Days of Wasp and Spider
by Luna-tic Scientist
=== Chapter 24 (remastered): A Dark and Angry Goddess Arises ===
With apologies to Stephen R. Donaldson.
Out of the corner of one eye, Gravity spotted the gryphon staggering upright, reaching for his gun with one foreleg, the other hanging limp. She redoubled her fight against the young stallion's telekinetic field, trying to break his magic without hurting him. The window of time available to her was slamming shut, so she threw caution to the wind and reached out for that sensation of cold mass, somewhere high above the surface of the planet.
It was like it was waiting for her. The connection snapped open almost without her asking, like some finely balanced mechanism that could be set into motion at a hair's touch, and the power surged through her with the full force of a hurricane. With an instant of thought, a wall of violet light sprang into being between the two ponies and the gryphon, catching the burst of fire from his gun. The mare felt the shots, felt the slight effort it took to keep the field from collapsing, but it was almost nothing. That should have driven me to my knees, she thought, marvelling at her new strength, then turned her attention to Lilac.
I'm sorry, I don't have time to be gentle, she thought, looking into his bulging eyes. He was putting everything he had into holding her still, but it wouldn't be enough. She reached out with a fraction of her power and smothered his magic; the struggle was brief and he collapsed to the floor, unconscious. Behind her, the force field crackled as the gryphon put another burst into it, with just as little effect as the first time. Even the sound was deadened, the whip-snap cracks of high velocity ammunition reduced to the dull thump of a hammer on stone.
She ignored him, dropping instead into shadow sight and searching for her sister. There... that characteristic white-gold hue, although it was very faint, as if she was near death. A chill ran through Gravity and she nearly cried out. I can't be too late, I can't, she thought, calling on her power once more. I wish they'd taken me first; at least Fusion has had time to plan for this. The mare's breath hitched. I'm going to have to hurt or kill some Masters. The thought was terrifying, and her resolve started to weaken.
Something crystalline flickered inside Gravity's head, and all her fear and panic suddenly blossomed into a white hot rage. Any plans she may have been making dissolved in that maelstrom of fury, and she screamed, lashing out with her magic and punching upwards with all of her might. With an appallingly loud sound the reinforced concrete over her head abruptly dished inwards, a spider's web of cracks radiating out from the centre. Fine plumes of dust sifted down from the damaged roof, but the structure held.
She struck upwards again, making the whole room groan as the metal reinforcing bars inside the roof gave way. Jagged lumps of concrete, some larger than her own head, rained down on Gravity, only to be caught by her telekinesis and shunted abruptly to one side. Somewhere up inside the mass of fractured stone a cable fizzed and sparked, dropping the lab into darkness, quickly followed by a cascade of water from damaged pipe work.
The sudden cold shower cooled Gravity's anger a little, the rage subsiding just enough so she could think. Snorting to clear her nose of water, she pushed Lilac to the back of one of the pony sized alcoves, out of the way of any more debris. A glance towards the lab entrance showed that the gryphon had retreated, so she reached out to slam the door, crushing the frame to stop it from being opened in a hurry. Collapsing her original force field, the mare picked up Lilac, moving him to the far end of the room.
In the sudden quiet she could hear the warble of a distant alarm over the sound of falling water. I'm coming Fusion, she thought, hold on. Gravity looked upwards, past the artificial rain and into the ragged hole she'd created, taking a moment to line herself up with the dim glow of her sister. At the sight of that flickering light her anger flipped from hot to cold; the rage no longer blinding, but full of calculation.
The perfect planes of force fields flickered briefly, shearing off the jagged spikes of stone and metal that her brute force approach had left around the perimeter of the hole. Above her was one of the intrafloor levels, packed with ducting and narrow maintenance ways, that serviced the various laboratory and office spaces above and below. Satisfied that there was enough room, Gravity jumped into the air and hovered level with the new floor.
More force fields sliced stone and metal, while her telekinesis pulled great angular boulders from the next floor up, just as if she'd suddenly acquired a set of giant clawed appendages able to rend the toughest materials. The lack of light wasn't a problem; the flare and pulse of her horn lit the darkness a hard violet, tinted with unexpected greens and reds where plastics fluoresced under the short wavelength light.
Flying higher, Gravity started to get nervous. This floor was full of places that could hide a gryphon or military Master; every dark opening in the damaged machinery seemed pregnant with the promise of something that would try and stop her, while the hole beneath her was only protected by the flimsy door to the animal house. It was the matter of moments to pack the accumulated debris into a conical mound plugging the hole, then she redirected her telekinesis out sideways into the maintenance floor.
Metal shrieked and plastic snapped with a fusillade of miniature gunshots, as ductwork, pipes, cables and bulky ventilation equipment was packed into a tangled, impenetrable mass. Satisfied, she smashed her way into the next floor, and the next, and the next. If there were any Masters present in any of the areas she broke through, she never saw them.
===
Gunnulf's autogun spun a cluster of aim points within the simple close quarters battle reticule that filled his visor. They twitched and swirled, hovering over parts of the blue pony's body, moving away when the thaumokinetic guidance system in the muzzle successfully placed a round on a designated point, then back again when the tactical computer realised that the target was still standing. Five hundred rounds, the standard 'Ripper' load of smart fuzed exploders and hypersonic armour busters, any one of which should have gutted the pony from throat to tail root.
Every single shot shattered or detonated on that immaterial wall, the only response a stroboscopic flicker of violet.
Gunnulf hobbled backwards, keeping his useless gun trained on the pony. His beak was clamped down on the bite trigger, even though the ammunition counter read zero. Ear plugs or no, the sound had been deafening, but the pony didn't even seem to notice. For an instant he'd considered trying to push past the field like he'd been trained, but then she had glanced at him, the brief flicker of attention you might give to someone you passed in the corridor. It was that complete lack of concern, more than anything else, that had convinced him that this was a lost cause. The wall of pale light remained unchanged, as perfect as the instant it had been created.
His injured foreclaw touched the ground and a queasy grinding sensation, like he was walking on pebbles, resonated through the bone. Suddenly feeling ill, Gunnulf snatched up his foreleg, holding it protectively against his chest. Blasted combat drugs, he thought, I'll have to watch that. There was no pain at all, and therein lie the danger. Put too much weight on the bone and the broken ends could slide apart completely, pushing jagged splinters through arteries and the like.
Letting go of the bite trigger with a practiced flick that sent the gun back over his shoulder and down to its home position, Gunnulf half loped, half flew, back out of the door to the Animal House. He'd just cleared the door when the first shockwave hit. Something enormously powerful struck the ceiling inside the lab, hard enough to crack the concrete slab above his head. Gunnulf froze, mesmerised by a thin line of dust trickling down out of the split. The second shock nearly knocked him off his paws and he stumbled, smacking one wing elbow against the wall.
Eyes wide he hesitated, then crouched down to floor level and carefully poked his head around the door jamb. What he saw through the violet haze of the force field made him whimper; large lumps of metal and rock were raining down on the pony, but she was effortlessly catching them and pushing them to one side. I knew they were strong, but this... he thought. Light blazed around Gravity, little flares and sparkles of violet and pure, magnesium white randomly condensing out of the air. Even her eyes glowed, the big blue-green irises completely subsumed as if someone had lit a phosphorus flare in her skull.
