driftfleet | 002: Nightmares...

Entry tags:

002: Nightmares...

Who: Wanda Maximoff and others
Broadcast: Yes - Fleetwide (with additional filtered, private messages)
Action: SS Starstruck and Dust Planet
When: Over the past two weeks

[Week One After Nebula Incident]

[After the whole attack and nebula misadventure, Wanda began noticing a few strange occurrences. There were the obvious, random technology and lighting malfunctions on the Starstruck, but those did not take too long to fix and restore to relative normalcy. It was more personal oddities that were beginning to concern her. The first of which was the near constant headache that started to arise not too long after the ship passed through the nebula. At first, it had been nothing more than a dull, but still noticeable ache; however, it seemed to be slowly growing with intensity, and, while it would originally come and go, it also seemed to be becoming more constant. The periods in-between decreasing with each new wave of pain.]

[And then, there were the nightmares... She'd only had three so far, but they were the most troubling. They each started the same, but they were increasing in duration and in detail. She decided to keep the specifics to herself for now, but she had to know how others in the fleet were fairing and perhaps if anyone was experiencing something similar.]

[When the video feed clicks on, Wanda clearly looks somewhat disheveled. The nights of restless sleep brought on by the nightmares had clearly taken their toll on her. She looked tired, frustrated, and also a little bit scared. She does her best to appear calm, however, and speak in a level tone as she addresses the fleet.]

This is Wanda Maximoff on the SS Starstruck.

Has anyone in the fleet been having any headaches after our trip through the nebula? Or perhaps some kind of nightmares? If so, how long have they been lasting for you? If anyone has any advice on how to... numb these effects, please let me know.

[Week Two]

[She had hoped it would all pass: the headaches and the nightmares, though now she wasn't so sure these were mere nightmares she was having. Unfortunately, they only seemed to be getting worse and worse with each passing day. What had started as periodic waves of dull annoyance, had now become full migraines that left her almost reeling for a minutes at a time. Nothing she had done in attempt to quell the pain had lasted for very long, if it even worked at all. In addition, the "nightmares" were becoming much more frequent. It seemed like almost every time she closed her eyes now, she fell into them. What was worse was that they were affecting her surroundings as she slept.]

[Wanda's friends and shipmates will likely have noticed that they have not heard or seen much of her over the week. It seemed like she was trying to distance herself more and more from those around her. Anyone who does see her will be able to tell that she is not looking well. The effects of her lack of restful sleep are apparent in her face and her posture. She looks tired, and even more apparent... she looks scared. Thus, anyone who attempts to engage her will find her to be rather evasive, trying to wrap up their talk as quickly as possible for heading off somewhere. In fact, her shipmates may have noticed her entering rooms on occasion, only to flee when she notices someone else in the room with her. Any visitors to her sleeping quarters will see damage to the walls, ceiling and various fixtures. Items Wanda has collected from previous planetary visits are strewn about on the floor, and some are heavily damaged. It's also likely that Wanda's shipmates will have heard some screaming and banging coming from her room or the cargo hold.]

[The past three days...]

[If Wanda's communication with her friends and her presence on the ship had been dwindling the previous week, it was now completely gone. Anyone who cares to look for her on the Starstruck will not find her. Digging a little deeper, one would be able to find that one of the Starstruck's shuttle logs details a trip in which the shuttle departed for the nearby planet, only to quickly return to the ship on auto-pilot.]

[Wanda's friends and shipmates will find a short, text message from her on their communicators. It reads:]

Do not come looking for me.

[Those who do venture planet-side looking for her in town will not find her there. However, the townspeople have begun talk of strange, supernatural occurrences up in nearby desert mesas. It seems that those journey by have heard what sounds like screams or wails coming from them. Anyone who has tried to investigate has been attacked by red, etheric swirls of light, knocking travelers off their feet or transportation. No serious injury has been done to anyone yet, but it's clear that it's scaring the townspeople.]

