Glitch IV: Chapter 2 Abduction

[Shark Bait]

As Ted continued to jog after Auron and Vash, he saw them round a corner and he slowed to a fast walk. As he neared the corner he could hear several voices talking, one of them in particular sounded very familiar. As he stepped around the corner he stopped shocked at what he saw, “Rory…â€

[Rukia]

At hearing her name Rory turned. Her eyes widened -Ted...- She thought, sighing. She wanted to go to him but was afraid to move. Still she couldn't help but smile knowing that he was alive, although he looked a bit shook up. She gave a little wave and went back to watching the confrontation.

[LadyTevar]

Magical sleep in Zion acts just like most RPG sleep spells. As long as the afflicted is not jarred, it will last for a set amount of time.

Distant gunshots will not do it alone. Nor will being carried at a fast jog out of a stone keep into daylight. However, both of these, plus feeling the giant holding you suddenly shrunk down to human-size will get past the magic and poke a person awake.
Unfortunately, people wake from magical sleep quite suddenly, like a cat feeling someone reaching out to pet them.

Leah's eyes opened, and the invisible tentacle-like vectors on her back squirmed to life. The eyes focused first on Albert, and there was a pause that lasted for the longest heartbeat of his life as it seemed she was weighing whether he was really Al or not. The Vectors calmed... he'd passed.

"What's going on," she murmurred, her voice cracking slightly as she spoke.

[Shark Bait]

At hearing her name Rory turned. Her eyes widened -Ted...- She thought, sighing. She wanted to go to him but was afraid to move. Still she couldn't help but smile knowing that he was alive, although he looked a bit shook up. She gave a little wave and went back to watching the confrontation.

Puzzled by her reaction and confused on what was happening he stumbled to her side. "How..." he began turning to look at her "why are we... I was in the hospital and... what the hell is going on???"

[Rukia]

Rory watched as Ted stumbled over to her. She wrapped an arm around his to stable him. "We've been here. Al beamed us up to the ship then Page sent us here. When you didn't show up on the ship I was afraid that... but you're hear now... You missed me as me." She looked down at her tiny elf form. "Anyway, besides the point, MORGANNA is gone, we've got the Riders on the run... and that.." she pointed to the captor "Would be the handy work of Matt and Magneto... The Master... the person we should be killing while we have the chance, but ironies of ironies, we need him." She looked at Ted. "Cover everything?"

[Shark Bait]

Rory watched as Ted stumbled over to her. She wrapped an arm around his to stable him. "We've been here. Al beamed us up to the ship then Page sent us here. When you didn't show up on the ship I was afraid that... but you're hear now... You missed me as me." She looked down at her tiny elf form. "Anyway, besides the point, MORGANNA is gone, we've got the Riders on the run... and that.." she pointed to the captor "Would be the handy work of Matt and Magneto... The Master... the person we should be killing while we have the chance, but ironies of ironies, we need him." She looked at Ted. "Cover everything?"

"You know oddly enough it does" he said as he put an arm arround her shoulder "thank you I got pulled here by the master I don't think he intended to though." He took a deep breath or two he was feeling much better now, and was bairly dizzy. "So any ideas on what to do with this guy? I mean besides the obvious answer involving a set of bolt cutters and a blow torch..."

[Rukia]

Rory moved a little closer to Ted taking in the personal comfort. "Vash said we can't kill him. He's our key out of here. So I guess we wait..." She lowered her voice, "Though there's nothing keeping him from killing us now or when we let him go...." She shrugged. "Al? Vash? What are we gonna do?"

[Dark Silver]

"For now, we find out where he intended to go, what he was doing, and how to get all of you home," Auron spoke, drawing a small dagger from his waist in place of his sword.

Vash held his gun trained on the Master, "As for what's stopping him from killing us...the fact that if he tries anything, I'll make what I did to Knives seem like a papercut..."

The master stayed silent, even upside down, the cowl let nothing be seen of his face, he seemed limp, and despite not even his eyes being visible, Albert and Matthew could feel those eyes burrow into them.


"All of you are already dead....none of you just realieze it yet humans..." the voice that seemed to come from everywhere and and nowhere.

[SirNitram]

Albert grunted, setting Leah down gently, patting her carefully. The Vectors were just creepy to have slide over him so threateningly.

"Big words, from someone too afraid to show his face. Besides, you're kinda dependent on us being stuck on this planet, this game. How long do you think that'll hold?"

[LadyTevar]

Albert shuld have kept his arms around Leah.

