Opposition

𝔽𝕦𝕥𝕚𝕝𝕚𝕥𝕪: 𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝔾𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕥 𝔾𝕒𝕞𝕖

@OppositionJ

I saw her sheet. Figured she was more of a network/software tech. Taryn is definitely all hardware.

@Prizrak

I think the dynamic will work quite well. You're free to begin posting at your will.

𝔽𝕦𝕥𝕚𝕝𝕚𝕥𝕪: 𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝔾𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕥 𝔾𝕒𝕞𝕖

Sorry for the delay but I've finally finished the sheet. I was going to post it directly into the IC but I figured I should give all of you a chance to look it over one last time just to be sure.

Taryn Weaver

[Taryn Weaver]

[34] | [FEMALE] | [5’9] | [O+]

General Information

ALIASES // TITLES:

“Blackfinger” // “Weaver”

APPEARANCE: Strong athletic body type, muscular build, well-developed shoulders and slim hips. Taryn has curly black hair that falls just above her shoulders, and dark grayish green eyes. She tries to keep herself clean but the sporadic availability of running water in her apartment coupled with the nature of her work make it harder than it should be. So most of the time her hair is oily and unkempt and her clothes are sweat stained.


Underneath her clothes Taryn conceals the scars from her time as an Enforcer. Primarily the scars around her legs and waist where she was operated on to piece back together shattered bones, and torn tissue. She is also almost always spattered with grime and bruises from working, and it’s not too uncommon to see her bandaged from some sort of injury she has sustained working on a piece of gear.

Her wardrobe is rather limited but practical with her staple outfit being a grayish green jacket and trousers, two articles of clothing she’s had for quite a long time. That being said when they were made they were certainly made to last because they still keep her warm and dry in the urban decay of the Reclaim despite all that they and her have been through. Underneath her utilitarian outer layer Taryn wears a variety of shirts depending on her mood and the weather. One thing that is consistent with her shirts though are the colors. She never strays too far away from earth tones, except for the occasional whites, and grays. Besides the shirts, and her panties she doesn’t wear much else besides her ratty black leather combat boots. If it serves its purpose and it keeps her from getting wet, cold, or spattered in oil Taryn will wear it until it falls off of her.

OCCUPATION: A techie through and through Taryn is an extremely skilled technician. From the most common of household appliance to some of the most sophisticated cybernetics there isn’t much that Taryn can not fix. Running a small shop that also serves as her home Taryn wastes away her skills toiling with projects that are far beneath her.

CAMPAIGN TEAM POSITION:
Technology Manager

Psychological Profile

Industrious | Affable | Discreet | Sarcastic | Conscientious | Apprehensive

PERSONAL GOAL: Having lived in the Reclaim Zone her entire life Taryn is well aware of the struggles of it’s people but she’s always been motivated by her work. She is a creator of things, a maestro of machines, if it’s broken she’ll fix it, and if she can’t fix something she turns it into parts. Now all Taryn wants out of life is to make money, buy tech, and die happy.

CAMPAIGN GOAL: Right now Campbell and his campaign are a means to an end for Taryn. She sees them as nothing more than an opportunity to make extra money and more importantly work on more satisfying technology.

PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY: Taryn has her moments but having been on her own for so long she tends to only worry about herself. While she understands that there is a system of oppression in place she has very little sympathy for people that wallow in their own sorrow. In her mind she came from nothing just like everyone else that was born in the Reclaim, but she made something of herself. To Taryn if you’re not willing to at least try and defy the nature of society then you have no right to complain about it’s treatment of you.


POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY: Taryn chooses to ignore politics. As far down the societal ladder as she is it doesn’t matter what she does, things are not going to change over night. That being said she is not opposed to making changes at a community level although she is rather apprehensive of the types of changes being made. While Taryn can certainly see the downsides to having gangs run the Reclaim they keep her paid, and busy. So even though removing them from power would improve the lives of most people in the Reclaim it would lead Taryn into a life of instability if she was unable to find another way to support herself. This is most likely why she acts like she doesn’t care about what happens to the Reclaim Zone but still choose to support Campbell. Even though she could very well end up in danger from the gangs she supports.



