9821/Path of Glory: Gearing Up

Path of Glory: Gearing Up
Date of Scene:	23 January 2022
Location:	Grand Central Station
Synopsis:	Jon finds Sarah Rainmaker debating how to be less of a liability on the field, and offers her the use of the spear made from Michael's blood for the duration of the conflict. A discussion of the scope of the battle is also had.
Cast of Characters:	Jonathan Sims, Sarah Rainmaker
Tinyplot:	Path of Glory

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Jonathan Sims has posed:
    There were fewer casualties after the battle at Thomas Jefferson Park than in any other battle yet, in part due to Lady Death's last-minute intervention with one of the the dead agents. The mood in Grand Central Station is, therefore, more upbeat than it's been in a while. They've won several decisive victories, and while every death is a tragedy there is hope that there may not be many more.

    It's a good time, then, for their Field Commander to step out and take care of some personal business that really /does/ have to be handled before this is all over. Jon's out in the open, therefore, looking over various items at an equipment table. Easy to find for anyone looking for him for anything last-minute before he flies off to London.

Sarah Rainmaker has posed:
And Sarah Rainmaker has been spending that time in an attempt over at focusing. She's just gone bcak to the side and has been rocking herself back and forth to try and sooth and focus. Meditation hasn't come. So after a bit of food and washing herself off as best she could, the girl is simply pacing. She's chosen an area that's isolated, and has taken to stepping back and forth in a pattern. Finding some level of relief from it and knowing that focus will not come for some time.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Sarah's pacing is noticable, at least to someone easily distractable whose first concern tends to be helping people. So after he tucks a couple of things away in a pocket of his tac vest, Jon goes over toward the isolated area Sarah's pacing in, seeking her out.

    "Hey," he says, as he comes up, "ahh... I'm sorry, about Caitlin." He frowns. "I'm really trying not to hurt her, but she keeps bloody /hitting/ me with things." He presses at one of his now-healed ribs, wincing in remembered pain. "Are you alright...?"

Sarah Rainmaker has posed:
Sarah Rainmaker would shake her head, "I'm fine. I saw the way you were hurt. Even with healing.. You shouldn't be up. There's some downtime, you should be resting and at lesat trying to sleep." The words are mechanical from her at this point, but she's focused and trying to keep on going with it. "And none of us -can- hurt her. not in this grotesque game that she's been forced to go through."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon shakes his head. "I have something I have to do. There's a short window, and now's the time to do it. And frankly, if I can't get it done I don't care if the bloody universe ends." He says that with surprising heat. "I'll be fine; I can rest when I get back from London."

    He sighs, then, and goes on, "I swore I'd make sure she survives this, and I meant it, but right now I'm more worried about you. I can tell /something/ is bothering you, and you've been... well, I worry." He smiles. "I'm a therapist by training and vocation, it's sort of what I do. And anyway, you've been a valuable part of the resistance. I want to be sure all our people are ready for the next seal."

Sarah Rainmaker has posed:
Sarah Rainmaker would nod, "All right. Then you're going to have to do what you need to do." She would go to slowly stretch out and sigh and move to slowly pop one joint at a time in her arms, her back, her spine.. Almost disturbingly so and purposefully. "I'll function. I've.. I've got some things that I'm going to have to sort out an da lot of them are.. Personal ones." She makes a point of not saying 'fine'. But 'functional'. There's a difference.
    "I'm worried if I'm in another fight I'm going to be a liability. I don't want to go into the field and put other people at risk."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon smirks at 'function.' "I wish more people would say that," he murmurs. "It's more accurate." Too many people around say they're 'fine' when they're clearly not.

    He regards Sarah for a moment, then says, "...Liability? Your weather effects have been quite useful at confusing and disorienting the angels. Is it an emotional thing, or something else?"

Sarah Rainmaker has posed:
Sarah Rainmaker would shake her head, "No, the angels appear to be getting more aggressive. I lack the.. Fine ability to control my powers." She would tap at her wrists where her gauntlets would normally be. "If I try to use them around teammates, I risk catching them in the crosswinds. They already seem to be more resistant to elements. Even those that are merely automotons." Her language was so, so very regimented and focused.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "Oh, that's right, your gauntlets got damaged when we first went to Battery Park." Jon frowns, thoughtfully. "Is there anything we can do to replace them...?" He sighs. "Admittedly, the angels were always going to be difficult to handle. It's a problem we wrestled with from the start--we evened the playing field somewhat, but even that's only gone so far."

