Reboot Complete

[universal_charm]

[ Taking your first conscious lungful of air after what seems forever is an entirely all to painful experience. Not surreal. Not relieving. Painful. His brain felt like it had been jolted by a car battery and his throat couldn’t decide if it wanted to close up or open so he could exhale and take in another breath.

Finally, that primal part of his brain, the part that worked to keep him alive when he wasn't paying attention, said stop being stupid and he took his second breath. Third. Fourth. Fifth. They kept coming, the pain easing at the same time that his vision went from blurry blobs to fuzzy shapes and finally to something resembling… trees? 

Trees? He was in the woods?

He was dead and all he got was being shoved into some forest - albeit one for dead people? He was a hero! He seriously needed to go haunt somebody and let them know that dying sucked, there were no pearly gates, and he demanded an immediate refund.

That was when the rest of his body decided it needed to make its immediate aches and pains fully noted. Everything hurt, aching in a bone deep way that said he needed to both move and that he needed to sleep for another week. He couldn’t particularly decide which, so instead he chose to lay there, debating if the pain meant he was not, in fact, dead.

But… he had to be, didn’t he? The radiation he had absorbed when he kicked the reactor back into place should have killed him, and he had… Spock had been there, and he had… 

He gulped, pushing the memory away, shifting to try and get his arm under him, his wings fluttering lightly as if - 

Wait. Wings? WINGS?!

His head jerked around, for a moment making him see white stars and he stared in absolute horror at the canary yellow and black edged wings that peeked from behind his back, disturbingly bright on a dead man. Well, he thought he was dead… But he had only ever been to one place where he had sported wings, and angel wings were white (right?). So... was this... was this Luceti? Was he being punished by being sent to the hell version of Luceti, the place he thought he had somehow managed to escape (but never find again despite his efforts - and, in fairness, he had been a bit distracted). Or worse- this was real. He was alive, and he was back in Luceti. 

And in a hospital gown. Awesome. 

To weak to move himself much more, he collapsed back down, sweating for his effort and he wondered if he would stink of radiation now… did radiation have a scent? He guessed he’d find out. His eyes drifted, coming back from the pain induced haze they’d glazed through, dropping on the journal. Of course it was right beside him, like a faithful dog that didn’t know when it wasn’t wanted.

Well, this time he actually needed it. He reached out, bringing it closer, that effort alone making his head spin as he worked it open to speak - ]

Hey everyone. You miss me?

[ Of course, that's base on the idea there's anyone he knows still here to miss him. Did they remember him, a year and more later? ]

Comments

[stillplaying]

[She knows that there are others who use the forest. Those that come out here to hunt or to get away from the life within the village. And she knows how often newfeathers tend to arrive within the woods. She's no longer surprised when she encounters others out here. A little annoyed, yes, but not surprised.

But when she sees Jim, sees the condition that he's in, she feels an uncomfortable shock eat at her. Katniss hadn't been aware that he had been gone. Has no idea why he might be lying in the woods, dressed as he is. She holds her bow tightly in her hand and her wings flicker a little anxiously.]

Jim?

[What happened to him?]

[universal_charm]

<sub>[ That was Katniss' voice, wasn't it? It was familiar, but foggy, like hearing someone from far, far away. Over the course of a little over a year, the people here, in his memory, had faded some. He remembered her face, though her voice was harder. He had made sure to make not of them in his log, though he kept that privately locked...

He turned his head, face pricked with sweat and he cast her one of his confident grins, though it was marred by pain. ]</sub>

Well, hey there. Guess you're still around.

[stillplaying]

[She frowns at the grin. More so, at the way it's almost a grimace. As if he's struggling through some sort of pain. Injuries that she doesn't remember him having the last time they had seen each other. The forests can be a dangerous place. Any forest can. But he has his journal. It's an easy way to call for help.

