Lockwood
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There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.
Posts: 46
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Post by Lockwood on Dec 27, 2011 18:00:11 GMT -5
Toast was surprised to find that Abigail was resourceful and possessing a keen eye for things. A budding detective in the making. Shame that in the post apocalypse take two there were far too many detective cases and it wasn't priority to work out who and what. People stopped caring when survival was priority one.
"Good Job Abigail. Wrap it and pack it. We aren't waiting around here longer than necessary. Now sit down on the bed and let's sort out the arm." Toast smiled for the first time since their meeting, he wouldn't admit it but the girl was a breath of fresh air and he found himself acting like an older brother to her. Simon didn't know much about Abigail and she might be the best con-woman yet but he was loathe to give up on humanity too quickly.
He set his pack down on the bed and took out the small household first aid kit he had scavenged from inside a car trunk. It was a peculiar lesson that few knew, car trunks were often a great source of basic tools and sometimes first aid kits. If you hit the jackpot of a car tooled for winter weather then you could also bag clothing, a snow shovel and rations as well. As he waited for Abigail to take a seat he went to the door and closed it, latching it. It wouldn't do for intruders to simply wander in. He then walked to the mini fridge and liberated it of the last two miniature spirit bottles. Finally he grabbed a flannel cloth from the bathroom and sat next to Abigail on the bed.
As he went about cleaning the wound with the Alcohol, receiving the odd hiss of discomfort from Abigail as the alcohol sent stings across her epidermis, he spoke a little of himself.
"My name is Simon but my friends call me Toast. Long story on that one. You could say I'm a mercenary but I prefer the term 'troubleshooter'. The thing in the bath, I couldn't take the chance that it wasn't infected. He was dead, I don't like it either. I've seen enough walkers reanimate in stranger circumstances and seen people bitten for being careless. Never take the chance, your life is always worth more."
Simon stopped to inspect his work as he shredded a clean spare pillowcase in the wardrobe for bandage. As he sat again and wound the strips around the young woman's arm he couldn't help but question. This was no girl as he had first thought, this was a young woman, forced to grow up far people she should have. There was a distinct sadness about that, a sadness he related to.
"You have a Beretta. Why didn't you use it on the Zeds? "
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Darth Revan
Zombie Hunter
The Dark Side
Peace is a lie, there is only passion.
Posts: 222
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Post by Darth Revan on Dec 28, 2011 0:09:30 GMT -5
Like Toast said, she wrapped the stained knife first with some plastic wrapping, and then covered it again with a handkerchief she had found on the apartment's counter. After she was done wrapping it, she placed it in her backpack, and sat on the bed like he had asked, where he tended to her injury. When he poured the alcohol over her wound, she winced in pain as it painfully cleansed the scratch. Abigail was shocked by the kindness Toast had been showing towards her. Most people tend to look at her as a cleverly-disguised thief due to her torn-up clothing, but he had seen something else in her. She didn't think much else of it. When Toast had finished cleaning up her wound, she stood-up and stretched out a bit. Relaxation wasn't something she encountered very often, and she took the moment to ease-up a bit, after all, they would be on the move shortly anyways.
"Toast, eh?"[/color] she chuckled. "Very interesting name indeed. Perhaps you could explain it to me in the future?"[/color] she smirked. "Also, I could tell you were a mercenary."[/color] she said. "You have the rugged look, pretty self-explanatory."[/color] It was true, she could tell from the way he walked, the way he looked, everything about him had led her to believe he was a mercenary, everything but his personality. Most mercenaries would've treated Abigail no differently than they would anyone else, rude, and as if they were superior. Respect wasn't something she would've shown to any mercenary, other than Toast.
