#s1m9

S1M12 was probably my favourite mission thus far. the emotions of the clip between paula and maxine were SO incredible AND having even more lgbt+ characters is incredible.

plus after paula says she wishes maxine were there and maxine starts crying, my playlist switched back in with the line “as the world comes to an end, i’ll be there to hold your hand” from king and lionheart which was like FEELS CITY 

in S1M9 when Eight and I went back to the plane crash site, oh man. when she says “Imagine what I would have had to do out there if I’d found someone else’s ID in that chopper?” i felt my heart drop. like i hope i don’t accidentally mess up around her because i think she’d straight up leave me for dead out there.

I adored S1M7 (Voice in the Dark) and i knew it’d be emotional but this was SO emotional!! when sam was trying to talk to me it was all i could do not to be like “DAMN IT, SAM, I’M STILL HERE. STOP SAYING I’M DEAD”

SAM YAO: Raise the gates! [gate siren, gates raising] Runner Five, ready... gates are open, covering fire, and... [gunshots] go! So... just checking my mission sheet for your status... yeah, that's not a mission sheet. You've seen my office. Or should I say, corrugated iron hut we decided was no good for a latrine, with enough electricity from the generator to power the transmitter, but not enough some days for, oh, I dunno, light? Did you hear that, Janine? It's okay. Don't you worry about me, Runner Five. Just trying to keep everything together here while Janine... What are you doing with the electricity, Janine?

JANINE DE LUCA: Remember, you're in MY house, Mister Yao.

SAM YAO: [laughs] Yeah, I thought we did away with private property after the whole, you know, end of civilization? Remember that?

JANINE DE LUCA: I remember this place was my farmhouse before all of you arrived. And I remember I am the only one who knows where all the junction boxes are, because I wired the place myself. So, yeah, those tools we were expecting from the military base would be pretty useful right now. Any word on that?

SAM YAO: Ah, yeah, right, right, right. Yeah, so, uh, we're sending you back to your helicopter today, see if there's anything you can, uh, find in the wreckage. And I've got a little surprise for you...

SARA SMITH: Hey there, Five! Remember me, your old pal, Runner Eight? We're on the road together again. Isn't that great? [coughs]

SARA SMITH: We're making good pace here, Five. We're heading into hostile territory. You remember, from your first run in? But if we just keep running, and don't stop for too long at the chopper, we'll be just fine.

I'm pretty interested to see what we'll find in that chopper, you know. That's why I volunteered for this duty. I know what people say. "Don't think about the past, just keep your eyes on survival." But I -  [coughs] Well, I just can't help wondering about things.

I mean, I've got the same problems as everyone else. Lost my husband and my two boys back when the dead took the east. Had to take them out myself when they came back. Only had a shovel to do it with. I never would have thought I had the strength in me, but you know! [laughs] Like they say, we didn't know ourselves 'til this happened. You never know what you're capable of. Well, I won't ask your story. You'll share it when you're good and ready. No one's story is ever good, is it, Five?

Anyhow, I didn't expect to wind up somewhere like Abel Township. For a while there, I thought I might go mad! But turns out, I can run really fast. I always ran at school and college back when I was a girl, and that's a useful skill these days. Useful enough for me to earn my keep... in lots of places. [coughs] Oh, this damn cough just won't quit! [distant coughing] ... I know I cough loud, but that wasn't an echo. We've got company!

SAM YAO: Hey, Runner Five, Runner Eight - you're out of range for Runner Eight's transmitter, but I guess you can still hear me. You're getting close to the chopper, and we've got movement - hostiles behind you, just like we expected, but something up ahead, too. Watch yourselves, because I - [sighs] Janine, is this really necessary?

JANINE DE LUCA: Unless you want the whole base's electricity to go down in the middle of the night, I've got to replace this wiring right here.

SAM YAO: Yeah, apparently, it can't wait. [sighs] They're switching off transmission AND scanner. Only for a few minutes! You're on your own, guys. You'll be fine.

SARA SMITH: Unless we turn on each other, hey? [distant coughing] Who is that coughing?

SAM YAO: Okay, I'll be back in just a few minutes. Sorry about this, guys. You know, if I could do it all myself...

JANINE DE LUCA: You'd be a very valuable asset to this base, Mister Yao. [static as transmission cuts off]

[distant coughing and wheezing]

SARA SMITH: So, we're on our own, huh? Just as we reach the chopper, and... holy... is that your pilot? The girl who's... yes, reanimating from the dead right now. She must have been left half-eaten like that, strapped into her seat in the chopper, and now she's - oh, holy Mary, mother of God – run!

SARA SMITH: Hey, Five. I've got a plan. We've got to find out what's in that chopper! So if you - I know how this sounds, but just trust me - if you circle round that way, she'll chase you. I'll head back round quietly to the chopper to see what I can find. Deal? Okay, I'll catch up to you. Remember - the newly reanimated are the quickest. Run really fast!

[zombies groans] [snapping branches]

SARA SMITH: Got them! Here, I can't carry all this, you take some. Well, you know what I found back there? Your ID. It's looking pretty good for you. There's your picture, there's your military cred. Guess you're just a raw recruit like the rest of us, huh?

Now, I hope you don't mind, Runner Five, but I guess I'll be handing this to the head of runners when we get in. Just because, you know, a bunch of us were wondering who you really were, and this... well, this is looking really great for you. Imagine what I would have had to do out there if I'd found someone else's ID in that chopper? Just imagine. Wouldn't have wanted old Sam to hear that. He's a good kid.

SAM YAO: [static as transmission returns] And... we're back!

JANINE DE LUCA: Yep. Got you all hooked up again back here. Even boosted your signal a bit.

SAM YAO: Did I miss anything?

SARA SMITH: You know, Five, I didn't know whether to trust you at first. I've been in that military base myself, you know. Never saw you there! But I guess people move around a lot. Yes, I was there, well, it must have been nearly five months ago! Just after the outbreak hit. They gave us all these shots, told us it might be a vaccine! Might be a punch in the eye, you know? [laughs]

A lot of people thought they had a vaccine back then. Remember how they said on the news? "It's like smallpox; it's like rabies! We'll have a vaccine in a few weeks.” Yes, pie in the sky! But a bunch of us thought we could make it to family down south. Well, I guess you know how those journeys turn out. I was lucky to find Abel Township before I got bitten. [coughs]