deal_me_in: (That's good right?)
Cayde-6 ([personal profile] deal_me_in) wrote in [community profile] revivalproject2020-11-23 09:19 pm

โ™ค Like Moths to a Flame

WHO: Cayde-6, Jonathan Sims, and Tony Stark
WHERE: The Green Quadrant
WHAT: ...IS THAT BLINKY LIGHT
WHEN: Sometime this weekish
WARNINGS: N/A - Will update as necessary


It had been a mystery that had consistently nagged at the Exo ever since he'd first noticed it. Taking up residence in the clocktower had only verified that he hadn't just been seeing things one evening, and every time he looked off in that particular direction of the city, the blue, intermittent glow beckoned, or perhaps taunted was the better term. He'd get to it, he promised himself.

Naturally he'd had it in his head that he'd try checking it out alone at first. That was back then, and being without his Ghost, he supposed it would be better to exercise maybe a little more caution than he tended to. He was sure that if he'd left a note saying where he'd gone, certain people might be upset with him. Clearly the answer then was to invite them along, and he'd be in good company. They had the time now, hopefully, and Cayde fully intended to make use of it before they found themselves suddenly on another extended space voyage. Jon had wanted to check out some places, and Tony, well surely he'd been curious about the light's source as well.

His message was pretty cut and dry so far as one could expect by way of invitations and intentions. He even hand-wrote them because he thought it'd be cute, and left them where he'd hoped his buddies might find them.

๐’ฎโ„ด ๐“Œ๐’ฝโ„ด'๐“ˆ ๐“Š๐“… ๐’ปโ„ด๐“‡ ๐’ถ ๐“๐’พ๐“‰๐“‰๐“โ„ฏ ๐’ถ๐’น๐“‹โ„ฏ๐“ƒ๐“‰๐“Š๐“‡๐’พ๐“ƒโ„Š? โ„ฌโ„ฏ๐’ธ๐’ถ๐“Š๐“ˆโ„ฏ ๐“‰๐’ฝโ„ฏ๐“‡โ„ฏ'๐“ˆ ๐’ถ ๐“…โ„ฏ๐“‡๐“ˆ๐’พ๐“ˆ๐“‰โ„ฏ๐“ƒ๐“‰๐“๐“Ž โ„Š๐“โ„ด๐“Œ๐’พ๐“ƒโ„Š ๐’ท๐“๐“Šโ„ฏ ๐“๐’พโ„Š๐’ฝ๐“‰ โ„ด๐“Š๐“‰ ๐“‰๐’ฝโ„ฏ๐“‡โ„ฏ ๐’ฟ๐“Š๐“ˆ๐“‰ ๐“ˆ๐’ธ๐“‡โ„ฏ๐’ถ๐“‚๐’พ๐“ƒโ„Š ๐’ฎโ„ฐ๐’žโ„›โ„ฐ๐’ฏ๐’ฎ.
๐’ซ๐“‡โ„ฏ๐“‰๐“‰๐“Ž ๐“…๐“โ„ฏ๐’ถ๐“ˆโ„ฏ โ„›๐’ฎ๐’ฑ๐’ซ ๐’ถ๐“‰ ๐“Žโ„ด๐“Š๐“‡ โ„ฏ๐’ถ๐“‡๐“๐’พโ„ฏ๐“ˆ๐“‰ ๐’ธโ„ด๐“ƒ๐“‹โ„ฏ๐“ƒ๐’พโ„ฏ๐“ƒ๐’ธโ„ฏ. ๐’ณ๐’ช๐’ณ๐’ช ๐’ž๐’ถ๐“Ž๐’นโ„ฏ


Like as there would be some light planning at best, although the Exo wasn't very big on plans, but Jon and Tony might have otherwise to say, especially considering their previous exploration endeavor. Cayde packed the essentials, which amounted to his trademark hand cannon, a few knives, and one of the guns that he'd claimed from the Graq. At least those didn't blow up in his face when he tried shooting them.

