(no subject)

[momentoftherose.livejournal.com]

Now that White Chalice is flying over the ruined landscape of North America again, Doctor Zero senses some good to be done. Despite, or perhaps because of her killing The Stalker Fang (a fact which General Naga has committed an unknown number of brutal acts to suppress getting out, without her knowledge) she's still loyal to the Green Storm.

Here, perched on a rocky outcrop in the painted ochre of the Mojave Desert, where pebbles of glass that were once cities crunch under your feet, she's set up a little observation post with some equipment, her Stalkers, a high powered observation telescope, and some sandwiches and tea in a thermos. Most of her birds are wheeling around overhead nearby and she periodically dons a strange, helmet-like device to look through their eyes.

It's not strictly necessary though because what she's observing is visible to the naked eye: A larger traction city chasing a smaller one. Kicking up great plumes of dust in the distance, the behemoths wheel while their airships do battle in the skies above them. Soon the smaller city is herded towards some mountains, where it's trapped. The larger one release grappling hooks to hold its prey in place and the 'jaws' of the city are brought out, closing around it the smaller. The great metal teeth pierce floor plates that are meters deep. No doubt the snout gun of the larger city, trained on its prey, is enough to convince whoever's in charge that further resistance is a bad idea.

The scene should be a familiar one to anyone who's ever watched a nature documentary.

[1]

She speaks into a portable callbox.

"Fulfill The Vision Of The Wind Flower airbase, this is Chalice Death's Head. I am observing one large mobile city hunting another in the Mojave desert. Appears to be...Amadillo hunting RumbleTexas."

"Ryokai, Surgeon-Mechanic. Continue to observe but do not approach."

You don't have to tell her twice. She's content to remain there. But while the landscape is pretty in a desolate way, the work's monotonous.

[2]

Sometime after the newly fattened city has rumbled off, leaving behind the skeletal remains of its prey, and night spread its dark blanket, pricked by hundreds of small holes of light, Oeneone's watching the sky, leaning against the legs of one of the Stalkers.

She starts to doze off before too long.

[3]

The next morning, she awakes to find Chalice has left her behind and inwardly berates herself. She opens up a comm channel to the ship.

"Th-This is Doctor Oenone Zero. I'm very sorry about this but I d-dozed off. Can anyone come and p-pick me up? I'd ride on my Stalkers but i'm afraid of what that could do t-to the equipment. Thank you very much and i'm sorry again."

Comments

3

[paradigmstop.livejournal.com]

Roger's car radio crackled to life as he sat on the hood, reading some of the literature on what the engineers and technicians would do and what he would have to maintain himself. Dr. Zero, of the strange dead-crow-robot from his first encounter with the Chalice, was sending in a call for retrieval?

He had a car.

He slid into the driver's seat, punched the buttons to respond.

"Doctor Zero, I read you. This is Roger Smith. I'll come and grab you. Just put up a beacon or something I can pick up on my navigation system," he said with a grin. "We'll get some tea."

The hangar ramp lowered, and he eased his sedan down it, taking the transition to the ground then at a relatively easy speed. Follow the blinking light, Roger.

Re: 3

[momentoftherose.livejournal.com]

The morning air was actually somewhat chilly in the desert. But Oenone Zero had grown up in the former Alaska and had no need to bundle up. She set a beacon going, looking worriedly at the smaller scavenger cities that clustered around the hulk that was once RumbleTexas.

"Thank you, Mister Smith. Just follow the beacon. I've been remiss in n-not making you that tea I promised."

Re: 3

[paradigmstop.livejournal.com]

It was short work that brought Roger's car up the semi-remaining roads back to where the blinking dot on his car's navigation screen indicated Dr. Zero waited. He knew he was in the right place because of the... zombie robots. Rolling up slowly, his dark glasses hiding his eyes, he lowered his window.

"Fancy a ride, Doctor?"

...wait, no, not like-- ah, whatever. He internally sighed to himself.

Re: 3

[momentoftherose.livejournal.com]

"Yes, thank you."

Fortunately the double entendre doesn't even register for her and she smiles happily before loading her stuff into the back seat, trying to keep any sandy crap out of his plush leather interior.

"I'm sorry about the sand...I'll vacuum that up when we get back."

Re: 3

[paradigmstop.livejournal.com]

He nodded. "Not a problem, Doctor." Shift into drive, turn the car around, and chase back after White Chalice.

"So. Why were you all alone out here without a way back to the... ship?" he asked, checking his mirrors. He was pretty sure there would be no other cars, but he did notice the robots following him, and wanted to make sure there weren't any uninvited guests. "I mean, you would think that the Chalice would keep tabs on leaving people behind on accident...?"

[momentoftherose.livejournal.com]

The Stalkers followed them, easily keeping pace with the car, like metal runners forged by Hephaestus for an ancient Olympiad.

"Reconnaisance. Keeping track of the predator cities so we can defend the static settlements on this continent." She smiled as she said that. It was also a good excuse to feel the fresh air in her lungs again.

