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Post by Rai Chiller on Sept 28, 2012 11:54:38 GMT -6
I REFUSE to bear with you on this. GAWD.
Anyway I vote B 2
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Post by Tbone110 The Amurican Bastard on Sept 29, 2012 18:07:49 GMT -6
B 2 as well.
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Post by AceTheMercenary on Nov 1, 2012 23:32:25 GMT -6
"Tell you what, Frank. We can cover more ground if we split up once we get out of here. There's a lot going on in Fortune City right now, so I think it's best if we get out there and investigate." Jack explains, opening up a map of Fortune City and taking a look at it. "Sounds good. Which way are you heading?" Frank asks, switching his camera on. "I think I'll take that adult entertainment store Stacey mentioned. I want to see what's up with that cop." Jack replies, grabbing a marker on the nearby table and circling the store on the map.
"Hope she's nicer than the last cop I met..." Frank muses, scratching his stubble thoughtfully. Jack merely gives him a curious look. "Guess that leaves me with the Zombrex hunt, then. All right, we'll meet back up at the hotel. I don't want to lose that reporter." Frank orders, opening the door and stepping out into the hall, leaving Jack alone with the two bunnies. "Be careful out there, Jack. I think this is going to be a little different than Terror Is Reality." Jack turns back to Lulu, giving her a quick nod."Yeah... You want to come along? Help keep watch for trouble? "I would, but I need to tend to Alexandra. And I really don't feel like facing those things again so soon. Maybe another time." Lulu replies, frowning slightly.
"Fair enough. Well, I should hopefully be back soon. I'll see if I can't stop in and check up on you when I do." Jack remarks, opening the door and also stepping out, where Frank gestures for him to follow. "I found some vents. We can probably use them to get back outside. And if you're following Frank West, you might as well get used to them." Jack watches as Frank pries open the small metal door and sticking his head inside the duct to check it out. "You do this kind of thing often, I take it?" Jack questions with a bit of a smirk, which Frank returns when he looks back.
"More than you realize, kid. Come on." And with that Frank squeezes himself into the vents, Jack following suit soon after. After a long and arduous climb out, with a great deal of curse words and other such things, the two finally emerge in what appears to be a maintenance area, where Frank promptly stretches his back while Jack falls out of the vents in a heap.
"Back in the game..." Frank remarks, turning to Jack as he drags himself to his feet and dusts himself off. "Here, kid. Take these." He reaches into his pocket and throws something to Jack, which he catches. A pair of sunglasses, completely similar to the ones Frank was currently wearing. "Uh... What are these for?" Jack asks, raising an eyebrow. Frank shrugs in response. "Hey, when you're stuck with Frank West, you want to look your best. I can't have you young guys cramping my style." Jack chuckles at the older man, putting the sunglasses on his head. Whatever made him happy, he supposed.
"Much better. All right, let's get going." The two follow the hallway all the way through, until they stop at a room with red doors and notice signs covering it. "You go on ahead, Frank. I've got something I want to check out before I press on." Jack remarks. "Sure thing. See you around, kid." Jack tries the door as Frank disappears around the corner, finding that it is, as expected, locked.
"Ass." Jack swears under his breath, bringing up a foot and kicking it as hard as he possibly can. The doors give way just slightly, but return to their original position as soon as the pressure disappears. Jack tries two more times before finally giving up and walking away. A shame, considering that there might have been a few decent weapons in there, but maybe he'd find the key for it later on.
As he steps out into Royal Flush Plaza, Jack decides that Lulu's logic probably wasn't that far off. At least in Terror Is Reality there were other people the zombies were also after, and it was a closed in battle arena where they were forced to be crammed together. Now, however, they clogged the hallways and areas that he needed to get to, and he was the only living thing available for them at the moment.
So yes, it was going to be a lot different than Terror Is Reality.
At least he still had the baseball bat from the arena. Frank had taken the axe he had found, but it would see to his needs well enough for the time being. Taking a deep breath, Jack steps out into the plaza proper, clubbing a zombie that had been hanging out by the doors in the head.
Thankfully the trip to the Americana Casino wasn't very long, but Jack soon finds that the zombies have taken over here as well, though in seemingly fewer numbers. The layout of the area was more familiar to him, however, and thus he found it relatively easy to dodge past them by going around the slot machines, though it took a bit more time.
The Strip, however, seemingly got it the worst, as it is completely infested, forcing Jack to stick to the sidewalks and weave in and out of the smaller zombie hordes while avoiding the large ones all together if entirely possible. In short order he is drenched in blood from the zombies he has killed, as is his weapon, but he manages to make it to the adult entertainment store relatively unscathed.
Taking a deep breath, Jack opens the door and steps inside, bat at the ready. Strangely the area seems relatively calm, with no signs of life or undead whatsoever. As he steps into the back room, however, he finds a pretty blond woman tied to a chair, with a white handkerchief tied around her mouth as a makeshift gag. Her clothing consisted of a pair of tight jeans and calf-high boots, along with a royal purple button-up dress shirt that appeared to be made by a big-name fashion designer.
She gives a muffled yell as Jack rushes over to her, dropping his bat and immediately removing the gag.
"Wha --"
"Look out!"
Jack turns around just in time to narrowly avoid being smashed in the head by a rather meaty appendage, which collides with the wall nearby. As he gets up, a huge, blubbery hand grabs him by the collar and throws him back outside into the main area of the store.
"Lured another man in here, have we? You little whore..." Jack gets to his feet, and as his vision clears, he sees what is quite possibly the largest human being in the world. Sure enough, it was dressed as a cop, but how had Stacey confused this...thing for a woman? It looked manly at best to Jack, but for the most part he couldn't exactly tell.
"Sounds like I'll just have to punish ya after I'm done with him, then!" Jack feels moderately disgusted as the whale in the police uniform laughs loudly, its chins jiggling awfully and the rest of its body following suit soon after. Quietly he takes a glance into the still-open back room, reading the woman's fearful eyes for a moment before turning his attention to his dropped weapon. So close, but yet so far away...
"Ah, stupid kids..."
Frank takes a moment to observe the destruction he has wrought upon the three looters in the pharmacy. With a little advice from Stacey, he had started his Zombrex hunt here, where the three had set upon him not long after he entered.
A bit of a mistake, seeing as he had soundly beaten them into unconsciousness, and likely killed them.
As he prepares to search the store, something shiny on the floor next to one of the beaten down looters catches his attention. Kneeling down on the floor and picking it up, he finds it to be a key, which likely unlocked the door behind him. Not surprising, given that most of the pharmacies that sold Zombrex usually kept it under lock and key because of its value.
Opening the door with the key, Frank steps inside, finding computers about, along with a jug of orange juice and not one, but two boxes of Zombrex, which is more than enough to bring a smile to his face. "Thank god..." Frank quickly pockets the two boxes, and picks up the jug of orange juice, which he quickly downs half of in record time. Beating down punks apparently worked up quite a thirst.
But this also cut his hunt a bit short, however, and now Frank found himself with little to do save wait for Jack at the hotel, but as of now he had a little free time on his hands.
Jack Krysta
Health: 95%, bandaged bite wound on left arm Fatigue: 30% Entourage: Nobody currently Inventory: Pack of cigarettes, lighter, cell phone (89% battery charge remaining), envelope containing $50,000 in prize money, baseball bat (currently dropped)
Current time in the CYOA: 6:20 AM (16 hours, 20 minutes until next Zombrex injection needed)
Now, how should Jack proceed to deal with the whale?
A) Try to talk things out, this seems to be a misunderstanding so maybe the officer will see reason
B) Bumrush the whale, perhaps such a sudden attack will throw her off guard and allow Jack enough time to retrieve his weapon
C) Try a more subtle approach, maybe with a little smooth talking on Jack's part he will lower the whale's guard just long enough to grab the gun on her belt
Frank West
Health: 100% Fatigue: 0% Entourage: Nobody currently Inventory: Fire axe, camera, two syringes of Zombrex
Current time in the CYOA: 6:20 AM (16 hours, 20 minutes until next Zombrex injection needed)
And now what should Frank do next?
A) There is still some time before he and Jack are supposed to meet at the hotel, so perhaps the cook Stacey mentioned in the Food Court is worth looking into
B) Call someone on the transceiver, maybe it's time for an update on what's happening in Fortune City at the moment
If B, who should Frank call:
1) Jack, maybe his investigation into the adult entertainment store on the Strip is complete and they can meet earlier than expected
2) Stacey, maybe she has more information and can point Frank in a different direction
3) Isabella Keyes, Frank has so much he needs to get off his chest right now...
4) Otis Washington, it's time for payback regarding Willamette.
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Post by Tbone110 The Amurican Bastard on Nov 1, 2012 23:49:49 GMT -6
B, B 3
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Post by Bastion on Nov 4, 2012 0:09:38 GMT -6
I shall grace you with my presence. My vote is cast...the same as Eric THIS time.
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Post by Song Nai on Nov 4, 2012 22:35:19 GMT -6
I kinda want to do B4 just to see the lulzy response but well I guess B3 is a better option
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Post by AceTheMercenary on Nov 21, 2012 23:46:34 GMT -6
"Well, I think you'll find I'm not that easy to kill, you blubbery burger whore..." Jack takes one final look at his dropped weapon and the hostage in the chair before getting to his feet. It was time to man up. This fat bitch was going to get what was coming to her, right here and now.
Breaking out into a run and charging the whale, Jack leaps into the air as soon as he is within range, twisting himself around in midair and driving the sharpest point of his elbow directly into the fat cop's face, before quite literally bouncing off of her tremendous girth and hitting the floor once again. Thankfully, the suddenness and force of the attack is enough to knock the cop to the ground as well, as she hits the floor with an earth-shattering thud. Taking the oortunity, Jack leaps to his feet and retrieves his dropped weapon just as the fat cop is recovering from getting hit in the face.
"Nobody hits Joanna Slade like that! Just look, you've ruined my beautiful face!" Following where her fat, sausage-like fingersre pointing, Jack sees a thin trail of blood leaking from her nose, which is of itself busted up fairly badly, having taken the brunt of his previous attack.
"Well, too be honest, it didn't exactly look great beforehand either..." Jack muses thoughtfully, scratching the back of his head and smirking in amusement.
The cow ives a great bellow of rage at that and charges forward, leaving Jack with just enough time to duck out of the way as a large, meaty appendage flies over his head. Just as he recovers, another grabs him by the throat, the strength of the cow acally lifting him several inches off the ground.
"You know what I do to people who insult me? I throw them in prison, just like that little whore in there!" Jack claws at the large handwrapped around his throat with his free hand while keeping a tight grip on his bat with the other, but his nails merely glance off the fat of Joanna's hand and do little if anything in the way of damage. "How about it? Wan join her for a life sentence? You filthy men killed my sister in Willamette! Now you're gonna get the same treatment!"
"Not today, I think..." Jack wheezes out, drawing back with his bat and clubbing the whale in the stomach with as much force as he can offer from an awkward angle, winding her for a second and causing her to drop him and double over. Jack clubs her in the back of the head this time as she recovers, knocking her to the floor once again. Jack cracks his neck as she shakes her head like a dog, no doubt seeing double as he had put a fair bit of strength behind the bat that time.
"Sorry, Moby Dick, I served time once in my life already. I don't have any intentions of going back. You, on the other hand..." Jack hits her with the bat once again, this time across the back, before covering his ears as the cow bellows in pain. "Well, now I know why the men never liked you," Jack quips as a large hand grips his ankle. "Why don't you take a nice little nap...forever?" Jack swings the bat one final time, hitting her in the back of the head once more with enough force to shatter the well-used weapon of convenience, causing her head to bounce off the floor and killing her in the process as the grip on his leg relaxes greatly.
Jack tosses his ruined weapon across the room with a frown, listening to it bounce off the floor next to a display of lingerie and dildos before kneeling down and swiping Joanna's pistol off her belt, along with two extra clips of ammunition.
Putting the gun away for the time being, Jack returns to the back room, where the whale's former hostages gives a shaky exhale as Jack sets about breaking her cuffs. As soon as he gets her loose from the chair, she promptly throws herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck in a tight hug.
"Uh..."
"Thank you for showing up when you did, sir. She said she was going to...do things to me," Jack raises an eyebrow as she releases him, taking a step back. "f you hadn't come along when you did --"
"I don't think you really need to worry about the cop anymore. Still, good thing Stacey saw her on the monitors and decided to have me investigate. What's your name?" Jack questions. "Oh! I'm Fiona. Fiona MacIntyre. I'm...well, a bit of an underwear model, if you haven't already seen or heard of me," She blushes slightly as she offers up this bit of information. "That's the whole reason I'm here, actually. My manager said it'd be the perfect place for a photoshoot. Guess he was wrong..." Fiona frowns heavily as the zombies can be heard groaning outside.
"Photoshoot, huh? I got a friend who could maybe help with that." Jack muses thoughtfully, pulling out his cellphone and checking the time. Almost time to meet Frank at the hotel, but not quite. "In fact, I'm on my way to meet him right now. Would you like to come along? I know a safe place we could take you to afterwards." Jack offers.
"Sure. So, this friend of yours... Is he a good photographer?" Fiona inquires curiously. "He's covered wars, ya know?" Jack replies with a half-hearted shrug, which merely causes Fiona to cock her head to the side in confusion. "That doesn't really answer my question..."
"According to him it would. Now come on, we don't really have too much time to spare --" Jack pauses as the two enter the main area of the store once again. To his surprise, the fat cop is gone entirely, as if she were never there to begin with. "...Oh shit."
"Where'd she go? She was just here!" Fiona bites her lower lip nervously, eyes darting about the store for any sign of Joanna. "Hell if I know. Fortune City just keeps getting weirder and weirder..."
Frank glances down at his watch upon entering Royal Flush Plaza once again, ignoring the few zombies staggering about outside the pharmacy. He still had plenty of time to meet Jack at the hotel so they could deal with the rogue news reporter, so a little free time was in order -- something he hadn't gotten since he had arrived in Fortune City.
Reaching into his pocket, Frank pulls out his cell phone, scrolling through the numbers for a moment before finding the particular one he is looking for and pressing call. The phone rings four times before finally someone picks up on the other end. "Hey Isabella, I --"
"FRANK! Thank god! Where are you? Fortune City is in the middle of a zombie outbreak!" The feminine Latin-accented voice gushes out -- rather loudly -- causing Frank to hold the phone away from his ear for a moment. "That's...kind of where I am right now. Remember what I told you about Terror Is Reality? I decided to go through with it. What are you doing out here?"
"I came here to visit my cousin Cynthia, like I often do, then the outbreak happened last night and I..." Her voice continues on for a moment, though it begins crackling a great deal as the signal is seemingly interrupted. Frank brings his phone down and glances at it, swearing under his breath as he notices that he only has two bars of signal.
"Isabella? You there?" He questions upon bringing the phone back to his ear, walking around a bit and casually skirting around zombies in an attempt to get a better signal.
"Yeah... Sorry, my cell signal has been a little crazy since I got here. I can hear you fine now. As I was saying, I came here to visit Cynthia, as you know I often do. We were at her place watching the news when we got word of the outbreak, but by then it was too late." Isabella explains. "You're okay, right?" Frank asks. "Fine, at least for now. What about you?"
"Been better. I'm stuck in the Strip right now with this other kid who competed in Terror Is Reality and got bitten. He seems all right so I think I'm might give him some Zombrex and let him stick around a little while."
"Good. You're getting too old to try to survive these things on your own." Isabella laughs, ignoring Frank's protest. "But please, be careful. I don't want anything happening to you out there. I can take care of --" The line goes silent once again for a brief moment. "Isabella?" Frank questions.
"Sorry... It sounded like someone just tried to bash the door down, but -- Wait, there it is again. I have to go."
"Wait, Isabella! Don't --" Frank is greeted by the dial tone as Isabella hangs up. Quickly he dials her back, but she doesn't pick up this time. "Damn it. And I have no way to get there from here... Hopefully she can handle herself." Frank touches the locket she had given him years ago for a second, before deciding to continue on. Right now, he had to track down that reporter...
