[ofdvnvers]

captives;

[ofdvnvers]

Olivia used her heels against the dirty covered floor and pushed herself back to lean against the concrete wall. She was thinking it too. Olivia had been shocked the first two times she’d run into anyone on the ground but to see so many. They couldn’t of been more wrong about earth, it didn’t make sense.

The mechanic tipped her head, rolling it against the wall to look at Morgan. The woman’s face was dirty, blood splattered her clothes and it reminded Olivia to look down at herself, to the blood on her hands, her shirt, her face she imagined. She could feel it there, dried and prickling at her skin. She could smell it. The stench made her swallow hard against the bile rising up in her throat. The fact that they were captured was settling in and it was the first time Olivia had been still for hours, since running into a horrific sight and running from others. Those they had seen here, those were people, Olivia had caught glimpses of children running and smiling. There had to be civility here. What had been chasing them back in the those caves, they weren’t completely human, they couldn’t of been. Her mouth went dry.

“Thank you.” Olivia said, though it felt misplaced in their surroundings it was still owed. “You saved me.” The sound of the gunshots still rung in her ears, the face of whatever the hell that was too close to her own before she’d been drenched in its blood.

[morganperiodicole]

Morgan noticed Olivia’s gaze rake over her and then down at her own bloodstained clothes and skin. The muscles in the woman’s neck betrayed her disgust, and Morgan found herself tucking her palm back into her sleeve not stained with blood to wipe at her face. The Ark had been pristine and well kept out of necessity. Even her mother the nurse never looked like them, Morgan surmised.

“I...” Morgan almost called the thanks unnecessary. “You’re welcome,” she said quietly. “I just reacted. I couldn’t let them hurt you.” Kill really, but Morgan didn’t want to say that. Not with their lives currently held in the balance of some indigenous people. Her hand trembled at the memory of the tunnels. Having to use the gun. Crying out in hopes that Olivia was okay. She reached over and set her hand on Olivia’s knee, as much for her own comfort as her younger team member’s. “We have to have each other.” She tried to search out Olivia’s eyes, but then look to the ground.

“I’m sorry I pulled the gun on them. We might have had better options if I hadn’t.” Morgan knew the basics of shooting but counting her rounds, in the pandemonium that had been the attack was not one of them. If only they could have escaped their current holdings.

[ofdvnvers]

captives;

[ofdvnvers]

Olivia rolled into sitting up, grunting as she did so. She wasn’t hurt, miraculously. The muscles in her legs burned from all their running and the blood that had dried to her wasn’t her own but, Morgan already knew that. It didn’t need to be mentioned.

“Yeah.” She responded solemnly. “Same here.”

As much as they could be…trapped like animals, shackled to a wall. Olivia hooked her fingers beneath the cold metal and tugged to check for any give. There wasn’t. “I think the sign used to say Washington.” She said, recalling the washed out sign on the way in that with only the end words visible. As a distraction, as something minimally productive in gaining their bearings. Just to say something. “DC.”

[morganperiodicole]

Morgan slipped back when Olivia sat up, testing her own shackles as the mechanic had. She shook her head and the sound she made would have been more of wry amusement if she hadn’t felt so defeated. 

“Earth geography was never a good subject of mine,” Morgan shared. Not that it even mattered now that they were on the earth. Clearly these people had their own lines and boundaries. There were so many. More than the rapid ones in the caves. Morgan would have never imagined survivors to be this numerous. “There were so many people,” she mused, leaning forward against her chains as it looked like perhaps someone had passed by the opening, though they were paid little attention. No way of bargaining or showing their worth, they were of marginal importance.

[ofdvnvers]

captives;

Olivia heard the thud of hitting the hard ground more than felt it, she was already too tired, too sore. This was expected. As soon as they had gotten to this place she knew they’d only have moments to make their escape but Olivia hadn’t counted on it being so distracting. An actual village and people. So many people. They’d been snatched up, thrown here. She hadn’t moved yet. Olivia stay laying among the dirt and leaves, staring up out of the opening in the ceiling at the darkening sky. Without looking and already knowing the answer the mechanic only spoke loud enough for Morgan to hear.

“You alright?”

