Comic 1180 - Agree to the plan
Posted on 2nd Apr 2019, 7:07 PM
in Like a Bullet from Behind
Average Rating: 5 (3 votes) /
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Author Notes:
"We can say we're comin' in a week," Michelle suggests, "then hit 'em a day or two before that."
Dr. Finch nods. "The tradesmen provided an address where the ritual should be located, yes?"
You have a raven perched outside the address--a used bookstore in the middle tiers--but through the fairly opaque windows, you can't make out much of the interior. You definitely see human-sized figures moving inside, but your raven can't discern any details.
"Might have to send a crew," Michelle says with a small shrug. "It's just a bookstore, right?"
Fuse's face tightens up. "Man... how many times has it been just a warehouse, or just a library, or just an abandoned power station? Bookstore could be a portal to another dimension with our luck."
Michelle gives a slightly larger shrug. "I wanna say the tradesmen woulda warned us if it was dangerous--"
"But you know better by now?," Fuse asks, fighting back a smirk.
"A ritual that lets one deliver a message doesn't sound all that powerful, on its face," Pierce remarks. "I wouldn't suspect it of being heavily guarded."
"Still," comments Dr. Finch, "we may not wish to take approaching it too lightly. Entering the city proper at all, at this point, is bound to carry some risk."
Michelle nods. "Yeah... s'a good point. Pretty sure the cops haven't given up chasin' me yet, and Thale's a cornered animal right now. So who's goin'?"
(this way no one technically enters "The Red")
Remember, Space and Time are both not a real thing in the red, so Mine should theoretically be able to make two touching portals that lead ANYWHERE in the universe she has blood at. Though maybe ask Moms Red if that would even prevent any problems or maybe cause new ones?
Also worth noting: we can get a fair amount of experimenting done in the time it would take to travel conventionally, so we might even come out ahead on time. Oh, but we do need to send a blood bug or something to the location, in order to actually be able to open a portal there. Maybe call the raven back so it can carry one? Or is another raven free and closer to us?
And, once we've brainstormed ideas of how to protect our allies from the Red, we could possibly ask the Tradesmen which of them would be effective—hopefully cheaper than just asking them how to do it in the first place.
Ideas so far:
* What Lunar Waffles said above.
* If having portals touching and leading to far-apart locations is too difficult, make a "room"—bone might be a good surface material, less creepy than the intestine-y walls of Mom's Red—with portals on the walls. Hopefully with a few feet between portals the requisite space-warping will be easier—or, if not, we can always open one portal, everyone pile in, close it, *move* the room in the Red (we know we can do that), then open the other one.
Couldn't hurt to bring it along if we do.
Might be useful as a distraction? Maybe?
I don't think we need too many people for this operation; 3 or 4 should do it. Overall, in perhaps crude terms, we're probably looking at one muscle, one mind and one Mine. Either Dr. Finch to spot and evaluate interesting and useful things or Pierce if he's willing, Caius or Michelle for back up
whenif things go sideways, and Mine because she's the face of the party and y'know, powers and stuff. I don't think we need anyone else specifically, but if any one is interested in the potential of the bookstore a fourth position is available. I'll also mention that I'm against sending a golem in first as our golems don't make a good first impression on potential friends/not enemies, nor do our golems have much agency if things get wild.On the topic of powers though, I am +1ing at least attempting to make a portal from here to there through the red. As far as I understand Mine's powers, once there is Blood at the destination it should be a comparatively simple trick pull enough Blood at both sites to make the portals and move their "inside the red" sides up against each other in the red. The process should only take a few minutes, even if it takes concentration, and the brief time inside the red should be tolerable but easily survivable for our friends, if potentially uncomfortable or gross.
From there, we already know we can change the color of things we make from our blood, so we should be able to change the color of the car at will. This should help throw off people looking for us at least a bit.
We can do more complicated shenanigans with it as well, if we want. Spontaneous humvee bone armor.
I suppose she could probably change the pigment of her skin easily enough. Add like, sunglasses and a hat and it'd be hard to recognise her. But I don't think you could give the same treatment to anyone who'd be useful in a fight.
Changing her appearance would also not work on most thugs belonging to our enemies, but would not work on the people who matter. It wouldn't work on the Many, or Time Gods, or Carpenter, or anyone blooded by Thale. Or Nil. Most of those should be obvious, but I'll back up Carpenter because that's the weak one. He's got more hi-tech nonsense than anyone has a right to, and has shown proficiency in bio-tech specifically. He could figure it out fast. Considering, as "fellow" said, that changing her appearance would be difficult and tricky, the minimal advantage it would give is not worth it.
I figure the main risk in the city is civilians going by a description of mine and friends. So if mine doesn't look like mine at first glance it might be possible to avoid thayle's attention.