Terror Aboard the Persephone! (part 10)
Aug. 13th, 2009 09:24 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
girlpirei want to thank everyone for all the kind thoughts and prayers over the last few weeks. i'm still not allowed to talk about what happened, but the media frenzy has died down a little, and i'm back at school now, so things have calmed down for me. it's nice to be in a place where no one knows and i don't have to worry about reporters or anything.
here's the penultimate chapter of this story, and i plan to post the last one this weekend sometime. i think earlier i said there were only 10 parts, but that was before i had actually divided it into postable bits. it's 11 parts.
Title: Terror Aboard the Persephone! (Part Ten)
Author: girlpire
Rating: PG-13 (or FRT)
Characters: Angel, Spike, Gunn, Connor, Wesley, Xander, Riley, and Kate, plus more OC's than you will probably be comfortable with.
Disclaimer: This story is based on the "Angel" series, with which I am not affiliated in any way. Joss Whedon is my master, etc.
Distribution: Please do not archive this story anywhere.
Summary: A series of highly improbable coincidences aboard a cruise ship makes stopping this particular apocalypse a bit more complicated than usual for the fang gang.
Author's Notes: This story takes place at some ambiguous point during season five of AtS. Spike is solid, Connor doesn't know who Angel is, and Xander is both-eyed and didn't participate in the BtVS comics. The entire fic spans the course of about five hours.
[Part 1]
[Part 2]
[Part 3]
[Part 4]
[Part 5]
[Part 6]
[Part 7]
[Part 8]
[Part 9]
***
Terror Aboard the Persephone!
Part Ten
***
As the vending machine fried, Connor stared at the guards in horrified disbelief. This was really happening. It didn't seem like a thing that could really happen, not while he was standing there just a few feet away, watching. People didn't just fire their giant electrical guns down the hallway in the middle of a casino cruise. Right? Not while other people watched. And now the first one was telling the other one to fire as well, with his gun pointed at the blue-haired girl. Did they really intend to kill these kids?
Who was the man behind the vending machine? Another LARPer? Were they going to kill him too?
And why the hell would anyone want to electrocute a vending machine?
***
As the sparks died down, Zazz managed to tear his gaze away from the half-melted Powerade dispenser with the blue-haired man hiding behind it. Less than a second after that, the other security guard was hefting his huge gun up to aim it right at Pezuzal. When Zazz heard the first man say, "You may fire," he shouted and did the first thing he could think of to do.
As Zazz lunged forward to shove Pez out of the way, he wondered a little distantly why the hell anyone would want to electrocute a vending machine.
***
Pezuzal heard the man say, "You may fire," but somehow she still didn't grasp right away what was going on. If she'd understood why the human who was disguised as a Phlegethonite had been hiding behind the vending machine in the first place, of course she would have run as soon as he shouted at them, but the whole situation just didn't register immediately. She simply stood there in the middle of the hallway and stared at the place where the blue-haired man had hidden himself again, and she heard Zazz give a shout for some reason, and she wondered why the hell anyone would want to electrocute a vending machine.
***
KR491 wasn't a bad shot, really, it's just that the vending machine had happened to place itself in his way. Twice. And when you're shooting electricity that crackles and jumps around, pinpoint accuracy is a difficult thing to manage. As a fellow mechanical device built by and employed to service humans, 491 actually had the brief impulse to feel sympathetic towards the machine, but his primary command center quickly sent out an override signal and he forgot all about it.
Literally.
As KR527 pulled the trigger on his electro-pulse weapon, which was aimed at the female Phlegethonite, 491 found himself wondering what the hell had happened to that vending machine.
***
From his vantage point behind the ill-used vending machine, Xander watched as a bright crackle of electricity extended itself from the second guard's gun toward the blue-haired teenage girl who was standing in the middle of the hallway. He heard a shout. It had come from the other blue-haired teenager, who managed to quickly shove the girl out of the way before the energy could hit her, stepping into the line of fire himself.
Xander saw the next things happen slowly, in the sort of way that anything horrific seems to happen, like a macabre ballet being danced languidly underwater. The teenage boy's body jolted forward when the current hit him, and his arms flung themselves wide, and his mouth dropped itself open while his eyes scrunched themselves shut before he tipped face-first toward the ground, the bolt of electricity still connected to him and to the gun. Xander's eyes followed the line of power from the boy up to the guard, and to the other boy standing near the guard in his black leather coat, looking absolutely appalled at what was happening. Xander heard the body of the blue-haired teenager hit the ground with a thud and the scream of his companion, which sounded something like, "Zazz!" She ran to his side in slow motion, then looked up at the guard with an expression so intensely hateful that Xander felt himself shudder involuntarily.
Why the hell would anyone want to electrocute a boy with blue hair?
Strangely enough, the things that happened immediately following the electrocution of the blue-haired boy seemed to happen at speeds so fast that Xander barely registered them. Within a half-second of his shudder at the kneeling girl's expression, Xander witnessed a blue blur tackling one of the insane security guards to the ground. It actually took a moment for him to realize it was the girl herself who had attacked. It took even longer for him to realize that the black blur kicking the other security guard in the face was the leather-clad boy who'd been running from the kids to start with. And it took three very long moments for him to register the fact that one of the electro-pulse guns belonging to the guards had been kicked in his direction and was lying on the floor not eighteen inches away from his crouched position behind the melted vending machine.
