The alarm clock makes a distant click... wait, shouldn't that be ticking. Nope, there it is again, a sharp CLICK-SNAP, CLICK-SNAP happening in rapid succession four times all around you, left, right, then again at your feet.

Everything is fuzzy... your head feels like a raging kegger at the local college... or at least what you heard they were like.  You reach for the alarm clock, your hands pulling free from the open straps.  The alarm clock isn't there... but the open loop straps are.

Straps?   Your bed isn't the comfy bed of years ago.  It's some sort of gurney with straps to hold you down and in place like an animal.  Or like one of the infected.  The electronics controlling the straps have all released which is why they are loose and you were able to pull yourself free.   You are in a cell, there's the remnants of a mist in the air and the smell of Lavendar Lysol hanging in the air.

A cell?  Really?  How the hell...

As Dominic and Hank get free of their gurneys, each explore their separate cells, the mist dissipates and the fogginess of their minds clears just a little bit.  It's enough to remember gas grenades striking near where you were.  But how long ago was that?

The distant click you first heard was the cell door opening.  Someone has set you free.  But judging by the flashing red lights outside and the muffled sounds of an alarm, whatevers happened isn't good.

Your door opens onto an elevated cat-walk.  To your left and right are other doors with keycard access.  They appear closed still.  There's one more floor above you and two below you, putting you on the third floor.  The catwalk you are on seems to be part of a square complex surrounding a common area in the middle of the square.  That's where the chaos is.

You see infected swarming over others.  There are bean bags being shot...  those won't help much.   Gas grenades are flying and the scent of the Lavendar Lysol is stronger out here.

tactical men... men with gas grenades... being taken captive.  Military trucks...
 It all seems somewhat familiar, like someone snatched you from where you were before.

Where you are now is a mystery.  You don't see any windows, so it must be underground.  One thing's for certain.  You are closer to hell down here and it's raging all around you.

- - - - -
Take it away players!   It's free form.  So I'll merely reply and make things interesting.  Ask whatever you like (throw it in orange please as an OOC). If you are willing to, please color your spoken text, it helps me follow conversations as I read.   

Dominic slowly awoke to the rather unpleasant sensation of a raging headache that threatened to boil over into that of a migraine and the strong scent of Lavender in the air "Isabelle cheri, don't you think you've gone a little overboard with the perfume?" Dom croaked as he groggily pulled himself up into a sitting position. It was at this point that he realised that this wasn't his bed, his beloved Izzy was nowhere to be seen and that he was currently sitting within a cell wearing nothing but a set of baggy hospital scrubs "oh merde...this isn't good" he croaked dryly as he desperately tried to figure out where the hell he was and how he had got there.

Somewhere from within the recesses of his mind he could remember the main street of some backwater town, that had probably been half dead before the zeds had arrived, the clacking of something heavy striking the cracked pavement by his feet followed by the hiss of compressed air, no...gas...someone had gassed them...or was it just him? he couldn't recall and his thumping headache wasn't helping matters.

With his brain unable to conjure up where he was or why he was here, Dom would instead turn his attention to his cell. It was a small, white tiled, windowless box with the gurney he had previously been strapped to within the centre of the room, a single white painted, steel door with a spy hole directedly in front of him and a set of cabinets and a hand basin on the right hand wall, along with several pieces of medical equipment scattered about the room. Upon seeing the basin he would half climb, half stumble from off of the gurney and hurry over to the basin where he would greedily begin drinking the refreshingly cold if slightly tinny water in an attempt to soothe his parched throat causing him once again to wonder how long he had been here.

Once his thirst had been satiated he would turn his attention to the cabinets finding them, rather unsurprisingly, to be locked, though he did find a medical clipboard for a "SUBJECT 2112 B" which along with an exceedingly accurate physical description of himself also contained a full set of blood workouts, toxicology reports and scans which using his medical background he was able to decipher that apart from  suffering from a little malnutrition he was in surprisingly good health, all things considered.

With his search conjuring up nothing else he would turn his attention to the door, which somebody had helpfully left unlocked, or opened?, allowing him to cautiously step out onto a mezzanine floor overlooking some kind of courtyard. Once outside he would be greeted by the blaring of alarms and the sound of battle, as men in what appeared to be SWAT uniforms fired  bean bags and gas grenades at a swarm of zeds leading Dom to suspect that either they had never encountered the walking dead before or had never expected them to get inside and so weren't properly prepared for their arrival. Thankfully however Dom was on the third of four floors keeping him well out of the way of what was going on down below and hopefully giving him all the time he needed to escape wherever the hell he was.

With no idea of where he needed to go he would randomly start walking to the right, passing the line of doors as he went. Part of him said he should check them out and see if there were other prisoners like himself inside, however with no idea of what was behind the doors and what exactly they were doing within the mysterious facility, he felt it safer to make good his own escape whilst who he assumed to be the guards were distracted. Besides if all of the electronics had failed like they seemingly had in his cell then they could release themselves and if not...well...he couldn't help them anyway.

Hank let out a groan, hand swiping at nothing for a moment before being run through his hair. What the...Tom? NM? Wyoming? He croaked as he shot up and his head let him know how bad an idea that was. Son ofa... Taking a couple deep breaths he tried again only a little slower. Taking moment to let his vision swim back into focus he realized he couldn't feel the knife on his belt. Or his belt for that matter. Looking around at his surroundings more questions formed in his mind. First and foremost where were his brother and the others. Second, why was he in scrubs and who changed him. That question took an odd importance given the situation when he realized he didn't recognize the pair of underwear he was currently wearing.

Slowly getting to his feet he wondered briefly why lavender scented products were an option why did hospitals use bleach? The question brought a chuckle as he made his way to the sink. While not the best water he'd had it was far from the worst, and it helped cut through some of the mental fog. Wait, didn't NM mention something about a lab? The thought cut through most of the fog floating around Hank's head with a chill. They held Kaiden hostage... Had they found the group and taken revenge for Karen and Kaiden escaping? That might explain the gas and his current surroundings. Gripping the sink with both hands he tried to remember what happened.

They had just got to a new town and had started to explore. The first stop was to hit up the general store, then... The last thing to pass through his mind was at least there wouldn't be enough left of them to turn.

Looking toward the door he finally registered the lights and alarms going off on the other side. Grabbing a metal tray made his way to the door, standing to the side as he prepared himself for whatever was on the other side. Reaching out he let out a sigh of relief as the door handle turned. Taking a peek through the spy hole he held his breath as something briefly blocked the lights. Waiting a couple seconds he slowly opened the door and stepped out, raising the tray to strike.

Re: Dominic
Dominic found a vital clue on the clipboard with his blood workups: a passcode hastily jotted in pencil and erased.  He was able to make it out and it got him into the computer system near the cabinets.  Accessing the identifier "2112B" revealed some startling information.  He wasn't considered a patient at all.

A hasty scan of notes on various screens revealed that -along with the blood tests- he had been screened for fertility and was classified as N.E.V.  Finding out what that meant took a bit longer.  Precious moments ticked by as he found out he was New Eden Viable.  There were no notes on precisely what that was but deeper notes talked briefly about his 'wonderful results compared to other candidates'.

A short time later, he was crawling past the doors on the mezanine.  He got to a stairwell where the security door lock had triggered while it was open, causing the electronic bars to slide out to early and force it to be permanently ajar.  Looking down the stairwell he can hear the echoes of battle.  Looking up the stairs it seems quieter.  He could definitely reach the next mezanine and their might be a roof too.

