EVENT LOG 001

[larkers]

WHO: Everyone
WHERE: New Amsterdam
WHEN: June 27
WHAT: New Amsterdam comes under attack from an extraordinary force.
NOTES OR WARNINGS: Mass destruction, violence, injury, death. Further notes at end of log.

> EVENT LOG #001

Like most cities, New Amsterdam doesn't sleep. In the early hours, as people return to their apartment complexes, they find them trembling against their foundations. Others awaken to the sound of dishes clattering in their kitchen cupboards. Sirens wail to life throughout the city, alerting citizens of seismic activity, the need to follow earthquake protocol. There's a sense of routine as vehicles stop and drop to park abruptly, metrotrains come to standstill in the middle of tunnels and bicycles are abandoned as crowds of people head for cover. Quakes are nothing new to these residents. But as the sun crests the horizon, it becomes clear that the rhythmic shakes wracking the city are not another earthquake. A huge shadow moves against the reds and oranges of the dawn sky, a colossal creature approaching the city, crushing trees beneath its massive claws as it marches through the forest surrounding New Amsterdam's walls, each footfall another impact, another rumbling tremble rolling through the ground. As images of the creature start to play on news feeds, the city seems to fall silent, whether in disbelief or sheer terror. The crowds huddled together in the city's quake shelters, families gathered under cover, the cops paused somewhere in aiding evacuation routes. The weight of this unknown threat holds everyone in inaction, as if waiting, hoping it may not be real. The creature reaches the outer wall. Designed to stand strong against most known manmade attacks, against extreme weather, against true earthquakes. The creature rears up, claws extended, and brings its weight down upon it, ripping through the structure with thunderous cracks. Once. Twice. And then it's through, widening the hole as it pushes through it, breaching into the city. NAPD officers and UNA units finally arrive at the scene, an air of desperation and bewilderment, scrambling to meet a threat which should not exist. Woefully unprepared, vehicles flying in loose, poorly held formations, they attempt to launch an attack. The police, with only their standard issue guns, have no effect on the creature, banking hard away to keep out of its path as it continues into the city undeterred. The UNA, distinct in their imposing black armor, shoulder rocket launchers, aligning their craft in the air, firing a barrage across the creature's flank in perfect sync. The creature roars, the sound shuddering monstrous through the air, but as the smoke from the rockets clears, it seems the attack made little damage to its hide. As the UNA prepare to strike again, large, bulbous pustules begin to form along the creatures sides, growing and growing before bursting in a thick spray of golden fluid. A flood of creatures drop onto the ground below, onto the nearest vehicles, sending several spinning to crash into nearby buildings as others veer wildly backwards to regroup. The creature roars again, pressing further onward as more pustules form on its back, the creatures released below letting out their own cries before dispersing, breaking out through the city streets.

> THE ATTACK

There is only one immediate – logical, sensible – answer for what's taking place. Before El chimes in, before they have real answers, Gaby knows what it is that she has to do. The quakes (frightening, worrying, undesired) means a certain series of conditions. She motions for everyone to join her near the stairs, clustering together in the shelter of the metal frame. Tremors continue: subtle, distant. The lockers above rattle in a constant, metallic rhythm, shuddering against the pressure of the attack outside. Gaby inhales a breath as she tries to ignore the constant sound above. Her lips press together – tight, a sign that she's grinding her teeth – and her eyes are wary. Once everyone has gathered, she says, "If you don't know what an earthquake is, ask your neighbor. Get down. Arms over your head. We aren't in an ideal place, but this is where you are, so deal with it." It could be worse; Morningstar's safehouses are meant to withstand worse. But there is still something claustrophobic about being crammed in this small space, the bright light flickering overhead with each shake through the ground. And then she's distracted. El chimes in on a private feed with answers. Gaby speaks, a low, uncertain tremble to her voice, "Pay attention to the feed." She goes silent. Time to try to suppress her fear. Her hands are fists as El relays the news feed to the network: "— information has reached us about the attack on New Amsterdam. An extremely large, unknown animal has breached New Amsterdam's wall and is now moving into the city. There are no confirmed casualties as yet. Local PD and UNA forces are mobilizing to meet the threat —" The news reporter continues, detailing what little information they seem to have confirmed yet as a series of four pieces of footage loop on the feed. A clear aerial shot of the creature breaking through the wall, partially obscured in a cloud of dust and debris as it pushes its way through. A blurring, frantic filming taken from beneath, looking up at the immense height of the beasts as it reacts to a persistent NAPD vehicle, the footage breaking and jerking backwards as the creature lashes one foot down at the car, crushing it down into the street. From a distance, an out-of-focus recording of the UNA attack on the creature, zooming in on the pustules forming along its back, the dark, indistinct shapes of whatever bursts out and drops to the street below. Looping back to a security feed, the inversion of night vision switching to full color as the sun breaks the horizon, the silhouette of the monster approaching, image juddering with each footstep. The ticker at the bottom of the feed identifies the feed as New Amsterdam Associated Press, rolling quake protocol throughout, and that the last seismic event hit New Amsterdam in September. The footage continues to loop, the reporter repeating, changing phrasing, but clearly limited, waiting for more to report. A loud, thunderous sound cuts through the feed 20 minutes in. Glass breaks and shatters overhead. The crash of walls being destroyed, crumbling down, machinery whipping around, the lockers overhead crushed under the weight. The safehouse shudders and shakes, dust trickling from the ceiling. The lights flicker and then blow, plunging everyone into darkness before dim, red emergency lights glimmer to life along the floor. A larger crash comes from the far end of the safehouse, daylight suddenly streaming in as the ceiling collapses inwards, rubble and metal from the warehouse above tumbling in after it. The dust settles, the extreme shaking retreats, and above, the lock on the hatch pings green. Gaby forces herself to move. Her lip is split. She wipes the back of her hand over her mouth. This is dangerous. This is terrifying. It doesn't matter – they all have to move. They have no choice. The stairs above aren't reliable, but she climbs them, pushing the hatch to open. It doesn't give immediately, but she grunts, she swears – several long, colorful "fucks" without a single care given about the children below, because they're who needs saving right now. Then the metal hatch finally gives. "Everyone out! Now!" Her throat is dry. Then she's pulling herself up, a necessary action. The scene outside is devastation, the warehouse now nothing more than a few crumbling walls stood standing. Other buildings within view are similarly destroyed, the rubble and ruin of them painting an almost exact path of where the creature had moved through. Nothing about what remains is safe, stable, or as easily giving purchase as before. "Follow me." She pauses mid-step, as information reaches her. "Our next stop is two miles away. I'm not holding your hand there, so if you want to not die, you'll follow me." Then it's time to leave. Gaby lingers around the exit, grabbing on to the hands of anyone who needs hauling out. Some of the children need two people to help them out, upset and scared, clinging to anyone who volunteers to help.

