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.
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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!
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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!
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outbreak
/ˈaʊtbreɪk/ zero /ˈzɪərəʊ/
a sudden occurrence of something unwelcome, such as war or disease. number, no quantity or number; nought; the figure 0.
Ryder's day had started off fairly normal. He had gotten up before dawn, jogged with a few other handful of other soldiers who were up. He had showered and grabbed breakfast and reported into the assignment check. It had taken a hard left turn from there though. While he was waiting for his paperwork for the day, one of his direct commanders had come into the room and pointed at him sharply before leaving out the door.
Ryder, of course, had jumped up and followed the guy out the door, his face filled with curiosity and confusion. He knew he wasn't in trouble of course. He had done this job for far too long to think that. He knew what he was doing and he made sure that the guys under him knew what the hell they were supposed to do. It was an efficient chain of command that he had down to perfection. No, his first thought wasn't punishment. His first thought was what the hell do they have in mind now? He had been shipped all over the world and had been put into many a situation that didn't exactly fall into his job description more times than he could count and they all started out like that. One little point of the finger, one folder tossed your way and that was it.
He walked in silence with the commanding officer as they passed from the briefing room, and further on past the training hall,still in silence as they moved into the upper officer's quarters. It wasn't a place that Ryder liked to visit a lot though he had the clearance. It was filled with older guys who couldn't finish the PT test if their lives depended on it. The guys who talked about war, but never saw the action themselves. They were the higher brass that he would never be, at least not if he could help it.
He nodded to the few men who bothered to pay him any attention before the officer stopped, handing him a folder that was on a desk. Ryder opened it up, looking at a picture of a blonde girl. 24 years old according to the file. Journalist. "Sir?" He asked, looking up questioningly. The man sighed, 'Sorry to do this to you Hall but you're on babysitting duty today. We had pegged Carson for this but he tested positive for the virus this morning. You're next on the list. She's doing a story on the base, Command thinks it'll be good to boost our image. We want you to show her around, answer questions. Do you understand?'
Ryder nodded, "Yes Sir." The man dismissed him with a wave of his hand, 'she'll be here in an hour.' Ryder nodded and walked out of the Officer's Quarters. Playing tour guide wasn't high up on his list of things he was looking forward to, but the military had never cared much about his feelings before and he doubted they'd be starting anytime soon. He had sighed in annoyance as he read briefly over her file. Nothing interesting stood out from her career so he doubted she'd be too much of an issue. He changed from his civilian clothes into his uniform, turning her file back into command before making his way to the front of the base.
The area where she would come in was a central location and as good a place as any to start. Ryder checked in with the front to make sure she wasn't there yet, giving them notice to send her into the front access point where he was waiting. Ryder leaned against a nearby humvee while he waited for her car to arrive, his mind wandering to Carson and who exactly had gotten the short end of the stick today.
EVEN WHEN NOBODY ELSE BELIEVES I'M NOT GOING DOWN THAT EASILY
This whole article had never been her idea in the first place, but she'd gone along with the assignment like a good little foot soldier - she even accepted the fact that she'd be waking up at a god-awful time in the morning just to do this tour and interview. However, when she'd woken up this morning, Ezra had known right away that she wasn't a fan of this assignment at all. Stitch had woken her up the usual way - kisses, too many, and way too slobbery for so early in the morning. What bothered her the most was the fact that she, as a person who lacked a vehicle, was going to have to ride in a taxi to the base. Still, she put her big girl panties on and made the call. Thankfully, the taxi driver was a nice guy who offered her a spritz of hand sanitizer as she entered the vehicle and then minded his own business for the entire ride. The front gate pointed them in the right direction, and her taxi dropped her off a moment later.
As she stepped out of the taxi, she slipped the visitor's pass over her head so that it hung front and center of her chest, not really wanting to test how quickly she'd have a gun leveled on her if she didn't look legit. Only a few feet away was a man leaning against a humvee, which shouted escort to her. She had her notepad tucked into her camera case, and a recorder on her left hip. Mentally running through her list of necessary items, Ezra made her way over to the man, stopping a few feet away. "Hopefully you're the right person to talk to. I'm Ezra Littlejohn, journalist for the Lethford Daily." Ezra greeted, her tone professional and her smile a polite curve that she had perfected over the course of her career. "I'd offer to shake your hand, but it's not exactly advisable right now."
She'd been interviewing people for a couple years now, and every time it still felt forced and uncomfortable for her. Probably because she was the least social creature on the planet, who had somehow chosen one of the most social jobs you could choose. Even she didn't really get why she loved journalism so much - but she could have always done without the interview portion of the job. Luckily, this guy had pretty eyes and nice shoulders, so at least he wasn't hard to look at. Ezra patted her camera case, raising a brow at him. "They didn't tell me at the entrance if this was allowed or not; I don't necessarily need to take photos, but it would be nice to get some shots of the less classified areas. Lets people see how you're all handling the situation. Other than that, I'm ready to start whenever you are." She offered up the "I'm a pleasant person" smile once again, her face feeling false as it moved in ways it never did naturally.
