((OOC: It should be said, I need your guys
actions in
bold. Tho I guess in this case, there is a consensus to move forward.
Also, nobody picked up the radio...but, I suppose I'll let anybody add it to their inventory...))
The group quickly mounts the ladder, and passes the makeshift barricade-stepping carefully over the mangled hoods of cars-not wishing to linger around the sight of the slaughter. Noise, blood, sweat-these things attract the attention of Rotters...
After that, you can only move forward.
The only sight worth noting aftewards, is smack dab in the middle of the bridge, a few miles out-the blocky sort of cannon emplacement that is a stark reminder of the war humanity just 'won'-laid out in an artificial island. Though now it lies dark and disused (it's barrel, large as a jumbo jet, points toward the infinitely permeable sky) these things once were all that kept humanity from extinction. Called Ultra-Orbital-Defense-Emplacements, or just 'nodes', with the first letter flipped (humans like things easy), they could defend against both incoming Tarrak ships, and mere rocks flung from the belt to strike the Earth's surface-a surprisingly effective strategy, and one the Tarrack could do with terrifying accuracy. Needless to say-it took alot of power even to fire these monsters even once. In the richest provinces, they were powered 24-7 by rings of Fusion power plants. In place like this, they were drilled deep enough into the Earth to draw power from thermal sources-never mind the Earthquakes and tidal waves they had to generate miles around, even to fire a single time. In the poorest countries, such as some in Africa, they literally rigged an entire countries energy generation-everything they could get-to power even one, and then not very long-usually to defend a tightly packed 'safety zone'-outside of which, the Tarrak slaughtered and abducted unheeded. When the Tarrak learned Humanity was propping hundreds of these Nodes up like so many ants rebuilding a kicked over dirt mound, they began a lengthy and ugly ground war...
The irony that the place might make a good home, is not unheard of in your own thoughts-but, it's just as likely suicide to even approach one. Humans could never operate such a building without extensive protection, and most of them were run by automated processes instead-some of those defenses, might still be in place. Unless you want to get baked by nuclear radiation or some sort of guardbots, you know well enough to stay far away. One wonders if the Rotters stay away, as well...
...
The rest of the afternoon is fairly quiet-nothing but the sloshing of waves, and the occasional cry of seabirds. Approaching the mainland of Pellie island is a disheartening sight, however-it looks like the end of the bridge, where there was once a toll booth, was the sight of some terrible battle. Another makeshift barricade-military cargo supply boxes, sandbags, and metal sheets-was here, but has been violently blasted away.
Judging by the litter of empty shell casings, pockmarked and blasted darkened stone-and the burnt out supply trucks behind it-it was probably between two groups of humans-not rotters. One group was apparently trying to force their way on the island...since the headway seems clear of any defenders, living or dead, they were probably successful.
Chuck, the only one with any military experience, can make some assumption. First, this is a terrible defensive position. Further back would have been just as well-enough to space out all your men along the front. BY concentrating men along the tollroad-probably using a line of rifles and small arms like they did in the civil war-all they did was corral their own people into a narrow corridor, limiting any potential advantage of numbers, or surprise. Any attackers would have seen them from miles away, and if they had the firepower (judging by the destruction, they did-he notes what can only be machine gun stippling along the barricade, and the explosions of rocket propelled grenades) they were raining it down on the poor schmucks before they knew what hit them...
...he's been seeing these sort of brainless tactics (and the ensuing carnage) alot lately-what his old buddies would no doubt have called 'hollywood strategy'. It's the sort of thing armchair strategists might use with a lifetime of experience watching dopey action movies. It's surprising, really, with how long humanity had been at war that so few people actually know how to
fight-then again, not many people had to, right? A great many people were very far from the war, or at least they could pretend to be...
They had people like Chuck to do the fighting for them, after all.
...
http://www-personal.umich.edu/~aleskiw/maps/images/PI2005.jpgEvening begins to fall as the directions are once again consulted. If you're all set on heading to Wilson Air Force Base, well there's a few ways to go about it.
Down highway 47, to Highway 3 is the most direct route...with the small problem that someone seems to have blown up the bridge leading there-perhaps the victors, or the losers, of the aforementioned battle-and the stones tumble some distance into an ugly looking gorge-there are
things moving down there....It'll be a short trip, over some rough terrain-Northern Aultica country is hilly, wet, lots of small pools, rivers and scrubby trees. Probably not possible to get lost, as long as you keep the ocean in view.
Aultica Falls is a little further on-you can make out the dim outline of what is probably some sort of dam (seems intact) from your vantage point here. Assuming it is intact, there's a possibility-a strong possibility-that someone is keeping it that way. Unless they've been blown away as well...all these narrow routes make you all nervous, to be honest. Not much room to run. Not much room to get by, if something is a bit too much for you to handle. And what if something comes up behind you...?
Further on, the map shows a route 18 that should lead you directly to the AFB-that's a bit further out of the way, but it's a road, not a bridge or highway. It's probably intact and less likely to be watched or guarded...but, it's not out of the question.
...
South leads to lower, flatter country-Southern Aultica is pretty nice looking in comparison, a regular American Dream-though this one has probably more in tune with a nightmare. It's all Beachfront property. Nice houses, big yards. You can see them even from here.
It there was more people, though...there are more rotters, very likely...
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Topic: Reign of Rot Rebooted (Day 1/Fear of whats next) (Read 8507 times)