001 ❗ video

[vendetta]

[ It's not as if Miller's pleased that half of Hadriel's captives have apparently been buried alive, but this also grants him an opportunity he'd been craving. It places him back into a position that he's come to miss and yearn for since his arrival here. He can't fight the monsters who come with the newcomers, he can't convince the gods to send them home when they don't even know how the process works, but he can organize people. And this situation, with Hope's set of coordinates? This is his bread and butter.

The broadcast comes from a desk in the main living area of Kaz's apartment. He's propped his phone and adjusted it so that it shows him from the shoulders up. A number of people here already know about his disabilities, but anyone who doesn't should stay that way for now. They might see his missing limbs and his need for a crutch as a weakness, which will make them less likely to listen to him. ]

Fear's really done a number on us this time, hasn't he?

[ He shakes his head, dismayed but not defeated. He assumes it's Fear, anyway. Who else would be behind this? Sitting with his back straight and his beret set in place, Miller takes on the air of command. ]

This we can do something about, though, unlike the blizzard. Anyone who's above ground and willing to help dig someone up, report in. I'll assign you a set of coordinates. Then, report back with whether or not you were successful in digging someone up -- and if so, who it was.

[ That's all simple enough, but Kaz can guess that both those who've been buried and those who haven't are in a panic, and a good leader needs to address something like that. ]

I'm sure that many of you have friends who are in need of your help. [ His brow knits, a quiet show of empathy. ] But right now, we need to focus on getting each and every person dug up, so even if you end up rescuing a stranger, just keep in mind that I'll have probably sent someone else to free your loved one. The important thing is that we make sure each plot is covered so that no one is overlooked.

[ Someone just made a helpful announcement about how awful it would be to suffocate in one of those coffins, after all. ]

For those who are curious, my name is Kazuhira Miller, and I have experience with organizing an army. Getting a few people dug up should be a cakewalk if everyone keeps their calm -- and if enough people want to help.

[ Maybe he's guilting people a little with that last point. It might have to do with the fact that he's self-conscious that he can't contribute to any of the physical requirements of this particular crisis. Then again, that had been the case with taking down Cipher too, and they'd still pulled it off. ]

And if anyone who's trapped is watching this... hang in there. We're on our way.

[ With a firm nod, he ends the feed. ]

Comments

[video]

[synthedick]

[Nick's phone doesn't give him much light on the video feed, but no worries: his glowing eyes will let Kaz know there's someone there.]

As someone on the 'buried' end of all this, I appreciate the help in coordinating a rescue effort. Do things like this happen here often?

[video]

[vendetta]

[ Kaz hadn't actually expected any of the people who'd been buried to respond, but if speaking to him helps distract them from their claustrophobic situation, then he can take the time.

The glowing eyes are more than a little disconcerting, though. Kaz's own eyes aren't what they used to be, but this is something else entirely. ]

I'm not sure about things like this, exactly. Like I mentioned, there was a blizzard that forced everyone indoors for a few days, and apparently there were monsters roaming around during that time. Anything before that, I wasn't here for.

[video]

[synthedick]

I've been here less than a week, and this is the second time I've found myself on the wrong end of some mishap. First it was giant bats, and now it's being buried alive.

[Well, as alive as he could be considered.]

I guess I should consider myself lucky they at least gave us these phones.

[text]

[thechoiceisyours]

[Okay, this is good. This guy seems like he knows what he's doing and can organize everything a lot better than Chris had been trying to do.]

We started doing a little coordinating on Hope's post over here, for taking coordinates and who's digging and whatever.

[Hopefully it helps.]

[text]

[vendetta]

[ It definitely helps, especially since it proves to Kaz that there are people here who want to take initiative and who want to help. ]

I'll make sure to refer to that when I give out assignments to people, and I'll start from the top of the list. Thanks.

I'm guessing that you're above ground. Are you able to dig?

[text]

[thechoiceisyours]

Yeah, no problem.

[Being able to have done anything to help makes him feel a little better, especially since...]

I'm not. Above ground, I mean.

voice.

[recinerate]

[And here's Mr. Hashtag Helpful himself.]

Good, someone here does have some sense about all this. I was beginning to wonder.

voice.

[vendetta]

[ Nice job helping morale, buddy.

Kaz recognizes the voice, and he also recalls the question from the man's announcement about who was going to organize the rescue effort. He'd had the idea even before seeing that, but there's something about this guy that rubs him the wrong way. ]

Yeah. I appreciate what you were trying to do, but next time you might want to work on your phrasing a little.

voice.

