The Recovery (post-apocolypse RP) [IC]

[Highland Sniper]

The Recovery
Recovery Force HQ, Fort Stone.
04:58

The Unit had just been put together by the higher-ups, yet none of them have met until today.
Everyone was to meet at helicopter pad D with their gear, and ready to embark on their first mission.
The Pilot waited patiently in the cockpit.

Gerena laid back on her gear as she waited for the commanding officer to show up.
she was trying to enjoy the early morning before she went out on her first mission. she was excited to finally be able to see the wild areas, the old world of legend.
her nose twitched with the floating sents of wet dirt from last night's rain as the birds sang their song. soon it would be all engine noise and radio chatter.
her tail gave a contented flop. but the thought that someone here would be quick to point out mutations and be a real prick about it bugged her.
she let out a small sigh.

[Enigma]

"Hey, dummy!" Baker smirked, "Looks like they're waitin' for ya!"

The rest of the barracks gave the loud mouth a knowing look, but Tanner didn't respond, he just continued rolling up his blanket inside his poncho.

"Hey!" Baker yelled, getting annoyed. "Did you hear me, or did you go deaf as well as dumb?"

Slipping the poncho bundle underneath the flap of the leather pack, Tanner carefully threaded the straps through the buckles to hold it in place. He could hear Baker striding up to his bunk behind him.

"Nobody ignores me, Tanner...!" Baker yelled, raising his fist - except Tanner had moved, rising and turning to grab the angry corporal's fist and pull him down into the aisle with a thump that winded him.

"What is going on over here?" the barracks sergeant demanded, storming in to sudden silence. He eyed Tanner and Corporal Baker, who was climbing up to the floor. "What happened?"

"Uh, Corporal Baker tripped," one of the others said, standing ramrod straight.
"Did he, now?"
"Yes, sergeant!"
"And you all saw Corporal Baker trip, did you?"
"Yes sergeant!" thundered the rest, except for Tanner who nodded when the sergeant looked in his direction.

"So, is that true, Corporal?" the sergeant demanded. "You tripped?"
"Yes, sergeant!" Baker replied, straightening up.
"So you didn't deliver my message, I take it."
"Uh, I don't think Six heard it, sergeant?"
"Probably forgot to use his name," the sergeant smiled thinly. It wasn't a pleasant smile. "Why don't you report to my office, private."

Tanner took a half-step, but the sergeant stopped him. "Not you, Six. They want you to report on the double to pad D. Take your gear, you're going to be gone for a few days. Best get going."

Tanner straightened for a moment, the knelt down to pick up his gear - slinging on the pack and then his rifle before striding for the door.

"Private Baker, while we're still young," the sergeant ordered, pointing towards his office.


Tanner arrived at a half-jog, noticing the waiting pilot and one of the furries, as the men in barracks called them in one of their bull sessions, lounging in the all-too-familiar "hurry up and wait" pose on the edge of the pad. He gave her a curious look, then nodded at her. He'd seen her around, the wolf ears and tail were hard to miss.

Giving her a little space, he shrugged out of his pack, then sat down next to her with his gun leaning against his other shoulder. He sighed, wondering who else was detailed for this sudden job?

[Acaelus]

Someone was banging a drum outside his door. It was the only logical explanation for the terrible, head splitting noise that assaulted Raylan as he emerged from the dark stupor of bourbon induced sleep. Someone was saying something, trying to shout over that terrible pounding, but he couldn’t hear it. His eyes opened and suddenly it was as if the sun itself had conspired to stab at his eyes as a brilliant ray of sunlight pierced into his vision and forced him to flinch as they closed tightly again and he rolled off his cot with an audible thud.

The room he had been given was a small, slight little rectangular not much larger than a prison cell but at least it had a bed, walls, a door to give him and whatever company he brought home some privacy. When he had accepted the role of Officer here in the Recovery Force it had been with hesitancy and trepidation, not that he doubted his ability to do the job but instead whether he even wanted to, but it did come with its perks.

