Don't be afraid to be weak : don't be proud to be strong
Posted: Sun Aug 05, 2007 6:38 pm
((I know this might look like it could belong in interludes for I10, but I'm planning on it being a fairly drawn-out arc and I'd rather not spam the interludes thread.))
Another day, another invasion. They were becoming almost routine now. Gabe grit his teeth and shoved his shoulder into a door, splintering the plywood that had been hastily thrown over it. He'd seen some of them come in here, he was sure of it.
He floated up the stairs inside, into the shadow-cast hallway, power had long since gone down, trying not to make a sound, listening for his quarry. Running on combat stimulants again, he felt exceedingly dangerous, something grim and hungry inside him twisting in anticipation.
And when he found the Rikti, in his powered armor, peering out into the street from behind the curtains of a ruined apartment, he didn't hesitate for an instant: only pulled his field around him and fired.
The Rikti hesistated a moment, jerking spasmodically as voltage slammed him, and turned ataxically. Gabe Smirked, and fired again, a wide containment field. that's it... down you go. But the field snapped shut without effect, the rikti made a gutteral noise as it shook off the cage Gabe laid for him and leaned in.
In that instant, the entire world was shimmering. A pain such as he'd never known seared at Gabe's brain. He brought his hands up, still trying to pump out electricity, pulling life force around him, but he couldn't, the entities would not answer, the forces were no longer his to command.
He was being flayed away, his ego dissolved like a sand castle in hurricane winds. Something faraway noticed his assailant, his victim collapse as he fell away from himself, an egoless particle of the universal no-soul.
When he woke, his strength was gone, he was acutely aware of something missing, stripped and burned away. That, and the ferric taste of blood in his mouth. Something smelled like burnt flesh. Slowly his senses were returning, first taste, then smell, now hearing, the streets had gone quiet, only the soft patter of water from firefighters and some cars passing. Then sight.
There was a Rikti, collapsed in burnt armor in front of him, not three feet away. Poor bastard, burnt to hell. Full-depth, probably third-degree. Explosive exit wounds. Electrical burns.
Shit. Electrical burns.
He'd done that; the realization hit him in the gut, and his stomach quivered. The Rikti was still breathing, a gurgling noise through a half-molten faceplace.
And Gabe was trying to move, his legs didn't want to work right, the nerves were probably half-fried by the assault. But even though his brain felt like an overcooked custard, he remembered his training, as he crawled across the wooden floor, rough on his arms. Use the casualty's bandages first, always.
Another day, another invasion. They were becoming almost routine now. Gabe grit his teeth and shoved his shoulder into a door, splintering the plywood that had been hastily thrown over it. He'd seen some of them come in here, he was sure of it.
He floated up the stairs inside, into the shadow-cast hallway, power had long since gone down, trying not to make a sound, listening for his quarry. Running on combat stimulants again, he felt exceedingly dangerous, something grim and hungry inside him twisting in anticipation.
And when he found the Rikti, in his powered armor, peering out into the street from behind the curtains of a ruined apartment, he didn't hesitate for an instant: only pulled his field around him and fired.
The Rikti hesistated a moment, jerking spasmodically as voltage slammed him, and turned ataxically. Gabe Smirked, and fired again, a wide containment field. that's it... down you go. But the field snapped shut without effect, the rikti made a gutteral noise as it shook off the cage Gabe laid for him and leaned in.
In that instant, the entire world was shimmering. A pain such as he'd never known seared at Gabe's brain. He brought his hands up, still trying to pump out electricity, pulling life force around him, but he couldn't, the entities would not answer, the forces were no longer his to command.
He was being flayed away, his ego dissolved like a sand castle in hurricane winds. Something faraway noticed his assailant, his victim collapse as he fell away from himself, an egoless particle of the universal no-soul.
When he woke, his strength was gone, he was acutely aware of something missing, stripped and burned away. That, and the ferric taste of blood in his mouth. Something smelled like burnt flesh. Slowly his senses were returning, first taste, then smell, now hearing, the streets had gone quiet, only the soft patter of water from firefighters and some cars passing. Then sight.
There was a Rikti, collapsed in burnt armor in front of him, not three feet away. Poor bastard, burnt to hell. Full-depth, probably third-degree. Explosive exit wounds. Electrical burns.
Shit. Electrical burns.
He'd done that; the realization hit him in the gut, and his stomach quivered. The Rikti was still breathing, a gurgling noise through a half-molten faceplace.
And Gabe was trying to move, his legs didn't want to work right, the nerves were probably half-fried by the assault. But even though his brain felt like an overcooked custard, he remembered his training, as he crawled across the wooden floor, rough on his arms. Use the casualty's bandages first, always.