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[ Wanda's message reaches him just as he observes a group of townspeople discussing what they should do about something quick and red that's been hurting them. Seeing things, they say. Awful things. But no one is dead (yet), and everyone seems fine, if shaken. ]

[ This is how it always starts, and the idea that Wanda's missing and uncommunicative when this is going on pulls him in its direction. He was going, anyway, he only ever needed a here there be monsters to be drawn to it. Birds of a feather. ]

[ None of the townspeople will lend him an animal, so he's taken supplies and walked out to the part where no one's going to, and everyone is trying to leave. ]

[During the day, it's unlikely that Jim will notice any obvious clues as to the direction that Wanda set off in, or where she might be located exactly. However, an observant eyes might notice some small clues that provide a vague trail that she probably wandered in. In some cases, Wanda has clearly tried to cover her tracks, and done a fairly good job at it. However, someone with Jim's training might have an easier time of picking up on the bits of evidence that she left behind in her wake.]

[At night, that's when the strange, spectral occurrences the townspeople have been talking about begin. First, the quiet of the night is broken by the sound of a low moan or wail carried across the wind. Then a shriek, a cacophonous eruption of both pain and terror, echos throughout the mesa. That's when the ethereal tendrils of scarlet red energy begin to appear. They worm their way throughout the mesa's landscape, not completely enveloping the geography but certainly spreading rapidly. When another shriek splinters the night air, the tendrils begin to lash out. They break rubble free from the rock faces, carving out chunks of boulder and grounding them into fine powder in mid air. Various plant-life is ripped from the ground and torn apart. When they spectral red lights settle, a new scream sets them off again.]

[ It's a vague trail, distorted, and deliberately chaotic. Jim waits until nightfall, content to chip carefully at his rations and water bottle: he'll have to make the trek back to the town to refuel, and already it's getting annoying keeping his body temperature lower by staying in the shade. He's lucky his arm's not overheating. ]

[ It's not so vague anymore when night falls. The scream shakes the ground and he's sure it could break apart the sky: there's red everywhere, like angry fingers across a chalkboard, and he grits his teeth, draws his sidearm, and follows them along, dodging or smashing anything they throw at him. ]

[After some dodging and maneuvering, Jim might notice that the tendrils do not seem to be targeting him specifically. In fact, their thrashing is rather erratic. Spurned into frenzies whenever a scream rips through the night air, it's like they are the frantic thrashings of a toddler's limbs during a nightmare.

Nonetheless, Jim had better be careful. The deeper he travels into the mesa landscape, the more crimson strands of energy there seem to be. They continue to rampage each time a cry is heard. Ripping what little plantlife there is out of the ground and into ribbons. One disconcerting sight is of one of these crimson appendages ripping a chunk out of a nearby rock formation, sending it flying through the air along with various debris. However, the falling rocks, when they collide with another luminescent, red strand, disintegrate into thin air. They do not crumble, they are not ground into dirt, they are erased in a crackle and snap of red light.]

[ They don't seem to have any pattern or especial meaning, and the only reason things are getting destroyed here is for simply being in the way. Still, he keeps walking. ]

Hello? Is anyone there?

[His questions do not receive any kind of intelligent response from either the luminescent tendrils or anything else. Instead, their cycle of thrashing, settling, scream and then renewed frenzy continues.]

[However, Jim is getting closer, as the number of increasing strands of crimson energy demonstrate. In fact, a new sensation begins to occur whenever a scream sounds out. Not only will Jim hear the cry out loud, but he will also begin to feel it in his mind. To be clear, it's not the actual sound or feeling of someone screaming in his head, but rather a pronounced short burst of static, or white noise. It's not exceedingly painful, but it may be enough to make it hard to keep a sharp mental focus.]

[These bursts may also begin to feel almost like a radar to him. Their duration increasing when he seems to be facing or heading in a certain direction.]

[Jim is getting close, very close.]

[ It sounds like nails across a chalkboard, the shrill sound filling up the background. He winces, but doesn't stop walking. The sound, after a while, isn't hard to pinpoint, but he loses time methodically circling to track its source. ]

Hello? I'm not here to hurt you!

[ Whatever it is, it's in pain, and he's drawn to it. ]

[Jim finds himself at the entrance of a relatively small cave. It's interior is not that big, just a few steps would find him at the back of it. In a corner, curled up in a fetal position, is Wanda, looking like she's in the middle of some troubled sleep. Her expression is pained, as if she's struggling to hold back some great amount of force. Sweat even drips down her forehead, making her look almost feverish. She has wrapped herself in a blanket, another one stretched out on the Earth beneath her. She doesn't toss or turn as Jim draws closer; in fact, she does not give any indication of recognizing his presence.]

