from and why the woman brought them here. It seems, maybe.. maybe she knew more about their organization than she thought. Maybe she was repaying a favor? Charity felt even worse now.

But she distracts herself by trying to unravel the mystery of the seed packages and closely reads the small print.
bramblefoot
the seed packet says non-gmo on them, whatever that means. the rest of the day is relatively peaceful. a few stitches here, setting a dislocated shoulder there. you gonna head home to the compound, or stay here for the night?
WindStruck
Well, someone had to be here to maintain the place, distribute supplies, and keep the peace.. at least, as much as one can without threats of violence.

But Charity had already been here for a couple days. Someone was supposed to take over.

 
 Spoiler: ooc 
I'll go home, but shall we decide who comes here, if at all?

 (1d10)[ 5 ] 

1 = no show  (and therefore staying)
2 = close relative
3-10 = some other friend/community member
 
bramblefoot
 

alright, so kristoff, whos a burly lad of maybe 18 summers will take over the hostel. slipping on your mask, you walk the streets back to the commune, passing beggars, and the recently displaced. please describe a complication that is in your way as you get in sight of the compound
WindStruck
Charity is an odd sight walking down the streets in her robes and sandals. She slowly walks, a couple packets of old seeds hidden within her robes, still deep in thought over the events of the day. But she still didn't forget to take a few wafers with her like she normally does - at least, when there is a decent supply at the hostel. She gives them to some beggars that she passes, for them to keep to themselves, share amongst each other, or fight over, that is for them to decide. And she offers them her prayers and blessings. But she can do no more, as the credits on her identification bracelet read a big fat zero.

 
 Spoiler: ooc 
I'll try to create a contacts advantage for this general area, something like "I've helped people here before"

Contacts +2, and +2 from stunt
 (4d6)[ 4 ][ 5 ][ 5 ][ 6 ](20) 
 


As Charity rounds a corner, the distant sight of the entrance to her compound coming into view, she notices something... strange.

Not far away, police have barricaded the road ahead of her, their vehicles emitting flashes of red and blue lights, and they guard the area, seemingly from what's within, more than keeping people out. Though many of them are wearing helmets and masks, they still seem cagey, even fearful.

Beyond the barricades is something truly bizarre that Charity has never seen before: some sort of biological mass, which appears to have sprouted up from the ground (in reality it came up from a sewer). It looks utterly mutated and disgusting, with tendrils that slowly sway around. What's more, it appears that it is also partly (or mostly?) made of cybernetics, with what appears to be metal studs where suckers might be, other metallic things protruding from it, and some pattern reminiscent of circuit boards all along its surface. Occasionally, there's an electronic arc amidst the mass, causing the tentacles to twitch.

 
 Spoiler: ooc 
I dunno. Literally what first came to mind when thinking "Technological Blight".
 
bramblefoot
 
 
 Spoiler: ooc 
take two free invokes on the ive helped people before
 


as you look at the cybernetic tentacles, the ground begins to shake, as a massive amalgamation of meat and metal pulls itself out of the ground, and stomps off through the city, heading towards the wasteland.

please describe your reaction, and take a fp for your compel on technological blight

attack against the zone from mr monstrosity

 (4d6)[ 4 ][ 4 ][ 6 ][ 6 ](20) 

that is 6 shifts of stress for you to eat. dont forget that you can burn invokes and fp to reduce said stress
WindStruck
Luckily, Charity is still some distance away (some distance behind the barricades) when the giant monstrosity comes to life. And it doesn't seem to be after Charity at all which is good; it just made its way out of the city.

The wake of destruction it causes, however, is scary. Ground cracks and rumbles, and buildings shake. Charity notices a street light tipping over towards her and steps aside. What she doesn't notice is a large chunk of stone plummeting directly toward her head.

 "Look out!"  a hoarse voice cries near her.

A dirty, haggard man shoves Charity out of the way, both of them scuffling to the neglected sidewalk, and avoiding being crushed by the stone debris.

