almost a full fic this time
Aug. 26th, 2019 12:30 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
xt1meI kind of felt like this series should be a trilogy but unlike the last 2 times I don’t really have even an outline of a plot for this one.
All I have is a scene.
+̨̡͔̳̮͍̹̬̘͒͒͛̏̓͡͝+̴̘̠̘͖͚̤͖̪͈̍̒ͨ̉͌̂̄͟͝͠+̡̠̹̠̜̯̺̹̠̗͙̣͚̘͉̝̯͉͊͐͌̍ͤ͘͢͢͠ͅͅ
There was a room with a guard.
Calling it a room was selling it short. It was a large area hidden beneath an even larger building.
There was only one way in or out and it was protected more by the high-tech locks that the guard himself.
And the room wasn’t empty.
The walls were covered with all sort of cameras and monitoring equipment. All pointing inwards. Up to the minute information was relayed to secret servers outside the room. A well contained ventilation system carefully controlled even the air that came in and out. There was absolutely nothing that could escape this room. Everything was sealed and secured. Everything watched constantly for the slightest deviations from routine. Automatic monitoring that never tiered or got distracted.
So you might wonder why the guard was there at all.
Those that watched and monitored had learned the hard way that even the most up to date hardware could be fooled. Human guards might be fallible but so far both the automated and manual systems had not been thwarted at the same time.
No one was taking any chances.
And what was it that was guarded so carefully? Monitored by those that coveted them and feared them.
In the room there were cells.
Not perhaps what could be called cells from a traditional standpoint.
No simple cages were these.
Not touching the walls nor one another, they were each slightly different. Some with markings scrawled about them, some with chains. Some with clear thick glass to see in, some enclosed completely.
Some were empty, some were damaged.
But all were sealed tight. There was no thought of airholes, what was inside did not need to breath.
Cables came from the top of each. For these were cells not only because they imprisoned individuals within but because they were powering something.
The guard knew them as talismans. He never bothered to learn what the scientists really called them. He wasn’t being paid to think. All he knew was that they gave superpowers. And that they were powered by the things he was guarding.
The operation was small. It wasn’t part of the government though there were some government employees involved. It had funding from somewhere but nothing official. The guard didn’t care. He was here to do a job, nothing more. And who could anyone pass up an opportunity to be faster, stronger, smarter.
He didn’t know what the things he was guarding were and he didn’t care. He just wished they weren’t so creepy.
*Thu-thud*
*Thu-thud*
*Thu-thud*
The noise came from one of the cells. The guard didn’t want to think how hard the thing inside was hitting the wall. That cell was covered in sound proofing.
“Anomalous reading detected, check in.” came from the guard’s radio.
“Subject 8 is just making noise again,” he replied.
“Is it a distraction? Or is it trying to make a break for it?”
The guard peered into the slit of thick glass on the cell. The inside was murky, almost misty but he could still see enough. The figure inside was still tightly gaged. The cell itself was solid. It could bang all it wanted it wasn’t getting out.
The figure inside glared out at the guard before launching itself at the wall again.
*Thu-thud*
“I think it’s just board” the guard stepped back trying to get away from the rhythmic thumping, “Either that or it’s just being a jerk again.”
“Copy that, keep on your toes.”
The guard moved away. He didn’t have to patrol the area, he was just a second set of eyes after all. But the noise was getting irritating.
He moved past the quietest cell. The figure inside stared blankly forward. You would have thought it a corpse if it weren’t for the random bouts of screeching it let out occasionally. Frankly he considered it the easiest one of the lot to guard.
*Thu-thud*
*Thu-thud*
The stupid noise wasn’t getting any quieter, so he moved on.
The next cell was easiest one to see into. When the scientists came down for tests this was the one they usually talked to. The figure inside twitched and giggled. It was the normalest looking one of the lot which made the guard uneasy. You wouldn’t know to look at it that it was any different from some random lunatic if it wasn’t for the fact he somehow changed clothes so often. Sometimes in a lab coat, sometime in burnt clothes, sometimes in suit. Even sometimes in a bear costume of all things.
