[Occam's Razor] [Occam's Razor] Occam's Razor: The Colorado Incident

[Nidelia]

She listened as he spoke to the man and watched as he opened the doors. It actually made her slightly happy. Only because she didn't want to have a criminal running around amongst them. To be honest she was a little disappointed that he was giving him a chance to escape.


Nidelia had a thought as she looked at him. He was looking pekkid which meant he was dehydrated. She walked to the other side of the room and started looking around. She managed to find a stash of water bottles and grabbed three and carried them over to him.


Making sure the comms were off she looked at him.


"You need to stay hydrated Mr. Devontess, of you don't you'll not make it to even get to sleep at this rate," she says going back to her formal addressing of him.

 

[Morridan]

Jace's smirk had yet to fade. "You hurt me bad, babe. Cut me deep." his eyes were still trained on the speaker cover. However his eyes flashed away from it as the clank and creaks of the door started to work in the opposite direction. Slowly, it seemed. And with the first 'run' that came over the speaker, Jace gave a sickened frown at the speaker. The explanation he had given him about 'clearing' out the hallways went into Jace's mind but was washed away. 'Of course he could have with the ones that would play along in those ways. A beast that had a fresh source of food would not wander off from its stomping grounds so easily. Especially if it were one that was older, wiser, and smarter.' And with a hesitant push of the button, Jace uttered the most simple word to understand. "No." He's stand there completely still for at least thirty more seconds, not really caring what the man had to say in response. As a matter of fact, Jace had already assumed he would die in the place. "If you want, lock them all in with me. Just promise me one thing." He'd pause and let out a shaky breath. "If any kids wake up, make sure that they make it to safety, yeah? Now open those doors wide you hesitant prick. Speed this up you SON OF A BITCH!! Bring'em to me!" He let go of the button but had pressed it so hard, it tilted and stuck in place. So they would hear the next part as unfortunate as it was. "Come and get me you worthless sacks of shit. Your meat's right here! DO IIIIITT!!" His eyes closed as he flung his arms out to each side, listening and waiting for the scratching on the thick metal doors to end and the clattering of claws on the floor to start. His thoughts full of the fate that befell the young girl in ponytails that only had her spine left connected. And the image of the rest of that family in a mangled pile. A single tear forming at the corner of his right eye. 'I'll be part of the trap then. Hope all of you monsters starve to death. What a wonderful thought... the last of you eating each other in one last ditch effort to live.'

 

[Kazanna]

Malcom was suddenly curious, he had pulled up video of the hallway, and was watching as Jace presented himself for the beasts dinner. Malcom hit the door switch to stop it, but, the creatures would begin pulling and tearing it open, He spoke over the comm, "It's probably obvious by now, but I stopped the door, those things are still going to make their way into that room soon. Like I said Jace Run man. I told you I need you alive. If this is you sticking it to the man, Sorry, but the man died. I'm just a guy in a chair with a bunch of buttons that wants to see if he can save a few more people. Your a guy who knows how to survive. So do me a favor." He paused for the moment of effect. "Survive you ugly bastard. Be better then you were." The door would hold all of another forty seconds, Malcom knew it wouldn't hold, but he had opened the mans file, and there was something he wanted to ask him.


Malcom flipped through records, using the officer override with his name attached to look into the mans more detailed files, The comm was off, but he muttered, "Huh, saintly criminal... weird..." The bank records were messy, lots of little transactions, a few big ones in, and then lots of payouts to the last place they should have gone. Malcom shrugged and keyed the comm again, "Do it for the kids, There's an entire nursery, behind the creatures. It's untouched. But you know, Unless we move those creatures now..." He paused for effect, "Who knows when the system will take over and wake them all up, screaming and crying in the dark, sick and alone, only to be devoured by monsters in the dark... Because of Pride." He shut off the comm, Both ends. He didn't need to hear a retort. He'd done simple calculations, the man might have been a waste of humanity, but he had a soft spot, and Malcom put a new bet on the table, waiting to see if the man would call this bluff. He'd already sentenced the man to death by devouring, who was to say he wouldn't sacrifice a couple of kids to survive.

