[OPEN]

[dontpatr0nizeme]

Who: The Freelancers and anyone else
What: Nightmares
When: Through the Nightmare plot
Where: The Mother of Invention
Rating: TBD, potential warning for torture or other really bad things, as RvB Freelancer era isn't very nice

This is the Frigate Mother of Invention. The home base of the UNSC's top secret Project Freelancer. As much as the frigate might have been lively before, now it's full of eerily empty echoing halls, windows into the empty blackness of space, and alarms that seem to be going off all too frequent. The training areas have grown a darker, more sinister air. As for the medical areas and the research labs? You really don't want to go there.

[OOC: Okay, there will be specific nightmare threads within this that I'll be linking on the main post and I will put warnings if any of those might be too bad. If you'd like to join in from outside cast, either hit one of those or start a new thread. We'll be tagging around, and I'll link any new threads you might set up.]

Locker Room (York)  |  Ranking Board (South)  |  Implantation Room (Washington) (Warning, not sure how bad this might be)  |  The Director (Carolina)

Comments

[i_got_this]

Leave me alone. [She's at least hoping the door will open after she sacrificed her hand, and give her a way out from Carolina, but it remains steadfastly closed. Carolina behind her, the board behind her, the door not budging in front of her, South feels boxed in and suddenly very very frightened, and with a growing sense of panic she kicks at the door with a grunt.]

Open, you fucking piece of shit, OPEN!

[youfallback]

South. [Carolina tries to speak more gently, to be less, well, Carolina for a moment or two, not wanting to scare the other woman. Looks like that's already happening, though, and it sends a ripple of guilt through her gut.] I'm not going to hurt you.

[i_got_this]

[South whips around and presses her back against the door, looking up at Carolina with all that unmasked desperation. Her hand is throbbing painfully and she's only aware of that and of the inability to escape.]

Yeah like you haven't done enough already. [she spits back, venomous, making a little motion towards the ranking board. Carolina bitched about losing one rank and South couldn't even get on the fucking thing anymore. She burned with hate and jealousy in that moment, a deep ingrained envy for the kind of recognition and admiration Carolina got from others, from North, where she only got pity at best. ]

[youfallback]

[South's words utterly shock Carolina to her core and she stares at the other woman, trying to not rip a new one into her. What had she done? Helped her team, reassured them when she could, protected them from the NOBLEs when necessary, put her life and health on hold at times. She thought she'd done everything to help them--

No, that's not right. Her inner voice chimes in that she did all of it for herself to make her life easier, to maintain control. ]

I'm not going to hurt you. [She repeats, more firmly, but her voice cracks just slightly, uncharacteristically.]

[i_got_this]

You sound so sure of yourself. [South remains pressed against the door, cradling her hand against her chest. Her tone is soft and tremulous, keeping her eyes on Carolina as if she'll get bit the moment she looks away.]

[youfallback]

Because I am sure, South. I'm not going to hurt you. [She does, however, take a small step back, making sure her hands are in open view and clearly empty of anything that could hurt South. Well, besides her hands being her hands.]

[i_got_this]

[South doesn't reply, continuing to glare at her with all that open and vulnerable desperation. She can see the board in constant movement behind Carolina, still doesn't see her name, and the all she wants is to get away but she can't fucking move. Her feet have become mired in the floor.]

Fuck. You.

[youfallback]

[Carolina doesn't take so much offense from the words as South's posture. She's trying to protect herself, get out of Carolina's reach, more like a caged animal than a woman.]

South. [Right now Carolina knows that saying anything more won't help, but she can't just keep silent while South's openly freaking out.]

[i_got_this]

[South finally can't keep up the posturing and looks away, deferring to Carolina in defeat and submission. The inability to just leave the situation breaks her a little.]

[youfallback]

[Taking another step back, Carolina tries to somehow relieve that fear, but just as she does, the walls seem to start melting. Frowning, she reaches toward South protectively, trying to help, but her arm can only extend so far.]

[i_got_this]

[South flinches, then looks up at Carolina as the other woman offers her hand, but she's confused at first; why would Carolina want to help her?]

[Then she feels the floor and the door behind her start to give way, slowly eating her up like she's leaning against mud than a steel bulkhead. She panics for a moment, thrashing that only gets her dragged in quicker, looking at Carolina with confliction. Finally she swallows her pride and reaches back, fingertips brushing, but it's too little too late, and she's dragged back into the melting walls with a scream.]

[youfallback]

[When Carolina feels their fingertips touch, she tries to stretch her hand out farther but then South's gone, dragged into the walls and Carolina shouts after her,] SOUTH!

[But she can't move as the floor warps further and drags her down.] South!

[Before she knows it, she, too, is gone.]