When All Else Fails (RP)
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		<h1 id="title">Elliquiy Role Playing Forums</h1>
		<h2 id="linktree">Non-Adult Sandbox =&gt; Non-Adult Roleplays =&gt; Topic started by: Ivy Mariani on October 17, 2010, 11:05:46 am</h2>
		<dl id="posts">
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>When All Else Fails (RP)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ivy Mariani</strong> on <strong>October 17, 2010, 11:05:46 am</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				'This is the medical log for the Echo Valley facility, Doctor Seris dictating. I just took over the leadership of the small medical team overseeing a small archeological dig about about three miles from the facility location. While most artifacts brought to the surface have been unremarkable there have been a few things worth taking note of since my arrival here three days ago. I was only getting used to the layout of the facility and the medical room which I'd be spending almost all of my waking hours when something was brought in. Some kind of box made of the same stone we've been seeing scattered about the surface of the Colony Planet, Alpharia.<br><br>What most people don't seem to realize is the damage that we did to our own planet wasn't the reason why we left. While it was something that would have posed a threat in the future we would have had another century before it would have caused us to find someplace else to live. It was our own doing that caused us to have to leave Earth. The Ferenzi Virus was responsible. A virus that left most of the world's population either comatose zombies or ruthless, cunning killers. Only a handful of the governmental staff who were responsible for the design of the virus escaped with their lives. Those who were able to make it out alive were those who I learned from, people who by all intents and purposes would have never created something like this if they knew what it could do to people. It took the worst traits out of those it infected and amplified them by about a thousand percent.<br><br>No one was safe. The virus was spreading too quickly for us to contain it. Even my team who was trying to find a cure came up empty handed by the time we were all forced to evacuate. By then the virus had been running rampant for a month, if you weren't dead you would be, if you weren't infected it was only a matter of time. My team was relocated to the Alpha Mountains, a military facility much like Echo Valley, but it was the first facility to be established upon our arrival on Alpharia. The planet had long ago been discovered, and our space travel capabilities took us longer than we would have liked to get to the planet. While light space travel had been developed it was no where good enough to get us here in a relatively short time. Years past, five to be exact, before we were able to get to the planet and another three years before the first facility was built. While there are numerous colonies scattered about the planet.<br><br>The military controls all human resources, all job creation, all land development and everything else necessary for our survival until some form of government can be properly established. As it is most of the world leaders died before our departure, there are only a few monarchs left and those we do have can't seem to decide on who is going to lead where. Right now there is a talk of having a coalition of leaders, almost like the village elders back when our own world had been getting onto its feet and the cradles of civilization were just being established. I think it would work, assuming each leader can put their differences aside and realize this is difficult for all of us, just not them.<br><br>I've work to do now. I'll be signing off this dictation for the time being. I'll leave more dictations once my work is finished, I'm sure I'll have a lot more to talk about at than I do right now.'<br><br><br>Terra Seris pressed her thumb onto the small pad near the computer she had been reciting her logs into. A small voice played over the speaker next to the pad she still held her thumb onto. 'Please recite directive.'<br><br>"Save dictation log Seris one." the thirty year old spoke clearly, making sure to pronounce every word precisely. A small light flashed on the computer that had been built into the table top.<br><br>Green letters appeared on the screen one at a time, slowly forming words.<br><br>Directive: Save dictation log Seris one...<br>Initiating directive.. <br>Please stand by...<br><br>Directive complete...<br><br>'Thank you Doctor Terra Seris.' the voice spoke again. The computer screen went dark as Terra removed her thumb from the pad and stood from the chair she had been seated in. Taking a slow breath she looked out the window at the landscape that had been replicated to look like Earth. Large oaks were present in the hologram presentation.<br><br>"Computer." she spoke as she walked through the lab, preparing for any sort of activity she might encounter.<br><br>'Yes Doctor Seris?' the calm female voice filtered through the air. She had hated the voice the first time she had heard it.<br><br>"Change voice simulation." she pulled out a few medical scanners and double checked them to ensure they were working properly. <br><br>'Voice change simulation complete. Is this more to your liking Doctor?' this time a male voice came from the computer.<br><br>"That works perfectly thank you." she smiled in spite of herself.<br><br>'You're welcome Doctor Seris. Is there anything else I can do for you?' the computer was often so obliging, it was like an assistant made out of a machine rather than flesh and blood. Sometimes she preferred it to human contact.<br><br>"Yes could you change the window hologram for me. Something other than trees.. Maybe a mountainside lake. Something from Alaska." a sigh came from her as she thought of her home in Juno. The one she had been forced to leave to head to D.C in order to work at the Pentagon and near the White House as she worked feverishly to formulate a cure for the Ferenzi Virus.<br><br>'Of course Doctor.' the male voice came again as the image screen flickered. A perfect replica of a landscape from Alaska came into view. It was something she was grateful for, at least the engineers were conscientious enough to keep records of what Earth had looked like before they had to leave. If they ever found a cure they could return, now that light speed technology had been perfected they could get there in days or months rather than years. She just hoped that things hadn't changed too dramatically from how they had been when they left.<br><br>"Thank you, that will be all for now, please turn the light on outside the door so people know they can come in." grabbing her lab coat from the hook on the wall she turned and pulled her long chocolate colored locks up into a bun before looking at herself in the mirror. Her green, almond shaped eyes tilted upward slightly at the corners, reminding her of her Asian heritage from her mother. Her mother had been among the first of the scientists who were killed when the virus broke past the containment walls, she'd been working as a geneticist while Terra was working as an assistant at a local clinic in Juno. When she got the call from D.C. about her mother and that her father had gone missing, it was then they called her to come pick up their work.<br><br>A lot of her features reminded her of her mother. The high cheekbones, the dark hair, the olive tone of her skin. There was little she saw in herself that made her think of her father. The curve of her bottom lip perhaps, or the way her cheeks dimpled a little when she truly smiled, but everything else was either a perfect mixture of her parents or the features of her mother. Turning her back to the mirror she draped her stethoscope over her shoulders, feeling the familiar weight of the tube against her skin she placed her hands into her pockets and waited for whatever the day was going to hold for her.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: When All Else Fails (RP)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Raphael</strong> on <strong>October 26, 2010, 12:21:01 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Empty hallways, quiet labs, serene motionless landscape and a dark storage room - that was all the security monitors had to offer. Rob sighed and leaned back in his chair, hands on his head, chewing on an unlit cigar. What he really, really wanted to do at this moment was put his feet up on the desk... alas, it was against regulations. And Sgt. Robert "Rob" Rhodes, alias "Hound Dog", head of security of the archeological dig site, did not like breaking regulations.<br><br>Instead, Rob allowed his mind to take him back to his early childhood, to a peaceful and boring Iowa where he grew up running and screaming and playing cowboys with his mate Mike "the Mite" Strandler and his older sis Jess. But his sis was now dead, and Mite Strandler was dead, taken by the Ferenzi. He remembered the panic, the fights on the street, the blood-crazed savages that turned on their friends and families. He remembered sitting on an old rocking chair in the dark, with a shotgun pointing at the barred door, with just four bullets left, waiting for that last face-off. Just like in the movies he had loved watching as a child, except this time it was him there, and it wasn't cool. Nor epic, nor heroic. It was scary, sad, and lonely.<br><br>But the people that broke down the barred door were the military, a unit looking for survivors, and he joined them even though he was a kid. And he saw what happened to those of his unit who broke regulations.<br><br>Rob shook off the memory and concentrated on the present. He checked the readings and his eyes slowly wandered through the monitors. Nothing to report. The monitor linked to the security camera in the storage room was dark, and he caught his reflection in it: the burly face, the heavy eyebrows, the dark two-day beard, the brown cowboy hat over the brown uniform. He winked at his reflection. Then he noticed the beep.<br><br>It was the comm-link to the settlement a few miles off the dig site. The settlement was the research facility's only link to the rest of Alpharia, the monorail car was the only transport in and out; and all their communications - from the nav-sat to the open phone line - were redirected to the settlement's communications tower. <br><br>Rob cursed under his nose and pressed the button that opened the security phone line. <br><br>"Hound Dog calling White Tower; Hound Dog calling White Tower; come in, White Tower."<br><br>All there was on the other end of the line was radio silence. Rob tried again, and again, but there was no answer. He shook his head and attempted to reach somebody on the open line, then on the emergency line, but the result was the same. Rob felt the tension rising in his gut. Communications never failed, they were about as secure as anything could be in humanity's new home. Something was wrong.<br><br>"Follow the regulations" Rob told himself. When something was wrong, the first one to be notified was the head of security. The second one to be notified was the boss of the facility. He reached out for the intercom and pressed the 1. <br><br>"Head of security calling head of research. Sgt. Robert Rhodes calling Dr. Terra Seris. Sgt. Rhodes calling Dr. Seris." For a few seconds, no one answered. Rub cursed again and decided to skip protocol. Protocol and regulations were not the same thing.<br><br>"Terra, pick up the damn phone. Something's going on."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: When All Else Fails (RP)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ivy Mariani</strong> on <strong>October 26, 2010, 12:42:39 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				'Doctor Seris.' the electronic voice came back over the airwaves as Terra busied herself checking her supplies. Things had been slow here, boringly so. But what could she do? She had nothing left to do but endure. She couldn't leave her post and go for a walk on the off chance something did happen. She'd end up in lock up or paying a hefty credit fine that she just didn't have with her. Most of her credits were locked up in her room and she didn't want anyone going in there. She didn't want them to see the pictures of her family who she had lost so long ago. It was a scar that would stick with her.<br><br>"Yes?" she didn't raise her eyes from where they were now. She was watching her fingers flip through different files of people who had been through the facility. Most had gone through with clean bills of health. Others had been exhibiting the first symptoms of the Ferenzi Virus and had been immediately quarantined only to be executed days later. The human population had been dwindling in the days since the last of the transports had been sent off the planet. They would be arriving in a matter of days now, at least that's what the reports were. 10,000 people in each transport and there were three arriving. There would be a small handful of medical crew coming to help her but it would still be hectic to make sure that no one carrying the virus would get through.<br><br>'You have a call.' the voice came through to her ears.<br><br>Sighing she straightened, having now lost count of the files she needed to remove. "Open the line." placing her hands onto the low of her back she looks up at the ceiling though it wouldn't help her see who was calling. "This is Doctor Seris."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: When All Else Fails (RP)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Raphael</strong> on <strong>October 26, 2010, 01:37:11 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"This is Doctor Seris." her voice came, muffled through the speaker. Rob suppressed a sigh of relief. <br><br>"Doctor, this is Sgt. Rhodes. I think we may have a situation."<br><br>This was a good phrase, he thought. "I think (personal opinion rather than fact) we may (pointing out that it was all rather uncertain) have a situation (not a state of alert, not an emergency, not a disaster - just a situation, which could be anything from a broken antenna to someone's cat drinking a vial labeled "HIGHLY TOXIC".) Drawing attention without causing panic. Because it could be anything, or even nothing. Surely not an...<br><br>Rob swallowed. His throat had gone dry and sore all of a sudden. He didn't want to finish the thought. "... an outbreak".<br><br>"Doctor, White Tower isn't responding. All lines are dead. I've been trying to reach anyone for over five minutes now. It could be just a technical problem but I figured you would like to know. I'll keep trying."<br><br>He could almost picture her mind pushing the alarm button. It was a button in everyone's head. Everyone was always edgy, always nervous, waiting for the Ferenzi virus to strike again. Hoping that it wouldn't. But somewhere deep within knowing that it will. Sooner or later.<br><br>And what made it worse - one of the first signs of an outbreak was always the dead phone lines. <br><br>He remained on the phone waiting for her answer. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: When All Else Fails (RP)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ivy Mariani</strong> on <strong>October 26, 2010, 02:03:05 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She listened to him, hearing every word, running them through her head over and over again until the sentences blurred and everything became a ring of noise in her thoughts. Frowning she thought about this. They hadn't had a solid outbreak case in weeks, the last person showing signs had been executed and the numbers of those who had been showing symptoms had been on the decline since they had arrived at the facilities. Grimacing she rubbed her thumb and middle finger on either side of the bridge of her nose, trying to figure out just what could be going on. It wasn't likely the virus, it just couldn't be.<br><br>"Take it easy Sarge." she attempted to smile so it lightened her voice. "The facility is new there's bound to be some bugs to work out yet. Look at how long it took for com systems to stay up in the Alpha Mountain facility." she had a good, valid point. One that was a strong case against it being the Ferenzi virus. The Alpha facility had spent several weeks without steady coms because towers kept buckling under the heavier gravity on the planet, wires short circuited, radios malfunctioned. That was a plausible explanation right? Faulty wires, crumbling antennae and bad radios. <br><br>It had to be.<br><br>"Just keep checking in with them. If it's a wire issue you're bound to get through. I know they were calling for a sand storm this hour, it could be what's causing the communication problem. Some kind of interference. The sand is pretty magnetic during the storms." she'd kept a highly detailed report on the weather in case something went wrong outside the facility, made it easier to navigate in the planetary suits. "If you can't reach them best I can suggest is call the engineers. We haven't had a case of someone showing symptoms of the Ferenzi virus in a week now. I don't think that could be the case now." she didn't want to say, she hoped that was the case now. How would that instill calm?<br><br>"Just keep me up to speed okay?" no sooner did she say those words did she receive a mail on her computer. Turning to look at the page she clicked it open with a tap of the screen. Enlarging it she smiled as she looked at the report. "Check your mail Sarge, there's a brief report. They've got some com systems down for routine maintenance. They should have them up and running by tomorrow morning.&nbsp; White Tower was likely one of the ones on the list for the maintenance. I don't think we have anything to worry about." she sounded a little less tense than she had been, part of her was hoping that was all it was going to be.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: When All Else Fails (RP)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Raphael</strong> on <strong>October 26, 2010, 02:27:48 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Rob was listening to Dr. Seris' voice, smiling. He wasn't sure if she was trying to calm him down, or herself. In any case, she was right: the moment she mentioned the brief report, a message came through on his monitor. He opened it and his eyes glanced through to the end of the list. The comm-tower of Bravo 3 settlement wasn't anywhere on the list.<br><br>"Our White Tower isn't on the list" he spoke into the intercom. "But you're probably right, they most likely just forgot to put in all the locations. You know how it is - they put someone in charge of Coordination, then the poor S.O.B. sneezes in the hallway and before you know it, half the staff is quarantined and the other half's neck deep into the mess. Missing reports, wrong orders, and nobody's got the key to the Server Room. I'll keep in touch, but I think we've got Code Green. Sergeant Rhodes out."<br><br>He leaned back again and crossed his fingers above his chest. "Computer!" he said.<br><br>"Yes, Sergeant Rhodes" the digital voice replied immediately. Rhodes liked the facility's AI. It never broke any regulations.<br><br>"Computer, run comm-link verification protocol."<br><br>"Initiating verification protocol of communication link status, sequence seven-dash-seven-one-five. Please stand by!" the electronic voice announced.<br><br>It was about to take 15 to 20 minutes, Rob thought while his eyes were completing another routine check on the security monitors. Everything looked good. He opened the line again.<br><br>"Hound Dog calling White Tower. Hound Dog calling White Tower; come in, White Tower."<br><br>Silence.<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: When All Else Fails (RP)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ivy Mariani</strong> on <strong>October 26, 2010, 03:18:26 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				With the com link disconnected she went back to the files, her fingers going through them slowly. Still she thought about the mail she had gotten, the conversation she had just had. Flashbacks of her kid sister and her own young daughter succumbing to the Ferenzi virus flashed into her head, causing her hands to shake and her fingers to stop their movement over the files.<br><br>She could hear their screams, see their faces twisted in agony and rage. Closing her eyes she tried to fight the images away but they stuck fast, frozen into place in her mind. Shaking her head to clear the vision, she forced her eyes open, her body to move and resume its work. She was sure everything was fine. The virus hadn't found them again. They had been too careful.