Xander stared at the gun for a long second, trying to make sense of it. Then he crawled forward, grabbed the end of the barrel, and tugged it back with him behind the Powerade dispenser, still in a daze from what he'd witnessed, not even sure what he was doing but with a sort of vague notion that having this thing would be helpful.
As far as he could tell, the four brawlers didn't even notice him.
***
Connor kicked the security guard in the face again. He'd just watched a boy die. He punched the guard in the stomach and then quickly in the jaw. The body was lying on the floor over there. He kneed the guard in the crotch. The other man was the one who'd killed the boy, but this one had helped.
This man was a murderer.
This man was... he was... there was something wrong with him.
Connor kicked him in the face again. "What's WRONG with you?" he grunted. "Why. Aren't. You. Unconscious. Yet?"
"None of my vital systems have been damaged," said the guard calmly. He blocked Connor's next two punches, but took an elbow to the chin without batting an eye. "Nothing is wrong with me."
***
Using the gun didn't appear to be very complicated. There was a switch that said Charge, so Xander flipped it. The gun began humming in his hand, and a little gauge on the side began to light up. Presumably, when the gauge was lit all the way to the end, the gun would be ready to fire. Xander took a deep breath. And waited.
***
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Connor demanded. He continued to fight the guard, but the guard didn't seem to be terribly interested. He was only blocking, not throwing any blows of his own, and he never seemed wounded by Connor's own punches when they landed.
"Nothing is wrong with me," the guard repeated. "I am fine." He ducked to let Connor's fist sail over his head. "Although, you are an exceptional fighter," he acknowledged. "For your size."
"But why doesn't this hurt you?" Connor gasped, seizing the guard's head and ramming it into the wall. There was a breaker box built into the wall right beside the place where the guard's head made a dent in the plaster. The metal door to the power board sprang open at the impact, exposing three long rows of breakers.
"My sensory receptors do not register painful sensations," said the guard, straightening in time to block another punch. "It is possible for me to sustain damage, but your strong yet soft hands cannot inflict the physical pain you desire upon my body. You should stop fighting me before your own body becomes damaged. I do not wish to injure your graceful form."
"Stop. Flirting. With me!" Connor punctuated this statement with two rapid lefts and a right to the guard's placid face. "Why aren't you fighting back?"
"My orders do not include harming humans," replied the guard.
"You're human?" demanded a raspy feminine voice to Connor's left. He turned in time to see the blue-haired girl duck a blow from the decidedly more aggressive other guard. "You should have freaking said so!"
"However," added Connor's opponent thoughtfully, "the Phlegethonite must die." With that, he pushed past Connor and attacked the girl from the other side.
For a moment, Connor simply stared at the girl attempting to fight both guards by herself while all three ignored him. Then, unsure of whether or not he were dreaming, or perhaps part of some kind of intricate, interactive performance art, the baffled boy joined the fray again, this time attempting to protect the girl who'd only recently been chasing him through the boat with violent intentions.
***
A faint, high-pitched buzzing. Xander looked away from the strange fight going on nearby and down at the large electro-pulse gun in his hands. Full charge. He was ready to do some damage.
After a quick glance at Jessica, who was still unconscious with her head between her knees, Xander took a deep breath and then leapt out from behind the vending machine and into the hallway, the gun already raised and his finger on the trigger.
The four people continued fighting.
After a moment, Xander cleared his throat and widened his stance, still aiming the gun, ready.
No one looked at him.
He took several steps forward and cleared his throat again. "Guys," he said. "Hello?" He had to step around the still body of the blue-haired boy, who lay sprawled in the hallway. "Hey, people. I uh. I have a gun?"
At this somewhat timid pronouncement, the fighting finally paused. One guard had the teenage girl in a headlock and the other was holding the boy in black several inches above the floor, one hand gripped solidly around his neck. The boy was clawing at the guard's hand, trying to escape. His face was turning purple. All four looked over at Xander.
"Put him down," said Xander. "Um. Please."
"The Phlegethonite has your weapon, 491," observed the guard who was holding the girl.
"Yes," said the one holding the boy. "I will get it." He immediately dropped the boy to the floor and began striding towards Xander. The boy in black took a deep, gasping breath.
"Stop," said Xander, wanting very badly to back up a few steps, but manfully holding his ground, gun pointed at the guard. "I'll shoot you. Seriously. I'll electrocute you in the face."
The guard didn't pause. Xander eventually took a step backward. Then another step. And another. He didn't want to kill anyone. He kept telling himself that he really would shoot, but this guy was human. It wasn't like killing a vampire or a demon. His finger hovered over the trigger. He took another step backward.
And tripped over the body of the blue-haired boy.
As Xander stumbled back and fell, surprised and yet somehow not surprised at all, he reflexively gripped the electro-pulse gun tighter so he wouldn't drop it, forgetting for a moment that his finger was on the trigger. The gun fired, though it was no longer aimed anywhere in particular.
Shit, Xander thought. But it didn't occur to him to let go of the trigger, so the pulse didn't stop, but shot out of the tip of the gun and extended itself all the way down the hallway, not halting until it touched something solid. The bolt of electricity flew past the guard, who turned to watch, and it would have hit the boy in black if he'd been standing up, but as he was still on the ground getting his breath back, the pulse flew over his head and hit the wall just beside where the girl and the other guard were standing frozen, also watching.
