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kalil969
September 8th, 2008, 06:53 PM
"Where did that man get off to?" Sweeney thought to himself as he walked down the metal corridors. Having never seen so much metal in one place, Sweeney Todd couldn't help but feel bewildered. Having no idea where he was going, the only choice he had was to turn down random alleys and corridors he ran into.

He was quite surprised that there weren't more people in this place. The man who first talked to him and the Fear were the only other people in the area, to his knowledge.

Turning a corner he only walked a few steps before coming to a solid wall with a large panel in the center with various buttons. The largest one was red and had a label under it. "Emergency Labyrinth Protocol Shutdown." he read. "This red circle can't possibly do anything." Sweeney thought out loud, pressing the button. Much to his surprise the wall in front of him started sliding into the ceiling, revealing six people who appeared to be fighting. They were a very strange sight, three regular men, one very short man, one very large man who appeared to have some metal on his face, and a woman.

"What the bloody hell is going on?" he called out, bringing his makeshift spear in front of him in case he needed it.

Varthonai
September 8th, 2008, 08:20 PM
Belkar, Sylar, and Dwight glanced around as the scenery dissipated around them, revealing the hallway that they had come into originally. Buildings and obstacles transformed into simple wooden or metal frames that lifted up from the ground and retracted into the ceiling. Stage magic.

"No," hissed Goldeye, "NO! Azure, stop them!"

A white horse appeared next to Azure and she leapt on top of it. It charged after them.

"Aww, crap, now she'll start using Mounted Combos," Belkar yelled. "Move! C'mon!"

Dwight was still dazed from the attack and could barely stand. Azure was gaining ground quickly.

"Screw this," said Belkar, readying one of his knives, "I'm not gonna sit around doctoring you while that fascist cow is coming for me..."

Belkar spun around and threw the blade at Azure's mount. It stumbled and fell, and Azure spilled off of it.

"Windstriker!" Azure screamed, rushing to tend to the fallen creature.

"I'd love to stay and finish it off but not at the cost of my life," Belkar grunted to his companions. "Hey, Cleric-dude, Sylar, what's-your-name--catch!"

Belkar threw another knife, this one aimed at Azure's sword hand. The blade found its mark and the sword flew out of her grip, flying in a silvery arc through the air...

castlemanic
September 9th, 2008, 12:21 PM
Sylar didn't wait for the blade to fall to him. Snatching it right out of the air using his telekinesis, Sylar caught the sword and swung, hitting the man on the head, to little effect. Sylar then slid himself backwards towards Belkar and McCarthy. "lets try your method when faced with impossible odds and run for our lives!" Sylar got up and started running, dragging McCarthy using telekinesis since he didn't seem to be able to move.

Varthonai
September 9th, 2008, 07:49 PM
Goldeye felt a slight dent in the metal plating of his head as the sword struck him, but was otherwise unharmed.

"Damn," hissed Goldeye. "It was going so well."

"Time for Plan B?" asked Azure, healing her wounded hand and picking up her fallen blade.

"Yes," said Goldeye. "Time for Plan B." Goldeye sat down and began pulling a long metal rod from his supply bag.

Haiti stumbled in, dazed. "'Twas my mistake, back 'dere. 'Pologies."

"Don't apologize," said Goldeye, revealing the metal object in its entirety--a sleek laser-sighted sniper rifle. "Just hand me the darts."

Haiti looked stunned. "Dey for 'mergencies only, Goldeye--ya know dat."

"This IS an emergency, Haiti."

Haiti reluctantly took a small syringe-like dart from inside his jacket and broke off its protective rubber tip. "Don' miss."

***

Patrick-84735's tentacles wriggled excitedly as he walked up the Level 1 stairway to check the experiments on the bottom landing. He sniffed at the wriggling embryos in the deliciously silicon-scented tanks that lined the stairs; the mutant strains all smelled like they were functioning as well as the original. All that remained would be to test the newborn's behavior as it developed. Had they successfully bred out aggression? How would it respond to the examinations?

