Event | Satellite | Spectres!

[ironwood]

Characters: Any and all!
Date: May 23 - 26, 2013
Location: Keeliai, turtleside, ARSHEPHELIOS cluster remains
Situation: Repairs and salvage operations operating innocently have triggered an invasion of spectres that possess and wreak havoc upon all they see.
Warnings/Rating: Please put CW in your subject lines

Satellite Crash Event

Crash Landing | Salvage Party | Shocking Spectres


Questions | Keeliai | ARSHEPHELIOS


Salvage is sweet, but not all is well on board the ARSHEPHELIOS cluster. The seamless cylinders salvaged from debris and the cluster, now being frequently traded, turn out to be pods the first time one is penetrated or cracked open. Each breached pod releases a flood of energy-based apparitions hellbent on world domination -- or, more accurately, person domination (and it's not the fun kind).

These apparitions -- spectres, if you will -- are driven by a need to protect the technology of the satellite cluster that their pods are associated with. They will stop at nothing to see this through. Each is immune to physical attacks, but seem to be injured or dissipated entirely by things like electrical shock or other energy-based projections. If people touch them, there is also a brief window of vulnerability, but it acts also like a door that swings both way. Through contact, these spectres can and will invade one's psyche, take over their body and cause them to attack friend or foe alike! Should the possessed body be subjected to sufficient electrical shock, the possession should fade. Strong natural will can also drive the spectres out, but it is no walk in the park to do so. Possession is not the only tool in the arsenal, for these spectres use electricity as their main offensive weapon. They'll leave deep-tissue burns on anyone they fight, and show no degree of fatigue after constant use of it.

Ten thousand of these creatures will be freed from pods, resulting in a veritable flood of Keeliai, the turtleside, and the satellite cluster. With such a driven enemy, it comes down to killing or being killed.

Meanwhile, those taking shelter indoors may notice that the spectres will get into the biomechanical functions of Keeliai. Consoles will be malfunctioning during this time, with lines of mysterious code and strange, ghostly images. One might hear people screaming for help or hours of patchy radio static.

Comments

[notamachine]

[...Oh.

Something incredibly dangerous.

This is not a position Dean has ever been in before, but it's one he's seen things in before. If his guess is right--and he's at least 12% sure that it is--Cas wants to try an exorcism. Which is probably going to kill Dean.

On the flipside, this thing has already used Dean's body to injure or incapacitate a handful of people anyway, and if Cas has to ice Dean and the spectre both to stop that, so be it. It's better than the alternative. He exercises the full, remaining force of his will to keep the thing where Cas seems to want it. A noise that is definitely not Dean's voice tears out of his throat and his whole body crackles with electricity. The spectre knows what Cas is up to, and it wants him to stop.

Lucky for Cas, it seems Dean is making the slightest bit of headway, because the thing hasn't been able to get loose yet.]

[bondsprofoundly]

[Yeah fuck you buddy, you possessed his best friend. Hope this burns your ass like nothing else on your way out.

Cas shoves his palm against Dean's forehead, constructs the wave he's going to send through Dean's body very, very carefully and lets it loose. This little motherfucker's gonna roast if it doesn't vacate the premises immediately.]

[notamachine]

[Dean jerks and goes stiff, teeth gritted tight because that is one hell of a wave of energy going through him right now. It feels like his organs are being rearranged. Maybe they are.

It seems like it lasts way too long, but then the electricity the spectre was generating is more like a bad static shock, and then a weaker one, and then it's gone entirely and fuck, this is one of those times where Dean wishes he was actually dead. His heart is beating erratically; he does still have that slight heart problem after all. It's going to take a while for his body to quit freaking out.]

...You okay?

[Brain works fine, though! Voice sounds raw and rough. Eh, he'll gargle salt water and be right as rain in an hour or two. (Hah, he wishes.)]

[bondsprofoundly]

[No he's fucking exhausted and his arms burn where that thing was electrocuting him.]

I'm fine.

[But he's okay. Not dead, will heal, that's pretty much a gold sticker in Cas's book. He climbs off of Dean and sits down heavily beside him, hanging his head and resting his elbows on his drawn-up knees. He needs a minute.]

You? [Good to see he didn't kill you Dean, that would have really, seriously sucked. He would've needed to find someone to bring you back and given them whatever they wanted, and he really doesn't want to do that but he'd have done it for you.]

[notamachine]

[Cas is not fine. Dean is wiped the fuck out and he can see that Cas isn't fine. But hey, he gets it.]

I'm good.

[Aside from the burns and the cuts and bruises sustained when Cas threw him and the lingering aches and pains everywhere and the numbness in hands and arms that doesn't seem like it's going to go away anytime soon, oh yeah, and the part where he thought he couldn't get possessed in the first place thanks to this tattoo.]

They're not demons.

[bondsprofoundly]

No. [Cas lifts his head and squints into the sunlight, breathing heavily. He's...thirsty, he thinks?] It didn't have a true face. [Only face he saw was yours, bro.] Not one that I could see.

