A View to a Kill

The lookout tower sits atop a large hill and is shrouded in trees. It's an unimpressive building, but it used to be the primary defense post on the island. Maybe it can be your eye in the sky as well? It'd be a great place for a small group to rally together and hide from the island's baddies, and an even better place for those baddies to snipe the rest of the competition from above.
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Theseus*
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#16

Post by Theseus* »

Neil took the pencil and wrote an answer to Dennis's question.

We find one last place to strike. After wiping out the cameras there, we should know by probability that if someone is sent on the island to fix the cameras, that they'll end up there. Though, we'll make sure to add something to entice them. My guess is, they aren't going to want to run into an area full of students. So, when the cameras are gone, we fake a shootout and our own deaths. As far as they'll know, the area will be clean which is exactly what they want.

Neil put the pencil back down on the notebook for anyone else to write if they had questions. He looked around at the group and said, "That's one hell of a song we're writing huh?"

Corbin was impressed. Neil had really thought it through. They had a pretty concrete plan, that seemed like it could work. Though, a good plan was nothing without the right people to back it up. Yet, it seemed like this group here was the perfect group of people. Everyone wanted to escape from the island, and as long as they all stuck together and focused on the task at hand, this could happen.

Khrysta would be proud of Corbin for being here.
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Badwolfwho*
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#17

Post by Badwolfwho* »

Dane looked around at the others, they seemed trustworthy enough, he glanced at Dennis and then put his weapon back. It seemed as though everyone was planning a rebellion. Dane was uneasy, the more people that were involved increased the likelihood of a traitor.
Dane looked down at the notebook and read what had been written. He frowned and picked up the pencil and pulled the notebook towards him.
"I don't know, I think we should work on the harmony."
Dane began to write, Fake our deaths? Don't the collars monitor heartbeat? And won't there be hidden cameras as well?
Dane didn't want to seem like a spoilsport but someone had to be the voice of reason. He set the pencil down and looked around at the others waiting for one of them to write back.
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Theseus*
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#18

Post by Theseus* »

And there it was.

The inevitable truth.

Not everything was as peachy keen as Neil Sinclair had thought it to be. He had doubts of course, though those doubts were overshadowed with his zeal to escape. Dane had written down those doubts. It was good there was someone like Dane here to keep things in check. It was better to plan smartly than foolishly.

Neil finished reading what Dane had wrote and said, "I think I want to change some words to the chorus."

You're right, the collars do monitor that. So we have two options that I know of. One would be figure out how to trick the collars into thinking we're dead. The second would be just go for it. How would the people sent in to fix the cameras be monitoring our pulses anyways? Even if they did, if they saw a bunch of dead kids lying around, they might just think their equipment was malfunctioning. If they don't, we just have to make sure those who are hiding with guns act quickly enough so the actors on the ground have a fighting chance. This plan isn't without risks, and never will be foolproof. As for the hidden cameras, we try to take out as many as we can, and if there are any hidden ones, there's not much we can do about that. Though, all of us are smart in certain areas. I'm sure we could brain storm ideas about how to deal with these situations.

Neil placed the pencil back on the notebook and looked around. He was glad people were discussing this. If they kept on like this, they could have a final plan by morning. Then they can begin the preparations.

S.A.D.D

It truly was an odd name for a band of revolutionaries.
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Ciel*
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#19

Post by Ciel* »

A shootout?

Dominica entered the cabin and stared down at the notebook. Every seemed to be hovering right over it, and that perked her interests as well. She read the paper along with everyone else, and the idea they came up with was... well, it wasn't the first idea that she would have come up with. In fact, faking their own deaths was a very pointless thing to do. She took the notebook into her hands and with a pen she began to write.

If the people running this game really cared about what the kids on the island did, then they wouldn't bother coming onto the island and if repairing the cameras were necessary enough, then they'd obviously be armed to handle situations like the one Neil was planning. We have a good number of weapons at our disposal, wasting it on something so small is a waste. From what I can determine, if they really do send people out to repair the cameras they'll either come from the sea or by the air. If they get parachuted onto the island, then there has to be a way for them to get back off the island. What I think we should do is FIND the people repairing the cameras and follow them to where they'll be picked up, and then ambush them. But first, we'll have to find the hidden cameras, somehow. I can't tell where they are, but we'll have to find them. If we have to destroy most of the cameras, then we can't let one damned camera out of our sight. We shouldn't waste any ammo on them either, just bash them with a blunt object. These are only suggestions.

