2020-06-05: A Hound In The Making

Players:

Ahab_icon.jpg HeatherF_icon.jpg

Summary: Ahab finds what he needs to change history.

Date: June 5, 2020

A Hound in the Making

Rating: R


The Future - NYC - Mutant Town

The air has a permanent stench of burning rubble and death about it. Most of the buildings have been reduced to nothing, as Mutant Town was where a large battle between mutants and sentinels took place, with the sentinels winning. Many mutants lost their lives the day the sentinels destroyed the area. The neighbor hood has become a burned shell. The Homeless people tend to find small areas to hide and sleep amongst the rubble of Mutant Town but nowadays, not many people find reason to travel here. Occasionally you can find graffiti on the wreckage spouting messages to loved ones who died here.


Somewhere around here, there are mutants hiding. They're outside their little protected area and Ahab knows it. His detecting hounds have told him so. Unfortunately, as of yet, he hasn't seen one. He has two hounds with him. Both are dressed in skintight red suits with spikes along the sides. He stands atop a pile of rubble. "So, children. Do you sense anything here? Anything at all?" He asks, tapping his metallic foot against the destroyed building beneath him. "Other than the scent of death?"

Heather is not very far away, her forearm covered in digital and analog watches that she uses in order to keep track of any weird time shenanigans that she might get up to. All of her clothes are form fitting and black, and she wears a headset on her ear and a small speaker attached to her shoulder. She has her speedshift set low so that she can more easily detect sounds that other people make because of danger but is currently sifting through some garbage as if looking for something.

One of the hounds sniffs the air and grins, accompanying the devious smile with a low growl. He points in the direction of the time altering mutant.

Ahab laughs as he sees her. "Oh look. A lost little mutant." He says, as he begins walking towards Heather. "And what powers would you have to add to my arsenal?" He asks, not making any attempt at hiding himself. He's simply taking his time, sure in his belief that he will get what he wants. The two hounds move with him. The growly one has fangs.

The moment that Ahab lays eyes on her, one of Heather's wristwatch alarms sets off, making a high beeping sound. She looks around quickly when it does and lays her eyes on Ahab. Instinctively, her speedshift changes to its maximum, and she plays her anxious voice through her speaker, "Get away from me or I will be forced to defend myself."

The hounds begin to laugh along with Ahab. "Oh dear me, no. Don't ever threaten to defend yourself. If I had shoes, I would be shaking in them. Unfortunately, cybernetics do not shake that easily. Interesting, speaking through machinery. Are you a technopath, child? I haven't had a technopath in a very long time. I so would enjoy one again." He says, hand glowing with a dark energy, extending in a spear shape. It's not moving though.

At that moment another Heather, this one clad in protective gear more suited for this kind of confrontation, much of the gear created from parts gathered from fallen sentinels and coloured black, with the addition of a couple of weapons on her belt, swings around the corner and grabs the first Heather's wrist, setting one of the watches. Once that action is through, the original Heather takes a step backwards and vanishes as if passing through a veil. "Do not call me child," this new Heather speaks, throwing a stone that she has in hand. Given that she is moving twenty five times faster than normal, the pitch has plenty of velocity.

The hound that had been silent rises and knocks Ahab to the side right as the other Heather appears, moving him before the ballistic throw can hit him. He then jumps off of Ahab and starts staring at empty space.

Ahab lands on the ground with a whump, still clutching the spear of energy as he begins to rise. "Next time, hound, say something first." He glares at it before turning back to Heather… Heathers. "Alright. Not child. Children." He laughs, watching them. "Multiple bodies? Or is it temporal displacement? The latter would be very useful to me. It would give me the opportunity to rewrite history." He says, grin broadening as he realizes the potential. "You, my dear, are very valuable. And I -Will- have you."

"Multiple bodies and super speed," states Heather, "Only one is a mutation. Sorry to disappoint. Do you care to introduce your troupe?" She claps her hands together, breaking the sound barrier with the motion and creating a loud boom and then in another fluid motion draws a knife and stares at the hounds. She's trying to formulate a plan, but is unsure of the specifics of this crew.

"Wonderful. Still a nice addition. Several hounds for the price of one." Ahab says. "Introduce my troupe? Why bother. They're all hounds. The hounds of Ahab. It doesn't matter what name they went by before. They have no memories of it, and cannot act on anything save by my command or by the commands of my chosen." He laughs. "And you, shall join them."

The silent one points in a direction. The snarly one jumps there, not knowing what he was supposed to be doing. It could be a dodge. It could be anything. It could simply be that he didn't want the feral hound near him.

"This game's odds seem slanted," says Heather, frowning. She takes a couple of steps back and keeps her eyes on the troupe before her, "But you don't look like the type that plays fair. I won't be a cheater's dog." She dashes towards the feral that was directed to move, making an attempt to stab the other mutant with the knife.

As the hand moves in to stab, it does connect. However, the hound's hands are in motion to grab the hand before it even gets to him, with perfect timing. He'll take the hit if he can get the hand.

Ahab laughs. "Oh, everyone will be my hound eventually. IF they don't come with me, then the sentinels will kill them. I at least keep them alive." He says as he reaches a hand out to backhand in the direction of the non-feral.

Heather screams as she sees the hand grab her, since momentum keeps her from being able to change her route, and she really wants to drive that knife in. The scream is not out of fear or panic, but merely offering the feral's likely sensitive hearing to a range of uncomfortable sonics. If that doesn't work, she moves to kick the other mutant off of her. Her speaker plays, even as she moves, "When I die by the sentinels, I will die fighting."

