fate0013

Titan's Fall: The Abyssal Paradox

Clearing the facility hadn't been difficult. Though it was the lack of any opposing force that was putting MG more and more on edge. To top it all off, the white noise was starting to give her a headache. the idea to switch to a playlist with the volume set loud had crossed her mind. But the chance of anything she was hearing being fucked up in translation wasn't worth the irritation. God she hated mind games. The fact that illusory effects were not taken seriously by a good chunk of supers was bad enough, the fact that there was very little in the way of psychic blocking tech outside of more cutting edge or hyper invasive tech didn't help much either. all fun and games until you couldn't trust your own senses. The slick feeling crawling across her skin was just sweat. Nothing else.
The few times ID seemed to try and talk to MG were met with shakes of the head. The limited communications was a tactical nightmare.

While this was a research facility, and it was valuable for any number of reasons well above her pay grade, that wasn't going to stop her from planting plastic explosive in every room cleared as ID left said room. Nothing like a little C4 ready to make you feel a bit better. Granted, she already wanted to just leave and blow the place to hell. But Noooooo. have to check the last room for . . . . . whatever was in there. Speaking of-?

And cue the ominous music.

. . . . Okay. Nora had seen a lot of shit. Before and during her time working with Menagerie. Powers were busted, tinkers are bullshit, esper's are just bullshit. You would think one would get used to it. Nope. Whatever was in the center of the room didn't make much sense on thermals and was making it feel like her brain needed to be itched.

Ah. That's the-? Nora didn't get the chance to finish the thought. While keeping an eye on ID's six, A word burned bright in the air lighting MG's thermals up. a flick across her HUD confirmed the rapid increase in the rooms temperature.

FUCK.

Message received loud and fucking clear.

Spinning on her heel. MG fell into a crouched position facing the door. The servos in her suit screamed as safeties were shut off and system warnings were flicked away. She bolted off in a dead sprint, heavy boots slamming into the ground as the Equal Brute Exoframe helped her fly down the corridors. Permafrost followed in her wake. Miniature glacier walls and sheets of ice ground out of the floor, walls and ceiling. crashing into each other to form bulkheads separating Nora from What was essentially a supernova in the shape of a pissed off Asian woman. She didn't dare slow down. With no sure way to tell how little time she had to spare, any turn she might have had to make was instead made with the help of curved ramps of ice and her boots spikes. All explosives were subsequently armed as they were passed.

Skidding to a halt at the elevator, All she could see behind her was covered in white. Not good enough. The growing point of heat further into the facility heralded what was coming. MG had few options. Well, she had one option. This was going to suck. She placed her hands to the ground and took a deep breath before sealing her suit off. Internal oxygen on and suit heaters turned on to max, She shut off thermals, not daring to open her eyes in case of any more mind games. the last thing she saw were the dangerously fluctuating vitals of ID on her HUD.

Breath in.

Breath out.

Breath in.

Breath out.

Ice bloomed outward and enveloped MG. It surged like it was alive, filling the room from corner to corner. But it wasn't just ice, but cold. Something well beyond the chill of Winter though. An unnatural stillness set in. Everything but Nora in the room just before the elevator was frozen into a truly immovable state. Total Molecular stillness the lab techs had called it. Naturally impossible of course outside of human intervention. Even with heaters on full, A numbness was already beginning to set in to Nora's extremities. Her world nothing but numb silence for as long as she could hold it. "Gods dammit you better make this quick before I freeze to death." Her teeth didn't chitter only due to what heat her suit could provide and years of exposure training.

Titan's Fall: The Abyssal Paradox

Kiran was disappointed at the lack of details they were able to procure, but did get something rather nice out of it. Someone with such a high natural pain toll Orange as to not go into shock after minutes of . . . peeling was worth collecting samples of.

A blink at the edge of his mind, like a fluorescent light flicking in the dark just outside your peripheral vision. What is that? Nothing in his cultivated systems and augments indicate if it’s there or not. A mental hallucination? No, there is a pressure, just behind the eyes. What is-

It Felt like the back of his skull exploded outward. And an ocean of [LIFE] spilled forth to engulf the room. Millions of years of evolution lanced through his brain in an instant, prey and predation in a never ending spiral all crushed into meat seconds.

