Life is Strange

[Poludnica]

Cold air burned his lungs as he dashed behind a rocky cover. The planet at the edges of human space was a chilly tundra. It had plain name and no important resources to speak of. Almost no fauna, little vegetation, only a small settlement of mixed species, but dominated by homo sapiens. It wasn't something Jaron Levi cared about now, but three Earth Directorate soldiers. Wars swept through human countries and district like a tide. Despite enormous technology advancement, humans couldn't let go of old borders. It showed how territorial animals they were; that deep down they haven't change one bit. Earth dwellers had been the same ever since their ancestors discovered that you can bash another's skull with a rock. Jaron wasn't an introspective intellectual, he never pondered on that. All he knew was how screwed ED had screwed the Visegrad Group. No war was ever clean, there were monsters on both sides, but it were the victors who wrote the history.

A high penetration bullet whizzed by his head. A chunk of a rock exploded into tiny fragments. Jaron retaliated and pressed the trigger of his Charon rifle. The familiar kick of the weapon was by now barely registered by the veteran. One of the pursuers fell, behind him explosion of crimson mist. There was a reason they called it R.I.P shrapnel bullets after all. Two left. Jamir hid behind the rock once more, knowing well soon there would be nothing left of the cover. They exchanged fire for a while. Two ED goons, but he still had an advantage. His eyes, upgraded with HUD lenses, scanned the area, considerably enchanting aiming ability. Another hit, another bloody mess. Dull resonated in Jamir's left arm, his augmented bones and muscles screaming for painkillers. He pressed the trigger once again, but only a faint click. Jamir realised what had happened. "Motherfucker." The soldier cursed under his breath and cocked the rifle.The heat sink popped with a hissing sound. That was Jamir's las tone. The man discarded the useless weapon and pulled a modernised Glock. Still a good weapon in proper hands.

His enemy noticed what happened and charged. Jamir shot at him but much smaller rounds simply bounced off the thick armour. It was time for good, old hand to hand. The ED was fast, which betrayed inhuman reflexes, only achievable by implants. Another aug…That made things this much worse. He probably had cutting edge enhancements, but nothing beated experience. The enemy already appeared next to him, eager to finish the job. Jamir acted quickly, led by instincts honed for years. With a swift motion he diverted the EDs rifle with a blow to the side of it. The bullet whizzed by his side, biting through flesh. For now Jamir didn't feel pain, the surge of adrenaline dulled it, but it wouldn't last forever.

In return the enemy disarmed him and the pistol fell on the ground. He tried to reach for his own, but Jamir punched him in the face. The man's face mask cracked and the shock sent him stumbling back. That was his opening - Jamir pulled out a combat knife and put him to the EDs throat. Then he hesitated, noticing the man's…not the boy's feature. He looked for barely twenty year old. There was neural hub implanted at the side of his head. That was a heavy modification and Jamir winced, whilst grabbing the other soldier by the collar. "What have you done to yourself, kid?" In combat, there was no room for remorse. The ED would bring more deadly troubles onto his head. Kill or be killed. With a quick, swift motion Jamir sliced the enemy's throat deeply, granting him painless and quick death.

It was done.

Jamir looked around the carnage, before collapsing on the ground. It immediately turned red with seeping blood. The wound was deeper than he initially thought, even if bullet went through cleanly. Jamir crawled to the rock and pressed his back against the cold surface. Now it was up to his body, but the chances for survival were slim. Slowly his conscious faded and knife slipped from a bloodied hand. The body and augmentations shut down most functions to work on healing the wound.

 

[Roose Hurro]

A Wee Bit Chilly...



Yes, Life is indeed Strange, at times. Doesn't matter where in the Universe you go, what needs doing when you get there, how you got there in the first place, or who you meet along the way. Why is always answered with the words: Life is Strange. It's also Wonderful. And at times, Violent. Always asses to kick, somewhere, somehow. Even if some of the who you meet don't have buttocks.

Case in point...?