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: When All Else Fails (RP)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>nk</strong> on <strong>October 26, 2010, 03:32:31 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>“Oh, there ain't no rest for the wicked...”<br><br>“Money don't grow on trees...”<br><br>“I got bills to pay..”<br><br>“I got mouths to feed..”<br><br>“There ain't nothing in this world for free..”</strong><br><br>Jake continued to sing the lyrics of one of his favorite songs before sighing heavily at the problems he currently faced. They'd told him they'd wanted a solid, dependable, reliable, techie and that- surprisingly enough- in a nutshell, summed up Jake. Yet even if he was all of those things and more, how the hell was he supposed to work under these conditions? When Jacob B. West fixed things, he wanted to fix them to last. Or at least he tried to... but this stuff here? This was just plain abnormal. <br><br>Wires among wires filled Jake's vision as the light from the hallway attempted to fill the small hole whose entrance was no more than one foot high and two feet long. Small, dark and cramped were the conditions Jake was currently under but those he could deal with. The freezing floor and the problem he currently faced however...not so much. He felt the cold floor's temperature continue to slowly bleed through his paper thin uniform as he laid on his back and attempted to figure out which one of these bad boys was the red headed step child of the family. It would've been simply easier to take the whole thing out and just buy a completely new set instead of what he was currently doing now, but given that he'd have to go through the higher ups (I.E: The Doc, and Sgt. Hardass), he sort of preferred doing this, instead of resorting to that. He didn't have anything against them personally, but he kinda hated the fact how they always seemed to lay into him every single time he happened across them. They always said things such as 'He should stop slacking off' or that he should obey some regulation or another and well...that grew really old, really fast.<br><br>A small shock to his finger ripped him away from his thoughts as the 25 year old cursed loudly and whipped his hand back hitting another batch of wires in the process. The hallways lights flickered and dimmed for a moment to his surprise before reverting back to their previous illuminance. Jake held his breath for the second they had dimmed as he wondered if he had inadvertently caused his own workload to increase but breathed a sigh of relief once the lights return to the brilliance they had previously shown. Seriously though. Another work order was the last thing he wanted on top of the seemingly endless amount of repairs that needed to be done in this dump.<br><br><strong>"And they call this place new huh..?"</strong> Jake said semi-sarcastically as he continued to fiddle with the circuitry.<strong> "Man, I hate to see what this place would like if it went to hell."</strong>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: When All Else Fails (RP)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>LucianLuna</strong> on <strong>October 26, 2010, 04:08:32 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Lucian or Luc as his friends called him was in the kitchen making sure everything was ready and in order for the meal services later today. He was sitting at a table and drinking some water while going over what food was provided in the kitchen and planning out what the meals would be for the day. Luc didn't have any family left around. Didn't have much of a family to begin with. Just two brothers who were both dead now. he missed his brothers, especially his twin. He was real clothes to his twin before the virus took him and his older brother. He sighs and wipes those thoughts from his mind. Best not to think about that now. They were gone and he couldn't change that. Luc stood up and started to wipe down the tables with a rag. Once the tables were wiped down he went into the kitchen and cleaned the dishes left over from last night then wiped down the counters as well. Luc always kept his kitchen clean. A clean kitchen meant the chef took pride in his work which meant you were bound to get good food. He had no idea there was trouble elsewhere while he was handling his duties in the kitchen. Luc decided to make stew for lunch and since stew took hours to cook he decided it best to get it going now. He grabbed the big pot and put it on the stove then added water and broth to it to simmer. he then grabbed some vegetables from the fridge and clean and chopped them. Next he grabbed the stew meat. Once the liquid in the pot boiled he added the meat and vegetables to it and put the lid on for it to simmer. By lunch the stew should be done. He had nothing else to do for now so he sat down in his chair and relaxed until it was time to serve lunch.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: When All Else Fails (RP)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ivy Mariani</strong> on <strong>October 26, 2010, 04:25:03 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Her stomach gave a painful growl of protest to her work as she stood hunched over the collection files a little while longer. Another reminder she had skipped breakfast in favor of work yet again. Of all people she knew better. Dropping her stethoscope onto her desk she hit the button to activate her door, waiting for it to slide open she starts walking towards the mess hall. <br><br>Passing by someone working on some electrical components she kept her thoughts as positive as she could. Things were going to be fine, they had to be. Everything had been taken care of, the military presence in the facilities were still heavily present. She had nothing to fear.<br><br>Stepping into the now empty mess hall she looked around, her delicate lips curling into a frown. Everything looked as though it had been picked up and put away until the lunch time crowds came in. "Luc?" her voice echoed in the empty room as she let her eyes roam over the area. "Luc you still here?" she was hopeful that maybe the cook had something she could get.<br><br>She smell of something cooking drew her almost magically towards the kitchen. Peeking carefully in the doorway she looked around hoping that someone was still here.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: When All Else Fails (RP)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>LucianLuna</strong> on <strong>October 26, 2010, 04:40:53 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Lucian looked up as he heard someone come into the kitchen and saw the doctor. "Doctor Siris. I was wondering if you'd come looking for some food. You of all people should know it's not good to skip meals. I'm steal here doctor. What can I get you. We have some pastries, muffins, or I can mix up a quick batch of eggs for you. There's some juice to if you want something to drink." he watched the doctor as he waited for a reply. Luc always scolded people for skipping meals. To him meals were the most important time of day. You got to socialize with others in the place and you got to eat good food. What could be more important than that.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: When All Else Fails (RP)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ivy Mariani</strong> on <strong>October 26, 2010, 04:45:55 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"I know." she laughed and hung her head a little before lifting her gaze again. "It's not the first time this week. Guess work is getting the best of me right now. But at least I remembered to come here before lunch started, that is a great place to get back on track."<br><br>Thinking over her choices she purses her lips slightly before leaning against the door frame. "Eggs and a muffin would be great right about now, and some juice of course." she smiled brightly, always glad to have a conversation with Luc. Normally she was always conducting conversations about the newest treatments in transmittable diseases, preventions for the common cold and remedies to help with hangovers. There was something relaxing about having a simple and normal conversation with something else.<br><br>"Stew later?" she took a whiff of the air, more than happy to always try and guess what would be on the menu when it was cooking. "It smells delicious."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: When All Else Fails (RP)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>LucianLuna</strong> on <strong>October 26, 2010, 04:58:54 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Ok Doc, coming right up." Luc puts a pan on the stove to hit up and grabs a couple eggs from the fridge. He puts them in the now hot pan and starts them frying as he grabs a muffin and a glass for the juice. "Yeah. You&nbsp; guessed right. Stew is good comfort food and comfort food helps when people are having a hard day. If anyone is having a tough time at work this will fix them right up. It's my own form of medicine." He grinned back at the Doctor then flipped the eggs to cook on the other side. He poured some orange juice in a glass and put that next to the muffin then plated the eggs and put them on the table as well. "There you go doctor. Enjoy your meal." He handed her a fork and started to clean up the pan he had cooked the eggs in.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: When All Else Fails (RP)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ivy Mariani</strong> on <strong>October 26, 2010, 06:43:09 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"It is good for people, definitely something about it that soothes the nerves." she smiles, remembering all of the times her mother cooked stew. She had a recipe that was different than most people's but regardless it was still the most delicious thing Terra had ever tasted. Then again, her tastes had expanded over the years and there were very few stews that could rival her mother's in taste.<br><br>"Mm.. Thank you for the food Luc." smiling she took a sip of the juice before tearing a piece of the muffin free and popping it into her mouth. Chewing it over she allowed her thoughts to return to the strangeness of the morning, the unexpectedness of the coms drop, the lack of people moving about when by rights the hallways should have had a few people moving through them. She had only noticed a handful here and there before reaching the mess hall, but now? Now that she thought about it, none of them were talking, everything had been relatively quiet.<br><br>"Have you heard of anything strange going on today? Sergeant Rhodes was talking to me about White Tower losing their communications, thought maybe it had something to do with the scheduled maintenance.. But even the people I saw on my way here seemed rather skiddish, hardly anyone out and walking around." her eyes rested on him as she slid a forkful of egg into her mouth. There had to be something going on, it was just too.. Coincidental.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: When All Else Fails (RP)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>LucianLuna</strong> on <strong>October 26, 2010, 06:54:44 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"No problem Doc. unusual? Now that I think about it people where strangely quiet this morning during breakfast. hardly talking to each other at all. I thought maybe they just had their minds on work or other things, but there's always some conversation and this morning there was nothing. That's unusual around here. Hope you find out what's going on and I hope it's nothing to serious." he finished washing up the pan and put it back then stirred the stew a bit before sitting down at the table across from the doctor.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: When All Else Fails (RP)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ivy Mariani</strong> on <strong>October 26, 2010, 07:21:39 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Nervously she picked at the muffin, pulling a small piece of it off before nibbling on it. Something felt even more off about this now that she thought about it. People being quiet, the coms being down, the storm. All of it seemed somehow interconnected yet irrelevant to one another the more she thought it over. Maybe it was just nothing. It had been so long since any of them had been back to their homes that it was likely starting to wear on their psyche.<br><br>"Maybe it's just something to do with the whole political debate." she focused her attention onto her eggs again. "I know a lot of people are getting frustrated because they can't decide on one solid form of leadership. People are getting sick of the military rule, mean can't say I blame them." she laughed quietly. There had really been some higher ups who were real tools over in the Alpha facility. But in the Echo they had gotten lucky, most of the military staffed there were on the up and up, good men and women all around.<br><br>"Then again maybe this whole coms thing has people running scared.. Too much like you know.." she didn't want to echo Rhodes' thoughts. It was just like the start of the virus all over again. Phone line went out, then cable and satellite connections. One by one systems began to shut down until the only thing left running was the electricity. It was scary then, and the thought of a reoccurring event was enough to send a shiver down her spine.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: When All Else Fails (RP)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>LucianLuna</strong> on <strong>October 26, 2010, 07:33:59 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"It's probably nothing Doc. I wouldn't worry about it until you know if there is something to actually worry about. Worrying over nothing will just get you stressed. People panic to easily. As soon as something out of the ordinary happens or something they can't explain they panic whether there's a reason to panic or not." Lucian wasn't really worried yet. Connections went down all the time. I'm not saying you should let your guard down or anything. Just don't start a panic yet."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: When All Else Fails (RP)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Raphael</strong> on <strong>October 27, 2010, 06:32:47 am</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Panic? What panic? Hey, Luc!" Rob's booming voice echoed through the mess hall as he stepped in. "Sergeant Rhodes reporting for stew" he saluted with a smile, sniffing the air. He took the chair opposite to Dr. Seris and leaned forward, whispering to her ear: "I ran a 7-715. Comm-link's fine, all systems are go. White Tower's not responding 'cos there's nobody on the other side to pick up the phone." Then he retreated back into the chair, observing Dr. Seris' expression.<br><br>"I wouldn't worry about politics, if I were you. Frankly, us military people are as tired of governing civilians as they are tired of us." he laughed out loud. "There's a reason why politics should be made by politicians, doc. We're not good with treaties and diplomacy and whatnot. Give us something to shoot and something to..." he hesitated for a moment, remembering he was talking to a lady, and continued: "something to sleep on, and we're happy as it is."<br><br>He turned to the young cook and winked at him. "Chef, tell your sarge how long that stew of yours will take, my belly's upset with me." <br><br>He laughed at his own joke, but the smile never reached his eyes. He was concerned and good acting was never a part of military training. He looked around and added:<br><br>"What's the mechanic doing in the hallway, anyway? Somebody send him to fix the coffee machine instead of poking around with the lights. I can live in the dark but another day without coffee and I'll go ferenzi on people."<br><br>It was a military joke, turning the name of the virus into a common verb like that. He said it without thinking, and then he realized that given the current status of affairs, it wasn't the most appropriate of jokes. He shut his mouth, slightly embarrassed, hoping that there would be no awkward silence.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: When All Else Fails (RP)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ivy Mariani</strong> on <strong>October 27, 2010, 03:17:38 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Honestly I've no clue what he's doing out there." she laughs and shrugs before finishing of her eggs and working on the last bits of muffin and mouthful of juice. She had been hungrier than she had expected, eating so fast she was sure she'd either be hungry again in five minutes or that she'd feel nauseated in the same amount of time. Regardless she had been thoroughly grateful for the meal.<br><br>"You say not to worry about politics? You're not the one pulling shrapnel and bullets out of the ones who get into fights because of the politics." she laughs and brushes a small strand of her hair back into place behind her right ear. "Some people when things don't go the way they expect, well they tend to snap. Saw it a lot on my rotations in medical school. Then again.. Most of that time was spent on a transport, confine enough people, put the fear of God in them and you get a bit of chaos. Part of human nature."<br><br>It was like the Ferenzi virus had taken those exact traits out of people- the worst traits imaginable- and pumped them up like a weight trainer on steroids. Every bit of rage, hate, murderous ability had been amplified so much that people had lost their minds, even in death they continued on until something was done to permanently shut their brain off from the rest of their body. It was like a Halloween movie, badly scripted and overly gory, but it was reality. Their lives had been turned into a Hollywood style zombie flick, minus the shiny lights, diva actors and zero cameras around to capture it for pure entertainment value. There had been news cameras, but in the end they only captured the true horror in the beginning, they weren't around to capture the shocking finale. They had all turned themselves. There wasn't anyone around to be able to view them if they had, no way to get it across the air waves.<br><br>"I'm just glad we're civilized to an extent now that we're settled and trying to pick our lives back up from the ground." she smiled as the familiar rumble of the monorail sent tremors through the floor of the facility. She much as everyone else had grown accustomed to the familiar rumbles and noises of the monorail as it took its scheduled routes between the different facilities and colonies. However something unexpected happened..<br><br>A large tremor, one larger than what should have been typical, rocked the facility. Dishes, and pans rattled, fell to the floor breaking and skittering a few feet. The loud thrums of an explosion compressed the air, socking Terra in the chest as it blasted against the nearby outer wall of the facility. Gripping the table until her knuckles were white she looked between Rhodes and Luc, terror evident in her green eyes.<br><br>"What the hell was that?!" almost as if to answer her question the warning sirens began to sound, yellow cautionary lights light, spun and illuminated areas of every room.<br><em><br>'Warning. Outer hull breach. Warning. Outer hull breach. Shutting down monorail systems, locking outer bay doors.'</em><br><br>"There's people out there!!" the screams of people filtered into the kitchen before others screamed back. "Not anymore! The monorail is gone!"<br><br>Standing on shaky legs she tried to concentrate over the blare of sirens, the computer and the glare of the lights.<br><br><em>'Warning. Outer hull breach. Breach contained. Switching to manual override.'</em><br><br>"Manual override.." she breathed looking at Rhodes. "No one has that authorization! What the hell is going on!?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: When All Else Fails (RP)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Raphael</strong> on <strong>October 27, 2010, 03:54:11 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The blast almost knocked Rob off his feet, only the year-long martial arts training helped him stay on his feet. What it didn't help him with was think fast. Rob wasn't a fast thinker. <br><br>"What the f..." the screeching alarm muffled his next words. He looked into Dr. Seris' eyes and saw panic in them. Not good.