70. [DREAM/DREAM/DREAM/DREAM]

[foolishwren]

<sub>[So while the rest of Johto alternately panics, cries, or rushes around trying to capture as many of the soulstealing insects as possible, there are dozens of souls floating around in that dream limbo, drifting in and out of each other's slumbering thoughts and visions. Whether it's nightmarish flashbacks or just those dreams where you're at school taking a really hard test, and then Dracula shows up, and then everybody's naked ... anything is possible when it comes to what people see in their sleep.]

[But what appears in the darkness in this particular spot in the spaceless, shifting mass of dreaming souls... is a door.]

[It's old, and covered with boards and bolts, rusted near-through in some places. The lock is broken-- mangled and half-melted and wrenched out of the keyhole. The only thing on it that doesn't look ancient is a scrap of torn notebook-paper that's taped up on it at roughly eye-level. It reads only a single phrase:]</sub>

Fear of blood tends to create fear for the flesh.

<sub>[More importantly, though... the door is ajar. Through the gap come the scents of rust and metal-- and something organic, fleshy-- and a low, deep hum of industrial machinery. It's not a door that anyone in their right mind would want to go through. ... But for anyone who may have stumbled this far into the dreams of their fellow lost souls, either in flight from some other nightmare or just pure, wandering curiosity... there's just no other place to go but through the door.]




[Go on. Open it. After all.... it's only a dream.]</sub>

[ooc: SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG, GUYS. Thanks for being patient! If you commented on that planning post, there's something spooky planned for your character to do here so please feel free to tag or not tag as it pleases you!]

~*~

[ooc: This is the IC post for what was announced over here! Even if you didn't comment there, feel free to participate! I'm still happy to whip up Silent Hill scenarios for folks!]

Comments

[foolishwren]

Only the most annoying place ever to exist in any world, anywhere. ... Ever. ... In history.

_{[... Not to mention one that she still had nightmares about, even now... though she wouldn't admit that. But between the mocking voice, and that ringing red light that crept around corners like poison gas...]}

I've died there more times than I can count.

_{[.... wait, 'died'. What.]}

[show_my_cannons]

... Huh. If you say so. Not in the mood to argue.

[Then he blinks, swinging his head around to stare fully at her. It's a long, silent stare. Like he's trying to figure out just what he heard her say.]

[He must have heard wrong.]

What...?

[foolishwren]

_{[At first she just sort of stares right back at him, owl-eyed. ... And then she realizes what she just said. Whooooops.]}

UH-- ...

_{[It's easy to forget to police your language in your own dreams.]}

I mean, you know... in dreams.

... Nightmares.

Whatever.

You get the idea.

_{[Although that still begged the question of why anybody would dream of dying in a place they merely deemed 'annoying', but...]}

[show_my_cannons]

[Ironhide just keeps staring at her, his expression blank. It doesn't really look as if he's buying that.]

[... then again. He is standing in the middle of a psychotic amusement park, after being turned into a human and told he's going to be dog-fighting strange creatures that hide in balls and transform periodically. So what does he know?]

So now what? We just stand around, blowing things up?

[foolishwren]

<sub>[Yeeeah, she'll just... um... not be talking about that anymore. Yep.]

[However, it's his next statement that makes her pause thoughtfully. Then, ever so slowly, she turns her head to look back up at him with a grin that's as wide as it is mischievous.]</sub>

... Wanna kick over a rollercoaster?

[show_my_cannons]

[Oh, we'll discuss this, young lady. Just not now.]

[Ironhide scowls, considering this carefully. He lifts one of his cannons, examining it. There's still a few rounds left before he'll have to make more. The other one just needs a few hours or so in the sun and be fine...]

How big is it?

[Ironhide, are you seriously considering this.]

[foolishwren]

<sub>[DARNIT.]

[Her grin only grows before she points off to the spindly-looking structures off at the edge of the park. They're huge, but honestly look like a decent TAP could send them all crumbling into piles of tracks and stilts... like a house of cards.]

[Her face says it all: oh my god PRETTY PLEASE?!]</sub>

[show_my_cannons]

[He follows her pointing finger, gauging the distance with another scowl. Well. Not too far away. And it's not as if he has anything better to do right now, anyway.]

