Chapter 6: (Ingkeu) Meanwhile Below...

[2012/11/07 06:38]  Miina just lay there, unmoving aside from the faint mist of her breath, otherwise the girl seems little more than a lifeless husk,

[06:39]  Suzari  did seem a little out of place in this location, but then, it wasn't exactly a regular place. The red glowing PDA nearby the drone seemed left here before by someone else, and the droid was performing some much needed repair to the metal catwalks. It barely held together as it was. Perhaps the note was what had drawn the robot here in the first place.

[06:42]  Jinn watched the woman for several moment, she was breath so not dead, but clearly out of sorts. he had not really medical training, only having worked on thing much like the droid in his life. no machines he could fix, people not so much. he decided to leave her be for now and move to the droid, he spied the pda and scooped it up tapping at it with his claws to gather what it was about before the slamming of the door caught his attention " christ that is loud "

[06:42]  Ingkeu used the last few lengths of secured wire to propel herself down the long passage way of the ship until gently her booted feet hit the ground with a soft 'thwack.' Quietly, her mismatched hues peered out into the dimly lit maintenance room and gave her slender shoulders a good roll. Just as she had left it. Stretching idlely, as if the girl hadn't a care in the world, she turned and begun to spin the wire back into place upon her utility belt.

 From her shoulders the small AI unit that often traveled with her plopped to the floor, scurrying about as if it were mock sniffing it's surroundings. Ingkeu watched silently as it's dull blue slitted eyes lit up a dark corner, before her gaze shifted to the near by working door. Feeling a yawn coming on she forced herself to keep moving.

 With her hand outstretched, about to press open the other door she was suddenly given quite a start when the door she had been aiming to repair suddenly sparked to life again. With what little bits of fur she had standing on edge Ingkeu tried to sooth her nerves. It was only then, that from behind the goggles, she picked up the dim life readings of another life form beyond the door.

 A small tingle ran up the base of the half feline's spine before she moved, pushing her hand to the working door and slipped out, teetering onto the catwalk lightly as she tried to peer out into the darkness.

A skip and a hop, a teeter and a wobble lent her a few platforms closer to the one she hand been aiming to get to, curious now to see what this life reading was she had been picking up. For the time being she was grateful she had chosen to wear her goggles as they often helped shield her sensitive vision from the wild sparks of an angry electric wire tangle.

 Part of her was still amazed the ship was holding together as well as it was. The fact that life support was still working in itself was a miracle .. or was it a curse? Unknowingly Ingkeu threw up her hands as if to gesture that she didn't know, before she took the nearest ladder in hand and begun to climb. It wasn't her job, it wasn't her place to know. What was her job was to get those parts she needed taken care of.

 A soft grunt left her as she climbed up the last ladder. Pausing for a moment to catch her breath before she pulled herself to her feet and helped the little AI unit up after her. "Investigate." she told it quietly, leaning into one of the catwalk bars as the small android creature disappeared ahead of her into the sheltered darkness of the cat walks.

[06:52]  Suzari  looked up when the bright blue-purple creature uttered those words, it's head slowly tilting to the side as one of it's extended ears twitched. The large hand was still held to keep that welt up, but distracted from it's task, the torch started to make small cuts into the metal. It seemed confused when the creature had spoken to her, the smaller hand not holding onto the torch reached out to the PDA. "L..Loud?" The panthroid brought out from a voice box near it's throat, while the torch cut further into the metal bar in front of it until the droid turned fully to the sergal like creature, the hot flame now turned toward him, though not close or direct enough to mean a threat, instead her hand making a motion to ask for the PDA."What..is loud?"

[06:56]  Jinn  backed away out of reflex when the torch was pointed out him nearly tripping over the comatosed one at his feet " Jesus ..." he composed himself looking at the damage cause by the droid " there fix that then talk to me.. "pointing to the now separated places of metal, he felt unease on this catwalk, how much would it take to send it tumbling down he tried to go over a list of commands word for droid he knew. most were universal right? it really depended on it/her's artificial intelligence " repair catwalk then door.. " he offered up hopefully.

[07:00]  Ingkeu waited patiently, gently tapping one foot as the sounds of the little droid's metal paws were lost to the sounds of the ship once it had disappeared completely.

 Pixel was on the move and with great haste he weaved his way, like a pesky cat, between the legs of both standing near the corner of the cat walk only to arrive chipper, and chirping in front of the woman whom had seemingly collapse in front of the door.

 Impishly the droid tilted it's head to one side, the dull glow of its slitted blue eyes casting a faint glow over the fallen girl's features before it chirrrupped once more, seeing if he might get a response.

 Yet at the same time small scanners whirred to life as Pixel set about scanning the girl's health, perhaps even checking to see if she was actually alive.

[07:03]  Suzari dimly nodded at Jinn's words, eyes flashing slightly when the sergal uttered a word it did not recognize, before nods once at Jinn's words, before it took the damaged metal sheet in one hand to steady it, before the welding torch sealed the damage by putting the backside of the long metal against one of the support bars, and slowly coalescing the metals together. It gave a strong tug, and peered closer to inspect for fractures and missed touching surfaces, before it seemed to step out in satisfaction of the work.  The bright blue flame slipped out on the welder, and the robot turned it's camera towards the sergal and held out it's unoccupied hand toward the PDA with motioning gesture, apparently needing that to complete her next step, or perhaps it held something more understandable to the robot. Computers tend to talk to computers more easily after all. The panthroid showed a slight interest at the newcomer droid, but looked up towards the girl and the door, taking a few careful steps towards the slamming door, Welding torch switching hands before the big hand tried to grab hold of the door's flat surface, though it seemed too strong in it's servo's for the droid to have an effect on.

[07:09]  Jinn hadn't noticed the fat thing as it crept past him to the one behind him. his focus on the droids work, he nodded approvingly of it " this is why i like machine.. the never disappoint.. " he smiled and looked over the fused metal, it would hold for now definitely but wasn't sure how long it would take to degrade again. his attention moved to the droid as he looked to the outstretched hand then the pda he held, he wondered if this was her controller  he started tapping away at it see if he could bring up some commands oblivious now to all things around him as he found machine and computer more exciting then thinking of this place

[07:15]  Miina was completely unresponsive to any form of external stimuli where as the only visual evidence the girl was even alive was the misted breath that can out in such small, slow amounts. A breeze coming from the lower chamber wafts silken snowy locks, the figure remaining much like a statue, every limb completely limp with not even a twitch.

 The little bot's scans find dangerously low life signs, leaving the best diagnosis as the girl being comatose. Her life signs seem to be steadily failing, too.

[07:21]  Ingkeu spent a moment tilting her head from one side to the other, stretching out her sore and tense neck. Sleeping in the little nook she had found prior to heading deeper into the ship had left her body feeling more worn out than she had before sleep.

 Shifting her sore frame she was surprised to see Pixel bounding back to her excitedly from the darkness ahead. Catching him in her arms, her mismatched hues blinked a couple of times before she processed the information he had collected.

 There was a slight clang as she accidently dropped the droid and suddenly hurried forward blindly into the darkness. "Ahh-" she gasped, nearly running face first into the two who stood near by the body.

 For a moment she blinked at them, seemingly bewildered as Pixel hurried after her foot steps only to topple head first into her calf. Luckily though, in her state of surprise, it didn't seem to phase the girl before softly she murmured, "Pardon me." the two before trying to weave her way closer to the body Pixel had found.

 Crouching down in front of the odd creature, Ingkeu reached forward to check for a pulse, hoping the creature at least had one to check for before she let out a low sigh. "Oh dear, why do I always have to be the one to find survivors?" she asked out loud, perhaps to no one in particular.

 It was then that she peered back at the other two and lifted a brow, "Hey," she called out, "either of you two want to help me get this Lass up to the Medical Bay? she's in need of some serious attention."

[07:26]  Jinn  looked up from the pda," oh er.. sorry.. yeah i will go see if i can find help.. " he turned and hand the device off to the robots before turning and heading back the other way out of this section of ship'

[07:31]  Suzari The panthroid seemed to try and keep the door from moving, luckily the door didn't full out push on to crush the large hand that it gripped the door with, but aside from tugging the metal arm back and forth, it didn't give any sign of stopping the frantic jerking back and forth.

 Loud metal ringing resounded through the catwalk as the human-ish hued creature sprinted up to the two creatures, before the robot looked up at it with dazed surprise, before it's hands let go of the recalcitrant door. It placed the tool onto it's thigh, held there by a clasp while it's flashlight lit the way ahead.

 "Sur...Survivor?"The synthetic voice replied as it looked directly at the new creature, and it nodded a bit jerkily."Affirmative, emergency response confirmed." was uttered, before the droid kneeled down to the one other strange anthro animal in place, and carefully slipped it's small hand around the comatose person' back, before the large hand slipped down to lift the legs up and stabilized it as much as possible."This unit does not know the location of....medical services."It chimed as it's eyes settled on the auburn haired creature, looking expectantly for more guidance.

[07:36]  Ingkeu looked up with a bit of relief as the other bot lifted the unconscious girl up into her arms. A soft sigh left her then as she wiped her brow. When the blueberry had run off part of her feared she'd be hoisting the girl through dangerous territory.

 Elated now, that she had help she motioned for Pixel to join her on her shoulders before she turned back to the Panthroid and smiled tenderly. "Yes, I know the way, I can show you." she murmured softly before peeking back down the darkness of the catwalks.

 "Will you be able to manage her all right?" Ingkeu asked with a bit of concern for the girl's safety.

[07:39]  Miina was lifted not unlike a ragdoll; head falling against Suzari's chest, with arms legs and tail dangling uselessly, Only her breath continued steadily as before, for whatever good it did. Time was short and getting shorter for the girl, with her fate relying on her two rescuers.

[07:43]  Suzari  furrowed the large, fake eyebrows the creature's face was adorned with, before looking over to the door and then back to the catwalk ladder with it's green optical sight flashing before shaking it's head slightly. Negative. Cannot negotiate ladders with survivor in arms. Will need to lower body safely before resuming route. Suggesting requester grasp the creature's legs or catch the body somehow when lowering subject."

 At least the droid didn't decide to just walk off the catwalk edge and jump down, possible as it may be, shocks to the comatose body was probably not a good idea. Once more overlooking the rescuer, it's ears twitched and frowned once more. "Lack of rope or similar material to hoist body down, what do you suggest?" The panthroid offered, while carefully stepping closer to the ladder and gauging the distance to be dropped.

