Jemma Simmons is a terrible liar (needanewplan) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2018-04-26 20:56:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, !partner thread, cosima niehaus, jemma simmons |
Who: Cosima and Jemma
What: Pleistocene Epoch Plot
When: 18 April
Where: Pleistocene dreamscape
Warnings: Should be low
Status: Partner Thread | Complete
The past few nights hadn’t been the easiest for Jemma. Then again, repeat dreams rarely were. Especially when they dealt with her time on Maveth. It was why she had started to sleep with her bone shiv again. Well, she always liked to be prepared after all. And that was exactly what she was when ended up waking with a start. There was no reason for it except the fact that instead of bed, Jemma found herself on the ground. It was still dark out but it was clear this was not Orange County. At least not the Orange County she knew.
Through the shadows, there were no signs of life.
“You have got to be kidding, please not again.”
Because of course her first reaction would be she was somehow on Maveth again. Except there was vegetation. But her mind was still a bit hazy on that and she gripped her bone shiv more tightly.
Cosima had been in the kitchen making some tea while she was immersing herself in Miranda’s test results and assessing her situation. Of course, she couldn’t make any decisions about the clone state and what could come out of that until she had knowledge of Miranda’s genetic make-up once those changed. She’d been stirring some honey into her tea when suddenly she found herself outdoors.
“What…?” She asked as she glanced around. Her dreadlocks were left long, and she was dressed in pajamas. Pajama pants, a tanktop and a long, light sweater. She also had a spoon in her hand. “Uh…”
It was dark and it was hard to see where she was. She thought she heard something, but she wasn’t sure if it was an animal or a human. “Hello? Anyone there? If you’re an animal, please be something small and cute because I’d rather not be eaten by something. If you’re Bigfoot, I come in peace.” She announced. She started to move carefully, not wanting to trip over something.
Well, if there was one thing that Jemma could appreciate about where she currently was, it was that there was no light pollution and so she was able to look up at the stars. And there were constellations. Not just constellations, but constellations she was familiar with. And not just sporadic ones to let her know that she was at least in the same galaxy. No. This was Earth. Of course that didn’t explain why she was outside, where she was, or when she was based on the state of vegetation. But Earth. She could handle that at least.
And then she heard her fiancee’s voice semi-close by and started walking in that direction.
“It’s just me.” The comment was made as she ended up where Cosima was. “Good news, we’re not on an alien planet.”
Cosima glanced up at the sky, wishing there’d been a full moon so she could see better, but it was what it was. She could deal with it. Though what light that there actually was did let her get a glimpse at some of the plants. They were...different. But nothing immediately stood out to her for a where or when she was. But if she could find an animal? That would do it. Evolutionary Developmental Biology definitely had its uses.
“Jemma?” Cosima called when she heard her fiancée’s voice. “Oh thank god you’re here.” She reached out for Jemma’s hand, intending to give her a hug after making contact. “And that is good news. Now we just need to know where. And maybe when, I don’t recognize the plants off-hand.”
A full moon would have been nice, but unless she was wrong in her assessment (and she wasn’t wrong), the sun would eventually come out if they didn’t find a way back to their time before then. Still, being scientists did give them some of an advantage. At least in the classification of plants thing should they need to get food and know what was and was not poisonous.
Grasping onto Cosima’s hand, Jemma hugged her fiancee and then took a breath as she pulled away though not letting go of her hand just yet.
“Assuming that the time of year is still April, the placement of the constellations means we’re still in California. So I think the more prudent question is when are we.”
While Cosima was better versed in animals than she was in plants, she at least remembered enough to know the poisonous plant families to stay away from. Though perhaps it wouldn’t hurt to brush up on her plant knowledge once they were back home. But right now, she could work with what she knew and hoped that if they were here for any extended length of time, she’d have things jog her memory a bit.
Cosima hugged Jemma tightly, but also didn’t let go of her hand. For one, Cosima knew if she pulled a Velma from Scooby-Doo, fell and lost her glasses, she’d need Jemma to help her. It was sometimes frightening just how bad Cosima’s sight was without her glasses.
“Alright, that’s definitely comforting that we’re still in California.” Cosima glanced around, taking a harder look at the sky and, well, everything she could see. “But where in California? Is there any place that gets this dark with no light pollution anymore? I mean, maybe in the mountains or some other place like that but I...don’t think that’s where we are.” Then suddenly, Cosima took a slow, deep breath through her nose. “Does the air smell different to you?” There was something different, but Cosima couldn’t completely place it. She wouldn’t completely say it smelled cleaner (meaning less pollution), but there were different scents in it than she was used to smelling.