[Ironhide shrugs his other shoulder, and starts limping off in the appropriate direction. Smashing things is sort of cathartic, after all. And since they started, he hasn't been thinking of the other place he was -- seeing the body. Seeing the wrecked colony.]

[He'll get there. But he'll go his own, limp-stomp speed, dammit.]

[foolishwren]

<sub>[YESSSSSS.]

[This is like getting to go spend the day with the cool relative who lets you break stuff when at home you're not allowed to do anything. She clambers back all the way into her previous position, bracing a hand against a ridge on the side of his head for balance.]

[She's somewhat tempted to say 'I DIED OVER THERE TOO' but is smart enough to bite it back. Instead, she asks something that's been bugging her ever since he showed up.]</sub>

So how'd you get in here, anyway? Since I guess we're like... in my head right now. And you are way too complicated-looking to be a figment of my imagination. I'm not this creative.

[show_my_cannons]

[He's a little busy picking his way over the rusty grates to pay her position much attention. Not that he's unaware of it.]

[He glances at her, though, and snorts.]

I walked.

[Because in Ironhide's worldview, that's all there is to it. He walked in here. Except...]

There was a door. Some kind of foolish warning on it. I broke it.

[foolishwren]

_{[She can't help but snort at the bluntness.]}

A warning, huh...

_{[It rings some old bells... but honestly she'd rather not dwell on that. Point is, he's HERE.]}

I guess that makes sense... I guess you're pretty much set, but... for most people, this place isn't safe.

[show_my_cannons]

Yeah. A warning. About blood and flesh. [He snorts, waving a hand dismissively at himself.]

No reason to get worried.

[Stomp stomp stomp -- they're approaching the structure now, and he eyes it, critically.]

Why? Humans allergic to a little rust?

[foolishwren]

_{[When she replies, there's an oddly serious undercurrent running through her voice... dark.]}

There's worse things than rust here.

_{[... Because that explains a lot, Heather. But she seems to be dropping the topic there for the moment, because THEY ARE NEXT TO THE ROLLERCOASTER FUCK YES.]}

Awesome, I hate this thing. Can you like... punch it? I bet the whole friggin' thing will fall down if you punch it.

[show_my_cannons]

Yeah. Like trash cans.

[He catches that seriousness. And because she doesn't elaborate... he keeps on with his dry sort of sarcasm. Maybe that'll get a better answer.]

I could... Hmn.

[He falls quiet, looking the structure up and down. He could punch it. Or he could tear it down. He puts a hand on one of the support beams, wrapping heavy fingers around it.]

[foolishwren]

_{[She snorts back.]}

Trash cans don't crawl on top of you and then suck your face clean off of your skull.

<sub>[Heather is very rarely straight-up with the details of the things she's seen-- why mention them at all in Johto? But in this case... well. They're HERE.]

[She tightens her hold in anticipation as he grabs the rollercoaster. 8) omg omg do it.]</sub>

[show_my_cannons]

[All right, that's probably the first time a human's snorted at him...]

Then what does? The pink things?

[Can you feel that skepticism, Heather? Can you? Because it's practically tangible.]

[He pauses a moment longer, before taking a stance, and planting his feet against the rusty grating. Both hands go around the beam... and the massive black Autobot pulls.]

[foolishwren]

_{[Yeah, she feels it all right. >8( She's not sure she likes it, either, but-- what can she expect from something that would basically be invulnerable to everything this place could throw at him?]}

No.

_{[With JUST a trace of huffiness, she leans over a little to look down at the ground.]}

Anyway, I don't see any. But that's probably because you make the whole park shake every time you take a step. _{[Most of the monsters weren't terribly bright, but they at least had survival instincts.]} If it was just me down there, they'd probably be all over the place.

<sub>[BUT ENOUGH OF THAT TIME TO BREAK SHIT RIGHT NOW.]

[The metal creeeeaaaaaaaks... and then gives entirely. A set of rickety tracks go crashing downwards-- ... followed closely by the rest of the structure. TIMBERRRRRRRRRR]</sub>

[show_my_cannons]

[This is sort of how Ironhide gets his answers out of his kids. If you disbelieve them enough, they'll eventually explain out of sheer frustration.]

[Usually.]

We could test that theory.

[No, Heather, he's not serious. This is another test.]

