[EVENT POST] I FEEL STUPID, AND CONTAGIOUS.

[dishearten]

CHARACTERS: Open to all!
DATE: 3/11-3/12, ICly
WARNINGS: Zombie attacks? Violence? Shopping???
SUMMARY: Lockdown at the mall! Grab your CDs and your soft pretzel, it's about to get bad.

LET'S GO TO THE MALL LOCKDOWN Business has been rough for Woodhurst Shopping Center ever since riots and unrest about the Bristol Virus have shunned most to their homes. Perhaps ill-advisedly, in attempts to draw a few more customers back into the polished halls of the grandest shopping experience Woodhurst has to offer, a weekend of big sales, great bargains, and fun family activities was widely advertised in the Woodhurst Watch. There was even a scheduled public concert, performed by the University Choir. The turnout was smaller than hoped, yet the air was quite optimistic. Shoppers enjoyed the day of activities and fun, and the sense of security was bolstered by the increased security detail. There was even some members of the press on hand to document this return to normality in a troubled time. Everything was going well, until a scene broke out in the food court. Security tried to quietly remove members of the choir that suddenly seemed to snap, plowing into one of the food stands and starting to feed on raw meat. However, a good handful of them escaped instant confinement, and while many of the visitors fled the mall as soon as they could, soon Police Detail arrived and put the entire building on lockdown. Nobody in and nobody out until the situation was resolved. 18:00 TO 23:00 HOURS Anyone unlucky enough to be trapped in the mall is left to their own devices, with very little knowledge to go on. This includes many civilians, as well as a small number of Audentes agents. This also includes a small number of infected, more than just the university choir. There's a voice over the loudspeaker imploring people to hide in stores, barricade doors, and stay put until help arrives. The majority of the infected seem to linger in the Food Court especially. Bad news for anyone trapped and starting to get hungry as the hours pass by, without any obvious assistance from the outside. The members of ALASTAIR have a choice, help protect or just do their best to avoid the infected themselves. Characters can get into the Security Office for a camera feed on what is happening in the mall, and potentially use it as a base of operations to work from. 00:00 TO 02:00 HOURS It becomes apparent that the number of infected in the mall are somehow increasing, despite the lockdown. It means that those that have squirreled away into stores and outlets are growing less and less safe as infected numbers multiply and they begin attacking barricades. To make matters worse, anyone that hasn't found cover will find the infected extremely reactive, and willing to give chase around the mall. The security feed indicates the infected seem to be coming in from the Parking Garage. Investigation will reveal a sewer outlet on the bottom floor. Characters will have to decide whether they should utilize the tunnel as a means of escape, or if sealing it off would ultimately leave the remaining hours of lockdown a little less violent. 04:00 TO 09:00 HOURS It's been an agonizing 12 hours, and with surprisingly little aide from the outside. With time to make preparations and put plans in place, now it's time to end this lockdown once and for all. Audentes is tasked with neutralizing the remaining infected as well as escorting any remaining civilians to safety, by any means they decide on. It is up to Audentes to decide how the end of this event plays out, be it removing or otherwise drawing away the lingering infected, or putting them down once and for all. There are plenty of civilians that have been bitten and attacked, leaving the question in the air as to whether they are infected as well. What should be done with those that could be bringing the virus back to their families? The team is going to have to decide on the answer to that.

Comments

[scrap_metal]

I'm Genos. [ Now, that introductions are in order ]

So what we need is to find you a way to contact the police department, right? [ there's an idea somewhere around here, and he's trying to grab it, even if he's a bit too tired to think fast ]

[ex_adept136]

Good to meet you, Genos, despite the circumstances.

[He takes another survey of their surroundings with a hum]

I should be able to place a call, although I'm afraid my phone got lost somewhere amid all this.

[scrap_metal]

It's a mall. There must be a working phone somewhere. Unless the landline got physically damaged.

[ Genos pauses to gather his thoughts, wondering around where such phone could be. ]
Any kind of office or security space... There might be phone box for customers, those usually have emergency numbers free of charge [ but phone bos also means open space, so he shakes his head ] Nah, that might be too risky.

