#Prison: Run and gun hack

[tinyshyteacup]

Taglist: @kellynickelsgirl00 @dixonsbridexx @yikes-myguy @blackwidownat2814 @euqsia @lliteratii @imadisneyprincessiswear @satata @smashleywow @misspendragonsworld @captain-shannon-becker @i-doutt-it @bookies16 @brianna-merlim @insaneintheemembranev2

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TW: cussing, early seasons Daryl, angst, descriptions of walkers (Zombies) , firearms, mentions of dealing with hunted animals, kidnapping, mentions of unalived character, canon level racism.

Part 11

Dead Weight - Part 12

The prison corridor echoes with the newborn's cries, piercing through the concrete walls like a beacon to the dead.

You stand in the doorway of the cell block, watching as Daryl cradles Lori's baby in his arms with surprising gentleness.

His rough hands, calloused from years of surviving, look almost delicate as they support the tiny head wrapped in a makeshift blanket.

Your chest tightens at the sight.

"She needs formula," Hershel says from his seat, his voice grave. "Soon, or she won't survive."

The weight of his words hangs in the air. Another loss so soon after Lori would break what little remains of Rick's sanity.

He'd been gone for hours now, disappeared into the depths of the prison, hacking away at walkers in his grief-stricken rage.

The leaves on the trees beyond the fence have turned vibrant shades of orange and red, nature oblivious to the apocalypse unfolding beneath it.

The walkers at the fence snarl and reach through the links with decaying fingers, drawn by your movement.

"Take the bike," Daryl says to Glen, handing over the keys to his motorcycle. A gesture that speaks volumes about the urgency of the situation.

Glenn nods, taking the keys. "We'll be back before dark."

"Y'better be," Daryl muttered, his eyes briefly flicking to you from under his fringe before returning to Glen.

Glen and Maggie saddled up for the run. It was supposed to be quick—check the town over the ridge, grab baby formula, and be back by midafternoon. Daryl had even muttered that it was probably a waste of gas.

“Ain’t nothin’ left in that dump,” he said, but there was tension in the way he checked the fuel twice anyway.

You stood near the gate as they left, arms wrapped around yourself. Glen had promised he'd grab something sweet if they found anything. Maggie smiled, hopeful, tired.

You watched until their silhouettes disappeared down the road.

Daryl didn’t watch. He just clicked the gate shut, jaw tight.

Glen feels Maggie's arms tighten around his waist as he navigates around a small cluster of walkers on the highway. The motorcycle's engine growls beneath them, loud enough that he winces at the attention it might draw.

But they need speed now more than stealth.

The landscape blurs around them—abandoned cars with open doors, scattered belongings that tell stories of panic and flight, the occasional corpse that hasn't risen. The road ahead is relatively clear, a small mercy in this world of endless complications.

"There!" Maggie shouts over the engine, pointing to a green sign indicating a shopping center at the next exit.

Glen nods, slowing as he takes the exit ramp. They're entering a small town now, buildings lining either side of the main street. The streets are eerily empty save for a few walkers that turn at the sound of the motorcycle.

"Let's try there," he says, pointing to a small grocery store with its windows intact. "Might have a baby section."

He parks the bike behind the building. The silence after cutting the engine is jarring, making every small sound—the distant moan of walkers, the rustle of leaves, their own breathing—seem amplified.

Maggie dismounts first, drawing her knife. Glen follows, taking his gun from its holster but keeping it lowered. Bullets are a last resort these days.

"Stay close," he whispers, moving toward the back entrance of the store.

The door is locked, but a broken window nearby offers entry. Glen climbs through first, glass crunching under his boots as he lands in what appears to be a storage room. He helps Maggie through, their hands linking together.

"We get in, find the formula, and get out," he says softly, before bringing her hand up and pressing a kiss to her knuckles before dropping it again.

"No detours, no matter what we see."

Maggie nods, her green eyes serious in the dim light filtering through the dirty window. "For the baby."

They move cautiously into the main area of the store. The shelves are mostly empty, picked clean in the early days of the outbreak, but some items remain scattered on the floor—canned goods dented and forgotten, packages of dried pasta, a child's stuffed animal stained dark with something neither wants to identify.

The baby section is partially intact. Glen feels a surge of hope as he spots several containers of formula pushed to the back of a shelf, as if someone had been interrupted while taking the ones in front.

"Got it," he says, reaching for the containers and stuffing them in a stray shopping basket. "Let's see if there's anything else—diapers, wipes."

Maggie keeps watch at the end of the aisle as Glen gathers what they need. Her posture is tense, one hand wrapped around her knife, the other ready to draw her gun if necessary.

"Glen," she whispers urgently. "We've got company."

He turns to see three walkers shambling toward them from the front of the store, drawn by their voices or movement or simply by the presence of fresh meat in their territory.

"Back the way we came," he says, zipping up the backpack. "Quick and quiet."

They retreat toward the storage room, but a crash from that direction freezes them in place. More walkers, coming through the broken window they'd used to enter.

"Front door," Maggie decides, pulling Glen toward the main entrance. "Run!"

They sprint past the approaching walkers, dodging grasping hands and snapping teeth. Glen slams his knife into the temple of one that gets too close, the blade making a sickening sound as it penetrates the rotting skull.

The front doors are chained shut from the outside, but a large display window beside them has been shattered. They climb through, careful of the jagged glass edges, emerging onto the main street just as more walkers round the corner of the building.

"The bike," Glenn gasps, pulling Maggie toward the alley. "We need to—"

His words cut off as they round the corner and come face to face with a man standing beside Daryl's motorcycle. A man with a metal apparatus attached where his hand should be.

A man Glen recognizes instantly.

"Well, well," Merle Dixon drawls, a slow smile spreading across his face. "Ain't this a surprise."

Glen instinctively pushes Maggie behind him, his gun coming up to point at Merle's chest. "Stay back."

"That any way to greet an old friend?" Merle asks, stepping forward despite the weapon aimed at him. His own gun—secured to his metal stump in place of a hand—rises to match Glen's. "Especially one who you folks left for dead."

"You left us no choice," Glen says, his voice steadier than he feels. "You were out of control."

Merle laughs, a harsh sound that scrapes against Glen's nerves. "That what Officer Friendly told you? That what my baby brother believes?"

"Daryl went back for you," Glenn says. "We all did."

"Not soon enough," Merle snarls, all pretense of friendliness vanishing. "But that's water under the bridge now, ain't it? 'Cause I need you to take me to him."

Behind Glen, Maggie's breath quickens. The walkers from the store are approaching from behind Merle, drawn by their voices.

"We need to go," Glen says, gesturing to the approaching dead. "All of us. We can talk about this somewhere safe."

Merle glances casually over his shoulder at the walkers. "Don't think so, Chinaman. You're gonna take me to my brother now. Drop the gun."

"I'm Korean," Glen mutters automatically, not lowering his weapon. "And we can't. We have to get back—there's a baby that needs this formula."

Something flickers across Merle's face—surprise, perhaps—before it hardens again. "Well now, that complicates things, don't it?" He aims his gun at Maggie. "Drop it, or your pretty girlfriend gets a new hole to breathe through."

Glen's heart pounds in his chest. The walkers are getting closer. They're running out of time and options.

Glen slowly places his gun on the ground.

He gestures with his gun toward a vehicle parked further down the alley—an old pickup truck. "Move. Both of you."

As they're forced toward the truck, Glen catches Maggie's eye. Her expression is a mixture of fear and determination, and he knows she's thinking the same thing he is they need to find a way out of this, not just for themselves but for the baby waiting back at the prison.

Merle binds their hands with zip ties he produces from his pocket, shoving them into the back of the truck. As he starts the engine.

"The formula," Glen says as Merle begins to drive, the walkers falling behind them. "The baby will die without it."

"Should've thought of that before you left me chained up on that roof," Merle replies coldly, turning onto the main road and accelerating away from the town.

Glen looks at Maggie, silently promising her they'll find a way out of this. She nods slightly, understanding the unspoken communication born from months of surviving together, of building a life amid death.

What neither of them notices is the figure a few blocks back, a hooded woman with a sword strapped to her back and a gunshot wound in her leg, watching as the truck disappears around a corner.

The woman staggered her way to the prison, her dark eyes wary but determined. Blood trickled from a wound on her leg, and her breathing came in labored gasps. Yet she carried herself with a warrior's pride, a katana strapped to her back glinting in the fading light.

As soon as you saw Carl take off you followed him, detriment not to let him shoulder more adult responsibilities then absolutely necessary.

Daryl passed 'Lil Asskicker' to Carol before shrugging his crossbow onto his shoulder following after both of you.

Carl had already reached the inner gate, gun drawn. "Who are you?" he demanded, voice cracking with the effort to sound authoritative.

The woman regarded him with surprise, clearly not expecting to be confronted by a child.

"I saw your people," she replied, leaning heavily against the fence. "Asian guy and the girl."

Daryl pushed past you, his body language instantly aggressive. "Where are they? What'd you do to them?"

The woman's eyes narrowed. "I didn't do anything. They were taken."

A cold wave of dread washed over you. "Taken? By who?"

"A man with a metal thing on his arm," she answered, gesturing to her own arm.

The cell block was tense with whispered conversations and fearful glances as you helped Beth prepare a bottle for the baby form the formula the woman, Michonne had brought with her.

She sat, albeit reluctantly on a metal bench while Hershel tended to her wounds.

Her story had come out in terse, clipped sentences: a place called Woodbury, fortified and led by someone called the Governor.

"Your friends were taken there," she explained, wincing as Hershel cleaned a particularly deep gash on her leg. "It's about eight miles from here."

"And they just let you go?" Carol asked skeptically, cradling the fussing infant.

Michonne's expression darkened. "I wasn't with them. I was... leaving Woodbury. Saw the abduction from the woods. Followed your people's trail here."

"Why?" You asked, although there was nothing accusatory in your tone as you measured baby formula carefully. "Why help us?"

Her eyes met yours, filled with a pain that went beyond physical wounds. "The Governor... he's not what he seems. And those people, your friends, they don't deserve what's coming to them."

The implication hung heavy in the air. Daryl, who had been pacing like a caged animal, suddenly slammed his fist against a table, crossbow still strapped on his back like it was just another part of him.

"We gotta go get 'em," he growled. "Now."

"We need a plan," Hershel cautioned, finishing the bandage on Michonne's leg. "Rushing in will only get more people hurt."

In the dimly lit interior of the truck, Glen watches the passing landscape through the small rear window, trying to memorize landmarks, turns, anything that might help if they manage to escape. Beside him, Maggie remains tense but calm, her eyes occasionally meeting his in silent communication.

Merle whistles tunelessly from the driver's seat, seemingly unbothered by the tension thick enough to cut with a knife. The metal contraption where his hand should be taps against the steering wheel in an irregular rhythm.

"Must say, I'm surprised my baby brother took up with you people again after Atlanta," Merle says conversationally, as if they're on a pleasant road trip. "Always was too soft for his own good."

"Daryl's not soft," Glen retorts before he can think better of it. "He's survived just like the rest of us. Better than most."

Merle chuckles, a sound devoid of actual humor. "That right? And I suppose he's all domesticated now, playing house with Officer Friendly and his band of misfits?"

"He's respected," Maggie speaks up, her accent thickening with emotion. "He's a valued member of our group."

"Bullshit," Merle scoffs. "You mean the same group that left me chained to a roof?"

"You were out of control," Glen repeats his earlier assertion. "And like I said, we went back for you."

"Too little, too late," Merle replies, his voice hardening. "But water under the bridge now, right? We're all gonna have ourselves a nice little reunion."

The truck turns onto a road lined with tall pines, the branches creating a tunnel-like effect that makes Glen feel even more trapped. He tests his bindings subtly, but the zip ties are secured too tightly to offer any hope of slipping free.

"Where exactly are you taking us?" Maggie asks after a stretch of silence.

"Someplace safe," Merle answers, his tone mocking. "Walls, electricity, running water. Regular paradise in this shithole world."

"And what happens when we get there?" Glen presses.

Merle glances at them in the rearview mirror, his eyes glinting with something that makes Glen's stomach turn. "That depends on how cooperative you decide to be. Governor's gonna have questions. About your group, your numbers, your weapons."

"Governor?" Glen exchanges a look with Maggie. "What kind of place is this?"

"The kind that's gonna survive this mess," Merle says with conviction. "The kind with rules, order. The kind that's building something while the rest of the world burns."

The trees begin to thin, and ahead, Glenn can make out lights in the gathering dusk—actual electric lights illuminating what appears to be a massive wall constructed from salvaged materials. Guards with rifles patrol the top, their silhouettes visible against the darkening sky.

"Welcome to Woodbury," Merle announces as they approach the fortified entrance. "Home sweet home."

The gates swing open as the truck approaches, revealing a street that looks like a snapshot from before the world ended—clean, orderly, with actual working streetlights.

People—living, breathing, uninfected people—move about with a sense of purpose that seems alien after months of desperate survival.

[huffelpuff210]

Connection part one

You didn’t know exactly how everything had ended up this way after the split of the avengers everything seemed to go south from there you didn’t exactly call yourself an avenger you were a hacker an exceptionally good one. But after the beef that happened between Steve and Tony everything went south you were considered a threat to the government and Tony agreed since you aided Steve’s escape. So you were contained treated worse than a dog. Not getting fed regularly interrogations that led to beating the shit out of you sometimes.

But you were able to bide your time and finally make your escape you were especially good at hiding keeping a low profile you grew up on the streets until you hacked into the wrong server and caught the attention of Tony Stark that’s was how you became one of them you wanted to go with Steve but he told you it would be better for you to stay where you would be safe, you were only a teenager at the time so you could understand where he was coming from but if he knew the sort of hell you were put though.

You sighed as you opened the door to the rundown house this was one of your safe houses no one knew about except Natasha, this was your families vacation home that was until they were killed when you were only five now it has been marked as condemned but on the inside it was still livable the condemned sign was just a cover.

