yeah, but it's just cold to do so.Mr. Handy said:
*har har, bad pun detected*
Zombie Apocalyse- OCC- General Discussion
- Thread starter SuAside
- Start date
- Status
*har har, bad pun detected*
welsh
Junkmaster
Best part of leaving Flip in the locker is that he's still not sure about Horst and whether Horst will revive.
Bud is not going to trust Flip, but at the same time Bud is also going to push that the group tries to rescue the girl at the compound. Mitchell also has an interest in this direction.
As for what to do with the PMS- that is something to be considered in the long term. Right now your main problem are the zombies coming.
Note that the airplane is flying past the zombie horde.
Note that if Hammond and Earl had other guns on the premises, than there is a good chance that Rita knows about it.
Dave is in a position to whack the diner zombie in the head with an aluminum bat (and also provide a valuable learning experience on dispatching zombies).
Bud is not going to trust Flip, but at the same time Bud is also going to push that the group tries to rescue the girl at the compound. Mitchell also has an interest in this direction.
As for what to do with the PMS- that is something to be considered in the long term. Right now your main problem are the zombies coming.
Note that the airplane is flying past the zombie horde.
Note that if Hammond and Earl had other guns on the premises, than there is a good chance that Rita knows about it.
Dave is in a position to whack the diner zombie in the head with an aluminum bat (and also provide a valuable learning experience on dispatching zombies).
welsh
Junkmaster
@ Mr. Handy -
Good eyes. I keep forgetting about the impale or maybe I'm just reluctant to let this zombie die.
But yes, ten points. Probably enough damage to stop this poor guy... alas, to late, play on!
Key problem in that shoot out is not the tremendous amount of damage delivered (nearly 50 points of damage!) . Rather the problem is where the damage has been delivered too- mostly arms, legs, torso, but nothing to the head.
One arm and two legs are essentially useless and the creature needs to crawl with one arm, so its chance of actually grabbing Rita is pretty low.
- Ok, so I am making zombies tougher to kill....
Good eyes. I keep forgetting about the impale or maybe I'm just reluctant to let this zombie die.
But yes, ten points. Probably enough damage to stop this poor guy... alas, to late, play on!
Key problem in that shoot out is not the tremendous amount of damage delivered (nearly 50 points of damage!) . Rather the problem is where the damage has been delivered too- mostly arms, legs, torso, but nothing to the head.
One arm and two legs are essentially useless and the creature needs to crawl with one arm, so its chance of actually grabbing Rita is pretty low.
- Ok, so I am making zombies tougher to kill....
@ Welsh
Wow... That was cold (no pun) Locking flip away with a zombie... Now if you don't mind, Imma go look for that blunt object (roll hidden spot)
About the Plow
If everything was available, one mechanic could do it in about 2 hours. Thats the brackets, the plow, Cherry picker, and 220 welder. Its a garage. I assume those things are laying around
Thats with just one skilled mechanic. Three or four par mechanics can get the job done in about 30 minutes (in theory). I figure it would take about 10 minutes to retieve the plow, 5 to position it (this is a one or two man operation) Meanwhile, two or three are independently machining brackets (Basically punching holes in Iron "L" brackets) From this point, its all about assembly. Bolting the brackets to the under-carriage might be a little tricky, but... Its been done, in short amounts of time.
Picket-eyes are used in the large concrete construction blocks, Road barriers. They are iron eye-loops, that are spot-welded to re-bar. If you wanted to, you could probably forego bolts, and just weald it to the chase. That would probably cut 5 or 6 minutes, never-mind machining, or fabrication. Point is, Welds have a pretty high weight handling capacity.
Wow... That was cold (no pun) Locking flip away with a zombie... Now if you don't mind, Imma go look for that blunt object (roll hidden spot)
About the Plow
If everything was available, one mechanic could do it in about 2 hours. Thats the brackets, the plow, Cherry picker, and 220 welder. Its a garage. I assume those things are laying around
Thats with just one skilled mechanic. Three or four par mechanics can get the job done in about 30 minutes (in theory). I figure it would take about 10 minutes to retieve the plow, 5 to position it (this is a one or two man operation) Meanwhile, two or three are independently machining brackets (Basically punching holes in Iron "L" brackets) From this point, its all about assembly. Bolting the brackets to the under-carriage might be a little tricky, but... Its been done, in short amounts of time.
