The expedition continues @avathemultiverseexplorer - Tumblr Blog

[What was the right way to respond to that? He looked... sad. Longingly towards the ocean. Did he feel a need to transform? Ava wasnt a mutation expert but they had been on land for a while.]

"I'm sorry to hear that."

[Experiments without questions. If the facility had just talked to her how different would things have turned out?]

[She was silent for a while longer.]

"I can handle myself for a bit if you need to stretch your legs. Need to set up the spot you made for me regardless- I promise not to experiment on you or any of your friends without getting permissions."

[She still held the PDA. It clearly had a scanner. Maybe she could scan Simons transformation process and learn something? At least she had a lot of entries to read through. If Simon allowed it of course.]

simon-lost-at-sea

"Are you sure?"

Hope filled Simon as he looked to Ava, surprised that she had suggested this. Maybe he thought that she would take control of the situation just as she had been in charge back when he was in prison. Not that he needed permission to go swimming, but knowing that she was okay on her own without him being there gave him some relief.

"Well, keep an eye out over beyond that platform... I want to show you one of my friends."

Simon all but rushed out of the modular room and paused only for a moment at the edge of the platform before jumping from it. The transformation was instantaneous and after disappearing below the surface, Simon breached, gave a little spin, before crashing down on the water. Moments later a loud roar was heard and a young reaper leviathan stuck its head out of the water and looked right at Ava.

#simon in subnautica #ava the multiverse explorer

[Ava tried to hide an amused look at how excited Simon was to get permission to go swimming. She had read the look right. He jumped in like an excited puppy- sea puppy? Does there exists small dog equivalents in the sea? She had to check the PDA. Which she was already preparing to look through now that no one had taken it from her. It fit well in her hand. Just like the clipboard.]

[Simon had already left. And she talked enough to herself without making the maybe sentient fish think she was crazy. Instead she opened the first entry she could find while strolling closer to the platform Simon had pointed out. Would it be another creature like the peeper? It was a bit cute- strange as it w-]

"WHAT THE- IS THA- SHIT!"

[Ava dropped the PDA on the floor and instantly threw her backpack in front of her to try and get to the clipboard- the noise had been the worst part. How could something be so loud?]

[Now she was just- standing. Both of them starring at each other. Avas arm shoved into a bag trying to grab something.]

"You are very big and very loud and if you just ate Simon- no. Intelligent life. Dont be so judgemental Ava."

[She said. Looking very judgemental at the reaper leviathan that may have just ate Simin.]

"SIMON! YOU CANT THROW SOMETHING EEL SIZED IN MY FACE AND JUST DISSAPPEAR!"

[She yelled. Hoping Simin could hear her through the water and glass. He probably couldn't. That roar was so loud everyone in the vicinity might aswell be deaf now.]

Would you pet me if I was a cat?

"No."

[Ava already have Charcoal and Creamheart. A cat filled life.]

#ava the multiverse explorer #[she is talking to you]

[It was a seemingly normal day on the deathbed. Assuming this was the bed Jack would die on and the medical staff dident just give up keeping him alive and throw him out of the airlock. He was using their limited supply of painkillers after all. Who decided he should continue suffering? Captain Ava? The council? David? Protocol? Who knows. Maybe they still thought he could be useful?]

...

[On the wall facing Jack a blue light appears. It starts small but quickly grows in size- stopping when its about a doorway in form. Except its just a little to high off the ground as Captain Ava falls through it and land on the floor. Well. At least it is someone that looks like Ava. The COI pin is missing from her jacket, she is carrying a clipboard for some reason and manages to look more tired and overworked than Ava usually does. Scrambling on the ground to regain her footing as the light dissappears around her- finally looking up at Jack.]

"Good- you here! I mean- not good that- dont have time for that. I will explain later. How do I fix the filters in lifesupport? The eh- the water filters have malfunctioned and gotten into the CO2 catchers so the oxygen production have halted and I am not sure how long I have before my crew starts getting CO2 poisoning. You know how- right? Just. Tell me so I can fix it.-"

@avathemultiverseexplorer

[The painkillers Jack was given have long worn off by now. He assumes they're keeping the rest in case somebody who actually has a chance at living needs them. He can't exactly fault them, have to conserve resources for the few living people after all. But it certainly doesn't make his part in this any easier.]

[Jack is shivering, his arms curled against his chest like some kind of frightened rodent while he lays on his side. His teeth chatter, making it difficult to keep the vomit and blood leaking from his mouth contained.]

[When he sees Ava, he assumes she is just some hallucination. He's been having a lot of those lately. He just wasn't sure why his dying mind thought the image of his boss of all people would comfort him.]

"G-go away..can't you see 'm dying over here? I don't wanna see your ffuckin face.."

[Jack grumbled, giving Ava the harshest glare he could muster. Normally, he'd never speak to her like this, lest he risk getting fired. But he's dying anyway, and this is a hallucination. He just doesn't have the energy to be polite at the moment.]

"Haven't I done enough..? I welded that last sub, D-David said that would be the last thing I'd have to do. I'm done. F-Find some other poor fuck to work to ddeath.."

[Jack didn't care if this was a hallucination. He was going to talk to it however he damn well pleased. Maybe this was his brain giving him a chance to get some closure with the captain before he finally kicked the bucket. Letting him berate her a little to lighten his resentment before he could finally go.]

[The probably were furniture somewhere. Since the multiverse always makes the impossible possible. Two sets of tables. One with a damaged face and the other with cracks after an explosion. Still standing for now.]

"It's alright. We can talk about sad things aswell. Whatever you need."

[Ava thought for a bit.]

"In my universe we knew each other before you got your welded job. When the quiet rapture just occurred and everyone was scared and confused. Before all the factions, besides Eden of course, formed and made plans. They tried to keep the children together. Keep us calm. It's over 20 years ago now so I am not sure exactly what we did. It was confusing times. But I know you were there and that we became friends. Someone you could rely on. I was glad that you were a part of the team on the mission to AT-5."

[She started tapping her finger against her leg. The clipboard laying besides her.]

"The multiverse is strange. The rations remains shit everywhere though. Well- I worked as a gardener at filament station in one universe. That place probably have better rations than ours."

[Jack silently nodded. It was kind of hard to avoid talking about sad things. Given how this universe was. Still, he wanted to avoid it anyway.]

"Huh.. I don't think I knew my Ava before goin onto AT-5. Saw her around, but she was busy doin..I dunno, captain stuff. She was always focused on whatever job she had to do. I think she was friends with the SM-8 researcher, though. She got harsher after we lost the SM-8."

[It was hard to think about being close with the Ava in his universe. Maybe they would've been friends, had the situation been different. But it was too late to try to be friends now.]

"That's a lucky universe, then."

[Jack nodded. He wondered if there was just an ideal universe. One where the Quiet Rapture never happened, one where he, Ava, everybody were happy. Hell, if there was a multiverse where Ava was a hallway, that had to be possible too, right? There can't be no universe where things turned out okay.]

"Have ya ever found any..happy universes?"

"Makes sense. Suppose I had something similar. My mother was part of the SM-8 crew."

[Another deep breath. No need to talk more about that.]

"The multiverse is infinite. So if I actively looked for happy universes I would find them eventually. For now I have focused on trying to understand our branch of the multiverse. Every possible thing that could have happened after the quiet rapture. Some versions are definitely happier than others. There are some able to support newlyborn children. Others where the blood change people so much they start new lives on the moon. No longer themselves but still alive beings who seem happy... even if its not a future I would want for any of us."

"Did visit an Earth once. Far in the past so if the quiet rapture will happen there it hadn't yet. They had so much. Easily accessible food, water, entertainment, air, plants, clothes and so on. Its where I got this blanket actually. They were running a money based exchange system. My universe dident after the quiet rapture. If you worked you got what you needed from the consolidation."

[Jack nodded as Ava mentioned her mother being on the SM-8. He could understand not wanting to talk much ahout it. He didn't like talking about losing his family either.]

"Yeah, I don't wanna live out the rest of my life as a blood clot. Even if I'm happy."

[Jack commented with a light chuckle. It was a little comforting to hear there were at least happier versions of their universe. Even if they're still screwed up. It gives Jack some hope, that maybe even his can impove a little.]

"Earth? Huh, never been. I was born on Filament. My parents were from Earth, though. Heard a lot about it from them."

[He shifted the blanket a little, keeping it tucked around him still. It was like a reminder that things were better in other universes. It certainly smelled better than the ones he was used to.]

[Earth sounded fantastical compared to the space stations and blood moons of their universe. He couldn't help but wonder what it would have been like if the Quiet Rapture never happened. What it would have been like to experience Earth for himself.]

"We have..some trade system? Just for extra things, though. Everybody gets food, water, places to sleep. The basics. But trade between people like..better clothes or anythin like that we either use coins or trade things around. Hard to imagine just usin' money for all of that."

[Ava listened. Smilling at Jack's happy blood cloth comment.]

"We have trades aswell. Mostly for services though. Some people were better at mending clothes or sewing them in so they fit better. So others did some of their assignments as a trade for getting theit gloves fixed or similar. Council dident care who did what. As long as it got done. It was the same when people got sick. Either they had an I.O.U from helping when someone else was sick or they had to give them out to make people do their daily tasks for them."

[They never really found new things. Excess resources was given to the captain, and then it was the captains decision what to do with them. Who needed it the most. She had asked a few times "if you cant pick yourself. Who do you think deserves _ most." And _ mostly beeing scarfs, gloves, socks or similar created from people's hair.]

"What did your schedules look like?"

[It was a seemingly normal day on the deathbed. Assuming this was the bed Jack would die on and the medical staff dident just give up keeping him alive and throw him out of the airlock. He was using their limited supply of painkillers after all. Who decided he should continue suffering? Captain Ava? The council? David? Protocol? Who knows. Maybe they still thought he could be useful?]

...

[On the wall facing Jack a blue light appears. It starts small but quickly grows in size- stopping when its about a doorway in form. Except its just a little to high off the ground as Captain Ava falls through it and land on the floor. Well. At least it is someone that looks like Ava. The COI pin is missing from her jacket, she is carrying a clipboard for some reason and manages to look more tired and overworked than Ava usually does. Scrambling on the ground to regain her footing as the light dissappears around her- finally looking up at Jack.]

"Good- you here! I mean- not good that- dont have time for that. I will explain later. How do I fix the filters in lifesupport? The eh- the water filters have malfunctioned and gotten into the CO2 catchers so the oxygen production have halted and I am not sure how long I have before my crew starts getting CO2 poisoning. You know how- right? Just. Tell me so I can fix it.-"

@avathemultiverseexplorer

[The painkillers Jack was given have long worn off by now. He assumes they're keeping the rest in case somebody who actually has a chance at living needs them. He can't exactly fault them, have to conserve resources for the few living people after all. But it certainly doesn't make his part in this any easier.]

