thebastion | Event: Day 278 [open]

[And just as Zulf went off to track down the little trouble-makers, Colin's bringing the possible core to track Nathan down. If it's not useable, he'll still learn something new.]

Hey Nathan, I've got something I need to ask you about.

[Nathaniel had been tinkering with the radio tower some more, to try to improve its range, but he stops and comes over to look at whatever it is Colin has.]

Yeah? What's up?

[Colin reaches into his pack and pulls out the discolored shard/core.]

Someone decided to get cute with one of Pyth's bulls.

The power source had been stripped out, and this was inside in its place. I can't even begin to guess whether it's useable, or if we want to throw it over the edge and not look back.

Edited 2015-02-16 19:35 (UTC)

[That. Is actually something Nathaniel has never seen before. So he will be inspecting the core carefully.]

...huh. I don't think I've ever seen a core that looks like this before. It's almost like it's been discolored or something.

[Curiosity is getting the better of him.]

We could always test it before putting it in the Monument? Just to see if it's alright. I can't imagine anything could be wrong with it, Cores function pretty much the same even when they come in different colors. Though the swirling pattern is new to me.

The blackish-violet splotches seem to be where it was sticking out of the battery alcove on the bull. My worry is the swirls. In basic geology, that indicates mineral impurity, or at least a different composition from the rest of the gem.

[He frowns slightly, studying the core.]

Have you got a good test for core efficiency or stability? It seemed to be overloading the bull...

I've got things small enough and easy enough to replace that it won't be a huge loss if something goes wrong.

[Not necessarily safe, but safer than other options.]

Let's use some cables to attach it to one of the radios here, and see what happens.

[Colin nods.]

... Preferably one that's been giving you trouble. From what I was able to tell by looking at it, the bull was cooking from the inside. An overload is likely.

I'll grab something to put the core on so we don't have to be holding it while we do this. ... You may also want to get some insulated gloves.

[You say that like he doesn't keep insulated gloves tucked into his belt at all times.

But yes, after a few minutes of preparation, he's got a radio open and some protective gear on. The wires are hooked up to the proper nodes in the radio, and the other ends are ready to be hooked to the core.]

Since you found it, you want to do the honors?

[He was in charge of the engineering division on one of the largest ships in the galaxy. He's seen stupidity that Nathan would scarcely believe... He doesn't think poorly of people, but he likes to make sure safety's practiced at all times.]

[He gives Nathan a grin, and he reaches out to take the cables. After putting on his OWN insulated gloves, of course.]

Here goes nothing...

[He attaches the cables to the core, watching the core for reaction... he's sure Nathan will keep his eyes on the radio.]

[Oh, he's definitely watching it. And the radio sparks to life, and begins emitting a noise.

Well, 'noise' might not be the right description. It's more felt than heard. But whoever feels those wavelengths coming from the radio, they will start to feel a very interesting effect.

All those fears and worries that you keep locked up inside? Yeah, now they're blaring like a foghorn in your mind, as if they are an imminent threat and must be dealt with immediately. These waves are feeding that paranoia and making it grow, so while a strong-willed person may be able to force themselves to ignore that feeling at first, the feeling will get stronger as time passes, up until even the most strong-willed person can't ignore it.

Fortunately, since Colin and Nathaniel hooked it up to a radio instead of the whole Bastion, the effect only has about a 100-meter radius. But anyone within 100 meters of the radio tower is going to get hit hard by those fears and paranoia, and they will be driven to do whatever it takes to get rid of the source of those fears.]

[Unfortunately for everyone nearby, there's someone in the radius with a sword and the knowledge of how to use it.]

[Fortunately, he can't transform, or else there would be a lot of explosions.]

[Nevertheless, Otoha walks out of the training hall, katana in his hand. He twirls it idly while he looks around, and anyone who wanders nearby will need to move fast, because he's going to start trying to slice them up.]

[Colin isn't sure what he was expecting, but this definitely wasn't it. His eyes widen and his pupils dilate, and his eyes lock on the radio briefly.]

[He knew it. He KNEW it. He looks at Nathan, a look of anger on his face, before he turns to the radio and draws his pistol.]

