BungieONI
Seven gremlins in a trench coat
- Location
- Lickwidget
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Really? I thought all Slaughterhouse Nine members all got kill orders by default.
Ring-Maker [Worm/Lord of the Rings Alt-Power] [Complete]
- Thread starter Lithos Maitreya
- Start date
- Crossover Users' Choice!
Voted best in category in the Users' Choice awards.
The Butcher is not part of Slaughterhouse Nine. She leads her own gang called 'Teeth'.
Regardless, killing Butcher makes the closest person (or parahuman?) inherit her powers, and those of all the past iterations, and drives the killer insane. Killing the Butcher does not help. It just makes the Butcher stronger.
- Location
- In Bed
He's talking about Bonesaw
- Location
- New Zealand
Joining the Nine is an automatic kill order, but in Bonesaw's case everybody is told to take extreme precautions to prevent a post-mortem 'fuck you', a la Coil.
It's whoever is responsible for the Butcher's death, not just the closest. *That* only happens if the Butcher is killed by an Endbringer. Probably if the Butcher kills themselves as well, although AFAIK there isn't any WoG on that bit.
Basically, you don't get a Kill Order if killing you causes more problems than leaving you be, such as Heartbreaker or Nilbog.
Pre-Edits Flicker 8.6
Lithos Maitreya
Character Witness
- Location
- United States
This chapter has undergone major edits, and this version is no longer canon. To access the canonical draft of this chapter, please visit the threadmark for Flicker 8.6, or follow this link.
Many thanks to @Assembler, @themanwhowas, @BeaconHill, and ShadowStepper1300 for betareading.
Many thanks to @MugaSofer for fact checking.
"For the record," said Vista, "I don't like this plan."
"Got any better ideas?" Sophia asked.
"Nope. Just thought you ought to know how I felt about it.'"
"You don't have to come," I said, looking over at her.
She met my eyes. "I know," she said dryly. "I owe you this much, though."
We were standing outside PRT HQ. The stars glimmered overhead, dimmed by the faint haze of light pollution and smog, even reduced as it was by Leviathan and Bakuda. The street was nearly silent, save for the muted bustle of the PRT working inside the building behind us.
I'd lived through gang wars, before I gained my powers. I remembered times when Brockton Bay had been a city at war, but those wars had never been concrete. They had always been distant dangers, additional risks to be aware of, but never clear and present threats to me personally.
Since gaining powers, I'd faced Bakuda, Leviathan, and now Valefor and Heartbreaker. Nothing before had compared, and the city, in silence, seemed to agree.
It made some small part of me wonder. Was the city tearing itself apart now because I was here? Or was I here, now, because the city was tearing itself apart?
"Anyway," Vista said, turning away from me. "North, right?"
"Yeah," I said. "Let's get to the edge of Downtown, first. We should be careful from there."
Vista nodded. The air twisted before us as space compressed. "Come on," she said, and led us through.
I watched her. Her shoulders were set, and movements were direct and deliberate. "You're not afraid," I said, almost surprising myself by breaking the silence.
Vista glanced back at me, blinking. "No. Should I be?"
"I don't know," I answered. "I am."
"Heartbreaker can't hurt us," Vista said with a raised eyebrow. "Not with your Rings. Right?"
"Right," I said, glancing away.
There was a moment's silence as Vista stretched space again.
"He'll be fine," Sophia said quietly. "We'll make sure of it."
I swallowed and didn't reply. We continued in silence for a time. Over our heads, the stars burned like shards of ice.
"This is about as far as I think we're safe going," said Vista suddenly, coming to a stop and letting her hands fall as the condensed space behind us loosened again. "Histeya's… cold."
I nodded. "After this point, we can't count on support," I said. "Shadow Stalker, any ideas?"
"Stick to the rooftops, stay in cover, and get to the house as quickly as we can," Sophia said immediately. "We want to avoid being seen, right?"
"Makes sense to me," said Vista. "Ready when you are."
I swallowed and nodded. "Let's go."
