MISSION: BAD COMPANY, PART 2

[ximilian]

● ● ● M I S S I O N   4 . 2

INTRO • THE DREAM DEFERRED • YOUR WAKE UP CALL • FYI

// INTRO. WELFORD BRANSON  

It is barely past twilight in Scorpion’s Bend, the twin suns having just set, taking their light with them — but the moons delay, and so darkness lingers over the town as Lan Xichen’s conversation with one Welford Branson comes to an abrupt end. At the same time, all around the town, the team will notice the town natives around them stilling — some freezing in the middle of a sentence, a man with a fork in the air, a woman mid-step on the street, some youngsters with their mouths open in laughter. All of them become statues in less than a heartbeat; still, eyes vacant, like everything that made them seem alive has been taken away.

And then — a reverberating sigh, echoing heavily in the ears of all the Orbers. What follows are words, spoken by a chorusing voice now familiar to most of the team —

“Well now you’ve done it.”

The orb’s echoing sound is filled with disappointment, even annoyance.

Some may see that amidst all the frozen townspeople, an old man runs, clawing at his thinning hair. Some of you may hear his words, muttered, desperate:

“I don't understand, I thought 'twas just a bad dream, everyone was fine, don't understand, what in the name of the Eight could've done somethin' like this —”

The disbelieving mumbles trail at his wake, making it clear he does not know what is going on at all — in fact, you may have a better idea as to what has happened than he does. But as you turn to follow him, open your mouth to yell at him to stop... everything around you shatters.

The lights in the buildings grow dim and break; the smell of food disappears; the horses in the stables simply fade away. You notice that if you were wearing or carrying something you bought while here, it too disappears, your clothes turning to those you had on upon arrival, all equipment shimmering away slowly.

But perhaps most importantly… the frozen statues of people crumble into ash right in front of you. It may fill the floors of the now-silent, dusty and worn-down houses, or it may blow away with the harsh desert wind — whichever it is, sans the team, the town of Scorpion’s Bend is now devoid of people.

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// PART I.THE DREAM DEFERRED  

The town that now surrounds the team is very different from the one it used to be — the houses are quiet, filled with sand and dust; doors broken, tables turned over, drawers open and mostly empty, aside from anything not valuable. The beds in Thornbush Inn are ragged, insects of various sizes skittering along the floors. The Saloon is dusty, furniture broken, and a lone piano stands in the corner, half its keys having crumbled away. The door to the Mayor’s office is ajar, a banging sound repeating as it hits the wall in time with the wind.

1.0   In the corners of the Sheriff’s office, the school and the church, the embera slither along, searching for food; owl-shrews hide from the Orbers on the streets, while feathered coyotes howl at the five moons now lending their light to see the town’s destruction better. The team may be the only living humanoids, but they are not the only living beings in the town anymore; in the absence of people, animals have made the town their home. And coexist they must, now, to survive the rapidly dropping temperature of the night that has fallen upon them.

2.0   The next morning, as the moons disappear underneath the horizon and let the two suns bring out their scorching rays once more, the team wakes up to the reality of having to survive Scorpion’s Bend… with very little supplies. So search the empty houses, for they still stand; the fire that has burned away the people has not touched the buildings… but they have not been immune to the passing of time, or the harsh weather in the desert. You may find clothing, basic equipment, pots and pans left on a now-cold stove; but no valuables, no money, no gems, no jewelry, no weapons.

But amidst your search through the town, remember that what you need, first and foremost, is to find water and something to eat — it will not be long until the suns are high in the sky, and some of you are already in desperate need of proper nourishment, without being left to endure the scorching temperatures the days on the planet of Badrock bring.

3.0   But should you want to brave the heat, you’ll find it is now possible to leave the town and venture out into the desert. Out there, the rock dragons search for prey, while bald vultures circle above your head in groups of three or four, their shrieks growing in volume the farther you walk. If you show weakness, any weakness, they strike — and the dragons, sensing their chance, are not far behind.

And when you least expect it, the ground underneath you trembles, like a small earthquake is approaching you… and then you see it: from the sand, a whale surges up, then another, and another, arcing through the air like suspended there, before the sand swallows them once more. Should you get too close, you too may be swallowed underneath the sand; unless you’re very, very careful, or have in your arsenal something else that may help you to deal with these near-immortal giants that have swam across the deserts for hundreds of thousands of years.