Jack Krysta
Health: 95%, bandaged bite wound on left arm Fatigue: 30% Entourage: Fiona MacIntyre (100%, nothing in inventory) Inventory: Pack of cigarettes, lighter, cell phone (89% battery charge remaining), envelope containing $50,000 in prize money
Current time in the CYOA: 6:45 AM (15 hours, 55 minutes until next Zombrex injection needed)
Frank West
Health: 100% Fatigue: 0% Entourage: Nobody currently Inventory: Fire axe, camera, two syringes of Zombrex
A) Go to the hotel, there's not much left going on in Fortune City at the moment
B) Meet up at the Food Court, there's still that guy in there cooking for reasons unknown
C) Call Stacey, maybe she's heard of something else throughout all of this
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Post by Tbone110 The Amurican Bastard on Nov 22, 2012 0:06:03 GMT -6
C then A if at all possible. Just so we can get a heads up on Fortune City's status.
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Post by Rai Chiller on Nov 22, 2012 0:35:48 GMT -6
C
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Post by AceTheMercenary on Nov 23, 2012 18:27:56 GMT -6
So since I forgot last update, here's a pic of Fiona MacIntyre: "See if you can find a weapon in here for yourself, Fiona. I'm going to check in with my group and see if there's anything else going on out here in the Strip." Jack orders, prompting the blonde to go searching through the store for anything of use. As she saunters off, Jack presses the button of the transceiver on his ear, hearing the usual beep it gives off when the channel is open. "Hey Stacey, it's Jack. I just took care of that situation with the cop out on the Strip. Everything okay back there in the bunker?" There is a moment of silence before Stacey picks up on the other end. "Everything's fine on my end, Jack. Other than Sullivan being a jerk, of course." She replies with a loud sigh, prompting Jack to raise an eyebrow. "Sullivan. The security guard? That guy giving you trouble?" He asks. "Not really. He's just strutting around thinking he has more authority than what he does. But I'll be fine. Not that I'm not grateful for you checking in, of course. What about you? No more...injuries, correct?" Stacey replies, somewhat hesitantly adding the last part. "No, just a few bumps and bruises. And the area where I was bitten I guess, but it's healing up all right. Have you heard from Frank yet? He said he was going to look for some Zombrex and hasn't checked back with --" "You were bitten?" Jack glances up at Fiona, who stares back at him nervously from behind the cashier's desk. "Long story. Don't worry, it's taken care of." Seemingly content with that for now, Fiona goes back to her weapon search for the time being. "Who's that, Jack?" Stacey asks curiously. "Oh, a survivor I found here. The one that got taken hostage. Have you heard from Frank yet?" Jack asks once again, repeating his request. "Oh! Yeah, Frank checked in a little while ago, said he'd found some Zombrex for you both." Stacey replies happily, much to Jack's relief. "Good. That's reassuring... All right. Can you give me an update on what's going on in the city?" He asks. "Uh... Things are looking pretty bad out there, Jack. The zombies have completely overrun the Strip and the city at this point, but they haven't spread beyond it as far as I know. That reporter you and Frank were talking about has gone dark for the moment, it seems. I haven't seen her on the TV in some time. I'd get over there as soon as I could. And... That appears to be it. Sorry I can't tell you more." Stacey explains. "That's okay. I appreciate the info, Stacey. I'll call Frank and tell him to meet me there." Jack replies. "Any time. Be safe out there." The channel goes silent once again as Stacey leaves. "Hey, Fiona, you about done over there?" Jack asks as a head pops up from behind the counter once again. "Not yet. There isn't much here. It's an adult entertainment store, after all." Fiona replies. "True. Keep looking though, there's got to be something." Fiona nods before ducking back behind the counter as Jack presses the talk button on his transceiver, switching frequencies. "Hey Frank, you doing okay out there?" He asks. The reply comes almost instantly. "Yeah. How about you, kid? The cop didn't give you too much trouble, right?" Frank asks. "More than I'd expected, but it's done now. She was a little psychotic, so I had to... Well, beat her down with a bat." Jack frowns slightly as he hears Frank chuckle slightly on the other end. "Might as well get used to that. Seems like every time there's an outbreak, people want to use the city as their own personal playground." He replies. "Yeah, I guess you're right... Listen, I just talked to Stacey. She said our reporter went dark. We'd better get over there while we still can." Jack explains, hearing Frank swear under his breath on the other end. "All right, I'll meet you there." "I think I found something, Jack." Jack glances up as Fiona returns from the room he found her in, holding a push broom. "Not much, but it'll have to do for now. We're out of time. Listen, keep close to me out there. The Strip is a little crowded, but I know how to get around them. We don't need three bitten people in the bunker -- Sullivan's already pissed enough about Frank being there and he doesn't even know about mine yet." He explains. "I understand." Fiona replies, giving a nod and a small smile in response. "Good. Come on." As the two exit out into the Strip, Jack finds that Stacey was not wrong in the least when she had mentioned that the zombie situation in the city had become even worse. The zombies have crowded in even more, though Jack didn't think that was even possible. All of them staggering about, biting at the air as though it were a tasty treat, and some occasionally losing their balance and falling down like a drunkard on his third case of booze. "My god... There's so many..." Jack feels a slender hand grip his forearm, and turns about to meet Fiona's scared expression. "Yeah... But we'll be fine. Trust me on that. Follow my lead." Jack breaks out into a run at that point, hitting a nearby zombie with a powerful football tackle. The force behind the blow sends the zombie flying into the air, where it slams into several of its companions and bowls them over, clearing a small path for the two to go through. They continue in this manner for the short distance to the hotel, sticking to the sidewalks and away from the main body of the horde as much as possible. Upon reaching the entrance, they find Frank waiting there for them leaned up against the doors, looking somewhat bored. "What kept ya, kid? Decided to bring a friend?" He asks as soon as they are within earshot of each other. "Uh... You could say that, I guess. Frank, this is Fiona MacIntyre. Fiona, this is Frank West, the photojournalist from Willamette and my --" "You could just call me his partner," Frank interjects, scratching his stubble as if deep in thought while he stares at Fiona. "MacIntyre... Nah, couldn't be." He muses. "Everything all right, Frank?" Jack asks curiously, causing the older man to snap out of his daze. "Eh? Yeah, yeah... Let's go find our reporter." The lobby of the hotel is, strangely enough, devoid of all zombies. The reporter is nowhere in sight, however, but with the apparent lack of undead in the area, she couldn't have gotten far. "All right. Let's spread out and look around. She's got to be here somewhere..." At Frank's command, Jack and Fiona separate from him, beginning to check the area. "Huh. Could've sworn she'd be back here..." Jack remarks as he checks behind the counter for any signs of life, given that in most cases survivors didn't seem entirely smart when picking hiding places. "You see anything, Fiona?" He calls out to the blond, who is busy looking behind couches and an array of fake plants. "No. Maybe the person just moved on..." "Or maybe she just didn't make it. I found her nametag... Amateur." Jack glances back to find Frank examining a card of some sort, seemingly oblivious to the zombie now sneaking up behind him. "How did we miss that thing... Frank! Behind you!" Jack yells at the older man, grabbing his stolen pistol and taking aim at the zombie. Just as Frank turns around to confront the zombie, a loud bang rips through the area, and soon after the cause of the noise rips through the zombie's head, splattering blood all over Frank's clothes and the floor as it slumps to the floor with a soft thud. Jack glances at his own pistol in confusion, wondering if perhaps he had squeezed the trigger too soon, but the clack of heels against the tile floor soon gains his attention. "You need to be careful out here, buddy..." A feminine voice purrs out as a rather attractive Asian woman dressed in formal garb appears seemingly out of nowhere, the doors of the hotel's entrance shutting behind her. It takes only a minute for Jack to recognize her as the reporter Jack and Frank had come to find. Lowering his pistol, Jack walks out from behind the counter, though he does not holster it entirely as this woman was also clearly armed as well, and he had yet to figure out if she was a threat or not. "Think you dropped this," Frank remarks in amusement, holding up Rebecca's ID badge. "Been a while, Rebecca." Rebecca takes the badge from him, clipping it back on her skirt where it belonged. "It has, hasn't it Frank? You homesick for zombies? What are you doing here?" Rebecca asks. "You two know each other?" Jack asks curiously, exchanging looks between the two. "He used to be kind of a hero of mine. Before he, you know, got all washed up." Frank frowns at Rebecca's jab, crossing his arms. "At least I didn't start out as a weatherman because I didn't finish journalism school." He jabs back, prompting Rebecca to glare at him. Jack grins in amusement, but decides to step in before it goes further, lest they be there all day. "As amusing as this is, we should really get to work. Frank and I came here to find you, Rebecca." He remarks, causing Rebecca to cut her eyes at him. "And who are you?" She asks, sounding slightly rude, but Frank answers before Jack can open his mouth to release a witty retort. "You could call him my temporary accomplice. Or apprentice. Or partner, if you prefer." "Ah. And here I thought the great Frank West always worked alone..." Rebecca observes dryly, giving Frank a smirk. "Hey, sometimes the old dog has to learn a few new tricks if he wants to get his bone in the end," Frank replies, shrugging her off. "I don't plan on making a habit of it, but Fortune City's a big place. He wanted to help, so I figured why not?" He adds nonchalantly. "I'm Jack Krysta. I am -- well, I was -- a bartender in Las Vegas just before the outbreak there." Jack offers his hand for her to shake, which she does. "I'm Rebecca Chang, Channel Six Action News." Rebecca replies, proudness oozing from her voice like poison from the fangs of a viper. "So what about you, Rebecca? Where's your cameras? Your crew?" Frank asks. Rebecca frowns heavily, giving a disapproving shake of her head. "My crew? They ran off. With almost all my equipment. Where, I don't know. But they're not getting credited for helping with this story once it's finished, that's for sure." She replies. "Now you see why I usually work alone," Frank quips, earning himself yet another glare from Rebecca. "Who is she, again?" Jack jumps slightly as Fiona whispers in his ear, breathing a heavy sigh as he realizes who it is. "Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you..." Fiona remarks, giving Jack a sheepish grin as he glares at her. "No idea. Some old accomplice of Frank's, evidently." He replies. "Any way we can...speed this along, a little? I feel like zombies are all around us and it's making me uncomfortable." She questions, taking a quick look over her shoulder. "Frank! Jack! Are you there?" The two instinctively press the buttons on their transceivers as Stacey's voice floats into their ears. "Everything okay back there?" Frank questions. "It's Sullivan. I don't know how, but he saw that tape on the news and now he's accusing me of being involved in the outbreak. Finish up what you've got to do and get back here fast, he's threatening to kick me out." Jack shakes his head in disapproval upon hearing the last line. "Shit. If it's not one thing, it's another..."
Jack Krysta Health: 90%, bandaged bite wound on left arm Fatigue: 35% Entourage: Fiona MacIntyre (100%, push broom) Inventory: Pack of cigarettes, lighter, cell phone (89% battery charge remaining), envelope containing $50,000 in prize money, handgun (30/60) Current time in the CYOA: 6:45 AM (15 hours, 55 minutes until next Zombrex injection needed)
Frank West Health: 100% Fatigue: 0% Entourage: Nobody currently Inventory: Fire axe, camera, two syringes of Zombrex
Now, what should Jack do? A) Continue on with Frank and Rebecca, there's a chance to gain invaluable insight into how the outbreak started here and that chance is very difficult to pass up B) Head back to the bunker, there is a noncombatant with them now and the possibility of losing Stacey is a great risk to ignore
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Post by Tbone110 The Amurican Bastard on Nov 23, 2012 18:45:44 GMT -6
B, go help that bitch.
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Post by Bastion on Nov 23, 2012 18:53:49 GMT -6
Very well then, B if you so insist.
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Post by AceTheMercenary on Dec 17, 2012 0:08:22 GMT -6
Yes it's incomplete, but hopefully I'll have the rest up soon. I just needed to post something.
"All right, I'll head back to the bunker and deal with this. Assuming you two are going to be okay out here." Jack exchanges another quick glance between Frank and Rebecca, getting a shrug in response from Frank and a simple look from Rebecca. "Fair enough. Why don't you come with me, Fiona? You don't seem like much of a combatant, and I'm sure you could use a rest." He offers, much to the blond's relief.
"I suppose I could...but I really don't want to go through the zombies again." Fiona replies with a frown, causing Jack to roll his eyes behind his sunglasses. "I figured as much. Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to you." Jack vows, causing Fiona to smile. "I believe you."
"Get outta here already, lovebirds. The zombies are just getting hungrier with every second you waste here." Frank chips in, an amused smirk spreading across his face as Jack glares at him and Fiona blushes. "If you were anyone else and said that to me, Frank, I think I'd be beating an ass or two. Come on, Fiona. Let's leave these two to their investigation and get you somewhere safe." The group of four parts ways at that point, Jack and Fiona exiting the hotel while Frank and Rebecca continue deeper into that part of Fortune City.
"You there, Stacey? Frank couldn't make it, but I'm on my way back." Jack explains into the transceiver as they step out onto the Strip once more. "Jack? Is that you? It's Lulu. I'm covering for Stacey right now." A familiar voice floats over the line, causing Jack to raise an eyebrow. "Lulu? How's Alexandra?" He questions. "Fine, fine. She's actually up and about now. I appreciate everything you did for her. Did you see any more of us out there?" Lulu asks hopefully, causing Jack to mentally kick himself. He had promised her he'd look for any other bunnies while he and Frank were out and about in Fortune City, and he'd completely forgotten.
"No, I'm sorry, Lulu. I haven't seen anyone else. Don't worry, I'm still keeping my eyes open. What's the situation back at the bunker with Stacey and Sullivan right now?" Jack inquires. "Pretty heated. This room is soundproof, I think, but they've been arguing for quite some time now. It might be a good idea to get back here quickly, before things get even worse." Lulu replies. "I've got a survivor with me, but I'll see what I can do. Stay safe, okay? I'll be there as soon as I can."
"Will do. And thanks again."
"You have a lot of female friends in this city, Jack." Fiona quips, causing Jack to chuckle. "I suppose. I can't help that I'm apparently irresistable during a zombie outbreak." His joke merely causes Fiona to roll her eyes. "Evidently not. I suppose you're actually reliable, unlike a lot of guys I've met. At least you seem to be, judging by what you've done so far." She responds. "Yeah... I just want everyone to make it out alive, that's all. I've seen one outbreak already, seen how it wrecks both lives and families alike. If I can help keep that from happening here, then I think I'll have done my part."
"I see..." The two fall into relative silence for a moment, the only noise in the air being the groans of the zombies and the thumping of their shoes against the ground. "You survived one of these already? Was it Willamette? I haven't been back home here in quite some time and that's the only one I remember." Fiona asks curiously. Jack shakes his head in the negative, booting away a zombie that gets a little too close for comfort. "Nah. Willamette was Frank's thing. I survived Las Vegas. It happened a year or two ago. I didn't get a chance to be famous like him, unfortunately, since a lot more than just fifty people survived, so I just got counted amongst the refugees." He replies, remembering all too well how the zombies had flooded the casino he was spending some time at after his shift at the bar.
"Ah. What did you do before the outbreak?" Fiona asks. "I was a bartender in one of the slummier parts of Vegas. Not a high paying job or anything, but I got by all right. It's funny really, I was just about to start working for one of the upper class casinos when the outbreak began. Guess fate decided to crush my hopes and dreams," Jack pretends to wipe a tear from his eye, causing Fiona to give him a confused look. "It's fine, really. I found out I was better at zombie killing than pouring drinks for bankers and celebrities like yourself during it all. Then I did Terror Is Reality for a while, won some money, and now... Well, here I am." Jack finishes with a half-hearted shrug. Fiona gives him a small smile.
"Yes, here you are... Any family? I don't mean to be so inquisitive, but this is the first chance I've had for interaction since... Well, since my manager was eaten five feet away from me." The smile disappears at that point. "Shit. Sorry about that, Fiona. That couldn't have been easy." Jack remarks, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Thank you. He was a jerk, for lack of a better word, but... You know what I'm trying to say, right?" Fiona asks. Jack nods his head in response.
