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Sarras found himself scoffing at Ankh's display, not out of disrespect for the old but tough man, but perhaps because he was feeling a sense of denial swelling within him. Smart thinking on the Uranus' knights had stopped the machine and once Ankh went in, there was no way in hell that they'd convince her to get the machine going again, so fear of the man being crushed were far from his mind. If anything, Sarras was just too insecure to want to see such a sentimental display before someone lunged himself into danger, and that only fed into his denial.

"Don't talk like that," Sarras said, offering a crooked smile and letting others hear his thick, Texan accent, as if that might have helped boost the morale and confidence in their predicament. He watched in silence when Ankh powered down and set his personal effects on the floor, speaking only when he was looking at the Pluto page once more. "You've done a great job leading us thus far and you're gonna come right back out just fine."

He didn't concern himself with the others except Falias and Ankh for the moment- if they'd listen to his command and leave, fine. If they didn't, and things went horribly (heaven forbid), then that was their decision. He wrapped part of the rope around his wrist, determined to fasten it to him in some manner, and then held his ground. "Good luck."

Trigger Warning/Content Warning: Graphic Violence/Gore/Character Death

It was slow going inside the machine. Ankh wasn't the tiniest member of their group, but he managed to squeeze himself, space by space, deeper into the bowels of the contraption, till at last he thought he'd reached the figure and the device piece. The sobs were right in front of him, and he came to a stop, pointing his flashlight beam upward, to find the figure --

-- yes, there it was. Hunched over, sobbing, maybe bleeding.

He spoke, keeping his voice low, hoping to get the device piece -- and then it picked up its head.

It wasn't real. It wasn't human -- it sobbed without eyes to weep, and moaned without mouth to cry out. Then, like a template that was being rewritten to take on a new face, it shimmered into the form of a young girl.

"It ain't real!" he called out to the group, hoping they could still hear him from this far in. "It's a -- "

Before he could finish his sentence, the illusion of the young girl was gone again, leaving him with the figure once more. This close up, he could see that its fingers weren't fingers so much as they were long, bladed things.

And they were reaching for him.

The figure lunged at him, and he stepped back. "RUN!" he yelled at the top of his voice, hoping someone could still hear -- hoping they'd gotten that other door open. In the narrow space, there was nowhere to go -- the inner walls of the machine met his back, and as the figure closed in, he brought up both hands to try and grab its arms, to hold it off --

-- without Ankh's thumb to hold it down, the little flashlight winked off, dropping to the ground --

"RUN!!!" he screamed in the dark, grappling blindly, overpowered. "RUN!!!"

If he couldn't see in the dark, the figure, maybe, could; regardless, it knew where Ankh's throat had gone -- and he felt its smooth fingers cleaving his skin, burying agony deep there, slicing through his vocal chords till he couldn't scream anymore -- then it ripped them back apart, taking his jugular vein with it and severing his head half off.

He fell forward in the small space, slumping against the figure's inhuman shoulder. He tried to cough, once, breathlessly and without success -- then he stopped moving.

Somewhere, a woman was folding laundry and humming to herself. A teakettle was whistling. An old man's rosebushes were growing -- a silly hobby he'd picked up because Carolyn said he was too underfoot all the time since he'd retired. Somewhere, a life went on without him, and the world was wild and beautiful, and grass stains and cigarette ash came out in the wash, and home was the very best place to come back to.

Somewhere.

Not here.

Falias seemed to catch on to his game and was offering the older man, as well as those around them, some confidence despite the grim situation, and if anything, Sarras' respect for the Earth squire grew had doubled. There was no need to be going into this with their spirits already broken, right? Whether Falias was truly confident that Ankh would be alright or if he was like Sarras and hiding his doubt behind a fierce bravado was a mystery to the Cosmos page, but he was truly hoping for the best as they watched him go in.

The crying stopped, and then Ankh started screaming a terrifying, three letter word, a word that Sarras did NOT like.

'Well s**t...'

Not that he was going to run! Even when Ankh was screaming at them, Falias' shouts were by far louder and an easier pill to swallow, and he wasted no time in pulling. "Hang on, we're pulling you back up! Don't you dare be dead, old man!"

Not that it would be very comforting. He began to pull at the ropes, not liking just how dead weight he and Falias were pulling up. The device' whereabouts were lost on him and years stalking and hunting game made him very familiar to the smell that assaulted his nose as he and Falias fished the Pluto page out.

'Oh no... that's blood.'

"Kids, you heard him. Run, get the ******** out of here, now!"

Piggy looked around, trying to keep her breathing even. It was next to pitch dark in the room, but even so, she could see when the pair of pages fell. The squire bit back a swear. At least-- she thought desperately.

At least---

At least the creatures was out of the machine. It was in the room with them, but it was out of the machine. And the device - maybe the device was still in there.

If she went into the machine, she decided, at least she'd be away from the figure and its horrible breathing and the terror.

