OUTBREAK: ZERO is a semi post-apocalyptic pandemic roleplay set in the fictional city of Lethford, USA. Current season: Winter, 20/21.
March 2020. The world is in pandemonium as one month ago, GHNv-20 was confirmed, five months after the beginning of norovirus season. The number of the infected are in the higher hundred thousands, and the death toll is at an estimated 250,000, with about seventy percent of the rest of the population experiencing mild to moderate illnesses connected to the S. pyogenes bacteria.
The fear of the unknown has caused mass hysteria and panic.
In an attempt to provide a semblance of safety and control, military personnel patrol the streets, even here in Lethford City, and the police force is trying to keep up with the rising street violence, assault, and theft.
Welcome to OUTBREAK: zero. Will you survive?
HAYANA
SITE OWNER + HEAD ADMINISTRATOR
Hi! I'm Haya. I'm pretty much your girl for everything! If you have any questions regarding our plot, membergroups, etc. don't hesitate to ask me. I'm also in charge of coding, graphics, anything skin related, and advertising/affiliates.
GENERAL INQUIRIES
CODING
GRAPHICS
ADVERTISING
CHARACTERS
ADDI
ADMINISTRATOR
Hey! I'm Addi. Hit me up if you need help with anything. I'm always for plotting so don't be shy. I like coffee, booze, and working out. I'm back from a long hiatus the dead so if you need anything, best ask the others until I get back into the groove of things!
GENERAL INQUIRIES
APPLICATIONS
THREAD MODERATION
MEDIATOR
CHARACTERS
FINNLEY
GLOBAL MODERATOR
Hi hello! My name is Finnley, or Finn, call whichever and I'll be there for you (yes like the FRIENDS theme song). I am in charge of the claims and helping with miscellaneous things. Let me know if you have any questions!
GENERAL INQUIRIES
CLAIMS
DIRECTORY
CHARACTERS
STAFF NAME
OPEN MODERATOR POSITION
outbreak
/ˈaʊtbreɪk/ zero /ˈzɪərəʊ/
a sudden occurrence of something unwelcome, such as war or disease. number, no quantity or number; nought; the figure 0.
Annika turned a page in the file atop the cabinet. Another raid. Another complaint. Another hour she was going to spend sending paper through the right channels because one of the officers had to get mean. She was finding more and more working for a smaller administration that people really couldn't listen very well even when it concerned their own safety. It wasn't difficult. But things got muddy when people were hurting.
Thankfully most of her day to day was pretty black and white. Annika enjoyed administrative work. There was always something to keep her busy, things went well as long as she didn't poke her nose where it didn't belong, and generally the worst part of the week was just the occasional visitor to City Hall who spoke a little too loudly or inherently had a threatening way about them. Crazies were everywhere, nowadays...
It'd been quiet so far today. She was in one of the smaller storage areas adjacent to the front desk sorting through a few files while the primary receptionist was out to lunch. She was really supposed to be AT the desk, but she didn't like sitting idle and decided to keep an eye on the door while she did other things.
Luca had spent the majority of the morning doing the most menial tasks. He had re-filled printer paper. He had re-stocked disposable coffee cups in the break room. He had replenished the pens on the desk that his boss preferred using. He had ordered forms, he had checked vendors and even had the oil changed in his boss's car. Little things that didn't really add up to too much but, nevertheless, had to be done. He had been bored out of his mind and it was barely noon when one of the other assistants asked if he had gotten the forms for city hall done. Luca had pulled up his email, scanned over the various messages and shook his head.
He could have asked another lower assistant to go get the forms submitted but he was itching to get out of the office. Prism was a massive building with impeccable rooms and floors. There was no relaxing there. There was no easy-going breakroom to hang out in. No way to solve his boredom, at least not without risking getting fired. To Luca, it felt like everyone was constantly in a state of stress laced with copious amounts of panic attacks. It wasn't exactly the kind of place he enjoyed working at. It did pay well though, so he stuck it out. At least for the time being.
Luca took the company car and rode the fifteen minutes to City Hall. There weren't a lot of people out and he hoped City Hall would be the same. He wasn't in a rush to get back of course, but taking his time because he wanted to always beat being gone long due to lines and crowds. He collected his things in the briefcase that his boss insisted on him having and exited the vehicle. The driver pulled off and Luca made his way inside the building, walking inside. He happily noted that no one seemed to be around, though as he glanced left and right he realized that was actually a problem. There was literally, no one around. The desk at the front was empty and Luca looked around for a bell to ring but found none. "Hello? Anyone here?" He tilted his head, scanning the area once more before moving towards the only area nearby that had a door open. "Hellooo?"