"Think anyone saw us?" Sophia asked.
We were on the rooftop of one of the houses next to mine, leaving over it and looking over at my house next door. There was a PRT van parked outside, and the lights were on inside.
"No," I said quietly. "But I can't be sure."
"Look at it this way," said Vista. "Even if it is a trap, it's not a trap for us. Protocol would be to send a PRT squad in. They won't be expecting three Ring-Bearers."
"If it's a trap, my father's the bait," I answered. "Even if they lose, we still don't win."
Sophia nudged me. "It might be fine. We won't know until we go in."
I nodded. "You're right. Let's go."
I dropped off of the roof. The wind whistled past me for an instant as I fell, before I hit the ground with only the faintest clack of metal on concrete. Sophia and Vista joined me a moment later. Together we crept down the sidewalk, watching the PRT van and the surrounding buildings for any sign of movement. Nothing disturbed the night.
As we walked up to the front door, I couldn't help a faint feeling that I was leading my teammates to the gallows. The path came to an end all too soon, and we were on the threshold. I had to force myself to raise my fist and knock.
Dad answered the door, and as soon as I saw his face light up in affection, I relaxed. "T—" he started, then stopped. "Annatar," he said. "To what—"
"There's no time," I said. "You're in danger. I need you to come with me. We're extracting you and the PRT operatives assigned to protect you."
Dad frowned. "What's happened?" he asked. "What's wrong?"
I bit my lip. "It's… it's a long story," I said. "Your PRT detail sent out a distress call an hour or so ago."
"Oh," he said, realization crossing his features. "There was a fight a couple streets down. ABB. Lung got involved. It died down earlier."
"There's still a lot going on," I said. "Come on, we need to move."
"Right," he agreed, and turned around. "All right, Captain, your men can come out. They're friends."
There was shuffling behind him—movement from inside the house. He stepped outside, and I let him pass. There were four PRT troops coming down the hall towards us, weapons down, but in their hands.
I could feel Vista tensing beside me. I glanced down at her. Her lips were pursed, and her eyes were darting hither and thither as though seeking something.
"Is something wrong?" I asked, keeping my voice at a low murmur.
Her head gave a minute tilt from side to side. "Maybe," she said, just as quietly. "They usually wouldn't be inside."
"Maybe they came in because of the fight?"
Before she could answer, the PRT troopers were outside with us. "Annatar," said their leader with a nod. "Good to see the Director got our distress call. Did they send a squad with you, or is it just you three?"
"Just us," I said. "We should be plenty."
He nodded. His face was fully covered by the visor of his riot helmet, so I couldn't see his expression. "I'm not going to disagree with that," he said. "Are we falling back to headquarters, then?"
"That's the plan," I confirmed.
"Then should we take the van?"
"No," said Vista shortly, before I could respond. "Or, well, we won't. We'll head out with the VIP while your squad takes the car back."
He glanced at her. "Why split up?" he asked. "You can take the van with you when you use your power, can't you, Vista?"
She glanced up at me, as if asking for help. I obliged. "If we split up, it gives the enemy more targets," I said. "We weren't discovered on our approach, as far as we know, so any enemies will probably follow the van. It makes sense to take the VIP by the most secure route possible, right?"
The man considered that. "Suppose that makes sense," he agreed. "All right, people, let's go."
They began to walk through our little group, passing between us on their way to the van. Vista and I shuffled out of the way, but they had to go around Sophia. I glanced at her. Her eyes were cast upward, towards my bedroom window, which faced the street. I followed her gaze. The curtains were drawn.
"Something wrong, Shadow Stalker?" I asked.
"I'm not sure," she muttered. She squinted, staring into the window. "Is that…"
"My room," I murmured, quietly enough so that the PRT troops, a few feet back from us, wouldn't hear.
Sophia nodded, but didn't reply. Her eyes widened, and I felt her tense suddenly like an animal caught in headlights.
"Vista," she said, in a low hiss, "get us out of here."
Vista's eyes flashed. "On it." Her hands rose, but at that moment, the curtains over my bedroom window were thrown aside.
