trans_9 | Proving Ground [ Open To All ]

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Proving Ground [ Open To All ]

The sensoriums made for a convenient training ground for all the right reasons, but most of all because they allowed Motoko to cheat. It hardly seemed fair for the world around to be controlled by whatever constituted the strongest mind, or the most established, but on these proving grounds, as ever, fairness was not part of the equation.

The world was a sleepy summer day, warm with cicada song and dry, ragged grass, knee-high in places, scorched to the earth in others. An abandoned, decrepit skeleton of a Soviet military base dominated the landscape, dotted here and there with holes like dark hollow eyes among the crumbling walls and roofless, exposed innards. Once, this place had been alive, and now it was as bleached as bones in the grass, as nature retook what man had conquered.

Here and there the rusted-out remains of tanks slumped where they had been abandoned. Red paint, incongruously fresh, marked a series of them as targets at the far end of a carefully 'makeshift' firing range, though most sat aimlessly, unmarked and unattended. The place nearest the door was dominated by one such tank, perhaps in slightly better repair than the others, and perched upon it was the reason for all the fuss and trials. Major Kusanagi folded her arms and leaned her back against the treads, casting a sidelong look at what was left of Section Nine.

It was going to be a long day.

[ OOC: ~~Wait for Subthreads, please.~~ OKAY, GO GO GO GO! ]

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"You actually played darts with her? I hope you didn't bet any money." She'd have cleaned him out, and if that failed she'd have probably outright robbed him after he passed out. "So you said angels, and demons? Like biblical wrath of god stuff?"

It wasn't an area in his education his mother had been especially mindful of. There wasn't a need for it. God wasn't going to save humanity, John was.

"Nah, just a lot of people in the bar betting on us," And good luck there, the guy sleeps with a gun or knife under his pillow.

Dean nodded, "As in the actual Apocalypse. Revelations, End of the World, all of that bibilical shit. And my brother and I in the middle of the shitstorm."

"Clean house?" If he knew his mother he knew she'd rig the game with Dean to pocket all of the dough and split it.

"So the actual Apocalypse...christ. Can you do anything about it?" If Judgment Day for his world was inevitable how much more so for a place where God himself was bringing it down?

"Nah, just dealt with some assholes that were eying us too much. Especially your mom, but she took care of them."

Dean sighed at that, "We're trying, or were till the Ohm fucked the planet over. Uh, found out Heaven and Hell been dicking my family for a long time so they could have their little showdown. Took my mom when we were kids, and my dad a few years ago in the process. Only thing is, fight between their chiefs would fry half the planet in the process, and they wanted to use my brother and me for the big fight."

He then added, "Where I come from? Demons and angels can ride people, use them as their vessels or meatsuits. Angels have to ask permission first, but they're not above coercing a yes out of a person either."

Hopefully they could still breathe without mechanical assistance after Sarah had dealt with them.

"So they needed you two to burn everything down, and I take it they weren't happy with you messing with their plans?" He knew what destiny could do if you tried to buck it. It tended to get real unpleasant, and remind you that some things you just couldn't avoid no matter how hard you tried.

"Yep, and yeah, both sides been pretty pissy with us about not wanting to buck up and toe their line. Most angels are dicks, and demons are worse. Screw them both."

Dean added, looking like he was going to be happy to punch something hard in the practice today, "Got some recent intel that we could only change part of it." He wasn't losing his brother, not ever. Damn the future.

"That's the way it usually is. We still have a choice though." Sometimes that choice was whether or not you embraced what you were meant to do. "Not always an easy one I know that. Decided how you're going to handle it yet?"

"Keep telling them to screw themselves and try to find another way that doesn't involve my brother saying yes." Him saying yes was another story. Dean was finding himself tempted to do so to spare his brother.

"What happens if you keep saying no?" He was honestly curious. John had never really had the option of saying no to what he was. Even when they'd destroyed Cyberdyne it could be argued that he was still fulfilling his destiny just a few decades early.

Dean shook his head, "I haven't got all the details about that from Cas. But we've been keeping under the angels radar so they can't find us." Which hasn't always worked, like with Gabriel.