Skin became scales, slick and rubbery, then feathered, fur and spines, all rippling in continuous patterns. Animal and beast became vegetation in mycelium, roots overcoming and twisting in natures’ eternal dance before a twisted and open mind.

[THIS ONE SHOWS PROMISE]

Something touched him, not in the physical sense, but like all that was [Him] was grasped.
Alien, yet hauntingly familiar. Beautiful and terrible.

A mouse in the paw of a lion. more like the progenitor of all lions. I’m scared
It whispered and roared in too many voices.

[SO MUCH POTENTIAL, BOUND IN TOO SMALL A SKIN]

What are you? He glimpsed it. He saw [THEM]. Only because It had given permission.
Kiran, he was Kiran, right? Had he forgotten for a moment? He was Kiran Kingsley. Not an insect before something inconceivably vast, ready to be pined and displayed like some cosmic novelty. An endless knot, a beginning, the twisting of a sea shell, the curling of a fern, the coils in the brain of every human that learned to walk upright.

[LIFE] plucked at his very being like it was a harp.

Skin, flesh, nerves, blood, bone. Kiran saw his own layers of his body pulled forward, like a school science textbook on anatomy.

The strings were tested and tuned.

He wanted to scream.

Mind, Body and Soul. All laid bare. So many eyes, so much [Presence] was he drowning? When had he stopped breathing?

[NOT RIPE YET. SOON THOUGH. WE WAIT.]

---

Kiran woke up with a gasp. Coughing up fluid he couldn’t place and rolling to their side. Minutes passed before they uncurled from a fetal position. They were alone. Bodies still scattered about in twisted states of agony. A dead man swings from his chain like a hooked fish. What was that? "That . . . was new." Their voice was horse. shit had they been screaming? Better get out of here before anyone started snooping around. didn't want to be caught too soon.
Perhaps some form of episode. "No, far too vivid." Kiran collected themselves and went about gathering their things. There were more pressing matters to attend to and more information needed to find what had been stolen.
In their hurry, Kiran failed to see the [Spiraling] pattern all the blood had formed in the room, with them having been in the epicenter. Plants and weeds growing from the cracked floor along the drying crimson.

Titan's Fall: The Abyssal Paradox

Trigger Warning

Implied Torture

When Kiran stopped seeing red, the entire superstructure was dead quiet. It was from luck or some form of self control that had held on that he wasn't surrounded by gore. Episodes like that tended to result in drones being ripped apart. There was however a bit of damage done to the surrounding equipment and more then one reinforced container was a twisted mess of warped alloy. Letting out a shaky breath, The mad tinker straightened themselves and brushed their hair back out of their eyes. The air was filled only with the sound of dripping chems and the clicking of their cyber tail flicking back and forth. "Ord, Front and center. Now.."

"Y-yes Father." The large mutant came out of his hiding place, his cowering demeanor contradicting his appearance and towering frame in contrast to his "Father".

"Go tell Idris to rally as many followers as he has in the fifth level and wait for me. Wen your done, wake the Stalker hounds. I'll be needing them too." There was none of Kiran's usual mirth or whimsly to their voice. The blank expression frozen to their face was more unnerving then any twisted caricature their too many facial muscles were capable of.

Ord had to have dosed themselves with Nitro seconds after reciving their orders, because the speed at which the mutant ran was unnatural. Kiran hadn't give their youngest "Son" a second glance before they spun on their heel and marched to their nest for their gear and equipment.

---

Level 5 - The Coliseum

A humanoid figure stood at a balcony overseeing a fighting arena more fit to be an auditorium currently. Cultists in all many of forms of mutation, body sculpting and mutilation stood in attention. A hushed Murmur of confusion keeping anyone from hearing a pin drop. The being looked down at their Father's flock with nervousness and anticipation. Idris Kingsley was human in shape but with limbs far too long for their body to look right, in place of skin was flayed muscle, and their face was a smooth mask of bleached bone with a ring of eyes and no visible mouth or nose. Simple robes and sashes kept the Hierophant modest. A trace of pharamones was all he needed to throw his hands in the air and grab the attention of the audience. "Blessed Children! Our God has need of you and comes to grace us with his presence! Idris bowed deeply and stepped back for Kiran to step forward. The lingering feeling of anger from him kept the room from exploding into cheers and applause at his mere presence alone.

