Episode 2

[Tori]

Perception [dice=20+1]

Bernie rummaged in his pack for a canteen taking a good drink before relaxing a bit. He continued to watch the buzzards, the horizon and the houses for the approaching company, or for any signs of trouble.

"Outstanding. Those individuals showed what one motivated Marine and his rifle can do. And before you ladies leave my Island, you will all be able to do the same thing." He allowed himself a laugh.

"No Bobbie, there's a little more to it than video games. There's safety, using the sights, loading and unloading, jams, carrying the weapon, hitting what you aim at, and the always-difficult job of a headshot. Then there's cleaning and maintenance. Soldiers are issued their weapons a full three weeks before they actually learn to shoot them. They spend a good three or four weeks learning to shoot before they have the most basic of proficiency with their weapons. We'll see if we can't find some .22's and let you do some plinking. In the mean time, why not work out with Ol' Blue?" Bernie points to his BB gun.

"It looks like a toy, but it's not loud, and doesn't waste valuable ammo. An untrained person with a weapon is probably as dangerous to the living as a zombie. We've seen lots of friendly fire since we left California."

Keying his mic, Bernie said, "Washington copies Patriot. Out."

He looked over to Anna, his keen-eyed bodyguard and defender. "Talk to me, Goose. The view's nice, so if there is anyone to see, we'll see them coming from a long ways off. What's your take?"[rand=753808502324612219514465704609985932217407598739924907305229643395]

[foxx]

Joe gives a nervous chuckle at Bobbie antics and promises himself to be on the other side of him when he opens fire with anything with a bullet in it. Bernie and Anna look like the knew their way around guns, fricking miltiary and all. The younger members he could give a break too because they were learnign the hard way after a catasthrope. Joe is grateful he decided to join the Army, it really was helping out in these dark days.

Joe walks towards Bernie position, trying not to look excited by the movement in the house.

"Just spotted someone in the house to the south." Joe said. "Looks like they gave us a quick once over."

Perception: [dice=20]

[rand=627054073525895479202232214064741245990428968573007867373745163553]

[Tori]

"Sounds like living people. Geeks would bust through the window to get some fresh meat. Maybe we ought to go trick or treating... Make a few friends... Maybe then they are bushwhackers, and I don't want a sniper rifle trained at your head or mine."

Bernie looked to Bobbie. "Better give me that scatter gun back for right now. We'll walk in and say 'Hi.' We'll knock on the door like a bunch of Jehovas witnesses."

He took another bite of pitas and hummus.

"The Army is about an hour away. Let's scope the south house, or let's clean it out... We all go, yeah?"

[Mierin]

Anna nods at Bernie, "I also saw some movement inside the house to the south. Lookedl ike someone pulled aside one of the curtains for a few moments then released it." When Bernie suggests checkign the house out, Anna nods and adds "With caution. Even if it's living in there, they may be a might twitchy by now and shoot first and ask questions later." Anna realizes Bernie knows this, but feels compelled to say it anyway.

[sellsword]

At the mention of movement Bryan scans the area with his binoculars.looking at the house and immediate area."im guessing they've seen us already."He hands the binoculars off to Bobbi so he can look also."if i were them id be hoping we just rolled on,but they"ve had plenty of time to set something up if we didnt."Bryan looks over to Anna and Bernie,"Maybe its not best that we all go walking up on a possible fortified position.""And if those army boys get here and arent all handshakes and smiles id hate to get stuck between a rock and a hardplace.""Maybe im being to cautious but shouldnt one of us stay back with the vehicles?keep an ear on the radio and whatnot?"

[Tori]

"Mac, you walk and talk like you were in the service. And Anna? I know your story... It's been a while for me, but tell me, Military 101 does say minimize variables and control the situation, right?