    He frowns. "I had a report that you overloaded the Metatron with electricity and blew it up... or is that part of your concern? Not being able to do much without having to go that far?"

Sarah Rainmaker has posed:
Sarah Rainmaker would take a moment, "No, I don't have the knowledge to fix them nor the resources. They're intact.. but I don't have access to the schematics either in their current form, and they would need to be fully rebuilt." She would try to think of how to put it.
    "I can be a hurricane or a gentle breeze. The more power, the harder it is to control. With the gauntlets I have it better. I can direct all that lightning to a single point. Gather more storms.. But without them I'm limited because my poewrs would envelop the entire area and everyone within, friend or foe."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon nods. "Ahh, yes, that I can understand. So at the moment you can't let loose on the angels, because you'd have to let loose on /everyone/, and that endangers those around you." Which is a repetition of what she's said, but he's confirming it in his own mind. Frowning thoughtfully.

    "There has to be some other... hmm. A magical artifact you could channel your power through, or..." He chews on his lip, begins to pace a little himself as he considers the problem.

Sarah Rainmaker has posed:
Sarah Rainmaker would nod, "Yes. And my fog has a limited lifespan on the battlefield. And I've used it several times. The aggressors.. Well, they'll adapt to it and it won't be useful mch longer." Never expect your enemy to fall for the same trick three times in a row.
    "And what.. Are you talking about?" She would take a confused posture.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "I'm trying to think about what might help solve the problem," Jon says, still pacing. "I channel my own power through my staff," he taps what looks to be an ankh-topped baton at his side. "But that was specially made... these things usually are. But, no, your powers aren't really... magical, right? So that might not work at all."

    He hesitates for a moment, and frowns. "What about... do you know how to fight? Similar training to Caitlin? Hand-to-hand, I mean, or bladed weapons."

Sarah Rainmaker has posed:
Sarah Rainmaker would nod, "My powers are from genetic alteration. And.. I was taught in similar ways. She has much more training than I do but it's a baseline." She's choosing her words carefully here, if only as much of this isn't something that she has the right to tell.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon stops pacing and turns to regard Sarah for a moment. Then he says, "Well... would a weapon help? One particularly meant to fight angels? A spear, specifically."

    He fidgets for a moment, fingers tapping on his leg, then goes on, "One of the sorcerors of the Justice League Dark forged a spear from Michael's blood. The spear can hurt any tier of angels, though we don't yet know what it would do to an archangel. And any power channeled through it--any at all, magical or genetic or otherwise--is enhanced. The one who made it has withdrawn from the fight, and none of the rest of us are particularly suited to use it."

Sarah Rainmaker has posed:
Sarah Rainmaker would nod thoughtfully, "I have.. Basic training with a variety of melee weapons. I'm not going to do the best at close range.." Honesty again, hwich meant acknowledging her limitatinos. "A spear? That would be effective. Simple to use and gives me an advantage in reach since most of the angels seem to focus primarily on swords." She's thoughtful, evaluating..
    "I would appreciate it greatly. But it is not necessairly of power, but control. Would it.. Be able to help me with that?"

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon nods in response. "I think you'd have to... for instance, point the spear where you want the lightning to go, but yes. It's meant to help focus, enhance, and control power... and on some level, because it's /Michael's/ blood, that means... every type of power. He did shape the matter of the universe, after all, it stands to reason."

    He considers for a moment. "I can get it to you before I leave for London, if you like. So you have time to get a feel for it, have some practice. I think we're focusing on Morningside Heights as our next target area, as the Titans are working on Donna's 'Project Gozer' there."

Sarah Rainmaker has posed:
Sarah Rainmaker would frown, "You.. Trust me with this? I.." She's not sure she can handle it but gives a bow, "Thank you. I'll.." She sounds honestly shocked. She's not sure she would trust herself over with it, by her expression. And she's evaluating over things again and again..
    "The metaphysics of that are very, very terrifying." From wht little time she's spentw ith Donna, that seems an accurate word to use.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "The metaphysics of this entire business are terrifying," Jon says, quietly. "I accidentally ended the universe for a few seconds, binding Michael and dragging him through Nullspace. It all came back online, but..." He sighs and shakes his head. "You're Caitlin's friend, and you've proven yourself a strong ally. The worst you could do is switch sides, and then... Michael's forces have a spear made of his blood. Hardly something they couldn't /already/ have."

    After a moment, he adds, "I may ask for it back at some point, however. It may be a necessary bargaining chip, if... if certain plans don't come off properly. We have to get the angels out of Manhattan within the next few weeks or we won't be able to fight them anymore at all." He's making contingency plans, clearly.

