Chapter 1: Ambush - Run for your life !

[royya]

November 2020.

Was it one year or more? You lost the track of time since you arrived to the Bristol labor camp, you do know that it is November now, which day, does it really matter …
The labor camp is a dense ghetto made from scraps of steel that the prisoners themselves built to form sheds for sleeping more than 20 years ago. How many lives and souls slept on the wooden banks of the sheds and stepped on the muddy ground. The labor camp was built in the remains of the old stadium of the football team Bristol Rovers. The lawn was long gone and the lower parts of the tribunes were destroyed many years ago, leaving the upper parts as walls where few German soldiers and many robots known as securitrons patrol.
Every day, except Sundays, the British, Irish and French males and the females that are able to work are going to work outside the camp under heavy security. They are transferred to the coal, iron and clay mines and stone quarries to work and excavate minerals for the German empire. The elder and the weak are left to take care the livestock and other mundane works.
Today is such a day, but there is a rumor that today’s work is not the horrible mines in Wales but an underground factory where the German pump out underground water. One of the older prisoner says that the factory is located some 140 km from Bristol in the direction of London as he was there several years ago. You are ordered to change the prisoner’s outfits with the laborer outfits. A light orange overalls over regular cotton cloth. The heavy overalls keeps the body warm in the cold November month and is a good light reflective outfit to prevent from the brave and stupid to escape, it’s like a beacon on a dark background and those who are foolish enough to take it off endanger themselves to die freezing.
Large column of trucks travel the M4 out of Bristol to the East. The trucks are secured and locked. When you board one of the prisoners’ truck you see that the convoy is leaded by an officer’s shielded car, an equipment truck, 3 workers trucks, 3 empty water tankers and gestapo soldiers truck equipped with automated turrets.
It’s cold outside, probably a cold front is approaching as a blanket of stratus clouds cover the sky.

**********************************************

“BOOM” A large explosions deafened you and is followed by another one. Clearly, something is happening outside. The German soldier that drives the truck you are in takes a sharp turn (Dodge check everyone to avoid being crushed on the opposite side and suffer 1 point of damage) and race, probably, from the road to the a bumpy ground until the truck is smashed into something hard (Another dodge roll everyone or suffer 1d3 damage). “BOOM” – another explosion is heard as you gather yourself and try to stand. Then, a loud whistle and another explosion, sounds like a missile was launched, moments pass and a gunfire battle can be heard.
The door is open!
Says Kevin, one of the prisoners you are familiar with that sat with you in the truck. He kicks the back door of the truck open and jumps outside. He scans the surrounding with panic.
The convoy was ambushed … Jesus Christ, mutants, run for your life!
He calls in panic and helps Natasha, a nurse with a bleeding bruise on her forehead to step down into the forest floor. You are 100 meters from the road, the truck rushed through the forest before smashing into a large oak tree. On the road, you spot some trucks on fire and other completely destroyed. The German soldiers’ truck was not struck and the soldiers came out to battle the mutants. The turrets are programed to fire on anyone who is not dressed in the German uniform in a time of crisis or combat.
We must escape, into the forest.
Says Kevin.
If the German soldiers will die, god will save our soul if the mutants will chase us, we have no chance. Flee!
With that, He, Natasha and another man known as Jeffrey, a past farmer begin to run south.

[Mr. Handy]

Liz Penhaligon is thrown across the truck when it swerves around the bend. Then she shrieks as she is flung forward when it crashes, slamming headfirst into the compartment partition! Dazed, she staggers to her feet. "I'll take my chances with mutants being out there," she says, scrambling out of the truck. "They can't possibly be any worse than the Gestapo!" She shivers, though she would have done the same if it had been July rather than November, as she hurries after the others at a run.

OOC,Ouch! That didn't start out too well. :cry:

[Papa Gateau]

Dodging and diving,Dodge[60]: http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4616348/ = 20 & 70 Damage: http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4616351/ = 1

Frog jumps out of the way as the truck veers, quickly getting to his feet before being thrown forward towards the bulkhead. He lands heavily onto the pretty inmate he had surreptitiously been eyeing earlier, her body cushioning what would have been a more bruising impact .

He mumbles a quick apology before noticing the doors are open. He clambers over some of the still dazed prisoners and leaps towards freedom.

Once out, he quickly heads towards to the drivers cab.