Re: Hank
Hank pulls the door and comes out to the hall.  To the left, clear.  To the right, a hunched over man in the same scrubs (and same colored underwear) as Hank is wearing.  The man is moving cautiously to the end of the mezzanine where he opens the door to a stairwell.¹

As the man in front of him stands in the doorway, there is a scream from above and a body plummets past on your left, falling from the fourth floor above you to the ground.  The screaming stops abruptly as the body makes contact.  Risking a glance over the edge, you note a sprawled person on the ground wearing similar scrubs to your own, only this body begins to twitch.  Something seems wrong.  If it is already a zombie then why did it scream like a person?  If it was a person, then how could it be twitching already?

____________________________
1) This is Dominic

There was something odd going on here. First of all what the hell was New Eden? and other than his relatively good health and supposed fertility why did they want him to join? And why had they felt the need to drug and abduct him rather than simply asking him to join them?

With the noise of battle still raging on down below, Dom would steadily make his way along the metal grid that made up the mezzanine's flooring, using one hand to steady himself against the wall as he went, not really trusting his balance just yet.

Upon reaching the stairwell Dom would discover that his luck was still holding out as he found the door to be locked open. It would take him all of four seconds to decide that going up was his best bet, especially if this place was indeed underground as he suspected it was. Not to mention the fact that he didn't fancy his chances against either the guards or the Zeds in his current attire and completely unarmed. And so opening the gate in front of him he would start to head upstairs to the next level hoping to find either an exit or something that would help him survive in this place long enough to survive, unlike the poor sod that just been thrown screaming over the balcony.

Five more minutes. Tom slapped at what had disturbed his sleep. His throbbed as he slowly opened his eyes, a confused look spreading across his face as he looked to the side. This...wasn't their camp. They had scouting a new town, then something hit the ground near them...HANK! He shot up and rolled off the gurney, landing on the ground with a thud.

Shiiiit. What had started as throbbing headache turned into a migraine. Groaning he turned over and used the gurney to get back up. Leaning against it he took several deep breaths to stop his vision from swimming. When he could finally see straight and could hear something other then the pounding of his heart the noises from outside the door finally started to register. Slowly making his way to the door he peeked through the hole, pulling back as someone screamed from the other side.

The sight of clothing matching his stayed Hank from charging the other person. It took him a moment longer as he realized the man looked familiar. Dom? He managed with a sigh of relief, lowering his improvised weapon at the sight of one of the Caravan's leaders. If Dom was here maybe that meant the others were also... His train of thought was interrupted by the sudden and brief fall and splat of someone from above. Jerking back into the closest door he bounced off slightly. Taking a tentative step toward the rail he glanced briefly to the fighting. Beanbags? Focusing on the where the scream stopped he fought through lingering head fog and lysol fumes. Unless they were making screaming zombies the speed the person appeared to be turning was alarming. Though if more of the group had been captured a more urgent thought came to mind. Please don't be one of ours.

Between the headache and fire fight down below he didn't realize the door he had bumped into had cracked open slightly.

Dominic had just about opened the gate and place his foot on the first step when he heard footsteps coming from behind him prompting him to spin round with fists at the ready, not that he fancied his chances against either the SWAT troopers or the dead at this point in time. However instead of a shambling, rotting corpse or some armour clad thug ready to drag him back to his cell he would instead see a familiar face "Hank? Man am I glad to see you mon ami!" he exclaimed walking the short distance between them and giving the guy a brief hug, relieved that he was no longer alone in this place "we seriously need to get out of here, this place is..." it was clear that words were currently escaping him as to what this place was and what was happening here "have you seen any of the others; Tom? Isabelle? Shit I can't even remember if they were with us when we were taken!" he said in frustration, wishing he could remember exactly what had happened to them. Deciding that they had more pressing matters to concern themselves with he would instead turn his attention back to the stairwell "Come mon ami, I've found a way up, hopefully we'll find a way out of here or at the very least a change of clothes and a weapon" because if they ended up having to go downstairs then they sure as hell were going to one.

Glancing away from the spectacle below Hank felt a wave of relief that his eyes hadn't been playing tricks on him. Dude, I was a second away from braining you. He managed a slight chuckle as they briefly embraced. Looking toward the rows of doors at the mention of the others he shook his head with a small frown. You're the first, but I haven't tried any other doors yet. They'd done two person scouting missions before, but given recent events it was unlikely this had been one of them. We need to try the other doors before we get out. A glance to the fighting below. If anyone is still out cold and the doors are unlocked... There was no telling if they'd be able to find better weapons and make it back before the SWAT people were overrun and getting back would be impossible.

After glancing uncertainly back the way they'd came at the long row of doors Dominic would give Hank a dubious look at the mention of checking the other cells before they left "I don't know about that...there's a lot of doors and we don't even know if anyone else is here, I mean we really need to get out of here before those guys stop fighting each other, because no matter who wins we're in trouble" Dominic replied pointing down at the Zeds and SWAT currently duking it out below them. Then again the likelihood of it just being the two of them out there scouting for a new home was unlikely but with him currently unable to recall exactly how many of them there had been, and not knowing where they were currently being held meant they could waste a lot of time searching for a needle in a haystack and lose their window of opportunity through which to escape "...we'd have to be really quick mon ami and I mean REALLY quick" he said with a sigh as he gave Hank a look that hoped he knew the consequences of them sticking around too long "...also just so you know mon ami this is seriously breaking rule seventeen!"

@Dom & @Hank:
Dom and Hank turn back, sprinting down the cat walk with the automated security doors on their left. The sounds of pounding fists and shouting voices come from some of the doors you listen at.  Some people are trapped on the other side with no way out.  Dom & Hank aren't the only ones awake.  The doors are thick enough to make it hard to hear who is on the other side.  Each keycard touchpads is illuminating a red glow; it's a lockdown and you cannot be certain that having an access card would even open them during a lockdown.  Most of the rooms sound empty.  Maybe that's a godsend.

Along the way, Dominic's gown snags on the railing, ripping away a good third and providing an ample reminder that they offer absolutely no protection.   Without some sturdy clothing and weapons, anything will be difficult.  Heck, an untreated cut can kill you in Zombieland.

You reach the far end of the cat-walk marked Level 3 with its final door 3S40.  The security door here has a small meshed glass security window in it.  You can see people screaming on the other side.  Some of them pull on the door and try futilely to open it with their access cards.  They scream for you to open it but it won't budge.  You watch as zombies from below assault them, splashing blood up on the stairwell signs that indicate further up is the way to the helicopters.  It also has an arrow pointing to your door and indicating it as South.   You quickly deduce that the four walls of this facility are naturally, North, South, East, and West.

Some of the cell doors you found were open, as if some hand had randomly mashed a control panel releasing some doors but not others.   Most of the open ones are down near where you began.   You head back that way towards the stairwell and check the last remaining rooms.  One of these open doors reveals Tom.

---

OOC:
Enter Tom.

This message was last edited by the GM at 23:32, Tue 24 May 2022.

Lorenzo woke up. The inside of his mouth was like cotton. It was a lot like being hungover. Except he'd apparently skipped the fun part and went straight to feeling like crap. He staggered out into the hall. His arm was still broken. Could feel it throbbing, like it had a heartbeat. Must've gotten newly screwed up somehow. Jostled around by whatever dicks dragged him here to this - facility? hospital? scary ass hospital? Unclear on the finer details. Broadly, Lorenzo knew two things right now. One: he was confused as shit. Two: he wanted out.