<The subject's been released, yes?> said Patrick, telepathically speaking to his supervisor.

<Yes. It will meet you on the landing. It is now in a fully adult stage--be sure to treat it with respect.>

<Absolutely,> Patrick answered. <Otherwise the tests would be superfluous. How will I identify it?>

<It has a humanoid appearance. Its skin will be like that of an Elder, however--colors of light brown and green, patchworked around in a rather random fashion that doesn't appear heritable. You do see color, right?>

<My primary sense is olfactory. If the colors use different chemicals as pigments, I will be able to tell.>

<Good enough, then. Over and out.>

Patrick continued to climb, tentacles slapping against the stairway, until he finally arrived at the base. There was the newborn, standing on the steps and looking around in fascination.

<Greetings!> Patrick said telepathically, bowing low. <Er. Bowing IS the correct expression of fealty... am I right? Forgive me but I'm terrible with human culture.>

The newborn looked stunned. A wave of panicked thoughts assailed it. What the HELL is that thing?! Did it just talk to me? How did it see through my...

<Don't be alarmed, I assure you that my intentions are completely benevolent!!>



(On a scale of 1 to 10, Wadling, how weirded out are you now?)

Wadling
September 10th, 2008, 10:12 AM
(I'd say around 8 out of 10, But i think that i just comprised a basic theory of the corporations plans based on that conversation. Though if it's right then either I'm really smart or you intentionally wanted everyone to figure it out around now. Anyways, i have no idea what I'm going to do right now. Here goes!)

The Fear stared down at the thing which had addressed him. It had read his mind, Fear had once known someone who could do that, it unnerved him greatly. He had always had a secret hatred for The Sorrow, their medium. Then Fear remembered what Hector had told him.

'you'll see some things there that will divert your attention from the task at hand' he had said, he had also told him no matter what, he should stay focused on the task at hand.

"Sure, you got it just right" The Fear said nervously, the thing tilted it's head to one side as if listening for something "Nice to meet you... ummm"

<Patrick-84735> The thought entered his mind effortlessly <I'm sorry you feel so intruded by my methods, i shall try to refrain from doing so>

Despite these words, Fear got no indication that Patrick had stopped. He was still staring straight through him, and there was still that eerie silence that engulfed his brain.

"Yes well" Fear stuttered "I have to go, so if you'll excuse me"

He moved to walk past Patrick, but a tentacle waved in front of him, not threateningly, more of a slow gesture. The kind a mother uses when their child tries to get her to 6uy too many chocolates.

Somehow, Fear didn't think it was going to be that easy.

(Hope I'm doing ok, i assumed Patrick wouldn't want Fear going to far)

Varthonai
September 10th, 2008, 10:39 AM
Patrick was rather confused. The Newborn didn't seem to want to go with him, yet they were traveling in the same direction.

<Well since we seem to both be going toward Level 1, and that is indeed your destination, I will accompany you! Think of me as a guide. The Creators are awaiting your arrival, and--oh my.>

Patrick noticed the comlink device in the Newborn's auditory organ and deftly plucked it out, crushing it gently between two of his floppy limbs.

<Someone tried to bug you! Goodness, you must be relieved I came here. You might have been captured by an enemy of the Corporation.>

The smashed remains of the comlink sprinkled to the ground as little more than dust.

<I'd better warn the Creators about that when we get to the bottom. Well, let's go! You can lead the way, if you like, but if you come to unfamiliar territory I'd be more than willing to take over.>



(:devil:)

Wadling
September 10th, 2008, 12:45 PM
(I am so freaking scared by this guy, curse you Varth, curse you and your evil imagination. I'll post my answer in a bit, watch this space!)

The Fear carried on walking.

"Fine then, you can explain what all this stuff is, but i don't want to have to stop" He bluffed, trying to sound like he was meant to be there, doing his best to remember what he had learned to keep Sorrow out of his head "I need to get somewhere. So lead the way."