[But that's not important. Now, he's left standing there with a beam in his hand, watching the structure topple like a big rusty pile of dominoes.]

Huh.

[foolishwren]

<sub>[It works ... pretty damn well on Heather, actually. Dancing around the truth is only fun when you're pissing people off with it. If they act like they don't believe you to BEGIN with... She's like most kids in that she'll fall into that trap pretty easily.]

[At the offer, though, she lets out a loud scoff-- ... then pauses, trying to figure out if he is serious-- then scoffs again.]</sub>

We could.

<sub>[What do you have to say to THAT, old man?]

[She can't stop herself from grinning at the massive dust-cloud rising from the rubble, though. BOO-yah. She'd always hated that ride, anyway!]</sub>

[show_my_cannons]

[What does Ironhide say? Nothing. He just reaches up onto his big, black shoulder to try and -- gently -- pluck her down.]

[If successful, he will set her on the ground, and step back, canting his head to the side.]

[foolishwren]

... Wha-- WHOA! HEY!

_{[She was thinking she could like-- climb down or something! She scrabbles in the air a little when she's plucked off his shoulder, more out of automatic panic than real fear (although holy shit those fingers could make her head burst like a grape holy shit). Once she's set down, she staggers a couple steps before attempting to regain her composure by straightening up and dusting herself off as if she hadn't just been flailing around in the air two seconds before.]}

...friggin'-- ... okay, first of all, you're gonna need to like... pretend to be a building or something.

Nothing's gonna come out if it thinks that a giant metal dude is gonna blow it to kingdom come if it pokes its head out.

[show_my_cannons]

[He's very careful, at least, in setting her down. Humans are fragile -- he learned that pretty quickly. They all did. He also doesn't comment on the flailing. That would be cruel.]

I can do better than that.

[He takes another couple steps back, before pausing, and fixing her with a look.]

Whatever is here... it will not harm you.

[There is complete and utter certainty in his voice. He means that. And he will make certain it's true.]

[But. Then his armor shifts. Panels flip, fold, and Ironhide sort of sinks down on his hands and knees. Metal grinds, and sparks fly -- like some kind of metal origami thing. Until, at last, instead of a big, black Autobot... there's a big, black truck sitting silently in his place.]

[foolishwren]

<sub>[At first she blinks, a little confused-- and then he starts to change.]

[Eyes widening, she takes a couple steps back, just out of sheer 'Whoa'. It takes her a couple seconds to realize exactly what's happening, and by the time he's folded into something Heather could SWEAR she wouldn't even blink an eye at if she saw it cruising down a street, her jaw is just... hanging open.]</sub>

... Holy-- ...

_{[Something about it rings some bells (although she can't quite remember from where...), but for the most part, she's fascinated PLENTY by the fact that... well, he just turned into a CAR. She steps towards the vehicle tentatively. It's a little hard to reconcile a big anthropomorphic machine with a sedentary, seemingly-regular truck, even though it UNDOUBTEDLY resembles him...]}

Man... can you like... still hear me?

_{[She waves a hand up and down like one might in front of a sleeping person's eyes.]}

[show_my_cannons]

[He's seen this many times before, among the human soldiers. And the children. But it never really fails to make him feel smug, watching their reactions.]

[His engine thrums to life, proudly. But it looks for all the world like the truck is just idling there. It's a truck, after all, it can't look as smug as he feels.]

Yeah. Hear you just fine.

[Where the voice is coming from, who knows? Probably the speakers in his cab. But it's audible, and it's very much Ironhide's voice.]

[foolishwren]

<sub>[Heather is numb and jaded to many things. But seeing a giant metal dude origami-fold himself into a truck? It's not making her faint or anything, but she's pretty sure the only time she'd ever expect to see that was either on a toy commercial or under the influence of LSD. Not in real life. ... Er. Well. If this counted as real life... it sure as hell wasn't like her normal dreams.]

[She's stepping closer when his engines come on, and she actually jumps a little when they do.]</sub>

Ho-lee crap.

That is insane.

That is-- I don't even KNOW.

_{[... And she has to admit, it works a whole hell of a lot better than her initial idea, which was pretty much just 'Yeah, you just... hold still and MAYBE the monsters won't notice you'.]}