Ryder looked up as the yellow taxi pulled into the base. He put on a nice polite smile, reminding himself that this thankfully wouldn't last all day. Reminding himself that the quicker he got on with this whole thing, the quicker he could get on with his real job. A blonde girl got out the taxi, a bright lanyard tagging her as a visitor hanging around her neck. He nodded at her question, "Yes ma'am. That'll be me. My name is Ryder Hall, Special Forces Warrant Officer.I'll be your guide for your visit today."
He watched as she moved towards him, mentioning that she'd normally shake his hand. Ryder gave a soft laugh, "No worries ma'am. You'll find we're not too strict about formalities here." He waited a moment, glancing over to the taxi to see if anyone else was pouring out of it. He hadn't had any experience with a journalist or anyone or thing related to the media before. He wasn't sure how many people should be expected for something like this. He half thought a camera guy would be in tow, but as she adjusted the items she had on and around her, he noticed the camera case.
She asked about taking photos and he waved it off, "Nah, feel free to take as many photos as you'd like. We're not visiting the UFO research lab today." he gave a half-smirk hoping she wouldn't be too irritated by the comment. He knew this morning was going to suck, but it'd suck even harder if he was stuck with someone who had a crappy sense of humor.
He gestured to the front entryway she had just come from. "Welcome to Zone 9 Base. This is an underground military base that houses training facilities, operation command centers, an armory, a mess hall, barracks and an infirmary. Our capacity can house upwards of 300,000 bodies at any time but typical running numbers usually aren't near that. Our normal operating numbers range in the area of 150,000. That number consists of enlisted personnel, civilian employees, civilian family members and contracted workers." He had the facts memorized already, of course, no need to carry around the facts and figures sheet that they had given to Carson to keep on his person.
Ryder had turned that back in after glancing at it for all of five minutes. Maybe a regular enlisted guy might have needed it, but any officer worth his weight would know it already. "We're going to start with the training facilities if that works with you miss Littlejohn?" He walked in the direction of the nearest door, sliding his badge into the scanner. The light turned green and he opened the door, holding it out to her. "If you have any questions feel free to ask, I'll try the best I can to answer them."
He walked through the door and down the steps, going down the hallway that led them further underground. "This complex was built 2,000 feet underground and is protected from natural and unnatural movement such as earthquakes and missile attacks thanks to the springs that the base is built upon. There are roughly 1,000 springs built into the base grounds to help shield the base as well as prevent any operational impact movement. We are also the only military base able to withstand an EMP hit in the continental United States." He continued walking along, another grin coming upon his lips as he glanced over, "You still awake over there?"
EVEN WHEN NOBODY ELSE BELIEVES I'M NOT GOING DOWN THAT EASILY
Ezra found herself quietly pleased that he seemed receptive to humor - it was always mind numbingly boring when the people she had to interact with were as stiff as stone. She found that she felt more comfortable when interacting with people who also exchanged pleasantries laced with jokes. She was also quite happy that she wasn't going to be getting any push back about the camera. Ezra wasn't quite sure how long the article would end up, though most readers wouldn't want to read page after page about the base. So she didn't intend to take pictures every five seconds, because in all likelihood they would only need a handful of photos for the public paper. "Damn, I was really hoping to expose the truth about the aliens you have locked up here today." She replied, feeling her face relax into a more natural expression. She didn't feel like she needed to fake pleasantries with this soldier, since he seemed to be more relaxed than she'd expected. As he began the tour, she reached to her recorder and flipped it on. She'd use the recording to fill out her article with quotes and specific information regarding the base.
Ezra listened to him give her some basic information regarding the base. Her interest perked when he mentioned the civilians that were also housed here. "Do you have any family members living here currently?" Because Ezra had grown up a military brat, she knew what it was like to move from base to base. Her mother always found new men in each new location. The base-hopping hadn't lasted for long, of course, since her father had died when she was young. She tried to imagine living in an underground base like this one, but felt like the walls would close in on her.
She followed after him as he led the way to a door, involuntarily flinching at the formal usage of her name. She disliked being called by her surname, though it had to happen sometimes with her job. "You can call me Ezra - and duly noted." She replied, following him down the steps. She listened intently as he described the base in more details. She glanced up at his face just in time to catch the grin forming across his lips, and she couldn't help but offer her own smirk in response to his joke. "Believe it or not, I find this information very interesting. You mentioned earlier that the capacity of this facility is essentially double the amount that it currently houses. Is that because this facility is intended to be used as an emergency shelter in the case of attack?" She questioned, making sure to keep an even pace with him so that his answers would come across clearly on her recorder. Walking down the hallway beside him, she wondered what it did to the mind to live underground like this. She tried imagining the world above being blown away, being forced to live out the rest of her life like an ant, so tiny and insignificant that the end of the world just passed her by. "Does it feel strange, spending most of your time underground?" Ezra found she was too curious not to inquire about this.
