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]

[ Sighs and readies the trident, ] get ready to start dodging when the crab inevitably tries to murder us.

[decohere]

The one crustacean I don't eat, you'd think we had a truce...

[makesomedeals]

Did not talk about themselves at all, simply confirmed that this stone will be destroyed immediately once the power has been used. And that the Captain is in the area that once was the Bridge. Which settled the discussion that this is still the Serena Eterna, just transformed.

So that means we're likely still in the Captain's realm rather than wherever Malin is going to take us.

[mistertwister]

Please don't tell me I gotta fight the fuckin' crab bot. I really don't wanna fight the fuckin' crab bot.

[thismaskismybadge]

[ Gwen, who's totally been here for a while don't worry about it, helpfully, ] First time?

[nepetaleijon]

Immediately, fiercely: "They have to be. We gotta find them, come on --"

And she bounces to her feet and reaches down to pull him up.

[abhorrently]

[rip Natsuno, hopefully that box had nothing heavy in it.

diplomacy has been tried, which means now Fever gets to move in. the sharpened quill Phil gave her is in her hand, and don't ask how she maneuvered herself to be facing Coatrischie in this small space but she did, and the point is pressing into the soft underside of his chin, where a major artery usually is in humanoids.]

Back up and outside. Slowly.

[she might not have magic, but she does have the unending frustration of being locked in that cell, and her tone says she's not playing, staring into those button eyes. you don't need to be huge to be intimidating, you just need to seem like you absolutely will stab into flesh and walk out over his incapacitated body.]

[light_mischief]

Hm. So long as the stone doesn't explode, then... [So you're saying there's a chance, basically]

It's probably easier to keep us in the reality we're already tethered to. Once she's decided who to keep and who to get rid of, she'll likely have the Captain alter where we're anchored. Let's hope we can get through to him before that happens.

[He cocks his head up towards the hatch the others had left through, then shrugs his shoulders and goes to climb the ladder.] Here's hoping we don't find the charred remains of the people we actually care about.

[makesomedeals]

To be fair I didn't ask specifically about that.

I do wonder which of us would make the cut. And whether that's a good thing or bad. [He sighs, climbing up after Skulduggery, he much preferred dangerous reconnaissance missions when he's doing so from behind computer monitors, not when he's actually there and potentially walking into the pocket dimension version of a black hole.] I'm sure they're fine, if anything had happened to them they'd be hauled back to the cells in a bucket as a warning to the rest of us. That's what I'd do anyway.

Ah, there we go, that looks promising. [Nodding towards the door and completely ignoring that there's a small child dying and glowing a strange gold color. Irrelevant at this point.]

[light_mischief]

Hopefully Malin thinks enough of us to warrant giving us a warning...

[Skulduggery also sees the small child dying on the ground, but unlike Max, he can't just ignore it.] Ah. ...Give me a moment.

[He's just going to go over and give Voyager a pep-talk and possibly call down the hatch to let people know there's an injured, dying star child on the deck. Of course, Maximilien's probably tapping his foot and checking his internal clock every 10 seconds while it's going on.]

Alright. If the bridge is still open after the others went through, all we have to do is walk through. I'd say after you, but I think in this case, it might be more polite if I go first...

[skaikru]

( and clarke's here too!

lagging a step or two behind rita, and giving jade a concerned once over before half pivoting to keep watch on the hallway behind them as others reunite with their loved ones or begin to filter towards the ladders. she likes the man enough to worry about him, enough that he's third on her speed dial and the second person still in the cell block that she'd thought to seek out. but natsuno and rita had always seemed a little more partial to actually listen to him, and she wants to give the latter the opportunity to say hi without intruding on the nice moment.

(shame, this is a shame response. they'd been in the middle of the Jade Curtiss Dressing Down Special when the gangplank fell, and clarke had chewed over his scolding plenty in the hours of inaction. now she doesn't want to meet his eyes, unless they're on the verge of exploding and she could somehow render aid.) )

[light_mischief]

[Skulduggery and Maximilien are the first out of the hatch, and while Max is content to leave Voyager be, Skulduggery can't help but check on him before continuing toward the bridge. Not just for Voyager's sake, but for the sake of anyone else who might come up later and find him in their way.

He walks over and crouches down just out of arm's reach, in case it's a trick.]

Are you still alive?

[light_mischief]

[Right after awkwardly jumping to touch the ceiling and before he turns to beeline towards Max's cell (and the exit), Skulduggery locks eye sockets with Jade. Despite them both being squarely on the opposite side of things, at least when it comes to their chosen families, Skulduggery can't leave without saying something. He didn't get the chance to say goodbye the last time Jade disappeared, and he's old enough to know he doesn't want to carry that regret with him further.

He absolutely is going to ignore Rita and Clarke though. It's for Jade's benefit, not theirs.]

