outsiders | audio;

[ A long shift at The Quad, and York's pretty ready to go home. Davrax has really got to hire some bouncers or something, because York's getting awful sick of breaking up bar fights. So she's entirely ready to go home and fall asleep watching a movie.

Until she all but runs into Carolina. A very injured and beaten-down-looking Carolina. Definitely not the Carolina she knows has been on the station for months. Somebody else. Somebody new. And definitely not in good shape. York approaches her immediately, calling out to her without thinking. ]

Son of a bitch -- Carolina? Jesus, what happened to you?

[ Carolina's eyes dart up and she looks York up and down, obviously confused. There's a smudge of dried blood at her right temple, barely visible where her messy bangs part. ]

Sorry, what? Do I know you?

[ It comes out sharper than it should. There's something... off about this woman but Carolina's head's swimming too badly to focus on it. Certainly not the most off thing she's seeing right now. Nothing about this makes sense and with her head... she can't even be sure she's not hallucinating. ]

[ Ah, Christ. Of course. It's always this schtick. York has a feeling it's not gonna go down especially well with this Carolina. She winces a little. ]

Yeah, uh, technically no, but technically also yes. I'm York, and yeah, I know, the York you knew's a guy. Trust me, I've heard it. You can freak out about it later. You, uh, look like you're in need of some serious medical attention.

[ God damn it, the last thing she needs right now is somebody who thinks they're a joker. Whoever she is, she can't know how much that stings, but that doesn't make it any better. Carolina closes her eyes and rubs her forehead, and her words come out half-growled. ]

Damn it, not right now.

[ She looks back to the... device on her arm. Soon as Wash gives her that location for medical, she can get moving. ]

Man, nobody ever believes me at first.

[ It's muttered, mostly to herself. Sigh. Well, there's definitely no doubt this is Carolina now, at least. York doesn't know what happened that she came through the relay so battered and bruised, but she's sure she'll find out later. ]

Look, it doesn't matter who I am, all right? You're busted up pretty bad, and there's a clinic nearby. C'mon, I'll take you to it.

[ Good enough. She needs a lot of answers, but she's not getting far in the shape she's in.

Carolina eyes the stranger for a long moment, then nods. ]

Okay.

Edited 2013-06-09 01:18 (UTC)

[ Honestly, York was expecting more of a fight. Then again, Carolina must know she needs help. York lets out a relieved little breath, nodding. ]

C'mon, follow me. It's not far from here.

[ York starts to lead her toward the clinic, only a few minutes' walk a way, careful to keep stride with her so she doesn't lose her in the crowd. She can't help but try to sneak a few looks with her good eye at Carolina, try to assess her injuries. York can't ever remember a time when she looked like this, not even after their worst missions. ]

[ The way the woman's looking at her while they walk is just unnerving. She keeps looking at Carolina like--well, like she knows her, and Carolina can't swear she's never met her, she could be familiar and there is something about her, she just... can't right now.

She shakes her head irritably. ]

I'll be fine, all right, it's not--

[ She staggers slightly as her head starts to swim again, and stops to regain her balance. ]

I'll be fine. Just need to get this looked at.

[ York reaches out to catch her by the arm, to keep her steady. She keeps her grip light, though, letting go just as soon as Carolina looks like she's got her balance again. ]

Hey, you hear me say anything?

[ But it doesn't stop her from peering at her, at the bruises on her face and the tired lines etched into it. Wash had told her how awful things had wound up going down in his timeline. Is this part of that?

They arrive at the clinic, York shouldering her way in ahead of Carolina to get to the salarian at the front desk. Not much of a front desk given it's a clinic on Omega, but hey, you take what you can get. ]

Tell me there's a doctor or somebody in, 'cause she definitely needs one.

[ Carolina halts dead in her tracks a good few steps from the desk.

Right up until now it's been a lot easier to just focus on her objective--finding medical attention, then find a way to contact Command--and figure if she's not seeing things quite right it's the knock to the head. But this close and this clear, she's really doubting she's hallucinating. That is not a human. It's also not any alien species she's been familiarized with, in her years of service.

This is not right. Wherever she is, it's not where that teleporter was supposed to send her. And she's becoming increasingly suspicious of this strange woman leading her into god knows what. ]

What the hell is this place?

Let's just say you're not in Kansas anymore.

[ It's hard not to be flippant, but it's obvious Carolina's not going to budge until York explains any of this, let alone let an alien doctor touch her. And she really does look beat up. York sighs, crossing her arms. ]

If I explain any of this to you, are you even gonna believe me?

[ Hand goes for her sidearm. And it's not there. Damn it. Must've lost it when she went over the cliff. ]

Give me one good reason why I should believe anything you say.

'Cause I'm the one that brought you here, and probably the one that's gonna pay for it, too.

[ York huffs out a breath through her nose, looking a little tired. It's been a long day. It's obviously about to get longer. ]

Besides, you asked, boss. So either you actually wanna hear an answer, or you're not gonna believe me anyway. So which is it, huh?

[ She'd be a lot more inclined to argue if she wasn't so damn dizzy. It's getting harder and harder to hold herself steady, and her fingers are twitching to draw her rifles but she's not fooling herself. On a good day she could take them all, easy. Today? Not counting on it.

