𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐄𝐍𝐄𝐑𝐆𝐘

    HE’S ALWAYS BEEN LIKE THIS,   laid bare to the cruelties of man when exposed to something new,   something different  …    daisy understands why he’s so wary then.    it makes sense.

“   he also deserves to be safe.    and so do you,   you know.    ————    uh,   thanks.   i was lucky though.    i had people,   some of whom you’ve already met,   around me who took care of me.    kept me safe from people who wanted to harm me,   or use me.    i wasn’t alone.   ”     despite feeling completely alone,   as if she were the only one going through such a feat,   feeling such disconnect   &   fear,   daisy was never actually alone.    she had fitz,   who kept her secret.   jemma,   who eased her pain.    may,   who calmed her.    and coulson,   who shielded her.    without them,   daisy doesn’t know how she would have survived.    she admires jonas for his perseverance,   his strength   —   the thought of everything he must have gone through in order to get himself and his son to where they are today is a heavy one.

she nearly smiles when he asks what she can do,   a new spark to her dark eyes that wasn’t there before.    pride.    clenching and unclenching her fist,   she prepares herself for a small performance.     “   i make things shake.    or if you want to go more in depth of it,   i can manipulate vibrations.   ”     there is a half filled glass of water on the table next to her,   which after pointing her hand towards,   she blasts against the wall of the cell.

“   when i first transitioned,   i would get upset or have a nightmare and i’d cause an earthquake.   i’m in control now,   but it was terrifying at first.   ”     she hopes her honesty will make him feel more at ease,   perhaps help him open up to her,   but even if it doesn’t   —   it feels nice to talk about it with someone who can understand.

“   and you?    wanna tell me what you can do?   ”

like an earthquake?  he thinks, but does not speak aloud. instead jonas just observes without judgement. he’s been around mutant communities before. some out in the open, some hidden in plain sight   ---   and because of those experiences, he’s had a lot of time watching others’ gifts. jonas isn’t afraid of her shaking, but he does flinch a bit when the cup shatters ( because it is sudden and loud, that’s all ).  ah, yes. like an earthquake.

❛❛   i’m a touch - telepath.   ❜❜          what he wants to say is:  i have seen, will see, and do see every moment mankind has ever had   ---   but that would be too difficult to explain right now, and jonas is not sure he wants to clue s.h.i.e.l.d. into just exactly how powerful he can be, yet. telepaths are dangerous enough. they might just dub him as unreleasable if they know the truth, so he holds his cards close to his chest and will protect his secrets until they are deemed trustworthy in his eyes. daisy’s promise about returning gabriel to him is a good first step in the right direction.          ❛❛   when i was young i tried to hide my otherness. it nearly got me   ---   and gabriel, killed when i was discovered. humans are very unkind to those who aren’t like them. this isn’t the first time i’ve been caught and put in a cell. he was an infant at the time, and they were going to murder him.   ❜❜          the anxiety that grips him now is simply over the fact that jonas knows gabriel is caught, too. children, especially mutant children, are unpredictable when put into high - stress situations. their powers can suddenly erupt, unleashed and uncontrollable, and they can end up hurting people without meaning to. gabe is hopefully too young for that, still   ---   but he doesn’t want to take any chances. what would happen to them if one of them injured or killed a s.h.i.e.l.d. agent? intentional or not.

she thinks it over for a moment before she shrugs her shoulders.  fun,  she’s not sure  —-  communicating in any sense is still exhausting to her.  but easier,  in some ways,  yes.  it makes her more comfortable trying to find the words to convey what she’s feeling or thinking.  it feels like she has a better chance to think about it.  when she speaks,  it feels like there’s a spotlight on her,  like she’s bound to stumble over her words and embarrass herself —-  or say the wrong thing.  there’s that fear here,  too,  considering that she is still learning to read and write for the first time in her life,  but he seems to understand that she’s slowly getting the hang of it,  and she appreciates that  (  it’s part of why she hasn’t tried to get out of the conversation.  )   she finally gulps,  nodding her head.  ❰  comfortable.  ❱   at least,  as much as it can be for her.   ❰ why don’t more people use it?  ❱    it’s an honest question  —-  it seems to make sense in a world like this,  where sound is so detrimental to them.  couldn’t they all benefit from learning how to silently communicate? she knows the whisperers could have,  instead of the broken-words they gravitated towards instead,  a language she is trying to get out of now.

