#334 - Republic
Vote.
"Maybe it's a Brood," Daniel said, blurring on the spot. "They grow inside people." Erin stared. "They do! They grow inside you and take you over and you grow tentacles and turn green and then you become a Brood yourself, only it's not really you, it's the egg inside you that's taken you over and--"
Erin interrupted. "Is he green?"
"You're green," Fred said.
"You're fat."
He nodded sagely. "True dat."
Charles chuckled. They all looked at him, Daniel nervous, Erin glaring, Fred with vague interest. "Sorry," he said, smiling sheepishly. "It's just -- you rhymed."
Fred laughed. Erin glared harder.
"Never mind all that," Daniel complained. "We all know it's not Mike, right? I mean, we're agreed on that?" Fred shrugged a little, a slow roll of massive shoulders. Erin and Charles just nodded. "Maybe it's a demon -- some kind of demon--"
"It could be bunnies," Fred offered. The other three looked at him with various expressions of confusion. "The musical episode of Buffy? No? Wow, you just made me feel really old."
"That's the one they made about the slayers and then got half the details wrong, right?" Charles asked.
Fred nodded. "Charity gets really annoyed; it's pretty fun."
"Am I the only one focusing on the real problem here?" Daniel cried. Fred nodded again, and Daniel made a frustrated noise, vanishing in a blur.
"Look," Erin started and then Daniel breezed back in, vibrating like a struck pole. "...do you have any idea how irritating that is?"
"Yes!" he hissed. "I'm the one stuck inside it! We have to do something!"
"I could sit on you?" Fred offered.
"Not about me," Daniel snapped. "About the thing pretending to be Mike. This whole Reformation thing, it's just too much. We have to stop it."
"How?" Erin asked.
Daniel blinked at her, an unsure smile slowly forming. "You're going to help?"
"I didn't say that. I just wanna know if you have an actual plan."
"Well, no," Daniel admitted. "But we could come up with one. If we're all agreed. Or well, if we three agree, because Fred will just go along with whatever."
"Hey," said Charles.
"No," said Fred, "that's fair."
"So, a vote," Daniel said, raising his hand. "I'm in."
"I guess I'm in," Charles said. "I'm not sure what you think we can do, though."
"...fine," said Erin. "But only because it's a telepath and we're already all screwed anyway."
"Great!" Daniel beamed. "So we can--" He blinked, coughed, blood trickling from his mouth, and fell over.
"Hello," said Moonstone. Charles tried to get out of his seat and then the table was smithereens and he was flying backwards amidst the burning embers of his chair. Erin screamed and lunged, was caught, hit the wall hard enough to crack the stones and herself, fell limply. "And goodbye."
"Go Reformation," said Fred, raising his arms a little. "Woo."
Moonstone smiled. "You, I like." He grinned. "Not that much, big boy. Here we go."
And as they watched, copper veins bloomed and glittered through their fallen comrade's skin.
"Maybe it's a Brood," Daniel said, blurring on the spot. "They grow inside people." Erin stared. "They do! They grow inside you and take you over and you grow tentacles and turn green and then you become a Brood yourself, only it's not really you, it's the egg inside you that's taken you over and--"
Erin interrupted. "Is he green?"
"You're green," Fred said.
"You're fat."
He nodded sagely. "True dat."
Charles chuckled. They all looked at him, Daniel nervous, Erin glaring, Fred with vague interest. "Sorry," he said, smiling sheepishly. "It's just -- you rhymed."
Fred laughed. Erin glared harder.
"Never mind all that," Daniel complained. "We all know it's not Mike, right? I mean, we're agreed on that?" Fred shrugged a little, a slow roll of massive shoulders. Erin and Charles just nodded. "Maybe it's a demon -- some kind of demon--"
"It could be bunnies," Fred offered. The other three looked at him with various expressions of confusion. "The musical episode of Buffy? No? Wow, you just made me feel really old."
"That's the one they made about the slayers and then got half the details wrong, right?" Charles asked.
Fred nodded. "Charity gets really annoyed; it's pretty fun."
"Am I the only one focusing on the real problem here?" Daniel cried. Fred nodded again, and Daniel made a frustrated noise, vanishing in a blur.
"Look," Erin started and then Daniel breezed back in, vibrating like a struck pole. "...do you have any idea how irritating that is?"
"Yes!" he hissed. "I'm the one stuck inside it! We have to do something!"
"I could sit on you?" Fred offered.
"Not about me," Daniel snapped. "About the thing pretending to be Mike. This whole Reformation thing, it's just too much. We have to stop it."
"How?" Erin asked.
Daniel blinked at her, an unsure smile slowly forming. "You're going to help?"
"I didn't say that. I just wanna know if you have an actual plan."
"Well, no," Daniel admitted. "But we could come up with one. If we're all agreed. Or well, if we three agree, because Fred will just go along with whatever."
"Hey," said Charles.
"No," said Fred, "that's fair."
"So, a vote," Daniel said, raising his hand. "I'm in."
"I guess I'm in," Charles said. "I'm not sure what you think we can do, though."
"...fine," said Erin. "But only because it's a telepath and we're already all screwed anyway."
"Great!" Daniel beamed. "So we can--" He blinked, coughed, blood trickling from his mouth, and fell over.
"Hello," said Moonstone. Charles tried to get out of his seat and then the table was smithereens and he was flying backwards amidst the burning embers of his chair. Erin screamed and lunged, was caught, hit the wall hard enough to crack the stones and herself, fell limply. "And goodbye."
"Go Reformation," said Fred, raising his arms a little. "Woo."
Moonstone smiled. "You, I like." He grinned. "Not that much, big boy. Here we go."
And as they watched, copper veins bloomed and glittered through their fallen comrade's skin.