Dominica set the notebook back down on the table with a sigh. "That's just my opinion on what we should do though."
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#20

Post by Theseus* »

Neil thought about what Dominica had wrote. She was right. Neil's plan of ambush was risky. It involved relying on a number of factors that could go wrong. Just following the terrorists back to their transportation and then ambushing them was less risky. Though there were still variables left in the open. Neil hoped to accomplish with this brain storm to diminish as many variables as they could. The less there was to chance, the more likely they could pull this off.

Neil wrote down in the notebook his reply.

That sounds like a good plan, and I'm all for it if we can solve some issues. First off, what if their transportation off this island is in a danger zone? Then we can't ambush them. The main goal of the ambush is to take one of their techs alive. We can use him to get our collars off. Your way of following them back to their transportation is less risky than my ambush plan. The less casualties we get the better. However, we need to find a way to solve the risk that we could run into a danger zone. You're right though, they will send in well armed trained terrorists to protect their techs while they do the repairs. That's why we need the complete element of surprise. I think with our current weapons, we could pull off an ambush. We just got to make sure we take one alive to help us with these collars. I like your plan though Dominica, it relies on less chance which is good for us. Though running into a danger zone worries me. If any of you remember watching last year's game on TV, a storm knocked out their cameras. They sent in techs to repair them. So we know for sure they'll send people in. I like your guys's ideas, keep it flowing. Let's have us a solid plan before morning so we can begin fortifying the tower here. We can use this place as our headquarters. All right, who's got ideas next?

Neil placed the pencil and notebook back on the table and looked around.
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Heatwizard*
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#21

Post by Heatwizard* »

Taking up the pencil, Dennis continued the silent conversation.
Danya's crew...they're a bunch of assholes. I could very well see them telling the repair guy not to come back before the cameras are fixed. If that's the case, we could run around smashing cameras wherever he's not, and maybe delay him long enough to make him sleep over. We could disarm him and any of his buddies quietly. No casualties risked, no ammo wasted. I dunno about this one, it's awfully situational, but if the situation is available, it's definitely our best choice.
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Theseus*
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#22

Post by Theseus* »

Neil wrote what Dennis had written. That was a good plan, that involved a lot less risk than a full out ambush. Though, that would depend entirely on if the terrorists had to sleep over on the island. Neil thought about it for a moment then wrote in the notebook.

Good idea. Though, we shouldn't base our plan around that one. We should plan for the ambush, but if we realize that the techs are going to be here overnight, we can switch to this plan. I'm all for anything where we don't have to shoot our weapons.

Neil once again put the pencil back on the notebook and looked around the room.

"Who's got an idea for the bridge of our song?"
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Crash*
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#23

Post by Crash* »

Dorian had been taking in all of the information at once, but it was starting to make his head spin. Not that he was stupid - in fact, he was actually quite intelligent, as reflected in his grades, but never before had he been part of a full-scale operation where so much hung in the balance. Still, despite the fact that this plan could fail, the mere chance of it succeeding was enough to give him the motivation to continue. It was much more than he had to go on back at the tree.

"Those lyrics are terrible," Dorian interjected, taking the pencil and leaning over the notebook, beginning to scrawl down his take on the situation as quickly as he possibly could.

I like the idea with the ambush - it's sound. Dennis' idea works well if the situation arises, too. The only problem I see is that...well, I have pepper spray, and it doesn't look like Matt has a very good weapon either. Or you, Neil, from what I can tell. Unless somebody wants to lend us one of their extras, or we find something better, then how are we supposed to take part in the whole operation?

Finished putting in his two cents, he sighed. "That's better."
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#24

Post by Theseus* »

That was a problem. Neil, Dorian, and Matthew were all out useful weapons. Though Dane, Dennis, Dominica, and Corbin had quite the firepower between all of them. Neil thought for a moment. His mind raced to history class back at Southridge. How were all those revolutions succeeding in history? How did the smaller countries win against the bigger ones? Simple.

Neil took the pencil and said, "You got some grammar mistakes in the chorus."

As of right now, we have a good amount of firepower to go ahead with an ambush. That on top of the element of surprise should work to our advantage. So far, there's seven of us. I doubt Danya would send in a lot of people to do the repairs. So I think we might have a number advantage as well. As for the three of us who don't have any good weapons we can craft some blunt weapons. Rocks, sticks, whatever it takes. I mean, if the indians could fight cowboys with just rocks and stuff and win, why can't we? We will also make ourselves seem more armed than we are. They're gonna be shocked as it is being ambushed by students coming from all directions with an assault rifle, shotgun, pistol, and speargun. They aren't going to be too focused on counting who has what. They'll begin to assume we're all armed to the teeth. Then, me, you, and Matthew have the important job of rushing in finishing them off with our blunt objects and taking at least one prisoner.

