A Bizarre New World, Chapter One: Cat’s In The Cradle

[MrSandman]

“Do nothing that is of no use,” She quoted as she turned her attention back to Lucy, who had now bore arms against her, "Do you have the heart to pull the trigger this time, little Lucy?"

"Your nothing close to a mother...and I didn't need a heart to shoot before...." Lucy answered, slowly and without feeling. "That's how you taught me...if anything, having a heart is what helps me see how everything you and the doctor wanted of me was wrong from the beginning. Its because I have a heart that I know I can't kill you....."

Lucy's eyes darted to the side, and with a sudden jerk of her arm the gun twisted upwards and the air rang heavy with the clap of gunfire. Just above the girl, one of the nozzles for the hallway sprinkler system exploded....immediately dousing the area directly below in liquid. "But I don't need to....."

Pushing forward immediately, Lucy flung the gun to the side and charged into melee...assuming a close quarters stance and attempted to grapple with the girl in the downpour. "...I just need to win."

[Jcogginsa]

Though still present, [Genesis] could no longer produce her Confusion Fumes and the Artscape began to slowly fade back to the normal reality-scape of the Hospital.

Noticing his camoflage disappearing, John made a break for it, and hit the enemy in the back of the head with a running kick, counting on the wait of his 6 foot frame to do the damage

[grampagen]

"So many questions..." Her head tilting in an odd direction, the girl briefly looked at Jamie, that slasher's grin returning.

"Coal Chamber..."

The primate creature emerged from the inky darkness, a metal-clad fist smashing into the dog's side. The rottweiler released his hold on the girl's arm, forced partly down the hall by the blow. Hacking up some blood, the hound wouldn't let that keep him down as he proceeded to bark furiously.

Inspecting the teeth holes left in her arm, the girl continued to smile despite the weeping wounds, "Who am I? You could consider me little Lucy's mother. "



"Dad!" Came a voice from room 214's door. Cracked just a hair, a small eye could be seen peering out, "Dad! Clutch is out there! I told you he was okay!"

"~How precious~"

With speed unheard of by humans, the girl turned to face the advancing Jigsaw Feeling, leaning back before thrusting a jab at the back of the stand's hand, knocking it off course. A curious sting could be felt where she had struck and Jigsaw Feeling and Suzie would find a patch of frost on the stand.



“Do nothing that is of no use,” She quoted as she turned her attention back to Lucy, who had now bore arms against her, "Do you have the heart to pull the trigger this time, little Lucy?"

The spirit within her shadow struck out, yet with a practiced ease - and an unnatural grace - Lucy's assailant dart backward. My「Jigsaw Feeling」, she can see it. That means~

"Ah--!"

Her train of thought was thrown off the moment she physically struck out at the spirit that followed her. Not only had she hit it, but at the moment of impact Suzie felt a sharp pain climb above her wrist over the back of her hand. Reflexively she winced in pain as her hand clasped where its opposite grow cold, but disturbingly she saw her sprawling shadow mimic her movements in unison, wrapping its long fingers over the patch of frost.

She struck at that thing, but the pain! Something that dark and dreadful couldn't possibly be part of her, and yet whatever link they shared across this strange possession was indeed real. The knowledge of this disembodied, vicarious state of being twist her up inside. What is happening to me...

The sound of a child's voice and a cry from the big dog cut through the fog in her thoughts. Which room was it? It couldn't have been far. Nor was the dog alone as Suzie saw another frightful shape move in the warped darkness of the hallway.

"Your nothing close to a mother...and I didn't need a heart to shoot before...." Lucy answered, slowly and without feeling. "That's how you taught me...if anything, having a heart is what helps me see how everything you and the doctor wanted of me was wrong from the beginning. Its because I have a heart that I know I can't kill you....."

Lucy's eyes darted to the side, and with a sudden jerk of her arm the gun twisted upwards and the air rang heavy with the clap of gunfire. Just above the girl, one of the nozzles for the hallway sprinkler system exploded....immediately dousing the area directly below in liquid. "But I don't need to....."