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// PART II.YOUR WAKE UP CALL  

Time passes at a snail’s pace without the comforts of the town you were used to. Scorpion’s Bend is now a wasteland you must survive, and it clearly isn’t easy. Some of you might question whether retrieving the orb is still an endeavour worth pursuing after all of this, but the rest of you know that it is. That you’ve come this far and you’re nearly there; you just need to band together and form a gameplan.

As the suns begin to set over the horizon on yet another grueling day of scorching heat and rough, dry sand in the ghost town of Scorpion’s Bend, you might begin to hear a distant thunder that has nothing to do with an oncoming desert storm or otherwise. It rattles at the already weakened structures of the old Saloon and the General Store, bits of broken glass and debris vibrating with the raucous sound of clattering hooves, feet, and paws. And as the sound of the invasion grows louder – you’ll hear the unmistakable manic howling and bellowing in accompaniment: these are the Bouldersnakes that some of you have already heard much of.

4.0   The Bouldersnakes are not a group to be taken lightly, and have garnered the fearsome reputation that they now hold for a reason. Kicking up dust, they arrive like a cloud of chaos in different sizes, shapes, and forms. Some have the ability to shrink and grow in size to match their opponents in physical size and weight. Other Bouldersnakes are agile and quick; and others yet are superhumanly strong and robust – either way, they make for formidable opponents when you, yourself, have been weakened from weeks of a lack of proper nutrition and sleep. The individual members of the Bouldersnakes are like a band of bloodthirsty brothers: from all walks of life and all colours and creeds, with a severe and mean streak to them, who will stop at nothing to achieve their goals.

What goals, you ask? Should you listen carefully, their leader, riding a winged lizard-like creature, shouts to their underlings:

“Find it! This is where it told us to come to. We missed it last time, but no more! I don't care what we have to do, we're getting our hands on that thing!”

As it so happens, you are not the only crew in search of that elusive orb; the Bouldersnakes have been tracking down the whereabouts of this mysterious and all-powerful object themselves, burning through towns – quite literally – to get it. News that Scorpion’s Bend has seen a resurgence of life and might still be the resting place of the orb has the bandits seeking out the town again. Their first round through Scorpion's Bend about a year ago had them coming up empty-handed (save for a few bits and baubles), but this time they are determined to find what they've come here to find. Though if there’s anything left here to salvage... they’ll ransack as they please.

Whether you confront them head-on or they catch you in hiding, they won’t easily back down from a fight. It will be best to keep your distance if you can manage it, and hope that they’ll pass you by. But the Bouldersnakes have their weaknesses too: once maimed, they still bleed, and none of them are immortal, though they are notoriously difficult to kill based on their talents alone... and when they carry weapons, too, well — those not accustomed to battles may find it best to hide. And even for those with fighting experience under your belt, teaming up with your fellow Orbers and combining your shared skills will be your best chance at survival.

5.0   By the time the suns have disappeared and the moons have risen, the Bouldersnakes invasion will make the bandit attack from the other night seem like a childish tussle. The Bouldersnakes don’t play nice and have adapted to the harsh lands as ruthless survivors. They arrive like a wave, many equipped with weapons: guns, sabers, pistols and small knives. A few others have engineered their own specially crafted weapons made of metal and magic (in the shape of guns, blow-torches, and blades) that wield a special element harnessed from mined ore called ‘pulsefire’. It is this pulsefire, glowing a deep blue (like the hottest colour of flame), that has the capability to destroy all living beings and allows the bandits to systematically ravage unsuspecting towns down to ash, reap its benefits (either for the town’s riches and wealth, or and especially: for any supply of ore), and then leave without a trace.

The best way to fight against pulsefire is to acquire weapons of pulsefire of your own and best a Bouldersnake before they best you. (Think high stakes, noon-time duels of the pistol.) Of course, this is a very risky and very dangerous affair as one shot by pulsefire could mean your untimely demise and the element itself isn't easy to put out either, so it might be best to work in teams to strategically disarm and swipe a pulsefire weapon to use before they manage to overwhelm you.