"Yeah... I do. Anyway, I have a brother outside of the city, further to the north of Nevada. We're not what I'd call 'close', but he did at least let me stay with him when the zombies wrecked what I used to call home. Apart from the extended uncles and aunts that I don't even know, my parents are still alive. But they pretty much decided I'd never amount to much of anything and even went so far as to cut me out of the will. We don't speak to each other, as I'm sure you know."
"Sounds a little like my situation. I have two brothers, both of which aren't exactly good at anything. And my parents never really approved of my chosen profession, so they go out of their way to avoid me." Fiona adds.
"Amazing how small the world is sometimes, isn't it?" Jack muses with a smile, which Fiona returns. "It is indeed. How much farther?" She asks. "Not much. We just have to go through those guys." Fiona pales slightly as Jack points out the huge mob of zombies blocking the entrance to Royal Flush Plaza. "And how do you plan to do that, exactly?" She asks. "Haven't gotten that far. Let's see... I have enough bullets to drop most of them and clear a path, but it wouldn't leave me with many left. And you're not what I'd call well-armed, so I doubt I'd be able to beat them all to death with a push broom..."
"What's this thing?" Fiona's voice drags him out of his planning, causing him to look over as she rustles through one of the nearby bushes, emerging with a large green thing that almost appears to be a box of some sort. Jack takes it from her hands, reading the description and raising his eyebrows as he discerns what it is. A claymore mine...
Further investigation of it reveals the abbreviation FCSS.
"FCSS... 'Fortune City Security Services'? How the hell did they get their hands on this?" At Fiona's curious glance, he explains. "It's a claymore mine, a personal favorite of the Armed Forces. This is military-issue and goes way beyond the private sector."
"So how did Fortune City's security guards end up with it?" Fiona asks. "I have no idea. But I think this definitely shows that there's more going on here than we think. Something tells me that if security is packing this, they're a lot more heavily armed than we'd previously thought. It's child's play to beat back ordinary zombies with weapons like this, how'd they get overrun?" Jack shakes his head, returning his attention back to the zombies blocking their way. "Regardless, this could come in handy... Let's give it a try on those fellows and see what happens. Hey dumbasses! I'm over here!" Jack jumps up and down, waving his hands in the air and making as much noise as he possibly can, which -- unsurprisingly -- brings a good amount of the horde in their direction.
"Jack! What are you doing?!" Fiona cries out as the shambling mass lurches towards them, almost ready to cut and run until she notices Jack on the ground priming the explosive. "Fiona, dear," Jack remarks as he stands up, holding out the detonator for her to see. "We may want to take a few steps back." Fiona gulps audibly and gives a quick nod, and together the two retreat to a safe distance just as the zombies cross in front of the mine, at which point Jack presses the switch on the detonator.
A great explosion rocks the Strip as the mine explodes, blowing apart zombies and sending body parts flying into the air while shrapnel shreds the few not caught in the initial blast. Soon all that remains is little more than shattered bodies and a large area of blackened, destroyed concrete.
The few remaining zombies prove to be little challenge to push through, and in short order Jack and Fiona find themselves clambering through the vents and entering the bunker once again, where they are met by Lulu and a revitalized Alexandra.
"Hey, you. Good to see you're up and about." Jack smiles as they approach, which is promptly returned by the two women. "Thanks to you, yes. You have no idea how much I appreciate it. Who's your friend, Jack?" Alexandra questions. "Yeah! She's a cute one. Where'd you find her?" Lulu adds, giving him a quick wink. "Uh... Long story on that. This is Fiona MacIntyre, and... What?" Jack asks, noticing the strange looks the two gave him. "The lingerie model? I thought she looked familiar." Alexandra muses. "Ah, fans?" Fiona inquires, smiling sheepishly in response to all the sudden attention.
"Yup. I own a few of your outfits, as a matter of fact." Alexandra replies, smiling happily. Jack pulls his phone out of his pocket as the women continue chatting, noting the time. Frank would likely be back before long, so hopefully he could get this Sullivan/Stacey situation out of the way and they could focus on bigger things. Like getting to the bottom of just what was going on in this city.
And also surviving the zombie apocalypse. Survival was always nice.
"As fun as this is, ladies, I have something I have to do. Have either of you seen Stacey or Sullivan recently?" Jack questions, causing Lulu to roll her eyes. "Ugh, who hasn't? If I didn't know better, I'd say it's turning into an outright power struggle between those two. I don't care who gets to pretend to be the leader around here, I just want the arguments to stop." She replies, sounding quite annoyed with their current predicament. "They're probably in the security room arguing again, if you really want to get a front row seat. Come on, Fiona, we'll give you a tour and get you settled in." Alexandra offers, gesturing for the model to follow her. Fiona gives Jack a look of uncertainty before promptly getting dragged away by the hand, leaving Jack alone in the hallway.
After the short trip back to the security room, it becomes apparent rather quickly that Lulu was not wrong in the least about the two arguing. Shaking his head in disapproval, Jack opens the door to the room and steps inside, resisting the urge to cover his ears as he does so.
"Sullivan! You're acting crazy! This is all a big setup!"
"Oh yeah? I saw your picture on the TV, lady. Try explaining that!" Jack enters the conversation at that point, getting in between the two. "What's going on here? Don't you people have better things to do than argue?" He asks. "And then there's you, Frank West's little protege. You should be out there helping him investigate, not wasting your time on trash like this." Sullivan gestures to Stacey as he says this, much to her disapproval. "Listen, Sully --"
"Don't call me that." The look the older man gives him would be enough to leave him writhing on the floor in pain if looks were able to kill. "...Right. Listen, I don't think CURE's calling the shots on this one. Frank thinks it was somebody else, but we won't know exactly what's up until he gets back. In the meanwhile, could you keep your cool for just a little while longer? Even if she is guilty of what everyone's accusing her of, throwing her out there isn't going to help anybody. If we turn on each other this early, the military won't have anything to save." Sullivan gives them both yet another harsh look, before finally sighing in defeat.
"Fine. But don't forget, I'll be watching you both closely. And don't think I won't do what I have to do to protect everyone here." Jack rolls his eyes behind his sunglasses as Sullivan leaves, waiting until the door slams shut behind him entirely before turning to Stacey. "Looks like I got here just in time. Are you all right, Stacey?" He asks. "Yeah, I think so. Sullivan just watches a little too much TV for his own good... Thanks. I really owe you one for this." Stacey walks overto the counter, pouring herself a cup of coffee. "Want a cup? You sure look like you need it." She offers, though Jack waves a disapproving hand in response. "None for me, thanks. And I couldn't just leave you hanging, I don't think Frank and I want to run around blind out there." He replies, leaning up against the counter as Stacey returns to her chair, bitter beverage in hand. I guess I've got a minute to talk.
"Well, whatever your motivation for it was, I still appreciate it. You might have guessed already, but I'm definitely not cut out for fighting zombies." Stacey chuckles a little at her own slightly poor joke, taking a sip of her steaming hot drink and returning her attention to the monitors. "Oh, and before I forget... A woman came by here recently through the vents while you and Frank were out on the Strip. She looked very tired and haggard, but she wouldn't let me help her and asked for someone specifically by name. A girl named Deborah Harper. Do you know of anyone here named that, by chance?" Jack pales upon hearing the name, the rest of Stacey's words fading out.
"Jack? Is something the matter? You don't look so good." Finally her voice manages to break him out of his temporary stupor. "Yeah, sorry. I'm fine. It's just that I happened to have a bit of a fling with a girl by that name a while back. Wonder if it's the same one..." He presses his lips into a thin line, suddenly remembering that she had once mentioned to him that she had an overprotective sister with a particular penchant for violence, and that there would be more than a few ramifications if she ever found out. Perhaps that was the woman that came by earlier?
"Well, whoever she was, she stormed out as soon as I told her I didn't know. Didn't even say goodbye." Stacey frowns heavily, remembering how quickly the woman had snubbed her. "I see. Well, I'll keep an eye out for her when I inevitably head back out. Is that all I missed so far back here?" Jack asks. "Here in the shelter, yes. I did see something odd on the monitors previously, but Sullivan ambushed me before I could let you and Frank know. There seems to be a peculiar group of survivors wearing raincoats gathering in South Plaza. They act like they know where the cameras are there, but I did catch a glimpse of one of them pushing a wooden box with a weird symbol on it through the plaza on a cart. YOu should consider checking it out if you can." Stacey explains.
"I can go right now. Everything seems safe enough here at the shelter for the time being now that Sullivan's calmed down. I'll see what they're up to and let you know what I find out." Jack clicks the safety off of his handgun, shoving open the door and leaving once again. "Be safe out there!" He hears Stacey call after him just before the door slams shut behind him.
Why do I get the feeling that these guys aren't just looking for shelter somewhere? Jack questions the situation as he climbs through the vents, preparing himself for the fairly long journey ahead. There was no reason for these people to be wearing raincoats in the dead of a Nevadan summer, rain was practically nonexistant in the desert. Fuck it, I'll figure it out when I get there.
The journey to South Plaza is fairly uneventful, as the zombies gathered on the Strip prove to be wholly ineffective at grabbing a single person along the way. Soon he finds himself exploring the whole of the plaza, with no real idea of where to find the people he is looking for. As he nears the incomplete statue of a Roman Centurion in one of the open areas of the plaza, however, a strange sound reaches his ears above the distant groan of the zombies, sounding almost like a church's congregation praying all at the same time.
"Yo --" Jack spins around as a voice speaks up behind him, unholstering his weapon of choice and aiming it directly in the face of the person behind him, though he quickly relents when he finds a familiar aging photojournalist and pretty Asian news reporter there. "Easy there, kid. We're all friends here." Frank apparently finds the situation somewhat amusing as Jack lowers his weapon, breathing a sigh of relief. "Damn it Frank, don't do that. I've got enough to worry about as it is. You two here for the guys in the raincoats too?" He asks, feeling a bit more at ease now that he won't be walking into any dangerous situations on his own.
"Guys in raincoats?" Rebecca asks, sounding curious. Frank nods, a grim expression on his face. "Yeah. I had a bit of an experience with them a while back. They're bad news, into human sacrifice and all that. If they're here, then we need to figure out what they're up to, otherwise they'll just cause problems for us further down the road. Follow the chanting, that'll lead us right to them." He explains, deciding to take the lead himself.
It doesn't take them very long to find the group of people they are looking for, packed into an unfinished store like sardines. Around six or so men (and possibly women) wearing raincoats stand in the congregation, heads bowed respectfully while a man garbed in a white robe stands before them, a wicked looking sword in one hand and a silver briefcase in the other. A wooden box, probably the one Stacey had mentioned to him earlier, sits next to him.
"My children!" He yells in the overly dramatic tone that only a would-be priest could pull off. "We stand at a crossroads. The dead are now walking the Earth because Hell has finally overflowed. We are now paying for humanity's sins with our lives, but I wish to reveal to you that there is another way. While there is nothing we can do to subvert god's punishment entirely, we can appease god's wrath by showing him that we are prepared for salvation. By spilling the blood of the unenlightened who still remain -- the most corrupt of us all -- we can cleanse this filthy Earth." Jack watches as the priest pops open the box, dragging out a bound and gagged young female from the confines within.
"And now it is time to give thanks, my children, for one of our benefactors has supplied us with the very weapon we are to use for our most holy cause of purging the infidels." The chanting grows a bit louder as the man holds up the briefcase, which bears a somewhat familiar logo on the front of it. "Tricell? They're involved in this?" Rebecca whispers as the leader continues on with his religious dialogue. "I'm just as surprised as you are. I thought they only manufactured pharmaceuticals and mined natural resources." Frank adds, snapping a quick photo of the cultists with his camera. "Looks like you might have thought wrong. I don't know what's in that container, but whatever it is, it can't be good. We need to put a stop to this." Jack tells them, unholstering his weapon of choice. "Yeah. Just get ready for a fight. Trust me, these guys don't listen to reason." Frank warns before getting to his feet and approaching the store, followed closely by Jack and Rebecca.
"Hey! What's going on here?" Frank shouts at the cultist leader, the room going entirely quiet as all eyes turn to them. The man sighs after a moment or two, sounding more than a little irritated at their interruption. "It would seem that despite our great precautions we have been discovered by the non-believers, my children. It is a shame that we must share a city with the likes of them. Will you not join us and open your hearts to god's love and compassion?"
"Sorry, religion just isn't my thing." Rebecca replies simply to his request. "Same here. I don't hang out with freaks like the lot of you." Jack adds to her remark, causing the priest's frown to deepen. "I'm more interested in what you guys are doing here in Fortune City. I thought I put an end to your sick organization in Willamette." Frank demands. Suddenly a sick smile breaks out on the priest's face, a cackle escaping his throat. "Ah, now I recognize you! Frank West, the one who bears the camera! It is true, you caused us no small amount of trouble in that accursed town. But god had other plans for our annointed leader, as he escaped unharmed. Now we have returned once again, more determined than ever to carry out our lord's will and unite the righteous under one cause!" Frank rolls his eyes as he laughs maniacally once again. "Whatever. I put a stop to your plans once and I can definitely do it again. What makes you think you're gonna succeed this time?"
"We have learned from our previous mistakes, heretic. We have plans far beyond your comprehension, and you will --"
"I've had about enough of your mouth." Jack takes aim at the priest, exhaling a short breath before pulling the trigger. The muzzle of the handgun flashes brightly as a single bullet is discharged from the chamber, slamming into the chest of the priest across the room. "Hmm. Nice shot." Rebecca remarks as the priest crumples to the floor, dropping his blade and the briefcase in the process.
"All right! Anyone else feel like preaching?" The cultists seem to be completely confused at this point, unsure of what to do without their leader. They get over it rather quickly, however, each of them drawing a hunting knife from their belts and advancing forward. Jack takes aim at one of the cultists this time, though he pauses when Frank places a hand on his gun and gently lowers it down. "Why don't you go take care of that woman up there? Leave these punks to me." Jack raises an eyebrow, watching as the photojournalist cracks his knuckles menacingly. "You sure about that, Frank? You're a little outnumbered here."
"Then it's a good thing I happen to be here as well," Rebecca speaks up once more, also pulling out a handgun of her own. "Don't worry. I'll make sure the old man doesn't throw his back out." She jabs, giving Frank a sly smirk as he glares at her. Jack sighs heavily, deciding that it would perhaps be best to leave them to it. He watches as Frank immediately goes to work, slamming a fist right into the green mask of one of the cultists and relieving him of his knife while Rebecca simply shoots one in the face, downing him immediately.
Jack slips away as soon as battle is joined, skirting around the cultists with relative ease as Frank and Rebecca provide a great distraction for him. Reaching the woman, who has since fallen to the floor and has no real way of getting up, he grabs the priest's sword and slices through the binds on her feet with relative ease before removing her gag. "You all right, lady? Those freaks didn't hurt you, did they?" He asks, preparing to cut her hands free as well. "No, you guys got here just in time. Talk about a lucky break, huh? My name is Liliana Esperanza, by the way, but you can call me Lily, hero." She replies. "All right, well --" Jack is unable to say anything further as someone tackles him from behind, feeling a brutal stinging sensation in his neck as he throws the person off. Turning about, he finds the priest he had shot previously on the floor, a now empty syringe in his hand and a cruel smirk on his face.
"I see somebody didn't learn their lesson..." Jack's vision goes blurry as he suddenly feels his body beginning to heat up, a dull ache beginning to spread from his neck to the rest of him. Reaching up with his free hand, he wipes at the side of his neck, pulling his arm back to find that it is now covered in blood. "What... What did you just do? What was in that syringe?" Jack grits his teeth as the pain begins to intensify, slowly at first but quickly reaching the point of becoming unbearable. "A gift from our benefactor, non-believer," The priest remarks with an air of superiority as he slowly gets to his feet. "I suppose it matters little who I used it on. You all deserve to..."
The cultist's voice slowly proceeds to fade out entirely, as does the noises of Frank and Rebecca fighting the rest of their congregation further off in the store. Jack feels his blood beginning to heat up next, building up to a temperature comparable to the feeling of diving into a pool of lava as unbeknownst to him the virus he has just been injected with rewrites his very genetic code. Finally, however, it slowly gives way to what can almost be considered as a pleasurable feeling as he feels the bones of his arms crack apart and reshape themselves, quickly giving way to something more monstrous than this particular cultist has ever seen before.
