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Started September 21, 2021 by @CaseyJ group

tune

Chet relaxed a little. As long as she assumed it was a normal crossbow, with normal crossbow bolts, that was fine with him. He set it down and leaned forward to cut another chunk off the meat.
"I mean, this hovel has been here for years, and I've never seen you, soooo….." He patted a rock near the near. "You can argue all you want to. Have a seat while you're at it."

@Davadio @ShadeStar

Sean silently watched the interaction, covering his arm so the new person couldn't see it. They didn't need to know that he used to be one of the best shots in that sectors Gov branch…or that he hadn't willingly left, sure he would have if it hadn't been for the tracker, but now he was on both the Gov and Refuge's bad side.

3110 stopped for a break. He'd been jogging at a steady pace for about an hour and a half with a few breaks in between. He leaned up against a rocky outcropping, trying to duck down enough to let it shade the top of his head. Pulling the dust mask down was a welcome change, letting the man gasp in breaths of air. 3110 wiped his forehead with an absent hand, taking a small sip from his precious canteen of water. Taking the moment of rest, he rifled through his bag for the carefully folded map. It was divided into sections, with a few penciled in landmarks from the scout that had used it before him. 3110 didn't know much about the woman, just that she'd never been found again, disappeared without a trace in the compound. He frowned at the map again, Sector 7 was practically blank except for the words Sector 7 in bold, sterile lines. Though… He squinted at the map, noting a smudge next to the number 7, upon closer inspection it wasn't a smudge at all. Lifting the map upwards towards the sunlight the ginger man could see the tiniest drawing of a.. Tree? A frown tugged at his lips now, puzzled. Was this just an idle drawing by a bored Scout? A message? Or was it really just a smudge that he was interpreting meaning from?

3110 decided he'd waited too long, he folded the map up again, noting the direction he should continue in, annoyed by the fact he'd been drifting left for the past 20 minutes. Pulling the damp dust mask up again, 3110 continued his jog, feeling a dull ache increase everytime his injured leg made contact with the ground. The sun beating down made that 'thwum, thwum' sound drum in his ears, and 3110 struggled with the heat, his pale skin a hindrance in this world, he tugged at his loose clothing, made specifically to be able to hide in different environment. While he jogged, his mind couldn't help but wander, from the Government to the sun, to the weight of his rifle on his back, so carefully strapped in it barely bounced as he ran. The young man had had the rifle with him from the second he'd become a scout, he'd trained with it, maintained it, even polished it. In return the gun kept him safe. 3110 hadn't many opportunities to fire it, usually only if he was attacked by some mutant variation of an animal. His favorite was a bear with five legs, gone rabid with hunger in the wasteland. He'd gotten it from a distance before going to his designated drop-point. 3110 could hit a snake in the eye from 200 paces, he'd hit a bird out of the sky hundreds of feet up in the right wind, he could hit a target's chest from- From.. A target's.. The mans breath hitched, and he slowed to a stop, pulling off his mask to gasp for air again, his vision going blurry. What..?

"Child.. I'm going to tell you something important, I need you to never, ever forget it, okay?" His mother was a beautiful woman, both her and his father were scientists, working for the government long before they rose to complete power. She was always calm and collected, and smelled of disinfectant and lavender. She.. 3110 couldn't remember what she worked on.. But it was something important right? She- He couldn't remember her number.. Why couldn't he- What was.. Something in his brain made a clicking noise, deafeningly loud.

3110 stood up from his knees in the sand. He glanced at the sky, he would be arriving at his destination in twenty minutes, he stood and ran, head empty for a long while. He pulled up his mask, checked his rifle and ran.

(Haha, guess this means trouble >:) )

A spectator watching from a distance wouldn't notice anything wrong, in fact someone just a few inches away might not even notice anything at first. However, with close examination the man running was too.. Patterned, running left, right, left right was normal, breathing in the same pace also so. Arms moving in time with legs can make sense, and eyes straight ahead was just common sense. However, all of them combined was.. Wrong, too ordered, too structured. The man kept running like this for a while, before 3110 finally felt himself in his skull again. The ginger man sighed, he'd zoned out again. It was dangerous to do that while running, he was probably just bored of the monotony. Checking the sky he was nearing his destination, and even as he looked ahead he could see.. A forest? 3110 blinked again, then tried rubbing his eyes. The tree's ahead stayed in place, so it wan't a mirage.. How… Long had he been zoned out? A spark of worry blossomed in his stomach, what had happened? Even as he thought about it a spike of pain formed in 3110's skull, driving the thought away, he shook his head, instead focusing on the tree's as a much more immediate problem.

