Knothic Towers OOC & IC

(no and they didn't respond to my pm's either.. talked to Landi and she promises to post by Friday)
 
OOC post

They dont respond to my PM's as well. So we can just determine their characters as gone. Unless they make a comeback fairly soon.
 
A glance over at Jenkinslavikca made her realize that there was several underlieing problems and those should be addressed. Yet now was not the time she decided as the group trougged onward.

Landi found herself smiling more often and even had a bit of fun as she rattled off an old tune that she heard once.... "And the ants go marching.. down into the ground.. oh something something vain.. "

She paused and laughed.. "I don't think that was how it really went."

It seemed that passing two miles was a major accomplishment as she took a quick moment to survey the landscape with her eyes then the machines. A machine had no concept of the beauty color was giving her at that moment.

Was this how the land looked to the first natives.. the ones before the virus? Landi asked herself as she squatted to look at a small plant that caught her interest. It seemed to be oozing some form of liquid, that smelled strange to her.

It's odd shaped cap looked rather almonded shaped and the inside was a strangish pink.. and what were those odd stems that overhung along the whitish lip?
 
Xavier Xurgen

As the group started again walking along side the vegetation having decided not to disturb the vegetation in fear of what could dwell inside the misty tendrils of vegetation, Xavier still walked along side Landi Kay.

As they trudged northwards along side the vegetation, they kept minimal silence. Xurgen caught the shadowy figure of Jenkinslavikca uphead, being the scout. Xurgen at that moment had nothing much to say, more like wonder as he watched the landscape around him and the blue-whitish sky above him.

He listened to Landi rattle off a old tune and couldnt help smiling as he also caught the tune and hummed away through the visor that came out as a low warble.

"And the ants go marching.. down into the ground.. oh something something vain.. "

Xavier chuckled as he stopped to answer her. "I think it was this; And when the saints....go marching in....wait i may be wrong?"

He shook his head in jest knowing he didnt know at all.

It was at that moment that Landi stopped to study a strange looking plant did he hear a noise like a machine powering up, a thumping beat.

"What is that....?"

And suddenly before anyone could answer his query, a rustling in the vegetation just behind them turned Xavier around, his weapon pointed....

Something was coming.....that's all Xavier knew in that moment.
 
Captain Oates

The Captain of this expeditionary force chuckled quietly as the medical-science specialist Landi Kay and the scientist-civilian member of the group, Xavier Xurgen had seemed to develop their own type of relationship - under the circumstances. He heard Ms. Kay begin to try her hand at singing a song, maybe to enhance the group's morale.

When she gave up and and Mr. Xurgen tried to correct her, although he wasn't all too sure, himself. Another chuckle came through the com from the Captain's end before he finally chimed in: "I believe you were trying to sing "The Ants Go Marching", Landi - and he did his best to sing the familiar part of the song - his singing a low baritone that he tried to hide more than show off to the group:

The ants go marching one by one, hurrah, hurrah
The ants go marching one by one, hurrah, hurrah

And I believe you were thinking of an old song by a jazz musician by the name of "Louis Armstrong" called "When the Saints Go Marching In" - then he briefly jazzed it up with a small part of the chorus:

O when the Saints, O when the Saints go marching in
When the Saints go marching in
O Lord I want to be in that number
When the Saints go marching in
"

Richmond didn't expect a chorus of cheers or applause from the group, or anything. In fact, probably no sooner than he finished the final bar, Landi began closely surveying some foliage among the vegetation.

"What is that....," asked Xavier, his own ears now perking up on the sound, his fusion rifle that he had carried on his shoulder for a mile or so fell into his hands in a lowered position. He could easily carry the rifle in one hand, though accuracy was sure to be decreased without the stability of both hands. Captain Oates lifted up a hand to the group and whispered through his com: "Easy now, group... don't make any unnecessary presumptions... but be on the look out."

Immediately following, he too heard the rustling among the vegetation. His own rifle followed Mr. Xurgen's, his eyes briefly on the area the noise came from - the other to Landi, where she was still surveying the vegetation. "Landi, what is it?" he asked her through a hushed voice in the com.
 
The strange sound caught my full attention and I quickly scanned my own equipement in case I might have triggered an alarm.

My eyes widened as a wall seemed to appear from nowhere and large tubes were humming. As I backed away it changed noises and sounded like a beating drum. I glanced around and signaled my lazer's aim into the center of the noise.

"HALT OR I'LL FIRE!" I shouted as the red dot aimed into the large leafy foliage.
 
"I'm not sure.. but it has an unusual odor..." She touched the lip gently and then jerked her hand back as the strange numbing shoot up her arm. She tried to stand but her balance left her and then things moved in strange circles as the noise got louder and a leafy vine seemed to be moving closer to her boot.

