i'm a goddess of vicious precision

[autokinetic]

Because there are so many fewer diversions on this station than on the previous one, Aegis takes to those that are offered with more of an open mind than she might have done before. For instance, she stays after personal combat sometimes, to watch Sue sparring with Howlett. Now and then she takes a turn herself. Today she's just supervising.

Comments

[pythbox]

There is only one way to make this stop. Sue understands that now. He doesn't fight to 'win', to merely immobilize his opponent; he fights to cause maximum damage, and any injury he sustains he reflects ruthlessly back at the person who caused it.

[autokinetic]

Sue's determination doesn't give him reach, or mass; his reflections don't change the fact that his opponent isn't aiming for injury himself, just an inability to do more than squirm, so at first this doesn't change much.

But damage accumulates, and Sue's new best friend starts to realize that he's not playing at resistance or about to roll over like before, and he starts talking. He's not an idiot. They don't let idiots into Tactical.

"C'mon, don't you want to get her to the infirmary, it'll be over sooner if you just - she's probably got brain damage, you know," says Sue's new best friend. "Maybe it's helpful brain damage, maybe you can reach in with your mutie linky thing and pick her up like a puppet, maybe she can play a little more, hm?"

[pythbox]

Sue replies by biting his new best friend's hand. Hard.

[autokinetic]

That gets him a hiss and his head knocked into a bunk, too. "Bet you she's dying. I'll let you run her to the infirmary to save her and make up some story about how you hurt her yourself if you quit - fighting - me -"

[pythbox]

Maybe she is, but this guy's word isn't worth a chunk of puke.

Sue doesn't do anything different, here in his room. He still fights like a cornered rat. But he also reaches out to the infirmary - he knows it well enough to find the minds that belong there - and he touches one, and sends a pure-informational message: Aegis hit her head on her bunk and she's not moving and they should send someone to check her out.

[autokinetic]

The doctor he alerts is going to send someone along at once.

Pity they're on the opposite side of the station.

"I'll tell them it was her and you fighting, and I heard you and that's when I came in, and you hurt her, and even if she wakes up she's got a head injury, who'll she believe?"

But he's slowing down now, just a little, favoring one shoulder.

[pythbox]

He cuts the link to the doctor and finds another soft place to sink his teeth into.

[autokinetic]

"Little fucker - all I ever did to you was give you what you wanted anyway -"

But Sue's winning, now, the balance has tipped just enough to add up to his advantage.

[pythbox]

Sue pushes, with stark clarity, I want you to die.

[autokinetic]

Sue's new best friend has a little problem with his jaw now, but as long as they're linking -

Oh, you think so, but you're always gonna think about it, gonna wish you'd let me one last time - kill me now and who'll ever want you? It'll get around, he killed the last guy who so much as touched him, not even desperate guys gone space-gay will look twice at you unless they want to get with your little friend when she grows tits - you'll die alone, little friend when she grows tits'll have her pick and there's no way she'd want a freak like you -

[pythbox]

He fills the link with the extensive depth of how much he does not care, and jams his elbow into the older boy's throat.

[autokinetic]

Sue's new best friend chokes.

He has no clever rejoinder.

[pythbox]

Sue does it again.

[autokinetic]

Sue's new best friend cannot breathe. He strikes out, but he's just flailing, now, eyes unfocused.

[pythbox]

And it's easy, now, to pin him to the floor.

And wait. Just wait. That's all.

[autokinetic]

There are three minds in this room.

Sue's new best friend gets in a parting shot, dripping with malice. You sat there while I trashed her. She'll remember that.

Now there are two.

[pythbox]

Sue sits down on the floor, leans against his bunk, and waits.

[autokinetic]

The medics arrive, and they split up to check each of the three bodies in the room, and declare Sue's new best friend to be Sue's dead best friend, and they load Aegis onto a stretcher and carry her away.

"You need the infirmary too," says one of the medics, looking Sue over. "Can you walk?"

[pythbox]

He pulls himself to his feet and immediately stumbles, catching himself on the wall.

"Kinda," he says distantly.

[autokinetic]

"Need another stretcher over here," says the medic, and Sue is loaded onto it and carried down the hall after his - friends.

[pythbox]

He spaces out a little on the way. There just doesn't seem to be anything to think about.

[autokinetic]

Aegis wakes up before they get there.

bird?

[pythbox]

He pushes her everything. What happened, what he felt. What the other guy said.

[autokinetic]

my head hurts, she replies, and she can no longer bird, the wall goes back up.

[pythbox]

Sue goes back to his nothing.