((Noah Whitley continued from Rolodex of Hate))
"Well, I was wrong. This place is emptier than Rush Limbaugh's head."
Noah sighed as he looked over the room. All the electronics had been cleaned out. He should have known that the terrorists would have made such a move. After all, anyone with some common sense here would try to go to the communications center to try and signal for help. Alas, the radio tower was bare and stripped of most of its working equipment.
Noah hadn't planned on going there. Shortly after he and the girls left the dorm, they could hear a faint ringing in the distance. Upon noticing the radio tower, he assumed it was possible the sound came from some speakers or some electronics inside. Maybe there was something they could use to flag down a passing ship or get their location out to a satellite. But unfortunately, that wasn't the case.
Noah rubbed his free hand through his hair, his other hand clutching Sawlaska tightly. This wasn't how he had hoped things would turn out. He made a lot of promises and platitudes towards Blair and Sandra, and he couldn't afford to look that foolish already. As it was, this detour was looking less and less promising. He wanted to ensure there was something to take out of it.
Noah spoke aloud again.
"Want to see if there's anything else useful here?"
Why Y'all Gagging?
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CondorTalon
- Posts: 479
- Joined: Wed Sep 05, 2018 6:17 am
((Sandra Dyer continued from Rolodex of Hate.))
This hadn't been part of the plan.
Of course, Sandra had agreed to take the detour when they'd heard the bell, even though she'd had her doubts. There was no way that the terrorists would leave any electronics on the island, especially not in what looked like a broadcast tower.
Who knew, though? Maybe she was wrong.
Naturally, she hadn't been wrong. There was nothing here.
Noah asked if they wanted to stay and find something useful.
"Maybe," Sandra said idly.
She sighed, and then felt the need to append to that statement.
"I mean... it's not like we're in a rush to go anywhere."
This hadn't been part of the plan.
Of course, Sandra had agreed to take the detour when they'd heard the bell, even though she'd had her doubts. There was no way that the terrorists would leave any electronics on the island, especially not in what looked like a broadcast tower.
Who knew, though? Maybe she was wrong.
Naturally, she hadn't been wrong. There was nothing here.
Noah asked if they wanted to stay and find something useful.
"Maybe," Sandra said idly.
She sighed, and then felt the need to append to that statement.
"I mean... it's not like we're in a rush to go anywhere."
((Blair Moore continued from Rolodex of Hate))
Blair could not care less that the plan was stupid.
Of course the terrorists weren't going to leave an easy way of contacting the outside just...sitting there! That would be awfully careless for an organization like this one to miss. You don't run murderfests five times without being clever enough to spot an obvious security breach.
Of course, she wouldn't bring this up to Noah. He was the one with the sawblade shuriken boomerang slingshot thing. Sawlaska Thunderfuck 5000 her ass. Still, best not to piss him off, especially if she still wanted someone around.
"Sure. Who knows, they might've missed something." Blair gave a wry grin. They hadn't missed anything, most likely. But again, playing nice with Noah was a priority.
Sandra seemed less keen on that front. She was just standing nearby, offering a half-assed reply. Hrm. That wasn't really Blair's problem, but she wondered what was on Sandra's mind that she was so distracted. It wasn't like they had their phones or anything.
"Sandra, you okay? You seem kinda down." She reached over to put a sympathetic hand on Sandra's shoulder. "We'll get through this, I'm sure." Ugh, could make Blair sick with that kind of sugary crap.
Blair could not care less that the plan was stupid.
Of course the terrorists weren't going to leave an easy way of contacting the outside just...sitting there! That would be awfully careless for an organization like this one to miss. You don't run murderfests five times without being clever enough to spot an obvious security breach.
Of course, she wouldn't bring this up to Noah. He was the one with the sawblade shuriken boomerang slingshot thing. Sawlaska Thunderfuck 5000 her ass. Still, best not to piss him off, especially if she still wanted someone around.
"Sure. Who knows, they might've missed something." Blair gave a wry grin. They hadn't missed anything, most likely. But again, playing nice with Noah was a priority.
Sandra seemed less keen on that front. She was just standing nearby, offering a half-assed reply. Hrm. That wasn't really Blair's problem, but she wondered what was on Sandra's mind that she was so distracted. It wasn't like they had their phones or anything.