There was a child there—a boy, maybe thirteen years old. His shoulder-length black hair was done up in a ponytail, and his eyes flashed in the dark.
I felt my arms and legs seize up, locking into place as though electrocuted. Vista and Sophia both stiffened beside me.
The boy stared down at us. In the moonlight, now that the curtains had been drawn back, I could see the sweat beading on his brow, twinkling in the reflected dusk.
"Foam 'em," ordered the captain behind me. He was close--too close. My eyes, darting around, could see the troopers clustered close around us. Vista wouldn't be able to warp space with this little room between living people.
It wasn't my first time being subjected to containment foam. It was a mandatory part of training. That'd didn't mean I was ready for it when the foam began to built around by legs, arms, and torso, hardening as it went.
"What are you doing?" my dad asked, almost shrill. "What the—"
"His orders, Danny," said the captain shortly. "He sent word when you went to the door."
There was a pause. "Oh," Dad said. His voice was horribly small.
As soon as the foam had congealed around my body, I felt the electric force through my limbs shatter. Vista immediately released a tumultuous string of oaths. Sophia was just looking at me.
"I'm sorry," she murmured. "I should have seen him sooner."
I shook my head. "Can you move?"
She started to shake her head, then hesitated. "I—"
"Blink out," I whispered. "Hurry, before they realize."
Vista's cursing was loud enough to mask our short exchange. Sophia grimaced. "I'm not leaving you," she said.
"You don't have a choice."
At that moment, the captain came into my view around Vista. "Do us all a favor," he said in a put-upon voice, "and stop that?"
Vista spat at him. "Fuck you! You fucking traitorous—"
The man pointed his foam gun directly into her face. "Don't finish that sentence," he said grimly.
"What?" she asked. "You're not gonna kill me. You want me to shut up? Gonna have to—"
He pulled the trigger, and Vista's face was covered in foam. For a moment, I heard her muffled shouts, and then she fell silent.
The captain sighed. "Didn't want to do that," he said. He glanced at me. "I really do respect you, you know. All of you Wards. You've done amazing things, and you're just kids."
"It's not stopping you from betraying us," said Sophia. Her voice was soft, and she wasn't even looking at him. She was looking at me—no, past me. At my dad.
I heard him shift. I didn't look. I didn't want to see.
"No," the captain agreed, sounding almost sad. "No, it isn't."
The front door opened again, and the boy stepped out onto the threshold. "Hey, Annatar," he said, a sneer on his lips and in his voice. "Huge fan. Thanks for lending me your room."
I met his eyes and said nothing. The sneer faded a little. "Nothing to say?" he asked. "Not a peep? Just gonna take this?"
I said nothing. Sophia was looking at me now.
At length, the boy gave a rough sigh and shook his head, a scowl on his lips. "Fucking hell," he said. I was hoping to see some of that famous Annatar charisma. Was hoping you'd try to convince me to let you go. Didn't expect a little bitch."
"Say that again," said Sophia sharply, furiously. "I fucking dare you, punk. Say that again."
"Stalker!" I barked, glaring over at her. She turned to me—were those tears in her eyes?
"No," she mumbled.
"Now," I ordered.
She closed her eyes, and in a burst of shadow was gone.
"Fucking what?" barked the kid, blinking and then turning a furious glare on me. "What did—how? What the—"
"Enough, Shutdown!" the captain said sharply. "Shadow Stalker's gone. We're on a time limit. Let's get moving."
The kid grimaced. "Right. Do Vista first." He gave me a sharp grin. "I want to see the dread on her face."
"Shutdown…" My dad sounded reproachful. The kid glanced at him dismissively, and didn't even bother to respond.
The PRT troopers were approaching the foam-buried Vista with canisters of confoam solvent. They deployed it carefully, targeting the foam covering her left hand. Slowly, her hand was exposed, along with the Ring of Power on it.
"Don't," I said quietly.
"There it is," said Shutdown with relish. "Keep going."
"You'll regret this."