One lone human male, alive. Three dead bodies, cold. Nasty planet with nasty conditions, check. That one lone survivor, freezing his own buttocks on cold ground. This scene, aftermath of violence. Blood. Death. Cold. One tiny spot on one tiny planet in the immense vastness of the Universe. Very small target. Where something bad happened. What are the chances? How could Life be so... well, in this case, Life, the Universe and Everything seemed determined to add one more to the roster of Death. Only the Who, in this case, ended up something so unexpected, any outside witness would have asked Why... amazed Life could be so strange as to send angels to the rescue. Well, to be truthful, not angels. But for this lone human male, alive, they might as well be. Angels. Or perhaps something less Heavenly, more Saint Bernard than Michael the Archangel.

Heh...

Advents just happen. No plan. No warning. Just... boom, done. All part of traveling by ThreshHold. A risk inherent in the quantum-flux nature of Hammerspace. Toons not only able to pull giant hammers out of nowhere from behind their backs, but a very particular alien species, able to access Hammerspace as a means to walk from one world to another.

So, yes. A Door that was not a door, opened by a Knob that was not a knob... a slice of air slit the fabric of space and reality. From tip of snout to end of tail, a creature leapt out and...

... "Sweetness! This doesn't look like the Pellingra market center..." He... yes, he... stood up from all fours to twos, a bit hunched, shroudruff feathers tight against back. All evidence of maleness, swift to retreat to "warmer climes" as he clutched forelimbs to chest, breath from all four nostrils fogging in the sudden chill.

Sweetness stood behind him, on twos, holding their daughter to her chest...

... "Dada? Is a we gonna finds icy creams heres?"

Dada had taken a few steps during this daughter-question, his turn of head and opening of mouth to speak interrupted when his foot stepped on...

... "Ahhh uhhh..." Eyes looked down, ears went back, fur fluffed all over... "I know we were looking to restock some fresh meat, but I know this wasn't what we wanted......."

Eyes had looked down on a dead human body, hole blown in face. Sweetness stepped close to her male. Shoulder to shoulder, hip to hip, her tail brushing his...

... "My Love..." She looked from this one corpse to another, then to a third, her own breath-fog exhaled, then... "we have one still alive." Daughter hadn't missed the first corpse, followed her mother's eyes to the second and third, then to the sole living human lying not very far away. All thoughts of "icy creams" went away, her very sad as she snuggled close to mother's chest, snuggled into her warmth, hearing the sound of mother's heartbeat. Feeling thrum of mother's Heartstone. Very young, but knowing nothing could be done to "cure" death. Not this death. Or that one. Or the other.

Dada returned to all fours, attentions and movements set on the one living being out of four still warm. Didn't take him... didn't take them long to reach this survivor. Or to clear the space around him. And access their ThreshHold pocket for what they needed to erect shelter.......

....... yes, just like toons, they were able to pull things from Hammerspace. To enter and return with a toolbox filled with Omni Bits, to be specific. With which they shaped local materials into a quite nice "cabin" around the rock Jaron/Jamir Levi had fallen unconscious against. Though, in a very short time, bed replaced rock, with sheets, pillow and everything. Even fresh "jammies" to go with the sponge bath and bandages.

Life is Strange. It is also a Wonder. Just don't complain if your "angel" is for all practical purposes just a glorified Saint Bernard. Not that this alien family surrounding this injured male human were in any way canine. But their warm little cabin did soon fill with the scent of fresh-brewed herbal tea.......

 

[Poludnica]

So that was what death felt like…Funny. Despite years spent waging wars, Jamir never thought about the end of the line. Something he pushed away for a long time. A soldier's denial - they all needed to go into the battle with anger rather than fear. Jamir felt cold embracing his body, gnawing at bones and skin. The blood loss was worse than he thought, the bullet had to knick something important. The augmented body worked to make it whole again, but it would be hours before Jamir could stand up. Only if the healing process would end with a success. Jamir felt that void beckoned him and it was cold. So very, very cold…The dreamless sleep lasted for good few hours and if not for the thermal regulation amor, he would have died long time ago.

First thing Jamir felt was the brush of chilly wind. There were no birds, nor other animals to break the hollow silence. Jamir moved and inhaled sharply. Coughed when his throat tightened when the local atmosphere invaded his lungs. He felt unpleasant, metallic taste on the tongue. Blood. Jamir thought. Still alive. Still breathing. The soldier's eyes opened; he looked up, blinking. The optics flickered to life. Their blue glow, at first intensive, paled after a moment. The moment he had received all the enhancements, Jamir noticed he didn't just wake, but more came on line. It was a sharp, rapid regaining of consciousness. A spark of immediate clarity.