 
 Spoiler: ooc 
Charity wasn't being directly attacked, so I thought Notice would be appropriate to avoid coincidental collateral damage caused by all the shaking.

Notice: +3
Fate Dice: +0
Using a free invoke of that "I've helped people here before" to get a bit of help avoiding damage. +2

So that's one shift of damage, taken as stress.
 


Charity clambers to her feet, a bit dazed and confused, and quite frankly terrified, though the danger had already seemed to pass. She helps the other man stand, and noting the large chunk of rubble near them, cannot thank him enough for what he's done.

All around, the city is in chaos. Some bystanders gawk like paralyzed statues, others flee, still some others are injured from all the damage caused by the monster. And the police, who were much closer, weren't as lucky, though arguably you could say they were better geared. Many of them radio in for backup, or reporting what just happened, and news drones begin flying into the area.

As for Charity, she has somewhat recovered from this ordeal, but there isn't much time for asking questions, and the way home still apparently isn't safe. She can, however, begin checking bodies, checking the injured, and she does so.

 
 Spoiler: stats 
Stress
Physical: [x] [ ]
Mental: [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]

Consequences
mild: -
moderate: -
severe: -

Refresh: 3
Fate Points: 3/3
 
bramblefoot
alright, so as you walk up to where the barricades are, you're shooed away, but not before you get a glimpse into the gaping hole where the monstrosity clawed its way up. tell me what you see, and what souvenir you get from the guards as your punishment for looking
WindStruck
After helping the homeless and downtrodden, Charity next decides to cautiously approach the police barricade. She raises a hand and waves,  "Hello? I have some medical training, if..." 
 "Keep back!!"  the agitated cop barks.

Charity shrinks away. She awkwardly looks back for a few seconds before turning to walk away, deciding it's not worth the trouble. She already had a bit of murder, intrigue, and giant monster in her day. She didn't want to top it off with a helping of police brutality.

 
 Spoiler: ooc 
Well, I rolled and then posted a meme before I realized there might be a cost to peeking where I shouldn't.

So.. I'll pass it up anyway?  Granted, I think I would have failed the roll, so maybe it's a moot point, but it would have been a harder decision should I have actually rolled well...

So to be clear..  no info, and no 'souvenir' please
 


All Charity really saw was a gaping sink hole where the street should have been, had a horrifying monster not just emerged from it. That was obvious from just about any distance, and if she wanted to see more, perhaps there would be more available on a TV...

Since Charity did not get any closer and left relatively quickly, all she got was an agitated glare, as the cop was then quickly distracted by another incoming radio signal. Charity still needed to get home, however, so she had to work out an alternate route to get there. Avoiding cramped and dark alleys, she had to go all the way to a different intersection (not toward the wasteland), turn right, then right at another intersection.

Finally, she made it back! And did she have a lot to share with her family and community.
bramblefoot
the commune comes into view, a welcome sight for sore eyes. the people of the commune cluster around you, asking you various questions about the amalgamation that came out of the street. what are you telling the people, and what are you doing after this?
WindStruck
 "You knew I was there?"  Charity initially asks. Well, maybe someone did happen to see her in the distance, or they merely assumed...

 "It was a horrid monster! At first it.. I don't know, it seemed like a mass of tainted flesh and cybernetics pushed up from the ground, like.. tentacles? or..."  she shudders.

 "But anyway, that might have only been its head? Or.. it seemed to change shape, I'm not really sure. All I know is it got really big and seemed to grow some limbs and a semblance of a head before it went out to the wasteland. Thank God, we are so lucky it didn't come this way or attack anybody!" 

She also says,  "I wouldn't go over there and poke around. The police seem very hostile."  Sure enough, by now, you could make out more reinforcements, and some men in suits, and some others in lab coats.

