The Saurian Apocalypse [Private]

P

poisonbite01

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Original poster
He was in southern New York, staring through the trees that had torn through the old asphalt at the squat, concrete box of a building that was an old Biosyn administrative facility. The faded lettering could still be warn, and even if it wasn't Trevor knew what it was. The map had been difficult to read, what with giant trees and shrubs distorting the streets old contours, but after a few days he'd managed to track down one of the streets that led to the building. Perfect.

The thin, muscular man in his late twenties hefted the baseball bat that was his favored weapon, and pedaled one-handed towards the building. The heavy duty tires and modified suspension on the three-wheeled bicycle bounced him over tree roots, potholes, curbs, and animal bones easily, and he didn't worry much about thorns or anything. These were expensive tires...or they would have been before he had been born. Now he just strode into Jax Bicycle Shop and pulled them out of the rack. That was one shop that hadn't been touched, save for the occasional Trike charge or Compy nest.

He pulled up to a stop outside the building's heavy, metal door, and climbed off the bike. He pulled a crow-bar out of the pack tied to the large basket set between the rear tires, and pried the locking mechanism off. Once that was done, a a quick snip of a few wires and an electrical charge that he deposited to the electronic lock through a hand-crack had the door hissing open. He unplugged and stowed the rest of his gear, then trundled the bike inside. he closed the door behind him and left the bike parked in front of it. That'd keep out the smaller dinosaurs. After all, this building hadn't been opened in almost three decades, so why would the saurians care?

~~~

If Trevor had done the usual checks that he did, however, he would have noticed that the windows on the upper floors of the back-half of the building were all broken, having been shattered by the thrashing branches of the trees growing close to the ugly building in a storm some ten years ago. So, entrance was quite easy for the various arboreal saurians run about the world, and for the dinosaurs that ate those tree-dwelling creatures...
 
Alena
I aggressively grabbed the mouse on the desk and moved it, nothing. Pressing every button I could find, everything remained silent and dead. Letting out a soft groan as I pulled out a drawer and started thumbing through what seemed like a billion files and folders full of papers. Behind me, Loki let it be known he was on edge with a sudden, low growl deep in his throat. I, too, had my wits about me. Closing the drawer shut, I grabbed my pack off the counter and made a mad dash for the stairwell with Loki at my heels as he was trained to do. It could very well mean death for him if he strayed too far, especially in the building. Too many larger 'dingoes' roaming about. Dingoes being the Saurians, of course.

Dashing down the stairs as well as trying not to make so much noise, I finally made it to the ground level. With the season closing in on the winter time, the wind had quite a bite to it and it was a bit of a relief to be downstairs where no windows had been broken. Stumbling over the occasional vine that covered the floor and most areas of the walls in the building, I made it to the front desk. Before I could start rummaging through more, there was a sudden -crack- and another sound, metal on metal, from what I could pick up. I grit my teeth and threw my hand out over Loki's nose, stopping him mid-snarl. Shoving his nose into the opposite direction of the noise, I quickly grabbed my knife from the sheath on my belt and hid inside of a room nearby. Crouching down, I commanded Loki to lay low and he did just so, waiting with me to see what or who our visitor could be. Waiting for the perfect moment to pop out of our hiding spot to strike.
 
He was entirely unaware of the other person in the smallish building with him. He strode easily down the hallway, holding his spear in one hand and rummaging about in his pocket with the other. He pulled out a black marker from his pocket and, using one hand and his teeth, pulled off the cap and replaced it on the other end. He walked up to the first door on his right (the one opposite to Alena's, actually), and opened it slowly, peering into the dark room. It was far too dark, so he pulled a small flashlight off a clip on his belt, and clicked it on.

Empty. The room was dark, with old tables, desks, and bookshelves...but no computers. He sighed heavily and turned around, pulling the door closed with a snap.

"All I want is one simple computer!" He groaned, drawing a big slash-mark on the door with the marker. He then walked over to the other door, the one that was slightly open...
 
Alena
Pulling my mask down over my face slowly, I placed my index finger over the mouth slit and narrowed my eyes at Loki. Crouched there, I listened to the footsteps coming down the hallway.. they suddenly stopped and a silent whoosh of a door opening sounded. I peaked around the wall, seeing the being standing in the doorway opposite of me holding a fairly large spear in his hand. 'Huh. A survivor, like me.. haven't seen any since-' My thoughts stopped dead in their tracks and I refocused on the stranger. My eyes fixated on the man, I didn't notice him turning around until it was almost too late. Last second, I pulled back into the room and sat quietly. 'Shit,' I thought to myself. "All I want is one simple computer!" I looked around and suddenly my heart sank. Even in the pitch black darkness in the room, I could see the outline of some old computers sitting on the desks not too far from me. Slamming my fist into my thigh, I got up and walked slightly hunched over to a desk, crawling underneath it. As long as the man didn't come anywhere near the desk, I'd be safe. Pushing myself against the cold wood, I stayed still and hoped the man would find what he was looking for and go.
 
