Kalee looks around the town thoughtfully. "Well, we got here before everything went to hell this time. That's good, means we can save some lives." She nods at Adam's suggestion. "Let's hurry, who knows how long the peace will keep."

Adam wait to leave the vehicle, he look outside then to the group "lets drive around a bit, check the town, find a motel or similar, once we have a base we can set up surveillance equipment, have people run investigation while one oversee" Someone will need to constantly babysit their equipment, cant leave it into the car, but with an apartment and a computer one can gather information while also guarding the equipment.

Once you arrive at the town, there doesn't immediately seem to be any sign of a zombie apocalypse. Certainly, in the grand scheme of things, everything seems pretty normal. The four of you get some looks as you arrive, but no more than any small, fairly isolated settlement would give to strangers showing up in the evening, and there's no obvious sign of the PMC supposedly using the town as its base. There's also no immediate sign of your quasi-contact, although it's a small enough place that it probably wouldn't be hard to find him...especially if he'd been raving about zombie apocalypses to the police. Word about something like that would most likely travel fast in a place like this, at least if you find the right people to ask.

Sorry for the delay. To be honest the whole 'site getting hacked' thing...kinda sapped my motivation a bit. IRL I have some family stuff going on this week and weekend, but I'll try to post next week assuming nothing goes wrong with that.

Kalee gives Uma a simple nod, having kind of figured she'd be the type that would want to get all up in her business. "Sure thing, doc. I'll head there first chance I get." When it's time to load in the jeep, Kalee makes a single move towards the driver's seat, but immediately abandons the plan when she sees both of the men jockeying for the position. She rolls her eyes and takes the front passenger seat instead. "I mean sure, I could come along if you think you'll need me to browbeat him." She gives the matter a bit of thought and then continues. "Yeah, even if not I'd like to be there. I've got a bit of intelligence training from the military, and I'd prefer to take my own notes."

Uma listened to Kalee's words carefully, then nodded. "If you can dress it yourself without issues, then that should be acceptable, but I'd like to observe the wound myself once we're established. Find an excuse to come to the shelter I'm stationed at--looking for an exotic pet on your pleasure trip, perhaps. If we need to organize more meetings, we can go from there. ----- "Together?" Uma responded, arching one eyebrow. She took the backseat, ignoring the posturing going on in the front. "Do what you will, then; I'm not the one driving," she continues almost immediately with a small sigh. "King" seemed to believe himself to be his namesake. Foolish, but effective if he's lived this long; no need to argue petty points now.

hey is kalee taking a nap? Come on people, lets get this game moving 😁

I managed to become horrendously ill, but am slowly recovering. I'm hoping to post tomorrow.

Edward Klien Edward pointedly did not mention his medical condition to Uma. There was a tense moment when he and Adam each went for the drivers seat and he nodded smugly when Adam obediently backed down. "He's probably just some kind bullsh*t AI or something." Edward commented in response to Adam's question about their handler. It didn't sound like he really cared one way or the other. "So, we heading to see our local source first?" He asked as he began driving to town. He managed to make this sound less like a question a more of a statement of fact, but if anybody wanted to express a different opinion they were free to do so. OOC:

Hey all, Happy New Year. Sorry for my absence. Travel/family/holidays etc. ended up taking way more of my time than I expected. Thins are returning to normal now and I'll try to catch up and post tomorrow.

Not a bad idea, a croatian with a food truck in a small african's town shouldnt be too hard to find, assuming he hasnt left. Edward and "granddaughter" (am i the only one who thought trophy wife?) can handle one task while Brain&Brawn take care of the other

I was thinking a couple of us go to look for that guy who made the call, and a couple of us establish a base of operations.

so, once we get to the town, assuming we dont immediately meet a zombie horde, how do we proceed with the investigation? do we stay together or split? do we first secure a safehouse or stick to the jeep? do we talk to the locals (which i think speak french) or focus on surveillance/gadgetery to check the area?

