The Aurora is the last thing she remembers: the swirling lights before her and the haunting, ethereal chorus of sounds. Then, beneath her feet, there is no snow but rock and earth and the eternal, frigid chill in the air is replaced with a warmer, less biting one. Still, it's unfamiliar — and not even the near-distant shape of buildings looks like anything she's ever seen before. The only thing that gives her the slightest hint of familiarity is a cylinder structure, like some giant umbrella, bearing the words: BRIDGES.
She knows that word, that name. And she can think of only one person, and she knows it might be impossible but if there's a tiny chance, then— well— sometimes you have to lean on that with all the faith you can. So she reaches out, on a hope and a prayer — maybe she still can, maybe the gifts from Enola are still there. Maybe they are, with how it feels like calling out into the void, how no answer comes. But she tries, holes up beneath the shelter.
(Maybe he's here, somewhere. Maybe... maybe there's a chance he's still alive.)
It's not him who turns up eventually. But someone else. The man says little, but he gives enough of an explanation. Gives his name: Sam. Just Sam. and explains he's been sent to deliver her to Heartman. Kate stares at him for a long moment, almost in disbelief but also in relief. He's... he's here, alive. Not on the Beach, where he said he'd be after. And so she agrees, only— getting there is... not what she expects it to be. And she can do nothing but babble a little on the journey up into the mountains.
When she's let out of the body bag, it's not a moment too soon. But she's dry and in one piece as Sam leads the way inside, hovering back a little as Kate quietly overtakes him — peering into the darkened room and looking down to test her weight on the floor with a frown. That's Chopin, she thinks, Sam hearing her thoughts with a soft grunt of confusion and—
"Heartman—!" Kate rushes to him, through strange figures, her own heart in her throat and her chest aching with the sight of him. He's here. Tears prickle in the corner of her eyes. She reaches for him, grabbing onto his arm and shaking it gently. "Hey, it's me. I'm—"
He doesn't move. Kate shakes his arm again, her voice wavers with uncertainty. "... Heartman?"
Sam hangs back, but he leans in slightly, gesturing for her to move away: Might wanna step back. Kate turns to look at him, then to Heartman, the device on his chest. She inhales, understanding washing over her as she lets go and steps back. Soon enough, Sam's warning comes to light:
Heartman comes back with a jolt, senses flooding into his body in a crushing waved. Sight, sound, smell, breath, all at once, and as his lungs fill with air his whole body jolts, hand blindly reaching out for his hourglass, vision a blur.
He'd been closer. He'd made progress. He taps the hourglass, chiralium floating upwards, aware of two people among the BT casts and his research, Sam and a blonde, but he has to focus--
--he sits up entirely, twisting his arm, cuff moving to life as he begins to type, muttering to himself as he logs the number of trips, crunches the numbers just as fast as the computer does, the whole room coming to life beyond the dark and neon: Heartman murmurs about a coloured anomaly just as the main window to his research lab whirs to life and shows the majestic mountains. Sam waits patiently, and Kate only has to wait a scant few minutes before Heartman waves away the holographic screen he's created and turns his attention to her.
Ah. This is awkward. How long had she been here? He stills, looking slightly unsure, gaze focused entirely on the Anomaly. Probably, he should call her by her name.
"Ehm..." He waves a hand, a bit sheepish, and then decides to extend it.
"Kate, yes? Wonderful to meet you. I'm very glad Sam was able to pick you up."
The last time she had seen him, he'd looked peaceful. Laid in bed, so still and quiet. She'd sworn she could see the ghost of a smile at his lips, and she'd held his hand and it had felt so cold and heavy in hers. She'd prayed and not wanted to leave him.
She'd never seen a dead body before. Of course she'd known that people had died; so many people had died in the time since she'd first arrived in the Northern Territories. She'd been spared from getting too close. People had kept her away. But Heartman was— he was gone. And yet he's here, lying in front of her—
And he jolts back into the world of the living and Kate startles back. She stares with wide eyes, frozen on the spot. She doesn't even pay attention to the shock of darkness to light. Moving, breathing, living—
He holds a hand out to her. Kate stares. Her eyes flutter, emotion shifting in her expression — grief and joy all mixed into one.
