Event | Console Crash Chaos | Phase One

[cherrywood]

Characters: ALL!
Date: April 17-30, 2014
Location: Keeliai
Situation: In an unexpected and bold attack by Malicant, the console system is completely shut down while food and supply locations all around the city are targeted by bombings.
Warnings/Rating: Explosions! Possible descriptions of related aftermaths, injuries, death, etc.

Shortly after eight in the morning of the 17th, the consoles experience a strange glitching effect. They'll display 15-20 seconds of static, interrupting anything being done on them at the time, before going utterly dark. No power, no signal, completely offline even to detection of their normal bio-mechanical signatures. No amount of energy influx will get them going again, though taking them apart (or trying to) will still cause them to melt into goo.

Within minutes of the console shutdown, explosions will begin ripping through Keeliai. The bombs are all timed as close to simultaneous as coordinating a city-wide attack can be, with many going off within seconds of each other, throwing the thriving morning rush into chaos. They tear into businesses and across public spaces, collapsing walls and blowing piles of debris into the streets. Places of high traffic quickly become evident as prime targets: marketplaces, hospitals, schools and cafes. The streets take only moments to fill with panicking, screaming kedan trying to pull their injured fellows out of harm's way. All told, the explosions take place across approximately a 10-minute stretch and their explosive yields are fairly high.

In addition to the bombs that cause destruction through their blasts, smaller bombs are going off around the city that specifically target food and water supplies, particularly where large stocks of it were kept such as grocers, produce markets, and the like. Rather than cause mass damage, these explosions spray out a fine mist of spores. Any perishables in their immediate area that are splattered develop an oozing black mold within minutes, eventually breaking down organic substances that turn to foul smelling rot and release their own mist, perpetuating the cycle. While skin contact with the mist doesn't harm, inhaling or ingesting it will produce shakes, fever, vomiting with a cumulative effect that has the potential to be fatal. It is much slower to infect the water supply but the sheer volume of rotting perishables will eventually put enough of the spores to taint water sources, approximately 6-8 hours after the original bombings.

The police force are out as soon as possible and within the hour are helping move the injured to safer locations with Evandau in charge, right in their midst and shoulder to shoulder with his subordinates. Not being stockpiles for any of the apparent targets, many of the Foreigner residences have been left undamaged and, wary of putting them in further danger by collecting large groups in public spaces, Foreigners may even be asked to take in a few individuals or a kedan family.

Despite the number of explosions, there are far more reports of injuries as opposed to casualties. The person or persons (or That Bad Guy) responsible for this were, for this attack at least, more intent on damage than on death.

---

LINKS
Fire Sector | Earth Sector | Metal Sector | Water Sector | Wood Sector
Treating the Injured & Safe Houses | Investigations | OOC Plot Post

OOC NOTE: Remember that the consoles and network will be completely offline for the duration of this aspect of the the plot running April 17-23, though Foreigner tech is not affected. Plot questions can be directed to this comment. Have fun!

Comments

[trainwrecked]

[ He gives her a tired, but bright smile. ]

I've had worse from you, as far as physical damage goes.

[ But then the smirk fades. ]

It's not looking very good, when it comes to food supplies, though.

[vdova]

[ Natasha sobers, too, coming to stand next to him. ] This is an act of war. It makes sense they'd go for resources first.

[trainwrecked]

It does. Last time, he went after the turtle himself, sorta. It disrupted food and water, too. And... both Steves got sick again. Didn't shrink, but - asthma, infections, all the things the serum's fightin' off, for him? They were back.

But, before that, when it was just food and water... he had a soup kitchen going. For everyone, but a lot for those that needed more food than the rest. Like him.

It'll probably be better if we keep him from trying to repeat the same, again.

[ What, Bucky, talking about specific things and not really giving much of a chance for questions about himself? Never... ]

[vdova]

[ She'll let it pass this time, considering terrorist attack and all. ] Let's make sure he's not okay, first. We're going to have to figure out food supplies as it is, maybe start gathering up the displaced Kedan and start rationing what we have left.

[trainwrecked]

It'll be a mess.

[ Mostly, he's remembering. Because it was a mess, before. ]

'least Evandau has experience, I guess.

[vdova]

[ War is always a mess. ]

Don't all of us have experience, in one way or another?

[trainwrecked]

[ He gives her a sideways look. ]

That strongly depends on how you define 'us.'

[vdova]

Me. You. Steve. Sharon. Anyone who was here last time something like this happened.

[trainwrecked]

[ Small nod. ]

Yeah. I can go with that.

But the Emperor has an experience in organizing the food stores to last Keeliai through hard times, he did it last time. The rest... yeah. We'll do what we can.

[vdova]

Think we should offer up our services?

[trainwrecked]

Maybe. Sometimes he takes us up on that, sometimes he tries to keep foreigners out of his business. Can't figure out which emergency goes in which category, yet.

[vdova]

It'd be foolish of him to not. He's got people here with the skills to fight this thing. Isn't that why we were brought here in the first place?

[trainwrecked]

That wasn't his idea, remember? But sometimes he does use foreigners.

And, sometimes, he arrests and keeps them for a bit if he catches them 'interfering.' Sure, that one hasn't happened in a while, but it was a thing during the gang war. And even with it, he missed something pretty big.

[ Beat. ]

Which you caught.

[vdova]

[ It was only technically her, but she's gotten used to people comparing people with, well, her. She's seen her video on the network, so she'll take the credit for it. Even if it is dubious. Natasha nods, and then smirks at Bucky slightly, raising an eyebrow. ]

Then he has no reason to refuse me, right?

[trainwrecked]

[ He raises an eyebrow, amused, making the drying grime on his face pull at his skin. ]

You've been picking up optimism from Steve, I see.

[vdova]

Just a healthy awareness of my skillset.

[trainwrecked]

[ The words sort of tumble out of his mouth, before he thinks to check them. ]

And all the more beautiful for it.

[ ... ]

Sorry. Maybe not the time for that.

[vdova]

[ Congrats, Bucky, you've thrown the Black Widow for a loop. She opens her mouth, closes it, and then smiles a little shyly, glancing down and away before looking back at him. ]

I think that's the first time anyone's described it like that.

[trainwrecked]

[ Oh, that's at least distracting from the mess they're in. He likes that smile, the corners of his eyes crinkling in return. ]

What can I say, you make people all shy and everything. [ But not me. An implication that's totally a lie. ]

[vdova]

[ She raises an eyebrow, but she's grinning. ] Is that so?

[ She sees your implication and calls bullshit, Bucky. ]

[trainwrecked]

[ Yeah, okay, the whole moment out of time? He's kind of liking it, even if he's aware of the so many things that they need to do. Or he needs to do, at least. ]

Well, isn't it?

[ He does straighten up a little, meeting her eyes. Maybe not fully so, but I can try. ]

[vdova]

[ There are, maybe, more important things at stake right now, than whatever this is between them. But he's meeting her at every step, intimidated maybe but not afraid. It's interesting, to say the least.

At most, she's starting to realize just how much she likes being around him. And that? That intimidates her. ] You tell me.

[trainwrecked]

[ He meets her eyes for a long moment, then nods, slightly, looking away to somebody's moan of pain. ]

I'll get back to you on that, yeah?

[vdova]

[ The moment is gone, but it's probably for the best. They're here for another reason, after all, and this is no place for a romantic entanglement, even one that hasn't even actually happened yet. She looks away when he does, too, towards the source of the sound, and moves towards it, but she looks over her shoulder at him as she does. ] I'd like that.

[trainwrecked]

[ He salutes her, then jogs off to help a kedan out. And then another. This will take a while. ]