END GAME: THE COUNTDOWN STARTS

[sailmods]

[the prisoners wake up on cold, hard floors.

the lights are bright, glaring, a sterile cell with sterile bars facing a sterile hall. the prisoners with you, across from you, and no one else. no rocking of a ship in waves, nothing. just the prisoner and their prison.

time passes, one assumes. the rhythmic click of Friday’s heels down the hall. it’s almost like the ticking of a clock.]

Comments

[saltwaterlungs]

...

Yeah. Sometimes it's just plain embarrassing in the way that parents just always are, and sometimes it's the irritation of feeling unworthy of it and getting it anyway, and sometimes it's just being 16 17 where any given thing can feel like nails on a chalkboard, and sometimes it's the trauma, and sometimes it's the real issues that they haven't talked over, and sometimes it's because Darcy is an irritable cunt who will probably be that way forever regardless of how much people love her and how much she wants to not be that.

"I'm sorry," she croaks like an admission of guilt, head still against the bars.

"I know I haven't been easy to deal with."

[glassaxolotl]

“Good,” he says, because he knows exactly what Darcy was getting at.

“Ah, good on Bastion,” he nods. “What is the plan from here?”

[goodweather]

"Sorry."

...

"They're not there, are they? Security, and Erin, and, and Grace..."

[saltwaterlungs]

"Dad. The blood," she repeats more firmly.

"I don't know, I haven't looked yet, I came right here. Are you okay?"

[saltwaterlungs]

"Get to the bridge, fuck shit up, get everyone's powers turned back on, free everyone who needs freeing, save the day. More or less."

Bobs their head, "there's more specifics obviously, but that's the gist of it."

[decohere]

Only if you rip your hair out from all this stress! [fusses because damn they've really been through it, one thing after another with no time to properly recover in between]

Oh, it's lovely. [she holds out her hand and admires the makeshift ring, smiling up at him through lowered lashes.] Not even in death shall we part.

[goodweather]

"I'm fine." He's not. "Thank you for coming here. I'm so glad you're out. Can--can you check for me? Please?"

Victor and Siffleur have already told him they didn't find them, of course, but just...

[decohere]

"She can take everything from us, but even caged, we're still free. As long as our will is our own," Ava whispers.

She refuses to view herself as trapped by anyone as long as she still can find ways to fight back. They'll escape, and they'll find a way to free the Captain. She has to believe that possible.

[littlefairytale]

Ruby nods once, firm and certain. "Yeah, yeah I can do that. I'll do what I can."

They all know some of the people down here are wildcards, people that may not listen to reason, but that doesn't mean Ruby won't do her damndest anyway. It wouldn't be the first time she had to step up to try and tame a rabble in the middle of a crisis.

(This is familiar, in a way. More distantly than she used to, she remembers bunching up with Jaune to lay out the plan, to make sure they knew their parts to play. The echo comes with a sense of reassurance.)

"Try not to die for real."

[prince_of_beasts]

[ I wish I could protect everyone, too, pierces clean through Dimitri's chest. All this time he's been worried about keeping Fio safe -- because it was more comfortable for him to pretend that she was. She never has been safe, and Dimitri had forgotten what it's like to be a child, surrounded by suffering, unable to stop it. To have people concerned with protecting an innocence long since shattered. ]

I'm sorry. I know it's hard, to feel like you can't help. [ ... ] Miss Fio, may I tell you a secret?

[saltwaterlungs]

She searches his face for a moment for... something. Then pulls her hand back, tucks it against her chest, and leaves to go look.

[saltwaterlungs]

"Eh. I trust my track record of being basically unkillable. 'm like a cockroach."

Words far braver than Darcy feels right now.

[goodweather]

When she returns, he's there in the exact same position as when she left, only he's put his hands down and he's staring somewhere vaguely downwards instead of up. There's still a delay, but he looks up this time when he hears footsteps circling back.

[saltwaterlungs]

"They might be being held somewhere else. Like if they were too dangerous to keep with the rest of us."

Which is to say...

[decohere]

[she rather exhaust all the stupid humiliating failures than try nothing at all, but she's glad for somebody actually capable of brute forcing them out.

she's not far behind Peter, and it's even less of a squeeze for her through the bars with her much smaller frame, though her foot slightly catches and she stumbles into him. it's weird, having to account for her body being too solid. she brushes off as if nothing happened at all.

and then takes a look around, a nod to Gwen who claimed to be nothing more than a regular teenager despite the fact nobody here is much of a normal anything.

there's plenty of cells still unbroken between theirs and darcy's down the hall, and she comes to a quick conclusion on why Bastion had chosen them to rescue next. a logical and tactical move, as many fighters as possible in the fewest amount of moves.]

Thank you... are you... [she knows that time is short and precious before they get caught again... and doesn't want to fuss too much, but she can see the way they're holding their arm... Ava bites her bottom lip.]

Right. Get our powers back. [she has no idea how that'll even be possible, but she's willing to try anything]

[glassaxolotl]

“How will you free the Captain? I saw other passengers attempt it.”

[saltwaterlungs]

"Last time he broke himself out of control because he was mad over basically his mum being murdered. So. Plan is... something to do with that. Probably pissing him off. Lucky for you all, I'm really good at that."

[goodweather]

"That's what I thought," he whispers, though it doesn't sound like he means to.

He reaches through the bars for her again with dull, unadorned fingers.

[saltwaterlungs]

Darcy offers her hand again, trying to recall if she ever remembers him without talons. Maybe it was something he got here, like her wall-climbing and everything else.

A soft huff.

"We'll be alright."

[goodweather]

That's it. That's all he needs to hear. He doesn't look any less lethargic, but he settles a bit, grasping for Darcy's hand like it's the only real thing in this place, not even him. Look at her, standing up with her head still on straight. If he could only follow her out this time.

He just sits there and breathes for a while. Let him have this greed.

[saltwaterlungs]

She sits there with him. When it's time to go, somebody will grab her, but she can spare this time.

Quietly,

"It's okay. It's my turn now, I'll get us out. I've got you this time."

[yournewsidekick]

"Heh." She tries for a weak smile, and an equally weak joke. "So you're saying I should do a couple thousand rounds of 'This Is The Song That Never Ends'? Keeps everybody awake, gets 'em yelling at me, and gets 'em mad enough to shank Malin."

A flawless plan!

[teethoftherisk]

"Yes. That will make everyone who can hear you murderous, which is what we need." He jokes back. "If you world had Skinnamarink, you should sing that one too."

[teethoftherisk]

"I will. I won't throw away my life." Not unless he has to, not unless there's no other choice. "Max sends his love to you too, I know that's what he'll ask me to say to you."

[yournewsidekick]

"Bastion!"

In the cell diagonal to Darcy and Gwen, Nimona slams both palms against the bars, frantic. "BASTION! OVER HERE!!"

They've gotta get her out, too, right?