Their eyes flicked across the crowd before Kiran raised their voice. "Someone . . . has stolen my GIFT. And i intend to find out who." He held up a hand before the crowd could explode into shouts of outrage over the blasphemous act. "I task each of you, and any more of ours you find out there, with finding out who stole it and what is being done with my most . . . precious of blessings." He gripped at the balcony railing, leaning towards the cultists more. "I want nobody to be caught, and whoever the perpetrators are, they are to be left alone." Confusion spread along with outcry and questions until Kiran raised their hand for silence. "You will do this or face a fate worse then death. For I . . ." Kiran leaned back and held a strange flask at eye level. The word "Tyrant" Engraved across it. "Will be handling this personally."

Now that, that got everyone excited. Cheers and howls of approval filled the Coliseum. Cultists practically trampling over each other to make way to the doors. Idris approached their father. "The stalker hounds have been programed and all packs set loose. Will you be awaiting news here?"

"No. I think I'll be going for a walk. Maybe pick a few flowers. Inform on everything that is discovered in the meantime. You are dismissed."

---

Despite the figurative and literal iron fist JAHANNAM had over Northbridge, there were always going to be smaller gangs and groups fighting over what little scraps and unattended territories not considered to be worth the time or resources along the very edges of their borders. One couldn't account for Ripper's and the Cult of Flesh that continued to try and worm their ways in from time to time. The ever present threat of violence and almost constant crime meant that gunshots and dead bodies were very rarely given second thought even with the law enforcer's best efforts.

There were of course drawbacks to having such a desensitized community. All made the more apparent by the gore and viscera splattered about the "Abandoned" storehouse. crates of "skimmed off the top" merchandise and goods lay broken all over.

Whimpering escaped the lips of the last remaining ganger. His hands pierced by a meat hook that held him aloft by a chain. He was just enough inches off the ground to swing just so slightly side to side. "P-p-please. I-i swear I don't know anything. W-we- I only helped get the tech they needed. T-thats all. Pleasedon'tkillmeohgod!" The poor soul broke down into tears again for perhaps the fifth time today.

" Oh don't worry." Kiran purred Like a lion with a mouse in its paw. "Killing you would be a terrible waste of stress relief. Now promise me," He pulled out a vegetable peeler, making the ganger beg and squirm with renewed vigor. "Don't pass out right away, you'll ruin my fun."

Cut.

Peel.

Cut.

Peel.

"Please . . . Please just kill me."

Cut.

Peel.

He was feeling a little better already~

~♬~

Titan's Fall: The Abyssal Paradox

Alex was pulled out of his on spiraling mind When Umbri addressed him directly. Umbri, shit he had never asked for her name before. thank god he had been present enough mentally to have caught that. She wanted him to stop Jemma if things went wrong. He could do that, and it would get him to focus on something other then the fact that his friend had eaten people and was most likely not mentally sound. He was going to be talking with her about that later.

Walking up to the two women, Alex put his helmet on once again and sealed it just in case. Blue light surged around him again as his voice came through the helm's speakers. "Everyone is coming out of here alive if i have anything to say about it. Reaching out, A gauntlet hand was placed on each woman's shoulder. Unlike his usual combat constructs, an intricate latticework of hexagons and triangles tessellated out from his hands across both Umbri and Jemma. It took roughly 3 minutes before both were covered and it looked more like they had been covered in a blue aura rather then some of the finest barrier fields Alex was capable of. the downside was that it took most of his concentration. "Both of you can move freely, ill be touching you the whole time to make automatic adjustments as needed." He looked to Umbri first. "You say the word, give any indication that you think something is wrong and ill have you two isolated from one another and separated in an instant." He turned to regard Jemma, and he felt a pang of guilt for what he was going to say next. "I want to trust you, I really do. so please . . . don't give me a reason to escalate."

