outer_divide | [Video | 001: Arrival]

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[Video | 001: Arrival]

Mom?

Dad?

[Closing her eyes, she forces herself to focus as she takes a calming breath.]

Think, Ella.

[The harder she tries to recall how she got here, the less she seems to remember. Why can't she remember? Her memory isn't something she usually has to worry about. Sighing, she slowly climbs to her feet, cautiously following the lights.

Sitting not far from the exit, she looks out over the destroyed city. She wonders what happened in this place, whether anyone had survived. More than anything, she wishes her parents were here to see it with her.

Finally turning her attention to the device, she studies it a moment before figuring out its basic functions. After a moment's hesitation, she activates the video feed, drawing her knees up to her chest.]

I'm not supposed to be here.

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None of us is supposed to be here, although I do not think our abductors had anything hostile in mind.

You are still at the ship? Stay there, and I will come lead you down to the city. The path can be dangerous.

[She frowns slightly, partly confusion and partly disagreement. She's been abducted once before, and she's still reeling from the aftermath. But then, that had been nothing like this.]

I wasn't planning on leaving. Maybe I was hoping they'd change their minds.

I am afraid the people responsible for bringing us here may not be alive to change their minds. This ship crashed many years ago. Finding a way back home - or a way to start anew - is up to us now.

You think the ship's doing it by itself?

No. While it may have at one point had a VI overseeing functions, it is currently far too damaged. You have been in the pod you awoke in for some time.

[It takes a minute for that to sink in.] You think I was on the ship when it crashed?

That is the most likely explanation, yes. I...do not want to give you false hope, but it is possible others you recognize might be amongst those still sleeping. There are several groups here that all appear to have been taken from similar locations.

[She perks up some at that. Maybe she wouldn't be alone after all.] Why wouldn't we remember?

There are some sedatives that make it difficult to remember the time directly surrounding their application - we must have been sedated in the pods, so that seems a likely explanation.

[She is aware enough of human maturation rates that she's not quite willing to broach the topic of forcible memory erasure with one who's clearly so young. Not when it makes her own stomach churn.]

Maybe. [She doesn't seem convinced.] Do you think we boarded by choice?

I do not know. I cannot imagine doing so - not with the entire galaxy at stake - but I find it equally difficult to imagine capture by an unknown species.

Maybe that's why we did it? Maybe there wasn't a choice, and we just can't remember.

It is possible. Once we know more about the ship, or the people who built it, we may also know more about why we were aboard.

I'd like to know. If you ever find out.

Of course. If I discover that information, I have no intention of keeping it quiet.

[...For now. Depending on what it is, she may change her mind in the future.]

I can handle it, you know? Whatever it is. I just wish I could remember.

I believe that's something that is troubling most of us. Certainly most who have had the chance to consider the implications.

What do you mean?

That a great deal can be hidden even within a small gap in memory. That is all.

You think we've forgotten more time than we realize?

I believe that it is impossible to tell at this juncture. Preparing for the possibility is only prudent.

I guess you have a point.

Join the club. [But she sounds a little sympathetic, despite the remark.

In all seriousness, though, this girl is probably incredibly disoriented and at least a little scared. So in a significantly more genuine voice:]

You said your name was Ella? I'm Chloe.

[Her initial frustration fades quickly, and she even manages a small smile at the introduction.]

Yeah. I-

I don't remember coming here. My parents need me; I shouldn't have left.

You didn't mean to. [She's not sure why she says that--in theory, it's obvious that Ella didn't intend to leave her parents--but something tells Chloe that letting the girl know she didn't technically abandon them in their time of need might help a little.]

Hey, are you hungry? I have some extra food and can take a pretty good guess on where to find you. I can explain while you eat?

Thanks.

[The smile brightens some at the mention of food.] Okay.

[Then, as an afterthought.] I haven't left the ship.

I didn't think so. I'll be there in a few minutes. [Long enough to tell the ragemonster she's babysitting that she'll brb, and to walk the distance to the ship. Luckily, at this point she was only a couple of miles off. Give her 20 minutes, and you'll hear her call down the corridors of pods:]

Ella?

[She'll find you either way, but it's easier with help.]

[The twenty minutes feels much longer than it actually is, and she nearly starts talking to herself again to fill the quiet. She looks up sharply when she hears her name, and it only takes a moment for her to answer.]

Yeah. I'm over here.

[She follows the voice until she's in sight, rounding the corner with a thermos in hand and a hint of a reassuring smile.

When she gets close enough:] Hey. [And she offers out the thermos. It seems like there's some sort of soup inside, vaguely reminiscent of something with beef and veggies but not quite.] It's not exactly Campbells or Progresso, but it's not bad, either.

[She edges over some so the woman can sit. It seems the polite thing to do, despite it being unnecessary. There's plenty of space.

Ella gives the contents of the thermos a sniff before trying it. She isn't exactly hesitant about new things, but this situation warrants a bit more caution, she thinks.]

It's fine. Thanks. [She offers another small smile.] You've been here a while, then?

[Jocelyn's smile is weary but kind.]

No. But you are not alone.

My family isn't here. I'm as alone as I've ever been.

[She sounds more defeated than confrontational, though.]

They won't let us go home, will they?

[Her voice is gentle, but insistent.] Family, I have found, can be made anew.

[Slowly, she shakes her head.] I'm afraid we haven't found a way to leave. If we manage to get the ship running, however...

Edited 2012-08-05 14:51 (UTC)

Not this family. [There's a small smile there, though. At times, her family can seem a bit like a band of misfits, but they were all together for a reason.

She considers that for a minute.] Even if we can, how would we know where we're going?

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