spacedevils | THE FIRST.

THE FIRST.

»all systems go

Their communicators claim it's October 1st, it's been over five months since Frank and Karen first arrived here. Then the others had trickled in: Elektra, then Matt and finally Jessica. It can't be a coincidence that as surely as the B list keeps showing up, the Avengers vanish one by one. People who die come right back, but people who vanish just go without leaving a trace. All of it is a painstaking record kept, but it doesn't mean anything yet - not without more data.

A night or two before, a team found the illustrious Drive spoken about in that witchy girl's seance. Against advice, it was activated on the Bridge and the Station was immediately plunged into chaos. There's no explanation yet, but the planet they've been staring at ever since they got here is gone in one blink. The space quakes are nonstop, electrical surges constant, but even though Reverie Terminal has been inexplicably moved, there was no shift beneath their feet. The sky was the same as always one moment and blank and vast the next. There's debris, possibly a dwarf planet, but it's too far away to see with the naked eye, it just looks like a dim star.

As the Station is combed for any other changes, a body appears on Deck Two. She's wearing an RT uniform, an ID proclaiming her to be "Lucia" like the medic Vanessa had spoken to. There's blood everywhere, the lights are flickering overhead and the closer anyone comes to her the more violently they'll be jostled around by the 'quakes. There's something protruding from her chest, the glint of a metal orb that pokes through the tear in the front of Lucia's jumpsuit. CIRSTA's voice comes over the speaker system, informing them to stay calm and that everything is under control. It certainly seems that way, doesn't it?

»left fear behind

A video of a woman and her children plays on a loop on the Big Screen while Lucia is transported to the Medbay. They're laughing and smiling while someone films them in shakycam. She can be recognized as a dark-skinned woman in the footage that was previously found. If anyone tries to disrupt the video, the controls will be hot enough to burn to the touch. The volume keeps climbing higher and higher until someone takes out the power supply. If they reboot the system, the woman that until now has only been referred to as Ghost appears, relaying the same warning message she gave Frank and Kamala once.

"Be ready to initiate lockdown." She doesn't engage with the feed, but every time it loops she appears just one centimeter closer to the screen. Or is that all in your head?

One deck lower, people are prying Lucia's ribcage open. It's a messy business and inside is a perfect sphere. Which is strange, because there's a circular cut-out in the center of the drive with little ridges that might interlock. It seems obvious the two pieces must fit together, but just installing the drive has already gotten them here, what happens when they make it whole again?

It seems there are two choices before the current crew: to install the core or to uninstall the drive before Total Power Failure. Talk amongst yourselves. If the AI Cirsta is addressed, she only repeats a countdown that seems to have been put into effect by the Command Center reboot.

"Lockdown will initiate in 24 hours." Each time she's asked, she'll update with hours and minutes of how much time is left to decide.

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All Systems Go;

[The drive activates and everything goes insane. Kamala can feel it in her heart; the sense that something is very wrong. The space quakes and electrical surges are also a pretty good clue too. Kamala hugs herself, expands her feet for stability, and does the only sensible thing she can do: run to find an adult. This is definitely the right time for that.]

Left Fear Behind;

[Kamala never thinks to stop the video. She watches even if everything seems to be on fire right now. It seems important. Not everyone is so patient. Kamala goes from watching a screen and wondering what happened to this family to seeing Ghost again and being left with a choice. This is scary, but she thinks she knows there's no turning back now.]

I think we should finish the job. [She suggests. Her voice is shaky. She sounds painfully young just now. Something tells her the wrong choice will mean the end of them. She's never wanted her Ammi more than right now.]

[ frank watches the video too, feeling like someone should remember this family even now. he wraps his arm around kamala's shoulders as it plays, not trying to stop the chaos from ensuing on the bridge. as always, he's pretty content to let people embrace their own stupidity. especially when they aren't his people. kam obviously doesn't fall under that category. ]

I think you're right, sweetheart.

[ there's no guarantee shutting down the drive won't also kill them. they may as well see what was so effing important to drag them all here. ]

[Kamala leans against him. His solid frame is a huge comfort right now. Everyone is freaking out. It doesn't leave Kamala confident this will end well. She wants to at least let the record show her choice.] You'll stay with me when it happens, right? I know I'm a superhero, but I'm scared.

[She looks up at him with big, bright eyes. You'd never know she was the one who could naturally stitch herself back together if this goes bad by the look in her eyes.]

[ his heart lurches with the request, but he's reaching for her hand and squeezing tight. ]

I'm right here, sweetheart. Not goin' anywhere.

[ he's scared too, of course, but he has this feeling - a calm feeling - like everything's gonna be alright so long as they keep pushing. so long as they don't give up. ]

Okay. [She squeezes back too hard for someone her size. Anyone paying attention might notice for just a second her arm muscles got a bit bigger.] It'd be cool if it just fixed everything, huh? I'm actually really pulling for that.

