smaller patch of fading sky [ open ]

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WHO: EVERYONE. All PCs thus far will be in this log, through active tagging or implication.
WHAT: THRILLS. SPILLS. Hiking trip toward the Diamond City.
WHERE: The Overworld.
WHEN: Forward-dated to May 1st (Tuesday) through May 7th (Monday).
WARNINGS: May contain violence or other mentions of physical harm. This is not summer camp.
NOTES: More information can be found on the OOC post here. Please read it!

Gathered in the morning haze, Sleepers were brought to the mouth of the Cave with plenty of supplies and equipment. Compasses that would point them toward the City. Backpacks full of clothes and food, medical kits, tents and even weapons. Stun rifles and knives — to fight off any unwanted company, they said. ("Watch out for their bite," Ryan had commented. "Those fuckers are downright feral.") The straight and narrow path would get them there in six days if they kept a good clip. They were sent off just like that. Refusals to leave were met with a wall of guard force officers blocking the entrance back into the cave city. No way to go but forward, unless someone was particularly stalwart about remaining.

From the exterminator's station near the mouth, leaving the Cave was as simple as a short hike upward into the fresh air of the Overworld. Dust and an uncomfortable sort of heat pervaded the atmosphere, light winds stirring up the sand and teasing the meager bits of vegetation that had grown. No matter what direction you looked... it was all wasteland, cracked ground and desolate emptiness. Jutting up from scarred ground were boulders and small spires made entirely of glass and patches of stone; instead of reflecting the harsh sunlight, they seemed to absorb it and only add to the muted loneliness of the atmosphere. As far as the eye could see, there was no life to be found.

With no other option, the Sleepers eventually made their way onward.

| Day 1: Calm

| Day 2: Animals

| Day 3: Sandstorm

| Day 4: Mansion

| Day 5: Thomp

| Days 6&7: Long way

Comments

Day 6 & 7 (May 6th / 7th)

[resetbutton]

They came to an impassable canyon. No matter which direction they looked, it only got wider from end to end. Just beyond it, the spires of still-standing buildings in the City were visible in the far reaches of the plain beyond. Their only option would be to walk around and waste precious days to try and find an alternate solution... or go straight through. Those with good hearing might be able to pick out the faint sound of rushing. Water running through the shadowy depths of the wide ravine.

Whatever option the Sleepers would choose, one thing was obvious: it was a setback. They would have to spend more time to get past this obstacle than the Workers could have predicted.

May 6th

[littlealienguy]

Jonas was tired. In fact, he didn't remember ever being this tired in his whole life, not in Kelowna, on Earth or on a mission with SG-1. And looking at the ravine in their path only caused him to be more so. He wished Sam was here, she'd know what to do.

But as for himself, not even his alien brain could help him in this moment. "Anyone have any ideas?"

[trickntreats]

A ravine. After everything, the only thing keeping them from the tantalising spires of safety across the way was a ravine. Gabriel laughed. He had to; it was so simple. The laugh wasn't even bitter; it was tired and genuinely amused. A ravine.

The simplicity of nature. Really.

"As a matter of fact, I do," he said with a sigh and a grin. He strolled to the edge of the cliff, scanning the gap and mentally building a bridge in his mind. It wasn't the Golden Gate, or anything so noteworthy; he had enough imagination that it would be easier for him to build something from scratch than try and replicate something he didn't have details for.

One he had a proper image his lifted his hand and snapped his fingers. And in the air over the ravine there appeared a bridge, stretching from edge to edge, sturdy and thickly built but simple. He didn't want to over-extend himself, after all. It didn't build itself slowly so much as seem to pour out of the sky, like something dissolving backwards. Either way, for a second a bridge spanned the length of the ravine, unmistakably solid.

Gabriel didn't get a chance to feel smug. The bridge wavered like a mirage in the desert and pain spiked behind archangel's eyes so hard and sharp that it took all the air out of him. His hands instinctively shot up to clutch at his temples; his knees buckled and they hit the ground a moment later, the archangel curling in on himself. It felt as if someone had shot him in the head--something he'd had done before--except that he couldn't heal himself, couldn't die, and the pain didn't disappear. The light blaring even in his closed eyes made it even worse.

He tried, very hard, not to whimper, and couldn't tell whether he succeeded or not.

