( open ) our ag wing's back and you're gonna be in trouble (hey now! hey now! our ag wing's back)

[initiates]

Date & Time: October 31st, 3313, 11:59PM - November 3rd, 3313, ????
Location: Agriculture Wing, Moon Base to start. Cafeteria, warehouse, docking bay, VR rooms, Transport Pad, or Observatory later on.
Characters: Any & all!
Summary: Space Zombies are allowed out of the Agriculture Wing, slowly revving up their systems to try and infect and absorb as many of the Transports (or 12 Initiative Members) as possible.
Warnings: Log will be locked for potentially graphic violence. Please warn in threads should the violence or gore become graphic.
Notes: Specify a date and location in your top comment. You may specify multiple dates/locations. Specify a time if you wish as well.

Everything is a success at first, from the cool rush of air out of the Agriculture Wing once the doors are fully unlocked, to the heady sense of accomplishment for finally moving forward on something good for the long-term usability of the Moon Base. It's intended to remain a resource, after all, but not be a permanent home. Fraying tempers and the sense of cabin fever descending on Transports continues to showcase how important it is to get back down on Earth to regain some breathing room.

There's little enough dust between all the unmoving, unlit structures, many even supporting the barest dried husks of what once grew there. Upon the lightest touch, they disintegrate, turning into a dust that falls to the ground. The silent rows will be reclaimed and turned into functioning units, based on Transport efforts, and Transport time invested in the project.

There's just one problem. Something stirs in the reclaimed wing, among tangles of hosing and wiring. Skitterings and movements that make no sense for a long abandoned Moon Base. The further in Transports go, relying on magic or technology to generate light past the bare minimum maintained by the base, the more disturbing sights they may run into.

Of course, the most disturbing of all might be lying just around the far corner -- but don't worry, it's only a flesh wound. Try not to get surprised in the machinery, caught suffering from not looking up or caught making out with anything unsavory this holiday season, Transports. We need all of you to stay alive!

We can't bring you back right now!

Comments

[notadamnvampire]

[The sudden, violent interference startles Al a bit, but he shakes it off quickly. He skitters away from the one that hits the floor.]

Yes, God, just get rid of the damn thing! I can hold on to it while you-- do whatever.

[khajidont]

[Jaime gives Al a thumbs up before heading his way, a gesture that he realizes may be far too cheery considering the circumstances.] Got it! Just... let go of it, it'll be easier that way.

[He rushes over and grabs onto the zombie bearing down on Al before simply tossing it across the room. It only looks like a temporary solution for a moment; given the distance between them, it gives him the freedom to morph his hand into a laser gun and in no time a glowing blue light shoots out from it and encompasses the necromorphs. He keeps it going for a good amount of time, making sure they're good and charred before relenting. He had made the mistake of zapping them as much as he would a regular human before, and had regretted it for some time afterwards. Once the deed is done, he turns around to face Al again, head flicking up and down as he checks for injuries.]

You okay?

[notadamnvampire]

[Al lets go, steps back, and lets Jaime do his thing. He watches with a subtle expression of amazement, though. That was actually pretty cool. But when Jaime turns to him, he drops it and goes back to his usual cold expression. He attempts to straighten his hair and his jacket. He's taken some hits, cut in several places, but nothing major.]

Oh, just peachy. Though I... do appreciate the help. [So he begrudgingly says.] They're faster than I anticipated, but I've managed to take out a few.

[khajidont]

Don't think you'll need to be worrying about your hair and clothes right now, [Jaime says, a halfway amused slant to his mouth. He gestures down at himself, bright blue and black armour covered with more blood than he really wants to think about.] If you're not covered in, uh, them, you're doing pretty good.

[He rolls his shoulders, then his neck, trying to keep himself looser than his body wants to be, tense with anticipation and stress as he is.] You're right, though. These aren't hobble-and-grunt zombies we're seeing here. [He puts one hand on his hip, looking behind him again as he dryly comments,] What d'you know, television lied to us.

[notadamnvampire]

[Jaime plz he's always worried about his hair and clothes. But they're lost causes right now.]

I tried to keep as far away from them as I could, but it didn't work as well as I thought. I would have much preferred the Night of the Living Dead-style shamblers, yes. If that was what attacked, we'd all have cleaned them up fast. Ones so quick and vicious wasn't what I was expecting. [Which is why he shouldn't have come out alone, but he's got too much pride for help. Most of the time.]

[He sighed quietly, looking around as well. He didn't want the creatures to sneak up on them.] I'm wondering if I should head back to the safe zone, but there's still a lot of them around.

[khajidont]

There's going to be a lot of them around for a while. I'm thinking we're going to need to do shifts before we get rid of them. I mean... no one can keep on fighting 24/7.

[That, knowing the general population of the Transports, may or may not be a lie. Jaime can't see fighting for that long being good for anyone, however, and while he's fine for now, he's going to need to take a time-out for some shut-eye sooner or later.

He'll probably take a miss on eating, however.]

How 'bout I keep you company on your way there?

[notadamnvampire]

[He hesitates for a moment. He wants to keep fighting, he wants to get better at this. But he's sensible enough to know his limit, and nods.]

Yes, alright. I'll grab a little sleep and then get back to work. I'm Alucard, by the way.