 

[Nidelia]

Nidelia blinked as she watched. Why was he giving him a chance? She made sure the comm was off and looked at Malcolm. "Why do you need him alive? If he's a murderer then he'll probably kill again once more people wake up," she says with a frown.


She didn't like the thought of restarting the human race with criminals of any sort involved. It was asking for trouble.

 

[Kazanna]

With the Comm off, Malcom looked to Nidelia, "Your a doctor, I'm a soldier, You save peoples lives, I send them to their deaths. Your asking me why I want someone alive who's done little else but kill?" He taps the display that held the man's bank records, "Because I'm curious." The records displayed almost every cent the man had ever owned had been shelled out to various charities and schools, education funds and scholarships for various children's organizations, "Tell me why the guy put's ever penny he earns into the mouths of babes, and I'll open that door and let him burn in Hell."


Malcom's face was calm, he had lied to the man, though, only slightly. There were children with a stones throw of the monsters, but they were behind a massive steel door, one that couldn't be breached by the monsters. But Malcom knew, if the facility wasn't cleared of them, and re-manned, the kids wouldn't be the only ones to starve down here.

 

[Morridan]

Malcom would see Jace's eyes snap open, looking at the door as his arms dropped loosely at his own sides. His head slowly turning towards the camera with an uncharacteristically pale coloration to it. And the eyes, being the windows to the soul, would show all of the fire in the man's belly. His fist flung upwards, middle finger extended. It soon was pulled back down with the others as he punched through the comm system's speaker which promptly spat out sparks as Jace withdrew his fist. His foot kicked once at the concrete wall. Spittle was flying out from his mouth as he no doubt was cursing. Though they would be unable to hear it due to Malcom's previous actions. And without a single action more, the man sprinted headlong to the other side where the doors were open, grasping the large piece of glass out of his 'belt' and gripped the cloth-wrapped, oblong, handle as he stomped his way to the darker end of the hallway. His eyes were fierce with a kind of ferocity in them that if indeed a stare could kill, it would have massacred in the thousands. Adrenalin was pumping through his veins with such purpose that if Malcom were still watching, he would be amazed at the sheer speed he was putting out. And in boots no less! Either way, he would follow whichever way the opening of doors would lead. Hell, with the kind of sprinting he was doing, Malcom may have a hard time opening each door by the time he got through the first.

 

[Nidelia]

She watched the dot frowning. "From a psychological stand point I would say he had a child, probably a sick or sickly one, that probably died from its illness. Or he's sterile and can't have any. Though given the comments in his interview the first seems the logical answer," she says looking at him simply.

 

[Aryel]

As the events transpired, Bianca was sitting on the ground, her back against the wall. She felt tired, not because of all the action, but because she's emotionally strained. "Am I even going to live..?" She murmured to herself, looking over to the couple in front of the control station. "At least they have each other.." She said, smiling sadly at them. Her thoughts going back to what happened prior to the events right now.


Waking up, meeting everyone, running away from the beasts and helping Malcom save the woman. And now, they're saving another person. By the way they were talking, it sounded like it was a guy. "I hope he gets here safe.. We'll need a lot more man power.."

 

[Kazanna]

Malcom shrugged, He wanted the real information, "You don't give That much money away because of the loss of a child, You would donate it to a research foundation for sick kids, not schools. Either way..." he sighed quietly, "Were going to need monsters like him, to fight the monsters he's leading into my trap right now..." The records on the man were still visible, Malcom snorted, Never married, no kids, and even his medical record showed he was fully capable of having children. He would wait until the man reached the destination, before locking him inside. Malcom did have control of the doors after all. Once the creatures were where he wanted them, he locked them in as well. After a few checks, he sealed the stations front doors, effectively sterilizing the entire facility of the creatures in a few simple moves. Rising from the chair, Malcom sighed and said, "And that, Is how a convict saved the human race. Be sure to tell that story at bed time to our children." He carried the Harem joke on again, then tapped the comm unit so there was an active link to Jace's new station. It would be an active blue light.