Neil put the pencil on the notebook and said, "How about that? Anyone got some good chords progressions they can throw in?"
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Heatwizard*
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#25

Post by Heatwizard* »

Dennis looked over the shiny new revised plan. It seemed fine. Any guards could just be dealt with through bullets...unsettling as the notion sounded, desperate times call for desperate measures. He shook his head to communicate his agreement, tired and unable to come up with a song metaphor.
He looked around, then moved over toward the corner. Balling his sweatshirt up, he put it against the wall and used it as a makeshift pillow, attempting to get some rest. It didn't come easily. The corpse he saw still disturbed him, and still served to remind him of the people crazy enough to "play", several of whom were sure to be armed. The paranoia kept him up with wild daydreams of deranged classmates storming in with various weapons and slaughtering the lot of them, in addition to a fear that sleep would bring a worse nightmare. Despite this, he was in no condition to stay awake, and slowly drifted off into a light sleep.
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Theseus*
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#26

Post by Theseus* »

Neil watched as Dennis seemed to accept the plan, and went over against the wall and started to sleep. Yeah, it was definitely time to sleep. Neil was definitely sleep deprived, and he was starting to feel it. Neil Sinclair closed the notebook and put the pencil and notebook back in his pack. Neil looked at those who were still awake and said, "Tomorrow night we sing."

Tonight they were in no condition to do anything. If they could hold out for one more day, by nightfall tomorrow, they could strike. Though, there was no guarantee that Danya would send someone in tomorrow night, so it just all depended. They could probably even have the ambush here if it came to that.

The lookout tower. This could be a good headquarters. If someone was always on top keeping lookout, they could easily defend the location. Neil was tired, and knew everyone else probably was. So he decided to speak quick, and let everyone settle in for the night. They all earned it, and for what was to come, they all would need rest.

"Alright guys, one last thing. This place will be Sadd's home, at least for now. Headquarters, crib, whatever you want to call it. Either way, as long as we got someone up top at all times, this place is pretty safe. There's nothing left for us to do tonight. Catch some sleep, talk, do whatever. When morning comes we got a lot of preparation to take care of for the coming concert."

Neil glanced up at a camera up in the corner. It was just staring at him, at everyone. Looking around, he saw other cameras in the room.

Screw it, he wasn't going to sleep being watched. Neil picked his stick up from the ground and went to one of the cameras and swung. His stick made a loud crack as it contacted the camera but the camera wasn't destroyed yet. He swung three more times, and on the third strike, the camera collapsed to the floor, shattered. Neil looked at everyone and said, "Before we settle in for the night, we should take care of these."

With that, Neil walked over to his pack and took his flashlight out. He went outside into the dark and the rain and shone his light all over the outside of the tower. Whenever he found a camera, he swung his stick and destroyed them. Some cameras however, were up high. He would need a rock or something for that. Neil looked throughout the darkness, and his beam from his flashlight only illuminated the falling rain.

The jungle had rather large rocks in it....

He went this far, might as well finish what he started.

Neil popped his head back into the tower and said, "I'll be right back. I'm going to find me some large rocks to take care of the cameras up high."

Neil started a light jog across the field which was shrouded in trees toward where the jungle started to become thicker. Once he was in it, he felt a chill. It was a combination of the rain, and the realization that he was alone, in the jungle. Quickly shining his flashlight all around, he desperately looked for anything he could use. He was almost about to give up, when he saw a large rock that was about two fists combined in size. Picking it up, he examined it and figured it was good enough.

Returning to the lookout tower, he shone his light to one of the cameras he couldn't get. Positioning the rock in his right hand, he arched his arm back preparing to throw. He was aiming at one of the lowest of the high cameras, and he swung upwards unleashing the rock. The rock flew through the air and made contact with the cameras, knocking the front of the camera off.

As the rock fell back towards the ground, Neil jumped back to avoid getting hit. He smiled at his work, and picked the rock up again and tried a higher camera.

His rock did not hit the camera.

He tried again, only to realize he was a guitar player and singer in a punk rock band back at Southridge. Not a jock.

Returning inside the lookout tower, he held the rock out to Dorian, the strongman of the group.

