Half a Life

"And when she died, she died in my arms. And when she came back, she came back in my arms."

[mike-tso]

Depends on Vader, dude. Either he’s gonna toy with ‘im so we get to see Kirk run and rolls around like a totally spaz or Vader’s just gonna… [Mike holds up a hand and curls his fingers.]… force grab, choke hold and BLEGH. [Mike makes a face and sticks out his tongue, pretending to be dead for a second before sitting up again.] Over n done. But not before saying something totally dark and badass.

[bobby-elliot]

Please, Vader will toy with Kirk like a cat playing with a cockroach, man. That's just fair game. [He gives a laugh, looking at the cutouts and he has a sudden urge to watch Star Wars again, but that won't be happening any time soon.] Something dark and badass...hmm... "Kirk, I am your father." Just to fuck with him.

[jennifer-sloane-blog]

[Jen looks him up and down, because the one and only time she’d seen him without a shirt he hadn’t had any burns on him. She can’t tell if he’s being serious or not, but she just shrugs her shoulders anyway.] That’s callin’ ‘em like ya’ seem ‘em. Kirk was prettier. Darth was deadlier. [She says, having more soup  and slurping at a noodle that attempts to escape her mouth.]

[bobby-elliot]

[Bobby seems to think this over and gives a shrug at that. He turns to look at the cardboard Sith Lord and waggles his brows at the thing like it could actually talk back.] You hear that? She thinks Kirk is prettier. He is gonna so kick your ass. 

[lexieo-conner-deactivated201407]

[Lexie frowns back, but it’s more of a pout than anything. The man’s not acting uninviting, and Lexie understands why he’s cautious, but she wants her nerd battle.] Lexie. Can I get the seat now?

[bobby-elliot]

[Bobby snorts at that. He really can't tell her what to do, but he still curious as to who let her in and where all these new people were coming from.] Depends, Lexie, have you been given the rules yet?

[alexcaverly-blog]

[Her eyes go wide.] Oh, jeez. I hope I didn’t offend him. Sorry, Darth.

[bobby-elliot]

[Bobby nods, pretending to look Darth Vader over for a moment.] He forgives you. Anyway, this is Darth Vader. He's a Sith Lord and the Chosen One. He commands the Force and can choke a bitch with style.

[kimi--sato-deactivated20160504]

[Kimi lets out a small laugh at that. Whilst there is plenty to be upset about right now, Kimi knows that given the situation there’s a lot to be grateful for as well. That keeps her in a good mood. The cardboard cutouts help.] Nuh-uh. Kirk’s got me on his side so you know. He’s definitely gonna win. [Kimi moves so her arms draped round Kirk’s shoulders.] Kirk’s better than Vader anyway.

[bobby-elliot]

[Bobby grins across to her. He thinks for a moment that he should have followed up after their date. That he hasn't really been there for her the way he's supposed to be and he hopes she hasn't gotten the wrong impression. His brother leaving had been a physical blow he hadn't known how to handle. But right now, it doesn't seem to hurt so bad when she's smiling and laughing like she is.] You side against me? I hope you know this means war. And I don't play fair. 

[jennifer-sloane-blog]

[Jen makes an expression that’s almost a smile before letting it fall. Truthfully, she’d never seen a single episode of Star Trek and it had been years since she’d sat down and watched Star Wars. Still, she has nowhere to be really. Her plan was going to be sitting outside some more. Keeping watch even though there was nothing to look at but fog.] I could take a guess and say Kirk probably has better skin, but I don’t see how that would help in a fight.

[bobby-elliot]

[Bobby's face goes deceptively serious as he watches her. He shakes his head, like he can't believe she'd just said that.] That's discrimination against burn victims.

[alexcaverly-blog]

[Alex sits down, smiling the whole time. She can tell this is important to Bobby, so she makes sure to keep her full attention on him.] Hello Mr. Vader.

[bobby-elliot]

[Bobby's grin widens at the comment, glad to find someone who was willing to play along with him. He holds up his hands, though.] Whoa, whoa, whoa. Check yourself. He hates it when you call him Mr. Vader. 

[lexieo-conner-deactivated201407]

[Lexie had remained in the lobby during the day, disappearing into the theaters at night because she’s more comfortable sleeping alone. She’s considering turning in early when her eyes catch a man playing with a Darth Vader cutout and a Captain Kirk cutout. The nerd inside Lexie rises to the surface, and she grins as she makes her way over to him, all shyness out the window.] Front-row seats, please!

[bobby-elliot]

Sure, go ahead...- [Bobby cuts himself off, turning to look at the woman because he doesn't recognize her. He frowns a bit, wondering how many new people they'd come across since the second time the world ended. He can't help but be a little suspicious, but he's too lazy to really act on it.] Front row seats go to people I know the name of. 

[mike-tso]

Duuuuudddeee. [Mike laughs shaking his head as he looks at the set up Bobby’s got going from his spot on the floor.] Darth’s gonna kick Kirk’s ass. Callin’ it, right now

[bobby-elliot]

[Bobby grins, turning to look at Mike. He nods his head in agreement. Boredom had brought him here, but maybe it would be nice to be here with company.] You're darn right he is. But how great is it gonna be to watch Kirk get his ass kicked?

