[Nexus] Outside XX

[UncleWolf]

Apocacon Site

Sunny takes off her backpack and hands out the food containers - the small one for herself and the giant one for Carl, and a water bottle for each of them. "Guess we'll have to do without the blanket," she says. She doesn't really feel like going back for it, and this landscape is too blighted to worry about pollution.

Carl sits down next to her and smiles a bit when he sees the giant container. He was hungry yes, but after what happened, not that hungry. "I'm sure it'll be fine." Before he digs in though, he reaches out to take her hand and give it a squeeze. "Feeling better?" he asks hopefully.

[happyturtle]

Apocacon Site

"I'm not sure," Sunny says. It's kind of like how throwing up makes you feel better and worse at the same time.

She takes out the hand sized quiche that Carl made for the occasion, and takes a bite, surprised that it's just as good cold as it was hot. She's hungrier than she thought she'd be, and soon finishes it off.

[UncleWolf]

Apocaplot Site

Carl eats one and a half of them before saving the rest and taking a swig from his bottle. He gives her a smile. "You look better anyways."

[happyturtle]

Apocacon site

Sunny smooths her hand over the sun that Charity had painted on her backpack years ago, now cracked and faded before digging inside and taking out a screwdriver. The first screwdriver she'd found at GLoG when she still had the mind of a child and was trying to relearn the world. It was still her most prized possession, and probably always would be. She starts to take apart the leg unit and hinge from the table, until she removes a piece of rusted metal that's small enough to slip into her backpack. She couldn't say why she wanted a memento of such a horrifying event, but it just seemed right to have it.

Finally she starts to repack everything. "One more place to go," she says. She points at the hill of cooled lava looking over the plain, where the GLoG base used to stand. "There."

Spoiler

Show

[UncleWolf]

Apocacon Site

Carl gulps when he sees the tall ridge, feeling rather smaller than normal at the sight of it. With a deep breath, he digs through his cargo pockets for a pair of gloves, in case he had to climb. "Should have brought a tent, just in case it took a while..." He mutters to mostly to himself. "Oh well, I'm ready when you are."

[happyturtle]

Apocacon Site > old GLoG site

The hiking is harder going this time, the relics of war being more concentrated the closer they get to the base. They pass close to a massive artillery piece on the way that Sunny pets sadly.

The rock isn't difficult to scale, being textured enough to leave plenty of hand and footholds. Though they have to be careful to test their weight first, as it is somewhat crumbly as well.

Sunny is too busy to really think while she's climbing. But once at the top, looking out over everything, it really hits her how exposed she is.

Inhale. Count of 7.

Exhale. Count of 11.

Inhale.

Exhale.

The dead landscape around them was dreadful to look at from this vantage point. At least when they were on the ground, the weeds provided a sort of wall. At satellite level, everything was distant enough to have somewhat less of an impact. But here, a person could see everything that had been done to this place.

She stands in place, trembling, letting herself feel the fear. Carl will probably hear her start to mutter to herself.

"The fear of the thing is not the thing. The fear is a heightened response in the amygdala, based on a conditioned. The thing that hurt me isn't here, and even if it was, I won't let it hurt me again."

[UncleWolf]

Apocacon Site

Even with all the footholds and as fit as he is, his muscles aren't that big, so he's panting and sore by the time he finishes the climb. He takes a long look at the surrounding area, before watching Sunny. This time, he doesn't touch her or speak, having complete confidence in her.

[happyturtle]

GLoG Site

"I WON'T LET YOU HURT ME AGAIN!" Sunny screams.

This has been what the panic has been protecting her from. Her phobias have kept her from really experiencing the intense rage that has been bottled up all this time. She needed it bottled up while she rebuilt her life.

But now, she needs to pour it out, so she can move on. And so she does. All of her pain and rage and fear and loss, pouring out of her in waves almost palpable.

Is it any wonder that the machines respond to her, and begin to move?

[UncleWolf]

GLoG Site

Carl notices the machines start to move and gets an uneasy feeling, hoping it's just in a friendly manner. Even so, after all this time, they shouldn't be moving any more. Not to his mind. "Sunny...what's going on?" He asks, actually slightly frightened.

[happyturtle]

GLoG Site

Tanks, weapons, artillery, and vehicles start to gather below the lava hill. This was far far beyond Sunny's normal machine empath abilities. Especially when the machines began to dismantle themselves into their component parts.

"I'm building," Sunny says, reaching out for Carl's hand.

