Re: Inexorable Altercation [Round III - Vorlon Complex]
07-07-2011, 08:36 PM
Originally posted on MSPA by PlumFinder.
Loran hesitated. Why was that hallway missing a wall? What was the point in that? When he looked over the edge he could see the floor below his. If he fell down it would be a drop of thirty feet or more.
He took a few steps back, almost against his will. He shouldn't be hesitating. He should be prowling through the structures of Vorlon, looking for prey, not cowering from a stupid fall he'd never make. And yet, even looking at it made him feel queasy. He forced himself to look down, and panic started to cloud his brain. He was not afraid of heights, damnit!
- falling and falling and the ground of hard granite and the wind rushing and -
What was that? Flashes of deep chasms and the ground rushing to meet him welled up in him. Again Loran pressed himself against the wall, and the bit of him that suddenly feared heights sent feelings of relief rushing through his body.
- standing on the bridge my little brother and he never falls except now I know he will -
It was someone else's fear, that much he understood. Someone else had looked on as the little boy had climbed the railings. Not him. He had climbed to places so very much higher than this stupid hallway, never feeling so much as a sliver of fear. And now, he was suddenly plagued with terrifying images of falling, feeling that horrible feeling in his stomach as cold wind pulled on his clothes, and the ground got ever larger. Not something he would be thinking about. He didn't fear the ground.
- yes I do always have ever since the dreary tree -
- always in the dark always looking but nobody sees -
- I swear I didn't do it I'd never why did they take my hand I didn't touch her -
'Shut up!' Loran growled to the images in his head, but they wouldn't stop coming. Distinctively they swam before his eyes, pictures of creatures with too many eyes and blood on the ground. The feelings of fear got worse with every passing second. Instinctively, Loran put his head in hands, trying to shut himself away from the intruders in his head, but even that didn't stop them. He felt the smooth cold metal of the head band around his scalp.
Of course...
That thought was his. He pulled the thing off his head, and instantly, the chaos in his head diminished. It didn't stop completely. He could still feel and hear it, like a whisper on the other side of a very silent library. He sensed it, but could ignore it now.
He threw the headband over the edge, disgusted. What kind of weapon was that, when all it did was fill the wearer's head with stupid fears? Was it even a weapon? It had to be. If it wasn't then what had it been doing in the arsenal? He inspected the other items he'd brought. Yes, some of those had to be weapons. One had a distinctive gun-shape: handle, barrel, and trigger. What else could it be?
Still, he wasn't going to take any more risks. Everything that might not be a weapon went down as well. He quickly disposed of the bracelets, and two of the vaguely gunlike things. He kept one of those, and the grenades.
Something moved down there. He heard it suddenly, while he was recovering from his exposure to other people's memories. It had to be that, he'd reasoned. This place was all about memories, after all.
Loran went to his knees and crawled to the edge. Someone was crouching near the things he'd thrown down. It was too dark down there to make out who it was, especially for him.
On no! Too high, get a-
Loran shut of the rising panic. It was much the same as shutting off his hallucinations, he found. Perhaps that was why he'd reacted so strongly to the headband. Perhaps his brain was more sensitive to hearing those memories. After all, they weren't really there either.
Electricity suddenly crackled around one hand of the person below, and even without the added illumination, Loran recognized her.
Apathy examined the items swiftly, and then looked up, staring almost straight at Loran. Loran didn't move. it was dark in this corridor, and his skin was black. Moving would only make it more likely she saw him. He would wait until she turned her back to him. Then he would get her.
No, don't go down, it's -
Shut! Up!, Loran thought back, and once again, it did.
Apathy rose up and pointed towards him. What did she mean by th-
Lightning shot towards him, and he threw himself back. It passed him harmlessly, lingered for a moment longer than it should have, and faded. Loran cursed himself. She'd only been trying to light the area!
'Alright, who's up there!' Apathy called. She was on her guard now. She knew that anyone who hadn't revealed himself by now was most likely an enemy. He would never manage to get down there and kill her before she zapped him. No time for knives, then. He grabbed a grenade, ready to throw, then pointed the gun at her and pulled the trigger.
Pain! Loneliness! Confusion! Pain! Anger! Pain Pain Pain!
The gun and grenade dropped from Loran's powerless hands and shattered, and then he was on the ground as well. Holding his arms, screaming in pain. The skin on his arms was burning, red-hot metal pressed against it. He heard Apathy sobbing in his head, felt her despair, but it was nothing compared to the pain. He opened his watering eyes wioth difficulty. He had to watch Apathy! He was vulnurable! But even his strongest assassin instincts couldn't help him. He rolled over the ground, clawing at his arms. The pain had to stop! It had to!
He was only vaguely aware of the green gas spreading through the air around him. The grenade had cracked open, and he was inhaling it's contents through his gasps and screams. His mind went haywire.
'See, I told you it would backfire,' said a cold, analysing voice.
'Get away from the chasm! We will fall!' shrieked the paniced one.
'Shut up you.' said another one.
They were all talking through each other, and shapes vormed around him. Loran closed his eyes again, shutting them out. The pain was still there, but he felt it growing less, together with the sobs. Soon, he couldn't make those out above the cacophony of voices, the mixture of memory and hallucination. The pain remained quite a bit longer.