NOTE:   If your character is alive, your character will be vulnerable to the effects of pulsefire. Unliving things such as buildings and infrastructure will not be affected. Pulsefire has a slow spread-rate over unliving things, but its effects on the living are instant. Once in contact with the element, pulsefire quickly consumes the living body and spirit until it is turned to ash. Putting pulsefire out over unliving things is relatively easy, but once pulsefire has touched the living, there's little to no chance of making it out in one piece.

All through this, you must still remember your goal — it is not to stay in Scorpion's Bend, or even fight the Bouldersnakes, but to find the orb... and that means finding Welford Branson. How will you convince him to give you the orb, when all signs point to him not even knowing what it is, or what it has done? That is what you must decide... if you survive the Bouldersnakes in one piece, of course.

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F Y I

• The events in this log take place ICly right after the end of the NPC thread.

• The voting for how to get the orb is now open! Please head HERE to submit your idea for how the team should proceed to get the orb, or +1 others’ ideas.

• The conclusion of the mission and the return to the station will be posted on February 13.

• If you have questions about anything in this log, please direct them HERE.

• And finally, your soundtrack for this log: ♪ ♪ ♪

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Comments

[aurable]

[ The Bouldersnake were an outside-context problem that had upended any chances of the team coherently planning their next move. Drift had tried to follow the others who had been caught the most off-guard with the most negligible chances of avoiding a fight. The task itself was as straightforward as trying to herd ashes scattered in a gale. Objectively, he would have been impressed by how efficiently they weaponized the element of surprise. — Had they not been a roving pack of blood-thirsty lunatics standing in their way while turning the husk of the town into a killing floor.

Between Drift losing sight of Bones just before he split off from his friend and the shot he heard ring out like a peal of thunder, only seconds had passed. Time comes to a screeching halt when all that stands between Bones lying prone on the ground is one man, just as defenseless and caught in the vacuum of panic and shock. The Bouldersnake takes one look back out of the alley to check if they were still being followed before turning back on Jim, too-long fingers itching around their sidearm.

— An eruption of wood splinters spray out like shrapnel in a cloud of debris, swallowing the bandit whole. A muffled cry is stifled under a din of metal sliding on metal as something incredibly large moves behind the curtain of dry ash and dust. When the figurative and literal dust settles, a massive hand has the confused and panicked Bouldersnake caged in. Too startled to even yell as whatever grabbed him drags him into the belly of the half-destroyed building with all the gentleness of a reckless child grasping a struggling insect.

Dead silence follows for a few heartbeats before Drift emerges. The rest of the now ruined building sloughing off his massive frame like an old snake's skin. Jim's would-be killer writhes uselessly in his grip. Arms pinned, they try in vain to reach for their weapon one more time as a horrible realization dawns on them when they stare up at Drift's pitiless eyes. ]

Wait, wait, wait- !

[ It's a hollow sound that can only be described as sticks being snapped under a pile of wet leaves. No one wants to know what approximates a spine being crushed in a cocoon of pulverized organs. Or how a macerated body being dropped twenty feet from the air strikes the ground with only a dull thud and no fanfare.

— Bones had been right about one thing. That Bouldersnake wasn't originally going after Jim and himself. They had been running from something.

Just as quick as it happened, a switch was flipped when Drift turned his attention back to the pair. Only now Drift noticed the red blossoming out from Bones's shirt and the cause of what had knocked any self-preservation out of Jim. Drift's hard expression turned raw and wild with fear. ]

Leonard?!

[hatejakku]

[ Even before the bandits came in, everything in the Force felt muddled. Overly sensitive, too much life blaring for attention after the short eternity spent in the illusion, all of which Finn had been focused on feeling something. And now he feels everything, which means it's all so loud that he might as well feel nothing.

But he does feel that. Finn senses it almost before he even hears the shot, the sudden strike of pain in his chest. Someone he's close to- McCoy--

He was distracted long enough that he ended taking a pretty bad hit to the face, but the Bouldersnake dies a quick death before Finn's running to the source of the pain. His temple's bleeding a little, but what isn't bleeding on him right now?