[Considering the fact that Dean hasn't gotten up yet, he's probably pretty seriously hurt and/or tired. He can breathe and process information well enough to speak though, so he's probably not on his way to dying. Cas will just catch his breath and then take them to Dean's suite, since the Water Sector is one of the few places generally still in tact.]

[notamachine]

[Well, he did kind of wear himself out, fighting against...himself. Sort of.]

It was...hunting? Mostly it seemed interested in people with metal, wires. Anything technological. There's more people possessed, I saw, but--

[But Dean should stay out of this, and he knows it. The tattoo only protects against demons, which these aren't. And he's been possessed once; for all he knows that makes him a target for a round two and he really doesn't want to go through another pseudo-exorcism. His muscles start to cramp at the thought. Ow.]

[bondsprofoundly]

I'll keep that in mind. [Now that Cas knows he can exorcise these things without killing the host, he'll probably be back out and about once Dean is settled and he gets his second wind.

...and if he can find a way to ward the place so they can't get anywhere near Dean a second time.

He lets out a heavy breath, then looks down at Dean.]

You ignored me. When I told you to wait.

[notamachine]

No, I didn't.

[Yes, he did.]

[bondsprofoundly]

[Cas kind of wants to slap Dean right now.

He debates pushing it, then decides he's got bigger fish to fry -like getting Dean out of the withering sun and somewhere safe so he can hydrate and rest- and pulls himself up to his feet. When he reaches for the power required to fly, he comes up empty.

Right, so he's carrying Dean and walking, then. He crouches down to pull Dean's arm up over his shoulder.]

Can you walk with assistance, or should I carry you?

[notamachine]

[Dean stands and wobbles like a man who's three sheets beyond being three sheets to the wind, but he manages to stay upright somehow.] Dude, I'm fine. I just gotta move slow. [Very slow. And very carefully. The sector is kind of a mess right now, what with the crazy spectres and all.]

[bondsprofoundly]

[Yeah, they'd better hope to hell they don't run into any problems, considering Cas doesn't think he could manage another exorcism so soon and Dean would probably fall over without the support.

So Cas will drag Dean over to the alleys; it'll take longer, but they'll be out of sight and less likely to be attacked by either another one of those apparitions or another person possessed.

Halfway back to Dean's suite, Cas decides to let Dean rest as he takes a look around briefly, setting him down atop a crate against a wall as he peers out of the mouth of the alley.] What else can you tell me about what possessed you?

[notamachine]

[Dean's thankful for the scenic route through the alleys, even if he doesn't say so. It's longer, but it's easier, too. He settles on the crate and leans over to rest his elbows on his knees.]

It was focused, soldier focused. I dunno what their mission is exactly, but it seems like it's a do or die kind of thing. And they possess by touch--I barely brushed the thing and it was able to crawl inside me.

[bondsprofoundly]

[All right. Possibly an invading army. Maybe a prequel for the battle the Emperor wants them to get in on, but apparently doesn't want to tell them about. Freaking Heaven all over again, and Cas is actually really pissed off about it now that he has a minute to think, and-

Calm, boy. Calm down. You can have a talk with the Emperor later.]

All right.

I'm taking you back to your suite. Those things seem to avoid energy surges, so I'll cast a warding spell on the building and imbue it with some of my Grace. [Then, Cas is gonna go back out and see what he can do.]

[notamachine]

Whoa, whoa, no. [Dean sits up and holds out a hand.] Cas, man, no offense, but you look at least as wiped out as I feel. No way I'm letting you set up a perimeter, and even if I'd let you do that, like hell I'd let you do it to me. Find some of the kids around here. Keep them safe. I'm fine.

[bondsprofoundly]

[Cas looks over at Dean.

...then promptly ignores him and looks back out of the mouth of the alley. They should get moving soon.]

[notamachine]

Cas. [Oh, come on.] Cas.

[bondsprofoundly]

No.

[notamachine]

You are not locking me up like Rapunzel in her damn tower.

[bondsprofoundly]

[Mrrgh. They need to get back before the sun sets much further.] It's not a tower Dean, it's a suite.

[notamachine]

Point stands. [So there. Also wow, Cas, you could have at least tried to deny that's what you were doing.] I know more about these things than you do. Just gimme a few minutes to rest up, same as you.

[bondsprofoundly]

No. You need to rest. If I take you with me, I'll just be concerned for your safety and distracted. [That's something he can't afford when he's working with as little power as he's going to have, bro, so you're better off staying somewhere safe.]

[notamachine]

[Dean is 1000% done with Cas right now.] No, we both need to rest. We do that and then...I don't know, you pick which sector you want and I'll go to the next one over. [See? Problem solved.]

[bondsprofoundly]

And how are you going to exorcise them?

[notamachine]

How did you exorcise mine? [He'll improvise!]