Realistic or Modern T-Minus Never

As the four undead fell out of the open doors, Teddy calmly observed from behind the two in the front, holding his rifle at eye level. He knew his position and why he was in the back, to make sure nothing slipped by and cover the two with his rifle. Pretty simple, pretty easy. But, from the looks of how things were playing out, that wouldn't really be needed. Sybille had already dealt with hers with a devastating shotgun blast, Lars was easily handling the one after him, and the other two were ignoring them entirely and making a beeline for him and Ash.

As the two approached, Teddy was overcome with an internal crisis on whether or not he should shoot. He didn't care about the noise, they'd made enough of that already, but more like he didn't want to waste a bullet. He wasn't stingy with his bullets, but .30-30 rounds weren't just tucked away in every glove box and purse in America, after all. Ten of the bullets he had on hand had been with him for years, shot and reloaded possibly hundreds of times.

Making up his mind, Teddy broke away from Ash so as to have room to fight. He completely missed the fear in her eyes as he went. Stopping a few feet away, Teddy waited patiently as the zombie approached him, rifle hung in his hands. Teddy stood his ground as the undead teen lunged towards him, putting all their weight forward in an attempt to grapple him. Easily, Teddy whipped the butt of his gun across the side of their head and moved to the side, sending the zombie careening by, carried by their momentum and unable to salvage themself.

As the zombie began picking itself up, Teddy rested his leg on their back and shoved their face into the dirt. Kneeling on their back, Teddy quickly stowed his rifle away and flipped out his knife before pressing the dead man's head into the ground. Every action was met by a snarl and an increase in their struggles, but with their arms in too awkward of a position to reach Teddy and their body pinned, they couldn't do much of anything.

Murmuring a "Sorry buddy" under his breath, Teddy quickly slid the knife through the back of their head. Instantly, their struggles stopped.

A few feet away, Ashlynn finished dealing with her infected, and all four were dead. Picking himself up, Teddy dusted himself off before grasping the zombified teen he'd just stabbed and beginning to drag them off the road into the grass.

"Y'know, that was pretty loud" Teddy noted idly as he stepped by the others to collect the remaining bodies, "Think anyone heard that?" he asked, picking up the final dead teen bridal style. The teen's head had been split wide open from the shotgun blast, so Teddy had to make sure nothing stained his shirt as he carried them to to the row of bodies he'd arranged. Buckshot and brain matter never washes out.

Tugging a dirty blue tarp out from under the trailer, Teddy laid it out over the bodies before popping a crisp salute and walking over to lean against the trailer. The tarp barely covered their bodies and he couldn't really afford the time to bury them at the moment, but it was a better send off than most people got. At the very least, it would help him sleep easier.

As Teddy finished dealing with the final infected, Sybille shook her head and lowered her gun at her knelt position. Lars and Teddy ended up handling the infected that attacked them with blades, which Sybille couldn't wrap her head around. "That was cocky, you two," she said, pointing to the infected at each of their feet. "What you do outside the walls on your own is one thing, but remember that any bites and..." Sybille mimed shooting herself in the head with her hand. "Try to avoid any unnecessary risks, please." With the final comment, she stood up and examined the scene.

"Is everyone alright?" She called out, scanning her group for any especially wide eyes or pained expressions. When her gaze fell on Jordan, Kat, and Charlie, she was relieved to see all of them looked completely fine. Is this what you wanted, Kat? Having fun outside of your cushy anchor store home?

"Y'know, that was pretty loud" Teddy noted idly as he stepped by the others to collect the remaining bodies, "Think anyone heard that?"

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He's right, Sybille thought. The group wasn't far from the rendezvous point and she was willing to bet everything she had that the DHQS had been there for hours already. Sybille's two gunshots definitely alerted everyone in the area to the group's presence. I suppose we could feign ignorance if pressed on it. It's not like the DHQS needs to know how our hike went. She shook her head again, uncertain of how to handle the inevitable meeting.

"Is everyone ready to get moving again? We're nearly there."

---

Coming up a slight hill, Sybille and her crew arrived at the gas station that the two factions agreed to meet at. She raised her hand for the group to hold their position as her eyes quickly darted around all potential cover spots with line of site on her oncoming crew. She spotted a man on the roof and a man and a woman down on the ground, but she couldn't see any other humans. Really? Only three people? Who do you take us for? Sybille bit her lip in an attempt not to get ahead of herself. There could always have been more people hidden around the gas station. And, even if there really were only three, all that means is the Mall has a major numbers advantage in the event of any... disputes.

Taking a deep breath, Sybille took a step forward and ushered her group to follow. "Hello!" she called out, "My name is Sybille. I am a Security Representative of The Mall. Please state your name and employer." Her voice almost wavered at the end, but she managed to keep her request stern. Let's hope these DHQS goons are pushovers.

From the relative safety of his observation post Fred watched the figures far down the road move about a larger vehicle- most likely a truck of some sort- when suddenly there was gunfire in the same distant direction. Instinctively Fred made himself slightly smaller while also tightening the grip of his rifle. Based on the movements he could see through his x2 scope the group had either encountered zekes or melee-oriented scavengers though considering the remote nature of their current location Fred was willing to bet a couple of 5.56 rounds on the former.

Judging by the sound down the road though whatever skirmish that had just taken place ended as quickly as it started. Relaxing slightly, Fred tried to get a better look though to no avail. He crouched further while putting on his ComTacs once more- activating them briefly just to scan for sound- and was pleased to hear the faint sound of calm and collected dialogue between the figures. Or at least he assumed it was calm and collected as there were no shouting or sounds of weapons being readied.

After removing and turning off the ear defenders Fredrik peeked over the sandbags down at Florida and Ryan. "Looks like the unidentified party had some close contact. Zekes are KIA now though, no losses on their side as far as I can tell from up here but I'll continue watching them."

That said, Fred skidded back into his original position and continued to observe the group as they drew closer and closer...

Seeing them much more clearly now a stern-faced Fred watched the party of civilians approach the outer perimeter of the gas station. Civilian clothing, darting eyes and lax handling of weapons hinted to the fact that none of these people had any previous military experience. Great, we're putting our trust in a all-civilian militia then. I sure hope Ryan knows what the hell he's doing.