Trevor pushed open the door and stepped boldly into the room, flashlight flashing over the place. He saw a half-dozen computers, and his eyes lit up.

"Yes!"

Trevor turned and immediately left the room, running to get his stuff. He pulled his bike down the hall and started unpacking. He pulled out an oblong device and a few odd looking metal pieces, then grabbed his laptop and a few cables. He carried all this back into the room and set his flashlight on its bottom then unscrewed the top a little, letting the beam widen. He then started setting up.

If she had left while he was doing that, she'd be good, but if she did not, she'd find herself stuck in the slightly lit up room, with Trevor at one of the desks. However, this one was facing the door and against the wall, so she probably wouldn't be getting out that way. He'd actually chosen that particular one for exactly that reason, and he placed his knives within easy reach. It was the only one that let him look through the doorway and down the hall, instead of directly across at the other door. He could see the front wheel of his bike now, so he'd know if someone tried to move it.

He got under the desk and rooted around for something, and pulled out a panel set in the desk, uncovering the mass of cables. A small rat hissed at him and ran off, but he paid it no mind, pulling out the power chords from the ground and plugging them into a small power strip he'd brought. He then sat up and put together his little contraption: a modified desk exercise machine he'd found at an old store called Targe. He figured it was called that because the red circle logos looked like a shield, but that didn't matter. He'd modified it so he could sit at the chair and pedal, and power a few pieces of electronics. He plugged in the laptop charger and all four of the cables that were plugged in back there, not sure what they all did. He then immediately started pedaling away, building the charge in the built-in battery so he had some leeway once he got started.

The whole time, he was practically narrating this.

"Okay, I got my little bike thing, now I just put this here, slot that there, just gotta-UNF- force that in there...and there we go! Done! Got that put together." Then he started pedaling. "Now I just gotta wait a minute and I can get cracking on those files! Just gotta plug in this external! Ah, wait, I gotta label this." He rooted around in one of the drawers and found some tape. "Perfect! Just gonna stick that theeeeere...and put this here. 'Biosyn...Complex 11...computer 1...' Good!" He plugged the empty external into his laptop, which he turned on next.

If he was aware that he was sharing the room with a dog and a girl, he didn't show it, nor did the tall, reasonably muscular human seem all that threatening. He seemed excited, and if she didn't know he was pedaling at a machine under the desk he'd look to be wiggling in excitement.
 
Alena

"Yes!"

'No!' I thought to myself. I could hear his footsteps retreating and I couldn't help but wonder why. I peaked up over the wooden desk towards the entrance and almost began to get up to make a quick getaway till I heard his steps again. Sitting back down beneath the desk again, I curl up with my back tight against the wall. 'Please, just get the shit you need and go.' I look out the windowed wall in front of me and just lose myself in the woods. I can see small dingoes running about the forest floor, jumping over uprooted trees and their branches. A part of me can't help but feel glad that I'm not out there because those little guys are hard to outrun, but the other half of me is grateful for their presence. Means there aren't any bigger ones in the area, and for now, this stranger and I are out of harms way.. unless he decides to turn his spear on me. Then we'll have some problems.

It takes me a second, but as I come back I realize he is talking to himself. "-...and there we go! Done! Got that put together." There's a sound I haven't heard in a long time. 'A bike? But how?' I very slowly creep to the side of the desk and look down the isle of cubicles to see him stationed with his things at another desk. He's on some sort of bike.. but why is he pedaling? Did he really come in here just to exercise? Come on no-' "Biosyn... Complex 11... Computer 1." My heart stops. He's got a computer running. 'These things haven't turned on in years, how is he-' ... then it hit me. 'That's why he's pedaling. Power.' If it was a snake, it would have bitten me.

Furrowing my eyebrows, I slowly get up from my hiding spot and stand as tall as possible. Probably not as tall as the man before me, but as tall as I can manage. Armed with my knife in hand, Loki at my side waiting for the command to strike, I speak up in a decently loud tone, still managing to keep it quiet not to draw too much attention towards us. "What is it that you think you'll find, exactly?"
 
If she was expecting a witty retort, or a battle-cry, or even a non-committal grunt, she would find herself wanting. Instead, she got a sharp, shrill cry and a jump that took Trevor almost three feet over his chair. He crashed back down, sending the old thing to the ground with a crash, breaking the seat off. The pillar with the locked-up wheels skittered across the ground towards her, and the hardened-foam of the seat rattled about next to the now-unpowered bike/generator. He fumbled for his spear and braced himself against the wall, turning his attention to her.

"What!? How did you get in here? The door was locked when I arrived, and these facilities always have exactly one entrance! Who are you! Why do you care what I'm looking for! And how did you sneak up on me!"