The guard hurried by, he didn’t want the thing to try and talk to him again.
*Thu-thud*
*Thu-thud*
*Thu-thud*
The next cell house the most dangerous one. The guard didn’t know if the scientists thought that but he knew how he was measuring things. No matter how bright the constant lighting was in the room it always seem darker here. And his talisman always seemed to pulse and tug slightly when nearby. The scientists assured everyone who used the talismans that the things that powered them had no way of affecting them whatsoever, but he wasn’t going to take any changes.
*Thu-thud*
*Thu-thud*
*Thu-thud*
*Thu-thud*
The last currently occupied cell was probably the most different of the lot. All high-tech equipment was kept away from this one. There was scrawled illegible symbols etched all over and filled in with brown flaking paint. Or something that looked like paint. There was a clearly marked line around the cell. No electrical equipment of any kind was allowed past that point.
*Thu-thud*
*Thu-thud*
*Thu-thud*
*Thu-thud*
*Thu-thud*
He could still hear the blasted thumping.
Lower now but just as rhythmic. It was strangely hypnotic.
*Thu-thud* *Thu-thud* *Thu-thud* *Thu-thud*
The rhythm had increased.
He realised suddenly it has been slowly building for some time.
Suddenly nervous he reached for his radio only to realise he had moved closer to the final cell. He was too close to the line.
*Thu-thud Thu-thud Thu-thud Thu-thud*
He couldn’t seem to move. As his heartbeat picked up he realised that it was matching the rhythm of the thumping. Or was the thumping matching his heartbeat?
*Thu-thud-thu-thud-thu-thud-thu-thud*
His heart was beating too fast, he was too close to the line, why couldn’t he move?
*Thu-thud-thu-thud-thu-*
Silence.
The guard clutched his chest.
The banging had stopped but so had his heart!
Collapsing to his knees he struggled for breath.
Unable to stop himself he tipped over the line onto the floor.
As he desperately struggled to hold onto consciousness he saw the equipment he was wearing start to spark.
Surely that didn’t matter, the cell was still sturdy. Nothing could get out.
“Anomalous reading detected, check in.” burst from his radio.
He gasped, clutching to hope. They’ll see. They’ll come for him. He wasn’t going to die here.
“Check in, repeat, che- H͡a̧h͏̷̀a͘h͙̰̱͔̟͉͢a̘͠h̞̖̝̥͕͒̀̎ä͇͉̦͋ͩ̋ͣ͑ḫ̷̔̿̍̚̚ą̳̯̙̖̳͚̻̪͙ͤ͗ͨ͘h͉͕̠̉ͧ͟͠a̬̞̻͚̝ͣͣ̈͟!”
As the depraved laughter chattered from the radio the guard caught a glimpse of the next to last cell.
Sparks showered down from the lock.
As darkness crept into his vision he haplessly watched as the door slowly swung open.
+̨̡͔̳̮͍̹̬̘͒͒͛̏̓͡͝+̴̘̠̘͖͚̤͖̪͈̍̒ͨ̉͌̂̄͟͝͠+̡̠̹̠̜̯̺̹̠̗͙̣͚͊͐͌̍ͤ͘͢͢͠ͅͅ
So ok, as I said I only have even the vaguest bit of a plot this time.
Some bad guys are using the egos but this time they are smart enough not to try and use them directly. Instead using them to power some mystic doodads to grant people who are working for them (and thus more controllable) weird powers.
They practiced using one-shot characters/minor egos before trying for Dark & Anti but got to them in the end. They also aren’t going to try for multiple egos from the same person at once.
That’s why I had one of them be subject 8 (Nate's ego, because of the pun) even though there were only 5 of them here. The others got used up or sent back while the bad guys were working out the kinks.
The egos used here are, in order, Natemare, BlankGamePlays, MadPat(AntiMatter), Darkiplier and AntiSepticeye.