There's no reason, no reason at all he should be wandering around in a... hospital ground? They didn't even have hospitals here. Not a proper one, not like what she saw in District 13. Or even in the Capitol.

Slowly, Katniss walks into the clearing. Her eyes never leave his until she crouches not to far from where he sits.]

I haven't gone anywhere.

[universal_charm]

_{[ He watches her, not sure what to make of the cautious way she's approaching him. He supposed it made sense, given he had been gone a year - to his mind. He would be suspicious too, wouldn't he? Given the way he looked, he guessed he would think he was part of a trap too. ]}

Really? Didn't get sent home too, huh? That's... well, I'd say to bad, but don't really know which place you like best.

[stillplaying]

[She shook her head. While she had seen others come and go, Katniss hadn't been sent home since shortly after she had first arrived here. Rick had come with her. And when she had returned, she had thought him family for the week that followed. A shift, more likely than not.

Was Jim suffering from a shift now? A kidnapping of some sort? Or, like Zevran, did he really return home only to come back? Did she really lose someone else she cared about, if only briefly.]

I didn't know you did. [She admits the words awkwardly as she reaches out to touch his cheek.] Are you okay?

[universal_charm]

_{[ Didn't know he had gone home? His brow furrowed, eyes confused and even a bit hurt. ]}

You didn't know? I've been gone over a year!

_{[ He winced at the raised volume of his own voice, at the strain that put on throat and lungs. ]}

[stillplaying]

[A look of hurt flashes in her own eyes. It hasn't been a year. She wants to scream that at him, she wants to push back on to the ground in anger. It's not her fault that she didn't know! Days. She could have sworn she had only seen him days ago!]

Because it hasn't.

[She doesn't mean to raise her voice. Not with the condition that he's in. She needs to take him to the medical center, to find someone who could treat whatever is wrong with him. But it hurts that he thinks she doesn't care. Hurts more than she would expect.]

Do I really look a year older?

[universal_charm]

<sub>[ He swallowed, trying to get a grip on things. It hadn't been a year? But that was a lie. It had been a year, to him. And suddenly, he wasn't sure of anything. he looked down at his hands, felt the aches in his body, and there was no way that that was a lie. None of what he had seen and done had been a lie. His own mind wasn't that twisted, was it?

He looked back at her, now looking lost and afraid. ]</sub>

Maybe you just age really well. A year doesn't sit heavy on most people...

[stillplaying]

[She moves her hand from his cheek to his forehead, trying to get a sense of his temperature. He doesn't look good. He doesn't look good at all. They shouldn't be sitting out here arguing. She should be getting him to the medical center.

What kind of friend, what kind of person would she be if she didn't?

Quietly,] I wouldn't lie to you, Jim.

[universal_charm]

_{[ And he knew she wouldn't. That was the thing of it. She wouldn't. But.. hadn't others done this too? He thought he remembered people coming back - months passing for them when only days had passed here. It was a theory, in some communities, that traveling to far in space resulted in a time fracture. He had never really believed it, but maybe that's what was happening... ]}

Christ... Katniss... it's been a year for me. It's been a whole damn year.

[stillplaying]

[She didn't like seeing him like this. It made her feel uncomfortable and awkward. She shifted to her knees and, very slowly, wrapped her arms around him in a hug.

He was sick and she probably couldn't move him unless he wanted to be moved. And he had been gone a year. Just like Zevran. If Peeta ever returned, how long would it be for him? Would he have any memories of this place, of what they shared?]

[universal_charm]

<sub>[ He wanted to say that he didn't need the hug, that he was stronger than that. But he was alive, and it was more than he had expected. The last he remembered, he had been begging Spock to make him feel no fear in the face of it, had been feeling his organs begin to shut down. You don't think you can feel that, but you can. Or maybe he made it up in his head, but it didn't matter, it had been real to him.

He wrapped his arms around her and the emotions overwhelmed him. He was alive. He was okay. But how? And he was here, in Luceti, he wasn't at home. Was his crew okay? What about Khan? Why was he even here again?

