Induction

[Namira]

There was a reason to go down there. He supposed.

Tch. What a pain.

Okay. Fine. he'd talked himself into it, sort of.

This was going to be annoying, but Javi had learned to be patient with his Gift. Luckily he wasn't that high yet or this would have taken even longer.

Tick, tock.

Very slowly, he sank through the air. He hadn't been moving much, so it'd been a while since he climbed in altitude.

Sloooowly.

After a bit, Javi pulled out his drawstring, coiling it around his wrist. It wasn't really that much extra length to play with, but it made a difference, and opened up options to manouever. Before he started carrying something like this around, he'd had some really aggravating aerial mishaps. Nothing worse than waiting an hour to get down, then accidentally climbing further when trying to reel himself in.

He managed to wedge the little hook onto the top of the building and tug himself closer. With that, he had a solid mooring. They'd definitely see him up there if they looked, but whatever. Javi climbed down the side of the building, breathing through his nose with the exertion of pushing his feet downward.

There was a window slash viewport into the guardhouse. Frowning, Javi hooked his foot under the top of it, and pulled himself further. After a few seconds, he was crouched in the space, looking in on everyone.

He paused. Lot of people. Didn't like it.

"...hi.

"Not looking to bug you all. Just need a favour and I'll get lost.

"Anyone got a jacket or sweater or whatever I could borrow?"

He made sure specifically not to look Austin's way.

[Deamon]

August look across at her after she spoke and Ana felt herself shrink away. He had resolved to go and there wasn't going to be any changing his mind. Her eyes darted down to the floor as she tried to avoid having to continue holding his gaze. She felt the parasite move, running up her arm and wrapping around her shoulder. Looking up she caught sight of August running an arc of electricity between his index finger and his thumb, he seemed so calm considering what he planned on doing.

None of the others were going to go with him. They agreed with his plan but no one volunteered. She hadn't volunteered either. Ana was scared to go into the building, scared of both what could have been in it and what could potentially happen to her if she did. She felt even more worthless than already did as she thought about it. Meanwhile, the parasite placed the glass shard into her hand.

Taking a deep breath Ana slowly breathed out and tried to slow down her rapid heartbeat.

"I'll..." Again the statement caught in her throat, she felt sick, like she was about to throw up right there rather than finish the sentence. But she squeezed on the parasite and it squeezed her shoulder in return. "I'll come with you." She said, not sounding very convincing, as she cautiously rose to her feet.

"I'll help." She said again, firmer this time, as her eyes darted between August, Austin, and the others. She was trying to convince herself as much as she was trying to convince them. Ana didn't know how much help she could offer August. After all, he could control electricity and she had a living blob of mercury she could control. In those awkward few moments of silence that passed after her less than forceful declaration, Ana wanted to take it back, to apologize for interrupting, and go back to curling up in the corner. But she fought off the urge, and the anxious pit that had formed in her stomach. She was going to go with August and she was going to help him.

And then she felt the parasite rear back moments before a voice spoke from right next to her. Ana's body tightened and then she jumped to her left, spinning to her right to see a boy crouched in the window. Her eyes widened and darted between him and the others. The parasite spiked up on her shoulder, making it look for a few seconds like she was wearing a prop from Mad Max. She felt a stinging in her hand but ignored it and stepped back and away from the new arrival until she was on the other side of the room. Meanwhile, the stinging in her palm increased and she felt it growing damp.

[Namira]

One of the girls—Ana he thought—backpedalled all the way up, the silvery creature on her shoulder puffing up to look threatening. The sudden movement nearly had Javi backjumping out and up into the air, but he held steady. Javi felt like he'd know if anyone in the year could blast spikes at him.

His question still hung there.

Annnnyone at all?

Tick, tock.

[Shiola]

A look of surprise spread across August’s face as Ana spoke up. The last thing he’d expected was her to join him in this.

He watched her as she repeated herself, as much to the rest of them as to herself, it seemed. Though he didn’t know her well, and reminded himself not to presume so much, he felt like he had some understanding of what she was thinking. It was hard enough to feel like a part of a group when things weren’t completely fucked up, let alone now.

