makingthisupasigo | And the stars look very different today...

It was a way out. But it wasn't home.

Truthfully, after Norfinbury, anything would be better than that place, but the cold truth was--there was no way to find his own universe out of the endless multiverse, even if Norfinbury's busted technology had worked properly. He was stuck, here, with a megalomaniac Flynn--granted, a Flynn that managed to open up a portal out of there. Maybe that's what it took to get out of Norfinbury.

Or, Peter thought sometimes on bad days, Norfinbury only released you once you became the twisted version of yourself it wanted you to be. A specially-designed virus inflicted on countless worlds.

Besides, he ought to know something about that.

He didn't stay long on earth, he couldn't. Maybe it had something to do with the mystery of how they were revived in Norfinbury, their bodies recreated or cloned or healed, or maybe it was something that was gonna happen to him anyway, but he could feel the Light burning inside him, inside his head almost as soon as he landed. A desperate need to take to the stars. He'd managed to create a ship and took off.

Time passes, and scientists notice something odd about several exoplanets they're monitoring, especially ones marked as 'earth-like' or other planets in zones that could make them potentially habitable. Bright bursts of light and changes in the composition of the atmosphere or surface, it was inexplicable. Possible evidence of intelligent life? If they didn't know any better, especially with the rocky planets that now somehow boasted extreme changes, it was like something was terraforming them.

There was cause for alarm when Mars suddenly turned blue and green a few months later.

Meanwhile, a small blue-and-orange ship that looked suspiciously like a slightly more organic-looking Milano was racing towards the earth.

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He tries to move, to do something, anything, but all he can do is wheeze helplessly, his body refusing to obey as Jake grabs his wrist and pins it above his head. Ezekiel manages one last pleading look

no please don't

and then the hammer hits with a horrific breaking sound and Ezekiel screams, raw and soul-churning and pure pain. Tears spring to his eyes and he gasps for air, the shock like a stab to his face and Stone is doing this to him.

Stone is really doing this to him.

There's nothing but anger on Stone's face. He's remorseless, Jones deserves this.

He deserves more, really, he's getting off lucky.

Jacob swings the hammer again and again, aiming to destroy his fingers. And then he attempts to do the exact same process on the other.

He aims to be thorough.

Ezekiel's screams fill the hall until his voice breaks down into strangled noises that eventually die down into pained whimpers. He's curling up on the ground, unable to look at his hands or Stone, unable to grasp or comprehend what just happened.

The pain is unbearable, almost dragging him down into the relief of unconsciousness but not quite. He presses his forehead into the ground, drawing in pained breaths through his teeth, trying not to move his hands, he can't move his hands and he doesn't want to see, doesn't want to know and please, please, this can't be real, he needs this to not be real.

"Nngh--"

He's trying to speak, to say something, but his voice won't obey him beyond the soft, shocked gasps of pain.

Jacob doesn't react to Ezekiel's cries of pain, his screams, his pained whimpers.

Not yet.

He'd remember this, however. This moment would be burned into his mind.

When he's done, he tosses the hammer away, and it hits the ground with a clatter.

"That's justice, Jones," Jacob sneers. There's no trace of regret, in fact, he seems rather triumphant. "That's what you get for betraying us all!"

Stone's voice cuts through the fog in his head and it's not him, it's not him, this isn't him. Jake would never do this to him. Jake just did this to him.

"D-didn't--" he forces out and is that really his voice? "Didn't..."

His fingers try to curl instinctively and then another hot, searing pain shoots up from his hands right into his skull and with a soft groan he slumps, his body going slack when unconsciousness brings him a temporary reprieve, tearing him away from the pain and horror of it all.

Ah, man, he passed out. Oh well. He'd be in plenty of pain later.

Jacob looks at him, still nothing registering on his face. He looks over for Flynn, wondering if he would be proud of what he'd done.

"Got a place to lock him up?"

Flynn tsks, a little disappointed that it's already over but looking quite pleased at the outcome nevertheless. "Now will you look at that. Can't even take his punishment like a man."

He shrugs. "Guess that apology will have to wait. But yeah, I got just the place. Well done."

There's a part of him that's proud that Flynn said well done. After all, Flynn was ensuring that justice would be done, and he was glad to be a part of it.

He bends down to haul Jones up and lean him against himself, not bothering to mind his injuries. He was passed out anyway, and if he was in more pain later? Good.

"All right, jus' lead the way."

Flynn smiles briefly at the way Stone just pulls Jones up. Oh, that's gonna hurt. Too bad the thief is out cold but that's definitely leaving its mark for later.

"This way." Walking ahead he leads Stone to the dungeon cell. "We'll leave him here for now."

Does Jones need medical attention? Flynn doesn't think so.

Jacob dumps Ezekiel unceremoniously on the dungeon cell floor. Does he, in fact, need medical attention?

Probably. But that was Flynn's call to make, not his. What did he care if Jones got help? The pain was supposed to remind him of his treason.

But...well...something felt a little wrong.

"Do...do we need to leave water or food or a blanket or something?"

Flynn looks at him strangely. "How is he gonna drink it?"

Then his face lights up because how is he gonna drink it? Excellent! "You're absolutely right! That's the kind of punishment we need!"

He waves a hand, conjuring up some food and water for Jones after all. "That's gonna make him think twice about betraying Earth."

"I...I didn't exactly mean that, but..."

That wrong feeling seems to be a lot worse.

But Flynn had a point? He guessed? It still seemed to sit strangely in his stomach.

"And a blanket. Don't forget the blanket."

And the stars look very different today...

cw broken bones

cw broken bones, my destroyed heart's fluttering ashes

cw broken bones, there's no good in the world

cw broken bones, all is lost

cw broken bones, broken hearts

cw broken bones, broken souls

cw broken bones, broken dreams

cw broken bones, broken spirits

cw broken bones, broken everything

cw broken bones, broken everything x infinity plus one

cw broken bones, that's what you thought

cw broken bones, sobbing