[Jack is shivering, his arms curled against his chest like some kind of frightened rodent while he lays on his side. His teeth chatter, making it difficult to keep the vomit and blood leaking from his mouth contained.]

[When he sees Ava, he assumes she is just some hallucination. He's been having a lot of those lately. He just wasn't sure why his dying mind thought the image of his boss of all people would comfort him.]

"G-go away..can't you see 'm dying over here? I don't wanna see your ffuckin face.."

[Jack grumbled, giving Ava the harshest glare he could muster. Normally, he'd never speak to her like this, lest he risk getting fired. But he's dying anyway, and this is a hallucination. He just doesn't have the energy to be polite at the moment.]

"Haven't I done enough..? I welded that last sub, D-David said that would be the last thing I'd have to do. I'm done. F-Find some other poor fuck to work to ddeath.."

[Jack didn't care if this was a hallucination. He was going to talk to it however he damn well pleased. Maybe this was his brain giving him a chance to get some closure with the captain before he finally kicked the bucket. Letting him berate her a little to lighten his resentment before he could finally go.]

[The probably were furniture somewhere. Since the multiverse always makes the impossible possible. Two sets of tables. One with a damaged face and the other with cracks after an explosion. Still standing for now.]

"It's alright. We can talk about sad things aswell. Whatever you need."

[Ava thought for a bit.]

"In my universe we knew each other before you got your welded job. When the quiet rapture just occurred and everyone was scared and confused. Before all the factions, besides Eden of course, formed and made plans. They tried to keep the children together. Keep us calm. It's over 20 years ago now so I am not sure exactly what we did. It was confusing times. But I know you were there and that we became friends. Someone you could rely on. I was glad that you were a part of the team on the mission to AT-5."

[She started tapping her finger against her leg. The clipboard laying besides her.]

"The multiverse is strange. The rations remains shit everywhere though. Well- I worked as a gardener at filament station in one universe. That place probably have better rations than ours."

[Jack silently nodded. It was kind of hard to avoid talking about sad things. Given how this universe was. Still, he wanted to avoid it anyway.]

"Huh.. I don't think I knew my Ava before goin onto AT-5. Saw her around, but she was busy doin..I dunno, captain stuff. She was always focused on whatever job she had to do. I think she was friends with the SM-8 researcher, though. She got harsher after we lost the SM-8."

[It was hard to think about being close with the Ava in his universe. Maybe they would've been friends, had the situation been different. But it was too late to try to be friends now.]

"That's a lucky universe, then."

[Jack nodded. He wondered if there was just an ideal universe. One where the Quiet Rapture never happened, one where he, Ava, everybody were happy. Hell, if there was a multiverse where Ava was a hallway, that had to be possible too, right? There can't be no universe where things turned out okay.]

"Have ya ever found any..happy universes?"

"Makes sense. Suppose I had something similar. My mother was part of the SM-8 crew."

[Another deep breath. No need to talk more about that.]

"The multiverse is infinite. So if I actively looked for happy universes I would find them eventually. For now I have focused on trying to understand our branch of the multiverse. Every possible thing that could have happened after the quiet rapture. Some versions are definitely happier than others. There are some able to support newlyborn children. Others where the blood change people so much they start new lives on the moon. No longer themselves but still alive beings who seem happy... even if its not a future I would want for any of us."

"Did visit an Earth once. Far in the past so if the quiet rapture will happen there it hadn't yet. They had so much. Easily accessible food, water, entertainment, air, plants, clothes and so on. Its where I got this blanket actually. They were running a money based exchange system. My universe dident after the quiet rapture. If you worked you got what you needed from the consolidation."

[It was a seemingly normal day on the deathbed. Assuming this was the bed Jack would die on and the medical staff dident just give up keeping him alive and throw him out of the airlock. He was using their limited supply of painkillers after all. Who decided he should continue suffering? Captain Ava? The council? David? Protocol? Who knows. Maybe they still thought he could be useful?]

...

[On the wall facing Jack a blue light appears. It starts small but quickly grows in size- stopping when its about a doorway in form. Except its just a little to high off the ground as Captain Ava falls through it and land on the floor. Well. At least it is someone that looks like Ava. The COI pin is missing from her jacket, she is carrying a clipboard for some reason and manages to look more tired and overworked than Ava usually does. Scrambling on the ground to regain her footing as the light dissappears around her- finally looking up at Jack.]

"Good- you here! I mean- not good that- dont have time for that. I will explain later. How do I fix the filters in lifesupport? The eh- the water filters have malfunctioned and gotten into the CO2 catchers so the oxygen production have halted and I am not sure how long I have before my crew starts getting CO2 poisoning. You know how- right? Just. Tell me so I can fix it.-"

@avathemultiverseexplorer

[The painkillers Jack was given have long worn off by now. He assumes they're keeping the rest in case somebody who actually has a chance at living needs them. He can't exactly fault them, have to conserve resources for the few living people after all. But it certainly doesn't make his part in this any easier.]

[Jack is shivering, his arms curled against his chest like some kind of frightened rodent while he lays on his side. His teeth chatter, making it difficult to keep the vomit and blood leaking from his mouth contained.]

[When he sees Ava, he assumes she is just some hallucination. He's been having a lot of those lately. He just wasn't sure why his dying mind thought the image of his boss of all people would comfort him.]

"G-go away..can't you see 'm dying over here? I don't wanna see your ffuckin face.."

[Jack grumbled, giving Ava the harshest glare he could muster. Normally, he'd never speak to her like this, lest he risk getting fired. But he's dying anyway, and this is a hallucination. He just doesn't have the energy to be polite at the moment.]

"Haven't I done enough..? I welded that last sub, D-David said that would be the last thing I'd have to do. I'm done. F-Find some other poor fuck to work to ddeath.."

[Jack didn't care if this was a hallucination. He was going to talk to it however he damn well pleased. Maybe this was his brain giving him a chance to get some closure with the captain before he finally kicked the bucket. Letting him berate her a little to lighten his resentment before he could finally go.]

[The probably were furniture somewhere. Since the multiverse always makes the impossible possible. Two sets of tables. One with a damaged face and the other with cracks after an explosion. Still standing for now.]

"It's alright. We can talk about sad things aswell. Whatever you need."

[Ava thought for a bit.]

"In my universe we knew each other before you got your welded job. When the quiet rapture just occurred and everyone was scared and confused. Before all the factions, besides Eden of course, formed and made plans. They tried to keep the children together. Keep us calm. It's over 20 years ago now so I am not sure exactly what we did. It was confusing times. But I know you were there and that we became friends. Someone you could rely on. I was glad that you were a part of the team on the mission to AT-5."

[She started tapping her finger against her leg. The clipboard laying besides her.]

"The multiverse is strange. The rations remains shit everywhere though. Well- I worked as a gardener at filament station in one universe. That place probably have better rations than ours."

[It was a seemingly normal day on the deathbed. Assuming this was the bed Jack would die on and the medical staff dident just give up keeping him alive and throw him out of the airlock. He was using their limited supply of painkillers after all. Who decided he should continue suffering? Captain Ava? The council? David? Protocol? Who knows. Maybe they still thought he could be useful?]

...

[On the wall facing Jack a blue light appears. It starts small but quickly grows in size- stopping when its about a doorway in form. Except its just a little to high off the ground as Captain Ava falls through it and land on the floor. Well. At least it is someone that looks like Ava. The COI pin is missing from her jacket, she is carrying a clipboard for some reason and manages to look more tired and overworked than Ava usually does. Scrambling on the ground to regain her footing as the light dissappears around her- finally looking up at Jack.]

"Good- you here! I mean- not good that- dont have time for that. I will explain later. How do I fix the filters in lifesupport? The eh- the water filters have malfunctioned and gotten into the CO2 catchers so the oxygen production have halted and I am not sure how long I have before my crew starts getting CO2 poisoning. You know how- right? Just. Tell me so I can fix it.-"

@avathemultiverseexplorer

[The painkillers Jack was given have long worn off by now. He assumes they're keeping the rest in case somebody who actually has a chance at living needs them. He can't exactly fault them, have to conserve resources for the few living people after all. But it certainly doesn't make his part in this any easier.]

[Jack is shivering, his arms curled against his chest like some kind of frightened rodent while he lays on his side. His teeth chatter, making it difficult to keep the vomit and blood leaking from his mouth contained.]

[When he sees Ava, he assumes she is just some hallucination. He's been having a lot of those lately. He just wasn't sure why his dying mind thought the image of his boss of all people would comfort him.]

"G-go away..can't you see 'm dying over here? I don't wanna see your ffuckin face.."

[Jack grumbled, giving Ava the harshest glare he could muster. Normally, he'd never speak to her like this, lest he risk getting fired. But he's dying anyway, and this is a hallucination. He just doesn't have the energy to be polite at the moment.]

"Haven't I done enough..? I welded that last sub, D-David said that would be the last thing I'd have to do. I'm done. F-Find some other poor fuck to work to ddeath.."

[Jack didn't care if this was a hallucination. He was going to talk to it however he damn well pleased. Maybe this was his brain giving him a chance to get some closure with the captain before he finally kicked the bucket. Letting him berate her a little to lighten his resentment before he could finally go.]

"So do I. Dont know what happened to her- almost managed to get her back to the station. And then my mind goes completely blank. Have no idea why she isnt-"

[She stopped herself.]

"Right. You dont want to see my fucking face. Overstayed my welcome before I even arrived. Dont know what your Ava was like. - so. I'm probably just a reminder of something bad for you. Even I like to think I was friends with my Jack. I will get out of your hair just- anything I can do before I leave?"

[She dident look like she wanted to leave.]

"A blanket? Some water?"

[Jack frowned as Ava mentioned his previous words. They weren't meant for her, obviously. Frankly, she had been nothing but pretty kind to him.]

"Nno, I'm sorry. Don't leave."

[He mumbled, reaching out to try and grab Ava's hand in an attempt to keep her here. He couldn't really feel the burns on his hands anymore, though they certainly didn't look any better. If he was going die soon, he wanted company. Even if that came in the form of somebody who looked just like Ava. This Ava didn't hurt him, he had no reason to shun her.]

"'M sorry, I didn't mean that for you. In a..loot of fuckin' pain right now and I thought you were her and..said that shit."

[Ava wasnt that worried about getting sick. Why would she? So she moved her hand to hold his. Barely. Being overly careful. Like if she touched him too hard he would break apart.]