You were not really sure how you made it this far on foot but you finally made it. You were badly bruised, you were barely able to stand too weak and tired you knew no one would know where to find you so you were safe for the time being how long was unknown to you just depends on how fast they find this place.

Steve,Bucky,Natasha Wanda, vision and Sam were in hiding in a crappy apartment building laying low they have been on the run for five years and still keeping a low profile, they were all just relaxing while one of them stays on lookout.

“Breaking new Y/N L/N broke out of a maximum security containment facility, she is extremely dangerous” the news woman reports

“Turn that up.” Steve says clearly shaken from the news

“I thought you said she would be safe?!” Natasha yelled it hurt her deeply leaving you behind you were like the daughter she would never have.

“I thought she was..” Steve says clearly shaken

“If you have any information about her Whereabouts call…”

“We need to find her.” Wanda says

“At least before they do.” Vision says

“Let’s not jump the gun here, let’s try to think how she is.” Steve says he was feeling guilty he left you behind to protect you, learning you were in prison all this time pained him deeply.

“Where would she go if she’s being hunted.” He asks

Natasha knew the answer but would you want to see any of them you spent five years in prison and they practically abandoned you. Five years is a long enough time to change. But they had to try.

You cursed at yourself for being so short thankfully your parents were paranoid people sure you don’t remember much about them but they were convinced the world was going to get nuked and they were prepared for it. This house works off of solar panels the water and everything even the heat and air it was amazing,you were trying to screw a new light bulb in the bathroom the light turns on.

“About time.” You mumbled you take a good look in the mirror. You looked like a ghost of your former self your face was covered in bruises and cuts dried blood, dark circles under your jade eyes, your skin was pale.

Of course this didn’t surprise you, the place you were held barely fed you let alone cared about your health,

You sighed turning on the shower, feeling the hot water hit your skin it felt so refreshing

you just hopped this is the start of a new beginning.

[worldoffanfics]

🧼 Soap x CIA Analyst!Reader — Part One

Summary: You accidentally hacked the Pentagon. Laswell gave you a choice: federal prison, or working for the CIA under Task Force 141. You're 19, brilliant, sarcastic, and completely unprepared for someone like Johnny “Soap” MacTavish.

(According to google Soap is about 23-26 years old...I don't play cod I just like Neil)

Rating: Teen 16+ YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR MEDIA CONSUMPTION

Author notes: This is my first time writing fanfiction—please be gentle. Also this is fanfiction don’t get all “Soap wouldn't do that” you’ll never know because he’s dead and not real (this fanfiction is catered to me and what i like) : >

Tags: Age gap, Hacker!reader, CIA!reader, Fluff

》* 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ * 。° 。 • * 。° 。 • * 。° 。 • * 。° 。 ˚《

🧼 Soap x CIA Analyst!Reader – First Impressions

Soap side-eyed you the second Laswell introduced you, whispering to Gaz, “She looks like she’s still taking her SATs.” He was expecting some hardened spook, not someone with oversized headphones and a hoodie that said “I void warranties.”

You were cross-legged on the floor of the tech lab, surrounded by open laptops and wires, eating cereal straight out of the box like it was your natural habitat. To Soap, it looked less like a military assignment and more like someone had broken into a server room and just decided to stay.

Your first words to him were, “Nice fade. Did the clippers run out of battery halfway?” It caught him so off guard that he blinked twice before laughing—half offended, half impressed.

He stood there stunned, staring at you like you’d just challenged him to a duel. Soap was used to respect or at least intimidation from new recruits—not some teenage hacker roasting his haircut in front of Price.

He tried telling you a dramatic story from a mission in Syria, thinking it’d impress you. But you didn’t even look up from your laptop, just muttered, “Cool. I crashed a North Korean satellite once by mistake.”

You assumed he was all biceps and zero brain cells—just another loud guy with too many guns and not enough security clearance. He, on the other hand, was sure you'd burst into tears the first time someone barked at you over comms.

Within the first week, the team was betting on how long it would take before one of you snapped. Either one of you will kiss one another or one of you will put a bullet through someone’s head. The tension between Soap's broody energy and your dry, deadpan sarcasm was enough to light the entire barracks on fire.

One morning, you accidentally rolled your chair over his foot and didn’t even look up. He groaned loudly, overdramatized the pain, and later filed a fake report accusing you of “reckless driving of government-issued swivel equipment.”

You called him “Bootcut Barbie” after walking past the gym and catching him flexing in the mirror. Instead of getting mad, he grinned and started calling you “Control Freak Barbie” every time you told him to use a stronger password.

Neither of you noticed how often you gravitated toward each other during team meetings or meals. You always ended up sitting next to him—whether it was for sarcastic banter or the occasional smirk exchanged across the table when Laswell got frustrated.

Thank you for reading! Notes and feedback would be appreciated.

[lightninghikaru]

Ohhh! Since someone has already asked for the idw and prime role swap, what about the role swap for the movie? The movie did a slightly different take from the game. I’m not sure if you’ve seen the sonic movie. But if you have, perhaps the beginning scene of how Shadow escapes Prison Island except this time it’s Sonic. It’s different from the game since Eggman isn’t the one to free him, and Shadow ends up breaking out in a fit of rage and with G.U.N following him it turns into a whole brawl in the city of Shibuya. And perhaps the scene where Shadow meets Sonic while trying to catch the ‘rogue alien’. Obviously with your twist on it, since the characters still have their similar personalities, I’d love to see it!

God, now I have to think about this logistically… Okay this AU technically has their backstories fundamentally the same. Gotta make some foundation to play off of… SO! That means movie one is a few years after Shadow’s comet crashes on earth. I’d say Maddie found him instead of Tom because why not? Tails was a disciple of Longclaw's descendant and goes to Shadow for help after Knuckles discovers he had the map to the Master Emerald. (Brief explanations of movie one and two) 

Longclaw would have died but Sonic gets caught by GUN 50 years ago and emotionally attaches to Maria once she comes into play. Same thing they harvest his Chaos energy and combat training (they are playing with the idea of making him a super weapon along as a battery) When GUN kills Maria with his own energy he goes off like an EMP and he is put on ice because he can’t control his grief and keeps exploding. 

Gerald is still the one who hacks GUN to release Sonic. He explodes again, taking out power within Prison Island and giving him the chance to escape. Sonic gets lost in the city and GUM eventually tracks him down But he holds them off easily. 

That’s where Team Shadow comes in! Shadow only agrees to assist as long they receive confirmation that GUN will leave him and his family alone. He knows they are trying to find the Master Emerald. 

Now it begins… 

The three land to the ground, Shadow teleporting there and Tails flying Knuckles down. They all access the situation. Seeing the streets littered with destroyed tanks and weaponry. Soldiers and civilians were running away from all the carnage. 

“What happened here?” Knuckles asked, looking around. 

“GUN tried to fight something they obviously couldn't handle.” Shadow said. “Stay alert and keep your eyes open. Tails, anything?” 

Tails looks over his handheld with a surprised expression. “Whoa… these readings are off the charts. They look similar to yours.” Tails said, 

That wasn’t good, though something at his level of power would explain why GUN was eating dirt right now. 

There’s a loud crashing sound followed by a flash of blue before a tank is sent flying at them. Shadow goes to protect Tails as Knuckles stops the tank with sheer strength. Beginning to show off, Knuckles shifts the weight to hold the tank with one hand. 

“One million percent.” Knuckles gloated, tossing the tank aside. 

Shadow noticed a silhouette of someone approaching from the smoke atop the tall pile of wreckage. 

That’s when they all saw him.

A hedgehog, similarly, sized to Shadow but his fur the most vibrant blue he’s ever seen. The major difference was this strange Hedgehog's quills were curved downward instead of his upward ones. 

“Shadow… He looks just like you.” Tails said, shocked, 

“Impossible!” Knuckles said. 

Piercing green eyes glared down at them before there was a glint of surprise for a moment. “Well aren’t you a colorful bunch?” The stranger said, 

“Why do you look like me?” Shadow said accusatory. Was he from a comet like him? 

“Like you? I think you got it wrong there Stripes. You look like me. I think you should answer that first.” Sonic said, 

“I’m asking the questions around here, Hedgehog,” Shadow said with a snarl. 

The new Hedgehog rolled his eyes, “This is a waste of time. I’ll give you one warning. Walk away before you get hurt.” He said. 

“We don’t want to fight you.” Shadow said, pulling out the indestructible cuffs his younger brother made. Shadow sees the blue hedgehog visibly tense to the sight of the cuffs before he puffs angrily. 

“Actually Shadow, I would like to fight.” Knuckles whispered, 

“No,” Shadow said, gently pushing Knuckles’ face away from his own. “Would you be willing to come down here and talk?” Shadow called out to the Hedgehog again, he’d like to know if this stranger could tell him who he is. 

“You jumped out of a GUN Helicopter.” The Hedgehog snarled, “There’s nothing to talk about.” He turned away ready to leave, 

“Alright then, Enough!” Knuckles charges in, 

“Knuckles, no!” Shadow yelled but it was too late. 

“Let us talk with our fists!” Knuckles said, jumping into the air to swing an attack at the stranger. In a flash of blue, he moves faster than any of them could register. To the untrained eye, the Blue Hedgehog would appear to have blinked beneath Knuckles. 

He’s struck into the air, kicks hitting faster than he can register. One final strike knocks him into a convenience store. 

“Knuckles!” Both Shadow and Tails yell running over to him. 

“Are you okay?” Shadow asked. The two of them help Knuckles get back to his feet. 

“No, not really… Ow!” 

The strange Hedgehog stood in the street, waiting for them to do something. 

“Who is this guy?” Tails asked. They all get into a battle ready stance, unsure if he would attack again. 

“He is much more impressive than the Hedgehog I fought previously.” Knuckles said as Shadow snarls at him. 

“Knuckles focus! He can’t take us all at once!” Tails said confidently. 

But his confidence is quickly shattered as the stranger grabs Tails by his namesakes and throws him to the side. Dashing to Knuckles and striking him out with a fist of electric energy. Then slamming Shadow into the remains of a car. 

“Don’t try to follow me.” The blue Hedgehog said, throwing Shadow to the side and running down the street. 

Tails gets up and moves closer to Shadow wincing as he grabs his arm. Noticing Shadow looking in the direction The stranger went. “Shadow, I know that look… Going after him is a bad idea.” 

“When has that ever stopped me?” Shadow said running after him, 

He had to stop this Hedgehog. He could be the answer he’s been looking for. Did he also come from a comet? Does he have his memories? 

“Looks like you’re not good at listening.” he said rolling his eyes. 

“I have questions.” Shadow said, dodging a strike at him. The blue Hedgehog caught him off guard before but now he was prepared. 

“I have a question for you too. Who does your highlights?” He said with a laugh after hearing Shadow growl. “Oh, not one for a lot of words huh? That's alright I can fill in the blanks. Because we’re just getting started!” The stranger shoves Shadow before running up ahead. 

“The more you talk, the harder I want to hit you.” Shadow said, taking a swing at him but he easily dodges. This hedgehog definitely had professional combat training. Even with the somewhat lighthearted energy he was always prepared. Perhaps that’s why he acted so cocky. 

Their sparks of energy clash, gold and blue striking all around as their race took them up Tokyo tower. Breaking through the top as they take a swing at one another. Their energies melding before exploding out and blasting them both back. Causing all of Tokyo to go dark. 

[theender36]

I got some thoughts on Sonic 3 that I wanna talk about so

⚠️ Spoilers for the movie Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (2024) ⚠️

Love that the riff from Live and Learn is used as a leitmotif for Shadow but also Maria was playing it on her guitar which is sad and now I'm picturing Shadow playing that riff in his head all the time

Right before Shadow busts out of containment his heart monitor starts going and then stops which I'm interpreting as his heart beating so fast it doesn't register

They didn't outright say it but Gerald is the one who hacked into GUN to revive Shadow. I don't think they addressed how he got out of prison but he probably built something in his cell

I love the running gag that Ozzie the golden retriever resents Sonic

Loved the joke about Sonic's security system (nunchucks) still working (hit himself in the face again)

Shadow has always been a foil for Sonic but the movie fully realizes the potential of that dynamic in my opinion. They both have a loneliness deep inside from losing someone they loved but Sonic was able to move on and find more family. Shadow hasn't had that chance yet

They used the "Talk about low budget flights" line!

The credits said they used the City Escape music but I must have missed it

Wild that they gave Shadow a gun and a motorcycle again and made it work this time. It probably has something to do with him doing the Akira slide up the side of a building

The CG animation really shines in this movie. I kept looking at how good the reflections in their eyes were. And the fight scenes just had so much slick movement and speed while also properly conveying what was actually happening

When the egg-drones show up, you assume they're going after Team Sonic. But Gerald is controlling the drones so they were definitely gunning for Walters

A Traveling Wilburys song during the flashback was a surprise to be sure but a welcome one. However, I will nitpick the fact that the song End of the Line came out in 1988, which would have been 14 years after Shadow was locked away

Biolizard cameo as the kaiju in the movie Maria and Shadow are watching

Eggman says something about having some unknown quality that makes him "totally undesirable to all possible genders" which suggests to me that he has tried dating loads of people with various gender identities (Woah, he's pansexual! I didn't know that!)