Jace would find a small station with all the amenities of home, a bed, a shower, a bathroom, and food, all hermetically sealed. There would be books and magazines as well, in similar cases. The whole room would be like a small apartment with a conjoining metal tooling shop. It was the mechanical engineering section of the facility. He'd have access to tools, metal, and several ways in and out, once Malcom unlocked them. For now though, he was, effectively a prisoner. Malcom hadn't intended it that way, It was just how things had worked out.


Back on Malcom's end, He grabbed up another remote and sighed, looking it over, "Alright, Now onto the actual work at hand, We need to get the core back online. It's cycling..." He let out a sigh and rubbed his head, "All the power we've been using was from this stations reroute ability, but that wont last forever..." He was clearly tiring out, he tapped the remotes update and let it cycle, then tapped the 3D display up and motioned to the core room. "All clear from here to there. Anyone want to go flip a switch?" He didn't know if it would be that easy, but he did know the remotes were designed to give them instructions on such tasks in case of a need.

 

[Nidelia]

Nidelia simply took the remote from his hands and smiled. "I can do it. For now you drink that water. And while I'm out I will find the cafeteria and see what we have food wise," she says heading for the door.


She wasn't about to let him do more moving. He needed to rest. Next place she wanted to see him move to was a room with a bed in it.

 

[Kazanna]

Without a proper reply Malcom moved back to the control console, he waved a hand at her, saying calmly "Yes Ma'am." and started working on sorting out who was alive and who wasn't, shutting off power to nearly entire wings. He lit up running lights throughout the facility, despite the lower power, and then shut off the overhead lighting, muttering, "Efficiency... and then..." he began sealing bulkheads of fully dead wings that did not conjoin to live wings. After he had sorted out the living from the dead, he sighed, and turned the hand generator's crank again, adding more power to the system.


He raised a hand and motioned Bianca over to him, "Hey Bianca, Come here, I need your help with something." He was organizing people by necessity, changing the queue around of who was going to wake up and in what order. Of the few military that had been brought into the station, Thrace realized there was only a fraction left, and he was the highest rank left alive. Then he went through records of the deceased, muttering, "Gonna need one hell of a memorial service..." Without hesitation, Malcom flipped several switches up, disabling any awakenings beyond those he could control. The system would warn him, or someone else at the console when it was necessary and then it would prompt with an awaken button as well as feed information on the new person waking up. Malcom took a moment, and pulled up his own records, including the interview he'd undergone upon joining the project. It had his military service, which, despite his age, was extensive. He'd served in the ilitary since 2025 and been on the front lines against the contagion when it had erupted in New York, so he was surprised that the details on his service was so precise.

Malcom Devontess


Major of the United States Marine Corps


Male


Twenty-Eight years of Age


Recorded Kills: 537


Terms of Service Include:


Riot Control during Miami Riots(2027)


Armored Escort in Sumatra During Indonesian Wars (2028-2030)


Hell Jumper During the Firebombing of Israel (2031)


Genetic Containment Fire Team in New York (2032-2033)


Hell Jumper during the burning of New York (2033)


Hell Jumper during the burning of Los Angeles (2034)


Suppressive Containment during the sealing of Illinois (2034)


Suppressive Containment during the sealing of Voskresensk (2035)


Suppressive Containment during the sealing of Colorado (2037)


Medals Earned


Purple Heart (Injury to the right leg during Israeli conflict in 2031)


Silver Star (Awarded for services during Service in New York from 2032 to 2033)


Defense Superior Service Medal (Awarded for Service during the Voskresensk engagement of 2035)


Psychological Analysis Dictates Major Devontess is a prime Candidate for the Cryogenics program. He will be trained for operations management and survival in case of a Long Walk Scenario. The Major has been Briefed and given his documentation to memorize. He will be the four highest ranking officer to enter the Colorado Installment and will serve directly under Lieutenant Stevenson (Deceased). Major Malcom will be further promoted upon completion of his term on ice to Lieutenant Colonel by Lieutenant Stevenson (Deceased) He will then be given command of his former Suppression team to secure the Facility.


