Teamwork for Jerks, Friday

[psychoticbiotic.livejournal.com]

Class was held in the Danger Shop today, which was programmed to look like a large warehouse full of crates and boxes. After suitable time to let the students gather, the lights flickered off and the instructor's voice came over the loudspeaker. Jack herself was nowhere to be seen.

"When the lights come on, a bunch of husks are gonna show up," she intoned. "They're mean, they ain't cute, and they fall apart like wet tissue paper with a good headshot. Guns and ammo will be by the door where you came in or use whatever other powers you have. I'm watching. And I have popcorn."

"Oh, and before you wet yourselves, this is all one big sim, so don't freak that you're gonna get killed for real."

And then the lights came back on, revealing the promised husks. They groaned a bit before charging straight at the students.

Welcome to Teamwork, boys and girls. Don't worry, the teacher will explain her point later.

Comments

Sign In [5/09]

[psychoticbiotic.livejournal.com]

Like you're getting attacked on the first day!

Re: Sign In [5/09]

[notaweenie.livejournal.com]

Barry Ween

Re: Sign In [5/09]

[doesnotkneel]

Edward Kenway

Fight Husks [05/09]

[psychoticbiotic.livejournal.com]

Kill the zombies. (Or practice passive resistance, should such be your preference. Or just WTF at the whole thing.)

Re: Fight Husks [05/09]

[notaweenie.livejournal.com]

Well that escalated quickly.

Barry frowned at the gun as he picked it up. Generally he'd prefer one of his own this one was totally not phallic enough.

But when the lights came on, Barry began firing the gun trying to do as many headshots he could before they got any closer.

Re: Fight Husks [05/09]

[doesnotkneel]

... What in hell--

All right, no use standing here gawping. Edward dashed for the firearms, though he'd never used one before - or seen one, for that matter.

His aim was poor, but at least he'd found the mechanism that activated the weapon. Small victories.

Re: Fight Husks [05/09]

[kenselvren.livejournal.com]

Jalian eyed the guns, then calculated she was better off killing the things coming at her than trying to learn how to use a new weapon.

She pulled out her two longest knives and went at the things. It turned out they went down fairly well with a knife to the head, too.

Re: Fight Husks [05/09]

[nobloodymessiah.livejournal.com]

Eleanor felt a tingle down her spine. This, she knew how to do. She whipped three fireballs at the nearest husk, watching to see if fire took care of them as handily as bullets would.

Whether or not they did, she was grabbing a gun -- extra weapons never hurt one, especially not if they were lying around, just waiting to be plucked by eager hands. And then she was alive, in the moment, firing headshots and sending more flames out from her fingertips.

She tried to be aware of where her classmates were -- not for assistance either offered or received, but so that she didn't accidentally clip them.

Re: Fight Husks [05/09]

[godofxbox]

Guns weren't Alex's favorite weapon, but he didn't have a sword on him at the moment, and he could tell his powers weren't going to do him many favors here. So, guns it was, and headshots. Luckily he was good at those.

Re: Fight Husks [05/09]

[dauntless-four.livejournal.com]

Four glanced around first to make sure that the rest of the class wasn't panicking, then picked up a gun and made his way to high ground. He found a stable-looking stack of crates, clamored to the top, stopped a moment to tamp down his fear of heights, then looked through the sight of the gun and began firing.

He didn't miss once.

Re: Fight Husks [05/09]

[spin_kick_snap]

Okay, so everyone else seemed to be in their element here. Kathy, on the other hand, had screamed a little and flung herself backwards, away from the rampaging zombies.

Why were there zombies? Who thought zombies were a good idea? And why didn't any of her classmates seem to accept that this was crazy?!?

Poor Kathy. Fridays were going to kill her.

But at least her powers were useful here! For example, rather than a completely useless jump backwards, she managed to bounce up to the ceiling of the warehouse and cling to a few beams.

Look, it kept her safe and out of the way. You count your victories you way and she'll count hers another.

Discussion [05/09]

[psychoticbiotic.livejournal.com]

After either all the husks or most of the students were "dead," Jack finally deigned to appear in front of class. She hit a couple buttons on the control panel and made the warehouse and husk goo disappear, replacing them with comfortable sofas.

"So," she said, once everyone had chosen a seat. "That is what it's like fighting more or less on your own. Sucks, right? Which is why -- not to get all sappy -- the people who have your back are so important. Over the next couple months, we're gonna work on how to work as a team, which means listening to each other and setting all the personal drama aside so you can kick some ass. It's 'for jerks' 'cause let's face it, most of us don't end up in Fandom by being meek little lambs who go along with whatever we're told.

"The TA is Korra, and my name is Jack. Call me Professor Nought if you want, but it's gonna take me a while to answer. Before I came to Fandom, I spent about a year trying to get a bunch of kids ready to fight a war, and I figure you aren't any more hopeless than they are. And they did good, by the way." There was some genuine pride in her tone, there.