You may ask why the plot treats G.U.N. keeping the other key to the Eclipse Cannon like it's a bad thing. For one thing, the Robotniks are gonna try to steal it, and for another, I don't think a secretive yet fallible military organization having access to a doomsday weapon is a good thing

The concept of G.U.N. keeping a vault that has no records of it so that people can't visualize it to use Warp Rings is very cool and almost SCP-esque

Big fan of Shadow's solution to a telenovela love triangle being for the woman to just kill the two men vying for her affections

Love the subversion of a fight between Sonic and Knuckles with Knuckles instead relenting because he trusts that Sonic will do the right thing in the end

That being said, Knuckles desperately needs a flying island to keep the Master Emerald safe because Wade just ain't gonna cut it

There are a small handful of moments where I think Jim Carey did a really good job of dramatic acting. In particular, the final flashback to Maria's death where he manages to really show the loss and heartbreak Gerald experiences despite wearing a goofy prosthetic

Gerald turning ice-cold to Eggman when he says "You're no Maria"

So glad they did a DragonBall-style Super fight between Sonic and Shadow. If you're gonna make a movie with a bunch of CGI, you might as well go a little nuts with it

You may ask "how are Sonic and Shadow breathing in space?" The same way they do in the games babeeeyyyyy

Shadow and Gerald really wanted to kill the whole world and themselves. And once the Cannon was charged, Shadow didn't care anymore. He was totally willing to let Sonic punch a hole in his chest

Of course, Sonic comes to his senses and is willing to talk with Shadow after sparing him. I love that what changed Shadow's mind was remembering what Maria told him about the stars. That even when they're gone, their light still shines

They literally Lived and Learnt

I wish the Live and Learn sequence wasn't interrupted by Gerald giving Eggman an over-the-knee grandpappy spanking but what can you do

I'm glad that Tails and Knuckles weren't just sidelined for the third act. They show up to save Eggman, help redirect the Cannon, and then save Sonic. Would have been really awkward if they made such a big deal about teamwork only for Sonic to wrap up the conflict on his own

Tails is really chill about Eggman stabbing his grandpa in the butt and launching him into a giant bug zapper

Eggman comes to terms with his own loneliness and is willing to sacrifice himself to save the world not just because he wants to rule it but because he has someone to care about

Missed opportunity for a "Sayonara, Shadow the Hedgehog"

I know it's still a family friendly movie but it's odd that Tom got kicked by an enraged hedgehog moving at the speed of light and all he got was an arm in a sling

The mid-credits scene got me hyped. I can't wait to see who they have voicing Amy. And I like the decision to have an army of Metal Sonics

I hope the next movie explores more about where the animal characters come from because we really don't know much. I'm guessing whoever is behind the Metal Army is from there

Post-credits scene, of course Shadow lived but I'm hyped to see what direction they take that in. Are they gonna do the amnesia thing or will he just be stranded somewhere?

I know that using Chaos Control requires an emerald and the movies established that the Chaos Emeralds are held within the Master Emerald but it sucks they never said it except for in the Shadow Generations DLC. So uh 0/5, do better

[ky-randomshitposting]

MacGyver 2025 Writing Promts!

Not all are MacGyver based so if you're not part of that fandom feel free to still use these!

Go wild, combine days, skip days, use these for art instead and whatever you want! Feel free to tag me in any fics or art you make (Even if I'm not in the fandom!)

January 1 • New Years Confessions 2 • Mission gone poorly 3 • Nightmares 4 • Hurt/Comfort 5 • 5-1 6 • Sick Day 7 • Team Meeting Under Different Circumstances 8 • Diner Au 9 • Codex 10 • Whump 11 • The Organization Causes Problems 12 • James Macgyver Being A Shitty Father 13 • Matilda Rescuing The Team 14 • Disavowed 15 • Peaceful Day At The Park 16 • Day Off 17 • Mac + Gun 18 • Working With The Enemy 19 • Dealing With Grief 20 • Movie Theater Au 21 • Insomnia 22 • Double Drabble 23 • Cuddling 24 • Car Accident 25 • Murdoc Returns 26 • Mac Gets The Team Out Of Trouble 27 • Riley Finds Something She Can't Hack 28 • Love Confessions 29 • Kidnapping 30 • Wilderness Survival 31 • Bomb Disarming

February 1 • One Bed Au 2 • Comfort 3 �� Alone 4 • Corruption Arc 5 • Fake Relationship 6 • Oversight And Mac Never Meet 7 • Fake Death 8 • Chloroform 9 • Gunshot Wound 10 • Afghanistan Days 11 • Cairo 12 • Jack Being The Team's Dad 13 • Therapy 14 • Poisoning 15 • Swiss Army Knife 16 • Protecting Cassian 17 • Murdoc + Handcuffs 18 • Supermax 19 • Mission Gone Right 20 • Physical Exhaustion 21 • Working Out/Training 22 • Assassination 23 • In Love With Someone Else 24 • Secret Relationship 25 • Unable To Save Everyone 26 • Torture 27 • Self Doubt 28 • Marriage Vows

March 1 • Mac + Chemicals 2 • A Deal With The Devil 3 • Casino 4 • Jack Returns From The Kovac Mission 5 • Mac Asks For Help 6 • Bozer's Cosmetics 7 • Murdoc Saves The Team (Possibly Accidently) 8 • Black Pepper + Wound 9 • Trapped 10 • Under Water/Downing 11 • OneShot 12 • Celebration 13 • Making Bets 14 • Birthday Celebration 15 • Running Away 16 • Forest Fire Verses Team 17 • Song Fic 18 • Bioweapon 19 • Nikki Lies 20 • Thornton Gets Caught 21 • Trying Something New 22 • Watching The Sunset/Sunrise 23 • Jack Saves Mac/Riley 24 • Loud Fight 25 • Nearly Avoided Plane Crash 26 • Bounty Hunters 27 • Amnesia 28 • Doctor's Visit 29 • Tramatic Injury 30 • Corn Maze + Lost + Murdoc 31 • Paranoia

April 1 • Terrible No Good Day 2 • Stalking 3 • Carnival 4 • Hunter/Hunted 5 • Stranded 6 • Heist 7 • Mac Leaves The Team 8 • Break Up 9 • First Kiss 10 • Prison Escape 11 • Black Site 12 • Safehouses 13 • Flash Backs 14 • Slowly Dying On The Phone/Last Phone Call 15 • Funeral 16 • Medical Leave 17 • Mac Breaks Another Phone 18 • Secret Diary 19 • Party 20 • Unexpected Relationship 21 • Coming Out 22 • Canon Typical Violence 23 • Magic Au 24 • Library Au 25 • Hurt/No Comfort 26 • Drunk 27 • Pen Pals 28 • Arachnophobia 29 • Self Care 30 • Terrorist Organization

May 1 • Acrophobia 2 • Ducktape + Panic + Mac 3 • Love Triangle 4 • Fire + Extinguisher 5 • Matty Being Strict/Concerned 6 • Hidden Injury 7 • Rare Pair 8 • Stargazing 9 • Explosion 10 • The Ghost 11 • Jill Morgan 12 • Samantha Cage Joins 13 • Secrets 14 • Undercover Op 15 • Role Reversal Au 16 • Prison Breakout 17 • Bozer + Sticky Notes 18 • Riley + Trapped 19 • Matty Goes Missing 20 • Sandbox Days 21 • Hidden Injury 22 • Mac + Shoelaces 23 • Murdoc On Comms 24 • Experimenting Gone Wrong 25 • Cartel 26 • Corrupt C.I.A 27 • Amber Causing Problems 28 • Hostage Situation/Negotiation 29 • Handling Depression 30 • Trauma Response/Flinching 31 • Day At The Beach

June 1 • Haircut 2 • Dying Saving Someone 3 • Choose A Random Item And Find A Way For Mac To Use It 4 • Jumping Out A Window 5 • Stealing A Painting 6 • Safe Cracking 7 • Losing Hope 8 • Cassian's Summer Break 9 • Nicholas Helman 10 • Jonah Walsh 11 • Flower Picking 12 • James Macgyver Dies 13 • Paperclips 14 • Lost Swiss Army Knife 15 • Riley Or Bozer Tries To Quit Or Quits The Team 16 • Mac Goes With On The Kovac Mission 17 • Collapse Building 18 • Chemical/Oil Spill 19 • Chernobyl 20 • War Injury 21 • Cruel Choices 22 • Leaving Someone Behind (And Coming Back For Them Later) 23 • Riley Hacks The Government 24 • Jill Morgan Lives 25 • Cassian Finds Mac Cool 26 • School Reunion Science Fair 27 • Video Game Night 28 • Breaking And Entering 29 • Jack + Captured 30 • Hidden Fears

July 1 • Jigsaw Scenario 2 • Mac Pretending To Be Murdoc 3 • Riley's Undercover Op 4 • Write A Story With A Word Count Outside Of Your Usual 5 • Bar Night 6 • Talking To The Moon 7 • Late Night Run 8 • Bones (Broken, Found, Fossils ect) 9 • Jack's Medical Leave 10 • Panic Attack 11 • A Favor 12 • Aromantic Or Asexual Character 13 • Nyctophobia 14 • Murdoc's Hit List 15 • The Organization's Assassination Attempts 16 • Mac + Gun Power 17 • Medical Emergency 18 • Late Night Phone Call 19 • Angst 20 • Fake Sleeping 21 • Drugged 22 • Brain Fog 23 • Poor Cooking 24 • The Team Saves Mac 25 • Soul Mate Au 26 • Blizzard 27 • Stressful Drive To The ER 28 • Adopting A Pet 29 • Stabbed 30 • Haunted 31 • Orginal Character

August 1 • Area 51 2 • The Team Finds Matty's Files 3 • Mac Has Trust Issues 4 • Jack & Mac's Co Dependency 5 • Ticking Noise (Could Be A Bomb, A Clock, Who Knows) 6 • Mac Hates Medical Leave 7 • Bakery Au 8 • Murder Mystery 9 • Jack + Bomb + Mac 10 • Happy Ending 11 • Sleepless Nights 12 • Accidental Murder 13 • Matty Retires 14 • Samantha Doesn't Return To Australia 15 • Taking Down A Cult 16 • Alternative Au Where James Never Left Mac 17 • Bozer Finds Out About The Phoenix 18 • Riley Joining The Team 19 • Amber Returns After Murdoc Had Warned Her Not To 20 • A Phoenix Day Off (Probably Interrupted) 21 • Meaningful Coversations (At The Worst Time Possible) 22 • Mac And Riley Fall Asleep On Jack 23 • Internal Bleeding 24 • Wishing Upon A Star 25 • Father/Son Bonding (Jack & Mac or Murdoc & Cassian) 26 • Babysitting 27 • Lack Of Taking Care Of Oneself (Noticed By Another Team Member) 28 • Mac Being Reckless 29 • The Team Travels Somewhere New 30 • Ethan Reigns & Matty 31 • Fainting

September 1 • Breakfast In Bed 2 • Horror Movies 3 • Celebrating A Holiday 4 • Crutches 5 • Suffocation 6 • Bed Rest 7 • Airplane Travel 8 • Hiding In Plain Sight 9 • Crossover Au 10 • Unhealthy Habits 11 • Hand To Hand Combat 12 • Winter Time 13 • Running Out Of Time 14 • A Miracle 15 • Murdoc Leaves A 'Gift' 16 • Secret Service 17 • Night Light 18 • Lying 19 • Feigning Innocence 20 • Leaving Clues 21 • Dramatic Murdoc 22 • Vacation + Cocktails 23 • Anxiety 24 • Heat Exhaustion 25 • Long Term Undercover Op 26 • Lone Survivor/Survivor Guilt 27 • Broken Glass 28 • Ambulance Ride 29 • Flame Thrower 30 • Improper Use Of Chemicals

October 1 • Gasoline 2 • Bazooka 3 • Fireman's Carry 4 • Paperclip Collection 5 • Fascination/Obsession 6 • Taking Apart Electronics And Making Something New 7 • Multiple Love Interests 8 • Ufo 9 • Visiting A Pumpkin Patch 10 • Bozer Accidently Starts A Fire 11 • Nikki Is Not Who She Claims (Again) 12 • The President Is In Danger 13 • Welcome Party 14 • A Letter Goodbye 15 • Missed Calls 16 • Pain Relief 17 • Zombie Apocalypse 18 • Vampires 19 • Reckless Driving 20 • Transgender Character 21 • Moving Away 22 • Teacher Au 23 • Nightshade 24 • Hypothermia 25 • Helicopter 26 • Smoke 27 • Camping 28 • Light bulb + Lightning 29 • Push Pins 30 • Mac + Skyscraper 31 • Halloween

November 1 • Quarantine 2 • Acid 3 • Tar Pit 4 • Murdoc + Sniper Rifle 5 • Abandoned Warehouse 6 • Ice Skating 7 • Exchanging Letters 8 • Doing Drag For A Mission 9 • Insanity 10 • Dealing With Psychopaths 11 • Long Term Memory Loss 12 • Dazed 13 • Loss Of A Friend 14 • Forgetting Your Own Name 15 • Mission Gone Poorly (But Ends Up Fine) 16 • Rescuing People From A Cave 17 • Jill Catches Murdoc 18 • Bomb Hidden In Package 19 • Mixed Feelings 20 • Evacuation 21 • Bookcase Door 22 • Old Photo Albums 23 • Jack's Dog Tags 24 • Facing Their Biggest Fear 25 • Volcano Eruption 26 • Team Evaluation 27 • Held Captive Long Term 28 • Murdoc's Father 29 • Prom Night 30 • Injured Jack

December 1 • Drinking Hot Cocoa 2 • Electrical Fire 3 • Fixing The Toaster 4 • Movie Night (Die Hard Perhaps) 5 • A Letter Containing A Threat 6 • Home On The Range 7 • Jet Engine 8 • Fighting (Verbally Or Physically) 9 • Injured Matty 10 • Flower Picking 11 • Derealization 12 • Hallucinations 13 • Almost Happy Ending (Something Goes Wrong At The End) 14 • Snow Skiing 15 • Caroling 16 • Desi + Mac + Codex 17 • Saying 'I Love You' Too Late 18 • Bonfire 19 • Snow Day 20 • Team Meeting 21 • Ice Cubes + Mac 22 • Chemical Burns 23 • Cassian + Murdoc + Holidays 24 • Holiday Baking 25 • Christmas 26 • Mac Making A Tazer Out Of What He Has In His Pockets 27 • Fire Escape (Comes In Handy) 28 • Mistletoe 29 • Movie Theater Au 30 • Night Vision 31 • Sharing A Kiss On New Years Eve

