Realistic or Modern They did not fall from Heaven// Alien Survival RP

[cosowarrior]

Gordon
Gordon stumbled into the entranceway of the store as soon as he was able. He nearly collapsed to his knees, but was able to keep himself upright, albeit sweating and shaking.

"She has a gun," he managed to gasp in warning, before realizing that the man who had saved him did, too, and his was much bigger. Wide-eyed, he stared at the shotgun for a second, but quickly caught himself. He was in no position to complain; Gordon was just thankful the man had heeded his pleas.

It took a moment before Gordon could collect himself. He lingered by the entrance (he noticed the door to the rest of the building was locked anyway) and peered sheepishly over the man's shoulder. The girl seemed far less hostile now. Maybe it was an act... He certainly found it difficult to trust her now, since she pulled a gun on him when he hadn't meant any harm.

His cheeks, already flushed from running and overheating in his coat, burned a deeper shade of red.

"I wasn't trying to sneak up," he murmured almost too quietly to be toward anyone but himself. She had a point, though. He couldn't imagine anyone trying to attack a fellow human in times like these, but people were pretty ruthless. It wasn't unheard of.

davian Mitheral

 

[HannaTheHippy]

Annie
---------------
After meeting up with J, Eva, and Juliet, she sighed in relief. She heard Eva say something about survivors, so she followed the trio back into the camp, put her knife back into her waistband, and began standing amongst her other peers with her arms crossed. She momentarily glanced to Jackson, knowing she'd have to speak to him sooner or later about the situation, but wasn't sure when the right time would be. She turned her head back to the doors, looking out, then looking at the few who had entered. A woman and a man, neither of which resembled her father. She frowned slightly, but wondered if the people knew each other, but after hearing him say that she had a gun, Annie thought otherwise.

Annie looked at Mike, the others, then back to the two people. Could they really trust them? Did they have enough space for that? She wasn't in charge of dealing with those kinds of decisions. Hell, she wasn't even sure if Juliet or Mike trusted her. Definitely not J, anymore. Annie sighed again, deciding to let Mike and the others deal with it. If they made her, so be it, if they wanted to talk to her, fine. For now, she wasn't going to try and get involved.

cosowarrior davian Radio_Rat66.6 Mitheral

 

[davian]

Mike
Mike's tired eyes squinted into the distance as the woman displayed messages on her laptop. He nodded and shook his head, smiled a tense smile and stepped back towards the building as the motorcycle approached. When it was close enough, he curiously looked over all the gear and weapons the woman had on her. From a first look it was clear that this was not just a normal civilian girl - there was no way she could have survived out there alone if that were the case. He regarded her with slight confusion as she introduced herself and commented on the other survivor that they had found, finding himself smiling.

He looked back over his shoulder at the man he had let inside the first door, before turning back to Diane. "If you want to join us, you will have to leave the bike outside," he said in a hushed, clear voice. "We have food and supplies. Been here since the invasion happened," he explained, hand still holding open the door. "Quickly," he added as the sun continued to come into view.

J
Jackson managed a smile at Juliet's words as they walked to the front of the store together, despite the dread setting in. He wondered what the survivors would be like, and whether it was even safe to let them in. But as long as they did not attract attention from above, it was safest to have a large amount of people who could operate weapons in case the Invaders discovered their hideaway. As they approached the guarded doors, J's heart sank when he realized that it was his father standing between the doors. Instinctively his grip around Juliet's hand became stronger - there was no telling whether she would run again.

One of J's greatest worries was that one of the survivors would be Annie's father - the man obviously hated him, and J figured he couldn't be very stable if he went around threatening to shoot people for no good reason. So the first cause of relief was seeing that the survivors were a young woman and a young man; judging by their demeanor they had no connection to each other. It was too early to judge whether he would like them or they would like him, let alone get along, so J decided to stay out of the way for now. He was, however, beginning to feel bad for acting like Annie wasn't there. She didn't deserve to be treated like she was invisible just because of the way her father had acted towards him.

J knew that she was practically alone now, but she didn't have to be. Maybe now was the best time to try mending their relationship, even if it was a strange time, so he mustered up his courage and looked towards Annie. "Hey," he said, just loud enough to get her attention. There was a brief silent pause. "Want to sit with us once breakfast is all sorted out?" he suggested; the offer was easy enough to decline if the answer was no.

Mike, continued...
Once Diane joined him and the other stranger on the inside, Mike re-locked the main door and faced the newcomers. "I'm Michael Silverman, but you can call me Mike," he briefly introduced himself. "We've got a group of about thirty or so, and we've been here since the Invasion." There was a sigh as he scanned his tired mind for a list of instructions he had given to every single person in the shelter so far. "Here are our rules. Listen carefully."

"For your safety and ours, you cannot open the shelter and leave whenever you please. If you have to leave, come find me or one of the guards - I'll introduce them to you later," Mike explained concisely, looking from Diane to Gordon. "You can keep your weapons; just make sure to handle them responsibly and keep them out of reach of children. We've got some boxes in the back; we'll give you locks to secure personal items."

"Meals are at 8, 1, and 6 o'clock every day. Everyone gets a basic ration based on what they need, and we serve food based on when it expires. Items on the shelves are off limits; for now. And lastly, stealing, fighting, and minor altercations are not allowed and will have consequences. If, God forbid you kill, endanger, or seriously harm anyone who lives here, not in self-defense, you'll find yourself right back out there with the space-monsters."

Mike's tone had been very sincere, as the last thing he wanted was for harm to come to any of the people he knew and loved. He didn't want to be so harsh to the survivors, but there was no way of knowing whether they could really be trusted. The most important thing to him was to make it clear from the get go; violence would not be tolerated. "Do both of you understand?" Mike asked the two of them, waiting for an answer before he unlocked the last door.

