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[holdensteady]

» WHO? James Holden, OTA
» WHEN? mid-late June
» WHERE? various
» WHAT? intro/catch-all post
» WARNINGS? none at this time

( A. Arrival, Deck 3 near Crew Quarters )

Waking up in the middle of a grimy hallway, in a jumpsuit similar to the one he always wears and yet different is disorientating. As he comes to, Holden doesn't feel quite right. It's with some difficulty that he pushes himself up off the ground, a low grunt of pain as the maneuver is difficult on his leg still healing from being crushed. The repeating message becomes the forefront of his focus then and he keeps one hand pressed to the wall as he searched out the sound, quickly seeing the device on the ground. He picks it up with a grimace, studying it and the logo doesn't mean a damned thing to him the same as nothing in his current surroundings do. His mind is searching for an explanation of his location. He slips the device on before using the wall as he moves down the hallway, searching for anyone to ask where the hell he is.

The last thing he remembers is being in the med bay on the Roci with Naomi and now he's certainly not on the Roci and Naomi isn't in sight either.

( B. Bar )

[ It doesn't take long to find the bar, not that it's what Holden's looking for. It's by chance but upon realizing what it is he goes in, searching for any familiar face. If he doesn't see one immediately he finds a place to sit -- not particularly interested in drinking and more concerned about finding his crew and answers. He keeps a watchful eye on those around, though, not immediately trying to talk to anyone and instead looks at the device again, trying to glean any useful information he could from it.

If nothing else, it gives him a rest from putting weight on his leg.

There is a point where he gives up on simply observing and whether someone's sitting nearby or walks by he says: ]

Hey, can I ask you a question? [ Namely, what the hell is going on? ]

( C. Wildcard )

[ Don't see what you want? Hit me with your best shot or contact me via PM or at poetanarchy! He's very likely to be found getting coffee in the mess hall or checking out the observation deck. ]

Comments

[holdensteady]

[ Holden takes a drink and well, the warning doesn't really do it justice but he just shakes it off and he studies Alex, noting the way the other isn't really looking at him and he can sort of see the pilot's wheels turning inside of his head. ]

I guess that is good news. And to be honest, I don't think that you could sound anymore insane than I feel at the moment, Alex.

[donkeyballs]

Gimme about five minutes. [ Wryly. ]

[ He took a breath. Okay. Start from the top. ]

Okay. First off, the people here - most of them aren't from our universe. Or I mean, the version of our universe. Or our time. Most people here haven't even heard of Mars bein' colonized, some of them lived on Earth in the twenty-first century and yet fought against aliens-- None of it makes a damn lick of sense.

We wake up, randomly, dressed in these damn clothes and none of us know how we got here or how long it's been. There was a crew, here, before us, but far as we know they're all dead, and have been, for a while.

There's no visible way off this station, and the planet below us - looks pretty damn empty too.

None of the stars line up. I looked. Far as I can tell, if we're in a version of our universe, we can't be anywhere within a thousand lightyears, and probably more than that. There ain't a single constellation that's the same.

[holdensteady]

[ During the time that Alex is talking Holden's drink is definitely disappearing. While, a lot of it isn't exactly surprising and quite a bit of it he could have guessed but the idea that they could somehow be so far away from where they are is unbelievable and yet he has to believe it.

He's about tired of that kind of shit in his life between the Protomolocule and now this. He doesn't know which fucking thing is worse. ]

I think I need another drink.

[donkeyballs]

[ Alex gave him a very sympathetic look, then poured him another glass. ]

Yeah. Good news, though, is that with you here, that's the whole family. Which is a relief and a damn half. [ He'd started getting honestly scared that Holden was just never going to show up at all. ]

But... [ He paused, swallowed. ] The rules don't work here. Things happen that don't - don't make sense. Things don't stick like they should.

... Even death don't stick.

[holdensteady]

[ Holden does find that to be a relief, that they're at least together in whatever this is. It's clear that for a while he hadn't been there for them and that comes down on his shoulders like a heavy weight. Sometimes he might take his place as their captain too much too heart but they are family. He knows better than most that families don't all look the same and 9/10ths of it is in the heart not the genes.

But Alex doesn't stop and the proverbial shoe that Holden is expecting to fall starts to. He takes a long drink out of the glass and leans back. ]

Death doesn't stick? Are you sure we aren't in some... [ His brow furrows. ] some mass delusion?

