[action/text]

[charming_jerk]

[For the last week, Johnny has been included in some intense training with Coby. His roommates may have noticed that he's been practically crawling back to the apartment and collapsing into bed in exhaustion. Which is saying something, coming from the guy whose genes give him what seemed like endless stamina.

Today, though, both roommates and anyone around the first floor of the apartment building might notice a very loud noise or something breaking. Specifically, it's the sound of a door getting quiickly ripped off its hinges, taking parts of the doorframe with it. Johnny just stands there, blinking, with nothing but the knob in his hand as it falls in front of him in splinters.

Seems like this training is working a lot better and a lot faster than he imagined. Sweet. If any of his roommates or neighbors come by, he gives them a tired smirk and shrugs.]

Honey, I'm home.

---

[Later he sends out a text totally unrelated to this little incident.]

So I was wondering

has anyone from our side ever try to sneak into the UE territory? you know, try to get information right from the source. see what they're up to, what they think of us. just curious.

Also i was wondering if people might be interested in helping with something. if the UE keeps bombing us or whatever they may do, we need a place to retreat to/live in/to protect people who can't fight. the catacombs are good but we need to make sure they can keep withstanding this sort of thing, plus I think we should keep a fair amount of supplies and stuff down there, etc. Thing is, i don't know a damn thing about repairs or checking to see if it's safe. i'm just a dumbass who punches shit for this army. but I think it's something we should look into, and i'd be willing to do whatever work horse stuff you needed out of me to get it done.

Comments

[whatsupcroc]

Yes. To everything.

[charming_jerk]

good to know. Was it a success? How long ago was it?

[whatsupcroc]

Yes, each time! Bariyan, he's not here now, but he went, and so did Nathan and Anders. We all did too, when we brought back the spaceship. But I don't know what you want to know. There's different people who've gone out there and few who came back with anything they shared, so it's harder to say!

I'd talk with the Exiles who're recent arrivals. They know way more than you think!

[charming_jerk]

Why would people go on missions out there and then not tell us what happened. that's dumb. i guess i wanted to know was how well it went and if it was worth keeping going. i wanna know why they're keeping us all alive. Why they haven't just wiped us all out yet.

problem is, most of the locals won't talk to me. they're all pissed and they especially won't talk to a guy who looks like me.

idk why i'm thinking of doing this anyway. I'd make for a shitty spy since i stick out like a sore thumb

Text;

[curiousredsoul]

I believe there have been such attempts, and successful ones from what I have heard.

I would indeed be interested in helping with as much, I am currently looking into the possibility of constructing hardened shelters for such a purpose, for cases when the catacombs do not prove suitable.

[charming_jerk]

i'm curious as to how they went and what we learned. like if it's something we might keep doing.

yeah that's a good idea too. what worries me is supplies to do it. Exsilium isn't exactly overflowing with building materials and resources. we barely have fucking trees

[curiousredsoul]

From what I was told, they were quite successful, how they went about it however I cannot say. I am quite curious of as much myself.

There is something of a shortage of wood, indeed however one thing that is not in shortage is rubble, through a measure of processing a good deal of material can be recovered and re-purposed. However specific materials to aid in strengthening such buildings are in shorter supply.

[charming_jerk]

I guess if we can re-purpose old concrete and stone, we can use that. I dunno if the stuff is any use, yeah. Shit. All these ideas and nothin' to act on. Maybe I can convince the Initiative to send me on a time mission to collect some shit for this.

[trustycrowbar]

... [...] ...A key works just as well, you know.

[Here he was, having coffee, minding his own business, and suddenly the front door to the apartment is gone. Well, okay, wholesale destruction of the place isn't new; In fact it would be a rarer thing to have a week WITHOUT bombings or holes blown in the side of the building. But at Johnny's hands? That was new.]

How the hell did you do that? [He gets up to help Johnny pick up the door.]

[strategic_guile]

[Blaine is laying on the couch when this happens. He looks surprised, and then not so surprised. He just sighs and doesn't even bother getting up. Gordon's got it.]

Here I was thinking you were going to wild orgies without me and that's why you were so tired. Working out is a lot less fun to imagine.

[charming_jerk]

I don't-- [Wait, Blaine, what. He just shakes his head.]

I think it's workin' a lot better than I thought it was. Jesus. [He starts scooping stuff up with Gordon.] I didn't mean to. Shit.

[The roommates may also have noticed some things in the house that got broken earlier in the week, like broken jars in the trash or other household items that have disappeared.]

I didn't think this trainin' would work so fast. Or at all.

[have_hat_will_travel]

There's regular attempts, often successful, but there's one rule:

If we get noticed, bombs tend to ensue.

[charming_jerk]

Great. Maybe I oughta not be the brains behind this operation, then.

[have_hat_will_travel]

I think your idea of expanding the underground areas - out of bombing range and harder to hit with other attacks - is a very good one.

If only I had access to Epic Spellcasting or Genesis, I could create some usable extradimensional space - the very hardest stuff for a nonmagical foe to hit.

Permavid

[governorkang]

I have some experience with building fortifications, though I'm more skilled at above ground rather than below.

[charming_jerk]

I ain't got experience in any of it, so yer already way ahead of me, buddy. Think maybe you could take a look at it and see what we need?

[governorkang]

I can make time tomorrow. Do you know of anyone else doing so as well?

Permavid

[curiousredsoul]

[Well there he was, that familiar draconian piquing Celena's interest. He looked and sounded just as he had in the many times she had worked with him. Considering for some time before she comments in. When she does she hides any sense of familiarity, rather acting as if she'd just read his name from the network.]

Greetings, Kang, is it?

My apologies for the intrusion, however I believe I may have project or two that could put your skills above ground to good use. Should you be interested.

[governorkang]

[There's a momentary pause at the sight of a dragon, but he gets over it fairly quickly. She definitely isn't Krynnish.]

What sort of projects?

Video;

[chore_boy]

I wouldn't suggest anyone trying to sneak into UE territory. They have fairly advanced tracking systems from what I can recall. It would be difficult to conduct any sort of covert mission with them.

Though, as for safe zones--I suppose I would be well equipped to help build one. If you hear of anything being done, Johnny--tell me.

Video;

[charming_jerk]

Wouldn't be the first time someone's done it, though. Not even the second or third. Still ain't a good idea, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't keep tryin'. Right?

I got one guy who wants to take a look at 'em so far. I figure anyone with any kinda experience is already doin' better than me.

And man, I dunno what yer doin' to me, but I just ripped the door off the hinges and took half the damn frame with it. And all I was trying to do was open the damn thing.

Video;

[chore_boy]

I'm tightening your muscles and I can teach you how to use that to make you stronger, but learning to be gentle is something I can't exactly transmit...

[It was still possible, though. Coby prided himself in how tender and soft he could be to doors.][Primarily because SEEING Johnny die was a little too much for Coby as it was.]

[voice]

[oldsoldiersneverdie]

There was a small expedition at the end of April. We didn't get too much info, but I may see about going back for more.

You're probably right about reinforcing the shelters, though the first step is really figuring out how much we want it to be able to withstand. Luckily we're not in a quake-prone area.

[voice]

[charming_jerk]

If you're goin' again, count me in this time.

I guess the answer to that is "as much as we can manage", but I guess we gotta spread out whatever little resources we got to cover what we got. I guess the first step is takin' stock of what we got, huh? Which is... mostly rubble 'n' shit.

Re: [voice]

[oldsoldiersneverdie]

Yeah, rubble we've got plenty of. But on the plus side, that's one half of concrete, and there's probably some rebar we can salvage.