[paradigmstop.livejournal.com]

As they began to catch up with the Chalice, Roger nodded. "You sound like you're a busy woman, Doctor. Why did you come with White Chalice? Is it for the same reason I agreed to come with them?" he asked. He signalled the hangar with his radio, and in a few seconds the ramp began to descend. He'd have to pull off a bit of tricky driving to do it smoothly, but it should not be that difficult to drive back up into the ship.

3

[mecha_eihwaz]

Huh? Why are you off the ship, Dr Zero?

Re: 3

[momentoftherose.livejournal.com]

"I was doing some reconnaisance and had to stay out pretty late..."

[mecha_eihwaz]

Ow, you really should have brought a scouting giant suit with you, or something like that... Stay put, I will be there right away!

Did you notice anything unusual, by the way?

[momentoftherose.livejournal.com]

"I attract much less attention on foot." She activates a beacon and waits, then waves when Lily gets near. In the distance small scavenger towns can be seen feeding on the hulk of RumbleTexas. "Hello Lily. Just one predator city eating another. It wasn't going after a static settlement this time."

[mecha_eihwaz]

But... why didn't you tell everyone that before, then? We could have intervened...

[momentoftherose.livejournal.com]

"Why would we intervene? They're both predator cities. Each of them has eaten countless static settlements. Being eaten like that is the natural consequence of participating in Municipal Darwinism." A cynical attitude but a necessary one in the face of such overwhelming force.

3

[tsunpirate]

*A drache descends from the sky with a distinctive noise.

*chuckles.* Need a ride, doctor?

[momentoftherose.livejournal.com]

She shields herself from the dust kicked up and beams up at Tron.

"Yes, thank you. Let's be quick before any townie airships notice us." She glances nervously back at the wreck of RumbleTexas before having her Stalkers load her stuff and then themselves in, then climbing in herself.

[tsunpirate]

Sorry, I just thought it's not like you to be left behind like this.

[momentoftherose.livejournal.com]

She buckles herself in. All ready, cap'n.

"It was more important that I monitor the big cities so that we can protect the static settlements around here. Although I did kindof..." She goes a little pink at the mistake. "...nod off."

[tsunpirate]

*Tron hides a chuckles. That's just cute.*
So what you were doing is part of your job as a doctor?

[momentoftherose.livejournal.com]

"Even though i'm a doctor, i'm still part of the Green Storm. If noone monitors where the big predator cities are, they might sneak up and eat a static town or two before we can deploy anything to slow them down." She watches the ground recede below her. What the Storm wouldn't give for airships of this caliber...

2

[my-time2-shine.livejournal.com]

(http://s861.photobucket.com/albums/ab173/GreybillGirls/Kensuke%20Icons/?action=view&current=60f5c04232d59025be31b213c989b04b-1.jpg)

Kensuke had come down to the ground to see if he could help the good Doctor out with anything, he had realized the scope of the wreckage until he was on the ground, looking up at twisted metal, and destruction.
"Woah! This is so cool!" Kensuke got completely distracted, forgetting all together that he should find Dr. Zero before he goes wandering off, but ever a slave to his desires Kensuke couldn't resist.
He dropped his messenger bag on the ground and rubbed his hand together as he sized up what appeared to be the remains of a some kind of shop, all turned on it's side, and gutted. Ontop of it most wreckage reached out it's fingers into the quickly darkening sky.
Kensuke took a step back before launching himself forward, leaping up to get a grip on the torn building siding. Once his grip was secure he scaled it's wall easily, and before he knew it was moving up the tower of trash towards the sky.

For a moment he marveled at how easy it was to climb this, a year ago he never would have made the first jump with any kind of grace, but now his biceps rose as he pulled himself up this wreckage, the tight strong feeling that ran through his body, the power of his own strength to which he had sacrificed many long hours in the gym to gain.

When at last he came to the top his arms and legs burned, but pleasantly, but he found himself not at all short of breath... that was until he looked up. The deep darkness set the stars ablaze in the eastern sky, the west horizon still burning pink from the sun that had only slipped away a few minutes ago.
It was this light that showed Kensuke something else new.
From up here, it seemed as if fate had laid out these piles of debris, his eyes tracing a path.
If I could jump from here, to that flat place there.. I could scurry up that bent scaffolding, and onto that platform there... down through that window... His heart started to race with the idea of it. The danger of every rusty nail and rivet that stuck out, the inability to know if these junk piles where sturdy or not, and more importantly, Kensuke wondered if his body would carry him that way his mind hoped it would...

[momentoftherose.livejournal.com]

Zero watched the wreck through her binocs, when she saw a familiar figure scrambling over the jagged heaps of the wreckage. She zoomed in to confirm as her eyes went wide.

Please, God, let him have Valentine with him.

She hurriedly loaded up her pack and threw it onto one Stalker and scrambled onto the back of the other. This was a way of getting around she disliked using, mostly because clinging to the Stalker's back like a child made her look even smaller than she already was. But right now there was no helping it. She had to get there before Kensuke did something to mortally wound himself.

She went across the badland on Stalker-back, the powerful metal legs kicking up dust clouds.

There, at the top of the mound, looking like a teenage Ozymandias was her surrogate little brother.

"Kensuke!" She cried, commanding the Stalker to wave its arms and flash its menacing, glowing red eyes.