Sarah Rainmaker has posed:
Sarah Rainmaker would give a distracted look to Jonathan, "It isn't mind, I'm just borrowing it for a short while." She's not even making a contingency of her own in cas she needs to keep it. It's high end magic and she has no remote intent of messing around with it if she doesn't have to. And well aware of what backlash there could be. "So what are the other effects of it? What are the drawbacks and flaws within it?"
    Speaking logically. WIth magic, with everything there was a price. So the idea was to always try and be aware and to minimize that which was paid.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon shakes his head. "No drawbacks or flaws, save that it cannot be used to take the life of an innocent mortal." He frowns. "The price for Michael's blood is mine to pay. I damaged his wing and collected the blood; I provided the blood to the sorceror who made the spear. Soon, I will hand myself over to Michael for retribution for the harm I inflicted upon him." He flexes a hand at his side, the only outward sign of the fear that courses through him whenever he thinks about that.

    "I knew the price for harming an angel would be high when I poured that cursed water on his wing. But even knowing what I know now... I'd do it again, if I had it to do over. Terrible as it is, we only have a chance to defend ourselves because of that blood. I pay the price whether the spear gets used or not... so better than it does get used, and we have a better chance to end this."

Sarah Rainmaker has posed:
Sarah Rainmaker would glance over at Jonathan, "Michael is the monster behind all of this. He's the one that's taken the initiative to try and wipe out all life. Ritualistically or not, this is because of his doing that the world is nearly ending." She says 'nearly'. Not 'going to'. There's a difference. "And it's not a price that anyone but him should have to pay. I'm aware there are rules for how these things are conducted.."
    She would go to cross her hands. "And I don't know what they are. But you're limiting yourself in dealing with a being of power like this by playing the game purely to thier format. And.. I'm sorry."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon smiles, a little sadly. "None of this is that simple. For one... I made a choice. I harmed another, deliberately, to gain information. I /tortured/ him. There is a price to pay for that, regardless. And for another... Michael's just doing what he's meant to do. Michael's also the /problem/, and how he's going about this is entirely /wrong/, but..."

    He sighs, and runs a hand through his hair. "There is something broken in the universe. It's... siphoning power and energy from other nearby universes within the multiverse. Michael is trying to fix that, lest the entire multiverse fall apart. That is his Purpose. The problem isn't that he's trying to fix the universe... the problem is /how/ he's trying to do that, and what he wants to have come after. He's not a killer on a murder spree. He's more like a doctor trying to stop the spread of a disease by killing everyone who comes down with symptoms. He's trying to do a good thing, in the /worst/ possible way."

    He frowns. "That doesn't absolve him, mind you. Not at all. But I think it's important to understand what we're dealing with. This is not a second Fall, nor madness, nor mere cruelty. In the end, Michael and I want the same thing--the difference is that he thinks only he can fix the problem. And... he might not even know what the problem actually /is/. Hubris, certainly. But I'm not playing the game entirely according to his rules. I intend to fix the actual problem and then stop him from continuing on his crusade."

Sarah Rainmaker has posed:
Sarah Rainmaker would shrug, "Then there are proper ways to go about trying to handle it. Mass extermination and galactic genocide is not the way." Those things go well above her head. She doesn't presume to understand them or to grasp them. So the Apache woman can only simplify them to the greatest extent.
    "He sthinks that he needs to kill hundreds of quadrillions of beings purely because he feels that something is broken. And that he must destroy everything and every bit of potential life that will come from not, tomorrow, and a billion years. I am sorry to put it in perspective, but Michael is delusional. I do not mean to belitlte him as it sounds like you have a great deal fo respect for him."
    She would go on. "But in a galaxy with hundreds of millions if not billions of inhabited planets iwth life, countless species.. One being, no matter how old or powerful, does not get to decide that it is all for naught and it must be destroyed. no entity gets to make that judgement. It does not matter if it is right or necessary. No being can murder existence because they think it is necessity."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "...Actually, that's normally the way of it," Jon says sadly. "Most universes that cause a problem just get... wiped out and re-formed. That doesn't make it right, but that /is/ the normal way. Gaea begged that we be allowed a chance to fix the problem ourselves, or we wouldn't be here to have this conversation."

