Revenging Angel - The Rise and Fall of Harvey

[ss_buttcrack]

Who: Crichton (Harvey), Lt. Tayrey, Dr. Watson, Arthur, Cassandra, Erin, literally anyone is welcome to jump into this mess
What: Here's what you missed last time.
TL;DR: Harvey stole some revenge-loving daggers that were in Tayrey's care and used them to murder Valdis. He made Crichton watch. This is the place to play the fallout directly after.
When: Sep 30 for the murder, Oct 1, and forward for the fallout. Will include later dates in Oct, as well.
Where: The Brig + Various locations stated in the starters posted below
Warnings: Blood, Death, Gore, Violence, Mind-control, mention of Drugs/Alcohol Addiction, will warn for more as necessary


This is a nightmare. This is his worst nightmare come to pass. Valdis...frell. Is she going to come back in three days? After watching her die like that, he's terrified she might not. It's his fault. It's all his fault. He should have known Harvey would still be plotting behind his back. Why did he ever let himself believe it could be safe? He should have stayed locked in the brig.

God... help him.


In The Brig - Guard Duty - Open
This is where he belongs. This is where he should have stayed in the first place. This time, however, he can't stand to be alone. He's begged anyone and everyone he knows to, essentially, play guard duty on shifts. He can't let himself fall asleep unless there's someone there to watch him. Even then, it's hard. The dark circles under his eyes grow more purple by the day as he constantly starts to nod off, only to jerk himself awake again in a panic.

It will go on like this for days. He'll refuse to take one step out of this cell, not even to go get food. Not like he has much of an appetite anyway. Besides, he knows if he walks out of here the first place he might wind up is in front of a bar. He's let Valdis down enough already... he can't risk it.

Find him huddled up in the corner of the brig under a blanket once again like a sick case of deja vu. If it's your turn to watch him, he'll point to his pulse pistol sitting over on a chair outside the cell and say, "Use that on me if I try to leave."

[ooc: feel free to handwave Crichton asking for your character's help.

Rise & Shine
Harvey is dead. Crichton had to die with him. Now, three days later, only one of them is back alive.

At 6:00 a.m. sharp, Crichton takes a deep breath in. His eyes fly open and he sits straight up in his bed. Is it done? Is he gone? Is Harvey really gone?

Crichton searches his mind, trying to access that place where he and his mental clone used to meet. He can't. It isn't there. Harvey isn't there!! The weight of him is lifted. For the first time in so, so long, Crichton is alone in his own mind.

"YES!!" He jumps out of bed and dances in place right there on the carpet, with a few more excited whoops and hollers for good measure.

"He's gone! HE'S GONE!"

Crichton might be so distracted by his own celebrating that he may or may not notice if he has company in the room with him. But, the more the merrier today. He's finally free!

----

The celebrating doesn't stop there. Good God, he's so hungry. People brought him sandwiches while he was down in the brig, but he'd only picked at them half-heartedly. Not much appetite. Well, guess what's back now?? He could eat a whole cougar.

Find him spread out in the buffet later that morning with five plates in front of him, greedily shoving every type of breakfast confection into his mouth like he's worried they're going to vanish off his plate. They are, but they're vanishing into his stomach! Food has never tasted this good.

Wildcard options open: Let me know what kind of starter you want and I'll make it happen. Keep in mind this will be the last chance to participate with Harvey. He'll be perma-dead at the conclusion of this plot.]

Comments

[not_the_last]

Slowly, she looks back at Tiamat.

"I know why Crichton wants Harvey gone. Why do you?"

(The question under the question scarcely needs to be spoken aloud: why should anyone trust you with this?)

[redlightgreenlight]

Tiamat watches this whole exchange with disinterest. She's wary of that little metal prison, but she knows Crichton will side with her.

"He kind of brutally, and almost permanently, killed my host." She points out. "He'll try again and I won't stand for that."

[ss_buttcrack]

"Cass, we'll never have a better shot than now," Crichton says. His blue eyes are wide and pleading. "Erin took Harvey to the cleaners and he's still weak. This might be our last chance."

[not_the_last]

Again she looks back and forth between the two, and her fingers tighten on the iron ball in her hand.

