#omentheglyph

[petrova-problem]

"You’re a long way from home," said Dark quietly, almost sympathetically before he continued, "I'm a long way from home too." ( @omenthegylph )

@omenthegylph

The first sensation that came back to Eva Stratt was pain. Her arms, legs, and back hurt. Opening her eyes, she realized she was on the floor. Her head was in pain. She forced herself up to her feet and pushed through it, as she took stock of her surroundings. Nothing seemed familiar.

She should've been greeted with the stone gray of prison walls or the white cold expanse of Earth's frozen over oceans. Or... something... something else.

Beep, Beep.

The residual beeping sound came to her mind as quickly as it left, barely registering in Eva's mind. The piercing pain in her head made sure of that. Flashes of Earth's scenery came to mind as she tried to piece together where she is or might be. Nothing seemed to fit.

"You’re a long way from home,"

The nearby voice cut through the pain in her head, but it took a bit longer for the words to sink in.

She's a long way from home?

Her first thought was that, this person might be referring to the fact that they're a long way from her home in Germany?

But the second thought that came to mind, was honed from years of work on the Petrova Task Force and Project Hail Mary. Her mind was trained to prepare for the worst possible scenarios, no matter how unlikely. With the discovery of Astrophage and countless stars like Tau Ceti, could it be that what the stranger meant was that she's a long way from Earth?

She took a deep breaths until the piercing pain dulled into something more manageable.

She really didn't want to entertain the second one. It was easier for her to believe that perhaps she was taken to some place on Earth she's never seen before. Maybe one of those places she's flown over when she's had to take meetings. Even she knew the second one was a bit too far-fetched. Probably the product of her mind trying to make sense of everything by jumping to conclusions. Besides, she would've remembered taking an intergalatic journey.

But this speculation doesn't help her.

Perhaps Occam's razor would have mercy on her, but then again, maybe not. She couldn't take any chances.

She needed information. She needed answers. Then she could figure something out.

"Do you know where we are?"

[petrova-problem]

“You seem… out of place.” Omen tilted his head just a little, trying to gain a better understanding of the other. ( @omenthegylph )

@omenthegylph

Clad in mostly black, away from the crowds, was a single soul on a park bench, quietly observing the scenes unfolding in front of her. A quiet shadow in the midst of all the people.

Underneath the weak sunlight, families in the distance were playing with their children in the slowly thawing snow. The sounds of kids laughing and doing snowball fights echoed across the park. People in pairs, perhaps couples, friends, or strangers, talked casually as they trudged through the slowly thinning layers of snow.

Eva Stratt knew it would be a long, long time before people would willingly spend their days outside again.

The gentleman's words snap her out of her thoughts. But she doesn't look towards him. Her eyes are still focused on the people in the distance, as she replies back.

"Am I?"

Eva Stratt adjusts the black trenchcoat collar around her neck, bringing the fabric closer to it. She also fixes the navy blue beanie on her head, letting her hair fall to cover her neck (and her tattoo). She fiddles with the gloves on her hands, adjusting them slightly in an attempt to keep her hands warm for longer.

"It's a little chilly today."