Realistic or Modern OVERCAST: Malcontent

[Lorsh]

Music



OVERCAST​

• Introduction
• Inventory & Misc. Information

• 
  
  
  You are Alec "Frost" Jaeger , and you are a citizen living within the dysfunctional Central Clean Sector.
  
  
  The chaos of the initial outbreak has since become hazy to you, as it all occurred many years ago. Martial law was declared, and evacuation points were set up. However, all the evac stations had ceased operations after a few weeks, and the remaining cops and Civil Guards were pulled back to the clean zones. The power grid shut down, and the rest of the world went dark once the military set up equipment to jam communications. It's since been many years, and you know that many clean zones have been since fallen. Clean Sector Central is one of the only safe regions left, and one of only two (the other being Clean Sector East) that is comprised of more than one city.
  
  Although the authorities were able to establish and maintain control here while the rest of the country crumbled, quality life has only gone steadily downhill over the years. Food shortages have become more and more frequent, and the military regime's stranglehold on nearly all aspects of life has worsened.
  
  You wake up in your apartment on the 5th floor of Civil-Res Structure 9. It's early in the morning, and your workstation gave you an (unpaid) day off due to some difficulties they had with the machines. Your apartment room is very drab, but it has the necessities. Outside in the streets of Granger, you can see people shuffling along to their workplaces, most of them dressed in gray jumpsuits of the general labor crews. Very few automotives can be seen; most of them are limited to buses, military vehicles, and trucks and equipment belonging to labor crews.
  
  
  You have a closet in your apartment where you have a melee weapon you kept from the initial outbreaks, as well as a disassembled carbine with some accompanying attachments. You do not have a license, and your police firearms certification has since been voided. You also have some spare scrap parts and components that you manged to save from your job at the recycling plant.
  
  You have a roommate listed in the official records, but he died in an accident at the power plant about a year ago, and you haven't been given a new one. You have at least one friend that still works in the Gendarmery that you can trust, as well as a few contacts from illegal groups in the city.
  
  ​
  
  
• 
  
  INVENTORY
  -Coveralls, boots (worn)
  -Gray backpack (worn)
  -Field knife (pocket)
  -Lighter (pocket)
  -CZ citizenship ID (pocket)
  -Recycler ID (pocket)
  
  APARTMENT
  -Toolbox (Misc. tools)
  -Kitchen (spare food, silverware)
  -Dressers (spare clothes)
  -Weapons closet (Custom bonesplitter, .22 pistol [10/10, 10/10, 10/10], mini-carbine [12/12, 12/12, 12/12], suppressor, optic scope)
  -Gray backpack
  
  RESOURCES
  -4 days' rations
  -25 scrap
  -5 components
  -1 fuel
  -8 cloth
  -3 alcohol
  
  CONTACTS & KNOWN INDIVIDUALS
  -Cpl. Hatcher (Gendarmery contact)
  -Morton (Smuggler contact)
  -Jane (Reformist contact)
  -Pickerell Family (Neighbors)
  -Clarissa (Neighborhood Block Watch)
  
  

 

[Sir Swigglesworth]

Another day with the NPA
And so Alec's day began as it always had, waking in his drab apartment to live another day in the central clean zone. Several others had fallen in the past, and likely more were destined to in the future. At least under the NPA's regime that was. As Alec stirred from his slumber, they would start their day just as any other had. The young man would "enjoy" the breakfast portion of their daily ration and set aside his granola bar for either a snack or barter item. After their morning meal, Alec would adorn his day outfit and then their grey jumpsuit to wear out in the city. He didn't have work, but they would at least look a bit more inconspicuous. With that out of the way, and the young man prepared for his day out and about, they would adorn his knife and the recon holster that came with it. It was nice that the workers at least had the option to bring a utility with them, because as we all know, a knife is a tool, not just a weapon.

Alec had a meeting scheduled with his contact today, Jane. She was a high status reformist who he often schemed with and set up raid plans or ambush points, among other things. Snagging their small backpack and throwing it around their shoulders after loading his lunch, the granola bar, and checking the padded secret item pouch Alec himself added to smuggle items out of the factory, the man would be on his way to leave their apartment building.

Once outside, Alec would see his neighbor Mr. Pickerell and wave to them with a soft smile. "Morning Francis, how are ya?"

 

[Lorsh]

Jane had told you that she'd meet you down at Miriam Park, which is nearby. Since most children are going to school (or work), it will likely be empty at this time.

You don your work uniform. Although you don't have work today, the clothing makes you stand out less.

The breakfast is only marginally filling, but it should be enough to get you through the day. The amount of calories you're granted each day seems to be dwindling as more and more resources are literally eaten up by the war. Although more deaths meant fewer mouths to feed, it also destroyed supply depots and agricultural sites vital for feeding the CZ. People were already starting to supplement their diets with rats and scraps.

