14th Inning

[freakinblur]

[Call to the town, filtered to all non-drones. Scout sounds REALLY unhappy, and tired.]


...Guys. Party's postponed. Maybe like tomorrow. 'R Friday. Whatevah. But it will fuckin' happen. Best believe it will.

Agh--! Geez. Can anyone out there set a broken bone? Fuckin' Mayfield.... _{hate this place so goddamn much....} [He starts fading out. The phone is left off the hook.]


---

[MOMENTS EARLIER! Scout returns home from work, and realized he missed the morning's mail since he was too distracted by his hot neighbor in her underwear. He opens it to find an envelope with his name on it, containing a piece of paper with this image on it. He doesn't get it at first, but it doesn't take him long to realize his speed and agility have returned.

He's elated! Soon after Scout can be seen speeding across town in a blur, jumping over everything in his way in spectacular fashion. He's laughing, and mocking anyone who gets in his way. It's all well and good until all of a sudden, it just STOPS with no warning.

In the midst of a double-jump over a set of houses, Scout's legs just give out on him. He falls three stories to the ground and lands with a sickening thud. He's lucky he's not dead, but instead he's got a broken right forearm, a couple of cracked ribs, and probably a concussion amongst the mangled face and copious bruises.]

Comments

[freakinblur.livejournal.com]

[OK just... what.] Ya know? I think I'm ok. Totally fine. Don't worry 'bout it. I'll call Doc.

[thenorthernwall]

[Sorry Scout! She's already back and she has that arm and you better get ready for the most horrifyingly sparkly bone-setting of your LIFE.]

Be brave! It's going to hurt!

[freakinblur.livejournal.com]

[THE SPARKLES

GOD, WHY

He struggles vainly for a moment, trying to argue with her, but good lord she is so strong.]

No, seriously, leggo 'a m-- AUGH JESUS GODDAMN FUCK!

[thenorthernwall]

[Surprisingly, it would hurt more if she wasn't Alex-ified. Just chew on that fact. But Scout's arm is properly set, and she's made him a sling, as well! It knocks her back to normalcy--she had to do the very same to her own right arm not that many weeks ago. Fortunately, this has ended a hug attempt! And she looks... mortified.]

...Scout?

[freakinblur.livejournal.com]

[He's just sitting there. Panting, sweating, and gawking.]


Uh. Thanks?

[thenorthernwall]

...Did I just--?

[freakinblur.livejournal.com]

[Ohgoddon'tsaysomethingstupidshe'llKILLYOU]

Uh. I, uh. I didn't see nothin'.

[thenorthernwall]

[She sneers.]

I felt strange. Did I do anything strange?

[freakinblur.livejournal.com]

[Flexing. Sparkles. Hug. OK that last part was cool. But those other two were scary enough to outweigh it.]

...nope.

[thenorthernwall]

...Good.

[She seems like she's about to move away, but something in her mind clicks when her uniform shifts and CONGRATULATIONS BLU SCOUT you are the recipient of a warm and welcoming Armstrong hug.

...And if those ribs were broken, possibly punctured lungs. Ogod so sorry.]

Well I didn't think Olivier was going to be the one to kill him.

[freakinblur.livejournal.com]

[Phew, ok she - OH DEAR SWEET JESUS, MY INNARDS.

Poor tiny Scout, already broken in so many places today, just sort of makes a whimpery noise in protest. Cracked ribs were already cracked further when Soldier crashed in through the ceiling and landed on top of Scout. At this point, yeah. Punctured lungs.]

_...shit!

I'm laughing so hard. There are TEARS running down my face.

[thenorthernwall]

[A beat, then Olivier RUSHES to the phone! To call a medic! Anyone with proper doctoring skills! Or magic that isn't malfunctioning!]

I think I injured Scout!

this IS pretty epic. XD

[freakinblur.livejournal.com]

[Just laying on the porch.]

_{...fuckin' dyin' here...}

KJSFHJDGKFD

[thenorthernwall]

[She's just staring at him in wide-eyed shock! What the hell???]

No, don't die! It's all my fault!

[BAM, back to normal. And she knows a dying man when she sees one.]

...I'll get a doctor.

[And she goes to do so.]

HTML fail, sorry

[freakinblur.livejournal.com]

[Well he did do a flying fast faceplant from three stories up. It was pretty miraculous that he didn't just snap his neck. Then he had a fistfight with Spy. Then a flying Soldier landed on him. Then he had to run away from a chainsaw-weilding princess. Then there was the Armstrong Hug©.

As she walks by he grabs her pantleg weakly.]

_{H-hey... if ya die here... ya just respawn tha next day fine, right? I don't... no drone doctor... died plenty 'a times, 's fine...}

SCOUT T___T

[thenorthernwall]

[His bravery brings tears to her eyes. She leans down and takes his hand.]

Would you rather just die? I can't let you...