"Sandra, you okay? You seem kinda down." She reached over to put a sympathetic hand on Sandra's shoulder. "We'll get through this, I'm sure." Ugh, could make Blair sick with that kind of sugary crap.
"Alright, I'll see if there's anything to use."
Noah left the girls by themselves and continued to search around the control room. It was bad enough that they didn't find anyway to signal for help, as well as that they didn't find the source of the ringing sound. Now he looked slightly foolish for assuming all these things. He had led these girls on with ideas of survival, and he was already proving to be pretty poor at it. This was his Geraldo Rivera in the Al Capone vault moment, and he needed to find something here.
Noah began to look through any cabinets and drawers. The terrorists really had cleaned this place out. It wasn't like he'd find a satellite phone or any caches of water, but there had to be something useful around here. He sighed to himself as he looked around and found very little.
It was then he heard a turning sound. He looked up and noticed a camera in the corner. He felt something sink to the bottom of his stomach. He forgot this was all being filmed. Normally, he liked being on camera, but it felt wrong this time. If it was like the last game, his family wouldn't know what happened to him until long after the game had ended. If they really wanted to, they could find the clips online and see his ultimate demise. He was horrified of the idea of any of them watching the footage.
"Um," he said, looking at the camera, "Mom, Dad, Grandma, Grandpa, Angie, Ella, if you're watching this...please don't. Please find something else to watch. Please don't watch me die."
Noah bit his lip and turned away. He felt like he was going to start crying, and he really didn't want his family to see him break down. He bit a little harder just in case.
Noah left the girls by themselves and continued to search around the control room. It was bad enough that they didn't find anyway to signal for help, as well as that they didn't find the source of the ringing sound. Now he looked slightly foolish for assuming all these things. He had led these girls on with ideas of survival, and he was already proving to be pretty poor at it. This was his Geraldo Rivera in the Al Capone vault moment, and he needed to find something here.
Noah began to look through any cabinets and drawers. The terrorists really had cleaned this place out. It wasn't like he'd find a satellite phone or any caches of water, but there had to be something useful around here. He sighed to himself as he looked around and found very little.
It was then he heard a turning sound. He looked up and noticed a camera in the corner. He felt something sink to the bottom of his stomach. He forgot this was all being filmed. Normally, he liked being on camera, but it felt wrong this time. If it was like the last game, his family wouldn't know what happened to him until long after the game had ended. If they really wanted to, they could find the clips online and see his ultimate demise. He was horrified of the idea of any of them watching the footage.
"Um," he said, looking at the camera, "Mom, Dad, Grandma, Grandpa, Angie, Ella, if you're watching this...please don't. Please find something else to watch. Please don't watch me die."
Noah bit his lip and turned away. He felt like he was going to start crying, and he really didn't want his family to see him break down. He bit a little harder just in case.
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CondorTalon
- Posts: 479
- Joined: Wed Sep 05, 2018 6:17 am
"I'm fine," Sandra said simply.
Well, it wasn't completely true, of course. Sandra was not fine. But really, could anyone call themselves fine in this situation? No, the only people who were 'fine' with this situation were probably already too far gone to reason with. In that sense, Sandra was glad that she was not 'fine' with the situation.
The situation at large, anyway.
Considering the circumstances, Sandra was about as okay as she could be, she guessed.
In that sense, she was 'fine'.
"I don't know if we'll find anything here, but..." she didn't finish that thought. She wasn't sure where that train of thought was going, so she dropped it.
She moved wordlessly to the control room to see if Noah had found anything, but stopped when she'd heard him talking. She'd only caught the tail end of his message, but that was enough.
'Please don't watch me die.'
Sandra paused. What were Mom and Dad thinking at this very moment? What about Eric and Michael?
She didn't want them to watch her, either. She didn't want them to watch her die. She didn't want them to watch her k-
...
Sandra turned to the door to the outside.
She sighed. It kept popping up, and Sandra wanted anything to stop it.
"Well, I guess I'm not exactly fine," she admitted, after a while, "But then again, is anyone really fine, in this situation?"
