E
V
E
N
T
L
O
G
|
the outer gate
"Open up, and let them in."
The Moira is no more.
With the damage done to the ship due to the timeslip, all that remains is a burning wreckage and parts to be taken—if the crew can find anything in the pieces. Recovery and headcounts are the main objective for the first several hours of being planetside, and once things have settled just enough, Captain Ira calls for a meeting and addresses those who are able in person to explain the situation. He draws a rough map of the area and explains where he believes they are - according to the terrain - and where they must go. For anyone who’s listening, he describes things like an “Outer Gate”, an “Inner Gate” and “gate sectors”. Believing this to be the best course of action, all crew are asked to explore and gather what they think they’ll need to make the long journey towards the central point of the Hub. Because the MIDs are no longer working due to the lack of a network, the Captains distribute a newer tech called the TAB. It serves the same functions as the MID but is lighter, slimmer, and has the ability to stick to any surface.
WELCOME TO THE MIDWAY HUB
Now that the smoke from the crash has cleared, and injured crew have been tended to, the Captains get everyone ready for departure by explaining what they know of the Hub. Almost stone-like, the creators built a domed workspace in the largest solid space on the planet they could find. Gates are the only way inside, and anyone who catches a glimpse of the compound will see that parts of the dome are cracked. Yet, everything still appears to be relatively intact. The Midway Hub’s terrain is very rocky and difficult to walk on at times. Below the surface is a honeycomb of intermittently dense and brittle stone that makes travel difficult due to the unpredictable nature of what lies beneath the crew’s feet. Those who can develop the tech from what’s left of the debris might be able to create something to determine which route is the safest. Ships and small crafts can be used to fly, but landing is a problem—rocks jut up in sharp peaks and the clearer spots can't handle their weight. Vegetation is sparse, consisting of twisted dark gray thistles that have sprung up from cracks in the rock and burn when in direct contact with skin, and what could be considered small animals here can be seen scurrying away the closer crew get to them.
☄ WEEK ONE
Crew are asked to hook cryo beds together and to use any appropriate vehicles that can be made or fashioned to fit the terrain to carry injured crew on the journey to the center of the Hub. Supplies are gathered, and the Captains, as well as any crew who want to, give the Moira a proper sendoff, heads bowed as they say goodbye to what’s been their home. Traveling starts out slowly, a line of a hundred-plus crew members making their way slowly forward. Stops are frequent, but camping for rest only occurs at night. Crew are assigned watch shifts, fires are built, injured tended to, and those who are able are asked to explore nearby caves and hunt for food.
Something akin to deer, though striped and only to be found in pairs, can be stumbled across at night. Throngs of dark purple mammels begin to follow the Moirans on their trip as well. They are friendly, curious, and eat the thistle. Meet the intelligent, watchful predators that aren’t easily scared away and follow the crew from a distance as if waiting to pounce. The thistle can be eaten, but only if cooked first, and those who sample the chewy plant raw will experience a burning sensation in their throat that doesn’t go away until the cooked version is consumed. During the first week, water can’t be found.
Anyone who does hunt, gather, or explore should make sure to that their TABS are on and it’s suggested that nobody goes alone.
Nearing the end of the first week, an Ingress can be spotted close by that crew can explore. If anyone dares to go inside, they will find the texture of the ground and surrounding walls to be rather soft. If inspected closely, crew will discover that what they originally thought to be rock is actually a living organism that’s fed off the energy of the Ingress it’s attached itself to. It’s not harmful and squishy to the touch. If pressed hard enough, it secretes a turquoise liquid with the consistency of water that might make a good substitute for that very thing. ☄ WEEK TWO
When crew finally pass through the sector gates, a strange sensation encompasses them, and a depowering of sorts goes into effect. The creators put in security measures meant to put all visitors on equal footing as well as to protect themselves from harm. All crew will essentially have the strength and abilities of the average human. An unforeseen issue, this causes Captain Thán to slip into a coma as he is no longer able to continue to recover at a steady pace, and with the loss of the former Captain’s abilities, crew can no longer be brought back if they die. For the first time, all Moirans are subject to permanent death.
