A Day in the Sun (ID)

[DanteMGalileo]

"... Groawl..."

Imago pulled himself into a sitting position, rubbing his sore head, groaning, cracking open a single red eye. "Chuckles, just what were you thinking, pulling that stunt? Especially with such precious time-sensitive cargo..."

Will's shoulders slumped and he exhaled, eyes closed, feeling the adrenaline rush wear off. He bent over at the waist, letting out a tired sound. "F-Finally... is it ov-"

There was an agonized scream, startling both Will and Imago to attention as they turned their heads towards the source of the sound. Ah, was that-

"I see someone's a fan of Scanners..." Imago let out a chuckle after his initial shock wore off, seemingly unfazed by the grisly sight before him.

"... Urk... I'm... gonna be sick..." Will brought a hand to his mouth, and looked away. Yes, she had injected him with crazy guy and did a number of dubious things, but was that really what she deserved?

[ColArana]

Avenger looked over at Max closely and then tipped his hat to her. "Very well." He turned back towards the scene of chaos, interposing himself between Will, Max, Percy and Ryan.... and all the rest of the combatants. His magical energy began to surge, and Avenger's eyes flared with a mixture of hate and sublime joy. His Noble Phantasm needed only a few moments to charge and the brief confusion created by Liderc's disappearance was providing exactly that. By the time Max got her crew away, Avenger would be ready to unleash his full power against anyone who tried to stop them.

But something else caught his attention out of the corner of his eye. He saw Jack. He saw Cora. More importantly, he saw what Jack was doing her her. "That's the way Master. Yes. Feed on your hatred. Let it fuel your fire. And burn your enemies to ash!" He cackled with what seemed like genuine, albeit, twisted glee. Let these feelings remind you what it is to be human. He could see Jack's rage, and Cora's despair. This sight was exactly what he had been hoping to witness from the very beginning. The purest essence of what humanity was to the Servant.


------

Ryan watched what was happening to Cora with an expression of disgust and horror. This was more than a little bit too much for him. He heard Percy talking and glanced down, jumping off of him quickly. "Percy, are you alright--?" Ryan broke off and looked at Image curiously. "....You're.... not Percy, are you?" Ryan was pretty sure if he were still capable of it, he'd have been crying right about now out of sheer stress. This was way, way too much for him. "Will.... let's just... go... and get out of here. You too. Whoever you are. Let's... hurry and save Lydia." He said, stumbling back in Max's direction.

[ParamountKeymaster]

The PathEngine lurched away from the pod, propelled by the violent final gasp of most of its thrusters. Then it dropped down the esophagus, unable to fly, several of its systems offline. Undeterred by the blaring alarms and rapid descent, Mr. Stone simply decided to drop the dead weight.

With the press of a few buttons, Mr. Stone was ejected from the mech suit, now equipped with a simple bodysuit, helmet, and jet pack. He quickly flew back up to the pod, landing on its back, ready to continue his work without further interruption. Armed with his drill attachment, he started piercing a hole in one of Proteus II's air tanks. His foot kicked out at the ship's grappling hook, loosening its hold on the soft wall.

---------------------------

"Yes!" Max gritted her teeth and pumped a fist when Dr. Michaels went down, leaving her vulnerable enough for Jack to remove her psychic headband. Finally, things seemed to be going their way.

Rio tensed up when the young man that Will had just knocked down started to get back up. When he heard the blunt but non-threatening quip, however, he grabbed his chest and caught his breath, relieved to know that Percy and/or his demon were relatively unscathed and not aiming to attack anyone. "Oh... Good... A-Are you al-?"

Then the commotion taking place several yards away garnered the group's attention. Astral fire ignited where the doctor lay, filling the air with intense heat and a tangible feeling of rage. Rio curled inward and looked on in horror. Max's eyes were focused solely on Jack, blown away by the fact that this meek, scrawny intern who had been passively fawning over Max's ex for years was the one behind it.