[my-time2-shine.livejournal.com]

(http://s861.photobucket.com/albums/ab173/GreybillGirls/Kensuke%20Icons/?action=view&current=tumblr_lxa1inFcOY1r5ra4yo1_500-2.png)


Kensuke pushed up his glasses, looking up at the stars for one more moment.

Jump. Jump. Jump. the wind seemed to whisper in his ear, as it pulled at the edge of his uniform shirt. The fear he expected to well in his chest was no where to be found, and maybe it was the stillness of the twilight, or the glorious shining of the stars above, but everything seemed to call him into the air.

A strange sound made him turn his head, why it was the Doctor riding piggyback on a stalker! Kensuke covered his his smile and wished he hadn't left the camera in his bag on the ground, that was actually hilariously cute.
"Heyyyy!" He shouted down to her, waving back and grinning. He didn't realize her hurry was a product of her fear, because to him it only seemed that he had an audience now.

He turned back to the sky, closing his eyes for a moment, reveling in the feeling of the coming night on his skin. He missed the earth so much when they where locked away in the Chalice, floating through the cosmos. The feel of the wind, and the color of the sky, it made Kensuke long for that feeling again, the feeling of being part of the earth, and the air, and the sky all at once.

"Let's do this." He pushed up his glasses, and unbuttoned his shirt. He slipped it off, and held it up in to the quickening wind. He let it go, and it blew away into nothing, leaving him in his red under shirt. "1.... 2.... 3...."
Kensuke rocked back and then sprang forward, every muscle of his body wound tightly as he threw himself into the sky.

For a moment he felt like he was flying, floating on the wind, frozen in the motion as time and space spread out into infinity around him.

And then all at once, his feet met the next metal decking, he tumbled and rolled ungracefully onto it, the pile creaked angrily, threatening to falling from this upset. Kensuke knew he had to move quickly, and tried not to think to hard, as he started to run along the deck, and then out along a thing scaffolding, his arms out for balance. He looked like he was about to fall more than once, leaning to far one way and then the other.
At the end of the beam he leaped again, this time almost blind. He only at a split second to aim for that broken out window, it was about then he started to wonder if this was a good idea after all....

[momentoftherose.livejournal.com]

Well maybe he was just admiring the view. Maybe his posing and sudden shedding of clothes was just his normal attraction to the dramatic. Maybe...

Oh god, he's taking a running start.

And so, then, was her Stalkers. Not needing to find hand or footholds, their claws easily punched through the plating. Her own weight didn't seem to offbalance it at all

Brother, help me protect him the way you protected me.

Soon enough, the mechanical men came up next to the window, ready to catch him if he missed. If he caught any glass on the way in though...It'd be messy, even with her own skills.

[my-time2-shine.livejournal.com]

(http://s861.photobucket.com/albums/ab173/GreybillGirls/Kensuke%20Icons/?action=view&current=wounded.png)

Kensuke didn't see or hear Dr Zero and the stalkers hot pursuit, the sound of the wind rushing past his head, and the steady drumming of his heart, the labored sound of breath rushing in and out of his lungs.

Kensuke put his arms in front of him, crossed before his face and he passed through the open space in the wall, cleanly soaring over the jagged bits of glass that where left in the frame. He hit the ground inside hard, and rolled. Here was the rest of the window, shattered across the floor, among piled of other debris, rusty nails, broken beams, everything waiting to rip open his flesh if he was to careless.
When at last his roll ended, mostly because he collided headlong with a wall. The thump resounded through the mass of metal, and Kensuke could feel the whole thing rock with the force of it.
He sat there dazed for a moment, in a heap at the base of the wall, his legs up over his head. Kensuke tried to take inventory
fingers... yup they all work. Arms, yup, legs, alright. Got all my toes, still got my glasses...
It was only when he tried to right himself did he make a mistake.
As he twisted on the ground, micro slivers of glass forced their way into the skin on his shoulders, the back of his neck, and the full length of his right arm. He hadn't even seen them, only the large chucks of glass that lay near the busted window. The cuts where razor sharp and nearly instantaneous, by the time his brain registered the pain it was to late and where was nothing he could do about.
He cried out for a moment, not in a desperate kind of way, but a deep throaty sort of yell, shouting his frustration with the glass shards out into the night.
Well at least the Doctor was close by right?

Kensuke went to the window, moving a bit slower and leaned out, looking down at her scaling the tower of junk, he forced a grin, trying to hide what he had just done to himself.
"Was that cool or what!?!"

[momentoftherose.livejournal.com]

The Stalkers climbed through the window with her on one of them, their weight distorting the frame and making the metal bend with a skreeee.

"I thought my heart was going to stop! Are you OK?"

She hopped down from the Stalker and noted the environment. Too rusted for the nearly stuffed Predatory City to bother with, it was a breeding ground for tetanus now and little more. Probably part of the eaten city's gut. It did not gross her out that they were standing in what was essentially a mobile city's colon.

Then she looked him over. Well, all his limbs and fingers seemed there at least. Thank God for small miracles. A tasteless joke about guardian angels occured to her which she immediately quashed.