HannaTheHippy Radio_Rat66.6 Mitheral cosowarrior

 

[HannaTheHippy]

Annie
---------------
She waited wordlessly as the introductions and procedures came around. She listened to Mike, staring down at the floor as she realized something she'd been avoiding for awhile. Even if her father was alive, they wouldn't let him in. Mike and his family are top priorities, and if Mike is doing the procedures and safety precautions, there's no way he'd be let in. She sighed quietly, staring down at the ground. It was safe to say, either way, he'd be dead. He is dead, by the sounds of it. She didn't know the Silvermans to be vicious and malicious people, but what if they had something to do with her father's disappearan-- No. Annie shook her head, dismissing the thought. She wasn't going to even entertain it, they aren't like that. Maybe Mike doesn't like her, maybe even holds a grudge, but he wouldn't go to those extremes to prove a point. Or would he? No, he wouldn't.

Annie sighed again, rubbing her face as her thoughts became confused. Should she trust her own insecurities? They'd just make false rumors and anxieties inside her head, and soon, she'd believe them, no matter how false they were.

Suddenly, she heard a familiar voice. "Hey," it said, then a small pause. "Want to sit with us once breakfast is all sorted out?" Annie turned her face, surprised that it was J. She had a lot of explaining and apologizing to do, on behalf of her father. She figured this would be the perfect opportunity for it, so she took it. "Y..Yeah, yeah," she smiled with fake enthusiasm, nodding once. "I'd love to."

davian

 

[Mitheral]

Diane
Diane’s brain nearly shut off at the instructions to leave her bike - make that beloved bike - behind. The motto ‘leave no man behind’ came to mind. Her foster family had been fans of Supernatural and The Walking Dead. Some of the scene of Daryl and his motorcycle came to mind.

“The bike goes where I go. I traded my limo --” she balked and looked embarrassed, “Ihadalimo. Itwasbulletproof,” she added hastily. “I traded it for the motorcycle. It comes with me … or I’ll take my chances with the bugs.” She actually started to get back on. She was completely serious. Unreasonable, but serious.

Once she got Mike to agree she walked it in, mumbling an apology. She was noticeably trembling. Even she had no idea why exactly. Fear? Fatigue? Adrenaline? All of the above was the likely answer. She listened to the rules. When it came to the times she asked for them in military times - day or night.

But she nodded. They weren’t bad rules. Once inside she opened up a little. She wanted some of the others to have a better chance at hearing so she wouldn’t have to repeat herself. “My weapons stay on my person. That should handle the problem of children. I grew up a military brat. My stepfather ran the Rod and Gun club at every base we were stationed at. I learned hunting safety - rifle and shotgun - from marines at Kirtland AFB. They have a few. And I have a year of training from a former USMC major - my limo driver - with a pistol. She stayed behind at Twentynine Palms, CA. Her daughter was in training there.

“My gear - the important stuff - is secured. If anyone tries to steal it I’ll know. We had a bad bullying problem at my school. I started getting cyberbullies the day I arrived. On the second day someone had broken into the locked storage of the Music department and filled my guitar case with garbage. My foster father had dropped me off in the company pickup the first day. They owned and operated a salvage yard.” She smiled. “I could have gotten my revenge, but …” she chuckled, then looked sad. “I almost miss it. Thing is, if I knew what happened to them - even the bullies, I’d be doing what I could to get them back.

“You are going to want to send me out first thing. I’ll start augmenting the food supply. There is a creek not far from here I can build a fish trap in. In fact I have some fresh fish, a dozen trout frozen. I built a refrigerator and freezer from some scrap parts. It wouldn’t be that hard to build a couple indoor tanks and stock them. And a greenhouse.


“But for now, I have a question. Do you have any ladies with medical knowledge? I need to have my back looked at.” She turned the poncho around to reveal the long claw tears. “They ruined one of my good jean shirts. But I have tried leaning back against some white sheets and got no blood spots, so I don’t think they broke skin. But I’d like to be safe. It happened back in Rome, GA. I ran into a squad of Bugs. The marines told me the squads ran in groups of four. This squad had a fifth that blindsided me.

“If anyone any advanced xenobiology skills, I have a sample of their chitin on ice. I think I know why they are so tough.”

Open for Interaction

 

[cosowarrior]

Gordon
The man let the girl enter, a decision over which Gordon was torn. On one hand, he still suspected she was too dangerous to trust. On the other, he could not in good conscience advocate leaving her out there alone. Especially not when monsters were likely (as far as he was concerned) on their way to check out the commotion.

The best way to cope, he figured, was to keep his distance. Gordon stepped back as she rolled her motorcycle through the front door. He remained on the opposite side of their host and tossed only sparing glances toward the other newcomers as the man, Mike, recited the rules.

Thank God for rules... Immediately, Gordon felt a wave of relief. Rules meant order. Predictability. Safety. Things he loved and had longed for over the past month. Who knew something as simple as a schedule could bring him such joy? Though he was irked by the girl's response (already she seemed to push back against their guidelines, and she talked more than he cared for), his spirits could hardly be dampened. Something Mike had mentioned gave him a sudden rush of hope. He would have to bring it up later, privately. For now, he nodded to affirm his understanding.

"Thank you, Mike. I-I'm Gordon, by the way."

Mitheral davian

 

[davian]

Mike
He had been hesitant to allow a motor vehicle inside the store, but once he saw the amount of gear attached to it he decided to oblige for the sake of getting back into the store as soon as possible. After all, it was only one motorcycle, and it would fit right through the doors. As long as it wasn't started inside there would most likely be no issues. Mike's expression became even more thoughtful when Diane mentioned tanks and a greenhouse - he was surprised to have stumbled across someone capable of doing that, and daring enough to try going out there considering the threats. Then again, the idea of a tank inside the store was not too far fetched- a decade ago they would sell lobsters in a tank.