This is no panic reaction like when she charged me, this is active rebellion. Her conditioning has completely failed. The pony, head upraised and scanning the ceiling for... She's going to smash her way straight to the medical lab.
He pulled his head back and leaned against the wall, breathing hard. It's a rescue mission. She's going to get her friend. Gunnulf swallowed heavily. She'll kill them all. A second later he jumped violently as the door to the Animal House was slammed shut, violet light flaring around its rim, accompanied by the squeal of metal distorting as the frame crumpled and warped. Gunnulf swore softly as he followed the chain of logic to the link that really mattered.
If Salrath dies, what happens to me?
A terrible wave of fatigue rolled over him, and for the first time Gunnulf became aware of something wet running down the inside of his armour suit. Lifting his uninjured foreclaw, he stared dumbly at the drip-drip of blood from the elasticated cuff encircling his scaly wrist. A sudden flash of memory -- a crystal spike half the length of his leg cutting a line of agony through the muscles of his shoulder -- and he took a deep, shuddering breath. How badly did she get me? Gunnulf fought back the urge to remove the armour set and check, knowing full well that the under suit might be the only thing stopping him from bleeding out.
Gunnulf limped away from the room leaving a red trail behind him. Struggling with his command collar, he opened a communications line to the Agent, only to get no answer. He was just cursing his lack of a clear chain of command -- he had no idea who else to contact -- when his visor display blanked, all the combat graphics replaced with a priority incoming call.
"Flysoldat Gunnulf, where is Agent Salrath?"
The voice and accompanying thumbnail video wasn't from any of the People he recognised, a nondescript individual with a smooth, even voice. His comms unit knew him though, putting a helpful caption under the image. Who the hell is 'Sector Chief Orgon?' he thought, vague memories of the Security org table nagging at his mind.
This is Salrath's boss' boss, he thought, a sudden flush of adrenalin washing away his blood-loss induced fatigue. If he doesn't approve of her actions, I'm going straight back to prison. Orgon narrowed his eyes at Gunnulf's failure to answer promptly, and the gryphon hastily replied. "Sector Chief, I believe that Salrath is in one of the medical labs with servitor Fusion Pulse. She ordered me to guard the other servitor, Gravity Resonance." More dust started to drift down from the ceiling and the floor started to shiver. An unnatural grinding, howling cry echoed up the corridor behind him. Gunnulf put on an extra burst of speed.
"Why is the gryphon not with his prisoner?"
A sense of unreality flooded Gunnulf and he giggled. "She broke my foreleg and stabbed me in the shoulder. I've got no ammunition left." A band of agony contracted around his throat, feathers singed and miniature lightning flashed. Gunnulf staggered, slipping on the blood pooling under his paws.
"Answer the question, soldier!"
Fumbling with one red-stained claw, Gunnulf tapped the sequence that switched his comms from throat to external microphone. "You hear that, Sector Chief? That's the sound of your prisoner going to kill Salrath. Just follow the trail of destruction; they'll both be at the end of it." A particularly loud squeal filled the air, some primary support being stressed far beyond its design limits. He looked back in the direction he'd come, seeing the ever increasing blood trail. "Stupid drugs, I think I'm bleeding out," he said, struggling to get to his paws, but slipping and falling back to the floor.
The figure in the little video window continued to shout and his collar flared again, but something must have gone wrong because he couldn't seem to catch the words or feel the shocks. "I think I'll just rest here for a second," he mumbled, closing his eyes as the darkness rose up and swallowed him.
===
Korn felt the second shiver run though the floor and reached forward to expand the inset camera window. The screen was completely black, the diagnostics reporting that the network could no longer reach the machine at the other end. That light, he thought, it was the same colour as the servitor's magic.
Panic welled up inside him as he remembered what Fusion had looked like during those last instants of the accelerator experiment -- she'd had that same, almost ethereal quality to her mane and tail.
The revelation hit Korn like a lightning bolt, the whole awful situation illuminated in a single flash. His mouth flopped open and he tried to speak, but the words wouldn't come. How it had happened he didn't know, but the conclusions were obvious. It's true, really true, he thought. The pony isn't Blessed, and she's managed to free her sister. That last thought froze in his head, and his eyes went back to the dead video feed. She's coming to find Fusion. His eyes widened and he moaned quietly. What will she do if the machine has started its work?
Suddenly desperate, he jumped out of his chair and ran towards the autosurgeon, eyes fixed on the emergency stop button. He got about halfway there before being tackled by Salrath. The Agent tripped Korn, sending him flying into the instrument panel. He struggled to get to his paws, but by then Salrath had her knees on his back and one set of claws wrapped around his throat.
"Salrath has got Korn now. She knew that you were covering for the servitor," the Agent hissed joyfully in Korn's ear, so close that he could feel her whiskers move in time with her words. "He will be spending the next gigasecond in a Security prison. This one doubts he will last that long."
Salrath leaned down on him with all her weight, grinding his muzzle into the hard floor. He tried to fight her off, but she just tightened her grip and used her free paw to capture his flailing arms and twist them high up behind his back. Releasing Korn's throat, she used that paw to fish a set of restraints from her equipment vest, fastening them about his wrists with practiced ease.
"We must turn the machine off," Korn said, finally able to talk. He tried to inject as much urgency into his voice as possible, but Salrath just laughed. Korn could feel the floor vibrating now, not the isolated impacts of before, but steady pounding, just like one of the big tunnel boring machines. The source was getting closer; even over the triphammer beating of his heart he was starting to hear the high pitched grinding wail of metal and concrete being ripped and smashed. His imagination filled in the blanks, seeing the servitor burst though the floor, only to think its sibling was already dead. There hadn't been a free pony since those early genetic engineering problems, back before the Blessing was developed. There was no telling what the creature would do under these circumstances.
Korn knew that if their situations had been reversed, he would not be merciful.
The steady vibration abruptly stopped, and Korn dared to hope that something had intercepted the servitor -- perhaps it had run afoul of some bit of dangerous machinery, or the Institute's security team had caught up with it. He giggled hysterically at the thought of a minimum wage rent-a-guard trying to stop an out of control pony; even without the special training this one had received, the creatures were so powerful that they would probably never find all the bits.
Preoccupied by his own woes, Korn nearly didn't notice what happened next. Less than a paw's width behind Salrath's leg a blade of violet light licked up out of the concrete, accompanied by a bell-like tone. An instant later it vanished and reappeared a little further away, leaving a hair-fine groove in the floor. This happened another dozen times, then the force field started to do same thing at ninety degrees to the first set of cuts, marking out a large square grid. All of this happened in less than half a second, the pure tones coming so fast that it sounded like the warble of an alarm.
Time seemed to slow to a crawl. Salrath jumped slightly at the noise, and was just starting to turn, one paw reaching for her firearm, when the floor under the grid glowed an intense violet and was sucked downwards at tremendous speed. Up through the hole jumped the blue servitor, wings flaring as it fought to hover in this relatively small space, surrounded by hundreds of pieces of razor edged concrete. It was like watching an explosion in slow motion; he kept expecting the rocks to follow ballistic arcs, but they just stayed there, held fast by the pony's magic.