It is the opinion of the board of cryogenics directors that despite firm objection of a military presence, Major Devontess' unit will be a valuable asset in the days to come. We appreciate his contribution to humanity and his ongoing service.


In the Case of a Long Walk Scenario


Major Devontess Is Herby granted the Fifth Freedom. He is psychologically of sound mind and of fit nature. It is the opinion of the military tribunal in charge of his assignment that he will be an asset to not only the furthering of the human race, but also to the furthering of overall Justice. The Fifth Freedom will be revoked upon the assertion of a more appropriate command structure.

​

Malcom stared at the last line, his heart pumping, he muttered to himself, "Really... I bet we were all granted it... but Really..." He felt sick, his leaders had put enough faith in him to grant him command and in the event of the Long Walk, which they were certainly in, Legal Immunity. He stared past the numbers and letters, and let his mind drift, He was his own master now, No chain of command, No commanding officer. He was in charge of himself. Malcom smiled, slowly, and then started chuckling, tears falling from his eyes, he let his head fall back, and he began to laugh loudly, as though he had just gotten the gist of some big joke. He sat forward in the chair and wiped his eyes, shaking his head, "Ah... Man... This is rich. Long walk hits, of course we'd be granted the Fifth..." He said to no one particular.

 

[Aryel]

Bianca cocked her head to one side as Malcom called her, walking past the female. She put her hand to the female's shoulder and looked her in the eye. "Be safe.." She told her, a smile on her face. "We wouldn't want to lose anyone else.. So please.. Be safe." Then turned her back to walk on over to Malcom. "You needed something Mal?" She asked him, who was leaning to the front of the chair.


Bianca looked to him, her hand on his upper arm. "Hey.. You ok?" She asked, looking worried since he had tears in his eyes. It was an unusual sight to see him cry. Usually, it would be her that was in tears. Seeing Malcom this way felt.. Wrong. So very, very wrong.

 

[Kazanna]

Malcom nodded at Bianca, smiling like an idiot, "Ah... Were in the Long Walk Scenario, They gave us orders about it, but we all just sort of laughed about it. Thought they were joking around, even after Los Angeles, we still thought we would always have higher ups..." he motioned to his service record and just kept smiling, "The Fifth Freedom, Grants you the right to protect the other four freedoms of the American People." His service record would show at the bottom, that in the event of The Long Walk, Malcom was granted the Fifth Freedom, "It grants you the right to protect them..." He sighed and laughed again, then cleared his throat, "By Breaking them as you see fit."

 

[Aryel]

She tried making sense of what she just heard. "So.. You protect the other four.. By breaking them..?" She asked to no one in particular, a puzzled look to her face. "I don't get military talk sometimes.. Excuse my rudeness." She muttered, looking to his service record and back to him. "So.." She started, proping herself up on the chair's arm rest. "What is it that you wanted me to do..?"

 

[Kazanna]

Malcom motioned to the screen, he'd organized the people that were going to be woken up, put them in a sequence of importance, but every couple of releases would be a civilian release, "I'm going to need a Liaison, someone to greet the people waking up. Basically, it's a lot of running around. We've secured the inside of the facility, pending any holes, but we don't want people just wandering around trying to wake up their friends and families at random, it takes a huge amount of power to restart the human body, even with the Stasis pods and their technology. So, I need someone to be there when each person wakes up."


Malcom pointed at the list, "I can isolate the next person that's going to wake up, I just don't know when they're due, It could be seconds from now, It could be months or even years. I just need someone, to go and help them with that initial shock." Malcom knew he was asking a lot, knew it would be a hard task, but if it wasn't done, someone might wander into the new beast den, or worse, they might end up with another Jace. "For now everyone waking up will be Civilian, some of them doctors, some of them teenagers who were brought in last minute, They're all going to be even more confused then we were, Because now, the facility is coming back online, from a near catastrophic death point."


