exsilium | [action/text]

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[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.

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Yes. To everything.

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.

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

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

... [...] ...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.]

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!

[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.

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.

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.

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.

For general structures it has sufficed well enough.

Indeed, if it were possible to set up such missions to collect needed resources for a broader range of projects and constructions that would be ideal.

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

What kind of training are you DOING over there, sparring with bulldozers?

[As they're scooping up bits of rockfoam and wood, Gordon can't help but notice that he's pretty damn skinny for a guy with that much strength. Humans just don't work that way...]

Uh, that was what we learned from Richard Lawson last year. I guess when you're run by an AI, you don't have so much creative license, and your smart people are still programmed smart people. The thinkers in the Initiative think creatively, so they do what the UE can't. I think that's part of it? They want the Initiative alive. They're still not sure we're really real, or probably think we're as genetically modified as the UE supersoldiers are!

Probably a man-shaped bulldozer. Let's be honest with ourselves about the different kinds of people who get zapped here.

[It does not occur to Blaine that Johnny shouldn't have that kind of strength because reasons. Still not helping. Just laying and watching with mild interest.]

[Collette you act as if he's paid attention to things up until now. Silly girl.]

the Initiative can be creative but creativity will only get you so far when you're outpowered and outnumbered like we are.

idk. maybe. i just don't get it. and i don't want them suddenly thinking that the world really is better off without us. i know i'm not good for much other than punching stuff, but I want to be more of a help against this shit. sitting around waiting for stuff to happen is starting to drive me crazy.

Yeah, but how many more bombing missions will it put up with before it collapses around us?

Just so long as we take it from places where it won't be missed. I don't wanna be a buncha no-good vampires like the UE, just sucking up a place for its resources.

[Johnny was definitely the lean sort of muscle, and not a bulky weightlifter type. He couldn't be even if he tried. Still, neither was Coby, and he could see the things he could do, and now he was on his way. He could hardly believe it himself.]

My friend must come from the most insane world where people can do the kinda shit he does. I didn't think him teachin' me would work, but I guess I was wrong. Shit. I'm almost afraid to touch my guitar in case I shatter it into bits tryin' to play a chord. You'd have to ask Coby how his training works. I don't get it, but it's clear it's doin' something. More than just wiping me out every day.

[Johnny shoots a frown in Blaine's direction.] Don't help or nothin', lazyass.

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

If we get noticed, bombs tend to ensue.

With the right methods of construction it can be quite durable. I have a few ideas in providing additional protection for shelters and key structures. But again it comes down to resources.

Quite so, that is the last thing we need. Liberating a few necessities from a bulk stockpile where they would not be missed would be suitable. Options that shall have to be explored. It is also a matter of determining what in particular we need.

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

Yeah, but if the UE isn't creative at all, that's pretty far. They're worried and they're kind of arrogant and dumb. I mean, they let the Initiative survive for hundreds of years? Who does that? I think being active (or is it proactive) is a good plan! Coordinating with people, too, that helps!

Yeah but i don't know what to do or what i'd even be helpful at so that's why i'm tossing ideas around, seeing what's already been done.

That's what I figured, but I was hoping there would be more people out there who'd know more about this than me. Which is to say, anything.

I guess I can talk to the Initiative about it, see if they'll be willing to send me somewhere with some folks to bring back whatever it is we might need. i guess we should make a list first.

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

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