SECRETS:

• Blackfinger
  Taryn may run a clean business up front but she has a less than legit business that she runs on the side. In exchange for a significantly larger sum of money than she normally receives from her work, and the ability to work on weapons, cybernetics, and other sophisticated technologies Taryn supports the local boostergangs. A relationship formed more out of necessity than desire the arrangement was originally made so Taryn could get her business off the ground and keep herself off the gangs hit list. Now she’s come to regret the arrangement because she feels like she can’t get out of it.

FEARS:

• Reprisal
  An arrangement originally made to make her feel safer Taryn now has trouble sleeping at night for fear of the gangs she’s worked for coming into her home and taking her life, or worse. This also serves as a motivator for her to want to take them down. She’s been inside their ranks and knows their hardware. If there is anyone in the Reclaim that could help get to them it’s Taryn, so long as they don’t get to her first.

REPUTATION: Taryn may not expose herself to the rest of the Reclaim Zone on a regular basis but she’s still known by most of the people that have been around for a while. She’s worked with Campbell before for just a few odd jobs and while he may not consider her as anything other than an associate she likes to think that they’re close friends. Regardless she is generally well respected by the natives of the Reclaim and is usually the first one to be mentioned if someone needs something fixed although people don’t tend to approach Taryn unless they need something from her. So she doesn’t have many friends, if any at all and some whisper that she’s been single her entire life hidding herself away in her minuscule shop.

LIKES:

• Americanized Chinese food
• Exercising
• Tinkering
• Smoking cigarettes
• Drinking beer

DISLIKES:

• Augmentation
• Being alone
• Self-pity
• Inactivity

QUIRKS: Taryn has quite a few quirks. Due to her injuries she seldom puts all of her weight flat on her feet when she stands. So she either pops her hip out to the side or leans up against something to help take the stress off of her lower body. She also likes to kick her feet up on things while she sits down, and seldomly sits still for very long. While she may stop to give herself a breather it’s only ever momentary. Taryn doesn’t like to sit still unless she’s trying to sleep, maybe that’s why she has such a hard time getting herself to fall asleep.

Background Information

Raised in the Reclaim Zone since she was an infant Taryn doesn’t really remember a whole lot about her childhood or her parents. Life is fleeting in the Reclaim and if you spend too much time pondering on the past you’ll get swept up in the present. One thing Taryn will never forget from her upbringing is the hardships she endured just like any other child in the Reclaim. She lived through the industry shutdown that cost her parents everything, and the riots that took their lives. Initially alone and without much to her name Taryn had lost hope, but her parents were industrious people and they taught her how to survive with very little.

Growing up without her parents was rough and extremely dangerous especially for a young unaugmented girl. So Taryn kept to the shadows, living in nooks and crannies that kept her isolated and safe from those that would seek to do her harm. This nurtured a survivalist instinct in Taryn and led to her feeling compelled to flee the Reclaim. Unsure of what the best way of doing so would be Taryn faced the unknown and came out of hiding. She ended up working odd jobs here and there mainly repairing and building tech for those who needed it but while this was something that she was good at Taryn wanted money to get out. A teenage girl at this point she wanted security, she had dodged both literal and figurative bullets up until this point and without anyway to keep herself truly safe she needed out.

With enough money saved up Taryn was able to start a life outside of the Reclaim, it wasn’t much of an improvement over her former station in life but it gave her a chance. Living in her small 12x10 apartment on the very edge of civilization outside the Reclaim Zone she toiled at mindless jobs. No longer afforded the freedom to do as she pleased Taryn worked 14 to 16 hour days 7 days a week, when she came home she collapsed from exhaustion. Her life was gone but she was safe the chances of her being killed or raped had dropped significantly and just like her life in the Reclaim her current life was only temporary. Her ultimate goal was to be an enforcer, to protect those that couldn’t protect themselves, to be that shield of the people she so desperately hoped for in the slums of the Reclaim.