<br><br>"Doc, you alright? Luc, still holding up, buddy?" he out-barked the noise. Several members of the scientist team were pouring into the mess hall, shocked and confused. The lights flickered. <br><br>"Everybody, this is Sergeant Rhodes yelling at ya! Stay here, lock the doors and stay calm! Dr Seris will take care of you. Sunny!" he noticed one of his guys standing at the door, trying to contain the panic. "Sunny, come with me. I'm gonna go see what the hell is going on with the monorail!" He saw private Sundar Singh, alias "Sunshine", nod at him, and he turned around to Dr. Seris.<br><br>"Terra" he said quietly. "Can you handle it here while I'm out?"<br><br>He was pretty sure she can, having spent the last three years under her command. He didn't wait for an answer. He scooped private Singh along and made his way down the hallway. <br><br>"Jake" he told the mechanic on his way down. "Go to Dr Seris. Man, we're gonna need you!" <br><br><em>Manual override.</em><br><br>There was only one person Rob knew of with that level of clearance. The White Tower commanding officer. There could be others but Rob wasn't entirely sure how many or who. He shook his head. <br><br>"Sunshine, 12 feet spread, Code Yellow." he barked out. He didn't have to add: Ferenzi. Sunny just nodded and fell back to cover the twelve feet distance. The doors leading to the monorail station were closed, but what Rob saw made him take out his pistol and switch off the safety. The light on the control panel was green. The door was unlocked - someone had unlocked it. <em>Manual override.</em> He entered his security code and the door opened aside with the soft sigh of released pressure. There was nobody but him and Sunny on either side.<br><br>"Sunshine, stay by that door, keep your eyes open." Rob whispered and stepped through. <br><br>The blast had knocked out the relay and the hallway on the other side was dark. Something was hissing - probably a punctured vent. The doors at the opposite end were partially closed, twisted by the blast. There was no draft, meaning that the outer bay doors were holding up. He walked towards the monorail station, eyes wide open, his senses sharp as they could get. <br><br>He was halfway through the corridor when he heard a shot and a scream. It was private Singh. Rob let a curse slip out through his lips as he turned around and ran for the door. It was closed. He entered his security code as quickly as possible, and to his relief the door slid open. <br><br>But his relief didn't last long. Sunshine was gone. His gun was on the floor, lying in a pool of blood. There was no one in the hallway.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: When All Else Fails (RP)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ivy Mariani</strong> on <strong>October 27, 2010, 04:15:03 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<em>'Warning. Containment failure, decks 5, 7, 12, and 20. Initiating facility lock down. Please remain calm.'</em><br><br>Her breath came in ragged, shaking gulps that seemed to cause her whole body to shudder under the force. Her heard was thudding fiercely in her chest, the thrum of her blood filling her ears as the injured began to stagger into the doorway. Wincing she looked over at Luc, praying he had a strong stomach. "I hate to do this to you Luc, but I need to triage here. It's the only place big enough, medical won't cover this many right now."<br><br>Most of medical was still being built, half of the room was blocked off and unfinished. Stepping into the main mess hall area and turning to one of the soldiers she grabbed him by one arm. "I need you to get to my office, grab every medical supply you can carry. Send a small team of three to medical, get me crash carts, IV poles, the works. Anything they can get back here I need it now." the man nodded before passing off the injured woman he was supporting to Terra.<br><br>"Where are you hurt?" it was going to be a very long day. The woman muttered something about her arm and chest. Giving her a quick look over she nodded. "It's fractures. I'll splint your arm for now, but the ribs will have to wait until we can get you an x-ray." quickly yet thoroughly splinting the arm, she gave the woman a gentle smile before pointing her towards the back of the mess hall. She'd keep those who needed the most care up front, easier to get to and easier to get out if they didn't make it.<br><br>Turning she saw one person covered in burns, their body sagging as they were drug into the mess hall. "No, take em out to the hallway, the room across from us. Black tag." the man supporting him nodded and did as instructed. The first black tag of what she knew would be many. One death.<br><br>A scream broke through the hall, a few gunshots and people running into the mess hall. "Get down!" someone screamed before a blurred body slammed into them and drove them past the mess hall doors. More screams and gun fire ensued.<br><br><em>Warning. Containment failure levels E through H.</em> They'd just somehow lost hydroponics and the life sciences labs. <br><em>Warning. Contamination detected levels E through G. Locking levels.</em> Terra's breath nearly blasted out of her chest as the realization of what was going on hit home.<br><em>Caution: Contamination probability on remaining levels 10%. Initiating contamination containment protocol. Please proceed to nearest contamination checkpoint.</em>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: When All Else Fails (RP)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>LucianLuna</strong> on <strong>October 27, 2010, 06:27:10 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Lucian was going to answer the security guy when all hell broke loose. He handed a bowl to the man. "if you still want stew get it yourself. No problem Doc, don't mind at all." He then grabbed buckets and started filling them with water in case she needed to wash some wounds. He went around and put chairs against the back wall for people to sit in while waiting to be seen then lined up the tables for the doctor to use to lay people on that she was treating. "There's bucket s of water and rags in case you need to wash anybody off or clean any wounds. If you need anything else just let me know doc. I'm not trained in this but I'll do what I can to help you in anyway possible." Lucian moved to lean against the back wall so he'd be out of the doctor's way."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: When All Else Fails (RP)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ivy Mariani</strong> on <strong>October 28, 2010, 10:06:34 am</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Thanks Luc." she tried to smile but it faltered in the panic that was threatening to cease control of her body. "I need someone to splint any broken bones and send them straight to the back." she called out, at this point not really caring who took up the motions. "Broken bones aren't a priority unless they need setting. Anything that's a cut or scrap or a bruise, go to the back. Anything worse I want up front. Least injured back and work up to the critical injuries towards the doors."<br><br>She was trying to organize the people who were well enough to help her. "I'll get to them as I can, anyone with any medical training come and talk with me I'll need an extra set of hands."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: When All Else Fails (RP)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Raphael</strong> on <strong>October 28, 2010, 10:13:55 am</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The main mess hall was... well, a mess, Rob thought as he carefully made his way through the swarm of injured and scared people. Tending to injured staff wasn't his priority - the facility had enough doctors for that. Keeping them alive was - and he wasn't doing his job well.<br><br>He approached the overwhelmed doctor and the young cook at her side, and he pulled them to the side quickly. <br><br>"Luc, Terra... we have a problem." he whispered, frowning. "The pressure doors leading to the monorail station were unlocked. Someone with a level of clearance enough to activate manual override is inside. Also, I think we lost Sunshine - I only found his gun and his blood on the floor. Worst case scenario - someone who knows all the codes snapped or got the virus, and is roaming around our facility, killing people. Be on your toes and report ANY strangers to me!"<br><br>He left them and took position by the mess hall doors, gun out and ready to fire. He knew it was gonna look bad in the eyes of all the panicking people - but it was either that, or be caught off-guard.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: When All Else Fails (RP)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>LucianLuna</strong> on <strong>October 28, 2010, 02:21:30 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Lucian looked between the other two. "Doc remember when I said don't worry or panic unless there's a reason to. Well this is a damned good reason. " He then went to help the others sort the injured, taking the least injured people to the back and setting them in a char. He left the broken boys and badly injured people for the guys that were trained to take care of them. He then set up a small table and brought out two coffee pots. he brewed coffee in one and the other for hot water. He then brought out tea bags of different flavored teas, sugar, and creamer. he placed some&nbsp; paper cups for hot drinks on the table as well as what was left of the muffins and some doughnuts. Setting up a snack area for the patients and workers in case they wanted anything.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: When All Else Fails (RP)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ivy Mariani</strong> on <strong>October 28, 2010, 04:31:44 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"I think you're right..." she nearly whispered to Luc, her voice cutting off as her throat constricted with fear before the words could even begin to break past her lips. Swallowing against the sudden dryness in her throat and mouth she started passing off the injured to some of the other medical staff before she took a moment to assess how many were injured. There were at least twenty now, maybe a few more than that. She had no idea how many had been on the monorail, how many were still stuck outside on the deck waiting. All of them likely had been killed in the explosion, or the concussion from it.<br><br>Gritting her teeth she grabbed one of the retinal scanners and looked towards Rhodes. "Look into this. You need to be scanned you were right out there. We need to be sure..." it was one of the easiest ways to detect the first symptoms of the virus. The retinas would begin to deteriorate, the pigment of the eyes to change to a pale silver, the whites of the eyes to turn blood shot ever so slowly. Another shot echoed from somewhere down the facility, causing her to duck instinctively before standing and looking around. By now her hair had started to fall out of place, sticking to the beads of sweat that clung to her skin.<br><br>"Look, while we have time." she urged him hoping to get this done quickly so she and the others could start to check the others in the triaged mess hall.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: When All Else Fails (RP)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Raphael</strong> on <strong>October 28, 2010, 04:42:55 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Rob nodded slowly. He knew what was at stake. He was - yes, as much as he hated to admit it - afraid of the Ferenzi virus. Scared to death of it. But he had spent most of his life protecting civilians, and he wasn't about to give up on that just yet.<br><br>He leaned forward into the retinal scanner. He felt his heart skipping a beat. All of a sudden his brown uniform was too tight for him, and too damn sweating. The pistol got heavy in his left hand. He knew what he was going to do if Dr Seris says: "You have the virus." He was going to walk out of her and all the way out of the facility, and he was going to blow his brains out. The virus had taken his friends and his family. It had taken his youth and his happiness. He was not going to succumb to it. Not a chance in Hell.<br><br>He took a deep breath and he focus his eyes through the device, giving the doc a good clear view. The moans and nervous whispers of the injured and scared people echoes through his brain. The last gun shots were still in his ears - those were his boys out there, fighting. Probably dying. He wanted to help them. But not if he had gotten the virus. <br><br>"Sorry, Terra" he whispered hoarsely, his throat itching dry. "I had to go down there. Had to see what was going on. Now... give me the news!"<br><br>And he held his breath, hoping for the best, prepared for the worst. His index finger caressed the trigger. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: When All Else Fails (RP)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>LucianLuna</strong> on <strong>October 28, 2010, 04:56:12 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Lucian busied himself making sandwiches and placing out more snacks when the supply dwindled. He wrapped the sandwiches in plastic wrap and put them in the fridge for whenever someone wanted lunch. Lucian then checked on the stew and turned it down to a simmer so they'd have that as well. He had to keep busy some how so he mixed up a supply of brownies and put them in the oven. he made potato and macaroni salad along with a regular salad and those went into the fridge as well. When the brownies were done he set them aside to cool and mixed up a chocolate frosting. he knew people were probably going to be to busy to eat, but he liked having the supplies just in case someone did decided on eating lunch.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: When All Else Fails (RP)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ivy Mariani</strong> on <strong>October 28, 2010, 05:55:10 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Terra held her breath as she looked in the scanner. Everything appeared okay, and when the scanner gave her a confirmation of what she saw she was able to let with withheld breath go. "You're all clear.." she smiled before handing the scanner off for one of the other medical staff to use. They knew what they would need to do..<br><br>If someone showed one symptom of the virus they would be executed somewhere outside of the mess hall. Turning she nodded towards the food that had been set out. "Take a break okay? While things are calm, get yourself some food. It's going to be a long day." the sirens and lights were still going off, now and then the computer would repeat the things it had said only moments earlier but would now give notification that areas had been contained or sealed off. Terra's heart went out to all of those who were still stuck in those areas. Chances were the blast hadn't only affected the area around the mess hall, but hears above their current location.<br><br>The facility they were in now was tall, 25 levels to be exact, outfitted with numerous observation decks and outposts. There was a monorail to each level, staggered in placement, every other monorail running on a different schedule. If you missed one you could catch another awhile later, if you missed that one another would be coming shortly there after as well. It was just a matter of timing and hoping you could get to one of the transfer stations. Looking around she watched the wounded being scanned, here there one of them being taken out of the room- most too injured to make any protests. This wasn't good at all.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: When All Else Fails (RP)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Raphael</strong> on <strong>October 29, 2010, 12:58:32 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Rob followed Dr Seris' eyes to the injured staff, and sighed. His finger slowly moved away from the trigger. He was not going to die today.<br><br>The scanning showed results. This was alarming. Go get some rest, she had told him. But there was no rest for him. Not with the virus roaming about. Not with people shooting and screaming in the dist...<br><br>A growling stomach interrupted his thoughts. It was his. He smiled; doc was right as always. He slowly approached Lucian, his eyes observing everything, waiting for something bad to happen. The cook was busy making different types of food. Rob nodded at the young man.<br><br>"Hey, Luc! What can you offer to one hungry sergeant?" His gaze slid upon the chaos in the kitchen. "Keeping busy, I see. Good! We're gonna need you, Luc. They are gonna need you." He patted the cook on the shoulder. "You're probably scared... We all are. But food is good for keeping morale up... You did well!" <br><br>He finally spotted the simmering stew and his stomach growled again.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: When All Else Fails (RP)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>LucianLuna</strong> on <strong>October 29, 2010, 01:42:38 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"hey Rob. The stew is done. I have sandwiches. Potato salad, macaroni salad, regular salad. Muffins, doughnuts. Brownies aren't done though. Waiting for them to cool so I can frost them. Help yourself. The stew is on the stove. Doughnuts and muffins are by the coffee pot and everything else is in the fridge." Lucian then started chopping nuts to put on half the brownies for after he frosted them. "Was thinking of making fried chicken later, that's good cold, and meatloaf so people can make meatloaf sandwiches. Right now we have ham sandwiches, turkey sandwiches, egg salad, tuna fish, and peanut butter and jelly."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: When All Else Fails (RP)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Raphael</strong> on <strong>October 29, 2010, 02:32:45 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Stew sounds great!" Rob grinned. "You can keep your brownies, I need something with substance, haha!" He realized it wasn't funny but he laughed anyway, relieving the pressure. His knees were still slightly wobbly from the moment he was glancing through the retinal scanner. He still felt the trigger pressing against the skin on his finger. He was seconds away from blowing his brains out.<br><br>He took a bowl and poured some of the hot stew into it, growling to the beautifully smelling steam. He nodded to Luc and headed back to the main mess hall, determined to observe the situation, to stay close to the people and to be there if something happens.<br><br>When something happens, a treacherous voice echoed in his mind. Not if. When. Because the virus was here, and something always happened when the virus was around. <br><br>Rob chose a table away from the crowd, towards the corner of the room, and he sat down, quietly observing the situation while he was waiting for his stew to cool down a bit. It didn't look good. People were being dragged out - some pleading, others silent, faithless. The badly injured moaned, some discussed something nervously, leaning towards each other, whispering. Blood and panic was what this bunch was about. Rob shook his head. It was moments like these when he questioned his own faith. How to help these civilians?<br><br>He thought about his own men out there. He'd heard shots - and only military staff was allowed guns, and he was the highest ranked military in this facility. He had a total of 21 men - probably 20 now, considering the slim chances of Sunshine having survived whatever he had encountered out there in the hallway. Twenty men, most of them young privates sent on a peaceful assignment to watch over boring excavations and dorky scientists. And now they were trapped somewhere out there, shooting and screaming, fighting for their lives, back against the wall. <br><br>He sighed and he turned his attention to the stew. Well done, Luc... it was really good.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: When All Else Fails (RP)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ivy Mariani</strong> on <strong>October 30, 2010, 09:45:20 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Even if she hadn't just eaten her stomach, much less her mind, wasn't up for the food laid out. Though some once checked for signs of the virus did get up and head over, she remained at her post helping those who needed it. A few people died, it was beyond their control, they had done everything they possibly could to help them. Things would get better. It was likely just a small outbreak that had been controlled. It had to be.