Nodding, he started to respond,

“Yeah, okay! Thanks, Ana. We’ll have to-”

-before doing a double take, as a new voice, and another set of low hums quickly made themselves known. It hadn’t been something August had noticed before, as engrossed as he was in trying to figure out their next moves. As startled as Ana was by the presence of the new person, the air around August’s fingertips glowed purple for a split second, before quickly abating.

It was Javi, at least - he was pretty sure that was the guy’s name. Mainly on account of them sharing a few classes, though August had never had the wherewithal to strike up anything like a conversation at the time. It took a few moments to process the request, after which he looked down at his own jacket.

The drab dark green military jacket wasn’t much other than protection from wind and dirt. August mostly liked it for the multitude of pockets, and he often kept small candies, a notebook, and his portable battery with him inside. It wasn’t the kind of thing he wanted to give away easily. As far as he could tell, there wasn’t any immediately pressing need for the other boy to have it.

He shrugged, and shook his head. “Um, sorry Javi. I’m sort of fond of this jacket. You’re welcome to hang around this spot with our group, though, if you’re worried about the cold tonight. I think we’ve got plenty of sleeping bags between us."

August offered an earnest smile, hoping that at the very least a welcome introduction would help. Javi seemed friendly enough, even if his entrance was a bit jarring. Noting that Ana seemed to find his presence more alarming than anything else, August spoke up again, hoping that their exit might defuse the situation.

"Ana and I were - we were just heading into the building for a bit to, uhh-”

Looking back at the building, he sighed. The sound of chittering masses of wings and legs had faded, though not in memory. August blinked a few times, puzzled as to how he’d explain what exactly he intended to do.

For the moment, he opted not to. He glanced at Ana again, stating out loud what he hoped was their common purpose.

“Someone in there needs our help, right now. We'll be back as soon as we can.”

After lingering for a few moments longer to make sure everyone was on the same page, August left the guardhouse for the compound.

((August Hanlon continued elsewhere))

[Deamon]

August spoke up to answer the question first and said that he wasn't going to give his jacket up, which reassured Ana that her desire to say no wouldn't be judged by the others. She had been considering agreeing to give up her own jacket because she thought it would have been expected of her. Instead, she just stayed saying nothing, avoiding meeting his gaze due to a lingering feeling of guilt. The situation was extremely awkward and Ana wanted a way to get out of it.

That meant that when August continued to say that they were just leaving she was relieved for the escape hatch he had given her. She didn't like the way Javi had snuck up on her or the way he had made his weird request with no context. He didn't seem trustworthy. But she didn't say any of that, instead she shook her hand slightly and felt the light patter of something wet on her wrist. As she started to follow August out—as the parasite stayed focused on Javi—she looked down at the hand that had been holding the glass and saw that at some point it had cut her. There was a bright red line across part of her palm surrounded by a dark smudge where her closed fist had squashed it all together.

She could see that small but noticeable amounts had splattered onto her wrist, thigh, and the floor. Ana chose to ignore it as she didn't want to make a scene. She merely continued to walk and flexed her hand a bit to see the cut open and close like a breathing mouth. Meanwhile, the parasite decided they were far enough from Javi that he didn't need watching and began to settle down only to try and pull Ana back as she bumped into Noah's shoulder.

The impact knocked her sideways and she felt a flush of embarrassment.

"Shit," She mumbled, and considered apologizing but instead just ducked around him and sped up to catch up to August. Keeping her hand squeezed tightly shut as she did so.

[[Ana Ford continued in Hysteresis]]

[Namira]

Javi didn't hide his frown as they turned him down one after the other. He wasn't going to fake that he wasn't annoyed, even if he knew it was a pretty random thing to ask and had kind of expected that it wouldn't fly. He had a reason for asking, so why try to brush it off like he didn't care? Polite was a waste of time.