In any case, she's pretty open and honest about that spectacle, regardless of how little she actually knew. Then she wanted to simply go and rest, have a lay down for a bit before evening prayers, but then she remembered the seeds.

 "I need to speak with Father Sanchez,"  she says. He was the one who was most responsible for the care of their fig tree.
bramblefoot
 "of course"  sister fabiana says, leading charity to father sanchez's area. father sanchez is easily the oldest person in this commune by far, with a long white beard and scratched eyeglasses.  "ah, acolyte charity come in"  he says, bringing over a pitcher of water.  "what can i do for you today" 
 
WindStruck
Charity sits down and sighs, a mixture of relief and dread upon her face.

 "I have a confession to make, Father. I.. played a role in someone's murder today..."  As harsh as the whole self-accusation seemed, Charity laid out her story: the injured woman collapsing in the hostel, the steps she took to try to save her life, the armed suit, her complete and utter compliance.

 "I don't know what I could have done.. but it had to have been more than that! I just.. I just hoped maybe he was only after the package she brought, or, or wanted to take her to prison.."  Not like prison was a place anyone wanted to go; for many it was practically a death sentence in itself. But not always.

For the most part, the old man silently listened, though perhaps his judgement may be reserved for now.  "Oh yes, the woman brought these. This was in the bag."  Charity withdraws the seed packages from her robes and lays them on the table before Father Sanchez.
bramblefoot
 

father sanchez's eyes widen at the sight of the seed packets.  "thank you for the help acolyte"  he says, pocketing the seed packets. as to your confession, father sanchez nods  "there was nothing you could have done acolyte"  he says, placing a dry dusty hand on your shoulder.  "go rest, and take a breather" 
WindStruck
Charity dips her head silently in apologetic thanks and reverence. She makes way to the female living quarters and rests on an old bed, amid rows of bunks. She dozes off, napping until awakened for the evening prayers and ceremonies...

 
 Spoiler: stats 
Stress cleared! Should have been for a while I guess, but definitely now.

  Stress  
Physical: [ ] [ ]
Mental: [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]

  Consequences  
mild: -
moderate: -
severe: -

Refresh: 3
Fate Points: 3/3
 
bramblefoot
as your body slips into sleep, you feel your spirit leave your body and fly across the cyberpunk landscape to a corporate boardroom tower. two people sit across from each other.  "we cannot allow another escape like that"  a man with a bald spot says, his back to you. another female, sitting across from him says  "of course director, we've doubled security on the pens across the city"  the director nods, and will stand to leave. you awaken with a jerk as the evening bells ring to go to prayer

mr bald spot
 

the female he was talking to
 
WindStruck
Charity wakes, the bells mixing into her ethereal dream like an alarm of sorts, or perhaps a ring tone. Groggily she gets her bearings, the fine details of the dream slipping from memory, though she does recall an important-looking room, a man in a suit with a bald spot, and another woman. What a strange dream. She wonders if it had anything to do with the events of this morning.. perhaps a message from God? So she does hang on to the dream, or whatever she can remember of it anyway.

She shuffles over to the prayer room, still barefoot from her nap, but also as customary when indoors here. Many of the congregation are assembled here, though some with other duties and jobs cannot make it. There are no wooden pews or altars, for such things are long gone and available only to the most opulent of CEOs. Instead they have prayer mats, even for the eldest and most venerated among them.

Between the group of thirty or so of them, they share a few old, yellowed books. Aged, battered, worn, surviving from an earlier age, these books are handled with the utmost care, and several groups split off, with one person chosen to hold and read these holy texts, and the others to crouch and kneel behind, to listen and to glean what they can from pages out of reach.

Father Sanchez, a wise man, knows the book by heart. He asks his flock to turn to a certain page, announcing a chapter and verse. Then he briefly discusses his thoughts before nodding and sitting down. The others with bibles now read the passages. And then, with a patient smile, he asks everyone what they think of the passage, what its meaning is, and how they may relate to the events of their day.