> THE CITY

The path Gaby charts is carefully chosen to skirt busier areas of the city, but in the chaos and destruction of the creature's attack, some quick improvisation is often necessary. Starting out in the derelict side of the manufacturing sector of the city, where the empty warehouses provided good cover for the safehouse, Gaby leads everyone east and inwards to the artificial river that runs through the heart of New Amsterdam. There are several overturned and smoking boats drifting on its surface, showing that even here hasn't been safe from the devastation. The river provides a guide for their movement north through the city, bringing the safehouse occupants through various districts along the way. The financial district is pristine, with tall, uniform skyscrapers; clubs, bars and restaurants cluster the streets nearby, leading through into a series of blocks dedicated to high-end fashion that thin into more general retail outlets. All of it stands eerily quiet and deserted: meals left abandoned, tables overturned, cars parked askew where they were left on the street. Some stores have taken the time to close their doors, while others stand open, empty. Any citizens still out are few and far between, running to shelter, hiding in stores with any remaining workers. The sky of the city is little more than smoke and ruin. Even at noon, it's hard to make out the sunlight on what would have otherwise been a beautiful, clear-skied day. The quake sirens continue to wail in warning, and a different type of siren surges through the city as the NAFD begin to send out their hover trucks in an attempt to stop some of the burning chaos from devastating the rest of the city. The colossal creature is visible in the slots between buildings, along some of the longer streets, and Gaby keeps an eye on its path, making sure to steer the group away from it. As careful as she is, there are still countless numbers of the smaller creatures roaming the streets. They attack any citizens they come across, leaving more dead in their wake. The NAPD, now armed and armored in preparation for the scale of this incident, are sweeping the streets, attempting to take the creatures on. Many have stood their ground, but many have also fallen, leaving clusters of vehicles and dead as grim tableaus to their efforts to protect the city. The final destination for this seemingly endless and dangerous journey loops back towards the wall and into another outer area of the city, darker and less cared for. Past several blocks of dive bars and clubs catering to more niche tastes, a few rows of abandoned stores stand in the shadow of the city's wall. A turn in an alley and a journey through the empty aisles of an abandoned supermarket takes them to another hidden hatch, another staircase leading down into the dark. The safehouse will remain open to any stragglers and anyone who wishes to go out and find strays. After a point, however, Gaby will leave everyone sitting in the supermarket until she feels like opening the safehouse's hatch up to them. The safehouse itself is near-identical in design to the previous safehouse, but hasn't been prepared for occupants: the cots will need bringing out from storage and setting up, and there are no food or medical supplies (yet).

> FINAL OOC NOTES

Please refer to the OOC EVENT POST for this event for all OOC info, including suggestions for directions on how to engage with the event and the questions thread for any questions regarding this event. The assault on New Amsterdam will continue until the following morning. An aftermath post will be made on August 25 which will detail the closing of the event and anything further which characters may experience as the city tries to right itself. As a reminder, our first activity check will be posted on August 20. This will cover August 4-August 19. AC for all players for this round is 10 comments across 2-4 threads. AC will close on August 27. We will not be posting a warning list - if you have failed to respond to the AC post before the 27th, you will be considered idled and dropped from the game.

> NAVIGATION

Comments

gaby · npc

[vns]

[ much like always, Gaby will be tense, like she has a raw nerve that's exposed by what's happening outside. she'll be focused and methodical, leading them toward their final destination. long conversations will be out of the question, but she'll talk as long as someone isn't wasting her time.

she won't be available for chats until they've "hit the road" – so to speak.

she'll be chattier but distracted once they reach the next safehouse. she has to interface with Morningstar to get supplies. to know what comes next.

to make plans for anyone who doesn't find their way back. ]

[ ooc: like before, Gaby will be available for all threads, but questions she deems stupid or a waste of her time might result in a shortened thread. ]

rey / ota

[forcevisions]

[ CRIES FOR HELP / OTA ]

[ Rey has every intention of staying close to Gaby and the rest of Morningstar after the orders come down and they start evacuation. There are children here who need help, and they are responsive to Rey for the time she has spent trying to get to know them, to make them less afraid of these intruders and newcomers. She sticks around the ones who don't seem to have their parents with them.

But they are not the only ones in danger, and as they're crossing a street, just a block down, one of the monsters crashes through a cafe window. Screams pour out of it. Screams of people who don't have a whole pack of fresh and unexpected allies.

Clarke had told her that these were her people, the ones who'd been drugged and saved by Morningstar's interference. But they aren't any more worthy of rescue than the civilians. It had not been the civilians of New Amsterdam who dosed them and experimented upon them. And it's civilians who need help.

