epidemiology | EVENT ★ I PREDICT A RIOT

EVENT ★ I PREDICT A RIOT

I WANNA START A FIGHT

RIOTS

In the time between the quarantine and now, the virus has spread unnaturally rapidly, with the amount of the population infected estimated to be around 1.5% or approximately 3,750 people. Understandably, the panic has increased considerably. People who were taking the virus seriously before have begun to work themselves up into a frenzy, and even those who were calm are beginning to get anxious.

An infected teacher went on a violent rampage at the local elementary school yesterday, leading the school board to close all Woodhurst schools for the rest of the week while the entire staff is studied for symptoms. There’s no test for the Bristol virus, however, so it’s impossible to tell for sure. This, of course, worries the parents. The unrest starts with a protest at the school, calling for schools to be closed indefinitely until the quarantine is over for the safety of the children, but it doesn’t stop there.

Unrest turns to rioting before long; the majority of the riot is focused at city hall, where citizens are demanding answers, but there’s also mayhem at stores as the people of Woodhurst loot them, stocking up for what some assume is an impending apocalypse. Those who don’t believe this have locked themselves up in their homes not for protection from the infected but the rioters. Suffice it to say, most of the citizens out on the streets are of the slightly unstable variety, although some just found themselves caught up in the riots and became worked up by the crowd.

Local police forces -- including ALASTAIR agents posing as police officers -- have been dispatched to deal with the rioters at city hall. Rioters who attempt to leave the city are taken care of by officers sent by the federal government to enforce the quarantine.

CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE

It might be a good idea to see what supplies can be found at the supermarkets, although you run the risk of getting attacked by a violent looter. The police won’t necessarily turn away anyone trying to keep order at city hall, but any supernatural powers will only incite the already violent crowd, so it’s recommended characters keep from utilizing their powers if they want to stay in one piece. Then, of course, there’s always the option to protect innocents who happen to be stuck out on the streets in the middle of the riots.

While the entirety of the police force is focused at the quarantine borders and outside city hall, now is possibly one of the only chances to get full access to buildings in the city. There are still some workers who haven’t been sent home and some of the buildings are locked up, but there are few police officers that can be spared to go check out a simple break-in.

Now is the time to search the city, if you're feeling brave. If you’re really ballsy, you can even try to slip in through the back door of city hall and go through their records. The only important building in town that’s not able to be searched is the hospital, which is incredibly busy due to the high number of people injured in the riots and traffic accidents.

Of course, just because rioters aren’t around doesn’t mean you’ll be left alone. There’s always a chance you’ll find yourself alone in a building with someone very hungry. Willing to take the chance?

Submit all CYOA choices to this thread.

OOC NOTES

The Bounty Board is now open! If you are looking for ways to get involved in this mission's optional objective, this is a good place to start. We’d also like to remind everyone that ALASTAIR does not invent cover stories for characters -- that’s all them! The only jobs they’ll help with getting are in the police force and government; everything else is up to characters to interview for.

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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Yes, I'll be driving.

[ No question there, ever. And as his scan reports the hallway is clear, he pauses to toss a carefully thoughtful look back at the girl. ]

If you think you can move fast and keep away from anyone we run into... I'll let you have shotgun. Lance can take the back.

[ The undignified back seats, without so much as doors of their own. It'll be great. He shoots one more look into the hallway, then nods and starts forward. ]

Let's go.

[ now lance isn't gonna waste much time wondering at how mikayla wound up imprinting on aston as much as she had, and so he chalks it up to her preferring the color red or something.

there may be a little pout on his lips as he follows after, bringing up the rear, but he is definitely mostly just happy they managed to get her moving in the first place.

once in the halls, the severity of the situation becomes clear. while there are no bodies in sight (lance had made sure to keep the infected he'd come across in another empty room, tied up so that he can hopefully figure out something to do with them later) there is evidence of struggle and wreckage and chaos all around. ]

Just keep your eyes forward, [ he murmurs quietly, keeping his hand tight around the neck of his bat. ]

[ It's easy for a projection to move silently; he just kills the usual sound of footsteps he adds to the arrangement. He picks his way soundlessly through the wreckage of the school, and... for a while, it's smooth sailing. Whoever made this mess has been tied up or cleared out on their own.

