Well that wasn't very long resolved.

Today was the first - and last - day of the interns' game of Assassin Deresolved. Each of the interns plus myself were assigned one other intern/me as a target. Basically, you were supposed to Nerf your target without being Nerfed by whomever was targeting you, starting at 9:10 this morning. Official rules were:

1. No derezzings allowed in the morning meetings 
2. You are not allowed to guard the punch in clock waiting for your target to arrive 
3. No derezzing during lunch / while clocked out
4. The only weapons allowed are of the nerf variety 
5. If you derezz your target, it is then your job to derezz your target's target 
6. If you "derezz" the person who is trying to derezz you then they are not allowed to try and derezz you for the rest of the day 
7. It is advised that you do not tell anyone who your target is 
8. The derezzer rules are like the U.S constitution, there is an elastic clause built in. This means that rules can be added or changed if the need arises 
9. The game will continue as long as it has to, it will not be over until there is only one person left "with resolution".
10. This should not interfere with work being done in or around CIS.  Please be cognizant of your surroundings. 

Sounds easy enough, right? I've never had a Nerf gun but luckily my husband has a few from when he was a kid, so I came in today with a vintage piece:

That's the face of a serious shooter right there.

Secret Shot, Circa 1994, OH YEAH. Hey what's in the handle, oh there's nothing in there, OHHH WAIT!

Yeah, I wasn't expecting much from this slow-loader, though I did have the SECRET SHOT. So knowing my major vulnerability, my strategy was to hide in my office with the door closed.

That got pretty lonely, so around 10:30 or so I ventured out with Bob on a number of actual work-related missions. First we picked up intern Nick who needed to drop off a piece of paperwork and wasn't sure where to go. I hid behind the door of his lab but luckily none of the 4 interns in there started shooting at me, so I figured I was safe. On our way out we decided to stop by intern Sadie, since I got an automated e-mail saying she probably missed a punch yesterday. I suspiciously peered around the corner into the grad offices where she sits, but everyone inside said she had just stepped out. As we walked down the hall, Bob, Nick, and I speculated as to where she could be - we could stake out the bathroom, and so on - when just as we got to the vending machines I thought, maybe she got a snack! So Secret Shot ready, I went ahead - She totally shot at me first but missed, and I got her right in the jugular. She claims it wasn't fair, but she had her Nerf gun and was totally ready for me (seriously, who couldn't hear me coming down the hall?), and besides I did have actual work-related reasons for hunting her down. So one target conveniently down, we proceeded to deliver the paperwork. 

As we got outside, I was thinking we wouldn't run into anyone so I stashed my gun in my backpack. Sure enough, as we came through the 7A/B tunnel there was the Insight Lab group returning from their morning coffee meeting - and all hell broke loose. I ran straight into Booth to hide while a total massacre took place outside. I got my gun back out from behind Booth's doors and just as everyone was walking away, out of nowhere I ran up behind and deresolved Maddie, Sadie's target (so at that point, mine). She was slow to tell me who her target was, though, and by the time I heard her yell "Nick!" he had already reloaded and gotten me 3 times!! Turns out she had just then been trying to deresolve him when he got her first, so he was safe for the rest of the day; and then once I derezzed her it was immediately clear that I needed to be deresolved by Nick so he could remain safe for today. Boo. So then we were on our way, again.

Paperwork successfully delivered, we decided to stop by Kaila's lab on the way back since she was apparently decked out in all black even with a helmet on, super ninja style, and I wanted to get a picture. I tried to peer around where I guessed she might be sitting, and at first got very strange and suspicious looks from a couple grad students, when BAM two Nerf darts came flying at me from the corner of the room. I can't remember whether she got me or not, but it didn't matter because I wasn't her actual target. At first I threatened to keep the darts for my own arsenal, but I caved and gave them back. Turns out she had changed out of the ninja getup because it was too hot, but she had a picture on her phone that she promised to share. And we were on our way again.

As we re-entered the building from the southwest corner, the Insight group was descending the stairs right above us - so I bolted, just in case. So I don't know what happened back there, and I totally ditched Nick and Bob, but we were done with actual work tasks anyways so I ran around to the front of the building and quietly snuck back into my office. Just call me Brave Sir Robin.