Rey tears away from the group reluctantly. Her people have more than enough help. But by the time she gets to the cafe, she can see where two NAPD officers had fallen, allowing the monster to break through. Her first instinct is to use the Force. She reaches out, palm splayed, and tries to grab the creature — but a terrible pain splits her head as she does, and she doubles over instead.

Right. It's lost to her. The Force is gone.

But the officers are still there. She pats them down, searching for a weapon while the monster — some kind of dog creature — thrashes about inside the cafe, overturning tables while more people crowd their way behind the counter. ]

[ A POOR SUBSTITUTE FOR THE FORCE / OTA ]

[ Once she has figured out the way of the strange new powers she has developed from her first monster encounter, she feels more confident. It's not the Force. Not even close. But it seems to be effective at keeping the monsters off of people and distracting them.

She comes across another group, a family of three trapped in an alley. Parents protecting their child. Her stomach lurches, but she reaches into her chest, into the well within her, and she weighs the monster that snaps its jaws at them down. The air seems to ripple and warp around it, and it presses flat to the concrete.

It's not like the Force at all. It doesn't take the same inner peace, the same concentration. This is more like extending a limb of her own, not like touching something deep and profound and powerful. It's only her. It makes her feel more alone, not less, to use this. ]

Go!

[ She shouts, and the family flees through the back door of some kitchen, letting the heavy metal fire door shut behind them. Gasping, Rey releases the thing.

It turns and spots her then, revising its interests. ]

Kriff.

[ And Rey's off, ready to run. ]

[ SAFE ARRIVAL / OTA ]

[ Finding the safehouse after all that is hard. But Rey's savvy, and the group is big, and some of the stragglers have been waylaid by creatures themselves. She follows them into the supermarket.

Maybe you're one of the early arrivals, popping out of the hatch to help people find where it is, or maybe you're already getting started unpacking things and when Rey arrives into the safehouse, you're there to help put her to work.

She doesn't look terribly wounded, at least. Not as bad as her first arrival had left her. ]

[ WILDCARD ]

[ ooc; Hit me up at protects or discord if you want to plot for some other prompt. ]

Akane Kurashiki

[timemachine]

i. From A to B

[It’s not often that Akane is terrified, but now she is. The unknown attacks, the place shaking, she hates that she has a lack of information, and more than that, she hates that she has a lack of control of the situation. But for now Gaby seems to know what’s going on, so she follows directions even if she’s doing so somewhat reluctantly. Even if she doesn’t particularly like Gaby, she does trust her.

Going from point A to point B stinks, but it’s probably all she can do as she follows with everyone. She needs to gather information for herself and for now, she’s finding herself to be useless since most of the trouble needs to be solved by brute force. She can’t do a thing against those monsters, which means she needs to use this time to observe what’s going on around her.

People trapped in rubble, deceased soldiers that may have weapons on them, abandoned cars…

Anyone watching her closely can see that her expression goes from helpless to formulating a plan pretty quickly. The only reason she hasn’t acted yet is because she needs to know where the new safehouse is. So, she follows Gaby all the way and gets the destination memorized before she runs back out again…

…right.]

ii. Looting

[The first thing she does when she leaves the new safehouse is start to loot the soldiers’ bodies. Bigger weapons just aren’t going to do it for her since she’s not trained, nor would her smaller frame be able to handle the recoil of a larger firearm. However, she’s quick to find some bodies with smoke grenades and handguns.]

Here we go!

[She grabs a handgun and a few magazines from one body and three smoke grenades from various others. It’s not much, but it’s all she can carry on her and she doesn’t want to be spotted by the NAPD. Then again, hiding quickly is one of her fortes so she’s careful to sneak around like so.]

iii. Grand Theft Auto – Closed to Eren

[It’s hard when she wants to be useful, but her usefulness here is, well, useless. But she likes to think she’s smart (and she knows she’s smart) and figures now may be a good time to see about one of these cars and if she can get one into her possession. One thing is for sure, she’s going to have to find a way to hotwire it. Thankfully, she finds a car with a door ajar, so she doesn’t have to figure out how to jimmy the lock. That would be a way to alert the police if it takes too much time and that’s something she is still not exactly wanting to do.

Getting inside, she is able to quickly find the compartment that houses the wiring but that’s where things are going to take time. It’s different from cars she’s seen which means trial and error is going to be a thing. But that’s the problem. What if she uses the wrong wire? What if she breaks something?

And that’s something she does right away just by gently pulling one of the wires…]

Oh no. Please no!

[She tries to put the wire back into the socket, knowing it’ll be futile, but that’s when she notices something. It goes back. It goes back like it had fixed itself.

Just… what happened? She seems in awe of this that she completely forgets her surroundings and the smaller creatures start to surround the car she’s in. Smoke grenades would be useless because they know where she is, so she takes out the handgun she looted and starts shooting at them.

Except she’s missing like crazy because she can’t stay as calm as she’d like in this situation and she’s not trained.]

Help me…!

[She doesn’t know who she’s crying out to, but it’s an automatic reaction to her situation. It’s been a while since she was actually terrified of dying.]

iv. Let’s Go For a Joyride!

[After a bunch of trial and error (and also help and figuring out her new power) with the car, she’s able to get it up and running. The former safehouse isn’t an option since it’s been destroyed, but she can still go around and pick up injured civilians or drive people around who want to get near the monster attacks and get supplies off of the dead bodies. It’s also just a chance for her to figure out the controls.

So please, join her! The first people who join her will get a bumpy ride since she’s still figuring out the controls. Given the look on her face though, she’s finally having fun.

