ozymandiasooc | TEST DRIVE

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test drive meme

TEST DRIVE

TEST DRIVE MEME

When you make your top-level comments below, make sure to include your character name and canon in the title field, and indicate to other players which prompts you would be interested in. The more information the better - in fact, the best thing would be to write a starter for at least some of the prompts you're interested in!

PROMPTS

(1) ARRIVAL. So you've just been shipped in after several weeks of corporate training, which was as dull as it was intense. As you step off the Dimensional Transporter's platform, you see someone standing there, holding a sign with your name written on it. Whoever this person is (ideally an officer from your division, but if they're unavailable it could be anyone), they've been tasked with showing you around the Platform and getting you settled over the next few days before you start work.

(2) DAILY DUTIES. Not everybody can go to the planet's surface and engage in thrilling heroics. Someone has to stay home and do the gruntwork - and today, that's you. Here are some examples of what you might get up to:

Engineering: At best, you might be drawing up plans for the new mining camp, at worst you might be spending all day poring over a set of complex equations to figure out if one of your ideas will actually work without maiming anyone. Or, worse still: paperwork.

Science & Research: The Platform's labs have to be staffed at all times, ready to receive and start analysis on any new artifact recovered from the surface. If you're lucky, the away teams brought you back something nifty to try and crack. If you're unlucky, you might be stuck typing up lab reports.

Logistics: Like it or not, there always seems to be something for you to do, whether it's serving lunch, fixing various breakdowns in the Platform's systems, or unclogging toilets. But hey, if danger's what you crave, I hear it's time to run a basic maintenance cycle on the Dimensional Transporter. That's always a good story to tell your grandkids.

Security: Security sounds like an exciting job, but in reality it mostly involves standing or sitting around important pieces of equipment and telling people not to touch. Likewise, having the keys to the armory may seem like a great deal, but having to tell a bunch of other yahoos that no, they don't need that plasma rifle for their assignment gets old fast.

Medical: There can't be a terrible plague to cure every day. Mostly, your daily duties will involve treating minor injuries, performing physicals, and certifying new plant and animal life as safe for human consumption.

Piloting: Most of the time, pilots spend their duty shifts ferrying personnel and cargo between the Platform and the ground beneath it...and that's if they drew the long straw. If they're unlucky, they might be stuck performing engine tuneups and paint jobs on the Platform's vehicle fleet.

(3) AWAY TEAM. Training can only do so much on a planet full of surprises - and let's not forget about good old Murphy's Law either.

Engineering: You've been given the enviable job of implementing the plans for the mine site. Maybe you're operating heavy equipment, or deploying pre-fab buildings, or maybe you're trying to figure out how to move a dangerous lava flow without burning yourself to death.

Science & Research: How do you feel about Tomb Raiding? Care to be the next Charles Darwin? Because that's what you're doing on the planet: uncovering new artifacts, capturing samples of local wildlife, trying to interpret messages in never-before-seen alien languages.

Logistics: Someone's got to do the grunt work of moving equipment and supplies around, and they need boots on the ground to explore the surrounding areas. That's you. Have fun!

Security: If you're lucky, you might just be playing heavily-armed escort to scientists and explorers. If you're unlucky, well, you might get to use those guns on some locals - huge monsters, swarming insects, alien raiding parties.

Medical: A new world, a whole new set of maladies to cope with. Of course, there'll be your standard injuries - lacerations, fractures, dismemberments, etc. - but sometimes, you'll have to cope with a mysterious illness which turns its victims blue, or which starts dissolving them from the inside out. Better be quick on your feet!

Piloting: Bombing runs on heavily fortified targets may be the order of the day. Or, perhaps, serving as long-range transportation in a ground vehicle. Whenever someone needs to get somewhere in a hurry, or rain death on them from above, you're the one they turn to.

