:o)

[monstermasher]

▶ WHO: Everyone!
▶ DATE: August 9th, evening (IC)
▶ WARNINGS: N/A yet.
▶ SUMMARY: A small mingle, for any purpose!

[ Good evening, everyone!

Well, actually it's not. It's raining—hard. Is it supposed to be? Who knows. But there's a thunderstorm rolling in, and zombies aren't immune to being struck by lightning.

Really, though—there's nothing entirely extraordinary about tonight. It's what you choose to make of it.

OOC: This is just a quick little mingle; your characters can be doing whatever you'd like! ARE THEY HUDDLING FOR SHELTER FROM THE STORM? REMINISCING ABOUT FOND RAINY DAY MEMORIES? IS THERE A MURDER GOING ON SOMEWHERE? ARE YOU STILL TRYING TO PIECE TOGETHER EVIDENCE OF WHY YOU'RE HERE? ]

Comments

[alonetogether]

She's outside the wall when she wakes up, wearing some of the clothes that she and Steph brought back from their trip. No backpack. No weapons. Not even her knife. She remembers dreaming, vaguely, of painfully bright lights, but that's it. There's no way she sleepwalked through those front gates.

Ellie scrambles onto all fours, peering up toward the wall through the increasing cover of rain. Her heart kicks against her ribs, and there's an autumn chill in the way her clothes cling to her skin.

Upright. Moving forward in a crouch, quiet as a mouse.

Please, please let someone be on the wall or at the gate.

Otherwise, she might be a little screwed.

[triggerpull]

[ After returning from his trip into another city, the first thing Locus did was take his take his sniper rifle out and get a view of the land around the compound. It's been days since he was here last, so a thorough look at what may have changed since the monster attack was necessary, even through the rain.

He notices movement from two different sources and peers through the scope for a clear view through the rain. A girl, and something lumbering behind her about twenty feet. It's not like he needed the view to be closer, but the rain and darkness wasn't helping.

He aims.

And then he fires.

The thing lumbering behind her drops dead, the bullet planted neatly in the center of its head.

Guess someone is up there, kiddo!!! ]

Will do brackets when I'm not on my phone! This is easier atm....

[alonetogether]

She hits the ground the second the crack of gunfire rolls across open ground. She doesn't hear the body of her follower drop. All she knows is that she's alone, in the open, unarmed.

Ellie scrabbled to her feet again and runs for the shadow of the wall, whispering a steady stream of curses.

OTA

[reginaprocacis]

[These days, Regina mostly sticks close to her family. She's rarely alone, her watchful eyes on Henry at all times. And Emma, too, of course -- she's possibly never going to get over the woman's sudden vanishing act. It's not the easiest thing; Regina sees that Emma's in a bad mental state - and who wouldn't be, considering? -- but she doesn't know what to do about it, so she mostly just watches.

Keeping their son from foolish ideas of adventure is enough of a chore for both of them, anyway. He is way too excited about the whole thing.

Right now, though, she is having a moment to her own, tending to the small herb garden Ollie Stallworth left behind. The young witch had decided to seek her fortune elsewhere and Regina's been taking care of the garden since. It's not much, but she still thinks the herbs could be useful someday. Occasionally, she takes some for small wound treatments -- and as condiment, if she's honest. The canned food started tasting stale fast.

And of course, it's just her luck that it begins to pour buckets whilst she is in the midst of digging. The first few droplets don't bother her, but then the rain gets heavier very quickly, enough for Regina to let out a surprised squeal and run for shelter in the doorway to the yard, where she huddles and hugs herself, dripping.]

Well, at least it'll make the plants happy.

[She shakes her head, then remembers her magic and dries herself off with the wave of a hand.]

[sheriffing]

[It was a moment on her own. Emma just happened to be looking for her a few seconds before it started raining.

She knows she screwed up, and she hasn't found a way to talk about it. How do you tell someone you're sorry you bailed on them for a month during a zombie apocalypse? Without her parents, her son, and Killian there to pull her out of it, she'd let herself get pretty low. Going away gave her time to learn more about her magic, but she doesn't think that what she gained is equal to what she lost. Regina used to be supportive, now she looks at her like she's some kind of time bomb.