[Kamala smiles because all she really needs is a moment of reassurance to get through anything.]

ALL SYSTEMS GO }{

[Where there's blood, a hunter will go. Elektra is no exception. The quakes are a nice deterrent, but when has Elektra Natchios ever backed down? She'll press forward until she gets her hands on the shiny thing.]

LEFT FEAR BEHIND }{

[They are in the middle of a haunting. Elektra seems perfectly at home with blood on her clothes from her earlier mission and a cheshire smile on her face. One way or another, they are getting somewhere. It's exciting.] What are we waiting for? Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

[She is taunting death at this point. There's no denying they can't go back to before so forward it is. It'll be fine as long as Matthew remains at her side.]

[Well, that's all well and good, except Matt's of not much use to anyone right now. The quakes make him unsteady on his feet and nudges him ever closer to a fifteen-minute worship session at the foot of the porcelain (or metal) god. Probably made worse by the fact that he's so repulsed from the station's idea of food that he hasn't been eating.

And that's before he can smell all that blood and guts and- yep. That's his brave gagging game face.]

[In her admittedly lame defense, she had tried to clean up. There's only so much you can do in a space quake. Elektra sees his distress and goes to get an arm around him for support.] Rough morning, Matthew? [She says like there isn't a real chance they're about to die.]

Yeah. Morning sickness. [Awkward, small laugh, trying to pretend he's fine. He grabs a corner of her shirt around near her lower back and grips tightly into the fabric.] What's happening to her?

[She softly chuckles for just a few seconds. He's not fine, but he's with her. She'll keep him same.] They're a lot of hers at the moment, Matthew.

[Elektra chides. Her tone is more somber as she continues.] If you mean the woman on the video, she's playing with her children. She seems happy. [It's hard not to envy her.]

[It's hard not to think back to carefree days when he entertained thoughts of having children with Elektra. He shouldn't, but he can't help but ask.] Do you think you would have followed through? [He turns his head towards her and takes in a deep breath.] If I'd asked you to marry me all those years ago.

[A lot more pressing matters happening right in front of them. And Matthew chooses right now to hash out their relationship drama.]

[Elektra shifts from confusion to annoyance (Really? Now?) to resignation. They might all die so this is a fair question in the grand scheme of things. He deserves to know what she would have done. It helps the answer is one he'll like.] I would have for you.

[And no one else. She would have thought it unnecessary if things like paper and rings, symbols, didn't mean so much to Matthew. She lets out of a breath of laughter when she points out the obvious problem.] You do realize the moment Stick discovered it wasn't to manipulate you to the cause, he would kidnapped one of us to stop it. He already thought you influenced me too much by the end of it.

Stick is dead. It doesn't matter what he thought. [It does. Of course it does. The old man meant a lot to Matt, more than he'd ever admit. But Matt is being petty about it.]

It's not Stick's fault that I never got to ask.

[The smile slips off her face at the reminder. It still hurts. He wasn't a good father by any stretch of the imagination, but Elektra loved him. It never stops hurting that he died by her hand in some future she never saw. It's likely because of that reminder she retorts back snappishly.] You can ask whenever you like Matthew. Nothing is stopping you.

[He scratches his forehead and breathes out a sigh. He's supposed to be towing the company line. You know, the one that kind of sounds like 'yeah, let's all work together to find a way to get back home.' Proposing to Elektra wasn't really on the table.] We grew up, Elektra. I'm not that boy anymore.

Then why worry about the past? [Elektra questions, visibly softening in appearance and tone. This isn't the fight she wants to have. She tries to level with him as much as she can being her.]

Matthew, I am wrong sometimes. Rarely, but if one of those times happens to be about the drive I don't want to spend the time we have left arguing over my mistakes. I know what I did then was wrong. I should have left, yes, but not you. I regret it took me ten years to see that. That boy deserved to have his shallow wife and mostly together children. I wish that selfish, short-sighted girl could have done that for him.

No, I don't want for us to dwell on that anymore. [It's happened. They can be sorry about not being able to move past that moment to see that they were more than that, but there's nothing either of them could do to change how that transpired. He's not looking for apologies and he hopes she isn't, either.]

It wasn't your fault. [Not entirely, anyway.]

How do you want to spend the time we have left? [Arguing over the woman in the video or how to proceed from here? That's not going to be much different.] I don't think you'd want a space wedding.

[That's all a relief to hear. The horse is pretty dead and beaten at this point. They should find new and exciting things to fight about if anything. Elektra doesn't bring it up in case he actually does find something real to yell about. She shakes her head at his last statement.] Of course not. Any wedding of mine would have to the event of the century. We can't do that in space.