"Hey Dorian man, can you help me get some of the cameras that are higher up on the outside, I can't seem to manage them."

While Neil was out, Corbin Arlen was helping smash the cameras on the inside. He pulled one off and tried to keep it as intact as possible to study it later. When Neil arrived with a rock to talk to Dorian, Corbin said, "Hey guys, I'll take first watch since I got the M16. I'll take care of the cameras up top."

Corbin picked up his pack, and walked the stairs to the top. Every so often he would spot a camera and used the butt of his M16 to smash them. He continued like that until he was at the top of the lookout tower.

He took in the sight.

My god...You can see so much up here....

It was really a breath taking sight. How could something this beautiful be so deadly? Corbin finished taking care of the cameras up top, and looked around. It was dark, really dark, but the occasional lightning lit up the island. Corbin used this chance to change into a dry pair of faded jeans, and a Southridge Radio t-shirt. Both fit him good, and he continued to look out.

Hopefully dawn would come soon.
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Crash*
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#27

Post by Crash* »

Despite the fact that it would put him in significantly more danger than it would put the rest of the group, Dorian was satisfied with the newly revised plan. He was probably the strongest and potentially one of the faster students in the group, so having him take one of the hostages by force definitely made the most sense. He was still in prime physical form too and remained uninjured, which made him a valuable asset to the group. He was glad Dennis was taking some time to rest, and hoped that the others would as well; tomorrow, they'd surely be needing it.

When Neil returned, Dorian nodded in acknowledgement. Given that he didn't have a very good weapon, he was happy to take any opportunity that he could to help the others out. He followed Neil outside, taking the rock he'd brought from the jungle and eying a few of the cameras that were higher up on the tower. He took a few steps back to ensure that he was aiming at a good angle and wailed the rock at the first one he saw, effectively smashing the lens as the rock returned to the ground. He retrieved the rock, and although the next and final camera that Neil had missed took a few attempts, he eventually succeeded in knocking its wiring lose in an array of sparks and buzzing that rendered the camera effectively useless.

After he'd finished terminating the last of the cameras, Dorian addressed Neil. "I got a lot of sleep in and around the jungle over the last few days, so you guys should take the chance to rest up while you can. I'll keep watch out here with Corbin." Dorian wasn't a person acquainted with being an authoritative figure, but his tone was quite insistent. He desperately wanted all of his comrades to survive the game, and they'd need to be at their best in order to do that. He was fairly sure that Neil understood his thinking as well, so he let the subject drop and returned to the door of the lookout tower, waiting for Neil to head inside and keeping his eyes trained towards the jungle in the distance.
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Theseus*
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#28

Post by Theseus* »

Neil was grateful to have someone like Dorian in the group. Sure, the group was well armed and dedicated, but when it came down to the final push, someone in great shape like Dorian would be vital to making the plan come true. He already proved his worth by helping with the cameras and the plan. Neil knew Dorian was right about catching some sleep, and following him inside.

Neil went up to Dorian and said, "Thanks man, I think Corbin went up to the top of the tower. I'm sure he would love your help. Anyways, I'm going to go catch that shut eye." Neil winked at Dorian, definitely not in a sexual, let's turn this into an orgy way, but as a thanks for your help kind of way.

Neil knew he had to get out of his wet clothes, and at this point in time, didn't care at all who was watching. Five guys and one girl didn't bother him much, but even still he went to the corner and stripped off his shirt first. He took out a dry "Yeah Yeah Yeahs" T-shirt and put it on. They were one of his favorite bands, and the tight white t-shirt had the lyrics to their love song "Maps" scrawled on the front of it.

Next Neil took off his wet jeans, and boxers, and put on some dry boxers and a dry pair of tight black jeans. He completed the outfit with a white studded belt. Reaching up he felt through his hair and he could feel that the rain had made it messy and unorganized. Ah well, he would deal with it in the morning. You didn't have to look good to partake in a revolution anyways.

Neil yawned and said, "Goodnight everyone."

He then lied down on the floor, and placed his head on his pack, and slowly drifted off into much needed sleep.
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Crash*
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#29

Post by Crash* »

Satisfied with the fact that Neil was finally getting some much-needed rest, Dorian turned away and stepped outside. He was sure Corbin would like some company, but he knew their lookout would be much more effective if Corbin kept an eye from the air and Dorian remained on ground level, observing the depths of the jungle. Corbin had a lot to take in, and Dorian concentrating on a smaller area would ease his field of vision somewhat. With that thought in mind, Dorian took a seat against the wall of the lookout tower, a few feet away from the door, his eyes scanning the horizon for any traces of other students.