his words are validating,  enough to make the tension in her shoulders relax slightly.  it’s so easy to get down on herself for being so behind people her age,  even people much younger than her,  but it isn’t her fault that she’s never had the opportunity after growing up in this world. she just has to remind herself of that sometimes.  ❰  the smell—-  ❱   she says,  looking up at him.  ❰  that’s why i notice first.  ❱   it’s what she smelled like for all of her life.   ❰  the ground.  ❱    she goes on,  boot stomping on the ground.  ❰  can feel them.  ❱    she’s trying to think positively,  too.  what she’s really saying is she thinks he can be capable,  too  —-  and maybe,  she can help teach him some of that survival (  maybe the horrid way she grew up could actually benefit someone for GOOD.  )  a small smile barely tugs at her lips,  but she washes it away,  feeling too exposed.  ❰  never seen a goat.  don’t know what one looks like,  ❱    she admits.    

[   they are lazy. my friend translates for me, but i try to teach also. i do not like to be too dependent on him when i do not have to be.   ]          shoulders jostle as he tries to keep a laugh to himself. greer has been a friend since boyhood, always chasing off schoolyard bullies and learning sign language along the way, just for his friend   ---   cason owes greer his life too many times to count at this point, but nobody’s keeping track anymore. they’re attached at the hip. cason, however, always has room for more friends, and his loyalty will blanket over new just as much as old. lydia shouldn’t have to worry about him   ---   otherness is survivable. enjoyable, in some moments. there’s nothing to be ashamed of. everyone’s journey is different.

one hand raises, flat, and he makes a motion as if he’s wafting a scent towards his nose.  smell.  cason spells it out for her and then makes the sign motion again. if he has to teach her all the signs himself, he will. and the teacher will also be the student, he notes with amusement ( just a twinkle in his eye, cason is too good - natured to be in this world some would say )   ---   but pays careful attention at the demonstration given. he can’t actually feel her boot stomping at all, but a herd would be a little different than a lone girl.

[   see? you are smart. you taught me something i did not already know. that is intelligence, to me. goats   ---   look scary because of their eyes, but they like to climb and jump around so that makes them cute. they make good cheese, too.   ]          lydia is becoming an integral part of the group, whether she sees that or not. one day they may come to save each other in more ways than providing understanding   ...   though the scenario is more likely than not, he hopes it won’t come to that.

          ❛     you  have  to  be  ready.   it’s  your  destiny.     ❜     it’s  all  become  so  clear  to  zuko  now.   there  was  a  moment  he  could  have  faced  his  father,   challenged  him  as  he  did  all  those  years  ago  in  the  agni  kai.   but  the  fire  lord’s  life  is  for  the  avatar.   

          ❛     and  i  believe  in  you,   aang.   if  there’s  anyone  who’s  strong  enough  to  beat  my  father,   it’s  you.   who  faced  the  dragons  with  me  ?   you.   even  my  father  doesn’t  have  the  dragon’s  breath.   you  haven’t  mastered  fire  bending  yet,   but  you  know  its  origins.   you’re  better  than  him.    ❜

destiny.  he used to hate it. ran from it   ---   ended up being the reason the world was cast into imbalance. zuko is right, as much as aang doesn’t want to admit it to himself. most avatars get years to master the elements. aang has had to do it in months   ---   zuko’s words are encouragement, if they aren’t hard. and aang knows that he doesn’t mean it to be cruel, but uplifting. the boy takes comfort in it.

𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐮𝐦𝐛. what began as shock turned to pain, and now a throbbing, dull EMPTINESS. he never expected to lose his father this young. barely into his twenties, jon feels alone in this world.     the lone wolf dies but the pack survives.    more than ever, he needs russell. he needs their pack. he needs this life they intended to bring together.   ❝ not sure, ❞ he answers honestly, thrusting hands in his pockets. he turns to glance out the window, allowing his eyes to roam the miles of ENDLESS land. the horizon seems to stretch on forever.   ❝ but i know i want to stay here… WITH YOU. there’s nowhere else for me now. ❞

russell was too young a pup to remember losing his dad, but his mother still hasn’t forgotten the pain to this day. she’ll carry it for the rest of her life, despite how her sons, daughter - in - law, and granddaughter fill her life with joy. despite how the pack supports her. when someone is gone, a hole remains in those who loved them forever. there is no healing it   ...   but in time the acceptance comes.

    jaw settles back  ––  she’s not quite on edge, not quite at ease, doesn’t quite belong on this wild goose chase of an adventure.  she’s not a medical doctor by any means, but the phrase  DO  NO  HARM  comes to mind, would rather play lab rat and bring  peace  to people who wouldn’t get it otherwise.   ‘  i  find  the bullets.  i don’t shoot them.  ’

the lure of treasure has always seized olive by the throat, but   ---   it’s more than riches. the lure of adventure cradles her, too. she is snug within wanderlust’s arms and has no intention of ever wriggling away   ...   and can only hope to find the best and brightest to help her achieve personal goals. she doesn’t want power ( because absolute power corrupts absolutely ). olive magadora is already a millionaire, though nobody would suspect it. she ferrets away money and hides it for a rainy day rather than flaunting it, because it isn’t about the riches. it’s about the experience of chasing it, and the intellectual and spiritual wealth she gains in the hunt.

      𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐱𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐚   𝐰𝐚𝐬   𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭    𝐚   𝐝𝐨𝐮𝐛𝐭   𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞,      and  provided  many  of  the  luxuries  of  the   old  world   that  had  nowadays  come  few  and  far  between,   but  it  still  seemed  so  easy  for  serena  to  feel   suffocated   within  the  walls .   she’d  regarded  herself  as   selfish,   ungrateful   a  handful  of  times,   but  she’d  never  been  good  at  being   confined   in  one  place  for  so  long .   ❛   unfortunately,   that’s  not   my  call   to  make .   ❜   neck  swivels  back  towards  the  towering  walls,   one  eye  squinted  shut  in  the  sunlight  before  she  turns  back  to  him .   ❛   and  i  don’t  have  anything   on  me   worth  trading .   there’s  people   inside   that  can  help  you  out .   ❜

gaze follows hers in the direction of the walls, and as she looks back at him he shakes his head. giant walls are always a bad idea. he could go in and never come back out. that’s not a risk he’s willing to take.

WELL        SHIT                -                is        all        he        can        bring        himself        to        think  .                always        imagined        he        would        go        down        in        a        flurry        of        bullets        &        dumb        bad        guys        who        hate        him                [        …        ]                but        even        as        he        ducks        his        head  ,                awaiting        the        impact  ,                there’s        nothing  .                eyes        meet        up        to        the        woman’s  .                if        he        were        anyone        else  ,                he        would’ve        questioned        why        she        could        do        this  ,                why        she        seemed        so        powerful  ,                but        at        the        end        of        the        day  :                he’s        clint        &        he        cannot        bring        himself        to        ask        questions  .                hand        grasps        hers        as        he        stands  .                ❝        let’s        hope        i        can  .        ❞                &        so        he        runs  ,                jumping        into        the        building        shoulder        first  ,                waiting        for        her        to        follow  .

following him as soon as he’s safe, kara flies and lands in a matter of seconds. their position is safe for now, but in a few more minutes it won’t be once the bad guys find a way inside to reach them. kara huffs, partially out of irritation. she smells blood. this guy is beat up, and even then   ---   he still wants to fight. he’s a vigilante. she doesn’t have to guess very hard to figure that out. he has the same look in his eyes as she does.

he sticks around,  knowing how important it is for luca to see a familiar face once it’s over.  they may not know each other too well,  luca may not even like aaron,  but aaron doesn’t want him to feel completely lost when he does step out of deanna’s office.  aaron trusts deanna,  but he also isn’t naive;  not everyone he’s brought in to the community is so quick to find comfort here,  no matter how safe it is or feels,  and he’s skeptical about whether or not luca will find any sort of peace here  —–  so he’s trying to do whatever he can to make sure he does find some,  for however long he stays. 