He paused, and soon a similar shine accompanied him as the same fine barrier craft flowed across his own body. nothing but air and sound able to penetrate his own field now. call him paranoid but, dealing with unknown powers unprepared was just tempting fate. Alex mostly nodded to himself. Packing everything else away and reverting back to the focused professionalism of Aegis. A gentle squeeze was given to both Umbri and Jemma's shoulders for reassurance and an indication he was ready.

Titan's Fall: The Abyssal Paradox

The chaos had been controlled. There had been Acceptable losses sure, but nothing that was a major setback. The Hydra for all its durability and endurance turned out to be much more valuable in death then it had ever been contained. A Core was already in the process of being completed from its recovered materials. It’s death at the hands of the Rogue and wayward Templar ultimately trivial in the grand scheme of things.

Life was rather cheep in the world of monsters and mutants. Worth measured far more strictly then in breaths taken and hearts beating. Just becomes something lived did not mean it had value on its own. The Cult and its Children understood this. Or at least, that’s what their “God” would hope.

Kiran Kingsley did not put much stock in people being so smart however. Even His own children had proved disappointments on more then one occasion. Still, everyone had proven their usefulness. Their current prize proof of their attempts to constantly please him.

Classical music echoed out from their current lab space. A rather somber rendition of “In the Hall of the Mountain King.” They always worked better with music.

A recording device buzzed to life. ”Esper experiment number seventy eight dash 1. Continued. Subject, the remains of one Rogue by the name of . . . Green Gunner.” their gloved hand ran across the face of a glass container that held the “mostly” dead head of said rogue currently suspended in some form of viscous fluid. Dozens of wires and tubing funneled into the head’s neck stump, more wiring and prongs had been embedded into the exposed grey matter.

Kiran typed away at their terminal, causing stimuli and chemical reactions to the brain which were quickly recorded in rapid succession. ”Subject shows no noticeable signs of mutation or other genetic anomalies. Stolen local records and documentation further confirm such information. Now listed in file subsection C.” Irritating. Years of tampering and trying to find some evidence of the psychic phenomenon to be exploited continued to come up short. Too many muscles pulled Kiran’s face into a scowl as some form of energy sparked off the head in its tank. While the equipment confirmed what stimuli had caused the reaction, it’s origin remained . . , inconclusive. Another dead end. ” correct Stimulation achieved. Root of psyching power remains inconclusive. Terminating current experiment, experiment seventy eight dash one . . . “ Kiran pulled their hands away from the console as a metal arm plucked the head’s jar from its mount with a hiss and rather satisfying pop. Said arm then placed the jar among many other heads, all labeled in a similar manner.

”-Inconclusive.” The recorder was shut off.

The feeling of time being wasted was always irritating. Part of him still wondered why he had ever bothered to waste the time and resources looking into Espers when he had Deviant powers literally in the palm of his hand. A distain for complacency perhaps. Or maybe a more predictable project to go back to to help keep his mania and unfocused work process somewhat predictable. He had contemplated this exact pattern of thinking more then once before. What was the definition of insanity again?

He allowed himself a bemused chuckle while exiting the lab. Creatures and faceless attendants stopped to pay silent reverence as he made his way down the pristine halls. Nobody daring to interrupt his stride.

Minutes later, They arrived at their destination.

level 8 - Alchemist Nightmare

Worker thralls went about their work almost mindlessly as Kiran inspected a few batches of their chemical concoctions. One figure however did approach. A hulking humanoid with limbs like tree trunks. Their pale flesh littered with scars and chemical burns. Their bald head was dominated by a mouthed gas mask of sorts, tubing ran from various apparatuses into said mask, pumping the massive man with a constant stream of chemicals and narcotics. ”Father! It is an honor and pleasure to see you again so soon. Production has returned to nominal levels and we expect this weeks shipments to go out within the next two hours.” the sound of pumping and gurgling, accompanied every breath of the looming humanoid.

Kiran grinned, showing rows of sharp teeth. ”Good news, finally! You never disappoint when it comes to production, do you Ord?” While he beamed at the good work of their son, something in the Chem-fiend’s demeanor seemed a touch nervous. Kiran squinted. ”Theres bad news I take it? Their tone made it more a demand for an answer then a simple question.