They'd met up in front of Cal's workshop and then made their way out towards the far northeastern corner of the city, well beyond its main roads.
in_extremis: (Default)

[personal profile] in_extremis 2020-12-02 01:25 am (UTC)(link)
The knife hadn't looked like it was going to do them much good, making Tony frown dubiously as Cayde made his valiant attempt regardless, disappointed but not surprised when his hand suddenly jerked and looking away before Cayde had to reveal the results. That gave him just enough time to go, "Uh...," at Jon pointing the gauntlet as his face, eyes wide, which, granted, Tony should have anticipated, Jon had proven the type to look down the barrel of a gun.

In a very guilty panic, Tony immediately as after Jon to mirror his fire dance, hopping anxiously along behind him as much as he could as each jostle of his arm had him slowly doubling over. "Just--close it! Close--your hand?" he tried to explain, a command he had never had to even articulate properly to the armor with it wired directly to his brain, and very close to just bowling Jon over to physically do it himself.
beholding_archivist: (Why is this happening?)

[personal profile] beholding_archivist 2020-12-02 05:00 am (UTC)(link)
Maybe Jon should have expected this sort of outcome. And yet he still appears entirely unprepared for it...

The command given by Tony takes much longer than it should to fully reach Jonโ€™s comprehension and there are still a few moments in which he just stares widely at the other man, gauntlet still sprouting that sharp flame.

The flame sputters for a moment, causing Jon to jump once more, thrusting his hand away from himself almost as if attempting to toss it away. That the motion is pretty much aimed in Caydeโ€™s direction, still situated in front of the tower, is unintended. As is the burst of energy erupting from his palm as a direct result, now rushing towards the Exo. โ€œShit!โ€

Has Jon managed to close his hand at least? Not really. But that problem may no longer be their most pressing one.
in_extremis: (Default)

[personal profile] in_extremis 2020-12-04 03:21 am (UTC)(link)
At the same moment that Jon swore and Cayde exclaimed, Tony bit, "Jon!," in a cumulatively angry growl that was tangled parts accusatory, panicked, guilty and pained. Too slow and far too late, Tony forced himself to extract his still working arm from his careful hug around himself to try to knock Jon's aim down toward the ground. It left him barring the arm across Jon's chest, gripping his shoulder as they both watched Cayde's narrow dodge, then the slam of the burst of flame against the base of the tower.

The sound it made felt to Tony like the deep rumble of an engine, stretched out and lasting for a strange eternity while he watched Cayde and felt like he could ask him very casually if he was alright, and compliment him on a very cool looking dodge from the unexpected attack. But that rumble was actually an explosion, and Tony barely had the time to take a breath. He stood a few feet further from the tower than Cayde, but was shoved over by the blast just as easily, forcing time to catch up with Tony all at once, making the fall seem impossibly fast, and making Tony unable to tell that his vision had gone white well before he collided with the dirt.

This arm was done for, they were going to have to make him a new one like the Soldier. At the very least, he could not be laying on this shoulder anymore, forcing Tony up much faster on his still working arm than his head really agreed with, squinting around his swimming vision as he watched something dark fall from his face and splash across the dirt. That was his nose bleeding again, another overload of Extremis like in the Agrii ship, and in the time it took him to puzzle that out he was dredging up what reserves he had to abolish this paltry pain threshold to fumble onto his knees and swing around in search of the Exo. "Boss, the energy--" he rasped, trying to steady himself enough on his knees to search blindly for Jon, trying to warn him about the overload as he stared at the sparks arcing up through the cloud of dust.
beholding_archivist: (I see you!)

[personal profile] beholding_archivist 2020-12-04 05:12 am (UTC)(link)
Itโ€™s all Jon can do once the blast has been fired from his palm: Watch. Eyes wide and guts wrenching into a tight knot.

He hasnโ€™t meant for that to happen.

He doesnโ€™t miss any of the details. Cayde dodging the initial hit is a short-lived relief, quickly cast aside when the tower is hit and what follows next feels like it plays out in slow motion and Jon feels himself incapable of looking away even as he is being hit and pushed back harshly himself.

The impact hurts and knocks the breath out of his lungs, but he doesnโ€™t feel actually hurt. Thereโ€™s a crackle coming from the gauntlet still on his hand, making it the first thing Jon looks at. And he winces. Tony will be mad at him for breaking it...