"I know you'd be all disappointed if I didn't make you introduce yourselves, so go for it. Names, grades, what you have to contribute to a team, plus anything you noticed while you were fighting husks." She pointed at the lucky person next to her. "You go first."

Re: Discussion [05/09]

[notaweenie.livejournal.com]

"I'm Barry, a senior and I'm smart," he said simply. "And for the most part I'm a jerk. Probably why someone at the school signed me up for this class."

Re: Discussion [05/09]

[psychoticbiotic.livejournal.com]

"Hey, Barry," Jack said. "What type of smart? Husks aren't going to give a crap if you do quadratic equations at them."

Re: Discussion [05/09]

[doesnotkneel]

"What were those things?" Edward asked, wide-eyed.

... He'd get to the introducing bit later.

"Have you gone mad?!"

Re: Discussion [05/09]

[psychoticbiotic.livejournal.com]

"Husks," Jack repeated. "Whole story behind them's too long for class, but think of them as being like gross blue zombies."

"And," she added, eyes narrowing, "I am crazy, but this isn't proof of it. It was a simulation. If it wasn't, half of you would be dead."

Re: Discussion [05/09]

[kenselvren.livejournal.com]

"Jalian d'Arsennette." Jalian nodded to the (thankfully female!) teacher. "I can use spear and bow as well as knives." She figured her skill with the latter was evident from the copious amounts of goo she was cleaning off them. "I have training in martial arts and hunting. I am very good." It wasn't bragging, just stating a fact.

After listening to Barry give his introduction - and really, a male knew those things? - she also added, "I know trans-temporal mechanics and electronics, I can build or fix a large-form light weapon and a number of detectors, and I can program the mathematics for travel on the Great Wheel."

She couldn't use e-mail or guns, though. There were a few gaps. And she could see the spectrum from infrared nearly to gamma rays, but she had no idea that was unusual.

Re: Discussion [05/09]

[nobloodymessiah.livejournal.com]

"My name is Lamb, but I'm not one," Eleanor said, with a wry smile. "Eleanor Lamb. I'll be a junior in the fall. I'm telekinetic, and I have those fireballs you saw."

And more, but she didn't feel comfortable saying all of it right out.

"My experience in a team is limited," she added. "There were only two of us, and it was easier to split up and cover ground. But he could summon me when he needed to -- he was hurt, so I was the stronger fighter."

Not that Father hadn't been ridiculously impressive, even when he was dying from Mother's tricks.

"I noticed that the husks were humanoid," she added. "An attempt at mimicry, or were those bodies human once?"

Re: Discussion [05/09]

[godofxbox]

"I'm Alex Aaron, and I'm a senior, and I have powers over fear, which can come in handy, and I'm good in a fight, good at strategy, that kind of thing." Being War's son and all.

Re: Discussion [05/09]

[dauntless-four.livejournal.com]

"I'm Four," Four replied. "I'm going into my junior year. You taught initiates before here? I'll be doing that when I go home next spring."

Re: Discussion [05/09]

[spin_kick_snap]

Kathy let everyone else go before her. It gave her a chance to calm herself a little. Even knowing it was all a hologram wasn't making her nerves thrum any less.

But it seemed like this teacher approved of competence and confidence and Kathy didn't think she'd get much respect shaking like a leaf and stumbling over her words.

"Kathy Li, rising junior," she said when she was finally ready to talk. "No real, err, combat experience or anything, but I'm fast. About three times faster than a human, I think. And I can bounce. Which doesn't sound like much, but with enough room to maneuver, I can pretty much stay in motion nonstop. I'm also a gymnast, so anything involving speed, agility, or dexterity would be good to assign to me."

Closing her eyes, she tried to think back to what she'd been able to notice about the zombies from her perch in the rafters. "They weren't zombies like you see in movies," she said. "They're more cybernetic than human. And I think they had some kind of energy manipulation or electricity or something. It was kind of hard to tell with all the guns going off, but I think they were fighting back. They didn't seem like they were trying to eat anyone, though. And they bled green, which is weird because first, green, and second, dead bodies don't bleed."

Talk to Jack + Korra [05/09]

[psychoticbiotic.livejournal.com]

Once we tag in!

Re: Talk to Jack + Korra [05/09]

[psychoticbiotic.livejournal.com]

Another semester, another group of kids to terrorize. Jack was looking forward to this.

Re: Talk to Jack + Korra [05/09]

[failsatspirit]

Korra was there, and totally ready to assist! Somehow.

OOC [05/09]

[psychoticbiotic.livejournal.com]

I am still doing the business travel thing, so replies in the discussion thread will probably be SP. Sorry.