August offered the possibility of staying, and nobody immediately jumped in to tell him to shut the fuck up, so it was probably a valid offer, but Javi just shrugged. He had stuff to do and didn't want Austin on his case again.

Javi couldn't imagine sleeping in a place like this. Somebody could just come along and cut your throat and you wouldn't have a chance to do a thing about it. And these guys were just going to be chill with taking a nap all in the same room? Didn't even need to be somebody going for a killing spree. Just took a moment where someone got stupid or got scared and did something that they couldn't take back. Javi wasn't going to give the benefit of the doubt when the benefit meant putting his life in five, six different people's hands.

Ana and the silver thing were still being twitchy. His eyes flicked their way for a second, and then he rolled them. He came through a window, not through the wall.

"Okay then. Later."

Javi stepped out of the window and sprang up one, two, three, four steps back into the air, and then walked away.

(Javi continued in Friend In High Places)

[almostinhuman]

August ignored him again, deadset on charging into the hive without so much as a scrap of extra planning. Cool. Austin wasn't gonna argue anymore; if August wanted to kick this very literal hornet's nest, he could go right ahead and get stung for his troubles. He hoped it only amounted to a sting, and not something far worse. If August ended up frying Isabella and her bugs and came out sobbing about it, he couldn't say Austin hadn't warned him. And if Isabella overwhelmed him, then...

Well, hopefully she wouldn't.

Ana offered to go in there, too. Why she'd be so eager to head into that nightmare he couldn't say, but more power to her. Maybe she could stop August from screwing it up, which, if he was gonna be this bullheaded about it, seemed rather likely to happen.

Their absolute-barest-bones preparation for this was interrupted by Javi, crouching in the window and begging for a jacket. Austin's irritated glare seemingly went unnoticed, as Javi appeared particularly interested in basically every person and object in the room but him. Austin might've given the creeper his own jacket just to get him to piss off, but somebody had already pilfered it. A somebody who'd soon very much wish he hadn't, if Austin had his way.

Hopefully Jenelle listened and stayed away from the little squirrel fuck. Maybe he should try looking for her again...

He felt relieved when Javi finally understood that he wasn't fucking wanted and wandered off into the sky. Austin gave a curt "take care" to August and Ana as they headed into the compound building, hopefully to return. It was just him, Noah and Sayuna now, together in the tiny ruin of a guardhouse.

The urge to cry returned, but he swallowed it back once more. He couldn't lean on either of them in the state they were in. They'd just all come toppling down.

"So, um. Glad you guys are okay... guess we got a lot to talk about, huh?"

Fuck, did he have a lot of explaining to do.

((Austin Greene continued in 卒業))

[Dogs231]

Noah stood back as the others debated amongst themselves, hand-in-hand with Sayuna. He'd made his way into the shelter at Austin's insistence, so at the very least, they'd have a safe place to stay. At the same time, Noah couldn't help but feel frustrated with himself. He wasn't sure he'd said the right words or done the right things.

Austin seemed to be growing tense at their disagreement, and he couldn't help but feel somewhat responsible. The other boy was badly hurt; the thought of being left behind was probably on his mind. Noah wanted to reassure him, but he wasn't sure it would help. Austin had always been temperamental, and the last thing he wanted to do was cause more conflict. It might be better to let him cool off first.

August had volunteered himself to explore, and Noah knew at once the two would need to be separated; Sayuna and August were vulnerable, and he needed to stand in their defense. As much as he hated the thought, he was probably one of the few students who could ward off a determined attack. The others knew the extent of his power, whether they'd learned from rumors or, in one case, personal experience; they would be wise to steer clear. He didn't want to take up arms against his peers, but the threat should be enough to make anyone think twice.

He sighed. In that way, he related a lot to August. They were capable of destruction, even if they'd never want to hurt someone. They had powers that other people feared; in his case, understandably so. He'd hurt someone before, and it changed him. He didn't ever want it to happen again.

"We'll..." he wavered, "...I'll stand guard. When the coast is clear, meet back up with us."

