ataraxion | first run ⇄ video

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first run ⇄ video

[The video is shaky, obviously taken by someone who is both running and unfamiliar with how to use the device. But Minho doesn't care much about quality or the fact that the first half of the video is a blur accompanied by the found of running and heavy breathing.

He's running through the ship as fast as possible, trying to navigate a maze he's never been through before. At home he would know where to lose his pursuer, how to get enough of an advantage to be able to stop and breathe. Here he's at a disadvantage because of the unfamiliar ground, but at least he still has the stamina to run fast. Normally, the odds would be slightly in his favor.

Unfortunately, he's being chased by not one, but two Grievers.

When he comes up on a T in the corridor, he fakes right but goes left at the last second. The Grievers try to follow but end up tangling together in a horrific pile of mechanical limbs and sluggish flesh. It gives him a lead, at least for the moment.]

Still think this isn't WICKED?!

[Minho hasn't seen the PSA about boggarts, and even if he had, he wouldn't trust the people who posted it. He's new to the ship and has a grand total of two friends: Newt and Thomas. He trusts them, and they're the intended audience for this post, but it's hard to figure out filters when you're on the run.]

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[ so octavia is dealing with monsters of her own, but given that they're notably not running after her right now she's glad to lend her attention to someone else's.

besides, it's a welcome break. those things look horrific, but at least they aren't her reapers. ]

Floor number.

[ she barks out the question without so much as a hello, because she's friendly like that, but at least she's on the move with a big old blade in her hand? ]

[Even if he's new to the ship, he's had years of training in situations similar to this. So he hadn't really been looking when he was running for his life, but his mind had at least registered the floor numbers as he'd passed them.]

Ten.

[It's barked back, because he doesn't know her but Grievers have got to be a common enemy here. Plus, he might be in love; that blade is the best thing he's seen all week.]

Got it.

[ maybe it's not the politest conversation in the world, and octavia's end of the feed quickly goes blank, but hopefully he'll forgive any rudeness in favour of her quick response - considering the reason she said all of four words was so that she could get up and help with that thing sooner.

(it's not that she's really kind of keen to do something useful here, it's just that-- well. she really wants to do something useful, and chopping monsters in the face is just about as useful as it gets)

at any rate it only takes a couple of minutes. she'd been on the move anyway, for pretty much this exact purpose, and she comes round the corner with said machete brandished shortly after signing off the device. ]

Need a hand?

[ she calls loudly, eyebrows raised...and she'll be damned if there isn't half a smile on her face as she adjusts her grip. it's a lot easier dealing with someone else's worst fears, after all. ]

[Polite conversation is a luxury that Minho has never experienced. For him, it's so much easier to say what he needs so he can get it as fast as possible. The time it takes to beat around the bush can mean the difference between life and death.

Luckily while she was making her way to him, he was able to split the beasts up. Only one is on his tail at the moment, and it was currently far behind. But it's still close enough to be heard banging and scrapping its way through the passages, roaring angrily with each passing second that its prey is out of reach.

When he sees her, he pulls up short. He might end up kissing that machete tbh.]

Need a weapon. Any more where that came from?

[Why did everyone on this shuck ship have better weapons than him anyways?!]

Only one I got, [ she actually looks apologetic as she says it, but after a particularly loud bang indicating that his particular stalker wasn't too far behind him she twists the blade and offers the handle to him. ] Here, take this one.

[ it's not generosity. honestly, octavia would much rather run all guns blazing right at the nasty looking creature coming after minho, but the reality of it is that he's going to be far more knowledgeable on this than she is. ]

Good news is, these things do die. Bad news is it's just as hard as in real life, so if that takes a fight, get prepared. [ she scrapes her hair back quickly, eyes on the hallway as she drops into a more tense stance. ] So how do we do this? Trap it? Run?

[He doesn't hesitate to get a firm grip on the handle and take it from her. Sadly he isn't paying much attention to her words as he tries to form a plan, but something makes him look over with a confused expression. He'll ask later, when they don't have a Griever coming after them.]

Run. If you can keep up. [A flash of teeth that might be distantly related to a smile.] No idea where we could trap something so big. And the shucking things seem to be melting through walls the way they can follow, so it may not help even if we can find a place.

[ 'run' is as good a plan as any, and she certainly hasn't got anything better to offer, so with a quick clap of her hand onto his shoulder she grins - no mistaking that - and tips her head. ]

Come on, then.

[ she's no runner, not by glade standards, but octavia certainly isn't out of shape either, and she turns to begin the mad sprint away from the monster of the day, calling out as she does: ]

I don't know about trap- [ it's not her greatest skill, running shouting and trying to plan something, but she's giving it a shot all the same ] -but the gardens are huge, and I kinda know my way round 'em.