"If this harms him," she says to Tiamat, low and very hard, "in any permanent way ... I will see to it that you regret it. Do you understand me?"

(Valdis has not heard this tone from her before. Crichton has.

[redlightgreenlight]

"You'll have to extract your revenge on Valdis then as I don't plan on sticking around," Tiamat purrs placing her hand on the bars separating her and Crichton.

"It won't be pretty, John, and I'm not going to be nice about it, but I will be quick. I'll at least be kinder than what Harvey did to my host."

[ss_buttcrack]

Crichton does know that tone. It's still chilling even when not directed at him. But it's comforting too, because Cass would absolutely make good on her threat in his honor.

"I'm not scared of dying painfully. Done enough of that already. Quick will be a first."

He glances back to Cassandra, "You don't need to watch this, Cass. Please... don't watch this."

[not_the_last]

"I'm not leaving you." She's paler than usual, but there's not the faintest look of fear in her face. "Whatever happens here ... there should be a witness. Someone needs to know."

And if her hands are cold, and her insides feel as though they're congealing to ice, well ... no one needs to know that.

[redlightgreenlight]

Tiamat smirks and opens the door to the brig. She knows that Cass is steeling herself, but she doesn't give either of them much time. She snaps both of Crichton's arms in quick succession so Harvey cannot fight back even if he wanted to. Then she grabs him by the throat and slams him against the back wall.

It takes her less than a breath to accomplish both and her eyes blaze scarlet as she looks into his eyes. She said she'd be quick, not that it wouldn't be painful.

[ss_buttcrack]

"Cass, Valdis already has to see this... you shouldn't--FRELL!" He's too busy trying to talk Cassandra down to anticipate that Tiamat is going to just go for it.

His limbs snap like dry twigs and his face contorts in agony from it. But with her hand at his throat, he can't do more than grunt in pain. His pale eyes are wide with terror staring directly into her scarlet ones. Then he decides he'd rather not look and closes them instead. Just do it already!

[not_the_last]

Somehow, she holds herself still and doesn't flinch; somehow, she holds her tongue and doesn't cry out.

If she's wrong, if she's allowed this to happen and she's wrong --

[redlightgreenlight]

Tiamat releases a tiny laugh.

The claws of death tear into both Crichton and Harvey, but instead of trying to gently untangle them, Tiamat just starts ripping Harvey apart. Snatching the little torn pieces and devouring them one by one.

She's not being gentle and her nails dig into Crichton's throat, drawing blood.

[ss_buttcrack]

Crichton gasps. His face contorts with the pain, but his eyes don't open. If Tiamat is paying attention, she might notice his eyelids rapidly moving as if he's in rem sleep.

["Crichton!" Harvey rips Crichton into their shared mental space, holding him by the front of his shirt. "You cannot allow this! She will destroy us both!"

"Here's the thing, Harvey, I don't care. If taking you down takes me with you, that's a risk I'm willing to accept." He braces both hands on Harvey's arms and shoves until his grip releases. It's easier than it should be.

Harvey is looking, hmm, even more pale than usual. And he's sweating.

"Uh, oh, Harv, what's the matter?" Crichton taunts. "You don't look so hot, sweetheart. Feeling a little...torn up?"

Harvey snarls, but before he can reply with words he clutches at his chest and groans, doubling over.]

"Keep...going..." Crichton wheezes, out in the living world where everyone can hear. "You got him...on the ...ropes."

[not_the_last]

Some time later, Cassandra will discover several reddened, painful welts across her palm and fingers, where her tightening grasp drove the ridges of the iron ball too hard into her skin.

Right now, eyes fixed on the murder taking place before her, she doesn't feel it at all.

Everything feels cold and detached, even the need to witness this.

[redlightgreenlight]

"There's no need to encourage me, John. I know exactly where he is."

Tiamat continues to tear Harvey apart, devouring each chuck of soul as she rends it from the whole. Soon there is nothing left. Except Crichton. She lowers him to the ground so he can stand on his own.

"I'd apologize over what happens next, but...I'm not really sorry."

Tiamat snaps his neck.

[ss_buttcrack]

"It's...Crichton... to you..." he manages to gasp.

