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

when the gauntlet's down it's time to rise and climb the sky | john doe, clarke, ylva, fio, escapees

[prince_of_beasts]

1. here in hell, where life gets cheaper; here in hell, the blood runs deeper [meta]

[ The world snaps back into place. Dimitri's on his feet before he's realized he's off them. Or he would be -- his legs buckle mid-motion. His palms hit stone, and he narrowly saves himself from crumpling altogether as his stomach heaves.

Something here isn't Dimitri. Its gut roils, its skin crawls, it shudders and gags at the cloying claustrophobia of dying mortal flesh, a trap it strains against like a fly cocooned in spider-silk. His blood is someone else's, twining sticky threads of hair around his innards while his muscle and sinew slough into gelatinous decay. It thrashes, febrile, in its confines, and it hates him as it does, and Dimitri can only cling to consciousness while his body prays to invert itself.

He retches with nothing to bring up. Bile hits the back of his throat and sears across his sinuses. It wrenches the parts of his self back together. He drops back to his haunches, coughing; swallows around the burn, wipes his mouth and nose on the scratchy striped (striped?) sleeve, and lifts his head.

Where there should be terror, there's only a cold disjoint. Panic is sequestered somewhere distant, where it won't interfere. Above it, a comfortably familiar blanket of anger at that arrogant woman so ready to own them all, so casually shunting them into this barren prison for storage or sale. Certainty comes easily, simply, an unshakable clarity of purpose: Dimitri is going to end her.

He's always been strongest at the end of the world. ]

2. on my soul, I wasn't born to stoop to scorn and knuckle under [neighbors, escapees]

[ He needs to problem-solve. The bars won't budge, and trying only makes him feel worse. But they have other options, and other problems. First and foremost, they need to be able to talk to each other. He needs to know who's safe.

He leans on the bars, and calls out to the cells across from him: ] Who can you see? I have Maxwell, Ylva, Clarke, and -- someone I can't quite make out.

3. Though rivers stream and hills grow steeper [Fio]

[ Friday reached him once before when she was controlled by another. Dimitri doesn't know a thing about dream magic, but he's only too accustomed to dreams.

Now if only he could actually sleep.

He turns to pacing, chewing on his knuckles. There isn't enough space for him to run himself ragged, like he usually would. Any more self-destructive tactics would upset Fio, which is out of the question. He's got nothing else to distract him.

Failing any better idea, he drops to the floor and starts doing push-ups. ]

4. There was a dream, I can't remember [Friday?]

[ It works eventually. Curled into a ball in a back corner of the cell, one arm wrapped around his head, Dimitri slips into an uneasy, half-waking dream. ]

3

[sabigoe]

[ Fio lingers next to the bars, waiting to see if Friday will come back. Or if there's any more important messages being passed along from their neighbors. She hangs onto the bars, rocking back and forth on her heels. Full alert, not thinking once about whether or not she needs sleep right now.

She finally looks away from the corridor, when she hears Dimitri suddenly go into his workout. ]

...Dimi? [ Tilting her head back curiously, hands still latched onto the bars. ] Um... are you trying to pass the time?

4.5

[configuration_birdwatcher]

[ Dimitri's fragile rest is interrupted by a warning sequence of loud, evenly spaced blaring beeps, and then the loud, harsh sound of groaning metal. Bastion's seized hold of the bars on the front of his and Fio's cell and is slowly but surely twisting them apart. Not all of the sounds of metal under pressure are coming from the bars. ]

[prince_of_beasts]

[ Dimitri bolts awake like a startled cat, with a shout and an explosion of limbs that somehow ends with him on his feet, off-balance only as he grabs for a weapon that isn't there. His head swivels, then snaps towards the sound of screeching metal. ]

Bastion! [ Dimitri leaps to his side of the bars. He's got none of the leverage he should, but he thinks he helps. A little. Maybe.

He worms through as soon as he's able, twisting his hips and shoulders to make it through the gap, and gasps the first full breath he's taken in what feels like months. ] Goddess bless -- [ That shrieking alarm does not bode well, nor does the smell of hot metal. ] -- are you alright?

[configuration_birdwatcher]

[ They stop it with the beeping when they let go of the bars; they'd intended to get Dimitri's attention and then cancel the sound, but a fresh burst of errors all came in at once and lagged their processor enough that they didn't notice it continuing to play. ]

[ Their left shoulder joint is crumpled inwards at the socket, they're struggling to unbend their elbow where the double-ended linkage has been pushed into their armor, their wrist joint and the spot on their chestplate closest to their power supply system are hot enough to burn human skin on contact. They've dented the plating on their gun arm and above their knee where they've been bracing against the walls. And that's just what's perceptible from the outside. ]

// No.

[ Bastion hates that that's their answer, but lying about their remaining capabilities will only make the situation worse. And they need to say it out loud, because their wireless transceiver is offline and they can't send their status as data-- but that wouldn't work anyway, these are humans. ]

// I can't open another cell.

[ The audio tone comes out as a quiet wail. They still need to rescue Nimona. She's desperate to escape her cell and her human shape and they promised they would help her. They can't do that without tearing themself apart. They wouldn't survive it. ]

[prince_of_beasts]

[ Dimitri doesn't know much about machines, but he knows Bastion isn't supposed to look like that. Goddess, if he could only use his Crest he could at least ask if trying to unbend any of those pieces would help.

