Re: The Battle Majestic (Round 3 - Oxbow Inc.)
07-31-2011, 02:27 AM
Originally posted on MSPA by Schazer.
Iris followed the Tender, the metronomic lashings of its tail hampered by the scabs of bark settling over the bullet wounds. It was hungry, it had a bullet lodged in its midriff somewhere, and Oxbow stunk of metal and dry.
And worst of all.
While Sen's manners and capacity for gratitude were at an all-time low about now, his present desire to spread the nearest unfortunate's entrails about the facility was hampered - by a mental note saying he shouldn't kill this particular unfortunate. The one who seemed insistent on following the Tender, albeit at a safe distance.
Sen was in an unsurprising state of high dudgeon, and jabbered with murderous exasperation at Iris. She replied with a generic pacifying tone, which didn't improve his mood any. He struck up a staccato spitting noise, and angrily smacked at an unyielding building.
A bug whined by his head, failed to take a hint when the Tender swatted at it with a snarl, and came round again. Sen ducked, crichked irritably when several more buzzed from an alleyway, and failed to heed Iris' warning as he ducked beneath one-
-and lunged. An approximate thousand dollars' worth of technology met a needly end in Sen's jaws. It wasn't until a second persistent, robotic bug slammed into Sen's neck, pin-like legs clamped around its sharp-tipped vial of sedative, that the Tender spat out bits of glass and metal.
It rose to its feet, already groggy. Sen couldn't remember ever sitting down, and damnit that human was telling him something was wrong, that Sen had to get up, as if that wasn't painfully obvious. Least, it might've been. Processing things didn't seem worth the increasing effort. Unsurprising, considering the prototype tranquiliser - wider physiological effects as-yet untested - had downed an (obviously volunteered) Yagg in under a minute.
The Sentinels' footfalls echoed up the street. Iris was trying and failing to push the Tender back up. He croak-chirped angrily; suspecting it was all her fault. Several spectral wildcats leapt from nowhere; lunged at the wicked machines. Iris spat a curse as a single swing of a gattling-gun arm scattered them into mist; she promised Sen she'd rescue him and ran.
The clanking and thudding followed her only a short way, arrested before long by a parting round of bullets. The last of the bots scattered off the twitching Tender like the flies they were, sedative pumped into the green. Two Sentinels grappled with the delirious, still-grouchy Sen, their guns unsuited to transporting motile fruit.
----
"'zit amphibian?"
"No. No skeleton."
"… Mollusc, then?"
"Doesn't look like a mollusc."
"Point."
"Gonna find out in five minutes, anyway."
"What'll be left of it, anyway. Stupid sent'nils prolly shot it to pieces."
"Trent. You just saw it on the screen. Like, just– wait, where'd you go?"
"What?"
"I said-"
"Jes' git over here an' tell me; Vorn. Can't hear you over these damn clankin' sent'nils."
Vorn sighed, and grumbled a "wait" to his avian co-worker. He wondered if Trent knew it was his brother that had been done in by vicious new labguest. The Yagg supposed not. He ran a cursory glance over the flagged email from Liss (damn, this thing must be trouble) before checking the lab's supply of sedatives.
Vorn's calculations as to how many hours' supply they had were interrupted by screeches of alarm, and metal on concrete. He ran to the holding bay to find a foul-tempered raptor unsuccessfully trying to gnaw a Sentinel's optical sensors off. Trent was cowering under a desk; the Yagg got his patient's attention with a roar, and an uppercut full of syringes.
"Out," was all Vorn growled to the Sentinels. He was pretty sure they didn't follow orders, but there would be someone controlling them. At least, he supposed so. The Yagg grabbed a still-scrabbling Sen in a headlock with one arm, and its legs in another meaty fist.
The Deejan followed at a distance he sincerely hoped seemed (to Vorn) eager to help, and practically flew to the Yagg's aid when he told him to strap the Tender down on the bench.
"Then call for extra help," grunted Vorn, from the depths of the supply cupboard. Trent gave the creaking monstrosity a nervous glance, before dashing for the phone.
Iris followed the Tender, the metronomic lashings of its tail hampered by the scabs of bark settling over the bullet wounds. It was hungry, it had a bullet lodged in its midriff somewhere, and Oxbow stunk of metal and dry.
And worst of all.