Varthonai
September 10th, 2008, 07:16 PM
"We've lost contact with Fear," hissed Jason angrily, typing furiously into the keyboard, trying to regain the connection. "I didn't hear any sign of struggle. Maybe there's a signal muffler on his landing that they installed after I left."

"We should send someone after him," said the Corinthian. "He could--"

"He can handle himself, as long as he stays invisible. The Corporation hasn't installed thermal imaging on Level 1 yet."

"As far as you know."

"No, I checked their records--even though our contract's void now that the Enforcer's gone, I had brief access to their entire system and copied everything that I had time for. Nothing they could use to sense him is installed on Level 1; Level 1 isn't a prison."

"Then what is it?" asked the nightmare.

Jason thought about that question for a moment, then answered "It's a great number of things."

"That doesn't make me any more comfortable."

"Relax. There are other things to worry about," Jason said. "Here we go... I'm uploading coordinates to Shriek so that she can return to base, and Nny knows to let her pass. So I think it's time for a well-deserved nap, don't you?"

The Corinthian glared. "It's not my purpose."

"It would be a shame if Krueger killed the one man who can give you a way back to the Dreaming, now, wouldn't it?" asked Jason, standing up from the terminal and heading over to the dirty mattress on the other side of the chamber. "I'm going to sleep, nightmare. You choose whether to protect me or not."

And with that, Jason promptly collapsed on the mattress and closed his eyes.

Bastard, thought the Corinthian. You dirty, manipulative bastard.

The Corinthian seriously considered unmasking Jason, taking a peek at what only Nny had been entitled to see. How horrifying was the face beneath the metal shell?

No good. The mask seemed almost welded into Jason's face, and it refused to budge even when the Corinthian tried levering it off with the filing tool on his Swiss Army knife.

I can't let him die. And I have no idea how quickly Krueger can locate him... hours? Minutes?

From the Corinthian's experience, Freddy Krueger was not one to forgive a slight, much less a shove into an effectively bottomless pit. There was no question that Krueger was willing and ready to kill Jason for that offense... and there even seemed to be some history between them, of some sort. An earlier encounter, maybe? It didn't matter--Krueger would want Jason dead. It wasn't a question of if; it was only a question of when.

The Corinthian grimaced. "Hmph. Have it your way, then."

***

Her baby teeth.

They're pearly white and whole and shine out like a bunch of diamonds in a mud puddle. And they're lying half-digested in a lump of sh*t.

In a plain. In the middle of nowhere. Forgotten. Consumed.

"Impostor, I served with Jason Voorhees. I knew Jason Voorhees. Jason Voorhees ain't never been a friend o' mine, but I can say this with authority: impostor, yer no Jason Voorhees."

Dreaming. Change. CHANGE.

Crystal Lake now. Water lapping at the bank.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. The kids tried that once--slowed me down a lil', didn't take. I know yer just tryin' to backtrack but it's too late fer that now."

Little boy, falling in the water, pushed over by unfriendly peers. Drowning. Helpless.

"Heh, misdirection! Good one. But I know y'ain't the kid. Had an interestin' similar 'sperience, though--gotta hand it to ya, Jason was a good role to try out fer. Two poor lil' kids, growin' up and takin' out their pain on the world... both masked an' dangerous. But Jason only got the brawn. YOU got the BRAIN."

He's here. He's behind me. He's going to peel my scalp off...

Gone. Leaving Camp Crystal Lake. Going somewhere else, away from him...

"Why won't ya give me yer NAME? Hot damn, yer guardin' it like a dragon! I'm gonna hafta try HARDER then, right? Here. Let's stop here."

Keep on going. Keep moving...

"No. Really. Let's stop here."

He's brought me back to the dung heap. The dung heap is a lie and the lie is a fortress and...

"Stop wrigglin' around! Stay in one damn place!"

He makes the fortress a castle and an exploding Soviet tank shakes the earth and the earth opens wide and the castle is swallowed by baby teeth that cut through an ocean of stale human waste...

And the slate becomes blank and the teeth are two circles and the circles are a pair of sunglasses and the sunglasses are the Corinthian and it's about damn time if you ask me.

