Author's Game Entries

Task 1: A Nerve 'Wrecking' Interview

"Yeah..." He replies slowly with what was almost a proud smirk, but it quickly drops into a sneer as it occurs to him that the older man was mocking him. "Is there a problem with that?" He growls, his tone growing ingdefensive and his eyes flash with a hotheaded anger he has to fight to cool.

Joint-Wrecker seems amused at this. "No, there isn't. I'm sure your pyromaina will be of great use in these games, Mr. Cooper. You'll make a fine a fine pawn to manipulate with all these fire fearers here." He chuckles again, though this time the sound was darker, sounding much more sincere than his previous snickers.

Ajax stands up instantly, his teeth clenched and his fists tight. "What are you saying old man, that I'm a pawn!? Oh no, no, you listen here turdward. This may be your game but I'm not going to be played. So keep your grubby plans away from me or be ready to have your ass burned!!" He exclaims, stabbing a threatening finger in the game maker's direction. The lighter in his hand glints in the half light of the room with his movement, as if it was reinforcing his snarled threat.

Joint-Wrecker seems unfazed by this outburst, in fact, he seemed to have been expecting it. "Au contraire my friend, I highly doubtly you're dumb enough to be played. Although..." His sentence trails off as he glances up to the ceiling, a self-satisfied and amused smirk slowly playing across his features.

Ajax is too too distracted by his anger to follow the man's gaze and he raises an eyebrow contemptuously. "What is it? Can't think of something to say? Too.... Oh."

His own sentence trails off as Ajax finally hears the all too familiar sound, one that sounded exactly like rain does when it is pouring onto an overflowing street. Ajax's eyes widen and his pupils dilate in terror at the realization of what it is, and his head snaps up to look at the ceiling. At the pipes.

Joint-Wrecker's grin grows almost sickeningly smug and he crosses his legs comfortably in his chair. All the pipes filled with water are starting to leak, water spurting out at such a rate that it causes Ajax's face to grow pale. "What's the matter? Can't think of something to say?" The game maker snides, and for a moment Ajax is frozen.

"Make it stop." He hisses when he snaps out of his panic induced breakdown, his anger back again and directed solely towards Joint-Wrecker. As the water starts to soak through his shoes his hand clenches around the lighter so tightly his knuckles whiten. The space being as small as it is, the water is already reaching his ankles by now.

"Aww, what? Don't panic, it's just a little water. Probably just a system malfunction, this just the basement after all so I'm sure this happens all the time. Mechanics will probably get it fixed soon, there's nothing to freak out about." Joint-Wrecker seems to try to sedate Ajax, but his overly calm demeanor isn't helping the boy at all.

"I said make it stop!!" Ajax ignores him, his voice cracking on the last syllable of his exclamation. He hopes it wasn't noticeable over the sound of the water though, and covers it up with a growl. "You have the power to do that, don't lie, just call someone and tell them to fix the leak!"

His hair has started to grow damp by now and the water level has risen to a little below his knees. A sickeningly realistic cracking sound can just barely be heard over the sound of rushing water, like someone else is in the room with them slowly twisting a person's arms around in their socket. The entire thing completely unnerving and Ajax finds he can'tca control his racing heart beat and racing thoughts any longer.

Joint-Wrecker seems clearly amused now, and he sits cross legged in his chair, putting on an air of being completely fine with the water. "How though? I don't have a radio or holoprojector and anything of the sort on me." He holds his hands out as if to demonstrate, his disarming smile doing nothing to hide his entertainment.

"I DON'T KNOW AND I DON'T CARE! JUST MAKE IT STOP!!" Ajax exclaims, all anger gone now, replaced only by fear.

Utterly panicking now, he stumbles onto the slippery chair to get away from the rising water. The snapping sound of bones in the background mingled with the rushing water is just too much for him to keep his composure, his mind completely shutting down and focusing on one thought. They're going to drown.

But as he climbs onto the chair to get away from the water, he also puts himself closer to its source. Ajax quickly grows completely soaked by the water draining from a pipe right above him and he squeezes his eyes shut, desperately trying to ignore it and hold back the sobs that start to wrack his body.

"Just make it stooop! If you don't do anything we're going to drown!" he wails, his voice starting to hiccup from his sobs.

And abruptly, everything does. As soon as he'd utterly given in to his terror it stops; the water from the pipes, the bone snapping, everything. Ajax's eyes snap open in shock and focus on the one source of the change, whom was none other than Joint-Wrecker. The man is standing in the already receding water by a large red valve connected to one of the pipes on the wall, it seems all he had to do was turn it and the holes in the pipes are now clogged.

His expression is sober now and he gives Ajax a curt nod. "Thank you for confirming my suspicions, Mr. Cooper." He says, and he glances over the boy in an inspecting manor before he turns and sloshes towards the door Ajax hadn't even noticed.

"You're excused now, by the way." He states in a matter-of-fact tone before leaving, what is left of the water on the floor pouring out into the hallway beyond as he went.

For the longest moment Ajax just stands there on the chair numbly, his mind and expression completely blank. His brain didn't seem to have the capacity to do anything else but process what had just happened. When a thought finally does manage to surface it isn't an expected one at all, just how ironic it is that the water he so loathes that is covering him is the one thing hiding his tears.

Choking back a laugh, the young teen slides off the chair and slips back down into the damp seat. As he sits there, his eyes eventually fall down to the lighter in his hand and he rubs his thumb over the surface of it, the damp object glinting softly. He looks exactly as he did before Joint-Wrecker had entered, aside from now being completely drenched, and it is almost as if the man had never come into the room.

As the effects of his fight start to fade, Ajax's expression sets into a mask of utter hatred. Not for the pipes nor even the water or his fear of it, no, but a deep growing loathing for no one but Cyris "Joint-Wrecker" Blue.

So he wants to play a game; bring it on. This maniac is prepared for every psychological terror the man could even conceive to throw at him.