It was the Master's voice that set her off, the whispering that she had heard thru the door to her prision. She said not a word as she slowly, jerkily walked forward. Her body was shaking, almost like she was forcing herself to move forward, her head tilting owl-like to view her true tormentor.

Behind her as she walked, the ground was being lashed, turf flying as the near-invisible limbs/tentacles flayed the ground in response to her jagged emotions.

Ten feet away from where the Master hung captive, the vectors stopped tearing up the ground. Nine feet away, Leah stopped, staring at him in ominous silence, the vectors hanging loosely behind her, twitching like a cat's tail.

One moved, visible as a heat-wave blur of the air, reaching for the hood that covered the Master's face.

[Shark Bait]

Ted watched as the vectors ripped up the ground and the air distorted around them, he knew exactly what Leah had become and he subconsciously took a step back pulling Rory with him. In the back of his mind he began to worry that she might have not only gained the Dinonculous’ powers but also their instability.
So, this is what ascending can do, he thought curious as to how all of this had happened.

[frigidmagi]

"All of you are already dead....none of you just realieze it yet humans..." the voice that seemed to come from everywhere and and nowhere.

"How many times now have you threatened us? How many worlds now? You could not kill us... Any of us when we were weak, confused and divided. You will not succed in any notiable means now. Your victory is no longer assured and only your overconfidence gives you any comfort." Magneto observed coldly.

[Rukia]

Albert shuld have kept his arms around Leah.

It was the Master's voice that set her off, the whispering that she had heard thru the door to her prision. She said not a word as she slowly, jerkily walked forward. Her body was shaking, almost like she was forcing herself to move forward, her head tilting owl-like to view her true tormentor.

Behind her as she walked, the ground was being lashed, turf flying as the near-invisible limbs/tentacles flayed the ground in response to her jagged emotions.

Ten feet away from where the Master hung captive, the vectors stopped tearing up the ground. Nine feet away, Leah stopped, staring at him in ominous silence, the vectors hanging loosely behind her, twitching like a cat's tail.

One moved, visible as a heat-wave blur of the air, reaching for the hood that covered the Master's face.

When Rory 'saw' the vectors again she subconciously reached for her throat.

Ted watched as the vectors ripped up the ground and the air distorted around them, he knew exactly what Leah had become and he subconsciously took a step back pulling Rory with him. In the back of his mind he began to worry that she might have not only gained the Dinonculous’ powers but also their instability.
So, this is what ascending can do, he thought curious as to how all of this had happened.

The tug from Ted was a welcome distraction and she wrapped her arms around him, creating a imaginary safe haven. She reached up and rubbed her neck again as she watched. She felt so powerless, amoung the ascended Leah Matt and Al. Her character wasn't designed for this type of battle. She couldn't do spells the only thing magical she could use were potions but there weren't any. All she had was her agility and stealth, neither of which were useful anymore.

She watched apprehensively as the vectors reached out for the Master.

[Charon]

Matthew reached out a hand and grabbed Leah's vector before it reached the master's hood. Looking sadly at her he shook his head.

"You don't want to do that Leah. Not yet."

[Devonie]

Jules stood to the side, watching Leah. *Dearest God, what has she become?* she thought. She only hoped that Al and Matt would be able to keep her calm; being ascended hopefully put them on an even battlefield with her - if it came to that.

She started running through the list of spells she knew, trying to find one that might help in this situation....

[LadyTevar]

Matthew reached out a hand and grabbed Leah's vector before it reached the master's hood. Looking sadly at her he shook his head.

"You don't want to do that Leah. Not yet."

The vector tensed against his hand, solid but not flesh, just barely visible to the naked eye, yet weighing nearly nothing. Matt could feel Leah's eyes on him, weighing him and his actions before she spoke.

"I want to see his face." The words were shockingly calm, frightingly gentle. The vector in his hand relaxed, becoming insubstanstal and simply falling out of his grasp. "I want to See him."

[Shark Bait]

"So we can't kill him, and we can't let him go." Ted said with his arm still around Rory "Hell we apparently cant even see his face, what are we going to do with him? I mean how are we going to use him to get us home, and whats to keep him from pulling us back in again like he did to me?"

[Dark Silver]

Despite the fact that only blackness could be seen from beneath the cowl, Ted could feel the Master's stare upon him, You were a mistake....

The metal tipped boot of Vash kicked up, striking the Master's head, the look of anger on the gunslinger's face told volumes. "SHUT UP! Your lucky I don't kill you right now!" Auron put his hand on Vash's shoulder, and pulled the red-coated Plant back.