Although she knew he would ask about her lack of killing eventually, she had not imagined he would ask so soon. "It's a long story."[/color] she said. "Though I'm sure you'd like to here it, no matter how long, so I might as well tell you.[/color] she sighed. She had never told the story to anybody before, but that was because nobody had asked. She had no problem telling him, but she wasn't sure if she wanted to remember the night, the night that haunted her to this day. She sucked it up, and began. "It all started three years ago. I was walking home after a rough day at school, when I had heard a scream come from my house. I ran into the house to find the body of my older brother, Timothy, dead. He had been shot in the chest, and was laying in a pool of his own blood, along with the handgun he had been shot with."[/color] she took a deep breath. It was hard for her to continue, but she did her best. "I had heard another scream coming from down the hall, which I recognized as my sister's, and I picked up the gun, just in case I might need to defend myself. I walked down the hall, towards the scream, and entered her bedroom to find my father, sister, and brother all in the same room together. My father looked rather unharmed, while my brother and sister were covered in blood, though I'm not sure if it was their own. Well, when I had walked in, my father turned to look on me, with a twisted look on his face. He told me that we were going to see my mother again, and he would be the one to deliver us to her. In a drunken rage, he lunged towards me."[/color] At this point, it was rather obvious that Abigail was holding back tears. "Well, at this point, I had two feelings inside of me. I was furious that one of my brothers had been killed by my own father, and at the same time... I was afraid of what he might've done to me."[/color] she shook her head in disbelief of the events that had taken place that day. "In fear, I shot him. He stood there for a moment, as I gazed into his dead-eyes, before he fell to the ground.[/color] she was no longer holding back the tears, and they flowed down her cheeks like little rivers of sorrow.
It took her a few minutes to recover, but the tears eventually stopped. She used her hand to wipe the remainders of the tears off, and looked Toast straight in the eyes. "Have you ever been in a situation where your life was at risk unless you killed someone you loved?"[/color]
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Lockwood
Alive
There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.
Posts: 46
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Post by Lockwood on Dec 28, 2011 9:54:05 GMT -5
Toast wasn't expecting what came next. He didn't expect her to open up to him, but it was endearing and saddening at the same time. Either it was a clever ruse or truth and he was certain it was the latter. The story was disgraceful and he had heard variations of the suicide families before. When the outbreak first happened the number of cases where he heard the newsreader say 'before turning the gun on himself' was no coincidence. He took her hand and looked her in the eyes, eyes that had seen horror that no-one let alone a child should have seen.
" I'm so sorry to hear that. You didn't act in fear of yourself, you acted in fear of your siblings. There is nothing wrong in what you did. In answer to your question. Yes; I have killed a loved one before. "
With that he stood and went into the bathroom and retrieved some toilet roll. The creeping stench was still strong but the toilet roll was a prize worth the discomfort on the nasal cavities and stomach. As he came out he handed Abigail the ball of tissue and nodded.
"Where I will be going will be difficult & dangerous, no slowing down, no side trips and you might have to use that gun after all." His voice softened as he realised his words sounded more like orders or a stern briefing, after all this was a young woman in distress, not a Special Operations team or Command Squad.
"If you do I will teach you what you want to know. Together we'll make sure you can defend yourself and loved ones properly, without the fear and sadness that comes with it. Fear clouds your judgement and only by conquering it will you survive."
Grabbing up his pack and unlatching the door he peeped through the spy hole to make sure nothing was directly outside. Wriggling his arms through the arms of the backpack he turned back to Abigail in the room and giving a questioning gesture he spoke quickly
" Come, we must go now. If you are coming with me that is?".
With that he upholstered his handgun and pulled the door open. A quick lean and twist swept the corridor. It was as quiet as it had been on their arrival. The mental map in his head reminded him that there was a service elevator at the Northwest corner of the building. What many people did not know was that service elevators were often not cut off when a fire alarm went off or security shut down was in progress. This was for a number of reasons but one of them was VIP extraction. All new blueprints following the ZED outbreak meant panic rooms and service elevators reaching to either underground car parks or other types exits. This building was no exception to this rule.
As Toast waited for Abigail to make her decision he wondered why he had bothered so much for her. Was it because he had lost his family and loved ones and had no one, or that he was fed up with seeing good people struggling before becoming victims to this colossal horror.
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Darth Revan
Zombie Hunter
The Dark Side
Peace is a lie, there is only passion.