He probably looked like one of the zombies, stumbling and lurching down the hall. After scavenging through abandoned conveniences store for a living and squatting in old shacks, this building felt like a spaceship and he was the thoroughly perplexed abductee. He kept veering over and having to brace his good hand against the wall. He didn't have to wander long - he came down the hall and saw the others. Well, some of them.

"Yo! Guys! Qué tal!" he called out by way of greeting. "Where the fuck are we? Is this for real?"

Lorenzo pushed away from the wall. He puffed up, nigh reflexively, and tried to not look how he felt. Mr. Tough Guy over here. Woozy as hell and about to fall over. There was a definite glaze over his dark eyes, even though he tried to stand up straighter. He had no gear. His old clothes were who knows where. His arm was still in a makeshift sling. The stupid ass hospital gown didn't leave much to the imagination, either. You could see tattoos on every inch of his arms that wasn't covered by the flimsy material. The ink seemed to crawl up his chest, up to Lorenzo's throat (not to his face though, which was probably why his mother had never tried to haunt him.)

"Realmente voy a morir con un vestido? Hijo de puta," he muttered to himself, among other cheery things, as he tried to get his bearings.

He knew the longer they stayed the greater the chance the SWAT would be overun before they could get away. But if there was a chance the others had been scooped up...Trying the doors that sounded like there were people on the other Hank wondered briefly if it would be better to starve behind a locked door or eaten by zombies. We'll try and get you out. He didn't know if they could understand him, or even hear him for that matter. Hell, he couldn't tell you if it was more for their sake or his.

Trying the security door at the end he backed away as the people on the other side were attacked. The last time he'd seen zombie on human carnage like that had been the fort after they had met Joe and Brady. Maybe the trading post? Wyoming had said it had come under attack, but did they save it? Whatever gas had been used on them was still clouding his memory. Shaking his head he turned to Dominic, a slightly distant look on his face Hopefully they still have a helicopter.

Passing the locked doors he managed a small Sorry as he went by each. There wasn't anything they could do to override whatever locking mechanisms right now. Maybe if they found an armory...

Pushing one of the doors close to his he was surprised when it swung open. Hello... Taking step in he tensed slightly as he was practically knocked back out of the room, ready to fight who or whatever ran into him. When there was no immediate pain or other indication of damage he looked down and felt his heart skip a beat. Tom?

Looking over at the sound of another familiar voice he figured their odds just went up by several factors.

I need to get out of here. Looking around Tom realized how dry his mouth was as he spied the sink. Taking several sips he kept an eye on the door, unsure if whoever was out there was friendly or not. After all, people who kidnap someone and undress their unconscious form can't have good intentions.

As he rummaged around for something that could make a somewhat decent weapon he heard the door creak. Hiding behind the gurney he waited for the door to open.  If I rush them I can make a break for it. His plan of attack was cut short, however, as he recognized the intruder's voice. HANK! Rushing forward he embraced his brother, gripping him as hard as he could.

For those with medical training or accustomed to noticing such things, it is clear that Lorenzo's sling is not the one he used to wear.  It is high-grade material.  Lorenzo has been well-cared for and his wound is almost completely healed (when you get the time to examine it) indicating that some time has passed.

@Lorenzo:
Looking over the railing of the cat walk you are on reveals the mayhem below.   As you look, continued shouts come and there is the distinct 'pop-pop' of a pistol being shot from somewhere in the melee below.  Clearly not all the weapons are suppression-only.

@Tom and Hank:
As Tom embraces Hank, the older sibling feels something scratch his back.  Separating, he can see that Tom has found a metal ruler, 3 pens, a sharpened full-size pencil, and something shaped like a cylindrical metal cigar tube crammed into his fist.  These are what was easily retrievable, each which can easily penetrate an eye or ear and get to a zombie brain.  The metal ruler, with a bit of coaxing, can either slash or be used to jimmy an old-style door open.

Moving as quickly as they dared along the mezzanine, Hank and Dominic would be confronted by a series of locked doors with most of the rooms beyond sounding to be empty though behind others they could hear the banging and shouting of those trapped inside. Sadly however even if Dom had thought it had been a good idea they couldn't even attempt to let them out without a key card despite Hank's promises to do so.

It was as they were nearing the end of the mezzanine that they would be greeted by the horrifying sight of several people desperately trying to open the locked door with key cards that refused to work as the dead fell upon them from behind, with Dom having not witnessed such sights since the opening days of the outbreak "We need to get out of here Mon ami" he said to Hank, jerking his head back the way they had come indicating that it was time they went upstairs and looked for a way out.

It was as they were doubling back that they would come across a set of seemingly random doors left open with one of which being his own and presumably Hanks cell causing him to wonder once again if someone had let them out on purpose or whether dumb luck had allowed them to escape. It was in one of these cells that they would find Hank's brother; Tom, hiding behind a gurney with a fist full of office supplies as his only defence.

It was as the now reunited brothers were having a moment that a familiar voice would call out to them. As Lorenzo joined them Dom would smile as he moved to meet him, offering a supporting arm if he needed it "I don't know and I'm afraid so mon ami" Dominic said in reply to Lorenzo's questions before giving his arm an odd look "interesting...that's not my handiwork" he said pointing to the plaster cast on Lorenzo's arm, with Dominic's own efforts to fix his arm being decidedly more...rustic...he supposed would be the kindest way of describing it "I think I'm going to have to take a closer look at your arm later, but first we need to get out of here, come on there's a set of stairs over here, we've already hung around far too long as it is" he said taking a few steps towards the stairwell before pausing to ask "have you seen anyone else from our group Lorenzo?" though it was clear by the look on his face that when he said anyone he meant Isabelle. Where the hell are you mon cheri?

Johnathan was asleep when he felt something prod his side. Through the haze of sleep he had the distinct impression something was off about his bed, though it failed to register what it was. The prodding returned, this time harder. He forced his eyes to open, adjusting to the light even as he held up his hand for the one prodding him to stop doing so as they had been successful in waking him up. As he pushed himself up, his brain registered what had been off before: Rather than his house, he was in a rather dilapidated looking cell. His brain now waking up as he analyzed the situation, he saw the girl next to him motion restlessly at their surroundings.

- "Yes, i am awake, thank you. Let's find out where we are first, shall we?"

The girl paused, before giving a single brisk nod, and began looking for something that could be used as a makeshift weapon. He took a deep breath and got up, heading close to the door to try and get a view of as much of the corridor as possible before stepping into it in full view. He doubted they would have left him his cane, but if he and Hearse were here, then it was likely their belongings would be as well. A memory tickled in the back of his mind, something about armed men and gas grenades, but it didn't help the current situation much so he figured he would focus on scouting out and securing their surroundings first. Safety was paramount.

It was as Dominic was waiting for Lorenzo to reply, with Dominic already suspecting that he hadn’t seen anyone else let alone his beloved Izzy, when an older man dressed in the same hospital scrubs as the rest of them, cautiously stepped out of one of the cells a short distance away from them. Not recognising the guy but figuring the more merrier, if only for the purposes of providing more targets for the dead to chase after, Dom would call across to him in a friendly voice ”Bonjour mon ami, takes a bit of getting used to doesn’t it?” he said gesturing to their strange surroundings before continuing once he was sure the guy had seen them ”my friends and I are going to make a break for outside, I’d recommend you tagging along at least for the time being…strength in numbers and all that” he said in accented English, waiting to see how the other man would react.

