turnsheet_bureau:1:blackout [Contagion]

This page is read only. You can view the source, but not change it. Ask your administrator if you think this is wrong.
======Blackout======

Of all the weapons stores you've been in, the Bastion's is the largest and the emptiest. You look at the three bare spots you've left behind, feeling the cold weight of the guns at your side. It's a sensation you're used to, but still one that leaves you unsettled.

You turn to Nio, stood next to you, cradling a small gun of their own. 'Are you up for this?' you ask them, face set. She nods. 'Remember what I said about stabilising your grip.' You hope she won't have to.

--------

Nio, Eddy, and you slip into the Substation. The door to the infirmary creaks its heavy way open, hinge grinding against frame, and Naomi's head is quick to snap in your direction. 'Hello? Is everyone alright?' She scans each of your bodies for injuries, eyes full of concern and exhaustion.

Nio nods. 'Yes!' Too chipper, you think; their tone is suspicious. But Naomi doesn't seem to notice. She seems grateful for a bit of levity here. Behind her looms a door, key left in a rusting lock. You wonder what's behind it.

It's not long until you find out—Nio and Eddy manage to catch Naomi's attention, and she's eager to tell them what the infirmary needs. She points out a leak to Eddy—fixed twice already, she says, but she doesn't trust it not to burst again—and leads the two of them away to a store cupboard further down the corridor.

You're left alone. There's no noise here—the fluorescent lights are strangely quiet; no high-pitched buzzing—and your eyes settle on that door. You wonder whether Naomi left the key there on purpose. No matter; you turn it, wincing a little at the way the metal scrapes on its way round, then push through the threshold.

Lottie looks at you, expectant, a small smile on her lips, which quickly morphs into confusion. 'Raindrop?' She sits up straighter on her bed, where she's been carving something out of wood. 'What are you doing here?'

You pause before answering. There's no bandage on her arm, now. The wound's stopped bleeding, so no need to cover up the bite marks, the trails of red veins and blue bruises weaving their way from shoulder to wrist, the raised and coarse skin—far worse already than when you saw it before. She notices the direction of your gaze.

'Not great, is it?' She half-smiles. 'Naomi doesn't understand it. Neither do I.'

But you do, Raindrop. You've seen these wounds before. On bodies attached to minds far less coherent, sure, but a warning sign is a warning sign.

You move to sit next to her on the bed. 'I came here to talk, Lottie.'

'I didn't think I was allowed many visitors.'

'Naomi's off with Nio. She doesn't know.'

Lottie grins. 'Naughty. I like it. I've been so bored here. I don't see why they can't just let me leave. It's not like I'm dange-'

'You're infected.' No point beating about the bush. She needs to know. Even though she denies it (and she does; 'If I was infected, we wouldn't be having this conversation right now'), she's a threat to the Bastion. She's a threat to you.

You feel the weight of the weapons hidden under your coat. If she took a second to look, she would almost certainly spot their shapes under the fabric, but she doesn't. She trusts you.

'Seriously, Raindrop. I'm fine. This is a security precaution. It's an annoying one, and I'm not happy about it, but Mars is talking to Naomi about it. I'll be out of here in no time. You have nothing to worry about.'

She's a talker. Always has been. Chatty as anything, with a one-track mind. So she hasn't noticed your hand on a gun, slipped from under your coat, pointed behind her neck. One bullet, and she'll be gone. A nice way to go, if you think about it; talking about her fiancée, hopeful for the future.

You remember what you've learnt. One breath in, then pull the trigger with its release. Lottie's chatting on. She has no idea. You-

The door slams open. Naomi and Nio push their way in. Nio looks at you, face all apology and fear. Naomi's is shock. The shock of their sudden entrance makes you jolt forward, just enough that the cold metal of the gun taps against Lottie's back. She swivels round to see you holding the weapon, and bats it away from her. Shit. You open your mouth, grasping for an explanation. You-

The lights snap off. Eddy's distraction, but far too late. Nio screeches in shock, and you jump again, finger too close to the trigger; you curse, feeling its tell-tale //click//; you hear the //bang// of a bullet; you hear the hollow, //squelch//ing sound of metal against flesh; you hear the //thud// of body against ground. A scream, then the lights flicker back on. Lottie looks pale. Naomi looks paler, save for the blood pooling under her prone body. No movement from her.

Nio claps her hands to her mouth. She looks at you, eyes all fear and betrayal. 'You… She's… What?'

Lottie's eyes look the same. No time to worry about her. Dead woman soon, anyway. Useful in the meantime. You shove your gun at her; she scrambles, unsure if you're about to shoot her, and grabs it in the confusion. Then, you turn to Nio, and snap, 'Leave.' They nod at you, hands still trembling. They've dropped whatever they were holding. No time to worry about that. You grab her by the wrist, and the two of you begin to run. Nio slams the door, and you lock it, wincing again at the scraping, rusting metal. Out of the infirmary. Out of the Substation. Medic down. 

Need someone to blame. Zombie with a gun.

Need an alibi. You and Nio go on patrol.

--------

Your lateness doesn't go unnoticed. Ulric is not happy--though for some reason, his narrowed gaze lands mostly on Nio. The patrol is a welcome distraction, for a while, but its ending is strange and bloody again. Ulric stumbles across Verity Lowell, crouched in a thicket, crying to something (you recognise Marlowe Rowan's words among her strange speech). Once Ulric's lowered his gun, Strangeness and the rest of you guide her home.

{[]}{{tag>writeup1 gm_yona complete}}