[But, oh look, there's a swordsman who's come running out of the training hall. Were the waiting for this? A clever excuse to get rid of him, maybe?]

Go ahead and try it! I'm not going down that easy!

[So tempting to kill him, eliminate the threat, his gun is RIGHT THERE... but no, he's not going to kill someone just for being mad at him. Thousands of people are like that... if he killed every one of them, he'd just attract more attention. He can bring this threat down non-lethally, there's enough law here to deal with it when he's been incapacitated.]

[So yeah, he's just going to charge at Otoha.]

[Otoha dashes forward with almost inhuman speed, katana slicing through the air towards Colin's chest. He's killed dozens of people, maybe even hundreds. This isn't a threat.]

[Well it sort of is, because this is someone clearly sent here by Eko. He knew the former Karas wouldn't give up so easily, but he was here first. This is his claim! He can slay as many mikura as he needs to. Machine enhancements or no, he can cut through them all. Maybe his yurine isn't here, but that doesn't mean he'll stop fighting.]

[Nathaniel's amplified fear goes in exactly the opposite direction.

See, he's always been surrounded by people. He's from a big family, he worked with many brilliant minds, and even here he can never get any peace and quiet because of how noisy all the Bastion residents are. But that's okay, because it's not the noise that bothers him, it's silence.]

No! No, stop it, both of you!

[Nathaniel's biggest fear is for everyone to die and leave him alone. And with how Colin and Otoha are about to murder each other, the madness waves drive him to do the one thing he can think of to stop them: try to get between them and stop them from attacking each other.]

YOU STUPID CHILD!

[Colin was so ready to take out the threat, but even with omnipresent Paranoia, his parents made DAMN SURE he wasn't going to turn into a psychopathic threat to the universe. So taking out Otoha is a secondary concern.]

[He probably can't stop Nathan from taking one cut.. but he can definitely tackle Nathan down and cover him. He throws his pistol at Otoha first, and his hand immediately goes to his waist. See, he's rather quick with grenades, for just this reason...]

Catch!

[He rips the grenade from his belt, popping the pin, and lobbing it up at Otoha's face next. He knows what's coming, he's not looking forward to it... but dammit, it's at least going to make dealing with Otoha more manageable.]

[He really hopes everyone else doesn't want to kill him, because he won't be in much of a condition to protect himself when the B&R grenade goes off...]

[Otoha slices through the pistol, deflecting it, and gets hit by the grenade, the neurotoxin spilling everywhere. He pauses for just a moment, before his body decides that it really does want to start vomiting and expelling waste.]

[He's alarmed for a moment, but even through the fluids he's going to keep going. Never abandon a mission. Die before you fail. He has to keep people safe. He has to do what he can. He has to, otherwise his life has no meaning.]

[So his accuracy is a lot worse, but he's still coming towards Colin, aiming to slice through him. He doesn't really want to kill Nathan too, but... well. Sacrifices have to be made sometimes, right?]

[As Otoha started to approach Colin, the door burst open suddenly, and a figure that was vaguely familiar stepped in.

"Vaguely" was the word, because while the red hair and green dress clearly suggested Megaera D'Ashland... Most of the rest of the woman's body didn't. Megaera didn't have horns, after all. Nor red glowing eyes, a long devil-like tail, or cloven hooves in place of her usual booted legs. As monstrous as the form was, it was also beautiful in a strange, unearthly fashion.

Megaera had shifted to her true form as she ran towards the sound of the blast she'd heard a minute ago. There was something wrong, and she had to stop it. Even her panicked fear of revealing her true form had been overruled by the rage and desire to stop what was happening...

And then, she saw Otoha. Or rather, she saw something that resembled him, but was busy defecating, throwing up and coming at two people she more properly recognized with a katana. She didn't even manage to think, before her reflexes took control, adding targeted magic to the first words she spoke...]

Put the sword away. These people are no threat.

[To Colin and Nathaniel, it was nothing more than a now obviously familiar voice being extremely authoritative. To Otoha, it would attempt to slam against his mind, to tell him, on some level, that her words were true and should be followed.

Of course, it also might just turn him towards her if he resisted...]

Edited (Icon Fix) 2015-02-17 07:28 (UTC)

Also later

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Over at the Hospital...

Outside by the Barn

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