Ezra had never been a fan of tight spaces. Claustrophobia - it was the one thing that got to her. Being trapped, crushed, unable to breathe. Though she wasn't so bothered by the hall they were walking down, she didn't let herself consider the idea of being so far underground. Pushing uncomfortable thoughts to the back of her mind was her specialty, and though she may have been slightly uncomfortable in the hall deep in the ground, it didn't show on her face.
Ryder felt a smile tug at his lips when she followed through with his humor, making a small joke of her own. He felt his shoulders relax slightly. Perhaps the day wouldn't be so damn long if they could keep this up. It didn't hurt any that she was also cute as hell. He began walking with her and glanced over as she turned on a small recorder. He made a mental note to speak clearly, he figured the last thing she'd want to deal with was deciphering his Wyoming accent when she went through her notes later that day. Not that his accent was very southern or anything super irritating. He had never had anyone comment on it, but he also knew when he got involved in something or when something demanded his attention he had a tendency to speak quickly.
She asked if he had any family here and he shook his head. "No ma'am, it's just me here." He took a few more steps before looking over at her, "Most civilians who live on the base are married to soldiers or, of course, children of soldiers. To the north of our training field, there's a housing complex. A neighborhood of sorts for civilians to be close but not inside the actual base." He didn't know too many civilians who were living on the base. His job kept him much too busy to go off hanging out with people who he wasn't ordered to be around. He only knew of one female in his unit who was married who had a husband living on the base. Most of the people he was around on the daily didn't have personal lives, at least any that were serious enough to ask someone to move on base for.
They began walking together and he noticed the little flinch she gave a second before she asked him to call her Ezra. He understood that. He thought they were about the same age and if he hadn't been in the military he would have been annoyed at someone calling him Hall instead of his name too. He had been in the military so long though that it was odd to hear anyone actually call him by his name. Two completely different worlds. "What about you Ezra? Are you from here?" He wasn't familiar with any of the local news channels, he had no idea if she was from out of town like him or not. Seemed like a normal enough question to ask.
He walked forwards with her, down the hallway. It wasn't too much of a walk, not to get where they needed to go first at least. She didn't seem like the type that would balk at the idea of walking around a lot so he didn't bother to ask. The whole trip would take them around 6 miles there and back. If she wanted to see more of the outdoor areas he would suggest taking one of the smaller side-by-sides of course, but inside he didn't think it was too warranted. She asked about the capacity and he nodded, "Well, I'm glad I haven't killed you with boredom yet. And yes ma'am, that's to handle an influx of people whether during emergency situations or training and testing."
Ryder tilted his head to the side in thought as she asked if it was strange to live underground. He had been in strange places for all of his career, it was just another base to him. It didn't really affect him anymore. "Honestly, it doesn't bother me much. We all tend to stay very busy around here, and we're here to do a job. Our primary concerns are about the civilians of the city, doesn't matter where we have to be, whether it's a few thousand feet underground or in the middle of a sandy desert. That's the job." He looked over at her again, "Plus, we do a lot of training outdoors and patrols around the perimeter outside. We're not always down here in the hole. I'm not that pale am I?" he moved his arm in front of him, like he was inspecting it. He had worked outside for most of his life, he usually had a perpetual tan. "What about you? Is being underground the worst place your job has sent you?"
EVEN WHEN NOBODY ELSE BELIEVES I'M NOT GOING DOWN THAT EASILY
Ezra's questions about the civilians on the base were answered as Ryder explained that most of them lived off-base: close, but not actually in the same space. That made much more sense - when she'd lived on the base, she and her parents had lived in a small house in a cul-de-sac built like it's own neighborhood, but which was still actually on military-owned property. Her father still had to drive to work, but it was a very short drive. And then of course there were times where he was just gone, off to work either on base or elsewhere. She felt her chest begin to tighten as her thoughts drifted, so she forced herself to focus on the man next to her, and his words as he spoke. "So I'm guessing you're not a local?" She asked, and then immediately felt like karma had tossed her words right back in her face as he followed up with asking if she was from here.
She dropped his gaze and focused on her camera case, fidgeting with it as if it needed adjusting. "No, unfortunately. If I were a Lethford native, maybe I'd be a bit more popular - but alas, I'm just a hick who came to the big city to make it big." Ezra responded, keeping her tone light and breezy, something she'd practiced hard to maintain when people asked probing questions - it wasn't this guy's fault that simple, normal questions made her freeze up. Ezra had honed her conversational skills so that she could easily direct the flow of chatter in the correct direction - which was the exact opposite of her backstory. She was relieved as they carried onward, and he went back to answering her questions - much better. "Duly noted - curious question, what's the procedure for if the base gets overwhelmed with the amount of bodies it's holding?" She asked, tilting her head at him as she spoke. Ezra didn't expect him to outright say 'oh, we start choosing sacrifices' or something insane, but she liked asking questions that weren't easy to answer, as if it were some kind of test for her interviewees. And maybe she also liked to see how easily people got irritated with her line of questioning - some people really didn't like having to use their brains.
