Endtown by Aaron Neathery for June 05, 2012

Flask definitely doesn’t plan to survive this attack! D: Maybe it’s not all Topsiders she wants to kill, but the ones in a particular colony (or maybe a small group of topsiders?) Or maybe she just wants to take out as many as she can in one fell swoop and end her own life, too?

Also I noticed something striking – she called Wally by his first name. I’m not sure if she’s ever done that before.

And even Petey. Can he be killed aside from destroying his brain?Linda where are you? At this point you should be Scrounging for a weapon for herself. Or does she not have any idea of what is going on? This really is AM fight. It is his ship. We need to gather them together as a unit. Why didn’t he declare himself captain? It is about time he comes clean!!!Blessed Be

The last time Wally made this speech, he at least had a blaster…

And in the end Revenge we make Is equal to the lives We take Flask You’re gonna bury that place You’ve hurried that fate The wrong time =|====/ Level Head Vote for Endtown 2.0 And for Doc Rat, too The Endtown Forum Charter member of the Consortium to get Aaron a Tablet

Wally is an engineer. If Flask tells him the objective and parameters, he should be able to come up with options that aren’t so….suicidal.

the ship talked like flaks isnt so sure about killing them all

at least thats what i think knowing the ship systems are made of dittos that means its been reading flask mind all this time and unlike the dittos he can speak

Eleven minutes of Endtown time? Sounds like they have maybe a week and a half to stop her. Wally and Petey refused to allow her to use the rocket to destroy the colony, why should things be different now? While it’s true that the TSers are the enemy, and most of those inside the dome would probably shoot a mutant on sight, Flask’s intended course of action would serve to escalate the conflict well beyond the mutant’s ability to sustain it. As there was only one rocket, there is only one available ship. Once it is used to inflict whatever damage it is capable of inflicting, the magazine is empty. The remaining TSers will be driven to double their extermination efforts, and the mutants will have played their only ace. Japan learned this lesson with the kamikaze. It was certainly a devastating tactic, but the cost in men and equipment was unsustainable, making it’s overall efficeincy as a warfighting technique low. As I said above, eleven minutes here can be nearly a lifetime. Plenty of time left for something substantial to take place. On the other hand, remember that ever since it’s inception, Linda’s page over at the discussion site has had a picture of her wearing an Endtown security uniform. Aaron does nothing by chance. Linda is there for a reason, and it’s not just to get drunk and snore in her dessert. Maybe Flask’s tortured path does end here, in contrast to Wally’s redemption, and Linda picks up the torch to fill her shoes in the defense of Endtown. The possibilities are intense, which is why Aaron is so good at keeping us balanced on the edge of our seats. ;-)

It’s less than a week before I depart Australia for the USA. Anthrocon 2012 is going to be absolutely wonderful, in so many ways. I have every expectation of making a firm and lifelong friendship with Aaron, and together we will work in a very practical way to shore up the futures of Endtown, Doc Rat and our respective careers. Yes, this is going to be a moment in history – I feel it in my whiskers.

Hmmm, no AM in the picture, looks like he’s taking his own steps.

never thought she’d even consider giving them a choice

Every one is right about one thing. Were is Linda?

Eleven minutes … they’ll barely have time to find Linda, stroll leisurely back to their rooms, pack, go to the bathroom, check the Weather Channel, and head for the life boats …

Who am I kidding .. Wally will blow it all arguing with Flask.

Yup, as I said yesterday, she wants a suicide mission. In her twisted mind, she has nothing to lose (having already lost the only things that mattered to her: respect and absolute control), and this way can go out in a blaze of glory (being a hero in her own mind). AN sure understands that (all-too-human) mind.

The problem with Engineers is that they analyze everything to death…I should know, I’m married to one. 40 wonderful years. come August 5th. :o)

NO! you cannot kill of the most dynamic character!

Perhaps I am alone in this but I can’t help but like Flask. She is in a lot of pain. We don’t know her story yet and I just feel that there is something in her that deserves a chance. Call me crazy. I like her.

Like and trust are 2 different things—I don’t TRUST Flask….like has nothing to do with it. I do believe she has a little self-esteem issue going on or something……

Oh, She IS the kind one!

Linda has to be the wildcard here. Even if all the others decide to get out while they can, if that’s the Pine Valley complex, Linda will chew through that door and do her best to make cat litter out of Flask before she stands back and let’s her crash that ship.

Also, in the first panel, it’s interesting that Aaron chose to draw a longshot. Her pose, the chair facing straight forward, and the room being mostly empty other than the control panels makes her look very much alone. Even her posture looks despondent. I’m sure the choice of that angle was no accident. (busts out the break-up ice cream for the sadness that is likely about to come) ;^;

Where the heck are our heroes supposed to go in 11 minutes?They are still quite high up in the air and I don’t think they have time to find lifeboats or parachutes! I do not think Petey can carry them all and I’m not sure he would leave DV (the transporter) behind in any event. Do they know how to work the retrieval magnets? I don’t think so. Flask’s offer may be sincere but not practical.We are being Neatherized again! I will just have to wait and see what happens.

That Flask is allowing them to evacuate (not that they will but nevertheless….) is huge! Of course she has her own agenda, has always had it from the very beginning, but wow – she feels something other than anger and vengence! Remorse (for bringing them into her personal battle)? She certainly is a character! Hope to see more of her!

Linda might actually go along with this to a certain point. After all, this may be the only chance she’ll have to get to her son.

That third panel is amazing. It is so completely un-Flask! All the bristling, sneering and hard edges are gone. The shift to first names just serves to emphasize it. There is obvious sorrow there, but not the fever pitched drama we saw back in the PT. The only word I can come up with that seems to fit is… peace. This is a fundamental change for Flask, and it has transpired essentially out of our sight. This is not the same "looking for a fight’ “stay out of my way” battle cat that walked in carrying that uber gun. Come on Aaron, fill in some background. Eleven minutes can be an eternity in Endtown!

@JanBic

The only way they can off that ship if Aaron Marx transforms the dittos into parachutes* or a lifeboat!

*Except for Petey. He’ll just float down with them.

She says she’s giving them a chance to escape. She may mean the means and not just the time for them to find their own means, which would be mean.

Wow, I knew Flask was nutso, but had no idea how far till these last two days. The “God wills it” line from yesterday, and her suicidal motives today, just WOW. She either needs some serious therapy or a jumbo order of catnip.

Hummmmm. Wally has a snagger sticking out of his mouth.

We do have Flask’s backstory coming, that much I know. So, I see only three ways out of this…..that makes storyline sense anyway. 1. Linda intervenes (takes Flask out?), backstory not really needed here – so I don’t think this is the answer. 2. Wally or, more likely, Holly intervenes after Flask has a chance to review where she’s been (backstory) and what it all really means to her and Endtown 3. Flask’s backstory (that would mean AM and his dittos) shakes her out of her funk and gets her to realize the error of her ways (could combine with #2 above, but not necessary). In #3, Flask gets a chance at self-redemption, with a little help from AM. It keeps the major character around and give more reason for AM as a character, than just saving the group from the TSers. Remember, AM really likes people to figure it out for themselves. He is absent right now, so he could be setting up to nudge Flask in that direction (dittos). Did I leave myself enough outs?

Actually, we could get the backstory in my #1 above. It could be that Linda arrives to hear it and it’s nasty enough for Linda to blast her. But I don’t think that’s going to happen. I still say it’s #3.

I wish I had the opportunity to read and respond to yesterday’s late posts. Looks like we have a Gemini thing going here. All those late May, early June b-days. Me too, 30 May! Happy day to all, belated and to come.