When the woman that introduced herself as Sybille spoke Fred tensed up and adjusted his rifle slightly. The muzzle was down in a safe direction but the rifle itself was in a low-ready position which was optimal in cases such as these where Fredrik didn't yet perceive a group of unknown people as friendlies. In response to her inquiry he simply stonewalled her, choosing to stare at her silently like some statue of flesh, bone and kevlar.

Charlie rose from his position behind the car, motioning for Kat to stay down for a moment, then helping her up from her crouch. He peered down at the slain infected, then checked to make sure nobody was injured.

queendilettante said:

"That was cocky, you two," she said, pointing to the infected at each of their feet. "What you do outside the walls on your own is one thing, but remember that any bites and..." Sybille mimed shooting herself in the head with her hand. "Try to avoid any unnecessary risks, please."

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"That was stupid," he corrected, holding his hands on his hips.
"I won't tell you how to do your job, but please try not to feed yourself to them, I'm not running back to the Mall for vaccines." He spoke specifically to Lars, who had his hand only inches from the Casualty's mouth, at least Teddy had the sense to turn it around first.

Charlie cursed himself for not bringing at least one vaccine, which he liked to call the "D-Back", since it makes interceptions. Some nurse in the hospital wing appeared to have moved his supply, which normally would be kept in deep refrigeration. By the time he had to leave for this expedition, it was too late, he didn't have time to look for them any further. It was probably up with the other founders, with his luck.

Togy said:

Tugging a dirty blue tarp out from under the trailer, Teddy laid it out over the bodies before popping a crisp salute and walking over to lean against the trailer.

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He nodded in agreement with the gesture, not wanting to look at the dead any more than the others.


"D-H-Q-S," Charlie slowly spelled out, crossing his arms and allowing Sybille to do the talking. He never liked being around post-apocalyptic military types, even off the job. To him, they always acted like they're better than everyone just because they get free helmets. So long as they stayed in their lane, he wouldn't complain. Besides, speaking his mind wouldn't mean much to these grunts anyway.


Interactions: Solar Daddy Togy

The sound of gunfire in the distance makes Ryan perk up, finally giving him something to pay attention to besides constantly swiveling to make sure nothing's creeping up on them. Besides, now he's got Fred to keep an eye out while he handles the Mall folks. When they finally reach visual range, he tramps across the top of the car he's standing on before dropping down, sliding down the cracked windshield on his backside before sitting on the rusted hood of the car, rifle hanging across his chest. Time to play nice and see if these people were worth further investment.

"Name and employer? Didn't realize this was an interview, or I'd have brought my resume." He answers with a chuckle, reaching up to take his shades off. "Agent Ryan McCarthy, DHQS, Western Operations Group. Its a pleasure to meet you, ma'am, hope your trip here was smooth." He goes on, looking over the group in front of him. This many for a simple escort job had him concerned. Awful lot of guns for a simple hello, but he's not going to entertain their little show of force by flinching. Ryan steps forward, peeling his tactical glove off his hand before extending his hand out to shake Sybille's. Before she can take it, he turns slightly towards the best dressed out of them.

"You must be Ms. Roberts. Pleasure's all mine, but I'd prefer to handle further introductions somewhere inside over coffee." He offers, patting one of the pouches on his vest. Of course, the small sack of coffee beans in his vest was practically black gold east of the river, but DHQS had "convinced" the surviving upper crust to "sacrifice some valuables for the war effort." Folks out here probably hadn't had coffee in six or more years, given that the only places on earth still producing it had a hard time shipping it to the middle of America. Working theory was a taste of the old world would be a hell of a bribe, or just get him shot. He silently gives thanks to Saudi Arabia - those penal colonies farming coffee in Ethiopia might just buy him a few points with the locals.

Lars checked around once the fighting finished to ensure no other infected were attracted to the sound of Sybille's gunfire. Once in the clear, Lars wiped off his blade on the tattered clothes of the Casualty he offed. With a fluid motion he sheathed the knife and holstered his pistol before swinging his rifle off his shoulder. He was about to remove his mask when he received the - in his opinion - grating words from Sybille and Charlie. He clenched his jaw and made a contorted face; a look he often did behind his mask when he knew no one could see it. "I prefer to save my munition for emergencies." Lars spoke simply, his voice somewhat muffled. He'd keep the M15 on for now.

Lars watched as Teddy made a quick funeral show for the infected they'd killed. He wasn't one to partake but he understood the sentiment. With a quick sweep of their surroundings, Lars was comfortable moving on since no other infected appeared to be around.

The rest of the distance to the meetup point was uneventful for Lars. He once again took up his position at the back of the group and peered around periodically. When they arrived, Lars held his position when Sybille ordered, once again keeping his eyes searching corners. It didn't take long for Sybille to call the group forward with her. It was finally time to see what all this fuss was about. Maybe there'd be a whole army of DHQS inside handing out cheeseburgers and beer. It was nice to believe in some dreams, Lars thought.

Lars moved up to Sybille's position, rifle in hand aimed at the ground. He saw only two directly ahead which Lars was not expecting whatsoever. He knew this was just a discussion they'd be having, but two? Then Lars scanned the rooftops and saw the third; Lars smiled behind his mask in response to the stare he gave the group. One of them was hidden up there, so it wasn't a stretch to think they may have more elsewhere. Lars positioned himself against a streetlight, the only immediate cover he could get to without looking overly cautious. A little bit of cover was better than none, especially if he could do it without standing out. Making the sniper on the roof have an unclean shot on him made Lars feel a little better. Looking over the three of them, Lars decided if it came down to it, he'd aim for the one introducing himself to Sybille and then Kat. Ryan, was his name.

Lars agreed with Ryan, though he didn't voice it. Having the dealings take place inside seemed for the best - and the mere mention of coffee got Lars' mouth watering. Damn, who needed cheeseburgers and beer when coffee was on the line? Though, Lars doubted the offer extended to him. Still, the smell of it would be enticing enough.