There was a half empty bottle of bourbon upon the small round nightstand next to his bed, and next to that the brown leather holster which housed his favorite pistol. With that incessant pounding still rattling his door it was all he could do to resist drawing it and shooting that rat bastard that woke him up through the cheap wood. Nothing like a bullet to shut someone up… Instead he took a pull form the bottle, hissing as the liquid burned down his throat. But it did help to clear the clouds from his mind.

It was only moments later that his door swept open and he found himself facing a thin, narrowly featured man with a bandage over his ear. He had his fist in the air as if he was preparing to pound on the door some more and as Raylan emerged he stopped, the two men staring at one another a moment.

“What is it?” Raylan asked, his voice a smooth tenor though it was roughened by his current mood. The man blinked as if he had to think about what it was he had come to say. Raylan was just about to get impatient when he found his words once more.

“They’ve selected your squad.” Aldo breathed, and even as he spoke his hand moved toward the bandage at his ear. There would be a chunk of it missing once it healed, a lesson he wouldn’t soon forget. “You’re to report to Helipad D for departure.”

Raylan could not help the consternated sigh that slipped free of his lungs. He’d only been with these people what? Two weeks? Not many of the higher ups had liked him very much. But then he hadn’t really been trying to win them over either. He had experience and if this group lacked anything it was experience. Giving him his own squad to manage and cultivate may not have been the most popular decision but it was a practical one. Even still he held no illusions as to one or two hoping he’ll fail. Without saying another word he closed the door in Aldo’s face, his mind already running through a checklist of what he had to pack, and what to get ready for the trip out into the wilderness.

~~~~~~~~~~

The man that approached the helicopter that sat waiting for them was a far cry from the rough around the edges drunkard that had answered the door before. A comfortable black cotton shirt covered his torso and the scars that marred it and he held the thick leather of a warm jacket folded over one arm. Nights could get cold out there in the wilderness and when it came to survival having it and not needing it was also preferred to needing it and not having it. A wide-brimmed hat sat atop his brow, concealing his mostly black hair and, even more importantly, protecting his eyes from that tyrannical sun which kept trying to make him go blind. As far as hangovers go this one was a doozy.

Raylan walked with an easy sort of confidence, loose and relaxed but the gun on his hip was a comfortable thing and even in the way he stepped it was clear he knew how to use it. As he mounted the steps and started up toward the platform his amber eyes rose to take in the two who had already arrived and were waiting. A soldier, quiet but ready to move with rifle in hand, and a girl who looked far more uncertain about the situation than the former.

“Mornin'.” He greeted them both, and if he took any special notice to the girl’s lupine features he made no obvious sign of it. He strode toward the pilot as they waited for anyone else who was to be in this little company, recognizing him as one of the men he had diced with in his early days here. The two quickly struck up conversation, and all that was left now was to wait for departure.

[StarButterfly]

Ika Flapped her wings as she studied the ground below her. she looked at the broken buildings and the devastation and wondered what happened and why she got a slight headache every time she tried t remember anything before waking up. she kept her mouth closed as she looked at the black dust clouds in front of her. Every breath made her lungs ached as the smoke flew through her nose. She decided to breathe with her mouth, thinking that it would be better but she choked again. She gagged as she forgot to lap and started plummeting down to the ground. Squinting and afraid of death, she hugged her body and started violently flapping her wings. she Started flying higher and saw the air was clearer up way in the sky. She smiled and started flying faster and a bright smile on her face, she soared until a big WAM! right in her face. Opening her eyes, she saw a bird. she ran into a bird butt? but she didn't know what it was so she took closer looks. She got bored with it so she went back to flying.


