EPILOGUE: WARRIORS OF JUSTICE

[strangerpeople]

WARRIORS OF JUSTICE


Conversion is complete...but the virus-

Probably just it's shell. Quick! Reverse the polarity and turn everyone back to normal size! We need to ask them how they did it - and try and stabilize the girl genius!

[Another bright light, but this time, also, the feeling of being squished by gravity as your ears pop. Soon enough, the forms become much clearer - and smaller. Soon enough, the sensation stops - and shouting from vaarious doctors and soldiers can be heard outside of the EPCOT and Diatron-15.]

The virus--!!

Look at the size of that thing!

Stand back, stand back! Let the micronauts have air!

[The shorter of the two men steps forward, and begins to wave their arm.]

Diatron-15! Welcome back! It appears you brought that nasty illness with you, but it can't harm anyone else now, at least! However, we need to find another way to stabilize the girl genius - you took so long her organs began to fail!

Don't worry, though, we will compensate you as promised! Please, please come out so we can put you through a check-up and decontamination! Then we can take this virus in for study!

[Ha. Ha. Hahahaha...

Well, congratulations. You are alive and back to normal size.

Also, those who have powers from before this journey will find they are back.

...

So, what now?]

Comments

[backuphero]

[He might be trembling a little bit but he has Vita to hold on to, so it shouldn't be too visible.

C is really a god.

C is really mad at him for thinking about dying as an acceptable loss.]

I mean, at this point I don't think I've got a choice except for "live", you're all... really determined to make sure I don't die....

[He's touched, and it probably showed in whatever that wobbly thing was that his voice did as he said that.]

[losergod]

[ He sure is, buddy. You probably saw him possess this guy, hahaha. ]

Even if you die, I will take your soul data and cram it into another body. I'm not going to let that happen. And if you do something dumb to kill yourself, I'll make sure it's an awful body you'll hate.

[ Okay, he's probably lying about that. He wouldn't do that to him. But he's trying to make a point. He cares, okay.

And this is how he shows it. ]

[backuphero]

To try and escape the burden my family was handed with that whip? That's not the act of a brave man. Sure, everyone's convinced we can find a way around it, but... if we can't, we can't. I shouldn't have tried to get around it. I shouldn't have... my father did what he did for a reason, and it's bad enough that I can't live like he wanted me to, but to try and escape his fate by way of some cheat from another world....

bc let's get c angrier

[theserpentsmiles]

I want an end to dragging people from other worlds in to solve your problems.

[He's pissed. He's tired. He's upset. He's dangerous, right now. Nagisa doesn't really care if they want to watch other worlds' dramas play out for fun or vacation in them or whatever, but this is over the line. Way over.

C might get the feeling something very personal is motivating the sheer level of spite in Nagisa's tone. Maybe he heard Nagisa's issue. Maybe he knows at least some of the people responsible for this mess are going to be very dead soon.]

[losergod]

[ He overheard enough, that's for sure. And he's just as pissed. ]

Agreed. Taking people from their homes, their families, their lives... sure, people like me are fine, but even I had a daughter. I had people to take care of. Everyone is a person to be valued, and you all treat people like they're disposable.

Even Miss Ivy. You just place more value on her and don't want her to die. She's "useful" because you're all lazy.

[theserpentsmiles]

There's got to be a way to make this right. It's better for you and safer for this world if things change.

[losergod]

[ Sorry to interrupt but. ]

I can certainly help convince them. In fact, I'm trying right now, but if that fails, well, the group of us are more than capable. You deserve that chance.

[illusionarymelody]

[Vita decided to come by and see how Ivy is and hears this.]

I'd be glad to help as well. With my magic back I can force them to see reason if need be.

[theserpentsmiles]

[Vita gets a couple of brother-in-laws out of this arrangement.]

It was pretty rough for a while.... [Jonathan wasn't sleeping. He never wants to see him like that again, he - he'd looked like he was dying.] ...but Jonathan is really strong, you know? There's no way he'd have broken. I might've, without him.

I think...if Commander-san had tried to frame anyone else, we'd have had more trouble getting rid of her. He was amazing, during all of that. [Concussed and yet still fighting as hard as he could....he really is like Terasaka in some ways.]

[illusionarymelody]

[She has no problem with that. She likes both of them too.]

I know he's an amazing man. I knew that from the moment we met. But I also know that even the strongest person needs others to confide in.

