ATZ (B Team-2): Running the Gauntlet

Introduction

The last time we saw the B-team in action (here) they were trying to find lunch, unaware that the zombie apocalypse had started without them.  Since then, the authorities have reacted swiftly to seal off the troubled area of the city, leaving our heroes stranded and unable to get home in the evening.

 Sam (REP 4 dumbass), Bob (REP 3, dumbass) and Bert (REP 2) have been wandering the streets near work since lunch time.  Ernie, the 4th member of their group, left earlier to take the bus home.  The remaining trio are confused and down heartened; everywhere they go there are people panicking and multiple rumours are being repeated and embellished.  It's now growing dark and the group have finally decided to move to a safer area.  However, just up the road, the police are turning everyone back!

The Scenario

This will be a fairly standard "Quarantine" game from the ATZ: Haven scenario book.  As written, a group of police need to hold a barricade line until the end of their shift against whatever approaches.

My variations on this scenario are as follows:

• The B-team may enter from the south on any of their activations.  They must try to escape off the north edge without being arrested.
• The game will continue as long as the B-team have a chance of escaping, or until we run out of playing time (i.e. the normal scenario's 16-activation limit is suspended).

Police forces consist of:

• Sergeant Clouseau (REP 4)
• Officer Callahan (REP 4)
• Officer Dalgliesh (REP 4)
• Rookie Columbo (REP 3)
• Rookie Cagney (REP 3)
• Bloodhound Jupiter (REP 3 - he's a big softy, really)

Cagney, Clouseau, Jupiter and Callahan

Dalgliesh and Columbo

How the game played...

The first part of the shift was peaceful, but after half an hour or so, Cagney noticed smoke coming from the top of the tall, red brick building just opposite the police line.  Sergeant Clouseau radioed for help and was told that the fire department would be notified immediately.  However no assistance came because after the conversation with the dispatcher, a lot of things happened in a rush...

Firstly, rookie Cagney claimed that she had been targeted by a sniper; she ducked back behind the nearest patrol car.  Sergeant Clouseau told her not to be an idiot as the noise was just a car backfiring, or maybe something popping in the burning building.

Immediately after that, a couple of civilians left the book store to the right (Suzanne and Gordon, both REP 4).

The newcomers tried to pass the police line, ignoring all instructions to halt.  Dalgliesh and Columbo ended up wrestling with the couple in an attempt to arrest them.

Callahan and Jupiter ran over to assist their colleagues, who were failing to subdue the boisterous citizens.  As they did so, a blue car came screeching along the road, aiming straight for the barricade.

The dice gods were laughing now, as one thing after another distracted the poor cops.  A man (George, REP 3) called out from the red brick building to Sergeant Clouseau: "Help!  My girlfriend - she's sick and acting strangely.  The ambulance won't come, but I need help now!"  The sergeant dutifully turned and followed the man into the building, leaving rookie Cagney to look after the quarantine barriers.

Then, all the street lights went out, plunging the area into darkness...

Inside the grubby apartment, Clouseau immediately recognised that the girlfriend was not alive any more, but instead was one of the infected.  He wasted no time in putting a bullet through her head.  This didn't go down well with George, who pulled a pistol of his own and started to shout and rant at the policeman.

For a few moments, it looked as if there would be further bloodshed, but Clouseau asserted his authority calmly and George dropped the gun and collapsed on a sobbing heap.  The unfortunate citizen was swiftly handcuffed and led out of the building (the roof of which was now starting to burn a bit more fiercely now).

The Sprint!

Back at the crossroads, Cagney had run over to try to stop the speeding blue car.  However, she was too late to affect what happened next.  Jupiter was ordered to sit on the stunned Gordon, though the civilian didn't really have much fight left in him.  Suzanne, however, was fighting like a cornered wildcat, shouting "Let me through!  You pigs - you'll pay for this if you don't let me go right now!"  She had knocked Columbo to the ground and was wrestling with Dalgliesh when the vehicle charged through.

The unfortunate Columbo didn't have a chance as the car drove right over him.  It then crashed into the parked patrol car, shunting this aside and inflicting severe damage to it, before disappearing into the night.  Only a trail of sparks from its damaged suspension showed where the car had been.

This was the time that the B-team decided to act.  Sam, despite his dumbass reputation, called out to his mates "Come on, lads - run!"  Sam and Bob sprinted across the car park, though Bert was a little slower off the mark and trailed several metres behind.

As they sprinted, the different levels of fitness became apparent.  Sam had nearly made it past the deserted police roadblock, with Bob and Bert following him, when...

...officers Callahan and Cagney realised that they left their post unguarded.  They ran back just in time to challenge the B-team.  In awe of the uniforms, or possibly noting that the cops seemed very much on edge and had drawn weapons, the civilians turned around and walked back all the way they had come.

If you don't succeed at first...

Callahan and Cagney returned to the scene of the accident, where Jupiter continued to guard his opponent and Dalgliesh was still struggling with the feisty Suzanne, who just refused to give up.  However, the police reinforcements made the outcome of this fight inevitable and both she and her accomplice were taken to the ground and handcuffed.

The B-team chose this exact moment to walk up the road in another attempt to pass the quarantine barriers.  Callahan, Cagney and Jupiter were standing in the middle of the street.  "You!" spluttered the increasingly annoyed Callahan.  "I already told you to go back.  Now turn around and get out of here!  If I see you again then you'll be arrested!  Go!"

As the B-team slunk away, the cops were distracted by another vehicle.  This time, the car held a family; they were easily persuaded to turn around, away from the quarantine line.  They had switched off their engine whilst talking to the officers, though - it took several turns under the watchful eyes of the police for them to start the car up again.

Try, Try Again!

Seeing that the police were occupied, the B-team ducked behind the book store and crept through the car park on the other side of it.  It was hard to tell in the dark, but it looked as if there was nobody ahead of them, so once again they started to run.

Sadly, they were mistaken: Sergeant Clouseau had just finished putting his prisoner into car 21.  He'd also taken the opportunity to re-arm himself with the shotgun from the vehicle, just in case there were more zombies (or crazy car drivers) around.  He called out a challenge to the B-team.
"Come on!" shouted Sam, in a moment of desperation.  There's three of us and only one of him - we can take him!"

Perhaps the friends hadn't realised that the cop was armed, or maybe they thought that he wouldn't shoot them.  However, Sergeant Clouseau was not having a good evening.  He'd fired at and killed something that looked human (but wasn't), been threatened by one distraught citizen and had heard over the radio of the death of a colleague and the breaching of the roadblock.  These new troublemakers wouldn't succeed - the law would be upheld.

Clouseau's shotgun blast was unnaturally effective.  Sam collapsed after a few steps into his charge and lay bleeding and wounded on the tarmac.  As he fell, his spade whacked Bob across the jaw, knocking him down also.  Poor Bert caught the brunt of the shot, though; he was dead before he hit the ground.

The officer strolled over to the fallen group and put handcuffs on the two who were still alive.  He then radioed for an ambulance, as well as requesting more backup.  This had been a very eventful shift and the exhausted Clouseau would be extremely glad when it was over!

[Update: Episode 3 of the B-Team's adventures is ==> here]