@morganperiodicole

[morganperiodicole]

Morgan’s first instinct was to want to groan. All the adrenaline of everything had worn off and being thrown in their prison was enough to tip her body over into protesting. Nothing felt serious as she patted herself down and sat herself up. “As much as I can be.” Escape had never been an option. Perhaps Olivia had it right just laying there. “I’m not injured. Are you?” Her voice rose in sudden concern. Morgan scooted through the dirt hand hovering over Olivia’s back worried the lack of movement was an indication of something worse. 

[morganperiodicole]

oak

oak: what element do you feel the most power over?

Seeing as it was my job to keep the Ark’s water system’s running smoothly, I’d like to say water. But there are days where I felt like it had far more power of me. 

[morganperiodicole]

Reblog to Play: Tree Asks

ash: would you sacrifice yourself for a stranger?

bonsai: are you easily impacted by the feelings of others?

birch: how do you cope with loss?

cedar: do you feel like anyone's protecting you?

elder: if you had a fairy godmother, what would you ask her for?

fir: how long do you want to live for?

heather: do you believe friendship must be earned?

holly: what makes you angry?

juniper: are you easily pressured into doing things you feel uncomfortable with?

maple: if you could have one magic ability, what would it be?

oak: what element do you feel the most power over?

pine: list your favorite holidays

redwood: do you respect your elders?

wisteria: are you romantic?

willow: what was the last dream you had?

[vada-sankru]

call my bluff

[mida-komsankru]

Mida was seeing red, in every single sense of the word. It was clouding her judgement completely but right now she couldn’t bring herself to care. All she could think about was Vada, and how her hands were soaked in Vada’s blood and frankly if anyone but her clan had even dared come near the brunette she would have gladly had there heads because it was the only thing she could do right now. She could protect her, but she could heal her; her love was bleeding out and there was barely anything she could do to stop it, and that feeling of sheer helplessness was killing her. 

It wasn’t until Vada’s arm came up clumsily to try and lower her knives that she actually began to listen, and that combine with the words of these…skaikru woman, was enough for her to lower her weapons, but certainly not her guard. “I trust you. But if they try anything i will kill them and that is non-negotiable, Vada – I will not have you die by their hands after all you have survived so far.” She replied, looking back at the woman just barely behind her before her gaze traveled back to the pair of foreigners.

Their clothes and weapons were so incredibly unusual that had they not appeared to have just come from a clear encounter with the reapers, Mida would have been certain they were of the mountain. Her only solace was that there was no reason for them to set such monsters on their own kind, not even to build trust. “Then we will go to the village together. I’m still able to fight, and your weapons clearly no longer work. If you help us to TonDC, then I promise to protect the both of you along the way.”

[vada-sankru]

Vada nodded in agreement as the woman she had previously captured agreed to the terms. No harming them? That was easy enough, with Vada in her current state. As long as they did not attempt to harm her in any way, she could easily promise that they would make it to Tondisi without harm. “You will not harm us and we will not harm you. Mida says if you betray us, then she will simply kill you. I am inclined to believe her.” The faintest hint of a smirk came across her lips at the thought of how protective Mida was being before it turned into a grimace at the thought of having to get up to begin moving. Reaching first for her blood stained sickles, she tied them quickly to her belt before secondly pulling her staff into her hands and using it to force herself up away from the tree into a standing position. She snarled through the action, nearly falling if it weren’t for Mida at her side, but forcing herself to stand as best she could.

Gesturing towards the two women, she bit out through pained breaths, “I am Vada, Heda kom Sankru. This is Mida, Baka kom Sankru. What am I to call you?” She wasn’t sure what the naming traditions were like in the sky but was sure they had some sort of identifiers. Pointing directly towards the darker haired one that had raised a weapon towards her, she directed, “You. Put your guns in your pack and come over here. I do not want them to touch me. You will support me and your krumate there will walk alongside Mida, watching for attackers. Once we get to the village you are no longer obligated to us.”

She hoped this would work, that the aid of these foreigners would see her safely into the hands of a healer, but she always had a niggling doubt in the back of her mind and knowing one of the women from before did not comfort her much. At least she had survived, and by the looks of how ragged she had been worn since they had last seen one another, she certainly did not call on the Mountain for help. That comforted her, if only slightly.