Pushing forward immediately, Lucy flung the gun to the side and charged into melee...assuming a close quarters stance and attempted to grapple with the girl in the downpour. "...I just need to win."

Preternaturally, 「Jigsaw Feeling」seemed to have spotted it first. As Lucy fell the sprinkler line and closed in on her tormentor, Suzie moved a short distance ahead, chasing after the Rottweiler where held been thrown. Nervously, she clicked her tongue to get the dog's attention.

"...Clutch. That's your name, innit," she said, "you're a good boy ain't you?"

Her steps were wobbly as she surveyed the distance between them and room 214. Her wrist was still cold, but if this thing in front of her was willing to fight, maybe there was still something she could do.

"...you got somewhere to be, don't you?" The frost that bit at her secondhand caused Suzie to tremble down to her heels.

Her thoughts turned to the closing moments of that episode of the bus, and the hateful spectre that screamed, 'kill you.' She surveyed the ward's hallways, hoping that the doors were closed.

"Go. Get, Clutch."

[bruceleegreyhulk]

Wheeling himself into the elevator car, Boris would find that he lacked the advantage of having a dog guide him that the others had. Instead, he would have to guess which floor he would go to although at the very least, he could only choose between the second and the fifth floors.

Boris thinks for a moment and hits the button for the second floor.

[KingofPie]

"And I'll happily keep saying it," Sandra chirped in reply. She knocked back the rest of her second glass of bourbon, then returned her attention to the ribs in front of her. "Hey, Miguel, what's going on over there? Are you high or something?"

"No, there's...it's..." Miguel sighed. "It's just something you'd have to see to believe, I guess..." he leaned his head against the counter. Not for long though. Raising it up. He faced Sandra. "Hey, lemme ask you something. You ever have Night Fever?"

[Sub-Zero MKA]

"No, there's...it's..." Miguel sighed. "It's just something you'd have to see to believe, I guess..." he leaned his head against the counter. Not for long though. Raising it up. He faced Sandra. "Hey, lemme ask you something. You ever have Night Fever?"

Sandra hadn't thought about it lately, but she had. She nearly didn't make it, but it cleared up eventually. "Yeah, I did. Why?"

[KingofPie]

Sandra hadn't thought about it lately, but she had. She nearly didn't make it, but it cleared up eventually. "Yeah, I did. Why?"

"Same as me then..." Miguel noted, nodding his head. "You ever get that paranoid feeling from it? Like something's watching you?"

[Sub-Zero MKA]

"Same as me then..." Miguel noted, nodding his head. "You ever get that paranoid feeling from it? Like something's watching you?"

Sandra raised an eyebrow. "Yeah..." Then again, she was sure he wasn't talking about creepy bastards who wanted more then their money paid for. "Usually was just some creepy staring at me."

She shrugged and took a bite of a rib. Glancing at the barkeep, she took a chance. "Hey, can you see anything weird over there?" she asked him, cocking her head toward where Miguel was sitting.

[Yun Lao]

"Boy!" Jamie yelled as she saw the dog just go flying down the hall after being struck by some invisible force that the girl seemed to call 'Coal Chamber'. As the dog barked at the girl, Jamie turned back to the girl, gripping the handle of her tire thumper harder, eyes wide in shock.

"W-what was that? And what do you mean you're Lucy's mother?! Answer me!" Jamie practically yelled, raising her weapon in an attempt to look threatening.

"~or what?~ You'll beat me with your quaking knees? Huehue..."

"Your nothing close to a mother...and I didn't need a heart to shoot before...." Lucy answered, slowly and without feeling. "That's how you taught me...if anything, having a heart is what helps me see how everything you and the doctor wanted of me was wrong from the beginning. Its because I have a heart that I know I can't kill you....."

Lucy's eyes darted to the side, and with a sudden jerk of her arm the gun twisted upwards and the air rang heavy with the clap of gunfire. Just above the girl, one of the nozzles for the hallway sprinkler system exploded....immediately dousing the area directly below in liquid. "But I don't need to....."