***

"Gerroffame!! He's mine! Mine! Mine!!" hissed Freddy Krueger as the Corinthian grabbed him and hurled him off in another direction, pulling him out of Jason's private dream and into the whirling, chaotic, greater dream of the general public. The miniature Dreaming that existed in the Corporation building was isolated somehow from the rest of creation; the Corinthian had spent quite a while testing the strength of the bond now, and it was far too strong for either him or Krueger to break. The Corporation really knew what it was doing.

"Look, okay, fine, tell ya what," said Krueger, in a forcedly-reasonable tone of voice, "we'll take TURNS. And you can take his eyeballs, I ain't a freakin' fetishist like you--I can make do with everyday cuttin' and slashin'."

"Do you not understand yet?!" asked the Corinthian, holding Freddy's neck in a death grip. "I'm not trying to kill him!"

"Why the hell not?"

"You are an abomination," hissed the Corinthian.

"And what're you, then, asshole?! The Good Witch? You'd be killin' folks left and right if your self-righteous bastard of a King didn't have rules 'gainst--"

Suddenly Freddy's back collided with a brick wall, and the Corinthian pinned him still with one forearm to Krueger's neck. They were gone from the maelstrom of the public Dreaming and were now in a much more secluded spot.

"Ah, the boiler room. No place like home, eh?" grinned Krueger.

The Corinthian punched Freddy in the head, knocking his skull against the wall.

"I've got a job to do," said the Corinthian, softly.

"Yeah, I'm gettin' that now. That idiot hired you to keep me in line. But see, I ain't got no rules. I ain't got nobody keepin' me in line. Yer always at the beck an' call o' somebody. Why's that?"

"Matthew was pretty clueless about the way the Dreaming worked, too. This is why so few mortals become dreams in the afterlife--too much effort to train."

"Clueless?" said Freddy, perplexed. "'Bout what?"

The Corinthian slashed his knife across Krueger's face, leaving a line of oozing red. "About ME!!"

Krueger blinked and healed his face. The Corinthian grabbed both of his enemy's shoulders and turned completely around, then threw Krueger across the room to slam into the metal door.

"I'm not anything like you, you flawed and petty feuding mortal impulse defect! I'm not seeking revenge! I'm not seeking violent entertainment! I'm not a spoiled child who's watched too many episodes of Happy Tree Friends and taken up animal sadism! I have an enduring respect for my dreamers and that's why I care enough to visit them in the first place!"

Freddy was just standing up when the Corinthian leapt to the ceiling of the room in one bound, then crashed on top of Freddy's back and snapped it in two with the soles of his feet.

"And since you brought up the question of my relationship with my master, let me assure you that between the two of us, I am the freer nightmare. I answer to one master, who is benevolent and trusting. You, on the other hand, spend most of your time being thwarted and trapped and even killed by a handful of angsty teenagers in a small town."

Freddy started to reply, but the Corinthian wasn't in the mood. He reached down, grabbed Krueger's tongue and stabbed his knife into the center of it. Krueger yelled and writhed while the Corinthian sawed the blade all the way through the tongue and threw the flopping chunk of meat away.

"Telling me that 'Oh, no, we're both nightmares and we both kill people and that means we're not so different' is like saying that a drooling retarded psychopath is no different from a newborn infant because they're both human and they're both stupid! Just because someone is self-righteous does not mean that they are completely vulnerable to villain comparison! I'm not Anakin Skywalker! I'm not Macbeth! I'm not Milton's Lucifer! I'm the goddamn Second Corinthian!"

Before Freddy knew what was going on, he was burning up in his own furnace. The Corinthian had shoved him in and shut the door. "Aw, crap," mumbled Freddy, reappearing outside, unharmed. "Damn it, that HURT."

"Get used to it," barked the Corinthian. "I'm fairly certain that my King would have destroyed you if he knew you existed, and as his highest-ranking creation I will do the job in his stead."

A black mirror appeared next to Freddy, who glanced at the reflection inside. "What the hell's this?"