Picket-eyes are used in the large concrete construction blocks, Road barriers. They are iron eye-loops, that are spot-welded to re-bar. If you wanted to, you could probably forego bolts, and just weald it to the chase. That would probably cut 5 or 6 minutes, never-mind machining, or fabrication. Point is, Welds have a pretty high weight handling capacity.
welsh
Junkmaster
Waiting for the others to post. Not sure what is happening with Zoe. I have heard we should be getting new players.
Suaside- As for the medical crew and the lay out. The kitchen is accessible through a doorway, a swing door actually, and there is also a reach through into the kitchen so that they can quickly pass food to the dining area without the waittresses going back there. That said, kitchens are often noisy and its quite possible no one heard you. Also the people in the Kitche n are a bit distracted by possible surgery, so they were not really thinking about the dining area at all (and were generally unaware of what was happening until the window broke).
That Dave walked into the dining area with Rita holding a gun... loud noises would probably be a bad thing, so I am assuming they did not hear you.
It is safe for Dave to assume that he was not heard.
That said there are already four people near the guns. It might be necessary to get more people to get guns, but it would seem redundant for Dave to get a gun when he could quickly step into the kitchen, say, "Hey we have a cop down with a bullet wound and need a medic or a doctor right fucking now."
That said, I think the group should carefully consider that you have a group of some 175-200 zombies within four minutes of the T-Bone.
I figure that the most that Charlie and Luke can hit is 40- and that means a hit each time they shoot.
I would appreciate the shooters keep track of the zombie kills. IF you get head points of 10+, you can consider it a good zombie "kill." For example, Charlie shot four times, but dropped one. That means that the most Charlie can hit now is 37, as he scored one of his first four shots. Luke can still hit 36 more and has killed three. However, it also means that the most these two can kill together is 76 (four misses).
Azadeh will probably join the shooting in a bit and that should help thin the ranks. But if you are planning to evacuate, you have little time left and will not be able to take everything.
Cop vs. guns vs food.
Discuss this carefully.
Good luck.
Suaside- As for the medical crew and the lay out. The kitchen is accessible through a doorway, a swing door actually, and there is also a reach through into the kitchen so that they can quickly pass food to the dining area without the waittresses going back there. That said, kitchens are often noisy and its quite possible no one heard you. Also the people in the Kitche n are a bit distracted by possible surgery, so they were not really thinking about the dining area at all (and were generally unaware of what was happening until the window broke).
That Dave walked into the dining area with Rita holding a gun... loud noises would probably be a bad thing, so I am assuming they did not hear you.
It is safe for Dave to assume that he was not heard.
That said there are already four people near the guns. It might be necessary to get more people to get guns, but it would seem redundant for Dave to get a gun when he could quickly step into the kitchen, say, "Hey we have a cop down with a bullet wound and need a medic or a doctor right fucking now."
That said, I think the group should carefully consider that you have a group of some 175-200 zombies within four minutes of the T-Bone.
I figure that the most that Charlie and Luke can hit is 40- and that means a hit each time they shoot.
I would appreciate the shooters keep track of the zombie kills. IF you get head points of 10+, you can consider it a good zombie "kill." For example, Charlie shot four times, but dropped one. That means that the most Charlie can hit now is 37, as he scored one of his first four shots. Luke can still hit 36 more and has killed three. However, it also means that the most these two can kill together is 76 (four misses).
Azadeh will probably join the shooting in a bit and that should help thin the ranks. But if you are planning to evacuate, you have little time left and will not be able to take everything.
Cop vs. guns vs food.
Discuss this carefully.
Good luck.
I hadn't realized that the zombies were that close. If that much time has gone by, shouldn't Mr. Foo have finished repairing the computer by now? In any case, evacuating from the area in four minutes isn't feasible, but falling back to the motel using any available vehicles would be a good idea. Some of the stairwells are already barricaded, and Ellen and Jenny are working on the others. If more people show up, they can finish faster. The more stairs barricaded, the fewer easy ways up to the balcony there are for the zombies. The diner's roof is also a good fallback position for those who can't or don't want to get to the motel. People with rifles may want to go up there now so they can start shooting.
At this stage I think food is our lowest priority. This battle won't last long enough to exhaust the food supplies at the motel. If we win, we can go back for the food afterwards. If we lose, as Mrs. Foo pointed out, we won't need it - we'd be zombies too and human flesh would be our food. The guns are our first priority, as that will enable us to shoot more zombies before they arrive. Rescuing Bo is also important. Granted, he does happen to be my character, but we also need to save every life we can. If he dies, he's one more zombie the rest of us would have to fight, and he'd likely be tougher than the average zombie. If he lives, he's one more person capable of kicking zombie butt.