Something about the way the woman says boss. Don't know what it is. Familiar.

Can't trust herself. Can't trust her head. Can't trust a goddamn thing. ]

Fine. Talk.

[ Man, Carolina's really not looking so hot. Maybe York ought to talk fast. If she'll even believe her. ]

All right, so this place? This station we're on, the galaxy it's in? Not your universe. Not mine, either. Same goes for almost everybody who comes in on those shuttles -- people from different worlds, different times, different realities. Don't ask me how or why, 'cause I couldn't tell you. Nobody could. We're all stuck here, every last one of us unlucky bastards, and they don't exactly like us here. And if there's a way to get back to where you came from, nobody's figured it out yet.

[ She grimaces a little, and she actually does look kind of apologetic, rueful. ]

Hate to say it, boss, but you're stuck here with the rest of us.

[ No, it's definitely familiar. So's her face, maybe, if she could just get her vision to focus. Something keeps prickling at her blurry awareness, something she should know but it's wrong and backwards.

All she knows is it pisses her off.

So much that the rest of what the woman's saying barely sinks in. ]

Why do you keep calling me that? How do you know me?

[ Oh, boy. This is not gonna be one of the easy ones, she can tell that right off. York pinches the bridge of her nose, drawing in a slow breath. Man, where does she even start with this. ]

My name's Natalie van der Haast. I enlisted in the UNSC when I was twenty-three years old to fight in the war. I'm what you'd call an infiltrations expert, and until a year ago, I was part of Project Freelancer. Code name: York.

[ She gives Carolina an almost exasperated look, shoulders slackening. ]

Seriously, does the eye not ring any bells for you?

[ Oh yeah. It rings a lot of bells, none of them good. ]

You want to go there? Okay. You want to tell me you're him? Fine.

[ Carolina's eyes narrow. ]

If you are York--some version of York--that's even less reason I should trust you.

[ Hand goes to her rifle. Head's pounding. Gotta hold it together. This is all so incredibly fucked up. ]

And you shouldn't trust me.

Edited 2013-06-09 06:38 (UTC)

[ Did she say this wasn't going to be easy? God, that's the understatement of the year. This is about as tough as it gets. York's met a lot of people she knows from other timelines, other realities, but she's never met anyone who had such a reason to mistrust her. Jesus Christ, Wash didn't mention anything like this.

York's hands go up, her expression turning alarmed. Carolina doesn't look so steady on her feet, but that doesn't mean York's confident she could disarm Carolina before she pulled a weapon, even in this state. ]

Whoa -- hey! Calm down, will you? Look, I don't know what happened between you and the York you knew, but every timeline's different, okay? Way different, in my case. So how about you stop reachin' for that gun and we talk about this a little more, huh?

[ Things had never really ended well between York and her Carolina, but Christ, they'd never been like this. Carolina had just been more distant towards the end than anything else. Grimly, she can't help but think that if she's going to get shot, at least she's near a doctor. Speaking of which, the salarian receptionist doesn't look too pleased at the scene that's unfolding in the clinic lobby. ]

[ It's an empty threat. She's way too dizzy to get any kind of clean shot even if she did mean to shoot. Which she doesn't.

Just like she couldn't with him. Damn it, York.

Her hand goes for the wall instead. Just to to steady herself. Except, the wall's not where she's expecting it to be. Nothing else seems to be holding still, either. ]

Oh god I do not have time for this.

[ It comes out in a frustrated mumble, seconds before she crumples to her knees, and she's out. ]

[ Carolina goes down before York can really make a move to catch her. Well, shit. ]

Okay, I guess that could've gone worse...

[ She twists halfway to look at the salarian receptionist, who doesn't look too pleased. ]

C'mon, what're you waiting for? Get a god damn medic.

[ Son of a bitch who keeps knocking her out

Tex (no) Maine (no)

York

York wouldn't.

No idea what York would. Not anymore.

She's vaguely aware of being coaxed to her feet. Moved. Heavy. Head's a lead weight. And there's somebody she can't trust but it's nobody or it's everybody or she can't zero in on it, can't figure it out. ]

York, don't--

Whoa -- jeez, calm down --

[ York keeps a firm arm around Carolina's shoulders, hoping she can keep her still enough to keep from lashing out at any of the medics. They get her to a cot, try to get her situated, because dammit, these wounds need to be treated. ]

Hold still, okay? You're gonna be fine.

[ She is not fine not a goddamn thing is fine.

She goes down on the cot. Can't exactly help that. It's either there or on the floor. ]

Okay--okay but don't.

[ She's not even sure what she means herself. ]

Uh...yeah, I'll be sure not to.

[ Nobody really bothers to tell York to get out of the way -- the medics just work around her, and York peers down at Carolina with an uncertain grimace. It reminds her a little of back when she'd still been in her own world, still in the Project, when Carolina and Wash had really started to nosedive after their implantations. This Carolina -- does she still have her AI? York catches a glimpse of the bloody mess of the back of her neck and winces. Maybe not. Christ, what happened? ]

You're in a clinic, okay? The docs here are gonna get you fixed up. Just breathe, okay, boss?

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