turnsheet_bureau:1:man_down [Contagion]

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======Man Down======

You've not seen a weapons store before the Bastion's. You wonder if they're supposed to feel this empty and cavernous. Raindrop is picking out three guns, and tucking them under her coat. You've got your own. The cold weight of the firearm is alien to you, still. More comforting is the soft fabric of the shirt you've brought for Lottie, tied around your waist.

Raindrop turns to you. 'Are you up for this?' she asks you, face set. You nod, though you're not sure if it's true. 'Remember what I said about stabilising your grip.' You hope you won't have to.

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Raindrop, 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.

You nod. 'Yes!' You wince. You sound too chipper; it's 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.

Raindrop will have to tell you. You're quick to grab Naomi's attention—'What do you need from us? What supplies?'—and so is Eddy—'That leak need fixing?' She leads the two of you out of the room, further down the corridor to the store, and doesn't seem to realise she's left Raindrop behind. You hear the distant scraping of key against lock, but you can't get distracted. You need to keep Naomi busy for as long as possible.

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You've started taking notes of what's needed on the back of your hand. The list is long, stretching up halfway to your elbow, when Naomi finally finishes pointing out what's missing. Eddy's left to 'fix a leak'—you're fairly sure he's really gone to switch off the lights, as an extra diversion.

'I think that's all, Nio. I know it's a long list, but I'm sure you'll do a wonderful job.'

You nod back, smiling sweetly.

'…You and Raindrop, that is. Where //is// Raindrop, anyway?'

Crap. She noticed. You'd hoped to hold her off for longer. 'Oh, uh, she…' You grasp for an explanation. 'She felt nauseous. Decided to leave.'

Naomi tuts. 'She should have told me. I'll get her some antiemetics from the main room. Follow me.'

'Oh! No, no, you don't need to. She's fine. She's a resilient person, right? I'm sure…'

'What's wrong, Nio?' Naomi's face is suddenly serious.

'Nothing! Nothing at all. Just, you know, she doesn't like people fussing over her, I imagine. I don't know, but she seems like that sort of person.'

Naomi narrows her eyes, and begins to move down the corridor, back to the main room. 'No!' You call after her, hurrying to catch up. 'Really, you shouldn't, um-'

'What are you hiding, Nio?'

'Nothing at all! It's nothing, it's-'

Despite your protests, Naomi pushes the door open. Its hinges are loose, and it bangs against the wall. You look at Raindrop, your face all apology and fear. Naomi's is full of shock. Raindrop jolts at your sudden appearance, and for some reason, Lottie—who's she's sitting next to—suddenly looks terrified. She bats at Raindrop's hand, revealing that the soldier had been clutching a handgun. What? You didn't think she'd kill Lottie. Not when she seems so calm. Raindrop opens her mouth, grasping for an explanation. She-

The lights snap off. Eddy's distraction, but far too late. You screech in shock, and Raindrop jumps again. Her finger's too close to the trigger. You hear 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.

You clap your hands to your mouth. You look at Raindrop, scared, betrayed. 'You… She's… What?'

Your head is a mess, but Raindrop is all action. She shoves her gun at Lottie, who scrambles for it, terrified she'll be shot, too, and grabs it in the confusion. Then, she turns to you, and snaps, 'Leave.' You nod, hands still trembling. It's then that you notice you've dropped Lottie's shirt. It was so clean, so neat. Now it's lapping up Naomi's blood from the floor. No time to grab it, though, as Raindrop grabs you by the wrist, and the two of you begin to run. You slam the door shut, and Raindrop locks it. You wince at the scraping, rusting metal of the key. You escape the infirmary, the Substation.

Raindrop hisses her plans at you. 'We need someone to blame. Lottie went crazy. She's holding the gun, anyway. Whoever finds them will think she did it.'

'We need an alibi.'

She nods back at you. 'So we go on patrol. C'mon.'

You follow her, dazed, into the fray. You forget to mention the shirt you left behind.

--------

Your lateness doesn't go unnoticed. Ulric is not happy--and he seems particularly fixated on you, for some reason. 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 with strange words. Once Ulric's lowered his gun, Strangeness and the rest of you guide her home.

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