It’s because she finally feels in control and finally knows what’s going on. Also, being able to fix small wires? That’s pretty awesome and made her stealing of the car a lot easier than it could have been. Of course, it’s a crime, but how many crimes has she committed by now, especially on Earth? Theft doesn’t even bother her since it’s not like she’s planning on killing anyone.]

Need a ride?

[This is kind of like Uber, isn’t it? Not that she ever wanted to be an Uber driver.]

v. Wildcard

[Hit me up at aidios if you want a different prompt or leave a top level here.]

keith | ota

[secondnature]

i. trying to reconnect

[The worst part about this is that Keith doesn't have anything on hand that he'd like to have: no weapons, no bayard, and especially no lion. The moment he sees the creature on the feed, he feels like he's looking at one of Haggar's robeasts. He knows that's knot what it is. He knows it lacks a lot of the sure signs. There's no purple hue of quintessence, no sign that it was ever anything before that: but it's large enough that Keith knows the actual answer here is Voltron.

Keith hadn't been as edgy or worried about the safehouse once they got there. His concerns were external. As in, he was worried he was a clone (ruled out), or that they were weapons waiting to be activated (partly ruled out). Or that the multiverse was about to collapse (partly ruled out). Once an attack concerns and he's useless, he knows he has two options: try to steal a ship or see if Black is closer than he thinks. His senses were dulled for months, so maybe his connection to Black was dulled, too.

So ... as they're walking toward the next safehouse, Keith walks behind everyone, eyes closed, as he tries to communicate with Black. Needless to say, he looks a little silly. One, he's walking with his eyes closed, and another, he looks a little like he's meditating while walking with his eyes closed.

For all his coordination when he's got his eyes open, it doesn't help when a city is in ruins. Black doesn't show up. And Keith—well. He trips. Forward. Onto his knees with a grunt.]

Guess that won't work.

ii. insert knife joke

[Barring mega weapon number one and any ease in getting across town initially, Keith knows that they might want to focus their energies on the ground forces. At first, anyway. His eyes are still on the prize, and given that it's obvious that these smaller creatures are coming from the big one, he feels like that's where they need to be headed. In time.

For now, he's looting the body of an officer, fingers on the woman's neck as he tests her pulse. He pulls a combat knife off her.]

I'm sorry. I hope someone comes to get you soon.

[It's a quick remark before Keith springs up, lunging for the dog-like creature nearby that caused the officer to be downed in the first place.

Should anyone turn out to notice this display, he'll ask:] Any chance we can call someone for her?

iii. THE BIG ONE (with a side of theft)

[Step one: Be able to reach the big one.

That step involves Keith needing to get into one of the many stray vehicles around. He has the creature spotted. It's several streets away, but a car will get him there quickly. He's never handled a flying car quite like this, but he figures it'll be easy. He can fly anything. Plus, he's been stealing cars all his life for the heck of it. Nothing changes that now.

He hears someone's footsteps behind him, and he looks back as he's rigging up the lock to get inside of the car.]

If you're here, you're either gonna watch my back or come up with me. We need to do recon on that thing. And then come up with a plan to stop it.

[Because, at this point, stopping the creature feels like it's his responsibility. He's the Black Paladin. That's what ... he does, right?

(Someone can feel free to correct him.)]

iv. wildcard

[Keith will be straying away from the group throughout the event, but for the sake of saving people, killing things, the family business (^{TM Supernatural}). He will be trying to save fellow safehouse occupants and will probably look like a cool space ninja because like, Keith is embarrassing that way.

I'm interested in having Keith come up with a plan for The Big One, so anyone on Team Leroy Jenkins, we can discuss things here or on my plurk (medieval) or I guess they can all Leroy it up separately.]

[persists]

one — out of the frying pan

[ It's been days — it feels as if weeks, months, years to her but... it's been days since she had any 'choice'. Ciri was compliant with what was given to her: info, orders, advice. It was not her nature to simply follow blindly, even with someone who believes in destiny and fate... it was important to her to have her own choices. So she may rise and fall on her own accord.

And the explosion of glass, metal and the direct orders from Gaby come all too quick. Moments are lost and instead, Ciri acts a bit selfishly. This organization, Morningstar, can act on their own. Take care of their people. Ciri wants answers but above all else, she wants her freedom.

So she's gone — the quickest way she can get out and Ciri makes her way to the shadows. Anyone is able to find her — she's not subtle. ]

two — and into the fire

[ Whether she's actively trying to get some supplies among the chaos or lost people among the frantic escape, Ciri can be found crouched behind an abandoned car. There were two crab creatures in the back, ones that scuttle around in the storefront of some diamond store.The outskirts of the financial district was a ghost town, a few spare fires from wrecked vehicles in the distance — Ciri is noticing that the creatures try to stay in the shadows, ignoring the light the flames bicker.

She's mumbling to herself, trying to open the door of the vehicle with no avail. "Technical know-how" is not her forte. ]

three — burnt to a crisp (power activation)
You're a dimwitted fool! I didn't need your help — here. We need to get you back to the others. Just stay with me, okay?

[ On this instance, maybe your character took a nasty hit from the crab creatures. Venom courses through your veins, but the injuries you and Ciri both sustained were certainly the focus here. Her bicep was sliced open, blood running down her forearm to her hands.

With strain, she's helping you back behind the vehicle that was totally never hacked into. The smell of burning crab in the air — two dead creatures (one burnt) and the other impaled in just the right angle by a windshield wiper. ]

Does it hurt? That — that venom or poison?

four — licking your wounds

[ And it's time to go back to the group. Ciri and any other people who caught up with her during the mayhem return looking worse for wear. Of course, she lags behind — using a subpar sense of tracking, sure but a few hours after the chaos... luck would be a kind lady and allow them to find the newest safehouse.