[Pink Moon Wolf]

"You gotta be sh*tting me." The cyborg's tenacity was really starting to wear on Lydia's already paper-thin nerves. As he approached via jetpack, Lydia conducted a hasty inspection of her damaged instruments. She desperately hoped she could simply evade him, but the thrusters were unresponsive. Soon enough, after finding herself unable to move, she felt Mr. Stone land atop the pod, and the drilling sound that followed was just as disquieting. "The air tanks..."

A lurch on Will's part shook the world around them. The pod's hooks scraped at the esophageal wall, shaken loose by the erratic movements and extra weight. Eventually, they dislodged entirely, sending the pod and the people it carried down the chute.

Lydia fruitlessly fumbled with the controls for a second, then warily braced herself. With a hard thud and a gnarly squish, the pod slammed down at the bottom of the drop, graciously right side up. She opened her eyes in time to watch as Proteus II slowly squeezed through the lower esophageal sphincter, lowering her into one of the last places she wanted to be.

With a well-timed swing, Lydia raised one of the pod's hooks, letting it cling to the flaps of the sphincter. From there, it was left precariously dangling high above a violently churning sea of gastric acid. Lydia couldn't help but groan at the sight of the contents of Will's stomach, but it didn't take long for the nauseating view to give her an idea. An idea she hated, sure, but the best one she had.

"Uh, Will? What's... What's going on out there, buddy? Are you okay?"

---------------------------

Dr. Michaels hardly noticed that her headband had been removed. All she knew was pain. A dizzying headache, a burn in her shoulder, a deep internal trauma both physical and emotional...

"GGGHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUGGGGGGHHHHHH!!!"

And then, just like that, it grew a thousand times worse. Every fiber of Cora's being was struck with searing, hellish agony. Vibrant flames engulfed her, spewing from her open mouth, lighting up her irises. Blood streamed from her nose and eyes. Her insides boiled, painfully failing one by one. Her skin and hair burned away, rapidly flaking off and disintegrating into nothingness, exposing bone in her fingers and jawline.

An explosion of fiery orange and radiant white rocked the park, blinding all who paid witness for a few brief seconds. When the whiteness faded, all that remained in the eye of the firestorm was the charred and broken body of the half-shrunken Dr. Michaels, sprawled out in the perfectly green grass, blood flowing from every orifice, eyes wide and casting a petrified look of terror into the sky.

"Holy frig..." Even Cat didn't know how to react to the gruesome display. Sure, it was metal, and she could respect that, but it was still pretty intense even for her. Shaking herself off and setting her sights back on Will, she instead found her path blocked by that guy in the hat and cape, staring at her and Mickey with wild intent. "Hey, move it or lose it, pal! We got a score to settle with that chump!"

[ThePopcornFairy]

Jack dropped to his knees, gasping and retching, his head pounding and his nosebleed intensifying. He wobbled in place, his balance severely thrown off, and stared down at his palm as the blood dripped into his hand. He watched in silence as the crimson fluid gradually evaporated like drops of water on hot concrete. His eyes glowed as the internal damage quickly healed, and in no time at all, he felt perfectly normal.

Well, normal aside from the nausea he felt when he looked up and saw the grisly remains of Dr. Michaels's body. Jack was completely mortified by how far his fury had taken him, disgusted by the horrific state he had left another human being in. To his credit, he knew that if he dwelled on it for too long, he could've easily slipped into a panic attack, and so he quickly turned away and left Dr. Michaels behind, pushing her out of sight and out of mind.

"Whoaaaaa…" Mickey seemed much less repulsed by the display than his counterparts. "That was so metal! Right on, nerd-o!"

Anyway, back to business. This guy was blocking Cat and Mickey's way to Will. "Uh, yeah, you can step aside, Count. We're not here to kill anyone. Just rough 'em up a bit. C'mon, you don't wanna make this uglier than it already is."

