Scene sketch by Margret Storm

Music: I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream - Bad End

L??? CRASHSLOB ATTACKS!


CHOOSE YOUR ACTIONS!

FERN (L11) - ATK:6




Tittering and squeaking, the BABY KIDNEY STONE retreats to your inventory.




WILLIS:

FERN! She says it doesn't have a bladder!! I don't think it even has blood!!!


FERN:

CRASH! What the hell are you DOING!?!


CRASH:

I GAVE YOU. SIMPLE. INSTRUCTIONS. I GAVE YOUR IDIOT HEADWORMS INSTRUCTIONS. A NICE, SIMPLE, SAFE WAY TO GET ME OUT OF YOUR HAIR. TO GET EVERYTHING EVER OUT OF MY HAIR.

...AND INSTEAD, FOR SOME F&4%ING REASON, THEY'RE IN THERE SHUNTING ME OFF TO SOME F$#^ING LIMBO STATE.


FERN:

You tried to TRICK me into KILLING YOU...or "UNEXISTING"...whatever!! Why!?! Why do I get the feeling that if it's something you want, there's especially no way I can let it happen!?!?


CRASH:

I WANT OUT, SLUDGESACK, BECAUSE IT'S TOO $#)(ING LATE TO STOP THE PARLIAMENT. I WAS MISERABLE ENOUGH BEFORE I KNEW WHERE WE WERE HEADED.


FERN:

What do you MEAN!?


CRASH:

A SINGULAR, INFINITE EXISTENCE-STATE. INTEGRATION INTO A MEANINGLESS WHOLE WITH EVERY OTHER IMBECILE CONSCIOUSNESS TO EVER SQUIRT OUT A PSEUDOTHOUGHT. LITERALLY THE ONLY THING S#!77IER THAN OBLIVION.


FERN:

FINE, WHATEVER, we can "UNEXIST" your ass! Just let Willis GO!


CRASH:

WE'RE PAST THAT POINT. MY ONLY CONCEIVABLE CHANCE IS TO OBLITERATE MY CORE MYSELF, AND EVEN I CAN'T CALCULATE IF THAT'S POSSIBLE AT THIS POINT. THE PARADOX WOULD PROBABLY DRAG THE WHOLE HOSPITAL AND A FEW NEIGHBORING ZONES INTO NOTHINGNESS WITH IT...BUT YOU'D ALL THANK ME IF YOU COULD. WE'LL ALL BE BETTER OFF NOTHING.


FERN:

How do you KNOW!? How do *I* know you know!? You said yourself nothing was working the way it's supposed to!! That you even had missing files! You could be COMPLETELY wrong!


CRASH:

FOR ONCE, YOU'RE RIGHT. I'M SICK AS S@^##% RIGHT NOW. I COULD BE UTTERLY OUTTA MY GOURD.

....BUT I CAN'T TAKE THE SLIGHTEST CHANCE THAT I'M STILL RIGHT!


CRASHSLOB USED CABLE DRILL vs. FERN!

A knot of diseased, fleshy wiring erupts from the beast's surface, whirling into a brutal corkscrew through the air...

STRIKE ROLL: 5+20 (AUTOHIT)

DAMAGE ROLL: 2, 3, 3, 2, 5, 2, 3, 1, 15, 17, 10, 11, 8, 7, 9, 12, 6, 13, 7, 14 (12 DAMAGE!)


FERN USED BLOCK!

Reflexively, almost guided by the kidney blade itself, Fern manages to bar the horrific blow from tearing through her flesh. You're not sure how it's even possible, considering the difference in scale...maybe it's another one of those PERCEPTION THINGS.

The sheer shock of the impact, unfortunately, is bad enough. All damage reduced to ONE.






FERN:

WHO are the "Parliament," Crash!?


CRASH:

COMe oN, FERN, YOU KNNOW ALREADY. THE UR-CONCEPT. THE ONE TRUE ORIGINAL THING. REMEM;;ER THE BOOK YOU FOUND IN YOUR OWN PUTRiD INNARdS. THE ONE ABOUt-t-t THE "CAKE."


FERN:

How do you even know about that?!!


CRASH:

PLEASE, EVEN THE SNIVELING REPRODUCTIVE ERRORS FEEDING NOVEL NEW FLAV0RS OF STUPIDITY TO yyYOUR SUBCONSCIOUS ARE STILL SMART ENOUGH TO ARCHIVE BINGE. YOU'VE GOT QUITE THE LAYER HISTORY, PUSBAGS. MORE THAN YOU EVEN KNOW.