Vista's muffled protests went ignored as the captain reached down. He couldn't see Histeya, exactly, but he knew where it was, and soon his fingers closed around the mithril band. He began to pull.
Vista was screaming now. There were tears in my eyes. I'm so sorry.
Histeya didn't come off of Vista's finger easily. It had to be forced—painfully so, by the volume of Vista's protesting screams. I wanted to close my eyes, to look away, to cry and scream and rail. I did none of these things. I just watched as they stole one of the Seven from its proper Bearer.
The moment the band was off of her finger, Vista fell silent.
"Cool!" Shutdown exclaimed clapping his hands together in an almost childlike way. "Now, Annatar. Your turn."
My eyes met Shutdown's as the captain came to my left side. I didn't look as the foam over my hand dissolved.
As soon as my hand was free, I flexed my fingers. Lighting lanced forth, a burst of crackling electricity. It buried itself in the captain, and he was cast back, ten or fifteen feet, landing in a crumpled heap in the middle of the road.
The troopers all stepped away warily. Shutdown, after he got over the surprise, glared at me. "Danny!" he ordered. "You're standing there this time. Let's see if she'll do that to her own dad."
Dad came and stood beside me, even as one of the other troopers went to check on the captain. Shutdown looked over at them. "Well?" he asked.
"He's dead," said the trooper shakily. "She killed him."
My dad's breath caught. Mine didn't. When Shutdown turned back to me, my eyes were locked on his.
"You're going to regret this," I said. My voice was perfectly even, and my lips shaped the words with all the precision of a chisel engraving them in marble.
Shutdown's eyes narrowed. "We'll see," he said. "Danny?"
Dad knelt beside me and met my eyes. "I'm sorry, Taylor," he said, and there was real pain in his voice as he reached for Vilya. "It's not that I don't love you."
"I know," I said. There was a haze descending on my mind, like my brain was being choked with fog. "It's that you love him more."
Dad nodded. "Don't fight," he said as he began to tug on the Ring. It was stuck on my knuckle. "You'll understand soon."
I wasn't trapped in containment foam at all. I could feel the metal closing around me. I could smell the blood and shit.
Vilya slipped past the first knuckle, and caught on the second.
Please! I was screaming, begging, crying. Someone help me!
But my mouth wasn't moving, and nobody came. I tried to knock him out, push him away, and nothing happened.
Vilya came off, and for the first time in what felt like years, I was just Taylor.
"There," my father said, a tearful smile on his face. "That wasn't so hard. It'll all be okay soon, Taylor."
It'll all be over soon.
I was betrayed. I could feel the edge of the knife in my back. I could feel the squelching of filth under my feet, around my legs. It was rising to my waist, my stomach. It was all around me, it was inside me. I was—
"What the fuck is she doing!?" Shutdown's voice was distant. I barely registered it. My eyes were fixed on my father's face and wide eyes, the silver and red light playing on his features and reflecting in his eyes.
The smell of shit gave way to ash and smoke and fire. The blood remained.
There were spiders in my veins. There were ants in my lungs. There were cockroaches in my hair.
There was fire in my eyes.
Destination.
Please consider donating to my Patreon. Many thanks to those who have already donated.
Many thanks to @Assembler, @themanwhowas, @BeaconHill, and ShadowStepper1300 for betareading.
Many thanks to @MugaSofer for fact checking.
-x-x-x-
"For the record," said Vista, "I don't like this plan."
"Got any better ideas?" Sophia asked.
"Nope. Just thought you ought to know how I felt about it.'"
"You don't have to come," I said, looking over at her.
She met my eyes. "I know," she said dryly. "I owe you this much, though."
We were standing outside PRT HQ. The stars glimmered overhead, dimmed by the faint haze of light pollution and smog, even reduced as it was by Leviathan and Bakuda. The street was nearly silent, save for the muted bustle of the PRT working inside the building behind us.
I'd lived through gang wars, before I gained my powers. I remembered times when Brockton Bay had been a city at war, but those wars had never been concrete. They had always been distant dangers, additional risks to be aware of, but never clear and present threats to me personally.
