any one of the following four clips may play at the beginning of a run
[gate siren, gates raising, gunfire]
JANINE DE LUCA: Runner Five, Sam's told me you volunteered to take on a run looking specifically for tech parts. That's good news. Every part of this base is wearing out, partly because we don't have all the maintenance supplies we need, and we've had to cobble our technology together from inappropriate materials. We can always use more equipment, so whatever you find out there today will be helpful.
[gate siren, gates raising, gunfire]
JANINE DE LUCA: As you know, Runner Five, our scanner – such as it is – is what keeps you safe on your runs. Well, safe-ish. I've cannibalized parts from dozens of pieces of AV equipment to make it work, but the bloody thing still fails when we need it most.
I want you to find whatever technology you can and bring it back to the base, but especially look out for cameras and monitors. It's going to be heavy carrying all that back to base, so watch yourself.
[gate siren, gates raising, gunfire]
JANINE DE LUCA: Runner Five, we badly need parts for our communications center. Rofflenet, our hacked-together quasi-internet, keeps us updated on what's going on in the wider world, but we need a better, bigger aerial.
We think the comms people at New Canton aren't passing us correct data. We need to be able to bypass them. So it's electronics shops today, Runner Five. Aerials and signal boosters, but anything you find will be welcome.
JANINE DE LUCA: No, Mister Yao, I don't know what you've done to it. Oh, you did, did you? No, I rather doubt that spilling beer on the computer will cause a hot woman to materialize as in the 1985 film, Weird Science. Anyway, that was a lightning bolt. No, it will not make Number Five come alive, either! That was also a lightning bolt – and fictional!
[gate siren, gates raising, gunfire]
Runner Five, owing to Mister Yao's overexuberance around our equipment, we're rather badly in need of some new pieces of technology. Try to find us laptops. Any will do. No, we cannot hook them up to a lightning conductor! Runner Five, we'll be grateful for whatever you find. Run!
any of the following clips may appear in any order during a run
JANINE DE LUCA: No, Mister Yao, we are not prioritizing a "sweet MacBook Air" for you. Although... Runner Five, there's an Apple store in [?] Plaza. See what you can find that hasn't been looted already.
JANINE DE LUCA: It's not exciting, but we can always find a use for extra cable. Steam Supply should have several reels left. Runner Thirteen brought some back just a few days ago.
JANINE DE LUCA: Oh. Oh dear, that is a shame. That zombie staring at the wall of dead televisions in the electronics shops looks like – yes, it's [?]! Mister Yao will be too young to remember, but [?] was quite the heartthrob when I was a teenager!
Oh well. Runner Five, get him in the back of the head with your entrenching tool and let's take some of those flat-screen televisions.
JANINE DE LUCA: Well done! There's often something we can cannibalize from mobile phones, and they're light to carry. Take as many as you can.
JANINE DE LUCA: I know it's a sordid job, but often the best place to find technology is in the homes of the dead. Every house contains more processing power than NASA used to send a man to the moon. If you can bear it, go through a few of the houses there.
JANINE DE LUCA: Runer Five, there are six zombies closing in from the direction of [?] School. Forget about checking the school for technology today; looks like half the children are zombies now.
JANINE DE LUCA: Ah, Jason's Computers. I used to shop there myself. Yes, an excellent place to search. There'll not only be parts, but also tools. And I believe Jason himself made it out safely. I hear on Rofflenet that he and his family are in the Pandora Haze compound in Scotland.
JANINE DE LUCA: As you know, Runner Five, we can never get enough batteries. Of course, in a few years' time, we won't be able to find any at all, but we'll have to cross that bridge when we come to it.
JANINE DE LUCA: Hmm, I think Geek Beat Radio broadcasts from that building you're just passing now. Go inside and see if you can find broadcast equipment. Yes, Mister Yao, those guys. Yes, it was quite distressing when they were eaten live on-air.
JANINE DE LUCA: If you strike west now, you'll come to a large storage depot for - wait, no. You'll also come to a large horde of zombies. Carry on the way you're going.
JANINE DE LUCA: Just as the apocalypse started, I saved a very detailed Google map of the area. That's how I know where to direct you. I rarely came into the city, you know. Couldn't bear the crowds, the noise. No, Mister Yao, I was not a shut-in.
JANINE DE LUCA: External hard drives are always useful. We'll send you out on a swap run at some point if we haven't already. Various communities have massive amounts of data saved on their computers, but the only way for us to get those classic novels, training manuals, or blueprints to each other is to send a runner out to swap a hard drive. We each just have to hope we get something worth risking a runner's life for.
JANINE DE LUCA: You know... hmm. Try Philip [?]’s, the toy shop. They'll have radio-controlled cars and small motors. Those mechanisms are always useful.
JANINE DE LUCA: Ah, the [?] Theater! Yes, check backstage for floodlights! We try not to send runners out after dark, but when we do, those lights can save lives.
JANINE DE LUCA: The more powerful the aerial we have, the more range we get on our Rofflenet signal. I can't say I'm a fan of the name, but I suppose when you invent a way to save the internet in the event of an apocalypse, you get to rename it yourself. That's if this Alex McMillan really exists at all.
JANINE DE LUCA: No, don't bother checking the basement of that office building. Imran, Runner Fifteen, has scouted it already. There are three large servers there that we do want, but you won't be able to carry them. Another day.
JANINE DE LUCA: What a pity. We could have used that laptop, but as it's been out in the rain, it's useless. So much technology is starting to corrode already.
JANINE DE LUCA: There are seven zombies on the street parallel to the one you're on now, Runner Five. Try not to make too much noise.
JANINE DE LUCA: Ah, look in that window! They have the [?] aerial! It only shipped a few days before the outbreak. It could be exactly what we need!
JANINE DE LUCA: I've often wondered if we could use some kind of technology to repel the zombies. Of course, we don't really know how or why they're attracted to humans or human flesh, but my theory is that maybe it's a specific combination of sounds. [sighs] We don't have enough resources for me to start testing anything new out yet. Keep looking for parts, Runner Five.
any one of the following four clips may play at the end of a run
JANINE DE LUCA: That's good work, Runner Five! It looks like your pack is full of supplies, including some pretty useful pieces we've been looking for for a while. Come on home now, and you'll get an extra ten minutes on Rofflenet this evening.
JANINE DE LUCA: Excellent work, Runner Five! It looks like we might have a few parts leftover to give the rec center. No, before you ask, Mister Yao, although we have a number of games consoles, we don't yet have enough spare electricity to power them. You'll have to content yourself with staring at the boxes and dealing with the actual zombie apocalypse.
JANINE DE LUCA: You've done very well, Runner Five! I'm particularly pleased with all the radio parts we've found today. I think we'll have enough supplies to make some more runner communicators. Every time a runner gets bitten, we lose technology along with a friend. But you've really done good work, Five. That equipment will save lives, maybe even yours.
JANINE DE LUCA: There's a pack heading towards you, Runner Five. It's time to head home. You've got some good equipment there. I'm looking forward to working on it. With luck, we'll be able to improve the technology in Mister Yao's booth here just a little.
Feels so good to finally sit down and have some food. That tech rehearsal took far too long, but at least it is done now.
I can't believe the shows start tomorrow..
Trying to tech our show and it's literally going so bad. We open tomorrow at 12.. I don't even know if the magic of theatre will pull this one through.. Oh god.
I have lost all faith in the show. It was the worst tech I have ever ever been a part of, and I've had quite a few grim ones, but this was a wholeeee new league.
