Worse Than the Disease 2 IC

[JbeJ275]

Ramsey grabs one of his sticks of dynamite and a match from his matchbox, the box itself held in the same hand, and the match struck. He then leaps through the car door, leaving his thin coat behind him.

[u-b]

Sean keeps aiming until all of the animals are close together, then shoots a long burst, walking it from beside the shack and at the rest of the approaching things.

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1..3 more rounds here, Wait action eventually converted to an attack.

[Shoot Da Moon]

The exiles and Ramsey see the horrid bear-like and reptilian animals converge on the shack as the man inside retreats from the window and scream for help. The larger monsters, if and when they get to the shack, smash and ram the walls and doors of the shack - none of them manage to get in but they all make a good show of ruining the outer décor. The wolf-creatures snacking on the corpses pay no-one any mind - they have delicious human meat to sample.

TURN 5

Then Sean brings his rifle to bear, and fires away.

(OC: Sean fires 12 bullets. The bear-things are SM+1 and the reptiles are SM+2.)

His results are satisfying - none of the monsters are aware of the attack and Sean's aim is true.
The wounded bear-horror is shredded by the two bullets Sean puts into its heart(?).
The other bear is also exterminated by Sean's shots.
A reptile catches two bullets and is immediately slain.
The second reptile is hit by two bullets, and dies without a prayer.
The third monster takes both hits coming its way and falls down dead.

In less than a second, the five large animals are all deceased.

(OC: Richard, it is your turn now. Then it's the wolves.)

[Volthawk]

Seeing Sean's handled the other animals, and that the wolves are still not focused on them, Richard takes his time to line up a shot at them.

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Aiming.

How far away are the wolves from our position?

[Shoot Da Moon]

Seeing Sean's handled the other animals, and that the wolves are still not focused on them, Richard takes his time to line up a shot at them.

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Aiming.

How far away are the wolves from our position?

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10 yards at the nearest. The furthest is 14 yards.

Ramsey?

[JbeJ275]

With the crowd of animals diminished, Ramsey realises his dynamite might be.. over enthusiastic. Thus he drops them and the match unlit on top of hit coat and picks up his spear instead.

[Shoot Da Moon]

The mutated wolves stop their eating and start running away, apparently spooked by the gunfire.

(OC: combat over? Anyone shooting at their backs or anything?)

[u-b]

Sean is not inclined to let the animals flee so shoots a burst at them with the rest of the magazine. Bart get that as an example to follow and shoots at the wolf he was aiming at.

[Shoot Da Moon]

Sean blazes away (spending 12 bullets in the process) and scores hits on seven of the horrors. They all die, torn apart by the high-powered hot lead.

Bart, meanwhile, follows the scout's lead and opens up with his shotgun. The blast is brutally on-target, shredding the mutant animal's fur and muscle, splattering the ground with blood in a chaotic pattern.

8 of the fleeing animals are dead, the rest still manage to keep moving.

(OC: The 8 animals have Move 6. After 3 seconds of action, and the wolves will be out of sight, into the wilderness and only found via tracking.)

[Volthawk]

While Sean deals with the wolves, Richard makes his way straight to the shack - there may be people inside in trouble. "We've cleared them out - are you guys alright in there?"

[Shoot Da Moon]

(OOC: Richard will be Moving for a few seconds. In the meantime, what will Ramsey be doing?)

[u-b]

While Richard is walking and everyone else is aiming, Sean quickly reloads and shoots another long burst at the retreating wolves...

[JbeJ275]

Ramsey quickly ticks his coat back on, but ultimately stays near the vehicle keeping an eye out for other approaching threats.

[Shoot Da Moon]

Sean's burst fire nails all the remaining mutant wolves, killing them all in a brutal sweep of hot lead.

The scene goes quiet as the blood pools grow from the fresh corpses.

No signs of further life are visible, as the man inside the shack has retreated in completely and is presumably weeping in fear and horror.

[u-b]

Sean lets Richard handle the shack and first goes to check those eaten people. If there are signs of life, he is to provide first aid. If there are not, he'll just re-fill the magazines and collect the casings from the rounds spent.