[donkeyballs]

If I've been in a mass delusion for a month and a half, hoss, I ain't sure it matters if it's a delusion anymore or not. [ His voice was quiet. ]

... First death was Rogue. Drowned when we lost spin gravity on the station. She'd been in the pool. She posted about it, after, on the network. I - honestly, Holden, I didn't know what to think. I figured she passed out and someone rescued her and she couldn't remember.

But last week-- [ The words stuck in his throat again and he raised his glass to his lips to stall, taking a long drink. ]

... Let's just say I've got first hand god damned experience, now.

Death don't stick.

[holdensteady]

[ He can't really argue with that and he keeps drinking as Alex keeps talking. It helps the pain in his leg and it's at least got a placebo effect of helping him digest this information.

His brow furrows as the meaning of what Alex says sinks in. There's a sinking feeling at the idea that Alex had died even if, as he says, it don't stick.

Holden tries to think of something to say but he shakes his head and takes another drink. He feels like he's losing his sanity in all honesty. ]

[donkeyballs]

[ He fell quiet, not really sure how to continue from that point, and finishes his drink before pouring himself another one. ]

There's a video.

Seven hours. I was dead seven hours, before I just - came back. [ There was more to it - a lot more to it - but it was gruesome and it made Alex's hand tremble any time he even tried to think about it. ]

[holdensteady]

[ Holden had wished that he had something wise to say to Alex, something comforting or leaderly or even something that a good friend would say and yet not a single word to say had come to mind.

And even after Alex spoke again he still is struggling to put together a sentence but he knows that he needs to. ]

You just came back, completely fine?

[donkeyballs]

... Better. Technically.

I'd broken my arm soon after we got here - got it stuck in a door, long story - and it was healin, but it wasn't healed yet. Then I-- then the incident happened, and it was completely fine, after. Like not a damn thing had even happened to it.

[holdensteady]

[ That made no sense at all.

Holden's hand went up to his forehead rubbing it and like he could feel a return of the earlier headache coming on with a vengeance. ]

And there's been nothing else...since then?

[ He begins to wonder again if this might actually be the Protomolocule messing with their heads somehow. ]

[donkeyballs]

[ Alex shook his head slowly, then paused. ]

Well, I mean, there's always something god damn happening to someone, but - not to me. Not like that. Not anything anywhere near that, thank Christ.

[holdensteady]

Something, like what?

[ Not that he doesn't feel like he already has enough to worry about, the story that Alex had just told him is a weight and a worry on so many different levels that he won't fully realize it right away. ]

Things I should be looking out for?

[donkeyballs]

Uh - don't lean on the locked doors, too much. Sometime's they try an' swallow you up. Broke my arm when Amos tried to pull me outta one, once.

Sometime's people hear things, or see things, or - weird things turn up in your body. Like wires, movin' under your skin.

[ He looked a little horrified, but in a distant, 1000-yard stare kind of way. ]

This place just does things. To everyone.

[holdensteady]

[ Well, this is pleasant. ]

This place just keeps getting better.

[ If he wasn't so exhausted the sarcasm would have been more evident in his tone but it's just tired and frustrated instead. ]

[donkeyballs]

[ Alex shot him an apologetic look, before finishing off his drink and reaching for the bottle, hovering over Holden's glass with a silent offer to fill his, too. ]

Sorry, Chief.

At least you're here, now.

We can just find the Roci and get the hell out of here.

[holdensteady]

[ Holden gives a slight nod, though he's starting to think that maybe he should stop drinking. The stuff is pretty terrible and doesn't get better the more you drink -- plus he's not sure being drunk is actually helping or making things worse. ]

That sounds like a good plan.

[ A pause. ]

Do you think the Roci is somewhere near?

[donkeyballs]

Honestly, hoss, I ain't got a good god damned idea. I hope so. Things are - weird, here. I don't know how they got us here, but we were all on the Roci, right?

So maybe they just grabbed her while we were on it.

But I don't have any clue in hell how we got here. Or who changed our god damned clothes.

[holdensteady]

Maybe...

[ Holden isn't honestly sure that makes sense -- not that anything about this does. He rubbed his hand over his face, frustration and exhaustion more than a little evident before knocking back another drink of the not so great alcohol. ]

We'll figure it out. [ At some point, Holden's nothing if not dogged. ]

[donkeyballs]

[ Alex gives a bit of a relieved expression.

Yeah. The Captain was here, now. If anyone could figure out where the hell they were and how the hell to get out, it'd be him. Alex could relax, a little. ]

Yeah. Yeah, we will. Then we'll damn well get home.