Jemma couldn’t believe she was thinking it, but thank goodness for being on Maveth. She had needed to figure out a way to survive given the fact there were no known plants or animals and things that were necessary for surviving. Then of course she had met Will. But she had needed to survive to that point as well.
Still, keeping a hold of Cosima’s hand was more than acceptable to Jemma. While she wasn’t thinking so much in terms of what might happen should her fiancee lose her glasses, Jemma was more concerned with them just staying together.
“I’m not sure…” It was still dark out so it wasn’t like they could get a proper lay of the land. They should probably look into starting a fire or something to stay warm, at least until the sun came up. Then Cosima mentioned the air and Jemma paused.
“It does…. Not so lived in.” Lack of pollution or not, Jemma had been on a planet that had only one human inhabitant, meaning that she had a basic idea on air quality and what to expect and she was definitely getting that sort of vibe from where they were.
Yeah it was probably going to be a good idea to make a fire and build some sort of shelter. Predicting weather patterns was difficult even with having state of the art radar and such. Still, it would also be a good thing to figure out just where a good place to do both would be. After all, starting a fire would undoubtedly attract attention to any who saw the light, and it probably wouldn’t be the good kind of company given that it was night and there were plenty of carnivores that were nocturnal.
But at least Jemma agreed that the air smelled different. Cosima could still trust her nose here at least. “That probably puts us at some point in the past. Most likely distant past before coal was being widely used.” Which got her brain thinking on the matter, but she needed a good look at the flora and fauna around here to pinpoint a time period.
“So, uh, do you have anything useful on you? You know, flashlight, lighter, a weapon? Because all I have is a spoon. Apparently.” She gave Jemma’s hand a little squeeze, but kept hold of it. She didn’t want to get separated from her if she could help it.
Well, with the initial confusion and shock out of the way, theories and putting pieces together was the next obvious step. Which made sense. They were both scientists, it was what they did. Add in that Jemma actually needed someone to talk scientific theory to her to keep her from panicking in some situations? Well. It was the natural next step.
“That’s been my thinking so far. Not that I can really see much at the moment.”
Even so, she started to kick around for some sort of path in order to find a way to make temporary shelter as well as to start a fire.
“My bone shiv.” It would mean getting close and personal with something they may come across, but it would do the trick.
Theories and putting pieces together was what they did. And more than that, Cosima also knew it was a way to help keep Jemma from panicking. This was at least something they could distract themselves with in figuring things out.
“It would really help if the moon was full.” And they both knew that Jemma had the best sight between them. Cosima’s was decent with glasses, but if she took them off or they fell off? She was practically as blind as a bat.
“Well, at least that’s helpful, though hopefully we only need to use it for food and not for defense.” And that was even assuming either of them could kill and clean an animal to cook for food. Cosima would probably rely more on plants and fruits for food, if they found any.
“Okay so first...fire and shelter. Though we should be careful with the fire, it could attract attention.”
Knowing that they were on Earth did help, even if they had no idea just when they were. It was better than an alien planet. At least in theory. Knowing the when would help in planning on how to survive until they found a way home. Because it was a matter of when, not if. Hopefully this would simply be one of the shorter Orange County situations.
“It would.” But in typical fashion, things weren’t that easy. Then again, they never were.
“We should.” The kicking did help and eventually Jemma found a place where they could set up temporary shelter. Once that was done, the biochemist went to work using the skills she had developed thanks to the Dreams so that they had least had a place to stay until the sun came up. Really, it was safer that way. Less chance of falling off a cliff or something.
If this was an Orange County situations, it would be the first of its kind in Cosima’s experience. She didn’t quite know if they were in the exact same spot they lived in in Orange County or not. Though depending on the time period, they could be further inland than they were in the modern day given difference in sea level. Or they could even be on Pangaea before the continents broke apart and became what they were in the 21st Century.
Cosima moved along with Jemma, then did what she could to help set up a shelter. She had far less survival skills in this sort of a setting (but put her on a boat and she knew what to do), so she just followed Jemma’s lead and let her guide the way. She definitely didn’t want to go and accidentally fall off a cliff simply because they couldn’t see it. Waiting for the sun to come up so they could actually see where they were was necessary. Also it would definitely help Cosima in determining when they were.
If she could just get a glimpse of some animal (or a dinosaur!), she’d be better able to tell when they were. And she suddenly wished she had her phone, or a camera at least, to take pictures of the wildlife. Because it would be entirely amazing to have photographic evidence of what some extinct animals actually looked like.
A time period would go a long way in determining the where they were in regards to coast lines and how the continents were formed. For now though? Jemma was focused on shelter.
Once a suitable spot was found, she went to work making a lean to of sorts with sticks and leaves and grass and rocks that she could feel around for. It was risky - in case she startled an angry animal, or a poisonous one, but luck was on their side and the lean to was made without incident and she managed to build a small fire in a rock circle so that they at least had some warmth.
