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

[tempingainteasy]

"Grey floor, grey walls, straight bars, no visible locks." Comes April's voice, same as ever. "Me and my roommate are across from you. Special powers or whatever are out of order, we're all in old prison uniforms with big horizontal stripes, and I look just how you remember."

Hmm, was April's ability to lie superpowered in some way? Well, no, they were kind of only talking to Arthur, leave it to him to interpret their answer knowing what he does about them (when they got around to it).

Though if everyone could act like that was true, that would be swell (if patronizing).

[theotherright]

"No locks?" Arthur's thinking-aloud tone is no more excited than April's. "That's a new wrinkle."

It's nice to hear April's voice. Means he's not entirely outnumbered by people who hate him. (They're imprisoned in the same arrangement in which they were roomed, he notes. And isn't that full of implications that settle in his stomach like lead.)

"...But there must be some powers left, if you're still speaking with no mouth. Some things she overlooked, or, or left for the sake of her exhibit, or some other reason. That's useful to know."

...He wrinkles his nose. Pats his cheek to make sure. A critical hm: ferret transformations were included in the nerf. Honestly he would've been surprised if that had worked.

[ss_buttcrack]

Crichton turns around to look at Arthur touching himself in the face. "You just tried to turn into a ferret, didn't you?" He hates that he can still read Arthur this well. So much for them both getting off the ship and walking away from each other.

"Your roommate's name is Cassandra, by the way," he tells April. Someone woke up cranky. Wonder why?

"I'm assuming Malibu Bitch"--yes, that's her name now--"took away any powers that would help us get out of here. She's practically untouchable. I pointed a gun right at her point blank and she didn't even blink."

[tempingainteasy]

April is perceivable and pissed, so they don't resist:

"Of course she didn't fucking blink, you idiot! She came there equipped to capture the near-omnipotent guy running our pocket dimension, what's your laser gun going to do?!" they snap.

A quick breath, and to Arthur: "You know, good point. I don't exactly have biologically accurate anatomy. She's left on enough lights to function, I guess, but not enough for a light show- wait shut the fuck up for a second."

Helpfully, April jams a finger through the bars at something on the floor. Unlike Skullduggery, her bones-or-whatever crumple flat in the narrow space.

"Ants! So minimal powers, original forms, no thought."

[kingoftheanthill]

"Hi April!" chants a good chunk of Victor, which then turns around to address the opposite cell: "Hi, Ass Man!"

[ss_buttcrack]

"Ass Man?" He nods his head side-to-side like he's weighing it. "You know, if that's what I go out being remembered as...I'm okay with that."

[kingoftheanthill]

"I like this guy!" Victor says to April, pleased. Victor has never once read the room and he is sure as hell not about to start now.

[tempingainteasy]

"That's super kind of you, Victor." April says in a way that sounds like genuine praise on Victor's part. "How're you doing, buddy?"

Since he's here and all. Good to check in on their second favourite coworker.

Arthur, they've mentioned the ants before, right? Surely it's come up before. Karaoke night if nothing else.