nomans_land | Somewhere between July and December

Somewhere between July and December

1.
[ It wasn't the fastest car he'd ever driven, but it made better time than the old man's shitty station wagon had, and it was definitely faster than walking across the desert. None of the maps he'd found tucked under the seat had Hopeland on them, which was worrisome as all hell, but on one of the maps there was an orphanage marked, just off of a city called December.

The ghost he'd talked to on that mountaintop had told him he'd die in December, but that ghost had also ruined his last cigarette, so fuck that guy. If he died, he died, but first, he was going to make sure Miss Melanie and the kids were okay.

The sedan hums its way across the desert, kicking up a dust cloud that can be seen for miles. ]

2.
[ With a shudder and a hard jolt, the car comes screeching to a halt, the dash going dead as the engine seizes up. Wolfwood swears, punches the dash, then swears again when the solid dash nearly breaks his hand for his trouble. He'd managed to get the car hotwired, but apparently cars in this messed up version of Noman's were more different from the ones he knew than he'd realized. Is it out of oil? Out of charge? Not like he can do anything about it, whatever the problem.

Please ignore the man in black, standing next to a very dead car in the middle of absolute nowhere and screaming at the sky. It's therapeutic profanity, and it really is helping. ]

3.
[ Sunburned and exhausted, Wolfwood crests the hill and finally, there before him, sees the building that his map identifies as the December Orphanage. Even from a distance it's clear that the chaos that's affected the rest of the planet hit here, too -- there's clear bullet holes in at least one side of the building, walls that have collapsed, and the whole place seems as deserted as everywhere else he's been.

But he's here now, so he might as well have a look around.

He really wishes he still had his Punisher, though. ]

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[and that does get him a tiny little laugh, though a wet one]

How could I forget how eager you are to kick some ass? No time for this shit.

[ A tiny laugh is better than a tiny sob! Look at that progress! ]

Cold blooded murderer, that's me!

[ Can he let go? He doesn't know when to end this hug, you see -- does Livio still need him holding on? ]

We've got bastards to kill, buddy. Are you up for it?

Nah, you're-- you're not that bad.

[he wants to tell him he's his hero-- yes, him too. just for being himself. but Livio just wipes his eyes and nods]

Yeah. It'll make us feel better. Sorry.

[ That's his cue to let go, then, since he needs that hand free to punch Livio square in the shoulder. ]

What'd I just say? None of that shit!

Ow-- [and he punches him back just as hard]

Fine. Just sayin'. And thanks-- how's that?

[ Ow! Wolfwood reels back, exaggerating how hard that blow was. ]

That's more like it!

[ Ready to get moving again? The facility should be just around that pile of rock up ahead. ]

But save some for the Eye, all right?

[ He's not touching that thank you. He hasn't done anything to be thanked for. ]

[he's done so much a thank you doesn't even cover it, and probably never will.

Livio grins]

Yeah. Let's knock some heads in.

[ Please never bring it up again. He's bad with gratitude, and that whole spectrum of human experience in general, really. He likes punching, though, so... find him things to punch? ]

Now you're talking!

[ And there's plenty of heads up ahead to knock in, hopefully! Just past that blind curve, the canyon opens out into a valley of sorts, and at the far end, facing the entrance and the entire valley, sits a square, three- or maybe four-story building, made of the same white stone and plaster that most of the planet uses for building. It's good sized, but otherwise unremarkable -- there's only a few windows on the lower floors, more on the upper stories, there's a big gravel area to one side that's clearly a parking lot with a loading dock, and the main entrance is the large double doors right in the center. It could be a facility for processing literally anything -- stone, foodstuffs, medicines. There's no signs, and no sign of any people. No vehicles parked out front, no lights visible inside. It looks deserted.

Wolfwood gestures for Livio to stay low, and sneaks around behind a big pile of rocks, peering over top to scope the place out. ]

I don't see anyone. You figure they've got sentries in any of those windows?