Sybille forced a smile in response to Ryan’s greeting. “Don’t worry, we’ll start with your field test; just make sure you get the resume in my mailbox by the weekend.” Sybille lowered her external guard somewhat and stepped forward toward the DHQS agent. Before she could shake his hand and respond to his greeting, though, he called out to Kat.

"You must be Ms. Roberts. Pleasure's all mine, but I'd prefer to handle further introductions somewhere inside over coffee." He offers, patting one of the pouches on his vest.

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Kat smiled at Ryan. “If you can handle yourself as well as it looks like you can,” she started, flirtatiously biting her lip, “we’ll have plenty of time to get to know each other over coffee.” Kat reached in front of Charlie and took Ryan’s hand that was extended toward Sybille to shake.

Ryan isn’t one to be fazed by a little flirting and the suggestion washes over him, not so much as a glint in his eye to suggest he even really processed it. The man’s got a poker face, even without the shades. He’s also got a wedding band tucked under his left glove, but it's not like she could know that. “Soon as we make it back to the Mall, we ought to have plenty of time. Apocalypse had a way of really opening up the planner.” He jokes.

Sybille rolled her eyes at Kat’s obnoxious flirtation from behind her sunglasses. When the Founder finally pulled her hand away, Sybille gave Ryan a half-assed two finger salute and backed away from him in the direction of her crew. “Our trip was fairly painless,” she started, looking past Ryan toward the woman behind him. “How about you three? A Mall in Columbia is quite the hike from the east coast, especially once you left your quarantine zone.” Sybille didn’t intend for her words to sound arrogant or biting, but she feared they may have come across that way.

“Wasn’t so bad. DHQS has the trains rolling again, makes for better troop hauling up and down the coast. With Cleveland in living hands, it wasn’t the worst hike I’ve had to do.” He answers. “Where are my manners? Man up there is Lieutenant Davis, this one here is Corporal Winter. The good Lieutenant will be offering his medical services as well as his talents as a quartermaster, and the Corporal is here to brighten up the scenery with a little color.” He jokes, nodding towards the loose shock of violet hair hanging from under her helmet. It seemed more pleasant than saying what she was really there for - to run security and brutalize the hell out of anyone who caused him trouble.

Sybille smiled again and stepped back inward to show off her crew.

Nic the Merc Viper Actual Solar Daddy Aeris idiot Togy Hard Boiled

Fred was perfectly content with letting Ryan, the woman named Sybille and- what he presumed- the Mall head-honcho do all the chatting. As much as he'd love to grease some elbows with the locals the current position of everyone coupled with the myriad of other unknown factors didn't allow for Fredrik to drop his guard. The schmuck standing next to the streetlight wearing a gasmask and packing heat would be a priority target should things go full-on wild west. He'd seen enough militiamen over the years to learn when to recognize an actual skilled shooter- usually a hunter or a farmer that have learned how to handle a rifle out of necessity and survival.

That said some of the other could surely handle themselves fairly well. Fred's eyes slowly scanned over each and every one of them. By accident his eyes met those of another person- a girl, she couldn't be older than eighteen. Fredrik paused and narrowed his eyes further before continuing.

Movement.

At the edge of his periphery he spotted movement. Turning to focus on it, Fredrik raised his rifle albeit not in a quick fashion. To anyone on the ground it would be obvious that he was using his scope to scout something out. To his surprise he had actually seen something. Far away in the distance came no less than five casualties erratically wobbling towards the truck and the source of the Mall-folks previous gunfire. By the look of things they were more interested in checking out the truck than anything else.

Fred lowered his rifle and leaned against the sandbag wall, knocking twice on his helmet which was strapped to his belt in order to get Ryan's attention.

"I got movement. Five zekes. Charlie-class. They're a couple of hundred meters away, non-closing."

"Still, you might want to head inside in case they got friends around to pick up our chatter," finished Fred.

Teddy's eyes widened in immeasurable surprise as the head man produced the bag. Coffee? Vaguely, Teddy distantly remembered when he'd have a dreadfully hot, disgustingly black amalgamation called 'Coffee', finger quotes there, every meal of the day to give him the energy to deal with whatever bullshit the day sent his way. Truly, a world lost to time. When confronted with what could very well be some of the last coffee beans in America, though, he didn't find himself as excited as he would've thought. It was probably because he was more of a tea guy now. He'd transitioned to tea made from pine needles and the likes less because he wanted to and more out of necessity to taste something needlessly bitter.

Shooting finger guns at the male and female soldier in way of greeting, Teddy slid off to the side to sit on the hood of a rusted-out car outside the station. He'd formally introduce himself, but the three of them seemed to be hitting it off at the moment. Kicking his legs idly against the rust-coated bumper of the sedan, Teddy let his rifle hang on its strap along his back as he watched the encounter. Giving a cheerful wave to anyone who looked his way for more than a second, the Canadian never let his guard drop. Sure, the soldiers looked decent enough, but he'd been screwed over faster before. No offense to them, but if things went down then he needed a range advantage with his rifle. Ergo, he split off to sit the meeting out. Rubbing his gloved fingers along the rust covering the hood, Teddy doubted the thing could take a bullet. He could easily picture a 5.56 round punching through the entire car, but it was the best he could come up with on short notice.

Looking past the group to where they'd come from down the road, Teddy squinted as he noticed a small flock of birds roving above the skies from where they'd come from. Three, at least, of small, cowardly herbivores, the kind lucky enough to have a diet largely unaffected by the virus and smart enough to run away at the first sign of danger. As soon as the group made to touch down along the treeline, they shot right back up into the skies and flew away like bats out of hell. A pretty telling sign, all things considered. Looking downwards to where the flock tried touching down, Teddy noted how the greenery around the scene of their fight swayed a little too violently to be natural. A second later, shapes too far away to be anything but dots in his vision exited the foliage. Twenty guesses what that was.

"I got movement. Five zekes. Charlie-class. They're a couple of hundred meters away, non-closing."

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Knew it. They had made a lot of noise earlier, so this was more or less expected. Shooting a thumbs up to the Lieutenant on the roof, Teddy hopped off the hood of the car and came closer to the group.

