IC-Get to the Choppa!(Wallace/Bo/Helicopter Group)

[Mr. Handy]

Z-Day - 9:33:24 AM Mountain Daylight Time - On I-80 East
On the highway-
"I'm not really good at first aid, no," said Wallace to Jim. "I can try, I guess. Usually I just try not to get hurt. That didn't work out so well for me, though."

"We can't go off road in these vehicles," said Bo, "especially not the truck. We can't afford to get bogged down. I wouldn't want to try running anyone over in the cruiser. The truck is better at that, but I think the best bet is not to hit anyone at all if we can help it. We should let the truck pull ahead of us for now and follow in its wake. I see 'em too." Stephanie also saw them, in spite of her tears.

As the vehicles drove further, there were two massive explosions behind them in rapid succession, coming from the direction of the T-Bone. Columns of orange and black flame rose up in the distance that way. The radio crackled to life just as Bo reached for the microphone with the voice of Erica Spears: "What the hell was that?!" she cried. "There was some sort of explosion in the direction I'm heading! I'm still about twelve minutes out from Brownson, so it must be huge if I can see it from here. Just what am I flying into?! Uh, Over."

OOC,[b]Wallace[/b]'s Spot Hidden roll (45% skill) on the highway: [dice]0[/dice] [b]Bo[/b]'s Spot Hidden roll (56% skill) on the highway: [dice]1[/dice] [b]Stephanie[/b]'s Spot Hidden roll (66% skill) on the highway: [dice]2[/dice] [b]Bob[/b]'s Spot Hidden roll (70% skill) on the highway: [dice]3[/dice] Both the cruiser and the truck can communicate with [b]Erica Spears[/b] through their radios, as well as with each other. [b]Brigetta[/b], your actions are fine. You're still temporarily insane for the next seven rounds, and your indefinite insanity will only kick in after that ends. I'll let you know what you've got when that happens. :twisted:

[Silver Priest]

Sean nods, the plan sounding reasonable.

The explosions startles him, so much so he almost fires his gun, but he holds his fire for the moment. "Damnit! Those skinheads had a bomb ready to go on the pumps, I bet they fired it off. I knew I should have killed the rest of them! Nothing to do about it now though, we need to reach the helicopter."

Surprisingly, Sean had never seen Predator.

[aine]

"The helicopter! Much better by air; the animals can't get us up there; they're infected you know; disease carriers. Much better in the air; cleaner. Those people may be diseased too; we mustn't stop; must reach Omaha." Dr Haussmann grips the headrest in front of her striving to see ahead and trying to move the cruiser faster by willpower alone.

[Starspawn338]

Jim grabs the mike and speaks to Erica.
"This is Jim. We have the fuel and are on our way to Brownstown. The explosion you saw was from the truck stop behind us. A couple truck loads of skinheads attacked and blew up the gas pumps. We had to fight our way out but we are on schedule for our meet. Over."

Then to Wallace. "It looks like the cruiser is pulling over to let us go first. Probably because we can power through any obstacles better than they can."

[Mr. Handy]

9:33:36 AM
On the highway-
"Roger that," replied Erica. "Just make sure none of them follow you. I'm not exactly heavily armed here. I sure hope you guys are. Over and out."

"Wallace, we got four unknowns on foot coming toward us," said Bo on the radio. "I'm gonna let you pull ahead and take the lead for now. See if you can squeeze between them, and I'll follow. If they turn out to be infected, you may need to run one of them down to get past, but it's a lot easier in the truck than in my cruiser."

Bo pulled into the westbound lane temporarily to let Wallace pass him, dropping behind the truck and following in its wake. Soon enough, the four figures in the road ahead were visible to everyone, their eyes filled with red fury. Wallace expertly threaded the needle between them, but one of the people that he nearly hit stumbled right in front of the patrol car and was clipped by the corner, causing the cruiser to skid. Behind them, the infected people had turned around and were now staggering after them.

OOC,[b]Wallace[/b]'s Sanity roll (current level 58) for seeing the zombies: [dice]0[/dice] [b]Bo[/b]'s Sanity roll (current level 56) for seeing the zombies: [dice]1[/dice] [b]Wallace[/b]'s Drive Truck roll (55% skill) passing the zombies: [dice]2[/dice] [b]Bo[/b]'s Drive Auto roll (70% skill) passing the zombies: [dice]3[/dice] Damage to cruiser: [dice]5[/dice] [b]Bo[/b]'s Trouble Table roll: [dice]4[/dice] [b]Jim[/b], please roll Sanity for seeing the zombies. Sanity loss is 1/1D8, but you have already lost 4 Sanity for seeing zombies, so any loss of more than 4 counts as 4 instead. You cannot go temporarily insane. Everybody else has either already lost the maximum of 8 Sanity for seeing zombies and is used to them or has already rolled above.