More specifically, the electro-pulse hit the power board that was built into the wall, which had sprung open at some time during the fight. Xander and the others watched the sparks jumping from wire to wire, the breakers flipping back and forth of their own accord as the hallway lights flickered and went out, then came back on as the emergency power kicked in. About two seconds into the pulse, Xander had the fleeting thought that his company's presence on Persephone was going to be extended by several days in order to sort out new wiring problems. But hey, at least he'd have more time to fix the intercom system.
Coincidentally, just as soon as the intercom system crossed Xander's mind, the speakers placed at regular intervals along the hallway began to crackle and buzz.
***
Gunn couldn't look away from the spectacle on stage. It was like watching someone else's nightmare: confusing and weird, hilarious in an uncomfortably awkward way, and disturbing but nevertheless absolutely fascinating. He'd switched to the video feature of his cell phone and was recording the strangeness to show Wesley. So far it consisted of a pretty amazing tackle executed by Kate Lockley on a shocked Spike, followed by a wrestling match between the two while Angel tugged at first one, then the other, attempting to pry them apart while also avoiding the stake Kate was waving around, and, for some reason, simultaneously shouting that he ate pie.
The whole thing was made even more surreal by the group of accompanying backup dancers in sequins and togas. Most of them were still gamely sporting bright smiles, although their eyes showed signs of fear and confusion. Their continued dancing was flawless, but some of the lines were malformed to accommodate the wild flailing going on at center stage.
All of this simply supported Gunn's longstanding opinion that white folks were crazy.
Just as he began to wonder how long the dancers would go on pretending nothing odd was happening in the middle of their production, something else happened that they couldn't possibly ignore: the stage lights suddenly flickered and went off, plunging the entire ballroom into near-complete darkness. At the same time, the music also abruptly stopped, and Gunn could hear the murmurs and gasps of the audience as the dancers' feet finally stopped tapping against the stage and came to a halt as well. In the glow from his cell phone, Gunn could see some of the audience members glancing around in confusion.
Angel, Spike, and Kate, however, could still be heard tussling on the stage.
If they were having a power failure, why didn't the emergency power come on? Unless the stage lights weren't tied into it. That was probably it, Gunn decided; theatrical productions wouldn't be a top priority if the boat were experiencing conditions that would cause it to lose electrical functionality. He would need to go turn on the house lights. What was making that crackly buzzing sound?
And why had they lost power?
***
KR491 watched as the pulse hit the power board in the wall. It wouldn't have mattered if the electricity had hit him; depending on where it touched, the pulse could have been beneficial to his internal power core, a sort of boost or recharge. In fact, he and 527 had occasionally used their weapons on each other in private, and it actually felt quite nice, though Mr. Wyndham-Price had once walked in on them doing so and seemed to object to this form of recreation, indicating that it wasn't proper. They hadn't done it again since then, but sometimes when he was alone, 491 found himself thinking about it. He had the experience stored in a priority file in his memory banks.
The electrical pulse only lasted a few seconds in total, plenty long enough to shut down a human's primary organ functions, and more than enough time to fry many of the electrical connections powering this deck. The hallway lights flickered and went off, then came back on when the emergency power kicked in. KR491 didn't know it, but the intercom wires hanging out of the wall in a ballroom on the other side of the boat were tied into this emergency power rather than the primary power (an easy mistake to make, according to certain people). He also didn't know a small radio hooked into the intercom system had been left on, with the volume turned up as high as it would go.
What KR491 did know was that his programming had a tiny flaw.
As the pulse died down and the evenly spaced speakers along the hallway started to crackle and buzz, 491 glanced over at his partner. KR527 also had his visual sensors aimed at 491. In the .00052 seconds it took for them to process each other's image, 491 also recalled from his memory banks the information surrounding his programming flaw, an image of Mr. Wyndham-Price, the U.S. currency exchange rate in China for the purpose of buying tea, a recipe for dumplings, and the last time he and 527 had discharged their weapons on each other.
As last thoughts go, they weren't unpleasant.
***
The sudden blaring of a cheerful female voice throughout the boat was like a physical blow to the side of Xander's head. He dropped the electro-pulse weapon immediately and clapped his hands over his ears, looking around wildly for the source of the noise. The boy in black also covered his ears, wincing.
"--EL SOMBRERO'S MEXICAN CANTINA WOULD LIKE US TO REMIND YOU--"
Xander instantly recognized the voice of Anchorwoman Julie Jeffries from Channel Nine News. It was coming from the speakers. The intercom system? How was that even possible? Unless... Huh. He'd fixed it. Too bad he was about to be killed.
But the guard wasn't coming toward him anymore. As soon as the voice started, both security guards had frozen in place, staring into each other's eyes from across the hallway. Xander, hands clamped over his ears, glanced warily between the two homicidal men as they gazed at each other and simultaneously...
"--ONLY AFFECTS THE BEEF--"
Fainted?
The guard who'd been holding the blue-haired girl released her as he tumbled to the floor, and she hurried toward Xander. He assumed she wanted to check on him, but instead she dropped down to her knees beside the body of the blue-haired boy. Dead body. Right.
Which was... moving? What the--
***
Gunn had only taken two steps in the direction of where he assumed the light switches were when an incredibly loud voice blared out of the intercom speakers which were spaced evenly throughout the large, dark room.
