The Right Track (Kathy)

[OAMP]

Re: The Right Track (Kathy)

The tall monster looked at Tab with sad eyes, but still flailed about, moaning in pain. It was almost enough to make some people feel sorry for it, but before long it was starting to get up again, smashing wildly in the scientist's general direction, so it had to be put down.

Tab expended twelve more bullets to put the thing at rest. She hit every single shot, taking your time on a mostly stationary target tended to have that effect. After each impact the monster grunted in pain and wailed for help. However, nothing stopped Tab from finishing the poor beast off, who eventually went limp on the floor, green fluid leaking from the many bullet holes in its chest and face.

 

[Kathy]

Re: The Right Track (Kathy)

"Pitiable beast." Tab grunted out as she finished the job. This was not the only sad looking beast she'd seen. But she had long since learned her lesson after being bitten before by animals that she deemed worth sparing because of a look like this one. The look was a sham, a false promise of kindness that was instantly thrown to the wind at the first chance it got. Even this beast began to rage again before she put it down.

As much as Tab hated ending a life in such a fashion, this beast had no regard for it's own safety, it's sole purpose was death and destruction, even on realizing that Tab was beyond it's reach and able to kill it, it continued to attack, not even considering retreating for it's own life. None but the most crazed animals, in wild fits of rage, would continue to chase down a target that has clearly wounded them badly, could clearly kill them... and animals like this, no matter what they were, could only find peace in a fairly quick death.

"Though this was a mercy kill, and for the good of everyone around... I am sorry that you could not be reasoned with... even in the most vicious wilds, staring down an even met predator lets them know when they are beaten and should back down gracefully... You... you were given that chance. And ignored it. It was as if you wanted to die... So out of kindness, I granted your wish."


Tab bowed slightly a final time, whispering a wordless prayer for this death, and all others she would be forced to cause. She had her answers though. These creatures, for whatever purpose, whatever motivated them, had proven to be unable to be communicated with or reasoned with in even the most basic and fundamental ways.


Not wanting to be caught unexpectedly by the monster playing dead, Tab first reloaded both of her guns, one at a time so she kept one partially loaded at all times, then pretended to undo the lock and reached through with her pipe, poking at the thing a few times to seem as if she'd left the safety of her cage, attempting to get a reaction from the beast, for it to grab at her or something. If the creature proved to be genuinely dead after her attempt to rouse it into action through subtle deception, she would finally open the door and head out again, starting towards the newly unlocked section of offices.

(How much ammo is in a clip anyhow? She keeps the partially expended clips if there's ammo left in them, it's just a matter of wanting full clips for continuing.

Actions: After reloading and determining the beast is dead, Tab slips past it and heads towards the offices that it broke into for her, exploring the area.)

 

[OAMP]

Re: The Right Track (Kathy)

(nine out of twenty-one bullets left in both before reloading)

The monster was quite dead, poking it didn't even bring any twitches that a dead body sometimes still had left in them. A satisfying result. However, as Tab prepared to head back to the newly opened area, she heard something. Dragging feet and moaning, as if from the normal sized infected. Atleast two were comming up the path behind her from the other office area, as if attracted by the dieing beasts screams, or perhaps the gunshots. The doors behind Tab would hold, but she'd need to be extra alert now, the monsters were returning to the station.

 

[Kathy]

Re: The Right Track (Kathy)

Tab was... less than concerned. This deep into the station, most of the regular access points were blocked off. A few shuffling weaklings were not to concern her, as she'd learned the creatures could not even break free from individual cells, much less the heavy duty last-line defense that the cops created in the double-gated area she'd fought her large foe from behind.

If anything, this knowledge was useful only in that if the regular beasts could reach the back offices without going through those gates, it meant there was a back way in that was left open... thus a back way out she could exploit.

As long as nothing was in her way ahead of her, Tab quietly shuffled forward, her lost clothes shoved into a side-pouch on her belt, and soon she would reach the offices in question, starting to search through them.

 

[OAMP]

Re: The Right Track (Kathy)

These office spaces were not in very good shape, while battles had taken place in other areas of the station, it looked like someone had tried using grenades in here. Perhaps that ment their was a special weapons team based here, for riot control. Either way, this meant that some of these cubicles were total write-offs. Some minor structural damage too. While Tabatha could perhaps sift through the debris for something usefull, something else caught her eye first.