<br><br>Another explosion rocked the facility this time from higher up. The sound of metal scrapping against metal caused Terra to hold her arms about herself. A slow rumble filled the air before tons of fiery, twisted metal slammed into the ground 100 meters from their current location. A ball of fire erupted, shards of glass, metal and various debris flew outwards from the epicenter of the impact zone. The tinier pieces bounced uselessly off the specialized glass windows of the mess hall while other pieces created minuscule fractures into the outer glass.<br><br>They wouldn't spiderweb outward before giving in. It was the way they were designed. If one pane broke, the others would be there to take up the slack, a specialized film coating the fractured edges to keep them in place.<br><br><em>'Warning, hull break and fire detected in Sector 22. Please evacuate Sector 22 immediately.'</em>&nbsp; the computer blared another warning.<br><br>Terra looked up at the ceiling as though she would be able to see the fire expanding uncontrolled in the strange atmosphere of the planet they now inhabited. She could nearly see in her mind the gash the monorail had made in the structure of the facility, the deep tear made by metallic claws thirsting for carnage.<br><br>She shivered and turned her eyes away.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: When All Else Fails (RP)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Raphael</strong> on <strong>October 31, 2010, 06:20:28 am</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<em>Warning, hull break and fire detected in Sector 22. Please evacuate Sector 22 immediately.</em><br><br>The second blast made Rob drop his spoon into the stew. He cursed. He should have been out there! He should have been out there with his boys, back to back, fighting off whatever was coming for them, rounding up civilians, securing the area... But no. There was the procedures. He would have been out there, in the thick of it, if it was back on Earth before the Ferenzi outbreak. <br><br>The virus changed everything. It changed military procedures. If there's an outbreak, stay put. Secure the civilians around you. Set up a clean perimeter. Make sure the virus doesn't breach your perimeter. And then move on to the next area. Everything else was secondary - a clean perimeter always comes first. So many people had died foolishly back on Earth during the initial outbreak. Stupid scientists running back to their lab to secure their latest test results. Moms leaving their children to run back and grab the late hubby's photograph. The old grandma crawling behind the couch to save the fat cat. They had all died. So now the rule was loud and clear: if there's a virus outbreak, a clean and safe perimeter comes first. Don't save the cat. Don't save the papers. Don't rush out into the unknown to investigate or to save your friends, because you'll catch the virus and you'll get back into the clean perimeter a crazed killer and you'll put everything in danger. <br><br>So there was nothing Rob could do until the mess hall was clean and secure. He broke the procedures ones by going out to investigate the blast, and he lost Sunshine. He didn't know it was the virus then, but he should have suspected it. The signs were all there - the failing communications, the subtle feeling in his gut that something wasn't right, the concern in Dr Seris' voice on the intercom. He should have read those signs right. Both he and the doctor have been around the virus for far too long; their guts weren't lying. He should have known.<br><br>Now all sarge could do was stay put until the civilians in the room were secure. Until the virus was out and the area was locked up tight. Because as head of security, Rob's job was to go out there and see what's going on. Evaluate the situation and report. With no communications he had no one but Dr Seris to report to, but that didn't matter. He had to go out and evaluate.<br><br>So he had to make sure that once he goes out, he couldn't come back carrying the virus. <br><br>Not much he could do until the last person in the mess hall has been examined and all those who had the virus were taken out and the doors could be locked down. The mess hall's intercom unit was down since the first explosion and there was nobody to fix it, so he couldn't call the rest of the facility, either. All he could do was pick up his spoon and finish off his stew slowly while watching doc and the others at work. Some patients died. Others were taken out of the mess hall, scared and shattered. The impact-proof glass had survived the blasts so far, but Rob recalled the facility blueprints. Twenty-five levels, twenty-five monorails. And he couldn't get out of here and shut them down. Not unless he violated the procedures, and Sunshine's blood on the floor in the hallway was the cold dead proof that you should not break the procedures. <br><br>Two down, twenty-three to go. Rob wasn't religious but he prayed that somebody on the outside can put two and two together and make it to the control tower and shut down the monorails. Because Rob doubted that the facility itself or anyone in it would survive too many more blasts. Sarge was itching for action, he was scared and nervous and edgy and angry. The situation didn't look good. He stared at his gun, Glock FX 2 "Showstopper", special military edition, designed to be maximally effective against those infected by the virus: 9 mm semi-automatic with hollow-point bullets - a powerful weapon that virtually shredded the skull on impact and blasted the brain apart. A heavy pistol made of traditional chromed steel, almost impossible to block or break, usable when wet or in low temperatures... and good for bashing someone's face in with the handle when you're out of ammo. Rub nodded at the gun. He knew he was going to have to use it soon.<br><br>He moved his gaze back towards the cluster of injured people. "How are we doing, Doctor?" he called to Dr Seris.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: When All Else Fails (RP)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>LucianLuna</strong> on <strong>October 31, 2010, 01:05:46 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Lucian watched as the doctor took care of the injured as he grabbed himself a cup of coffee and a sandwich. he leaned against the wall and started to eat, not wanting to sit in one of the chairs that might be needed for one of the injured. He may not be showing it on the outside but inside he was scared. This didn't look good at all. When he signed up as the cook for the place he thought this place would be safe. That this wouldn't happen here, but it did happen and he was wishing he had more of a weapon besides the sharp knifes in the kitchen in case whoever was doing this out there broke through and got to his kitchen. He jumped when the alarm blared and looked back at the security guy. Lucian didn't know what to do. he could continue cooking, but he didn't want to cook to much food. It would just go to waste if he did. He decided to go among the least injured and try to calm people down. He could do that at least.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: When All Else Fails (RP)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ivy Mariani</strong> on <strong>October 31, 2010, 02:35:21 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				There wasn't a hell of a lot she could do for those on the upper levels not if it was sealed off. But there wasn't something else she could do. Standing beside three of the medical staff with the most training at triage and surgical care, as well as three soldiers she knew well through her connections from her boyfriend, she was starting to pull together a plan. "Okay I need to get back to my main office. There are some things there I need to grab, just on the off chance that they're need okay? Quick, in and out. We use the stairs, avoid the lifts. If there's something going on here we don't want to be stuck in them got it?"<br><br>She looked at them, slowly reeling in her feelings. If there was one thing James had told her numerous times, it was that she had the ability to be a leader when the need arose. There was no time like the present. <br><br>"If some of the stairs are cut off then we can always take alternate routes through different floors until we get to level 21. Chances are any survivors are there. We won't be able to get to anyone on the floors above level 22. After that we need to find another area to get to. The stability of the facility itself is compromised, it won't be long before the gravity of the planet and the atmosphere combined begin to take its toll. Life support will be the first to start failing, after that the structure will begin to buckle, we don't want to be here when either of those things happen." she looked to each of them seeing the panic in the faces of her medical staff.<br><br>"We can do this." she offered a smile hoping it held. "There are tunnels under the Terrosphere that we can use to get to the connecting section of the facility. It's our best bet. The monorails don't run there. We should have plenty of supplies until someone can come and get us out of here." the Terrosphere was a bit of a scientist hide out. It was structurally sound, had it's own life support system, the works. It should be empty so there was no issue of running into any infected there.<br><br>Turning to the Sarge she took a slow breath. "We're going to get out of here. Some of the staff is going to start transporting the wounded and uninfected to the Terrosphere, we should be safe there. The rest of us are going to Level 21, we need to try to get as many people out of here as we can." she was just thankful most of the facility was running bare bones at this hour.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: When All Else Fails (RP)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Raphael</strong> on <strong>October 31, 2010, 04:09:52 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Rob listened to Dr Seris' plan. Just when he had thought procedures were a good thing to follow, she was going to break them.<br><br>But, then again, she wasn't military. His procedures weren't hers. And she was the boss of this facility. <br><br>Rob hesitated for a moment. He hated breaking procedures. Clean perimeter - that's what they needed. Then again, the Terrosphere was the perfect clean perimeter, but on the other hand, getting to it wasn't. So was it advisable to do it? he asked himself.<br><br>He looked around. He saw hope lightening up in the eyes of the civilians. The medical staff was nervous, the soldiers ready. He nodded at them, one by one - Fernando "Flame Dancer" Casillas, Richie "Madman" Ignacio, Diane "Bloodprint" LeBlanc. They were good soldiers. Rob made his decision.<br><br>"Ten-four, Doctor. Where do you want me - with you or with the civilians?" and he stood ready, forcing a smile on his face. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: When All Else Fails (RP)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ivy Mariani</strong> on <strong>October 31, 2010, 04:25:20 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"The civilians, they'll need you most. We shouldn't be long, a simple run to my office before I go to the next level up." she brushed her sleeve against her forehead, removing beads of sweat from her skin. She was slowly getting exhausted but she couldn't take a rest until she reached the Terrosphere with anyone who was left alive.<br><br>"If we're not back in thirty.. Somethings happened." she looked at him, nodding a little before turning and grabbing a few things the other medical staff had brought for her. "If we leave now it'll be better. We can get there before people start to move and before we try to go and find them."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: When All Else Fails (RP)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>LucianLuna</strong> on <strong>October 31, 2010, 04:42:16 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Lucian heard that they were moving and grabbed the biggest cart he could find then started loading drinks and food onto it. he made sure he had plenty of water, people needed to keep hydrated. Then he looked around at everyone. He didn't know if this was right or not, but he'd do whatever the doctor said and hope people survived and no one he knew got hurt.&nbsp; He never worried about himself, always worried about others first before himself. Once he had everything he could fit into the cart he was ready to go. He wasn't bringing anything that needed to be kept cold, only things that could be left out with no problem. Water and sandwiches plus all the baked goods. He also brought fruit along for the ones who wanted healthier snacks.&nbsp; He would go with the civilians, knowing that's where the doctor would want him to be. He hated having to leave alot of the food behind, but he didn't know what he'd be provided with since he hadn't been to the area they had mentioned.&nbsp; "I'm assuming you want me with the civilians, Doc, since I wouldn't be any good with you."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: When All Else Fails (RP)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ivy Mariani</strong> on <strong>October 31, 2010, 04:46:01 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Yes Luc, is where you'll be needed most." reaching out she squeezed his shoulder and smiled. "I know you'll help to take care of them while we're gone. Like I told the Sarge, we shouldn't be long. Just.. Use those people skills of yours to help keep people calm. They'll need it right now."<br><br>Looking over her shoulder at one of the soldiers who was waving for her to come with them, she took a moment to raise a finger to tell him she'd be there in a second. "Okay, we need to go. Take the civilians and get them to the Terrosphere.. We'll catch up to you when we can, I promise." she nodded, smiled once more and took a couple of steps back. She didn't want them to know she was terrified right now.<br><br>"See you soon." she called back over her shoulder before taking off with the small group.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: When All Else Fails (RP)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Raphael</strong> on <strong>October 31, 2010, 05:06:08 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Good luck out there." Rob nodded as he watched Dr Seris' group leaving the mess hall. Then he walked to the door and stood in front of it, looking out into the hallway. Looked clear.<br><br>"Alright people, healthy and lightly injured split up in groups of three. Each group takes one person who can't walk on his or her own, and help them on the way. Try to keep up with the common tempo, we don't want anyone to split up from the group." He looked around while the civilians were getting his orders done. He was the only armed person left. He took out his "Showstopper" and held it down by his thigh, pointing at the floor. Safety rule number one: don't point a gun a people unless you want to shoot them. Period. <br><br>"I'll walk up front and clear the way. All of you, follow me. Luc, can you keep up with that cart of yours? If you're having any trouble, call! That concerns all of you, people! You see something, you hear something, you smell something, you're having a problem - CALL! Alright, let's move out, on the double!"<br><br>He rounded them up, the heavily wounded supported or carried by those who could walk on their own. He looked up and down the hallway again. Still looked clear. Dr Seris had already moved out of sight. Rob took a step out and the people followed. <br><br>"We'll avoid the elevators. Don't know what condition they're in and don't wanna get trapped anywhere. We'll take the stairs down, level by level. If you see me moving too fast ahead, don't panic - I'm just making sure we avoid any forms of traps. Move it, people!"<br><br>And he took the lead, forward and down towards the Terrosphere.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: When All Else Fails (RP)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>LucianLuna</strong> on <strong>October 31, 2010, 05:36:45 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Don't worry about me Rob, I can keep up." Lucian got in line and followed Rob out into the hall. He tensed immediately, listening for any sound that didn't seemed normal and glancing around for anything that didn't look right. He decided to remain in the back of the group, have the injured between him and Rob. Lucian slowly followed behind the others, pulling the cart behind him and alert for anything that might come from behind. He was sure Rob couldn't watch both front and back. Lucian didn't have a weapon, but he had eyes and ears so he could at least keep watch at the back while Rob kept watch at the front. There was nothing unusual in the halls yet, but that didn't mean they won't come upon trouble on the way. It was best to be prepared.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: When All Else Fails (RP)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ivy Mariani</strong> on <strong>October 31, 2010, 08:42:00 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She and her group of people started off at a dead run towards her office, two of the soldiers stood out side the door, one inside with her and the rest of the medical crew. Hurrying to one wall she punched in a series of coding before a section of the wall slid free revealing a few semi automatics and shot guns. Grabbing what she could and stuffing the rest into a large canvas bag which she strapped onto her back, she turned and looked to see the others had gathered their things as well.<br><br>Hurrying back out the door they ran down the corridor and to the stairs starting towards Level 21.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: When All Else Fails (RP)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Raphael</strong> on <strong>November 01, 2010, 06:40:57 am</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Rob walked several yards up front, senses heightened, gun ready in his sweating hand. Behind him the injured progressed forward slowly, moans and whispers echoed through the hallways of the facility. The area was quiet, no gunshots or other sounds of struggle. Lucian at the rear was keeping his eyes open, alert and ready to report. <br><br>The group had reached a staircase leading to level 21 a few minutes ago, but it was blocked; the blast had created a shock wave which had toppled over something heavy in the rooms above, causing a part of the floor to collapse over the stairs. Twisted metal, bare wires and leaking water made the staircase too risky to climb, so Rob double-backed and took an alternative route around one of the storage areas towards the back.<br><br>The sergeant was moving forward swiftly - not fast enough to leave behind the civilians, but without much delay, either. He reached a split, the corridor taking off to the north-northeast and to the north-northwest in the form of a Y. He stopped and recalled the facility blueprints which he had to memorize as a part of his assignment as head of security. The left corridor of the Y would lead them further around the storage area to the maintenance area which was connected to the upper and lower maintenance section via elevator and stairs. The right corridor would lead away from maintenance and to the Storage and Logistics offices. There was a chance that if any survivors were still on this level, they would be there. <br><br>Rob hesitated. His human side insisted he took to the Storage and Logistics to look for possible survivors. His rational side urged him to forget survivors - too much risk of encountering hostile units, too much risk that possible survivors could be infected with the Ferenzi, too much delay that the badly injured couldn't afford. His rational side won and he waved to the group behind to follow left. <br><br>The sergeant hurried forward down the left corridor. Flickering lights and hissing ventilation created an eerie environment in this place. The air was cold, dry, and still, and smelled of blood and spilled chemicals. Chaos had swept through the area - various boxed and containers were lying around, piled up or broken to shards after the blasts. The body of a young man in a maintenance uniform was pinned to the wall by a large piece of sharp metal - a shrapnel ripped off god knew where and sent flying across the air from the blast to end up sticking out of a man's chest. Rob threw a glance back at the moaning dragging group. He wished they didn't have to see this.