"Yeah, I'd listen to that guy. On a scale from one to pretty fuggin' loud, I'd rate a shotgun blast at around...the ear-piercing beep of a microwave at the dead of night" Teddy interrupted, nodding to himself before continuing, "so, y'know, there's no telling how many others got startled. I mean, there's never just five, cause' that'd be too easy".

"I can help keep a lookout. If that's alright" Teddy said, adding the last part as he looked to Sybille with a raised eyebrow. Her mission, her rules, after all.

Charlie had no interest in fraternizing with the agents, unless it would contribute towards earning himself a cup of that bitter gold Ryan held in his pocket, whom he already didn't much like due to his slick attitude that reminded him of every FBI agent in detective shows. Although, at this point, it was his first instinct to dislike people, a stark contrast to his previously extroverted self that'd been figuratively beaten to death with a stick over the past eight years. He simply nodded with still crossed arms when Sybille took her step back.

"Charlie, medical attachment," he introduced for the sole reason that they'd have something to get his attention with if he was needed.

As for the other two, there was something about the purple haired girl that didn't quite sit right with him in a similar way to Teddy, partly because he hadn't seen much hair dye in a very long time, except Sybille, which he still didn't understand; this one, he'd have his eye on. He couldn't see the one on overwatch well enough to get a read on him, but he doubted the man's clinical knowledge would surpass his own, despite not knowing a single thing about him other than his name. Still, it would be nice to have someone else who knows what they're doing at least a little in the event someone, including himself, was injured.

"Charlie class, heh." He chuckled to himself despite the danger, walking to stand next to the car Ted was on and resting his bag on the trunk.

Taking a quick look at his own crew, he noticed Jordan looked like she was about to pop for some reason. He decided he'd inquire on it later, once they were more settled. For now, he was just happy to give his shoulder a rest from the equipment that had been trying to break it for hours. He'd go inside when Sybille told him to, not an agent.

Lars was hesitant to speak for himself, since he was more of a hired gun than a critical member of the group. Still, when it seemed the others were finished with whatever introductions they offered, Lars, in his infinite candor, said, "Lars." He was as straight to the point as he could be. He even knew it was probably nearly impossible to tell what he was saying due to the mask, but he offered his presence and would slink back into obscurity in the crowd like he preferred. His rifle weighed heavy in his hands, keeping his mind wrapped around the idea of aiming it at Ryan's chest should something go awry. He hoped whatever negotiations would be short and to the point, since being at the gas station made him uneasy. Especially a gas station where the DHQS operatives had time to prepare before the Mall crew arrived. Anything could be trapped, anything could be rigged. For all he knew, they just planned to off the entire Mall crew to get some extra gear on their way further west for whatever reason.

Lars needed to sigh and actively stop his mind from wondering. He was getting to in his head about escape routes, lines of sight; just about anything except focusing on the current interaction. If Sybille and Kat decided to take the offer of going inside, Lars didn't mind acting as a personal bodyguard, since Teddy already volunteered to remain outside on watch. He'd shoulder his rifle and produce his sidearm of course - couldn't risk getting his barrel caught up on objects or bodies as he tried to track his target in a smaller setting.

Sybille glanced only somewhat concerned at the casualties in the distance. "Feel free, Teddy," she said to the peculiar man asking for permission to do his job, "But we should be heading out soon." Glancing around, Sybille could tell the rest of the group was anxious to move. Teddy and Charlie seemed preoccupied with the distant infected, which she understood; anyone not used to running missions outside of the walls seemed to only be comfortable if no living creature was visible in any way at all. Judging by the way he was trying to obscure himself from the DHQS, Lars too gave Sybille the impression that he was anxious to leave the gas station.

Ash propped her bow against the car. "I'll let you guys handle them if they get closer," She attempted to make light of the situation.

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"I just hope you'll at least try shoot any infected charging my way," she smirked back at Ash. She also tried to wink to let her know that she was joking, but realized immediately that she left her sunglasses on. Hope that didn't make her feel even more nervous. Sybille decided that the DHQS needn't see the cracks in the structural integrity of her crew, so she stepped up and blocked Ryan from Kat.

"It seems we've covered most introductions," she started, "and while I'd love almost nothing more than to sit around and drink coffee, I'm sure we'll all be a lot more comfortable inside the Mall." Sybille lifted her backpack up into position over her shoulders and gripped her shotgun below the waist. "Shall we get going?"

Kat was frustrated by the interruption, but she was grateful for the opportunity to take Ryan into a private room upon their safe return to the Mall. "Lead on, Sybille."

---

As the group geared up to leave, Sybille could see the covered corpses by the truck in the distance. Slowly walking down the hill to allow the group to catch up, Sybille found herself lost in the thought of finding Claire somewhere in the eastern quarantine zone. How would their meeting go? Would Claire even think Sybille was still alive? What if she'd already moved on with some other woman in the safety of the reclaimed east?

Sybille shook her head. She couldn't let herself dwell on those thoughts for long. If Claire doesn't want me to find her... she shook her head again. As the group caught up, they started properly down the hill and approached the scene of their previous fight.

queendilettante said:

"It seems we've covered most introductions," she started, "and while I'd love almost nothing more than to sit around and drink coffee, I'm sure we'll all be a lot more comfortable inside the Mall." Sybille lifted her backpack up into position over her shoulders and gripped her shotgun below the waist. "Shall we get going?"

Kat was frustrated by the interruption, but she was grateful for the opportunity to take Ryan into a private room upon their safe return to the Mall. "Lead on, Sybille."

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Ryan gives a curt nod and gives the foregrip of his rifle a quick squeeze. "Lieutenant, come on down. Lets take a loop around the C's, little bit of off-roading won't hurt. Not worth the ammunition." He says, nodding in the direction of the pack Fred had mentioned. His left hand goes to a small device on his hip and slaps a green button on it, prompting the hidden dronkey to stand up and examine its surroundings before coming to follow him from a few feet behind. Loaded down with extra supplies and some equipment, it rattles a bit as it plods along behind him.