(Some Days May Be Similar Or The Same Accidently)

[girlfriendsofthegalaxy]

tuesday again 5/21/2024

get a load of this cat

listening

one of my favorite bands, Joywave, dropped a new album last week! it is not my favorite album of theirs but so it goes. perhaps it needs more time to grow on me. Sleepytime Fantasy kicks off my favorite section of the album. video game enchanted ice cave dream sequence music.

i must stay true to my own rules for this series (not a rec series, genuinely what i've been into the most this week) and the song that's been on loop all week is a genshin impact character's theme music (punchy wolf-coded ice cop who is the duke of the prison he. runs? administers? don't worry about it). unfortunately a bop. the character music lately has been a lot more modern and experimental than i expected? this one has a police siren drop

-

reading

thank you mackintosh.

i really, really enjoyed Trouble And Her Friends by Melissa Scott (LAMBDA award winner 1995)! @delta-orionis and i frequently ask ourselves "what if neuromancer was good?" and this scratches that itch for me. it is often difficult for me to take neuromancer's protagonist henry seriously, but this book features a pair of extremely practical dykes. it opens on the passing of a new american law criminalizing big swathes of online activity, passed despite a presidential veto. description from amazon

Less than a hundred years from now, the forces of law and order crack down on the world of the computer nets. The hip, noir adventurers who get by on wit, bravado, and drugs, and haunt the virtual worlds of the Shadows of cyberspace, are up against the encroachments of civilization. It's time to adapt or die. India Carless, alias Trouble, got out ahead of the feds and settled down to run a small network for an artist's co-op. Now someone has taken her name and begun to use it for criminal hacking. So Trouble returns. Once the fastest gun on the electronic frontier, she had tried to retire-but has been called out for one last fight. And it's a killer.

this startled me by how fun and competent it is! i tried reading one of the author's books last year (Dreamships) and had a miserable time with the pacing and flow of information. there are echoes of the pacing issues i had with the last book-- this is a nearly four hundred page hardcover, we have a lot of Next Locations to go to, and we are going to take our fucking time getting there. a road trip book, rather than a destination book. Scott has gotten way way better at fleshing out those locations— an artists' co-op has their skylights set to amber to hide the wear and tear on everything in their central hangout space when the feds show up. i also connected with the inciting incident way more-- someone stealing a female hacker’s name and style is instantly relatable. i am riding shotgun with Trouble. i am ready to throw down with her.

it's a very physical book in many ways, bc it has three brief sex scenes, is very concerned with sensuality in both senses of the word, and overall it's like the background in an anime that’s full of dials and buttons and little blinky lights. written in 1994, fascjnating how much concepts of VR and sensory inputs have not changed, but everyone still has the equivalent of an enormous old school desktop and giant CRT monitors set up. everyone is constantly lugging around so much physical tech. the stuff that makes you better at hacking in the net is quick reactions to VR sensations, the only way to get that cutting edge sensation is to get a physical chip or “worm” in your head, and the only people who do that are the core outcasts and freaks of the internet (the gays, the women, the people of color, the all three, presumably the furries as well). from that day to this…

there's an interesting contrast between Trouble and her old partner Cerise stalking the virtual reality bazaars/being queens of the BBS undergrounds, and the danger they feel and face when moving about in the real world. some reviewers are very cranky about how negotiations on and offline feel the same but i did not feel this particular quibble. communication is communication. it is known both on and offline that they're 1) women and 2) lesbians. they're in less physical danger online but slurs can still happen no matter where they are. also, i am well used to the necessity of having to posture and peacock and be kind of a bitch to establish myself in order to get anything done in coding/hardware scenes, which is something i don't think any of the male reviewers of the day ever had to think about.

some cowboy shit goes down at the end that had me hooting and hollering, and Scott handled the hacking scenes in an interesting way-- a sort of abstracted duel? terrific "fight" scenes. very interesting at how she will move things around in order to treat scenes in ways she's good at-- like establishing very grounded locations that feel real, physical sensations, and fight scenes-- instead of just kind of slogging through a very surface level high-overview travelogue like in her last book. ive been stuck on a fic chapter for like four years and this is making me think about doing it the fun way instead of the way i thought it should be done. this may be obvious but i am an amateur and more importantly an idiot.

this was a $6/1 book special last year at one of my favorite thrift stores, a religious shop with the absolute worst vibes in the greater houston area but some of the best stuff

-

watching

Five Dolls For An August Moon (1970, dir. Brava). sometimes you see a cool title on kanopy and you don't have a better way to kill an hour and a half. plus it had some guys i know from cowboys. tw for a suicide's body in the first fucking ten seconds of the trailer, which is a weird trailer choice bc u don't actually see most of the murders in the movie.

ive watched a fuck of a lot of spaghetti westerns so i feel i am somewhat qualified to tell you this is one of the worst dubs ive ever seen. the lines actors are quarter-heartedly delivering do not always make a lot of sense and only occasionally match the subtitles. i am assuming this is the original dub, bc kino lorber generally does a pretty okay job restoring things?

this is not a good movie (extremely troubled production, director swap three days before filming, made on a shoestring budget, the actors mostly wore their own clothes, etc). it is not very good at maintaining tension, because it is a film that first and foremost Looks. beautiful fucking sets, beautifully decorated. the exterior is a matte painting, a sort of frothy dream-bubble of sixties architecture. most of the interiors are apparently a real house. incredible experimental burbling soundtrack full of Weird Sounds.

sorry about the tubi interface and our old friend the activate windows logo.

there are so many fun directorial flourishes and staging, but it does get a little wrapped up in itself. this made me think of The Secret of NIMH, a beautifully animated talking-animal film that gave me nightmares as a child, where the animation tricks and sparkles and moving parts sort of all get in each other's way to produce something less than the sum of its parts. this sort of happens here. i'm going to yoink this from a review:

Bava’s eye for exquisite compositions is equally evident. One scene in particular stands out in this regard: The filmmaker shoots an otherwise humdrum fistfight through wooden latticework that breaks the action up into an abstracted mosaic effect. The fight culminates with a table being upended, which in turn unleashes a myriad crystal spheres. The camera follows along as the spheres tumble and cascade down a spiral staircase and roll across a tiled floor before plopping like so many bath bubbles into a tub. The scene concludes with the revelation of a recently deceased character caught in what you’d have to call a tableau morte. It’s a dazzlingly orchestrated sequence, easily on par with more famous Bava set pieces.

it's gorgeous! there's also So Much going on. another lovely bit of business: as each person dies they get wrapped in plastic sheeting and put in the walkin freezer. next to slabs of beef. not a subtle film, and i don't mean it as a diss, bc where's the fuckin fun in that?

-

playing

i have not been doing much of anything here except listen to podcasts and work toward the two-thousand-fish-caught achievement in genshin. impatiently waiting for Clorinde to be released in several weeks. that one button needs a raise. it is So funny to see genshin characters with fucking guns. very sword and pike based societies so far

-

making

every time i have tried to make one of these samplers for Me it's gone horribly wrong or been somehow destroyed so i'm making this one for my brother's upcoming birthday, bc he will have off-campus housing next academic year, in an attempt to peacefully do some fucking cross stitch and get something out at the end of it. pattern here on etsy

[ross-sluggo]

im now realizing typos and that i should probably explain this a little better because i only have so much space in the damn poll options, putting em under the cut

1 - murray and sly are busted out of prison by bentley, a turtle, and his big brains. and hacking and a computer. the hacking is just run-and-gun minigames

2 - it's discovered that spice is a major issue within the story. this is a euphemism for drugs.

3 - the cooper gang has a VERY obvious looking van and somehow never gets caught by the cops via the van. like it has sly's marker on it and it's bright blue and how the fuck do the cops not know it-

4 - bentley causes explosions to happen in dimitri's nightclub and all that happens as a result is a disco ball crashing on the floor (injuring nobody) and several bolts from the nightclub "bird" popping off as a result. this is never mentioned ever again.

5 - there's areas where you can smack or carry enemies into fire. they die. that's all that happens.

6 - while murray is the main driver for the cooper gang, bentley and sly have driven it at least once for one reason or another.

7 - in order to spy on dimitri, they get sly to break into the nightclub to swap a bugged painting with the real one. the fake one has sly's face on it. no one ever notices somehow.

8 - self explanatory, someone had both lungs, the stomach, and the talons

9 - also self-contained, they betrayed carmelita, the contessa, the cooper gang, and arpeggio

10 - murray is fed food laced with spice, microdosing him to it, which leads him to be more susceptible to hypnosis after being thrown in solitary confinement. after you get him angry enough, you take advantage of that to break the hypno-items until he wakes up and is coherent again

11 - contessa and neyla are engaged in civil war and you just gotta deal with that.

12 - contessa married a rich aristocrat, dude died after like 3 weeks, and in the cutscene it looks like his drink was poisoned. she was left all his money

[alterchaos]

ESCAPE: PRISON ISLAND

Sonic has finally been captured by G.U.N. and is being held on the infamous Prison Island where he receives a surprise visitor. Meanwhile, time ticks down to disaster...

PREVIOUS CHAPTER: IN THE SHADOW OF DOUBT

NEXT CHAPTER: THE FAULT IN OUR STARS: CAPTIVES

Tap. Tap. Tap.

The pristine door slid open, revealing a disheveled businessman surrounded by four bodyguards. He had a dangerous look in his eye as he approached the G.U.N. agent up ahead.

“I’m sorry sir but this area is-”

“Let me through.”

“Sir-”

“I am the head of this operation, am I not? I am entitled to an interrogation of my own, and besides…” He smiled sinisterly.

“I want to look that kidnapping bastard in the eye as I watch his plans fall apart.”

The agent paused a moment, leaning into his walkie-talkie before a hand met his shoulder.

“Your operation’s funding comes from my company does it not?”

“Y-Yes sir…”

“Then perhaps this little unauthorized visit can remain between me and your team.” The man clapped the now-nervous agent’s shoulder.

“R-Right away sir…”

After a few moments, the door to the holding cell slid open, revealing a small hedgehog cuffed to the table before him. Machine guns lined the walls, ready to fire should he run. He simply sat there, silent, staring down in despondency at his situation.

Nelson paused at the door until the motion-detecting guns were turned off, allowing him and his team of bodyguards to enter safely. He sat at the other end of the table, staring down his daughter’s kidnapper with fury.

“Sonic the Hedgehog…”

“Listen…I didn’t kidnap your daughter.”

“Then why did you run?”

He clenched his fist.

“Because I had no other choice. If you’d taken me in…how else would I have been able to look for her?”

The father’s eye twitched in response.

“I ran across every inch of your world looking for her! Three times in fact! I couldn’t find anything. I was even ready to turn myself in if it meant we could work together, that is, until me and my friends figured out where she’s being kept! She’s on th-”

A loud voice came over a speaker alongside the readying clack of one of the machine guns, “Silence hedgehog! If you do not settle down, we will be forced to open fire!”

Sonic gritted his fangs, but obliged.

Nelson closed his eyes a moment, before staring down the hedgehog once more with unbridled hatred, “That’s enough!” He lunged forward, grabbing the hedgehog by the cuffs on his wrists and holding him off the ground in threat. Sonic’s eyes widened. Despite his overwhelming power, he couldn’t help but feel afraid of the unhinged man before him, “TELL ME WHERE MY DAUGHTER IS!!! IF YOU DON’T I’LL-”

clack

“-!!?”

Sonic looked down in shock as the cuffs fell from his wrists. He was confused, until his eyes met Nelson’s once more.

He smiled.

“NOW TAILS!!!”

The voice of his little brother buzzed through an earbud.

“ROGER!!!”

The door to the holding cell slid shut, agents scrambling as they realized what was happening.

“MACHINE GUNS COMING ONLINE!!! ELIMINATING ALL THREATS NOW!!!”

Nothing happened.

“WHAT THE-!!?”

“WE’VE BEEN HACKED!!!”

Outside the base, the young fox twirled and blew on his screwdriver comically.

“ALL UNITS!!! PREPARE TO ENGAGE IN COMBAT!!! DO NOT LET THEM ESCAPE!!!”

Sonic’s smile grew as each of the bodyguards removed their disguises one by one.

The foreign bodyguard was the first to address the hedgehog, bowing at him in respect, “I hope you can forgive us for deceiving you, Master Sonic.” He smiled.

The young boy with the spiky, auburn hair was the next to speak, looking to his father with sparkling eyes, “That was incredible, Dad! You really had me on edge!”

Nelson rubbed his head sheepishly, “Well what can I say? I learned from your mother!”

“And that nifty little trick he learned from me!” Sam removed his disguise, pointing to the hedgehog’s freed wrists, “It pays to have a little brother in law enforcement, eh?” He nudged Nelson’s side playfully.

“Yeah…though I doubt you’ll have a career in law enforcement much longer after today…”

Sam shrugged his shoulders, “Meh. I was due for a career change anyway.”

“Here they come!” The last of the bodyguards leapt in front, summoning a large hammer from thin air. Sonic blushed slightly.

She was so cool.

“Amy…you came too?”

The pink hedgehog turned to smile at him, “Of course! Honestly, Sonic, did you really think we’d abandon you?”

The hedgehog wiped a few tears, “No…Not at all, Ames…”

Chris smiled, “Once we were let go from questioning, we began making our way here with Uncle Sam…that is…until my dad stepped in to help.”

“Speaking of, Sonic…” Nelson turned to the blue hedgehog before falling on his hands and knees and bowing his head to the ground, “I hope you can forgive my foolishness.”

Sonic sweated nervously at the sight, “H-Hey, no hard feelings! You were just trying to do what was best!”

“I know I don’t deserve it but…” The man shed a few tears, “Please…I beg of you…Save my precious daughter…”

Sonic stood there stunned for a moment. He smiled, kneeling down to the man’s level and putting a hand on his shoulder, “Come on, I was going to save her either way, no begging required!” He winked, “So stand back up and let’s do it to it!”