<br><br>Approaching the left turn of the corridor that led to the maintenance area (server rooms, life support unit rooms, rooms for storing disinfection chemicals, tool racks, locker rooms, bathrooms all connected to one another with a web of tight corridors), Rob waved to the civilians to slow down. He looked from behind the corner: the other side seemed clear. He sighed of relief and took a few steps forwards out of the left turn.<br><br>Footsteps before him made him stop. A door opened slowly, about fifteen yards ahead. The lights above were broken, leaving the spot dark. Someone came out of the room and stepped into the darkness, then stopped. <br><br>Rob knew better than to ask who it was. He remembered people doing it on these horror movies he had watched back in Iowa a long time ago - waving and saying stupid things like "Hello?" and "Is anybody there?" and "Who is this?". But that was before the Ferenzi. When the virus struck, nobody wanted to make scary movies anymore. Not when real horrors lurked outside. Horror had lost its charm. <br><br>So Rob didn't say anything. He just waited, gun down by his hip, eyes trying to pierce through the dark. Then the stranger stepped forward and into the light. <br><br>Her shoes were covered in blood. Her white scientist's apron was stained in dark red and some green substance. Her hair was a mess, a part of it was completely missing, ripped right off the skull. She looked up at Rob with dead lifeless eyes and smiled maniacally, holding a large and heavy wrench with both hands like a baseball bat.<br><br>"Purr." she said. <br><br>Rob didn't feel anything. He had gone through this so many times before. He just aimed and fired, and her head was blasted apart by the hollow-point bullet like a ripe pumpkin. Her lifeless body, now cured from the virus, thudded softly onto the metal floor, still holding the wrench. <br><br>The sergeant took a few steps back and looked over his shoulder, towards the scared civilians that had stopped, unsure what to do. "Everything's fine." he told them. "One ferenzie. Could be more up ahead. Stay close and keep your eyes and ears open! We're almost at the staircase."<br><br>In this moment, laughter broke out up front and echoed through the web of tight corridors and under the flickering lights. It wasn't the kind of laughter you would hear when your friend laughs at a silly joke. It was the kind of laughter you would hear when the mad scientist is plunging the scalpel into his horrified victim. There was nothing funny in this laughter. It was twisted, broken, and sick. The civilians gasped, and Rob himself shuddered. It didn't matter how much of a veteran you get in the fight against the virus - some things simply couldn't be gotten used to. <br><br>Slowly, step by step, the sergeant began to move forward. There were about 400 yards through maintenance to the stairs. Four hundred yards can be quite a large place when a deranged killer is stalking you. The gun wasn't pointing to the floor anymore. It was pointing straight ahead, eager for a target. And Sergeant Rhodes was now Hound Dog. And Hound Dog was definitely planning to get to those stairs. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: When All Else Fails (RP)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ivy Mariani</strong> on <strong>November 01, 2010, 12:02:11 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Her team had made it to the section they were looking for. Unfortunately for them people had already been fast at work..<br><br>The walls were coated with blood, organs and various humanoid materials. Pieces of bodies lay in chunks on the floor, and hung from various pipes on the ceiling. One of the medical staff turned and threw up in the middle of the hallway, the other one took off running back the way they had come. The soldiers with her turned and looked at her waiting for her next orders.<br><br>She didn't know what to say. What was there to say? The place had been the scene of a massacre, the rebuilding of a new hive in the middle of their very own facility. Though it appeared most had been destroyed there had to be someone around working on building this grizzly scene. "Okay.." she whispered to the remaining members of her team.<br><br>"Drop what isn't important. Start back the way we came, back down the stairs and.." she was cut off by a howl followed by a strange animalistic growl. Instantly she brought her weapon, as did the soldiers with her. The four of them drew into a straight line, pointing their weapons at the source of the sound as it staggered outward from one of the side rooms.<br><br>The creature, all but naked save for a pair of torn up slacks, stopped in the middle of the hallway. The best she could call it was a creature, it wasn't human anymore. It never could be human anymore. Watching it turn its blind eyes towards her, she recognized who it had once been. Her heart gave a solid thud before she leveled her gun. "One shot each. Aim well. We need to conserve our ammo. The second it drops we run." she spoke just above a whisper, not wanting to draw any more attention to themselves.<br><br>The creature twitched, started for them, dropping the arm it had been carrying. Four shots echoed through the hallway before the creature shook and fell backwards into the horrific scene it had created. Without another word, Terra lowered her weapon to a position that would allow her to run easily and not have to worry about friendly fire. Turning she and the others took off running, all the while she was only able to hope that those she had sent to the Terrosphere were having better luck.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: When All Else Fails (RP)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>LucianLuna</strong> on <strong>November 01, 2010, 02:26:35 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Lucian followed closely behind the others and followed then down the left corridor. He cringed when he saw the man pinned to the wall, then quickly followed the others again. Only to stop once more as a door ahead of him opened and the infected person walks out. He quickly glances behind him, giving a jump when he hears the shot from Rob's gun. Then he hears the laughter. To him it sounded like it was coming from all around them as it echoed through the corridors. Lucian had liked watching scary movies, had liked Halloween and being scared until all this happened. Now everything was real instead of someone in makeup and it wasn't as fun anymore. He thought he saw a shadow move behind them and tried to see if he really saw it, or if it was just his mind playing tricks on him.&nbsp; "Rob, I think I saw something moving in the shadows back there."&nbsp; He continued watching and thought he saw movement again.&nbsp; He hoped Rob had heard him and wasn't to busy with what was going on up front,&nbsp; because he was sure someone or something was coming up behind them.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: When All Else Fails (RP)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Raphael</strong> on <strong>November 02, 2010, 09:41:21 am</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Rob was staring forth along the somber unfriendly hallway, his senses sharpened and his pulse quieting down. He was like a well-tuned guitar string, ready to react to the slightest touch. Then his ears kicked his brain awake. "What?" he spun on his heels and ran through the group of wounded scared people towards the back of the group. He took to a halt before Luc, looking over the cook's shoulder, his brown uniform heavy with sweat. "Where? What did you see?"<br><br>He couldn't see or feel anything but his body was like a pressed down spring, ready to jump up. The Showstopper felt solid and comforting in his left hand. His face was a mask of concentration - eyes focused like laser beams, mouth perfectly flat, ears nearly twitching around, on the alert like a prowling cat. But the shadows weren't moving now. <br><br>Rob slowly walked past Lucian and pointed the gun forward. "Luc" he spoke quietly over his shoulder. "Tell me exactly what you think you saw or felt. And tell the group to move back a notch; I didn't like that laughter back there. I don't want anything to jump at them from behind while I'm lingering out back..."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: When All Else Fails (RP)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>LucianLuna</strong> on <strong>November 02, 2010, 01:33:58 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Lucian pointed to a corner behind some boxes.&nbsp; "Over there. I saw the shadows move, twice.&nbsp; The first time I thought my mind was playing tricks on me, but then I saw something move again. I swear there's something back there."&nbsp; <br><br>He then turned to the crowd.&nbsp; "Move back a notch folks.&nbsp; Rob will keep you safe to the best of his capabilities, but let's not make it to hard for him to do.&nbsp; Damn I wish I had more than my knifes as weapons right now. I don't like being defenseless like this one bit. It was probably nothing Rob, but I'm pretty sure the shadows moved. I'd say it was probably just some animal, but I don't even know if we have animals on this base so I'm not sure what it was."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: When All Else Fails (RP)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Raphael</strong> on <strong>November 02, 2010, 02:15:00 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Rob shook his head. "No animals here, Luc. Can't let a cat run rampant around a chemical lab. Pets forbidden. If you saw something move, then something moved." He took a deep breath and stepped into the shadows. <br><br>This section of the hallway was dark - the blasts had knocked out the lights. It was a side passage to the way they had come from. He quickly swung around the boxes Luc had shown him, pointing forward with the gun. Nothing. He glanced around, then he took out his flashlight and circled around in the with the beam of blue light. Nothing. He turned around.<br><br>"Nothing here. Your mind probably did play a trick on..." A violent scream interrupted him and a heavy body dumped down upon him from the ventilation pipes that ran along under the ceiling. The damn thing had used the boxes to climb up! That's what Luc must have spotted, Rob thought. Only pure instinct saved his life: he instinctively grabbed up and spun, throwing the attacker over his shoulder. Sharp pain flushed through his arm as the weight of the falling body twisted it. <br><br>The attacker was a man - an old man, dressed in a torn brown uniform. Chili. Or more precisely, sergeant Matthew Adam Riley, alias "Chili", the 51 year old veteran. He fell down heavily and dropped the knife. Rob managed to stay on his feet barely, cursing to the pain in his arm and shoulder. Luckily, it was his weak right arm. He quickly raised the gun with his left and pulled the trigger, blowing the zombified face of his old friend apart. "Goodbye, Matt." Rob whispered. He quickly turned around, gun ready to fire, but it seemed old Chili was the only ferenzi in this corner. He got down on one knee and unstrapped the fallen soldier's gun. It was empty. He took it and walked back to the group, rubbing his twisted right shoulder. It hurt like hell. He called one of the healthier scientists and stood by Lucian. <br><br>"Doc, check me out for scratches and the likes. You know what I mean" he ordered and turned to the cook, handing him over the empty gun. "You wanted a better weapon, Luc? Seems this is your lucky day, then, son, cos you've just been promoted to a kick-ass." he forced a smile on his face. "Here's my spare clip. Fourteen bullets."<br><br>The doctor helped him remove his coat and shirt and took a careful look along his sweaty body. "You look clear, sarge." he sighed with relief. Some of the people sighed, too. Rob nodded. <br><br>"Thanks, man. Alright, I'm taking the front again. Keep your eyes open - don't forget, we have a jester up ahead laughing at us. Move out!"<br><br>He hurried forward and into the left passage of the Y.<br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: When All Else Fails (RP)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>LucianLuna</strong> on <strong>November 02, 2010, 02:26:31 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Lucian jumped when the man attacked Rob and watched as Rob&nbsp; flipped the man and killed him. He hadn't realized he was holding his breath until he let it out with relief when the scientist said Rob was all clear. He then reached over and took the gun and clip, slamming the clip in it and holding the gun pointed to the floor for now.&nbsp; "Thanks, this will make me fell a lot better."&nbsp; Lucian then followed the others into the next passage, gun at the ready in case they came upon another infected person. He wanted to be able to help Rob whenever he might need it. He kept his eyes and ears open, making sure no one was sneaking up on them again.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: When All Else Fails (RP)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ivy Mariani</strong> on <strong>November 03, 2010, 10:05:18 am</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Though her group was moving quickly they never met up with the other medical staff. Along the way they found bits of people but it was nothing to verify it was part of the staff they had been with. Hitting the stairwell with the soldiers she paused long enough to catch her breath, her hair falling out of place and sticking to her skin as beads of sweat collected and rolled downward with gravity. Pressing her back against the door she slumps towards the floor for a moment.<br><br>"What is going on here.." she spoke to the soldiers in the stairwell with her. "I thought we were being careful, being safe, keeping things in check... How did it find us..." running her palm over her forehead she moved her hair from her face and wiped sweat away. The soldiers said nothing. She knew they had to be thinking the same thing she was. They <em>had</em> been safe. Overly so perhaps. But it was a necessity with something like the virus. How would it have found them when they had ended the last of the infected weeks ago? There was only one thing that had come to mind. Someone on board the last transport to hit the planet had been infected, or worse... Someone released it into the facility. But why? What would they have to gain?<br><br>The human race was dying, they had no way to cure this, they couldn't ransom life off for billions of dollars. Money here was useless even though the former political leaders were attempting to form some kind of credit system that could be universal for everyone still alive. Terra still couldn't figure it all out. Why would someone do this? It was the only logical that someone released this upon the facility, but to know, she would have to seek answers and there was only one person who would be responsible. There was one doctor who was working on formulating a cure, he had weakened strains of the virus, one that would just make people sick but nothing else.<br><br>Standing she looked at the soldiers, a new fear rising in the pit of her stomach. "We need to get to the Terrosphere.." that was where the doctor spent most of his time. His lab just off the Terrosphere, accessible via a tunnel while it was likely he wouldn't be infected if he was the one responsible for spreading the virus again, she didn't want the rest of the survivors to be anywhere near him. She had the distinct feeling no one else would suspect him as being responsible. No one outside the medical staff knew he had the virus. "We need to get to Dr Franklin's office.. Asap."<br><br>Without another word she took off down the stairs trying to hurry and get to the Terrosphere before more people became infected.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: When All Else Fails (RP)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Raphael</strong> on <strong>November 05, 2010, 12:38:08 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Rob carefully moved forward, several yards ahead of the group - enough to leave them a comfortable gap if something happened to him, but not enough to leave them vulnerable if he had to react quickly. He looked over his shoulder and nodded to Lucian who was covering the rear, much better equipped this time. Rob knew ammo was vital for the survival of this group but he didn't regret giving his spare clip to the cook. Now at least it was two of them able to help the others.<br><br>The hallways of maintenance were dark, damp, and desolate. The blasts had knocked boxes and furniture around, blood stains and chunks of what looked suspiciously similar to human flesh completed the unpleasant environment. <br><br>There had been no hostile activity since Rob had killed the deranged infected Chili. But that had been just minutes ago. The maniacal laughter hadn't repeated itself; in fact, apart from Rob, Luc, and the group of injured civilians nothing was making any noise. They were halfway through to the stairs. Rob kept walking forward, eyes locked ahead, ears on stand-by, heartbeat rate slowed down and kept in check. The high humidity combined with the heavy uniform had made him sweat hard. <br><br>Step by step, yard after yard the group was moving forward. Their progress was slow, the sarge had to check every room they were passing by for potential danger. But so far there was nothing. He kept looking back for any signs from Lucian, but he had either missed them or there simply weren't any. <br><br>And then they were there - the staircase leading down. It was largely undamaged and except for the knocked out lights it was perfectly passable. Rob stood at the top looking down while the rest of the group caught up with him. "Luc" he said quietly. "I'll walk up front, you walk at the rear. If you can walk backwards, that would be helpful. We'll move down slowly, level after level, until we reach ground. The rest of you, stay behind me and Luc and if something happens, remember - we're walking down a staircase, one kick from any of you and the ferenzi that's attacking you will be rolling down and hopefully cracking their skull. So don't panic! You're not dead yet."<br><br>And he made his way down the stairs. The group followed. They were halfway through to the 20th level when the mad laughter broke out again - coming from above. Whoever... or whatever that thing was, it was following them, but it wasn't attacking. Well, sarge thought, I hope Luc blows the fucker's brains out when the time comes. He ignored the whispers and scared looks of the civilians and kept moving down - slow enough not to make the injured strain themselves and suffer.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: When All Else Fails (RP)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>LucianLuna</strong> on <strong>November 05, 2010, 04:23:02 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Ok Rob, will do."&nbsp; Lucian slowly walked backwards and watched the staircase above. he didn't like that laughter coming from behind them. Maybe whoever was making the sound would be dumb enough to try to jump on them from above and fall down to the bottom of the stairwell and it's death. He continued to slowly follow behind the rest of the group. his gun drawn in case the laughing fool decided to attack. It was a good thing he knew how to handle a gun, he wouldn't be much good if this was the first time he had used one. he glanced down at Rob and then behind them again. Lucian hoped the doctor was ok and nothing happened to her group. He listened to the people whispering and knew they were scared.&nbsp; "Rob's right. If you can kick you can defend yourself in a staircase. One could kick will put them off balance and send anyone stumbling down the stairs."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: When All Else Fails (RP)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Raphael</strong> on <strong>November 10, 2010, 04:58:58 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Rob nodded gratefully to Luc for the support and kept going down. He was wondering what was happening with Dr Seris and her group, but he didn't give it much thought. He was busy being edgy and nervous. <br><br>Step by step, the group moved down to level 20, then 19. Blood and devastation were now the trademark look of the science facility. Ripped off cables sparkled dangerously. Some lights were still on but most were damaged, either flickering or completely dark where the blasts had knocked out the circuit or the light bulbs themselves. Broken glass crunched beneath Rob's boots. A few bodies on every floor reminded him that the virus had spread all across the facility. Objects were lying around, twisted slide doors slammed into one another relentlessly, odd noises echoed down the dark hallways. Nothing was moving.