Comic 1127 - Work on clothes more
Posted on 21st Nov 2018, 7:46 PM
in Like a Bullet from Behind
Average Rating: 5 (4 votes) /
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Author Notes:
You also encourage Red to try it herself. She's becoming--or has become, it's a bit of a gray area at the moment--a mind independent of your own, even if you're still tethered. It may be necessary for her to push the manifestation on her own.
"Yeah," she sighs, "you're probably right."
Red focuses, squinting a bit as she makes an effort to alter her attire.
After several seconds... nothing.
"I don't think I have enough juice yet," she says.
You suggest maybe small changes to the current outfit would be fine to start with--maybe adding pockets, zippers, additional threads, anything to 'complicate' what she has on. Start with what she has and work outward.
Red begins concentrating again.
Steadily, the nurse attire begins to shift and change, splitting into separate parts, gaining straps and buckles, the material subtly altering as well.
"Okay," Red concludes, "I'm starting to look like one of those scary kids at the mall. We don't seem very good at visualiz--."
She's cut off as an actual spark jumps across the air, the tiniest jolt of electricity appearing for the briefest of instants.
"What on earth are you doing?," Dr. Finch asks, sounding more curious than anything. Still, he does back up a few steps.
"Tell him you're using the power of imagination," Red advises. "I'm sure he'll understand."
Caius and Michelle creep forward, tense and cautious.
The lights flicker, just once, but stay on.
The two of them peek into the gaping hole in the wall.
"Looks like somethin' chewed its way in... or out," Michelle suggests.
Caius gives a shallow nod. "Yeah. That's what Fuse was sayin' about tha wires at tha front, too--like somethin' ate through 'em. What's all this yellow stuff?"
"Dunno," Michelle replies. She leans a little closer to examine it further. "It looks nasty, though, like it's sticky or somethin'. I ain't touchin' it--could be acidic. Saliva, maybe, from whatever's--"
The lights buzz a bit louder... and then go out.
Michelle and Caius both fall completely silent as the hallway becomes pitch black.
After a few moments of nothing, Caius whispers. "You still got that weird skin light from Blondie?"
"I stuck it in the bag," Michelle whispers back. "I think we got some flashlights in there, too. One sec."
Michelle begins to feel around in the dark, trying to reach into the bag on Caius's shoulder. After digging around inside it for a little while, she gets a hold of a flashlight--
"DID YOU BRING HER?"
"ARE YOU HERE FOR THE PROPHECY?"
"IS SHE WITH YOU?"
Michelle and Caius both scream, Michelle frantically withdrawing from the bag and fumbling to spin up her minigun. Caius backs up into Michelle, his panicked yell seamlessly fading into something more like a war cry.
The numerous ghosts draw near, but they don't attack. Their words... buzz, strangely, in their throats.
"THE PROPHECY?"
"HERE! SOON!"
"HAVE YOU BROUGHT HER?"
"IS SHE WITH YOU?"
The lights flicker back on.
The ghosts are gone in an instant.
Michelle releases the trigger, having not quite gotten around to firing.
"The fuck?!," Fuse yells.
"I DON'T KNOW!" Caius yells back.
"They looked..." Michelle has to fight to catch her breath and realign her thoughts. "They looked--"
"They looked like fuggen zombies!," Caius shouts. It's hard to tell if he's more shaken or angry, maybe equal parts of both.
Michelle nods, and breathes in deep. "Y-Yeah. They weren't... they weren't all there. I haven't seen ghosts like that yet."
"Maybe that's how they died?," Fuse suggests. "All... mangled and shit."
Michelle shakes her head. "Nah, I don't-- I don't think imprints work that way, do they?"
"Hell if I know!," Caius yells, though... a little less loudly.
"It's s'posed to be, like--" Michelle takes another second-- "their brain's... idea of themselves, or somethin'. Ain't it? Somethin' like that? Some of these guys didn't have HEADS!"
"Ohhh fuck," Fuse mutters.
"What?," Michelle asks. Caius adds a "Yeah, what?!"