Krueger glanced around. The Corinthian seemed to be gone.

Krueger started to say "Where'dja--" but a razor-gloved hand reached out of the black mirror and began pulling him into the dark glass. Freddy kicked and howled in protest, and turning back to face the mirror he saw himself standing there...

..but in place of eyes, there were only two empty sockets, each one lined with razor-sharp teeth.

And Freddy Krueger screamed.

castlemanic
September 11th, 2008, 01:12 AM
(*speechless*)

Sylar turned the corner, dragging McCarthy along. as he turned the corner he felt a small but sharp pain in his shoulder. thinking nothing of it, Sylar continued on. McCarthy suddenly fell to the floor. "what the...?" Sylar turned around, reached his hand out towards McCarthy, McCarthy moved slightly, then went limp again, exhausted from the previous battle. "NO, he's here." Sylar said, indicating the black man earlier.
"hey, whats that on your shoulder?" Belkar asked.
"what's on my shoulder?"
"That." Belkar said, pointing at the dart in his shoulder. Sylar took it out and realised what had happened. "Oh no. NO, not again!" Sylar said turning around only to see McCarthy lying on the ground. he heard the footsteps catching up.

Varthonai
September 11th, 2008, 01:57 PM
"Stop."

Agent Azure was rushing toward the fleeing prisoners when Goldeye gave her the order. "Stop right there."

"Why?"

"The odds are against us. I'm low on power, you're low on heals and Haiti's wounded. Again. The reason that the CEO puts his trust in us is because we don't need to keep being replaced all the time--one deploy is enough. We're not cannon fodder and we shouldn't act as if we are."

Azure sighed as Sylar and Belkar dragged the wounded McCarthy around a corner and vanished. "As you command."

"Good girl. Now let's prepare for our next encounter."

***

Jason woke from his slumber violently to the sound of growling and slashing and metal on metal. The Corinthian and Freddy Krueger fought bitterly, trading punches and stabs and slashes.

"I couldn't kill him in the Dreaming," shouted the Corinthian, noting that Hector was awake. "He's only vulnerable here!"

"Why... won'tcha... jus'... DIE?!?!" roared Krueger, raking his claws over the Corinthian's face. The Corinthian rammed a fist into Krueger's stomach and sent him flying into a metal desk on the other side of the room.

"I could use a hand," hissed the Corinthian, speaking through his left eye socket. His central mouth spat blood, and then he hurled himself at Krueger.

Krueger held up his gloved right hand as the Corinthian landed, and two blades sank into the nightmare's left shoulder. "Owwww," the Corinthian grunted. Then the nightmare reared back and stabbed Krueger in the eye.

"OWWWWWW!" yelled Freddy, reaching to his face to feel the wound--the Corinthian withdrew his Swiss Army knife, with the eye still stuck onto it. The nightmare stuck the blade into his left eye-mouth and sucked it off like a Popsickle.

Freddy tried to pull his glove out of the Corinthian's shoulder but it was stuck fast. He pulled and tugged while the Corinthian licked his fingers for blood and vitreous humour; after a while the Corinthian decided they were clean and rammed the top of his head into Freddy's face.

"SH*T! GAH!"

Freddy brought his left fist into the Corinthian's face, felt a sharp pinch, and pulled back to see that one of his knuckles had been bitten. Angered, he dug another blow into the Corinthian's ribs and struck home. The Corinthian's face contorted and Freddy shoved him off, pulling his glove out again in the process.

Freddy quickly felt his now-empty eye socket and grimaced. "Eh. I've had worse," he deduced. "Still, yer gonna pay a lot fer that."

The Corinthian tried to stand up, but Freddy's blow had left him in a very weakened state. Krueger grinned, raised a boot, and stomped on the Corinthian's knife-wielding wrist. The Corinthian showed no sign of pain but the bone snapped loudly and the knife fell from his grip.