[ ooc: pls be tagging this permissions, yes? :3]

[tartanisstylish]

Aziraphale had been trailing behind a bit; his legs felt like lead and he had no desire to hurry on his way by the end of this very long week. But he caught the movement of Gabriel's fall out of the corner of his eyes and started, looking up with a hand over his eyes to block out the sun. When he saw Gabriel collapsed at the end of the ravine, he ran as fast as he could manage.

By now this was not very fast, but it was the effort that counted.

When he reached Gabriel, he crouched in front of him, removing his pack and setting it on the ground. He hovered, hands outstretched as if to cover Gabriel's on his temples, all ready to heal him of whatever the problem was, when he realized that of course he couldn't. Helplessness struck him like a board. This was absurd.

"What did you do to yourself, Gabriel?" he said, nerves making him exasperated. He let his hands fall to his sides and looked over his shoulder at Jonas. "Did you see what he did?"

[littlealienguy]

At first Jonas was skeptical when Gabriel said he had an idea and then proceeded to stare at the ravine before snapping his fingers. But then he couldn't believe his eyes when a bridge actually appeared. In fact, he was staring at it in surprise as it vanished and missed the man's fall until he heard him hit the ground.

But he was already heading over to check on him when Azriphale spoke to him. "He...he snapped his fingers and a bridge appeared across the ravine." He waved in the general direction, which not contained empty air. "It disappeared a moment later and that's when I heard him fall." He almost asked how Gabriel had done that...but then thought better since he still didn't know how he'd projected that shield a few days ago.

[trickntreats]

After Gabriel's failed construction, the archangel was nearly useless. It was his first experience with a migraine, and in the middle of a desolate landscape, with heat beating down on them, it was just about the worst place to have it. He had managed to keep his stomach down by sheer will and knowledge that humans were made of water and he could not afford to throw that up right now.

But he really wished he could go back to that night when he just had a hangover.

So he sat up against a rock, his jacket padded behind him to absorb the heat. He had a towel over his face, damp because he'd spared some precious water for it, but kept his head down, against his knees, and focused on his breathing.

Amazing, how interesting the simple act of breathing could be.

[delightme]

The fact that Gabriel had managed to conjure something for even just a few moments had Balthazar surprisingly jealous. It, once again, spoke volumes of an archangel's power, even one so very cut off and far from home, that he had managed to do it. Of course, he didn't envy his brother's sorry state after all was said and done.

"That was a wonderful show you put on," he said, standing next to Gabriel, his voice neutral even though he was slightly concerned. Were they in better physical and mental states, he might have made a smartass remark, but as it was, he could barely put forth the effort.

[trickntreats]

Even the sound of Balthazar's voice sent spikes of pain into Gabriel's temples. Seriously, he'd always known they were fragile, but were they just the weakest things to ever walk the Earth or what? He swallowed the whimper, didn't lift his head and whispered, "Thanks so much, bro, I'm glad you enjoyed my suffering."

It should've come out somewhere between sardonic, amused and bitter. Mostly it just came out really, really tired. And, well, pained.

[delightme]

"Enjoying would imply the situation worked out." Balthazar might have enjoyed it if the hair-brained scheme had actually worked, but as it stood, there was nothing to really enjoy about the situation. There was no bridge and Gabriel might as well be a causality with the state he was in. Not that the blond could blame him, really.

Despite his recent mood as of late, the younger was legitimately concerned about his brother, no matter how annoying he could be. Balthazar wondered if this would be his fate if any of his strength returned. "Will you be alright?"

6th

[itemfinder]

From the moment he started walking, Chivy had wanted his bike. It didn't matter that the terrain wasn't right for it, that there had been a sandstorm and other perils, that his bike was theoretically a hallucination to begin with — walking around when you knew just how much faster and easier a wheeled form of transportation would make things was extremely frustrating.

Even better, whatever his feelings on the dreamworld versus reality, he obviously hadn't been prepared for anything like this kind of hike, which was simply unfair. Walking (and biking) were meant to be enjoyable, not a pain — particularly not in the literal sense. Presented with the choice between more walking, sideways, or more walking, vertically, he had gone with sideways — there had to be some way across, didn't there? And if not... vertical would have to be attempted at some point.

"Why do things always go wrong when you're almost there?"

[whowillsaveyou]

There were two options: Go around, or down and up. The Doctor was certainly not going to attempt down and up. Even at the best of times it would be a poor choice for him, and tired, bruised, and near exhaustion was certainly no time to test his luck. So he went for around, much like others.

At least everyone was tired enough that keeping up wasn't a huge concern.

