epidemiology | EVENT ★ THE SICK AND THE DEAD

EVENT ★ THE SICK AND THE DEAD

THE LAST HURRAH

STATE OF WOODHURST

Things are bad. There's more infected on the streets every day, ravenous since their would-be victims are all boarded up in their houses. Audentes members who are infected are likely feeling ravenous now, too, and some of them are far gone enough that they might need to be subdued.

The city is in a state of panic, and the military has been given permission to use lethal force if necessary to stop people from leaving quarantine; keeping the virus contained is the number one priority of the federal government. As for the local government, all non-essential persons have been given leave until further notice for their own safety.

The police department is still running, but they're in a constant war against the infected, forced to retaliate fatally more and more each day. They have no time to focus on any other crimes.

Some citizens would be thankful if Audentes ran some "errands" for them — attempting to loot what's left of the stores, for example — or accompanied them outside as protection. Many people have family to see, some of them on the other side of the city, but it's nearly impossible to get there without a bodyguard of some sort. Someone could possibly make some cash this way, but there's something more important to do.

MEANWHILE . . .

The hospital, formerly chaotic, has devolved into outright bedlam. Theft and fights with the staff are increasingly common, and frenzied people are constantly demanding a cure the doctors don't have. Fortunately, it looks like Audentes does. Science-minded recruits have been hard at work creating a vaccine, which is widely available already, and a cure, which is rolling out slower.

Administering the vaccine is risky, as it requires escorting people to the hospital without getting killed, as well as hoping the infected constantly wandering into the hospital have been taken care of.

Administering the cure is even more so; it's highly recommended that the infected be unconscious before being given the cure. Even Bristol sufferers have to sleep! If not asleep, knocked out or otherwise sedated will do. It is absolutely not recommended for anyone to go at an angry infected with a syringe, but it's not like anyone's going to stop you... except maybe the infected.

Escorts and security guards are necessary at the hospital. The police department has offered their services, with their main priority being the vaccine. Until everyone is vaccinated, the city can't afford to think of a way to safely administer a cure to the infected population, so anyone interested will have to do it themselves. Stock up on syringes at the hospital and get going!

DR. PERCY

For those more interested in seeking out the source of the virus rather than treating it, it's not difficult to surmise that "Doctor" Percy is hiding out in the sewers. Very deep in the sewers. He's apparently built a subterranean expansion: a series of winding, metallic tunnels with many forks and dead ends. Be careful when exploring, as you might run into one of Percy's robotic bodyguards before finding him.

But once he is found, tucked away in a wide cavern . . .

It seems he's preparing a hasty exit, with almost everything packed up and his human disguise dropped. Without it, he appears to be an alien of some sort, but not one that Audentes has run into yet. His skin is amber, smooth, and slimy. He has several pairs of wide-set eyes of different sizes, but no nose. His mouth extends far across his face, and below it is a wattle, not unlike that of a turkey. Peeling off him at all times are scales; apparently, he's shedding more than just his disguise.

He's completely alone, without another Zymandis agent in sight, and not a particularly good fighter. Subduing or killing him would be easy, especially when it's several against one. When first encountered, he says nothing if spoken to, and only attempts to run.

If attacked, he will summon several robot bodyguards -- seven-foot-tall bipedal constructs who only listen to Percy's commands, directed via remote control. They will fight to the death to protect their master, who will use the distraction to again try to run.

It looks like the choices are clear: Audentes must choose whether to non-lethally subdue him or kill him. If subdued, what happens to him afterwards is still up in the air. Whatever your decision, it's highly likely you'll meet some resistance from the other members of the team, so get ready to argue.

CYOA

Each character will only be able to officially do one of the following choices.

Confront Percy.
Protect citizens.
Spread the vaccine/cure.
Other.

For the sake of tallying, we ask that each individual character submit their choice separately rather than in a group. The Dr. Percy encounter will be open for 48 hours only, after which participants will receive the outcome, which will be based on their choices. The rest will be open for 7 days, will not receive a reply, and will only be used only for tallying purposes. Making a choice is not mandatory, but the choices will affect whether Audentes passes or fails the mission.

You may of course thread out other options, but they will not count for the purposes of the pass/fail tally. Again, you may only officially choose one option per character.

OOC NOTES

Because this log is being posted late in the month, threads are eligible for March or April AC, but not both. Though the encounter with Percy will be a short one, the rest of this log will last two IC weeks. After that, characters will be immediately rifted away from Woodhurst without warning.

THOSE WHO RECEIVE THE CURE: As the virus is not a degenerative disease, characters will suffer no lasting (physical) trauma caused by it. Side-effects from the cure may include nausea, weakness, vertigo, rash, brain fog, numbness of the face, insomnia, dizziness, fatigue, heart palpitations, or vomiting. This may last for anywhere up to four weeks.

THOSE WHO RECEIVE THE VACCINE: Side-effects may include irritability and hunger for anywhere up to four weeks.