Nelson’s eyes went wide before he smiled, taking the hedgehog’s hand and standing up beside him, “Right! Thank you, Sonic.”

“Anytime!”

The door slid open, agents forming an impenetrable wall as they held up their guns.

“ALL UNITS, OPEN FIRE!!!”

“Hehehehe I don’t think so…”

The fox smiled as he held up a gem, a surge of energy radiating through the base.

clack clack

“W-What the-!!? They won’t fire!!!”

“KEEP FIRING ANYWAY!!!”

clack clack clack

Amy charged ahead, knocking the wall of agents aside and clearing a path.

“Alright Amy!”

“Let’s get out of here!”

“Yeah let’s-”

BA-BUMP

The hedgehog stumbled, swaying ever so slightly as he fought to regain his balance. He gripped his head, dizziness overtaking him.

“Nnngh…”

“SONIC!!!”

Tanaka caught the hedgehog as he collapsed, a slight buzz of dark energy crackling throughout his body.

“What the-”

“FREEZE!!!”

More agents appeared, the commander now in the lead.

“Mr. Thorndyke…”

“Commander Towers…”

He held up a pistol.

“Didn’t I warn you not to interfere any longer, in front of your son no less!?”

Nelson froze, the barrel clicking into place.

“DAD!!!”

BANG!

SHAZAP!

SLASH!

The bullet dropped to the ground, split in two. Everyone stared in shock at the figure that had appeared before them. The rings around his wrists glistened against the harsh light of the holding cell, contrasting against his dark, upturned quills.

Chris’s eyes widened in horror.

“That’s…” He clenched his fists, ready for a fight, “YOU…GIVE HER BACK!!!”

Nelson’s eyes widened in a similar fashion, locking onto the hedgehog with unbridled fury.

He’d acted in pure faith before, but there was absolutely no doubt now, not when the proof stood before him.

Sonic…was innocent.

Nelson clenched his fist and gritted his teeth.

“Where is my daughter…”

The hedgehog turned, flaming irises challenging the man behind him.

“Maria is back home where she belongs.” He turned back to the commander, “Thank you, commander, for protecting us.”

“Of course, Shad-”

“However…”

Commander Towers’s eyes widened as the hedgehog shot him a stern look.

“Papa never asked for there to be violence on our behalf. He only hired you for self-defense. So why all this?”

“Well…you see, Shadow…This group of upstarts decided they wanted to invade your home. We were only doing our sworn duty to protect the Robotnik family after all…” The commander bowed.

“I see…” Shadow closed his eyes in thought for a moment before looking back into the commander’s multi-colored eyes, “I understand your concern, and I thank you for having my family’s best interest at heart, but G.U.N. is a peaceful agency is it not?”

The commander began to sweat, averting his eyes, “Y-Yes…though-”

“Then I order you to stand down. Let these people go free.”

“But, Shadow-!!”

“The Robotnik family does not stand for shedding innocent blood! My insane cousin learned that the hard way with his banishment, or did you forget?” Energy crackled from his hands, challenging the commander to argue back.

“...” The commander waved a hand, calling all units to stand down and let the intruders free.

Satisfied, Shadow turned to face the group of heroes with a cold, threatening look in his eyes, “As for you…This is your last chance. Maria is back where she belongs and I refuse to let anyone steal her away from me again. Dare to face me aboard the Ark and I promise I won’t hold back. You have my word.”

With that, he teleported away.

“...”

“...”

“...”

The commander stomped his foot, “Damn hedgehog! Who does he think he is ordering me arou-”

“SIR COME IN!!!”

The commander clicked the button on his walkie, “Yes, Agent Stone?”

“THERE’S A BOMB!!! I REPEAT!!! WE FOUND A BOMB!!!”

“WHAT!!?”

“IT’S SET TO GO OFF IN FIVE MINUTES!!! WE HAVE TO HURRY BEFORE-”

“CAN’T YOU DISARM IT, AGENT!!?”

“IT’S NO USE!!! THE BOMB IS WIRED TO A SERIES OF UNDERGROUND CONNECTIONS!!! THIS WHOLE ISLAND IS GOING TO EXPLODE!!! I REPEAT!!! PRISON ISLAND IS SET TO EXPLODE!!!”

Sonic lifted his head in shock, though his eyes were still swimming slightly from earlier. He pushed up from Tanaka’s grasp, stumbling slightly as he made his way to his feet.

“Sonic!?”

“Q-Quick!” He held out a hand, “Everyone grab onto me!”

Everyone nodded as they held on to the Blue Blur. He took off at record speeds, making his way to his brother outside in a mere minute. Everyone loaded onto the plane as agents ran from the base, scrambling onto helicopters already floating into the air. Tails had thankfully made enough room for everyone to get here apart from Amy and Sonic who would need to ride on the wings. Everyone readied for takeoff, Sonic’s ear twitching at a sudden voice crying out in the distance.

“Commander! Come in, Commander Towers! Damn! Why isn’t he responding!?”

“Alright! We need to hurry! Ready for takeoff, Sonic?”

No response.

“Sonic?”

—----------------------------------------------------

Back inside the base, the commander lay on the ground holding his leg, crimson blood seeping from the bullet lodged deep inside the muscle.

Damn…

If only he hadn’t let his guard down.

He looked up as a gust of wind blew past, the hedgehog he’d previously threatened and detained now standing before him. He chuckled, releasing a cocky grin.

“What? Come to finish the job?”

“What happened?”

“It seems as though G.U.N. has a traitor in our midst. No matter…it isn’t as if I’ll be leaving here alive now anyway…”

“...”

“You should go…At least you have a family to return to…” He shut his eyes in peace.

“You don’t?”

“Not since the massacre aboard the Ark 50 years ago. I was only a child then…weak…helpless…I was forced to join G.U.N. in order to survive and yet here I am having become the very monster I once swore to destroy…”

“...”

“It’s everything I deserve…”

Remorse filled the older man as memories flashed of the girl with the golden hair he loved so dearly. She’d been like a sister to him, playful yet wise beyond her years.

Everything he was not.

“Maria…I hope you can forgive me…”

“...”

“-!!?”

Commander Towers’s eyes flew wide as the hedgehog picked him up, sliding him onto his back like a backpack.

“H-Hey…What are you-”

“If you really feel sorry…then live on and make things right.”

The man smiled, having been bested by the hero before him, “Then lead the way, Sonic the Hedgehog.”

SHOOOOM!

beep

beep

BOOM!!!

BOOM!!! BOOM BOOM!!!

The fox watched with tearful eyes as the island below began to explode.

“SONIIIIIC!!!”

Everyone watched, horror-stricken as they searched for any sign of their missing friend. Eventually, Amy pointed to one of the nearby helicopters.

“THERE HE IS!!!”

Everyone turned, spotting the hedgehog now seated beside the commander, smiling at the man as the two conversed, his bloodied leg now wrapped in bandages and being attended to by staff. He spotted his friends and waved, indicating all was well. Everyone celebrated their friend’s victory, all having escaped without serious harm from the bombing of Prison Island.

—----------------------------------------------------

bzzt

“Good morning, Station Square. This is Scarlet Garcia reporting live from studio SF-22 where we are joined today once again by the famous Nelson Thorndyke. How are you today, Mr. Thorndyke?”

The man, slightly less disheveled, smiled at the reporter, “I’m doing well, thank you.”

The reporter’s eyes widened, “Well that’s shocking considering your daughter is still missing.”

“She is.”

“So what’s changed between yesterday and today’s broadcast?”

Nelson smiled.

“Mr. Thorndyke?”

“What changed is that I was wrong. In fact, I couldn’t have been more wrong if I tried.”

“What do you mean?”

Nelson stood up, “Citizens of Station Square, I know that for the past month I have denounced your beloved hero live on television more times than I can count. I’m here today to say that I now know the true culprit’s identity, and it isn’t Station Square’s hero, Sonic the Hedgehog.”

Citizens from around the city gasped at the news.

Sam appeared next to his brother in full uniform, “Sonic the Hedgehog is hereby dropped of all charges. I will personally make sure all officers are informed of this change immediately. Furthermore, the S-Squad would like to recognize Sonic as an honorary member and fellow officer on account of his heroic acts protecting not just this city, but our world as we know it.”

Whispers began circulating, hearts around the world cheering on the pardoned hero.

Nelson continued, “Sonic has agreed to aid in our efforts to find my daughter and put a stop to any conspiracies surrounding her disappearance.”

“C-Conspiracies!?” Ms. Garcia jolted, “Surely you have to be kidding, Mr. Thorndyke! My journalism focuses on facts, not theories! Is there anyone who can reasonably back up your claims!?”

“I can.”

Everyone watched with bated breath as a middle-aged man limped onto the screen, his calico eyes looking into the camera with determination.

“My name is Commander Walter Towers of the Guardian Units of Nations and I have come today to make an announcement.”

The emerald beamed with energy.

“Mr. Thorndyke hired me and my squad to search for his daughter; however, my team had other motives far beyond civil service.”

The canon roared to life.

“You see, we were involved in the cover up of an incident that took place 50 years ago aboard a satellite known as the Space Colony Ark, one caused as a direct consequence of G.U.N.’s incompetence.”

The echidna screamed out for it to stop.

“Scientists and their families were killed by order. As a young child, I was one of the sole survivors because of my commitment to join G.U.N. rather than be shot. I lost everything that day, including my humanity, all because the government feared the experiments living on board.”

But it was too late.

“One of those experiments is the culprit responsible for this kidnapping. My team was aware of his existence and had already suspected him of the kidnapping at play, and for that I deeply apologize to everyone, especially the hero, Sonic the Hedgehog.” He bowed, “Since yesterday, I have tried to make contact with the colony to no avail. It seems as though someone else is pulling the strings on this operation, but…” Towers slammed his fist on the table before him, “I swear I will not rest until G.U.N. sees the reform it desperately needs and returns the young Thorndyke girl home at any cost!”

The canon took aim.

“This ends now…Shadow the Hedgehog…”

It fired.

BOOM!!!

Everyone watched in horror as a beam of light shot across the sky, colliding with the moon in a massive explosion. It shattered in half, the force of the blast enough to rattle the earth beneath. Screams rang out across Station Square as panic ensued.

“WHAT THE-!!? WHAT IS GOING O-!!?”

The broadcast cut suddenly, a timer appearing on every screen in its stead.

23:59:59

The end of the world was close at hand.

CHAPTER END

[onomatopoetic101999]

Chapter Five: Icarian

Chapter Five B: Introspection

Ignis Fatuus Masterlist

------

Icarian: relating to or characteristic of Icarus, especially in being excessively ambitious

------

That next evening finds you creeping forward in a crouch, digipicking the locked door the scanner was pointing to the night before. It's a difficult nut to crack, but you figure it out in a matter of seconds. When the door silently swings open, Sam sighs behind you.

"I will never get over smart you are."

You glance back to smile at him before rolling through the door, staying as silent as possible. You take out your scanner again and shift your stance, trying to find the direction of the frequency disturbances. It leads you deeper into the forbidden hall, and you thank your lucky stars that the walkways don't seem to be patrolled.

Now that you were closer to the Artifact, the readings were becoming more consistent. It only takes you a few minutes to find the entrance to a cave, although it's blocked with yet another locked door. You look back at Sam, who nods at you.

After you successfully hack it, the door swings open in a similar way to the previous one. This time, however, the other side is crawling with Paradiso guards.

You're glad you had the forethought to bring your chameleon pack, it's tech turning you invisible when you're still. It's painstakingly slow, but you manage to successfully sneak past every guard until your deep in the mine.

You don't even need your scanner at this point, being able to follow how gravity shifts in response to the Artifact's power. It sits before you buried deep in the rock of the wall. You're surprised the Paradiso leadership hasn't started a viewing for it yet, but then you note how recently the rocks have been broken. The Artifact couldn't have been unearthed more than a day ago.

You double check for more guards in the surrounding area before standing, using your cutter to release the Artifact from its prison in the wall. You make sure Sam is prepared to defend you once you're incapacitated, and then reach out and grab the Artifact.

The familiar series of images and sounds overwhelm your senses, making you entirely unaware of reality for a few dangerous seconds.

When you come to, Sam is standing by the door, gun trained on it in case any guards notice the change in gravity. When he sees that you're awake, he runs over to help you up before you both head back out of the cave.

You make it as far as the empty hallways when a Starborn appears in front of you. He opens fire, and while you kill him quickly, the sounds of the fight draw the guards out.

You hear a loud, "Hey! Stop right there!" behind you, and you try not to panic. Fighting Starborn was one thing, but the sheer number of guards was overwhelming, not to mention the fact they were completely innocent. You needed to find somewhere to hide, and fast.

Sam grabs your hand and begins to sprint, turning every other corner, trying to lose the guards behind you. You make it out of the restricted section of the basement, but you can hear them continuing to give chase.

You make a left at the end of the hall and are met with your worst nightmare: a dead end. The night club of the retreat stands before you both, and you try not to hyperventilate at what that means. This was the only entrance. You were trapped. Sam skids to a stop when you get inside and turns to you.

"Okay, there's gotta be a way out of this..."

You look back to where you came, hearing the guards' steps coming ever closer under the bass of the music, and bite your lip anxiously. It was dark, maybe you could just start dancing...?

Suddenly, Sam's hand leaves yours and he rests his palms on your hips, guiding you quickly but gently backwards towards the nearest wall. When your back hits it, he grasps your chin and tilts it up, making your eyes shift from where they're scanning the entrance to the club to meeting his. They're lidded, pupils larger than normal, and his thumb reaches up to tug under your bottom lip, releasing it from where you've been biting it.

"Now Darlin', I'm gonna need you to trust me for the next few seconds. Do you trust me?" His voice is deeper, raspier than it usually is.

