Life is a Highway

[dirtyredneck]

WHO: Daryl Dixon + Others
WHERE: All over
WHEN: All month
WHAT: A catch-all for January
WARNINGS: standard Walking Dead content, will update as needed.

Character-Specific starters in the comments. If you'd like to do something with Daryl, continue CR or get some started, send me a PM and I'll set one up for you!

Comments

For the Master of Magnetism - Jan 12 or 13

[dirtyredneck]

The last time Daryl had seen the man, it was close to two months prior, when he'd helped set up the initial steel infrastructure of the hidden safehouse. Persephone had done her part already at that time. She'd created the open tunnels and caves and other spaces to his specifications. They weren't going to topple or fall apart easily. But with all the construction that was going to happen, getting the structural supports in fast had been a priority.

Erik did good work.

Now, all that metal was covered over by concrete and the place had been turned into a proper underground bunker deep beneath a mountain and several connected lakes and rivers. And all that was left was to get the final pipes into place for the major point of defense should anyone find it and try to invade.

Daryl met him outside his above-ground hunting shack with a smile and a hand, "Hey, thanks for coming by to see the place. You're gonna love what I done with it. Used some of that design you had going for the De Chima center."

All said just in case the government was watching him somehow when he went to 'show off' the 'hunting shack' to people.

Re: For the Master of Magnetism - Jan 12 or 13

[incogneto]

Erik needed a project to keep his mind busy, to keep his powers strong, to keep the neurons firing and his hands off of things where they didn't need to be. And it worked; his powers and designs have both shown marked improvement since he began, and he's proud of his accomplishments.

"Of course, why wouldn't I want to see?" he says, clapping Daryl on the shoulder as he moves inward. He surveys the space, takes it in, and eventually, nods approvingly. "So who else have you told about it?"

sorry for the radio silence, life happened

[dirtyredneck]

"Just a couple friends," he answered before leading him down to the basement and through both hidden doors (yup, two. because he's paranoid) and starting the long trek down the stairs to the actual complex. He stopped at the first landing where several lengths of metal pipes laid in wait. "The ones that did the concrete work through here don't know where it leads to. Didn't let them upstairs. They just know it's a basement somewhere."

He pointed upward, "Need the first of the final pipe fittings through that hole. It's already formed, just need the pipes threaded. Once these're in, we'll be able to hook up the flood controls. Anyone finds their way into the tunnels we don't want, we'll be able to drown 'em."

[incogneto]

Erik's gotta hand it to him, he's even more paranoid than he'd given credit for. And that's saying a lot-- Erik's usually the one spinning conspiracy theories gearing up for nuclear winters. Still, he can't fault him; Daryl's been through a lot and it's not like the current political climate helps.

"Won't take long. When will the material be ready?"

[dirtyredneck]

"All of it's ready," he nodded to the first of the pipes on the ground, "Got eight more spots like this one. Four on the main staircase, the other four in scattered around the Tombs. Makes sure it'll fill up fast."

Daryl moved out of the way and down from the landing towards the next, which was around the curve, "Get that one in and we can move to the next. Every three landings, we take a left. Pipes are laid out for you at each and from there I can lead you to the rest."

He had his 'tombs' memorized.

[incogneto]

He finds it really creepy that Daryl refers to them as his tombs but he agrees that they're necessary, so he shoves that personal feeling aside.

When he gets to work, it's quick and without complaint. He's had the insight to Daryl's mind and design for awhile now so within a minute or so he's completed one and nodding towards it for Daryl to inspect so he can move onto the next.

[dirtyredneck]

Daryl did a quick check, but he didn't put a lot of effort into it. Enough to be sure the fittings were secure. He trusted Erik enough after his first session for the foundations that he didn't think there'd be a problem.

He led the man around to the other spots, waiting patiently for each of them to be done before giving them the same cursory glance. It took some time, the tombs were large and some back-tracking was required. But eventually they got to the last one, three landings up from the entrance to the stronghold.

