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

THE BRIDGE

[teethoftherisk]

[Past Voyager's crumpled form, past the imitations of functional things, Siffleur sprints with his wounded paws and belly, slowing only as he approaches the bridge of their transformed ship. He's wearing April's paper form like a hat, and patches of Victor still cling to him.

Ava and 6 have beaten him here. No longer running, he limps up to the pair and carefully flops onto the side of his body not covered in Victor, giving his paws another quick lick. He also speaks quietly, in case Malin isn't aware of the fight that happened. It's hard to think she missed it, but who knows, perhaps she did.]

There's nothing at the back of the ship.

[decohere]

[Ava hears the horrible sound of Fio's wailing, her heart clenching, clinging at 6's side as he lowers the cursed gun with resignation at the conclusion of the fight as Voyager crashes to the ground. there's nothing to do but move forward. the others will catch up.]

I was given permission to... enter, by the Captain. Said it couldn't be revoked. But. [that she couldn't invite others... still, the note that Fio received said that the Bridge was open. so maybe it is accessible.]

Do you think it's better, to knock and draw her out? Or... Victor? [she glances at the little ants clinging to fur, wondering if they should sneak through and scout ahead to see what's on the other side of the door and report back.]

[kingoftheanthill]

Yeah, I think Victor should go!

[ This li'l superorganism is all over the place, but he's holding it together. ]

Like, I don't think he gave me permission, but I can just say sorry after.

[teethoftherisk]

I'm sure he will understand. You are doing the best you can.

[It's very impressive how well Victor is handling everything with his self in so many clumps. Siffleur gives his tender paws a few more licks and then makes himself stop. Things will resolve very soon and either he will get his regeneration back and the pain will stop, or he will die and the pain will stop.

He gets to his feet.] Be careful and be quiet. Anything you can tell us about the inside will help.

[If he can get inside, then everyone can. And if he can't get inside, then it will be up to Ava.]

[decohere]

[she holds up a finger for Victor to high-five... high-six?] Just don't talk to anyone in there, alright? [Victor seems friendly and it's endearing, but the last thing they need is Malin getting tipped off to their escape because of a well-meaning 'hi!']

But if the Captain notices you... [she wants to pass a message along, biting at her bottom lip in conflict because it just as likely would get intercepted.] Give him this. [she offers over a tiny toe bone fragment, belonging to Skulduggery.]

temp tag in for Victor

[teethoftherisk]

[Victor high-sixes Ava and takes the tiny toe bone, two ants sharing the bone chip as they head for the cabin in a single line. Though it's very hard, he manages to stay quiet, thinking about how impressed April will be when they see how good he is at being serious when it's really important.]

[sailmods]

[there sure is a door.]

[teethoftherisk]

[Victor's great with doors! He crawls all over it, looking for anywhere he can fit through, covering the exterior and over the hinges, his antennas sweeping over every area.

And while they search, a few other groups of ants go looking nearby to see if there's any other openings they fit through, like the windows or intake vents to supply air to the bridge.]

[sailmods]

[there are no obvious openings, and crawling over the door just reveals solid metal beneath ant feet, as one would expect if they crawled onto a door and were an ant.]

[teethoftherisk]

[When it becomes clear that the ants won't be able to do shit, Siffleur takes a deep breath and turns to Ava]

I'm going in. You're spies, and you know how to to get the jump on people in this kind of environment. I'll pretend to be alone, and I'll do what I can to distract her and anyone else in there. Victor, wait until everyone is looking at me, and then go inside and find the Captain if he's there.

[A round of small "okay! sure!"s come from the ants as they creep down the door again and start to mass at the base of it. While they get organized, Siffleur gives Ava's knee a small headbutt.]

We'll do our best. Either we free all of us, or we die and free ourselves.

[decohere]

Ah. Usually can just walk right through.

[she doesn't like the idea of anyone going in completely blind. reconnaissance would have at least given them enough to come up with a rough outline of a plan.

but Siffleur is an ambush creature by nature. and part of her is relieved for him to take the brunt of it, rather than Darcy rushing into the danger first.

she nods quietly, and moves to the side of the door so she might be out of the line of sight when it's opened.]

[teethoftherisk]

[He waits for everyone to be out of sight, then rears up and puts his paws on the door, fumbling with the handle. If he gets this far and it's locked, he'll be very irritated, but not surprised.]

[sailmods]

[when he places his paws on the door, he immediately goes through it.]

[teethoftherisk]

[Well shit, there he goes. Siffleur falls forward, landing on his front paws without a single sound. He's spent huge chunks of his life grateful for how silent he is, but perhaps he's never been quite so thankful for those paw pads as he is right now. He also goes completely still, his eyes quickly darting around the bridge to take in the sight of everything.]

[sailmods]

[he has fallen into a room that is entirely pitch black.

excluding, however, a small red light signaling a light switch about five feet in front of him.]

[teethoftherisk]

[Siffleur stays completely still, blinking a few times to try adjust his eyesight. But all he sees is the red light. He tips his head up, sniffing the air a few times, trying to see if there's anyone else here. And his ears twitch, listening for the breathing of any other creature here.

Though would they really sit like this in the darkness? The Captain, maybe. Friday, possibly. Not Malin though. Not from what the others said.

He hesitates a moment longer, reaching up to paw the light switch on. Better to expose himself than to have Ava and the others exposed.]

[sailmods]

[the light reveals a small, plain room, and that the light switch was attached to a podium in the middle of it. on the podium, encased under glass, is the severed head of Pirate Jenny.]

[teethoftherisk]

[Oh. Hmm.

He doubts he'll get the chance, but still - he hopes he gets to eat Malin's face for Friday, for everything she's done to her.

Siffleur pads over to the podium. He looks at Jenny's severed head, and after a moment, he reaches up and taps a few claws on the glass.

Before the ship, he would have assumed any severed head would be dead and wouldn't have bothered doing this. But he's learned not to make assumptions of death, and so he sees if she's truly dead, or just inconvenienced.]

Hello Jenny.

[sailmods]

[the head's eyes open

and her mouth opens to say something that at least looks furious, but considering it's entirely muffled by the glass?]

[tempingainteasy]

[Perhaps unexpectedly, Siffleur's hat rustles not in surprise, but relief:]

Ohhh thank god. This, this I can deal with.

[A lifeless severed head would just be uncomfortable and awkward.]

[teethoftherisk]

[She's still able to think - and yell, though he can't understand her. That's a relief. April agrees and he's glad they're with him. The others would likely be more upset, but there's no point in it. She's already been beheaded.

He quickly walks around the podium. Is there an alarm? Better question: could he even disable an alarm if there was one? Probably not. After consideration, he rears up and starts digging his claws under the glass to see if he can pop it off.]

[saltwaterlungs]

[ Darcy's here now. A quick glance around in the dark, then comes over to help try and get the glass off. ]

Are we sure she's a storm goddess and not just the Goddess of incompetence and getting herself captured.

1/2

[sailmods]

[the glass rather easily tips over onto the floor and shatters.]

[stormpirate]

-- OPEN FROM MOUTH TO CUNT LIKE I AM GUTTING A PIG AND --

[blinks]

About time you fucking idiots showed up! Tell me you already found my body before this; I am not getting carried like a fucking purse.

[teethoftherisk]

We did not find your body.

[Siffleur keeps both his paws on the podium and gives Jenny a sniff.]

Friday helped me escape, and a small group of others were freed by Bastion.