Ord, despite nearly being twice the size of their father, cowered at the sudden scrutiny. “T-There was an incident in the undercity. A robbery.” another sharp intake of breath as their father motioned for them to go on. “We have it on good word that it was one of the trains going through Northbridge.” a slow realization begane to grow across Kiran’s face. “A cell did a sweep of the scene . . . The GIFT is gone.”

Kiran Kingsley’s left eye twitched. Once. Twice. Three times. Their face began to twist, veins and muscles contorted in wretched ways. Everyone else ran, and Kiran screamed.
-

-

-

Flashes of an incident in the past came screaming into the forefront of Kiran Kingsley’s mind. An upstart. A would be Usurper. A damned thief. That one incident caused the knowledge of GIFT to become public, setting back years of hard work in nearly and Instant. And the damned fool still got himself killed in the end. After ALL the work, ALL the painstaking planing and paranoia, Kiran had his most prized of commodities stollen in transit. AGAIN.

What came next could be best described as a wave of emotion. As pure and incandescent as sunlight. Every monster, every mutant, every minuscule vermin, all coward in absolute terror. What rang out from the super complex could be felt by even the more sensitive of individuals, while others had a sudden case of goosebumps or spine chills.
In one, single moment, Kiran only knew one thing.

Ŗ̊͆͏̙͔̠̞̪̰aͦ̔ͣ̅̓͐ͦ̀͏̪̲̠͎̱̪̣gͯ͋ͩ͆̍̚҉̣̥̼̰̕e͎̹͍̭͇͕͇͇̹̊ͣͭ̊̊ͭ̈́̿

Titan's Fall: The Abyssal Paradox

That . . . That was a lot. Finding out that your friend had been experimented on and all but totally killed in the process was not something that just easily sank in. Was Jemma still human anymore after all of this? With how fluid her form was and the lacking in wholeness of her mind it was hard to say for sure. Three years, Three fucking years of his friend being treated like some lab rat. Alex endeavored to be calm and reasonable. But right now, it was turning out to be very difficult. Gauntleted fists creaked under his tightening grip.

He wasn’t aware of the flickering in his eyes. While the normal blue light was still there, it suddenly became a crimson red, then a vibrant emerald, only to turn back to blue just as quick. That’s when Alex started pacing. He was like a restless tiger in a cage. ”I want to hurt something right now.” there was a dangerously cold edge to his voice. An attempt to keep the seething anger he was feeling from spilling out.

Somebody had to fucking pay for this. The tidbit Jemma mentioned about being shook around made Alex realize that the talking monster that had attacked Yue a bit ago had in fact been Jemma this entire time. Alex stopped dead in his tracks, not really looking Jemma in the eyes before making a very apologetic face. “Oh . . . Oh crap. I threatened to eat you a bit ago.”

Not really sure what to say, he let that awkward realization hang in the air. It was almost enough to cool his anger and frustration. Up until Alex processed that there was already a second Templar down in the undercity. His eyes flicked between those three colored again and the pacing resumed. This was his life now. Everything was going all over the place and he just wanted to hit something already! Something simpler that wasn’t all this . . . Whatever this was. None of the rogues were going to be happy about this. It was a miracle at this point of Halcyon didn’t already know what was going on.

One thought repeated in Alex’s mind despite it all.

Someone is going to pay for this. One way or another.

Titan's Fall: The Abyssal Paradox

Not the Cult’s fault then. Well at least there was that. Still didn’t detract from the shred of worry Alex wasn’t able to shake out of his mind. He couldn’t help but squint when Jemma poked her head back out and had a distinct lack of wings. The Eogue super parts of his brain already turning.

Well it looks like her wings are gone, so probably some kind of changer. Maybe a breaker? But she didn’t look vastly different so maybe she could just tuck them in really tightly? That would just make her a more extreme deviant right? We’re wings all she could do? Ugh, stop overthinking and save it. There was literally about to be time to ask questions. No need to speculate.