They needed a bell above the door or something. Anni turned at the sound of someone talking in the reception area. Wasn't very patient, was he? Or maybe he'd been out there a while and she'd been more lost in her reading than she'd thought.
Anni walked out to the front desk area, eyeing the newcomer peeking into one of the adjacent work rooms that'd been left open. She was wearing a simple gray skirted ensemble and matching flats, her hair tied back, and while the mask she was wearing obscured the smile she tossed at him, there was a distinct friendliness in her eyes.
"Hello," she greeted. "Sorry, some of us are still out at lunch. Can I help you?" She glanced at the briefcase the man had brought in with him. Anni didn't recall any meetings scheduled--at least nothing major--so maybe this was something more impromptu? Or just not important enough to make it onto her boss's calendar.
Luca drummed his fingers absentmindedly on the desk in front of him. His eyes scanned the area, halfway in boredom and the other half in curious amusement that no one seemed to be around. He had just taken a step towards the only door that was open when a blonde appeared. She looked around his age, which caught him off guard for a moment. Usually city hall was filled with people who looked well into middle age and none of them sporting anything other than a scowl or frown. His annoying chore had appeared to be taking a positive turn as she gave him a smile behind her mask. One that he returned before replying, "Hey. No problem."
He hadn't put two and two together in realizing that it was nearing lunch. A fact that would work in his favor. He could always tell his boss that City Hall had taken forever, while enjoying a nice long lunch out. It was the little things in life. She asked how she could help and Luca's eyes found hers, replying as his smile never left his lips, "My name is Luca Ford, I'm with Prism Biotech." Luca's fingers pulled the lanyard that was around his neck out for her to see his credentials. He wasn't sure whether she would have asked to see them or not, but he learned quickly that it was easier to show them before it was asked of him. It usually sped things up and cut down on the wasted time of people fact-checking to see if he was who he said he was. "And you are…?"
He waited to hear her name. While he did, he gave a quick and casual check of her left hand to verify that she wasn't married. There was no telling when that little bit of information might come in handy.
Luca turned his attention to the stupid briefcase, popping it open. "I have some forms I need to file requesting a permit for police presence. I am in the right place for that right?" He gave a half-grin as he waited for her reply. He was almost certain he was in the right place, but it never hurt to have it confirmed. His hand slipped inside the case, pulling out the forms and placing them on top of the desk in front of him.
City Hall could have used more friendly faces. Most of the time, people came in here looking tired, pissed, or paranoid. This guy was none of those. There was a contagious sort of energy that came with people so openly nice about something as mundane as a trip to see Lethford's administrators.
Anni leaned in to peer at the badge he was carrying. Luca Ford with Prism. Interesting. This was the first person from Prism Biotech she'd personally dealt with in maybe two weeks? Perks of covering the lobby at lunch--she got to see more new faces and less of her computer screen.
"I'm Annika Davis," she replied. "A pleasure to meet you, Luca." She noted he'd looked at something--but what that something was, she didn't know. Anni glanced down at her outfit, thinking maybe something was amiss (a tag or a string maybe?). But there was nothing. Her gaze snapped back up. Federal work made her perceptive--but not a mind-reader.
"Permits?" she repeated. Ah, more police. No shocker there. "You're in the right place, yes," she said with an astute nod. She approached the case on the desk and picked up the first among the set of forms, mint green eyes scanning over all of the fields to ensure it'd been filled out correctly.
"We get too many of these," she remarked dismally. "But I'm always glad for the drop-ins. Gets too quiet in here." She tucked some of her hair behind her ear and picked up another form, then another, just scanning through them to ensure they were all in order before she submitted them for filing and processing with the hall.
"Any questions while you're here?" She didn't think he'd have any, since these forms were pretty routine. But for all she knew, he was a new appointment at Prism and still learning the ropes.
Luca held the badge aloft long enough for her to read over it before letting it fall back around his neck. She gave him her name and he grinned broadly behind the cloth covering. "Nice to meet you." She repeated his question back to him, almost in doubt and he had a brief moment of concern that he might actually be in the wrong department. He hadn't been to City Hall enough to know for sure, but before he could mentally curse too much she, thankfully, confirmed that he was in the right place. Luca did a small pump of his fist in the air in victory before letting out a small chuckle, "First accomplishment of the day. Done." Sure he had technically gotten a lot done already, but did they really count when it was all things that a fourth-grader could do? Probably not. At least not in his mind.
Annika picked up the forms and he waited patiently as she scanned them over. She mentioned that they got too many of these and he nodded. "Yeah, we can't be too careful when it comes to shipments." He wasn't entirely sure what the freight trucks were delivering when they dropped off crates upon crates, that was well above his paygrade and he didn't honestly care. All he cared about was getting what his boss asked him for. If that happened to be extra security then that's what he'd make sure it was taken care of. Whatever happened between then and the next delivery wasn't his concern.