There was a definite pattern to the damage. It seemed to be focused in an arc leading from a hall down one side of the building, with quite a lot of damage around the entry way. Perhaps there was something valuable down that way that people had been willing to defend more so then the rest of the station.

 

[Kathy]

Re: The Right Track (Kathy)

"Curious." Tab said quietly as she approached the damaged area. Cautiously, she tested a few of the ways that looked less damaged, and quickly attempted to cross or hop over parts of the floor, avoiding anything that looked even the least unstable or dangerous to walk on, while using various items to toss onto the floor anyplace that she wasn't sure.

Whatever was being defended, she had to check it out for herself. It was entirely possible, in her mind, that this could've been a final holdout for the humans here, perhaps the special forces having decided this would be their line to stop the monsters before the civilian populace was taken.

Regardless of what it was, Tab continued through these offices, only lightly shuffling at paperwork here or there, without any real intent to do a thorough search, though she checked a few desk drawers that seemed easy to access and on her way through.

 

[OAMP]

Re: The Right Track (Kathy)

Most of the offices held nothing of note. While tricky, Tab managed to find that most of the hallway was safe to walk through without fear of the floor falling out from under her, allowing her access to all the rooms. As she neared the end, however, a few things about the last office, the one on end, stuck out. The door was open, and inside Tab could see a huge hole on the far wall. She couldn't see where exactly it went from here, but the room below was concrete. Also, while the lighting was dark, she could tell there had been many awards on the walls, though most were damaged now, or fallen down. The name tag on the door was also a shiney color, compared to the other, perhaps this was the office of some big wig in the department.

Tab could also see some log books sitting out on the desk, but before she could get a chance to look at them, she heard some more moans from behind her. The infected had found a way into the offices behind her, and would require her immediate attention.

 

[Kathy]

Re: The Right Track (Kathy)

Tab rolled her eyes as the infected began to shuffle into the room... She'd only barely gotten around through carefully choosing her steps thanks to the destruction of the floor.

Tab gave half a glance back at the room as she snatched up a few of the files, and quickly shuffled over to a position where the floor was more decimated than other areas between her and the incoming attackers. If they were as stupid as she'd come to expect, the entire group of them would simply stumble forward mindlessly into the damaged floors, where they would all soon find themselves falling into the dangerous gaps. Just for good measure, Tab waited patiently at the other side of the gap, on safe ground, and pointed a gun towards the creatures that were coming... any that managed to stumble safely over the gap would soon find a bullet waiting to knock their ass right back into the hole they barely avoided, while those that stumbled and fell stupidly, barely clutching to the damaged floorboards, would meet a similar fate, as Tab would end their struggling with a single well-placed round, not intending to kill them outright, but merely to wound them in a way severe enough that it would cause them to let go and fall to the rooms below.

(Actions: Tab quickly positions herself (on safe ground) so one of the damaged floors is between her and the infected, forcing them to need to go around, or risk falling through. Then she point-blank fires at any infected that makes it past the damaged floor, with intention to drive them back (so they fall in anyhow). The only major threat Tab can anticipate with this approach is if the infected start taking the long path around to reach her, using safe ground... If that happens, Tab dual-guns at melee range again to take any enemies out.)

 

[OAMP]

Re: The Right Track (Kathy)

Much to Tab's benefit, there were only three of the shambling beasts. They obediently lined up as to cross a damaged section of the floor. The first is out front a ways, and fails to colapse the floor, but a quick shot pushes it back, right into the claws of the other two as they pass the a fore mentioned section of floor, providing just enough stress to send the entire lot crashing down to the first floor in a thunderous roar, landing in the first locked down hall Tab traversed.

Unfortunately, the zombies survived, quickly getting up, looking to Tab, then moaning at her in frustration. Given enough time, they might figure out how to get back up to her, but for now they walk like idiots into the wall near the hole in the floor.

 

[Kathy]

Re: The Right Track (Kathy)

"One Shot. Three down." Tab mused quietly to herself. Even if it hadn't killed any of them, the fall alone would've injured the group, which meant even if they found their way back up, fewer bullets required to finish the task.

