Session 27 – VA bound and down, loaded up and truckin’…..

GM: Paul
Players: Ian-Brad, Alex-John, Dusty-Matt, Jon-Simon, Bill-Chet, Paul-Meaghan(NPC)
Game Date: December 27, 2018 – January 3, 2019

The party returns to camp bearing the remains of 4 blink racoons.  Alex immediately sets to work analyzing them, specifically looking for differences in their DNA.  Meanwhile Ian starts getting organized for the visit to the VA center.  He collects some climbing supplies so we can scale the elevator shafts if necessary, to avoid fighting in stairwells.  We know the blues are attracted to noise, so we should try to have suppressors if possible.  He suggests bringing melee weapons and pry bars, both for close combat and to get into locked rooms.  Ian succeeds in building a door pry-opener.  He also is looking for anyone who is familiar with the layout of the facility.  Barry Marshall says he was just in Stallis,  He thinks there still are some people on the grounds, up on the hill but not in the hospital itself.  We also look for snowshoes, but no luck.  Something to look for in the future.

We also radio Lucy and arrange to meet her at the Milwaukee Museum/Library on Jan. 2 so we can travel to the VA together.  We start north on 94 with 2 snowmobiles with sleds behind each one.  We make it to the library without incident, and meet Lucy there with her friend Roxy.  We look around the library and museum to see if we can find snowshoes there.  There is a French Indian war exhibit where we find two pairs of snowshoes.  We spend the night.  Lucy and Alex review what information they are looking for, including reports from early cases, and reports from the analysis of samples from people who died of the initial exposures.

By January 2nd everything is in order and we start for the grounds with the snowmobiles and sleds.  We park them near the old soldiers area, and we pick up the faint smell of smoke.  We gather our gear and head of toward the VA.  Ian goes up and checks the door while we wait.  The doors have safety glass which is smashed but still in the frame.  The coast is clear, so we all sneak up and start clearing the snow from the doors.  Alex and Dusty are able to slide the doors open.  We start into the building.  The long hallway is in view, but it is only intermittently lit by the daylight coming in.  We move past the hallway to Elevator A and try prying the door open.  We succeed and see that the elevator car is there. Meaghan pops the hatch in the roof and starts climbing.  She gets to the 8th floor.  Dusty follows and together they set a belay.  Chet starts to follow but falls back after just a few floors.  He lands on a bolt.  Lucy is able to heal him.  He then climbs up, followed by Alex, Lucy, and Ian.

The hallway is dark.  We move to the double doors that open into the 8101 suite.  There are a number of offices in this suite, so we start looking for the research office.  We find it, and start looking for the files.  It takes some time, but we the right filing cabinet and collect all of the information.  We also collect some other basic lab supplies, including microscope, slides, etc.  We hit the wound clinic in the same suite and get first aid supplies, sutures, etc.  After loading up our backpacks, we head back to the elevator.  Everyone descends safely, and we are standing on the top of the elevator car.  We pry open the doors and go to the Ultrasound lab on floor 2.  We find two ultrasounds machines and add them to the backpack.

As we are gathering the supplies, Dusty sees movement in the hallway.  The whole party goes silent.  We see 5 blues heading down the hall.  We all crouch down and wait to see what they do.  They charge into the room.  Chet stabs one of the blues, while Meaghan takes out two other with her hand axes.  Dusty finishes the same blue that Chet attacked, then steps up and wounds another.  Ian guts another one with his knife.  Chet and Meaghan finish the last one.

Meanwhile Ian can’t even find a garbage bag to put the heads in.

We take the heads for further study, then head down to the pharmacy.  Meaghan picks the lock and breaks into the cage that is protecting the drugs. We collect a bunch of things, based on what we need.  Painkillers, antibiotics, etc.  Lucy directs us and we fill up what ever empty space we have in our packs with meds.

We hustle back to the sleds then head back to the library.  We divvy up the spoils between the library group, the Menomonee Falls group, and the hub group.  We spend the night at the library.  During that time we all go over the materials we have found.   People also look at the books to find out information about veterinary medicine, how to build snowshoes, etc.

The next morning Ian wants to makes a stop at the sheriff’s  office near the library before we head out.