Though it certainly seemed like Ryder was smarter than people give the usual military personnel credit for. She let out a chuckle as he asked if she thought he was too pale - shaking her head. "Personally, I couldn't spend the night down here. But it's nice to hear that our military isn't suffering for our sake." She replied. "And that the focus is on the citizens' health. A lot of people lately are saying that the government is overstepping it's boundaries, stealing peoples' rights. I'm guessing you don't agree - you believe the military is here to help, not harm?" Ezra couldn't help but poke at the recent drama - tensions between the average joe and the shady politicians were rising, and she could smell chaos on the wind. It was a matter of who broke first, really.
His next question made her pause; really considering if this was the worst place she'd been for her job. And then she remembered - of course not. "It's better than the sewers." She replied, raising her brows at him but keeping her lips pressed tight, smirking. Last year, people had been spreading a story of a group of people living down in the sewers. Ezra hadn't bought it - but her editor in chief still told her to check into it. So, Ezra had gotten down in the sewer tunnels and searched them for a whole night. She didn't find any people, but she did take at least twenty showers to get the smell off.
Ryder shook his head at her question before replying, "Nope. I grew up in a little cattle town in Wyoming. Far cry from city life." He had moved all around the globe since leaving that little town. He hadn't looked back, that was for sure. There were parts of the world that occasionally reminded him of that quiet small town. A few places overseas that brought him back to ranching, though it was usually sheep instead of cattle. Still, he hadn't missed it. He had never felt a desire to go back and that suited him just fine.
He listened along as she spoke about where she was from, grinning when she called herself a hick. "Well, from one hick to another, screw what they think." He didn't know exactly what she was talking about. He had zero information about local politics, especially when that subject was narrowed down even smaller into journalist local politics, but he did know what it felt like to be un-liked. When he first joined, his accent had been thick and he had caught more hell about being an uneducated hick than he had thought possible. The first few years were a learning curve of throwing punches and figuring out when to keep his mouth shut. The first year had gone by though, and the men who he served with were closer to him than anyone in his family had been. It was a rough road, but it worked out.
The pair walked along and Ryder kept the pace natural and relaxed. He had thought their little field trip would be quick through the hallways, but he didn't mind slowing down so they could take their time, there were worst things he could be doing right now. She was at least friendly, and quick, which was even more apparent when she asked a question about the base getting over-ran.
He laughed lightly, and for a brief minute toyed with the idea of making a joke, knowing his superiors wouldn't be appreciative. "Well, it's highly unlikely that will happen. Some guys with much higher IQs than me designed this place to withstand lots of emergencies and lots of people. However, should anything happen that would require the base to reach its capacity...there's a naval aircraft carrier within four hours away that can hold an additional 6,000. Another eight hours away with a capacity for 10,000."
The name of the ships came immediately to his mind, he could probably recall their captains as well, but that wasn't knowledge they wanted to share. The ships were performing other operations and they needed those operations to continue. If the wrong person got knowledge of that information, they could put the city and everyone who lived inside of it in serious danger.
He glanced over at her when she gave a soft laugh, commenting about the base. He couldn't blame her, it wasn't exactly a four-star hotel down here. When she continued on, speaking about the military's overreach he listened carefully. This was the kind of thing he knew he needed to keep his wits about him. He hoped she wouldn't try to spin the article and use what he said against the base, but more than simply hoping, there wasn't much he could do other than to answer her questions as clearly and truthfully as he could.
He turned to her, pausing so he could meet her eyes, "We were ordered here to protect and serve the citizens of this country. The men and women in this base have all made oaths to each and every person out there, to defend and protect. More than half of us have served in conflicts where we were willing to lay our lives down for every man, woman, and child out there. We didn't come here to harm anyone. We didn't come here with any hidden agendas or plans. We're here to serve and protect. It's as simple as that."
Were there instances of overreach? He honestly didn't think so. He was called to do a job and he did it well. If there wasn't a need for them, they wouldn't be here. End of story.
He watched her for a moment as he asked his question before walking along, swiping his card to open the door that would take them to the training facility. When she brought up the sewers Ryder laughed, "Ouch. Well now you've got me curious." He motioned towards the set of doors that lay in front of them that led to the training area. "Here is the indoor training area. You might have seen the outdoor fields while you were coming in. They're used for ruck runs among other various physical training. Indoors you'll see our shooting range, combat training room, gym, and pool." He waited for her to walk inside before stepping in himself.