"Where d'the eyes go when y'eat 'em?" Freddy whispered, slicing a trio of bloody lines down the Corinthian's chest. "I want ta--"

*WHAM*

Jason smashed an overturned metal desk onto Freddy's skull and pinned him underneath it, straining to hold him down. "Frederick Charles Krueger. To think that they wanted you as an Elite... you'd betray them faster than I did."

"Damn straight," grinned Freddy. "Tell me, Jason, when didja get a sister? 'Cuz I was always under the impression that you were an only child."

Jason pounded the overturned desk harder. "Corinthian, kill him. Hurry."

"I know a lost cause when I see one," Freddy grunted. "See ya later, boys."

"NO!" Jason shouted as Freddy began to dissolve, to move back into dreams--and the Corinthian began to retch.

"What the--" the half-dissolved Freddy said, "It came from YOU? All this power, I had no idea where it was coming from and all this time... all this time... hahahahahahahahahahahahaha!"

Freddy re-materialized and hurled the desk off of his body with renewed strength. "Ah-hahahahahahahhahahaha! Then I think I'll take it all, right here and now!"

The Corinthian's three mouths began drooling blood. He staggered to his feet and lunged at Freddy--and went through Freddy, and came out the other end.

"Hard to pack as much of a punch now, ain't it?" Freddy grinned. A new eye grew into his head to replace the lost one, and he winked it. "Ain't Dame Fortune a bitch."

Freddy raised his gloved hand high, stepped over to the fallen nightmare, and plunged the blades through the back of the Corinthian's head. He went deeper and deeper until he felt something solid; and then he grabbed it and ripped it out.

The Corinthian's body exploded in a burst of sparks and light, dissolving into nothingness. The Swiss Army knife melted into a puddle of liquid metal and then vaporized like liquid nitrogen.

Freddy glanced at the object that he held in his hand and examined it in detail. With a surge of excitement Freddy realized that it was a skull--a skull with two tiny jawbones in its eyes.

"Yer bodyguard's dead," Freddy whistled, turning to face Jason. "Looks like yer in a spot 'o trouble, don't it. Hehehehehe..."

castlemanic
September 11th, 2008, 02:12 PM
(O_O)

Sylar dragged McCarthy along, Belkar fast at his heels. Sylar stopped when he thought they were far away enough from the trio.
"Do you think he's gonna be ok?" Belkar asked.
"just give him time, hell be fine soon. But theres one problem, i lost my powers."
"How could you lose your cleric skills...?"
"its the dart, they fired a virus which takes away my abilities. i cant explain it any more than that, but what i know is that we need to find a cure if im going to be able to protect you later on." McCarthy stirred a little bit.
"What should we do for him?"
"We wait, until he gets better, then we'll move." Sylar remarked, looking at his fallen ally. they needed him as much as he needed them, Sylar couldn't admit something more truthful at that moment.

Silverpaperplate
September 11th, 2008, 02:32 PM
Shriek had received her coordinates and to pace up time had started to run. She was not worn out, though still rather exhausted from the previous fight and escape.
She soon met Johnny who guarded two of the halls. He did not seem to recognize her at first, but as he did, she was unsure of his reaction. She gave him a nod and he simply stared at her, with nothing to say as she passed.

She opened the door and once again was on her way down to the Core Terminal. She sensed it at the very moment she took the first step down the ladder. Something was wrong. There was a menacing darkness to be sensed -- Not the fearfully, hidden kind she had been used to.
Worried and curious Shriek jumped down to see Freddy and Jason standing there, Freddy holding something she could not really identify...

(Varth, damn.)

sgt_Angua
September 11th, 2008, 05:13 PM
(Wow, I cannot believe you just did that Varthonai. Really. But can we start a deadline for Polo, because I've been waiting for five days and Bellatrix is stuck until he posts.)

Varthonai
September 11th, 2008, 08:12 PM
(Wow, I cannot believe you just did that Varthonai. Really. But can we start a deadline for Polo, because I've been waiting for five days and Bellatrix is stuck until he posts.)

(I'll take control of Saruman if he doesn't post sometime tomorrow.)