Loran hesitated. Why was that hallway missing a wall? What was the point in that? When he looked over the edge he could see the floor below his. If he fell down it would be a drop of thirty feet or more.
He took a few steps back, almost against his will. He shouldn't be hesitating. He should be prowling through the structures of Vorlon, looking for prey, not cowering from a stupid fall he'd never make. And yet, even looking at it made him feel queasy. He forced himself to look down, and panic started to cloud his brain. He was not afraid of heights, damnit!
- falling and falling and the ground of hard granite and the wind rushing and -
What was that? Flashes of deep chasms and the ground rushing to meet him welled up in him. Again Loran pressed himself against the wall, and the bit of him that suddenly feared heights sent feelings of relief rushing through his body.
- standing on the bridge my little brother and he never falls except now I know he will -
It was someone else's fear, that much he understood. Someone else had looked on as the little boy had climbed the railings. Not him. He had climbed to places so very much higher than this stupid hallway, never feeling so much as a sliver of fear. And now, he was suddenly plagued with terrifying images of falling, feeling that horrible feeling in his stomach as cold wind pulled on his clothes, and the ground got ever larger. Not something he would be thinking about. He didn't fear the ground.
- yes I do always have ever since the dreary tree -
- always in the dark always looking but nobody sees -
- I swear I didn't do it I'd never why did they take my hand I didn't touch her -
'Shut up!' Loran growled to the images in his head, but they wouldn't stop coming. Distinctively they swam before his eyes, pictures of creatures with too many eyes and blood on the ground. The feelings of fear got worse with every passing second. Instinctively, Loran put his head in hands, trying to shut himself away from the intruders in his head, but even that didn't stop them. He felt the smooth cold metal of the head band around his scalp.
Of course...
That thought was his. He pulled the thing off his head, and instantly, the chaos in his head diminished. It didn't stop completely. He could still feel and hear it, like a whisper on the other side of a very silent library. He sensed it, but could ignore it now.
He threw the headband over the edge, disgusted. What kind of weapon was that, when all it did was fill the wearer's head with stupid fears? Was it even a weapon? It had to be. If it wasn't then what had it been doing in the arsenal? He inspected the other items he'd brought. Yes, some of those had to be weapons. One had a distinctive gun-shape: handle, barrel, and trigger. What else could it be?
Still, he wasn't going to take any more risks. Everything that might not be a weapon went down as well. He quickly disposed of the bracelets, and two of the vaguely gunlike things. He kept one of those, and the grenades.
Something moved down there. He heard it suddenly, while he was recovering from his exposure to other people's memories. It had to be that, he'd reasoned. This place was all about memories, after all.
Loran went to his knees and crawled to the edge. Someone was crouching near the things he'd thrown down. It was too dark down there to make out who it was, especially for him.
On no! Too high, get a-
Loran shut of the rising panic. It was much the same as shutting off his hallucinations, he found. Perhaps that was why he'd reacted so strongly to the headband. Perhaps his brain was more sensitive to hearing those memories. After all, they weren't really there either.
Electricity suddenly crackled around one hand of the person below, and even without the added illumination, Loran recognized her.
Apathy examined the items swiftly, and then looked up, staring almost straight at Loran. Loran didn't move. it was dark in this corridor, and his skin was black. Moving would only make it more likely she saw him. He would wait until she turned her back to him. Then he would get her.
No, don't go down, it's -
Shut! Up!, Loran thought back, and once again, it did.
Apathy rose up and pointed towards him. What did she mean by th-
Lightning shot towards him, and he threw himself back. It passed him harmlessly, lingered for a moment longer than it should have, and faded. Loran cursed himself. She'd only been trying to light the area!
'Alright, who's up there!' Apathy called. She was on her guard now. She knew that anyone who hadn't revealed himself by now was most likely an enemy. He would never manage to get down there and kill her before she zapped him. No time for knives, then. He grabbed a grenade, ready to throw, then pointed the gun at her and pulled the trigger.
Pain! Loneliness! Confusion! Pain! Anger! Pain Pain Pain!
The gun and grenade dropped from Loran's powerless hands and shattered, and then he was on the ground as well. Holding his arms, screaming in pain. The skin on his arms was burning, red-hot metal pressed against it. He heard Apathy sobbing in his head, felt her despair, but it was nothing compared to the pain. He opened his watering eyes wioth difficulty. He had to watch Apathy! He was vulnurable! But even his strongest assassin instincts couldn't help him. He rolled over the ground, clawing at his arms. The pain had to stop! It had to!
He was only vaguely aware of the green gas spreading through the air around him. The grenade had cracked open, and he was inhaling it's contents through his gasps and screams. His mind went haywire.
'See, I told you it would backfire,' said a cold, analysing voice.
'Get away from the chasm! We will fall!' shrieked the paniced one.
'Shut up you.' said another one.
They were all talking through each other, and shapes vormed around him. Loran closed his eyes again, shutting them out. The pain was still there, but he felt it growing less, together with the sobs. Soon, he couldn't make those out above the cacophony of voices, the mixture of memory and hallucination. The pain remained quite a bit longer.