As it turned out, I got two drabbles done over all of yesterday and a bit of today. I did work a little in the car, but we were driving through Pennsylvania and there were a lot of cool things to look at, so I didn't start seriously working in the evening.
I did (finally) get to jam the Daxton Twins in, though, which I am pleased about.
Please meet Gage and Teagan Daxton, also perhaps-not-so-willing participants of the Dyad Program.
They're kind of awesome. And older than they look, I think, but details.
Drabble Challenge: Day 25 - winter
Word Count: 1,539 Minimum Goal: 1,500
Jandy had forgotten what time of year it was until she was escorted to a briefing room one morning that overlooked a paved courtyard. A light dusting of snow covered the ground and dusted the surrounding buildings, with the overhead sky shaded gray with winter clouds.
Looking out on the stark and almost harsh scene, she realized she missed her little corner of the world back at home. Japan hadn’t been her native land, but after spending the majority of her life there, it was the closest thing she had to a mother country. And she liked it that way.
She forgot, again, that she had someone listening in on her thoughts and emotions until there was a faint feeling of question at the back of her thoughts. In answer, she focused on the sensation of being surrounded by people and buildings, the warmth of her old haunt where she’d drown the pain she couldn’t remember the source of. The emptiness of her apartment that was probably long since ransacked and repopulated.
Thus far, that had been how they communicated. Impressions, emotions, sensations, but no words as of yet. Sometimes, Jandy felt like she could hear things from his end of the connection. Pieces of conversations when around her was silence, the clink of silverware when she wasn’t eating, splashing water while she was in bed… It’d taken time to adjust and to get her skin to stop crawling every time it happened, and now Jandy found the background noise soothing.
Taking a seat in one of the handful of chairs, Jandy rolled across the floor to be near the window, propping her feet up on the low windowsill. You should really see this, Soldier Boy. Despite the whole prison look, the snow makes things a bit less… oppressive. Like a big, mean dog with a bow tie.
Bemusement drifted through her. She couldn’t help her eye-roll and sank lower in her chair, relaxing into the leather, feeling at ease for the first time since she’d arrived here. The soldiers who had escorted here had stepped out into the hall, so the room was empty.
It’d been two days since Doctor Hummel had had a free-for-all with her brain and the pain was finally beginning to recede to a dull pounding. If the soldier – Dechlan Scott, she reminded herself – on the other end of this link had been fighting the same effects, he’d been very good at ignoring it. Jandy had gotten scarcely a glimpse of any pain from him over the last forty-eight hours.
Jandy could feel Dechlan Scott’s vague attendance to her thoughts; just a faint notion, but one that she was certain of either way. She was able to do the same to him, if she preferred, but oft times was too busy drifting through her own memories to pay much attention.
There was a click from behind her. Twirling in her seat, the woman watched the opening portal to see who would come through, seeing one of her guards pushing the door open. Warren was the first one through, surprise, surprise.
Jandy arched an eyebrow at him, looking past him as a woman and a man, both about the same height and with blonde-brown hair, followed him into the briefing room. Both pairs of hazel eyes went to her as they entered and they exchanged a look.
Odd. That was either a good look or a bad look. “Welcome to my office,” she drawled in greeting.
The Dyad Program’s overseer wasn’t impressed as he took a seat at the head of the table, his two companions occupying spots side-by-side across from Jandy. They were perfectly serene and that wasn’t even the weird part. They their every movement was made in sync. No lapses or pauses.
Just when she was beginning to think maybe they were in on the whole mental connection thing, the door opened again. Her dark gaze flicked that way and her surprise was mirrored both on the face of the man standing there and in her—his—thoughts.
“You’re—“ Jandy started then stopped, finding she couldn’t think of anything to say. Something tugged at her—a memory, maybe—that she couldn’t pinpoint, sparked by his presence.
He looked like the soldier she’d been imagining since two days ago. Short cropped, brown hair, tall with an upright form, and a direct gaze. It didn’t take him long to school his features, subduing the display of emotion before he spoke.
“Dechlan Scott.”
Jandy had no idea what to make of her emotions, nor of the guarded vibe she was getting off of him, but she replied, “Jandy Sparks. Nice to actually meet you.”