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Once they've set off, he lets the Mall folks lead the way home, content to follow from behind and keep an eye on their surroundings. While not holding his weapon at the ready, he keeps both hands on it expecting something to go wrong any moment now. After all, things have been a little too smooth. They had minimal trouble getting over to the rendezvous in the first place, and something about Sybille's attitude was putting him off. He hadn't come west expecting them to roll out the red carpet, but he was hoping for something a little more receptive. If more people at the Mall were unhappy about them being there...

As they walk along, about halfway through their return trip, the Predator drone overhead dips down from surveillance altitude - apparently someone back home saw something worth blowing up. As it descends on its attack run, the sound of the engine buzzing like a distant lawnmower picks up. Anyone squinting can see the missile launch, careening downward to obliterate some unknown target. Ryan's got no idea what it might have been, but he can guess - the drone probably spotted a large herd of Casualties and wanted to send a message to the locals; we're here to help, but we can still dump a missile into your enclave and bring the walls down if you're going to cause trouble. The distant rumble of the missile's detonation brings a grin to his lips.

The distraction is enough to miss the commotion just around the bend, but not the screaming.

"ImsorryimsorryimsorryimsorryIcanstopithurtsithurtsimsorry!" The voice is male and strained, and has the desperate horror everyone can remember from the Crash - Vector apologies. The science is still out on whether or not a fresh Vector is still conscious, but they do sound awfully human as they barrel down on you to rip you apart. This one picks up on the scent of the group on the wind and comes sprinting out from around the side of a rundown auto shop.

The Vector ought to be recognizable to Sybille - she'd seen that same man on the way here. His kevlar vest has a bloody hole punched through the chest, spattering blood over the large white block text reading "LATENT: DONT SHOOT." The apologetic screaming reaches a frenzied peak as bloody froth and spittle fly from his mouth as he lunges forward at nearly 25 miles per hour, his Blight-ravaged brain overriding his body's natural impulse to not tear itself apart in pursuit of prey.

Ryan's gun is up a bit slower than the rest as he steps to the side to get a clearer firing lane. "Take it down!" He barks, though the order is unnecessary - anybody who isn't pissing their pants is probably already squeezing the trigger. The torrent of withering gunfire rips the Vector's kevlar to shreds, staggering it and slowing it down before it leaps at Ryan wildly, crashing into him and throwing him to the ground and continuing onward with the force of its leap. It crashes to the ground in a heap before scrambling up onto all fours and flinging itself at Kat. Its teeth find purchase on her leg, ripping a chunk of flesh free with an agonizing scream.

Just as soon as he'd set his bag down, Charlie hoisted it up onto his shoulder once again, sighing and starting back the way they came. He still didn't see why Kat needed to come with them. Couldn't they link up with DHQS on their own? Couldn't DHQS make the trip without them? Again, decisions for smarter minds than him, apparently.

---

Charlie walked next to Sybille on their way home. As the only one he really got along with, she brought him comfort around this group of heavily armed strangers, and slightly less heavily armed slightly less strangers. Of course, this comfort only lasted as long as the silence in their path, as the group stopped to admire a Hellfire missile launch, the impact of which sent a small shiver down his back, but nothing more. What truly disturbed him was the smile it brought to Ryan's face.

Just as soon as the rumble of the detonation passed over them, a single Vector scrambled around a bend and directly at them. Charlie stepped out of the way as to not get swept by any moving barrels, leaving his own handgun in his bag for the moment. He probably wouldn't hit anything moving that fast, anyway. He certainly knew how to use it properly, but only to the extent of a home defender rather than a professional. While the bullets didn't do much in terms of stopping the Vector in its tracks before it bit Kat, a round of 00 Buck shattered its pelvis, sending it to the ground afterwards. The vector was rendered unable to move due to the majority of its body being dead weight. Charlie trusted someone else to deal with the wannabe crawler while he tended to Kat. Although, from the looks of it, her treatment would consist of either a miracle D-Back, or lead.

Within the span of ten seconds, the Vector had made its way from all the way down the street, to leaping onto Ryan, then onto Kat with a chunk of her calf in its mouth.


"Oh, I fucking knew it!" Charlie cursed out loud as he slid over to inspect Kat's wound. He threw his first-in bag next to him and rolled her over, already seven seconds since the bite. Kat's eyes were bouncing from person to person, sweat beading down her face. All normal signs of trauma, but not that rapidly. The infection was beginning to take hold.

Certainly a bite... He redundantly thought, spinning around and pointing directly at Ryan.

"Do you carry vaccines?" He asked firmly, only getting a grim shake of the head in response. Ten seconds.

Kat appeared to understand the implication, trying to thrash away and stand up on her now disabled leg, only to fall right back on her face.
"Wait- WaitwaitwaitwaitwaitNO!" She panicked, unable to flip herself onto her back due to her muscle spasms. Twenty seconds.

"I'm okay! I'm alive, see?! I just, ugh, I just need some help getting up! Charlie? Agent McCarthy!" She plead for her life desperately over her shoulder, her posh demeanor devolving into childlike horror as she called for anyone to save her. The Agent only shrugged in Charlie's direction, and everyone else would've likely done the same. It would be agonizing to watch for most, had they not seen it a mind-numbing amount of times. Thirty seconds.

"Please, WAI-"

This was only going one way. Charlie knew it, Kat knew it, everyone else knew it. Smooth as he would pull a bandage out of his bag, he retrieved his Springfield, chambered a round, flicked off the safety, took a step back, and fired two rounds into Kat's cervical spine to quickly put an end to her suffering, all while she begged. Her muscles locking up forty seconds in made her an easy target, her final scream turning into a dull gurgle as her limp body weight pushed the remainder of the air out of her lungs through her severed trachea.

The second shot would ring out in Charlie's ears for the rest of the day, along with the volley of gunfire at the Vector from less than a minute ago. He removed the magazine from his handgun and cleared the chamber, returning the bullet to the mag and sliding it back into the well.

He glared down at Kat's corpse. This woman had rubbed salt in every wound of his for the past five years, and here she was, dead. He didn't want to think about how it made him feel, he only flicked the safety back on and dropped his weapon back into the pocket of his bag. He only knew he'd kept his word from when they left: Not a milliliter of Plazma.