As he attempted to concentrate, however, he couldn't help but notice the sky beginning to illuminate owing to the fact that it was now early morning. It wasn't much, but the change of scenery sent his thoughts on a completely different tangent. Dorian was a very romantic guy, contrary to what his constant rejection of other students' interests at Southridge would seem to suggest. He'd always longed to be able to watch the sunrise with somebody...

A certain somebody, in fact. What nobody else really understood was that Dorian's affections had been reserved for one girl in particular since his freshman year, and that was the reason he found no interest in anybody else. His thoughts drifted back to a night in the school auditorium, when watching her dance had kept him mesmerized for almost the entire night. He vaguely remembered the morning radio shows put on by the school, where hearing her voice eased his mind while he attempted to study in the hall. He remembered what her face looked like when she smiled, all lit up and accenting her cute, pointed features...

Dorian sighed inwardly to himself. He hadn't heard her name on the announcements yet, which only prompted him to keep thinking about her. Even if he somehow did manage to find her, though, there was no way she'd ever reciprocate his feelings. She was probably alone somewhere on the island, scared out of her mind and trying to keep a cheerful face on for her parents. Or, she could've died sometime in the last day, and thinking about that possibility, Dorian felt his stomach sink a little.

Taking all of that into account, he felt absolutely helpless. All he could do was stare into the vast jungle landscape, hoping that somewhere out there, Marnie Yaguchi was looking for him too.
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Theseus*
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#30

Post by Theseus* »

While Neil was sleeping, and Dorian was out on watch on the ground level, and everyone else was doing their thing, Corbin continued to watch over the island at the top of the lookout tower. As he stared at the island, he knew that his classmates and friends were out there. Mary was out there. He promised to protect her. Khrysta risked her life to save her from Dan Wolfe, and from that moment on Mary was their responsibility. It wasn't just Mary, but she was pregnant as well. Now that Khrysta was dead, it was Corbin's responsibility to protect Mary. Yet she got separated.

Pushing the thoughts away he looked out over the island, taking in the sights. He saw no one out there, though it was still dark, with only a hint of dawn coming.

He had seen a lot of movies, along with most other high school kids. He had watched them not only for enjoyment though, but to get ideas for his future films. He watched how characters developed, symbolism, camera angles. Here at the lookout tower with six other kids, his thoughts drifted to an old Japanese movie.

The Seven Samurai.

It was a rather simple premise, but a classic movie. Seven samurai got together to protect a village from bandits. A lot of that was the same here. Seven kids, from all walks of life at Southridge, forming S.A.D.D.

Together, they were going to fight this game. They would escape. Maybe their group would grow to more than seven. Hopefully it would.

Though one scene in that movie was rather striking. It was when one of the samurai made a banner for the group. Something that they could all unite under. That's what S.A.D.D needed. Something to unite under. Everyone had seen groups fall apart in previous SOTF shows. While uniting to escape was good, if everyone had a symbol to look up to, that could give everyone a feeling of place.

Corbin figured he had nothing else to do while he was up on watch, so he opened up pack (which was now just a combination of all the items from the SOTF bag, and his own personal bag) and searched for what he needed.

Taking out his favorite hoodie, and a white t-shirt he went to work.

When he was done he had made ten black armbands with the words S.A.D.D written with silver sharpie on each one. With the white t-shirt he had written S.A.D.D in large bubble letters with black sharpie. He had then (badly) drawn a camera smashed under a boot. His goal was to find a stick or an object to craft a flag with the white t-shirt, having everyone sign it. He went first, quickly writing Corbin Arlen on the white t-shirt.

The armbands he had made from his hoodie, and they were fairly flexible enough to fit on any arm and still be tight. He picked up one and wrote on it under the S.A.D.D

Thanks for giving me hope. I'll sing with you until the end - Corbin Arlen

That was the armband he planned to giving to Neil. He would hopefully have everyone sign and doodle on the white t-shirt for the flag, and have everyone sign Neil's armband. While it never seemed like there was a designated leader of the group, Corbin knew it was Neil. He was the one who brought them all together, and he was a good leader because he let everyone have their ideas. He hasn't pulled any power trip yet, and seems to genuinely care about everyone else and escaping.

When Corbin was done, he zipped his pack back up, and left out the ten armbands (he made extra in case more people joined) and the t-shirt. He then focused his attention back over the island.
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