[jennifer-sloane-blog]

[Jen nods and looks at the cutouts before glancing back at him. She doesn’t smile back because she can’t decide if he’s lost his marbles completely or this just seemed like the best way to beat boredom he could find. She takes another sip of her soup, glancing between the cutouts thoughtfully before pointing towards one of them.] My money’s on Darth.

[bobby-elliot]

You're damn right your money's on Darth. [Bobby shakes his head, looking Kirk up and down like he was judging him harshly. It's a distraction, all of it, because if he takes too much time to stop and think about things, he'll wonder what his brother's doing to keep his mind occupied. He'll wonder why Sam doesn't remember him, or why Charlie doesn't, or Kip for that matter.] What does Kirk have? A will to survive? You know who else had a will to survive? All of the people on Alderan, that's who.

[kimi--sato-deactivated20160504]

[Kimi spots the cutouts first. She only makes her way over when she sees Bobby does she make her way over. It’s good to see not everyone’s down in the dumps. She laughs as she’s walking up behind Bobby in time to catch him speak. Kimi walks over to the Shatner cut out and puts a hand on his shoulder before patting him on the chest.] My money’s on Kirk.

[bobby-elliot]

Kirk?! [Bobby scoffs the words out, the playfulness evident on his face as he stands up, turning to stand at the shoulder of Darth Vader. He points his finger at her, shaking his head. He knows the group has been through a lot lately, knows he should probably be doing something productive with his time rather than this, but sometimes it's all he can do to keep from losing his mind.] Maybe if he had the Enterprise to back him up. But there's no way Kirk is walking away from this fight.

[kaitlyn-weiss]

[Kaitlyn was sitting under a table where the angle of the light had the table casting a shadow. She was playing with three birds, watching them hop around and peck their beaks at food that wasn’t there. After hearing someone speak she looked up to see the cardboard cutouts and smiled.] Darth Vader will win.

[bobby-elliot]

[Bobby turns at the voice, because it's not one he recognizes. Immediately, his mind goes to Hannah and there's that pain of guilt again that he doesn't know what happened to her or if she's okay. Just another person out there in the world with no way of checking in on them. He gives her a smile, though, not letting it shine through on his face.] Of course he will. But the battle will be epic. 

[alexcaverly-blog]

The Shat? [She smiles.] Riiiiiiight. [She looks over at Captain Kirk then back at Darth Vader. She feels like she should know who these two characters are, but she doesn’t.] I don’t remember a lot still. Enlighten me.

[bobby-elliot]

[Bobby nods, seeming to think that over for a moment before he points a finger at the chair.] Take a seat. You're in for a treat, because I just so happen to be an expert in all things Stars. [He grabs Darth Vader by the shoulders, plopping him down in front of her.] We'll start with the dark side. This is Darth Vader.

[jennifer-sloane-blog]

[Jen is slurping from a can of soup as she walks towards the doors. A soft grumble of annoyance escapes her when some spills onto her shirt, but it’s covered in blood stains anyway so it hardly seems like much damage. While she pauses to brush a noodle off her damp shirt and onto the floor, she glances at Bobby, crouched between the two cutouts and raises an eyebrow.] You feelin’ okay, stud?

[bobby-elliot]

[Bobby's already in a playful mood and when he hears the words, he grins, standing up and turning to look at her over his shoulder. He waves his hand between the two cardboard cutouts, as if his explanation will clear everything up.] I'm having a battle royale. 

[alexcaverly-blog]

[Alex has been watching Bobby set up the two cardboard cutouts, but she doesn’t remember what they are. When he talks to them, it just confuses Alex more, and she walks over to the three figures and looks over Darth Vader.] Who are these guys?

[bobby-elliot]

[The question catches him off guard and it's immediately evident on his face. His smile fades, expression going slack as he stares up at her. Then he's standing, arms crossed over his chest because if this battle isn't going to be appreciated, it isn't going to happen.] Do you mean to tell me you're not familiar with the Darth and the Shat?

[bobby-elliot]

[Bobby's sitting in the lobby of the cinema. He's raided the stock room and on one side of himself, he has a cardboard cut out of Darth Vader. On the other, is William Shatner as Captain Kirk. He has his hands on his knees, looking back and forth between them with a smirk on his face.] Alright, fellas. This is going to be a fight to the death.

[jack-isaacs]

[The screaming is so faint Jack can barely hear it, but it’s just enough to set him on edge, make him feel like something awful - more awful than normal - is somewhere out in that fog, waiting for them. The nightmares he has when he’s asleep are bad enough, now it feels as though they’ve settled in all around him even though he’s sure he’s awake, and they keep sleep from coming. Finally he gives up on it, pulling himself off the ground where he’d settled for the night and quietly making his way to the theater’s entrance. He stands in front of the window, just looking out into the fog as if whatever’s making the noise is going to suddenly appear.]

[bobby-elliot]

[Bobby's sitting in a chair near one of the windows that leads out into the parking lot. A part of him wants to go out there, maybe patrol or maybe take off in his truck to DC just to check on his brother. But there's no guarantee that Jim would even still be there. When he sees the kid come up and look out the window next to him, he smirks at him.] Nice night.