Looking at her pointedly, Malcom asked, "So do you think you can do that? Bring people into the new world? You can just lead them here, and I'll bring them up to speed, the whole... two hundred years bit is going to be harsh... You can leave out whatever you wish." He pulled out another remote, started it's firmware update and then turned to the console that held the comms. He pulled one out, keyed it into the system, and offered it to her, "How about it Bianca? Help save humanity, one poor soul at a time?"

 

[Aryel]

What Malcom was asking of her was no small feat. Being the first person they'd see, Bianca was sure she would be yelled at... And not in a good way. And yet, here she was, taking the remote from Malcom's hand and givjng him a small smile. "Of course.." She said, looking down to her remote. "I'd do anything to help.. It's sort of my way for saying.. Thank you." She added, not daring to look up to his face.


Running back and forth wouldn't be a problem, Bianca was a racer, so speed was her thing. And so was agility. "So, where do I get out off?" She asked, finally turning to face him, a light blush and a smile evident on her pale face.

 

[Nidelia]

Nidelia continuednyo walk, sighing softly. Now it was too quiet since the monsters were gone. She would need to see if there was a way to stream music after the power was fully functional.


She then started thinking back to hr reaction to him when they got out of the shaft. She blushed. She had just run over and hugged him, not second thoughts. And she didn't want to let go! Even when she'd had her revelation about the computer and how to pull up peoples files.


She liked hu... No. Stop. She had just met this man, it was a heat of the moment thing. It was fire circumstances and he deserved it since he had saved her life.


She shook her head sighing. She hadn't let anyone close to her since she was fourteen. It had always been easier to keep everyone at a distance. And it kept her safe too. Her walking had slowed slightly as she thought about this.


Then again, this was practically a whole new world... perhaps she should change in that regard. Besides what little she did let in of the man it didn't hurt... it felt really nice. A year rolled down her cheek and she wiped it away quickly walking.


Even if she did let him in... she doubted if anything would come of it. She had a hunch he was the last military officer in the facility. And was probably going to be their new leader. He wouldn't have time for small things like finding a girlfriend. She nodded to herself as she finally came up with a legitimate reason to become cold again.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Meanwhile a screen for someone to be awoke came up on Malcolm's screen.


Rys Rinnel


Scientist


Rys Rinnel was a Scientist working out of Idaho, but was moved to the Colorado location where we believe her to be of more use. She grew up with a military structured lifestyle thanks to her father Lieutenant Colonel Kyle Rinnel.


She has training in hand to hand combat which she learned through her school years. She then progressed to college to become a scientist.


Though she did not graduate her knowledge through those classes were beyond her years. She is to be put into the position of Lead Scientist upon awakening.

 

[Kazanna]

(Lori, Too many F's? Off as in turn the light off? Of as in You are of earth?)


Malcom tapped the three dimensional screen, motioning, to the person about to wake up, "There. Your first assignment is right there." It was nearly where they had come earlier that day, near where Jenn had woken up. "Should be able to take the door we came in through, make your way down through the labs and to the hallway we first came down when we woke up. The remote has a map, use the comm to keep in touch. When you wake them up, get the comm off of their Cryo Tube, and add it's serial number to the system as in use. Have them put it on and bring them up here. Looks like it's yet another addition to my harem!" He joked chuckling, Though, He was starting to realize with two men awake, and five women, considering the other wasn't that popular, his joke might end becoming a needed reality.

 

[Aryel]

(Last post for the night.. Already 2 am here)


She listened to Malcom, nodding every so often but was slightly thrown off by his mentioning of a harem, to which the both of them laughed at. "So, I can get to those guys by going the same way we came in here huh.." She muttered, looking at the map infront of her. "You sure those beasts are nowhere near where I'm heading, right?" She asked him, scared for not only her life, but those of who she'd have to meet when they wake up. "Well, let's just pray I come back alive, and with human company." She added, disregarding her nervousness.


She gave him a smile and a nod, and turned her back to Malcom, heading for the door. An idea popped into her head, one she was going to enjoy. She started swaying her hips while she walked, and just before the door she was going out off, she turned back and winked at Malcom, knowing fully well that he was staring at her the whole time. "Oh and honey, let's hope that the next person waking up is a guy. Wouldn't want someone like you to.. Tire out so easily." She said to him, a smirk on her face.

