Punishment [Warning: Graphic Imagery]

[cityship]

As the ship was going about its normal business of the day, everything is interrupted when Stacy broadcasts a message to the crew.

||Attention, crew. Your crew mate, Big Zero, has acquired 15 Violations. Therefore, she will now be given Punishment. According to the guidelines in place for Punishment, you are hereby requested to report to the Observation Deck to view the procedure. Though it is not mandatory, it is suggested you attend anyway.||

||It will serve as a reminder that there are consequences to breaking the rules.||

For those brave souls who decide to attend, they'd find Big Zero strung up, dangling from the ceiling of the Obs Deck by her hands, surrounded by a spherical force field.

It was to prevent anyone from...interfering.

[ooc: Warning, this post will contain some rather graphic imagery. Obviously, you don't have to participate in this thread if you don't want to. If your character would ICly go but you personally don't want to know all the nasty details, ping one of the mods and we'll give you the watered down version for your pup to work with.]

Comments

[thewunderkind]

This was unlike anything Lash had witnessed before and that was saying a lot. Even now, in the back of her mind, she was fascinated how Stacy was treating the human body like a gigantic puzzle, removing pieces yet not killing the person.

So it took a few seconds for her to realize someone was touching her. Lash was unused to human contact, as Black Hole Commanding Officers not exactly knowing for their huggability. Hell, the last person who had touched her before that had been Hawke when he had grabbed his fellow CO in an attempt to secure his own safety. For a moment she stuck dumbfounded, amazingly more at the person gripping her in fear than the person being dismembered before her eyes and screaming for dear life. That, she was more used too (okay maybe not the space dismemberment, but she could deal with it).

She stood in near silence during the entire time, not realizing her cheeks were getting a little bit hotter than usual until he let go after most of it was over.

Lash then put a form grip on his shoulder, not sure what she should be doing. Hahaha man, being a good guy was so confusing sometimes. But Jaime was a teammate and someone Lash wouldn't be shy to call a friend now, so despite all her history she found herself being more worried than she lets on.

"A-are you okay?" Well that was a dumb question, of course he wasn't. "I-I mean...aww poop! I'm...I'm sorry. You're obviously not okay."

[bonnypiperlad]

Lash may have to get used to that. Jamie has always enjoyed a high degree of phyiscal contact - although, to be fair, the clinging is only when he's generally horrified or terrified by something. In this case, it's the horrified part that triggered it. He's seen a few things that have been quite bad, but never anything quite like that. Even the worst of the monsters he's fought tend to just kill you, rather than slice you apart and put back together again.

He opens his eyes again and turns a slightly haunted look towards Lash, then swallows and shakes his head. "I-I'm fine." He's not, really, but it won't do to be completely weak in front of his teammate. "I'll be fine," he says with more confidence than he actually feels. "Are ye alright?"

[thewunderkind]

She could only laugh somewhat bitterly. Oh if they only knew. Maybe one day she'd admit to all her past crimes. Today didn't feel like the good place to do so.

"Yeah. I'll be fine. I could say I've seen worse, but that would be a lie. I have seen things pretty close to this," she whispers, admitting. She turns towards Billy, but he was with Kitara and Renne and she knew he'd be in good hands. "You want me to walk you out of here?"

[bonnypiperlad]

If Jamie catches the bitter note in that laugh, he doesn't comment. There are some things that it's better not to push on.

"I'd not mind, if..." He trails off for a moment, blinking a bit as he catches a brief glimpse of Kaylee leaving with Kang. He's not thinking entirely clearly at the moment, so it hasn't quite registered yet. Give it a bit. At any rate, he still needs to check on Billy before he leaves him in the care of Katara and Renne.

"If you'd not mind waiting for a minute? Ye don't have to, though."

[thewunderkind]

She ties to smile a bit to make the situation a little less tense, but even she can't crack a small smile. Maybe it is for the best. She nods at his question.

"No, take all the time you want. I don't really have anywhere to go anyway." Yeah, words are just sputtering out of her mouth at the moment.