"--EL SOMBRERO'S MEXICAN CANTINA WOULD--"
What the hell? Gunn winced, putting his hands up to his ears. Before he could cover them, though, he heard several unmistakable thuds coming from somewhere nearby. Oh, shit. He aimed his cell phone toward the nearest side of the room where the security bots had been stationed. In the very dim, bluish light from the phone, he could just make out their bodies lying crumpled on the floor like a line of fallen dominoes.
"--UNFORTUNATE BOUT OF FOOD POISONING--"
Great. Just wonderful.
"Somebody turn on the lights already!" a voice called out angrily. "I can't see a thing!"
"I can see fine," replied an eerily calm voice. Probably a vampire.
"Pie, top it! Let GO! Ate, he not evil; he got a toul! Drop the take! Drop it!" Definitely Angel's voice. Sort of.
"--CHICKEN, CHEESE, AND BEAN DISHES ARE STILL--"
"Top biting me, damn it, I'm trying to help you! PIE!"
"Charles, what on earth is going on?" asked Wesley's voice in his ear. Gunn was feeling his way along the back row of seats, hopefully headed towards light switches. "Charles, can you hear me? Are you still wearing your wire?"
"Yeah, I'm here," Gunn muttered, barely able to hear himself over the sudden loudness of the room, "and what's going on is the power went out, all your fainting robots fainted, and now I'm stuck in the dark with a bunch of creepy-ass demons." He moved slowly but steadily, growing more annoyed as the voices of the audience got louder. This was Wesley's fault. "I think Angel and Spike have both lost their minds," he continued. "That crazy cop lady's gonna kill somebody; I AM ABOUT TO GO DEAF, and the only reason I'm even here in the first place is you, so you better hope the world ends tonight because if it doesn't I'ma punch you in the face so hard they'll arrest you in Miami for speeding. Got that, Wes?"
"Of course," said Wesley. "Well, at least--"
"No," Gunn stopped him. "You are not allowed to talk to me right now."
"I'm... not?"
"Not if you want to live, English. Try me again after I've found the light switch."
***
"Loud," Zazz mumbled, trying to turn his head away from the noise. His whole body felt heavy, and he was dizzy. "Too loud."
He could also feel someone slapping his cheek lightly. "Zazz? Zazz, wake up. I need you to wake up now, okay?"
"Pez?" he murmured.
A nearby male voice said, "What the...? I thought he was dead!"
"--THAT'S RIGHT, BOB. YOU CAN STILL ORDER THE--"
"Turn it down," Zazz muttered, swatting ineffectually at the air. His hand landed in Pezuzal's hand.
"Didn't his heart explode?" the man asked. "They said all his organs would Hiroshima in like, three seconds."
"AS WELL AS NACHOS, BEAN BURRITOS, AND MY PERSONAL FAVORITE, TACO LOCO--"
Zazz opened his eyes. Pez was a little blurry, but he could tell she was giving someone her patented Duh, Stupid look. She said, "We're Phlegethonites. What organs?"
As the man stared back at her blankly, Pezuzal sniffed the air. "Hey," she added, "do you guys smell lemons?"
***
"--THANKS, JULIE. AND THAT BRINGS US TO OUR TOP STORY OF THE--"
People were starting to get up and move around, many of them bumping into things and cursing. This was not good. Gunn accidentally bumped into some squishy evil thing and muttered an apology. One more step, and he almost tripped over one of the bots lying on the floor. Damn.
"--FEW MOMENTS AGO, WE RECEIVED A CALL--"
There. Okay, that was definitely the wall. So the light switch should be... Gunn swept his hands along the wall. Somewhere around... Okay, maybe not in this exact place...
"--WOMAN NAMED AGNES PRINCE, CURRENTLY ABOARD A CRUISE SHIP--"
Gunn took a few careful steps, palms pressed to the wall, feeling around. As soon as he got the lights back on, he would make an announcement about the power failure and try to restore some order around here.
"--TELL THEM WHAT YOU TOLD ME EARLIER, AGNES?"
The security bots passed out around the room might be a little hard to explain, but he'd think of something. The first thing was getting the lights back on. Gunn kept moving steadily, running his hands along the wall. Once the lights were on, everyone would calm down.
"WELL, DEAR, I'M ON A BOAT CALLED THE PERSEPHONE--"
There! That's the switch. Gunn flipped it triumphantly, and the house lights came on as expected. Excellent. Now if he could just get everyone back to their seats...
"--AND THERE'S A TERRORIST ON BOARD!"
Of course, due to the ensuing pandemonium, that part would probably take a while.
***
tbc.
***
here's the penultimate chapter of this story, and i plan to post the last one this weekend sometime. i think earlier i said there were only 10 parts, but that was before i had actually divided it into postable bits. it's 11 parts.
Title: Terror Aboard the Persephone! (Part Ten)
Author: girlpire
Rating: PG-13 (or FRT)
Characters: Angel, Spike, Gunn, Connor, Wesley, Xander, Riley, and Kate, plus more OC's than you will probably be comfortable with.
Disclaimer: This story is based on the "Angel" series, with which I am not affiliated in any way. Joss Whedon is my master, etc.
Distribution: Please do not archive this story anywhere.
Summary: A series of highly improbable coincidences aboard a cruise ship makes stopping this particular apocalypse a bit more complicated than usual for the fang gang.
Author's Notes: This story takes place at some ambiguous point during season five of AtS. Spike is solid, Connor doesn't know who Angel is, and Xander is both-eyed and didn't participate in the BtVS comics. The entire fic spans the course of about five hours.