He thought on the question about doctors for a moment. "As far as I know, we've got a police officer that knows basic first aid. But she should be able to help you with bandaging and disinfection." There was a smile when Diane mentioned xenobiology. "I don't think we have that yet, but you can keep that frozen... And keep that under wraps for now. Folks don't trust any part of those things; believe it could morph into something else, so we might have a panic even if it's not true," he cautioned.

"What we do know, from a radio broadcast that came on just after shit hit the fan, is that they can't see in the dark. So if you're planning on leaving the shelter, Diane, best do that when the sun is down." Mike offered Gordon a friendly smile. "Let's not keep you two from eating any longer. We'll worry about finding you a place to sleep after breakfast," he said, turning to unlock the second sets of locks barring them from entering the store.

J & Eva
J was not expecting to be as happy to hear Annie's response as he was, but he ended up having to hold back a smile. He focused on his father again, as the older man opened up the main door to allow the survivors inside. A man about his and Eva's age, and a girl slightly younger than that. Glancing over at Eva, J could see the hope fade from the young woman's eyes. She must have been expecting one of her former partners to walk in, but it seemed like none had made it. J remembered how she used to cry during the nights after arriving at the store, out of grief and guilt because most of her department had sacrificed themselves trying to fight the Invasion.

It had been hard to convince someone like Eva not to feel guilty or selfish for taking cover in a safe place. Fighting the invaders without military technology was futile, and now that she lived inside the store with all the others, she could protect them and help keep order in a useful way. J noticed his father looking towards him and giving him a signal to come closer, so he passed Juliet's hand off for Eva to hold as he quickly made his way over to the front of the store. He assumed that he was about to get a lecture, but it was probably also time to pass out breakfast and get the survivors settled in. His father seemed far too tired to be angry with him.

~open for interaction
Mitheral cosowarrior HannaTheHippy

 

[HannaTheHippy]

Annie
--------------
She sighed quietly, regarding the two people who talked in with the slightest disappointment. Not towards them, per se, but towards the fact neither of them were her father. Despite this, she decided she should get to know the newcomers a little better. She walked over to the man, who had recently introduced himself as Gordon. She assumed Mike was done with him, seeing him walk off to meet his son.

She glanced over his physique, not feeling intimidated by his height. She was only a few inches off anyway, so there wasn't much to worry about. Confidently, she strode over, grinning at him in a friendly manner. She extended a hand to the man as she approached him. "Hi. Gordon, right? Annie Elssler, nice to meet you, and welcome," she thought over her next line in her head, wondering if she could handle saying it without breaking down. "...Glad you made it." She smiled bitter sweetly this time, her voice cracking as she spoke. Her eyes watered, but she fought off the urge to let it get any further than that.

cosowarrior davian

 

[cosowarrior]

Gordon
Gordon was blown away by their generosity. He'd come looking for help, but he never expected that these total strangers would be so forthcoming. There was plenty of reason for Mike to turn them away; the scratch down the girl's back was as alarming as her account of her run-in with the alien creatures. Who knew what otherworldly diseases she could have been carrying? And Gordon too, by association.

And yet, Mike welcomed them into the main building without missing a beat. Gordon eagerly followed, his stomach growling at the mention of breakfast. A small crowd already began to draw toward the entrance. No doubt, news of the arrivals was spreading quickly. For a moment, Gordon found himself peering over the heads and scanning the faces of the shelter dwellers. He was searching, despite urging himself not to get his hopes up, for a familiar face. His eyes fell instead upon a young woman who stepped forward in front of his line of sight. A stranger, but she had a warm, reassuring smile. She introduced herself -- Annie Elssler -- and offered a hand.

Gordon looked down at her hand before shaking it. He noticed the spider tattooed on her forearm, and, with a glance, the sleeve on her other arm. He'd never been daring enough to get tattoos of his own, let alone an entire arm full of them. That, and her unmistakable confidence, was more than enough to impress him. She may not have been intimidated, but the feeling was not mutual.

"Thanks," Gordon murmured, and weakly added, "That makes the two of us." He made an effort to smile, but it was such grim humor. It was a simple exchange of pleasantries that would have meant nothing a few months ago. Now, the words felt heavy. He was glad he made it, because he sincerely thought that he wouldn't.

She must have felt it, too, for she didn't hide her emotions well. Gordon noticed the break in her voice, and the tears springing in the corners of her eyes. He felt both guilty and empathetic. He continued.

"Just in time for breakfast, I'm told." His tone was deliberately more cheerful, in an attempt to lighten the tension. As he spoke, slid his scarf off from around his neck and unfastened the buttons of his overcoat. Beneath he wore a black V-neck with thin white stripes -- darkened now with sweat. He draped his coat and scarf over one arm, and with his free hand, Gordon ran his fingers through his hair. He hadn't expected it to be so damp... With a grimace, he dried his hand off against his jeans.

"I'll follow your lead."

HannaTheHippy

 

[HannaTheHippy]

Annie
----------------
She nodded again, backing off slightly as he prepared himself. "Right," she cleared her throat, turned her back to him, and began walking in strides. Confident, sure, mentally stable, not so much. As crazy as her dad was, and as infuriated she was about J, he was still her dad. Of course she'd want him here, but by now, she honestly doubted it. She doubted the new arrival of people since the beginning, having the group hunker down here. When things got good, and the supplies were fine, she doubted it. She could wait, wait for nothing, but in the end, would only be screwing herself over -- getting her hopes up. Annie lived in her own head, tried to believe things she wanted, but she can't pick facts over beliefs. It'd get her killed, nowadays.