What Korn had seen at the accelerator was nothing compared to being in the same room as the creature. She literally glowed as if lit from within, the same sourceless, deep blue light that surrounded high level nuclear waste at the bottom of a cooling pond. Her mane and tail streamed backwards in an unfelt wind, the colour of a methanol fire flecked with burning magnesium dust. A tingling wave swept over Korn, all his fur standing on end.
Any fear he felt of the Agent vanished, swept away by his awe at this sight. There was a pressure emanating from the pony, like a gentle breeze that he could feel even where the Agent was in the way. Pebbles and fragments of concrete skittered and rolled across the floor, propelled by the same force.
Salrath completed her turn, paw coming up with a compact pistol, her finger already tightening on the trigger. The gun went to full auto even before it was on target.
===
Gravity already knew what the inside of the surgical suite looked like, but continued to study it, even as she smashed through the last few floors. In shadow sight the room was a high ceilinged rectangle, but although the walls were dark and vague, the rest of the chamber was picked out by the multitude of magically active crystals filling the machinery around its perimeter. At one edge were two bipedal silhouettes, only really noticeable because of the few crystal-using gadgets they wore. In the middle was another figure, this one outlined in light from the array of equipment it carried, pacing near the shape of her sister.
That sight nearly made Gravity lose control again; in her shadowed magical view the autosurgeon was ablaze with light, a funnel-shaped maw lined with concentric rows of teeth that flickered and pulsed, seeming to blur and rotate like the mouth of an industrial grinder. Fusion was head and shoulders inside the throat, halfway through being swallowed by some deep sea monster while its feeding tentacles probed her head.
As she cut through the floor below and brought up the spells she'd need, the Agent -- it must be her, no one else would carry so much stuff -- intercepted one of the other figures, who'd picked that moment to run at the autosurgeon. The Agent brought the other figure to the ground and there was a brief struggle. A distraction, perfect, Gravity thought, then sliced the concrete above her head into a grid of hoof-sized cubes.
Holding the roof in place until the pattern was complete, she pulled it down and out of the way while springing through the resulting gap, dragging the stone and metal cubes up after her like attendant asteroids circling a planet. The whole complex manoeuvre flowed like it was choreographed; Fusion's talent was raw energy, but hers was the movement of physical objects, and she was very, very good at it.
The cloud of rock moved like it had a mind, like each cube was alive and was anticipating her desires, parting to let her through and avoid her short wingstrokes, before fountaining up through the hole to surround her. She came up facing the struggling pair, the uppermost figure just producing a small weapon from some concealed holster and bringing it up to face her. It was trivial to generate a zone of force that would give any projectiles enough of a kick to miss her; in her heightened state, Gravity could feel the bullets -- like tiny, invisibly fast insects -- as the gun fired.
The mare gave one of her swarm a push, slamming it against Salrath's chest and flinging her back into the wall. The little pistol went flying; without thinking, Gravity picked it up and added it to her orbiting flock. The high-pitched whine of a miniature power saw flashed a horrible vision through her mind, and she whipped around to face the machine, reaching out to freeze the robot arms as they made small, delicate movements near Fusion's head. Leaning closer her heart nearly stopped; the machine was very clean, but there was no way it could capture all the blood.
Gravity gently reached out and released the clamps holding on to Fusion's flesh, pushing the flap of shaved skin back over the stark white of exposed bone and wiping at the runnels of blood where they had trickled down her sister's muzzle. For an instant she had a vision of the scars on the side of Lilac's head, and the rage and tears nearly blinded her.
===
Salrath's eyes flicked open and she gasped, pain shooting up her back as she tried to move. She was lying at the base of an instrument panel, staring up at the rear end of the blue servitor as the creature did something with its kin in the autosurgeon. The whole room was lit a lurid, shifting violet from the scores of floating rocks that drifted around the pony.
Taking a chance, she fumbled for her comms bracer, tapping the send key with her own emergency signal. A slight pulsing tingle came as the reply, her communicator entering covert mode as it sent its electronic cry for help. Salrath angled her wrist slightly, adjusting the view of the wide angle camera. No escape now, pony, she thought with glee, this one will see you dead before the day is out. An 'agent down' emergency beacon was always given the highest priority; even now there would be Security teams scrambling from the Pit. Kept on constant stand-by and with the fastest vehicles available, she could expect help within the next kilosecond.
But a kilosecond is a long time in a firefight, she thought, mind going back to her immediate predicament. Salrath cautiously moved her legs; abused muscles drove great jagged splinters of pain into her torso from where she'd struck the edge of the instrument panel, but everything seemed to be working. Sending a silent prayer of thanks to whoever had designed her armour vest, the Agent rolled over and rose to a shaky crouch. A glance over her shoulder at the servitor -- still preoccupied with what had been done to its kin -- then she took a chance and ran for the exit.
She'd just hooked one set of claws around the door jamb, when what felt like a steel-cored silicone tentacle coiled around her legs and pulled her off her paws. Only saved from hitting the ground by her grip on the door frame, Salrath saw the violet glow of the servitor's telekinesis crawling up her thighs and strained to pull herself through the door. She may as well have been trying to hold back a tank; her claws ripped grooves from the plastic frame and she was dragged helplessly backwards into the room.
A giant's fist wrapped around her chest and she was jerked upright to float just outside the cloud of concrete cubes that still surrounded the blue pony. Her armour vest creaked and started to buckle, the air wheezing out of her lungs. Salrath stopped struggling and gritted her teeth, glaring her hatred back at the servitor. She tried to curse the creature, but didn't have enough breath to spare.
The servitor's head snapped around to stare at her. "What have you done to my sister?" she growled, her voice thick and distorted with anger.
The force around Salrath's chest lessened enough that she could draw a pained breath. "Put Salrath down at once, servitor!" she snapped out in her best drill sergeant's impression. For an instant, the band of telekinesis disappeared and she fell, but only for a moment, then the grip came back at full strength and she was slammed backwards into the wall, teeth clicking shut on the end of her tongue.
She spat something red from her mouth and grinned bloodily at the pony. "This pony's sister is dead and, if it doesn't release Salrath immediately, its family will follow it."
"Liar, she still breathes!" the servitor screamed in her face. "What have you done to her?"
Salrath laughed, and the servitor screamed with frustrated fury, repeatedly slamming her back into the wall. The first impact knocked the wind out of her again and she went silent, but the battering continued. She lost the strength to keep her limbs from flopping about, and on the next collision something snapped in her shoulder.
Brilliant pain flared down her arm, but the servitor didn't stop and Salrath realised she might have made a mistake in goading it. The battering continued and she tried to speak, but the words wouldn't come. More bones broke, more daggers of pain stabbed through arms and legs, and the Agent focused all her fragmenting will on keeping her muzzle forward and tucked into her chest.
On the next impact, the back of Salrath's head struck the wall and the world blinked out.
===
Gravity felt the Agent go limp in her grasp and the blinding rage faded, replaced by desperation. She dropped the Master, cringing at the sight of her broken body and the smear of blood it had left on the wall. "What have I done?" she whispered. Too late she remembered what her sister had tried to tell her about the thing that had given her the new magical techniques.
'I have memories that aren't mine,' she'd said. What if the thing that gave Fusion her new powers could do other things as well? If it could change a pony's memories, how much easier would it be to make them angry? Gravity remembered the panic and despair she'd felt when the video monitor had come alive, and how she'd become so insanely angry, all at once.