During this week of travel, broken ingress machines and parts will be found scattered among the rocks, and new crew will come through. Unfortunately, these Ingresses aren’t in good shape, and anyone coming through will be in varying states of distress—some physical and some mental. New individuals will either have suffered an age slip, growing older or younger than their original body, some form of body transformation (perhaps that shiny thing they were wearing is now part of them somehow), or an extreme weakness they had never been subjected to before arriving on the Midway Hub. The new people will be offered to join their group, once found, and seasoned crew will be asked to explain to them where they are going and what they know.
The rest of the week will be a mix of greeting the new arrivals and continuing to travel to the center of the Hub. The closer they get, the less frequently they’ll see animals, and more caves will begin to pop up. ☄ WEEK THREE
Entering the third week of travel, settlements and houses begin to crop up and are prime areas for exploration and general supplies. Those who go inside may find items that have been left behind and evidence showing that those of varying species and cultures lived in the homes. Some appeared to have been scientists while others were explorers, but all living quarters are deserted. Crew who are less lucky in their search might come away with no fresh supplies, and others might walk into traps or safeguards left behind by previous tenants; these come in many forms, from mild paralysis to temporary unconsciousness. As there are more residences, there are also more caves. The entrances vary in size, and light sources will be needed to explore. Once inside, crew can find purple underwater streams, which can be consumed, and glowing surfaces. When crew drink the water, it temporarily restores powers, a few minutes tops, and then, extreme lethargy settles in for a couple of hours.
Further into the cave systems, crew will come across these lovely creatures that are attracted to sound and track through scent. They are highly dangerous and attack simply to feed. Killing them, though, is surprisingly simple as they are just as vulnerable and weak as everyone else. They are vicious in demeanor but only as strong as an average human.
The closer to the Inner Gate crew get, the less homes, wildlife, and more caves there will be. ☄ WEEK FOUR
The Captains, aware that the crew is exhausted, stop and make camp for the first few days. Someone mentions that it’s the holidays where they’re from, and the Captains do their best to throw a party. Set up at the base of a cave, tents are built and fires roar. Soft music is played in the form of guitar, thank you Ira, and Cúrre brings out some legumes that taste like cherries when roasted. There isn’t much in the way of decorations, but crew are encouraged to dig through their pac-discs and contribute to the festivities.
After a brief respite, crew learn that the entrances to Gate A and Gate B are inside one of the caves but any signs or markings have long since worn away or been destroyed. Groups are split, TABS are synced, and crew explore carefully until an entrance is found. Crew discover Gate A first, and all crew are contacted to gather there. The Captains will remain at the cave entrance until all crew are accounted for, and then, they’ll enter through the gate together.
( ooc; For questions, go here. Please comment to activity check to receive new ranks (if applicable)! )
|
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
hohnkai) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
thisavrou_log2016-12-02 06:54 pm
week 3.2
To say that she has missed Peter is really an understatement -- what she feels is much more complicated and deep than that. The past few weeks she's spent with trying to numb the guilt and self-hate that have been eating her alive from the inside.
So, it's not surprise that seeing him again is like a spray of icy water right on her face. She stops on her tracks and takes a quick moment to remind herself how to breathe while watching him lying on the ground miserably with a canteen tightly in his hand. It's not hard to guess what he's trying to do. J had also lost the burning feeling on her throat that had been bothering her since the mini colony. Water could restore the flame, she knew that, but only for a short time and the side-effects were simply not worth it.
But of course it's different to Peter.
"You look like shit," she says eventually and walks soundlessly next to him, crouching down on his level. It's really pot calling kettle. The glamour and elegance she always applies to herself have faded away weeks ago. She's wearing the uniform instead of her dresses, there' no sign of make up on her face, her skin is more pale than before and she's lost weight. She really isn't suited for living out in the camps like this. But at least her hair is clean.
no subject
"You always did know how to sweet talk me," Peter says, voice forcefully even. The feedback loop of the water and exhaustion made it easier to keep himself steady. He simply didn't have the energy to run away or to be nervous. It didn't keep him from looking over her though, worried searching over everything she had to offer. At least she looked alive, healthy. She looked better than he felt and some small part of him found comfort in that.