OOC,Assuming the driver is dead/unconscious/incapacitated I want to try and take the his uniform (at the least his coat/jacket) and a sidearm or weapon if he has one.

[Dave Syrinx]

The roller coaster ride ends with Roland cutting his right elbow on something sharp on the floor. At the bombardment of the convoy, he tried to get as low as possible, hitting the floor at first notion of trouble. Sometimes it pays being... a bit on the safe side. Watching the three friends run off in the woods - not drawing any fire, he decides it's safe to scramble after them. Jeff, Tash and Kevin looks good enough, only Tash actually looks injured. That needs looking to. Liz on the other hand took a brutal blow - quick as a cat she was off as well. When Roland gets out of the tuck to follow Liz he sees Frog veering right towards the cab door.

Hesitant, Roland decides to stay put hiding by the bulk of the truck - waiting for Frog in case he needs any help. "I wait for ya, mate!"

While waiting, he checks the guys still in the truck. If there're any fatally injured prisoners he'll strip off one or two reflective overalls to be used as decoys in case of a pursuit. If any are well enough to walk, he'll hoist him or her up to drag to safety.

"Better hustle, mate!" comments to the cab.

[royya]

Eight prisoners were in the truck, as you leave the truck, only poor Billy, a 17 years old champ is lying on the truck's floor lifeless, his neck snapped. The others took a chance and fled (Kevin, Natasha, Jeffrey and Liz) south and into the dense forest - twisted oak, maple and black poplar trees. The forest floor is home to shrubs and long and probably radiation infected types of flowers and fungus.

Roland sees Frog rush to the cabin, it is a mess over there, broken glass and twisted metal everywhere and the front is completely smashed. Both German soldiers are pinned to the dashboard and their heavy seats like a pastrami in a sandwich, their bodies are broken and their faces are ruined. It is impossible to free them and take their cloth without heavy machinery to free the bodies.

Frog,What Frog do find at first glance on the closet dead soldier is a pistol [Luger, 1d10 damage, range 20m, 8 bullets, 2 attack per round], it is tucked into the man's belt and can be removed easily.

.

[Dave Syrinx]

Roland quickly unbuttons the overall and frees Billy´s shoulders. Then pulls the legs of the suit to free it. He makes a bundle of it and hops out the truck. Waiting for Frog, he rubs his back against the dirt on the ground, making him less of a target. That's the plan, anyway.

"Need help?"

[Mr. Handy]

Liz struggles to keep up with her fellow inmates, her lungs burning with the effort, sweat glistening on her blood-streaked brow. Her legs churn furiously as she tries to put as much distance between herself and the battle as possible. She longs to stop and tend to her wounds - and those of Natasha, who also looks to be in bad shape - but it isn't safe here. I'll stop when the others do, she thinks.

[Papa Gateau]

Frog spends a few seconds vainly trying to pull the driver from the cab but quickly realises the futility of the task.

Glancing down he sees the driver's pistol and quickly pockets it and any spare clips he can find.

He looks back at Roland

Nah mate, I'm good. Let's get the fuck out of here eh? he jerks his thumb in the direction that the other escapees took and starts to run in that direction.

[Dave Syrinx]

"Yeah, let's leg it." Roland replies and hurries after the gang who's scattered in the woods.

[royya]

Frog and Roland quickly reach the four as the others progress much slower due to age and wounds. Running turns to a quick pace walking as you breathe heavily. It is hard to run in the forest. Your best guess is somewhere between 1 to 2 km away from the incident back on the former M4 route. The gunfire battle long faded, is it because of the distance or one side was victorious?
A trail! A dirt trail!

Kevin says and points forward. You see a cleared narrow path, enough for a motorcycle but probably in the past was wider. The path stretches from your right to your left. Right is to the west and the unknown and left is to probably in the direction of London but since the skies are covered with heavy blanket of clouds you can’t really tell. (Navigate roll to those of want to try their luck)

Maybe it’s leading somewhere? We must rest, find shelter, food and water, we don’t want to be caught in the forest at night, starved and thirsty, we’ll sure die in a day or two.
Jeffrey says and looks on the ground, trying to find any footprints but clearly the man is untrained. (track rolls if you want)
Looks like an unused trail.

[Dave Syrinx]

"Take it easy, mate. We're bound to find somewhere to hole out." As Roland takes a second to catch his breath, he realizes that it won't be an easy task to find shelter. "It's head or tails, I can't tell which is the best bet."