She composed herself, sighing quietly. She slowed down slightly, now beside Gordon. "So...Had a job? Wife, or something?" She chuckled, shrugging her shoulders as she made a poor attempt at conversation. She let him speak, then Annie turned her head, glancing over at him, her eyes narrowed. "By the way," she shook her head, smirked, and looked forward again all in the same pause. "You aren't nervous around me, right? I dunno, just get that vibe off of you...Nervous of the situation and circumstances, more so." She said, quietly, first talking to him, then to herself out loud. She let him speak, then turned her head again. "You feeling okay, by the way? I assume so, you didn't ask to see Eva or anything. Just, uh...I'd think illnesses spread quick around here. Close..." She held her hands up and moved them inwards, trying to signal something close together and small. She put her hands down after, gazing forward.

"And...You'll like these people. Long as you don't get on their bad sides, that is. A few of them are family, but it's not too big of an issue. Just click with who you click with, I guess," she grinned again, "I don't bite, though. Not too hard." She honestly had no problem with talking so much. She felt like she hadn't talked to anyone normally in awhile, and the conversation was nice.

cosowarrior
submitting this now so it doesnt get lost when i log off

 

[Mitheral]

Diane
Diane nodded. “Now you tell me. I rode all the way from California to here during the day. I mostly stayed off main routes - using trucker back road routes the marines gave me until. And I only did that for the fuel and for the fact I just learned to ride a motorcycle. They don’t see so well during the day either. And I keep the rpm’s low to keep from producing a higher frequency HF signal. I always walked the bike in and out of towns. Only reason I cranked it up when I did here was G- .. Blondie.”

She turned to Gordon again. “Sorry about the whole gun thing.” Then she turned back to her bike and opened up one saddle bag. She emptied half the contents - mostly small tools - none of her electronics stuff. In the bottom of the bag was her DIY fridge, built to fit in her saddlebag. She popped the top and pulled a bag out filled with trout offering it to Mike. If you are able to put those on ice, enjoy. Honestly, I am a little sick of fish, snakes, frogs and turtles. You said 30 people?” She looked hesitant. “Well, I’m not Jesus and those aren’t loaves of bread, but better than nothing I guess.

Once the bag was taken she looked around. “Every base is what you make of it. Mr Sss .. uhm … Mike? I’m horrible with names. I’ll check myself over then get a little to eat.” She hesitated. “I might have some video stuff suitable for a kid. Some of it has been rated for kids. Other hadn’t been reviewed yet. But if whoever is responsible for any kids you have here want to review them, maybe later.”

She stopped. “Sorry, ex military brat. When you move around as much as I did, you get used to trying to cram a year of getting to know people into 5 minutes. You treat everyone like family. Sssooo … I’ll go and check myself over and get back here for grub.”

---------

Diane used an office to have herself checked over. As she feared her backside was more bruise than clear skin. She had been shot so many times that the bruises had begun to run together. The reason for the plexiglass casing around her bags now became obvious. It was to protect them from damage from bullets. Even the right side of her head behind her ear and the ear itself was blemished where her poncho had saved her. She admitted to having likely suffered a concussion about a week ago. There was a few bullet creases that were still healing. She kept those cleaned with peroxide. Half her body was covered with old scars, including a gunshot wound to her left shoulder from the back and one bad graze to her left side. But those wounds were at least a year old.

And then there were the slashes across her wrists. She said nothing about any of her injuries unless asked. But she did use some makeup to blend the worst of the scars so as not to make the others uncomfortable.

---------

She showed up for breakfast - dinner? She glanced at Jackson once and tried to avoid looking at him after that. But the look she had given was one of clear discomfort followed by looking over at Mike. She had lost the poncho, draping it over her bike. Now her appearance became more ordinary with blue being the predominant color. She clearly favored blue jeans and still wore designer jeans.

“What do we call the meals? Breakfast, Midnight Brunch and Din Din?”

Open for interaction

 

[davian]

J & Mike
Jackson's expression had become more of a slightly concerned one when he saw the way that Annie reacted to the survivors as well. At first it hadn't occurred to him that she may have hoped for her father to walk through those doors. Then again, he had never really known how much he meant to her, and if he had lost his own father he would be reacting in the same way. He wanted to see how she was coping, maybe get her to open up more about what her father had actually been like, but for now he had to face his own.

"Hey, Jack," Mike greeted his son. "How'd you sleep?"
"Fine," J replied, his eyes lingering on his worn canvas sneakers. Mike sighed.
"I won't reprimand you for leaving Julie alone with Eva. You already know how I feel about that."
"Eva's... sweet. She loves Julie like her own sister," J muttered. "And she has better aim than I do. She'd be safer with her."
"Fair enough," Mike grumbled. "I called you over here because I need you to do a few things for me so I can get to sleep. Help the Reverend out with breakfast - get some sandwiches together with the leftovers in the deli and thawed out bread in the fridges. Alright?"

J nodded to show that he had understood. "Be the lunch lady. Got it."
"Breakfast lady," Mike replied with a slight smile. "And afterwards, help Diane and Gordon find a place to sleep. I think there's some space near the garden section that should work out well."
"You got it," J said, making his way back to the refrigeration aisles to finish preparing the food for breakfast - assorted meats and cheeses on thawed out breads and bagels, and a bit of thawed frozen fruit for vitamins' sake. Because it would expire soon they also used some of the dairy in coffee; many in the shelter didn't even drink coffee, but for J and most of the adults it was one of the only things getting them through the day.