"We need a plan of action, we need to send all of you home, and seal the breach. And the Master is the only one who knows how to do so."

Auron turned to look at the assembled humans, then turned to the Master, "So, tell me, where were you going...where is the breach located on this world?"

The air turned chill, or so it seemed, as the Master's low chuckle began to echo from the buildings.

[Charon]

Matthew shook his head. "Fuck that. I'm not going back. My work isn't done here yet. I'm not dead for a reason, the least I can do is complete what I was brought back to life for."

As the Master began to chuckle Matthew slipped into a fighting stance again. "Can't we at least knock him out?"

[SirNitram]

"Relax, Matt. Cloak guy is bluffing." Albert spoke up after a long moment. "Because he's not stupid. He knows that we'd be able to pick up the presense of a breach, and if he had some special capability to find them, we could.. Borrow that."

Albert's arms folded slowly. "No, he's not got a clue. What he's got is a hope that everyone will play to his tune, because that's how games work. You find out near the end you've been on the wrong side. Besides, Earth is no place to run to. Don't be stupid, folks. You think we'd be let here unless there was a foolproof plan by Paige to prevent us from fucking with him?"

[LadyTevar]

Once again, the vector slowly snaked across the distance, the 'hand' at the end of it reaching for the Master's hood.

[Dark Silver]

When the vector neared the Master, black energy began to crackle from the dark robed form. It was a mere moment, not even enough time for Leah to react, before the black energy crackled the length of the Vector, and surronded the recently Ascended girl.

For a moment, the entirety of the Game-verse was spread out in Leah's mind, a direct connection to the depths of genius the Master represented. Everything in his horrible sight, as the gameworlds began to decay, lush planets turned into lifeless rocks.

For a mere moment, Leah could see, and grasp the unimaginably horrible depths of the Master's plots, see his rise to power, see exactly the measures he's taken.

As the Vector ripped the hood away, revealing the face of the man beneath, Leah already knew who to expect. She had seen the evil he had wrought, and still intended to.

And in the end, she even saw how unimaginably powerful he was.....

"Hello beautiful..." Darek spoke softly, as he righted himself, still bound by Magneto's metal bands...

[LadyTevar]

For a mere moment, Leah could see, and grasp the unimaginably horrible depths of the Master's plots, see his rise to power, see exactly the measures he's taken.

She knew who it would be, even as she didn't want it to be true. That was why Leah had to see beneath the hood.

The black energy dropped her to her knees from the intense, temporary pain. The images dumped into her mind, gloating of deeds past, present, and those to come forced her to clasp her head as her brain tried to process it all, to absorb the massive influx of knowledge. Even the vectors pulled in, clutching at her head as she rocked on her knees, fingers real and invisible raking through her hair in agony.

Leah struggled to hold onto herself amongst the images, to find a center where she could withstand them. So much power. So much arrogance. And yet it was Darek behind it all.

She couldn't cope, tears were falling unnoticed from her eyes as she was drowning inside her own mind.

"Hello beautiful..."

It was the drop of water that breaks the pond's mirror surface. Like the ripples from that drop, the words spread out inside her mind, dampening the rush of information as it echoed between her ears.

"Hello beautiful..."

The troll had used those words. Everytime he visited. The voice that ordered the troll was the same voice speaking now.

"Hello beautiful..."

Darek. It ... it was Darek. All along. All that week, he'd been there, watched the troll enter her prison. Watched as ...... as....................

Leah's body froze for a long moment, the vectors slowly dropping to her sides, twitching. Finally, she rose to her feet as if boneless, eyes blazing even as tears fell afresh down the streaks on her face. No words were said, not even an accusation. The Vectors just started attacking him, wanting to flay through metal, though cloak, through anything that got between them; wishing to slash the grin from his face, the flesh from the bones, from the very man she'd loved and who'd betrayed her.

Only to be blocked by a forceshield as Darek floated and smirked mockingly at them all.

[Shark Bait]

Ted grabbed Rory firmly arround the waist and pulled her backwards away from the onslaught of vectors. He was torn between instincts to protect himself and Rory, and one to try to calm and help Leah. His own survival instincts won out this time and he resigned himself to simply watching, and holding tigtly onto Rory desperatly wanting to protect her.

[Charon]

Matt drove his sword into the ground and lifted his automatic crossbow towards the Master, watching him carefully for now but doing nothing. There was too much danger of hitting Leah, or having the bolts rebound against the shield.

"Al, get ready to hit him as soon as Leah lets up."