You nod without hesitation, confused, but too caught up in worry to notice him leaning down to you. At your confirmation, his tongue peeks out to sweep across his lips, he takes a deep, steadying breath, and the hand still on your hip slides around to the small of your back, pulling you up against him.

"Good,"

As you faintly hear one of the guards shout, "they went this way!" outside, Sam presses his lips to yours.

The second your lips touch, a realization hits you like lightning, any thought of guards or Artifacts or Starborn vanishing. Oh. Oh. You are in love with Sam Coe.

As he uses your gasp as an opportunity, brushing his tongue against yours while his fingers tighten on your chin, you think back to every interaction you've had with him with a new light. Every smile, every wink, every teasing "Darlin',"... how had you been so blind? You hadn't been flustered just because he was hot; you're entirely, unchangeably in love with him. You're in love with Sam Coe, he is kissing you, and you are doing nothing about it!

You lean into him and wrap your arms around his neck. This is what had been bothering you! You hadn't wanted to pretend because you'd wanted it to be real. He smiles against your mouth. You take solace in the fact that, based on his kiss, he feels the same way. You decide to talk about it later. For right now...

You sink a hand into his hair, and Sam growls. The hand on your chin slides down to just under your jaw, which he tilts up with his thumb as he starts to press open-mouth kisses along your neck, beard scratching gently the whole way down. He wedges one of his knees between your thighs, and he hikes up one of yours to rest on his hip. He mouths at your collarbone for a moment before dragging his lips back up to just below your ear, pressing kisses there too.

By now your breathing is nearly frantic, your chest rising and falling against Sam's at a rapid pace. You let out a surprised gasp when he nips at your jaw, and you feel him smirk against your cheek. You breathe out a laugh in response.

How have you survived so long without this? Every sense is consumed by him, to the point where you think if someone asked you a question, you're pretty sure Sam's name would be the only thing coming out of your mouth. His lips are against your neck, the strands of his hair weaved between your fingers, the smell of sandalwood and leather in your nose; he breathes out a quiet sigh of your name, and the neon lights of the club blur as your eyes close involuntarily. Sam, Sam, Sam...

You're so wrapped up in him, in the realization, in this, that it isn't until his other hand grabs one of yours and brings it to the holster on his belt that you fully understand what his motivation is. Your eyes shoot open and you grasp the handle of the gun with shaking fingers. How could you be so naive? Sam didn't mean any of this. He hadn't been sincere this entire mission, remember? You finally understand what you've been feeling, and none of this is...

He sucks a mark onto the point where your neck and jaw meet, and you scan the entrance to the club, trying to keep the tears you feel rising up at bay. This isn't real.

The guards enter in a rush and your fingers tighten on the gun and in Sam's hair. He hums against your skin in response. They take a few steps in, scanning the area, before turning and leaving. The hand on the outside of your knee skims higher, tightening as Sam keeps mouthing along your neck. This isn't real!

You grab his shoulders and shove, pushing him a few inches away from you. He lets go of you immediately and almost stumbles, glancing behind him to check that the guards are gone before turning back to you.

"Darlin', are you o-"

"Don't! Don't call me that. Just-"

You lean heavily against the wall and throw a hand up to stop him when he opens his mouth to speak again.

He's still much too close. Mouth wet and swollen from so many kisses and chest heaving from the loss of breath. He's so... beautiful. Every exhale still brushes air across your face, and you close your eyes to hide the fact that you're two seconds from crying.

"I need to get some air. Do not follow me."

His hands raise to try and comfort you, and you back away from him, all but running out of the club and down the hall again. When you find a bathroom, you bolt inside, sliding down the wall to sit on the floor.

None of that had been real. You're in love with Sam, he just gave you the best kiss of your life, and he hadn't meant a single second of it.

You bury your head in your arms where they rest on your bent knees. A sob heaves out of your mouth. None of that was real...

------

Chapter Five B: Introspection

[commonwealth-operator]

28 December 2289 / Federal Ration Stockpile

Raider boss Red Tourette, shortly after being convinced to join the Commonwealth Militia.

Smile! You've been conscripted!

Received a tip from a Militiaman doing recon on a new Minutemen outpost about an old government facility. Apparently it was occupied by raiders but stuffed to the tits with snackies, and y'all know I love my gum drops and Fancy Lads. Hammer and I two-manned it and took the boss hostage, got her talking.

Her name's Red Tourette. She runs (well... ran) the raider gang that was holding the FedRatStock. Turns out her kid sister who was running with the gang got taken prisoner by a rival group near the brewery, run by a piece of scum named Tower Tom. They've been extorting her for food and doing god knows what to her in there, and sending these letters as proof of life to keep the supplies flowing.

The tone of that second note sounded wrong to me right off the bat. So I hacked Red's terminal (well... held the gun to her head while she typed) and I read her diary.

Yeah, that's kinda what I thought. I already have beef with these dicks at Beantown, too, seeing as I shot three of their guys on the bridge and clipped it for my blog. On top of that there's a contract to recover a Haptic Drive from that location that's been sitting on the back burner for a month, and Red says her scout never came back. It didn't take much convincing to get her to go with us.

Time to kick ass and get paid.

[artdecosupernova-writing]

OC Kiss Week Day 6: Reach

WIP: Misfortunate Sol Pairing: Cal x Sol Timeline: an alternate universe version of events. this in no way spoils the real plot. CW: Fire, death, blood, gun violence. it's not that bad but it's better to err on the side of caution Rating: T Words: 2,150

***

Detective Calvin Logan entered the precinct at an unusually early time in the midst of utter chaos. He was so bereft of his first cup of coffee, however, that he didn't even notice the state of the place until he attempted to rectify his delayed caffeine situation.

He grumbled under his breath as he poured already-aging coffee into the first mug he got his hands on—a stout metal cup the police captain had brought in from his time in the war.

Cal looked up and squinted at the cops running around, papers flying, telephone operators being yelled at. He almost didn't catch himself in time before he overflowed the cup and coffee splashed onto the floor at his feet.

"What's goin' on?" he asked Officer Melvin Funkwhistle on his way past at nearly the speed of a barreling train. For a brief instant Cal mused to himself that perhaps the officer was running away from his unfortunate name, and he found he had trouble tamping down the distracted grin that formed on his face in response.

"There's something happening at the Majesty Hotel," Funkwhistle said over his shoulder. "Captain's sending out cars to handle it."

Cal frowned alongside his first sip of coffee and couldn't even enjoy it. "The Majesty? What's happening at the Majesty?"

Funkwhistle was already gone, but Captain O'Reilly stepped into his line of vision as a decent substitute. He tugged at his Sam Browne belt and addressed Cal with seriousness bordering unpleasant at such an early time of day.

"We got a call about an hour ago regarding a possible hostage situation," O'Reilly said, his thick mustache twitching. "We believe the guests and staff are being kept prisoner by an unknown assailant. There's been a fire allegedly set—"

Where the news of a strange person holding the hotel hostage previously did not jar Cal fully out of his bleariness, the news of a possible fire rattled him enough to send a drop of coffee into the wrong pipe.

He hacked around the offending liquid and pounded a fist into his chest. "A fire—Captain?!" He stared with wild eyes at his boss, disposing of his coffee and the cup into the trash can beside him. "I gotta...you gotta let me—"

"No," O'Reilly barked immediately, all but diving into the trash to retrieve the cup. "We have enough cars headed that way now. You'll get a chance when the situation is dealt with—"

All Cal could think about was Solomon Maxwell Iron. If the guests and the staff were being held hostage, that meant Sol, too. The strangeness of having had a heated argument with him the previous night about something trivial—about how Cal couldn't seem to leave the poor man alone regarding the deaths that followed him everywhere—and now he was likely in grievous danger...

"You got this call an hour ago?!" Cal roared suddenly. He felt the color leaving his face as surely as he felt disbelief boiling into rage in the pit of his chest. "And you're just now controlling the situation?!"

"The legitimacy—"

Cal did not think the captain was incompetent. He always respected him, held him in high regard in the day-to-day, which is why this display of suspicion surprised him.

All he could recall of the following sequence of events was grunting something about his acceptance toward being fired later, then tearing down the somewhat busy street in a screaming squad car, his arms burning from the urgency of cranking the siren and avoiding a collision all at once.

His heart leapt into his throat as soon as he careened around the final corner leading to the Majesty Hotel, and it had little to do with nearly flattening the officer directing traffic at that particular intersection.

A plume of thick, black smoke curled up from somewhere on the building, pouring into the sky not unlike Cal's unhelpful coffee into the frazzled captain's war cup.

"C'mon," Cal muttered partially to Sol, who definitively was not anywhere around, and partially to the living obstacles standing between him and the hotel. "C'mon, kid, please make a damn fool outta me."

By some miracle he managed to put the car in park somewhere he wouldn't remember later before sprinting into the gaggle of police gathered across the road from the hotel.

"Get me in there," he demanded, utterly disinterested in having a chance to catch his breath. "If that fire spreads—"

Sergeant Pickering swung around to aim a bullhorn in Cal's face. "The fire brigade is on the way," he said into the device, slowly and with force as if scolding a child for the tenth time in as many minutes, "do not even breathe at that hotel until I have given the all-clear, Logan."

"The fire brigade's on the way, meanwhile a possible mass murderer has a buffet of choice at their fingertips while we stand around waiting," Cal snapped.

"Which is precisely why we are not to rush in without a plan," Pickering retorted, waving some of his subordinate officers away. "This calamity is dangerous and sensitive. We can't risk anything going wrong, here."

Cal dropped steely eyes onto Pickering from his outside assessment of the hotel. He'd never felt this riled up, this feral with fear and determination before in his life. "Where's the assailant?"

"We've determined they're possibly based on the top floor, where the fire is located—"

"Are the elevators operational?"

"No, and furthermore—"

"If I fail, shoot me," Cal said before breaking into another sprint away from the assaulting bullhorn.

Instead of going through the front doors, he veered off to the left, keeping an eye out for the side entrance Sol had thrown him through in his attempts to get the investigations off his back. All of his effort to stop Cal from doing his job.

As he slipped through the unassuming door, the first thing he noticed was that the smell of smoke wasn't very strong in that portion of the hotel yet. The emptiness of the hallways proved eerie, sending a sprout of goosebumps over his arms.

He jogged through the kitchen and eventually the lobby, vigilant for any sign of life, his gun drawn and ready. He ascended the stairs, pausing beside a body laid out face-down on the landing floor.

He peered down at the body and his frown deepened. He didn't recognize him, but he wore a luxurious smoking jacket stained with a massive patch of blood on the back, and his hair was unruly, sticking up and out at odd angles. A guest, it seemed.

Cal's shoulders tensed and he felt a prickle at the back of his neck. Carefully, he turned toward the doors leading to the second floor.

A person wearing a Hallowe'en mask, a piece of leather with holes cut out for the eyes, nose, and mouth, stood at the door with an arm hooked tightly around Sol's neck, the muzzle of a pistol pressed against the side of his head. The masked person was taller than Sol, taller than Cal, and they breathed through their mouth as if the nose hole wasn't sufficient.

Sol coughed hard and regarded Cal with surprise, fingers gripping onto his captor's arm hard enough for his knuckles to turn white. "D-Detective?" he said meekly.

Cal ignored him. Had to. If he thought too hard about the dark, angry bruises around Sol's eyes, the officers outside would have to shoot his corpse.

He shifted his attention to the masked person, hoping the sheen of sweat forming on his forehead would go unnoticed. "...Is this what you wanted? To set fire to innocent civilians?"

"Innocent in what capacity?" they said. "Sapping society of a living? Marring the economy and deepening the Depression? You consider that innocent?"

The question confused Cal for a moment before he realized what was happening. "What part do the hotel staff have to play in that? They're just trying to make a living like anyone else."

"These people are a cancer," the masked person spat, jerking the gun in the direction of the guest's body on the floor. "And the ones working for them are even worse for providing their services. Why don't you understand?" Something dawned over what little could be seen of their face. "...I wish you'd understand."

"Don't," Cal growled in warning as the masked person cocked the hammer back on their pistol and pressed the muzzle once again into Sol's skull.

Cal lifted his gun and fired. The shot downed the person instantly, catching them between the eyes. Sol stumbled, nearly taking a header down the stairs before Cal lunged at him and pressed him backward, away from the bodies.

"Police are waiting outside," Cal said hoarsely. "Where are the hostages?"

"Top...top floor," Sol stammered. He looked at Cal as if seeing him for the first time. "There's a fire up there."

"Get outside," Cal ordered, taking Sol's hand in a firm grip and carefully turning him toward the front doors. "Stay with the cops. Stay safe."

"I won't leave you." Sol's eyes, not as swollen as they could've been, welled. He swallowed thickly. "I...don't want to leave you."

Cal's chest filled with something he couldn't decipher. A feeling of dread, something strong and intense, rotten and sour and warm and wonderful. His brow furrowed and he found his brain wouldn't form recognizable thoughts at first. All he could see when he looked at Sol was the anger and desperation in his face the last time they spoke. Despite their previous lighthearted interactions, Cal suspected Sol truly hated him in that moment, and he couldn't fathom ever seeing the expression of terror and worry on his face that he saw right now.

"I'm sorry," Cal whispered, squeezing Sol's hand. "For everything."

Sol stepped forward and drew Cal into a gentle, tentative, yet irrecoverable kiss. Then another one. But it was all quick, too quick, and Cal used the hand holding his weapon to swipe at his mouth when he stepped away.

"Get out of here before I have to let the cops shoot me," Cal said gruffly. "Will you go if I promise to make it out of here in one piece?"

Sol, fat tears streaming down his contused face and wrenching Cal's heart into a painful twist, nodded. "Go. Be careful."

Cal sniffed and swept through the doors leading onto the second floor, running through the hotel until he reached the blazing inferno on the second to last floor. To his surprise and relief, the guests were already there, hurrying down the stairs and obeying every direction Cal gave them. The group going down ran into the fire brigade going up.