[ she has to take a short breath, huffing through her nose as she looks over her shoulder to see if she can get a better look at this particular boggart. ]

Bet we could give it the slip long enough to figure out how to kill it there.

[Runner or not, that grin is enough to tell him that they have something in common. As awful as the Grievers are, as horrible as his short history is, he loves the chase. Running with a goal is better than wandering aimlessly, and if he has something to accomplish that's all he needs.

When he answers her, his breathing is even and the words smooth. He's obviously done this before.] How huge are we talking? These things don't get tired, but they do get lost.

[ well, the i told you so newt's going to get is probably more than deserving.

newt wasn't even looking at his video when it came up, too busy tending to something in his room, but he didn't have to, because the noises of a griever? unmistakable. his eyes go as wide as saucer plates and it hits him straight in his core, the piece of his brain that was still paranoid practically screaming WICKED it's WICKED why did you ever think anything else.

swearing a-- ] Shuck, Minho! [ newt grabs his machete off the side table and busts out of the door almost immediately. his knowledge of the great cavernous halls of the ship is hardly better than minho's, but shuck if he's not going to try. his own video starts bouncing and blurring and just like that, newt's in lopsided motion, dashing out of the corridor and down the hall to try and figure out where he is so he can help. somehow. ] What floor are you on?!

[Every morning when Newt wakes up, it'll be to Minho's face hovering above his mouthing "I told you so" before he disappears around some random corner.

Why does Newt have a machete? Why did Minho show up with only his knives? He'd kill for a spear or five right now. But Newt's knowledge of the ship is going to be the most important weapon for them right now, because he really needs to lose these shucking things. He hates asking Newt to run for so many reasons—he knows how much it hurts him physically and emotionally. But he needs the backup.]

Eleven now. Tried losing them from ten. Found me somehow.

[ and he still won't admit minho was right tbh

don't question the machete--it's become very useful in his time since arriving on the tranquility. he's up and out of the door the second minho tells him where to go, moving his way up the stairs. if his gait is lopsided and he's feeling sick to his stomach, newt doesn't care. he'd run a thousand shucking miles if it meant his friends were safe. ]

I'm on my way. [ not that newt has any idea that he's just going to make it worse but that's okay. ] Don't get killed. [ glade mom speak for "be careful", basically. newt's up the lift as fast as he can before he bursts out of it and yells for minho down the hall, trying to get exactly an idea of where he is on the floor. maybe he can divert the damn thing. ]

Min!

[Classic Glade mom.

The only thing he's questioning is how to get his hands on a weapon like that. Knives were great for small fights, specifically with other people, but didn't help much when it came to Grievers. At the sight of Newt's awkward steps a command to fall back bubbles up inside him. But he can't bring himself to say it because that would probably get him dead—not at the hands of the Grievers, but Newt himself. It was pretty widely known that he didn't like to be told his own limitations.]

Good that. [The best advice anyone could ever give you, in Minho's opinion. Stay alive. Keep running. Don't look back.

When he hears his name being called, he banks a sharp left to meet up with Newt.] Comin' your way!

[ that is an absolute truth, newt could probably kill him with the sheer force of his glare alone. he's fine. the limp he walks and runs with, the sharp pains that jab at his ankle when he moves too far, they're the physical representation of things that newt tries to make everyone else forget, and he'll be damned if it's going to be the thing that keeps his best friend from becoming griever chow.

hurriedly trying to run over the patterns of the floor in his head, newt spots minho at a distance--and then spots the griever behind him. his eyes go huge and wide as he stares at it and fear clutches at his chest--everything minho ever said about WICKED was right, this place has to be them. the griever roars just as minho gets to him and newt swears a "bloody shucking hell" as he turns on his heel and starts dashing with him. though his gait is a little strange, making up for his bad foot, he mostly seems to be able to keep up. ]

There should be a T up in the hallway coming up soon, I think, we can meet back around and get to the lifts--try and lose it. [ the sound of those metal feet scraping on the floor is going to haunt him for the rest of his days on the tranquility, and newt looks over their shoulders, trying to gauge how far away it is. man, he thought his days of running from grievers were long over. ]

[Newt has done it before, as painful as it was, and this is the reason Minho keeps his mouth shut. He believes in his friend and knows that he is stronger even than some perfectly fit guys Minho has known. It isn't just about the body but also the mind.

Still, the clear look of pure fear on Newt's face crushes Minho. He tries not to think about what that same fear had made him do in the past and just keeps running, matching stride with him.]

It's friend is around somewhere. [He'd lost one of them, but he doesn't know how long that will stay true. Having a Griever on his butt was better than having one lurking around waiting for him.] Gotta go deep if we're gonna lose them. Keep following me to nearby floors, shuck if I know how.

