break-between-the-walls - Tumblr blog

[break-between-the-walls]

Not anymore, thankfully. We were able to turn a lantern on earlier.

About letting them fight, though… the problem is, whoever “wins” might come out stronger. If Anti gets the info he wants from Psyode, he could get out and start “deleting” stuff. And if Payode manages to capture him, they could study him and make some sort of crazy possession-gun or something.

"Hm..." Jackie frowns. "That's true... I guess I didn't think of the whole 'what doesn't kill you makes you stronger' thing." They sigh, leaning back against a lamp post. "Fucking hell, man. This is all so much. But uh... about your thing. Congrats. So I guess you guys are getting... stronger? More powerful?" They smile. "That's great!"

A car turns onto the street. Jackie immediately runs, super speed pushing him into an alleyway in seconds. He pressed into the shadows and watches the car go by. It doesn't stop. Once it's out of sight, he lets out a breath of relief. "This close to the edge of the city, I just know that Psyode people might be passing by. You know, sometimes I think about going out to the compound again and breaking in. But that's stupid."

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[cough] You okay?

“Gah!” Jackie jumps in surprise. “Oh I forgot you guys were back. Yeah I’m fine. I’m just… patrolling around and… thinking.” They stare into the distance again. “Part of me wonders if we should let Anti and Psyode take each other down. Then pick off the lesser of the two evils, y’know? I mean, we’re not sure how to stop either of them.” A deep breath. “But uh… how have you guys been? No… super-long pauses?”

[break-between-the-walls]

[Yeet!]

Blur.

A blur.

What's happening?

Things are... moving.

Moving?

Moving moving moving moving...

What is... moving? Move...ment?

...

Jackie stops running, leaning against a lamppost and looking around, on edge. He's out on the side of the city, having run over the bridge to the other side of the river where the buildings are more spread out. They'll eventually peter out into the wilderness. Jackie stares in that direction, as if he can see something in the distance.

[break-between-the-walls]

I dunno, I mean, we could give it a shot. If you don’t hear back in a second, then it worked.

"Alright, go on," Chase says. "Like you said, it's worth a shot."

Good luck! Jameson adds, smiling.

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Yeah, Marvin seems like he’s been through a lot. I’m glad he’s got a friend like you.

Jameson smiles. Thank you!

Chase leans back, rocking slightly where he's sitting. "Jackie would be losing his mind if he heard us being so nice about Marvin. He's been softening up to him lately but he's still got beef with him."

Where is your brother, anyway? Jameson asks.

"Ha, never heard someone use the phrase 'your brother' in real life when they know the person. Only seen that in TV shows. Usually people just say the person's name."

It's different in sign language, Jameson says. Where is he?

"Jackie's out doing patrols around the city," Chase explains. "I wonder... Maybe the ghosts could... switch to him? Or does being around me sorta override that?"

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Yeah… he probably wouldn’t hesitate to make a big show of it if he found this place…

Chase sighs. "Yeah..." He pulls his legs close to his chest while he still sits on the bed. "That guy... that guy freaks me out." He looks at Jameson. "Um... I think... I-I think it's really impressive that you lasted that long under him."

Jameson blinks. He's clearly touched by that. I... well, I did what I could. Thank you. He smiles slightly. I just... Anti threatening to go after Marvin really got to me. I couldn't let Marvin go through any of that.

"Right, I-I forgot that's why you cooperated with him," Chase stammers. "It, uh... it seems like a lot to do for him, though."

Well, I care about him, Jameson says. I know he's prickly to everyone else, but he's really nice beneath that. You just have to get past his layers of defenses.

Chase laughs. "Yeah. You're... you're a good guy, you know."

Thank you.

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Hey Chase! We’re back. We turned on a tiny lightbulb!

"Hwa?" Chase blinks.

In my battery lantern, Jameson explains.

"Ohhh!" Chase nods. "Without turning the key or anything? Cool! A bit worrying, but cool."

Worrying? Jameson asks, confused. Because of Anti?

"Yeah... just, if they can do it, could he do it?"

Well yes. But he would need to be close by for something so intricate, which he is not.

"How can you tell?" Chase asks nervously.

Because he's not subtle when it comes to me, Jameson says.

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“If I want to stick around?” I don’t have a lot of options. At this point stopping Anti seems easier than going home.

Jameson nods slowly. That's true... if you ask me, they both seem like impossible tasks. But perhaps that's a pessimistic outlook. I'm just... not sure how to defeat something that's made of pure energy. Even if Anti was human once, he isn't now. How do you defeat energy?

Chase snorts and rolls over. He opens an eye a bit—then starts in surprise as he notices Jameson. "Gah!"

Sorry! Jameson says, backing up.

"What—oh, that's 'sorry,' right." Chase rubs his eyes. "It's fine. I'm just... on edge." He laughs. "I feel like I'm always on edge these days."

Jameson nods slowly. I know the feeling.

"What?"

The same, Jameson says, and gestures between the two of them.

"Same? Oh. Yeah, I guess you would know what it feels like."