He has no further time to finish his monologue or ever cry out in pain before he finds himself impaled on Jack's nasty new set of black and red claws. In one swift motion they quickly disembowel the cultist, spraying his innards across the floor. "What in god's na--?!" In one final, swift motion they also remove his head, bringing a rather ignoble end to a rather ignoble person.
Jack breathes heavily after the event is complete, coming back to his senses just in time to realize that his arms have mutated into what appears to be a twisted mass of hard black biomatter, five long razor sharp claws taking the place of where his fingers had previously been. "Well that's just... That's just perfect." He mutters, suddenly beginning to feel lightheaded from the shock of it all. It takes him only a few seconds more to fall into the blissful realm of unconsciousness, the virus having worn out his body entirely...
...wake...up...
"...Huh?" Jack's eyes flutter open slowly, the back of his throat feeling unusually dry for some reason. He finds himself staring up at the sky, rather than the ceiling of the store they had been in previously. He feels the cold, hard ground on his back, and a feeling of numbness through most of his joints.
"Get your ass up! We need some help over here!" A feminine voice barks, prompting Jack to open his eyes entirely and sit up. He soon finds a rather ridiculous scene before him; the woman he had previously saved along with two others he didn't exactly recognize were battling back a veritable mob of zombies, one of the women with long black wearing what appears to be business attire sans a coat is armed with a magnum but seems to have run out of ammo, at least momentarily, while another with short red hair is armed with a machete and mercilessly hacking away at any zombie that happens to get close, and the third -- Lily -- was still as unarmed as she was when they had found her.
But where was Frank and Rebecca?
That question would have to be asked later as the women slowly separate from each other, much to the delight of the zombies as they now have more individual targets to focus on. Jack gets to his feet, checking his belt to find that his handgun is missing, along with the rest of his inventory except for his transceiver. Well, shit. Looks like I'm going to have to do this the old fashioned way...
Jack Krysta
Health: 90%, bandaged bite wound on left arm Fatigue: 35% Entourage: Lily Esperanza (100%, unarmed), two unknown women Inventory: Transceiver
Current time in the CYOA: 4:32 PM
For this vote, choose which order you desire to save the women in, first being the most important and last being the least important.
A) Go to the aid of the woman with the magnum first, those guns take a rather long time to reload and the zombies probably aren't going to wait around for her to do so
B) Help out Lily, she's unarmed at the moment and looking particularly tasty to the zombies
C) Back up the short-haired redhead with the machete, she seems to be doing well enough but she is also further away from everyone else and could be overwhelmed
Or you could always pick:
D) Attempt to call forth the mutation that Jack experienced previously, though fairly unorthodox it could definitely cull the numbers of the zombies quickly
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Post by Tbone110 The Amurican Bastard on Oct 27, 2013 23:08:28 GMT -6
D. Powers powers powers
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Post by BastionCon on Oct 28, 2013 9:31:44 GMT -6
You've outdone yourself this time, Ace. D, I would very much enjoy seeing a bit of carnage.
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Post by AceTheMercenary on Oct 30, 2013 0:50:16 GMT -6
I wonder if I can make what happened earlier happen again. Jack stares at his hands, suddenly realizing that he is completely unsure how this works. To his dismay nothing seems to happen, however, making him begin to wonder if the previous events were all just a dream. "What are you doing? Stop standing there!" The woman in the business suit barks at him, taking the time to pistol whip a zombie as it gets too close. "I'm trying! I don't exactly have my gun anymore!" Jack bites back at her, deciding to say fuck it and dive right in when suddenly he feels the muscles in his arms tighten up immensely. Looking down once again, he watches in morbid curiosity as the flesh on his arms begins to take on a grey hue, his muscles stretching and expanding outwards before finally coming to a halt as they nearly double in size.
"Now that's what I'm talking about. This feels different, though." Jack flexes one of his arms to test their limit, suddenly feeling strong enough to knock the likes of Mike Tyson out in a single round. "All right! Let's see what these things can do!" Surveying their particular area of the Strip, his eyes come to rest on a large newspaper machine nearby. "That looks like it could cause some damage." Jack grabs the machine with both hands, surprising himself as he effortlessly hefts it over his head, the hunk of metal's weight seeming no more than one of the papers contained within to him at this point. Turning to face the horde of zombies, Jack plants his feet before launching his makeshift weapon of choice at them with all of his new-found, not so human strength.
The machine sails through the air like a rocket, never once touching the ground as it slams into the zombies with crushing force, completely obliterating everything in its path. Fragmented body parts and gore litter the ground by the time it finally stops its forward progression, smashing into the wall of a nearby store and shattering pieces of the concrete. "I could get used to this!" Jack laughs, feeling more alive than he has ever felt before as he dives into the horde alongside the rest of the women, very quickly managing to garner most of their attention as he is now in the midst of them.
Gripping the head of a zombie in between his hands, Jack easily manages to crush it with next to no force, the skull of it giving way as its head explodes like a watermelon, showering him in gore. One manages to grab his arm as he allows his first kill to fall lifelessly to the ground, taking a bite only to have its teeth shatter on his hardened flesh, not even leaving so much as a scratch. Undeterred, Jack grips it by the throat with one hand, taking the leg of the zombie in the other and lifting it over his head before promptly slamming it into the pavement with all of his might, breaking most of the bones in its rotted body and rendering it unable to move. Grabbing it by the legs once again, Jack proceeds to spin in place with its corpse, smashing aside all the zombies that have gathered around him and destroying what else remains of the one he has just killed in the process. He releases what remains soon after, the force of the throw ripping the legs clean off at the knee; only the torso remaining.
"Who's next?" Jack cracks his knuckles menacingly, glaring at the zombies surrounding him and preparing to take out the rest. Several more of them shamble forward, but as he makes a move to rip them apart, a rather familiar feeling of pain takes over his body, his blood heating up beneath the skin once more. Damn it. What now?!
The zombies finally manage to get within range of grabbing Jack, though unfortunately for them it is as close as they get as a writhing mass of black tendrils explode forth from his body, arching out rapidly in seemingly every direction and impaling everything in their path. He can vaguely hear the women nearby telling each other to scatter and run for cover, though it sounds like they are miles away from the conflict as he loses most of his senses, unconsciously demolishing the entirety of the zombie horde.
After what seems like a millenia it ends almost as quickly as it began, the tendrils snaking their way back into his body all at once. Jack collapses to his knees, feeling exhausted as he watches all of the zombies around him fall to the floor, returned to the grave they had spawned from. "Well now... Not the way I was planning for that to go, but I'm not going to complain." He remarks in between panting for breath, observing his handiwork in greater detail.
"What did you just do?" The red haired woman demands as they approach him, more out of curiosity than anything else as her voice loses some of its previous edge. "Yeah, that was... Amazing, to say the least." Lily adds, sounding a bit awestruck. "I'm still trying to figure that out myself. I know it's a bit late, but there was definitely something strange in that syringe the cultists got their hands on," Jack gets to his feet, though not without some difficulty. "And what about all of you? How did you get here? Where's Frank and Rebecca?" The women exchange glances for a moment, their expressions each looking quite grim.
"Well... Not too long after you blacked out, Frank recommended that we return to a shelter you guys have in the area. But before we could get anywhere, a giant frog came out of nowhere and it..." Lily trails off, shuddering a little. "It ate her. There was nothing we could do," The woman in the business attire finishes Lily's sentence for her. "The photojournalist ran off after her and left you with myself and Lily, so we decided to move on before something worse showed up. Not too long after that we ran into Tracy, here," She gestures toward the redhead, who gives a curt nod as if to affirm the information. "Then we ran into the zombie hordes on the Strip and... Well, you know the rest yourself."
"I see," Jack frowns as he hears of the demise of Frank's protege, having no idea of what he is going through at the moment. "He was right though, we do have our own little safe haven away from all of this here in the city. It's the old crisis shelter they built when they completed the city just in case something like this happened. I can take you there, but it's a bit of a walk from here, so we'll have to get going. Stacey'll definitely be glad to see some new faces, but try to ignore the security guard. He takes his job too seriously." He tells the women, much to their relief. "Here. I kept this for you, but you're out of ammo. Rebecca borrowed your clips and didn't exactly have a chance to give them back, but it shouldn't be much of an issue finding more," The woman in the business attire holds out Jack's handgun for him to take, which he does. "My name is Helena Harper, by the way. If you don't mind, I'd like to try something before we set off for this shelter of yours. It'll just take a minute." Jack freezes upon hearing her name, his jaw almost hitting the floor. Not waiting for an answer, Helena turns on her heel and briskly walks off, leaving him alone with Lily and Tracy. Oh hell. This is the one Deborah warned me about. Looks like I'll have to choose my words with her very carefully...
"So uh, where did you guys find Helena, again?" Jack asks, hoping the two women do not hear the slight nervousness that has entered his voice. If they do, they don't seem to desire to make any mention of it, thankfully. "Those freaks in the raincoats stuffed her in the back room of the store you guys found me in, apparently. It's a good thing she managed to get free of the chair they strapped her to and kick the door a few times, we would have glanced right over her otherwise." Lily replies happily. "I see. And what about you?" Jack asks, turning to Tracy next. "I actually work with Lily here at Channel 6 Action News. We got separated a while back and I managed to find my way to the Strip here, because they said that it was safe and under control back at the station. I just happened upon the three of you by chance while I was skirting around that pack of zombies." Tracy explains, bringing both Jack and Lily up to date at the same time.
"Ah. Well, they definitely lied to you about this area being contained, this is where the outbreak began in the first place. I am glad you managed to survive long enough to meet us here though. We have the last safe place in the whole city as far as I know, so it sounds like it's your lucky day." Jack tells her, causing her to scoff. "More like unlucky day. I could've gone without having to deal with zombies." She and Lily share a look as though it is some inside joke that only the two of them understand, leaving Jack confused.
"What's taking Helena so long?"
Helena sighs heavily as she finally comes to a stop a fair distance away from the group, staying just within their line of sight. Thus far her mission had gone less than stellar, as the failure that was US intelligence had naturally underestimated just how quickly the infection had spread throughout Fortune City. She had immediately asked her superiors for permission to leave for the city, as her sister currently lived there, only to find her request denied soon after because they had already dispatched agents Brad Garrison and Jessica McCarney there to investigate and they had no need for more manpower.
So she did the only logical thing soon afterwards and turned in one of her many unused weeks of vacation time, then left for Fortune City anyway. Nobody would stand between her and the only bit of family she had left, no matter what.
Pulling out her cell phone, Helena scrolls through her contacts list before finally landing on the name 'Brad Garrison'. "Hope he's got his phone on him..." Helena sucks in a breath, pressing the call button and bringing the phone up to her ear. Like usual, however, it only rings once before the line immediately picks up on the other end. "Agent Harper, this isn't the best time to call. Is this important?" Helena resists the urge to roll her eyes; he should have known by this point that she never called anyone for a friendly chat. "Brad, I'm in Fortune City --"
"Here? Where?" He demands quickly. "The Strip. Listen, I came to help out your investigation, and I have some information you might want to hear. I've found a few survivors who say they've taken cover in an old bomb shelter somewhere out here. I don't know where it is exactly, but I will soon enough. There might be even more people there." She explains. "I see. We'll have to do something about that. Can you keep them safe until I have enough time to get there myself?" Brad asks. "I'll do my best, but it might be a little difficult on my own. This outbreak is debatably worse than the one that destroyed Las Vegas a few years back. And there is something else," Helena spares a quick glance in Jack's direction, noting that they are locked together in conversation at the moment. "I've found a... What was it that the Department was so worried about last month? A BOW."
"A bio-organic weapon? You can't be serious." Helena winces as she hears the sheer disbelief in Brad's voice. "I wish I wasn't. He seems friendly enough, but I just saw him mutate gruesomely no less than twice and destroy around twenty zombies all on his own." Brad swears heavily on the other line, going silent for just a moment. "Damn, our job just became a lot more difficult. Do not let that BOW out of your sight, Harper, is that understood? We can't have him running loose at will, who knows what will happen? Is he a threat to your safety in any way?" He finally asks. "Doubtful at this particular moment. He just offered to take me to the shelter. There is always the possibility, though." Helena replies.
"I see. Like I said, keep your eye on him at all costs. It's all up to you for the moment." Brad tells her one last time. "Got it." The line clicks and then goes silent, a dial tone ringing in her ear before she shoves her phone back into her pocket. Ever since the world was introduced to real zombies as a threat, the Department of Homeland Security had always pondered the idea that perhaps something even worse would eventually emerge from it. And judging by what she had seen thus far, that fear was slowly becoming a reality.
Taking a breath to compose herself, Helena returns to the group, taking a spot next to Lily.
"All done, Helena?" Jack asks as she finally returns, giving a quick nod in response. "Taken care of. So, where's this shelter of yours?" She answers with a question of her own. Lily and Tracy also look at him in curiosity, apparently quite ready to leave themselves. "I can show you. If you'll just follow me, ladies." Jack takes the lead at that point, the women falling into step with him as they proceed down the Strip towards Royal Flush Plaza.
"So that person you mentioned before, Stacey... She wouldn't happen to be Stacey Forsythe, would she? The leader of CURE?" Tracy asks Jack after they have walked for a while, finally breaking the silence. "Yeah, actually. How did you know?" Jack responds curiously "I saw her on the news protesting here before all this happened, so I just wanted to make sure. I kind of admire her and what she stands for. It's good that she survived all of this." Tracy explains. "Ah. Well you'll be able to meet her in person soon enough, if you like. Frank and I would be lost out here without Stacey telling us what she sees on the monitors and where to go." Jack tells her. Seemingly content with that, Tracy quiets down for the moment at least.
"When do you think Frank will come back? He was always something of a hero of mine." Lily speaks up next, regarding Jack with a curious glance sideways. "No idea. I don't even know where he is right now. But if he really went running off after a giant frog like you say, it shouldn't be too difficult to track him down. And depending on how far he's gotten, I might have to." Jack tells her. "What's he like? You've been around him longer than I have." Lily asks. "He's a pretty mellow guy if you can believe it. For the most part, that is. Just don't make any jokes about him being old or going bald and you should be fine." Jack responds. Quiet descends upon the group once again for the majority of the trip as they cross into Royal Flush Plaza.
"Are you okay, Helena? You're being pretty quiet through most of this." This time it is Jack who asks a question, casting a sideways glance upon the pretty agent. "Fine. I'm just thinking," She returns his look, studying his face a bit. "I feel like I've seen you somewhere before. Where are you from?" She asks after a few moments have passed. Jack sucks in a breath, exhaling slowly to steady himself. Well, here goes nothing. Better she knows now rather than later so we know where we stand with all of this.
"Listen, Helena, I recognized you long before you recognized me just now. You have a sister named Deborah, right?" Jack winces behind his sunglasses as he feels a change in the air, watching as her body tenses up and her eyes narrow slightly. "That's right. Where are you going with this, exactly?" Helena asks, stopping and turning to face him fully.
"Well, I just... It's a little awkward, sorry. She happens to be a good friend of mine, that's all. She kind of told me all about you, but I didn't think I'd ever get a chance to meet you in person." Jack replies, cursing himself for his sudden lack of courage. Deborah wasn't kidding about her personality, it seems. It's probably best if I tell her later when there's not so many zombies around. She might throw me to them if I tell her now. "That's definitely her. Please, have you seen her anywhere in Fortune City? I need to know if she's all right." Helena asks, a slight sound of pleading entering her tone. "Sorry. I haven't spoken to Deborah in a little while," Jack grimaces as her shoulders slump slightly. "But don't worry. I owe it to her to help her if I can, so if she's anywhere out here at all, Stacey, Frank and I will help you find her. I promise." Helena locks gazes with him for a moment, her eyes searching his for any sign of dishonesty hidden behind his sunglasses. "...Thanks. I'll hold you to that, though, so you'd better not disappoint me." Jack gives her a warm smile before turning his attention back to the matter at hand.