[2012/11/07 07:51]  Ingkeu (jeauno.wind): /me nipped at her lower lip with worry as she looked at the limp girl clutched within the robot's arms. Briefly she let out a soft sigh, eyeing the ladder they would first have to cross before an idea popped into her mind.

 "Go ahead and climb down the first Ladder, but leave her here at the top with me." Ingkeu instructed at first, beginning to run the cable from her utility belt. "I'll secure her with this and lower her down to you. Think you can climb with her over a shoulder?" the girl asked with a lifted brow, "Or will we have to hoist her up too?"

 Ingkeu begun to coil a lengthy bit of cable in her hands as she judged the distance nipping lightly at her plush inner cheek.

[07:57]  Suzari quietly stepped over to the ladder's top, before placing the girl down flat on the catwalk in front of it. Taking the ladder in one hand, it crouched and pressed it's metal legs close to the ladder bars, before grasping another step in its hand as it began to lower down to the catwalk below. Looking back up, it voiced out with that fake, modulated voice at the lynx-like human hybrid. "Negative, bodily tension at carrying stomach on shoulder and likely heat exhaust from this unit's ventral system could cause problems. Most likely hoisting is the safest option."

 It stepped off the ladder and brought its hands up to stand ready for the survivor to be lowered.
"Suggest we leave the harness on to facilitate an increase of speed on our rescue."

[08:03]  Ingkeu crouched down near Miina and begun securing the cables around her like a makeshift harness. Enough that she would have support, but not too much that it would constrict or harm her.

 Tethered around the unconscious girl's torso she murmured softly to herself. Of course, what she was muttering could not be heard clearly as she moved to swing the girl gently off the side. "Affirmative," Ingkeu spoke softly as she looked down to the droid and begun to lower the girl down.

 Leaving the harness on meant she would have to stay close as she didn't feel it would be wise to cut the cable from its spindle. Once the girl was lowered back into the robot's arms she begun to climb down after them. The small AI unit that trailed her curled around her shoulders before her boots hit the floor and she nodded tot he Panthroid. "Okay lets keep moving." She murmured softly, yet loud enough so that she would be heard.

[8:09]  Suzari  carefully placed her hands around the unknown creature’s back and legs, before steadying it’s legs to accommodate for the extra weight. Nodding at the rescuer when the comatose person was secured, she waited for the human-lynx to join the two of them, a curious look given at the small, white robot that seemed to skitter around.

 At the soft thump of boots on metal, the panthroid straightened out and nodded at the auburn haired girl and spoke quietly. "Lead the way, miss."  It didn't seem like the droid paid any attention to the muttering coming from her, since it wasn't important to it.

[8:13]  Ingkeu gave a faint nod as she stepped ahead of them and studdied the next ladder. "All right," she murmured out to the Droid. "Should be easy, just going to handle this one like the last one. You'll go down first, I'll lower her, then follow. We'll reverse the process at the next." the girl spoke matter-of-factly.

 Ingkeu then sent the little AI unit out quite a ways ahead of them, checking for dangers and obsticles that may lay ahead.

[08:20]  Suzari  stepped along behind the lynx-human, metal paws resounding heavily on the floor as the droid's thread seemed a little heavy, probably even without the unconscious humanoid in it's hands. It kneeled down to lean the dark furred/skin person against the railing before carefully descending the ladder once more, metal hands clanging against the ladder with it's pace.

 At the bottom two solid feet planted on the floor, causing the metal to thrum before the droid's green eyes peered up at the other person, before giving a chime and raising their hands again to signal they were ready.

[08:22]  Ingkeu once more lowered the girl down to the android before quickly she made her way down after them once the body had been secured. In the back of her mind Ingkeu knew they were running out of time, running out of time and fast.

 Blowing the bangs from her eye with a brief puff of her own breath she moved ahead, but not far enough so that she would tug the body, but at least until she was at the base of the Ladder. When they moved closer she would begin climbing upwards, before leaning back over the edge ready to start hoisting the young lady creature upwards.

[08:27]  Suzari grasped the perilous girl without difficulty and quickly stepped over to the third ladder they had to move past. The droid's hands raised up the dark form with both hands until it looked like it was weight lifting the creature above her head, and grasped onto the ladder to guide the woman's body upward with one hand while climbing the ladder along with the hoisting progress.

 The hybrid seemed rushed, so the droid followed in step, quickly clambering up the top of the ladder before taking the girl back into it's arms as it's eyes flashed with green intensity, and it nodded at Ingkeu to signify being ready to continue with the girl secured in their arms.

[08:32]  Ingkeu pulled the girl up bit by bit with the aid of the robot climbing up after her. She was elated that they had made it this far. But the journey wasn't over yet. A few chirps were heard from the distance signifying that the way was clear, save for the last ladder and in return Ingkeu let out a small sigh of relief.

 "C'mon," she murmured with a faint-hearted smile. Hurrying along she made sure she didn't get too far ahead due to the harness and waited at the base of the Ladder before she begun climbing. Once at the top she begun to hoist the cable upwards again, hopefully bringing the young woman with it.

 Ingkeu could feel her muscles beginning to quiver now though, the lack of nutrition and exherting so much energy in such a quick amount of time getting to her a small bit as her arms shook with the last few hoists.

[08:37]  Suzari followed in Ingkeu's footsteps with resolute determination, or what passes for such in robots, most likely surprising efficiency in hazardous situations, but kept close to the smooth skinned girl as their actuators did their best to stabilize the ride for the unconscious person.

  When Ingkeu doubletimed up the ladder and began tugging the girl up, the robot held onto the ladder with one hand and pushed the girl's back carefully with the other to help draw some of the strain from the malnourished female, though the robot could hardly recognize that with the lack of human-medical data and programming. As they finally got to the top ladder, the creature kneeled once more to make sure the girl was fastened in her arms before stepping forward after the human with urgency.

[08:42]  Ingkeu stopped just long enough to free the girl from the cable harness, letting it spin gently back into place before she nodded her head sending crimson tresses into her mismatched eyes. For once it seemed things were going right. With the unconscious one now in the robot's arms the slender half feline moved ahead of them once more, leading the way as she freed the door and stepped into the corridor only to be joined by her AI companion.

 The little white metalic creature bounded after them as they made there way into more enclosed hall ways, and for a moment, she counted her lucky stars that there were elevators over ladders. "Its this way." she called back to them over one slender shoulder, entering the elevator.

[08:57]  Miina: The soft mist continued from the rescued girl as the trio arrived on the main elevator. It's been a relatively smooth ride with the droid carrying the girl the whole way, however before they even hit a button, Jea would notice the mist had stopped...

[8:58]  Suzari seemed slightly confused as to why the girl was released from the harness, but didn't seem to be bothered much as it held the girl tightly. Looking up to the red haired girl's tressed before looking down once more curiously at the white animal-like droid, before starting into a quick pace after the the lynx-human, taking large strides to try and keep up.

 The firm steps gently rocked the girl's body, the robot's legs doing the best they could do to compensate for the steps, still watching the mist breath slowly waft over the girl's chest when her hands kept the girl secured, until the breathing stopped completely.

 The droid only looked forward, waiting for the elevator to move and place them near their destination, camera eyes flitting back and forth between Ingkeu and the elevator door.

[09:04]  Ingkeu was slowly growing more at ease with each passing step. The girl would be safe. She had saved the day! Imaginary Confetti erupted within her mind as even her steps were a bit lighter now. She had done a good dead!

 Yes, Ingkeu, the woman whom had put a bullet in a man's head the night prior had now made up for it by saving a life!! Inwardly she winced a small bit, one long lynx-lobe flicking to the side as she realized, the guilt of killing a man still remained.

 It was only then, now inside the elevator that she looked over at the unconscious one in the robot's arms, and realized no longer did any mist trail her breaths. Ingkeu turned white as snow, the usual rosey flush of her cheeks drained of color as she darted towards the bot holding the girl.

 "No no no no!" she squeaked, "Oh this cannot be happening! NOT THIS CLOSE!" she nearly shouted before blushing profoundly. Panic struck her then like a nail bat to the face as she looked to the crew deck button. Darting forward she pressed the button and kicked at the elevator door. "Faster ya lazy piece o machiner---" but her words caught off, sheepishly looking to both her AI and the machine that carried the lifeless girl. This was going to hell quicker than another jump made by the ship itself.

[09:13]  Suzari: Sadly the droid wasn't the best one to notice any subtle mental changes in the lynx-human, though when the elevator was still opened, the droid nodded insistently at the panel. Those green optical scanners blinked with a hint of normal humanity before standing so still as if nailed to the ground when the human girl threw a fit at the injured girl's health.

 Droid camera's scanned over the now lifeless body, before looking at Ingkeu with befuddlement when she kicked the elevator door, and responded. "Negative, cannot speed up transport to medical bay through elevator. Could perhaps try electrifying her rib cage." The panthroid offered dryly, with a slowly pitching whine heard from somewhere, the droid looking curiously at the panicking human.

[09:18]  Ingkeu kicked the elevator door again, if not just for good measure. Damn doors. Damn elevators. Pesky things never went fast enough when you needed them too. Spinning, she sent her crimson hair flying as she turned back to the two and tried to process what had just been said to her.

 Electrify the girl?! Was the robot malfunctioning?! The only good that could possibly do in a sea of bad would be to jump start her heart. Suddenly Ingkeu's eyes lit up like fireworks. The light bulb had turned on. "Yes!" she exclaimed, hands suddenly waving in frantic motions as she tried to express her excitement, "Yes yes! How do we do that?" the girl exclaimed, even bouncing a little bit.

 Yet, Ingkeu had very little first aid on her hands. At least not enough to give the proper treatment to jump start the girl's heart. "You-you can do that right?" she suddenly asked cautiously, hoping she hadn't gotten her hopes up again.

 The med bay wasn't far, and Ingkeu wasn't aiming to have another life on her hands after all they had been through to rescue the girl thus far.

[09:25]  Suzari looked down towards the girl's chest and back up to the lynx bouncing in front of her, before nodding slowly. The humming whine seemed to jump up a few more octaves before the robot placed the girl down on the bottom of the elevator. Taking a step back to kneel, the robot motioned her hand forward toward Ingkeu to try and get her to clear the body as much as possible.

 The large hand of the robot placed itself in the dark-furred creature bosom, the loud whine coming from the robot's hand. It gave a slow blink at the lynx, before the hand pushed down and a large amount of voltage coursed through the hand's palm into the girl's chest, causing the body to jerk and twitch at the sudden invasion of foreign electrons.

[09:33]  Miina is settled down on the cold metal floor of the lift like a doll, limp and unresponsive until Suzari places it's synthetic hands to the girl's form. The electrical discharge surges through the girl's chest as she lurches! Sparky doesn't detect any effect..

