Max immediately springs in to lie right through her teeth. "Our group is associated with your family. We've been trying to find you, and now that we have, we're getting you out of here." Well, it's a half lie if anything else. Valentina is unconvinced by this but she doesn't struggle for now. The air around the center of the platform is still clean enough to keep her somewhat grounded for a while.
"You're clearly in a critical state of contamination. We have to treat you, miss, before we do anything." Benjamin pulls out his chemistry kit, waiting for your approval. You nod towards Benjamin. He immediately goes to work on making more of that STONE DISSOLVER solvent.
"<span class="mu-s">Huh. Wh</span>y? I've only <span class="mu-s">been here</span> for two da<span class="mu-s">ys. Or was it less than zero?</span>" Valentina talks to nobody in particular. Weird, everyone in this fucking town has a beyond warped sense of time. Guess that's what happens when your brain is replaced with crystals.
"Try asking her questions, Max. Alexis. Luther, even, if you can." You pull off your gas mask and NIGHTVISION GOOGLES and start to trek over to the thick cloud of colorful gas that was only halted by Max's gas clearing grenades. Max immediately rushes over to stop you but Benjamin and Alexis grab her by the shoulder.
"She has to be doing it for a reason." Alexis hesitantly tries to calm down Max.
"She IS doing it for a reason. We'll be here to save here if need be." Benjamin gently rubs Max's shoulder. "She's not going to die. Okay?"
"I-What the actual fuck, Nicole, you know what that's going to do to you, right?" Max whines like a kicked puppy. "I don't- Benjamin would- Please, I don't want you to do this. Don't hurt yourself." <<span class="mu-b">"I don't want to see someone suffer. I know my family does bad things and I want to do SOMETHING to lessen it but-"</span>>
[UNSTABLE] "Yes. But I have to know. See you in a moment. I'll be fine." Without further ado, you step past the threshold, drenching your world view in a colorful kaleidoscope of every color humanity has ever known.
https://youtu.be/X9H41sI96hU - LACK
You are not Nicole.
You are not Adam.
You are not UNSTABLE.
You are not Nicole.
You are not the Admiral.
You are not Valentina.
You are not Luther.
You are not Devin.
You are not-
You are choking on your own blood. Your lungs are seizing with a pain you can not even begin to describe. Your skull feels like it's cracking underneath the strain of your own existence. Existing hurts now on a fundamental level. It's incredibly hard to describe but it's like the gas around you is trying to suffocate more than just your lungs. It's suffocating your thoughts. Your brain. Your emotions.
Yet, somehow, you're not dissolving away. No matter how much gas pours into your body, you keep thinking. You keep existing. Black tar begins pouring out of your mouth as you keep standing in the gas pocket. It hurts. It hurts. God, it hurts. Why are you doing this? It hurts. FuckfuckwhereareyouHello?