<br><br>Whoever was laughing from behind the group hadn't been heard or seen again. Rob kept moving down, level after level, exhausted and scared injured civilians behind, Lucian at the rear. Sarge was on the alert, eyes shifting left and right, pistol locked in front of his chest, pointing down at the dark stairs. Still air, no draft, no noise, no humidity - dry and cold, scratching his throat, drying his eyes. Faint smell of death and chemicals reigned over the place. <br><br>His uniform heavy with sweat, his senses tired, he kept moving down. He had a job to do - protect the civilians. And by Earth, he was going to.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: When All Else Fails (RP)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ivy Mariani</strong> on <strong>November 10, 2010, 05:52:59 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Terra fell to the floor as one of the bodies of the now dead soldiers was knocked into her. Grunting she fell to the floor, her weapon skidding a few inches away from her reach. With her legs now pinned under the dead soldier there was little she could do except huddle there and wait until the gun fight with the remaining soldiers was done.<br><br>A scream filled the air, another round of shots as the last soldier tried to fend off the swarm of infected. Grabbing the side arm of the solider pinning her, she pushed with all of her strength and somehow managed after a couple of tries to roll him off of her legs. Shoving the gun into her right boot, she scrambled forward and grabbed her gun before heading towards one of the grates that led to some of the under tunnel passages.<br><br>Turning back to the remaining soldier she saw him become swarmed with the last three infected. Pulling the grate back she dropped down into the under tunnel passage and slid the grate back into place, praying that the infected were too busy with the last soldier to notice her escape. Running she started peeling off her lab coat, trying to get rid of the fresh blood that now covered most of her body. Switching the gun from one hand to the other she shed the coat and allowed it to drop to the floor of the tunnel. Using the beam of light from the top of the gun she continued down the passage glad that most of them were straight shots and only used for maintenance. If she had to worry about running into anyone down here she was going to be glad that they should be relatively unarmed and hopefully uninfected.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: When All Else Fails (RP)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>LucianLuna</strong> on <strong>November 10, 2010, 10:40:10 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Lucian was glad when the mad laughing stopped, but that also worried him more because without the laughing he had no idea where the infected person was. He really kept his eyes peeled now, wanting to catch sight of anyone who might sneak up from behind. He wasn't having any problems with the cart because some of the least injured of the group had decided to help him with it without him saying he needed help. he smiled a thanks to the guys as he continued to keep an eye out for any infected and follow the others down the stairs.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: When All Else Fails (RP)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Raphael</strong> on <strong>November 23, 2010, 08:59:44 am</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Floor after floor, the group advanced further and further down, closing in on the Terrosphere. Some of the wounded were getting tired of all the walk and the stress, a few people nearly stumbled down the stairs a few times. But they were advancing and they were all still alive. <br><br>Rob wiped the sweat off his brow. The gun felt so heavy in his hand. The boots felt heavy on his feet, the uniform felt heavy on his body. His eyes were getting dry and itchy in the dusty still air. He kept moving down, step by step. The group was close to the ground floor when he heard the echo of gunfire. He immediately raised a fist in the air in the universal soldier sign: 'hold your ground.' He did it without thinking. But most of these people have lived under military authority for years, so they knew what the sign meant, and they halted. Without looking back, hoping that Lucian would know what to do, Rob advanced alone, picking up the pace until he reached the place where the shots were fired.<br><br>He slowly peeked from behind the corner to see a soldier being taken down by ferenzies. Others were lying around, both infected and not. A grate was slowly pulled back into place on the background, but Rob couldn't take a clear look of who was doing it. The last soldier still standing was Richie Ignacio - Madman, one of the soldiers that had taken off with Dr Seris. His last shot took away one of the infected, but the other two just jumped on him and tore him apart. It all happened in the moment he peeked through.<br><br>Rob shouted and the Showstopper jumped in his hands - once, twice. The last two infected fell dead, brains and bone shatters flying across the air. Sarge ran towards Ignacio but the man was dying, his guts ripped open, his eyeball popping out. He tried to speak something to his sergeant, but only gurgling came out before he tilted his head back and took his last painful gasp.<br><br>Rob had no time to grieve. He spun on his heels, his eyes sweeping across the environment for any more potential danger. But things seemed quiet at this point. He also noticed that there was no body of Dr Seris around. He looked back at the grate, wondering if it was her, or a civilian, or somebody infected. He had no time to go check it out. He had to go back to the others.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: When All Else Fails (RP)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>LucianLuna</strong> on <strong>November 23, 2010, 10:30:41 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Lucian slowly followed the others, freezing when he heard the gun fire and saw the sign from Rob. He waited as Rob went to go check out what was happening, his gun raised in case someone tried to attack them. The wait seemed to last forever. He wanted to peek around the corner when the gunfiring stopped, but didn't move. He trust Rob knew what he was doing but wished he'd come back around the corner soon.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: When All Else Fails (RP)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ivy Mariani</strong> on <strong>November 24, 2010, 03:29:12 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Terra had been running so long that her lungs were burning as she collapsed in the tunnels. Darkness was only broken by the intermittent light of the warning lights blinking on and off over head. Their meager beams of yellow becoming broken by the squares in the floor grating. With her cheek pressed against the cool metal of the floor below her she allowed herself a chance to break down.<br><br>There wasn't anyone around to witness it, no one she would need to worry about being infected. She was the lone person in the middle of an ocean of despair. Each wave of emotion came crashing down on her, unrelenting, breaking upon her back in bitter, mocking, force. Closing her eyes she was tempted to drift into sleep, but she knew that alone would be the worst idea she'd ever had.<br><br>Crawling to her hands and knees she sat that way for a countless number of minutes before getting back to her feet. Brushing her hair out of her face she looked around before starting off in the direction of where she had sent the group. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: When All Else Fails (RP)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Raphael</strong> on <strong>December 05, 2010, 04:01:24 am</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Ten rounds left. Not good. But they were close to the Terrosphere, so maybe if they didn't encounter any more infected, the ten rounds would be enough. Rob thought about it as we walked back towards the group of civilians. He could make a quick trip to the armory on level 10 - on his own, once the civilians were safe. But that was so far ahead in the future he just didn't want to think about it too much.<br><br>They were all where he left him - frozen, scared, hurting. He nodded at them and figured it was time for a motivational speech. <br><br>"OK listen up. We've made it all the way down here safely. We're close to the Terrosphere now, and it's isolated and very safe. So just hold on a little more and..."<br><br>His words were interrupted by one of the more seriously injured men who gasped and fell down, his limbs shaking violently. The others circled around him, holding him. "What's going on," said Rob. A few of the scientists looked up at him and spoke simultaneously. <br><br>"Seizure... blood clot... could be..." <br><br>The man shook and shuddered for a few seconds, and then suddenly he didn't anymore. He just froze still and one last desperate breath announced his end. The others stood up, one by one, too scared to say something. Rob looked at Lucian for a moment.<br><br>"Alright, he's dead. We've seen enough death today. Let's just go to the Terrosphere were the rest of you can be safe. Come on, people, we're so close." He turned around and led them towards the main entrance of the facility.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: When All Else Fails (RP)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>LucianLuna</strong> on <strong>December 05, 2010, 04:36:39 am</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Lucian silently watched the man suddenly start convulsing. While the scientist were thinking blood clot and seizure Lucian was thinking something else. Could he have been infected without them knowing? had they all been exsposed before this man died? he hoped his fear didn't show on his face as he silently followed behind the others. he was doing good at being brave until now, when suddenly the risk of him being exsposed hit home. he glanced around at the scientists as he followed them, trying to judge if they really thought it was a normal death or if they just didn't want to panic the others.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: When All Else Fails (RP)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ivy Mariani</strong> on <strong>December 05, 2010, 10:55:00 am</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				&nbsp;Terra moved quietly, her feet scuffing ever so slightly on the floor below causing her to turn back, pointing the gun and&nbsp; panning it around cautiously. Heart thudding in her chest she leaned against a wall, closing her eyes briefly to catch her breath and control the urges to panic. Swallowing against the lumps in her throat she sighed quietly before pushing herself from the wall again.<br><br>&nbsp;Internally she counted off her footsteps, her ears picking up the hum of sound of boiler systems and the thrum of noise filtering through the heavy layers of metal that made up the compound. She could almost imagine the flames licking at the side of the building as the atmosphere allowed it to grow out of control. She only hoped the ships from the other facilities could make it in time to put the fire out from the air. If they could do that, they stood a chance of being rescued. They'd check the area for them, bring more troops, clean the area out of the infected.<br><br>&nbsp;Everyone knew what to look for. Two monorail systems didn't simply derail for no reason, much less explode. A few low intensity lights continued to guide her way through the tunnels as the caution lights above were choked out by some kind of substance that covered the grating. Stopping she looked upward cautiously, moving the gun to point the light on top to try and get a better view.<br><br>&nbsp;Pat.... Pat.... Pat....<br><br>&nbsp;The sound of something dripping made her narrow her eyes in curiosity. Standing on her tip toes she tried to touch one finger to the substance but instantly changed her mind. Something about the substance was off, and wrong.<br><br>&nbsp;Pat... Pat...<br><br>&nbsp;This time she felt the drops upon her cheek causing her to stagger back. Lifting shaking fingers to her skin, she wiped at the moisture before looking at it in the scant amount of lighting. She expected to see nothing but clear substance, water most likely, one of the cooling vents leaking or one of the water pipes doing the same. Instead she saw something black, and sticky. She didn't need the light to tell her it was blood.<br><br>&nbsp;Dropping her gun she tore a section of the bottom hem of her shirt away before she hastily wiped her cheek raw trying to remove the blood. Picking up the gun again she noticed the floor was covered in the sticky substance as well. Gasping she staggered back against the wall. If this was something that could get her infected she would need to worry about getting it in her eyes, nose, mouth and any cuts on her body. Her clothing didn't matter she was one of the many who were resistant to the airborne strain of the virus.<br><br>&nbsp;Gingerly she picked her gun up again, looking upwards at the material blocking out the light. As the beam of light focused, a hand dropped down into view. The ones pink skin was now pale, covered with streams of clotting blood. Gasping even louder she squished herself against the wall, training the light towards the face of the person mashed against the grating. A hole had been formed somehow in the metal, though she didn't want to imagine how.<br><br>&nbsp;Having had enough she backed slowly out of the blood on the floor and started to run back in the direction of the Terrosphere. She needed to get there, to warn the others about the scientist who was still likely inside. The man would allow them in, but that wasn't likely all he would do. None of them had a way of knowing what they were about to face.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: When All Else Fails (RP)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Raphael</strong> on <strong>December 06, 2010, 12:54:56 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Once again, Rob found himself in a painfully familiar situation - spearheading the desperate attempt of a group of scared injured men to reach safety and get help. The main entrance to the Terrosphere was just a couple of turns ahead of them, in the labyrinth of hallways, facilities, and rooms that was the ground level of the research facility. With only 10 bullets left, Sgt Hound Dog was pacing forward cautiously, the Showstopper in his left hand, his right hand instinctively clenched into a fist. The injured scientists were groaning and whispering behind him. He could smell them whenever he got close to them - blood, sweat, urine. <br><br>Another turn, and another empty, broken hallway with shattered glass and objects lying around. No bodies - not here. A few splatters of blood on an open door, and a single shoe on the floor. A right shoe. Rob carefully stepped over it as he continued to walk, eyes wandering through every shadow, every open room, every obstacle. But there was nobody - infected or not. He assumed that the fight back at the other end of the ground level had drawn the attention of all ferenzies. No sign of Terra or any member of her crew who could have survived so far. He remembered the scene with the dying 'Madman' Ignacio. They had been overwhelmed there. Rob realized how lucky he was that he had only encountered infected crazies one at a time up to this point. He didn't have the manpower nor the firepower to withstand an attack from 3-4 or more infected. He shuddered at the thought of what would happen to the scientists if he fell. It would be a massacre, bloody and horrifying.<br><br>Heart in his throat, neither wanting to die nor to see any more civilians die, he continued leading them forward. Another turn - and there it was, the entrance to the Terrosphere, a massive double door, completely intact, at the other end of the hallway. There was no sign of people here - dead or alive. <br><br>"We're almost there, careful," he said to the group of people as they slowly, step by step approached the double doors. He could feel their relief - this nightmare from the mess hall to the ground level was finally at an end. He waved at them to stay back as he entered his code and the doors of the facility slid open. <em>Oh, no...</em> The first thing he saw through the opening door was bodies. Many bodies. And blood. What he had imagined about the group of civilians he was leading in case he fell - that had actually happened here. Rob closed his eyes - he knew how foolish this was, but he couldn't not do it. He shut them and rubbed his forehead. His heart sank. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: When All Else Fails (RP)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ivy Mariani</strong> on <strong>December 06, 2010, 01:29:34 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				&nbsp;She was almost there, another few junctions and she should be near another hatch that would allow her to get into the Terrosphere. She hoped that everyone would remember what the building looked like. After all they did use cadavers for their research on the virus. They needed it, and since the tissues were technically dead the virus couldn't spread unless there had been some incident with a needle, and any time there was it was always reported immediately.<br><br>&nbsp;Still she knew the grisly scene that would likely await those who got there before her. The place was the perfect birthing ground for the virus, but it was also perfectly contained against the spread. It was why she had chosen that place to go. Aside from all of the amenities it had it would make a great place for them to stay until help arrived, whenever that was. They would have enough food to supply them if they rationed it well enough, and enough water to last them for a year.<br><br>&nbsp;Moving slowly through the tunnel she came to a ladder. If she remembered the schematics correctly she would be a few hallways away from the Terrosphere if she surfaced here. She hadn't heard or witnessed any sign of infected humans, it should be safe enough. Looking around one last time she slid the strap of the gun over her shoulder before she placed her hands onto the rungs of the ladder. Carefully she stepped up, up again and pushed her fingers hesitantly through the metallic grating. Pushing upward she opened the cover for the man hole.<br><br>&nbsp;Pulling herself out she turned carefully and sat onto the floor before swinging her legs free and closing the grate silently. Moving to sit on her knees she slid her weapon back in front of herself, panning it around as she'd been trained, looking for any signs of the infected. Moving her right foot out and planting it firmly, she shifted her weight and stood. Keeping close to the wall she started down the last stretch of the hallways towards her final destination. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: When All Else Fails (RP)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Raphael</strong> on <strong>December 07, 2010, 03:00:43 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He opened his eyes slowly and his gaze wandered through the scene. It was horrific, it was...<br><br>It was wrong. He shook the emotions off and took a closer look. Something about the corpses of the butcher people wasn't right. His eyes wandered through their pale skin, their torn clothes, the blades and shattered glass stuck to them, the name tags on their toes, the cut off limbs, the...<br><br>The name tags on their toes. Rob sighed and rubbed his forehead. These weren't victims as such. They were cadavers - corpses the scientists in the Terrosphere used for research and experiments. Whatever had happened to them, it had happened after they were already dead. His heart resumed his normal rate and he took a few steps forward. <br><br>The bodies were lying around the entire entrance hall of the facility. No two wore the same clothes or were in the same positions. Some had various objects sticking out of their flesh, others were partially skinned or cut on. Dry blood was smeared all over the walls and the floor. Sarge began to realize what must have happened here and he shook his head in terrified disbelief. It was the work of a ferenzi. Those of the infected who didn't die got insane in very unique ways, bringing the worst of their personality forth. Some were sadistic, others masochistic, paranoid, schizophrenic, some liked to kill, others to rape, torture, even steal. And this one... this one must have envisioned himself or herself as some sort of a sick artist, and this here was their exhibit, their work of art. Rob nearly vomited. It was sick, alright.