[09:36]  Ingkeu scurried back til she was flush up against the other side of the Elevator, her companion nestled in close to her too. She nodded once to the robot, a shiver running up her spine as the worst possible scenarios played through her mind at what could happen should things go wrong.

 Unable to watch, Ingkeu shielded her mismatched hues with her bare hands before impishly peeking out from between two fingers. "C'monnnnn," she hissed under her breath, "C'monnnn!" The lynx-girls fists were now balled in front of her as she tried to convince the woman to live verbally. A few moments later she realized how silly that seemed, especially since one of the indicators on her PDA was suddenly beeping.

 Momentarily distracted she plucked it from her belt and examined the message, a read-out from Pixel. No effect. Suddenly her cheeks paled again. The elevator dinged, signaling their arrival on the crew deck.

 "Again!" Ingkeu exclaimed, "Do it again!! One more time! Just one more time!" Ingkeu moved to keep the elevator doors open now as she waited for the robot to give it another go, her eyes now on the PDA. One more go, then they would be forced to move. She couldn't die now... Not after all this.

 Well, the truth was she could, but Ingkeu sure as hell didn't want to see it happen.

[09:42]  Suzari crouched down once more as the increasingly high pitched humming started up again, a little quicker this time. The robot looked directly at Ingkeu, giving a firm nod before the droid's eyes dimmed, the sound of the whine reaching an even higher peak than last time as the eyes' inner light went out completely, and the hand pressed down firmly, two fingers pressed over the top of that dark bosom while the palm pushed into the yielding flesh to reduce the distance.

 It took a moment before the electric shock once more rushed through the girl's chest and body, the robot's body shuddering as it trembled with the flow of energy out of it's circuits, though it's face was turned toward the lifeless face as if with a held breath.

[09:46]  Miina's body lurches yet again from the increased voltage of the second shock, shocking her internals - the heart especially.

 Snowy tresses fling up into the air as her torso jumps up, head back before slamming back down onto the deck and her head rolling to the side.

 Pixel catches no change as the girl lay there, lifeless. Yet not even a few seconds after the readout, suddenly..

 Beep.

 Her heart starts up, if only faintly - seems this girl's a fighter, but too weak to stay like this
.
[09:50]  Ingkeu was about to sigh in distress before suddenly there was a blip on her PDA. Instantly her frown turned upside down, hope shining in her mismatched eyes before she gestured to the robot, "We need to move, now, hurry!" she quipped gesturing for them to move out of the elevator.

 Ingkeu nearly ran to the next door, pushing it open so that they would have a clear route into the med bay. Everything in that little brain of hers screamed to hurry. If they could get her on to one of the tables, she could at least program it to sustain life support. That is, at least until someone knowledgeable showed up.

 At that point Ingkeu would have done all she could. Looking back she made sure to see if the robot was hurrying after her.

[09:53]  Suzari Of all the situations and time in the galaxy, this was probably the worst moment, but as the girl's body coms back down to the ground, the panthroid keels over onto it's side next to the girl, all of it's glowing lights and visible energy circuits had ceased. A faint burned smell coming from the droid's hand and possibly the entire power system of the droid drained, it didn't seem to give any indication of agony, but then, could a droid feel pain? Could a robot feel anguish at being shut down?

 In either case, the body wasn't going anywhere, weak as it is, leaving the exhausted lynx to manage moving the body by itself in the utmost of importance.

[10:00]  Ingkeu felt a strike of panic erupt within her as she turned, and no one was behind her. What had happened? What had just happened?! Quickly Ingkeu rounded back the way she had come, her once pleasant features now drained of color as her body trembled, hoping she had not come all this way just to fail.

 There, in the elevator, the robot had finally given out. Ingkeu looked on in horror before she closed her eyes and drew on a deep breath. "I'm sorry." she whispered to the robot, though she knew it would most likely not understand even if it had power. Truly she felt guilty seeing it lose power as they had teamed to try and save another.

 Moving forward Ingkeu tried desperately to lift the girl. Her arms shook as she did so, but a fresh wave of adrenaline helped to steer the girl on wards. The going was slower than it would have been with the robot in tact, but she did what she could to maneuver herself and the girl in her quivering arms into the medical bay.

 Ahead of her, Pixel pawed at the doors, getting them to open before suddenly, just through the last door she near tripped and fell before steadying herself. Unfortunately the movement was enough to bring the exhausted girl to her knees, her whole body shaking. But as if that weren't enough Ingkeu struggled to lift the girl once more before plopping her tender frame into the nearest med bay patient bed as carefully as she could.


[10:16] Miina had finally made it to the medi-bed thanks to the heroics of two strangers to the comatose woman. The bed powers up and begins to scan it's new patient, whether an automated service to the fact Ingkeu's elbow is on the power button - who knows!

Scans complete to show the hyper detailed results on the dual screens as well as the main large screen; the girl's heart seems stable, if only barely and her life signs are very weak.

Other effects of the scans show cut marks on her left arm: one in the mid forearm and mis upper arm, the final cut seems to be on the left leg. They are healing decently, however on the low side. If that's due to biology of this strange alien, or the fact she's been near death for who knows how long, they won't know right away.

Last, but maybe the worst shows a lot of physical damage to a lot of her tissue, which insinuates she's been sexually violated repeatedly for an unknown amount of time. Due to some of the damage it's possible it was near endless for at least nearly 10 hours.

There also seems to be some neurological damage, but that area seems rather uncertain as the brain is too alien for the machine to have a guarantee.

[10:19] Ingkeu exhaustedly fumbled her way over to the bed controls. Her head was spinning at this point, her body exhausted as she punched in the commands for the bed to sustain the girl's life should it still be intact.

But Ingkeu wouldn't know... Not now at least... if she had actually saved the girl. As the last few buttons were pushed her head swam, dizziness making her body uneasy as she swayed and then collapsed into the chair nearest the bed.

Exhaustion overwhelmed her now as the bed whirred to life, attempting to sustain the girl. Ingkeu watched on from behind hazy eyes as the read outs began to display the girl's vital signs before finally even her world slowly faded to black.

Unable to remain conscious the lynx-girl slipped into an unaware state, her body working to regain what it had lost as she now basically slumbered peacefully. Too little rest, too little nutrition, and so much physical labor had finally taken a toll on her. While she'd wake up just fine, it was clear now that the girl had spent too much energy to remain awake.

Chapter 5: Death Traps

[2012/11/06 14:47] Abhishek was trying to decide what to do about the man, but somehow between one breath and another, faster than a blink of his eye, the demon--for it was obvious that was what he was--vanished. Abhishek looked around the room in confusion. It was just himself and Ingkeu once more.

 "What in the nine hells is going on here?" he asked, hand hovering over a holstered pistol again as his eyes quickly scanned the room. The smear of blood from where the crazy man collapsed against the wall after being shot was still there. He did not imagine that part at least, but that did not explain where he went. He turned to Ingkeu, brows furrowed hard and looked at her closely to see what her reaction would be.

 It was possible the ship itself was messing with his head, but he was fairly certain Ingkeu had seen everything that had happened so far unless that was also fabricated. Knowing he was armed was of little comfort--how did a person fight something that even bullets could not stop?

[14:50]  Ingkeu looked as if she were at a loss for words. Quietly she merely stood there, one hand around her wrist, staring at her exposed palm as if with hidden wonder. Abhishek's words brought her back to reality as her hands quickly dropped to the side, perhaps even a tad suspiciously before she casually went to lean up against a wall.

 "You look like you've seen a ghost." she retorted, keeping the smug smirk she wanted to release at bay. "Like, perhaps maybe what I've been telling you all along is true?" The tone in Ingkeu's voice hinted at her amusement before she moved over towards one of the computer consoles, an idea set in motion.

 "I told you you needed to go. But you just wouldn't listen..." she murmured with a soft tut, gently shaking her head.

[14:54]  Seth took a puff as he listened, having climbed up the cable back to the spot where Jericho had first hidden. He grinned as his face slid back into the shadows from where he was watching, before that too, the shining white of his teeth, disappeared. He laid in wait, hoping they'd head down the elevator rather than stick.around up here any longer. He had nearly exhausted himself entirely, and that was not a good thing, if Jericho was to stay under him. He snuffed the cig so that if they looked, it wouldn't light up anything. Today was a good day to get out.

[14:59]  Abhishek Veda cleared his throat and rubbed at his temple with a finger. The girl was vexing, and his patience was wearing ever thin. "That was no ghost," he said, shaking his head, but was uncertain. Hallucinations did not leave bloodstains behind, but he had never known of a demon being able to disappear like that before either. Truthfully he had very little contact with full-blooded demons in his lifetime. The redhead staring at her palm did not go unnoticed either.

 "What's wrong? Cut your hand or something?" he asked. It would not surprise him if she had done so while frantically searching for Pixel earlier, or panicking just before Abhishek shot the inane man. "I have a bandage roll--though why I would give it to you after you tried to send me to the Core and my death is a mystery. Perhaps I am a fool."

[15:03]  Ingkeu let out a small scoff as she turned away from him to the door panel  A few button pushes later lent the lock on the door outside to be released. Pixel had finally returned from god knows where, hobbling a long after her as she opened one door and stepped out side to the larger.

 "I'm fine." She responded, though she glared at the floor. "Not that I'd need your help. I can handle myself fine. After all, I am the woman who spared your life." Her tone was a bit bitter after his last response before finally she opened the larger door and gestured to it. "Your exit, if you will please." She stated quite blatantly, as if waiting for him to leave. "If you stick to the crew quarters you'll be in less danger and have less hallucinations. I would not, however, trust the food though."

 Ingkeu fixed him with a stare then before she added a bit light heartedly, "Just take the elevator to the crew deck, you'll be safe and sound." The sentence was finished by a meager roll of her eyes before she folded her arms over her chest.

[15:09]  Seth just sat there, silently listening to the whirr of the machinery and the talking of the two below. Quietly, he waited and plotted his next move. Keep that half-breed or whatever he was on his toes and jumpy as fuck. But how to do that, he mused silently while waiting for the business below to work itself out.

[15:17]  Abhishek Veda shook his head and stuck close to Ingkeu. "You think I'll cave that easily and run off on my own?" he sounded mildly amused. "I doubt you would survive much longer on your own. I recall who was hiding behind whom when shit reared its ugly head." His voice was considerably loud, almost booming in the corridor. "You ever think to use that?" he gestured at the weapon on her thigh. "Or are you out of ammo and just wearing it for show?"

