[Game Thread] Chapter 1: New Beginnings

[Anarchy]

In many ways the 1980's are defined by materialism and consumerism, offering plastic-encased products aimed at the nouveau riche, such as Motorola's brand-new 2.5 pound and 10" long DynaTAC 8000X cellular phone, retailing for only $3995.00. For the rest of us it's a quarter per call from a pay phone, excitement brimming for the new release of the video game Duck Hunt; Nintendo offering us the freedom to play hyper-realistic 8-bit games at home rather than having to pay $0.25 at a mall arcade. The rise of the "yuppie" movement has had a significant impact on fashion, with big hair and hyper-vibrant colours being typical fare, whether it be donning neon slouch socks, bold eye-shadow and vibrant lipstick, or off the shoulder devil-may-care sweaters. Suave business casual consists of large heavily-padded shoulders and spacious pleating for men's dress pants. For the general mass of humanity it's tees and blue jeans, sweaters and sweatpants, with lovingly polished high top sneakers.

Yes' hit, "Owner of a Lonely Heart" dominates the airwaves and the UK charts, while controversy still rages from the February Winter Olympics held in Sarajevo, due to several of the competitors being accused of employing super abilities during competition. Super powered individuals are revered or reviled, in no small part to actions of teams such as the heroic Fantastic 4, villains such as the X-Men, or monsters such as the Juggernaut, who just this week escaped from an undisclosed maximum security installation specially designed for the incarceration of superhuman criminals. All of this with the ever present threat of possible nuclear annihilation as the coldest of wars progresses and politicians throw tantrums over perceived slights. Luckily, when it is time to let one's hair down, drug-fuelled parties are overly abundant and readily available; remnants of white powder dusts tabletops and nares alike.

It is a strange time, but it is only about to get stranger.

3 months ago an exposé was aired on the evening news across the globe, supposedly supported by a confidential source, which reported that in mid-December 1983 an array of ground-based telescopes, working in concert with deep space reconnaissance radar, detected multiple astrological phenomena traveling towards Earth at Approaching at a dizzying rate of 52 kilometres per second, which should it make impact with Earth would strike with the equivalent force of 0.14 billion megatons of TNT (14.6 times the estimated energy of the asteroid impact that killed the dinosaurs) and would invariably sterilise the planet of all life.

incomprehensible speeds. Requests were made for comment from multiple governmental agencies, which were politely ignored and no media traction was gained until 2 weeks ago, when everything changed.

Live on air the chief science advisor of the European Space Agency fully corroborated the claims, stating her rationale to come forth was to eliminate conspiracy theories and allay the populace’s fears. The gist of the interview was as follows:

• Information was kept silent solely to stave off a world-wide panic until more data could be collected and contingencies put in place,
• Advanced data analytics have identified the astrological phenomena as long-period comets, on highly eccentric and highly inclined orbits, likely dislodged from the Oort Cloud, perhaps by the gravitational tides of the Milky Way itself,
• Crunching the telemetry data, compared across multiple nations space agencies, have determined that the probability of a substantive impact causing a threat to mankind is zero,
• The largest comet exceeds 8 kilometres in length, easily twice the size of the next largest of the comets,
• The leading comet is scheduled to arrive at 11:20pm GMT+3 of April 16 and will be close enough to be observed (0.3089 AU, or 46.21 million kilometres) with the naked eye, the best views of the dazzling light show being offered initially for those that reside in eastern Europe and Central Africa.

Front page news the next morning is festooned with information about the onrushing comets, the Rock, dust, water ice, frozen carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, methane, ammonia, and other trace materials (including those of unknown origin).typical composition of cometary nuclei, and their These comets are the size of a small town, sublimating under the pressure of our sun’s solar winds, causing it to spew dust and gasses into a giant glowing head larger than most planets.unfathomable sizes involved with these massive space-faring icy wanderers.

Today is April 18, 1984, and tens of millions of people are glued to their television screens and radios, save for those doomsday preppers who sit with their friends and families in their nuclear bunkers hoping for the best, but being prepared for the worst.


April 16, 1984, 11:20pm GMT+3

People across the globe hold their breath as one, watching either in person or on a, "we interrupt your regularly scheduled programming to bring you this breaking news", live video as the night skies fill with some of the most

breathtaking celestial views imaginable. Those in Central Africa and Eastern Europe watch as night becomes as day, with the dance of glowing comets streaking past at speeds that bely the human brain’s ability to truly fathom.

Awe becomes horror a moment later as one of the comets collides with the moon.

Though it was little more than only a glancing blow, the high-speed impact ejects frozen shards of comet and moon rock alike. Debris, glowing during entry into the atmosphere, rains down onto the Earth’s surface. 3 hours later marks the time that The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, Kingdom of Bhutan, China, and Bangladesh receiving the brunt, though the damage is expected to be minor.

Well-polished television talking heads just stare for a time, their mouths hanging agape, before being prompted to fill the dead air by frantic arm waving producers. Scant moments later the Emergency Broadcast System tones, urgent messages filling the airways and radio waves, notifying that all non-essential flights have been grounded until further notice. calling for everyone to immediately seek shelter and await further instructions.

Within 3 hours, world leaders broadcast to their constituents, from the relative safety of their reinforced bunkers, calling for calm and civil order. They assure their populace that all military branches, medical services, fire department, city workers, and law enforcement agencies have been ordered to be on duty to: stave off panic, prevent looting, rioting, and mass hysteria, as well as support those who are confused as to where to seek support.