It wanted me angry, she thought, wanted me to do something terrible. Well it succeeded; it's made me into a monster. Gravity looked back at Fusion's silent body on the surgical table, then down at the two remaining Masters. Something froze inside her chest and she came to a decision. "Then a monster I will be; I'm in good company, after all," she murmured, staring hard at the Academician, who shrank backwards slightly. "You, what have you done to my sister?" she said, enveloping Vanca in a haze of magic and pulling her out from where she cowered under one of the consoles.
Vanca gasped, but remained silent, eyes wide and staring at Gravity. The mare's ears folded back and she gave the Master a hard shake. "Answer me!"
Vanca just gazed back, mouth opening and shutting, then coughed. "It's a muscle relaxant, disconnects the v-voluntary muscles and the nerve bundle that goes to the horn," she said, voice strained. "There's an antidote--"
Gravity gave the Academician a squeeze. "Show me!"
"There, cupboard," she said, hissing in pain, then stumbled as Gravity dropped her to the floor and shoved her towards the wall. Vanca trotted to the glass-fronted storage unit and pulled out an injector gun and several vials of clear liquid, holding them out for inspection.
Gravity pulled them out of Vanca's grasp and stared at them; like Fusion she couldn't read the Master's script, so the tiny writing was meaningless to her. The same wasn't true of the hazchem symbols. She fitted one of the vials into the gun and primed it with a fresh needle.
"What is in this drug that requires a poison symbol?" she said, holding Vanca still and sliding the needle into the flesh of the Academician's arm.
"T-the warnings are for the People, we have different metabolisms and the drug is harmful to us," Vanca babbled, staring down at the injector.
Gravity relaxed slightly. It could be true, she thought, why bother with us when only the Masters will be using this stuff? She flipped the gun around and thrust it back in the Academician's paws. "Do it," she said, "and we will leave you in peace -- but if my sister dies I will not run away, instead I will kill every one of the People I can reach." She leaned forward until she was muzzle tip to muzzle tip with Vanca. "And I have a very long reach." Her voice trembled as she spoke, but the threat seemed to have the desired effect.
Vanca's fingers clumsily worked the injector, swapping to a clean needle, while she walked to the autosurgeon. Standing next to the prone body of Fusion, she laid a trembling paw on the pony's throat, spreading the fur and looking for the big jugular vein.
Gravity watched the Master intently, narrowing her eyes as Fusion's breathing quickened to a frantic panting. Vanca pushed the needle home and doubt started to well up inside her, the mare realising that she'd trusted the Master almost without thinking. I threatened her, but does she really believe it -- especially when I don't believe it myself? Her magic started to reach out, then Gravity hesitated, paralysed by indecision.
"Stop!"
The shout came from the bound Master. Reflexively, Gravity grabbed hold of Vanca's paw, freezing her stubby digits where they were poised over the trigger.
"There is no antidote, the pony will recover naturally."
Gravity carefully pulled the needle out of Fusion's neck, holding back her anger until Vanca had been dragged away from the autosurgeon. "What is Korn saying, that's not tru--" the Academician broke off with a squeak as the telekinetic grip on her forearm tightened convulsively. Gravity held Vanca still while pulling the other Master up from where he was seated against the wall.
I know this one, this is Student Korn, Gravity thought. He's the one who brought Fusion back that first night. He did seem genuinely concerned for her. And why is he tied up?
Korn cleared his throat and spoke in a high, nervous voice. "Vanca doesn't handle physical threats very well. Korn thinks she's made a mistake because of the stress. If you untie this one, he will help your sister."
The mare pulled Vanca around, dangling the Master off the ground by her arm, then lifted Korn to float next to her. "Explain," she growled to both of them.
"N-neuotransmitter booster," Vanca stammered, giving Korn a pleading look, "to counteract the targeted acetylcholine esterase inhibitor."
"Too dangerous, not designed for this job." Korn said, gasping when Gravity gave him a squeeze. "Might cause permanent nerve damage. Better to use the surgeon."
Gravity spun Korn around and snapped the plastic straps holding his wrists together. He gave a sharp yelp of pain, then massaged his arms to get the blood flowing again. The mare propelled him over the hole in the floor and dropped him next to the autosurgeon. "No more mistakes," she said, pulling Vanca forward and holding out her arm. The violet haze, extending from wrist to elbow, abruptly intensified.
There was a snap and the Master screamed, collapsing to the floor when Gravity released her hold. Something cowered and begged deep inside her mind, horrified at what she'd just done. Master, forgive, I didn't mean-- She squashed the thought, keeping her expression savage.
"The pony can't--" Korn stopped himself, then took a deep breath and swallowed hard. "Korn saw what the Agent did to your sister, the pony has every right to be angry, but hurting us will only make things worse for you."
Gravity glared at Korn. What else has Salrath done? She thought back to the way Fusion had acted at the aid station back at the accelerator. Her eye. Gravity's ears drooped and her vision started to swim with unshed tears. All she wanted me to do was listen, and I couldn't even do that. The mare shook her head angrily. "Worse? How much worse could things get? I've seen what happens to those you think are bad ponies, even when they had no choice." Her horn pulsed and a life size ghost image of Random appeared, a herd of foals huddled beneath her tattered wings. Korn took one look at the desolation on the young mare's face and turned away.
Gravity advanced on the Master, her voice rising to a shout. "All she did was defend foals when your military made a stupid mistake, so don't tell me about worse. Now fix my sister!"
===
Ears ringing from the volume of the order, Korn started tapping out commands on the direct input panel of the autosurgeon, frowning at the result. He cursed inwardly, reading the unhelpful error message the machine had presented him with. 'Self check failed' he thought, don't do this to Korn now, you piece of-- He typed the same sequence in again, double checking at each stage, only to get the same error. His eyes widened and he suppressed the urge to burst into tears. Oh please, oh please, oh please... His ears drooped and he whimpered quietly, then reached up with a shaking paw to type the exact same sequence in for a third time.
"What?" Gravity said dangerously.
"T-the pony must have c-cut something under the floor, Korn can't reset the surgeon. It won't work." He cowered at the rapidly building fury on Gravity's face, then pointed towards the aid kit on the wall. "T-the pony's sister will recover on her own if the wound is sealed, the paralyzing drug will wear off in another twenty kiloseconds." Korn was babbling now, desperate to get the words out before he suffered the same fate as Salrath. "This one can do the work if the pony wishes it--"
The kit, a plastic box the size of a suitcase, abruptly glowed a bright violet and hurled itself across the room, snapping to a halt next to Korn. He jumped at the sudden movement, then hurriedly fumbled with the catches, throwing open the lid and rummaging through the first aid supplies. While he did this he kept up a running commentary, conscious of the looming presence of Gravity.
"This is a trauma spray, combination antiseptic and anaesthetic, should give your sister some relief," he said, carefully misting the side of her face with a can of something marked with bright yellow stripes. "It's designed for injuries far worse than this one, stops the patient from going into shock before they can reach a proper hospital, stems blood loss without irreversibly sealing any veins and so on." He wasn't a medic by any stretch, but modern equipment made things easy for injuries like this, as long as you could master any squeamishness.
Korn continued his work, the focus required making the fear disappear to leave nothing but the quick, sure movements of his paws against the servitor's abused flesh. It's amazing what the threat of being beaten to death does for this one's confidence, he thought. Trauma spray on both sides of the flap of skin, gently push the flesh back into place and hold it there while painting line of something viscous from a small pen. Keep up the pressure for a count of ten for the wound glue to bond.