[UncleWolf]

GLoG Site

"Bu-Building what?" he asks, taking a step back from the edge, and out of her reach(without meaning to). He doesn't bother to hide the fear from his voice, obviously disturbed by the sudden power she had.

[happyturtle]

Old GLoG Site

Sunny looks back at him when he doesn't take her hand, surprised and a little disappointed. "I'm not sure. It depends on what parts are usable. But they don't like being abandoned and out of repair. I can't leave them."

[UncleWolf]

GLoG Site

"I...I guess." Carl says, taking a tentative step forward even as he shudders at the sight.

[happyturtle]

Old GLoG Site

Sunny falters when she sees how frightened Carl is, and the machines fall still.

"Wh-what's wrong?"

[UncleWolf]

GLoG Site

"It...it.." He gestures at the pile of machines. "You've never done this before. I...I didn't know you could." Carl looks at the ground, feeling a bit foolish. "Sorry. It was a shock."

[happyturtle]

Old GLoG Site

Sunny sits down on the ledge, her legs hanging over, and looks out over the machines. "I can't normally hear them calling this loud."

Not that the machines actually speak. But she believes they do.

"I could make a giant attack robot with all those parts. They'd like that. To be used for war again."

The machines remain still though.

[UncleWolf]

GLoG Site

Carl is a bit distracted by calming himself so he doesn't notice her whisper, instead looking at all the machines, and faintly wondering why people always made them bigger than Halfling size...

[happyturtle]

Old GLoG Site

Sunny stares out at them for some time. Not speaking, and not controlling them either.

[UncleWolf]

GLoG Site

After a moment of silence, Carl looks up at her before walking over to put a hand on her shoulder. "Sunny? Is everything alright?"

[happyturtle]

Old GLoG Site

"I think so," Sunny says, putting her hand on his. "I think I'm ready to go."

[UncleWolf]

GLoG Site

Carl gives her a tight hug for a long moment before letting go, giving her a slight smile. "Just be careful on the way down."

[happyturtle]

Old GLoG Site > Apocacon Site

Sunny climbs down carefully, then goes to the massive pile of parts that's resting at the foot of the hill. "I'll send some robots for these later. The scrap metal should be recycled."

It's another long hike back to the car, with more sweat and burrs and thorns and fun stuff. By the time they reach it, it's late afternoon.

[UncleWolf]

Carl's Car

Carl checks the time when he gets to the car and frowns. "Well, I can take you to GLoG, MagCave, or my place, but if it's the last one, dinner will have to be take out as it's too late to cook anything decent."

[happyturtle]

Carl's Car

Sunny thinks about it for a while. She could go back to Carl's place. But her emotions were overloaded at the moment, and it would probably be best to take some time alone to process everything.

"GLoG, I think."

[UncleWolf]

Carl's Car

Carl is barely able to hide a flash of disappointment, but after a moments thought, he understands. He gives her a bit of a smile. "Okay. I'll take you there." And assuming nothing else happens and she gets into the car, he does so.

[Reinholdt]

[Earl's Fortress]

Reinholdt flies back here, one Ermine in his pocket. No that doesn't mean anything. Hush.

Anyways, he's scouring the mountainside for that cannon they used to exit the place last time.

[VampireRot]

[Earl's Fortress]

Ermine is in Reinholdt's pocket. Which probably me- oh.

Once the air gets colder, she ducks her head down into the warm fur pocket.

[Earl of Purple]

Earl's Fortress

It's still there. Looks as though it was once on a large naval warship, because they have extremely large guns. Sticking right out of the mountain, just above the snow line. It's going to be cold.

[Reinholdt]

Earl's Fortress

Reinholdt will fly down through it just like last time, heading towards the bottom, where they put the ammo in and such and trying to avoid touching the sides.

[Earl of Purple]

Earl's Fortress- Gun Room

It is perfectly possible to fly down the cannon's rifled barrel without touching the sides. A bit of a squeeze, though. Assuming success, (if not the cold metal will stick to skin painfully) they reach a round room with a map on the walls, depicting most of the Nexus. It's quite out of date; that lake over there's gone, and Riverside's sprung up there, but a lot of stuff is accurately portrayed. Next to the gun is a table with a box on it, and there's a rack of shotguns in a corner. There's also a pile of ammunition for the cannon, and the shells are taller than the kobolds that were supposed to crew the gun. Perhaps it was mostly for show; the barrel certainly looks like it hasn't been used.