it’s obvious he’s been waiting,  bouncing up on his feet upon seeing luca emerge from the house.  he’s met with a bright smile,  one full of hope  —-  not just that he’ll stay,  but that he’s okay.  ❝  food,  sure,  i can take you to olivia.  she’s the one who takes the inventory,  ❞   he insists,  nodding ahead as he begins to walk with him.  ❝  our supply run crew does a fine job.  and we’ve got our gardens,  too  —  you’ll have plenty here.   but,  first  —  ❞ 

he takes a breath,  still walking with luca,  but his eyes looking over to him.  ❝  are you going to tell me how it went?  ❞   he asks with a small chuckle,   curious as ever  —  mostly to know whether or not luca himself feels any better being here.  ❝  i like to think i can give this place a raving review on my own,  but i’m wondering how you’re feeling about it now,  now that you’ve spoken to another person.  ❞   he hasn’t LEFT yet,  and it doesn’t seem like he’s intending to,  so aaron takes that as a plus.  

ramirez doesn’t broadcast his information ( and hasn’t really had anyone to share it with since his squad mates departed or died ), and he hasn’t clued anyone in to the fact that he hasn’t eaten real food in a day or two. water, yes. food, no. this isn’t unusual, especially for a lone scavenger. groups of three or four have it the easiest. it’s not too big to alert enemies, and not too small to get easily chased off by others or have to keep glancing over your shoulder for biters   ---   luca is exhausted. beyond words. but he never really feels safe enough to rest. or slow down.

❛❛   she said i could stay.   ❜❜          doesn’t want to elaborate any more than that, though luca is sure deanna will tell aaron all about it later. maybe even share his interview video   ---   not that he cares. it’s hers to do with as she pleases. he consented, after all. and interviewer - interviewee confidentiality isn’t a thing ( at least, not that he thinks so ).          ❛❛   i said i’d stay a few nights, but i’m leaving if it doesn’t feel right after that.   ❜❜

he hasn’t been able to lower his guard for years. it’s going to be a process, and luca is struggling to acknowledge that within himself   ---   self - reflection isn’t a practiced habit anymore, and the ex - marine is stuck in old ways. it’s going to be hard to change. hard to accept that he can feel safe anymore.

𝚃𝙷𝙴𝚈    𝙵𝙸𝚇    𝚃𝙷𝙸𝙽𝙶𝚂    -––––––                      that’s    their    common    denominator.                         she    works    with    wires                         *&    𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥,                         screwing    parts    back    together                           *&    rewriting    code    until    the    MACHINE    IS    IN    PERFECT    ORDER.                        he    rearranges    𝔬𝔯𝔤𝔞𝔫𝔰                         *&    stitches    skin.                         where    𝚘𝚒𝚕    coats    her    hands    𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝    coats    his.                        when    she    watches    him    work    she    wonders                        :    HOW    DIFFERENT    𝐌𝐄𝐃𝐈𝐂𝐈𝐍𝐄    IS    FROM    𝙼𝙴𝙲𝙷𝙰𝙽𝙸𝙲𝚂?

his    words    push    her    from    a    state    of    𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐲    𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐜𝐤                         *&    INTO    MOTION.                         it    takes    her    maybe    forty    seconds,                         to    duck    out    of    the    room                           *&    race    to    the    supply    bay    BUT    𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐓    SEEMS    LIKE    AN    𝙴𝚃𝙴𝚁𝙽𝙸𝚃𝚈.                        by    the    time    she    returns    her    heart    is    going    faster    still.                          raven    doesn’t    know    how    bad    it    is,                        doesn’t    know    the    𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐝    of    the    𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥    𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭    of    𝙼𝙸𝚂𝚂𝙸𝙾𝙽    𝙵𝙰𝙸𝙻𝚄𝚁𝙴:                        OF    DEATH.                        she    can’t    find    any    𝔠𝔩𝔲𝔢𝔰    on    the    doctor’s    face    so    she    steps    closer,                         rope    𝚌𝚕𝚞𝚝𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚍    in    her    extended    hand.