It's not the best way to team up and keep their son safe, but she deserves it. She brought this on herself. Initially, she came out here thinking maybe the could talk about it, but by the time she catches up to Regina, the woman's shaking water on her like a wet dog and she's starting to get the feeling like now isn't the best time, either.]

Hey, I -

[And she's dry now. Good for her.]

Are you okay?

[thetruestbeliever]

[ It's a weird thing for parents to understand, he knows. This isn't a safe place at all but there's a chance for him to really help out, to be useful, to put a lot of his skills to use. So, he likes the thrill of it, the adventure, even knowing in the back of his mind he has to be careful. And he will be. He'll also make sure his moms are safe because that's his job, now that he's old enough to actually do things to protect them.

He's not really seeking out any of his parents at the moment but he happens to be near the garden when he hears a familiar voice and it draws him closer, with a soft smile on his lips. ]

Mom - you have a garden here?

[ It doesn't surprise him much, knowing she liked having a garden back home, too. ]

open

[controlledvariable]

a ▶ the kitchen

[There's a project in the kitchen that's taken up Steph's spare time in the last couple of weeks, because something really had to be done about the coffee situation. The first issue had been finding the coffee; beans don't stay fresh forever and instant tastes revolting, but eventually she'd scrounged up some freeze-dried grounds, which won't be as good as fresh ones, but it's something.

A coffee maker was easy enough to find, but, well, she doesn't want something that relies on electricity, so she's rigged up a slow drip brewer.

Science.

All for the sake of coffee.

A rainy day is a good time to test it, anyway, after it's been filtering for two days (with a DO NOT TOUCH sign right in front. There's enough for a few mugs of coffee, but Steph starts with one, pouring it carefully into a cup before adding some sugar that she scrounged up. She takes a deep breath, sighing happily, then takes a sip.]

There is a god.

[She's going to be there for at least an hour, enjoying her coffee. She might even share if someone asks nicely, just don't comment on the oddness of a woman in a superhero costume drinking coffee.]

b ▶ the roof

[Somehow Steph doubts that anyone has ventured out into the rain tonight, so she doesn't see the need to venture out as well just to patrol. Still, Steph climbs up to the rooftop of the compound, for the sake of keeping an eye out on the horizon, but also just to enjoy watching the storm roll over ahead.

Her Batgirl suit keeps her dry (and lightning-proof), and the lenses in her cowl let her see out into the dark, just in case there does happen to be anyone nearby who does need help.

Really, though, she just likes the smell of lightning and rain in the air.]

c ▶ wildcard

[When she isn't brewing coffee or playing lightning rod on the roof, Steph is wandering the halls, finding things to do to keep herself busy, either in the labs or the shared communal spaces. Someone has to clean the showers, after all.]

a ▶ the kitchen

[caelus]

[ oh hey, she summoned him. she summoned a starship captain with the beautiful scent of coffee. not really. what probably actually happened is that he couldn't sleep (cause what is getting used to earth norm everything after being shipboard for so long), and he decided to wander the halls.

he'd check in on people, but he only knows a handful of faces around here. maybe he can meet a few more people making rounds. it's similar to what he does on his own ship---wherever they are now. he just hopes they're ok.

but no, he catches the smell of coffee on his way past the kitchen area, and makes his way in. science experiment that ends in coffee? yeah, he's good with that. ]

Somebody's been busy. [ while he is interested in the actual coffee, he's also interested in the work to get to the awesome endgame itself. so yeah, he might be taking a peek at that, but not touching. ] You made it to where you're not reliant on main power, right?

That's a good idea.

c > Ellie's room

[alonetogether]

[Once she's back inside the walls, the first thing Ellie does is go check on her stuff.

Her room is clean. Her clothes are all there, her books are all there, and there's even a couple of new ones. She picks one up and turns it over to read the back, stroking the cover gently. It's a habit she picked up on finding how smooth these motherfuckers are without water damage.] ...Cool.