"About damn time," Cal muttered on their way past.

"Wanna deal with the dead people or you want us to do that, too?" the fire captain retorted.

Cal let loose a surprised laugh painted with mild hysteria, ushering the guests and staff the rest of the way down the stairs.

The cops piled in to pull the civilians out of harm's way, ambulance attendants wrapping blankets around them and hurrying them to safety.

Cal pivoted to look back at the hotel, which, from that angle, looked unremarkable and untouched. Only when he backed up could he see the smoke rising from the top.

In doing so, he nearly bowled over Sol, who took his wrist and ran with him across the street, through the park, and under a bridge. The place was empty due to the crowd that had formed at the hotel, and Sol shivered violently under his blanket as he peered up at Cal with big, injured eyes.

"I figured they'd be angry at you," Sol said. "And I'm entitled to be angry at you, too, not just for what you did today, but after this..." He shook his head, gaze lingering on Cal's face. "It all feels so silly now."

"It's not silly." Cal realized he'd been holding the gun up to that point and he hastily opened his trench coat to holster it under his arm. "I needled you for quite a while. I wouldn't blame you for hating my guts by now."

"If something happened to you in that hotel, I wouldn't have been able to withstand the pain." Sol tipped his head, his expression unreadable. "...How could I hate someone who made me want to kiss them goodbye?"

Cal stared down at him, surprised once again. "Would you want to...kiss me hello?"

Sol looked as if he wanted to laugh and burst into tears simultaneously. He reached up to grasp Cal's face and brought him down, locking their lips together in a genuine, tender kiss that jellified Cal's knees and stole his breath from his lungs. Cal reciprocated, holding him close and gingerly as if Sol were fragile, and Cal decided he was very glad he didn't have to be shot by his colleagues after all.

[zrtranscripts]

Season 10, Mission 8: Jailhouse Rock

Prison Break

~

ERNIE VAN ARK: Careful, Ranger Five. Keep to the ruin of the church. That’s Valmont’s correctional facility ahead, a former resort on the island of Tabarca. It appears he’s swapped the swimming pool for a 20-foot perimeter wall with turrets every meter. The patrol of guard makes its changing shifts by the gate. I know it’s difficult being back near your kin. Janine is there, I’m sure of it. Getting her out won’t be easy, Five, but no matter what, remember, we’ll be there for you.

PETER LYNNE: Oh, for the love of – did you have to call this one Five? There’s plenty of numbers out there that aren’t dear and absent friends, you know.

ERNIE VAN ARK: Runner Five is heroic, efficient, devoted, brave. Who better as an icon for the escaped experiments of Red Scorpion Base?

PETER LYNNE: Brilliant! I’ve gone from Valmont’s drugged-up lab rat to joining his posse of lost toys! He’s going to find out I’m free any time now, Ranger. We have got to get Janine out before he does!

ERNIE VAN ARK: I wish we could be with you, Five, but only Valmont mechs can enter that building. I’m getting your shoulder cam live and clear. We’ll be monitoring from the boat. Funny... A prison of that size. What does Valmont need it for? He can’t have that many enemies he wants kept alive. Sorry. That’s him, I think. My other self.

PETER LYNNE: I’m telling you, Ranger, you ought to sleep with one eye open. One of these days you’re going to wake up to find he’s stripping you for parts! Oh, the shift change is done. The old patrol’s gone inside. The new one’s walking the perimeter.

ERNIE VAN ARK: They’re out of sight. See the gatehouse, Ranger? The bunker built into the wall with turrets either side? This is your chance to slip inside before that patrol comes back around. Quick march, like you belong. Fast as you can, Five. Go!

~

ERNIE VAN ARK: Gosh, those turrets bracketing the gatehouse door are big. There’s a scanner on the lefthand one, Five. Press your eye to it. The mechs here are old Model 4s. I used to see them on Red Scorpion. I’ve tweaked your transponder to match. You’re clear. You can get inside.

[door creaks]

PETER LYNNE: Not exactly plush, is it? Like a big, bare closet. Just a work station cycling images of the prison.

ERNIE VAN ARK: Not even any chairs for the rangers on duty! And Valmont let them get rusty, too. Barbaric. Better hurry, Five. There’s a guard watching the far monitor, but they haven’t noticed you yet. Plug the cable from your left forearm into the nearest console. The rangers here are networked with the prison. It was similar on Red Scorpion Base. I can use you as a relay to hack the system.

PETER LYNNE: The other mech’s looked your way. That’s a really big gun arm she’s raising. Ernie, hurry up!

ERNIE VAN ARK: Got it! I’ve sent a signal to all the guards, triggering their diagnostic protocols. They’ll be offline for a short while, cycling self checks. According to the database, DeLuca’s in cell 44 on the far side of the prison. Five, you can take the stairwell behind the gatehouse up. That was an extremely messy hack. The guards won’t be offline for long. And they’re going to be very, very angry when they wake up. Run!

~

PETER LYNNE: God, Valmont made this place a proper Cell Block H, didn’t he? And not even the Freak to liven things up. Corridor after corridor of cold, gray cells with murky portholes on the doors. I don’t see any prisoners so far, just lots of ugly stains. Ugh. I thought my prison was hell. This one might be even worse.

ERNIE VAN ARK: She wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for me. I put that tracker on the USB stick in Tunisia. I’m the one who got you captured. The old me didn’t make that choice. This was all my fault.

Peter, the others said... You know about guilt. Do you ever... see something beautiful, like a bird or a sunset or this island, and then worry that you maybe don’t deserve it because of what you’ve done?

PETER LYNNE: No. No. I told you in Murcia when you tried to toast those marshmallows. I am not playing therapist with the ghost of Ernest Van Ark! Christ, you were easier as an evil boss! There! That’s her, cell 44. Break the door down, Five, now! [metal slams] It’s... It’s just... An empty cell and a wire cot. [exhales] Ernie? She isn’t here.

ERNIE VAN ARK: Wait. Look. There’s a loose breeze block behind the cot. Five, see if you can pry it all the way out.

PETER LYNNE: A hidey-hole with a snapped off spoon inside. I can see there’s something carved into the stone in the hole. It’s a... is that a... [laughs] It’s a flow chart. A branch plan. Janine told me they help with organizing thoughts in times of extreme stress.

ERNIE VAN ARK: She’s noting the guard patterns, getting floor plans. She’s working out an escape. Oh, Peter, these branches all link to your name. She was planning to find you.

PETER LYNNE: Valmont was threatening to torture her already. If he caught her planning an escape...

ERNIE VAN ARK: She must be in serious trouble. Five, the interrogation wing is on the bottom level. Take the spiral stairs ahead down. There’s a warden’s office in that wing. It has line of sight to anywhere they might have taken her. Freezing the rangers may have bought her some reprieve, but they’ll probably blame her for us shutting time down. We’ve got to get her out of here. Hurry, Five!

~

PETER LYNNE: There, Five! The iron door at the bottom of the stairs, it’s marked Warden. Kick it down!

[door slams open]

ERNIE VAN ARK: Lots of monitors in there, showing all the interrogation rooms. Look for Janine, Five. Hold on. The way Sam used to describe Abel. That room looks like his comms shack, only filled with extra recording equipment. Are those film cameras?

PETER LYNNE: Yep. That room’s got a Maghreb flag pinned up. That one’s got the stars and stripes. They look like... film sets? What is Valmont doing here?

ERNIE VAN ARK: Five, something’s moving in the vent above you. Look out!

[JANINE DE LUCA shouts]

PETER LYNNE: It’s Janine! She just dropped out of the vent! Careful, Ranger, she’s on your back. Jenny, can you hear me?

JANINE DE LUCA: First sever the optic relays, then the cranial wires!

ERNIE VAN ARK: She’s ripping Five’s external cables out. Hold on, I’m routing us through Five’s speakers.

PETER LYNNE: Janine! Janine! It’s me, it’s Peter! It’s okay. The ranger is with me.

JANINE DE LUCA: Peter? No. Enough recordings, enough simulations, enough making me hear him in distress or Mr. Yao in fear. If you think feelings will stop me, you are very much mistaken!

PETER LYNNE: Janine, it’s me, it’s really, uh – Suffolk tequila! Remember? Number 77 on your bucket list, you wanted to be spontaneous with me! Spent two days planning it. We drank a bottle of tequila from the Suffolk enclave on your farmhouse roof. I sang Fernando! Badly! But we danced, and you fell and sprained your wrist. I don’t think Maxine believed it was a training exercise. It’s really me. I came to rescue you.

JANINE DE LUCA: Peter? No. You should not be on this island.

[alarm blares]

ERNIE VAN ARK: That sounds like a problem.

JANINE DE LUCA: Mr. Van Ark. I wouldn’t have expected you to be involved in this. The other rangers appear to be shut down. If this was your doing, it was very, very rash. Valmont boasted of the security here when I first arrived. If the guards are inactive for more than a short time, the prison will start a purge. All captives will be executed.

I spent months planning a covert escape by the vents, one that wouldn’t raise the alarm! When the rangers shut down, I was forced to expedite my exfiltration in a far from optimal way. We must evacuate the prison. I’m taking command of this rescue operation, effective immediately. Ranger, follow me. According to that screen, the other prisoners are in this wing. Open every cell door that we pass. There’s no time to lose. Down the corridor, past the guard stations. Move!

~

ERNIE VAN ARK: One more cell ahead, Five. From seeing their databases, the last with a prisoner inside. The rest are all trailing behind you and Janine.

[door slams open]

CAPTAIN : Qu’est-ce que c’est? Qu’est qu’il ce pass?

JANINE DE LUCA: It’s a prison break, Captain. Follow me. To freedom!

ERNIE VAN ARK: Wait a minute. I recognize that man. Captain Blaise [Canard, a French sailor who joined the Maghreb. He caused a lot of trouble for Red Scorpion Base before his ship went down. Some of these prisoners must be his crew.

JANINE DE LUCA: Valmont tried to force me to record tapes for Abel, implicating the Maghreb in my capture. I checked the warden’s office during my escape. He’s trying to do the same to other prisoners here, trying to make the Maghreb believe Abel is holding their sailors ransom. This is no mere prison. It’s a factory for disinformation and false flags!

[jingle over intercom]

PETER LYNNE: Oh, that sounds like a Valmont announcement.

BRENT VALMONT: Attention, prisoners! If you’re hearing this, my guards haven’t regained control in the allotted window. Janine, I bet it’s you, you scamp! Well, don’t worry. As the vet said to the vicar, I’ve got a fix for that. My techs developed a painless gas for quelling prison riots! This isn’t it. This one makes your lungs pop and your eardrums melt. Don’t worry, I’ll have your remains stuffed and sent to Peter. What an end for star-crossed lovers, eh? The exits are all sealed. Enjoy your tomb, Janine. It’s been a wheeze!

JANINE DE LUCA: Mr. Van Ark, gas is pouring from the air vents. We could use an exit plan!

ERNIE VAN ARK: I... I don’t know. I thought turning off the rangers was clever. If I had another week, I could have shut the whole system down, but we were in a hurry. I’ve done it again. I’ve doomed you all. I’m sorry.

PETER LYNNE: Ernie! Van Ark, you little megalomaniac, focus! You never felt guilt when you were killing millions. Why start now? They need ideas, not brooding. That’s my turf! What about Five’s arm cannon, is it powerful enough to break through the walls?

ERNIE VAN ARK: It isn’t. Unless... Peter, you’re a genius. The rangers are as deserving of rescue as anyone. The gas will kill them, too. But they might also be our only hope. Janine, Five, there’s a vehicle bay down the corridor. It has poorer ventilation, the gas will take a while to build there. Smash through the doors, Five, and try to hold your breath. Hurry, go!

~

JANINE DE LUCA: [coughs] Mr. Van Ark, we’ve reached the vehicle bay. The door’s sealed behind electrified shutters. The bay is empty save for many frozen guards.

ERNIE VAN ARK: The rangers are all networked, Five, remember? If you use your cable to plug into the nearest one, I can grant you admin privileges. I can route the network through you. You’ll have control of every ranger here, enough to shoot your way out. But the neural strain will be extreme. You won’t be able to take more than a few minutes, maybe not even that. Are you sure, Five?

JANINE DE LUCA: Under the circumstances, Mr. Van Ark, we have no alternative. Your ranger is plugging in.

ERNIE VAN ARK: I’m configuring the network, Five. Linking you to all the other mechs, waking them up, giving you control... now. [Ranger Five screams] Five? Are you all right? If you can still hear me, raise your right arm. It worked! All the mechs in the building are raising their arms! Five, if you can bear the strain, point your gun arm at the nearest wall. Let them follow suit, and fire!

[heavy gunfire]

PETER LYNNE: That did it! And the wall’s coming down. Roof’s starting to give out, too.

JANINE DE LUCA: Thank you, Ranger. Now lead the prisoners into the courtyard before the ceiling collapses. We must get clear of the gas. Through the wall, run!

~

ERNIE VAN ARK: You and Janine are almost across the prison courtyard, Five. Peter and I are waiting past the gates. I’m so sorry, I know this must be agonizing, but if you can manage one more volley, blast the outer wall down.

[heavy gunfire]

Five, thank God you made it out! I’ve set your network to shut down. The other rangers should be going back to sleep any second now. Oh gosh, you fused half your circuits. That gun arm won’t be firing anytime soon. Still, look at all these prisoners you’ve freed!

JANINE DE LUCA: Mr. Van Ark, that was quite the rescue plan.

PETER LYNNE: [clears throat] It, uh... wasn’t all him, you know. God. Jenny, come here.

JANINE DE LUCA: Peter, you’re shaking.

PETER LYNNE: Oh, that’s just some uh, drug withdrawal and a spot of joy. I, um... I didn’t think I would see you again.

JANINE DE LUCA: I had no intention, Peter, of letting that be true. You and Mr. Van Ark are a surprisingly effective team.

