driftfleet | 002: Nightmares...

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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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[it's only once he really sees the destruction firsthand that he summons up any caution at all--and when he does, it's a pretty swift change. he goes from wandering heedlessly into the desert toward certain danger, to padding along with more attention, keeping his senses keen as he begins to circle toward the center of the mesa instead of marching straight toward its heart.

and he doesn't call out or announce his presence in any way, just yet. for now, he's still observing.]

[As the crimson red tendrils thrash, it likely may become clear to Tek that they do not seem to be targeting, or even acknowledging, him specifically. In fact, the etheric strands soon settle, but are soon whipped up into another frenzy with another pained shriek rips through the night air. The way these bands of luminescence seem to be responding to the cries is almost analogous to the limbs of a toddler, whipping about in a tantrum.]

[As Tek draws closer to the center of the mesa formation, he must be careful, as the number of arms grows in number. With each new frenzy, more foliage and rock are ripped from the ground, torn to pieces or simply thrown great distances in seemingly random directions. One disconcerting sight, however, is of a bolder getting pulled out of a rock formation, thrown through the air, only to disintegrate upon contact with another luminescent, red tendril. It does not shatter. It is not ground to dust. It is erased in a snap and crackling flash discharged crimson energy. A faint smell of burning only remains.]

[Additionally, as Tek draws closer to the center, he is likely to notice that the strands do not seem to be coming from an elevated source. Rather, they are flowing upwards and outwards. Their source must either be at ground-level or below.]

[to be fair... he does hesitate.

there isn't much that he considers a threat to himself, but he is rather partial to remaining living and whole, so his approach slows even more as he really gets to see the power behind this energy. for a few moments there, he very much considers going back.

in the end, though, there are only a few things that have a chance of turning around his very healthy sense of self-preservation-- and one of them is the loathing he has for being bored and unchallenged. he's always looking for something that seems interesting or important, and this phenomenon certainly looks like both.

if he went back now, he'd spend weeks regretting it. so, as carefully and calmly as he can, he continues to slowly make his way toward the nexus of it.]

[As Tek draws ever closer to the source of these crimson nightmares, the cycle of thrashing, calming, screaming and then renewed frenzy continues. There does not seem to be a consistent pattern to the timing between these phases. They are sporadic, split up in their frequency and duration. His approaching presence does nothing to change this sequence, or its fairly random timing.]

[However, the number of tendrils continue to grow, and the screams sound closer and closer. At a certain distance, a new strange occurrence begins with each scream. When the cries sound, it'll start feeling as though Tek is not just hearing them out loud, but also inside his mind. It's more like the sensation of static, white noise than someone screaming in his mind. Nonetheless, he may find it difficult to keep his mind focused.]

[He is getting close though, very close.]

[he feels his own temperamental aura flare up when something buzzes in his head, but he's very quick to tamp it down. the last thing he wants to do is add a spark to what already seems like an overwhelming powder keg.

he does, however, finally reach out in a way. he's used to communicating with his own kind, but he's found that the ability is sometimes compatible with others.

stretching out with his own mind, he tries to leave a light touch. just a small question, just 'can you hear me?' ...maybe she'll hear it, maybe she'll pick up just an inkling of it, or maybe nothing at all. but he figures he should try.]

[When Tek stretches out his mind, something very interesting happens. Everything falls quiet. The static-like pulses in his mind, the raging of the etheric tendrils, the screams, all of it. As the sudden stillness hangs in the air, a voice, like a quiet echo, responds.]

I- I can hear you. Who is this? Vision? Is- is that you?

[The voice sounds weak--in pain, and there's also this clear quality of effort behind it. Like the speaker is putting every effort into restraining something.]

No. I think I am a stranger to you... What's your name?

[maybe questions are a good idea; maybe they're a bad idea. he doesn't know. but the absence of chaos around him makes it easier to travel, so he'll keep her talking if only for that.

and without the storm of energy around, it'll hopefully be easier for him to pick out a little thumbprint of human presence from the background and track her down.]

[The response sounds weak, unsure.]

My name is- is Wanda. I do not understand... who are you?

[That strained sounding quality is still there in her voice. She's clearly able to hear and understand Tek, but it also seems as if it's taking tremendous focus and effort.]

[every once in a very long while, Tek finds himself wishing that he had a different sort of ability when it comes to the emotions of others. every once in a while, he wishes that he had the ability to make the horror and sadness in someone better, instead of worse.

it's a fleeting want--and a futile one, given that he can't change the gifts and curses of his family--but it's there all the same.

the sentiment is somewhere in his mental tone, at the very least.]

You may call me Tek. I want to help.

T-Tek...

[Wanda's disembodied voice repeats the name, sounding uncertain. She doesn't know this person, but he claims to want to help...]

Y- you want to... help? How?

[he doesn't have an easy answer for that, so...]

Where are you? Let me see you.

[--while still searching for her across the mesa, looking for where those tendrils had originated from.]

I- I am...

[Wanda's voice fades out, but as it does Tek might notice that the static sensation he was experiencing earlier is now resonating in such a way that it draws his attention towards the entrance to a small cave. The cave is located at the base of a tall plateau a few feet away to his right. Sure enough, it does appear that the etheric tendrils that Tek has been trying to avoid this night are stemming from a source located inside that cave.]

[ah-- what a helpful little trick. he should maybe hesitate at least a little bit before ducking into a dark little cave after something that has been causing thorough destruction to this unfortunate section of landscape, but he doesn't.

he steps right in, eyes adjusting quickly to the dimness.]

[It's not a very big cave. In only five steps, Tek should reach the end of it. Lying in a corner on a makeshift bed--well, really it was nothing more than a blanket over the ground with another to wrap around one's self--is Wanda. She is curled up in a ball. The expression on her face is that of someone exerting a great amount of effort. She looks pained, tired even in sleeping. There's beads of sweat dripping down her forehead, making her look almost feverish. She stirs a little, but it does not appear to be in response to Tek's presence. In fact, she does nothing to provide any sign that she even realizes he is there.]

[The silence is shattered, however, when she lets out one of those screams Tek has been hearing periodically throughout the night. As she screams, her body is lifted up off the ground. Her limbs thrash about, looking as if she is trying to fend off some invisible foe. As she screams and flails, the sounds of more rubble and debris falling outside can be heard as well. More of the landscape clearly being destroyed by those etheric tendrils, their manifester now made very apparent. When the screaming subsides, her body relaxes slightly, and she is slowly lowered back onto the ground. She twitches a little, but soon returns to the fetal position that Tek found her in.]

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002: Nightmares...

sorry for the delay, gosh

No need to apologize! I haven't been super on point with tags myself. =P

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