[well-- he's going to bring it up again. not today, or tomorrow, next week either! when Wolfwood's vulnerable and least expects it...beware

this may not be a facility he's been at before, specifically, but the vibe immediately sends shivers down his spine, and ice through his blood. it's quiet. ghostly. and when he squints, so far he doesn't see the glint of anyone's guns, or crosses.

he stays as low as he can, following at Wolfwood's heels, big body forced to be stealthy]

So far, no. Maybe on the roof up there-- sleeping.

Yeah, maybe.

[ Whether they've got sentries on duty or motion detectors in the eaves, their best bet is just to stay low, stay quiet, and try to get in someplace out of view -- that loading dock might be a promising starting point, actually. The front door is way too exposed to be worth the risk -- if they go in that way, they go in guns blazing, and he doesn't really want to get shot right now. ]

I want to do this quietly, and see how far we can get in before we're spotted. Is that good with you?

[ If he had his vials, it'd be a different story. Going in balls out through the front door is one of the most fun ways to storm a building. 10/10, highly recommended. ]

[not to mention just cutting through the side to find a window in the back to possibly break-- not going to do it, it'll put them in the middle of it all, easily seen even if they just dart through the dark. not great also, for a huge guy like him.

but Wolfwood's plan is better than going in, guns blazing.]

Sounds good. The dock first?

[ Better, but not nearly as fun! ]

Yeah, that's as good a place to start as any!

[ Cameras don't seem to be as common in this world as in his own. Less security -- less tech in general, really -- will make this a lot easier. Keeping low, Wolfwood moves towards the parking area and the loading dock, sticking to the shadows as much as possible. Fewer cameras doesn't necessarily mean no cameras, especially not for a place run by the Eye. They might have all kinds of tech that the rest of the world doesn't have access to -- guess they're gonna find out!

The loading dock is a standard loading dock -- it's a slab of cement with a spot for big trucks to drive up to, and a large metal roll door that's easily fifteen feet tall. To one side of the big door is a closed, human-sized door, and to the other is an alcove area that could be used for staging pallets of goods before loading them onto a truck. There's a couple lights overhead, but none of them are on, and, at least from a distance, Wolfwood doesn't see anything in the corners that look like cameras or motion detectors. But what those look like in this world, he honestly doesn't know.

A chain link fence runs the perimeter of the building, only good for keeping law-abiding folks out. Wolfwood pauses there, to scope out the dock. ]

No people, no lights. You see any cameras or anything?

[he'd always found that if you had a particular-- reputation, or you were particularly needed by the Eye, or wanted by them, you get to see plenty of tech. Livio himself has seen some, even beyond the dirty and terrifying labs and surgery suites he's been within.

as for the dock himself, he's never been this close to this side of things. has only seen bodies loaded, or maybe food. not very hopeful.

The fences don't even seem to be electrified, and no guard posts from up above either.]

Not so far, no. If there are any, they'd be at the front, and back. I'm surprised, though...

[ So are they really trying to keep this place discreet? Or is it abandoned? ...Or, a third option that he hadn't wanted to consider until now, is this even the right place at all? Is this place a decoy for the real processing facility?

Damn. Raiding this place is a lot more complicated than a simple assassination. ]

Me too, buddy. [ He licks a pebble and tosses it against the fence, and sure enough, there's no sparks, no hum. It's just a fence. ] Let's see if anybody's watching.

[ The gate in the fence is just a gate, a basic chainlink swinging door. There's no alarm when he pushes it open, and nobody comes running out when he creeps up to the loading dock. ]

[or a fourth-- it's an ambush and they knew they were coming. he's hoping it isn't that-- if it's maybe only half used-- or someone's been here first.]

I don't like this.

[he doesn't say I have a bad feeling, nothing to you know, ruin it!! but it's empty. it's truly like a tomb in here, whatever wind there is whistling through]

[ Wolfwood shakes his head silently -- no, he doesn't like this either. But it makes sense that the place would be empty, doesn't it? If this is a facility for processing kids taken from the nearby orphanage, and the orphanage has been empty for weeks -- months, at this point -- then there's no point in keeping the place staffed.

