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Tweak says, "Poor Queequeg."

Kimberly Corman hearts nerds (cheatingdeath) wrote in vas_captio_rpg,
@ 2009-10-26 21:45:00

Entry tags:

!active, connor temple, day 28, kimberly corman, selene

Day Twenty Eight - Experiment
Who: Kimberly Corman, Selene, and Connor Temple
What: Experiment of watery proportions
Where: Water tanks
When: Day 28.
Rating: R at least.
Status: Active

While the previous day had been emotionally trying, the night hadn't been so bad for Kimberly. Connor had finally come into the Safe Room and after a long but not terribly uncomfortable silence, had answered all her questions about Vas Captio to what Kimbery could only assume was his best knowledge. He'd sounded honest and forthright; that would have to do for Kimberly, she'd supposed.

She'd slept reasonably well. Would've been exponentially better if she'd been in a bed, rather than on a dingy wooden floor, but it hadn't been terribly cold and even if it had been, Connor had been lying close enough that some of his body heat had radiated her way; it'd have been easy enough to roll over and snuggle up to him had she gotten cold and somehow, Kimberly didn't think he'd mind it, even if sometimes she couldn't get a read on the guy at all when it came to her.

So, when she woke up groggy and in a completely different position, suddenly feeling claustrophobic and not entirely knowing why, it was a bit of a shock to the system. Her feet were wet and the wetness seemed to be slowly rising up around her ankles. That was when Kimberly opened her eyes and her breath caught in her throat. She felt claustrophobic because she seemed to be in a tiny glass cage. When she looked down, she could see the water she was standing in and when she looked up, a slow and steady stream slipping down the side of the tank - shit, that's what it was; a tank - as well as a couple of levers on the side opposite the pane of glass down which the water was flowing.

When she looked over her shoulder there was little worth noticing outside, nor was there anything off to the left. In front of her, in the moonlight - which was weird in and of itself; it hadn't been that light before she'd gone to sleep had it? - a shadow of what looked to be a person. And, to her horror, when she looked to the right, was Connor in an identical tank, still passed out and leaning against the glass. "Connor," she called in a tremulous voice as she reached up to pull the lever on the right. There didn't seem to be levers in his tank, so she could only assume that the lever on the right was to shut off his water and the lever on the left, hers. She tried not to think about the glass ceiling.

Although, Kimberly had misjudged and when she pulled the lever on the right, the water seemed to stop dribbling down the wall in her tank and started gushing into Connor's splashing about angrily against both Connor himself and the glass walls surrounding him. Panicked, Kimberly pulled the one on the left, which knocked the one on the right upward and into its off position again. The water slowed to a dull dribble in Connor's tank and started to flow heavily into hers.

"Oh, God...what do I do...? Okay, Kimmy..." she told herself carefully, switching the levers back and forth. "Buy some time." She looked to Connor with raised eyebrows and banged on the glass of her tank with her free hand. "Hey! Connor!" He was the brains; he'd know what to do to turn it off. Right?

Note: Godmoding of Connor with permission from his mun

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bulletsandblood
2009-10-28 10:21 am UTC (link)

The prior day had gone by quickly, despite the vampire's lack of free will. Rather than having to keep people away from the very occupied cage in the carnival most of her time had been spent lingering off to the side, almost out of the way, motionlessly observing those trapped inside the cage. It was almost boring, despite occasional efforts made to engage her attention. After a bit, the vampire had more or less zoned out, trapped in her own mind and spending most of her energy trying to figure out a way past that, rather than on the situation around her. If no one was trying to get in or out of the cage, there was no need for her to pay it any more mind than necessary. The Management could force her to stay there but they couldn't force every ounce of her mind to do their bidding.

When the next day came, there was far more of her 'awake'. The sight of the sun disappearing and a full moon moving to take its place had deep-seeded instincts tugging at her mind and body. Remus. She needed to find the boy. Had he been put in a cage? Surely it wouldn't hold him. Not if he was as strong as the lycans she knew. But the vampire couldn't make herself leave the carnival. Her body shook slightly once or twice, fingers twitching with the effort she put into trying to move of her own accord, but to no avail.

Not until something like a whisper on the wind tickled her mind and her body turned, moving swiftly away from the cage. There was somewhere else for her to be. Other people for her to watch. But why, and where? The vampire raged inside, finally feeling the anger that the others seemed to have toward those in charge. Making her inexplicably blind that first day, that had gotten under her skin. But this? Controlling her somehow? Furious didn't begin to touch on it. It was one thing for her to be led astray by her sire and arguably brainwashed to believe only what Viktor had wanted her to believe; it was something else entirely for another entity to actually control her.