Soon, he heard a sound from the roof. He wasn't sure who it was, but it set him on edge; he needed to be vigilant, he told himself. A boy entered through the window. He recognized him as Javi, someone he had tried to befriend at school; while at first his peer had been guarded, the two had eventually found themselves on decent, if somewhat remote terms. While Noah would have been willing to consider the proposal, he didn't have a jacket, so he remained silent.

He didn't object to August's offer; it would be nice to have another pair of eyes to keep them safe. At the same time, he got the impression that some of the others seemed to distrust the newcomer. The other boy seemed to feel the same way; he exited with little more than a shrug and a terse goodbye.

Ana gave her pledge, which made Noah feel better about letting August leave. While he was sure that August could defend himself, it was comforting to know that his friend wouldn't be alone. They had strength in numbers, after all. It didn't make sense for any of them to travel by themselves when it could put them in danger.

He turned to August and Ana as they left, a look of concern in his eyes. He didn't want to say farewell, though, in his heart, he couldn't help but wonder if it would be the last time he had the chance. He took a deep breath, fortified himself, and spoke up.

"Hey," he called, a slight flutter in his voice, "stay safe, okay?"

As the two departed, he waved them adieu. He hoped they'd return safe and sound. As they disappeared in the direction of the compound, he tried to reassure himself. They were capable, he told himself, and they'd be fine. They'd come back, and things would all turn out okay. He sighed again. He shouldn't be worrying over them. It was his responsibility to be resolute.

Austin began to explain the circumstances of what happened. Noah couldn't help but feel ashamed. If he'd only woken up a little sooner, he could have protected his friend. He knew it wasn't healthy to blame himself, but the what-ifs circled in his head, parallel universes where he'd been able to do just a little bit more. As it stood, the injuries looked brutal; he'd been beaten half to death, it seemed.

At the same time, he was, in a grim way, unsurprised at the culprit; of all the people at the school, Noah thought the least positively of the squirrel boy. Crispin had always been a violent bully, even before the incident. It stood to reason that he might have relished in the lawlessness, in this place where might made right.

No sooner were they greeted by the hum of speakers, a message from their captors. At first, he was almost relieved; nobody had died yet, it seemed. It was as much of a victory as he could have hoped. Unfortunately, the relief was cut to ribbons by their next threat. If nobody killed by the end of the day, they'd start executing people at random, every hour. It wasn't fair, though Noah couldn't say it was unexpected; while they'd set the rules before, they had all the power.

As the minutes ticked by, he stared off into the dusty horizon. It reminded him of an old Western movie. Despite that, he felt none of the joy that those old tapes and discs had brought him. There was no imagination here, no wonder of what lay beyond those empty dunes; death surrounded them. It was a hard, unkind, bitter location, though one that felt entirely familiar. He was, for a moment, reminded of the High Desert; this place felt like a dark reflection of it.

He could feel a pit grow in his stomach. For a moment, he could feel himself teeter on the edge of despair. He took a deep breath and tried to pull himself back. He couldn't let himself crumble, not now. If he let himself collapse, there would be nobody else for Austin and Sayuna to lean on.

He needed to have a will as strong as iron, unbroken against the forces that assailed them. He needed to stand tall, no matter how bad the odds seemed. He needed to find a way back from this desolate ruin to their home in Oregon. He would protect his friends, he told himself.

If they needed a hero, he would become one.

NOAH DAVIS: CONTINUED IN "卒業"

[Cicadan]

' But then. You said '
' Don't think of the time that's left '

' You're spending it in your head '
' I just want you laughing '

' I'm sorry for
crying '





She knew what was going on. She was still there, shaped like flesh and all.





She was trying her hardest to pay attention, anyways. If she squinted hard enough she could almost see the girl in the mirror she wanted to be who was strong and encouraging and didn't need to be carted around by the hand everywhere.

' So at last



good


bye '

' I'll be ha
ppy


just

to have known you '


Hard to see though.

' And we wished




each other

well '

( Sayuna concludes here )