nine ✪ spam & voice

[imfollowinghim]

[Spam for Helena and Dillon, Day One]

[It's the fact that he starts feeling like he's going to fall asleep, or maybe pass out, not the sudden darkness that sets him the most on edge. It's a good thing, too, because it means he lunges for his pack once he realizes what's happening and grabs for Steve with his other hand, knowing that he doesn't want to go in to whatever this is without either one.

Later, he's not sure if he managed it or not, if the reason he wakes up and thinks he's alone is because he'd been too slow, too thrown off by whatever was happening to them before the crash. But either way, it's still dark when Bucky wakes up, and he's still got his pack with him - which has been crammed full with extra supplies without being overloaded because he's not an idiot, he knows how to be smart about this - but he's definitely missing something else.

Or, you know, someone else.]

Steve?

[He keeps his voice quiet at first, because he has no idea where he is or who might overhear it, but when a response doesn't come, he carefully moves to get his feet under him, his pack on his back, and his hand on a weapon.]

Steve?

[Spam for Helena & Dillon, Day Two]

[It's almost impossible to tell time down here, and considering he'd started off this adventure feeling a little shittier than he probably should have been when he'd known they were heading into something bad - he hasn't been a good sleeper in over a year, nothing's changed - it's not like he can even really judge it based on how worn out he feels.

But what is clear is that they've been on the move for a while, and they really need to stop for a break, even if it means the mole people might catch up with them. They're already totally aware of how bad it'll be if they get caught off guard by them, but it'll be worse if they're hungry and miserable and tired, too.

The next cavern they enter has running water and some strange looking mushrooms or something growing on the walls, and seems like as good a place as any to stop for a couple minutes. Bucky sweeps the area quickly before carefully setting down his pack and crouching next to it, already digging around for something to eat, even if he doesn't feel as hungry as he usually does this long after a decent meal. Nerves, probably.]

We should stop for a while. Dillon, you got food? [He'd passed some of the chocolate and Power Bars to Helena before they'd left, but he doesn't know how much food the other warden's got on him.]

[Spam for Helena, Day Three]

[Bucky has the last of their most recent attackers laid up in his sights, and squeezes the trigger once once he's sure he's got him. The gunshot sounds like an explosion in the cramped tunnel, and the echo almost muffles the sound of the body hitting the floor. Almost.

There's always a sort of numbness that comes along after a firefight like this, and he definitely can't shake it off, now. Bucky feels like his nerves are unraveling, and it probably has something to do with the fact that he still feels like he's got the flu and hasn't slept and still doesn't know where the hell Steve is, but whatever the real root of the problem is, he's just. Tired.

He turns back to Helena and squints, feeling that flush of irritation that his vision almost seems worse than it should be right now.

Maybe he's just tired.]

You still with me?

[Public, Voice]

[This was supposed to be filtered, but either Bucky forgot (unlikely) or the network is fritzing out badly enough to mess up locks (more likely). He's still keeping his voice down, and there's sort of a tense urgency to his voice that's somewhere between calm and not panicked, but definitely not centered.]

-eve, if you can hear me, I'm fine. I'm [zzzzzztt] - Dillon and- [zzzzzztt] -ena. Where are you?

[And a while later, there's another message, which was originally intended to reach Ben, Stiles, Scott, and pretty much anyone else Bucky's become chummy with, but again, is public.]

Everyone okay? [zzzzzzzzzzzzzztt] - we're dealing with?

[ooc: Bucky also asked the Admiral for D-ration chocolate bars, feel free to assume he passed one to your character if they're friendly at all.]

Comments

[Voice]

[mistconduct]

Oh, no, this is wa- [bzzzzzzzzzt] -than a mountain.

[Voice]

[imfollowinghim]

[There's something like a laugh that crackles out over the connection, and while Bucky's obviously trying to make a joke, it comes out a little forced.]

I'd- [zzzzzzzzzzztt] -worse, but that seems like asking for- [zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzztt]

You with anyone?

