ataraxionlogs | here lies the abyss

CHARACTERS: OPEN.
LOCATION: Science labs, Level Two.
WARNINGS: Black, eternal nothingness.
SUMMARY: To congratulate Xenogen on the appearance of their new endless void. And their new nanite research and storage facility. That's probably important too.
NOTES: Consolidated post for abyss and nanite-room gaping, gazing, and experimentation.

There are greater tragedies than their ruined map, it turns out. Missing people. Dead people. So while Remus and Sirius notice the change nearly straight away, checking in on the map out of miserable habit--like poking a bruise to confirm that it still hurts--the appearance of a fully-functional display of the science department isn't enough to take precedence over other things, such as drinking and kicking walls and sorting through what the departed left behind.

But they do, eventually, sit down to study it. The inky walls are mostly where they're meant to be, and the Homonculous Charm is working again, displaying a half-dozen lonely dots labelled as science department members scurrying in and out of view. (It isn't spying if you don't know or care what anyone is doing.) Even this one department is massive, their attention to detail both a blessing and a difficult-to-process curse, so combing over it takes time. And assistance, courtesy of Kate. And also, importantly, alcohol. It's two return visits before one of them says, probably with a mouthful of terrible whisky, "I don't think that was there before."

That: a small room across from the containment chambers, labelled nanite storage and research. And a second that, discovered soon afterwards: a new corridor, leading away from the department and toward the centre of the ship, with an adjacent Lab E.

It isn't a personal slight against anyone in particular (or only very small slight against Xenogen, which still has Severus Snape's fingerprints everywhere) that they go to have a look on their own. It's just that they're Gryffindors. You understand.

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Retreating a few steps, Rey holds up her hand to inspect the two fingers. It's strange, like a numbness had overcome a tiny bit of her just then. Any more and there was no telling what would've happened.

Eventually, she nods, though not entirely sure if okay would be the most accurate way of describing it. She's not bleeding (well, other than from her nose and ears on occasion), and on the surface things seem to be perfectly normal again.

And then finally she looks back to Sam and goddammit she's heading towards the door.

"Don't think you should go near that."

Come on, Sam, please back away from the creepy void.

No. It's cool. Don't worry about it. Only inches from her face. Then an inch from her face.

Was this a dream? She doesn't look sure. Weight shifts down onto her legs, letting a pain pinch through her back— An obvious cringe and watering eyes result. Good sign that this is indeed real, meaning that whatever happens because of the void, or inside the void, may also be very real. But would her Walker really let something like this exist? Shit, does Nyx even have power over this? She's back to being extremely unsure.

There can't really be nothing...

Here's looking at you, Rey. Crutch extended ever so slightly. You know what she wants.

"Ya gonna hold me or what?"

Wait.

"What?"

She blinks, gaping at Sam, at her crutches, and then back to her and what the hell are you doing.

Rey starts moving forward, this time for Sam rather than the door. "Stop, you really shouldn't--"

Too late.

She's already put her right crutch aside and now getting ready to take a sidestep in, so for the love of Above take her fucking crutch.

Her right hand breaks that barrier first, slipping up to her elbow and closer to her shoulder as her right foot follows. Not even a tingling of warmth or cold— Nothing. There isn't an apparent ground, the anticipation of falling pumps the blood faster, except she doesn't fall. Just the forward momentum of her left foot that pushes her through.

This is the moment she didn't intend to go all the way, that maybe she would shift her weight back through her left foot, or pull on the crutch to pull herself out, but as soon as her face passes into the void, the left hand holding the crutch falls limp only a second later. Continuing to slip through the frame.

Rey didn't know what she was expecting. She knew that living things would be rendered unable to continue any farther once submerged in the void. And she knew that Sam was no longer moving (or even breathing for that matter) when she passed almost entirely through.

"What the fuck..." Rey snapped, though whether this was directed at Sam or the void, even she is not at all sure. This is all just messed up. Too fucking messed up.

That doesn't make her at all useless. The split instant she sees Sam's movements go stagnant, Rey bolts back to snatch the crutch, pulling it back with enough force to yank Sam's hand out of the black room. Taking her wrist, Rey tugs again, throwing the younger woman out of the room completely and sending them backwards down to the ground in the most blundering series of events ever.

Not exactly the best outcome she could've had in mind, but it's better than anyone could hope for unrehearsed.

Good thing that the few seconds after the void kept her fairly numb, or that fall from being thrown back would have felt awful. In fact, as she regains her consciousness, she can't feel her body for almost a minute before the blood starts rushing again, filling her with a less comfortable prickling sensation in every crevice. She's also breathing again— Gasping, actually.

Eyes at Rey, "Thanks—" Pain inches through the numbness, making an active effort to get to her crutches while she can't feel it. Except that just results in a blubbering mess of jell-o limbs. She's back on the floor. "—shit."

She's trying to think about anything she saw or felt. Except she can't find the words. Her eyes met with the blackness and there was...

"...what happened?"

Having fallen flat on her ass, Rey had at least the pain in her tail bone to keep her distracted from the ever present hammering in her skull that's been following her. For a brief moment she can feel a slight stream of blood slipping down from her nose. She wipes it with the back of her hand, and then looks over to Sam again, seating her own self upright.

Rey then looks at her quizzically, though it's not that she had any hopes that perhaps Sam would've been able to see something while in there, or that she was capable of registering anything in the completely lifeless state she was in.

Probably for the best.

"You don't remember?" Rey asked, the back of her hand still covering her bloodied nose.

"Shit— Remember what?"

With the blood settling back into a rhythm, the prickling replaces with actual feeling. Samantha instantly recognizes that she's in pain; Lying ~~naked~~ on the floor, pain shooting from her spine throughout into her legs. It's difficult to bite back the groan as she shuts her eyes.

"Fuuuuuck..."

Reaching into every pocket with careful movement, her hands fumble out a blue pill bottle. Fingers not quite getting the grip needed to open the bitch up and grab one of the four pills it holds. She's also trying to distract herself, trying to remember anything from her stupid stunt... Nothing.

In the process of collecting herself, Rey manages to climb back onto her feet, the blood streaming from her nose stopping temporarily. She looks down, eyes narrowing as Samantha goes to grab for some mysterious pills.

"Am guessing you were one of those type of kids who put their hand directly on a stove to check if it's hot?" she says flatly.

A pitch ringing in her ears. The desperation to open the bottle shows in the shaking of her hands until the bottle slips out to the ground beside her. She tries everything not to move much, blindly guessing around with the same careful movement.

She feels like her words are about to slur, though they just come out through her teeth.

"Probably—" Sounds like something she'd do. Fingers find the bottle but they aren't. grabbing. it. "—shiiit."

Finally giving up, her head rests slowly on the ground trying to breathe through the worst of the flare. It'll settle soon.

"At least we— learned something from it—" Looking up to Rey. Grinning like it was a great experience. "Ain't shit in there."

here lies the abyss

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WOOOOOOW LAAAATEEE.......... orz

late? idk what you're talking about! c:

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