[Part 1]
[Part 2]
[Part 3]
[Part 4]
[Part 5]
[Part 6]
[Part 7]
[Part 8]
[Part 9]
***
Terror Aboard the Persephone!
Part Ten
***
As the vending machine fried, Connor stared at the guards in horrified disbelief. This was really happening. It didn't seem like a thing that could really happen, not while he was standing there just a few feet away, watching. People didn't just fire their giant electrical guns down the hallway in the middle of a casino cruise. Right? Not while other people watched. And now the first one was telling the other one to fire as well, with his gun pointed at the blue-haired girl. Did they really intend to kill these kids?
Who was the man behind the vending machine? Another LARPer? Were they going to kill him too?
And why the hell would anyone want to electrocute a vending machine?
***
As the sparks died down, Zazz managed to tear his gaze away from the half-melted Powerade dispenser with the blue-haired man hiding behind it. Less than a second after that, the other security guard was hefting his huge gun up to aim it right at Pezuzal. When Zazz heard the first man say, "You may fire," he shouted and did the first thing he could think of to do.
As Zazz lunged forward to shove Pez out of the way, he wondered a little distantly why the hell anyone would want to electrocute a vending machine.
***
Pezuzal heard the man say, "You may fire," but somehow she still didn't grasp right away what was going on. If she'd understood why the human who was disguised as a Phlegethonite had been hiding behind the vending machine in the first place, of course she would have run as soon as he shouted at them, but the whole situation just didn't register immediately. She simply stood there in the middle of the hallway and stared at the place where the blue-haired man had hidden himself again, and she heard Zazz give a shout for some reason, and she wondered why the hell anyone would want to electrocute a vending machine.
***
KR491 wasn't a bad shot, really, it's just that the vending machine had happened to place itself in his way. Twice. And when you're shooting electricity that crackles and jumps around, pinpoint accuracy is a difficult thing to manage. As a fellow mechanical device built by and employed to service humans, 491 actually had the brief impulse to feel sympathetic towards the machine, but his primary command center quickly sent out an override signal and he forgot all about it.
Literally.
As KR527 pulled the trigger on his electro-pulse weapon, which was aimed at the female Phlegethonite, 491 found himself wondering what the hell had happened to that vending machine.
***
From his vantage point behind the ill-used vending machine, Xander watched as a bright crackle of electricity extended itself from the second guard's gun toward the blue-haired teenage girl who was standing in the middle of the hallway. He heard a shout. It had come from the other blue-haired teenager, who managed to quickly shove the girl out of the way before the energy could hit her, stepping into the line of fire himself.
Xander saw the next things happen slowly, in the sort of way that anything horrific seems to happen, like a macabre ballet being danced languidly underwater. The teenage boy's body jolted forward when the current hit him, and his arms flung themselves wide, and his mouth dropped itself open while his eyes scrunched themselves shut before he tipped face-first toward the ground, the bolt of electricity still connected to him and to the gun. Xander's eyes followed the line of power from the boy up to the guard, and to the other boy standing near the guard in his black leather coat, looking absolutely appalled at what was happening. Xander heard the body of the blue-haired teenager hit the ground with a thud and the scream of his companion, which sounded something like, "Zazz!" She ran to his side in slow motion, then looked up at the guard with an expression so intensely hateful that Xander felt himself shudder involuntarily.
Why the hell would anyone want to electrocute a boy with blue hair?
Strangely enough, the things that happened immediately following the electrocution of the blue-haired boy seemed to happen at speeds so fast that Xander barely registered them. Within a half-second of his shudder at the kneeling girl's expression, Xander witnessed a blue blur tackling one of the insane security guards to the ground. It actually took a moment for him to realize it was the girl herself who had attacked. It took even longer for him to realize that the black blur kicking the other security guard in the face was the leather-clad boy who'd been running from the kids to start with. And it took three very long moments for him to register the fact that one of the electro-pulse guns belonging to the guards had been kicked in his direction and was lying on the floor not eighteen inches away from his crouched position behind the melted vending machine.
Xander stared at the gun for a long second, trying to make sense of it. Then he crawled forward, grabbed the end of the barrel, and tugged it back with him behind the Powerade dispenser, still in a daze from what he'd witnessed, not even sure what he was doing but with a sort of vague notion that having this thing would be helpful.
As far as he could tell, the four brawlers didn't even notice him.
***
Connor kicked the security guard in the face again. He'd just watched a boy die. He punched the guard in the stomach and then quickly in the jaw. The body was lying on the floor over there. He kneed the guard in the crotch. The other man was the one who'd killed the boy, but this one had helped.
This man was a murderer.
This man was... he was... there was something wrong with him.
Connor kicked him in the face again. "What's WRONG with you?" he grunted. "Why. Aren't. You. Unconscious. Yet?"
"None of my vital systems have been damaged," said the guard calmly. He blocked Connor's next two punches, but took an elbow to the chin without batting an eye. "Nothing is wrong with me."
***
Using the gun didn't appear to be very complicated. There was a switch that said Charge, so Xander flipped it. The gun began humming in his hand, and a little gauge on the side began to light up. Presumably, when the gauge was lit all the way to the end, the gun would be ready to fire. Xander took a deep breath. And waited.
***
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Connor demanded. He continued to fight the guard, but the guard didn't seem to be terribly interested. He was only blocking, not throwing any blows of his own, and he never seemed wounded by Connor's own punches when they landed.