Mr. Pickerell had donned his standard work jumpsuit and was holding onto his ratty work handbag, prepared for another day at the Emlite Armaments(1) bullet factory. "Morning, Alex," he replies, pronouncing your name incorrectly as per usual. He finishes doing up the top button on his coveralls, before shrugging. "Gettin' by. Heard there's some trouble going on in Denmont." He then glanced over his shoulder, where a nearby duo of soldiers with slung rifles were doing a beat. "...hope nothing like that happens here," he quickly added. It was 'discouraged' to even talk about the ongoing insurgency. The only thing the provos wanted to hear in terms of war gossip was about the arsekicking they were giving the rebs in Parliament, the CZ capital.

(1) A pre-outbreak firearms manufacturing company that produced most models of auto-carbines and burst rifles. They continue to operate a select number of factories, munitions plants and gunsmithies throughout the clean zones, working in conjunction with the NPA regime.

 

[Sir Swigglesworth]

As expected, Francis pronounced his name wrong as they always did, which was annoying but tolerable to say the least. Alec watched as their neighbor glanced over his shoulder and looked at a duo of guards before turning back to face them. Apparently word was that there was some trouble brewing in Denmont. Good, it might take suspicions lesser here and potentially even draw forces away. After Mr. Pickerell spoke his few words, Alec would glance over the mans shoulders and glare at the guards for a moment before returning his focus back to Francis. "Yeah...same here Francis...same here." Alec say softly, putting up a false facade.

After seeing Francis off on his way, Alec would start making their way over towards Miriam park to go meet up with Jane. As he did so, they passed right by the two stationed guards and greeted them in a friendly and cheerful manner as he did everyone. "Morning you two." They would say before continuing on his way.

 

[Lorsh]

Mr. Pickerell bids you farewell before crossing the street and continuing on his way to another gruelling day at work. You move away from the guards and begin to head towards Miriam Park to meet your contact. On the way, you pass a few sights common to most NPA-controlled cities; abandoned buildings, machine gun emplacements, and towering, rusted loudspeakers mounted on top of the power lines. Trash blows across the street, some of it being leftovers from ration packs, but some of the litter consists of faded fast food containers and plastic bags that stopped being made almost two decades ago.

You make it to Miriam Park, a more decrepit area of the city. The playground equipment is all rusted, nestled in among the pea gravel floor. There's no soil, otherwise this space would have been converted into a garden.

Sitting on one of the rotten wooden benches, you see Jane. You're not sure if that's her real name, but it's what she goes by. She's a young, brown-haired woman in her early twenties- someone who grew up in the CZ. Someone who longed for a return to the almost mythical-seeming pre-outbreak society that she experienced as a child. She gave a thin smile as she saw you enter the area, and waved you over. "How's it going." She glanced around. No humvees in the street, no soldiers on patrol. Not even any civilians loitering around. "I've got something I need you to do. It's on the dangerous side, I can pay you in scrip(1)."

(1) NPA-printed currency, usually redeemed for rations, but also used to purchase other items

 

[Sir Swigglesworth]

After greeting the two guards and continuing on his way towards Miriam park, Alec would look around the city along the way. Litter scattered about, numerous abandoned buildings, some of them acting as in plain sight hideouts so he heart, MG emplacements and plenty of those god forsaken loud speakers to spread the NPA's "news and media". Eventually though, Alec would arrive at the park, inconspicuous as ever and spot Jane.

He never really was sure if that was her real name, but it's what she used. As soon Jane had spotted him, she would call the man over with a faint smile and a softly spoken greeting. Alec watched as she looked around for any humvees or soldier patrols, a constant for every interaction these two held. But he couldn't blame her in the slightest, before approaching the park Alec too scanned the area for anything that might lead to a potential risk. Regardless, now the two were here. As it turned out, the woman had a job for him, they mentioned it would be dangerous and that his payment would be in scrip. "Does it involve me getting shot at," the man would ask curiously, "or do I have to sabotage something?" As he spoke, their words were soft and he carried a light tone, making sure not to speak too loudly, despite the fact no one appeared to be in the immediate area.

 

[Lorsh]

Jane patted the spot on the bench next to her before continuing to speak, first answering your question. "Depends on how quick or sneaky you are. But, in all honesty, probably," she admitted. "We've left a package for you somewhere to help out in case of that possibility, though," she tells you. She does another quick glance around before taking a deep breath, lowering her voice to just above a whisper. "Here's how it is in a nutshell; we've got some important stuff to move out east. We're using the canals to transport it, but the city garrison set up this little observation post that practically overlooks the route that we're planning on using. Ideally, you go in there and clear the little outpost out, and trash all the records and equipment that you find in there, just in case they managed to gather any info on us already. At the minimum, you need to distract them until our smugglers can make it past unnoticed."

She purses her lips a bit, thinking for a moment. "This is a bit of a step up from delivering messages and smuggling scrap, but uh, I guess this is the chance to really prove yourself. My bosses wanted me to emphasize killing NPA goons... I think they want to make sure you're not going to be reluctant to snuff guys in uniform, since you were a cop before and all," she simply shrugs, attempting to make it clear she doesn't personally doubt you.

