2011-06-13: Zombies And Burgers

Players:

Kisha_icon.jpg Tabitha_icon.jpg

Summary: Kisha finds Tabitha in an alley after the rat has stolen someone's burger.

Date: June 13, 2011

Log Title: Zombies and Burgers

Rating: PG-13 (L, V)


NYC - South Sea Port

Located at the mouth of the East River is South Street Seaport. What was once a fishing port is now a mall. Outside, the docks are lined with people and street performers, from contortionists to singers, mimes, and living statues. Large boats are on display for tourists on the side of the docks. If you're lucky and are here at night, a live band might sometimes be performing.


One thing Kisha has spent a lot of time learning recently is how to make it really really awkward for people to snoop on you when you're about your business. Encrypting her emails, reading online guides on how to check for people tailing you if it's available then she's been teaching herself it. Which is why she's come to the out of the way (relatively speaking) South Street Seaport mall. Well that and she wanted to grab cheap food court pizza and then perhaps email herself some (entirely innocent) messages done using steganography. As if the Barnes IT department didn't have enough reasons to hate her already.

"Hey! What the— where'd my goddamn food go?" A man is shouting, and looking around himself, standing next to a parked car that presumabely belongs to him. A few people glance his way, but most just continue about their business without taking any notice of the commotion whatsoever. A third party, though, is busy concealing herself in a back alley to the side of the mall; one Tabitha Jones, the rat girl's identity being unmistakeable, with a McDonalds bag clutched tightly in hand.

Kisha fixes the shouting man with a look of withering scorn for daring to intrude upon her idle plotting as she cuts across the car park. Slung over one shoulder on a carry strap (re-enforced with steel wire to prevent people stealing it) is an odd looking touch screen computer, which she occasionally taps at even while it's dangling like a messenger bag. "You," she states suspiciously, snapping her finger and pointing at Tabitha right as she's begun sneaking off into alley. "I recognize you. You're staying in the same suite as me. I forget the name… begins with… a letter. Maybe a J?"

The rat girl's ears perk up, and she focuses on Kisha for a few seconds. "Leave me alone," she replies, furtively. "There's something wrong with you. you're sick. I can't risk getting infected, just stay back." She looks over her shoulder, and backs away, deeper into the alleyway. As she backs off, she pulls a big mac out of the bag, tears off the wrapper, and takes a quarter of it off in the first, hurriedly chewed bite.

Kisha makes a little logical deduction, then shrugs. "I'm sick? Well quite probably if you count heavy metal poisoning and extensive mental disfunctions," she admits. "Although I'm not the one stealing second rate fast food and hiding in alleys. Which I might add are /excellent/ ways to pick up infections and long term heart problems." Because anything except a diet of strong coffee and cold pizza must be bad for people. "Don't you have classes you should be in?"

A quick shakes of the head is Tabitha's response. "Class? What are you talking about? Barnes is destroyed, nothing left but a pile of rubble. Someone's hurt Rashmi and I don't know what's happened to her. I have to save the world… Timeslip said so! I have to, can't let myself get taken as well." She takes a step back, fixing Kisha with a beady eye and keeping her in her sights as she takes another bite from the purloined burger. "You're a zombie too. Why are you asking me questions like that? Shouldn't you be off trying to eat a brain or something?"

"Ah. Someone has brainwashed you and Heather is involved," Kisha shakes her head. "And here I was thinking life at fascist high would at least be quieter than my former school. If the world had been destroyed where has that burger come from? You think you'd get people selling junk food if someone had just taken out Barnes?" Idly her fingers begin tapping out a very unencrypted email. An email suggesting she may be in some degree of personal risk and someone has been after a fellow student. "Brains? How would I even reach someones brain. I'd need a step ladder and then to stand on my tiptoes."

Tabitha crams another mouthful of big mac down her chops, and backs away another step. "Shut up," she snarls, "You don't know my father, you don't know how he's done this, so how could you possibly understand? I'm not some pretty girl for you to play with! You're just like all the other ones!" Her jaw sets, and her free hand jabs a finger in Kisha's general direction. "You're sick. I have to save you. But only if you stay away from me. If you come any closer I'm going to turn you into zombie-jam."

Kisha rubs at her eyes with her free hand, then sighs wearily. "I'm keeping my distance. See? I haven't taken a single step closer to you," she says in the kind of voice therapists have repeatedly tried on her. "Your father? Of course I don't know him. I can't even remember /your name/. As for playing with you… I think I'll pass unless you happen to be a cyborg or robot? I rarely have reason to take any real interest in someone who is entirely organic."

Tabitha devours the last of the burger, and then digs into the bag once more to pull out the french fries. She gathers a third of them up in one handful and stuffs them in her mouth all at once, chewing them up almost obscenely. "No, I'm not going to join your cause," she spits, sending errant chunks of quasi-potato product flying through the air. "You and your masters are trying to *destroy the world*. I'm trying to save it! I have to — Timeslip said so! I just… have to wait for the signal, to be told what to do." She pauses, and her eyes narrow. "And I probably shouldn't be telling you this. But you're a zombie, so what does it matter?"

"If I destroyed the world where would I plug in my laptop?" Kisha mutters, hitting send after copying in the supposedly injured Rashmi and everyone else she remembers being listed in the shared suite. Ironically also including Tabitha on her mailing list as the technoempath can't remember who is who. "You know all this talk of me and my masters makes me wonder if you think this is an I-pad. I can assure you I don't own /anything/ made by Apple."

Just then, a large, glowing sphere pops into existence, right between Kisha and Tabitha. "Get… away," she growls, taking another step back; and then another, until her movement is arrested by a dumpster. She gasps loudly, and a second sphere pops into being, though they both just hover there for the time being. "You… wait a minute. You've done something with one of my roommates. First Rashmi, now Kisha, as well? You… You *Bitch*. You better not have hurt her!"

Kisha backs away. "Typical. You can remember my name while you're crazy but I have no clue who you are…" she says, tapping the keystroke combination which locks and encrypts her computer. "I'm getting away. See? Not doing anything bad here… How about I promise to ask the masters to let them go for you? Being a zombie I don't have much say in that kind of thing, but it's the thought that counts right?"

Tabitha snarls loudly, "You're the second zombie that's had powers belonging to a roommate of mine," she spits. She takes a step forwards, and her hands clench into fists; but then, a couple of people, mall security by the looks of them, step into the alleyway. They get not a word out; the two manifested spheres go flying right over Kisha's shoulders, and clock both of them hard in the chest, sending both of them sprawling and likely breaking some ribs. With that the rat girl is gone, vaulting over the dumpster and disappearing from view. Moments later the shriek of a motorcycle engine revving up to full power splits the air, along with the sound of screeching tires.

"Perhaps being followed by spooks all the time has it's benefits…" Kisha muses to herself, making to lose herself in the crowd using that most basic of evasion technique. Walk casually, yet quickly, away while everyone is pointing and screaming at the injured people… "Ah well. And I was looking forward to unhealthy pizza too. Perhaps I should see if Rashmi knows what that girls name actually is…" And pondering this greatest of mysteries she makes her discreet getaway.

~ Fin ~

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