[morganperiodicole]

The clear animosity was still there from the uninjured woman as she spoke in the foreign language. However, the blades came down and that was a minor enough victory for the time being. Trusting the promise of protection was another matter, especially when the other sounded, was it amused, as she relayed the threat they had not understood. Morgan kept to herself that they had no one to betray them to. Only each other.

Vada and Mida. Perhaps the latter part was something like last names. Or a designation. It was all alien to Morgan. Before either of them could reply, Vada had her weapon pointed at Morgan and was directing her. She gripped more tightly at Olivia, the prospect of having to separate even slightly caused her anxiety to increase. She caught the other nodding beside her, but as her own feet started to shift Olivia did not relinquish her hold on Morgan immediately. It forced her attention to her and, they shared a moment where their eyes locked. While they hadn’t known each other long in terms of time, they had already been through much together. Morgan was fairly certain she could see the same lack of trust and general unease at their arrangement mirrored in Olivia’s silent pointed expression. Morgan squeezed her and nodded shortly that she understood. Or though she did.

“There is not need for any more threats. You have our agreement. And there is only the one weapon,” Morgan replied, having forgotten she had her pack still on her back. She took the gun from it’s holster and slipped it inside beside her notebook and some samples she had collected. She then slipped in line beside Vada while Olivia begrudgingly did the same with Mida. She waited for the other to decide how she would help in supporting her. It didn’t appear wise to be the one to make the first move. “I’m Morgan Cole,” she finally gave in answer to the earlier question. 

[vada-sankru]

call my bluff

[mida-komsankru]

Vada was losing far too much blood, Mida certainly didn’t need to be any form of Fisa to know that was the case. They hadn’t made it out of the caves cleanly by any means, and her group which had stayed behind wound up fended off far more reapers than they were anticipating. All in all, it was a pretty dire situation, but Vada and Nix were the ones in need of aid the most. “Moba. Stay with me.” She muttered with a slight wince of her own as the linens were pressed against her Heda’s stab wound. Mida’s hands still shook faintly despite how long she had been doing this now, she couldn’t seem to help it no matter the degree she willed them to still. It was Vada’s blood after all, and if anything happened to her she would never forgive herself. The blonde was much too preoccupied with what she was doing to hear her love’s words at first, but then she spoke again and Mida turned just in time to see two Mounan, one aiming a weapon at them. 

The Baka was filled with such a blind rage that she would have no doubt lunged for the both of  them on nothing more than subconscious instinct if Vada’s hands weren’t gripping to her in order to support herself. How dare they come here and try to kill her family after already launching such an attack. She was grateful the brunette was clinging to her in a way, it kept her from doing anything stupid that would land them with even more problems, but she was still very much aware of the people she was now protecting. Swiftly grabbing two of her trowing knifes, she aimed them at the pair of intruders just as one place her weapon back in what looked like it’s sheath. “So much as move again and they will go straight through your eyes!” The blonde practically snarled, her voice taking on such an icy tone that she hardly recognised it herself. “You have no business here, what could you possibly want?!”

@vada-sankru

[vada-sankru]

Vada was confused and angry when a weapon was leveled with her head, its owner attempting to fire it only to watch it click emptily and furiously put it away. She recognized the one woman from before but the other was new, both looking rather worse for the wear and bloody, having just come flying out of a separate tunnel entrance themselves. It was curious, the whole situation, and she didn’t trust it whatsoever but she wasn’t entirely sure that her first instinct had been accurate after all. If these were not Maunon, then what did that make them? They could only be… “Skaikru?”

The world slurred off her tongue as Mida snarled at them, throwing knives poised to kill, but Vada brought an arm up clumsily and lowered Mida’s knives with the edge of her hand. She was seeing more clearly now than she had when she was in good health, something that concerned her, but she put that aside for the moment to address the situation. “You are not Maunon at all, are you?” Wheezing slightly, she spit blood onto the ground and clutched her side before continuing, “The Reapers… did they attack you also? We killed them in large numbers, but they may be back. You are defenseless.”

