Shining Example (WORM ORIGIN QUEST)
- Thread starter IKnowNothing
- Start date
- Location
- USA
Yeah, part of me was kinda expecting that, but as a Code Geass fanboy I repressed that part of me. It was really easy to do too since there's enough shit in Lelouch's life that could work as a trigger event, especially if you actually kill off Nunnally. And it makes predicting him several metric fuck tons* harder to do. If it was a Lelouch Expy, I could put my faith in the fact that he has a morality pet or a morality chain and actually wants to make the world better. Without that I can't decide if he's lying, delusional, telling the truth, or some messed up mix of them multiplied by trigger event trauma.
*not to be confused with imperial fuck tons, colloquially referred to as fuck tons.
IKnowNothing
....What?
- Location
- I got lost so.....Where are we?
Yes, the vote is closed. The chapter itself is already finished and is currently getting beta'd.
2.10: Watching Titans
IKnowNothing
....What?
- Location
- I got lost so.....Where are we?
Rebecca raises to her feet, and David creates another layer of waves. She falls back to her knees, the impact sending another rattle through the facility. Her lips move, and you feel her scream behind the wall. But you can't hear it, you can only watch.
You feel the breeze whip against your face as you rush to the wall. The gazes of everyone on the other side bore into you back, but you don't care. You hit the wall palm first, and the surface ripples.
There's no sound, but it does do something. David slowly turns his head, and when his gaze lands on you, one of his arm lowers just a fraction.
And the one keeping Rebecca still, stops glowing for a second.
The waves disappear, and with another shattering shake, Rebecca shoots into the air. She hovers a foot above the air. Her fist clench, and she glares something at David.
You've… you've never seen her so angry.
Gone is the girl that you kept company. Gone is the friend that would always smile at anyone, even if she didn't like them.
In her place, something else entirely.
You take a step back, tripping on a rock and landing flat on your rear end. It doesn't hurt, and part of you wishes it did.
If it did hurt, you could find something to stop yourself from staring at her. You can't help yourself. Your hands can't move, your legs are useless, your heartbeat is hammering in your ears and your jaw is on the floor.
You can barely breath, you can barely think. And if you could, you wish you couldn't even do that. Because with what little part of your head that was still working, you slowly start to understand.
You could act when David was training you. You could move when the man sent his shadow hands after you.
But looking up at Rebecca, you can't do a damn thing.
You're shivering in your boots, and she's the reason why.
Your finger twitches, and you force it under your leg. No, you can't use your power here. If you do there's no telling what it would do.
If you hurt them now, you wouldn't forgive yourself.
Rebecca launches towards David, but his arms rise, faster than a bullet. His hand snaps up, and waves smash into Rebecca's back. Like hammering a nail, they crush Rebecca under their collective weight. She hits the ground for what must be the tenth time at this point.
Despite that, the second she can, she slowly wrenches herself off the ground.
And by some twist of fate, the second she opens her eyes, she's staring straight at you.
The utterly cold fury makes you scurry backward. You didn't want to, you wanted to go closer, you want to help her.
But you're shaking, and she can see it all.
The fury in her eyes fades as she recognizes you. In an instant, she takes it all in. The doctors, cowering behind Contessa. The Director, using every ounce of her willpower to figure out a way through this. David, his entire being committed to stopping her.
And you, on the floor and shaking in your shoes just from the sight of her.
She stares at you, and for an instant, you see her eyes begin to water.
The next, her face is forced back into the floor as another hundred waves are forced upon her. You're on your feet and pressing against the wall before you know it.
"No!" you hear yourself shout.
Your voice sends another ripple through the wall, and once again David looks back at you. He shakes his head and… is that regret?
If you wanted to stop them, tear them away from one another, you can't as million thoughts hit you. What the hell is going on? Why are they fighting? Why is Rebecca so mad? Why is David sorry?
"Why is this happening!?" you scream.