"WAIT!!!" Jack frantically dashed up to the ragtag ensemble, panting as he glanced between Will and Rio in particular. "I...! I understand that you're upset with the people we represent! I can sympathize! But please, we are running out of time! We have to get Lydia back to the lab NOW! I AM BEGGING YOU, HELP US!"

[DanteMGalileo]

Imago made a chuckle, slowly rising to his feet, slowly clapping. "Bravo, bravo. And here I thought this vacation was going to be more boring than Argent's lectures on the history of cloth." The demon smirked, turning to face Will, chuckling a bit more at the blonde's discomfort. "Don't vomit all over that. Actually, refrain from vomiting in my presence." Anyways, now for the pressing concern.

"I don't exactly wish to dirty my hands. Fortunately, these aren't exactly my hands." Imago raised a hand, slowly forming into sharp claws. "I don't exactly need magic to blow your minds. Yes, I've heard all the blow jokes, hyuck it up already."

"... Urk... gah... gotta keep... keep it... down... L-Lydia..." Will had a hand over his mouth now, trying desperately to keep it down, looking at basically anything besides the corpse of Cora or the trio about to jump them. Wow, the ground suddenly looks interesting.

[ColArana]

Ryan tried to mentally push aside what was happening to Cora. He heard her screaming and did everything in his power not to look. He instead tried to focus all his attention at Will, suddenly not paying Imago anymore mind. "Will!? WILL!" He ran over to the young man. "Come on buddy we have to get going." Ryan could see Will looked like he was about to hurl. Ryan stood near Will in case the man collapsed, but in his current condition, simply grabbing him and sprinting was out of the question. "What's happening with Lydia?"


Avenger saw Cora's fate. He could feel Jack's anger unleashed on Cora. While others looked on in horror, Avenger merely cackled with laughter. "That is the way Master. Well done." He praised Jack. "You are every bit the Master I had hoped for. Now it seems I need to earn my own keep." His eyes trailed away from Cora's scorched body to Mickey and Cat. He even gave a polite chuckle at Mickey's particular term for him. "Well well. I don't know if you just picked a lucky phrase, or if you think you know who I am." He commented. His eyes suddenly fell stern. "However, I'm afraid I cannot let you pass. If you've an interest in dealing with that group, you'll have to get past me." And so he stood, barring their path. 

When Jack tried to reason with Cat and Mickey, Avenger merely smiled with feigned politeness. "Master, I believe instead of reasoning with them, your efforts would be better spent getting that group to hurry along. Time is very short, as you've said. Time arguing is time wasted." He chastised, his gaze never leaving the two that he had been ordered to stop.

[ParamountKeymaster]

The pod shook as Mr. Stone slammed down on the windshield, upside-down from Lydia's perspective as he leaned in from above, undaunted by the voyage into the stomach. He promptly touched his drill hand to the glass and started grinding into it, piercing his way inside with considerable effort. His cold eyes were focused on the pilot and nothing else.

---------------------------

Rio was still catching his breath, stymied by the hectic events that had transpired around him, not to mention the strange sense of discombobulation he was suddenly feeling around Will. He briefly offered both Will and Imago a sympathetic nod, then he shot his teammates an anxious expression over his shoulder. Enough was enough. Their continued show of aggression was not appreciated.

"Look, I don't know what the deal is with you three," Max protested, shooting Cat and Mickey a piercing scowl, "but you helped us yesterday, and I promise you nothing has changed between us since then! Is it too much to ask for help getting back to Mexus?! Because the longer we stand around here, the more likely your person of interest will DIE!"

"Absolutely!" Once again, it seemed like it was Rio's duty to take pity on the hapless pilot who had unwittingly kickstarted this fiasco. "I-I could teleport you wherever you need to go to save her, but... I don't know! My magic just seemed to stop working!"