[ex_adept136]

A security office might be worth investigation, actually...

[It's a good idea, he thinks, straightening as he glances around once again.

The quiet is almost surreal, now]

[scrap_metal]

I can scout ahead and locate it. [ Genos offers. Moving will help him stay awake, after all.

The silent is a bit unnerving. Maybe the infected are asleep too? Or maybe some nasty surprise is in preparation. ]

[ex_adept136]

Might it be safer for us to go together?

[Not that Haise doesn't have confidence in his teammates, but all hell did break loose here not long ago.

They might not be able to anticipate what comes next]

[scrap_metal]

I've got virus immunity. [ Not that he cares about his own safety in first place... ] But it will certainly save the time.

[ Even if he finds the office, he might not find Haise upon returning here. That would make the whole scouting quite pointless ]

Tell me when you're ready to go.

[ex_adept136]

You don't need to worry about me, either. Despite appearances, I've got tough skin.

[That might well be a gross understatement.

Haise dusts himself off, pocketing some zip-ties, having no doubt they'll see future use]

I'm all set.

[scrap_metal]

[ This seems to be common around Audentes, the "tough skin", but Genos would rather not test it. ]

The map is the first objective then

[ He leaves the safe place with unusual slowness, almost expecting his movement to trigger a wave the infected to swarm them but...nothing like that happens. The strange silence continues ]

[ex_adept136]

Right.

[Haise follows close at hand, gauging where to position himself so he can easily assist without hampering the other man. The quiet is something of a relief and a concern, since there's the possibility that they might be somewhere else causing trouble.

There's nothing for it but to continue, he knows, and so they press on]

[scrap_metal]

[ The map is near one of the corridor junction and where the escalators are located. And because it's a fancy mall, it's a very advanced map, the kind of one that has advertisement and helpful information on a screen next to it, and one that is... almost un-readable because it's built-in lights needs power to work. ]

Right, parts of the mall got power cut-off.

[ How inconvenient for them. He starts inspecting its side, wondering if they can get to a power cord. ]

We could try and search for another one, but maybe we can make this one work...

[ex_adept136]

We'd probably have to restore power to the area, for something like that.

[Which sounds a little bit like a side-quest in one of Saiko's games. He understands the gist is that something has to be done in order to take the action that leads to real progress in a story...or that's what he was told, anyway. Some parts were a little involved and abstract when not seeing them for himself.

He hums as he steps around the map screen, and it does seem that they'd have to do some hunting-around. Whatever powers this, they'd have to break it to try anything different as an alternative]

[scrap_metal]

Whole area? That might be too much. [ Genos taps his chin. ]

If this was just this device, I could handle it, but not who knows how many rooms.

[ And here he thought that being brought here with his daily set of arms could be useful. Aside from some tools helpful around the kitchen, they came equipped with a regular power socket.

Not that combat set would be much more of use here, since they were trying to not hurt the infected. ]

A reserve power generator could be somewhere in the basement.

[ex_adept136]

Shall we look there, then? We might find something useful along the way.

[If they were lucky, they'd come across a phone while they were looking around, which would spare them some time. Of course, Haise isn't much for banking on luck, but he won't discount the possibility.

He gestures for Genos to take the lead, if only because it sounds like he's got a better idea of where they're going]

[scrap_metal]

[ Genos takes a look around. Usually the crossing points in malls with ways going in all directions including up and down, there are navigation signs indicating- ]

There. [ He points at the small corridor leading to the tactically hidden toilets. ]

Toilets need to be cleaned regularly, there must be a door for the service staff nearby. [ It's better than nothing. It's a different world yes, but there's enough of familiarity to his own world that rules behind building malls should be similar. He gets up and leads them there, explaining as he goes ] That should be an entrance to the employees-only area.

[ Maybe they won't even need the map and find the phone there ]

[ex_adept136]

[Haise nods along as he trails after him, keeping a wary ear out for any hostiles that might crop up. Just because it's been quiet, it doesn't mean he's about to let his guard down]

That's good thinking. I'm sure you're right.