"If you need to come back here on your own, you follow the steps from the top and take a left turn at every third landing," he said as he leaned back against the wall, watching the work. "It's the only path that'll get you to the entrance. Got seven fake ones and they all look the same."

[incogneto]

Erik's not even surprised anymore. But honestly he thinks he'd just find his way out by feeling his way into the surrounding area; he turns the corners mentally in his head to find where exactly the exit is. "I'll call if I get lost."

"Let me know if more work needs to be done."

For the Count of Corruption - Jan 9

[dirtyredneck]

After all negotiations for how Dooku was getting there and who was coming along were made, Daryl walked the man through the actual hunting shack he'd built on the property. He treated it like a real home tour, pointing out all the cool little hidden cabinets for well-organized storage that kept the place looking super simple. The bedrooms for guests (there were two, both small and served their purpose), the kitchenette, the skylights and roofline inspired by the De Chima charity place Erik and Charles had overseen the building for back in the summer. And of course the solar panels and self-sufficient plumbing that would make it completely off-grid.

"Like I told you, plumber's coming in later this week to get the last of the piping done. It'll connect to the well so I can keep it closed off," he was saying as they walked the grounds and headed back to the house. "The pipes under the basement are already laid, just need to get the last of the connections set up inside for the pumps and heater. C'mon, let me show you that."

If it seemed boring? Well, that was the point. It needed to sound boring and like Daryl was just really proud of how self-sufficient the place was. The real tour would start once they were actually in the basement.

[dun_moch]

Dooku bore Daryl's games and delays with his customary cool courtesy, affecting an interest in the terribly dull shack so that Dixon could keep showing off his work and building to his moment. The Count had the time to spare, and he considered this as much part of Dixon's payment for his labours as any of the money he'd deposited. After all, Dixon had earned the right to be proud of what he had accomplished... and the Count could appreciate better than most how much pride could mean to a being.

"How very interesting," he remarked mildly, not sounding bored but playing along with his role in this little skit nonetheless. "By all means, please lead on."

[dirtyredneck]

Daryl led him down below where he didn't feel anyone could easily listen in and watch. And once they were down there, he locked the storm doors behind them. He wiped his hands on his pants to clear them of debris as he made his way across the small space. It was pretty much empty save for the pipes, some shelves for a minor amount of dry good storage, and the stairs up to the main floor.

He spread his arms and spun, "Problem with hidin' doors is you can figure out where they are by knockin' on the walls. If there's a change in the sound, you can figure out where there's a hollow behind it. Even with thicker walls, just need ta hit hard enough. But if you double up the walls..."

Daryl smirked and hit a hidden switch in the wall next to the storm doors, a brick near the floor, and it swung open, "Then there's no change in the sound. Whole basement's got two walls. The inner wall here and the one behind it. We gotta walk around, through the tunnel it makes, to get to the other door."

Daryl held the door open and pointed for Dooku to start walking toward the soft light from around the corner.

[dun_moch]

Dooku watched carefully, and not just because getting him alone beneath the storm doors would be an excellent way to murder him, if that's what Dixon had in mind. But that suspicion was unnecessary today, and Dooku made careful mental note of where that switch was as the hidden door emerged.

"Very impressive, I must say," he said, and meant it. His own strongholds often did not have this level of cunning and thought put into their design. But of course, with legions of commando droids at his disposal, Dooku had a different set of concerns.

The Count stepped forward, into the tunnel, ready to see the true secret of the hunting shack.

[dirtyredneck]

In Daryl's experience, once the world went to shit, being able to survive with nothing was going to be important. Because there'd be nothing. If you were lucky, you'd find solar panels and a place you could build walls around. It didn't mean you'd be safe, but it would keep you alive fore a time.

This place? This place was everything he'd ever learned about making sure no one could get at you but you could survive even if they tried.