 Abhishek crossed his arms across his chest, glaring down at the girl. He seemed to do a lot of glaring lately. "Here's the situation," he began to explain, taking a very patronizing tone. "This place is creepy as a nun at an orgy. I get that. Shit goes down here. That's all the more reason to get the fuck out. I don't care about you, or your little pet," he paused and dropped his arms to his sides.

 "I will do what it takes to get out of here," he continued. "Whatever it takes. I need a mechanic, and parts. I found a mechanic. I don't care if I have to shoot your legs to keep you from getting away. I'll go through the fucking hassle of dragging you around at least until I find a willing mechanic. Maybe if I do that I'd willingly trade you for them, but that'd leave you behind, and wounded. At that point, I would not give a fuck."

 Abhishek sighed and rubbed at his forehead again. His temper was snapping far too often. Maybe it was the nanites, maybe it was the lights, maybe it was this place in general, or some combination of all three. Or something else. "The sooner that's over with the sooner you can go gallavanting off on your own into the maw of the Bugblatter Beast of Traal for all I care. Your choice. One way is easy, the other way is easy. For me at least."

[15:24]  Ingkeu any ounce of the amusement that had once been on the girl's sweet lips was now gone with out a trace. She was deadly quiet while he whittled away at her with words. Perhaps silent, calculating while he went on and on about his need of a mechanic.

 Truth was, no, she hadn't forgotten about the cannon strapped to her right thigh. Rather, it was for emergencies, or when she -really- meant business. Ammunition in a place like this was like gold. You didn't get anywhere without it, and wasting it was foolish. That's when the bad ass in Ingkeu kicked in. The girl had a goal, a goal that some half-demon was not going to keep her from.

 Like lightning the very weapon he had been speaking about had been yanked from its holster, and if she could manage it, found the tip pointed just beneath his chin. The warmth that had been in her eyes the entire time he'd been around her was now drained as those slitted pupils narrowed at him coldly.

 "You mean this?" she asked in a hushed yet dangerous tone. "Why do all the shooting when I can con someone one else into doing it for me?" Her mismatched eyes would then attempt to hold his gaze, flashing with a glare that definitely meant business. A round was slid into place as her nostrils flared and she took in a deep breath.

 "I've been patient. Heck, I've been more than patient. I think I've told you at least four times now that you've over stayed your welcome. Do NOT make me tell you again." From behind the gun now her eyes narrowed as the backbone in the girl finally stood out. However, it would seem that between the time of the man disappearing and her looking at her hand, that her demeanor had changed quite a bit.

[15:27]  Seth listened quietly and smirked a bit. Part of him wondered if the man would scream like a little girl if he dropped in on him. He whispered words into his hands, letting a glowing orb grow within his palm. He dropped it, out of the ventilation shaft. Upon impact with the floor, a magic induced hologram would appear and would simply say quietly. "Looking for me?" But he held it for a bit. Not dropping it yet. After all, Xev, as he knew her name was, seemed to have things under wraps.  He toyed with the orb, dropping it from one hand to the other. Perhaps he could reabsorb the magic and not have to use it. Or he could just troll that fucker.

[15:35]  Abhishek Veda quirked an eyebrow and held very still, gun held to his chin. So. The girl had a backbone after all. He found it curious she acted so differently so suddenly. Was he truly a fool? His pupil-less eye regarded her slitted eyes, returning her cold stare with one of his own. Yet even still, her words were a warning and the trigger not pulled.

 "Perhaps I am a fool," he said calmly, nodding slightly. Fool, fool, he thought to himself as he attempted to draw his pistol and fire at a low angle as quickly as he could, hoping to hit a leg, while letting his legs go limp temporarily to drop low. If he succeeded then he'd sweep her feet from beneath. If not then he would probably get a bullet to the face.

[15:45]  Ingkeu's eyes were attentive, and she caught the flick of his wrist, his hand at the pistol. He most likely didn't even get the shot off as she squeezed the trigger and let a single round pierce through to the brain. She watched as the inside of his head, the blood, brain bits, and what not erupted into a pink mist that splattered the wall he had been nearest to and let out a long sigh as his body slumped to the ground in a lifeless mess.

 "I didn't want to have to do that." she said solemnly, quietly shaking her head. "Pix, torch it. Leave nothing behind." Ingkeu spoke to the AI as she holstered the weapon, and took a few steps away from her kill.

 The woman didn't want to kill him. In fact, she had done everything she could to have prevented it. But in the end he had left her no choice. Halfway down the hall way she turned, the look on her face cross with anger as she pointed forcefully at the lifeless frame the AI was about to torch. "You did this!!" she hissed through gritted teeth. "NOT ME."

 Ingkeu then turned around, kicked his lifeless frame, and disappeared back into the room she had exited. At least now her home was safe. She had protected herself, and the area she had chosen for living quarters, away from the rest of the crew, and close to home, the flight deck. "I really, really hate killing people." She muttered irritably to herself.

[15:51]  Seth modified the spell he was casting, instead of an orb, it be came a net.  And he held it out like a cat's cradle of yarn, snaring the man's soul as it left the body that was now being lit on fire. He  wrapped the soul up, encompassing it, before putting both his hands on it. Suddenly he was talking to the ethereal form of the other man. "Well. Got yourself into quite a mess, didn't ya?" he asked, rubbing his chin. "Girl's got some backbone, eh?" he inquired the soul, pacing around it. "I can fix it. However, nothing comes for free. You should know that. Everything has a price. The final question is, what do you think is worth another chance at life?"

[16:01]  Abhishek Vedawas not fast enough. He was fast, but he was not that fast. The last thing that went through his mind was how great a fool he was for pushing so hard. Well, technically the last thing to grow through his mind was Ingkeu's bullet, so the second to last thing was self-beration. The world flashed bright white, brighter than the flashbang had been earlier. The light started to fade and condense, much like old display screens used to do albeit at a much slower rate.

 Suddenly the fading light was halted, flared, and burst eerily. His eyesight returned, but he immediately knew something was amiss. He was unable to see his body, or feel any of his limbs, but could see quite clearly that he was directly in front of the demonic form from earlier. As the demon paced around him, Abhishek found he was unable to move, turn, or even gesture.

 "Can't say I expected that," he lied. He could not hear his own voice, but was fairly certain the demon could hear him anyway. As soon as he had attempted the action he knew he would lose--probably even before he did which made him wonder why he had been stupid enough to try it in the first place. He should have let the girl go on her way and trail her as he did before. If he had figured out where she camped or rested then he could go salvaging on his own and make his move to get her to work on his ship whenever he had all the pieces.

 That would have been the smarter thing to do.

 "What do you want from me, cousin?" he asked. He had difficulty thinking of what would serve as offering to such a creature. Abhishek's most valued possession was his ship even though it was in quite the state of disrepair.

[16:02]  Ingkeu sighed as Pix begun to torch the body outside of the room, a small pang of guilt weighing on her shoulders as she recorded his info into the ships computer logs as deceased.

 After reaching up to flick off the screens she rubbed her temple with two fingers and sighed once more. The sound of her foot falls, the heavy boots against the dirty floor could be heard scuffling back down the hallway of the room. At the end, there was an old blast door sealed compartment, the one she had been working on converting into her room.

 Currently it was still bare of her belongings, but tiredly, Ingkeu crawled up into it, eventually reaching to close the door and seal herself safely inside after Pixel had finished his tasked and joined her within.

 Together, the two curled up, Pixel eventually shutting down to conserve energy as Ingkeu stared up into the circuit lights that danced across the ceiling. She let out a rather hefty sigh, her hand reaching down to idlely stroke the AI creature, even if it wouldn't feel it. It was a gesture that was more for her comfort after all, like that of a woman curling up with her cat before bed.

 Slowly, she could feel herself fading into sleep, waking up every now and then when she heard a noise, until finally, sleep took her tangled in its web of dreams...

[16:09]  Seth smirked a bit. "Cousin. That's cute. I'd call you more of a pet dog in relation to me, but whatever suits your fancy." He dropped down out of the vent, maneuvering the orb even as an image of himself was projected inside. "She even torched your body, lest there be something that brings it back to life. Thorough." He kept walking a bit, stopping to sit down and aim the orb at the computer so that the soul trapped inside was able to see it. With a snap of his fingers, detailed, and restricted information began to flash across the screen. "What I want, is not something so petty as a ship. No, I want to rule this place. And to do that, I need her. So you cannot kill her.  Nor detrimentally harm her. A beating is one thing, shooting her is something else." He tapped Abhi on the head. "You have no idea who I am, or what I can do, huh?  Do you know your origins, mutt?"

[16:17]  Abhishek Veda grimaced at being called a pet dog, but kept his mouth shut. The demon was holding all the cards at this point. He grunted as he saw the torched remains of his body, and wondered if she had looted his stuff like she had wanted to in the first place. At least one of them could follow through with their initial plan, he thought bitterly to himself.

 "Never met many demons," he said. "They didn't want us to have contact with non-humans," he added, omitting who exactly 'they' were. It honestly did not matter anymore. "If the price for life is not killing her or severely damaging her then I accept," he said quickly. That was far less of a price than he would have expected. He had not intended to kill the girl, for her skills were far too valuable to him.

 Death had a way of making him think clearly. Perhaps it was the lack of nanites messing with his system, or the fact that bullets through the brain pan tend to give one a new perspective on life in general. He found it curious how desperately he had been clinging to the idea of needing a mechanic. It was almost as though he was acting like a man possessed.

 "I've no idea who you are, though I have seen some of what you can do. I have been a fool, but I am not such a fool that I would stand in your way."

[16:24]  Seth just smirked and patted him on the cheek. "Good boy. But that is not the only price. I will restore your life, but I need you to find me sustenance. Without it, Jericho will be back.  And that, is a step in the wrong direction for everyone. The body who I have control of for the moment, made a deal. He wanted power. He got possessed by me. The Egyptians had many names for me. Set, Seth, Setekh, Sutekh. I go by Seth these days. Easier to pronounce. My power is not infinite, but I will tell you this. I can make your life worse than it already is, should you disobey me. Let me heal you enough that you can get to med bay. But the price for all this, is loyalty. If I say jump, you say how hi. If I say go, you leave. If I say get something, you get it, until I feel that the price has been paid in full. Is that clear? Oh. And when you die again, your soul is mine to absorb.

[16:32]  Abhishek Veda thought that was a pretty shit deal in the long run. Then again, Seth had considerable power. It was a possibility Abhishek's soul could be absorbed by him even if he declined the deal, for it was obvious his soul was already ensnared. He hardly knew anything about Egyptian mythology, but the name was almost familiar.