Since Mrs. Foo and Father McCormick were in the diner when Dave came in and said that Hammond had shot two cops and he came to get help for them, they can tell the people in the kitchen. I'll make a brief post in the IC thread where they do this. Mrs. Foo plans to use her Outback to drive the medics to the garage and then load Bo in the back seat and drive him to the motel, where he can be carried to an upstairs room. Buying food from Rita can wait, but someone will probably need to convince her to allow them to take the guns to the motel, and possibly to get her to come over herself, at least until the current wave of zombies is dealt with.
At this stage I think food is our lowest priority. This battle won't last long enough to exhaust the food supplies at the motel. If we win, we can go back for the food afterwards. If we lose, as Mrs. Foo pointed out, we won't need it - we'd be zombies too and human flesh would be our food. The guns are our first priority, as that will enable us to shoot more zombies before they arrive. Rescuing Bo is also important. Granted, he does happen to be my character, but we also need to save every life we can. If he dies, he's one more zombie the rest of us would have to fight, and he'd likely be tougher than the average zombie. If he lives, he's one more person capable of kicking zombie butt.
Since Mrs. Foo and Father McCormick were in the diner when Dave came in and said that Hammond had shot two cops and he came to get help for them, they can tell the people in the kitchen. I'll make a brief post in the IC thread where they do this. Mrs. Foo plans to use her Outback to drive the medics to the garage and then load Bo in the back seat and drive him to the motel, where he can be carried to an upstairs room. Buying food from Rita can wait, but someone will probably need to convince her to allow them to take the guns to the motel, and possibly to get her to come over herself, at least until the current wave of zombies is dealt with.
Luke will stay up on the roof. he aint going nowhere.Mr. Handy said:
possibly he'll try to get some water bottles & cans of beans up there or something. maybe when Ashley is done reloading she can grab it for em? (still welsh hasn't replied to the question though, so she might just freeze up or do something foolish instead)
only if the zombs dont get reinforced, which is kinda unlikely. hence, once we get boxed in, we could be stuck for a good while.Mr. Handy said:
of course, if it takes too long i'm guessing we'll get nuked eventually.
agreed. but dont forget ammo might not be as easy to transport depending on how it's stored. hell, the ammo might not even be ready for use (still greased for long term storage for instance).Mr. Handy said:
i'd prefer to keep every person able to wield a gun alive, yeah. besides, every man alive is an extra target zombies can munch up before they get to me. the true value of teamwork!Mr. Handy said:
good, have those two arrange for Bo's medical needs. Dave will want to get some means to defend himself first anyway.Mr. Handy said:
welsh
Junkmaster
Good-
Yes, your food can wait. Also if you drop back to the Motel, you buy a little extra time.
Luke being on the roof is a good defensive position, unless the zombies know how to climb. Does Luke guess that already? If so he will have to watch his back as Charlie will probably withdraw as would Ashley.
Key to zombie survival is not how well you shoot or dodge, but how well you work together and plan.
Time- yes about 4-6 minutes. Figure that it takes about 15 minutes to walk a mile, the zombies are within 1/2 mile, so yes, about 6 minutes is pretty fair.
I would guess, givin Mrs. Foo age, that this is about how much time it would take her to get into the outback, turn it on and get to the Motel. Getting Bo would be cutting it quick.
You may be able to thin out the zombie ranks a bit more....
As for IC posts, I am waiting for the others to post before continuing. Suaside and Handy are the most active psoters, but I don't want to put the others out.
Remember, there are NPCs still to play.
And then there is the thing chasing Jimmy.
Don't forget, zombies come from other cities too.
As for getting the guns, that might not be so easy.
Yes, your food can wait. Also if you drop back to the Motel, you buy a little extra time.
Luke being on the roof is a good defensive position, unless the zombies know how to climb. Does Luke guess that already? If so he will have to watch his back as Charlie will probably withdraw as would Ashley.
Key to zombie survival is not how well you shoot or dodge, but how well you work together and plan.
Time- yes about 4-6 minutes. Figure that it takes about 15 minutes to walk a mile, the zombies are within 1/2 mile, so yes, about 6 minutes is pretty fair.