David stares at you, his lips move, but there's no sound.
Then, all hell breaks loose.
The rattling of the floor crescendos into an soundless explosion that blows a hole in the ground where Rebecca was. The waves fade away as David lowers his hand, his concentration and eye contact broken. He doesn't drop the field, instead gasping for air. The ground beneath him rumbles for the barest moments. He looks down, realization hitting him as he jumps up and back.
Unfortunately, it's not enough.
Rebecca rockets through the floor in a black blur. You barely manage to catch the sight of her fist connecting with David's chest before the two of them blast through the ceiling.
The silver wall disappears, and the sound splits the air. It's like standing back on that rocky field, with David's power raining down on you. This time, you can't even see what it is that explodes. The sound brings you to to your knees as your eardrums rip themselves apart. You press your hands against your ears, and it does nothing. It sinks you further into the ground as it dissipates, leaving only the ringing that's slowly becoming all too familiar.
Someone touches your shoulder, and presses the dampeners in your ear. A click, and the ringing lowers to a soft hum. Slowly, you crack one eye open to see Contessa standing over you.
Her fedora is in tatters and her suit has seen better days, but her confidence is still rock solid. She reaches out a hand, which you take and she forces you to your feet. By the wall, Manton and Doctor Mother groan as they deal with the aftershock of the blast. Manton's glasses are cracked beyond repair, one of the lenses missing altogether. He rips them off his face and throws them down the new hole in the floor, muttering something under his breath.
With a pained expression that for some reason isn't coming from the sound of the explosion, he helps doctor Mother to her feet. The second she's steady, both of them throw their hands away, mild disgust crossing both of their features.
It stays for Manton, but Doctor Mother is as still as stone as she regards you and Contessa.
"Contessa, situation." she orders.
The deputy director sends you a robotic glance, one that makes you snap to attention. Or at least, as best you could. Right now, the straight back is all you can manage as Contessa takes a step forward. Her neck cranes to the new skylight, and her power probably gives her everything she needs to know in an instant.
"The fourth and fifth subjects are currently engaging."
"And water is wet," Manton growls, "Next you'll waste all of our time by telling us something that is as obvious as what's in front of us! Use your agent correctly or don't use it at-!"
"Manton, enough." Doctor Mother snaps.
She doesn't raise her voice, but the steel in her words is enough to send shivers down your spin. Manton bows his head obediently, scowling at the destruction in the room.
"Dreadful, the damage will take a day out of Charles' research time," he grumbles.
"The minimum required time grows every second." Contessa states blandly.
It's warm in the room, but still, you shiver.
"What are you-?"
A shock wave splits the air above you, sending ripples down the facility. The broken ceiling crackles and pieces fall down one by one. It stays whole, for the most part, but the new skylight grows even wider.
You look up through it just in time to see a shockwave tear through the air. Rebecca's fist connects with David's, and the blast is a bomb of raw kinetic energy. The ceiling shakes, sending a chunk down on top of Manton.
Waves flash, and you swipe your hand to the side. The rock explodes as a thousand waves send it to the side, crashing into the wall like an artillery shell. Manton looks at you in disbelief, and you have to force your hand down to look at him.
"Don't mention it," you say.
He nods his head, but his disbelief hasn't gone away in the slightest. Doctor Mother examines the ceiling. Her scowl deepens, and her clipboard groans underneath her fingertips.
"Contessa, I leave resolution and punishment to you." Doctor Mother.
Contessa nods, snaps her fingers and a door shimmers into existence in front of her. Doctor Mother starts walking to the elevator door.
"Manton, with me." the Doctor orders.
The scientist perks up, focus returning to his eyes as he nods. He picks up the pace and the two of them head to the elevator. You turn to follow them, and Contessa places a hand on your shoulder. Her grip tightens and you're being pulled along as she dead to the door.
"You're with me," she says.
