[IC] Return to Dragger City

[Revelator]

Virgil
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Virgil could tell he wanted to be close to the girl. He sighed inwardly before he began explaining to Mike, "Well, I'm going to send you with second squad. Second and third squads will be the extraction teams. They could use a local guide, if you will, to find our escape routes. Also, if we get into trouble, they'll be the ones to come in and save our bacon."

"Corporal Frain is the squad leader," Virgil told him, pointing to a man towards the end of the truck on the opposite side from him, "He and third squad's leader will have some operational freedom once we split to retrieve the data package. If I'm not around, his orders are the ones to follow. We'll be able to keep up radio contact since the draggers don't use technology and it doesn't matter if we're broadcasting our positions. If anything more survivors might be able to detect us."

"If we do find other survivors, we'll rescue them if we can without putting ourselves at risk for being deactivated," Virgil thought to mention. While the phrasing was polite, he was essentially saying that if survivors could get to them the platoon would take them along, otherwise no further attempts at rescue would be made.

"Any other questions?" he asked, looking at them both, but also at the men around him, knowing they were listening in.

[Corey]

Mike Brooks



It's fine. Just keep her safe.

Mike told Virgil when he said that he planned to have him with Corporal Frain's platoon. He would prefer to stay with Abby but he also knew that since he had said he knew the area well that knowledge could be important. He hoped Virgil would keep Abby safe but he was also glad that he had given her a gun for protection too. He almost hoped he didn't see any survivors. He'd feel awful leaving someone behind if they couldn't rescue them. He hadn't left Mason behind and that man had been on trial for killing his family. Mike sure as hell couldn't leave innocent people behind either. Hopefully he wouldn't be put in that situation. He shook his head when Virgil asked if there were any more questions.

[Jenny]

Abby Hall

​

Abby still wasn't thrilled that the one person she truly trusted wouldn't be in her platoon. She smiled a little that Mike wanted her to be safe. She looked down at the gun Mike gave her and was grateful again she had a way to protect herself even if she never fired a gun before. She shook her head at Virgil's question if anyone had questions.

No, I just want to get this over with.

She had survived the "dragger city" once and she hoped she'd survive it again. And she really hoped the key to a cure would be in Matthew's research. If she died then she didn't want it be for nothing.

[Revelator]

Virgil and Miles
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The trip down passed without too much incident. The had to change routes a few times because of abandoned vehicles blocking the roads. A few times some of the soldiers dismounted and did a quick recon of the area during the two brief stops made. Virgil stayed by the trucks with the non-military people. He didn't seem too concerned at the few brief reports of gunfire that could be heard from the surrounding area at these times.

Once the finally hit US 50, the trucks began heading east, stopping Just outside Cleves, "Alright people, this is where the free ride ends. We're going to hoof it into town. Recon teams do a wide spread but stay in constant radio contact. Sergeant Myer, you'll lead with squads three and four. Squad five will handle right side recon detail, sixth will do left. Second squad will bring up the rear. First will stay with me and the civilians in the center. Let's move out!" Virgil ordered once they had gotten everything packed up and the trucks had left the area to find a safe hiding spot.

As they began to move out, Virgil moved close to Mike, Abby and Miles, "We'll keep you plenty safe in the center of the column with first squad. Once we get to the city limits I'll leave it to you to guide us," he told them.

Miles remained silent, still uncomfortable around Virgil and the soldiers. Besides, Virgil wasn't speaking to him anyway.

[Corey]

Mike Brooks



The rest of the trip down was pretty quiet, probably too quiet since the roads were essentially abandoned. Mike had the feeling they wouldn't find too many survivors as he checked his guns. He didn't want one jamming up...He got out of the truck and helped Abby out too.

Sounds like a good plan.

He told Virgil and told Abby quietly as they started the walk.

Stay close to the Lieutenant when we hit the city.

He knew that Abby's safety wasn't Virgirl's mission objective, that was Matthew's research. But Virgil would protect himself from draggers and if Abby stayed near him then she had a better chance of making it out of this mission alive too.

[Jenny]

Abby Hall

​

Abby didn't say much for the rest of the car ride. She kept looking at the gun she was holding and wondering if in the heat of a moment she'd be able to use it. She hoped to God she wouldn't freeze up with her own life on the line...She thanked Mike for helping her out of the truck when they lost their "free ride", now they had to walk. She nodded her head to Mike when he told her to stay close to Virgil once they were in the city.

​I will.

