rekindledtitan | Excerpt 006: Aggressive Defence

Entry tags:

Excerpt 006: Aggressive Defence

TYPE: Personal log

LOCATION: The Last City, Earth

PARTIES: Three [3]. One [1] Ghost-type, [1] Guardian-type, designate Blaze-37, Class Titan [

rekindledtitan], One [1] Unconfirmed, designate Rogers, Steve [

juststeverogers]

ASSOCIATIONS: Multiversal Nexus; Rogers, Steve; Harrowheart; Earth; Ixis Naugus; Blaze-37; Shaxx

You can’t teleport straight into the Tower, so once again Blaze and Ghost are bringing a guest aboard their ship. The Exo stands back a step as the materialize, not wanting to crowd their human friend in the cramped interior.

“So this is our jumpship,” she explains, gesturing at the little cabin. Ghost’s already powering up the lights - and the life-support, which fires up with a hiss of fresh air. It’s fortunate they’ve been keeping the place better heated since their last organic visitors. It looks pretty bare and cold right now, everything that might mark it as a living space tucked away behind patchwork metal plating. “Sorry we have to take the long way round, but on the bright side that means you get to come in the scenic route. Go ahead and take a seat.”

She has to mean the only item of furniture there: the hefty pilot’s seat with its worn padding. Blaze is going to move around it and go right for the cockpit controls. And hey, the interior decor might not be much, but the view from the big forward displays is nothing to sniff at: a sweeping window with the glowing blue curve of Earth visible below, and no atmosphere masking the countless stars above

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"--hat do you mean--ack!"

Steve pitches forward when they materialize, eyes wide and heart rate skyrocketing from the sudden transition from the nexus to someplace altogether different. He steadies himself with a hand against the wall, looking around slowly.

"...Holy shit."

The breathless swear says more about his state of shock than anything. When he said right now, Blaze didn't waste any time whatsoever. There's a slightly light feeling that Steve can't quite place until the forward displays catch his attention.

They're in space.

Space.

"Son of a..." Yeah no, Steve's gonna make his way over to the pilot's seat right away and sit down. His mouth hasn't properly closed since he arrived. "...This is incredible, you guys...!"

Blaze glances over her shoulder to make sure he's got his feet; Ghost hovers nearer to Steve, watching their human friend's reaction. "Sorry about the jolt. Are you all right?"

"We hooked our PINpoint up to the ship's transmat system. The combination takes some getting used to." Blaze keys in their new course and sets the engines to fire up, angling their nose down toward Earth. It's daylight below them, and between the wisps of white cloud it's possible to make out the coastlines of Southeast Asia and Old Japan, for a little while. Looks like they're heading west.

In the confined space, Blaze is more of a hulking figure than normal as she turns to take in Steve's face for herself. Whatever else he does or doesn't gain from this trip, she thinks it worthwhile just for these moments.

"Glad you like the view," she says. "The ride might get a little bumpy on our way in, so hold tight. Won't be anything to worry about."

"Yeah, no I'm fine. Just startled me was all."

The slight drop of his stomach is well worth the sight laid out in front of him. He can't seem to tear his eyes away from it. Steve knows form research that people had gone to the moon since his time, but to see space. To be in space. That's something he never thought he'd see.

"That's fine. I'm pretty sure you could throw me out and I'd die happy right this second."

"We have rules about doing that to guests," Ghost says dryly. It's a cheerful joke, though: the little bot is as happy as his Guardian to see the joy on Steve's face. They get a kick out of that, every time. Even as machines, knowing one glance is enough to capture the memory and have it never fade... it's still hard not to forget the piloting and just drink in their friend's reaction for a while.

Blaze certainly shoots more than one look his way before she makes herself focus on the approach. Her voice seems gruffer than usual when she says, "I'm glad we got to bring you."

The view is changing already as they drop out of orbit, however, the highest icy clouds rising up to meet them. And speaking of the moon, there's something in the distance, breaking the smooth glowing curve of the blue atmosphere where it rises through the clouds. Something round and silver and vast as a second Luna. It's soon obscured as they descend, by clouds and the jagged, mountainous horizon ahead. Beneath them are sprawling green forests, broken by regions of green hills and shining rivers... and the occasional grey smudge where ruined cities peek through earth and flora.

"Please tell me that the rules are simply 'Don't' for that."

Steve lets out a long breath he hadn't been aware he'd been holding as they push through the first clouds and begin their descent to...Earth. It is Earth, after all. It doesn't look like anyplace he recognizes though.

Hardly a surprise given he's never been outside of Brooklyn his whole life, but.

"Where are we, geographically? Europe? North America?"

