Event | Turtle Dive | January 20 - 23 | Underwater zombies crave your briiiiiines

[ironwood]

Characters: Any and all PCs
Date: January 20th - 23rd
Location: All Sectors
Situation: Tu Vishan continues swimming along the ocean floor after his monumental dive, but it turns out there are a whole bunch of undead that want in on the party!
Warnings/Rating: Underwater situations, violence, potential gore; to be updated as noted.

>See the comments of this post for various situations and areas available for tagging.
>Each header will be set for a date and/or area.
>Feel free to start your own header for specific situations.
>The Palace subplot will be run in a separate log.
>Refer to the two OOC posts for further details. 01 | 02

Comments

Pepper Potts | Fire sector

[the_other_eight]

[Pepper had been hurrying on her way to one of the smaller stores for a quick and clean supply run when the 'rain' started. She hadn't noticed at first because the bodies had been so few at first. She'd actually managed to make her way to the store and buy the things she needed before she even encountered her first body. She was passing by one of the abandoned bonfires when she heard a sickening thud. A few moments later she saw an arm, mottled from the water and splattered with blood from the fall. It was crawling it's way toward her, arm digging into the ground as it pulled the rest of itself along. There wasn't actually much left. A shoulder and a rotting head that was only partially covered in flesh. The creatures one clouded and lifeless eye seemed to be focusing on her.

Pepper took several steps back, fingers curling tightly around the handle of her bag. Another thud, only slightly further off and another more pieces joined the first. She could hear her own shrill scream escape her as she started swinging the bag at the ever encroaching body parts. First underwater, not this. It wasn't long before the bag ripped, sending the contents flying.]

[tendnottoweep]

[ Animated corpses raining from the sky (such as it is) is actually one of the few things Natasha's not prepared for in any way - she's far from panicking, but she's really not sure of what she should be doing with this... so she's headed back to her suite, which is at least defensible, until she can figure it out.

She... recognizes that scream, though. Letting Pepper Potts get eaten by zombies is not something she really wants on her resume, and so she ends up running toward the sounds of struggle, gun in hand as it has been since the bodies started dropping. ]

[the_other_eight]

[Pepper would appreciate not dying, really. By the time that Natasha arrives Pepper has manages to wiggle one of the lit logs from the bonfire (causing several others to spill out into the street) and is waving it in front of the assorted parts trying to back out of the area. Sadly for Pepper, she's not a fighter. Pepper is a planner, not a zombie fighter. A stray hand managed it's way behind enemy lines and is now trying to get close enough to crawl up her leg.

Pepper lets out a disgusted 'ew' as she tries to back away quickly, but the hand seems to be keeping pace with her, and every inch she backs the other parts creep closer toward her and try to close the gap. Throughout this rather unfortunate display of defending herself several grumbled out words can be heard from her. The words 'gross' and 'should have stayed home.' seem to be the predominant ones. She's seriously thinking about never watching horror movies ever again if she gets out of this alive.]

[tendnottoweep]

[ Natasha lets out a breath as she sees Pepper's at least not being menaced by an intact corpse - yet, anyway. Still, she doesn't slow down until she's reached her, kicking the hand and sending it flying toward the fire before grabbing Pepper's arm and tugging her out of the way of a few more unidentifiable parts inching toward her.

Another body thumps to the ground a few yards away, bouncing off a roof in the process. Natasha winces, keeping a wary eye on it though it should take a moment for it to sort out the broken limbs and pulverised flesh. ] Is Stark out here too, or is it just you?

[the_other_eight]

Just me.

[Pepper heard the body hit and her head whirled in it's direction. How many of these things were there? She wasn't sure that they could fend off many more of them.

Though if Tony knew about these things he'd probably be out here already. Though Pepper figured Natalie knew him well enough to know that already.

She kept thrusting the flaming torch at the pieces, backing in Natalie's direction.]

What's going on?

[She honestly wasn't sure she wanted to know.]

[tendnottoweep]

If I had to guess, I'd say the barrier isn't holding up anymore. At least this is all that's coming through so far... [ The undead she can fight. The massive expanse of ocean above them and on all sides... not so much.

The corpse that just fell... well, it doesn't quite get up. That would require more bones and muscles to be intact than currently are in this case. It does start moving toward them, and Natasha levels her gun at it without actually firing. ]

I think you should start moving toward your suite, Ms. Potts. I'll be right behind you.

[the_other_eight]

[Pepper's attention is distracted to the creature now slinking it's way toward them.]

That was my exit.

[They're pretty much surrounded on all sides now.]

[tendnottoweep]

[ Natasha mutters something under her breath, her expression going blank and calm - almost unnervingly so - as she calculates the creature's approach, the angles of attack, the routes to either of their suites. Her tone's just as calm as her expression when she speaks, her eyes on the jiangshi rather than Pepper. ]

Don't move from here. If any more get close, do me a favor and scream.

[ And then she's running at the creature like a big cat breaking from cover, all deadly grace against the jiangshi's clumsy awkwardness. An intact creature would present a challenge, but in the state it's in, it's all too easy for her to target the weak points in joints and broken bones and take it apart, all but literally, with brutal efficiency. ]

[the_other_eight]

[Pepper jumps at the sudden absence of Natasha. Recovering she pulls out another flaming torch and continues to thrust it at the advancing pieces of creature.]

[wintershepherd]

[ Several foot-long icicles comes shooting out of nowhere, pinning the corpse parts to the ground with a frigid blast of air behind them. Jack lands nearby and uses the hooked end of his staff to whack one away with a swing that would have made a pro golfer proud. ]

Pepper! Are you all right?

[the_other_eight]

Peachy.

[She quips, thrusting her torch at one and setting the flesh on fire. It has a distinct smell she she never really wanted to know about.]

Ew, what are these things?

[wintershepherd]

I'm not sure but they're really persiste--

[ Jack leaps back from the torch in the opposite direction, even though she hadn't been aiming at him. ]

Watch where you're poking that thing! Some of us are kind of heat-sensitive...

[ He cracks his staff down on the stone ground, creating a sheet of ice that removes every bit of traction beneath the zombies, leaving them scrambling around rather comically while Jack looks at Pepper seriously. ]

You need to get inside. This is a bad place for you to be...

[the_other_eight]

Clearly.

[She's not even sure that she'll be safe inside, and right now, more then anything else, she wants to make sure Tony is alright. If he knows that these things are out here then he's likely to go out and fight, armor or not, and she's not aware that he has the armor here.]

[wintershepherd]

[ Jack uses his staff to direct the wind at gale force and blow another group of jiangshi tumbling end over end back down the street. He seems to sense her hesitation, turning around to face her properly with a look that clearly communicated his conflicted feelings. ]

I'd stay, I would but... there are others and...

[ And he could fight. Even if he wasn't a Guardian now, he would still have put himself in harm's way to protect others. ]

[the_other_eight]

I know.

[She does. She knows that they all have to fight and stand in harms way to protect others.

She thrusts the torch at another creature and sets it on fire.]

[wintershepherd]

I'll come back when this... this whole mess is fixed, okay?

[the_other_eight]

I'd appreciate that.

[Because she's going to be worried about you till you do.]

[wintershepherd]

[ He gives her a smile, strained but resolved. ]

I'll keep them pinned out here while you find something to block the door.

[the_other_eight]

Be careful.

[She hates the idea of leaving him here like this.]

[wintershepherd]

[ He gives her a ghost of a grin. ]

Don't worry about me. Do you have any idea what kind of brain freeze I'd give these guys if they tried to chew on me?