While most of the comets miss our planet, as predicted by the consensus of the scientific community, two comets make impact the same day, the first intercepted by the Fantastic 4 who cunningly redirect its flight to crash into the ocean some 8.6 km off the coast of Argentina. Flooding has affected the coastline, causing a great deal of damage, and completely destroying the Patagonian fishing port of Puerto Deseado, though no deaths were reported, as the 15,000 inhabitants had been evacuated to higher ground in time.

Zaire is the next to be struck, though what happens thereafter is unknown as there are no media reports coming out of Africa at this time, leaving nothing but conjecture and speculation in its wake.

You are each kept busy helping those around you to remain calm and to dissuade acts of civil unrest for those of questionable morality seeking to take advantage of the situation. Sirens fill the early hours as doomsday rumours propagate as to what is happening and what will transpire when the last and largest of the comets arrives tomorrow.

Comets streak by, as predicted, offering unmatched celestial beauty as their ion and dust tails trail across the sky.

A question remains, based on what was relayed about these comets: Considering the sheer size of these Oort Cloud comets and their velocities, how is it that any impact was not a global extinction event for mankind – let alone the inevitable sterilisation expected from multiple impacts? Alas, no answer is forthcoming from the scientific community at this time, possibly because the trust typically extended to the scientists is at an all time low by the every man, since the assumption is vain incompetence.

11 hours later

News reports out of Zaire are promising. Calls for help had been sent out to leaders across the globe and the nations of the earth have responded with overwhelming support and coordination, sending shipments of supplies and planeloads of trained personnel to lend assistance in Africa’s time of need.

The skies alight as the atmosphere and solar winds conspire to wreak havoc on the sole remaining comet.

The largest.

Cairns, Queensland is struck at 2:33pm AEST.

By the snippets of news making their way out of the country, the impact of the 8 kilometre long comet has devastated a great swath of the Atherton Tablelands and northern part of Cairns, delaying getting supplies and support in since the runways and majority of buildings at Cairn’s International Airport are little more than smouldering ruins.

The rest of the city has fared little better, as the comet's initial impact has sent flaming fragments down onto the populace, setting buildings alight and laying waste to the city's vital infrastructure.

As the humanitarian crises in Asia, Africa, and South America, have rerouted nearly all available humanitarian support, the International Red Cross puts out a desperate call for assistance as the available resources are ineffectual for the scope of their current need, and they fear without the intercession of volunteers many more will perish that could be otherwise saved.

The details are as follows, which is constantly repeated on the radio:

• They seek any who are willing and able to lend aid, especially those with appropriate skills for a mass casualty situation after a natural disaster, and those with strong backs.
• All flights for first responders are free and the need for visas/passports have been waived.
• Flights to provide humanitarian aid to Australia are considered essential, many of which are flying out each day Maximum direct flight time is 20 hours from any international airport on the planet.
  
  Flying is a unique experience, with people smoking on the flight, and only a cursory check is provided for passengers and baggage if something tips security off (e.g. ticking luggage, rocket launcher in you briefcase, et cetera). Otherwise, you belongings have avoided being scanned/opened/patted down as has your person.from around the world.
• Meals, transportation, and accommodations will be at no cost.
• All flights supporting Cairns have been routed to Townsville International Airport for processing, those arriving by other means, or coming from other parts of Australia, are to report there first.

Before you is an opportunity to make a real difference, as things in your home context are stabilising as the threat appears to be elsewhere now that the threat of comet impacts have ended, leaving only the aftermath to contend with.

[RedMoney]

"Julian did you bring the tea and crumpets, or are the rest of the British coming?" Ricky Barone laughed at his own joke, drunkenly putting Julian in a head lock and starting a wrestling match with his son in the living room. Julian snorted and slipped his arm up through his dad's to break the hold, going for a reversal. "First off, this coat is Italian, old man, and if you keep it up I'm going to buy enough Knicks jerseys to wear a fresh one every day."

"There's nothing fresh about the Knicks!" Ricky countered his son's counter and caught him in another headlock. Fearing the world's worst noogie, Julian quickly glanced around the room, and saw the rest of the family was no where in sight. In less than a blink of an eye, Julian was about three feet away, and Ricky's arms were empty. The sudden disappearance of Julian threw Ricky off balance, but he managed to catch himself on the arm of the sofa.

"JULIAN" Hissed Ricky, looking around nervously.

"YOU BOYS BETTER NOT BREAK MY FURINTURE WITH YOUR IDIOTIC HORSING AROUND!" Came a threat from the kitchen.

Julian and Ricky gave each other a look. Julian knew he shouldn't have done that, but they'd both been hitting the sauce to get ready for tonight's family dinner. Neither of them was thrilled to meet Jessica's new boyfriend. Again. For the fifth time in almost as many months.

"Sorry Ma!" Julian called back, while giving his dad an apologetic look. Ricky knew that there was no point in discussing it here, so he just waved it off.

"Your sister is late. Let's just watch the tube."

"Yeah yeah..." Julian poured them both another drink and they sat in a sloshed silence, watching the news.

Julian's brain slowly started to realize the gravity of what was being reported on, and sat up, fixated on what was being said.

"Hey dad..."

"Yeah?"

"We're still good if I get found out because the world's coming to an end right?"

"....well, ****..."

"Oooo, you better not let mom hear you cuss old man."