(4) RECREATION. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. Nobody's on duty all the time: you've got downtime to work with. Maybe you fancy lifting some weights, or playing a game of cards in the recreation lounge. Word is, someone's rigged up an impromptu basketball court in Cargo Bay 3A, and pickup games are common. Or maybe you would simply prefer to read a book. Whatever you want to do, you better do it now: you're back on duty in twelve hours.

(5) RED ALERT. Something has gone really wrong. The mining operation is in jeopardy - hell, the Platform itself may be in danger! How do you deal with this? Feel free to make up whatever sort of bizarre alien threat you want for this prompt.

(6) CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE. Don't see anything in the above prompts which catches your attention? Feel free to write your own!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Maria had absolutely no inclination to stop the shark-man from pressing the man into the wall. "What is the emergency?" she said quiet calmly, folding her arms behind her back. The posture gave the impression of both consideration and complete dispassion. She was convinced this was all fishy -- if there was really a problem, a security officer would have come, after all, or an alarm would have gone off, or something.

"N- now see, I can't really, it's... complicated," the man huffed, Namur's palm against his chest making it hard to breathe. "You know this isn't just an armory. Please." His voice took on a pleading tone.

"Lemme see yer ID," Namur said, holding out his other hand. He gave just a little push to encourage compliance, and was rewarded with a small plastic card on a lanyard being dropped into his palm. It looked legit enough. Photo ID, barcode down the side, identifying information clearly printed and easy to read. Namur narrowed his eyes as he read over the man's name. WAY too many vowels in a row. There's no way in hell he's ever going to be able to spit it out of his mouth. But there was something familiar about it.

Namur clenched his jaw for a moment, expression hardening as he passed the ID over to Maria. She was better at dealing with nitpicky shit anyway.

"Think yer lyin' at me, man," he nearly growled.

"N- no, really, it is classified. And complicated. I just- It's just a small error, easily fixed," Toomanyvowels was obviously sweating profusely, but a close inspection of the ID and a quick database search would prove that it was, indeed, a legit card. Just lacking the proper clearances.

Maria glanced over the ID briefly, just long enough to note the name and commit it to memory. She spun it in one hand, catching it between her fingers to idly fidget with it as she turned her attention back to Namur and the man. "So which is it? An emergency, or a small error easily fixed? Because in either case it would be a security officer with clearance coming to get what they needed out of here..."

Really, did this have a prayer of working? The girl sighed, as she had to admit that against some of the security personnel, maybe it did.

"B-both actually. It's. If I don't correct it it'll cause problems in about three point five wee-" the man broke off in a strangled gasp. Namur unabashedly had stuck his hand under the man's long lab coat and into his pants. Moments later, a thick barreled coach gun clattered to the ground, and Namur smirked.

"Ain't 'zactly a brick y' jus' shit now, is it?"

The man broke down into tears. "Look I just. They have my family, you understand? I don't know how they know what they know but I have to do as they say! I can't go to the police, they made sure of that. Please just let me in! I can come back and fix it when my family's back and safe. Please!"

Namur glanced at Maria out of the corner of his eye.

Then threw the man at her and stooped down to pick up the gun.

"Sorry dude. Make it kinda hard t' report back t' my boss that I done a good job if I let y' do that." He cocked the pin and leveled the barrel right at Maria's collarbone. "Nothin' personal, sweetheart."

And he pulled the trigger.

The moment things exploded, reflex and training took over while conscious thought still sputtered along trying to catch up. The SeeD twisted as the man flew at her, one hand hammering him out of the air. Her ponytail spun out behind her as she stomped down on his back, avoided the gunfire save for a powder burn across her shoulder, and brought up a hand in a flat, narrowed point of all fingers at Namur's neck. Not even enough time to draw her gunblades, so she had to settle for the threat of spells.

"...Before we get into violence, what just happened?"

Damn she moved fast. Or his aim really did suck that much, even at point blank range. Or both.

Probably both.

Namur dropped the gun and took her hand in his (aww, how sweet!) and lifted her up, throwing his other fist into her diaphragm.