After her wings started hurting, she lowered her self back to the found and explored. She roamed through broken towns and overgrown jungles. strange creatures everywhere. Then she saw it. A camp. it freaked her out so she looked at it from behind a tree. She really wanted to see what it was but didn't at the same time. she decided to leave it there and come back later. keeping a mental note to come back to this area. She climbed a few trees and looked at the strange animals, Copying there faces and trying to imitate there sound, not getting it even close. One she tried was some bird. "IKA! Ika!" Was all she could get then something bit her and she freaked out once again. an oversized mosquito mas sitting on her leg. she punched it off and freaked out again.


Looking at where she was she started feeling calm until she heard a loud humble and her stomach started hurting. She looked around, trying to figure out what it was until she learned that it was herself. She didn't know how to stop it and then started crying as she felt a stronger pain. Ika looked around quickly to see a berry bush. not knowing what to do or except, she shoved them in her mouth and swallowed them down without chewing. her stomach pain eased and she spread her wings out again and left that jungle.

[Highland Sniper]

Gerena, upon seeing the man that she saw from what bit of uniform he wore, was to be their commanding officer.
or at least, he had a rank much higher than her own.
she snapped to her feet with a quick salute. her face hardened ever so slightly. it might have been her, but she thought he had looked at her ears. she silently chastised herself for being paranoid. there were a few good people on base.
"good morning, sir," she said, still holding the salute. she wanted to show respect as well as not look unfit for the job she had been given.
but, she did loosen up a little when the man started to converse with the pilot and dropped the salute as she couldn't help but catch a salty exchange concerning some lost bets. this man seemed to be rough himself. a small smile creeped on her face, but it was small.

[Enigma]

Tanner had drifted into a light doze, but when the woman sitting next to him jumped up, he did too, as if he'd just felt Mr. Stubb's whip on his back. Rifle butt on the ground, hand firmly around the barrel, and he saluted by placing his knife hand in front of the barrel, as they had trained him in the Homestead Militia.

But the man just said 'Hello,' and went to the pilot to talk with him.

Tanner glanced down at the girl next to him, but kept still, waiting for an response, a salute, or an order, even as he felt the first drop of sweat crawling down the maze of itchy scars on his back. The militia had also favored the lash.

[Acaelus]

“…Look,” Raylan was saying, his hand before him in a placating gesture to stem the tide of whatever complaint was about to stream forth from the pilots mouth about his lost wages. “You made a bad bet. Happens to all of really… next time play me at cards. I was never very good at those.”

It was only then that he turned to check on the status of his squad mates that he noticed they were still standing at attention, still waiting for his word to allow them to relax. Truth be told he had only ever held command with Bernard’s militia and even then that had lasted only a week or two before Kord killed everyone. He wasn’t used to the proper decorum just yet. The girl at least seemed to be a little more willing to let the rigidity go a bit.

“At ease, you two.” He called, mentally berating himself for leaving them to stand like that. He would need to work on that going forward or who knew, they might strip of his rank purely on merit of lacking professionalism.

Raylan’s attention returned to the pilot for now, voice pitching low as he asked, “So, what am I looking at here?” His hat tilted in the two recruit’s direction as he asked it, indicating who it was he was inquiring about.

The pilot nodded, leaning closer “Far as I know they’re both pretty green. The furry, there, is named Gerena. She’s been fighting to earn her spot on a squad for a while now.”

“A fighter huh?” Raylan asked, his tone colored more with curiosity than anything else.

“I’ve seen here knock a head or two around already.”

Now that was something to keep in mind. To be so capable of violence in so small a frame was commendable. He wondered if her wolf-like mutations came with the added benefit of strength and speed too. No doubt she could outrun him any day. If she had half of a wolf’s sense of smell as well she’d be a hell of an asset.

“Tanner there’s a mute.” The pilot continued, his attention now turning to the darkly tanned man in his military garb. He was as big as the wolf-girl was petite. The kind of guy you’d get into a fist fight with only as a last resort, or if you were drunk and too dumb to care. “Must have seen some action at one point or another, because his throats all scarred up and messy. Probably why he doesn’t talk.”

