exsiliumlogs | It seemed like a good idea at the time...

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It seemed like a good idea at the time...

Date & Time: 2698, fin-de-millenium, just prior to the formation of the United Earth
Location: Las Vegas
Characters: Break, Kevin, Gilbert, Oz, Elliot, Alice, Allen, Lenalee, Rosette, Chrono, Chrysos
Summary: Fear and loathing
Warnings: Showgirls and Gilbert weeping.

The statement “Let’s go to Vegas” exists as the multiverse’s quintessential definition of, “well it seemed like a good idea at the time.” Even in this case, it really had, between zombies, insurrection, and the day to day tedium of life on the moon. Besides which, Xerxes Break has a new sentient (sentient-er) weapon, which in a stunning show of good judgement is too dangerous to test on the moonbase, nor in any concentration of people. Las Vegas, set against the backdrop of the vast, desolate Mojave desert, seemed to be a perfect choice.

When our heroes wink into existence, squinting against the early-morning desert sunshine, they’ll find themselves duly welcomed. Come play in the casino. When you feel a bit peckish, indulge in all you can eat. Take your winnings and go shopping; at night, take in a show. And if you’ve done really well gambling, unwind in a ridiculously luxurious suite.

…or is this how you’re spending the night?

Thirty-six hours in Vegas, what could possibly go wrong?

(ooc: feel free to start threads willy-nilly, name your time and place, threadjack and mingle)

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WHATEVER IT WAS IT WASN'T MY FAULT! [With this VERY IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT, she throws it into drive and with only a quick glance, pulls out into traffic with a squeal of tires (thankfully without incident).

She glances into the rear view of the gathering crowd of security and authorities... and pushes the pedal down to the floor, diving wildly between other cars.]

Are you both okay?

[ His mind is busy with a number of highly complicated and important concepts including OW! and Let's Try to Breathe, thus it's several full seconds before he realizes that he is sitting in something that's moving wildly, and his stomach somehow has been left behind. ]

Wha –

[ He's gasping. It's hard to take a breath when one is being unexpectedly thrown to the side as the car veers. ]

What's going on?!

[Gilbert's only advantage here is that he can see what's happening, but that still doesn't help him to stay upright as the car dodges everything in its way. He's tossed along with Break, but grasps the side of the seat to keep from falling into his boss.]

We're fine. I think.

[And then in a stage whisper towards Break:]

I think Rosette may have stolen a car...

[At that, she whips around, the wheel pulling the car to the right with her.]

IT WASN'T THEFT! I was in the middle of paying!

[And the whole car shudders, back end of it skidding wildly as they clip the front of a semi. The trucks horns blare loudly and a blast of noise goes off as the trucker hits the air brakes... the load jackknives behind them, cutting off traffic.]

... CRAP!

[She pulls off of the main road quickly onto a side street.]

[ This disorienting cacophony and the sensation of being jerked around and tossed...

It flashes him back to that day in Paris, when an entire planet's defenses had crumbled to the United Earth, and suffered wholesale slaughter. Oz's incuse had moved forward by an hour. And, as a side-note, he'd experienced the so-called "Aristeas Technology" first-hand.

The memory is terribly traumatic, so he — ]

Hahahahahaha! Ha! Ha! Heehee! Hohoho! Ha HAAAAAA!

[ Clutches the back of the driver's seat and laughs like a madman. ]

H-hey! Watch where you're going!

[Kate is much better at this driving thing than Rosette is. He makes a mental note to relay this information to her in the future, but there can be no further attempts at whining about motion sickness right now, because Break's laughter is too loud and too terrifying to hear over the sounds of the street that already surround them. He clutches at his own seat and watches the man, cautiously.]

Break...?

[She tries to catch a few glances back at the cackling hyena in the back. That. That sounds like either I AM ONE VITAL STEP AWAY FROM CONQUERING THE WORLD laugh or THE LEFTOVERS ARE MINE AND NO ONE CAN STOP ME ... either way it doesn't really bode well...]

