0092 – The Great Escape – Part IV – Weilun (Scene I – Checkpoint)

0830 07 AUG 2000, Weilun, Poland

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So, the team runs into a group of kids trying to pass the first checkpoint. So far, no one is shooting at them, so we will count that one as a win.

Still, we need some details about the kids. First, a number would be good, to know how many of the rugrats are running around. I would just simply set the number at 2D6 or in this case 8.

They will probably have a leader of some kind, so a motivation would be a good thing too. Two card draws later (or one run of my referee assistant program) we are looking at:

• Generous: The character is generous to a fault and will gladly give away anything he has to someone in need, even if this leaves him with nothing. In less extreme cases, he will be inclined to make very generous trades and will always refuse payment for help with a task other than one directly related to his normal livelihood.

• Very sociable: The NPC will have a strong commitment to justice and the welfare of everyone he meets. He will look for the good qualities in anyone he comes in contact with but will react with anger to injustice and brutality.

It restores faith in the virtual world that the kid still seems to have his or her heart in the right place. So a 50/50 roll makes the kid female. Now a name would be nice. A random name generator selects the name Dominika Sokolska. A slightly modified random character description gives us a picture of Dominika:

Blond, wavy hair awkwardly hangs over a bony, lively face. Bulging sapphire eyes, set well within their sockets, watch anxiously over streets of her home town. Freckles are spread graciously around her cheeks complete her child like appearance.

I am not going to worry about weapons, as I do not believe the group would fire up a group of kids. Still, there is potential there for interaction. Maybe Marshall remembers the incident

I remember watching nature programs about monkeys in India, how they would swarm all over things. That is honestly how I felt. No soon had Robinson brought Can-Can to a stop before the kids were all over us. They swarmed up the side of the vehicle, presenting each of us with a bunches of ragged flowers, chattering away in Polish as they did. Potato, for some reason, got a lot of attention with two kids squeezing up next to him. It was definitely a David and Goliath moment.

Now time to set the hook. We know that the town is suffering from Cholera and needs medication. What if one of the kids was sick, showing symptoms? That would probably work with any group.

One kid did not jump up on the vehicle. It was a small, skinny boy and he was not looking well. He was bedded down on some old pallets near the road. I nudged Logan and his face dropped when he saw the kid. He was up and out before we could say anything else, medical bag in hand. Griffin went over to speak with him softly and came back after a bit, speaking just one word: cholera.

Now what will the team do.