outer_divide | [Voice; Monday morning]

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[Voice; Monday morning]

[When Christine awakes to the sound of the pod's door unlocking, she's disoriented for only a moment before she remembers what happened. Her second death. She didn't like that (who would, though?). She was on her third life now. How many more would she get?

But, not willing to look a gift horse in the mouth, she pushes open the pod and opens the trunk at the foot, getting dressed. Once that's done, she sits for a bit to cry before finally turning on her communicator and addressing everyone.]

It's Christine. I'm... back again. From the pods. Did those monsters come back? Is everyone safe?

[She pauses to take a shaky breath.]

What day is it?

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Can you help the Outer Authorities in some way maybe?

Maybe. I'd like to, if I could...but so far the enforcers here don't seem to be entirely trusting of outsiders. I'm not even always allowed to know much outside of my day-to-day duties for the sheriff.

I don't know... there must still be things to clear up at the market, or defenses to build. I can't imagine everything's gone back to normal. Depending on what you're willing to do, maybe you could just ask them to set you up somewhere?

I'll certainly try.

I feel bad enough that, ultimately, there was nothing I could do at the market.

There was no way to know what was coming, or to prepare for it. Running out of there was all any of us could do.

That isn't good enough.

There were warning signs, there had to be...the way plants and livestock were dying, the portents of that vague woman on the network...if only somebody had been paying attention!

I'm tired of this. I used to lead armies and fight curses, once. It seems like all I ever do anymore is show up too late, with too little firepower, to do anything but clean up other people's messes.

[Whoa, that was intense.]

But people have tried. I know there were people trying to study the phenomenon with the dead zone, and getting straight answers out of that woman is difficult. It isn't for lack of trying, Mulan. And yeah, I really wish we could've been better prepared, believe me. I didn't want to wake up to hear that this many people died. I didn't want to die in the first place. But answers are hard to come by, even when we seek them out.

[Sorry Christine; guess you got to be the first one to finally trigger that. Once the words are out Mulan is immediately sorry, but it's too late now to take it back. She wouldn't, anyway.]

If the answers are so impossible to get to, then what are we to ever do but continue fleeing and hiding? I'm used to determination being able to eventually make a difference. To reach my goals so long as I keep trying. But this place doesn't operate that way. It's so frustrating.

It is frustrating, yeah. But there's this saying: Live to fight another day. We may have to run and hide, but it won't always be that way.

In my experience, once you start running, you run the risk that you never stop.

I don't disagree with what you're saying, exactly...but that day you speak of has been too long coming, now. When does it finally change?

[She sighs.]

Yeah, I dunno the answer to that. It's frustrating all around.

I guess there's nothing but for us all to keep on working at it. Maybe together we will find that answer.

All the same, I definitely plan to try much harder from here on out.

I think we all will be. If anything good's come from all this, it's how our experiences motivate us.

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[Voice; Monday morning]

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