[Shoot Da Moon]

Sean sees all the people being eaten by the wolves are stone dead, it seems their throats were torn out by hungry jaws. They all sport defensive wounds on their hands and arms - they tried to fight the animals off. He gathers his brass and reloads his magazines without further incident.

Richard, meanwhile, goes to the shack and knocks on the door. He looks into the window to find the man cowering in the corner, still clutching his emptied SMG. He looks pretty traumatized. Tears are streaming down his cheeks.

(OC: I do not think your Guilt Complex Disadvantage triggers here. But it's a grim scene none-the-less.)

[Volthawk]

Damn. This was...a mess. At least they were able to save one of them. Richard could take some reassurance from that, at least. Slinging his rifle back over his shoulder, he tries the door to slowly enter and approach the man, hands up. "Hey. It's over, wee've killed them and we're here to help with...what's left. Are you hurt?"

[Shoot Da Moon]

The man in the shack barely manages to respond, "Yeah, yeah...I'm okay...They didn't touch me..."
He then bursts into another crying jag. Richard confirms he is unharmed (physically) with a quick glance-over, as the man allows Richard to get close to him and comfort him.

Richard notices the inside of the shack is in good condition, none of the monsters got past the doors and windows. But it is not secure now, the ways into the shack are damaged too bad to keep out any more bad guys or animals.

The man in the shack eventually slumps as the adrenaline and the shock wears off (and the trauma sinks in). He allows Richard to lead him out and follow him, slinging his gun.
"They chased us all the way here from the other end of the valley..." The man quietly explains. "They just came out of the woods, a huge swarm of the blasted things..."

[u-b]

Sean thinks of what can be done about the situation. "We are too busy at the moment and I am not sure we'll ge able to come back here to backtrack the things anytime soon. We'd like to, but we'll have to see how it goes. We also don't have the time to properly bury your comrades, unless you invent some way that's more quick. That said, I think despite we've killed all of the lot attacking you, it might still be unsafe to remain here alone. Will you pack your and your comrades' gear and come with us? We should be able to drop you somewhere safe in a matter of days."

[Shoot Da Moon]

The man tearfully agrees.
"Okay. That's good. Take me away from this awful place."
He shivers and shakes as he gathers his things for 10 minutes and tries to avoid looking at the corpses.
The exiles and their allies get back on the road soon enough.

The drive over to the meeting place is quiet and sad. The roadside scenes get a little more hopeful for a half a mile, as the exiles spot a caravan of people slowly making their way south in wagons pulled by mules.

The exiles pass by without incident, and arrive at the meeting place, a clearing campsite with plenty of sight lines and cover. The sun is still high in the air. Mutated people in thick black all-covering gear stay away from plain sight of the road, they are busy tending to campsite chores. A few are eating lunch. They quickly recognize the exiles and welcome them into the camp. The camp commander is looking over a regional map and instructing his scout to take a pair of binoculars and keep a lookout on Newport until night falls.

He's ready to talk business with the exiles...

[u-b]

Sean shows the camp commander and anyone the camp commander invites for the meeting the fake report and the party's notes about any and all discrepancies found therein. He starts to explain the discrepancies in much more details than mentioned in the notes as the notes are basically a reminder of what is wrong where without any details of the thought process that went into this classification. Then he states the conclusion that this is a fake, based on some original, which might or might not be correct, but it is not possible to say what the original has contained only using the fake at hand. Sean suggests that the mutants try to contact the original report's author if they care about its contents and do their investigation of the transmission channel this one went through. Sean asks if this is or is not enough to get our collateral back (we can post a lesser collateral if that seems appropriate). Sean says he is sure not entitled to, but would like to, be kept informed about how this ultimately turns out, especially since the original report might have said something important and relevant to the lot of quite important stuff the party is currently busy with. Speaking of which...

The party has received, first- or n-th-hand, the following pieces of information we would like to hear some comments about:
1. A lot of mutant animals appearing in large numbers indiscriminately attacking people in the area.
2. A mass of armed mutants moving from Newport to an unknown destination somewhere in the north.

