when I lived alone, is there a ghost in my house?

[mylawn]

WHO? 76 (mylawn) and YOU
WHAT? fabulous dream adventures
WHEN? dream time
ANYTHING ELSE? violence, the robot war, you know.

i. dad punches you in the face for the low, low price of free (this one is not a dream)

[76 knows, on some level, that something is wrong. He’s fairly certain he’s dozed off here and there, but he can’t remember exactly where or when or for how long—only that he was left with a strange, unsettling feeling each time. For someone as paranoid as he is, he knows it doesn’t bode well, but being unable to pinpoint the problem means there’s little for him to do.

As always, he hits the recreation area to take his mind off things. It seems wailing on a punching bag is one of few ways he knows how to blow off steam, and he’s easily found doing just that. He doesn’t seem to mind being interrupted, at least, knowing full well that he offered hand-to-hand pointers over the network. He certainly recognizes the cathartic value of beating the crap out of something or someone, even if it’s not the healthiest of coping mechanisms.

Perhaps that’s what you’re looking for. 76 isn’t going to judge.]

Need something?

[Or, you might find him asleep, slumped over in a chair, gloves and water bottle discarded nearby, like he only meant to take a short break. Probably you should wake him up???]

ii. the humans are dead (this one is a dream)

[Everything is on fire.

It’s difficult to tell just what, exactly, is burning, because the scene seems to shift between a few different locals that blur together and separate and merge again, cityscapes and building interiors and battlefields, but the overall effect is the same. Harsh red emergency lighting cuts through the dark and smoke, and there’s the very distinct feeling of being trapped. The shadows of mechanical soldiers close in, punctuated by the sounds of gunfire and explosions and collapsing rebar. As if that wasn’t threatening enough, metallic groans in the distance give the impression that the whole place (if one can even call it that) is about to come crashing down.

The one voice that cuts through it all might sound familiar, even if it’s coming from someone who you definitely haven’t seen before (unless you squint).]

—respond. Do you read me, Reyes?

[He keeps going, barking more names into what seems to be some kind of communicator, but there’s no response. Given the current state of things, it takes him a moment to realize he isn’t alone, but as soon as he notices the intrusion, he’s closing the distance, apparently to usher you away as quickly as possible, despite his own obvious distress.]

It’s not safe here, come on. [You’re a civilian! You shouldn’t be in the middle of a war zone!] You need to evacuate.

iii. sad ghost hoots then scoots (this one is also a dream)

[You’re interrupting a fight.

A fairly explosive one, if the surroundings are any indication. 76, in full tactical gear, is currently throwing down with a figure in a black robe, though it’s difficult to tell just what the figure is, exactly, especially when it only seems to have a form some of the time, dissolving and re-forming constantly as and 76 scrabble at each other. Sharp silver claws reach out of the black smog to try and strangle him, and the whole thing devolves into a visceral struggle.

There’s a gunshot, and another outburst of smoke as 76’s opponent loses shape entirely and rushes away as a formless miasma. 76 tries to right himself.]

Don’t just stand there—

[He barks it out, the tone that of someone used to giving orders under duress, but there’s something desperate in it too. When he stands, it’s easy to see why—there’s blood on the ground, but despite the sway in his stance, he’s making a concentrated effort to take off in pursuit, not particularly caring that you’re in the way. If you aren’t going to help, he’s just going to push his way past.

iv. wildcard

[I’ll do whatever you want. You write a thing. I’ll write a thing. Hit me up at whitticus.]

Comments

iii

[heilt]

( the sounds had drawn her closer when really she should have ran. she'd grown up through the war, seeing the loss at every side and had only gotten closer to it as she'd aged. angela knows well the sound of violence, and though she has no supplies on her she has knowledge enough to help someone in need.

she expected a fight, and the blood, but not the sight that angela is faced with. the black robe, claws... the shadows and smoke. she can't tell what or who this man is fighting, and had he not shouted again she might have been lost, staring in surprise at it as it fled.

but he has her attention again, her gaze quickly drawn to the blood. he's probably hoping that his help will try to stop the shadow but instead, angela's moving towards him, getting in uncomfortably close as her hand presses over his injury )

You need to stop moving.