Then he hears the voice calling out to him in a much appreciated distraction from rummaging too closely about what the reaction to the broken piece of armor will be.

Jon sits up with a small groan. A grown that is quickly cut off when he catches sight of Tony more or less on his hands and knees, calling and searching around blindly - And Cayde. Lying motionless and crackling similarly to the gauntlet Jon is still wearing.

Opening his mouth to speak, Jon produces a very elaborate piece of silence. โ€œโ€”-!!โ€ Heโ€™s back on his feet half a moment later, crouching before Tony first and putting his one bare hand firmly on his shoulder, trying to gently push him to simply sit on the ground. โ€œTony. Iโ€™m okay! Please calm down. Look at me if you can!โ€

And he casts a quick look over to Cayde while waiting for the response, catching sight of Sundance on the floor as well, resulting in another tight grimace. No. He hasnโ€™t meant for that to happen.

โ€œ...We need to help Cayde.โ€ He mutters almost like an afterthought, knowing just too well that there is very little he can do for the Exo and his Ghost. He will have to make sure Tony is alright first.
in_extremis: (Default)

[personal profile] in_extremis 2020-12-04 06:04 am (UTC)(link)
"I'm fine, I'm okay--" Tony insisted, sparing the briefest glance Jon's way at his prompting and grabbing at the hand on his shoulder, because they had a much worse problem than anything that might have happened to Tony. "It was like an EMP, we need to help..." But Jon had already figured that part out at least, so Tony tugged at his arm to get help up again so they could both make their way over to their staticy friend.

At least Cayde seemed to be moving by the time they got there, easing some of the tension in Tony's chest just slightly as he let himself drop to his knees in the dirt with the Exo. He kept one hand on Jon's arm all the while, because he had to drag it over to slap against Cayde's face, then grab Jon by the clothes to force him down with them where Tony could push his gloved hand against the ground. "You wear a lot of clothes for a metal man," he grumbled. Sundance should have discharged the moment she hit the ground, though, so Tony dragged himself closer on his hip to peer over her in Cayde's care, then pressed a pair of gold fingers to her as if checking for a pulse to see if he could make a connection.
beholding_archivist: (u sure.)

[personal profile] beholding_archivist 2020-12-05 09:53 am (UTC)(link)
For all it's worth, there isn't much of a need for Tony to actually drag Jon anywhere. He's perfectly willing to head over to the Exo even without any of that. And while he lets Tony direct his hands and winces briefly at the shock received from touching the Exo, Jon maintains a frown directed at Tony.

The frown doesn't come without near palpable worry when Jon offers his tight-lipped observation. "You aren't fine, Tony. You can barely stand and that arm of yours needs to be properly looked at." He withdraws his hand from Cayde's face but keeps the other on the ground if only to rest the gauntlet's weight somewhere, then lets his eyes fall on Sundance. "Is she- Alright?" Jon at least tries to sound hopeful, yet remains painfully aware of just how much of this mess is his fault.
in_extremis: (Default)

[personal profile] in_extremis 2020-12-05 06:33 pm (UTC)(link)
It was difficult to tell if Cayde was saying that because he was in a state that meant he couldn't carry on. The combination of the fall and the blast overload couldn't have been easy on him, and, if it were possible, Tony thought the Exo looked queasy. This thing was definitely responding to Cayde poorly. Both of them making it sound like it was Tony that was the concern, and with Sundance's engines turning over again, made Tony flap his free hand dismissively and use the sleeve to wipe at his nose so he could insist, "It's not as bad as it looks, please, even I can have a bad hair day. Don't tell anyone."

The potential of a much better strategy, besides, didn't seem likely; they'd just be back out here to keep stumbling around and poking at the wrong thing. Tony pulled himself away from this tragic picnic, biting his tongue and letting Jon keep his concern on Cayde this time so he wouldn't keep thinking Tony was too weak for this, and shuffled closer to the damage the gauntlet had done with his arm hugged against his side. "What do you mean, strategy? Oppenheimer over there already cracked the code," he pointed out. The metal was still smoldering, giving a superheated whine as Tony carefully toed at the razor sharp furl that had been battered inward then peeled explosively away from the seam they had been contemplating, like the tear of a shotgun blast from the inside. What it revealed was blackened by the attack, but looked to Tony like a server room, dark and close, and lit faintly by a red glow somewhere deeper inside the narrow passage. They definitely weren't all going to fit down there. After a beat, Tony chirped, "Boss, get over here, show me your ass," gaze locked on that red glow.
beholding_archivist: Do not take. Thanks. (Nonsense!)