[And an employee area ought to have a LAN-line phone, surely]

It might save us a trip if we can locate it.

[scrap_metal]

[ Service door is there alright, but they're not exactly as expected. Genos suspected they might require a key, or card, or whatever to open them - which they would need to bypass with brute force. ]

They're open...

[ But yes, their handle is broken, and the door can't be even properly closed anymore, although it seems someone tried to barricade them from the inside with the service cart ]

We should be on guard. [ He says while taking the first steps into the narrow corridor. They might find more infected here, or people hiding. ]

[ex_adept136]

Right...

[Haise follows Genos inside, casting a glance around. Broken janitorial equipment litters the floor, strewn about in a manner that does suggest even this area wasn't exempt from the chaos that had erupted in the mall.

For a moment he pauses, a thoughtful frown on his lips, before he interrupts the eerie stillness around them]

I smell blood.

[His senses are keen enough to tell him this far sooner than a human would be able to note it. And he's quite sure the average human needs to either be quite close or be exposed to a large quantity to pick up that metallic (and fanitly, sickeningly sweet to his nose) smell]

[scrap_metal]

[ Genos doesn't question that, instead he reflexively runs a quick scan of the surroundings. His sense of smell never was that great, not enhanced, but if focuses he can read the movement and heat signatures ]

I'm sensing some movement, but- I can't tell whether those are civilians or infected. And I can only pinpoint a very general directions.

[ Damn it, it's kind of useless here because there is so many people around. Both on their floor, and above. He starts moving forward, carefully to not alert with sound. But tiptoeing around the broken equipment is harder than it seems, and something breaks under his feet.

He's going to check the nearest door, whether they're linked to a shop back-entrance, magazine, or some staff room, there might be a phone ]

[ex_adept136]

[When something snaps underfoot, Haise readies his weapon...but the uneasy silence resumes. That could mean they're dealing with civilians in hiding and not infected, but it's too soon to tell. He follows cautiously, glancing around the hall when Genos pauses near a door.

All clear, still yet. He's no less cautious for it, after the way things erupted so suddenly just hours ago]

See anyone?

[It's the first question he thinks to ask when he turns to peer around his associate]

[scrap_metal]

No...

[ Genos enters the room that seems to be back-magazine of one of the shops. Boxes full of stuff stashed everywhere, some of them toppled over, the tiny table broken and scattered, provide already a grim sight, and there's more. ]

But there's blood.

[ Genos kneels to investigate the splatter on ground. Broken cups and plates suggest someone was eating here, an employee on a break most likely, when something happened. ]

[ex_adept136]

[Haise follows behind them after one last left-right glance at the hallway. Concluding that it's quiet for now, he steps into the room and surveys the damage. Here it does seem devoid of life, unfortunately... And the scent of blood is heavy in the air.

And yet...]

There's a pet store in this mall, isn't there? [He's quiet, staring at the floor, and reluctant to explain] This isn't all human blood.

[How terrible, that so many were hurt]

[scrap_metal]

[ Ouch. Poor things. And these victims couldn't even attempt to run away ]

So there's a small chance the human portion of the blood comes from the attacker.

[ If the pet was large enough to put up a fight, that's it. But they generally don't have large dogs in pet stores, so the chance is close to 0. ]

Earlier someone showed me a closed-off corral to isolate the infected. If whoever did this is still hiding around here we could-

[ He shakes his head and pinches the bridge of his nose. A whole night without sleep is getting to him ] Right, the phone. Priorities.

[ex_adept136]

[Haise can understand the sentiment. What they're seeing here is...horrible]

I'm sure we can handle both.

[He doesn't like the idea of leaving anyone infected on the loose, especially since they may end up doing more deeply regrettable things. Who would want to find they'd killed a bunch of helpless pets?

Surely, this is something the two of them can handle while they locate a phone. Chances are, if the culprit is around, they'll make themselves known]