Eventually she got it she joined the enforcers and with her can do attitude and drive to excel quickly found a place for herself among their ranks. She was placed in a special tactical team that dealt primarily with violent crimes and armed gangs. This not only gave her the ability to protect herself with advanced training but it also gave her access to technology beyond her imagination. She was the happiest she had ever been as an enforcer serving in their ranks for just over a decade until she was caught up in a firefight. An explosion rattled her body inside her patrol vehicle like child's toy, making sure that she never walked right again. Her injury lead to her discharge from the force with a pension, that quickly dried up giving Taryn no other option than to return to the Reclaim Zone once again. This time around she was better prepared to take care of herself even with a messed up hip and knee but she also had an even larger target on her head now.

Completely unaware of how long it would be until a local gang came to her apartment to drag her off into the night Taryn knew she had to do something to make herself too valuable to kill. So she turned back to her tools. Her skills with machines and electronics were always something that she never thought would be the basis of her survival but that’s exactly what they ended up being. Taryn cut a deal with the gangs she would service their tech, upgrade their hardware, and whatever else they needed done so long as they would leave her unmolested. A shakey deal at best but Tarny was good enough for it to work, prior enforcer or not. She’s kept herself alive for this long but she’s been in the Reclaim long enough to know that nothing is permanent for long, and while the gangs take care of her it’s only a matter of time until she’s old news. So she’s actively searching for a way out, and she thinks Campbell is just what she’s looking for.

Operative Information

AUGMENTATIONS: N/A

EQUIPMENT:

• Towa Manufacturing Type-12 Police Pistol
  Originally designed for Japanese police women and high ranking police officials the Type-12 is a revolver that hits the target hard with minimal effect to the user. If a would be attacker isn’t stopped with the initial shot they’ll certainly reconsider their actions come the second.
• Taryn’s Toolkit
  While most of the more complicated tools are either in Taryn’s shop or apartment, although the boundary between the two has seemingly faded away she always carries the essentials with her. Pretty much whatever she might need to spot fix an injured cybernetic limb, service a weapon, or brute force an electronic lock. Chances are if you need it Taryn has it on her somewhere.

SKILLS:

• Jury Rigger
  Taryn can make just about anything work and if she can’t she’ll strip it for parts and make something else work. There isn’t a whole lot that her mind can’t piece together but when it comes to the network she’s lost.
• Urban Survival
  Years of living on the street have taught Taryn how to scrounge food out of dumpsters and live in the gutter; however it covers so much more, including where to go to get a free meal, where to hide in a fight, where all the best sleepy holes and food stops are, what holes to disappear down when required, what bridge to sleep under... even who is sympathetic to a street urchin. This skill is not trained, it is learned the hard way.
• ]Street Tactics
  From her time as an Enforcer Taryn has learned how to conduct armed operations in an urban environment, how to set up ambushes, and combat gangs. While this is a skill that Taryn does not use on a regular basis it never hurts to keep what she learned fresh in her mind, and her time as an Enforcer has made her just as good at using a firearm as she is at repairing one.

FLAWS:

• Night Terrors
  Something that has persist long before her fear of the gangs Taryn is plagued with nonsensical terrifying dreams that sometimes stop her from sleeping outright. While they lessened in their severity and frequency when Taryn left the Reclaim they came back in full force as soon as she returned. Doctors from her time in the Enforcers made the connection between her being on her own for so long with the night terrors, but it’s yet to be verified.
• Perks of Humanity
  Having recovered to the fullest extent possible from her injuries sustained as an Enforcer Taryn still walks with a limp caused by an injured knee and hips. While the installation of augmentations would solve these problems Taryn never could afford them, so she suffers but her grit keeps her going despite her injuries.
• Weary of Strangers
  A life on the streets leads to a mistrust of those you don’t know it’s how you stay alive, and it’s how Taryn has managed to make it this long. So even while Taryn is sociable to those that she knows she keeps herself onguard around those she does not. A flaw that could prove her difficult to work with for sometime.
• Smoker
  Taryn didn’t start smoking until she was an Enforcer, a bad habit that she’s tried to kick every now and again but given her current situation she feels like a bullet is more likely to kill her than cancer. So she smokes to steady her nerves and keep her focused while she’s working, causing her to get finicky and tremble if she hasn’t had one in a while.