She wasn’t sure exactly what had come over her, but she knew that she was very close to dying and Nix was no better off. Perhaps these people… these Skaikru… would be interested in a trade of sorts. “Mida, they could help us get to Tondisi in exchange for protecting them. Once we arrive, we could have our warriors seize them or ask Inia for their judgment. Drastus and Tribeca will be there with Nix already, I am certain.”

Scanning the pair for a moment, she spoke directly to the woman she had attempted to capture. “The Mountain sends their monsters to kill us. They will try to kill you also, it makes no difference. I had thought you were from the Mountain when we last met, I was mistaken. Do you understand my reaction, having seen what these tunnels hold? I will offer no apologies, but we can take you to a village for your safety. There are a great many warriors there and a healer, which I need.” She left the offer hanging in the air, never directly asking for help and hoping Mida would be diplomatic about the situation for her own sake.

[ofdvnvers]

Olivia couldn’t say she was sorry that Morgan had taken aim at the people before them but regret filled her quickly at the pathetic sound of a simple click and no result. She had dealt with these people before, this one specifically and that time no move on the other’s life had been taken before she found herself being attacked. The added conflict would not bode well for them.

She stepped into Morgan, who had moved in front of her, pressing against the woman’s side, hands clinging momentarily to her arm hoping to relay the message to stand down. They were up shits creek, that was for sure. The pair had barely made it out alive only to have knives pointed in their direction. More threats to their lives.

Eye contact was made with the one from before and Olivia forced herself to breathe deeply, to not look at the weapons pointed in her direction and instead hold her head high as the woman spoke. Another word that made no sense to her. Though as the injured stranger continued to speak one thing became clear. Olivia couldn’t make heads or tales of much else but the one thing was certain, they had been attacked as well. They had a common enemy–whoever that enemy was. Ground dwellers even more deranged it seemed.

Olivia fretted, her chest heaved and she looked between the lot of them. The mechanic stepped out in front of Morgan, more cautious than bold and nodded her head toward the woman with the knives. “Tell your girl here to calm down…” She said, trying her best to feign her bravery and keep the shaking from her voice.

Olivia thought it over, or at least pretended to be thinking it over. They were backed up against a wall. Her eyes darted around, considering running but they wouldn’t make it past these people with so many weapons and them with no bullets. Finally Olivia nodded, taking and squeezing Morgan’s hand behind her back. She leveled her gaze to the one with the daggers when she spoke, agreeing.

They had no weapons left to protect themselves and deciding against the offer this woman who seemed to be the leader was giving would probably result in their death. Olivia would have checked with Morgan first but those were the facts. 

“None of you will hurt us and we’ll… we can help you.” Olivia said, her voice cracking do to the dryness of her mouth. There was no trust here, only survival and though she agreed it was only to buy them time.

[morganperiodicole]

Morgan recoiled into Olivia as the knives were unsheathed and pointed at them. They survived the rabid men only to find themselves back in danger again. Defenseless. Morgan’s throat went dry as the threat rang in her ears. She didn’t need to be told twice. The injured one who switched from English to a language Morgan couldn’t begin to comprehend looked like she knew Olivia and it made Morgan’s heart pound even harder in her chest. If this was who had already captured and hurt her, there was no getting out of the predicament. 

Her own fear made it hard to focus, along with the complete lack of context to the woman’s words. Monsters, Morgan understood and nodded subtly as though confirming comprehension when asked for it though the truth was she could barely make sense of anything. The tunnels, the monsters whom she’d shot, and these women now who by sheer luck spoke their language. 

She kept still as Olivia reversed their positions. Through her own fear, Morgan was impressed at Olivia’s even tone and clarity. Whatever happened they were in this together until the end. However close that seemed. She clutched at Olivia’s hand and squeezed back tightly, reassuring. They had one another. 

“We’re not a threat,” Morgan added over Olivia’s shoulder, grateful her own voice didn’t fail her. She knew it sounded hypocritical in light of she had her gun drawn only moments ago. But this was the only chance they had. Perhaps they could escape on the way to the city that was spoken of. The line of for their safety rang false even if she was new to the ground. “We can work with each other. There is no need,” Morgan swallowed the lump in her throat. “No need for those,” she said towards the one still pointing weapons at them.

