Into the Black: Epilogue

[bring_a_sponge]

A silence falls over sublevel C, broken only by the occasional clatter of falling debris, and the quiet chatter coming over the MiB comm, as the surviving Men in Black escape from the DeNeuralyzation Room upstairs and fan out to see just how bad things are.

Well, they sure aren't good. But the destruction of N, Y, T in the shooting gallery has left the Oil for dead, apparently everywhere else in the Headquarters.

That wasn't supposed to be how the Oil worked. But then, Zed thinks, MiB got most of its data about the Black Oil from those same Agents.

He looks around what's left of the gallery, and of Marvin, and then finally the rest of his team.

A long pause.

"I'll say this much for Milliways."

"The place is a fucking nuthouse, and always will be."

"But the people there know how to kick ass like nobody else."

Comments

[sime-channel.livejournal.com]

Suzi would like to protest that she didn't do jack. She really would. Alas that the PSD has totally caught up with her, so the Sime is busy feeling her body splay out across several thousand miles and is rather understandably throwing up.

She'll be at that for a while.

[captainryan.livejournal.com]

Ryan's still busy hacking and coughing at the awful stench permeating the air. Breathing through his mouth isn't helping much, but he absolutely refuses to join in with Suzi.

But he will kneel next to her, one hand holding her hair back as she retches. They were just eaten. He doesn't mind staying still for a moment or three.

[sime-channel.livejournal.com]

She's grateful for the hair assistance. She can barely keep her body together while she vomits* and would really like someone to reunite reality with itself. Getting rid of the pygmy weresheep clowns would be nice, too.

*Her body is not really going to fall apart. It just zlins that way.

[captainryan.livejournal.com]

Perhaps if Ryan could see them, he'd be able to help. It's not hard to imagine who would win a fight when it's werewolf vs. weresheep, even if the sheep have the added terror* of being clowns. Alas, all he can do is rub her back and wait for her to stop.

After a time, long enough that his nose is finally desensitized to the smell, it seems she's stabilized somewhat. He ducks his head down so she can see him without moving too much. "Can you walk?" he asks gently, still moving his hand in slow circles. "Or do you want me to carry you?"

She asked him along to protect her, and he let her get PSD and be eaten by a huge alien worm. He's feeling guilty.

*Mun's phobia, not Ryan's.

[gone_byebye]

Ray beams, and drips, and beams some more. "We do our best, sir," he says. "Now if you'll excuse me, I've got one more thing to look for before I go in search of some serious beer. Dibs on any remaining unbroken teeth!"

[doc-venkman.livejournal.com]

Peter slipped from the gunk, and got knocked around from the falling worm. And his stomach felt very empty, having already puked from the OMG WTF IS THAT SMELL of unipod blood and guts.

So there was just a shakey thumbs up from where he was lying on the ground.

"Hurray for our side. Can we go home now?"

SLUMP! And he's out for the count for the moment.

[wheelsy_sheriff]

Bill finally picks himself up off the ground, now covered in dead Oil and worm muck. He stares at the tiny gun in his hand and walks over to Zed and hands it to him.

"Less recoil on the alien guns my ass..." He mutters walking past Zed and limping slightly, "Think I broke my ass..."

[gammagammahey.livejournal.com]

Meanwhile, Jen's stuck on top of Marvin's head for a few minutes, looking around for a square foot of floor that isn't covered with slime, guts, Oil, body parts, and other viscous unidentifiable substances. She turns, and can make out two beslimed figures crawling out from the remains of Marv, and breathes an audible sigh of relief. The thought of good people dying in this place had that tight feeling at the back of her throat, the feeling that takes years to go away.

"This place? A slip and fall class action lawsuit waiting to happen," she calls out to no one in particular.

She finally sights a cleanish patch of floor thirty or so feet away, and leaps, landing on both feet.

Jen does what comes naturally, after fighting non-stop on teams for so long: status check. She turns slowly, looking around, taking silent inventory.

"Zed? Is everyone here? Is everyone okay? Where's Steph? Where's Goldy?"

[3rdtimelucky.livejournal.com]

At about this time, Goldy comes sliding down into the carnage from the Landing Bay, on one of Steph's de-cel cables. She's still covered in bug juice.

"Jeez. It looks and smells like the shit actually hit the fan down here."

"What did I miss?"

[bring_a_sponge]

Zed has just finished doing a status check himself. "Everyone here and accounted for, Jen. Goldy there, Steph there, and....well, hard to miss Maxwell in that."

"Team Alpha on their feet," Zed casts a concerned look toward Suzi. And then, seeing Venkman, he adds "OK, on their feet, figuratively. And Team Omega still holding the line."

"And the surviving Agents are out of the DeNeuralyzation Room. They're upstairs now, securing the area."

"What's left of it, anyway."

Yeah. Fowler Schocken Insurance of Regulus IX is just going to love this claim....