The November chill sinks in to his bones and he glances at Tash. "Need an extra layer, huh? Keeps the cold away, for sure. They are known for drawing fire..." "I'd suggest we move away from the city, and try our luck with some farm or something. A barn should be safe, right? Just keep on moving, yes? We just need to create a false trail in the other direction. Then double back and head away from the big L. Left should be our path."

[royya]

Our outfit will start to glow bright orange after night falls. we'll become glowing targets to flying robots and patrols
Kevin says

Natasha takes the second outfit Roland hands her.
Thanks. I'll be OK, it's just a big bruise. I'm a trained nurse, I need a mirror and a medkit to badge myself but I can wait.

Any bets? right? left?
Kevin says, clearly, not wanting to become the leader figure that will be responsible

[Mr. Handy]

The blow to her head has made Liz dizzy, but she still knows exactly where they are. She cannot find any tracks, however. "I got a woogy on the noggin," she mumbles, smiling at Natasha, "but I think I'll be okay once you've treated me. I'm not a nurse, but I know a bit about fixing people as well as machines. We won't need a mirror if we patch each other up. And I've got a pretty good idea where we are and where this trail might lead."

[Papa Gateau]

Kev's right - we need to ditch these clothes, soon as!

Sounds like the fightin' 'as stopped - why don' I sneak back, see how it sorted it itself out, try and snatch a few uniform jackets or coats and the like. Keep us warm and hidden at the same time?

By the time I get back you will 'ave worked out which way we should go.

[royya]

It will take you time and it is too risky and I think she knows where to go, right ?
Jeffrey says and nods to Liz
Yes, if they will catch you you are doomed. The penalty is death, don't count on them, both sides are bad, you'll be tortured.
Natasha adds.
I heard stories in the camp's clinic I worked in.

Liz,You face the south. left is east and right is west. No signs

[Mr. Handy]

Liz flinches and shudders at the mention of torture. Her own ordeal was some time ago, but it is still fresh and raw in her mind, and it still gives her nightmares. It had been the worst thing that had ever happened to her, and the thought of it happening again terrifies her more than anything else. It is all she can do to keep from sobbing as she relives her pain and horror. "The stories are true," she says, shaking visibly. She quickly changes the subject back to their surroundings, which helps her to stop dwelling on it. "We're facing south. That means the trail heads east to the left, towards London, and west to the right, back towards Bristol. In addition to food and water, we need to find shelter before it gets dark. Without a roof over our heads, our glowing suits will give us away. New clothes will help too. To get those, we'll need to find other people. If we can reach a large city, we can blend in and disappear more easily. London would be ideal for that, but they'd expect us to head that way."

[royya]

I know that there are many communities around the M4, we can find shelter over there. we are but simple prisoners, best guess they will think we are dead or captured.
I say we take the left route to London, we can blend in Churchill's town.
Kevin says.
I'm with Kevin
Natasha replies as she leans on the man's arm.
Jeffrey waits but looks nervously back.
We should hurry before the mutants will storm the area

[Mr. Handy]

"Let's go, then," says Liz. "I'm rather keen to see London. My mum and dad were born there, but they were evacuated to Ireland when they were children, right before the war. They later got shipped back to the UK. Perhaps I'll find them there, somewhere."

[Papa Gateau]

Right then London it is - but lets try and ditch these clothes and get some new clobber adds Frog

[royya]

You fasten pace along the trail to the east, luckily, due to the cold weather, you don’t sweat a lot and the thirst is not troubling you…yet. [Track rolls for those who want]

Dense forest, filled with gloomy flowers and dark, some thorny, bushes are all around you, you can walk off trail if you desire but then you risk getting lost. There are no sounds of land animals or birds but the occasional buzzing of insects and the winds blowing through the trees. If not for the not-glowing-yet laborer outfit, your body temperature would clearly dropped. It starting to get colder and your best guess is that and hour or more is left before the sun sets down.

You reach a trail fork. There is an old rusted metal sign thrown on the trail with fading letters that read “Hu---vil-- Co-pe- Mine” Another rusted sign below it read “Priva—property, DO N—EN—R”. Both signs are old and probably pre war. There is no arrow or clue indicating where the mine is located and which trail of the two leads to it but a rusted iron pole that held the signs in the past and now covered with bushes and some rotten planks of wood that probably used as a barrier. [Spot Hidden rolls]
Shelter?
Jeffrey says with hope