"Damn it, don't you ever run out of hired guns?!" Freddy bewailed. "Fine. You win this round, whoever-you-are... but I'm gonna be back. I've broken your night-light and soon I'll break your neck."

"Good luck with that," Jason growled, as Krueger vanished.

There was a loud clink as the skull fell from Krueger's hands onto the cold metal floor. Jason went and picked it up, turning it over and over and examining it.

"Well this is certainly less than ideal..." Jason mumbled.

Nny's head poked down the vault door. "JASON!! NAIL BUNNY IS VERY UPSET ABOUT ALL THE SHOUTING DOWN HERE!! YOU INVITED OBNOXIOUS FRIENDS OVER, DIDN'T YOU?!"

Nny's eyes alighted on the skull in Jason's hand. "Wha--is that who I think it is?"

Jason held the skull up to the light. Nny's face fell. "Ohhhhhhh... that's bad."

"It's really quite catastrophic, actually," said Jason. "And now we need to do something about it immediately."

"Will it involve clowns?" asked Nny.

Jason was stunned. "Er. Yes, I suppose technically it will. How did you know?"

"Because you've got that look in your eyes that says 'You're Going to Hate This, Johnny C.' And I really hate clowns."

Hector glanced at Shriek. "Thank you for your timely arrival. I'll express more proper gratitude in just a moment. Let's see, where did I put that com-line..."

***

"So here's the deal, boys. Now I know this might sound hard to believe but the Corporation actually does hire shrinks sometimes."

A chorus of chuckles rumbled through the crowd. The speaker continued.

"That means that they've got access to all kinds of antipsychotics and stuff. That's our target, boys--the stores. We bleed 'em dry. We--"

The mission briefing was suddenly interrupted by the shrieking, bleeping sound of the ringtone version of The Entertainer.

"Oh for--sorry, guys, I gotta take this one. Just gonna step out into the hall real quick... sorry, 'scuse me ma'am, comin' through... right."

A door slammed, and the perplexed audience was left staring up at the now-empty podium.

For a moment, there was silence. Then somebody shouted "FOOD FIGHT!!" and a moment later Corporation-issue packaged meals began flying from wall to wall.

Outside the door, the ex-speaker flicked open a cell phone and spoke into it jovially. "Well if it isn't Horrible Hector the Plot Inspector! Is your plan to systematically overthrow the Corporation going off without a hitch, as planned?"

"I need some help, Joker."

"Awwwww. And here I thought you were just being friendly. You need to unwind, Hector! I'm living proof that you can raise an army in your spare time. And I know you've been watching, too--I didn't bother deactivating the cameras. Waste of time."

"Joker, I need--"

"Hypnocil. You need Hypnocil. Because Freddy Krueger's itching to wipe your pasted remains all over Elm Street, amiright?"

"...that was unnecessary."

"I know, I'm rubbing salt in your wounds. Sorry. It must really sting to know that I've been working with no plan for all of a day and a half and I'm already farther than you. And don't go all 'I didn't say it was a race' on me like a little kindergartner because some of us are more mature than that."

"Fine. Yes. I need Hypnocil and I know you can get it to me. What do you want?"

"Hector. You're asking the wrong question. You know what I want--what matters is what you're willing to give me that I don't already have. I know more about the Corporation than even you do now."

"......"

"Well? Go on."

Hector whispered something quietly into the line. Several floors away, the Joker's eyes widened.

"Ah, well we're business partners then! Don't worry, I'll get you the Hypnocil ASAP, and in return you'll--gah, hang on a second. Sorry."

The Joker muted the phone, turned one hundred and eighty degrees, pulled a meter-long and wafer-thin metal rod from his purple jacket and stabbed an unsuspecting patrolman in the ear with it. The tip emerged out of the other ear with a soft wet popping noise.

"Yeah, back now. Uh, Hector, in addition to the other thing, could you maybe throw in a wire coathanger or something? See, the gang and I are roasting marshmallows later tonight and I just ruined my skewer..."