For the first time since he'd been told about the project's termination, he actually felt good about something he'd done. No matter that both these ponies will soon be killed outright or disappear into a Eugenics Board lab, at least Korn has done what he could. "It's done," he said, taking a step back and turning to face Gravity. "The pony will be sore for several megaseconds, but there shouldn't be any complica--"
Violet light constricted around his chest and he was flung against the wall hard enough that his teeth rattled. "Anaesthetic," the pony snarled, stalking towards him, "are you telling me that you were cutting my sister open without painkillers?"
The dread flowed back into Korn like a tide. He stared helplessly at the pony, his paws dangling half a length from the ground, watching as her eyes started to haze over, turning solid white without iris or pupil. What should Korn say? he thought. "It was not Korn's idea," he said, shrinking back against the wall, "your program had been cancelled and every servitor involved was to be euthanized. We had no choice; this one wanted to put your sister to sleep first, but he was overruled."
He wrung his paws together, an anguished look on his face. "Korn was trying to cause the minimum amount of suffering, but the Agent interfered." He hung his head. "That's why you saw the video from the surgeon; this one knew that the pony was susceptible to fugue and thought that it would die before its turn in the surgeon came."
Gravity stepped back, her grip on Korn relaxing and her eyes going back to their normal teal colour, her face going slack with shock. "You would have had me tortured to death. Do you have any idea what the Maker's Test is like?" she said faintly.
"Korn didn't know what to do!" he cried. "All choices lead to suffering, including this one's own. Korn will spend the rest of his life in prison for what he's done." His face crumpled, tears running down his muzzle. "Kill Korn now, it would be a mercy. It's his fault that Fusion got found out."
===
Gravity stared at the Master, hanging halfway up the wall in her unbreakable telekinetic grip. He was crying helplessly now, great, gasping sobs through paws held over his face. It sounds like he's just as trapped as I am, only without the immediate promise of vivisection, she thought bitterly. We did everything that was asked of us, and this is the reward. Is this really the best the future holds, a quick death? The unfairness of it all threatened to overwhelm the mare and her magical grip tightened involuntarily.
Korn's choked gasp brought Gravity back to the here and now and she relaxed a little. "If you hadn't turned on the monitor I would have returned to the lab and meekly followed my sister into the maw of your robotic surgeon," she said slowly. "I have to live with my choices, and so do you." She released her magic and lowered Korn gently to the floor, then turned her back on him and jumped over the hole to stand at Fusion's side. "Do not try to leave," she said, not looking around.
Her anger spent, Gravity hesitantly leaned forwards, looking down at her sister's partially shaved head. The wound looked terrible, and no doubt she'd have quite a scar when the fur grew back. The big magenta eye tracked her as she bent forwards, glistening with unshed tears. Gravity's own vision swam, and she blinked furiously to clear her sight, wanting to see clearly for the last kilosecond of her life.
Violet light flickered over the straps, then over Fusion herself. Gently, Gravity lifted her sister out of the restraint system and lowered her to a cleared patch on the floor, pushing back the big robot arms. "I'm so sorry; I should have listened to you. I just wish we could talk..." Gravity said mournfully, letting go of the rest of her magic. Her collection of floating rocks sank to the ground and she folded her legs and sat next to Fusion, huddling close and draping one wing over her sister's limp body.
Resting her head on Fusion's neck, Gravity listened as the white mare's breathing slowed from its frantic panting and became calm. They will come for us soon, she thought, and I don't know what to do.
I've been waiting a long time to use that chapter title.
(not sure what's making me more nervous; pressing that 'publish' button or the fact my first horse riding lesson is tomorrow evening)
Oh hell yeah. Now that was what I have been looking forward to for *checks the timestamp on my first comment* more than a year.
LUNA SMASH!!
Yep. The
fiascolast chapter was totally worth the wait for this. Luna-tic, this is a beautiful chapter.Well darn. No convenient teleportation, then. Not without a little Chaos ex machina. Still, this was a glorious chapter, and the consequences promise to be equally epic, if not quite as fist-pumpingly righteous.
Thank you.
You, and Gravity, do deliver here.
I'm enjoying how relatable and sympathetic you've made Korn and Vanca. Even Salrath, when we learned about her paranoia, became pitiable in her own way. Gravity is right about everyone being trapped here, ponies and griffons and dogs, up to and including Discord in this tiny island-cosmos. Perhaps, they can do something about that...
Particle accelerators, computers and high-tech weapons?
If this is a Prologue to FiM then why don't they have the same technology?
Well, that was pretty satisfying. Discord seems to have a bit more pull with Luna than with Celestia, which I imagine will make setting up The Mare in the Moon a bit easier. With the autosurgeon down I guess Salrath can't be fed into it, but it looks like she'll be out of the picture for a while anyway.
2730556 I imagine that there's going to be a very big bang. You can find the former power sources scattered all over Equestria: Rarity uses them to make dresses. There is also the fact that after such horrific experiences the princesses wouldn't be too fond of all of the horrible tech. This of course, pales in comparison to the havoc that Discord is going to wreak once the Guardian stops hounding him so hard.
This. This is the kind of storytelling I was talking about! Swapping perspectives with minimal backtracking (if any) is far less exhausting to read than rereading the same events through several pairs of eyes. Makes things more exciting, too!
Also, the contents of this chapter were pretty sweet. Luna just ripped security a new one. A big new one.
2730556
Time washes away all proof.
Now this is what I call a great delivery. Well done!
2730146
It has been a long time, hasn't it? It'll be two years for me, this september.
2730272
If only Grav had talked to her sister, she might have been able to learn the spell. Unfortunately... A little bit of a nudge from Chaos, right at the start -- I like to think she'd have done it herself if left alone (and the rest was all her).
2730320
You are welcome (she's my favourite princess too).
2730369
Thank you -- ever read Bank's 'Against a Dark Background'? There's a similar situation in that; even though I've read the book a dozen time it still makes me shiver.
2730253
Glad to hear it, and thank you!
2730556
It takes place in the deep past, but there are clues in the show that speak of an ancient civilization (all those cut gems just below the surface...).
2731023
There's still a bit of backtrack, but I figured that the events were so significant that getting the different perspectives was worth it (I did trim a few paragraphs, though!). Glad it worked for you.
===
Thanks for all the (fast!) feedback folks; it means a lot to me.
2731291
Yup! That book gives such a strange mix of claustrophobia and agoraphobia to me...
Well holy jeez.
2731291
No problem! I'm not normally as... dickish (that's how I see it anyways,) when i criticize something about a story, but i felt it had to be said. I probably could've worded it better though.
Now the change in perspectives is a little better and I see that you started to continue the story near the end of the chapter when you change perspectives which is good. It's also a little better that I'm not seeing the same scene over and over again now that the combatants are leaving each other alone now. However, I'm betting in the next chapter Celestia will awaken as well, it's now just a little problem of when.
Sweet! Finally, some well deserved vengeance for Fusion and Gravity. Oddly, I hope the Agent isn't dead yet. She needs a little more getting curbstomped.
I wonder if the events of 1000 years before FiM is really the first time Gravity has been known as Nightmare Moon...
