[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

[youfallback]

[Carolina flicks her gaze a little over to South, watching the white blur of names reflect across the other woman''s face. The admission of 'didn't fit' surprises her as she turns her gaze back to the board. They're moving too fast, she can't see her name anymore as it suddenly dives from the board.]

It always fit before.

[Her voice is distant as she stares at the board, a distinct hollow feeling settling deep in her chest.]

[i_got_this]

Yeah well, it got bigger. [Or rather, it felt like she got smaller. She wasn't looking away from the board at all now, desperate to see her name up there. She couldn't focus on who else was there, who else was on top, but just that she wasn't there.

And the longer it went on like this, the smaller she felt.]

[youfallback]

[Carolina glances over at South, trying to focus on her face but just can't seem to as her gaze gets drawn back to the scoreboard once again. She's supposed to be there for her team, she's supposed to put them first, but--- first. She has to be first, she has to climb back on top. Texas is on top, seemingly unmoving at number one as Carolina stares.]

South. [She's not sure what she's going to say or what she meant to say in the first place, but the woman's name seems different in her mouth.]

[i_got_this]

[South pulls in on herself, gripping her arms tighter, as she feels she hears the difference -- what she interprets as indifference, disdain even -- in Carolina's voice.]

What. [She glowers at the board, now, wanting to direct that glare at Carolina but unwilling to tear her eyes from the ever-shifting ranks. She keeps seeing Dakota but it's always prefaced by North.]

[youfallback]

[When her own name sits up at two for more than a second, Carolina finally tears her attention from the board to place back on South. She does seem smaller now, somehow, despite everything. The other woman was always taller than her, but Carolina had rarely felt that height difference until now when the opposite had occurred.]

South, you're getting smaller. [It doesn't make a single bit of sense and her mind doesn't seem to want to make sense of it either, but Carolina reaches out for her as if that'll somehow stop it from continuing.]

[i_got_this]

[South, still unable to see her name at all on the list, glances over at Carolina's comment with nothign but hate and contempt. Of course she'd rub it in. Of course she'd patronize her. But now she felt the opposite was true; that Carolina was getting bigger before her eyes, a more oppressive and ever-present threat than she'd ever been.]

Don't touch me!

[South smacks her hand away with a painful crack of armor on flesh, and immediately pulls her hand to her chest and winces. She was so open and vulnerable right now, and she couldn't do anything to hide it.]

wow I am the slowest fucking person on the planet :(

[youfallback]

[Carolina furrows her eyebrows underneath her helmet, pulling her hand back once South smacks it away. No, this isn't right. South isn't supposed to be getting smaller. The woman's always been taller than Carolina and now... she tries to step between South and the board, to try and distract her from the ever-fluid nature of the board.]

South.

but you're still here <333

[i_got_this]

[South cowers, still cradling her throbbing hand. She misses Carolina's intention entirely and sees her move as posturing, as I AM the board and you are not worthy. Hot, hated tears stand in her eyes, but as much as she looks like a beaten dog she can't seem to move, to run away like she'd want. Her feet feel cemented to the spot and she is entirely incapable of drawing herself together.]

What.

<333333 thank you so much for your patience

[youfallback]

[South's posture absolutely frightens Carolina, to her core, in ways that anything else South could have done wouldn't. Carolina steps back, but as soon as she does she can see the lights at the top of the board change, the longer white name drop suddenly from the board. She spins around to stare but this time it somehow seems worse.]

np! :3

[i_got_this]

[The break in focus gives South the motivation to move, and she's immediately turning and trying to leave while Carolina's distracted. She reaches the keypad and, acting entirely on instinct, slams her already wounded fist into it, screaming out as something breaks that decidedly wasn't the frigate.]

Fuck!

[youfallback]

[Carolina turns back toward South at the sound of metal on metal, just before the cry. Shit.] South. [She tries to follow the woman, wishing North were here.] We need to go to the infirmary.

[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.]