Johnathan looked at the man as he spoke, giving him a grandfatherly smile. From the cell, a teenage asian girl practically jumped out of the cell to stand in between him and Dominic, a wary look in her eyes as if expecting him to attack, but the older man put a hand on her shoulder.

- "It is quite different from how i imagined waking up, certainly."

He took his hand off of the girl's shoulder and rubbed his chin when he listened to the plan.

- "While i agree there is safety in numbers, i would advise against making a break for it. I do not remember much, but one of the things that did remain was that our attackers were remarkably well organized and equipped, even the fact they have sanitary gurneys and working electronics to spend on prisoners is telling. An escape that this group would be prepared for without knowing where we are, without weapons, supplies or even basic protection from the elements, would prove quite futile i believe."

The smile returned as he looked at Dominic again.

- "But where are my manners. I am Johnathan, and this charming young lady is Hearse."

When the girl jumped out in front of him, Dominic would give her a warning look as his body subtly shifted so he would ready to defend himself should she make the first move against him, with the still raw memories of the groups dealings with the Lost Boys meaning that he wouldn’t go easy on her or hold back. Thankfully however the older man would intervene before things could escalate with Dominic lapsing back into his usual easy going manner ”It’s good to meet you, I’m Dominic and these are my friends; Lorenzo, Hank and his brother Tom” he said by way of introductions before moving on to that of their escape ”normally I would agree but our window of opportunity is rapidly closing, and although our new friends would settle for putting us back into our comfy little cells, the dead are nowhere near as sympathetic…besides which I’m hoping we’ll find an armoury or a locker room on the next level and solve some of those issues” and if we’re really lucky a helicopter to give us a head start out of here he silently added before gesturing towards the stairwell ”Either way it’s high time we got moving, so let’s see what we can find upstairs mes amis”

Remembering to breath as he gently pried his brother off Hank gave the items Tom had found a quick look over. Unfortunately they required being way too close for comfort or getting the drop on a zombie. Against the living though....Better then nothing, I guess. I was so worried... Turning toward the others as the newcomers approached he put hand on Tom's shoulder as Dom made introductions. Nodding he glanced briefly at the small collection of writing utensils. Well, they do say the pen is mightier then the sword...but I'd rather have my crowbar back. Following Dom he kept one hand on his tray and the other on Tom.

It took Tom a moment to realize they weren't alone, a small smile forming at the sight of Dom and Lorenzo. Was this the whole scouting part? He hoped so, that would mean the others were likely still out there somewhere instead of trapped here. Looking over at the two newcomers he wondered briefly if they had a group waiting for them as well. When the others started moving he offered them their choice of stabbing instrument, keeping the metal tube for himself.

"I don't know that sward was pretty good" Dom replied with a sigh as he took a biro from Tom and gave it a dubious look, missing the familiar weight of the cavalry sabre he'd worn on his hip for much of his life in Zombieland.

Quickly heading up the stairs to the next level, the noise of battle, if not the sirens would diminish a little as they stepped out onto a landing similar to the one below. Where this one differed however was that there were fewer doors and, unlike those on the level below, were clearly labelled so that the facilities staff and by extension them could find their way around.

Immediately to the right there was a door leading into some kind of office or guard post judging by the large windows overlooking the floors below with another similar structure visible at the far end of the walkway. Between these there were another three doors, two of which requiring keycards "Well this as good a place to start as any" Dom quietly said before gently pushing open the door to the guard post, with his biro at the ready.

- "That i am doubtful of."

Johnathan turned to Dominic again.

- "All of us were secured in a cell with restraints. Given that we all awoke, found both our restraints and cell doors opened AND for there not to be a single guard in sight? No, this was planned. The restraints were electronic, they would have to be disabled on purpose as a power cut would have simply left them fastened. In addition, for a group capable of this level of organization to simply leave potential weapons lying around is unthinkable."

When Tom began offering weapons, he picked something that looked sturdy enough to double as a cane, and something sharp for Hearse, before handing the latter to her.

- "So from all this, i would conclude there was a purpose behind our release, possibly dating back all the way to our initial abduction. My gut says there will be a gauntlet of some kind, either against other groups of prisoners, zombies, traps or a combination of those."

The voice over the loudspeaker that was telling "Green Team: secure Sector Alpha.  Red Team to Sec-" is cut off with the sound of a loud door banging open and gunfire.  After that, the speakers are eerily silent but The cacaphony of noise from below continues to increase.  The deep thump of the bean bags has all but ceased.  The popping sound of pistols continues to go off amid shouting voices.  There is another scream far farther off as someone is leaped or pushed from a higher tier off to your right.  It seems that the zombies are spreading quickly and that is something you've never seen before.  The undead take time to rise: minutes at least, though occasionally it might be an hour.  They don't just pop back up and start attacking.  Yet, here they do.

@Hank:
Some of those guns might be handy.   A bean bag gun filled with pens and rulers might make a heck of a shrapnel thrower. Maybe even launch a few small teddy bears... filled with spikes of coarse.


@Tom:
As Tom considers the others, one of the piercing shouts from down below sounds awfully familiar. 

@Dominic:
Dom takes the lead, clearly intent on getting everyone out alive.  Wasting too much time here would only give the undead the advantage and being caught on an open catwalk with no way out but back into a tiny, single, patient ward would be certain death.

@All:
The motley crew head up, using the stairwell with the open door and leaving the bloodshed of the far one behind.  The sounds of other potential survivor's can be heard from somewhere at the bottom of the stairs amidst banging on something trying to get through the door.  Maybe it's these same muffled voices.  It's too unclear what they are saying amidst all the other noise.  Strangely, the stairwell is quiet by comparison.  With the security door (mostly) closed behind them, there is only the sounds of the voices beneath and an eerie silence from whatever is one floor above.   Rather than risk the sounds of death and chaos below, you head up the stairs.

The new catwalk isn't a surprise but you find doors and Dom leads you to them.  Your crew tries a couple ones that are still sealed by security.  The double doors at the center are open though.  You'd cheer, except for the fact that everyone can clearly see the security pad has a smear of blood on it. ... door open... signs of blood... an intercom system that went silent...

You head into a wide room labeled PROCESSING with some seats and an empty desk.  The trail of blood enters from where you came in, goes by the desk, and through a door on the left side of the room beyond the desk.  You can hear violent sounds from up that way.  There are two more ways out of here that can avoid going back the way you came and also avoid going to the left, they are: a freight elevator clearly labeled AERO and a security booth labeled SECURE ROOM.  Dominic finds the familiar security pad near the elevator.  You'll need a security card to access it.

@Hearse:
Hearse stands on her tip-toes to look through the small mesh grate of the SECURE ROOM window.   

@Jonathan:
Jonathan is sadly disappointed to find nothing as sturdy as a cane from the handful of small office supplies that Tom offers him, and the sharpest thing might be the edge of the ruler if Tom is willing to give that up.  In an experienced hand, that could open a jugular in a heartbeat like paper before scissors.

@All:
The sound of a gun goes off.  Unlike the distant popping of the pistols from the floor of the central area, this is close, within fifty feet, somewhere beyond the door to the left.  It goes off again, and again, faster and faster.   Most of you duck in wise ways but no one is injured and no bullets come this way.   In less than a minute, the bullets have stopped.  As you are beginning to stand back up, it happens again, a long series of shooting.   Apparently someone took the time to reload.
This message was last edited by the GM at 11:22, Sat 18 June 2022.