Ricky threw a sofa cushion at his son, and the smirk on Julian's face quickly faded as they listened to the reporter go on about the end of the world.

[Malkavianmilkball]

Emilia "Oh Doctor, please help. I can't sleep, I can't eat. All I can think of are the meteors that are coming!" Emilia sighed inwardly. The clinic was flooded with dozens of patients just like this one. The news hadn't done her any favors with it's announcement of the impending arrival of the celestial event. She doubted that they were going to strike the planet, but some part of her always expected the worst. The Sword of Damocles had hung over her head since she was born. Her life had been spared so that a great catastrophe could be averted. Every day she went about her life expecting this to be the day that she forced to give everything to save this world. As a young woman it had given her nightmares. She would awake if a cold sweat that today would be the day she might be called on to sacrifice her life. Time gave her perspective in the last few years, treating the sick and helping those in need. She saw how dark and painful life can be for just regular people. If her life was all it took to save billions of lives, then that truly was a small price to pay. She smiled in her best bedside manor "Of course Mr. Rodgers, we'll get you taken care of. You've got nothing to worry about." She really did doubt there was anything to worry about, her fate after all, had yet to come. She didn't see how the ability to heal others or herself would do much good against a mile of stone crashing into the planet at thousands of miles an hour, so she rolled up her sleeves and did what she *could* do, which was help others.

[Cardassian]

Shibing kept to his daily routine, trying to ignore any conversation about the meteor. It seemed as though Americans sought every opportunity to act like the victim and every disaster was the end of the world. The conditioned soldier began his day by drinking two eggs before hitting a fifteen-mile run around the compound's fence-line. When he finished his morning run, Shibing spent another hour working out and performing Katas to clear his mind.

When he completed his workout, he turned on his radio while he took a shower and refreshed in the steam room. Between the shower and sauna, he was forced to change from the annoying American talk radio stations and the hysteria of future dinosaurs coming to life after the comet destroys Earth's atmosphere, he switched to traditional Chinese symphony music before entering the sauna as steam billowed within. The Chinese national relaxed in the room for the duration of the cassette, the click of the play button automatically cutting itself off was the indicator that his steam bath had concluded.

He dried off and dressed into a tight t-shirt and slacks before turning on the television to watch the Summer Olympics. This was the day for several gymnastics' events, China had two athletes participating though the favorite for the events today fell on a North Korean that Shibing couldn't recall her name. Still, the three Asians were representing more than just their nations against the Americans, Russians, and arrogant British.

Shibing understood English, but still had trouble keeping the pace with the speech of the commentators. He pulled opened the refrigerator and began gathering the thinly cut beef and stir fry vegetables for a late lunch. Halfway watching the events as he prepared the vegetables and began cooking the beef.

[RedMoney]

Ricky was really getting too old to wear full riot gear, it was really terrible on his joints. People were so predictable though. Fear and panic set in, people loosing their minds over the end of the world tore up shops and even worse, crazier things. Luckily the situation in New York wasn't completely unmanageable, but Ricky spent a lot of time sleeping at work. Ricky feared for Julian more than anything, the reckless brat. Reports of looters and vandals suddenly getting hit with a flash of bright light and ending up in front of police precincts after it felt like someone grabbed them were on the rise, and it wasn't subtle. The top brass pretty much immediately knew that a new super was in town, and once things settled down they'd start asking questions. Ricky was worried. Supers have it rougher than people realized, and he knew if his son got made it would open up a can of worms that could never be repacked.

Ricky called up Julian.

"Hey Julian, listen, I get it, but it's too much. It's obvious, and people are gonna be asking the wrong questions once things settle down."

"Well what do you want dad? It's too much to ignore too. I can't just keep acting like I can't make a difference."

"Look, I get it, but ain't there plenty of work to do elsewhere? Things aren't nearly that bad here, we got it under control you know? You could do a lot of good out in uh, what's it's place.... Kern Queen World?"

"Cairns, Queensland. That's in Australia, dad."

"Yeah that. Look, I'll help you out if you need gear or whatever but with all the commotion you caused, not that it wasn't a good job, I'm not saying that, but maybe you know, let things blow over here and keep fighting the good fight you know. On the other side of the planet."

"Look... alright I get your point. Damn. You know Australia is hot as hell though right? You're gonna have to buy me some new outfit if-"

*Click*

Julian let out a chuckle. His dad was right, much as Julian didn't want to admit it. He'd overdone it and wasn't even going by the book, he doubted any of the clowns he dropped off for the cops would be prosecutable. At least it kept damages down, and he doubted most of them were real criminals anyway, just folks caught up in the panic.

Still, Australia? Getting there on a plane would take forever. Julian could... probably do it though. Jumping across the ocean wouldn't be easy though, and he'd need some proper gear so he didn't risk drowning or freezing to death in an emergency.

No way I'm finding a wetsuit in New York though. Guess I'll head over to some surf shop in California. Oh man what a ride this will be.

Riding the light, as Julian called it, out to California wasn't terribly taxing. He disappeared from sight and popped across the glorious countryside of the United States, stopping to take a look at the Grand Canyon in all it's regal splendor. Then with another push, he hit the ocean and stopped off in Laguna Beach, CA. Easy enough to find a surf shop, he just followed the sound of Dick Dale until Julian was the proud owner of a wetsuit, surfboard, emergency self inflating raft, life preserver, and very waterproof backpack for his normal clothes, pistol and other gear. His pistol. Damn. Could he even have a firearm in Australia? There's no way he'd get away with discharging it... and he'd probably not need it. It was a last resort thing regardless...