She pulls you through, and you have to squint at the sudden light. You blink the black spots from your eyes, and you manage to see a cracked floor. A few feet away, there's a hole leading down to a small office room.
You're outside? Why the hell are you outside?
There's a bang, on instinct you look up at the cloudless sky. You squint, and far in the distance you see two dots soaring through the air. One is a black blur that swoops in close to the other dot every other second. The other dot is spinning, dodging or vanishing into thin air only to reappear a moment later. You run towards it, managing to get a few steps before Contessa grabs you by your shirt collar. It digs into your neck, but it stops you from going over the edge. Looking over, the entire cliffside drops out in front of you. Nothing but a foot of crumbling pavement between you and a five hundred foot drop. At the end of it all, a small platform, and the ocean. You step away just as Contessa takes a place at your side. Unlike you, she doesn't even strain her eyes to look at the two of them.
"Half a mile in the air," Contessa calculates.
"How is that supposed to help us?" You ask.
"You seemed confused," Contessa states, "I was just clearing up some of that confusion before we proceed."
"With what?"
Contessa reaches to her side, bringing her gun to bare. You jump and instinct forces your hands in front of you.
"You're going to shoot them!?"
"They're out of range, there is no standard firearm in the world capable of making up that distance."
You breath a sigh of relief and lower your arms. Glancing up, you see the two of them connect in another shockwave. One of the dots is blown back, shining green over the ocean as the black dot chases close after it.
"Is Rebecca…"
Contessa glances up as one hand reaches down, producing a single clip of ammo.
"David has been ordered by Doctor Mother to not deal permanent damage to her. Rebecca's power is essential for another step on the path. As such, he is waiting for the path to be complete. If he tries something now, he will damage it beyond repair."
"I thought that your power was the path to victory?" you say.
Contessa's lips curl into a small, almost bitter smile.
"In normal cases, but as you well know, David isn't a normal case."
She loads the new clip, and cocks the barrel. Spinning the pistol on her finger, she glances to you.
"Now, I'm going to require your assistance, Alex."
"With what?" you ask immediately.
"Stopping the two of them from fighting, and taking another step on your path." she states casually.
You shrug, in fairness there wasn't much else you could help with. But on the other hand...
"How are we going to stop them from here? I'm not going to start throwing rocks at them, and I can barely see them, much less focus waves on them." you say.
Contessa shakes her head.
"You will not be required to do anything other than stand there."
"And do-"
You turn towards her, but you're words freeze and die in your throat. Contessa's right in front of you, and you're staring down the barrel of a gun.
"Holy shit!"
Waves shine in the air, and Contessa turns into a blur. She moves faster than you feel should be possible, spinning around you effortlessly. She places a foot on the pavement behind you, and with a swift kick to your knee, you're off balance. You become weightless, then you see the butt of a gun smashing into your forehead.
You feel a sick snap as your head hits the pavement. Adrenaline forces your eyes open, and the spinning sky is enough to make you want to hurl. The only thing stopping you, is the barrel of the gun flush against your forehead.
Contessa looks down, her face as stone cold serious as it always is. You feel a click in your ears, and you find her free hand moving away from your ear. Your finger twitches, you focus, and nothing.
No wave comes to meet you.
All you manage to do, is have Contessa press the gun down harder. You let your limbs go numb, and the pressure eases just a little bit.
Another distant shockwave rings out, but Contessa doesn't even blink. She tilts her head, and for a second, she seems confused.
"You stopped."
You blink.
"Stopped? I got up here as fast as I could," you argue.
She shakes her head.
"I wasn't talking about that, and you know it. You could have stopped Rebecca and David back at the office. Instead of separating them, you ran towards them, no plan, screaming and whining."
You lie there for a second, staring up at Contessa. She… she has to be joking! You can't waste time talking! Rebecca and David are going to kill each other at this rate!
Your hand twitches, and Contessa makes the muzzle goes a little deeper, cutting through your waves and touching skin.