“No shit…” Raylan breathed and this time he was both surprised and impressed. Throat wounds were nasty and he’d never met a person who had received one and actually survived. Still the lack of communication skills would pose a challenge. He would need to come up with something on that front.

With his bag and rifle safely stored in the helicopter Raylan turned to address his two squad mates directly, introducing himself by name. He had an easy way of speaking, smooth and confident even as he stood apparently at ease, though even then it was natural for his right hand to rest upon the butt of his pistol. Nothing threatening about it, per say, but rather an old habit.

“Like both of you I’m new to this particular outfit. Do what you were trained to do, don’t get dead, and we’ll get along great I’m sure.”

[Yggdrasil_Hugger]

In the female barracks, Jenny pulled on her boots. She was getting ready for the day, going over a mental checklist of things she needed to do today. She pulled the laces on her left boot tight, then tied them in a quick, strong knot. As she finished lacing her boots, she sat up on her bed. The metal frame made a small squeak of protest, but she ignored it. The bed was prone to squeaking. She stretched her arms to get the blood flowing and nearly hit someone making their way towards her.
"Are you Jenny?" She cocked her head to the left. There was only one Jenny in her barracks, and she was an unmistakable sight.
"I am."
"Great. Pack your stuff and head to pad D. You're heading out today." After a moment of consideration, she nodded. She stood and grabbed her pack and ax. She thanked the messenger, then made her way out of the barracks. She ducked under the doorway as she left, her frame too large to walk through normally.
She walked down the road for only a few minutes before arriving at pad D. She surveyed the scene for a second, then joined the rest of her new squad at the pad. She studied her comrades.
A smaller woman with red hair and wolfish features smiled slightly as their commanding officer walked past. Next to Jenny, she seemed absolutely tiny. A tanned, thin man who seemed jumpy. He stood at attention in perfect form, giving off an air of anxious impatience. Their commanding officer walked as if he had nothing to worry about. He had an air of easy confidence, like no matter what happened, he would come out on top. He was squinting under his wide-brimmed hat, however.
Jenny stood beside the thin soldier. He was very still, and if not for his blinking and the sounds of him breathing, he might've been a statue. It was uncanny, and Jenny decided that she liked that. She made no sound, but her presence was hard to miss. She was ready to go, and sunlight glinted off the metal head of her axe.

[Enigma]

And now the Axe-woman was here, towering over even him. The men back at the barracks loved to tell new recruits to watch out, or she'd chop something off. Then someone would scream and thrown in a sausage, and everyone would laugh as the new recruits jumped.

When they tried it out on him, he turned and punched the man screaming in his ear behind him. Baker never forgave him for that. Or for being sat on when the barracks sergeant came out to see what all the yelling was about.

And now she was standing beside him with that great big gleaming axe. Suddenly the barracks stories didn't sound so far-fetched. The officer's suggestion of "not getting dead" definitely sounded like a good idea.

Still, it seemed to him they gathered up every odd-ball and saddled that on their new officer. Someone in headquarters must really not like the guy.

[Highland Sniper]

Gerena only spared a glance at Jenny, who was late, and gave an involuntary shiver as she gritted her teeth before returning her attention to Raylan as he finished. "yes, sir." she said with the smallest of nods.
everyone there was taller than her, but that she could deal with. But, unlike the others, Jenny was a giant. they had interacted very little on base, but she was hard to miss with her large stature. being this close was a little intimidating.
she let out a small sigh. at least she wouldn't be the only girl on the squad if the guys got a little touchy. heck, they should get along fine since they were both mutants with reputations for a little trouble. but then she wondered about the others.
she had only heard a little of the whispered conversation and she could have sworn her cheeks went red at the mention of her knocking heads around and gave a glance at Tanner once he was mentioned and gave a shiver as it dawned on her that she was the only one with no real experience on the field.
it seemed the top brass had put together the trouble squad.