Tab silently pondered if perhaps using a damaged building such as this one was, in effect, a better choice than a fully intact building, due to the knowledge that some of these creatures could eventually tear through almost anything, making simply guarding against their entry an eventual impossibility without killing them... and so, dangerous areas such as this, which smart humans could easily cross or avoid, yet able to injure the infected greatly, seemed a logical step to what might eventually boil down to a question of ammo.

Not one to underestimate a wounded animal though, especially since these three didn't seem that injured, but more put off than anything, Tab decided a distraction may be in order, using her safe-route to rush back to the undamaged area and taunting down at the infected, "Aww, you fell down and went boom... no grabbing Tabby today. Guess I'm gonna leave." She then made a very clear stepping sound of leaving the area so the infected beneath would hopefully follow her footsteps as she led them back towards the blocked off doorways below, anything to confuse and confound them, while she was, simultaneously, searching the room just beyond up above to ensure how many infected were up here still...

... The plan, if nothing else spotted her or went wrong, was to slip her shoes off again and use her quick, silent movements to rush back to the room and sneak across, looking down the hole (from a safe angle!) briefly to ensure the trio had left, before setting a few small blocking items in the doorways, mostly that would cause a lot of noise if being kicked around or climbed over by the infected, then finally, she would hide away in the office and begin to flip through the documents, reading little more than the headers to get an idea of what was in each, before tossing back (in an organized manner, so she doesn't waste time re-reading it) any of them that were unimportant or mundane... Something about this area was guarded, intensely, and having seen the tiny size of the office at the end, and how the paperwork was undisturbed, Tab had a sinking feeling that it wasn't the people, and something in these folders might've been more important than even she could guess.

Tab decided the best thing to do for reading was to find a quiet corner that was well lit, and read the documents, facing the doorway, and partially hidden behind any office furniture or other objects that could prove useful in such a manner, only coming out stealthily to pick up a new bundle of paperwork to skim through...

 

[OAMP]

Re: The Right Track (Kathy)

The infected were tricked easily enough, before long Tab could hear them shuffling away down the first story's hallway. Up top with her, Tab could hear some still trying to break in through the secured door, and not having much luck as of yet. The office spaces seemed quiet, though there was some noise from a commotion downstairs that leaked up, the idiots crashing into things no doubt.

Most of the organized paperwork up top was imporant papers that the survivors seemed to have set out on purpose, though a few of them were damaged it seemed, and therefor less useful. However, by the end of her first search, Tab had a nice pile of reading matieral. A log book that was dated this week, it had been found left open near the end, as if someone had been documenting the entire incident. Another, related book looked like it contained all orders the department had recived from the central office over a similer period of time. Next was a manuel detailing rules and regulations for emergency situations. Lastly were several repair or technical documents, stuff about the emergency generators, an electrical layout of the building, that kind of thing. Probably not useful right now, but they'd come in handy later if Tab wanted to bypass a door or repair some equipment.

The corner with the hole to downstairs was well lit. Tab could see it was a vacant parking garage, free from monsters right now, with many electrical cords running through it, not a ususal feature it looked like. It gave off enough light from down there to safely read at the desk, though eye strain would set in if she kept at it too long.

(You may or may not have seen how I handled this with SomCr. Pick something specific to read, I'll handle that, then allow for any interuptions, reactions to new information, etc. In other words, you can't read all of this in one post. Feel free to plan what order to read everything, but be warned that the info will be broken up between a few posts from me)

 

[Kathy]

Re: The Right Track (Kathy)

(I already assumed that there'd be breaks in between, which is why I said simply that Tab skimmed information before diving into everything in full.)

The log book immediately seemed to be the most useless. Tab already knew firsthand most of the ongoings in the town from having been called here to help with evaluation of the infected and the strange animals of the area. "Besides... this thing is at least a few days old by now, and is missing crucial current information... like the military's plans backfiring so badly." Tab uttered half silently.

The paperwork containing the orders the department was given seemed slightly more valuable, Tab assuming that it could've given her a different perspective on what the overall plan was for dealing with the incident, but she still viewed it as a low priority.

"Rules and... oh you've got to be fucking with me. As if I'd follow THESE rules and regulations, having seen what happened to the people who were holed up here." Tab couldn't help but give a small chuckle, immediately changing her original opinion. "THIS is the most useless thing." she whispered out, tossing it carelessly aside.