Pushing forward immediately, Lucy flung the gun to the side and charged into melee...assuming a close quarters stance and attempted to grapple with the girl in the downpour. "...I just need to win."

With Lucy's gunshot, a downpour of water from the fire sprinkler system descended, accompanied by the shrill sounds of the emergency system, alerting everyone in the hospital of the potential "fire" started. The girl started laughing, even as Lucy discarded her pistol, preparing to enter close quarters combat, " ~aah, you've gotten rusty~ Little Lucy, the lion cannot protect himself from traps, and the fox cannot defend himself from wolves. One must therefore be a fox to recognize traps, and a lion to frighten wolves." As she went for the grapple, the girl gripped her wrist and Lucy was struck by the strange and horrifying sensation that her energy was being sapped.

Fortunately, Lucy would be spared the long term effect of this as John approached.

Noticing his camoflage disappearing, John made a break for it, and hit the enemy in the back of the head with a running kick, counting on the wait of his 6 foot frame to do the damage

Quickly turning, the girl flung Lucy straight into John, all the while once more making her finger gun, "Coal Chamber..." Electricity crackled from the stand, and despite the apparent threats of mixing water with it, she didn't seem to mind.

Preternaturally, 「Jigsaw Feeling」seemed to have spotted it first. As Lucy fell the sprinkler line and closed in on her tormentor, Suzie moved a short distance ahead, chasing after the Rottweiler where held been thrown. Nervously, she clicked her tongue to get the dog's attention.

"...Clutch. That's your name, innit," she said, "you're a good boy ain't you?"

Her steps were wobbly as she surveyed the distance between them and room 214. Her wrist was still cold, but if this thing in front of her was willing to fight, maybe there was still something she could do.

"...you got somewhere to be, don't you?" The frost that bit at her secondhand caused Suzie to tremble down to her heels.

Her thoughts turned to the closing moments of that episode of the bus, and the hateful spectre that screamed, 'kill you.' She surveyed the ward's hallways, hoping that the doors were closed.

"Go. Get, Clutch."

With Suzie's words of encouragement, the rottweiler bolted forward.

She was right, he did have somewhere he needed to be. That little boy needed him, as did the man and woman. He needed to protect them... protect them from that thing.

Just as the girl was preparing to unleash a blast of electricity, the dog pounced, teeth sinking into her shoulder. Unfortunately, the element of surprise was limited in its advantages, for the metal-clad fist of Coal Chamber punched right through the hound, splattering the nearby wall with gore and blood.

"~such a shame~ Would have made for a fantastic companion with some training," The girl said, hand resting on her now wounded shoulder.

[Yun Lao]

Boris thinks for a moment and hits the button for the second floor.

At the touch of 2, the elevator doors closed and Boris would be lifted up.

A sudden sense of dread would strike the man as the elevator rose, as if his body knew what was awaiting him on the second floor.

[Tami]

Edited out- saving for later.

[The Dog]

"~or what?~ You'll beat me with your quaking knees? Huehue..."

With Lucy's gunshot, a downpour of water from the fire sprinkler system descended, accompanied by the shrill sounds of the emergency system, alerting everyone in the hospital of the potential "fire" started. The girl started laughing, even as Lucy discarded her pistol, preparing to enter close quarters combat, " ~aah, you've gotten rusty~ Little Lucy, the lion cannot protect himself from traps, and the fox cannot defend himself from wolves. One must therefore be a fox to recognize traps, and a lion to frighten wolves." As she went for the grapple, the girl gripped her wrist and Lucy was struck by the strange and horrifying sensation that her energy was being sapped.

Fortunately, Lucy would be spared the long term effect of this as John approached.

Quickly turning, the girl flung Lucy straight into John, all the while once more making her finger gun, "Coal Chamber..." Electricity crackled from the stand, and despite the apparent threats of mixing water with it, she didn't seem to mind.

With Suzie's words of encouragement, the rottweiler bolted forward.

She was right, he did have somewhere he needed to be. That little boy needed him, as did the man and woman. He needed to protect them... protect them from that thing.

