[4-14] The Town

[Albert Wesker]

The biggest question they had facing them as of the moment was which way to go. They had no clear options, what with being on an unidentified, unfamiliar island and what not. It made their options limited to 'pick a random direction and go', or 'plan more thoroughly and carefully'. They didn't have the time to do the latter, and the former...wasn't exactly the most appealing prospect, especially after their run-in with the no longer entirely dead back on the beach.

And there was the matter of the two secondary survivors of the crash that had come along with Abner. Just one more complication added on to an already very complicated situation. Looking after them while simultaneously being aware of other possible danger to themselves was just going to make this already stale experience rapidly wear out what little novelty it still had left. And it would also probably be a weight on the minds of the other two. Colonel was just heartless enough not to care if the two secondaries got left behind or died along the way, but he had the distinct feeling that Granite and Abner would be a little less willing to leave them to whatever miserable fate this misbegotten island had in store for them.

The soldier program turned turned away and paced several strides forward, turning his eyes toward the general lay of the forest. Hoping, futilely, he might see something through all the trees. Predictably, he couldn't. The gloom of the forest itself, from the rain still making it through the canopy overhead, and the closeness of the trees themselves effectively blotted out anything more than a couple yards out. "...fantastic," he muttered under his breath. He turned his sight upward, toward the canopy. There was every chance he might be able to catch sight of something from a higher vantage point... Then again, there were the complications of the rain, and his own metallic bulk to be considered. The tree limbs that high up probably wouldn't take kindly to his presence. And the odds of being able to see much of anything in the rain were also not...not that great, really.

This would be a good time to have his operator here. Baryl had been a soldier, in the physical world. He would have had a better idea of what to do in this instance than Colonel did. The cyberworld had its own rules for navigation and survival; the real world had an entirely different set of rules and dangers to watch out for. He was reluctant to admit it, but as he turned back to his two unexpected allies, his grim expression said it all. "It doesn't matter much which way we go. We'll be just as lost."

The human, Abner, didn't look exactly pleased at hearing that, but didn't say much. "Yeah, figured as much. So we just pick a direction and start walking?"

"Preferably one not back the way we came," Granite supplied helpfully.

"Yeah, that'd probably be best, alright." It was hard to tell whether Abner was being sarcastic.

"...right." Colonel cast a glance back in roughly the direction they'd come from. The rough, trampled path they'd made through the forest growth, accompanied by the severed and burned underbrush as Colonel had literally cut his way through, made it quite clear which direction they'd come from, even in the gloom. "Take a bit longer. Rest as you need to. We'll move out at your ready." He didn't like waiting around, even for another minute, but he was forced to accept it might be for the best. Letting the ones who needed rest get what little they could, and taking the time to assess his own damage and distribute power to override or bypass damaged areas. He was going to need to stay at optimum functionality.

A flicker of electricity from a jagged gash in the plating of his arm drew a faint darkening to his expression. Yes. Definitely optimum functionality.