Posts: 222
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Post by Darth Revan on Dec 28, 2011 10:17:46 GMT -5
"Don't be sorry about it."[/color] she said. "If I had the choice to go back, and change everything that happened, I would've done it all the same. I wouldn't be able to let myself die there, I have things left to do in this world."[/color]
Abigail could tell that her openness had taken Toast by surprise. He probably hadn't expected her to be quite so open about her history. There were few secrets she had that she wouldn't tell, but the tragedy that had taken place three years ago was not one of them. It wasn't just a sad story, it was her sad story, and she would've taken any opportunity she had to tell others of the hardship she was forced to endure. Telling him actually seemed rather soothing; she had held in her emotions much longer than any normal person could handle, though she probably wouldn't classify as a normal person anyways. She wiped away her tears with the tissue Toast had handed her, and took a deep breath. Now, her slate was cleaned, and she could continue on with her journey again.
When Toast offered both companionship, and guidance, Abigail stopped to think about it for a little while. She had always been a lone-wolf. For the past three years, she was forced to fend for herself. No one had offered to help her in those three years, and she wasn't sure she would be able to function properly working with someone else. She glanced at Toast, as he stood and waited for her decision. They hadn't even known each other for very long, but it seemed as if the two of them had been through so much together. He reminded her deeply of her brother, Frankie, whom she had abandoned along with the rest of her family on the same day as she had taken the life of her own father. Looking at her gun, and then back at Toast, she knew that he would be her only way to overcome the fear that had been growing in her heart.
She slung her backpack on again, and followed him out the door. Looking at him straight in the eyes, with a slight grin on her face, she said, "Let's go."[/color]
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Lockwood
Alive
There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.
Posts: 46
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Post by Lockwood on Dec 28, 2011 11:36:45 GMT -5
Toast winked at Abigail and set off down the corridor in a fast walk that was almost a jog. However, he moved softly, using the balls of his feet to be as silent as possible. The corridor was deserted but he reached out with his senses, straining for anything that would indicate an ambush of any kind. The service elevator was around the corner and to the left. The adrenaline had started to kick in, giving everything a sharper edge and he struggled to hear above the sound of his beating heart in his ears. The objective was to exfil the apartment complex and make their way over to somewhere with a DNA analysis facility. The first objective would have to be the general science lab or hospital in the Green Zone. Unfortunately his clearance wouldn't get him past this block. So that meant infiltration.
Pushing the button and slipping to the right side of the elevator he held his handgun horizontal across his chest toward the elevator opening. While he waited his mind whirred through his possible avenues to get the DNA analysis on the knife done.
1. Impersonate a doctor or scientist- difficult but possible. Abigail could be used as a potential infection victim. Maybe the wound would be of use in the end.
2. Break in and use it- easily infiltrated but not easy to exfil without leaving a trace.
3. Rendezvous with the remains of Spectre Team Four and head to SSC facilities still operational. Too many ifs; he wasn't sure if SSC still had operational facilities live and whether any of the other members of Team Four were alive. He would have to try and re-establish contact ASAP.
The lift arrived and thankfully it was empty. As the two new partners in crime stepped inside and Toast pushed the Basement button he raised an eyebrow and spoke to Abigail,
"Ever played doctor and patient?"
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Darth Revan
Zombie Hunter
The Dark Side
Peace is a lie, there is only passion.
Posts: 222
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Post by Darth Revan on Dec 29, 2011 14:40:26 GMT -5
Abigail looked at Toast, who seemed to be slightly smirking at her after his question. "The last time I ever played doctor and patient was with my brother, back when I was around three years old."[/color] she said. "Why, what are we doing?[/color] she asked. The elevator abruptly came to a stop as they reached the basement of the apartment complex, and the thick steel doors parted, revealing what looked like just an average basement.
She stepped out of the elevator, and looked around. Scattered tools and old newspapers littered the ground. There were no zombies in the area either. They would probably have no worries about any zombies within the apartment complex, it was supposed to be a military green-zone. Abigail looked around for anything out of the ordinary, but everything seemed perfectly normal, too normal for whatever Toast was looking for.
"Any idea on what we should look for?[/color] she asked. "Everything looks ordinary, nothing special here."[/color]
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Lockwood
Alive
There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.