"I'm awful company." It seems only fair to warn her.
no subject
He's pathetic and she doesn't like seeing him like this. A part of her wants to leave him, to protect herself -- and him -- from any further pain. And then there's another part, a much louder one, that wanted to stay and slap him until he gets up and stops the nonsense. The past week has made her grow sick of watching people hurt themselves.
"Care to get up and talk to me?"
no subject
He thinks about ignoring her request. There are many things that she could mean by 'talk'. They have a history of ignoring the big issues, but in the small chance this is the moment she wants to really talk, Peter doesn't think he has the energy for it. Or even the desire to think about the sorts of things they should be talking about. The last time she'd died he'd shut down and he can't afford to do that again when his powers were gone and they were all stuck after a crash.
But he slowly sits up, leaning back on his hands. Peter's always been useless about defying even her smallest requests. "About what?" He's staring at his lap, still clutching tight to the canteen. He knows he's being difficult; some part of him is angry at himself for it but it doesn't help him force any words out.
no subject
She doesn't want to take the dive but.. they might as well do this. It's not like there isn't anything real in her mind at the moment regarding him. Them.
"Should you really be drinking that?" She nods at the canteen in his hand. She's aware of the effects of it, both good and bad, and doesn't want him to take any more of it than he already has. But that's about just as much she's going to say about it. She doesn't really have room to tell him what to do.
She tips her head slightly to side and bites down on her lip, inhaling deep. Her tongue is tied and there's something about his current state that makes her feel small.
"Just wanted to see how you're doing."
no subject
What he doesn't say is that he doesn't think she could understand why. What he doesn't say is that not having his powers had felt worse even than the bullet lodge in his leg, than the blade piercing his gut. He's not interested in starting an argument, or trying to guilt her. He doesn't think he could handle it on top of what he feels.
But that doesn't go so far as wanting to lie to her. He doesn't think he'd be very convincing pretending that he's okay. She knows him to well for that.
"I've been better." He gestures with the canteen. "I'd be better if someone would find something more, you know, permanent than this."
no subject
"Well, you're in luck." She starts, gaze wandering up from canteen to side of his face, voice reaching for a feeling that just isn't there. "You know that we're close to our destination, right. Soon you'll be back at home with your powers and all."
no subject
He thinks they're close enough that he could tell her his plans without worrying J would run off to tell. And he thinks it won't come as too much of a shock to her. Peter hasn't talked much of home and he knows J is well aware of just what he's willing to do for his sister. He'll go wherever Wanda asks.
"What about you? Do you want to leave?"
no subject
Well, he's right that hearing his plans doesn't exactly come as surprise to J. They haven't talked much about families but that doesn't mean that she's not aware how much the sisters meant to Peter, especially Wanda. It's a feeling, a bond, that J doesn't think she can understand, considering how she had tried to burn that bridge a long time ago.
But there is something bittersweet in that plan which brings out something warm and glad out of her. They had visited the copy of his world once and she still remembers vividly the anti-mutant posters placed all around the streets of New York.
And as for his question, J shrugs and gestures around the cave. "Well. I can't really stay here either."
no subject
The future Jean had set out for him, what little she was willing to share, sounded like something he'd always wanted. A place surrounded by people like himself, people who trusted him and thought it was worth something in the way Sans had been trying to make him believe- it sounded too good to be true. But he has more to worry about here than himself and nearly a decade of being a problem for his family to look forward to before he would be part of something.
"Pietro's gone. If she goes home, she'll be alone. If she wants to stay here or go somewhere else, if they let her do that...I can't let her be alone then. I don't want to." If he goes back to his world, Peter knows he'll never see this version of Wanda again. He won't remember her or River or Sans or anyone he's met here. Even if Peter gets his own sisters back, thinking about what he could lose pains him.
"I didn't mean the cave. Do you want to go back to your world? Stay in this universe?" Pull a Sans, he thinks but doesn't say aloud.
no subject
However, no matter how set on he is with this plan she can still see the uncertainty in him. Something that she can relate to. For a good while J had thought to herself that it didn't matter where she'd end up. This universe or home, it's all same. She'll figure something out. But now that they're so close to their destination and after all that she's gone through here it's not so simple anymore. She's learned and gained things that make her hesitate whether she'd be able to fit in New York or not -- or to anywhere for that matter.