[bonnypiperlad]

Jamie does manage something that might qualify as a smile, but if you were being overly generous. He is grateful that Lash is willing to wait. He moves off for a few minutes, but once he's satisfied that Billy has enough people to help, he goes back over to Lash. For a moment, his eyes flick back to where Big Zero had been suspended, and his mouth tightens. He suddenly doesn't want to be here anymore. "Come on, let's go."

He walks in silence for a few minutes, then remarks from seemingly out of nowhere, "I've not seen anything like that before. Even from a Redcoat."

[thewunderkind]

She was used to silence. Hawke would walk along with her for hours at times, as they surveyed everything. The man towered everything and she was the terrible little shadow that followed along. The soldiers, the weapons, the armies..the prisoners of war...

No doubt about it. A tool like that would have been welcomed in Black Hole. Hell, maybe with a few more years of research, it would have happened and she would have gleefully headed that research. Maybe that's why it didn't affect her as much as she wants it to, content to let Jaime do the talking.

"Like I said, I've seen my share of pretty terrible things," she replies. "...but what's a Redcoat?"

[bonnypiperlad]

"They're soldiers from where I come from," Jamie replies, grateful for even the slight change in subject. "Before I started traveling with the Doctor, aye? English soldiers. They were called 'Redcoats' because that's the color they would wear. A Redcoat would as soon kill ye as look at ye, but they'd not torture someone like that."

He looks at Lash thoughtfully, wondering if what he's saying even makes sense. He's noticed that she doesn't seem to be as familiar with things, and isn't sure if that's because she's from some earlier time, like he is, or just some different place. The fact she is so fond of laser guns, though, seems to indicate the latter. "You're not familiar with Earth, are ye?"

[thewunderkind]

"Kinda," she replies, probably realizing that will confuse him further. "See...we called our planet earth, but when I looked at some of the other earths in the library, they looked nothing like mine! Not one mention of Omega, Cosmo of Macro Lands. It's like...all those contents were gone! Poof! Vaporized with a death ray! Dunno what it means in particular." She rests a hand on her chin thoughtfully.

"In fact it an seemed to be the only one with the particular arrangement. I saw a lot of planetary globes and maps with nearly the same land masses. Maybe Wars World is unique in that regard." Yeah Jaime. Her world had the war in front of it. Blame Nintendo.

[bonnypiperlad]

"Aye. That sounds like it's a different Earth." It wouldn't be too far fetched, he thinks, to have some place called Earth but have it be different. The Earth they visited on the one mission was like that - although the names of places seemed to be the same, there. Still, he could see the possibilities.

He slowly continues to walk down the hall, nodding a little as Lash goes on. But he stops dead in his tracks at the name 'Wars World', a rather startled expression appearing on his face. "Did ye say Wars World?"

It couldn't possibly be the same place that he's thinking of, but he has to be sure. "Look, Lash...your people. They weren't in the habit of kidnapping other people from different times and making them fight battles, were they?"

[thewunderkind]

Wow that was an abrupt stop, and Lash walks a few more steps after him before realizing he had stopped, and moonwalks walks back to him. Smooth.

"Nah," she replies, confused (but admittedly, amused) at the idea of Sturm going to the future and past to get warriors to fight for Black Hole. "We did all our fighting and battling by ourselves. In the...uh...present time, so to speak." She strokes her chin thoughtfully. Maybe it was better to be completely honest. "Granted, Sturm was the type of guy who hated peace and loved war, so if the technology had been available to us, I'm pretty sure our great Black Hole Leaders would have totally done that. Probably for the best they didn't."

[bonnypiperlad]

Oh, good. Definitely not the same, then. Jamie relaxes - although that last admission is a little unnerving to hear. Still, it's not like Lash admitted she would do anything like that, and he certainly can't fault her for what her leaders would have wanted to do. So, he nods.

"Aye, it probably was. I've been to a place like that and...well, it took a wee bit of doing to set things right again. I'd not care to repeat the experience." Especially that last bit where he was about to have his memories erased. It took the universe being destroyed to stop that the first time. The second time he doesn't think he'd be so lucky.

"I take it that's why ye said you've seen terrible things before?"