Posts: 46
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Post by Lockwood on Dec 29, 2011 19:36:35 GMT -5
Toast stepped out after Abigail, he could tell she was sceptical and the term 'wild goose chase' had probably entered her mind. He had also kept the fact that whatever had made that entrance via the screen door was not human. Logic dedicated that it wasn't a walker or any verities of the common undead that made up the majority of the living dead population. To penetrate the green zone would take a sentient creature, one that would be able to scale the complex stealthily before striking hard and fast. The thought had almost made him shudder, he had the unfortunate memories of coming head to head with some of the more advanced T-Virus subjects. Superhumans, metahumans, Tyrants, Mutants, there were many names from them. The most worrying were that many of these freaks looked just like normal humans and maintained the same intelligence and sense of ethics, humans on super steroids-permanently.
Simon thought back to the time when he had joined the hunt for the mutants that were far more than the shambling horrors that filled the streets. Task Force 151 had been created with the sole purpose of gathering the remaining intelligence on Umbrella and eliminating those mutants that were not under the control. It had been the eventual morph of The Organization into Tricell and the second Apocalypse that had led to him questioning the motives of these government organizations. S.T.A.R.S & the B.S.A.A. were the well known forces that were specialized to deal with the virus following the outbreak but the world had become such a clusterf*ck that it rarely mattered what unit you were with.
It was a sad truth that even those with the best intentions often served a darker purpose, on the whole unwittingly and unknowingly. The only real truths was the way of the mercenary, jobs for reward. Trust had become a rare commodity and the outbreak cycle had made him lose faith in service to Queen & Country or the global population as a whole.
So Simon Lockwood, Toast to his friends and comrades, Codename Spectre Four Actual, found himself as a glorified gun-for-hire doing missions that nobody wanted to admit existed or happened. The second outbreak had become something of a opportunity to cut ties with his employer. It was fast becoming reality that staying would mean he would sacrifice everything his stood for, all for some new free world credit and reward system. He snapped out of his reverie and gave a half smile at Abigail before walking off toward a few boxes that had been hastily stored. With a quick brush of dust and a bit of searching he identified the caduceus symbol on a box.
"Looks can be deceiving. You're about to learn that on the job."
With his knife he pried open the crate and searched inside. He gave a tut and satisfied nod and finally revealed the prize. Two technicians uniform coats, two disposable hair nets, latex gloves and two disposable airborne Infection prevention masks popular in the large epidemics and cities of heavy pollution.
"Not quite Doctor and Patient. More Technician and another Technician. It'll have to work. Here, put one of these on with the accessories. Keep the knife inside your jacket. "
"We'll store our gear near the lab. " He stopped for a moment and grinned, this wasn't the America's Next top model look that Abigail probably dreamed of.
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Darth Revan
Zombie Hunter
The Dark Side
Peace is a lie, there is only passion.
Posts: 222
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Post by Darth Revan on Dec 29, 2011 22:05:38 GMT -5
Although he only looked around ten-years older than her, Abigail noticed that Toast appeared to have gone through a lot for being so young. He showed several signs of having gone through intense situations, Abigail could see it in the way he walked. For someone who seemed as experienced as him, he still seemed like a child-at-heart to Abigail. It was relieving; she enjoyed being around him. She had worked with some very serious people before, Toast was a great alternative.
Toast cut open the boxes, revealing the technician uniforms. "That's horrendous."[/color] Abigail said, referring to the technician outfits. "But I guess I don't have a choice, now do I?"[/color] She glared at Toast as he handed her the uniform. Living on her own for the past three years, she had stolen most of the clothing she carried around with her. Most of the stuff she had stolen was top-of-the-line, high-quality clothing as well. Although she wasn't someone who gave a damn about clothing normally, she figured if she was going to steal something, it might as well look nice.
Looking at the uniform again, she sighed. "Don't peek."[/color] she said as she walked behind some of the bigger boxes in the basement, bringing the ugly uniform with her. Quickly, she undressed out of her clothing, and put on the technician's coat. Next, she proceeded to put on the hairnet, latex gloves, and the disposable mask. She pulled out a hand-held mirror, and checked herself out. There was only one problem she found with the look, other than the ugliness in general. Her hair was a little unprofessional. "Just one second."[/color] she said, as she pulled out a hair tie and put her hair into a ponytail. Looking back at the mirror, she was proud of herself. Looking into the mirror, she saw a definite resemblance between her and her mother. Her mother was a doctor, and although she died very early in her life, Abigail clearly remembered her.