NOTES:

@Prizrak

The sheet looks good overall. I must assume you didn't see Delilah's character sheet occupying a similar campaign team position, but in favor of expediency, I suppose we can just carve out multiple positions from the role. Taryn is accepted. Feel free to move over to the character tab. I'll have you joining group #1 on this occasion.

---

---

Also @The Bork Lazer, I'm going to mention it in a post in the near future, but I believe I want communications to be regulated by Delilah to your vehicle on this occasion as there's some information pertinent to the future of the RP that I need to give Group #2 once [𝔻𝕖𝕞𝕠𝕔𝕣𝕒𝕔𝕪 & 𝔻𝕦𝕒𝕝𝕚𝕥𝕪] gets further along. So for the moment, assume you have a connection to Delilah and therefore a general connection to Group #1 during this plot. I'll elaborate a bit in Delilah's post.

𝔽𝕦𝕥𝕚𝕝𝕚𝕥𝕪: 𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝔾𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕥 𝔾𝕒𝕞𝕖

@OppositionJ Just because I hadn't seen any reference to it on the first page, are there any posting orders in place? Or is it don't be a hog but post freely type of deal?

EDIT: On the plus side, I have the new season of The Punisher to watch while I wait.

@MagratheanWhale

I had no real posting order set in place. Just leave time for the other members of your group to get posts in.

@OppositionJ

I’m finishing up my post but I just want to ask a question.

If we’re all splitting up, do all of us each have a way to communicate with one another like a radio or something like that?

@The Bork Lazer

I hadn't really thought about it. I assume that if your character carries some sort of radio, they can manage to contact Campbell or one of his associates. What may be best is a sort of hub network of communication where one person patches the others to whoever they need to reach. This would probably be done by S'venia or Delilah.

In general just do what you think your character would be able to do. It will likely be better if we avoid instant communication all the time, though.

𝔽𝕦𝕥𝕚𝕝𝕚𝕥𝕪: 𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝔾𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕥 𝔾𝕒𝕞𝕖

Plots & The Story So Far:

---

---

The Story So Far

Ongoing Plots

►𝕊𝕚𝕥𝕦𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 ℕ𝕠𝕣𝕞𝕒𝕝
The buzz of election night is alive and well in the all too often zombie-like desolation of the Reclaim Zone. It has been decades since the public has been so involved in the state of political affairs, but this election has brought all the districts eyes onto Dexter Campbell, Joshua Gatch, and Jackson Rott. With the final debate underway, Campbell and Gatch feverishly compete for voters and press in the election's final hours. Mysteriously, Jackson Rott is nowhere to be found. A few Knights do remain scattered in the crowd, but signs of their leader are completely absent at the debate. Could he have dropped out of the race?

►𝔻𝕖𝕞𝕠𝕔𝕣𝕒𝕔𝕪 & 𝔻𝕦𝕒𝕝𝕚𝕥𝕪
As the Reclaim Zone nears the zero hour of the mayoral election and votes are already being processed, every party involved is on edge. Dexter Campbell himself is no exception. When casual word is dropped that suspicious activity has been drawing eyes to an otherwise out-of-the-way and disregarded polling station in the bowels of the Reclaim, Campbell can't help but to pull out all stops. He opts to send a makeshift team at the last minute to make sure things are being conducted the way they should be. Cass Cantos, Mackwell Sloane, and Emma Chen are elected to leave the comfort of the Central Square suite and lounge as well as the bustle of Swathe Street to investigate the Old Rail Stop. Everything seems quiet enough...

𝔽𝕦𝕥𝕚𝕝𝕚𝕥𝕪: 𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝔾𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕥 𝔾𝕒𝕞𝕖

Alright everyone! That's Group #2 in action. Futility has officially launched in full. Let me know if you have any questions about either of the starting situations, but it's basically up to you what you'd like to do from here. Just keep in mind that there are things going on all around the Reclaim Zone, so while you may focus on one thing, the rest of the world is changing all the while.

As with Group #1, I'm giving Group #2 a chance to establish their characters in the world with opening posts, but be prepared. The first plot is going to start at the Old Rail Stop very quickly, so that will set things in motion for what we're doing at this backwater abandoned building...