"A tra...." She felt the vine grip her as she was yanked off her feet and drug across a second vine, There was no time to scream as a bizarre looking giant replica of the plant that caught her attention opened wide to accept her as it's dinner.
 
Xavier Xurgen

"Easy now, group... don't make any unnecessary presumptions... but be on the look out." was Captain Oates order.

Xavier's fusion rifle was in his hands held in a ready for anything mentality. This was outside of the dome, it was still Earth, but since the virus came and went, Earth was a whole new world. He had heard rumours in the rec commons from people with stories of mutated animals, savage 'Cassius' people and how they had seen animals come close to the forcefield of Dome A and look for an opening. The animals over decades had grown stronger in mind either by instinct or by experience.

Now the impending arrival of something strange, brought Xavier back to the present. He pointed his rifle with the Captain's at the area the noise that was coming from. "Landi, what is it?"

It was just then that the area in the vegetation transmuted to form a walllike structure in the foliage. The noise at this point changed into a beating drum sound. The hairs on the back of Xavier's neck stood up, a bad feeling came over him. The shrieking loud voice came over the com in a shrill "HALT OR I'LL FIRE!"

Then all hell broke lose as the Landi's body jerked back from the strange flower. "A tra...." A vine shot forth from within the foliage and gripped Landi off the ground around the waist. In slow motion in that moment, Xavier watched as the within the foliage a larger version of the plant opened up its petals that revealed a mouth with gnashing teeth.

And the vine was drawing the struggling figure of Landi Kay towards the mouth. Slack-jawed, Xavier raised his weapon and aimed at the vine and fired. The fusion beam was aimed underneath Landi's feet and the plant screamed. An almost human scream of rage that was amplified by Landi crushing the miniture version of the plant....
 
Naturally the archives brought up the closest match to the predatory plant. Venus Fly Trap flashed in bright red.

Instantly other descriptive notes came over her scanner that fell by the tiny plant. Venus Fly Trap: This plant uses secreated juices to numb the "prey" and the maw opens to swallow it's victum until the acidy venom liquifies the caught prey into digestable syrup. The prey depending on size would often feed the plant for days or weeks, thus only opening when hungry again. These plants can grow to sizes of nine feet high and have been rumored to eat vermin that fall victum to it's alluring scent. Species extinction date: unknown.

It hurt to move her arms, which was a small side effect of the numbing poison from touching the "teeth" of the trap. The burning sensation seemed to intensify as her body convulsed from the paralysizing tendril that touched her legs after she landed on the small one from her short drop.

Her mind whirled as colors flashed red and orange. Finally things took a strange purple color and she retched up the contents from her last meal. Her mind was fully coherent but her body wasn't copperating. She mentally told herself, a counter shot... i need a counter shot... grey kit, black marked vial...
 
I fired after a breif two second interval. There was a good deal of greenish fluid spraying from the vine that whooshed back and forth like a hose on the loose. It whipped back and forth and also the effect of the gook that flew out from the cut.

I wiped away the sticky lump and discovered that it was trying to eat at my uniform, which was the last thing I wanted to have happen at this point..

"Sonofa... " Biting back the words that might offend our female members.

I grabbed my side trying to hold the shirt together as I protected my flank. This wasn't going too good as the shirt melted off to a mix of water and goo.

"Fall Back... It's blood is Acid Base!" I warned, not catching the vine that yanked our medic off her feet. But firing at the back thickness of the mouth as our civilian aimed at the vine that acted as the lasso.

Even Clark fired off a shot at our unwelcome intrusion yet it didn't take the hint at making a hasty retreat.
 
Xavier Xurgen

The next few moments after Landi fell prone away from the plant that was swaying and bellowing out in utter rage at the crushing of its child.....Xurgen had to think about that another time. Quickly he rushed to the side of Landi and with his free hand he underneath her right shoulder pulling her clear of the marauding plant.

Xavier realised just before the big plant attacked, Landi had visibly jerked back in startled surprise - which meant and the evidence showed, the plant had a toxin. The plants within the dome were far different than the one's from the outside. They were not tainted by the Cassius virus, but like the humans outside the dome who were transmuted by the virus into nearly zombie like, so were the plants on the outside - they mutated into moving strange dangerous beings.

As he leaned over her, a buzzing began at first like static but quickly cleared and it was then that Xavier first realised that the thoughts of Landi were being read by himself. She was in pain visibly and mentally she was panicing. Biting his lower lips, Xurgen concentrated to what she was thinking, a hint of fear etched in her thoughts; a counter shot... i need a counter shot... grey kit, black marked vial...