[Silver Priest]

"Woah!" Sean says in surprise as the cruiser began to skid.

"Get us out of here! They're coming!" He says to Bo. If possible he leans out the window and takes a shot at the nearest one.

rifle 60%,[dice]0[/dice] hit location [dice]1[/dice] damage [dice]2[/dice]

[Starspawn338]

OOC,Sanity 79 [dice]0[/dice] Sanity Loss 1 Current Sanity 78

Jim stares at the staggering creatures as they drive past. He still can't understand why it's happening but he figures he doesn't need to understand, he just needs to keep doing his job and right now, that's getting the scientists and the fuel to Brownstown.

[Mr. Handy]

9:34 AM
On the highway-
Sean leaned out the window and fired his rifle at one of the zombies. His shot was very wide, and he would have missed even if the cruiser had not been skidding at the time he took the shot. Bo expertly corrected for the skid and regained control of the car. Then he drove past the truck and took the lead once more. Soon they had left the infected far behind. They were now about a mile east of the T-Bone.

OOC,[b]Bo[/b]'s Drive Auto roll (70 - 20 = 50% skill) to correct the skid: [dice]0[/dice] Everyone, please roll Spot Hidden. The base skill is 25%.

[Silver Priest]

Sean curses, but thankfully Bo was a good enough driver to regain control of the car. He reloads, never knowing when that one shot would make a difference.

"It's alright," He tells the scientists. "They're gone now. No way they catch us in this."

Spot Hidden 39%,[dice]0[/dice]

[aine]

"Did you see their eyes?! Looks like a brain infection, contagious too. Capacity for motor skills reduced. Do they attack to pass on the infection or are they just hungry. Do they need to eat- dead already. What happens to a hungry zombie does it stop eventually? We must start taking notes!" Dr Haussmann fumbles in her bag for a notebook. She seems oblivious to the careering cruiser.

Spot hidden,25% [dice]0[/dice]

[Starspawn338]

OOC,Spot Hidden 56 [dice]0[/dice]

Jim tries to stay vigilant but as they pull away from the zombies on the road, he feels the pain in his ass again.

[Mr. Handy]

9:35 AM
On the highway-
Bob was the first to come to his senses. He looked at the road ahead and gulped. "There's a turnoff coming up soon," he said. "Looks like that goes to Brownson. Hope so, anyway. There's a pileup on the road we're on some distance past there, and there's a large mob of those...things heading this way from there. I think we can get off the highway before they reach the turnoff, if we're fast enough."

"I see them too!" cried Stephanie, drying her eyes. "What if we don't get past them in time? Maybe we should turn around and take a different route."

OOC,[b]Wallace[/b]'s Spot Hidden roll (45% skill) on the highway: [dice]0[/dice] [b]Bo[/b]'s Spot Hidden roll (56% skill) on the highway: [dice]1[/dice] [b]Stephanie[/b]'s Spot Hidden roll (66% skill) on the highway: [dice]2[/dice] [b]Bob[/b]'s Spot Hidden roll (70% skill) on the highway: [dice]3[/dice]

Dr. Brigetta Hausmann,[b]Brigetta[/b] realized that she was humanity's last, best hope. She had to reach Omaha and finish her mission successfully at all costs. While others may die in the effort, she knew that this was outweighed by the greater good. Only she had to survive no matter what, in order to save the human race. Everyone else was expendable.

[Silver Priest]

"There's no time for that," Sean says vehemently. "And there's no guarantee anywhere else would be any smoother. Bo, go as fast as you feel you can while retaining control. We need to beat them to that turnoff."

[aine]

Keeper,No pressure then! :)

Dr Haussmann suddenly seems more aware of her surroundings and looks up from her hastily scribbled notes,
"Sean's right. We've got to make that turn before they do, even if we have to cut the corner; I have to get to Omaha." She looks out of the window.
"I think I know what's causing this. And I have an idea about a cure too. But I've got to get to that lab."

[Starspawn338]

"Thank you for driving the truck. We wouldn't have even had a shot at getting to Brownstown without your help." Jim says to Wallace. "If push comes to shove, do you think a rig like this can push through or over a mob of zombies?"

