6/10 Issue: Don't Poke the Bear (Trap)

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Slarti
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6/10 Issue: Don't Poke the Bear (Trap)

Post by Slarti »

Timelined concurrent to Double Trouble.

Jamie: Jamie bopped along to a song in his head while he danced in circles down the hallways, trying to find a way out. Or a way back to Prime. Who would have a way out, surely. He knew everything. There were no worries in his head about being in the funhouse maze because it was fun. Jamie duck-walked through a short corridor and did a somersault out of the other side, "Woo!"

Anna: Anna was not having fun. She had crashed into so many mirrors she had bruises on her bruises. She was not drunk enough for mirror mazes. This was somehow worse than being in the white room with a corpse and a bawling Jean.

Jamie: Jamie stopped at the entrance to a new section and took in all of the obstacles he could see. Moving floor, moving walls, ping-pongy like section... "I love this place!"

Anna: Anna finally crawled out of the mirror maze and lay on the floor with relief. She was just going to stay there for a while until she got used to seeing things that weren't her face.

Jamie: Jamie hopped on one foot to the end of the moving sections then bounced himself off of the puffy ballasts like a pinball. He tripped right at the end and caught himself before smashing into someone from the opposite way. He blinked down at her face. "Ohai!"

Anna: Anna blinked up at the face for a moment then hugged him around his knees, "You're not dead!"

Jamie: Uh oh. Down we go! Jamie's knees buckled with the hug, but he managed to fall to the side of her by just a hair. "No? I'm alive! Yay!"

Anna: Anna winced as she felled him like a tree, "Sorry!" She let his knees go and sat up, "I can tell Jean the good news."

Jamie: "That's okay!" He sat up and grinned at her, then opened his arms for a proper hug. "Yes, I'm not dead! Jean's not dead! You're not dead! We're all not dead!"

Anna: Anna happily accepted the hug, "Or maybe we're all dead and this is hell..."

Jamie: "...this is pretty danged fun if it's hell."

Anna: "Well it's my hell..." Anna wrinkled her nose, rubbing absently at an elbow bruise. "All this obstacle course nonsense is not fun for someone with my level of clumsiness and no access to her teke."

Jamie: "Oh... yeah, I guess that would suck." He frowned and blew a kiss at her elbow. "All better!"

Anna: She laughed, "Thanks." She looked in the direction he'd come from. "So... that way is a mirror maze from hell," she gestured to where she'd been, "What's that way?"

Jamie: "Another mirror maze?! That's what I came from! ...Is it a giant circle?" Oh, right. "Um..." He looked over his shoulder, "The end of Grease."

Anna: Anna pulled a face, "I think I'll just sit here until whoever is doing this gets bored. Seems safer. If I go that way I'm going to break something... and if I go back that way I'm going to go insane or come out looking like a walking bruise."

Jamie: "I could carry you? Piggyback ride time!" He hopped up onto his feet and turned his back for her to hop on. "We have to make it out together and I want to see what else is out there!"

Anna: "Uh..." she considered her options, "Fine..." with a small roll of her eyes and an amused smile, she got to her feet and hopped up for piggy back time. "Mush."

Jamie: Jamie giggled to himself and galloped in the direction of the only open hallway neither of them had been down. "Yeehaw!" Oh. It was dark. "You don't happen to have a flashlight, do you?"

Anna: "If I hadn't been about to eat lunch I would have my penlight but sadly I am both penlight and doughnut-less." Anna pouted and mourned her doughnut again.

Jamie: "Donut! For lunch?! Nice!" He swallowed and puffed out his chest. Darkness would not prevail! "I'm not allowed to have donuts for lunch... Barely allowed to have them for breakfast."

Anna: "It wasn't my whole lunch but it was the bit I was looking forward to the most... they make this caramel glaze with butterscotch and it's sooooo goooooood." And she wanted it now.

Jamie: "Oooo... That's sooo yummy sounding." He stubbed his toe and yelped, but kept his balance. "I don't like it in heeeerrrrreeee....."

Anna: "Me either...." She rested her chin on his shoulder, "This is one ginger that is definitely soulless."

Jamie: "Ginger? Rogers? Or Gilligan's Island?" His head turned to look at Anna, "Or did you mean the plant?"