[ they're grievers, it's not like they get lost. after all, these things were literally designed to run through a maze, just like the hallways of the damned ship. the whole place's eerie familiarity had been so close to the maze, but newt didn't want to place it, didn't want to think that WICKED still had control of him. and yet. here they are.

stumbling into Min as he spots a turn off into a side hallway, newt puts both of his small hands on his shoulder and pushes him that way. ] Go--gogogo, it might be too small for them!

[ he looks back down at his device for a second, checking it over for a message from thomas. he'll make good recon for the two of them--the mighty gladers, making a great team again. ]

[They could worry about WICKED and their role in all of this once they were somewhere safe with the Grievers gone. He hated to think about leaving them roaming the halls, though. If only there was a way to get them off the ship--

He's about to suggest something crazy when Newt shoves him off balance. Nearly falling over, he corrects himself and just trusts his friend. Even if the Grievers could've fit in past them, they were too big and fast to make the turn. It's just Minho and Newt. For now.]

We're in space! [He's picking up on the thought he'd had before.] Right? Like full vacuum space?!

Edited 2015-02-09 02:19 (UTC)

Yes? [ newt has absolutely zero idea where he's going with that, at least at first--he's too busy pressing himself up against the wall in the small passageway, trying to calm down the rapid hammering of his heart against his ribcage. once he stops moving his leg starts aching, and newt drops his head back against the door for half a minute before glancing back down the hall.

he can still hear them, metal feet clacking on the floor, the disgusting slorp sound their bodies make as they move.

to say he trusts minho with this situation, even if his idea is stupid, would be an understatement. ] Minho, what are you getting at?

[Minho puts himself between Newt and the corridor so he can glance around the corner. The Griever is gone for now, but there was no telling when and where it would come back. The combination of echoing roars and their harsh breathing is messing with his ability to focus, but he pushes it aside to pursue his previous thought.]

There's, like, doors to the outside, right? [He grins, the expression slightly maniacal.] Let's kick that shucker into space.

[ newt stares at minho like he's lost his shucking mind. ]

What?

Space!! [Why is Newt giving him the look that's usually reserved for Thomas? Is his idea really so crazy?] It'll die out there. Or at least be locked out.

Newt.

[ there's so much he has to say, and there's no time to say any of it. there's a griever, it's wicked, this is wicked, it's always been wicked, but what about his legs, what does thomas do if his legs give out? how does he help? for once, he isn't sure what to do, but he's on the move anyway, because he can't just sit idle and wait for them to come back. sitting and waiting has never been thomas strong suit. ]

Tommy! [ newt's not gonna be the one to tell thomas "don't follow us" because he knows how badly he'd hate to hear it, but as he's hurrying down the hallway, he fumbles to try and come up with something to get his help that's not going to get him killed, because more than anything else, newt needs tommy to stay alive. they both need him. ]

You know this place way better than I do, where should we go? Eleventh floor, now.

[ he jerks his wrist over so that minho can see him too, and so that hopefully thomas can sort of see where they're going. ]

I told Minho to get himself in a lift. You guys can stay there until I catch up, or find someone with some guns.

[ so clearly the idea of "stay put" has been completely discarded, even though thomas isn't sure how much use he's going to be. ]

Tommy-- [ newt bites the lecture on his tongue down--thomas always seems to come up with plans that involve him getting killed. newt especially loves those. ] --Don't be a shuck moron!

[ there's a loud screeching sound behind him and newt flinches. he's up and moving again, barreling towards the lifts. as he moves, the griever is clearly visible behind him, all teeth and slime and sharp, sharp knives. ] Lift, lift, I'm going--where's Min? Where are you? Don't even think about it, Tommy, for the love of everything good and shucky--

[ the griever roars behind him, rattling the walls, and newt shakes his head, cutting himself off. ]

Are you shucking serious?

[ it's the nastiest flare of deja vu thomas has experienced on board yet. for a minute he's just shocked into staring, before he pushes up, starts scrambling for his shoes, comm on the floor beside him. ]

You need to find people! Other people, it doesn't matter who, Minho!

As a goddamn heart attack.

[Which he's going to have if he has to continue running non-stop for much longer. It's not that he doesn't have the stamina, but with his heart pounding with both fear and adrenaline, there's no telling what might happen.]

No kidding! Why'd you think I'm running?! [He thinks that Thomas means he needs to find them for help, of course, because why else would it matter?]

[ this is the beginning of full blown panic, thomas can feel it in his bones. his heart is racing and all he's done is skid out the door. ]

How did it get here? [ because that's really what we should be focusing on. ] This place doesn't have grievers, it has manticores, I know, I've looked--

[ like ???? ]

Can you head up? Floor eight?

[Manticores? He'll ask later.] Shucking WICKED put them here. [Thomas when did you get stupid again?