"You hesitated, when they needed you to act. Only when Manton was threatened did you overcome it. But if you hadn't failed the first test there wouldn't have to be a second."
… Seriously!?
She's pissed because you didn't stop this?
"What was I supposed to do?" You demand, anger pushing through the sensation of cold metal, "I'm not the one with the power that wins no matter what! I have to worry about who I'm going to hurt! And... I can't hurt my best friend."
"But you can lie to her, and yourself."
And just like that, all of the anger and the bravado leaves as quickly as it came. You can't move, you barely feel yourself breathe. All you can do, is stare up at Contessa.
She looks as mournful as your father did the day your mother left. Anger at you, disappointment in herself and regret. But for who, you can't even hazard a guess.
The sky shakes, a blast sending the wind flowing over you. This time, you're just as motionless as Contessa.
Desperately, you lean your head back just far enough. In the distance, one dot catches the other off guard with a blast of blue energy. You focus, drowning everything out.
Not even a gold shimmer comes out to meet you.
You don't see Contessa's expression, you can't bare to look even if it did change. You just lean your head back on the pavement, with nothing left in you.
"I… I'm sorry." you whisper.
The edges of your eyes water, ever so slightly.
"I just... I couldn't. Just… fix this," you plead.
Once again, despite the situation, the power and the plea, Contessa is still as a statue. A second ticks by, and it feels like an hour.
"Please," you beg.
You've begged for a lot of things, but for the love of all that is holy, let this work.
Just let her get out of this.
Another second goes by, and slowly, the Deputy Director reaches down and taps the dampeners in your ear. There's a snap, and a single wave appears in your vision above her eyes.
Then, a sliver of a smile. One full of relief and confidence.
"Then, I'll complete the path. All you need to do, is make another choice."
Her other hand grips the fold of your armpit.
"You can choose to wait, or to do something."
Contessa raises the gun in the air, and fires two shots. The sound sends your ears ringing, and the muzzle flash blinds you as the bullets soar into the sky. Flares, twin balls of fire fly into the air. You shut your eyes, and as soon as you do you feel Contessa slip her other hand drops the under your other arm. With a tug, she spins you around across the floor.
And straight off the edge.
Wind and sea salt slap at your face, and your eyes shoot open to see the rapidly approaching ocean.
…
…
Oh fuck.
[] Save yourself
[] Pray that someone saves you.
You feel the breeze whip against your face as you rush to the wall. The gazes of everyone on the other side bore into you back, but you don't care. You hit the wall palm first, and the surface ripples.
There's no sound, but it does do something. David slowly turns his head, and when his gaze lands on you, one of his arm lowers just a fraction.
And the one keeping Rebecca still, stops glowing for a second.
The waves disappear, and with another shattering shake, Rebecca shoots into the air. She hovers a foot above the air. Her fist clench, and she glares something at David.
You've… you've never seen her so angry.
Gone is the girl that you kept company. Gone is the friend that would always smile at anyone, even if she didn't like them.
In her place, something else entirely.
You take a step back, tripping on a rock and landing flat on your rear end. It doesn't hurt, and part of you wishes it did.
If it did hurt, you could find something to stop yourself from staring at her. You can't help yourself. Your hands can't move, your legs are useless, your heartbeat is hammering in your ears and your jaw is on the floor.
You can barely breath, you can barely think. And if you could, you wish you couldn't even do that. Because with what little part of your head that was still working, you slowly start to understand.
You could act when David was training you. You could move when the man sent his shadow hands after you.
But looking up at Rebecca, you can't do a damn thing.
You're shivering in your boots, and she's the reason why.
Your finger twitches, and you force it under your leg. No, you can't use your power here. If you do there's no telling what it would do.
If you hurt them now, you wouldn't forgive yourself.