"Nothing is wrong with me," the guard repeated. "I am fine." He ducked to let Connor's fist sail over his head. "Although, you are an exceptional fighter," he acknowledged. "For your size."
"But why doesn't this hurt you?" Connor gasped, seizing the guard's head and ramming it into the wall. There was a breaker box built into the wall right beside the place where the guard's head made a dent in the plaster. The metal door to the power board sprang open at the impact, exposing three long rows of breakers.
"My sensory receptors do not register painful sensations," said the guard, straightening in time to block another punch. "It is possible for me to sustain damage, but your strong yet soft hands cannot inflict the physical pain you desire upon my body. You should stop fighting me before your own body becomes damaged. I do not wish to injure your graceful form."
"Stop. Flirting. With me!" Connor punctuated this statement with two rapid lefts and a right to the guard's placid face. "Why aren't you fighting back?"
"My orders do not include harming humans," replied the guard.
"You're human?" demanded a raspy feminine voice to Connor's left. He turned in time to see the blue-haired girl duck a blow from the decidedly more aggressive other guard. "You should have freaking said so!"
"However," added Connor's opponent thoughtfully, "the Phlegethonite must die." With that, he pushed past Connor and attacked the girl from the other side.
For a moment, Connor simply stared at the girl attempting to fight both guards by herself while all three ignored him. Then, unsure of whether or not he were dreaming, or perhaps part of some kind of intricate, interactive performance art, the baffled boy joined the fray again, this time attempting to protect the girl who'd only recently been chasing him through the boat with violent intentions.
***
A faint, high-pitched buzzing. Xander looked away from the strange fight going on nearby and down at the large electro-pulse gun in his hands. Full charge. He was ready to do some damage.
After a quick glance at Jessica, who was still unconscious with her head between her knees, Xander took a deep breath and then leapt out from behind the vending machine and into the hallway, the gun already raised and his finger on the trigger.
The four people continued fighting.
After a moment, Xander cleared his throat and widened his stance, still aiming the gun, ready.
No one looked at him.
He took several steps forward and cleared his throat again. "Guys," he said. "Hello?" He had to step around the still body of the blue-haired boy, who lay sprawled in the hallway. "Hey, people. I uh. I have a gun?"
At this somewhat timid pronouncement, the fighting finally paused. One guard had the teenage girl in a headlock and the other was holding the boy in black several inches above the floor, one hand gripped solidly around his neck. The boy was clawing at the guard's hand, trying to escape. His face was turning purple. All four looked over at Xander.
"Put him down," said Xander. "Um. Please."
"The Phlegethonite has your weapon, 491," observed the guard who was holding the girl.
"Yes," said the one holding the boy. "I will get it." He immediately dropped the boy to the floor and began striding towards Xander. The boy in black took a deep, gasping breath.
"Stop," said Xander, wanting very badly to back up a few steps, but manfully holding his ground, gun pointed at the guard. "I'll shoot you. Seriously. I'll electrocute you in the face."
The guard didn't pause. Xander eventually took a step backward. Then another step. And another. He didn't want to kill anyone. He kept telling himself that he really would shoot, but this guy was human. It wasn't like killing a vampire or a demon. His finger hovered over the trigger. He took another step backward.
And tripped over the body of the blue-haired boy.
As Xander stumbled back and fell, surprised and yet somehow not surprised at all, he reflexively gripped the electro-pulse gun tighter so he wouldn't drop it, forgetting for a moment that his finger was on the trigger. The gun fired, though it was no longer aimed anywhere in particular.
Shit, Xander thought. But it didn't occur to him to let go of the trigger, so the pulse didn't stop, but shot out of the tip of the gun and extended itself all the way down the hallway, not halting until it touched something solid. The bolt of electricity flew past the guard, who turned to watch, and it would have hit the boy in black if he'd been standing up, but as he was still on the ground getting his breath back, the pulse flew over his head and hit the wall just beside where the girl and the other guard were standing frozen, also watching.
More specifically, the electro-pulse hit the power board that was built into the wall, which had sprung open at some time during the fight. Xander and the others watched the sparks jumping from wire to wire, the breakers flipping back and forth of their own accord as the hallway lights flickered and went out, then came back on as the emergency power kicked in. About two seconds into the pulse, Xander had the fleeting thought that his company's presence on Persephone was going to be extended by several days in order to sort out new wiring problems. But hey, at least he'd have more time to fix the intercom system.
Coincidentally, just as soon as the intercom system crossed Xander's mind, the speakers placed at regular intervals along the hallway began to crackle and buzz.
***
Gunn couldn't look away from the spectacle on stage. It was like watching someone else's nightmare: confusing and weird, hilarious in an uncomfortably awkward way, and disturbing but nevertheless absolutely fascinating. He'd switched to the video feature of his cell phone and was recording the strangeness to show Wesley. So far it consisted of a pretty amazing tackle executed by Kate Lockley on a shocked Spike, followed by a wrestling match between the two while Angel tugged at first one, then the other, attempting to pry them apart while also avoiding the stake Kate was waving around, and, for some reason, simultaneously shouting that he ate pie.
The whole thing was made even more surreal by the group of accompanying backup dancers in sequins and togas. Most of them were still gamely sporting bright smiles, although their eyes showed signs of fear and confusion. Their continued dancing was flawless, but some of the lines were malformed to accommodate the wild flailing going on at center stage.
