xp_logs | Xbalanque - Morning After (Reply)

Julio's in need of medical attention, but can't be moved down the mountain. The group decides to split, one half going for help with the other staying at the Mission, just in case. But before the first group leaves, they make a horrific discovery.

Dawn had come, finally, and with that they'd slowly moved everyone back into the main building. The door had been repaired a second time, but there were still discernible gaps in-between the wood and plaster. It probably wouldn't survive another attack. The children had been moved back inside after they'd found and buried what was left of Armando. The other workers were busy going about their routines and doing what needed to be done for the children. For them, it was not so different than how it used to be, but the children did not remember much of the war, so they found themselves doing what their parents had done. Doing their best to act normal and hide their own panic.

Julio had been carefully moved into the small infirmary on the ground floor of the main building. Somehow Jane had managed to keep him from bleeding to death the night before, but he was still very pale that morning, and his breathing worryingly shallow with the beginnings of a fever. He needed medical help, and soon. The town had a small helicopter for going into the mountains for medical emergencies, Mendez had been able to get it donated a few years back. Unfortunately with Duarte in charge, it was he who decided if and when the helicopter left, using expensive fuel.

The sun was shining on the late morning courtyard as Terry and Nash did one last perimeter check. Steam rose from the damp vegetation, and the dark clouds hanging on the horizon promised more rain.

"I suppose this sort of unmitigated disaster is par for the course with Westchester office trips, but I'm certainly not used to it." It might have been a joke, if Nash hadn't looked so grim when he'd said it, looming above Terry like a particularly bleak statue. "And the phone lines are down, to boot."

"Don't look at me, I was along for the cultural experience. I'm sure that they've had nice quiet operations before. I've never actually heard of them but I'm sure it happens." Terry was forcing a cheerful tone, though she was far from unconcerned. "We can't move Julio. The way the roads are, it'd do him more harm than good. Someone's going to have to head back to out."

"Proper medical evacuation's at a bit of a premium in this area of the world, but if we could get back to town and make the right call, it might be possible."

Terry nodded and stayed silent. To her, the choice was clear--one of them had to go back down while the other stayed to guard the rest of the victims and provide some kind of leadership. But it wasn't her command and, well, her decisions weren't historically unmitigated success stories. Nash was in charge and mostly Terry was grateful for that. Finally, she raised her chin and glanced up at him sideways. "What's the plan then?"

"The place is hypothetically defensible. You've got range, Monet's got invulnerability - I'd prefer the two of you to stay here while I head down with some of the others." Nash eyed the road downwards. "Worse comes to worse, I can fly the helicopter myself."

Nash eyed her for a moment, as if assessing something. "Go get John and Kevin for me," he said, finally turning away, towards the jeep. "Berta too."

Terry sketched him a half salute, "Consider it done." She ran off back toward the building. As she closed the circuit of the perimeter, she noticed a buzzing--like Jan's wings but many times multiplied and looked over to see a swarms of black flies over a body mostly covered by brush. The smell of burned flesh hit her and she stopped, jogging over to the side of the path, feeling a little queasy and more than a little dreading what she was going to find. She stared for a couple of seconds at the corpse, patches of skin charred black all the way to bone, then turned back and shouted for Nash.

It didn't take Nash long to get there, and he didn't bat an eye at the sight of the corpse, although his jaw did tighten slightly. "Those burns look awfully familiar," he said, then glanced at Terry. "Get a sheet or something, too. We'll take it down with us. Maybe Duarte will actually believe there's something going on up here."

Terry would have appreciated a little more hysteria at the discovering of a HUMAN body with the burns that John had given to the JAGUAR the night before but maybe they removed that from you in the Special Forces. And replaced it with extra tallness.

She nodded in response to the order because she suspected that she was hysterical enough for both of them.