Stepping out from behind the boxes, she put her hands on her hips and posed. "How do I look?"[/color] she asked, playfully joking with him. She was never one to take most situations seriously, with a few events in her life being exceptions.
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Lockwood
Alive
There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.
Posts: 46
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Post by Lockwood on Dec 30, 2011 6:23:05 GMT -5
As Abigail changed Toast the opportunity to quickly pull on his new gear. People who thought tactical espionage was all fake IDs and set plans to the minute were only partially correct. A truly great agent could work on the fly, this adaptability was the key to success and this is why you needed the experience of operations before you were recruited into the world of intelligence. Those in those bottom up schemes would only ever run an ops desk. As he finished fiddling with his shoulder holster beneath his clothes he smiled as Abigail got into the spirit of things.
"Catwalk-esc. Truly Stunning." He gave a brief chuckled before packing his clothing into his backpack and slinging it over his shoulder.
"Poker face on, it's game time. Switch on and follow my lead,"
gone was the frivolity as the realization sunk in that they were about to impersonate technicians, break into a science lab in the Racoon City Green Zone, use their equipment to identity something for a mission that didn't exist and then access confidential military and civilian personnel medical database records. It was a daring plan but thinking too much about it gave you the butterflies in your stomach.
Toast was still formulating the plan of escape should they be compromised. There were a number of options that he could immediately see:
1. Use a fake hostage scenario with Abigail. It was very risky and the snipers posted on buildings meant that as soon as they were out in the open there was a high chance he would get picked off before commandeering transport. 2. Flight, running and gunning the way out. This posed the same risks as above but would make sure that Abigail wasn't directly in the firing line. A situation that was preferable.
Nothing else sprung to mind. This was worrying as neither of the two initial options were preferable. He only hoped that once they were in the lab something might present itself as a viable alternative. Shaking his head to himself at the risks they were taking he turned to Abigail and leant down talking quickly, he looked her directly in the eyes to ensure he had her full attention.
"Snipers are posted on building rooftops. They have Night Vision so the dark won't hide us. We'll have to pick and choose our moments if we want to avoid being rumbled before we even get to the lab. Move at a crouched run, don't sprint" Toast waved a set of binoculars that he had retrieved from his pack. "Listen carefully to my instructions and do them without hesitation, clear?"
As Toast walked to the exit of the basement and checked the immediate vicinity he beckoned Abigail over.
He looked through the binoculars, in the dark it was hard to see the snipers, he was using the silhouettes of the shapes against the skyline of the city and the vestigial light that reflected off the clouds and water vapour in the air . These guys had no need to be concealed, it did not matter when your only enemies were meant to be the shambling dead outside the perimeter. Luckily is worked well for him and allowed him to identify the potential spotters. What also worked in the favour of many infiltrations was the fact that often even the best sentries gave into boredom and lost focus, this would be especially true in the green zone where things were comparatively 'safe'. "The truck, 20 metres away, One O'Clock. Stay left side of it. Wait there for me. On three...3.....2....1...Go!"
Toast gave Abigail a nudge, now was the time.
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Darth Revan
Zombie Hunter
The Dark Side
Peace is a lie, there is only passion.
Posts: 222
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Post by Darth Revan on Dec 30, 2011 11:31:21 GMT -5
"Listen carefully to my instructions and do them without hesitation, clear?" Abigail nervously gulped. While Toast might have not directly stated it, she knew for a fact that his instructions would eventually lead to firing her weapon at someone; knowing that they were in a green-zone only made it worse. He probably expected her to fire at a living, breathing human, something she had done only but once, and something she had never intended on doing again. The cold-feeling you get after you take the life of another human had never left Abigail after she had killed her father, she still hadn't gotten over his death. While one part of her thought that maybe killing more people would help her get over her father's death, the other side of her believed it would only make her feel worse about it. Knowing that she was probably taking too long to decide, she decided that she would do her best to follow his orders, but there would be no guarantees on whether or not she would take a life for him.