"I say we investigate and clear the house, since we know something, or someone is in there. That way, when the Army rolls up, no dill-headed retro-cultist suicide bomber spoils the occasion, or a sniper assassinates us. Hell, could be some old coot has his family of 15 chained up in the garage after they turned. It's probably a couple of kids, but we need to be sure."

He listened to Bryan and finished his hummus with a grimace, sorry to be out. "It doesn't look that well fortified, with windows and curtains. We should certainly check that possibility out with a little recon, but that place would go up like a tinderbox from one Molotov cocktail. I admire your caution, but I have that Scoobie Doo instinct that very bad things happen to Scoob and Shag when they stay behind to guard the Mystery Machine.

"We can better protect ourselves as a team. Besides, in this big flat desert, we're going to hear diesel engines used in deuce-and-a-halves and humvees from miles away. The army shows up, we can meet them, and leave a few at the house if we need to keep hardpointing it. Our coms are mobile, so they can come with us.

"And if the Captain has gone warlord with that army, he night just have a couple of snipers in that house, waiting to take kill shots on us. We need intel, and this scene is unsecured and uncontrolled."

Bernie sketched a rough shape of the house. "Alright, tell me what you see. Ways in, ways out. Do they do basements around here, what about attics? If we have to get in, how do we get out? Bryan, take a look at the house and tell me what they could fortify, being just regular people.

"Robbo, you're my breecher, Find me four ways in and out.

"Patty, who lived here? If you don't know, who does?

"Everyone else, look for intel. What would the living do for food in that house? Where do they get water? Are there school bus stops nearby? Where do they put their trash? Look for spent rifle casings, the brass will still be shiny. Footprints. None of us are Gus Grissom from CSI, but there's some obvious stuff to look for."

Bernie took another swig of water, draining his canteen so it wouldn't slosh, and wishing he had a proper camel pack.

"We'll take a casual walk around the house. Anyone looks out, we smile and wave. Keep weapons pointed at the ground. After we take a walk around, we all go up to the front yard, and ask the occupants to come out. We offer shelter, chow, clean water, medical care and free HBO and Showtime, with porno on pay-per-view. Watch the rear and the flanks. Geeks? We let them come to us and take them down with melee weapons. Herd? We fire. Diesel engines, we run as a team back to the roadblock and defend it. You see a weapon? Shoot.

"Let's discuss, alternatives, otherwise, glass that house, and let's be ready to check it out in two mikes, uh, I mean minutes."

Bernie's surgeon mode was to take order, delegate assignments, and proceed with the procedure. But he was also a listener, and respected alternate ideas. For right now, his thought process was neutralize one unknown, before a second, and potentially deadly unknown arrived.

[sellsword]

"Strength in numbers ,i get it." But id rather error on the side of caution,he thinks to himself as he gives Bernie a halfhearted smile.He would of felt better had the place looked more fortified but the fact it didnt this close to the highway bothered him,who or whatever was in there didnt want it to look like it.Wich to him meant either keep moving theres nothing here to see,or come on over and check us out we got room on the chain for you."I know i was never in the army,but i dont think we should assume there just regular people,6 of us and half are trained.just saying"Taking the Binoculars back from Bobbi he scans the area again 'I don't see any vehicles,but I cant really see the back from this vantage point." Putting his canteen and Binoculars back in his pack he retrieves his flashlight,walkie-talkie and prybar then stowes the pack in the SUV.Tightening his shoulder holster and adjusting his cap he grins "im ready".
[dice=20] perception
[rand=231950375251472508991101756691945114536024630075319806765764952]

[achsaber]

perception for the area[dice=20]
perception for the house[dice=20]

Rob moves away from the jeep"No problem I'm going to take a little stroll around this place then."
Rob will try to stay away from the house as he makes a quick trip around it look for doors and a basement hatch.If I spot anything wrong I head right back ASAP to report to Bernie.[rand=0154006550335157310713996532177554327762274686765969607991410670287]

[Tori]

"Patty, better keep an eye on him..." He winced as Rob trotted off without his battle buddy.