Please don't say 'I told you so'. ]

wildcard — hit me

[ Feel free to plot with me cirilla on plurk if you haven't done so! I'll be hitting up some threads but some other misc stuff Ciri can get into is: looking for weapons, playing Jurassic Park and hiding from the dog-creatures in stores, and trying to hide her shame at the new safehouse.

For prompt three, I'd like to get Ciri's healing blood powers activated! ]

Mei | ota

[frostedplum]

{ escape }
Hurrying up the unstable stairs, Mei discovers that it looks just as bad as it sounds out here. She's never experienced anything on this scale before. Briefly, the news reports about the bombing of Overwatch headquarters comes to mind. She'd been in cryosleep during it, but she's often thought about how scary it must have been. How it was able to take out their Strike Commander -- the super soldier who should have been able to withstand anything in her eyes.

But despite how awful this all seems, there's nothing to do but put on foot in front of the other and get through it. She's quiet as they set off, still a bit in shock, but at least aware of her surroundings and moving forward.


{ the world could always use more heroes }
There aren't many occasions where Mei will think the loss of her glasses is a good thing, but as they pass by dead police officers and citizens, she's thankfully her vision is so blurry at a distance. She doesn't have to see their faces too closely. Nothing can be done for them now. As the monster is briefly visible between buildings, Mei wishes she knew more. Wishes she could come up with a plan to help because she feels so useless. That's when she hears a scream and a "Get back!" and she turns away from the group to see a woman fighting off one of the smaller monsters. Immediately Mei rushes over, looking for a weapon along the way. Some metal bit of debris that's vaguely rod shaped stands out, and she grabs it, closing the distance between to swing hard at the creature.

"Back off!" she yells, her blood pounding in her ears. The thing has long arms with claws, and the rest shaped like a snake. It lashes out at her and she jumps back, swinging at the claw as a layer of frost appears down the length of the rod. The terrified woman has seized the opportunity of Mei's distraction to take off, leaving her along with the creature.

"What?" Mei asks herself, startled at the ice that's appeared.


{ safehouse 2.0 }
Having fallen behind because she stopped to help people, Mei's in a bit of a panic to meet up with the others at the safehouse. She knows she isn't the only one who spread out to help rescue others, and occasionally she can catch sight of someone from the safehouse ahead of her before she loses them around a building. Finally, she manages to catch up to someone, out of breath and scared.

"Are we almost there?"

Wrench | ota

[wrenchinald]

[A. FIGHT]

[Well, now the entire weird world they're stuck in is crashing down around him and he still hasn't put together an acceptable substitute for his mask. He's fashioned a kind of ski mask out of old clothes, at least, so that provides him an almost reasonable level of anonymity.

It'll have to do.

But with all of this shit going on, he's not gonna just run. He can fight back. These smallish monsters aren't that big, especially compared to Godzilla McLeggy. Sure, it's not the same as fighting people, but you probably just have to aim at different places.

And with this piece of pipe he's found, he can probably do some serious damage as he swings it at one of the snakey ones. He's good at hitting stuff with stuff, after all.]

Yeah, fuck off!

[Maybe... help him out a little.]

[B. HIDE]

[He's made it this far, so obviously he's good at this shit, but for some reason this one thing is just looking his way. It's... strange, and he's almost tempted to hit it with a rock or something to get it to pay attention, but it's really bizarre it's not attacking him.

Like it can't see him or something.

If someone gets near, though, the monster's bound to notice, right?]

[C. SAFE(?)]

[Despite everything, somehow he ended up back together with the group. He'd been really, really tempted to go off on his own, but maybe it wasn't quite time for that. Maybe.]

Let it be known I ain't happy about this.

[Buuuuut it's still better than being out there, so. It's an awful lot like the last place, too, isn't it?]

Must've had the same guy do the decorating.

[WILDCARD]

[ready for other adventures? or hit me up here or at agentkaz!]

clarke griffin | mostly ota!

[strove]

i. escape from—what, exactly? [closed to stephen strange]

[It's time to go.

The moment that the hatch opens up, Clarke's instincts fly into needing to get away from all of this. They need answers, and not the ones that will be fed to her second hand by someone from Morningstar. She needs to get out and see what's going on for herself. Murphy can't go far. Bellamy can't, either. "I'll find my way back to you. I promise." When she says this, she feels resigned to taking off alone, to being alone, especially when Bellamy seems determined to help and keep everyone together, while Murphy is too injured to do that in the first place.

So, she's set to leave. She picks up a sharp object to help her, a piece of shrapnel that was waiting on the ground before she could leave. And she starts heading in the opposite direction of where Gaby is leading everyone. Of course, she isn't obvious about it. She waits, watches, and once she's bringing up the rear, she starts off into the city alone.

Needless to say, she's unlikely to get very far.]

ii. a damn good shot

[Also needless to say: Clarke sticks around. She finds a gun, gets moving with the group. She isn't happy about it, but she can't just make pleas of "these are our people now" and then not believe in them. Then again, she said some of that because it sounded good at the time. Scott Summers was right to call her on her bullshit from day one, even if some of his diagnosis related to that wasn't accurate.

Either way, she's here. And if she's here, she's going to act like these are her people. If anyone finds themselves in a tricky situation, she's likely to be there, gun pointed, ready to go.

Her jaw is set, brow furrowed. She likely looks a little more intense than usual.]

Stay still.

[Firm, just as the creature calls out for more.