Johnathan had been quietly listening to the sounds around them. The voice over the speaker hinted that their release may have been accidental after all as there was an alert going on, and while he did not know which sectors were appointed which colors -- or even how many of them there were -- he did frown when the sound of bean bags were replaced by popping of a much more lethal variety. It sounded like the defenders of this place were abandoning the plans to capture escapees alive, which was worrisome in itself.

After seeing what was on the other end of the mesh, Hearse motioned for Johnathan to come close and see for himself. When he did, a smile appeared on his face.

- "Gentlemen, i think we may have just found our gear. Unless my eyes deceive me, i see a number of shelves with labeled boxes on them, with the layout reminiscent of an evidence room, or organized storage at the very least. It would be a safe bet to assume our names would be on them, or some kind of identification codes assigned to us by this place."

He looked at the mesh grate, checking if it was large enough for someone to slip through if they could wrench the grating out, or force the lock with the assorted improvised weaponry among them. He was interrupted by the sound of more popping of a gun going off, though given its location and rate...

- "I believe someone with a weapon found themselves a perch to shoot from. They would not have shot otherwise, not alone. Let's keep it down, just in case."

He lowered his voice as he addressed the others, before going back to check if there was a way to open the door. The gurneys were drafty, he was looking forward to getting back into his old clothes.
This message was last edited by the player at 12:43, Tue 14 June 2022.

Using Tom's assorted collection, the crew work on getting the door open.  An old-school ruler pop's the lock and a careful bend to the metal ink reservoir lets you slide the internal chain lock off it's cradle.  A moment later you are in.

There are hundreds of boxes here and tossing some shows that most are plastic-bagged clothes and assorted personal memorabilia.  A few have knives.   Heading to the back of the room, you find the dead body of a soldier on the ground who apparently put a bullet through his head not long ago, and not wanting to come back. Her body is still warm.  She used a beretta and still has two full clips on her belt.

You are still in the room when you hear a familiar 'huffing sound' from back in the processing room.  As one, you all stop shuffling boxes.   There in the room is a soldier with a SWAT-styled ballistic vest, army camouflage, and he's covered in blood.  Fresh ichor drips from his fingers and his mouth as he looks around the room.  His head twitches left, right, and then looks over at the open door to the Secure Room.

"Raawrrrr!"  his jaw drops, and he lets out a menacing cry as he rushes straight into the confined room where you all are.

After cautiously eying the trail of blood going off to the left Dom would head over to where Johnathan and Hearse were by the secure room, not really wanting to know whose blood that was on the floor. Moving to peer through the mesh, he would nod in agreement to Johnathan's assessment "you may be right...let's see if we can get in here" he said before beckoning for the others to join him.

With a little bit of work they would eventually get the door open and gain access to the room beyond. As the others started searching through the boxes lining the metal shelving units would quickly locate the inventory log and begin scanning the pages for his patient number which he had found on his medical chart, in the hope to finding his things. After flicking through several pages he would eventually find it; Subject 2112-B personal effects, along with the row and shelf number on which it had been stored. Unfortunately before he could take more than a few steps, Dom would hear the familiar sounds of an approaching Zed with him looking up to see a dead and fully armoured SWAT trooper entering the room. He would have just enough time to utter the word "Merde" before the thing charged, with Dominic sprinting towards the dead SWAT trooper at the back of the room, hoping that the others could keep it busy long enough for him to relieve the body of it's weapons.

It doesn't take long to find each of the boxes containing your personal items, including weapons.  Opening a few boxes that aren't yours, reveals other things too.

- - - - -

Each of you may choose one other item/weapon that is particularly appealing to you and that might have been found among survivors.   Detail it in your description.

Johnathan was relieved to find his belongings again. Letting out a brief whistle to get the attention of the others, he pointed at a section of the room that had boxes stacked up close to the wall.

- "I believe behind those boxes would be a suitable place for the ladies to get dressed, if they are so inclined."

Hearse wasted little time in moving behind the boxes, already taking her clothes out of the box she was carrying. Johnathan in the meantime simply placed the tip of his cane on the ground and shifted his weight on it, with his back turned towards the boxes, waiting for them to be done changing so he could go next.

Tom paused briefly before following the others up the stairs. That yell, Was that...,  he glanced to the others to see if any of the Caravaners had caught it amongst the other carnage. They didn't, or at least didn't acknowledge it. He didn't have time to fully process it as Hank called to him to keep up.


As the others worked on opening the gate to what was essentially a gold mine he sat down at the desk and idly started going the drawers. It couldn't have been...could it? The sound of gunfire close by sent him under the desk, and the lack of bullets impacting the groups direction let him breath a sigh of relief. When the others got the gate open he started looking through boxes at random as Dom flipped through the log. Someone else could take gun from the SWAT member. The multi-tool he found went into his bag as he pulled out a shirt. With the only girl in the group currently behind a stack of boxes it was basically like changing for gym class.

Freezing at the all too familiar sound of a hungry zombie he turned to the other room. Crap. Grabbing the closest box he chucked it toward the zombie. Given how their clothes had been wrapped there was a chance it'd slip on the plastic bags. Backing toward the others he stayed to the side of the isle, pipe in hand, ready to swing for it's knees if needed.
This message was last edited by the player at 05:54, Tue 16 Aug 2022.

Heading up the stairs away from the blood bath below Hank turned to make sure they were all there. Make sure the door's closed tight. He called to Tom, waiting for his brother to catch up.

When Johnathan started talking about being taken for some sort of gauntlet Hank figured the guy had seen one too many movies. Given the strangely fast turning time and what NM had told him about the other lab his bet was they were meant to be test subjects. Though it seemed whoever took them had never seen Jurassic Park. For now the why didn't matter right now, the important thing was they got their supplies back and got out. They needed to get back to the others. The sound of gunfire from the other room sent him to the ground as flash backs of Slaughter surged forward. At least this time these didn't seem to be aimed in their direction.

Well, hopefully whatever they're shooting at keeps them occupied. Hank murmured as they worked the gate. When they finally made it into the room he followed Tom's example of routing through random boxes, pushing the thought these might belong to the people they left in the cells aside. Pulling what looked like an unused Life Straw from a bag he frowned as he pondered how well it filtered zombie particles.

The next box he pulled a crowbar, his crowbar he realized with a smile. Just in time too, as either the shots or their searching seemed to have attracted the attention of the dead soldiers undead partner. Moving to the opposite of Tom he readied himself to attack if it went for Tom or defend himself.

@Dominic finds a Glock 19m with two extended capacity clips.  The one on the belt is full, the one in the pistol is missing the one bullet the original owner shot himself with.  He also produces a plastic security card identification card which might be useful for the elevator.

@Tom's still gaining hold of himself as the zombie rushes in.  Only those with a keen eye would see how the young man's quick footwork pushed some bubble-wrap on top of the other plastic that was already in front of the zombie's charge.  It was the perfect amount as the zombie ran full tilt, landing a foot on the two sheets of plastic which acted just like ice on a frozen pond.  The zed loses all balance, careening off to the right and giving opportunity for someone close by to finish it.

Ever the gentleman, @Jonathan is still waiting at the back when the zombie enters from the front and careens into the computer station.  @Hearse hears the commotion but is only half in and half out of her changing making it particularly awkward to move, nevermind attack.   Lucky for her, she has Jonathan standing guard in case some killer makes it back this far into the room.

