The Bunker of Nariba Relia | OPEN PLOT MINGLE POST

[theroadwarrior]

Who: Everyone!!
Broadcast: N/A
Action: The bunker in the surrounding desert.
When: Sometime recently, see this post for full information. Below is the excerpt of information listed there. Feel free to make a top comment and thread out the sad truth and whatnot.

[Records buried in the library, the research facility, and cues from the power plant will eventually reveal the bunker in the surrounding desert. The passageway leads several yards underground, and it doesn’t appear to have been used in a long time. Those brave enough to venture inside will find that it is not much more than a tomb. Eerily enough, the emergency lights are still on, casting a soft red glow over sheets and the once-bodies beneath them.

It has been long enough that paper journals, books, and personal belongings (like bags and such) have deteriorated to the point of being extremely fragile. Handled with care, however, they are eager to tell a story.

“The engineers should have been more careful. I’m not sure I’ll be able to recoup my losses from this… At least I have enough money to buy a ride off this planet!”

“No one could have known this would happen. Hopefully it stabilizes so we can go home soon. In the meantime, I’ve been teaching my daughter how to count. She doesn’t understand what’s going on, and I don’t know what to tell her.”

“It’s not getting better. So many people have died that we’re running out of room in the morgue. We had to move all of the food to another room so that the smell doesn’t leach out, but we all know what’s back there.”

“The replicator was supposed to repair us, too.”

“I don’t know if we can go back yet, but it doesn’t matter. Even if the city was back to the way it was, there’s no cure for us. The dead are dead, and we lay down next to them as we wait for our turn.”

There is nothing that can be done for these people except to give them the eternal rest they deserve. Ultimately, the fate of Nariba Relia is a sad one and not altogether preventable.]

Comments

[watermarks]

[She knows what bombs are, she knows what war is, but 'nuclear war' is a new term for her. Her eyes narrow a little.] 'Nuclear' war?

[privateeyed]

Uh. [he scratches at his cheek, how the fuck can he explain this] People were afraid that war would break out from everyone shooting off their nuclear bombs. It's a kind of bomb . . . like - I think it's something like 200 bombs in one? It uses a different kind of energy than a regular bomb. It's so devastating that people who aren't even within the blast range can die just from the energy it lets off, and that sticks around for weeks. And it's not a quick death, either.

[he shrugs a little helplessly] There's a hell of a lot more to it than that, but that's just what I remember about them.

[watermarks]

...I've never heard of anything like that. [She glances around the desert. She thinks of Ozai, and what she learned about Sozin's comet, and she shuts her eyes again.] And they thought hiding in the ground would protect them from that?

[privateeyed]

Yeah, they build bunkers specifically out of material that'll keep the radiation out, and protect from the blasts. [he turns to glance back at the bunker, though, frowning] Wonder if their replicator bullshit ran off the same kind of power.

[watermarks]

[Katara takes another deep breath of clean air and then begins to wrap her scarf around her mouth and nose again.]

I guess there's only one way to find out.

[privateeyed]

[he glances at her, both eyebrows raised]

You sure? 'Cause I don't mind if you want to wait up here.

[watermarks]

[She nods.] I'll leave if I have to. But you don't have to do this by yourself.

[privateeyed]

[his face scrunches up] Did you forget who you're talking to?

[but he takes a deep breath, then starts heading for the bunker]

Let's get this done fast, then. It's my turn to freak out. [ha ha he's so funny]

[watermarks]

[Nope, she knows exactly who she's talking to - someone who needs to know he doesn't have to do things by herself. Sorry, you might be twice her age, but you're in the category of Those Who Need Care now, so... deal with it.]

Oh, are we taking turns now? I'll have to remember that...

[She smiles a little, not that he can see it, and moves to follow him.]

[privateeyed]

[he makes a grumbled noise and pulls his shirt up over his nose as they get close]

Just for that I'm not gonna freak out. [probably. Hopefully . . .

Down he goes]

[watermarks]

[Heh.]

If you say so. Does that mean I have to go twice?

[But it's... harder to make light of things the closer they get to what had been these people's hope for survival. She tells herself that she isn't going to go and count the bodies.

She's not sure she believes herself.]

[privateeyed]

I mean, probably. I don't make the rules.

[uugghhh just walking down the stairs brings back the twitchy feeling. He rolls his shoulders as they reach the bottom and mutters something to himself, before he steps further in, briefly glancing behind him to see if she's still following]

[watermarks]

[...yeah. No way she's letting him do this by himself.

She's still following.]

Are you going for the journals, mostly?

[privateeyed]

Dunno yet. Depends how far I get.

[for all that he was joking around about freaking out, he wasn't actually joking] I'm just gonna take pictures, not gonna try to read anything just yet.

[watermarks]

Okay. [She swallows as she enters the room again.] I can help with that.

[Which is good, because otherwise, as soon as she steps in...

She wants to count the bodies. She feels... they might not know their names, but at least their numbers should be known.]

[privateeyed]

[the thought did cross his mind, too. And while he feels like he should . . . this isn't his job, and he has no problems leaving it to someone who can stay down here and actually do it]

All right. You wanna hit this side, I'll look on the other? [...] And we'll both stay out of the morgue cuz fuck that.

[watermarks]

Yeah...

[She's... not entirely sure she will, yet, but this is more important first, because Ben is still alive and someone she can help.]

There probably wouldn't be any records in there anyway.

[Except... maybe medical ones? Unlikely, but... maybe?]

[privateeyed]

There absolutely won't be shit in there, and if there is someone else can find it.

[his tone is very, very clearly: "don't go into the morgue, Katara"]

[watermarks]

[You don't tell her what to do. D8

But she doesn't really want to go in there anyway, even if part of her wonders if she should, if someone should, if someone should count them...]

I'm just going to check over here...

[...for now.]

[privateeyed]

[he's just TRYING TO LOOK OUT FOR HER okay.

With a grunt he nods and starts looking where he gestured before, squinting as he looks for anything that stood the test of the time]

[watermarks]

[He is ABSOLUTELY RIGHT and he should TELL on her or something if she starts to do something else that will traumatize her for life.

At least the light in the bunker makes it easy to see...

As they go to work, Katara wonders... who was the last one alive down here? Will they find an uncovered body? Or did they just lie down, cover themselves with a sheet... and wait?]

[privateeyed]

[Ben would never let her do anything traumatizing to her. To himself is a different story.

He does find some other journals as he moves along, and like he said he only stops long enough to take a picture with his device before moving on. He probably shouldn't touch anything, but he braces a hand on the wall anyway, just for that little bit of - he isn't sure. Support? Reality? Who even fucking knows]

[watermarks]

[Some of the books crumble under her hand. Some of them are faintly visible under sheets, and she doesn't want to go picking them up to look.

The silence is oppressive. She glances back at Ben.] Hey. You okay? [...no, she can do better than that. She clears her throat, tries to rid herself of the grief in her tone:] Taking your turn?

[privateeyed]

You wish. [his tone is mostly even, if a little more strained than it normally is. He stands up from where he was taking another picture and looks over at her - the tone of her voice isn't lost on him] Why? You taking my spot?

[watermarks]

Not yet. [Glancing back down, swallowing hard.] Maybe in a little bit.

...some of these are so old, Ben, that I don't even want to touch them.