She levels the gun and shoots the creature in the head, blowing gold blood (or something like blood? she'd assume that's what it is) in its wake.]

iii. heading back out, part one (looting)

[A complete lack of supplies. No food. No water. Clarke isn't going to accept that. It's not just that she doesn't want to be cooped up in another safehouse. That part is certainly true, to say the least. She also doesn't like the idea of having to stay put without any of that. Her survival instincts kick in, and she heads back out. She makes sure people who might care know that she intends to come back.

She had spotted a couple of store fronts on the way, and she tucks her gun into the back of her pants as she walks, keeping an eye on them.]

Hey, [she says to anyone who joins her.] I could definitely use the help in bringing things back. We're gonna need it.

[Clarke tries to hide the wonder in her eyes as she looks around the city. The signs of capitalism, of society that hasn't been burned away by nuclear explosions time and time again. But there is still some wonder, and for the moment, these streets are mostly clear.

Mostly.

There may be a crab creature or two on their way.]

iv. heading back out, part two (the supermarket)

[No surprise here: Clarke meanders on one of her trips for too long and gets locked into the supermarket. The good news is that she has some food and supplies on her, so she won't go hungry. The bad news is that there aren't any beds or anything, so ... she'll have to make do with what's available, which is a large, empty store front. It's too risky to go out at this point.

She sets up shop not too far from the stairs, but not so close that anyone can see what she's waiting for if they aren't associated with their group. For now, Clarke looks a bit like a squatter. The soot from the day's activities is still on her face, and she probably doesn't smell that good. It's been a long, long day.

She sits, legs bent back toward her chest, and she rests her forearms on them. She looks up at the other person who's arrived. A wry smile appears on her lips.]

I think they're trying to teach us a lesson.

v. wildcard

[I think I covered most of Clarke's stuff up there, so I'm down for random takes on a lot of it so it suits a thread better. Anything else can be covered here—including handwaved medical care. We can thread out the aftermath of the care, but I'd prefer to handwave the care itself for this event! Just let me know at the OOC post that that's what we did, or we can discuss it there or on my plurk at medieval.]

two.

[selfimage]

[ just like the inter-dimensional traveling, a giant monster attack isn't exactly foreign to him. most of his time is spent avoiding conflict rather than confronting it (he had his own hide to save), it's hard to miss a recognizable face trying to break into a car. ]

And just what were you hoping for? A road trip?

[ bold to be ... kinda loud, and even more arrogant to come swaggering over like everything's perfectly within his control. he leans over the hood to get a better look at what she's doing, also casting an annoying shadow over her point of focus. ]

gta iii was a good game

[trample]

[ Smaller didn't mean small. Anything would be smaller than a 400-meter monster. That still meant a 2-meter-tall monster wasn't anything short of terrifying to your average human. To most, something half that size would still be enough to send one running, oftentimes screaming. And the few that stood their ground against it ended up dying in the process.

The answer, then, was to fight. Become the attacker, instead of the attacked.

Before the creatures could take one step further, one was suddenly struck a blow across its maw before collapsing from a bullet to its brain. Before the gunshot could stop ringing in the ears of all who had heard it, the beast nearest the one who had just fallen had its face erupt with blood. The sharp end of the knife stuck out from between its eyes, having been stabbed from underneath its jaw. The last of the three attempted to flee, but not before Eren emptied the contents of his gun into its ribcage. It could run, but not far.

Satisfied with what he had accomplished, Eren turned to Akane. He almost looked a little surprised to see her. His surprise quickly turns to cold anger. ]

I was wondering where you were. [ He makes his way over to her, clearly not pleased to see her out here. ] What gave you the bright idea to come out to the surface alone? The safehouse not as safe as you thought it was?

one

[trample]

[ Eren wants his freedom, too. That's why he's been biding his time, waiting for the right moment to seek it.

The time has come.

Call it what you will, he brazenly leaves the group without a word once they've touched ground on the surface, confident that the few he has befriended in his time down there will be able to reach safety. At the same time, he knows a few of them will want to leave the same way he did. He'd like to be proven wrong, but it's not long before he finds that he's right again - he watches Ciri make her escape with a sharp eye, and chases her down before he can lose her trail. ]

You - [ He takes a breath, running to catch up. ] How did I know you were going to be leaving so soon?

[ It's clear he's not too bothered by it, despite his words. ]

Still haven't got your name, you know.

safehouse 2.0

[timemachine]

Akane hadn't been trying to go back to the safehouse, but she had been hiding after she looted a few bodies for weapons. This time coming when hiding, it seemed out of her fellow safehouse mates had found her, and she couldn't help but smile. It did take her a few moments to figure out Mei's question, but as soon as she had it figured it out, she gave the other girl a nod.

"The safehouse? Yeah, it's not far from here. I can take you there if you want!"

It was almost gleeful how she said it, but at the same time, stuff like this was all she was going to be really useful for, she thought.

[timemachine]

[Akane wasn't sure if someone would answer her call and is relieved to see someone came to save her. The carnage happening right in front of her almost awes her as she watches it happen and finally notes who her savior is. There's a gentle smile on her face as he finishes the monsters off, though it quickly fades when he (rightfully) scolds her for being out in the open like this.

She seats herself so her legs are out of the driver's side door as she hunches defensively. For a moment she bites her bottom lip before letting it go as her hands fold in her lap and she fidgets a bit.]

I... I wanted to help. I thought if I could get us a car it'd be helpful in transporting the injured back to the safehouse. Also so we can quickly get supplies.

