Final Destination

Two weeks pass. It's amazing how quickly things become routine.

It has been an interesting time. The Armory has certainly been effective in keeping their survivors safe from wandering zombies. The main floor has become a field of temporary-wall cubicles serving as bedrooms and affording a touch of privacy. Proper beds have been moved in at least.

Still, with hundreds of survivors, cramped is an understatement.

The food situation is solid, too. Some people act like they're being deprived, but the truth is they're just not letting most people have unlimited food. Meal planning and serving/portion control are in effect, but no one is going without. Meals are balanced, and everyone is getting 2200 calories in a day. The people complaining are really objecting to being told "no."

Hygiene is probably in the roughest spot. The Seattle Center House wasn't designed (redesigned, really) to have that type of facility. Still... members of the night crew have been renovating to expand showers. As it is, everyone has a scheduled shower time. Twice a week is suboptimal, but better than nothing.

Eventually, everyone has a morning when they wake up feeling absolutely drained. Not sick... not really... it doesn't feel like being hungover either. They just feel wrecked. More like their battery is low, so to speak. At least they shake it off quick enough.

All things considered, it's not a bad set-up. And yet...

You've began to really question just how much authority Yuri has. Everyone with an armband during the day reports to her. A lot even seem wary (if not downright scared) of her. Hell, most of the night shift reports to her and many of them have a similar reaction to her -- wariness if not fear. The only person she seems to report to is William. A man who, frankly, everyone seems deferential towards.

Then, it happens.

A big guy, late 30s biker with the whole "I'm a badass" vibe threw a fit because he wanted extra portions of food, arguing it takes a lot more fuel for the muscles he was packing. When the server -- a rescued survivor -- told him no, the biker grabbed him by the neck and lifted him clean off the ground. Yuri appeared at his side, out of nowhere.

"You have one chance to put him down, before your arm workout routine becomes the wheelchair you spend the rest of your life in."

The biker drops the server, who hastily scrambles away. Turning to Yuri, he growls, "Take off that piece and we'll see who needs a wheelchair."

The smile the spreads across Yuri's face is unsettling. She's as pretty as ever... but the confidence it displays as she faces down someone easily 16 inches taller and at least two and a half times her body weight... onlookers (which is everyone at this point) get the impression there is a snake and a mouse in this fight... and Yuri isn't the mouse.

She pulls her pistol from its holster, holding it to the side. One of the Armbands rushes up to carefully take it, backing away just as fast. The smile never leaves Yuri's face as she sweeps her right foot from in front of her to behind her in a half-circle, lowering her center of gravity. The biker scoffs and tries to end the fight in a single punch, swinging for the fences.

Yuri catches his fist in her hand, and the biker barely had time to look shocked before Yuri rotates her hand and -- with her free hand -- uppercuts the man's elbow. The crack is sickening, and he begins screaming. It's obvious he's trying to pull away from the diminutive Japanese woman, but she doesn't budge. She seems to let him struggle, before pivoting on her left foot and driving her right heel through the man's kneecap. Bone tears through his calf as blood flows freely. The man is struggling to stand, as Yuri drops his fist. Still smiling, she moves around behind him and lines up, punching the battered biker dead center in the back. His body tries to fold, as if he suddenly had a second waist. He crumples, screaming stopped as he seems to have gone into shock.

Yuri holds her hand out, and the Armband returns her sidearm. She starts to walk off, stopping and looking back. She fires the pistol once, shooting the man in his unbroken leg before chuckling and walking off.

No one tries to stop her.

A deafening silence grips the Armory, the only sounds coming from some Armbands trying to load the man onto a gurney to be wheeled off somewhere downstairs.

Neither of you know if leaving is still an option, as no one has left since the initial group was exiled. The next few days are tense, but otherwise business as usual. Most people have started giving Yuri a much wider berth. She seems like nothing happened. No one has addressed the incident, either... which is what some people find most disconcerting.

Four days after the incident, Stan is on radio duty while Amaresh is providing watch from the roof. The Armband watching over Stan seems a little uneasy. With time, Stan realizes the guy seems to be queasy. Eventually, he barks, "Behave yourself," and dashes out the door with a hand clamped over his mouth. Stan isn't sure how long he has... but he's alone with the radio to the exiles on the container ship.

For Amaresh, it's actually a beautiful day. Sunny and warm... from the stories, you wondered if Seattle was ever not rainy. Today has actually been rather delightful (all things considered).

As Stan works the radio, he knows the frequency the ship broadcasts on. After a few minutes of reaching out, he gets a reaponse as the line crackles.
"Armory, this is the S.S. Pelican. We are docked at Terminal 5. We were not advised there would be others joining us. Is this... being permitted? Over."

"Will notify watch. Over and out."

The radio goes quiet, and Stan is left in silence for a few more minutes before the Armband returns. "Thanks for staying put and not making things harder on both of us." He returns to his chair by the door. He picks up his book, and goes back to reading.

If you were standing outside of The Armory, looking at the doors that seem to be the primary doors to the stronghold, the offices and their windows are on the left wall.

The only cover to speak of is on the right side of the building -- a roof over the otherwise outdoor monorail. Otherwise, the Seattle Center is a fairly open space. Which is great if you need to see anything approaching... not so great if you're trying to remain unseen. There are trees dotted throughout the space, but nothing resembling any appreciable cover.

The second floor offices all have windows. The inside row has windows that look out into The Armory (it's easy for Stan to people watch the hundreds of survivors if he wants) and the outside row has windows looking outside. As survivors aren't allowed on the second floor without an escort, Stan isn't sure if the office doors are locked or not. The door to his radio room doesn't seem to be locked, but he is always relieving someone -- the radio room is never empty. Conversely, only sometimes does he see people in the other offices.

Fire sensors are spaced at regular intervals, and Rain and Sakura can tell you most of the food stalls seem to have a lighter of some sort.