[The statement is tired, a word said to fill silence.

Her stomach growls, and she turns back toward the door, planning to head to the kitchen to find something to eat, still dazed over finding herself outside.]

double the trouble (B)

[spoild]

[She's always enjoyed storms at least a little bit. There's a bit of thrill to the thunder rolling all around you, and the brief flashes that light up the sky. And she's certainly no stranger to rain. So it's not really unusual that she heads up to the rooftop, even if anyone else might think she's crazy.

Unfortunately her own Spoiler suit isn't quite as fancy, will definitely get soaked before too long, and is way not lightning proof (she should probably look into that maybe). And there's no nifty cowl to give her super nightvision or anything. But that's okay. Her cape has a hood? Although it's down, because she wants to get wet. It's part of the fun of being in a storm.

Of course she's not expecting anyone else to be out here. So it surprises her to see the somewhat familiar silhouette of a batclan member. The cowl is very telling after all.

And well, it's as good a time as any to practice her stealth. Eiko would be glad she's keeping up her training even while stuck in a creepy zombie compound.

So here comes Stephanie, sneaking as quietly as she can on the wet roof.

b

[cassassin]

[The routine of patrol was... nice. Steady, even with the deadly chaos of this world.

Cass had had more or less the same thought, venturing up to the roof in her Batgirl gear, night vision lenses active. It didn't take long to spot Steph, of course -- she would recognize Stephanie anywhere. She crept out in the rain, as silently as she can with the constant noise of the rain and the inevitable shifts in the air, with one goal in mind.

Tag.]

ota

[caelus]

i ) dicking around with the computers

[ jim has been sitting on this for a couple of days. this being the small, green data stick he'd found when he first woke up here. the compound itself still had power, so it was just a matter of him looking in order to find a small lab with a working computer.

only all of these old bricks of technology seem to need passwords. don't get him wrong, he likes antiques, certain antiques, and right now, he would trade an awful lot for a regular old tricorder. right, fine. okay. it might not be the kobayashi maru and sure, he isn't as good as gaila or chekov, but he's not without his skills. under his breath: ]

All right, let's see what we've got here.

[ right now, that little green data stick is going to stay safely in his pocket while he works on getting past the passwords and familiarizing himself with the tech itself. ]

ii ) kitchen

[ well, after a walk through and around the main part of the compound, jim headed to the kitchen to check out the supplies they had on hand. supply runs are probably a thing, at least he hoped they are, but if whatever is happening here is everywhere---well, it's only going to last so long. they are going to need a more long term solution, and if it isn't going already, rationing will probably be a Thing.

if anyone is already taking this into account, or they have a system in place, he'd be keen to put heads together to work out more options. if that isn't anyone's thing, then you can find him writing on some scrounged up paper with a broken pencil with no eraser at the end. ]

ii ) wildcard

[ if you haven't run into him in either of those places, feel free to do so anywhere else! he'd like to get a running list of the things that are readily available for use. he's also still carrying his trident around on his back in the makeshift holster he made out of his gold uniform shirt until he can figure out something else. seems like a poor life choice to wander around without some kind of weapon to defend yourself.

he's not the sort to sit idly by. he's a starfleet officer and a starship captain. it's his job to look out for people, if you feel like there's anything he can help you out with, or you just want some company, he's down for it. ]

ii

[disappointments]

[ when he'd realized, y'know — zombie apocalypse and all — he thought, hey, at least i won't starve to death. there was probably still plenty of wildlife around, right?

but fuck, it turns out wildlife is really hard to catch. roger has the speed and stamina for it, he's physically capable of hunting for his own food, but he's come to realize that there's some technique required. it'll probably be a while before he can actually sustain himself.

meanwhile, he's fucking hungry. there's someone in the kitchen, he can hear them before he walks in, but he's not familiar enough to identify trident guy before he lays eyes on him.

he's kind of glad it's him, though. better the big dumb hero you know than the big dumb hero you don't, right? ]

If you're drawin' up this week's menu, I'm gonna suggest enchiladas for the special. Always a hit.