I would guess, givin Mrs. Foo age, that this is about how much time it would take her to get into the outback, turn it on and get to the Motel. Getting Bo would be cutting it quick.
You may be able to thin out the zombie ranks a bit more....
As for IC posts, I am waiting for the others to post before continuing. Suaside and Handy are the most active psoters, but I don't want to put the others out.
Remember, there are NPCs still to play.
And then there is the thing chasing Jimmy.
Don't forget, zombies come from other cities too.
As for getting the guns, that might not be so easy.
Luke doesnt 'know' they can climb or not, but the zombies like men would need to stand on something or boost eachother to reach the edge. that would take some time & enable Luke to at least kill a bunch before they get to him.welsh said:
if they arent able to climb, it's also pretty good someone stays here. this way the zombies have to split up & thin their forces.
I don't think it would take Mrs. Foo quite that long, considering that I specifically said (near the top of page 8 in the IC thread) that Mrs. Foo parked near the diner's door:
Right now she's just inside the kitchen, at the door to the main area. Would it really take that long for her just to cross it to the exit and get in the car? If it's really going to be that close, the medical people could borrow the Outback and she could get a ride with someone else (perhaps Jim Kerr in Bo's cruiser). Once she's in the vehicle, she can go as fast as anyone else and certainly faster than the zombies can walk. Maybe someone who actually has points in Drive Auto should drive, though.
It wouldn't surprise me if Hammond booby-trapped his stash. It's also going to be locked, of course, though if they don't have the keys Lynne might be able to pick the lock.
Once everyone who's going up to the roof is there, the stairs can be pulled up. Of course, if the zombies go inside the diner, they'll be trapped up there until someone deals with them.
Mr. Handy said:
Right now she's just inside the kitchen, at the door to the main area. Would it really take that long for her just to cross it to the exit and get in the car? If it's really going to be that close, the medical people could borrow the Outback and she could get a ride with someone else (perhaps Jim Kerr in Bo's cruiser). Once she's in the vehicle, she can go as fast as anyone else and certainly faster than the zombies can walk. Maybe someone who actually has points in Drive Auto should drive, though.
It wouldn't surprise me if Hammond booby-trapped his stash. It's also going to be locked, of course, though if they don't have the keys Lynne might be able to pick the lock.
Once everyone who's going up to the roof is there, the stairs can be pulled up. Of course, if the zombies go inside the diner, they'll be trapped up there until someone deals with them.
welsh
Junkmaster
Busy, busy busy.
For those off to see Erica Spears- a bit about the airfield.
DOn't look like much does it?
http://www.airfields-freeman.com/NE/Airfields_NE_W.htm
For those off to see Erica Spears- a bit about the airfield.
DOn't look like much does it?
http://www.airfields-freeman.com/NE/Airfields_NE_W.htm
welsh
Junkmaster
Bob's resistance roll is to see if he gets a shot off before a ZOmbie pounces on one of the people in the garage. This is a zombie much like the one that came through the diner- a tough one. Thus the resistance table-
Resistance table- you compare your stat as active vs the passive stat of the other party (in this case the zombie) and that gives you a score to beat.
Resistance table- you compare your stat as active vs the passive stat of the other party (in this case the zombie) and that gives you a score to beat.
welsh
Junkmaster
Suaside- I think that Luke and Charlie could have effectively taken out 40 of the zombies but that was only if they scored on each shot.
Charlie has had some trouble with his rifle so he didn't fire off this round.
How many have you shot at and how many have you missed? I figure you can tag 20 before they get within your regular skill range.
Charlie has had some trouble with his rifle so he didn't fire off this round.
How many have you shot at and how many have you missed? I figure you can tag 20 before they get within your regular skill range.
Luke: ten shots fired, 5 zombies down (as to be expected at 50% CTH)
want me to speed up shooting? dont forget to tell me to increase my chance to hit as they get close, mkay?
edit: update: 15 shots fired, 7 zombies down & one for you to call.
want me to speed up shooting? dont forget to tell me to increase my chance to hit as they get close, mkay?
edit: update: 15 shots fired, 7 zombies down & one for you to call.
welsh
Junkmaster
Well you get to shoot 20, and then you get off the 1/2 skill roll.
Of course the more you miss, the worse it gets, but that's life in a zombie run world.
