[CLOSED] Rondo of Redemption

[hellrisen02]

WHO: Duo Maxwell, Quatre Raberba Winner, Riptide, poooossibly more??
WHERE: Heropa, Cape Canaveral, Lunar Base, and open spaaaaaace
WHEN: Groundhog Week
WHAT: an exercise in madness - catchall for the Groundhog Week plot
WARNINGS: character deaths


Try again.

[Duo would never forget that voice. It awoke in him a vivid flood of memories he previously had only cobwebbed impressions of; the panicked scramble of defense to an unknowably powerful piece of technology; the adrenaline of all-out war over it; nights spent, tense and confused and tangled up in emotions, hashing out theories and plans.]

[The Chessmaster had finally shown herself again.]

[ooc; TL's below for each day!]

Comments

FIRST LOOP: Cape Canaveral, Duo+Quatre

[hellrisen02]

[Duo awakens with a new appreciation for normalcy, and immediately sends two important messages.]

[Then, he's up and on his bike and heading to meet Quatre in Heropa.]

[They need a rocket.]

I have intel on their security. It's not much, but it's going to have to do in a pinch. [He reports, now that they've met, on the outskirts between Heropa and the base property. He has the maps and photos open on his comm for Quatre to view- he was the brains of their bunch, after all.] My powers might get us through the first perimeter security, but once we get in it won't be so simple.

[He kicks open the compartment on the undercarriage of his bike- hands Quatre one of the handguns he'd been keeping for emergencies, ever since that first raid he did in Maurtia Falls.] Y'wouldn't believe how hard it is to get your hands on artillery 'round here!

[fource]

[Quatre takes the gun almost absent-mindedly, looking away from the specs that Duo compiled only to take a brief look at what guns look like here and heft it slightly to get a feel for it.] Thanks. They seem to pay a lot more attention to certain things here. [he agrees mildly-- things like national borders and teenagers and where all their weapons are going. They might have had more difficulty if OZ hadn't been split on so many fronts, huh.] Do we have to be touching for your powers to cover me?

[hellrisen02]

Yeah, [Duo agrees with a smidgen of irritation.] Just getting these was a pain, with my being Unregistered. Had to steal 'em off a buncha crooks and keep them stashed for a while. Hoping the trail's cold by now, but-- whatever, more important things at hand.

[Duo nods, flexing his hands.] Physical contact. Once something leaves the chain of physical contact it's no good- bullets hitting stuff, dropping objects. [Bleeding.] I don't have any time limit or anything when it comes to people; my limit is pretty flexible. I could probably cloak myself within a mobile suit for about ten seconds before my control slips. [Don't ask how he knows that.]

So once we hit a point where we have to engage hostiles, it won't be any good anymore. You'll have to make a break for it while I cover you.

[fource]

[He nods, frowning. It would make sense that they'd give the game away when they started shooting. It's not like they'd be able to hide the people that were hit with it.]

I hope it doesn't come to that. [But he's ready to accept it if it does.] Can it pass through a string or something similar, if I'm touching one side and you're touching the other? If we tied it loosely enough it would at least leave both of our hands free. [And he's worried about remembering to hold onto Duo through all this; it's hard to conceptualize that they'll be able to stroll around thanks to his powers. He trusts Duo's control implicitly, though; he doesn't even think to wonder why Duo knew he could cover a mobile suit. It's enough that he knows it.]

[hellrisen02]

[Duo's eyes widen, like a spark of inspiration, and his face breaks out into a wide grin. He reaches over to give Quatre a hearty pat on the back, a devious kind of pleased expression on his face.] All this time and you're still more of a genius than me! I'd never thought of that before, you know? --I mean sometimes I'll use a common bit of furniture for the same effect, but--

Yeah, that'll work. That'll work just fine. Just gotta grab something to tie between us.

[He pauses, frowns to himself momentarily, then looks to Quatre. He doesn't think he should ask things like this of him. Empathy wasn't a tool that was so easy to use flippantly, like his. But...] You can sense people before you see 'em, right? ...How exact?

[fource]

[He's a little surprised at how... mischievous? Duo looks at that suggestion, but he smiles anyway.] Then that would make things easier. As long as we tug it loose if we have to split up suddenly. [Better to be visible and able to dodge effectively than invisible and tripping each other up, he assumes.]

Yes... [he says slowly, turning inward as if to check the answer for himself. The trouble was that Duo was so... easy to grab onto, so familiar, that he needs to expend conscious effort to brush past him and reach out for someone else.] I don't know if I could give direction, but... within a radius, if I focus on it. It might be harder since we're together. [he adds apologetically.]

[hellrisen02]

[Oh Quatre, you pure child. Duo gives an easy wave.] No problem! I can tie it so it's easy to pull loose.

[He wonders briefly if Quatre has even had time to try anything with his newly focused powers, much less had thought to begin experimenting with them. His abilities were his business, but...] If there's somethin' I can do to make it easier... [He gives a supportive little smile.] --Sorry, I guess it's a lot to ask when you've just gotten here, huh?