It's only happening a street over, and Finn makes it in time to think for a split second that the attacker is still a threat until he's- until he's not. It's a pretty gruesome scene, but Finn snaps back to the moment when he feels the man die - the spirit breaking its ties to this world to go to another - and doesn't wait to watch Drift drop him.

He has time to register that James' is already there, seemingly unharmed, before he's sliding in on McCoy's vacant side. There's a lot of blood, slug bullet, exit wound, through the damn torso. ]

Harder. And his back- [ He presses down on Jim's hand and arranges them so he can put pressure on the exit wound, too. A very temporary solution, and Finn's already taking his shirt off to make it a little bit better.

But they really cannot stay here. ]

Drift! Cover us!

[ So long as they can get an exit path and stave the bleeding, they'll have a ride out. And if McCoy wanted to do any backseat doctoring, now's his chance. ]

[flickerandfade]

[ The furtive running battle with the resurgent (and more dangerous) bandits had been something of a draw for Megatron. He'd hung back, mostly offering tactical information to anyone involved in the fighting from his commanding position of generally just being the tallest artificial structure around, even with the immobile ones. He'd seen Drift go crashing into a building after something (or someone) and instinct had told him that might be a problem--especially since last he'd seen the pair of Starfleet officers that had been the section of town they'd been in. He'd transformed (and picked up Clara, simply for safety's sake so that she couldn't catch a stray bullet and bulled down the street in Drift's wake, scattering the few bandits still brave enough to hang close after Drift's display.

Gruesome as it was, Drift's little display of cold-blooded murder had given the little group some breathing room. As Megatron pulled to a stop across the mouth of the alleyway, he took in the scene in a moment and began to do his best to take charge, since everyone else seemed to be panicking. ]

Drift!

[ Deadlock. ]

Stop staring at Doctor McCoy and secure the perimeter so he can be evacuated. You're no good to him if you get yourself shot or let someone by you. Focus!

[ His holoform flickers into existence next to Finn and crouches down. Assesses. Yes, good. Pressure on the wound. Finn working on an impromptu bandage. Kirk pressing on the wound. Clean through and through. On a Cybertronian--this isn't a Cybertronian don't waste time thinking about that, old mech. He's a human.

Gunshot wounds for organics seem so much messier. ]

Doctor, you have both an exit and entry wound.

[ Calmly. Calmly. ]

Do you have your medical kit at hand?

[ To Finn and Jim, he speaks in clipped tones nodding towards where the tank idles. ]

We need to get him inside. It's the safest way to get him out of the line of fire. Are either of you armed?

[homeostatic]

( Gulping air, Bones lists where he's kneeling, pressing his sweaty temple into Jim's shoulder with a low, angry moan of pain.

He has an impression of Drift rising through the air like some mythical creature, the sickening, wet crack of splintering bone, and there's suddenly more voices filling the air-- Finn a welcome presence at his side with hand over Jim's and at his back, and Megatron, calm and logical. Centering, asking questions and taking temporary charge in the panic. Through and through, low-velocity round. Basic shit. )

Okay. Okay, okay-- god dammit --it's back-

( There, lifting his head because he can't take his hands away, breathing harshly through his teeth as he nods back where he came from. The medkit is white against the sand and dark mess of crumpled wood, and for a second he wildly thinks to go for it himself, knowing what to do, what he needs. Leonard swings his gaze back around, catching Finn's briefly, but settling firmly on Jim's, his breath stuttering with a fresh throb of pain. )

Get. Get me inside, you have to- to stop the hemorrhaging--

[bossily]

[About two seconds later, out pops Clara from within the safety Megatron had provided her. She climbs her way out and hops down to the sand, freezing momentarily as she surveys the scene before her. It registers immediately that Leonard is hurt, and that is enough to get her to leap into action without a second thought.

She spots the medkit laying discarded in the sand, and runs her way over to it. It's scooped up mid run, and she's hurrying her way over to the group that's gathered.

She slides to a stop, crouching down next to Leonard as best she can without dislodging Jim from his rightful place at his side.]

We can't keep him in the sand. It's too great a risk of infection, I wager. We need to get him inside. Now.