He looks around, trying to figure out where the nearest lift is.] Yeah, but don't think a few floors is enough. Been chasing me like they've got hidden tunnels to take.

Can you beat them to a lift? There shouldn't be--

[ thomas breaks off with a frustrated noise. there could be. no one knows what this ship is capable of. ]

Try to get in a lift. I don't think they could fit in a lift if they wanted to.

Are you listening, slinthead? They can follow some other way!

[But he makes for a lift so he can catch a break, get them off his tail long enough to breathe and think and plan. He's wearing his pack on instinct, so he even has some water with him.

Trying to remember the layout of the floor, he heads towards what is hopefully the closest lift.

They can't get into the lift, can they? Get in there with Newt, you can buy some time.

[ or end up a sitting duck. thomas isn't sure which. ]

Have you heard from anyone in SEC? They--they'll have weapons, better ones than we had.

[He doesn't reply, just does what Thomas suggests because it is a good idea. The lift is the next step in a constantly evolving plan, even it if isn't the final step.

Shaking his head, he takes another skidding turn and earns a bit more of a lead.] Shuck if I know, I just showed up here! [He doesn't have friends other than Thomas and Newt, so even if someone from the security section had contacted him, he wouldn't know unless they waved a badge or told him outright.

[what the hell is that supposed to be. jasper would consider radiation exposure except that there are clearly metal parts to that. it looks like it was made.]

If you're up to luring them somewhere, I've got a few explosives that should take care of your problem.

[Explosives? Hell yeah.] You're speaking my language.

Where's good? [Maybe he doesn't trust people here, but he doesn't want to just blow up innocents if he can help it. And a couple of Greivers are a common problem, so he'll put aside his paranoia for the moment.]

[jasper grins a little at minho's reception of the offer and considers what kind of explosives he has on hand currently, and what sort of spaces are going to be the most clear of people.]

Depends, what floor are you on right now?

Low teens. Been tryin' to lose them on the lifts.

[Because big fat ugly Grivers definitely wouldn't fit in the elevators even if the could somehow manage to operate one. As he continues to run, he takes note of which floor he's currently on as he zooms past a number.]

Thirteen. Lucky me.

[jasper laughs in a sort of sympathetic, 'sucks to be you' way, shaking his head slightly.] You're not superstitious, are you? [he doesn't actually wait for an answer before continuing though.]

Okay well there's more people in general on the lower floors, but if you lead it to the storage containers it should be far enough away from any traffic that we can set a trap for it. [jasper's already standing and gathering a few necessary supplies while he talks.] Give me... seven minutes and I can be ready for you down there.

No room for superstition when monsters are real. [Being scared of everyday things you can't explain didn't seem very practical when there were big angry mechanical horrors chasing you around.

Nodding, he's already thinking of how to get ahead of the Grievers without losing them completely.] Which floor?

[jasper nods a little grimly in agreement. granted, his monsters had always been distinctly people shaped, but sometimes that was honestly worse. even if minho's monsters was incredibly disgusting to look at.]

How about we meet halfway, say floor 20?

[Just consider yourself lucky that the devices don't come with smell-o-vision. Grievers are far from majestic creatures, but the stench of warm flesh and oily machinery is honestly worse. Yes, even worse than that metal arm with a circular saw on the end.]

Good that. Hope you'll be ready.

[sure enough jasper is waiting at the end of a long stretch of hall in the storage area he's designated for minho at the appropriate time, a scattering of small black containers scattered between him and the entrance.

when he spots the other boy, he's waving him over and then ducking behind a storage container without a word.]

[Minho makes good time, and when he spots Jasper he only takes a second to glance at the containers before following him. It's both reassuring and uncomfortably familiar to see so many young faces on the ship.

Once he's hunkered down, crouching so he can stay on his feet, he looks at his new ally.] Now what?

[jasper keeps one eye on the hallways minho just came down, but he glances back at minho long enough to waggle a small handheld device of some kind that is most certainly not his comm device and making an expressive but altogether uninformative face at the other boy before staring back down at the approach of the grievers and counting down under his breath.

right has he hits 'one' he ducks behind the container again and presses a button on the device. the sound of several tiny explosions and squishy flesh rending from metal can be heard past the containers that they're stashed behind.

jasper grins.] Now that.

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first run ⇄ video

video.

[video]

video > action feat; oh my god this is late if you wanna drop it i 100% understand ;-;.

[action] it's totally fine!!

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video -> insta action tbh

[action] come at me bruh

[action] hell yeah hell yeah lets kill some grievers

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private, JACKS THIS

private, YEAH BUDDY

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private

video FORTHE MOMENT

[video] SAVE ME

SCOOPS UP.

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video.

[video]

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Re: [video]

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