Of course the more you miss, the worse it gets, but that's life in a zombie run world.
welsh
Junkmaster
The dogs-
I was thinking the Max and Buddy are not getting enough play. They really were open to players as viable characters.
My question is really- would zombies want to eat dogs?
Would dogs come back as Zombies?
I recall the recent Dawn of the Dead, where the zombies didn't much care about zombies. But in the original night of the living dead, the zombies ate bugs. Also, in the original Day of the Dead I vagually recall an aligator, but am not sure if it was a zombie gator or just a gator that the zombies were frustrated with have proven difficult to eat.
Your thoughts?
I was thinking the Max and Buddy are not getting enough play. They really were open to players as viable characters.
My question is really- would zombies want to eat dogs?
Would dogs come back as Zombies?
I recall the recent Dawn of the Dead, where the zombies didn't much care about zombies. But in the original night of the living dead, the zombies ate bugs. Also, in the original Day of the Dead I vagually recall an aligator, but am not sure if it was a zombie gator or just a gator that the zombies were frustrated with have proven difficult to eat.
Your thoughts?
Maybe one of the new players would be interested in playing a dog. I'd thought about it, but I wanted to play the human characters I'd chosen more.
We haven't heard any reports of zombies either eating or being animals, such as dogs. Some zombies have also had chances to attack the dogs, but they went after humans instead. Besides, even living dogs can run faster than humans, so if there were zombie dogs they would have gotten to the T-Bone ahead of the runners. So far as we know it looks like only humans come back as zombies, and zombies only eat humans (until they turn into zombies, at which point they stop and seek new, living prey). I'd guess zombies would ignore dogs unless they were in the way of getting to their human prey.
Stephanie's hypothesis is that the aliens who masterminded the zombie outbreak (who might not be the mosquitos in the meteorites) have done it with the intention of targeting and wiping out humanity. She can only speculate as to their motives, though she has several ideas.
We haven't heard any reports of zombies either eating or being animals, such as dogs. Some zombies have also had chances to attack the dogs, but they went after humans instead. Besides, even living dogs can run faster than humans, so if there were zombie dogs they would have gotten to the T-Bone ahead of the runners. So far as we know it looks like only humans come back as zombies, and zombies only eat humans (until they turn into zombies, at which point they stop and seek new, living prey). I'd guess zombies would ignore dogs unless they were in the way of getting to their human prey.
Stephanie's hypothesis is that the aliens who masterminded the zombie outbreak (who might not be the mosquitos in the meteorites) have done it with the intention of targeting and wiping out humanity. She can only speculate as to their motives, though she has several ideas.
god, i hope not...welsh said:
resident evil-ish dogs are a nightmare.
welsh
Junkmaster
I agree with Suaside, zombie dogs would be rather devilish.... and so are hard to resist.
My thinking on dogs has been that the dogs are generally aware that the zombies are not right and, using their instincts, would not engage but would rather flee.
This comes from the Zombie Survival Guide.
However, if we are to be true to form- the original Night of the Living Dead did not suggest that the zombies were finicky with what they eat.
If a dog bit (and perhaps consumed) part of a zombie, would the dog eventually become a zombie because of the zombie infection?
As for the Alien invasion thesis of zombie apoc. I would agree with Stephanie's conclusion that this is an extraterrestial invasion.
One might think that the dead flying mosquitos from hell are the main actors of this zombie apocalypse- that perhaps they have been sitting in space for thousands of years and happened to come through earth's orbit. Being primitive creatures they quickly die in earth's alien atmosphere (kind of as in War of the Worlds).
Of course that would beg the question of, "why didn't they come last year?" After all we are going through a similiar asteroid storm.
Poor Stephanie does not yet know about the death of the flying mosquitos from hell... but Michael does, and Michael has his own understanding of what's going on.
That said, Stephanie might want to do an idea roll. What if the mosquitos from hell are not really The Main Alien Badguys but that something worse is pulling the strings?
What if they plan something worse?
In such an event, would the EMP really work? If you think of setting off the EMP as a means of killing the electrical charge that is running the zombies, could the real bad guys effective "throw the fuse" and get the zombies back on line? Our heroes may conclude that the zombies are receiving some kind of signal which moves them (sort of like the way a toy robot receives a remote signal to behave but also power from a remote source) but would setting off an EMP essentially cut off that signal?
In fact, given an alien technology and awareness, would such a creature not take advantage of the EMP in order to basically disrupt mankinds limited taechnologies and thus make it easier for the zombies to take over?