Great chapter Luna-tic! As always eagerly looking forward to more.
2731291
You know I'm still tempted to jump in to your story and comfort/save them, right?
As an awesome alicorn (that wouldn't be totally overpowered and awesome, or anything)! Or a kickass dragon!
Wait. That brings up a really interesting question. Where ARE all the dragons in your world?
Sweet mother of God...
Heh, you just fed a bunch of hungry mouth with this one. xP Awesome chapter mate, reading this was utmost pleasure.
P.S. Hope you had fun in dem riding lessons.~
I'm coming Fusion, --- I'm coming, Fusion,
Much better than the last one. Agree with the perspective shift working way better this way. Now eagerly awaiting personal favorite Princess to get out of her drugged state and demonstrate the fury of the sun.
discord
stahp
Even though it might have just saved Celestia, given that Luna was hesitating before it manipulated her. Still, it's probably going to keep needling at her until it eventually ends up with a Nightmare Moon, or with something that would eventually become a Nightmare Moon all on it's own (that happened after Discord was imprisoned, didn't it? Or maybe those two events coincide?).
Did... did Gunnulf just die? I'm pretty sure he just bled to death, but I'm not 100% certain.
Oh wow, she actually realized. Good on her!
Wait, no, not good on her; she decided not to care.
luna
stahp
[Edit] Derp, I somehow managed to double-post... an hour and a half after the first post. How did I even manage that...
Typo.
Also, this is pretty much exactly the character progression I was hoping for from Gravity.
At last!
Tactical analysis:
Woooooooo! Way to go Luna! Very nice; just about everything I was hoping for (though I figured she'd find some way to remotely disable it before having to actually make it all the way there herself). It's great to see the ponies even the score a bit. I loved the description of Luna rampant especially how it was so utterly based in science similes.
Good to see Korn step up to the plate. Unfortunately Korn has now unarguably burned his bridges. Here's hoping he somehow pulls through at Celestia/Luna's side. I was a bit disappointed in Vanca. I couldn't tell if she was actively trying to give fusion something bad, or if she was grasping at straws. Also not really sure what she's doing after she got her arm broken.
Almost positive Salrath is going to make it. While I hate to think she'll be in a position to cause more trouble, it'd be pretty anticlimactic if she just died.
Gunnulf? We haven't seen the body yet, so I can't be sure, but he feels pretty dead. Wouldn't really miss the piece of work, either (haven't re-read the previous chapter yet, so I suppose it's possible he got a bunch of characterization, but I doubt you can do much to make me loose sleep over him being offed)
Strategic situation: problematic, evolving rapidly. Information incomplete.
Half an hour until Celestia recovers (and recovers does not necessarily mean fighting trim). Unknown time until security shows up, but betting on 'very soon' with thaumatic suppressor in tow. While I'd love to see them overpower or outmaneuver it, I'm not ready to bet on that horse just yet.
Korn could fully throw his lot in with them and suggest and/or actively enable their escape (cargo lifter, etc).
Celestia could teach Luna teleport (novice teleporter is problematic). Also, I'm not sure if they have enough time for Celestia to contribute anything this time around.
There is the just plain old 'run' option. I'm sure Luna could easily levitate both Korn and Celestia while brute-forcing her way out of there. Of course then they'd have to outrun both the pursuit and the surveillance, but it might at least buy enough time for Celestia to recover.
I don't really see hiding or fighting as an option, as both would just lead to...
Recapture? As Celestia has teleport, they could theoretically get out, but given how powerful they are, it'd be illogical for the DDs to allow them to retain use of their magic.
I'm not sure of any other agencies that might give them a leg up. I suppose it's possible some inter-hive politicking could jam up the works, especially with some help from Chaos. I haven't seen any signs that Discord has evolved from decoy-hood yet.
I'm with 2733086 and 2735460 on wanting to drop in personally (well, assuming appropriate abilities) and sort things out, but somehow I don't see that being the solution either.
Guess I'll just have to wait and see.
hi hi
I guess it is fitting that Gravity Resonance wouldn't really have the comprehension to disagree with Chaos' meddling. I mean, all her life, she has idolized monsters. Why shouldn't she be a monster in return? She knows her sister was trying for something different, but it doesn't look like she understands the aim, and she certainly has reason to believe that her sister was wrong. Since Fusion Pulse's plan lead to her being vivisected.
It seems like maybe Gravity Resonance is going the "there is no truth," route, having the foundation of her world view shattered.
2739376
Heh, I've done similar. There's a guy where I work who lost both his hands in an accident; on seeing him heading for the doors while carrying a package I offered to 'give him a hand with the doors'. He was cool with it, but I still cringe at the memory...
Also: welcome!
2735122
Oh, I did -- even if muscles I didn't know I had are complaining (and I wished I was female on at least one occasion). One thing this fandom has done for me was to make my first thought on seeing the horse 'unshorn fetlocks, you hussy!' The second thought was 'crap, you're tall'.
2733086
That feeling isn't going to go away, you know that, right? My motto is 'no defeat total, no victory complete'. There is a price to be paid for everything.
Dragons: they are around, but like everything else, they are not free. You may see something of them later (no promises, I'm not that far ahead in my planning).
2738910
Thanks, I'll fix that.
2740466
I see Security's holding cells are going to be full tonight!
Glad you liked the descriptions; the Cerenkov glow is something that has stuck in my mind ever since I saw it.
Vanca is one of those unfortunates who goes to pieces in a physical emergency (about 40% of humans do, apparently). As to what she's doing: at the start she's trying anything to avoid Gravity's anger, after that she's just going into shock.
Interesting analysis -- although 20 kiloseconds is about five hours, not 30mins. It's a tricky problem, to get away clean after making such a splash (here's hoping my solution fits the bill!), but it will have to be quick.
2740887
It's a terrible thing to have your world destroyed so completely -- but in a monstrous world, perhaps being a monster is the only sane choice (for a while, at least).
2741578
Yeah, they really are tall. It's one reason that I've always been opposed to Celestia actually being 6-8 feet tall at the ears - if ponies are only 3-4, then alicorns are almost freaks in comparison. Plus if they were to rear up, then they'd be even TALLER. Celestia built like a Clydesdale? No thanks...
But riding horses it so much fun. Just remember to keep your hand on their rump when you walk behind them to remind them that you're back there.
P.S. Western or English? (Or something else that I don't know?)
P.P.S. Strangely enough the faster a horse moves, the easier it is to time their gait/ride without hurting your... you know. Trotting is uncomfortable, but galloping is amazingly smooth.
2741811
English... I think.
Oh, and the word is 'everything' (back, thighs, shins, elbows, wrists, etc.).
I keep meaning to go back and check the relative sizes of Celestia vs the rest, from memory it's a bit variable (and does every building have massive doors, just in case she visits?).
2741578
I hope its not actually Cherenkov Radiation... as it is my understanding that if you're seeing it in the air, and not through a liquid like water -where light has a much slower speed of light- you're kind of already dead.
Also: I personally find this to be at least as big of a cliffhanger as the previous chapter(s). Now that the cat is out of the bag, so to speak, I am terribly worried about Random Walk and really every pony in their home corral.
Gravity Resonance's world has been destroyed, and even if the Masters don't kill off her social support network, they're going to have a hard time providing any support, thanks to the blessing. (I have a sneaking suspicion we're going to find out more about those great wide open spaces they talked about earlier.)
