ZR timeline hopping fic
I’m writing a new multi-chapter fic! It’s a plot driven sci-fi story taking place sometime in season 5, and is an AU, not canon compliant. Here’s the first chapter! The rest will be on AO3, it’s called In Another Life, and I’m planning to update weekly :)
“I understand the importance of this little mission, but this route is awfully muddy”
“Your criticism is noted, Mr. Lynn”, Janine briskly answered over their headsets.
“Yeah, uh… your route today isn’t the most pleasant, sorry to say”, Sam added, “I mean, we’re looking for supplies that haven’t been raided yet, so ‘places no one normally chooses to go’ is sort’ve the goal today”
“Which also means that you will be heading deep into a forest full of zombies, deep enough that it will be difficult to avoid them, and our radio signal may not be able to be relied upon. Remain alert, and keep your weapons at the ready”
Five nodded, though it would only show to Sam and Janine as a bobbing in their headcam footage, and tightly gripped their baseball bat. Peter was walking at their side, and Tom was just slightly ahead, moving through the underbrush with such silent precision it was almost unnerving.
“I am, I am, not that it really matters for me, does it?” Peter responded with what Five was reasonably sure was only joking annoyance.
“You are the one with the gun, Mr. Lynn. If a threat arises, I expect you to act to protect Runner Five… and Tom, if he is not the threat in question. If-“
“-if Tom makes a wrong move, shoot him, I know!”
“…yes. Very good.”
“Uh… Janine? What’s that on Five’s cam?”
They could hear Sam tap the screen, and a rustling that must’ve been Janine leaning in to get a closer look. Five, for their part, stayed still so that whatever Sam and Janine were looking at would stay on cam, their eyes sweeping the area.
After a moment, they saw it; it was so coated in moss and ivy, it was nearly perfectly camouflaged against the surrounding dense forest. Amongst the mass of green, tiny slivers of wood and glass peaked out.
“Well spotted, Mr. Yao. Runners, do you see the structure in the direction of Five’s camera? Whatever it is, it appears to not have been disturbed in several years. It is very unlikely to have been raided.”
Peter leaned close next to them, taking a moment to scan the area, before making a sound of understanding.
Tom, too, walked in their direction, stopping to stand a few steps away. “I see it. Are we going in, Jane?”
“I believe that would be worthwhile, yes. Exercise caution, all of you. We are not in a position to take unneeded risks.”
The three of them approached. Tom was quick to locate the door beneath the Ivy from the different texture of the visible slivers of wood in that section. With all of them working together, it took only a few minutes to tear through the overgrowth.
“Here’s hoping it’s not locked…” Peter grabbed the handle, and, with barely any force at all, it swung open.
“Five, could you please shine your torch in there? It’s too dim for the camera”
They did. The sight that met them was… bizarre, to say the least.
“It looks like… some form of supercomputer. I haven’t seen anything like it, have you, Jane?” Tom walked into the cabin, looking more closely at the massive machine that nearly filled the space in its entirety.
“I… have not. It is very odd”
Five followed Tom, Peter trailing in behind them as well. They slowly began to circle the machine, shining their light across its many surfaces.
“Guys… should we maybe… not do this? We have no way of knowing what this thing does, and it’s sat abandoned all this time, mightn’t there, you know, be a reason?” Though he was clearly trying to sound calm, the nervous edge to Sam’s voice was obvious.
Five looked up to the others to see their reactions. Personally, they wouldn’t mind moving on, to ease Sam’s worries if nothing else.
Tom shrugged, seemingly of similar mind. Peter however was still engrossed in the panel he had been investigating.
“Don’t you want to know what this does? How could you not be curious?”
“I… well, I am curious, actually; but it’s just not worth the risk.”
“Such a worrier! Come on now, Sam. Always so protective, overprotective, some would say… especially when Five’s here”
“Hey!” He scoffed, then sighed, his voice returning to his previous, soft but serious, tone. “Look, we can go back to explore this some other time, maybe after getting Abel back. We’re not in a position to take risks at the minute! We just aren’t! Please, just, leave it be. If one of you got injured, it’d-“
Peter had begun idly pressing buttons as Sam spoke. None had done anything, not even producing a sound or light, until he had tried one of the largest of the buttons, and all at once, Five’s vision blurred, and a high pitched tone filled their ears, drowning Sam’s voice out entirely.