The Fall of Every Sparrow

[rekindledtitan]

It’s a calm cold morning on the outskirts near the Wilds. The aeronautiloids are hibernating in their nests, the odd small creature chirps in the bushes, and the blue grass is hidden by a shallow layer of snowfall. It’s picturesque, and quiet: most of the Nexus visitors prefer the shelter and hot drinks of the built-up streets this time of year. In fact, someone’s counting on that.

There’s a white flash, a split-second burst of horrendous noise. An armed figure drops out of the air backside first, her plate armor in flames, and hits the ground with a low whumph. She rolls over immediately and pushes herself to her knees, swearing- then looks up, over her shoulder. There’s just a second to register the source of the noise above, and then the blazing, half-melted remains of a hoverbike crash down onto her.

It takes a minute before she pushes herself back up, twisting to shove the smoldering wreck off of her with a grunt. The fire on her own armor has gone out at this point, but it's black with chemical ash. Blaze lurches back a step or two and surveys the damage through the half of her helm that isn’t totally destroyed. The nearby snow has melted and begun pooling around the ex-bike, steaming away from the hot metal. Ghost materializes above her shoulder to scan his smoking Guardian, then the bike. Here’s hoping they didn’t land on anything important.

“Think we can salvage it?” Blaze asks him. The tiny floating robot gives her a Look.

Abashed, the Exo Guardian reaches up to try and detach her crumpled helmet, wincing at the pain when something jostles inside. Anyone getting close to help (or spectate) will get her hand lifted in sheepish greeting and a rueful look, the glow of one optic visible through her cracked faceplate.

“Ever had a great idea that you, uh, kinda regretted instantly?”

Comments

[sweetcandygirl]

The white flash of light had attracted Harley to the scene -- like a moth pulled to the flame. And she doesn't offer any assistance to the Exo Guardian... instead, pulls out a lollypop and places it in her mouth, as she surveys the scene. And the damage.

"I had tons of great ideas other people regretted."

[readvondaniken]

"That's what I think it is, ain't it? I mean, it's wrecked, but it musta been a nice-lookin' bike."

Palmer's a mechanic and a biker, so even a wrecked hoverbike immediately grabs his attention. He runs over to look at it. Sure, he's ninety-nine percent sure it's beyond fixing, but that doesn't mean he can't dissect it to learn how it works, or cannibalize it for spare parts...

"I guess goin' to Antarctica sounded like a good idea at the time. I was fresh outta the rehab center, needed the money, and one of my friends back home helped me get the job. I sure as hell wouldn't turn it down. With my record, getting a job would be next to impossible. Former gang runner? Criminal record? Marijuana? I mean, would you hire me?"

[magnetite_plz]

One minute you're part of a perfectly serviceable patrol raining gunfire down on an enemy encampment and the next everything is on literal actual fire. Nike's still not sure what's happened. Ghost started shouting and things started bursting into flame. Then the pair of them vanished with a whisper of transmat and the demon found herself alone in the inferno and a host of enemies bearing down on her location.

Unluckily for them, Nike is not unarmed. Her hand strays to her belt and to one of the molotov grenades she keeps at the ready. Breathing slows as she pulls the pin and plans the arc of her throw. It's at that moment the calling comes--ripping her across the veil of time and space at her Mistress's urging because she's needed right Now--and the grenade leaves her hand.

Clonks off of Blaze's head and lands in the ground between the three of them. The demon doesn't even have time to gasp before there's a whole lot more fire and everyone's eardrums get a lovely case of being burst from the blast.

[thissideonly]

"Uhhh... never mind that question, are you alright?!" There's a duo coming closer, looking like twins in different clothes- no, on a closer look, they looks like mirror images of each other. The one who asked the question was in a colorful hoodie and what seemed like candy cane stripped leggings, while the other one- in a red leather jacket and red denim jeans- stared at the hoverbike in utter dismay.

[outpostcook]

"Many. It's a long list, where do I start?" A small, scar-faced man in polar gear is observing the wrecked bike. Kinner was well-familiar with motorbikes, but not one like this, and he's both interested in the trashed bike and the people he guesses are its owners. "But there are some folks I used to know who might have a more interesting answer to that question. I've got regrets, though, that's for sure."

Kinner chuckles, stepping back. "But I'm getting ahead of myself. My name's Joseph Kinner. I don't think we've met before. It's an honor." The little cook bows his head slightly. He knows what an android is now, thanks to Connor. "I'd help you fix it, but I'm no good with machines and, frankly, I think that bike's done. Shame. It looks like a nice model. Not one I'm familiar with - I used to have a Triumph back in the day."

Better late to the party than not showing up, right?

[runningscams]

He’d like to be able to say that he came over with the noblest of intentions — that he just happened to be out here in, as far as he could tell, the nexus’ version of wilderness — and came over like a good citizen when he saw the accident. The truth was that Han had heard whispers about racing taking place here and he was actually scoping the place out with macrobinoculars. How else was he gonna really learn what people were driving out here and how fast the vehicles got.

Regardless of the why he was there, he does come in a hurry when he see the crash. He doesn’t really know how he could help, but he’d rather get there and improvise something that just standing there gawking uselessly.

Relief comes when he gets close enough to realize nobody was serious hurt. The bike looks trashed, though, and Han feels a pang of sympathy for the owner of the newly deconstructed sparrow.

“Me?” Han says with a thoughtful look about his face. Then an rueful smirk shows up on his face and he answers, “nope. Can’t say that I have.”