And Marie should be glad she has gone missing. I'd gladly bring her back just to kill her again for trying to frame him and for lying to Akira and tricking me.

[strangerpeople]

But what about other worlds? They have Project Diatron help them too, what with the Space Jail...

[strangerpeople]

Yours was aid against...Noise, was it? Also, should we find the main cause, we will place him in Space Jail!

[theserpentsmiles]

[Nagisa still hates the first motive. And now it reminds him of his 'price' for agreeing to this whole disaster - there's anger like sharp fangs and sneaking scales.]

If it helps at all, this was the second time she's died. [He'd still love another shot at her throat.]

...She tricked me, too. The girl she offered me - she's not dead. I only thought she was. But at least Commander-san was smarter than the people who brought us all here in the first place.

[He's getting worked up again....he has to control himself. The doctors here are incompetent, but it doesn't seem like they're actually responsible for this mess. He shouldn't kill them.]

[ichbindereinzelganger]

You would help me? I don't know if I wish for force to be used, though...I don't want any more people harmed on account of me.

[illusionarymelody]

[Vita smiles at that. Ivy seems like such a nice person who doesn't deserve this either.] I would and no harm will come to them. It's a matter of telling them to do it and the magic makes them unable to say no to me. For now you should rest and get better.

[backuphero]

[And Jonathan, for his part, is just awkwardly trying to hide his face against Vita's hair. What can still be seen is bright pink. Being praised - being talked about like this, being cared about and having people openly talk about it in front of him - is weird. It's not like he's done anything that didn't just... need doing, that should have been done by somebody and probably would have if he hadn't been there to do it.

At least, that's how he sees it.]

Never thought I'd think Red was smart about much of anything, but... well, it's not the strangest thing that's happened to me today.

[backuphero]

[HE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT HE WAS SEEING???]

I'm - I'll do my best to stay alive, all right? Can't make any promises, there's a war on, you know.

[It's a joke, albeit a bleak and sarcastic one. But the bitter smile that accompanied it softens once the words are out.]

I mean it. I'll do my best to keep living.

[losergod]

With all due respect, if you were actually thinking of other worlds, you would revise your methods of "volunteering" people. I'm willing to still work with you because I have an entire afterlife of nothing to do and you're all clearly morons that need an actual smart person around, but you need to not rely on Miss Ivy alone, and you need to seriously reconsider your program.

Besides, Miss Halley would probably be able to make the need for your project obsolete. Take the compouds she produces and find a way to reproduce them, and you can cure whatever ills anyone has. I'm sure she'd be willing to give you all a sample.

[losergod]

If you die in a war after this I'm going to punch you, you Texas moron.

[ Gosh!!! ]

[illusionarymelody]

[Jonathan better get used to this because Vita plans on showering him with praise very often and has a tendency to not tolerate insults to people she cares about. And she's just going let him hide himself in her hair because to her it's adorable and she has plenty of it.]

It just says something about how stupid these guys are.

[illusionarymelody]

[With Ivy taken care of, Vita is going to find one of those doctors for a quick chat. Preferably the one who seems slightly more intelligent.]

Would it be too late for me to change what my compensation would be? I don't remember what I asked for though.

[And Vita is saying this in a very sweet and charming sounding voice with a cute smile like she's totally ready to seduce if needed, or she can just use magic to convince them.]

[crouching_sin]

[Vita...]

Let's try not to resort to that. If I can be given a little time to do some background reading, I'm certain I can come up with a compelling argument to let them find a solution. At the very least, demanding this much work of you certainly violates some sort of human rights law.

[theserpentsmiles]

[Praise is important, and seeing this display... Nagisa quickly determines Jonathan needs more of it. Maybe not right now, but in general. He doesn't have gentle (if slimy) tentacles like Korosensei, but maybe he can pass on some of that feeling.]

At least she knew offering to revive Korosensei wouldn't get to me. I can't believe they got me with that.

[There's a note of disgust in his voice, both at the people responsible for all this and at himself.]

[illusionarymelody]

[And now it's Vita's turn to start clinging a bit too much to Jonathan. All this talk of the motive she fell for is starting to get to her.]

You at least had the sense to not act on it. I'm sorry that I did not.

[backuphero]

Hey. I said I mean it. I know everyone here came back, but... it's a hell of a way to learn people care if you live or die, something like this, but I think I finally got the lesson.