I'll just dump it if it becomes a problem, I can hide it in my... room? Ah heck where am I even going? Guess I'll head to Sydney and ask around. Alright. Let's do this. Wetsuit, goggles, sunscreen. Surf's up. I can land in Hawaii, rest as needed, then pop the rest of the way to Australia...

Miles and miles and miles of endless ocean shot around Julian at warp speed. He balanced on his surfboard well enough that it was, for awhile at least, riding the light and the water, and it was a blast. But boy were his thighs burning. And... also... where the hell was Hawaii? He was certain it would not have taken this long. Shark! Whale? Holy mother what is that the Kraken?

What the hell was I thinking? Oh sweet Mary that looks like land.

Julian collapsed on the beach with a thud.

"Oi mate! Mate? Ye alive there mate?" Someone was lightly slapping Julian awake. "Oi ye look like ye hit a right humdinger of a wave there mate, let's getcha to the clinic aye? Ye look a bit burnt up too."

"Hey... name's Julian... where the heck am I? I need to uh, get over to help the relief effort."

"Oh aye? That's over in Townsville, reckon someone'll be able to getcha a ride from town. But ye need ta get yerself hydrated first ey?"

"Yeah, thanks mate... really appreciate it."

Lesson learned.... mutant powers, normal human body. Don't get cocky, you can't help anyone if you die.

And thus Julian ended up resting in a small town clinic in Australia for a day, got himself a proper map of Australia from the local gas station, found out they didn't take American dollars but were happy to help out a guy who was going to aid in the relief effort, and headed over to Townsville. Without any official record of entering the country, a good explanation of how he got to Australia from New York, or any Australian Dollars. Whoops?

Well, hopefully no one will ask too many specific questions. Damn, I should've taken the plane. What the hell was I thinking? Alright, let's ask around for someone who knows what they are doing...

[Cardassian]

Shibang had been on the run since the American government abandoned their assimilation program, now FODP (Federal Oddity Detention Program) agents were closing in and it would be a matter of time before they actually caught up with him. Technically, he was still a Chinese citizen and wasn't quite certain the government followed through on their asylum campaign.

He walked through several alleys of Chinatown before catching a ride to the local Red Cross building. There was a crowd of people lined up in front of a row of desks with volunteers completing applications. It took several hours to finally reach the front of the line, an agent sitting at their computer looked up at Shibang "Can I help you?", Shibang nodded at the agent "I wish to volunteer immediately for Australia". The agent cheerfully perked up "Wonderful, please take a seat and we'll fill out the application together *Application and Processing*

Shibang followed the introduction processing, going through physicals, signing for personal survival tools, and administrative processing. The group the Chinese soldier was with exited the building in the back and loaded onto a bus which took them to the local airport. They were kept in a containment area until enough volunteers to fill an aircraft arrived. A Red Cross director escorted the group onto the aircraft, beginning a flight that took several hours. Finally landing in *Name the city* Australia, the group loaded onto several buses and convoyed into the Cairnes and the camp still being constructed.

[Classic Gamer]

There was more to life than raising money for his war against evil corporations. So as soon as Ian could get away from Black Securities, he was back in his apartment watching the news. He anticipated getting geared up and helping prevent any looters from making a mess of the city.

But the International Red Cross was calling for aid in Queensland, Australia. In fact, Cairn’s airport had been decimated. So Ian grabbed the luggage containing his special gear and booked a flight to nearby Cooktown airport. Thankfully he had his first responder card so expenses were taken care of for the flight itself.

[Malkavianmilkball]

Panacea Emilia booked the first flight out of Boston as soon as she heard the news about Cairns. With the Cairns airport in rubble the closest destination she could get on short notice was Brisbane international. True to their word, showing her doctor's ID covered the flights cost.That left a twenty hour plus drive. The buses were packed with volunteers and even running on shifts it would be three days to reach Cairns. Emilia sighed and gathered the supplies she would need. It was over sixteen hundred kilometers from Brisbane to Cairns. This would be the farthest she had ever pushed herself, but if the tests she had done were accurate she reach Cairns in only thirteen hours with an hours break to rest. She finished stretching and changed into her heroic attire and set off at a brisk jog for her, but would be ninty miles an hour for a car.

[Anarchy]

Reference TOWNSVILLE

While attempting to book to Cooktown, Ian is rerouted to Townsville, as the comet's impact had wiped out the northern part of Cairns, making travel up the Inland Road or the Bloomfield Track impassable.

Emilia is offered a closer flight, to Townsville, as Brisbane will add 15 hours to her journey. Her treatment is deferential when the staff learn that she is a medical doctor come to help their beleaguered northern citizenry.

Those that deplane at the Townsville International Terminal are efficiently reunited with their luggage and then directed to be processed along with those who arrived by other means. Providing support in English, Mandarin, Hindi, Spanish, or French.

Individuals being sorted based on their lingua francaAirport translators wander the area, ID badges hanging around their necks by lanyards, extending the gratitude of the Australian Government, offering support and information for those gathered to ensure that everyone is where the need to be and that their needs are cared for.

Shibang walks through the airport, trying his best not to be brained by the leanly-built blonde gentleman before him with the surfboard.

Julian finds that there is not much in the way of scrutiny, outside of trying to navigate with an inflatable raft, everyone just appreciative for the offer of help from someone from another country. See belowHis map helps to get an idea of where the heck he is and where he is going.