Fuse pauses, hesitant to even say it. "The thing that's been eating all the metal and wires and--" He pauses again. He swallows dryly. "Whatifiteatsghosts."
Caius spins around, actually pointing his machete at Fuse. "Fuse, I swear t'god--"
"Caius," Michelle stops him. "What if he's right?"
"Please don't say that," Fuse responds, forcing an incredibly nervous chuckle.
"They asked if we brought her," Michelle mumbles to herself. "They gotta mean Blondie, right?"
"It's pretty much always gotta mean Blondie," Fuse replies.
Caius huffs. "If Spider Satan's eatin' ghosts we ain't feedin' him Blondie, so, he can jus' go ahead and get over it."
"We don't know that's what Spider Satan wants," Fuse points out.
"We don't know if Spider Satan's real!" Michelle points out, notably louder.
All three fall silent.
A noise--similar to the sound heard in the power station the night before--begins to echo down the hall.
A gross crunching sound.
Like chewing.
There has to be a magazine with pictures of people in it here. Pull it out and look for something to have Red try.
I bet Red will manifest soon too.
I think the power station crew need to work on exiting before it becomes more exciting.
This isn't at the level of some exploration.
If we are gonna do this, we need everyone to come, and come armed to the teeths.
And if the worst case scenario happens, and this Spider-Satan-Eater-Of-Souls is in itself a ghost, we NEED Mine.
I doubt a small gun made to fight some ghosts would be that effective against something that EATS them.
Take our best weapons, and practice doing any ghost-type Attack we can imagine. It's time to learn how to shoot Spectral Laserbeams!
My best guess off my meager knowledge is that ghosts are basically just residual electromagnetic impulses left by the psychic self of an individual.
So if something is chomping ghosties it's just sucking up residual electricty in the environment. So it's not that nefarious. It's probably a mutant spider chewing into electrical stuff like the walls for wire or ghosts for food .
We could maybe get it with the ghost gun since it is a super tazer, maybe it would like that like a super soaker full of tacos. Feed it full and befriend it.
More likely spider murder
Found some ghosts, that's probably good enough for now.
Can manufacture a golem later to check out where the crunching noise is coming from.
Unfortunately, I agree that we need to bring the (all of) the big guns and probably some fire. Scratch that, lots of fire and some huge hammers. (Though that might be my arachnophobia talking) Whatever is in the power station is really weird, which is saying a lot for these guys. Maybe ask the Tradesmen for info on how to make or find another/info on the ghost gun. If we could replicate it we could trade several up for a proton pack or something!
Reach safe zone.
Nuke from orbit.
Prepare to fight, and have Fuse start burning webs. We need to deny this thing its environmental advantage.
We better back out of this place.
Running TIME!! @_@
If escape is possible, burn the mutha to the ground. Preferably once we're outside.
If its not, whip out the ghost gun and give it a shot -- if this thing EATS ghosts, it may be made partially of them or contain pieces of them, and may actually be hurt by the thing that is supposed to kill ghosts.
Sadly may have to bring Blondie here next time. DO NOT BRING THE GHOST GIRLS, NOT A SINGLE ONE OF ANY OF THEM!! Partially because we don't want to piss off Edison any more than necessary... partially because, even if Edison is being a little pissy blighter, if she gets hurt the OTHER two could lose their shit as well. Best not to test that connection at the moment.
Also-also, RESEARCH!! We need records on this town, and on the power plant especially. When did it go offline? What was the "official explanation"? Any eye-witness accounts? Knowing anything before going back in is better than continuing to know nothing.
Of course, first ask our three explorers if they're okay with exploring further or not. They sound pretty spooked. (Pun only half intended.)
If there is enough in the flask to make 4+ locations we should mark the hallway outside this room with all the webs and hold 2 locations worth for later. If there is only one mark worth then mark near the door here.
As I said earlier I am for more recon, but with caution. An organized exit would also be prudent.
The ghost girl theory (hypothesis?) is interesting too. Invite one or more maybe?