 

[Sir Swigglesworth]

Having taken a seat on the bench where Jane had beckoned him to sit, Alec would listen carefully to the womens words as she spoke, trying to get every detail from her explanation that he could. So there was a smuggling run out East and he had to take care of the NPA outpost blocking the path. Preferably, Alec was to clear the the place out and destroy any equipment and files they contained there. Then came the part of Jane mentioning his chance to prove himself. He'd killed NPA troops before, but never directly in relationship with the Reformists during such times. "Ahhh...I get it," James would mention softly as he nodded their head in approval, "I understand what needs to be done. I have the supplies available to create a pipebomb, that should be able to do the trick once I get in there and take out the NPA's goons." Alec would mention before glancing slightly over Jane's shoulder to check their surroundings a bit, everything was clear. "And I know some of the reformists are wary of me because I used to be a cop, they should keep in mind there was a reason I defected though."

 

[Lorsh]

Jane nods. "I've told them before. I think they trust you enough to put on a reasonably important task, at least. Think about it this way," she says, lowering her voice further, "they're not just telling you to kill a random civvie loyalist or anything like that. They're confident enough in your combat abilities, at least, to sic you on a squad's worth of NPA, as well as provide you some arms."

She continues. "Anyway, onto that... I'm gonna tell you the location of some weapons I have stashed near the canals district. I know you might have stuff of your own, but I don't want you getting caught at a random checkpoint with a bag of guns or bombs, then handed over to Homeland Security and dragged off to Torture Town... and who knows what those sick fucks will do, they might even make you talk about me. So I'm just gonna tell you where to go, yeah? Keep in mind that this stuff is getting lended. Do you think a Tac-SMG, with three mags and a .357 magnum with twenty shells will be enough?" she asked. "In terms of explosives... well, see if you can scrounge up anything in the surrounding area. Maybe petrol and a bottle, if you know what I mean. There should also be a walkie-talkie."

She hands you a folded. piece of paper. "There frequency is on there, as well as directions. Any questions? We need you tonight."

 

[Sir Swigglesworth]

"Sounds reasonable enough, whatever respect I had for the military and police decayed over the years. They don't protect the people but instead oppress them." Alec would say softly, averting his gaze from Jane's eyes to look down for a moment. Memories were coming back to him, before the world went to hell he wanted to be a cop in order to keep peace and tranquility, protecting those who couldn't. Then the world went to utter shit and slowly, but surely, his ideals and morals had no place being an officer anymore within the NPA. Oppression, dictatorship, he wasn't protecting anyone anymore, unless they were an official or other NPA police/military member. It's what made him get away from it all and fight alongside the reformists, of course in the process he lost what little privileges he had, but in hindsight, so far at least...it's been worth it.

Hearing Jane's words about what equipment he was being offered for this operation brought a faint smile to his face. It would be enough, too bad he couldn't sneak his carbine through and take silenced shots from a distance. With the tactical smg and revolver however, he could operate lightly on their feet and maintain mobility with good CQB efficiency. After taking the piece of paper from Jane, Alec would stuff it into their pocket and look back up at her. "So, do you need to me to take everyone out before the smugglers begin moving or cause the distraction during it all so they can sneak through? I'm capable of either."

 

[Lorsh]

"Time is of the essence, so they'll start moving as soon as you let us know that you're engaging. They really can't afford to wait, since you'll be attracting a lot of attention with your ruckus. Responding NPA could have a run-in with our guys if they don't get moving immediately, and we don't want that," Jane tells you.

She continues. "In terms of opposition, there could be anywhere from five to ten guys. You don't need to be a legend and wipe out all of them, just inflict crippling casualties, or even just distract them so that they can't do anything to bother our smugs. You should try to get the drop on them, since there'll be more of them than you. Expect most of them to have the normal pattern rifle the NPA uses. Anyway, anything else you wanna know?"

 

[Sir Swigglesworth]

"No, I think we're good Jane. Thanks for the info, the boys will see my work tonight." Alec would mutter with a faint chuckle before he bid her goodbye and set out to make his way back to his apartment to prepare for the operation tonight.

 

[Lorsh]

Jane gives a final nod before bidding you farewell. Once the meeting is concluded, she heads off in the opposite direction.

On the way back to your apartment, you are passing through one of the slummier, less densely-populated parts of town when you hear a squelching, gurgling noise. After making your way around the corner, you see that there is a mangled, clawed and disemboweled body lying on the ground. Blood flows into the cracks on the sidewalk, as if to water the weeds that are poking through.

You hear some low-pitched moans, and soon you see that there are at least six of the undead shuffling around this street. They all look fresh in terms of decomposition, but their clothes are quite ratty and old, which suggests they are bums, or maybe even refugees from outside the city. Near the first corpse, you see the body of a dead gendarme being eaten by a blood-stained woman. The dead cop is still clutching a 9mm pistol.

In these less-traveled parts of town, there is a higher risk for outbreaks. The origins of this one are unknown, but looks like it is still in its early stages. You could try to put a stop to it, but you risk getting infected, or attracting the attention of the authorities.