Moving down a series of long winding corridors you are met by a smiling International Red Cross volunteer wearing the traditional red safety vest with emblazoned red cross over their heart. They beckon those in line to step forward one at a time and complete the check-in process. You are welcomed to Queensland and offered the warmth of gratitude in choosing to altruistically take part in the global network of millions of compassionate individuals dedicated to prevent and alleviate human suffering, ensuring respect for all human beings, and promoting health and well-being. Liability, emergency contact, general information, medical forms to ensure you do not have any limiting medical issues, et cetera.

A request to identify any special skills you might have that are germane to a mass casualty incident.Forms are signed, which pretty much are summed up with the reminder that you are now ambassadors of the International Red Cross in the role of catalysts for hope, and asked to act accordingly. A Containing:

• basic medical kit,
• 3x granola bars,
• water bottle,
• sunscreen,
• insect repellant,
• disposable gloves,
• dust masks,
• 4x crackable green glow-type sticks,
• a head torch,
• and lip balm

jump bag, a wide-brimmed hat, and two red t-shirts are provided, with the logo on the shirt's breast and the words, DISASTER RESPONSE - VOLUNTEER, in large white letters emblazoned across the upper back.

From there you are offered a last chance to freshen up, in one of the airport toilets, before you are loaded into a dust-encased motorcoach that is far older than all of you. As you exit the Townsville airport you are stuck by a muggy heat so intense that it is like a wet giant’s pillow slamming into your chest. Luckily the motorcoach is barely air-conditioned, and equipped with a fastidiously-cleaned toilet. On each of the available seats are a

• 2 sandwiches,
• papaya or mango,
• juice drink box,
• coffee/tea packages,
• condiments,
• biscuits or cookies,
• paper napkin,
• melamine hard-plastic cutlery

boxed lunch for each of you, each with a kind note written in blue felt pen. A 4.5 hour journey northward is undertaken, in a vehicle brimming with supplies, and only a handful of volunteers.

Julian's map:

Reference CAIRNS

Traffic is nearly empty heading northward along the The highway is packed with heaps of sights and attractions. Journeying through more than a dozen national parksGreat Green Way towards Cairns. Your bus driver effectively navigates through the perimeter that was set up to cordon off an exclusion zone around the most-affected parts of the city. All routes into these areas are blocked for civilian access, but city workers remove barricades to permit your motorcoach access.

You finally arrive at the encampment located in the Barlow Park rugby stadium just after 10:00pm and it is nearly pitch black. Stadium lights permit you to see that your surround is brimming with tents and a flurry of activity, reminiscent of a caffeinated ant colony. Time is provided for you to find a cot within your Gender-segregated, white with red crosses stitched into the fabric, 56'x18'x10', fans exchange the air within and give a bit of a reprieve from the heat, portable toilets are located in close proximitytent, secure your belongings within your padlocked footlocker in your sleeping area, and perform your ablutions before you are provided with a bland, yet hot meal and the offer of an orientation within the hour.

At orientation, you learn that a large swath of the Atherton Tablelands, and the northern part of Cairns has been all but levelled by the comet’s impact, and while casualties have been kept to a minimum, due to speedy evacuation, hundreds are missing, with many presumed dead. The city’s drinking water has been tainted, forcing the use of bottled water only, flooding is rampant in parts of the city, which is both a blessing and curse as fires rage out of control since most roads are impassable to emergency vehicles. City crews are working around the clock to restore key infrastructure, especially key thoroughfares, though the process is slow, since it is nigh impossible to know if someone is trapped under the rubble without a closer examination. All volunteers are welcome to leave at any time, though there may be a delay on transportation out of country depending on the situation on the ground. Shifts are 4 days on, and 4 days off, and typically 10 hours long, consisting typically of grunt work like moving supplies, filling sand bags, cleaning, et cetera, with options for light duties based on need.

What is surprising is how few volunteers there are here, perhaps as few as 23 total, though with multiple international incidents taking place, it is perhaps understandable. The words "skeleton crew" come to mind, suggestive of how desperate they must be for assistance, and how thankful they have been for your presence here.

This encampment is predominately a staging area providing support for the two medical areas located nearly 5 kilometres away along the esplanade. A makeshift helipad area has been segregated from the rest of the encampment, and while there is a medical tent, it is more for bumps and bruises, than anything more serious. The kitchen tent has a setup like one might expect from caterers, with folding tables holding warming trays next to preparation areas, and a few refrigeration and freezing units running all manner of extension cords from hither to yon to noisy and stinky generators.

Time is offered for questions and then you are asked to get some sleep and recover, a blessing for those that are experiencing jet lag, with a request to be up for 6:00am to break your fast and then be put to work with the rest of your section, and according to the provided list the members of your section consist of:

SECTION-08

• BARONE, Julian
• BLACK, Ian
• RAINE, Alysa
• SHIYAN BA-SAN-ER-ER, Shibing
• ZURLOU, Emilia

Just before you can catch a breath you hear screaming from outside the tents, the illumination of a large fire in close proximity glowing through the cotton canvas of your tent material. Those that exit find the cooking tent fully aflame, a person on the ground having just been tackled and patted until the fire that engulfed them having been snuffed out. Someone yells that there are still people inside. The tent is less than 200' away.