Ezra had met plenty of people in her line of work - so it wasn't a surprise that Ryder was originally from the country. She was pretty certain most guys in the country she knew were doing pretty much the same - that or they inherited farm land from their parents. But the sense of camaraderie was nice, and she offered him a conspiratorial smile. "I never said I cared if they liked me or not. That's the fun part about being an investigative journalist. It's practically my job to piss people off." Her tone was more relaxed because that was the vibe that Ryder was throwing off - easy going and lax on professionalism. So she didn't feel too bad about the curse.
"Well, it's highly unlikely that will happen. Some guys with much higher IQs than me designed this place to withstand lots of emergencies and lots of people. However, should anything happen that would require the base to reach its capacity...there's a naval aircraft carrier within four hours away that can hold an additional 6,000. Another eight hours away with a capacity for 10,000."
She was impressed. A lot of people started to sweat when she started asking questions they weren't expecting. But Ryder seemed to know quite a bit about his job and his place of work, which was an admirable trait for journalists when it came to their interviewees. It was never fun trying to write a story when the person you're asking questions doesn't know the answers. She nodded along as he fed her the information, letting it all sink in so she could consider other questions to continue on from there. "Is the military anticipating a need to make use of all of these precautions? Or are they just that - precautions?" She queried, her best attempt at tripping him up. Normally she tried much harder to get people flustered, as that was usually when the truth came out. But she liked this guy's attitude, and she didn't want to get kicked out for pissing him off.
Which was exactly what she was certain she'd done when he stopped and turned to meet her gaze. Ezra could see the sincerity in his expression as he explained the military's stance on all of this. She could see that he truly believed they were there to help. Though she herself questioned some of their motives, she had to admit that they were doing the best they could in uncertain times. "Well, there's the star quote for the entire piece. You sure you don't want to go after being a professional speech writer? That was good." She said, partly teasing and partly serious. "I'm probably the most cynical person I know, and even I feel a little moved."
She chuckled as he led them through to the training area, giving her details about the new surroundings they stepped into. "There was supposed to be a story down there, but it turned out to be rumors. I still have nightmares about the smell. And my cameraman tried to file worker's compensation." She said, shaking her head. Her head turned at the mention of a gun range, and she raised her brows. "How much do I have to bribe you with to let me possibly get a photo of you doing some practice on the range?" She asked, though there was a small voice in the back of her mind telling her that what she'd really like to do is shoot something herself. Ezra doubted a military base would allow a visitor to hold a gun, however, so she settled for the hopes of getting a few shots of the military during their time away from public eye.
Ryder let out a small laugh when she mentioned that journalism was about pissing people off. "Well hell, maybe I should look into a career change." He was kidding of course. He doubted he'd have the patience or charisma to do her job. He doubted he'd have the patience to do any job that wasn't the one he was currently doing. The military suited him, and he hadn't felt regret since joining. Sure, just like any job, there were aspects of it that he wished he could change. On the whole, however, he was happy with his choices.
Her question didn't faze him, and he found himself easily replying, "Just a precaution. I don't think too many taxpayers would be pleased if we didn't plan and prepare for any and all situations." They weren't psychics, they couldn't read and see into the future. They could, however, analyze data, consult professional, and prepare. That was what they did, and they did it well. Did he personally think the precautions would be used in any real-life scenario? Sure. This virus wasn't known and every day brought new challenges with it. He could see a number of scenarios coming to life that they'd have to handle, but thankfully he wasn't paid for his opinion. He was paid to do his job and it certainly didn't involve giving his two-cents worth to a reporter.
After he spoke about the military presence he was a little surprised to see her looking earnestly over at him. When she mentioned his little speech was good he felt the uncomfortable feeling of heat warming his cheeks. "That is very kind of you." He cleared his throat and stupidly found himself glancing at his feet like an idiot. Ryder wasn't the brainy sort and he was very comfortable in that knowledge. He could do a lot of things well, but book work wasn't one of them. To hear her go on about his little speech was uncomfortable to the max for the boy.
He was thankful when the conversation moved to her sewers story and he glanced over curiously as she spoke about it. "I don't blame him. The closest I can come to that is when I had to do a week in laundry duty. It wasn't as bad as a sewer but washing the undergarments of 125 soldiers after a twelve-mile ruk isn't roses, I promise you." He had a relaxed grin on his face as they walked through the door.
She asked about getting a picture of him at the shooting range and he laughed, "No bribery necessary. You need to sign a release form first though." He walked over to where a female officer sat at a desk and asked for the form. She handed it over and he offered it to Ezra. "Standard stuff. Ensuring if something goes crazy that you don't sue us into next week." he grinned before signing his name onto the bay entry form, holding the clipboard to her. "One more signature to get access to the bay." While he waited for her he signed out ammunition, grabbed two sets of earmuffs and pulled out his service pistol. He then moved to Bay 3, holding the small door open for her.