Er.. is he...

[Of course, that's when two cop cars merge from their hiding spots on inlet roads and attempt to box in their car.]

HANG ON!

[ A pool of clear water; one person standing, the other kneeling behind. They've changed places. Somebody who looks like Break lets himself slide into Gilbert as Rosette executes yet another sharp turn. ]

Hi there, Gilly~! Are we having fun yet? Hahahaha!

[Rosette, he'd love to help you out with this little cop situation, but he has a situation of his own in the backseat. He tries to shift away from Break (?) but he's already pushed up against the side of the car as it is. He can only stare in horror at the expression on his boss's face.]

B-Break?! What's wrong with you?!

[Behind them, there's the squealing sound of a cop car spinning out of control and a loud crash as it hits a guard rail. The POP POP POP! behind them sounds almost like fireworks until the rear and front windows spiderweb around a bullet hole.

WHAT DID THEY EVEN DO IN THAT CASINO?]

He's...

[That tone, that laugh.................................................................................................................................................]

Gilbert! Keep him down!

XERXES BREAK! FIGHT BACK FOR NOW! Don't give in to that stupid doll! I'll do a proper exorcism after I throw off these bastards! DON'T YOU KNOW NOT TO SHOOT AT A NUN?!

[It's another sickening, wrenching turn.]

[ He visibly startles at the gunshots and Rosette's screaming. But as the car jerks around, he throws back his head and laughs again, long and braying. ]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! This is fantastic!

[ He reaches over Gilbert, half-crawling on him, and bashes at the door controls. The window rolls down, finally, and he sticks his head and arms and whole torso out of it, gesticulating to the wind. ]

Hi world! Hi hiiiiii! Top of the morning to you! Hellooooo~!

Edited 2013-12-10 08:03 (UTC)

[He barely has enough time to worry about the sudden cracking of bullets against the windows before Hatter decides that it would be best to stick his head right out into the middle of it all. Gilbert grabs both of Break's shoulders and yanks him back inside the car, shoving him down on the seat with all his strength and attempting to sit on top and pin him down. Which is even more difficult to accomplish with the car weaving back and forth.]

Break - snap out of it already! [And then over his shoulder towards Rosette:] What do you mean by exorcism?! What's going on?!

What?! You've never seen a possession?

[Now darting quickly into the industrial district, the bright lights and heavy traffic of the Vegas gambling strip dies away into solemn, gated complexes and spray painted walls. The future hasn't changed people so much as added a certain glow in the dark glitter to the graffiti.

There's only one officer behind them... And a closing light-rail crossing in front of them. Seeing the opportunity, she slams on the gas, planning on beating that incoming train.]

[ Gilbert might have the advantage of size, but Hatter is wiry and powerful; moreover, he has no compunction about pushing Break's body past its limit. There's a moment when his hands are clutching Gilbert's neck. ]

I'm possessed, you're possessed, we're all possessed heeeeere~!

[ Fifteen years of destroying one's own kind ought to be enough to drive anybody mad. Or perhaps it was the fifteen years of knowing he was killing his own contractor, bit by bit. Or perhaps he was mad all along, it's hard to say. Kevin's spear had pierced him through that morning, and it made him calmer, but the feeling didn't last.

Right now, his only thought is to KILL EVERYTHING. An aura of complete rejection, of nothing springs up around him —

Which is when Rosette hits the gas and slams him into the seat back, breaking his grip and his concentration. ]

[Possession, no, but he's pretty sure that this isn't the same thing that Rosette thinks it is. That feeling of summoning negation only cements his theory; Raven can sense it as a threat, and his left hand aches as a result.

He grunts and twists his head away as Hatter reaches out to grab hold of his neck, but Rosette's quick getaway isn't making it easy to fight him off. There's no way he's willing to hurt Break in the process of fighting his Chain, so there's really only one other option before physical damage becomes a last resort.