Her feet eventually took her to a pair of... tanks? out in the open. Selene wasn't sure if she had seen anything quite like it before. Once they were within view her body stopped rather robotically, as if someone wanted to remind her they could make her do whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted, and she scowled. So, what then? She was supposed to stay here and make sure no one interrupted whatever was going to happen? Or perhaps she was there to make sure those trapped in the tanks didn't get out, as her sharp eyes took in the two people -- a man and a woman -- trapped behind the glass. No, not just two people. She recognized the man. They'd run into each other one of those dark days filled with zombies. Was that why those in charge sent her here? Because she was familiar with one of the people? The constant feel of the moonlight on her made her wonder, though. Perhaps they simply wanted to keep her away from wherever they were holding Remus. Whatever the reasoning, she didn't like it.

As the woman yelled at her, trying to call her to action, Selene blinked and dispassionately looked her way. Even without Management influence, what reason was there for the vampire to offer help? 'You could rule them.' the written words echoed in her head not for the first time since they had been posed to her. What reason did she have for caring at all about anyone trapped in this place, really? It was the familiar voice yelling at her that caused a small spark, for recognition to show in her otherwise almost blank brown eyes. Selene tilted her head slightly as she regarded the glass; as strong and as healthy as she felt, surely there was no way she couldn't break it. And why not? These two didn't deserve to die, and certainly not one of the rare few in this place that had shown kindness to her.

She managed a few steps, bringing her within better view of the two of them, before her body stopped responding to her and she found herself standing frozen in place again. That whisper-voice wound through her mind, reiterating that she wasn't to interfere. Couldn't interfere. All she could do was stand there and watch.

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cheatingdeath
2009-10-29 01:38 am UTC (link)

As the shadow outside the tanks approached, Kimberly noticed that it was a woman - in leather no less; shit, Shaina would've have a field day with that - but that she was looking back at the two of them with disinterest. Was she one of the people who had put them all in here? Had she put Kimberly and Connor in the tanks? "Please help," she begged pathetically, slamming one fist against the glass only to pull her hand away and shake it, wincing from the sting of the force she'd used.

Connor's voice caught her attention again and she looked back at him. "I could make it half and half, but what the hell good would that do if it doesn't stop? Someone has to die, Connor, unless the glass breaks or she lets us out. I'm already on the List, just let it be me," she tried to reason with him. "And even if they wouldn't...Death would," she added. The luck of the draw would have Connor's glass breaking and Kimberly's freakishly strong. Even if she wanted to fight it more, there was no point. She'd been cheating Death for too long and Death didn't fuck around when it came to collecting. Circumstances lined up perfectly. Every time. This would likely be no exception. ...except, she hadn't had a vision. That was the only ray of hope she could cling to.

She could feel the water rising from her ankles to her knees and there was more and more coming. The same sort of mix of dull resignation, determination, and panic settled in Kimberly's stomach as did the feeling when she'd been in the ambulance after she'd driven it into the lake. Tears welled in her eyes when she thought about it. The feeling of bubbles forming in her nostrils, trying to block out the water. The burning sensation of her lungs when she refused to fill them with water and, thus, deprived them of oxygen. Kimberly remembered the way she'd gotten lightheaded and her eyelids had felt like they'd weighed a million pounds. Remembering the look on Thomas's face as he beat on the window with the butt of his gun, trying to break it and pull her out before everything had gone black made Kimberly's heart ache. Connor would be making that face and he wouldn't even be able to try to help... The tears started to roll lazily down her cheeks and she raised a hand to her forehead. Drowning had been a horrible way to go; slow and agonizing and now...she was going to have to do it again. "Connor, thank you for everything," she said, unable to look back at him. "For the tour and the Safe Room and for looking out for me. I don't and won't hold this against you, okay, so don't hold it against yourself."

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leconnortemple
2009-11-04 02:49 am UTC (link)

He no longer cared if he looked less than masculine. Desperation was clinging to Connor's very being. Did he look as terrified as he felt? He didn't care anymore. It had only been a few days, but he already considered Kimberly something special. Something he wanted desperately to hang on to. And there was nothing he could do. He'd told her he wouldn't interfere if something happened and he was about to lose her. But this? This wasn't fair! This wasn't Death coming after her, this was the idiots running the place intentionally killing one of them. Forcing her to either take his life or her own. And Kimberly, beautiful, witty, in-your-face Kimberly, was going to make that sacrifice.

He recognized the woman outside of the tank. The leather and vinyl clad Selene, the woman he'd run into who'd teased him about trying to fight off zombies with sticks and rocks. She'd seemed so nice... "Selene!" he screamed, making a last ditch effort to get through to her. Some part of her had to know who they were, who she was. She wasn't this person, she couldn't just stand there and watch two helpless people fight for life. Right? "Please! Please, she's going to die, don't you see that?" No longer feeling the pain in his fists, he continued to pound on the glass. If he couldn't break through whatever had a hold of her, maybe he could at least break through that glass.