Harvey isn't the only one feeling the pain. He doesn't even know how to quantify this, like having the inner lining of his skull ripped out through his eyes.

"Crich-ton," comes Harvey's weak voice in his ears. "Stop...her. I want... to live."

"Should have thought about that..." Crichton says, out loud because Harvey isn't strong enough to stop him now, "before you stabbed her... hasta la vista...Harvey."

And, with a few last painful wrenches and rips, Harvey's soul is extinguished. It's like a weight has been lifted from his chest. He feels light as air, so much so that when Tiamat sets him back down on his feet, he could still swear he isn't touching the ground. His expression is filled with such joyous wonder. And it's only just starting to shift into worried confusion in response to her non-apology before--snap.

Just like that, he crumples to the floor, with his expression still stuck somewhere between amazement and fear.

[not_the_last]

Tiamat is looking at Crichton, and then at Crichton's corpse. Crichton isn't looking at anything anymore.

There's no one to see if Cassandra flinches at the snap. Later, she will be unable to remember having done so.

[redlightgreenlight]

Tiamat doesn't spare a glance for Cassandra, but gets to work extracting the chip from Crichton's brain. It's messy, violent, and gruesome, but soon enough she's holding it in her blood covered fingers. She turns to Cassandra.

"Long live the Queen." She drops it to the ground and crushes it beneath the heel of her white stiletto.

[not_the_last]

Violence and blood are no strangers to her. Cold helps with that, cold and distance; they've been armor for her before and they will serve again now.

"Long live the Queen," she echoes, without inflection, with no expression at all on her face. "And while you're still here: is there anything we should know about seeing to your host's well-being after you're gone?"

There is no particular stress on the last three words.

(She has not put away the iron ball.)

[redlightgreenlight]

Tiamat looks thoughtful for a moment, her gaze calm and relaxed until a sly smile spreads across her face.

"I'm not the only one with claws in this soul," she says. "But living in continued fear is no life, don't you agree?"

She takes a breath and on the exhale she sinks onto the bed in the brig, shaking her head as if to clear it.

[not_the_last]

"Valdis?" Cassandra steps forward swiftly. "Valdis, close your eyes. Trust me, please, just for a few moments. Close your eyes and keep them closed."

(What she'll feel from Cassandra in this moment is a complicated mix of relief, anguish, dread, and terrible urgency -- all but the last muffled, subdued, pressed ruthlessly flat under a layer of cold pragmatism.)

[redlightgreenlight]

Her head hurts so badly that she couldn't open her eyes if she wanted to, it's too bright and she feels sick to her stomach. The urgency in Cassandra's voice overrides the pain enough to make her want to open her eyes, but when she takes a breath to reply her mouth feels dry.

"Cass," she croaks, reaching up to hold her head with one hand, it's sticky and the smell of blood hits her in an instant. The room is heavy with it. "Cass?" Her voice rises with panic.

[not_the_last]

Very steadily: "Yes, it's me. We're in the brig. What's the last thing you remember?"

[redlightgreenlight]

"Ava," she replies as another sharp pang goes through her head. "I remember fighting with Ava. Is she dead? Did I kill her?"

She doesn't smell Ava, just Cass and a lot of blood and a hint of...Crichton.

"Oh no," she opens her eyes to see the horror in front of her. "Crichton?"

She scrambles to her feet but is instantly dizzy and falls to her knees in more blood. It's all over her dress, her face... and his face is practically gone...she feels like throwing up.

[not_the_last]

Cassandra's there beside her, trying to help her stand.

"This is why I didn't want you to look," she whispers. "Come on, come out of it. You don't have to do this part."

[redlightgreenlight]

Was this what it had been like for Crichton when Harvey killed her? Was Tiamat throwing it back in Crichton's face or was she just being cruel? Either way, Valdis won't let her win. She doesn't push Cassandra off, but she doesn't let the woman help her stand up, she stays next to her friend.

"I'm fine," she does manage to force a little confidence into her voice, "I...please tell me there was a purpose to this and it wasn't violence for violence's sake."

She reaches out to take Crichton's limp hand. It's still warm, he hasn't been dead long.