No weapons to be made out of plastic bars, unfortunately. I'm not sure which team made this escape possible, but I'm glad to see you've stuck around til the end.

[teethoftherisk]

First time for everything.

[Siffleur keeps an eye on the robot but looks around the room to see if there's anything else to do, aside from possibly fight a now much-better-equipped murderous crab.]

[makesomedeals]

Heroes. [Said with a mix of fondness and disdain. He'll let Skulduggery do his 'no man left behind' thing with all the patience of someone eager to get to their own execution. Which is to say he stares off blindly down the hall and ignores them completely while mentally starting a stopwatch to see how long this takes.]

I think for my own safety that's a better plan. You might be a welcome sight, I however will simply be that person who tried to punch him over clothing. [Assuming that a) the Captain is there and b) he's in any state to actually recognize them.] Though do brace yourself, I'm sure she's rearranged the furniture, unalphabetized the library and left coffee rings on the table.

[Or is likely keeping the Captain in chains, that also might be distressing.]

[skaikru]

...yeah.

( that terrible, strangled cat scream that'd reverberated against metal... that'd been hard to hear, even while not being a cat enthusiast. )

Yeah. He never told me where they led, either. ( and thus she's been thinking of the absolute worst case scenarios since the vent team had set off, but can't get caught in that downward spiral right now. seconds spent lingering and seconds wasted, and clarke takes a deep breath through her teeth as her nose throbs painfully. )

Come on, let's look. Then, let's find Jade.

( or they can look while they find jade, that's multitasking at its finest. clarke doesn't let go of rita's hand, though. even as she peels away from their initial meet point and begins to run her hands all over the walls and slide her feet across the floor and stare at the ceiling — like maybe the vent entrances are just hidden and they needed to touch the mirage so it'd dissipate. )

[light_mischief]

And after all the work I put into manifesting a coffee table out of the ether...

[Skulduggery reaches for the door, hesitating just a moment before he does what he's most accustomed to and simply walks in, assuming that Maximilien is directly behind him.]

[makesomedeals]

[ There's a witty quip here about the skeleton's decor and style. But Maximilien will graciously save that for another time.

He follows close behind, wanting to make sure he's in the room in case the door closes behind them. There will be none of that lone hero going to their doom business while he's around.]

[angrycrabnoises]

“WAIT, WAIT. HOLD ON,” Karkat says as he’s pulled up. He holds onto her hand to keep her from charging ahead.

“WE’RE DEFINITELY GOING TO LOOK FOR SIFFLEUR. BUT BEFORE THAT, I KNOW NIMONA GOT MORE FUCKED UP EMOTIONALLY BY THAT FIGHT ON THE DECK THAN I DID, AND I ALSO KNOW THAT SHE DOES NOT DO WELL WHEN SHE’S IN CAPTIVITY, SO I WANT TO CHECK IN ON HER FIRST.”

[sailmods]

[there is a noise like something mechanical slowly coming to life.

the crab skitters in its enclosure.]

[sailmods]

[the door does close behind him.

inside, it is dark. there is nothing visible, nothing at all. even the lights on Maximilien don't pierce the darkness.]

[mistertwister]

[ Okie sighs and looks up at the ceiling. ]

I shouldn't've said something out loud.

[sailmods]

[a tang of ozone, and the feather bursts into flames. they lick his skin where the quill had made contact, but leave no trace.

Fever might not be a fireproof storm god, though.]

[light_mischief]

[Keeping his voice low:] Can you see anything?

[fonomena]

[Even if her tone isn't entirely as teasing as it could be under the circumstances, there's still something vaguely heartening about the flippant bent of Rita's question when she fires it off as soon as she's within earshot. She might be rightfully rattled, but at least her head's still more or less secure upon her shoulders--a very good sign (and definitely far superior to gross hugging, definitely!!)--and so Jade smiles idly in turn, as he closes the distance between them in a few more wide strides.]

Oh, these poor old bones of mine are aching anew after being tossed about like so much laundry! I may need a cane before all is said and done here. You'll still help an old man across the street after all this, won't you? [With the cheery sardonic bent of somebody walking up perfectly evenly...which he sure is doing about now...anyway. Jade draws to a halt before both girls, the levity rather rapidly dropping from his demeanor as he absently attempts to adjust his glasses--remembers he's not wearing them--drops his hand, sighs, and focuses on studying each of them instead. ...No visible injuries on either of them, at least...] I'd ask the same of you two's bones as well, but it seems we're all quite mobile enough at the least. I suppose we're all ready to set out in pursuit of the others now, yes?

[--Sure, admittedly--maybe his glance lingers a bit longer on Clarke's hovering presence behind Rita, and the distinct way in which she's avoiding returning it. Jade's expression betrays nothing, and his tone doesn't either as it settles into brusque business. (Even if he still isn't looking away from her just yet, really...)]

Has anyone had any luck determining which direction the last party exited?