***

Patrick had forgotten how long the flight of steps was. So abysmally dull... and the Newborn didn't seem to want to talk.

<Er. Would you care to play Twenty Questions, Newborn?>

Wadling
September 12th, 2008, 09:55 AM
Fear sighed, he didn't know what this thing was, but he didn't like it. He also had no idea what 'twenty questions' was.

"Well" The Fear said "I wouldn't mind asking you a few questions. What is all this stuff?" He pointed to the various objects around the place

Varthonai
September 12th, 2008, 10:32 AM
<This is the Hatchery,> Patrick said. <It is the progenitor of the peaceful age to come. But you'll learn all about that later.>

The creatures in the tanks around them grew progressively simpler and simpler in body shape as they descended. The animals growing inside looked... adorable. There was no other word for it; they were pretty and colorful or furry and round, some like living teddy bears.

<They are rather sweet, aren't they? Angelic little children of kindness. One day they will seed worlds with life and usher in the new age of aesthetic perfection.>

Wadling
September 12th, 2008, 10:48 AM
The Fear thought for a moment as they carried on down the stairs (here's a stab at my theory, it's probably not exactly right but here goes)

"So what, the corporation is trying to get rid of all the killers and bad people in the world? And are going to replace them with these... things?"

He grimaced at the abominations in the tanks, there was something... too unnatural about them, it was impossible for him to find them cute in any way. He had always had some respect for nature, despite the many animals he had eaten and he had admired the beauty of the earth all his life. But some things made him uneasy, and this was one of them.

Varthonai
September 12th, 2008, 11:41 AM
Patrick looked shocked. As shocked as a mass of tentacles can look.

<Bad... people? I... do not understand. What you say is an oxymoron. All people are good.>

Wadling
September 12th, 2008, 11:57 AM
Fear stopped for the first time while walking down the stairs.

"What?" He exclaimed "So uh, have you ever been anywhere outside this place?" He gestured to the wide expanse of the staircase laughing slightly "Because you can't have been in the real world if you truly believe that."

castlemanic
September 12th, 2008, 12:49 PM
Sylar looked again at McCarthy, he seemed to stir a bit more, and he was finally able to turn over. Sylar looked away again, lost in his thoughts. why hadn't the trio followed them here? were they saved because of some last minute assignment? had it been just pure luck? Sylar kept on thinking, but thought of no answer. What was bugging him the most was that they had managed to take away his powers again and Sylar didnt like it one bit, he hadn't been able to use his abilities to get out and he know he would need them if there could be even a slimmer of hope of leaving the complex.
after waiting long enough, Sylar looked again at McCarthy, who was sitting up now, holding his head in agony.
"I dont know how your still alive, but its a good thing you are." Sylar said. McCarthy gave Sylar a look, but he couldn't determine what the look meant. "we should get going now, maybe the crossed-swords room will help us out." Sylar said as he checked his gun for ammunition. seeing he had half the magazine left, Sylar replaced it and stood up, leaning on the wall. "Shall we get going?"

Varthonai
September 12th, 2008, 03:48 PM
<Real world? Newborn, you've spent your entire life in this facility. All you know of the 'Real World' is what you've heard in stories, and the real world is not like Lord of the Flies--only animals behave that way.>

Patrick patted the Newborn with a gentle tentacle. <People are good. By definition. That is a tenet of this Corporation.>

Wadling
September 12th, 2008, 04:24 PM
The Fear raised a hand and pushed the tentacle away from him, what was this thing talking about? It was so frustrating, like talking to a child.

"My entire life? What are you talking about?" He raised his voice, exasperated "I was born in the real world, not this hell hole. I know that people are bad" he stepped towards Patrick "I've seen it, first just a touch of hatred or jealousy then it builds up and up until it consumes them completely. So don't say that nobody is bad because that's complete and utter bullshit." He turned away and continued down the stairs, Patrick in tow.

(Varth, if we all turn out to be copies, bred in the corporation then i'm gonna have to make Fear do a dance. Don't ask me why, i have my reasons...)