[Shoot Da Moon]

Sean shows the camp commander and anyone the camp commander invites for the meeting the fake report and the party's notes about any and all discrepancies found therein. He starts to explain the discrepancies in much more details than mentioned in the notes as the notes are basically a reminder of what is wrong where without any details of the thought process that went into this classification. Then he states the conclusion that this is a fake, based on some original, which might or might not be correct, but it is not possible to say what the original has contained only using the fake at hand. Sean suggests that the mutants try to contact the original report's author if they care about its contents and do their investigation of the transmission channel this one went through. Sean asks if this is or is not enough to get our collateral back (we can post a lesser collateral if that seems appropriate). Sean says he is sure not entitled to, but would like to, be kept informed about how this ultimately turns out, especially since the original report might have said something important and relevant to the lot of quite important stuff the party is currently busy with. Speaking of which...

The party has received, first- or n-th-hand, the following pieces of information we would like to hear some comments about:
1. A lot of mutant animals appearing in large numbers indiscriminately attacking people in the area.
2. A mass of armed mutants moving from Newport to an unknown destination somewhere in the north.

The commander is convinced by Sean's presentation and gives them their collateral back without a scratch.

He comments that while he can put in a request to clean house and double-check their reports, there is no doubt that'll be a delay in processing it...

...because all of his mutant comrades have been called to war, gathering in a huge march (leaving a skeleton crew behind, which includes his own unit) and taking to the north to attack an army base.

He has not heard of the mutant animal swarms before now, however. He speculates the beasts are being controlled somehow, either by Old World technology or by a mutant's extra-normal abilities.

(OOC: all players earn 1 bonus Character Point for alerting the mutants of the false reports.)

[u-b]

Sean thanks the mutant commander for the information and tries to make sure he understands (1) which "army base" is this and (2) how it relates to the slavers' factory. If that is the same thing, he says he can provide some information about it. If that is not the same thing, he'd rather request some information.

[Shoot Da Moon]

Sean thanks the mutant commander for the information and tries to make sure he understands (1) which "army base" is this and (2) how it relates to the slavers' factory. If that is the same thing, he says he can provide some information about it. If that is not the same thing, he'd rather request some information.

The mutant squad leader looks reluctant for a moment, and then shakes his head.
"I'm sorry. I can't share too much. Orders. But I can't tell you that the army base is dangerous and our assault on it could go wrong. For now, just tend to your own business and we'll handle it."

[u-b]

Sean nods. Secrecy he can understand. But he doesn't have it on his side, as far as the enemy bases are concerned, so he shares that part of Stone's info, including the tank, both maps and that sort of thing. He tells the mutants to "have us in" if they ever are after that base.

If no one has anything to add to the exchange, we then drive straight to Bread Basket.

[Shoot Da Moon]

Sean nods. Secrecy he can understand. But he doesn't have it on his side, as far as the enemy bases are concerned, so he shares that part of Stone's info, including the tank, both maps and that sort of thing. He tells the mutants to "have us in" if they ever are after that base.

If no one has anything to add to the exchange, we then drive straight to Bread Basket.

The mutant nods his head as he takes in the information presented. He asks about the source of the information. He copies the juiciest bits into his own notepad, just in case, before taking the original copies from Sean. He raises an eyebrow at mention of a tank. He passes the stuff over to his subordinate on the radio.

He comments in a sideways manner that Sean's base is the same as the one the Newport mutants is marching on, but he can't authorize the exiles to help without an okay from the higher-ups. He highly doubts his bosses will allow the exiles any further access, due to paranoia on their part. He is resigned to that.

(OC: Bread Basket is 60 miles from here.)

The exiles leave with a warm farewell. Sean leads the way, driving across the state to the farming city. The journey will take about 5 hours and 30 minutes, assuming nothing goes wrong...

Along the way, Sean notices more and more grisly scenes of dead by the road as he makes his way south and west into Vermont. It seems the carnage is going in a specific direction?

