2023-03-10: Tug of War
- Cutscene: 2023-03-10: Tug of War
- Cast:Sayla Mass
- Where: Villa Mass, Continental Europe
- Date: 10 March, 0097
- Summary: It was just an evening swim. CW: Cosmic Horror, Attempted Drowning
As the summer warmth faded, Sayla finished a lap of the heated pool before moving to rest on her back. She looked up at the sky, at what stars that weren't obscured by the Orbital Ring. The space where the rainbow had been was blocked tonight.
But was the rainbow the important part? The Miracle had occurred, at the cost of so many. But Amuro was back now- wherever 3G had moved him to recover. She got the occasional update.
Was the miracle of 4 years ago still important? Sayla closed her eyes as she considered the question. Now new miracles were happening. Saving Akane, Guy's purifications, Banagher and his Unicorn...
Sayla let out a breath as she let her mind wander and relaxed her walls a little.
'I can see you' MAiinseeMtirnAe 'uoy ees nac I'
Dark purple hands burst from the water, the pristine, lit pool becoming a pool of darkness. Her eyes bolt open and above her- and the sky is dyed rose madder.
A hand covers Sayla's mouth as she tries to cry out as more and more try to grab her and pull.
MINE
The sky gets closer, and from it, a giant red hand twists out and reaches backwards to start to enclose Sayla and crush the smaller hands-
Mine.
But the little hands that are crushed are replaced fourfold, as every exposed part of Sayla is grab and pulled down.
MINEMINEMINEMINE
She tries to thrash and escape, screaming into the hands that cover her. She feels her body start to submerge- but the giant red fingers stop her falling as they close around her, replacing everything with red.
Mine.
A hand covers one eye. She can't even move now, the pressure from the hands crushing her. Smothering her. Drowning her. She can feel water rushing out.
'Leina!' Her mind screams, the only part of her not constrained by the hands. She hopes not constrained. "Judau! Roux!' She screams, as the red hand tightens and tightens, the purple ones refuse to simply be destroyed, digging into Sayla's flesh. If they can't have all of her, they'll tear into pieces rather than let anyone else.
'Amuro!' She screams, as the two forces refuse to let go of her. 'Big Brother!'
Mine. Mine. Mine. LittleRETHOMSister ENIMENIMENIMENIM
Sayla woke up in the living room, still in her bathing suit, wrapped in a blanket and in front of the fire place. Who had fished her out? Leina? Knight, maybe, to carry her up here? Buer was next to her, standing watch over her. She reached a hand up to pet the cat, then reached for her phone.
She called a familiar number.
"It's Sayla. I need that thing ready by tomorrow. We're out of time."