[RedMoney]

Julian is relieved to finally find his way to the Red Cross Volunteer sign up and gets his paperwork in order. He stares at the special talents section for an awkward amount of time. He tries to will his hand to write in "Teleportation" but instead it writes "Private Investigation, Law Enforcement". He tries not to feel too ridiculous with his surfboard in tow, and after a few chides of "Oi surf's up mate!" from passersby, he just leans into it and shouts the occasional "Cowabunga dude!" in response.

During the 4.5 hour bus trip over, Julian would introduce himself to other volunteers and make small talk, since talking to people on a bus was perfectly normal back in the 80s. He'd ask folks where they were from, what brought them over to volunteer, and offer the same information in return. Anyone on the bus would learn Julian Barone was a 24 year old Private Eye from Brooklyn, NY, his dad was in the police force there, and he just got his own place on the north side to run his business out of. Julian has always wanted to travel the world, so he put off joining the police force himself so he wouldn't be too tied down before he could get out and live life a bit. The disaster, though, was hard on everyone, and Julian couldn't just ignore the chance to make a real difference for people, so he answered the call. He will gladly argue the merits of Frank Sinatra and what Sinatra did for the reputation of Italian Americans, and the impact Led Zeppelin had on him growing up.

News that there is active flooding in the area makes him feel a bit better about hauling all that gear to the site, the life raft will at least come in handy, potentially. He plops his gear down in his bunk space and looks around for his companions in section 08, but the screaming promptly distracts him.

Glancing around to ensure no one is looking, probably easy during the commotion, Julian puts his surf goggles back on and wraps a red shirt around his face as a makeshift mask, and fades from sight, turning invisible. He flops onto the ground on his belly to get under the smoke and teleports himself into the tent, popping around place to place, looking for people.

"If anyone is in here, get close to the ground! Don't breath the smoke!" Julian calls out loudly, forgetting to disguise his distinct Brooklyn accent in this intense moment.

Anytime he finds a survivor he will quickly teleport to them and pop outside with them, depositing them in plain sight, but maintaining his own invisibility. He will try to hold his breath as best he can while actually inside the tent, taking in air when he gets outside with a survivor. Relying on his Incredible

Dice Roll:

1d100

61

Intuition, he tries to search the tent diligently and safely, getting out people as quickly as mutant-ly possible.

[Cardassian]

Shibing was relieved once the commercial flight left American airspace. He wasn't a criminal, so he didn't deserve to be incarcerated regardless of what the American government claimed. He slept during the flights so hadn't suffered the jet lag that most endured. When he arrived at the airport, he decided to remain quiet and unnoticed for much of the trip.

This moment was his first experience traveling without the constant presence of the military dictating his every move. At times it was lonely as he struggled to find his way to certain points, yet he was able to eventually determine the process. He left the meal untouched, carrying it with him into the tent he was assigned to. Then the alarm and the sudden fire sprang out.

Shiyan began making wide circles with his arms as he gathered the water vapors of the humidity into a large globe of liquid. He redirected the water into the sky to form a heavy rain to snuff out the flames.

 

Weather Control to make it rain

Dice Roll:

1D100

75

[Classic Gamer]

Ian had to admit that he was not in his element. A well cut business suit held no sway in this environment, and the heat and humidity would probably have made it look like a pile of wrinkled trash anyway. He was impressed by how thoroughly the Red Cross had organized the relief effort. Even someone like him with minimal rescue skills could be of at least some assistance. Once he got past the devastation.

There was little time to mull it over, however. Because shortly after he and the others had begun to settle into their tents, someone began screaming. Racing outside, Ian saw that the cooking tent had caught fire. Now came the tricky part.

Ian made sure to stand in range of his powers, but hopefully far enough away not to be observed. He tried to redirect the flows of air gently away from the fire, starving it of oxygen, and thus fuel. But he tried to be precise enough not to take oxygen away from anyone nearby. As he began, it also began to rain, so he tried to be careful not to redirect the falling water in any way that would cause problems.

Dice Roll:

1d100

96

Air Control (Amazing)

 

Red

[Malkavianmilkball]

Panacea Emilia arrived at Townsville and was shuttled with the other handful of volunteers. On the four hour drive she quietly observed them when they weren't introducing themselves to the group. It was eclectic group to be sure, and so few doctors. She thanked the goddess that one of the benefits of her unbelievable constitution was that she didn't need much sleep. She had a feeling she wasn't going to be getting a lot of sleep in the coming weeks. When it came time for Emilia to share she smiled in her typical small shy manner when addressing a group. "It's a pleasure to meet all of you. My name is Emilia Zurlou. I am a resident at the Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. I'm sure we'll get to know each other better in the coming days. Should you need help, or feel unwell please come to me. You cannot help others if you do not help yourself." Emilia knew this to be true even if doctors were famous for neglecting their own help to help others, luckily they took a Hippocratic oath, not a hypocritical one. As she spoke, her accent and Mediterranean feature might make you mistake her for Spanish, but her aquiline nose could have been taken off a statue of Aphrodite. As they wove through the ruined city Emilia's heart broke. She had heard the reports, but to see it in person, it strengthened her resolve in coming. Whatever the difficulty of these coming weeks, it would be worth it. When the bus arrived at the stadium and got checked in she did her best to put on a hopeful demeanor. Morale would be a serious hazard as the rescue efforts went on. After getting checked in and attending the orientation Emilia looked forward to getting acquainted with the other volunteers as well as the other doctors she would be working with. The sound of the cooking tent combusting catches her attention, compounded by the cries near it. "Fire! There are still people inside!" Emilia nearly tripped over herself getting up from her chair, grabbing her first aid kit, and dashing out of the tent. She sees the others attending to the fire so sets to helping the victims of the fire as they are brought out. As she Medical Talent Reason (Ex)[+1CS] Dice Roll: 1d100 58 dresses the burns, she cautiously Healing (Ex) Rank 24 (Am) Endurance Rank 52 Dice Roll: 1d100 9 exerts her blessing to heal the victim's wounds so that they were only lightly injured under the bandages.