But in the end none of those matter.
"Well, what else there is but this cave? Moira is gone, there's really no point in staying." An explanation instead of an answer.
no subject
He looks at her, no judgement on his face. Peter can't pretend that it doesn't sting a little. He can see so many reasons to try to stay, find another ship or a planet somewhere. He sees one right in front of him. But if he can't find the guts to say it, part of him knows he can't expect it of her.
"So that's that, huh? Going back to knock them dead with your singing?"
no subject
"Oh well, I'm certainly sure you'll both be safe here then. Or at least until something happens and someone attacks you or you pick a fight with a wrong guy and end up bleeding somewhere." Well, since she started this route she might as well continue bringing up more sore subjects. She's obviously talking about Rinzler here and what happened between them ages ago, which reminds her from the reason why she wanted to see him in the first place. Or at least one of them.
"But it's good thing that's in the past now, right? And no need to feel bad about it." No need for the guilt not after she did to him last time. Or rather, no need for them to continue this anymore.
no subject
"Surprise, but I'm trying something new these days. Not fighting people who can kill me." He tries to make light of it himself, shrugging. He's even been trying to make a sort of peace with Rinzler but that's not something he really wants to speak aloud. It's still too awkward.
"Right. All in the past." The past always has a way to catch up to him, no matter how fast he runs. He knows better than to believe what he's saying. "Why worry about it?"
no subject
Though something tells her that it'll never be truly over between them. Her, Peter and Rinzler. Not as long they keep each other in their lives like this. Together but still so distant.
Oh well, that's about to get fixed soon, she supposes.
"For no reason at all." She nods in agreement. Despite being able to bring the certainty and firmness to her voice she's struggling inside, the words on top of her tongue are making her feel quite nervous. "But that's a good thing, don't you think? Guilt-free conscience and all. Or at least another pretty face comes along to dirty it for you."
And there it is. Maybe not the most straightforward way to say it but the implication is still there, clear and simple: free conscience and freedom from her, too.
"Unless your 'new thing' means you've quit pretty faces too."
no subject
It's better than admitting that as much as he looks at every pretty face that passes, his 'thing' hasn't went past one in particular in a long time. That sometimes he's not so sure he wants someone else to come along and make the mess of his life she did. That conversation is for later, something to be saved for the last possible second. Something to be left as a goodbye.
"I'm not really sure if I think it's a good thing or not."
no subject
"But Peter," she huffs out a laughter, failing to bring the intended lightness to it and making it only sound stressed and hasted. "I shot you twice. And called you by names. Can you really say you still want to kiss and be with me like you did before? I'm sure even you have more self-preservation than that."
no subject
He's not going to stop. He wouldn't even for Wanda and he wouldn't for her. But it's something.
Her question is a good one. Any reasonable person would walk away, wouldn't they? No one tries to pursue a relationship with someone who's tried to kill them. But since when had anything between them been reasonable? Since when had they ever done what others would?
"I got you killed." It's as blunt as he's ever been about what happened with Rinzler, about that night. It makes him wince to say it, voice tight. "You still went with me to New York. You still kissed me."
They fought about it, certainly. But it hadn't stopped their strange dance, it hadn't stopped them from falling into her bed or spending the last few months entangling their lives. She hadn't left, even if she had every right to.
no subject
"But that is still different. Back then it was also my choice." It hadn't been her wisest moments or best courses of action but running in middle of the battle had been a choice she had made. She had chosen to save Peter regardless of the consequences. Now, same couldn't be said about what happened between them last month. Peter hadn't exactly chose to be hurt by her-- it had been because he had decided to trust her.
"Same happened with my mom too. She lost her mind and shot my dad. Or maybe she lost it after shooting him, I don't know." She shrugs, smile staying on her lips almost as if she was talking about something more casual than describing her family tragedy. Of course, that's not exactly how things went between her parents and J hates herself a little for pinning the blame on her poor mother just like she knows that what she went through was something more than her losing her mind. Nihlus had explained her the deal with Monolith and Husks.