While Sen's manners and capacity for gratitude were at an all-time low about now, his present desire to spread the nearest unfortunate's entrails about the facility was hampered - by a mental note saying he shouldn't kill this particular unfortunate. The one who seemed insistent on following the Tender, albeit at a safe distance.
Sen was in an unsurprising state of high dudgeon, and jabbered with murderous exasperation at Iris. She replied with a generic pacifying tone, which didn't improve his mood any. He struck up a staccato spitting noise, and angrily smacked at an unyielding building.
A bug whined by his head, failed to take a hint when the Tender swatted at it with a snarl, and came round again. Sen ducked, crichked irritably when several more buzzed from an alleyway, and failed to heed Iris' warning as he ducked beneath one-
-and lunged. An approximate thousand dollars' worth of technology met a needly end in Sen's jaws. It wasn't until a second persistent, robotic bug slammed into Sen's neck, pin-like legs clamped around its sharp-tipped vial of sedative, that the Tender spat out bits of glass and metal.
It rose to its feet, already groggy. Sen couldn't remember ever sitting down, and damnit that human was telling him something was wrong, that Sen had to get up, as if that wasn't painfully obvious. Least, it might've been. Processing things didn't seem worth the increasing effort. Unsurprising, considering the prototype tranquiliser - wider physiological effects as-yet untested - had downed an (obviously volunteered) Yagg in under a minute.
The Sentinels' footfalls echoed up the street. Iris was trying and failing to push the Tender back up. He croak-chirped angrily; suspecting it was all her fault. Several spectral wildcats leapt from nowhere; lunged at the wicked machines. Iris spat a curse as a single swing of a gattling-gun arm scattered them into mist; she promised Sen she'd rescue him and ran.
The clanking and thudding followed her only a short way, arrested before long by a parting round of bullets. The last of the bots scattered off the twitching Tender like the flies they were, sedative pumped into the green. Two Sentinels grappled with the delirious, still-grouchy Sen, their guns unsuited to transporting motile fruit.
----
"'zit amphibian?"
"No. No skeleton."
"… Mollusc, then?"
"Doesn't look like a mollusc."
"Point."
"Gonna find out in five minutes, anyway."
"What'll be left of it, anyway. Stupid sent'nils prolly shot it to pieces."
"Trent. You just saw it on the screen. Like, just– wait, where'd you go?"
"What?"
"I said-"
"Jes' git over here an' tell me; Vorn. Can't hear you over these damn clankin' sent'nils."
Vorn sighed, and grumbled a "wait" to his avian co-worker. He wondered if Trent knew it was his brother that had been done in by vicious new labguest. The Yagg supposed not. He ran a cursory glance over the flagged email from Liss (damn, this thing must be trouble) before checking the lab's supply of sedatives.
Vorn's calculations as to how many hours' supply they had were interrupted by screeches of alarm, and metal on concrete. He ran to the holding bay to find a foul-tempered raptor unsuccessfully trying to gnaw a Sentinel's optical sensors off. Trent was cowering under a desk; the Yagg got his patient's attention with a roar, and an uppercut full of syringes.
"Out," was all Vorn growled to the Sentinels. He was pretty sure they didn't follow orders, but there would be someone controlling them. At least, he supposed so. The Yagg grabbed a still-scrabbling Sen in a headlock with one arm, and its legs in another meaty fist.
The Deejan followed at a distance he sincerely hoped seemed (to Vorn) eager to help, and practically flew to the Yagg's aid when he told him to strap the Tender down on the bench.
"Then call for extra help," grunted Vorn, from the depths of the supply cupboard. Trent gave the creaking monstrosity a nervous glance, before dashing for the phone.
peace to the unsung peace to the martyrs | i'm johnny rotten appleseed
clouds is shaky love | broke as hell but i got a bunch of ringtones
eyes blood red bruise aubergine | Sue took something now Sue doesn't sleep | saint average, day in the life of
woke up in the noon smelling doom and death | out the house, great outdoors
staying warm in arctic blizzard | that's my battle 'til I get inanimate | still up in the same clothes living like a gameshow
clouds is shaky love | broke as hell but i got a bunch of ringtones
eyes blood red bruise aubergine | Sue took something now Sue doesn't sleep | saint average, day in the life of
woke up in the noon smelling doom and death | out the house, great outdoors
staying warm in arctic blizzard | that's my battle 'til I get inanimate | still up in the same clothes living like a gameshow