Orion: part 6
James
So M.M., you're letting children in here now?
Mother Mother
What can I say, he may be a kid, but I owe him.
The kid did some "favours" for me a while back.
Can't turn him down when he's offering to kill the Detective that's been ruining my business.
Caroline
I thought you said this place would be safe.
James
And I thought that it was…
How have I ruined your business?
I saved it from being closed.
Mother Mother
And I repaid you for that, but you have to realize having a detective around really deters my more…profitable customers.
I deal in information, but no one is willing to exchange any of it here while a gumshoe's loitering around.
They're all worried you're just waiting to catch them in the act.
Just having you here discourages people from coming in!
Caroline
Wow, you seem really popular
James
Haha. Not the time.
So M.M., what do you owe this kid?
Poor Man's Poison
I've been performing jobs for Mother Mother for years now!!
Ever since I got Orion, the world exists as it does because I let it!!
My power lets me trap anything!!
I could poison the very water we drink, the very air we breathe if I wanted to!!
There is no limit to my power!!
Just make my job easier and surrender, detective!!
James
(For a kid, he's got an awfully big mouth on him…)
(He knows he can be this condescending as well, it's not like we'll attack a child…)
(He must've been panicking since he decided to show himself, otherwise we wouldn't have hesitated to attack his Manifesto.)
(How are we gonna–)
Caroline
Pst, Detective, I'm gonna punch him.
James
HUH?!?
Caroline
SHH!!!
(whispers)
I'll lose my chance if you scream like that!!
James (Whispers)
Well I'm sorry, most people don't normally think about punching children!!
Caroline (whispers)
What's the issue?
This is the assassin that was sent after us, isn't he?
We saw his Manifesto appear behind him!!
We tried punching him before, what's so different now?
James (whispers)
Before, we didn't know he was a child!
This changes everything!!
Caroline (whispers)
You can work on your plan, I'll work on mine.
James
So, "Poor Man's Poison," how do we know you're Orion?
How do we know your not just some kid who heard about these names from eavesdropping
Mother Mother
C'mon now, don't be like that Detective.
I've hired this kid before and he's done all of the jobs I've asked of him!
This kid's the real–
Poor Man's Poison
It's fine Mother Mother, he wants to hear it from me, not some random bozo who betrayed his trust!!
So James Spectre, how could I prove it to you?
James
Well, for starters…
Lyra's fist starts emerging
James
…You could tell us who hired you to kill us.
Caroline stops for a second and looks at James
Poor Man's Poison
Ha…hahahahahahaha!!!
Man, that's funny!!!
You guys are so fun!!!
James
…
Poor Man's Poison
…
Oh…
Oh!
You're being serious here!!
Well, I guess you're gonna die soon anyways, so it won't really matter!
He's a doctor uptown…
I get the sneaking suspicion you know who I'm talking about…
James
Yeah, I think I do.
Thank you Poor Man's Poison.
Can I ask you to show us your Manifesto?
Until you do, we'll have no proof that it's really you.
Poor Man's Poison
Hmmm…
I guess you're right…
And it's not like you'd hit a child!!
I mean, you must know after seeing my Manifesto in action that anything you do to it we'll be reflected on me as well!!!
Ok, I'll honour your last request and kill you with my Manifesto.
Orion, make it fun.
Orion emerges
James
Huh, so it really is you then.
Would it be a stretch of the imagination to say this whole place is one of your traps?
Poor Man's Poison
Who knows, why don't you try leaving?
Caroline starts reaching for the door
James
Doc, stop.
Caroline
?
Why?
What's the worst that could happen, I could just break it down with Lyra if it's locked.
James
We both know it's locked, that isn't the problem.
The problem is what's waiting on the other side of the door.
If he can turn anything into a trap, then it's a safe assumption there's something more to that door.
Poor Man's Poison
Go on, try it for yourself.
There's only one way to find out, right?
Caroline
…
Fine, so Detective, you don't want me to try opening the door, you don't want me to attack this kid, what can we do to get out of here?
James
I don't know!!
I didn't plan for this!!
Damn it!!
Recent events are really making me reconsider how good I am at making plans…
Caroline
So?
Is there anything we can do to get out of here?
James
Not unless we can somehow get the kid unconscious or get him to deactivate his power himself!!
We can't ask any of the employees for help cause they're all a part of the trap!!
Poor Man's Poison
Pretty clever, isn't it?
I turned the Fish in a Birdcage into an actual cage!!!
Hahahahahahahahaha!!!
Aw man, I love me!!
Caroline
Detective, if you don't do something soon, I'm gonna beat that kid to a pulp…
James
I'M THINKIN!!!
Poor Man's Poison
It's no use James Spectre, I have all the time in the world, you old people don't have nearly as much time as me!!
Caroline
Old?!
Listen here you brat, I'm only 19!!!
I didn't spend all of my youth in med school just to be called old by some brat!!!
Poor Man's Poison
Well it's not my fault you wasted your time!
James takes a seat while Poor Man's Poison and Caroline bicker
James
(Think Spectre, there has to be a way out of this!!)
(Doc just said she'd help me, I can't let another person put their trust in me just for them to die!!!)
(Whatever happens from here on out is on me, I need to find a way where Doc and I can leave without hurting the kid…)
…
UGH!!!
James slams his fist on the table, no one seems to notice
James
(The fact that he's only a kid makes this so much harder!!)
(If he was just another asshole with a Manifesto, I could just pummel him like usual, or if he was weak, I could just destroy his Manifesto leaving him fine!!)
(But this kid's so strong that there's not a shred of doubt in my mind that shooting his Manifesto would leave him horribly injured!!)
(Deep breaths, deep breaths…)
(Even if you don't make it out of here…)
(...I need to make sure at least the Doc makes it out of here alive!!)
(She's my last chance to save Will!!)
(Look around the room, we're trapped in here, but there has to be some way out of this!)
James starts looking around the room at the Mother Mother, at the bar, at Caroline, and then finally at Poor Man's Poison
James
…
(Wait…)
(There's no way that would…)
(Unless…)
(I guess we're out of options, it's not like it'll do any harm!!)
(If I don't do anything, we'll die anyway!!)
Poor Man's Poison
HAHAHA!!!
You're funny old lady!!
Man, I almost wish I didn't have to kill you two…
Almost.
Hey!!
James Spectre!!
What're you doing over there?!
Join in on the fun!!!
I still haven't figured out how exactly I'll kill you!!
Maybe I'll let you two fight to the death, now THAT would be fun…
Caroline grabs James
Caroline
Detective, I'm gonna kill you before he ever does anything to us for what you've made me put up with…
Just let me pummel the brat, and we'll call it even…
James
Don't worry Doc, I've come up with a plan to get us out of here
Caroline
So have I, but none of them have gotten past the idea of beating up that brat!
James
Mine doesn't involve any violence…
…just some potentially lethal consequences for us.
Caroline
SOME WHAT?!
Hey!!
What are you playing at here?!
James
Exactly!!
Glad you're catching on!
Caroline
…
THAT DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE!!!
James
Kid!!
The Doc and I are gonna challenge you to a game!!
If we win, you have to let us go and stop hunting us.
If you win, we'll surrender without a fight.
Caroline
We'll do what!?!
Wait brat, could you let us–
Poor Man's Poison
Hmmm…
A game of life and death…
Now that does sound like fun…
What kind of game do you have in mind?