The questions all rattled out of him faster than he could process the facts. First, there was obviously an entrance he didn't know about, and she had been in the building before him. Second, she could have come in at anytime while he was below the desk, or could have been in this room already. And third, he really didn't need to brandish his crude spear, since she could have attacked him at any time prior to her inquiry, so after only a few moments of glaring, he raised his spear up higher and used it to get to his feet, still watching her and waiting for a response.
 
Alena
His shrill cry just about startled me. Hadn't thought my voice would have scared him so. I simply raise my eyebrow and smirk a bit as he crashes to the floor and grabs his spear to defend himself, pointing it at me. Loki lets out a snarl when he sees the raised spear, taking a small step in advancement towards the man. "What!? How did you get in here? The door was locked when I arrived, and these facilities always have exactly one entrance! Who are you! Why do you care what I'm looking for! And how did you sneak up on me!" Everything he asked sounded more like demands than questions. From the looks of him, he didn't seem like the type who would attack if he felt he wasn't being threatened. I slowly raise my empty hand as I slide my knife back into it's sheath, buckling it closed. "Kay. This is obviously your first time here. There's a busted window upstairs, and a tree that was knocked over in a storm or something that's hanging right up against it. It's not more than a five foot jump away from branch to window. Plus, there's a basement with an escape tunnel with an exit/entrance a mile out from here, East I believe. You can get in through there as well because it's been open since this building was evacuated. There's just a lot of dingoes down there and I'd rather not go through that way. A knife can only fend off so many.. and only certain sizes. I personally don't care what you are looking for, unless it's gotta do with what information I'm also trying to get my hands on.. and if you think that was sneaking up on you, you've got another thing coming." I stare at the man, tilting my head. "You know, if you put your weapon down, the wolf may take it into consideration not to kill you. He'll get to you before you can say 'momma', so I'd put it down if I were you." I walk the few steps forward to bend down and scoop up the pillar, my expression turning a little more friendly as I hold it out to him, still keeping a decent distance away from him, just out of reach if he were to try and strike out at me. "As for who I am, my name is Alena.. and you are?"
 
Of course there were underground entrances. And the broken windows. If he'd looked around properly he'd have known that already. So this was entirely his fault. If he'd done the proper recon, he'd have noticed this, and he'd have been more careful about when and how he set up. Now, she was mentioning how awesome her wolf was and, while he wasn't too worried about it (he had a knife in his pocket and, of course, his mail, which would turn the teeth on his forearms), he didn't like the idea of fighting it off while also worrying about the girl. He didn't want to fight anyway, so he just shrugged and let the spear drop with a "thwump" to the old, carpeted floors.

"Ah, yes, that wouldn't be fun then. Tell your puppy to stand down then, I don't want to fight I just want to find another chair." She held out the broken chair piece to him and he took it, figuring it was some sort of way of greeting. "Thank you, Alena. I'm Trevor." He dropped the pillar to the ground behind him (it was useless now), and then said "I'm just going to get another chair so I can get back to work. I need to build up the charge on this thing again so I can turn on this computer, and see if there is anything salvageable on it."

Then he realized that, in her own little series of statements, she'd mentioned she was looking for information as well, and that piqued his interest. He didn't think anyone in this world wanted information anymore. Everyone seemed intent on trying to survive and fight off the dinos, instead of looking for a way to stabilize the future generations. "Perhaps we are both looking for the same thing? What is it you're seeking on these derelict, dilapidated, dusty drives?"
 
OOC: I apologize for my LONG absence. I was put through a lot of shit.. I'm back now, though. Also found out that my laptop cannot be fixed and I will be forced to buy a new one which won't be for some time, because I cannot afford a new one right on the spot. Have to save up for a while. Might be able to get one this month, possibly. I'll ask about keeping half my rent's worth for my birthday in order to buy me a new laptop. PRAY. *fingers crossed*

Alena

I couldn't help but laugh at his remark that we may be looking for the same thing through the old archives. I turned to meet his eyes, holding his with my own. "I highly doubt that, Trevor. What I'm looking for really isn't anyone else's concern. And definitely not someone I just met. You may give off a friendly vibe, but the truth is, I don't know if I can trust you." Turning away, I add in an almost whisper, "Can't trust anyone these days.." I sigh heavily and snap my fingers towards the door that leads out to the hallway. "Loki, go for a walk, boy." As always, obedient as ever, Loki slowly turned and slunk away with his head low to the ground trying to scent anything unusual. Once Loki was out of sight and no longer appeared to be a threat to Trevor, I took up a chair and swiveled it around, sitting in it backwards with my arms crossed, dangled over the back of the seat. "What exactly is it that you, my friend, are looking for in these 'old dusty drives'?" Out of habit, I begin handling my knife, twisting it round in my hands using my thumbs, index, and middle fingers.