Xavier reached into her back on his side of her body opening the grey kit. You'll be fine Landi, hang in there, he thought to himself. His fingers shook but found the black marked vile and hoped it was the right one for Landi. "Here you go, Landi," he said over the firing of the other members. Soon the sound of the bellowing plant ended.

He opened her visor and the vial at teh same time and brought his hand underneath her helmet, Xavier gently tipped the liquid of the vile to her lips.
"Drink, this will make you better," he whispered looking at her.

Well, Xavier, hoped so.
 
Captain Oates

It all seemed a blur, really.. Jenkinslavikca screamed a halt to nothing they had seen at first, pointing his laser rifle into the foliage. Meanwhile, Landi had continued her readings until her voice began to trail off, and then immediately, taken off her feet and was beginning to be pulled into the vegetation. Then everything went to hell..

Jenkinslavikca began firing off at the creature, and cried out a retreat as he had caught a random spurt of the fluid from the vines that seemed to begin eating away at his uniform. Captain Oates' snapped his neck from Jenkinslavikca to Landi who laid prone now, as Xavier Xurgen rushed to pull her away from the creature. He provided Xurgen with covering fire, pulling off only one shot every few seconds as if determining the weakness of the mutated plantation.

Once Xavier managed to pull her to safety and began attempting to find a way to help her out, Captain Oates fired off a shot from his fusion rifle that caught the inner side of the creature's mouth. The creature winced and pulled back before attempting to lunge at anybody who happened to linger too close. Fortunately, Richmond pulled off another shot inside the mouth of the beast, to which seemed to stun it.

"Fire! Concentrate your fire where the head is connected to the base! Fire at will!" He had shouted over the com to the group that was either still alive or around. Quickly readjusting the settings on his fusion rifle, he set it to a maximum power that would quickly overheat it if used too often on that particular setting. Raising the rifle to rest against his shoulder and leveling his eye with the guide, he fired off a large beam that struck the mutated vegetation at what appeared to be it's neck.

Briefly afterward, a steaming fluid began to flow from the wound Captain Oates produced with his rifle. The plant-life screeched loudly, reeling its head backward before it seemed to give way to the separation from multiple blast shots to its neck. The creatures body slumped backward while flailing about, it's head falling with a thud on the ground.

Richmond looked around, and shouted "Report, team!" He looked to Jenkinslavikca who seemed fine before stepping over to where Xavier was leaning over Landi. "How is she, Xavier? he asked as he kneeled next to her.
 
I stepped away and turned. I couldn't let the Captain see my side for then all my hopes would definatly be shattered. Four shots directed to the base as directed, soon brought our disgrunted beast to the ground with a thud.

There was my next mistake as the sigh of relief sunk in and I moved my hand from the exposed breast.

"Report, team!" Captain's voice rang over the com.

"ALIVE SIR!" Then I grabbed my duffle and sought a second tunic before I really got unwanted attention.
 
Xavier Xurgen

The sounds of the screeching plantlife grated at the ears of Xavier. As he placed the vile of anti-toxin to Landi's lips, making her take a little of the mixture that was supposed to hep her, he looked up to see the plant in its death throes. The mutant plant was bleeding....some strange substance before stopping its movements staying still on a ground covered with its blood. If that was indeed blood.

"Report, team!" The concerned voice of their Captain barked through the visor commlink. "How is she, Xavier?

Immediately Xurgen answered in a matter of fact tone, "Captain, just given Landi the anti-toxin mixture, hard to know just yet. We can't move her...just yet."

He turned back and looked at Landi, forcing more of the mixture down her throat.

Don't die on us, he thought to her, knowing she could read his thoughts.
 
Her eyes fluttered open wider as the serum worked it's so-called magic. Still her body was stiff and his presense warmed her heart.

A cough as some splattered out and on the neck. Her mind open like a book with thanks. She tried to move and then a thought that filled her mind...

was Jenkinslavikca? Did she.... he get away safely? Then the eyes went shut again and the breathing more relaxed as the toxins sweated out of her system in bluish beads.

"I wouldn't dream of doing that.. " Landi replied hoarsely as her fingers touched the center of Xavier's hand
 
I merely put the second tunic over the first and moved back closer to the rest of the party. It was apparent that the Medic was worst affected and there wasn't a damned thing I could do about it but wait like the others and hope that whatever the civilain gave her worked
 
Xavier Xurgen

The next few seconds floated into minutes....for Xavier these minutes were excruciating. Biting his lower lips, he hoped that the serum would work and counter-act the venom in her body.

The others stood close by also watching and hoping like Xavier was doing. Finally after what seemed an eternity, the serum was having an effect....and a positive one. With fluttering opening eyes, Landi Kay came back to the world of the living.

The fluttering eyes were followed by a harsh cough and instantly Xavier reacted, as he would for any person back in the Dome Rec Commons. His arm picked her head up and he cradled her. "Welcome back Landi," said Xavier with a relieved sigh. Only the first day of the mission and someone almost had died.