[Ah, in any case, after handing off that gun to Quatre, he takes out the shotgun taking up most of the length of that compartment, making sure it's loaded and ready. ...Look, he's been doing some business up on Mars; the shotgun has become his trusty friend.]

...Well. I guess we better get headed out. [He checks the time on his comm.] Time's a'wastin'.

[fource]

[He smiles back, still apologetic.] No, I'm sorry. I had a chance to learn a little more about it, but I haven't started yet. [Too late now... he'll add it to his mental list of things to ask Anderson once they get together.] I'll do my best.

[The shotgun is new, but there's all kinds of reasons for it; maybe it's a good sign, if Duo doesn't have to use anything else in the future. Or maybe it's just easier for him to get ahold of one. He nods either way, and readies the handgun on his end.] Alright. Let's go.

[AND OFF THEY GO ONTO THE BASE sneaking montage goes here until they approach the porter building. Quatre turns towards NASA instinctively, based on what he's seen in the specs that Duo provided.]

[hellrisen02]

[Duo leads them through, using his powers to sneak ahead and check the coast is clear, which works great until he comes to a screeching halt when they have a fork- one towards the Porter inner-base, one towards NASA.]

[It's like something is calling to him. He doesn't know if it's real, this nagging pull at his brain, like it's beckoning. It probably isn't a good idea to follow it; he knows, logically, that nothing good comes of trying to come into contact with the Porter. He knows the security, as their intel stands, can't be cracked. They wouldn't make it, even if this was something he should follow.]

[That doesn't stop him from standing there, eyes focused, intense and narrow, heartrate steadily rising.]

[fource]

[When Duo stops, Quatre assumes he's heard something; he freezes as well, straining for any sounds, reaching out to sense if anyone is around them. He's so focused on looking for anyone except Duo that it takes him a second for Duo's own emotions to sink in.]

What is it? [he murmurs-- instinct, even if Duo's covering them audibly-- his gun at the ready as he peers off in the direction where Duo is staring.]

[hellrisen02]

[He almost doesn't hear Quatre over the pounding in his ears. He begins to walk, slowly, not in the direction of their target but towards the other, the most tempting target, the most dangerous.]

[He can't just ignore it. She'd called to all of them. Now, with them here, so close, was she calling again? Was there some hint she wanted to give? This wasn't her style at all and he should be able to logic that out. If anything, in the older days she might trap them like this, like a siren call, to see who was good enough.]

[Duo hadn't been good enough. That's why he was sent back, in pieces. But now he was here again, the fractures beginning to glimmer through again as they led his feet towards that forbidden land.]

[He still doesn't reply to Quatre.]

[fource]

Duo? [he repeats, the gun immediately snapping up and to attention once Duo starts walking. He still can't see whatever's caught Duo's attention. Duo's silence is more alarming. There's still some give in the string between them when Quatre starts moving after Duo, scanning back and forth around them as he tries to place this building on their map.]

Duo? [It's more insistent, this time, once he realizes where Duo's heading; he grabs the back of Duo's jacket, just firmly enough to try to get his attention.] That's the Porter building. We have to go left.

[hellrisen02]

You can't hear her. [Duo says finally, voice eerily calm. The grab at his jacket stops him for a moment, but he doesn't turn around, attention entirely held by the invisible pull that's bringing him towards the Porter.]

[He starts walking again, his heartrate once again steadily increasing. It's louder now, it could pound in Quatre's head. He thinks he hears some of Her in that voice too, but that's impossible; She's not here. She's everywhere, but She wasn't here.]

[Memories are rushing back in strange waves, broken glass and rusted blades, stained glass in a rush of madness that had been temporary, but lasting in the back of his mind. He breathes again, a wave of trepidation through him that he can't name the source of, but still it pulls.]

[He keeps walking, more swiftly now, with purpose.]

SECOND LOOP: Moon Base>Open Space, Duo+Quatre+Riptide

[hellrisen02]

I need your help [He'd sent the message to Riptide, trying not to sound as as he was by the results of the last "night". Acting from Heropa wasn't going to work. They needed to fight in their territory. They needed to go to outer space. And they needed their fellow space-faring friends' help.]

[They're sure this time to make it to the Lunar Base as early as they can manage- it's still not easy to get clearance to go to the Lunar Base via the Porter, with their Unsettled status, but they're lucky that one of their friends is something of a space celebrity.]

[(It's not Quatre, for once)] Hey, buddy. You ready to try an' stop a nuke? [Duo grins up at his Cybertronian friend, something reckless and not entirely whole on the edge of it that he doesn't usually let slip so easily. Give him a break, it's been a bad couple days.]

[knaval]

[he says yes, of course, and joins them as soon as he can. riptide is crouched, looking around the moon base. definitely not enjoying the current vibe of the place, though he seems eerily calm about the entire thing.]

