"War Is The Answer" is the seventh side mission of Season 2. This mission takes place before Season 2 Mission 35: Dog Days Are Over.
Runner 7 launches a top-secret mission, and he's determined to have you by his side. Just what is he hiding and what could it mean for Abel?
Cast[]
Crew[]
- Director: Matt Wieteska
- Sound Designer: Richard Bell
- Series Created By: Naomi Alderman
- Writer: Zombies, Run! Writing Team
Scenes[]
Another Tunnel?
You're out with Runner 7, who Sam says is in charge of your outing. He is curious as to why Evan is being so cagey about revealing your destination.
Come Into My Lair
Runner 7 guides you around a maze of caves, remarking on the beauty of the environment.
Grab The Grenade Launchers
Runner 7 explains that he bought the place from the RAF, who intended for it to be their local HQ before things took a turn for the worse.
No Choice
He believes that one day he could fight his way out of the country my himself. He also confesses that he was an arms dealer in his previous life.
Through The Trapdoor
Runner 7 reveals he had a plane chartered for the Caribbean when he first heard about the virus, but his dog slipped her leash and the pilot set off without him.
Mission Accomplished
Runner 7 asks you to keep the day's mission between you and him, fearing the others' reaction to his background.
Transcript[]
SAM YAO: Okay, then. Yep, looking good there, Runner Seven, Runner Five. Steady pace, good stride. Nice even breathing. Yeah, no, you’re right, I have no idea where you’re going today. This is Runner Seven’s show, right?
EVAN DEAUBL: Right. You see that factory smokestack up ahead, Five? We’ll be curving around to the left of it.
SAM YAO: And to the left of it is - ?
EVAN DEAUBL: Our destination.
SAM YAO: Yes, of course. ...Really? That’s it? Not even a little clue? Not the tiniest hint about where you’re taking Runner Five on this [oh-so-mysterious] mission of yours? No anagrams? No “my first is in apple, and also in swine”?
EVAN DEAUBL: E.
SAM YAO: What?
EVAN DEAUBL: You see that railway tunnel, Five? That’s where we’re going.
SAM YAO: What do you mean, “E”?
EVAN DEAUBL: It’s in apple and also in swine.
SAM YAO: Oh, right. Oh, oh, and is that also a clue in some way?
EVAN DEAUBL: There’s no need for you to concern yourself, Sam. I’ll be guiding Runner Five myself. We’re heading underground, so you’ll be losing your audio and headcam inputs fairly soon.
SAM YAO: Underground? It’s only a railway tunnel. ...Oh, there’s another tunnel in the side of it? I never knew that was there.
EVAN DEAUBL: Thanks for your help, Sam! I’ll take it from here.
SAM YAO: But where are you going - [cut off by static]
[water drips]
EVAN DEAUBL: It’s rather beautiful down here, isn’t it, Five? I know caves aren’t everyone’s cup of tea. Bit on the dank side. But look at those remarkable stalagmites. I always think they look like a field of daffodils. I used to come this way quite a lot. Less since the zombie plague, of course. It’s dangerous on your own.
Mind that puddle ahead! Shouldn’t be deeper than our knees. [splashing] Hmm, up to our thighs. The flooding’s worse than I expected. Still, it should keep the zoms at bay. We do get them down here, I’m afraid. Bunch of cavers were trapped behind a rockfall when one of them turned. Nasty business. But I expect you don’t want to be thinking about that while we’re hundreds of feet underground, rock on all sides, and only one route out!
Sorry to drag you through all this, Five, after all the cloak-and-dagger. The truth is, there aren’t many people I trust to have my back on this one. But you’ve proved your competence to me. And you’re not a babbler. I value that. So, I’m willing to show you this. I haven’t brought anyone from Abel here ever before.
Up ahead, see that metal security door? It’s my door, in fact. [security system beeps, door opens] Come into my lair, Runner Five!
EVAN DEAUBL: Impressive, isn’t it, Five? I suppose, in a way, I should have told the people at Abel about it. But the thing is, it’s mine, and one likes, somehow, in times like these, to have something that’s just one’s own. All this collective living – I know we have to pull for the common good, but that’s never really been my way.
I bought this place from the RAF quite a few years ago, now. It was intended to be their local HQ in the event of a nuclear strike. Then the Berlin Wall fell, the economy took a downturn. In straitened times, they needed to make a quick buck, and I needed a center for my operations. Got it for a song! Relatively speaking.
Left here, Five. Best we avoid the, um – well, this is the optimal route. [security system beeps, door opens] The original tunnels weren’t built by the RAF. They’d been here hundreds, maybe thousands of years. Legends say some of Boudica’s people hid out here after the Roman’s kicked her ass at the battle of Watling Street. Always had a bit of a soft spot for old Boudica.
And, uh, here we are. The reason I brought you here. Guns, grenade launchers. There are some surface-to-air missiles, too, but those are probably a little de trop for our requirements. Grenade launchers are what we’re after. Grab a couple and follow me. Those zombie cavers will have heard us come in. We need to get out before they congregate.
