Bookworms and Shadow Bugs

[trustycrowbar]

[Video, to students taking his class]

Greetings. To the newbies in the school, my name is Dr. Gordon Freeman and I'm the physics teacher here. Now, much as no one wants to admit it, the school year is coming up on us fast. Enclosed with this transmission is a list of supplies and books you'll need for my class this fall.

[Private, to Mac]

Hey kid, are you ready for another year?

[To faculty, plus Ishimaru]

Hey, has anyone learned anything new on this shadow bug situation? Best I can figure is that it's all coming from the world on the other side of those rifts up above us. Those clones might be part of their life-cycle, a sort of parasitic larva-to-adult transition... I wish I could say that it's the first time I've seen something like that. If anyone has any information, I want to know.

Comments

video

[mohawk_tomahawk]

They are increasingly becoming more aggressive, Gordon.

[trustycrowbar]

I've noticed that too. How many places have they gotten themselves into?

Also, have you seen anything else unusual around the school? [...] I mean, unusual in a relative sense.

[mohawk_tomahawk]

They seem to be increasing in numbers and making their presence well known especially away from campus.

[Civilians are having issues too, he didn't need to say that. It was obvious.]

Things are most definitely worse. Has something happened?

[trustycrowbar]

The rift is getting wider, other than that I don't know what's spurring them on. What I want to know is, why they're not swarming the school. There are a TON of people here with crazy abilities that they would probably covet, if any one of those bugs had the forebrain for it.

[mohawk_tomahawk]

They appear to react solely on instinct in order to multiply and create copies of residents. Though I am unsure of why they do not approach the school.

[A mental bite of the lip.]

Perhaps, we should use this school as a shelter, if nothing else.

[trustycrowbar]

Yeah. Stockpiling supplies would be a good idea, if we can make it to the city and back AND if the shops haven't been looted already. We'll need to get word out once we think we can handle the numbers that will show up.

[mohawk_tomahawk]

We do have to think fast, because the public is getting restless. They are scared Gordon, and many people in the school are as well.

Things will get far worse until it gets better, and there is still so much information we do not have.