Since gaining powers, I'd faced Bakuda, Leviathan, and now Valefor and Heartbreaker. Nothing before had compared, and the city, in silence, seemed to agree.
It made some small part of me wonder. Was the city tearing itself apart now because I was here? Or was I here, now, because the city was tearing itself apart?
"Anyway," Vista said, turning away from me. "North, right?"
"Yeah," I said. "Let's get to the edge of Downtown, first. We should be careful from there."
Vista nodded. The air twisted before us as space compressed. "Come on," she said, and led us through.
I watched her. Her shoulders were set, and movements were direct and deliberate. "You're not afraid," I said, almost surprising myself by breaking the silence.
Vista glanced back at me, blinking. "No. Should I be?"
"I don't know," I answered. "I am."
"Heartbreaker can't hurt us," Vista said with a raised eyebrow. "Not with your Rings. Right?"
"Right," I said, glancing away.
There was a moment's silence as Vista stretched space again.
"He'll be fine," Sophia said quietly. "We'll make sure of it."
I swallowed and didn't reply. We continued in silence for a time. Over our heads, the stars burned like shards of ice.
"This is about as far as I think we're safe going," said Vista suddenly, coming to a stop and letting her hands fall as the condensed space behind us loosened again. "Histeya's… cold."
I nodded. "After this point, we can't count on support," I said. "Shadow Stalker, any ideas?"
"Stick to the rooftops, stay in cover, and get to the house as quickly as we can," Sophia said immediately. "We want to avoid being seen, right?"
"Makes sense to me," said Vista. "Ready when you are."
I swallowed and nodded. "Let's go."
-x-x-x-
"Think anyone saw us?" Sophia asked.
We were on the rooftop of one of the houses next to mine, leaving over it and looking over at my house next door. There was a PRT van parked outside, and the lights were on inside.
"No," I said quietly. "But I can't be sure."
"Look at it this way," said Vista. "Even if it is a trap, it's not a trap for us. Protocol would be to send a PRT squad in. They won't be expecting three Ring-Bearers."
"If it's a trap, my father's the bait," I answered. "Even if they lose, we still don't win."
Sophia nudged me. "It might be fine. We won't know until we go in."
I nodded. "You're right. Let's go."
I dropped off of the roof. The wind whistled past me for an instant as I fell, before I hit the ground with only the faintest clack of metal on concrete. Sophia and Vista joined me a moment later. Together we crept down the sidewalk, watching the PRT van and the surrounding buildings for any sign of movement. Nothing disturbed the night.
As we walked up to the front door, I couldn't help a faint feeling that I was leading my teammates to the gallows. The path came to an end all too soon, and we were on the threshold. I had to force myself to raise my fist and knock.
Dad answered the door, and as soon as I saw his face light up in affection, I relaxed. "T—" he started, then stopped. "Annatar," he said. "To what—"
"There's no time," I said. "You're in danger. I need you to come with me. We're extracting you and the PRT operatives assigned to protect you."
Dad frowned. "What's happened?" he asked. "What's wrong?"
I bit my lip. "It's… it's a long story," I said. "Your PRT detail sent out a distress call an hour or so ago."
"Oh," he said, realization crossing his features. "There was a fight a couple streets down. ABB. Lung got involved. It died down earlier."
"There's still a lot going on," I said. "Come on, we need to move."
"Right," he agreed, and turned around. "All right, Captain, your men can come out. They're friends."
There was shuffling behind him—movement from inside the house. He stepped outside, and I let him pass. There were four PRT troops coming down the hall towards us, weapons down, but in their hands.
I could feel Vista tensing beside me. I glanced down at her. Her lips were pursed, and her eyes were darting hither and thither as though seeking something.
"Is something wrong?" I asked, keeping my voice at a low murmur.
Her head gave a minute tilt from side to side. "Maybe," she said, just as quietly. "They usually wouldn't be inside."
"Maybe they came in because of the fight?"