The walls were close enough it was a bit of a squeeze for him if the didn't turn sideways to move through them. Also worked to help keep his basement the same temperature year round (or would). A nice double advantage. The second door was similarly hidden with a secret switch. This time near the ceiling.

Once opened, the two were met with the start of a very, very long staircase currently with no lights to guide them. Daryl gestured for Dooku to start down while he got the door shut behind them. Once the door was shut, then the lights came on. Not particularly bright, but enough to see by.

"Welcome to the Tombs." He said without any irony. "We got a long walk ahead of us. Every third landing, take a left."

[dun_moch]

"The Tombs," Dooku repeated in his inimitable voice, giving the word an ominous, reverberating air. "What a fine name."

It certainly beat 'the Shack,' in the Count's view. He set off down the stairs, following Daryl's instructions, left at every third landing.

[dirtyredneck]

It took a total of twelve landings (three turns and the final landing) before they reached the door. It was a long way down a very, very long stair case in a maze of more stairs to reach the front door. The entrance wasn't barred by any high tech mechanism, it was just a very heavy door with a very heavy lock. On the inside. The kind one would find in a submarine to ensure things were air tight.

"And this," Daryl pushed open the door and let Dooku inside. He closed it behind them but didn't lock it. "...is The Hole. We're under the mountain range on the Tennessee side. There's a few lakes and a very intensive river system both above ground and below we're using to generate power and give ourselves some plumbing."

The entry way wasn't very impressive, but it was clearly designed to be a choke point in case anyone got down to them.

"Tombs're the main defense aside from bein' invisible to anything above us tryin' ta detect power signatures. The metal in the foundation'll throw that off. We got no outside lines comin' in and the cell towers can't get a signal neither. The whole thing's self-contained."

Daryl went to open the second door that led into the rest of the complex, "Whaddya wanna see first?"

[dun_moch]

Ah. So the entire complex wasn't called 'The Tombs.' An unfortunate decision- Dooku resisted the urge to wrinkle his nose in distaste at the base, inelegant title of 'Hole.' The important thing was whether the place would shelter them from threats, not what it was called.

"Security arrangements, if you please," he said as he stepped through the door, giving the standard Sith answer. Electricity, plumbing, supplies, sleeping quarters- all secondary, all useless without the strength to detect and destroy enemies. "I want to know how this Hole can be held against any foe that manages to find it, and make their way past the Tombs." However unlikely that situation was.

For Clint of the Non-Westwood Variety - Jan 11

[dirtyredneck]

Leaving just before dawn meant they got to the cabin around mid-afternoon between gas stops and traffic and weather hazards. But since they still had a few hours of daylight left, Daryl felt they'd made good time and wasn't upset by it.

"All off-grid," he said as he unlocked the door and pushed it open so the dogs could barrel on through. He'd been back and forth to the cabin a couple times already, 'showing it off' to his biggest investor. This tour was for a friend.

It was a simple looking place with three bedrooms. One small master and two even smaller ones housing a bunk bed in each to accommodate up to six people comfortably (Daryl and Mako + four more). The living area was centered around a fireplace and open to the small kitchenette that, in turn, opened up to a large skinning/drying area for any kills Daryl brought in. There was a hatch to the basement tucked up against the wall near the door and Daryl opened that after coming inside and shutting the door behind them. Locked it to be safe, too.

"They can run around as long as they don't shit on nothin. C'mon down, the real treat's down here."

For a Math-iest Mathlete Mathable - Late Jan

[dirtyredneck]

The blackout had made everything difficult for pretty much everyone in the porter cities. Daryl thought the three up north were worse off than Heropa, but that had a lot to do with the cold spell the Florida city didn't have to deal with. There were a lot of freezing people and Daryl had tone his best to help get blankets and supplies passed around. Help with delivering firewood to places that could use it. And stop what assholes taking advantage of the chaos that he could. It had been exhausting.