Two hours is enough time to prepare, Adam smile when Uma share her priority list, often feeling like he is the one keeping the klutz doctor alive while she does...her science stuff Complementary, thats what they are, sometimes a problem need to be punched other times it need to be scienced and yes, he did use this word. Since they will be in alpha phase, Adam reorganize his equipment, enough to pass a visual inspection, hopefully they wont try to search his bags. equipment Basic lift 89lbs Worn: Disguised Reflex tacsuit (with thermo optic chameleon surface and TL9 combined gadget, disguised inertial compass) 15.16lbs Disguised armored shades(infrared) weight neg. long coat(undercover clothing +2) 2,5lbs Carried cellular phone 0.5lbs tl8 large tactical light 0.5lbs tl8 cigarette lighter weight neg first aid kit 2lbs disguised small computer 0.5lbs+ TL8 portable terminal 50$ 0.5lbs Carried in Flesh pockets(capacity 45lbs doesnt count as encumbrance) Tl9 5 magazines of handloaded duplex rounds 10 lbs Tl9 5 magazines of handloaded APDS rounds 10 lbs Tl9 5 reloads of memory baton ammo for shotgun 3.75lbs Tl9 5 b cells for storm carbine 0.25lbs 100 handloaded Apep rounds 1lbs covert survival kit 0.5lbs fine quality lockpicks weight neg disguised small tactical radar 1lbs disguised mini plasma torch 1lbs disguised slipspray 0.5lbs TL8 video bug x4 weight neg Rifles are kept in their drag bags, the rest of the equipment(including helmet and trauma plates which would stand out too much) is inside the large backpack(minus the axe) these bags are currently in the jeep When they finally arrive at destination he instinctively move toward the driver seat but yield the spot if/when King demand it. If he is not driving Adam will sit with his rifle bag near, he doesnt expect immediate problems but you never know. Once inside the vehicle, to the party "am i the only one who find our handler a bit...strange?"

The transport flight takes the better part of two hours. Your handler stays in the mirror the whole time - although to be fair, it's also possible that it's just an AI-generated image and he's actually just relaxing in a chair somewhere - but unless you have any questions for him, he doesn't say anything further. November 1st, 1700UTC / 1800WAT Eventually, the plane touches down in a flat area of ground - it's a bit of a bumpy landing, but clearly one the transport has been either designed or retrofitted to handle, because it taxis to a halt soon enough. "From here on, the mission is officially underway. You know how to reach us." Your handler pauses briefly to take another sip of his Starbucks (which is definitely evidence in favour of the 'AI-generated image' theory, since you haven't seen him top it up at any point during the flight even though he's probably drunk three cups' worth and almost certainly would've needed to go to the bathroom by this point). "Good luck, agents." The jeep comes with GPS, so you know that you're about quarter of an hour's drive away from the town.

Kalee grimaces a bit at the mention of medical needs and then nods. "So, during my first outbreak, before I joined up with the force, I got bit by a mutant variant never reported before or since. Despite pumping me with all sorts of experimental gene therapy, nothing the docs did could get the wound to heal. Still have to dress it every day."

Uma gives Kalee a sharp look as she mentions a first aid kit, waiting a moment for her to return before she speaks. "I'm not here to play with your toys or try to out-Rambo anyone. My primary job is to gather as much data on this new outbreak as possible, to support Zeta Force's continued tracking of the larger threat. My secondary job is to ensure proper cleanup and coverup protocols for this outbreak once it has been contained. My tertiary mission is to keep the three of you alive." Orion, who has worked with Uma before, might realize that she was making what passes for a joke from her; her face remains entirely serious. "Towards that end: please, do not 'go it alone' against a horde, try a 'crazy idea' that 'just might work', or do anything that is needlessly reckless or lacking in self-preservation. I only have so much antibiotics. Also, if anyone has a legitimate health concern, please let me know before I find out on the field, so I can take steps to support you." As she talks, Uma checks over her acid-sprayer once more before stowing it away, seeing no need to mention it. She's not planning to lend it to anyone else in any case.

Edward Klien Edward takes a look at Adam's gear. Clearly his wasn't going for 'subtle' here. "These are my weapons." Edward said, showing his revolvers. "I don't want anybody else touching them, they're mine. The suit I'm wearing now is the equivalent of bulletproof armor, and I've also brought a Combat Suit which stronger but far less covert that I can change into is secrecy stops being the top priority." Edward doesn't pry into Kelee's actions. It's none of his business. OOC:

Kalee nods in appreciation as she looks over the various tools and weaponry. "You brought everything but the Christmas tree. Wouldn't mind a go with that grenade launcher, but I brought my own toys as well. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got a date with that first aid kit." Kalee steps around to the other side of the jeep and opens the passenger door for a modicum of privacy. Then she takes off her vest, revealing an odd wound that seems to have never healed. She had gotten it from her first encounter with the Zeds, from some mutant that hadn't been seen since. Despite all the biotech that had been poured into her, the docs had never found a way to close that wound. She swiftly dresses the injury and rejoins the others.