"Business, sweetheart," was all he offered by way of explanation. He'd sat for months in that shitty hallway with her and knew she was pretty damn smart. She'd figure it out. Eventually. Hopefully after he managed to black her out, or at least incapacitate her. Damn shame to have to kill her, otherwise. He pulled her against him and swept his arm across her back, loosing the gunblades so they'd clatter to the floor. One good thing, it hadn't been hard to goad her into talking about her weapons and demonstrating their use- and their unique holster.

The former, in fact; she had Cerberus Junctioned, and with it, magical energy fueling her speed to superhuman heights. She twisted as he lifted him, just enough to take the blow on her tensed obliques, though she still let out a low, wet cough as the blow landed.

"Fair enough," she growled through the pain. He'd left one hand free as he picked her up, so she yanked it up -- for no purpose other than to hold it to her chest. That hardly seemed like a counterattack, but the ferocious glint in her eyes and the sudden tension of the air as a junctioned Guardian Force's life force shuddered into place around her as she summoned it both felt like the moment before a lightning strike. "Problem is -- I have to report back on my mission too..."

The faintest hint of eyes formed in the air behind her. The GF's life force would protect her from blows until she summoned it -- and this particular one she could summon quickly indeed.

Namur narrowed his own eyes, feeling more than seeing the Guardian Force's arrival. Its Will blasted around him like a gale. Shit, girl's a damn cheater, hiding something like this up her sleeve.

He was cool with that.

He unfettered his own haki, putting pressure against the Guardian Force's, letting the push of it raise his pulse and spin up his fighting will into a near frenzy. Couldn't she see he wanted to fight? Needed it, like water? He's been flopping around in this damn hallway far too long.

"Do what yer gonna do, then," Namur shoved her back against the corner, trying to knock her skull against it, but he knew it'd be useless, even as whatever that creature was that was suddenly protecting her knew he'd try. "Ain't got all shitty day t' stand 'round starin' at y' 'til yer friend there gets bored an' buggers off, even if y' got pretty eyes."

"Oh, have some patience!"

He understood perfectly -- the GF's energy absorbed the shock of skull against wall, even as it dissipated.

The dragon god coalesced behind Maria, never mind that there was a wall there, its jaws already shining with energy. It dropped open its mouth, and unleashed a brilliant blast at Namur, its strength augmented by Maria's skill and effort in the summoning.

Shit, was that seriously a dragon? Namur narrowed his eyes, staring down the creature so it would know he wasn't scared, then dodged off to the side. It may not have been enough to keep him from getting clipped, but he grabbed Maria's gunblades as he rolled. He roared in pain and the thrill of battle, jammed the blades inelegantly into the dragon's flank and pulled the triggers.

Maria almost got a smirk out of that -- the Junction dissipated as its summoning ended, while Namur got to deal with the phenomenal recoil of the gunblades. For her part, as she regained her own strength and control with Bahamut's dissipation, she brought one arm up to cast a Slow spell at Namur.

The recoil was definitely something Namur hadn't expected. He'd shot enough guns to expect some, but when the dragon disappeared and both blades jerked back with enough force to throw him down the hall it was a surprise. He grunted, setting his teeth, then shoved the blades into both sides of the walls and charged back, dragging them through cinderblock and steel. The slowing spell hit, and suddenly he felt like he was running through tar. Momentum was still there, pushing him forward like a wind in sails at full run, but his body simply didn't respond to it. He wrenched one of the blades out of the wall and threw it forward in a single motion, imbuing it with haki so it'd fly ahead to its target with uncanny aim and speed (since the blade itself might not be affected), and hit with an explosive force. He didn't aim it at Maria, though. He aimed for the corner of the hallway, hoping it'd put enough debris and dust in the air right next to her that if she wasn't hit by some flying bit of cement she'd still find it hard to see.

Maria flipped by kicking off the wall to avoid the tossed gunblade -- unnecessarily, as it turned out, when the weapon shot well overhead and smashed into the wall. Weird, it shouldn't have hit with that much power...