"Uh, guys? Not trying to interrupt your moment here, but the zombies are looking pretty hungry around here..." Lily warns them as most of the zombies in the plaza have begun shambling in their direction, looking for a potential meal. "Right. Just move around them where possible, we're not that far away from the shelter." Jack gestures for the women to follow his lead, taking them through a few of the open-entrance stores to avoid most of the zombies. In short order they find themselves standing outside the vents leading into the shelter. Jack pries open the small metal door, waiting for the others to climb inside.
"Frank and I use these ducts to get in and out when we need to. Not exactly first class, but it gets the job done well enough," He explains. "Ladies first. And try not to hit your head, it's pretty cramped in there." Tracy climbs in first, deciding not to waste any more time, followed by Lily and Helena, and then lastly Jack. The stale air reaches his nostrils as soon as he enters, the fluorescent lights buzzing loudly overhead. "Well, here we are. Feel free to pick out a room and make yourselves at home, we've got a lot of them here. I'm going to go check in with Stacey and let her know I'm back, would you like to come along and meet her as well, Tracy?" The redhead nods, falling into step with him as the group ascends the small metal staircase before them. "Sure. Better sooner rather than later, I suppose."
"If it's not too much trouble, come find me when you're finished talking with her. I'd like to have a word with you as well, Mr. Krysta." Helena remarks, walking past them and down the hallway, presumably to explore the shelter. "Just Jack at this point I think, thanks." He corrects her, though she does not answer in return. "Maybe you could come chat with me, too? I wouldn't mind getting to know the guy who saved me a little better." Lily remarks, causing Jack to sigh a bit. When did I get this popular? "We'll see, it depends on how long I get tied up with Stacey. She loves to talk. Either way, I'll catch you later." Lily gives a short wave over her shoulder before walking away herself, leaving Jack alone with Tracy.
"Come on. She should be just inside here." Jack opens a nearby door, allowing Tracy to enter before following suit. "Quite the gentleman, aren't you?" Tracy questions half-heartedly as the door slides shut behind them. "I try. Most of the time, anyway. Hey, Stacey." Jack greets the redhead seated at the monitors, who swivels her chair around to face him. "Hey, you! Who's your friend?" She greets warmly, fixing Tracy with a smile. "One of your fans, actually. This is --"
"Tracy. Tracy Soys. It's good to finally meet you in person, Miss Forsythe. I was hoping this day would come." The two redheads shake hands briefly. "Listen, Stacey, have you seen Frank on the monitors at all? Or heard from him?" Jack asks, causing Stacey to frown for a moment. "No. I was just about to ask you the same exact thing. He hasn't been answering my calls. I'm getting a little worried about him." She replies. Jack swears under his breath, looking up at the monitors himself. "All right. If you happen to see him or hear from him, drop everything you're doing and come find me, okay?" He asks. "Okay, but... What exactly happened out there, Jack?" Stacey questions, concern obvious in her tone. "We ran into a few... Complications and had to split up. It's a long story, but I'll tell you later." Jack replies simply, taking a glance at the clock.
"Miss Forsythe, you wouldn't mind if I asked you a few questions about you and your organization, would you? I was going to do a report on you and getting my information first-hand would definitely help out." Tracy asks, taking a seat on a table nearby. "Please, just Stacey. 'Miss Forsythe' makes me feel old. And I don't mind, ask away." Jack tunes the two out for a moment as they begin to speak amongst themselves, wondering where it was that Frank had gone. While he was relatively sure he was unharmed, it certainly wasn't like him to not keep in touch.
You better not die on me out there, old man. I have a feeling I'll need your help with all of this.
Jack Krysta
Health: 90%, bandaged bite wound on left arm Fatigue: 40% Entourage: Nobody, currently Inventory: Transceiver, Handgun (0/0)
Current time in the CYOA: 6:19 PM
Now choose who Jack will be talking to (You can pick a total of 2)
A) Hang around the security room for a while longer and chat up Stacey and Tracy for a little bit, perhaps it would be interesting to find out what exactly Tracy did before the outbreak in greater detail
B) Go and find where Helena has wandered off to, whatever she has to say could be important
C) Seek out Lily, she could be a fine source of conversation at the moment
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Post by Tbone110 The Amurican Bastard on Oct 30, 2013 1:22:15 GMT -6
B, and nooo!!! Rebecca!!!!! C, might as well get closer to a little nookie while you're at it.
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Post by BastionCon on Oct 30, 2013 10:11:58 GMT -6
That is a shame about Rebecca, but at least she's in a better place (within the frog's belly). I must say B, Helena seems to be clued in to whatever is going on around the city. Lastly C, I concur with Eric in this regard.
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Post by Slayer_22 on Oct 30, 2013 16:33:41 GMT -6
a, and c.
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Post by Veta on Oct 30, 2013 23:53:36 GMT -6
B and C. I see no point in A, honestly. At least, compared.
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Post by AceTheMercenary on Nov 1, 2013 14:08:44 GMT -6
"Well, I'll let you two have at it. I've got some other things I need to do around the shelter before we get to anything else. Just remember what I said about Frank, all right Stacey?" Jack asks, turning about to head out the door. "I will, don't worry. You'll be the first to know if something comes up." Stacey replies. "Okay. Now, Stacey, what are your views on --" Jack hears Tracy ask before shutting the door behind him, their voices quieting instantly.
"Damn it Frank, why'd you run off by yourself? I thought we were in this together." Jack asks to nobody in particular as he proceeds down the hallway, shoving his hands in his coat pockets. He probably would have done the same thing were he in Frank's position at that time, of course, but it was still annoying.
The shelter seems strangely empty as Jack wanders through the halls, devoid of most signs of life, although perhaps it wasn't entirely unusual. It was getting late, after all, and the day had been taxing on everyone involved, so most people were probably settling into their chosen rooms for the evening, drained from the day's events. He can hear a few muffled voices as he walks past some of the rooms, some few survivors talking amongst themselves to pass the time.
"There you are." Jack looks up to find Helena standing in the doorway of the room to his left, casually leaned up against the frame as she regards him with a neutral expression. "Oh. Hey, Helena. I was just looking for you. Are you settling in okay?" He asks. "As well as can be expected, I suppose. Are you absolutely sure this place is secure? Nothing can get inside?"
"Pretty sure at this point, yeah. We haven't had any instances so far. The front door's locked down and there's no other entrances except for the air ducts we climbed through. And according to Frank the zombies are too stupid to use the ducts, so we're safe." Jack explains, allaying her overcautiousness for a while at least. "Good," Helena breathes a small sigh of relief, standing up straight and gesturing towards the room. "Do you still have a minute? I'd like to talk." She asks. "Of course. Whatever you need." Jack enters the room and waits for Helena to shut the door, taking a moment to lock it so they will not be disturbed before walking across the room, taking a seat on one of the cots. "Please, sit." Jack sits down on the cot opposite her, feeling as though they are seated a little too close to each other as their knees are almost bumping.
"Sorry if I seem like I'm acting a little strange, but you said you know my sister, so I think I can trust you for now. I came here to try to find her, but that's not the only reason why I'm here. I'm with the Department of Homeland Security." Jack frowns a little. "Here to investigate the outbreak along with everyone else, are you? I swear, this place is turning into a personal Valhalla for photojournalists and news reporters." He jokes, though Helena does not seem to find it particularly funny. Damn, she's a tough nut to crack. "That's right. There also happens to be two other agents that I know personally in the city as well, though from the sound of things they're nowhere near the Strip. But I told them to meet me here, and chances are they'll want to talk to you." Helena explains.
"Me? Why me? I've got no information the DHS would want." Jack questions, unable to keep the nervousness out of his voice. It wasn't every day that a government agency came looking for you specifically for unknown reasons, after all. "Listen, that display you put on out there on the Strip a little while ago... We've got a classification for something like that, but you're the first one we've found so far. You're a B.O.W. A bio-organic weapon." Helena stares into his eyes, noting his disbelief.
"A bio-organic..." Jack loses his voice for a moment, sighing in exasperation. "I didn't exactly choose to have that happen to me, you know. It just did. And if it wasn't me, it could have been Lily, and I wasn't going to let that happen if I could help it." He explains. "I believe you," Helena responds simply, crossing her arms. "You're not at all what we expected from a bio-organic weapon. I don't think you're out to hurt the innocent; you potentially saved all of us and maybe even more people along the way that I haven't met yet. Just don't take what I'm about to say the wrong way, but until Brad and Jessie have a chance to talk to you, you're technically in my custody. So I would appreciate it if you don't wander too far away from me until they get here." Jack runs a hand through his hair, trying to find a potential way out of this situation. Unfortunately, he can think of nothing at the moment.
"Fine, I can't promise anything on that though. At some point I'm going to have to leave the shelter for one reason or another." He warns her, playing the only card he has that comes to mind. "I know. That's why if you're going anywhere then I am too. I won't find Deborah just sitting around here while others do all the work. And I can help you out as well, the government didn't train me for nothing." Helena replies. "Well... I can't exactly be picky about who wants to offer help out here anymore with Frank gone, so if you want to then by all means do. You're not gonna die on my watch," Jack gets up from the cot he is seated on, taking a step to the side and stretching a little. "Now, if you don't mind, I've got a few other things I need to take care of around here before I do anything else. But thank you for letting me know what else is going on out there, I appreciate it." Jack unlocks the door of the room, pulling it open and preparing to leave before pausing and looking back at Helena.
"Oh, and Helena?" He asks, waiting for her to look up at him. "Yes?" She replies. "Don't worry too much about Deborah, she's pretty resourceful sometimes. She's probably just fine out there, wondering when she'll get to see you again." He gives her his most confident grin at that point, trying to allay her fears at least for the moment. "I hope you're right, I really do..." Jack nods to her, leaving the room at that point and letting her be for the time being.
"...Optimistic bastard, isn't he? I might have my work cut out for me." Helena asks as he disappears, though she feels the smallest of smiles tug at her lips regardless.
"Now where did Lily get off to?" Jack asks, still feeling a little chatty as he seeks out the reporter. She seemed as though she would be a bit more upbeat than Helena at the very least, which would make for a nice change of pace. He finds her quickly enough, messing around with a slot machine in one of the open areas of the shelter that happens to still be functioning. "Ya know those things are rigged, right?" He questions her once he is within earshot, managing to get her attention. "There you are! I was getting lonely." Lily teases, giving him a wink as he approaches. "Sorry, I got caught up. Helena had... A lot on her mind." Jack replies, scratching the back of his head.
"I don't doubt that. She's a strange one, I figured that out when I met her. But at least she's genuine. So, here to chat? Or are you just passing through?" Lily asks him. "To chat, actually, assuming you're still up for it." Jack replies. "Of course I am. Most of the people here still seem pretty shaken up and not really up for a friendly conversation. Just let me do one thing before we begin..." Lily pulls the lever of the slot machine, the symbols spinning quickly before sparks fly from the machine, causing her to jump back with a startled yelp and Jack to shield his eyes as the machine shorts out. The two share a look as the machine dies, chalking it up to their relatively shitty luck thus far.
"...Told you they were rigged." Jack deadpans, causing Lily to giggle. "I'll keep that in mind for next time. A shame, some gambling could have been a great way to pass the time around here. It's not like there's much else to do in this city." Lily laments the death of the machine for a moment before brightening up again. "So what would you like to talk about?" She asks. "Well, you're as good a subject as any. What brings you to Fortune City, Lily?" Jack questions, taking a seat on a padded green sofa nearby and gesturing for Lily to sit next to him. "Ah, my favorite subject," She jokes as she does so. "Well, I did mention earlier that I work for Channel 6 Action News, didn't I? That's why I happened to get stuck out here. Like I said earlier, they had told us that the outbreak was contained here on the Strip with no chance of spreading any further. And boy were they wrong about that. My trip here has been... Nothing short of grueling, to say the least. I lost most of the other reporters that came with me along the way, along with all of my equipment, and then just when things couldn't get any worse, those idiots in the raincoats grabbed me off the street right when the Strip was in sight and tried to sacrifice me." Lily explains most of what has happened to her thus far in just a few breaths, leaving Jack somewhat amazed at her lung capacity.
"That's quite a story. I was in the Arena when it happened, Ground Zero if you want to call it that. I probably wouldn't have made it out myself if not for Frank. This is debatably worse than the outbreak that took Las Vegas from us. And just my luck, I happened to live through that one too." He replies, telling her his own history with zombie outbreaks. "I would interview you right now if I happened to have a camera, but I don't so I suppose I'll have to settle for hearing the story myself." Lily tells him with a smile. "Maybe for another time, there's too much for me to tell in just one sitting. For now, just know that I was lucky to have survived, but I did." Jack replies, his grin growing a bit wider as her smile falters slightly. "No fair. I told you my whole story." She pouts at him, causing him to laugh. "But if you're not going to tell me that, what exactly happened with you back there on the Strip? I've never seen anyone with... Abilities like yours, to say the least."
"That's... Also a long story. I don't know what was in that syringe the cultist stabbed me with, but it definitely changed me. As for whether it was for better or worse, I'm still trying to figure that out. But with the way things are now, they'll let me protect everyone just a little bit better if nothing else, and I plan to use them to full effect to get us all out of here in one piece." Lily returns to her bright smile, causing him to smile in turn due to the radiance of it.
"Well, at least you have noble goals behind... Whatever it is you can do with your limbs. I have to say, you're an intriguing individual, Jack." She tells him. "Well I don't know about that, but thanks nonetheless. It's nice to know I'm appreciated around here, especially by pretty women." Jack slyly adds, recoiling a bit as Lily slaps him with a laugh. "Stop it, you. Flattery will get you nowhere." She scolds lightheartedly.
"If I had a dollar for every time a woman told me that..." Jack muses, but he is unable to say more as Stacey's voice enters his ear through the transceiver. "Jack, I finally managed to get ahold of Frank." He jumps to his feet, bumping shoulders with Lily as he does so and almost knocking her off the sofa. "Where is he? I'm going to skin him alive for running off on his own like that."
"Um... His message came in really scrambled," Stacey replies, taken aback by the ferocity of his words. "It sounded like he was underground somewhere. I want to say he said a sewer, but..." She trails off. "The sewer system? Why would he be down there?" Jack asks, though he immediately remembers why. That's right. She got taken by a frog. Frogs love moist climates, it makes perfect sense. "Did he say where he was in the sewers exactly?" He asks. "No, just something garbled about frogs. Any clue as to what he was talking about?"
"Yeah, I've got some idea." Jack responds, facial expression grim. "I'm going out after the old man. Hold down the fort for me, will you?" He asks, unconsciously reaching for his handgun only to remember he is out of ammunition. "I will, just... Be careful, okay? I'm worried about you pushing yourself too hard." Jack doesn't bother responding to that, turning on his heel and returning back down the hallway from whence he came, leaving a confused Lily behind for all of a few seconds before she gets up and follows after him.
"What's going on? Jack, where are you going?" She asks, having to jog for a second to catch up to his fast-paced walk. "Stacey finally managed to find Frank. I'm gonna go get him back, we need his help around here." Jack replies, not stopping to talk for long. "I'm going with you." Jack stops in his tracks, giving Lily an increduous look. "Are you sure? This is going to be dangerous." Lily nods, though she is unable to hide the nervousness on her face. "I am. You saved my life out there. I owe you this much at least."
"All right. We just need to get one more person and then we can get out there and do what we need to do." Remembering Helena's previous words, Jack leads Lily to her chosen room, swinging the door open to find her absentmindedly flipping through a weeks old magazine and looking quite bored at the moment. "Helena, we're going out. Are you coming?" He asks her, prompting her to toss the magazine aside and get to her feet. "Yes. Where to?" She asks. "Might want to roll your pantlegs up, we're diving into a sewer." Helena looks less than pleased to know this information, but does not have much of a chance to object as Jack disappears from her line of sight, prompting her to follow.
One trip through the ducts and out onto the Strip later, the three find themselves hunched over a sewer grate, looking somewhat unsure of themselves. "Well, standing around isn't going to get anything accomplished. Just be careful, I doubt any of us have been in the sewer system before." Jack grips the manhole cover with both hands, applying some strength and tossing it aside. "Hold your breath." Deciding he may as well be the first one in, Jack pinches his nose before hopping in, immediately splashing into knee-deep water.