"I'm going in," said Piggy, pushing ahead to the machine. Working by feel alone, she followed Ankh's path in. God - it was sticky. It was sticky and wet and were those- were those entrails? She felt around in the dark, breathing quickening, and her hands finally connected with the old man's keychain. She got the flashlight working and peered around in search of the device piece.

Knights of Mars were meant to be brave. Knights of Mars had war and dust in their blood. She could do this! "Where is it," she whispered, with rising panic, in hopes that the figure had not come back for her.

Sarras wasn't sure what he was expecting when he and Falias pulled on the ropes, though he knew by the smell of blood that it couldn't have been good. What he wasn't expecting was the rope to come up so quickly, and he didn't need light to know that there'd be no Ankh on the other end. Ankh was gone, and by the feel of blood... he would not be coming back.

Pigfarts volunteered to go after him, and his first instincts were to grab her and reign her back in, but the heaving breathing that echoed throughout the halls unnerved him, forcing him still and allowing the Mars knight to go.

More blood hit his nose, then the sound of something being torn...

"Sh...s**t... we need lights! Where's that remote control? Burj! You got it, right? We need the lights back on, now!" He shouted, hoping none of his fear could be heard, only anger and authority. What he did know was that he was shouting to a dead woman... nor where Pigfarts had gone. They needed the lights!

Warning: Mistral used Avada Kedavra on Hogwarts. Character death and blood!

Hogwarts was waiting, cautiously hopefully and more than a little bit worried about Ankh going into the machine. At least the older Knight had more strength and experience to rely on. Soon he’d appear, with the strange being in tow and they’d all work on a way to get out…

"RUN!!!"

The Page didn’t move a muscle at first. Instead he stiffened in panic, like a deer caught in headlights, breath caught in his throat. The cries grew ever desperate until there was only an ominous silence.

"N-n-no," Hogwarts gasped, finally spurred into awkward motion. He looked desperately, first at Falias and then at Sarras. "We have to get him out. We have to save him! W-we have to… w-we… uh… Ankh, hang on!"

Then the rope was back and the sounds from the machine were making him want to throw up and it was dark and he was scared and he was only vaguely aware that he had started crying at some point.

"I want to go home now. I have to walk my dog. It’s okay if I just go home now, right? It was great playing but you know, school tomorrow. G-gotta study and the shower is still on and-"

Then Burj Khalifa screamed.

I’m going to die.

The thought came through with perfect clarity and he only had time to pray that it was quick and it wouldn't hurt before he was struck.

The only sound Hogwarts made as his throat was ripped straight through was a wet gargle. He slid to his knees first and then sideways, body numb with shock. He was aware, if only for a brief second, that the creature was starting on the rest of him and he was both dismayed and angry.

But it was so brief because he didn't have time for thoughts anymore.

I don’t want to…

Then there was nothing more.

Death solo for Pigfarts Page - death and gore warning!

"I've got it!" exclaimed Pigfarts excitedly, her hands closing around the device piece. Moving quickly as she could inside the crawl space, she turned herself around and started back for the exit, her prize clenched triumphantly in her right hand. "Guys! I've got it!"

Above her, the machine groaned. Piggy paused, looking up, shining the tiny flashlight upwards towards the great gears. They had begun to move. "Hey!" she called, moving a little faster now. "I'm still in here! I'm still in here! Stop!"

Something - hard, metallic, heavy - came down on her ankle with tremendous pressure. Pigfarts cried out as she felt bone crack and splinter. Stars exploded in front of her eyes as her flesh ripped. She hobbled forward, faster now. "Stop it!" Piggy screamed. A gear crunched down across her thighs.

The squire screamed again, this time wordlessly. Even if she could escape, she'd be beyond saving. Desperately, the part clasped in her outstretched hand, she scrabbled towards the now-bright exit of the crawl space.

With a great grinding of metal, part of the machine came down on her head, silencing the girl's wails.

A moment later, her gloved hand, still clasping its hard-won prize, severed from the arm just below a slightly mangled bracer with a mars sigil on it, fell to the ground at Falias's feet.

CW: Reaction to character death, mentions of blood and gore

When she heard Ankh's yells from within the machine, Menae rapidly moved away, horror clutching in her chest. Stupid, stupid, stupid, she'd bought into this poor little AI's sobbing and cryin, believed that it might be a good robot that could help them.

She was wrong, and if Ankh's death hadn't proven it, then Burj's and Hogwarts's did. The girl started to shake, tiny little whimpers coming from her lips. Warm blood splattered all over her - from Ankh or Burj or Hogwarts or maybe from poor Piggy, caught in the ears when that monster machine turned back on.

Menae ran for the device piece, scooping it up and throwing it towards Falias.

"Make sure that gets out," the little Page said, her voice firm, and then she turned on the not-Mercury-Page sitting on the ground.

"That - that thing is a monster! It killed Ankh, and Burj, and Hoggy - we need to destroy it while the lights are on, so it can't get the rest of us!" It didn't matter that it looked like a little girl, like a Page of her own planet, like someone her own age she could have been friends with. It was a Weeping Angel, or something like it - and it needed to die to save the rest of them.