It wasn't long before I got a phone call with negative feedback about the game - apparently one of the groups was having a little too much fun in a hallway outside of a morning meeting - so a new rule was enacted that the building was a safe zone and the game could only exist outside from then on. I was relieved to be able to sit in my office with the door open again and not have to have my Nerf gun at the ready. So I didn't emerge for a while since I normally eat lunch in my office, and apparently the interns saw this as being a continuation of my hiding strategy; so unbeknownst to me they hatched a dirty scheme to get me outside.

Around 1:30 Bob came into my office to ask if we could go out to look at picnic stuff for Friday (when the interns are supposed to each bring in a friend). I didn't even think to bring my Nerf gun with me, and as we went down the stairs I saw there was a group of interns sitting in the lobby. While I found that a bit strange, I went ahead with Bob to the front lawn, where I then GOT AMBUSHED! 

Womp womp. Game over for me. I jokingly told Bob and the interns who had gathered to watch that that was dirty and that I wasn't helping with anything fun anymore, and Bob wasn't allowed to know the secret knock for my door for when Round 2 starts since he was a traitor. Since I had lost at Deresolved I needed a new game to play; so my new game was to make everyone worried that I was super angry at them and going to hold a grudge (the classic, "Ha! That'll show them!"), and to that end I went in my office and closed the door and said I wasn't going to answer anymore. So when a minute later Bob came knocking at my door I ignored him.... until he said, "One of the interns got injured. No, really."

I still had my doubts, but sure enough, an accident had taken place, and there was blood. Blood! Agh! I can't be around that. I got the basic story that a student cut her big toe on something in the building and was going to lose the nail, and I was asked to call Public Safety to report the incident. I was told to say it was not an emergency and we didn't need medical help, we just wanted to document it - but even so I was connected to 911. 911, really?! I started by saying it was not an emergency, which I don't think was something they wanted to hear - but anyways, I said what I knew (which was very little) and then told them that the situation was under control, the bleeding was stopped, we just wanted to call it in in case a statement needed to be taken. The 911 operator then asks the Public Safety guy (who was still in on the call) why they were contacted since it didn't sound like a criminal matter or an emergency and any statements could just go through them. Turns out, any time anything medical-related happens at RIT it is protocol to call 911. Gee whiz! So then I had to answer all these questions like, is she conscious, is she lucid, is she breathing normally, and is she a hemophiliac, and I had to take note to gather all her medications, not let her eat or drink because it might make her sick, and press down on the wound to slow the bleeding and if that didn't work to press harder. Well the bleeding was already stopped at this point anyways, but I said okay and the call was over. I tried to be calm but I'll be honest, it really freaked me out to be talking to 911 and the operators there are so abrupt and to the point that THEN I was starting to panic. Public Safety showed up, and then later Henrietta Ambulance (does RIT Ambulance not work for the summer?), and eventually statements were all made and the toe in question was all bandaged up. Her dad showed up and was relieved that it was just her toe NAIL that might fall off, and not her entire toe - guess there was some miscommunication over the phone. Everyone split up and went their ways, and I tried to calm myself down after feeling awful and responsible even though I wasn't even there for the whole thing.

And with that, Deresolved was OVER. (As was my little fake grudge game, obviously.) I don't mind - hey I was derezzed anyways - but that's not why I don't mind. My main concern was that our injured intern was okay, and that everyone involved was also okay and not feeling freaked out, or guilty that this happened or that the game was over. We still have all summer to think of other team building games; preferably ones that don't carry as much risk, and that stay outside the building. Ironically enough, this whole incident didn't even really happen as part of the game, other than the connection that they wanted to watch me get ambushed outside and were trying to get a better view out a window.

One last note, I would like to commend the Public Safety officers and Henrietta Ambulance responders. They were incredibly friendly, calm, and caring, and really helped put us at ease. One of them was even nice enough after it was all over to ask if I was feeling okay (I must have had quite a look). They did a commendable job and I am very grateful.