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

[decohere]

[boredly continues watching the monitors, tap tap taps at the screens.]

So there's no way back out?

[sabigoe]

... [ Starts looking around too... a little after pushing the colorful buttons that seemingly do nothing a few more times. ]

If there isn't one, then... maybe we can just make a way out?

[decohere]

Make a way... [Ava considers Fio's suggestion, glancing at the walls, the ceiling, the floor... then back at the screens. they seem to be the easiest broken thing in here.]

Anyone feel like smashing?

[stormpirate]

[just kinda observing them with this expression.]

[configuration_birdwatcher]

// I don't.

[ They're all smashed out. ]

[ To Jenny: ] // Can you let us out?

[teethoftherisk]

[While Bastion asks Jenny for an exit, Siffleur eyes up the monitors and then crouches down, wiggling his back end as he gets himself positioned just right-

-and leaps at the screens, landing on the top edge of them, seeing if his weight on them will do much of anything.]

[stormpirate]

Oh, no, I'm sure you can all manage to open a magical door that I'm the only key to. Don't give up now.

[teethoftherisk]

If you are the only key, and you do not enjoy your time with us, why have you not opened the door already? The sooner we free everyone, the sooner you will be away from us.

[stormpirate]

[stiffly] Because it has to be an order, asshole.

[because that's what you do, when you're a slave. you follow orders.]

[teethoftherisk]

[His ears instantly flatten, and he hops off the monitors, landing on the ground. That explains it. And it explains many things. Malin deserves every ounce of suffering they give her. He only regrets that they cannot leave her to rot the way human's do in their air-tight coffins, slowly putrefying alone instead of being given back to nature.]

I'm sorry - for this, and for asking you to share your feelings. They are yours alone.

Open the door.

[configuration_birdwatcher]

[ In the background, Bastion emits the sort of harsh monotone beep usually deployed to censor curse words, but before they can overcome their hesitation and say anything more decisive than 'fuck', Siffleur steps in. ]

[mistertwister]

[ Okie hovers around the edge of the room, trying not to mess with the burns he got from Voyager. ]

We know where this door's gonna take us?

[sailmods]

[the group has entered another room. it is dark, too dark to see, but there is a very helpful emergency light next to the switch again. convenient!]

[teethoftherisk]

[Siffleur takes a second to sniff the air of the room they've stepped into, but the sound of the others behind him is a reminder to act so they aren't kept unaware in the darkness. He moves to the switch, flicking it on so they can see what waits for them as they come through the door.]

[sailmods]

[the room is a bit bigger than the other, which makes sense, considering its occupant. leaning its back against the wall is some sort of machine: humanoid, with a wide chassis and massive arms and legs. on top, where the head would be, a clear glass dome. inside the dome, a crab.]

[configuration_birdwatcher]

[ Bastion waves, which is somewhat painful and makes their armour rattle. ]

// Hello.

[ Is that Ody??? ]

[decohere]

[squints]

Ody!

[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...

[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?

[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.]

[sailmods]

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

the crab skitters in its enclosure.]

[mistertwister]

[ Okie sighs and looks up at the ceiling. ]

I shouldn't've said something out loud.

[teethoftherisk]

Friday said everything living the Captain makes comes out murderous - except Friday.

[Siffleur crouches, wiggles and leaps with precision, landing top of the mechanical figure as it's coming to life. His paws slip on the glass and his claws scratch at it, trying to see if he can gouge deep enough to shatter it and tip the crab out.

There is a chance that this thing isn't actually crab-powered and Ody is just trapped here in something that's animating in other ways. If so, they'll still have to deal with the machine. But if he's very lucky, they might be able to get away with only dealing with pinched ankles.]