[recinerate]

[Beyond tends to do that to people - rub them the wrong way. Sometimes it's intentional, but most of the time, it's just a product of who he is.]

I don't believe that dancing around the issues at hand would serve anyone's interests except those who are toying with us.

voice

[casperdisaster]

um

I'm probably better as a back-up, but I'll dig as much as I can.

voice

[vendetta]

A back-up? What do you mean by that?

[ Digging a grave halfway doesn't seem particularly helpful in this scenario. ]

[video]

[swarm_embrace]

[Kerrigan doesn't appear to beholding the phone with either of her hands. The shot shows her upper body and the shovel quite clearly.]

I'm already sending help to loosen up the soil. The winged quadruped monster running around burrowing at the locations is mine. It can't dig anyone out, but it can loosen up the soil.

I'm starting at roughly the lower fourth of the list and working my way through by proximity. I'll send you coordinates and names as I clear them.

[video]

[vendetta]

[ Are those... extra limbs behind her? Not to mention the purple skin. Miller can't help but spend a few seconds staring, but then he recalls that he and the Boss had gone up against such enemies as the Man on Fire and Skullface, and he has to acknowledge that this had already been his reality.

When did his life get like this?

Right. When he met Big Boss. ]

Loosening the soil is still something. I'll tell the other diggers not to attack your... pet?

[ He tilts his head to one side, unsure, before he's back to business. ]

Someone else also started at the bottom, so you might want to choose locations from closer to the middle. Either way, keep me updated... and thanks, Miss...?

text;

[hotspurred]

[There is little for those buried to do, other than wait and acknowledge the efforts going on above.]

Godspeed.

text;

[vendetta]

[ Given that it's a text message and that there's no offer made to help, Kaz can make a safe guess that this person is one of the buried. ]

Actually, I think the gods are the ones who got us into this mess. One of them, anyway. But we'll be working to free you either way.

video

[isacrowd]

Hey. [Z looks relieved, but tense, and there's maybe a smudge or two of dirt on her face.] I already started digging-- couldn't wait, sorry. I started from the bottom of Hope's coordinates. How far up the list do you want me to go? I don't want to overlap with anyone else.

[Thank goodness someone's trying to take charge. This is chaotic enough.]

video

[vendetta]

[ The dirt smudges tell her story for her, but Miller shakes his head at her apology. ] That's not something you need to say sorry for, believe me. I think everyone here could do with taking some initiative. [ Hence why he made this post is the first place. ]

Do as much as you can without over-exerting yourself. Not too many people have responded yet saying they can dig, so we might need you on double-duty, but you won't be any good to us if you put yourself out of commission, understood?

[ This is the purely practical side of him speaking. ]

text.

[baths]

[ seeing this is a huge relief for sam, even though it's not a guarantee that they'll all make it. at least people are trying. at least they care. ]

Thank you

text.

[vendetta]

[ None of them asked for this, to be brought here and put through these nightmarish situations. Maybe Kaz has always been about the bottom line, but that doesn't really exist here. All they can do is try to band together. ]

Don't thank me just yet. I'm not even one of the people doing the heavy lifting.

[hybridification]

Do we have a group of people for like, moral support and cheering?

And supervising. I'm pretty good at supervising.

[vendetta]

[ Supervising is more or less what Kaz is doing at this point, but... ]

If you want to provide moral support, no one's stopping you.

Are you above ground or below?

[Text]

[amos_moses]

Excellent, a military man. Efficiency in action, that's what we need.

We the buried thank you, even if not everyone realizes it yet.

[Amos is quite serious: he's known his fair share of military and ex-military, and while not all of them are about efficiency, those who are...well, it's a beautiful thing to see, a military man with a plan. He's relieved that someone's volunteering to take charge of this situation: it means so many more will get rescued.]

[Text]

[vendetta]

[ A little flattery can go a long way. Maybe Kaz isn't doing this for the recognition, but it certainly doesn't hurt to have his hard work acknowledged. ]

A fair amount of people have thanked me already. I would hope someone else would set this up if I was the one six feet under, so...

Hang in there.

[circumitus]

already started on the digging. compared to warzones this is nothing.

[vendetta]

[ While Miller has come across a number of military types during his time here, there's not an abundance of them, so it's always good to find another. ]

You shouldn't have to worry about the enemy interrupting your digging efforts, at least.

Can you let me know which coordinates you've hit already?