[Jenny]

Abby Hall

​

Stay with soldiers, that was what Abby was supposed to do. Draggers had other ideas about that, though. The city was overran, was it really only a few days ago she had escaped from the labs because Matthew hadn't controlled his "subject"? Now, the dead outnumbered the living. She wasn't sure what happened. She was staying close to Virgil, like Mike had told her to do, when one of the soldiers accidentally fired his gun. He was being yelled at when the noise attracted a group of draggers. Curses were yelled and Abby was pushed behind a dumpster in the nearby alley and told to stay put. She wasn't sure what had happened, she couldn't hear much over the gunshots and growls. She covered her ears and told herself to remain calm. It got quiet and no one came for her. She was going to venture out from her hiding spot when she heard a growl. She turned and saw a dragger that had once been a fourteen year old girl. She tried to fire her gun but realized she had stupidly left the safety on. The girl was coming for her and Abby saw a crowbar near some old crates. She dropped the gun and ran for the crowbar, barely missing the girl grabbing her arm. She picked it up and whacked the dragger repeatedly in the head with the crowbar until she fell lifeless to the street. Abby felt horrible, she had killed a kid but then she reminded herself the girl wasn't really a kid now...Right?

"Virgil? Anyone? Hello?"

She called out quietly as she picked up the gun and took the safety off. She realized everyone was either dead or gone..."Great," she thought. On her own again. Hopefully Mike and the soldiers he was with would realize something was wrong and come look for her. Or Mike might think she was dead and get the hell out of here. They hadn't known each other long, he didn't owe her anything. She decided to continue on with the mission. It was important, they had to stop the spread before it was too late. She'd head to Matthew's place and find his research. Hopefully he had saved something that would help them figure out how to cure people.

[Kayte]

Dagny and Freya Bloom



Dagny stared out into space as her sister rested against her, snoring softly. She had her free hand on top of the Glock that she'd stolen from a gun and ammunition shop a few days prior. She watched for draggers, knowing that at any moment a herd could come around the corner and she would have to grab Freya and run. All her muscles were tensed, ready to move at the slightest indication of danger.

She briefly allowed her mind to wander, wondering what had happened to her parents. They were here in Cincinnati, somewhere. She had brought Freya here in the hopes of searching for them, only to find their house empty. Their cell phones had been sitting on the kitchen table, powered off. Dagny and Freya had both cried when they found their parents missing. Dagny knew that her parents were probably dead. They were shambling around the streets of Cincinnati like all these other poor people that didn't escape the virus.

Freya startled, waking up. She blinked and looked up at her sister.

"I'm hungry." She said it matter-of-factly, without whining.

Dagny rummaged through the bag of supplies they'd brought from their home. She pulled out an apple and handed it to Freya. Then she froze. She heard a voice. A woman's voice.

"Shhh." She put her finger to her lips and stood up, motioning for Freya to stay put. She knew draggers didn't talk, so if she had really heard a human voice, then it was a real, living person.

"Hello?!" She called out. Bravely. Stupidly, she also reflected. Calling back to something that turned out to be her imagination would likely bring a whole bunch of draggers down on them. She hoped she hadn't imagined the voice.

[Kayte]

Azra Fox



Azra put a hand to her brow to shield her eyes from the sun. She stood in the doorway of the basement apartment she'd commandeered when she found herself in Cincinnati after she tried to escape Columbus. She still cursed herself for coming here at all, for thinking the authorities in the bigger city would help her survive. By the time she had arrived in Cincinnati, the entire place was overrun.

She was amazed that she had survived this long. The basement apartment made a good hideout - one door, the rest of it completely underground. Few windows, easily boarded up and reinforced. It was close to a grocery store and convenience store that she could raid for supplies. Never in a million years would she have imagined herself in this position. But she was here not, and she actually wasn't too bad at surviving.

She saw a figure moving down the street and instantly tensed. It could easily be a dragger, moving along by itself. But the flash of movement she had seen didn't seem as halting and unstable as the average dragger. She shut the door to her makeshift home, clutching the shovel that she used as a weapon. I ought to get a gun, she thought to herself, not feeling terribly safe with the shovel. She moved slowly toward where she had seen the movement, keeping close to the buildings and hiding in the shadows.

[Jenny]

Abby Hall

​

Abby was trying to remember which way to go to Matthew's apartment. Everything seemed so different now that the city belonged the draggers. She stopped her in tracks when she heard a female voice. Abby had been the only woman who had went on the mission. That meant that there were still people alive here. Not everyone had been turned.

"Hello."

She called out, heading to the sound of the voice. She hoped her mind wasn't playing tricks on her. She was surprised to a see a young woman and girl that appeared to be her younger sister. She had the dragger's blood on her shirt and was carrying the crowbar with her. Although Dagny and Freya would see that she didn't mean them harm.

"I'm Abby. Who are you?"