Adam greet the squad-mates then listen to the handler explanation, at this pace he's going to nickname him Starbuck, meanwhile he check the tablet to see the picture of the man, Adam is curious about this Vlasic but understand that he is not their priority. When the meeting with the handler is over he check the jeep, placing his bags inside, before stowing the large backpack he pause and address the squad "consider the content of this backpack team's equipment and treat it as if it was full of experimental explosives, which it is, for the most part. I keep two grenade launchers, grenades, load-bearing vests and a variety of utility items inside, whether you need a cigarette lighter, rope, breaking and entering equipment, surveillance gear,lights, maps, medikit or some lubricant, it's all here" "usually i load the grenade launcher with red stock with thermobaric rounds, do not use it unless you know what you are doing, the desert camouflaged grenade launcher is usually for less than lethal rounds, but dont feel constrained, use what you need however you deem necessary " Clearly the fire axe isnt kept in the backpack but that too is available to the party, should they need to open something or someone

As Adam had expected, he was indeed travelling alone to the Africa HQ, while the other three would, of course, end up travelling together. Zeta Force's planes had probably once upon a time been military jets before being coopted and upgraded (even Zeta Force would not easily be able to have a custom-designed jet plane made for them), so your journey is definitely faster than any commercial travel...although not necessarily as comfortable. November 1st, 1530UTC As you touch down and emerge from your respective planes - meeting in person for the first time in real life in the case of Adam with regards to the others - you are greeted and rapidly shuffled off to your next mode of transport; this one is a rather more normal-looking military transport, with an equally-ordinary-looking jeep loaded inside it. What looks like a full-length mirror is set up in front of the jeep, showing your handler - who has once again managed to acquire himself a Starbucks coffee. Or maybe he's just reusing the mug. It's hard to tell. He doesn't say anything, giving a nod of response if any of you greet him, until the transport's loading door swings shut and you take off. "The information you requested can be found on the tablets by your seats." He doesn't bother to specify that it isn't to be taken with you. "The person who reported the incident is Ivan Vlasic, a Croatian national who experienced the original incident while on holiday. While there were no issues with his debrief, he refused the offers of counselling that we sponsored and returned home, where he subsequently lost his job due to his stress and paranoia. He moved to Cameroon with the last of his savings and has been running a food truck in the town since. It's not clear why he chose the same continent to emigrate to that he experienced a zombie incident in. His call to the police came across as deranged rambling - at least to anyone who didn't know his history - so they dismissed his call. It's also unclear whether he was deliberately trying to warn us, either knowing or guessing that we monitor emergency calls, or if he was actually intending to contact the local constabulary and hoping to be believed." The original incident that Vlasic had experienced, after a brief scan through the files, seems pretty normal - well, normal by the standards of an averted zombie apocalypse, which for y'all is indeed pretty normal. It happened in an isolated (and fairly upmarket) safari camp, so the spread of zombies was minimal; it probably also helped that the camp had a couple of rifles - tranquilisers are useless against zombies, of course, but they had guns that fired actual bullets as well. The zombies were wiped out once the Zeta Force team arrived, and the normal cleanup procedures swept the area, debriefed the half-dozen survivors, and erased all traces of their existence. 'Patient Zero' in that case was one of the guests, who had brought with them some drugs that had been contaminated by Zombie Toxin; given the time gap by the time Zeta Force were investigating, finding the source was impossible.

Kalee just smirks a little. "Never been accused of slowing anyone down, grandpa. And it's just a cover story, you're not going to see much play acting from me." She frowns at the thought of possibly going up against the paramilitary. "My killing days are behind me," she acknowledges reluctantly. "I'm just here for the Zs."

Uma nods her acceptance, internally clocking King's statement that he works better alone. A PMC, two gung-ho military operatives, a lone wolf... maybe she should raid the Africa HQ for medical supplies when she lands, too, just in case. Uma finishes slipping her katar into its concealed sheath behind her back and begins double-checking her gear, settling herself in for another mission.

Edward Klien Edward gave a long appraising look before giving a slight nod of his head. "Grand-daughter." He agreed. "Just try not to ham it up too much. I work better alone." He approved of the questions Adam and Uma asked. They seemed somewhat more professional than the idiots they stuck him with on his last mission, not that that was a particularly high bar to reach. He finished checking his loadout (ensuring he had a healthy supply of medication) and was prepared to leave. OOC:

"understood" The idea that someone would willingly tinker with the zombie virus to make a weapon disgust him, those with big brains should use their gift to find a cure. He pack his stuff, having no other question he wait for the go, the sooner he get to Africa, the better, he might get some hours of sleep on the military transport....if he is lucky Since the rest of the team is in another continent, he will probably travel alone, unless Zeta Force intend to send other people, beside the four of them