@Hank almost didn't recognize his crowbar at first because it's been scraped almost clean.  They didn't wash it though.  Clearly they just wanted various tiny samples of blood from it.  What could they be looking for?  He's still considering it as Tom sets up a block on the incoming zombie and it tumbles off to the side about 4 feet from Hank, setting up the perfect killing blow if he acts quickly.  He tests the weight of the crowbar... yup, still a perfect fit.  ...

If there was one thing Hank and Tom had learned surviving on their own before running into the Caravan it was how to tag team zombies. One or two at a time at least, any more then that starting drifting further into the "luck" category then he was comfortable with unless absolutely necessary. Any other time Tom's half-dressed scramble would have been Youtube prank worthy, titled something like "Kid scared with his pants down" garnering many likes. For now though it seemed luck was on their side as Tom sent the zombie sprawling. Seeing his chance Hank darted forward with an overhead swing with his trusty crowbar. Why they had wiped it down could wait for later.

As Hearse was getting dressed, Johnathan observed how well the group worked together in taking out the lone zombie, giving them a nod of approval. The more perceptive among them would notice the grip on his cane relaxing slightly. This was a group that had each other's backs, it bode well for the future.

Hearse had by now finished changing and emerged, the headphone cord of an mp3 player emerging from under her shirt to dangle in front of her chest by the collar. Johnathan took per place behind the boxes, now getting changed as well while his companion half-leaned against the other side of the boxes while keeping a somewhat wary eye on the rest of the group.

Killing the zombie is a stark reminder that this place isn't secure.  You finish going through boxes, almost a hundred, and judging by the way they are tagged, you learn that these are all recent.  It is clear that this is a temporary storage location where the items only stay for days.  It is also clear that firearms are stored elsewhere.

With dead-guards-badge in hand, and the screams of zombies in the distance you have choices that need to be made.

---

Players may find whatever they think is appropriate in the boxes, clothes, items, etc.  Take your story to the next point where you want input.  Remember, you have the zombies 3 floors below and coming up the stairways.  An elevator that needs an access card.  And you also have an office across the waiting room where the zombie came from.

For once Tom was glad there were no cell phones, giving his brother a lopsided grin before gathering the rest of his found clothing and finished changing. Once done he turned to the others, pipe in one hand and a small machete in the other. I think...Luke was down there... He said quietly, turning the new weapon over. It wasn't NM's which was a good thing, but the idea that Luke had gotten scooped up also didn't sit well, the weapon a reminder there could be others.

With the sound of the Zed behind him, Dom would wrench the Glock from out of the dead SWAT members hand before quickly patting down his pockets and locating a spare magazine and the man's key card. With any luck the guy had had a high enough security clearance to allow them to get the hell out of here.

Gun in hand Dom would return to where the Zed was only to find that the others had dealt with it already. There was a disappointed sigh from Dom as he turned to go and track down his box.

After a bit of rummaging he would finally find his things...well...most of his things, with his pistol and what little ammunition he'd having seemingly been taken elsewhere, an armoury perhaps? Either way dressed in his jeans, biker boots, Red AC/DC T-shirt and Leather biker jacket Dom felt far more like himself, especially as he had also located Christopher's sword. The Civil war era cavalry sabre hung from his waist giving him the look of a wasteland pirate, especially with the scar on his cheek "OK, I have a key card, let's go and check that office" Dom said to the others as he stepped out from between the shelving, still very conscious of the fact that they were still trapped in here with a horde of zombies.

- "A word of caution, if i may."

Johnathan walked up to Dominic after he announced his intentions to use the keycard.

- "In case there are any enemies on the other side of that door, try to keep a loose grip on the handle. Should they try and force their way through, you wouldn't want to end up getting pulled in and end up flat on the ground."

Dominic would take a moment to consider Johnathan's advice before replying ”Point taken” with him not fancying the idea of being sent sprawling into a room full of zeds. Cautiously back tracking the way they had come, Dom would head towards the office. Once there he would give Johnathan and the others a quick look to see if they were ready before pushing open the door and heading inside.

The group heads back into the main waiting area, the elevator nearby flashing "4" above it.  Most likely where the last person had gone to.  Following the zombies path was easy, there was something like soft crying from the direction he came.

The door to the office was open, and no one was immediately visible.  The room was disheveled, mostly around the desk area, where a high backed chair was knocked over, a lamp smashed on the ground, and the sounds were coming from the far side, out of sight.  The wall had an ominous splash of blood on it.

Rounding the desk, they could see the gasping form of an older man in what was once a beautiful charcoal grey suit.  Now it was ruined by the intestines stomach and most of his lower half that had been ripped open, presumably by the now re-dead zombie.  He was still alive, sort of anyway.  He was gasping for breath, wild eyed, choking to death slowly as one hand, covered in his own blood from where he had tried to push his intestines back in, now reached out toward you.

"He... he...hell... help..." he struggled between gasps to say.  In moments, he would surely die.  Moments later, he'll rise again, his pain gone, and a ferocious hunger the only thing he will know.

With one hand resting upon his sword, Dom would carefully push the door to the office so that it was fully open. Revealing a scene of devastation from where there had clearly been some kind of a struggle around the desk next to which they would find a man in charcoal grey suit ”you may want to wait outside” Dom said over his shoulder to Hearse, unsure how squeamish she was having only just met her.

Removing his hand from his sword he would instead draw his pistol ”sorry mon ami, there’s not a lot I can do for you” he said apologetically to the dying man knowing that even with a full surgical team he would be hard pushed to save the guy. Raising the gun he would fire a single shot into the man’s head leaving a neat hole in his forehead, with the least he could do being to make it quick.

With the room’s occupant now dead, Dom would turn his attention to the rest of the room hoping to find a computer or some paperwork that would tell him where Isabelle was, assuming of course that she was even in this facility. Failing that the usual food, weapons and medical supplies would suffice.

Hearse simply shrugged as Dominic mentioned waiting outside, indicating she was quite used to seeing a fair amount of violence. Once the deed was done, Jonathan would head over to pat him on the shoulder.

- "You did well, my boy. Not much else anyone could have done for him."

Taking a deep sigh, he leaned on his cane for support as he bent down, searching the man's pockets for items that could be of use. The suit looked like an expensive one, and considering he had been on the other side of a keycard-locked door, he figured there was a fair chance of the man carrying some kind of ID or other keycard on him that might get them beyond some of the other doors they were bound to run into.

"Once upon a time I may have tried to save him" Dom quietly replied as he returned his newly acquired gun to it's holster. The grim almost weary look on his face saying that he had long since accepted that you could save precious few in this world they lived in and that you had to pick your battles.

Rifling through the desk drawers Dom would find the usual collection of stationary within them, though he would find a half packet of choc chip cookies, and some paracetamol that he would pocket. Taking two of the cookies he would hold the rest of the packet out towards Johnathan, for him and Hearse to share between them "if you find any medical records let me know, I'm trying to find someone" he said, though he knew it would be like looking for a needle in a haystack and that was assuming she was even in the haystack to begin with.

The lights in the room flicker, reminding everyone that once they go out, you'll be in utter darkness as there are no windows in this room.

Hearse, did a search of her own, going around the room, and found something particularly interesting.  Neither of the two men know precisely what it is, but notice her reaching out from behind her back where she has tucked it away. 


Dominic had been going through the desk, dumping them and found what appears to be a small green journal written in cryptic phrases... code. But why have a personal journal written in code?  Maybe the guy kept a secret stash of cookies somewhere.   There are stacks of paper, some with names, most with terms like "Subject 4324-J."  It quickly becomes obvious that many of these are from groups that were gathered.    As you look, your mind flashes with a fuzzy image of sitting in a room, shouting at someone to release you.  You were strapped in a chair but they were ignoring you, referring to you as a subject and talking about probable exposure and resistances... then the memory is gone.