@OppositionJAlright! Sounds fair enough to me! Also, you may want to set the Application Status to 'closed' for the time being.

@Firecracker_

Ah, yes. I kept forgetting to do that. Thanks

---

EDIT: Also, I've updated the 0th post with small blurbs about the ongoing plots for each group thus far. It may give those that are curious a little more insight into the situations at hand that may have gone unnoticed. I advise you to keep up with the plots as I update them as you never know what valuable information could be readily available to give you the edge.

𝔽𝕦𝕥𝕚𝕝𝕚𝕥𝕪: 𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝔾𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕥 𝔾𝕒𝕞𝕖

@OppositionJ How do you feel about setting up Discord server for our group here?

@Firecracker_

Personal opinion of Discord servers is that it causes more OOC to clutter up on there and that a busy forum OOC is more beneficial than a busy Discord OOC.

@The Bork Lazer

@Firecracker_ I don't know if a discord server would be the best idea, speaking as a former GM who swore by them. They can often hinder the speed at which the RP moves and it also moves the essential discussion away from potentially interested eyes. They can work, and they can do wonders for a story, but I'd rather not chance it all the same.

@MagratheanWhale

---

I forgot to address this yesterday. At the moment, I am not intending to set up any Discord for Futility. As @The Bork Lazer and @MagratheanWhale mentioned, heavy utilization of the OOC is often productive from what I've experienced. If it becomes something that the group would be more interested in as we get further into the story, we can consider a server.

I am working on the second introduction post today, then I'm going to be working on relationships for my characters, so expect those posts in the coming hours.

𝔽𝕦𝕥𝕚𝕝𝕚𝕥𝕪: 𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝔾𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕥 𝔾𝕒𝕞𝕖

𝔽𝕦𝕥𝕚𝕝𝕚𝕥𝕪: 𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝔾𝕣𝕖𝕒t 𝔾𝕒𝕞𝕖

𝕆𝕝𝕕 ℝ𝕒𝕚𝕝 𝕊𝕥𝕠𝕡, ℙ𝕠𝕝𝕝𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕊𝕥𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟

ℕ𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕞𝕓𝕖𝕣 𝟠𝕥𝕙, 𝟚𝟘𝟞𝟜 𝟙𝟡:𝟘𝟘

[𝔻𝕖𝕞𝕠𝕔𝕣𝕒𝕔𝕪 & 𝔻𝕦𝕒𝕝𝕚𝕥𝕪], 𝕃𝕠𝕒𝕕𝕚𝕟𝕘...

Perhaps the most off-putting detail about the Reclaim Zone is its duality— that maddening duality wherein you could go from election day on Swathe Street, seeing all the commotion and buzz that gave life to the dying zone, to the Old Rail Stop where the quiet seeps into your very core. Could anyone really have been surprised that the archaic rail station didn’t get a great voter turnout? The dusty and damp complex was empty, covered in the decaying bits of society’s forgotten waste, and half underground. One wrong move at the wrong time on this street of the Reclaim could spell a slow and bloody end in an alleyway where no one would see the light drained from your eyes.

Alas, bureaucracy is a fickle and inefficient thing. Last year the Reclaim Zone barely had any voting stations. The system was jury-rigged to keep to certain areas. The people complain and this is what they get: nearly unused polling stations spreading every miniscule section of the Reclaim Zone out, and the local government thinking they’ve done something right for once. Maybe the Old Rail Stop did make a difference today. Maybe— in some fluke— voters chose to come to the crumbling station with its dim and buzzing yellow lights devoid of the neon that assaulted the eyes of Swathe Street passers-by, but you’d never know. The desolate and derelict structure stood piercingly silent. No man or woman walked in or out, but the polling stations were supposedly inside right along the atrium of the fell system of industrial rails.