He drives deeper into wilderness, towards a valley where Shelter 33 bloomed into the community of Bread Basket decades ago. As he comes up to a big fork in the road, he spies automobile wreckages. A car lies upside down, crushed flat under its own weight. Some meters away is another vehicle which tried to meld with a tree along the side of the road. No bodies appear to rest in either car, so the drivers must have made it from the accident. A couple of long-dead road flares speak to medics who have been here. A blackened husk of a car is on the other side of the road. The exposed ribs of a corpse is hanging out an open door, picked clean by time and carrion eaters. A light rain drums a funeral rhythm on the rusting roof. Old bullet holes let faint light through the left and right sides of the vehicle.

(OC: Will the exiles stop and check out the scene closely, or keep driving?)

[u-b]

Mutant Commander

Sean informs the mutant commander that the info is from the notes of a slaver commander that we have gotten some time in the past, along with the slaver commander himself. If the notes are in doubt, slaver commander can be also provided. He also informs the mutant commander that he is about to procure some anti-tank weapons, just in case, and if mutant superiors find it prudent, will provide some of those, with or without himself, on the condition that the slaves kept at the base be left unharmed to the extent practical. He will be on the radio and has secure encryption, handing a code right now.

Bread Basket

At the car wreck, Sean stops and gets out of the vehicle. That is too many "accidents" too closely packed to just drive through. So he takes any volunteers and first makes a wide circle around the scenery, looking for any potential observers, but also for other stuff, like fresh tracks. If nothing suspicious anywhere, he'll check the actual crashes too, and the road ahead, for possible causes, traps and what not.

Spoiler

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Bread Basket is 60 miles from here.

The journey will take about 5 hours and 30 minutes...

Should not the road conditions have improved by now from the winter? These numbers average to about 11 mph. Plausible, but we have been moving faster.

[Shoot Da Moon]

At the car wreck, Sean stops and gets out of the vehicle. That is too many "accidents" too closely packed to just drive through. So he takes any volunteers and first makes a wide circle around the scenery, looking for any potential observers, but also for other stuff, like fresh tracks. If nothing suspicious anywhere, he'll check the actual crashes too, and the road ahead, for possible causes, traps and what not.

Spoiler

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Should not the road conditions have improved by now from the winter? These numbers average to about 11 mph. Plausible, but we have been moving faster.

Sean notices that the scene used to be very disturbed, but has been cleaned up of whatever stuff was put down previously. He figures someone once set bear traps and tripwires out here, but they were taken down after that.

This spot was definitely used as an ambush zone in the past, probably a week ago. But it's all clear now. Any human tracks he finds is old enough to be long gone.

The crashed cars have been scavenged throughly. Metal has been stripped out of the engines and frames.

(OC: the roads are in a terrible state, so the conditions are not great in terms of speed, but you at least do not have to worry about cold temperatures or snow blindness.)

[u-b]

Sean shrugs and proposes we be on our way. There does not seem to be much else to do besides going paranoid.

[Shoot Da Moon]

On the road again, the exiles quickly find a good route to the city of food. It's about dark when they arrive at their destination. Bread Basket is located in the middle of lush greenery, carefully cultivated for harvesting fruits, vegetables, fresh water and some animals. The metal tower of the city's main facility raises out to the sky, as if struggling to reach the clouds. It strikes an odd contrast to the urban sprawls the exiles have seen so far.

Driving into the visitors' center ready to meet newcomers, they quickly find that Bread Basket has a somewhat strange policy on citizenship; it seems only city natives, born and raised in the underground former Shelter, are allowed to enter the inner circles of the city.

The exiles are only allowed to enter and do business in the city's outward circles, running trade requests to the higher ups through the lower level bureaucrats. It reminds them a little of Gunmetal's policy. Those meeting the exiles ask the exiles to introduce themselves, record their business purposes, and submit to security measures.

The outward parts of Bread Basket are home to shanty towns built by outsiders and home/accommodations to non-citizens. There's multiple hotels, service stations, leisure establishments and specialty merchants available in the outer city.

(OC: expect an interview with city security, so list reaction modifiers and the ratings of relevant skills, don't roll anything just yet.)