There was mention of beasts and dragons, but oddly nothing of fruit and seeds today. Perhaps the seeds would remain a secret for now. Maybe until they were sure they could grow them.
bramblefoot
charity, today you're allowed the honor of handling one of the precious bibles. the pages are old and yellowed, and the spine in this book is nearly gone. as you read, your eyes are drawn to a small fly on the wall, seemingly sitting there motionless and watching.

im gonna compel technological blight again to say that this is a robo-fly and its watching stuff
WindStruck
Charity delicately handles the book, and reads aloud the verses. She notices the fly on the wall but thinks little of it, other than possibly wondering why one was here. They did keep this place fairly clean and closed off.

And then, everyone forms a circle and joins hands. Charity takes her mother's hand: Faith, a woman in her forties. Glancing at the wall again, the fly is still there. The group sings some hymns and utters some lengthy prayers.

By the time Charity raises her head and opens her eyes again, the fly is gone.

 
 Spoiler: ooc 
I'll assume robo fly is still here, but it moved.

Not really sure what to do here, but I don't think it makes sense for Charity to care too much about a fly. Not like she would want to squish it either. After all, they are God's creatures, too!

I'll throw another compel, "Religious Devotee" on top of that, to not care or do anything about it at all.
 

 
 Spoiler: stats 
  Stress  
Physical: [ ] [ ]
Mental: [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]

  Consequences  
mild: -
moderate: -
severe: -

Refresh: 3
Fate Points: 5/3
 
bramblefoot
 
 Spoiler: ooc 
i approve of your compels
 


after the meeting is over, father sanchez calls you to his office.  "so charity, i feel we can promote you to assistant gardener"  he says, steepling his fingers.  "what say you to that?" 
WindStruck
Charity is of course overjoyed by this news, though she tries to hide it.  "Ah, yes, Father! I.. I would be honored." 

Being born and raised among this commune, her loyalty was unquestioned. However, she may not be qualified for this work. Be that as it may, Father Sanchez surely knew this as well.

So Charity says,  "Whenever you wish to begin my training, I shall be ready." 
bramblefoot
father sanchez nods.  "you start tomorrow, bright and early"  he clasps you by the shoulders and says  "make me proud acolyte" 

gimme a montage of your remaining time until sleep, and then gimme another dream
WindStruck
With the day winding down, each person gets one last nutrient wafer.

Charity spends much of her time dusting off all the prayer mats. And after stacking them in one piles, sweeps and mops the room. And then there is laundry, to which Charity did not start the washing process, but there is much to dry and fold.

It's getting late now, and others return from their Missions outside. Charity is allowed to privately read some Bible passages on her own for some minutes. And then she retires to the women's sleeping quarters. She attempts to meditate on her bed for a while. And then grooming and prayers before bed. She drifts off into a sleep that may have been dreamless at first. Until...

Somewhere in a dark alley, one silhouetted figure holds another to a wall.

  "Where are they?"  
  "I don't know what you're talking about!"  

There's a squishing and snapping sound as one thrusts something into the other.

  "Aaaaaah!"  
  "I'm only going to ask you one more time. Where are they?"  
  "I dunno! She- Feng had them!"  
  "She's dead, and there was nothing on her."  
  "Tha-that's all I got man! I don't-"  
 *BLAM* 

One man slumps to the ground, and the other calmly walks away.
bramblefoot
 

one of the gardeners will come to get you as is the custom in the commune, blindfolding you and leading you down a small ramp and into an area that smells fresh. the blindfold comes off and your jaw drops. inside this room sits a number of small leafy green plants, carefully tended by gardeners

 "ready for your first day in the gardeners"  a tall grey haired woman says, stalking over. she has the bearing of someone who brooks no defiance here, and seems in control of her element

wdyd?

 
WindStruck
Charity says,  "Yes, as ready as I'll ever be." 