There was something living there and his hand automatically reached for the handgun resting next to his leg. Before he raised it, the man's brain processed that those were not ED's goons. No, they didn't even look remotely human. Jamir frowned, waiting for his vision to clear. The first thing he noticed was fur: sleek and fluffed. The man blinked, not sure if they were just a phantasmagoric vision of a dying mind…Shouldn't have there been a flashback from his life? All the things he had lost and terrible things he had done. Hell of a bridge to the other side. Jamir tried to move, but the wound immediately flared up with searing pain. The soldier held back a groan, instead clenched his jaw tightly. Muscles danced beneath tawny skin, but they were nowhere near as expressive as those beings. There were two of them, and one smaller one. A cub. Jamir thought, but couldn't tell the genders apart. One seemed a bit smaller, maybe a female, but he couldn't be sure. At first Jamir thought them as animals, but when they began to spoke - or at least made sounds that resembled an organised communication. Damn aliens, it was difficult to tell them apart from furry animals. There was no hostility in them, no bore teeth or growling noises. "What the fuck are you?" Jamir asked in a whisper. His last fading thought was that getting eaten by some aliens wasn't the worst thing that could have happened today.

Like before, the consciousness returned to him in one, sharp stab. His mind immediately alert. There was only some throbbing under his ribs. Jamir's hand moved to touch the bandages as the brown eyes opened. Scent of exotic herbs reached him and the soldier exhaled slowly. He didn't have body amor on, only bandages and some odd looking pants. Jamir tried to lift himself up, but the blood loss made him weak. Vulnerable. Jamir hated this feeling.

"Where…where am I?" He asked, this time in simple, common speech used to build verbal bridges between various species.

 

[Roose Hurro]

Where You Are...



Neither Father nor Mother nor even Their Little One, back when they'd first met this human... no, neither of them took his reach for side-arm as a threat. Nor did they take offense at his crude language. And no, neither of them had answered that first question, given the asker, freshly wakened, had passed out again right after using his swear word inquiry. So.......

In the here and now, in a warm place secure from this planet's harsh outdoor conditions, again this human male awoke. Asked a much more polite question. Well, cabin being custom built, everything focused on the "patient" and his bed, smack dab in the middle. Door to outside beyond the foot, kitchen and sink to right, "rest" area to left for his "hosts"... beyond the head of his bed, a short corridor leading to a door... door to another room. But he'd tried to get up, to move, just before asking his question. So...

... "Be still, Young One..." Large tuft of fur on end of alien Mother's tail gently brushed his chest, the rest of her right there by his bedside, settled on haunches, tray with tea in hand... "Where you are is under our care." She gave him a warm smile.......

"You's a feelin' betters?"

Their Little One... their "cub"... perched on the head-stead of his bed, her own tufted tail waved over her head, looking down at his face with ears back and eyes wide. Mother presented her human patient with a nice hot mug of herbal tea, sound of a door opening then closing in the background, from down that corridor...

... "Good! You're awake..." Around his bed, on all fours, alien Father approached, took up position on his own haunches. Him on the bed's left side, his mate on the right. And something else. Something that peeped! a sound of inquiry. Father hunched even further forwards, spread his shroudruff feathers in display then "extracted" a very small male infant from underneath. Yes, just as obviously male as his Father was now... Father no longer so chilled... yes, his maleness... his "assets"... no longer retracted. Very tiny, rat-sized son, held out for human to see...

... "I'm afraid we don't have a teddy bear available, but you look like you need more than tea."

This newly revealed alien infant stared, wide eyed and curious. Expressed himself with a peep-chirp and wiggle as tiny bright eyes turned from human to Father then back to human.......