Wouldn't be the first time. [he shrugs, then inclines his head at quatre.] Hey. Sorry for the horrible first meeting. Hopefully it won't end badly, eh?

[fource]

[Quatre knows there are important things going on here, but let's still take a second to appreciate that he's talking to what looks like a chatty, smaller mobile suit. He inclines his head up at Riptide (even crouched; Quatre barely breaks 5 feet) and smiles sadly.] It happens. Has he ever told you how we--

[first met, he was going to say, glancing over his shoulder at Duo, but he frowns as the expression on Duo's face, and the slight wave of something unbalanced, sink in. Mm. Maybe later. He sighs.]

Anyway. All we can do is try, right?

[hellrisen02]

Oh, yeah. That base was gonna go sky-high, wasn't it? [Duo reminisces, in that sarcastic and pessimistic way he do.] No Zero-One to save our hides this time. Guess it's just you and me, huh?

--And our pal Riptide, 'course! [Duo's pulling up a map of the lunar base that he made when he inspected it the first time 'round; it's a little more detailed than the official one, full of mapped ventilation systems, power grids, as much of the operational side of it as he could. I mean, he did basically teach them how to design parts of it.] So, here's the layout of the launchpad and docking areas. We need to find the most combat-ready ship we can.

We observed the missile incoming from L5 around 2:30 AM from this trajectory. [He indicates, pointing to each side.] Mars. We definitely won't have the ability to get to Martian territory and stop it that way, that's a several month trip even at our technological level. So we'll have to stop it there, before it reaches the moon. It's got shielding to protect it from atmospheric reentry based on how we saw it detonate, so we know it's going to take some real weapons to blast it apart before it reaches orbit.

We don't got a Buster Rifle up here, or a beam cannon... And there's no way we're getting one built in the... 18 hours, minimum, it takes to get up here. Riptide, that gun of yours that you just got- what kind of firepower does it have? Think there's any chances of us being able to rewire it better, even if it goes a little unstable?

[knaval]

[riptide summons the my first blaster, gently putting it on the ground in front of the two men.]

It's a Brainstorm weapon, so it could probably take out a sun if it was wired right.

[if.]

[fource]

[Quatre looks at the gun. He looks at Duo. He looks at Riptide. He looks back to the gun.

He doesn't really understand aliens.]

Is it supposed to look like a toy? [He's not saying that because he thinks it's a toy, note; the way he's looking at it makes it clear that he's treating this as a weapon. It's hard not to take it as one, given its size and the context.] And would we be able to modify it with the tools that we have? [Do alien robots use different tools?? Different metals??]

[knaval]

Yes. They don't usually... this isn't actually mine, so Primus only knows why I can summon it. Whatever.

[he shrugs.]

It's big. I can't change the size. You can try... I'm assuming if it gets messed up I can just resummon it. This all depends on how easy it is to detonate the missile... it probably won't need much of a boost.

[hellrisen02]

[As Quatre looks between them in confusion, Duo just shrugs. Hey, he'd had the same thought when he saw it, Q, don't ask him.]

Brainstorm's the guy you said had like, a time machine, right? [He snorts quietly.] Would be useful right about now, too. Whatever. I've never actually had to adjust Cybertronian weaponry before, just-- help patch armor up, so....

[He looks up to Riptide again.] How many shots does this thing have in it? I mean, will it overload if it's fired a lot? The weapons we're familiar with have an output limit. Charged using the suit's internal generator. Sometimes, making 'em overload on purpose can be even more useful, though.

If it comes to it...

[fource]

[Quatre, meanwhile, is looking at the gun, frowning to himself as he reaches out to touch it.] The size isn't a problem. [he says it absent-mindedly, without even the hint of irony to imply that they're used to working on weapons of this size.] I'm more concerned about causing it to backfire.

[Not that Duo doesn't have a good point about how useful overloads could be, so he amends] --When we don't want it to, anyway. It's not as though there's a lab to test it in.

[knaval]

Uh huh. Last thing I wanna do is find out this thing has-- black hole in it, or whatever.

[wouldn't surprise him. riptide picks it up, straightening up.]

No time for any of that, anyway. It's either gonna work or it's not, 'least we might get another chance if it won't.

[hellrisen02]

So we might all die, or we might all die. I like our chances! [Duo grins, waving off the grimness hanging over the situation. He nudges Quatre with his elbow.] Kinda like old times, huh? —Uh right, well. For me anyway.

[Besides, death via black hole sounded kinda thrilling, assuming it didn’t just spin them off into another part of the universe.] Let’s see about acquiring us humans some spacesuits and a ship that’s decent enough.

[Acquisitions, of course, would be Duo’s specialty.]

[fource]

You're right. We know what will happen if we do nothing, so we might as well try. [what a group of morbid weirdos. Quatre looks back at Riptide, and the weird toy gun in his hand.] Do you mind if I try with the wiring? Just while D-- ah, Shinigami is looking for a ship. [smooth.]