The tree's were larger than described and an odd aura radiated from them. 3110 crouched down, inspecting the… Grass? The plant life on the ground, half seemed wilted and the rest was tough, and almost rubbery to the touch. He frowned, pulling out his map again. He was sure he was in the right area, it was just so, odd? The red haired man had experienced the strangest things the past few days, perhaps that was what was causing his headaches. 3110 unholstered his rifle, though for once the familiar weapon was heavy in his hands. The gleam of the metal under the trees was unfriendly and harsh. 3110 shook his head firmly, switching the safety on and off for a moment to reassure himself. He took a few steps forwards, creeping under the canopy, all of his senses on full alert. The rustles of the leaves sounded unnatural to his machinery accustomed ears, and the constant movement put him on edge. As an afterthought 3110 remembered to put a leaf or two in his bag to study later. He knew, consciously that places like this forest existed, and the Government likely knew of it.. Perhaps this was why he was sent to scout area 7? Entirely possible he was being sent here to die.

3110 held tighter to his rifle, triple checking that his belongings were held close to his body and securely fastened. The trees pressed in, whispering of life, and he pressed a hand to one of the behemoths trunks. As unsettling as it was, 3110 decided the height couldn't hurt and began to climb up the base of the tree, resting softly in the massive branches. 3110 allowed himself a smile, he felt like a panther, a large cat he'd read about in a report once. He adjusted his clothes to the environment around him, darkening the colors. The boughs were large enough from mutation to allow subtle travel along the branches if you were careful and clever enough. 3110 began to move, scanning around himself and going slowly, his priority was looking for other humans or wild-life, and he slowly worked his way towards distant sounds, almost like a crackling fire, though it might just be the odd sounds of a mutated forest. Looking through the scope of his rifle occasionally to see further, though the leafage and undergrowth blocked his vision, it also provided excellent cover. The ginger stilled his breathing to move quieter, as he was trained, eyes opened to take in all the details he could. Briefly, 3110 wondered if he'd be allowed to sketch such a place when he returned to the compound..

"Oh, must not've seen it when I was running for my life when I went through here the first time," Z retorted back staying where she was. They glanced over at the other stranger, the one who hadn't said much. She then looked back at the talkative one, "Besides, you two haven't proven your not Gov. This could be a pop-up station. So forgive me for not believing you."

Chet just kinda looked at her, then looked down at himself. Animal hide clothing, a clearly homemade weapon, living in a dirt hovel on the backside of nowhere, with no marks or numbers on his arms…
"I forgive you. Name's Chet. And if we were Guvs, you'd be dead. You know that as well as I do."

Z wasn't stupid, she could see all of that. But they also knew that the Government did things similar to sending someone out with very little supplies to make outposts in order to "recuit" unsuspecting people and search for missing assets like herself. They guessed Chet had never come across one of these scouts before, while Z had dealt with a few. She wasn't going to tell what she knew though, "Guess we've just come across different scouts of Govs then. And what about your friend there? He ain't a part of the Gov either?"

@CaseyJ @ShadeStar

Chet nodded. "Never come across a scout smart enough for me to worry about." He glanced at Sean. "He came from the Refuge, but I was just asking the same thing." He held out the meat again, still offering her food. "It's not poison, I promise."

@Davadio @ShadeStar
Sean looked between the two. "Um…I'm not …anymore…but its complicated" he looked off to the side looking at the trees around. He wasn't sure what he was going to say, that he had never been loyal to the Gov, but he didn't choose to leave, even to him it sounded like a load of crap.

3110 stood in a low crouch, one hand placed gently on the side of a tree, the other held out for balance, but always inches away from his rifle, just in case. Being up this high was dizzying, but in the intoxicating way. The ginger almost felt like smiling again. Almost. He'd circled around the sound of crackling, for certain it was fire this time. If it was a campfire, that likely meant people. 3110 wasn't sure he could deal with a group, not with an injured leg and no group or partner to back him up, if it was just one person though? Learning from last time was important, he could shoot the person while staying in the tree's, wait for a designated amount of time and inspect the campsite for evidence. His encounter with Mark had left him slightly wary, and as he continued in the boughs of the tree's he felt increasingly uneasy. 3110 looked up, inspecting the sky as best he could, his sharp nose starting to pick up hints of smoke. Deciding to play it safe, he climbed higher up in the tree's where the leaves would cover him, but he'd be a much safer distance from anyone on the ground.

He continued closer, moving at a snails pace, to make next to no noise. Finally, he was close enough to look into the little clearing. Taking in the scene was an odd sight, three people, one standing defensively with the other two sitting by the fire. 3110 frowned, and sniffed the air again. He couldn't place the smell coming from the fire, maybe vaguely like burnt flesh? But more.. Pleasant. Roasting over the fire was a dead animal and the man's frown deepened. He wasn't close enough to hear any of the conversation, but he could safely watch through his rifle scope from the distance undisturbed. He noted the younger kid looked unsure, maybe uncomfortable? The older man was much more confident, it was likely his fire and camp based on his clothes. 3110 knew he couldn't take the whole group if they worked together, so waiting was the better course of action. The final member of this group was another person, with limbs that glinted in the sunlight, they looked prosthetic, perhaps a base of Government design but highly altered. Assessing the group, he marked the feminine one and the older man as the most immediate threats, and put most of his attention on those two, while keeping the younger one in the corner of his eyes as well.