<br><br>Some of the civilians, impatient and uneasy, approached a little closer and gasped when the horrible view unveiled itself to them. One woman threw up, another sobbed. Rob quickly raised his hand and turned to them.<br><br>"Nothing to worry about. All of these you see here were cadavers used for research," he said, repeating his own thoughts. "Look at the name tags," he pointed. "An infected must have passed by and wanted to leave a sick joke behind, but there's nothing to worry about. You will be safe here." He beckoned them to follow as he stepped into the Terrosphere, carefully stepping over an elderly woman impaled with what looked like a sharpened leg of a chair. The ferenzi that had done this could still be here, he reminded himself as he steadied his hand. Scared and reluctant, the civilians followed.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: When All Else Fails (RP)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ivy Mariani</strong> on <strong>December 07, 2010, 03:25:02 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				&nbsp;Terra continued to count her steps, unsure why she was doing this. It was something she'd done as a kid but had grown out of once the virus had hit. Maybe it was something that was coming back from the stress of seeing the virus this close up again. She continued to count, her lips moving silently as she continued onward. She knew the three levels of the Terrosphere loomed ahead. They should be relatively safe there, it was easy to defend only one way in and out. As long as they could keep the virus out they had a chance.<br><br>&nbsp;Opening the door she stood off to the side not knowing what to expect. Keeping her gun up and at the ready she turned cautiously and looking into the top level which was mainly the labs where the cadavers were worked on. She'd spent many days within the labs working into the late hours of the night. They'd come close numerous times to finding a cure but by the time they had it was too late, the cure would break down or the subject being tested would become infected to the point of death.<br><br>&nbsp;Sighing she let her eyes roam about the room, her stomach clenching at the sight of strewn body parts. She'd seen gore before, but nothing as brutal as this. Covering her mouth with one hand she let out a soft cough and sob at the sight. She hadn't expected this, and had hoped everyone else had been able to make it past the gruesome display.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: When All Else Fails (RP)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>LucianLuna</strong> on <strong>December 07, 2010, 05:22:54 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				(cool. My first attempt at making a group RP is getting interest. *does a happy dance* Just had to get that out of my system)<br><br>Lucian follows closely behind the others and looks around at the bodies.&nbsp; "Damn, that's sick. Even the dead can't get rest in this place."&nbsp; He carefully made his way past the bodies, being careful not to bump any of them as he made his way into the terrosphere.&nbsp; "I didn't think even an infected would mess with already dead bodies, guess i was wrong on that one."&nbsp; He kept his gun raised in case the person who did that was still around. He wanted to make sure he didn't get surprised by anything. His body was already tense from being over alert all this time and he was getting sore from pushing the cart all this way, but he made it. he was alive and he planned to remain alive in this outbreak. he stayed alive during the original outbreak and he can do it now. he just had to keep alert and not panic, don't let anything get to him and he'll be fine.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: When All Else Fails (RP)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Raphael</strong> on <strong>December 08, 2010, 05:58:58 am</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				{Lol, congratulations :-)}<br><br>Some of the civilians backed Lucian's words in various verbal and non-verbal ways, but sarge said nothing. He just beckoned them to hurry out of the main hall and leave the grizzly view behind. <br><br>The first lab room on the left as they stepped into the corridor behind the entrance hall was clean and empty. Rob urged everyone in and closed the door before turning to Lucian. <br><br>"Luc, would you do me a favor?" he said quietly. "I want to keep the rest here while I do a sweep on the Terrosphere to check for infected or survivors. I sure as hell could use you out there, but we can't just leave the rest here unprotected."<br><br>Some of the healthy and less badly injured scientists began to check out the equipment of the lab they were in to see what they can use to start treating the wounds and traumas of the others. Rob nodded towards them. <br><br>"If you think you can handle it, you could stay here and guard them until I return. And if I don't return - well, then at least you'll know you're not alone in here, right?" He forced a smile on his face but it wasn't funny. He tapped the young cook on the shoulder. "Lock the door behind me, you've got food and some medical supplies here. I'll be back as soon as I can." He nodded and he turned around to leave the lab.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: When All Else Fails (RP)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ivy Mariani</strong> on <strong>December 09, 2010, 11:22:38 am</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				&nbsp;Sighing her back slumped against the wall. She wanted nothing more than to slide down and sit, allowing herself a moment to break down and let out the large amounts of stress and other emotions that seemed to be plaguing her system right now. Her nerves were beyond shot, beyond being frayed, they were simply.. Gone. One instance of the Ferenzi had been enough, but at least on Earth they had places to run, places to hide from those who had no idea the layout of the land they found themselves on. But on this planet, they all knew the buildings, knew the structures ins and outs and worst of all.. They were left with little room to run.<br><br>&nbsp;Though she wanted this moments reprieve from the chaos that had befallen all of them, she couldn't grant herself the time. There was still much to be done, still too much she had to figure out and too many lives still at risk. Straightening her shoulders she sigh, pushed herself from the wall and took a step forward, her foot catching a metal canister and pushing it noisily along the floor.<br><br>&nbsp;Instinct made her free, her gun at the ready as she backed towards the wall again, having more than an adequate view of any entrance to the area she was standing in. If something were to come inspect the noise, she would be ready. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: When All Else Fails (RP)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Raphael</strong> on <strong>December 09, 2010, 11:44:53 am</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He couldn't even finish when a sound echoed off the walls. It resembled a can being dropped on the floor, and it came from the entrance to the Terrosphere. Rob froze. There was a can, he had seen it. A can filled with pieces of human flesh, in the middle of the 'art gallery' in the entrance hall. <br><br>"Shit. Luc, close the door," Rob said and stepped out of the lab, gun pointing straight forward. A quick look to the left and right assured him the hallway was clear. Or so it seemed. Sarge took a deep breath as the familiar feeling of adrenaline being pumped into his veins spread through his body. Step by step, hoping it was a dead body giving in to gravity and tumbling over that pushed that can, he sneaked back towards the entrance, looking over his shoulder every couple of seconds to make sure he was the only one attracted to the sound.<br><br>Breathe in. Breathe out. Back among the hallways and staircases of the facility, there was always space to run, always room to fight. But here, back in that tiny lab, all the civilians were trapped. Back there the thought kept him going that if he falls the others would still have a fighting chance. But down here all they had was Luc's gun and a cart of food enough to keep the sated for maybe a day. And no place to run. <br><br>No other sound came from the entrance hall. But that meant nothing. It could have been a survivor, an actually sane human being that had caused the noise, now scared and waiting, or running, or hiding. But it could have been an infected now lurking, or just walking around wondering whether to eat the contents of the canister or pluck their own eye out, or masturbate. The virus affected them all differently and their behavior was simply unpredictable. Rob remembered the manic laughter from the maintenance area of the 21st level. Did that creature follow them? Or was it the insane artist - came back and didn't like their work? Or something else? He reached the door leading to the entrance hall and stopped. This was the most dangerous moment. He took a deep breath, looked back to make sure he was alone, and pushed the door open with a powerful kick, stepping back at the same time and aiming forward with the handgun. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: When All Else Fails (RP)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ivy Mariani</strong> on <strong>December 09, 2010, 12:17:12 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				&nbsp;The footsteps were easy to hear as she held her breath and prayed for the best. She didn't like the idea of having to face one of the infected while she was on her own and with only a few rounds left in the magazine for the gun she now had. Though she had extra weapons she couldn't waste the time trying to get them free of the bag or their holsters to defend herself.<br><br>&nbsp;Leveling her gun she tried to figure out where the footsteps were coming from, whether it was someone coming into the Terrosphere from the hallway she had just left or if it was someone from the labs. She wasn't opposed to shooting Dr Franklin right now if that's who it was. He deserved it, he was likely the cause behind this new spread. But if it was another survivor she couldn't bring herself to do that. But if it was an infected on the other hand.<br><br>&nbsp;Swallowing she pushed the thought to the back of her head, finding some form of cool reserve as she lined her sights up. Steadying the gun on a pan of both doors she continued to watch them both with great caution. As the one door came swinging open with a rush of strong force and a loud noise she pointed her gun and squeezed off one shot. The bullet pinged against the wall just next to the door frame, the spent shell popping free of the gun to tink on the floor before it bounced once and rolled underneath one of the gurnies.<br><br>&nbsp;Her heart pounded fiercely as she took a strong stance, getting her gun ready for another round. Her ears still rang from the shot and her body shook with adrenaline, but she was ready to make any snap decisions that she might need to make.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: When All Else Fails (RP)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Raphael</strong> on <strong>December 09, 2010, 01:07:15 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The gunshot echoed off the walls and Rob saw a bullet hitting the wall not 5 feet from his face. He cursed and took cover. Was that one of his soldiers or an infected with a gun? His heart almost skipped a beat. Great. Now they were stuck. Rob weighed his options.<br><br>Stand in place? Great, but that would lead nowhere. He couldn't engage openly because he would risk being riddled with holes as soon as he enters the main hall. He couldn't shoot from behind the corner because he didn't know where to aim and he only had 10 rounds left, not enough for the possible 100 infected still roaming the facility. Besides, he didn't know if this wasn't friendly fire, so aiming blindly risked killing a fellow survivor. <br><br>Go back? He could walk away from the entrance hall and lure the mysterious shooter into following, maybe, but what if it was an infected? Rob would risk hiding safely somewhere to prepare an ambush while the deranged killer massacres Luc and the other civilians. No. <br><br>Neither was good. Retreating, engaging, or standing where he is, no one of these options were good enough unless he knew who he was dealing with and where they were. Talk? Why the hell not, it's not like they didn't know where he was. He decided to give it a try. <br><br>"Eiah..." His throat was aching dry. He swallowed a couple of times and wiped the sweat off his face. He tried again.<br><br>"Hey there! I'm Sergeant Rhodes and I'm not infected! Seize fire!" 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: When All Else Fails (RP)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ivy Mariani</strong> on <strong>December 09, 2010, 01:17:30 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				&nbsp;The sudden urge to yell back <em>'No, you stand down'</em> was overwhelming despite the fact she recognized the voice and knew that the tone didn't seem to fit that of one of the infected. Still she couldn't bring herself to believe that it wasn't just some sort of trickery meant to lure her into some form of false security, only to have her body torn to shreds by some deranged psycho.<br><br>&nbsp;Still keeping her gun on the level she took a slow breath only now realizing she was getting light headed from holding it so long. Breathing a little easier she held her ground, maintained her stance and adjusted her grip upon the gun. Something still felt off to her but she wasn't about to object. Chances were it was merely the stress getting to her.<br><br>&nbsp;"Sarge?" her eyebrows pinched together as she managed to form the words around a cotton like tongue. Blinking a few times she adjusted her grip again. "Come out from behind the door so I can see you." reaching one hand down she grabbed a retinal scanner, prepared to make sure she was in the clear.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: When All Else Fails (RP)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Raphael</strong> on <strong>December 09, 2010, 01:37:31 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Rob blinked. "Terra?? Is that you?" The relief was like a sweet drug flowing into his veins. But it was suppressed effectively by growing suspicion. It really was her, he already knew that. The question was, how could he know if she wasn't infected? He saw her entire team butchered. What was the chance she made it out of there alive when fine young trained soldiers had died? He contemplated for a minute.<br><br>"How do I know you're clean?" he shouted finally around the corner. A quick look back to make sure he was alone in the hallway. Truth was, he couldn't know. There was no way for either of them to prove they were uninfected unless they could come close to each other. Suddenly, Rob laughed out loud. "I can't know if you're infected. And you can't know if I'm infected. That's a funny situation, don't you think, doctor?" <br><br>It wasn't funny. Not one bit. But Rob laughed and with laughter the stress of the last hour started to fade. He felt his head clear up a bit and he waited to see what Dr Seris had to say about this. He pictured her situation - in the main hall, between two doors on the opposite ends of the room, surrounded by an art exhibit of mutilated corpses. He doubted she would find it as funny as he was.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: When All Else Fails (RP)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ivy Mariani</strong> on <strong>December 09, 2010, 01:47:18 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				&nbsp;Holding the scanner to her eyes she took an image of them, turning the scanner with the use of her hip so she could see the image for herself. Freezing it she looked over the details. The way the sclera of her eye looked, the veins within them looking as they should, her irises looking as they always had and her retinal scan completely clean. Keeping the image there, she placed the scanner onto the floor as she crouched. Giving it a shove that would get it across the floor but not tumble and run into anything causing it damage, she stood again.<br><br>&nbsp;"The scanner. Take a look for yourself. Then scan your own eyes and send it back." she was glad she'd had the presence of mind to keep the scanner on herself and not in her lab coat as she often did. It was one of those small things she was thankful for. Though she'd heard the laugh in the Sarge's voice she hadn't been able to find the slightest bit of humor in the situation. She was surrounded by mutilated corpses from those she had likely once known.<br><br>&nbsp;As she waited she resumed her tight grip on her weapon, keeping it aimed and ready in case she had to face him and open fire. She had maybe seven rounds left, not many but it would be enough to keep her safe especially if she hit him with a crippling shot. She didn't want to think of that scenario but it was necessary to keep herself motivated and from breaking down right there.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: When All Else Fails (RP)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Raphael</strong> on <strong>December 09, 2010, 02:11:09 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				His laughter stopped when he heard the retinal scanner sliding over the floor and he saw it bounce off the open door and stop there. Good thinking, doctor. He stood there, looking at the little gadget, and licked his dry lips. God, he would kill a man for a cup of tea right now.<br><br>"OKAY! I'm going to reach out and take the scanner. So don't shoot!" He slowly squatted down in the corner, the scanner was at his feet. He looked around but there was nothing he could use to pull it in. He had to expose his hand when reaching for it. Oh well. Rob wasn't the bravest man there is but he was far from being a coward. He was a warrior, after all. Even the tune on his cell phone once was a popular heavy metal song, "I'm a Fighter Not a Lover". He smiled to the memory, but his smile was sad. He was never going to hear that song again, one of the millions of things that got lost back on Earth after the virus broke out. <br><br>He reached out and his fingers wrapped themselves around the retinal scanner - not fast but not slow either. He doubted anyone could shoot through his arm from across the hall, and even so, the wound wouldn't be fatal. Dr Seris and her trust was much more important - especially in this wretched situation the facility was in. He began to slowly pull it in. Nothing happened.<br><br>He got up and turned the scanner. He saw the frozen image and examined it carefully. He wasn't an expert but he had been dealing with the virus forever, and he had been living with and around scientists long enough. Everything seemed perfectly fine and Rob smiled. Finally, a piece of good news.<br><br>"You have pretty eyes, Terra," he said. He was still smiling. He looked back - he was still alone in the hallway. He nodded. He wasn't sure if the image on the scanner was Terra's. He couldn't be. But he was tired of being paranoid and he decided to risk it. <br><br>"Everything seems fine. You're not infected. So here's what I'm gonna do. I'm going to slowly come out with my hands up. Right? Then you can examine me at gunpoint. I have no fucking idea how to operate this thing, anyhow. I'm coming out, Dr Seris!" And slowly, very slowly he showed himself at the door frame, hands in the air, gun pointing at the ceiling.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: When All Else Fails (RP)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ivy Mariani</strong> on <strong>December 09, 2010, 02:27:57 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				&nbsp;Listening to him she rolled her eyes. Of all the things she wanted to hear in that exact moment that hadn't been one of them. A simple, I'll do the scan and slide it back would have sufficed, but the fact he hadn't known how to use the scanner hadn't surprised her much. It took her a solid month to get the details down as to how to work the scanner without getting false positives. And that was on cadavers.