[captainryan.livejournal.com]

Ryan, with Suzi in his arms, is making his way towards Zed. The Sime is suffering from psychospatial disorientation, so Ryan's trying to move slow and steadily. Also, this helps to prevent him from slipping in the various oozes that cover the ground.

"Zed," Ryan calls when he's close enough to be heard. "Do you have any water?"

[bring_a_sponge]

Zed's look of satisfaction turns to alarm at the sight of--.

"Suzi!"

Gesturing for Ryan to follow him, Zed walks back into the command center room and breaks open a small cabinet to one side. He pulls out several containers of bottled water and a large first aid kit.

[sime-channel.livejournal.com]

"Psychospatial disorientation." She manages to croak, "I'm not hurt, I'm just falling apart at the laterals and hallucinating and I threw up a lot. 'M sorry I was so useless."

Heading back

[bring_a_sponge]

K takes over at the command center, fielding the confused and angry messages coming in from the other Men in Black, who are now fanning out through the headquarters. That frees Zed to round up the Alphas and Deltas--at least those present and accounted for--and give them an escort back to the Front Door and Milliways, where drinks--and showers--await.

At the Door, Zed stops to shake everyone's hand. "Can't thank you people enough. K and I'll be along in a while. We'll have a night with drinks on us, just as soon as we kick a few asses around here and start getting the bureau back on track."

"And don't worry about Venkman. We'll drop him off later, once he's awake and we've had a chance to de-slime him."

Re: Heading back

[renegade-enzo.livejournal.com]

Matrix watches with a relieved look as the others returned.

"Frag, looks like you guys had fun."

Re: Heading back

[mendanddefend_archive]

"Oh my code."

Bob stares at the Alphas and Deltas as they drag themselves back into the bar. They're covered in garbage, viscera, and Black Oil residue. Venkman's unconscous; Suzi isn't, but looks like she'd rather be; everyone else looks utterly exhasuted.

Part of him is thinking I should have been there. I should have been on the front lines with everyone else. That's what Guardians are supposed to do.

Another, rather louder, part is thinking I am SO glad I was back here instead.

Re: Heading back

[maxwellsdemon02]

"If this stuff doesn't wash out, I'll give you my laundromat and hair care bills," Duo says, dripping on the floor a little.

"And you need to hire some new techs, if they couldn't get in that mech of yours, Z. It runs like a dream."

Re: Heading back

[bring_a_sponge]

Zed ponders. "Tell you what, Maxwell. You come back here and teach my techs how to give that mech proper maintenance, and I'll let you have access to it whenever you need it on missions."

"...'Course, I might have a mission myself for you now-and-then. With compensation..."

Re: Heading back

[gammagammahey.livejournal.com]

Jen pauses at the Front Door.

"You're kicking us out? Usually people complain and want us to stay around for clean up. You know that I can take care of this rubble faster than any of your people, right? Unless you've got someone really strong up your sleeve."

She's almost loathe to leave; it's almost been relaxing.

Not to mention all the cool tech, gadgets, and aliens she wants to see.

But that might have to wait.

Re: Heading back

[bring_a_sponge]

Zed shakes his head. "You people have already done more than your part. We'll leave the clean up and reconstruction to .... some of our friends from out-of-town."

And as if reading her mind, Zed adds, "Don't worry, Walters. You want another look at the place, I have a feeling there'll be another mission or two we could use your help on."

Re: Heading back

[wheelsy_sheriff]

"I think I'm gonna have to burn this uniform." Bill mutters as he heads for the door, taking a tentative sniff at his shirt. He wrinkles his nose and stops by Zed. "Zed, s'been...crazy. Really, really fuckin crazy." He bows his head and shakes it then looks up, claps Zed on the shoulder and smirks, "Call me if you want to do it again sometime."

Re: Heading back

[bring_a_sponge]

"Count on it," Zed replies. "Couldn't have done it without you, Bill. And let us know if we can ever help you."

Zed might have added something like, "Sorry about your ass," but there's just no way to say that without being horribly, horribly wrong.

Re: Heading back

[alwaysroomforhope]

"Sure," Steph says absently, drifting towards the door with less than her usual focus. Maybe she should talk to Zed...

... later.

And somewhere nearby.....

[bring_a_sponge]

...a troupe of annelid worms are enjoying a long-overdue evening in the hot tub back at their swingin' bachelor pad.

Martinis with extra olives all around.

Because nothing says, "We lived through the Black Oil attack on the MiB HQ and scored every spare box of cigarettes they had in the place!" like a night in a hot tub.

Re: And somewhere nearby.....

[3rdtimelucky.livejournal.com]

A tipsy chuckle sounds out from the far side of the jacuzzi.

"Quit it, Neeble!"

Having successfully thwarted another predatory worm advance, a very clean Goldilocks eases back into the bubbles and closes her eyes contentedly.

No, she didn't head back to Milliways quite as obediently as everyone else, but there were MiB caliber shampoos and conditioners at stake! At least, that's what she'll be telling Steph...