Well, it wasn't completely true, of course. Sandra was not fine. But really, could anyone call themselves fine in this situation? No, the only people who were 'fine' with this situation were probably already too far gone to reason with. In that sense, Sandra was glad that she was not 'fine' with the situation.
The situation at large, anyway.
Considering the circumstances, Sandra was about as okay as she could be, she guessed.
In that sense, she was 'fine'.
"I don't know if we'll find anything here, but..." she didn't finish that thought. She wasn't sure where that train of thought was going, so she dropped it.
She moved wordlessly to the control room to see if Noah had found anything, but stopped when she'd heard him talking. She'd only caught the tail end of his message, but that was enough.
'Please don't watch me die.'
Sandra paused. What were Mom and Dad thinking at this very moment? What about Eric and Michael?
She didn't want them to watch her, either. She didn't want them to watch her die. She didn't want them to watch her k-
...
Sandra turned to the door to the outside.
She sighed. It kept popping up, and Sandra wanted anything to stop it.
"Well, I guess I'm not exactly fine," she admitted, after a while, "But then again, is anyone really fine, in this situation?"
((Rene Wolfe continued from Wolfe Crossing))
The radio tower caught Rene's attention as soon as she saw it, and really, how could it not? It towered over everything else in the area, no pun intended, and looked pretty remarkable compared to the rusty, musty environment that surrounded it. Basically, it was cool, and she wanted to check it out. That was pretty much the extent of her motivations for going there. It really did look like the nicest piece of architecture she had seen thus far. Of course, considering its only real competition was a crusty old asylum and a rusty old bridge, that wasn't exactly a grand accomplishment.
As she approached, her attention wandered from the tower itself to the shack next to it. It didn't look too shabby, and she figured that it would be a nice place to crash for a little while. She wasn't in the mood to turn down some free shelter, after all. Hell, there might be some stuff inside that could be useful. Maybe some tools or a radio. If she was lucky, she might even be able to MacGyver up some kind of system to send out an SOS message and get some help to the island.
... Okay, the last example was probably never going to happen, but a girl can dream, can't she?
Rene walked up to the shack's entrance and pushed the door open, revealing that she was apparently not alone in thinking that the shack seemed like a nice place to stay. Having rudely upon and now staring down three ambiguously-armed classmates, she needed to say something. Maybe something witty to defuse the tension. Something to keep things from going too far south too quickly.
"Any good stations?"
Yeah, that might work.
The radio tower caught Rene's attention as soon as she saw it, and really, how could it not? It towered over everything else in the area, no pun intended, and looked pretty remarkable compared to the rusty, musty environment that surrounded it. Basically, it was cool, and she wanted to check it out. That was pretty much the extent of her motivations for going there. It really did look like the nicest piece of architecture she had seen thus far. Of course, considering its only real competition was a crusty old asylum and a rusty old bridge, that wasn't exactly a grand accomplishment.
As she approached, her attention wandered from the tower itself to the shack next to it. It didn't look too shabby, and she figured that it would be a nice place to crash for a little while. She wasn't in the mood to turn down some free shelter, after all. Hell, there might be some stuff inside that could be useful. Maybe some tools or a radio. If she was lucky, she might even be able to MacGyver up some kind of system to send out an SOS message and get some help to the island.
... Okay, the last example was probably never going to happen, but a girl can dream, can't she?
Rene walked up to the shack's entrance and pushed the door open, revealing that she was apparently not alone in thinking that the shack seemed like a nice place to stay. Having rudely upon and now staring down three ambiguously-armed classmates, she needed to say something. Maybe something witty to defuse the tension. Something to keep things from going too far south too quickly.
"Any good stations?"
Yeah, that might work.
Blair bit her lip uncomfortably as Noah started with what she anticipated to be plenty of waterworks. Sandra seemed to be upset too, but Blair wasn't paying as much attention to the other girl. Damn it, if she was going to tie herself with a guy for protection just to have him get all choked up, she could do better...Holy shit, what the hell? Was she some kind of sociopath? She'd barely been here for a few hours and she was already plotting like it was Survivor or something.
Like, okay. Sticking with someone for safety was one thing. That was just common sense. But she couldn't just ditch them when she decided they weren't suitable for her purposes. She wasn't some nefarious ne'er-do-well. The guy was scared to death, possibly literally, and here she was thinking about how useless he was? He's doing alright, given the situation. Not as bad as Blair, but she'd been through worse.
