The following document is a detailed personnel file on Adrian Shephard, a registered and licensed NecroTechnician operating within the quarantined city of Malton. As per special request (handled in form 22-C-Alpha-Beta-D), the file has been authorized for his access and for public display on NecroNet 2.0 terminals by A.L.I.C.E.
Physical Description
Adrian Shephard is a fairly average male subject. He is Caucasian, standing one hundred and eighty-eight (188) centimetres tall and weighing eighty-two (82) kilograms. His natural hair colour is a dark, dirty brown, and his eyes are green. He is physically fit and active, and while he has a slight frame he is strong enough to preform well in both normal and combat situations. As of his last examination, Adrian Shephard has a short haircut and a beard, as well as a large scar running across his back.
Clothing
Adrian Shephard prefers wearing light, well-fitting clothing, both to minimalize the possibility of being grabbed by zombies and to enhance dexterity. He no longer wears a certified military outfit, and instead possesses a dark blue greatcoat, a brown jacket, tan t-shirt, black trousers and steel toe-capped boots. He is also known to keep a pair of military dogtags on his person at all times.
Registered Equipment
Adrian Shephard is an experienced survivor who has training in all equipment found on Malton. As such, he maintains a stock of various useful items, replacing them when required. His equipment often includes, but is not limited to; a GPS unit, NecroTech DNA extractor (hacked), several first aid kits, at least one revivification syringe , a flashlight, and a pair of binoculars. Being from a military background, he has gathered an assortment of firearms, including five pistols and two shotguns. For melee combat, he keeps a pair of hunting knives and a fireaxe. For added protection, he wears a flak jacket underneath his standard clothing, using it's harnesses and clips to carry his equipment and ammunition. Finally, he wears a pair of heavy-duty safety goggles for added protection, as well as keeping a large, leather-bound journal with him at all times.
History
Pre-Outbreak:
Adrian Shephard worked in a military base nearby Malton with the rank of Corporal, mainly doing nothing but drills and training. However, he did notice a large amount of contact between the base and the NecroTech facilities inside Malton. Intrigued by this, he began to search through the restricted files of the base whenever he could, occasionally getting in trouble for this but almost always managing to avoid discovery or weasel his way out of punishment.
The Outbreak:
Adrian Shephard was reassigned to the perimeter wall, where he worked on monitoring the conditions within and working the supply drop helicopters during flyovers for several years, where he was kept too busy, perhaps intentionally, to investigate the cause.
Early Months:
On the seventeenth of February, 2008, there was a malfunction with the chopper Shephard was riding in. Losing altitude, Adrian bailed out of the chopper before it crashed and killed the rest of the crew, finding himself in hostile territory.
Doing his best to survive for the longest time, Shephard joined the Army Control Corps after a chance encounter with one of their members in a besieged police station. Making good use of their training, he learnt how to survive in the city, taking part in several of their operations. Reports indicate that he was likely suffering from a combination of shock and denial, clinging to his military identity and going so far as to salvage standard military outfits from the Forts when his own became too damaged to wear.
During the end of this period, Shephard suffered a concussion which knocked him into a coma for nearly two weeks. Psychological evidence suggests this may have been what caused his later actions.
Dereliction of Duty:
During his time in the ACC, he discovered something frightening with the aid of Wesley Seldon, an acquaintance who had also joined the Army Control Corps.
A single document shattered Adrian's faith. It detailed the involvement of the ACC in a project to create a easily controllable zombie horde, for use as a biological weapon. Horrified, Adrian dropped off the radar, went AWOL, and began to devote himself to finding out how deep this mystery went. Eventually, this lead to a period of intense personal reflection, ending in him totally reconfiguring his personality and appearance.
The Shadowfall Organization
After this psychological reconfiguration, Adrian then worked on creating a group to find and protect the secrets behind Malton and the zombies, known as The Shadowfall Organization.
Though he did gain several members, many simply gave hints and clues to further caches of information. In the end, The Shadowfall Organization remained what it had been meant to be, a loose, nearly unknown collection of people holding pieces of a greater puzzle. The Organization was disbanded with little warning, only a few scattered remanants to point to it having existed.
Continued Activity
After a particularly harrowing search for information which led to him being locked in a safehouse for a month or two, Adrian Shephard reconsidered his mission. The documents he had sought out had been placed in the proper hands, the information he needed spread spread, and the secrets that had to remain buried, buried. The Shadowfall Organization had served it's purpose. So what of him?
