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 ENGINE ROOM

[hushabyte]

[ those obstructions have to hurt somehow

going to the controls to see if the gears can be stopped ]

Re: THE ENGINE ROOM

[soldieronwards]

The controls aren't nearly as complicated as they really should be for such a behemoth of a machine. There's an ON/OFF lever and a large dial, which is currently turned to level eight out of eleven. Next to them are two buttons: a large one, a shield painted in the same fashion as the gears, and a small one, a black rose. The former is currently only dimly lit, while the latter is bright.

As you get closer, the rumbling and clattering of the turning gears takes on a strange character…

Re: THE ENGINE ROOM

[hushabyte]

[ definitely hearing something different, going up to the gears? ]

Re: THE ENGINE ROOM

[soldieronwards]

It doesn't just sound like metal on metal anymore. Somewhere in the grinding, there's a faint but persistent voice humming along. "Did I--did I--did I do right? Are you--are you--are you proud--?"

Re: THE ENGINE ROOM

[hushabyte]

Eh? Bucky-san...?

[ leans in as close to the gears as possible without causing an industrial accident ]

I'm not sure if this question is for someone else, but you have only been helpful to me! I believe in you. With that said, I am going to try taking these out now! Is that okay? This is my first time operating heavy machinery and it does feel strange since I also— but, you should feel much better this way!

Re: THE ENGINE ROOM

[soldieronwards]

No answer and no change; the engine doesn't seem to acknowledge your presence.

You could reach in for the obstructions, but your hands will definitely get hurt or damaged by the gears and the heat.

Re: THE ENGINE ROOM

[hushabyte]

[ I tried

going to try the controls instead, shying away from that on/off switch and trying to slow the dial instead ]

Re: THE ENGINE ROOM

[soldieronwards]

It resists more the further you try to dial it down, but with enough effort you can turn it back as far as two out of eleven. It starts slowly turning back towards a higher setting as soon as you let go of it, though.

Re: THE ENGINE ROOM

[hushabyte]

[ getting a better look at what's obstructing them in the meantime ]

Re: THE ENGINE ROOM

[soldieronwards]

Here and there amidst the chains and gears, something clogs up the smooth progress of the engine and its strange, hopeful hum: a bloodied knife, a smoking gun, a spent piece from an explosive.

Re: THE ENGINE ROOM

[hushabyte]

Found you!

[ this seems safe

so I'll patiently attempt the lowest setting and running back and forth to fish them out?? ]

Re: THE ENGINE ROOM

[soldieronwards]

You can successfully pull out one obstruction at a time this way.

Re: THE ENGINE ROOM

[hushabyte]

[ DOING THE THING ]

Re: THE ENGINE ROOM

[soldieronwards]

Once you've gotten the obstructions out, the engine seems to run more smoothly.

Re: THE ENGINE ROOM

[hushabyte]

Finished! Ah, it sounds better after all...

[ returning to the panel, pleased, carefully holding on to the items for now ]

Re: THE ENGINE ROOM

[soldieronwards]

The panel waits for any further input.

Re: THE ENGINE ROOM

[hushabyte]

What do these buttons do...

[ moving his finger between the two of them— that's a flower, isn't it, and being bright must be a good thing, right? ATTEMPTING TO PRESS IT ]

Re: THE ENGINE ROOM

[soldieronwards]

It dims a little, but not much.

Re: THE ENGINE ROOM

[hushabyte]

[ that could be bad??

presses the shield! ]

Re: THE ENGINE ROOM

[soldieronwards]

It brightens a bit...