That is, until the path back to the parking lot takes them near the cafeteria. Knock Out slows before they reach the doorway that might bring them into sight of the room, taking a pause at the sound of rummaging — clattering cans, boxes being shoved around. Whoever it is has found the food storage. He tosses a glance back at Lance over Mikayla, timing it with another text: ]

Let's trade. I'll watch our rear.

[ it must be strange (or impressive?) to mikayla, how swiftly and silently both men move as one, lance now taking up the frontlines while knock out hangs back at the rear. with her not privy to the psychic brain texts of alastair, it must all just come off as one super coordinated power move. hopefully it instills in her a little bit of confidence, because the sound of aggressive rummaging is getting louder and louder as they near.

lance lingers by the wall, throwing a careful look across the cafeteria, and the lone exit at the other side of it. roughly 100 feet from where they're at to get to that exit, where knock out is likely waiting for them right behind it. and if his ears aren't deceiving him, there sounds to be at least two other bodies rummaging in the space, one likely a little deeper into the actual kitchen area than the other.

he presses his back to the wall, both hands now coming up to grip the bat. ]

You run track, Mikayla?

No... I used to be really good at kickball, though?

[ he can't help but smile, mind quick to rework his strategy. ]

Okay... We're gonna make a run for it to that exit there, see? I'm gonna need you to sprint for that door like your teammate just kicked that ball high up into the outfield, but it's the kind of kick that's practically a pop-fly, meaning any second now some outfielder can catch it and we're all out. You know that kind of running?

[ she doesn't answer this time, eyes wide as the gravity of the situation hits her again. but she does nod, quite firmly too, prompting another smile from lance. brave girl.

he looks back up to meet knock out's eyes. ]

I'll hang back again, [ he says. ] Aston's gonna lead the charge, okay, Mikayla? Follow him, follow close... and don't keep your eyes off him. Okay?

[ another silent nod, giving lance just enough time to send a text to the other waiting outside. ]

Whatever happens, do whatever you have to do to get her in.

Edited 2017-02-20 21:07 (UTC)

[ Knock Out has to admit, Lance is good at this. He's brave, he's disciplined. Hopefully he's competent too, though that remains to be seen. His avatar gives just the briefest nod back to Lance, acknowledging. He's already decided he won't be leaving Lance, of course, and he has a few tricks up his sleeve yet to ensure that. But he can agree to make Mikayla a first priority.

He waits, measuring the input signals carefully back at his proper body, and as soon as Lance moves, so does Knock Out. With a practiced ease, even. Avatar or not, operations like these are old hat to him. He presses a hand briefly to Mikayla's shoulder, which she correctly interprets as time to go, and then the both of them are running. Well, one of them is. The other has changed the simulation from walk to run. He pulls ahead, the better to guide the girl toward the door he's parked nearest to. She follows gamely behind, looking determined. What a trooper.

He adjusts his visual input just slightly, splitting them between where his avatar is going and what's behind them. Just to make sure Lance doesn't make any very bad decisions back there, you know. ]

[ A VALID CONCERN, knock out, because without the designated reckless (red) paladin in the group, sometimes lance finds himself taking up the slack to make up for it.

as it is, things go pretty smoothly in the beginning. both knock out and mikayla dash across the room as quickly and quietly as possible, though mikayla's breaths get louder and more ragged with every step she takes. the rustling and rummaging noises only grow louder, prompting lance to pick up his own pace, though he had initially purposefully started a couple of seconds later than the other two, just in case he would need the distance...

the occasion presents itself when the other two are about sixty feet away from the exit, when one of the infected presents itself behind an overturned trash bin. a sound erupts from his throat that is almost intelligible, but is immediately drowned out by mikayla's frightened shriek. to her credit, though, she keeps running.

lance, without missing a beat, cranks his arm back then sends the wooden bat flying, hitting the first infected right in the head. he collapses almost instantly, the wood clattering loudly to the ground. ]

Keep going!!

[ Knock Out's attention snaps fully forward again as the infected bursts out — but he's not in their path, no need to alter course. He trusts Lance, and the trust is rewarded when... Lance throws his only weapon directly at the man. He makes a face, one relayed even through the avatar, but alright. They can work with this, provided he was the only concern in this main area.

Mikayla is still running, that's good, Lance isn't far behind. He switches to another brief scan of the area, which is when he spots one of the kitchen foragers appear in the doorway. ]

Behind us!