She looks around, still amazed.  "This is incredible. I have never seen anything like this before.."  And though she had never seen a lot of gadgets, cybernetics, or mutants either, something about this place just felt.. right.

Looking back to the wizened woman, Charity asks,  "What should I do?" 
 
 Spoiler: ooc 
I assume Charity has met this woman before, right?  Who is she?
 
bramblefoot
 
 Spoiler: ooc 
she is chief gardener lisandra
 


chief gardener lisandra quirks a grin  "thats cause theres nothing like it in the whole wide world"  she says, and shows you to a table.  "this plant urn has cracked, and needs to be repotted"  she says, and will show you how its done.

 meanwhile 

two men drive a delivery van towards the compound, checking their guns as they do so  "should be simple right?"  one says to the other.  "kill em, loot the place, and secure whatever they're hiding in there"  there is a chorus of  "aye ayes"  and  "yes sirs"  from the back, as the hit team locks and loads

charity, your just finished with the planting, when you hear a thunderous crash from up top, followed by the sounds of automatic weapons fire. screams and shouts are heard above, and chief gardener lisandra curses, slamming a big red button on the wall  "we got issues"  she says, and moves you into a small panic room, as gardeners carry plants in

 "keep these safe and dont come out"  she says, slamming the door

wdyd?
WindStruck
Well there's not much to do, aside from do as she was told. The sounds from above were awful. Something terrible was happening! Gunfire, screams, it sounded like they were being attacked!

Charity looks around the panic room for maybe something that could be used as a weapon. A pipe, a wrench, a machete, something.. But if they found this place.. honestly what chance could she really have??

She also looks for a hiding spot, and put the plants in some places that aren't obvious.

 
 Spoiler: ooc 
for a weapon of some sort
Notice +3
 (4d6)[ 3 ][ 6 ][ 4 ][ 3 ](16) 

Moving, searching, rearranging stuff for an advantage
Investigate +1
 (4d6)[ 1 ][ 3 ][ 3 ][ 2 ](9) 
If successful, create "An Obscured Nook"

for a hiding spot
Stealth +1
Invoke advantage if possible
 (4d6)[ 6 ][ 3 ][ 3 ][ 1 ](13) 
 
bramblefoot
 
 Spoiler: ooc 
ill let you hide, but just by the skin of your teeth
 


you hide as the gunshots get closer and closer to the panic room. a body falls with a thump against the door, and blood starts seeping under the door. you hear a laugh, followed by a  "i like the way you die boy!"  as rifle rounds impact the door multiple times.

finally, you muster the courage to open the door. the first thing you see is pools of blood and broken plantpots everywhere. you see lots of bootmarks in the blood, and plenty of spent brass. you have a feeling nobody made it out, save you

please describe charity's reaction, and then take a signficant milestone

 
 Spoiler: advancement rules 
 https://fate-srd.com/fate-core/advancement-change 
 
WindStruck
It seemed like quite a while that Charity hid. But the sound of gunfire ceased, as did the stomping of boots. Eventually she made her way to the door and listened intently. The blood on the ground had stopped spreading..

At first Charity was so scared and reluctant to come out. Then when she saw the blood, and the bodies.. she didn't know what came over her. She rushed out and began frantically searching around for survivors, for any signs of life. Overwhelmed by grief, there were no words to describe how she felt.

 This wasn't real. This had to all be a dream!  And as she frantically made her way through the compound, the death count climbed higher.  This couldn't be happening! Please God there has to be someone! 
bramblefoot
as you traverse the commune grounds, you finally find the truth. in life, there are no constants, only change. you are alone, amongst dead bodies and empty brass casings. these men came not for any tangible, but only for a chance to kill. your commune members are all dead, faces frozen into masks of agony and pain

the question is, what do you do now that your entire life has been upended like a overturned table?
WindStruck
Not finding a single survivor, only blood-stained bodies and contorted faces, Charity breaks down, bawling at the sight of her dead mother. Screaming to the heavens and God she asks why this happened.