 "A chance to live and be absorbed later, or a chance to be absorbed now," he said aloud with a sneer. "You know which I choose. Give me life before I end up as--whatever," he concluded with hesitation, not knowing exactly what would happen when his soul would be absorbed. He'd probably cease to exist entirely.

[16:41]  Seth once again patted his cheek. "There ya go. That's thinking. Now, I would suggest not trying to call someone out on a bluff when your life is on the line. Keep usin' that noggin." The projected image of him disappeared, and he walked back over to the body. He removed the burn and removed the bullet wound, though there would, no doubt, still be excruciating pain when the soul was replaced.  The projected image appeared in front of Abhi again, and grabbed him by the throat. A simply golden ring appeared around the neck. "Don't worry. That'll just bring your soul to me when you die." He placed the soul back in the body, and tapped the chest, kick-starting the heart.

[16:50]  Abhishek Veda instinctually attempted to struggle as Seth reappeared and grabbed him by the neck. He spat a curse, and no sooner than the demon spoke everything went dark. The empty void did not last very long, and soon filled with excruciating pain as though his body had been storing the nerve impulses to send to the brain from both bullet wound and fire.

 As his eyes flew opened, he let out a pain-filled growl, body curling up and rolling on his side as he attempted to get under control and assess whatever damage remained--if any truly did remain. So focused on this he did not even notice the droid that had been nearby briefly.

 Breath came back to him, lungs burning, he struggled to cough, wiping spittle from his mouth with the back of his hand.

[16:54]  Seth patted the recently dead man on the back of the head. "There there. Time for you to wake up. I'll be calling on you, should I need you. Leave the girl alone for the most part. If you run into her, fine. But don't go looking for her. " He walked off, tiredly. he needed to get some sustenance soon. "Do take better care of this life." He called the words over his shoulder as he disappeared.  If he wasn't strong enough to get to med bay on his own, then his should would be claimed soon. He takes the elevator down, and once in the lobby, collapses into a bench.

[17:00]  Abhishek Veda rested for several minutes and wiped what might have been blood from his face. He felt the surface where the bullet had penetrated and was pleased to find no wound remained even though it hurt considerably. He fumbled in one of his belt pouches--thankfully heat-resistant--and found a painkiller to pop. The pill took some ten minutes to start taking effect, and he rested, warily watching around him until the medicine began to dull the pain. It was not a miracle pill, but it made it easier for him to force himself to his feet to begin searching for the medical bay.

Wherever that was.

 Although he would heed Seth's warning not to seek the girl, he almost hoped the redhead would happen across him just to see the look on her face. She'd probably shoot him again after the shock wore off.

Chapter 4: The Deal

[2012/11/06 09:03]  Seth took a deep breath and everything but the girl and himself seemed to freeze. He approached her, smirking a bit. "What's got you so excited, girl?" he asked with a laugh, snapping his fingers and putting a cigarette in his lips again. "Should be careful about getting that riled up around here." Suddenly, he was gone, only to whisper in her ear from behind her. "Never know what might take an interest."  He was gone again, over by the wall. "Something tells me you're not the average woman, damsel in distress, that bullshit. So what are you? Better yet, who are you?" Again he vanished and reappeared behind her. "Do you even know?"


[09:11]  Ingkeu blinked a few times rapidly as everything seemed to freeze in time. The scuffle of her boots against the dirty floor could be heard as she turned and looked around in shock. Yet, as the man approached her she drew in a deep breath and felt that for some reason she could not make eye contact with him.

 Though her mismatched hues were directed to the floor, she watched as his digi-grade boots neared her and then came to a stop. His question caused the lynx-girl's cheeks to flush handsomely before she turned her face away from him, hoping that her crimson tresses would fall just enough to cover those nicely flushed cheeks. "I--" she started but suddenly he was gone, leaving her lips gaped as she looked around, trying to find out where he had disappeared to.

 With a startled yelp she jumped as his whisper came from behind, causing her to take a few steps away from where she thought the voice had come from. "I--!!" she started again, before her mismatched gazed found his form now over by a different wall, his words yet again haunting her enough that she would grow silent.

"I don't know..." She murmured, a small bit of defeat hinting at her voice as he reappeared behind her. Quickly she spun to look at him, gently shaking her head at his last question. "I'm sorry, but I barely remember anything about myself. I don't even know my own name." The tone in her voice hinted that the lynx may have been disappointed in herself due to the lapse in her memory.

 "I feel that there's something very important that I should be doing, but for the life of me I cannot remember what it is." Slowly she attempted to pace away from him, shaking her head in confusion as she just realized she had confided in a complete and suspicious stranger, before something tugged at her to look back at him. Instantly she regretted it, seeing the smirk on his face, and once more her gaze drifted to his feet.

[09:17]  Seth vanished from the wall he was resting again, to appear in front of her. "Now now, nothing is lost forever." He vanished and appeared behind her, placing his hands on her shoulders, starting to give her a shoulder massage.  He let go and vanished appearing with his feet on the ceiling, as if gravity reversed itself. "You see, I could find everything out you wanted to know. All those forgotten memories. All those blocked images. Everything you never wanted, and everything you've always wanted."  He dropped, righting immediately before landing. One hand was held out. In it glowed  a small sphere. One that had what looked like a memory of hers. "But, everything comes at a price. Are you sure you can pay it?"

[09:25]  Ingkeu watched him uneasily as he appeared in front of her. She was looking up to him now, though unwillingly. The stranger's words chilled her, and further more she wondered just how exactly he was performing this little trick. Perhaps she had really gone mad with the ship. After all, she was the one who wanted to stay and talk to the transformed one. Yep, she was officially batshit. Or so she thought.

Shaking her head she nipped into her lower lip. "What do you mean nothing is lost forever?" she asked as he disappeared again, "Doesn't that completely contradict the meaning of loss?" Ingkeu let out another yelp as he appeared behind her, though settled perhaps a tiny bit as he had begun to kneed his thumbs into her shoulder blade.

When she could no longer feel his cold touch, she looked to the ceiling, noting him standing there quite casually. Slowly, things were beginning to phase her less and less. Normal, was slowly becoming a figment of her imagination in itself.

 Gazing at him skeptically she shook her head. "That's impossible." she murmured in response to him being able to help her reclaim her lost memories. In fact, it wasn't until he dropped right in front of her, exposing the orb to her that she finally started to believe him.

 A look of pure shock was plastered across the girl's pretty little face before her vision instantly flicked to find his gaze. His last question sent a knowing shiver down her spine, but curiosity had her held captive in its grasps. "I'd do anything..." she breathed quietly, still seemingly quite stunned by what he had spoken.

[09:34]  Seth smirked the smirk of the victor, of the one who knew that everything was going according to their devious plan. The smirk the devil himself had taught Seth. "Tha's more like it, lass." He closed his hand, letting the orb disappear. "Before I can really do anything, I need you to do something for me. When Jericho comes back, and he undoubtedly will, I need you to steal the flask from him." He took the cigarette from his mouth and flicked it up into the air, vanising and reappearing to grab it behind her. "One simple task, and at least some of your memories will be returned to you." He appeared in front of her again, stroking a cheek with one finger. "Of course, there will be other prices to pay..." he trailed off, putting a finger to her forehead and giving her the mental image of her being absolutely ravaged by him. "Information is a useful commodity. After all, how can you make sure you're sane if you don't even know who you are really?" Doubt and desire were powerful tools, and with how wet the kitten was already, well, it didn't take a genius to figure out desire would work well. "Of course, should you try to trick me...." he showed that same vague orb, and then make it explode into a thousand tiny pieces. "Let's just say I was lying when I said that things couldn't be lost forever." And the threat. The deal sealer.  He appeared where he was when this all began, and held his hand out. "Do we have a deal?"

[09:41]  Ingkeu eyed him uneasy, the rough swallow she made visible as it trailed down her slim little neck. Quietly she listened to him, her body trembling a small bit as she felt it wasn't the wisest idea to be making deals with the stranger. Yet at the same time, she desperately wanted what he had to offer. Desire was definitely over riding caution at this point as he spoke of her task.

 "My name?" she asked, as he trailed his hand against her cheek almost too tenderly. "I want to know who I-" but her words were caught in her throat as the image haunted her. A small gasp left her, lending the small lynx to take a few carefully measured steps back before she nipped sharply into her lower lip.

 It was undeniable that the idea had excited her, but she did not want to be the one to admit it. Instead, she remained quiet, listening quite carefully to his words to see if she could detect any flukes. Unfortunately for her, his presentation was solid.

 "I see." Ingkeu said quietly, nodding tenderly. "So all I need to do, is get the holy water away from this Jericho when he awakens, then you'll give me my memories back?" She was quiet for a moment before she fixed him with an uncertain glance, "How do I know you won't disappear behind the rambling mad man for another six months?"

[09:49]  Seth took the unshaken hand from display and pulled the cigarette from his lips. "Clever girl," he mused. out loud. "What kept me locked up behind that maniac, was the holy water. He kept drinking it to keep me weakened so his will over powered mine. You see, he doesn't like the deal he struck with the devil to gain my power. He chickened out after we leveled a city. Went to a church and started chugging the holy water." He put the cigarette back in his lips. "One way or another I'll come out again. If you miss me that much, you could always shoot him in the head. Brought me out this time, didn't it?" His hand outstretched once more. "Now then, do we have a deal?"

[09:52]  Ingkeu watched him uneasily, listening to his words as he spoke. After he had concluded she gave a small but sincere nod. Slowly her slender bare fingers reached out towards his outstretched hand, still a bit unsure about shaking the hand he had offered her.

 "Yes..." She spoke uneasily before finally her fingers touched his open palm. "We have a deal."

[09:56]  Seth grinned a bit, burning the mark of the deal into the palm of her hand. Only she and he would see the mark, but it was there, real enough as anything else. "Twas a pleasure doing business, my dear." He slowly backed away into the blackness, vanishing as time suddenly began to return. He was no where to be seen, leaving her to wonder if it was real or a dream, or the ship itself, fucking with her. But one glance at her palm, would be the mark of an ancient hieroglyph, vaguely there, and still warm to the touch. In her head, the words would come forth. "We'll see each other again, real soon."