Now that the power was back on and things were getting back to normal, Daryl had checked in to the missing persons reports filed in the last week. Specifically the ones for kids. More than a few netted him nothing with his power and he'd played around with it enough to know that meant there weren't hope for them. They'd probably be found frozen somewhere and laid to rest. But this soon after them going missing there were also a lot more 'hits' than he was used to. He'd tracked down three in Nonah already and spirited them away quietly and back to their families. But all the cities had a lot missing, so since he was in De Chima for the day, he decided to use what time he had before the convention started to see if he could track one or two down.

The flowers - lavender this time - led him through the city and past a small shop he wouldn't have stopped at himself. But sitting inside was a person he recognized. Someone with whom he had a strained relation, but also someone who had a useful power. Could be helpful to him. Might make getting the kid he was looking for out of trouble a little easier.

Daryl entered the shop and headed over to Hermann. He stopped to stand behind the chair opposite the man. Crossed his arms and took a deep breath, "Hey."

[mathemagier]

Hermann glanced up from his laptop, brows drawn over a hard stare and set jaw. His fingers hovered on the keys but didn't move. He did not appreciate being interrupted- less by this particular man. And he liked even less that he was standing there, looking down at him like he might just decide to threaten him.

His mouth pinched and he let his hands fall to his lap, tone just edging on the side of civil.

"Can I help you?"

[dirtyredneck]

"That uh... that thing you did with the teacup," Daryl muttered, brow creasing. He hated having to bring up something that had happened two months ago, but he'd had barely any contact with Newt since then, much less Hermann. "Where you made it move from one place to another with the numbers around it. Can you do that with people?"

[mathemagier]

Blinking, Hermann took a moment to place when on Earth he'd done that, but Daryl's elaboration did help. Ah yes, when Mako had dropped it.. That ability was a bit more guarded than his teleportation, but seeing as he'd displayed it already, there was no use denying it.

What an awful meeting that had been- but for all of Mako's engineering background, she was still bred to be a pilot.

He lifted his chin, fixing Daryl with a stern stare. "Yes."

He could send Daryl away if he wanted to. Drop him anywhere he pleased, in fact. Only he'd never hear the end of it if he did. Last resort measures.

[dirtyredneck]

He took a deep breath and let it out, then let his arms drop, hands falling to the back of the chair. That was good. That meant he hadn't detoured for nothing.

"How far away can you do it from? And how many at a time?"

[mathemagier]

Newton's awful brain tried valiantly to turn Daryl's questions into innuendo, but he ignored it.

"Sit down, Mr. Dixon. I'd like to know where you're going with this before I answer anymore of your unsolicited questions."

[dirtyredneck]

He was already delaying a lot more than he liked, but if the kid was in the kind of place he expected him to be, just based on where the flowers were leading, he probably wouldn't get moved or die any time in the next couple hours. So while Daryl looked decidedly more agitated, he did flip the chair around so he could straddle it. As he sat, he reached into his vest and pulled out a stack of missing children notices. Some already had their faces crossed out, but one of the ones that didn't, he pushed into the middle of the table for Hermann to look at.

Daryl kept his voice down as he leaned forward, "Kid went missing during the first 48 hours of the blackout. I got a lead on him, but the area I'm being led to ain't the sort where you find just one kid at. There's probably gonna be five or six. Maybe a dozen. People like this, they can't hold more'n that for long without drawin' attention they don't want drawn."

[mathemagier]

He sighed, closing his laptop and mostly managed to suppress an eyeroll. Of course he couldn't just sit like a normal person either.

Hermann leafed through the reports, not particularly enthused by the X's over some of them. Daryl didn't strike him as the type to harm children, but nor did he seem the rescuing sort. Maybe he was a sort of mercenary and picked up this job? Sounded rather experienced for all of that though.

"Well I'm sorry to disappoint you, but my teleportation power is limited. I can move one person every six hours, or two every twelve. My energy reserves are not extensive and I need to rest. If there's more than 3 or 4, their captors are going to notice before I could teleport all of them out of wherever they're being held."