ic Vanguard: Diamond Life

[Supercape]

GM

 

Y Dderwen splintered under Young Brittanias mighty fist, flying across the room to land smack in some crumbling masonry. 

 

Lucy DIamond started to cry, her tears glistening and beautiful like the diamonds she was named after. 

 

Y Dderwen lay on the mossy carpet. The force of Young Brittania's blow threatened to topple the old fort for a moment. It was crumbling enough as it was, and for a few uneasy moments dust and a few slabs of stone fell to the ground. The whole building creaked and groaned...but ultimately still held. It would not take much more to set the whole thing collapsing on everybodys heads. 

 

"I forgot how strong your spirit is, Brittania..." mumbled Y Dderwen. "Strong enough to defy the land, even. Ah, uneasy are we too. I am the land, you are the people that gouge scars across it, but still...we are both connected, you and I...even if I am older, and fading..." he said, sad for a moment. The sadness was only augmented by Lucy Diamonds sobs. 

 

"Tell me then, why do you come to disturb me, and disturb this poor child?" he asked, referring to the tears of Lucy Diamond. 

[Thevshi]

"We did not wish to disturb either of you." Dee responded as she moved out into the open as well. “The Ministry has been concerned about what happened to the two of you and the rest of Vanguard, but what really brought us here was the reports of Lucy causing a group of travelers to go wild and attack one another.â€

"We need some answers, about what happened down in the village, and why you both are out here hiding." The young Englishwoman added. "I don't think either of us want to force either of you to return, but we would like to know what happened with Vanguard."

[Supercape]

GM

 

"You couldn't force me if you tried, lassie" said the oaken man, standing up tall and proud, all four feet of him. Despite his heigh, he was stocky, and his eyes ancient. He was proud, and willfull, even obstinate. 

 

"Down at the village? Poor Lucy happened. Anyone who touches her, they go crazy, like her. Except she has years of practice trying to keep it together. The group she was hiding with, her old friends, she drove them mad. You saw what happened.." he answered, sadly. 

 

"As for Vanguard? I want nothing more to do with them. Nor does Lucy" he said, throwing a glance at his charge, who whispered some celtic poetry almost silently, lost in herself. 

 

"Champion shut it down, the whole thing. Shut down the Sanctuary. Said we were finished. Then he tried to kill Headcase, saying he was trying to use us all, saying Headcase wanted to take over the whole damn country"

 

"Not sure who I believed. Headcase was a nasty little man, paranoid and scared. Maybe he was plotting something, I don't know. Then again, Champion had been...loosing it, recently. Depressed, angry. Drunk. Who knows what happened? The whole thing was a mess. I took poor Lucy away from it. Poor girl had done enough for her country, giving it her all, and getting nothing back but food for her lunacy" he said, spitting on the ground in contempt. 

 

A small weed  blossomed briefly where his spit had landed. 

[Thevshi]

Dee did not respond to Y Dderwen's boast about her inability to force him to do anything. Whether the claim was true or not, the last thing they needed was for her to get into an argument with him over something so trivial when he seemed willing to talk with them.

She frowned slightly as he explained what had happened, both in the village, and with the Vanguard. "You don't need to tell me about needless sacrifice." She stated in a flat tone. "That does not quite sound like Champion, but I certainly do not trust Headcase. In any event, we have regained access to the Sanctuary, but thus far have not been able to unlock any of the key databanks." She then continued.

"Do you have any idea where Champion or Headcase might be, or where they might have gone?"

[Tiffany Korta]

Agnus wasn’t overly bothered with the old oak manner he   was as always he was full of bluster.She was more concerned about Lucy and as she spoke to the old oak she walked toward her old friend.

 

“You’re a lying bugger y Dderwen and you know it. There hardly an acre of land that hasn’t been shaped by human hand in the whole of the United Kingdom. You’re just as reliant on humanity as i am, after all the the Woodpecker care not what the oak thinks as it hunts for food.†she sounded for a moment slightly distant as if she wasn’t quite herself.

 

Then she turned her head and smiled at Synapse her old self once more.

 

“He’s probably telling the truth about Vanguard though, neither of them are exactly big on following authority. I was always surprised that they joined up to be honest.†she stopped and put her hand mere inches from Lucy “But what have they done to you Lucy? Can you hear me now it me Agnus.â€

[Supercape]

GM

 

Lucy Diamond gave a glittering sparkling smile at Yonug Brittania, a tear rolling down her cheek at the same time. 

 

"He got us. He got us all. Even me. Tee Hee" she muttered. 

 

Y Dderwen frowned. 