Though he knew it wasn't working, Connor didn't give up. If Kimberly died, it wouldn't be thinking he didn't care enough to at least try. He'd been an idiot to even attempt to deny there was something there. Some spark of something. And now? Now he'd never be able to act on it, to find out what it might actually be. Damn him. Damn the people running this place but damn him, too. "Kimmy, no...don't, you're...you'll be fine...it's going to...they wouldn't. They won't let you. Not here. They just...they just want to know what you'll do...please..." No, he wasn't coherent anymore, and he didn't care. They couldn't just let her die. A good scientist wouldn't waste a good subject. Would they?

Christ, he was actually tearing up. Well, manly intentions be damned. He was watching death happen. And not to just any one of the residents he lived near. The woman he'd worked his arse off to take care of and protect.

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cheatingdeath
2009-11-13 02:49 am UTC (link)

Kimberly looked over at Connor as he shouted back at the other woman. He knew her name. Connor knew her name and that meant that he'd at least met her. So maybe, just maybe, she'd have some sort of familiar response to him upon hearing her name and bothering to look at him. It broke her heart to see her friend slamming his fists against the glass the way he'd been trying to get her not to only a few minutes ago.

The water was pooling high on her thighs and Kimberly's chin was quivering as she watched him. For a moment, she was unable to make herself say anything, but then he addressed her. Connor wanted her to somehow stop it. The only way she could stop the drowning was to push it onto him and that was something Kimberly was completely unwilling to do. "You really don't think they would?" she asked him, doubt having long since crept into her voice. It was clear on her tear-stricken face that she thought he was saying it out of panic and nothing more. The way he was tumbling over his tongue to speak to her only set her thought in stone.

Pressing her hands up against the glass, Kimberly looked back at her friend and felt her chest constrict as she caught the glassy look in his eyes. He was tearing up, too, and Kimberly's throat seemed to close as her own tears seemed to renew themselves. "Connor, we both knew it was only a matter of time, right?" she tried gently, sniffling in spite of herself. "For what it's worth, I really liked you," she added with a ghost of a smile. "And you were great. You really were. You put that Safe Room together like a pro and you made me feel like maybe I'd lost the bullseye on my back for a minute."

She wanted to keep talking. She wanted to ask him to please not cry, because the water was rising higher and higher and it was coming faster now, grazing her stomach. Kimberly was already scared and upset and Connor crying would only serve to make her completely fall apart when what she needed most at that moment was to be strong for him. She'd been down this road before. Kimberly had already drown once; she could do it again. The only difference was that this time, she'd really die. Connor wouldn't be able to smash the glass between them and get her out and drag her to the hospital less than a football field's length away like Thomas had been able to. This time, it was real.

Taking a deep breath, Kimberly's fingertips slid down the glass and she rested her forehead against it instead. "You did good," she said quietly, the sound reverberating against the glass and reminding her just how closed in she was. At that thought, her chest constricted again. "Now let me return the favor."

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leconnortemple
2009-11-17 02:55 am UTC (link)

He knew she didn't want him to watch. To be honest, he didn't really want to watch. Seeing life leave someone was just a painful thing to do. More than once now he'd watched people suffer. Watched them take their last breaths. And now he had to do it all over again.

He wouldn't turn away, though. Connor had promised to stay with Kimberly right to the very end. And he wouldn't let her down, not even when things were so dark and so horrifying that all he wanted to do was close his eyes and make it go away.

"I'm sorry." He wasn't shouting anymore. Pointless to even bother doing so, wasn't it? The words were barely even spoken out loud. He merely mouthed them. She'd know. Of course she'd know. How could he be anything but sorry? He'd tried so hard to protect her. All the work they'd done trying to keep her safe and she was going to be taken by the one thing he had no control over: their captors.

He took several long, slow breaths, knowing it wouldn't be much longer before she couldn't. "I'm so sorry," he said quietly, hoping she'd be able to at least understand him over the rush of water and the fear and panic in her own heart. He knew because he was experiencing the same. Only his panic would last long after she'd been fully submerged and drawn her final breath. "I'm so, so sorry. I wish... You're amazing, Kimmy. I hope you know that." If it was going to be last thing she was able to hear, he wanted her to know it.

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cheatingdeath
2009-11-17 11:45 pm UTC (link)

There wasn't much to do other than wait. Looking back at Connor hurt, thinking about all the hard work he'd done to try and keep her safe and knowing that it was all about to completely unravel through no fault of his own hurt even more. So, as the water soaked her shirt, moving up toward her chest, Kimberly closed her eyes and shook her head before opening them again and looking him in the eye. If he was going to brave watching her die, the least she could do was give him a reason to; she could keep eye contact and communicate silently. "Don't be," she mouthed back with a weak smile that didn't reach her eyes. "Thank you. And you were a hero, Connor. I hope you know that," she said aloud.