Questions about Woodhurst can be submitted to this thread. Questions about the game in general should be directed to the FAQ. You may submit mission ideas or player plots at any time.

All bounties listed with a 3/25 due date are now closed. There are two open bounties remaining on the Bounty Board, which will need to be turned in by the end of the mission on 8 April. ( 1 2 )

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[Odinson hears the shout, but waits until he has the infected held firmly around the neck until he looks over. He can't catch this disease, but the bites hurt all the same. He has a couple scattered over his arms and hands, and a nasty-looking scrape on his jaw that could have been a bite. Better to let them try to him him than accidentally kill someone who could be saved.

The infected reaches for him, grabbing at his arm and shirt, but Odinson's reach exceeds theirs and he isn't worried.]

You have the vaccine?

[Because if you don't, Odinson's got this.]

[ Stiles can't help but wince when he gets a closer look at the guy — the wounds, though clearly bothering him as little as they did Loki back in the sewers with him carrying the infected woman all the way to the hospital, are still angry, red, some of them bleeding. Stiles briefly wonders if he even has thought of disinfectant... if he needs it at all.

looking at the infected, he nods. ]

Yeah, of course. [ he wouldn't be out there if he didn't; with an ease that's borne of his sample-gathering mission with Koltira, Stiles walks closer, makes sure that Odinson has a firm grip on the person before reaching out, briefly thanking the nature of the infection for at least making the veins easily visible and thus their job easier, before jabbing the infected with the syringe. ]

Edited 2017-04-01 13:31 (UTC)

[Odinson keeps a firm hold on the infected as Stiles administers the vaccine, and even as it begins to work he keeps that hold, stabilising the young woman. He'll leave any comforting to the other Audentes though.

With his free hand, he reaches for that water bottle.]

I thank you.

No problem, man. That's what we're here for, right? To fix this shit.

[ crudely put, but at least he's got about the right of it... then, as though realizing the words could have to do with the water, too, he grins and shrugs. ] I figured you might use that. You a new arrival? I think I'd remember seeing someone like you around.

Aye. It has not yet been a week, I believe. [He uncaps the bottle, drains it in one long pull, then recaps it.]

I was glad to find myself here in the midst of action I can assist with. [Dealing with these infected has been great. Thanks ALISTAIR.]

Well — welcome to Audentes, guess they threw you in during one hell of a mission.

[ though to be glad to be here during a time of crisis wouldn't be such a cause for surprise, really, to be glad to be here during a crisis like this one... kind of is. ] I'm Stiles, by the way.

I am Odinson of Asgard. God of Thunder. [There's no need to hide it with Loki already here.] Well met, Stiles.

[He visibly relaxes now that there aren't any infected in the vicinity, rolling his shoulders.] Is this an uncommon mission for the Audentes?

[ Odinson, he mutters to himself, repeating the name like he can't quite believe it — it's not the name he expects, yet the identity is undeniable, what with the whole god of thunder thing.

still. he swallows his surprise (along with the hundred questions that spring up) quickly enough. ] Um, well met, Odinson.

[ Thor, even Loki talked about Thor, what is going on, what has happened? but it's not like he can ask. it isn't his turn to ask but to answer. ] There's not really such a thing as "a common mission", but I guess this is the first time anyone in our team has actually died. The first time so many of us came so close, too. It's never fun to lose your mind.

[He notices the surprise, but does not respond to it. There is always a chance that Stiles knows another version of Thor, just as Odinson knows another Peter Parker than the one who is here. If Stiles is curious he may ask, for Odinson will not volunteer the explanation himself.

He think back on the mission, aware that he had never been concerned for his own safety despite the number of bites he had received. He thinks a quick prayer for the fallen ones, that their end will be a happy one.] Yet the Audentes persevered and overcame the foe. We will learn from this and be stronger in our next encounter. Even you. [Odinson is not in command here, but he has led enough men to battle to know that morale is a key component of victory.]

[ oh, he will ask — his self-control is better than it used to be, he's less likely to blurt out things just like that, but some questions are just too large, too burning to ignore.

well... ignore for too long, anyway. right now, though, all his attention is taken up by directing Odinson with the flattest look he can muster (and considering who his mentor is... it's probably rather a good flat look.) ]

Even me? Okay, big guy, what does that mean? [ the cure has not left him without side-effects, and the irritability strikes often and without just cause — though perhaps having heard similar sentiments, something that seems like a dismissal when in reality it is nothing of the sort, has something to do with it too. ] Do I look weak to you? Don't bother lying, I probably do. But you can keep the pep talks, you weren't here when all this shit happened. You come here at the end when there's finally a cure, finally something to do, and think you can talk about what we've learned. Do you know what we've learned? That one agent from an organization with far greater resources than us nearly took down our entire team and an entire world on his own, just for fun. That all the worst case scenarios we had thought were child's play next to this. That we spent over a month, helpless to do anything when people were losing their minds all around us. That our team still quarrels and fights, that even a team full of super-powered individuals and spirits and gods can lose.