“Who would have thought anything from Maveth would come in use here?”
Now they just needed to wait.
Cosima did her best to keep an eye out, or more an ear out, for anything that might get scent of them and come to investigate. Luckily, for the moment, things seemed to be clear and Cosima didn’t hear anything prowling about the area. Not that that didn’t mean there was nothing there because there could be. Some animals moved silently, but she liked to believe that they were as safe as possible for the time being.
Once the fire was lit, Cosima sat down beside Jemma, linking their arms as she leaned her shoulder into Jemma’s.
“Well, at least some good came from that?” Cosima asked, looking at Jemma. And she could actually see her now with the glow from the fire lighting her face.
With everything finally settled, the lean to made and fire set, Jemma allowed herself to relax slightly. Not completely given the unknowns of the situation. But enough that she wasn’t on high alert as she might otherwise be. Cosima being there helped as Jemma well knew that if she had been alone, there was no way she’d relax even slight. Not even after setting up camp until the sun came up.
“Yes. At least there is that.” She still would have preferred none of that happening was a given, but Jemma could take the positive and acknowledge that she had learned skills that were now coming in use now.
Cosima was a little on edge herself, mostly because not knowing what time period they were in, she didn’t know what potential dangers lurked out there. Was there a volcano nearby that was about to erupt? A supervolcano? Dinosaurs? Sabre toothed-tigers? Lions? Other assortments of carnivores? It was impossible to tell at this moment. But she wasn’t going to let either of them get too enveloped in the worries and anxiety of what was actually out there.
She now completely understood why humans had a fear of the dark.
“I kind of feel like we should tell stories. I mean, we’ve got a campfire and all, might as well do something fun, right?”
There were a lot of things which would need to be taken under consideration, the types of threats they might potentially be facing. Especially as Jemma really wasn’t all that familiar with the ecological history of California. She knew her basics of course, but it wasn’t a specialized field for her or anything. She just knew how to end up surviving.
“What sort of stories do you have in mind?”
Because Jemma could go along with that idea. She just needed an idea on where to start. So if Cosima wanted stories? She could do that.
Unlike other people who might tell horror stories or such things around a campfire, Cosima had a very different angle on it. After all, there were more exciting stories that could be told than horror stories. Besides, horror wouldn’t be the ideal genre out here. Not knowing their surroundings would only spook them further, and that was definitely not what Cosima was going for.
“I’m thinking a time traveling scientist. Something like H.G. Wells might be proud of, you know before he stopped writing science fiction. Maybe The Time Machine meets The Island of Doctor Moreau only with more adventure?”
Somehow she thought Jemma might get on board with a science-related tale as opposed to just general story. It would at least keep them both interested.
“Did you know HG Wells is here? Only he is actually a she, Helena.” Because of course Jemma would bring that up. It was just one of those strange Orange County situations. That and she wasn’t sure if Cosima had spoken to the woman or not.
“But right. Stories. I think that could be a good one to tell.”
Because obviously horror stories were not the best option right now. Too many unknown specifics in their situation would make a horror story the wrong choice right now. They were tenses enough as it were. No need to add to it.
“Wait, seriously?? I didn’t know H.G. Wells was here! And she’s a woman? Holy shit.” Consider Cosima’s mind blown. “That...is actually really awesome. You’ve spoken to her? I bet she’s like way cooler than Herbert was. Helena is a way better name, anyway.” Cosima was definitely an H.G. Wells fan. Though the fact that she was on something reminiscent of the Island of Doctor Moreau in her dreams was unsettling, but that was besides the fact.
Cosima grinned a bit. “Awesome. What shall we name our scientist protagonist? She’s a woman, of course.” Because really now. More women in science please.
They definitely didn’t need to be more tense than they already were. Cosima was doing her best to calm down, but she was a little tense. She did kind of expect some sort of animal or predator to leap out at them at any moment.
“A few times. But I agree, Helena is definitely a better name.” Seeing Cosima so excited by that fact through the firelight was definitely heartwarming and Jemma just smiled some to herself. It was a bit unsettling that they were in some sort of Island of Doctor Moreau tableau was in and of itself peculiar. But she didn’t let that bother her too much.
As for a name for their protagonist, that was certainly the question.
“Well obviously. I mean, we could always go historical and use Hedy Lamarr, though she was more an inventor.”
“That’s totally awesome,” Cosima said, a grin on her face. “I kind of love that in some parallel universe, H.G. Wells is a woman.” Too bad Cosima wasn’t a theoretical physicist, she’d have a field day analyzing that one fact alone. Still, it was enough that H.G. Wells was in Orange County and she was a dreamer.