Before she could answer, the PRT troopers were outside with us. "Annatar," said their leader with a nod. "Good to see the Director got our distress call. Did they send a squad with you, or is it just you three?"
"Just us," I said. "We should be plenty."
He nodded. His face was fully covered by the visor of his riot helmet, so I couldn't see his expression. "I'm not going to disagree with that," he said. "Are we falling back to headquarters, then?"
"That's the plan," I confirmed.
"Then should we take the van?"
"No," said Vista shortly, before I could respond. "Or, well, we won't. We'll head out with the VIP while your squad takes the car back."
He glanced at her. "Why split up?" he asked. "You can take the van with you when you use your power, can't you, Vista?"
She glanced up at me, as if asking for help. I obliged. "If we split up, it gives the enemy more targets," I said. "We weren't discovered on our approach, as far as we know, so any enemies will probably follow the van. It makes sense to take the VIP by the most secure route possible, right?"
The man considered that. "Suppose that makes sense," he agreed. "All right, people, let's go."
They began to walk through our little group, passing between us on their way to the van. Vista and I shuffled out of the way, but they had to go around Sophia. I glanced at her. Her eyes were cast upward, towards my bedroom window, which faced the street. I followed her gaze. The curtains were drawn.
"Something wrong, Shadow Stalker?" I asked.
"I'm not sure," she muttered. She squinted, staring into the window. "Is that…"
"My room," I murmured, quietly enough so that the PRT troops, a few feet back from us, wouldn't hear.
Sophia nodded, but didn't reply. Her eyes widened, and I felt her tense suddenly like an animal caught in headlights.
"Vista," she said, in a low hiss, "get us out of here."
Vista's eyes flashed. "On it." Her hands rose, but at that moment, the curtains over my bedroom window were thrown aside.
There was a child there—a boy, maybe thirteen years old. His shoulder-length black hair was done up in a ponytail, and his eyes flashed in the dark.
I felt my arms and legs seize up, locking into place as though electrocuted. Vista and Sophia both stiffened beside me.
The boy stared down at us. In the moonlight, now that the curtains had been drawn back, I could see the sweat beading on his brow, twinkling in the reflected dusk.
"Foam 'em," ordered the captain behind me. He was close--too close. My eyes, darting around, could see the troopers clustered close around us. Vista wouldn't be able to warp space with this little room between living people.
It wasn't my first time being subjected to containment foam. It was a mandatory part of training. That'd didn't mean I was ready for it when the foam began to built around by legs, arms, and torso, hardening as it went.
"What are you doing?" my dad asked, almost shrill. "What the—"
"His orders, Danny," said the captain shortly. "He sent word when you went to the door."
There was a pause. "Oh," Dad said. His voice was horribly small.
As soon as the foam had congealed around my body, I felt the electric force through my limbs shatter. Vista immediately released a tumultuous string of oaths. Sophia was just looking at me.
"I'm sorry," she murmured. "I should have seen him sooner."
I shook my head. "Can you move?"
She started to shake her head, then hesitated. "I—"
"Blink out," I whispered. "Hurry, before they realize."
Vista's cursing was loud enough to mask our short exchange. Sophia grimaced. "I'm not leaving you," she said.
"You don't have a choice."
At that moment, the captain came into my view around Vista. "Do us all a favor," he said in a put-upon voice, "and stop that?"
Vista spat at him. "Fuck you! You fucking traitorous—"
The man pointed his foam gun directly into her face. "Don't finish that sentence," he said grimly.
"What?" she asked. "You're not gonna kill me. You want me to shut up? Gonna have to—"
He pulled the trigger, and Vista's face was covered in foam. For a moment, I heard her muffled shouts, and then she fell silent.
The captain sighed. "Didn't want to do that," he said. He glanced at me. "I really do respect you, you know. All of you Wards. You've done amazing things, and you're just kids."
"It's not stopping you from betraying us," said Sophia. Her voice was soft, and she wasn't even looking at him. She was looking at me—no, past me. At my dad.