Not missing a beat, Alex matched in ahead of everyone else. He was going to get some form of answer out of this. Hopefully, there was a bit of hesitation at the notion of doing anything close to interrogation. “powering up” later in life was usually due to severe fight or flight situations that were more often traumatic. Pushing for the whole story might not be good for Jemma’s mental health right now, she did seem somewhat off. Not that he could really put his finger on what it was but the vibes were off somehow. Gut feelings had kept him alive this long. Not like he was going to start ignoring them now.

Alex removed his helmet when all three men were inside and the doors closed. Graham and Koba were some of many people in Shieldtown that knew Alex’s face already, though given that his secret identity was all but an open secret among the locals really didn’t make that too significant.
Clipping the helmet to his belt, Alex gave Jemma a more appraising look but still managed one of his friendly smiles. ” So, Should I expect Shieldtown to have another local Rogue in the future? I’m mostly kidding. But for real, what . . .” He paused, smile dropping as a look of concern grew across his face.

” What happened?” that was the million Clatter question of the hour. All encompassing and most likely exceedingly complicated. Cause when was anything simple these days? Alex felt like he could already feel the headache ready to slap him upside the head. And this was supposed to be a happy occasion. Being a paranoid Rogue was a curse most of the time.

Titan's Fall: The Abyssal Paradox

There was a gentle force of telekinetic blue light that parted the crowd as the armored man all but collided with Dove. She was scooped up into his arms for what was probably the softest power hug Alex could possibly give. Alex had to focus really hard so that he didn't accidentally start crushing his friend. If anyone had any protests to suddenly being pushed aside nobody voiced them.

"Please don't scare me like that again." His whispering voice was a touch shaky from crying.

After what felt like a really long minute he finally put her down. Coughing to clear his throat, Alex crossed his arms in a way that made it clear he didn't know what to do with his hands if he wasn't trying to hug his Not dead friend"Wings are new, and if I didn't know any better I'd say you might be a bit taller.". He was going to reach out to ruffle her hair when Dove's nervousness finally registered in his dense skull. Shit something happened. Did he do something wrong? Did she not want to be touched? she let other people hug her though. Was he the problem? Anyone who knew Alex could tell that he was probably thinking too hard right now. A dangerous pastime for someone like him for sure.

He tried to Regain some of his "Heroic professionalism" for the crowd before people started wondering what was going on. "WE can uh, go over the details of all . . . " He motioned to all of Dove. "-This, when your ready. I will say though if The fucking Cult did this to you I'm going to break SO many legs." With that, he took a few steps back to give some space but stayed close by anyway. An irrational fear still in his head that she might suddenly disappear if he stopped paying attention. Dean probably knew she was back by now. or Wolf had been trying to tell him. Actually why the hell had Wolf not sent him any sort of heads up about this? questions for later. Right now he had to worry about a poisoned civilian from out of town, a damaged Cyber psycho ninja that was definitely not a friend, and a friend that suddenly came back from the dead who may or may not have had her "power-up" happen during the time she was missing.

Maybe it was a good time to start wishing NOT to be living in interesting times. eh, probably too late. not like they could get weirder. Whats next, actual Dragons?

Alex might have snorted a BIT too loud at that thought.

Titan's Fall: The Abyssal Paradox

Time drew into a crawl as the commotion reached his ears. The empty bento box clattered to the floor, its contents having been inhaled seconds before. After having the words repeat in his head a few times to mack sure he had heard correctly, Alex's eyes grew wide. Dove. They were alive. DOVE IS BACK.

Boot prints were indented into the floor on takeoff as a quarter of a ton of super powered muscle dashed frantically to the workshop. He had enough sense to slam his helmet back on before nearly bowling over everyone trying to get to the front of the shop. Part of Alex that had lost hope long ago was nagging at him now. That someone was playing a sick joke. That people don't just show back up alive and well after being missing for this long. That-

There she was.

Standing over the back of the crowd. He could see Dove clear as day. Being hugged and welcomed. God he wanted to run out there and hug her, to trust something other then his eyes that she was real. Alex had few people he had considered trusted friends, even among the rogues. And here was one back from the dead for all intents and purposes. With the passing seconds an overwhelming sense of relief washed over him. The armored rogue continued to hang back and wipe away tears best he could without taking off his helmet fully. Shit was she gonna recognize him in his new armor? No, not gonna worry about that. just be happy that she's back and wait your turn. And for god's sake don't accidentally crush her when you go for a hug.