Loki | Open

[selfimage]

01: GENERAL

[ when Loki had left, he had ignored the call to help the children. there were several reasons why, none of them particularly selfless, but the kids would attract enough attention that there would be plenty of aid. (it was always easier to ignore when there were plenty of people around who wanted to help.)

with that said and done, Loki spends most of his time avoiding the fight. there are pathways he makes himself familiar with, keeping close to walls and still when the lesser creatures or the UNA or NAPD come around. while he stays out of sight and far enough away not to be noticed, he also keeps his eyes and ears open.

it's irritating not to have any of number of his hard-earned (see: stolen) magical artifacts that would make this easier, but he has to make due with the basics. ]

02: LOOTING

[ when it comes to stealing, looting, or getting his sticky fingers on just about anything, Loki is a pro. the monsters don't faze him, and he seems to have a game of avoiding the UNA, the NAPD, and the deformed beasts that seem keen on following the trail of their larger counterpart. a few of the fallen officers lend him their knives, which he takes without a second thought. ]

You won't be needing these ...

[ sliding around alleyways, clubs and through newly abandoned storefronts, he takes advantage of his five finger discount. keeping either low or close to the walls when he hears a suspicious sound, he begins to rifle through undamaged goods looking for anything valuable or usable. he's got an eye for luxury items, but practical items get their own consideration.

the knives he's stolen are tucked beneath his shirt, and there's a low hum in his voice. it's Grandaddy's A.M. 180. ]

03: BOOZING AT THE SAFEHOUSE

[ late—he shows up late. Loki shows up so late, that he barely gets there in time for Gaby to open the new safehouse. while he's certain the only one waiting for him is Thor—who, he's also certain, most likely had a run in with a certain Godzilla-like monster—he drags his ass down anyway. with him are a garbage bag and a pillow case, each jutting with awkwardly shaped objects.

he heads down the stairs to the bunkers below. it's a bit of a pain to get his got ready, and he complains the whole time, dirty and sore in places that he didn't think a god could be sore. when he sets it up in line with the person beside him, he begins to rummage through the pillow case.

out comes one bottle of alcohol, then another, then another, and then another—the fifth he pops open and takes a drink right from the bottle. if anyone's watching, he offers them a lopsided smile like he's far more clever than any monster. ]

When in New Amsterdam.

04: WILDCARD

[ hey if there's something else you want, go ahead and leave it here, I'm game! while Loki won't outright look like he'll help others, he's willing to stab stuff and run. ]

[trample]

[ Though he's rather stern, he's just as understanding, especially when it comes to matters of survival. She was thinking of others. He can't help respecting that. ]

Well? [ His earlier frustration gives way to his usual monotone. ] Did you get it working or not?

[ Leaning over the driver side doorway, he looks in, seemingly unaware of how the whole thing works. He imagines it's just like a horse-drawn carriage, just without the horse. ]

[timemachine]

[She moves so she's out of the car again and can get under the dashboard where she had opened a compartment of wires.]

I haven't gotten it working yet. I have to figure out which wires I need to connect to jump start it. Luckily, something neat happened where one of the wires I broke fixed itself. I should be careful with the rest of the wires, but if this kind of technology has a self-healing process, I can tinker without worrying about failure.

[Which is what she starts doing. She knows how to get electrical currents to work, but it's clear this technology is more advanced than the tech she has in 2027. She looks back behind her at Eren.]

Can you stay for a bit to make sure no monsters attack? I have some smoke grenades and a couple of magazines for a handgun if you need them.

[And back to work she goes, unashamed she asked him to be her bodyguard.]

[persists]

[ A giant monster is still new. She would anticipate even the most fearsome warriors would have issues — perhaps only sorceresses and wizards powerful enough to bring something like that. Ciri wants to stay out of dodge — why get herself involved with a losing battle...?

Things happen so quickly and Ciri's gaze snaps to the man immediately. ]

Be silent! [ A hushed whisper is her reaction, even if her heart leapt into her throat. Ciri is immediately tugging the man down by his sleeve. ] I was hoping for an easier escape than traveling on foot. Since there are no horses... this is my next best guess.

[trample]

[ As something of an engineer himself, he ought to have something to say - whether it's about how to get this thing running, or why it's not, but it seems like she's got a better grip on this situation than he ever could, so he stays silent. And he knows very well just how more experienced she is with advanced technology - at least, what he considered advanced.

When she peeks back at him to ask for his aid, he nods, a touch surprised that she even felt the need to ask. ]

That even a question? Of course I'm going to stay. [ He crosses his arms and leans his back against the car's frame. ] Until you're done. And even after.

[ Before she can misconstrue that some funny way, he continues. ]

Someone's gotta make sure you make it back to safety.

three

[secondnature]

[Two things occur that Keith isn't prepared for, neither does he fully understand what's going on.

First: his power activates. His chest glows blue as a hum in his head tells him that he needs to act quickly. Someone's in danger. He doesn't even bother to see who it is, he just knows that he has to do something. Keith's too accustomed to weird glowing blue around his body to pay it too much mind just yet. His palms turn into concrete, matching most of the surroundings, and it's this feeling that makes him even more ineffective.

Which leads to the second: Keith takes a pretty gnarly slash to his midsection. It could be worse, but he crumbles over, groaning rather quickly. His chest glows blue a little while longer while his hands remain partially concrete, holding him up. Then his hands return to normal, and the foundation he's been relying on gives away.]

It's venom. I think. [His voice is soft, a rasp, as he rocks back onto his behind, almost collapsing the rest of the way. Very graceful.] I think we need to get it out somehow.

looting

[strove]

[Clarke has had a Day, but that seems to be the case for everyone involved. For all that it's been a day, she seems to be more in her element than usual. Survival instincts have kicked in. She knows what it's like to feel like she's going to die, and how to respond when she has no choice but to do what's necessary for her people. These are her people. Stephen Strange had made sure of it, when she might have decided to cut that number down to two (Bellamy and Murphy), complete with leaving them hanging while she went off to do something else.