[She keeps her voice calm, even as panic rises on the inside. Her usual bossiness is overshadowed by worry, but it's not enough to keep her from being able to take charge as much as she's able. They can get him inside Megatron and she can use what's inside the medkit to help him.

Her eyes look from Finn to Jim, and she gives a quick nod.]

You two carry. I'll apply pressure.

[She doesn't shy away from tucking the medkit up under her arm, and using both hands to apply firm pressure along the injury. Blood soaks up through her fingers, coating both of her hands completely. Her eyes widen and brim with tears, but she doesn't give in to panic. She has to keep a clear head.]

[winscenario]

[ It's too much happening at once, but then that would be true even without the sudden group of people rolling in. At least right now Jim knows they're surrounded by friends, people who will want to help and who will keep them safe from any harm that other Bouldersnakes might try to cause them.

He doesn't catch half of what's said, focusing more on Bones's words, the press of his head into his shoulder, his ragged breathing and his blood, so much blood—

Wide eyes look up to Finn, the pressure of his hand over Jim's own grounding. He's so grateful for it, for the moment of quiet it triggers in his mind, just enough for him to take three deep, steadying breaths, then he's looking back down to Bones's injury.

He can't panic, not now. He's got the training for this, and decent knowledge of how Bones's more advanced tools work. He has to do this. ]

Right. Yes, I'm— get your hand over here, [ He gestures for Clara to come closer, taking her hand quickly and placing it where Finn's is on the entry wound. Between the two, they should manage to keep that steady for long enough until Bones is safely inside. ]

I can carry him, it's fine. Just make sure the wound is covered. [ He looks between Finn and Clara, nodding. ] Now, on the count of three—

[ That at least helps them coordinate, so they're not caught off-guard as Jim gets both his arms under Bones, lifting his weight off the ground and holding on firmly as he rises to his feet. It's not an impossible task, the weight something he can manage for the short distance, though he will accept Megatron's help too, since he's got his holoform next to them right now.

Also he's going to step right around the mangled, crushed form of that Bouldersnake. He's not particularly sorry for what Drift did to them, not after what they'd done to Bones, but it's still admittedly a sickening sight. ]

[flickerandfade]

[ If Megatron is discomfited by the effusion of organic blood in the moment, he doesn't show it. He merely braces himself to help carry Bones towards the relative safety of the armored vehicle and lifts with the rest of them--in fact probably a bit more since the holoform is made of hard light and has no muscles. There's a muted sound, a nod at Clara. ]

We'll need that--

[ He pauses, then stoops to pick up McCoy's tricorder, letting the others carry on without him for a moment. This will be important. He turns, hurries down the alley after the rest of them. As they reach the armored vehicle, he hoists himself... onto himself? And looks down at the rest, sets the tricorder to one side. He lays out a new set of instructions, still as calm and precise as ever. ]

Finn, once we get him up here, I want you to cover us from here. You're armed and it's best if someone is keeping an additional eye out. I fear that getting him inside will need to wait until he's been patched up--he might lose too much blood and the hatch is rather cramped for two people to go in side-by-side.

[ He crouches down, hooks his hands underneath Bones' armpits. ]

On the count of three, lift him up--and then get up here because we'll need both of you.

[ That said pointedly to Clara and James. ]

Ready?

[aurable]

Is he going to be alright? [ Drift asked, voice so small and helpless for a towering monstrosity still feeling the detritus of organic remains cool in his fidgeting hand. He moves forward only to halt midstep — an invisible wall cordoning him off from the rest of the group built on the solid foundations of shame. The last thing they need is Drift hovering and getting in the way.

— They needed a killer, not a worry-sick cluster of frayed nerves. Listening to Finn, Drift turns and positions himself at the end of the alleyway. Creating a chokepoint for the others to escape with Megatron while Drift and Finn saw any Bouldersnakes attracted by the commotion. ]

Get Leonard out of here — I'll cover you. [ Drift said without looking back, drawing both swords to hang loose at his side.

Suddenly, a familiar face appeared. The 'man' Clara had danced with over Christmas and met again during the bandit attack rounded around Drift's heels to stoop down next to the body. He looked up at Clara and the others — eyes lingering on the former with something akin to guilt flashing behind them. Realizing now she was one of the orbers who hadn't known what he truly was.