It also makes sense that they'd leave the place boobytrapped, just in case anyone tried to break in. Better tread with extra caution from this point onward.

I didn't bring a lockpick. [ His Punisher had a laser setting that could cut through just about anything, but this one doesn't have that feature. It's just bullets and rockets, nothing quiet. ] I can knock the door in, but that's gonna attract trouble, if there's anybody around.

[he hadn't considered boobytraps...maybe because he's so used to just-- taking damage, absorbing it like a sponge.]

I've never learned much about that.

[a hum....then, something occurs to him]

You got like, an ID card or something? Fake one?

[ Yeah, Wolfwood's the same. He's having to learn more tactics on the go now, and it fucking sucks. They Eye gave him some training about this sort of thing, sure, but a casual mention of boobytraps once or twice over years of training that mostly focused on how to block bullets with his body in such a way that he could keep moving... being sneaky and not taking damage always seemed like afterthoughts. ]

An ID card? [ He shakes his head, still considering the human-sized door. Shooting it will make too much noise, but what about a slow push, to break the lock? How strong is Livio? ] Nah, I don't have anything like that. And even if I did, it probably wouldn't work in this world anyway.

[Livio actually may never have been taught how to dodge? Does that come within Chapel's notes? Let's compare them or something: your horrific teacher and how to dodge.]

I've seen something but it...probably wouldn't work on this kind of lock-- what if-- give me your jacket, and I'll break the lock manually? We wrap it around it to muffle the sound?

[ In any universe Livio got the worst of it, and it's not even close.

With a quiet laugh, he shrugs out of his jacket, handing it over. ]

You read my mind, buddy!

[ Assuming it's not alarmed, it's just a regular locking door knob -- remove the knob, and the door's not locked anymore! ]

...Hey, wait a sec, why can't you use your cloak?

[there's a pause, a guilty one-]

I didn't want to get it all messed up, if something goes wrong.

[at least he admits it?? and he's already wrapping Wolfwood's bulky jacket around the doorknob]

[ Oh you asshole! ]

Anything that happens to that jacket happens to your shit too, you jerk!

[ He can barely keep from laughing. What a dick move! ]

Ay-ay captain, or whatever.

[still sheepish, and he doesn't bother to snap a little salute-- just kicks at the doorknob until it actually does shatter a hole in the door--

but at least it isn't too loud??? and so far...it's silent, too. no alarms. unless they're silent alarms throughout the place]

[ It's quieter than blowing up the door would have been, but not by much! But it wasn't too loud, apparently. No audible alarms start screaming, no lights start flashing -- at least, that he can see -- and there's no footsteps, no shouting coming down any of the unseen hallways.

Wolfwood retrieves his jacket -- not torn, but differently dirty now, thanks to having Livio's boot all over it, dickwad -- and shrugs into it before ducking through the open doorway and into the dark space beyond.

It's a cargo bay, which is to be expected on the other side of a loading dock. There's a big empty space at first, although here and there are signs of past rapid activity -- there's garbage here, scattered about. Pallets of who knows what, cleaning supplies and foodstuffs and all the other things that a big facility needs to order to keep running, those are stacked more or less neatly at the edge of the open space, but some of them -- mostly the food pallets -- have been torn open and scavenged. Past the open space, further into the dark where it's hard to see, there's what look like shelves, big tall things that go all the way up to the ceiling. It's the warehouse for the facility, loaded with supplies.

He can't see the back of the room from here -- it's too dark, but there's got to be a door somewhere, right? ]

Congrats, bud. You just won a lifetime supply of toilet paper.

[he's surprised there isn't more chaos, like someone's left in a hurry, in a crisis. things aren't tidy so much as just efficient.

there has to be a door, there has to be more than this. maybe it isn't a lab but there has to be something.

Livio scoffs]

Whoopie-- luck's finally coming my way.

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