Rebecca launches towards David, but his arms rise, faster than a bullet. His hand snaps up, and waves smash into Rebecca's back. Like hammering a nail, they crush Rebecca under their collective weight. She hits the ground for what must be the tenth time at this point.
Despite that, the second she can, she slowly wrenches herself off the ground.
And by some twist of fate, the second she opens her eyes, she's staring straight at you.
The utterly cold fury makes you scurry backward. You didn't want to, you wanted to go closer, you want to help her.
But you're shaking, and she can see it all.
The fury in her eyes fades as she recognizes you. In an instant, she takes it all in. The doctors, cowering behind Contessa. The Director, using every ounce of her willpower to figure out a way through this. David, his entire being committed to stopping her.
And you, on the floor and shaking in your shoes just from the sight of her.
She stares at you, and for an instant, you see her eyes begin to water.
The next, her face is forced back into the floor as another hundred waves are forced upon her. You're on your feet and pressing against the wall before you know it.
"No!" you hear yourself shout.
Your voice sends another ripple through the wall, and once again David looks back at you. He shakes his head and… is that regret?
If you wanted to stop them, tear them away from one another, you can't as million thoughts hit you. What the hell is going on? Why are they fighting? Why is Rebecca so mad? Why is David sorry?
"Why is this happening!?" you scream.
David stares at you, his lips move, but there's no sound.
Then, all hell breaks loose.
The rattling of the floor crescendos into an soundless explosion that blows a hole in the ground where Rebecca was. The waves fade away as David lowers his hand, his concentration and eye contact broken. He doesn't drop the field, instead gasping for air. The ground beneath him rumbles for the barest moments. He looks down, realization hitting him as he jumps up and back.
Unfortunately, it's not enough.
Rebecca rockets through the floor in a black blur. You barely manage to catch the sight of her fist connecting with David's chest before the two of them blast through the ceiling.
The silver wall disappears, and the sound splits the air. It's like standing back on that rocky field, with David's power raining down on you. This time, you can't even see what it is that explodes. The sound brings you to to your knees as your eardrums rip themselves apart. You press your hands against your ears, and it does nothing. It sinks you further into the ground as it dissipates, leaving only the ringing that's slowly becoming all too familiar.
Someone touches your shoulder, and presses the dampeners in your ear. A click, and the ringing lowers to a soft hum. Slowly, you crack one eye open to see Contessa standing over you.
Her fedora is in tatters and her suit has seen better days, but her confidence is still rock solid. She reaches out a hand, which you take and she forces you to your feet. By the wall, Manton and Doctor Mother groan as they deal with the aftershock of the blast. Manton's glasses are cracked beyond repair, one of the lenses missing altogether. He rips them off his face and throws them down the new hole in the floor, muttering something under his breath.
With a pained expression that for some reason isn't coming from the sound of the explosion, he helps doctor Mother to her feet. The second she's steady, both of them throw their hands away, mild disgust crossing both of their features.
It stays for Manton, but Doctor Mother is as still as stone as she regards you and Contessa.
"Contessa, situation." she orders.
The deputy director sends you a robotic glance, one that makes you snap to attention. Or at least, as best you could. Right now, the straight back is all you can manage as Contessa takes a step forward. Her neck cranes to the new skylight, and her power probably gives her everything she needs to know in an instant.
"The fourth and fifth subjects are currently engaging."
"And water is wet," Manton growls, "Next you'll waste all of our time by telling us something that is as obvious as what's in front of us! Use your agent correctly or don't use it at-!"
"Manton, enough." Doctor Mother snaps.
She doesn't raise her voice, but the steel in her words is enough to send shivers down your spin. Manton bows his head obediently, scowling at the destruction in the room.
"Dreadful, the damage will take a day out of Charles' research time," he grumbles.
"The minimum required time grows every second." Contessa states blandly.
It's warm in the room, but still, you shiver.
"What are you-?"