The shooting area was separated into bays, keeping the noise volume low. Each bay was private, with enough room for 3-4 people to fit inside. Each had a target a few yards from the shooting area. Ryder stepped inside and looked over at her as he began loading rounds into the gun. "Anything in particular you're looking for?"
EVEN WHEN NOBODY ELSE BELIEVES I'M NOT GOING DOWN THAT EASILY
Ezra let out a soft chuckle in response to his words, shrugging her shoulders. "Trust me, you want my job as little as I want yours." She assured him. Ezra couldn't imagine how much of a struggle working in the military must be - to always feel underappreciated for literally putting your own life on the line. It definitely wasn't something that Ezra could ever see herself doing.
"Just a precaution. I don't think too many taxpayers would be pleased if we didn't plan and prepare for any and all situations."
Nodding along as he answered, Ezra's mouth curved into a lopsided smile. "That's a fair point. Even still, I'm sure they'll find something to complain about." She teased, shrugging her shoulders. Civilians were a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" situation really - she'd seen it first hand, how quickly citizens turn against their government, their police, their military. The tension in Lethford alone was enough to put anyone on edge.
She caught the uncomfortable sensation that her praise had caused, and Ezra waved a hand in the air like it might clear it away. "Just the truth. If you sucked, I would have told you that, too." She replied nonchalantly, smirking as she took her gaze off of him to fiddle with her recorder, so maybe he'd be a little less uncomfortable. Ezra felt a sense of relief wash over her as he quickly took the conversation up again at the mention of her sewer story, and she wrinkled her nose at the story he told her in response. "No thanks. Did you get hazard pay for that?" She joked.
As they stepped through the door, and he actually agreed to the photo, Ezra let a broad, pleased smile spread across her face. She gladly signed the paperwork, not even bothering to more than skim the pages as she did so. If she got shot on the job, that would just make the story all the more interesting - and she trusted that Ryder knew what he was doing with a gun. "I'm not much for litigation, to be honest." Ezra returned, smiling as she followed him to the bay, stepping in through the door first. She stood off to the other side of the small room, watching him load the gun.
"Anything in particular you're looking for?"
Ezra looked him over, and then down to the target, before she started opening her camera case. "Let me get one of your profile, aiming, and then I'll get one from over your shoulder as you actually shoot." She said thoughtfully, removing the cover from her lens and fiddling with the camera's settings. She held the camera up, looking at him through it. Once he was in position, she quickly snapped a few pictures of him in profile view. Ezra wasn't the most gifted photographer, but she preferred working alone - so she taught herself, that way she could always get shots. If she knew she was going to need really good pictures, she'd suck it up and bring a photographer.
Lowering the camera, Ezra raised a brow at him. "You look like a natural, honestly. Are you a big fan of guns?" She asked, her tone curious and conversational - which was a rare occurrence for Ezra, but when she had things to focus on, she found it easier to socialize. It was interviews like this - the ones with real chemistry - that she truly enjoyed. She stepped around behind him, once again adjusting the settings of the camera to her preferred specs before focusing on him again.
"With this shot, I'm going to tell you when to fire. That way I can hopefully get some nice shots of the actual shooting part. But I will admit, my photography skills are subpar. So we'll see." She informed him, raising the camera once again. She gave him time to aim and prepare, before she readied the shot.
Ryder gave a small chuckle when Ezra commented about their jobs. He had to agree with her when it came down to it. It wasn't always easy and it wasn't always fun, but damn if he wasn't made for it. He didn't comment on the civilians always finding something to complain about. He, whole-heartedly, agreed with her of course, but he strongly doubted his superiors would want him even jokingly agreeing with the public being frustrating to the reporter. No, they had an appearance to maintain and bashing the public wasn't in any way helpful to that.
Ryder was thankful when the woman waved away the issue and began talking about something else. Praise wasn't something he took easily. Especially not when it came to anything educational. He'd high five superiors all day long if they were impressed with the way he got supplies or a tactical position nailed down. If it was about something he talked about or did the math on? No thanks. He wasn't comfortable with that in the least. He supposed if he had to dive into that, he'd guess it was because his GED was still a sore spot, but thankfully the job didn't require him to do many speeches or perform many academic tests. He could stay as quiet as he pleased about things like that which suited him just fine.
Ryder shook his head, "Nah. But I never forgot to re-check my carabiner during a high ropes course ever again. I promise you that."
He walked with her inside and waited patiently as all of the paperwork was handed over and filed. The woman at the desk gave him the nod and he walked with Ezra into the room. He glanced over as he asked her what she needed and he listened carefully. Ryder nodded before picking up the weapon and aiming it, his eyes focusing on the target before him. "Let me know when you're ready to move on."
He waited for her signal before moving slightly so she could get behind him to get the second picture. He aimed the weapon, "Discharge in three, two, one." He paused just a small second before he squeezed the trigger, the bullet landing in the upper left chest space. It would be a deadly shot if acted upon a human. He had thought about doing a head-shot but thought maybe that was a little too combative for a newspaper or journal article. Ryder lowered the gun, immediately putting the weapon on safety before putting it on the small counter and turning to face her.