[vada-sankru]

call my bluff

Vada was propped up against a tree, Mida’s strong hands holding what little linens they had left against her wounds in an attempt to stem the flow of blood as they waited for Nolita to return with help. Drastus and Tribeca were tending to Nix who had fallen unconscious once more from her injuries and Lina was overseeing the rest of the kru that had been traveling with them, fresh from the fight herself. Vada hissed as Mida’s hands ran over a particular painful area on her side and blinked harshly to keep her eyes open, blood still dribbling out of the corner of her mouth. She was trying desperately to keep herself awake, to remind herself that she was Heda and therefore she would not fall until the moment she saw all of her people safe, but it was becoming harder the more blood left her body.

Blinking furiously a few times, she caught a glimpse of something in the setting sun that made her mind spin. Mounan? It couldn’t be, not with all the Reapers she had just dispatched. They would not dare, would they? It was only when she saw a familiar face, flashing back to Polis, did she truly understand who she was looking at. Confused and angry, she moved to cry out only to find her voice cracked in her throat from overuse and injury. Wiping her mouth weakly with the back of her hand, she was able to murmur, “Mounan… mounan!”

[ofdvnvers]

There was a lot of running, at that point running was all there was to do. Being trapped like rats in that cave, going head to head with men who seemed to kind of almost look past her as they swung their weapons and tugged at her limbs, running was better. Olivia hadn’t had a chance to process it, adrenaline was still pounding along with her hammering heart in her ears and she honestly didn’t even know if she was still breathing with the way her lungs burned. She had barely wiped the blood from her eyes enough before she skid to a full stop, and exhaled heavily.

“No.” She pushed out, all air and barely any sound.

It was the woman, the insane one that tried to take her, or kill her, whichever. Olivia had no time to react before she was being addressed. That same word that didn’t really seem like a word but held an undeniable accusation. Though it wasn’t just the woman, it wasn’t just the one, there were more of them. Different from the ones that had attacked in the cave but just as foreign to the Arker.

Olivia held her arm out for Morgan to stop, hoping she wasn’t too close on her heels to be seen as well but Olivia already knew it was too late. She squared her shoulders, her bloodied hands balling into fists. The day had been horrible enough, she would not allow herself to be overtaken again.

[morganperiodicole]

Olivia was fast. Really fast, because Morgan was certain she currently was running quicker than she ever had in her life and she still found herself several strides behind the mechanic. Her own speed had to be adrenaline fueled. They had barely escaped the cave filled with... Morgan couldn’t think them anything other than monsters. They weren’t men. Or if they were, the rabid quality with which they attacked was terrifying in a way that should not be attributed to any man. But then again they were in a new world. One where Morgan had been forced to use the gun that she still clutched white-knuckled in her right hand as she ran.

So intent on making her legs move, Morgan couldn’t slow herself at all by the time she saw Olivia’s outstretched hand. The best she managed was skidding to a stop, one hand coming to brace herself against Olivia. She didn’t know why they had stopped, but soon Morgan saw the group of people, this one more ragged but everyone and everything looked dangerous to Morgan now.

“Oh no,” Morgan said through ragged breaths.

She stepped in front of Olivia protectively, gun coming up in aim at the group. They’d been relentlessly attacked, their teammate murdered, and they appeared to have weapons. Morgan’s decision was instantaneous, even as she struggled to hold the gun in her bloodied grip. She pulled the trigger but only the impotent click sounded. No more bullets. Morgan cried out in frustration and distress, holstering the weapon. The gun had been their only advantage to keep them alive thus far. 

[morganperiodicole]

matcha

matcha:do you prefer sunrises or sunsets?

Both have been more awe inspiring than I would have imagined. We don’t have either on the Ark and so the pinks and oranges, or the way the sun peeks behind the mountains is something I don’t think will get old any time soon.