Once everyone had their plate of food, J made his own and joined Mike and Juliet at one of the folding tables they had set up near the front of the store - the section looked almost like a miniature restaurant, and most in the shelter liked to gather there during mealtimes. While looking around for Annie, J had caught the look of discomfort on Diane's face before she looked towards his father. He made nothing of it - it was common for him to catch a look like that almost anywhere he went. It only made him conclude that she must be coming from a background where people like him were viewed negatively; it wasn't anything he had done - just a prejudice that she had.

Mitheral HannaTheHippy cosowarrior TheBucket

 

[Mitheral]

Diane looked down at the sandwich placed in front of her. Her face paled as she considered the risk of eating the sandwich. She looked around, a little uncertain of what to do. Then she caught sight of Gordon. It was at that point she realized she was as hungry as she thought. For a few minutes she let the sandwich just sit there and watched the others eat. She knew in her mind that she was being irrational. But she simply couldn’t bring herself to eat the food - not prepared or served by Jackson. She knew it was paranoia. Or was it? There was one way to test the theory.

She got up with her plate and walked over to Gordon to set the plate in front of the blonde man. “I’m not as hungry as I thought. In fact, I’ve probably been gaining weight. But I would imagine G- .. uhm, Blondie here is a little behind in meals or he wouldn’t have risked travel - unarmed. Bon appetit. No point in letting it go to waste.”

Her face paled as she felt a cold fear run through her, half expecting Jackson to throw a tantrum and give her the guilt trip speech. Or maybe one of the others completely oblivious to any possible plots. She glanced at Mike. Then she turned and went back to her seat.

For a few minutes she organized the salt and pepper shakers on her table, anything loose, carefully lining them up, cleaning any grains of salt that spilled. Then she gave in to pulling out her laptop and patched in her CRS-PRO. She didn’t bother with the low band antenna. It booted in seconds. She studied the screen for about a minute as she ran through frequency ranges. Either the Bugs weren’t in the area or they weren’t chattering. She shut off the CRS and put that part away.

She started to pull up the video of the dead bugs, but thought better of it. She could do that later. She needed something to take her mind off all this. So she opened up Book 3 of her second trilogy. Could she even write with her mind like this? Her trilogy mirrored the very situation she found herself in now - albeit with a fantasy twist and the fact that the setting was the late Victorian Era. In her books Earth had been invaded by a magic realm in the 1870’s and was wholly unprepared to deal with real magic. The heroes set out to locate the breeches into the realm of Earth. In Book 2 the heroes had managed to travel to the source world of the invaders and learned of their natural enemies as well as how to use magic. They gain aid from the enemies of their enemies. In Book 3 the resistance took off.

Replace magic with an advanced technology and you had the aliens. What if the other possibilities proved true? One of the races that had invaded in her books was experimentally bred. She had her own theories about the Bugs, that they were bioengineered. If they were, by whom? Themselves? Or were they puppets? Humans had considered self improvement. But what if they became the subjects of experiments?

That brought her to her theories about what the Bugs were doing with the humans who had been taken. She had a whole list of possibilities. None of them were good. Food - like cattle? Hosts for larvae? The xenomorphic possibilities were too horrible to contemplate. As genetic research specimens? Slave labor? As vermin to be wiped out to make way for the new occupants of Earth.

No, she couldn’t write. And she recognized the cause. She needed to know what the Bugs wanted. So … how to figure that out? Hiding in a ValuMart in the vain hopes that the military would fix everything didn’t sound very productive. It felt more like playing right into the Bugs’ hands.

She looked up from her research to see what the fate of her sandwich had been. Was the sandwich drugged?

HannaTheHippy cosowarrior TheBucket davian

 

[cosowarrior]

Gordon
Though he had decided to split with Diane and follow Annie separately to breakfast, he couldn't help but overhear the other newcomer continue to chat with Mike about her equipment and her habits. He heard her cast the blame for starting her bike onto him, and despite himself, Gordon glanced over his shoulder at her. For a brief moment, the two made eye contact. She uttered an apology for 'whole gun thing' before promptly turning away.

Honestly, Gordon wasn't convinced that the apology was sincere. It was so impersonal and off-handed. She couldn't even be bothered to get his name right. And it wasn't as if all of that was necessary; she didn't have to pull a gun on him, and she didn't have to jump on her motorcycle to get away from him. His hands had been in the air, and he'd kept his distance. Still, as bitter as he remained about it all, Gordon was more worried about the social faux pas he would commit if he didn't accept.

"That's, uh... that's alright..," he mumbled. It was probably best to just let it go, anyway. He would probably see a lot more of her around this place, if things in the outside world didn't improve...


By the time Gordon had accepted Diane's apology, Annie was already several paces away as she headed toward the tables. Gordon stepped quickly to catch up, and eventually she fell back into place beside him so that they could walk side-by-side. Annie was pleasant enough, but her questions caught Gordon off guard. He tried to reign in his awkwardness, but only managed to stammer, "No, nothing like that. I-I mean, no, I have a job! J-just not a, uh... No significant other."

He cleared his throat and tried again. "I write for the University paper. Occasionally I write or edit something for their website, too. Whatever they need." He trailed off, realizing that perhaps speaking in the past tense was more appropriate. He used to write for the University. Now, he wasn't sure there was still a University to write for...

Annie's next comment was even worse than her first. If he'd succeeded at all in fighting back a blush before, now he stood no chance. He chuckled sheepishly and admitted, "I'm nervous around everyone... But yes, I'm fine. A little hungry, but not the worse for wear." Her mention of the close proximity and spread of sickness made him queasy, but perhaps for the best: some of the color drained from his cheeks, giving him a more normal complexion. And as for him liking the people there, he hoped she was right. If the way she and Mike welcomed him was any indication of how everyone else was, he was sure living there wouldn't be so bad.