Johnathan's quick search removes a lanyard with a heavy identity card.  Clearly this will unlock some things.   The computer monitors flicker with images of the chaos below as the men try to navigate the foreign system.   Johnathan doesn't find medical records, but shipping logs.  He begins to grasp that this site is a temporary one, not a permanent one.  Here they do experi-

There is a boom in the distance as the monitor on the left flashes, showing the undead having broken through the doorway using sheer weight and not caring if the ones in the front are ripped apart.  They are now rushing down the hallway that leads to these rooms.  You have seconds left.

One of the others says, "Hey... we go, NOW!"  A hand slaps the wall on top of the "EMERGENCY EXIT PLAN" that indicates the elevator in the main room you first entered... the one that could only be opened by a keycard.

Johnathan doesn't pay Hearse much mind as she stuffs the item under her shirt so it wouldn't fall out if she needed to run. He himself was fairly preoccupied with searching the body, and trying to find information on the computer, the latter task hindered slightly by his fingers not being as fast as they had been back when he was still in his twenties. Or even thirties. But then, the door gave out and the undead began rushing in on the monitor.

- "Agreed. Our John Doe had a keycard, it may open the elevator. But we need to get to it before the power gives out for good!"

He then began heading for the main room as well, following the others and keeping up as best he could despite his bad leg by using his cane and hop stepping to minimize his use of it. He pocketed the keycard and closed the button over the pocket so that it wouldn't fall out, though he would still be able to easily reach for it as soon as they'd make it to the elevator itself. He knew the door needed to be closed before the undead would reach them or they'd just pile into the elevator with them, which would be... detrimental to their continued survival.

Cursing loudly at the  stacks of paperwork Dom would quickly flick through the pages looking for any mentions of a woman in her early thirties with an amputated leg, or anyone in connection to his number; 2112-B, anything that would confirm one way or another whether or not Isabelle was here. He had been taken. He could remember that much, the question was had she?

He would only manage to get through a few pages before he heard someone shouting, causing him to curse again when he saw the zeds breaking through on the monitor ”time to go” he said, snatching the journal and stuffing it into his jacket and zipping it up.

He would give the paperwork one final agonised look before following Jonathan out of the office and quickly moving towards the lift, knowing that they had to move quickly if they were to escape with their lives.

Dominic has only gone through half, and there's more than he can carry.  His experience with zeds means he knows how to get things done and still be smart about it.  He grabs files with even part of the number or mentioning leg, or amputee.  As he runs out the door with the others, he has a good supply of files he can go through at a later date.  If luck is on his side, he'll have the info he needs.

The group realizes there is no chance for stealth.  They run for the elevator as the zombies rip and tear at each other, striving to get to the living; they are restrained by the door, they can't all get through, and there is no such thing as a 'polite zombie' stepping out of the way.  Those who have recently awoke will have a short lived victory.  SOme of them were still looting the storage room.  Others are already firing at zombies.

Jonathan, Hearse, Dominic, and Tom make it to the smallish elevator.

Zombies are rushing at you, tons are trying to get through the door between the catwalk and the vestibule, so that they can then rush at you and the others.   Will you swipe the card and go up, down, or hold the doors open, hoping the others (inactive players) make it to the door?

[This is an OOC decision that can be roleplayed out in-character.  Do you want to drag along the inactive players?  If so, it will be up to you to puppet them.  Otherwise, whomever YOU CHOOSE to get on the elevator with you can make it before the doors close and you make your decision to go up or down.]

Once Johnathan swiped the card to make the elevator doors open, he took note of how long it took the doors to open and, after getting in, would hold the door open for as long as possible to grant the others time to make it in safely. Safely in this case being that he would keep the doors open until he assessed the zombies would be able to make it to the elevator before the door could close -- there would be no saving anyone if the zombies were the ones keeping the door from closing after all.

While he is keeping his fingers hovering above the button to make the elevator go up, and making a mental note of which floor they are currently on, Hearse motioned for the others with them to make a run for it to the elevator, her muteness helping her in not making a sound that could attract the attention of the zombies more than the screaming of recently awakened survivors being eaten alive.

Clutching his bundle of paperwork close to his chest Dom would run down the corridor to the lift and get inside with the others, holding the glock in his other hand as Hearse silently urged the others to get into the lift with them. Mindful of how small the lift car was and how quickly the zeds could move when the urge took them Dom was only willing to wait so long, with life out in zombieland instilling a level of brutality that had kept him alive all this time ”shut the door mon ami” Dominic coldly stated once the black maths made it clear that those still outside wouldn’t reach the lift before zeds did and that they had saved everyone they could.

Once the doors had slid closed and the lift had started to move Dom would return the gun to its holster and breathe a sigh of relief.

Johnathan pressed the door to close the elevator, having come to the same mental calculation as well. There was a moment between the doors closing and the elevator starting to move that the sound of bodies hitting the doors could easily be heard, but the doors were at least sturdy enough to ignore such attempts. Once the elevator got underway, he turned to Dominic.

- "When i checked the computer, most of the entries were shipping logs. There was something about experiments as well, though i did not have the time to read the details."

He looked at the closed door.

- "This is... If i were in charge of a safe area, i would set up testing areas before allowing people i knew were uninfected on to the actual safe area. It may be what the experiments were for. Regardless, it felt like this was a temporary facility, so it's possible they would set up facilities like this to test local regions at a time. Those making it through testing would likely be trained into joining the ranks of those soldiers that abducted us all -- for our own safety, of course."

He smirked at the survivors that had made it to the elevator in time, before letting out an audible sigh.

- "Okay, we're not out of the woods yet. I sent the elevator up, mostly because these zombies don't seem all too capable or interested in running up stairs so we may use that to our advantage. That said, we don't know the situation on the upper floors, so keep ready to hold off zombies until the door closes if we end up in a tight situation. We can't have been the only ones here that tried to make a break for the elevator before realizing they needed a keycard to get in, so a fair few of them may still be roaming around the doors."

[so, who made it and who didn't?]

OOC: I'm going to go out on a limb and say 'as many as we could'?

[ooc: from original post.  The two of you get to decide.  Don't wiffle-waffle, just choose who made it into the elevator with you and if you bring them along, then you post for them in the story later on.]

Also: @Jonathan, you are not on the ground floor, and the zombies came up the stairs here.
 Earlier in the thread, it was also noted that zombies in the stairways had gone upward further.  So they are definitely using stairs.  I don't want you to be 'suddenly surprised' later on.

OOC: Yeah, didn't mean to imply they couldn't get up stairs, just that it'd be harder for them to run up them, and when shuffling around there was a bigger chance they'd fall down a flight compared to walking up one. :)

”Wait! Hold the door, Hold the door! Wait for meee!” the voice had shouted at a pitch and volume that defied all concepts of stealth and self-preservation. There was an almost despairing look on Dom’s face as he heard the voice, already knowing before he leaned around the lift door that he would see a tall, dapper, young man running towards the lift and attracting far too much attention.

Dom would take a moment to quietly marvel at how Luke had managed to survive so long before lunging out of the lift and grabbing the young man by the front of his shirt and hauling him into the already crowded lift with the doors closing behind him ”cutting it fine aren’t we mon ami?” Dom growled looking down at the moustachioed young man currently panting and gasping on floor  in front of him ”I…I…had to…had to find my…Indy’s” he wheezed, with Dom rolling his eyes at the answer before turning his attention to Jonathan.