ERNIE VAN ARK: We’ve had our ups and downs, but I suppose we’re both immortal. We’ve got eternity to work on it.

PETER LYNNE: Under absolutely no circumstances! He’s been worse than torture, Jenny, really.

ERNIE VAN ARK: Janine, it’s my fault you were captured. I promise, I will make up for it. I only wish we’d got more of the rangers out, but at least we’ve rescued most. If I study their software, I think I can work out a shutdown hack that accounts for Valmont traps. And there’s a yacht beached along the shore we can use to send the prisoners home. Now you’re free. If anyone can give us an edge against Valmont, it’s you.

PETER LYNNE: After we get some rest somewhere far from that cell.

JANINE DE LUCA: Alas, that’s not an option, Peter. Valmont chose to gas his captives rather than use explosives. He likely means to count the bodies. When he finds I’m missing...

ERNIE VAN ARK: He’ll know to raise his game.

JANINE DE LUCA: Indeed. Whatever his plans, whatever he was using his prisoners to distract from, our escape only invites an escalation. We must seek to counter him. Whatever friends we have in danger, wherever Valmont has his sights, I fear things for everyone are about to get much worse.

~

[electric-alt-cookie]

LOG 4202:10;61

“ATTENTION CITIZENS OF BLUESTAR. V.ALOE HAS BEEN CLASSIFIED AS A TRAITOR UNDER ARTICLE VI. REPORT ANY SUSPICIOUS BEHAVIOR.” 

The air flew past them like wind. The scientist had simply no choice but to run. Their eyes started to rust from the tears streaming down their face. Don't think about it. Don't think about it. 

Was this how Caramel felt during the war?  This was simply horrible. Aloe wasn’t particularly agile like how Lemon was or even Cyborg for that matter. They shouldn't have tried to put up a fight against Raspberry Iced Tea! They berated themselves for that. 

To lose someone dear to them again… for the third time. That was the final straw. They had to have done something… but fist-fighting a trained royal guard was not the way to do it. Who knows! They could be puddled right here and now! Aloe couldn't let their fears get to them. They had to find Lemon and Cyborg immediately. 

They haven't left the castle yet… This would be a long shot for the scientist, but they knew their way around here thanks to Starflower's old tours and casual snack breaks. They could go towards the prison. They could jailbreak Cyborg. Aloe absolutely hated the thought of committing another treasonous action towards their planet, but things had to be done. Tea needed to be stopped at once. 

Corridors everywhere. Aloe maneuvered left, left, straight, right, left, etc. with no end in sight. They needed to lose the royal guards first. It was times like these that they wished they had gotten closer to the other Bluestar royal. 

Thankfully Tea wasn't on Aloe's tail. That was the one saving grace right now. If Tea had been here, Aloe would have perished quite a bit sooner. The royal guard may be smart, but Aloe was a genius when it came to calculating on the fly.

“Stars… forgive me for this.” They prayed to the now-fallen friend. 

A terminal near the prison caught Aloe's attention as they pulled out a small device and a wire from their coat pocket. Brute Forcing their way into the prison was out of the question, but if they could do this fast enough…

“00110011 00110000 00110011 00110010 00110000…”  

“Stop! Turn yourself in at once!” The guards flew towards Aloe quickly, their mouth wide open from being in shock. Aloe braced themselves for impact as the guards pointed their weapons straight at the NeoAzul: Guns loaded with electricity stronger than whatever Lemon or Cyborg could produce, presumably harvested from the endless electrical storm on the other side of the planet.

Back facing towards the guards, Aloe protected their computer from the potential shocks. They put their hands up in defeat as the computer was set on the floor. This was the end of the line for them. 

As the guards drew near, a small click was heard from the terminal. A door came crashing down, separating the incoming guards from Aloe's current location. The scientist slowly lowered their hands. 

“Haha… HAHA…” They couldn't help but erupt into laughter. “I can't believe that worked!!” They picked up their computer giddily. They continued on further breathing heavily. Hacking into the security system was no easy feat. From there, the scientist hurriedly scuttered to the prison where they were certain that Cyborg was held. With the override of the security protocol, all of the cells, if not most of them, should have been unlocked. Even on the run, their hubris was undefeated in regard to their knowledge of technology. 

Aloe busted down the door with their right leg. 

“Was about time you showed up!!” Cyborg had their blaster against a poor guard’s head, making it spark as an intimidation tactic as the guard was on the floor face down, even if the guard was already unconscious. “I’m really, REALLY mad at you right now, but right now we have to bust Knighty out!” 

Aloe couldn’t help but smirk at Cyborg’s angry expression. It was endearing to them that Cyborg was so… Cyborg. With all the events that transpired in the past few days, it brought them a strange sort of comfort. 

“Cyborg…” Aloe sighed softly, even letting out a silent chuckle. 

“What’s so funny?! We just witnessed an execution AND an intergalactic marriage!!” They were fuming but genuinely wanted to know why Aloe was acting in such a way at a time like this.

“I’m just feeling nostalgic… to times before the war, I suppose. Come on. We need to find Lemon before we can think about stopping Z.Raspberry.” They grimaced calling Tea by their new title, but it was the least they could do to not get randomly puddled. Aloe put their hand on their scouter to calculate a new route after blocking the previous route where guards might be stationed still. 

“If I may,” White Choco emerged from behind Cyborg, “There should be a gate that is not nearly as supervised near the back exit of the palace. We could potentially take a ship from the docking area near there, gather supplies, and find both Lemon and Knight under the guise of a NeoAzullian soldier.”

“Surprisingly perceptive,” Aloe nodded, “If I can override the mainframe on the ship we could use it as a cloak of some sort… It might allow us some time to search for our friends. Cyborg could masquerade as a citizen if we fit them in the proper attire.”

“I’m doing what now-” 

“Fitting in as a citizen. You have the physical attributes of a NeoAzullian. All you would have to do is pilot the vessel while we work in the shadows. Of course, there comes the question if you can even pilot a ship-”

“Shut up! I can do it just fine if you teach me.” Cyborg huffed. They made sure the guard was unconscious before floating up into the air slightly to match Aloe’s height. 

“Then it’s settled. We must hurry quickly.” Aloe motioned for the two to come quickly. Their large coat swayed in the wind created by the quick turnaround towards their new route. Cyborg and White Choco followed along hurriedly. There was no time to spare in Aloe’s eyes.

[kittenpower18]

Prison

This is a work of fiction. I do not condone anything written in this.

Part 1

The guards and warden escort us to the cells, and we smirk at each other, excited for what’s to come.

We enter the prison, looking around at the inmates; there’s a decent amount of them. I look at you as you lick your lips and smile wickedly. The warden explains the situation to the other guards: we have blackmail on every single one of them, and if they don’t let us kill all the prisoners, we’ll release the files on them and ruin not only their careers, but their entire lives too. The guards nod and give us the keys. We are now in full control of what happens to some of the worst of the worst kind of people to ever live.

You take your morningstar out and drop it to your side, letting it drag along the floor as you walk to the first cell, where a buff woman with short, spiky hair is. You waste no time in unlocking the door and bashing her face in. Blood splatters everywhere and you laugh sadistically, making me fall to my knees, already turned on. You look back at me with a wicked grin and wipe your mouth with the back of your hand and I swoon.

The screaming makes you laugh harder. You kick the woman’s corpse and scoff in disgust and amusement, there’s no possible way she could survive what you did. You bashed her face in multiple times, leaving dozens of holes in her face from the spikes, and dragged it down the face with the spikes still sunk into her skin, doing the same to her stomach. You hacked away at her skin with a dagger, stabbed her multiple times, and gouged her eyes out, using the dagger to pull them out while it was stuck in them. You broke every single one of her fingers and toes before cutting them all of individually and shoving them down her throat, essentially making her choke to death on her own body parts.

You step over her corpse and walk over to her trembling cellmate: a large, buff man, heavily tattooed man with big, bulky muscles. You laugh at the obvious gangster’s trembling and begin to torture him, all while I watch with lust and adoration for you. You take your dagger and cut along his veins, tracing them and any lines in his skin, and there’s a lot because of how muscly he is. You scoff at the way he screams and cries, begging you to stop, just as his now deceased cellmate had, receiving no mercy despite all the begging and pleading.

When you’ve finished with the man, he’s covered in slices along the grooves and lines of his skin, his head fallen to the side, eyes dull and lifeless. Just for fun, you rip them out and shove one down his throat, throwing another to the ground and stomping on it, the blood splattering everywhere.

You continue to go around torturing and slaughtering the terrified and horrified inmates, finally giving them what they deserve; the prison wasn’t harsh enough, despite being a maximum security prison run by corrupt officers. Once you’ve finished off the last one, you gather the guards. They have no idea what’s coming for them.

They enter the room and are immediately sick from all the blood and gore. We look to each other and smirk. You lock the doors and tell them to shut the fuck up; it’s time to play a game.

Part 2

You gather the guards and take their guns, proceeding to explain what’s about to happen: a battle royale. The guards must fight to the death until only one of them remains. The last one standing gets to live.

You laugh cruelly at their terrified and angry reactions; you had promised nothing would happen to them if they let you do whatever you wanted to the prisoners. You lied. One of the guards says they will not be participating in your sick game, only to receive a bullet to the face. Then it happens: a guard punches another guard in the face, and an all-out brawl ensues.

It’s a fucking bloodbath. The guards are fighting to the death just like we wanted. There’s screaming and begging and pleading, laughter too. I look at the carnage with adoration for you and kiss you. We begin to make out as the guards continue to fight. My tongue dances with yours as I moan into the kiss, tiptoeing up to wrap my arms around your neck.

After some time, there’s finally only one guard left standing. You congratulate her, telling her that she wins the ultimate prize: a QUCK death. Before she can protest, you snap her neck, killing her instantly. You laugh and lean down to kiss me again, your hands snaking under my. Shirt and up to my chest. We’re surrounded by dead bodies, but I don’t protest. I want you just as much as you want me.

Part 3

I grab onto the bars of a cell for support. With my hands gripping the bars, you pull my pants down and smirk, slapping my bare ass; I wasn’t wearing any underwear.

You waste no time shoving your fingers inside me roughly, still covered in blood and making me gasp. You pump your fingers in and out of me at a quick pace, making me moan and nearly forgetting where we are. Just as I’m about to come, you pull your fingers out with a laugh and slap my ass again, stepping back to take off your pants.

I look back as I hear the buckle hit the floor and gulp. No matter how many times I see it, your cock is so big it always intimidates me. You laugh at my reaction and place your hands on my hips, grinding your massive, hard cock against me. I moan, making you lick your lips.

I start to plead with you to stop teasing me, and when you finally do, you give no warning. You slam your cock inside me, making me scream loudly. It doesn’t matter how loud I am. We’re in a maximum security prison and everyone is dead, both in and outside of it, so there are no security guards watching the cameras.

You slam into me with reckless abandon, making me forget where we are, forgetting all about the lifeless bodies surrounding us, focused only on you and your cock. I scream as you continue to pound into me, moaning loudly as you tell me not to hold back.

You speed up, fucking me harder and harder until I can’t take it anymore. I scream louder than I ever have before and come on your cock. You laugh and keep fucking into me until you too come inside me. I collapse to the ground, panting breathlessly after the best fuck of my entire life.

You proceed to fuck me more in different places and positions throughout the prison, and by the time we’re done, it’s impossible for me to walk, so you carry me back to the car and drive us home, both of us covered in blood, sweat and cum, and help me shower before getting into bed and cuddling me, praising me as I fall asleep.

[dogopower]

Tomax & Xamot lyrics

Intro

Introducing the leaders of the Crimson Guard

The evil twin brothers Tomax and Xamot

*The Gods*

*Enter in the realm*

*Xamot, Tomax*

Verse 1: Apathy & Esoteric

Welcome to the terror drone, laboratory full of clones

Battle Storm's shadow and shatter his fragile bones

That I condone, I spit it with a dastardly tone

Chrome gats get blown, no you can't inhabit the zone

Back from the swampland, face camouflage like Zartan

On four wheels, is she real in a retinal scans

Wrecking your plans, call your medicine man

We the evilest twins, roll through on his tanks with rims

Snatching limbs outta timbs, three, two, one

Diabolical separating dictator's molecules

To create a leader that's unstoppable

Highly logical rhyme agenda Dr. Mind Bender lies ender Tomax and Xamot

Spray blocks you can't enter

?

And metamorphosizes

For many more surprises

The masters of disguises

We slip through the cracks, attacks and hack systems

Slap and hack victims up, Ap inflicts 'em

With poison deployed like venom when I scream (cobralalalalalalalala)

To summon my team, it goes

D, E, M, I, G, O, D, Z

Got a posse that's hard as the Crimson Guard be

Hook

*The science of the future is the Gods*

*The science of the future is the Gods*

*The science of the future is the Gods*

*Cause ain't no Gods that will put you out your misery*

Verse 2: Apathy & Esoteric

Ayo we think alike speak alike, thoughts travel at the speed of light

Read and write the same and stand at an even height

And G.I., being our B.I., we don't believe the hype

Freedom fighters kneel down down to the evil type

The ice-cold arctic flow, my arsenal grows

Armed with arsenic tipped arrows and crossbows

Froze, bodies of Joes, extract their souls

We just tag em with the Mac never tag their toes

We leave 'em Red (uh), Fred (uh), Duke (uh), Dead

Aquatic amphibious tanks roll through cities

With cannons aimed at enemies, bombing 'em biochemically

The energy from our weaponry tends to be epidemically

Fatal the brief case of the table let's do biz

We moving missiles and guns, employing prisoner's sons

The Battle Android Trooper that stunts

With a phaser attached, fatal attacks

We pack, lasers and gats

Amazing acts, leave your database and face cracked

I made your blood with a layer of mud

From the swamps that I stomp with dreadnoughts and thugs

I'm firefly with a light-green submachine gun

We be like Tomax and Xamot watch your team run

Hook