"Don't do it to humans, anyway," Blaze corrects happily.

"We're passing over the south of Old China now. Those mountains ahead are part of the Himalayan range."

It looks like they're heading toward the dawn line, too: there's a glimpse of the shadowed arc of twilight ahead. No artificial lights to break it up, of course. And there's something else, too: a thick bank of clouds that looms over the sheer and snow-capped mountains, flickering with lightning. Neither bot seems concerned: they just keep flying toward it.

"The approach is always pretty stormy," Blaze comments. "Think it's part of the Traveler's defenses. The Fallen have never gotten far trying to attack by air."

The warning given before shakes the ship and Steve finds himself gripping onto the edge of his seat while the turbulence settles out.

"You guys don't have any problems being out in the rain?"

He's been told by several people not to get his phone wet. That electronics don't do well in it, as a whole. They both get a worried glance, but it's all Steve can spare since his gaze is still being captivated by the view ahead of them.

"The Golden-Agers built us to handle hostile environments. And even if they hadn't, that's what waterproofed clothes are for." Blaze raps her chestplate, though her gaze is fixed ahead. She's eager to sight their destination - for Steve to see it for the first time, above all. They're deep into the clouds now, lightning flashing around them and jolts of rumbling turbulence under the little ship. "Ghosts don't seem to mind, either."

"

Well, I don't enjoy the cold and wet, but I'm happy to say it doesn't harm me. The Traveler needed us to function in any place a potential Guardian could be found.

"

"It can get kinda chilly up on the wall this time of year," Blaze notes. She does glance back at Steve, there. "Reckon you'll be warm enough? We can find you some extra gear anyway, that won't be a problem."

"That's good."

It wasn't something Steve had even considered before but he's glad nonetheless that Blaze and Ghost would be alright even in rougher weather. He has a feeling that happens pretty regularly around here.

"Hey, if they have coats I'll be fine. Brooklyn in January is cold as a witch's teat so I'll survive, I'm sure." Not that Steve is all that eager to get sick again. His blue eyes are wide as the lightning flashes across their view. The cloud cover seems to be thinning and he's already leaning forward again, trying to get a look at the land below them.

They break out of the clouds quite suddenly, racing out into the clear pre-dawn sky. The Wall is coming up below them, a massive bulwark hundreds of feet high and mounted with massive rail guns.

But that's not going to be the first thing Steve notices. For all the scale of the Wall, it's dwarfed by the immensity of the silver-white sphere hanging just above the city. It shines faintly even now, save for the underside where the smooth metal turns dark, blackened and torn. The tallest skyscrapers huddle close under it, still alight at this hour and utterly miniscule beneath the scarred god-machine. The rest of the City sprawls out from around them, glittering urban districts giving way to green pastures and woods.

Blaze could almost sigh. She doesn't know if she's grown more sensitive to it, but the difference between the darkness out there and the light of the Traveler's presence seems tangible. Even the Nexus is a respite from the oppressive shadow that lingers over their system, but this is more than relief. It's comfort, rejuvenation. Welcome home.

"And there's the Traveler," she says, for Steve's benefit. Ghost glances up from communicating with the traffic control crews to check their friend's reaction. As a personal creation of the immense being ahead, he's... a little invested. Blaze is focused on guiding them in and about to their destination - no matter the hour, the City skies are criss-crossed with the paths of civilian aircraft and Guardian jumpships alike.

"Son of a....That's the traveler. Is..is it a moon? A sentient moon?"

What is he even looking at here. Steve doesn't know. But he's entranced by it. The city itself is impressive but. Nothing compared to what hovers above it. He can feel the logic center of his brain struggling with what he thinks he knows versus what he's seeing.

"Something that big...how does it keep from crashing into the planet? Does it mess with the ocean? Like..I...wow..."

Don't mind him. Just a puny human having his mind blown seven ways to Sunday.

Edited 2016-11-28 19:27 (UTC)

Blaze chuckles. "Yeah, guess it kinda is. A machine moon. Although I've heard people speculate on whether that's a vessel, or its physical body, or if that's just the part we can comprehend." She glances at Ghost. "I'm certain there's far more to it than what we see."

"

You don't have to worry. Even in death... or dormancy, the Traveler's never shown any sign of falling. Or affecting the tides. It's quite small compared to Earth's moon. Though I'm sure it would be careful not to interfere with the planet's gravity anyway.

"

Their view of it is going to be cut off for a minute though: the ship arcs around over the Wall and swings toward the great tower rising from the defensive bulwark. The outer side is all hardened shielding, but from this side there are visible open courtyards and even green places open to the sky. Pennants and banners in bright colors flutter from its points and hang from its walls.