Cass could already feel the dust gathering along her jacket, its pale grey color becoming even more faded as the dirt and particulate matter from years of the districts neglect pervaded from the streets and the air unto her. The woman sighed, rubbing her hands across the polyester mesh sleeves as if the filth would escape her. It didn’t. She found herself leaning against the back of the 2050 Victory Ultra parked just across the street from the rail stop. Of course, calling it a street left much to be desired. The sub-alley walkway wasn’t necessarily made for cars or pedestrians. Instead, it simply just existed in between the cracks of the megalopolis. The thought brought half a smile to Cass’s face. This was where they ended up— perhaps where they belonged— in between the cracks of the megalopolis…

“Busy,” was the only comment Cass could offer to shatter the deafening quiet. That sarcastic tone rarely left her voice, and this day was no exception. Ever since they had arrived, Cass occupied herself with twitching motions as she palmed her sheathed weapon in between hands. Her eyes flicked from surveying the station to land upon Mackwell. “Information says this is the place,” Cass offered, leaving the word ‘information’ purposefully a bit ambiguous. This whole tip wasn't much for the team to go off of, but once Campbell heard any mention of suspicious activity around one of the stations on his critical day, he sent a the barebones team out immediately. “But who knows if some bureaucratic shill came all the way out here to actual put the machines up. Maybe they just forgot…” A final sentence escape Cass’s lips, but it was muttered with a hushed tone that made her words nearly inaudible. “Hopefully they forgot…”

Another deep breath ended with a heavy sigh as Cass pushed herself upright and brought her weapon down to her side. “We just have to… Look around I guess? See what you can find.” With that, Cass stepped towards the structure, glancing all around it. Silently, she swiped a hand through the air at random to activate her Opti-Tactics Visual Enhancer. Informative calculations swirled before her eyes and Cass spent a long while just taking them in, unaware and uncaring of the whereabouts and actions of her colleagues. It was always an odd realization to make, ‘that something was off’, but Cass was rarely inaccurate. The uncanny senses of her observance augmentations had set something off unconsciously within her, but she had yet to pick it up. Perhaps that was the fallacy of the machine. The human mind still could not match wits with the speed of the E-Brain. The intrigue buried inside her was there, however, and that was all she needed.

Without glancing back at her colleague, Cass continued to step towards the Old Rail Stop. “Well… Let’s get to looking around. Maybe we’ll get back in time for cocktails of victory… Or cocktails of defeat.” As she spoke, Cass slowly dropped off in volume. Her attention was drawn further from her current circumstances as she wandered away. Strangely, Cass wasn’t heading towards the wide open entryway to the station. Instead, Mackwell and Emma would have observed her treading off towards the alley that lead around the the back side of the station. As far as any of the three knew, there wouldn’t be much back there save for a cramped alleyway, but Cass proceeded regardless until finally disappearing behind the building’s corner.

𝔽𝕦𝕥𝕚𝕝𝕚𝕥𝕪: 𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝔾𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕥 𝔾𝕒𝕞𝕖

Okay! Group #1 is a go as I hurriedly cranked out the post. Since I wasn't so super specific in that intro, I wanted to make a note.

At this point Swathe Street is your open world. Some of you can choose to be in the suite with Campbell. Others can be out mingling or watching the crowd. Do as you please. I wanted to give you each a moment to establish yourself before we jump into anything too crazy, so you each have a bit of time while the debate is on a break.

Another important thing to note about the sort of secret idea behind Futility. This is the beginning guys, so I need to reiterate. Pay attention to your actions. Know who you're affecting. Prepare accordingly. Every action has repercussions. Every decision amasses allies and enemies. It's up to you to survive the Great Game.

Group Reminder:
Group #1: S'venia, Alton, Proctor, and Delilah.

Group #2: Mackwell, Cass, and Emma.

𝔼𝕊ℂ𝔸ℙ𝔼 𝔽𝕌𝕋𝕀𝕃𝕀𝕋𝕐...

𝕃𝔼𝕋 𝕋ℍ𝔼 𝔾ℝ𝔼𝔸𝕋 𝔾𝔸𝕄𝔼 𝔹𝔼𝔾𝕀ℕ

𝔽𝕦𝕥𝕚𝕝𝕚𝕥𝕪: 𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝔾𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕥 𝔾𝕒𝕞𝕖

𝔽𝕦𝕥𝕚𝕝𝕚𝕥𝕪: 𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝔾𝕣𝕖𝕒t 𝔾𝕒𝕞𝕖

𝕊𝕨𝕒𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕊𝕥𝕣𝕖𝕖𝕥 ℂ𝕠𝕞𝕞𝕠𝕟𝕤

ℕ𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕞𝕓𝕖𝕣 𝟠𝕥𝕙, 𝟚𝟘𝟞𝟜 𝟙𝟡:𝟘𝟘

[𝕊𝕚𝕥𝕦𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 ℕ𝕠𝕣𝕞𝕒𝕝], 𝕃𝕠𝕒𝕕𝕚𝕟𝕘....

