tushanshu_logs | Event | Satellite

Event | Satellite | Spectres!

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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Cas is realizing grimly that maybe he shouldn't have waited so long to look for Dean. He'd been caught up helping whomever he came across; kedan and foreigners alike, pulling them from wrecked buildings or healing wounds. He's tired now, and it's just occurred to him that Dean hasn't contacted him once through the network or through prayer.

It's unlike him, in a time of crisis, and Castiel finally takes a moment to look for his friend.

This, unfortunately, is what he finds. He'd seen some of it on the way here; people behaving strangely, attacking others with some sort of electrical current. Going mad. He'd hurried when he'd seen, because this seems like a disaster and more often than not, in the thick of it is where you'll find a Winchester.

He really wishes he'd been wrong.

Still scraped up, covered in soot and looking like he's seen a few better days, Castiel approaches Dean and steels himself for a possible fight. He'll have to take Dean down without hurting him so badly that he can't heal him afterward.]

Dean.

[Despite his best efforts, he hasn't been able to take back control of his body, so Dean is exhausted and along for the ride, whether or not he wants to be. He hasn't been able to stop it or even slow it down, and the spectre riding inside has been busy.

He's standing over a prone body when Cas finds him. The person is probably still alive, but it's hard to tell from this distance. Not that Dean seems to care. He's mostly focused on prying what looks like an insignificant bit of something metallic out of the body's hands. This focus does not, however, stop him from looking up when Cas calls to him.

Dean feels a little jolt of relief. If anybody can get this thing out of him, it's Cas. The spectre, on the other hand, is less enthused. It considers Castiel for a moment, sizing him up, and seems to decide Cas is worth the fight. Maybe it figures Cas would make a better body to use than Dean. Maybe it figures he's enough of a threat to take down. Whatever the case, it abandons it's previous task and launches toward Cas with an agility Dean hasn't had in years.]

[They size each other up and Cas decides that a quick, ruthless punch to the face would probably be the best way to knock him out. His powers -more specifically, putting people to sleep- seems to be hit-and-miss here, and he'd rather not miss.

Dean darts at him with an unusual quickness and Cas cocks back to lay a nice, solid punch right on Dean's jaw.

And nearly breaks his damn hand.

The pain is so sudden and shocking that Cas just stumbles back, clutching his wrist. What the hell-]

[Probably should have stuck with trying to put him to sleep, Castiel.

The expression on Dean's face remains completely impassive, but he brings his hand up and it's crackling with electricity that it whips in Castiel's direction.

Inside, Dean is fighting the spectre with a slightly desperate second wind. It doesn't seem to be affecting it much...but this time, unlike every other time it's gone after someone, the spectre misses, if only by an inch.]

[Yeah, probably.

Dean swipes at him again and Castiel moves out of the way, but judging by the trajectory he'd have missed anyhow. Given his reflexes earlier, Cas is inclined to think that something must have rattled whatever is controlling Dean, and that something is Dean.

So he's definitely still in there. Not good.

Castiel grabs Dean's arm, wrenches it over his shoulder and flips him away, just for the space. He shakes his hand out and wiggles his fingers; something cracks, he flinches but then he flexes his hand and it's nearly good as new. So he had broken something. Ordinarily it wouldn't have even stung, but he's been using an awful lot of his power lately and he's nowhere close to a hundred percent, not even for here.

Castiel hesitates.

Castiel doesn't often hesitate, and even less often in battle. It's probably pretty obvious; he's trying to think of a way to incapacitate Dean without seriously wounding him. If he had all his healing power he wouldn't even worry, but when he can barely heal a puncture wound without winding himself? Yeah. Gotta be more careful.]

Dean, don't waste your energy fighting now. Conserve your strength for when you see a better opportunity. [Dean might not even be aware enough to hear what Cas is saying, but on the off chance he is, Castiel wants Dean to just listen to him for once. Don't wear yourself out just because you don't want it to hurt Cas, Dean, because Cas can take it and because this thing won't be able to kill him anyway. Probably.]

[What--how is that not good? That is very good! Dean is still inside, that is good news because otherwise Dean would be dead. Cas, you are bad at this optimism thing.

Dean hits the ground with a grunt, all the air knocked out of his lungs. Under normal circumstances, he'd need a minute to recover from that, but these aren't normal circumstances and the thing piloting his body doesn't need to use oxygen the same way he does. It takes the spectre as long to recover as it does for it to stand up again, even with Dean actively trying to slow it down.

Because screw you, Cas, Dean's already wasted his energy on the last handful of people the spectre went after. What does it matter if he burns what little he has left trying to help Cas out? The spectre flexes Dean's hands and for the briefest moment, Dean can feel the way the electricity has left them numb and tingling, like they're not even connected to his body.

It's so fucking creepy.

The spectre rolls its shoulders and takes a step forward. Castiel is definitely considered a threat now, and it wants him down for the count. Dean struggles all the more and the next jolt...okay, it still misses, but it's by a closer margin. Dean is tired]

[OH MY GOD DEAN CAS IS JUST GOING TO THROTTLE YOU

Considering Castiel's current condition, he should probably not get hit by that electricity. It could stagger him long enough that whatever is in Dean's body could take over his, and Castiel doesn't know if that's possible or not but he doesn't want to try it out.

However, by the way the bolt missed again Cas guesses that Dean either didn't hear him or is ignoring the shit out of him. Both are incredibly likely.

Fine. Cas will have to handle this on his own. Getting in close seems to be his best bet, since apparently keeping his distance doesn't help any, and he blips out to appear behind Dean and grab him into a choke hold. Maybe he can cut off his air until he loses consciousness; the thing will doubtlessly try to electrocute him, but he'll just have to tough it out.]

[WHY WOULD YOU THROTTLE HIM

HE'S HELPING.

Castiel's idea would be a great one, except the spectre still doesn't need oxygen the same way Dean does. The choke hold annoys it and it does exactly what Cas expects it to do; it reaches up and grabs hold of Castiel's arms, electricity arcing between its fingers.

Dean is too alarmed by this turn of events to even try to stop it. Cas, what are you doing?!]

[Something very, very dangerous.

Yeah, getting electrocuted hurts like a bitch, and it makes all the muscles of his vessel seize up and makes his teeth clench too tight. However, there's something he and the spectre have in common.

Neither of them are using their real bodies.

Cas forces himself to move, grabs Dean's wrists and twists them around until he can slam Dean against the ground with a knee to his chest. He has to be careful. He has to exercise complete control. He just wants to chase the thing out of Dean, not burn it to cinders and smoke, not cook it inside of Dean's body. He'll chase it out, grab Dean and get the hell out of there.

...yeah this is dangerous but his options are limited and he's 85% sure he won't kill Dean. Dean would rather be dead than possessed and killing people anyway, Cas knows it.]

[...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.]

[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.]

[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.)]

[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.]

Edited 2013-05-26 06:55 (UTC)

[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.

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.]

[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.]

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.

No, I didn't.

[Yes, he did.]

[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?

[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.]

[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?

[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.

[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.]

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.

[Cas looks over at Dean.

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

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