[Mr. Handy]

9:36 AM
On the highway-
"This rig's sturdy," said Wallace. "I might be able to run down one or two of them without much problem, but it would be harder to run through a mob. Let's hope it's not necessary."

"This is Erica Spears," came the helicopter pilot's voice on the radio. "I'm ten minutes out of Brownson, but I'm just a little too short on fuel to make it all the way. I can probably make it to about a mile northeast of it. I'll try to set down on the road, but you'll have to meet me halfway."

Bo pressed the pedal to the floor and reached the off-ramp just as the mob did. The badly injured people were still somehow ambulatory, their eyes red and their arms outstretched. Bo clipped another one just as he turned off the highway, further denting the car's hood and causing another skid. Wallace managed to slip between a couple of the infected and made it off the highway.

OOC,[b]Jim[/b], please roll Sanity for seeing the zombies. Sanity loss is 1/1D8, but since you've already lost 5 Sanity from seeing zombies, any loss of more than 3 counts as 3 instead. [b]Brigetta[/b] and [b]Sean[/b] are used to them and do not need to roll. [b]Bo[/b]'s Drive Auto roll (70% skill) to reach the turnoff first: [dice]0[/dice] Damage to [b]Bo[/b]'s cruiser from collision: [dice]3[/dice] Trouble table roll: [dice]4[/dice] [b]Wallace[/b]'s Drive Truck roll (55% skill) to reach the turnoff first: [dice]1[/dice] [b]Erica Spears[/b]'s Luck roll (70% stat) to see if she has enough fuel: [dice]2[/dice]

[Silver Priest]

Sean smiled, pleased that Brigetta thought he was right. She was the smartest woman on the planet, and he knew he would do anything for her.

His fantasies were interrupted by the car hitting yet another of the infected and begin to spin out of control once again. "Get us steady!" He yells at Bo.

[aine]

Brigetta hangs on grimly as the cruiser bumps over the verge and past the strange pedestrians.
"Stephanie, if I don't make it for some reason, you've got to get my notebook to the lab. Unfortunately the specifics of the cure are still in my head but I've got the gist down in my notes and written a few ideas for formulae; they may at least point someone in the right direction. Given time." She looks doubtful however.

[Starspawn338]

OOC,Sanity 78 [dice]0[/dice] Sanity loss 1 Current Sanity 77

"This is Erica Spears," came the helicopter pilot's voice on the radio. "I'm ten minutes out of Brownson, but I'm just a little too short on fuel to make it all the way. I can probably make it to about a mile northeast of it. I'll try to set down on the road, but you'll have to meet me halfway."

Jim grabs the mike and responds. "Roger that. We're on the road to you now. We've seen some infected on the road so be careful where you land. Over."

[Mr. Handy]

9:37 AM
On the road-
The patrol car skidded down the off ramp, and it scraped against the guardrail before Bo was able to bring it back under control. However, smoke began to come out of the engine, and the car gradually began to lose speed. "Oh, that's not good," he muttered. He managed to make it as far as a spur that led to Brownson before the car stopped completely. The truck pulled up behind them.

"I'd need to bring your computer too, of course," said Stephanie. "That's where you've done most of your work. I really hope you make it, but I'll carry on your work if the worst happens. None of us knows what we're really capable of doing until the moment comes."

"This is Trooper Bo Richards," said Bo over the radio. "We're on State Spur 517A, right near Brownson, I got some engine trouble after I hit a couple of the infected, and the car conked out. I'm going to see if we can fix it. The truck with the fuel can still make it even if we can't. Over."

"If you can keep going, follow the spur north," replied Erica. "I'll try to land on the spur somewhere between the old SIoux Army Depot and Brownson. If you go about a mile or so, that should be good enough. Over."

"Roger that," said Bo. "My passengers and I can proceed on foot if necessary, but let's hope it's not. Over."

"I'm best at fixing helicopters," said Bob, "but I should be able to manage a car."

OOC,[b]Bo[/b]'s Sanity roll (current level 55) for seeing the zombies: [dice]0[/dice] [b]Bo[/b]'s Sanity loss (maximum of 4): [dice]3[/dice] [b]Bo[/b]'s Drive Auto roll (70% - 20[skid] = 50% skill) to correct the skid: [dice]1[/dice] Trouble Table roll: [dice]2[/dice] [b]Brigetta[/b]. please roll Luck. Anyone who wants to try to fix the car, please roll Mechanical Repair. The base skill is 20%.