I heard him shift. I didn't look. I didn't want to see.
"No," the captain agreed, sounding almost sad. "No, it isn't."
The front door opened again, and the boy stepped out onto the threshold. "Hey, Annatar," he said, a sneer on his lips and in his voice. "Huge fan. Thanks for lending me your room."
I met his eyes and said nothing. The sneer faded a little. "Nothing to say?" he asked. "Not a peep? Just gonna take this?"
I said nothing. Sophia was looking at me now.
At length, the boy gave a rough sigh and shook his head, a scowl on his lips. "Fucking hell," he said. I was hoping to see some of that famous Annatar charisma. Was hoping you'd try to convince me to let you go. Didn't expect a little bitch."
"Say that again," said Sophia sharply, furiously. "I fucking dare you, punk. Say that again."
"Stalker!" I barked, glaring over at her. She turned to me—were those tears in her eyes?
"No," she mumbled.
"Now," I ordered.
She closed her eyes, and in a burst of shadow was gone.
"Fucking what?" barked the kid, blinking and then turning a furious glare on me. "What did—how? What the—"
"Enough, Shutdown!" the captain said sharply. "Shadow Stalker's gone. We're on a time limit. Let's get moving."
The kid grimaced. "Right. Do Vista first." He gave me a sharp grin. "I want to see the dread on her face."
"Shutdown…" My dad sounded reproachful. The kid glanced at him dismissively, and didn't even bother to respond.
The PRT troopers were approaching the foam-buried Vista with canisters of confoam solvent. They deployed it carefully, targeting the foam covering her left hand. Slowly, her hand was exposed, along with the Ring of Power on it.
"Don't," I said quietly.
"There it is," said Shutdown with relish. "Keep going."
"You'll regret this."
Vista's muffled protests went ignored as the captain reached down. He couldn't see Histeya, exactly, but he knew where it was, and soon his fingers closed around the mithril band. He began to pull.
Vista was screaming now. There were tears in my eyes. I'm so sorry.
Histeya didn't come off of Vista's finger easily. It had to be forced—painfully so, by the volume of Vista's protesting screams. I wanted to close my eyes, to look away, to cry and scream and rail. I did none of these things. I just watched as they stole one of the Seven from its proper Bearer.
The moment the band was off of her finger, Vista fell silent.
"Cool!" Shutdown exclaimed clapping his hands together in an almost childlike way. "Now, Annatar. Your turn."
My eyes met Shutdown's as the captain came to my left side. I didn't look as the foam over my hand dissolved.
As soon as my hand was free, I flexed my fingers. Lighting lanced forth, a burst of crackling electricity. It buried itself in the captain, and he was cast back, ten or fifteen feet, landing in a crumpled heap in the middle of the road.
The troopers all stepped away warily. Shutdown, after he got over the surprise, glared at me. "Danny!" he ordered. "You're standing there this time. Let's see if she'll do that to her own dad."
Dad came and stood beside me, even as one of the other troopers went to check on the captain. Shutdown looked over at them. "Well?" he asked.
"He's dead," said the trooper shakily. "She killed him."
My dad's breath caught. Mine didn't. When Shutdown turned back to me, my eyes were locked on his.
"You're going to regret this," I said. My voice was perfectly even, and my lips shaped the words with all the precision of a chisel engraving them in marble.
Shutdown's eyes narrowed. "We'll see," he said. "Danny?"
Dad knelt beside me and met my eyes. "I'm sorry, Taylor," he said, and there was real pain in his voice as he reached for Vilya. "It's not that I don't love you."
"I know," I said. There was a haze descending on my mind, like my brain was being choked with fog. "It's that you love him more."
Dad nodded. "Don't fight," he said as he began to tug on the Ring. It was stuck on my knuckle. "You'll understand soon."
I wasn't trapped in containment foam at all. I could feel the metal closing around me. I could smell the blood and shit.
Vilya slipped past the first knuckle, and caught on the second.
Please! I was screaming, begging, crying. Someone help me!