As Drift stands sentinel, Drift-the-man picks up the blood-splatted rifle the Bouldersnake had been trying to reach for before Drift...dispatched them. He removes the worst gore clinging to its muzzle before handing it out to Finn. ]

Think we can use this?

[hatejakku]

[ Finn's shirt provides some additional help to stem the blood flow but the most it's managing to do is turn a deep red. He can feel the minutes counting down as if it were his own blood, but the fact that McCoy is still conscious and lucid is a huge relief. For the time being, anyway.

Even though he's extremely relieved by the arrival of Megatron and Clara, Finn doesn't show it. He can't even offer James any real comfort right now, far too focused on McCoy. But he is grateful when Megatron takes the lead on this. Considering his experience, Finn's more than happy to fall back on taking orders.

Providing cover is something he has a lot more experience in than medicine, so he doesn't argue while the others work on getting McCoy secure. He just pulls his handgun and double checks how many rounds he's got left.

But the world stops when Drift hands over the rifle. Granted, he's better with a rifle than a handgun, but it's easy to notice that this is a pulsefire weapon. He's seen- He's felt what these things can do. They don't cut the strings of a person's soul, they burn the soul itself. They destroy it... On one hand, it's the most heinous act he can imagine anyone doing. On the other, he's not sure he has any qualms about carrying it out himself, not against people who wouldn't think twice about doing the same to them...

All it takes is one look at James for that debate to die. ]

As a scare tactic maybe.

[ He looks away and focuses on the moment again, making sure the weapon even has a safety mechanism, before finding a strap and hoisting it over his shoulders. They can't use these things. He definitely can't.

Not unless they have to. ]

I'll take the west and north. Let's get him up first.

[homeostatic]

( Bones tries to not be dead weight in Jim and Megatron's arms, the shift to movement just another wave of pain to add to the rest. It would be worse without the adrenaline, but that's a double-edged sword now, as the blood struggling to clot beneath their hands beats out in time with the racing of his heart.

The dead Bouldersnake stinks to high heaven, a whiff of sour intestinal ruin that makes his gorge rise until they're past the body. Lord forgive him, but Leonard doesn't feel anything for their passing, even as unpleasant as it was.

He goes briefly vertical as Megatron hefts him up. If he thought the world was beginning to fuzz at the edges, it brightens to sudden white-hot agony with the unintended pull against split muscle and nerves.

Bones can't help it. The noise that escapes his throat sounds like that of a wounded animal, harsh and keening and mercifully over once he's on his back atop the tank. )

Jim. ( His name is brittle through gritted teeth. ) Protoplaser.

Clara. ( Leonard briefly squeezes his eyes shut. ) D-wrap. Jim needs to know what– what he's looking for.

( What it is, exactly, will bloom harshly on both the diagnostic screen and the tricorder in Megatron's hand: crushed and rent tissue from the bullet's passage, trauma to the right renal artery, intra- and extraperitoneal hemorrhage: he's bleeding to death, slow and sure. )

[flickerandfade]

[ Megatron crouches, hunched over McCoy for a moment as he runs the accompanying tricorder sensor over the wounded area. He can hear Bones giving instructions, absently notes them for a moment and knows that he needs to relay information to the others. The terms he uses are foreign, made familiar by the study of the anatomy and medical texts back on the station. Underneath them, the tank's engine idles. ]

The projectile has caused significant damage to the right renal artery. He has severe hemorrhage both inside and outside his peritoneum. It needs to be patched or he'll bleed to death.

[ A pause. ]

He's on the verge of hypovolemic shock. I am a little uncertain as to how much blood loss is fatal for humans still, but we had better get to work.

[bossily]

[Clara fumbles with hands that are sopping wet with Leonard's blood, but she manages to open his medkit and pull out the D-wrap. It's with shaky hands that she turns it on right as Megatron is giving the specs she's looking for. She moves the D-wrap to scan over him as shock and hemorrhages are discussed. When the details on her screen read the same, she gives a quick nod of her head.

Panic is still rising, but she does an excellent job of not letting it show.]

This is the artery we need to focus on.