OTA, any format!

[operatesolo]

a >> Vehicle Bay

He left, the moment he could comfortably do so without being accosted by --

His mind seizes up on the image of that worm-thing whenever he recalls it. The point is that he left, to see what kind of world existed outside of this bizarre little military death post. To find a blurry edge or a familiar feeling to say that yes, this is a dream. Yes, this is insanity.

What he found was more of those dead things. Zombies. A pop-culture word he'd never had real reason to use except in applying it to his superiors.

He's in the vehicle bay, tuning up the jeep he took and cleaning bits of rot and gore from the grill and wheel wells. Occasionally wincing, as he pulls something still healing or moves in a way that makes bruised bones grind.

He may have taken his feelings out on the walking dead.

b >> The Roof

Looking out at the empty world turns his stomach. Solo dislikes involuntary reactions. Thus, here he stands, slacks and a tidy button-up shirt, getting soaked through as he memorizes the landscape.

Maybe, somewhere, Kuryakin and Gabby are out there. It makes as much sense as Solo himself being here.

Besides, finding his partners - his associates - is better than standing here and waiting for something else to leave holes like bomb scars in the front lawn.

c >> Wildcard

He might be sniping zombies from the barracks walls, poking around near the (or in) the radio tower, or trying to figure out the computers and swearing in several languages. He could also be in the kitchen making magical smells out of mediocre supplies.

He's good at that.

b

[controlledvariable]

"Nice outfit, Supes."

It doesn't occur to her that it could be another man with Clark Kent's face, just like it doesn't occur to her that she's all but silent as she walks along the rooftop, because she'd assumed that Clark would've heard her approach.

Sorry Napoleon.

Closed to WinterBucky

[usavatar]

[Steve wakes up in his room, mind still fogged with dreams of bright lights that turned into dreams of Erskine's procedure, which for some reason was in London, attended by rank after rank of Colonel Phillips with a long-haired Bucky standing in the back, holding a sniper rifle trained on Erskine.

Waking was a jolt. Not the kind that comes with the crescendo of a nightmare - more like a spike of confusion that dragged him back into consciousness.

He swings his feet out of the bed, feeling rusty, his mouth tasting like it desperately needs a good brushing.

He needs to check in with Peggy and Natasha. See how Bucky's doing. Do a check of the compound and see if anyone else has vanished.

Steve rubs his eyes and stands, trying to remember when he decided to take a nap.]

!!!

[wipedclean]

[Steve disappeared. So did Natasha. It greatly agitated the soldier, who was still struggling with self-motivation. He did not have a commander here. There was no Pierce, no Hydra, no orders of any kind. So when the closest people he had to handlers disappeared, he was left even more uncertain than before.

Furthermore, he didn't like Steve being gone. He didn't care as much about Natasha, but she understood him, which he appreciated. Steve, though... the soldier didn't know what it was about Steve that made him want to track his every movement, study him, be near him. He wants to know how he knows him, ask him about the fragments of memories that feature him, but he can't. Not until he know how to even talk about what's in his head in a way that isn't halting and fractured. And certainly not now that he's gone.

The soldier practically mopes around the base for a week, his purpose completely unknown. All he does is patrol and act as lookout and care for the small cat-sized dragon which has taken up residence on his shoulder, curling its tail gently around his neck.

He hates this. He wants out.

And then it starts raining. Ordinarily he'd just keep up his lookout and patrol as usual, but the dragon hates the rain, and makes an agitated growl every time he tries to go out in it. So he keeps to individual buildings instead, keeping dry, poking around through things he's already examined a million times before.

He's in the building they woke up in when he hears a noise. The dragon perks up and so does he, and he goes to investigate. As soon as he reaches the room he opens the door and stares for a minute, then strides in and abruptly and without any idea of why he does it, wraps his arms around Steve tightly, while the dragon chirps.]

Where have you been?

ota, any format!