"Yeah, I grew up shooting. Not a fan of hunting, but I like the sport of shooting. In Wyoming I had to be a good shot to protect our herd sometimes." She asked him to do one more with more of her instruction and he nodded, "Yes ma'am." He picked the gun back up, sliding the safety off and aimed, waiting for the sound of her voice. When she gave the command he squeezed the trigger. "Did that work or do you need another?" He glanced back at her for a second before moving his attention back to the gun. He slid the safety back on and turned to her, holding it out. "Now it's your turn. Have you ever used one before?"
If he had to guess, he'd say she had. She didn't look like the kind of girl who shied from guns and clearly they didn't scare her. Though he wasn't sure how well she'd be, he would have guessed that if she had to, she could get the job done. She seemed straight-forward and brave. She seemed like the type who might carry one of her own if he was being honest. "Once we're done here we can head to the equipment and vehicle area, lots of neat stuff there that might look good in your article."
EVEN WHEN NOBODY ELSE BELIEVES I'M NOT GOING DOWN THAT EASILY
Ezra shook her head in amusement when he mentioned the carabiner. She raised her brows, shrugging her shoulders. "I guess that's one way to learn a lesson." She replied, just before she was given the forms to fill out and he led her into the shooting range area.
Ezra did well around gunfire, for the most part. Though her reaction didn't matter so far as public view, it made investigative journalism easier if one didn't jump at every sudden sound. So she was fairly desensitized to the gunfire, and was able to actually focus in order to get a decent shot. She let out a low, impressed whistle after his first shot, raising the camera to quickly snap a second picture of the target with the neat hole punched through it.
"Yeah, I grew up shooting. Not a fan of hunting, but I like the sport of shooting. In Wyoming I had to be a good shot to protect our herd sometimes."
Ezra felt a slow, bemused smile curve her lips. "If that isn't the most country thing I've ever heard, I don't know what is." She teased, her tone light and friendly. "Think you might even be a little bit more hick than me. Did you also learn to ride horses and bale your own hay?" Ezra asked, still poking fun but also curious to know. With how good looking he was, Ezra was certain there were some sad cowgirls still in Wyoming, missing the sight of him on hay baling day. Then he was readying his second shot, and she was back to strictly professional focus, snapping the picture. "I think I got what I needed." She told him, before giving him a questioning expression when he turned and offered her the gun.
Hesitating, she tilted her head, pressing her lips together. "You sure that's a good idea? Might accidentally shoot you in the foot." She joked, packing away her camera quickly so she had free hands. She took the gun from him with a confidence that showed that she was only joking about not knowing how to handle it. Since her father had also been military, she'd always been taught about gun safety. Even after his death, her mother kept a gun in their apartment. The very same gun that Ezra learned to shoot with - though her mom hadn't known about that part.
Smiling as he mentioned the next area they should go to, she was reminded yet again why she enjoyed interviewing people like Ryder. Intelligent, and helpful to boot. "I think you might be right. Everyone likes to see the shiny military toys." She quipped, stepping up in front of the target. She held the gun in a relaxed hold, pointed towards the ground and in front of her, because that was the safest thing to do. Briefly, she regretted that she wasn't the type of girl to feign ignorance in order to get a man's attention. Any other girl her age would probably be dying to have a one on one lesson with someone like the man beside her, but Ezra was simply too excited to show off her skill to bother with flirting. "Now, I did teach myself to shoot, so when my shot isn't as good as yours, just keep that in mind." She advised him, flipping the safety and raising the gun up in front of her.
Inhaling, she aimed, and then as she exhaled she pulled the trigger. It had been a few years since she last shot a gun, so as it fired she felt a sudden thrill run through her. There was just something exciting about holding a gun and feeling it jerk in your hands. There was a power to it, and Ezra could see why someone felt braver when they had one. Or why it could make them bold enough to do horrible things. Soon as she was finished firing, she relaxed her arms slightly and turned the safety back on, only then switching her focus to the target. The bullet had hit in the lower half of the torso, a gut shot. Sucking her teeth, she glanced over at Ryder. "Probably not the nicest place to shoot somebody, huh?"
A smile tugged at Ryder's lips as she commented on him being country. That wasn't something he particularly liked to identify with now. If given the preference he'd much prefer people saw him as the soldier and not the country bumpkin. Not that he was ashamed or embarrassed of it. No, it just wasn't something he particularly liked people knowing about him. A grin tugged at his lips and he nodded, "Of course. Don't tell me you never learned to ride a horse. What was all that hick talk earlier about hmm?"