SO MUCH BLOOD! /Heavy

[freakinblur.livejournal.com]

[O-oh god why does she keep doing that. Aaaand there goes his good hand. Oh well.

Dying? Sure, he's done that. BLU's technology is a crazy thing, and he's respawned plenty of times. But he's used taking a sudden rocket to the face, or a sneak attack sticky bomb. Quick stuff. Not, you know, his lungs slowly filling with blood.]

_{Augh. Fuck. ...Yeah. 'S no big.}

[thenorthernwall]

[She didn't injure that hand! She's just... being affectionate. Which is terrifying to everyone, right? But this is ~Armstrong friendship~, and fortunately you will never have to see it again.

She's called for help. If someone arrives to repair his wounds, fine. If not, she gets to be mildly traumatized somewhere under that perfectly even, ice-cold facade.]

[passes-out.livejournal.com]

[After receiving an urgent call from Olivia (http://wristsniper.livejournal.com/3403.html?thread=383051#t383051), he immediately ran out his door and drove to her house. He saw Scout on the porch and ran to his side. He's seen wounds like this before and they never ended well.

Once Ichabod realized the wound, he didn't ask how it was received but instead checked his pulse and put his hands on the his chest to check for the broken rib.]

Scout! Can you hear me?

[He looked up at Olivia.]

How long was he like this?

[thenorthernwall]

[Olivier steps back, arms crossed a bit uneasily.]

He was injured when I arrived, but I may have made it far worse. His arm should be fine, but there's internal bleeding.

Please don't let him die! I could never forgive myself, even if he will come back!

[passes-out.livejournal.com]

[He listens to Scout's chest with his ear to it and finds that the heart seems fine before pulling open the shirt to see the massive bruising.]

He has a broken rib.

[He feels with his hand, pressing along the abdomen to check where the bleeding could be.]

This is going to really hurt....

Internal bleeding needs to be stopped at the source. I will need to move him to the bath tub.

[Yeah, he just noticed the weird angle on Scout's leg and moved to set that first. There will be lots of bruising if it's not already there now.]

He needs proper medical care that I may not be able to give.

Scout? I need you to answer me. I'm here to help you but I cannot if I do not know where you are injured. Heavens is he a mess.

[Nonchalant can't describe his tone. It's pretty much all business.]

[freakinblur.livejournal.com]

[Scout barely notices Crane there until he pokes at the broken ribs. Then he yelps, and the pain brings his mind into focus for a moment.

Suddenly there's a hand around Crane's collar, and Scout's face right up in his. He's trying to focus to see who it is, but doesn't recognize him.]

You... ain't a drone are ya? Look. Just finish... me off. We...respawn, right? In a day, all fine right? I'm used ta this. Died a hundred times. Ain't... nothin...

[He let's go of your collar and flops back over, coughing.] _{'N Christ, do not let her ....touch me.... 's gotten inta....}

[passes-out.livejournal.com]

[His eyes widened then returned to normal quickly from being startled.]

I assure you I am no drone. I am Ichabod Crane.

[He's never encountered anything like it where death is just like any other though coming back from the dead to him was the same as being a ghost.]

If you are referring to the afterlife in some strange manner, I suppose it is possible though highly frowned upon.

[Oh did he have a ton of questions now.]

I'm sorry, are you asking me to...k-kill you?

[That wasn't a first time he was asked that but it was the first time he's heard it here.]

[freakinblur.livejournal.com]

No, BLU company... all part 'a the job, right? Die all the time. Respawn. Ain't nothin'. Can't stay dead... I got a contract. [He manages a strangled bitter laugh before he starts coughing.]

Yeah, I am. What, ya scared? [devilish grin]

Upstairs. [He waves his non-broken hand in the direction of the house behind him.] Pistol in tha desk drawer. _{Don't let... make sure Ai ain't around, awright?...Just a kid....}

[passes-out.livejournal.com]

I am not scared.

[He put on a brave face for that one. He did as Scout asked and moved upstairs to retrieve the pistol. It looked very odd to him but he figured it out fairly quickly that the barrel slides back with a few moments of study. It seemed very futuristic to him but practical at the same time.

He checked all the rooms before he came back down. Mercy killings happened in the battlefield all the time when the situation was too hopeless and he's seen it happen before. He came back down with the pistol on his back held by the belt.

He felt as if he was being tested on many levels. Not only through his moral beliefs which cried out "Don't do it" there was the part of him that knew that Olivia was watching but the injuries were too great to handle by himself. Patching up the guy was fine. It was the lack of painkillers, the lack of surgical tools and the lack of the proper facilities that had him thinking all over again that he could be pegged for murder without justification should this be discovered.]

Are you absolutely certain that you will return from the dead after this? Once the trigger is pulled, there is no turning back on both sides, on mine and yours.

[He needed the affirmation for himself which seemed very strange and new to him and coming back seemed very unlikely in his mind. Then he thought of the internal bleeding. He's never known anyone to survive that.]