Phase Eight: Recrimination

[emorangerpink]

[Laura's in the brig.

It's at her own insistence, as soon as she was awake enough to insist. Once the medics were okay with letting her out of their sight, she went in to a cell. She's staying there until as much has been done to confirm she doesn't have any more surprises buried in the back of her mind as was done for Cheng, and then some. And it's noticeable to anyone who's used to her appearance that her ever-present amplifier is not on her wrist.

If you want to talk to her, it might take a while. Aside from the exhaustion of the fight, she's spending some of her time awake curled up in tears or otherwise unresponsive. Still - if you're patient, or time your visit right, she'll be able to speak, if you have something to say.]

Comments

[emorangerblack.livejournal.com]

[Devon is going to stand there wordlessly, waiting and staring until she gets Laura's attention. Which may take a while but... she has time to spare.

She holds Laura's amplifier in her hand.]

[emorangerpink]

[Laura's sitting on the bunk with her legs drawn up, arms around her knees, face in her hands. Hands and hair muffle her voice.]

I'm sorry. I'm... I'm so sorry.

I shouldn't have come here. You were right.

[betterthnaliens.livejournal.com]

Laura? Jeez, what happened?

[She'd heard what happened in that battle, especially with Frank, but seeing Laura putting herself away in the same place she was in a few months earlier?]

[emorangerpink]

[Laura's sitting on the bunk, leaning against the wall. She looks... calm, for all that her face is tear-streaked and her eyes are red. For now it seems she's nothing left in her to pour out in grief. Her voice when she answers is level, leached of emotion.]

The people who sent me here. They were the ones behind the cult fighting us. I was their plant and I didn't know it. We... won our fight, but I handed them the thing they need to start the killing again.

Frank died. Protecting me.

[minorbeat]

(Seiren is there and is trying to help Laura the best she can. Seiren isn't the best at this kind of thing but she is willing to be there as long as it takes. Seiren softly puts her hand on Laura's shoulder as she herself doesn't really know what to say.)

[emorangerpink]

[Laura's unresponsive for several minutes. It seems as though she's aware Seiren's there, but doesn't know how to react or doesn't have the energy to. Eventually she gives the smallest turn of her head toward the hand on her shoulder, not enough to actually look directly at Seiren.]

You shouldn't be in here.

I don't know if... if I'm safe.

[howling-alone.livejournal.com]

[Alexei just strolls into the brig.]

I don't know you... I just know that you and Devon worked together... So why shouldn't I?

[He pulls out a pistol, deadened eyes behind that sight.]

Why should I not pull this trigger?

[emorangerpink]

[Laura's on her side on the bunk, staring out of the cell. Her gaze slowly lifts to Alexei and the gun, and her eyes do widen slightly, but overall her reaction is... muted. After a moment her mouth tightens and she simply turns on her side to face the wall instead.]

[sunshine_maiden]

[Sora was there. She knows full well why Laura's here. And yet.] Laura... why did all this have to happen? The crystal earlier, Frank... you being in here now?

I don't know what to think anymore.

[emorangerpink]

Mr. Dantoinne thinks he can save the world. Save people by feeding them to monsters. He can justify anything for that goal.

They had me for years. Even after I woke up, I don't remember most of it. I thought... I thought they were keeping me safe.

...I don't know what they might have been able to do to me, in that time.

[an-alpha-wolf.livejournal.com]

[Resnick is unused to the sight of a brig. The clan system is self regulating. Military punishment is rarely needed. But the function is obvious enough, so when he sees Laura checking herself in there, he has to investigate.]

Why are you in here, Laura Ericks? [he says from outside the bars.]

[emorangerpink]

[Laura's simply lying on her back on the bunk, exhausted. For the moment, she's cried herself out and is simply staring at the ceiling. Resnick's question is straightforward enough that she can actually answer it.]

I had some kind of programming. The enemy were able to... activate it.

I don't know what else they may have done to me, so until we can find out, I'm keeping myself locked up.

[mecha_eihwaz]

Laura...? Why did they put you in here? You haven't done anything wrong...

[emorangerpink]

I put myself in here.

[Laura's in dry-eyed sitting-upright mode at the moment. It's better than sobbing or dead to the world, but she looks terribly drained.]

I don't know whether they can make me do... anything else. So until I can check...

I don't want to get anyone else hurt.

[2hell-weride.livejournal.com]

Uh... [[Yup, that's MarKus.]]

Hey... [[Wait... so what if she's sad. MarKus isn't some empath.]]

HEY! QUIT CRYING!

[emorangerpink]

[Laura continues crying. It's not clear if she even heard MarKus, but if she did, well, why would she listen?]

[chases-aliens.livejournal.com]

[Dita finally arrived in the dead of night. She turned off the bars so she could slip inside.]

Laura? Are you awake?

[emorangerpink]

[Laura's facing away from the bars, but she stirs. She doesn't turn around, though.]

...Yes.

[chozo_girl]

[Samus is simply going to wait there until Laura is well and done crying, with her usual impassive expression]

[emorangerpink]

[It takes a while... but less time than it might have, without the hunter's unshakeable presence.]

...Samus.

[curseu-reflexes.livejournal.com]

[Hey there Laura. It's time for everyone's favorite Irgelion except Kamille, that'd be Sora to step into the brig with you. She tries to smile for a few moments before just sighing and speaking up.]

... Hey there.

[emorangerpink]

[Laura turns over to face her. It seems she has a little more energy now than on other visits, as she manages to sit up.]

Hey.

[aceshighhealer.livejournal.com]

(Yoshika's been crying a little too, having approached Laura's cell with tear-stained cheeks herself. She reaches out to touch her shoulder with a hand.)

...Laura...?

[emorangerpink]

Yoshika...

[Laura wants to tell her that she shouldn't be in here, that they haven't confirmed she's not still dangerous, but it's not like that ship hasn't sailed by now... and the Witch has been crying. She covers Yoshika's hand with her own.]

Late post is late

[aprimeanswer.livejournal.com]

[PRIME just looks at you, from behind his mirrored shades.]

...what does it feel like...being unable to control yourself? Did you blank out? Were you able to fight it?

[emorangerpink]

[Laura stares at him.]

Do - do you really think I want to talk about it?!

[aceshighsniper.livejournal.com]

[A fellow Britannian girl sits nearby, knees tucked to her chest, staring away from the cell.]

What will happen now?

[emorangerpink]

[Laura stares at the ceiling, not moving from where she was lying on the bunk when Lyn arrive.]

...I don't know. Mr. Dantoinne is... crazy. He thinks the Shifting Entities are emissaries of God, that the people they kill are brought to a higher plane. Now that he has the crystal...

He's probably going to summon all the SEs he can, and use them to kill as many people as he can. Walk them right through all opposition and detonate them in the middle of cities. If they're being directed by a human...

The attacks four years ago were bad. This will be... worse.