 

"She always says that. She was never that...stable...anyhow. A tree with no roots, poor thing. A flower in the wind. Headcase feared her. Well, he feared everyone, but Lucy the most. Her mind..." he tapped his own wooden head. 

 

"...he couldn't change it, you see. She was immune to his little tamperings. That scared him. He didn't know what she was thinking"

 

Lucy gasped in fear. 

 

"He still got us. Got us all. You. Me. Him. He was dying and afraid. And we were young and strong. He got us. Got us good..." she whispered. 

 

Y Dderwen sat down, sprouting roots. 

 

"I'm not young. I feel older than ever. One day, I will set roots and dream without waking. You are right. The land belongs to men now, to gouge and bore and furrow. The old beauty is gone. May the way of men hold another kind of beauty. But it is not for me. And yet...yet there is strength left in root and branch and rock and earth" he said defiantly. 

 

"I don't know where Headcase is. Champion, he fled, fled far. The Faroe Islands. Cold, bleak, and distant..."

[Thevshi]

Dee watched Lucy with a faint look of sadness.  The young Englishwoman had heard similar ramblings plenty of times, from her own sister.  It was rather odd that Lucy's would be somewhat similar to Susan's, given Susan's problems were tied to the process Headcase had put the twins through to develop their psychic powers. 

 

Not wanting to dwell on thoughts of Susan at the moment, Dee focused on the other issues at hand, as y Dderwen mentioned where he believe Champion had gone.  "Well, sounds like we will need to break out some warm coats if we plan to follow this trial."

[Tiffany Korta]

“Sounds like you need the sleep of winter, like all good oaks, I’m sure you be back to bother me renewed like spring in no time. There are still a few hidden places where time stand still and you can frolic among the bunnies all you want, there are rumours of a lost village in Scotland or Wales and I hear that there is an entire world were people no longer live. I can see if I can you a transfer to that world for a while.â€

She was still looking at Lucy with some sadness, Lucy might have always been a little unhinged but no where near this bad. She was family and Agnus needed to try and help here.

“I don’t feel the cold, we just need to know  where exactly to go and I can teleport us there. Do you think we should contact the other two?†she paused and took a breath, it was a big ask for someone who hardly knew the two of them

 

“I think I can fix Lucy, but I need you help in case things go bad to switch me off if the madness starts taking hold. I know it’s not the best on time but I don't want to leave her like this too long.â€

[Thevshi]

"Well, let's see about cleaning things up here before we make any decisions on pursuing Champion right now or not."  Dee replied as Young Britannia mentioned just teleporting to the islands and whether or not they should call in Osprey and Catalyst. 

 

The young Englishwoman was not at all sure about Angus' plan to try to "fix" Lucy, given just how far the former Vanguard member seemed to be.  But there were not too many other options, given how infectious Lucy's madness could be.  Taking a deep breath, Dee focused herself a moment before giving Young Britannia a small nod.  "Okay, I guess I am as ready as I can be.  If you start to show signs of slipping in too deep, I'll shut you down."

[Tiffany Korta]

Agnus stepped closer to Lucy her hand’s glowing brighter as she prepared to touch them against Lucy’s forehead.

 

“Okay come into my brain, I must warn you that there are a few dark corners of my brain it’s best not to poke around. Nothing like Zeppelin's Mud Shark incident but you know I had my moments of excess.†she managed a smile but there was also a feeling of tension.

 

She took a deep breath and waited for Dee to show that she was ready.

[Thevshi]

Any other time, Dee might have been willing to make a snide comment or the like.  But right now things were far too serious for that.  "We can compare party stories some other time."  Dee stated simply.  "I should not need to go in deeper than surface thoughts to monitor you."  Taking one last deep breath, the young Englishwoman reached out towards Angus' mind, having little trouble reaching the other woman's surface thoughts, given that Angus was not resisting.  While she had the connection open, Dee tried to keep herself remote, walled off from Angus, so as to keep herself clear.

 

Alright, I'm here.  Shall we get started?  She mentally stated to the glowing Angus.

[Supercape]

GM

 

As soon as she touched Lucy, Young Brittanias' mind exploded with lights, sparkling, swimming, like a kaleidoscope. It was chaos and madness and beauty and fear all at once. As Young Brittania bravely dove forward, she could feel her mind unravelling. To dwell to long would be insanity. 

 

Whatever had been done to Lucy, was beyond repair. It was not entirely clear Lucy even wanted help - her mind did hold a wonderful beauty, after all. But by pushing forward...

 

Lucy gasped with a transient moment of clarity...

 

"Its all gone...gone..." she whispered. "Why did you do that to me?"