The feral does reach up to grab his ears, unable to prevent that. Ahab himself is protected. He grumbles a bit as she works her ways on the hounds. "You may think that. But I'll prove you wrong soon." The intuitive hound keeps his grip, despite how deeply the knife is burying itself inside him. He's going to follow his master's orders, even if it costs his life.

Heather pulls out the knife and tries to slice the hand grabbing herright off if she can, moving with a single motion at deadly speed, ending the swing by tapping the buttons on one of her watches with her pinky finger. "Let go of me, zombie."

"Not a zombie. Just obediant to master." The hound says as his hand is sliced. He does pull back at that, as it hit the tendon controlling his arm. "Master will have you. I will see to it. I know where you'll be in five minutes. And I've told him." He smiles as he starts to fall.

Ahab simply watches as the feral finally leaps, moving towards the girl. He doesn't have the knowledge of the other.

"By then, I'll be long gone, and you'll just be a bad memory," boasts Heather, backtracking to avoid the feral. And here is another Heather, arriving from the future, stepping forward as if out of a doorway attached to nothing. She is not wearing any of the same armour, and does not seem to stand with the same confidence as the other Heather. There are dark circles under her eyes, and in her hands are two metal pipes. "Let her escape, focus on me," says Future Heather. The watches lining her arm all have their faces broken save for one. She runs right for Ahab, if only to try and land a single hit on him with the pipes.

Four minutes. Ahab simply waits, biding his time as he watches all the happenings around his body. After all, he doesn't have to make too many plans.

"No, you won't." The intuitive hound says, as he falls to the ground, holding his bleeding hand. The Feral leaps for the broken future-Heather with mouth wide open. He's not that intelligent.

Future Heather stops and just swings those pipes like a woman possessed when the hound comes towards her. That's not to say the strikes are disorganized: they are careful, well thought out strikes, but it doesn't seem as though this Heather has any desire for escape of any kind. Only of providing Ahab with some problems in the near future. Present Heather stops running away, and looks at her future self, dashing over to try and provide some aid, replying simply to the hound, her speaker adjusting for current motion speed and Doppler effect, "I must. It's my destiny."

Three minutes. "Your destiny is to be in my camps. To be one of my hounds. All of you. And, then, we'll see just what your powers consist of, and we'll use them to claim the rest of the mutants. I know some of my hounds will be glad to have company. Poor Chezlie and Envy, they feel like the only girls. They need some company."

The feral dodges one attack only to be hit by another. But then, he slashes claws towards the FutureHeather, heedless of any danger. The other, is down on the ground, breathing slowly and softly.

"Chezlie?" repeats Present Heather, eyes widening a bit, but she throws her knife at the feral. Future Heather maximizes her speed shift and delivers a flurry of swings that are unnaturally fast towards him, but his claws catch her and she stumbles back. Present Heather approaches quickly and takes one of the twin metal pipes from her future counterpart, "I'll help."

Two minutes. Ahab nods. "Yes. Chezlie. An amazing hound. Anything drawn on her can become a weapon or an aspect of herself. She is one of my best. Her and Kaji. After the hound transformation, the lost their inhibitions and realized how much more fun it is to be free."

The Feral takes the hits, and is beginning to look a little beat and bloody, but he's not giving up, instead flipping onto his hands and attempting a cartwheel with all four sets of claws… hands and feet. The intuitive mutant looks up. "Get ready master." He states.

"Poppycock," says Present Heather, "they are just brainless zombie slaves. Fun is impossible." She hops aside when the feral tries to cartwheel and screams with her sonics once again. Future Heather stumbles back and gets a few deeps wounds from the sharp ends coming from every which way, she looks at her counterpart for a moment, teeth gritted and says nothing.

One minute. Ahab hurls the spear in one direction while his other hand turns and fires a gun at the presentHeather. The future Heather is ignored for the moment. The feral launches himself at the present one as well, from a different direction, so that he and the beam would intercept if she were not there. The intuitive hound seems to be… down.

Future Heather seems to know what to do here. She taps one of the watches on Present Heather's wrist before grabbing her and flinging her aside, out of harm's way (though destroying almost all of the watches on that wrist with her strong grasp). Future Heather stands where Present Heather would have tried to dodge to if it were not for all the temporal interference.

Fortunately, the intuitive one knew where the actual target would be going. And that's where the spear of control is heading. Ahab begins to laugh, knowing that his victory is inevitable. As always. Ever since they destroyed his life, Rory Campbell has known that mutants, any and all of them, would bow before his power. And the world would tremble. If he gets this one, the world will have trembled long before now.

"No!" says Present Heather, looking horrified, as her future incarnation moves to protect her from the spear of control, and Future Heather says, "Run away," before being struck. Present Heather does not hesitate to run, zipping off with a speed that breaks the sound barrier to escape, shedding her armor to move even faster.

AS the spear hits, the transformation will begin. Ahab laughs as he sees it all, realizing what just happened. He doesn't feel the need to say anything. Why would he? It's all too damn funny. She ran away, only to be captured after all. Stupid mutants. They'll never realize how futile it all is. He just waits, laughing until he can catch his breath.

Heather falls to her knees. There is nothing left to do but try to resist the transformation. Try, but fail. Present Heather doesn't stop running or turn around, knowing what destiny now awaits her.

Unless otherwise stated, the content of this page is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License