The soldier watched her a moment longer before moving around to sit down at Warren’s right hand, a seat over to Jandy’s left.
She found herself almost frozen, unable to glance over at him or even produce legible thoughts, because this was really happening. Jane was really gone and she would be spending the rest of her foreseeable future with someone who was currently an absolute stranger privy to her every thought and emotion.
Her fingers curled around the arms of her chair before she pushed to her feet, despite how Warren seemed ready to begin his little powwow. Snow had started to fall again, the wind blowing the flakes about in small flurries.
“2-22, please take your seat.” The overseer said with very little room for anything but compliance in his voice.
Jandy ignored him for the time being, arms crossed tight over her stomach. Dechlan Scott was keeping to himself, which she was thankful for. She’d been able to ignore the fact that he was an actual person, not just a thought in her mind, until now. Now he was real.
Now her sister was really gone. Really and truly.
//
Green eyes boring into hers as he gripped her shoulders tight, keeping her from launching herself at the people in white coats who’d come to take her sister away.
He didn’t say anything but Jandy couldn’t tear herself – or her gaze – away from his.
“Please.”
“I can’t.”
//
Jandy drew in a sharp breath, not sure where the memory had come from, but when she turned, turned to look and see if it was the same man, he was already watching her. As if he’d expected it, or maybe he’d just been able to pick up on the memory as she relived it.
You were there.
Dechlan nodded once, like he’d heard the thought.
Reaching for her seat, the woman sat down a bit heavily, feeling as though she’d been hit by a large projectile. What was Warren’s purpose with this? Why him?
That man, however, had had his patience quota used up for the day and it showed. “If you’re ready to begin, 2-22?” He didn’t wait for her to confirm, continuing anyways as he gestured at the other two members of the meeting. “Gage and Teagan Daxton, designated 2-01 and 2-02. They’ve been part of the Dyad Program since before you and your sister were here.”
Jandy attempted not to snort at the “part of” portion of his introduction, covering with a light cough that everyone seemed to buy—except Dechlan. The tick that appeared for a brief moment in his jaw told that he’d caught the thought and that he was far from annoyed buy it.
Secure in the fact that he wasn’t going to rat her out to Warren—maybe not such a flawless little soldier after all—Jandy nodded at the Daxton’s after the fact.
“You guys are twins?” She asked, curiosity getting the better of her.
“We are,” the female, Teagan, answered. “Got invited to this little rodeo a bit over a year and a half ago. Not a lot of perks, but it’s at least a bit warmer than where we came from.”
Her twin smirked at the not-so-veiled jab at Warren’s project. Jandy wondered briefly how long it’d taken them to build the connection she was seeing. The potential had been there for Jane and her, but that had been before Jane hadn’t been able to take the pressure any longer.
Warren cleared his throat, casting a hard look at the three of them. Dechlan was left out of it, nothing about his ramrod–straight posture and silence offending his boss.
Jandy decided then and there to loosen him up a bit at some point. There was no way she’d be able to survive otherwise. Although, it might not be such a hard job after all, she figured, watching the tick appear again and reaching out with her thoughts to poke him experimentally.
The feeling she got in response no doubt translated to “leave me alone and listen”. It took a fair deal of effort to keep from smiling.
“2-01 and 2-02 are going to be your program guides. They have been ready for field work for some time, but I want them to get the two of you in sync before their first mission.” Warren’s words had a sobering effect on all of them.
Her humor from moments prior dissipated, this piece of news drawing much the same reaction as a bucket of cold water might’ve. Field work?
Not my finest work, but I guess it'll do. Yay for Daxtons! I plan to do more with them in the future, but for now their role is comprised of grudging lackeys for Warren.
I may take a page out of Penny's book and do some prompt combining, just as an FYI. Not a lot, but enough to cut my five remaining drabbles down to three in an attempt to make them slightly more manageable before I have to, you know, start a 50,000 word novel sometime tomorrow.
Speaking of which, I need to finish my outline (still) and figure out the NaNo widget.
Alright, now for the second drabble. See you in two!
Ad astra per aspera.
To the stars, through difficulties.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Questions, comments, critiques?