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neptune_noir in the_blank_slate

The sky is falling, the sky is falling

Jan 30, 2011 05:58

The phone in the IPD office did not ring a great deal. Keith had the patrolling IPD officers dial from the call-boxes occasionally, to make sure everything was up and running, but he knew when that was going to happen. Unexpected calls were less frequent. He'd had one last week, from space, which had been something. But then, it always was, just ( Read more... )

alistair, felix unger, dr. fitch cooper, pepper potts, dr. gillian foster, william de worde, sally harper, temperance brennan, polly o'keefe, keith mars, gathering, lucy carrigan, veronica mars, ianto jones, maladicta

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neptune_sleuth January 30 2011, 02:03:39 UTC

Veronica Mars had no choice but to stay calm, though she was dying to do whatever she could to help. There was no way now for her to do so, stuck on the ground, though, and even if she'd been clever enough at technology to help the people with that or if she'd been prepared enough to up and help whatever there was up there, the fact remained there was no means of doing so and she had an equally important task.

It was her one day off from classes and River had wanted to go up to the space station. She'd entrusted Zoe to Veronica's care, so Veronica had been on the beach building sandcastles with Zoe and Sam when word went out about the space station. Herding a one year old was easy enough, carrying the kid in her arms, but managing Sam's reluctance to go in the caves was a feat in and of itself, and it had taken a great deal of coaxing and threatening to get it to happen. "Okay, just sit with me," she said, "and let's play a game, alright?" She didn't know what, but she'd make it up if she had to. She needed the distraction as much as they did. Staying still didn't sit well with her, least of all with River up there, but for now, it was all she could do.

dishabille_mal January 30 2011, 21:58:08 UTC

Shenlong slipped through the gathering people with as much ease as a wolf of his size could. Maladicta was right behind him, Olivia against her shoulder, and she knelt down.

"How are you girls holding up?"

neptune_sleuth January 31 2011, 02:06:48 UTC

Zoe reached for Shenlong with tiny fists and too short arms, wriggling in Veronica's grasp as she looked up. "About as well as sardines in a can," she said lightly. If something really happened, she wasn't at all sure she believed being down here would do them any good, but at the moment it was their best bet and she wasn't going to do anything foolish when she had kids to watch over.

Sam pushed to her feet at the sight of Maladicta, reaching up high to wrap her arms around Maladicta's waist. "I don't like it."

dishabille_mal February 1 2011, 03:00:04 UTC

Maladicta dropped a hand instinctively to gently pat Sam's hair.

"I know," she said. "I had to stay down here once before, in a big storm. it isn't very much fun, but don't worry, we won't be stuck down here long."

neptune_sleuth February 1 2011, 09:09:30 UTC

"I was thinking maybe a game," Veronica said, patting the ground near her, though it had been previously occupied by Sam. The idea was self-evident. It was better to stick together at a time like this, Zoe bouncing on her lap and waving at Olivia, sing-songing ni hao again and again. "Where's William gone?"

dishabille_mal February 1 2011, 14:24:11 UTC

"Oh, you know him in a time of crisis," Maladicta said, sitting. Olivia waved at Zoe, both hands up and down, saying no comment, the only phrase currently in her arsenal.

"He's off pestering people with a notebook."

neptune_sleuth February 4 2011, 02:58:21 UTC

"The only possible response to impending doom," Veronica agreed. She grinned at Olivia. "No comment? No comment?You must have something to say for yourself." It was so deliciously appropriate a phrase, though, for her to keep repeating, knowing her father, so Veronica couldn't help being pleased by it.

dishabille_mal February 4 2011, 06:36:34 UTC

Maladicta grinned, maybe a little viciously.

"And mummy didn't even have to coach her or anything. She came up with it all on her own." Maladicta knelt, rubbing her hand over Sam's little shoulders.

"You know Shenlong's very good at making scared feelings go away," she told the little girl.

"Sometimes all I have to do is touch his ear and I feel better." Shenlong intuitively stretched himself low along the ground, so he was in easier reach of little hands.

neptune_sleuth February 5 2011, 01:58:18 UTC

Sam considered that only a moment before reaching out to stroke a small hand over Shenlong's ear and down his nose. It never took much prompting to get her to play with any dog in sight. "Shenlong," she crooned, inching closer. "He's so soft. Soft, soft, soft."