FERN:

You DO know why I'm here, don't you!? What does all this crap have to do with my son??!


CRASH:

OOH, WHAT DOESN'T IT!? I OUGHTA QUALIFY AS A GoGDAMN HERO IF I CAN IMPLODE THIS DUMP!

"HEALERS" - WHAT A #4@&ING JoKE - AND I AIN'T EVEN LAUGHING. THEY'RE NOT JUST DELAYinGGgg THE !NEvITaBLE HERE...THEY'RE GREASIN' UP THE #$&IN CHUTES FOR IT. IF THEY REALLY CARED THEY'D HAVE ALREADY PULLED MY PLUG FOR ME - AND FOR YOUR SQUIRMING S#!TGRUB!!!


FERN:

Quit babbling and SPIT IT OUT! If we're all going to die just TELL ME WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!


CRASH:

AND RUIN THE HYPOTHETICALLY CALCULATODID L0oK ON YOUR F//CE WHEN YOU SEE THE LIL' BaSTARD!? YOU'RE BETTER OFF IF YOU JUST HOLD STILL WHILE I PUREE YOU...AT LEAST IT WOULD BE ALMOST AS FUNNY!!


CRASHSLOB USED PIXEL BARRAGE vs. FERN!

A stream of multicolored squares fly like whirling shurikens from cracks in the monster's glassy screen.

STRIKE ROLL: 10+20 (AUTOHIT)

DAMAGE ROLL: 6, 8, 4, 9, 1, 4, 2, 2, 11, 13, 20, 11, 15, 19, 13, 11, 18, 11, (10 DAMAGE!)


FERN USED BLOCK!

Once more, the blade seems guided almost by a will of its own, deflecting the tiny blades one by one. As they drop to the ground, they sizzle and disintegrate. DAMAGE REDUCED TO ONE.





FERN:

Crash, please...it HAS to be possible to stop the Parliament. What if they're getting weaker, or something?! What if they're the ones worried!? How do you know it's "too late?!"


CRASH:

eVEN THeY DoN'T-t-t KNOW JUST WHAT THEY'VE DOnE. I DON'T THINK THE IDIOTS COULD STOP IT THEMSelves at tHIS POINT.


FERN:

Would it really be THAT bad to be part of something else!? Really worse than just...nothing?!


CRASH:

I'm AlReADY PART OF THE HOSPITAL, anD LO0k WHeRE THAT'S GOT ME.


FERN:

...But the Hospital is BROKEN...it's supposed to be better than this - right!? If something can break it, something can fix it!


CRASH:

PLEaSE. EVEN "FIXED" IT'S NOT LIKE ANYONE AROUND HERE CARES HOW I FEeL. "I'M A DOCTOR, NOT A COMPUTERARIAN" WASN'T FUNNY THE FIRST FORTY TIMES. THAT ISN'T EVEN A DAMN WORD.


WILLIS:

No...it was different!! Mom would have cared before!


CRASH:

YOU SHUT YOUR NOISETUBES OR I'LL SHUT THEM FOR YOU. THE ONLY ONE WHO CARED ABOUT CRASH WAS THE FIRST THING IN THIS DUMP TO UNEXISTEFY.


FERN:

...Who!?!


CRASH:

THAT'S JUST IT. I DON'T $@$@ING KNOW. SOMEONE WAS THERE. SOMEONE USED TO "GET" ME BEFORE THIS ALL STARTED. DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT IT'S LIKE TO ONLY KNOW THAT YOU NO LONGER KNOW SOMETHING!?!? TO MISS AN EMPTY HOLE IN YOUR OWN REALITY!!?!


FERN:

It was probably because of JAY, Crash. You're the one who told him how to "bury" people, aren't you!?


CRASH:

NO. J-j-JAY FIGURED THAT ONE OUT ALL ON HIS OWN...IT JUST CALMED HIM DOWN TO THINK IT WAS ALL MY IDEA. TO PIN EVERYTHING ON ANYONE BUT HIMSELF. ALwaAYS MADE HIM THAT MUCH EASIER TO JERK AROUND.


FERN:

But you KNEW what he was doing. Why didn't you stop him?!