“Hedy Lamarr totally works. Maybe an invention of hers is what sends her back in time.” It was a little easier to take that path than figuring out a relatively believable science experiment gone wrong for knocking someone into the past.
At least, that was without using the Wizard of Oz explanation of ‘it was just a dream’ which Cosima kind of wanted to avoid. Because it being a dream would just defeat the purpose, really.
“It is quite fascinating, I must confess.” While she’d had her two versions of the dreams, from a theoretical level, it really was fascinating the alternate versions of people and situations. Not so much in living it. But theoretically it was.
“Oh, like Doctor Who. Something always goes wrong and they end up where they’re needed. So it could be a situation like that.” With a basic premise laid out, next came the actual coming up with a story, trading ideas back and forth. With minimal getting distracted to discuss the scientific ramifications or possibilities as the point was just to pass time.
And finally there seemed to be light on the horizon, just as the fire died out. Well. That was good timing.
“We should get a move on.” Most predators tended to hunt in the early hours and at twilight. So getting away from their camp for now and exploring now that they could see more easily.
Perhaps one day they’d have a physicist or theoretical physicist on staff at the Agency that they could sit and debate things with. Physics wasn’t Cosima’s strong point in science, but she knew enough to be able to hold her own in a debate.
“Yes, exactly like Doctor Who!” Cosima agreed. The story that they crafted definitely helped pass the time. And when dawn finally broke, Cosima felt herself relax a bit. At least in the light of day they could see their surroundings.
“Definitely.” Cosima got to her feet stretching a bit. She adjusted her glasses, and waited for Jemma before taking her hand and started moving east. Cosima figured heading towards the rising sun was a good plan.
Though it wasn’t overly long before she stopped as a plant caught her eye. She frowned a bit, moving closer to it. “The hell?” Cosima didn’t touch it. “Okay, my knowledge of plants is limited, but I’m pretty sure this plant is extinct. I need to see some of the fauna around here to make a better judge of when we are. But from what I can see of the landscape? We’re definitely in the distant past.”
Keeping track of one another was certainly a good thing. Even with the sun out and Cosima less likely to lose her glasses, sticking together was good. Besides, even if she wasn’t like Fitz and thinking the cosmos were out to get them…. She had been separated from him by force far too many times in the dreams for her to want to risk that with her fiancee.
“That would make sense…” Given the way everything felt, the air quality, the lack of human contact. No sounds overhead as if a plane even if they’d been taken to some remote desert given California.
But speaking of fauna? Noticing something, Jemma tugged Cosima’s hand slightly to catch her attention. It was close enough to get an idea without being close enough to be immediately dangerous.
“Isn’t that…..”
Not losing her glasses was definitely a positive. Cosima really didn’t want to lose her glasses or accidentally break them while here. That would almost certainly spell her doom if she had to hold onto Jemma and rely on her for basically everything.
Cosima was distracted by the flora, inwardly wishing she’d paid a little more attention to botany, at least when it related to evolution and pinpointing different eras. However, when she felt the tug on her hand, Cosima looked over at Jemma, then followed her line of sight. And that’s when she saw it.
“Holy shit…” She breathed. Cosima could only stare at the animal. “That is definitely a saber toothed cat.” She kept her voice low as she studied the cat a bit more, ensuring to remain still and not attract its attention. “It’s definitely a Smilodon, and those didn’t die out until the end of the last ice age, and they first appeared as they are forty-two million years ago. So this is the age of the mammals. Ohmygod what if there are mammoths around here, too? Or mastodons?”
This right here was like a dream come true for Cosima. She totally looked like she was a kid in a candy store. But she at least knew not to try and take any animal back with her to keep as a pet. There were a series of books and movies about how bad it could be to bring back prehistoric animals.
Seeing Cosima’s reaction was rather adorable and Jemma smiled some. Okay, so it was rather fascinating and they now had a time as to when they were. But the biochemist was more than happy that Cosima got to see this and just revel in it. They would still need to be careful but at least it wasn’t some horrible situation where they were running for their lives.
“I don’t know what were local to the area, but it wouldn’t surprise me.. Why don’t we continue to explore, hmm?”
Might as do so while they were here and had the ability to do so. And it would pass the time.
Zoos and museums back home had nothing on this. For one, they didn’t always know exactly what these animals really looked like. And for another, these animals were alive and moving here. This was a once in a lifetime experience.
Unless someone invented a time machine.
“There’s actually several different species native to the area. Not all of them would try to make us their next meal. But I agree, let’s explore and see what’s here.” Cosima grinned widely and warmly at Jemma. She was probably more than a little too excited about this, but it wasn’t just the scientist in her talking, it was also the child in her.