 

[Wreck]

There was something stirring inside his mind. For once in decades, he was thinking about waking up.


He didn't realize it at first, but his body started to warm up, and the tubes that were keeping him in place were thawing rapidly. Less like thinking about it but more like actually doing so; his eyelids fluttered in hopes of hanging onto what little sanctuary he had left inside the frosted glass chamber. He suddenly came to the realization of what he knew was happening, and for some reason it scared him to know where he was.


He shot awake, gasping for air like he'd been held underwater. Warm, sweaty palms made a melted outline on the frost inside the container, and he began to frantically pound against the opaque surface. The red light of warning flashed urgently for an engineer that wouldn't come to the young man's aid. His body quickly began to warm up, and sweat beaded around his hairline for the first time in years.

 

[Kazanna]

Malcom saw the alert, and frowned, Bianca had already headed out towards one of the newcomers, but another one had come up seconds later. He muttered to himself, "Foolproof system my ass." Hauling himself out of the chair, Malcom grabbed another remote, and keyed it on, the man was on the same floor as the control room. Grunting he tapped the firmware update on his screen and started making his way in that direction. He would pass Bianca, "There's two waking up, You keep going to that first one, I'll go get the other." He made his way down the hallway, his boots echoing heavily. Within a few moments, he turned down the hallway and the remote had finished rebooting. It showed where the new waking person was, only a few meters ahead of him.


Malcom made his way over to the chamber and frowned, Most of the time they auto released, almost always. He saw the hand print and was honestly shocked, He tapped on the cell with his knuckle, "Hey, in there, Your gonna be fine, Just give me a moment to override the controls and pop the hatch." Malcom tapped the remote's controls and muttered to himself, "Okay... so... this does... that... so this..." He hit the release button and the pod let out a hydraulic Hiss. Malcom took a step back, wanting to give the newcomer a bit of space as he woke into the dark hallway. The floors were illuminated with soft running lights, but little more gave visual light to the hallway.

 

[Nidelia]

Nidelia made it to the room she was heading to. All the while her head swarming with thoughts about Malcolm. She managed to get the power going right and headed back.


Mostly she was worried about him. If he kept going like this he would eventually just pass out from exhaustion. Which that wasn't healthy. Had he drank any of that water yet?


She was about to turn on her comms when she turned into where Malcolm was standing. She immediately looked ticked. "Mr. Devontess you are in no condition to be running around like this!" She says. She could tell he hadn't drank the water from his still pekkid complexion.


This continued to tick her off, but then she took note of the man who was just waking up and merely stood glaring at Malcolm. She would save his scolding for after.

 

[Wreck]

When his crystal sarcophagus opened finally, the young man stumbled and tripped over his own feet. Not using his legs for a few years, he was like a newborn baby deer on the dusty floor. His pale hands gripped the ground to brace himself, and he slowly lifted his head to make eye contact with an imposing figure (Malcolm). The young man looked around him with a wrinkled brow and all at once, questions flooded the once-blank mind.


"Who are you," he asked the other man while still on his knees, "and what year is it?"

 

[Kazanna]

Malcom sighed and offered the man his hand, "I'm Malcom, Major Malcom Devontess. As far as the year... It's roughly Twenty-two Fifty... Were a few... Hundred years... too long in the tube my friend." He would wait for him to take his hand, before pulling him to his feet, "Welcome to Colorado Cryogenics, And congratulations on being one of three men awake in the entire human race."

 

[Wreck]

"I'm Malcom, Major Malcom Devontess. As far as the year... It's roughly Twenty-two Fifty... Were a few... Hundred years... too long in the tube my friend."


The young man's eyes widened at the date Malcolm gave him. He swallowed hard and rubbed his face with his now dirty hands; they left a smudge on his cheeks. "H-Hundred years," he stammered. "What the fuck. I'm two hundred years old! You're two hundred years old!," a look of horror flashed on his face and he struggled to his feet.