[thewunderkind]

She nods at his story, looking slightly uncomfortable. It's a bit hard to tell someone that you've been raised all your life to fight wars. Even worst that you ended up building half of the weapons used for the wars, and you personally bombed a few towns by your old self. And then add the fact you don't really feel that much of a remorse about it, and are confused thinking about it and if you should. Just statistics...

"Yeah I...long story.," she beings to explain as they resuming walking along. "...but the short version is that I used to be part of an organization called Black Hole. During most of my childhood, Sturm was the leader for the most part. I just told you about him so you have an idea of what type of guy he was. I was a technological genius so I got put into the weapons development." She moves her arms behind her head. "I built...a lot of things." It is a vague explanation. Vague enough so that Jaime can either ask more questions if he's curious or end it for now and ask later when he feels better. Lash is used to talking about these things, but they just witnessed something extremely unnerving. And despite herself, she cares for her teammates and their well-being. She recalls standing on top of that cliff at the end of the last war where she admitted to Nell,

"Well...maybe I do care a little."

Now she realizes she cares a lot more than just a little.

[bonnypiperlad]

Difficult, yes, but under normal circumstances Jamie would understand - at least, for what parts of Lash's former life she's comfortable explaining at the moment. And he does listen, but something in the back of his head starts nagging at him when she mentions building things. Something important that he's forgotten. It's distracting him somewhat, but he thinks he understands the reason behind one of her previous statements.

Building things in her world sounds as though it would come in useful with helping to maintain giant robots. And also explains her statement about attaching death rays she had made a little earlier that day.

"Oh, so that's why you've offered to help with the Zords, then."

[thewunderkind]

Subject change! She sure did love those, especially when it means she can talk about things that are not her past.

"Yeah!" Lash beams. "I mean after a while, technology is technology. Giant Raygun, Tanks, Giant robots with death runs and tanks, they all use different components but all come together in a mathematical simplicity for people like me." She pauses moving her arms back near her sides and, grinning as she goes on. "Besides, who wouldn't want to install a raygun on a giant robot."

[bonnypiperlad]

"I'd not care to," Jamie admits. "Billy and Kaylee have taught me a lot, but I've no wish to be blown to smithereens in the process." Okay, so maybe he wouldn't actually wind up doing that with what he's learned, but he'd really prefer not to take the risk.

However, saying Kaylee's name out loud reminds him of that glimpse of her he had gotten earlier. She had been there too, hadn't she? Maybe he was wrong, though. Maybe he was just imagining seeing her with Kang.

"Er...Lash? Speaking of Kaylee...do ye recall seeing her in the Obs Deck just now?"

He really hopes he was wrong.

[thewunderkind]

"Kaylee...." she trails off, trying to remember who that is. "Oh, is that the girl who serves at the tarvern with Kang?" Was she there? It was kinda hard to tell with all those people but..."well I know I saw Kang for sure. I think there was someone with him so...logically...maybe."

Hey did part of her feel slightly jealous they changed subject to another girl, nah probably her ego talking. Probably.

[bonnypiperlad]

"Aye, that's her." And that, unfortunately, that was not a no. Jamie has a sinking feeling that Kaylee probably was there, and turns to Lash, placing his hands on either side of her shoulders.

"Look, ye saw what happened," he says, quite earnestly. "If she saw what we saw..." It's pretty much a given. Even if she didn't look - and Jamie hopes dearly she didn't - she would have heard.

"It was kind of ye to walk me out, but I need to find her."

He's got a pretty good idea how Kaylee's feeling right now, and Lash seems...fairly fine, all things considered. He hopes she will understand. He's also pretty oblivious to any jealousy at the moment. Sorry, Lash. He's pretty clueless sometimes.

[thewunderkind]

Well then. She suddenly found herself unable to say anything much. It was as if a conversation had suddenly been cut way too short and she blinks a few times before answering.

"O-oh okay. Bye then..." Just like that, he walks away and Lash finds herself alone in the corridors and the pulsating walls. "Uuuhhh...." she says to no one in particular. "Now what do I do?" She'd been alone for most of her life. And yet now it feels so...silent.

That feeling is so weird.