"Dont have any spare painkillers unfortunately. I can still get you that blanket if you want?"

[Worry pained her face.]

"What did your Ava say?"

[Must have been pretty bad to get that reaction from him. She had been hard at times but- well. Her Jack. Strange at the potentially fake meeting was with her dead crew. Unable to say anything herself. Jack being surprisingly accepting of the strange events compared to David- they had been friends. Right?]

"Blanket sounds nice.."

[Jack hummed, calming down a little as Ava stayed with him. He didn't blame her for barely touching him, he'd probably be the same if he was in her position.]

"'S not..anythin she said, really. She's a captain, right? Captains are hard. 'S more..I don't know."

[He paused, trying to think of a way to articulate what he was upset with her for. Really, it wasn't just Ava specifically. It was the whole C.O.I in general.]

"Just..bein treated like I'm just here to work. Even when I'm fuckin dying, when I couldn't even stand on my own I still had to do one last welding job. Because that's my fucking purpose. That's all I do. I work and I work and I work and I won't get a break till I die.."

[Jack's voice wavered at those words. The thought of being finally able to rest, even if that meant he was dying, was comforting to him in a way. He wouldn't have to work anymore. He wouldn't have to worry about humanity's inevitable extinction. Even if there wasn't some afterlife waiting for him. He wouldn't suffer any longer.]

"..I'm tired, I'm so..so tired."

[Ava was quiet for a bit. Thoughtfull.]

[She let go off Jacks hand. A blue light appearing on the floor next to her just like the one she stumbled through earlier. She just put her hand through it this time. Pulling out the blanket from the hotel on Earth. Soft and unnaturally new and clean compared to anything else around them. Didn't stop her from immediately getting off the floor and tucking him in.]

"I think I understand. Just- always focused on the future. Any future where humanity get to keep living. I'm still looking for it now. Dying couldn't stop me from working so if I needed you- well. I would probably have done the same."

[She settled back on the floor. Same spot.]

"Not sure what I would do now. I asked you for help with this but- my situation is different now. My crew is different. Thinks I am barely there and that I should ask them to help me. But they can get hurt- I'm already dead. I can get away easier if things go bad. Why risk them being harmed?"

[If she was in the situation now she would probably just have transported herself to Simon on the SM-13. Or been the one send down there to begin with as she could leave if anything went badly.]

[Jack shut his eyes for a moment as he was tucked in. The blanket was comforting, even while he was in so much pain. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been tucked in a clean blanket like this.]

"I know..just wish it could've been different. That I didn't have to be worked to fuckin death to help keep humanity goin but..that's just the way things are."

[Jack replied before he silently listened to Ava. He hummed, opening his eyes again to look over at her.]

"Well, if ya can't rely on your crew, there's no use in havin a crew. They're there to help, right? If they're able to help, ya should be able to rely on em. You can't handle every fuckin thing that happens. Nobody can. That's why there's a crew in the first place."

"We're human. We can be harmed from all kinds of shite if we're not careful. Even goin down the damn stairs comes with risks. If we didn't do anything that could hurt us, nothing would get done at all."

[It was kind of funny hearing this from another version of the person who talks about things like 'calculated risks'.]

"They do help. Just- not things that help me. They keep a small garden alive, do the daily maintenance, cleaning and so on."

[Sometimes they practically had to raise a child with how Charcoal acted.]

"I just want this crew to live. I cant be risking their lives as long as it is something I can fix. Becaouse they deserve to live."

[She moved her hand and placed it on the edge of the blanket. Around where his hand should be.]

"You deserve to live."

[There was no blood moon and no black box to look for with this new crew. No council that decided what was nessecary. Just survival for survival sake.]

[Jack paused, staring at Ava's hand for a moment before his gaze shifted back to her face.]

"I don't think that's gonna be possible for me."

[Silently, he couldn't help but disagree that he deserved to live. He's had a part in so many deaths, if he was alive he'd only be helping the C.O.I cause more. Even if he was simply following orders, he still hasn't forgiven himself for that.]

"If your crew can help you, they should. Ya can't be doing everything by yourself, you'll burn yourself out eventually. And that's not good for anybody."

[He debated whether he wanted to be more blunt for a moment. He shook his head, figuring he shouldn't sugarcoat it or anything. It was the lives of Ava's crew after all.]

"If they're not complete fuckin morons, they can handle doing more shit than just maintenance and cleaning. They're a crew, not a cleaning service. And if you aren't around for whatever reason, they should be prepared to handle that. Which means relyin on them more to make sure of that."

[Ava bites the inside of her cheeks. Thinking. Taking a deep breath.]

"Thats a good point. Shit- I. Hmm-"

[She looked both annoyed and sad.]

"Always needed your's and David's input. I will talk to them about it. Do some training courses to prepare them for if I get permanently trapped somewhere else or killed for good."

[Another deep breath. It was hard to keep the grief away when the danger had passed.]

"I'm glad to get to talk to you again."

[Lots of things was left unsaid. This Jack dident need to know all her pain and grief. This had to be equal. He helped her so now she was trying to return the favor... wasnt going well. Since David keep being helpful.]

"What about you? Anything you would like to talk about?"

[Jack nodded in response, having company was nice. Far better than staring at the rusted walls of the med bay for hours on end. He'd started to see faces in the rust at this point.]

"Same here."

[He paused. Frankly, he couldn't think of anything not completely depressing to talk about. His guilt for his part in the C.O.I's convict realization program? Nope. His anger towards the C.O.I for how their employees are treated? No. His grief for what happened on Filament Station that he still hasn't moved on from? Nah. What it's like to have FAR too much radiation blasted in your face? Nuh uh.]

"Pfff...uhhhh, unless ya got questions about what it's like here, I have no fuckin clue."

[He was mildly curious to see how different their universes were. Maybe how different he was compared to the Jack this Ava knew. Which was a little weird to think about. Another version of himself. But, he can't do much but accept it. Weirder things have happened.]

"I do try to learn how different universes are different. Why things work out some places and I others they dont. In most of them both me and the convict died. In others the blood mutated him into something else. Some are so different I cant even see myself in the versions of myself I meet. And I have been put in a lot of versions of myselfs life- I got to experience what it was like to be a computer, some fish creature, a person transformed into plants and even a hallway. I have tried being a stupid endless hallway becaouse that is just how strange the multiverse is. Anything can be true somewhere else. And still I haven't found a single version where we managed to retrieve the black box and it somehow saved us from our inevitable death. Compared to all of that well- this place seems fairly normal. Or- like my universe was at least. And anything I might find strange would probably be normal to you."

[She stopped. It felt so natural to talk to Jack.]

"I just cant shut up- sorry. Tell me about your universe. Your favorite things about it. Things you find strange. Did you have any particular hobbies before you ended up here?"

[It was a seemingly normal day on the deathbed. Assuming this was the bed Jack would die on and the medical staff dident just give up keeping him alive and throw him out of the airlock. He was using their limited supply of painkillers after all. Who decided he should continue suffering? Captain Ava? The council? David? Protocol? Who knows. Maybe they still thought he could be useful?]

...

[On the wall facing Jack a blue light appears. It starts small but quickly grows in size- stopping when its about a doorway in form. Except its just a little to high off the ground as Captain Ava falls through it and land on the floor. Well. At least it is someone that looks like Ava. The COI pin is missing from her jacket, she is carrying a clipboard for some reason and manages to look more tired and overworked than Ava usually does. Scrambling on the ground to regain her footing as the light dissappears around her- finally looking up at Jack.]

"Good- you here! I mean- not good that- dont have time for that. I will explain later. How do I fix the filters in lifesupport? The eh- the water filters have malfunctioned and gotten into the CO2 catchers so the oxygen production have halted and I am not sure how long I have before my crew starts getting CO2 poisoning. You know how- right? Just. Tell me so I can fix it.-"

@avathemultiverseexplorer

[The painkillers Jack was given have long worn off by now. He assumes they're keeping the rest in case somebody who actually has a chance at living needs them. He can't exactly fault them, have to conserve resources for the few living people after all. But it certainly doesn't make his part in this any easier.]

[Jack is shivering, his arms curled against his chest like some kind of frightened rodent while he lays on his side. His teeth chatter, making it difficult to keep the vomit and blood leaking from his mouth contained.]

[When he sees Ava, he assumes she is just some hallucination. He's been having a lot of those lately. He just wasn't sure why his dying mind thought the image of his boss of all people would comfort him.]

"G-go away..can't you see 'm dying over here? I don't wanna see your ffuckin face.."

[Jack grumbled, giving Ava the harshest glare he could muster. Normally, he'd never speak to her like this, lest he risk getting fired. But he's dying anyway, and this is a hallucination. He just doesn't have the energy to be polite at the moment.]

"Haven't I done enough..? I welded that last sub, D-David said that would be the last thing I'd have to do. I'm done. F-Find some other poor fuck to work to ddeath.."

[Jack didn't care if this was a hallucination. He was going to talk to it however he damn well pleased. Maybe this was his brain giving him a chance to get some closure with the captain before he finally kicked the bucket. Letting him berate her a little to lighten his resentment before he could finally go.]

"So do I. Dont know what happened to her- almost managed to get her back to the station. And then my mind goes completely blank. Have no idea why she isnt-"

[She stopped herself.]

"Right. You dont want to see my fucking face. Overstayed my welcome before I even arrived. Dont know what your Ava was like. - so. I'm probably just a reminder of something bad for you. Even I like to think I was friends with my Jack. I will get out of your hair just- anything I can do before I leave?"

[She dident look like she wanted to leave.]

"A blanket? Some water?"

[Jack frowned as Ava mentioned his previous words. They weren't meant for her, obviously. Frankly, she had been nothing but pretty kind to him.]

"Nno, I'm sorry. Don't leave."

[He mumbled, reaching out to try and grab Ava's hand in an attempt to keep her here. He couldn't really feel the burns on his hands anymore, though they certainly didn't look any better. If he was going die soon, he wanted company. Even if that came in the form of somebody who looked just like Ava. This Ava didn't hurt him, he had no reason to shun her.]

"'M sorry, I didn't mean that for you. In a..loot of fuckin' pain right now and I thought you were her and..said that shit."

[Ava wasnt that worried about getting sick. Why would she? So she moved her hand to hold his. Barely. Being overly careful. Like if she touched him too hard he would break apart.]

"Dont have any spare painkillers unfortunately. I can still get you that blanket if you want?"

[Worry pained her face.]

"What did your Ava say?"