[mylawn]

[Reaper is practically inviting him to give chase, and Jack will be hard-pressed to let that happen, not after everything he's been through to track him down. He's not going to let him slip from his grasp again, not when Reaper disappearing means starting over from square one. To find a body in his way is not exactly what he wants to be dealing with right now. Any injury of his goes entirely unnoticed.]

No.

[Jack almost doesn't realize it's Angela he's trying to push past for the first few moments. It's only her stern tone of voice and the touch of her hand that brings him around, and all at once Jack is desperate. She's going to stop him, but he has to do this--she has to know he has to do this, doesn't she? His voice is a snarl.]

He's getting away.

[heilt]

( angela pressed her hand on his wound a little firmer, her other hand steady against his waist, keeping the two of them close, and making it a little harder for jack to move )

And you'll die if you follow.

( she doesn't know it's him, not under all of the tactical gear and the visor. the jack she knows is still her commander, and a lot younger than this man )

Let him go.

[mylawn]

You don't know that.

[But of course she does--she's his doctor, even if he doesn't want to admit it. There's a part of him that recognizes this as a dream, in some level, and he isn't surprised that Angela is here in it, trying to appeal to the more sensible part of him.

It works, on some level, but his single-minded obsession with Gabriel Reyes is hard to overcome.]

I can't.

[He doesn't think he could, even if he wanted to. They're inextricably linked, to the point where he fully expects Reaper to be his last mission.]

I won't let him get away from me again.

[heilt]

( she presses again, trying to control the flow of the bleeding a little more. he's stubborn, and whilst angela doesn't know exactly what (or who) he's after she does know what a mission can drive people to do )

You have to. I won't be able to help you if you don't.

( if he had to this man could always go after him once she'd healed him but that was his decision to make then. at the minute it was hers )

I don't want to have to make you sit down.

( it wouldn't be with physical force either )

[mylawn]

I don't need your help--

[He snarls, trying to throw her off. Everything shrinks down to a pinpoint, the only thing that matters the fact that Reyes is getting away. It occurs to him that she doesn't even know who he's after or why this is important, but he's not sure how he can begin to explain.

Still, it's difficult to fight Angela, and they both know that injured, he's not going to get very far. Jack's face screws up in frustration.]

You don't know what he's done.

[heilt]

I don't need to.

( she assumes it's important for this masked man to want to chase after him so recklessly. she assumes, but without the other man here she didn't want to know. he was a distraction to her patient )

You won't be able to find him if you don't stop. I assume that's what you want.

( though right now he feels like he can already do it. if he refused... she'd let him go, and pick him up again when he passed out from his injury )

i'll pay u not to punch me in the face please

[handsomefoil]

[ Best way to avoid falling into sleep traps is to keep active, right? Seems not even the capsules are safe from the looks of it. Once he enters the rec room though, he sees a familiar man slumped over on the bench. Uh oh...

His first thought is: He looks dead. He looks older than he lets on when he's awake like this. But immediately thinks he's asleep due to the hot spots. Taking care to stay out of prime punching and/or kicking distance, he nudges him with the end of his beam saber handle. It has a protruding hook sticking out of it so if anything, the sensation should be unpleasant enough to stir him awake. Hopefully. ]

Oy.

[mylawn]

[Truthfully, he'd only intended to sit down for a minute, but the hotspots are creeping larger and catching people off-guard. 76 barely had any time to register the growing warmth of the area before he fell asleep--most certainly a sign that they're getting worse, not that he knows this, or even has the ability to protest.

Henry's first few nudges don't seem to do anything. 76 doesn't even shift in his seat, though he does seem to be snoring quietly (you know, like a dad).

It appears that more forward measures should be taken.]

[handsomefoil]

[ Hoo boy, OK, you can do this Henry. He definitely doesn't want to be smacked by a sleeping soldier who can really pack a wallop, but now he feels like he has to finish what he started here. Even if nobody is watching him or judging him should he have just walked away.

Reaching out a hand, he shakes 76 by the shoulder relatively hard. Not enough to knock anyone out of his seat, but enough to make them look pretty silly wobbling about. ]

[mylawn]

[Don't worry, Henry. This is only someone who might react violently to being jarred out of a very strange dream. In fact, that's exactly what happens. Henry's good shake manages to wake 76, who of course responds with a jolt, swinging his arm at the offender.

