heart and soul

[soldieronwards]

The ground falls out beneath you. You're in midair, you're surrounded by swirling clouds, and there's nowhere stable to put your feet. The space between your body and the turbulence around you feels poorly defined as well; where do you end and your surroundings begin? Is there a stable you in the first place?

But eventually--

[ Join channel #nobodystaysdeadincomics on IRC. ]

Comments

Re: THE TORTURE CHAMBER

[soldieronwards]

He goes down in a heap before he gets off a second shot.

Re: THE TORTURE CHAMBER

[glorious]

[...approaching cautiously, watching him carefully to make sure he's actually asleep]

Re: THE TORTURE CHAMBER

[soldieronwards]

He is.

The outdated cellphone lies next to him, as does a small rectangular device that looks to be made of similar material to the bomb upstairs.

Re: THE TORTURE CHAMBER

[glorious]

[...grabbing both (and the gun) to tuck away in his inventory, looking around the room and considering it for a long moment...]

[...then hurries to rush back towards the bomb.]

Re: THE TORTURE CHAMBER

[soldieronwards]

You can leave the room, climb up the ladder, and return to the bomb in the crawlspace. It's still there.

And the little device seems like it could plug right into the port next to its screen.

Re: THE TORTURE CHAMBER

[glorious]

[...going to plug it in under the assumption that my Force Field skill will work in case I'm making a terrible mistake.]

Re: THE TORTURE CHAMBER

[soldieronwards]

The screen next to it blinks. Now, instead of reading ARMED, it reads INPUT PASSWORDS.

...this might be the time to notice that other heart-voyagers have left a handful of scraps of paper near the bomb...

Re: THE TORTURE CHAMBER

[glorious]

[blinks and looks over the scraps of paper]

Re: THE TORTURE CHAMBER

[soldieronwards]

They're labeled PASSWORD #1 through PASSWORD #4 and have symbols on them--a flower, an open hand, a star, and a star in a circle.

The device you have plugged into the bomb now has a touchpad and a stylus on it...

Re: THE TORTURE CHAMBER

[glorious]

[...oh!]

[begins drawing the pictures in order, taking care to ensure that they're exact.]

Re: THE TORTURE CHAMBER

[soldieronwards]

When you're done, the screen blinks again. DISARMED, it now reads. The deactivation device beeps at you to remove it.

Re: THE TORTURE CHAMBER

[glorious]

[removes it with a smile]

Hopefully you won't attempt to arm anymore bombs in your own heart.

Re: THE TORTURE CHAMBER

[soldieronwards]

There's a sharp, short puff of smoke from the bomb…

...and then a door appears in the metal wall next to it.

Re: THE TORTURE CHAMBER

[glorious]

[tenses up at that]

[...then relaxes when nothing explodes and peers at the door, taking a moment before moving to open it.]

Re: THE TORTURE CHAMBER

[soldieronwards]

It's perfectly plain and devoid of even a handle or knob. The only thing on it is a silver plate that reads: HAVE I MADE THEM PROUD?

Re: THE TORTURE CHAMBER

[glorious]

[looking that over for a moment, considering...]

I can't speak for 'them', but I can speak for myself.

You've more than shown that you're someone who won't give up. You're someone that will help those unable to help themselves, even when others have given up on them. You're someone that has kept his heart in a good place, even when it's difficult. I'm proud to call you a friend, Bucky.

Re: THE TORTURE CHAMBER

[soldieronwards]

The door swings open, and light spills out...