WEEK 0 — ARRIVAL

[cartesio]

Week 0: Arrival

When you wake up you immediately feel something’s off. You sit on the bed and find it’s not your bed, and this isn’t your room either. You seem to be in a rather normal-looking motel room. To your side there’s a trunk, if you open it you’ll find a military uniform, the key to your room, a set of rules and a debit card. Don’t lose those items! Or do lose the rules, you'll find a brand new copy the next day under your pillow. There’s also a calendar on the wall, you can see today’s date. The year is unreadable, but the month and day are very clear:

March 28^th
There it says ‘Meet the Sergeant at the Lodge, 9:00 AM’. There’s also a circle around March 31st, with the word ‘END’ scrawled there.

For now leaving your motel room would be a good choice. When you reach the lobby, you see the receptionist’s desk— no one’s manning it. There’s a rack filled with maps, marking several locations in the town.

There are also many strangers here – and you’re one more. For now it may be a good idea to take a map and explore the town.

After all, looks like you’re stuck here in the boonies for a while.

Links

IC Rules
Room Assignments
Locations
Tasks (LOCKED currently)

March 28^th
March 29^th
March 30^th

Comments

[cartesio]

Whether it's pointless or not depends on you all, not on me. Results are what matter.

[Looks like it being pointless in the way Finley means never crossed his mind]

[semperperatus]

Trying to preserve what we've got is what matters! What, your town is doing fine so everyone else's blood wasn't enough for you or something!?

[cartesio]

[The Sergeant leans against the doors, drumming his fingers against his arms. He saw this whole thing coming, he knew almost nobody would accept the situation without protest, yet it seems he's still getting frustrated nonetheless]

Why do you have to question it? I'm following the orders I received without question, why can't you all do the same?

Everything would be much easier for everyone if you did.

[semperperatus]

[Yeah, living easy and not questioning things around him. Just blindly doing what he was told and not doing what he felt was the right thing. In much, much pettier situations, he hated it.

So the answer for him is easy.]

Because even if you're fine with letting this happen, that kind of life isn't worth living for me. I don't know about you, but I've seen enough blood spilled. I'm not going to be the one to spill more when there's not much left of it anymore.

[cartesio]

...

[For a moment the Sergeant is silent. Does he approve, does he not approve, who knows]

You're going to hate being here.

[As if was absolutely certain blood will be spilled at some point during the next four days, yeah]

Fine. You say you won't. Can you say the same about everyone else, Shepard?

[semperperatus]

[Spoilers: he already does]

No. I barely know anyone in this place, and if that happens, I'd probably get as angry at them just as I'm pissed at you right now.

But you don't know for sure someone will do it either.

[cartesio]

On the contrary, I have very good reasons to believe it will happen. I have taken the time to find out everything I can about you all. There are so many triggers to use, so many possibilities I wouldn't have time to use all of them. This is merely the one I decided could be of use right now.

[But he's too short in time to really push as many buttons as possible, so he went with the one he deemed most effective]

[semperperatus]

Really? Then you have to know that bringing me in was a pretty bad idea.

You know why?

[cartesio]

If I say no you're going to tell me anyways, won't you?

[Tell him why, Finley]

[semperperatus]

Yeah. Pretty much.

Sooner or later the sharks will come and this party of yours is going to end. Just keep that in mind.

[cartesio]

[For a moment it seems the mayor really is considering that. Then he gets a newspaper from who knows where and scans it carefully]

Ah, the weather report.

[...]

Apparently no, they won't.

[semperperatus]

You're right. Maybe not today or tomorrow.

But they will one day. They have a knack for wrecking the place when you least expect it. Just keep that in mind.

[And even when you do expect it. Yeah, it's a threat, in a sense. Not because Shepard actually wants to kill this guy, but as far as this place is concerned?

He's Been Warned. That's all Shepard can - will - do with the Sergeant.]