"Are you okay to transmat down?" Blaze asks Steve. "We can dock and disembark the old-fashioned way if it's easier on you."

"Holy...shit."

It certainly looks a lot bigger than the moon, but then the moon is actually really far away so that's probably a good thing. Steve manages to pick his jaw up off the ground and shake his head to snap out of the awe induced trance he'd been in while staring at the Traveller. Having the view cut off definitely helps. He probably could have stood there all day.

"No I'm...I'm good." He thinks, anyway. Whatever transmatting is. If it was the same as that weird disappearing reappearing thing they did to get here, then at least he's prepared for it this time.

She nods, as she turns, grasping her smaller friend's shoulder just in case. "Get ready to find your feet."

The Exo's hand will be there to stop him falling when they drop onto the flagstones of the main courtyard. The controlled ship atmosphere is abruptly replaced with a rush of clear, cold mountain air, the close ship quarters with open space and - regardless of the hour - the echoing sounds of a busy headquarters. The courtyard sits on multiple levels, one side open toward the City. There's even a grassy lawn on which to sit and watch the world go by beneath the Traveler.

But on every other side are steps that lead to passageways and stairs to upper levels: the low-roofed hut where a gaunt service robot, rather less human-looking than Blaze, is busy sorting packages; the little tent closer to them where a robed fellow with blue skin is sipping his morning tea. There are banners everywhere fluttering from posts, marked with the geometric coat of arms that represents the Guardian classes.

Blaze has seen it much busier, but there are other Guardians going about their business. armored or cloaked or robed. There's a lot of weaponry. But there's laughter and chatter, too, greenery spilling over the walls, a gnarled tree spreading red-leaved branches over the young Warlock sitting among its roots.

"Welcome to the Tower, Steve." She gives him a bright look, Ghost sweeping his gaze around them. "Our, uh, real home."

Steve has been warned it was cold, but he still shivers without meaning to once they're on solid ground again. The breeze goes right through his well worn clothes and messes his hair up and into his face.

The air smells a bit funny, but that's nothing to the slight shortness of breath the altitude will leave him with after only a few minutes on the surface. He hardly notices at first because he's so busy watching all the Guardians wandering about the tower. His head swivels around at every noise, every fragment of conversation and laughter as he tries to take it all in.

"One heck of a home." Steve says softly before turning around to grin up at his friends. "Any chance I can get a coat or cloak or something?"

"Follow me." She leads the way inside, past the small cluster of Guardians around another of the thin, square-headed robots ("Confirmed bounty closed on Exile captain, Sea of Clouds; bounty outstanding for Cabal psions...") and down a low flight of steps. The internal hallways of the Tower tend to be windowless, the walls heavy and solid, painted with signs in English, Portuguese, Chinese. On the other hand they're also wide and well-lit, and the brightly patterned banners persist inside: emblems of legends the Tower still remembers.

"One of our doctors will want to talk to you, but that only should only take a few minutes. I already sent them my scans."

It only takes a few minutes for Blaze to find a very practical storeroom being inventoried by a technician. "Hey, can we get a spare coat for our friend here?"

"No problem, Titan." The man looks Steve over and heads to a crate marked 'S'. "Do you have a favorite color? We have them in blue, red, grey..."

"Hello."

Steve gives the most polite wave he can manage and probably manages to look like the least intimidating thing ever to be in the Tower. Maybe he's Blaze's pet. The world will never know. His face lights up when he's given a choice, and he hardly hesitates a moment before piping up-- "Blue, please."

It may not mean much to the technician but it means the world to Steve. Having a choice in what he wears never gets old to him. Not that he was ever ungrateful for the clothes he had before. The luxury of being able to pick just isn't something he's gotten used to yet.

Once he's bundled up in the coat with the hood pulled up over his head Steve peers up to blaze and Ghost with a slightly hidden smile that's still easy to see on his face somehow.

"Alright! Ready to go."

The technician's not exactly chipper, but he can't help smiling at Steve's face when he hands over the bundled coat. "I hope that helps."

The coat is a slightly more outdoorsy version of those worn by other civilians around the Tower - a technician's coat, waterproofed and padded on the inside. Blaze looks him over and gives a thumbs-up. "Suits you, Steve. All right, one more stop and then we go hunt down a tutor. We'll make it quick."

Said stop is to the doctor's office, alas. But the doctor in question is a mild-mannered fellow who introduces himself as Doctor Saab and is quite happy to talk Steve through what he needs. Which basically is to take a few tiny samples and screen Steve for any alien bugs he might be carrying - or any vulnerability to local ones. Local medicine isn't what it was in the Golden Age but at least he doesn't need more than a pinprick of blood for the screens. He might mention that this is largely confirming the data 'your friend's Ghost' forwarded.