After some time, however, there is a glimmer of hope, perhaps a silver lining that perhaps someone she knew wasn't dead. There was Kristoff, who was last seen at the hostel, and of course, it was known that others ventured out sometimes to perform Missions, or otherwise, because of other obligations.

So it was likely that some people yet survived, and yet their home and way of life was shattered. But even if Charity's life was turned completely upside down, she still might not be totally alone.

 
 Spoiler: ooc 
So we know there should be someone watching over the hostel. And Charity's dad developed pharmaceuticals (though I don't know where exactly he was at the time, and maybe his recent career changed), and some people have been said to go out for reasons.

In other words, it's not likely that absolutely everyone is dead.

The question simply is, who is left?  I think that's Charity's first priority.
 


At some point, when Charity can begin to think beyond the grief and start thinking rationally again (somewhat) she makes her way to wherever their phone was to call the hostel. Her fingers shake, and she gets blood on the numbers, having to try several times to remember and input the correct number, but eventually the phone starts ringing...
bramblefoot
one by one, people answer their phones. of the commune, only ten are alive and out on errands, and none of them are senior management of the commune. what do you do now?

meanwhile, across town

 "i take it mission accomplished?"  the man with a bald spot says, sitting in his boardroom.  "not quite"  says a voice across the line.  "we're tracking loose ends now. apparently someone survived the massacre inside and is helping us by dialing all the remainders"  the man smiles cruelly.  "good. we need the asset secured. dispose of them one by one, and then send in a cleanup team to bag and drag" 


mr bald spot
 

the voice across the line
 
WindStruck
Well Charity isn't entirely sure what to do at first, after contacting those who remained, but she figured that she needed to quickly clean the blood off of herself, don some clean clothes, and then hurry on over to the hostel to explain the gravity of the situation.

She just.. she couldn't handle this alone. The bodies of loved ones, the rites, the gore, she.. she just couldn't do it alone. And chances are, they could no longer afford upkeep for the hostel either. They needed to salvage what they could.. figure out what to do next, together.
bramblefoot
as you begin to walk to the hostel, your phone rings, and then auto-picks up. the caller ID is unknown. A sing-song voice says  "ten little technophobes standing in a line. one did something they shouldnt, and then there was nine"  the phone then goes dead

wdyd?
WindStruck
At first Charity thought it was someone left from her community, but the caller ID was completely unknown. So was the voice. And what they said was disturbing.

Dread fills Charity as she hurries along the streets, fearing the worst.
bramblefoot
you get to the hostel, and just as it was said, nine people are at the hostel, all members of the commune. the tenth one is nowhere to be found.

what now?
WindStruck
Charity looks at everyone and asks,  "You're all here, but why??"  She did not recall telling or asking them to go here. Though she supposed at some point she started telling people she was going to head here at first.

Though she had called ten people and nine of them were here, she did not think much of the missing person, aside from the creepily taunting phone call. Maybe Roberta was still on her way, or at their compound instead.
bramblefoot
the nine members of the commune look at you strangely.  "what do you mean charity"  they all say in unison. this is some major levels of creepy, as youve never seen this happen before. the nine remaining members of the commune will move to circle you, as sirens wail in the background

wdyd?
WindStruck
Charity might have tried to answer that question, but all of them speaking in unison was too freaky. She becomes extremely nervous as they circle around her.

 "W-what are you doing?! What's wrong with you?!"  Charity cries, looking for some semblance of humanity among her former friends.

She will try to squeeze through them, to get away and regain some personal space, but she might not actually try too hard, seeing as she is still so confused, and doesn't want to hurt them, or be hurt for that matter.
bramblefoot
there is no sign of humanity in your commune goers eyes. they will spin and dance, and you feel sort of lightheaded as they continue to do so.

will you roll 4d6 and tell me what you get? higher is better, and lower is worse