"You said you'd gone to the Beach." she breaths the words. "You told me not to worry."
Kate doesn't take her hand. Instead she steps forward, reaching for him. It's awkward, with the AED. She doesn't care. She moves to hug him, holding onto him as tightly as she can.
(Sam startles, stepping back a little — awkward and unsure.)
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She knows that word, that name. And she can think of only one person, and she knows it might be impossible but if there's a tiny chance, then— well— sometimes you have to lean on that with all the faith you can. So she reaches out, on a hope and a prayer — maybe she still can, maybe the gifts from Enola are still there. Maybe they are, with how it feels like calling out into the void, how no answer comes. But she tries, holes up beneath the shelter.
(Maybe he's here, somewhere. Maybe... maybe there's a chance he's still alive.)
It's not him who turns up eventually. But someone else. The man says little, but he gives enough of an explanation. Gives his name: Sam. Just Sam. and explains he's been sent to deliver her to Heartman. Kate stares at him for a long moment, almost in disbelief but also in relief. He's... he's here, alive. Not on the Beach, where he said he'd be after. And so she agrees, only— getting there is... not what she expects it to be. And she can do nothing but babble a little on the journey up into the mountains.
When she's let out of the body bag, it's not a moment too soon. But she's dry and in one piece as Sam leads the way inside, hovering back a little as Kate quietly overtakes him — peering into the darkened room and looking down to test her weight on the floor with a frown. That's Chopin, she thinks, Sam hearing her thoughts with a soft grunt of confusion and—
"Heartman—!" Kate rushes to him, through strange figures, her own heart in her throat and her chest aching with the sight of him. He's here. Tears prickle in the corner of her eyes. She reaches for him, grabbing onto his arm and shaking it gently. "Hey, it's me. I'm—"
He doesn't move. Kate shakes his arm again, her voice wavers with uncertainty. "... Heartman?"
Sam hangs back, but he leans in slightly, gesturing for her to move away: Might wanna step back. Kate turns to look at him, then to Heartman, the device on his chest. She inhales, understanding washing over her as she lets go and steps back. Soon enough, Sam's warning comes to light:
Administering shock. Stand clear.
no subject
He'd been closer. He'd made progress. He taps the hourglass, chiralium floating upwards, aware of two people among the BT casts and his research, Sam and a blonde, but he has to focus--
--he sits up entirely, twisting his arm, cuff moving to life as he begins to type, muttering to himself as he logs the number of trips, crunches the numbers just as fast as the computer does, the whole room coming to life beyond the dark and neon: Heartman murmurs about a coloured anomaly just as the main window to his research lab whirs to life and shows the majestic mountains. Sam waits patiently, and Kate only has to wait a scant few minutes before Heartman waves away the holographic screen he's created and turns his attention to her.
Ah. This is awkward. How long had she been here? He stills, looking slightly unsure, gaze focused entirely on the Anomaly. Probably, he should call her by her name.
"Ehm..." He waves a hand, a bit sheepish, and then decides to extend it.
"Kate, yes? Wonderful to meet you. I'm very glad Sam was able to pick you up."
no subject
She'd never seen a dead body before. Of course she'd known that people had died; so many people had died in the time since she'd first arrived in the Northern Territories. She'd been spared from getting too close. People had kept her away. But Heartman was— he was gone. And yet he's here, lying in front of her—
And he jolts back into the world of the living and Kate startles back. She stares with wide eyes, frozen on the spot. She doesn't even pay attention to the shock of darkness to light. Moving, breathing, living—
He holds a hand out to her. Kate stares. Her eyes flutter, emotion shifting in her expression — grief and joy all mixed into one.
"You said you'd gone to the Beach." she breaths the words. "You told me not to worry."
Kate doesn't take her hand. Instead she steps forward, reaching for him. It's awkward, with the AED. She doesn't care. She moves to hug him, holding onto him as tightly as she can.
(Sam startles, stepping back a little — awkward and unsure.)
"I.. I didn't think I'd see you again."