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 )

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

A) Quarantine - Stab your Friends
[The end is coming. The town is practically destroyed. There's a cure, but for how many people is that cure too late?

There's sure to be a body-count, later. For now, the important thing is to make sure that number doesn't include anymore of their teammates. Thus, Mettaton is finally putting himself to a more "practical" use and visiting his sick friends.

No matter how long he's been staying in the school, it's always a crapshoot in whether or not the inhabitants have already lost their minds. He's twirling a syringe in one hand, glowering at them in their room, cloak off, in an attempt to intimidate.

...just in case that still works.]

I assure you: you don't want me to have to do this the hard way, darling.

[He doesn't want to have to do this the hard way. Do you know how much EFFORT there is in doing it the hard way?]

B) Hospital - Welcome to My Darkplace
[After the terrordome that was the school, it's time to move on to where the citizens need help: the hospital. At this point, the staff don't particularly care about strange men in stolen uniforms injecting sick patients, so long as that injection actually seems to be helping.

They're also willing to refer to said strange man as "Dr. Medda Tonne MD," regardless of how nonsensical that is. If he's helping, they'll let him have it.

At least, until one nurse recognizes him. She stops, eyes wide and terrified, as she watches him. Her hands quiver, reaching her hand out, but not quite grabbing, the scrubs of another nurse.]

"You're not a doctor- I know you!! You were in the hospital two weeks ago; you died!"

[He looks at her, his arm stuffed in the mouth of a particularly violent patient, as he injects them in the neck.]

...that wasn't me.

[Help.]

C) Town - Ancient Zombie Herding Technique
[He didn't see Charlie's mother at the hospital. Sans said he saw her being taken away, but who knows what that implies. It could just be that he missed her: she could have been helped by someone else. It could mean that she didn't make it. It could be that she escaped and is wandering somewhere in the town.

...regardless, there's still a lot of work to do. He's charged himself by now, not wanting to repeat the nonsense from the mall, and stands in one of the more deserted and infested parts of town. The infected don't particularly care about him when he's quiet, what with not being edible and all.

They don't seem to appreciate it, however, when he's singing.

Which he is, wordlessly, a syringe clutched to his chest, to attract their attention. It's working.

It'd be beautiful, if the scene wasn't horrifying. It's probably not the smartest idea to stand too close, honestly.]

D) W-w-w-wildcard

Edited 2017-03-26 07:29 (UTC)

[Well. That's alarming. Oliver doesn't really think about what he's saying. They can't afford to lose someone robotic in this situation. Even with the cure available he had a lot of advantages. ]

That wasn't him. It was his brother.

[Yep. Turning this into a soap operea is a good solution.]

[Oh!! Oliver!! His knight in shining armor, how can he ever thank you enou--

The nurse turns her gaze to this new interloper, her face just as incredulous as before.]

"Who are YOU?!"

[No. This won't do. Oliver already started the lie; Mettaton has to complete it.

He stares at the woman, aghast, as the patient in his arms slowly begins to calm. One hand now free, he can gesture at Oliver with all the shock of a seasoned professional.] First you have the nerve to bring up the death of my FAMILY, of my own BLOOD, and now you insult my HUSBAND?? Is there no heart in you?!

[The woman opens her mouth again, confused and not quite sure where any of this is going, but Mettaton speaks over her. There's no backing out now.] Did you really think I would leave him alone in all of this mess?! After what happened to my BROTHER?! I need you to leave. I need you to leave my sight this instant, Ms. Clark!!

[Her eyes flicker from Mettaton to Oliver. She hasn't grabbed a coworker, but the thought of doing so still obviously lingers in her mind.

Finally...]

"...My name isn't Ms. Clark."

[Well. If he thought it couldn't get worse, Mettaton's doing a very good job of proving him wrong. He looks alarmed when Mettaton claims he's his husband. Is that even legal here? It's enough like early nineties Earth he suspects it isn't.

The whole situation is ludicrous enough before he gets her name wrong. He sighs in frustration, but even if he hadn't slipped up there it's not like either of them were being particularly convincing.]

I think you should calm down... [Well. It's too late to back out of this. H might as well commit. Keeping a careful eye on the slowly relaxing patient in Mettaton's arms, he squeezes the robot's shoulder.] Dear.

[He turns to look at the woman, hoping that maybe by some miracle they might still be able to calm her down.]

I'm sorry. He's bad with names.

"Bad with names-?!" [The words barely spill out of her lips before Mettaton's speaking over her again, even louder than before.]

BAD WITH NAMES?! Like that's any worse than being bad with PEOPLE! MY BROTHER IS DEAD and I'm HERE, SAVING LIVES, instead of mourning!! We should ALL be mourning, but we are HERE because this is what we DO, Ms. Clark!! We put our families on the line to protect EVERYONE ELSE'S!! I AM TIRED OF LOSING MY FAMILY!!

[The hysterics don't seem to be impressing her, but he wasn't counting on that. He's counting on the side-effect: everyone else is now staring.

If there's one thing that Mettaton knows without a shadow of a doubt, it's this: peer pressure will get the reaction you want every single time.

The more eyes turning to this obviously distraught doctor and his calm, handsome husband is a bad story for this poor, suddenly awkward nurse. She backs away the longer he goes on, no longer sure of whether she should call security.]

"...I."

[She's losing ground. Drive the nail in the rest of the way, darling!]

Please stop shouting...

[The plea is an honest one, though could work just as well for his "character", if anyone buys their act. He's honestly doubtful that they do. The expressions in the room range from amused to mildly horrified at the show, and Oliver's pretty embarrassed by all of them.

Despite his misgivings, however, it seems as though Mettaton was right. Leaving seems preferable to dealing with this to the nurse, and she mutters out an excuse.]

"I have other patients..."

[It's probably true, but she definitely seems eager to get away from them. Not that Oliver can blame her. He groans, burying his face in a hand. What he wouldn't give to be invisible right now...]

[HA! That's what he thought. Peer pressure, baby. She finally gets the nerve to turn around and shuffle away, any thoughts she might have had about tattling forgotten in favor of just saving face. Mettaton releases his charge as she wanders off, turning toward his savior fully.

Any signs of hysteria get put back in their convenient acting pouch as he gives Oliver a winning smile.]

Excellent work, sweetheart. You're a natural!! Were you passing through to help, or is this a special visit?

[Wink.

It's not as effective when infected civilians are still screeching in their binds, but. Sometimes you just do what you can.]

Mettaton | OTA

B

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B) just looks like im typing in an emote, which: good

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also... b....

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D. JUST AFTER THE PERCY SHIT GOES DOWN

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B

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B