The two made it to the section of the store where the tables were set up and breakfast was being distributed. Well... not really the kind of 'breakfast' Gordon had expected. It looked more like lunch. But he wasn't complaining; anything was better than the plain pasta he had subsisted on for the past few days. He took a serving and sat with Annie across from Mike and a few others he hadn't yet met. Among them were a young man covered in tattoos, whom Mike had called over shortly after Gordon arrived, and a small child. Though he was curious about how they were all connected, Gordon made an effort to not to stare. He simply gave a courteous smile to those he didn't know, chose a folding chair on which to drape his garments and sit, and then looked up at Mike.

"Thanks again for letting us in," he began. He was cut short, however, when Diane approached and dropped a full plate in front of him. Gordon didn't know what to make of it. Was this an act of kindness? Some kind of show of good will, to express that her apology was sincere after all? He wasn't sure. In truth, Gordon was hungry enough for seconds. But he felt guilty. Was it okay for him to take more than his fair share, even if it was offered? He looked back at Diane (who had already retreated to her table) before tossing an uncertain glance between Mike and Annie.

"I can give this to someone who needs it more...," he offered, his voice trailing with wariness over how to respond.

HannaTheHippy Mitheral davian

 

[HannaTheHippy]

Annie
------------
After walking with Gordon for awhile, she had grabbed a serving for herself and sat down, across from her former partner and his family. She folded herself in the chair, keeping as compacted as she could. Legs crossed, one hand on her lap and one hand assisting her with eating. She glanced up to Mike, then J. "Thanks for inviting me, by the way." She shakily smiled, not sure if she was welcomed by Mike or not. It wasn't her fault her dad was a lunatic, was it? Mike probably thinks some of her father's craziness rubbed off on her, but she couldn't change that either way. Everyone's entitled to their own opinions, I guess. She thought for a moment, looking back down towards her food.

Shortly after, she found Gordon next to her, then Diane approach. She wearily eyed Diane as she came forward. After all, she had markings on her back, according to her, from the aliens. Annie had seen enough alien movies to draw her own conclusions and be cautious around her, but who knows. Maybe the movies weren't like real life, or maybe they were. When Diane walked off again, she heard Gordon offer to give the foo he had received to someone else, then share a glance between Mike and her. Annie shrugged a shoulder, mumbling quietly to him, but still an earshot away from the others. "I think it'd be fine to eat it. I mean, it's a 'gift', and it's Diane's share. If she doesn't want it, then...You aren't...." She squinted at the table, trying hard to find the right words. "You aren't..Cheating anyone. She gave you her food...Right?" She shrugged again, taking another bite.

cosowarrior Mitheral davian

 

[Mitheral]

Gordon was looking okay. That brought a tinge of regret. She watched the discussion between Annie and Gordon with only mild interest. But she was glad Gordon ate the sandwich. She would have worried herself sick if he had thought to give it to the child.

Finally she turned back to the group’s apparent leader. “Mr … uhm .. “ She frowned. “Mr … Mike. I am horrible with names. It began with an S … right. Long name. You know how parents tease you about everything they say going in one ear and out the other? I had - have - that problem.” She shook her head to clear it for the subject she wanted to discuss.

“No scratches. Didn’t break skin. You are welcome to have a lady look me over. I was a little worried about space rabies or something. And no signs of infections of the other injuries. About all I need is aspirin and I still have plenty on me. That and hot, wet compresses to keep them clean. I am going to guess you are tired, but when you are ready, I would like to do a debriefing. I guess that would be the word for it.”

The truth was that she had videos of the past month. The attack on Los Angeles. The harrowing trip to Twentynine Palms. Gangs. Ravaged cities. Her home and school. The dead bug squad. She didn’t want to explain WHY to the whole group, rather lat one man decide how much to tell everyone - especially with a young girl in the group. She looked like she was about her little brothers’ age.

Despite her talking thus far, Diane wasn’t really much of a talker unless prompted. She smiled and got up get back to her bike and things. She sat down, pulled and laid out one pistol, removing the clip and quietly - so as not to make the others nervous - clearing the chamber. She pulled out a second clip. Then, one by one she unloaded the rounds from one clip and began loading the empty. Then she moved on the the next. She did the same with her spare clips. With that ritual done she turned to her saddle bags and began unpacking the one with the fridge - carefully setting everything out in a neat orderly layout. Now empty there was no reason to keep it on. But she did replace the bag liner.

Next she pulled out a deck of cards and began playing a game of Concentration. She completed three games in under 10 minutes and grew bored. What did these people DO here to occupy their time? She was going to go mad soon.

 

[davian]

Mike & J
Mike was in the midst of asking his son and daughter about the commotion at the back of the store, when Annie joined them at their table. J's eyes lingered on Annie's face and he gave her a warm smile before looking down at his food and taking another bite of bread with some kind of salami and cheese. When she thanked him for welcoming her, J seemed to forget his mouth was full, immediately replying "Of course," without a second thought. Mike looked towards his son and smiled slightly, before looking towards Annie and nodding hello. He was a bit weary of the girl, and it was nothing personal – just the fear that his son would get distracted, forget about his family, or lay down his life for the sake of love at a time like this.

When the young man from the front of the store joined them, J's attention shifted to him. He seemed nervous around them, which made all the sense in the world, but he was hoping that he could help him warm up to him and his family. Before he could speak the exchange with Diane occured, and hearing Gordon's willingness to give away the extra meal made J realize that he did seem to have an altruistic spark, despite the conditions that he had been found in. "Naw man, keep it," he encouraged. "We've been eating," he added more gently.

