"Hallowed, Those Who Mourn", Jin/Kame [part two]
anonymous
March 25 2010, 11:23:50 UTC
They encountered nothing living within the first half mile of trekking- it was unsettling. It was more than unsettling, actually, it was almost impossible that there was nothing residing on the surface of the planet. The ecosystem around them was clearly thriving, and yet-
Kame tried not to think about it as he walked, boots sinking slightly into the water-laden dirt. Bits of roots from the thick trunks of the trees were sticking up, curled like claws around brush and tangled weeds. He knew there had been readings of life on the planet, because he'd been looking at the heat sensor read-outs prior to the cabin pressure dropping and the nav controls failing. It had been blossoming with life, overflowing almost- and yet here they were, hiking their way across it, and he could see nothing but trees.
"What are you thinking?" Ueda asked, sliding up beside Kame's long steps.
"Hmm?"
Ueda raised one eyebrow. "You're lost somewhere."
"I just..." Kame started, and wasn't sure exactly how to finish his thought. It was hard to verbalize, the sensation crawling beneath his skin. "Something is wrong here, and I can't tell what it is."
There were a few moments of silence as they continued, soles slapping against mud the only sound in the eerily quiet forest. Kame was roasting- he couldn't imagine how hot it had to be with the direct sunlight coming down, but the tree cover kept the hot air from lifting completely, almost like a sauna. His tank was already soaked through, and walking in combat boots in such conditions was more than a little uncomfortable.
"I get this weird feeling like something is watching us," Ueda said. His voice had dropped down in pitch. Kame winced; that was exactly it, the feeling that was hanging over his shoulder. Ueda let out a sudden exclamation of surprise and smacked at his neck with one hand. His fingers came away with a dead insect, which fell to the ground and was quickly lost in the mud.
"Bug bit me," he said.
"First insect I've seen since we got here," Kame noted.
Neither of them said anything for a moment, and ahead, Kame could hear Jin and Koki having some sort of hushed conversation, voices drifting back to them on the breeze.
"Weird," Ueda commented.
"Yeah," Kame said. He couldn't entirely repress the shudder that trembled through his form. "Weird."
--
The heat was too oppressive to keep moving in without a break. Jin ordered a ten minute rest, and Kame collapsed onto a nearby rock with a long sigh, pulling out his pack. Not everything within the bag was salvageable; the first aid kit had splintered in the crash and was in pieces, bits of bandage torn and gauze burned away. He threw out what he could no longer use to the forest floor. His canteen was undamaged though, and Kame was thankful he'd gotten one made of metal rather than leather.
"Ration the water," Jin said shortly, moving by Kame's knee. "Might not be a freshwater spring here."
"Might not be anything here," Koki muttered darkly.
Kame was beginning to agree with him. Whatever the sensors had picked up, there was no sign of life beyond the flora blossoming around them. He drank enough water to wet his tongue and his throat, and knew he had to stop there. It was crap, but he'd been through worse conditions in boot camp.
"Anything more on the console you were picking up?" Jin asked Junno, settling in on a rock beside him and batting ferns out of his face.
"Not enough to make any definite decisions on," Junno replied.
"But it's functional?"
Junno shrugged helplessly. "There's enough there that I can get a track on it, so there's something still working."
Jin cocked his head from side to side, pops audible even in Kame's position. Then he chewed on his bottom lip and shook his hands a few times, fingers tapping against his knees. With the barest bits of sunlight streaming in from behind his head, he looked ethereal, backlit- like one of those old paintings of angels that hung in the old basilicas. Kame turned away, chest constricting.
"Alright," Jin announced, a minute later. "Break's over."
Kame tried not to think about it as he walked, boots sinking slightly into the water-laden dirt. Bits of roots from the thick trunks of the trees were sticking up, curled like claws around brush and tangled weeds. He knew there had been readings of life on the planet, because he'd been looking at the heat sensor read-outs prior to the cabin pressure dropping and the nav controls failing. It had been blossoming with life, overflowing almost- and yet here they were, hiking their way across it, and he could see nothing but trees.
"What are you thinking?" Ueda asked, sliding up beside Kame's long steps.
"Hmm?"
Ueda raised one eyebrow. "You're lost somewhere."
"I just..." Kame started, and wasn't sure exactly how to finish his thought. It was hard to verbalize, the sensation crawling beneath his skin. "Something is wrong here, and I can't tell what it is."
There were a few moments of silence as they continued, soles slapping against mud the only sound in the eerily quiet forest. Kame was roasting- he couldn't imagine how hot it had to be with the direct sunlight coming down, but the tree cover kept the hot air from lifting completely, almost like a sauna. His tank was already soaked through, and walking in combat boots in such conditions was more than a little uncomfortable.
"I get this weird feeling like something is watching us," Ueda said. His voice had dropped down in pitch. Kame winced; that was exactly it, the feeling that was hanging over his shoulder. Ueda let out a sudden exclamation of surprise and smacked at his neck with one hand. His fingers came away with a dead insect, which fell to the ground and was quickly lost in the mud.
"Bug bit me," he said.
"First insect I've seen since we got here," Kame noted.
Neither of them said anything for a moment, and ahead, Kame could hear Jin and Koki having some sort of hushed conversation, voices drifting back to them on the breeze.
"Weird," Ueda commented.
"Yeah," Kame said. He couldn't entirely repress the shudder that trembled through his form. "Weird."
--
The heat was too oppressive to keep moving in without a break. Jin ordered a ten minute rest, and Kame collapsed onto a nearby rock with a long sigh, pulling out his pack. Not everything within the bag was salvageable; the first aid kit had splintered in the crash and was in pieces, bits of bandage torn and gauze burned away. He threw out what he could no longer use to the forest floor. His canteen was undamaged though, and Kame was thankful he'd gotten one made of metal rather than leather.
"Ration the water," Jin said shortly, moving by Kame's knee. "Might not be a freshwater spring here."
"Might not be anything here," Koki muttered darkly.
Kame was beginning to agree with him. Whatever the sensors had picked up, there was no sign of life beyond the flora blossoming around them. He drank enough water to wet his tongue and his throat, and knew he had to stop there. It was crap, but he'd been through worse conditions in boot camp.
"Anything more on the console you were picking up?" Jin asked Junno, settling in on a rock beside him and batting ferns out of his face.
"Not enough to make any definite decisions on," Junno replied.
"But it's functional?"
Junno shrugged helplessly. "There's enough there that I can get a track on it, so there's something still working."
Jin cocked his head from side to side, pops audible even in Kame's position. Then he chewed on his bottom lip and shook his hands a few times, fingers tapping against his knees. With the barest bits of sunlight streaming in from behind his head, he looked ethereal, backlit- like one of those old paintings of angels that hung in the old basilicas. Kame turned away, chest constricting.
"Alright," Jin announced, a minute later. "Break's over."
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