"This is absolutely disgusting." He remarks, unfortunately getting a noseful of sewer air as he is finally forced to take a breath. The water he has landed in is lukewarm and unpleasant against his legs, even though they are covered by jeans. It floods his boots as well, which sadly are not waterproof. "Ugh, I'm going to need so many showers when we're done here." Lily remarks, unable to hide the disgust in her voice as she and Helena take the safer route of climbing down the ladder into the suspiciously brown water as well. "You and me both." Helena remarks quietly, staying more composed than her companions but clearly not enjoying herself at all.
After getting over the initial disgust and slowly becoming accustomed to the smell of the sewer, Jack quickly notices that it is extremely dark, though Helena remedies that partially with a small flashlight. "We'd better use this wisely, these things aren't built to last." She warns, shining it in Jack's face and causing him to close his eyes as he removes his sunglasses. "Understood. Let's get moving, it's going to be hard to find much of anything down here."
"You take the flashlight, Lily. I can't hold it and fire a magnum at the same time." Helena hands their source of light to the reporter as they slosh through the water, finally finding solid ground to walk on. The three wander the tunnels for what feels like hours, each corridor looking exactly the same as the previous one and twisting and turning every which way, and soon the dreadful feeling of being lost descends upon them.
"God dammit, who the hell thought it'd be a good idea to make a sewer system like this? Am I going to have to bring the roof down so we can get our bearings down here?" Jack vents his frustration with the structure's design by punching a wall, though he does little more than hurt his hand. "I would appreciate it if you didn't, that would just make matters worse." Helena tells him. "I know, just... We're in for a long night from the looks of things, and the fact that the people who built this city had no clue what they were doing isn't going to help." Jack replies, taking the opportunity to wring his pants out a little.
"Maybe we'll get lucky and find something soon." Lily remains optimistic, though Jack can tell she is slightly regretting her decision to come along. "I hope so. I find more and more every hour that Fortune City doesn't exactly live up to its name." The three continue their journey through the sewers, but also continue to find what seems to be the same tunnel they have previously come from with every twist and turn, and more than a few dead ends that force them to turn back and try other routes. It was almost as though the sewers were built specifically to trap anyone not supposed to be in them beneath the city streets.
Or perhaps someone out there just had malicious intent in mind when they spawned them. Who could truly say for sure?
The three drag themselves through yet another pocket of water and up atop a grate once again, feeling slightly out of breath at this point as the water in this particular section was deep enough to force them to swim through it. "Gah, swimming was never my strong suit. Even Paris's sewers aren't this complex. Where the hell are you, Frank?" Neither of the women bother to answer Jack's question at this point, looking just as tired and haggard as he is. They allow themselves a few short moments to catch their breath before proceeding onwards once again, delving further into Fortune City's undercity.
Even more time passes as they continue to search, and finally they are about to give up hope and attempt to turn back when an unknown sound echoes through the tunnels and reaches their ears. Lily shines the light about them, finding nothing nearby. "What was that?" The three strain their ears once again, listening out for any sign of what created the noise. They soon hear it a second time, each sharing a glance at the other's respective forms as they all deduce it to be a loud croak. "That's got to be him. Come on!" Jack wills his body into a run, the women following behind him as they rush off in the general direction of the sound, the sound repeating itself every so often to aid them in gauging their progress.
As they round the corner, Jack slides to a halt as he hears thudding footsteps coming from their opposite direction. They come closer and closer before finally stopping a few feet away from them. "Who's there?" Lily brings the light up to bear on the face of a very wet, tired, and pissed off Frank West with sledgehammer in hand, who shields his eyes from the brightness. "Frank! Thank god we found you. Are you all right?" Jack grasps the older man's hand, feeling him do so in return. "Took ya long enough, kid. I'm way too out of shape for all of this." Frank prods him in return. Well, he really hasn't changed any. That's good.
"Where's Rebecca?" Frank points off down the tunnel next to them, where a loud croak greets them in return. "I've been chasing that fucking thing for hours down here, but I finally figured out a bit of a pattern to this sewer maze. If I'm right, I just trapped it in a dead end with no escape. Rebecca's still alive. I... I managed to force the frog to vomit her up several times with this trusty piece of hardware in my hand, but it always managed to snatch her back up and run before I could stop it. But now I've got that bastard cornered, and it's time for me to finish this." Frank gives his story of what has transpired since he left, turning to head down the tunnel, but Jack places a hand on his shoulder, stopping him for a moment.
"No. It's time for us to finish this. Lily, keep the light on us, but stay back. Helena, make sure nothing happens to her." Jack gives a few quick orders after he and Frank have their moment, and together the two proceed down the tunnel, finally catching sight of their prey. The frog is larger than anything Jack has ever seen before, easily larger than either him or Frank. Its stomach is bloated ridiculously, evidence that Rebecca is indeed inside it. It gives a low croak as they draw near, causing them to pause for just a moment. "All right, you croaking bastard. Let's see what you've got!" Jack challenges the frog, feeling his muscles expand once again as the flesh of his arms begins to harden, a very familiar feeling of strength coming over him once again as the frog decides to stop its petty threats and go on the offensive.
Priming its powerful rear legs, it leaps high into the air, soaring directly above Jack and Frank and opening its gaping maw as it prepares to devour what seems to be yet another easy meal. Jack merely shoves Frank slightly to the side so he is out of immediate danger himself before planting his feet firmly on the bottom of the sewer, waiting for the frog to fall closer before reaching up with both of his mutated arms.
The frog falls right into his hands, causing his knees to buckle slightly from the sudden shock of the weight of it plus Rebecca's as it slams into him with full force, inhuman muscles straining against its girth. The frog quickly loses its momentum from the fall, however, and soon it dangles rather helplessly above his head, suspended in the air by a force far mightier than it. "That isn't gonna work on me..." Jack chuckles at the amphibian's helpless position before drawing back and flinging it across the tunnel effortlessly like a ragdoll, smashing it directly into the concrete wall at the end and cracking it. The frog has little time to right itself before he is upon it, bloated as it is by its meal. Jack grabs its longer legs with one hand, planting a grip on its lower jaw that could bend steel wih the other and being sure not to allow his hand to slip into its maw entirely as he lifts it above his head once more, turning back to face Frank. "Whaddaya say to a friendly game of baseball, Frank? I've got a ball so large that even your blind old ass can't miss it." Frank resists the urge to snark back at that comment, instead sparing a glance at his sledgehammer before assuming a batter's stance with it.
"Batter up, kid!" He shouts as soon as he is ready, and in short order the frog is screaming through the air at him. Undeterred, Frank waits until just the right moment, drawing back as far as he can before swinging for the fences. "Home run!" He yells happily as the sledgehammer collides directly with the frog's head, reversing the momentum entirely and sending it back towards Jack, bouncing off the rather high ceiling of the sewers as it does so. "Nice hit. Now it's my turn!" Jack lowers his stance as the frog comes flying at him once again, priming his fist to the right before swinging upwards with all of his might as it gets within striking range, slamming directly into the frog's jaw. The force of the swing causes him to jump quite high, fist held high above his head as he carries the frog up with him, shouting the first thing that comes to mind.
"Shoryuken!" The frog smashes into the ceiling one final time, pieces of concrete and dust falling around them as both man and creature return to the ground, the frog landing solidly on its back, seemingly unable to get up again as Jack feels his feet hit the floor once again. The frog gives another croak, though it sounds much, much weaker than before as it weakly kicks its legs, unable to roll over again and flee. "You fucked with the wrong group of people," Jack stomps on the frog's neck with his left foot, making certain it has nowhere to go as he wills his claws into being on his right arm, taking a moment to admire the way they gleam in the light of Lily's flashlight before reaching down. "All right... Let's see what you've got in that belly of yours, you bloated motherfucker." In one swift, fluid motion, Jack's claws shred the frog open entirely across its whole body, putting an end to it once and for all. When it is finally over he retracts his mutations with some difficulty, feeling a wave of fatigue and lightheadedness wash over him as the smell of the frog finally reaches his nose.
Reaching down, Jack proceeds to dissect the frog with his hands, tearing out and shoving aside various internal organs before finally splitting open its unusually large stomach, and at last his eyes come to rest on the smooth skin of Rebecca's body. Though admittedly far more skin than usual, as her extended period of time in the frog's stomach has allowed its stomach acid to melt away her most of her clothing sans parts of her bra and panties covering the important bits as well as burn parts of her skin. Pulling away the last few pieces of membrane and intestines inside the dead frog, Jack finally frees the asian news reporter from its foul clutches, allowing her to come to her senses almost immediately. The first thing she does, predictably, is vomit, like any normal person trapped inside a giant frog would do, but eventually after a few moments she looks up at him, eyes blinking rapidly. Jack does his best to smile at her and keep his eyes trained on her face, not an easy task given her many womanly curves now exposed for the world to see. "Good. You're okay."
Jack is forced to lean back a little as she throws herself at him, arms wrapping tightly around his neck in a hug as she buries her face in his shoulder. "Aw, come on Rebecca. This isn't like you." Despite himself he hugs her back briefly, forcing back a grimace as he feels a coating of slime on her skin. "Shut up. You weren't in there." She tells him quietly. Frank is there soon afterwards, followed by Helena and Lily. Jack lets go of Rebecca momentarily to allow her to hug Frank tightly as well, getting to his feet and suddenly feeling more tired that he ever has before. "How long have we been down here...?" He asks to nobody in particular, wishing he had packed a wristwatch for this trip. Helena pulls her phone from her pocket, her pretty features being illuminated by the bright light coming from its face for a moment. She furrows her brow, silently seething at what she sees. "What is it?" Jack asks. Helena hands her phone to him in response, and his jaw nearly hits the floor when he notes the time.
"Five AM?!" His voice echoes through the tunnels, causing everyone's ears to ring. "This can't be right, Helena." He hands her the phone back, unable to believe just how much time has passed since they went down into the sewers. "It's correct. We've been down here for hours on top of hours." Helena assures him, shoving it back in its protective case. "Fuck me..."
"Listen kid, I know you're probably as sick of the sewers as I am, but we've got another problem. I found another survivor, but I couldn't stop to send her back to the shelter, and she followed me down here but we got separated." Frank speaks up. "It's all right, we can find her. Did you catch her name?" Jack asks. "No name, but... She looked kind of like you, now that I think about it." Frank responds, sparing a glance at Helena. She and Jack share a quick look, the same thought running through each of their brains at once.
"You think it's Deborah?" Jack asks her. "It has to be. We look almost just like each other. You've got to help me find her, Jack." Helena replies. "I don't think Rebecca's up to traveling much further, guys. We need to get her back to the shelter so she can get some rest." Frank announces, holding the woman in question in his arms bridal style. Jack exchanges a few glances between Frank and Helena, feeling torn between ensuring Rebecca's safety and fulfilling his promise to Helena.
Jack Krysta
Health: 90%, bandaged bite wound on left arm Fatigue: 55% Entourage: Frank (95%, sledgehammer), Helena (100%, magnum) Lily (100%), Rebecca (35%) Inventory: Transceiver, Handgun (0/0)
Current time in the CYOA: 5:02 AM
A) Tell Frank to stay with them as they search the tunnels for Deborah, his combat experience will be valuable but it will also run the risk of carrying Rebecca's dead weight
B) Have Frank take Rebecca back to the shelter along with Lily, Jack will fulfill his promise to Helena and search the sewer system with her a while longer, though this will split up the group
And regardless of A or B, how should they proceed?
C) Begin searching immediately, there is no time to lose
D) Helena's phone might very well have an alarm on it, so perhaps a few moments of rest is in order to shake off some fatigue and heighten their senses
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Post by Tbone110 The Amurican Bastard on Nov 1, 2013 14:40:05 GMT -6
A & D. As much as I'd like to get Rebecca to safety, they need all the eyes and ears they can get down here.
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Post by BastionCon on Nov 1, 2013 15:43:44 GMT -6
That fight scene against the frog was excellent work, bravo. Gald to see everyone has survived as well. Since Eric is so damn suicidal, I'm just going to vote A and C, might as well fully commit to this insanity.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 3, 2013 22:53:57 GMT -6
My word, Rebecca has been through quite an ordeal. For some odd reason, I have a bad feeling about them going back to their base at the moment. A and D are the most sensible options.
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Post by AceTheMercenary on Nov 5, 2013 1:10:33 GMT -6
"Don't worry Frank, we'll get her back to the shelter soon and patch her up. But I owe Helena this much. Can I convince you to stay down here with us just a little longer until we find Deborah? We could really use your expertise at the moment." Jack lays out his decision to the group, watching as Frank's facial muscles visibly tighten up in the dim light. He exchanges a few glances between Jack and the reporter in his arms before finally sighing as he relents. "Okay, kid. I don't know why you owe her, but I trust you. Let's just try not to let anyone else get eaten, all right?"
"All right. Thank you, Frank. Looks like I might be owing you after this one," Jack gives the older man a friendly pat on the shoulder, turning to face Helena next. "Does that phone of yours have an alarm on it by chance, Helena?" He asks. "Of course. Why?" The agent responds, pulling the mentioned object from her pocket once again. "Good. We've been down here all night, so I think it might be best if we try to bunker down for a while and catch a little bit of sleep. I know what you're about to say," Jack quickly adds, cutting both Helena and Frank off as they open their mouths to protest. "But we aren't going to be of much use to anyone at this rate. Trust me, we're all running on adrenaline right now, but once that wears off it's gonna be bad."
"...He's right. We can't help anyone if we can't keep our eyes open." Lily hesitantly agrees, stifling a yawn with her hand as if to prove her point. The group is silent for a moment, considering the possibility amongst themselves before Helena finally relents, pressing a few buttons on the phone. "Fine. One hour, that's it. Any longer and I think we could have a real issue on our hands." She remarks. Jack allows himself to slump down on a nearby wall, breathing a quick sigh of relief as his tired muscles thank him for releasing them of their tension if only for a brief moment. Helena soon follows suit, taking the spot to the right of him while Lily sits to his left, followed by Frank who flops down next to her, opting not to let go of Rebecca for a while longer should she be snatched once again.
"Napping in a sewer. This is definitely a new low in my career..." Helena laments their current situation, placing her phone on the floor between herself and Jack after double-checking to make sure the volume is turned up on the alarm. "I know. Try not to think about it too much. It's funny, if someone told me that one day I'd be crawling through a sewer all to try to save a girl, I would've called them crazy. But here I am, crawling through a sewer to try to save a girl. Things have a weird way of working out." Jack replies, resting his head against the wall and closing his eyes, welcoming the darkness that this action brings as he becomes aware of just how tired he was. It feels as though it has been weeks since he last slept.
"So cold down here..." Rebecca's voice reaches his ears, causing him to peek open an eye as the asian woman snuggles a bit closer to Frank. Despite the protests of his muscles, Jack gets to his feet, removing the leather jacket he received prior to the outbreak from Terror is Reality and tossing it to Frank, leaving him clad in a basic white t-shirt. "Here, cover her up with that. It's not much, but it'll keep at least some of the cold out until we can get her some new clothes." Frank nods in assent, mouthing his thanks as he sets about his task. Content with that for now, Jack returns to his seated position once more.
"Such a gentleman you are, Jack." Lily pokes him in the arm, smiling in approval. "Yeah. Looks like Deborah finally picked at least one of her friends wisely." Helena adds, returning to her apparently usual habit of studying him once again. "Yeah, well... I can't help but feel like at least part of this is my fault. It's the least I can do." Jack focuses his eyes on the ceiling of the tunnel they are in, his nerves getting to him a little as the two women lavish attention upon him for a moment.
Silence descends upon them once again, and it takes little time for them to fall asleep soon afterwards, all of them more than ready to forget the events of the day for a short time at least.
Jack's eyes shoot open once again, hearing what he thinks is another croak. Wide eyes scan every inch of the tunnel around them, though nothing is there but the sound of the murky water rushing past their chosen high ground. After taking the time to examine the area thoroughly, he breathes a sigh of relief, blinking the tiredness out of his eyes. He strangely felt worse than he had before going to sleep as the tension in his muscles has settled into being a dull ache as opposed to the pain he had felt earlier, but he also felt more awake and alert, which was the main thing.