[Voice]

[mistconduct]

Yeah, two of- [bzzzzzzt] -and this new meat, Andr- [bzzzzzzt] -has a weird kind of- [bzzzzzzt]

-but looks like a meatball.


Hey, am I getting through?

[Voice]

[voluntaryapnea]

[statiiiiiiiic] --tely dark.

[Voice]

[imfollowinghim]

Where are [zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzztt] -Scott?

[Voice]

[voluntaryapnea]

[Stiles shakes his head in the darkness, keeping his eyes closed because somehow that's less scary than opening them and realizing you're still in total darkness.]

Haven't [zzzzzzzzzzt] --tt. Steve [zzzzzzzzt] you?

[spam]

[orderfromchaos]

[Dillon has never actually been drunk, but he's pretty sure this is what it feels like. Like he's dizzy even though he's sitting still, scrunched up against - he drags his fingertips along, feels the smooth stone, limestone or shale, something sedimentary, finer-grained than sandstone, easily worn away. The air is cool and still and dry. So, caves. A large system. He has to actually think through it, instead of simply knowing, instead of feeling the patterns hum and shine, bright and clear. He feels like all his senses are muffled, a little far away, like he'll step wrong and stumble over if he tries to rely on them without checking very carefully where the ground is.

Which is ridiculous, of course, he could walk. But the world feels so strange, inscrutable the way stone is to everyone else, an unreliable mirage. He listens for echoes, for breaths, loud as bells in the stillness. Then Bucky calls out, moves, the shuffle of boot against rock.]

I don't think he's here. There's only three of us and he has larger lung capacity than -

[His powers are nothing, a trickle, but he almost recognizes, he should know, and he pants a little with the effort, demanding that the universe come into focus -]

- Helena?

[spam]

[adelphoktonos]

[Helena wakes suddenly, lying on stone, fine dust under her fingers; the blackness is total and deep. Opening her eyes wide, she looks for any light and sees nothing. It's a void, unmoving and endless, and so she shuts her eyes again and tries other senses. She sniffs the air, breathes in deeply; her hand quests out, trailing along the ground, feeling the rock and the grit before they come to her pack, which she had, by some miracle, been holding in her lap when the darkness came down on the Barge. She runs fingers over it, getting to the buckles--

She freezes when Bucky calls out and Dillon answers. She recognises both their voices after a beat but it's not until Dillon speaks her name that she actually sits up, dragging the pack closer to herself with a scrape of metal and cloth over stone.]

Yes. [Just the one word, then she's digging through her pack to check its contents survived the trip.]

[spam]

[imfollowinghim]

[Bucky doesn't panic when it's confirmed that Steve's not here, but there is definitely a prickle of worry and frustration that flares up, only to be stamped out in favor of carefully readjusting his pack on his shoulder so he can pull out a flashlight. He switches it on, sweeping the beam of light first towards his two companions - Helena, which is good because she's another person he would have had to go running in search of if she wasn't already here, and... Dillon? That's his name, right? - before carefully using it to examine their surroundings, finding rock and rock and pretty much endless rocks, actually.

Definitely some kind of cave, then. He's glad he thought to change into his Commandos uniform, because it's already damp and cool in here, and he's betting it's going to get worse if they're forced deeper underground.]

You two alright? [They don't look hurt, and he feels... Fine, he guesses. A little off balance, actually, and he's not sure if that means he's just tired or more unsettled by this than he wants to admit.

At least they're not on the Vanquish's world again. He hopes.]

[punched_hitler]

-ky? [ksssht] you? It's harder to get a [fshhhht] signal.

I'm n-[kkkkkkkt] am, but I'm fi-[ksssssh].

[imfollowinghim]

Steve, you're break- [zzzt] up. Where are you? I'm- [zzzzzzttttt]

What did you just say?

[punched_hitler]

[He's just glad to hear you reply, even if you're breaking up, too.] -ad signal.