A shock wave splits the air above you, sending ripples down the facility. The broken ceiling crackles and pieces fall down one by one. It stays whole, for the most part, but the new skylight grows even wider.
You look up through it just in time to see a shockwave tear through the air. Rebecca's fist connects with David's, and the blast is a bomb of raw kinetic energy. The ceiling shakes, sending a chunk down on top of Manton.
Waves flash, and you swipe your hand to the side. The rock explodes as a thousand waves send it to the side, crashing into the wall like an artillery shell. Manton looks at you in disbelief, and you have to force your hand down to look at him.
"Don't mention it," you say.
He nods his head, but his disbelief hasn't gone away in the slightest. Doctor Mother examines the ceiling. Her scowl deepens, and her clipboard groans underneath her fingertips.
"Contessa, I leave resolution and punishment to you." Doctor Mother.
Contessa nods, snaps her fingers and a door shimmers into existence in front of her. Doctor Mother starts walking to the elevator door.
"Manton, with me." the Doctor orders.
The scientist perks up, focus returning to his eyes as he nods. He picks up the pace and the two of them head to the elevator. You turn to follow them, and Contessa places a hand on your shoulder. Her grip tightens and you're being pulled along as she dead to the door.
"You're with me," she says.
She pulls you through, and you have to squint at the sudden light. You blink the black spots from your eyes, and you manage to see a cracked floor. A few feet away, there's a hole leading down to a small office room.
You're outside? Why the hell are you outside?
There's a bang, on instinct you look up at the cloudless sky. You squint, and far in the distance you see two dots soaring through the air. One is a black blur that swoops in close to the other dot every other second. The other dot is spinning, dodging or vanishing into thin air only to reappear a moment later. You run towards it, managing to get a few steps before Contessa grabs you by your shirt collar. It digs into your neck, but it stops you from going over the edge. Looking over, the entire cliffside drops out in front of you. Nothing but a foot of crumbling pavement between you and a five hundred foot drop. At the end of it all, a small platform, and the ocean. You step away just as Contessa takes a place at your side. Unlike you, she doesn't even strain her eyes to look at the two of them.
"Half a mile in the air," Contessa calculates.
"How is that supposed to help us?" You ask.
"You seemed confused," Contessa states, "I was just clearing up some of that confusion before we proceed."
"With what?"
Contessa reaches to her side, bringing her gun to bare. You jump and instinct forces your hands in front of you.
"You're going to shoot them!?"
"They're out of range, there is no standard firearm in the world capable of making up that distance."
You breath a sigh of relief and lower your arms. Glancing up, you see the two of them connect in another shockwave. One of the dots is blown back, shining green over the ocean as the black dot chases close after it.
"Is Rebecca…"
Contessa glances up as one hand reaches down, producing a single clip of ammo.
"David has been ordered by Doctor Mother to not deal permanent damage to her. Rebecca's power is essential for another step on the path. As such, he is waiting for the path to be complete. If he tries something now, he will damage it beyond repair."
"I thought that your power was the path to victory?" you say.
Contessa's lips curl into a small, almost bitter smile.
"In normal cases, but as you well know, David isn't a normal case."
She loads the new clip, and cocks the barrel. Spinning the pistol on her finger, she glances to you.
"Now, I'm going to require your assistance, Alex."
"With what?" you ask immediately.
"Stopping the two of them from fighting, and taking another step on your path." she states casually.
You shrug, in fairness there wasn't much else you could help with. But on the other hand...
"How are we going to stop them from here? I'm not going to start throwing rocks at them, and I can barely see them, much less focus waves on them." you say.
Contessa shakes her head.
"You will not be required to do anything other than stand there."
"And do-"
You turn towards her, but you're words freeze and die in your throat. Contessa's right in front of you, and you're staring down the barrel of a gun.
"Holy shit!"
Waves shine in the air, and Contessa turns into a blur. She moves faster than you feel should be possible, spinning around you effortlessly. She places a foot on the pavement behind you, and with a swift kick to your knee, you're off balance. You become weightless, then you see the butt of a gun smashing into your forehead.