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Oh. Yeah, it’s one am or something, right? Maybe we should just go back.

…What if one day I could laser-cut wood with my mind? That would be awesome.

...It is not one am. It is, at most, one PM. Jameson looks concerned. Did you not see how bright it was outside? It's the next day, remember? Maybe you were confused by me reading by candlelight. That's just because there's no central light in the shed and I... still don't fully trust electronics. Even battery-powered ones. He leans against the nearest wall. It WOULD be awesome, actually. And probably helpful, if you want to stick around to deal with the Anti situation.

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I wonder what else we can do… maybe we could move through power lines?

Well, from what I understand, you can't go too far from Chase, right? Or Jackie. Jameson goes to the back door of the house. So I'm not sure if that, in particular, is possible. But who knows? Either way, that sounds difficult.

Jameson heads into the house slowly, looking around cautiously. He walks from the kitchen into the living room, where Chase and Jackie have everything set up. There's a full-size bed on a rickety-looking metal frame in one corner, with two twin-sized mattresses shoved onto it awkwardly. Chase is lying on one, face-down in a pillow. Asleep.

...well now I'm not sure I want to disturb him, Jameson says.

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I can do it! That’s awesome! [I let the lantern turn off.] I can’t wait to show Chase and Schneep and everyone else!

Congratulations! Jameson gives a little round of applause and a slight smile. In fact, I can go get Chase right now if you'd like. He stands up, making sure to blow out the candle, and heads for the door, walking out into the backyard. Assuming he's still here, of course, but one of them must be, if you're here. He walks up to the house and peers through the glass. This was once the house's kitchen before it was abandoned. There's no sign of anyone right now, though.

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[I try to turn on the light. Energy in the battery, moving fast enough through the wires, makes the filament glow- simple, right?]

After a minute, the light of the lantern flickers on, a faint glow in the wire inside the bulb. Jameson instinctively tenses but then forces himself to calm down. Yes, that's what I thought you were trying to do. It's a lot weaker than what A-ghost can do, but you have it. A-ghost... that must be Anti.

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Computers are generally considered pretty secure, and they can be, sure. But not if the person you’re trying to hide from can use electricity…

…speaking of. Can I try something with that lantern?

Jameson nods slowly. Maybe it's just a product of my time period then. I can use phones and computers well enough, but something about them still seems so... mysterious? Mystical, even. Like I'm casting spells while using them.

He goes quiet for a moment, eyes distant. Then he shakes his head to bring himself back to the present. Oh, of course. I think I know what you want to do, but try anyway. He pushes the lantern further into the center of the shed.

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Nothing much happier. Marv and Jackie, they had their meeting with Anti. And I… might have gotten frustrated and accidentally told him to hide in Psyode’s computers for his answers…

Jameson sighs. Yes, they mentioned that. Honestly I don’t know why he didn’t try that sooner. But I wasn’t about to question him. Maybe their computers are protected somehow? Who knows. Don’t be too hard on yourself. He might not even find what he wants there. If I was part of Psyode, I wouldn’t put the most secret things on the computer. But maybe that attitude is a product of my time period.

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Yesterday? Oh wow. Well, I guess if you’re caught up… did they tell you what we suspected? That Anti was one of the test subjects at Psyode?

Jameson nods slowly. Yes, but… it’s hard to believe. I can understand why something that isn’t human would be fine with kidnap, torture, and mind control, all in order to destroy the universe. But… how could someone who was once human be okay with destroying everything? He shakes his head. It baffles me. Maybe I’m just too optimistic but… at the very least, you’d think a human would understand the gravity of deleting the universe. What does he think will happen to him? Is he okay with existing out in empty space alone?

After a long pause, Jameson sighs. Well that’s depressing to think about. Any other subject matter you want to bring up?

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Aww, that’s nice. I agree, he’s a nice guy. He seems convinced nobody will like him.

We were with Chase and Jackie earlier, actually. There’s a lot to talk about.

Jameson nods. No, you're right. That's exactly it. I shouldn't share his baggage, but... let's just say that I was always a bit worried for his health. He pauses. Yes, I know you did. That was yesterday. They haven't told me much. Is there anything you want to bring up in particular?

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Huh. That hoodie- did Mag give you his? What happened after you met him, anyway? It seemed like you both grew pretty close.

Jameson blinks. What? No, this is mine. Though M-friend did give it to me. It was a gift for my birthday. He walks back to the sleeping bag and sits down, careful to not knock over the candle as he does. It's custom-made, he says it cost a lot to have it made for me. This is an image of the Great Rift. It's a formation of cosmic gas in the night sky that you can see sometimes... or at least, you used to be able to. Light pollution has gotten worse.

Sorry, what was your question? Oh right, what happened after we met. Jameson bites his lip.Well... he sort of took me in. Helped me learn more about this time period. It was a bit awkward, at first. M-friend isn't good at interacting with people. But we got used to each other... He smiles faintly. Became great friends. He's a good man, even if he doesn't see himself that way.