”So you think there are more of these places? Makes sense I guess…there always were rumours of a Colony” Dominic replied, recalling the rumours and stories he’d heard in the time since the fall of humanity and the disappointments when every single one proved to be a lie ”…did you find any clue as to where it could be?” he continued without much hope. Though considering they felt the need to kidnap their potential recruits he wasn’t certain he wanted to find the place.

With the lift continuing upwards, Dom would take heed of Jonathan’s warning with him unceremoniously hoisting Luke back onto his feet, noting that apart from a rather stylish outfit that he wasn’t carrying any of the things necessary for survival such as weapon, though that wasn’t overly surprising. He would then awkwardly draw his sword within the cramped space in preparation for lift doors to open with Hank and Lorenzo similarly preparing themselves for the possibility of Zeds waiting on the other side of the doors.

Hank stopped rifling as Tom mentioned Luke, briefly trying to push through the drug fog that was blocking out whatever had brought them to here. Was Luke the only other one they brought with them? Did whoever take them find the others? Were any of the people stuck in their room one of theirs... No, he couldn't think about that now. Taking a deep breath he walked over to his brother and gave his shoulder a slight squeeze. We'll mourn later, after we get out of here. Come on. Letting Tom go ahead of him as the group headed out he gave a quick glance back down the hall they came from before following.

Waiting by the door as the others looted the office Hank kept a warry eye on the monitors. Though the boom of the door giving out gave enough warning their time was running short. Running with the others he silently asked for forgiveness for the people stuck in their cells, hoping Luke was the only other Caravan member who had been caught.

Crowding in the elevator with the others he held his crowbar ready, hoping whatever agency that built this facility had cheaped out on building contractors and the doors didn't have pressure sensors. His weapon dropped slightly at the last minute, oddly familiar cry. No...? A look to Tom showed he matched Hank's own confused look. The confusion turned to relief as a body was pulled in to match the voice. While not the best equiped the guy at least could fight, but a small part of him did feel guilty it wasn't New Mexico and and a machete. On the one hand it meant he could have escaped or not been caught, on the other he could have been one who's door didn't open.

Shaking the thought aside he leaned over to Luke as best he could, keeping an eye on the door and crowbar ready. Did you see anyone else?

Holding his hand up in a give me a minute gesture Luke would do his best to get his breath back before replying ”Naw man…I haven’t seen anyone else…I only just saw you guys” he said with a shake of his head that he was none the wiser as to where they were or what was going on.

With the lift eventually coming to a stop, all eyes would turn to the door as a ping signalled that they had reached their floor. With his sword held ready, Dom would brace himself as the doors rumbled open to reveal the lobby and whatever was inside of it.

Johnathan shook his head in response to Dominic's question.

- "I did not, though the computers here are networked, it's possible that, should we come across another working terminal, we can access most of the same files and look into it further. Provided of course we remain undetected."

The doors open and for a moment the light is overwhelming.  The flicker of fluorescents is replaced by daylight and air wafts over you as the loud sound of a helicopter prop pushes the air across the roof toward you.  You have emerged on top of the building which has been constructed with a landing pad.  Across an open expanse of roof sits a helicopter with the blades slowing down from a recent landing.   There is staccato gunfire.   Emerging from the elevator reveals a group of individuals with rifles firing over the edge of the roof towards the ground below.  For the moment, none of them notice you as they could not hear elevator doors over the sounds of their own gunfire and the engine of the helicopter.

Dom would give a nod in response, wishing they’d had a little more time to investigate where they were and who had taken them ”well if we get the chance it’d be worth doing a little digging” he replied, moments before the lift doors started to open.

Greeted with bright, natural light, the sound of engines and gunfire and feel of fresh air on his face, it would take a moment for Dominic’s eyes to adjust and for him to get his bearings before he realised where they were. They were on the roof. And there was a helicopter ”we need to get to that chopper before they realise we’re here” Dominic said, not fancying their chances of fighting the gunmen or talking them out of shooting them.

After looking to see if any of the others had any better ideas, Dominic would step out of the lift and quietly start heading towards the helicopter.

Johnathan leaned closer to Dominic before he would step out of the lift.

- "While i agree with the thought of escaping, i would need to point out that these people bearing small arms would likely take offense to us stealing their method of escape. And while i do not know how to pilot a helicopter, the times i've seen one its takeoff was not particularly fast or silent. We would likely be shot before getting it off the ground."

He then produced the black keycard that had opened the elevator.

- "We do have an advantage that the infected gentleman we took this from was around my own age, so if this is an extraction team we may be able to convince them we are the ones they had been sent to retrieve. Given that this was set up as a temporary location, they may even take us to their permanent base that might have the one you're looking for in it."

Hearing Jonathan’s suggestion, Dominic would hesitate clearly drawn by the idea of finding Isabelle within another facility somewhere. He had also made a very good point about the high probability of the guards gunning them down before they even got off the ground if they tried to steal the helicopter ”I don’t know mon ami…assuming they ignore the fact we look like a group of survivors and not scientists, and you are able to convince them to take us, we’re going to be found out once they get us to this main base of theirs…also if this goes wrong we only have one gun” he said in a low voice, whilst keeping a wary eye on the soldiers ”…the other option is that we rush them from behind and take them by surprise” he suggested with the idea yielding them not only a helicopter but several guns, ammunition and suits of body armour if it worked. Unfortunately they had guns and body armour on their side making such an attack risky at best…

Johnathan nodded in response.

- "Admittedly, the plan would bank on them being partially distracted by what's going on and us getting the benefit of the doubt for wearing clothes as opposed to the gurneys we woke up in. That said, their 'main base' would arguably still be an improvement over our current situation."

He took a deep breath.

- "It's your choice, but i can't help much and if these men had weapons and armor training i'd expect some form of situational awareness as well, and if you're spotted early with that sword in your hands they wouldn't be asking questions."

Dominic would look back at the others to see if they had any suggestions or concerns before turning back to Jonathan ”ok…but this could go very badly, very quickly” Dominic replied as he returned his sword to it’s scabbard. Deciding that trying to bluff their way out of here was probably the least riskiest move they could make at this point in time.

Hank just nodded at Luke's words, taking what little comfort he could in them. If they were grabbed on a supply run then this would have likely been all of them. Which meant the others were probably safe, wondering where they were. Not that they knew themselves. For now there was some hope of finding the others at least.

Blinking at the sudden influx of light as the elevator doors opened he tensed, ready for whatever was on the other side. Listening to Dom and John talk he glanced between the helicopter and men shooting at the ground. Well...they took us for a reason. He didn't like the idea of giving themselves up willingly to people who took them by force but it may be the only way off the roof without a bullet hole. Let's just hope we're more valuble alive. Lacking a scabbard Hank simply held his crowbar at his side, using it to gently keep Tom behind him.

At Dominic and Hank agreeing with his suggestion, he gave them a quick nod.

- "Only right i take the lead then. Be sure to keep your weapons holstered, or at least nonthreatening, it will do more harm than good."

Taking a deep breath, he stepped out of the lift and put two fingers in his mouth to let out a sharp whistle, using his other hand to casually hold the black keycard in the air as if it were a means of identifying himself. If the group on the helicopter had decided to land here, they would at the very least been briefed on the keycard system, and a means of accessing the elevator themselves in order to do whatever it was that they had come here to do. And in that lay certain assumptions that might be abused.