Besides, she hadn't even thought of her family. Miley, she could take or leave relationship wise, but her parents were probably so fucked up over this. And Blair was the one dying here! Now, Blair had no idea what Noah's family was like, but judging from the long list, he had it okay. Poor bastard.
"Hey, Noah-"
As soon as she tried to offer him some comfort, though, the door opened and some fat girl popped in. Okay, that was mean. But the girl was probably double tiny Blair's weight. Rene was in theater and something of a class clown, if Blair recalled. Not a likely thread unless she had a fucking bazooka.
"Nah, just some gospel shit." Blair said with unexpected comfort. In hindsight perhaps the religious jokes were best held off when talking to strangers, but fuck if Blair was going to let fear of imminent death censor her. "Rene, right?"
Like, okay. Sticking with someone for safety was one thing. That was just common sense. But she couldn't just ditch them when she decided they weren't suitable for her purposes. She wasn't some nefarious ne'er-do-well. The guy was scared to death, possibly literally, and here she was thinking about how useless he was? He's doing alright, given the situation. Not as bad as Blair, but she'd been through worse.
Besides, she hadn't even thought of her family. Miley, she could take or leave relationship wise, but her parents were probably so fucked up over this. And Blair was the one dying here! Now, Blair had no idea what Noah's family was like, but judging from the long list, he had it okay. Poor bastard.
"Hey, Noah-"
As soon as she tried to offer him some comfort, though, the door opened and some fat girl popped in. Okay, that was mean. But the girl was probably double tiny Blair's weight. Rene was in theater and something of a class clown, if Blair recalled. Not a likely thread unless she had a fucking bazooka.
"Nah, just some gospel shit." Blair said with unexpected comfort. In hindsight perhaps the religious jokes were best held off when talking to strangers, but fuck if Blair was going to let fear of imminent death censor her. "Rene, right?"
Crap. Did they hear him? Noah heard some movement behind him, but saw no one there. He let out a small groan and hit his temple with the palm of his hand. He didn't want to look that weak before the girls. He hoped he could get his little piece out before it went into Oscar bait territory, but now he had to contend with the idea that he didn't have as private a moment as he thought.
He walked back to the entrance of the control room when he heard a different voice.
Any good stations?
Noah's eyes widened. He peered out and saw Rene Wolfe standing there. He felt a smile grow on his face. Rene! One of the other comedians from Cochise. She was pretty funny, and they had bounced jokes off one another in the past. She was like the Rebel Wilson to his Anna Kendrick.
"Oh man, it's much worse than gospel here," he said in response to Blair's comment. "We're looking at an abandoned conservative talk radio station. I looked at the chair in the room, and it was molded with Alex Jones' ass print. It's a real hell house here."
Noah smiled at Rene. "But how are things going with you?"
He walked back to the entrance of the control room when he heard a different voice.
Any good stations?
Noah's eyes widened. He peered out and saw Rene Wolfe standing there. He felt a smile grow on his face. Rene! One of the other comedians from Cochise. She was pretty funny, and they had bounced jokes off one another in the past. She was like the Rebel Wilson to his Anna Kendrick.
"Oh man, it's much worse than gospel here," he said in response to Blair's comment. "We're looking at an abandoned conservative talk radio station. I looked at the chair in the room, and it was molded with Alex Jones' ass print. It's a real hell house here."
Noah smiled at Rene. "But how are things going with you?"
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CondorTalon
- Posts: 479
- Joined: Wed Sep 05, 2018 6:17 am
When the door opened and Sandra saw Rene standing there, she couldn't help but smile. She was about to say something, but both Blair and Noah got to it first, making jokes about their current situation.
Jokes. Yeah... Sandra could use some of those right now.
"Hey, Rene," she said, "Don't listen to these jokers. What we've got here is worse than both of those things combined."
"Country music..." she growled, in fake disgust.
"But it's good to see you. It's also good to see you haven't been taken by any wild animals. Like... bears. Or crazy classmates. Or Wolfes. Wolves."
"Whatever."
Jokes. Yeah... Sandra could use some of those right now.