"You had one job," he spoke to the agents without turning away from the body. "One."

Florida kept a straight face as the group of strangers approached as best she could, but her eyes sparkled with an excitement, like a puppy’s when her humans come home. In her mind the words “new friends” played like a new pop song on the radio - repeatedly. She knew her commanding officer wanted her focused, though, and there would be more than enough time for her to introduce herself properly later.

Still, Florida was grateful when Ryan gave her a quick introduction and didn’t make too much a point to let them know the violent nature of her position. She hoped they wouldn’t do anything that would make them find out. She had no desire to fighting living people.

Before meeting her team, she had not given a second thought to meeting people in the wasteland that is the west. She and her friends had been prepping for the end of times their entire lives. NUSA had wasted the skills Eden had cultivated as she babysat NUSA camps. These were her people- survivors. However, now she felt nervous that her association with a militarized police state would make it harder for these folks to believe she was more like them than the tightwads she traveled with.

As Ryan introduced her, she raised her hand in salute, gator skin bracer shiny in the sunlight. She paired the gesture with a toothy grin, letting her eyes roam across the new party in front of her. She was more impressed than she should have been, considering these folks had been surviving in the wastes, but they all looked like they could handle their own. Her heart sang.

“Bonjerno!” Eden was giving her best Lt. Aldo Raines impression (which was better than you might expect from a small woman). She only brought out her Inglorious Bastards quotes when she was in a good mood. As she finished the line, she looked Sybille right in the eye and gave her a quick wink, finally letting her arm drop. She really hoped to buy that woman a drink and swap stories when they reached the settlement. It had been so long since she’d made real friends, she really hoped they’d get enough free time once they settled at The Mall.

——

Introductions completed, it was time for the group to get moving. They only meant the station to be a temporary meeting point. Florida was calculating her excuses to start a conversation with any of other from The Mall, but was having trouble. So instead, she lit herself a cigarette. The smoke gathered in her lungs, a calming heaviness setting in. The sounds of the drone overhead couldn’t harsh her mellow, but the familiar, spine chilling sound of a Vector quickly doused the comfort of the tobacco.

“Shit!” Florida spat as she threw the cig aside, watching everyone open fire. Rather than pulling out her gun to fire into ally filled space, she ran to the side, circling around the group to get a better angle at the freshly dead, trying to get in close without getting hit. The LATENT label across his chest had her say a small prayer before raising her pistol. She never had the chance to use it as it leaped at Ryan. He knocked it away only for Florida to watch as it took a huge chunk out of the important Mall woman’s leg.

Without missing a beat, Florida’s heavy duty, steel toed, gator skin boot connected with the side of the latent’s skull, sending the undead creatures rolling away from Kat. Smoothly, she pulled her hammer off her back, the weight feeling familiar in her hands, following behind the monster. She frown down at what was technically a former colleague. It wasn’t a hard choice, but it didn’t make the situation any less sad. She raised the hammer above her head with a sigh.

“Sorry, man. We ain’t in the prisoner-takin’ business; we’re in the killin’ zombie business,” hiding her sadness behind Inglorious Basterds and the gas mask she’d pulled down for splatter protection. She pulled the weapon down; fast and perfectly aimed. She was thankful the others had riddled the vector with bullets. Without that, this tactic would not have worked.

Crack, splat, silence. The brains on the ground always creeped her out the most. She brought down a second swing, even though the body had stopped moving after the first. Always double tap.

“McCarthy, target down!” She turned around just in time to watch Charlie shoot Kat. She didn’t wince, but she was close. She wondered who he was addressing with his comment, wondering if someone specifically designated one of the Mall crew to guard the older woman. She looked at Ryan, waiting further instruction.

"Lieutenant, come on down. Lets take a loop around the C's, little bit of off-roading won't hurt. Not worth the ammunition."

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"Roger, moving." Replied Fred, now packing up the glowsticks on the roof before grabbing his backpack on the way down. As the group began to move he silently took up a rear position to watch their automated logistics drone- one of many DARPA wonders in use by the NUSA- alongside the young girl from the Mall. While not much for socializing with strangers, Fred still preferred to know what people he had around him and was about to ask the girl, Jordan, some questions of his own before she completely bombarded him with her own inquiries.

Much to her dismay Fred did not have a name for the robotic dog though if she had any suggestions then the girl was welcome to name it. Aside from that Fred did his best trying to explain how it worked, what its main purpose was and so forth. He intentionally left out the part that the very same model could be retrofitted with mounts for heavy weapons such as .50 cal heavy machine guns, rocket pods and grenade launchers but instead told her about the medical variant fitted with a stretcher to carry wounded soldiers and civilians.

Nevermind that these wounded were usually casualties from conflicts between NUSA forces and armed groups rather than zekes.

The erratic speech of a vector were horrifying alone but to have the same vector charge at you was even more horrifying. Still at the rear of the group Fredrik had barely time to side-step and shoulder his rifle until several of the others opened fire at the incoming zeke. Unfortunately none of them had been fast enough to stop it dead in its tracks and thus Fred watched the vector tackle Ryan to the ground before getting kicked, shot and bruised into jumping right onto the VIPs leg, tearing a large chunk out of it.

While the Mall-militants resident medic handled the VIP and Eden handled the zeke Fredrik approached Ryan with a determined look and with his rifle raised. Letting go of his AK5 Fred pulled out his sidearm as the rifle dangled from its sling. Using his free hand he pulled Ryan up from the ground and- pistol muzzle aimed at him- quickly patted him down in search for fresh blood that could indicate an open wound from a bite or scratch.

Fortunately for Ryan the only blood Fredrik found had been transferred from the vector's torn vest to the front of Ryan's own body armor. "You're clear, sir." Fred holstered his pistol and nodded towards Ryan. "Get your vest cleaned up."

When the VIP was mercy-killed in order to prevent her from turning, Fred glanced at the woman and clenched his jaw.

"You had one job," he spoke to the agents without turning away from the body. "One."​

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Fredrik looked at the medic. "We all know the risks of stepping outside," he replied, coldly. "You should be glad that only person had to pay the price for the lack of training that cost you this in the first place."