[personal profile] beholding_archivist 2020-12-05 08:58 pm (UTC)(link)
"Thank God." Jon mutters when Sundance moves, his tone one of relief. All of them are conscious and- Well. Some of them still wounded, yes. And those wounds need to be taken care of. Jon wants to point that out once more when Cayde makes his suggestion, earning a small frown from the Archivist.

Right. Cayde is probably right. Leaving might be the sensible thing to do. On the other hand, they made it this far? They could at least have a look inside? There is a bit of an opening right there...

And just as Jon contemplates that, Tony calls for him to- "Excuse me?!" He calls out while turning to glare over at Tony, only to find himself greeted by a noisy lack of actual attention. And though he goes get back onto his feet, Jon does not approach right away. Instead, he sets his indignation aside for a brief moment to turn back towards Cayde. "...we can at least take a look. Maybe make a record with one of our phones. If... Those still work."
in_extremis: (Default)

[personal profile] in_extremis 2020-12-05 11:26 pm (UTC)(link)
Jon's indignation was only met with the same from Tony as he tore his gaze away from that ominous glow and the other two joined him, as though he had made a perfectly reasonable request and Jon was being unnecessarily difficult. "For the morale," Tony insisted, because once Jon got a look into the tower he must have understood what Tony was getting at, and reached to give a tug at Jon's beltloop and appreciative pat to his narrow hip as he got closer. "It's going to be a tight fit."

Cayde was offering him a scorched rag then, which Tony looked slightly baffled by until he figured out that this was Cayde trying to help. "You clean up well, Hot Stuff," he muttered, slightly dubiously, as he carefully ducked into the loop of the sling then tried to strategize the best way to deal with the rest of that problem without Jon making that face at him again. Sundance had done whatever that was twice now, and Tony couldn't be sure that he could take the results at face value or if they were more cosmetic than Cayde was making it look. He abandoned the issue of the sling for a moment to wrap his arm around Cayde's shoulders instead, tugging him in to lean casually where they could watch their petite guardians head into the belly of this beast together, and Tony could listen for that whir he was sure he heard Cayde making in the stillness.
beholding_archivist: (u sure.)

[personal profile] beholding_archivist 2020-12-06 01:00 am (UTC)(link)
Tony's comment earns him a little scowl, but any potential anger is already dissipating as he gets closer to the hole and his own curiosity perks up once he spots the first lights inside. The other man's following comments rather result in a pause from Jon, who seems to contemplate the words twice before patting the hand in return and moving forward to the tower's base with a muttered "...you have no idea."

Jon has just reached the hole the blast from the gauntlet has left in the metal, and has started prodding the sharp, probably still hot edges with that very same gauntlet as if to try and bend them a little further inwards to make a little more space to move through. This doesn't come with much success, so the chance of him tearing holes into his clothes persists.

Hearing Cayde rejoin them as well and the Exo asking his Ghost to follow Jon inside, he looks over at Cayde first, then at Sundance before offering a small shrug towards her. "It's rather dark in there. Just... So you know." It's with those words that Jon carefully climbs through the opening to explore whatever awaits him within, his free hand searching for his phone to grant them some light.
in_extremis: (Default)

[personal profile] in_extremis 2020-12-06 06:45 am (UTC)(link)
Sundance was going to end up saving all of their asses at this rate, and Tony gave an appreciative pout as the light grew in the darkened tunnel. "Careful," he muttered, fist clenching with tension over Cayde's shoulder but not quite recharged enough to actually insert himself into the exploring party's navigating through the twisted metal, and encouraged, "Try to find a power source, those crystal things, probably--like the generator, in the hospital."

Feeling otherwise instantly useless standing here, he did at least try another fumble with the sling, maybe a little rougher then than he should have been, but eventually did get his arm secured with some grumbled complaining and a final pat to Cayde's shoulder for the offer.
beholding_archivist: (Let go.)

