forum Hey! (Closed OxO With ScotchTapeWorm)

Started March 07, 2023 by @andrew flash_on

tune

Duncan felt his center of gravity shift. Suddenly what had been the wall was down, and that meant he was falling. What was previously down was now a wall. But he was still standing on that wall, so it was more like he was shoved backwards.

He landed against the elevator wall, coughing. He growled softly. That was just mean. He would have left eventually! He tried to reload, but the door were shut, the metal making a groaning, unhappy sound at moving so quickly. Duncan coughed again, rubbing his chest.

Nothing was broken at least, despite the speed of his movement, but he'd definitely have some bruises. He tried tapping the 'open door' button, but the elevator gave another grumble, a shriek or two as it tried its best, then stopped. Another sigh, nothing could just be simple could it?

Snake Eyes rolled again, a 3 and a 5. Not bad, he'd have to aim manually though. He glanced up, noting the cheapness of the ceiling, instead of metal, it was those thin ceiling tiles made of mineral wool and air. He tried not to grumble as he aimed his firearm skyward, shooting off a single shot. It was enough to crumble the ceiling, it's not like he was firing real bullets after all.

With the ceiling out of the picture, Duncan was able to get up and haul himself upwards, standing precariously on the top of the elevator. The shaft wasn't too well maintained, but with a deep sigh, he grabbed onto the hoisting rope, and started to pull himself upwards. He just needed to get to an open door, and then he could get back to Zero.

Duncan had promised in his bet that he wouldn't do anything if Zero decided to do anything with the VIP, he hadn't bet that he wouldn't still try to apprehend them.

Zero figured Snake Eyes would be right back, so they simply increase gravity for the suit's heart, causing it to crumple. The man died instantly.

Then they cause the gravity of the entire building to shift, in some areas removing it, in others multiplying it by 2, to fuck with Snake Eyes getting back up.

Then they wait.

Duncan continued to pull himself upwards, finding it surprisingly easy for most of the climb. Maybe he was in better shape than he though he was in?

The minute he stepped foot onto the third floor, that idea went out the window.

He grunted, suddenly feeling every limb and ache in his body. His head rolled down, and his shoulders slumped for a moment, before he could recover. Lord. Had to get downstairs. Stop Zero.

He took a few more steps, then wobbled as gravity disappeared, a chair floating past him, then falling to the ground hard. Oh that bastard was just messing with him now.

One of his legs was still in the double gravity zone, the rest of his body weightless, giving himself the unique experience of being a human helium balloon. He yanked himself backwards and staggered to a wall, still skirting the edge of the two pockets. The he gripped hard on the wall and pushed, giving him the momentum to fly forwards briefly.

Repeating this process was annoying, and time consuming, but doable.

Snake Eyes managed to stagger downstairs, looking annoyed, his curls coming undone from their clips.

"Was that really necessary?"

Zero looks blandly at Snake Eyes.

"It gave me time to eliminate the suit. Now, try and get me." they murmur, their silver eyes locking onto the hero's with laser-like precision.

Snake Eyes shook his gun, pulling it out of its holster and slapping it into his hand. Two shots left, decent accuracy and power.

He stared at Zero for a moment, blinking in understanding. There wasn't anymore whimpering from behind the desk.

Duncan growled softly, taking a large stride forwards into the room.

"You know as well as I do that my bullets aren't physical. Want to see if you can stop them before one finds your eye?"

As soon as Snake Eyes stepped into the room, the gravity would slowly increse on him until he took a few steps forward, where it would decrease again.

"I'm willing to bet that, as light is bent by extreme gravity differentials, your bullets will be affected the same way. Since they don't move as fast as light, it takes a bit less of a gravity differential to slow them. Do you really want to bet that you could shoot me?" they say quietly, in a toneless voice.

Bending the gravity of light? Duncan frowned. He may have gone to a country school, but even he knew that took some doing. He lowered his voice to match Zero's quiet quality.

"Do you really want to take that bet? Sounds risky." He smirked just slightly. Zero was careful from what he'd seen. Doing research, manipulating odds, and planning escapes carefully. He took another step forwards, ignoring the way gravity shifted and churned around him.

Zero tilts their head.

"If I didn't know for certain, I wouldn't still be here." he replies carefully. "You know this by now."

Duncan sighed, cocking his head to the side.

"I was trying to- Ah, forget it." He pinched the bridge of his nose and brought his hand down his face in an exasperated way. "My window for defeating you was about oh.. Before the fight began. If you're so smart you know that too, huh?"

His only hope with people that could control both his dice and his bullets was to get them before he knew he was there. Duncan had once sat on a rooftop rolling again and again and emptying his chamber each time until he got a six on accuracy and power and shot the villain from a distance, dropping them before they even knew he was there.

That, obviously, had not happened here.

"I do, yes. The only reason why I haven't just left is because you would then take that opportunity to shoot me, wouldn't you?" Zero asks.

"Would I?" Duncan gave a wolfish grin, still fiddling with his gun to do something with his hands. "Seems to me we're at an impasse."
That made him smirk slightly wider. "Anything you want to do now that you've got me here? You already have my attention."

Zero sighs and casually flicks their fingers.

By manipulating the gravity of only certain parts of him, I can possibly send him head first into the ceiling. It'll have to be perfect, but. . . he thinks, sending Snake-Eyes head first into the ceiling, hard.

Duncan only had time to think that could have gone better, when they flicked and for just half a second nothing happened, and then the feeling of everything shifted and he was thrown upwards. His skull cracked into the ceiling, his body following suit as he essentially fell onto the ceiling. The world below his was spinning and Duncan managed a weak cough, but the air had been driven out of his lungs.
"I was.. talking." He managed to wheeze, frustrated at not being able to do anything. He raised his gun firing off his last shots. He didn't care if he hit, he just wanted to get back on the ground-

"And I'm done talking." Wren says quietly, slamming Snake Eyes back into the floor, just for good measure, before jumping out the nearest shattered window.

Well he'd gotten his wish. Unfortunately the ground didn't exactly welcome him back gently. More like he fell like a ton of bricks.
Duncan just layed there for a few seconds, then gave a heavy sigh. With a groan, he raised himself to his knees, cursing quietly under his breath.

Using a rolling chair in the room as a brace, he moved over to the window. He frowned. Duncan figured he should probably call for backup. Some of his stronger hero friends still owed him a few favors. But.. That just felt like cheating. And that ruined the point of the game.

Duncan summoned his dice again, rolling them around in his hand for a moment, thinking. Then he shrugged, gave a muttered 'screw it' and rolled. Tossing the dice in the air, he made his bet. On a nine or higher, Zero would be summoned back into the room, one an eight or lower, Duncan would.. Probably go unconscious. His energy levels weren't the best today. He caught the dice on their way down and glanced at the numbers. He let out a breath of relief, a five and and a four, just enough to win his bet.

Wren found himselfback in the room and sighs.

"You just don't give up, do you?" he asks quietly, turning to Snake Eyes and staring dangerously at him.

He was done with the hero right now. "I'm am seriously getting fed up with you dragging me back here when I try to escape."

Duncan gritted his teeth, still holding onto the office chair. He seemed wobbly, but he narrowed his eye at them anyways.

"Then maybe stop trying to escape."

The hero wasn't quite sure why he was doing this. It would be best to let them escape, save his energy for a future fight and let someone else deal with Zero. Maybe it was pride.

"We were having a conversation."

"No, you were having a conversation. I'm slowly having a migraine spread its roots in my head." Wren snaps, twisting his hand and increasing gravity by five.