"Hey, Rene," she said, "Don't listen to these jokers. What we've got here is worse than both of those things combined."
"Country music..." she growled, in fake disgust.
"But it's good to see you. It's also good to see you haven't been taken by any wild animals. Like... bears. Or crazy classmates. Or Wolfes. Wolves."
"Whatever."
Rene's smile turned into a toothy grin, and a fit of laughter escaped. Oh man, it felt good to be around people with a sense of humor again! "All right, all right. You got jokes." She said, putting her hands up. "Either that, or the terrorists in charge of this thing really need to fucking fire their communications guy, because he's got no taste."
It really was nice to be in the company of friends again. Noah and Sandra had always been awesome, and Blair... honestly, Rene didn't really know her too well, but she was probably cool too. If she could follow up on Rene's radio joke as quickly as she did, then she had to be all right.
"Okay, so you guys would not believe the day I've had so far." She said, putting her hands down and smirking. "I woke up on the ground right next to a bed, then met a cut-rate Nixon impersonator. The guy didn't even say 'I am not a crook'." She used air quotes to put emphasis on that last part. "It was a real disappointment. So anything like that happen to you guys?"
It really was nice to be in the company of friends again. Noah and Sandra had always been awesome, and Blair... honestly, Rene didn't really know her too well, but she was probably cool too. If she could follow up on Rene's radio joke as quickly as she did, then she had to be all right.
"Okay, so you guys would not believe the day I've had so far." She said, putting her hands down and smirking. "I woke up on the ground right next to a bed, then met a cut-rate Nixon impersonator. The guy didn't even say 'I am not a crook'." She used air quotes to put emphasis on that last part. "It was a real disappointment. So anything like that happen to you guys?"
And then everyone hopped onto Blair's joke to throw in their own variant. Typical.
Rene seemed to be in good spirits, though, and given her frankly surreal story, nothing too bad had happened to her. She also didn't look particularly threatening. She didn't seem to be armed, but then again, she had a big size advantage if she tried to use brute force on Blair.
Secretly, Blair wondered how long Rene's cheer would last here.
Cocking an eyebrow at the Nixon quote, Blair replied, "Nixon impersonator? Excuse me?" The lasy couple of words got gunked up partway up her esophagus. She cleared her throat and looked quizzically at Noah. "Do we have a Nixon impersonator in Kingman?"
Blair shook her head. "Whatever. You're okay though, I take it. I mean, not exactly shot up or anything."
Rene seemed to be in good spirits, though, and given her frankly surreal story, nothing too bad had happened to her. She also didn't look particularly threatening. She didn't seem to be armed, but then again, she had a big size advantage if she tried to use brute force on Blair.
Secretly, Blair wondered how long Rene's cheer would last here.
Cocking an eyebrow at the Nixon quote, Blair replied, "Nixon impersonator? Excuse me?" The lasy couple of words got gunked up partway up her esophagus. She cleared her throat and looked quizzically at Noah. "Do we have a Nixon impersonator in Kingman?"
Blair shook her head. "Whatever. You're okay though, I take it. I mean, not exactly shot up or anything."
Noah chuckled to himself. It was awesome that they had found one of the more jovial and good-spirited members of the student body this soon into the game. Maybe having another jokester around would keep morale up and keep them on the right track for the remainder of their time here. Noah sighed in relief. It could have been so much worse, and now his moment to the cameras seemed like a thing of the past.
Rene sure had a crazy story. Blair asked if there was a Nixon impersonator at Cochise, and he shook his head.
"No, no. The only crooks at Cochise are the administrators in charge of the budget, but that's beside the point," Noah said. "Not saying 'I'm not a crook' while playing Nixon is a goddamn travesty, and that impersonator should be ashamed. Ashamed I tell you!"
Noah chuckled.
"But no, we're good for now," Noah said. "I mean, some of us have had more unfortunate moments here so far, but overall we're not doing too badly. It sure as hell could be worse."
Rene sure had a crazy story. Blair asked if there was a Nixon impersonator at Cochise, and he shook his head.
"No, no. The only crooks at Cochise are the administrators in charge of the budget, but that's beside the point," Noah said. "Not saying 'I'm not a crook' while playing Nixon is a goddamn travesty, and that impersonator should be ashamed. Ashamed I tell you!"