[khajidont]

Good plan. [He nods, relieved not to come across any resistance on that front. He can understand the reluctance - and shares it - but with an onslaught this bad, there's no use in staying out here until you're liable to make a mistake and get a great big zombie bite for it.]

I'm Blue Beetle. Nice to meet you. I'd shake your hand, but - [he wiggles his hand in mid-air, as covered with blood as it is] - I'm thinking you don't wanna do that.

[notadamnvampire]

Blue Beetle, huh. [He says it in a way that is clear he's turning that title over in his head. Another superhero type, obviously. The second that's had to come to his rescue since he's been in Exsilium. Great.] Let me guess - this [waving a hand to his outfit] is your night job?

[khajidont]

More like an late afternoon job. [Unlike the Bats, he doesn't restrict his movements to the night.

Well, that and he sort of has a curfew, barring any emergencies that really need his attention. Having parents who know about his superhero career is mostly a good thing, but it can put a damper on any hopes of going out at 3 AM on a school night.]

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that you've met other people running around in costume before?

[notadamnvampire]

[He shook his head and rolled his eyes.]You don't even know the half of it. Seems there's quite a few here, too. It's more prevalent in the universe than I thought. Let me ask you something: in your world, is there one of these costumed "supervillains" -- [this comes with finger air quotes] -- going by the name of the Shadow Emperor?

[He's hoping not. He's really hoping not.]

[khajidont]

[He gestures Al to follow him as he begins their trek back to the safe zone, hands swinging loosely at his sides now.]

Can't say it rings a bell. It sounds like a pretty supervillainy name, so someone's probably thought of it, but none of the big guns. Is he a big deal in your world?

[notadamnvampire]

[Al took one last look behind them before following after. Seemed like the coast was clear, for now.] The biggest. It's been a good test to see if someone's from my time or not. Count yourself lucky, I suppose.

Getting into the game early, though, I see. You sound like you're about my age. [Which is 16, but his stature might peg him to seem a few years younger.]

[khajidont]

We got enough supervillains where I'm from.

[It's not exactly bragging about the caliber of supervillain they've got around, but he knows that his world's baddies are no slouches. It's just a good thing that they've got the heroes to balance the scales most of the time.]

Why, how old are you?

[notadamnvampire]

So do we. [And he has to live with two of them. Ugh.]

I'm 16. Yes, I'm short. [He's heard all the jokes. Bring it.]

[khajidont]

Uh, okay? [Jaime gives him an odd look at that. Alucard is only a couple inches shorter than he is, and though he's used to being the butt of short jokes from people expecting a more physically imposing, it's not really a touchy subject.

He drums his hands restlessly at his sides as he walks, considering whether or not he should be keeping his age a part of the secret identity too, then shrugs. It shouldn't hurt.]

I'm sixteen too, yeah. There's a bunch of us in my world who start around this age.

[notadamnvampire]

Mm, I suppose it's not far off the mark in mine either. One of my classmates is well on her way to superhero-stardom, but her parents had some help in that as well. She wasn't much for the whole alternate identity thing, though. She was always whining how she couldn't think of a good enough name. [He smiled slightly at the thought. And here he never thought he'd miss the people at home.]

[khajidont]

Never heard of someone that young going without a secret identity.

[It sounds like a bad idea. Guy Gardner, Booster Gold, sure - their entire lives are built around what they do, what they've done. But someone their age? What about college? What about what they want to do for the rest of their lives?]

Isn't that dangerous?

[notadamnvampire]

[Al rolled his eyes and sighed - not at Jaime but because he's brought this up to Minnie before, and she seemed unconcerned.] Her parents are famous enough that she probably never had much of a chance at anonymity anyway. But she wasn't going to listen to me about it. Some people are more interested in fame than saving the day.

[khajidont]

I guess being famous would make it pretty hard.

[Because famous Gotham socialites like Kate Kane or Bruce Wayne could never, ever be masked superheroes!]

But, man, they can keep the fame. It just seems like it'd be a huge hassle to me.

[notadamnvampire]

If you ask me, the whole thing seems like a hassle. Being either a hero or a villain. [Al's parents have pushed him too hard, and now he wants to do anything but be a villain like them. He sharply folds his arms.] How do you even deal with it?

[khajidont]

Well... I dunno if I would call it a hassle, exactly. [Jaime links his fingers together and rests them on the back of his neck. It is a hassle sometimes, truth be told, trying to balance all these new responsibilities with still trying to live, but it's worth it in the end.]

It's just about trying to help people. As long as I'm doing that, then I'm doing my job. And it's not as if there's any school - [or family] - I have to try and balance around here.

[notadamnvampire]

[Al considers this, frowning in thought for a moment. He then
nodded, as if agreeing.]

Well, I suppose that makes sense. You can get more time to practice doing,
ah, heroic things, I suppose. Heaven knows this places needs any help it
can get. [Not that he's sure anyone can fix their problems here,
it's worth trying.]

[At least they were able to return to the safe areas without getting
jumped. Alucard immediately flops into the nearest available seat. Oh
right. He should say thanks. This isn't an easy thing for him to say to a
superhero.]

I, ah. I suppose I owe you one for the help. [A pause.]
Thank you.