Ryder nodded when she commented about getting the shot. He had then turned, holding the gun to her. She gave him a questioning look and he chuckled, "I'm sure you'll do fine." He then shrugged before continuing, "And if you do shoot me, I get hazard pay and you get a great article. It's a win-win either way." He was kidding of course, there was almost no way she could actually mess up badly enough to hurt anyone. The way the training room was set up was specifically designed to prevent any of that. He was about to give her a little more encouragement when she took the weapon from him confidently. Her stance was cautious but confident and his lips pressed together in surprised awe.
She agreed with his suggestion about the military toys and he pulled out his walkie, slipping the volume up and speaking into it. "Adams this is Hall. Is the Osprey in the hanger?" A voice came back over the line almost immediately, "Affirmative Hall. Osprey is in hanger." Ryder pressed the button again, "I'll be there in fifteen with press." The other voice gave an affirmative before the line went dark again.
Ryder slipped the walkie back into one of his pockets and turned his attention back to Ezra. "You're in for a treat." He was happy the Osprey was there. It was a gamble on if it would be or not, they tended to use it randomly when the other choppers were too small or when the landing wasn't secure. She had gotten lucky and he was kinda happy he'd get to show it off. While it wasn't his favorite chopper they had at the base, it was an impressive one.
Ezra mentioned she had taught herself how to shoot and he watched silently as she switched the weapon's safety off and aimed. The target was pierced in the lower quadrant of its torso and Ryder whistled, "Impressive. It'd get the job done." He nodded in appreciation once more before taking the gun, ejecting the remaining bullets, and opening the door for her. Ryder walked to the woman at the desk and handed over the equipment before signing both of them out of the range.
He walked out after thanking the officer and motioned down the hallway. "The vehicle and equipment room is where we store most of our assets. There's a weapons building that's connected to the main room as well. We currently have a wide range of assets including Humvees, ATVs, LTATVs, cougar 4X4s, MATVs, HEMTTs and helicopters." He continued walking along making sure he never said any specifics or numbers. That wasn't something anyone without clearance needed to know.
The pair came to another secured door and Ryder swiped his key, holding it open for her. "And this....is the V-22 Osprey."
EVEN WHEN NOBODY ELSE BELIEVES I'M NOT GOING DOWN THAT EASILY
He called her out on her jokes, and she laughed in response to his teasing question. "I think I might be the trailer park type of hick, not the cowboys and sweet tea kind of hick." She replied, shrugging her shoulders in a 'what can you do?' gesture. "I drive a motorcycle, is that close enough?"
As he'd handed her the gun, she shook her head, a bemused smirk on her face as he commented about getting workman's comp. "That's the best way to think about it. Very positive outlook you've got on injuries in the workplace." Ezra said, feeling the weight of the gun in her hand and getting used to it as she listened to him make a call. He mentioned Osprey, but she wasn't all that sure what that was. Obviously some type of vehicle. Hearing him refer to her as the press, she couldn't help but think about what her boss would say when she told her that she'd shot a gun during her interview.
"You're in for a treat."
Raising a brow at him, she felt her lips twitch in amusement. "Oh really? For little ol' me? And here I thought that the military disliked the press." She replied, before focusing on taking her shot. Ezra was pretty sure he was being kind when he reacted to the results, but she still dipped her head as if she were bowing. "That's me, slow and painful." She joked, though it might be a bit morbid to be joking about the hypothetical death of a person. Oh well, she'd never been that great at policing her humor. Regardless, she handled his compliment about as well as he'd handled hers, busying herself with her camera case and doing her best not to blush with pleasure. Relieved when he left the room, Ezra quickly followed after him, making sure she was close enough for her recorder to pick up his words, but not so close that she ran him over.
"I think somewhere in the middle of that sentence you just started putting random letters together to see if I would catch on." Ezra teased, her steps matching his as he led her down the hall. "Did you rehearse all of this last night or something? Off the record, did they give you a fun little info packet or something?" She asked, her tone remaining playful. She didn't expect him to honestly answer her, and she stepped through the door he held without hesitation.
"And this....is the V-22 Osprey."
Ezra felt her eyes widen as she took in the sight of the magnificent helicopter before her, a broad, lopsided grin cracking her expression. Sometimes, the news station used helicopters to do their work, but Ezra had never gotten to ride in one, as her line of work was more heavy on the investigation and less on the reporting. She did a lot of footwork. And even still, this was a completely different beast. A military grade beast. Taking her camera out of it's case, she raised it to her face and snapped a few quick shots of the bird. "I've only ever seen these in movies and on the internet." She commented, realizing that her childlike glee at the sight of it would maybe not translate to the readers of the newspaper. Still, it was exciting for her. "Definitely much better than the sewers." She added, another joke.
"Have you ever flown it?" She asked, her tone curious as she returned her camera to it's case and refocused her attention on Ryder. She couldn't imagine what it must feel like, to be in control of such a piece of machinery. Ezra imagined it was, on a larger scale, a lot like how it felt to ride a motorcycle for the first time. Frightening, but exhilarating.