"Alright,"[/color] she said "I'll do it."[/b]
She followed Toast the exit of the basement, where they stopped as Toast scanned through the area with his binoculars. Time started to seem as if it was going by much faster now, they had only been in the basement for about seven minutes, and now they were outside, about to proceed with a plan which almost sounded as suicidal as jumping out of an airplane without a parachute. To her, it was almost kind of exciting; though she imagined Toast had been through enough to be unaffected by their mission, or at least very good at masking it.
"The truck, 20 metres away, One O'Clock. Stay left side of it. Wait there for me. On three...3.....2....1...Go!"
Following the instructions Toast had given her earlier, she ran towards the truck as quick as she could, while still maintaining a 'crouch run.' Everything seemed to be going perfectly, but then, a bullet struck the ground in front of her. What started as one, ended with dozens of bullets flying around her, with all barely missing.
"S***, s***, s***!"[/color] she panicked as bullets started passing all around her. In fear, she no longer maintained her crouch run, and started sprinting towards the truck. None of the snipers managed to hit her in the short period of time it took her to reach the truck and take cover behind it. Breathing heavily, she realized just how serious these people were. She had barely made it to safety in time, any second later and she could've been dead. Still gasping for breath, she waited for Toast to catch up with her.
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Lockwood
Alive
There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.
Posts: 46
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Post by Lockwood on Dec 30, 2011 16:10:33 GMT -5
Things had gone from fine to f*cked in a moment, as was the case with many an operation. It rarely went badly slowly enough for you to plan for it. The snipers had spotted Abigail and surprisingly they had opened up on her without so much as a thought. In the distance he heard a building's alarm go off, it was becoming apparent that the Apartment Complex situation was now common knowledge and a security shutdown was in place.
This meant the mission was to be aborted, there would be no way of getting into the lab once shutdown had been enacted. The US Military in Racoon had got jumpy and responded by a shoot anything that moves containment procedure. More importantly Abigial was now being fired upon and was stuck behind a truck.
Toast had to work quickly, priority one was to get Abigail out of danger and then get himself out. He would have to draw fire for her to escape. There was a generator housing about 40 metres to the 11 O'clock. It was far enough away from the truck to be able to cause a distraction while Abigail slipped away. He had every confidence she had the talent necessary to use a distraction. Shaking his head he just hoped that the Snipers weren't accurate tonight. Toast drew his pistol from the shoulder holster and flicked off the safety.
With a shout he exploded off the balls of his feet into a full sprint across the open ground. His heart pounded in his ears and time seemed to slow down as he heard the first round zing overhead. The snipers weren't pros, lacking the adjustment needed when use night vision to scope and lead fast moving targets. However, sooner or later multiple shooters would find the mark. The shots were panicked and the fear at the back of every soldier's mind in the green zone helped in this instant. His right arm swept up and fired into the air to draw all the attention towards himself.
Toast threw his arms forward and executed a shoddy roll as he made cover, hearing the sound of ricochets off the small rockcrete and metal structure. As the sharpshooters on the roof took the time to reload and zero in on their new mark he took the opportunity to call to Abigail.
"Abi....GO! Get out of here! I'll catch up. 1.....2.....3....GO!"
Toast poked his gun out of cover and fired toward the location of the nearest sharpshooter. He didn't hope to hit anything but any fire was suppressive, even if it was merely physiological. He just hoped Abigail had remembered his command to obey his commands and did not question his motives. He would not have her killed over getting involved with him, better to be captured than risk her death over something that was now impossible. In a green zone shutdown there was no getting out, or at least that was the plan. If a distraction was provided a stealthy exit could be undertaken. It was almost ludicrous that he was on the side same as these soldiers, doing a different job that many wouldn't comprehend doing.
His shots had the desired effect, the fire had switched from the truck to rake the small outhouse structure. His arm had avoided the damage as the click of the chamber gave him the indication he needed. He edged to the corner of the outhouse and searched for his next cover point. Motor engines and the hurried rush of booted feet indicated that the shutdown was now in full swing. He just hoped that Abigail had the sense of run. He would have to try and meet up with her later. Simon 'Toast' Lockwood had a sinking feeling that this would end up in his capture, he just hoped that it didn't mean a premature death or Abigail catching a bullet.