He pressed his face into her shoulder, and despite himself, tears slipped down his cheeks. It was simply to much. ]</sub>

[stillplaying]

[She didn't like seeing him cry. She wasn't good at this part. At comforting anyone that wasn't Prim. It'd be better if he could stay strong. Strong like Zevran had been upon finding himself back here. But Zevran hadn't come in looking like this. This bedraggled, this sick.

Not knowing what else to do, she just tightens her grip around him and holds him close.]

I'm sorry you're back here.

[sand_lost]

[He had gone back to the forest several times, to find the spot he had been left in in hopes for clues, to explore, to think. And it had all been rather uneventful, until the moment of finding a prone man lying in the middle of the forest. A man he actually recognized despite his short time here. He looked far less dressed this time around though.

While the extent of his hospital visits included sneaking in to kill an opponent that had managed to escape death the first time around, he could still recognize the gown. Was Kirk hurt? The lack of bandages seemed to point in the negative, as did the fact that he was hanging out in the middle of the forest, but all the same, he made his way through the trees and toward him.]

What are you doing?

[voice]

[dangerouswind]

Never do. You all right?

[universal_charm]

_{[ He got control of himself quickly, leaning back and wiping at his face, however weakly. ]}

Yeah, well... guess I'm lucky to be alive, so I can't complain, right?

[universal_charm]

_{[ He wasn't sure how he felt about Gaara finding him. He didn't know the other very well - or at all, really, and he was edgy, given that he thought he was supposed to be dead. Some part of Gaara seemed familiar, but no name name came to mind, just a flash of memory, there and gone, to weak to hold onto. ]}

Do I know you?

_{{ Sorry, Gaara. It's been a year since their one conversation - for him at least. ]}

Re: [voice]

[universal_charm]

_{[ He knew this voice. Barely, but he remembered. ]}

Hey... it's ah... Temari, right?

_{[ He's a bit addled at the moment, sorry. Getting your wits together takes longer than expected. ]}

Re: [voice]

[dangerouswind]

Yeah. [Pause. Well, in Luceti, if someone's asking that question, there's only a few possible reasons why.] What happened?

[stillplaying]

[She nodded, unable to keep herself from frowning at the words. Lucky to be alive?

What had happened in those moments prior to his arrival here? Did she ever want to know? Probably not. There were too many other things to worry about. Like whether Jim could make it back to the village.]

Yeah.

[sand_lost]

[Gaara's brow arched at the question. It hadn't been that long since they spoke, but he certainly didn't know the other enough to know just how good of a memory he had. But Gaara's was good enough to recognize that Kirk certainly didn't look like he had the first time. Ill? He really wasn't good with sickness or injuries, having had avoided both for a good portion of his life.]

Very well, I'm Gaara. Temari's brother. And I remember you. [It had taken so long to get a proper introduction last time, he felt it was worth saying it didn't need to happen again.

Now, he'll try again.]

What are you doing?

Re: [voice]

[universal_charm]

Well... I've been gone a year.

_{[ He says it like she should have known. He should have been noted as missing and gone way before now. ]}

[Locked, video]

[complicatedliar]

The days were noticeable less bright in your absence, darling.

I have a little present for you.

[And it's that video. You know the one.]

[ locked, video ]

[universal_charm]

<sub>[ Oh, he wished he did know.

His mouth quirks when he sees Loki in the screen, but it's obvious that Kirk is not 100% and still very confused. Khan's cells were working that was for sure, though he had no idea what was what was inside of him. Even with Khan's cells, though, it was taking time to recover, and he was still weak and looked pale and drawn. ]</sub>

Really? Sweet of you. A whole year and you keep a gift for me all that time?

_{{ Joking was easier than addressing the real issue here. ]}

Re: [ locked, video ]

[complicatedliar]

It hasn't been a year for us, I'm afraid. A week or two alone.