All of this simply supported Gunn's longstanding opinion that white folks were crazy.
Just as he began to wonder how long the dancers would go on pretending nothing odd was happening in the middle of their production, something else happened that they couldn't possibly ignore: the stage lights suddenly flickered and went off, plunging the entire ballroom into near-complete darkness. At the same time, the music also abruptly stopped, and Gunn could hear the murmurs and gasps of the audience as the dancers' feet finally stopped tapping against the stage and came to a halt as well. In the glow from his cell phone, Gunn could see some of the audience members glancing around in confusion.
Angel, Spike, and Kate, however, could still be heard tussling on the stage.
If they were having a power failure, why didn't the emergency power come on? Unless the stage lights weren't tied into it. That was probably it, Gunn decided; theatrical productions wouldn't be a top priority if the boat were experiencing conditions that would cause it to lose electrical functionality. He would need to go turn on the house lights. What was making that crackly buzzing sound?
And why had they lost power?
***
KR491 watched as the pulse hit the power board in the wall. It wouldn't have mattered if the electricity had hit him; depending on where it touched, the pulse could have been beneficial to his internal power core, a sort of boost or recharge. In fact, he and 527 had occasionally used their weapons on each other in private, and it actually felt quite nice, though Mr. Wyndham-Price had once walked in on them doing so and seemed to object to this form of recreation, indicating that it wasn't proper. They hadn't done it again since then, but sometimes when he was alone, 491 found himself thinking about it. He had the experience stored in a priority file in his memory banks.
The electrical pulse only lasted a few seconds in total, plenty long enough to shut down a human's primary organ functions, and more than enough time to fry many of the electrical connections powering this deck. The hallway lights flickered and went off, then came back on when the emergency power kicked in. KR491 didn't know it, but the intercom wires hanging out of the wall in a ballroom on the other side of the boat were tied into this emergency power rather than the primary power (an easy mistake to make, according to certain people). He also didn't know a small radio hooked into the intercom system had been left on, with the volume turned up as high as it would go.
What KR491 did know was that his programming had a tiny flaw.
As the pulse died down and the evenly spaced speakers along the hallway started to crackle and buzz, 491 glanced over at his partner. KR527 also had his visual sensors aimed at 491. In the .00052 seconds it took for them to process each other's image, 491 also recalled from his memory banks the information surrounding his programming flaw, an image of Mr. Wyndham-Price, the U.S. currency exchange rate in China for the purpose of buying tea, a recipe for dumplings, and the last time he and 527 had discharged their weapons on each other.
As last thoughts go, they weren't unpleasant.
***
The sudden blaring of a cheerful female voice throughout the boat was like a physical blow to the side of Xander's head. He dropped the electro-pulse weapon immediately and clapped his hands over his ears, looking around wildly for the source of the noise. The boy in black also covered his ears, wincing.
"--EL SOMBRERO'S MEXICAN CANTINA WOULD LIKE US TO REMIND YOU--"
Xander instantly recognized the voice of Anchorwoman Julie Jeffries from Channel Nine News. It was coming from the speakers. The intercom system? How was that even possible? Unless... Huh. He'd fixed it. Too bad he was about to be killed.
But the guard wasn't coming toward him anymore. As soon as the voice started, both security guards had frozen in place, staring into each other's eyes from across the hallway. Xander, hands clamped over his ears, glanced warily between the two homicidal men as they gazed at each other and simultaneously...
"--ONLY AFFECTS THE BEEF--"
Fainted?
The guard who'd been holding the blue-haired girl released her as he tumbled to the floor, and she hurried toward Xander. He assumed she wanted to check on him, but instead she dropped down to her knees beside the body of the blue-haired boy. Dead body. Right.
Which was... moving? What the--
***
Gunn had only taken two steps in the direction of where he assumed the light switches were when an incredibly loud voice blared out of the intercom speakers which were spaced evenly throughout the large, dark room.
"--EL SOMBRERO'S MEXICAN CANTINA WOULD--"
What the hell? Gunn winced, putting his hands up to his ears. Before he could cover them, though, he heard several unmistakable thuds coming from somewhere nearby. Oh, shit. He aimed his cell phone toward the nearest side of the room where the security bots had been stationed. In the very dim, bluish light from the phone, he could just make out their bodies lying crumpled on the floor like a line of fallen dominoes.
"--UNFORTUNATE BOUT OF FOOD POISONING--"
Great. Just wonderful.
"Somebody turn on the lights already!" a voice called out angrily. "I can't see a thing!"
"I can see fine," replied an eerily calm voice. Probably a vampire.
"Pie, top it! Let GO! Ate, he not evil; he got a toul! Drop the take! Drop it!" Definitely Angel's voice. Sort of.
"--CHICKEN, CHEESE, AND BEAN DISHES ARE STILL--"
"Top biting me, damn it, I'm trying to help you! PIE!"
"Charles, what on earth is going on?" asked Wesley's voice in his ear. Gunn was feeling his way along the back row of seats, hopefully headed towards light switches. "Charles, can you hear me? Are you still wearing your wire?"