Her final reading option being technical data and information, Tab shook her head again. Most tech was down, and only a few things here were running. Considering she'd already taken and set out all of the genuinely important materials with those kits she made, this thing was also useless, until, perhaps, she decided the station would make an appropriate location for guarding against the infected.


Tab laid all of the documents back out in an organized manner, only bothering to passively skim through the orders this department was sent, interested in how they were meant to deal with this outbreak and what the military was organizing, hoping perhaps that these papers might have had information on where additional weapons and supplies were being dropped off, or some kind of fallback position, or even a yet-to-be-completed order that she could perhaps go after personally in order to meet up with any other survivors that were following these orders.

Tab made it a point to read the documents near any emergency lights that were on so as to not strain her eyes. The last thing she needed was to exhaust herself in any way doing such a foolish task as reading some paperwork.

(Tab finds someplace better lit nearby, using her plan of blocking the door with something that would be noisy to get over (but not actually "blocking" it, so Tab can run past easily), as a warning against something approaching her.)

 

[OAMP]

Re: The Right Track (Kathy)

Not much could be done to improve reading conditions, though a makeshift alarm was easy enough to set up with one of the numerous filing cabinets. Tab had to be content with just a regular emergency light for company. After finding the correct pages for the dates in question, she skimmed through the flurry of orders. Near the top of the page, in nice handwriting were a set of page numbers indicating relevent entries in the log book. The more mundane things came first, before the monster showed up. Most dispatches would probably be kept in the dispatchers office, as this book was only for major things. As such, the only thing of note early on the page was an order to prepare for a raid around 2 pm on a gang safehouse about ten blocks away in an old industrial complex closer to the docks. They probably didn't have the chance to go through with that. Maybe the gang had held out better then the police.

Next, in somewhat worse handwriting, as if the writer was in a hurry, were the first locations to defend from the horde. Tab would need a map to get the full picture, but that was yesterday's plan anyway, no one would be left alive at these locations. If boredom struck, there was probably a map in the office desk, however.

This continued for about two pages, then there was a mass of scribbles. At the bottom a single line was legible. "Local Command Assumed". The timestamp was around 5 pm, after the EMP. They must have lost contact with command. There were no futher entries, though they might have recorded their own decisions in the log book instead of the orders book.

 

[Kathy]

Re: The Right Track (Kathy)

Tab gave a slow shaking of her head... all useless information. She could tell quickly by the lack of direction that the military had no idea how to deal with this... of course, the fact they started launching their big guns at the monster was a fair proof of that.

The most useful piece of information in the entire book was that note on the gang. A note for a location she intended to avoid. At best, they were still holding out, and she'd end up in no end of trouble dealing with them. At worst, the entire place was overrun like the police station, and she'd be walking into another den of monsters, with fewer rewards.

On the upside... Tab quickly looked for a map and decided that she could mark the locations of where these concentrations of things were... if there was some reasoning behind the concentrations, then it was likely most of the worst things in the city were still there, and she could save herself quite the headache by simply avoiding those areas...

(Tab's actions: find a map, quickly mark off the areas with a pencil.)

"I guess this was a waste of time." Tab said grimly. She flipped through the logs briefly to see if anything of note stood out, but she already guessed that it was mostly just a recap of what the standing orders were up until local command took over. Nothing of consequence. Though her last thoughts turned to the rules and regulations book.

"I wonder if..." Tab quickly smiled and flipped to it's index, or table of contents, or anything that could single out a specific thing she was looking for. She wanted to know where the station's emergency hardline was at, so she could attempt to contact other stations or even the outside.

(Actions: Tab half flips through the log book, mostly for the sake of seeing if anything major comes up. Then she looks up that one last fact in the regulations book. Using the emergency lighting by staying near one, she should have no trouble reading, and that last part is purely for a leadup to moving on. She has no interest in the technical files.)

 

[OAMP]

Re: The Right Track (Kathy)

In the desk drawer was a large, fold out map of the city. A bit unwieldy, but it was more then detailed enough for her purposes. However, plotting the points and numbering them, it simply revealed the obvious fact that the monsters used wave tactics. The big picture was just a sad tale of block after block falling.