[Pink Moon Wolf]

Will's stomach was heaving, shaking the pod just as much as the clinging cyborg was. Lydia nervously stared up at Mr. Stone for a moment as he slowly started to drill into her cabin. Then she glanced down at the acidic sea, the nausea stirring it up like a noxious tropical storm. "Yeah, Will! That's it, pal, you got this!"

A cold glare landed on Mr. Stone as Lydia readied her controls. All of her frustration, all of her anger, her very desire for justice was suddenly laser-focused onto this one man. There was no room for regret. No room for either of them in this body, and as far as she was concerned, only one of them was leaving it alive.

"This one's for Jack, you piece of sh*t."

In one fluid motion, Proteus II's hooks retracted, sending the pod plummeting into the churning stomach acid.

---------------------------

Cat tensed up in front of Avenger, her flyswatter reeled back and ready for any signs of funny business. She shot a hard stare at Jack and Max as the two desperately and furiously pleaded for their help, and as they did, Cat started to rethink her strategy. Sure, she was still eager to kick some butt, but it seemed like they had already gotten a decent fill of that. What seemed more important was the humans' instance that the miniature pilot inside Will was at death's door, and with her, the ship that had initially caught Cat's interest. Why go to all this trouble if she was going to miss out on the shrinking tech?

There was still a chance to get her way if they cooperated. It was the boring route, sure, but what was the phrase? "Keep your friends close and the people you wanna smack some sense into closer for the sake of the aforementioned smacking"? Yeah, something like that.

"Alright." Cat pointed to Jack with Goldenhand. "We'll help ya! But you guys owe us big time! Now let's move, dinguses!"

[ThePopcornFairy]

"Lydia must have activated the pod's anti-magic nanomachine. Likely to hinder Percy in his mind-controlled state," Jack murmured, glancing between Rio, Will and Imago. While he could sense that Rio was being wholly genuine in his offer, and although he knew that he could ask Lydia to simply deactivate the nanomachine... now didn't seem like the best time. She was a bit preoccupied, and he couldn't help but be proud of her in that moment.

Of course, conjuration wasn't the only means of transportation the Trio of Three offered. When Cat decided to appease them and offer them that second option, Mickey nodded along with her, clearly understanding her motivation. "You got it, chief! EVERYONE INTO THE CAMPER VAN! GO GO GO!"

As the two anthros raced towards the camper van, Jack let out a low huff, grateful for the cooperation but still wary of the duo. He knew what they wanted, but he also knew that they sincerely intended to get them where they needed first and foremost. And so he promptly chased after them, urging the rest of the group to follow, side-eyeing Avenger as they ran. Keep an eye on these two. They're still planning to swipe what we've got.

[DanteMGalileo]

"Hmm. How utterly droll. But considering the circumstances..." Imago slid Will's arm over his shoulders, wincing at the added weight. "I suppose it's in our best interest to get the blonde buffoon to your human laboratory." The demon threw a light jab at the blonde's arm. "And get him on a diet."

Will groaned as Imago lead him onto the flying contraption. He really didn't want to think about just what was going on inside his body now. "Imago..."

"Sorry, you're both too young for me and not even close to my type."

"No, please just shut the... urk... shut the fuck up... gah... Lydia, please..."

[ColArana]

Avenger seemed disappointed that the conflict had been.... "settled" for the moment but followed Jack's directive. He didn't trust Cat for a second, but since Jack was telling him to go along with it, he would. He was only nominally invested in events in any case. Lydia's fate didn't concern him, as he climbed into the camper. Whether she lived or died only mattered to his current Master, so he supposed it was still in his duty to ensure she lived to the best of his abilities. You don't need to read minds to know that part Master. Not to worry, I'll be ready for them if they do. He assured Jack, choosing a spot to wait out the trip.

----

Ryan on the other hand was all too okay with simply climbing into the camper with Will. "Max...? How're you holding up with all this?" He asked, sitting down on the nearest point available. "This has been.... just a little much for me today. Especially the last.... what, ten minutes?"