[She turns the wrap around so Jim can see the artery that's front and center. Technology is a gift in this sort of instance, and she's able to set aside her fear and worry they won't be able to help him in favor of moving into action. The wrap is held in one hand before she reaches back into the medkit with her other hand to try and pull out supplies.]

This would be better if we weren't all covered in blood and had the time to sanitize, but we can't exactly ignore the flashing warnings about critical injury and hypovolemic shock. Are your hands steady enough, Jim?

[Because they need to get this done now.]

[winscenario]

[ Jim is on the brink of panicking for a moment there. Bones is howling in pain, bleeding even more once they get him laid out properly, and if he thought the details on Bones's injury would help, well, he was wrong.

But he can't panic, not now. He has to summon all the focus and force he has as Captain, pushing down all the fears and worries, along with the suddenly vivid memory of Pike stretched out too, not much unlike Bones, burying all of that deep and approaching the entire situation with a degree of detachment instead.

With a sucked breath, he nods. ] Got it.

[ He takes the protoplaser, listening to the description of the injury, and waiting for the second or two it takes for Clara to clear the view for him. She does an excellent job at it, which is great considering Jim's lack of experience in these situations. He's had training, sure, but it never really prepares you for the real thing.

Especially when the person bleeding out happens to be your own husband. ]

Yes. I can do this, [ He shoots Clara a look. ] Just keep it clear for me.

[ He leans in just so, then starts working, his hands indeed very steady as he aims the protoplaser towards the wound to seal it shut. The first step in a long process of healing, but it's possibly the most important, as it'll at least stop Bones from dying in a matter of minutes or possibly even seconds. ]

[homeostatic]

( Bones keeps his eyes on the wrap's holoscreen, digesting the (backward) readout with a critical eye as Clara holds it carefully and Jim starts to work. Reluctant to have left the wound uncovered, even knowing he has to, Leonard drops his trembling hand over Jim's knee and squeezes tightly, anchoring himself to him. )

Slow passes, ( he confirms, just as Jim's doing exactly as he's supposed to, his work reflected in the holo: the torn blood vessels clot at last and begin to knit. Critical alerts start winking out on the screen, and for a second Leonard's breath hitches, nothing to do with the pain.

I'm not gonna die. ) That's it.

[winscenario]

[ No, Leonard's not gonna die, not if Jim has any say in it. And he's definitely not letting it happen, he's not going to let him down.

The work is precise, even if it lacks the skill and finesse of someone more experienced. Out on the field, though, it'll do; hopefully they won't be here much longer and Bones can get properly treated back on the station, but for now the main purpose is to keep him alive.

He lets out a deep, shaky breath of his own as the critical alerts start quieting down, allowing himself to close his eyes for a brief moment as he finishes closing the artery. He looks to Clara then. ]

We need to clean this up. See if I can stitch it up next.

[ He can't do much better than that; there's a good chance the wound will infect, but they have nothing to remedy that out here. He glances to Bones then, managing a weak smile. ]

Don't think you'd get rid of me that easy.

[bossily]

[She's holding the screen as steady as she can given the fact her hands are shaking even more after Leonard's breathing hitches. The critical alerts that flash make her want to cry, but she's got to hold it in. She has to be strong now, just like Jim is doing. So she gives a brief nod in response to getting their patient cleaned up, keeping the screen held steady in one hand while digging through the medkit to find the proper supplies to clean things up.

Thankfully, she's able to grab hold of some things, but the blood on her hands likely ruins the cleanliness of them. That's no matter now, they can worry about treating infection once they get back to the station.

For Clara, the matter of finding the orb so they can go back has been escalated to a critical situation. The sooner she can help get it done, the better.]

Nah, you're not going anywhere.

[It's spoken to Leonard, as she begins setting out the supplies for Jim to use for cleaning. As soon as her hand is empty, she reaches out to brush back Leonard's hair off his forehead. She's smiling in that way she does when she thinks it may be goodbye, a bittersweet but resilient gesture to show that everything's just fine. She and Jim, they've got this handled. Even if he's the one doing all of the work.]

We'll all be laughing about this in a month or so. Just you wait.

[Not that a critical, life threatening injury is anything to laugh about. But she's trying her best to be soothing and calm. And needs to say these things out loud for herself as well as for them.