You feel a sick snap as your head hits the pavement. Adrenaline forces your eyes open, and the spinning sky is enough to make you want to hurl. The only thing stopping you, is the barrel of the gun flush against your forehead.
Contessa looks down, her face as stone cold serious as it always is. You feel a click in your ears, and you find her free hand moving away from your ear. Your finger twitches, you focus, and nothing.
No wave comes to meet you.
All you manage to do, is have Contessa press the gun down harder. You let your limbs go numb, and the pressure eases just a little bit.
Another distant shockwave rings out, but Contessa doesn't even blink. She tilts her head, and for a second, she seems confused.
"You stopped."
You blink.
"Stopped? I got up here as fast as I could," you argue.
She shakes her head.
"I wasn't talking about that, and you know it. You could have stopped Rebecca and David back at the office. Instead of separating them, you ran towards them, no plan, screaming and whining."
You lie there for a second, staring up at Contessa. She… she has to be joking! You can't waste time talking! Rebecca and David are going to kill each other at this rate!
Your hand twitches, and Contessa makes the muzzle goes a little deeper, cutting through your waves and touching skin.
"You hesitated, when they needed you to act. Only when Manton was threatened did you overcome it. But if you hadn't failed the first test there wouldn't have to be a second."
… Seriously!?
She's pissed because you didn't stop this?
"What was I supposed to do?" You demand, anger pushing through the sensation of cold metal, "I'm not the one with the power that wins no matter what! I have to worry about who I'm going to hurt! And... I can't hurt my best friend."
"But you can lie to her, and yourself."
And just like that, all of the anger and the bravado leaves as quickly as it came. You can't move, you barely feel yourself breathe. All you can do, is stare up at Contessa.
She looks as mournful as your father did the day your mother left. Anger at you, disappointment in herself and regret. But for who, you can't even hazard a guess.
The sky shakes, a blast sending the wind flowing over you. This time, you're just as motionless as Contessa.
Desperately, you lean your head back just far enough. In the distance, one dot catches the other off guard with a blast of blue energy. You focus, drowning everything out.
Not even a gold shimmer comes out to meet you.
You don't see Contessa's expression, you can't bare to look even if it did change. You just lean your head back on the pavement, with nothing left in you.
"I… I'm sorry." you whisper.
The edges of your eyes water, ever so slightly.
"I just... I couldn't. Just… fix this," you plead.
Once again, despite the situation, the power and the plea, Contessa is still as a statue. A second ticks by, and it feels like an hour.
"Please," you beg.
You've begged for a lot of things, but for the love of all that is holy, let this work.
Just let her get out of this.
Another second goes by, and slowly, the Deputy Director reaches down and taps the dampeners in your ear. There's a snap, and a single wave appears in your vision above her eyes.
Then, a sliver of a smile. One full of relief and confidence.
"Then, I'll complete the path. All you need to do, is make another choice."
Her other hand grips the fold of your armpit.
"You can choose to wait, or to do something."
Contessa raises the gun in the air, and fires two shots. The sound sends your ears ringing, and the muzzle flash blinds you as the bullets soar into the sky. Flares, twin balls of fire fly into the air. You shut your eyes, and as soon as you do you feel Contessa slip her other hand drops the under your other arm. With a tug, she spins you around across the floor.
And straight off the edge.
Wind and sea salt slap at your face, and your eyes shoot open to see the rapidly approaching ocean.
…
…
Oh fuck.
[] Save yourself
[] Pray that someone saves you.
Last edited:
- Location
- pennsylvania
[X] Save yourself
- Location
- Reno Nv
[X] Save yourself
Time to fly, and or create land.
Time to fly, and or create land.
- Location
- Leeds
Interesting choice.