She still wants those answers, but she has to settle with ... this. Searching, finding things. When Loki hums a tune, she turns a corner with raised eyebrows. It's more familiar than anything. She may not have been ... immediately privy to his Lady Gaga concert, but she heard it. They all did. They all knew who was responsible for it.]

You like to sing. [It's not a remark that's meant to get a response.

Clarke drifts closer, and her eyes fall to his hands and what he's currently taking. Needless to say, it's not something she feels is necessary.]

I'll be surprised if they even let that inside. You realize that there's limited space?

three

[warfares]

No.

[ if anything, the bands of skin where the creature had managed to grab him are the only places not aching.

once they're settled under cover, he flexes his fingers, experimental, curling them and uncurling them against his palm. the area seems raw, inflamed, but beyond that there's only a prickling numbness. ]

I don't feel much of anything.

cries for help

[warfares]

[ he must be imagining things.

he must be imagining things, he tells himself, as he breaks away from the group, following that familiar darting shape. it can't be her. not here, of all places.

except that it is. he knows the moment she extends her hand in that familiar gesture, only for it to drop seconds later. he doesn't see it, but he imagines the blossom of light just beneath her breastbone. ]

I suppose some things never truly change, [ he says, finally, breaking from his cover as she moves toward the first body. he settles beside the second, fingers combing over the uniform in search of a weapon. something, anything of use. ] I hope your aim has improved.

jim holden | the expanse

[dealign]

> CITY

[ holden is still limping from the injury he got in the crash —the same leg that got crushed by the hybrid. that's what he's thinking about now as he moves along. the creatures currently roaming through the city are about the same size of the hybrid. there's no blue glow to them, though, nothing like that.

no, the blue glowing, that's all them. (he's terrified that it's the protomolecule, but there has been no degeneration in any of them. maybe it isn't. maybe it's something else. that's got to be a good thing, even if none of this is good.)

when they come across their first tableau of dead napd officers, holden swallows. reminds himself that he's done this before and that needs must. the dead don't use their weapons (or their food, or their fuel.) he finds a gun, several clips of ammo and a knife and stashes all those away, keeping the gun in his hands. taking from bodies makes him sick in the stomach, but he swallows that down. nods at whoever closest to him. ] If you know how to handle a weapon, it's probably a good idea to arm yourself now.

[ later, several blocks further, they narrowly avoid one of the creatures —but it's attacking citizens and holden can't stand by. we gotta do good when we can, naomi's words echo in his mind. she was right at a time when he'd been wrong, when he'd lost his way. (god, he misses her. all of his crew.) ]

We have to do something. Can you cover me? [ he hates not knowing everyone's capabilities. he hates not knowing who he can rely on, who can fulfil what role and perform what tasks. ]

> SAFEHOUSE

[ it's entirely possible that holden overdid it. more than possible, it's likely. he pays the price for it when they're finally in the safehouse and the adrenaline wears off, leaving him to really feel just how much his leg hurts. there are other scrapes and bruises, smaller injuries, but his leg is the worst of it all. he manages, just about, to drag a cot from storage and set it up, but then he's sinking down on it, both hands holding on to his thigh as he groans. he tries to muffle the sound, at least. ]

> WILDCARD

[ want something else? chats in the supermarket? comfort in the first safehouse during the "earthquake"? hmu for anything or plot with me @ abiosis ]

bobbi morse | mcu: aos

[covertness]

> SAFEHOUSE

[ bobbi gets down when gaby tells her to, puts her arms over her head. stays on the ground as the earth shudders around them. ]

Ever experienced anything like this before? [ she asks the person next to her. bobbi feels little but determination not to die in this, fear a companion she's long learned to live with and ignore. staying this still doesn't sit quite right with her, but she knows it's the best thing to do right now. she's calm, but she still infuses a little fear into her voice. katelin philips wouldn't be quite so calm, after all.

later, when the glass has shattered and the hatch to the safehouse is unlocked, bobbi's on the top of the stairs, holding out her hand to anyone who seems like they might stumble. the stairs aren't reliable and there are kids still down there. ]

If you can, carry one of the children up. [ she yells down. she'll stay up here, helping people up. ]

> SUPERMARKET

[ bobbi prefers the work of a field agent to work in a lab, though she's capable of both. she feels that fighting, gathering intel, going undercover — those are more immediate ways to help people than wearing a coat all day, even if she knows that it's in labs that real progress is made more often than not. vaccines, cures, those things aren't found in the field.

she prefers field work, but she isn't going to give away just how much she can do, just how capable she is if she can avoid it. whoever took them might not know and if that's the case, if they took people at random (which she's beginning to think they did), she wants to have the advantage of surprising them. so she's katelin philips here, just a biologist who does yoga instead of someone who knows how to kill a person in various ways, with or without a weapon.

katelin philips still wants to help people. she still wants to go home. so once they're all in the supermarket, she runs a mental tally of what could be usable, here. ]

Hey. While we're here, let's gather whatever might be useful. First aid kits, if they've got that.

> WILDCARD

[ you know the drill :> ]

i

[timemachine]

[Walking to the safehouse isn't exactly the most entertaining since everyone is on edge and mostly looking out for their own safety. Makes sense, really. Akane is keeping to herself, but also looking around their surroundings if only to see if she can get a clue of what's going on and also ways she can personally help. Really, being helpless and unhelpful is the worst feeling in the world and something she'd rather not experience again.

There are a few times she looks behind her and notes Keith is walking towards the back with his eyes closed. She is curious as to why he's doing that but decides not to press the issue and leave him alone. That is until she hears him trip. She goes to him and kneels down, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder.]

Are you okay?

[It's good she's great at acting because it's kind of funny. Also, she should be the one tripping with her lack of coordination. She's proud it's not her.]