I said I'm fine. [fzzzzt]ostly. Just not sure where I a[ksssssh] down here. Can you tell where you a[shhhhhsft]

[voice]

[notsoneedy]

Hey, what? Is that- [fzzzt] -Bucky? I would like to state it for the fucking- [fzzzzzzzzzzzzt] -not even remotely okay. I'm stuck down here with- [fzzzzzzt] -! Where are you?

[voice]

[imfollowinghim]

A cave, I don't know- [zzzzzzzzzzztttt]

Comms are bad, hard to- [fffzzzzzzzzzzztttt] with who?

[voice]

[notsoneedy]

Hello? Hello?

I said I'm here with the- [fzzzzzzzzzzt] -and this fucking- [fzzzzzzzzzzt] -King!

[ Voice ]

[warisart]

[Ben's voice comes back but instead of dropping in and out, he just sounds very, very far away.

It's definitely him, but only some of the words are actually loud enough to make out. He sounds distinctly harassed, even for him.]

-rdinates are imp- -s to be a c-

We are uninj- -r n-w. Wh- -r status?

[ Voice ]

[imfollowinghim]

We're fine. Dillon's- [The connection fizzes out with white noise for a good ten seconds, cutting off the point he was trying to make: people's supernatural abilities are apparently on the fritz, and that isn't great news for Ben.]

-holding up okay?

[ Voice ]

[warisart]

[And as such:]

I am with Abigail and Gw- -ine.

My abilities have been re- -n see be- - my training.

[semifreakingnormal]

Hey, Buc--

--ou safe? Have you se--les?

[imfollowinghim]

I'm okay, Stiles is wi- [ffzzzzzzttt] he sounds fine. How are you?

[semifreakingnormal]

Alo--[kzzt]--een Lydia? Or Dan--[kzzt]--sel or any--[kzzt]--?

spam;

[adelphoktonos]

[Helena's breathing heavily, adrenaline and terror and a weird kind of exultation burning through her. At least these are real creatures, something real to fight and kill and deal with, not just false visions and nightmares beating on her mind in the dark. Her hands are shaking now the scuffle is over. There's blood in a spray up the front of her coat from one of the things she'd killed, and more running down from a large scrape on her forehead where she'd hit the tunnel wall during the fight.]

I'm here, serzhant. [Her voice is low and husky. She nods down the tunnel at where the last body fell.] You're a good shot.

spam;

[imfollowinghim]

It's my job. I have to be. [His voice is low too, and maybe a little hollow, because, well. It was his job.

Bucky lowers the gun, but doesn't holster it, or tuck it away in the pack.]

We should get moving, someone'll hear it. [And although that someone might be friendly, there's a good chance they won't be. They've had a lot of experience with that as it is.

He takes a couple steps closer, and it's not until then that he gets a good look at the blood. He could already smell it, but the splatter on her coat's worrying, as is the gash on her forehead. He's got a couple nicks and bruises too, but nothing to really write home about.]

You okay?

spam;

[adelphoktonos]

[Her hand rises to the gash, carelessly smearing the blood there. She rubs her fingers together and looks at them, then shrugs.]

It's nothing. Shallow.

[She goes to pick her pack up from the ground then pauses, registering the blood soaking into her coat. Her other hand traces the edges of the splatter, and she glances back at him.] This is not from me.

[day two mushroom spam]

[adelphoktonos]

[Helena's been eating bits and pieces of the food she's got along the way - she even tried the D ration bars and didn't think they were that terrible - but her natural urge is to continue to eat as many different things as possible as long as food is available. She's tense and tired, but she's also restless, not wanting to sit down yet. While Bucky's looking through his pack and talking to Dillon, she dumps her own pack and wanders over to the water to look around.

The stream has carved a round channel out of the stone. She crouches and trails her hand in the water, dipping down to run her fingertips along the rock at the bottom as she glances around. The mushrooms growing up the walls catch her eye; without looking back at the others she stands and steps over the water and out of the dim circle of light to get a closer look.]