"Yeah, I'm here," Gunn muttered, barely able to hear himself over the sudden loudness of the room, "and what's going on is the power went out, all your fainting robots fainted, and now I'm stuck in the dark with a bunch of creepy-ass demons." He moved slowly but steadily, growing more annoyed as the voices of the audience got louder. This was Wesley's fault. "I think Angel and Spike have both lost their minds," he continued. "That crazy cop lady's gonna kill somebody; I AM ABOUT TO GO DEAF, and the only reason I'm even here in the first place is you, so you better hope the world ends tonight because if it doesn't I'ma punch you in the face so hard they'll arrest you in Miami for speeding. Got that, Wes?"
"Of course," said Wesley. "Well, at least--"
"No," Gunn stopped him. "You are not allowed to talk to me right now."
"I'm... not?"
"Not if you want to live, English. Try me again after I've found the light switch."
***
"Loud," Zazz mumbled, trying to turn his head away from the noise. His whole body felt heavy, and he was dizzy. "Too loud."
He could also feel someone slapping his cheek lightly. "Zazz? Zazz, wake up. I need you to wake up now, okay?"
"Pez?" he murmured.
A nearby male voice said, "What the...? I thought he was dead!"
"--THAT'S RIGHT, BOB. YOU CAN STILL ORDER THE--"
"Turn it down," Zazz muttered, swatting ineffectually at the air. His hand landed in Pezuzal's hand.
"Didn't his heart explode?" the man asked. "They said all his organs would Hiroshima in like, three seconds."
"AS WELL AS NACHOS, BEAN BURRITOS, AND MY PERSONAL FAVORITE, TACO LOCO--"
Zazz opened his eyes. Pez was a little blurry, but he could tell she was giving someone her patented Duh, Stupid look. She said, "We're Phlegethonites. What organs?"
As the man stared back at her blankly, Pezuzal sniffed the air. "Hey," she added, "do you guys smell lemons?"
***
"--THANKS, JULIE. AND THAT BRINGS US TO OUR TOP STORY OF THE--"
People were starting to get up and move around, many of them bumping into things and cursing. This was not good. Gunn accidentally bumped into some squishy evil thing and muttered an apology. One more step, and he almost tripped over one of the bots lying on the floor. Damn.
"--FEW MOMENTS AGO, WE RECEIVED A CALL--"
There. Okay, that was definitely the wall. So the light switch should be... Gunn swept his hands along the wall. Somewhere around... Okay, maybe not in this exact place...
"--WOMAN NAMED AGNES PRINCE, CURRENTLY ABOARD A CRUISE SHIP--"
Gunn took a few careful steps, palms pressed to the wall, feeling around. As soon as he got the lights back on, he would make an announcement about the power failure and try to restore some order around here.
"--TELL THEM WHAT YOU TOLD ME EARLIER, AGNES?"
The security bots passed out around the room might be a little hard to explain, but he'd think of something. The first thing was getting the lights back on. Gunn kept moving steadily, running his hands along the wall. Once the lights were on, everyone would calm down.
"WELL, DEAR, I'M ON A BOAT CALLED THE PERSEPHONE--"
There! That's the switch. Gunn flipped it triumphantly, and the house lights came on as expected. Excellent. Now if he could just get everyone back to their seats...
"--AND THERE'S A TERRORIST ON BOARD!"
Of course, due to the ensuing pandemonium, that part would probably take a while.
***
tbc.
***
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2009-08-14 03:17 am (UTC)how the rest of it comes out. Xander was still sort of a
hero, wasn't he? And I'd have paid money to see that
stage performance. ;)
Meanwhile, I hope you and your family are doing well, and it's
good you can go back to some sort of normal routine. Take it
easy and don't stress any more than you have to. Things *will*
get better.
no subject
Date: 2009-08-14 04:07 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-08-14 06:09 am (UTC)Sorry about your misfortune. Hope everything gets better soon. Hang in there.
no subject
Date: 2009-08-14 06:16 am (UTC)*cries*
Thank goodness our demon kids are a-okay! Poor kids! I was so worried!
Of course, now I'm just generally worried about everyone making it off the boat in one piece - and how Angel's dignity will ever recover. Heeeee
*wipes tears*
no subject
Date: 2009-08-14 07:08 am (UTC)And that poor vending machine. *snort*
no subject
Date: 2009-08-14 07:07 pm (UTC)The chaotic floor show continues to make me laugh, especially the vivid image of those smiling hoofers and their show must go on attitude just ignoring Spike and Kate and Angel's brawl. Angel's tongue injury is making everything that much more confused. It's hysterical.
I hope your family is doing much better.
no subject
Date: 2009-08-16 03:09 am (UTC)Fantastic.
I hope the real-life trouble turns out okay, whatever it was!
no subject
Date: 2009-08-16 08:47 pm (UTC)I hope you can manage to post the rest despite all - and I'm sorry to hear that there's some truly bad stuff behind the laughs.
no subject
Date: 2009-09-08 01:40 pm (UTC)I hope things are okay now with your and your family.
no subject
Date: 2009-09-17 11:26 pm (UTC)Spike running around naked, the gay robots, drunk Kate (who was dating Connor?! OH MY!)and poor Angelckes... Good God poor Angel! He's the best part for me. He's just so mfunny! PIE! PIE! *giggles*
So many awesome lines and hilarious situations! Wonderful mayhem. :)
Thank you for the brilliant story honey. You really cheered me up.
Take care sweetie *huggles you tightly*
xoxoxo
no subject
Date: 2010-07-12 09:05 pm (UTC)*noserubs*
no subject
Date: 2015-04-09 09:26 am (UTC)