The news wrenches in his chest, somewhere deep he'll grieve when this is over. He leans in and braces one hand on Bastion's forearm, and hopes that the gesture is as reassuring to an omnic as it is for a human. ]

You've done well, my friend. More than well. We'll find a way to free the others. No one is being left behind.

Who else have you freed?

[sabigoe]

[ Fio has been awake the entire time, sometimes spacing out in a daze. Until she's alerted by the loud beeping and the sound of metal, she steps away from the bars, observing as Bastion breaks open their cell. ]

...Bash? [ Once the opening is wide enough for them to escape, she doesn't immediately jump out into the corridor. It takes her a moment to snap out of her shock. She steps forward to stand by the omnic and rests a hand on their side. ] Thank you for your hard work. Rest up, 'kay? Dimi and I will take it from here... [ Like Dimitri, she doesn't know much about machines either. But still, she tries to provide reassurance: ] And when we all get outta here, we'll get you all fixed up and feeling better again.

[configuration_birdwatcher]

[ Dimitri and Fio can feel a feverish heat under Bastion's metal skin. It's beginning to fade now that the pressure is off, like a kettle that's been removed from the stove. ]

// Okie, Darcy, Gwen, and the Starrs.

// Thank you. [ They appreciate the humans' kindness. They need their self-repair system to fix most of this – the only human on the ship they would expect to know how to help is César, who has no tools – but taking time to rest will give their overheated components time to cool down. ] // I need to speak to Nimona.

[prince_of_beasts]

Can I help you there? [ The offer is compulsive; Bastion looks to be limping, though Dimitri's not sure he can provide any meaningful support. ] Nimona's in the right direction for me, it's no trouble.

'til we spring alive

[prince_of_beasts]

[ Dimitri scrambles through the bars the moment there's space for his head, twisting his shoulders and hips, bracing himself on his hands while he pulls his legs through -- awkward and ungainly, but it's worthy not to spend another moment caged. He offers Fio a hand out, checks on Bastion whose condition is solidly alarming, and then turns to face the hallway. ]

1. All those tremulous stars still glitter [Okie]

[ Something's wrong, that's clear enough - Dimitri's never seen Okie's weather like this. Worry clouds the joy of seeing him out at all. Dimitri rushes up to him; his hands flutter briefly before settling on Okie's arms. ] Okie! Bastion said you were free -- what's this? Is it -- did she hurt you?

2. When the final duel is near, I'll lift my spear and fly [Dedue]

Dedue -- ! [ Dimitri skids into view. Relief hits with a fresh wave of terror, and punches a small sob out of him. They had relayed messages, he'd heard Dedue's name called while taking stock, but seeing him fills a hole that terror had left in his heart. ] You're here -- are you hurt?

3. Never kneel! Never bend! Rend him to bits! [Ossie]

[ Dimitri's slower, approaching Ossie's cell. He sinks to his knees, hanging back from the bars, and softly calls out, ] Ossie?

2

[glassaxolotl]

“Dimitri,” Dedue exhales, looking both relieved and pained to see him like this. Dedue squeezes a hand between the bars and reaches for Dimitri’s hand. “I am unhurt. How did you escape?”

[prince_of_beasts]

Dimitri takes Dedue's hand, and presses his knuckles to his lips. It's not enough, but it helps. "Bastion was able to free themself, and some of the others. But -- " His expression holds steady, but his voice breaks. " -- it took a toll on their body. Freeing Fio and I nearly destroyed them. They can't manage another, and -- my Crest is being blocked."

[glassaxolotl]

Dedue’s thumb rubs circles on the back of Dimitri’s hand. It’s all he can do to assure Dimitri that he’s real and here.

“I had guessed something like that might be the case,” he sighs. There’s no way Dimitri could’ve been contained by these bars unless something has been blocking out his Crest.

“Bastion...” he frowns. “They have always been kind. I hope they escape safely.”

[prince_of_beasts]

"They have, and they will. We all will." In this, Dimitri is certain. He's grieved that he can't do more now, but at the end of this, they will be together, and they will be free. It is the only possible outcome.

He kisses Dedue's knuckles again, and rests his forehead on their joined hands for a breath before looking up. "I have to go. We need to find a way to release you all before that women realizes her trinkets have broken free. But I will return to you, I swear it."

[glassaxolotl]

He nods, accepting that vow.

Quietly, he adds just one thing.

“Destroy her.”

His eyes turn to steel, and his grip is strong in Dimitri’s hand.

[prince_of_beasts]

Dimitri grins without humor, baring teeth. His grip tightens on Dedue's hand. "She's going to regret this."

He doesn't want to pull away. However temporary, it aches to leave Dedue at all. But the sooner Dimitri goes, the sooner he'll be able to return, both of them free and safe.

"I'll come back to you," he repeats one last time.

3

[ossie_oswald]

Ossie looks up from where he's sitting, a small flickering smile across his face. Careful now- can't show his nerves, screw his courage to the sticking page and all that rot. So he scoots calmly to the bars, pressing his fingertips between them.

"Hullo poppet. Have you seen what she's put me in? Someone ought to tell her I don't look good in high contrasts."