That said, Fred turned around and approached the robotic dog. He reached into one of its many packs and pulled out a black rubber roll and began to unfold the bodybag using both of his hands.

"Fuck..." Sybille looked on in horror as Charlie mercy killed the newly infected Kat Roberts. They vector appeared out of nowhere. Why weren't their guns at the ready? Did they all really think we were above reproach out here? Sybille took a gulp and then a few deep breaths. Why wasn't my gun at the ready? She walked over to Charlie as he glared down at the now-deceased Kat.

"You had one job," he spoke to the agents without turning away from the body. "One."

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Sybille bit her lip hard enough to break the skin. Santa looked at up her, startled, as she accidentally tightened the grip of his leash. Before she could muster a response, the DHQS soldier, Fred, spoke up.

"We all know the risks of stepping outside," he replied, coldly. "You should be glad that only person had to pay the price for the lack of training that cost you this in the first place."

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Sybille felt her face get hot at the callous dismissal of their crew from the soldier. Before she could stop herself, she turned to him. "Lack of training!?" She took a step forward to the soldier. "I'm sorry, as I recall, you didn't even manage to fire off a single round just now. The DHQS sends only three people to rendezvous with the Mall and the soldier type among you can't even aim his fucking gun in time?" She stopped herself, embarrassed, and stepped back away from the man. "Uh... listen, I-..."

She didn't know what to say. She hadn't done anything to successfully save Kat's life either. Who the fuck are you kidding? What god damn soapbox have you found that you think you can preach from? She bit her already bleeding lip again and aimlessly looked down at the body.

Teddy had taken up the rear as the group trudged forward, trailing behind everyone by a good few feet as he kept an eye out. He was as fascinated by the robot dog as Jordan was, because holy shit man, it was a robot dog, but he decided to save the wide-eyed wonderment for once they got home. That didn't stop him from sneaking a pat on the robot's chassis when no one was looking, though.

Once they got back to the mall, Teddy didn't think he'd stick around for much longer. He still hadn't introduced himself to the agents, and given how he'd most likely never see them again once he grabbed his check and dipped, he didn't see the point too. Usually, he'd give his name out of natural friendliness, but the agents didn't really strike him as overly friendly. The mission seemed like a relatively simple cut-and-run little thing, having gone extraordinarily smoothly so far. Here they were, on the final hurdle, and they'd only had to deal with four zombies. That, in his professional opinion, is a slam dunk win.

Then the Vector came along.

Teddy had already been lagging behind, but when the Vector came along he'd been the furthest back the entire trip. He'd seen a mangled zombie trying to claw its way out of the passenger seat of a sedan and stopped to deal with it with his Butterfly knife when he'd heard the others shooting. Cursing, Teddy ripped his knife out of the casualty's skull before running as fast his legs could carry him back to the group. He was only behind by a few seconds, but by the time he arrived the Vector had already ripped a chunk out of Kat's leg. Watching as she begged for her life while Charlie stood over her, Teddy grimaced slightly. Yeah, he's seen this enough times to know where this was going.

Eyes wandering to Jordan, her hand over her mouth and shock evident on her face, Teddy felt a pang of sympathy for the kid. They didn't have to see this. Seeing someone die was never something you should see when you were young. Personally, he wished he hadn't gotten the whole crash course on death when he was younger. With that, Teddy calmly walked over to Jordan and placed a hand on their back, gently nudging them away from the scene.

"C'mon, I doubt you wanna see this" Teddy said quietly, eyes looking away from Kat's figure.

Jordan barely heard Teddy over the sound of Kat's desperate begging, her eyes were seemingly wet with tears threatening to spill. No resistance was met as Teddy nudged her away from the scene.

"I wish I could say this is the first time I've seen this," Jordan murmured, barely audible - especially over the sound of Kat's shrill voice - as she turned towards Teddy, avoiding the scene as the shot rang and silence took over.

"That is the second time it could, and well...maybe should of been me," Jordan was distant, her mind somewhere else. Where? That was a mystery to Teddy.

Sparing a glance towards Kat's limp body, Teddy turned back to Jordan with a more collected expression than he usually wore.

"Nah. Nah, the second you start thinking that way, you lose. I can't tell you that it's easy to deal with stuff like this, but it...it stops being as hard, over time, I mean" Teddy said, patting her on the shoulder as he steered her farther from the scene, "all you can really do is pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and keep moving, alright?".

"And hell, survivor guilt doesn't look good on you kid. Don't let this weigh you down, got it?" Teddy ended, his usual cheeriness seeping back into his voice.

“Yeah, yeah,” she sniffed, giving a weak attempt at a smile, “you’re right.” Jordan stiffened her posture and swiveled back around, ready to face the world once more.

Giving a bright, shining smile, Teddy said "Yeah I am. I always am".

Attention drawing towards the rising voices of the Lieutenant and Sybille, Teddy frowned as he stared at the forming argument.

"We can talk later if you want. Just, chin up, Jay" Teddy muttered to Jordan, giving her one last reassuring pat as he trudged towards the group.

"C'mon people, cut it out" Teddy cut in, stepping into the middle of the group. "Sometimes people just die, okay? Maybe there was something we could've done, maybe there wasn't. It doesn't really matter now, cause' what's done is done. We're not helping anyone by blaming each other" Teddy said, holding up his hands placatingly.

queendilettante said:

"I just hope you'll at least try shoot any infected charging my way," she smirked back at Ash. She also tried to wink to let her know that she was joking, but realized immediately that she left her sunglasses on. Hope that didn't make her feel even more nervous. Sybille decided that the DHQS needn't see the cracks in the structural integrity of her crew, so she stepped up and blocked Ryan from Kat.

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"No promises," Ashlynn replied in what she hoped was a joking matter. She would try of course. But if it was anything like last time she was afraid her mind would be elsewhere should they get attacked again.

And let's hope we don't get attacked again...