2741578
Cells? They'll never even see the stealthed orbital drop team coming, especially when they're busy dealing with the dragon/alicorn/2733086 running amok. A few surgical strikes to disrupt C&C and divert/delay the reinforcements and we're golden.
I thought that might have been the case with Vanca, but I wasn't quite sure, and even Korn's comment about 'not handling physical threats well' could be interpreted as Vanca being vengeful against the threatener.
Ah, for some reason I read that as 2 kiloseconds, not 20 kiloseconds - that does tweak the situation a bit, mainly taking the 'Celestia recovering and being useful' option off the table completely, but otherwise the general parameters remain. Right now I'm leaning towards Korn, but I suspect Luna may be clever enough to come up with a third option, such as the underground tunnel network or something.
Glad the riding went well.
2741978
Black and white fancy getup with domed black helmet and tight-y white-y pants? (English)
Or jeans and cowboy boots? (Western)
(I wish I could describe the saddle differences, but the typical clothing is probably easier to notice.)
I realized that Fusion and Gravity haven't even thought about dragons yet. It seems like they don't know about them. And now I suddenly don't want you to include them. A scene where our favorite ponies finally meet the shock troops that send griffins running for cover...
2742575
A kirin! I could be both at once! Fear the ÜBER STU!
Just don't forget to disable the Moon Orbital Cannon first.
I'm wondering if Orgon might actually end up helping. He's the one that noticed Fusion's actions within the test chamber coincided with a noticeable alteration to the Sun. What're the chances he also saw something disturbing going on with it at the same time when Fusion was in the autodoc?
This chapter is glorious.
I feel like this is one of those hugely pivotal moments that everything beforehand has been building towards, and it feels so great to finally get here.
2742575
...make that padded cells!
Far be it for me to step on someone's daydreams, but how would you stealth an orbital drop? Would be tricky to hide the heat of reentry - although as part of a general kinetic bombardment...
I'll look at how I wrote Vanca; might be able to clarify some of that (Korn mentions she's going into shock, but that's about it). I had planned for her to do something really stupid (like try and euthanize Fusion, but couldn't quite believe anyone would react that way).
2742789
I think the style is more 'casual' (jeans and trainers); I am wearing a hat, but that's more to stop my fragile skull being caved in... Do they do armoured stetsons<g>?
2742350
That would make for a shorter next chapter!
...and they all died of radiation poisoning. THE END.
I agree with you on cliffhangers; I've always been of the opinion that if the chapter doesn't end with the written equivalent of crashing chords and a sense of 'argh, what's going to happen next!' then it's not really an 'adventure'. It's only fair that the readers should share a little of the character's stress!
2744975
Okay, point. Theoretically one could kill all the orbital velocity in orbit, but then you'd still have to deal with a significant amount of positional energy from sitting on top of a gravity well getting converted to thermal energy. May or may not be possible, but definitely not a sure thing without resorting to magic space drives or anti-grav. Of course...
2742789
We could always just borrow the moon cannon, and then they'd have plenty of other things to think about.
Huh. Interesting thought. I wouldn't be surprised if there was some noticeable reaction, though I don't know if he'd go so far as to aid and abet them. In a similar vein, I wonder if Luna's exertions had any noticeable effect on the moon?
2745561
Ok, maybe not aiding and abetting, but certainly putting the more harmful tests on hold until they can figure out why the Sun's output went haywire when they started cutting Fusion's face off.
And I'm sure they detected something wrong with the moon. (Aren't there two right now? I think I remember reading that...)
(Which makes for an interesting twist. What if Fusion and Gravity are the reason that the Sun/Moon need to be raised/lowered - frequently drawing on their power eventually degrades their orbits/output unless actively cared for.)
2744975
Oh man-- that would be an ice cold finisher for Fusion though... Looking down at the broken body of Salrath, who croaks "Are you going to kill me?" Fusion's horn glows for a moment before she speaks. "No, but the radiation will within the next two weeks. Try not to die of internal bleeding before then."
If Gravity took apart a gun, she'd realize all she has to do is hold the firing pin in place (if she isn't already familiar). It's a lot less flashy, but she'd waste a lot less power if there are a lot of opponents, as I suspect there will be soon.
I will wait however long it takes for the next chapter. If I must die before then, so be it.
Though really, MOAR.
2745970
I do kind of wonder exactly how closely the sun currently reflects Fusion's state, and under what circumstances. I think we can assume the whole 'fusion dies = you are so boned' link holds regardless, but I get the impression that the sun only reacts strongly (example: briefly blinking out) when she's actively channeling it. Since her magic was neutralized while the latest nastiness went down, I suspect the effect may not be obvious unless one looks closely (though Orgon may very well be looking closely).
As far as dragons go, my pet theory is that they are a secret/under-development bio-weapon. Any individuals are still 'prototypes' hidden away in labs and not officially acknowledged. The designers still haven't gotten the life-cycle worked out; dragons just keep growing, and conditioning doesn't hold well yet on them. For a black project, dragons are not a well-kept secret - the hives are stealing the info from each other and developing their own variants, even though none of them officially acknowledge it.
Be
I'm sorry for blasting through and only occasionally dropping I'm with a typo I've spotted. (I'm not finding many, so that's good, at least.) I expect I'll start commenting more / more in-depth once I'v caught up (I've already marked my calendar for two Tuesdays forward).
2730111
I hope your first lesson went well! Had you been on a horse before?
Great chapter, by the way. Poor Korn. I'm glad Gravity has grasped the idea that in his own way, he's just as trapped as the ponies.
2742789
It's not just a difference in clothing. I learned to ride English style, while wearing jeans and cowboy boots. I had no idea until years later when I rode a horse that had been trained Western style. I had been taught to direct the horse with a hand on either side, giving a tug to the side I wanted the horse to go. The poor, confused horse was expecting me to hold both reins in one hand and move my whole hand in the direction I wanted it to go. (A friend set me straight.)
Okay, time to see some resolution finally.
You've read Chronicles of Thomas Covenant too? Sweet. Really need to catch up on the latest series. Wait.. *Remebers some of the stuff that goes on in that book* why are you apologizing to him? Okay, wonder if I can spot it.
So far, this is AWESOME! Just what I've been waiting for. One of the Sisters cutting lose with their power, showing these assholes what pathetic insects they bare compared to their majesty. And yet, still daring, doing what she can to be gentle, even id she doesn't have time, to the innocent ponies that are simply being controlled by others. But love how she is just effortlessly slapping aside these 'attacks'.
And I don't know why, but I found this hilarious. Just utterly dismissing the idiot. he's only trying his best to kill you, but is so pathetic and insignificant she doesn't even have to spare him enough attention to swat him.
Okay, I know what that was and, don't know how I feel about it. One the one hoof, glad to see she's not going to stop, or hesitate at the wrong moment now. On the other, it means that her rescuing Fusion WASN'T her own decision, that it leaves it open for doubt that she ever would have done what she did, If without that outside force altering her thoughts she would have, on her own, been able to actually do this. It's no longer HER decision, her choice and... that kind of diminishes the impact of what she's doing.
Unstoppable Rage, to Tranquil Fury. The Masters here are so fucked.