[However, after a few seconds, she does let out a scream. The same one that Jim had been hearing all throughout the night. When it happens, Wanda is lifted off the ground, levitating in mid-air as if several invisible hands were holding her body up. Scarlet-red luminescence swirls about her as she thrashes about, looking like she's trying to fend of some unseen attacker. Outside, the sound of more debris falling and energy crackling. More of the surrounding landscape apparently being destroyed by those etheric tendrils. Their source not apparent before him. As Wanda's screaming subsides, her body slowly lowers itself back down to the ground. The red energy fading from her person, and she curls back up into a ball.]

[ Watching a nightmare is always horrifically intimate. It's a pain and vulnerability not displayed in the open, and more so when Wanda's powers somehow seem to be reacting to it. ]

[ The scream sounds in his mind, and it echoes his grief; he inches forward, slowly, and touches her foot, trying to wake her up. ]

[She doesn't move or respond to his touch in any way. There is no violent reaction or any sign that she recognized his touch at all. She stays curled up in a ball on the floor, seemingly trapped in her painful, restless sleep.]

[ If physical touch isn't working, an idea hatches in his mind. Maybe she'll hear him if he thinks her name, loudly enough, clearly enough. ]

[ So he crosses his legs and takes a breath, not knowing how this works or if it'll work at all, and thinks, Wanda! ]

[An echo of a voice responds.]

Jim? Is... is that you?

[It's definitely Wanda's voice, but it's not coming out of her mouth? The voice just seems to come out of thin air. It's like he's hearing her half in his mind, and half outside his body. It's a weird sort of juxtaposition.]

Yes.

[ He finds himself speaking it out loud as well as thinking it — as reassuringly as he can. ]

You need to wake up.

Wa- wake up... How do I... I can't-

[Suddenly, her body crackles and pops with energy. She jerks about on the ground, looking like a bolt of electricity has just coursed through her. There's no scream, but there are muffled sounds of pain coming from her physical body. After a few convulsions, she lies still again. Her expression looking more pained than before.]

It- it hurts... It won't let me go... I can't find a way out...

[ Some part of him remembers Steve's fevers like they were yesterday, but faced with telepathy, with all the new world has to offer, and he feels out of his league. Jim takes a breath. ]

Follow my voice. Can you do that?

Follow... your voice? Yes... yes I think I can...

[Wanda's body stirs a little, but this time not nearly so violently. Instead, it looks like she's slowly relaxing a little, like all of the stress and tension is leaking out of her.

Slow your breathing. That's it. Just like that.

[ He has no way of knowing whether it'll work or not, but his voice never wavers. ]

[Her body appears to be following his advice, her chest slowing in its rise and descent. Her breathing becoming more stable, less frantic than before. No response from her voice though. Instead, her body visibly continues to relax, and a look of peace begins to appear on her face. However, she does not wake up. Instead though, a small, happy smile appears on her face. She's sound asleep, and appears to be finally getting her first restful night in some time.]

[ It's enough. It's more than, and there's no more promise of horror save the ones waiting for them when she's awake and realises what it did. Jim sits watch, at the mouth of the cave, stony still until she wakes up. ]

[As the morning sun dawns on the horizon, the sunlight starts peeking its way into the cave. Eventually, it falls on Wanda's face. She stirs, groans a little--clearly frustrated to be woken from her peaceful slumber. She slowly sits up, stretches, takes in her surroundings... and sees Jim standing watch near the entrance of the cave. She starts, clearly surprised by his presence despite their "conversation" last night. She looks down, checking to see what she's wearing. Forgetting that she really only brought just two pairs of clothing, her outfit from home she arrived in and her jumpsuit from the Starstruck. Really, neither one was exactly "sleep attire" but certainly nothing to worry about being caught in. She is silent for a moment, allowing for a slight measure of awkward tension to hang in the air.]

So I guess I was not dreaming that part...

No.

[ He shifts his weight: an unspoken request to approach her. ]

How're you feeling?

[She doesn't move or give any sign that she's uncomfortable with is approach. Instead, she sits still, eyes on the floor as she tries to go over everything in her head. What had likely happened last night, what Jim had seen, and whether or not it was safe for him to stay.]

Better morning than most I have had recently.

Good.

[ His jaw works, then, he nods at her. To push, or not to push, that's the question. In the end, he supposes, he wouldn't want to think about it too much until he had time alone. ]

Ready to go back to the ship?

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002: Nightmares...

searching the land.

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