[Must have been pretty bad to get that reaction from him. She had been hard at times but- well. Her Jack. Strange at the potentially fake meeting was with her dead crew. Unable to say anything herself. Jack being surprisingly accepting of the strange events compared to David- they had been friends. Right?]

"Blanket sounds nice.."

[Jack hummed, calming down a little as Ava stayed with him. He didn't blame her for barely touching him, he'd probably be the same if he was in her position.]

"'S not..anythin she said, really. She's a captain, right? Captains are hard. 'S more..I don't know."

[He paused, trying to think of a way to articulate what he was upset with her for. Really, it wasn't just Ava specifically. It was the whole C.O.I in general.]

"Just..bein treated like I'm just here to work. Even when I'm fuckin dying, when I couldn't even stand on my own I still had to do one last welding job. Because that's my fucking purpose. That's all I do. I work and I work and I work and I won't get a break till I die.."

[Jack's voice wavered at those words. The thought of being finally able to rest, even if that meant he was dying, was comforting to him in a way. He wouldn't have to work anymore. He wouldn't have to worry about humanity's inevitable extinction. Even if there wasn't some afterlife waiting for him. He wouldn't suffer any longer.]

"..I'm tired, I'm so..so tired."

[Ava was quiet for a bit. Thoughtfull.]

[She let go off Jacks hand. A blue light appearing on the floor next to her just like the one she stumbled through earlier. She just put her hand through it this time. Pulling out the blanket from the hotel on Earth. Soft and unnaturally new and clean compared to anything else around them. Didn't stop her from immediately getting off the floor and tucking him in.]

"I think I understand. Just- always focused on the future. Any future where humanity get to keep living. I'm still looking for it now. Dying couldn't stop me from working so if I needed you- well. I would probably have done the same."

[She settled back on the floor. Same spot.]

"Not sure what I would do now. I asked you for help with this but- my situation is different now. My crew is different. Thinks I am barely there and that I should ask them to help me. But they can get hurt- I'm already dead. I can get away easier if things go bad. Why risk them being harmed?"

[If she was in the situation now she would probably just have transported herself to Simon on the SM-13. Or been the one send down there to begin with as she could leave if anything went badly.]

[Jack shut his eyes for a moment as he was tucked in. The blanket was comforting, even while he was in so much pain. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been tucked in a clean blanket like this.]

"I know..just wish it could've been different. That I didn't have to be worked to fuckin death to help keep humanity goin but..that's just the way things are."

[Jack replied before he silently listened to Ava. He hummed, opening his eyes again to look over at her.]

"Well, if ya can't rely on your crew, there's no use in havin a crew. They're there to help, right? If they're able to help, ya should be able to rely on em. You can't handle every fuckin thing that happens. Nobody can. That's why there's a crew in the first place."

"We're human. We can be harmed from all kinds of shite if we're not careful. Even goin down the damn stairs comes with risks. If we didn't do anything that could hurt us, nothing would get done at all."

[It was kind of funny hearing this from another version of the person who talks about things like 'calculated risks'.]

"They do help. Just- not things that help me. They keep a small garden alive, do the daily maintenance, cleaning and so on."

[Sometimes they practically had to raise a child with how Charcoal acted.]

"I just want this crew to live. I cant be risking their lives as long as it is something I can fix. Becaouse they deserve to live."

[She moved her hand and placed it on the edge of the blanket. Around where his hand should be.]

"You deserve to live."

[There was no blood moon and no black box to look for with this new crew. No council that decided what was nessecary. Just survival for survival sake.]

[Jack paused, staring at Ava's hand for a moment before his gaze shifted back to her face.]

"I don't think that's gonna be possible for me."

[Silently, he couldn't help but disagree that he deserved to live. He's had a part in so many deaths, if he was alive he'd only be helping the C.O.I cause more. Even if he was simply following orders, he still hasn't forgiven himself for that.]

"If your crew can help you, they should. Ya can't be doing everything by yourself, you'll burn yourself out eventually. And that's not good for anybody."

[He debated whether he wanted to be more blunt for a moment. He shook his head, figuring he shouldn't sugarcoat it or anything. It was the lives of Ava's crew after all.]

"If they're not complete fuckin morons, they can handle doing more shit than just maintenance and cleaning. They're a crew, not a cleaning service. And if you aren't around for whatever reason, they should be prepared to handle that. Which means relyin on them more to make sure of that."

[Ava bites the inside of her cheeks. Thinking. Taking a deep breath.]

"Thats a good point. Shit- I. Hmm-"

[She looked both annoyed and sad.]

"Always needed your's and David's input. I will talk to them about it. Do some training courses to prepare them for if I get permanently trapped somewhere else or killed for good."

[Another deep breath. It was hard to keep the grief away when the danger had passed.]

"I'm glad to get to talk to you again."

[Lots of things was left unsaid. This Jack dident need to know all her pain and grief. This had to be equal. He helped her so now she was trying to return the favor... wasnt going well. Since David keep being helpful.]

"What about you? Anything you would like to talk about?"

[Ava rarely visited the bathroom. Why would she? Her body never processed anything so she had nothing to get rid off. She hardly sweats now- so it was only on the rare occasion where she really need to wash something of her clothes or clean her hair that she used it.]

[This was one of thouse occasions. She needed a wet cloth to get some dirt off her hair. She barely glanced the mirror as she entered. Closing the door behind her in the broom closet sized room. The most prominent feature was the toilet made to work in zero gravity. She opened a small supplies closet to get the piece of cloth and gently wet it with just a few drops-]

[This was when she finally looked into the mirror. The reflection was wrong to say the least. She couldn't see herself and instead of showing her the small room she was in it showed the reflection of a hallway entrance. A grand place. With natural light coming through the windows. Clearly not a spacestation-]

"Hello?"

[If this was another of Nathaniels tricks-]

@avathemultiverseexplorer

Damien was trapped in this manor for a while now. He didn't know what day it was, what time it was. It has been a while since he's seen other people. This was one of those days- where his bad right hip and his bad left leg refused to give him even the smallest bit of peace. Both where giving him hell, the pain seemed unbearable this time. The mayor had to get up from the comfy chair in front of the fire place. His mug of tea was sitting on the small table beside the big wooden chair with the dark red cushion. His right hand took the silver round handle from his cane, grabbing it with a bit strength. The male was limping through those big, empty halls, the tap of the cane was echoing through the halls with every step that he took. And then he stopped in his track. Something was wrong. The mirror in the hallway entrance. Mayor Damien slowly turned his head into the mirror's direction and saw something in it's reflection that resembled a spacestation. The tap tap tap from his cane became a bit more quiet- more careful- as he stepped closer to the mirror.

"Hello...? Who are you..?"

Damien was more than confused about the weird stuff happening in the big mirror. He saw Ava with even more confusion on his face, the white streak of his hair was now right over his left eye.

"Right..."

[Ava looked like she was waiting for something to happen. It dident.]

"Won't be much of a tour through one mirror. We could try moving the mirrors? Think I need to get some tools to distach it from the wall on my side..."

[And moving the mirrors before someone else needed to use the bathroom would be best.]

"Would you be willing to try?"

[It could also result in the connection being cut. Would be a shame to leave Damien alone. Again.]

"Well... I don't think i'm able to carry this.. This massive mirror when i still have my cane in my hands.. I'm willing to try!"

Damien took some steps back from the mirror to take a good look at it. The mirror was a big one with a gold frame, a long forgotten piece from the victorian era. He leaned the cane agains the wall beside him, pushed the small victorian side table to the side, his right hip made a loud crack while doing so. The mayor smiled away the pain, as always.

"I have enough space now to get this thing down. I don't seem to know if i'm capable of carrying it into the living room with the bad hip and the bad knee..."

The lights flickered once more. The cane was still leaning on the wall and was visible to Ava. The closer Damien came to the mirror, the more the cane started to look weird. It almost seemed like it didn't really belong there anymore. A refined, dark metal cane with an elegant silver handle, carried by Damien Whitacre as both an aid and a symbol of his authority. At first glance, it appeared completely ordinary, but whenever Dark is close to surfacing, something about it subtly changes. The metal seems to deepen toward an almost unnatural black, the silver handle catches the light with a faint violet sheen, and delicate shadows appear to curl around its edges. The transformation is easy to miss—but once noticed, it feels like a warning that someone else is about to take control. Damien didn't even notice and he probably never will.

"Try not to get hurt or destroy the mirror."

[She wasnt looking at Damien at all. The words coming out like an autopilot- like needless reminders under repair missions. Dont get harmed. Dont harm the equipment.]

[Instead her eyes was fixed on the cane. She was used to arcane matters by now. Perhaps the cane was an entity like the clipboard? Liking Damien so much it kept him trapped in the house. Did it have a crystal on it? Her eyes following the edges of the metal-]

"Have you ever moved furniture around before?"

[Instinctly she held the clipboard tighter. Not enough to feel the pressure on her own body, but enough that removing it from her would be a challenge.]

"I did move furniture around before.. Just- small things compared to this.... Massive mirror.."

Damien put his hands on the gold frame of the mirror, his body was now almost completely blocking Ava's view.

"I won't hurt myself, i hope.. I'll be careful and very gentle."

A very soft distorted voice was now hearable in the bathroom that Ava was in. 'I know who you are....' is what it whispered. At the same time the cane seemed to start glitching in red and blue. Damien couldn't hear that voice, he didn't even notice his beloved cane acting up behind him. The mayor took a deep breath and took the mirror down from the wall with some strength.

"Mmpfh- Whew... Seems heavier than i thought.. Oh god-"

Damien carefully carried the mirror into the living room of what used to be Markiplier manor decades ago and put it right next to the fireplace on the ground. Visible was now a very wide room with lots of book shelfs, a big old wooden chair with red cushions and even a bear fur as a carpet on the ground. There was something else hidden under said bear fur. It was the outlines of where Actor Mark Iplier's body had been found before it disappeared.

"There... we go..! All finished! Are you still there, Ava?"

"I'm still here. Give me five minutes to fetch the tools I need to move the mirror."

[Everything needed to be bolted down on a spacestation, so it dident float away when the gravity turned off. And this was also a good opportunity to talk to the voice without alarming Damien.]

[She left the bathroom. Leaving the door open behind her- giving Damien the chance to look at the opposing wall. Rusty around the edges but still a sturdy metal. The light was low, but enough that you could navigate around.]

"Lots of people know who I am. The question here is who you are and why you are keeping a version of Damien trapped and isolated."

[She dident know if the voice could follow her. If it was better if it couldn't. Regardless she entered the workshop and grapped a screwdriver.]

"Just be careful! I'll sit down for a moment, i need to get my cane first."