ANd then?
Perhaps wait?
Wait about 100 years for the zombies to eventually waste away.
Or even cut off the transmission and deny them their animation?
Troublesome thinking here. Trying to think through an alien presence which may have different conceptualization of time, goals, interests is no easy task.
This is especially true give that Stephanie's mind set might be on the immediate short-term survival and ignore long-term consequences.
Are the aliens having such similar thoughts?
What is going on inside that extraterrestrial mind?
My thinking on dogs has been that the dogs are generally aware that the zombies are not right and, using their instincts, would not engage but would rather flee.
This comes from the Zombie Survival Guide.
However, if we are to be true to form- the original Night of the Living Dead did not suggest that the zombies were finicky with what they eat.
If a dog bit (and perhaps consumed) part of a zombie, would the dog eventually become a zombie because of the zombie infection?
As for the Alien invasion thesis of zombie apoc. I would agree with Stephanie's conclusion that this is an extraterrestial invasion.
One might think that the dead flying mosquitos from hell are the main actors of this zombie apocalypse- that perhaps they have been sitting in space for thousands of years and happened to come through earth's orbit. Being primitive creatures they quickly die in earth's alien atmosphere (kind of as in War of the Worlds).
Of course that would beg the question of, "why didn't they come last year?" After all we are going through a similiar asteroid storm.
Poor Stephanie does not yet know about the death of the flying mosquitos from hell... but Michael does, and Michael has his own understanding of what's going on.
That said, Stephanie might want to do an idea roll. What if the mosquitos from hell are not really The Main Alien Badguys but that something worse is pulling the strings?
What if they plan something worse?
In such an event, would the EMP really work? If you think of setting off the EMP as a means of killing the electrical charge that is running the zombies, could the real bad guys effective "throw the fuse" and get the zombies back on line? Our heroes may conclude that the zombies are receiving some kind of signal which moves them (sort of like the way a toy robot receives a remote signal to behave but also power from a remote source) but would setting off an EMP essentially cut off that signal?
In fact, given an alien technology and awareness, would such a creature not take advantage of the EMP in order to basically disrupt mankinds limited taechnologies and thus make it easier for the zombies to take over?
ANd then?
Perhaps wait?
Wait about 100 years for the zombies to eventually waste away.
Or even cut off the transmission and deny them their animation?
Troublesome thinking here. Trying to think through an alien presence which may have different conceptualization of time, goals, interests is no easy task.
This is especially true give that Stephanie's mind set might be on the immediate short-term survival and ignore long-term consequences.
Are the aliens having such similar thoughts?
What is going on inside that extraterrestrial mind?
Love the Mars Attacks! pictures!
Yeah, zombie dogs would be rather rough. I would think that the same instincts that would spur dogs to flee from zombies (and they should be faster than the runners, at least in the short term...of course, zombies don't get tired and dogs do) would also warn them away from trying to eat a deactivated zombie. They might bite a zombie to protect humans if they were cornered, though. Generally animals have better survival instincts than humans.
I also think the mosquitos are not the aliens behind this, as I implied in my earlier post above, but are being used by the ones who are. Unfortunately I guess Stephanie hasn't yet come to this conclusion as she flubbed her Idea roll (91% roll vs. 75% stat: http://invisiblecastle.com/find.py?id=639817). Maybe she'll realize this later, but at the moment she's more concerned with surviving the next several minutes. Maybe she'll get another chance if she ever gets to compare notes with Michael or learns new info.
Stephanie is an avid science fiction fan, but she doesn't have Michael's sources of information. I had a feeling he was some sort of UFOlogist considering his suspicious behavior, his astronomy background, and his seeming obsession with seeing the meteorite. Even so, she thinks the flying creatures (which she hasn't actually seen alive or dead) might actually breathe sulfur since it is in the same periodic group as oxygen and it was part of the gas mixture in the meteorites. She also thinks they may be able to breathe oxygen too, but if they can't that might explain why they died off. I had thought they were close enough to Brownson that the explosion sucked up all the air around them and caused them to asphyxiate in the temporary vacuum.