[She quips in that cheerful way that makes it hard to tell if she's kidding or not. The rest is given its proper weight.] Together. What we do depends on you. Still going to throw up on me if I move three inches to the right?

[Well nothing makes a prospective husband sweat like threatening to go entitled bridezilla on him. At least they'd already established they were past the notion of wanting to get married. Small comforts, and all.]

No, I'm fine. Getting used to the shakes. [He can handle an earthquake just fine but it's the combination or everything that's making him queasy.]

It'd be nice if you want to stay over sometime. [Or regularly. Or all the time.] We could do Thai. Every Thursday. [Okay maybe don't talk about food while he's prone to throwing up.] Go out after a few drinks at Josie's and. Just do something normal.

[Elektra can read the subtext, but doesn't comment on it. He's talking fancies. She always likes getting carried away in his.] You do have a comfortable bed. I suppose I could be convinced to do at least spend my Thursdays with you so long as there's fresh noodles involved.

[She says like she ever resented those instant noodles.] Drinks are an added bonus. Of course you'll have to do something I want too. [She trails off dramatically before........] Pizza and ice cream in bed. Every Saturday.

[He doesn't know how 'fresh' they are. She wouldn't want to know the things he knows about commercially prepared food. Nobody would. But it's certainly a step up from the yellow bricks he paved his law degree road with.]

Every Saturday? [He sniffles and puts on a thoughtful expression.] I hope you have some... 'rigorous weekend exercises' penciled in to work that off. [And here they go again.]

[She laughs haughtily. Yes, they're back at this again during a space quake. Literally nothing can discourage them, but the meddling of evil old people and their tempers.] Oh, Matthew. Who do you think you're dealing with? You'll need a few hours of work before I can let you have pizza and ice cream. Think of your figure.

[Elektra pinches his side lovingly.]

[A few hours? She'd likely break his jaw and other bits before it's time for pizza and ice cream.]

I'll have you know, I worked hard for these love handles. [Of which there are none because he hasn't been eating the 3D printed plastic that passes for food around these parts and he's been hitting it hard at the gym since there's no work for Daredevil here.]

I'm either too uncomfortable to sleep on or I've let my figure go. I can't win with you, can I?

[Elektra smiles slyly. There's no sense in denying it. Her life is being a playful thorn in Matthew's side when they're on speaking terms. She certainly appreciates the look even if it does make him hard to sleep on.] You can't, but you love it that way. Admit it.

Maybe just a little. [He keeps his voice down as he stays close to her, trying not to distract everyone else from the video. His heart hadn't really been in this to get out of this place, but all this is starting to make him have doubts about his stance.]

[ he catches elektra's eyes as he plants his feet, getting two big hands around the woman's body so she can pull the thing out. the quakes are getting worse, he's almost fallen twice now. but he's just as determined to make this work as she is. ]

This isn't working.

[It is right about now that Elektra feels a great amount of gratitude to Christina Natchios for pushing ballet on her. She needs balance and with Francis taking care of the hard part of holding the body still she will finally get it. It takes two little leaps to get there and pluck the thing out of her body. She looks and feels a bit like an idiot using ballet moves to keep from falling on her face now that she knows something will stay still but, she trained for years to make that woman happy and thank God it's finally useful.]

We'll make it work. We have all the incentive in the world to fix this, Francis. [She has three people to keep alive. Anything else is unacceptable.]

[ it's like a weight dislodged from his own chest when she frees the object. his eyes widen when he realizes what it obviously is: a puzzle piece. god, this place is fucked up. ]

I know.

[ it's gruff but relenting as he sinks his elbow into the dead woman's chest, cracking her bones so the rest of the item will separate from her body. he frowns, hoping lucia will get some rest after this, but he has no confidence of that whatsoever even as he plucks up her lifeless weight and gently lays her into a crypod. ]

[Elektra realizes what's in her hand the second after he does. She smiles in triumph. There we go. This is the key to keeping her people alive. Elektra is certain they have what they need now.] When you're done worrying about the dead, you can come with me to put this together.

[She offers since naturally the fate of Lucia is meaningless to her. She has what she needs. She's going to use it regardless of what these idiots think.]

[ despite appearances, he's not exactly worried about lucia. he thinks they should preserve her in case her body gives them any more answers. it's pragmatic even if there is a sense of melancholy that comes along with the action. he turns away from the pod and moves to follow elektra, not seeming to notice or care the woman's blood covering him. ]

This affects more than just us, El. What if it makes things worse?

[Elektra is no better than him. She'll make a token effort to clean off later when she sees Matthew, but otherwise she's uninterested. The only thing that concerns her is moving forward and sneaking glances at Frank while they talk this out.] Then it does. We have no way of knowing one way or another. I rather do something than hope the problem goes away.

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THE FIRST.

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elektra for easy clicking purposes

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