Damien left the room to get his cane. The was simply- gone. It wasn't leaning against the wall where he put it. Maybe he forgot where he actually put it, that happens a lot. While walking without the cane, Damien's limping was clearly visible. The old Whitacre manor burned down when the twins were only 16. Damien helped Celine get free from a heavy beam, his lower body got crushed by a heavy chandelier on their way out. That left some memories... And some scars on his right hip and his left knee.

The lights started flickering in the room that Ava was in. For a short moment, there was a shadow visible behind her. That disappeared when the flickering stopped.

"Ava, the multiverse explorer.. I heard some things about you... Mhm.."

There was that distorted voice again. It was now more clear to Ava. A mix between Celine's voice and Damien's voice.

"I know about Engie.. Spare me with your 'This is not my engineer.' speech... Tsk.."

As fast as the voice appeared, it disappeared with a chuckle. Meanwhile Damien was still limping around for his cane, which was now leaning agains the wooden chair with the red cushions. The mayor did not remember putting it there.

"Another Dark I assume."

[What would that mean for her? The Dark she knew had a mission. Keeping the multiverse in check and kill thouse that put it in danger... she hadn't considered that another Dark would consider her dangerous and attempt what the Dark she knew decided against.]

"Any particular reason your keeping part of you trapped in... that place."

[Dark hadn't said much. But she wasnt stupid.]

[Entering the bathroom once more. Announcing her own arrival to the mirror.]

"I'm back."

[Screwdriver already against the screws holding the mirror to the wall. Hard doing single handed, but she wasnt going to let the clipboard go if that Dark had any affect here- which it seemed to have.]

Damien heard Ava's voice, turned around and started limping towards the mirror. There was his cane. And visible confusion on his face about why the cane was leaning against the wooden chair now.

"Oh, there you are!"

This wasn't meant for Ava, but for the cane. A bright smile was on the mayor's face and the cane seemed to be acting more calm the closer Damien got to it.

"My beloved cane... Oh, hey Ava! You're gonna be carefull with the mirror, no?"

His right hand was now holding the cane once the male sat down on the chair. His left leg had a very old vintage leg brace on, it was simply to support his left knee. The white streak was now in his face.

"Your bathroom doesn't look like a normal bathroom by the way.. I've never seen a bathroom like this."

"Well-"

[Ava grunted as the mirror got loose. Supporting it with her hand that also held the clipboard. Great. Just wonderfull.]

"- lots of things has changed since 1932. Not an expert in bathroom development... there we go."

[She now held the mirror. Clipboard behinds it back- turning it to the right to get a better view of the "toilet". It was closer to a vacuum one needed to desperately hold on to.]

"This bathroom, in particular, was constructed to work in zero gravity. Since I am currently on a spacestation orbiting nothing. And it probably never will again."

[She held it for just a moment longer before starting to leave the bathroom. Passing by the living area- only truly open space in the ship if you dident count the workshop. Too busy a spot unfortunately- instead she walked to the head of the ship and entered the command room. There was multiple firewalls and a password that needed to be entered if one wanted to take command of the spacestation. Making it turn or turn off life support in specific rooms. Relatively safe and unvisited. Not much to do here now unless an alarm turned on and you ahd to figure out how to avoid death.]

"There. Mirror should be safe here and no one else needs to use this space for a while."

[She was already attaching it to the wall. The mirror faced a terminal - currently off - a wall of alarm lights that turned on to indicate if any levels was wrong in any specific room. And some buttons and handles that did nothing as long as the terminal was off.]

"Zero gravity...? You mean actual space..?"

Damien saw the toilet, it looked more like a torture chamber than anything else. He's glad that he's trapped in that manor. The mayor hated changes and modern things.

"That spacestation looks so.. So cold and so empty in a way that makes me feel very, very uneasy to an extent. All those buttons and handles and lights and all of that other stuff is just overwhelming my brain a bit, if i'm honest here."

Damien opened his suit jacket and took out his glasses. They had a round, thin silver frame. There was the flickering lights again. This time it was not in the manor but all those lights from the spacestation flickered for a short moment. The mayor had troubles seeing things clearly in the distance, he was near-sighted. Once the glasses were on his nose, the flickering disappeared.

"Tell me more about that spacestation, please! This is the first time i'm talking to someone who's not even on earth..!"

The male blinked and for a short moment his right iris was glowing red and his left iris was glowing blue. Those colors faded as fast as they came.

#ava the multiverse explorer #damien the mayor

"Not much to say... Just. Keeps me and the crew alive. Gives us an atmosphere to breath and a bed to sleep in. After the quiet rapture there wasnt anything else left. Its a bit like your manner. If you leave you die. If the house breaks you die. So you maintain it as long as resources last, and hope they do until your lucky enough to find new ones. Its mostly asteroid mining."

[She just said things. Not really focusing on what she said- instead focusing on the flickering lights that just indicated that all systems was failing and they would therefore be death... perhaps this wasnt the safest room to be in with an enitiy that seemed able to affect her aswell through the mirror.]

"Any particular questions you have?"

[Perhaps she should throw a blanket over the mirror and run while the option was still there. Sure. She was friends with a Dark and therefore felt an obligation to the parts that made it. But this was another Damien. And another Dark or cane entity.]

prepare yourself for an uncomfortable conversation

"Most conversations with you are uncomfortable."

[She rolled her eye and went back to what she was doing.]

#ava the multiverse explorer #[she is talking to you]

[It was a seemingly normal day on the deathbed. Assuming this was the bed Jack would die on and the medical staff dident just give up keeping him alive and throw him out of the airlock. He was using their limited supply of painkillers after all. Who decided he should continue suffering? Captain Ava? The council? David? Protocol? Who knows. Maybe they still thought he could be useful?]

...

[On the wall facing Jack a blue light appears. It starts small but quickly grows in size- stopping when its about a doorway in form. Except its just a little to high off the ground as Captain Ava falls through it and land on the floor. Well. At least it is someone that looks like Ava. The COI pin is missing from her jacket, she is carrying a clipboard for some reason and manages to look more tired and overworked than Ava usually does. Scrambling on the ground to regain her footing as the light dissappears around her- finally looking up at Jack.]

"Good- you here! I mean- not good that- dont have time for that. I will explain later. How do I fix the filters in lifesupport? The eh- the water filters have malfunctioned and gotten into the CO2 catchers so the oxygen production have halted and I am not sure how long I have before my crew starts getting CO2 poisoning. You know how- right? Just. Tell me so I can fix it.-"

@avathemultiverseexplorer

[The painkillers Jack was given have long worn off by now. He assumes they're keeping the rest in case somebody who actually has a chance at living needs them. He can't exactly fault them, have to conserve resources for the few living people after all. But it certainly doesn't make his part in this any easier.]

[Jack is shivering, his arms curled against his chest like some kind of frightened rodent while he lays on his side. His teeth chatter, making it difficult to keep the vomit and blood leaking from his mouth contained.]

[When he sees Ava, he assumes she is just some hallucination. He's been having a lot of those lately. He just wasn't sure why his dying mind thought the image of his boss of all people would comfort him.]

"G-go away..can't you see 'm dying over here? I don't wanna see your ffuckin face.."

[Jack grumbled, giving Ava the harshest glare he could muster. Normally, he'd never speak to her like this, lest he risk getting fired. But he's dying anyway, and this is a hallucination. He just doesn't have the energy to be polite at the moment.]

"Haven't I done enough..? I welded that last sub, D-David said that would be the last thing I'd have to do. I'm done. F-Find some other poor fuck to work to ddeath.."

[Jack didn't care if this was a hallucination. He was going to talk to it however he damn well pleased. Maybe this was his brain giving him a chance to get some closure with the captain before he finally kicked the bucket. Letting him berate her a little to lighten his resentment before he could finally go.]

"So do I. Dont know what happened to her- almost managed to get her back to the station. And then my mind goes completely blank. Have no idea why she isnt-"

[She stopped herself.]

"Right. You dont want to see my fucking face. Overstayed my welcome before I even arrived. Dont know what your Ava was like. - so. I'm probably just a reminder of something bad for you. Even I like to think I was friends with my Jack. I will get out of your hair just- anything I can do before I leave?"

[She dident look like she wanted to leave.]

"A blanket? Some water?"

[Jack frowned as Ava mentioned his previous words. They weren't meant for her, obviously. Frankly, she had been nothing but pretty kind to him.]

"Nno, I'm sorry. Don't leave."

[He mumbled, reaching out to try and grab Ava's hand in an attempt to keep her here. He couldn't really feel the burns on his hands anymore, though they certainly didn't look any better. If he was going die soon, he wanted company. Even if that came in the form of somebody who looked just like Ava. This Ava didn't hurt him, he had no reason to shun her.]

"'M sorry, I didn't mean that for you. In a..loot of fuckin' pain right now and I thought you were her and..said that shit."

[Ava wasnt that worried about getting sick. Why would she? So she moved her hand to hold his. Barely. Being overly careful. Like if she touched him too hard he would break apart.]

"Dont have any spare painkillers unfortunately. I can still get you that blanket if you want?"

[Worry pained her face.]

"What did your Ava say?"

[Must have been pretty bad to get that reaction from him. She had been hard at times but- well. Her Jack. Strange at the potentially fake meeting was with her dead crew. Unable to say anything herself. Jack being surprisingly accepting of the strange events compared to David- they had been friends. Right?]

"Blanket sounds nice.."

[Jack hummed, calming down a little as Ava stayed with him. He didn't blame her for barely touching him, he'd probably be the same if he was in her position.]

"'S not..anythin she said, really. She's a captain, right? Captains are hard. 'S more..I don't know."

[He paused, trying to think of a way to articulate what he was upset with her for. Really, it wasn't just Ava specifically. It was the whole C.O.I in general.]

"Just..bein treated like I'm just here to work. Even when I'm fuckin dying, when I couldn't even stand on my own I still had to do one last welding job. Because that's my fucking purpose. That's all I do. I work and I work and I work and I won't get a break till I die.."

[Jack's voice wavered at those words. The thought of being finally able to rest, even if that meant he was dying, was comforting to him in a way. He wouldn't have to work anymore. He wouldn't have to worry about humanity's inevitable extinction. Even if there wasn't some afterlife waiting for him. He wouldn't suffer any longer.]

"..I'm tired, I'm so..so tired."

[Ava was quiet for a bit. Thoughtfull.]

[She let go off Jacks hand. A blue light appearing on the floor next to her just like the one she stumbled through earlier. She just put her hand through it this time. Pulling out the blanket from the hotel on Earth. Soft and unnaturally new and clean compared to anything else around them. Didn't stop her from immediately getting off the floor and tucking him in.]