She spoke about enjoying the drop in and he gave her a grin, "You sound as bored as I do at work. How long have you been here?" He glanced around and noted that it did look utterly boring. At least his job had random rooms he could explore, not to mention a lot of new tech. This place paled in comparison.
He thrummed his hands absentmindedly on the desk while he continued to look around. He had thought there would be more security there, maybe a cop or two milling around, but it appeared to be just the two of them. Either luck was on his side or she was the only one here stuck during lunch shift, which meant she was probably fairly new. She spoke and pulled his attention back to her as she asked if he had any questions. Without missing a beat he nodded, "Yeah, where's the best place to get a bite to eat around here?"
He realized that she probably meant about the forms, but honestly the food had been more pressing. He looked over the things she had gotten together on the desk and gave her a shrug. "I'm assuming you're going to give me some sort of verification form or receipt for the request? A 1-800 rent-a-cop number that we get to call?" He gave a lopsided grin at the small joke. He knew it more than likely wasn't that easy, but figured most of the work on his end was done. At least he hoped.
Exactly why visitors requested the presence of law enforcement wasn't of much concern to Anni. She handled the forms but she didn't place her name or stamps on too much. She gave a cordial "Sure" to Luca's mention of shipments. What the lab chose to do with that approval was up to them.
She placed another form down and Luca asked how long she'd been at City Hall. "A while," she said, and though her voice was friendly, the answer was vague on purpose. She was cautious around visitors.
The inquiry about food had her pause, though. He was thinking about lunch and he thought to ask her? Annika raised a brow, clearly caught off guard. "Leo's on 23rd is good," she suggested. "American menu with some Brazilian-influenced dishes."
The forms had no errors and so there was nothing to correct. That left just re-arranging them for processing. When that was done, Luca asked about a receipt for the batch, and she gave a nod, already moving for the main desk's computer. "Right, you'll have a receipt. Just a sec." She sat down and logged in, typing a few things and submitting a virtual entry into their database. A sheet of paper printed out on the printer behind her, and she signed it with her name. On it were the details of the forms, date of submittal, what the request was, and the expected processing time. There were contact names and numbers with the Hall and the police department for customer service at the bottom.
"Here you are." She handed over the slip and gave a smile that reached her eyes. "Someone will contact you for any needed specifics, likely within the next two days," she clarified. "Did you need anything else today?"
Annika answered his question and Luca's eyebrows raised just the tiniest bit in surprise. "Oh yeah? Do you like it?" He was genuinely curious. This kind of place didn't appeal career-wise to a guy like him. Though, to be fair, nowhere with a desk did. He had always pictured himself as some sort of professional snowboarder or a sports journalist, but nothing like that looked like it was actually ever going to be on his horizon. His brother would say it was a lack of discipline. His mom would say that he hadn't found the thing that 'spoke to him' yet. He knew the real truth was probably somewhere in the middle of the two.
Luca nodded at her mention of a lunch recommendation. It sounded good. Not that he was a picky eater. "Thanks. Good to know." He was terrible at directions, but he figured he could always google the place to find the exact location if he needed to. Hopefully, it wasn't too far that he'd get lost or anything of the sort. At the thought of food, his stomach growled and he found himself wishing he had grabbed something before running this errand.
He waited for her to finish up, not bothering her as she moved around behind the desk. Instead he turned to look through the door that he had entered from, watching the people pass on the street outside. There seemed to be a few more people out and about, at least from when he had first arrived. He figured it must be moving towards the end of lunch. He was a little surprised he hadn't gotten a phone call or a text from his boss yet. Normally, between calls, texts, and emails, his cell was damn near constantly going off. Oddly enough, it had remained silent. He thought about checking to ensure it was even on, but decided against it. A little absence wouldn't hurt anyone.
Luca turned his attention back to her as she spoke up, her hand extending towards his with a piece of paper. He smiled pleasantly, "Thanks." He opened up his briefcase and tucked the form into the top sleeve. She mentioned that he would be contacted if there was anything else that he needed to do and he nodded. "Sounds good. It's not an issue for me to swing by if I need to. Actually, it's nice getting away from the place for a change." He gave a soft chuckle before securing the case and moving off the desk.
Annika asked if he needed anything else and he shook his head. "I don't think so. Just the one form today." He took a step back, but hesitated, glancing at the clock before turning his attention back to her. He had been there for almost 30 minutes. He wasn't sure how long lunches were around here, but he decided to throw caution to the wind. "I'm going to try Leo's for lunch. You want to join me?"