Veronica shot Maladicta a thankful smile. There was rarely a better distraction than a living creature for Sam. "Well, she is your daughter," she teased. "It was kind of inevitable: intelligence and a natural gift for annoying people. My hat is off to her."

dishabille_mal February 5 2011, 07:21:14 UTC

"She's going to be running this place someday," Maladicta sighed.

"Hopefully it will have turned into a sprawling metropolis by then."

with_diamonds February 1 2011, 02:23:22 UTC

Lucy had spoken too soon, she thought, about not much going on. That was the way of this place, though. Things were good until they weren't, one hoped for excitement until there was danger, and everything could get turned upside down at a moment's notice. As much as she hated helplessness, she was more inclined to accept it at a time like this, unable to do anything but make sure people got to the caves and keep herself calm. In the absence of anything more productive, that seemed important, and gave her something to focus her energy into rather than freaking out.

She had, at least, managed to make sure most of the people she knew were safe, though there were still a few in the space station itself that she had to worry about. For now, she was mostly wandering around, and at the sight of Veronica with Sam and Zoe, headed over and took a seat. "Hey," she said, summoning up a small smile, mostly for the girls' sake. "How's it going over here?"

neptune_sleuth February 1 2011, 02:32:45 UTC

"Lucy," Sam said, getting up to clamber over to her. Veronica's lap was occupied with Zoe, who was smaller but still took up too much room to let Sam join her.

"We're doing okay," Veronica said. They were managing as well as anyone could, she supposed. At least she had these two to occupy her thoughts, except that meant her thoughts were mostly about their well-being, which no one could guarantee. The people in the air and the scientists on the ground were doing their best and all she could do was wait. "Just trying to think of a game to play."

with_diamonds February 1 2011, 04:43:59 UTC

"Hey, Sammy," Lucy said as warmly as she could, giving the girl a reassuring smile as she wrapped an arm around her. Difficult as it was to prevent her worry from showing, when she was typically someone who wore her heart on her sleeve, the present company made the effort worth it, even as her stomach dropped a little to think of two people so young being in as much danger as the rest of them, little lives with the potential to be cut short. She dismissed the thought quickly, turning her attention instead to Veronica and the answer to the question. "A game, huh? Got any ideas yet?"

neptune_sleuth February 1 2011, 09:08:46 UTC

"I want to find dragons," said Sam. She'd been obsessed with the idea of dragons in the caves for months now, until Veronica had all but forgotten the source of the idea. Wandering around now didn't seem like a great idea, though, when Sam was prone to taking off. She never tried to get far, but she was curious and Veronica didn't want to chance losing her in the crowd.

"Ni hao," Zoe added abruptly, flailing tiny arms and legs in Lucy's direction. Veronica smiled and kissed the top of her head, saying, "Other than dragon hunting, no, not much of anything. I Spy?"

with_diamonds February 5 2011, 12:26:35 UTC

"I think the dragon hunting's gonna have to wait, Sammy," Lucy said, nose wrinkling, seemingly a little rueful. It didn't take a genius to see the ways in which it logistically wouldn't have worked at a time like this. Had the caves been less crowded, it might have been a good distraction, but with most of the population here, it was just asking for further trouble, which none of them needed. "I Spy, though, that could be good." A beat, then she added, "Ni hao, Zoe."

oscaroscaroscar February 3 2011, 13:55:08 UTC

It was Dorothea Lange who said that photography takes an instant out of time, altering life by holding it still. This was the thought Felix kept in mind as he bustled about the caves with his brand new camera, snapping away at everyone and everything that caught his eye. If only the hulking behemoth currently plummeting down to murder them all were so easy to halt.

"Oh God, I didn't even think of the children!" he cried in a woebegone voice, hustling over to offer some surely much-needed reassurance to the tykes in question, as well as their guardian. "Not to worry, ladies, I'm sure everything is well in hand!" he said in a rather uncharacteristic burst of calm under pressure.

Click.

The camera helped a lot.

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