Now rather than debating the pros and cons of each I'll be direct. @IKnowNothing am I correct to assume this vote is more of a metaphor for Alex choosing to be more proactive rather than an actual, 'yes you might really want to do this'?
Now rather than debating the pros and cons of each I'll be direct. @IKnowNothing am I correct to assume this vote is more of a metaphor for Alex choosing to be more proactive rather than an actual, 'yes you might really want to do this'?
IKnowNothing
....What?
- Location
- I got lost so.....Where are we?
Evaunit02mark1
S-s-smell the Prey, S-s-start the Hunt.
Kinda need them to save the world, but yeah I understand the sentiment, this sink or swim shit is getting real old real fast.
Unfortunately with Contessa at the wheel and Doctor I haven't seen your damn doctorate who the fuck gave you a medical license you fucking maniac Mother giving orders I doubt that's going to change anytime soon.
[X] Save yourself
Aurain
----The Second Sun---- [Occido Lumen]
- Location
- United States
I'm genuinely growing frustrated with Cauldron and Alex. Alex is indecisive regardless of what choices we make. We vote to intervene in the fight and Alex trips....Contessa and Doctor Mother are not helping in the slightest, being monotone and cryptic. At this rate, I would be glad if we are given an option to back out of cauldron and do our own thing while pitching in when they request some help occasionally.
[X] Save yourself
Hopefully the "sink or swim" scenarios will cease for a while, because nobody would want to stay in an organization where its this bad consistently.
[X] Save yourself
Hopefully the "sink or swim" scenarios will cease for a while, because nobody would want to stay in an organization where its this bad consistently.
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- Location
- Hyperborea
[X] Pray that someone saves you.
David and Rebecca can't keep fighting if they're busy saving us. A simple and brilliant plan.
David and Rebecca can't keep fighting if they're busy saving us. A simple and brilliant plan.
On a more serious note, it will be interesting to see how this failure will affect Contessas Paths in the future. Assuming it is a failure, you never quite know with the Path.
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- Location
- Fox Empire
[X] Save yourself
Can we please just shank Contessa? It probably won't work but... please?
Can we please just shank Contessa? It probably won't work but... please?
- Location
- Just passing through.
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[X] Save yourself
*sigh*
*sigh*
So I'm asking myself, what is the purpose of this vote? What do these two choices mean?
It's structured so it seems like an obvious no-brainer. Of course Alex should save himself, right? The entire update and being chewed out over not acting by Contessa points to that end. Why would anyone vote for him to wait for someone to save him? But that doesn't make any sense. What's the point of a vote over a no-brainer?
So maybe instead it's meant to be a referendum on Alex himself and audience satisfaction with his role as the protagonist. Like when DC Comics did a phone poll on whether or not to kill off Robin back in the 80's. (Yes, that really happened.) If you think Alex is still salvageable as a protagonist, if you still want to have the story to follow him, vote for him to save himself. If you've had enough of his failures and humiliations and have no more time for him, then vote to let the waters take him and have his Shining Example snuffed out before it can lead everyone else astray.
[X] Pray that someone saves you.
Die, Alex, die.
On the bright Side,
with how we get the MOAR POWER Mindset and Attack, Attack, Attack hammerd into our Skull we have IC Reason to ignore Contessa about Jack Slash and any Warnings.
She wants us to solve all Problems with raw Power, right?
This whole Thing explains why Cauldron had so much Trouble with Scion in Canon.
Raw Power doesn't work against him, but without her Path Contessas and the Docs default Answer is apparently Raw Power.
with how we get the MOAR POWER Mindset and Attack, Attack, Attack hammerd into our Skull we have IC Reason to ignore Contessa about Jack Slash and any Warnings.
She wants us to solve all Problems with raw Power, right?
This whole Thing explains why Cauldron had so much Trouble with Scion in Canon.
Raw Power doesn't work against him, but without her Path Contessas and the Docs default Answer is apparently Raw Power.