    He shakes his head. "I don't have much respect for him. I am... doing my best to be clear-eyed about the situation, is all. How we all think reality works is not how reality works. What we think is fair, or just, or right, is... relative. And that's important, for this. /Very/ important. Michael is convinced he's right, and refuses to listen to anyone else. Bringing him to understand another perspective may be the key to winning this--but we /cannot/ do that unless we're willing to see /his/ perspective. From his point of view, our universe is threatening /all of Creation/. Uncountable lives. What is a quadrillion against a google? Against infinity? The numbers boggle the mind. From that perspective, restricting free will may be necessary. From that perspective, Michael may be totally justified--until one realizes that he is part of the problem, that whatever universe he re-forms us into will be just as flawed, which means all he's doing is for naught."

    He sighs. "I just... worry, when I hear people making definitive statements about how things /must be/. It's too much the same kind of thinking. If Michael says 'this is what must be' and we say 'this is what must be' then we never fix anything at all. We just yell at each other and never come to resolution. If I wasn't willing to admit that something may be wrong with the way the universe works--something I wholly believed was right and just--then I couldn't fix this problem. In the end, it is understanding that will fix this. I do not agree with Michael's actions, but I /must/ understand them if we're to have any hope at all."

Sarah Rainmaker has posed:
Sarah Rainmaker would lean back and listen, "How can you change his perspective then? Short of psychological manipulation and conditioning which you do not have the time for." Her answers would be blunt and to the point then, fo her admitting that she does not know things.
    "That awareness.. If he would remake everything to simply have a flaw all over again.. If he is a being of truth.. THen if you can express to him that remaking it will not -fix- things, but just lead to the same issue manifesting.. It will either break him mentally or it will get him to listen. Etiher event wil lgive him pause. He takes such extreme measures as to him.. They are completely necessary and justified. If he merely repeats the mistakes over again, taht justification is stripped away from him. That might help at least -stop- him long enough to listen. If you can convince him that in the end no matter the means that the ends wil lbe the same."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon smiles brightly. "As I said--I am a therapist by training and vocation. Getting people to understand the flaws in their thinking is quite literally what I do. I've been compiling a psychological profile on him. I intend to gather more information, when I turn myself in to him. I'm providing my findings to others, so they can carry on should anything happen to me. He is arrogant and myopic, convinced of his own righteousness, following rules to the letter but not the spirit in order to get what he wants. I've seen the like before. But I have yet to figure out the... core. The key that caused the issue. I'll get there, I just need to get more of a chance to interact with him."

    A sigh. "In the meantime... we have to keep him from enacting his plan and using the points of the Star to reset the universe. Which means defending Gaea's wellsprings." He pulls out his phone and begins sending off a text. "I'll get you that spear. Perhaps it will give him pause. I do like giving him pause." He smiles, showing a lot of teeth, in a way that's not /entirely/ nice. "I don't /like/ people like Michael. From /my/ perspective, every life matters. I wholly agree with you that no one being should cast judgement on all of Creation. And besides, he's an arrogant wanker, and he hurt my friend and my girlfriend. So seeing him taken down a peg or two is /always/ satisfying." There are tactical considerations, after all, and then there's just plain old vindictiveness.

Sarah Rainmaker has posed:
There was a shrug from Jon, "Just remember.. It is not merely a question of understanding him. But of manipulating him. If it comes to it can you manipulate him to do something because it is for the best, and it will not help him? Undestand that there are some you cannot help. There are some that by their nature.. Understnad that with perspective what your greater mission is. Forgive me.. But do remember where the boundaries lie." She would look sad for a moment.
    "In the end those sometimes that are the most desperately in need of help and in dire straits and most deserve it are the ones that can least afford to get it.. And to even attempt would make circumstances.." She would shake her head. "FOrgive me, I lecutr eyou on what you already know."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "I intend to help him." Jon says simply, with a shrug. "That /is/ my mission, in the long term. To help him see the error of his ways. To help him change, to whatever degree he can. If Michael is the source of the problem, then Michael is what needs fixing. I'm... still working on having compassion for him. It's hard. I pray I'll get there."

    He smiles. "It's alright. You want to be sure we win this, I can't fault you for that. Lord knows I lecture people on things they already know often enough." He glances down at his phone. "I ought to get going, though. Is there anything else I can help with, before I do?"

Sarah Rainmaker has posed:
Sarah Rainmaker would nod at Jon, "NO. I'll take the spear if you can have someone bring it to me. I'll be doing some practicing. I haven't used a staff in a long time.. The last time I cleaned my kitchen and dumped it all out to the hallway. I'm rusty." An attempt at finishing things with a joke.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon laughs easily and says, "I'll have someone bring it along. Be well, Sarah. I'll see you soon."

    Then he turns to leave, having sent the text message to be sure the spear is delivered to Sarah.