[morganperiodicole]

Reblog to Play: Tea Asks

black: how much personal space do you like?

chamomile: describe your sleep schedule

dandelion: when you make wishes who are they for?

elderflower: do you get sick often?

fennel: how do you feel right now?

ginger: what animal do you act like?

ginseng: post a photo of somewhere you feel calm

green: list your top 3 motivators

hibiscus: do you like when people try to start a conversation with you?

kava: post your favorite color scheme

lavender: does physical activity help you relax?

lemon: how differently do you behave when you're by yourself versus when you're with others?

matcha: do you prefer sunrises or sunsets?

mint: what song gives you energy?

nettle: is there anything you do when you feel guilty?

oolong: where do you see yourself in five years?

peppermint: are you self righteous?

rooibos: if a conversation bothers you, will you speak up about it?

white: do you think family is important?

[ofdvnvers]

encounter;

[morganperiodicole]

statusgrounded

“Usually I hate being proved wrong.” Olivia muttered, just as an after thought. She didn’t see it–him–at first, not until Morgan reacted and as soon as her eyes followed to where Harold was, her entire body filled with and familiar brand of fear.

She reached out to Morgan and found her hand curled around the woman’s jacket at her elbow. Something not unlike dread gripped her and the hair on the back of her neck stood up with the change. It was possibly paranoia but suddenly it felt as though they were being watched, like the trees themselves crowded around them were witnessing their confirmation of another one of their own dead. It should be no surprise, they should all be dead. The laws of odds against six had to play out somehow.

Olivia turned her face at the putrid smell of decaying flesh and she didn’t want to look. It was an image now forever imprinted in her mind and the longer she looked the more details she would have. Instead she busied herself with scanning the area.  She was no tracker of course, in all honestly even earth skills wasn’t the mechanics strong suit in her youth. It was clear the pair had set up camp around the pod, just like they had back with the captain but Edison was nowhere in sight. The initial thoughts were bad ones. He might of been pulled away by ground dwellers. He might already be dead too.

Olivia tugged Morgan backward so their backs were against a tree, gun holster undone as if she were honestly prepared to use it as she peered around behind them just to be sure they couldn’t be surprised from behind. The truth was she had never shot a gun before. It was still a comfort in its own perverse way. Olivia hated death, the thought and sight of it. It’s what made her turn away from the guard just then and part of why she stumbled away from her own pod, and Megan, that first terrifying night. She couldn’t imagine bringing herself to causing it by her hands.

They had to check the pod, she knew that and one of their own strung up in a tree, that was awful, they couldn’t just leave him but it was also a message. A clear one. One Olivia wasn’t too keen on ignoring. “We shouldn’t stay here.” She said, voice low and almost a whisper.

Morgan let Olivia pull her back, nodding in agreement that remaining there was not a good idea. Even if no one was left around, it didn’t feel safe. And for as much as Morgan wanted to cut Harold down and give him the respect he deserved, they weren’t in a place to press their time. Still connected where Olivia gripped her jacket, Morgan slowly moved them together towards the pod. If Edison was also dead they needed to know. 

Morgan didn’t dare call out to see if Edison was inside, instead she steeled herself to be ready to draw the gun Zoe had equipped her with. With a silent look to Olivia, she mouthed one, two, and on the third count pulled the hatch open. The inside was disheveled, but there was no sign of the engineer. “No sign of him or his supplies.” Morgan wasn’t sure if she was relieved or distressed that they hadn’t found him. Whatever had happened here was not good. A quick scan didn’t show anything of immediate value, and she started to back out already. “Doesn’t look like anything we can save,” Morgan said, swallowing the lump in her throat and pointedly not looking towards Harold’s body. Zoe could disagree with them and return if she wanted to but there was no sense in linger. 

“Let’s get back,” Morgan said sticking closer to Olivia than they had on their way out. Fear prickled at the back of her neck as they returned back in the direction then had come from, slower and more cautious this time. Eyes on alert, Morgan was surprised to catch glimpse of what appeared to be an opening of sorts behind some foliage. Perhaps a cave. 

“Did you see that before?” Morgan asked, gripping Olivia and pointing to outcropping some short distance away. As much as her courage had been dampened by what they had just seen, it was hard to know the right course of action. “It could be a shelter of some kind?” Branches had been broken and pulled aside to allow for more of the entrance to be visible. It was difficult to know what to do. This could have been where the attackers had come from, or it could have been where Edison had holed up. His pack appeared to have been missing from the pod.