Settling in to wait, in a pose ready to flee, but comfortable enough to stay still for long periods of time, 3110 flipped the safety off his gun silently. If need be he could get one or two shots off before running, either for defense or a distraction. The red haired man just wanted to watch and wait, engaging was dangerous for himself, especially with his leg. It was annoying not being able to hear, but it was much less likely for him to be detected this way. The smell of meat from the fire kept wafting up, and 3110 struggled to keep his mouth from watering, it smelled far more appetizing than the rations the Government gave out. Bricks of nutrients or slop that was a grey, flavorless slime. His stomach growled quietly and 3110 scowled. He was being weak, food was necessary to work, not for anything else, he reminded himself. He sighed again, holding up the scope once more so his hawk-like eyes could watch the interactions unfolding.

@CaseyJ @ShadeStar @ScotchTapeWorm

Chet nodded at Sean. "Complicated is fine, as long as you're not with the Guvs anymore. Complicated I can do, because I can help you make it uncomplicated." He took a bite of the roasted meat, before talking around the mouthful. "If you decide you wanna be Guv again, I'll put a bolt in your brain and a knife in your chest. That should help you uncomplicate it." The harsh words he said, and the casual way he said it, were jarring together.
Chet saw a glint out of the corner of his eye, like sunlight reflecting off glass. He whipped his head up, and looked directly at where the glint had come from, way up in the trees a long way away. It was similar to how the scope on his crossbow would flash if he turned it into the light.
He couldn't see anyone up there, but he was uneasy now.
He kept his eyes trained upwards, scanning, but said quietly "Z, did you bring anyone with you?"

@Davadio @ShadeStar @ScotchTapeWorm

Sean ran his thumb over the numbers on his arm. "I never agreed with them, but I didn't have a reason to leave..I mean the tracker was one big problem, but I could have cut it out of my arm if it came to it…I only left a few months ago…"he shrugged, "I didn't leave by choice, but I was never loyal to anyone but myself" He said, looking up where Chet was looking, "No one would come here, only the high ups in the Gov know about this, and they wouldn't want anyone deciding to try to live on their own given the chance…and the Refugees don't know about it either."

"Loyal to yourself, that's good, Sean. As long as you are loyal to you, I won't have to kill you."
Chet slowly stood up, picking up his bow, eyes still scanning the woods. "That's why I asked Z if she brought a friend. Cuz I've had bad luck with saying where the Guvs will or won't be before…" Danny's face flashed in his mind, and he swallowed thickly. "Sometimes they just come out of nowhere."

@Davadio @CaseyJ 3110 watched, his breathing slow and shallow to avoid making noise. His clothes were specialized to blend in with any environment, even these odd tree's, he was high up, covered by leaves, he should be near invisible. Clearly he was wrong. Cursing under his breath, 3110 watched as the group of people got uneasy, spooked like a heard of cattle spotting a snake. The older man was on the high defensive now, holding a clear weapon in his hand, looking in his direction. The younger man looked less concerned, but still looking in the same direction, and 3110 couldn't get a clear read on the third member of this strange troupe. He considered bailing now, leaving when they were still a good distance away.. But again, his curiosity got the better of him, perhaps this would be the cat's ninth life, but he felt a need to watch. Besides, 3110 swore he felt a tug of familiarity, though he couldn't tell if it was from the older man or the younger one. It was a curious itch, the vague recollection of a face from a past memory? The ginger didn't have time to dwell on the feeling, instead he hunkered down, attuning his clothes more to the color of the tree's to blend in. Perhaps the people would be spooked enough to leave and he could silently tail them. If not, they would at least be keeping an eye out for him now, annoying but 3110 could work with it. It wasn't the first time his prey knew they were being watched after all.
Holding the rifle closer to his body, triple checking a bullet was snuggly fitted in the chamber. A thrill of adrenaline and excitement making his eye shine a bit brighter than they did back at the Compound, with all the dead eyes and faces.

Chet lifted his crossbow, looking through the scope, but he couldnt see anything and he didn't see the glint again. Still, he couldn't shake the unease. He turned and started kicking dirt into the fire, putting it out and throwing the small clearing into shadow from the huge trees.

3110 allowed himself a small snort, his lip curling up into a slight grin. The clearing went dark as the older man extinguished the fire, giving only patchy light from what could shine through the tree's canopy. So we're playing this game are we? The thrill of excitement increased at the challenge, the ginger held the scope closer to his eye, scanning as best he could for darker patches of shadows that might indicate the presence of a person, or movement, which was a dead giveaway. With his left hand, he reached into his bag, gently touching his box of matches, he'd keep them in reserve, as a just in case. If necessary he'd burn this whole forest down, but it wasn't an outcome that 3110 would be pleased with. Slowly, straining his leg muscles, he raised himself into a low crouch, ready to leap from the tree's. Ice-blue eyes scanned the ground, his lips pulled into a full smile now, amused.