The sky is falling, the sky is falling

[neptune_noir]

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

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[a_royal_bastard]

Just about everything Keith Mars had told him had gone over his head when he was called in to help the IPD evacuate. Well, except the part about there being that very large object in the sky people had been visiting falling at great speed toward the island, of course. Alistair didn't need to be from Earth to understand that that was a very bad thing that deserved immediate attention.

Despite the looming danger in the sky, however, Alistair remained outside with Duncan - the hound had refused to remain behind in the cave evacuation area - to make sure any stragglers found their way to where they needed to go. Unsurprisingly, it didn't take long to spot someone.

"Excuse me," he called out, already jogging toward the person. "You shouldn't be out here!"

[dinnerfor1_girl]

"What is going on?" Sally demanded, unable to keep her eyes off the sky and wondering when her life honestly became this? Was it when she closed her eyes and wished herself to magic island? Because if she were picking islands, she'd pick somewhere that let her keep youth. "Alistair, what is that?"

[a_royal_bastard]

"That is something that may hit the island. The space station, I think that's what it's called," he explained, his own gaze on the object again. It felt as though it loomed over them all more and more as minutes past, even though he wasn't sure if it was his eyes playing tricks on him. He hoped so, for all their sakes. "Everyone needs to report to the caves. I can walk you there, if you need me to."

[dinnerfor1_girl]

"Not to sound entirely like chicken little, but the sky is falling," Sally said critically, staring at Alistair with great worry. "A space station is falling out of the sky and the caves are supposed to protect us? Won't gravity do us all in anyhow?"

[wildlyconflictd]

Having been in the Compound when the call came, you would think Pepper would have been better informed about what was happening more quickly than she had. One moment the laundry room had been nearly empty, the next it was filled with the press of desperate bodies, all of them pushing through to the outermost door, the one that led from the storeroom to the caves. A clear explanation for all the fuss was difficult to come by, information gleaned in bits and pieces to paint a more and more alarming picture as she wrestled her way through the crush of people and up the stairs.

The situation above hadn't been much better, the IPD barely containing the chaos. Later, she'd admire that they could contain it at all under the circumstances, but at the time she'd been a little less than polite when she'd caught hold of Keith Mars' passing arm with hard-clasped fingers and demanded to know what was going on.

It was startlingly simple, really: Tony had called, the space station had fallen out of orbit, they all needed to get to shelter, now.

[coffee_sir]

Inevitably, in every panic, things did not go according to plan. Human beings were remarkably irrational creatures when it came to self-preservation, sometimes choosing the short-term plan that would result in certain long-term destruction and sometimes choosing other people's safety over their own. Even in this semi-organized chaos, much less horrifying than anything Ianto had experience in Torchwood, Ianto was not surprised to see people doing exactly what they should not do. Like staring at the sky, frozen in the way of everyone else. It was practically a disaster standard

[wildlyconflictd]

"No," Pepper replied with a force that surprised even herself, arm wrenching free from Ianto's firm grip with enough momentum to nearly send her stumbling. "No," she repeated, and it was irrational, it was completely and utterly irrational, but how could she expect to be anything else? Tony was up there and he couldn't get out. The full import of that still hadn't hit her yet, but she knew with startling and inalterable clarity that she didn't want to be one of those people cowering in the caves, one of the people rushing by to safety. She couldn't be, not now, not when he was up there and he needed her.

[coffee_sir]

Fantastic. She had to be obstinately irrational about the situation. Ianto would not have been surprised by this with some people, but he hadn't thought Potts to have it in her. Apparently his skills of observation were suffering.

"Yes," he asserted, grabbing for her arm again but not pulling. This was mostly to steady and prepare her for the pull later. "You're just in danger out here. You're not helping things for anyone."

[polly_okeefe]

I'd like to say that I took the news calmly. When the IPD sent out the call and started the evacuation, I did my duty, heading straight to the Children's Office and helping to ferry the children, and any stragglers that we picked up on the way. And I don't think I freaked out much in front of them as we worked hard to sooth them. The children all knew something was wrong, and children trying hard to put on a brave face is one of the most heartwrenching to watch.

The truth was that I was this close to freaking out. The sky was falling, and Zell was in it. I needed all the help I could get.

One of the children started to cry. I knelt and gave her a hug.

[ladyshrink]

The evacuation order, and the reason behind it, had shocked Gillian badly. The space station - the one no one had known about until a week or two ago - was falling? Her first thought, even here, had been terrorist attack. Ingrained fears like that were hard to lose. She couldn't help but think of 9/11 and the fear she'd felt then. At least this time, she didn't have a husband to be terrified for. Just herself, and everyone around her

[polly_okeefe]

I stood up, accepting the touch. How often had I hugged people without even asking permission. I could take the gentle touch. "I'm fine," I said, quickly. Too quickly. "Well, as fine as you can expect." I couldn't quite bring myself to look her in the eye. "Zell's up there," I said at last.

[ladyshrink]

Gillian hid a wince, thinking again of 9/11 and her worry for Alec that day. “Zell is your... boyfriend?” she hazarded.

[neptune_sleuth]

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

[dishabille_mal]

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]

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]

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."

[thebonelady]

Having calculated that she had a few moments to do so, with Diana ensconced safely inside the Children's Office, Temperance stands outside with a camera, calmly and carefully snapping pictures. She only needs a few, really.

And she gets them quickly. She puts the camera with her usual precision and care, and turns around-- only to see everyone panicking. "Panicking will only mean a more inefficient evacuation for everyone!" she calls helpfully.

[dishabille_mal]

"In all fairness," Maladicta said, coming up to stop beside the scientist, "we don't really have any place to evacuate to. The caves seem a bit arbitrary to me." Olivia was in her arms, looking up and burbling quietly. Maladicta had no interest in leaving her in anyone else's care until she knew, concretely, what she could possibly do to help that would involve the use of both her hands.

[thebonelady]

"If there is impact," Temperance said, a bit numbly, as it really occurred to her, "no place on the island is truly safe." She went pale. "Do you think they can stop it?"

Seeing the child in Maladicta's arms, she swallowed past the lump in her throat. "You can come with me, though. I'm picking my daughter up from the Children's Office."

[dishabille_mal]

Olivia was staring at Bones, and reached out a little hand toward her face.

"I think they will stop it. there are too many other ways this little cosmic experiment could have ended, by now. Yes, I think they can stop it." She glanced at Temperance and flashed the woman a tight smile.

"Let's go," Maladicta said, eyes down, willfully dismissive of the catastrophe overhead, choosing instead to focus her daughter, because the fact that she had one was still more novel than a space station.

Even if it might be crashing down on them. Especially if.

"I was going to go look for William, hopefully he's in the vicinity."