But the girl's bad driving is a blessing in disguise, it seems. As soon as Break is back against the seat and he's free to move as he pleases, Gil first grabs hold of the side of the car to prop himself up (fights from turning around to yell at Rosette for reckless driving again) and then reaches out to slap his left hand to Break's head, summoning Raven to seal the out of control Chain. A few large black feathers appear our of thin air in the backseat, scattered around the inside of the car by a very controlled, shounen wind.]

[It's in that scenario - a reckless nun, pushing aside swirling magical raven feathers to see, with the cacophony of a Mad Hatter fighting a useless servant in the back seat... that the small sports car darts around the railroad guards and beats the train by inches to spare.

The wind of the passing train actually pulls the car for a second, and the trains horn blares hard even long after the engine has passed them without incident... separating them from the last squad car.

Almost sedately, Rosette pulls the car into a nearby alley, figuring that the cops, when they get through, will track farther out.

She cranes back in her seat, almost expecting to find the other two missing, considering the last time she saw feathers...]

[ Gilbert's hand is cool on his fevered forehead, as Raven's blue fire forces Hatter down, down, face-down. One last, indignant scream and then it's over. In the cool waters of his consciousness, Break finds his feet and stands, and he is — ]

[ He is sprawled across the car seat, one hand grabbing Gilbert's wrist, the other clutching his jacket. His expression is twisted and murderous.

That could have been me, he thinks (not for the first time). I could have been a Chain, bound to another's consciousness, thirsting inslakably for the blood of humans; or despairing in the Abyss...

Still horrified, he lets go of Gilbert. He parts his lips and takes a deep, shuddering breath, perhaps as a preamble to something resembling an explanation — ]

[ Instead, he collapses in a dead faint. Typical. ]

[Hatter had given up without too much of a fight, which is surprising, and only furthers Gilbert's confusion. It must be the effects of the Initiative's weapon; if a Chain like the Mad Hatter had this ability before, Gilbert would have already known about it.

As soon as Hatter bows out and Break passes out, Gilbert sighs and drops his hand away, letting himself linger there facing Break for another silent moment before he shifts himself back into the seat next to him. One hand reaches up to wipe sweat from his forehead, and he finally peers up at the reckless young woman in the front seat.]

Um. [But what the hell is he supposed to say in lieu of explanations?]

Thank you...for getting us out of there.

[Bumpy ride and all.]

[She doesn't answer directly, her expression pinched with worry. On one hand, possessions were rarely so simple to solve, but... she didn't really know what his "feathery friend" could do. There was also the problem of getting back... going in this car might actually be tricky... but the last time Gilbert had called on his contract his state had caused Break some serious worry.]

Rest a bit, I'll worry about getting us back. We've got to hang out here for a while though... sorry.

[She pulls four strange, spiked crosses with a button on top of each from her garter belt and hands them back to Gilbert.]

Put one above his head, one at his feet, and one to the left and right of him. If he wakes up talking strangely, press the button on any one... it wont hurt him or the spirit, just keep them contained. Don't put yourself in danger.

[ Still unconscious. Except, no wait. He's stirring. ]

Cough!

[ He's still out cold, but now there's blood dripping from his chin. Good thing the rental contract is null and void already. ]

[He's about to explain that this was the work (as odd as it seems) of Break's Chain and that possession is unlikely if he was able to seal it away, but he's interrupted with that terrible, wet cough. Gil turns back to look at Break, sees the blood, and then turns back to Rosette with a small sigh. He takes the crosses, eying each one carefully as he arranges them how she's instructed. It never hurts to be overly cautious, he supposes.]

What are these?

[He's never seen Pandora use them in the past. Once they're arranged properly, he pulls out a handkerchief and wipes off Break's face. He's moving slower than he was before, but he doesn't look ready to pass out as he did the last time that he used Raven.]

Cross barriers. They're extremely strong spirit barriers. Most spirits will be separated from their hosts with it, but really strong ones ...

[She frowns with concern as Gilbert wipes up the blood.]

Their movement is just restricted to that area.

...

Is he okay?

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