He once again underwent a change in his personality (quite likely from the weeks spent in isolated self-contemplation), reforming into a cross between the mysterious persona which had led the Shadowfall Organization and the down-to-earth Corporal who had first arrived in Malton and joined the ACC. What sources he still had told him that Wesley Seldon was dead or gone, and so lacking his only real friend in the undead city he decided to tough it out.
New Objectives:
Shephard then stayed in southern Malton, doing his best to be helpful and fight back the Zombie attacks that had become oh-so-frequent in those times. He had also begun planning to find Wesley Seldon again, and should be really be dead, revive him. To this goal, he made contact with a NecroTech employee, Geddy Allman, in hopes of gaining his assistance in locating his now-MIA friend. Due to the conditions, he opted to refrain from joining another major organization or group and instead become a Freelancer.
A thick, old book with several pages torn out and written in a mostly-steady hand.
Hello. This journal is the property of Adrian Shephard, former corporal in the Military Quarantine enforcers, later soldier in the rag-tag unofficial Army Control Corps, and later the co-founder of The Shadowfall Organization. As of my writing this, I am just another survivor. But I'm taking the time to explain what's happening around me. I'll do my best to write in this every day, though I make no promises should I die.
Though, since you are reading this, I'm either with you now and you can ask me as much as you like, or I'm dead and either you've pillaged this off of my corpse or found it somewhere. In any case, I hope this enlightens you.
2008
Thursday, December 11th
Dear lord.
Been... ugh. I have no idea how long it's been. Last time this happened was... a year ago? I got into a fight, damn zacks nearly overran the damn place and I got hit on the head pretty damn hard. Woke up about a month later, inside the attic. Some damn SOB had kept me alive, then taken off at some point. Small mercies. The whole suburb was nearly empty...
Anyways.
Roughly the same thing happened. I was in... where was it, a mall? Can't remember which. Well, someone had made up some sort of saferoom down in the basement, and I got locked in there for a while looking for a file. Took me until now to get the damn thing unlocked. Turns out Malton's in the middle of a Zed population spurt, and everything in the nearest suburbs was smashed to all hell.
I managed to get okay, and I'm holed up in a junkyard in Roachtown after running 'till my lungs hurt. Near as I can figure now that my damn GPS broke down, it's at coordinates 51 and 34.
Friday, December 12th
Well, Roachtown seemed safe, but I had to keep moving. I've been listening to the External MilitaryReports, used the Necronet access feed my DNA scanner has, and apparently the place was declared a red zone today. I packed up my stuff, headed south. Stopped by Floyde Stadium and tagged the place, and then I stopped in a Factory at 45,52.
Rested up there for the day, then set out. I'm in what the Survivor's Guide to Malton (I always wonder who wrote this thing...) calls Mocker territory, holed up in the The Harrold Museum. Near enough to what Necronet is calling a safe-ish area. I'll continue later.
Some dude was in here too, not too talkative. Looked pretty damn green, but he had a nasty looking axe, so I figure he's doing okay. I asked him for a smoke before he left, but he said he had been trying to quit. Now some other dude named Tai Tao Ren who claims to be the former curator of the museum is here.
Saturday, December 13th
Packed up again last night, said goodbye to Tai Tao Ren after discussing a few things with him, then headed south again. I made my way to West Grayside eventually, headed over to Pole Mall and Clapton Stadium to restock after a brief time in a NecroTech building to grab another syringe. Then some ass went and blew the generator. Should have tracked that guy down and given him a nice hole between the eyes.
Anyways, I made contact with someone. He's in Dartside, two suburbs away. Some NecroTech goon who finally got his shit togethor, I guess. Didn't sound to confident, so I'm guessing he's new to the whole "actually be a use and not just a drain on resources" thing. I figure he might be able to help me track down Wesley, so I'm going to rest up and hike to wherever the hell he is, The Bagnall Building.
Scrounged around the mall's Tech department until I found a GPS that worked, so I'm good to go tomorrow. Sleeping 'till then.
Monday, December 15th
Well, the mall had a breakin, I guess. Zombies dragged me out into the street or something. I woke up on the sidewalk outside a NecroTech building, I think it was The Bagnall Building. Anyways, high-tailed it to where Geddy had said he was heading on the Radio. I'm here now, with him and another dude, Dean Reese. Looks like some Cop. Whatever.