And now, to take the most direct route to save her sister. But she still takes time to make sure Lilac will be safe. She better be taking him with them when they leave.
Oh yay switching back to him.. well like I said, it wasn't the idea of this, so much as it causing us to not get and answer to the cliffhangers in time, so lets see what goes on this time. But, also, holy shit, so he's not a TOTAL idiot, though pretty close still.
And again, just little, realistic, details like this are so amazing. Looking at just how something would work, carrying it through to the logical conclusion, looking at the issues it might have. Again, I love it.
okay this.. feels odd. Way to much thought and intelligence for this idiot. And out of story, he's only telling us what we already know. So just a really odd line.
Heh, and of course, THAT is what he worries about. Dude, just give up, this is how many times in a row a pony kicked your ass without even trying? take a hint.
Okay I liked the little conversation between those two, and him just slowly slipping into passing out. Though now... shit's REALLY hit the fan and she's got to get this done before the major guns come in. And, at least idiot won't be blundering in making shit worse this time. But, as aggravating as having to wait even LONGER to see Fusion rescued, this was a nice bit.
Well, the one plus side to that answer is, you won't be around long enough to suffer TO badly. But, vice to see someone knows how fucked they are.
You fucking idiot.. it's going to be SO fun watching you pay for this.
Okay, the Gannulf bits, while good, were kind of unneeded, this.. is pretty damn awesome, just the terror as she steadily apporches, him realizing just how well and truly fucked they are. And Salrath, just so oblivious.
She's HE-RE~! Make peace with you 'Maker' foolish mortals.
Okay, this, was an awesome description, and can't wait to see how stupidly Salrath reacts to Gravity slapping her aside like she's nothing.
So, Fusion would just vaporize them with raw power, and YOU are the one that can rip them apart molecule by molecule. Alright. But yes, LOVING this whole scene so far.
Swatted like the insect she is. GLORIOUS! I cannot tell you how damn.... excited? Engaged? Edge of my seat? Just, how shear pumped I am right now.
And then... you do THIS! But, it's only surface wounds, deep, bad, but not life threatening as long as the blood is stopped. It was only able to get the initial cuts made. nothing permanent. And now, time to make them reap the punishment for what they have done.
Oh goodie, we get to see her perspective as she realizes just how pathetic she is and gets to watch a lowly servitor kick her ass.
Oh really? And you are still so so underestimating her.
Also this, that assumes you will live that long. Which if you shut up, sit down and don't move, you just might. But you won't and watching you get squashed because of it will be so glorious.
You know, now that we know Fusion is safe. And as much as I really really want to see her REALLY safe, awake, recovered and the two escaping to make it clear they are safe. I don't think I would mind of the rest of the chapter was just Gravity beating down Salrath over and over. Just toying with the bitch and making her suffer.
THAT is what you go with? Just ordering her? You just don't get it, do you?
Yeah you are bringing this all on yourself here. No mercy, no sympathy, this is all your fault.
No real comment, just repeating it for how amazing it is. YES! More!
Ya think?
OHHH Does this mean she still alive and can suffer some more later? Please say yes!
But, alright, want to rush and keep reading but, some thoughts. It really is GREAT seeing Salrath finally getting what's coming to her. Getting a tiny, tiny fraction of payment, and realizing how, at least some of it, was her own damn fault. And now that the only direct threat is neutralized, time to deal with the 'scientists' and get her sister well enough to GTFO.
And, this is why I'm not sure I like that idea of it only being Chaos' pushing that caused her to actually save her sister. Now we get the angst. And her still going along her programmed "The Masters are great" spiel Some doubt now, still perfectly valid but, hopefully it doesn't go to far.
Okay, disagree with the 'monster' part but... again.. how the hell are you making things THIS good, and making them tie in THIS well with FOE without even trying? But, well glad she's going with it and isn't going to quit now.
Plausible, but, likely he also just wants to kill Fusion because he sees just how fucked they are already, and knows it will be even worse with two of them.
Exactly. also...
Hehehehehehehe, go on asshole, do it. Sign your death warrant.
You really need to get over this. And yeah you likely nearly killed your sister.
And Korn saves the day. Now, was it because of him actually caring about Fusion and not wanting to see her killed like this, or because he was just trying to save his own skin and knew how beyond fucked they were if she died?
Personally, I'd say it's most likely a mixture of the two.
Okay, so it wasn't a poison, wasn't something that WOULD kill her. But something that might do harm, that while it might work, isn't really designed for this and could have negative repercussions long term. But she was panicking and just wanted to get Fusion moving.
Also, the way they are talking, I'm having flashbacks to Mordin from ME2
Good good, keep the anger up. it's all that's keeping you able to actually save your sister, and your race. Remember what they've done to you, what they were going to do to you.
..... and how could they get even worse?
And, every little bit helps to crush that programming. To further show her the truth. Yes you should have listened, but Fusion could have done a better job of explaining it as well.
See THIS is amazing, seeing that doubt, that confliction in her, but her righteous anger, her finally seeing just how WRONG the treatment of her race is winning out. It is amazing. And like I said, the biggest issue IMO till now with Gravity was simply not seeing this enough, not getting enough time inside her head, but that is changing now. And, as with so so much it is GLORIOUS!
Heh, RCV precursor?
And once more, just the tiny little details added like it's nothing, just something perfectly ordinary for them, is amazing.
And this is why Korn is best master. Though admittedly, that' best of a lot of really really bad options but, at least, well I'm just as invested in what happens to him as Fusion and Gravity. And not in the "I can't wait to see them pay" way of Salrath and Vanca. I'm hopinf he comes around, aides them, does something. He knows what is right, what is wrong, and is willing to do what he can.
Oh fuck! Ummm ummm. "It was her idea... all her.. I wanted to kill your sister first... oh wait, no CRAAA----" *Squish*
Wait, he actually said it? Let's hope she doesn't quite get what "put to sleep" could mean.
And, regret, honest, not simply saying it because he's trying to spare his life regret. he truly does wish things had been different, that Fusion hadn't been found out, that she wasn't subjected to this. Hopefully Gravity sees this.
Not if you change it. MAKE you own, better future.
And she does see. Does understand. Seriously this, this whole thing is just amazingly well done. And really hope, well know it won't really be any chance of a 'good' end for Korn but, at least, not a horrible one. That, something good happens to him, he deserves it as much as Fusion and gravity after all this.
Kick their fucking asses. Hole up and wait till Fusion's recovered, then have her teleport you all out of there. All you need to do is buy time.
Alright, finally resolution's and yet, still ending on, admittedly not as big a one, but a cliffhanger. But at least the existing ones are wrapped up.
Again Korn, his entire character, just such an amazing job. After Fusion herself he is by far my favorite things about this story. Fusion-Korn-Just the level of detail you put into everything. And, only real issue is, again, having Gravity ONLY doing this because Chaos pushed her. It, it just doesn't feel right. But, alright now to see how they make their escape.
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Well, glad that ordeals over with.
But what the buck are they gonna do when those magic inhibiting ships show up and make them helpless again? I'd gripe about Luna not getting the hell out of there, but she doesn't know Salrath and Gunnulf called in reinforcements.
I do take issue with your rapid shifts in PoV, though. A lot of them – particularly between Luna and Gunnulf, didn't seem necessary.
Ya know, now would be an excellent time for teleportation.