Of freedom and of pleasure (Ch. 4: Day 4, pt. II) [Finale?]

NPC · Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2012 7:07 pm

An enormous hatch of curved, interlocking, fang-like doors on the underside of the Egg Destroyer began to slide and retract, opening a tunnel of gargantuan proportion. The command center drifted directly in as the drama all around unfolded.

The chamber dimmed as they vanished inside the larger craft. Bands of yellow lights lining the tunnels caused a passing effect much like driving through a tunnel, but on a huge scale, as everything periodically lit up brightly in warm, incandescent glow, then dimmed again. Everything was suddenly quiet.

Seven's closed eyes squinted with pain.

psikeout · Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2012 7:24 pm

"Not goin' anywhere," said Rock almost distractedly as he finished setting the chair upright, as if not even paying Ace his full attention—not enough to even be offended by his insinuations. Instead, the primate became focused on consoles hither and fro, walking from screen to screen, reading and observing everything he could on the central platform. He stopped momentarily to pick up a portable device of some sort that had been dropped, and seemed to regard it with some concern, but did nothing with it yet except toss it on the command chair.

He glanced fleetingly out the glass dome above, then at his environment (including those bystanders just off the platform). He had that distant, but utterly intense look, like his mind was racing.

Sheff · Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2012 7:53 pm

Geoff didn't even try bothering to counter Jam's aggressive reminder. Fueling the fire of disagreement could be left for later, even though he did show a subtle roll of the eyes as the monkey turned her back, looking back to his so called "trophy" for a moment so he could at least direct his glare to something else.

The trophy's face was moving slightly enough for him to take notice.

Pow went a crystallized fist right into Seven's head. Was it a cheap maneuver for a victim in such a state? Of course, but the kid's past deeds were heavy in Geoff's mind (like they always were when he was in Seven's presence) and he wasn't going to give the child a moment's chance to react.

Nearly immediately afterward, he noted the dim-to-light-to-dim conditions of the room, glancing up quickly. Taking note of where they were now headed, he frowned, looking back down and catching Rock's eye for the briefest of seconds. He didn't like the look he received.

"...things are going to $%@&, aren't they?"

His tone conveyed a "how am I not surprised" emotion to it.

Mie · Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2012 8:06 pm

For better or for worse, Jam was done talking to the rest of the room. Hopping up onto the raised platform, and stepping up next to the throne, she swept an impassive gaze over the various readouts on the consoles, sparing only the most indifferent of glances to the Egg Destroyer's open maw through the skylight. Despite her apparent spat mere seconds ago, she really could have only looked more phlegmatic if she had some gum to chew.

"Problems?" she asked casually.

psikeout · Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2012 8:12 pm

"Not yet," Rock replied quietly, stepping back and standing straight. He pulled the duffel off his back and set it down, though the absence of the luggage by no means left him under-equipped, as the sizable cluster of high-tech-looking grenades hanging from his belt on either side jingled quietly.

He looked like he was waiting for something.

Greens · Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2012 8:18 pm

Even worse than any confrontation Ace might've steeled himself for, the pair of primates had the gall to almost utterly ignore him. His arms raised just high enough to slap back down to his thighs in frustration. "%$*#, man," he sighed out in disbelief. "At least tell me Caz is okay."

psikeout · Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2012 8:23 pm

"She's fine," Rock mumbled, shaking his head dismissively. "She's at my parents'."

Nuzlocke Griff · Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2012 8:32 pm

Compelled to snicker a bit after seeing Geoff knock Seven a good number he stared back at the two on the "Throne". Taking a notice to the expression on the male primate's face, he silently pulled out his combat knife, secreted in the same place his pistol was, prepared to take on whatever may approach.

"Something you want to tell us?" he sparked the question to the white haired monkey, concerned of what lied ahead.

You know why I edited...

NPC · Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2012 8:36 pm

Seven flinched and let out a pained "ngh" as he was struck, but didn't go out like a light again. He wasn't a super-tough guy, but knocking someone out wasn't always as simple as pounding them over the head. He still reeled and groaned, however, and dangled a bit more limply in Geoff's grasp.

psikeout · Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2012 8:40 pm

Rock glanced at Desmond the way one might look at a growling lapdog, expressionless and unimpressed. He looked back to Ace.

"This your friend?" he asked across the expanse of distance between them, his voice echoing dry and cold as the desert of the antarctic.

Greens · Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2012 8:50 pm

Ace finally looked exhausted-- of energy, and options. "Colleague," he corrected after a pause, and turned to venture to... whatever side of the room the two independents weren't on.

In passing, he tapped the ferret on the shoulder, as if to call him off. "Forget it, man," he said. "It's nothing."