"I don't really know, and Lucifer was loose in the world. Maybe the Ohm took him out for us, but we're usually not that lucky."

John was certainly familiar with flying under the radar. He'd spent his whole life doing it, but to do all that with the Devil loose wrecking havoc? That was a new level of screwed up even for him. "I'm pretty sure the Ohm did take him out. They take out everything else they get the drop on. Not much of a comfort though."

"Yeah." Some of his and Sam's nightmares suggest otherwise, but they could hope.

Dean then added, "Look I mentioned this to your mom, and it goes to you as well, you guys need anything, let us know, and we'll be there."

That was another surprising thing for him to hear. Mom had been doing good work. An ally was just about the most valuable thing he could think of on this ship. "My mother extended the same offer to you I assume. Thanks, it's been a bit hairy here sometimes. People don't really want to listen. A bit too attached to their machines."

And it's better to have Winchesters on your side then not. Even though their associates haven't fared well over the years. Still when both are just as cursed... perhaps there's some neutral common ground.

"She did, extended it first after we compared our hellish worlds. And yeah, well. Depends on the machine. Ships and cars like my baby are one thing. But GLADOS is a total bitch. Stacy's all right, if too damn cryptic still, and a creeper with all the watching."

"Cars are fine. At least they don't suddenly become self aware, and try to kill you." As far as he knew. There might very well be a universe out there where that very thing had happened. "I don't trust Stacy. It's been hiding important information from us. I haven't heard much of GLaDOS though. What subsystems does it handle?"

"Nah, my Impala might be aware, but she's all sweetheart." Um, yes, he loves his car. Really. He's kidding about the aware part.

Sort of.

Dean considered that, "Haven't taken a close enough look myself, I will tell you, that GLADOS bitch likes to grab people and make them run mazes. She even promises cake but that's total bullshit. Damn cake's a damn lie." And he would have liked some freaking cake at the end of it too.

"An Impala is a good car. Lots of room." For both people, and weapons.

"So it promises cake? Why?" The rest of what Dean told him he could understand. The AI was clearly testing the crew probably trying to find a weakness, but to offer incentive? That was really out of the ordinary for that kind of situation. Maybe it just wanted them especially motivated?

"One of the reasons my dad picked her out." With some helpful advice by a future son, *coughs*. Yeah, John, Dean's not a stranger to the time travel business either.

"No idea, other than to keep you going."

"Your dad had some sense. Wish there was more like you, and him on this ship." Just a few like them, and he could have a team he could rely on. Still he wasn't in any position to complain. A couple of allies is more than he had before.

"Why hasn't anyone done anything about it?" It seemed like this crew was completely blind to the actions of the AIs on the ship.

"Probably didn't want to risk a violation or that Punishment crap we get threatened with if we rack a high enough score with them."

Dean nodded, "Yeah, he sure as hell did." The guy was a son of a bitch and a deadbeat at times, but yeah he still loved and missed the old man.

"The ship is welcome to try to punish me." John didn't feel the need to go into detail with just what he would do if it did. He was sure Dean would pick up on the implied ripping out of its circuits.

"My mother tell you where you can find us on the ship?" Grand Central might not be the nicest place to live, but it was home for now.

Dean couldn't help grinning some and agreeing with that sentiment.

"Nah, not really."

"Grand Central Station in the city. At least for now. Most suitable location I could find on short notice. Plenty of room at least. Done some work on the place as well. I don't like to be somewhere without some defenses." Though with the recent arrival of a certain cat he was considering moving. There had to be somewhere more suitable in the city. He had only explored a tiny fraction of it so far.

Dean nodded and made a note of it. "Sure we'll stop by some time. Looking to grab a place ourselves. Quarters are too cramped."

It was an okay fit when it was just him and Sam. But now with Cas needing to sleep as well, they needed bigger residence. Plus easier to store their own guns when they're not in the Impala.

"If you need to feel free to crash with us. It's not the ritz, but it's livable." Hey at least he'd managed to get some water running in the place. "If you don't mind being around us some more that is."

Re: [ Entrances ]

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Re: [ Entrances ]

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