Wednesday, December 17th
Well, yesterday I spent mostly sleeping. Wasn't feeling too well, must have been a tainted can of tuna or something. Anyways, I'm back in action today. Scouted around the area, there was a nearby NecroTechbuilding that I used to access the NecroNet to check on nearby zombies. Fairly large horde nearby, sixteen all told. Headed back to the safehouse, but I slipped and fell into a park. Revived some poor sap along the way back inside, then told Geddy and the cop where I was heading (the NecroTech) and ran off.
While I'm writing I may as well mention; it's almost Christmas. I'm wondering what I should do, since it's been a while... Ah well. I'll come up with something. Some guy running through the building mentioned something about grabbing some lights and a tree... I should look into that.
Thursday, December 18th
Headed out from the NecroTech building I was in and found Geddy in a bar nearby, drinking himself under the table. Poor SOB, seems really out of it. Anyways, then I headed to Tompson Mall and dug out some christmas lights to set up. They look pretty nice...
Anyways, heard a chopper fly over a few minutes ago, people have probobly already grabbed the crate. I guess they saw the lights... Regardless. I wonder if they ever pick up my transponder? I've kept it with me, and I think it still works.
They wouldn't take me back out of here, of course. Ah well.
Saturday, December 20th
Nothing much to report. Did a bit of partying, killed a zombie, and hooked up a Radio Transmitter in a junkyard. Hanging out back with Geddy in the bar he's still in.
Monday, December 22nd
Hell yeah! I just opened up the second crate since yesterday, found another pair of loaded Shotguns and another six shells! I'm having trouble carrying all these things, I have five now. Whole belt full of shells.
Those bastards on the wall may have been forced to abandon me, but God bless the External Military!
Thursday, December 25th
Well, I'm leaving that lazy lout Geddy behind, though not before I downloaded every bit of info he had from his DNA Extractor. Then I headed off with another two crates worth of shotguns and generators, on my way to West Grayside. Christmas was nice too. Someone, (don't ask me how) somehow, found some pancake mix and made up some apple pancakes. Man. Those things were great.
Friday, December 26th
Got to West Grayside and had a few drinks in celebration. Not much to report, otherwise.
2009
Thursday, March 19th
Well, back to writing this thing. Life's been... good. The Zacks seem to have disappeared, gone up north. Down here seems pretty heavily populated, but from what I hear there's a massive concentration of zombies not too hard from where I am right now, up in Wray Heights. I should be careful.
Saturday, March 28th
I've taken refuge in Woodroffe Mall in Tollyton, since two days ago. The whole suburb is a little... dangerous, but it's not that bad. Turns out half the ACC is here too. Luckily for me, they don't seem to mind my desertion too much, and I've refrained from being too hostile. Not that I have any hard feelings anyway, but it's been a little difficult to avoid calling them out on that goddamn plan.
Nothing much else to report... though, I may have saved SaulKD's life. Checked out one of the nearby buildings, got downstairs to find him and a few others trying to fend off a zombie who had broken in. Killed it for them, tipped my hat and headed back to the mall after barricading the building again.
Thursday, March 31st
After a bit of preparation, I set out from Tollyton. It was a nice place and all, but I was getting tired of the monotony. Said goodbye to the ACC, headed to the nearest NecroTechfacility and got a scan of the area to update the main server with. Headed north and ended up in Crowbank for a while, but then I kept on trekking. I'm all the way to Roftwood now.
It's not pretty. Zombies have ruined most of the suburb from what I can see, my DNA Extractor's uplink is saying that the place is a red zone, a I just watched some goddamn private get torn apart by the rotters that are infesting the place.
Too tired to keep moving. I've holed up in the Nicks Arms. Left a message behind for anyone that cares to find it.
Wednesday, April 1st
I had the worst dream this morning.
Thursday, April 2nd - Friday, April 24th
These pages are torn and covered in blood.
Saturday, April 25th
I think I was dead for a while.
I woke up outside a hospital nearby a group of zack with a splitting headache and covered in blood. I'm really, really hoping it was just a really, really good party. I've taken refuge in a old auto shop to recuperate, get my bearings. I think I'm in Barrville, though.