Chapter 3: Suicidal Demeons

[2012/11/05 22:27]  Jericho found himself somewhere that wasn't the cargo bay. Well, that much of the journey was a success. He Immediately began wondering just where in the fuck he was. One thing was sure, he wasn't dead. He'd be happier if he was. Even jettisoning himself out of the airlock of his stolen ship didn't kill him. He began to wonder just what deal he had struck with the devil to deserve this much. His limbs felt like ice, even though his breath still smelled of brimstone and sulfur.  Muttering something to the gods, he pulled a small flask of water from a pocket inside his coat,. He opened it and removed his mask for a few moments, allowing him enough time to drink from the flask, wincing visibly.  He put the mask back over his face, taking a deep breath as blind, yet not blind eyes took in what it could of the ship. He had absolutely no clue what deck he was on.  "Where the fuck did I end up?" he muttered under his breath. His voice was a bit hoarse, and it wheezed from what sounded like his neck. He pulled the hat snug onto his head, blocking his eyes from most people or things he would run across on this foreign vessel.  "Jek ackal sele."

[22:46]  Abhishek Veda could tell she was upset--not that he really would have needed any visual indicators of such after what had just happened. "Let's go see what we can find then," he said, attempting to grab onto her arm. "Lead the way," he said with a feigned pleasant tone. "You know, I half-thought heading to the Core on a derelict ship, especially one you claim to be alive, to be a place to avoid entirely," he said. "You wouldn't have another truth to share about that, would you? I'll even sweeten the deal and tell you another one of my secrets."

 He leaned in close and began to whisper. "You're kinder than I am. Were I you I probably would have considered leaving me dead instead of merely unconscious."

[22:50]  Hark gives a wave in greeting to the man in the hallway. "Ah hello there, would you be able to direct me to whoever's in charge of this ship? I have important business to discuss."

[22:52]  Jericho wandered forward, finding the wall, and a locked door. He then spied the cords hanging down. He wondered if there was something on the other side. He glanced to the man who asked him a question. "I have no idea. Personally, I'm just looking for way to die." He took a deep breath and began climbing the cords. Hand over hand, just like the military taught him. Pulling himself up, he found himself in a ventilation shaft. Silently, he crept forward, before finding the first place to drop down.  He looked down a bit, just watching for a trap hopefully, or maybe a creature that could destroy him quickly.

[22:54]  Hark scratches his head, not sure if this ship has a command structure at all. "Alright... good luck with that..." He mumbles after the fellow as he goes to try his hand with the door himself.

[22:54]  Ingkeu felt him grab a hold of her arm rather firmly. Her lips parted, for once unsure how to handle the situation as he spoke with her. His words slowly worked their way inside her head, teasing at her thoughts, her ideas, the things she had once had planned.

 Quietly Ingkeu swallowed hard, her cheeks growing pale as she realized he had no intention of replacing the pin yet. "Okay okay!" she exclaimed, exposing her bluff, "You're right! Heck, my intentions weren't even that far from your own!" Ingkeu admitted, her cheeks suddenly flushing again.

 "Since I didn't really want to rob you blatantly, I figured I'd send you to the most dangerous area in hopes you'd get yourself killed, and then I..." she murmured, flinching as she realized how much she had upset him with her last little burst of honesty, continued on, "I... would inherit your possessions at it were." Ingkeu nipped at her lower lip then as she swallowed hard.

 "I'm not a killer, persay... I just don't like to actually have their blood on my hands."

[22:56]  Hark blinks curiously as the other fellow opens the door to what appears to be a command room. "Thank you... I think."

[23:02]  Abhishek Veda could not help but laugh as Ingkeu spoke. What she said was true enough, and even though such a thing was intended to hurt him far worse than robbing him and leaving him unconscious, he found himself to be highly amused. Or perhaps just high. Stupid nanites.

 "I see how things are around here," he said finally, still gripping her arm tightly. "Let's not go to the Core then. Perhaps we should find a place to lay low and figure things out," he thought out loud. He was afraid to admit it, but at this point he was not entirely certain which way he had come from to even find the mess hall earlier.

 "Close your eyes," he said, the only warning he gave before tossing the grenade he held at the base of the vent shaft where he landed earlier. She was not the only one who could attempt a bluff. The grenade clattered on the ground as he turned to face the girl. A loud popping sound came from where it landed and suddenly the room flooded with light, shining brightly through his eyelids even though he closed his eyes firmly.

 "Flashbang," was all he said.

[23:12]  Jericho kept watching, and saw a grenade drop to the floor directly under the shaft. With a grin behind his mask, he dropped down, unconsciously making a maniacal laugh of "HEEHEE!" to go with it. The grenade went off, causing his ears to bleed a bit and his eyes to, well, no. His eyes had no feeling left. "Damn." he muttered when he landed face first into the metal flooring. "Why couldn't it have been a frag." It was more of a statement than a question, but it definitely left one to question his sanity.

[23:15]  Ingkeu shrunk down a little her ears drooping as suddenly it dawned on Abhishek how things around the ship actually worked. The she-lynx even winced as he laughed and seemed generally amused. He had to have been crazy.

 Relieved none the less, she was elated to hear that they would not be venturing down to the core, but found herself still worried by his ever present grip on her arm. The fact that he was still talking in plurals rose her suspicion too that she would not be going any where. What was he going to do though? Its not like he could hold on to her arm forever. The man must need to sleep some time.

 His warning however was heeded as the goggles not only tainted darker but her eyes veiled as well. What was a she-lynx beginning to calm was suddenly turned to a scared little girl with her ears pinned to her head and her hands draped over them forcefully.

 "BLOODY FUCk!" she cursed, perhaps a bit louder than she had aimed too, but she couldn't rightfully hear through the ringing ears. "YOU INSANE NUT CASE! WADDYA THINK YER DOIN' DROPPIN SOMETHIN' LIKE THAT IN THA MIDDLE 'O---"

 But suddenly she quieted down as her eyes squinted open as she saw the man whom had dropped from the airshaft only to land on the grenade. Her mouth, parted, mouthing a silent "What the fu--" before gently she shook her head. Clearly, she had now seen it all...

[23:25]  Abhishek Veda heard someone else fall down the vent shaft, laughing unsettlingly, just before the grenade went off. He whirled around to get a good look. His right eye was watering and adjusting to the semi-lit darkness of the room after the bright glow, but the eye hidden beneath his scanner, and the scanner itself were functioning fine. He attempted to at least block most of the direct light with his own shadow should the girl not close her eyes on her own--though he was almost certain she would be easier to deal with if he let the blast overwhelm her.

 "What in the everlasting fuck?!" Abhi yelled out, gesturing at the obviously deranged person laying face first on the ground. "Does the vent just keep spewing out people? The hell is going on around here?" He finally released his grip on the girl, but stayed close. This was going to hell in a hand basket faster than... something witty. He needed to figure out what to do with the girl in the long run though he had a fairly good idea where he'd like to keep her should he get his life support system working again. That could be an interesting possibility. Of course, the two girls--the ones he claimed to be his sisters--that died in the crash would be difficult to replace.

 Abhishek shook himself from that line of thought to focus more on the present, particularly the other man prone on the ground. He was fairly certain the man was alive, but probably banged up and disoriented from the flashbang.

[23:33]  Jericho popped up from the ground and sighed out loud. "No shrapnel, no bleeding, nothing. First the airlock plan failed. Now this. I'd say just shoot me but I already tried that too." He was talking to himself, muttering and walking around, not even noticing the two at first. "Shut the fuck up in there!" he shouted at no one. He looked up finally to see the two. "Got anything bigger than a flash bang? Like, maybe, singularity projector, or  depth charge I can eat? You know, something? Eh fu- Did I ask for your opinion you flittering nincompoop? No. So shut your trap!" With that, he punched himself in the face. "Yeah, see how you like that!"  he pauses for a moment to regain his composure before turning to the two again. "My apologies for having witnesse-" he stops, a look of annoyance on his face as he takes a deep breath. "Witnessed that outburst. I'll just be going now." He looks up, only to see no way back up into the air vent. "Jalateke."

[23:36]  Ingkeu felt her arm released and quickly motioned for the AI unit. In seconds it was in her arms, though held in only one hand as the other moved to gently tease at it's ear. She had the advantage now or at least she hoped.

 Holding the little AI unit up, she tweaked it's ear a couple of times, igniting the blow torch with each couple of tweaks. The distraction was just what she had needed to get her barings again, though she knew now the dangers behind the horned one.

 Regardless, she could not escape the fact that she was indeed curious about the man whom had fallen from the shaft. Regardless, she held the little creature poised. "Right..." she breathed a little louder than usual as her ears were still ringing. "here's what's going to happen. You're going to let me walk out of here, and you are -never- again going to bother me." She let the ai do a few more flame flickers just for good measure.

 "Just because I'm a pilot and a mechanic does NOT mean that I can be PUSHED around like some enslaved house wife! I am not here for your gropes, nor any other...perverted ideas... that may be going through that DEMENTED head of yours." Ingkeu panted out before she remember the man standing behind Abishek and watched him blatantly punch himself in the face.

 It was of course, at this point that Ingkeu was at a loss for words. Her jaw had grown slack, her eyes blinking daftly at the man before her fingers slipped causing the AI to breathe a bit of fire again.

 That's when it occurred to her. Quickly, for the man's own safety  she stowed the little creature behind her back, as if it had never even been there and softly whistled innocently to herself. "Yes yes! What a marvelous plan, off you go now." she murmured tilting her head slightly towards the door next to him. "That's a good Lad..."

[23:44]  Abhishek Veda snorted at the girl's outburst, not flinching as the pet AI threatened with flames. He was close enough to feel the heat from it, but also close enough to strike again, and wondered if she had yet to give Pixel the command to attack fully because of that. It was also of very particular interest Ingkeu was a mechanic.

 "I'm afraid a few puffs of smoke will not get rid of me," he said, hand edging near one of his pistols. He was not above putting a bullet in the pet if needed. He glanced at the android and gave the girl a quick glance. It would not be the first time he shot someone to keep them under control if it came to that. A mechanic was invaluable at this point.

 "Hey, pal," he said, talking idly to the man on the floor. "She's got a flamethrower. Maybe that'll suit your needs. It's certainly better than face-planting on a flash-bang if that's your intent." He did not care if the man was attempting to kill himself, but merely saw an opportunity to separate the AI from the girl.

[23:53]  Jericho couldn't help but notice the flames behind the man. "Oh. Wait. I haven't tried that," he muttered more to himself. He listened as the man told him she had a flamethrower. "Well butter my buns and call me a biscuit." He immediately headed for her. "Hey, hey lady. Shoot me in the face with that flamethrower.... Wait. I tried an oxy-acetylene torch. Is it like that?" he mused to himself a bit, muttering incoherently and pacing a few steps. "Or... Hmm. Well. Maybe if someone else kills me with fire I'll die." His quick talking was putting out more sulfur and brimstone scent than his mask could handle.  "If only I could find a shuttle to take off and drag me behind it. Surely engines would destroy me faster than he can repair it...." he mused the thought over to himself, rubbing his masked chin.