Just as the girl was preparing to unleash a blast of electricity, the dog pounced, teeth sinking into her shoulder. Unfortunately, the element of surprise was limited in its advantages, for the metal-clad fist of Coal Chamber punched right through the hound, splattering the nearby wall with gore and blood.

"~such a shame~ Would have made for a fantastic companion with some training," The girl said, hand resting on her now wounded shoulder.

Jamie took a small step back as everything happened around her, the fight and flight reflex demanding she run from whatever was happening here. Some kind of invisible... thing that was apparently under this mysterious girl's control was sending people flying somehow, and then there was the unnatural darkness.

Then the dog, named Clutch according to Lucy, attacked the strange woman, and the invisible thing blew a hole through the dog. As blood and gore painted the hospital hall wall, Jamie's eyes widened in shock and terror at the graphic display.

As she stared at the scene of horror before her, Jamie realized that she was likely going to do the same to Suzie, and Lucy, and probably everyone else, just like Toby, Flors, and George had tried.

As that knowledge filledher mind, something inside of her clicked, as if an internal switch had been flipped. Her hand gripped the handle of her tire thumper as her face twisted in anger at the brutal death she'd just watched, and Jamie charged the girl. With a primal scream of rage, Jamie swung the thumper wildly at the girl, wanting, needing to stop this girl before she and her mysterious thing hurt or even killed a member of her new family like she had Clutch.

[Jcogginsa]

Quickly turning, the girl flung Lucy straight into John, all the while once more making her finger gun, "Coal Chamber..." Electricity crackled from the stand, and despite the apparent threats of mixing water with it, she didn't seem to mind.

John did his best to catch Lucy in a way that minimized the chance of injury

[grampagen]

With Suzie's words of encouragement, the rottweiler bolted forward.

She was right, he did have somewhere he needed to be. That little boy needed him, as did the man and woman. He needed to protect them... protect them from that thing.

Just as the girl was preparing to unleash a blast of electricity, the dog pounced, teeth sinking into her shoulder. Unfortunately, the element of surprise was limited in its advantages, for the metal-clad fist of Coal Chamber punched right through the hound, splattering the nearby wall with gore and blood.

"~such a shame~ Would have made for a fantastic companion with some training," The girl said, hand resting on her now wounded shoulder.

Quite opposite to what she'd asked Clutch to do, the Rottie was stubbornly fixed to his duty. "Oh no~!"

The little simian shape of Coal Chamber flit in the air behind the girl and the Clutch...it was too horrible for words and her heart sunk. Just like that, the loyal boy was cast off.

Water pooled and electricity crackled at the thing's hand. Clinging to the shadows, nursing her numb wrist, Suzie shook her head as she looked to the shade next to her.

I don't like you...but right now, you're about the only part of me worth something... In escalating situations like these, it was becoming risky just to live, it seems. Yet the fact remained her「Jigsaw Feeling」had saved her once before, and she scrambled to recall how.

"If we can make her hurt, or the little one, the way Lucy was able to distract the ones at the rear of the bus-"

Then it hit her, like a silver outline in a foggy memory. Leaning forward 「Jigsaw Feeling」opened its maw, and a billowing white cloud shot out.

A portion of the little soldier's tear gas own tear gas. Lucy had let it fly on the bus, and on the way out Suzie had need to clear the air and breathe. Now a remnant of it spewed in an ark and spilled over the floor of the hospital hall to the girl and her twisted phantom...and may perhaps disperse the others who couldn't see the latter.

It won't do them any good if they can't see what they're up against, maybe this will get them to step away for a bit, Suzie thought, her attention now on the metal monkey at the small girl's back. You ain't feeling much pain, but I'd bet you still gotta breathe.

For a moment she stood there behind her shadowy creature, its long arms fanned out, poised to strike.

[bruceleegreyhulk]

At the touch of 2, the elevator doors closed and Boris would be lifted up.

A sudden sense of dread would strike the man as the elevator rose, as if his body knew what was awaiting him on the second floor.

When the elevator stops, Boris rolls out into the second floor with caution.