 

[Poludnica]

The bullet didn't leave a clean wound. Jamir knew this the moment he struggled to get up and fell back to the pillows. Shit. Something fluffy brushed against his chest and the soldier jerked, startled. He pulled his head back, not sure what to make of it. The creature spoke to him, even called 'the little one' which only added to the surreal vibe surrounding this entire situation. Slowly Jamir pieced together the possible scenario. The ED's pursuit, the skirmish, all the blood. Then those aliens, saving his life. "Why?" Jamir asked, a detached frown forming between his eyebrows. He served primarily on Earth and the Sol, spent his life on fighting fellow humans rather than pacify alien species. Jamir didn't know what those creature were. Their facial expressions were odd, but not hostile. Maybe even…friendly.

Oh, who the fuck knew with giant, talking animals. When the smaller took interest in his well being, Jamir suddenly felt like a guest in a classic, old Disney movie with talking squirrels. "I am ok." The soldier offered, cautious look on his face. He turned at the soft footsteps approaching from the other and oh…oh…wow….I didn't need to see that. Jamir turned his gaze at the ceiling. At least now he had no problems in telling genders apart.

The creatures surrounded him now and Jamir felt horribly exposed. Threatened. The damn aliens probably didn't know what personal space meant. "Yeah, I'm awake and still alive." Jamir confirmed, tensed and in pain. He glanced at the herbal beverage placed near him. "Water will do." The soldier said, pretty sure that thing could kill him. Human physiology was easy to ruin, even with all the toxin cleansers implanted into his liver.

There was a peep, like a squeaky duck. Jamir's brown eyes widened as he looked at the source of the sound. The male, presumedly a father to this family, took out a tiny fluff ball and offered it. A teddy bear? "I need my gun back, not a teddy bear." Jamir sighed under his breath, realising how beyond his comprehension those beings were. Offering a stranger their tiny baby? He could snap its neck in half - absolutely no self-preservation instinct. Considering it would be rude to decline, Jamir awkwardly took the alien baby and for a moment pondered what to do with him. Finally he decided to pet the creature like a cat. Yes, think about them as giant cats, Jamir. That should help you. That was alright, he always liked cats. The creature had pleasant fur in touch, probably even softer than his parents. Damn they would make fine coats.

Jamir glanced around at the weird, alien family that saved him from certain demise and couldn't understand. What would he do if the situation was reversed? The soldier, with consternation and a bit of shame, concluded a mercy killing was the best option.

 

[Roose Hurro]

Talking Animals, Indeed...



Strange, again, how Life throws things about. Asks questions. Swears under its breath. Gives warm fuzzies. Hits you over the head with talking squirrels. If it isn't exposing you to things that can never be unseen. Yes, Life is Strange like that. Jamir... pain could be taken as an unpleasant warning, or as a hard-earned lesson in what not to do. Or maybe in what to do to avoid further pain. "Why?"... a question asked, of great value. Reason there'd been a delay, a time for pondering. Perhaps "okay" wasn't quite the right word to use in response to a child's inquiry, given his pain. Awake and still alive, better words. But oh... wow certainly made for a proper thought towards this alien's "fatherly assets", embarrassment also a great teacher.......

Alien Father responded to the last words Jamir spoke, watched very intently yet very calmly as this human "petted" his son...

... "You need something warm and alive, not cold and dead. Too much cold and too much death isn't good for anyone." He leaned a little further over the bed, to give the human a closer look, as his son started to purr-coo and snuggle at this human's touch.......

His mate? Warm smile even warmer, she too leaned closer, flared all four nostrils in a sniff as her forehead badge seemed to shimmer, a faint gleam as her ears turned back...

... "You ask why..." she said, voice warm as her smile, breath surprisingly fresh. No question mark sound or even implication returned in her tone... "I ask you to drink tea. Water is fine. You need more. Doctor's orders..."

Father grinned, fur and mane all fluffed, blue-tipped, blood-red shroudruff feathers unfurled in full display...

... "Trust my Sweetness... she knows what she's doing. And I went all the way to Tibet for that tea! Little monastery in the hills, takes them months to gather all the herbs, then they pray over them for three days and nights... hard to get tea blessed by Tibetan monks. Only available for a short time. Good stuff. Good for digestion... helps to keep your prostate from swelling." A clawed hand waved over his nether regions (yes, the bed was very low).......