[disappointments]

[ heads up: roger is non-verbal in his wolf form! he's still in possession of human reasoning, though, and it's possible to find ways to communicate with him. telepaths and the like, if we have any, are free to speak with him that way! ]



one → outside the compound, inside the fence (wolf);

[ nobody likes the smell of a wet dog, and that includes roger. but nobody likes being wet, either, so there's not a lot of traffic outside the compound right now. there's a wolf pacing the inside of the fence, nose to the ground. he stops now and then to scratch experimentally at the wet earth.

roger knows that digging a breach under the fence is a bad fucking idea. but it's a way worse idea for someone else than it is for him: if there's a way under the fence, roger can leave at his leisure, hunt in the woods, and not have to spend any time outside the gates, naked and two-legged and stashing his clothes in a log infested with zombie termites. sure, maybe something can get in under the fence. probably nothing big enough or undead enough to worry about, but 'probably' isn't anyone's favorite word during the apocalypse.

still, roger's willing to take that chance. he doesn't expect anyone else to be. ]



two → in the halls (wolf) / roger's room (human);

[ having done a reasonable amount of investigation along the fence, and not being particularly keen on getting any muddier, roger's coming back inside.

that is, he's leaving muddy pawprints down the corridors on his way back to his room, because why would he leave his clothes outside to get wet, too? he'd left the compound as a wolf, so he's coming back as a wolf. hopefully no one sees the mess before he can clean it up.

occasionally, his paws slip on the floors: anyone following the tracks might be left with the impression of a clumsy golden retriever instead of a ~*~majestic wolf~*~. the tracks lead back to roger's room. ]



three → medical bay (human);

[ dry and clothed, roger is now searching for cleaning supplies. the medical bay seemed like a place to start. besides, while he's here, he can get an idea of what's around for first aid. if he wants to make friends, he figures that's one skill he has that's marketable in these dark times. can't kill the doctor, right?

he contemplates whether he could convince anyone he's a doctor. ]

come at me dogboy (aka 1)

[spoild]

[Rain? No biggie to Steph, a born and bred Gothamite. Especially when you're trying to be one of those super hero types. It just comes with the territory, and as Harper's told her before (when Steph said she didn't want to patrol because it was pouring rain) bad guys don't stay in just because it's a little wet.

And hey, the fresh air isn't bad. It can get stuffy in that compound and really Steph's been itching to explore. She hasn't managed to go beyond the fence yet, but it's only a matter of time really. She does still have that map after all. She keeps it on her just in case.

For now she's walking the perimeter of the fence, running a hand along the metal, and -- almost stumbling over a dog apparently

Or... not a dog....

That is defs a wolf.]

Uhhhh [She glances around] Nice... puppy?

[Holding up hands defensively. Pls don't eat her.]

three

[knightbynight]

[Bruce is not a doctor, by any stretch of the imagination. He does, however, have rudimentary medical skills - or more than rudimentary, roughly on par with a field medic.

He's also himself and god damned Batman, in uniform or out, which means he's had ample reason to visit the medical bay, to investigate the supplies and make sure at least the basics are in place. For his own benefit if not for someone else's.

All of which explains why he's there when Roger comes in, sitting and sewing up a gash in his own forearm. He glances up when he hears noise, and then asks, directly and maybe a bit rudely: ]

What are you looking for?

OTA - any format

[spoild]

A - Mess Hall

[In the afternoon Steph can be found seated at a table in the mess hall with a plate of food she's idly picking at. Most of her attention is focused on the map next to the plate. It's the one she found when she woke up, and one she's been studying on and off when she gets the chance.

Where is this place? Is it nearby? Can she get there? Can she make it outside the compound? That's the real question. ]

B - Open Room

[Just because she's stuck in weird zombie dimension doesn't mean she should slack off on her training. She can hear Eiko lecturing her without her even being here. Though honestly she wishes Catwoman 2.0 were here to help. To teach her new things. But there are plenty of others here as well, and most of them seem nice enough.

Still she finds a mostly empty room to train in. Where she can't knock anything over, or get hurt. Going over her teacher's mantras in her head and practicing the moves, and tricks she's been taught. Focus and control are the main things she has to focus on.