[ He hasn't even turned to look, but his warning comes only a second or two before there's a hoarse, wordless shout from the woman in the kitchen, and then she's at a run after them. He ups his speed just a little, figuring Mikayla might find a higher speed of her own if she sees her guide pulling away. Almost there, almost to the door... ]

[ fortunately for them both, mikayla is too busy screaming and running to notice that aston hadn't once looked around before giving that warning shout. lance, too, doesn't have much time to wonder about how knock out keeps managing to do that before his attention is dragged entirely to the woman now sprinting towards them. she looks to be of middle age, but hunger is apparently a great motivator given that pretty substantial gait on her. lance's own pace doesn't halt once, and despite knock out's silent concern over his considerable lack of weapon right now, he's definitely still got a trump card up his sleeve... but he's whipping his head around to try if maybe, there might be another way—

bingo. ]

Go, go, go!

[ his shouts continue to urge them on, the distance to the door growing smaller and smaller. lance himself skids to s stop just within five feet of it, whipping around to face the charging woman. his hands fly up, and within seconds a strange-looking rifle materializes right into them. behind him, he hears the double doors slam open and shut, and he feels a spike of relief in knowing both knock out and mikayla have managed to get out like they'd planned.

the woman continues to run, but lance's finger remains still on the trigger. not yet, he thinks, though his body grows more and more tense the closer she gets. not yet...

THERE!

the moment the woman steps into the aisle between tables, lance jerks his aim and sends a single shot towards a nearby table. the blast sends it flying up about seven feet in the air, to the left, then landing right where the woman steps next, and the resulting shock of pain from her foot has her crumbling down to the ground in no time. it's not much, but it's enough to buy them that extra time, which lance doesn't hesitate to take to slip out to join the other two.

after all, there's still one other person left in there. and who's to say how many are outside. ]

[ He hasn't been paying too much attention to his actual body and its surroundings, but fortunately, anyone unsavory in the parking lot has so far has no noise to attract them. That begins to change a little when the double doors fly open, but so far so good.

He throws his doors open as soon as Mikayla is close enough, and counts on her distracted haste to account for the way his human form just sort of flickers out of existence in one place and reappears climbing into the driver's seat. The transition is a little too difficult to work out while he's keeping an eye on so many things.

Knock Out slams on the gas as soon as the girl is inside, wheels skidding as he works himself into the best position for a quick rescue of their last party member. By the time Lance makes it out he'll find that sleek, red car idling just a step away from the door, Mikayla in back and passenger seat open and ready for one more.

(Sorry, Mikayla. They'll rearrange the seating after this rescue.) ]

If you could pick up the pace, Lance! [ It comes from the holoform but also, somehow, the exterior of the car itself. Just to make sure Lance won't miss it. ]

[ lance is two seconds away from naruto-running right into the car, tbh, but thankfully knock out's quick thinking and driving spares him the trouble. he still all but dives into the passenger seat, though, nearly barreling in and knocking right into his holoform. he straightens himself out quickly enough and (instinctively) fastens his seatbelt. then he twists around, peering into the back seat where mikayla perches, eyes wide and clearly too distracted from the scare of it all to worry about not getting her coveted shotgun. ]

How're you doing, Mikayla? Okay?

[ the young girl only bobs her head in answer, breath too short to properly speak yet.

lance twists in his seat to stare at knock out's holoform then, his own breathing hard. ]

Think we can gun it?

[ The avatar's face twists up into a smirk; it's easier to control just its face, without having to worry about movement in the rest of the body. ]

I was made for gunning it.

[ He puts word to action to pavement, and the tires screech for a couple of long seconds before they find their purchase. The car shoots forward, fishtailing as he dodges easily around parked and abandoned cars in the lot. Their pursuers, bursting out of the cafeteria door just behind Lance, stumble dumbly after them. They are very much no longer a concern.

Knock Out slows down only slightly when he hits the road off of the parking lot, and his avatar settles back comfortably in the driver's seat with a jaunty smile. ]

Now, where to? Maybe a little joyride before we get this one home?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

EVENT ★ I PREDICT A RIOT

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sorry to cut off at a weird spot but this tag was already Too Long smh

i can overlook it but only this once

thank you, benevolent overlord

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