 

Healing Endurance Feat Result -23 karma for healing target 23 points, 43/66 Karma remaining

[The Rat Queen]

Anima Alysa Raine Alysa's world had turned upside down very recently. It seemed that just yesterday she had been preparing for finals at Cambridge, when suddenly - quite literally - the sky came falling down around her. She had been suspicious of the predictions of 'zero chance' of the Earth being struck. 'Zero' was not generally a scientific assumption; 'near-zero', perhaps, or minimal, miniscule, negligible, etc. Never 'zero', especially with predicting celestial events. She'd chalked it up at the time to journalistic laziness, or perhaps a translation convention for laymen who wanted a simple answer. Then the moon was hit, and everything seemed to hang in the balance. Margaret Thatcher (herself a chemist) came on the air to reassure everyone and call for order. The Fantastic Four diverted one of the comets, though Alysa assumed that even a sea impact of a comet piece would have disastrous effects. Fortunately, this proved not to be the case, at least not on a global scale, though her professors were equally stumped about the minimal effects of the impacts. The final impact was essentially on the other side of the planet, in Australia. Again, though the fragment was about eight kilometers long, Australia and the rest of the planet continued to mostly exist, and Alysa wondered what the fragments were actually made of, or perhaps there were other forces at work. Soon, calls for humanitarian aid went out, and Alysa caught wind of a program sponsored by the university that would allow her to help out while still receiving course credit. She could help the less fortunate without losing everything she had worked so hard for! She responded to the organization with the aid of her counselors and secured passage for free to Cairns. It was a long flight, about twenty hours, but it was a chance to expand her horizons, lend humanitarian aid, and see the world. She rang her parents and let them know what she was doing, and after fending off a significant amount of fretting and crying, began packing for her trip. Due to her priority status as a first responder, she was able to secure a flight with Singapore Airlines with a flight change in Singapore continuing on to Townsville, arriving around supper time the next day. She tried to sleep as much as she could so as not to be completely useless upon arrival, with moderate success, and after an impossibly long journey she found herself standing in the Townsville International Terminal. She collected her luggage quickly enough, and was directed along for processing. Once through the meat grinder, she stood a moment, slightly disoriented and wondering where to go. A moment later, a voice behind her asked politely, "Miss Raine?" Alysa turned to find a young man with an ID badge hanging from a lanyard, smiling at her and reaching questioningly for her luggage. "Yes, that's me," she replied, sounding a bit tired even to her own ears as she relinquished her luggage. The young man lifted it effortlessly, introduced himself, and brought her to the International Red Cross check-in, where Alysa underwent more processing before being handed supplies and given a chance to freshen up a bit. After signing a stack of forms and collecting her things, she was herded outside to the motorcoach was waiting. The weather felt like someone had stuck England in an oven for a few hours, then seasoned the whole thing with larger insects. At least there's food, she noted dryly as she inspected the contents of a paper bag waiting for her on the seat. She appreciated the meal well enough, though, as it served as her dinner during the four-and-a-half hour ride. It was difficult to sleep with the coach jostling, despite how tired she was, so she instead chatted with her fellow passengers, getting to know them a bit. She stowed her items in her tent and sat through orientation, finding out exactly how bad the damage really was. It was also a bit despairing to find out how few people there were. She had expected hundreds of volunteers; instead, there were less than two dozen. Still, more would show up later, perhaps. Arriving back in her tent after the final meal, she noted the list of people she would be working with, and flopped onto her cot, ready to pass out. Sleep would need to wait, however, as a piercing scream filled the night. Jumping up, Alysa saw the cook tent fully engulfed in flame, with people running everywhere - some in a panic, and some trying to help. As she analyzed the situation, rain began to fall inexplicably, and she noted one of the volunteers standing and waving his arms as if directing the water. Suddenly, the water began to funnel directly to the fire, effectively becoming a fire hose. Someone shouted that there were still people inside. Worried that the tent would collapse, killing anyone beneath before the flames could be extinguished, she ducked into the shadows of her tent and began Dice Force Field Generation: d100 29 chanting, weaving her fingers through the air while staring at the Staring 'in-tently'? ;-)tent. Within the tent, a dome of energy was formed just underneath the burning canvas, protecting those beneath from the fire.

[Anarchy]

With the slogan of, "where the rainforest meets the reef", Cairns, Queensland, home to 65,000 souls, is arguably Australia's most sought after tourist destination, with fragrant tropical foliage and towering palm trees swaying in the humid breezes. The surround crawls with tiny tourists as well, from geckoes making their presence felt as they sing the songs of their people, poisonous cane toads fill the air with their croaks, an audience of cockroaches enjoying the show, and hoping not to be eaten by hyper-aggressive curlews, willing to rumble with anyone that steps close to their territory. Sidewalks are few and far between for those that are not comfortable to trek along the burning asphalt, unless one finds themselves in the Cairns Central tourist district, wandering down the esplanade where footpaths are plentiful.