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Darth Revan
Zombie Hunter
The Dark Side
Peace is a lie, there is only passion.
Posts: 222
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Post by Darth Revan on Dec 30, 2011 18:36:27 GMT -5
Abigail heard the worry in Toast's voice as he gave her the order to run out of the hellish battle as fast as she could. His lack of confidence only made her more nervous, and she began to shake. She had been shot at before, but nothing like this, this was almost like a battlefield in a war, with bullets flying everywhere only adding to the effect. It crossed her mind that it was her fault for the ongoing battle, if she had been sneakier, perhaps things would've taken a different turn, but it was too late for her to change what happened. Looking around she spotted two escape routes. She could run back the way they had came from, towards the apartment complex, or she could run towards the building her and Toast had been trying to get to. Quickly, she thought about the two options.
"The building is probably locked down by now. she thought. "It'd probably be better for me to run back towards the apartments. her mind was made up, she was going to run back the way she came from. Before she left, she threw her arms around Toast and hugged him. "Stay safe." she said, a hint of worry lingering within her soft voice. Immediately after hugging Toast, she turned back towards the apartments. Judging by how long it took her to get to the trucks, she estimated that it would take her approximately 2.5 seconds, including evasive maneuvers, to reach the entrance of the apartment complex's basement again. No longer wasting anymore time, she ran as fast as she could across the fields.
It felt as if she was running in slow-motion as she sprinted across the field. Her heart was pumping, as the adrenaline rushed through her blood. Thankfully, she had no need to worry about snipers, Toast's distraction worked flawlessly. After what seemed like an eternity, she made it to the door. She twisted the doorknob, and walked into the apartment to find that her escape attempt was obsolete. In the short time it had taken for them to get spotted, and for her to run back, heavily-armed reinforcements had arrived.
"Freeze!" one of the soldiers shouted. "Put your hands in the air, and don't move!" outnumbered and outgunned, Abigail willingly put her hands in the air. As with standard-procedure, one of the soldiers patted her down, finding her handgun, as well as the bloody-knife; both of the weapons were confiscated from her. Next, they turned her around and handcuffed her.
"Do you have any idea how much trouble you've caused us?[/color] the leading soldier asked.
"Not nearly as much trouble as we're going to cause after we get free."[/color] she said, and spat at the feet of the soldier.
Furious, the soldier took his hand and slapped her across the face with his heavily-padded glove, knocking her down to the ground. "You're a rotten b****. You'll get yours soon enough."[/color] he assured her before slapping her across the face again.
One of the soldiers assisted her back to her feet, and then marched her back out the door she had just went to. She knew what they were going to do, they were going to attempt to use her as a bargaining chip for Toast. When they were done with her, she assumed they would end up killing her anyways, but she couldn't do anything to stop it now. Helpless, she followed the soldiers as they marched back to the truck that Toast was hiding behind.
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Lockwood
Alive
There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.
Posts: 46
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Post by Lockwood on Jan 2, 2012 6:37:41 GMT -5
Toast was relieved to see that logic had overcome emotion in Abigail and she had used the distraction to perfect effect. The snipers had prioritised firing targets as was the logical approach but they lacked the tactical experience to realize engaging snipers with a pistol was always going to be futile unless it was a crude ruse. There were few American military personnel that Toast held in high regard, most standard grunts were low intellect monkeys who joined the military through lack of employment prospects and security. There were exceptions true, but they usually found their way up to the special operations outfits.
It was only when the snipers stopped taking potshots for a long enough period to not be a reloading phase that it was evident something was about to happen. He had tried to assess the situation as best he could but was pinned down. The only saving grace was the snipers were panicked and excited, failing to work together to maintained continued suppressive fire while the others reloaded. If truth be told Toast had almost resigned himself to capture and escape, escape and evasion had been sacrificed to make sure Abigail escaped.
It was then that a voice, judging by sound dampening and direction, coming from close by beyond the truck opened up.