[ofdvnvers]

encounter;

Olivia felt like they were walking in circles, they probably were. A tree was a tree was a tree. At least she had Morgan who seemed surprisingly more adept to keeping track of their direction.

“Not that I don’t like the distraction of doing this every day…” She began, kicking a rock loose from the dewy dirt as she walked. “But are you starting to think we’re not going to find it or is that just me?” It was pessimistic but pessimism was a skill she had. She was good for more than just fixing things, there was also bad humorless jokes and the optimism of a snail. Everyday Olivia got up, uselessly fiddled with the radio, listened to Morgan list off compiled data, and then they walked around for a few hours in supposedly strategic patterns looking for the third pod and their remaining team members. There were some calculations and Olivia had given her own input according to takeoff and the two points of landing they knew about but the obvious places had already been checked and now it was just shots in the dark.

“Look, it’s not like I want to stop I’m just better at–” The mechanic was going to say she was better at being prepared for things and never would she write off missing team members– maybe she just like the sound of her own voice instead of the eerie empty (or not so empty) of the woods around them. Her sentence however had been halted because they hit a small clearing, tree branches disrupted and knocked abnormally to lay broken or hanging disjointedly. There, nestled between two large thick trunks that extended high above them was exactly what they were looking for, just visible through the foliage. Olivia stopped in her tracks, jaw tightening. She liked to be prepared and mentally, she was prepping herself for the possible sight of a pod containing two dead passengers. “Nevermind.”

[morganperiodicole]

Morgan smiled at Olivia despite the dour topic of their continually fruitless search. In their short time together on the ground, Morgan had learned to be used to Olivia’s assessments that leaned more towards the pessimistic end of the spectrum. Or perhaps she was simply a realist and Morgan in contrast couldn’t allow herself to give up hope even with little things because hope was the only thing keeping her fears that they’d never contact the ark again at bay. She allowed Olivia to continue to talk, the reverse much more common, Morgan rattling on while Olivia worked. 

Morgan had been looking down curiously at a snapped branch when Olivia abruptly stopped talking, causing her to jerk her head up and her hand to go out towards Olivia involuntarily. “The ground wanted to prove you wrong,” Morgan said though her heart beat sped up rapidly. At first it was the pod that pulled Morgan’s gaze, but as they slowly circled around to the front something terrible came into view.

Morgan couldn’t help the strangled sound that came from her mouth as she reared back at the sight of one of their crewman, strung up in a tree, white paint covering him haphazardly.  “No... Harold.” Morgan said in shock, hand going to cover her mouth as she looked up. She almost immediately turned away and worked to keep down the bile that threatened to rise. Dread settled in the pit of her stomach and she took a step closer to Olivia, hand ghosting to the gun on her hip that she might have to be ready to use. Suddenly finding the pod felt anything but fortuitous. 

“What did they do to him?” Morgan said though she didn’t want or expect an answer to her question. Whatever it was it wasn’t natural. He’d survived the ground only to be killed. The only saving grace was that he appeared to have been dead some time, which hopefully meant whoever had brutally killed him wasn’t still around. “The pod. We need to check for Edison,” Morgan whispered, trying to focus herself on what they needed to do. They needed to be fast. Lingering could place them in danger.  Even if he was alive it still only left them with four. Each death was a hit to their survival. 

[morganperiodicole]

Current favorite song?

I have been listening to Florence + The Machine’s Ship to Wreck in lab plenty lately.

[morganperiodicole]

Most used app on your phone?

Daily Puzzles. I do my word and brain games while I drink my coffee every morning.

[morganperiodicole]

Tell us the worst pun you can think of.

I’m usually in my element making chemistry jokes but all the funny ones argon.

[morganperiodicole]

Someone you like wants to Netflix & chill. They legitimately mean watching Netflix and hanging out. Do you play it safe or make a move when the invisible timer is up?

Depends. Has my husband let me pick what we’re watching or am I sitting through another superhero movie? Safe to say one of us will make a move before the night is over, I’m not overly worried who it is.

[morganperiodicole]

Do you like keeping your room messy or clean?

Clean. I can’t fall asleep knowing there is a mess. And if I don’t take care of it then it won’t ever get done.