"If we had to go through that scream to get her back, then I wont complain too much about the interesting times we live in." He let out a shaky chuckle mostly to himself. not really aware that he was glowing again.

---

Back at home. Dean was actively ignoring a few unopened messages from Wolf while digging through some of his old family books he hadn't thought to touch in years. new notes and scribbling had begun to pile up on his desk and over some of the walls now too. Active attempts to try and figure out what the hell was wrong with his friend while keeping within his vowed limitations was . . . tricky. he was starting to regret making that lazy and somewhat spiteful decision when he was a kid.

At the time he had been taking a break from his serious businessDicking around watching cat videos when he was startled by Golem popped out of the ground and slapped the hedge mage's leg. "OW! What the fuck man?! Some pappers were knocked around as he glared daggers at his diminutive partner.

He was met with a serious look etched in stone. "THE THING YOU AND ARTEMIS SAW IS BACK."

" . . . Oh. Yeah that is important. I'll look into it. But first, owwWWWWWWW!!!" He then proceeded to dramatically rub and whine over his shin while the spirit of earth sank back into the ground.

Titan's Fall: The Abyssal Paradox

A bit of the heroic facade cracked as he rubbed at the back of his neck habitually. “Yeah, and that’s why I’m not a doctor.” His voice sounded a lot more sheepish than the authoritative air he had moments ago. “To be fair, you aren’t the first person I’ve had to restrain coming out of unconsciousness. Said person was a speedster and hit like a truck so uh, forgive the excessive amount of caution.”

Umbri was carefully set down and the light winked out of existence, though Alex’s eyes didn’t stop glowing to indicate that he was still ready to use his powers. “Sorry if me being here makes you uncomfortable. But you are under my protection currently and I need to be ready to call in help if conventional medicine doesn’t help here.”

He clenched and unclenched his fists, before shoving them into well hidden pockets. The urge to call Zolya was growing. Still this was currently his problem and he had an obligation to try and resolve it himself first.

The first thing Umbri did when settled down was wipe the tracks of tears from her cheeks in two quick, almost professional strokes. Her eyes were dry of any more to offer and had been since they’d opened. Her body tingled and stomach churned from the floating. This was insane to her. Sounded like this was Tuesday to him. And annoying. Now that she was calmer that was something she couldn’t unthink. Her distress was annoying to him.

Resigned to not bother him anymore, she kept her gaze low while she detangled the wires from her head. She winced as she unplugged the device from the tip of her chrome spine and used the bed to lift herself until she could sit up on it. She swallowed, hating that her painfully slow ascent had an audience, then shrugged towards the doctor. “Well… you can… do it, now.”

The doctor moved over and resumed taking her blood pressure. Umbri still looked deeply uncomfortable, unsure of how to let herself be looked after, doubly unsure of how to behave with a hero in the room. She accidentally locked eyes with him while glancing around and instantly dropped her stare to his feet. Did they always glow? He wasn’t another vampire, was he?

She cleared her throat, desperate to get away from just being stared at. “How has your day been?” She ended with a brief pained smile.

There was a shrug from the armored rogue. “Kinda eventful so far. Had to deal with an edgy black and red costumed teen thinking he was intimidating with a cracking voice. Made him help clean up the property damage he caused.” Then he held up a finger as he continued. “And then Scarhide decided it was time to test Shieldtown’s wall facing the wilds, and I’m kinda the only person here able to really challenge that freakishly huge cat without wasting dozens of rounds of munitions.” There was a sudden pause as realization dawned on him. “Wait, I don't even know if you know what I’m talking about. Shit does everyone know what an Apex is? Double wait, does everyone even know what a Turbo Lion is?” Umbri looked on blankly, and slowly began to shake her head. This guy’s Rogue career was very different from what she knew of Temujin.