[ he pauses for breath, chest heaving. he needs his shields; his mind is in fragments. he needs to hold it together, and he can't... do it on his own. without thinking much of it, he traces a rune (a norse rune, one that's become familiar to him over the months that have passed, there to help him reinforce his shields, the very first one he was ever taught to use) on his palm. he needs to hold it together. ]

Look, I know you're trying to stay optimistic here, but you're better off trying to tell that to someone else. Trust me.

[The flat look and the impassioned speech are received by an unmoved Odinson. He hears the desperation in Stiles' voice and hears an echo of the desperation of his youth, when he could not live up to the expectations he set for himself. He recognises the desperation he has felt these past months, unworthy and uncertain of himself and the place of gods in the universe.

He feels his age. Feels the weight of the years pressing on him, the battles lost, the wars lost, the enemies triumphing over him again and again-

(He feels himself again - the keen sting at the loss of Mjolnir is gone, his self-doubt and self-loathing vanished - he is just Thor, God of Thunder, faced once more with a young and idealistic humanity whose power cannot quite achieve it's goals.)]

I have fought gods, and the killers of gods. I have been overcome by them as well. [His voice is quiet, calm. He does not judge Stiles for his passion, his frustration. Odinson has felt the same; feels the same.]

Yet you are right, I am newly come here. I do not know the struggles the Audentes have had, your victories and losses before this one. If my words were ill-timed, I apologise.

[ he isn't irritated enough not to be able to see sense — he breathes in and out, forces himself to listen. ]

... no, it's — [ it's fine, he nearly says, but for once the words are empty enough for him to not even manage them. ] It's good someone's optimistic about this whole thing.

[ that, at least, is the truth. he wishes he were, but optimism has never really been his thing. he takes another breath and figures he's messed up this conversation enough that he might as well go for broke. ] If you've fought gods and god-killers... did you happen to go by a different name before?

[ he just wants the confirmation. ]

[Odinson lets out a long slow breath as the weight of his failures returns to him. His shoulders sag and he looks away.] Aye, once.

Thor, I was once called. Champion of Asgard and of Earth, defender of humanity. Wielder of Mjolnir, the Uru mallet. [He has accepted that another wields her, but his voice is still bitter.]

I am unworthy of her now. Unworthy of the name and honour Thor has received. Now I am the Odinson. [He looks again at Stiles as he says this, unashamed of who he is, aware that he is not without strength- but haunted by his fall and his inability to change his status.]

When I say I know what it is to despair against a task that seems insurmountable, it is no lie.

[ in complete honesty: he wanted a confirmation, but wasn't expecting to get one. ]

... I thought so, [ he mutters, mouth pressed into a thin line, brows furrowed because what do you even say to something like that, the kind of haunted look that flickers in Odinson's eyes, the bitterness over old failures that have never faded?

in the end, there's little else to say but, ] I'm sorry. [ quiet, honest. because that? that must suck. for him, "Thor" may have never been more than a mythical, fictional figure, later turned into the little-talked-of brother to his friend and mentor... but now that he's here, in front of him, Stiles feels like he's at once less real and more than Loki. Loki has always seemed someone who knows, no matter what — Thor — no, Odinson — is. ]

Screw the odds. [ his voice is flat yet serious — nothing about this conversation has been normal, so he might as well stop trying. he already yelled to a god, how much worse can he make it, really? what he should do... is try and make it better. ] The only one who decides how worthy you are is you. [ he may not know much... but if Odinson tried to reassure him when all he did was despair? he can do the same. ] I'm sorry I yelled at you, man, I wasn't — this whole thing sucks. [ to put it lightly. ] Zymandis doesn't seem to think we're much of an opponent, either, even after Perdition's Rest. I guess instead of despairing that they don't even consider us worthy of fighting against... we're gonna prepare and crush them the next time. It's all we can do, right? The best we can.

[ look. he's still not one for optimism, or hope... but he's going to go down fighting. giving up now is no different from losing. ] Fighting against an evil organization, your fate, the universe? You're right. Why despair if it's what we have to do?

[Odinson won't speak to what it is that makes one worthy. It's too sensitive a topic, one he has discussed only with those closest to him.

He folds his arms, eyeing Stiles appraisingly.] Well said. With such spirit, we will force Zymandis to see our team as a thread.

[Then he nods, looking down the street at the city still not quite put to rights.] Come, hold that determination. We are not finished yet.

[ he may not have believed in himself so whole-heartedly... but to hear that ~~Thor~~ Odinson agrees, it makes his heart rest a little easier. that maybe, just maybe, they've actually got this after all. ]

No... we're not. [ he offers a slight smile. ] Luckily I've got plenty of syringes to spare. [ read: they can continue this team-up, since it seemed to work well. ] Lead the way, man.

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EVENT ★ THE SICK AND THE DEAD

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a wrap here or at your next one if you want to respond still uvu