[23:56]  Ingkeu's face fell as the man did not seem intimidated in the least. Quickly her gaze flicked from the AI, back to the man, to the AI, and back to the man before she let out a low huff as she saw him reach for his gun. "I hope you have a lot of ammo." she whispered to him, "otherwise, I'd be saving it for a -real- foe."

Ingkeu then fixed Abhishek with a knowing look before sighing softly and lowering the AI. She'd have to be more clever. After all, she wasn't looking for a death wish. The goal currently was to survive, then find a way out of here... Though preferably not with the horny one.

 The issue of her lost memories still plagued her too, but she knew that could wait. At least until she had found some sort of stability in life. Even if her dreams did haunt her. As Abhishek spoke up again, she glanced past him to the strange suicidal man before she realized what the horned one was saying.

 "I am -not- going to kill him. Neither is Pixel." she muttered out. "What did this man do to us? He seems innocent enough... A man with a death wish..." She sounded like a crazy person. Regardless she shrugged and attempted to continue on before the man was between both her and Abhishek.

"No!" Ingkeu hissed as he told her to shoot him in the face with her companions blowtorch. For a long moment she listened to his rambling, shaking her head with almost every word he spoke until a certain one captured her interest.

 "Wait a minute." She spoke flatly, still cradling the AI behind her and giving Abhishek an absent yet dirtly look. He had put the poor man up to this. Slowly her gaze returned to the stranger, "What do you mean, 'he' can repair it?" the she-lynx asked with the lift of her long auburn brow.

[00:08]  Abhishek Veda shook his head, unable to decide what to do about the other man. He seemed absolutely out of his mind, and he was difficult to read as he was wearing a mask and low-brimmed hat. There was a hint of a sulfuric scent in the air as the man grew closer, but he imagined it was likely caused by being in close proximity to the flash-bang when it went off.

 "So the man has a death-wish  Probably is a little loopy," Abhishek shrugged. "I'm not a great philanthropist or humanitarian," he said, sneering slightly at the first couple syllables of the last word. Ingkeu had made more than a small mistake in admitting she was a mechanic. Abhi was to some extent--most pilots were--and could do regular maintenance and minor fixes, but would find it a struggle to repair the damage to his ship as it was currently.

 "Say, Biscuit," he said, speaking to the other man, a playful smile tugging at the corners of his mouth at the name. The man had said to call him biscuit after all. "I could offer you such a thing if I had my ship working. You know why it's not? This mechanic here doesn't want to help me. It's a real shame too. That ship has one helluva booster," his tone was prideful. That ship had saved his skin more than once, and he hoped it would do so yet again.

 "As for you, girly, I wonder if you considered the consequences of aiming flames at someone wearing a belt of explosives. Not all of them are the flashy kind." He suppressed a sigh and shook his head at her, keeping a watchful eye on the crazed one. Her little diatribe about foes might have been an unexpected admission of defeat on her part--maybe she already realized that.

[00:13]  Jericho shrugged his shoulders, dodging the question the woman shot his direction. "I don't know, what do I mean by any of this? People don't believe me anyway. I get called crazy all the time, but I'm not crazy. I'm not. I just have a de- Hold on." He paused, pulled a flask out of his pocket, muttered something to the gods, drank out of it, and put it back." Now where was I? Oh yes. Shoot me in the face with that blowtorch of doom." He took his hat off and pulled his mask down, but his hair covered the wound in his forehead. "Shoot me or I assault your boyfriend standing behind me."  He turned and looked at the man, eyeing him up and down with those dead eyes of his. "You know, that would be marvelous, but frankly, I don't see why you can't fix your own ship when you're the pilot and the crew. I mean, I could." He paused, at this point, using a free hand to point to his eyes. "And I'm blind. What's your excuse? Hell. My ship wasn't even mine. I stole the damn thing. Wonder what happened to it after I jettisoned myself...." he looked up a bit, hair flicking away to reveal the gunshot wound in his forehead. It had scabbed over, but seemed fairly fresh. "I...." he shut up, staring off into space, before he screamed violently and threw himself head first into the nearest wall.

[00:23]  Ingkeu glowered at Abhishek as he spoke, "Perhaps you should consider a change of occupation then." she snipped back at him, half tempted to stick out her tongue in a totally mature fashion. "Afterrr all your last bit of employment didn't seem to land you in a verrry nice neighborrrhood." The words she spoke were nearly purred with amusement as she glanced around the room, as if gesturing to their surroundings, before her eyes fell on the mad man again.

 He was still babbling. Ingkeu's face seemed to be deadpan as he rambled on, that is of course until he said a combination of words that greatly amused her. Causing him to pause she lifted a finger, "Did you say boyfriend?" she asked him, but he continued to ramble on. Slowly, from the side of the Mad Man, Ingkeu peeked at Abhishek with a most sinister of sinister smiles. "I am NOT going to shoot you." she said firmly again, perhaps a bit theatrically so that her point would be affirmed and the man would indeed turn on Abishek.

 She of course, seemed greatly proud of her self for the sudden change in events as she waited for the man to turn on the one who had been so dastardly to her this evening. Yet he was still rambling. Ingkeu was about to drag her palm over her face before suddenly, he stopped mid sentence and went screaming head first into the nearest wall quite violently.

 Startled by this the girl let out a rather loud yelp and went to hide behind Abhishek looking quite pale. She had not, of course, thought about who she was hiding behind, just that she had put someone between her and the crazed man. "Okay, so you know that bullet we were talking about?" she asked Abhishek in a hushed whisper, "Now might be the time to put that into play." She paused a moment before hissing out, "For the sake of all holly fucks shoot him!!"

[00:31]  Abhishek Veda grimaced as the man spoke, threatening Abhishek should Ingkeu not agree to use the torch on him. This was not going as planned--but then again. "Life support is shot," Abhishek said, immediately wondering if that was a poor choice of words after having seen the bullet wound in the center of the man's forehead. If that did not kill the guy then it could be a pretty good reason why he had gone haywire if there was a bullet lodged in his brain. For some reason Abhishek thought there was more to it than that. Nothing was that straightforward here it seemed.

 Although Abhishek had yet to draw his pistols, but his breathing became steady while his stance shifted slightly. He imagined the girl might try to play them off of one another to at least attempt to rid herself of one of them. Should Abhishek lose then it would be fairly easy for her to finish the other off if he was practically throwing himself into the fire as he was.

 There was somewhat of a schoolroom sense in the air as Ingkeu snapped back at him.

[00:31]  A low chuckle rumbled from Veda's throat, and a smirk graced his face, but he was too focused to laugh overly much. The girl's radical change of opinion was probably a smart choice, he decided, waiting for the girl to move from in between himself and the wounded man slamming himself into a wall before he fluidly drew a pistol and fired three shots. There was crazy-amusing, and crazy-dangerous, and this one seemed to be the latter. It was better to put an end to it when there was a good opportunity. The gun was silenced, and hopefully all bullets struck true.

[00:37]  Jericho felt the satisfying collision with the wall shut the demon inside him up. "Whe-" he couldn't even finish the word as the bullets slammed into his chest. He was already off balance, and what happened behind him had no time to register as he slumped against the wall, leaving a trail of blood as he dropped, losing his balance. "Fuckin' pussy," he muttered, already trying to stand up again. Though they struck, it seems they did not have the satisfactory effect that both men were hoping for. "Gonna have to do better than that. If heart stopping would work.." he pulled the scarf away from his neck to reveal the massive gash there. "This would have too. Gotta find that bastard in me and kill him. Please." He slipped back down, wincing in pain. He still continued to try and get up, even as blood leaked from him.

[00:43]  Ingkeu flinched with each gun shot, shrinking further and further behind the man she had grown to dislike. "Good good...no not good..." she muttered softly before letting the AI go and reaching to thwap him lightly over the back of the head. "Three rounds? None in the head??" she asked frowning at him.

 "What if he's a zombie?!" she panted out wided eyed, her blunt tail a bit more fluffy than usual. "Trust me I've had experiences with zombies, you always want to shoot them in the--wait..." Ingkeu paused, looking confused at first, "I've had experience with Zombies?" There was a slight pause before she shook her head and shrugged, "Oh well whatever, point being, YOU ALWAYS SHOOT THEM IN THE HEAD."

 It was then that she looked on at the man, and noticed him moving, hell he was even still talking!! Ingkeu squeaked and darted back behind Abhishek again before she shook his arm with her hands, "SEEE!?" she near meeped, before tapping her forehead with a finger. "In the head, like....BLAM! ...Great now get to it!" she finished the words with a slight pat to his rump before disappearing behind him once more...

[00:53]  Abhishek Veda was beginning to see why the girl had been unable to kill him earlier. For such a tough demeanor, she was a little soft and squeamish. Wait, what? Zombies? He looked from the man, who was attempting to rise and speaking after taking three bullets to the chest at close range, to the girl and back. Was she crazy too? All that talk of the ship being alive could have been a part of that--then again, the man was still moving while leaving a considerable trail of blood on the wall.

 Abhishek took a step forward and pointed the gun at the man's head, not even blinking as he fired a single shot aimed directly at the other's head. All the while he was taking action his mind attempted to process what he had said--find the bastard in him and kill him? Either he was utterly nutters or there was something seriously wrong happening.

 "Zombies. Ghost ships," he said quietly, mostly to himself. "And little redheads playing with fire," he shook his head and sighed, gun trained on the man, and watching the girl out of the corner of his eye. "Not exactly the pile of wealth I imagined when my drones returned with the coordinates of this place."

[00:59]  Jericho felt the bullet strike the head of his, and dropped, unconscious  The black faded out of his hair, leaving whiteness, and the eyes closed. From the feet, began to sprout, something. it looked a bit like armor. The pants he was wearing were shifting and moving, changing. With a ting, the bullets that had been lodged in him fell to the floor, including the one in his head. The mouth on the body opened wide in a sort of silent scream, even as the eyes didn't move, and the chest didn't rise and fall with a breath. Out of the pool of his blood that had formed, a wooden, small coffin rose up,  falling to the ground beside him. It seems whatever happened, didn't kill the poor sod. No, it may have just pissed him off. or made him relieved. No one could quite tell. But it would seem that now was the time to get the fuck out of the room if you were going to run scared.

