HIGHWAY TO THE DANGER ZONE!

[leekspin]

Who: Orihime Inoue, Skyfire, SURPRISE GUESTS (Closed)
What: Orihime and Skyfire discover that yes, you CAN go into outer space from Nautilus! Unfortunately, their flight is cancelled by a dark presence.
Where: SPAAAAAAAAAAACE!
When: Some time between March 28th and April 4th
Warnings: Dark themes and some frightening material

Comments

[wherenobotsgone]

Oh, he had missed this. Space was what Skyfire was built for, after all. Having the chance of sharing it with a friend was even better. He couldn't wait to find out how different this would be from his own universe, back home. Everything was going so well...

Which meant, of course, that it couldn't last for long.

He'd always had good reflexes. At Orihime's warning, he turned around immediately and speeded away, saving the questions for after he'd moved.

"What's wrong?"

[leekspin]

She didn't answer at first. They should have been back in Nautilus by now, making her think she wasn't focused enough. But after a second, third, and fourth attempt to pull them back to the city of change, she realized that the problem wasn't due to her lack of skill.

Something was blocking her Angelii abilities completely.

"It's that Aeon," she said quietly, the color leaving her face. "It's here. It knows we're here." She dropped to her knees as a numbness overrode her legs. "Skyfire-san, I'm so sorry!"

[wherenobotsgone]

"It's not your fault," he said, trying to sound calmer than felt. It didn't quite work.

He meant it, however. It was the first thought that came to mind - making sure Orihime didn't blame herself.

The second thing that came to mind (and he didn't really notice that he wasn't listening to his own advice) was that Sideswipe would never forgive him.

"... is there anything we can try?"

He didn't dare keep his hopes up, but he hadn't stopped accelerating just yet.

[leekspin]

"I'm not sure," she shook her head, pushing herself to her feet and staggering for the bags she'd buckled into his seat. "Just keep flying as far and fast as you can! I'll try to radio Nautilus and warn them. If the city goes any higher up, they'll run right into it!"

Orihime could feel its sickening presence like an ooze plopping onto her skin and sliding down her spine. It was stronger than before, she thought with a frown, forcing her fingers to work faster as they shook. When it had first struck, it had left behind all those who were capable of teleporting. It hadn't been able to stop the Angelii who had come to the rescue of their fellow citizens. If it was able to block Orihime from going anywhere, though, then there was no telling what else it would be able to do.

[wherenobotsgone]

"I'm on it."

If flying away was all Skyfire could do, then he would try his very best at it. The only good thing he could see at the moment was that at least this hadn't caught them later in their trip. He still had plenty of fuel, his thrusters and engines were in top form, and he wasn't even tired.

... of course, that would change and fast, if he kept making his best effort for long. But that was something he couldn't afford to think about just now.

[leekspin]

Orihime's smile was quick and strained, but she was grateful for Skyfire's efforts. She dived back into her bag, wishing she'd been a little more careful as she packed up the last things she used more frequently and had waited to stash until it was time to go. Her communicator book was one such item.

She gave a short cry of triumph once she managed to lay her hands on it, and her comb and toothbrush both clattered onto the ground as she wrenched the book loose from her bag. But upon cracking open the pages, she knew something was already wrong. The ink was starting to bleed, with thick black smudges running down the pages.

Swallowing against the dryness in her throat, she immediately tried to dispatch her message, wiping at the 'window' frequently as the ink started to burble and stink.

"Don't wind the chains!" she blurted out, panicking as the Aeon's reiatsu grew more powerful and cloying. "I repeat, don't wind the chains! The Aeon is here! Skyfire-san and I can't teleport away, and it...it's right on top of us! Right on

[wherenobotsgone]

Well. That didn't take long, then. Skyfire still tried not to slow down, more out of sheer stubborness than because he thought it'd do any good. He'd just feel worse if he gave up. It was exhausting, however, and he didn't know how much longer he could keep it up. Chances were it wouldn't make any difference, anyway.

... and he'd spent so much time winding those chains, too.

"Do you think they got the message?"

He almost dreaded to ask it, but he couldn't help himself.