"Hostile, we have your accomplice. Put down your weapon and surrender. "
Toast cursed, Abigail had been caught, these idiots had sharpened up their act. It was rare for a security lockdown to be complete within ten minutes but it was clear that the US Military wasn't going to have another Chicago fiasco. Chicago's central safe zone had been overrun when an outbreak inside the compound had run out of control. Following that containment procedures had almost become martial law and new safe zones were to be located outside of urban areas.
Toast took a deep breath and shouted over the truck to the assembled Military police. While he talked he used a shard of the truck's win mirror to view the scene unfolding before him without exposing himself to a shot.
" OK, but I want those snipers stood down and the girl unharmed. Otherwise you can send your squad in and you'll take casulties."
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Darth Revan
Zombie Hunter
The Dark Side
Peace is a lie, there is only passion.
Posts: 222
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Post by Darth Revan on Jan 2, 2012 11:00:31 GMT -5
Watching closely, Abigail noticed that the leading officer of the squad that had kidnapped her almost seemed as if he was shaking. He was either nervous, or he was only shaking from the rage slowly building-up within him. After a brief moment of thought, the squad leader motioned the rest of his squad to move in towards the truck. If they were planning on killing him, Abigail believed they would have already done it. The fact that hadn't simply killed the two created a circle of thoughts within Abigail's mind. Perhaps they had something more in mind, something much more sadistic than simply shooting them. She shuddered at the thought of being tortured, she was never one to cope well with large amounts of pain.
"I don't think you understand," he began, "if you don't walk out with your hands up, I will shoot the girl." he put his arm around Abigail's neck, and pointed his handgun at her head. "If you don't believe me, take a look for yourself. the man dragged Abigail with him to the side of the truck Toast was on. "See,"[/color] he chuckled, "Try anything, and she gets her brains blown out. You have less than twenty seconds to comply."[/color]
Abigail's worst fears had come true, he planned on doing something with the two of them, something sinister was stirring beneath it all, and all she could do now was wait for it all to unfold.
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Lockwood
Alive
There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.
Posts: 46
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Post by Lockwood on Jan 2, 2012 18:29:04 GMT -5
Toast kept his face straight as he struggled to contain his rage, emotions clouded your judgement and while it sometimes help if you used to fight your battles you soon lost control of yourself. He stood slowly his eyes moved from the leader to lock with Abigail. He tried to send a message to her using his eyes, that he wouldn't let anything come to her. Simon Lockwood only hoped that he could keep that promise.
He lowered his gun and pressed the magazine catch, the magazine slipped out and landed on the concrete with a light clang. A quick kick sent the magazine out of arms reach. The next step was unloading the chamber, using his left hand he cocked the chamber back and ejected the round onto the floor. The brass casing met the concrete with a ping that signalled the finally stage of disarmament.
"No you're not going to Sergeant. Because whoever pulls your strings wants both of us alive and you are an obedient dog. "
Win placed his hands in front of him ready to be shackled. His eyes were focused on the man holding Abigail hostage. To those watching his eyes seemed to pierce through the material and into space. In reality Simon was using the time to gather any information he could use. Information was never wasted. Like these men not being regulars, their uniforms told him that but more importantly the fact that they had stood down the sharpshooters and other military personnel meant they were packing some sort of special clout. Toast had already remembered the faces of those present, for some reason they had chosen to remain unmasked, unusual for a special ops unit but something that worked to his advantage. Laughing boy would die before this was all over, he would make sure of it.
But first he had to sort out an escape for the two of them. It was all about picking the right time and he wasn't exactly new to escape from incarceration. Toast had to make sure that Abigail and himself survived the ordeal and jumping the gun would only cause problems. Plus there was the fact that this was an opportunity to learn more about his mission. Being taken captive meant you often learnt more than you ever could outside but it was often far too risky to deploy the tactic. However, taking advantage of these things was what he did best.
"Get a move on. I'm sure your master is impatient." It was then that he noticed the slight marking on the face of Abigail. Perhaps a fall but more likely she had put up a struggle and been rewarded for her defiance.
"Hurt the girl again and I'll be the death of you." The tone and the look in his eyes meant there was no idle threat to these words. Many people threatened but you could often tell sincerity and Toast didn't like bluffing unless he had to.
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