twenty three | blues drive monster

[strike_you_out]

[Following this incident]

[The remains of what had once been Josephine lay scattered in broken heaps, still smoking from the impact of whatever had happened here. Had the mech been bombed? Or had it malfunctioned so badly that it blew itself asunder? It didn't matter. What mattered was the whereabouts of its operator.

Standing motionless amidst the

Comments

[deaths_heritor]

[That was new. Susan pauses in her thankless task of zombie-slaying to observe the creature thundering its way up the street; flickering out of 'sight' out of a sort of vague instinct of self-preservation. Unless whatever ailment 'zombie-ism' counted as had rapidly mutated, it didn't seem that this could be a result of the ongoing plague. As a matter of fact...

She was fairly sure she know exactly who this was. Golden skates weren't exactly ubiquitous.

So the rampaging beast, if it has enough sense to see, will find a black-cloaked woman standing in its path with her arms crossed and an expression of severe annoyance on her features.]

[strike_you_out]

[The thunderous sound rapidly draws closer until it's nearly on top of her, before it comes to a complete and sudden halt. It's perhaps a little amazing how something so massive can stop on a dime. For a silent three seconds, he peers down at Susan, who is now engulfed entirely in his shadow.

Then he completes a 90 degree turn and continues.

If she intends to stop him in his tracks for good, she will have to do better than that.]

[deaths_heritor]

[The things she does for this boy.

With a snap of her fingers, both Susan and the Slugger-beast are hovering fifty feet in the air out past Makeout Point. It's an excellent view of the town.]

Slugger.

Would you like to tell me what this tantrum is about?

[strike_you_out]

[Problem children, what can you do?

The areal view is helpful to his quest and he immediately uses it to search what he can of the landscape below. However, as Susan begins to drill him with questioning, Slugger expresses his displeasure with a harsh roar. Unlike the rest of him, his teenage voice hasn't changed. He's reluctant to comply with a more detailed answer in part because of his deformed facial structure and because CAN'T SHE SEE HE'S BUSY HERE?]

[deaths_heritor]

[Susan takes the roar in stride.]

It might help you enunciate if you could actually close your mouth. I believe a few phonemes require touching the tongue to the roof of your mouth.

Consider that you'll get whatever you're looking for faster if you cooperate.

[strike_you_out]

[A low growl arising in his throat, Slugger narrows his eyes. At least she'd concluded on her own that he's in the process of searching for something. His inhumanly broad chest gives a few irritable heaves before he submits...]

Pokey.

[As expected, it comes out far from clear--one needs lips that reach beyond one's teeth to accomplish the "p" sound--but the "-okey" part is discernible enough.]

[deaths_heritor]

[Cokey Dokey Hokey Mokey Loki -- Wasn't he in town? -- Nokey Poh -- Aha.]

You do know I can find anyone in the world just by thinking hard enough? Did you ever think to ask?

[strike_you_out]

[His eyes grow perfectly round and his chest ceases moving. The quietly intense stare suggests that, no, he hadn't thought of that before, but he is now.]

[deaths_heritor]

I'm disappointed. I didn't think you'd ever lose your head completely. But, I suppose, at times... no matter how much we may believe otherwise... we're all a little bit more human than we think.

[There is a certain irony in saying this to Slugger at a time when he appears less human than he ever has before.]

You'll stop your fit of temper, I hope?

[strike_you_out]

[Slugger will notice the irony later. For now, he gives a quick nod of his head and leans eagerly forward.]

[deaths_heritor]

Good.

[Susan will glance down for a half moment or two before coming up with.]

...Do you see that street over there?

[She'll point.]

Try the garbage bins. Either that or a hole in the ground. Your friend won't be winning many awards for courage, but he's done nicely for himself on survival.

[strike_you_out]

[There truly exists no better mother than Susan. Gaze following the direction of her finger, Slugger prepares to leave. But not without giving her the name of another missing person who managed a while ago to cross into his path.]

Luke.

[The name is spoken without error. Then, Susan is suddenly alone in the airspace above Makeout Point.]

[deaths_heritor]

[Yes. Luke. If Slugger had run across him, then they had just missed him by a few moments. Susan will stare after her prodigal son for a moment or two before returning herself to the streets of Mayfield; from there, she'll reunite with Edward.]

((Hooray for continuity!))