"I think I understand. Just- always focused on the future. Any future where humanity get to keep living. I'm still looking for it now. Dying couldn't stop me from working so if I needed you- well. I would probably have done the same."

[She settled back on the floor. Same spot.]

"Not sure what I would do now. I asked you for help with this but- my situation is different now. My crew is different. Thinks I am barely there and that I should ask them to help me. But they can get hurt- I'm already dead. I can get away easier if things go bad. Why risk them being harmed?"

[If she was in the situation now she would probably just have transported herself to Simon on the SM-13. Or been the one send down there to begin with as she could leave if anything went badly.]

[Jack shut his eyes for a moment as he was tucked in. The blanket was comforting, even while he was in so much pain. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been tucked in a clean blanket like this.]

"I know..just wish it could've been different. That I didn't have to be worked to fuckin death to help keep humanity goin but..that's just the way things are."

[Jack replied before he silently listened to Ava. He hummed, opening his eyes again to look over at her.]

"Well, if ya can't rely on your crew, there's no use in havin a crew. They're there to help, right? If they're able to help, ya should be able to rely on em. You can't handle every fuckin thing that happens. Nobody can. That's why there's a crew in the first place."

"We're human. We can be harmed from all kinds of shite if we're not careful. Even goin down the damn stairs comes with risks. If we didn't do anything that could hurt us, nothing would get done at all."

[It was kind of funny hearing this from another version of the person who talks about things like 'calculated risks'.]

"They do help. Just- not things that help me. They keep a small garden alive, do the daily maintenance, cleaning and so on."

[Sometimes they practically had to raise a child with how Charcoal acted.]

"I just want this crew to live. I cant be risking their lives as long as it is something I can fix. Becaouse they deserve to live."

[She moved her hand and placed it on the edge of the blanket. Around where his hand should be.]

"You deserve to live."

[There was no blood moon and no black box to look for with this new crew. No council that decided what was nessecary. Just survival for survival sake.]

[It was a seemingly normal day on the deathbed. Assuming this was the bed Jack would die on and the medical staff dident just give up keeping him alive and throw him out of the airlock. He was using their limited supply of painkillers after all. Who decided he should continue suffering? Captain Ava? The council? David? Protocol? Who knows. Maybe they still thought he could be useful?]

...

[On the wall facing Jack a blue light appears. It starts small but quickly grows in size- stopping when its about a doorway in form. Except its just a little to high off the ground as Captain Ava falls through it and land on the floor. Well. At least it is someone that looks like Ava. The COI pin is missing from her jacket, she is carrying a clipboard for some reason and manages to look more tired and overworked than Ava usually does. Scrambling on the ground to regain her footing as the light dissappears around her- finally looking up at Jack.]

"Good- you here! I mean- not good that- dont have time for that. I will explain later. How do I fix the filters in lifesupport? The eh- the water filters have malfunctioned and gotten into the CO2 catchers so the oxygen production have halted and I am not sure how long I have before my crew starts getting CO2 poisoning. You know how- right? Just. Tell me so I can fix it.-"

@avathemultiverseexplorer

[The painkillers Jack was given have long worn off by now. He assumes they're keeping the rest in case somebody who actually has a chance at living needs them. He can't exactly fault them, have to conserve resources for the few living people after all. But it certainly doesn't make his part in this any easier.]

[Jack is shivering, his arms curled against his chest like some kind of frightened rodent while he lays on his side. His teeth chatter, making it difficult to keep the vomit and blood leaking from his mouth contained.]

[When he sees Ava, he assumes she is just some hallucination. He's been having a lot of those lately. He just wasn't sure why his dying mind thought the image of his boss of all people would comfort him.]

"G-go away..can't you see 'm dying over here? I don't wanna see your ffuckin face.."

[Jack grumbled, giving Ava the harshest glare he could muster. Normally, he'd never speak to her like this, lest he risk getting fired. But he's dying anyway, and this is a hallucination. He just doesn't have the energy to be polite at the moment.]

"Haven't I done enough..? I welded that last sub, D-David said that would be the last thing I'd have to do. I'm done. F-Find some other poor fuck to work to ddeath.."

[Jack didn't care if this was a hallucination. He was going to talk to it however he damn well pleased. Maybe this was his brain giving him a chance to get some closure with the captain before he finally kicked the bucket. Letting him berate her a little to lighten his resentment before he could finally go.]

"So do I. Dont know what happened to her- almost managed to get her back to the station. And then my mind goes completely blank. Have no idea why she isnt-"

[She stopped herself.]

"Right. You dont want to see my fucking face. Overstayed my welcome before I even arrived. Dont know what your Ava was like. - so. I'm probably just a reminder of something bad for you. Even I like to think I was friends with my Jack. I will get out of your hair just- anything I can do before I leave?"

[She dident look like she wanted to leave.]

"A blanket? Some water?"

[Jack frowned as Ava mentioned his previous words. They weren't meant for her, obviously. Frankly, she had been nothing but pretty kind to him.]

"Nno, I'm sorry. Don't leave."

[He mumbled, reaching out to try and grab Ava's hand in an attempt to keep her here. He couldn't really feel the burns on his hands anymore, though they certainly didn't look any better. If he was going die soon, he wanted company. Even if that came in the form of somebody who looked just like Ava. This Ava didn't hurt him, he had no reason to shun her.]

"'M sorry, I didn't mean that for you. In a..loot of fuckin' pain right now and I thought you were her and..said that shit."

[Ava wasnt that worried about getting sick. Why would she? So she moved her hand to hold his. Barely. Being overly careful. Like if she touched him too hard he would break apart.]

"Dont have any spare painkillers unfortunately. I can still get you that blanket if you want?"

[Worry pained her face.]

"What did your Ava say?"

[Must have been pretty bad to get that reaction from him. She had been hard at times but- well. Her Jack. Strange at the potentially fake meeting was with her dead crew. Unable to say anything herself. Jack being surprisingly accepting of the strange events compared to David- they had been friends. Right?]

"Blanket sounds nice.."

[Jack hummed, calming down a little as Ava stayed with him. He didn't blame her for barely touching him, he'd probably be the same if he was in her position.]

"'S not..anythin she said, really. She's a captain, right? Captains are hard. 'S more..I don't know."

[He paused, trying to think of a way to articulate what he was upset with her for. Really, it wasn't just Ava specifically. It was the whole C.O.I in general.]

"Just..bein treated like I'm just here to work. Even when I'm fuckin dying, when I couldn't even stand on my own I still had to do one last welding job. Because that's my fucking purpose. That's all I do. I work and I work and I work and I won't get a break till I die.."

[Jack's voice wavered at those words. The thought of being finally able to rest, even if that meant he was dying, was comforting to him in a way. He wouldn't have to work anymore. He wouldn't have to worry about humanity's inevitable extinction. Even if there wasn't some afterlife waiting for him. He wouldn't suffer any longer.]

"..I'm tired, I'm so..so tired."

#jack the welder #ava the multiverse explorer #well- that was more than 2 hours. got caught watching the meteor shower

[Ava was quiet for a bit. Thoughtfull.]

[She let go off Jacks hand. A blue light appearing on the floor next to her just like the one she stumbled through earlier. She just put her hand through it this time. Pulling out the blanket from the hotel on Earth. Soft and unnaturally new and clean compared to anything else around them. Didn't stop her from immediately getting off the floor and tucking him in.]

"I think I understand. Just- always focused on the future. Any future where humanity get to keep living. I'm still looking for it now. Dying couldn't stop me from working so if I needed you- well. I would probably have done the same."

[She settled back on the floor. Same spot.]

"Not sure what I would do now. I asked you for help with this but- my situation is different now. My crew is different. Thinks I am barely there and that I should ask them to help me. But they can get hurt- I'm already dead. I can get away easier if things go bad. Why risk them being harmed?"

[If she was in the situation now she would probably just have transported herself to Simon on the SM-13. Or been the one send down there to begin with as she could leave if anything went badly.]

[It was a seemingly normal day on the deathbed. Assuming this was the bed Jack would die on and the medical staff dident just give up keeping him alive and throw him out of the airlock. He was using their limited supply of painkillers after all. Who decided he should continue suffering? Captain Ava? The council? David? Protocol? Who knows. Maybe they still thought he could be useful?]

...

[On the wall facing Jack a blue light appears. It starts small but quickly grows in size- stopping when its about a doorway in form. Except its just a little to high off the ground as Captain Ava falls through it and land on the floor. Well. At least it is someone that looks like Ava. The COI pin is missing from her jacket, she is carrying a clipboard for some reason and manages to look more tired and overworked than Ava usually does. Scrambling on the ground to regain her footing as the light dissappears around her- finally looking up at Jack.]

"Good- you here! I mean- not good that- dont have time for that. I will explain later. How do I fix the filters in lifesupport? The eh- the water filters have malfunctioned and gotten into the CO2 catchers so the oxygen production have halted and I am not sure how long I have before my crew starts getting CO2 poisoning. You know how- right? Just. Tell me so I can fix it.-"

@avathemultiverseexplorer

[The painkillers Jack was given have long worn off by now. He assumes they're keeping the rest in case somebody who actually has a chance at living needs them. He can't exactly fault them, have to conserve resources for the few living people after all. But it certainly doesn't make his part in this any easier.]

[Jack is shivering, his arms curled against his chest like some kind of frightened rodent while he lays on his side. His teeth chatter, making it difficult to keep the vomit and blood leaking from his mouth contained.]

[When he sees Ava, he assumes she is just some hallucination. He's been having a lot of those lately. He just wasn't sure why his dying mind thought the image of his boss of all people would comfort him.]

"G-go away..can't you see 'm dying over here? I don't wanna see your ffuckin face.."

[Jack grumbled, giving Ava the harshest glare he could muster. Normally, he'd never speak to her like this, lest he risk getting fired. But he's dying anyway, and this is a hallucination. He just doesn't have the energy to be polite at the moment.]

"Haven't I done enough..? I welded that last sub, D-David said that would be the last thing I'd have to do. I'm done. F-Find some other poor fuck to work to ddeath.."

[Jack didn't care if this was a hallucination. He was going to talk to it however he damn well pleased. Maybe this was his brain giving him a chance to get some closure with the captain before he finally kicked the bucket. Letting him berate her a little to lighten his resentment before he could finally go.]

"So do I. Dont know what happened to her- almost managed to get her back to the station. And then my mind goes completely blank. Have no idea why she isnt-"

[She stopped herself.]

"Right. You dont want to see my fucking face. Overstayed my welcome before I even arrived. Dont know what your Ava was like. - so. I'm probably just a reminder of something bad for you. Even I like to think I was friends with my Jack. I will get out of your hair just- anything I can do before I leave?"