Unlike what the brochures might show, the city now looks like the Hulk, Colossus, and the Thing spent a few hours hurling one another about.

Barlow Park's stadium lights flicker and dim as diesel generators sputter and grumble, noisily work through the night to provide illumination, both for the occupants of the encampment, but also to act as a beacon to draw in any refugees from within the exclusion zone needing support.

Plumes of smoke drift up to swirl around the stadium lights, momentarily illuminating dozens of large flying-foxes taking flight on leathery wings, wanting nothing to do with the conflagration below.

Arriving at the fully aflame cooking tent you find that the volunteers are a chaotic mess, but the International Red Cross employees are cool customers, one calling for the generators that feed this tent to be immediately shut down, while others arrange for those most affected to be pulled back and have their wounds assessed, and already there are people rushing to gather up every fire extinguisher available.

Julian is the first into the kitchen tent, understanding the dangers of blindly porting, but successfully landing amongst a tangle of folding tables holding warming trays. He is glad for the precautions he had taken as the heat Typical (6) fire damage this round, and each successive round will be another 6 damage you are proximal to the blazesears his skin, but his eyes are protected and the shirt is acting as a filter from things one does not want in their lungs. Ragged coughing draws his attention to refrigeration unit where multiple legs and feet protrude. Crossing the distance in an instant he finds a petite man, who is coughing his brains out, futilely trying to drag the unconscious cook further away from the fire. Behind him is another lady who has succumbed to the smoke, judging by the soot marks around her nose and mouth. The fire has totally engulfed a cooking area that looks to be fed by one of the 4 propane tanks that are found under the folding table. The petite man appears to have heard Julian's accented yell, and returns with a voice that is more of a throat-seared croak, right in Julian's face (as he is totally oblivious to the fact that the invisible hero is right next to him), "H..here!", he coughs and gathers his strength before barking out, "Please help!". Closing his eyes for a moment and concentrating, Julian is able to bring out the first of the victims, and then 12 damage taken in total, everyone has been safely removed from the tentreturns for the other two.

Another cough echoes out through the night, but from an unseen source, and though a singular event, it's worthy of some note.

Emilia rushes forward and drops to the ground before an amiable-looking gentleman named "ALICK" judging by the name stitched into his chef's jacket, lays supine and writhing in pain, their stained cooking garb still smouldering. Music blares out from the Walkman headphones perched around the man's neck. Laying hands on the man eases his pain instantly, causing him to look up at Emilia as one would if an angel descended in their midst. He mutters something in the Kalaw Lagaw Ya tongue and passes out.

Scant feet away another body appears along with blast of superheated air and smoke, as if by magic, it is a large unconscious man wearing a cook's garb who appears to have collapsed due to smoke inhalation. Moments later another arrives, and finally a petite man who is coughing his brains out, but insists the first aiders see to the others first. First aiders rush forward to address their wounds.

By far having the most medical training on the camp, others defer to whatever Emilia might order in terms of patient care, as their doctors are all to be found at the esplanade. AN IRC volunteers places their hand on the doctor's shoulder and asks, "Should we arrange for heli-evacuation, deary?" You are confident that Alick experienced the worst of the injuries, which have been successful been healed, and that all the wounded should fully recover without need for hospitalisation, and certainly nothing requiring 'copters.

Shiyan reaches into the skies and finds the ominous black clouds are impregnated with moisture aplenty, as is normative in a place where they get an average of 500+ millimetres of rain in just the month of April alone. The tent bows under the weight of the onslaught, which only redoubles a moment later as Ian's efforts buoy up Shiyan's, their quick intercession protecting those within from their inevitable demise. It is a bit of a stalemate, less so about power, as either of the men could easily destroy the tent, but to do so without collapsing the heavy tent onto civilians is the quandary. Alysa proves to be the key as a shimmering dome supports the structure perfectly, protecting those within and letting the others finally let loose. As if a mischievous god had intervened the water and wind meld, but far from a rainstorm, it is more akin to a localised monsoon. The flames sputter and are doused moments later, leaving only smouldering fabric. A second later there is a series of explosions as the propane tanks do a chain reaction, but the force field stops from anyone Those close to the tent take 2 points of damagegetting seriously hurt.

There will be some scars and stories, but everyone is expected to make a full recovery.

None appear to be the wiser as to the powers that were just used, writing it off as a freak weather anomaly that worked in their favour for once, and that anyone whose wounds appear to be miraculously healed were most likely just misdiagnosed.

Occam's Razor and all that.

That said, perhaps not everyone was oblivious to your use of your powers, as the general populace.

[Everyone who could have caught a glimpse of another using powers, please include an Intuition Roll

• Intuitions of Typical and lower may not attempt this roll as it will be beyond a red roll, which is impossible.
• Good Intuition to attempt this roll and will need a red result to be successful.
• If your Intuition is Excellent then you need a yellow result.
• Remarkable, Incredible, and Amazing Intuition will need a green result.
• Monstrous and higher Intuition (3+ ranks above the Feat) will be an automatic success, as you are just plugged into the universe.

You may add Karma to this roll, which will need to be put in the text of your roll to count, and you are bound to spend a minimum of 10 Karma for announcing your intent and may add as much as you wish to make your roll successful.
Intuition roll against Excellent intensity in your next post to determine if you made the connection to realise that your partners also wield fantastic abilities. Each of your rolls is at +1C, so if your Intuition is Poor, you will roll as if it was Typical.]