[ParamountKeymaster]

The moment the pod entered free-fall, Mr. Stone tensed up, the severity of the situation immediately dawning on him. He glanced down at the rapidly approaching acid pool and quickly calculated his options. His hand was still stuck in the glass pane, having drilled only halfway through. He couldn't fly away, effectively adhered to the pod. He couldn't yank himself free, even with his robotic strength. He only had a few seconds to conduct a means of escape, and it only took half that time to realize there was none. Trapped in this position, plummeting towards a gruesome fate, Mr. Stone could only think of one thing to do...

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!"

SPLASH

The pod plunged into the acid, sinking a few micrometers, pinning Mr. Stone beneath it. Within mere seconds, the exposed cyborg's pressure suit was reduced to shreds, and shortly after, the fluid surrounding the pod grew cloudy with the dissolved scatterings of flesh and blood. His arm detached from his drill hand in a misty red spurt, leaving the infernal device lodged in the windshield as the grisly remains of the body drifted away.

---------------------------

Rio groaned and rubbed his forehead, grateful for an explanation for his failing magic but still aggravated by the circumstances. "Good to know. At least we can still be useful somehow. Right behind you guys!" He then hastily raced after his companions, anxious to see this misadventure through without any further violence.

Max shot a scrutinizing glare at Cat and Mickey's backs. She offered Rio an almost apologetic nod. She rolled her eyes at Imago's quip. She worriedly looked Will and Ryan over. Finally, she started running alongside Jack, mustering a brief, weary, grateful smile as the crew piled into the Trio of Three's dimension-defying camper van. "Mexus Center of Technology! Hurry!"

Once everyone was on board, Rio sealed the back door and nodded in confirmation. "We're on it! Everyone strap in!"

Max promptly took a seat on the living room couch next to Ryan, setting her gun aside and catching her breath. "I'm fine. I'll be fine. I just..." She glanced up at Will, eyes wide with dread. "I wanna get this done."

[Pink Moon Wolf]

Lydia quickly assumed her crash position, bracing herself for when Proteus II hit the surface of the acidic pool. The gargled screams and fizzy hissing that echoed from outside told her everything she needed to know from behind her closed eyelids. When she mustered the courage to take a peek, she found her pod floating in a current of blood, fleshy chunks, and scattered scrap metal. The drill was still stuck in her windshield. A half-bone, half-metal, half-eaten skeleton drifted just within her sight.

"Mmh..." Lydia had built up quite a tolerance to gore in her line of work. She liked to believe she had developed an unflappable gag reflex. But this... this was really putting it to the test.

"Will...?" Her tone was a clear mix of physical discomfort and emotional relief as she finally addressed her hapless host. "G-Good job, buddy. You just digested the bad guy."

---------------------------

"Heading to Mexus! You got it, blondie!" Cat hollered, throwing back a thumbs-up as she scampered up the stairs and into the front section of the van, leaping into the passenger's seat. "Playtime's not over yet, Mickey, mon ami. Time to bust out some new toys!"

[ThePopcornFairy]

Jack nodded back at Avenger, leaving the spirit to his business as he leaned against the back of the couch, sucking in deep breath after deep breath. He looked between Will and Max with a tired expression, the fire in his amber eyes settling, a hand tenderly rubbing Max's shoulder. "She's okay. She... dispatched the assassin. But her oxygen is reaching zero... We... We need to hurry."

"Good sir, I can hurry like you wouldn't believe! Not to say I'm ever holding back!" Mickey called down from the top of the stairs with a wink and a click of his tongue, subsequently diving into the cockpit and taking his place in the driver's seat.

The turn of the key, the rev of the engine, and the joke from his passenger were oh so pleasing to the vampire raccoon's ears. "Ooh, I like toys! And your quirky little machines are fun too. HA! GOTTEEM!" Then Mickey put the pedal to the metal, propelling the camper van into the air, setting course for Mexus.