It's not like before. A skip in the sequence, a step (or two, or five) misplaced along the way. Alan-one shouldn't learn about the fight til later, but Rinzler doesn't have to look to know [his user]'s blank horror at this scene. The one-word shout is much too short for more than urgency, but Rinzler knows the tones and patterns that come next. Shock. Revulsion. Disappointment. And resolve.
Rinzler's (seen it) (heard it) (felt it) all before.
A second is eternity, and Rinzler freezes, blade humming close enough to brush against the tacky, red-stained flesh below. The man gasps and blubbers and crawls back; he barely notices. Can barely move. Rinzler's grip is locked around the disk, fluid twist of spine and frame gone rigid. A fractional twitch, not up, but inward. As if he could crawl in on himself, shrink to nothing and disappear.
That would be better.
Chara is speaking. It doesn't help. The softer susurrus through the crowd around goes entirely unnoticed, as does the wail of sirens down the street. Rinzler's focus is ahead.
h-hi dad....
It's not like before. A skip in the sequence, a step (or two, or five) misplaced along the way. Alan-one shouldn't learn about the fight til later, but Rinzler doesn't have to look to know [his user]'s blank horror at this scene. The one-word shout is much too short for more than urgency, but Rinzler knows the tones and patterns that come next. Shock. Revulsion. Disappointment. And resolve.
Rinzler's (seen it) (heard it) (felt it) all before.
A second is eternity, and Rinzler freezes, blade humming close enough to brush against the tacky, red-stained flesh below. The man gasps and blubbers and crawls back; he barely notices. Can barely move. Rinzler's grip is locked around the disk, fluid twist of spine and frame gone rigid. A fractional twitch, not up, but inward. As if he could crawl in on himself, shrink to nothing and disappear.
That would be better.
Chara is speaking. It doesn't help. The softer susurrus through the crowd around goes entirely unnoticed, as does the wail of sirens down the street. Rinzler's focus is ahead.
"User."