Today was different. Today, there was something off about the Swathe Street crowds. The usual zombie-like droning of the Reclaim Zone derelicts weaving in and out of bars, drug dens, and factories was changed. It was like the electricity— the lifeblood that ran through subterranean wires like the skeleton of the very district itself— came alive in South City’s inhabitants. Most of the buzzing interest found its epicenter at Central Square as the final debate for the mayoral candidacy was taking place while people around the Reclaim Zone voted readily. It had been a long while since the Reclaim Zone had come to life like this. Normally it was a necropolis with nothing but dead men wandering aimlessly in search of purpose, but this particular political race had the public chattering anxiously about the results.

The unorthodox nature of the campaign process drew many eyes. APEX sellout Joshua Gatch was challenged by the leader of the Knights, as well as some nobody, Dexter Campbell. The craziest part of it all was how divided the populous was. It really added to the intrigue, considering how important the final debate was. At least, most people thought it would be determinant. Apparently Jackson Rott and the Knights thought otherwise. While Knights supporters were spotted in the crowd, Rott was nowhere to be found, though who could really tell? The cramped conditions of the dark and smog-filled square was so busy that it was hard to pick anyone out of the crowd of citizens and derelicts alike.

Central Square truly was something. Built in one of the only empty spaces left in the Reclaim Zone, it was walled on three sides by monolithic factories leaving the crowd to push their way up towards the stage in one massive pack from the front. At the moment, Gatch and Campbell were both tucked away during a break in the debates. Behind the stage, the rear factory was hollowed out into one of the nicest lounge spaces in the Reclaim Zone. For the first time, so many reporters, benefactors, and campaigners of the Reclaim Zone were witnessing the atmosphere akin to a cocktail party as the candidates intermingled with their cohorts, reporters, and lobbyists. Gatch was at the very least.

In the moment, Campbell exhaled a hefty breath with a bit of a shake in his respiration. Were the nerves getting to him? That certainly wasn’t a common sight to his team, but as Campbell paced back and forth along the wooden floor of his teams suite of rooms, he couldn’t hide how flustered he was. The first round of the debate was brutal, as Gatch brought up every piece of dirt that was humanly possible to dig up on one of the cleanest men in the Reclaim Zone. It was even harder for Campbell to take to the assault at the podium with Rott there to shred Gatch up alongside him. The Knights weren’t the type to back out at the last minute, and that mystery was just another thing weighing on Campbell’s mind.

“Alright. Alright. I need something more to say…” His urgency only picked up as an intercom interrupted him. 10 minutes until the debate resumes. He looked around at those present as though pleading for solutions, but his eyes fell finally upon a mirror embedded in the wall. In the staredown with his reflection, Campbell composed himself. “We have to end this strong. We can do this. Can… Can someone keep the reporters back for a minute. I just need to collect myself a minute before I get back into it… Get my thoughts together— that sort of thing.”

As if on queue, there were nosy knocks upon the suite’s door a few rooms over. The place was much more vast than necessary, but the candidates and their teams couldn’t complain. For just these past few nights, they were living the most lavish lives out of anyone in the zone. “Reporters,” Campbell muttered. “And Gatch is probably out there talking them up too.” A final sigh escaped his lips. “Alright guys, let’s make these last minutes count… Do what you can. You all know your roles.”

𝔽𝕦𝕥𝕚𝕝𝕚𝕥𝕪: 𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝔾𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕥 𝔾𝕒𝕞𝕖

I'll flesh out her sheet right away. I probably shouldn't have worked on it so late in the night because by the end of the sheet I was just trying to finish it so I could go to sleep.

@Prizrak

Take your time. At this point, I'll let you work the sheet until you're ready and you can just hop in on the story wherever we are.