He half a hand to his helmet as if he were in thought. Just before Alex could begin to elaborate before getting an answer there was a deep gurgle growl that came from Alex. Specifically his gut.

There was an awkward pause.

“ . . . Shit, guess it's food time.” He fiddled with some of the straps on his breastplate to make some space and slid a rather compact looking backpack that was hidden under the plating’s back shell. A motion to sit down was met with a soft glowing chair that appeared beneath him before he would have crashed onto the floor. Two lunch boxes were retrieved from the bag and sat on his lap. The first one revealed a rather stuffed sandwich cut in half. Almost picturesque with crisp lettuce, tomato, chicken and all the fixings. Kettle chips were nestled in the next tray, which didn’t look store bought. The other box held a more traditional bento meal. Rice and an assortment of tempura. Mostly seafood with some veggies. Two cups to the side were simply labelled “sauce” and “spicy”. The box it came in had to be some form of tech because it was steaming when opened. Alex was just about to crack one open before remembering that he wasn’t alone in this room.

A nervous laugh escaped him. “Uh, hungry? I got sandwiches and bento. Some other snacks too but homemade stuff is always better. I think I remembered my soup thermos . . . Oooor I left it on the counter at home. Again.” His voice was sheepish again and he was rubbing the back of his neck once more.

Umbri regarded the boxes silently before pointing at the sandwich. She could definitely believe that he would’ve chowed down on these full sized meals no problem. She watched his helmet as the box was passed over, the thought obvious on her face. He can’t eat without taking that off. She was openly staring at the whereabouts of his mouth, only glancing down to briefly thumb through the sandwich’s contents. I guess he’s already started to take it off anyway.

As she raised the sandwich to take a bite, the doctor’s voice warned her, “You shouldn’t start eating before I’ve taken your blood.”

Umbri blinked. “... You’re taking what-!” Her head was twisted back to facing forward and she felt something slide into the base of her neck. “Ow!” The doctor pulled away and Umbri caught the needle full of her blood, the red and green swirling together into a dark swampy shade. Umbri was stunned as he just walked away from her without a word. “Will you tell me what you’re doing with that?” she demanded.
“I’m going to isolate the venom from your blood, get a sample of what we’re dealing with. Hopefully the venom is something we already have an anti-venom on the shelf for. If we don’t have a match, the amount of blood I’ll have to extract from you to synthesise an anti-venom with will be…” he looked over at Umbri as he poured the needle’s contents into a vial and inserted it into a device that began to whir like a blender. An ‘it will kill you’ look. “...Considerable. Did you get a good look at it?”

“I…” Her brain violently fired off their every encounter, the flood of flame that swallowed Ganta, the way it propelled itself after her and Temujin sliding down the rooftop, when it fell from the sky and melted the wall beside her and how the heat scorched her face and she felt the slow crush of its tail around her body and - and she was looking at her chicken sandwich like it had killed her entire family.

Given his line of work, Alex was all too familiar with the look he saw cross her face. “Shit.” Food and helmet were quickly put aside “I know I’m not the best person at this but bear with me ok?” He had quickly moved close and dropped to a knee so he wasn’t looming, but he still easily made it to eye level. “You're gonna have to talk to me here because I can’t tell what’s running through your head. You look like you want to hit something but I can’t let you hit the doctor again and I’m pretty sure you’d break something hitting me.” Fuck he really wasn’t the best at this. Genuine worry washed over Alex’s face as his eyes’ glow became softer.

Umbri reached out of the memory of being grappled on the wet ground and watching the snake come closer, her reflection rippling in the puddle beneath her. It felt like plastic wrap was pulled across her mouth. She tried breathing through it again, while her fingers made deep grooves in the bread, and focused… focus, girl, focus, focus on what’s in front of you.

A face. A nice face.

“I… it was… thirty feet, maybe. Looked like a snake.” Her recollection was laboured. She lulled her head and swallowed. “Spikes on its… no, that was the other one. Fins. And it moved on fire.”

“Did it glow?”

“Mmh…” she nodded at the doctor’s wary question, “From everywhere. Everything. Ah, this is hard, actually." She shuffled with a pained cringe then gazed at him through clouded eyes. “You took your mask off.”