[leekspin]

He wasn't the only one who had been enthusiastic about winding the chains...at least until Lelouch cautioned them against it. Surely Hekket hadn't done such a thing intentionally, though! He was an ally of Nautilus, and a friend! He wouldn't willingly put them into so much danger.

She hugged her knees a little tighter, because there was a tiny voice in the back of her head that whispered quietly, but firmly, 'Maybe he did.'

"I hope so," she said, resisting the urge to reach up and touch her hairpins. She wasn't sure if the Aeon knew she could use them as a weapon or not. She'd certainly never tried matching Tsubaki against anything higher than the level of an average Wakened. If they went up against a manifestation as fast (or faster!) than the average Angelii, then they were in trouble.

"We're going to fight, ne?" she said quietly.

[wherenobotsgone]

"We are," he said. It took some effort for his voice to come out steady, but somehow he managed it. "We'll do our best."

Skyfire wasn't a fighter. Far from it, in fact. And he was quite aware that, all appearances aside, he couldn't protect Orihime - she was an Angelii already and more powerful than him.

But if the only thing he could do was stand alongside a friend, well, he was still going to try.

[leekspin]

She smiled a little. She was scared too, unsure of what was to come, unsure if their deaths would still result in awakening within Nautilus days later. Maybe that wouldn't be the case if they died on the surface of a different city. Worse, if the warning wasn't heeded in time, or if it didn't get through, Nautilus itself might actually die.

Orihime pushed herself up to her feet, taking a deep breath, and forcing herself to let it out slowly. She couldn't let herself be afraid, especially not with her friend's life on the line along with hers. The distance of Nautilus from the pole of Chaos made Bending useless, particularly if the Aeon still fed on that link between the city and its people. That left her with only her native powers, and Skyfire's size and strength.

They had to do this.

"Good luck, Skyfire-san."

[wherenobotsgone]

One of the downsides of being used to scientific thinking was that Skyfire was quite aware of just how bad their odds were. It was made even worse by the knowledge that he'd had his second chance already. He should have died on Earth millions of years ago... What chance did he have of lucking out like that again?

He tried not think about that. It made no difference, anyway.

All that was left to do was prepare himself as much as possible. He raised his shields and readied his lasers - he wasn't sure how much they'd help against an Aeon, but it was all he had.

"... yes. Good luck."

[lets_get_rapey]

He watched.

On what level the creature understood what was happening - if he understood at all - was difficult to say. There were certain things that he knew. He had a purpose. He had a goal. He existed. And, in existing, he knew that his purpose must be fulfilled.

What, if anything, he thought of the Cybertronian and its occupant was difficult to say. Had his memories as a Wakened not been so insubstantial next to what came after, he might have recalled more about the metal creature slowly approaching. He might have recalled the time when his own form had been twisted into a machine.

But he didn't recall. It no longer mattered.

He watched. And - as that violet power surged through him again, flaking off a fresh layer of flesh as it rippled through - he judged.

Their guilt. Their sins. Their fears. He would punish them all.

He watched, and he waited.

[aeon_nightmare]

The aeon was in no particular rush to reel in the large space-going vessel. It basked in their conjoined fear and unease, as well as their despair and resignation. They would suffer, and through them, those who resided in the despised city of Nautilus would suffer at their impotence to help their captured friends.

At last Skyfire was brought down with a dull thud on the broad plain of a nightmarish landscape. It was as if someone had painted the Western District, and then made it ten times more macabre with the stink of blood, twisted and blackened plants, and assorted bits and pieces of humans and Cybertronians scattered haphazardly over the rocky ground as if an enormous massacre had taken place here not more than minutes ago.

Perhaps that was exactly what happened.

[leekspin]

(OOC: You guys don't have to wait for me, since I'll typically post Orihime and Puddles at the same time! NO POSE ORDER GO NUTS!)

Orihime waited near the ramp, waiting for it to be lowered. Her hands were balled into fists. It was impossible to say if her powers would work or not, especially since she couldn't even begin to grasp at Bending. Just a hint of willpower would have been more effective, but she hoped the Aeon didn't know what she could do, and wasn't prepared to deal with a force that could split enemies in two.

...Then again, she'd used her powers briefly during the evacuation all those months ago, so it probably knew to some degree...

"I'm ready, Skyfire-san. Let's beat it up!"