Her attention snapped back to Sybille, who had just announced they'd all be heading back to the mall. "Done and done." She swung her bow over her shoulder, not bothering to check if the rest of the group was following yet. It's not like she'd spoken to the group all that much. At the end of the day, all these people were strangers to her still. The only thing she wanted to do right now was curl up with a book and pretend the world was back to normal.

She quite liked the silent trek back to the mall. The less talking the better. She much preferred to stay lost in her own thoughts than strike up a conversation with anyone, especially after today. Maybe tomorrow she'd try making friends. Until then, Ash remained lost in her daydreams.

And then there was a missile.

Something about the way it shook the ground made her nervous. Nothing good ever came out of those things, that's what her dad would've said anyway. She chose to ignore the disgusting smile it brought to Ryan's face.

And then a vector showed up.

"Are kidding me?" Ashlynn all of a sudden wanted a normal infected to appear. Anything would've been better at this very moment. She pulled her bow from behind before taking aim. So long as she didn't look at its face she would be okay. All she had to do was shoot at the chest. Simple. Ashlynn took a deep breath, pulling the string until it was taut against her fingers. Once again though, luck was never on her side. The arrow propelled towards the vector. It was so, so close to hitting.

It didn't though. At the last second, the vector jumped, crashing into Ryan before barreling towards Kat. All Ashlynn could do was watch as the creature crashed into Kat before taking a chunk out of her leg. Only then was it finally subdued. Kat was also taken out a couple of seconds later by Charlie. Her screams were going to be etched into Ashlynn's mind for god knows how long. If it hadn't been for the yelling, Ashlynn would've stayed frozen for days. Finally, she directed her attention back to the two groups.

"Guys, please... blaming each other isn't doing anything." She pinched the bridge of her nose, "Can we just go..." Ash's voice broke slightly at the end. The last thing she ever wanted to do was show her vulnerable side. But her mental stability was close to running out to the point that she wasn't sure she could handle anything else.

Lars rolled his eyes at the suggestion to return back to the Mall. He hated leadership ideas and red tape. Why head back to the Mall? This place seemed defensible. And what was the point of coming out all this way just to say hi to the DHQS and let them in anyway? So much time for so many people could've been saved if they committed to having the DHQS just arrive at the Mall. Of course, though, he was sure someone had thought of something he hadn't and there was a definite reason for why they didn't go with a simpler plan. After all, he nor his colleagues would be needed if things were simple.

They travelled back towards the Mall, with Lars this time taking up on of the front positions. Teddy seemed to have wordlessly taken the role of back guard, which Lars didn't mind at all. He was able to switch roles at a moment's notice and didn't feel attached to any one spot in a group. Being up front this time meant Lars needed to keep a sharp eye ahead of them, which he kept most of his focus on. Lars' rifle hung loosely in his grip, though it wouldn't be difficult to bring up into a ready position in the case it was needed. Lars hoped the last stretch of their journey would be easy.

The missile in the distance wasn't much more than a spectacle for Lars. He didn't care much about why it was fired or who authorized it. All that mattered was that a block of the city was probably leveled now. A new navigational memory he'd need to keep. It didn't look like it struck anywhere near one of his caches, so he didn't care too much.

Then he heard the scream of a terrified - and terrifying - Vector, just up ahead, and just out of sight. The second the shriek was heard, Lars was on one knee facing forward with his rifle out, scanning forward. He knew Teddy would cover anything behind them and therefore he wouldn't get snuck up on. That's when the Vector produced itself into Lars' sight. He aimed down the iron sights under the scope of his Remington, lined up, and squeezed the trigger, just before calling out, "Vector, dead ahead." His shot was one of the first produced by the crew, and it was immediately followed by a hail of gunfire that riddled the Vector. Lars expertly chambered round after round as it closed in. It was fast enough that Lars was only able to produce four or five rounds before it got too close for his rifle. It flung by him and hit one of the bodies closest to him - Ryan. Lars ducked out of the way, dropped his rifle, and produced his sidearm. Once he was confident in his aim, he fired a handful more shots into the Vector. He hoped he didn't hit Ryan, but he also wasn't too concerned. He'd try to keep Ryan alive but ultimately only Kat's survival was important to him.

That's when the Vector leapt off Ryan and onto another silhouette - Kat Roberts. Shit. Lars was much more careful to line his shots up appropriately, still getting rounds off in record time. He squeezed the trigger every moment his iron sights lined back up from the recoil. By the time the Vector stopped moving, Lars feared the worst for both Ryan and Kat. He quickly checked his pistol to ensure there was still at least a single round left before aiming down at Ryan, the closer potential infected.

Fred took over searching Ryan for bites, and Lars was confident in his skills keeping him under control. So, Lars turned his attention to Kat, who clearly had most of her calf missing in a red puddle. She was pleading with Charlie, who, by the time Lars was paying attention to their words, was preparing his gun.

Shit. If the doc thought she was goner, she had to be. Lars wasn't sure how the mission would proceed, but in the moment he could at least check to make sure no other Vector was about to chase them down. He checked the direction the Vector came from, keeping his eyes scanning everywhere he could see. It didn't phase him at all to hear the gunshots. Kat was out of her misery now, and he didn't need to worry about her turning. Poor Founder. Her cries for mercy made him wince slightly, but he'd get over it. She was dead now and lars wasn't.

Then the bickering started. Listening in, he held his own opinions of what was being said. Lars, however, was too worried about more potential threats. He kept his eyes scanning in the midst of the chaos. He wouldn't let anything sneak up on the more emotional among them.

Having unfolded the bodybag, Fredrik was stopped on his way to the VIPs body by the militant squad leader- Sybille- chewed him out for his comment before making a half-assed comment.
He stared at her coldly as others expressed their own opinions. Finally after a few silent seconds of staring Fred spoke up;

"I'll keep that in mind. Now move- she needs a proper burial or cremation."

That said, Fred pushed himself past Sybille in an arrogant manner. His shoulder collided with hers as he stepped forward to the deceased VIP, crouched and placed the bodybag next to her. Nodding towards Eden, Fred gently placed the body within and began to zip it all up when he stopped halfway.

Hand still on the zipper, Fredrik sighed and looked over his shoulder with tired eyes. "Anyone know any prayers? For her, I mean."