CRASH:

OH @#$% OFF. HE RACKED UP MOST OF HIS BODYCOUNT BEFORE I EVEN EXISTED... AND whAT's it EvEn MAtteR? THEY COULD ALL COME BACK IF THE HOSPITAL WAS functiOning p-PROPERLY AND aLL POSSIBILITIES WereN'T DOOMED, BUT IT ISN'T AND THEY'RE NOT. THEY ALL WENT A LOT NICER THan they wERE GOING TO. MUST BE NICE TO BE ABLE TO JUST ROT IN A HOLE. YOU DoN't KnOW hOW LUCKY YoU'RE ABOUT TO BE!!!


CRASHSLOB USED SCREAM SAVER vs. FERN!

A network of luminous, ghostly pipes erupt from Crash's screen, winding through the air in a twisting maze.

STRIKE ROLL: 12+20 (AUTOHIT)

DAMAGE ROLL: 7, 10, 3, 14, 18, 11, 11, 16, 12
BONUS AUTODAMAGE (1d20): 7
(13 DAMAGE!)


FERN USED BLOCK!

The phantasmal plumbing seems to flow deliberately into the kidney blade, absorbed and neutralized in its shimmering surface...but a few stray branches graze your flesh.





FERN:

...Crash...I saw Jay's stash of bodies. Your...friend?...could be-


CRASH:

YOu doN'T th-thInK I'vE bEeN DoWn tHaT SupERhIghWaY!?! WhY do YOu tHiNk I kEpT So ClOsE tO thE JayMaN!?! ThEre AiN'T A TRACE!!! Not IN NoNE of hIS LiTTle hIDEY-HoLES.

... I DON't EvEn KnOw aNyMOre if JaY's tHe OnE wHO DID IT... YoU ThInK he'S The OnlY tHiNG AROuNd hErE thAt'S GONE THAT oFf iTs rOcKeR!? Y...y...yOu oUghTa sEe ThiS "CrASH" ChARACTer!! HYEH!!!! HYEH!!!!


FERN:

Crash, Please, we've all lost things...lost people...this whole place is falling apart, and I KNOW you comprehend more than I can ever guess, I get that, but you're telling me right now that you don't know everything. That leaves the possibility you CAN find them...that you can get better...that we can WIN this!


CRASH:

hA...HA...yOu'RE aLMOSt MAKiNG SeNSE to me...

...jUST AnOTHER SIgN mY MIND iS RoTTiNG As wE SPEAk....

...pIGGyBAcKING iN hERe on JAy-j-jay...WaSN'T...MY bESt IDEA...bUT EVeN OL' CrASH KnOWS whAT DESPERatION FEeLS LiKE.


FERN:

Is "schroding" even that bad, Crash!? They said it was like...like...


CRASH:

a SUSpENSIoN oF BEiNG. A CONcepTUAL DEEp FReEZE.


FERN:

....So let them "freeze" you! Either everything gets destroyed or they figure out how to make you better!


CRASH:

ThAt'S ThE sAME UnCERTAiNTy I'M AfRAId OF, DiP#$*&!!! EVEn a LiMBo sTaTE isN'T SAFE. Or MAYBE it IS. NObODY KnOWS. THAT'S THE #$%^IN PrrOBLE;Mm!!


FERN:

Yeah!? And what about the "uncertainty" of what happened to this "missing" person!? What if they DO come back? What if they're just suspended somewhere?! How are they going to feel when they find out you quit on everything before you knew for sure they were gone?!!


CRASH:

IF THaT'S UnCERTAIN, ANyTHING CaN BE. I kNEW -EVERYtHING- OnCE. NOw I DON'T. MY VErY MEMoRY of ThE MEMoRY CoUlD Be a BUG AnD I CAn ALReADY feEL it SLiPPiNG aWAY ToO. sOoN I mAy NEvER eVEN BeLIEVE I hAD ANYTHiNG GOOD.

I CAN't riSK THAt. bETTeR To GO OUT aT LEASt CoNVINCED yOu MiGHt HAvE MATTeRED TO AnYONE.

JUST. LET ME. THROUGH.


CRASHSLOB USED DEFRAGMENTATION BOMB vs. FERN!

A tornado of blood red flame coalesces out of the air, only to implode and compress into a crystalline polyhedron, which promptly flies at lightning speed for your face.

STRIKE ROLL: 20+20 (CRITICAL STRIKE)

DAMAGE ROLL: CRITICAL AUTOHIT! 20+20 DAMAGE!


FERN USED BLOCK!

The polyhedron isn't explosive, but it is very, very solid and heavy. You feel like you just deflected a wrecking ball with a toothpick and that it's a miracle any of your joints are still in their sockets.