[She dident look like she wanted to leave.]

"A blanket? Some water?"

[Jack frowned as Ava mentioned his previous words. They weren't meant for her, obviously. Frankly, she had been nothing but pretty kind to him.]

"Nno, I'm sorry. Don't leave."

[He mumbled, reaching out to try and grab Ava's hand in an attempt to keep her here. He couldn't really feel the burns on his hands anymore, though they certainly didn't look any better. If he was going die soon, he wanted company. Even if that came in the form of somebody who looked just like Ava. This Ava didn't hurt him, he had no reason to shun her.]

"'M sorry, I didn't mean that for you. In a..loot of fuckin' pain right now and I thought you were her and..said that shit."

[Ava wasnt that worried about getting sick. Why would she? So she moved her hand to hold his. Barely. Being overly careful. Like if she touched him too hard he would break apart.]

"Dont have any spare painkillers unfortunately. I can still get you that blanket if you want?"

[Worry pained her face.]

"What did your Ava say?"

[Must have been pretty bad to get that reaction from him. She had been hard at times but- well. Her Jack. Strange at the potentially fake meeting was with her dead crew. Unable to say anything herself. Jack being surprisingly accepting of the strange events compared to David- they had been friends. Right?]

[It was a seemingly normal day on the deathbed. Assuming this was the bed Jack would die on and the medical staff dident just give up keeping him alive and throw him out of the airlock. He was using their limited supply of painkillers after all. Who decided he should continue suffering? Captain Ava? The council? David? Protocol? Who knows. Maybe they still thought he could be useful?]

...

[On the wall facing Jack a blue light appears. It starts small but quickly grows in size- stopping when its about a doorway in form. Except its just a little to high off the ground as Captain Ava falls through it and land on the floor. Well. At least it is someone that looks like Ava. The COI pin is missing from her jacket, she is carrying a clipboard for some reason and manages to look more tired and overworked than Ava usually does. Scrambling on the ground to regain her footing as the light dissappears around her- finally looking up at Jack.]

"Good- you here! I mean- not good that- dont have time for that. I will explain later. How do I fix the filters in lifesupport? The eh- the water filters have malfunctioned and gotten into the CO2 catchers so the oxygen production have halted and I am not sure how long I have before my crew starts getting CO2 poisoning. You know how- right? Just. Tell me so I can fix it.-"

@avathemultiverseexplorer

[The painkillers Jack was given have long worn off by now. He assumes they're keeping the rest in case somebody who actually has a chance at living needs them. He can't exactly fault them, have to conserve resources for the few living people after all. But it certainly doesn't make his part in this any easier.]

[Jack is shivering, his arms curled against his chest like some kind of frightened rodent while he lays on his side. His teeth chatter, making it difficult to keep the vomit and blood leaking from his mouth contained.]

[When he sees Ava, he assumes she is just some hallucination. He's been having a lot of those lately. He just wasn't sure why his dying mind thought the image of his boss of all people would comfort him.]

"G-go away..can't you see 'm dying over here? I don't wanna see your ffuckin face.."

[Jack grumbled, giving Ava the harshest glare he could muster. Normally, he'd never speak to her like this, lest he risk getting fired. But he's dying anyway, and this is a hallucination. He just doesn't have the energy to be polite at the moment.]

"Haven't I done enough..? I welded that last sub, D-David said that would be the last thing I'd have to do. I'm done. F-Find some other poor fuck to work to ddeath.."

[Jack didn't care if this was a hallucination. He was going to talk to it however he damn well pleased. Maybe this was his brain giving him a chance to get some closure with the captain before he finally kicked the bucket. Letting him berate her a little to lighten his resentment before he could finally go.]

#ava the multiverse explorer #no worries! the great thing about online roleplay is you can answer whemever!#will probably go to sleep myself on an hour or two

"So do I. Dont know what happened to her- almost managed to get her back to the station. And then my mind goes completely blank. Have no idea why she isnt-"

[She stopped herself.]

"Right. You dont want to see my fucking face. Overstayed my welcome before I even arrived. Dont know what your Ava was like. - so. I'm probably just a reminder of something bad for you. Even I like to think I was friends with my Jack. I will get out of your hair just- anything I can do before I leave?"

[She dident look like she wanted to leave.]

"A blanket? Some water?"

blood-reborn-simon

[Been a while.]

🫂

@avathemultiverseexplorer

Send "🫂" for my muse's reaction to yours hugging them!

A little startled sound, but he relaxes after a second or two. Wrapping his arm around her and resting his chin on her head.

"What happened to hello?"

[Ava rolled her eye.]

"Show off."

"I still miss the target most of the time."

[She demonstrates. Throwing 6 knives towards an unmoving target. 3 of them miss. None of them hit in the center of the target, and one is right on the edge. Even with Daedalus guide she is still very stiff in her movements. Using more force than necessary to propel then forward.]

[All the missed knives appear back at her feet. She walks over to get the few that actually managed to hit. Including Simons. Handing a set of 6 knives to him.]

blood-reborn-simon

"You're tense. Thinking about it too hard. Need to relax." He takes the knives, dropping them into the pouch on his belt before slipping his own back into its place. And then shifts his weight as if to come closer, before pausing. Hand empty, head tilted slightly.

"Can I? It's easier if I can show you what I mean."

[She looked at him. She gave him the knives of course he could- oh right. Her stance. Probably wanted to hold her hand through it like she was a child.]

[She breathes out.]

"Alright. Just say what you want me to do."

[She tried to look relaxed. Like asking for help for something she probably should know dident annoy her at all. This was perfectly fine.]

blood-reborn-simon

Fair enough that she wouldn't want him very close after reminding her just what he's capable of.

"You're too tense. And putting more force into it than you need to. Just- here."

Squared shoulders but otherwise relaxed. Left foot forward. He pulls one of his knives from its place, gripping it loosely by the handle, and throws.

Dead center.

#ava the multiverse explorer #giant simon

[Her look was so focused she looked ready to dissect him here and now. Which wasnt the plan. Instead she tried to mimic him.]

[Squared shoulders. Slightly tilted. Left food forward. Forced relaxation that dident look very relaxed.]

[It hit the target. Barely. Stuck at the edge of the circle. She made a tired angry sound.]

"I dont even know how long I have been at this now- and I barely made any improvement. Fuck this- it will only get me killed. We are so close- I just know. And. I still cant do shit!"

[She threw another knife in anger. Dident hit.]

"We will all just get caught. Again. Saving no one and endangering even more people."

[It was a seemingly normal day on the deathbed. Assuming this was the bed Jack would die on and the medical staff dident just give up keeping him alive and throw him out of the airlock. He was using their limited supply of painkillers after all. Who decided he should continue suffering? Captain Ava? The council? David? Protocol? Who knows. Maybe they still thought he could be useful?]

...

[On the wall facing Jack a blue light appears. It starts small but quickly grows in size- stopping when its about a doorway in form. Except its just a little to high off the ground as Captain Ava falls through it and land on the floor. Well. At least it is someone that looks like Ava. The COI pin is missing from her jacket, she is carrying a clipboard for some reason and manages to look more tired and overworked than Ava usually does. Scrambling on the ground to regain her footing as the light dissappears around her- finally looking up at Jack.]

"Good- you here! I mean- not good that- dont have time for that. I will explain later. How do I fix the filters in lifesupport? The eh- the water filters have malfunctioned and gotten into the CO2 catchers so the oxygen production have halted and I am not sure how long I have before my crew starts getting CO2 poisoning. You know how- right? Just. Tell me so I can fix it.-"

@avathemultiverseexplorer

[The painkillers Jack was given have long worn off by now. He assumes they're keeping the rest in case somebody who actually has a chance at living needs them. He can't exactly fault them, have to conserve resources for the few living people after all. But it certainly doesn't make his part in this any easier.]

[Jack is shivering, his arms curled against his chest like some kind of frightened rodent while he lays on his side. His teeth chatter, making it difficult to keep the vomit and blood leaking from his mouth contained.]

[When he sees Ava, he assumes she is just some hallucination. He's been having a lot of those lately. He just wasn't sure why his dying mind thought the image of his boss of all people would comfort him.]

"G-go away..can't you see 'm dying over here? I don't wanna see your ffuckin face.."

[Jack grumbled, giving Ava the harshest glare he could muster. Normally, he'd never speak to her like this, lest he risk getting fired. But he's dying anyway, and this is a hallucination. He just doesn't have the energy to be polite at the moment.]

"Haven't I done enough..? I welded that last sub, D-David said that would be the last thing I'd have to do. I'm done. F-Find some other poor fuck to work to ddeath.."

[Jack didn't care if this was a hallucination. He was going to talk to it however he damn well pleased. Maybe this was his brain giving him a chance to get some closure with the captain before he finally kicked the bucket. Letting him berate her a little to lighten his resentment before he could finally go.]

[Ava looked shocked. Not the reaction she had hoped for then.]

"I know. And I-"

[She lost the words somewhere as they moved up her throat. Turning her head away from the sight of what happened to Jack. A Jack.]

[She took a deep breath. Turning back to look him directly in the eyes even if it seemed to hurt her to do so.]

"If I had anyone else to go to I would. Trust me- but Rhys is gone and the only other mechanic I know would probably..."

[She goes quiet again. She looks terrified for a split second before regaining her more professional posture.]

"Dosent matter. You are the only one I know that might have the answer. I- I'm not sure how long I have to fix this before everyone choke so just- tell me. Dont move. I just need to know how to fix this."

"Please, Jack."

[Jack shook his head, looking Ava in the eyes right back. As exhausting as it was.]

"No..no, don't. You're s-supposed to be dead in the last sub we sent down. What the fuck are ya even t-talking about.."

[Rhys? Jack can't recall anybody by that name on this godforsaken moon. Was his feverish brain just making things up? Besides, there were a handful of other engineers on this ship, right? Why doesn't she just bother one of them?]

[He couldn't even tell that this wasn't his Ava. That, more than likely, she wouldn't know anybody else on this ship. She looked close enough, maybe the hallucination just got a few things wrong.]

[Seeing Ava terrified for that split second made Jack pay attention a little more to what she was saying. This was a weird on-the-edge-of-death hallucination. The others had mainly been flashs of his life. Maybe some dark shadowy figure guilting him for his part in those convicts' deaths. Ava begging him for help with something that wasn't even welding felt..bizarre.]

"I know. Its complicated and I really dont have the time to explain-"

[She flipped the page on the clipboard up. There was only one page- except as she did there suddenly seemed to be multiple pages underneath. Flipping through them until she found Jacks entry.]