But my mouth wasn't moving, and nobody came. I tried to knock him out, push him away, and nothing happened.
Vilya came off, and for the first time in what felt like years, I was just Taylor.
"There," my father said, a tearful smile on his face. "That wasn't so hard. It'll all be okay soon, Taylor."
It'll all be over soon.
I was betrayed. I could feel the edge of the knife in my back. I could feel the squelching of filth under my feet, around my legs. It was rising to my waist, my stomach. It was all around me, it was inside me. I was—
"What the fuck is she doing!?" Shutdown's voice was distant. I barely registered it. My eyes were fixed on my father's face and wide eyes, the silver and red light playing on his features and reflecting in his eyes.
The smell of shit gave way to ash and smoke and fire. The blood remained.
There were spiders in my veins. There were ants in my lungs. There were cockroaches in my hair.
There was fire in my eyes.
Destination.
-x-x-x-
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Lithos Maitreya
Character Witness
- Location
- United States
This week should have only one chapter, since I haven't rebuilt a sufficient backlog to justify more. However, I'm not cruel enough to leave you hanging on that for a week. Flicker 8.7 will arrive on Friday.
PAGDTenno
Verified Warmind. Probably on fire.
- Location
- South Carolina
Uh oh. This sounds like Sauron breaking through.
Lithos Maitreya
Character Witness
- Location
- United States
It might help to know that we're not done with this scene. More is coming before we skip away.
I await your comments.
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- Location
- Malaysia
Is this some sort of metaphor? That she finds herself disgusted by the rampant mindfuck happening around her? Iirc someone said in the SB thread that Master powers like Heartbreaker and Valefor are the worst kind of sin in Middle-Earth, so horrible that even Sauron felt disgusted. With her own father being the latest victim, and her Rings taken away like cheap trinkets made her reach her own limit of tolerance?
So is this basically Annatar's version of Fuck this shit I'm out except with lightning shows and flaming eyes?
Lithos Maitreya
Character Witness
- Location
- United States
Partly, but mostly it's a tie-back to the last time Taylor Hebert came face to face with betrayal.
That's how second triggers work, after all.
I suspect dead Masters in the future. Or pretending to be.
Edit: This feels like those orc captains that, while you could dominate them because they're really strong, have been such a pain to keep down you just go 'and stay dead this time!' on the last blow and kill them anyway.
Edit: This feels like those orc captains that, while you could dominate them because they're really strong, have been such a pain to keep down you just go 'and stay dead this time!' on the last blow and kill them anyway.
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Firebird Zoom
Pretty Bird
- Location
- Who knows?
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Also note that she was pleading for help just then. Which is another parallel to the Locker that scene had.
- Location
- USA
Who is Shutdown again? I've completely forgotten.
dhasenan
always lowercase
- Pronouns
- She/Her
One of Heartbreaker's kids, apparently, and with a similar power.
JuliusClonkus
Scatterbrained Speculator
- Location
- Federal Reichspublic of Karlsland
Oh boy. Oh dear. Oh ye gods.
You've done it now.
You've done it now.
Lithos Maitreya
Character Witness
- Location
- United States
The emotional whammy was Heartbreaker himself. Shutdown just freezes people.
If you had just made #20, your dad would not love Heartbreaker more. Obvious solution is obvious.
- Location
- Earth Prime
...huh. That is one thing I hadn't thought of, but you're probably right, given Galadriel's reaction to the One Ring.
- Location
- new york
the one ring shall be born again!
Timerider
That guy who really should get out more.
- Location
- The End of the World.
So here's a thought.
If Taylor second triggered and went full Maia, perhaps she will need the One in order to maintain physical form. Using the One as an anchor to the world.
Of course this wouldn't happen at once, but it could come about sooner or later.
If Taylor second triggered and went full Maia, perhaps she will need the One in order to maintain physical form. Using the One as an anchor to the world.
Of course this wouldn't happen at once, but it could come about sooner or later.
Would we end up with Taylor shouting about she is the bright/dark lord of Baydor? She has the languages for it.
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