J put down his sandwhich and reached out his arm to shake Gordon's hand. "I'm Jackson. Well, one of the Jacksons here... But I go by J," he introduced himself, a friendly glimmer in his eye. "That's my sister Juliet," he said, pointing to the little girl. "And you've met our father Mike already," he concluded, picking up his sandwhich again and taking another bite.

Mike watched Diane as she explained the extent of her injuries, relieved that it didn't seem too severe. The shelter was not equipped to handle advanced medicinal problems, and the people living in it were far from qualified. When Diane suggested a debriefing when he was rested, he responded with a nod. "I'd like a word with you this afternoon about what's out there," he said, his eyes darkening at the thought of what he might soon find out. For now, he wanted to enjoy the rest of the morning with his family before he went to sleep again.

Mitheral cosowarrior HannaTheHippy

 

[cosowarrior]

Gordon
With both Annie and J's blessing, Gordon felt reassured in his guiltlessness. He smiled in thanks. When J reached across the table to shake hands, Gordon obliged and introduced himself. To Juliet, he gave a nod and a warm smile. He wasn't very good with children, but she seemed mature enough for her apparent age.

Introductions out of the way, Gordon looked down at the food before him. It was more than he had to eat in quite a while. And yet, as thankful and eager as he was, he hesitated. Beneath the table, his palms rubbed against the knees of his jeans with an anxious rhythm. His hands were probably caked with sweat and dirt and the skin cells of everyone he'd shaken hands with in the past hour. He could usually ignore the nagging compulsion, the feeling of uncleanliness. But when it came to having to use his hands for eating, that's when his skin started to tingle. His hands felt repulsive.

Gordon reached toward the back of his chair to dig through his messenger bag. He pulled out a small bottle of hand sanitizer. The poor thing had been squeezed nearly dry. Over the past month, Gordon had been learning to rely on it less -- how to conserve the stuff, to ignore his impulses a bit more willfully in an attempt to prolong his supply. But now, in a new place with all these new people, and after spending hours out in the open with all the dirt and rust, he could no longer hold back. He shook the bottle and gave it a squeeze. It wheezed out a pitiful smattering of clear gel into his palm. The acrid scent of the alcohol rose as Gordon rubbed it into his hands -- a scent that, though bitter, made him feel purer. It wasn't enough to cover the entire surface area of his large hands, but it would have to do.

Gordon let the gel dry for a few seconds before finally digging into his meal. It was still pretty cold, and the bread was soggy with a weird 'fridgy' aftertaste. To him, it was the best thing in the world. He went through his own sandwich in no time, and soon picked up the one gifted to him by Diane. He was sure he'd have a stomach ache later, what with how quickly he ate, but he didn't care. He enjoyed the meal as though it was his last.

As he bit into the second sandwich, Gordon mused over some questions that had been drifting through his mind since Mike had first let him in. What was the best way to ask without putting his heart on his sleeves?

"So," he began as casually as he could, "Do you get new people around here often?" He looked between the three adults, masking his hopefulness as much as he could.

davian HannaTheHippy

 

[HannaTheHippy]

Annie
-------------------
"Do you get new people around here often?" Gordon asked, Annie frowning at the thought. She chose not to verbally answer, just giving a shrug of acknowledgment. She was still hung up over not seeing her father, every question about new arrivals made her a bit uncomfortable. Though, she figured she'd bring up the question. "Gordon," she turned to him, looking over. "I have a question, about...Someone. Uh, have you seen an old man, most likely seen carrying a gun? Very bad temper, uh...Walks with a hunch? Usually wearing plaid button up shirts, a belt, and jeans? Grey hair...Uhm.." She shrugged again, sighing. She took another bite of her food swallowed it, then spoke again.

"Just was wondering. Curious, he's my father, is all." She cleared her throat, mumbling to Gordon. She didn't want to bring up her dad in front of the Silvermans, but was genuinely worried about it. Plus, if he was alive, Gordon and Diane would be, hopefully, able to tell her. If Gordon said no, she'd move onto Diane. Though, she probably wouldn't jump at the chance to go out and find him. Afterall, who knows how long ago he's been seen -- he could've moved on from the town, or worse.

cosowarrior davian Mitheral

Spoiler: shameless father shutterstock

 

[cosowarrior]

Gordon
Gordon didn't have to think about her question for very long. Had he seen an angry old man with a gun, he would have remembered.

"No. I'm sorry," Gordon answered sympathetically, "But if it means anything, I haven't run into anyone, really. I've been locked in my apartment building..." He should have known that he wasn't the only one looking for someone. He wished he could have given her the news she seemed to be hoping to hear. But at the very least, his answer didn't exclude the possibility that her father was still alive.

As for their answer to his questions, that was a different story. Now that they were making open inquiries, Gordon decided there was no reason not to ask now.

"I'm actually looking for someone, too," he admitted slowly, "A woman about our age didn't happen to come here a week or two ago, did she? Long brown hair, hazel eyes..?" He couldn't imagine a positive scenario if they hadn't seen her.

HannaTheHippy davian

 

[davian]

Mike & J
Mike waited for Annie and Gordon to speak to each other about whether they had seen the people they were looking for before answering the young man's initial question. His expression shifted to a thoughtful one after Gordon asked about a young woman, but he shook his head. "Not that I remember... May want to ask around," he suggested. Across the table, Jackson nodded.