"Rules of the universe, my friend," he answered with a soft chuckle, eyes scanning the ground as he followed the edge of the ravine. "Couldn't ever make things easy on you, now could it?"

[itemfinder]

Chivy had to laugh at that. "I don't think anything about this has been easy, just really annoying." Possibly an understatement, but trying to pinpoint the right word would mean actually thinking through all the things that had gone in unexpected directions and Chivy didn't really feel like dwelling on the negatives at the moment. The current circumstances were bad enough on their own.

[whowillsaveyou]

"They have, haven't they?" The Doctor smiled toward the fellow, not seeming too phased by the experiences of the trip himself. It was something he'd grown used to, the unexpected dangers of travel. "Let's hope the city isn't overrun with beasts, hmm?" His gaze turned to the ravine. "But first we have to get there." He hoped that wouldn't be as much of a challenge as the cats or the sandstorm.

6th

[deshabille]

Oh, of course. There was a ravine. Of course there was a ravine. Just what Mal needed: a stupid gaping dramatic ravine in the middle of a damn desert. She rolled her eyes and threw up her arms in exasperation as she stood at the lip, disheveled and more tired than she'd ever been in her life.

And there in the distance, tantalizing, was the prospect of shelter and rest and a decent supply of real food and real coffee.

She sat down on the edge of the ravine, dangling her feet over, and cupped her chin in her hand, elbow on her knee. There was no other option, really. She was going to climb down this ravine and up the other side.

She just . . . needed a minute to catch her breath and reconcile the fact that this would take ages. She covered her eyes, hiding from the sun, then rubbed her temple.

"All right," she said to herself, "all right," and stood up, glancing over her shoulder to see who'd come to the same conclusion.

[hisprecious]

Elena could tell that the other girl had come to the same thought as she did, and was about to act on it. Her brows furrowed when a whisper of a noise came to her ears. Steadying her breath, Elena closed her eyes and focused her hearing. It made her feel like a newly-turned vampire again, trying to hone her new senses, but it seemed like only intense concentration worked.

Even still, she only barely picked up on the sound of ... flowing water?

"Wait a second," Elena said, grabbing the girl's arm before she did anything stupid. She jerked her head towards the darkness of the ravine. "Do you hear that?"

[deshabille]

At the touch on her arm, Mal started, barely avoiding glaring over her shoulder at the girl behind her. As it was, she pulled away, but under the pretense of leaning forward to listen.

It was only then that she heard it, just barely, and cursed herself for not paying close enough attention before. The whisper of water. In a desert.

"I hear it," she said, and glanced at Elena. "Water is fine, of course, but given our luck thus far it'll probably be a torrent."

[hisprecious]

"You probably don't want to risk it," Elena agreed, letting her arm drop back to her side, a little surprised at the girl's reaction. She'd just been trying to warn her...

Shaking that off, Elena took a few steps and kneeled so she could look down into the dark crevasse. No end in sight. That was definitely not reassuring. She calculated vaguely, if she had her superspeed at full-strength, whether she could make it.

"Even without the water, I don't know if anyone could make it down and up." Elena sighed, shifting back onto her haunches. "This is just great."

6th evening

[brightblueeyeshadow]

The canon had no end, Re-l decided. She had been walking for hours, already, and while the streams around her feet were a welcome change from the desert sands, they didn't lift the exhaustion from her bones or the weariness from her eyes.

She stumbled, righted herself, and looked down at the rocky path beneath her feet. If she kept going in this state, she was going to collapse, which would be helpful to no one. She spotted a broad, flattish rock nearby and sat down on it.

With some of the exhaustion gone she could fully admire the sunset. The sky was bright red above the horizon, and heavy swirls of pink and gold lifted it higher, spreading out until they met the deepening blue of the sky's dome. It was an extraordinary sight.

A light breeze whipped Re-l hair, and she hooked it back behind her shoulders, breathing in and out slowly.

[trickntreats]

Had Gabriel thought he was exhausted before? Forget that. This was exhaustion. It was beyond exhaustion. He trudged along mechanically without really knowing where it was he was going, as long as he had the sound of someone else's footsteps to follow. Half the time his eyes were closed behind his goggles, and it wasn't always because the light hurt his eyes. (Even though it still did.)

Part of him wished he hadn't pretended to his brothers that he was more recovered than he was, but Aziraphale had seemed on the verge of hovering and Balthazar ... well, the sort-of concern the hedonistic angel had been showing had been the equivalent of Aziraphale's clearly restrained urge to be a mother hen. Either way Gabriel had given in to the desire to pretend it was all okay--just like he'd been back in Heaven, reassuring the lower ranks that, yes, Michael was fine, just concentrating on this or that and not actually angry.