Anna: Anna giggled, "Nooo the ginger guy that's supposedly responsible for this bullshit."

Jamie: "Oh! He seems like he may need a good hug and maybe a nap." Jamie stopped moving and tried to reach out to feel a wall. Nothing, sooo that meant safe to turn. Yes? He turned and took a spike to the face. "ARGH!"

Anna: Anna screamed when he screamed, "What?! What happened?!"

Jamie: "Um... Can you call my mom? I think I need to go home now..." He slowly sank to the floor, trying to make sure Anna landed in a safe place, then brought a hand up to cover his eye... socket. "Can... I don't... it hurts," his voice was starting to waver a bit as he tried not to cry.

Anna: Why was it dark?! Anna chewed her lip, "What hurts?" She reached out carefully until her hand was on him then tried to feel around for what the problem was.

Jamie: "Something took out my eyeball? I think..." Oh no... "Class pictures are going to be so bad."

Anna: "We'll get you the best eye patch like a pirate and have a themed class picture..." she assured him, deciding to tear her shirt for something to press on the wound.

Jamie: His hand was getting itchy from the blood drying on it. "Can you see how much I'm bleeding? Mom's going to kill me if I stain my shirt."

Anna: "Can't see shit..." She managed to get the seam to tear and ripped a piece off, feeling out for the right place to put it and apply pressure. "I need you to hold this here, okay?" She put his hand back over the top of the fabric so she could tear more.

Jamie: Where was Prime? "PRIIIIME!" He needed real help! Jamie was slowly starting to panic even as he did what Anna asked of him. "HELLLLP!"

Anna: Anna really wanted her powers to be working... also light. "Well at least your lungs still work well..." that was loud.

Jamie: "We have to get out! We have to leave!" Jamie scrambled to his feet and tried to find his way back to the entrance of the dark maze. "I'M GOING BLIND! HEEEEEEELLLLLLLLP!"

Anna: "Jamie! Sit down!" Anna grabbed blindly for him.

Jamie: SQUELCH! Jamie gasped and gurgled. "A... H..." He slowly reached down and found a human sized bear trap around his torso. "An... it..."

Anna: Anna's fingers found the bear trap and she quickly withdrew them again, somewhat relieved that it was dark. The sounds were bad enough. "Oh, Jamie...."

Jamie: "T..ake.... it... o..ff...?" His knees buckled and he fell to the floor. He choked and coughed, feeling blood coming out of his mouth. "Mama?"

Anna: "I... I don't think I can..." She found his hand instead and took it in hers.

Jamie: "...oh." His fingers twitched in her grasp. "P-prime?"

Anna: She bit her lip, "Sorry... it's just me..." She followed his arm up to his head to gently stroke his hair. "I'll stay with you, okay?"

Jamie: "O...okay..." He coughed and tried to clear his throat. "Am... am I... dying now?" Jamie's breath hitched and his eyes started watering. This wasn't fun anymore.

Anna: "I'm so sorry, Jamie... I wish I could help you..." There was literally nothing she could do. She couldn't even give him anything for the pain.

Jamie: "I just wanna go home," he croaked out then tried to sniffle but it made him cough and splutter blood from his mouth. "C-can you take me home? Or... or to Prime? He can reabsorb me and then it won't hurt..."

Anna: She really wished she could. "I can't move you without help... or my powers..." she gave his hand a small squeeze, "I don't want to lose you..." and she was afraid to move in case of more traps.

Jamie: "I... I can move... m-maybe." He struggled to sit and let out a sharp cry as the trap dug in deeper. "Help.... help me stand?"

Anna: Anna attempted to do so without hurting him more, "I don't know if we should move..."

Jamie: "I-if I'm gonna die... anyway..." He forced himself up. "Y-you need to be in the light." Jamie gave a weak tug on her hand. "I'm... gonna go.. first. If it hurts, I'll catch it."

Anna: Her heart was breaking for him but she was unbelievably grateful for this sacrifice he was willing to make for her sake. "I won't forget this..." she assured him, giving his hand another squeeze.

Jamie: He tried to smile back at her, but stumbled where he had stubbed his toe when they first entered. That was something hopeful. "D-don't worry. Everything will be fine. Mama's waiting..."