"Yeah, and you don't have to be shy about it... Everyone's wondering if someone's seen one person or another," he said, glancing around at the others. Mike smiled slightly and nodded, then backtracked to the previous question.
"Most people showing up to the store now are people like you... When the Invasion happened they holed up somewhere, figuring they had enough supplies or that it wasn't safe to go out. A smart choice if you ask me. Better than taking the risk," he commented before taking another sip from a cup full of coffee. "But of course, they run out eventually. Is that what happened to you?" Mike guessed. He supposed people would start gradually streaming in as they ran out of food and resorted to foraging, but there was no guarantee whether they would actually make it to the store.

cosowarrior HannaTheHippy

 

[Mitheral]

Diane began preparing for her debriefing. The first thing she needed was in the book section - two novels. She found both - books one and two of a trilogy by Heather Daniels - her pen name. She had her social security cards to prove her identity. Book one had ‘soon to be a major motion picture’ splashed across the bottom of the cover. She grimaced. Well, that was probably not going to happen now.

Next she searched for a comic book but didn’t find it. No great surprise. It wasn’t a major character in the Marvel Universe. Not a big deal as she had some of her work saved on her laptop. The character, Junkyard Jane, had co starred with greats like She Hulk - and had her face. She was something of a Wonder Woman raised and trained in a salvage yard to battle waste and pollution. Diane was something of a treehugger.

Next she pulled up her video and began turning it into a briefing, adding text to identify locations from the dates and times. There were two segments of the video she had wanted to censor and allow viewing only with his approval. The first was the Invasion of Los Angeles. She had been filming while her driver had been driving hard to get them out of danger. The woman had had her son with them as the trip had included a visit to meet Stan Lee. The short video with Stan Lee was one of the very rare times she ever showed up in video of pictures. Diane didn’t like selfies. But Stan Lee had insisted. From there she had gone to Warner Brothers to discuss the movie based on her book and give her stamp of approval on the script.

Twentynine Palms, CA was a USMC training base where her driver’s daughter was in ROTC. The marines had equipped her for the trip to Rome, GA. In truth they didn’t like the idea. It would probably just get her killed. But they didn’t have time to waste on trying to prevent her from getting to her family. They had even helped her build the fridge and freezer, given her instruction on how to make fuel a dozen different ways - not that she was much of a chemist or cook. They had given her the Glock 19’s - the pretty blue ones.

They HAD told her to drive at night, hide during the day. She had ignored them. The only reason she was alive was that her route had avoided populated areas.

From Twentynine Palms, CA to Rome, GA was nearly 2000 miles and took her 2 weeks. She had covered the distance at 6 hours a day averaging 25 mph. She had spent some 3 days around Rome searching for her family, running into the bug squad at the end and fleeing at high speed. She had laid low for a day before continuing.

The first up close videos she had of the bugs were the dead ones. Only one had any real signs of wounds. That was what she referred to as the fifth. It had holes all over it. She had to have emptied the rest of her clip into it. Who could blame her. Even showing the video she looked pale and she had to control her breathing. She gave a tough act, but the truth was, she wasn’t some badass biker chick. In fact, she had just learned how to ride back at Twentynine Palms. (The first thing they taught her was how to pick the bike up after it fell.)

Once she had the start of her briefing prepared she got to work on the next project. She found a small plug and play printer and some paper and got it powered up. Then she opened up some files from the salvage yard. It wasn’t too hard to find pictures of her family, but none showed them so well as he group portrait she had found when searching for a family to rent. Long ago she had enhanced and rendered it into a crisp focus suitable for printing. One page was all she needed, but she printed a second to stick in her laptop case.

She was a little surprised noone had started a Have You Seen Me wall. But she found a spot near the ‘cafeteria’ and started one with no more than a sheet of cardboard and a black sheet. Not the best she could have done, but that was something she’d leave to the others. There was little doubt in her mind that at least some of these people wondered about the fates of their loved ones.

HannaTheHippy cosowarrior davian

 

[HannaTheHippy]

Annie
-------------

"I don't believe so," Annie sighed quietly, shrugging her shoulders for the seven thousandth time. "Sorry, but I hope she turns up." She said, in a more optimistic tone towards Gordon. She then listened to Mike and Jackson talk, halfheartedly nodding and agreeing to their opinions of everyone. She remembered she came fairly early to the market, maybe a day or so after the invasion. Her question was, out of all the places, why a supermarket? I guess there was food, protection, but a supermarket. She sat back, finished eating, and pondered the locations they could resort to for a moment.

A mall? Airport? She shook her head, sighing softly at the thought. Personally, she was here because she thought it'd be a good idea to go somewhere close, where maybe her father would dare to check. So far, the outlook on that wasn't so great.


//sorry for not replying faster, been busy with school !
cosowarrior davian Mitheral

 

[cosowarrior]

Gordon
Gordon nodded and tried to ignore the rush of heat to his face. His hesitance to ask all these strangers about his neighbor seemed foolish now, when put that way. Of course he wasn't the only one who had lost track of someone. With how quickly things had turned south, countless people were probably separated from their loved ones, people like Annie and her father. But he couldn't help wanting to be discreet. For some reason, it just felt so personal...

"Thanks," he murmured to Annie, forcing a tiny, half-hearted smile, "I hope you find your dad, too."

Mike was right in his assumption: food was what drove Gordon out and ultimately brought him here. It was the obvious guess, considering how quickly Gordon had finished his food. He was on his last bites of Diane's sandwich by then.

"Yea," he said with a nod, and then shrugged his shoulder, "I usually try to be better prepared, but it's hard to stock up when you're in such a small apartment. We... er- I didn't have enough to last very long..."

Gordon paused a moment, ruminating on al ofl the things he should have done differently, before forcing himself out if his thoughts and finishing his meal. Once he had eaten, he cleaned himself of crumbs, and with his area, he did the same. He stacked the plates, his and Diane's, neatly with his trash piled on top.

"What do people usually do after breakfast?" he asked as he looked around for a trash can. He spotted one nearby, making note for when he was ready to get up. For now, he was somewhat eager to get to know the customs of the shelter, so that he could find his place and lend a hand to show his appreciation for theit generosity.