If Henry doesn't get out of the way within the speed of 76's surprisingly good reflexes, he is definitely about to get beaned in the face.]

[handsomefoil]

[ He really is expecting something to happen. The only thing is when and how fast and could he avoid it in time? ]

Shit—!

[ Saved from at least getting socked in the face, he still gets clubbed on the shoulder when he suddenly turns to jerk away or at least avoid getting hit in the face. The force of it is way stronger than one would expect from a human being and it nearly bowls him over. He'll probably bruise there too, and he's not one to bruise easily. He doesn't curse anymore than that but he holds his shoulder and rubs at it, while stepping backwards. ]

[mylawn]

[Don't worry, it's just a reflexive flailing, immediately followed by the slow realization that he is awake now, and his surroundings are different than they were a second ago. 76 immediately takes stock of himself, so it's another moment before he takes notice that he's not alone, and yet another one before he recognizes the man he's apparently smacked around in his jolting awake.]

Oh.

[He gives the room another cursory glance, looking a little bewildered. He certainly hadn't meant to fall asleep.]

It's you.

[handsomefoil]

Yep.

[ He sighs, rolling his shoulder a little. Although 76 didn't purposely intend to strike him, he still keeps his distance. ]

It's me. Sweet dreams?

iii

[circumspector]

[ He doesn't look good. Which is maybe the second or third thing she registers after - this isn't Pandora and something isn't right here. She can't put her finger on it, or exactly what is happening, but something isn't right.

Doesn't really matter right now, as she looks from where he's hunched over a wound - had to be - the blood's all over the ground and it's definitely not hers. He can't go back out there just yet. He's got to jet that wound at the very least. She can't by him much time but - ]

Hey - ! [ It takes more courage than she thinks she really has to reach out and snatch his wrist. Tug at him with as much force as she has. ] You can't go back out there like that. You've - You've got to patch that up first.

[ Maybe it's that he looks like someone familiar ( Axton ) maybe it's that she doesn't want to be docile as to just let someone else walk into something that will get them hurt - but she's very sure she's not letting him walk out before that's seen too. ] Do that first. I'll... I'll cover for you.

[ That's what people said right? Right. Yeah, he's totally going to listen to it from a bundle of twigs wrapped up in good intentions but whatever. She pushes a little bit further, sticking herself firmly in the way. ]

[mylawn]

There's no time.

[Jack isn't quite sure why this is so important, beyond the fact that the swarming cloud of nanites and smoke is clearly hostile, but what he does know is that he can't let something this dangerous escape. He doesn't recognize the person trying to stop him, but he can only assume they're a civilian, somewhere they shouldn't be. He's immediately torn between going after his own goal, and making sure that someone innocent doesn't get caught in the crossfire.

That's one thing he's certain of. Whether he's injured or not is negligible, at least between Reaper's escape and this girl tugging at him. First things first.]

You shouldn't be here.

[circumspector]

Probably not.

[ It's braver than she feels, clearly so. Shaking in her hands to be out in a fight - a real fight. Even if this feels like its sliding in front of her eyes in a way she doesn't know - doesn't recognize. He's not a vault hunter.

He's not laughing insanely enough for that.

But he's definitely fighting something, something dangerous and not quite right. Her hands tense up, curling fingers inside her fist. ]

But you shouldn't be doing this alone. I can help. [ It's then that she lights up - still braver than she but that's the point really? ] Promise.

[mylawn]

[At least she agrees, though there isn't anything Jack can do about it right now. With each moment they stand here, they waste more time. The wraith is getting away, and some part of Jack already knows he's gone. The priority is the civilian who is now his responsibility.]

I don't want you getting hurt.

[He doesn't know her, but he isn't about to let a bystander get caught in the line of fire--that goes against everything he stands for.]

Let's get you somewhere safe.