She might be meditating, or she might be in the middle of an aerial move of some sort. Either way, a training partner would be much appreciated. She's still a little green. ]

C - Wild Card

[Choose your own adventure!]

peggy carter; ota!

[targeting]

[Peggy wakes with a gasp, and for a few moments until her brain fully realizes she's awake, it feels like she's still in the water. The first thing occurs to her once consciousness is hers is that she is not in her bed. She's not in anywhere she recognizes. A wave of panic courses through her, but she keeps calm, slowly sitting up and taking in the room. It reminds her of training, of the war, it's the opposite of the Griffith.]

[Slowly, she shifts herself up and out of the bed, feet touching the floor. No alarms sound, so she stands up fully and investigates the room. Under the bed she finds a strange lighter, and in the locker is a piece of paper with some coordinates. She'll focus on that later, but for now she needs to know more about where she is. The door is unlocked, to her surprise, but she's not about to complain about it. Wherever she is, it reminds Peggy of the war, only in a much worse way. It's some sort of compound - and a compound means weapons, so she makes that her first priority. She can't do anything about the coordinates until she feels safely armed.]

( a )

[But she doesn't find any armory right away. The compound is larger than she anticipated, and Peggy is hesitant to move too fast, hence she make too much noise. It isn't a prison, but unless she knows without a doubt she's allowed to leave, she can't bring herself to feel safe.]

[There's a bulletin board. It's not the first sign of life, not the first sign of others, but it is somewhat of a positive spot on how drab the rest of the building is so far. She walks up to it and looks it over carefully, occasionally brushing her fingers over notices tacked on the wall. It would be nice, to see a familiar face, but Peggy's already gotten herself into solitude mode, so she isn't expecting anything.]

[From the top, she can see beyond the fence. There are bodies moving out there, and she can't quite tell what they are from this distance, but they're sickly and monsterlike enough that she knows they're a threat, that the fence is keeping them out. It just cements the idea that there must be weapons in the facility somewhere, and she needs them.]

( b )

[She finds the fence, once she's out of the compound. Normally, she isn't a fan of fences, but it doesn't take her long to realize what's on the outside, which honestly only ups the what the hell? factor. But - if there's anyone else outside, she will absolutely approach them, looking rather determined and grim at once. It may or may not be a little offputting, but Peggy always holds herself with presence.]

Excuse me, it's extremely important I find some sort of armory. Please tell me they haven't dumped us defenseless.

[She'll be SO PRESSED.]

b

[controlledvariable]

[Occasionally, Steph spends an hour or so wandering the fence to check for any weak points or gaps, anything that the zombies could take advantage of to get inside. It's boring work, but the more often it's done, the safer it'll be.

She's crouched down repairing a few links in the chain when a woman approaches, and the attitude exuding off her just makes Steph smile fondly. It reminds her of Babs.]

I can point you in the right direction, but might be picked dry by this point.

b;

[borntochoose]

[Kal is, as always, on his Kryptonian skinsuit. He hasn't been 'Clark Kent' ever since he got here and it's honestly starting to get to him in some ways, but until he's completely sure they aren't being monitored he is determined to stay like that. There's just too much at stake- and after spending an entire life hiding away it's hard to change old habits.

So it's Superman who meets Peggy outside.]

I'm pretty sure we have some weapons, just not many. I can bring you a friend, he's crazy about this stuff so I'm sure he'd find something.

But why is it 'extremely important'?

A ) huffs

[usavatar]

[ Steve returns to the quiet bulletin board, carrying Thomas's journal. All its tidy notes, its summaries, its lists. He pages through it without really seeing it, trying to connect the dots between his own disappearance and the vanishment of so many others. Others who haven't come back.

He's intensely relieved to see Peggy when he walks into the room, the relief accompanied by the flutter of nerves he feels whenever he thinks about the look in her eyes when she told him he died. He clears his throat and tries for a tentative smile. ]

Thank God. I was starting to worry you'd vanished, too.

[ With Natasha AWOL and Bucky on edge, he's not sure he could take losing Peggy. ]