His head was throbbing again, not that it had ever really stopped. That, also, made it impossible to think. So he just didn't. It was this weird kind of haziness, this state of being so tired and pained beyond words that he was actually kind of used to it now. At this point it was only the knowledge that he'd die out here, and the fact he was too proud to just up and kill himself like that, that was keeping him upright.

All of which meant he followed Re-l's tracks right to the rock and was going to run into it if she didn't say something.

[brightblueeyeshadow]

Re-l was half asleep when the shuffling noises and laboured breathing intruded on her consciousness. She jerked awake at once, her years of training taking over, and her gun was in her hand even as she spun around, her legs shifting to push her up into a crouch.

What she saw did not really warrant the reaction she had given it. One tired maybe-angel staggering through the ravine, looking like he should have stopped walking hours ago.

Part of Re-l reacted with extreme irritation, insisting to the rest of her that this was the last person she wanted to see. It used a lot of words like obnoxious and irritating. This part was swiftly overruled by the rest of Re-l, which was more aware of just how bad Gabriel looked.

"What are you doing?" she said, standing up and half catching, half colliding with the man. "Idiot. This kind of behaviour is going to kill you."

[trickntreats]

"Nng." The collision actually made Gabriel wake up, and he squinted at Re'l through his goggles, holding his head. Her voice hurt. Ow. "I was sleeping," he said, his voice pitched more quietly than hers. "Figured I'd give that whole 'exercise while you rest' thing a go."

How he was going to make it back up the cliff once it was time was something he hadn't quite stopped to think about when he'd heard the assertion down going down and back up again was the best route. He hadn't been in any position to argue, and part of him had suggested that going downstairs, where there would likely be less sunlight, would be a good idea. He just hadn't dared to stop and think it over beyond that, in case he wound up not moving again at all.

6th night

[tartanisstylish]

After he'd made sure Gabriel was as safe as he could be, Aziraphale had hung around, out of worry and because he wasn't sure how to proceed. Such things as geography had never presented an obstacle to him before, and even if they had, he had been an urban creature for so long that he would be out of practice by now.

On the evening of the sixth day, he was sitting on the edge of the ravine, looking out to the City in the distance. So close. It almost seemed designed on purpose to tantalize them. You've gotten this far, but this is where you're defeated. Sighing, he put his chin in his hands and watched the stars come out.

He'd have to get up and walk soon, he knew he would, but what could five more minutes hurt?

[littlealienguy]

Aziraphale wasn't the only one feeling restless that night. Jonas couldn't sleep, as he kept staring at the city and wondering what new life lay ahead for him there. For all of them.

He started a new life before. Not that he wanted to leave Kelowna but he would never change his decision to steal the nequadria and defect to Earth. Even how he was treated in regards to the death of Dr. Jackson, he wouldn't change a thing.

But this, this unnerved him more then that. This was a life that he had no idea about. There was no SG-1 there for, albet reluctant at first, support. He would have to be someone new, John Hamilton, not Jonas Quinn. No new start, but fitting into an already started place. It was daunting.

Finally, he got up to take a walk, hoping that might help induce some sleep. And he was not surprised to find he wasn't the only one having trouble sleeping. "How's Slyvester?" He asked softly as he came to join Aziraphale.

[tartanisstylish]

Starting at the sound of a voice behind him, Aziraphale turned to find - oh, what had his name been - the young man who'd helped them before. With a tired smile, he clambered to his feet and dusted off his pants.

"He's much better," he said. "Still in pain, I think, but he was able to get a start towards the City, so he's clearly doing better than I am." His smile slid towards the self-deprecating, though he wasn't aware enough to realize it.

"Thank you for the help before, by the way," he added. "I don't know that I ever caught your name, Mr. . . . ?"

[littlealienguy]

The self-deprecating smile just brought forth a smile of his own from Jonas, who knew it was a common sight on his own features. "Too much too fast I guess. At least he seems to know what he's doing with that power of his so he's ahead of me as well." After the scuffle with the wild creatures, he'd refrained from attempting to use his powers again. Just too much going on.

"I'm glad to hear he's feeling well though. I'm glad I could help. I'm Jonas." With a soft sigh, he looked over to the city in the distance, "Though, I suppose this close to our goal, you should call me John."