Feeling weight on each of his shoulders, Jack turns his head to the left and then to the right, finding that everyone is still there and intact. Frank is snoring loudly to the far left of him, as is Rebecca, though they no doubt needed it the most out of all of them. Lily and Helena on the other hand seem to have inadvertantly decided that his shoulders would make for nice makeshift pillows as he finds himself sandwiched between the news reporter and the agent, a position that is not at all uncomfortable for him. Alas, it is soon to end as he checks the time on Helena's phone, finding that they have only three minutes before the alarm goes off.
"Shit... Lily, Helena, wake up. It's been an hour." The two women begin to stir not long after he speaks, Lily yawning loudly and stretching while Helena rubs at her eyes, making sure to turn her alarm off in the meanwhile. Jack gets to his feet, his joints popping and cracking the whole way as they are called into use once again. He slaps Frank on the shoulder a time or two, cutting him short mid-snore. "Wake up, old man. We've got things to do."
"Yeah, yeah..." Frank grumbles, also proceeding to stretch before getting to his feet and checking on Rebecca. "So which way are we headed?" Lily asks as everyone slowly regains their bearings, preparing to move on. "Best bet is probably to head back the way Frank came from when we met him again earlier. If they got lost up there, chances are she couldn't have gotten too far. How's the flashlight doing, Lily?" Jack questions, hopefully they have not used the entire battery yet. She presses the button and the flashlight clicks on like normal, though it flickers slightly as it does so. "Shit, that's not a good sign. We'd better hurry, I don't want to be stuck down here without any light." Frank remarks. The rest of the group agrees with him, and in short order they set out through the tunnels once more.
Welp, this looks like it might be even more difficult than finding Frank was. Damn it, at this rate we won't get back to the shelter before nightfall. To say that Jack had had enough of the sewer system to last for a lifetime was an understatement. Even the zombie infested streets above them would have been a better alternative, and he now had even more reasons to hate frogs than he ever had previously. Really, I don't know how these giant frogs came into being, but this is getting ridiculous. I suppose I should thank that cultist, we probably wouldn't have come this far without my new abilities and Frank's survival experience.
The group continues to explore the tunnels as more and more time passes, though Jack refuses to give up the search -- not that Helena would allow him to anyway. Eventually they come to a place that Jack is certain they have already walked by and feels a torrent of curse words on the tip of his tongue directed towards whoever created this place, when a very distinct cry for help reaches their ears. "You guys hear that?" Lily asks, doing her usual task of shining the flashlight about for any signs of life. "Doesn't sound like any frog I've ever heard." Frank replies. "We'd better investigate. Come on." Jack announces. They follow the sound's direction, though it does not take them long to find the cause as a woman bounds around the corner of one of the adjacent tunnels, nearly falling over on the slick concrete slab she is running on.
"Who's that?" Jack asks, straining his eyes to see through the darkness as Lily shines the light in the direction of the action. Shortly thereafter, a hulking creature resembling a cockroach hobbles around the corner after her, six huge razor sharp talons flailing wildly about its body as it wobbles dangerously on two legs, clearly not being meant to do so as it looks close to falling over. "That's her... Deborah!"
"Helena, wait!" Jack calls after her as she dives into the body of water before them, but the agent ignores his words, swimming across the small channel in record time. "Shit. Frank, stay here!" Jack is about to dive in after her when a sewer grate next to them explodes open, knocking him aside as a hulking brute of a bipedal reptilian creature with huge muscles emerges from the darkness within, maw agape as it roars at them. The creature effortlessly grabs Jack by his shirt collar and lifts him up to eye level, his feet dangling above the ground as he stares into its eyes.
"Holy shit..." Is all he can manage, not at all used to being manhandled in such a manner. Is this what that frog felt like? Jack can only ponder this revelation briefly as the gamma throws him across the bed of water as well, slamming him solidly into a concrete wall. Jack slumps to the ground, a hand futilely going to the afflicted area in an effort to soothe the pain. He looks up through blurry eyes to find Frank struggling to beat back the creature with his sledgehammer, though the two seem equally matched in strength at least for the moment. Lily and Rebecca also seem fine for the time being, but an all too familiar croak soon reaches his ears, just as a fleshy pink tongue emerges from the water's murky depths, grabbing Rebecca and snatching her clean off the concrete platform, though she barely manages to grasp the edge and hang on. Lily immediately moves to try to help her, but quickly finds herself unable to as a vine whips down at her from another nearby grate, wrapping itself around her throat and slowly dragging her up the wall. Jack watches the situation unfold from afar, suddenly finding that he has a lot of lives situated delicately in his hands.
The inside of the frog’s stomach is fleshy and moist, a cursed climate for Lara. Damn, I've got to get out of here! I’m running out of air. She tumbles around in the disgusting prison, unable to gather her bearings as the frog carries her somewhere to digest its meal. Lara feels entirely abashed by Trent’s inadvertent removal of her clothes, exposing her lingerie to the world. He didn't do it on purpose Lara, but still... Lara laments being separate from her sister after fighting so hard to ensure such a thing never happened. The smile of her sister strengthens her resolve to hold on a while longer, she can't give up just yet. There's got to be a way out of here alive. I just have to think, though this is definitely one of the worse situations I've been in.
A sloshing sound emanating from somewhere in the frog incites Lara to double her efforts to escape, it must be deploying its digestive acids. "Damn it! I can’t do anything!" She screams out in frustration, punching at the lining of its stomach to no avail. She kneels with her arms outstretched, holding the walls of its stomach at bay as it begins to contract, most likely in response to her outburst. Lara is forced into the fetal position, screaming in pain as she is slowly crushed by the force her prison. She slowly begins giving in to despair, a few brisk tears cascading down her cheeks along with weak sobs. It's no use, I-I'm going to die in here. At least Lauren is still alive...
Just as her demise seems inevitable, Lara’s hand brushes against her handgun. She thought she’d lost it while fighting, but it would seem there is a glimmer of hope after all. Working her hand around as best she can, she unlatches the holster and draws the gun. She prepares to fire, but she is suddenly jolted about, the frog’s leaping making it difficult to conduct her plan. She fumbles around to recover the handgun just as a burning liquid begins to pour inside. Shit! It’s the stomach acid, I've got to hurry!
The acid burns to the touch, but Lara is able to retrieve her firearm before too long. She wastes no time in firing bullets in every direction, blood quickly flowing into the stomach with her from its wounds. She can hear the frog emit a pained croak, but still it persists. She fires the last three bullets in the magazine, all at the same spot near the top of its stomach. That is when the frog ceases its movement, finally succumbing to the Croft’s effort. Yes, I did it! Now I need to get out of here... This isn't going to be pleasant. The stomach still filled with acid, Lara swiftly locates its esophagus to begin the agonizing process of climbing to freedom...
Jack freezes and throws a quick glance to his right as he hears muffled gunshots coming from further down the tunnel, along with a pained croak as yet another frog emerges from the shadows, its bloated form bleeding from several areas as it comes to a halt, breathing heavily. He can make out the forms of two more people coming, perhaps in pursuit of the frog, but it is not quite dead yet. He has to take the opportunity to watch in morbid curiosity, however, as the frog's maw is suddenly forced open, the form of yet another female coming into view from her head to her shoulders as she gasps for air, though she is not quite free of the frog's clutches. Jack shakes his head in response to the scene he has just witnessed, wondering if these creatures could even get any more disgusting at this point.
Frank forces the creature assaulting him back at long last, bashing it cleanly in the face with his sledgehammer and knocking it off the platform into the water. "That's right, and don't get back up!" Frank taunts the creature from his position, shifting his attention back to the matter at hand to find that the situation has quite quickly gone to hell. Looks like we're in a bit of a rough spot. What are we going to do now?
The gamma that he has beaten down has a change of heart however, finding its choice of a meal too difficult. It swims through the water at a fairly incredible speed, resurfacing further down the tunnel and leaping onto the concrete platform between the other two survivors and the frog still trying to devour the woman further down, seemingly going to attempt to impede their progress. Jack watches this out of the corner of his eye with interest, wondering if perhaps the creatures are in league with each other.
Jack Krysta
Health: 86%, bandaged bite wound on left arm Fatigue: 20% Entourage: Frank (95%, sledgehammer), Helena (100%, magnum) Lily (100%), Rebecca (35%) Inventory: Transceiver, Handgun (0/0)
Current time in the CYOA: 8:13 AM
First, what should Jack do? (Choose two)
A) Take on the Reaper that is currently after Deborah and Helena, a magnum might be a nice weapon for most instances but the roach appears to possibly be a more formidible opponent than Helena can handle (80% if chosen first, 65% if chosen second)
B) Run back to help Rebecca, she is in a bit of a jam and might not be able to hang on much longer, but the frogs have proven to be nothing short of no match at all for Jack's claws (70% if chosen first, 54% if chosen second)
C) Rush to Lily's aid, judging by how weak her struggles are becoming it may not be long before the plant is able to drag her away, but luckily Jack possesses the instruments necessary to do a little gardening of sorts (65% if chosen first, 40% if chosen second)
D) Smash the gamma on the platform behind him and slice open the frog, those two survivors have the numbers advantage with the frog being relatively incapacitated, but the gamma might prove to be too much for them (95% if chosen first, 80% if chosen second)
Now what should Frank do? (Also choose two)
E) The Reaper has yet to stop its relentless advance and Helena seems a little outgunned despite the magnum in her hands, so perhaps she could use a bit of assistance (65% if chosen first, 50% if chosen second)
F) Help Rebecca, Frank has not gone through all the trouble of finding her down here just to lose her to yet another frog (70% if chosen first, 54% if chosen second)
G) Rush to Lily's aid, she does not look like she will be surviving long if help doesn't arrive soon (70% if chosen first, 60% if chosen second)
H) Hit the gamma once again, those guys might have the numbers advantage but the creature could possibly be too much for them (95% if chosen first, 80% if chosen second)
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Post by Tbone110 The Amurican Bastard on Nov 5, 2013 1:53:35 GMT -6
B, A, and G, H seems to be the most logical choice to me.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 5, 2013 10:17:00 GMT -6
Well now, it would seem my hunch was wrong. While Tbone110 has the best of the numbers, I must choose my favorite of the characters to survive. B, D, and G, E in that order.
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Post by BastionCon on Nov 5, 2013 11:28:59 GMT -6
Ace, not you too?! I thought I could rely on you to offset Eric's cruelty. It would seem I am alone in my endeavors. Very well, if you must force my hand, I will assuage. You can count my vote as B, C, and H, E.
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Post by Kong The Jester on Nov 7, 2013 0:32:57 GMT -6
B,D,G,E is my vote.
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Post by AceTheMercenary on Nov 23, 2013 14:55:49 GMT -6
"Rebecca! Hang on!" Jack quickly plots out the best course of action, rushing back for the pretty asian reporter that they had taken so long to find. He manages to reach her just as her hand finally slips off the concrete, quickly grabbing her by the arm to keep her from disappearing into the water entirely as his swift intervention may have just saved her life. "Gotcha!"
The frog does not give up easily however, as Jack is now able to feel the power of the amphibian firsthand without his mutations for a brief moment. He does not contemplate it for long though, feeling his muscles begin to expand as his mutations return once again. Now able to handle the frog much more easily, Jack removes one hand from Rebecca's wrist, easily able to hold her steady with one arm now instead of having to use both. Shoving his free hand into the sewer water, he forcibly separates the frog's fleshy pink tongue from Rebecca's body through sheer strength alone, wrapping it around his own wrist tightly several times and getting a good grip.
"I have had enough of these damned things!" With a might heave, Jack pulls the tongue as hard as he can, the sewer water parting as the frog flies out, sailing high into the air. "Get down here!" Jack yanks on the tongue once again with all of his strength, snatching the frog right out of the air and sending it speeding towards himself while at the same time preparing his claws for their business.
Blood and intestines splatter over his body as he slices the frog cleanly in half, its momentum enough to allow his bladed hand to cut through its slimy skin with the utmost ease. The pieces of the frog continue their journey across the tunnel, still carrying their forward motion and unfortunately managing to splatter Rebecca in the same stuff behind Jack before they slap against the wall, again reminding her of where she had been previously for most of the night.
"You okay?" Jack is by her side as quickly as he possibly can be, tossing aside the remains of the frog's tongue. Rebecca glances down at her slime-covered form with a grimace before giving a nod. "No lasting damage. Go help everyone else, they need you more than I do right now." She tells him, slumping against the wall as her position is now quite safe. Jack gets back to his feet, rolling his neck and hearing the bones crack and pop within as he loosens the muscles up and identifies his next target.
"Sit tight, Rebecca. This'll all be over soon, don't worry."
"Hang in there! I'm coming!" On the other side of the sewer, Frank is undertaking his own task, moving through the tunnel with surprising speed as he rushes towards Lily, who is very quickly losing her struggle with the vine. Everything had been going so well after they got Rebecca back, but now things were very quickly going to hell before their very eyes, and with little chance for them to stop it. But that wasn't going to stop Frank from trying regardless, he had come too far in Fortune City just to watch everyone die all around him.
Having unfortunately had a front row seat to what was going on around him and performed his own analysis of the situation, he had been forced to make a split second decision on who to assist, and had finally decided on Lily as Jack had taken it upon himself to save Rebecca from the frog's clutches. He had to admit, whatever those creeps in the raincoats had injected Jack with was turning out to be quite the blessing thus far, but they had still yet to see if it had any side effects other than fatigue. And hopefully it stayed that way.
Managing to reach the woman just as she nearly disappears through the grate along with the vine, Frank leaps as high as he possibly can, catching her by the ankles and using his considerable weight to drag her back down. I guess being old's got its advantages sometimes. He holds on tight, soon finding his feet on solid ground once again as the vine proves incapable of supporting them both entirely, though the vine does not relinquish its grip on Lily. Frank shifts his grip soon after that, opting to wrap his arms around Lily's waist this time before giving a mighty heave, pulling her down almost to ground level with him and exposing his foe even more in the process. Lily is limp within his arms however, offering no resistance whatsoever to either him or the vine as she has fallen into the blissful realm of unconsciousness. Shit. Gotta hurry!
Frank then turns his attention to the vine itself, grabbing it with one hand and then two before planting his feet firmly and pulling away at it. For something as simple as a plant it is quite strong though, holding fast against even his bear-like grip. The ruthless battle of tug of war continues for some time with neither side gaining too much ground, but eventually Frank's efforts are rewarded as the vine seems to tire out, no longer resisting him as strongly. Deciding to use his advantage to the fullest, he begins a process of wrapping the vine around his right arm in the manner he had seen Jack do with the frog's tongue, repeating this process a few more times before finally putting all his strength and body mass into one final pull.
The vine still offers resistance for just a bit longer before it frays at the edges, oozing out a viscous yellow-colored slime of some sort as the battle continues. It gives way entirely soon afterwards though, almost snapping off entirely in his hands before it whips away, sliding out of his grasp and disappearing into the grate from whence it came. Frank falls flat on his ass from the sudden lack of force, watching as Lily falls as well, though a quick glance shows that she is still breathing. Frank quickly moves her further down the tunnel should the vine decide to have a repeat performance, placing her back on the ground not far away from Rebecca. He hears her mumble something incoherent as he does so, but he doesn't pay attention for long, scanning the area once again. His eyes finally fall on the creature he had knocked into the water previously, and seeing as Jack was now rushing off to deal with the Reaper, that seemed to be his next target.
"Here goes nothing..." Sledgehammer in hand, Frank jumps across the small channel of sewer water, creeping up on his target before leaping at it, smashing it directly in the side of the head with his weapon of choice. The gamma is taken unaware by the sudden assault as the sledgehammer bounces off its thick skull, knocking it directly into the wall. It bellows a roar of rage as Frank swings again, though this time it is ready for it, easily catching the weapon in one hand and disarming the photojournalist. Frank narrowly avoids a huge hand as it swipes at him, backpedaling a bit as he has now gained the creature's full attention.