[personal profile] beholding_archivist 2020-12-06 11:34 am (UTC)(link)
"Well, that's useful. Thank you, Sundance." Jon replies to the Ghost activating her light to allow them to actually see something in this odd little cave. At least Tony may be right: If there is a power source somewhere, it should be down here.

He still pulls out his phone, but not to add more light, but to turn on the camera and open a feed to Tony and Cayde outside, filming the rows of machinery that really only reminds him of black-and-white photographs of very old computers. "Honestly? I have no idea what we are looking at here, but I don't think the Agrii built this. Not with the effect the tower had on us when we approached it." Jon adds some off-camera commentary, finding it highly doubtful that the Agrii would build something that would hurt them.
in_extremis: (Default)

[personal profile] in_extremis 2020-12-06 09:11 pm (UTC)(link)
With his brain still recompiling from the blast, Tony was glad to lean over Cayde's communicator and tip his head thoughtfully, trying to work out why what looked like a radio tower would have this internal storage system exactly where the first lightning bolt would fry it. He even spared a glance around at the waste they stood in in case he had missed some kind of grounding structure somehow before narrowing his eyes again at Jon's live report. "Can she do that without alerting it?" he cautioned against Sundance's access, after how violently this thing seemed willing to be to protect itself.

It might have just been how Tony had teased Jon for his destructive potential, but he had to point out, "People build plenty of things that hurt themselves. If the Agrii are capable is a different issue, though. It's hard to tell how much of any of this stuff is theirs. If you can't find any of those crystal rods down there, I'd be more inclined to think you're right."
beholding_archivist: Do not take. Thanks. (Much Doubt)

[personal profile] beholding_archivist 2020-12-09 12:20 pm (UTC)(link)
Jon doesn't instantly respond, but rather redirects the question to Sundance along with a pair of raised brows. The Ghost would know better than him whether or not there is anywhere for her to access the system of this tower.

After passing that question on, Jon turns around himself to cast another look around. It's not necessarily a big space after all and he has to settle with a shrug. "As for those... Crystal rods? I don't believe so. At least I don't see anything made of crystal in here." He turns further to face the hole Sundance and him have come through before offering another thought. "Could this tower be producing the storms?"
in_extremis: (Default)

[personal profile] in_extremis 2020-12-09 06:13 pm (UTC)(link)
This place had to have something to do with the storms, but the information they had was too disjointed and conflicting for Tony to make a confident call on that question. "Even if the installation wasn't a problem, the timeline is too opaque. If this thing is producing storms, then that video we found on the Agrii ship should be taken at face value; Temba was the first place to be hit, and it could be true that the rest of the planet isn't even being effected. And if so, what's with the datapoint by the fountain then? Who's narrative does that serve?" And why were they allowed to see this alternative version, Tony still wondered, leaving neither of them particularly trustworthy.

Meanwhile, Sundance was putting on a lightshow while Tony was trying to squint around her to make any more sense of the dark room than Jon could report, but it wasn't looking promising. The best he could offer was, "It doesn't really look like anything else here, and that all runs on that crystal system." He was already lifting himself slowly away from Cayde to peer down into the hole as he suggested, "Come on out of there, there's got to be a power system for this somewhere nearby."
beholding_archivist: (u sure.)

[personal profile] beholding_archivist 2020-12-09 06:38 pm (UTC)(link)
While Sundance tries to access the system, Jon puts away his phone and makes it a point to wrap his arms around his middle, almost as if to make sure he doesn't try to touch anything. The one thing he can feasibly do down here is look around and report what he is seeing anyway and after the reaction the tower had to being shot at - even accidentally - he isn't too keen to encounter any further of its defenses.

Especially not while stuck right within.

Seeing Sundance reemerging with her report, Jon frowns. "If it only takes some work, it's not entirely impossible." He interprets her words, then pauses briefly when Tony asks they return outside. With one more look at Sundance and a gesture for her to come along, Jon makes his way back to the still not remarkably inviting entrance they have created, making use of the gauntleted hand to take a hold on the jagged metal edge to hopefully avoid cutting himself on it.

"So- What may we be looking for?" He asks before even being back outside.

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