“  WHAT’S    NEXT ?  ”

most of his life has been spent training for situations like this. jerry - rigging medical instruments, fixing patients when they are in less - than - sterile circumstances. it’s triage. it’s chaos and terrifying. adrenaline coursing through bleeding veins   ---   and yet, the doctor scarcely breaks a sweat, save for the heat outside. she takes nearly a minute to retrieve something to secure his patient, and yet, chris remains exactly in the same position he’d been in when she left. his hands do not tremble from the strain of motionlessness, but he does watch her with careful, blue eyes before she returns to stand in front of him. at that point, attention falls back upon the man laid on his table.

      “i’m pretty sure my ass is sore   from  sitting  so  long  in  this  chair.”  jim  grumbles.  he  normally  doesn’t  complain  about  his  captain’s  chair.  he  loves  it.  but  what  he  doesn’t  love  are  long  stretches  of  space  travel.  they’re  on  their  4th  of  5  days  and  jim  is  already  done.

t’palia has a self - contained belief that she was meant to be amongst the stars, but it can be wearisome ( especially for the sensitive psyches of humans ) to be confined to the ship for days on end if they are not intensely disciplined for it. starfleet has its failings in that area   ---   but some simple encouragement usually does the trick. and some pleasant conversation.

❝  we’re from  —-  ❞   she stops,  taking a moment to look back at the kids,  heart heavy as she remembers one of the cons her family discussed before setting out on their mission.  it’s a one way ticket;  earth is not home any longer,  it’s just the place they grew up.  ❝  earth.   alpha centauri  —  it orbits a yellow sun,  an orange sun,  and a red dwarf.  ❞    a visual she had been dreaming about for years now,  one she could never get out of her head.  that’s not what she saw,  though.   ❝  5.3 lightyears away.  does that mean anything to you?  ❞    she’s hopeful that maya may have some idea  —  anything would help after a year of nothing but more questions with rarely any answers.  ❝  we were lost for a year.   but—-   we thought we were finally going to get HOME.  ❞  she’s never been there,  but she’s trained herself to call it home anyway  —  because that’s what it would be eventually,  and having faith in that has gotten her through. 

she watches closely,  thinking of her mother  —  she would be so fascinated by all of this,  already asking a thousand more questions than judy has even come up with yet.  ❝  oh,  no–  you don’t need to do that,  really.  we’re your guests.  ❞   so the last thing judy wants is to create any hassle  —  even if it’s clear it won’t,  but she appreciates the offer anyway.  ❝  i can wait.  the kids should eat.  they’re all nervous  —-  we left in a hurry,  they’re without their families for the first time.  it may calm them down.  ❞    and judy certainly needs to calm down too,  but right now,  she’s more concerned with them.

❛❛   that is within one sector. it should not be too difficult to find the location of your star system   ...   let us see what we can find. come.   ❜❜

5.3 light years is nothing compared to the distance maya has traveled   ---   but if judy’s people have been struggling to reach it for some time, it might be closer than she initially thought. the  brief description of alpha centauri does ring a bell, but she’s been so many places   ...   the quickest way to find it will just be going to the bridge and doing a wide scan of their current sector. since judy is not going to eat, the emperor will cut their visit to the mess hall short. a quick glance around to make sure everything is running smoothly, and then she leads judy back through the halls, to the turbolift, and to the bridge again. there is a small crew running it in her absence, but they all stand to attention as she steps foot onto the deck. absolutely no hesitation before she’s barking out an order, which is prompt to be followed.

❛❛   mykel, narrow vengeance’s sensors to search for a trinary star system in this sector. one with a red dwarf.   ❜❜          a young male, probably no older than eighteen or nineteen, seats himself again at the left - most side of the bridge in front of the sensor panel, and begins his search. a few moments, and it’s pulled up on the viewing screen. yellow star, orange star, and a red dwarf. they’re beautiful, dancing in circles around each other   ---   there are a number of celestial objects within a close distance of the stars, and any one of them could be what judy’s people are aiming for, though maya assumes it’s the planet. this should could reach it in a matter of days traveling at a fairly quick warp speed. maybe a week.