While Jim works at preparing the area for stitches, she dips back into the medkit to pull out the proper supplies for a good suturing. She easily finds the little packaged kit, pulling out the needle drivers and forceps. There's a needle and thread in there too, and she works to prepare passing the thread through that needle. When it's all nice and ready, she sets aside the screen so both she and Jim can see, and slides over to hold the tools they'll need moving forward. ]

[aurable]

Leonard...Leonard —

[ Just as Megatron begs him off, does Drift really sees the extent of the damage one stray shot could havoc. The corners of his vision bleed to white as he hovers like the canopy of a weeping willow. Watching Clara and the others scramble just to keep a few arteries from pumping in the wrong direction.

At the mouth of the valley, where they huddled at the end of the backstreet between the wreckage of the inn and general store, the familiar hum of a weapon cut through. Just at the end of the alley as the lone, enterprising Bouldersnake with a pulsefire file drawn and pointed squarely and Clara and the rest.

— Worse yet, he matched him inch for inch.

Drift pressed his hands into the shadow-cooled, and tightly packed dirt under the shadows of the old buildings and roared. With the pivotal motion gained on all fours, Drift launched himself off his heels. One sword was drawn as he wildly threw his free hand out to grab the 'Snake by the throat. Snapping, growling, and corraling the Snake into an abandoned corral Drift threw all his weight into the assault before sinking his teeth into an exposed neck. Ripping out tender flesh before calling back, ]

Finn—! You go south. Get them out of here!

[hatejakku]

[ Finn had confidence in Megatron's expertise and the other's skills in remaining calm under pressure. More than that, he had a job to do that didn't allow him to hover or glance back in worry, even when McCoy cried out from being lifted to the tank. They'll handle it. He knew that.

He had the northwest corner of the tank covered when the whine of a pulsefire weapon sounded from behind, forcing adrenaline and no small amount of panic to kick in. But no sooner than he lifted his gun for the kill, Drift-... Well. Ripped the man's throat out. With his teeth.

And Finn thought he was being excessive for choking someone a few hours ago.

It did do one thing, aside from remove that particular threat: Scare the hell out of any Bouldersnakes who just saw that. Many of them began to scatter except for some who were brave, stupid, or just didn't even notice. It still helped, though.

He turned south, quickly picking off two stragglers. ]

I'll clear a path!

[ The 'hurry' is implied, but Finn also figures they're going as fast as they can. Either way, he starts moving, trying to keep what ground they've managed to gain in the chaos somewhat secure. He's just one man but he only has to hold it until they're done. ]

[homeostatic]

Wasn't tryin'.

( For a second he manages the tiniest smile, brimming with tremulous, exhausted relief.

And then all hell breaks loose.

Drift's roar reignites the powder keg of adrenaline in Leonard's newly-healed veins. The flinch is instinctive, a spasmodic flail that turns into attempting to shove himself in any direction via the bracing angle of Jim's knee, weak as a kitten and getting utterly nowhere for his efforts. )

Lord have mercy--

[winscenario]

[ It's hard not to get distracted by the commotion, his eyes lifting away from his work, trying to figure out what the hell's even happening anymore. It's a messy, gruesome scene, but Jim's attention doesn't linger for long, not when Leonard's suddenly moving again, flinching and then practically slumping against him. ]

Leonard! Stop moving, right now. Stop— just lie down and stay still.

[ Making sure Bones hasn't somehow made the injury worse all over again, he whips his head around, yelling out. ]

He can't move right now! We're still not done, [ He pauses, breathing heavily. He wouldn't encourage Drift to keep fighting right now, not when he's clearly affected by all this, but it's not like they have any other options right now. ] Can you hold them off a little longer?

[flickerandfade]

Doctor McCoy. The situation is under control.

[ Carefully, Megatron sets the medical tricorder on the deck of the tank next to Jim. The holoform glances between Jim and Clara. ]

I think you have the situation in hand. If you'll excuse me, I'll get us out of here--

[ And the holoform winks out of existence with a fizzle of fading light. Beneath them, the engine of the tank roars and the vehicle lurches into motion, hurrying down the dusty street away from the encroaching Bouldersnakes. ]