As terrified as Kimberly was, there was still a strange sort of peace beginning to settle over her. The higher the water rose, the more she was ready to give up. Death had played a mighty cat and mouse game with Kimberly for months and now it was about to win. She couldn't complain, really. While a pretty decent chunk of her life after the pile-up had been too scary to enjoy, things had gone well for a while after she'd been brought back to life after drowning the first time. Things had been calm. Cool. Relaxed. When the barbeque incident had gone down, things had been crazy again and now? Kimberly was ready for the calm again. She'd done her best, lived as good and full a life as she could have and she'd met some fantastic people in her twenty some years. Kimberly would be able to rest, she thought, in peace. With her Shaina; with her friends. With her mother.

The waiting was the hardest part, she thought. Moving her eyes away from Connor's face, Kimberly looked back up at the levers. Then, she pulled on her lever again, setting it into full on position. The water gushed over her head and Kimberly took a breath as it pooled around her neck, rushing upward much faster toward her chin. Her hand went to the glass again and she looked back at Connor. "I'm going now. Thanks for everything," she told him, cool as a cucumber in spite of the way her heart was thumping in her chest.

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leconnortemple
2009-11-22 05:54 pm UTC (link)

There had to be some other way. Some way to stop what was happening to her. He couldn't just stand there and let it happen, his feet damp but the rest of him all but dry. Why couldn't she just divert the water into his tank? He'd be okay for a while. Wouldn't he? Dammit. They'd done this on purpose. Forced her to choose her life or his, and damn her for being so selfless and so ready to end the cycle that had haunted her. He'd lost plenty already, he was ready to go. If he never made it back to Abby and Jenny, it wouldn't be that big of a surprise. As it stood, being in this cold and frightening place, he wasn't sure he'd make it back anyway. What kind of people would have the ability to lock him away with someone he knew to be dead anyway? Surely those same people weren't going to let him go back home. Their team was too close to cracking too many codes. He'd find them and punish them, they knew that, they wouldn't let him free.

But it was too late to convey that to Kimberly. He'd lost his chance. He was going to lose her and be miserable yet again. And all he could do was watch. The water would cover her completely soon, as she'd gone and moved the lever to full speed ahead. He couldn't even laugh at his own geeky reference. He leaned full on the glass, resting his forehead against it while watching the girl he'd done so much for without ever truly knowing her. And now he'd never get to.

His hand reached up, touching the glass. If they'd been side by side, their hands would've been mirroring each other, touching if the glass weren't in their way. But if she was going to die, she was going to do so knowing Connor cared. Nothing would feel worse than dying alone in this hell hole they'd all wound up in. "This isn't fair," he whispered, more to himself than it ever would be to her. Kimberly knew things weren't fair. Kimberly had watched death steal everyone she cared about. "I'm sorry, Kimmy. I should've done more. I should've stopped them."

Meeting her eyes, he stared at her directly for a long moment before closing his own. "You're so beautiful, Kimberly. So perfect. I hope you know that. I won't ever forget you." And he meant that. She'd given him a chance with no real reason to. Without having to. But she had. And it had meant the world to him. And now he was going to lose her.

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cheatingdeath
2009-11-23 10:20 pm UTC (link)

Everything that Connor was saying was making it harder for Kimberly to keep her cool. He was somehow managing to blame himself for this, although he was right beside her in a tank of his own. Surely he had to know that she understood there was nothing he could do. It wasn't as though he'd failed her; Kimberly knew if he'd been able to stop it, he would have. She didn't have time to reply to him before she had to tip her head back just to take a deep breath. It would be her last and she was going to make it count.

Kimberly pursed her lips together, trying to force a smile for Connor's benefit so that he'd know she appreciated the sentiment. Her fingertips tapped on the glass and she nodded. She wouldn't forget him, either. Just as he'd finished speaking, or so it seemed since his mouth had stopped moving, the water flowed up over her ears and Kimberly was submerged completely. Her feet lifted just slightly off the ground for the lack of regular gravity and her hair moved fluidly of its own accord around her face. As much as the water stung her eyes, Kimberly kept them open, taking in Connor's face and hair and clothes - everything that she could, because she'd never get to see him again and if he was the last thing Kimberly was going to see before she really and truly died, she was going to make sure she seared it all into memory. Kimberly had to make herself think that there was an Other Side, because if this was it and this was the end of everything, then what the hell was life worth living for?

Bubbles rose from her nostrils, tickling her cheeks as they went, and Kimberly could feel the burn in her chest. It wasn't going to be long, now. Already, she was feeling light-headed and her lungs were screaming for oxygen. With a great blubbering sound, Kimberly finally let out the last of her air, unable to continue to hold her breath and she closed her eyes. A moment later, everything was still and silent and Kimberly's hand fell away from the glass. It was over.

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