Also, Stephanie and Mr. Foo don't yet know that the dead are rising up. They're aware that one of them kept biting after its head was cut off, but they don't know that it could keep doing so as long as it was powered or that dead bodies could do the same. It occurred to me that an EMP may only be a temporary solution at best, if it even works - Stephanie has yet to confirm her hunch. It's possible that the aliens running the show could just reactivate them. If she gets the chance she plans to analyze the data both from recent nuclear blasts such as the ones in Europe and the initial ones in China and the Koreas to see if the EMP effect is lethal or if it only knocks them out. I'm aware that an EMP would knock us back to 19th century technology, but that's likely to happen soon anyway even without EMPs. The aliens could probably easily disable the zombies once they're no longer needed by using EMPs or some unknown advanced alien technology - or maybe just cutting the power.
Stephanie is aware of long-term problems to some extent. Even if the zombies can be disabled through EMPs or by finding a way to neutralize the compound that seems to act as a catalyst, that doesn't stop the mosquitos (though the Earth's atmosphere could take care of that) or the alien menace behind both. The alien intelligence directing all of this probably doesn't intend to show itself until the Earth is cleansed of humans, but even if its hand is forced and the alien expeditionary force is defeated, that still leaves their homeworld and whatever other worlds they may have conquered before hitting Earth. Their numbers are unknown, but they have technology well in advance of our own and other tricks that we haven't seen yet. They will just keep coming unless humanity can somehow rebuild itself, take the battle to them, and defeat them on their own turf. Sounds like a job for SG-1...
EDIT: Could Mr. Foo roll Idea as well? At this point he knows what Stephanie does, and his chances are even better.
Yeah, zombie dogs would be rather rough. I would think that the same instincts that would spur dogs to flee from zombies (and they should be faster than the runners, at least in the short term...of course, zombies don't get tired and dogs do) would also warn them away from trying to eat a deactivated zombie. They might bite a zombie to protect humans if they were cornered, though. Generally animals have better survival instincts than humans.
I also think the mosquitos are not the aliens behind this, as I implied in my earlier post above, but are being used by the ones who are. Unfortunately I guess Stephanie hasn't yet come to this conclusion as she flubbed her Idea roll (91% roll vs. 75% stat: http://invisiblecastle.com/find.py?id=639817). Maybe she'll realize this later, but at the moment she's more concerned with surviving the next several minutes. Maybe she'll get another chance if she ever gets to compare notes with Michael or learns new info.
Stephanie is an avid science fiction fan, but she doesn't have Michael's sources of information. I had a feeling he was some sort of UFOlogist considering his suspicious behavior, his astronomy background, and his seeming obsession with seeing the meteorite. Even so, she thinks the flying creatures (which she hasn't actually seen alive or dead) might actually breathe sulfur since it is in the same periodic group as oxygen and it was part of the gas mixture in the meteorites. She also thinks they may be able to breathe oxygen too, but if they can't that might explain why they died off. I had thought they were close enough to Brownson that the explosion sucked up all the air around them and caused them to asphyxiate in the temporary vacuum.
Also, Stephanie and Mr. Foo don't yet know that the dead are rising up. They're aware that one of them kept biting after its head was cut off, but they don't know that it could keep doing so as long as it was powered or that dead bodies could do the same. It occurred to me that an EMP may only be a temporary solution at best, if it even works - Stephanie has yet to confirm her hunch. It's possible that the aliens running the show could just reactivate them. If she gets the chance she plans to analyze the data both from recent nuclear blasts such as the ones in Europe and the initial ones in China and the Koreas to see if the EMP effect is lethal or if it only knocks them out. I'm aware that an EMP would knock us back to 19th century technology, but that's likely to happen soon anyway even without EMPs. The aliens could probably easily disable the zombies once they're no longer needed by using EMPs or some unknown advanced alien technology - or maybe just cutting the power.
Stephanie is aware of long-term problems to some extent. Even if the zombies can be disabled through EMPs or by finding a way to neutralize the compound that seems to act as a catalyst, that doesn't stop the mosquitos (though the Earth's atmosphere could take care of that) or the alien menace behind both. The alien intelligence directing all of this probably doesn't intend to show itself until the Earth is cleansed of humans, but even if its hand is forced and the alien expeditionary force is defeated, that still leaves their homeworld and whatever other worlds they may have conquered before hitting Earth. Their numbers are unknown, but they have technology well in advance of our own and other tricks that we haven't seen yet. They will just keep coming unless humanity can somehow rebuild itself, take the battle to them, and defeat them on their own turf. Sounds like a job for SG-1...
EDIT: Could Mr. Foo roll Idea as well? At this point he knows what Stephanie does, and his chances are even better.
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