The glance through the log book was more helpful then expected, on the bright side. It seems the chief had kept good records of the defense of the station. Besides the area's Tab had already found usefull, apparently there was another stronghold on the third story, right above her, that was the chief's actual office. That was where a last stand had been planned.

As for why the parking garage seemed so important, there was another, major cache of weapons down near the police vehicle parking, as well as the generator and emergency communications equipment. Repair had been focused there. That also answered Tab's last question, all functional communications could be found in the emergency communications bunker on the far side of the sub-parking basement.

 

[Kathy]

Re: The Right Track (Kathy)

"Oh you b-..." Tab grumbled in annoyance, "You'd think the people who made this place would know to keep emergency communication equipment nearby... But no no... I'm going to have to go down to the cellar to find them... With a torch... and the stairs gone out... it'll be readily available for emergencies in the bottom of a locked filing cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory with a sign on the door saying 'Beware of the Leopard'..."

Tab began to flip through the notes sarcastically to check if there was any hint where to find some anti-leopard bat-spray.

With a reluctant sigh, Tab tossed the notes back down and began down the hallway again, tired of dealing with the shitty information there.

"It's not as if it's a particularly nice city." she added coyly, heading back to the stairwell and this time checking how many floors the building had (since this was massively neglected in earlier information). Though she already assumed based on the lack of activity in the upper floors that the last holdout was already long since abandoned or overrun.

 

[OAMP]

Re: The Right Track (Kathy)

(Three stories(not counting a basement level, but that's only in the parking garage), I mentioned Tab could see that from outside, I think? Also just some OOC information, the chaotic layout is because this is one of those older stations that have been renevated and rerenevated over the years, like some of the really old ones in NYC)

Tab was on the middle floor of the stair well. Below her was the area with Cell Block A that she'd visited earlier, and above her seemed to be another area for the staff, though this door had some more security measures, probably to seperate the prison area from the other sections. It had been bypassed already however, and Tab could gain access to that level if she tried, though that would be going farther from her intended destination of the communications equipment.

 

[Kathy]

Re: The Right Track (Kathy)

(Don't mind me, I'm just making some silly quotes. And I don't think I noticed you mentioning 3 floors, only the garage.)

Tab gave a low sigh as she looked up the stairway. If she left now, it would just be that much further to climb to come back here later. And at least while she was here now, the area was mostly secured with that one big nasty dead. Worst case, she reasoned, she could use the same defensive position as last time, retreating back and letting the movie-monster-intelligence-level infected and beasts simply hurl themselves into the hole leading down to the first floor.

She nodded at this knowledge and quietly ascended the stairs, stalking towards her next objective, determining how the battle went upstairs here, and seeing what they may have left behind.

 

[OAMP]

Re: The Right Track (Kathy)

The stairway area exited into another office space, though this one was slightly nicer then the others. Senior personel had their desks here it seemed. There was also very little damage, though right now Tab could not see much into the connecting areas, considering the low light levels in addition the more private nature of this work space.

There were three doors leading off to other parts of the station, in addition to another, smaller storage space that might be worth checking out for more weapons or supplies. In one corner was a hallway with a small sign indicating more offices, probably those that Tab was looking for. The other hallways had various support rooms on them, no telling if there were any good finds in there or not.

 

[Kathy]

Re: The Right Track (Kathy)

Tab looked over her personal supplies... Plenty of ammunition, a good amount of non-lethal armament, food, backpack, first aid materials, an assortment of miscelaneous gear...

If not for the fact she was now wandering around bare breasted and exposed pussy in a partially wrecked building full of strange monsters and those infected by the beasts... including one that seemed to have a very, very large cock and having had full intent to use it on her... she would've felt fairly secure in her efforts thus far.

Tab quickly shook her head at the notion of going to gather more gear. Her pack already had a noticeable weight to it, and if she just kept piling it on, she'd eventually lose all of her speed advantage, one of the few things she wanted to avoid at all costs.

She could always return to the station and search the side rooms here another time, when she actually needed more supplies. For now though, the scientist began towards what was implied to be the last holdout of the people in the building. She wanted to see for sure if anyone was left up here, and even if no one was around, she wanted to check what else this group might've known that her team back at the wreckage wouldn't have.

(Actions: Head towards the office space and the last holdout of the people. Storage and Support rooms can wait for another time, as she has low hopes for anything there that she doesn't already have in abundance.)