Ducking beneath a clawed hand once more, Frank sets his feet before shoulder charging the gamma, pitting his strength against that of the creature's as he slams into it, gripping its powerful legs in his arms and pulling them out from under it. The gamma hits the floor hard as Frank retains his grip on its legs, pivoting his feet on the floor and spinning the creature around like a ragdoll, mimicking a tornado and picking up speed with every swing before finally releasing his grip when he deems the time proper. The creature sails down the tunnel some distance as Frank stretches his back uncomfortably, his own head spinning slightly.
"Gettin' too old for this..." He remarks as his foe gets to its feet, seemingly none the worse for wear as it challenges him once again.
"Deborah!" Helena pulls herself from the vile sewer water, ignoring the disgusting feel of her soggy clothes as she finds dry land on the concrete once again. Whatever this insect was, chances were that trying to fight it head on was suicide, but at this point she found herself not caring all that much. It was either try and potentially succeed or do nothing and watch her sister die, and she had tried too hard to find her to allow that to happen.
"Helena?!" Deborah's look is one of surprise, though it turns to fear once again as a razor sharp blade of an appendage almost takes her head off, the Reaper having closed the distance quickly. The blast of a magnum echoes through the chamber as a large bullet bounces off its thick carapace, leaving the creature unharmed but knocking it back easily enough and giving Helena enough time to close the distance. "What are you doing here?" Deborah asks her, giving her sister a hug that is not reciprocated as she keeps her eyes on their enemy. "Not exactly important right now!" She unintentionally snaps at her sister, taking aim as the Reaper clambers to its feet. "Cover your ears. This thing is loud." She warns, waiting a second before pulling the trigger.
This time the Reaper is prepared, however, as it drops down on all its legs like a normal insect would, ducking beneath the bullet and scrambling forward with surprising speed. Helena prepares to fire once again, but by then the Reaper is upon them, leaping back up to two legs. The armored plates on its chest shift immediately afterwards, revealing what appears to be a weak point, but Helena is unable to do much with it as a noxious gas suddenly vents from the creature's shell, burning her eyes and throat as her vision momentarily goes white. Acting on instinct, Helena quickly rolls away from the creature, coughing and hacking as her vision finally returns relatively to normal, though it is still quite blurry.
"Uh... Helena? Help!" Deborah's voice reaches her ears, and through her foggy vision she is able to make out the form of the Reaper as it traps her sister against the wall, closing in for the kill. "No..." Deborah squeezes her eyes shut, preparing to meet a rather grisly end as she hears the insect screech at her, no doubt readying its talons to slice right through her body...
Blood splatters across her face seconds later, though she feels no pain herself. Deborah tentatively cracks an eye open, intending to check herself for any kind of damage, but both eyes shoot open soon afterwards as she sees Helena standing before her, arms outstretched in a protective fashion and entire body shaking as the Reaper stands just out of reach, talons still held menacingly high with one covered in blood. "Helena..."
"D-Deborah..." Helena's voice sounds ghastly and terribly strained in her ears, and Deborah bites her lower lip as she looks at her over her shoulder, eyes glassy as a thin ribbon of blood runs down the corner of her mouth. "...Run..." Deborah can only watch in horror as Helena crumples to the ground, a deep gash spanning the length of her torso, the Reaper's talon having split her open from her right hip to her left shoulder. "No! I can't just leave you here!" Deborah completely ignores the Reaper as it advances upon her once more, making a move to drag her sister away from the nightmarish creature, but it cares little for her efforts and prepares to lop off her head with one precise swipe.
"Yo, cockroach!" Deborah's head snaps up as another familiar looking form rushes into her line of vision at that point, crashing right into the Reaper and sending both tumbling down the tunnel. She studies the man through the darkness of their surroundings, eyes squinting to get a better look, but they eventually widen once again as she realizes just who her savior happens to be. "It can't be..."
Jack struggles against the Reaper as he tumbles across the concrete with it, kicking it off him once they come to a complete stop. He had witnessed what had happened during the fight with the frog, but had been unable to cross the distance between them before the damage had already been done. He feels a pang of guilt as he casts a glance back at Helena's fallen form over his shoulder, but that soon disappears and is replaced by anger and hatred for the creature in front of him.
"Who do you think you are? Huh?!" He grits his teeth as the Reaper gets to its feet once again, talons clanging loudly like steel swords as they bounce against each other. "You're gonna pay for that one, cockroach. I swear it!" Jack crashes his fists together, assuming a fighting stance as the Reaper scampers toward him on all of its legs, no doubt intending to try its same little trick twice.
"That isn't going to work on me!" A talon bounces off of Jack's arm, leaving the tiniest of cuts behind, though he doesn't even feel it as his mutation quickly glosses it over, healing it almost instantaneously. Reaching out, Jack catches the Reaper by the head in his grip of iron, swinging around and feeling the Reaper leave the ground in his hands before he slams it back down to the earth, cracking the concrete beneath their feet as it hits the floor hard.
"Let's end this!" Jack slams a boot down on the Reaper's back, pinning it to the floo and hearing its carapace crack beneath his foot and feeling his own bones shift in his arms as a new mutation decides to make itself known to him. He watches in morbid curiosity as his biomass shifts entirely, his hands now taking the shape of what he can only describe as massive and hammer-like, and suddenly weighing a great degree more. "Well now... I bet this could crack open that shell of yours." Jack grins with malicious intent, drawing back and preparing himself.
His first punch slams into the back of the Reaper's head, splattering it entirely as the armored carapace proves no match for his crushing force and gives way entirely beneath his strength. The next one hits the Reaper in one of its talons, snapping the limb off entirely. This continues for a few moments, the Reaper withering beneath him until finally nothing remains of it but unmoving, broken body parts and shattered bits of exoskeleton. Jack pants heavily as he returns to normal, collapsing over his convincingly defeated foe and realizing, part to both his amazement and horror, that he had created a veritable crater in the concrete beneath him.
"Damn... Guess I don't know my own strength." He laughs breathlessly, taking a second to collect himself before remembering that they had injured people with them now. "Shit... Helena!" Jack crawls out of the hole he has created, willing shaky, tired feet to carry him back to the fallen agent's side.
"Jack..." He hears Deborah greet half-heartedly as he skids to a halt next to them. Jack ignores her for the moment however, giving Helena's shoulder a shake. She gives no response, which prompts Jack to press his finger to her jugular, checking for a pulse. He nearly jumps out of his skin afterwards as Helena's eyes suddenly shoot open, hearing a sharp intake of breath escape her throat, her eyes still glassed over as her hand slaps the ground a few times, coming to rest on her dropped magnum before she passes out once again. "Jesus..."
"Helena!" Deborah shouts, gripping her sister's shoulders. "Jack, do something!" Deborah's eyes desperately seek out her former lover's for some sort of answer, tears filling them as Jack shakes his head. "I can't... I can't fix this, Deborah. Not here. We've gotta get her out of this sewer," Jack grimaces in sympathetic pain as his eyes come to rest upon Helena's wound. Gently, he takes the injured agent into his arms, picking her up bridal style. "Let's find Frank and get out of here. We're wasting time."
Elsewhere in the sewer, Frank stands victorious over the dead gamma, broken sledgehammer in hand and a large bruise on his face from where the creature had decked him a few times. It had been a rough battle, but it had proved to be no match for Frank's experience and had fallen in the end. "That takes care of that. Now, time to see if we can't get out of this sewer." Frank claps the dust off his hands, booting the gamma's body into the water and allowing it to float away before returning to Lily and Rebecca, just as Jack shows up carrying a severely injured Helena with Deborah in tow.
"Oh good, you're still alive. We've gotta get Helena back to the shelter." Jack blurts out before Frank is able to greet him properly. Frank frowns heavily in response as he sees the state of the agent, giving a grim nod. "All right. Everyone else is fine, but Lily's unconscious. We'll have to carry her too."
"Do it. We can't really play around with this. Deborah, you help him." Jack orders the woman by his side as Frank goes back to assist the other two members of their group. "But Helena --" Deborah begins uncertainly, though Jack quickly shushes her. "Will be fine. Don't worry, she's in capable hands right now. We'll get her nursed back to health in no time." He gives her the most reassuring grin he can offer right now given the circumstances, which suffices as she leaves with Frank momentarily. I hope. Jack glances down at Helena, her breathing shallow and forced. "You better survive this one."
Frank and Deborah return soon afterwards, Frank carrying Lily on his back while Deborah assists Rebecca with walking, though the reporter seems to feel slightly better than she had previously. "Ready? Let's go."
Unsurprisingly they are unable to get very far, such was their luck, but at least it was for a pleasant reason for once. Jack halts his group as three people emerge from the shadows to greet them, one man and two women -- one of which happened to be missing her pants, for whatever reason. "Maybe we weren't the only ones who got caught up by the frogs." Frank remarks, gesturing towards her chosen attire.
"You guys friendly?" The man asks, keeping his distance for the moment, as do the two women. "I suppose. Last I checked we're pretty nice guys, aren't we, Frank?" Jack responds, exchanging a glance with the photojournalist. "Yep. You guys get lost down here too?" Frank asks them. "I'm afraid so. It's a bit of a long story, but ever since we got down here it's been a nightmare." The man replies. "We can relate, I think. I'm Jack. This is Frank West." Jack introduces himself and his companion, desiring to get introductions out of the way as quickly as possible. "Yeah, I thought I recognized him from somewhere. I'm Trent, and these two ladies are Lara and Lauren Croft." Trent replies, gesturing to the two women at his side in kind.
"Sisters, huh? I can definitely see the resemblance," Jack gives the two women a nod of acknowledgement before focusing his attention back on Trent. "You'll have to forgive me for being hasty, but my friend got hurt pretty bad down here so we need to get back to the shelter. You three seem all right though, so would you like to follow us back? We've got plenty of space." Jack offers, much to their surprise and happiness. "That's probably the best thing I've heard all day." Lara remarks. "Are you sure it's safe?" Trent questions, sounding slightly cautious.
"Yep. It's an emergency shelter built just in case something like this happened to take place. I'm pretty sure it can even survive a military bombing. Trust us, the zombies aren't getting in." Frank replies, which is enough to allay his concerns for the moment at least. "All right. Now we just need to find the others, and --"
"Trent!" Jack glances over the other man's shoulder as a large group of women approaches them at that point, led by one with a veritable mane of golden hair the likes of which Jack has never seen before. "Talk about luck. We were just about to come looking for you guys." Trent greets them, Jack feeling more than a few curious gazes being cast upon him as they quickly take notice of him and his group. "Oh my god... Frank?" He watches as a pretty latina steps forward, seeing a smile break out on Frank's face from the corner of his eye. "The one and only. Long time no see, Isabela." Frank replies as she quickly throws her arms around his neck, giving him a tight hug. "I was so worried about you! Where have you been?" Isabela asks. "Long story short, I decided to go gamble a little on the Strip, but then all this happened. I'll fill you in once we're out of here." Frank replies.
Jack opens his mouth to speak, but he quickly loses his train of thought as what is no doubt the loudest croak he has heard all day reaches his ears, the sheer amount of bass contained in it threatening to deafen him. He can feel the ground shaking beneath his feet as the echo passes over them, causing Helena to groan in pain in his arms. "God damn it, I do NOT need this bullshit right now. We're getting out of here." Jack remarks, eyes scanning the sewers around them for any sign of movement. "Which way? We haven't been able to navigate these tunnels ever since we got down here." Lara questions him, causing Jack to formulate an idea in his head. It was reckless, it was dangerous, and it was probably stupid, but it would definitely get them out faster...
"I'm about to make life a lot easier on us. Here, take Helena for a minute." Jack passes the injured agent off to Trent before returning to where he was standing, eyes on the ceiling of the tunnel they were currently in as he proceeds to stretch a little. "Got an idea, kid?" Frank asks. "Yeah. I'm going to bring the roof down and make a shortcut to the surface for us." He replies nonchalantly, netting plenty of weird looks for himself from Trent's group. "You can't be serious." Trent remarks. "Dead serious. You might want to get some distance, I just met you and I'd hate to accidentally crush you under several tons of stonework." Jack ignores their astonishment as he brings forth his musclemass mutation one final time, surveying the area for the best point to strike. "Might want to do what he says..." Ever the wise one, Frank leads everyone a fair distance away from the scene, Jack waiting until they are safely out of harm's way before finding what he assumed was a load bearing wall of the sewer. Drawing back, he slams his fist into the brick with as much force as he can muster.
Concrete and pieces of brick explode everywhere as he smashes through the wall with ease, barely having time to roll out of the way himself as the ceiling soon follows suit, crashing down into the sewer with them and allowing the morning sun to shine brightly into the tunnel, illuminating everything within. Stopping to survey his handiwork, he finds that the ceiling and part of the street had collapsed in such a way as to remain mostly intact, giving them something of a steep ramp to climb out on. Ha! Maybe our luck's changing after all. The others return soon afterwards, also stopping to survey just what he had accomplished.
"Whoa..." Is all that escapes Lauren's lips, the girl sounding somewhat shell-shocked. "That... That was..." Jessie trails off as well. "Pretty damned awesome, I've gotta say," Trent finishes for her, whistling in admiration. "Where'd you learn to do that?" He asks. Jack shakes his head, his limbs returning to normal as he gently takes Helena back from Trent. "Long story. Point is we can get out in less than half the time, so let's get going. Frank and I will have you guys back at the shelter in no time." Jack is quite thankful for his sunglasses as they emerge on the Platinum Strip, the sun burning their eyes and warming their bodies at the same time as they thankfully breathe in the much fresher air, finally free of the putrid, damp conditions of the sewer.
"Much better..." Frank remarks, sounding quite content despite the zombies milling around. "Yeah, I'll take zombies over giant frogs and cockroaches any day of the week." Jack agrees with him, shifting Helena in his arms. "So which way now?" Trent asks, taking in the sights of the Strip. "It's not far away. Don't worry about the zombies, they're pushovers compared to the hell we just crawled out of. Come on." Jack leads the now much larger group through the area, dodging past mobs of zombies along the way with relative ease. In short order they find themselves crawling through a very familiar set of vents, returning to their temporary home at long last, though it takes some improvisation to move the injured and unconscious members of their party through.
"Nice place..." Jack hears the woman with blond hair remark as he emerges from the ducts himself, breathing a sigh of relief. "It is. Feel free to explore and pick out rooms for yourselves, chances are we're going to be here for a pretty long time. As for you, Lara, I'm pretty sure I saw some spare clothes laying around in the lockers in the restroom. I doubt you want to keep running around in your underwear. Same for you, Rebecca." Jack tells them, giving each of the women a pointed look.
As the group separates to each do their own thing momentarily, Jack takes Helena back to her own room with Deborah in tow, quickly locating one of the few first aid kits they had left and preparing to get to work, though she quickly takes it from him. "You should go take a rest, Jack. I can handle this." She instructs him. "Are you sure? I can help." Jack questions. Deborah takes a look at the first aid kit, then at her sister, noting her flushed cheeks. "There is something you can do for me, actually. It looks like she's got a fever, and this kit isn't going to get the job done for something this serious. We need real medicine here." She replies, opening the kit and grabbing a roll of gauze. "All right. I can go on a medicine run. There's plenty of pharmacies in Fortune City so it should be easy enough." Jack tells her, leaving her to her work for the moment, not quite wanting to share a room with her just yet.
He debates inwardly as to whether or not it'd be a good idea to just go by himself, but bringing one or two people along would help him fend off the zombies and carry more supplies, at least. A quick check of the area for Frank reveals him passed out on the sofa in the security room with Stacey, however, which is quite unfortunate. Jack decides to leave him to his rest, remembering that the old man is just a bit more human than he is at this point. Maybe one of the people we just picked up would like to lend a hand... We did just save their asses in a sense, after all.
Jack Krysta
Health: 86%, bandaged bite wound on left arm Fatigue: 40% Entourage: Nobody, currently Inventory: Transceiver, Handgun (0/0)
Current time in the CYOA: 9:30 AM
A) Trent could possibly be helpful in this venture, Jack has yet to speak to him much but he seems like the dependable sort of person
B) Perhaps Rachel would be up to the task of helping out, she also seems quite capable and dependable
C) The Croft sisters would be a good asset to have on hand, and they seem like the sort of women Jack would associate himself with as it is
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