Talking animals, indeed. But then, even humans were talking animals. A perspective Jamir perhaps had never considered. And no, what with Father and Mother...

... "Mama and Dada knowsers all's abouts stuff. Is a good t' listeners..."

... what with Father and mother on each side of the bed, and Their Little One, now hanging from the head-stead by her tail, for a closer look, herself... indeed, "personal space" was at a premium.


---------------------

 

[Poludnica]

The creature beneath his fingers cooed and squirmed like a feline, so much Jamir started to believe he was back home with old Snuggleface on his lap. Maybe the ancient cat was still alive somewhere. Jamir wouldn't know, his ex had taken the animal with her - along with their apartment, their car and their daughter. "Tell me about it." He smiled faintly. The soldier had no strength to fight those weirdos. The most important thing was that they weren't hostile, although it was impossible to tell with such things. Maybe they just kept him alive to eat later. He felt rather awkward, trapped between two large beasts. The female sniffed at the air and Jamir could see the four nostrils parting slightly. They were ugly, but friendly - more than he could say about own kinsmen.

His gaze drifted to the cup. The steam that danced above it didn't reek, but that wasn't the factor which ruled out toxicity. The two were insistent though, to the point the male collar…thing spread into an exotic looking hand fan. "Tibet?" The human asked, baffled. He wasn't aware aliens would come to Earth by own volition. Humans were assholes. They rarely let anyone in. "I wasn't aware their order still existed." Jamir sighed and finally took the cup. It was pleasantly warm. Watchful of the little furball, he offered him back to his father. Jamir carefully sniffed the infused tea. It did have a familiar aroma, reminded him of Earth. Every planet had different range of scents and tastes, all of them alien, as if the human brain instinctively knew what came from home. Jamir took a careful sip.

"Prostate is the last of my worries right now." He said, whilst wondering how come the evolved sentient creatures have no concept of decency. Pants should be second invention after wheel for any civilisation. Jamir began to relax, now assured the aliens meant no harm - even tried genuinely help. That was foolish of them, getting in the middle of human conflict. The beings had certainly been to Earth, they must have witnessed all that was happening: the riots, the local wars, the poverty. "Oh yeah?" He asked, looking up at another alien child. "Stuff like what?" The aliens still had an advantage - Jamir had no idea what they were, then again not like he had studied foreign species much. Maybe had killed few in his lifetime.

A stifled hiss escaped the man's lips as he tried to shift on the bed. The bandages covered his torso but even them couldn't mask the horrors his body had gone through: scars from bullet wounds, burns and blades were only partially removed. The clear signs of surgeries and enhancements could be traced beneath his skin in a form of blackened veins.

 

[Roose Hurro]

Pants and Stuff...



Ugly is always in the eye of beholders.......

As for tea...

... "Yes, Tibet... it's Tibetan baicao tea." Father alien accepted his son back, gave his precious bundle a lick between ears, only slightly defluffing as he continued... "I don't drink it very often... prefer coffee... and this stuff tends to make me pee more than I'd like." Grin. "Oh, by the way, if you need to go, restroom is that way...." A wave in the direction he'd come from earlier, as he cradled son to chest.

Then came the question, focused on what his daughter had said. Mother and Father alien looked at each other, Mother taking charge as her patient hissed...

... "Like how whoever modified your biome didn't take your personal Feng Shui to heart." She lightly touched the area of pain, traced a very tight pattern over his bandaged wound. The pain eased, but didn't go away completely.

"What my Sweetness is trying to say... someone really messed up your chi. Otherwise, we'd have you in much better shape. Need to let nature and your mods heal as best they can." Ears went back as he winced in sympathy... "Yes, your prostate is the last of your worries." His ears perked up, grin again on show... "Just try not to move again, or she'll have to give you another sponge bath......." A wave towards his mate.

As for pants...

... well, "decency" is also a matter of perspective. Mother alien snagged daughter before she got within licking distance of her patient's forehead, and set her down on all fours by the bedside. Little One immediately stood up and peeked over, little pawhands brushing sheets...

... "You's a'feels better... we's a'makes you waffles!"

Yes, it was well past lunch, what with everything that had happened, but Jamir had just woken up, so by child logic, breakfast made sense.