"Everyone else, remember the buddy system. Nobody goes off on their own. Anna, prepare to give him some cover if he needs it."

Bernie clicked his shotgun off safe, and readied it if a sniper tried to take a pot at his breacher.

[sellsword]

Bryan looks to the group then to Rob,slings his shotgun and heads after the young football star.Not quite running Not quite walking,but keeping a pace that will allow him to catch up.He refrains from calling out after him instead hoping his footfalls will alert him to his presence.Catching up he flashes a smile and lets Rob lead the way.

[dice=20]perception[rand=44023296423256456257672980427746954929307103157837969334796071]

[brianfenris]

GM POST

Bobbie begrudgingly hands back Bernie's shotgun, frowning fiercely to be stuck again with his little pink pistol again. “I think barman's got a point. One of us should hang back with the cars in case things get bad. Since I don't got have a big gun like you guys, I'll stay. Mac can buddy up with barman.”

Patty nods to Bernie and trots off after Rob, racking a round into her shotgun as she goes but keeping her finger off the trigger to prevent and accidental firing of the weapon.

As the rest of the group watches, the trio circles the house. You see the single story house is in good shape, except that some of the windows have been smashed out, leaving gaping black holes with dirty curtains blowing in the desert wind. We really gets your attention is the back door, its wood frame broken and splintered from where someone kick it in; right now the door is pushed to but you can see its open just a crack, possibly unable to be closed properly. Outside the house are several large bushes that started to grow wild and an empty car port with a tumble weed caught against a support.

For the trio, you do not see any movement inside the house from the outside.

[Tori]

Perception [dice=20+1]

"Hombre, escuchame..." Bernie learned some pidgin Spanish to communicate with latino patients. Every doctor in LA had a few phrases to get a patient's attention.

"The only thing we've seen moving in eight miles are those buzzards, and whomever or whatever is in that house." Bernie presses a button on his key fob, and his Land Rover makes a woop-woop as if a car is arming a theft alarm.

"Zack is not going to fuck with our cars, they want dinner. That's us. And they'll keep coming on until they dig into your drumstick. The worst we have to worry about is a few crawlers creeping up in the weeds. If we have a bandit problem, they are army rangers in ghille suits, and we are already surrounded. If they've fortressed that house as an ambush point, we fall back and use Mac's truck as a bulldozer. If this Army team is striking, we'll hear their victors, I mean vehicles, for a few before they hit the cordon. The main thing is we stick together. That's the golden rule.

"You'll get the shotgun back when the house is clear." Bernie looks to Anna inquisitively, seeking her advice.

"And if there is a geek in there? The Cochise Relay Team will pull them out, and we'll respond accordingly. If it is a state trooper zombie, we'll wait him out."

Bernie replaced his chips and hummus with sunflower seeds, chewing a few and spitting the hulls, MLB style. [rand=01335423909373079119263561826757970060020801102703693899542895409148]

[sellsword]

Once around back Bryan will start to whistle {when the saints come marching in}, as he looks through all the windows those with intact glass first.On the broken windows ill use a stick/branch to move curtains aside if need be(not sticking hands or head inside window),on the last broken window checked ill push the stick through to see if it illicits any noise or movement.If all goes well once this is completed ill move to a position where I can cover the back door.

[dice=20]initiative, just in case
[dice=20]perception[rand=5112234386649983962102197128348425036730155763185439514255663171]

[foxx]

"I don't really want to wait out a zombie, man. He's got more time on us than we do." Joe comments. He adjusts his grip on the shotgun and waits, rolling his neck to let the tension off. Standing out here in the hot Arizona sun wasn't one of things he plan for his day. Gathering supplies and maybe meeting a few friends, sure, but not cooking out here.

[Tori]

"Good point. We'll clean it out if we have to. Let's see what the scout team finds." Bernie chewed some more seeds and he waited for the team's report.