Eh. She did what any gunblade-obsessed berserker would do in her position, and scrambled back down the hall to chase the weapon. She might prefer to fight with two blades, but she was certain if she could get one, the battle would be over.

The slowing spell wore off, and Namur found himself almost stumbling as the invisible tar around him dissipated. He shot forward, pulling the second blade out of the wall. Namur scooped up the scapegoat's ID badge and ran it through the lock. It had been hacked and given proper clearance in advance, and the door slipped open with no resistance. Gunblade hoisted over one shoulder, Namur hurried down the hallway leading to the armory, counting the seconds. It wouldn't take long for the cameras to register a problem and he needed to get through the second door before everything got locked down. He ran the card through the second reader and the door slipped open partway when alarms sounded. He dropped the card as he whipped the gunblade down, using it to wedge the door open enough to slip through, and disappeared into the rows of armaments beyond.

They didn't have clearance to enter. Depending on who reviewed the case, Maria might lose her job. But the access card is right there. It might still work, at least for a few more moments...

Maria was pretty convinced she'd be fine if she managed to apprehend the intruder... or really, she would be if she thought of it. Right now the only idea in her head was to finish the battle.

The girl charged down the hallway like a roaring train, kicking the access card into her hand as she reached the end and slamming it through the slot.

The door slid open with a hiss, but if Maria thought she'd find Namur arming himself or trying to steal weaponry, she'd quickly realize she was wrong.

There were voices up ahead.

"...second left after the anti-aircraft loadouts. There's a door marked for janitorial staff. You'll have to pull up the grate."

"An' yer sure I'mma fit in this shit?" Namur's voice, a little louder than he'd intended.

He was answered by silence. Then the crackled voice replied, "You'll make it work, mate. We'll lose contact once you're in. You know what to do."

"Got it."

Namur dropped the radio on the ground and sprinted for the door, using Maria's gunblade to pry it open. He had to chuck a bunch of cleaning shit out to uncover the grate (which was, he noted, a hell of a lot larger than most grates needed to be), but he pried that up with the blade of the sword, too. Useful things, these. No wonder Maria was so obsessed with them.

There was a room below, with a drain for the inevitable spills from above, and a wide, winding corridor that lead downward. Namur jumped in without hesitation, thundering onward.

Another voice, mechanical, neither male nor female, seeming like it emanated from the walls itself.

"Someone is coming."

Edited (mucked up tenses) 2015-09-12 21:37 (UTC)

He had a little less forewarning than he thought, thanks to the magical counterpoint to the Slow spell she'd slapped him with earlier. Hasted, the SeeD raced down the hallway at literal double-time, sparks skipping every time the blade at her side touched the wall or floor. The moment she saw her gunblade mistreated, an alarming level of fury lit up in her eyes.

No, this was far from over.

Damn the girl moved fast. But he had shit to do and it seemed like whatever waited ahead of him already knew he was coming. The walls thrummed menacingly.

"Get out."

"Stay back."

"Your life is forfeit."

Namur stuck the damn blade in his mouth and ran with his knuckles, adding the force of his massive shoulders into his momentum, thundering down a long, curved decline. Traps and deterrents tripped in his wake, but he was moving quick enough that they fired behind him. The lasers shouldn't be too hard to dodge, right?

Then the hallway opened up. A massive underground laboratory spread out before them, banks of computer terminals rimmed around the edges of a platform perched on the edge of an abyss. Though there was industrial light on the platform, the lab was mostly cloaked in shadow. Great, thick tubes with glowing indicators threaded around the nearest edges, but eventually they too plunged into the depths and their light was lost.

In the darkness, something moved.

"Oh shit!" Namur blurted around the blade in his mouth as he leapt to the side a scant moment before the entryway erupted into flames. Scrambling, he gets the gunblade back into his hands and darts for a bank of computers. Right now would be a really shitty time for the pissed off girl to catch up.

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