"I believe it was even with the same gun. Seems like I really take after her, you know. So, who knows if I'll 'snap' just like her."
no subject
It was what it was. He'd had more than enough time to admit he was the only one at fault.
He'd have more to say, to prove to her that their situations were nothing alike, but he didn't get the chance. She dropped a bomb that dried up the words in his throat, leaving him gaping at her for a few moments longer than intended. Without his powers it took several moments for the words to process.
"What?" It's the first thing out of his mouth and he clamps his jaw shut the second it sounds out. That's not the way to handle this. Peter tries again. "I'm sorry." Wasn't that always the appropriate thing to say? "I didn't- sorry. That's shitty."
It's a terrible understatement, but he's not sure what to say. She doesn't seem to be looking for comfort, but he feels it's something he should offer anyway. But he does know what to say to her next statement. It sounds too close to the self loathing Peter finds himself dealing with more and more these days. It's nothing he'd ever want to hear out of her mouth.
"You're not going to hurt anyone else J. You're not going to snap or whatever. That's not you. What happened wasn't on you." He believes that, wholeheartedly. J may have shot him, may have shot Shepard. May even have killed Aurelia, all that time ago. But she wasn't a killer as far as Peter was concerned. "Something happened to you. That's all. You're not taking after anyone."
no subject
So far Sans has been the only one who she had told about it after her arriving to this world. Although to him she had given the whole story instead of a small slice like she offers to Peter. But still, his judgement had been the same: Not your fault.
Hah, funny how things just 'keep happening to her.' Nothing is ever her fault, is it? She can't help but wonder would he really think that if he knew the whole truth.
She returns the hoarse, scoffing laughter with another shake of head. "What makes you so sure? Remember, I have what they call a body count." Some of them he's not even aware of. "And yes. You screwed it up but I still chose to intervene, not caring what would happen. Which I did as much for myself than for you. The reason why you got hurt was because thought you could trust me."
no subject
It doesn’t make it any less unsettling.
Her reminder of his accusation from so their last fight makes him recoil. He looks down, away from her face. It felt like so long that it had happened, with everything that had happened since, but the reminder drags it all back into the present.
“I didn’t- What I said back then, maybe I shouldn’t have but that’s got nothing to do with this. You’re not evil J.” Maybe he didn’t look at her with the same purity he did with Wanda or River. But he looked at her far too fondly to ever think she was capable of evil.
“I can trust you. Can’t I?”
no subject
She thinks of all the people who have placed their trust and belief in her. Her parents, the boy she liked back in school, people she lived with in New York, those who she met on Moira, Sans and Peter. Each of them have gotten hurt because of that trust, in one way or another. She continues to cause trouble for those who get too involved in her life because of her own selfishness and refusal to let go of some things.
"Now whether you decide is up to you, of course. "
no subject
It was nothing he hadn't thought about before, nothing he wouldn't find himself thinking about again.
The pros and cons always came down the same way. The taste of his guilt verses the taste of her lips. The sound of her voice verses the sound of her silence. Her cruelty verses her kindness. The way his heart beat when he was near her verses how it had that night he watched her die. An echo of freak verse the simple truth. You're my favorite.
"I'm not you. You don't have to trust yourself. I'll do it for you." He takes her hand; he needs that connect as if it will help prove he means it, like it will get through to her. "I trust you, J. I trust you."
no subject
Which she doesn't, of course. But instead she raises her gaze back to face his, giving him a pensive look. This is not what she had planned to happen, not what she expected to get when she approached him. It's almost as if there's something very fragile closed in between their hands. There's something in his honesty that J doesn't like at all and makes her feel strangely vulnerable and exposed. And there's no way she can't stop herself briefly revisiting a memory of time when she had looked for this from someone else, bringing a hidden fear back into the surface.
"What does that mean?" She eventually asks him back, almost shyly. He says he'll trust her even when she doesn't, promising to carry something he doesn't know about.
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
cw: talk about past abuse
cw: talk about past abuse
cw: talk about past abuse
cw: talk about past abuse
cw: talk about past abuse
cw: talk about past abuse
cw: talk about past abuse
cw: talk about past abuse
Re: cw: talk about past abuse
cw: talk about past abuse
(no subject)
(no subject)