EVAN DEAUBL: I suppose you’re wondering just why I have an underground base full of weapons, and why I haven’t come here sooner. I suppose I’ve been saving these up for a rainy day. Always thought, well… I’ve always thought I’d be able to fight my own way out of Britain at some point. Just a few more weeks to see Abel settled. Just a few more weeks to gather supplies. You know how it goes?
All I needed was a chopper. I could probably have negotiated to swap arms for the one that brought you in if there hadn’t been that rocket launcher attack. That meant Mullins weren’t sending any more choppers. But Janine says there’s a storm coming, and it seems time for me to do my bit.
Left here, Runner Five. [security system beeps, door opens] Yes, of course. You remembered the way. I forget what a good sense of direction you have. That will be useful if you ever need to come back here without me. I’ve got an arsenal down here. Enough for an army, literally.
Listen, don’t tell anyone else this. People react oddly to it, even now. I was an arms dealer, before the apocalypse. Well, more of a gunrunner, to be precise. Mummy and Daddy were awfully proud. But my view was, why shouldn’t Cuba have the right to defend itself, or Iran? Who are we to deny them that right? Arms embargoes, the hypocrisy of it. We tell other people they can’t be trusted with the same toys we used to bomb Iraq into the stone age. Everyone’s glad that someone was selling guns now.
Anyway, nearly there. And – oh. Looks like the zoms beat us to it. Lucky I installed those cameras or we’d have walked through the door and straight into them. We could use the grenade launchers...but they might bring the roof down. The other option’s risky too, but… no, I don’t think we have any choice. Follow me, Five, up this service ladder. We’ll try to pass above them.
EVAN DEAUBL: This isn’t very comfortable, is it? Bit of a tight fit. But then, these shafts were only ever intended for ventilation. This should take us clear over the zoms’ heads, though. Ah, there they are, right below us. I’d rather hoped we’d pass unnoticed, but they must have heard us. Still, the floor of this shaft is pretty thick. I don’t think they can claw their way through it. Hmm, sounds like they’re going to give it a good old try, though.
Don’t worry, Five. This isn’t the first tight spot I’ve been in. When you’re engaged in extra-legal activities, you learn how to improvise. You’re thinking, “If Runner Seven is such a fast improviser, armed with a vast array of weapons and experience at getting past literal armies, how did he get himself stuck in Abel Township for the apocalypse?”
The truth is, I had a plane ready. Always kept a plane ready. I’d heard rumors about some virus the government were working on, so when the first word came in about zoms, I set off. Plan was for the pilot to fly us out to my own private island in the Caribbean. Entirely zombie-free, of course. I was actually on the airfield, and then Bonnie slipped her leash. Of course, I should have left her. Amazing how clear that is after the fact. But I’d had Bonnie since she was a puppy! She trusted me, loved me unconditionally. There’s not a single person I could say that about.
So, I ran after the dog, and the pilot took off without me. Can’t say I can blame her. I daresay she’s having a lovely time, now, sunning herself beside my infinity pool and drinking my cellar dry. And here I am, running through a ventilation shaft, pursued by zombies. Not quite the future I envisioned for myself. But I suppose that’s true for all of us.
Do you hear that? I think the whole tunnel’s flooded. That should give the zoms pause. And if we’re lucky – yes! We’re heading upwards again, out of the water. And here’s the trap door. [door opens] Quick, Five, jump down. I’ll be right behind you. Now run! That water won’t hold up the zoms for long.
EVAN DEAUBL: Can you see that, Five? Daylight ahead, and no zoms blocking the way. We’ve made it. Sam should get his audiovisual feed back soon. I hope you understand that everything I told you is strictly entre nous. It’s not that I’m ashamed. Why would I be? My weapons have saved hundreds of lives in the last few months. And that’s just in this country. Worldwide, an armed populace is a safe populace. But people are so small-minded, and I prefer not to be judged.
SAM YAO: [static] Runner Five, Runner Five?
EVAN DEAUBL: Ah, there’s Sam. Right on cue.
SAM YAO: Runner Seven? Runner Five?
EVAN DEAUBL: We hear you, Sam.
SAM YAO: Ah, you’re safe! Good! Now, not that I was worried. I mean, you know what you’re doing, don’t you, Runner Seven? Of course you do. So, uh… anything to report?
EVAN DEAUBL: Mission accomplished, Sam. Just a simple find and fetch. Nothing interesting to report.
Codex[]
Supplies[]
The following supplies can be found in this mission.
(List may be incomplete.)
9mm Ammo
Baseball Bat
Bottled Water
Pain Meds
Sports Bra
Tinned Food
Tool Box
Trousers
USB Key
Base Unlocks[]
The following objects unlock for your Base upon completing this mission.
Heavy Weapons Storage (addon for the Armoury)
- Description: Bazookas are bad news. Best kept away from zombies.
- Cost: 5 supplies, 1 material
- Effect: Increases defence.
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