Noah chuckled.
"But no, we're good for now," Noah said. "I mean, some of us have had more unfortunate moments here so far, but overall we're not doing too badly. It sure as hell could be worse."
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CondorTalon
- Posts: 479
- Joined: Wed Sep 05, 2018 6:17 am
"It sure as hell could be," Sandra said, repeating the last bit of Noah's statement.
Sandra looked around at everyone gathered in the room, then at the room itself.
"So the verdict is... yeah, there was nothing useful here," she said, "But hey, we found Rene, so in that sense I guess we could consider that a success, right?"
Well. A success for the 'finding friends' plan, anyway. Sandra's smile dropped slightly. They were going to hole up in the south, and Sandra probably wasn't going to join them. She dreaded that moment approaching, and wondered whether or not they should head out already.
"We..." she started, before pausing.
She cleared her throat.
"Never mind."
Sandra looked around at everyone gathered in the room, then at the room itself.
"So the verdict is... yeah, there was nothing useful here," she said, "But hey, we found Rene, so in that sense I guess we could consider that a success, right?"
Well. A success for the 'finding friends' plan, anyway. Sandra's smile dropped slightly. They were going to hole up in the south, and Sandra probably wasn't going to join them. She dreaded that moment approaching, and wondered whether or not they should head out already.
"We..." she started, before pausing.
She cleared her throat.
"Never mind."
"Seriously, I'm not making the part about the Nixon guy up." Rene insisted upon hearing the joking skepticism of the others. "The guy had a mask and everything. It's just too bad he didn't get the rest of the act right."
Now that she was inside, she took the opportunity to look around, not that there was much to see from her viewpoint. Just a radio station with some old junk lying around here and there, all of which had definitely seen better days. From the looks of things, nobody had attempted to send or receive anything resembling a radio signal from there in a long, long time. By proxy, this meant that her hopes of sending an SOS were pretty much dashed right there.
Well, shit.
"So let me get this straight." Rene held one hand in front of herself as she spoke. "What we're looking at here..." She waved her hand in a circular motion, gesturing to the area around her. "Is a whole lot of nothing, am I right?"
Now that she was inside, she took the opportunity to look around, not that there was much to see from her viewpoint. Just a radio station with some old junk lying around here and there, all of which had definitely seen better days. From the looks of things, nobody had attempted to send or receive anything resembling a radio signal from there in a long, long time. By proxy, this meant that her hopes of sending an SOS were pretty much dashed right there.
Well, shit.
"So let me get this straight." Rene held one hand in front of herself as she spoke. "What we're looking at here..." She waved her hand in a circular motion, gesturing to the area around her. "Is a whole lot of nothing, am I right?"
After a bit of joking around, they finally got to business. Blair was glad; on the one hand, it was nice to have a touch of brevity in the face of imminent doom. On the other hand, brevity wasn't good for being productive, and if Blair wanted to not die, she would need to be productive.
"Basically." Blair said with a shrug. "None of this crap works, so unless we find out someone on the trip had an electrical engineering degree, this is a dead end."
She turned back to look at Sandra. She'd been about to say something, but dismissed it. "Hey, Sandra." Blair said, cocking an eyebrow. "What were you saying a moment ago?" Blair knew as well as anyone that when someone said 'never mind', they were hiding something. And in this soon-to-be-hellhole, secrets were a good way to get murdered.
"C'mon, no secrets." Though Blair's tone was teasing, she meant business. Sandra had seemed distracted for a while, ever since the apartment complexes, and Blair didn't want to be hanging around someone if they were unreliable.
"Basically." Blair said with a shrug. "None of this crap works, so unless we find out someone on the trip had an electrical engineering degree, this is a dead end."
She turned back to look at Sandra. She'd been about to say something, but dismissed it. "Hey, Sandra." Blair said, cocking an eyebrow. "What were you saying a moment ago?" Blair knew as well as anyone that when someone said 'never mind', they were hiding something. And in this soon-to-be-hellhole, secrets were a good way to get murdered.
"C'mon, no secrets." Though Blair's tone was teasing, she meant business. Sandra had seemed distracted for a while, ever since the apartment complexes, and Blair didn't want to be hanging around someone if they were unreliable.