*
THURSDAY
What do they say about never wishing for something, because you might get it? Well, we did. After a week when the number of odd little mutant-related incidents went from zero to alarming, Ashlocke came out of his hole – and Shalimar finally got a chance to blow off a little of the steam that's been building up in her with every atrocity it seems he and his people have been perpetrating.
Not that it turned out so good – even with Brennan turning up uninvited, Super-Mutant still got away with murder and whatever it was he'd gone looking for. And Shal is angrier than ever, particularly as it seems Adam's doing exactly what I was scared he might – letting his feelings of responsibility blind him to just how far out over the edge the guy is. Even the fact he wants us all dead doesn't seem to play any part in Adam's thinking right now – all he can see is that Ashlocke is sick, that it's his fault, and that he owes it to him to try and cure him. As if that's somehow going to change things for the better.
And all I can see is a murdering psychotic who wants to kill us, who's got my best friend so incensed she's smashing vases and ripping power cables apart with her bare hands. A madman who deserves nothing more than to be put out of our misery like a rabid dog.
Adam's having none of it, though, so Emma and I got to go do a little petty theft. I guess he didn't trust Brennan and Shal to get in and out without getting tempted to perhaps try and end this before it even gets started. But us? Oh, he knows we'll do as he wants. Whatever we really think...
Nearly blew it right at the start, though. It's been so long since I actually had anyone with me when I phased something, I forgot about Emma. I was focussing so hard on doing just enough to get us through, trying not to get distracted by how weird it feels to walk through something without going fully intangible, or how damn *sticky* those molecules get if you don't give them enough juice.
And I left her in the wall...
It's a good job she was mostly out. But she shouldn't have had to remind me she was there. I should have been more careful, made sure we were both clear before I let it shut down. And careful is usually my middle name. I don't like making mistakes, and that means I've always tried to make sure I thought through all the angles before I started out. But if I can't do something as simple as that without putting someone at risk, what does that say about me now?
Emma's still got a way to go herself, though, if that girl she nuked was anything to go by. Got a bit carried away? I should say she did... But she hasn't really had much practice at actually zapping the bad guys instead of just bouncing stuff off me, so I guess this was a new experience for her too.
I got what Adam wanted – disgusting as it was poking around in Ashlocke's 'boudoir'. The place was as degenerate as he is, but even the state of his bed wasn't as disturbing as the collection of photos he had stuck up on one of the partitions. Weird stuff, odd mythological creatures mixed in with mutilated and red-painted photos of children, women... including Shalimar, and that spooked me more than anything. It made me start to wonder whether this obsession of hers has roots in something more than just anger at how he treated her. Because he's obviously equally as obsessed with her.
And I still don't know whether to say anything to her, or anyone else, about what I saw...
Perhaps I'll sleep on it.
*
THURSDAY
What do they say about never wishing for something, because you might get it? Well, we did. After a week when the number of odd little mutant-related incidents went from zero to alarming, Ashlocke came out of his hole – and Shalimar finally got a chance to blow off a little of the steam that's been building up in her with every atrocity it seems he and his people have been perpetrating.
Not that it turned out so good – even with Brennan turning up uninvited, Super-Mutant still got away with murder and whatever it was he'd gone looking for. And Shal is angrier than ever, particularly as it seems Adam's doing exactly what I was scared he might – letting his feelings of responsibility blind him to just how far out over the edge the guy is. Even the fact he wants us all dead doesn't seem to play any part in Adam's thinking right now – all he can see is that Ashlocke is sick, that it's his fault, and that he owes it to him to try and cure him. As if that's somehow going to change things for the better.
And all I can see is a murdering psychotic who wants to kill us, who's got my best friend so incensed she's smashing vases and ripping power cables apart with her bare hands. A madman who deserves nothing more than to be put out of our misery like a rabid dog.
Adam's having none of it, though, so Emma and I got to go do a little petty theft. I guess he didn't trust Brennan and Shal to get in and out without getting tempted to perhaps try and end this before it even gets started. But us? Oh, he knows we'll do as he wants. Whatever we really think...
Nearly blew it right at the start, though. It's been so long since I actually had anyone with me when I phased something, I forgot about Emma. I was focussing so hard on doing just enough to get us through, trying not to get distracted by how weird it feels to walk through something without going fully intangible, or how damn *sticky* those molecules get if you don't give them enough juice.
And I left her in the wall...
It's a good job she was mostly out. But she shouldn't have had to remind me she was there. I should have been more careful, made sure we were both clear before I let it shut down. And careful is usually my middle name. I don't like making mistakes, and that means I've always tried to make sure I thought through all the angles before I started out. But if I can't do something as simple as that without putting someone at risk, what does that say about me now?
Emma's still got a way to go herself, though, if that girl she nuked was anything to go by. Got a bit carried away? I should say she did... But she hasn't really had much practice at actually zapping the bad guys instead of just bouncing stuff off me, so I guess this was a new experience for her too.
I got what Adam wanted – disgusting as it was poking around in Ashlocke's 'boudoir'. The place was as degenerate as he is, but even the state of his bed wasn't as disturbing as the collection of photos he had stuck up on one of the partitions. Weird stuff, odd mythological creatures mixed in with mutilated and red-painted photos of children, women... including Shalimar, and that spooked me more than anything. It made me start to wonder whether this obsession of hers has roots in something more than just anger at how he treated her. Because he's obviously equally as obsessed with her.
And I still don't know whether to say anything to her, or anyone else, about what I saw...
Perhaps I'll sleep on it.
*