Lt Alex Storm - Moving Day?
Karen Morris
(( City Center, Callis I ))
A smile played around the lips of the tactical officer as the creaking of metal on metal drew her attention from around the corner. As she rounded the edge where the city center met one of the spokes of the wheel, she caught a glimpse of a sign.
At least by the pictures beside the illegible scrawl, Alex guessed - and hoped - it was a store of some kind. The two-story building was a strange mix of protective and inviting. While downstairs bars shielded the windows, upstairs hung faded curtains. One set was pulled tightly shut, but the other set looked as if it had been thrown open to let the sunshine in. A large chimney extended above both of the stories at the far end of the building. Alex could almost hear a fire crackling happily in the hearth and smell the faint odor of smoke. She let out a soft sigh.
There was, however, one thing standing between her and the possibility of a fire in a fireplace. A door. She lowered her shoulder against it. That in itself wasn’t overly painful, as she wasn’t straining her back. But pushing on it sideways only moved it an inch or so.
Storm: The door isn’t cooperating, but I don’t think it’s locked. Either it has something behind it bracing it, or the hinges are so worn that they don’t want to budge.
The bird she had seen earlier alighted on top of the sign and let out a screech at them. Alex’s eyes narrowed at it. Could she get to it before it flew away? But her split-second hesitation was a split second too long. The bird took off and climbed into a spiral high above.
MacKenzie: Probably sizing up whether or not we're edible…
Mackenzie wiggled her eyebrows playfully at Storm, and a chuckle escaped Alex’s mouth as she shook her head.
Storm: I was wondering the same thing about it. We will need protein at some point.
Pointing to the door, MacKenzie said…
MacKenzie: Here, let me give it a try.
Alex stepped back. Her first attempt was exactly like Alex’s - a sideways push at the door. And like Alex, it moved an inch or two. But then she repositioned herself with both palms on the door, one leg bent and the other braced to push. This time, the door gave about eight to ten inches - enough for both of the women to shimmy through the opening.
MacKenzie: ::gesturing toward the door:: Open sesame.
A thought intruded before she scooted through the door. ‘You’re stronger than you look, Captain.’ She almost said it. Almost. And while there were no airlocks on the planet, there were other - just as effective - and more terrifying ways that her life could be brought to an abrupt end. Instead, she opted for…
Storm: Let’s see what we can find inside.
The space between the door and its frame was enough for Alex to squeeze through, but not enough for her to squeeze through without her back being pressed against the frame. She closed her eyes, set her jaw, and pushed herself through in one fluid motion. With MacKenzie behind her, at least the Captain couldn’t see the Tactical Officer’s face squeezed together before she took in a steadying breath.
Once she was able to breathe through the pain, it was then that the smell hit her like a wave of heat from a sauna’s open door, worming its way into the uniform already awash of smoke, body odor, and caked-on dirt. But the pungent tang of musty odors wasn’t all that the building held. The room was lined with shelves. There were also tables with goods still laid out.
MacKenzie: Anything catch your eye? We don't have to take everything in the first go, but we should be careful about our time. We can always come back tomorrow with the others.
There was so much to take in all at once. Alex saw candles, something that reminded her of a flint and steel from survival classes she had taken. Moth-eaten fabric lay next to sewing notions - including needles, fasteners, thread, and buttons. A section of one wall was lined with various tools from knives to a couple of machetes, two sythes, several hammers, tools that fastened items together, and grasping tools.
Storm: Anything? Everything! This place is a treasure trove! There’s so much here that we can use - candles, flint to light fires, tools, sewing items, knives, machetes. The words “kid,” and “candy store” come to mind.
MacKenzie: Response
Another area had two sections of barrels. Moving over to them, Alex spotted a cork on the top end of one. Using her knife, she pried as much of it out as she could, but mostly, it disintegrated inward. Putting her nose down near the aperture, she laughed and raised her head again.
Storm: Captain. Come get a whiff of this!
MacKenzie: Response
Storm: It smells like alcohol…maybe gin or rum. Even if we only take a few things, how do you choose? We will only have time for one - maybe two trips, max.
But before another word escaped her mouth, it curled into a huge smile, and she turned around, meeting MacKenzie’s eyes.
Storm: I … have a brilliant thought!
Holding up a finger, Alex’s eyes searched the room for something in particular. Off the main room, there were two doors - one on each end. Alex dropped her finger and made for the door opposite the chimney. It must have been their store room. In that room were larger implements - what looked like a plow, harnesses, a strange-looking and immense … was it a saddle? Besides all of that, there were probably twenty or more crates. But that wasn’t what Alex was looking for. Pulling her attention from the items, she found the stairs. Keeping her back as straight as possible, she mounted the stairs. She was greeted by a hallway that opened at the other end. There were four doors, two on each side of the passage. Her step took on a bounce, and her movements sped up. She opened each of the doors and glanced inside before making her way to the end of the hallway - to an open living room, kitchen combination. From her position, she called to MacKenzie …
Storm: Captain, there are beds, chairs, a desk, and a type of kitchen up here. The upstairs was their living quarters, and the downstairs was their store. What if we moved in here? It’s certainly more liveable than that … monastery.
MacKenzie: Response
~*~
Tags / TBC!
~*~
Lt Alex Storm
Tactical Officer
USS Artemis
O240103SK2