"We talked a while ago. - dont know how long for you but. Its. Its been a while. I asked you to answer these questions? Remeber. Your name and position and-"

[Notes: currently dying of radiation poisoning. Ava notes: I was unable to tell him who I am.]

"I lied back then. But just becaouse I died and that you might die soon dosent mean others need to die aswell. We have a chance to save them. I just need to know how- if you dont know I. I'm not sure what I do honestly."

"Does the blue cables have anything to do with it?"

[It finally clicked that he wasn't hallucinating. His eyes widened and he lifted his head up. Honestly, he was embarrassed. None of that was meant for..this Ava.]

"S-Sorry, shit. Yeah, yeah I remember."

[He reached up, rubbing his eyes a little and taking a breath so he could focus. People's lives were on the line, he couldn't fuck this up.]

"Yeah, sometimes they'll get twisted or get put back in wrong after somebody replaces the filters, the cables get wedged in the filters so the filters pop back out. Really shitty system, ya have to pay close attention to make sure that shit doesn't happen when you're maintaining the damn things. But, pretty simple fix. Pull the filters out of the CO2 catchers, they'll probably be damaged so might as well get new ones. Check on the cables too to make sure they aren't damaged. If they are, shut off power before you take them out to replace them or you'll shock yourself and you're gonna have a bad time. But after they're replaced or ya make sure they're okay, tuck the cables back into place, hold them with one hand or something while you're sticking the new filters in there. Could use some electrical tape to make sure they stay in their spot. But, close it up, restore power if you need to, and everything should be good."

[It was as if Jack suddenly gained clarity while he explained. After, he coughed, covering his mouth with his hand and turning his head away. This Ava probably wouldn't appreciate getting vomit or blood on her after all. Speaking so much without taking a break took a lot out of him..clearly. His shoulders sunk and he lowered his head back down to lay his cheek on the cot while he looked up at Ava.]

"Or uh..is it somethin' else with the filters that's wrong?"

"Thank you. Just need a moment to get the replacements. Good thing I just sorted the whole workshop or I wouldn't find them in time."

[She looked just to the right of Jack and... stopped moving. Like her focus was elsewhere. Stuck in her own head in a body that did nothing but the necessary movements to indicate she was alive.]

...

[Her eyes suddenly moved again to regain eye contact.]

"Any way I can test the filters from there or do I have to go to the control room? Eh- looks like rustdamage loosened some parts in the filter and cut a cable loose. Have replaced them."

[Jack narrowed his eyes a little as he watched Ava. The sudden stillness creeped him out. It was as if she wasn't fully there. Like she was in two places at once. The way she spoke about what she was doing certainly gave that impression.]

"Ttest them there. Lets ya see better if there's something wrong when you're testing them. Hard to hear or see if somethin's wrong when you're in another room."

[He grit his teeth as another wave of pain and nausea hit him, though he did his best not to show it too much. As much as he wanted to rest and let go, his habit of stoicism around his coworkers, other versions of them or otherwise, remained.]

"Everything looking okay so far..?"

[He asked, perhaps only hoping so he could return back to dying soon enough. And that the rest of this Ava's crew would be alright. He wasn't entirely sure what this Ava's universe was like. But, he knew that losing an entire crew in his own universe would be a devastating loss.]

"Right. So. Have turned them on. There's no smoke and smells normal. Levels remains the same but if the indicator was working I wouldn't have been in this mess to begin with- probably have to check the cables there aswell. Could be a loose signal..."

[She started acting more normal. Like things had calmed down elsewhere so she dident need to focus on it as much.]

"We had a problem with a fire a long time ago now. Thought I managed to clear every system afterwards- avoid any lasting damage to the ventilation. Dident check if the CO2 level indicator continued working afterwards. Just assumed it did since it was still on."

[She let go. Plumbing back down on the floor next to Jacks bed. Still able to turn her head to look at him.]

"Thank you. And- think its appropriate if I say sorry. For a lot of things. Just- can't handle loosing anyone else again. If I can avoid it."

[That was a sadness to her voice. Similar to how she ended the call on the radio. Just looking at him now.]

[It was a seemingly normal day on the deathbed. Assuming this was the bed Jack would die on and the medical staff dident just give up keeping him alive and throw him out of the airlock. He was using their limited supply of painkillers after all. Who decided he should continue suffering? Captain Ava? The council? David? Protocol? Who knows. Maybe they still thought he could be useful?]

...

[On the wall facing Jack a blue light appears. It starts small but quickly grows in size- stopping when its about a doorway in form. Except its just a little to high off the ground as Captain Ava falls through it and land on the floor. Well. At least it is someone that looks like Ava. The COI pin is missing from her jacket, she is carrying a clipboard for some reason and manages to look more tired and overworked than Ava usually does. Scrambling on the ground to regain her footing as the light dissappears around her- finally looking up at Jack.]

"Good- you here! I mean- not good that- dont have time for that. I will explain later. How do I fix the filters in lifesupport? The eh- the water filters have malfunctioned and gotten into the CO2 catchers so the oxygen production have halted and I am not sure how long I have before my crew starts getting CO2 poisoning. You know how- right? Just. Tell me so I can fix it.-"

@avathemultiverseexplorer

[The painkillers Jack was given have long worn off by now. He assumes they're keeping the rest in case somebody who actually has a chance at living needs them. He can't exactly fault them, have to conserve resources for the few living people after all. But it certainly doesn't make his part in this any easier.]

[Jack is shivering, his arms curled against his chest like some kind of frightened rodent while he lays on his side. His teeth chatter, making it difficult to keep the vomit and blood leaking from his mouth contained.]

[When he sees Ava, he assumes she is just some hallucination. He's been having a lot of those lately. He just wasn't sure why his dying mind thought the image of his boss of all people would comfort him.]

"G-go away..can't you see 'm dying over here? I don't wanna see your ffuckin face.."

[Jack grumbled, giving Ava the harshest glare he could muster. Normally, he'd never speak to her like this, lest he risk getting fired. But he's dying anyway, and this is a hallucination. He just doesn't have the energy to be polite at the moment.]

"Haven't I done enough..? I welded that last sub, D-David said that would be the last thing I'd have to do. I'm done. F-Find some other poor fuck to work to ddeath.."

[Jack didn't care if this was a hallucination. He was going to talk to it however he damn well pleased. Maybe this was his brain giving him a chance to get some closure with the captain before he finally kicked the bucket. Letting him berate her a little to lighten his resentment before he could finally go.]

[Ava looked shocked. Not the reaction she had hoped for then.]

"I know. And I-"

[She lost the words somewhere as they moved up her throat. Turning her head away from the sight of what happened to Jack. A Jack.]

[She took a deep breath. Turning back to look him directly in the eyes even if it seemed to hurt her to do so.]

"If I had anyone else to go to I would. Trust me- but Rhys is gone and the only other mechanic I know would probably..."

[She goes quiet again. She looks terrified for a split second before regaining her more professional posture.]

"Dosent matter. You are the only one I know that might have the answer. I- I'm not sure how long I have to fix this before everyone choke so just- tell me. Dont move. I just need to know how to fix this."

"Please, Jack."

[Jack shook his head, looking Ava in the eyes right back. As exhausting as it was.]

"No..no, don't. You're s-supposed to be dead in the last sub we sent down. What the fuck are ya even t-talking about.."

[Rhys? Jack can't recall anybody by that name on this godforsaken moon. Was his feverish brain just making things up? Besides, there were a handful of other engineers on this ship, right? Why doesn't she just bother one of them?]

[He couldn't even tell that this wasn't his Ava. That, more than likely, she wouldn't know anybody else on this ship. She looked close enough, maybe the hallucination just got a few things wrong.]

[Seeing Ava terrified for that split second made Jack pay attention a little more to what she was saying. This was a weird on-the-edge-of-death hallucination. The others had mainly been flashs of his life. Maybe some dark shadowy figure guilting him for his part in those convicts' deaths. Ava begging him for help with something that wasn't even welding felt..bizarre.]

"I know. Its complicated and I really dont have the time to explain-"

[She flipped the page on the clipboard up. There was only one page- except as she did there suddenly seemed to be multiple pages underneath. Flipping through them until she found Jacks entry.]

"We talked a while ago. - dont know how long for you but. Its. Its been a while. I asked you to answer these questions? Remeber. Your name and position and-"

[Notes: currently dying of radiation poisoning. Ava notes: I was unable to tell him who I am.]

"I lied back then. But just becaouse I died and that you might die soon dosent mean others need to die aswell. We have a chance to save them. I just need to know how- if you dont know I. I'm not sure what I do honestly."

"Does the blue cables have anything to do with it?"

[It finally clicked that he wasn't hallucinating. His eyes widened and he lifted his head up. Honestly, he was embarrassed. None of that was meant for..this Ava.]

"S-Sorry, shit. Yeah, yeah I remember."

[He reached up, rubbing his eyes a little and taking a breath so he could focus. People's lives were on the line, he couldn't fuck this up.]

"Yeah, sometimes they'll get twisted or get put back in wrong after somebody replaces the filters, the cables get wedged in the filters so the filters pop back out. Really shitty system, ya have to pay close attention to make sure that shit doesn't happen when you're maintaining the damn things. But, pretty simple fix. Pull the filters out of the CO2 catchers, they'll probably be damaged so might as well get new ones. Check on the cables too to make sure they aren't damaged. If they are, shut off power before you take them out to replace them or you'll shock yourself and you're gonna have a bad time. But after they're replaced or ya make sure they're okay, tuck the cables back into place, hold them with one hand or something while you're sticking the new filters in there. Could use some electrical tape to make sure they stay in their spot. But, close it up, restore power if you need to, and everything should be good."

[It was as if Jack suddenly gained clarity while he explained. After, he coughed, covering his mouth with his hand and turning his head away. This Ava probably wouldn't appreciate getting vomit or blood on her after all. Speaking so much without taking a break took a lot out of him..clearly. His shoulders sunk and he lowered his head back down to lay his cheek on the cot while he looked up at Ava.]

"Or uh..is it somethin' else with the filters that's wrong?"

"Thank you. Just need a moment to get the replacements. Good thing I just sorted the whole workshop or I wouldn't find them in time."

[She looked just to the right of Jack and... stopped moving. Like her focus was elsewhere. Stuck in her own head in a body that did nothing but the necessary movements to indicate she was alive.]

...

[Her eyes suddenly moved again to regain eye contact.]

"Any way I can test the filters from there or do I have to go to the control room? Eh- looks like rustdamage loosened some parts in the filter and cut a cable loose. Have replaced them."