Landi's eyes closed again as she rested with his cradling arm supporting her frame.

He felt her left hand touch his palm as a personal thankyou and he smiled briefly.

"Captain? Suggest Landi rests for awhile until she is better to continue."

Xavier than looked up to Jenkinslavikca, and said " Are you okay Jenkinslavikca, I am sufficient for small medical problems?"
 
"I'm fine.. there is no reason to be concerned." I stated. I really didn't want to have any extra attention and despite my earlier comments, the medic was a valueable asset.

I glanced at the rest of our party and hadn't seen any sign of injuries. Boy we sure got lucky that time. I also picked up the scanner flashing red.

"Well if that thing was a fly trap.. I'd hate to run into the fly!" I turned and shot an extra glance back at the wilting plant and began to wonder.. what else could there be that is as bad as this thing here.
 
Xavier Xurgen

Xavier didn't have to wait too long for a reply from Jenkinslavikca;

"I'm fine.. there is no reason to be concerned."

Xavier nodded at Jenkinslavikca. He looked back down at Landi who had her eyes still closed. He took this opportunity to really look at her and he found himself then and there starting to become more attached to her. He wasn't on this mission to form a love connection, but he had found Landi to be a openminded and kind person. He gravitated always to those type of people as he was one himself.

Looking up at Jenkinslavikca who had commented on the plant that turned out to be enlarged venus-flytrap, he found the comment oddly amusing chuckling into the commlink briefly.

"We, I think, will find out soon what else is now calling outside the Dome, home now. A whole new ball game out here since the Virus."
 
I looked up at Xavier and smiled again, my strength returning.

"I think that we should move on.. there might be something that heard the commotion and might think it's lunch."
 
Captain Oates

Captain Oates sighed quietly once Landi's lifesigns began to stabalize, resting his fusion rifle on his shoulder as he took a deep breath. "Some excitement for the first day.." he said to himself before speaking up for the group: "Landi's right.. let's make haste for somewhere a little more "safe" if anything heard it and might come this way."

His gaze turned toward the enigmatic Jenkinslavikca, "Are you sure you're okay?" He half expected a similar answer given to Xavier and then continued. "Don't try to tough out anything you're not sure about - like Mr. Xurgen said: we're not in the Domes anymore, and it's a whole new ball game since the Virus," he calmly reminded everybody. He stepped closer toward Landi and Xavier and helped give Xavier a hand in getting Landi to her feet.

Richmond's comlink clicked a few times in the brief silence between everybody as he looked around the landscape. "Now.. does anybody have any ideas on where we can go to set up camp?"
 
Landi tried taking a few steps with Xavier's help and then looked at the landscape. "Hard to tell what is safe and what isn't but we surely don't want to get in the grassy spots. Anyways I thought there was a path on the route we were taking."

I noticed Jenkinslavikca holding the scanner and the latter comment. "I agree, I don't want to see the fly."
 
M. Jenkinslavikca

I handed the medic her equipement and picked up her pack. I was amazed at how lightweight it was for being so full.

"I'm fine." I repeated firmly then wondered if our Captain knew but shook my head. No he wouldn't know.. she hadn't had the time to speak with him.

I glanced at our civilian and then gave a brief smile. He was turning out to be okay in my book.

I immediately learned that judgements are often mislabeled and vowed to be more openminded as our journey continued.
 
Xavier Xurgen

"Landi's right.. let's make haste for somewhere a little more "safe" if anything heard it and might come this way."

Xavier nodded as much to himself as to Captain Oates. As Xavier held Landi in his right hand propping her up getting ready to support her to her feet, the Captain came over and helped. That gesture alone sured up Xavier's opinion of the newly appointed Captain as one of the good guys. not a mofo type of management snuffs from the Dome.

As the Captain queried about a place for a campsite, Xavier made sure Landi had his support in case her feet cut out the support. With a smile, he could see Landi was alright and he gently let go. He reluctantly let go, not wanting to severe her hold from his.

They started walking up the path in a northerly direction towards what they knew as the 'Cold Lands'. He stepped alittle back from Landi, alert if she would fall.

To Xavier, he realised that this small group of people he was with here turning out to be a great bunch. Let's just hope we all live through this...well them...me...me... Xavier didnt finish the thought and turned alittle to his right and saw Jenkinslavikca smile at him. He smiled briefly back and nodded a greeting taking Landi's light pack into his hands.

"You have enough to carry, let me carry this," smiled Xavier. "Lets look for a camp space then."

Xavier looked toward the tundra filled horizon hedged with the vegetation to their right. He could feel it....could feel the power emanating from the north.
 
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