THE SWARM: STAY
PRELUDE.
Five days have passed since you, The First, woke on the strange and barren planet of Kharas. Four days since the pods housing you exploded when tampered with, and Three since the strange Trilobite-like sand crabs began hesitantly crawling their way into and around the boneyard. At first there was only a few brave specimens to be found, keeping mostly to the shadows and scuttling this way and that. Now, however, at least a hundred of them can be found in and around the boneyard in various placed, commonly grouped together in batches of two or three, sometimes even four.
Notably they do not interact much with one another despite their groups and are much more interested in scouting out their surroundings for fibrous materials. On the odd chance that they manage to obtain any scraps they will begin to wander back towards the tracks your
counterparts began following earlier. Odd, isn't it?
As the softer morning sun overhead slowly begins to heat up with the encroaching afternoon more of the Trilobites begin to fill the area. Only unlike their predecessors these ones do not wander around aimlessly, and instead beeline their way to any Coral stalks that remain in the area. They bury into the sand beneath them to avoid their harsh shells and attack the roots until they topple and collapse under their own weight. Once this happens they practically swarm, working to segment it into pieces with their mandibles. When the Coral's shell cracks the Trilobites pry all vegetable matter from within and begin dragging it into the desert.
And that's not all: these new Trilobites seem
much braver and more interested in you than their predecessors. They will openly wander up to characters and gnaw uselessly at their ankles or feet, chittering and chattering. If enough of them happen to get together around an individual they will form a tiny ankle-gnawing mob intent on clambering all over you.
As the daily eclipse nears their numbers will begin to grow even further. Odd tremors can be felt beneath the ground, even in spite of all the sand, but characters won't get much of a chance to look into the matter before their wrist communicators begin to emit that same strange static from the mist.
...Only there's none to be seen in
any direction whatsoever.
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no subject
And you're not people?
[ He lets that sink in. ] They'll need you. I can get them up but I can't stay.
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He eventually answers,] I’m a soldier. It’s not the same.
[Which is only to put it lightly. He doesn’t know how good he is as a person anymore. The trigger words are probably still in his head, which doesn't help. Is the Red Book even a secret in this strange future? There's no guarantees. It only makes him even more wary to be around others for too long. Yet even then, the guy still has a point.
Bucky makes a quiet noise of resignation.] But you’re right. They can’t fight ’em off the same way.
no subject
But that might just be Clark. Finding sympathy in forgotten places of the world.
He replies quietly, but firm. ]
We are all people.
[ Even Clark, a lesson that took him a long time to realize. ]
Then help me help them.
[ His time is over. Clark has no regrets. He'll make sure that remains true, no matter where he is. No matter how lost he feels. ]
MESSAGE
...cgon loseboli ym kletuloais: loleagot usyuk kequol geh Jlemo Lorui Mogquelp. Jleh...
no subject
MESSAGE
Lousgyubugot jlemo MZ-2400A2. Huyralo. Lousgyubugot jlemo MZ-2400A1. Failure. Reactivating jlemo MZ-2400A5. Failure.
And then Clark rolled an impossible critical on his message discovery.
Clark has now received the maximum amount of messages he is eligible for! Congratulations!
no subject
What failure? Who are you?
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He might have power for one more attack.
And then . . . ]
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Make that last stand from higher ground.
[ Inspiration strikes. ]
If you don't, those ones -- [ a small flick of her hand in the direction of the non-combatants up on the bones ] -- might get stupid ideas about coming down to help you.
no subject
Not yet. ]
You win.
[ Clark glances at the swarm with a grimace. ]
Need a hand to get to the top? I think I can manage it.
no subject
I can take care of myself.
[ It's not a boast, just a very matter-of-fact assessment of how she's held up so far -- well, and with a hint of exasperation in her voice that implies unlike some noble fools who don't stop to think about taking care of themselves. ]
Let's move.
no subject
See you there.
[ Bending his knee at an angle, Clark pushes himself upward with a jump that would leave anyone in awe. ]
no subject
Someone at the peak of human potential with a lot of lucky dodges and misses, anyway.
So as long as he lands on a relatively nearby outcropping of bones, she'll drop one of her makeshift bludgeons, grip the other one in her teeth, and scramble up the bones after him.
Internally, she promises to think about the ramifications of his powers when the situation is less dire. ]