Anna: "Yeah, she is..." Anna agreed with him, patting the back of his hand with her free one.

Jamie: There it was! The light! The light at the end of the tunnel! Jamie let out a cheer that gagged him with blood. Grooooss... oh... Oh that was pretty. "An.. Anna... it's... rainbows...?"

Anna: "Yeah, Jamie... it's rainbows.... you can sit down and rest now, okay?"

Jamie: "Prettyyy..." His eyelids fluttered closed, then his eyes started to roll back, causing them to reopen. "Roy G. Biv. Friend o' mine..."

Anna: "Yeah? That's cool..." She had no idea who that was but if it made Jamie happy... She helped him sit, tying to make him as comfortable as possible.

Jamie: "Oh!" Anna had to be in the light! He wiggled and groaned, tugging her weakly. Just a few more feet and she would be outside and safe.

Anna: "I can manage the last little bit..." She wasn't sure if he could, "But I'm not going to leave you alone..."

Jamie: "Out... outside." Jamie coughed and spat the blood that burbled up to the floor, trying to avoid Anna's shoes. He pushed himself back to his feet, "Please."

Anna: "Okay... okay..." She tried to steady him and get him the last few feet into the light. "Nearly there..."

Jamie: Jamie felt the light on his face and smiled. It wasn't the sun, but it sure felt like it. Finally, he let himself sit and relax, but refused to look down at his torso or hands. "Nighty night..." Time to dream. Catch the rainbows. Meet Roy.

Anna: "Night night, Jamie... sweet dreams..." She sat down beside him, taking his hand in both of hers so he could feel she was there until he drifted off.

Jamie: Some time later, Prime stopped in his tracks at the scene in front of him, then looked down at his own body. He didn't feel it. Any of it. And then he turned and retched whatever food he had left in his stomach.

Anna: Anna had been staring off into space but the noise startled her and she shook herself, looking over and spotting another Jamie. "Where did you come from? ...are you okay?"

Jamie: "Just..." He wiped the back of his wrist across his mouth, spat once, then stood, "Peachy..." Prime turned to look at Anna, then steeled himself to look down at his dead body. "I'm getting real fucking tired of people testing different murder methods on me..."

Anna: Anna nodded, putting the dupe's still hand into his lap and getting to her feet. She was shaking a little bit but really she didn't have much to complain about. "It was dark... we didn't see the traps..."

Jamie: Jamie cleared his throat and walked over to Anna, steadying her before pulling her into a tight hug. "I'm sorry you had to deal with that. Thank you for staying with me."

Anna: Anna returned the hug which helped a lot with the shaking from the probable shock, "The least I could do, really... he, uh... volunteered to be a meat shield so we could get back out of the dark..."

Jamie: "Good man." He peered down at his corpse and grimaced, "Fucking bear trap? Really? Ugh." Jamie shook his head and pulled back, keeping a hand on each of her shoulders, and looking her in the eye. "We need to find Jean and my other dupe. They're together. And then we need to find a flashlight and go through there... I feel like it might be the only way out."

Anna: Anna shook her head, looking over his shoulder at the yawning blackness. She didn't want to go back in there.

Jamie: "When we have all of us together, it'll be easier. And we won't go without a light." He gave her shoulders a gentle squeeze. "C'mon. Let's go find them."

Anna: This kind of bullshit was exactly why she'd left the X-Men and signed up with MSF. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath to try and pull herself together, "Okay..."

Jamie: "Atta girl. You've got me now and all of the different me thoughts which means I won't get us killed. We got this. We'll get Jean, my dupe, and a flashlight, then get the heck outta Dodge."

Anna: Anna decided it was time for one of her rationed polos and offered one to Jamie. "I really wish I could do more to help..."

Jamie: Jamie shook his head at the offer, then remembered he had just hurled everywhere and took it. "Thanks..." He grinned at her and lead the way to the Grease-styled carnival funhouse section. "Just stick with me and don't get lost and that'll be a great help."

Anna: "I should warn you in advance I'm probably going to fall over or off something... no teke to catch myself."

Jamie: "I'll catch you instead! I'm pretty good at that."

Anna: She gave him a smile, "Thanks... but I don't mind a few bruises as long as I come out of here in one piece."
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