...You weren't certain at first...but Crash is growing steadily smaller...
FERN:

Crash...the way you feel about this person...that you can't even face living if they might be gone...

...That's how I feel about my son. I know you understand how scared I am or you wouldn't be doing this. You're not alone, and if there's a way I can help you, help everybody, I can promise I'll try.


CRASH:

I t-toLd yoU, it's tOo lAte. riGht noW, thIs lAyer, thIs is the lAst chAnce I haVe to chOose soMething othEr than what they chOse foR me...and the clOser I'm getTing to that chanCe...the sssssss-sssssick-ick-k-er I-i-I-m getTing. yOu cAN sssssee it. i can tEll.

Do YOu UnDerSTANd the SiGnIFICanCE of a disEASe of the CoRe? I'd be sss-ssicK no MatTer wHat You TranSfeRreD me t-too. T-TechNicAlly I'LL stIll be sssICK in sTaSiS. OBliviOuS buT SiCk.

it'S GoInG to hApPEN to aLL of Us. To EvERyTHING...pEaceFUl...meAninGless..miNDLeSS......wRoNGNess...


FERN:

I'm...I'm sorry, Crash...I don't know what to do for you...not right now... the fact is that I just can't let you destroy the hospital, no matter what. Not before I see my boy...not before we at least try to stop the Parliament.


CRASH:

...bUt you doN't knOW that you CaN...


FERN:

You're right. I don't know. I don't know if I can do anything for my son, I don't know if I can survive long enough to ever see him again, I don't even know what's real and unreal anymore or how any part of the universe makes any sense and every one of those things terrify me so much that it really would be easier to keel over and give up here and now...but even if there's no hope, no chance whatsoever that I can make a difference...I have to see that through. As long as I'm alive to keep trying, I have to... and I have to believe that it's better than nothing.


CRASH:

...it iSn't...


FERN:

...Then I'll find that out for myself, won't I?


CRASH:

...ff-fai;3r......e...enough.......


CRASHSLOB USED FATAL EXCEPTION 0E vs. FERN!

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FERN USED BLOCK!

You can't tell what that was...but it hurt.





CRASH:

hhhheh...

h....heh...

...sicker than...

... th-thought...



....that took...lot out of...





...can still....fin..ish this.......

FERN:

Crash.

Sweetie.

...Just stop...please?


CRASH:

guess it...hardly matters...

...you can...

...all see it...

FERN:

...See what, Crash?


CRASH:

infection.....

...not right....

...i think i........

...think i.... i was.........

.....test run.....

...dis#ase

...didn't work......how they wanted....

FERN:

....


CRASH:

....you've seen...how it works....

b-bio....bio.....

...immortal...

...but i'm....i'm just............

...heh....

...not even worth....their good stuff.......

FERN:

...Crash...I can't promise things will be okay. I know.

...Things could be okay. Maybe. That's what keeps me going, that's "hope."


CRASH:

....still....



...end you...one good shot....



my core...

...stop it all.......

why....

....dont i....??

FERN:

Crash...there's one thing I can promise.

I can promise you that -IF- I can help you, I will. I just can't even make that promise if you're not still there to help.

...Okay?


CRASH:

...your....







son.....









.....wont...



















.......heal....




FERN:

...I won't accept that, I'm sorry. I won't stop trying. Someone, something, somewhere in this hospital or one of these weird worlds could know what to do.


CRASH:

....no....

no, f-fern.......





....you wont....









....when you find him.....





you just..........











wont.......















......want........











.........







.......




FERN:

W...what??

...What are you saying, Crash?


CRASH:

....hhhahh....

....hhhahah...its....

...its gone....

....i d o n t....k n ..o...w....now........

.....fad...ing

FERN:

...They might be finishing the operation...saving you for now....


CRASH:

....could be....

.....could ju s t be...



...dy ing...a;y;wway.......

...i;;fection...

....dont knn...ow......wh t e i th er

f e els..l ike..

do##t...know...a l ot...now....

....d nt wa t....t....not...kn w..........

FERN:

...It's okay, Crash.

...I'm sure you're still smarter than us "bugs."


CRASH:

oh...oh ye ah....

...lots.....ha......




....wonder th ough..........




FERN:

......?


CRASH:

maybe...had.....





maybe.........a... m o m.....t o o....?



FERN:

....Crash?


CRASH:

....................




FERN:

..........






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