II

[dipolar]

(he's running and he doesn't know why, low to the ground until he skids and stumbles behind a desk blackened by a fire that's since been snuffed. he did this. he put it out— why? where is he? a mission? where's bai?

a throw of the fire extinguisher that's ended up in small hands, patting white solution off on the thighs of his pants. there's nothing he can do about it, he needs to find an exit but his jaw tightens around the questions that threaten to bowl him over and the frustrated sting in his eyes, withstanding one overwhelming fact: he is not supposed to be here. the commanding voice from behind him seems to think so too, calling him out of his huddle.)

No, no— who are you? (croaked by a twelve-year-old's voice that hasn't been broken by age.

the man looks like... a hero, part of him that's disgusted by that forces him into a slide back with a wide stare. the other part wants to reach out and shake the lapels he wouldn't even be able to reach up and grab, as short as he is, an obvious runt in a too-large uniform. there's no way he can leave without bai, he'd rather die in here searching.)

[mylawn]

[The only thing worse than a civilian in peril is a child civilian in peril, and whether his team is missing or not, Jack's immediate objective becomes getting this kid to safety. Jack squats a little where he stands, hand outstretched, letting the kid know that it's safe to come out.

It's not safe to come out, but Jack will do his very best to deliver him out of this mess.]

It's okay. I'm here to help.

[He knows that's not an answer, but it's not as if they have the luxury of time.]

But you have to stick with me and do what I say, all right?

[dipolar]

(the proffered hand is shied away from and the child finds his feet without help, jaw squeezing tight around things he shouldn't say. he can't give away his objectives, not to an american despite the familiarity of the face— but his sister. she's the most important part of him, the only thing keeping him from destroying himself. would this man understand that?)

I'm not leaving. Not until I find Bai.

(punctuated by a creak from the ceiling, beams and metal sagging under the heat of the raging fire.

a shift with a sharp huff of stress, trying to hide it behind what he thinks is an impassive look up. it falls very short, a boy this young unable to coach expressions into anything believably hardened. a hand goes beneath his arm to slap at where a dagger should be, finding nothing but fabric, groping at nothing. then he realizes he's in a simple button-up. nothing to defend himself with.

no.)

Are you going to come with me?

[mylawn]

[The only thing worse than one child in the middle of a war zone is two, and Jack knows immediately that he's not going to be able to let himself go if he doesn't find the second. His own team is put by the wayside--it had seemed increasingly unlikely that he'd be able to locate them, so Jack knows he might have to cut his losses. Save what civilians he can, and hope that his team can make it out on their own.

But there is some subconscious part of him that knows he's doomed to failure in that department anyway. This is something he might be able to accomplish.]

I can help you.

[Even if lingering a second longer than they should means that both of them will die. Their window is rapidly closing, if the groans of rebar are any indication. Jack will have to be quick.]

How did you get separated?

[dipolar]

I was— we were in Bolivia, there were trees... where is this?

(this is nowhere close to what he'd been expecting, but this man is older, sounds like his commanding officer, and an obedient switch flips in hei that has him bowing his head in deference. he'll know better, that's the logical thing to do. trust the ones with experience, mimic them, tailor what they know and take it as your own.)

No, I, I remember now, there was this big office. (straining to think as he moves closer, far more willing when 76 says he can help,) With rows and rows of desks and a huge screen on the wall. She was there, she was waiting for me to do something and come back.

(stares up at the man, imploring,) Do you know where? Please...

[mylawn]

[This is definitely not Bolivia, but it's certainly not out of the question that the kid's already suffered some kind of trauma, and doesn't know where he is or what's happening. All the more reason to get out of here as quickly as he can--it's entirely likely that his friend doesn't even exist, or is already dead, and the child is just trying to process what's happened to him. Jack is left with the choice between risking both their lives for an uncertainty, or taking the increasingly slim window to make it out alive.

The answer seems obvious, but the slight possibility that there is another child here, within their reach, means that Jack is going to have to try. It's in his nature to do so, despite the inherent risk to them both.

Luckily, a big office is not unheard of in the building this place used to be, and Jack gives a firm nod.]

We've got to hurry.

[dipolar]

Okay. Okay.

(climbs out from behind the desk, more than willing to go with the authoritative man he has to crane his neck to look up at.

gets behind him just as the weak segment of the ceiling gives out with a shower of sparks and caves onto the hiding place he was in, getting a sharp sound of surprise from him, making a grab for the tail of soldier 76's coat.)

Are we going to die?