<br><br>&nbsp;Keeping the gun steady she watched him. "Put the gun down Sarge." she kept her voice steady despite the fact her mind was racing and she felt like her heart was about to explode if it beat any harder. "Once it's on the floor kick it over towards me." she wanted to be sure she had one less weapon to worry about. He outweighed her, that was more than easy to know. But she could have an advantage with an extra weapon not being in the mix.<br><br>&nbsp;"I'll talk you through the scan, but I want you to stay there. Just being cautious." she tried to reassure him that her trusts weren't misplaced. She was tired of not being able to trust in those she had grown to know, but right now it was easy to understand why that trust was being shattered. Her fingers threatened to shake, which in turn would cause the gun within her hand to move and give away the fact that she was terrified. She had to remain calm about this.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: When All Else Fails (RP)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Raphael</strong> on <strong>December 09, 2010, 02:40:11 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Rob shook his head. Throw his weapon? Not gonna happen. Not with all three levels of the Terrosphere unexplored with math knows how many infected roaming about waiting to bite into his jugular vein.<br><br>"Look around you, doctor. See the corpses? That's the work of an infected. And a pretty fucked up one, at that. And they might still be around, for all I know. I am not going to disarm myself if I'm to stand here with my back against the hallway. You can see pretty clearly by now that I'm not a threat to you, so even if I'm infected I ain't deranged yet. So you decide - either you come to me and watch my back while examining me, or talk me through it but the gun stays with me. Or hell, shoot me if it would make you feel better."<br><br>He took a deep breath. His arms were starting to get tired. His throat was so sore he felt every breath painful. His eyes were filled with dust, itching badly. His back was sweaty, his feet were tired. He was hoping she would make her decision before he solves her problem by simply collapsing. 'Hold on, Hound Dog, you've been through worse,' he said to himself. He looked over his shoulder. The hallway was empty but he thought he saw something move on the far end. With the condition of his eyes, he couldn't be sure. He slowly stepped aside and closed the door with his foot. <br><br>"Something might be coming our way," he added calmly. "Not sure, but I thought I saw something move. So be on your toes."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: When All Else Fails (RP)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ivy Mariani</strong> on <strong>December 09, 2010, 02:57:57 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				&nbsp;She sighed, her gun had drooped a little but it was now lifted back where it had been. "Look.. I've got a clear view of the hallway from here. Either you trust me and drop your gun, or I start firing and my aim isn't that great. I might end up clipping something vital." her voice was solid, but her tone sounded a little weird. "You'll need both hands to work this thing if you're not used to it anyways." she'd managed it with one but it had been difficult as hell.<br><br>&nbsp;She glanced down the hall but was still able to see him clearly in her line of sight as well. "It could be Dr Franklin. He practically lives here, as it is I need to talk to him. I'm pretty sure I can explain all of this, but first.. The scan." she moved her eyes back to him, but kept glancing back down the hall just to be on the safe side. "Either way.. If you don't do the scan I'm walking out of here. I'm sure there are a lot of scared and hurt people here who still need help."<br><br>&nbsp;She wasn't opposed to simply slipping back out of the Terrosphere and to one of the other levels. She doubted anyone was alive but she could hole up somewhere until help came at least.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: When All Else Fails (RP)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Raphael</strong> on <strong>December 09, 2010, 03:08:19 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He really hated arguing with women. They usually made no sense to anyone but themselves.<br><br>"You want me to trust you and drop my gun, and then you admit your aim isn't great. Seriously, doctor, do you think you could protect me from there? Besides, like I said, I am no threat. If I was, you'd be dead by now. What's so damn important about losing the one man's trust that you still have?" He was starting to get pissed off. <br><br>"Shoot me or leave, if you insist. I'll go back and tend to the wounded locked up with Luc in the lab back there cos I sure as hell am a better doctor than you." He sighed. He'd seen people freaked out by the virus before. Acting the way Dr Seris was - nervous, paranoid, and ultimately stupid. The virus affected everybody in a different way, but all infected had one thing in common - complete lack of rational behavior. Which is to say - behavior like the one he was displaying. The doctor must be pretty shaken up to act like she was, Rob thought. <br><br>He thought about it for a second. <br><br>"Look, I'll put the gun on the back of my pants. That way you'll have plenty of time to shoot me if I start getting weird, aye? Think about it."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: When All Else Fails (RP)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ivy Mariani</strong> on <strong>December 09, 2010, 03:17:02 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				&nbsp;His words stung her more than she cared to admit. She was a lot younger than most of the other doctors who had been here, but she also had the most experience not only with the military aspect of the facility but also with the medical expectations. Her eyes fell to the floor as her gun drooped. She wasn't sure if he'd meant to say it, but regardless of the intent, the words hurt her none the less.<br><br>&nbsp;Slumping back against the wall she was now caught between going back out into the unknown, facing whatever was out there with her multitude of weapons.. Or sitting in the lab with everyone else, doing nothing because now it seemed it was all she was good for. The barrel of her gun dropped even further as she hung her head, her hair falling about her face.<br><br>&nbsp;"Fine..." she muttered, still not trusting that he wasn't entirely uninfected. At this point now, she wasn't sure she cared anymore. "Do... Do whatever you want.."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: When All Else Fails (RP)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Raphael</strong> on <strong>December 09, 2010, 03:25:08 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The sergeant was surprised to see her break down like this all of a sudden. He didn't take his eyes off her. Suddenly he realized that she wasn't simply a young woman in the middle of a freakshow. She was also the head of the facility - and the facility was falling apart around her. Her people were dying, her research was being destroyed. Poor Terra, he thought, suddenly softened. He stood there helpless, with his hands up like an ape in uniform, not sure what to do. Finally he decided.<br><br>"OK, alright," he said quietly. "Look. I'm putting the gun down. See? Now you come here and give me that damn scan because I'm pretty sure I hear noises behind that door and I don't wanna stand around when the insane Da Vinci walks in and decided my body is due for an impressionist work of art, right? It's alright, Terra, I'm not infected, goddam it!"<br><br>He slowly lowered his body and put the Showstopper on the floor next to his feet. He took another step away from the door. The gun was in a position that would allow him to grab it while tumbling forward, if the situation required it. "See," he repeated. "It's down. Nothing to worry about. Keep the gun at me if you want, just don't shoot me before you scan me..." His words faded. His throat really hurt.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: When All Else Fails (RP)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>LucianLuna</strong> on <strong>December 09, 2010, 03:39:54 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Lucian watched Rob go investigate the noise, shutting the door behind him as the man left. He then found a table and laid a cloth on it then set out bottles of water for the others. They probably needed some after the hike down here. Lucian took one as well and started to drink it while keeping his eyes on the door in case someone tried to come in. he had no idea what was out there, but he was going to make sure he protected the group that was with him. Until Rob got back, if Rob got back, he was all this group had and he was going to make sure he did good by them. He wondered if Doc had survived or if she was like the rest of her group. he hoped she had survived, he kind of liked Doc in a friend sort of way.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: When All Else Fails (RP)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ivy Mariani</strong> on <strong>December 09, 2010, 03:49:32 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				&nbsp;Still not feeling like herself, she took small steps forward, her gun still lowered and her feet seeming to drag. His words had been a bigger blow to her psyche than he cared to admit. She'd fought so hard to be someone who could help others, as it was she had failed to save her family.<br><br>&nbsp;"Give me the scanner.." her voice was fragile, threatening to break at any moment despite her desperate attempts to keep her composure. She didn't want to do this scan. She didn't want any of this to be happening. She was hoping that at any moment she would wake up in bed, safe and at home back on Earth. However that wasn't a possibility. That reality was so far off base from what she was living through in this moment.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: When All Else Fails (RP)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Raphael</strong> on <strong>December 10, 2010, 06:17:17 am</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Sarge slowly handed her the device and stood still. He was observing her breakdown and he felt saddened to see the cheerful and witty doctor Seris like this. He wanted to encourage her but the corpsy environment lacked the inspiration. Still, he gave it a try.<br><br>"Terra... I know you're pretty shook up. But it's going to be alright. All the civilians are safe, 'cept one who died of... blood cloth or whatever they call it on the way here. Many died, the facility is in ruin... but we'll repair it, right? People in the main settlements are safe and shagging like crazy, and soon we will gain in numbers again." He forced a laugh out of his chest through the pain of his throat. He just wanted to see her smile. "Don't worry, one day your children will grumbling cos they don't wanna get up for school, and you'll be playing the hard mom scolding them and fixing their little uniforms... and all of this will be just a faded memory."<br><br>Not half bad, he thought. He hoped it worked on her. Surprisingly enough, it worked on him and he felt his spirit picking up again. He nodded to the retinal scanner. "Let's get this over with so that we can plan an assault on Luc's food cart. I swear I could eat..." his eyes circled around the abundance of mutilated human flesh along the floor, "... a lot of vegetables."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: When All Else Fails (RP)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ivy Mariani</strong> on <strong>December 10, 2010, 05:47:29 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				&nbsp;Grabbing the scanner Terra cleared the image in silence. She wasn't sure what to say anymore, unsure if there was really much left she could say. Her mind was numb, body operating on some form of autopilot that she couldn't figure out how to shut off. Frankly she wasn't sure she wanted to turn it off. She waited for the image to clear completely before holding it up and taking a quick shot, her own eyes looking down the hallway to make sure nothing was in fact coming down towards them.<br><br>&nbsp;Seeing nothing she had turned her attention back to the scanner waiting for the new image to show. Seeing it was clear she nodded before clearing the new image and tucking the scanner away. Having dropped her back just inside the doorway of the Terrosphere she went and collected it. While there wasn't much in it now, it would at least be something. It was a first that she had noticed she had carried the thing all the way down the hallways and into the area. The weight hadn't been noticeable in her adrenaline rush she was dealing with earlier.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: When All Else Fails (RP)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Raphael</strong> on <strong>December 11, 2010, 06:07:05 am</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Rob waited patiently for Dr Seris to finish the scan. Her nod confirmed what he knew - he was clean. What surprised him was that she didn't say anything, she didn't find any form of hope or encouragement. She was walking around like a zombie with a flat expression. He shrugged. The situation was wearing them out, but he was a soldier - this kind of stress wasn't new to him. Besides, he figured she was much smarter than him and her brain must have found angles of despair and hopelessness that his couldn't.<br><br>Immediately after the scan he picked up his gun and double-checked it to make sure it was fully operational. "Doc, let me take you to the others," he said to Terra, his voice low and quiet. He turned around and opened the door.<br><br>The shape of a man flashed for a second at the opposite end of the hallway and disappeared to the right. Sarge remembered that to the right were the stairs to the lower levels of the Terrosphere. Now he knew they weren't alone. But Dr Seris' safety should come first, he reminded himself. Rule number one - set up a clean perimeter. <br><br>"Terra," he said. "I saw a man running towards the lower levels. Not sure who or what he was - couldn't get a clear view." 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: When All Else Fails (RP)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ivy Mariani</strong> on <strong>December 14, 2010, 10:20:14 am</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				&nbsp;Terra raked her fingers through her hair, slipping the large weapon she'd been carrying back into the large duffel she once again draped over her shoulders so the bag could rest against her back. Reaching down as she crouched, she pulled the&nbsp; small hand gun from the holster she had on her ankle. Getting a bullet into the chamber she held the gun at arms length, barrel pointed towards the floor as she started cautiously down the hallway.<br><br>&nbsp;"It's likely Dr Franklin." she whispered only loud enough to fill the space between herself and the Sarge as she passed. Still she didn't want to take any risks. Once she was past Sarge she leveled her weapon, holding it steadily out in front of herself. As she approached each doorway to a lab- ones that were open at least- she swiveled her body, checking into each room to make sure they were clear before she proceeded onward.<br><br>&nbsp;She wanted to find Franklin, to grill him about what he had done. Chances were he was the one behind this. The man was practically insane, but everyone labeled him as some form of scientific genius. She had never trusted him, never wanted him in her facility but even she had people she needed to answer to, people she couldn't say no to. It sucked, but it was part of her job. Whether she had to kill this man for all of the lives he had taken, or whether she just needed to lock him up, was something she'd need to wait to find out.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: When All Else Fails (RP)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Raphael</strong> on <strong>December 14, 2010, 12:23:32 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Rob watched Dr Seris move out and followed behind, watching out for anything that could come from anywhere, including the ceiling. While she was making her way down the hallway, he carefully knocked on the lab doors where the civilians were staying.<br><br>"It's sarge," he said through the door. "Don't open. Luc - I think we've got company. Me and Dr Seris are doing a sweep - she's with me and she's fine. If you've heard a gunshot - that was her saying "hello" to me, ha-ha." <br><br>He gave doc an apologetic look. "It's not like they don't know we're here," his lips said. He continued walking forward, a few yards behind her, watching her back.<br><br>Behind sarge and the doctor, the doors to the Terrosphere swung open and a man entered. He was well over 6'4 tall and had no clothes on except for a long white lab coat, torn apart and covered in blood, and blue jeans that were in such a bad shape it was hard to believe they were still hanging from his body. His dead gray eyes looked around the corpse-covered floor and he chuckled quietly in approval. He made a little dance in the middle of the room, enjoying the smell of death and decay, and then he spotted something that made him say:<br><br>"Oh boy, candy, oh boy, candy!" He kept saying it over and over again as he yanked a long kitchen knife out of a corpse's ribcage and licked it thoughtfully.<br><br>"Too much iron in your blood!" he chuckled. "Oh boy, candy!" <br><br>With the knife in his hand, he crept up forward, stopping occasionally, lost in thoughts. When he opened the door to the hallway, it was empty. His nose perked up as he sniffed the air.<br><br>"Oh boy, candy!" he said quietly, and his eyes narrowed. It smelled like people. And the smell led to a closed door. He stood in front of it, thinking about books he had read as a child, or maybe someone else had read as a child, he wasn't sure. <br><br>Then he reached out and scratched down the door with the tip of the knife.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: When All Else Fails (RP)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>LucianLuna</strong> on <strong>December 14, 2010, 05:12:28 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Lucian jumped when there was a knock on the door, relieved it was just Rob.&nbsp; "Ok Rob, I'll keep them safe. You guys be careful out there."&nbsp; He listened to Rob's footsteps walk away and then a little while later he heard something else, something scraping against the door. He motioned to the civilians to not make any noise and for them to move to the back of the room then stood in front of them with his gun aimed at the door. If he was going down he was gonna go down fighting and protecting the others.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: When All Else Fails (RP)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Raphael</strong> on <strong>December 28, 2010, 09:26:37 am</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He closed his eyes, enjoying the sound of the knife scraping against the door. He knew there were people inside - living people. He could smell them. They were his 'candy'.<br><br>But nothing happened. His dead eyes gazed upon the door. He licked his lips and reached out to press the button. But they wouldn't open. He pressed the button again and smiled. <br><br>"Oh, games," he said. He pressed the button with the tip of the knife, then with the butt. When still nothing happened, he took a few steps back. He laughed. He licked the knife.<br><br>He leaped forward and the heel of his right foot smashed against the door.<br><br>The door was not steel. It was some synthetic plastic, hard, reinforced, but not unbreakable. It cracked. The infected man thrust his heel into the crack again. And this time, the door broke down.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: When All Else Fails (RP)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>LucianLuna</strong> on <strong>December 28, 2010, 02:05:43 pm</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Lucian was ready and as soon as the door broke he was firing through it before he could see the man on the other side, if they broke the door then it has to be one of the infected. He kept firing as he talked to the group.&nbsp; "Stay behind me! I'll hold him off as best I can! Let's hope the othhers get here in time if I can't kill this guy!"
			</dd>
		</dl>
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