Sorry Steve, Ghost has some gaping blind spots when it comes to matters of personal privacy.

(( Hope this is okay, just didn't want to either spend too long on the security details or skip a chance for Steve-development! ))

Steve has a very long list of things wrong with him Doctor. And that's not even counting the partial hearing loss in one ear or anything he's picked up since coming to the Nexus. He's learned to live with it but he is by no means a healthy man.

Hope reintroducing those 1940s germs of his isn't going to wreck the Tower. For his part though, Steve doesn't seem to mind that Ghost has found some sort of record of his medical history. It's convenient because he can never remember all of it.

Chances are he's going to be vulnerable to whatever super viruses are about here though. Best to be careful. it helps Steve stay calm that the doctor is quite human.

"I'm..uh..not from around here." Steve offers by way of explanation to anything strange in his files.

Edited 2017-01-11 17:09 (UTC)

"I know." The doctor looks away from the computer screen in front of him to give Steve a wry smile. "Don't worry, you're not the first person I've seen with a profile this, er, unusual. I know not to ask exactly how you came in contact with extinct fevers... as long as it wasn't here."

He moves away from staring at the file (mostly the results of scans on Ghost's part). "I used to work with incoming refugees down in the City, when I was training. People from long-isolated groups in every corner of the wilderness. I thought when I came here that I'd already seen the strangest cases the world could throw at us - after all, Guardians don't need doctors." He sounds quite amused by his own naivete.

"So, I see there's a note there indicating you have asthma. Can I ask if you are using some type of inhaler at present? Or any other medication? Have you felt at all short of breath since landing? We're just at a low enough altitude that most people don't have trouble adjusting to the altitude, but you should pace your physical activity for a few hours regardless. Allow your body time to adapt."

"No sir. Not here."

He gives a shake of his head and grips at the ends of his coat sleeves while the doctor goes over the file. Steve just doesn't want to cause trouble is all.

"I uh--I have been for the last year." Since he got to the nexus, that is. "The only treatments available back home were shots or pills. This seems to work better. I uhm...a little bit? I've mostly just been a little light headed."

"I wouldn't worry too much about that," the doctor reassures him. "Okay, Steve, I'm going to give you a quick injection to make sure you're inoculated against the worst bugs you could pick up here, and some pills to take if you start to feel the effects of altitude sickness. Does that sound okay? You can always come back if you'd like to go over anything else or if you have any questions, but I think that will be enough to begin with."

"Yessir."

He's more than used to getting poked with needles and all manner of unpleasant doctory type things that usually come with his visits to medical professionals. Frankly, he's surprised that no one's tried to open him up for science and figure out how in the heck he's still alive with all the junk that's wrong with his body.

Just let him slip the coat off and roll up his sleeve on one of his arms for the doctor.

"More than fine to me. I don't wanna catch anything while I'm here any more than you all want to treat me for it."

The injection Dr. Saab gives him is cold and prickly and comes with a brief sensation of pressure, but there's no visible needle. Once that's done he finds a small canister of pills and double-checks the specifications before he hands it to Steve with a list of instructions on when and how and why to take them.

"If you feel unwell in the next hour, you need to return and see me immediately. And don't exert yourself too much today: sometimes Guardians forget that other people need to rest now and then." The doctor gives him a smile. "Of course, I expect your friend's Ghost will be watching over you as well."

When he sends Steve on his way it's with a friendly hope that he enjoys his visit. Blaze is standing outside, talking to a blue-skinned Warlock in a long green robe while Ghost peeks in through the door. She lifts a hand to greet Steve's return, the Awoken man with her studying the young man with glowing green eyes. "Hey, how did it go? Ready to go talk some weapons design?"

The Warlock coughs for attention and offers Stevea hardened ID card: there's no picture, but his name and the words 'Visitor Pass' are on it in three languages. A Ghost with barred markings on its shell watches from over his shoulder. "Courtesy of the Vanguard, to ensure you don't get lost."

"Oh you know. Shots, warnings that I should be careful, and come see me if there's any side effects. The usual."

Steve is busy tugging his coat back on and rebundling himself to be as warm and toasty as possible. It's now that it's been mentioned that he notices having to breathe harder because of the altitude. Hopefully that will go away as he acclimates.

"Oh, uhm. Hello there sir." He takes the ID card gratefully and gives a bit of a nod. "I appreciate it." It will get tucked away under his bundle of coat in short order so as to ensure he doesn't lose the card.

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Didn't get on to chat today but have a present! :)

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Looks good to me!

\o/

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