NPC · Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2012 9:23 pm

The vessel started to hum, and loud clanks, like a series of clamps being attached, rang through the metal fuselage. The transmitted sound of electric motors whirring could be heard through the contact of whatever it was that was touching and slowing their ship.

Soon, the command center came to a rest inside an atrium greater yet. Pieces of the glass ceiling rose out of the grid seemingly of their own accord, drawn by strange, bright light, as if tractor beams. The entire canopy was disassembled, beams and glass flying away, and even the walls began to lower into the floor, opening the room into a truly massive, thousands-of-meters-wide, hundred-meter-tall astrodome-height chamber: the new command center of the Egg Destroyer. It had apparently been designed for that purpose all along.

The immense ceiling was like a wide, open-gaping window to the universe. The moon, dramatically closer than normal, eclipsed nearly half of their view with its darkened side. Earth was visible more distantly, while a truly keen eye would be able to see Space Colony ARK in its orbit.

It was an amazing view, obstructed only by thin, winding rails (presumably used for some sort of monorail transport through the ship), and the occasional robotic vehicle flying by, carrying what looked to be beams, huge bundles of wire, machinery, and so on—clearly materials to finish the construction of the vessel. Huge pillars, glowing with seafoam-green streaks, towered up the far side walls, which themselves gaped with innumerable doors and openings into and out of flew all manner of robots, none of which seemed concerned with the veritable ants that the crew down at the command center must have been.

Central to it all remained that one, circular, fifty-meter-wide platform upon which Rock and Jam stood. Soon, it began to raise upward, revealing the glowing guts of machinery and computer equipment housed in its foundation. Stairs formed to chase it up, spreading forward and creating a new walkway up to its grand fifteen-story height. Truly, Eggman knew how to build a throne area.

Finally, everything came to a halt and stopped transforming. They were at their final destination.

MuffinUnsane · Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2012 9:47 pm

"That is freakin' awesome," Ember muttered as she stared at the jaw-dropping site before her.

"At least Eggman knows how to build. Gotta hand it to him."

Looking around at the bedraggled crew she gave a dry laugh. Stepping around, she kept her gaze above her as she tracked the stars above.

"So what now? Destroy it? Can you even have fire in space? Because like, there's no oxygen and junk. Dude that would be awesome to have. Fire without oxygen you could have it anywhere. Underwater, space, and uh...somewhere else. Anywhere. Jeez, man someone needs to invent that. I would seriously be all over that. Seriously man."

Off on her own spiel, the twittering bird paused and observed the far away Earth.

"Man, that looks so awesome."

Mie · Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2012 9:48 pm

Even bearing in mind the source of all the technological wizardry (for want of a better term), it was hard -- even for one as jaded as Jam -- to not be some measure of impressed. The smaller monkey's jaw slacked as her head craned back to observe with wide eyes the mechanical marvel as it shifted and changed and adapted and transformed all around them.

Without even realizing she was doing it, she'd wandered backwards a few steps trying to take in the scope of it all, and nearly jumped out of her skin when one of the throne's massive armrests jammed into her shoulder blade unexpectedly. Needless to say, she was quite grateful for the 50-or-so-yard height discrepancy between her and anyone she might not have wanted to see that.

Her familiarity with Rock, though, didn't keep her from transitioning to a heavy-handed nonchalance with a cough, as she set a hand into the small of her back and meandered up to his side. Her mouth seemed to crrrrrawl to the edge of her face to ask as discreetly as physically possible,

"...That was supposed to happen, right?"

Nuzlocke Griff · Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2012 11:54 pm

Desmond watched the scenery unfold, almost like a flower. Watching again in awe, almost as a child would any new sight that would have happened to have past his gaze He saw the moon, and far off he could vaguely see another station in the distance, maybe it was a satellite, or maybe not.

Cut short once again, the platform that the held the two simians began to rise above the rest of the group, like some chariot ride to the heavens. Avoiding having his mind side tracked again he looked over at the hedgehog holding the prisoner, questioning his motives a bit but giving a more lenient view on him. If anyone seemed to be making sense, he was. "Maybe you should give him a few more," he advised "He's still awake". Not sure if he was going to be taken seriously, he looked over to his serval companion. "Are we going to just let them go?"

Things just seem to not make sense anymore. What happened to just shooting things and having it go down without a fuss? Why are they letting the two "friends" of there get away with a contraption which they know nothing about? How did they get in space?

The stairs began to follow the elevating "throne".

And were they supposed to climb those stairs?

Of freedom and of pleasure (Ch. 4: Day 4, pt. II) [Finale?]

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