[2012/11/06 01:01]  Ingkeu smiled sheepishly at the man's words after he had put a bullet in the other's brain. "I don't know..." she murmured mockingly sweet, "A few throw pillows, a little popouri, perhaps a nice throw rug..." then her face turned dead pan and she rolled her eyes. "See what fame and wealth do for you?" Her eyes then trailed to the man who lay dead on the floor, "Let alone guts and glory..." She whispered with a grimace and a shudder.
 Unfortunately her little AI unit had disappeared for the time being, running off most likely frightened by the gunshots. While a machine it's emotional AI was right on par with that of an actual animal, though quite a bit smarter. Letting out a sigh Ingkeu begun to duck under various computers looking for the little runt while she left the man to deal with the freshly dead body he'd created.

 Too busy looking for her recently disappeared companion Ingkeu had not noticed the man's transformation until the coffin hit the floor with a rather loud thwack. Instantly she stood up straight from beneath one of the near by computers and flicked an ear in Abhishek's direction. "What was that?" she asked uneasily, her eyes drifting towards the horny one.

[1:14]  Abhishek Veda scoffed at her remark. "I was doing just fine before I ended up here. It sounds cliché but I had nearly saved up enough to retire and live the rest of my life in luxury..." his voice trailed off as he viewed the scene in front of him. The man was changing before his very eyes--either the ship was playing a trick on his mind, or worse. Knowing how his day had gone so far, he would put his money on worse.

 "Ingkeu, what's the quickest way out of here?" he asked, deadly serious as a coffin materialized out of nothing. "We need to go," he drew the second pistol from the other holster, but refrained from shooting. If bullets had yet to stop the man so far then they were unlikely to do so. However, he was entirely prepared to shoot again in the hopes that the momentum would stagger or stun him.

 Abhishek was unafraid to run from a situation deemed out of his control, or hopeless. Unlike the apparently unkillable man, he was quite prone to mortality, and also loathe to rush headlong into death as willingly. Perhaps the key to immortality was to rush headlong into death, he mused somewhat morbidly.

[01:21]  Jericho continued shifting, next the coat changed and some white marking appeared upon his face and body. The bracers shifted as well, and so  did the ears. Lastly the horns started to sprout from his head. Curling around the white ears that grew while the black ones shrank,  the horns became ram-like ones, but something was off. It started as an etching, but grew and started to glow from the horns, writing known only to the arcane masters and demonic lords.The gloves on his hands burst into flames, revealing bare skin for a moment. Arcane circles of power condensing appeared in the palms. But, for the time being, the eyes were still closed on this one. The clothes seemed a bit too big as well. Suddenly, once again, starting at the feet, the limbs began to extend. Tears poured out of the poor sods clenched shut eyelids, fading from water to blood as the shift continued.

[01:26]  Ingkeu stared in confusion at Abhishek as he asked her the questions, one ear flicking to the side uneasily. "There's a lock on the main door. The button is behind you." she responded before her brows furrowed and she ducked back under the computers on the other side of the room.

 "I'm not going any where without, Pixel. Just what in the hell has gotten into you?" came her voice muffled from under a computer station. "What? All of a sudden the spooky noises of the ship are just now getting to you? I thought you were more of a man than that, Veda." She scoffed, though really, he was.

 As she ducked under the next computer console she saw the body from across the room, moving... no growing... the feet changing, extending. Instantly she hit her head again on one of the consoles and scurried out from under it, putting her back to the wall. "Whatinthebloodyhellfuckisthat!?" she cried out in shock.

[01:36]  Abhishek Veda cursed loudly as Ingkeu ducked beneath a console again, and again as she yelled in shock and backed herself against a wall. He turned to look at the panel to unlock the door, and cursed a third time. He could abandon the girl, but then he would be without a mechanic again, and who knew if he could find a questionably sane mechanic on this ship again.

 He recognized the arcane circles as symbols of power, yet was not well-versed in any sort of rune-craft or demonology to determine what they meant. Even though he was part demon himself, he was raised entirely by human military and government caretakers, along with others like himself. Now was hardly the time to think of that however.

 Dashing to the other side of the room where Ingkeu plastered herself against a wall, he attempted to pry her free and drag her along with him towards the exit, holstering one pistol to reach for her arm yet again. "Let's get a move on before we catch its attention. Let some other poor sod falling through the vent deal with it," he hissed, hoping the door would auto-lock should they manage to make it across the room and into the corridor safely.

[01:42]  Seth kept growing, musculature increasing along with bone density and size. When it stopped for a short period of time, the right hand of the thing snapped its fingers, and gloves were encasing the hands again. Another snap produced a lit cigarette, which the hand promptly placed to his lips. "Fuck it's been too long," the voice muttered. It was deeper than the one the body had previously. It took a deep drag before his eyes opened and looked around.  "Bastard's still crazy as fuck apparently. Oh well." His hand went to his lips again and pulled the cig from it, scooting backto sit up some against the wall. "Fuck did we end up, ya loony fuckwad," he muttered under his breath.

[01:44]  Ingkeu glowered at him as he caught a hold of her arm again, even if she did realize it was for her own good. Quickly she yanked back against him, trying to get free of his tight grasp on her arm. "Lemme go!" she hissed out softly, "I fend better for myself than I do with some greedy nut case dragging me along."

 Luckily her words, though firm, came in the form of a hushed whisper. Her gut told her to run with the man, but her mind was just too damn curious. Yes, the 21% of her that was smart, said run, but the 79% of her that was pure curiosity gazed on with interest. It was clear now why they said curiosity killed the cat as she still tugged against him, trying to stay behind.

 Firmly her feet planted into the floor heel first, like a stubborn mule refusing to go down the grand canyon. "I would be more amused to see you be the poor sod to deal with it." she mused impishly, "You did after all, technically tumble for that vent." There was an almost sinister smirk about her before she turned, looking to the transformed man before her face paled a little bit.

 Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. This... new thing... Was quite larger than the suicidal man it had been before. Fully transformed seemed much more sinister too. Something caused her to shiver, her body quivering briefly before goose bumps begun to form beneath her protective suit. Listening to it, she then wondered if it were the sane one, and the other honestly did need to be put down.

 Her brows furrowed. Without thinking about what she was doing she piped up, even if Abhishek was still pulling her towards the door. "He jettisoned himself in an attempt to commit suicide." Her pretty little voice echoed out towards the stranger.

[01:53]  Abhishek Veda watched with amazement as the man--creature?--fully transformed. "Do you?" he hissed again through clenched teeth. "Not once did you draw your weapon on him. Next time someone asks you to barbecue them, maybe you had better oblige!" Foolish girls playing with fire, he thought. It reminded him of someone he used to know--someone who had recently been sucked out into space through a gaping hole in his ship's hull. He was uncertain if the android's fire would have made much of a difference at any rate.

 Abhi nearly groaned as she spoke aloud, alerting the other to their presence. It had seemed as though whatever-it-was had none of Biscuit's memories, so at least he would not remember who it was that shot him multiple times. If the ship was screwing with his head it was certainly doing a good job of it. First of all he wanted a stiff drink and managed to find a bar. Then he wanted company and fond a pretty girl who drugged him and tried to send him to his death.

 "Whatever it is, it doesn't seem to be the demented, crazed man anymore," he said at a normal volume. He squeezed the girl's arm harshly before forcing himself to let go, that flicker of anger lighting his thoughts and casting shadows once more as he became more frustrated.

[02:03]  Seth grabbed the coffin and opened it up. "You still in there nutjob? Yeah, yeah you are. Good." He shut the coffin and returned to smoking his cigarette, which was the main thing on his mind. "Man, six months without a good time to take over this body really sucks. if only I could get that fool to stop drinking holy water." He  finally glanced up at the two  and regarded them almost lazily. "I know -how- we got here. I wanted to know -where- here is, you foolish girl." Pinching his nose, he let out a yawn before stretching, and slowly slowly rising from the floor.  "I see you two met Jericho, my wonderful companion."  He took a puff on the cig before extinguishing it in the wound on his forehead. "Persephone, hmm?" he mused to himself. "Wonder if Hades is coming for her and that's what's happening around here...." He bent over and picked the coffin up, putting it on his back and having it rest there. "I suppose I owe you a bit of thanks, despite putting three unnecessary holes in my chest," he said to Abhi. "who the fuck am I talking to here? Lynx whore and her sissy manfriend? Or am I wong?"

[02:10]  Ingkeu fell to an almost innocent silence as he spoke his first words to her, the girl's cheeks turning a vivid red as she turned away and swallowed hard. Gently she rubbed at her arm where Abhishek had squeezed rather roughly and swallowed hard.

 "My appologies, Sir." Came her voice almost meekly. It was evident then, even to herself that she still feared the man the suicidal one and grown into. A step or two behind Abhishek now she had begun to tremble, yet there was an odd slickness between her thighs.

 Ingkeu looked away again, crossing her arms over her chest before quietly she gave him her name, or at least the only one she could remember, the one she had Fathomed. "Ingkeu." she whispered softly, "Ingkeu soonkyu. Though its fine by me if you keep wanting to refer to the other by Sissy." she added with a small scoff.

 Though curious, she was still afraid to directly aproach the stranger as she watched him avidly from a distance.

[02:19]  Abhishek Veda holstered the other pistol. The man was talking to them at least--he expected to be attacked immediately. Since he was not, he was loathe to provide any reason for him to become hostile. "A cautious man, newly arrived to this place," he said in response to the question. "A pity your companion required such treatment, but it seemed best at the time."

 The jab at him, suggesting Abhishek should be called Sissy, caused him to burn hotly with barely suppressed anger. He wanted to say she was the one hiding behind him, crying out instead of acting, but kept his mouth shut and merely turned to look at her. His nostrils flared and a vein showed clearly on his temple as forced himself not to strike her. He felt almost as though he was taking crazy pills--the day had gone poorly enough, and his frustration combined with everything else had him at a boiling point.

 "Abhishek Veda," he said coolly, turning back to the other. "I would say it's a pleasure, but I'm certain you'd recognize that for the lie that it would be."

[02:31]  Seth took a deep breath and let it out with a sigh. "So, Caddyshack and Ink-goo. Gotcha." He sniffed a bit smirking. "One's excited and the other's part of my race. Amusing." He headed for the door, turning his back on the two for the time being. "Better get your AI, Sloppy.  Lest it be something's food. As for you, Wimp-lo, err. I guess you gave your name. Caddyshack. Maybe go to the mess hall and leave the poor girl alone for a bit. Between my companion and whatever else was going on, maybe it's time to call it a day." He snapped his fingers again and took a puff of the newly manufactured cigarette."I need to figure out my bearings," he muttered to himself before staggering out of the small room and into the hallway.